Mansplaining: When a Man Explains Something to a Woman that she Undoubtedly Already Knows more About than he Does.

Inuyasha paced back and forth, staring at the clock on the wall at the end of the hall. Shippo sat on a fainting couch opposite the door to Sesshomaru's bedroom. Kagome and Rin were inside the windowless, interior room. The students had been fed and put to bed by the various teachers and aides who had been called up for extra security. The school was basically on lockdown until Sesshomaru contacted Inuyasha.

Which he should have done by now, Inuyasha thought angrily, cursing his brother for his pride and uncharacteristic haste to confront Naraku. Inuyasha was known himself as a hothead, or had been in years past. Yet it felt lately like Sesshomaru was making all of the hot headed decisions, not at all like his normally calculated, ice-cold self.

Sesshomaru had been gone for four days.

Rin had held up considerably well, especially in the beginning. Once Inuyasha and Kagome had arrived to the school that first morning, she'd smiled and spoken warmly to both of them, assuring them that she knew what Sesshomaru was going to do and asserting that she had full faith in his ability to complete his task. Inuyasha escorted her himself to the school grounds so she could work in the garden. Kagome and the other teachers managed to entertain the students who lived at the school.

That had been the first day.

The second day Rin had appeared at breakfast looking pale and wan, but still cheerful. Kagome and Inuyasha were also a little bleary-eyed, having stayed up to late with the novelty of sharing a room and a bed. They ate together with Shippo in the kitchen before helping the school staff prepare breakfast for the students. Kagome was especially good and coaxing her grumpy ten-year-olds to smile. Inuyasha swelled with pride when he observed her comforting a tearful kindergartener. She would make a good mother to his pups. Later that afternoon Kagome coaxed a tense Rin into an impromptu yoga session in the great room. Some of Kagome's class (her 'fans', as Inuyasha thought of them) joined them, and before long Kagome had fooled Inuyasha himself into trying a few moves. As a fighter with centuries of experience, Inuyasha was fit and flexible, but something about the intricate poses and twists flummoxed him, much to the delight of the children present. Shippo did not help by using four of his five tails for balance and executing each move perfectly.

That had been the second day.

The third morning, Rin hadn't shown up for breakfast at all and Kagome had to go find her. She was feeling sick and stayed in bed until past eleven. Inuyasha began feeling the stress of not knowing what was going on with his brother, whose cell phone now went straight to voicemail. Around noon he made an executive decision and sent his best trackers, a trio of wolf demons (Koga, Ginta, and Hakkaku) out to Kagome's family home to see if they could track down his brother's scent. He urged them not to engage in any conflict, should Naraku be around. They were strictly to find out what they could and return, so Inuyasha could make a decision about what could be done.

That morning, the fourth morning, Rin never came out. Kagome had eaten her breakfast and taken some food to Rin. She had yet to emerge, although she had texted Inuyasha periodically throughout the day, she didn't want to upset Rin any more than she was already. She stayed close, and Inuyasha tightened the guard around the door, feeling something prickling at his senses but unable to tell what it was. It made him uneasy, at any rate.

The door cracked open and Kagome slipped through, carrying a tray of uneaten food. She closed the door quietly behind her and offered Inuyasha a weary smile.

"She's okay," She said. "It looks like she just had a stomach upset, maybe the stress. She's asleep now. What is it?"

Inuyasha's senses were reeling. As soon as Kagome had opened the door the scent had hit him like a brick in the face. His instincts whirled threateningly. He could see, in his mind, warm pups, quiet dens, snuffling and cries. He felt the overwhelming urge to cover Kagome with his own body, to stay as close to her as possible. To protect her. To protect them. He noticed Shippo getting to his feet unsteadily at the end of the hall. He locked eyes with the kitsune, who gave him a grim look and shook his head.

"It's not her," he said, as if answering a question.

Inuyasha looked back at Kagome, who was obviously confused.

"What the hell is going on?" She asked, still holding the tray. Inuyasha pushed past her and opened the door. "No, she's sleeping-" Kagome protested, but Inuyasha didn't stop. He stepped into the dark room, Shippo on his heels.

Rin was asleep on the large four-poster bed, curled up in a fetal position. Inuyasha crept up to hear and leaned down to catch her scent, although it wasn't necessary. After two days of staying in the room, Rin's scent was lingering throughout the space.

Shippo smelled too, and his face fell. Inuyasha gestured for him to go outside. Back in the hallway, Inuyasha closed the door behind Shippo and turned to face Kagome, who'd set the tray down and was staring at him.

"Kagome," Inuyasha said, "She didn't have a stomach upset. Rin's pregnant."

"What? No, she can't be pregnant yet." Kagome said, almost looking relieved. "I'm sure Sesshomaru is very thorough, but it takes six weeks to tell if you're pregnant or not. They only had sex four, five days ago."

"Kagome," Shippo said, "I don't really want to tell you how I know this, but it only takes a few days for an egg to implant in the uterus-"

"Please don't mansplain fertility to me, Shippo," Kagome said with irritation. "Last time I

checked, I was the only person around here with a uterus."

"What he's saying," Inuyasha interjected, "is that demons can smell a pregnancy as soon as it implants. She may not be able to take a test yet, but her scent has changed. She's pregnant."

"Rin, pregnant? Oh, shit. Shit. Inuyasha…." Kagome looked pale. "What….what if...he never comes back?"

"We need to find him," Inuyasha said decisively. "He needs to know. He needs to stop taking stupid risks."

"What are you going to do?" Shippo asked. "You have to stay here. For her, and Kagome."

"I'll wait until Koga and the others come back. If they have a trail, I have to go and try to follow it."