Okay, this chapter is a little dry, perhaps because I wrote it at 4:00 in the morning. It does give some insight into Inuyasha's feelings on the whole matter, and hopefully redeems him a bit. It also serves the purpose of further confusing Kagome's lies and plans, which I assure you is intentional. This isn't supposed to be clean-cut and neat.

I want to thank my reviewers as well. I tend to forget to mention you all but your words, advice, and suggestions all mean a lot to me so arigato, minna :-)

Chapter Six.

Kaede was beyond shocked at the situation, but had promised the young woman her silence. Kami, even the rosary hadn't been able to protect her! "Are ye sure ye don't want to stay inside tonight, Kagome?"

Staring out the door at her companions gathering their camping supplies, she sighed. The small hut was too cramped for them all to sleep inside during the hot summer months. As a group they often spent the warmer nights sleeping under the stars nearby, giving the old woman her peace and quiet.

"No, it's okay, Kaede-sama. Sango is there, as are Miroku and Shippou."

"All right, Kagome. I'm not really sure what I can do for ye, child, as your medicine is surely far stronger than mine own. But if ye should need anything at all, please ask me."

"Thank you, Kaede. You have no idea how much this means to me."

They bowed to each other, and then Kagome left the hut to join her friends. Miroku rushed to grab her backpack, which resulted in a warm smile from Sango. If he played his cards right, maybe Kagome wouldn't be the only one with child in the near future.

As if sensing his thoughts, Sango's smile turned into a frown. "Don't even think about it, houshi-sama."

"Are you guys coming, or what?" Inuyasha yelled over his shoulder at the trio behind him, a large blanket slung over his shoulder. Miroku ran up beside him, eager to avoid Sango's ruthless glares.

He'd heard the hanyou's and miko's conversation at the well earlier that day, and was more than a little annoyed with the half-demon for upsetting the young woman. "Inuyasha, you really must try to contain that temper of yours."

"Never bothered you before, Bouzu."

"She's in a delicate situation now."

"Not my fault," he shot back carelessly.

Rolling his eyes, Miroku grabbed his arm to gain the young man's attention. "I know you're upset that you lost her to Kouga, and I don't blame you one bit for feeling betrayed. Still, she has remained faithful to the cause, and you did agree to let her stay."

"Yeah, well I also said that I wasn't going to let her problem become my own, and she agreed to that, too."

"Can you honestly stop caring about her that easily?"

Inuyasha growled back at the monk. "Mind your own business, if you know what's good for you."

Ignoring the threat in the hope of resolving tensions, he pushed on, "maybe now you know what it felt like for her."

"What the hell are you babbling about?"

"She loved you for most of the last two years, and you kept going back to Kikyou. Even as recently as last week you sped off on some rumor that she was in danger, remember?"

"You were all safe," Inuyasha defended himself, his earlier mask of indifference slipping.

"Do you think that mattered to Kagome-sama? She loves you—"

"She loves Kouga," he corrected the monk.

"No, Inuyasha. I can see the way she looks at you. I'm as confused about this as you are, but she looks at you very differently from how she looks at Kouga. I don't know what happened between them, but she doesn't care for the wolf youkai the same way she does you."

"Well she has a hell of a way of showing it," he grumbled to himself. They'd reached their campsite for the night, stopping to let the women catch up. "Look, just drop it, okay? She made her choice and I'm putting up with it the best I can. So leave me the hell alone."

Seeing no way to win this battle, Miroku closed his eyes and tried to calm his nerves. The next several months were bound to test his spiritual patience. He'd no doubt have to take extra time for meditation to get through it. Watching the young woman lay out her sleeping bag, the monk considered teaching her a few relaxation techniques. She'd need them if she had any hope of birthing a healthy baby in all this anxiety.

"I brought some ramen," Kagome announced quietly, her words meant for Inuyasha though she couldn't bring herself to look at him. He huffed, coming to sit beside the fire he'd quickly built up.

"Let me take care of that for you, Kagome-chan," Sango offered with a smile. She took the small packages from Kagome's bag, arranging them in a row and filling her small cooking pot with water from her bottle. "Shippou, can you please go and fill up the empty bottles for me?"

The kit bounced from his perch on a nearby boulder, grabbing up the empty plastic containers and rushing off for the village's watering hole.

"Sango, may I please have the rest of your water? I have to take some vitamins."

The taijiya looked at the bottle in her hands, and her face fell. "Gomen, Kagome, but I don't think there's enough in here."

"It's okay, I'll just go after Shippou," the girl replied.

"If you can wait a moment, I'll go with you."

Kagome nodded, and waited patiently while Sango took the now boiling pot from the flames and poured water into each of the cups of ramen. She passed two each to the men and set aside the remaining three for herself, Kagome, and Shippou.

"We'll be right back," she spoke softly, taking Kagome by the hand and fairly dragging her from camp. This was the opportunity she'd been waiting for all day. When they were out of the hanyou's hearing range, she turned to face Kagome, a serious look in her eyes. "Are you sure you still want to keep up with this? You should have seen how utterly depressed Inuyasha looked when he found out you were pregnant."

"He was upset enough when I told him I was Kouga's mate, why should that have mattered any?"

Sango wanted to shake the girl, hoping to knock some sense into her. "He was probably hoping he could fight Kouga for you. It's rare, but according to youkai tradition a male may challenge another's claim for a female until she is impregnated. My guess is he ran off yesterday to decide if he was ready for that commitment. When he came back from brooding, he almost seemed back to his usual over-confident self."

"You think he'd decided to fight for me?"

"I'm almost certain of it."

"Then why did you tell him I was pregnant?"

"I didn't, Miroku did. Stupid houshi blabbed it out before I could stop him."

This was getting more and more complex by the day, Kagome lamented. She didn't know what she wanted anymore, aside from the obvious: for things to go back to the way they were. Unfortunately, that was simply not possible.

"Kagome-chan, if you tell him now, it's not too late. Yes, he'll be upset that you lied to him, and yes, he'll feel rotten for not protecting you better, but at least he'll have some hope again. In fact, this little scare might be the push he needs to show you his true feelings."

Kagome was almost ready to agree with her. That is, until Sango spoke her next words.

"After all, it's not like he's the one who did it."

Indeed, Kagome sighed. Why did things have to be so difficult?

"I can't, Sango. I'm sorry, I know you don't understand but I just can't tell him the truth. Believe me, it's better this way."

"Why do I get the feeling you're not telling me something?"

The young woman's stomach twisted at the distrust in her best friend's voice. Only two days and already the situation was falling apart. How was she going to keep this up for nine months?

"Sango-chan, I promise I told you everything you need to know," she answered, forcing herself to look directly into the taijiya's eyes. She hated herself for the deception, but it was too late to go back now.

"All right. I'm sorry I doubted you, and I'll drop it. Just please, Kagome-chan…"

"Yes?"

"If the chance comes up to fix this, and tell him the truth, will you?"

"I can't promise anything, Sango-chan. I'm sorry."

Accepting defeat, Sango sighed and picked up her pace, finally reaching the stream where Shippou had just finished filling up his myriad bottles.

"Need some help carrying all that?" Kagome laughed at the fox kit's attempt to balance two bottles on his head while carrying another three.

Shaking his head fervently, and losing the two bottles in the process, Shippou beamed up at her. "Nope, I can do it all by myself," he answered her proudly. "I'm going to help take care of you just like everyone else."

Kagome's heart filled at the little demon's words and a smile brightened her face once again. It was nice to be so loved.

* * * * *

Silence had fallen over the camp when Inuyasha took a chance on hopping down from his tree branch. The soft sounds of snoring from Kagome's sleeping bag told him she was deep asleep. Sango, too, breathed in even tones. The hanyou focused last on Miroku, who slumped over against another tree, his staff in hand.

"Oi, Miroku, you awake?" he whispered harshly.

"I am now," the monk grumbled.

"Do you think it's my fault?"

"Nani?" A single eye opened and peered up at the hanyou who'd come to lean down before him.

"You know what I mean," Inuyasha shot back gruffly.

"No, Inuyasha, I don't. Can I please go back to sleep?"

Grunting, the hanyou plopped down to sit before Miroku and leaned closer. "Do you think she went with Kouga because I ran after Kikyou that day?"

Not this again, Miroku grumbled inwardly. Couldn't he have chosen a better time?

"Who knows?" he finally answered, praying he'd be left in peace if he cooperated. "I'm sure it didn't help."

"Baka wench. After Hakudoshi tried to break her soul, I promised her I'd never let anything happen to her again. Didn't she understand what I meant?"

"Obviously not," the monk replied, half-asleep again. To his relief, this response sent Inuyasha's thoughts inward again. The inuhanyou stood back up and trudged to his tree, pausing once to gaze at Kagome's sleeping form. She twitched a bit, no doubt having some vivid dream. Satisfied that she was safe, he hopped back up to his branch, yawning, and settled in to think about the second woman he'd lost to a silly misunderstanding.