WARNING: This chapter features graphic depictions of sex. Reader discretion is advised.
=xxxxxxxxxxxx=
The fire crackled softly at Kagome's back, a cauldron of fish stew bubbling steadily above the flames. She worked quickly at the crude cutting board Inuyasha had whittled for her as she sliced and diced more root vegetables with a deft hand. Her swollen belly heavy with her second child - a boy, according to Inuyasha's keen sense of smell having, in recent months, detected male pheromones intertwined with her own distinguishable scent - made stooping over the low table quite the daunting task in the final weeks of her pregnancy. Nonetheless, she managed to fulfill her daily duties as Kaede's apprentice priestess, the village teacher for adults and children alike, and her most important role: wife and mother.
Kagome finished chopping the vegetables and added them to the pot, stirring the broth a few times before mopping her brow with a nearby cloth. The sweltering summer months in feudal Japan made being with child nearly unbearable, much less cooking over an open flame, and she often found herself yearning for the conveniences of the air conditioning blissfully cooling her childhood home five hundred years in the future. But again, she managed. After all, she chose this life for herself. She chose Inuyasha. She chose to be his wife, his mate, and to be the mother of his children, and if that meant leading a much simpler albeit archaic life than she had grown accustomed to, then so be it.
Smiling softly as she recalled the wonderful memories she and Inuyasha had made in the short five years they had spent together as a happily married couple, Kagome tediously lifted herself from her crouched position on the platform and meandered over to the back entrance of the oversized hut Inuyasha had crafted with his own hands just for her. She swept aside the reed mat hanging there, the sun's blinding rays beating down on her as they pierced the clouds below. Squinting against the harshness of the mid-afternoon light, she could see Inuyasha just inside his small workshop stationed at the very edge of their land staring intently down at the whet stone on which he was sharpening the blade of the Tetsusaiga. His fire rat hitatare hung loosely from the waist of his hakama, leaving his off-white hanjuban to expose a V-shaped slit of his bare chest. Even from such a distance, Kagome could see the sweat dripping from his forehead and trailing down his tanned skin, his silver mane plastered to his face and neck. The very sight of her ruggedly handsome half-demon toiling away in the summer heat, toned muscles bulging with every swipe of the blade called forth a familiar rush of heat that pooled at the apex of her thighs - a heat that dissipated as quickly as it came when the fetus growing inside her stretched within the confines of her womb. She pressed a palm to her yukata-clad belly in an attempt to stifle the sudden movement, instantly reminded of the ramifications of Inuyasha merely breathing in her general vicinity.
"I'm gonna get you, Gurē!" A small, lilted voice rang from just beyond the workshop, drawing Kagome's immediate attention. Aimi, their four-year-old daughter, bolted across the grass just then with her arms outstretched as she chased after the slick gray fur of the family's pet cat.
"Wait for me!" Shippo shouted as he teetered along behind the duo toward the chicken coop at the far left of the property. The flock grazing just outside clucked loudly and flapped their wings at the sudden intrusion of the children and their feline friend. An audible bout of laughter emerged from Kagome's chest, jolting her milk laden breasts and bouldered belly and drawing the gaze of her laboring husband.
Inuyasha wiped clean the blade of his sword and sheathed it before stepping beyond the doorway of the workshop and crossing the grass to meet his wife. He stooped to place a gentle kiss on her cheek and a comforting hand on her belly, a few soft strokes by which warranting two strong kicks from his unborn son. "Atta boy," Inuyasha responded, the crooked smile spread across his lips displaying one pointed fang. "He'll be strong yet, just like his old man."
Kagome winced as the pain in her ribs began to subside. "Strong is an understatement." Carrying half-demon spawn in a mortal body was no easy feat.
"Is dinner ready yet? It smells amazing," Inuyasha asked as he hungrily sniffed the aroma wafting from inside the hut.
"It is, actually. I was just coming to call everyone inside."
"Aimi, Shippo! It's time for dinner! Come inside and wash up!" Inuyasha called.
"Coming, Papa!" Inuyasha waited a moment as his daughter and their fox kit friend turned on their heels and bounded for the hut, Gurē lingering behind to traipse after his feathery companions.
Aimi lept straight into her Papa's open arms as Shippo pounced to perch on his shoulder. "Look at you, pup," Inuyasha said as he brushed Aimi's damp, raven black bangs from her golden amber eyes and hoisted her higher up on his hip. "You're filthy. You'll need a good bath tonight."
Kagome gleamed at the sight of her husband holding fast to their daughter, fighting to keep her raging pregnancy hormones and tears of joy at bay. It so warmed her heart to see the tender and affectionate side of Inuyasha. He had always been an incredibly attentive father, and she couldn't wait to watch him dote upon their son.
"Hey! I could use a nice, warm bath, too!" Shippo protested.
Inuyasha huffed and quipped, "Why don't ya ask the old hag to draw one up for ya then?"
"Inuyasha!" Kagome chided. "Have some respect and decency, would you?" Inuyasha's eyes grew wide as Kagome reached for their daughter, Shippo following to the safety of her side. "No worries, kids. Mama will run a hot bath after dinner, okay?" Both children nodded in excitement. For them, bath time was the best time. "As for Papa," Kagome began, shooting a dark yet playful glare in her husband's direction, "a dip in the dirty river will have to do." Aimi giggled in her mama's arms as they nuzzled noses at Inuyasha's humiliated expense and turned back into the hut.
A low grumble escaped from Inuyasha's chest as he strode immediately after the crew, planting a clawed hand firmly on his wife's plump, round ass and leaning over the shoulder opposite from which Shippo sat. "I'll show you dirty," he growled, nibbling her earlobe. His hot breath on her skin sent delightful shivers down her spine, but she responded with a pointed shove to his chest and furrowed brows lowering over her coffee-colored eyes, silently conveying the "not in front of the children"message he knew all too well.
Kagome carried the children over to the basin of water she'd recently filled and gestured for Inuyasha to help them wash up while she set to portioning bowls of stew at the table. Inuyasha sighed heavily and shuffled over to the basin, following orders as instructed in hopes that he'd be rewarded for his obediency later that night.
=xxxxxxxxx=
After dinner and a bubble bath for both children courtesy of some soaps sent as a gift from Baba Higurashi, Inuyasha accompanied Shippo back to Kaede's hut just across the river as night had fallen, and Kagome refused to allow him to return home alone. Meanwhile, Kagome assisted Aimi in brushing her teeth (necessities for which Kagome was eternally grateful to her mother for also sending along with her on her last trip back from her time), combing her hair, and pulling on her nightgown. She tucked her daughter snuggly into the mat on the floor of her room, blew out the candle flickering in the corner, and quietly crept across the wood floor out into the hall.
Leaving the shoji screen ajar just a bit in case Aimi needed her during the night, Kagome toddled back to the western side of the hut to the sizable attached bathroom Inuyasha had been gracious enough to include for her. In his absence, she'd stoked the fire outside and drawn another bath just for the two of them. She knew Inuyasha's earlier fondling would come to fruition, because the wild hormones pumping through her veins, the hot dampness between her legs, and the bathtub she requested be large enough for two demanded so.
Kagome freed her hair from the kanzashi sticks by which it had been secured in a tight chignon and shed her yukata only to deposit it into a woven basket nearby, destined for washing later. Delicately balancing herself at the wooden tub's edge, she carefully toed into the steaming water and sank onto one of the small semicircle benches installed on either side. Her swollen ankles and aching breasts absolutely relished the relief of the hot water even on such a muggy summer night. Soft flames licked at the wicks of the candles she'd previously lit in the dim room, and the relaxing aroma of freshly picked jasmine rose up from the petals floating atop the bath water. All she needed now was her devilishly handsome husband, and this perfect evening would be complete.
Sighing contentedly, Kagome closed her eyes and rested her head against the edge of the tub just as she heard the shoji screen sliding open further followed by calloused feet shuffling across the floor. "Don't have all the fun without me," Inuyasha said. She offered him a warm smile, opening her eyes to a mere half mast and turning her head to watch him shrug out of his clothing. He sauntered over to the tub, stark naked in all his six-foot-two, toned, and tanned glory and hopped in. He nudged her forward a bit with his knee and settled in behind her, immediately reaching for a rag draped over the lip of the tub. Stretching his arms around her, he dipped the rag into the warm water and began slowly cleansing her skin. He started at her neck, delicately washing and massaging away the day's tension as his free hand rubbed soothing circles over her protruding belly.
Kagome hummed and sighed in approval. This - this is what she loved most about her life in feudal Japan. These quiet, intimate moments alone with the man that loved her more than life itself. Not once did she ever envision herself giving all of her to anyone else, not even for one second. She had somehow always known that Inuyasha would give her everything, would do anything just for her, and he had. He built a beautiful home for her with his bare hands that rivaled even the most elaborate mansion in the village. He'd given her the child - nay, children - she'd always longed for, but most importantly, he'd shown her unconditional, irrevocable love. He'd provided her with lifelong companionship that she valued and cherished as though it were a thousand Shikon jewels.
"Think he'll be here soon?" Inuyasha asked, snapping Kagome out of her blissful trance. She giggled softly at the gentle kisses he placed along her neck and nestled into the safety of his chest.
"Mmm, I certainly hope so," she replied, her own hand joining his to rub the taut skin of her belly. "If this belly stretches anymore, I might burst."
A low rumble of laughter vibrated her back, Inuyasha's hot breath scalding her scalp. "You're the strongest woman I know, Kagome, walkin' around with a half-demon baby usin' your insides for a punchin' bag." His ever-present sense of humor elicited laughter from them both, but his earnest compliment was not lost on her.
Kagome craned her neck to the side to look up into those smoldering amber eyes, wrapping an arm around his neck to pull his lips down on hers. The kiss was chaste at first but deepened as Inuyasha traced her lower lip with his tongue, nipping ever so slightly. "I love you," Kagome murmured between breaths.
"I love you, too," Inuyasha replied instantly, his heart pounding in his chest as his blood rushed straight to his groin. He cupped her cheek with the hand that once held a rag, now long gone, and brushed aside strands of her jet black hair before leaning down to steal her lips once more. He worked his tongue across every centimeter of the sugary cavern that was her mouth, delighting in her taste as the hand on her belly began moving south.
Kagome whimpered longingly as his claws reached the tuft of silky curls beneath her belly, her nails digging into the flesh of his hand to urge him down even further. The very tip of his index finger grazed the tiny bundle of nerves nestled between her folds, and her breath hitched in her throat, her head falling back onto his shoulder as her back arched against his chest and her hips canted forward, desperate for more contact. Staring down at her long lashes fanned across the apples of her cheeks and the blush pooled upon them, Inuyasha's breath quickened, cock throbbing and stiffening against her lower back as the scent of her desire for him began to permeate the steamy water.
A feral growl rose from his chest, and Inuyasha bowed his head to suck and bite and leave his mark on his mate's neck while his once rag wielding hand clasped a swollen breast, working the stiff peak of her dark brown nipple between his fingers. Moaning once again, Kagome thrust her hips toward his touch and attempted to shove his hand closer to her heat despite his strength. Inuyasha told her he'd show her exactly what dirty could mean, but he never said it'd be quick... or easy.
"Tell me what you want," he rasped, licking the shell of her ear. He flicked one deft finger across her sensitive clit, jolting every muscle in her body with an electrocution of burning pleasure.
She cried softly, trying her damnedest to guide his hand exactly where she wanted it. "I want it," she whispered. She splayed her thighs as wide as she could within the confines of his knees, feeling as though she may burst into flames or tears - she wasn't certain which given the erratic nature of her hormones - at any given moment.
"Tell me," he demanded, cock standing at full attention now. He was so painfully hard and desperate for both of their releases. He wanted her to beg for it, to take orders from him this time, but he wasn't sure he could delay the inevitable much longer before he took her however he pleased.
Inuyasha nibbled along the length of her jaw, awaiting her response. "I... I want you. I want you inside me. Please." So it seemed she was starving for climax as much as he, and he was determined to give her exactly what she wanted.
He chuckled darkly, a deep sound emanating from his chest that sent a visible shiver along Kagome's entire body as he continued his assault on her breasts, massaging one and then the other a his fingers found her pulsing entrance. Kagome gasped sharply and impaled herself upon his two fingers, disregarding the claws that could've shredded the walls of her delicate sheath in mere seconds. She guided his thumb across and around her clit, vehemently attempting to unwind the coil of pleasure tightening low in her engourged belly.
Adding a third finger, Inuyasha captured his mouth in hers to stifle her scream that somewhat resembled his name as she bounced herself up and down along his slender digits. Ripples of warm water lapped against the rim of the tub, some spilling over but neither cared as sweet, sweet release grew nearer.
"Yes, yes... Oh, fuck, Inu... yasha... YES, right there! Ah! Faster, yes!" Inuyasha could feel that familiar tingling sensation in his balls as he feverishly worked her clit and pumped in and out of her tight heat. He couldn't hold out much longer, but he wanted her release more desperately than his. Kagome always came first.
Abandoning her breasts, Inuyasha wrapped one clawed hand around his mate's neck and commanded, "Come for me, you dirty wench." And that was it. Kagome's vision flashed completely white as molten hot pleasure coursed through her veins and her walls clamped so tightly around Inuyasha's fingers he was certain they'd break. His name fell from her lips like an incantation, a prayer to the gods, and her body fell limp back against him, muscles still convulsing. But he wasn't finished with her yet. "Over there. On your knees," he instructed.
Kagome stood shakily and wobbled over to the opposite bench in the tub, gripping the edge for support as she bent over and bore her perfectly round ass and weeping core to her mate. Inuyasha stood still in the center of the tub for a moment, giving his hard cock a firm squeeze to prevent himself from exploding all over her right then and there while he watched her slick entrance continue to pulsate with every heaving breath she took. He had to be inside her now.
He waded the few remaining steps through the water and positioned his glistening tip at her beckoning heat, drawing a sharp moan from his wife. Clawed fingers wound themselves in the tresses of her midnight hair and pulled just enough to make her whimper. "I told you I'd show you dirty," he stated through grit teeth and pistoned into her. Kagome lurched forward, grinding her teeth against the wooden edge of the tub to stifle her scream.
Inuyasha pounded into her mercilessly, relishing in the sound of flesh slapping against flesh and the water sloshing around them. It was his turn to chant her name, the hand gripping her hip certain to leave bruises in his wake. He could feel himself edging closer to the precipice, prepared to take the dive into utter and absolute euphoria and fill every inch of her with his seed.
Tears pricked Kagome's eyes as the claws tangled in her hair pulled ever more, a dull burn radiating across her scalp, but even more so, she could feel the heat low in her belly again, prepared to spread like wildfire throughout her body at any moment. And she wanted it bad. She made her own attempt to bring them both to orgasm by meeting Inuyasha's every thrust with the same force and intensity, driving his thick, hard cock as deep into her core as possible. She could feel him throbbing inside of her and took notice of the erratic pattern of his thrusts. Pure, unbridled bliss was near.
Inuyasha could no longer maintain control. His hand slipped from his wife's hair, and his claws trailed along the mounded flesh of her ass. "Ka... go... me," he panted. Kagome responded only with quickening whimpers, and Inuyasha roared his release, breathlessly repeating her name as his hot seed coated her walls. Kagome followed suit, her pulsing sheath draining every last drop her husband had to offer.
The pair stilled for a few minutes, the only sounds being that of their ragged breathing and the water dripping from their naked bodies. Resting his forehead in the small of Kagome's back, Inuyasha used the edges of the tub to support the brunt of his weight so as not to crush his heavily pregnant wife. Convulsions of pleasure and heart rates began to slow, muscles relaxed, and the two untangled themselves from one another.
Both plopped lazily onto the bench, and Kagome rested her weary head on her mate's shoulder. Inuyasha smiled lazily, planting his chin atop her head and suggested, "Let's get cleaned up and head to bed, eh?" Kagome nodded slightly in agreement with a sated yawn and reached for the shampoo.
With the bathtub drained and both of their clean bodies clad in nightclothes, the duo padded toward the eastern side of the hut, stopping momentarily to look in on a peacefully slumbering Aimi with Gure curled up at her side. All was well within the confines of their humble abode, and the two made off to their own room, crawling beneath the sheets to seek their own rest.
Inuyasha snuggled closely into Kagome's back, her scent bringing him instantaneous comfort. He folded one arm beneath his small pillow and set to rubbing soft circles over his wife's swollen belly once more. As usual, his unborn son responded to his touch with a long stretch and a solid kick for good measure. Inuyasha smiled and kissed the exposed skin of Kagome's shoulder. "I love you so much," he whispered into the quiet darkness.
"But I love you so much more," she replied.
If he'd had the energy, Inuyasha could've argued with her all night long about how wrong she was, how it was impossible for anyone to love another person as much as he loved her. But alas, his tired muscles and exhausted mind needed to rest and recouperate to begin again tomorrow as the best husband and father he could be.
=xxxxxxxxxxxx=
Key:
• hitatare - Japanese term for Inuyasha's fire rat robe
• hakama - Japanese term for Inuyasha's pants
• hanjuban - Japanese term for Inuyasha's undergarment
• yukata - Japanese term for knee-length robe worn by women as casual, everyday clothing
• Gurē - Japanese term for gray/grey
• kanzashi sticks - Japanese term for decorative sticks used to tie up hair
• Baba - Japanese term for affectionately referring to one's own grandmother