Chapter 29
The Rest of our Lives
Kagome looked down into Inuyasha's hopeful golden eyes. She had been through so much with him in just a matter of months. Their story was a crazy one. The first time they laid eyes on each other, she was under another man and he saved her without even knowing who she was. Their first therapy session, she kicked him in the face by accident. But despite him having a live-in girlfriend, they grew closer therapy session after session. They did not mean to fall for each other, it just kind of happened. And suddenly, he became the love of her life.
She stole his heart, mind, body and soul. He would feel incomplete without her. What he could never experience with Kikyo in the years he spent with her, Kagome made him feel in under a year. Almost losing her to what would have been a loveless marriage made him realize that he had to hold onto her forever.
The guests looked on anxiously awaiting her answer.
"Yes!" Kagome screamed causing Inuyasha to release a sound she had never heard before. Did he just bark?
Koga was devastated. "Where's the ring!? You're proposing with no ring!" Koga yelled angrily.
"Shut up wolf!" Inuyasha yelled back angrily. "I'll have your ring soon." Inuyasha said sheepishly to Kagome.
"Don't worry about that Inuyasha. I just want to be with you." She looked around then dropped to her knees in the large dress now face to face with her love. "But this is not my idea of a wedding. We aren't getting married here are we?" Kagome whispered.
"Definitely not!" Inuyasha said too quickly. "We'll do it however you want."
"Good because I need time to plan." She giggled.
She was just too cute not to kiss so Inuyasha did just that capturing her soft lips in a sweet kiss completely forgetting about everyone else around them until they heard a whistle.
The crowd swooned at the couple's display causing them both to blush. They didn't even notice the whole pack had made their way up the aisle. Inu no Taisho, Izayoi, Inukimi, Sesshomaru and Rin were all waiting for them.
"I think my pack is complete. Let's go home." Inu no Taisho said smiling at them, leading the way out of the jilted venue.
(Three months later)
Rin looked at her reflection in the full length mirror of their room as she brushed her hair. She was glowing. The last couple of months had been gratefully peaceful compared to the events of the months before. It was just so pleasant. She, Sesshomaru and Inukimi had a long talk in which the demoness accepted Rin as pack and even apologized for "messing" with her at the demon party. She finally had a chance to catch up with her best friend, actually after the wedding debacle they spent a whole week together much to the annoyance of the Taisho brothers. Their business was safe seeing that no one heard from Kikyo since she left with that strange guy. Leave it to Inukimi to find one of the skeletons in Kikyo's closet. Unfortunately it was a major news story due to the amount of witnesses that saw her leave with the guy. Inuyasha and Inukimi were questioned significantly more than the wedding guests but neither was charged with having anything to do with her disappearance. Despite Inukimi arriving with the alleged kidnapper, she simply stated he was her date and she had no idea he would do what he did. Police had no evidence to prove Inukimi was lying. Rin smiled at that but frowned seconds later.
Kohaku…
He managed to survive and was currently out of the ICU but still in the hospital. From the last she heard, he would be moving into a rehabilitation facility in a couple of weeks. Sesshomaru had done considerable damage to Kohaku. He remained in a coma for a month. He had third degree burns on his body from Sesshomaru's poison causing open wounds that frequently became infected because they would not heal. The hospital had to call in a miko, which was of great expense because so few still existed, to help heal Kohaku's wounds. And even with the miko's help the wounds were still very slow to heal. Kohaku's injuries were so extensive he could not move his arms and legs anymore. He was going to require months of rehabilitation and some reconstructive surgeries to live a normal life again. Sango spent all of her free time at the hospital to assist with taking care of him. She and Rin's budding friendship came to a complete halt. Sango cut off all communication with Rin with no explanation. Rin understood; the fight happened because of her. She blamed herself but Sesshomaru would have none of it stating that Kohaku's foolishness put himself in that predicament.
Speaking of which….she smiled when she saw his reflection behind her in the mirror wrapping his strong arms around her growing waist. He was just as handsome as the day she first laid eyes on him. His golden gaze held amusement which was a welcome sight from his usual stoic expression. Only she was privileged to see this side of him.
He placed a light kiss on her cheek. "Still not ready?"
"Almost done." She smiled.
"Take your time, I'm in no rush." He said pulling back to sit on the bed.
Rin giggled. "Of course you aren't in a rush. We are going to have dinner with the family, I mean pack."
He could have rolled his eyes but refrained. His father came up with the great idea of having a pack dinner at least once a month including his mother. He said packs should eat together and he wanted to see the girls. He felt his sons were hiding them from him. If he could, he would move away and keep Rin all to himself but he knew she would not like that. She valued the few close relationships she had and he would never take that away from her. He loved how independent and smart she was. As much as he wanted her to rely on him for everything, she did not and he learned to respect that. Her beautiful soul called to his most basic instincts. The night he officially made her his mate was an unforgettable one. She gave everything to him that night, her body, her soul, her mind and her heart. And he gave everything he had to her as well. He knew it from the moment he smelled that scent of lilies and rain water but he had trouble admitting it to himself. He never would have thought a human would be his mate but he had no regrets. He was finally genuinely happy.
"He's not giving you too much trouble is he?" Sesshomaru asked with a smirk.
Rin stopped brushing her hair. "How do you know it's a he?" She asked turning around.
He could smell it. "I took a lucky guess." He shrugged. He would not tell her, she'd find out at the next appointment. He actually did not mean to impregnate her when they mated. Neither was really ready for a pup yet but the mating was so intense he could not control himself. His wilder side wanted a pup and he gave in. He knew there was a good chance that it could happen and warned Rin but she insisted they mate. It made his heart beat that much faster pumping the demon blood throughout his body into a wild frenzy. Now his mate was three months pregnant with what would likely be the next most powerful being on the planet.
"Don't forget we need to have a talk with Inu, Izayoi and Inuyasha after dinner." Rin said. She insisted they find out what Izayoi's pregnancy with a half demon was like. She was nervous to be carrying a half demon child. She was very tired all the time and ravenously hungry. Sesshomaru ensured her it was normal but she wanted to hear it from people who went through it.
Sesshomaru sighed. He did not care to have this conversation at all. He planned on doing his own research instead.
"I'm ready!" She smiled.
(Dinner)
"Honey! The family will be arriving soon! Did you make sure all the tableware was set?" Izayoi yelled from upstairs. She decided to personally cook their meal tonight instead of using the cooks. She insisted that Inu help too. Now she was upstairs frantically getting dressed.
"Yes, my love!" He said from the dining room watching a servant do it. He was dressed casually in a blue polo shirt and faded denim jeans.
The doorbell rang.
Inu no Taisho went to answer it. Inukimi was the first to arrive. He was surprised because he did not feel her coming. Normally he always knew when she arrived due to her big shows of power. Today it seemed she was subdued.
"Hello, are you going to let me in or are you just going to stand there and stare?" Inukimi said brushing past him. She wore a white linen pants with a matching white linen spaghetti strap shirt. Her long silver-white hair flowed around her shoulders and down her back.
"Hello Inukimi. I was just surprised I did not feel your energy upon your arrival." He joked.
"I think we are past those days….for now." She said.
"I can only hope it remains that way." He whispered under his breath like she couldn't hear it.
"Hello Inukimi!" Izayoi said joining the demons in the living room. She wore a simple but cute yellow sundress. Her long black hair also flowed down her back. She went to her mate/husband and kissed him on the cheek.
"Hi Izayoi." Inukimi greeted back.
"I guess we could all go take our seats at the table until our children arrive." She said brightly. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru still had keys to the house so they did not need to knock.
The older adults conversed in the dining room with Inukimi a bit whimsical, Izayoi a bit too cheerful and Inu no Taisho unsure of what to make of them both but he simply went along with the conversation.
Sesshomaru and Rin arrived first. He was also casual in a white polo shirt and khaki pants. Rin wore a green, long flowy maxi dress to accommodate her growing belly.
"Son! Rin!"
"Look at you two!"
"My son and his mate, so nice to see you both!"
Rin blushed at their attention while Sesshomaru greeted everyone and made his way to his seat grabbing Rin's hand and taking her with him.
Inuyasha and Kagome arrived soon after seemingly bickering about something. Inuyasha wore white pants and a red shirt. Kagome wore a matching short red jumpsuit. They were adorable.
"Son and Kagome!"
"Inuyasha, you two look adorable!"
"How cute."
After greetings, they took their seats as well.
"So what are you two fussing about?" Inu no Taisho asked as servants began to pour water or lemonade and put out bread.
"A mangy wolf I'm going to kill." Inuyasha said.
"Inuyasha!" She turned to Inu no Taisho. "My birthday is in a couple of days and I kinda received an early present from Koga. I told him I did not want it but that's not going to stop hothead over here." Kagome said.
"I bet Inuyasha already trashed it." Inu chuckled.
"He did!" Kagome laughed.
"Damn right I did!" Inuyasha stated.
Dinner was served after a bit more conversation. Izayoi could not be more delighted that everyone seemed to enjoy her food. After dinner was over, the group began to converse again.
"So how is wedding planning?" Inukimi surprisingly asked Inuyasha and Kagome.
Inuyasha did not answer, Inukimi still made him uncomfortable.
"It's going well. Inuyasha is letting me do all the planning. He doesn't care about that part. He just wants to be married." Kagome giggled, embarrassing her fiancé. Everyone noticed the beautiful large pink diamond ring on Kagome's finger. It was actually called the flawless pink sunrise diamond weighing in at 29.70 carats. Inuyasha wasn't the type to throw his money around but when he laid eyes on that particular diamond he just had to have it for her. It was something about the mesmerizing pink color that called to him.
"Yes, I think it is wise my dear to leave Inuyasha out of planning anything wedding. We all saw how that went the first time." Inu joked, causing everyone to laugh.
"Hey! I was blackmailed!" Inuyasha yelled.
"It's okay son, it's just a joke. We know." Izayoi said in a motherly tone.
Inuyasha huffed.
The group's conversation quickly turned to Rin's pregnancy.
"So how are you doing with my new grandbaby?" Izayoi asked unknowingly striking a nerve with Inukimi.
"You mean my grandpup?" Inukimi asked.
"Ah yes…I bet those cravings are intense." Inu cut in before either of the women could say anything further.
"Well, actually I hoped to talk to you all about that. But I guess now is a good time as ever." Rin started. They were all pack so it did not matter if everyone was present for the conversation. "Izayoi, what was your experience like being pregnant with Inuyasha?" Rin needed to know how a human carried a half demon.
Inuyasha flinched. Kagome paid close attention; she wanted to hear this. Inukimi was annoyed. Inu smiled. Sesshomaru sat quietly appearing to show no interest but was actually listening. He was just as curious for his mate's sake.
"Oh where do I start?" Izayoi began a bit nervously. "I'm not going to lie, it was very exhausting. I've never carried a human child so I cannot compare the experiences but I think my pregnancy with Inuyasha was most likely tougher."
"Yea, she actually had to go on bed rest when she was only six months pregnant." Inu cut in.
"She almost died." Inukimi stated bluntly.
Everyone at the table sat in stunned silence.
"You two never told me that!" Inuyasha yelled breaking the silence.
Inu grimaced. This was not something he planned on revealing to his sons just yet. He did not want to discourage them from having pups if they were to find human mates. "But she did not die and if she did I would have brought her back." He said referring to another ancient power he and Inukimi wielded.
"Listen Rin, I'm going to tell you the truth. You are carrying no ordinary half demon. Your child carries the blood of the most powerful demons in the world. The last of an ancient race. Your human body may have difficulty carrying such power but…" Inukimi paused seemingly reflecting on something. "We will support you."
Sesshomaru was actually surprised to hear the compassion in his mother's voice. She was very serious. Sesshomaru was a young boy when Inuyasha was born but he did remember there was a lot of commotion and his mother was there…she must have been on standby.
"It's true. I did almost die. Bearing a half demon child put so much stress on my body I thought I would die from exhaustion but that was many years ago. Medicine and health care has advanced. Everything will be okay." Izayoi said quietly.
The table sat in an awkward silence.
"Rin, if you ever have any more questions. We are more than happy to answer them." Inu no Taisho stated but his invitation seemed more of a drop of the subject.
Rin noticed. "Yes, I'm sure I'll have more questions later." She smiled.
"So who's ready for dessert?" Inu asked cheerfully.
(Later that night)
Everyone had left and Izayoi went up to her room. Inukimi stayed late to talk to her former mate.
"I won't apologize for earlier." Inukimi said.
"I don't expect you to but…." Inu replied.
"I know, Izayoi wasn't ready for Inuyasha to know but my son's mate has a right to know. Our son has a right to know. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha as well have taken human mates. They must know the risks of pregnancy with a half demon or quarter demon in Inuyasha's case." Inukimi stated.
"I understand that but you know it's a sensitive subject for Izayoi. We were planning to have that conversation with them soon." Inu went on.
"Without me? You and your wife cannot talk to my son and his mate about my future grand pup without me." Inukimi said getting angry.
"You were going to be involved as well. Stop jumping to conclusions!" Inu started, getting annoyed. "I would not think of leaving you out of a conversation about our grand pup."
She went quiet. The significance of the fact that they were about to have grand pup hit her. Her son was about to become a father. She remembered the conversation they had about it where he actually revealed he was not sure if he was ready but he knew he had to be. His openness was very unlike him. The pup was already changing him, she thought.
"Are you ready for a half demon pup in your life? He may come out looking just like Inuyasha and maybe with the same attitude." Inu teased.
"While it is not my preference I respect my son's decision." Inukimi said. "And I must admit, I actually like Rin."
"I like her too. She changed him. And Kagome saved Inuyasha. Both those girls have made a huge impact in our pack." Inu said.
Inukimi smiled. "Our pack."
