That's the Way Love Goes: XVII

A/N: Thanks to everyone who's still willing to read. I realize I haven't been updating consistently, but I have a lot going on in both my real world and in my writing world. Thanks to my SuperFans (with a capital `S'!) that truly understand this story and my motives, especially the fabulous WiccanMethuselah over at MediaMiner, who has followed me since I posted Chapter 1, and 1Alisha on FanFiction, who made my heart swell with pride. And a big thanks to my Dokuga readers, who haven't given up on me! And NO, this is not the end. We still have a bit to go.

“And I'll take with me, the memories…
To be my sunshine after the rain.
It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.” - Hard To Say Goodbye, Boyz II Men

That's the Way Love Goes

Chapter XVII

If she was honest with herself, she had to admit it was driving her crazy.

Ever since that day, two weeks ago, that she had thought she saw Sesshoumaru in the hospital, Kagome had found herself lingering on it more and more. But it wasn't him. It couldn't be. Could it?

She had no idea if he was even alive, although just the thought of a world where the powerful Taiyoukai didn't exist was both painful and preposterous. And she was having dreams, too. Sometimes they were beautiful: they were back in the Feudal Era, and he was that new, compassionate youkai that adored her. Sometimes, they weren't so pleasant: he was banishing her all over again, and this time, she refused to leave, resulting in his attacking her. During those nights, she woke up screaming; the vision of his claws reaching through her chest too realistic. Sometimes, she woke up panting, replays of their steamier moments still fresh in her mind. Always, she woke up crying.

Inuyasha was puzzled; he thought she was over the nightmares and crying. But he never asked, lest it open a new wound. When she was fully awake, she would snap back to her new self and go about her day, starting with the meditation.

Today had been a bad day. She had dreamed, this time, that she wouldn't obey him. He had attacked, but this day was different. Instinctively, her powers had taken over. She had purified him. It had taken Kagome half an hour to calm herself.

“You sure you don't want me to close up the shrine?” her husband asked, attempting to keep the worry from his voice.

Kagome half-smiled, wiping remnants of tears from her face. “Thanks, Inuyasha, but no. I need to meditate, and I like the visitors. I'm okay now, really.”

He grunted, unsure. “Kagome, are you sure this meditating thing is doing good? I mean, you like it, and it seemed to be helping…” Afraid he'd already revealed too much, he trailed off, wondering if he should just leave her be. Instead, she shook her head slowly, still smiling.

“It's not the meditating. I… I don't know why I'm dreaming again,” she lied. “But the yoga really helps to center me. Speaking of which…” She leapt off the bed, grabbing a pair of pants and a tank top for her routine, signaling the conversation was over.

He imagined his ears would be drooping, if he still had the white triangles of fur. He knew she felt worlds better when she was done with her yoga, but why now? She had been doing great, until they went to the hospital. That night, the dreams began again…

Could it have been the exertion of her powers? Could it have triggered something? But she had over-extended herself so many times before that. Why now? Maybe it was the hospital setting? Shaking his head slowly, Inuyasha realized he wasn't going to understand unless she wanted him to, so he started towards the bathroom, looking forward to the hot shower.

~~~~~()~~@

Sesshoumaru couldn't shake the feeling. It was an instinctive pull, but he refused to follow it… again. He had followed it that night, after seeing Kagome in the hospital. He had deflected the staff soon after and went back to his meeting, which he was disappointed to find was still in session. But when it was time to go home, he had felt it. Something was trying to push him in the direction of the shrine.

At first, he ignored it. He chalked it up to a nostalgic need to see her. But it wouldn't let him sleep. Or rather, he kept thinking about it, which didn't allow him to drift off. When he had enough, he dressed in jeans and a tee shirt and left, silently stalking his way towards the shrine. But…

He knew it was inevitable. With her powers at full strength now, she would feel him. And unlike the other times he had kept tabs on her, she was even more powerful now. She would feel him coming. He couldn't allow contact; not now. When he felt the faintest brush of her aura, the pull on his soul lessened, leaving little doubt - it wasn't his imagination. But he couldn't linger; the lights were still on in the house, and he couldn't chance her sensing him. Without a sound, he disappeared back into the night, the compulsion against his soul lessened, but not gone.

~~~~~%~~@

She couldn't act upon it, but Kagome had this nagging feeling that she was supposed to go somewhere. She wasn't sure where, and it would look odd if she wanted to take a walk at this time of night. And Inuyasha would never let her go alone. She felt like she was being pulled towards it - whatever it was - and it was there every day. Tonight, it was strong. Perhaps brought on by her nightmare. It didn't make sense, but she felt like she should be out there, following the pull.

At some point, when they were getting ready for bed, Kagome felt the pull lessen. And then… With a gasp, Kagome felt herself becoming whole. She felt more at ease than she had in a long time. It was a strong feeling, distracting her from the youki brushing up against her powerful aura. She felt calm; peaceful. And then, just as quickly, it was gone.

She was so distraught over the loss, she wanted to cry. But she held it in. Closing herself in the bathroom, she let a single tear drop down her face before she composed herself and slid into bed next to her husband.

~~~~~%~~@

She had woken up crying silently the next morning, the sign of a better dream. But it wasn't better, just different. In her dream, her memory recalled the feeling of Sesshoumaru's youki brushing up against her spirit, and when she had woken up she didn't know what to think. Had she felt him last night, when she was distracted? Or was it just another product of her dreams? It was impossible to know. Either way, at least it hadn't terrified her as the previous night had. So she forced herself to push the thoughts away as she meditated and went through her day. That night, Inuyasha made love to her, thinking she was over whatever had disturbed her the day before. But after that morning's dream, Kagome could only think about whom she wished to be with.

~~~~~%~~@

Over the weeks, Kagome felt the pull lessen. It was a relief, and now she began to wonder if it really had been there at all. Questioning her own sanity, she didn't notice her own powers slowly pulling inwards. About two months after the incident at the hospital, Kagome realized that her dreams were getting more vivid. The nightmares had eased up, occurring only every now and then. For the most part, she was remembering bits and pieces of her former life in the Sengoku Jidai.

This was no comfort; she still would wake up crying softly, remembering Sango's embrace or Miroku's smile. Kaede would re-teach her things she didn't think she would need in this time, and she would awaken, resolved to remember the things the miko taught her. Jinenji would walk his fields with her and they would pick herbs. Even Hojo Akitoki made an appearance.

Occasionally, she was with her entire group, fighting Naraku or his minions.

Sometimes, they were lazing around a river, eating lunch.

Other nights, they were grieving or mourning for villagers they had buried.

Every time, it was not Inuyasha by her side.

It didn't seem right. She knew these were memories, because she recalled them perfectly whenever she woke up. And she knew she had lived these moments. She also knew - without a doubt - that Inuyasha should be there. She should be grasping onto his waist with her legs, soaring through the branches of great trees. She should be riding her bicycle as she followed after his reliable nose. She should be drawing her bow, waiting for her chance as he struck at their enemy with Tessaiga.

But it was never his silver hair. It was never his golden eyes. And it was never the fang meant for destruction. And this troubled her more than anything.

As if all that wasn't bad enough, Kagome had recently realized that her period had been absent. With the dreams and the magnetic pull towards something unknown, combined with the regular duties she was required to do, Kagome had paid little attention to her biological clock. But a recent dream, in which she remembered an awful day where she was far from the well and had no `feminine products' reminded her that her period had been M.I.A. for some time. When was the last time she had cycled? Had she even had it this month? Had she last month?

She ignored these thoughts most of the time, deciding she had bigger problems - which, if she thought about it, could be the source of this problem. It wouldn't be the first time that stress had kept her period from showing up.

The day that she had been making lunch - leftover rice and baked fish - and the smell had overwhelmed her to the point where she had to run to the bathroom and relieve herself of whatever was in her stomach, she began to worry. There was something wrong. Something very wrong. After rinsing her mouth and face, she went back to work, and she forgot how worried she had been; Inuyasha was still outside, oblivious, and her hunger had returned tenfold. The combination of the two things erased whatever worries she had. Of course, when it happened again the next day - with Inuyasha present - she couldn't ignore it.

“Kagome, what's going on?” Inuyasha's worried voice floated by, sounding distant as she threw up violently.

She didn't answer.

“Kagome?”

Nothing.

“Kagome,” he said, a little more sternly now, “I'm going to come in if you don't talk to me.”

That got her attention.

“H-hold on…” she replied, her voice shaky from the exertion.

Inuyasha huffed impatiently, but waited.

Once she had composed herself, wiping the strained tears from her eyes and blowing her nose, she opened the door.

Even as a human, he was alarmed when he realized she had been sick. And she looked oddly guilty. Had this happened before? “Kagome, are you ok?”

“Yeah, I'm fine, now. I think the miso was just a little strong…”

“Strong?” he asked, screwing up his face. “You gotta be kiddin' me. Miso's not strong in the first place, and this stuff's mild. What's going on?”

Surprised he had seen through her, Kagome tried to cover it up. “No, really. It's nothing, Inuyasha. Maybe I'll just take the afternoon off…”

Now he was alarmed. Kagome never took any part of the day off, no matter how she felt. She was too selfless. He scrutinized her, his dark eyes barely showing through his lowered lids. “Kagome, what's going on?” he asked. But it sounded more like a demand than a question.

She glared at him, angry that he was prodding. But then she gave up, suddenly exhausted. It took a moment to find the words, but she finally told him. Well, not the entire truth.

“I… don't know, Inuyasha. I haven't been feeling right. But I'm hungry, so I'm gonna finish lunch. And then, I think I'm going to take the rest of the day off and call the doctor.”

She didn't think he'd bought it, but after a few moments, he looked less suspicious and nodded. “Okay. Let's go,” he said, offering her a hand.

She took it gingerly, allowing him to pull her to her feet. With that, they walked to the kitchen to salvage their lunch.

~~~~~%~~@

Twenty hours later, Kagome sat on a stiff examination table, unable to comprehend what the doctor was telling her.

“Congratulations! I'm assuming this will be your first?” the well-intentioned, graying man offered.

She didn't move. She didn't speak. She didn't blink.

The older man studied her, suddenly grasping that the young woman in front of him may not have been planning this baby, married or not. Uneasily, he backed towards the door, deciding to give her some time to think. He glanced around the room, making sure there were no sharp instruments nearby, in case the baby was truly unwanted. With a firm twist, he opened the door and exited hastily into the bright hallway.

Impossible. Well, not impossible, since she knew how biology worked, but still… Pregnant? She was going to be a mom? Impossible.

I'm not ready, she told herself over and over. I'm not ready, this is wrong, this can't be happening, it's impossible… There was something deep within her clutching her insides. It clawed at her relentlessly, but she wouldn't recognize what it was until the next morning, when she woke up silently crying once again. This time, the dream had been that she had given birth to a little boy. A little boy with sparkling silver hair and bright, golden eyes. The boy had made her extremely happy until she realized it was hanyou…

Thankfully, after the shock of what happened, Kagome could rely on the excuse that pregnant women often had irrational, vivid dreams. This was what she told Inuyasha when he asked why she was so upset. “Just a silly dream,” she had said. Comes along with the mood swings and morning sickness. But the image of the beautiful boy stuck with her, burned into her memory of what she had lost.

She was meditating when it came to her. She couldn't forget the happy, amber eyes or the beautiful violet stripes on his wrist. When she kept trying to forget the reason this conjured child looked this way, she realized that the gnawing, nagging feeling in her gut was guilt. She was having a baby. And it wasn't with the man she truly loved.

~~~~~%~~@

“Give me one good reason why,” Inuyasha yelled, making Kagome cringe with the intensity of his voice.

They had had this argument several times in the past weeks, and it was always the same, yet neither made any headway. She sighed with frustration. “Inuyasha,” she said as calmly as she could, “my family has their own things going on. Souta is in the middle of his first year in high school, and my mother doesn't need to drag my grandfather all the way down here just so I can tell them.” She glared daggers at him to get the point across. It was lost on him.

“Then why can't you call them and tell them?”

Now Kagome assumed her most calm voice, the one that sent shivers down Inuyasha's spine. Because Kagome was never more menacing than when she seemed calm. Fighting not to grit her teeth, she answered. “This isn't something I want to tell them over the phone,” she said slowly. “It can wait. We have plenty of time, and when the time is right, I'll tell them.”

Inuyasha huffed out of the kitchen, still not appeased. Kagome didn't expect him to be, since it hadn't worked any of the other times. And she wasn't happy either, because she knew he didn't see it her way. So it was an impasse. For now.

A brief thought of Inuyasha sneaking off to call her mother skittered across her imagination, and then she deliberately imagined the many ways she could kill him for doing so. It would be much worse than the `sits' she had given him.

Her decision not to tell anyone - and that meant everyone - was personal. She was still fighting with herself over it; the guilt, and the feeling of not being ready to be a mother… it was unsettling. It would make the situation that more real if she told her mother. And telling one person would justify telling anyone. She didn't want everyone she knew congratulating her on something she didn't exactly feel celebratory about.

Inuyasha didn't understand her. Of course, he couldn't understand her when she didn't let him know how she felt, but he mostly chalked it up to the mood swings she had told him about. The only problem was that she seemed to only have one mood: irritable. Even with her daily meditating, she was sour, barely speaking to him. They didn't have sex anymore, but he figured that with all the throwing up, she probably wasn't in the mood. She was still chipper with the shrine guests; they seemed to give her a sense of stability. Some normalcy.

But the fact that she was distancing herself from him was the most disturbing. She barely spoke to him. She stayed up late, and would often sleep on the living room couch, telling him that she fell asleep watching TV. But it seemed like she was avoiding him. Every time he tried to start a conversation, she would find something to do - something that needed immediate attention. If he tried to touch her - a caress on the shoulder, a kiss on the cheek, a brush on the back of her neck - she would duck away, or cringe and endure it. He pretended not to notice, but he did. He assumed she wasn't feeling well, and that eventually, she would come to terms.

When Kagome had been to the pediatrician for the third time, they asked if she wanted an ultrasound with her next visit. She was about to decline when her husband jumped up and vigorously told them that they did want the ultrasound. The nurse laughed and scurried away to make their next appointments. Kagome scowled at Inuyasha, but kept silent. On the way home, a single tear escaped her, but her husband never knew, since he couldn't smell her sadness any more.

~~~~~%~~@

“Well, everything seems fine, Higurashi-san,” the nurse told her.

She was tired of being poked and prodded. They took blood frequently, and they questioned her incessantly. They took measurements. They listened to the heartbeat. They told her what to eat, how to live.

She was tired of it all, and wanted desperately to go home. She was famished, even though Kagome wasn't even showing yet. That was normal, they told her; many women didn't show until the fifth or sixth month, and she was only in the late forth. And that meant that today, they would do an ultrasound to make sure the baby looked healthy. Kagome swallowed her nervousness.

When they were done in the checkup room, the nurse led them further into the building towards a large room that looked like a bedroom. The only difference was that instead of a nightstand, there was a big, humming machine next to the bed. The nurse left them, and Inuyasha bounced in his skin, excited to see the baby - his baby. Kagome felt more like she was going to be sick. What if the baby had a crescent on its' forehead? What if the baby had stripes? What if… it had dog ears?

But no. This would be a regular, normal, human baby. No claws. No fangs. She was human, and so was Inuyasha. Despite his lineage, her husband had relieved himself of all demonic blood with the help of the Shikon no Tama. The baby would be completely unordinary. So why did the idea depress her?

After only two minutes, a portly woman came into the room and introduced herself as the ultrasound specialist.

“Konnichiwa, Higurashi-san,” the woman greeted, “I am Shinji Ryoko.”

Kagome smiled for the aging woman. “Konnichiwa, Shinji-san.”

The elder smiled back, then noticed the jumpy man in the seat at the foot of the bed. “You must be the father,” she said with a knowing smile.

Inuyasha's eyes jerked to the woman's. He nodded vigorously. A wholesome, mirthful laugh escaped the woman, and it filled Kagome with a new feeling. She smiled almost genuinely.

“Ok, Higurashi-san, why don't you make yourself comfortable,” Ryoko told her, patting the bed next to her. She was already sitting at the machine, typing away at the keyboard.

Kagome nodded and sat next to the whirring machine. She pretty much knew she needed to lie down, so she swung her legs up and lowered herself to the comfy blanket. There was a generous pillow, and she took advantage. After a few minutes of typing, Ryoko looked down at Kagome and smiled.

“Are you ready?”

Hesitant and sad as she was, Kagome nodded. It had to be done, so it might as well be now.

“Well, then, I'll need you to undo your pants and pull your shirt up a bit,” the woman told her.

A few keystrokes later, and Ryoko was pulling a piece of the machine off. It was attached by a curly wire, like a telephone. But Ryoko put it down to grab a bottle of clear gel, squirting some into her palms. When she felt she had enough, the woman rubbed it between her hands, apparently trying to warm it up a bit. Kagome had unzipped her khaki pants, pulling them below her hips and yanked her shirt up under her breasts. Satisfied, Ryoko rubbed the liquid onto Kagome's abdomen.

“Cold!” she hissed and squirmed, causing the older woman to laugh.

“Sorry, I tried to warm it a little, but it never seems to work,” she chuckled.

Kagome wanted to glare at her, but couldn't muster the strength. She felt like she could eat a cow.

With the gel smeared appropriately, Ryoko took off the gloves she had been wearing and pulled on a fresh pair. Then she picked up the instrument she had detached earlier and placed it on the gel-coated area. She pressed down hard - in order for the sonic waves to register, you had to push down on the skin - and Kagome almost cried out in surprise. It hurt, since her womb had already formed and was hard to the touch, even though it didn't look any different. So the strong touch was extremely unpleasant. Inuyasha noticed his wife cringing, but since she hadn't said anything, he let the woman do her job.

Roaming around her flesh, Ryoko stopped several times to tap one-handedly on the keyboard, then continued her search for whatever it was she was looking for. The entire time, they could hear the baby's heartbeat, but this was normal, since they had heard it the past two times they had been here. The pain increased; at times, Ryoko had to `dig' to find what she sought. Kagome bit her lip to keep from telling the woman to stop. But she couldn't control her face, and eventually, Inuyasha could hold back no more.

He had been hovering. He didn't understand anything on the screen, so he paced, watching Kagome's face. “Are you all right?” he asked softly.

Kagome's eyes darted to his. She hadn't thought he would notice. Then again, she could barely think with the pain of the ultrasound. She nodded weakly.

Ryoko frowned, turning to her patient. “I'm sorry, is something bothering you?”

Kagome knew her voice would break if she spoke, but how else could she answer the question? “Yeah,” she said, grateful she sounded decent. “I'm okay. It just h-h-hurts a little.” Cringing at the way she had faltered, Kagome looked away, finding Inuyasha's dark, human eyes again. He seemed genuinely worried for her. It lightened her heart slightly, and she attempted a smile, which he returned.

Ryoko clucked at herself. “I'm sorry, Higurashi-san. It seems you are a little further along than we thought. Are you positive about the date of your last period?”

Kagome laughed at herself sardonically. “No, not at all. I gave a general estimate, but I had a lot on my mind and hadn't even realized my cycle hadn't appeared,” she told the nurse, hoping she wouldn't get scolded again.

But Ryoko simply nodded. “Well, by my estimation, you're about twenty-one weeks; half-way there.”

Kagome did the math quickly. She was a week over five months! Suddenly, there seemed to be no time for anything! She glanced over at Inuyasha. He seemed calmer, but probably because he wasn't the greatest at math.

“Okay, so…” The woman turned the screen slightly and tapped a few keys. “This is your baby,” she said softly, pointing to the screen.

And there, in black-and-white, Kagome saw the moving, living thing inside her. She had taken anatomy and could see the backbone and limbs, and the tiny, furiously beating heart. It wasn't too developed, but they could see it; it looked… human. And that's when Kagome began to cry.

It wasn't a silent, soft cry. It was a loud wailing, all the months of denial and confusion letting itself out of her. When she had seen the tiny person she was harboring, she felt the instant bond and suddenly, there was nothing more she wanted in life. And so the sobbing began.

Inuyasha rushed to her side and held her hand. Ryoko didn't seem surprised. She dealt with over-emotional pregnant women every day. When it seemed she was calm, the older woman continued, letting them know the baby was perfectly healthy, picking out certain things to show them, and asking if they wanted to know what the sex was.

Inuyasha, now concerned, looked at his wife. But she was smiling. She nodded enthusiastically.

Shutting off the machine as something finished printing, Ryoko handed them the paper that showed the little person inside Kagome. She had a towel ready on her station and handed it to the young new mother. Inuyasha helped wipe her clean of the now-sticky gel, and she sat up carefully, her wide blue eyes searching the experienced woman's deep brown eyes.

“It's a girl.”

~~~~~%~~@

Kagome had been shocked at first. In her dreams, the baby was a boy. But now, as she came to her senses, she realized everything about that dream was wrong. The gender was wrong, and even the species was wrong. The father was wrong. She should have known. Since it was impossible for the child to be hanyou, it couldn't have been a boy, either, could it?

Now, it was a relief. Like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, she was finally free of the gripping dreams that had haunted her. And when they were walking into the kitchen, Kagome could actually be happy about what she was saying.

“Sango,” she said softly.

Taken completely by surprise, since neither of them had said a word since those three words were uttered, Inuyasha actually looked around, as if the taijiya were behind him. It seized Kagome's heart, because she realized how deeply ingrained their friends had been in Inuyasha as well as her. Had she not been thinking something completely different - had it been he who said her name - she probably would be looking for her friend as well.

Putting a gentle hand on Inuyasha's arm, she commanded his attention. When he looked into her eyes, she placed a hand over her still-flat stomach. “Sango,” she said again. She could see the recognition in his eyes. He nodded slowly before grabbing her into a hug and putting his head down onto her shoulder. After a deep breath, he looked up again. Kagome's eyes were curious, but he smiled suddenly.

“Sango,” he said. Then he looked at Kagome's hand, still resting against herself. “Sango,” he repeated, and grinning widely now, placed a hand over Kagome's. When she returned the smile, he started to laugh. Kagome was baffled - wasn't she supposed to be the one with the mood swings? - but she found herself laughing along, and then he lifted Kagome into a crushing hug so that her feet no longer touched the floor. Swinging her around, he said the name one more time. “Sango!” he laughed.

~~~~~%~~@

It hadn't taken long to get used to the idea of being happy with her situation, but now she was pissed. In the three weeks that followed, everything happened at once. First, she began to have trouble sleeping. She would awaken with every little sound. And she couldn't sleep in her favorite position anymore - lying on her stomach. The morning sickness had left some time ago, replaced now by a ravenous hunger. The mood swings had evened out, and she was truly happy now - she and Inuyasha had even began to gently have sex again - but the silliest things could still make her cry. And the thing that had concerned her the most had shown up. The belly.

She hadn't given it too much thought, but at her last visit, the nurse had told her that it would creep up on her, which meant that once it started, it was going to grow rapidly, so she should be prepared to use a lot of lotion to prevent stretch marks. Not one to dally, Kagome began using it right away, although there was no belly. But a few days after that fated appointment, it had shown up. It was so slight, she thought she was imagining it. But day after day, it grew more pronounced. Finally, she asked Inuyasha's opinion. She was naked, standing sideways, staring at herself.

“It's not just me, right?” she asked. “It's there.”

Inuyasha looked her over appreciatively, his male pride swollen to epic proportions. His arms wrapped around her and he kissed her neck, letting his lips linger. “Mmm,” he replied.

Half-annoyed and half-humored, Kagome weaseled away from him. “I was asking a serious question,” she said.

Mirth in his dark grey eyes, Inuyasha faked a pout. “Yes, I see it,” he said, sounding like a petulant child as he crossed his arms.

Smirking, Kagome was satisfied with his answer and got dressed, to his despair.

A week later, Kagome felt something. It was a strange feeling, and she didn't know what to think. Was that her? Had she turned in such a way that it created that feeling? She ignored it. But later that night, the sensation came again, a little after they had finished dinner. When she realized what it was, she gasped, her hand flashing down to her barely-there belly. Inuyasha - admittedly slower than when he was hanyou - rushed to her side.

“What's wrong?”

She half-smiled. “Nothing,” she told him. “She kicked.”

Inuyasha looked at her, his eyes wide.

“Sango kicked.”

This got through to him. “Well, she always was a strong one,” he said, grinning.

This made Kagome laugh, and they finished cleaning up together.

After that, Sango picked up the pace, kicking often. As she got stronger, so did the movements. Kagome would often gasp or cringe out of the blue, signaling Inuyasha that little Sango was active. Kagome began getting tired easily. Inuyasha took over many of her duties so that she could take naps. It was hard for her to climb the shrine steps, and getting more difficult every week. She had to stop several times, catching her breath before moving on. Inuyasha, unable to bound up the stairs as when he had his father's strong demonic blood flowing in his arteries, could only watch. As the child grew stronger, Kagome grew weaker.

After her next appointment and the doctor told her everything looked good, Kagome decided it was time. A few of the regular shrine visitors knew, but they were either loyal friends - like Megumi, Tetsu, and Kayo - or elderly folk that Kagome knew didn't have contact with her family. But now, with only ten weeks to go, time seemed short. As it was, her mother was not going to be happy that she had kept it a secret for so long.

“Mom?”

Her shrill tone immediately set off an alarm in her mother's head. “Kagome, dear? What's wrong?”

Damnit, Kagome thought. She had wanted to start with something simple. She should've checked her voice first. “Everything's fine,” she said, the nervousness leaking from her side of the phone.

Knowing her daughter, the elder Higurashi took a different approach. “All right. How are you, dear?”

“I'm okay. How are you and grandpa?”

“Oh, you know your grandfather. He's trying to teach the locals about the dangerous demons that lurk in the countryside…”

Kagome managed to laugh, calming her a little. “Mom… You know there aren't any demons in this era,” she reminded.

“I know that, dear, but your grandfather isn't taking any chances,” she responded, making them both chuckle a bit.

They continued, small talk the majority of it. Kagome complained that Souta wasn't calling, and her mother explained that the boy hardly called them, either. He was wrapped up in his studies, although she suspected different. Kagome was surprised to hear this; she thought her mother knew everything, but apparently, Souta had hidden his girlfriend well. So Kagome tried to pass it off as a freedom thing - she was sure Souta had no interests in the girls at his high school. Her mother seemed reassured, and Kagome felt better. Then she almost blurted it out.

“How's Inuyasha adjusting?” her mother had asked.

With everything that had happened, she said the first thing that came to her mind. “Oh, he's just peachy. He's so happy he could burst,” she said. Silently, she clamped her hand over her mouth, hoping her mother wouldn't read into that.

It was too hard to resist. “Happy? He was always happy there, Kagome. What's there to be happier about?”

Crap, she thought. Oh well, here goes nothing. “Well, mama…” The words died in her mouth. She had never discussed sex with her mother, and the fact that her mother would know that she had to have sex for this to happen was unbearable. Embarrassed to death, she blushed severely, her entire body hot from the accelerated heartbeat and flushed skin.

Picking up on her hesitation, the elder Higurashi prompted her. “Kagome? What's wrong?”

It was the same thing her mother had said in the beginning of the call, but she couldn't stall any longer. She had to tell her.

Kagome took a deep breath, her heart beating furiously. “Mama, I'm pregnant.”

There was a pause, and Kagome thought she imagined her mother going into cardiac arrest.

“Oh my gosh! Kagome, that's wonderful!”

And Kagome let out a solid breath she hadn't known she was holding.

The next half hour was a blur - most of the time, she was being scolded for waiting so long for telling her. The first question had been “How far along are you?” and when she got her answer, Kagome's mother had gasped in shock. Then she rambled on about the things she had missed and how she wished she was there. At one point, Grandpa had ambled by and when he realized something was going on, he asked what had happened. When he was told, he began shouting about demons defiling his granddaughter. Kagome and her mother - unbeknownst to each other - rolled their eyes. Mama tried to explain that he knew Inuyasha was human now, but he wouldn't listen. Kagome almost laughed about the silliness of it all, but something kept her from finding it humorous. Somehow, she still felt uneasy when she thought of Inuyasha's humanity. She had never wanted him to change, although some things were handy - like his dimmed sense of smell and hearing. But she hadn't wanted him to change, even if it meant that they couldn't have a baby together.

They hadn't spoken of it, since Inuyasha had never been ready for a relationship, and then when they were in one, she wasn't happy - especially not thinking about becoming a mother. But now she wondered. Would they have been able to conceive? In the Sengoku Jidai, quarter-demons were unheard of, since hanyou were so rare. It's possible that none existed at the time, but it was more possible that hanyou and humans couldn't have children together. That was easier to swallow than the thought that she and Inuyasha being the first of that pairing.

Eventually, Kagome grew tired. Her constant - though well-hidden - yawns gave her away and her mother told her to take a nap, but not without first insisting on a visit. Kagome tried to object, but the older woman would not hear of it, and said she would call with plans. With a sigh, Kagome finally hung up, glad to have it over with.

Inuyasha walked in a few minutes later, his heavy curtain of black hair tied up in a ponytail that made him look more feudal than he had a right to. “Everything okay?” he asked, having no idea what just took place.

Kagome smiled. “Everything's fine. Mom says `hi'.”

Inuyasha grinned. “Tell her I said `hi' next time,” he replied, moving to the sink to wash his hands, dirty from pulling weeds.

“You can tell her yourself. They're coming to visit,” she announced.

He turned, his eyebrow raised in question. So Kagome proceeded to tell him of her conversation.

“Keh. I didn't defile you,” was all he said.

~~~~~%~~@

Two weeks later, the whole family was together again.

“How many weeks are you now, dear?” her mother asked.

“Thirty-two,” Kagome replied, her voice laced with annoyance. She was too tired for all the hullabaloo, and her mother asked her this question constantly, as if it was going to change overnight.

Her mother grinned. “Two more months!” She said it in a sing-song voice, one that made Kagome roll her eyes.

After everyone was settled in their rooms, they had lunch together. Afterwards, Souta skipped off to see his secret girlfriend. He was more than happy to have an excuse to come back to Tokyo, since he thought he wasn't going to see her again. He had assumed the family get-togethers would happen in Shimane from now on. He was glad the country house only had two bedrooms.

Grandpa went upstairs to take a nap - Kagome laughed when her mother told her that he took as many naps as she did.

Inuyasha, dutifully making sure everything got done, went back to work.

And Kagome and her mother chatted as they cleaned up after lunch. A pained groan from Kagome alerted her mother.

“Kicking so soon after lunch?”

Kagome winced, forgetting to breathe. “No. Sango's… stretching.”

Her mother nodded sagely, remembering that Souta had given her a hard time with stretching. The kicking was bearable, but the stretching could be downright torturous sometimes.

They had spoken of the name over the phone. Even though Kagome's mother had offered alternatives - names from their ancestors - the name was set in stone. Of course, neither would know that Sango was indeed a distant relative. The fact that she had been a sister to Kagome was enough.

After a half-minute, the stretching stopped and Kagome let out a breath. Now she was panting with the exertion as well as from holding her breath. Her mother patted her shoulder and told her to take a nap. Kagome tried to protest, saying she wanted to clean up, but her mother shooed her. Grateful for her mother's presence, Kagome climbed the stairs slowly, panting harder with the effort by the time she reached her room. However, she was asleep within minutes.

~~~~~%~~@

Other than her grandfather trying to “exorcise” Inuyasha and Souta nearly being busted for staying out too late on the first night, the short visit was uneventful. Kagome was shocked when her mother offered to move back in to help with the baby and refused adamantly. After all, she had already raised two children - she deserved a break. Her mother tried to explain it was different, but Kagome wouldn't have it. She had Inuyasha, and that was all it took. Satisfied, the family took off once again. Her elders left first; the train to Shimane was waiting. Souta lagged behind, and he made one last call to his girlfriend.

“Why don't you spend the summer here?” Kagome offered. “You could see your girlfriend and bond with your new niece.”

It was such a delectable offer, he couldn't refuse. He almost tackled her, but remembered at the last minute and attacked Inuyasha instead, to the former hanyou's dismay. School was almost over for the year, and he had no obligations. Most of the kids wanted to go home every summer, so there was no harsh training then. If you were around, so be it. If not, it wasn't held against you. And so, plans were made.

~~~~~%~~@

At her next checkup, the nurse ran over some quick things that she needed to know. Things would not get hectic still for another month or so, so they were all relaxed. They made more appointments - for her thirty-sixth and thirty-eighth weeks. At seven-and-a-half months, Kagome was considered as still having a bit to go. These would be the toughest weeks. More kicking and stretching, lactating, heavy backache, shallow breathing, constant peeing, fatigue, swollen ankles, and constant hunger, although she wouldn't be able to eat much at a time. This was what she had to look forward to for the next six weeks. It had already been present, but some of the symptoms - like the swollen ankles - had yet to appear while others - such as the labored breathing, kicking, and backache - were only going to get worse. Much worse.

With constant calls from her mother, Kagome never felt alone. In fact, she was sometimes annoyed - especially if it interrupted a nap or mealtime. Inuyasha would laugh silently when she scowled into the phone.

Then there were the visits from her friends. Kayo especially liked to spend time with her, and Kagome enjoyed the girl talk, even though Kayo was about a decade older. Her friends from middle and high school hadn't gotten to the stage that Kagome was in yet, so they didn't visit much. Hojo could barely stand to see her.

The nightmares had stopped. Memories of Sesshoumaru began to fade naturally. In her newfound purpose, she became the kind of woman she had always aspired to be. She was healthy, had a loving and supporting family, a great husband who adored her, and her mind was always occupied. If she wasn't flitting around the shrine talking to patrons, she was cooking - mostly for herself, but also for Inuyasha. She also spent a lot of time cleaning; Inuyasha was often grumbling to the shrine visitors about how his crazy, pregnant, wife wouldn't let him “come ten feet within the damn house without making sure I ain't dirty”.

He wasn't serious, however. The elder men would nod their heads sagely, remembering when their own wives had been like that. The elder women would laugh in remembrance. And he would try his best to look like the sour, dogged husband. But whenever Kagome was near, his stormy eyes would light up like rainclouds that had suddenly cleared, and his smile was so bright you couldn't help but smile back. So no one took him seriously when he began to grouse; they would all sarcastically agree with him. Sarcasm was never one of Inuyasha's strong points. He never understood it, and often fell victim to it.

On the nights when Kagome went to bed early, Inuyasha would sneak into Souta's room - it was the teenager's idea, after all - and work on it. Kagome new nothing, and since she rarely went into any other room besides theirs - her old room - she knew nothing of the drastic changes. He worked in there whenever she was out, or when there were no visitors and Kagome was napping. But he would soon be done, and then he would show her.

Presents began arriving. Her mother had graciously bought them a lovely white crib, that Inuyasha - now familiar with tools of this world - put together himself. Kagome kept badgering him that they should convert one of the rooms into Sango's room, but he pretended to always be busy. She was sleeping so often that she couldn't always tell what he was up to. She was upset, but he knew the surprise would be worth it. Pink things showed up in multitude from friends and family. Before long, there was nothing to want.

With a healthy baby still growing, a loving family, a wonderful husband, great friends, a prospering shrine, and a happy life, it seemed that Kagome had everything she ever wanted.