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Love\'s Consequences	By : Sylean Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > Naraku/Kagome Views: 10437 -:- Recommendations : 4 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor do I make any profit from this story.

Chapter List
- 20
- 21
- 22
Love's Consequences
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor do I make any profit from this story.
Warning: Spoiler alerts! Just make sure you've seen the whole series, Final Act and Movies included, for I touch upon pretty much everything at one point or another.
Warning: There will be lemons in this story later on. Also, there will be character deaths in this story at a later time.
(A/N: Guest reviewer
"So her spiritual powers view the child as a threat but not her mating mark?"
Good point, I suppose it can be explained as Naraku's aura is familiar, but the new aura of a child is not. Also, one "protects" her, and the other drains her. I, personally, hated how being pregnant left me so exhausted.)
Chapter 21: Salvation
Something was very wrong, Kikyo gripped at the pain in her chest again, just as she had done many times in the last few days. Borrowing part of the soul of one who lived, it was the only way she could remain on this plane, but it came with complications. The young priestess, Kagome, had been unusually distraught for the last few days, and those feelings transmitted across their linked soul. She had every intention of determining the cause, and was thus headed to the village; she was not far from it by now. It was unsurprising when Inuyasha showed up, but his reaction to her was far from normal. He literally swept her off her feet and ran like a madman back towards the village, only uttering, "I'll explain on the way; Kagome is dying!"
"Mama," Shippo sniffled over his quickly fading mother-figure, "please don't leave us." Her skin had gone ghostly white and the pungent smell of blood filled the small hut they sat in. Sango was trying her hardest to stop the bleeding but didn't know what to do beside try to soak it up. Miroku's meditations reached out to Kagome's aura, but that too seemed to be fading and she was not responding. The frantic atmosphere was interrupted by the ghostly presence of Kikyo, followed quickly by Inuyasha.
"Can you save her, Kikyo?" his question sounded more like a whimper and his ears drooped at the sight of her rapid deterioration.
"I will do what I can," she assured, careful never to promise the impossible. Inuyasha had given her the full story, explaining how Kagome had miscarried Naraku's child, fallen on her stomach, and then started bleeding profusely. Her life force was weakened drastically, but she wasn't dead, yet. Kikyo went to work using her powers to seal the wound inside Kagome. A body such as hers, it was not meant to carry a demon's child. She had thought on this extensively herself during her time alive, back when she wanted to be with Inuyasha, and give him children of their own. Her conclusion had been that if she wished to be an ordinary woman, including having children, she would need to give up her powers and be no more than a plain human. Either that or wish him human by the power of the jewel. It was what she fully intended on doing, before her untimely death.
Oblivious to the worry around her, Kagome slumbered amidst her thoughts. Visions of the life she wanted were granted through her dreams; fabricated memories of little ones that called her mommy and climbed Naraku like a jungle gym beckoned her to remain in unconscious bliss, but something else was calling her too. The voice was muffled, but growing louder, until she could finally make it out, "Kagome, wake up. Wake up."
Wake up? She wasn't dreaming, this was her life, wasn't it? Her brow furrowed and her eyelids fluttered, the sounds around her immediately turned celebratory. Looking up, the haze covering her eyes almost made it seem like she was looking in a mirror; pale face and dark hair, but blinking it away focused the image and it was definitely not her, "Ki-Kikyo? What are you- Where am I? How did-" Kagome's worn voice trailed off at the end of each sentence, too hoarse to form complete sentences, before her eyes grew wide and she struggled to right herself. "I need to go to them; they're waiting!" lingering images of little faces with black hair and red eyes danced behind Kagome's eyes. "I need to… to…" but just as quickly as they came, they evaporated, making her realize that was not how things really were.
"Lady Kagome, who is waiting?" Miroku asked as her hand moved to rest on her vacant abdomen. She didn't have any children waiting for her; she miscarried.
"No one…" she corrected herself as the weight of it once again settled into her mind. Her body went slack and she stopped resisting the pull of gravity to lie back down.
"Mama?" a little voice caused her to open her eyes.
Kagome let out a small smile. She may not have biological children, but she still had her adopted kit, "Hey, Shippo." She motioned for him to cuddle up to her and he nuzzled into her arms. All the while, she focused on keeping her powers tightly restrained to avoid harming him. 'Wait, my powers don't hurt my demon friends, or Naraku,' Kagome recalled all the times she had even shot her arrows at Naraku, with the command to not hurt him. 'They follow my will outside my body; I just need to focus on controlling them inside.' Struggling to sit up, Kagome did something she thought she would never do, she begged, "Kikyo, will you please train me to control my powers?"
"Lay down, you will reopen your wounds," her soft voice was devoid of emotion.
"Please Kikyo!" Kagome trembled. "I need- I can't- I don't know how to keep from…" she dropped her gaze, unable to make eye contact with anyone while the horrible words came out, "from purifying my child." There was a long silence, where everyone seemed too fearful to say a word and risk breaking Kagome further. Someone as pure as she would never willingly harm a life; they knew this, and yet her own child died inside her. How horrendous this cruel twist of fate must be on her.
"I will train you, if that is your wish," Kikyo agreed, but added more solemnly than usual, "but it will not change the outcome. A pure soul cannot harbor a tainted entity."
"I have to try," Kagome countered, determination flaring in her previously solemn eyes. She would never give up; she would never surrender to what everyone believed to be true.
"Very well," the undead priestess stood now that Kagome's condition had stabilized. "I will return once you are well."
"Thank you, Kikyo," Kagome called to her retreating form, knowing she would hear.
Stepping out of the crowded house, Kikyo was met by a gathering of the villagers. It would seem they recognized her when Inuyasha rushed her to heal Kagome. "Lady Kikyo, does this mean you will be staying here at the village?" one older man pressed. Some of the people were very stuck in their ways, and even though Kagome had the same powers, they did not trust her as well due to her allegiance with so many demons. It seemed they held a preference to one not living, than to one who would lie with demons.
"Who else will take the late Priestess Kaede's place and look after the village?" they worried over their way of life, thoughtlessly blurting out the recent events.
"Kaede is dead?" Kikyo questioned softly.
"Yes, it's horrible, Priestess Kikyo," a hobbled woman affirmed, "she died sometime in the night and we know not who will provide care to our ill."
Kikyo walked off without a word, seeking out the shrine maiden's house in which she had once shared with her younger sister. The body had already been taken away, leaving the room to sit empty with only the lingering whisper of reiki and death; her soul had already crossed over. "Kaede," Kikyo whispered as if saying goodbye, then took leave towards the forest.
Naraku treaded distractedly through the forest bordering the village Edo, his mind burdened with no-win situations. A preliminary search for a way for demons to produce viable offspring with a priestess as powerful as Kagome had turned up nothing but disappointment. Every lead was pointing towards it being impossible for the two opposing powers to coexist in one body, even it they belonged to two beings. Sealing her powers was possible, but in doing so, the toxic, demonic energy surging inside her womb held a high likelihood of killing her. And with her powers not sealed, the holy energy would purify the child. As much as he had wished there would be a way, everything pointed towards no such thing. No matter how strong he became or however much training she got to control her powers, their unborn would still not survive. This was not the news he wanted to deliver to his mate; he sought a solution, a way to give her a child, and to see her smile.
He was drawn from his thoughts as a slithering soul collector navigated the trees before him, winding around and no doubt searching for detached souls. He knew right away that Kikyo was nearby, but did not care to know why. She did not pry into his life, and he couldn't care less about hers. It was an arrangement that suited both of them, at least, until he saw her walking straight towards him. The likelihood of this just happening to be the path she wished to travel was slim; she was a deliberate person, her approach surely contained a reason. His posture stiffened and expression hardened; he did not feel comfortable around her, and probably never would. She was one of the only people he had a difficult time predicting, and he did not like it one bit. Unlike Kagome, who was also high on his unreadable scale, he was never sure if he could trust Kikyo. Worse yet, she seemed to have a way to pick up on this; her unnatural intuition irked him immeasurably.
"Naraku," she greeted plainly, coming to a stop roughly ten feet away.
"Kikyo," he returned her greeting dryly, waiting for her to state her business with him. She just stared back, making the moment increasingly tense, but he was not about to ask her objective outright.
'They seem to think he truly cares for her,' Kikyo recalled how even Inuyasha had been drawn to this conclusion, but she was not convinced. Before her was the same black-hearted thief she had cared for in that cave some fifty years ago, was he really capable of putting someone else before himself? 'We shall see.' She let out a small laugh, amused at his discomfort and only making him stiffen more. "Inuyasha has informed me of your plight. Yet I wonder, what kind of man, or demon, leaves when his mate is bleeding to death?" All attempts to appear neutral to whatever Kikyo had to say crumbled under those words; a sharp intake of breath and noticeably widened eyes spoke clearly to the insightful priestess. 'So, you can show concern, Naraku. Interesting.' "She will live, but I would suggest you cease attempting to impregnate her," Kikyo droned as she began walking off again, speaking one last sentence when she was striding by Naraku's side. "She might not fare so well next time." The leaves rustled under a sudden wind as Naraku sped off, vanishing from Kikyo's sight. Looking back over her shoulder where Naraku had been standing a second ago, Kikyo pondered, 'Kagome, your effect on those around you is truly astounding, even Naraku cannot hide how he feels about you. It is clear why the jewel chose you as its protector. I wonder, if the jewel itself is what kept you from death." A normal person would not have survived that much blood loss.
Whether Kikyo spoke the truth or not, Naraku needed to find Kagome and see for himself. He found her easily enough, since her holy aura was impossible to miss, resting in Sango's hut. A split second was all it took for Naraku to traverse the distance and crouch at her bedside. She was asleep, but alive. And Kikyo had not exaggerated about the blood; the small one-roomed hut was saturated in the scent that was quite uniquely Kagome.
Sango and Miroku startled at the sudden appearance, but Inuyasha hardly even flinched. He knew he was coming based on scent. Keeping his voice low so as not to wake her when she clearly needed the rest, Naraku asked, "What transpired in my absence?" He had left her in Inuyasha's care, only to be told that she nearly died. If he had lost her…
"She fell, when she learned of Priestess Kaede's death," Miroku relayed. "We didn't know how to stop the bleeding, and the well stopped working. We were lucky Lady Kikyo was passing by at the time." Naraku was not to be moved from her side.
"I never told you thank you for saving me," Kagome broached as she followed Kikyo. She had woken up in such a state that basic manners had been all but forgotten.
"There is no need," Kikyo responded, her tone was unreadable as always.
"Still, thank you," Kagome insisted and Kikyo nodded in acceptance.
"Let us begin," Kikyo instructed when they reached the familiar clearing below the boughs of the sacred tree. They began with the most pressing matter of teaching Kagome how to purify any remaining demonic stillbirth and further heal her scarred body. Physically, she would return to prime condition, it was the emotional aspect that could not be helped.
Kagome was surprised how painless training with Kikyo actually was. Perhaps it was their early encounters shining through, but she had fully expected loads of condescension and ridicule. Instead, Kikyo's unlimited patience excelled, demonstrating some particularly tricky techniques several times without irritation to allow Kagome to master her capabilities. Kagome was grateful of the unflappability, unaware that she was actually learning at an expedited rate. It took most pupils weeks, months, or years to grasp these concepts, but the predominately-untrained girl took mere hours. Sure, she was ignorant of some of the basics, such as how to heal herself, but held advanced knowledge in other areas, such as using her powers to merge with demonic energy, a feat Kikyo had been unaware of being possible. Kagome's unique origins granted an unmatched perspective.
Along with the healing, defensive, and fighting skills, Kikyo also told Kagome how to create what was essentially a barrier around her thoughts. This was not used very often, but Kagome just so happened to mate someone who could play havoc with the human mind, so she deemed it important. Kagome hadn't even thought about that aspect until it was brought up, since she had certain tidbits of information that she needed to keep to herself. She just hoped he wouldn't be upset about her hiding things from him; hiding the existence of Orora from him.
Before long, a matter of weeks, Kikyo had already exhausted that which she could teach. It was blatantly obvious that Kagome would far surpass her. "We are done," Kikyo shouldered her bow.
"Already?" Kagome asked, noting that they stopped several hours earlier today. "Well, alright. What time tomorrow?"
"I have nothing more to teach you," Kikyo corrected the assumption. Kagome stared back, unsure of just what she was hearing. Wasn't Kikyo supposed to be really powerful, or something; didn't she have more things to impart? Sensing the confusion and desire to continue, the elder priestess gave one last suggestion, "If you wish to pursue your abilities further, venture to the shrine atop Mount Azusa. If you should be determined worthy, the guardian may assist you with your predicament." Unable to stop herself, Kagome launched herself at Kikyo and enclosed her in a warm hug, using the gesture to express her intense gratitude. Slowly, Kikyo rested a hand on Kagome's back, unsure of what to think of the strange woman, but letting the warmth spread throughout her clay shell, nonetheless. It would seem, Kagome's influence could reach even her.
"Mount Azusa?" Naraku repeated after Kagome had told him Kikyo's suggestion. His search led to the assumption that they could not conceive; granted, his search was limited to non-holy grounds. There was a chance this temple had the answer they sought. "We leave tomorrow at dawn."
(A/N: Every character has their merits and purpose to the story, even those that do not meet my favorites list. Kikyo is one of these characters, someone with a tragic story that is far from one-dimensional. I look forward to making her story unfold as well.
As a side note, the next review will be number 100 for this story. Who will claim it?)
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Love\'s Consequences