The Life After

6/28/06

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or the characters of Inuyasha. I do not own Naraku, Inutaisho, Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, Jakken, Rin, or Ah-Un. I also do not own Ayame, the Elder, or Kouga. Nor do I own the lunar rainbow promise. I do not own Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Kirara, or Shippo. I do not own Kohaku, Hachi, Kaede, or Kikyo or ANY of the characters or happenings from Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi is the wonderful creator and owner of said characters, manga, and show. I do not make money off of her characters or this story. Anything that is not owned by her is still owned by the people who own the Inuyasha show and movies. I give them credit for their work as well. I do not make money off of their ideas or episodes. This Disclaimer applies to this and all following chapters.

Author's Note: Yeah I know, I got a bit sidetracked myself...but I already said how cute Ayame and Kouga were, they just had to have their ends tied up. So, anyway, here's a random chapter...and yes something is going on inside of Rin's stomach. I already have a name for the cute little pup, too. ^.^ But you'll just have to wait. Oh, another note, I'm not sure if Kouga got to keep his shards in the show or not, but I'd like to think he did. I mean he's gotten so used to them, he'd be absolutely miserable without them. So, yeah, in my story, he gets to keep them. Hope you enjoy this.

Thanks: Thanks again to Sorceressofthenight! I AGREE! Rin and Sesshoumaru would so be more of a couple if they showed their group more often. I'm so excited about the upcoming episode tightled "Together with Lord Sesshoumaru Forever". I bet it'll be awesome. Nope, sorry, Rin's still terrified to come back to him. Quite clearly, since so much time has passed...but thanks to Jakken and Kouga, they are back on track. ^.^ Thanks so much for reviewing all the time, it gives me a reason to write. Thanks also to animegirl007, I'm glad you liked that last chapter. I myself, as I have said often, quite enjoyed writing it. Yes Shen is getting to be a pest, unless you were talking about the pup? lol. but I'm pretty sure you're talking about Shen. He's so sure of himself, I'm kind of worried for Kouga. But we'll just have to see what happened, because I haven't even figured out where Shen's going in this, yet. ENJOY!

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Ayame tossed in her own sleep that night. She kept hearing Kouga's voice calling her name. Finally, abandoning all hope of sleep, she turned to face the sleeping human girl. Rin was whimpering as usual, her blanket rose high on her wide stomach. Ayame sighed; Rin still had not admitted it, but it was quite clear that she was pregnant with the dog demon lord's child. Over and over she insisted that she was just overeating, because she missed him. To a demon like Ayame, however, the scent of pregnancy lay softly, but undeniably over Rin. It had been six months since the girl had come to the wolves. She had adapted well to the wolves' way of life, but she longed constantly for the lord she could never return to. Ayame pressed her hands to her ears; she just couldn't get Kouga's voice out of her head.


Sesshoumaru leaned miserably against a tree. He had searched the entire south and east ten times over. He had turned the lands upside down, seeking urgently for news of Rin, but there was no news. He refused to give up.

“M'lord?” Jakken whimpered from his spot on the ground. He was worn out as well, from all the traveling they had done.

“No, Jakken.”

“But m'lord, it is the only-“

“NO! Jakken. I will not stoop to that.”

“Fine, suit yourself…but Lord Inuyasha's village is the only place we have not searched,” Jakken wiped sweat from his brow.

“I do not need the half demon's help. I can find Rin on my own…besides! Do you think for one second that Inuyasha would ever let me live down losing my own mate?! I can't give him that to hold over me,” Sesshoumaru had grown accustomed to the hollowness of his soul, but that didn't mean it hurt him any less. His deep desire for Rin stood well above anything else he needed to do. He had occasionally visited his subjects, reminding them that he was still a good ruler even though he endlessly searched for Rin. They worshiped him immensely, but it did not matter to Sesshoumaru. He wouldn't have had anything to do with them, if it weren't for the fact that Rin would be proud of him upon her return.

“Your half brother does seem to be good at finding things, however,” Jakken pointed out quietly.

Sesshoumaru let out a growl, snapping the tree behind him in half. Instantly he had his claws around the whimpering Jakken's neck. “If I go visit my worthless brother, will you SHUT UP?!”

“Yes, m'lord, Certainly,” the frogish demon rubbed his neck, a big grin on his face as he watched Sesshoumaru set out towards Inuyasha's village.


“Ayame!” Kouga's voice echoed softly in the cave, “Ayame!”

“Please!” Ayame begged suddenly, “Don't torture me, any longer! I can't stand to hear your voice anymore!” Tears flowed down her face; it had been at least an hour since she'd first heard his voice in her head.

“What? Don't be stupid. I'm right here, Ayame!” Kouga's voice called again.

“Huh?” Ayame raced to the edge of the cave, nearly screaming out at the sight she beheld, “KOUGA!”

“Get down here, already! I've been yelling at you for ages! You're gonna miss it!” He waved a bouquet of flowers at her. Each of the flowers matched the one in her hair.

She leaped down beside him, shook the water from her shoulders, and took the flowers, “Miss what?”

“Quit wasting time!” he argued, “Hop on. There's no way we'll make it at your speed.”

“Make it where?”

“Just GET ON!” he growled, losing his patience with the wolf girl. She climbed on to his back, and wrapped her arms around his neck. He placed his own arms under her bottom to support her, and they were gone instantly inside of a whirlwind. Another kind thing Inuyasha had done, at the request of Kagome, was to let Kouga keep the shards in his legs.

“Will you tell me where we're going now?” she asked again, her hair whipping around in the wind.

“Somewhere special,” was all he would say, “Now, hush. . . and close your eyes, while you're at it.”

Ayame sighed, but shut her eyes. It seemed like he had run for ages. She wondered where they could possibly be going that would take this long at his speed. Finally Kouga skidded to a stop. “OK,” he smiled, “Open your eyes.” Slowly she opened her eyes. The sight before her made her tighten her grip around Kouga's neck. He gave a choking noise, and said, “You don't have to kill me.”

“Sorry,” she breathed, “But…oh, Kouga!”

Gently he let her off of his back and turned to face her. He took her hands in his and cleared his throat, the flowers lay forgotten on the ground, “I've been waiting a long time for this night. It just had to be perfect when I told you this,” he gulped, “Ayame, I made you a promise…and I intend to keep it. If you'll still have me; will you be my wife?”

Ayame's eyes glittered in the light from the lunar rainbow that shone beyond them. It was the exact same spot they had seen it years before. “Of course, Kouga!” she cried, throwing her arms around him. He returned the embrace, beaming. “I wasn't sure you were going to come back,” she whispered honestly.

“I've been wanting to come get you for ages, but I just wanted it to be perfect. Lunar rainbows are awful hard to come by,” he snickered.

“I didn't need a lunar rainbow to make me say yes to you,” she hit him gently in the back of the head, “I've wanted to marry you since I was little.”

“I know, but I just thought I had to make up for that whole Kagome thing…I'm real sorry about that,” he rubbed his head distractedly.

“We must tell Grandpa!” Ayame smiled suddenly.

“Grandpa? Oh…yeah….the Elder. Heh…that means I'm gonna be Elder someday, doesn't it?”

“Yup! Now hurry up! Grandpa will want to know immediately!” she picked up her flowers and climbed back up on to his back, “Poor Shen will be so disappointed,” she giggled.

“Who's Shen?” Kouga looked hurt.

“No one, just go on!”

Kouga rolled his eyes, but took off in another stream of wind.


Ayame searched through the cave for a pretty jar to put Kouga's flowers in. She had forced him to stop by the cave, for fear that the flowers would die if they were not placed in water soon. Kouga stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall. He glanced around the cave, and his eyes locked on the very pregnant Rin. “Who's the human?” he asked walking closer to her, “Woah! She kinda smells like the mutt.”

“What mutt?” Ayame asked, not really paying attention to her soon to be husband, “That's Lord Sesshoumaru's mate.”

“Sesshoumaru, huh? Isn't that Inuyasha's brother or something?” Kouga turned.

“Hmm? Inuyasha? Oh, you mean that half demon who married Kagome,” Ayame still didn't look at him, shuffling through the jars.

“Don't remind me. Stupid half demon,” he scoffed.

“What was that?”

“Nothing!” Kouga gulped, “Why's the human here with you anyway?”

“Who, Rin? Oh, Lord Sesshoumaru deeply hurt her, and she refuses to return to him. She thinks she is unworthy. I really wish there was something I could do for her,” Ayame turned back, flowers and vase in hand, “But that dog lord is so stubborn, he hasn't even come looking for her yet.”

Kouga opened his mouth, then shut it, then opened it again. Finally he sighed, “You know…if it is the mutt's brother, then I bet Inuyasha could…help.”

“What a wonderful idea, Kouga!” Ayame had set the flowers down and was now beside him, “We'll take her to Inuyasha's village, I bet he and Kagome can convince her to return home. I'm so proud of you for suggesting him,” she turned to him and shakily kissed him. It was their first kiss, but Kouga didn't need to be encouraged. Instantly his tongue was in her mouth and he was tasting every inch of her. She pulled back nervously after a minute.

“Sorry,” Kouga looked away, “I'll slow down.”

“No, really. It's ok,” she smiled at him, “But, um, we should go tell the Elder. About Rin and…us.”

“OK,” the wolf demon sighed, “Kouga Express is ready to board.” He turned his back to Ayame, and she hopped on laughing.


The Elder was joyous at the news, both of their betrothal and of the idea to help the sad human girl. “Kouga,” he beamed, “You will be a wonderful grandson-in-law and a wonderful Elder.”

“Wish I was so sure,” Kouga sighed.

“Trust me,” the old wolf laughed, “I am the Elder. I must know what I'm talking about.”

Ayame giggled, then waved goodbye to her grandfather and drug Kouga back towards the cave.


A few hours later, as the sun began to rise, Shen showed up at the Elder's cliff. The cocky wolf had been gone for several months, much to Ayame's happiness. However, he had been following news of Sesshoumaru. He was determined to become the Elder. He bowed low, but not respectfully, “Elder. The dog is on the move. He has hardly anywhere left to search but north. He will come soon, and I will kill him!”

“There is no need to harm the dog demon lord. He has done us no harm. I would appreciate it greatly if you left him alone. Besides, I have a wedding to prepare,” the wolf began to pad away.

“A wedding?!” Shen bounced up growling.

“Prince Kouga has returned.” The Elder was gone.

“NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!” Shen howled, digging his claws in his cheeks and falling to his knees, “THIS CAN'T BE!!!! I AM TO BE ELDER! ME!!!” Shen rose, green eyes aflame, “If I must kill him, too, then so be it!” He leapt from the cliff.


Rin had just awoken in the cave to find Ayame and a strange wolf boy she had never seen in the cave before standing above her. The boy had brilliant pupil-less blue eyes, and his long black hair was pulled high into a ponytail. He had a brown headband that wrapped around his head above his pointed ears. His long brown tail flowed gracefully out of the fur around his waist. He had black and silver armor, with fur covering his shoulders. A sword sat at his side. Brown fur covered his lower legs. He wore a fur wristband above his right hand, and fur covered his left forearm. All in all, he was very brown and furry.

“Rin, how are you feeling?” Ayame smiled cheerfully.

“I'm alright…who's this?” Rin rubbed her eyes trying to sit up, though her stomach seemed to foil her plans. One of the white wolves came up behind her, and helped nuzzle her into a sitting position. “Thank you,” she patted the canine on the head. She stared back up at the strange new wolf, and suddenly familiarity washed over her. This was the wolf demon…the one who had allowed his pack to kill her. She wasn't afraid though, she remembered also that he had once saved her life: something which the lord had referred to as “unnecessary interference.” The brown wolf, however, did not seem to recognize her.

“This is my husband, Rin,” Ayame grabbed Kouga's hand tightly.

“I dunno if I'm sure about this,” Kouga looked at her nervously, but gulped as she glared at him, “H-h-ha! Just kidding. Of course I want to marry you,” he laughed shakily.

“You mean, this is Kouga?!” Ayame nodded, and Rin looked confused, finding it strange that Ayame's beloved Kouga was the one wolf she knew rather well. Brushing off the strange coincidence, Rin beamed, managing to jump up and hug her, “That's wonderful! I'm so happy for you!”

Ayame looked at Kouga uncertainly, then sighed, “Rin. We had a thought…We thought that maybe Inuyasha would be able to help you…besides you're growing closer to birthing ever day, and Kouga says Kagome has wonderful medicines-“

“I'm not pregnant!” Rin whimpered, “I'm just fat! Why won't you listen to me?!” she turned from them.

“Who do you think you're kidding?!” Kouga growled.

“Kouga!” the wolf girl gasped.

“No! She needs to hear this,” he turned back to the human, “Just look at you! You look like a blowfish! And you're drenched in the smell of pregnancy. Give it up! You're carrying the dog's pup!”

Rin suddenly whimpered, then fell to the ground bawling.

“KOUGA!” Ayame screamed, but he shook his head and pointed at Rin.

Rin looked up at them slowly, still crying, “I know! I know. I'm hopelessly pregnant, but this will only make the lord hate me more! Bearing him a half demon heir? He will never forgive me! I am even more useless than before.”

Ayame knelt beside her, a hand on her good friend's shoulder, “Don't be sad, Rin. I think Lord Sesshoumaru is looking for you.”

“You do?” Rin sniffed.

“Yes, and I bet he would be pleased to know that he is going to have a child…but now do you see the need to go to Inuyasha's village? Kagome has great medicines which will make this much easier for you. Will you come?” Ayame asked.

“You're right. I guess I'll go…will you stay with me?” she asked, looking nervous at asking strangers, much less the lord's hated brother, for help.

“Of course,” the demon smiled.

Kouga whimpered, “But the wedding…”

“Can wait. Don't worry, Rin. We're here for you.”

Rin looked longingly out at the sky. Being in Inuyasha's village would bring her that much closer to the lord. What if she ran into him? She had no idea what to say to him. She knew he didn't deserve her forgiveness, but couldn't help but give it to him. She certainly hoped she wouldn't see him, and she was really glad that the two wolves would be going with her.


Miles to the south Sesshoumaru floated grudgingly on a cloud. Jakken stood beside him. Inuyasha's village loomed in the distance.