Hanyou Wars

Disclaimer: Still don’t own ‘em. Damn.

Inuyasha was as good as his word. Aside from when the little ones needed care, he and his mate sequestered themselves in their bedchamber for nearly four days while the physical and emotional scars of their capture slowly healed. The young hanyous that had been rescued had all recovered nicely in that time and, though they were still quiet and a little jumpy around the people of the village, they were gradually coming to realize that not all humans were like the ones that had hurt them.

After only five days of their presence in the village, the hanyou and his mate were approached by a childless couple doomed to remain so by a wound the young man had received fighting off a youkai attack a couple of years ago. Surprisingly, they offered--practically begged--to be allowed to take in the neko hanyou brother and sister. After making sure that both the children and their prospective family understood some of the potential problems ahead of them, Kagome consulted with Kaede, who agreed that it was likely that the children and adults would be able to at least begin to heal each other.

Late one afternoon a little more than a week after their return to the village, Kagome finally found the opportunity to consult with the old miko about the things she had learned when she had absorbed Kikyou’s memories. Not surprisingly, the old woman confirmed much of the information she had been given. Although surprised that her sister had chosen to learn some of the spells that now resided in the young woman--she had always been more interested in the defensive aspects of her training--she was delighted that they had found their way to someone who would use them properly.

In a moment of brutal honesty, Kagome spoke of her desire for a family and the conditions that had made it impossible so far. As she copied down the spells that were floating through her memories, the old woman suddenly lifted one of the scrolls. “You realize that this particular spell will allow you to do the thing you desire the most?”

She nodded. “I’ve been seeing a fertility doctor in my home world for months, and she’s told me that we will almost certainly be able to have pups, but that it’ll be difficult and take a long time. The thing is,” she said, “There are hanyous still alive in my time that would do anything to be able to have a family. If I can make this work for us, maybe I can bring the spell to the people in my world that really need it.”

“So,” the old woman asked, fixing her with a steely expression from her remaining eye, “What are you waiting for?”

She shrugged. “Right now, I’m waiting to see how many of the pups we rescued will be staying with us. It’s so wonderful having such a full house, but I can’t help thinking that at least a few of them will be leaving soon. I can’t say that I’m happy about it, but if it’s the right thing for them to do, then I want them to go.”

“Isn’t that what a mother wants for her family?”

She nodded. “I like to think that I’ll make a good mother someday.”

The old woman looked up just as in time to see the adult hanyou enter the small building to take his mate back home. “I think that you already are.”