The Right To Live

A/N: It’s been over two years since I posted my first story The Right To Breed. Wow. That’s really been a long time. How time flies… But I digress. Thank you for those of you who’d given me idea’s for stories. I plan to at least make them one-shots in the near future, just for you.

I hope that you like this sequel at least one quarter of the amount that you liked the first. It was though up while thinking about the potential other stories that you suggested I write.

Warning: May be too gory for some


Prologue

Kagome sat in her rather large hut peeling potatoes for her family’s afternoon meal. She sat in front of the fire pit humming a lulling tune that her mother had once sung to her as a child, but she’d long since forgotten the words. The afternoon sun poured in through the windows giving ample light to the large room, it also illuminated the many toys scattered around it. She dumped the potatoes once she’d peeled and diced them, and left them with the rest of the stew to boil. She followed her ears to the front door of her hut.

Outside her four beautiful children were squabbling over a blue colored ball. Shippou, the eldest had grown in the past year, having reached Inuyasha’s waist in height. He towered over the other three children who came to just over his waist, but none of them seemed to mind much, as it was Naoko who was the one holding the ball.

“But it was my turn to catch it!” Takeshi exclaimed, his fists balled and face red.
“But you weren’t quick enough!” Naoko replied, holding the ball above her head, just outside of her brother’s reach. Takeshi leaped for it, but wound up tackling his sister in the process. Kagome sighed. It turned out like this almost every day. Takeshi wasn’t the most graceful of the family, and sometimes Kagome hoped that it was just a phase, and that he hadn’t inherited her clumsiness. But as the days had progressed into years, his stumbling toddler years had not relented, and had turned into a rather clumsy four-year-old.

Both of them fell to the ground, and the two others followed suit. It was then an all out ‘doggy’ pile, if you’ll excuse the pun. Shippou has always stayed out of the little scraps his triplet siblings got into. Not for fear of being beaten. No that wasn’t the issue. Ever since the first one when all three had been able to talk coherently, he refused to take part. His excuse? They’d ask whose side he was on. He couldn’t very well say whose side was better could he? He may be a fox, but that hadn’t made him stupid! (Sometimes she’d wonder though, with some of the tricks he pulls on the villagers. Really, pretending to be a log of wood next to a woodcutter’s home while he was cutting wood, just to get away from an angry sibling? Not one of his better moments…)

Kagome smiled at her pups and kit. Her scent slowly drifted on the wind to them. Their slightly secluded hut gave them plenty of privacy, as Inuyasha had apparently planned. Kagome didn’t mind. She liked to keep her pups and kit’s joyous energy to herself sometimes. She fiddled with the subduing necklace -that had once been Inuyasha’s- that she wore waiting for the little ones to notice her. Shippou noticed first. She gave him a smile before picking up a small basket just inside of the doorframe.
“I have a little errand for you. Do you think you could do it for me?” She asked sweetly. Shippou gave a small sigh, leaping over his sibling’s with little effort at all. He held out his hand, and gave a toothy grin.
“It won’t take long right? I’m starving mom!” Kagome smiled, and handed him the basket.

“Not long at all. Could you take this to your aunts please? She’s rather…well, pregnant is the right word but sometimes you just want to say something else…” Like rather…ready to explode, or over-ready…my I shouldn’t be thinking these things! I was like her once…now only if she had triplets… Kagome thought to herself.
“No problem mama. What’s in here anyway?” He sniffed the basket, but didn’t really smell anything. Well, other than herbs.

“Just some good jerky and some herbs to help when the time comes. Kaede won’t be here forever you know.” Shippou just nodded. He put the basket’s handle between his teeth before running on all fours like he usually did when he wanted to get somewhere in a hurry. Kagome restrained a giggle knowing it wasn’t very mature of her. Though…sometimes she had to wonder if he hadn’t picked up on some of her pup’s habits.

Kagome looked at her remaining three –still squabbling- children. A little farther off, Inuyasha lay in the shade under the sacred tree. She squinted a little, and her hackles rose. He was asleep!
“Inuyasha!” Her voice rose. Instantly the squabbling stopped, and four pairs of eyes were on the hanyou. He bolted up, grass and leaves littered in his hair.
“What? Is another brat on the way? Who? Where’s that rat demon? I just had him in my grip…Oh. Hello Kagome. You look wonderful. I wasn’t sleeping. I swear!” Inuyasha incoherently muttered. He’d been caught taking a nap instead of looking after his pups. Busted.

“Lunch will be done in a little over an hour. How could you nap when there are all matter of things that could hurt our babies? If they’d been hurt, do you know where you’d be?”
“Yeah…sleeping on the roof tonight. But since they aren’t…” He smiled at his three youngest before he launched for them, and an all out tickle war began. Kagome sighed, before walking back into the hut. Boys would be boys.

No sooner had she walked half the distance of the room did she sense a chillingly strong aura, heading towards their hut. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and she could almost feel the electricity in the air. She turned as a pins and needles sensation engulfed her entire body making it seem as though she were trying to run through molasses to get to her mate and pups.

When she finally reached her the door, what greeted her was something she thought she’d never see again. Her pups stood huddled behind their father and his giant sword Tetsaiga. Inuyasha stood in a protective stance in front of their pups, defending against the unknown enemy lurking in the shadows, just past Kagome’s clear view of sight. Inuyasha was growling low in his throat. He was visibly tense, and Kagome stood motionless at the door. The intruder had locked eyes with her as he walked from the protection of the tree line.

“What are you doing here?” The intruder never let his eyes wander from Kagome’s.
“You took my brother’s life. I am here to claim reimbursement.” Kagome frowned. Inuyasha had killed many demons, but who could be his brother? She tore her eyes away from his, and examined him and what he wore.
“Wolf. Obviously. I think you’re mistaken. Take you and your bloody aura and get the hell away from my forest.” Inuyasha growled. His pups visibly flinched. Naoko’s tail swished before curling and uncurling in spontaneous bursts of energy.

“If you were any more ignorant, I could claim you dumb and take your life in pity. But as that is not the case I shall explain.” Kagome continued to study the wolf demon. He had dark brown and black coloring. His hair Brown while his tail and pelt he wore was black. He wore a red chest plate and had what seemed to be black eyes. If the colors changed, Kagome would think him an exact replica of Koga.

“Are you of kin to Koga the Wolf prince?” Kagome voiced. The pain that flashed through the man’s eyes explained enough. Kagome’s eyes welled up with tears unshed for many years for the wolf prince. “You are. You said you were his brother!” Kagome pulled a hand to her mouth, her other held onto the doorframe as if for dear life. “You look much like him…”

“Do not talk about him! You may have been his chosen but your mate will pay severely for his deeds. My name is Kurou. I am the ninth born of the second litter our mother birthed. Him and I were the only two to survive past childhood in either of our litter. As second in command I was found by Ginta who was acting as leader of the pack until I could be located. I am now leader of the Southern yokai wolf tribe. I would have come to claim my rights earlier. But the death…It left much to be delt with.” His attention turned towards the three young pups, still huddled and shaking. He sneered, and Inuyasha instinctively moved to alter his line of sight.

“Keep your filthy wolf eyes away from my pups” Kurou sniffed, and sneezed.
“Do not worry. Pups like yours are little concern to me. Yet.” Inuyasha sneered before launching an attack. It was over before Inuyasha could do anything. To Kagome, it was as if everything had turned to slow motion. She watched as her mates’ sword was swung, straight down intending to be used to slice through Kurous’ head. The blade stopped dead as Inuyasha’s eyes made contact with the wolf. Kurous right arm had been retracted a faint yellow glowing surrounding the limb. In less than an instant latter it had been plunged through Inuyasha’s skull spraying the ground and the three pups behind. The sword was the first thing to fall away, turning back into the rusted old sword as soon as it left its’ masters hands. The body was the second, as it landed upon its’ knees before falling to it’s side.

Kagome couldn’t breathe. Inuyasha was gone. She knew he was. She looked from his body to her children who where howling with fear, back to the wolf who called himself Kurou. Tears poured down her face as she ran for her children. The molasses feeling only increased with every step she took before she was completely rooted to the ground where she stood. Her body wouldn’t heed her commands no matter what she did, and no amount of purification energy she tried worked. Kurou radiated the yellow glow, as if it were a visible aura all in itself, and Kagome couldn’t understand why Miroku hadn’t come when she’d felt the presence. Surely he must have felt it too.

“Why…” She sobbed, her eyes already splotchy. She vaguely noted how hard it was getting to breathe. Kurou smiled before moving towards the pups. He moved his hand over the pup’s heads before releasing the energy. The pups seemed to disappear all together, but Kagome knew better. The only things that remained were three pairs of small geta.

“Reimbursement for my pack for the death of my brother. I’m sure that is enough. The pups were only an added bonus.” Was all that was said before he also vanished, almost as fast as he had come. Kagome collapsed in a heap only four steps from where her three pups had been standing. Her hands shot out shakily to retrieve the geta. There was nothing but the sandals. There had been no whining or whimpering when they’d vanished, not even any wind. She crawled to Inuyasha’s body, as she didn’t trust her legs to keep her properly standing.

When she made it to her mates’ body she placed the three pairs of sandals next to him. She didn’t dare look at his head. Her fists balled, her fingernails cutting into her flesh. Tears streaming down her face. Heartache beyond comprehension to both human and demon kind, not to mention any other in-between tore Kagome apart. A soft wind swirled next to Kagome. A pink light just at the edge of her vision appeared. With tear-blurred sight, Kagome turned her head towards it. There stood an image of Midoriko in all of her glory as if nothing were wrong.

“Help will be given if one is to ask for it.” The image knelt beside Kagome, and lightly caressed the three pairs of tiny shoes. “One cannot manage the heartache, even one with such an open soul and as big of a heart as yours. It would surly diminish to nothing in days.” Kagome followed the hand and a stabbing sensation seared her heart.

“Then please. Help me. Help them. I…I…they’re not supposed to die before their parents! It’s not right! Inuyasha should be alive. It’s his forest! I…I…I’m just a stupid human! I can’t protect everyone. I can’t even protect myself half the time.” Midoriko looked at Kagome with sorrow filled eyes. She lifted her arms, as if ready to give a hug.

“Then embrace me young Kagome, and the hurt will fade.” And Kagome did just that, with no hesitation, she reached out and hugged what she had thought was just an image of the former miko. With stunned awe, both of them were engulfed in pink light.