Mending

A/N: This is the new stuff I wrote to fit between the old second half of chapter two, which then became chapter four.

* * * * *


Kagome had been buried in a small shrine.


It was up a hill on the outskirts of the village. Surrounded by forest, the tree branches often filled with birds chattering, the clearing itself in full bloom, littered with small star shaped flowers.


Her friends made sure that there were always fresh flowers present on the grave itself. Miroku went up to her grave, came to pray, every day that he could.


Inuyasha hadn't been there in weeks, his recent melancholia had again made him inactive and unresponsive.


After her death he'd been there, unmoving, for weeks. Weeping and raging to whatever deities would listen to give her back. Unmoved even by the elements, skies drenching him as they seemed to mourn for her loss with him. He was as dead to the world as he could be.


But he never took matters drastically into his own hands. For he knew, deep down, that Kagome wouldn't have wanted that. And someone was always watching. If it wasn't the monk or the taijiya, or even the runt of a fox demon, it was the nekomata, keeping him in her line of sight at all times.


They did not want him to perish too.


The issue of Kagome death had made a new rift between Inuyasha and his brother. He accused the lord of the Western Lands of the breaking of Tenseiga, the sword that could have revived her. The blade had been destroyed by Naraku prior to the last battle and Inuyasha claimed that it had only been because of Sesshoumaru's laxness. But Sesshoumaru had understood his brothers pain and had not bothered him nor his friends for living on his lands.


Now, as Miroku helped him up the hill, the hanyou's ears picked up a child's laughter...


* * * *


Sango led Kouga to Kagome's shrine with a sad smile on her face.


“Hello Kagome...” the former taijiya greeted as they neared.


She held a small bouquet of flowers in her hands. This would probably be the last time she'd be able to visit her friends final resting place before the birth. Even climbing up the hill, although with Kouga's help, had been a feat. She knelt down without the usual grace Kouga had always seen her exhibit, her child heavy belly hampering the eloquence of her movements. She laid the flowers in front of the plaque bearing the inscription of Kagome's name. She smiled sadly as her fingers touched the plaque.

'I'm sorry...'


Kouga sat down cross-legged next to Sango. He bowed his head, daughter in his arms.

“Hi Kagome”, he bowed his head. “Aiko... This is Kagome's grave...” His voice was soft and tinged with grief as he spoke to the child. She opened her eyes and looked straight at him. She gurgled happily at her father, no idea of the cruelty of the world.


Even Sango couldn't help but smile at her innocence. For the first time a visit to Kagome's grave wasn't filled with remorse for the former taijiya. Life continued and even though the pain in her heart might fade to an ache it didn't mean she'd ever forget. Kagome's mere memory was too vivacious for that.

“Kagome... I can only beg for your forgiveness”, Kouga swallowed and looked at Sango. Then he looked down at his daughter, their daughter. He raised her up, facing the grave.

“This is Aiko, mine and Inuyasha's daughter”.

But he couldn't utter all he wanted to say aloud. Not with Sango sitting right next to her. She'd been her friend.

'I'm sorry for all that happened. You saw how angry he was at me? He doesn't know, does he? That you knew? Kami-sama, did that make you distracted? Was I at fault?'


He cried.


Sango lay a soothing hand on his arm. She smiled softly.


“You weren't at fault. No one can know what will eventually come to pass. Her passing”, she stopped to draw breath, still pained at talking about her friends death,”was a cruel, violent accident. Coincidence. A cruel twist of fate”.

She sniffed at looked at the inscription hacked on stone.

“She would not have wanted you to blame yourself. Much less Inuyasha to blame himself, as he has.”

Her fingers traced the grooves of the kanji of Kagome's name. It seemed to soothe her nerves, doing that. It felt as Kagome was closer that way.

“I do miss her terribly”, Sango whispered. “But she isn't coming back and we best try and lead our lives as well as we can, preserving her memory in our hearts”. She smiled to Kouga.

The ookami saw the wisdom in her words. To have already lost so much even before Kagome's death, the taijiya was one of the strongest people he'd ever met. He smiled back at her in thanks.

The moment was shattered to pieces by an angry voice.


“Did you even know?! Bastard!” Inuyasha swung at Kouga, eyes bleeding between red and golden. “Did you?...” His every word was backed with an attempt to hit the ookami.


“Know what? Inu--” Kouga jumped out of harms way, shielding their daughter with his arms. He was afraid. He'd not thought that Inuyasha would come after him in such a way. He was still so violent in his grief. It was the crux of the youkai blood that those in possession of it mourned long and passionately. But Inuyasha was beyond reason. Attacking him as he held their daughter.


Their daughter...


Funny how it didn't quite seem to sink in to Inuyasha as the hanyou swiped at Kouga and Aiko with his claws again.

Crimson was bleeding to amber as Inuyasha's grief was giving way for his youkai to tear through. Kouga shuddered at the sight. He glanced around for any hope for his daughter. He was the only one able to keep Inuaysha away even when he went all youkai, but not with Aiko in his arms. He needed to get her to safety.


Kouga could see Sango hovering nearby, Miroku was talking with her in frantic whispers. She was glancing back at them, a hand on her stomach, clearly distressed as she argued with her mate.


He needed to duck again as Inuyasha took another swipe at him. Aiko began to cry. Kouga jumped sideways, the tips of Inuyasha's claws managed to scrape his back. Too damn close.


“Inuyasha! Stop it!” He pleaded for the hanyou to stop.


But looking at the hanyou's eyes, Kouga could see that it would never happen. Inuyasha was losing control, and fast.


With a careful leap Kouga landed next to a now crying Sango and deposited the baby in her arms. “Look after her, will you?” He pleaded with her, jumping off again before she could open her mouth. Inuyasha's hit left a big crater on the ground just inches away from where Sango stood and where Kouga had just been.

The ookami could see the monk's leap to safety with his daughter and the taijiya.


Miroku drew his wife out of harms way, leading her away down the stone steps, deciding it was best to leave Inuyasha and Kouga to settle things between themselves. They would hurt each other, sure, but Miroku would be damned before he let Sango get hurt. Aiko was crying desolately for being separated from her father.


Miroku would get Sango to the village and then come back to aid Inuyasha, though it seemed it was Kouga who would need it more.