Hello hello hello! I hope you all had a lovely Easter holiday and got lots of chocolate ;)

Thank you again for reviewing if you did and enjoy the latest chapter! Pray for Kagome to make it through her pregnancy! Reviews will help her! She needs your support!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha; I only own the characters that aren't included in the anime/manga.

Chapter Fourteen

'Ugh.. my head's spinning.. I feel really sick..'

"KAG..!"

'Huh? What's that noise?..'

"KAGOME!"

'My name... someone's calling my name... I wonder who it is...'

"WAKE UP KAGOME! COME ON YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP RIGHT NOW!"

'Wake up?.. I don't wanna... I'm still kinda tired..'

Inuyasha shook the unconscious Kagome's shoulders violently as he tried to wake her from the depths of her slumber, but no matter how hard he shook her, she simply would not open her eyes. He sat cradling her in the pool of blood that was her own, screaming her name over and over and begging for her awaken.

Sesshomaru was knelt beside Rin, who was laying knocked out over the spilled contents of incense and her herb basket, that lay shredded in pieces beside her. Her face was bruised and quite an amount of blood was running down from her nose, but apart from that she was not too badly injured. Kagome must have lashed out in her sleep and struck Rin unintentionally.

"COME ON KAGOME!" Inuyasha continued to shriek as he held his wife's unconscious form in his arms, surrounded by blood and water that was all hers.

He shook her again, even more desperately than before. She had begun to groan in her sleep loudly and painfully as she clenched her teeth and knitted her eyebrows together, her eyes never opening. He did not care that she was now bleeding onto his lap, nor did he care that he was soaked in it and her sweat. His gaze was focused entirely on her pained expression and how helpless he was in the situation.

Why would she not wake up? Why did she not respond to his cries? She was still breathing and moving, yet she remained unconscious and her condition only seemed to worsen. She looked much worse than she had when birthing Hanyuu, so what was different this time? Was it something he had done?

"Please Kagome," he choked, "promise me you'll make it out of this."

Kagome only responded in groans and kicks as she struck him with her legs just as she had done Rin and continued to bleed into his lap.

"Kagoome.." he sniffed, swallowing the lump in his throat and shaking her again, "come on, promise me!"

Kikyo burst into the hut, panting heavily and covered in muddy snow as she examined the scene before her. Her heart stopped when she saw the state that Kagome was in. She rushed and knelt beside Inuyasha, who was still holding Kagome in his arms and whimpering to her weakly.

"Inuyasha.." Kikyo started, "You are going to have to put her down."

"No!" he snapped, "I'm not letting go of her y'hear me? I won't!"

Kikyo sighed and looked down at Kagome's form sadly, "Please cooperate Inuyasha. In this condition, Kagome will not make it if you act foolishly. Put her down." she pleaded.

He looked up and saw the desperate look in Kikyo's eyes. He knew that she was right, that he was acting foolishly. And if they didn't act soon, Kagome's life would be at risk. So he placed her down on the bloody futon sheets gently and stroked her sweaty forehead carefully. "Kikyo," he whispered whilst trembling, "please.. help her."

Kikyo looked down and examined Kagome, who was now breaking the floorboards beneath her with her out of control legs. The blood was still pouring and the younger priestess had gone a deadly shade of white as a thin layer of cold sweat enveloped her body. She simply would not wake up.

Kikyo's heart sank when she realised the awful truth.

In this condition.. with the vast amount of blood loss and how she refused to leave her slumber..

Kagome was not going to make it.

What was she going to do? She couldn't bring herself to tell Inuyasha and make him freak out any more than he already was. So what in the world was she going to do? She felt Kagome's swollen stomach that was covered in cuts and bruises. The violent movement coming from beneath the skin caused her own stomach to do flips as she tried to hold back the tears that were gathering in her mahogany eyes.

The child was suffocating.

"Kikyo?" Inuyasha whispered, seeing her sudden frozen state as she refused to answer him, "What's wrong? Why are you looking at her like that!? Kikyo!"

Sesshomaru looked up from Rin and saw the priestess' expression and understood at once. He laid Rin down carefully and was at Kikyo's side at once. He pulled her to face him by her shoulders and looked her right in her pained eyes, his eyes were blazing the molten hot gold that they had done before as he had his brows narrowed.

She looked at him and tried to choke something out but Sesshomaru knew what she was trying to say and silenced her. "Restrain Inuyasha." he ordered firmly, "I cannot afford to be distracted, especially at such a critical time as this."

Kikyo snapped back to reality and nodded at his order without questioning him and crawled over to his stressing younger brother. Sesshomaru knew what had to be done and he could not carry the process out with Inuyasha protesting and trying to stop him, which he would surely try to do when he realized what his brother was going to do. As much as it pained both Kikyo and Sesshomaru, it had to be done if the child was to survive at least. And Sesshomaru's Tenseiga could save lives so maybe if they were lucky... really lucky, everything would turn out alright.

Inuyasha met Kikyo's troubled gaze and blinked in confusion as she threw her arms around him suddenly and tightened her grip considerably, securing him in place. "What are you doing!? Let go!" he shrieked in confusion.

But his confusion did not last for long when he saw Sesshomaru raise his claws over Kagome's exposed bloated belly. "NO SESSHOMARU!" he screeched, desperately trying to free himself from Kikyo's surprisingly strong hold, "DON'T DO IT!"

But his cries were in vain as Sesshomaru's sharp claws sunk into the flesh on Kagome's stomach and sliced the lump open, making more blood spurt everywhere and onto his white hakama and furry pelt. Sesshomaru ignored his brother's shrill screams and dug into the bloody mess of what used to be Kagome's stomach, dying his talons a deep red and ripping through her delicate womb to allow him access to the suffocating child inside.

Kagome let out a few final cries in her unconscious state before her head fell back and her womb was in shreds from Sesshomaru's claws. She coughed up a handful of thick black blood and went limp.

"KAGOOOOMEEE!" Inuyasha screamed at the top of his lungs, tears now stinging his eyes as his throat was becoming sore from his deafening cries.

Kikyo squeezed her eyes shut and held Inuyasha back, desperately trying to ignore the awful sound of Kagome's insides being dug apart by her lover's hands.

Sesshomaru choked on the infected air that he was breathing in and continued to tear at the young priestess' stomach vigorously, ignoring his brother's awful shrieks and the poisonous smell of Kagome's insides. The infant couldn't be much further in could it? At this rate, there wouldn't be much of the woman left for Tenseiga to revive. Things were sliding downhill much faster than he had expected.

At this precise moment in time, Rin's eyes drifted open and she sat up slowly, groaning loudly and rubbing her sore temples. Her eyes widened in pure horror at the sight that met her young and innocent eyes, and the sounds that drifted into her eardrums were enough to make her vomit.

A desperate looking Inuyasha fighting and screaming away, whilst being held back by Kikyo who looked to be in tears and trying to block out the awful sounds around her. Andto make it worse, just opposite them was Kagome's terrifying state still covered in blood and sweat.. with her Lord Sesshomaru knelt beside her digging away at her torn up stomach with his sharp claws. His white and regal kimono was drenched in the young woman's blood and there was more of it splattered onto his face and even in his hair and pelt. His eyes were lethal and cold as they were completely focused on tearing Kagome apart as he continued to dig down through her insides, tossing clumps of flesh and blood out with his hands.

Rin screamed and fell back against the wall in pure terror.

Inuyasha and Kikyo looked across at the horrified young girl and panicked even more. This type of reaction was the last thing they needed at this moment!

Rin backed further up against the wall as she continued to stare at Sesshomaru's murderous expression and the frightening feel in his hard, narrowed eyes. She covered her mouth and shook her head. Her Lord Sesshomaru was not supposed to be like this. She knew that he wasn't supposed to be! So why was he doing this!?

Never looking away from Kagome's wrecked insides, Sesshomaru's snarled loudly. "The Tenseiga, Rin." he choked out over the bloody air.

"P-pardon?" she stuttered in terror.

The whites of his eyes were suddenly the exact colour of Kagome's blood as he turned and glared fiercely at her. "RETRIEVE THE TENSEIGA FOR ME AT ONCE, RIN!" he growled over the sound of his claws slicing Kagome up.

Rin stood up immediately and fled from the hut in the direction of the weapons storehouse. Her Lord Sesshomaru had never spoken to her like that before! Nor had he looked so horribly frightening! What was going on with him!?

Inuyasha wanted to cover his ears, close eyes and just crawl away into a hole and never to come out. But he could not bring himself to tear his eyes away from the scene of Sesshomaru lashing at his wife's stomach in search of a choking child within her body. He wondered just how Sesshomaru could bring himself to do that, rip an innocent woman with child to pieces without going insane. Inuyasha had put Kagome's life in his brother's hands... or claws, and he decided that if she didn't make it.. he would kill Sesshomaru himself, seeing as the guilt of his actions didn't seem to be doing so.

'Please Kagome, please make it through' he silently prayed.

Sesshomaru panted heavily as he flicked more blood and clumps of flesh from his claws. It was quite a miracle that the girl was not dead yet giving all she was somehow enduring! She was practically in pieces and he was genuinely surprised that he had not dug straight through to the other side of her yet! But her heartbeat remained, even if it was very faint and weak. If she could just hold on for a little longer.. just until he got to the infant inside..

His claws hit something. He reached down through the bloody, slippy mess and clasped his hands around something firm and small. Something with a heartbeat that wasn't Kagome's.

And then... came the deafening silence that seemed to last for all eternity. Sesshomaru's ears were ringing and had finally blocked out all noises around.

Finally, a shrill wail of infancy echoed throughout the sudden silence of the room as Inuyasha sat frozen, still tightly restrained by Kikyo, and just listened to the young cry. Inuyasha blinked and trailed his gaze down to the small ball in Sesshomaru's arms that, like the room and Sesshomaru, was drenched in Kagome's thick blood and insides. It flailed uncontrollably in the Lord of the West's arms and cried loudly for all to hear.

Kikyo looked up from hiding in Inuyasha's hair and dried her soggy eyes. Slowly, she loosened her grip on him and sat up straighter in order to get a better look at the bloody mess in Sesshomaru's arms. Judging by the noises coming from it, he had succeeded. But what of Kagome? Kikyo balled her fist as she tried to bring herself to look at the younger priestess laying in the pool of blood with her stomach ripped open like a present and the contents spilled out all around her. And the loud squealing of the ball in Sesshomaru's hold was ringing in her ears as she covered her mouth in an attempt to hold in her vomit.

Sesshomaru looked down at the small, bloody creature in his arms and held his breath as he wiped some of the red clumps of flesh stuck to its little face. The large hole on its face, known as a mouth, was wide open and emitting screams and wails as it struggled in his hold. His head was spinning as he tried to suppress a small tremble that briefly threatened to take over him. He looked away from the tiny, squealing creature and down to the young priestess that lay on her back before him. Her scent was poisoning the air and her blood was all over him: clinging to his clothes, splattered across his face and stained in his hair and pelt. He spluttered and coughed.

There was no doubt about it - Inuyasha was going to kill him for real this time. And Sesshomaru knew that he deserved every blow that was going to be directed at him. For he had taken away the one thing that his little brother cared for more than anything in the world, as well as the infant's love from a mother.

Unless the Tenseiga would take pity on them and give them a break. But could it really be relied upon? Could he really pin his hopes on the sword that was so choosy about whom it would grant life and whom it would not? It had taken pity on young Rin and allowed him to save her life, but the wind sorceress Kagura had apparently been too far from its reach. What would stop it from refusing Kagome also? She was not exactly in the best shape that she had ever been in, and if a measly little miasma wound had been too much for it, what would it say about this torn apart abdomen? He could only wait for Rin to return with it and see what it thought of the situation.

Inuyasha crawled over to Sesshomaru's side and tried to piece a sentence together. But when he got a closer view of Kagome's form, his jaw dropped and any words that he had begun to arrange were shattered in the blink of an eye. His ears dropped and he placed his hands down in front of him, where he just knelt, frozen in time, staring down in pure horror at his Kagome.

"Kago.." he choked on his tears and the strong scent of her blood, "..me?"

Everything around him faded to white as his vision was fixed on Kagome and the only sound that reached his ears was the shrill cry of the infant in his brother's arms. He reached out slowly and gently poked her pale, limp arm. When she didn't respond to his touch, he repeated his action over and over, quite unable to do anything else.

"I'll always be right here by your side."

"You said that..." he whimpered quietly as he continued to poke her arm, "didn't you...didn't you mean it?"

The infant's cries intensified as Inuyasha's eyes filled up to the brim with salty tears that threatened to fall. Kagome's face was a ghostly white and like Sesshomaru, was stained with her sweat and blood. Her brow was furrowed and her mouth was open slightly, allowing pockets of air to drift into her mouth and offer her oxygen if she so desired it. The arm that he was poking so frequently was limp and growing colder by the minute, like the rest of her body. He moved his hand down to her smaller one and squeezed it, demanding her attention. But again.. there was no further response.

"Ka..." he choked, but could not finish her name as it stuck in his throat and forced him to gag.

This wasn't happening. No. Anything but this. Why this? After everything that had happened, after all they had overcome... why this!?

Images of his beloved flashed across his mind as he recalled the sweet sound of her voice and the sunshine that came with her smile.

"Inuyasha is by my side now, so I have nothing to fear."

"I'm with you by choice."

"I love you. I love you as a half demon."

"Kagome.. No one ever said that they loved me for who I was before." he whispered, "After all.. I'm just a filthy half breed that both humans and demon's hate.. But you.. you were different. Somehow.. god knows how.. you found it in you to love someone like me. It took me too long to realise what I'd been given.. but now that I finally realise the gift that you gave me I.. I-I.."

Tears were now falling fast down his cheeks as he sniffed loudly and squeezed her hand harder, "I just want you to open your eyes and smile at me again! I want you to say that you love me for who I am over and over. And I know I didn't do it much in my part, but... just let me tell you that I love you too!"

Sesshomaru balanced the child that he had now discovered was male on his sticky lap with one hand and put his other on Inuyasha's shoulder suddenly, causing the half demon to look up at his brother through misty eyes. Tossing his pride aside completely, Inuyasha put his hands down before his brother and lowered his head, causing the salty droplets to fall down onto the bloody floorboards and mix in with the red liquids. The little boy's crying seemed to increase as it struggled more in Sesshomaru's hold.

Inuyasha let out a shaky sob before whispering quietly in a tone that he knew only Sesshomaru's sharp hearing would be able to pick up. "Please Sesshomaru.." he choked, "Bring her back to me."

Unable to sit around and wait for Rin any longer, Sesshomaru immediately passed the screaming child in his arms to Kikyo, knowing that Inuyasha was in no state to care for him at this precise moment in time. He rose to his feet and was gone from the blood infected hut in a matter of seconds, flying swiftly to the weapons storehouse where he had agreed to leave the healing fang temporarily. What was keeping Rin? She was usually so reliable. Why had she not yet returned with the Tenseiga safe in her grip? Had she been that repulsed by his feral behaviour that she had deserted him out of fear and disgust? Would she after all the time she had spent with him? Did she really think that little of him?

He leapt across the frost coated ground and burst open the doors of the large hut filled with axes and other such weapons. Rin was down on her knees searching for something under a pile of torches when she jumped at her Lord's sudden presence. She had not heard him come in, and seeing him towering above her still coated in blood was mighty alarming and made her tremble in his shadow.

"S-S-Sesshomaru?" she whispered.

He felt his heart clutch at the way his name had rolled off her tongue so coated in fear. He also noticed the lack of 'Lord' before his name too. Had she lost all respect in him because of what he had done and no longer saw him as her Lord?

"What has been keeping you, Rin?" he asked flatly, noticing her unease as she sat before him trembling.

She swallowed, knowing that he wasn't going to like her answer. "I-it's the Tenseiga," she whimpered, "I c-can't find it anywhere!"

His sharp, golden eyes widened at this news and shifted his hard gaze to the Tetsusaiga, which was hanging on an iron rail next to the empty spot where Tenseiga had once been. Where was it!?

He scooted over to the black space and sniffed at it frantically, Kagome's blood still dripping from his hair and pelt onto the floor, making Rin shiver more. There was a scent on the empty peg... a scent that he least expected to have been there. It was the monk and slayer's eldest daughter, Akane wasn't it? What had she been doing in here? And what business did she have with the Tenseiga if she was indeed the one who had taken it? Nothing was adding up. Perhaps someone else would know something of this? He needed to know where his sword was - now! If Kagome was going to make it that is...

So he left the trembling Rin on her knees behind in the storehouse and flew back to the hut with Kagome inside. He knew that Rin was shaken up because of what she had seen back then, and he knew that she needed time to recover from the fright he had given her. He just prayed that she would not hate him because of what he had done.

Miroku, Sango and Shippo came running into the hut and gasped in pure horror when they saw Kagome's state. They covered their mouths when they saw Inuyasha in tears on all fours before his wife, bashing the floorboards with his fists.

Kikyo looked up at them through her misty eyes from rocking a still squealing infant in her arms and shot them a look that they understood at once. Shippo fell to his knees and began wailing uncontrollably for Kagome and Sango shook her head in disbelief and buried it into Miroku's shoulder, who had his hand raised and was muttering some kind of prayer for the young priestess.

Inuyasha raised his head from the ground and stopped bashing the floorboards to reach for Kagome's hand once again. He took it and squeezed it tightly, allowing his thick snotty tears to drench her pale hand as he sobbed loudly. Even if she was going to be revived with the Tenseiga, seeing her like this really did a number on him and he wanted to die himself just because of how helpless he had been to save her.

Sesshomaru stormed into the hut, dripping with thick red blood and made Inuyasha look up at him. When he saw no Tenseiga at the Lord of the West's hip, his eyes widened considerably and he stopped breathing. Why did he not have the healing fang with him? What was he doing?! "Sessh.." he started.

"The Tenseiga is missing." Sesshomaru said firmly, causing Inuyasha's eyes to widen even more as he shook his head, refusing to believe what his brother had just told him.

The dog demon Lord then turned to Miroku and Sango and continued, "Your eldest born's scent was where the Tenseiga had once been. Tell me, what business does she have with my sword?" he asked firmly.

Kikyo's heart stopped at this and her expression faltered, causing the hot tears to stream down her cheeks and drop onto the crying little boy in her arms. Kagome's only hope for survival was missing, and she knew exactly who had taken it and why.

Sesshomaru heard Kikyo's heartbeat quicken more than anyone else's at the mention of the matter and turned his gaze down to her. He looked at her in a questioning manor and demanded with his eyes that she tell him what she knew. She sobbed louder and wiped her nose with her sleeve.

"Akane had it once before," she choked over the screaming of the child, "She was trying to take it with her to assist Ren in his search for Arina, so I confiscated it and returned it to the storehouse. But she must have... taken it again." It was all Kikyo's fault. If only she had returned the blade directly to Sesshomaru himself instead of sneaking it back to its original position in the storehouse, then they would not be in this mess. "I am so sorry Sesshomaru." she whispered weakly.

He placed his bloody hand over hers and stared into her sad chocolate orbs. "Take back your apology," he ordered, "it is wasted when you are not responsible for the problem."

He brought her hand up to his face and kissed her knuckles tenderly before rising to his feet and giving her another order, "You and the fox shall remain here with Inuyasha, the priestess and their son. It would be unwise to leave him alone when he is in this state."

She nodded sadly, showing that she understood and allowed him to release her hand from his hold. She was displeased with being left behind but she knew that it was not safe to leave Inuyasha on his own in this situation, nor would it do for this new child that needed to be tended to and cleaned as soon as possible.

Sesshomaru then turned to Miroku and Sango and addressed them, "Monk. Slayer. You shall accompany me in recovering the Tenseiga and your child."

They nodded and followed him through the door, promising the bawling Shippo that they would return and Kagome would be saved. The fox cried some more and leapt onto Kikyo's lap with the squealing infant, as she petted his head gently and dried his sad green eyes with her sleeves.

Just before Sesshomaru was out of the hut, Inuyasha spoke up. "Sesshomaru!" he cried, making his elder brother turn to look at him, "I'm putting her life in your hands... so don't make me regret it, okay?"

Sesshomaru remained silent and took his leave, with Miroku and Sango following close behind.

They ran into Kohaku and Kirara a little further into the forest, who were doing some training and explained the situation to them. They were greatly saddened by the news but immediately agreed come with them. So the five then left swiftly in search of the Tenseiga and Akane, and would hopefully find the two before the remaining sand in the hourglass of Kagome's life ran out.

OH NO! KAGOME! (Now I sound like Inuyasha screaming her name all the time) Will the group find Akane and the Tenseiga in time!? Will Inuyasha be okay after his shock!? Will their new son be okay!? AND WILL KAGOME LIVE!?

Find out in the next chapter and leave a review! But please don't hurt me... I'm only following the storyline T_T ~Happy