She slowly breathed a sigh of relief as she sat back admiring her handiwork in her bedroom. She had been able to finally earn enough money with her daily shrine work to buy herself all new furniture for her room and to even repaint it. She choose a more gender neutral color of a subdued sage green with highlights of gold and creamy whites, sorely reminding her of her still missing son, Shippo. Spirit World had told her that they were looking into finding him for her but she hadn't still given up looking for herself hoping that she would be able to find him. She wanted to show him all the things she was doing for his little brother or sister.

The trimming on the walls was an off white as were her freshly painted doors of both the bedroom itself and the closets. She had gotten rid of her desk completely and in its place was a crib of warm light oak wood with a cute green and ivory bedding set that was decorated in gold dragon flies and abstract swirls. She had also carefully picked out a white fox stuffed animal and set it inside the crib in a corner. Kurama had been amused when he'd seen that. Together they had picked out her tall queen sized bed in a matching oak. She had originally wanted to get another twin but as he had pointed out, if she got the queen that had the built in dressers underneath then she wouldn't have to worry about fitting both her own dresser and the baby's in the already small room. The baby's dresser she had picked out matched the crib and had the changing table on top as well so that helped quite a bit with the room her bed now took up.

With his help in the time that he had begun spending with her over the past month she had been able to also reorganize her closet and change the sliding doors out for folding ones. Shelves for extra baby things lined a fourth of the left hand side while four more drawers were built into the bottom for her shoes and other miscellaneous accessories. He had even built her a hidden compartment for her jewelery where the engagement ring he had given her now sat waiting until they were both ready to accept one another in their new lives. He was scared and she knew it, but mostly because he was still young for a human and likely thinking about things in a very human way. He would come around eventually, they both knew that, but it was a lot to take in at once especially considering, by what she had told him in the past he was supposed to of had ten more years before she would reappear. He had planned on being through college and having a steady well paying job as well as a home prepared for her first, but suddenly here she was and he just wasn't ready.

"So you're going out tonight?" Mrs. Higurashi asked from the open doorway as Kagome sat in her rocking chair by the window.

"Yeah, he wants me to meet his parents finally," Kagome replied looking at her mother with a smile. "I don't know why but I'm a little nervous."

"Don't worry you'll be fine!" her mother assured her. "Just be yourself and they'll love you!"

"Sure if they can see past my watermelon gut," Kagome snorted rubbing a hand on her now prominent belly.

"You worry too much, besides don't they know it's his?" Mrs. Higurashi asked folding one of the freshly washed receiving blankets from the small round basket at the foot of Kagome's bed.

"Not exactly," Kagome admitted hesitantly. "They don't even know he's a demon so it's not like he can suddenly be all like "Hi mom 500 years ago I made a baby with this woman because I'm a demon and now she's time traveled here and we're getting married!" It's just not practical and I wouldn't ask him to reveal his secret like that," she said doing her best deep impression of a guy as she imitated Kurama.

Mrs. Higurashi frowned and folded the blanket over the side of the crib, "So is it fair for his mother to not know she has a grandchild on the way?"

"Mama, it's complicated and our child will still be her grandchild because we do plan on getting back together eventually just not right now. We've both got a lot of emotions to sort through."

"Well, it is your decision, and I think you two are being very mature about the whole matter I just don't understand why this waiting thing," she sighed. "I want to know he's going to help you in taking care of my future grandchild."

"He will mama, he's almost out of college and has already gotten a job with his stepfather doing something or other for his company that pays nicely. We're supposed to be discussing things from there after dinner tonight before he brings me home," Kagome said, standing up carefully.

She was about to walk over to her closet when the baby gave a sharp kick to her bladder suddenly. She froze and grabbed onto the foot of the crib hoping that she wouldn't pee herself because of the cramped quarters that was her insides. Growling outwardly in frustration she stomped off to relieve herself, and returned only a few moments later to glare at her mother's amused and knowing expression.

"That's only going to get worse as the baby grows and pushes on you bladder more, you know that right?" Mrs. Higurashi reminded her gently.

"I know mama, I just wish I didn't feel like I'm going to pee myself every time I cough or sneeze and that's hopefully if she doesn't decide to play soccer with my internal organs, because I've almost come to doing it for real a few times when she did that outside," Kagome vented searching through her shrinking closet of what she could and couldn't wear any more.

"So do you think it's really going to be a girl?" Mrs. Higurashi asked hopefully.

"No, not really," Kagome replied pulling out a cute top but noticing it was too small she put it back. "I just say that to spite Kurama. I honestly don't know one way or the other, but he's got his heart set on a boy."

"Ah, so a son to carry on the line, then, right?" Mrs. Higurashi chuckled.

Kagome finally decided on her black skirt like pants and a deep blue cotton blouse with elbow length sleeves and an empire waist that was gathered just under breasts with silver embroidery of roses. She slid open her drawer and pulled out her flats before tossing them beside her rocking chair as she walked back to her bed dresser and pulled out a pair of knee high panty hose in a nude color. Her mother watched her fighting back giggles as Kagome struggled with her belly to bend over and put the hose on.

"Mama, it's not funny!" Kagome pouted pulling her first sock up. "I can't help it!"

"Are you sure you're not having twins?" Mrs. Higurashi suggested sitting down on the bed closer to Kagome.

"Well the ultrasounds we had at the hospital didn't show anything and Yukina hasn't said anything, so no I don't think so, I mean wouldn't I be able to tell at this point?" Kagome questioned pulling her second sock up.

"I suppose you're right, but you're already bigger than I was when I was pregnant with you and Souta so I just wondered," Mrs. Higurashi answered standing to leave.

"ACK! DEMON BE GONE!"

Both Higurashi women shared a dread filled look before quickly heading down the stairs hurriedly. Kagome hollered at her Grandfather to not attack visitors as the elderly man continued to rant at the front door. She slid to a stop on the hardwood floor a few paces behind her mother who had frozen in the opening hallway. She looked at her mother strangely before following the woman's shocked gaze. There on their front porch stood a gorgeous dark skinned man in cargo shorts and a deep blue polo, but it wasn't until Kagome looked into his fiery sky blue eyes that she recognized the man and startled she let out a gasp. He grinned flashing her a glimpse of his sharp, but pearly white K-9's.

"How's my woman doing?" he asked unfolding his hands from his still well defined chest.

"Kouga?" Kagome questioned in disbelief before taking an unsteady step towards him. "Kouga!"

She cried out and ran to him throwing herself haphazardly into his awaiting arms and he twirled her around as though she didn't weigh more than a feather. He barked out a laugh as he sat her back down on her feet in front of him and she embarrassingly reached up and pulled her grandfather's powerless sutra from his hair. She was sure that if his tail was showing it would be wagging.

"I can't believe you're here!" she said breathlessly, drinking in the sight of her friend from the past. "How did you find me? Where's Ginta and Hakkaku? What about anyone else? Oh! Ayame! Did you finally mate her?"

He laughed at her quick questioning, "Slow down I think you'll need to breath somewhere in there you know? The better question is what happened to you? Didn't your mother ever tell you that you're not supposed to eat the watermelon seeds?"

"Thanks as though I wasn't already self conscious enough, you jerk!" she pouted.

"I'm serious, did you and the fox work things out or what?" he smiled.

"You could say that," Kagome replied skirting the question. "You haven't seen Shippo have you? Youko lost touch with him when the worlds were separated."

At that his face fell into an almost mournful expression, "I don't have time to explain everything right now, I'm actually supposed to be meeting Ayame downtown in a few minutes. I really only stopped because I thought that was your scent all over the place up here. Why don't we meet for lunch or something sometime?"

"That would be great, we have so much to catch up on," Kagome replied slightly put off that he was avoiding answering any of her questions about her friends of the past. "Kurama is actually going to be coming to get me any time now, so I guess I really don't have much time either," she admitted trying to hide her disappointment.

"I had heard the fox didn't stay dead for long," he chuckled. "Make sure to tell him I said to take good care of my woman!"

She bid him goodbye walking him in her practically bare feet to the edge of the stairs where she noted that Kurama was just pulling up to the curb carefully in his compact red hybrid. He had explained to her that his parent helped him purchase the small environmental friendly vehicle because the University he attended was across town almost a half hour away from his home where he still lived with them at the time. He had protested it saying that he was going to be moving out soon and didn't have a need for it, but they had gotten him the little car anyway. He didn't get out until Kouga was out of her sight pretending to be busy looking for something in the car, but she knew better. He had never liked Kouga's callous and outgoing nature just like he didn't like that because she had spent so much time with Inuyasha during her time in the past she had acquired quite the potty mouth when angry enough.

She smiled when he walked up the stairs glaring after the out of sight wolf. He was dressed nicely as well so she didn't feel as overdressed as she feared she was. His normal jeans were changed out for a pair of black slacks and a maroon long sleeved button down shirt with small and plain gold cufflinks that matched his simple gold necklace that was around his neck loosely. He had left the top two buttons undone so that they showed not only his necklace but a small peep show of his defined chest.

"What did he want?" he asked stopping just a few steps below her.

"Ah nothing, just to see if that was really me he thought he smelled," she replied with a happy grin. "He wants to meet for lunch sometime."

"That sound interesting," he replied sounding like he was only half listening. "Are you ready to go he asked finally looking up at her.

"Sure just let me pull my hair back and slip on my shoes," she said before she turned and scampered back into the house.

He could help but smile after her as he followed, her family still waiting in the open doorway. Her mother looked concerned as she held back Kagome's grandfather from chasing after the wolf demon with useless sutra's while her brother seemed pretty indifferent to the whole scene so it would appear that Kouga hadn't tried anything with his mate. It seemed weird to call her that again, but slowly he was relearning his love for her. She was truly an irresistible character. She was kind and loving almost to a fault, but she had the backbone of a fierce warrior. She could cook and care for children, but yet she also knew when to cut loose and have fun, especially with him. She was pure and incorruptible, but at the same time, she had a wild and devious side that at times could set him on fire inside with want. In essence she was perfect, now the hard part was convincing his mind of that.

"Kurama, I had wanted to speak to you for a moment if you would?" Mrs. Higurashi asked quietly as soon as her daughter had slipped back upstairs.

"Of course," he nodded in reply as he allowed her to lead him to the small garden she had cultivated in their small backyard area.

"What are your intentions with my daughter?" she asked bluntly sitting herself on the small stone bench.

Kurama was taken by surprise for a moment. He hadn't expected her to be so forward, after all most humans weren't. They tended to skirt around the issue poking and prodding with questions that really had nothing to do with the subject at hand however would disarm their verbal opponent. She on the other hand was as straight and concise as most demons. She waited patiently for his reply giving him the hardened gaze of a mother on a mission. At that point he knew exactly where Kagome got most of her spirit from.

"My intention is to take care of what I have already started," he began, unconsciously taking a stance with one hand in his pocket and the other loosely at his side as though he were about to fight a particularly tough foe. "I apologize that when we first decided to become life mates we were unable to do things the proper way, by me asking your father in law for permission to take your eldest daughter as is custom, but as I'm sure you understand certain things prevented us from meeting until today."

"I understand," Mrs. Higurashi nodded accepting his apology.

"As for Kagome, I do intend to take her as my wife in this life, however, I would also like to be able to provide for her when I do so," he continued.

"How old are you?" she asked tilting her head to the side curiously. "Kagome tells me you're still in college?"

"Yes," he replied. "I'm graduating next month with my Bachelors in Business and Finance. I'm in reality close to three thousand years old, but as far as the human world is concerned, I'm 19."

"19 and graduating with a Bachelors, that is impressive," she smiled. "Although that does make you nearly two years younger than Kagome, is your mother going to be all right with that?"

"I think my mother will just be pleased I have a girlfriend."

Mrs. Higurashi laughed, "I can feel for her, sometimes I worry about Souta, but I know that he'll make a fine husband someday, however, what I am also concerned about is the baby. How is your mother going to feel that Kagome is pregnant with your baby?"

"She doesn't have to know, mother," Souta said leaning against the house.

Both Kurama and Mrs. Higurashi turned towards the teenage boy who had appreared so suddenly and quietly that neither of them noticed. Personally Kurama didn't know whether to be happy for the boy and his obvious discipline or ashamed of himself and lack thereof.

"Souta, I thought you were keeping an eye on Grandpa, you know how he gets when Kagome's friends come over," Mrs. Higurashi scolded.

"He's glued to the History channel, they had some special on toad demons and when I left they were talking about a famous toad demon named Jakken or something like that who followed some big dude around."

"I'm sure Sesshomaru would love to hear you refer to him as a dude," Kurama chuckled.

"Look I'm serious," Souta sighed. "Kagome has got enough trouble from strangers giving her the stink eye and she doesn't need your mother hating her right off the bat especially if you two are seriously tying the knot. So if I were you I would stick to the same story that she's been giving everyone since day one."

Kurama watched ponderously as Souta turned and walked back into the house. What had Kagome been telling everyone? Was it the same story she had told him before? Would she want to practically lie to his mother? He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Tonight was going to be a disaster, he could feel it.


Right, well I had originally thought that I had most of this second part written but apparently it's going to be a bit longer that I had anticipated. Eh, oh well. I like where it's going and I hope y'all reading this does too. Loved the constructive feedback VirusYoukaiChild, and as always I appreciate the continued support Cosmic-lover! You're amazing!

I am going for a sense of reality instead of prince charming and sweeps the princess off her feet and everything is perfect, because that's not the way things go unless you live in a Walt Disney fair tale. In real life people struggle with emotions and love is work, not pure bliss 24-7. This is kind of why I'm pulling out their emotional trauma a bit because I don't think that Kurama is going to just suddenly be as much in love with her as when he first met her especially after all the things he had to go through to get to where and who he is today.

Also a few more characters are going to be showing up and the mystery of Shippo will be explained soon! Once again thanks for all the continued support, it has helped tremendously!

Oh and before I forget if you ever want the play list information to this story let me know. Each chapter is inspired by a different song which I use for the title and I know a lot of times it doesn't make sense unless you listen to the words, but hey my muse works in strange and frightening ways.