Chapter 3: Meet the Family
With a clattering sound, Kagome's rice bowl fell to the ground as the teen suddenly jumped up and rushed out of the hut, using her hands to press her mouth shut. The rest of the group, however, showed no signs of surprise. Miroku, InuYasha and Shippou quietly went on munching their breakfast while Sango's gaze silently followed her friend, sympathetically.
Those side effects were really nothing she envied her.
While the growing, slight bulge in Kagome's stomach was still easily hidden in her shirt and skirt, the morning sickness that had appeared a week before was something that could not just be ignored. The poor teen would be up before all the others, emptying the scarce contents of her stomach. Yet the sickness never seemed to stop; although Kagome hardly ever admitted it, the nauseating feeling had turned into a companion that was, though unwanted, ever present.
The silence was suddenly interrupted as Kagome slid through the entrance of the hut and, with a deep sigh, sunk down on her spot next to InuYasha.
"Are you okay?" Sango asked, shooting her friend a worried look.
Kagome forced a smile and nodded.
"Yeah, I'm fine", she said, and, gently rubbing her stomach, she added, with a scowl, "I just don't see why they call it morning sickness when it basically lasts all day…"
While InuYasha started to gently rub Kagome's side to help her relax, Miroku quietly placed his emptied bowl on the floor and reached for another cup of tea.
"You should ask your doctor for advice; they might have something to help ease the effects." The monk suggested.
Shippou pricked up his ears and turned to face Kagome and InuYasha, eyeing them doubtfully.
"Won't a modern doctor notice that the baby is partly youkai?" Though the young fox demon had no clear, complete notion of neither human, modern day doctors nor of humanoid reproduction, it seemed very likely that the youkai blood in InuYasha had left a trace.
Kagome smiled at her young friend and gently shook her head.
"It should be okay", she told him "Kaede-sama said that there should be no visible differences to a fully human child. So as long as they don't test the baby's blood, we should be fine."
The little one nodded quickly, though Kagome was still far from sure that he had really understood.
"So when will you tell your family?" the monk inquired curiously. "It might be a good opportunity to visit them and spill the news…"
While Kagome instantly blushed furiously, InuYasha almost chocked on a piece of bread. The two of them had already discussed that matter; and the hanyou was well aware that they would have to reveal the news to them sooner or later. Still, whenever the thought came to his mind, images suddenly appeared before his eyes: images of Kagome's grandfather wildly throwing about spells and incantations, determined to exorcize the demon that had brought such shame upon his innocent granddaughter.
InuYasha sighed deeply as the pictures flashed before his inner eye.
"That can wait…" he muttered lowly, praying for Kagome's consent.
Yet his wish was not fulfilled and the young woman at his side gave him a stern look.
"InuYasha!" she exclaimed, slowly shaking her head. After a few moments, she quietly continued. "I'm sure they'll be happy for us. You're almost like a son to my mom anyway; and Souta really admires you! And grandpa…" she paused, determinedly crossing her arms in front of her chest, "He'll have to learn to be happy for us. Don't worry, I'll teach him…"
InuYasha and the others sweatdropped quietly. Somehow, they were starting to feel a peculiar, if even faint, pity for the old man…
InuYasha's ears twitched nervously in the shelter of the baseball cap Kagome's mother had provided him with. To say that he was feeling uncomfortable would have been more than an understatement. There he sat, next to Kagome, in the waiting room of the hospital's gynecologists' – at least that was what she had called it earlier – surrounded by visibly pregnant women, women with babies, women with their male partners… Had there been a way to escape from this situation, he would not have hesitated to seize it.
The hanyou exhaled silently and sunk deeper into his chair, desperately fighting against the panic building up inside of him.
"Relax, silly", Kagome suddenly said softly, gently intensifying the pressure on his hand.
The boy spat a quiet "Keh", raising his eyebrow.
Easy for her to say, he thought to himself while a woman two chairs away from him, nursing her newborn, giggled at his obvious tension. At least she belonged there. This was a room full of pregnant women, for pregnant women. And somehow he felt like no place existed where he could possibly feel more out of place than in this very room.
"InuYasha…" Kagome said, smiling understandingly, thus gaining the hanyou's attention. "They'll only take a blood sample real quick and then we can get out of here for now. So just try to relax, okay?"
InuYasha forced a crooked grin and was about to reply as he was interrupted by a female voice.
"Higurashi Kagome?" the nurse called out clearly.
Instantly, Kagome stood up from her seat and answered with a quick:
"Hai!"
Turning back to her silver haired boyfriend, she smiled and quickly pressed his hand one last time.
"I'll be right back."
Thus said, she followed the nurse and soon disappeared in one of the examination rooms.
It was then that InuYasha once more heard the amused giggle of the young mother two chairs from him. Just what was it that she found so funny? he fumed.
And as his mind more and more registered Kagome's absence, the hanyou felt the panic welling up again. He was now in a room full of pregnant women, by himself. Not in one of the countless battles he had fought before had he felt such a rush of adrenaline and horror as was now getting a hold of him. His eyes twitched nervously about the room, looking for something … anything … neutral to look at. Finally, his gaze came to a rest on a poster at the far side of the room. Eyeing the graphic more closely, a huge rush of blood suddenly shot into his head, turning his face a deep crimson.
Oh sh…
He was looking at a colored, detailed, annotated picture of a woman's reproductive organs.
InuYasha quickly grabbed the front of his basecap and pulled it deeper into his face, trying to cover up his oh so obvious embarrassment. Sliding deeper into his chair, he prayed desperately that Kagome would be back soon.
"So… when do we have to go back?" InuYasha asked quietly as they walked through the entrance area of the hospital. Just having escaped the clutches of evil, he was hoping to be spared for a while.
Kagome quietly stifled a yawn, followed by a giggle.
"The doctor said that the results might take about two hours; so we actually have enough time to get some lunch."
"Yes, ninja noodles!" a/n: that is one brand of ramen IY always eats the hanyou exclaimed, his face instantly lighting up.
"Actually I was thinking of some real food…" Kagome scowled.
Side by side, the young couple left the entrance hall; they had just stepped out onto the sidewalk as they were suddenly greeted by a familiar voice.
"Higurashi-san?" The two turned around to the source of the male voice.
"H-Hojo-kun?" Kagome stuttered, suddenly looking into the face she would have least expected.
Her former classmate smiled back at her and bowed slightly before InuYasha.
"It's nice to meet you, Higurashi-san and um…" he looked questioningly back and forth between the girl and the hanyou, obviously waiting to be introduced.
"O-oh", Kagome began, still taken aback by the situation, "this is InuYasha", she said politely.
The hanyou, being his usual, gruff self, gave a short, acknowledging nod. He, of course, already knew Kagome's former classmate. Though they had never actually talked to each other, he had often watched the two of them talk; something, as he had to admit, he did not quite like.
"How are you doing?" Hojo asked, looking up at the hospital sign with a concerned expression. "I hope you're not ill!"
Instinctively, InuYasha placed an arm around Kagome's waist and pulled her closer to him, protectively.
"Oh…no… no!" Kagome stuttered defensively, sweatdropping. "I'm fine. We were… we were just visiting someone!" she improvised, hoping the lie would sound more believable than she thought it did. She was not yet ready to tell anyone that she and InuYasha were expecting; especially when she was still waiting for official confirmation.
"Ah, I see", Hojo smiled, "I'm glad you're doing fine!"
A few moments of silence followed, the threesome simply exchanging nervous glances.
"Well, I have to get going!" Kagome's former classmate finally broke the uncomfortable quiet. "It was nice to see you again!" he said and quickly walked off, waving a short goodbye.
As soon as the boy was out of sight, Kagome exhaled visibly.
"If it was already this hard to confront Hojo-kun without telling him…", Kagome sighed, leaning onto InuYasha's shoulder for support, "I don't even want to imagine what it will be like to tell my family…"
The hanyou still held her in a protective embrace and quietly rubbed her side. Smirking, he looked down into her face, raising his eyebrow.
"Now where did that optimism from this morning go?"
Kagome gazed back up at him, smiling.
"It went to get some lunch", she joked, "and I honestly think we should do just the same."
"Right!" InuYasha grinned happily, "Ninja Noodles!"
"Higurashi Kagome?" the young doctor politely bowed, gesturing for Kagome and InuYasha to enter the examination room. The two of them followed his invitation and sat down in the chairs in front of the desk behind which the doctor seated himself.
"And you would be…?" he asked, curiously eyeing his patient's oddly looking companion.
"InuYasha." The hanyou replied shortly.
"InuYasha…?" the doctor's voice trailed off. He was obviously expecting an additional name, be it a first- or surname.
"Just InuYasha." The silver haired youth stated plainly, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
The doctor was visibly confused but soon redirected his attention to some papers on a clipboard in front of him.
"Well… coming back to the blood test…", he started, looking at his patient with a friendly smile, "the results do prove your suspicion, Miss Higurashi; you are indeed pregnant."
Upon this, the smile on Kagome's face grew yet a little bigger and she could have sworn that she could hear InuYasha's heart beating heavily in his chest. Having definite confirmation, flawless proof from somebody who had to know added yet another dimension of reality to the whole situation.
"From what I can tell, you are approximately nine weeks along", the man stated, "Does that correspond with a certain date you have in mind?"
Kagome and InuYasha uncontrollably blushed at being reminded of that certain night several weeks ago, the night when their child must have been conceived. She nodded quietly, forcing a sheepish smile.
"Well…", the young man started, getting up from his chair, "Miss Higurashi, if you could now please lay down", he gestured towards a stretched at wall, "so I can do a quick examination of your abdomen and see if everything is going well."
"Y-yes, of course." Kagome answered, nodding, and slowly stood up from her seat right next to InuYasha.
The hanyou looked at her confusedly. He obviously did not like the situation at all. Kagome quietly pressed his hand in hers, signaling him that everything was fine. As she lay down and quietly pulled up her shirt to expose her abdomen, InuYasha stood at the head of the stretcher, his hands gently resting on her shoulders. His tension and nervousness, however, rose as he watched the doctor run his hands over his love's slightly swollen stomach, carefully tracing the small bulge, applying a gentle pressure here and there.
Even with the tingling feeling of the cool fingers on the delicate skin of her belly, Kagome could feel InuYasha's hands tensing up against her shoulders. She could perfectly imagine the feelings of jealousy and nervousness rising inside of him, those feelings that he, despite better knowledge, still could not banish.
Fortunately for the jealous hanyou, the doctor had soon finished his quick examination, and after Kagome had again covered her stomach, the three of them returned to their seats at the desk.
"As far as I can see, everything is progressing well", the doctor stated, glancing back and forth between his patient and his companion, and his papers. "I would like you to return for an ultrasound in another week or two; you can make the appointment to your liking."
While Kagome nodded with a smile, InuYasha looked at her confusedly. Certainly the word 'ultrasound' was something he had never come across before. The young woman shortly shook her head and mouthed an "I'll explain it later". The hanyou simply crossed his arms in front of his chest, pouting.
"The analysis of your blood tells me that you are missing some rather essential nutrients, or at least are not receiving a sufficient amount. I have already prepared a prescription; please make sure to take the exact amount that I have noted down." The doctor instructed her, and then turned to InuYasha, "It would be very helpful if you could have an eye on Miss Higurashi, as well."
InuYasha nodded, eagerly, a serious look on his face.
"Of course!"
Upon hearing him say those words, Kagome looked from the doctor to InuYasha. She knew this tone of his voice; it was basically determination, intolerance and stubbornness acoustically embodied. And it hardly ever meant anything good for her.
"And I would also like you to make sure", the doctor continued to instruct the young man in front of him, "that Miss Higurashi does not strain herself too much. No carrying heavy things, no long walks or anything like that. You should also make certain that she gets enough sleep and rest, and also a sufficient amount of fresh, nutritious food and drink. And most importantly, try to keep her away from any kind of stress as far as possible."
Throughout all the instructions, InuYasha had been nodding eagerly, the determination practically written all over his face.
Looking at the hanyou, Kagome gulped. InuYasha would be taking these instructions seriously… very seriously, she was well aware of that. With a sigh, she leaned back in her chair. The next few months would really be a trying time…
"Mom, Grandpa… Sota! I'm home!" Kagome shouted as she tiredly kicked off her shoes and entered the Higurashi residence, closely followed by InuYasha.
Almost instantly, the soft voice of a middle-aged woman answered.
"Welcome home, Kagome!" her mother replied cheerily. "I'm in the kitchen."
InuYasha and Kagome exchanged a few quick glances and then stepped into the cooking area of the house. There, Miss Higurashi was seemingly very busy handling a frying pan, a pot full of hot, steaming rice and several other smaller containers with various herbs and cooking ingredients. The delicious smell tickled the hanyou's nose.
"Ah, you brought InuYasha!" she said, smiling, upon turning around and finally facing her daughter.
"Hello", InuYasha greeted politely, adding a slight bow.
"Would you like to stay for dinner?" the woman asked, hoping to finally be able to gather her whole family for a meal again. "You haven't been here in weeks; you have to have so much to tell us!"
Kagome and InuYasha sweatdropped nervously.
This woman had to have a sixth sense…
"Ne, Inu no niichan, how's the demon hunt going?" Kagome's younger brother, Sota inquired curiously, looking up at the hanyou who was currently devouring some fresh salmon.
InuYasha snorted.
"Nothing worth mentioning, only small fry." He answered, still chewing on the fish.
Kagome's grandfather looked at the hanyou doubtfully. He had always been skeptical toward the boy from the Middle Ages, unable to share the others' enthusiasm about him.
"That's good to hear", Kagome's mother smiled. "How about your friends, Sango and Miroku, and little Shippou? I hope they're doing well?"
"Yes yes mom", Kagome replied quickly, setting down her bowl of rice "We're all doing great."
Then a deep silence sat in, only broken by the occasional clanking of china on the table.
Kagome felt her chest tightening as the tension in the room rose to an almost unbearable level. To anybody else in the room it was most likely nothing more than a long silence while they were taking in their meal; yet to Kagome, who had some important news to tell, the silence was extremely pressing. Quietly, she glanced over at InuYasha, who was still indulging in his food. Her mother, however, again employing her sixth sense, looked at her, concernedly.
"Is anything wrong, Kagome?"
Right in this moment, the tension seemed to rise even further as everybody's attention was suddenly turned to the young woman.
"Well… umm…", she stuttered nervously, rubbing her knuckles. "I… um…" she suddenly stopped, wrinkling her nose, knitting her brows. "What's that smell?"
"Smell?" Sota asked, frowning.
InuYasha started sniffing; he had obviously not noticed it before.
All of a sudden, Kagome's mother jumped up, shocked.
"Oh no! I forgot the buns in the oven!"
The contents of InuYasha's teacup were spilt across the table as the hanyou chocked on the hot liquid. The sentence had obviously taken him by surprise.
Just like Kagome. She had paled visibly, yet now was gently tapping her boyfriend's back to quiet down his coughing.
While Miss Higurashi was busy emptying the black, crusty contents of the oven into a bag, the ruckus at the table calmed down and all the family members resumed eating.
All the members except for Kagome.
The young woman's face had been drained of all of its color, her hands remaining limply at the rice bowl.
"Eh… Kagome?" InuYasha said softly, placing his hand on her arm. "You okay?"
She slowly shook her head, none of the color returning.
"The smell…" she muttered. All of a sudden, she jumped up, pressing her hands in front of her mouth, and ran out of the kitchen.
Her mother gazed after her, concerned, and then returned her gaze to the hanyou.
"Do you know what's wrong with her?" she asked, worry swaying in her voice.
InuYasha simply shrugged, sweatdropping inside.
So much about spilling the news.
"Ah, I can't believe we still weren't able to tell them…" Kagome wailed exasperatedly letting herself drop onto her bed. "I never thought it would be this hard…"
InuYasha sat down beside her, gently rubbing her arm.
"We have all the time in the world to tell them; no need to hurry." He softly calmed her.
After a few moments of silence, Kagome let out a deep sigh and leaned her head on the hanyou's shoulder.
"Your stomach feeling better?" he asked.
Kagome nodded silently, remained leaning on his shoulder with closed eyes.
"The little one only makes itself known in the most unfitting moments…" she mumbled tiredly. The long day had been stressful, very straining, even adding to the extreme fatigue that was haunting her early pregnancy.
InuYasha smirked at her comment and silently brought his hand up to her stomach, gently tracing the small bulge hidden beneath her clothes. The change was still very slight, invisible to anyone who did not know, yet to him it was an incredible change; one of the first signs of the growing life they had created.
Her eyes remaining closed, a smile formed on Kagome's lips. His touch sent a warm shiver through her body, a pleasant sensation. And while his strong fingers rhythmically, gently massaged her delicate skin, Kagome finally drifted off into a long, deep sleep.
"Bye then, we're off!" Kagome shouted, waving back towards the house.
In front of her, InuYasha was already heaving backpacks filled with supplies into the well, making sure his favorite ramen would not be damaged.
"Kagome!" her mother's voice suddenly rang through the air and the woman came running towards her daughter. "Here." She stated plainly and handed Kagome a small plastic package.
"Mom?" the young woman looked confused, "What is this?"
She smiled knowingly and placed a small hand on her daughter's arm.
"It's a herbal tea; it helps against the sickness", she explained, "I used to drink it all the time when I was pregnant with Sota."
Kagome gasped, looking up into her mother's soft, smiling face, flabbergasted.
"Mom… How did… how did you know?"
"Any mother can tell, Kagome", she stated, still smiling.
Gently, she nodded at her daughter and before turning around back to the house, added:
"Take care of yourself, and give InuYasha my congratulations."
"Mom…" Kagome muttered, still taken aback by the situation.
"Oh, and don't worry about Grandpa", the woman started, winking, "I'll tell him."
a/n: Okay, first of all, have fun, read & review, then read the following:
Thank you all so much for bearing with me for such a long time. As I, I believe, have told you, uni was more stressing than ever. Not only was I burdened with an extra presentation (based on a text from hell...), but I also had to go through many stressful preparations for my semester abroad. On top of that, I am hardly getting more than 3-4 hours of sleep per night, making it hard for me to concentrate at all. All the above is a mere try of explaining the delay of this chapter, but of course no excuse. I am really extremely sorry for making you all wait for so long. Thank you to all my readers, reviewers, and, of course, my challenger, for all the patience!
And now a few words on my reviewers:
Avelyn Lauren: Thank you very much for your comment on my story, I am really glad that I can evoke feelings through my writing! I was also very glad to hear your view on writing, and I have to admit that I do, knowingly or not, agree with what you said. Again thank you very much!
Roku: Thanks for your good wishes! Btw, I am of course planning on many more cute scenes (even emotional klutz InuYasha can learn his lesson;) )
AikidoChick18: I'm glad you're feeling special, all my reviewers can, I'm eternally thankful to anybody who reviews my work! And thanks for the comment on Shippou!
moonlitephox: Of course there will be more! Unless I die before completing the ficcie.. which.. might happen.. with my current workload.. falls asleep on the keyboard, snoring loudly
Newbie GK: I'm really glad you liked that scene and especially InuYasha's line. And you're right, these two are just so darn stubborn.. And I'm sure there'll be space for that in further chapters;)
skydragon459: Thank you so much for reading my story. I'm extremely sorry that it took so long for me to update, but I hope that this chapter is to your liking and makes up for at least a bit of the long wait. And I hope I did not offend you or anything! I usually don't have beta readers, but simply because of my own workload (it would probably become almost impossible for any of my chapters to be uploaded if they had to be proofread first). I seriously hope I did nothing to offend you or make you mad!
