Tensions Rise

Like a wave returning to the sea, the adjoining darkness before Kagome’s eyes vanished. The invisible lock that held her eyelids together retreated without resistance, causing her eyes to flutter open and inspect the area that surrounded her. She expected to find herself on the cold, hard forest floor with an arrow embedded in her heart, her blood seeping from her wounds and drenching her kimono. She was stunned to find a roof over her head and a warm blanket over her wounded body.

The fire trembled in the hearth, its flames dancing to the beat of the night, and reflected light on the sleeping hanyou at her side. She could feel the warmth of his hand in her own, the sentiment substituting for the pain that her wounds offered. She heaved sigh of relief. She was alive; the feeling of his hand in hers was proof of that, as was the pain.

With a bitter smile on her lips, she could only imagine what Inuyasha had gone through. Tears sprang into her eyes. He was probably so worried about me, she thought sadly, feeling ill. I never should’ve put him through that; I’m such a burden to him.

Kagome reached out with a pale hand to caress Inuyasha’s ear. She rubbed the appendage until she felt Inuyasha stir from his sleep, a small moan slipping from his lips. She giggled when he peered at her through ajar eyelids, a spasm of annoyance flickering in his expression before fading to shock. He regarded her groggily and disbelievingly, as if she was some sort of ghost come back to life, before drawing her into an embrace that drew the air out of her lungs in a rush. She gasped in surprise.

Inuyasha buried his nose in her hair, relishing in her intoxicating scent. “You’ve been asleep for too long, koibito; I’ve been beside myself with worry.”

“Sorry,” she croaked, tears springing into her eyes.

“Don’t cry, Kagome,” he pleaded, leaning away from her to gaze into her eyes directly. “You don’t have to be sorry for anything. If you should blame anyone, blame me for not protecting you.”

“But-”

He silenced her by placing a finger on her lips, his eyes demanding her to keep quiet. “It’s my fault, okay? Nothing more, nothing less.”

Kagome vaguely wondered why he seemed to be more careful with her. She was wounded, yes, but his eyes seemed more tender and caring than usual. It confused her beyond belief. The signals he sent her were odd and bewildering, causing her to squint at him with a frown on her lips. Perhaps it was because of the strange illness that had left her emptying her stomach in the woods for a whole month? Or, maybe it was the fact that she was dead tired all the time? She was unsure, but just as she was about to voice her question, Inuyasha once again silenced her by lifting a cup of strange liquid to her lips.

She spluttered and almost choked; the taste was bitter and revolting. It tasted like bile.

“Sorry,” Inuyasha said, apologetic as she choked on the cup’s contents. “Miroku said that this would help with the pain, even though it tastes like crap.” She gulped down the remnants of the drink and scrunched her nose in disgust. He chuckled at her expression. “I know; it’s pretty bad.”

“Can’t argue with you there,” she managed to say between coughs.

Inuyasha looked away momentarily, his amber eyes seeming troubled for a second. Kagome’s eyebrows furrowed at the sight. She cupped his cheek with her hand, sitting upwards slightly to be able to reach him. “Inuyasha, are you okay?”

“Fine,” he admitted, still refusing to meet her eyes.

“Don’t lie to me,” she whispered.

 “I’m not lying.”

“Inuyasha,” she chided, her tone betraying her worry.

He sighed irritably and grabbed both of her hands in his, his eyes finally meeting hers. “Do you have something to tell me, koi?” he demanded of her gently. His eyes searched her own. He tightened his grip on her hands as if he was nervous.

Kagome blinked in surprise. “Not that I can recall. Why?”

He seemed bemused by her response. “It’s pretty important; how could you have forgotten?

”“Excuse me?”

“Kagome-”

“Seriously, Inuyasha, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Inuyasha recoiled in shock. She doesn’t know? Or, maybe she still refuses to tell me…Kagome, why are you lying to me?

“Why didn’t you tell me that you were pupped?” he blurted, his ears retreating to his scalp when the effect of his words took its toll on his mate.

Kagome blanched at his words, her eyes widening. Her? Pregnant? It couldn’t be possible. It would explain the morning sickness she had received two months prior to this day, and the overwhelming fatigue that plagued her body, and the mood swings. But the chance of pregnancy had never crossed her mind, and even now it seemed irrelevant. She could see why Inuyasha had seemed so cautious with her, why his eyes glittered with betrayal; she didn’t even know that she was “pupped,” and by Inuyasha’s expression, he had assumed that she did.

Her shoulders sagged at the revelation. He must be so hurt, she realized. I don’t even notice that my cycle was overdue; it’s not like I had a calendar to mark the days or anything, so I never noticed. Why didn’t I realize it sooner? Geez, I’m such a moron!

“I had…no idea,” she admitted through unmoving lips, tears leaking from her eyes.

Her hand drifted to her stomach. The thought of life growing inside of her scared her to no end, but excitement was also added to the mix; she was carrying Inuyasha’s child. The thought of starting a family had always pleased her tremendously, and she had even expressed her opinion to Inuyasha, who smiled as if she had offered him the sun. A smile tugged at her lips.

 Inume.

“You…didn’t?” Inuyasha’s eyes narrowed.

“No. How did you ever find out?”

“When I found you, I noticed your wounds and took you to see a healer. After a long wait, and I wasn’t very patient at all, she told me that you were fine as well as the pup. That’s it.”

“Oh,” Kagome whispered, her lips forming an O.

“You’re sure you had no idea?” he asked, frowning.

“Have some faith in me,” she pleaded quietly, knowing well that she was pulling at his heartstrings. She saw him crumble under her gaze. “I would’ve told you if I knew, Inuyasha; don’t you trust me?”

He hugged her close again, attempting to be cautious around her stomach area. “Keh. You’re the only person I trust,” he whispered in her ear. “I’m sorry I ever doubted you. I should be happy that you are carrying this life for me, and I am, really. I guess we were both kind of underprepared.”

“Yeah, I guess we were.” She grinned, but winced when the pain of her wounds came back to haunt her.

Inuyasha’s hold on her faltered and he carefully laid her down on the futon. He placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. “Are you still in pain?”

“A little,” she admitted sheepishly. “Inuyasha, I’m sorry for what happened; I was so stupid! I thought I sensed an evil aura, so I went to investigate before it came to the village. I had no idea it was Kikyo! She said that the aura was her hate for me. She attacked me, and…I couldn’t save myself. I’m sorry, Inuyasha; you almost lost your wife because of her stupidity.” She hung her head in shame.

He lifted her chin so that she would gaze into his eyes. “I already told you: I don’t blame you. I should’ve been there to protect you. If I had known it was Kikyo-” He paused to think, choosing his words carefully. “If I had known it was Kikyo, I would’ve killed her and laid her at rest a long time ago.”

Her shock silenced her next words as she stared into his eyes, appalled by his choice of words. “She doesn’t deserve that,” she told him.

“I know, but it would’ve been better than her going on a killing spree. She was happy that she almost killed you!”

“She was sad; I don’t blame her.”

It was then that Inuyasha truly realized the depth of her heart. He offered a small smile to her in reassurance. “You’re too good for me. You know that?”

“Am not,” she argued, sticking out her tongue.

He chuckled and wrapped the blanket around her body once again. “You better get some rest; it’ll benefit both you and the pup.”

“Yeah, that might be nice,” she said sleepily. “Oh, Inuyasha?”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“I’ve already thought of a name for the baby.”

 He raised an eyebrow. “Really? What?”

She grinned and shut her eyes. “Inume.”

“Inume…” he echoed. He was about to question her choice, but found that she was already lulled to sleep by his very presence. He smiled, cherishing the name; the sound of it caused warmth to spread throughout his insides.Inume.

..::OO::..

The following morning, Sango volunteered to babysit Kagome while Inuyasha went out to hunt. The hunt was stimulating for him since he would not only satisfy his and his mate’s stomachs, but also the stomach of their unborn child. The thought sent thrills through him. Inume, he thought, once again recalling the name. I hope, for Kagome’s sake, that the pup is a girl; Inume is the perfect name. He knew that most men in this era preferred their wives to bear sons, but Inuyasha specifically wanted a daughter; he wanted to spoil her, and maybe let Kagome help train her to become a powerful miko. He knew the village needed one like a breath of fresh air since Kagome was no longer liable for the job, and to have his daughter be their miko would be a great honor.

Inuyasha was too lost in his thoughts to feel or smell the presence of a powerful demon behind his back. Only when he heard the familiar cool voice did he break free from the captivity of his mind. “You should be paying more attention to your surroundings and not your thoughts, little brother; hunting can be a cruel game.”

He turned to find Sesshomaru standing there, encased in a brilliant ray of morning sunshine.Inuyasa released a feral growl and reached for the Tetsusaiga. “What are you doing here, Sesshomaru?”

Sesshomaru only scoffed. “Do not act so uncivilized; it only tarnishes our family name even more.”

“Answer the question!”

“I understand that the miko is pupped?”Inuyasha stiffened.

“Yeah? What about her?”

“I feel it is my right to see her.”

Inuyasha knew otherwise. He knew as well as Sesshomaru that whatever child Kagome gave to him would be quarter youkai, and that meant blemished children to throw the family name to the wolves. He knew Sesshomaru’s intentions: to kill the mother and be rid of the child. But, hadn’t Sesshomaru come to terms with Inuyasha’s choice of a mate once he heard the news? He had not graced the couple with his presence since the final battle with Naraku. Inuyasha refused to allow him to go near Kagome in case of intentional harm that could be inflicted upon her.

“You will never touch her,” he snapped.

“I simply want to see her, little brother; nothing more, nothing less. Is it wrong for me to see the female who will carry on our line?” Sesshomaru arched a silver eyebrow.

“I know why you’re here, Sesshomaru; you want to kill her and get rid of the child we conceived. Well, I won’t let you harm a hair on her head; she’s mine.” A menacing growl ripped from his throat, and he pointed the Tetsusaiga at the base of Sesshomaru’s neck.

“You think that I will murder her?”

“I wouldn’t put it past you.”

“So naïve,” Sesshomaru sneered. “I do not wish to meddle in your affairs. All this Sesshomaru wishes to do is see the mate you have chosen, and the child that will one day carry on our family name.”

“It hasn’t been born yet, you idiot.”

Sesshomaru’s eyes flashed. “I understand that perfectly, little brother. Now, step aside.”

“No.”

“The pup, whatever it might be, has a birthright, Inuyasha. Do you not think that the miko would want to know what she is getting into?”

Inuyasha lowered the blade a fraction of an inch to stare incredulously at Sesshomaru. “What are you talking about?”

“You are heir to the Western Lands, Inuyasha. Even though this Sesshomaru does not approve, the child your mate will bear will also become an heir. I wish to become acquainted with this pup as it grows so that it will one day rule over the Western Lands one day in my place.”

“And, what if it’s a quarter yokai?”

“It is still a dog demon. And I know that you would not become lord because of your miko."

“Why don’t you just get a mate of your own?” Inuyasha asked, frustrated.

“This Sesshomaru does not need the company of a worthless wench to complete him. Now, may I meet the miko?”

Contemplating Sesshomaru’s words, and judging the stoic expression that offered no depth into the demon lord’s mind, Inuyasha sheathed his sword and gestured for the elder demon to follow him back to the hut.