Happy Bath Ending

A/N: Hey all...been sick for 2 weeks. It sucks. Serious plot development ahead. Will be off Friday night and try to finish this. Love most of you lol.

*Update* Ok, I added alot, and made up the story of Shimizu. So I guess I own that. A Keris (Kriss) is a weapon. 'Kami no Megumi' came to translate as 'Heaven's Punishment'. (I think) And I hope you enjoy the twist.


A few days had passed, and Sango was once again presentable in the eyes of her former friends. Under Naraku’s clear directions, she dressed herself in her pink and lavender kimono, sans the green sari. She was painfully thin and looked almost swallowed in her outfit. She had heard that Kagome had joined Kouga, and wanted to see her first, to try to coerce her and get Naraku back in her good graces. Naraku’s bees led her to the entrance to the wolf den, and then dispersed, almost as if they had never been there. She noticed a short, rosy cheeked girl with long brown hair and called to her.

“You, girl. Have you affiliation with the miko?”

The girl squinted at her and growled. No doubt she felt a dark aura around Sango, but she wasn’t sure. “Who wants to know?” The girl snapped back in a surprisingly harsh voice.

“Juni-chan, that isn’t nice to speak that way. Who wants to see-” Kagome paused as she walked into the clearing. She gasped at Sango’s gaunt face and the thin patches on her head where it looked like some of her hair had fallen out. She was standing strangely, as if it hurt her to walk. Her eyes looked listless, and she was not looking at Kagome, which was strange because Sango always looked people in the eye when dealing with them.

“S-Sango? Sango!” Kagome shouted, running to her and giving her a hug. She winced at how frail her friend felt, and when she pulled back, she could see how wan and tired she really looked. “Where have you been? Have you eaten? You feel so thin!” Kagome gushed, pulling back and holding Sango by the shoulders. Junko growled again and narrowed her eyes.

“Miko-sama, please excuse me,” Junko said, walking away slowly, never taking her eyes off Sango. Kagome waved the girl off and nodded back at Sango.

“I’m sorry she was so rude. Souta does that too when we get company at home, he acts like an idiot. Kids are so stupid. So anyway, how are you? Where is Kilala?” Kagome asked with a smile, looking around.

“Dead.” Sango said in a deadpan voice. Kagome’s face fell and she looked strange at Sango’s lack of compassion. Sango noted her error and changed her tone.

“We were fighting some demons and one of them sliced her throat. Ripped it out really. And…I haven’t eaten since. Lost my appetite, you know?” Kagome said ‘oh’ and nodded, quickly forgiving and forgetting the oversight. She took Sango’s ice cold hand and led her to sit on some tree stumps nearby.

“I’m sure Juni-chan will bring us some tea soon. So where have you been staying? Would you like to stay here with me? There’s not much room, but we could squeeze you in.” Kagome cast kind eyes at her friend, who seemed aloof and unsociable.

“Kagome. I heard Inuyasha was living with Sesshoumaru. Is this so?” Sango smiled when she saw Kagome’s eyes darken.

“Yes, that mutt is shacking with his brother. It’s sort of gross. And he’s even pregnant! This youkai hanyou business is beyond me, I tell you. But at least I don’t have to bring him ramen anymore!”

Sango gave her an annoyed look. “Aren’t you mad that he is mated to Sesshoumaru?”

Kagome chewed on her fingernail. “I was, but it doesn’t matter now. I don’t want any stupid demon babies! Besides, Hojo and I were sort of kicking it more and he bought me this really pretty Vivienne Westwood bag! I have a picture of it,” She trailed off reaching for her book bag, but was stopped by Sango.

“I’ll look at that later. But with Inuyasha, how far along is he in the pregnancy? How does Sesshoumaru feel? Don‘t you want revenge on Inuyasha for leaving you?” Sango’s questions were pounding as she glared intently at Kagome, making her unnerved.

“Sango, what’s wrong? Why are you asking me these questions?” Kagome asked in a small voice, drawing back from Sango.

“It’s because she’s one of Naraku’s bitches now.”

Both girls whirled around to see Kouga glaring at them, Junko by his side. Ginta and Hakkaku were behind her, obviously ready for a fight. Kagome gave him a confused look as Sango carefully stood. “You aren’t as smart as you think you are, you dirty wolf,” She spat at Junko, causing the girl to bark at her. Kouga frowned at Kagome.

“I can’t believe you didn’t sense the jewel shard on her or that she was possessed by Naraku,” Kouga chided Kagome, but stopped when Sango started laughing.

“Idiots,” She began, throwing her kimono off and showing her slayer outfit, “I’m not possessed by Naraku! This is of my own doing! I need vindication, and he promised to provide it! I have no one in this world, so why not? I’m not happy, and no one else deserves to be either! My whole tribe was murdered!”

Kouga broke forward, his fists clenched. “You think you are the only one who has lost people you love, you stupid wench?!! My tribe was murdered too, and you don’t see me bitching about it!”

Sango shook her head. “My baby,” She whispered before turning to run away. Ginta and Hakkaku started to give chase, but were stopped by Kouga.

“Leave her be. She’s probably going to Sesshoumaru’s castle.” Kouga waved his hand for everyone to go back into the cave. Ginta paused.

“But won’t Sesshoumaru kill her?” Kouga scratched his chin and grinned.

“Nah. But that bitch of a mother he has probably will.” He laughed to himself as he walked into the cave, leaving Kagome outside to mourn the loss of her friend. She chewed on her fingernail and looked to the brush where Sango ran, and decided not to pursue. She thought of Shippo, who was living with Kaede now, and wondered if he was an underling of Naraku also. She stood and quietly walked inside the cave, ignoring Junko’s attempts to try to make her feel better.

***********************

“Ugh, I’m so damn fat,” Inuyasha complained, trying to roll over. His stomach was now more than noticeably swollen, and his body was shaped strangely. His face was chubby and tanned, and his hair was practically at his feet. He wore it in a rough ponytail to keep it from getting dirty, and was pretty much content just laying in bed whining. Chisato tried to coax him to get up and walk, knowing that he was exaggerating his pain to gain sympathy points from Sesshoumaru. The youkai lord was practically falling over himself to be at his beloved’s beck and call, and was very much the dutiful lover and happy father to be.

“You aren’t fat, you are beautiful,” Sesshoumaru said absently, his back turned as he was trying to find where he put the baby clothes Sakura had stitched for them. Inuyasha made a face and with a grunt succeeded in rolling over to stand.

“Where are you going?” Sesshoumaru asked, at his side the moment clawed feet hit the floor. He put one arm around Inuyasha and took his hand, and was promptly shoved away.

“I need to go for a walk.”

“Do you need to urinate?” Sesshoumaru looked concerned, but was doing nothing but annoying the hanyou.

“What are you, my mother? It’s not like you could pee for me anyway,” Inuyasha grumbled, waddling past him. He walked the way a boat bobs in high tide, and Sesshoumaru chuckled to himself, loving to watch the lopsided gait.

“I’ll be back later,” Inuyasha called, scratching his butt as he walked out of the door. He nodded at Chisato and Rin, who were coming up the stairs. They cooed at him and pinched his cheeks before walking into the room with Sesshoumaru.

“Where is Inu-chan going?” She asked, reaching Sesshoumaru some baby clothes. Rin smiled at him and put a blanket she was carrying on the bed, and sat down to swing her legs.

“Hmm, he said for a walk. I’ve been looking for these!” He scratched his head and looked at his mother glaring at him. He licked his lips nervously and smiled wanly.

“You know what I’m going to say, don’t you oh perfect, brilliant son of mine?”

“Um…”Sesshoumaru grew even more nervous and fidgeted. The look on his mother’s face was frightening at best, and he racked his brain thinking of an answer.

“Maybe ‘Killing Perfection’ wasn’t the best name for you. Maybe I should have named you ‘Baka no Inu!” Sesshoumaru blanched. What did he do?

“YOU LET A PREGNANT DEFENSLESS HANYOU GO OUT BY HIMSELF!” Chisato screamed, flailing her arms. She placed her hands on her hips and frowned, and Rin walked beside her and mimicked her, putting tiny hands on narrow hips, scrunching up her face in a most comical way. Sesshoumaru nodded and sighed. “You were the one to suggest he go for a walk,” He mumbled, nearly breaking into a pout.

Chisato narrowed her eyes. “Bite your tongue before I bite it for you.” Her look softened and she stroked Sesshoumaru’s hair, looking at him. “I know you are tired, but it’s important Inuyasha is watched at all times. I can’t explain why to you exactly, not yet. But you trust me, right?” Sesshoumaru nodded, leaning into the gentle touch. “Good. Go and fetch Inuyasha, and I pray it’s not too late.” The final words put a sense of urgency into him, and he opened the doors and jumped from the balcony, heading to the woods to find Inuyasha.

*********************

“Stupid Sesshoumaru. Ignoring me, telling me to go for a walk, and then when I do, he wants to follow! Stupid fluffy mutt,” Inuyasha grumbled, trudging through the woods. There were several paths and hidden thickets around the castle, and it was easy to go away from the castle for peace and quiet. Looking around, he saw how it was possible for Chisato to walk up on them and watch them when they were younger more or less undetected. He winced and placed a hand on his stomach, trying to get Hime to stop kicking him. She seemed to always want to get restless if Sesshoumaru was not in the immediate vicinity, although those times had been few and far between. Inuyasha stopped to sit on a stump, not realizing that he had been out of breath until he actually sat. He put his head down and sighed, closing his eyes.

“You look tired, Inuyasha.”

The familiar voice almost startled him, and he looked up with a surprised look. “Sango? Is that you?”

Sango stepped closer to him, a dour expression on her face. “Yes, it’s me. Why are you sitting in this glade alone?”

Inuyasha shrugged and kicked at some rocks near his foot. “Sesshoumaru was getting on my nerves and I wanted to be alone.” Then he stood quickly, looking around. “Was Naraku nearby?”

Sango narrowed her eyes. “No. I fought with him earlier; that might be what you smell.” Her mind was racing, as she could not believe her luck. Inuyasha, alone? What a ripe pear to fall in her lap!

Inuyasha shook his head and sat down. “No, I can’t really smell anything. It was more of an innate sense of…doom,” He said, chuckling. His eyes sparkled as he looked at Sango again. “Sango. Why exactly are you in the woods near my castle?”

Sango thought quickly for a lie. “I-I wanted to see Miroku. To talk things out with him. He left me, you know,” She said bitterly, in a voice that made Inuyasha flinch.

“I know. We talked about it.”

Sango sneered. “He could talk to you, but not to me? That’s really stupid.”

Inuyasha started getting annoyed. He came to the woods to be alone, not to talk to some nagging half-wit slayer. “Well, I think it was really stupid for you to act like a bitch and then strip like it was gonna make him stay. Miroku may be a lech monk, but he’s still a person, and he’s also my friend.”

“Well why don’t you marry him since you love him so much! Everyone knows you’re a fag now, so who cares?” Sango snapped, her hands on her hips.

Inuyasha glared at her and stood. “You know what? You’re a fucking bitch, and I’m done here. And for the record, Miroku probably would marry me before you, you sorry slut!” He turned to walk away with a smug look on his face.

He never saw Hiraikotsu coming.

***************************

“Oka-Oka, what’s wrong? I thought we was gonna dress like Kabuki dancers and play shamisen!” Rin complained, tugging at Chisato’s sleeve. It had been too long (in her opinion) that Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru were gone, and had a sick feeling in her stomach. She removed the hairpins that Rin had painstakingly put in and smiled at her charge.

“I need to go. Lord Sesshoumaru-sama and Inuyasha-sama haven’t returned, and we need an audience if we are going to dance and sing, right?” Chisato kissed the tip of Rin’s nose, and gave her a smile. She really did love hanging out with the little girl, even though it periodically reminded her of how much of a recluse she had been.

“Will you be back soon?”

“Not if you don’t stop pouting.” Chisato chuckled when Rin gave her a fake smile. “I’ll be back, and with the audience, you just make sure that you are pretty so we can all watch your debut!” Rin smiled genuinely and wrapped her arms around Chisato’s waist.

“I love you, Oka-Oka.”

Chisato closed her eyes, savoring the moment. “I love you too, Rin-chan.” She hugged the girl back tightly before calling to Sakura and Suzuka that she was leaving, and to prepare a bed and medicines, just in case she came back with casualties. The attendants listened, frightened looks on their faces. They knew the woods were teeming with demons wanting to murder both of their lords, and that it had been too long since both of them left for them not to have come back yet. They nodded solemnly and took Rin into their arms, fawning over her and distracting her as Chisato turned to leave.

“Lady Chisato-sama, wait! You’ll need this, I’m sure.” Suzuka ran from the room and came back a moment later, a long scarlet wrapped item in her hand. Chisato’s eyes watered as Suzuka bowed and handed her the item. She bent down and unwrapped the cloth, smiling at its contents.

“Taisho…you bastard. You kept it all these years. Kami no Megumi,” She said, taking the gold plated keris from the cloth, holding the sword in the light. She looked at the jeweled hilt as tears fell silently down her face. She remembered when Inu no Taisho bestowed Kami no Megumi to her shortly after Sesshoumaru’s birth. He had Totosai create an executioner’s keris, as well as a normal waved keris for her personal use. She had broken the waved keris during a fight ironically with Taisho, and only had the executioner’s keris, which she left behind when she left in Sesshoumaru’s youth. She ran a finger over it, looking at the diamond shaped holes through the blade.

“Thank you,” Chisato whispered, smiling genuinely at Suzuka, who returned the smiled.

“Hurt whomever you need to, Lady Chisato-sama.”

“Yeah, kick ass, Oka-Oka!” Rin shouted, waving as Chisato jumped from the balcony, headed to the woods. Rin laughed and waved until Chisato was out of sight, and then was promptly grabbed by the ear by Suzuka for a thorough mouth washing.

****************************

Sesshoumaru ran through the woods, his inner youkai threatening to take over. He couldn’t smell Inuyasha anywhere, and it was scaring him. Enough time hadn’t passed for Inuyasha to have made it to the Bone Eater’s Well, and besides, why would he go to the future when Kagome was still in their era? It wouldn’t make sense. He stopped running to catch his breath and his thoughts. He opened his mouth to yell for Inuyasha when a hand clamped over his mouth.

“Don’t. If he’s in trouble then whoever he is with may kill him.” Chisato’s hand was warm on Sesshoumaru’s mouth as she leaned close to him. He nodded and she removed her hand and turned to look at him.

“Mother, what are you doing here? And why do you have Kami no Megumi?”

Chisato closed her eyes. “I can’t smell Inuyasha. When you didn’t come right back, I got worried. Close your eyes. We have to use our other senses to find him.” She crouched low, dragging Sesshoumaru down with her. She sniffed the dirt and looked at her son.

“He was here, wasn’t he, Mother?” He asked, panic in his voice. She nodded and he growled lowly. He sniffed as he crawled low on the ground, and suddenly was hit with a horrible headache. He keeled over, making Chisato run over to him.

“What happened? Did dirt go up your nose?” She hissed, talking low just in case interlopers were near. Sesshoumaru shook his head. “It feels like a wagon hit the side of my head.” Then his eyes widened. “Inuyasha! Someone just hit him! And…he’s…he’s…” Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and then opened them again, blood red. He grabbed Chisato and tossed her in the air, instantly transforming into his youkai form. She landed on his back and held on to his fur as he jumped through the trees, still not able to smell Inuyasha, but now able to smell blood.

**********************

Sango paced around Inuyasha’s body, pondering what to do next. Something in the back of her mind was screaming that this was her friend, and that she should try to give him some medicine or take him to the castle or something, but her body was incapable of doing good. She sprinkled salts around the area, masking both her and Inuyasha’s scents. She looked at the blood from a gash on his cheek, and hoped that the barrier would keep any nosy heroes away, at least until she could usurp the baby. She looked at him, and felt a sudden urge to kick his stomach. Instead, she kicked him in the head, widening the cut on his cheek. She rolled him over, and ran a hand over his stomach. When she reached his bellybutton, a hand punched at her, almost knocking her hand off the stomach.

“Little bastard,” She cried, backing away. The child was definitely as strong as predicted, that part was true. She knelt down beside him, drawing her wakizashi, and stared at it for a moment. Naraku wanted the baby, and all of her pain could be ended with just a few simple cuts into someone she once considered a great friend. Tears fell from her eyes and she held the wakizashi above her head. The tears fell harder and she sagged, shaking her head that she couldn’t do it. Inuyasha moved below her, groaning from the pain that was coming with regaining consciousness. Sango raised the small sword again to plunge down, and heard a noise behind her. She turned to see a huge white paw coming down at her, swatting her into a nearby tree.

“Inuyasha! Inu-chan, Mommy is here!” Chisato called, jumping from Sesshoumaru’s mane and landing beside him. Sesshoumaru angrily pawed the ground and ran at the tree where Sango was, howling only inches away from her face. His hot breath hit her as she struggled to stand, turning her face from his drooling, snapping jaws. He roared at her again, ready to eat her when he was stopped by a weak voice.

“Sesshoumaru…Hime-chan,” Inuyasha whispered. The air inside the barrier smelled thick of coppery blood, and Chisato gasped at the blood that was staining Inuyasha’s hakama between his legs. She looked at him and ran to the tree where Sango was standing.

“You bitch! What did you do to my son! Tell me!” She screamed, shaking Sango hard. Sango looked bewildered, as if someone had just planted her there. Chisato angrily took her keris and stabbed Sango in the stomach, turning the hilt slowly and then withdrawing slowly, taking chunks of flesh that had fitted into the hollow diamond shapes in the blade out, making Sango scream in anguish. Chisato finally withdrew the whole blade and licked it before spitting the blood in Sango’s face.

“Even your blood is disgusting. Sesshoumaru, take Inuyasha back to the castle. This slayer and I need to talk.” Sesshoumaru grunted, and carefully took Inuyasha between his teeth and raced back to the castle, leaving Chisato and Sango in the clearing. Once they were gone, she grabbed Sango by the hair and threw her face down on the ground, kicking her stab wound.

“Who told you of Shimizu, and the Prophecy of Light? Who told you?!” Chisato pressed, kicking her harder. “Stupid wench. You thought you were smart to use a barrier around you and Inuyasha. What would have been smarter would have been to not let him bleed outside the barrier. As soon as the first drop of blood hit the outside, Sesshoumaru smelled him, and here we came. But for you, a mere ningen, to want Shimizu, is inexplicable. So that means,” Chisato grabbed Sango’s face, “that you are a mercenary of some sort. Talk, and I won’t use my keris on you again. Otherwise,” Chisato stabbed the keris two notches deep into Sango’s thigh, making the girl scream in pain. She ripped the sword quickly from her leg, making Sango nearly faint from the pain.

“Kukukuku…what a bully you are. But such a pretty bully.” Chisato glared up at the baboon pelt, narrowing her eyes.

“She wouldn’t play fair and answer my question, so I had to stab her.”

Naraku chuckled. “You play too rough. Look at her, you made her cry.” He knelt beside Sango, who cast frightened eyes at him. He stroked her face carefully, and Kagura appeared. She looked at Chisato as she gather Sango onto one of her feathers to whisk her away. Naraku watched them leave and then turned back to Chisato.

“I don’t appreciate you injuring one of my minions.”

Chisato snorted. “I don’t appreciate your minion trying to kill my son.”

Naraku removed his baboon hood, showing his face. “You are a beautiful woman. I see Sesshoumaru clearly gets his aesthetic value from you.” He smiled when she frowned at his comment.

“I don’t like little boys that play dress up in the woods. You are obviously out of your league here, so run along before I use your balls in tonight’s miso.” Chisato turned to leave when Naraku spoke to her.

“The child will die, and there is nothing you can do to protect it. When the moon is full, Inuyasha will be vulnerable, and we will come for it.” The words were barely out of his mouth when he ducked the poisoned claws and jumped onto one of the tree branches. His smile faded when he felt a warm sensation on his cheek and pulled back to see a small line of blood on his finger when he wiped.

“Who told you of Shimizu?”

Naraku smiled again. “Does it matter? The Light and the Shikon no Tama will belong to me, and no one, nothing can stop me. Not even you, ‘oh powerful, banished’ one!” He laughed melodiously but then stopped when he got no reaction. He watched her for a moment, and felt a chill go down his back when he saw the almost evil look on her face.

“You know, you almost had me going. I thought you seemed familiar. I’m surprised you don’t remember me. Or maybe you just don’t want to.” Chisato’s features darkened, and she had Naraku confused.

“Lies. I don’t know you!”

It was Chisato’s turn to laugh. “Yes you do…Onigumo.” The hanyou’s original name being called startled him and nearly caused him to fall. Naraku glared at his opponent, mentally kicking himself for being so unobservant and cocky. Chisato jumped into the tree, a couple of branches over from where Naraku stood.

“It took me a moment to discern who you were, as your scent was one I know I had smelled before. You are that rotten bandit, the one I heard was blown to bits by that other disgusting troll you ran with. Hmmm, all the stories I heard were true, how fancy! And tell me, where is the black pearl I commissioned you to steal from the shogunate’s wife?”

Naraku jumped a few branches over to widen the space between them. “That was over fifty years ago. Do you really think I have that damned pearl?” He was remembering how fierce and frightening Chisato was, and although he was not exactly scared of her, he did remember her killing a member of his gang just for looking at her. She was definitely as blood thirsty, if not more so than he was.

“Payment always comes due, Onigumo. You will not succeed in getting Shimizu. Filth like you wouldn’t know what to do with it anyway. And as for you coming for Inuyasha, well, entrails can make nice decoration. And I’d love to see how yours look.”

Naraku thought for a moment. He was strong, but Chisato was stronger. He could feel her spirit pressure, and it was nearly suffocating him. Without a full Shikon no Tama and definitely without Shimizu he’d be fucked trying to go against Chisato. He seethed for a moment before fleeing, casting his poisonous bees in his wake to prevent Chisato from pursuit.

“Onigumo…you will pay for your malfeasance against my family. You will pay dearly,” Chisato promised, balling her fist. She shook Sango’s blood from her weapon and looked at both Inuyasha and Sango’s blood and howled in anger before turning to run back to the castle.

*******************

Sakura paced around the foyer of the castle, her tanto unsheathed. She could feel the presence of evil nearby, but if the unthinkable had happened and all of her masters were felled, it would take her, Suzuka, and Miroku to be able to fight off whatever it was out there. She heard AhUn whining, and knew Sesshoumaru was near. She opened the castle doors and was nearly knocked over when Sesshoumaru jumped inside, still in youkai form. His mouth was stained red from Inuyasha bleeding over him, and she could tell something was in his mouth, but she couldn’t see what.

“Lord Sesshoumaru! Master Inuyasha! What has happened? Suzuka! Come quick!” Sakura ran over to where Sesshoumaru had gently spit Inuyasha out, and saw that the powerful lord was licking his mate’s wounds, tears running from his eyes even as he was still in full demon form.

“Help him,” Sesshoumaru grunted, his words barely coming through. Suzuka came running, and couldn’t keep Rin from following. As soon as the little girl saw all the blood and what looked to be a dead Inuyasha, she started crying frantically, making Sesshoumaru howl in pain. Miroku came to get the screaming Rin, fighting with her as she struggled and reached for Inuyasha, not knowing what would happen next. Suzuka and Sakura, holding back tears of their own, both gently carried Inuyasha to the nearest bedroom to assess his wounds. They closed the door behind them, making Sesshoumaru howl one last time before concentrating his energy back into his normal form. As he was changing back, Chisato ran into the foyer, slightly winded from her run.

Sesshoumaru looked broken, and fell to the floor on his knees. “Why? Why would she do that to Inuyasha? She was his friend once. Why would she purposely hurt him?” He dug bloody fingers into Chisato’s kimono, and her arms could not console her son.

“Come, Sesshoumaru. I must tell you of what I’ve learned.” She pulled him to the library and closed the double doors, turning with a sad expression.

“That slayer will die for touching Inuyasha.” Sesshoumaru’s voice frightened Chisato, and for the first time since he had been with Inuyasha, his voice had the emotionless, cold tone that her voice used to carry also. She nodded and beckoned for Sesshoumaru to come closer.

“Did your father ever tell you of the Prophecy of Light? Of Shimizu?” Sesshoumaru shook his head. “Once, a great time ago, there was a powerful Inu demon named Shimizu. Shimizu was a benevolent and gracious leader, and it was said that all was under his thumb. Kami-sama became jealous, and sent many emissaries to spy on and eventually assassinate Shimizu. All were unsuccessful. So one night while Shimizu slept, Kami-sama sent down a huge pink diamond and placed Shimizu inside of it. There he lay for hundreds of years, and somehow he was broken into millions of pieces. Some say that the Shikon no Tama is a part of Shimizu, and that every hundred or so years, a being is born that contains all of Shimizu’s power.”

Sesshoumaru nodded, intrigued. “That is quite a fanciful story, Mother. Are you insinuating that Hime-chan is to be the next to adopt Shimizu’s power?”

Chisato shook her head. “Not an insinuation at all. The oracle, Goanna told me for a fact. Strange things have always happened to this family, Sesshoumaru. Most of it you would not even believe if I told you. Goanna told me when you were born that you would one day bequeath a powerful being to the world, and that in it’s first year that mountains will move and the sky will turn black.”

Sesshoumaru frowned. “The sky turns black every night, and mountains appear to move depending on where you stand.”

Chisato nodded. “Clever. But do not doubt the oracle. She also foretold of the Leopard Rebellion, and that one of the brothers would be bound by wood, not blood. And as you remember, Inuyasha was stuck to Goshinboku for fifty years.”

Sesshoumaru shrugged. “So the slayer wanted Shimizu then?”

“No. Her controller does. Some man in a baboon pelt named Onigumo.”

Sesshoumaru’s face changed. “Baboon pelt? Onigumo? No, his name has to be Naraku.”

Chisato shook her head. “No, he is a bandit warlord named Onigumo. I commissioned him shortly before Inuyasha was bound to the tree to steal a valuable item for me. And when I called him Onigumo, he froze and ran off. I am sure that was him, Sesshoumaru.”

“The demon that I know that is that callous and cowardly is Naraku. He is looking to compete the Shikon no Tama also. He is an opportunist that refuses to soil his own hands. He has multiple henchmen to do his dirty work.”

Chisato sat down, crossing her legs. “Go see Inuyasha. We shall talk later. And Sesshoumaru, keep this between us. Inuyasha may not be able to survive any other upsets.” Sesshoumaru nodded, walking from the study. Chisato stood and went to the window, looking at the small sliver of moon that reflected.

‘The child will die, and there is nothing you can do to protect it. When the moon is full, Inuyasha will be vulnerable, and we will come for it.’

“I’ll be waiting, Onigumo,” She hissed, holding her keris in her hand.

****************************

“Lord Sesshoumaru! Please, come in!” Suzuka called to her lord several hours later. Rin had crawled tearstained into Sesshoumaru’s lap and absolutely refused to do anything else aside from drink a little water and eat a cookie Miroku had fetched for her. They were all wondering about Inuyasha’s condition, and had summoned Midoriko again to examine him. The old hag was much more expedient in her coming to the castle, as she knew she would be handsomely rewarded.

Sesshoumaru removed the sleeping child from his lap and lay her carefully on the tatami mat and then walked into the room where Inuyasha was. It smelled of sweat and blood, but not death, and he could still sense Hime’s life force inside Inuyasha.

“The hanyou will not die, nor will the pup. He has sustained a laceration on his cheek, and a mild concussion. He was hit from the side with a blunt object, and he managed to fall in a way as not to hurt the child. He did, however break a rib and will have to be careful for the next day or so.” Midoriko was breaking up herbs into a steaming pot of water to steep for Inuyasha to drink.

“And what of the blood between his legs?” Sesshoumaru did not want to old bit to lie to him about what he had seen.

“As he fell, he fell on a sharp object, probably a rock. It cut the inside of his thigh, and that explains why it appeared as though he was bleeding from between his legs. All the wounds will heal in a day or so. Did you spit on him?” She asked, peering at him.

“I carried him in my mouth. Why?”

Midoriko poured the liquid into a cup and gently shook Inuyasha to wake him. “Your saliva is what saved his life. If he wasn’t pregnant, then those injuries wouldn’t have mattered, but honestly, babies are parasites. He was weakened and dehydrated. He would have bled out easily if you had not clotted his blood with your saliva. You truly saved him, Lord Sesshoumaru.” Midoriko held Inuyasha’s head as he sipped the liquid, casting pitiful golden eyes at his love.

“I won’t be going off to the woods without you, Shou,” Inuyasha said lightly, coughing from the bitter fluid. Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, shaking his head.

“Everyone, please leave.” Suzuka, Sakura, and Midoriko all shuffled out of the room, the old apothecary leaving more herbs on the dresser for Inuyasha to take.

Sesshoumaru waited until everyone left before wordlessly crawling into bed beside Inuyasha and wrapping his arms around him. Inuyasha froze, thinking Sesshoumaru would be mad, but relaxed when he was lovingly nuzzled on the neck, and he felt the familiar, comforting hand on his stomach. Inuyasha felt peaceful, closing his eyes to sleep. Sesshoumaru lay awake, his hand on his brother’s stomach, pondering its contents. He would have to protect Hime, at all costs. Naraku would not get his child, he would have to walk through Hell and slap Akuma before even laying eyes on Hime. She would be the ultimate revival of the Inu clan, and all that had been lost would be restored. She would be the new pink diamond, the apple of the world’s eye. He rubbed the swell slowly, a smile on his face.

A/N: This is good!