As the sun rode low in the sky over the village the next day, the celebration of Naraku's defeat finally commenced. With the dark hanyou dead and the heroes all fit and healthy, everyone felt that now was the proper time to commend the group that did the deed of slaying him. Everybody dug deep into their stores to draw out the best of their food and drink, while a hunting party was dispatched to bring back some fresh meat. This decision would later cause a great roar of laughter to rise in the village as InuYasha asked to join the party, only to be refused. The pout on the hanyou's face was absolutely priceless.
"Why won't they let me come with them?" he complained. "I'm a damn better hunter than all of those humans put together!"
"Because," Kagome chortled, wiping tears out of her eyes, "this is a party thrown in your honor. Typically, people don't work at their parties."
The hanyou's ears drooped slightly as his bottom lip pushed out petulantly. "It's not work if I wanna do it," he pointed out sullenly. Kagome's smile grew wider as her laughter grew harder. In the end, she was unable to reply to him due to the great roars of laughter emanating from her throat. Annoyed and perturbed beyond all belief, the hanyou went off to try and find someone who would commiserate with him.
Besides the little hunting disappointment, the preparations for the party went smoothly. Lanterns were crafted and hung from every available point. Large jugs of saké were cracked open, the sweet scent of the alcohol leeching into the air around the clay jars. Meat sizzled on spits over the fires while vegetables cooked in nearby pans and pots. Most of all, there was an air of excitement and joy hanging over the village, a great change from the oppressive atmosphere of sickness and sorrow that had been dangling over their heads for far too long. It was an air of hope and new beginnings, and it was very much welcomed to the village beside the Goshinboku.
Then, as dusk settled over the village like a blanket, the lanterns were lit as the celebrations commenced. Cheers went up all around as the cups were filled with alcohol for the adults and water for the children and bowls were filled with an assortment of food. At the center of all this activity sat the group who had finally put an end to Naraku's life and saved every single person attending the event. Miroku was the only one who looked like he was comfortable with the whole affair: Sango kept blushing and looking away from the constant stream of people coming up to wring her hand and thank her endlessly for the good she had done for the village, while InuYasha and Kagome looked like they wanted nothing else than to be alone for a while, away from the overeager (and sometimes drunk) village men. Shippou was nowhere to be seen and was eventually presumed to be out with friends.
"This was a bad idea," InuYasha grumbled under his breath, his ears plastering to his head as yet another villager came up to thank them up and down for saving him and his family. Kagome reached out and gave InuYasha's hand a squeeze.
"Cheer up, InuYasha. This is supposed to be our party, after all. You're not supposed to sit there with a face like you're sucking a lemon." Before InuYasha could answer her, someone strode over to where the group was sitting and cleared their throat.
"Could you spare a moment to listen to me?" Everyone turned to look at the speaker, who revealed herself to be Kaede. The old miko waited until the last dregs of conversation had petered out before continuing: "I have an announcement to make. I have decided that, at the end of this year, I will retire as miko." A great cry of dismay rose at these words. Sango gasped, Miroku's eyebrows rose, Kagome's jaw dropped and even InuYasha looked horrified. Kaede lifted her withered hands up to placate the wave of shouts that rose in the village shortly thereafter. "I am an old woman, and it is time for me to stop this work. I am tired and ready to take my rest." Then, she turned around so that she was facing the group before her. Walking with the slow gait that age bestows upon all humanity, Kaede made her way over to Kagome.
"I must ask something of ye, Kagome. Since you cannot return to your home in the Heisei jidai, would you take over my position as miko of this village? I shall give you the necessary training before I retire-if that is what you would like." Kaede smiled down at the young girl, who looked like she had just been told she was the crown princess in line for the throne to the entire universe.
Kagome sat there, stunned by Kaede's offer. It had never occurred to her that Kaede would ever want to retire, or that the old miko would choose Kagome to be her successor. Then again, she figured, Kikyou couldn't fill the job now, and there were no other miko in the area. Not only that, but as Kaede had pointed out, she had no other home now besides here in the village. If she was going to live here for the rest of her life, she might as well make herself useful while she was at it. So she looked Kaede straight in the eye and said this: "I will, Kaede. I will become miko of this village."
A great cheer went up at this, as the previously dismayed villagers rejoiced in the knowledge that a new miko would be trained to take Kaede's place. The only person who didn't seem too happy with this was InuYasha. He was leaning back against a nearby hut, a scowl clearly pronounced on his face. Kaede turned to him, raising one eyebrow.
"Why do you seem so unhappy, InuYasha? I thought you, of all people, would want Kagome to be comfortable here." InuYasha fidgeted, growing steadily more uncomfortable beneath Kaede's inquisitive glare.
"I do," he finally grumbled. "It's just...just...miko aren't allowed to...to do anything." The hanyou grew steadily redder and redder as each word left his mouth until his face rivaled his haori. Kagome, who had been listening to their conversation, chose this moment to burst in.
"And you think that would stop us getting married?" she asked testily. InuYasha swallowed and leaned slightly away from her, glad that Kagome had removed the enchanted kotodama from around his neck. "I can't believe you, InuYasha! After all this time, you still think I don't want to be with you?"
"It's not that," InuYasha mumbled feebly.
"Then what is it?" Kagome crossed her arms over her chest, her eyebrows pulling down into a fierce glower. She pinned InuYasha with an almost murderous stare, one that made him want to curl up into a little ball in order to hide from her.
Luckily for the hanyou, Kaede intervened. "Nothing to worry about, InuYasha," she put in, "we can make an exception in Kagome's case. I think it's fine if you two wish to be married and raise children. As long as Kagome continues to perform as village miko...and, perhaps, if you devoted yourself to protecting her...then everything would turn out all right."
Kagome brightened considerably. "That sounds good," she agreed. "What do you think, InuYasha?" InuYasha nodded quickly, still cowering in case Kagome exploded again. She rolled her eyes and hauled him up off the ground, giving him a quick peck on the cheek to show him he was forgiven.
A few minutes later, when the party had resumed around them, Kagome leaned over and whispered a quick question in Sango's ear: "What are you and Miroku-sama going to do now?" Sango blushed and shook her head. "C'mon," Kagome wheedled, "Just a little bit?"
"Well," Sango murmured back, "Hou-I mean, Miroku and I are planning to settle down here, rather than in my village. We decided that would be best." Kagome nodded softly, understanding the reluctant tone in Sango's voice. Then she pulled back to give her friend some privacy.
"So...when are we going to get married?" she asked nonchalantly. InuYasha choked on a sip of water he was taking. Kagome reached over and started thumping the hanyou on the back, her face becoming concerned.
"I...I dunno...!" he gagged. Kagome waited, making sure the hanyou had managed to clear his airway before continuing.
"I don't want to pressure you or anything, but I think it should be soon. After all, we've done...certain activities that are frowned upon when two people aren't married." The bright red flush swiftly returned to InuYasha's face as she said this, clashing weirdly with his silver mane. Kagome cocked her head at him, her eyes sparkling. "What are you thinking, InuYasha?"
InuYasha looked at her, blush receding slightly as his face grew serious. "How soon is 'soon?'" he asked. Kagome giggled softly and reached over to tweak one of the hanyou's soft ears.
"You don't have to look so grave, InuYasha-it's not like this is life or death! If you want to wait to get married, then we can wait." InuYasha looked slightly relieved mere seconds later.
"Good. I...there's something I wanna do before I marry you," he stated.
"What is it?"
"Nuh-uh, wench. You ain't gonna wrestle it out of me until I'm ready to tell you." Kagome opened her mouth to protest, but InuYasha covered her mouth with his hand. "I swear, it's nothing serious...well, it is kinda serious," he amended, "but not really serious...if you know what I mean."
Kagome considered this for a few seconds before smiling and nodding. "I always liked surprises anyway," she said. "Okay, we'll wait until you finish whatever you're going to do. You'd better hustle, though."
"Why?"
Kagome shook her head, her smile widening into a grin. "If you're not going to tell me your secret, then I am definitely not telling you mine." InuYasha's eyes narrowed suspiciously as his lips lifted to show a little bit of his fangs. Then, abruptly, the suspicion faded, replaced by a pout.
"That's not fair," he whined, ears lying flat on his head.
"What's not fair? You have a secret that you won't tell me, so shouldn't I have a secret that I won't tell you? Anyway, I'll find out what it is soon enough, and so will you," she pointed out. "Until then, we should be patient, ne?"
InuYasha's ears pressed further down on his scalp as his golden eyes became almost mournful. "I hate being patient!"
Time passed, slowly but quickly gaining speed, as it always does when humanity busies itself. Deep in the forest, hidden from the eyes of most of the village, InuYasha was hard at work, busy constructing his gift to Kagome.
The abandoned hut had been tucked away in the forest for as long as InuYasha could remember, dating back to his brief time spent with the living Kikyou. He hadn't taken too much notice of it before, since he had preferred the life of a nomad. Now, with his and Kagome's wedding looming on the horizon, the realization that they would need a home had dawned on InuYasha. They very well couldn't live with Kaede for the rest of their lives!
Thus began the hanyou's secret project: the restoration and renovating of the abandoned hut. It was at a perfect location; close enough to the village for Kagome to perform her duties as miko without being tired out on the journey, but far enough away that the trees put a nice barrier between them and the noisy village. Plus the Goshinboku was only ten minutes away from said hut, and that was if you were a slow human. So that was InuYasha's plan: rebuild the hut and give it to Kagome as his wedding present. With nothing else to offer her, it was his best bet.
The only downside was that he didn't have much help in the reconstruction. He didn't trust any of the male villagers to keep their mouths shut about the project if he let them in on it, and if they blabbed, the secret might get out before he wanted Kagome to hear about it. Also, he had to spend most of his time mingling with the villagers and with Kagome, otherwise they would get suspicious. Because of this, the hut's rebuild was taking forever, and if it hadn't been for Kagome, then InuYasha might have given up altogether.
Finally, the mind-numbing lethargy of the build drove InuYasha to confiding in Miroku, after making the houshi swear to all the Kami and the Buddha that he would not tell Sango, who would undoubtedly tell Kagome. Miroku had soothed his friend with calm words and gestures, promising not to breathe a word to his fiancée. After an hour of this, InuYasha finally believed him and let him see what he was doing. Miroku's jaw had dropped when he caught sight of the hut.
"Are you building a hut for Kagome-sama?" he gasped. InuYasha had winced and shushed the houshi, glancing around as if Kagome or one of the villagers was going to jump out and shout "BOO!"
"Not building, baka; just rebuilding...an' making it a little bigger." InuYasha's eyes were still darting around; he seemed absolutely certain that someone was going to jump out from behind the trees.
"You want me to help?" Miroku had offered, getting over his initial shock. "I would be happy to do that, if that's what you want."
InuYasha had agreed, and the project became a little less tedious. For one thing, he no longer had to work in absolute silence, as Miroku provided a partner to converse with. For another, the renovations moved a little more swiftly, which meant that he and Kagome would be able to be married sooner. Things were looking up, and InuYasha knew it.
A few weeks later, InuYasha wasn't feeling so cheery. It had been nearly two months and he still wasn't done with the hut. Miroku kept telling him that they were only two men doing the work of many, but that didn't keep InuYasha from thinking that it could go a little bit faster. Not only that, but Kagome was acting weird. It had started shortly after he had began renovating their hut. Someone would say something relatively innocent to her, and she would fly off the handle, snapping and snarling like an angry wolverine. When the other person (often himself) tried to ask her why she was so angry, she would inexplicably start wailing. Then, when he had become completely confused and submissive, she would return to normal and apologize for her strange behavior. In addition, she didn't seem to be able to hold food down. She would take one look at a pot of stew or a cooked boar and she would flee shortly before InuYasha heard the sound of her retching. It had all been terribly worrisome and confusing, but Kagome had told him that she was fine, and refused to answer any other question besides that.
"It doesn't make any sense," he complained one day, whilst he and Miroku were working on the walls to the storage room InuYasha had added the previous week. "How can she be fine and doing all this strange shit at the same time?"
Miroku smiled slightly as he nailed one of the boards firmly into place. "It is the mystery of life and the known world, InuYasha."
InuYasha looked over at Miroku, scowling darkly. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
The houshi gazed over at his hanyou friend, pausing in the act of hammering in another nail. Then, his smile grew wider as he resumed his work. "Far be it from me to spoil the surprise."
InuYasha's eyebrows shot up into his hair as the realization hit him like a thunderbolt. "Dammit, you fucking houshi," he growled, "you know!"
Miroku shrugged. "She might have mentioned it."
The snarl in InuYasha's throat grew louder, rumbling in his chest like thunder. "So what is this secret that she trusted you with, ya crooked houshi?"
Miroku shrugged again, lifting the next board from the nearby pile of lumber. "I could tell you, InuYasha...but then I would have to tell Kagome-sama your little secret."
InuYasha went from angry to horrified in a split second. "You...you...!" There didn't seem to be an expletive bad enough to describe Miroku. Aforementioned houshi looked as smug as the cat who had caught the canary.
"It's only fair, InuYasha," he pointed out. "You won't let me tell her your secret, so I shouldn't tell you her secret."
InuYasha scowled. This whole secrecy thing was getting more annoying by the day.
Nearly a month and a half later, InuYasha had finally finished the hut. He stood before it on the final day of work, dusting his hands off and looking very pleased. Miroku stood beside him, a smile on his face.
"You have done well, InuYasha," he commented, as if this were no more astonishing than fetching a pail of water. The houshi's emotions were clearly written in his eyes, however: he was happy that his friend was happy. "When are you going to tell Kagome-sama?"
"Now-I'm gonna tell her right now!" InuYasha was about to bound off when Miroku caught his shoulder.
"May I make a suggestion?" When he was sure he had InuYasha's attention, the houshi continued. "Instead of just telling her about it...why don't you show it to her?"
InuYasha thought this over before his eyes brightened even more. "Yeah...yeah, I'll show it to her!" With that, the hanyou bounded off. Miroku gently shook his head and proceeded toward his own hut, which had been built at the western edge of the village by some very grateful villagers. It had been completed long before InuYasha's had, but then again, there were more than two men working on that one. However, Miroku had thought it best to not bring that up to the hanyou. It would only discourage him from a task that was really quite generous and caring.
Meanwhile, InuYasha was speeding off toward the village, barely touching the ground in his excitement. His heart was pounding in his throat with the force of his fierce joy. Imagining Kagome's reaction to learning that they had a hut made him even happier, so much so that he was nearly bounding in the treetops. Upon reaching the edge of the village, InuYasha slowed his frantic pace to a much slower walk, his entire body quivering with energy. 'Act casual,' he told himself. 'She'll never guess...'
Kagome was sitting outside with Kaede, learning more about the various medicinal herbs in the older miko's garden. Her attention was wholly upon Kaede, so she didn't notice InuYasha's approach. Her hand rested on her belly, her fingers splayed out over the fabric of her recently acquired yukata. InuYasha frowned when he saw this: was her stomach hurting again? And, if it was, would that mean that she would fly off the handle if he approached her? Doubt started to gnaw a hole in the hanyou's stomach, but he quickly pushed it away. 'She's improved,' he thought, 'she's not acting so weird anymore, and she's been able to eat regularly...more than usual, maybe, but regularly. Don't wuss out now!'
"Hey, Kagome," he greeted, trying to inject an indifferent tone into his voice. Kagome looked up at him, her hand moving to the ground to steady herself as she did so. She smiled and rose, dusting herself off.
"Where have you been?" she asked, knowing full well that InuYasha wouldn't tell her.
"Out." This nonchalant thing was hard, but InuYasha was prepared to persist in order to perpetuate the air of surprise. "I wanted to show you something."
Kagome looked at him in confusion, blinking once or twice before her smile reasserted itself. She turned to Kaede and bowed, her hands clasped gently in front of her. "Gomen, Kaede, but it looks like we'll have to end the lesson for today."
Kaede smiled and shook her head. "It is nothing to apologize for, Kagome. Go on." Kagome nodded and walked over to InuYasha, threading her arm through his and leaning against him.
"Well, let's go see this 'something,'" she joked, tugging gently on his hand. InuYasha pulled away from Kagome and knelt down, offering his back to her.
"Climb on, Kagome," he told her. Kagome, however, backed away, her face suddenly uncertain.
"I don't know..." She bit her lip, her hand returning to her stomach. InuYasha rose quickly, looking contrite.
"If you're still feeling nauseous...sorry, we can walk," he quickly said. Kagome reached out and took his hand, then InuYasha started walking in the direction of the forest.
"I'm not really nauseous, but I don't think it's a good idea for me to be moving around so fast right now." When InuYasha turned to shoot Kagome an incredulous look, she laughed softly and tugged on his hand. "Tell me your secret and I'll tell you mine, remember?" InuYasha made to argue, but then remembered what he was doing and shrugged instead.
"Whatever."
The forest was quiet, save for the sounds of small animals moving about unseen in the brush. It was actually quite nice, walking with Kagome through the forest that had been named after himself because of his fifty year imprisonment to the Goshinboku. InuYasha's body was quivering again, the excitement returning full force as he grew closer and closer to the renovated hut. He was sure Kagome could feel it, but she kept quiet, seeming to prefer being alone with her own thoughts.
They were nearing it now. InuYasha could see the tracks that he and Miroku had worn in the grass during the months of construction and smell the scent of new wood that had permeated the air every time they had made a new pile of lumber and persisted after the hut had been finished. His heart leaped into his mouth. Any moment now, he would reveal his months of hard work to Kagome with his promise to marry her shortly thereafter, and she would surely tell him her secret in return (as well as maybe bestow some kisses upon him...)
"Close your eyes," he urged her as the trees started thinning. Kagome let out a small laugh before she complied. InuYasha pulled her forward, breaking out into a small jog as he sped through those last few meters. When they were standing directly in front of the hut, InuYasha skidded to a stop. "Okay...open 'em!"
Kagome promptly opened her eyes, then did a double take, staring up at the hut standing in front of her. It was not as large as one of the houses back in her time, but it was clearly larger than most of the huts in the Sengoku jidai. It stood there, proud and tall in the midst of the long green grass and occasional tree. She moved forward slowly, her hands coming up to wrap around her middle.
"Did...did you do this?" she managed to gasp. InuYasha shrugged.
"Rebuilt it, mostly. I had the bouzou help me to put it all together. We just finished it today." He stood back to watch the effect this had on Kagome. When she still looked just as staggered as ever, he tentatively added, "It's not exactly furnished or whatever, but Miroku says we could work and buy so-"
At that moment, Kagome launched herself at him, reaching out and wrapping her arms around his head, her legs going about his waist as she ferociously kissed him. InuYasha staggered about, having been caught completely off guard by the miko's 'attack.' He recovered swiftly and kissed her back, gently prying her legs from around his waist and setting her back against the ground.
"You like it then?" he asked.
"Like it? InuYasha, it's wonderful!" she squealed. "You built us a home!"
The hanyou shuffled about, looking down at his feet in order to hide his wide grin. "Yeah, sorta."
Kagome wrapped InuYasha in a hut, nuzzling his cheek in a contented sort of way. "Just in time, too," she commented. "I don't think I could have kept my surprise from you much longer." InuYasha blinked at her. Was she still not going to tell him?
"Kept what from me?" he growled. Kagome shook her head slightly.
"You really haven't spent much time around women, haven't you?" she asked, though it sounded more like a statement. Not seeing where this was going, InuYasha shook his head. Kagome smiled at him, beaming happily. InuYasha was temporarily caught off guard by how...radiant she looked. Not that she didn't always look good, but right at that moment she looked particularly joyful. Her surprise must be something good, then, he thought.
"Are you going to tell me your secret, then?" Kagome pondered for a few seconds, then shook her head.
"Not tell you...I think I'll let you feel it." Before InuYasha could ask what the hell she meant by feeling a secret, she reached out and took one of his hands. Then, moving carefully so she wouldn't prick herself with InuYasha's claws, she placed his hand on her stomach, like he had been doing earlier. "Now, just wait," she instructed. "You'll see what I mean."
Confused, InuYasha waited with his hand pressed against Kagome's belly, wondering what on Earth could possibly be going on. What had she been hiding from him these past few weeks or however long it had been?
Then, he felt it. It was tiny, barely managing to make it past the layer of Kagome's clothing, but he definitely felt something move. The bottom dropped out of his gut as the light went on his head. Kagome watched as InuYasha inhaled sharply, blinking rapidly as if to clear tears out of his eyes. His mouth worked, as if he was going to say something, but nothing came out. The hanyou seemed to have lost his speaking capabilities. Kagome reached up and took InuYasha's head in her hands, pulling him down until his forehead rested on hers.
"You can't imagine how hard it's been for me to keep this secret from you," she murmured. "Every day, I would wonder if it was right for me to keep this child of ours in the dark, especially when you asked me if something was wrong. 'He's the father,' I would tell myself, 'he has a right to know.'" Kagome was silent for a second, obviously thinking hard. "I asked Miroku-sama for advice, and he said I should wait just a little while longer. 'If you tell InuYasha now, he'll be put out because he'll have to tell you what he's doing, and he's not ready yet,' was how it put it. I didn't really think you'd be put out if I told you about the baby, but I agreed that you weren't quite ready. So I waited, and I hope that you aren't angry at me for doing that." The last few words hung in the air as Kagome fell silent, her hands tightening in InuYasha's hair. Her heart was pounding in her throat, and deep inside herself, she felt her baby flutter. She waited for InuYasha's reply, wondering if it would ever come. Silence seemed to be king in this clearing now.
Then, when Kagome thought she could stand it no longer, InuYasha finally spoke up. "Angry?" he croaked. He reached out and pulled Kagome close to him, burying his face in her hair. "Why in the name of the seven hells would I be angry? I can't be angry, K'gome...you're...I'm gonna..." He trailed off, unable to voice his innermost thoughts. Kagome understood, though, and smiled in relief.
They stood like that for some time, wrapped in each other's arms, letting the emotions of the moment speak instead of words. Rustling leaves provided the only sound in the clearing, a soft whispering that underlined the serenity of the moment. Kagome let her eyes drift shut, glad that she could share this moment with her hanyou, and he, in turn, was glad that he could share it with her.
Now that InuYasha had presented the hut to Kagome, he knew it was time to pursue marriage, especially since his mate was going to have a pup. A pup. Even thinking about it made his heart soar. In all of his long life, he had never considered that one day he might have his own little ones, and now that he was...it was indescribable.
However, it also made marriage an absolute necessity. They couldn't just go and have a pup out of wedlock, that much he knew. Such pups were called 'bastards,' and while InuYasha willingly used the term for many people he didn't care for, his own child was not one of them. Hence the need for marriage. (It was only to bind them in the eyes of the people, anyway: the lack of official ceremony was the only thing their companionship was missing.)
Impatient as always, InuYasha went straight to Kaede the day after learning about his and Kagome's pup and demanded that they be married right then and there. Kaede had held up her hands like she was warding off a powerful evil, trying to calm the hanyou down while explaining that a good marriage didn't happen on the spot; it was planned out over time, with plenty of effort put into it. InuYasha had remained convinced that Kaede wouldn't marry them on purpose until Kagome told him off for being rude.
Other than that, life was pretty good. The couple had moved into the hut InuYasha had restored and were settling in nicely. Some of the villagers had kindly donated some of their used and unneeded items to them, so they had all of the bare essentials, like a futon and a few cooking pots. They also had an herb garden, which Kagome had started with Kaede's recommendation that she do so. It still looked pretty barren, but Kagome had been assured that the herbs would sprout before long. Their new life was proceeding without so much as a hitch.
Now, if InuYasha could just solve that whole marriage thing...
About six weeks later, the planning for the double wedding that was to take place was completed, which was a good thing. InuYasha got steadily more and more impatient as time went by without so much as a peep from the planners. Kagome tried to assure him that the wedding would come eventually, but the hanyou had remained convinced that everyone in the village was conspiring against him, his mate/fiancée and their unborn pup (the evidence of which was now visible to everyone in the village, seeing as Kagome's belly had become more swollen as time went by).
The day before the wedding was one of the hardest days InuYasha ever had to endure. According to Kagome, one of the Heisei jidai traditions was that the bride didn't see the groom before the wedding, meaning that he and Miroku were stuck together while Kagome and Sango were off doing...whatever the two women did when they were alone together. Normally InuYasha was fine with this, but the whole 'not allowed to see each other' thing really pissed him off. It was hard to not just fuck the whole ceremonial thing and go see her. What made it worse were his revamped protective instincts toward his pregnant mate and the pup she carried; they itched and frayed his nerves past what he would consider bearable.
After listening to InuYasha's grumbles for about half an hour, Miroku had had enough. "InuYasha, Kagome will be fine," he snapped. "She is with Sango, and your baby is nowhere near due. Even if there was some sort of scare, Kagome would be more than capable of handling it. Stop worrying and enjoy your last night as an unmarried man."
InuYasha did not look any happier about this revelation than he had five seconds beforehand. "This 'tradition of hers is just a bad idea," he grumbled, shoving his arms into his haori and glaring mutinously at the fire. "Especially since she's pregnant."
Miroku sighed, resigning himself to a few more hours of this. "She wanted to do this, InuYasha. Would you begrudge her that?" InuYasha looked extremely affronted at this and wasted no time telling him so. That kick-started a long and grueling 'conversation' that quickly degenerated into an insult battle. Both men kept arguing until well past midnight, and were almost about to murder each other by the time Kaede arrived to put a stop to it, with promises to summon their wives-to-be if they didn't. The thought of Kagome, who somehow managed to look intimidating despite the roundness of her pregnancy, coming to deal with his and Miroku's argument made InuYasha clam up rather quickly. (The same was true for Miroku, except with Sango instead of Kagome.)
InuYasha slept fitfully that night. His wedding was tomorrow, and while he would never admit to the so called 'jitters,' the hanyou did feel like there were live snakes crawling around in his stomach, making him uneasy and nervous. For a few seconds, he wondered if Kagome felt the same. Then he remembered that Kagome would feel something moving in her stomach regardless of whether or not she was nervous. That thought actually made him feel a little better; sure, he was still nervous about the day to come, but marrying Kagome was the right thing to do, for both themselves and the pup. Not only that, but...but he wanted to do it. InuYasha had already mated with Kagome as youkai would do, so wouldn't it make sense for them to be joined in the human way too?
Dawn came, bright and slightly cold as the last dregs of winter made themselves known. The villagers woke early to prepare for the double wedding that was to take place that afternoon. The brides and grooms were dressing in their separate huts, all of them feeling nervously excited about what was about to occur.
Then the sun was in the noon position, and it was time for the wedding to start. The village's dirt roads were clogged with people, all of them heading toward the Goshinboku, where the wedding was to take place. In the center of the huge mass were the grooms, the brides already having gone to the Goshinboku ahead of time.
InuYasha pulled at the collar of his (borrowed) black kimono. Slightly smelly and half a size too large, the garment was definitely inferior to his fire-rat haori. It was tradition, however, so the hanyou put up with it. Nervous excitement was coursing through his body, making him twitchy as all hell. This was it; this was the day he had been (unconsciously) waiting for-the day when he and Kagome would be formally recognized as husband and wife, together in the eyes of the people.
Goshinboku loomed in the distance, a goliath among many smaller trees. At its base stood a small knot of people, including Kaede, Sango and-
InuYasha's breath caught in his throat. Kagome was there, turning with the rest of the crowd to behold the grooms as they finally made it to the makeshift altar. She was resplendent in radiant white, the curve of her belly pronounced beneath the loose cloth. The miko beamed at him, her face bright and happy. InuYasha moved to her side, striding quickly without actually breaking into a sprint.
"I thought you'd never get here," she whispered, reaching down and briefly squeezing his hand. InuYasha snorted.
"I think you call it 'fashionably late,' wench," he growled softly. She giggled, then fell silent when Kaede mounted the small platform and commenced the ceremony. The old miko moved forward to bless each couple and purify them. Then the three cups of saké were drunk (water in Kagome's case) and the offerings to the Kami made. Then, with a smile on her face, Kaede pronounced the couples married. A great cheer went up around the surrounding villagers, making the couples blush and grin sheepishly.
The party commenced shortly after the ceremony was completed. The men congratulated Miroku and InuYasha for selecting such 'fine women' to be their brides and hoped that they would bear them many children. More than one person commented that InuYasha wasn't going to have any trouble in that area. Kagome ended up dragging a surly InuYasha away from a group of cowering males, telling him off about 'accosting innocent people.' InuYasha's argument was that they were prying into his private business.
"What private business?" she asked irritably. "What could they possibly know about your private business?"
InuYasha flushed bright red and looked away, his ears pressing flat against his scalp. "It...it was about the pup," he mumbled. "They were making fun of the pup."
As abruptly as she had started dragging the hanyou away, Kagome screeched to a halt. "They were what?"
"They were talking about how this pup is technically a bastard since he was...made before the wedding." InuYasha carefully peeked at his wife, afraid to see how she would take this. For a few seconds, Kagome just stood there, her free hand moving to the apex of her stomach. Then she whirled around and began stomping off in the direction of the men. InuYasha seized the neck of her kimono and hauled her back.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Kagome's teeth were gritted in a savage frown. "They will not talk about our baby that way!" she hissed. "Let go!"
Funnily enough, seeing Kagome in a rage over what the men had said cheered InuYasha up considerably. He put his arm about her waist and turned her around, gently manuvering her toward the smell of food. Kagome grumbled under her breath, glaring balefully at any male villager they happened to pass. "They're just being stupid," he commented, practically grinning now. "Don't let 'em ruin our day, K'gome."
A smile tugged at the corner of Kagome's lips. "Our day, huh?"
He nodded. "Told ya I'd get around to marrying you eventually."
Kagome laughed at that and smiled fully. "Not a moment too soon, I must say." Taking the hand InuYasha had placed on her waist, she moved it over to her swollen flank, letting him feel the life squirming about inside of her. InuYasha's ears sprung up at the feeling.
"Fuckin' hell, wench, has it been doing that all day?" His eyebrows were practically crawling into his bangs now. Kagome giggled softly and nodded.
"Most of the ceremony, anyway. I think he's just as excited as we are." Kagome sighed and leaned against her husband, her eyes drifting shut as she reveled in the emotions still coursing through her body. "I'm so happy, InuYasha," she murmured. "So happy."
InuYasha nuzzled her head, his smile obscured by the thick black tresses. "I am too, Kagome. I am too."
Summer was drawing near, the warmth chasing away the cool days of spring and downing the last of the blossoms from the trees. Along with the summer came a renewal of InuYasha's tension. Kagome's stomach had become grossly swollen in the past few months, dragging down her legs and reducing her to a slow waddle. Even though she had retired in the middle of spring, Kaede still helped with Kagome and the pup, and had recently proclaimed that Kagome was about ready to give birth. Upon hearing that, InuYasha freaked, yelping about and shouting that she shouldn't be up and about, should be lying down, and so on.
Eventually, Miroku had intervened on Kagome's behalf, and had dragged InuYasha along with him on a youkai-hunting mission. When InuYasha asked the houshi's reasoning (with threats to skin him alive if he didn't take him back) Miroku revealed that Sango had just become pregnant herself. "She's been...extremely temperamental lately," Miroku stated with a shudder, "I am just trying to give her some space. Kagome-sama could use it too."
"What do you mean by that?" InuYasha demanded.
"You've been rather...oppressive of late, my friend. Your child will be born, regardless of what Kagome-sama does or does not do. Keeping her in a cage won't help her give birth to a healthy child." InuYasha scowled and put his hands in his haori sleeves.
"I know that! I...I just don't want anything to happen to her." InuYasha looked out over the landscape, not seeing any of the trees before him, or the rolling grounds beyond them. "Haven't you seen her, bouzou? She can barely walk anymore, or bend over. Sometimes I see her lying down on our bed, all curled up like she's in pain, but she says she's all right!" The hanyou's fist flashed out and created a large dent in a nearby tree. "I'm just worried about her, all right?"
Miroku laughed quietly. "Babies are one thing a man will never understand, InuYasha. You'd best leave it to Kagome-sama until your child is born."
Still, InuYasha couldn't stop fretting, even after they returned home (with quite a large reward for slaying a particularly nasty youkai). Kagome reassured him that their baby would be fine, and that she would be fine, but the hanyou still worried.
Then, one night, Kagome cried out in pain, waking InuYasha from his fitful sleep. The hanyou leaped out of the bed like he had been burned by a hot poker. She looked up at him with wide, frightened eyes. He didn't have to ask what was happening; all that mattered was that it was happening, and happening now. Sweeping her up, InuYasha bundled her out of their house, howling for Kaede all the way there.
Many pain-and-howl filled hours later, just when the sun was starting to rise in the East, a reedy wail announced the arrival of the pup and the end of the long hours of work. Inside Kaede's hut, the old miko was busy washing off the new babe. Sitting in the corner, looking like he was about to pass out, was InuYasha. Kagome lay in his lap, pale and sweaty, but none the worse for wear. She was actually struggling to rise, trying hard to see her newborn baby.
"Kaede-ba-chan," she murmured, her eyes slowly fluttering open. "Where is he? Can I see my baby?"
"Patience, child," she chided, turning about slowly, the whimpering bundle clasped in her arms. "I'm coming over now." The miko's withered face broke out into a smile as she knelt down beside the younger woman with some difficulty. "Here is your son, Kagome."
With a cry of joy, Kagome rose up, gently seizing her child with eager hands and pulling it to her breast. InuYasha peeped over her shoulder, still looking pale and faint, though some of the color returned to his face at the sight of his pup. He was tiny, even more so in the large blankets concealing him. A small tuft of silver hair decorated his head, along with two tiny dog-ears, pinned down to his head to shut out the noise. The pup reached out with a tiny paw, revealing tiny claws that looked soft and fragile.
"My little one," Kagome cooed, "Mama's here, baby. Mama's here." The pup squeaked softly and buried himself in his mama's breast. InuYasha reached over her shoulder and touched the baby's tiny paw.
"I'm a father." He sounded absolutely dazed. Kagome nodded and drew the baby close to her face. "I have a...a son, Kagome." The miko laughed tiredly.
"Do you want to name him now, or do you want to wait?" she asked.
InuYasha thought for a few seconds before stating, "The pup can wait a little longer. I'm tired, and you look exhausted." Kagome rolled her eyes before settling back against InuYasha.
"We can't forget," she mumbled. "We can't forget what brought us to this day."
InuYasha looked up, out through the small window of Kaede's hut. It was true; they had endured many trials and tribulations before this day. However, that meant that InuYasha and Kagome would treasure this day all the more, and all the days to follow it. They had earned this happiness, yes, but they could never forget what happened in the process.
'We won't forget, Kagome,' he thought. 'Maybe...maybe one day we'll tell the pup about it, when he's old enough.' He leaned back and closed his eyes, one hand going to cover the pup's tiny head. 'Sleep well, pup. I...Papa loves you.'
The End
A/N: Thank you all so much for your support of Forget Me Not! I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas (or whatever holiday you may celebrate) and a Happy New Year!
