Notes:
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, or anyone else from the manga and/or anime. Everyone else belongs to me :)
Hello all! I hope that wherever you are, you are safe and well.
This is a baby chapter, but I will upload Chapter 45 very soon, I promise!
Kagome was tired. Bone-tired, exhausted to her core: just completely and utterly tired. The pup wore her out. All day, every hour or two, the pup demanded food, and would sometimes nurse without stopping for hours on end (something called "cluster feeding," which Kagome had been entirely unprepared for, but which the pup did every few days). When the pup wasn't nursing, she was sleeping, but only on Kagome or Inuyasha. That stupid crib Sesshomaru and Hideaki had installed was hanging out, largely unused, in the nursery.
Inuyasha was on campus every day, taking his exams and studying. He often left early in the morning, and came back with study guides and stacks of papers for Kagome. He either rocked Morika while Kagome worked, or Kagome sat up in the recliner in the nursery, pup laying on the nursing pillow, sucking away, while she typed out answers to her take-homes with one hand. She suspected she was going to barely pass at least one of her classes, which was a shame, since she had been doing so well. None of her professors had agreed to give her an incomplete, citing that she should not have been in school at all while pregnant (like she was supposed to know that the pup would come early!). And her female professors had been just as harsh as her male professors, if not more so. So much for women helping other women, Kagome thought with a scowl.
Through it all, Inuyasha had been awesome. He made sure she had enough to eat and drink. While Kagome struggled through the early days of milk production, he made sure she drank plenty of water, and he looked up the foods that would help her produce milk (like oatmeal, which she liked, and adzuki beans, which she did not). He found a recipe online for lactation cookies, and he and her mother had baked them together, surprising her. They were delicious, and they worked! And every other day, he put the pup in the baby seat and set her up in the bathroom, then would set his wife on the bathing stool, rinsing her off and washing her hair. Kagome was healing excellently, and soon she would be ready for a bath. She'd graduated from mesh panties to pads, and she didn't need the pain spray as much as she did in the early days.
But still, nagging in the back of her mind, was that vision. Of Kikyo. Pregnant. She tried hard not to think about it, and it was admittedly easier than she thought it would be. But still it remained, calling out to her, reminding her that there was a mystery to solved. She had to talk to Sesshomaru. She needed his help to form a plan.
The morning Inuyasha left for campus to finish up his exams, she sent Sesshomaru a quick text.
Are you busy this morning? I need to see you. I had another vision.
She set the phone down and went to check on Morika, who was actually taking her morning nap in her crib and not on Kagome. The pup was resting quietly, swaddled in a linen blanket, turned lightly on her side. Kagome held her breath as she watched her pup sleep. Her long eyelashes were dark against the translucence of her eyelids; her perfect little lips were pursed in a frown. Morika's ears twitched lightly on top of her head. Was she dreaming? What do pups dream about?
Kagome longed to reach out and touch her child, to pick her up and hold her close, but knew that one should never wake a sleeping baby; and, if she touched the pup, she would most certainly awaken. And Kagome needed five more minutes of quiet.
Tiptoeing out of the nursery, she went back to the living room to pick up her phone and headed into the bathroom. As Kagome got undressed to take a quick shower, she checked her phone and saw she had a notification from Sesshomaru.
Give me thirty minutes.
She smiled and sat on the bathing stool, turning on the shower head. She let the hot water run over her, turning her face into it and letting the heat pour down her face. It felt better than just about anything she'd been allowed to feel the past week. She quickly shampooed and conditioned her hair, then used a nice body wash to help combat her general feeling of grossness. She knew Inuyasha thought she was anything but gross, and he'd been so great about helping her get clean, but she still felt like a giant scab that had been picked open, so she took advantage of any quiet time to rinse herself off.
Once she was clean, she ran into the bedroom to get a fresh change of clothes, and just in time! The pup was awake. Kagome went into the nursery and watched her, mewling and twisting in the swaddle.
"What's the matter, my little puppy-choo?" cooed Kagome, lifting Morika out of her crib. At the sound of her mother's voice, the pup immediately relaxed. She knew her parents' voices and scent, and almost always quieted down quickly when one of them held her and spoke to her.
Kagome could see Morika's diaper needed changing, so she laid the pup on the changing table and deftly unhooked the diaper with one hand and grabbed the wipes with the other. She quickly wiped the pup down, lifted the dirty diaper from underneath her, squeezed out some diaper cream onto the pup's behind, and then slid the clean diaper under the pup.
"You are getting good at this, little miko," said a voice from behind her. Kagome nearly jumped a foot in the air, taking the dirty diaper with her.
"Sesshomaru!" she gasped, fixing the diaper and lifting Morika from the table. He looked at her solemnly and held out his arms.
"Do you want to say hi to your Uncle Sessy?" murmured Kagome. The look Sesshomaru gave her was lethal. Kagome just chuckled and handed over her daughter. Sesshomaru tucked the pup in the crook of his arm and gestured to the living room with his head; Kagome followed. He settled himself on the couch; Kagome made herself at home on the overstuffed chair, flinging her limbs about a bit. It felt good to relax without a pup in her arms.
"You called this Sesshomaru, miko," he said, tickling the pup with his claws. Morika made a gurgling sound that Kagome swore was a giggle. She smiled briefly, then turned to her brother-in-law.
"I did."
"You said you had a vision?"
"I did."
"Would you care to tell this Sesshomaru about the vision, miko?"
Kagome fidgeted. "Kikyo was pregnant with Onigumo's child."
Sesshomaru nearly dropped the pup in his arms. "Say—say that again."
"Kikyo. Pregnant. Onigumo." Kagome didn't love spelling this out. But Sesshomaru was her only hope if she was going to solve this without Inuyasha blowing a gasket and/or having his heart broken all over again.
"How do you know?" he asked.
"It was in my dream," Kagome replied. "She went to see him. She was going away for a long time. He told her that he loved her; she didn't say it back. As she walked away, she rubbed her belly. I'm sure the baby would have been Onigumo's." Kagome choked back a sob; Sesshomaru looked at her with as much sympathy as he could muster. "Why am I seeing this?" she added in a desperate voice. "Sesshomaru…why has this been happening to me?"
Sesshomaru looked down at the pup and teased her a little with his claws. "You are Kikyo's reincarnation. She had a part of your soul. It makes sense that you would still be connected to her." He looked up at Kagome. "You're sure about this vision, miko?"
Kagome gave him a steady, level, look. "Is that my pup in your arms?"
Sesshomaru rose and handed Kagome the pup. She took her child and then looked up at the Lord of the West. All at once he seemed terrible and kind and menacing and gentle.
"I will look into this, miko," he said simply. "Try not to worry. Care for your pup and your mate." And as quickly as he had come into the cottage, he was gone, leaving Kagome to stare after him in disbelief.
"Your uncle Sessy is right, little pup," she murmured, unsnapping her nursing tank. The pup greedily attacked her breast; she sat rocking Morika as she continued to think aloud. "He will take care of it, I'm sure." She looked down at the pup, who was making little mewling sounds as she nursed. "How am I going to tell your papa, though?"
Outside the cottage, Sesshomaru paused a moment before he left, one hand pressed over his heart. This was much more troubling than he had originally thought. He took a moment and fished his phone from his pocket; he looked up a number and punched in a simple message.
It's time. We must meet.
She was resting on a futon that was not her own, lying next to a baby that slept peacefully. It had dark hair, like Kikyo; its hair curled lightly, like Onigumo's.
Kagome stared at the baby, trying to ascertain Kikyo's feelings, which felt all mixed up and confused. Where were they? She remembered that Kikyo had left the village, presumably to have the baby, but she'd had no visions of the interim to suggest where Kikyo had gone or how much time had passed between when she left the village and gave birth.
Kikyo sighed, running her hand gently over the baby's forehead. The baby yawned and opened its eyes a little. Kagome was shocked to see that the eyes were a deep red, so dark they were almost brown.
"Hello, little one," Kikyo crooned. The baby fussed and Kikyo opened her kimono, exposing her breast. The baby latched and ate eagerly. Kagome couldn't help but smile to herself; while she didn't love the sore and cracked nipples that came along with those early days of breastfeeding, she did love the feeling of closeness she was developing with Morika. She wondered if Kikyo had the same feelings towards this baby.
Kikyo sighed again. Through Kikyo's eyes, Kagome looked around the room. It was small, with the futon the only piece of furniture in it. There was a small bundle beside the futon that Kagome assumed held Kikyo's personal belongings. She wondered how long Kikyo had been in this room—wherever that was.
There was a gentle rustle at the mat hanging from the doorframe. "Just a minute," Kikyo called. She picked up the baby and held it closely, pulling herself to a seated position. She used her kimono to cover the nursing child. "Come in," she said.
The straw mat moved aside, and an elderly woman entered the room. Her graying hair was tied back into a simple bun; her kimono, although beautiful, was old and frayed. But her lined face was kind and she smiled down at Kikyo and the baby.
"How are you doing, Keiko-san?" she asked. Kagome quickly realized she meant Kikyo. "How is the baby adjusting to life outside the womb?"
"We're doing well, Imamoto-san," Kikyo replied. "Thank you for asking."
The woman called Imamoto-san frowned a little. "What will be your plans, Keiko-san?" Kikyo must have looked confused, because the woman added, "now that you have had your baby."
Kikyo shrugged. "I have to return to my village, I guess." She looked down at the baby, still suckling away at her breast. "I am worried about bringing the child, though. I'm afraid of the father."
Imamoto-san nodded kindly. "I understand why you felt you had to flee, Keiko-san," she said gently. "Perhaps you could remain here, begin a new life?"
"My younger sister is still in the village," Kikyo said. "She doesn't know about the baby. I don't want to tell her."
"What will you do then?" Imamoto-san asked.
Kikyo paused; Kagome couldn't read her thoughts, but could almost feel her brain working through some ideas. "Would I be able to leave the child here, Imamoto-san?" she asked. "I could not bring a baby back to my old life. I do not wish to endanger a child." Her voice grew soft. "I would not wish this man to be a father to anyone, least of all my child." Kagome's heart broke a little.
Imamoto-san pursed her lips, looking for all the world like this was the worst idea she'd ever heard. She sighed. "Who here would want a child, Keiko-san?" she asked. "Do you not think a child is better off with its mother, as opposed to having no mother at all?"
"I'm hardly motherly material," Kikyo chuckled. The baby popped off her breast, and she closed her kimono. "This child…" she paused, gathering her strength. "This child is not wanted by me." Her eyes grew cold now that the child was no longer nursing. "This child will bring me nothing but hardship."
Imamoto-san nodded, a slight look of disgust creeping across her face. "Very well," she said. "I will begin to make the arrangements." She pushed aside the straw mat and left the room.
Kikyo sighed and slumped back against the wall, looking down at the baby in her arms.
"What am I supposed to do with you?" she murmured.
Notes:
How many of these visions is Kagome going to have? And, will she ever tell Inuyasha about Kikyo's pregnancy? Will "Uncle Sessy" finally be the nickname that tries Sesshomaru's patience too much? Find out in the next update, and thank you so much for continuing to read!