Notes:

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

Hello! As always, I hope that this update finds you safe and well.

Please enjoy!


Inuyasha helped Kagome lug the pizza boxes into the gymnasium, setting them on a table covered with lots of different types of food. He recognized kaarage, takoyaki, and yakitori, as well as bowls of potato chips, along with mochi, taiyaki, daifuku, and several other desserts. He sighed as he plopped the boxes down onto the table, running his hands through his hair in relief.

"Why did you want to get…what did you call it?"

"Piz-za," Kagome pronounced clearly for him.

"But look at all this food, mate," he pointed out. "These pizza things seem out of place."

Kagome pulled herself to her full height—she about reached the middle of his chest—and jabbed him with her finger. "I felt like pizza," she said simply.

Inuyasha tried not to smirk. He got it. Hormones.

Her hormones had been running amok the past week or so. She saw a commercial on television; she'd cry. Mrs. Higurashi made Inuyasha ramen for dinner; she'd cry. Souta got an A on a math exam; she'd cry. And then, after the Tokyo U exam, she'd raged. For hours. And no amount of cuddling or soothing words or even anger in return would calm her. He was learning to take it all in stride and make himself scarce when necessary.

But he couldn't let her carry the pizzas to the kyudo end-of-the-year party by herself, no matter how much she insisted she'd be fine. And he wasn't going to leave her alone at the party, either. None of her teammates knew she was pupped; only her coach knew, and Suzuki-sensei had wisely decided to keep that knowledge quiet. She'd done well to not reveal Kagome's pregnancy for the past two months; even during the final tournament, where Kagome placed first overall, all Suzuki-sensei had asked was whether or not Kagome had her midwife's permission to compete. Suzuki-sensei had offered Kagome support, but made sure to do it without alerting the other girls. She was even polite to Inuyasha, which was shocking—she didn't comment anymore when Inuyasha showed up at the gym, and even allowed him to help return the mato to storage after practice.

Kagome had mentioned that Suzuki-sensei said that the party was for team members only; he was sure that meant he needed to keep out. But Inuyasha could care less what the coach thought. His wife was pupped and he was going to make sure he kept a close eye on her.

Meanwhile, Kagome was anxiously searching for Suzuki-sensei. She'd gotten a letter from Tokyo U in the mail that morning, and she suspected it had to do with her acceptance. Inuyasha hadn't gotten his letter yet, but he was a shoe-in, given Sesshomaru's financial status. Kagome's letter was thick; she knew this was a good sign. She thought about opening it with her family, but knew that it probably had information about her scholarship, and she'd much rather open the letter with Suzuki-sensei, who could tell her more about what any money might mean.

Inuyasha saw his mate wandering aimlessly around the party, saying hello here and there to people, but mostly moving around the space, apparently lost. He padded after her; she sensed him coming closer and whirled around to face him.

"What is it?" she hissed, her face immediately melting at her recognition of the harshness of her words. "I'm sorry," she added. "It's—"

"—Hormones, I know," Inuyasha finished sourly. How much longer would she be pupped?

"Are you…okay?" he asked her. When she visibly tensed, he quickly added, "I mean, are you looking for someone, or something?"

Kagome relaxed. She held up her letter. "I wanted to open it with Suzuki-sensei," she said.

"Keh," he replied. "That old bat?"

"She's not old, nor is she a bat, mate," Kagome rejoined. She tweaked Inuyasha's fake ear. "You know how important she is to me."

He chose not to reply, grunting instead. He allowed her to take his hand and lead him to the coach's office, Kagome murmuring, "She must be there."

Sure enough, when Kagome knocked on the door, she heard a curt, "Enter." When they stepped through the doorway, Suzuki-sensei was sitting at her desk, filling out some paperwork, her glasses having slipped down her nose. She looked up at the two through her frames. "Higurashi-kun? Why aren't you out enjoying the party? And Fujimura-san? Why are you here? I thought we said team members only?" She narrowed her eyes at him; he glared right back at her, arms crossed over his chest, daring her to challenge him.

"May we sit?" Kagome said instead, laying a hand on Inuyasha's arm to soothe him. Suzuki-sensei nodded and waved to the chairs in the front of the desk. They sat, and Kagome held up her letter from Tokyo U. Suzuki-sensei's attention perked up when she saw the return address label.

"Is that what I think it is?" she asked slowly. Kagome nodded. Suzuki-sensei held her breath for a moment. "And you wanted to open that with me?" she asked. Kagome nodded again. Suzuki-sensei smiled. "It's not a thin envelope."

"It's not," Kagome replied. She hooked her finger into the envelope flap. "Should I?"

Suzuki-sensei nodded. Inuyasha held his breath. Kagome fiddled her finger along the flap, working the envelope open. She pulled out several pieces of paper and a folder. She shuffled the papers and began to read. Her eyes grew wide.

"'Gome?" said Inuyasha. Kagome looked at him, tears brimming over. She handed the papers to him. She handed the folder to Suzuki-sensei. Then she buried her face in her hands, sobbing silently.

"Wife, what in the hells is the matter?" Inuyasha exclaimed, fully forgetting himself and the moment.

Kagome continued to cry, but pointed at the letters. He read the first one carefully. Suzuki-sensei opened the folder and read through the papers.

For the first time ever, Inuyasha and Suzuki-sensei exchanged a look, then both turned to look at the weeping Kagome. Inuyasha put the papers on Suzuki-sensei's desk and put his arm around his mate, rubbing her shoulder.

"Higurashi-kun," said Suzuki-sensei hoarsely, "you did well."

"Fuck yeah you did," Inuyasha added, ignoring Suzuki-sensei's dark face. "You fucking got in."

"And you got a significant scholarship for kyudo," Suzuki-sensei added, sliding the folder over to Inuyasha. He took it with his free hand, and his eyes practically bulged out of his head when he saw the number the university was prepared to offer his mate.

"You better accept," Inuyasha said. Kagome now started to wail, growing louder with every breath.

Suzuki-sensei leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temple. "Higurashi-kun," she said exasperatedly, "you must stop these hysterics. Please."

Kagome tried desperately to get herself under control. Inuyasha wanted to let some of his youki out to comfort his mate, but he couldn't in front of Suzuki-sensei. Instead he continued to rub her shoulders, and he leaned over and whispered "I've got you; just breathe," over and over, in her ear. Kagome started to relax; her tears slowed, and she was soon able to grasp Inuyasha's hand in her own and squeeze it.

"That's my girl," he breathed. He looked at Suzuki-sensei. She rolled her eyes, and he had to refrain from laughing.

"I guess the only thing that you'll have to do is decide when you are going to be able to join the team," Suzuki-sensei said glibly.

Kagome's face fell, and she started sobbing again. "What if they revoke my scholarship?" she cried, turning her face into Inuyasha's arm. "What if they don't want to wait for me to come back from having the pu—the baby?"

"Higurashi." Suzuki-sensei's voice was hard. Kagome looked up at her, tears still tracking down her cheeks. "Pull yourself together. Tomorrow you'll call the coach, tell him your situation, and ask if you can wait to join the team until January. You're one of the top kyudoka in the country. They wanted you, and they will wait for you."

Kagome took a deep, shuddering breath, then another, then another. Gradually the breaths became steady, and her tears stopped. She blinked a few times, then reached across Inuyasha and took the folder. She began to flip through the papers. She grinned.

"I really did it, didn't I?" she asked her coach and her mate. They both smiled gently. "I'm going to college, and on a scholarship."

"Fuck yeah you are," Inuyasha told her, reaching up and ruffling her hair. "And you're going to kick ass at all of it."


Kagome rubbed her rapidly swelling stomach. Five months along, and she was finally beginning to show a real baby belly. The round ligament pains had been really getting to her lately; Asuka had suggested that it was time to scale back on the physical training and focus more on her spiritual training. She and Hideaki didn't feel that spiritual training would hurt the pup; like Inuyasha, its youki seemed to be protected from Kagome's miko powers.

"Really, Hideaki," she said, sinking to the ground in a squat, and sighing as the position felt soothing on her aching back, "graduation is tomorrow. Do I have to keep practicing?"

"You bet," he replied with a wry grin. "Let's work on invisibility."

Kagome groaned. Inuyasha got the day off; they had both been accepted at Tokyo University after taking the university-specific exam, and Kagome had indeed received permission to join the university kyudo team for the January term. Kagome suspected Sesshomaru had some pull, given that she didn't feel like she'd performed all that well on the university exam, but she had long ago learned not to ask her brother-in-law too many questions. Inuyasha, the lucky dog, was coasting until the April term started. Once graduation was over, she was also going to argue for some much-needed time off. She was only five months along, but the pup was consuming her every thought, making it hard for her to concentrate on much else.

"Third eye, Kagome-sama," said Hideaki, snapping her back to reality. She obediently closed her eyes. "Good. Now, let's think about invisibility." Kagome let her mind soften, peacefully listening to the lilt in Hideaki's voice. "Imagine that you are but a shimmer upon the earth; your body is simply ghosting the surface. You're here, but you're not. No one can see you; no one can hear you. Your spiritual energy is all that keeps you tied to the earth."

Kagome felt a lightness come over her body. She felt herself slipping away slowly, her feet both touching and not touching the earth. She felt glossy, like she was flitting in and out of reality. She opened her eyes; she could clearly see Hideaki, but he was squinting at her, like he was having trouble seeing her. "What's wrong?" she asked him. His mouth made a little "o" of surprise.

"Kagome-sama," he began, but suddenly her chest constricted and she cried out, starting to topple over. She came back fully into Hideaki's vision; he rushed forward to catch her, helping ease her fall to her knees. He rubbed her back consolingly. "Kagome-sama," he said again. "Are you all right?"

Kagome struggled to catch her breath. "Y—y—yes," she managed to get out. She took some of her aura and sent it out to find Inuyasha, but before she could, he was there in the courtyard, shirtless and shoeless, dressed only in a dark blue hakama. He ran to her side, pulling her out of Hideaki's grasp.

"Mate!" he called. Her eyes were rolling around in her head a little. It was hard to focus.

"Fuck!" he cursed. "Monk, what the fuck did you do to her?" he demanded of Hideaki.

"She was working on turning herself invisible," Hideaki said. "She did great." He looked at Kagome, who was still reeling. "You did great, Kagome-sama."

Kagome wheezed but managed to grin. "Could you see me?"

"You were definitely filmy," he complimented her. "Fading in and out of reality. Excellent job."

"Excellent my ass!" Inuyasha bellowed. "Look at her! She's pupped, you asshole! She can't do this kind of work!"

"I'm fine, Inuyasha," Kagome interrupted, "really."

"You don't look fine, mate," he said harshly. He made to lift her into his arms. "I want Asuka to check you out."

"I said I'm fine," Kagome replied testily, wiggling out of his grasp. She grabbed his hand and put it on her belly. "The pup's fine, too. You can check for yourself."

As if responding on cue, the pup kicked their father's hand enthusiastically. Inuyasha gasped and looked at Kagome, his eyes wide.

"Mate…" he said softly. Kagome smiled.

"They know you're here, Inuyasha," she replied, her eyes shining.

"I still want my niece to check you out," he argued, somewhat lamely.

Kagome sighed. "Fine," she acquiesced. "But I can stand, and I can walk by myself."

Inuyasha grunted and took her by the elbow as he turned them towards the courtyard door. Hideaki sank to his knees, watching them go. He ran his hands through his hair.

"Dammit," he swore.

"Things not going as planned, Son-in-Law?"

Hideaki looked up. "My Lord."

The Lord of the West held out a hand to his son-in-law. Hideaki took it and allowed Sesshomaru to help him to his feet. Once he stood, Hideaki sighed. "It's going to be hard to train her with your brother hovering constantly, my Lord."

"This Sesshomaru cannot control his brother, Son-in-Law. You know this."

"I do, my Lord. But time with Kagome-sama is limited. She's not going to have the stamina for training much longer, and there are things she must learn." Hideaki paused, deep in thought. "I hate to suggest this, but perhaps you could take Inuyasha-sama on a political trip for a few days?"

"To give you some space to train the miko?" Hideaki nodded. Sesshomaru stroked his chin thoughtfully. "This is not the worst idea, Son-in-Law. We can take Sayua along as well. But my brother may not leave his mate."

"Let's suggest that she can either stay in her family shrine home or here," Hideaki suggested.

"That is acceptable," Sesshomaru said. "This Sesshomaru will speak to his brother."

"Thank you, my Lord."

Sesshomaru frowned as he left the courtyard. The miko's nightmares were concerning to him. It was important that she continue with her training for as long as possible so that she would be prepared for whatever was coming.

And there was something coming; he could feel it. Since the final battle with the bears, things had been quiet. Too quiet. Previously, the miko had drawn youkai to her like moths to a flame, and since September, there had been nothing. No attacks, no attempted murders or kidnappings…nothing. And while very little shook the Western Lord, this gave him pause for concern.

He'd suspected that the bears were not the only ones after Kagome (yes, he knew her name). But it was difficult to put his finger on exactly who could be either helping the bears as equals, or who might be leading them, or funding them, or doing something. With the deaths of Kurokuma and Hokutou, the remaining bear youkai had been…obedient, compliant, and eager to please his daughter, the new Lord of the East.

It made him uneasy in a way he couldn't quite explain.

So, even though he was hesitant to take his brother away from his mate, he agreed with Hideaki. The miko was strong physically, and spiritually in terms of offense; but defensively, she could only make a barrier. And while it was strong, and could be made large or small, and could last for extended periods of time, that was all she could do. She needed to diversify her defensive abilities, like she had done with offense. He didn't know why, but he felt like she might need to defend herself. Sometime soon.


"No way in fucking hell, Sess!" Inuyasha bellowed, causing heads to turn to look at him from across the school courtyard. "There's no way I'm leaving her, even for a few days!"

"Inuyasha, hush," Kagome hissed, gripping his arm through her graduation robe. "I'm actually having a good day today. Please don't screw this up!"

Inuyasha looked down at his mate. Her face was shiny and pleading. She'd just sat through a three-hour graduation, without her back or her feet or belly hurting. She had her diploma in hand and they both had about ten days to relax before starting classes at Tokyo University. He was looking forward to snuggling with her on the couch, feeding her delicious foods, and showing her all the ways that he loved her. What he was not looking forward to was taking a diplomatic trip with his bastard brother and idiot niece right at the beginning of that ten days. And he was going to let his brother know just how much it pissed him off.

Until he saw her face. She'd had a shit time of it lately, he knew. The midwife said the pains in her belly were from the baby growing, so there was nothing to worry about, but he still hated the way her scent shifted when they occurred. Like she was in the worst pain of her life, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He couldn't bear to be away from her, but he also couldn't bear to face her wrath if he caused a scene at her graduation. His ears flattened under the cloaking spell and he dropped his face to her neck, nuzzling her as if to say he gave up. She reached up and stroked his hair gently, turning to kiss his nose.

"How about if I stay with my mom? Would that be all right?" she asked him.

Mrs. Higurashi grinned. "I would love to have my girl home with me for a few days."

"Even pregnant?" Inuyasha couldn't help asking. Kagome turned from kissing him to hitting him playfully in the arm.

Mrs. Higurashi reached out for her daughter, and Kagome automatically went to her mother's side, Mrs. Higurashi drawing her in close. "I was pregnant twice, Inuyasha-kun. I think I'm well-equipped to handle anything she throws at me."

"Don't be so sure," he grumbled. Then, straightening up, he turned to his brother. "All right. We leave tomorrow?"

"First thing," Sesshomaru replied smoothly. "Don't keep Jaken waiting." Inuyasha snarled softly and reached out for his mate. Kagome obediently left her mother's side and returned to his. Inuyasha ruffled her hair affectionately.

"I'm proud of you, wench," he said with a wide smile. "You saved the world and managed to graduate high school. You did good."

"Don't forget that I also tamed a wild hanyou and am carrying his child," she teased. "That's pretty good too, I would argue."

"Keh," he replied, pulling her close.

Kagome beamed. The day really had been lovely. She didn't feel especially close to her classmates, except for Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi, but she did have good relationships with her fellow kyudoka. And she adored Suzuki-sensei. She passed all her subjects, including math. She got into Tokyo University, one of the top schools in the country, and with a scholarship for kyudo. They had even agreed to let her begin competing in January, even though she would be required to attend team practices during the spring term for as long as she was able.

The best part of all, was that she was able to share this day with her family and friends. Her mother, Jii-chan, and Souta of course were there. But she had never imagined that a) she would be able to graduate high school at all, and b) that Inuyasha would be there to see it. And yet, there he'd been in the crowd, sandwiched between Rin and his brother, scowling most of the time. The only time she'd seen his face brighten was when she crossed the stage, and he'd applauded loudest of all, whooping and making Sesshomaru roll his eyes at his enthusiasm. But Inuyasha's actions made Kagome's insides warm and melty. He was there, and he was so proud of her. She could feel his pride radiating off him all the way across the field.

Now if the pup would just stop kicking! She was exhausted, and she wanted to go home.

"Inuyasha," she said, looking up into his eyes.

"Mate?" he asked fondly.

"It's time to go," she said.

He ran his clawless hands through her hair. He looked at their family. "I'd like to take Kagome home, now," he said. It wasn't a request.

"I'm sure you could use a nap, dear," Mrs. Higurashi said to her daughter. "Dinner will be at 6:30." She turned to Sesshomaru and Rin. "I hope you'll join us," she said.

"We'd love to," said Rin immediately. She turned to Sesshomaru. "I'd like to go home to freshen up." She looked back at Mrs. Higurashi. "If the girls and Hideaki are free, may they join us for dinner as well? I'll put together something to bring."

"Of course," Mrs. Higurashi smiled back.

"Inuyasha." Kagome pulled at his sleeve.

"We'll see you all for dinner," Inuyasha said. Kagome hugged everyone, even Sesshomaru, who tried to look annoyed and failed. Together they headed off the field and in the direction of the shrine.

"Kagome!" Yuka cried. Kagome looked at her friends coming across the field.

"Hi, girls," she said tiredly. Inuyasha's chest rumbled slightly in warning. Yuka understood immediately and remained a few respectful steps back, but Eri and Ayumi ran to Kagome and threw their arms around her. Kagome stumbled a little under the sudden pressure and weight. Quick as a flash Inuyasha picked up both girls and deposited them a few feet from his mate.

"What the hell!" Eri demanded.

"What's wrong, Kagome?" Yuka asked, ignoring their friend.

Kagome sighed and leaned against Inuyasha, who slipped an arm around her and held her close. "Just tired," she replied.

Inuyasha could tell that Yuka was trying very hard not to smell Kagome out of respect for Inuyasha. But Yuka knew. She had to know. Five months in? If she didn't, she was no neko youkai. Then he could tell that Yuka had finally scented his mate, and she visibly relaxed. She got it.

"It's been a long day," Yuka said, putting a comforting arm on Eri. "I bet you just want to go home, right, Kagome?"

Kagome smiled, grateful for her diplomatic neko friend. "Yes, Yuka, thank you." She looked at Eri and Ayumi. "Congratulations to us, right? It's so hard to believe we're high school graduates!"

Ayumi laughed. "It's easy to believe for us," she commented, "but maybe not as easy for you."

Kagome felt Inuyasha's youki threatening to spill forth and dissipate his disguise. She tucked herself closer into his side. "Not here, anata," she whispered. His arm wrapped around her tighter, but she felt him relax.

"Let's go," he said shortly. He nodded at Yuka, ignored the other two, and pulled Kagome away.

"See you," Yuka said weakly, and Kagome lifted a half-hearted wave in return.

As they walked away, Kagome pinched her mate on the arm. Hard.

"What the fuck, woman?" he hissed.

"Could you be any ruder?" she demanded.

"Fuck, you're tired and you're pupped, and they were in the way," he said.

"That's no reason to be such an ass."

He barked out a laugh. "Do you even know me, mate?"

She smiled. He had a point. She let it go.

"Oi, Kagome," he said suddenly. She looked at him quizzically. "How would you feel if I learned how to drive?"

Now it was Kagome's turn to be surprised. "I didn't think you'd be interested in that."

"Keh," he said. "I passed those college exams. How hard can a driver's test be?"

"It's…a lot of time and work," she replied, frowning. She knew how impatient he could be.

"I want to be able to drive before the pup arrives," he insisted. "I'll put in the work."

Kagome smiled softly and kissed his cheek. "I know you will." She paused. "We will have so much freedom if you get a license. It will be amazing."

By this point they had left the school grounds and the crowds were thinning out. Inuyasha knelt down. "What are you doing?" Kagome asked.

"Climb up, wench," he said. "Until I can drive, this is your mode of transportation."

Kagome laughed merrily, holding her sides, her laugh tinkling in Inuyasha's ears. He flushed and she reached out to pat his cheek.

"You are always my preferred mode of transportation," she whispered huskily.

Inuyasha didn't wait for her permission. He hitched her up on his back, her squealing and protesting weakly, and took off for the shrine. He was going to make her live up to that statement, maybe a few times, if she had the energy.