As Death Gives Life

Chapter 16 – Kagome’s Return

A/N’s:

I thought that I would take a moment to give credit to some authors who have written some really good stories on this site. I have been following these fics, and since I read so many, I think I am safe in saying that you can trust me when I tell you that you will not be disappointed when you read these stories. There really are too many worthy authors to name, but right now, I’m going to list just a few.

The Unexpected Twist of Fate by pseudomonas posted on A Single Spark - She has such a fresh style, and her descriptions are just beautifully done.

The Poison of Erised by Vyncent – My lemons are amateurish compared to hers. A wonderful author.

Of course anything written by my Hentai Sis, KogasAngel, is well worth the read.

Now... as Paris would say... ‘Touché my Lord,’ and on with the show!

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They were only half a day away from reaching Kaede’s village. None of them were really all that tired. During the entire trip they had only encountered a few youkai bent on stealing the jewel shard in Kat’s leg. Since Kagome had the major portion of the jewel dangling from her neck, they had been relatively spared from the hordes of mindless beasts seeking to gain power through the Shikon no Tama. Kat had made ready to fend off the strays that came after her, but Inuyasha paid her no mind at all and quickly reduced the youkai to dust with little effort.

The hanyou actually seemed to cheer up just a little after the short-lived battles. Perhaps his youkai nature longed for the thrill of combat, or perhaps Inuyasha simply needed an outlet in which to vent his rising stress over Kagome’s kidnapping.

Kidnapping?

Yes. Kidnapping, for that is exactly what Inuyasha had now labeled her disappearance. He absolutely refused to listen to any more excuses concocted by his companions in a vain attempt to ease his mind. The one that took her knew very well that they were waiting for her return, and still, two days later, she had not been returned. There were no leads, with which to follow her. They had no idea where Anubis took her, and Kami forbid, if he had stolen her away to Egypt they may never see her again.

Inuyasha called that kidnapping.

For that, Anubis would pay dearly if he ever crossed his path again. That dog better pray that he returned Kagome safely to them or he would gladly send him back to the Underworld with a one way pass.

Kagome meant a great deal to Inuyasha. A great deal more than he let on. At first there had been strange feelings between them. Something a little un-nerving. Something that made his heart ache, but years of travel, sole dedication to recovering the Shikon, and searching for Naraku had changed them. It had killed the blossoming love they had originally felt, but in its place it left a deep-rooted dedication to one another. It was the love one would feel for their only remaining relative. The kind of feeling that left you afraid. Afraid when they were in danger. Afraid that they would be taken from you forever. Afraid they would leave you all alone.

Inuyasha did have a living relative. They two were the last of their clan. Sesshomaru. Just thinking his name boiled Inuyasha’s blood. The brothers felt nothing akin to what he and Kagome felt, despite the fact that the same blood ran through their veins. They could care less about one another, and Inuyasha seriously doubted that either would mourn the other’s passing.

Kagome. What if she never returned to him? How would he carry the weight of his failure? He was sworn to protect her, but how could he protect her when she fought against him? He had tried to warn her that Anubis was not to be trusted. He tried to fight for her, but she refused his every effort. Could she be falling in love with that freak? Inuyasha shuddered at the thought. He hoped with all his being that she was smarter than that. It could only lead to pain, and pain was something he tried to keep her from.

Inuyasha knew pain. He knew heartache. He knew what it was like to be betrayed by someone that he gave his heart to. Kikyo. He still remembered the gut wrenching feeling as he watched her shoot a purifying arrow at his chest, knowing that he was about to die, then finally realizing that she had sealed him to that tree for all time. Her beauty was mind numbing, even in that fatal moment. Her tears glistened in her once bright eyes. Fifty years later she was brought back from the dead, and they both discovered that Naraku had tricked them into turning on one another.

Finding out the truth had not taken away the pain. It only spread it deeper. Making him distrustful of even those closest to him. It made him angry.

He had been so angry for so long that he wasn’t sure if he could be anything else. Slowly Kagome had broken through his hardened shell, and taught him to trust again. She was there to lend him her strength when his wasn’t enough. Through it all he had hurt her, time and again.

Kikyo. She was always there. Always embedded in the backs of their minds. He could not turn his back on her. He owed Kikyo that much. Kagome had been so jealous of their relationship, such as it was. She knew that he could never give himself to her fully, because of a walking dead woman that he once loved. He couldn’t say when Kagome began to see him in a different light. Maybe it was in the days of the Shininiti, when Naraku had tried to kill Kikyo. Inuyasha had gone temporarily mad with grief and anger that the same bastard had taken her life for a second time, once again proving his ineptitude at keeping his loved ones safe. Kagome seemed to be different after that. A little more reserved. A little less... in love with him.

That was two years ago, and the struggle to find and destroy Naraku had consumed them all. Miroku’s looming death was always a strong factor pushing them. The wind rip in the monks’ hand grew a fraction larger upon every use, until they had finally insisted that he seal the void and rely on his friends to protect him. He fought tooth and nail, but they had managed to keep him from using the Kazanna during most of their battles. It had proved to save his life, prolonging his demise, and now the Wind Tunnel was nothing more than a memory.

They had all pushed hard, and fought hard. They were family. Unlike Sesshomaru, Inuyasha shared no blood relation with his entourage, but he shared a kinship nonetheless. They were siblings forged from battle, from scars, and tears, physical pain as well as mental. Miroku, Shippo, Sango, Kirara, and Kagome, they all were his family. Of all of them Kagome, perhaps, meant more to him than the others. Not because she was pretty, or because she smelled nice, but because she was the first to believe in him. She was there from the start cheering him on. She was his strength.

“Inuyasha, can’t we take a break now? My feet hurt,” Shippo groaned.

Inuyasha turned and said, “Sure runt. We’ll take a quick break here.”

Shippo’s eyes grew large. Miroku and Sango looked at each other questioningly. Even Kat stopped in her tracks, eyeing the hanyou with suspicion. Something was definitely wrong with their hanyou friend. His agreeable attitude toward Shippo was way out of character. He really was worried about Kagome.

Shippo finally snapped out of it, and said, “Uh... thanks, Inuyasha.”

The group trudged over to a shady spot beneath the trees and tiredly took a seat, enjoying a chance to rest their aching feet. Shippo skipped up to Sango, and Kat, offering to share a handful of wild berries that he picked, but neither wanted to partake in his juicy treat.

Suddenly Inuyasha jumped to his feet, as if he was preparing to do battle. He sniffed the air madly, causing everyone to assume the worse. Weapons were quickly drawn, and the group made ready to fend off the attacker, but instead of a youkai tearing through the forest, they soon discovered that it was none other than their missing companions.

A strange flicker of light appeared as dark tiny particles formed in a whirling vortex. As more and more specks drifted into the spinning mass two shapes became more and more visible.

“Kagome!” Shippo yelled as he jumped toward his favorite friend.

Kagome wrapped her arms around Shippo and squeezed him tight. “I missed you Shippo-chan!”

Before she could release Shippo she was almost knocked to the ground, as Inuyasha hurled himself, full force, at Anubis, catching the inuGod off guard. The two plummeted to the hard ground with an ‘oomph’. Inuyasha gave him no time to register what was going on before he began a series of hard pummeling strikes. He landed three good punches on the once perfect features of the Egyptian God before Anubis waved a hand, sending Inuyasha hurling through the air. The hanyou hit hard into the trunk of a gnarled old tree, sending thousands of tiny green leaves trickling down.

With barley a motion, Anubis leapt to his feet, and swung to the half-dazed hanyou. “You DARE strike me boy?”

Kagome had never witnessed Anubis angry before. His normal velvet lined voice was harsh and burning, and she could feel waves of indignant aura pulsing around her. It was enough to make her physically ill, and she ran for the cover of the bushes to empty her stomach contents.

Anubis snapped out of his fury when he heard Kagome’s pitiful retching distress. He mentally checked his temper, pulling in his malevolent aura, before heading over to her side. Before he reached Kagome, the other females stepped in front of him, protectively shielding their purging friend. The youkai, Kat, glared at him with open animosity, but the exterminator turned away to see to her ill ‘sister’.

Sango handed Kagome a cloth to wipe her face. “Are you going to be alright Kagome?”

Kagome coughed a couple of times before sniffing. She wiped her nose and eyes with the cloth. “I... I’ll be fine Sango. It was the wave of his aura I think...” She hoped that is what it was. She had only been pregnant for a full day. It couldn’t possibly morning sickness this soon. Could it?

Sango turned a heated glare on Anubis, holding his gaze as she answered Kagome, “Yes. I felt it as well. As a miko, you would probably react more harshly to such a burst of malcontent.”

“Your probably right,” Kagome said. “I suppose that was it.”

By this time Inuyasha had shaken off the dizziness and was prepared to go another round. He leapt in between Kat and Anubis, pulling his sword from its sheath along the way. The crisp sound of the metallic fang sliced through the momentary silence. “I’ve about had enough of you, Inuyasha snarled. You’re going down.”

Had he not been a God of such high standing, Anubis would have been tempted to roll his eyes at the sheer audacity of the hanyou pup. Instead he narrowed his eyes, calling forth a bit of his inu, allowing the boy a small glimpse of his true power. Silver began to swim among the icy blue of his eyes and his fangs ripped through his gums to full length.

“You don’t scare me you bastard! My brother can do that same stupid shit. Let’s see what you really got!” Inuyasha growled.

“Stop it!” Kagome called out in a broken voice. She stepped from the bushes to intervene. She stood beside the males, prepared to do battle. It was clear that Inuyasha had no chance at all of winning, but she found it sweet that he would risk injury, or even death, in her honor. “Please. I don’t feel very well. Could we just, please sit down, and talk about this like ‘adults’?”

A half-veiled snicker reached her ears, and she swiftly turned a warning glare on Miroku, who feigned innocence. Much to her relief, her admission to being ill, had proven to bring out Inuyasha’s concern for her health.

“Kagome? Why don’t you come sit down over here?” Inuyasha said softly as he wrapped a strong arm about her waist to aid her to a more comfortable grassy spot. His attention was diverted immediately by a low pitched growl from Anubis.

Kagome looked up at her recent lover, then she patted Inuyasha’s shoulder reassuringly. She glared at Anubis before asking, “Please don’t tell me you’re jealous. You have no right to be you know. Not when you are leaving me in this condition two months from now. So don’t you dare snarl at Inuyasha. Don’t you dare push away someone who has always cared about my well being.”

“That is not fair Kagome. I care very much for your well being.” Anubis tried to argue with her. He did care about her. She knew how much he cared. Even now she could not look past her anger. Did she not understand that he did not wish to leave her? Did she not understand that it was his duty? He could not turn his back on the very existence that created him. He could not turn his back on the souls of the dead.

Kagome only glared at him, and turned to thank Inuyasha. She could tell that he was worried about her. She could feel it coming off of him in waves. He must have been frantic when she did not come back the night she left. Guilt washed over her. She had been so wrapped up in her new admirer; one that ended up using her as a pawn in his game, that she didn’t take into consideration how worried Inuyasha would be.

“I’m sorry, Inuyasha. Please forgive me,” Kagome softly asked.

“Don’t worry about it Kagome. You know me; I wasn’t worried at all. Shippo was driving me crazy though,” Inuyasha replied. He listened to Kagome’s sad little attempt to laugh. Something was wrong with her. Something more than just being hit with a powerful dose of that mutt’s aura.

He was worried. It was almost like something was gone from her. Something important. Something that made her who she was. Kagome was rarely sad, but she was sad now. He could smell it on her. He could smell the tears she had been shedding. Her eyes were puffy, and she sounded stuffed up. He was certain that she had been crying... a lot. Could it be because that stupid bastard told her that he was leaving in two months? No. She wouldn’t be this upset over something like that. Would she?

She smelled different too. Something faint, but definitely there. Something changed. She still smelled nice. No. Better than nice, but different. It was as if her jasmine scent was mingled with delicate spices.

He helped her to sit down. Shippo and Kirara sat close by, and Sango and Kat took a spot to her right. Inuyasha stepped back. Realization was beginning to flood his mind. Understanding was breaking his heart. Comprehension was shaking his solid foundation.

Inuyasha was suddenly overwhelmed with the need to rip out the throat of Anubis.

He turned on him. His large amber eyes narrowed to slits of piercing rage as he focused on the one who had done this abominable act; the one who had taken something precious from his first and dearest friend. “YOU! YOU FUCKING BASTARD! I’m gonna KILL YOU!” Inuyasha pulled his sword once more. The rusty old katana transformed into a miraculous giant saber. Inuyasha was shaking in his wrath. His silver hair danced about his shoulders as the fury washed over him in waves.

Kagome looked up at Inuyasha when he began shouting at Anubis. ‘Oh Kami. He knows. He knows,’ she desperately thought. She had hoped to have a little more time to think up something that would not set him into a fury. She did not expect him to discover her secret so quickly. “Inuyasha! No! Just let it be!”

Inuyasha did not even spare her a glance. He positioned himself to do battle. He was so enraged that he did not even care that Anubis could ‘wave’ him into the underworld. He could care less. This was a slight that he would not turn away from. Kagome was under his protection, and this was a mark against his honor.

Anubis smirked at Inuyasha. The boy was actually challenging him. Did he not understand the depth of his power? Had he not proven his strength by decimating the hanyou, Naraku, as well as his underlings? Again, silver began to spill into the shining blue eyes of the inuGod. He was growing tired of this unruly pup. He was a God, and above the petty squabbles of men and youkai.

“Hold your tongue boy, before you lose it,” Anubis growled. “I have done no harm to Kagome. I have only taken what was freely given to me.” His smooth voice quaked with power, sending the kitsune into a shivering mass of fur, as he scurried into the lap of Kagome.

Miroku inhaled a deep unsettling breath. He was now beginning to understand Inuyasha’s reaction. It had him baffled for a moment. He had half expected the initial attack on Anubis, but then he thought Inuyasha had calmed down somewhat. He was surprised when his long time friend turned on Anubis with such hatred. Inuyasha had rarely shown such depth of the dark emotion. Anger was a daily thing for him, but this, well, this went beyond anything that he had witnessed from Inuyasha in four years. It was almost frightening.

Anubis had given him a reveling clue in his warning words to Inuyasha. Perhaps it was his own lecherous mind at work? Anubis took what Kagome had freely given? That could only mean one thing to Miroku.

Anubis had taken Kagome’s virginity.

He had to admit that he was a bit impressed with the inuGod's savvy with the female species. Kagome had been adamantly holding her maidenhood for the entire four years that they had traveled together, but only after three weeks Anubis had broken through her guards against the male sex. He would have to ask him for a few tips. Sango was being rather stubborn in that area, and he was beginning to think that he would never get a chance to see what lay beneath that exterminator uniform.

Miroku stood to his feet, brushing aside his own selfish thoughts for the time being. It was obvious that they were in great need of a calm voice. Kagome was now reduced to sobbing cries in the comforting arms of his dear Sango. He briefly wished he could take Kagome’s place in her arms, before returning to the situation at hand. “Inuyasha. Lord Anubis. If I may, I think that right now is not the time to discuss these matters. Kagome is obviously in distress over your fighting, as well as ill from the effects of your earlier display of power. Perhaps you both should consider her feelings and put aside your squabble for now?”

Inuyasha huffed angrily at Miroku, “Shut up Miroku. You don’t know what he’s done. He deserves the pain I’m gonna give him.”

Miroku cleared his throat, a little nervously. “Actually, I have a pretty good idea.”

Inuyasha turned his head and glared at Miroku, “You can tell she’s pregnant?!”

Several shocked gasps were heard, including one sharp squeal of humiliation from the young miko, followed by more of her pitiful wracking sobs. Not a word was uttered among the group of travelers, who were frantically digesting this new astonishing piece of information. Not one person dared speak in light of Inuyasha’s revelation.

Long moments of heavy silence followed. The air was thick with discomfort. Kagome’s gut tearing sobs had finally lessened to a pitiful string of sad whimpers, while her face remained buried in Sango's worn Kimono. Sango rubbed Kagome’s back soothingly, whispering soft words of comfort to her friend while they awaited the next move between Inuyasha and Anubis. Shippo was now standing behind Kagome, leaning on her back with his arms wrapped around her shoulders as he nuzzled her neck lovingly. Kat sat quietly, rubbing Kagome’s arm softly, trying to send as much comfort to her friend as possible without overwhelming her. It seemed to be working slowly, but surely, as Kagome soon gained control of her turbulent emotions.

Sango leaned close to Kagome’s ear, and asked, “Kagome, is it true what Inuyasha said? Are you with child?” She hoped that her question would not hurl Kagome into another bought of crying, but this was something that they all needed to know.

Kagome lifted her red, swollen eyes to look up into the face of her ‘sister’. Sango gasped at the shame written on the sweet face of her long time friend. Before Kagome could utter a word of confirmation, Sango knew it to be true. The look in her eyes told the tale. Kagome’s slow nod, answered the question for them all.

Kagome was pregnant by the Egyptian God Anubis.

“How could this happen?” Sango whispered in despair.

Miroku again cleared his throat nervously, before speaking. “My dearest Sango. Had I known of your ignorance to the ways of procreation, I would have happily guided you to understanding.”

“SHUT UP HENTAI!!!” Sango screamed at the lecherous monk. If she were not currently holding her bereft friend she would have beaten him into a bloody pulp.

“He’ll never learn,” Shippo muttered under his breath.

Sango patted Kagome reassuringly. “Do not worry yourself Kagome. We are your friends, your family. You are not alone. We will help you to get through this.” She sighed when Kagome uttered a weak ‘arigato’. With the shock subsiding, Sango was beginning to get angry. She rubbed Kagome’s tousled hair gently, and then carefully urged her into the arms of Kat. Kat held her close, enveloping Kagome in her soothing aura. Sango actually felt some of her fury leave when Kat began humming a soft tune as she rocked Kagome against her chest.

It was a good thing too.

Sango stomped over to Anubis with fire in her narrowed chestnut gaze. Miroku took several steps back. The monk knew better than to stand in her way. Even Inuyasha stepped aside, with a smirk toward Anubis. He had rarely seen Sango this pissed, and he was sure the shit was about to hit the fan.

Sango wasn’t thinking about herself. She wasn’t thinking about anything, except the grief that her friend was being put through because of one being. “Anubis! You’ve got some explaining to do! Kagome trusted you! I know you did this intentionally! I know the Gods have control over their fertility! You are going to pay for this!”

The tiny framed woman, carrying great warrior strength, was pointing her finger harshly into his chest. It did not harm him, but it did hurt his pride. Anubis was torn between his godly arrogance and his current humility. Perhaps he should not have spent so much time with these mortals? Could it have been a mistake to place himself amongst them? Should he have simply taken Kagome the day he found her frolicking in the flowers, promptly leaving her side afterward he had planted his seed?

It certainly would have been a whole lot simpler.

By staying with these individuals he had come to know them somewhat. He had developed a relationship of sorts with each one of them. He respected them for their perseverance in tracking their enemy, for their bravery, and loyalty to one another. Now he was the enemy, and strangely enough, that understanding made him feel saddened.

He looked down at the furiously protective taijiya who was still jabbing her finger into him with each and every harsh word. He was amazed at her fire. She was not afraid of him in the least. Her only thoughts were the injustice she deemed that he had committed against her friend. Anubis spoke. “Sango. I have given Kagome a great gift. She carries the child of a great and honored God of the Dead. She will be revered by my people for all time.”

Then there was pain. White blinding pain like he had never experienced.

Sango could not believe her ears! The arrogant jerk actually thought he had done Kagome some kind of favor! “You arrogant bastard! She is NOT in Egypt! She is in JAPAN!” Then with all her strength she brought up her right knee deep into his groin. She stepped back as the great and powerful Anubis doubled over in pain before he dropped to his knees. With the brawn of three grown men, Sango proceeded to bring her fist around connecting hard with the fallen Gods jaw.

She always did have one hell of a right hook.

All who witnessed stared with mouths agape. Sango had just taken down a God.