Die With A Smile by LadyDaniTar

Part Two

“You can do it, Rin! Just one more push!” Kagome urged while crouched between the young woman’s legs.

Kohaku replaced the damp cloth on Rin’s forehead, gripping her hand tightly as she struggled with the final push. Sweat poured down Rin’s face, her breaths ragged and short. 

Outside the hut, Sango, Miroku, their twin daughters, and Inuyasha sat in a tense semicircle. Rin’s agonized screams and Kagome’s steady encouragement were the only sounds piercing the otherwise silent night.

Further away, beyond the village gates, Sesshoumaru sat beneath a tree, his keen senses picking up every detail: his ward’s cries, her husband’s frantic muttering, and the priestess’s relentless reassurance. His usually impassive face tightened with worry he would never admit.

Time seemed to stretch into an eternity, the sounds from the hut suddenly falling into an eerie silence. Alarmed, Sesshoumaru stood and sped toward the hut, arriving just in time to see Miroku and Kohaku struggling to hold back a frantic Inuyasha.

“Get off me!” Inuyasha roared, throwing off Miroku and lunging toward the hut.

“Sit, boy!” Kagome’s hoarse voice rang out from within.

Inuyasha slammed into the ground, his momentum halted. Sesshoumaru strolled past him, entering the dimly lit hut. What he saw made him stop in his tracks.

Rin was sitting up, tears streaming down her face as she watched Kagome leaning over her newborn baby.

“Come on, breathe!” Kagome sobbed, her voice breaking as she administered CPR to the tiny, lifeless form. Desperation etched into every line of her face, she glanced back at Inuyasha whose pained expression only fueled her determination.

Ignoring the frantic shouts of her friends, Kagome turned back to the baby, knowing what had to be done.

“Kagome, don’t! Let Sess—” Miroku’s voice was cut off as spiritual energy began to fill the room.

Confused, Sesshoumaru reached for Tenseiga, but hesitated when the air around Kagome crackled with a strange power. 

To his astonishment, the priestess began to glow a vibrant pink, her hair and robes billowing as if caught in an unseen wind. She held the infant close, her eyes closed, and placed a gentle, fervent kiss on its forehead.

The radiant power swept over the baby, enveloping it in a soft, warm light. Suddenly, a new sound echoed in Sesshoumaru’s ears—the unmistakable, steady beat of the child’s heart.

A soft whimper turned into a full-throated wail. With a heavy sigh of relief, Kagome withdrew her power, opened her eyes, and smiled down at the now-breathing baby.

“Hello, you,” she whispered, her voice filled with exhausted joy as she handed the baby over to his mother. “Congratulations, Rin. You have a son.”

As Rin cradled her child and tears of relief streamed down her face, Kagome’s strength gave out, and she began to fall.

Panicked, Inuyasha darted forward, catching her before she hit the ground. “Kagome! Damn it, we told you to let the bastard handle it!”

Sesshoumaru stood motionless, grappling with the need to understand what happened but ultimately deciding it did not matter. His ward and her pup were alive, and the priestess had fainted. He released his grip on his blade and exited the hut. As he walked away, he heard Sango’s daughter ask, “Is Auntie Kagome going to be okay?”

“I don’t know, sweetie,” Sango replied, her voice tinged with worry.