November 23

I haven't been writing much lately because I've been so tired. My pregnancy is coming to a close. I have barely a month left at this point. As scary as that is, the more the days go on the more I'm ready for it to be over.

My third-trimester symptoms have left me feeling so uncomfortable. From the headaches to the general body aches to the contractions, it reminds me of the discomfort of my first trimester but in different ways. Now that the baby is almost full-term, my stomach is huge and it's making it hard to move. I can't bend over anymore and if I do, it's nearly impossible to get back up.

At this point, it's all starting to weigh heavily on me and Inuyasha. We're ready for the baby to be born and at the same time, the thought of it scares us out of our minds.

Inuyasha has been very gracious about dealing with me while I'm like this. He's been very patient with my mood swings, cravings, and general crankiness. He's been giving me massages as often as I need them and gets me whatever food I'm craving.

This morning we were at home and once again I was starving. The possibilities were running through my mind but the more I thought about it there was one thing that I desperately wanted.

"Inuyasha," I said.

He came over and sat next to me. "What's up?"

"I'm hungry."

"I can make you some fish, or some pickled vegetables…"

I shook my head. "I want watermelon."

"But those aren't even in season. How about I get you something else?"

I took his arm and gave him a pleading look. "Please, Inuyasha? It's the only thing I have a taste for."

"But…"

I wanted watermelons so bad it was practically driving me insane. Surely there had to be some somewhere. "Please?" I said with a pout.

"Alright, fine." He kissed my lips. "Anything for you and our baby."

"Thank you!"

While Inuyasha set off to find watermelons, I went to Kaede's house and talked with her and Sango. About an hour later, Inuyasha came into the house carrying two large watermelons.

"I got your watermelons, Kagome."

Now I felt terrible. The watermelon hype had worn off. In fact, my taste buds had shifted so much that I could hardly stand the sight of them. "Thanks, Inuyasha but…I kind of don't want watermelons anymore."

He dropped them to the floor and stared at me in disbelief. "What?"

I twisted my hair around nervously. I shouldn't have said anything, I thought, now he's going to be mad. I should have just pretended to want watermelons. "I-I just don't really have a taste for them...right now anyway...maybe later..."

"Damn it!" Inuyasha exclaimed. "I've put up with this shit long enough! I've catered to your every whim for all of these months and I can't take it anymore!"

"Inuyasha…" Sango said.

"I give you massages every night and I get you whatever the hell you're craving every minute of the day."

"Inuyasha, calm down…" Kaede said.

"You tell me you want these damn watermelons and I go miles away from here to find some for you only to have you tell me you don't want them! I can't put up with this crap anymore! I'm tired, my hair is falling out, and you're pissing me the hell off! If there's anything else you want, go get it yourself because I'm done!"

I looked away from him with tears pouring down my face. I was surprised. I couldn't remember the last time Inuyasha had yelled at me like this. More than anything I felt terrible.

All this time I'd thought of myself as being the one who had it bad because I have to carry our baby for nine months. But I wasn't the only one, Inuyasha was stressed out too. I thought of all the times I had been unreasonable and he had been extremely patient with me. I hadn't realized everything he had to do to take care of us and I felt bad for it.

"Inuyasha, I'm sorry. I…I didn't mean to make you so mad. I'm just so stressed out right now. I've only been thinking of myself, I…I'm sorry…"

Meanwhile, Sango and Kaede were trying to comfort me as I was still sobbing.

"Shh, Kagome, don't cry. All those tears aren't good for the baby," Kaede said soothingly.

Sango glared at Inuyasha. "Shame on you, making the poor girl cry! You're supposed to be taking care of her and your baby, not yelling at her."

Inuyasha was the one who looked guilty now. He bent down next to me and put his arms around me. "Kagome, I'm so sorry." All traces of anger had disappeared from his voice. "I shouldn't have yelled at you, it's not your fault."

I wiped the tears from my face. "I won't ask you for anything anymore."

He kissed me and then looked into my eyes. "No, Kagome I don't mind. I'll get you whatever you want, I promise."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure," he said before kissing me again. "Whatever you need, just say the word and I'll do it for you, baby."

I felt a little bit better. "Thank you, Inuyasha."

"Do you want to go home?"

I nodded and he helped me up. We said goodbye to Kaede and Sango, grabbed the watermelons, and went home.

Both of us were silent on the way home, lost in our own thoughts. I still felt bad and I was trying to think of some way to make it up to him.

When we got inside, Inuyasha put the watermelons on the table. Afterward, I wrapped my arms around him in a tight hug. "I'm really sorry, Yasha."

He hugged me back and kissed the top of my head. "Don't be. I was acting like a jerk to you." We went over to sit on the couch. "You've been through so much, I shouldn't be making you more upset."

I held his hands. "You've been through a lot too. You're constantly taking care of me and checking up on me and making sure I have everything I need. I'm so grateful for that."

"I think at this point we're both just really stressed out, Kagome."

I nodded in agreement. "We're so ready for the baby to be born that it's making us a little crazy."

"I promise I'll try to be more patient, love," he said as he put his forehead to mine.

"And I'll be more reasonable." I finally closed the gap between us and kissed him. "I love you, Yasha."

He kissed me back. "I love you too, Kagome. Always."