Her Destiny

Chapter 34

In the days that followed their return to Gengetsujou, Kagome had settled down. She was eating more, much to her mates delight. She made the marinade that she promised for her mate, the one she made for the first time, prior to them mating. This was the only way that Kagome could eat raw meat for the pup.

Inutaisho was in heaven with the marinade, as Kagome called it. He loved the taste and asked Kagome to make sure that his cooks knew how to make it. He wanted more of this marinade in the future and having his cooks know how to make it will ensure that he got it.

Ayashiko told both her son and mate about the person that Kagome lost in her life. She explained that Kagome’s Baa-san was the one who protected her when she was a small pup from her father’s wrath.

She explained that the elder ningen had died while protecting her, that’s why she was so upset, when she gotten hurt protecting Kagome. She had told them of her vow not to let anyone else die because they were protecting her. Kagome saw it as someone leaving her again and she didn’t want to be left alone.

Both males understood her concerns and they would try and show her that they were not weak ningens that would fall so easily.

When they arrived back at the castle Miroku had a few more names to add to the list of possible spies. With Sango’s help he was able to pinpoint some more youkai that were not at the meeting in the forest.

Miroku was trying his best to get on Sango’s good side, trying to win her back, so they could marry. He was not pushing the issue now because their home was not started yet. They were scheduled to start in the early spring, and he, for once in his life, could not wait until it was finished.

On any given night you could see Sango and Miroku together just walking around under the starry sky. Miroku learned a lot of things about his beloved Sango. She was a passionate creature that wanted only to be loved for who she was. She was strong for a female and most males did not want that in their wives.

Miroku knew that most of those feelings was male pride, getting in the way of things, but he did not mind Sango’s abilities. On the contrary, it was those abilities that caught his attention, he liked who she was and loved the fact that she was strong on her own. He would protect her, yes, but he knew that if he could not reach her in time that she was capable of protecting herself.

---oOo---

Winter was finally upon them. The snows came in over night and the land was covered in a white blanket of fluff. This was Kagome’s favorite time of year. She loved the winter and she especially loved it when it snowed.

You could sometimes find Kagome outside in the snow just enjoying its beauty. The pups from the castle would be outside playing in the white stuff. Kagome taught them some games they could use to play in the snow.

Kagome taught them how to slide down a hill by just using some flat wood that they had found in one of the storage huts. She had taken the children to a hillside and placed her own piece of wood down. She sat upon it and then pushed herself down the hill. She laughed her heart out as she picked up speed and soon was at the bottom.

She stood just in time to see Sango following her down the hill, when the females laughed and giggled, the pups put their own down and then did the same thing. The sound of laughter could be heard all around the castle.

Ayashiko was wondering the forest trying to find her pup. She wanted to know what she was doing, she finally heard the laughter around the area, with the pups screaming their lungs out in joyous laughter.

She was curious and followed the sound to the hillside, close to the castle. When she saw what they were doing she almost had a heart attack watching her Musume going down the hill with the pups.

She rushed to the hillside and was about to reprimand her pup when she noticed how happy she was. She could not, in good nature, take away something that she was laughing so hard at and really enjoyed. She did notice, however, that Kagome was being very careful of her belly, now that she was showing. She had a pillow, which was strapped tightly around her stomach, to make sure that it was protected.

When they all climbed up the hill, she noticed how red faced her pup was, but she was happy. They all gathered around Ayashiko, as they tried to convince her into trying the sled. She used Kagome’s piece of wood, as they all got ready to go down once more time.

Kagome gave the signal and they all took off down the hill. Ayashiko could not believe what fun this game was. She loved it, as she too started to laugh and enjoy herself. When the time came to go back inside the females were happy and it reflected in their auras.

That happiness was transferred to everyone in the castle and the mood lighten a bit.

Ayashiko sent Kagome up to rest for the afternoon, while she saw to the evening meal. Sango stayed by Kagome to guard her, Miroku would show up out of the blue, to keep her company as they guarded Kagome’s chambers.

Ayashiko was making her way down to the kitchens when she spotted her mate. She gave him a wonderful smile that lit up her eyes.

Inutaisho could feel the happiness that was radiating from her aura. He wondering what has made his mate so happy as he asked, “Mate, what has you in such a good mood?”

Ayashiko smiled as she said, “I have been introduced to the wonders of sledding. Kagome taught me how to ride, what she calls a sled, down a hill. It is the most amazing thing that I have ever experienced. I feel like a pup again!”

Ayashiko then turned and continued into the kitchen, she had a spring to her step as she walked away from her mate.

Inutaisho raised an eyebrow at his mate, while he watched her walk away from him. He will have to see what this sled is and see if it is as fun as she says it is. He shook his head as he continued on his way to his next meeting. He will have to find out what else his mate and pup do during the day.

---oOo---

The next day it had snowed some more. They could not go sledding because the snow was just not firm enough. There was too much of it on the ground and it was not packed down for what they needed. Kagome thought about what they could do with this snow. Then she got an idea.

She bent down and grabbed some snow in her hands, ‘This is perfect! The snow is wet so it packs firmly in my hands, we can make some snowmen out of this, or even get into a snowball fight.’ Kagome grinned to herself, she stood and brushed the snow off her hands and turned to her friend.

She enlisted Sango’s help and they built a snowman. When they were putting the finishing touches on the snowman the pups from the castle finally made it to her side.

Kagome explained to the pup that there was too much snow to go sledding so she said that they could build snowmen or anything else they felt like making.

Kagome and Sango were amazed at the creativity of the pups. They didn’t make snowmen, but instead they made snow sculptures. There were inu youkai that looked similar to the guards that protected the castle. There were dragons, horses, kitsune’s, ookami, and many more, some of the pups even made a couple of castles on the opposite sides of the field they were in.

Kagome was working on a sculpture herself. After seeing what the pups were doing she decided to try her hand at it. She got several snowballs together and then placed them one on top of each other. She then took some snow and filled it in where it needed. Then she found a stick and started to make the person she saw in her mind.

It took her a couple of hours to make, but when she stood back, looking at her creation, she was shocked. She never thought that she was any good at sculpting, but oh boy was she ever wrong. Standing in front of her was a replica of her mate. She had carved every detail of him into the snow and now he stood there in all his glory.

Kagome smiled at her handy work, she thought that she could bring her mate out here so he could see what she made.

Kagome then turned to look for her friend and noticed her a few feet away. She had her Hirakotsu, implanted into the ground, standing on its end, she was making her own creation and Kagome got curious.

She made her way over to Sango’s side and notice what she made. She gasped as she saw Miroku’s form in the ice, standing there with his staff, looking proudly over the land.

Kagome could not resist the comment that she blurted out of her mouth, “Sango that is a wonderful likeness of Miroku. I think he is going to like it very much.”

Sango quickly turned around, she was not expecting to see Kagome standing behind her, admiring her work. She blushed a deep red, “No, I don’t think that he will like it that much. I’m not very good at doing this kind of stuff.”

Kagome huffed as she said, “That’s not true, come here and stand by me. Then turn and look at your sculpture. I will bet that you will agree with me.”

Sango was doubtful of Kagome’s words, so she went to her side and stood there, while she turned her attention back to the sculpture she was making. Her breath hitched when she looked at what she had done. ‘Kagome was right! It does look like Miroku.’

“I apologize Kagome, I now see that you were right. It does look a lot like him. I didn’t think that I could make something like that.” Sango said as she lowered her eyes to the ground.

Kagome chuckled at her friend, “Don’t worry about it Sango. All we have to do is go get the guys and show them what we made.” With that both girls walked back into the castle.

---oOo---

Sesshoumaru just finished going over the treaties that were necessary for peace between the east and west. He felt his mate’s aura entering the castle and felt her excitement. ‘I wonder what has Kagome so excited?’ He got up from his desk as he followed his nose to where his mate was located.

It took him a few minutes to find her and when he did, he had to brace himself for the impact. His mate had thrown herself into his arms, as he wrapped them around her body, bringing her closer to his chest. When he felt her let go of him he released her and looked into her eyes.

When Kagome saw her mate she ran into his arms. His arms were the only place she always found comfort and she loved to be held by him. When her need to be comforted subsided she pulled away from his chest, looking up into his eyes, “Sesshoumaru? Do you have some time for me? I want to show you something that is outside.”

Sesshoumaru nodded his agreement and wrapped his arm around her waist. He noticed right away that she was very cold. His tails came up and wrapped themselves around her body to keep her warm from the cold of the winter winds.

Kagome took her mate back to the field that they were in all morning, when they entered the field Sesshoumaru’s eyes went wide. The area looked like a tribute to everything in the Western Lands. He noticed all manner of animals and youkai, but just to his left he saw something that was familiar to him.

He walked in that direction as he eyes opened wide. There stood a life size figure of himself, totally made of snow. He turned to his mate as he asked, “Did you do this mate?” Kagome smile widen as she nodded her head yes to his question.

The next thing she knew, she was pulled into a heated kiss, while he took her breath away. When they pulled apart, Kagome’s face was flushed. Sesshoumaru moved his head lower and nuzzled his mate, as he said, “The sculpture is beautiful my mate. I can’t believe that you made that out of snow. You are truly talented.”

Kagome turned to another area of the field and noticed the castles that the pups made. She furrowed her eyebrows together and then got an idea, turning to her mate, “Sesshoumaru, I think I found another game for the pups to play in the mornings. They can play capture the flag and it will teach them how to strategize.

“The only thing that they can use as weapons is the snow. That way they won’t get hurt, while trying to take each other flag. They will also have to make sure that they don’t destroy anything already here, they will have to think on this game, but I bet that they will come up with a plan.”

Sesshoumaru was impressed with his mate. She was always thinking up ways for the pups to improve on their new skills, the hardest thing for anyone to learn was strategy. But if she could make the pups, think up their own strategy, to win a game, then she will be teaching them all a hard lesson. But he couldn’t understand how a game will teach pups how to strategize. He made up his mind that he would watch the next day to see how this could happen.

The next day Kagome was outside with the pups. She explained the new game to them and they were eager to play. She split them up into two groups. Sango and Kagome each took a group, but they were not playing, they were there to help or give advice, if they needed it.

Inuyasha was the selected leader for the blue group and Shippou was the leader for the red group. A blue and red flag were placed at the snow castle, now the game will start. Each side took the game seriously. They planned out their defenses and their attacks. They each selected one person on their team that will attempt to steal the flag from their enemy.

Kagome sat back and watched as Inuyasha planned a good defense and attacks against Shippou and Sango. When both sides were ready with their plans the attacks started.

Snowballs were the weapons of choice as each side attacked. The majority of their fighting forces were engaged on the battlefield. Their attacks were very well placed and they didn’t touch anything that was already on the field, nor did they destroy anything that they thought was valuable.

Kagome noticed, out the corner of her eye, a pup moving in to steal the flag. She wondered if Inuyasha knew that he had an enemy approaching from behind. She watched with interest to see what would happen. She couldn’t warn him about it, so she just watched.

In a real conflict, Inuyasha will have to pay attention to what is going on around him, or he would have thought of a way to defend his position. Being that she was on neutral ground she could not interfere or it would be cheating.

To Kagome’s surprise, as the pup was about to grab the flag, a trap was sprung and it threw the pup away from their flag. Not only had Inuyasha prepared his attacks but he also thought of a defense just in case they got past his defenses, which in this case, worked.

Just then Inuyasha and his group surged forward, in an all out attack against Shippou’s forces. Shippou noticing that his attempt, at getting the flag failed, he was now frustrated. They will have to try again and watch out for any more traps. Then a loud howl was heard over the battlefield as Inuyasha’s group surged forward to storm his castle.

Shippou defended his territory by sending everybody to the front. This was his mistake as one of Inuyasha’s friends was moving slowly behind Shippou’s defenses to get near his flag.

Covered in snow the neko went unnoticed by everyone, while sneaking up to the flag. He searched the area to make sure that there were no traps hidden in the area. Having been the one who set up the trap to defend their own flag, the little neko youkai sniffed the area and used his feline senses.

Satisfied that the area was free of traps, the pup surged forward and grabbed the flag. He quickly retreated back to his side and gave the flag to Inuyasha, who howled his victory over his friend. The game was over as soon as the flag reached Inuyasha and they lifted it into the air to show, they got their flag.

Kagome praise each side for their plans and attacks, she also told them that they have to plan for every possible scenario when it came to a real battle. Kagome also noticed that Inuyasha had a lot more pups with him this time than the last time they played a game. She was wondering where all these pups came from.

She turned her attention to Inuyasha as she asked, “Inuyasha, where did all these pups coming from? You didn’t have these many friends before?”

Inuyasha smiled warmly at Kagome as he said, “They are the ones that used to threaten all of us at one point in time. Your training has enabled us to teach them all a lesson. We beat them in combat, so now they respect us. They asked where we learned to fight so well and we told them that you taught us.

“So now they are following us in hopes that you will teach them as well.” Kagome was completely shocked to hear this. She didn’t know that all these pups, kits, and cubs, were hoping that she would teach them. She had to smile at all of them when they left. They were good students and maybe she will teach them how to fight.

The twenty or so pups learned a lot that day and they were planning on coming back the next day to play again.

---oOo---

Sesshoumaru was standing in the distance watching the pups. He observed when his mate split the pups into two groups, they separated, each going to their own castle to plan their attacks. He watched his brother carefully, to see what he would do.

While the pups set up for their attack, Inutaisho came to join his eldest. He had spotted him just standing on a hilltop and was curious on what he was doing there. When he got to his son’s side he asked, “Sesshoumaru, what are you doing here?”

Sesshoumaru didn’t take his attention off the pups that were in the field, but explained the game that the pups were currently engaged in. Sesshoumaru told his father that Kagome wanted them to learn how to strategize, attack, and defend.

Now Inutaisho was interested in what would happen next. He stood by his son and watched as the battle unfolded down in the field.

They were both amazed at the way the pups attacked, defended, and used their cunning to get the flag from their enemy. They didn’t destroy anything on the field meaning that they kept the property damage down to a minimum, which is good, because you wanted to capture everything intact.

They noticed that it was Inuyasha’s group that won the game, when his group captured the flag. Pride swelled in Inutaisho chest, he was amazed at how ruthless his youngest could be. He planned for everything and managed to win the battle. Inutaisho had to admit that Kagome’s little game did teach the pups what they needed to know.

Father and son soon turned and went back to the castle. They will have to think about something like this game for their own armies to practice with, but on a larger scale. Then they could see who would be the victor in such a fight.

---oOo---

Marude and Bakeru have been very busy since the night they called the meeting of all the spies in Inutaisho castle. They all made a vow that night that they will plan the fall of the great inu youkai lord. They will take that which he prized, once in their possession, they will make sure that they died a slow and agonizing death.

One moon cycle later, they brought General Kizuato back to Gengetsujou. He was a black inu youkai that was very powerful. He was an old hand at fighting wars. He has survived countless battles and had a nasty scar to show for it.

It went from the left side of his face, across the bridge of his nose, down, diagonally across his right cheek, and came to rest on the right side of his jaw line. He was very tall, had a very firm body, jet-black hair, and dark brown eyes. He wore the colors of Jakyoku’s clan, proudly.

Kizuato was amazed that Jakyoku had so many spies in the Western castle. Upon his arrival at the cave, in the middle of the night, he was introduced to Marude and Bakeru.

He was briefed on the situation by the two-inu youkai, he listened with rapt attention to everything they said, and started to form a plan of his own. Once the briefing was over, he stood, as he began to dictate his orders.

“We will bring down the Western Lord and his clan. We will start with the miko and the runt of the litter. Once these two are in our grasp the Western Lord and his heir will bend to our will.

“I want the females to watch the miko. She will soon slow down as a sign that she is about to give birth. When this happens, pay attention to everything. An opportunity will present itself only once, when that happens, grab the miko and the runt, then leave Gengetsujou.

“I will provide you with something to subdue her and the runt with. What is left of the great armies, which belong to Jakyoku, will be moved south of this location. We will take over a portion of that land for our purpose.

“Once the miko and the runt are in our hands, then we will make our demands. I don’t care that the heir is a two-tail inu youkai; we will put an end to his rein along with those who killed our lord.

“I want the miko to be taken alive along with the runt. They will be no good to me if they are dead. If she was to give birth while in our hands, then it will add fuel to the fire. I will kill their pup, when Sesshoumaru and Inutaisho are brought before me. We will take our revenge on these youkai and show them no mercy, just like they didn’t show any mercy to our lord.

“You now know where to contact me. Send a message if there is to be a change of plans. We have roughly about 4 to 6 months to get everything in place. I’m sure that we can pull this off and strike them down before they are the wiser.”

All the spies nodded their agreement of what General Kizuato said, with a firm plan in place they will start the final down fall of the Western Lord. They couldn’t wait to see him fall, the way that their lord fell by their hands.

A couple of the spies escorted the general back out of the barrier. They left him as they went back to their duties, waiting for their sure victory.

Kizuato walked away from Gengetsujou, when he was far enough away, he turned and looked back down at the castle from a hilltop. An evil smile spread across his face, making him look sinister.

A low chuckle was heard as he whispered, “Just you wait Inutaisho, you think that you can protect your little family, but I know better. You will get comfortable and when you do we will strike against you. I will become lord to this region and you, will be dead once I kill your family right in front of your eyes.”

He then turned and started to walk away from Gengetsujou. He was a patient youkai, he will wait for the right moment, and then all will be within his grasp. He will be the new Lord of the West, and with it came all the riches that the current lord possessed.

---oOo---

The winter was a hard one. There were times that Kagome could not go outside because it was just too cold for her. She would spend countless hours in her little sanctuary. Just staring at the snow as it whipped around outside. It made the ground fluffy white and it was deep. This was the most snow she has ever seen in her life and it looked beautiful.

Just then she felt her pup move. She was almost three months pregnant and wondered when it would move. It kicked her very hard as she gasped and held her stomach. She was breathing hard when Sango and Ayashiko came running to her side. They were worried that something was wrong with the pup, when they saw tears running down her cheeks.

Ayashiko heard her pup gasp in pain, rushing to her side, she held her against her chest. Kagome let out a cry as she said, “Oka-san it hurt! Why does it hurt so much?”

Ayashiko had no idea what she was talking about, she was panicking while she asked, “Kagome, what do you feel?”

Kagome was breathing hard. She was trying to catch her breath as she said, “It feels like the pup is clawing at my insides. Please make it stop.” Kagome closed her eyes as she silently called, “Sesshoumaru.”

---oOo---

Sesshoumaru was with his father when he heard the pained call of his mate. His eyes turned blood red, he growled deep and menacing, while he rushed out of the study as he went to find her. He knew where she was located, she was always in the same place everyday.

A silver blur was seen streaking across the castle as he finally made it to where his mate was located. He smashed through the door, as he growled, looking around the area to see who dare harm his mate, eyes red from anger, the only thing he knew was that his mate was in pain and someone was the cause of it.

Ayashiko moved away from Kagome when Sesshoumaru entered the room. His eyes were blood red when he looked at his mate. She was in pain and probably thought that they did something to her.

Sesshoumaru rushed to his mate as he picked her up in his arms. He placed her in his lap as he growled to soothe her.

Inutaisho at that moment came into the room, looking for his own mate. He was worried that his pup might have hurt his mother, in his haste to reach his mate. He rushed to her side as he held her, then he asked, “What’s going on? Why is Kagome crying?”

Ayashiko quickly told him what was going on. She said that the pup was hurting Kagome and that they were trying to calm it down.

Inutaisho looked at his son as he said, “Sesshoumaru, you must give your pup some of your youki and make it calm down. If you don’t it could kill its mother.”

Sesshoumaru understood what his father was saying. He put his hand on his mate’s stomach and feed it some of his youki. Slowly the pup started to calm down, as Kagome’s cries became whimpers. Sesshoumaru continued to feed his pup until it was calm and it was no longer hurting its mother.

Sesshoumaru continued to hold Kagome until she fell asleep from her ordeal. When he felt that she was not in anymore pain, he turned his attention to his sire. “Father, why was the pup hurting Kagome?”

Inutaisho came forward, still holding on to his mate, and sat down in front of his son. He looked at his little one, trying to think of a reply that he could give to his pup. He looked up from Kagome and answered, “I have a theory, youkai pups feed off the youki of their mother. Kagome being ningen, and a miko, has sustained it for as long as she could. Her body is weakening, thus the pup sought to get more power from her.

“You will have to feed your pup regularly or this will happen again Sesshoumaru. We can all feed it our youki and make sure that it has enough to sustain it. There will be times when you won’t be here to feed it.”

Sesshoumaru growled at his father. He will not leave his mate while she needed him. He will take care of his pup and make sure that he fed it whenever it needed. ‘But what will you do if we are called away to defend the lands. We must have a way to keep our mate safe if we are not near. Our sire does have a point. They can help feed the pup if we are not around to do it ourselves.’ His beast stated with a growl.

Sesshoumaru growled, his beast did have a point. He knew he could not be around her constantly, no matter how much he wanted to be. If there was trouble in the lands he and his father will have to leave the castle to take care of the problem, so that would leave his mother to care for his mate.

He will have to tell his parents later that he was willing for them to help him with his pup. His feelings didn’t matter when their mate’s health was his first priority.

He stood with Kagome in his arms. He left his father and mother behind as he took his mate up to their rooms. He could feel how tired her body was. The attack that the pup had given her weakened her. His tails came up to encircle her body and keep her safe.

---oOo---

Inutaisho watched as his son took Kagome back up to his room. She was weakened by the attack. But what he couldn’t figure out was why she was weakened so much? Yes the pup had attacked her, but she shouldn’t have gotten this weak.

Inutaisho turned his attention to his mate and asked, “Mate, have you noticed anything different about Kagome?”

Ayashiko was confused at his question, but answered, “No I haven’t noticed anything different about Kagome, why are you asking?”

“Kagome was greatly weakened by that attack. One pup should not affect her that much. I have been able to detect only one pup, no more. I was hoping that with your hearing that you might have detected if she was having more than one.” Inutaisho said deep in thought.

He had an idea that Kagome might be carrying more than one pup but he couldn’t prove it. Then again the pup had the two most powerful parents in all the land. The pup might be that powerful that it requires large amounts of youki to sustain it.

‘Hmm, my mate has a valid point. Kagome was greatly weakened by that attack, but I haven’t heard another heartbeat. But it would be wonderful if she did have two. I that way I will have two pups to spoil instead of one.’ Ayashiko thought as she turned to her mate.

They both left the room they were in as they made their way to get changed for dinner. Wondering why Kagome was so badly weakened by the pups attack.

---oOo---

Sesshoumaru took his mate back up to their rooms and watched her closely for the remainder of the day. When she finally woke he was relieved that she was feeling better.

Kagome opened her eyes and saw her mate leaning over her, with a worried expression on his handsome face. She was confused about why he was worried, “Sesshoumaru is there anything wrong? I feel better now, do you know what happened?”

Sesshoumaru caressed her cheek, loving the feel of her skin on his fingers. “The pup needs my youki from time to time. From what my father tells me, all pup’s need the youki of their mother to grow and be strong, but since you are ningen it was feeding off your Reiyouku. Your energy must have been low and the pup sought to draw more from you by attacking your body, that’s why you were in so much pain. As soon as I fed it some of my youki it settled down again and let you rest.

“I will be feeding it on a regular basis so that this never happens again. If I am unable to do so, then mother or father can feed the pup. We will all be attentive to you from now on, we should have seen this coming, but we didn’t know that the pup would do this to you.”

Kagome understood what her mate was saying as she relaxed in his hold. She was hungry as she looked out the window and noticed that it was getting late. She looked up at her mate and said, “Sesshoumaru, shouldn’t we be getting downstairs? The evening meal is about to be served and I’m hungry.”

Sesshoumaru chuckled at her request. He moved off the bed, and then extended his hand so that his mate could take it. Kagome was still shaky on her feet but Sesshoumaru supported her weight with ease. They left their chambers and went downstairs for the evening meal. Everyone was happy that Kagome was up and about once more.

Sesshoumaru informed his mother and father about keeping an eye on Kagome and that if he was nowhere near his mate that they should help the pup and feed it their youki.

Inutaisho and Ayashiko were stunned by Sesshoumaru’s words. Youkai, especially Inu Youkai, never let another youkai take care of their young, especially if it was unborn. They felt honored at his request and agreed to help the pup whenever they could.

---oOo---

The winter was harsh over the Western Lands. It snowed heavily and Kagome was confined to being inside the castle much to her disappointment. She could be found on a daily basis in the sunning room. She was getting bigger during this time and the larger she got the slower she moved.

They finally had a way to keep her still, though she did try to continue with her normal duties. Ayashiko kept a very close eye on her, when she noticed the first signs of her being in pain, she would feed the pup her youki. With all three of them feeding the pup their youki the pup will get something from each of them as a gift.

Kagome had taken to sleeping more now that she was getting bigger. The pup would not let her sleep at night because of its movements, often Sesshoumaru and Kagome would stay in their chambers to allow her to rest.

On days that Sesshoumaru could not be with his mate, he would bring her downstairs for the morning meal, and then put her in her sunning room in her comfortable pillow. Sango was always by Kagome’s side. She would not leave her sister behind or unprotected for any reason.

---oOo---

Kagome’s spirit started to pick up when the snows started to melt and the days were starting to get warmer. She was now five month pregnant and everyone was watching to see when she will go into labor.

A room has already been prepared for the birthing and Kori was ready to deliver the pup. They have all talked at length about what could happen when Kagome was giving birth and what they will do in those cases.

Kagome taught Kori some of the modern day medicine and showed her how to do a c-section in case the pup was breached. They had helped one of the servants that went into labor and Kagome was present for the birthing.

Kagome noticed that the pup was breached, Kori, not being experienced in doing a procedure like this, had Kagome help her with the birthing of the pup. Kori learned a lot that day and asked that once Kagome gave birth, if she was willing to teach her some more. Kagome happily agreed to her request.

Once spring started to come around Kagome wanted to go outside for a little while each day. Guards were set around the perimeter where she was located and she always had someone with her.

Kagome knew, in her heart, that her day for giving birth was at hand. She was tired and her body ached everywhere. She was not walking any more as her mate would carry her to where she needed to be. He would allow her only a couple hours a day to be outside and the remainder of the day she was to rest.

Kagome could not see anything wrong with this, since she wanted more sleep than usual. Her appetite also slowed down, she was not eating as much as before. The weight she had gained was going away as it fed her pup to make it healthy.

During this time Inuyasha had grown in height, he now almost came up to his fathers shoulder. He finally proved to his father that he was able to protect those of his pack, when he managed to land several hits on his father during a training session.

Inutaisho was caught completely by surprise when his youngest pup managed to make contact with his person. That, and if he was not wearing his armor, his blows would have done him harm. He had learned to master his sword, which he had gotten from him, the Tetsusaiga.

He was now allowed to stand guard with Sango, when Kagome was outside, or when the ladies of the West moved around the area. Inuyasha was proud of his achievements and he will protect his mother and Kagome with his life.

Inuyasha knew that the females within his pack were valued among other males. They were to be loved, cherished, and taken care of. They produced the next generation of youkai and they must be protected. It was an honor to be allowed to guard them, so he took it seriously and with pride.

But the spies in the castle were watching the family of Inu Youkai, they were looking for an opening to strike and they had a feeling it would be soon.

---oOo---

Marude and Bakeru have been steadily observing what has been going on with the ningen. After those two idiots were caught, they meet with their demise before the Inu lord could interrogate them. It was unfortunate that they were caught but they were told to be careful around the ningen.

They knew that the alpha bitch was not to be messed with. Ayashiko was viciously protective of her pups and she has claimed the ningen as her own. Her senses were even sharper when she was protecting one of them. So when she caught those two idiots they deserved their fate.

They also noticed an illusive ningen male around the castle. No one has been able to see what this ningen looks like, but he would appear out of nowhere when they almost had their hands on the miko. He seemed to be a silent protector to the miko, they needed to find out more about him, but first they must find him.

Marude understood that as long as the miko was in the castle she would be hard to reach. But then he started to notice that she was getting weak and slowing down in her pace. Now they could tell by the time of day where she was located and who would be protecting her.

The miko was very picky on who she had around her. She didn’t trust anyone she didn’t know and always wanted someone from her family to be near her. Anytime any of his spies got near, she would snarl at them and they were made to leave the area. If they didn’t move fast enough a golden whip would be their punishment from the Lady of the castle.

With the warmer days approaching and the start of spring, it made it easy to determine where the miko would be. She will always go out to the gardens in the morning, then after lunch they would escort her upstairs to rest.

So everyone started to pay attention to what the miko was doing when she was outside. They noticed all of her movements. She would sit and talk, then she would sit back and relaxed while there was a gentle breeze blowing through the area. She would take a nap under the sakura tree that she was leaning against for a few hours. Then they would wake her to escort her inside for lunch.

They noticed that the barriers around the outside of her chambers were the strongest they have ever seen, so taking her from there was out of the question.

Bakeru made the suggestion that they could grab the ningen when she was outside during the morning. Yes there were guards around the area, but on certain days, there were not that many of them. They should be able to get close enough to her and then cause a distraction to get rid of the guards that were protecting her.

They have been keeping Kizuato informed of their progress. The general had moved the remaining of Jakyoku’s army to the south. They were already prepared to receive the female and the runt of the pack.

Kizuato also sent them some form of powder, which was hard packed into a small ball, and were told that this powder would render the ningen and anyone around her unconscious, so they could grab her and the runt. They were then to make their escape from the castle, where a company of his soldiers will be waiting to escort them back to where he was located.

Nothing was being left to chance, they planned for everything they could think of and set up a diversion to get rid of her guards. All they needed was the right moment to do it, and so they waited.

After another month of waiting, the ningen was now in her sixth moon of carrying the bastard pup, the time finally came for them to make their moves. The ningen was in the garden sitting under the sakura tree, like she would every morning. The Taijiya was also there along with the neko youkai, Lady Ayashiko, and the runt. They saw no trace of the ningen male that would be present to protect the female.

Marude and Bakeru were in the gardens tending to the flower beds like usual. No one paid them any mind since they were there every day doing their duty.

Marude gave a nod and their plan was put into motion. A servant came forward and bowed to Lady Ayashiko, “Milady, there is a matter in the castle that requires your immediate attention. We have told them that you were not to be disturbed but they insisted upon speaking with you.”

Ayashiko gave a growl of annoyance as she turned to Sango and said, “Sango, I will be gone for a short while, please watch over Kagome for me.”

Sango agreed and stayed by Kagome’s side. She was talking to Inuyasha about fighting techniques, while Kagome took a nap under the tree. They both watched as Lady Ayashiko left them to tend to her duties.

A few minutes passed and then Bakeru gave a nod, as the second part of their plan was set into motion. A disturbance was made in the forest that had the guards quickly react to the threat.

Sango saw what was going on, itching to release some pent up frustrations, she turned toward Inuyasha, and said with a commanding tone to her voice, “Inuyasha, take Kagome back into the palace and stay with her. I will go see what is going on.”

Inuyasha moved to comply with her orders, while Sango and Kirara left the area in a hurry. Inuyasha quickly walked over to Kagome and bent down to pick up her sleeping form.

At that moment they were attacked as a puff of smoke landed right in front of them. Inuyasha tried to cover his nose and not breathe in whatever was tossed at them. Try as he might, he was soon over come by the fumes and passed out. Kagome having been asleep was put into a deeper sleep and would not move.

Marude and Bakeru dropped the implements they were using and rushed to their side. Seeing that the sleeping pellets worked, they grabbed both Inuyasha and Kagome, and then left the area quickly. The disturbance was bringing the rest of the soldiers to the area and they needed to get away as fast as possible.

They ran faster than they thought possible, to the place where they would meet Kizuato soldiers. When they arrived the soldiers quickly surrounded them, they took off toward the south, where the army was waiting for them. They left no trail behind to make sure that they were not followed to their new location. It was now time that the Western Lord pay for his crimes against Jakyoku.

---oOo---

Miroku was at the location where his new home was being built. The youkai Kenchikuka was truly the best in his job. It has only been two days and already the outside of the structure was up and they were beginning to fill in the walls.

The place, in Miroku’s opinion, was huge, it was bigger than even he could afford to build for his lovely Sango. It was a small retreat, where he and his lovely intended could raise their children in peace and be protected.

It was everything that he wanted to give her and more. It would prove to her father once and for all that he could provide and protect Sango. He knew that he was now in servitude to the youkai lord. But he didn’t mind at all. He will work for the rest of his life, and his descendant will too, to repay this debt.

He made a vow that day that his line will always be here to protect the youkai lord and his family for as long as his family existed. Each generation will accept this vow with honor, for what the youkai lord has done for him. He was grateful and this was something that he could never repay in his lifetime. But maybe with the generations to come they will be able to repay the debt to Lord Inutaisho for his kindness.

Miroku was in deep thought about his good fortune. He had been at this site for hours now, and didn’t realize that he was gone that long from the miko’s side.

He was brought out of his musing when the alarms around the castle were sounding. He turned, racing back to where Kagome was located, to see if she was all right. He cursed under his breath for being away for so long, now because of this, he has failed in his duty to protect Kagome.

He arrived back at the sakura tree and noticed that everyone was gone. He rushed toward the sound of battle and braced himself for what he might find.

---oOo---

Sango had no idea how these youkai got into the castle grounds, but she was not going to let them get any further. She and Kirara attacked the offending youkai as the soldiers were holding them in their current location.

The majority of the garrison trained on this day so there weren’t that many guards protecting the area. But the ten guards that were there were fighting and winning against the 40 soldiers, which were sent there to distract them.

It was working the enemy soldiers understood that this mission, was to be their last. They took their duties with honor, if it meant that they could deliver the ningen to the general, then revenge could be extracted. It’s what they lived for.

The western soldiers were indeed trained well, it was 4 to 1 odds and they were holding them off. They could not get to the miko like they were instructed to do. They were starting to push forward when a ningen female, with a giant youkai bone on her back, came to help the soldiers.

The tide of the battle was turning as the enemy was being pushed back. The neko youkai in her battle form, joined the fight, and they were next to impossible to defeat. Jakyoku soldiers battled hard, one of them was about to give a killing blow to the ningen onna, when a ningen male came to her aid.

---oOo---

Miroku finally made it to the battle and was frantically looking for Sango. He knew she had to be in the middle of this fight. He spotted her fighting three youkai on her own, when he noticed, that one was about to deal the killing blow.

He ran towards his love and pulled out an ofuda from his robes, he held it between two fingers, and then threw the ofuda toward the youkai that was about to attack his Sango. The youkai froze in place as Miroku came up behind him and used his Shakujo to destroy the youkai.

Miroku then joined the fight, making quick work of the enemy soldiers, when the fighting was over they all looked up and took a head count. They lost no one to the attack and they were thankful for that.

Miroku quickly turned to Sango and asked, “Sango, what happened to Lady Kagome?”

Sango turned to Miroku and smiled at him. She was grateful that he came to her aid during the battle. She heard his question as she replied, “I sent her and Inuyasha back to the castle when the battle broke out. I didn’t want her out here, when there was danger in the area.”

Miroku relaxed when he heard this, ‘At least Kagome is safe in the castle where her mate is located.’ He thought as he turned to return to the castle, leaving the soldiers there to clean up the mess.

He hadn’t taken two steps, when a tremendous howl came from the castle, which shook the ground where they were standing. Miroku looked at Sango as they both paled. They knew that howl and it was Sesshoumaru. He didn’t sound too happy, while they rushed back to the castle to see what was wrong. Something was telling them that Kagome never made it there.

---oOo---

This is the end to another chapter. Sorry for the cliff hanger but I did have to leave it somewhere.

Kagome and Inuyasha have been captured by the enemy. Jakyoku’s men are about to feel the wrath of Sesshoumaru as he goes after them for taking his mate.

Kagome is very close to giving birth and the stress of being taken from her mate causes her to go into labor. Inuyasha helps her as much as possible but remember he is still young but he does try hard to protect her.

Join me in the next chapter as Kagome finally give birth to the new heirs of the lands.

Until the next time!

Ja ne!