Difference Between Past and Present

The darkness replaced the clouds above as the storm receded, the gleaming moon becoming revealed and illuminating the night. Below its perch the miko slept, haunted by her dreamless sleep. Beyond her closed eyes, the musty, ebony darkness adorned the span of her vision, encasing her in shadows. Her slumber was peaceful, however, and her expression quelled the fears of the hanyou at her side.

Currently gazing at the aroused full moon, captured in the depths of his own thoughts, Inuyasha switched his glances between the sleeping miko and the moon, mentally comparing them. The elegance of the moon was easily captured in the beauty of his mate; her skin reflected an iridescent glow. Also like the moon, she moved the tides within his heart, something that-and with this he let loose a violent shudder-Kikyo had failed to do. His heart had eclipsed, and now he had found himself an entirely different person, thanks to Kagome. His arrogance had floated away in the wind; he was now more caring, more protective of what was his.

And it was because of this sense of protectiveness that caused him to clench his fists at his sides.

He couldn’t protect her from her own pain, and the guilt was eating him up at the moment.

“Inuyasha?”

He turned at the soft voice that addressed him from the doorway, not expecting to find Miroku entering the hut. Placing a finger to his lips to silence the monk, Inuyasha gestured for him to follow as he made his way to the pup’s room; he didn’t want Kagome to awaken unnecessarily, especially when she needed her rest.

Miroku joined Inuyasha at the window, the two silent for a moment.

“Why are you here, Miroku?” Inuyasha finally asked, breaking the silence. “It’s the middle of the night. Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

“I wanted to speak with you.”

“And, you had to wait until the middle of the night to have this conversation?”

The monk sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. “I didn’t want Sango to worry, and I knew that Kagome has had a lot on her plate lately; stress is the last thing those two need, especially now that Kagome is further along in her pregnancy.”

They exchanged their glances to said girl, her protruding belly easily detectable under the wool of the blanket.

 “I wanted to speak with you about Kagome’s wellbeing; she has struck me as…sad lately.”

“She’s been helping the village women through their pregnancies and births since Kaede died, and there have been a lot of miscarriages. She’s worried that the same thing will happen to her.”

Miroku nodded. “Her fear is natural; most women have these thoughts at least one time during their pregnancy. But what troubles me is how hard she is trying to hide it.”

“Yeah, I know.” Inuyasha sighed, frowning slightly. “I honestly don’t know how she can hide her pain behind a smile; her emotional strength has always fascinated me. But…this time, I don’t know how to calm her fears. I can’t predict how the birthing will go; only the kamis would know the fate of her, and our pup. The thought scares me half to death…”

“I was scared during Sango’s birthing; the strains of giving birth to twins could easily kill a woman, especially in this era. I was frightened for her health, and her life.”

Flashback

Miroku thought that his ear drums would burst at the anguished screams that poured from his hut. He needed to be there for her; he needed to hold her hand and help to ease her pain. But only women were allowed inside the hut, and he couldn’t step inside without being hurriedly ushered out.

The women don’t like it when men see very naughty things, he thought with a slight chuckle. Perhaps I should take a peek; it’s nothing I haven’t seen before.

Before Miroku could do become tempted any further, a baby’s wail reached his ears. He wanted to scream; he wanted to run and burst into song and dance, all of which would embarrass him severely. But he didn’t care; he was too happy to put his joy into words. But he was utterly surprised when a second cry joined the first. His apprehension increased when the two sounds indicated more than one newborn.Kagome, who had been with Sango throughout the birthing, appeared in the doorway. The happy, but relieved, smile on her lips was enough to bring Miroku even more excitement. Sango was fine; Kagome’s positive attitude proved his theory.

 “She’s just fine,” Kagome assured. “And I believe congratulations are in order; I’m happy to announce that Sango has just given birth to a healthy set of twins.”

“And…Sango?” Miroku asked hesitantly. He was anxious for his wife’s safety.

“Sango is just really tired; the birth took a lot out of her. I suggest allowing her to rest for a couple of days.”

He breathed shaky sigh of relief. “Thank you, Kagome; you have no idea just how grateful I am to you.”

“No problem. You can see her now, if you want.”

Miroku entered the hut on wobbly legs, pushing back the reed flap to find his wife with two babies in her arms, sweat plastering her bangs to her foreheads. In a flash he was at her side, peering down at his new daughters.

“What should we name them?” Sango asked quietly, her voice hoarse from screaming.

He inspected the twins before answering, “Mara and…Kara.”

“Mara and Kara,” his wife repeated, testing the name on her tongue. Enveloping the two closer to her chest, she kissed the two of their heads.

 “Perfect.”

End Flashback

“I’m afraid for Kagome, too,” Inuyasha admitted, reluctant to tell Miroku his own feelings on the matter; he was afraid of being judged. “I mean, her scent indicates one pup, but…I’m afraid of miscarriage or Kagome dying during child birth. If the pain of giving birth to a human child is so great, imagine giving birth to a quarter youkai.”

“The strain on Kagome will be great, as well,” Miroku agreed. He sighed. “She will likely be fine, Inuyasha; she is stronger than we all think.”

“Feh. Yeah, I know.”

He clapped Inuyasha on the back, saying, “Just think of it this way: once this pregnancy is over, you will have more time to ‘practice’ for the next one; just look forward to that.”

“Shut up, you lecherous monk!”

“I assumed you were going to say that at least once during this conversation…”

..::OO::..

Kagome’s eyes fluttered open to meet bright morning sunlight, and the golden orbs of her hanyou mate. She jumped back in surprise, but was calmed when she realized that he was simply asleep, his hand clasping her own. She knew he was worried; he was Inuyasha, after all, and her attitude the previous day had probably caused a million alarms to go off in his head. He would press her for answers later; this she had expected.Well, better late than never.

“Inuyasha?” she called.

His ears twitched at the sound of her voice, and his eyes opened. He blinked once and then smiled. “Good morning.”

She laughed at his goofy grin, some of her grief dissipating. “Good morning.”

“How are you feeling? Has the pup been bothering you at all?

”“I’m fine, and so is the pup.”

He breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. I was worried that after your little escapade last night you had contracted a cold.”

“No, I’m good.”

He squeezed her hand, his gaze disapproving. “We need to talk, koibito.”

“I know.”

“Koi, you know that you can talk to me, right? After last night….I don’t feel like you trust me anymore.”

“I trust you! I swear,” she said hurriedly, stressed by his admitted feelings on the matter. “It’s just…I’ve been really afraid that something is going to happen to the pup, and that-”

“That I won’t forgive you?” he finished for her. She nodded, and his ears drooped. He suddenly grasped both of her hands in his. “Listen to me now, Kagome, and listen good. You are my mate; you are the woman I love, the woman I cherish, and the only one I hold close to my heart. Nothing you say or do will ever make me hate you. I can’t afford to lose you; you are the other half of my soul, and I would die without you. If we lose the pup…we’ll both be sad, but I’ll just be glad that you made it out okay. I love the pup but…when it comes to this, your safety comes first to me. You’re the only one who has never wanted me to change my ways, and you never doubted me in battle or in anything else. I ask for that kind of attitude in this situation; just, please know that I trust you more than anyone in the world.”

“Inuyasha, I-”

He placed a finger on her lips to deny the words that were about to pour from her lips. “You are my life, Kagome,” he said, emphasizing each word.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as the reality of the danger ahead of them became clear. Inuyasha did not want to even think about what would occur during the pup’s birth; it made unease course through him and his hand flew to the hilt of the Tetsusaiga as if the sword was the key to helping his mate. A low growl ripped from his throat; the thought made him seep with fury. If he could help it, he would protect his Kagome from whatever came their way. Heck, he would even die if it meant that Kagome would stay safe. But when their unborn child came into the picture…he was frightened. He could not save her from that pain, and could only offer comfort when she needed him. The rest was up to her.

And he hated it.

“Oh!” Kagome yelped as the pup kicked her in the bladder. Her hands darted to her middle to soothe the distressed pup. She was relieved when it settled under her fingertips after a few seconds, ceasing its kicks and punches. She could feel Inuyasha’s eyes on her, asking her without words if she was in any pain. “I’m fine, Inuyasha; she was just stretching.”

“She’s been doing that a lot lately,” he said.

“Yeah. I guess it’s a good sign; it means that she’s healthy, and that’s she’ll be a kicker when she grows up. I wonder who she’ll be like? Me, or you?”

“Kagome,” he warned, “we’re getting off topic.”

She lapsed into silence for a brief moment, pondering her next words. Her mind turned blank. “I honestly don’t want to talk about it,” she said flatly. “It’s too depressing. And, look! It’s a beautiful day outside. Do you want to ruin a perfectly good day on something so morbid?”

“Kagome…” Again, the warning tone.

She looked away. “You already know how I feel; there’s nothing more I can tell you. Honest.”

“You’re going to be fine, Kagome; I promise,” he vowed.

“If you say so…”

“You.”

She glanced up at him through ajar eyelids. “What?”

“The pup. I hope she acts like you.”

She visibly relaxed, rubbing her swelling stomach with her hands. “When I met Inume before, she was a combination of both you and me; stubborn like you, yet kind and gentle. I was afraid to touch her because she looked so fragile!”

“That’s how I felt about you,” Inuyasha confessed quietly. “And I still think that.”

“I’m not that fragile, Inuyasha.”

“Now that you’re pupped, you are.” He paused, his eyes sweeping over her. “You were so fragile before Naraku was defeated; I was afraid that I would break you. Not by touching you, but by allowing you to see what I truly was. Like, when I allowed my demon blood to take hold of me; afterwards, I had thought that you would deny me; I thought that you were going to tell me to get out of your life and stay out. But, then you hugged me, and told me that everything was going to be okay despite everything that I had done…No one had ever done that to me, except for my mother. You were there for me…and I was afraid that if I showed you any more bloodshed, that you would break. Do you see my concern?”

“I understand, Inuyasha; thank you for telling me.” She was beaming.

Inuyasha grew wary. “Why are you so happy?”

“Because you just told me your true feelings without blushing madly, and you weren’t embarrassed to talk to me.”

Red kissed his cheeks then. “And, that makes you happy?”

She grinned. “Yep.”

“Nothing has changed, then…”