Chapter Seven

Growing Up

Disclaimer: Don't own InuYasha. It's as simple as that. I can't come up with any witting ways of saying it today

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InuYasha lay on a beach blanket underneath a beach umbrella with his eyes closed and his hands behind his head. Kagome's words kept ringing in his head. Would he really be a good parent?

Opening his eyes, he gave a started yelp and scampered backwards, glaring at the laughing fox kit.

"Haha! InuYasha, you looked hilarious!" InuYasha growled and grabbed him by the tail, spinning him around.

"I'll show you something funny!" Kagome sighed a little bit and walked over, reaching up casually and yanking on one of the furry triangles that donned the hanyou's head.

"OWWW!!! KAGOME!!"

"Put Shippo down, InuYasha." The hanyou growled but complied with another stiff pull. Finally, his ear was released and he rubbed it, glaring at his friend.

"What the hell was that for?!" Kagome turned her back on him, her hair fanning out slightly.

"Shippo was only trying to help you snap out of your broody mood. We came to the beach to have fun, InuYasha, not to have to watch you sulk around."

"I wasn't sulking!" Kagome spun around, fire in her eyes.

"You were too!" The hanyou growled at her.

"I was not! Besides, it's not like I WANT to be here at the stupid beach!"

"Coming to the beach was YOUR idea in the first place, InuYasha!" The hanyou paused, unsure of how to react to that since he could recall quite clearly that it was, indeed, his idea.

"Well, it's stupid! You're stupid! What the hell are you wearing anyways? It's disgusting!" Kagome looked down at her bathing suit and no one seemed to notice how she shook with suppressed rage. She'd spent a lot of her money on this bathing suit!

With a quiet sigh, she pushed the hanyou into the shallows of the water before walking back a few feet, ignoring InuYasha's questions.

"InuYasha." Everyone could see him flinch visibly and their three usual companions gave a sigh, knowing what was coming.

"Sit boy!" The hanyou let out a strangled cry as he was sent face down into the salty water and the wet sand. Once he was able to drag his head up, everyone, even the great lord Sesshomaru had to hold back a chuckle. Well, everyone except Kagome.

"Kagome! What the hell was that for?! What's your problem?! You're not knocked up, are you?!" He didn't notice Kagome's spine straighten in the tell-tale sign of another on coming sit.

"I wouldn't be surprised since you're heavier than you used to be." Sakura flinched a little.

"Hey … I wouldn't comment on a girl's weight if I were you." Naruto said, crouching down. InuYasha looked at the blond haired boy with confusion.

"Why? It's not like it matters that she won't be able to wear her stupid school uniform so she won't be able to go back to school." Clearly he had brain damage or something to even make matters even worse.

Kagome stomped her foot in the sand and Sesshomaru took an unnoticed step back, away from the obviously enraged miko.

"InuYasha, you're such a JERK!! Why can't you be nice for a change?!" InuYasha growled back, obviously not picking up on the signs.

"I am being nice! I'm the one telling you that you should stop eating so much!" That was it. Everyone knew that was the breaking point for the miko and Sesshomaru stepped back considerably to avoid her wrath.

"JERK!! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" A now out of breath Kagome stormed to the boardwalk to get something to calm her down.

Naruto knelt down and poked the wet silver head. "No one ever told me that Kagome had an anger problem." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Anyone would snap like that if they had InuYasha as a friend. I can't believe that he wouldn't know not to say something like that, especially to a girl." Naruto nodded and looked at Shippo who hopped onto his shoulder.

"Even I know that and I'm just a kid." He looked up when Kagome came back and began packing up her things, throwing her beach shirt over her swim suit.

"Kagome, what are you doing?" Sango asked, walking over to her friend.

"I'm going back and maybe I can work off all this FAT that I supposedly have." She said bitterly, obviously directing most of the answer towards a certain hanyou. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she left the group.

Everyone just stared at the fading figure of Kagome without really being able to do anything else but stare.

"Boy, she's really mad." Shippo stated. Sango sat down on the soft, warm sand with a sigh.

"I'm sure she's more than just mad. Kagome spent a lot of money on that bathing suit so she could look nice and even though she's obviously not romantically interested in InuYasha, he probably hurt her feelings. Even Kagome likes to feel like she's appreciated and that her efforts have not gone to waste."

"In many ways, she really is just a typical teenage girl." Miroku stated, shaking his head lightly.

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Later, InuYasha was sulking on a bench inside the nearest mall. Sakura said that she had to pick something up and everyone volunteered to go with her so it gave InuYasha plenty of time to think.

He'd heard everything that Sango had said and he realized that he probably shouldn't have said those things to Kagome. She was his friend after all and she was the first friend he'd had since the death of Kikyo. Why did things have to be so complicated?

He sighed and leaned back against the back part of the bench. Kagome was always there for him and time and time again he would push her away so … why did she always come back? Especially since he was quite aware that she didn't feel the way she used to for him. It didn't bother him that she wasn't in love with him anymore since he had his brother …

A blush rose up into his cheeks at the thought and he moved his hands to discretely settle on his stomach. It was weird to think about, the fact that he had something that his brother helped create growing inside of him but … Kagome was the only one that really understood his feelings on the matter. No matter how he thought about it, he had really screwed up this time.

His ears twitched when he heard someone approach. Looking up, he stared into another pair of golden eyes and turned away. Sesshomaru was the last person he wanted to see right now. He didn't see the small smile play across his brother's features as he sat down.

"InuYasha." The hanyou just ignored him, which made him curious.

"InuYasha." He tried again but got the same response in the form of nothing. Reaching out, he clasped onto his brother's wrist and pulled him closer.

"Hey! Cut it out! Lemme go!" Sesshomaru arched a brow and released him.

"You're still upset about upsetting Kagome." He stated blandly, watching as his brother's cheeks reddened a little.

"Who asked you?" Sesshomaru smiled a little bit, leaning back and making himself comfortable.

"If you want to make up with her, I believe a gift would help smooth things over. Of course, you would have to actually tell you that you apologize but, a gift would help make her accept your apology more readily." InuYasha looked at the other male out of the corner of his eye for a minute.

"You think it'll work?" He asked quietly, looking away, his ears drooping slightly. Sesshomaru reached over and rubbed a furry triangle gently.

"Yes." Slowly, the hanyou gave into the touch and leaned against the other.

"How am I going to get a gift for Kagome? I don't have any money and even if I did, I doubt that it's worth anything in this time." Sesshomaru smiled slightly, obviously catching InuYasha off guard.

"I doubt that will be a problem." Digging in a pocket of his modern day pants, Sesshomaru pulled out many coins, making InuYasha's jaw drop.

"There should be a currency exchange place where this stuff would be valuable."

"Yeah but … " Sesshomaru stood up and walked a few feet, talking to someone who pointed in the direction they had come from, saying that there was a store there near the entrance doors. Nodding politely and thanking them for their help, Sesshomaru made his way to the store mentioned, digging out all his 'change' and placing it on the counter.

Soon, after getting everything changed, Sesshomaru came back and dumped it all into his brother's hand.

"That should be more than enough for a gift for her." InuYasha looked from the money in his hand and then up at his brother.

"Yeah … but … I don't know what to get her! I don't know what girls like!" Sesshomaru arched a fine silver brow.

"Honestly, InuYasha, use your head." The hanyou pouted a little. He looked up when his ears twitched as he saw Sango and Sakura chatting. Hey … that was it! Other girls would know what Kagome would like!

Zooming over to the pair, he took their hands, his eyes pleading with them.

"You gotta help me find an apology gift for Kagome!" The two women looked at each other and then back at the hanyou.

"A gift … "Sakura started slowly.

"For Kagome?" Sango finished, looking at the hanyou with slight confusion.

"InuYasha, are you feeling alright? You're not sick or something are you?" Sango felt his forehead only to have her hand slapped away.

"I'm fine. Look, are you going to help me or not?" The pair sighed a little and they slowly nodded. Soon, they were being dragged off further into the mall, InuYasha demanding to know what Kagome would like.

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Upon arriving back, InuYasha sought out the currently depressed Kagome. Cautiously, InuYasha entered Kagome's room at the dorm.

"What do you want, InuYasha?" Kagome asked without even looking up. InuYasha flinched a little bit but gathered his courage up.

"Kagome … um … do you … wanna take a walk … with me?" Kagome looked up at him and nodded slightly, standing up and following the hanyou out of the room and then out of the school.

After walking for a few minutes, Kagome looked down, noticing a small cluster of flowers. Stopping, she crouched down and smiled, picking them.

"Kaede told me these flowers are really good for antiseptic. But … I guess I won't be needing that anymore …" InuYasha crouched down next to her.

"Do you miss the Feudal Era, Kagome?" Kagome looked up at him then looked away.

"Well, a little, I guess. I mean not so much now that everyone is here but it was certainly an adventure and I did love sleeping under the stars … "InuYasha smiled a little and sighs, opening his mouth to apologize.

"InuYasha." The hanyou flinched a little at her distant tone.

"Uh … yeah?"

"Why did you come here? Your time is in the Feudal Era, not here." InuYasha's mouth moved, trying to form words but instead, he just smiled.

"Kagome." He called softly. Once she looked at him, he took out his gift from his pocket and set it in her hand. It was wrapped in a red velvet bag with gold silk string to tie the opening closed.

"I'm sorry, Kagome. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or make you mad. Forgive me?" Kagome opened the bag and gasped a little as she pulled out a silver chain with a small deep blue stone embedded in a silver heart.

"InuYasha … this is beautiful … and … expensive! InuYasha! How in the world did you get the money to pay for this?!" Kagome demanded as she looked at the still attached price tag.

"Hey! Shut up! They said that you would like it!" Kagome blinked.

"They? Who?" The hanyou blushed a little, slightly embarrassed.

"Sango and the other girl. I … didn't know what you'd like but … I wanted to get you something … to … you know … make up for me being such a jerk …" Kagome looked at him and smiled softly, feeling touched and tears filled her eyes. The salty scent filled his nose and he panicked, thinking that he'd offended her so badly he'd made her cry.

"Ah … Kagome, I'm sorry! Ah … don't cry! C'mon!" Kagome laughed lightly, wiping her eyes.

"InuYasha, you really are an idiot." InuYasha stopped and studied her, really confused. First she was crying and now she was laughing? What was the deal with that?

"You didn't need to buy me anything, just you saying that you're sorry was good enough for me. You are my best friend, after all." InuYasha blinked a few times but slowly smiled.

"Well, at least you're not mad at me anymore." Kagome put the necklace on and smiled.

"Let's get going." She said suddenly, standing up and beginning her walk back to the school, occationally looking back to make sure he was coming. InuYasha smiled and nodded, easily catching up.

"So … I was thinking … you're going to help me take care of … whatever is growing … inside of me, right?" Kagome looked over and nodded.

"Of course. God knows that if I didn't help out, the child would end up just a crooked as you are." InuYasha's jaw dropped and Kagome couldn't help but laugh. At her laugh, InuYasha realize that it was a joke and he smirked at her.

"Yeah, whatever."

Kagome smiled at him and then turned her attention back to the path ahead of them. InuYasha really had grown up so much in these past few days.

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A/N: Alright! Yeah! Another chapter out! This one is slightly longer and I do hope everyone enjoyed my InuYasha crater!

Thank you to everyone who read this!!!

Again I apologize for not enough Kagome/Sasuke fluffiness.