Home Is Where You Are

An InuYasha fanfiction

By Caya Strife

Disclaimer: I do not – in no way whatsoever – own the characters, locations or original plot of InuYasha (manga as well as anime). This fanfiction is not being written for profit, but simply for the enjoyment of me, the writer, and those who choose to read this piece.

Important a/n: This fanfiction is based on a challenge. That means that the general plot idea comes from the challenger, Roku. If you do find similarities to my Final Fantasy VII Fanfiction "Sense of Life": these are intended. The challenge given to me by Roku will be posted at the end of the first chapter, as to not spoil the content before you have actually read it.

Chapter 1: A Change in Smell

"Kagome! Wake up, Kagome!"

Said dark haired teen lazily turned around in her sleep, showing no intention of giving in to the pleading calls.

"Kagome, wake up", Sango tried again, touching her friend by the shoulder and shaking her gently.

Yet Kagome simply grunted in reply to her friend's efforts and slightly shifted under the other girl's touch.

Sango let out an exasperated sigh and started shaking her friend once more, this time increasing the intensity of her grip, raising the volume of her voice.

"Come on, Kagome", she demanded, "Kaede is waiting for us. We promised to help her gather herbs today, remember?"

A shiver ran through the sleeping form and, after another few moments, Kagome's eyes slowly cracked open. The teen looked up at her friend, a tired, puzzled look on her face and slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position.

"Hn, Sango?" she asked groggily, squinting at the blinding sunlight that fell through the open entrance of the hut. Seemingly still in a daze, she peered past her friend, to the outside world. "What time is it?"

The demon slayer shook her head, frowning. Fixed hours – clocks and watches – were a thing of the modern era, one she had problems getting used to.

"The sun rose long ago; Kaede must be worried."

Within split seconds of realization, Kagome's eyes flew wide and she jumped up, gasping.

"Ahhhhh… I slept in again!" her voice echoed through the small hut. "Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"

Sango sweatdropped while her friend was rushing around, busying herself with the preparations for departure.

"It's not like I didn't try…"

"I'm sorry", Kagome said, sitting down on the trunk of a dead tree, stifling a yawn. "I don't mean to hold us all up."

Sango slowly put her basket onto the ground and sat down next to her friend. Smiling, she shook her head.

"Don't worry. We have all the time in the world; taking a break won't hurt."

The young woman delicately stretched her strained back muscles and returned her gaze to Kagome, frowning.

"But you do seem to tire out easily lately. Are you sure you're feeling well?" she asked, a tone of concern swaying in her voice.

For an instant, Sango had the impression that her friend's face had lost all its color, but the teen instantly placed a smile on her lips, quickly shaking her head in denial.

"No, I'm okay, don't worry", she said hastily.

"Your health is something you should handle carefully", Kaede added from where she had sunken down on into the grass to relieve her weakening legs. "You might want to see a healer in your time about the matter."

"No, no, I'm fine, really", Kagome answered quickly, defensively waving her hands in front of her.

Kagome's friends exchanged worried glances. From the tensed look on the modern teen's face, it was quite obvious that she knew more than she pretended to. Yet Kagome was stubborn, and at the same time very selfless; she would neither talk until she was ready nor have her friends worry about her. They would soon find out what was wrong; they knew that much; they just had to give her some time.

For minutes, the group sat in complete silence. There were no sounds but those of nature: the low, barely audible hum of the wind, the soft rustling of the grass and leaves, the delicate splashing of water in a small stream just down the slope. Life had become much quieter since the defeat of Naraku and the reassembly of the Shikon Jewel; Relaxing moments like these become much more frequent. Of course giant hordes of demons still existed and hardly ever remained calm for a longer period of time. But compared to past challenges and obstacles, these were hardly ever worth mentioning.

Speaking of demons…

"Ah, Kagome", a male voice suddenly sounded from the direction of the nearby forest. "I knew that scent smelt familiar."

"Kouga." Kagome recognized the voice at once. Yet before she could even turn her head to look at the wolf demon and his seemingly ever present two followers, he was already right in front of her, clasping her hands in his. Even without his jewel shards, his speed was still certainly extraordinary.

"Kagome…" he started, looking a flabbergasted teen in the eyes. "I'm relieved to find you are doing well. I…" He suddenly stopped in mid-sentence and started sniffing at Kagome's hands.

Kaede and Sango eyed the young man curiously while Kagome simply blinked confusedly.

"Wh-what is it, Kouga?" she asked.

"Your smell…", he said, pausing to take in some more of her unnaturally sweet scent, "it has changed…"

"Changed?" Sango muttered, looking back and forth between her friend and the wolf demon.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Kagome stuttered, blinking at the man in front of her.

"You couldn't be…", started, wrinkling his nose, staring into Kagome's eyes as if to find the answers to all his questions. She quickly averted her gaze from his. Yet he had already seen enough. With a growl, he let go of Kagome's hands and balled his own into fists.

"That flea-ridden son of a …", he spat, gritting his teeth.

Quietly, he turned around to Sango and Kaede, bowing politely before the two women.

"I hope I can trust you to take good care of Kagome."

The two women, dazed as they were, gave no replies apart from the slight nodding of the head. Without any further word, Kouga turned around once more and walked off into the direction of the forest he had come from, only to once again come to a halt after a few feet.

"Kagome", he said calmly, his hands still tightly balled into fists, "don't worry, I'll make sure that sad excuse of a half demon treats you right…"

"Kagome, Sango, thank you for your kind help!" Kaede bowed thankfully to the two departing young women, "Take care of yourselves!"

The demon slayer waved goodbye to their elderly friend, smiling and returned a worried gaze toward Kagome. She had hardly said a single word ever since the encounter with Kouga earlier that day; she seemed withdrawn, troubled with some inner struggle. And even though she claimed to have no idea what the wolf demon had been talking about, Sango knew that it was a plain lie. It was just too obvious.

The leader of the wolf pack had talked about a change in Kagome's smell, if she remembered correctly. And there were not too many conditions that could result in such an alteration. Judging Kouga's reaction and Kagome's unwillingness to talk about it, there was actually no more than one possible answer.

"How long have you known?" Sango tried. A surprise attack might be the only possibility to get her friend to talk. And obviously, it worked:

Kagome's head jerked up, she shot a quick look at her friend and then let out a long sigh.

"About three weeks or so…", she answered lowly, "that's when I first guessed…"

Sango nodded. Keeping something as this to herself for such a long time must have cost her an enormous amount of strength.

"But when did it happen?" she asked curiously, glancing at her friend of the corner of her eye. "I never knew you and InuYasha had…"

At this, Kagome smiled.

"It was about 7 or 8 weeks ago."

"Ah", Sango smiled mildly at the realization. "The school ceremony?"

"Mhm", Kagome nodded, a dreamy look finding its way into the teen's eyes. "The graduation. It was after the party. InuYasha was waiting for me in my room when I came home…"

Kagome yawned. The party had lasted much longer than she had expected; the day had turned quite long, and now it was time to finally get some rest.

Tiredly, she stumbled into her room, where she was welcomed by an unexpected presence sitting cross-legged on her bed.

"You're late!" the white haired half demon grumbled.

Kagome smiled. InuYasha had never really been patient, especially when it came to her visits in the modern world. He often came after her, waiting for her on the windowsill, her bed, or even downstairs, torturing Buyo, the cat.

Stretching her back, Kagome stifled a yawn and sank down onto the soft mattress next to her friend.

"I told you I wouldn't be back before tomorrow", she said, as if to justify staying away from him for so long.

A spat "Keh…" was the hanyou's only response as he crossed his arms in front of his chest and turned his head toward the window.

The room fell silent.

InuYasha quietly turned back toward Kagome and looked at her intently.

"…Kagome?" he asked hesitantly, catching her attention.

She stifled another yawn and looked back at him, raising her eyebrows.

"What is it, InuYasha?"

The hanyou gazed out of the window for a moment, out into the dark night, as to gather strength for the conversation he had just started. Finally, he turned back towards her.

"What will you do now?" he asked plainly, studying her face for a reaction.

Kagome was confused. Why would he ask something like that? Her brain was too tired from the long day to work as easily and rapidly as usual.

"Go to bed?" she tried.

"Baka…" InuYasha muttered, shaking his head. "That's not what I meant. What will you do now… now that Naraku's gone and the Shikon Jewel back in one piece?"

Kagome sighed. Of course she had thought about this before, long and hard, and very often. Now that her 'official' purpose for traveling through the well to InuYasha's time was no longer existent, she could of course return to her life in modern Japan and do all those things that before had been close to impossible. But even long before Naraku's defeat, a new purpose had grown in her heart. A purpose she was no longer able to deny.

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked, a smile playing on her lips.

Seemingly it was less apparent to InuYasha for he looked back at her, puzzled, frowning.

"Oh InuYasha, you would be lost without me", she said, giggling playfully. Pushing herself off from the wall, she moved to sit right next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I wouldn't just leave you like that."

The hanyou blushed furiously. Even though they often shared close physical contact, he would never get used to the shiver that ran through his entire body when he felt her warm skin on his, smelled her sweet scent.

"My home is wherever you are, Kagome…" he said, causing her to look up into his eyes from her spot on his shoulder.

A soft smile crept to the hanyou's lips as he tenderly cupped her delicate face with his strong hands and brought it up to his. Time seemed to stop around them as their lips met in a curious kiss, each of them exploring the other. The sheets of Kagome's bed rustled as the young couple's kiss grew more intense, their passion less restrained until they found themselves lying in each other's arms.

"Oh Kagome, that was so romantic!" Sango exclaimed happily.

A slight blush crept to the other teen's face as she savored the sweet memory.

"Mhm, it was…", she said dreamily, smiling.

"Though I have to say that it didn't sound much like InuYasha…" Sango added with a giggle.

Kagome nodded, a smile playing on her lips.

"I know, but he can actually surprise me at times."

The young demon slayer smiled, nodding understandingly. What Kagome had said was certainly true; the hanyou, even though quite stubborn, had often surprised his friends with actions and words they had never expected from him. This was especially true with anything that concerned Kagome; since they had met many years ago, InuYasha had been constantly changing. He had cast aside his alienating behavior and, for what seemed like the first time in his life, learned to trust, fully and unconditionally. In the modern teen he had found just what he needed to overcome his extreme caution, tear down the walls built around him and resign from his life of a loner.

And all of this had been achieved by just one single person: Higurashi Kagome.

And just now, their relationship seemed to be in the process of being taken to a completely new level.

"You have seen any of those 'doctors' yet, have you?" Sango asked, peeking at her friend from the corner of her eye.

"No, not yet"; Kagome answered lowly without even looking back at her friend.

"But I believe you have other methods of confirmation? Some sort of test?" Sango tried. She was not too knowledgeable of the medicine of Kagome's time, but her 'doctors' were certainly capable of great things. So it was only logical that they had found a way of determining whether a woman was expecting or not – without having to go through the embarrassing procedure of seeing a healer, priest or anything the like.

Kagome gazed at her friend for a moment and nodded.

"Yeah… we do have tests. Small ones… that you can buy at stores and take home."

"I see", Sango nodded, "You should go back to your time and get one of those, I think. I mean… You do want to make sure, don't you?"

Her friend nodded, letting out a small sigh.

Kagome knew she had to make sure, Sango was certain of that, yet of course having suspicions and having a test to confirm these were two completely different things. Having confirmation, knowing for sure, would inevitably change many things.

"All right!" Kagome said, the sudden determination of her eyes mirrored in her voice, "I'll do it!"

Without any further hesitation, she handed an astonished Sango the basket they had filled with a fresh supply of fruit.

"I'll be back soon", she said with a smile, and added: "But don't tell InuYasha anything, okay?"

Sango winked at the young woman.

"Don't worry; I'll make sure he stays right where he is."

"Thanks", Kagome slightly bowed her head and turned around to walk off towards the well. "I'll be right back!"

Jeez, they're taking long today, the hanyou thought to himself, sitting in the crown of his favorite tree next to the small hut, pouting. He hated it when things did not go his way; patience was certainly not one of his strengths.

Jeez…. He snorted and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Why did they… why did SHE always make him wait?

Then something caught his attention from the corner of his eye; he raised his eyebrows and sported a grin. Obviously, his long wait had been rewarded.

Swiftly, he jumped off the thick branch and softly landed on the ground, right in front of the demon slayer.

"Took you long enough!" he complained instantly, crossing his arms. Then, however, his mind registered something: the absence of the one person he had been waiting for.

"Where's Kagome?" he blurted out, unsure whether to be annoyed, worried or both at the same time. He soon decided on the third option. "Weren't you both supposed to be together?"

Sango quietly set down the heavy basket and stretched her strained neck.

"Don't worry. She just went back home", she explained to the pouting silver haired hanyou. "She just wanted to get something."

"Keh", InuYasha spat. "Kagome wouldn't go back without telling me first."

Sango sighed. The hanyou could surely be moody if he felt like it. It was almost like handling a small child – apart from his immense strength and inhuman stubbornness.

"She had to get something. Urgently. She said she'd be back soon."

InuYasha grumbled.

"She'd better not take too long…" he muttered between gritted teeth and jumped back into his favorite tree, resting his arms behind his head, staring off into the distance.

Something wasn't right, he felt it. Kagome never went back home without telling him first. It was nothing she would do. Usually.

He had to admit that she seemed to behaving strangely lately. She often 'spaced out' when they had quiet moments; she would sit completely still for minutes, as if in deep thought, with a distant look in her eyes.

Yet she seemed to be seeking physical contact much more often than usually. There was hardly a night when she did not fall asleep with her head on his shoulder or lap. However, whenever he touched her, placed his arm around her waist, she appeared to tense up uncontrollably. Of course she soon gave in to his touch and returned the affectionate gesture.

Still, something did not seem right; something seemed to be bothering her. And he would find out what it was. As soon as she came back, he would talk to her.

Stifling a yawn, InuYasha stretched his muscles and leaned back against the tree.

This woman was really a test of his patience, he thought to himself, grinning contently.

a/n: There you go. Sorry if this chapter seemed forced, but I'm so stressed with Uni right now that it seems hard to get my head free for anything else and really get into the writing.

If anybody is out of character, I'm sorry. I haven't seen the last series eps yet and have only read limited manga (though I have watched movies 1-2,4). If I do get things wrong, I apologize in advance.

Okay... what next?

Right, as you read at the beginning, this fanfiction was created as an answer to a challenge given to me by Roku. Here is a part of what she emailed me:

Challenge: Write a fiction about Inuyasha and Kagome afterwards, when they have children, most importantly. Write a fic leading to the birth of children( relationship, marriage, ESPECIALLY pregnancy, the whole ten yards, similar to "Sense of Life") What are the new challenges of parents or parents to be for Inuyasha and Kagome? Do they want children? Has Kagome gone to college for her degree before her children? Has Inuyasha become fully human or remained hanyou? What are his reactions to being an expectant father?
I want you to use that same romantic aspect about pregnancy present in "Sense of Life" It was very beautifully portrayed and I believe if you took that same approach here it would be very romantic, beautiful, and inspiring. I am not asking you to write the same story, but take the same approach to pregnancy as you did in "Sense of Life".

I sincerely hope to find some readers for this little fanfiction (which will expand to an about 7-10 chaptered story.. ask me again once I've done that much planning). If you like this, please review! Nothing keeps me more hooked to writing than feedback!

NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 2: A Bumpy Take Off