Yes, I know I was supposed to update over the weekend and I didn't. I apologize for my procrastination. Sayaka loves her procrastination, so it isn't too surprising. But, to make up for it, I made this chapter somewhat longer than the other ones. Also, I found some mistakes in chapters 36 and 37, so I corrected the ones I found. If there are any more mistakes in any chapter, please let me know and I'll get on fixing them. Thanks.
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The ceiling above Kagome when she awoke wasn't familiar. That's not from the Imil inn, she thought. Sitting up and looking around only furthered her confusion. This isn't the Imil inn. Where am I?
She glanced down at her side where Shippo slept. His fox form didn't seem to fit in with his surroundings. In her opinion, he was more suited to the futons of the Sengoku Jidai. However, he was so cute as a fox, and during the day he had to put an illusion on himself and Inuyasha. As she watched, he stirred and opened his eyes. "Are you feeling better?" he asked, smiling up at her.
"I am," she assured him. "How are you? You have to keep up that illusion over you and Inuyasha. That must be exhausting."
"It is, but I can handle it. Don't worry about me; just focus on your task. Where are we headed today?"
"Kalay. That's a trading town, but then I think we're going to head towards Venus Lighthouse."
"Will you have to do the same thing?"
"Yes."
"Be careful, okay? Remember what Sango said."
"I will." She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood. "We need to get a move on or we'll be stuck traveling at night, and it's not safe to do that anymore." She got the others up and once everyone else was ready to go, they were on their way. They decided to stop by Vault to restock and rest before moving on. Ivan contacted Hamma with his mind while they were close, but she didn't come to visit. She knew how hard it would be to let them leave again if she saw them.
They continued on to Kalay, where they boarded the ship that carried them across the Karagol Sea to Tolbi. They were attacked by monsters from the sea, but the Adepts seemed to expect them, so Kagome didn't worry too much about it. Inuyasha took care of any that he could get his hands on, but he kept trying to use Tetsusaiga, which the captain wouldn't have appreciated because it would have destroyed his ship, so Kagome had to keep reminding him to just use his fists.
Once they arrived in Tolbi, they found rooms at the inn. After she dropped her belongings onto her bed, Kagome turned to Inuyasha and said, "I want to look around a bit. Do you want to come with me?"
"Sure, why not. It'll be something to do."
"Great! I'll go let one of the others know where we are." She skipped out the room and knocked on the door next to hers. To her surprise, Felix answered. "Oh, um, I didn't know you were next to us," she stammered, trying to recover from the unexpected surprise.
He didn't say anything, just looked at her and waited for her to say what she wanted. "M-my friend and I want to look around this place for a bit. Is that okay?"
He nodded. "Don't stay out too late," he said, then turned and closed the door behind him.
"He's about as talkative as when I first met him," she muttered under her breath. "Okay, Inuyasha, let's go," she said when she got back to the room.
They walked around and stopped at the lucky pool, where some people were throwing coins and making wishes. Inuyasha couldn't understand why they were wasting all their money on something like that, but it did startle him when the dragonhead shot forward and gave something to one lucky person. "What was that?" he asked, one hand on the Tetsusaiga.
"He was just luckier than the others," Kagome explained. "Depending on where your coin lands, and what kind of coin you throw in, you'll get a prize."
"Huh. Still seems like a waste of time to me."
After Inuyasha got bored of making fun of the stupid humans wasting their money on a fountain, Kagome took him to see the Colosso. She explained what happened here during the Colosso season, then regretted it when he wanted to join. "Inuyasha, you're a half-demon. None of the warriors would be able to stand up to you."
"So? If they're really all that great, then they should be at least a bit of a challenge. Besides, some of them are bound to need their egos flattened. Let's get started!"
I feel a headache coming on. "It's not the right time. Colosso isn't going to be for another few months."
She could almost see his ears flatten through the illusion. "Can't they just start early this year?"
"I don't think so. Come on, let's see what else this place has."
As it turned out, those two spots were the only interesting ones. Everything else could be found in the other towns. "Maybe I should go on to Lalivero by myself to seal Venus Lighthouse, then meet up with everyone else later," she mused while they walked back to the inn.
"I won't leave you," answered Inuyasha even though she wasn't talking to him. "Besides, they said they'd stay with you."
"Yes, but I know Sango Hao and Kohaku are anxious about their family and village. If we split, then we should be able to go faster."
"But they still need you to help them, so it wouldn't do any good for them to get there ahead of you and then have to wait."
"Good point. I don't know what to do then. I know we have to hurry, but I also have to seal off the Lighthouses."
Shippo pounced on them when they walked back in. "Where have you two been?" he demanded.
"We told you we were going out to see the town," Kagome said, stepping in between the fox and the dog before the dog could sink his teeth into the smaller demon.
"The day's almost over!"
"It took a while to get through Colosso."
"Leave them alone, Shippo," Miroku said. "It isn't often that the two of them get a chance alone."
They sat down for dinner. Kagome noticed that it was getting more and more uncomfortable for her to sit or even move. Her stomach had started expanding, and it was noticeable if one knew what to look for. No one had commented on it, but she doubted that they even knew that she was pregnant.
At dinner she got her usual entertainment of watching Mikealan and Sango Hao try to be discreet about their relationship and failing. She doubted that Inuyasha noticed, but even if he did, he wouldn't care, so he didn't count. For everyone else, they were amused at the young love. The ones she worried about were Kikyo and Kohaku. Sango Hao was Kohaku's only family present, and they appeared to be very close. When Sango Hao left him for Mike, he seemed to be lost. Kikyo was pretty much the same way; she was close to Mike for a long time, and then the demon slayer took her place. However, the two lost children seemed to have clung to each other, and Kagome could see the beginnings of love forming between those two as well. Of course, it was still very early, and those beginnings could just stop at friendship.
"Are we headed to Lalivero?" Sheba asked. Her violet eyes shone with anticipation.
Felix nodded. "We'll stop there, but I don't know how we'll get to the Lighthouse."
"Why?" Piers asked.
Jenna answered him. "When Isaac beat Saturos and Menardi, the base of the Lighthouse collapsed. I don't know how we'll be able to enter the Lighthouse because the entrance is gone, too."
I forgot about that. Leaning over, Kagome whispered to Shippo, "When we get close, do you think you could get me up there?"
"Sure," the fox said. "I'll transform and fly us both up there. Is this after we get to that place or before?"
"After we get there."
They only stayed in Tolbi for one night and continued on towards Lalivero. Since Kagome had flown to Venus Lighthouse courtesy of Wise One Air, she was dismayed to find that the only way to get to Lalivero from Tolbi was through the Suhalla Desert. Her pregnancy had made her body start to have heat flashes, and trying to travel through a desert without an air conditioning was just asking for trouble. However, when she went to Felix to see if there was another way, he shook his head with a negative. "What am I going to do?" she asked herself while she paced in her room in Suhalla before they entered the desert. Even though the outside was green, the arid wind blew out of the desert and made the town feel like it was part of it.
"You could ask to look for a different way with me," Sango suggested. "Then we could ride Kirara to wherever this place of yours is."
"If I thought I could get away with that, then I would be all over it," she said. "Unfortunately, Felix would never let the two of us go to look for something he doesn't believe exists, and then even if he did, he would wait for us because we'd have to follow after them otherwise, and apparently the more people in the group, the more likely it is to get out alive."
"What kind of desert is it?" Miroku asked, looking out the window facing the desert. "I could understand that sentiment if demons lived in there, but it appears to have only small animals inside."
"Felix said that there are demons there, but the more powerful ones that summon windstorms live under the sand, and we'll have to defeat them if we want to pass."
"Keh. I could get rid of them with one swing of my Tetsusaiga," said Inuyasha, patting the sword at his side.
"I doubt that they're anything close to Naraku, so I think if we just let you at them, we'll be fine," Miroku said. His face had a pensive look, but Kagome couldn't guess at what was on his mind.
"Well, I think that Felix wants to travel at sundown tomorrow," she said. "It's too hot during the day, but he wants light to see by because we'll have to kill the demons that try to attack us while we try to cross. Remind me to pack lots of water; I'll need it."
"Lady Kagome, would you care to take a walk with me?" Miroku asked.
"What do you have planned?" Sango asked, looking at him suspiciously.
"Fear not, dear Sango, I do not have the slightest lecherous idea in my mind," he assured her. "After all, she is pregnant, and that wouldn't be right."
"It's never right," the demon slayer muttered as Miroku pushed Kagome out the door in front of him.
The monk walked to the edge of town and followed the lit border that kept out the demons. "When is it due?" he asked.
"What?" She followed his gaze down to her stomach. "Oh, this little one. I'm not sure. I think I might be four or five months along. I mean, I can feel it moving, and sometimes it kicks me."
"So we possibly have four months left before it is born. I think our other companions might want to know about this. It might be an unpleasant surprise if they find out when it is born, don't you think?"
"You're right, but why do you want me to tell them now?"
"I am not instructed in the art of childcare, but I do know that if something happens to you, it might affect the child. Our companions have four well-trained healers, and I think that they could help you. And this way, they will be prepared to help you with the delivery."
"Why, Miroku, I do believe you're worried about me. I am right, aren't I?" she prodded when he looked away.
"Yes, I am worried about you. This heat might cause you to collapse, and that will probably hurt the baby. I know how much this baby means to you, so I'm helping in my own way." He grinned. "I know nothing of midwifery, so this is the best I can do."
"I've been trying to think of a way to tell them, but there doesn't seem to be a good way of doing it."
"Now would be as good a time as any. I will be your moral support."
"If you say so. Thank you to talking to me, Miroku. It doesn't happen all that often, mostly because of your lecherous ways, but this was nice."
"Hey, I have not touched you in a way that could be construed as anything but friendly," he yelped.
"I know. You're just a little too friendly, if you know what I mean."
"Lady Kagome, I have to touched you like that since the first time we met."
"Because Inuyasha would cut you into pieces if you tried."
He laughed. "This is true. However, I think I have behaved admirably since traveling with you."
"Yes, you've shown an amazing amount of restraint." They stopped at the inn's door. "I guess I should go tell them now," she said to her rounded stomach.
"You should," agreed Miroku. "I wish you luck."
"And where are you going?" she asked as he went up the stairs, which wasn't where the others were.
"I hear my dear Sango calling my name. She is very lonely right now and wishes for me to be with her. Good luck." He ran up the stairs, leaving her with the afterimage of him in her mind's eye.
"So much for moral support," she muttered, walking into the inn's dining room. Her stomach made walking normally awkward, and it wouldn't be long until all she would be able to do to get around would be waddle at various paces.
It was dark outside, but since they didn't have to get up early the next morning, some of her group was still awake. Sheba, Ivan, Felix, Isaac, and Mia were all seated at a table, and she felt certain that others were still awake, but they weren't in the dining room. She meandered over to their table and awkwardly sat down in a vacant seat. When she looked up at them, she saw Mia watching her movements. "Yes?" she said while still trying to find a comfortable position.
"How long have you been like this?" she asked. The men and Sheba were still talking to each other.
Kagome knew right off what she meant. "Five months, I think. I was just trying to figure out how to tell you, but you just saved me the trouble." I didn't know how much this was bothering me, but I feel so relieved that I don't have to be the one who announces it.
"It's due before we're finished, then." The healer's face was serious. "Why did you come if you knew that you were pregnant? This is dangerous, and you'll be putting not only yourself, but your baby in danger as well."
"When I first met you, I didn't know I was pregnant. I know that it's dangerous, but this is something I don't have a choice in. I have to complete this, with or without the baby."
"It won't be easy."
"What won't be easy?" Sheba asked, tuning in to their conversation. The others at the table also stopped talking to hear Mia, which caused Kagome to turn as red as Inuyasha's haori. Mia explained Kagome's condition to them, and to say they were upset would be an understatement. Her safety was their main concern, but she told them that she didn't have a choice, and in the end it was only Felix's command that stopped them from taking her back to Vale. He knew that she was essential for this to work, and while he was no happier about this than the others, he kept her. However, he did extract a promise form her that she would be more careful, and the healers would have to check her every day to make sure she stayed healthy. She had a job to do, and she had to be able to perform that job or else there was no reason to keep her there.
"Yes, I'll be careful," she said. "And I'll let them give me a check-up whenever they feel it's necessary. However, I'm not an invalid, so we need to keep pushing on. If we fall behind even more, then we may be too late to help Sango and Kohaku."
Once the topic of Kagome's condition became exhausted, they moved on to other ones, like how to pass through the desert as quickly as possible so they would still have daylight to see by, but not have to deal with the heat. Mia brought up that Kagome would have to keep at least one Mercury Adept by her side the entire time because if she became overheated, it would hurt the baby.
Felix glanced at the clock hanging on the far wall and stood up. "I've stayed up for as long as I can," he said. "Good night; I'll see you in the morning."
He left, and the rest of the table followed suit. Mia walked with Kagome to her room, telling her to be careful and giving her all sorts of precautionary warnings. "You're so young," she said, "so I presume that you're a first-time mother. Am I right?"
Kagome nodded, then regretted it when Mia launched into another tirade of warnings and telling her that she had to be more careful than ever. When they reached her door, she felt relief that she wasn't being barraged with words anymore. It was unkind of her to feel that way; after all, the healer only wanted to help her, but she knew all that already. She'd been present at enough births to know what not to do. Right before she closed the door, Shippo came bouncing out of one of the rooms in his fox form. She caught a glimpse of Mia's face, then the wooden door shut.
"Kagome?" Mia knocked on the door.
"Shippo, the illusion," she hissed. The fox demon nodded and poofed into a human boy. "Yes?" Kagome said, reopening the door.
Mia looked around the room, a confused look on her face. "I could've sworn I just saw someone familiar," she murmured. Then she addressed Shippo. "For a second, you looked a lot like you had pointy ears and cat-eyes."
"Me?" Shippo put on his innocent face. "I'm just a regular person."
"And you." She turned back to Kagome. "You looked like someone I knew a long time ago." Mia gave a small laugh. "I must be imagining things. This is what happens when I don't get enough sleep. Sorry to bother you."
"Shippo, don't come out here without the illusion," Kagome berated Shippo once she shut the door again. "We can't let them know you and Inuyasha are demons."
Shippo's mournful eyes gazed at her. "I didn't know," he said. "I didn't mean to. Honest."
She couldn't stay mad at those eyes. "I know," she sighed. "Just be more careful. I'm not expecting anymore guests, so go ahead and change if you want."
He shed it without a moment's hesitation. "It takes a lot of work keeping that thing up on both of us for days at a time," he said.
"Go to bed, Shippo. Rest now so you'll be strong enough to keep up the illusion even during the night."
"Good night, Kagome."
"Good night, Shippo."
In her dreams, Kagome saw the Wise One, and it wasn't happy with her. "They must never see the demons in their true forms," it said, somehow making its voice echo to show its fury.
"Why? They won't hurt anyone, and Shippo's being exhausted."
"If they see the demons, the memory block will break. The healer woman remembered in the instant that she saw the fox kit. If you are to succeed, then they must not remember until the very end."
As usual, it disappeared without explaining everything, which meant Kagome had to come up with an explanation on her own. Unfortunately, she had no way of knowing if her hypothesis was anywhere close to being accurate. "The day that Eye gives a straight answer is the day the world will stop turning and all life will cease to exist," she muttered before switching to a different dream.