Notes:

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, or any of the other characters from the anime and/or manga. Everyone else is mine :)

Hello everyone! Wherever you are, I hope you're safe and well.

You're getting a very long chapter today! I couldn't decide where to split it, and so just posted it all in one take.

This chapter contains sexual content.

Please enjoy!


Kagome was thrilled with the last practice of the year. Her form and her technique were spot-on, and she was earning marus over and over again. Even Suzuki-sensei looked pleased; a smile was regularly crossing her normally pinched expression.

Kagome was feeling so good about her final practice that she hung around for a few minutes while everyone said their goodbyes to Suzuki-sensei and to each other. She made like she was counting all her arrows to make sure she was taking home the appropriate amount for practice.

Finally, the room emptied out, and Kagome was left alone with her coach. She waved to Inuyasha to let him know she would need a minute; he smirked at her and whipped out his phone, scrolling absently. Kagome approached Suzuki-sensei slowly.

"Excuse me, Suzuki-sensei?" Kagome asked, maintaining a respectful distance.

Suzuki-sensei looked up from her notebook. "Yes, Higurashi-kun?"

"I just—wanted to thank you for this year. It's been awesome to learn more about kyudo under your expert coaching. I feel as though I've grown so much. Before I joined the team, I could hit a target 50 meters away no problem. But I had no technique, no understanding of the importance of hassetsu and of the role of meditation in kyudo. Now, though, I get it. And I will dedicate myself to improving all aspects of my kyudo in the new year." She bowed low.

Suzuki-sensei's eyes crinkled under her glasses as she smiled. "Higurashi-kun," she replied. "You have come a long way this year. Thank you for all your hard work. My goal is to get you into nationals in February, so please keep working over the break."

Kagome bowed again. "Thank you, Suzuki-sensei. I will." Kagome paused, as if hesitating to say more. Then, she took a breath. "Suzuki-sensei?"

"Yes, Higurashi-kun?" Suzuki-sensei had returned to her notebook.

"Do you have plans for New Years?"

Suzuki-sensei looked up at Kagome, surprised. "New Years?"

"Yeah." Kagome blushed. "Each year we open the shrine really early, like six am, and people come from all over for hatsumode. We usually do a tour of the shrine as well, and we've always told the story of our Goshinboku. We usually close the shrine about 6pm, and my mother serves the osechi ryori. My husband and his family will join us, and I hope you will be able to, as well." Kagome smiled hopefully.

"Your husband?" Suzuki-sensei asked.

Kagome blushed even more deeply. "Yash and I got married in August at the Ward Office, and we had our religious ceremony in November. We've been keeping it quiet. I don't want my marriage to interfere with my studies."

Suzuki-sensei sighed. "Aren't you a little young to be married? What does your family think?"

"My mother is happy. She knows how much I love him. My brother worships him. And my grandfather…tolerates him," Kagome said with a smile.

"Well," Suzuki-sensei said, "While I find Fujimura-san to be brash and careless, it's clear he cares about you, and I am happy to congratulate you on your marriage. And spend the New Year with you and your family."

Kagome's eyes grew wide, but she recovered quickly. "Great!" Kagome clapped her hands together in excitement. "I'll message you with the details, but plan on eating with us at 6 on New Year's Day. If you want to come a little earlier for hatsumode, you're of course welcome. I think we'll be giving tours all day and doing a reenactment every few hours." She turned to leave, then paused. "I look forward to seeing you, Suzuki-sensei. Really. And thanks for everything."

"See you at New Years, Higurashi-kun," replied Suzuki-sensei, not looking up from her notebook.


Kagome and her mother spent the week before New Years frantically cleaning the shrine house and the shrine grounds. Hatsumode was a huge event for the shrine: a chance to make a significant amount of money. A clean house and a clean shrine would bring good fortune. Souta even hung a shimekazari on the front door to try and bring extra luck.

New Years Eve was quiet. Mrs. Higurashi and Kagome made toshikoshi soba, and the family lounged in the living room, watching Kohaku Uta Gassen. Kagome lay curled on the couch in Inuyasha's arms; Souta sat at their feet, while Jii-chan dozed in his chair and Mrs. Higurashi read a novel in her chair.

Kagome was especially silent. She'd been feeling…different…the past few weeks. Like something inside her wasn't right. Since the night after they got married at the shrine. She couldn't pinpoint it easily, but something was off. Her stomach was queasy; her breasts felt sore; she'd been spotting a little. And then she missed her period. She thought it could be stress. At one of her training sessions, she mentioned it to Asuka, and was shocked when her niece had immediately begun sniffing Kagome's body intensely. Kagome recalled how Asuka's eyes had gone wide, and she'd tossed off an excuse to Hideaki and Inuyasha and dragged Kagome out of the manor and to the nearest drugstore. She bought Kagome a pregnancy test, and then Asuka took her into her private bathroom and sat with her while Kagome peed on the stick and set the timer on her phone for two minutes.

But they didn't need two minutes. Almost immediately the test showed a plus sign. Asuka insisted they wait the entire time anyway, but Kagome's heart stopped beating as soon as she saw that it was positive.

A pup.

"How is this possible?" Kagome had whispered, disbelieving.

"You're on the pill?" Asuka asked. Kagome nodded. Asuka chuckled. "It is only 99% effective, you know. Have you been taking it regularly?"

"Yes," Kagome said immediately, but then paused. "When we had the shrine ceremony," she said slowly, "I may have missed a day or taken it at a different time. And maybe a few other times. It's been a stressful few months." Her eyes shone with unshed tears.

"Your mate has determined sperm, Auntie, and you're especially fertile at this age," Asuka told her. "It's entirely possible that even the pill can't stop Uncle from pupping you." And she'd roared with laughter.

"But if you could tell, why can't he?" Kagome couldn't help but ask.

Asuka's laughter continued. "Uncle is not exactly known for his…subtleties," she snorted. "I'm sure he's detected a change in your scent, but has no idea why. He can't detect the reason behind the shift—he's probably never smelled a pregnant woman before."

"Can your sister and Sesshomaru…?"

"They can," Asuka said immediately. "I'll ask them to keep it to themselves for now. You tell Uncle when you're ready." She reached forward and grasped both of Kagome's hands in her own. "We will support you, whatever happens, Auntie." And she'd pulled Kagome into a hug.

That was three weeks ago. Kagome still hadn't told Inuyasha. She wasn't scared, exactly, but she had to admit that she didn't know how he'd react. She knew he wanted pups. She knew he wanted to pup her. And the reality of the situation was simple. She was pregnant, and in a few months, there would be a cute, little pup, hopefully with Inuyasha's ears.

She had to tell him soon. Asuka was after her to get to a midwife, and had a few names of midwives who specialized in youkai births. A hanyou birth would be a little different, but Asuka was confident her recommendations would be able to help. But Kagome didn't want to go to the midwife until she told Inuyasha, and she'd been waiting for the right moment. New Year's seemed to be the perfect time.

On the couch, Inuyasha ran his hands through Kagome's hair, his claws gently working through the tangles. "All right, mate?" he asked her softly.

She turned back to look at him and smiled. "All right," she replied, sighing back into his chest.

Tomorrow, she thought. With the new year, and the new life, tomorrow seemed like the perfect time.


New Year's Day all the occupants of the shrine were awake and moving before dawn. The grounds needed to be swept; omamori, omikuji, and ema needed to be set out, and Kagome and Inuyasha ran through their tale of the Goshinboku one last time before the shrine opened to the public.

Inuyasha was really worried about Kagome. She had been awfully quiet the night before, and actually, she'd been quieter in general the past few weeks. She hadn't even wanted to go out for Christmas Eve, and according to Souta, that holiday was special for couples: a night set aside for romance. Instead, Inuyasha had brought home their fried chicken and cake, and they'd eaten by themselves, in the cottage, at their kotatsu, the television softly blaring. And while what they did after was completely satisfying, he had to admit that even then she'd been quieter than normal.

Today, watching her in her traditional miko gear, quiver of arrows strapped to her back and the bow slung over her shoulder, he could smell her nervousness and fear. But every time he asked her what was wrong, she shrugged it off and told him she was fine.

She wasn't fucking fine, though. She was scared shitless of something, and she wouldn't tell him what.

He decided that if she wasn't going to tell him the next time he asked, he would go to her mother and hopefully together they'd be able to get out of her what was wrong.

Promptly at 6am, the shrine opened. There were hordes of people waiting in line to be the first ones into the shrine to make their purchases, make their prayers, ring the bell, and make their offerings. Inuyasha in his fire-rat haori and Kagome in her miko gear made quite the spectacular greeters to the shrine-goers. Lots of people wanted to stop and get their picture taken with them; Inuyasha grumbled the whole time, but Kagome kept her hand in his, murmuring platitudes to keep him from running his claws through the whole lot of them. At least he didn't have to wear his cloaking bracelet; everyone thought his "costume" was outstanding and he got lots of compliments on how "real" his ears looked.

Then, every two hours, Inuyasha and Kagome ran through the story of their Goshinboku: how a miko and hanyou had fallen in love, but were tricked into killing each other by an evil demon. Then, how the miko had sealed the hanyou with her sacred arrow (at which point Kagome nocked an arrow, infused it with her aura, and shot it towards Inuyasha, with the arrow flying past him and hitting the tree behind him—the crowd loved that part, especially when her aura caused pink sparks to fly out of the tree trunk when her arrow struck it). Then, how another miko found the hanyou fifty years later and freed him, and they fell in love and lived happily ever after, defeating dangerous youkai and using their powers together (at which point Inuyasha raised his Tetsusaiga to the sky and Kagome fired another sacred arrow), and the "show" concluding with them kissing and thunderous applause. Inuyasha tried really hard not to roll his eyes, but Kagome smiled sweetly at the shrinegoers and encouraged them to go buy their charms and make their offerings for the New Year. He knew this re-enactment was a huge reason people were coming to their shrine, and purchasing their charms. And, Kagome was actually happy, especially when she murmured to him that this could be the best New Years financially for the shrine in quite awhile.

Somewhere along the way, Inuyasha's family had made their way to the shrine. Rin led her daughters, her arms linked in theirs, to the shrine to make their offerings and purchase their omamori. Hideaki and Sesshomaru followed, Sesshomaru looking incredibly bored by the human holiday and the chaos of the shrine. Mrs. Higurashi was thrilled to see them, embracing everyone (even Sesshomaru, whose face when she hugged him made Inuyasha and Kagome roar with laughter), and reminding them to stay for the osechi ryori. Rin happily agreed before Sesshomaru could say no. Asuka and Sayua greatly enjoyed the Goshinboku demonstration, Sayua telling Kagome later that she should have made it little closer between the sacred arrow and her uncle's head. Inuyasha growled and chased his niece around the shrine, Sayua laughing the whole time.

Kagome had been scouring the crowd for Suzuki-sensei. It was getting close to six o'clock: time for the shrine to be closing soon. Finally, she spotted her kyudo coach coming out of the shrine, an omamori in her hand. Kagome rushed over to her and bowed.

"Suzuki-sensei," she said politely, "thank you so much for visiting our shrine today."

Suzuki-sensei smiled. "It's my pleasure, Higurashi-kun." She looked around, her tortoise-shell glasses slipping down her nose a little. "Your family shrine is lovely," she commented.

Kagome beamed. "Thank you so much," she replied. "Let me take you to meet my mother."

Suzuki-sensei allowed Kagome to take her arm and lead her over to Mrs. Higurashi, who was managing the charm sales. She looked up when Kagome approached.

"Mama," Kagome said, "this is my kyudo coach, Suzuki-sensei." She turned to Suzuki-sensei. "This is my mother."

"Higurashi Keiko of Higurashi Shrine," Mrs. Higurashi said, bowing. "Thank you for being such an excellent mentor to my daughter."

"Suzuki Kyoka of Azuma Senior High School," Suzuki-sensei said, bowing as well. "Thank you for raising such a well-mannered, ambitious daughter."

"You will be joining us for osechi ryori tonight, I believe?" said Mrs. Higurashi kindly.

Suzuki-sensei nodded. "I look forward to it." She turned to Kagome. "I'm going to go wander about for a bit. I'll see you soon, Higurashi-kun." She bowed again to Mrs. Higurashi and walked away.

"Mama," said Kagome suddenly, "how much time until we close?"

Mrs. Higurashi pulled out her phone and checked the time. "About thirty minutes."

"Do you want me to go in and finish preparing our meal?" Kagome asked. "I'll get Inuyasha to help me."

"That would be lovely, dear," replied Mrs. Higurashi. "Thank you."

"I'll ask Inuyasha's nieces and Hideaki to help with the cleanup," Kagome said. "I'm sure they'll be happy to do so."

Mrs. Higurashi nodded, so Kagome ran to find her nieces and the monk and asked them to help clean up after the shrine closed. They nodded; Asuka gave Kagome a questioning look, and Kagome gave a slight nod. Asuka grinned and nudged her sister, who grinned as well. Kagome ran off to find her husband.

Inuyasha was hiding in the shed that housed the Bone Eater's Well when Kagome found him. He had been an excellent help all day; the crowds were getting to him, though, and he needed a break. He was glad to see his mate; he needed to ask what was eating away at her.

"Mate," he said with a grin.

"Hi," she said, coming over to him and kissing him. "Sorry for subjecting this to you all day."

"Keh," he replied. "It's good for your family, so it's good for me."

"Let's go to the shrine house," she suggested. "You can help me finish prepping the osechi ryori."

"Sounds good," he answered, putting his arms around her and holding her close. Kagome couldn't help but notice his eyes drawn to the well.

"Still thinking about going back?" she asked softly, her eyes watery.

He held her closer and buried his face in her hair. "Wherever you are, I'm happy," he murmured. "That's the truth."

She smiled and pulled away for a moment. "You don't have to be sorry if you're homesick," she said, cupping his face with her hand. "I really do understand."

He nuzzled her hand with his face, making her sigh. "I know you do, mate." He kissed her hand and straightened up. "But we're here, and we've made the best of it so far, don't you think?"

She ran her hand down his shoulder, down his arm, and gripped his hand in hers. "We have." She tugged him towards the door of the shed. "Let's go finish the meal."


"A lot of the ryori is already prepped," Kagome said to Inuyasha as they filled the layers of the ojubako. Since there were so many of them, Mrs. Higurashi had decided to make two ojubako instead of the customary one. Kagome worked on creating the datemaki, while Inuaysha mashed the sweet potatoes for the kuri kinton. They worked together in companionable silence, although Inuyasha could still smell the nervousness coming off her in waves.

He was just deciding whether or not to insist that she tell him what in the hells was wrong when she took a deep breath. He paused, waiting for her to speak.

Her voice was soft, and low, and if he hadn't been a hanyou he never would have heard her.

"Inuyasha." He couldn't read the tone in her voice.

"I'm late."

He looked up from the sweet potatoes to see her face. It was pale, shining, her eyes both terrified and hopeful.

"Late?" He was confused. "What does that mean? Late for what?"

She half laughed, half sobbed. "I mean, I didn't get my period, anata."

"So?" He was still confused. He barely understood how human reproduction worked. Then, the scent that he'd been detecting on her lately hit him full in the face, causing him to stagger back a few steps. Kagome rushed to his side and grasped his hand.

"Inuyasha?" Now it was her turn to be confused. "What's wrong?"

He leaned over her and began to sniff. She started to tense up, but remembered how Asuka had done the same thing and tried to relax. He lowered his face to her chest, her arms, then knelt down and pressed his face to her belly. She felt his arms go around her hips; she felt him look up and her gaze met his. His eyes were wide in disbelief. How could he have missed this?

"It's a pup."

His voice was carefully neutral; he didn't know how she felt about it.

"It's a pup."

Her voice was also neutral, not giving away her feelings.

He rose and turned back to the sweet potatoes, unsure of the reaction she would want. So he elected not to say anything at all.

Kagome was crushed.

He felt her sadness and anger coming over him in waves. He left the sweet potatoes and went back to her side; her aura was exuding fierce crackles.

"That's all…" she whispered in a rage, "that's all you have to say?"

His eyes shot open wide. "What the fuck do you want me to say, 'Gome?" he hissed. "That I'm happy? That I'm fucking ecstatic that you're pupped, and by me?" She didn't say anything. "That you're pupped before you wanted to be? Before graduation, before you've had a chance to live your life? That I did this to you, and you didn't want it?"

Kagome let out all the air she didn't realize she was holding in a whoosh. His response suddenly made a lot of sense.

She reached out and touched his shoulder; he allowed her to pull him close and nestle herself against his chest. He leaned down to bury his face in her hair and breathe in her soothing scent.

"You think I don't want this?" she murmured into his chest. He didn't say anything, but rumbled in response. She pulled back a little so she could look up into his face. He could see that her eyes were soft and she was smiling.

"It's a little…sooner…than I expected," she admitted. "The timing isn't great."

"No shit," he said.

"But I've learned not to take anything with you for granted," she continued. "I've learned to take everything as it comes and to make the best of things. And if it's our time to have a pup, then it's our time. We will make it work; we've made everything else work so far."

He was, quite frankly, shocked, absolutely fucking shocked, at her response. He thought for sure she would be cursing him and trying to purify him on sight. But instead, she was at worst neutral, at medium, accepting, and at best…?

"So, are you…happy…about this?" he asked her.

Now her smile grew bigger. "I'll be honest with you, Inuyasha. I've known for a few weeks."

"Hold up," he interrupted, "a few weeks?"

"Just wait, dog boy," she teased him. "Yes, a few weeks. I needed time to get used to this. Asuka helped me figure it out."

"What? My niece helped you?"

Kagome nodded. "She did. She could tell right away, but we got a pregnancy test to confirm it."

"So why didn't you tell me right away?" he asked. "Were you thinking about…" he couldn't say what he thought she might have considered.

"Not once," she reassured him. "You're my mate and my husband. This pup is part of you, and I love you more than anything in the universe. I would never."

He relaxed and led her to the kitchen table, where he sat her down. He sat across from her, holding her hands and rubbing them gently. "So why didn't you tell me?"

She took a breath. "Because I didn't know how to tell you, anata." She smiled sadly. "I was trying to sort through my own emotions first. I needed to be solid in my own feelings before I told you. I'm sorry that I shut you out for as long as I did. I didn't know what I felt, and I wasn't ready to handle your feelings and my own."

He could smell that sadness and regret were now overtaking her nervousness. His instincts were screaming at him to comfort her and ignore the fact that she'd been lying to him, even if it wasn't malicious. He knew that was the best way; he'd talk to Asuka about her role in this whole thing later. He opted to follow his gut and pull her out of her chair and into lap, back close to his chest. She ran her hands up his haori and through to his kosode, eventually working her way to his bare chest. He wrapped his arms around her and reached down to nuzzle her cheek, purring into her ear.

"It's gonna be okay, koi," he said softly. "It's our pup; yours, and mine. It's the best news I could have ever received."

She nuzzled him back. "Really?"

He grinned against her cheek so she could feel his fangs dipping below his lip. "Really."

Kagome reached up and pressed her lips to his. He felt her warmth and her softness; his hands circled her waist, which was small and strong now, but which he knew would soon become round with his pup. Suddenly he felt a rush of desire.

"We're the only ones here, right, mate?" he growled against her lips.

She moaned but kept herself together. "We can't, anata," she whispered back. "We have to finish prepping the meal."

He ran his hands up over her body, reaching into her kimono and kosode and feeling her breasts through her lacy bra. "It'll only take ten minutes."

She laughed; she couldn't help it. "That's a lie and you know it, mate."

He nipped at her ear and moved his lips down her neck to her mark, which he began to suck with fervor. She felt the warm dampness pool between her legs and clenched her thighs together. "We can't. With all these people here? You're crazy."

"Keh," he replied and moved her garments so that he could work on her shoulder, nipping and sucking and leaving marks. She was so easily molded in his hands, like warm clay.

She reached up and kissed his ears with a flick of her tongue, then took the tip of the left ear and sucked it gently, then did the same to the right. He wanted to howl wholly and deeply but kept it light. He chuckled. "You don't seem to want me to stop, koi," he said huskily.

"Then don't."

Inuyasha picked her up and flung her over his shoulder, kneading her ass through her hakama as he moved. He took her up to her old room, where there was no longer a bed, but there was a floor. There, he gently removed her kimono and laid it on the floor, then laid her on top of it. Hands shaking with a passion neither of them had known they possessed, they hurriedly and clumsily removed each other's clothing. When he saw her beautiful, naked body, fully on display for him and only him, he almost released right there. She saw his need and met it with her own, reaching up and drawing him to her. She licked his lips playfully, running her tongue over his fangs, allowing them to poke into the soft flesh. She groaned at the pleasure and he shivered at the spike in her arousal. It was musky and heady and was driving him insane.

Inuyasha ran his hands through her hair, bringing her closer than before. He wanted her so badly that just touching her skin wasn't enough.

Kagome was laughing at his roving hands. "Why can't I just get close enough to you?" she murmured. She stopped laughing and looked him full in the face. "I need all of you." And she kissed him, her tongue pushing its way into his mouth, ravaging it as she harshly explored its interior.

That was all he needed to hear. In one swift movement he flipped her over and entered her frantically, reaching around her middle to hold her hips in place with one hand, the other hand pressing into the floor. Her hips bucked backwards into his, just as desperate to meet her own need. He slammed into her, hard; she returned his thrusts. This was the most animalistic sex they'd ever had, and that included the few times Inuyasha had allowed his youki to take over. Something about pupping her had driven him to the brink of rationality, and he could not feel sane again until they both climaxed.

It was over perhaps more quickly than any other time they had made love; their desire for each other had culminated in an intense and frantic fucking. They had just barely started when Kagome felt herself coming undone all around her mate; her walls clenched and pulled him up and into the most delicious orgasm she'd ever felt. She hissed his name and a string of curses that caused Inuyasha to completely lose his mind. Remembering to keep things quiet, he clamped down on her mark and sucked, hard, causing her to climax a second time and hold him tight within her as he finished as well.

They lay on the kimono for several minutes, enjoying the feel of each other, coming down from their high. Downstairs Inuyasha could hear the voices of their family; he knew from their tones that his nieces and Sesshomaru knew exactly what they were doing upstairs.

"Don't act weird," he whispered, "but my family knows what we're doing."

She snorted and burst into a fit of giggles. "They're gonna know what we do soon enough, anata," she replied.

"Do you want your kyudo coach to know what you do?" he teased her.

She sat straight up. "Oh no!" she whispered, blushing furiously. "I forgot!"

"I can hear her voice. She's talking with your mother." Inuyasha couldn't contain his mirth. His golden eyes burned and his fangs dripped with humor. "Pull yourself together, okay?"

Kagome groaned and brought her head into her hands. "I was planning to tell everyone tonight. How can I do it with Suzuki-sensei here?"

"She's gonna have to find out sooner or later, mate," he replied good-naturedly. He helped her to her feet, and pulled her kimono off the floor. They slowly dressed each other, enjoying the final feels of the other's nakedness under their fingertips. When they were fully dressed, Kagome sighed.

"What's the matter, mate?" Inuyasha asked her.

"I just want you naked. At home. With me." She smiled.

He tucked her chin in his hand and tilted her head up. He lightly touched her lips with his own. "Later, koishii," he said softly. "We'll take our time, and I will make you howl."


Inuyasha and Kagome came downstairs to a full house; Inuyasha had remembered to put his cloaking bracelet back on, since there was a human guest in the house in Suzuki-sensei. Everyone was pitching in to help finish the osechi ryori that Inuyasha and Kagome were supposed to have prepped; only the datemaki and the kuri kinton remained, but Inuyasha and Kagome had left the kitchen counter in a state of slight disarray in their lustful haste.

Mrs. Higurashi wasn't exactly happy, but she could see that something had changed between her daughter and her son-in-law. She was trying to figure out what it could be. Something had made them so distracted that they couldn't finish a simple task—one that Kagome had offered to complete.

Kagome and Inuyasha bashfully helped finish preparing the meal, and then the family all sat down together around the kotatsu in the living room. It was the best space for eating the ojubako. The sake was poured, and the plates and chopsticks were handed out. Kagome looked around the low table. Everyone she loved was in that room, at that moment.

She saw her brother jostling with Asuka to get the biggest tazukuri. She saw her mother explaining all the different dishes to Suzuki-sensei, who was looking at the ojubako with interest. She saw Rin loading up a plate for Sesshomaru, and Sayua doing the same for Hideaki. Jii-chan was scowling in the corner, but his eyes were soft and he looked content. Kagome took Inuyasha's hand and squeezed it; now was the right time.

"If we could have everyone's attention, please," Kagome said. Their families grew silent and looked at the young mates. Inuyasha nuzzled her cheek affectionately. Kagome looked around the room, specifically at Inuyasha's nieces, both of whom grinned and gave her a thumb's up. Sesshomaru ignored her and continued to pick at his plate, as though he were disgusted by the selection of food.

"The New Year symbolizes new beginnings and the hopes of good luck and good fortune," Kagome said. She looked affectionately at her mate; he nodded at her to go ahead. She looked back at their family and friends. "The ultimate symbol of luck, I think, is a new life," she added. "And in about seven or so months, that's what we're going to have here, in our family."

They looked around the table; no one spoke. It was as though they were all frozen in time. Souta had literally stopped with a tazukuri halfway to his mouth, the sardine threatening to fall from his chopsticks.

Luckily, Asuka spoke up first.

"This is amazing!" she exclaimed, as though she'd had no idea, as if she hadn't been the first one to figure it out. She stood up, walked around the kotatsu, pulled Kagome to her feet, and engulfed her in a huge hug.

"You did good, Auntie," she murmured. "Really well done."

Sayua rose too and went to Kagome and gave her a big hug. Rin followed. "A new baby!" she said wistfully. "That will bring luck to both our houses!"

The Higurashis did not rise; they were more cautious than Inuyasha's family. Finally, Souta spoke.

"Is it going to be a boy?" he asked hopefully. "Because, I don't think I'd know what to do with a girl."

Kagome laughed. "We won't know that for a while yet, if at all. But I think you'll figure it out."

Suzuki-sensei also rose and went to Kagome, giving her a brief hug. "I guess we'll have to cancel your plans for nationals, Higurashi-kun," she said, a little sadly.

Kagome shook her head. "That's six weeks away. I don't see why I won't be able to shoot an arrow then. We'll see what the midwife says, because I don't want to lose my chance at a scholarship, and I want to kick every kyudoka's ass in Japan!"

Suzuki-sensei smiled. There was the Higurashi she knew so well.

As expected, only Mrs. Higurashi and Jii-chan seemed put off by the idea of a pup. Jii-chan grumbled something about "another damn hanyou" but managed to give his granddaughter a kiss on the cheek. Mrs. Higurashi merely smiled and went on serving the food.

Inuyasha and Kagome exchanged a look. When Mrs. Higurashi didn't respond, that was the worst reaction you could get. Once the chatter around the kotatsu resumed, Kagome leaned into Inuyasha. "I will talk to her later," she whispered.

Inuyasha slipped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. "It'll be fine, mate," he said. "She's your mother. She's not going to kill you."

"She's not saying anything," Kagome observed. "She might as well kill me."


After everyone had gone home, Kagome was left alone with her mother. Inuyasha helped Souta get ready for bed, and Jii-chan had already retired to his room. Kagome and her mother stood silently, side by side, washing the dishes from the evening. Mrs. Higurashi washed, and Kagome dried and put the dishes in the rack. They did this over and over, the routine both comforting and nerve-wracking. Kagome tentatively reached out with her aura; she felt Inuyasha's youki rub up against her aura affectionately from upstairs, giving her the courage she needed. Her mother's aura, though, was piercing. Kagome had never felt this from her mother before, and it scared her.

Finally, they finished the dishes. Mrs. Higurashi turned to her daughter and smiled sadly. "Tea?"

Kagome nodded, and Mrs. Higurashi got out two tea cups and poured hot water from the electric tea kettle into the cups. She settled down into a kitchen chair, her gaze never leaving Kagome's face. Kagome gulped nervously and looked down at her cup. Inuyasha's youki reached down again from upstairs, gently caressing her. She smiled softly. He was giving her strength; she could reach out for him when she needed, and he'd be there in a second. But now, he totally understood she and her mother needed this space to hash things out.

Mother and daughter sat silently at the kitchen table, drinking their tea, thinking their own thoughts. Kagome was visibly nervous; she was sure Inuyasha could sense her terror rolling off her in waves. It was freaking her out that her mother had yet to say anything. Normally her mother was so understanding. Had Kagome finally pushed her mother to the limit?

"Mama?" Kagome finally said hesitantly. Mrs. Higurashi put her teacup down and reached across the table to grasp both Kagome's hands in her own, just as Inuyasha had done earlier that evening. Mrs. Higurashi's face was sad. Kagome saw the lines worrying her mother's face, the gray at her temples. When had her mother started to age? Was it her fault?

Mrs. Higurashi rubbed her daughter's hands gently. "I'm worried about you, my dear," she said at last. "Since you and Inuyasha-kun have been here, things have moved so quickly. You're married, you're mated, you've moved out, you're pregnant." She sighed. "You haven't even graduated high school. Don't you think things are moving too fast?"

Kagome pulled her hands out from under her mother's and crossed her arms under her chest. She knew it was juvenile, but she didn't care. "Mama," she replied. "You're right. We are moving fast. I didn't want to be pupped now. I wanted to wait." She rubbed her eyes, refusing to let her mother see any tears. She had to stay resolute. "But this is where we are, and this is what's happening." She looked at her mother, hard and full in the face. Mrs. Higurashi cringed under her daughter's serious gaze. "One thing I've learned after spending two years in Sengoku Jidai is that you have to grasp any happiness you have, and hold onto it, as tight as you can. Even if it comes with some sorrow, or isn't the happiness you quite expected, you have to hold onto it." Kagome's face melted into a smile and her hands slipped down to feel her belly. "I know you understand what it means to love, Mama. This pup will be loved. Its father and I love each other. We love and are loved by our families. I promise you, this pup will be surrounded by love."

Mrs. Higurashi frowned. "I don't doubt that at all, Kagome. But you have to think about yourself. I don't think you do that enough. Are you going to be able to graduate? Are you going to take your college exams? And what about college?"

Kagome sighed. She needed Inuyasha here, now. She reached out with her aura and felt it brush up against his youki. She immediately heard him leave Souta's room and pound quickly down the stairs. Her face lit up when she saw him enter the kitchen; Mrs. Higurashi saw her daughter's face, and ran a hand through her hair. Kagome was calling in the reinforcements; she wasn't going to be able to fight them both.

Inuyasha sat beside his mate and picked up her hand. "What's up, wife?" he asked.

"My mother would like to know how my future will be affected by the pup," Kagome said to him.

"Kagome will want for nothing," Inuyasha said immediately. "I'll personally make sure that she competes in nationals, if the midwife gives the okay. I'll make sure she takes her college exams, and that she graduates. She should be able to get through the first semester of college, too."

"And after the baby is born?" Mrs. Higurashi pressed. "What then?"

"We'll make it work," he said fiercely, moving his arm around Kagome and pulling her close. "Rin will help. She's already offered. We'll work out our schedules so that we don't have to put the pup in..." He looked at Kagome. "What did you call it?"

"Daycare," Kagome helpfully supplied.

"Daycare," Inuyasha finished. "We will figure it out."

"You don't understand," Mrs. Higurashi said now, raising her voice slightly. "Raising a child is hard. It's the hardest thing you will ever do. You will be exhausted; you will cry; you will be angry and fight with each other. This is going to test your marriage like maybe nothing else."

"Like almost dying on each other multiple times?" said her daughter coldly. "Like Naraku? Like Kikyo?"

Mrs. Higurashi gasped and Inuyasha stiffened at her side, dropping his arm.

"We've been through everything, Mama," Kagome continued, her voice still cold. "Everything, and we're both still here. We're stronger now than we were before. We've acknowledged our love for each other; it's pulled us closer together. We are a solid, steel wall, and we can take anything that comes our way." She laughed a little. "And to be honest, if the worst thing that happens is serious sleep deprivation and a pup who won't stop crying, I'll still be thrilled that this pup is here, and that they're ours, and that we're all alive to complain about not sleeping enough."

Her mother went to reply, but Kagome interrupted her again. "You don't know what it was like for Inuyasha back then," she went on. "He was ridiculed and bullied and treated so badly, all because of his heritage. He never thought he would have this. He never thought he would find love. He never thought he'd get the chance to be a father. I have been able to give him all of this—and he's given it back to me. He's given me reason and purpose and meaning. He's given me love and life and joy. He's my everything. And yes, I'm young, but I am not foolish, Mama. I know what I want, and I've literally gone to hell and back to get it. I'm not going to let what we have go." She paused to take a breath. "Inu youkai mate for life, Mama."

Inuyasha was so fucking proud of her in that moment he wanted to take her back to the cottage and show her over and over again how she made him feel like the luckiest man in the world. Instead he slipped an arm around her shoulder and squeezed her close, putting as much love and need into that squeeze as he could. Kagome knew exactly what he was feeling, and she turned slightly to look at him out of the corner of her eye. She could feel the pride radiating off him, and resisted the urge to jump him right there in the kitchen and cover him with kisses.

Mrs. Higurashi, meanwhile, sat before the two of them, dumbfounded. She had always known that Kagome loved Inuyasha, but to see her stand up for him like this, to see her be so protective of him—to see them be so protective of each other. Was this the impact of being pregnant with an inu youkai? Was this a side effect of the mating? Was this how they had always been, and she had just never seen it? Mrs. Higurashi sat back and sighed. She kneaded the spot on her forehead that Kagome would have called the Third Eye.

"There's clearly no stopping the two of you, is there?" she said with a faltering smile.

Inuyasha and Kagome now looked at each other and grinned. Kagome shook her head slightly.

"I am glad that you have plans for this child that don't include me," she said slowly. When Kagome made to respond, Mrs. Higurashi now was the one who continued. "I love you both, but I'm not here to pick up the pieces of whatever mess you've made. So I am glad that you have thought about the sacrifices you will need to make in order to be young parents. That said…" she paused, and now her smile was genuine, "I am willing to help out, too. Rin can't have all the pup time!"

Kagome rose and went to her mother. Mrs. Higurashi stood and the two women embraced. She reached out to bring Inuyasha into their hug, which he did gladly. Mrs. Higurashi sighed again.

These two would be the death of her.


Notes:

Oh baby! (Or should I say, oh pup!) How will Inuyasha and Kagome cope with everything being thrown at them? And, what happens when we take a pregnant Kagome, a nervous and grouchy Inuyasha, and college exams, and add in a heavy dash of angst? Because they can't have peace forever...

Thanks again to everyone who has been following this story the past few months. Your support has meant so much to me. The next chapters will be taking a pretty clear twist away from the canon, but I hope you'll continue to stay with us. Thank you again! :3

And now some notes on New Years:

The term "hatsumode" translates to "first shrine visit," so it is the first shrine visit of the year. This traditionally happens sometime between Jan 1 and Jan 3.

To prepare for the New Year, Souta has made a shimekazari, which is a decorative hanging made of shimenawa (dried rice straw rope), oranges, and pine. They are typically hung above a door with the intention of warding off evil spirits for the new year.

On NYE, the family gathers to watch Kohaku Uta Gassen, which is an annual song battle that NHK airs every year on NYE. It features the most successful artists in Japan, who compete in a battle that the judges and audience then vote on. The teams are made of all female artists (Red Team) and all male artists (White Team). Although Kohaku Uta Gassen isn't as popular as it once was, it is still the highest rated musical show in Japan.

Omamori, omikuji, and ema are all items the Higurashis might sell at their shrine year-round, but especially for hatsumode. Omamori are talismans that you might put on your phone, your bag, in your car, on your home wall, etc., to provide luck and protection. Omikuji are strips of paper that bear fortunes (ranging from "a great blessing" to "a great curse"). If someone gets a bad fortune, they should not keep it, and should instead tie it to a tree or a pole and leave it at the temple. Finally, ema are small wooden plaques found at temples. People would write their prayers or wishes, and then leave them at the temple for the kami to receive them.

Finally, Kagome and her family eat a traditional osechi ryori for New Years Day. Osechi ryori is served in special bento-like boxes known as ojubako, which have several layers. One box would typically be enough to feed a family, but since there are two families at Kagome and Inuyasha's New Years Day dinner, Mrs. Higurashi decides to make two. Contents might include candied sardines (like what Souta is eating when Kagome and Inuyasha announce they're expecting), candied chestnut and sweet potatoes (which is what Inuyasha is preparing when Kagome tells him she's pregnant), homemade mochi, and more.