October 20

It's been such a relief having Miroku and Sango back home. Things just weren't the same without them around. I've missed Miroku's jokes and stories and I've missed having girl time with Sango. Their kids are also much happier to have them around as well. Inuyasha and I took care of them the best we could but nothing beats having their real parents around.

Sango and I went to a cafe for lunch today. I missed hanging out with her so much when she was gone. She's like the sister I never had and I know my life would never have been the same if she didn't come back. That's probably how she felt when I was gone all of those years too. It's one thing to hang out with our husbands and kids but being with my best friend is special.

Miso soup has been my latest craving for my pregnancy. I've been having Inuyasha make it for me a lot and while we were at the cafe I ordered one serving and once that was finished I desperately needed more so I ordered another one.

Sango couldn't help but laugh. "Those third-trimester cravings are a beast."

"You're telling me," I replied. "I've been craving miso soup and pickles lately. Months ago it was mangos. I know Inuyasha got sick of peeling them for me."

"His claws are good for something at least," she said. "The third trimester is an interesting experience."

With the headaches, aching back and limbs, contractions, and having an increasingly difficult time sleeping, the third trimester was no walk in the park. "I'm kind of ready for it to be over, to be honest."

"Oh yeah?"

"It was fun and exciting for a while. I still like feeling the baby kicking, but I'm getting tired of all the symptoms. It's getting harder to move and I'm starting to want my body back. And I really want to just hold the baby."

"I totally understand. It was around this time that I started to get tired of it too. Hang in there, girl. You know one way I found to make things a lot more bearable?"

"What?"

"Have sex as much as you can," she said with a wink.

I blushed and giggled a bit. "Definitely."

After I had my second helping of soup, we left the cafe. As we talked through the village, we passed by Takero.

"Hello, ladies," he said to us.

"Hi Takero," we said.

"I hope you're staying safe out here."

"Why? Did something happen?" Sango asked.

"My cousin Chiyo and a couple of other women seem to have disappeared lately," Takero said. He looked extremely worried and stressed out about it.

"Oh no, does anyone know what happened to them?" I asked.

"No, we're not quite sure but we've been investigating since they disappeared yesterday. I've been warning everyone else in the village to stay vigilant. Hopefully, this is a one-off thing, but it's important to be cautious until we know for sure."

"You're absolutely right," Sango said. "Thank you for warning us."

"And if there is anything we can do to help find those women, let us know," I said.

"Just keep an eye out and let me know if you see anything unusual," he replied. "Well, I'm supposed to be meeting with the head of the guard about it. I'll see you two around."

"Bye," we said.

"That's so horrible," Sango said as we made our way back to her house.

"I agree, I really hope they find them soon."