Chapter 4: The Slide

… "Say something already lovely," Kagome asked for the second time in the past hour or so, beginning to feel irritated at Sango's lack of responses. Man, aren't you the talkative one? It was reasonable that this kind of news would not be taken as normal. Last week, she reported that the math teacher flirted with her. But that was old.

Sango, still holding the receiver, mouth opened flabbergasted, ceased her talking and listening to think. She let him kiss her? Fucking hell. Twice, she was dumbstriken as her best friend unfolded the events. First, she had agreed to marry the asshole. But that was acceptable since she wholeheartedly supported that her God son shouldn't have to grow up feeding on lies. However, this move was something else. She let him kiss her, on their second day of meeting after four years of desertion.

"Are you aware of how you let him easily get away with what he had done?" Sango's tone graved as she frowned on the other side.

"I thought so, too. But then, Sango, I don't really care. It felt nice, and I don't want him to be all miserable about wronging me in the past." She paused, letting her friend digest this thought of hers. "Anyway, please convince Miroku to talk to him again. The guy seemed very lost. Other than his family, we were the closest to him after all," she finished in an apologetic voice, hoping that Sango would be on her side with this.

Sango massaged her swollen tummy as she recalled the few times she and her husband ignored Inuyasha's call, for feeling disgusted with the fact that the jerk had never called Kagome. Had he wanted to call to check on her or something? Stupid quarter-breed. Right, that just might be it – his bloody heritage, the cause of this transgression.

"I will try. I can't wait to talk to Miro. He is probably out in the yard gazing at our fishes imagining mermaids. I hope he takes this easily. Perhaps, it might help should I emphasize the fact that his guilt for deceiving Seiji would no longer be a concern. That's all? No more shocking news, right?"

Kagome made a face at the disturbing mental vision of mermaid in the house yard. "Book one ended there, honey. The next would be after the wedding. Now, go shoo the fishes, I'm off. Take care, baby."

"Wait, Kag. You aren't going to tell him about it, are you?" Sango stammered out, as she proceeded to wait for Kagome's answer, fearing how her friend would take the recall of the memory, which they had always tried to bury in the back of their mind.

"No, San. Don't worry." Kagome answered, her voice calm, while her eyes focused in the direction of the corner of her closet. She closed her eyes before turning away, ridding the image of what was behind those doors.

With that, they exchanged a few more words then hung up.

…

Inuyasha absentmindedly recycled some files as he sorted out the mess on his desk. He was sitting in his study, in the estate he owns, mind dazzled when thinking of having his wife and his son living with him. He wasn't exactly lonely in this spacy mansion as it seemed really. The old nanny he hired a while back was probably busying herself with some new baking experiments downstairs.

His cell phone buzzed, and he gave it a quizzical look. His puffy eyes grew wide at the name calling. Miroku! Damn, he was still not very prepared for this yet. He gulped, taking in a large breath as he pressed the talk tab.

"Inuyasha here. Long time no see, Miro," Inuyasha spoke, forcing himself to losen his grip on the phone to relieve the distress, while he hoped that it had turn out sounding casual, civilized and perhaps, friendly enough.

"Same to you. So, Sango told me the story." He paused, feeling a bit insulting to his intelligence for stating a point that was so damn obvious. He sighed, might just get over it quickly, "Whatever you are planning to do, I hope that you are serious and true to your word, Inuyasha."

"I am." Inuyasha replied, now looking at a picture of Kagome framed on his desk. "Thank you for looking after them in the last few years."

"It was my pleasure. It is only natural that I did so." Miroku added the last bit, wanting to mock the numbskull and ridicule him. It should be natural as well that a man should know that he could have impregnated a woman when he slept with her without protection, right? He swiftly turned to look at the pair of wiggling buttocks that belong to his wife, swaying in the kitchen, hoping to seek some entertainment in order to chill the anger rising in him.

"I regret all of it, you know." Inuyasha winced, feeling old wounds reopened.

"Of course, you do." Miroku silently admitted that it was incredibly awkward talking like this. So he shifted the topic, "Then, what have you got planned?"

"I'm taking her to register on Monday. Wedding ceremony will be the weekend after next. I don't care if the short notice is inconvenient for our guests. Then, they will move in with me as soon as possible after that." Inuyasha answered, feeling a bit light headed when he finished, never realized how well had those steps engraved in his skull.

Miroku remained silent for a moment, letting the knowledge slowly absorb into his brain. He can tell the sincerity and determination in his friend's voice, and he sighed once more. Maybe, this is how thing is supposed to be fixed.

"… Me as one of your groom's men again?" Miroku attempted to lighten the mood.

"If you don't mind… I mean, if you can bear standing next to me." Inuyasha slightly intimidated.

"Well. I will see you all soon then, man."

"Right. I got to go. Talk to you later." Inuyasha hesitated, proceeded to hang up as he turned in the chair to look out the window.

…

Kagome lifted her hips as she shifted to fit the cream linen skirt properly. Looking at the mirror, she threw on a white sleeveless blouse. Damn the fucking healing leg. She limped to her closet to fish out a pair of crutches hidden in the corner. She had always tried to use those as less often as possible, make sure that the process of recovering would take its fastest pace. She put on a fringy knitted bag that straps over her left shoulder. After having all her personal items, she tossed in a diaper and a baby wipe package, just in case.

Leaning on the crutches for support, she sat down on her bed with the sun tan cream opened in her hands, waiting for the kid to come back from the bathroom. Eyeing the baby clothes in her desk drawers, which she got a few days back, she smiled and nipped her lower lips, imaging how Seiji would react when he found out that he owns some pairs of underwear like a big boy. She just couldn't wait for his birthday.

She heard Inuyasha's greeting from the living room. Giving one last look at the other corner of her closet, Kagome closed her eyes then shook her head once as she went on to follow after Seiji towards the front. There would be some major changes from this day onward, and she wanted to have some sort of consent from her other baby.

We love you, Haku baby. Rest in peace, love, and bless mama and your brother.

…

Inuyasha smiled happily at the little figure sitting in the car seat behind him, marveling the fact that the kid would be able to play with his father for real, instead of having to wait and dream of meeting a man who didn't even exist. The guilt and regret had momentarily settled and receded to the back of his mind, as he relished the joy soaring in his chest and the completeness pulling on his heartstrings.

He turned to get a full view at the woman sitting beside him once more before he ignited the engine and shifted the gear to drive. She looked beautiful. What a needless thing to say, he scolded internally. They had talked in a casual way. And he was content with this fairly comfortable atmosphere they shared. He intently listened as their son asked some nonsense half-questions, and Kagome cooed some silly answers. The baby's boyish chirp made him want to smile again, but he held it in, thinking that it was getting old.

He stole a glimpse of her from the corner of his eyes as he turned at an intersection. His thought traveled back to the last time they had been in the car together. Honestly, he remembered very well, since it was before he acted on his decision to revenge. He had been driving her to his home from shopping while his mind had already been scheming how to get back at her for her betrayal.

He remembered the way his body had plundered hers and the way he had silently spoken to her that night. He had glared at her, mentally cursed her and silently called her foul names while she had been closing her eyes, moaning his name and audibly enjoying the bliss. She was completely oblivious of what was to come. He had knowingly treated her like a filthy whore, while she thought that they had been bringing their sexual life into a more intense level. The other half of him had been mourning the loss and the ache inside, but he had used these emotions to fuel his claim and his dominance instead. The passion he felt, he had used it to feed on the energy of making her needing him and leaving her haunted by his existence…

Fucking dreams and the memories they brought. Inuyasha inwardly shook his skull, preventing the dream last night from creeping up and tainting his mind. He didn't need any of it now. He still didn't have clue about the recollection of the ill thoughts that had run through his mind lately. Just what the fuck was going on?

…

Kagome idly sat on the sheet atop the grass, popping some grapes into her mouth, as she watched Inuyasha being dragged by Seiji across the playground. She was thankful for having her broken leg still healing as it was. Perhaps, it was one of the best excuses she could make to avoid the possible awkward encounters. There was really nothing wrong with having Inuyasha play with the kid. Hojo and Kouga did the same sometimes. However, it was still unfamiliar being around someone almost all day, when two days ago, she totally forgot his existence.

She gave a big smile, and pouted at the two who were pointing at her. Apparently, Inuyasha was trying to tell the kid something or getting him to obey. Watching from afar, she could see a spark of elation gleaming through Inuyasha's eyes as he maneuvered to guide Seiji down the slide. She averted her attention to intently observe the joy glossing on the laughing face of her son. The little space in her chest congested as she realized that the two had started to bridge a bond, one that would be difficult to break. As if she would do anything like that in the first place, she mentally chided. She was just afraid of what was to come if there was going to have anything wrong along the way.

She saw him helping Seiji getting acquainted to a little boy nearby. Then, she saw him walking towards her picnic site, leaving the kids chattering behind on the wooden boat imitation. Her heart started to race quicker. She shook her head, her brows furrowed and her eyes pleaded as they made contact with his.

Inuyasha was taken aback at Kagome's reaction. The desperation on her facial expression forced him to quickly turn around to get the kid. He winced as his heart constricted at the thought of failing to prove himself as worthy for her and their baby. He wanted to slap at himself for being careless. Would she resent the fact that she had accepted his proposal now? Taking the boy's hand, the pair headed back to her site.

The air between them grew tensed as the couple listened and interacted to what Seiji had to say about his little friend and the games. She proceeded to feed him the mini sandwich she made after sanitizing his hands.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so careless," Inuyasha slowly bit out through gritted teeth. His resolve quavered in fear as he waited for her response.

"It's okay, you're still learning," she laughed a little. "We never know what could happen, that's why I always wanted to make sure that things are safe and sound." I would never ever want to go through that again.

A mental vision of blood soaking through her shirt and the sound of screams echoing beside her ears quickly crept over her mind, and she calmly shrugged her head slightly to relieve the weight of the memory. She sighed as she grabbed a napkin to wipe off Seiji's funny face. She couldn't help but laughed at the little guy's irrational antics that followed after the contact. Of course, she had already moved on for the better, for she did so more than once already. They were then nothing but fleeting memories of kisses and hugs. She would treasure them for the rest of her life, since she knew too well the cost she would have to pay if she ever let them interfere with her current life again.

Inuyasha quickly recovered from his fear of her despising him when he heard her reasoning. However, the low calm tone she used left him heavily unsettled. He eyed her nervously through the little distance between them while she was inattentively cleaning Seiji's mess. He could sense her mood shifting as her eyes became unfocused at the face of the grinning boy. A thick wave of dismay washed over him, and he couldn't help but dreaded the possible implication of some past terror hidden behind her words.

"Kagome, was something wrong? Please, tell me." It was more of a plea than a request, as he quickly reached out to grasp the top of her hand.

"No, nothing. I'm fine." Her face grimaced a funny smile at his worrying expression. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. I am in the process of adopting a child. He's about three years old as well." She paused to watch him intently. "I hope you are okay with it. I could cancel it if you don't want."

The gold color in Seiji's round eyes grew murky with sadness at the mention of the word 'cancel.' Hopefully his father would approve of this, because he wanted a brother really bad. Though, he thought he used to have one.

Inuyasha wasn't that surprised at the little news. However, he couldn't believe that she would accommodate to change her mind, if he was uncomfortable with it. Of course, he would be okay with it. But to think that she respected his wishes, he felt much honored indeed.

"Definitely, the more the merrier, right." He lifted an eye brow as he looked down to smile at a now-very-happy baby. "Thanks for asking."

…

He looked hot, alright, Kagome admitted to herself as she watched her fiancé crouching to wait for Seiji coming out of the imitation tunnel. He had already put his hair into a low pony tail for the heat was increasing. The flannel dress shirt he left un-tucked off his short khakis made his feature look young, but still very matured and professional. She watched the way his calves flex with interest. The shirt was loose but snuggly fit against his lean body. The tendons and the muscles on his neck and his forearms flexed as he moved. She could see that he was nicely in shape for a business man. And with the handsome feature of his face, he simply looked divine.

She let out a breath, asking herself if it's logical that she could own such a fine specimen after meeting him for only two days. Was that how others had look at him while they dated? Or was that how she look at him? She couldn't remember.

She smirked at the thought of the kind of things he might have had done since he worked out to make himself look desirable like that. A dry chuckle escaped her throat at the thought of the things he would love to accomplish with the look he had and the status he was at. Pretty girls at work, financial stability, expensive cars, nice houses… Perhaps, a wife to breed.

A childish cackle broke off her daze as she averted her eyes to watch her baby. Those chubby little limbs, round hazel eyes, and adorable gestures are the recipe to melt her heart. He was the dearest thing she has ever had beside her mother, Souta and grandpa. His mere presence could lift the clouds on her minds and the gloom that glazed her heart.

It wasn't long ago when she had almost ruined her chance to be good mother when she easily succumbed to the grief and pain of Haku's death. She had allowed the despair to invade and haunt her rational mind. She was so blinded with rage and vengeance that she was deep into mental wreckage. There's a medical record for that. It took a while before she had gathered herself together and made the murderer pay. Kagome sluggishly held the palms of her hands out, senselessly look at them before she lowered the loosely closed fists, and then averted her attention to the direction of the pair playing in the playground.

A small hollow would always remain in her heart for she had lost a child to the random madness of this society. For that, she would always remember the few fissures she had managed to climb out of. For now, she wanted another child, so she was adopting Shippou.

At this moment, Inuyasha and she would give a try at a family, and then perhaps, things could be mended and healed with what he could offer and what she could give.

…

"You're going to stay for dinner?" Kagome asked, while her hands bracing Seiji's into circular motion on either side of his small body. The boy cheered, then blew raspberry when his mother mouthed, "You stink baby."

"Love to, thanks. You need grocery shopping?" Inuyasha gladly offered, hoisting the picnic backpack over his shoulders, while handing Kagome her bag.

"Sure, that could help cooling you boys off the heat." Kagome standing up on her crutches, watching Inuyasha tugged Seiji safely in his arms.

With the plan made the three headed off to prepare for their dinner with the rest of the family.

…zzz…

Akago shifted his butt on the hard wooden chair he was sitting on. It was getting on his nerve as he listened to his brother's ongoing words of concern and consolation. "Bro, I'm fine. Very fine here, so stop worrying," his voice mildly annoyed.

"No, listen. I'm going to get the bitch to pay dearly, you hear me?" Naraku insisted as he held onto his little brother's hand.

This place looked cheaper than he had expected. The meeting room was already dark, looked dingy like a shack for slaves. So he guessed the actual cells would be even worse. And his dear little brother is encaged and confined within these walls for the rest of his life, to only be released when they thought he could be useful for some labor work.

Fuck the bitch who sued Akago to extent his sentence for killing some worthless human babies. They had been going to settle with the plan to be sentenced for few years with the charge of robbery. But Akago had mistakenly let loose a few bullets, and the woman named Kagome Higurashi just had to accuse him of murdering and ruined their future.

"Come on, I did accidentally kill a kid and injured some children. What do you expect?" The young man shrugged as he shifted to cross his legs.

"No, remember my words. You don't deserve this stupid place. The bitch would pay for sending you here wasting the rest of your life." With that Naraku took off in a brotherly gesture as he waved, "Take care, brother."

…zzz…

Inuyasha rolled to his side and hugged his long pillow to his chest, burying his face into the furry materials as he whined softly at the empty feeling residing in his heart. Wasn't it still full and happy an hour earlier? For the last four years, he had missed her, thought of her and dreamed of her a few times. But why didn't he feel the need to have her close to him, the way he does now? Perhaps, his misunderstanding and his hatred had interfered, Inuyasha contemplated.

It still didn't feel right for him to kiss her, although she had consented. He knew that he would never rightfully deserve such an offer from her in the first place. Yet, he had helplessly given in to his desire when he faced the sight of Kagome. It wasn't just the look of her skin flushed by the moonlight that made him want to touch her. His longing for the contact was all the same when he watched her cooking and handling their baby. He craved to hold her intimate and natural, just like how old lovers do.

Muttering some curse at his own self, Inuyasha reached out his hand to open the nightstand's drawer and grabbed an old album photos. This one was dated even before they went to college. For some reason, it was the only one in his possession. He made a mental note to ask for Seiji's pictures and hers from the last few years, when he visited them tomorrow.

He turned a few pages to find a picture of himself taking a noodle bowl from Kagome, while Miroku pouring water from a kettle into his foam cup and Sango had her head sticking out of the tent, yelling something. They were camping. A smile crept to his lips as he stared at the look Kagome was in. She had been wearing layers of overlarge coats to accommodate with the cold. Her hair was messily loose, and her morning face was white and bloodless. She looked beautiful, like an haute couture model, he added.

His musing was interrupted as he heard the ringtones of his phone going off. He lazily settled the album down on his laps to snatch the call. Kikyo.

"Hi Inuyasha. You've been alright?"

"Yeah." He replied, feeling strangely short for words, "You?"

"Hmm, I'm in town now," she sighed.

An unpleasant feeling crawled up his mind, and he cut her short, "For me? Come on."

"No. Mister, you're acting like I am dying without you, or something. Geez." She laughed before proceeded to explain further, "I had to sort out some minor financial problem at Hokaido's branch. Don't worry, your brother already helped me sorted it out."

"Kikyo, we need to talk. Can we meet tomorrow at Tokyo Tower, the usual place?" Inuyasha gathered his courage to speak.

"What's wrong?"

"About our relationship. There are a few things I want to tell you."

"Oh…, that. Don't worry. I understand." Kikyo softly replied as she realized the moment she has been waiting finally came. She smiled to herself as she took a sip of her warm milk. She knew they had always been good friends. She knew that they complemented each other well. However, as much as she liked him, she was conscious to the fact that his heart belonged elsewhere.

They exchanged a few more words and hung up. Inuyasha exhale a breath in relief. He would always be thankful for Kikyo being who she was. Once more, he cursed himself and his fucked up mind. Sesshoumaru had always interested in her. Perhaps, this move would be good for the pair of them as well.

The last thought in his mind was a vision of him groaning, trying to do matchmaker's job, as he drifted into slumber.

A/N:

Another chapter's down, and I am content with the word count. Standard, indeed.

Sorry, I just had to throw Naraku honey in (I myself protested the idea of Naruku being the 'drama recipe'). Otherwise, this story gets really boring. By the way,I wont bitch Kikyo.

It was hard writing Kagome's thought, for I don't have much experience of a cold and loveless Kagome as I could recall from reading. She is usually either very lovesick or angry. Of course, I love everything about her. It was just simply difficult for me, since I had to keep her emotion right for the plot.

In case you readers ask, I am explaining here. She had moved on more than once. First, she had emotionally suffered the betrayal of her fiancé, and second, she was pained by the loss of her child. As for when and how, it will be clarified in later chapters. My point is, she seemed to only deem the second fall as a matter that is worthy of her attention. She had long forgotten the first one and deemed it as insignificant. And guess what, Inu was included in that one.

Comments and let me know if there's any confusion. My intention, however, when Inuyasha learn the full story, you readers do too.

My deviantart account was finally commenced. I posted a Dramione banner. Check out if you are interested. An InuKag one would be up soon.

Thanks for reading. Leave reviews or complaints. (Damn, I noticed some people favorited this without leaving comment. But what can I do really?)

DN.