22 Weeks or 10 Months

InuYasha Fanfiction

By Kittyonnails

"Only another week." Kagome thought to herself as she looked at the date on the blackboard in the front of the classroom. She had been attending classes regularly, but it didn't seem to be helping her grades. She hadn't told anyone but her mom about her pregnancy, so her thoughts had to be kept to herself. That wasn't easy when her friends kept asking her about her boyfriend. It was impossible to know what to say to them. Consequently, she had been avoiding her friends. That only made them more suspicious. Kagome tried to concentrate on the lesson. It was algebra, one of her worst enemies. She would need all the help she could get.

Kagome walked into the house without announcing her arrival. She just didn't feel like seeing anyone. She was tired, all she wanted was a nap. She headed up to her room, stopping in the kitchen for some juice. "I just want it to be over." she thought to herself, staring into her grape juice. She wasn't sure if the end of her pregnancy would fix things though. Her life in the present would smooth over, but she wasn't as sure about the feudal era. Abortion was ingrained into modern day minds, she would just have to place the Jizo Miroku had given her at the shrine and say prayers for her baby's soul. It would probably work, even without Inuyasha. That's what was bothering her, Inuyasha. His absence was amplified by her constant thoughts of him. It seemed perverse that the product of their physical love seemed to be what had driven him away. She sighed and finished her juice. There's nothing to be done.

Kagome flopped face down onto her bed. She was so tired lately. It had to be something to do with the pregnancy. Even when it wasn't obvious to everyone else, she was becoming increasingly aware of the changes in her body. She looked up at the open window, wondering if she had left it that way.

"Kagome." It was Inuyasha. She had been so caught up in her thoughts, she hadn't noticed that he was standing in the dark room. He walked over and sat on the bed next to her.

"Inuyasha, what are you doing here?" She asked, sitting up to face him.

"I need to talk to you Kagome." He answered gently, searching her eyes for answers to his unasked questions. Kagome nodded, encouraging him. "What I've been wondering is... I mean, what I said before... I was surprised and... uh... Are you sure this isn't a mistake?" He looked at her, searching.

"What do you mean a mistake? Wouldn't it be a bigger mistake to not..." Her voice trailed off as her thoughts scattered. Suddenly she was not sure.

"What I mean is, It's so rare for a demon-human coupling to produce a child. It seems like we're just ignoring that. If we don't appreciate what we have, we can't be sure it will be offered to us again. I mean, if we don't keep the baby, someone else might get it."

"by reincarnation." Kagome added, relieved that Inuyasha seemed willing to participate in the necessary rituals to speed along their child's reincarnation.

"So maybe you shouldn't... I mean it wouldn't be that bad if we had a baby. Everyone knows already - right?" he reached over and took he hand in his, squeezing it encouragingly.

"That's what you want?" Kagome asked, still unsure.

"Just think about it. Would it really ruin everything?"

"But Naraku, and the Shikon jewel-"

"It's not that long." He smiled gently. "You think, even if Naraku does get the rest of the shards, that we won't beat that bastard? It's only ten months, right? Then we can keep on."

Kagome shook her head. "That's not realistic Inuyasha. How will we keep on with a baby?"

He shrugged, "We've got Shippo. He's little, weak and useless. I bet our pup would be cuter, and tougher too." Kagome had to smile at that. She had been trying hard not to think about what the baby would look like if it were born. It wasn't so bad when Inuyasha said it like that. Still, she wasn't convinced about his idea. Her mind raced, trying to find the words to explain why she couldn't become a teenage mother.

"It's ok, if you need to think about it." He said tenderly, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to him. Kagome relaxed in his embrace, resting her head on firm warmth of his chest. She was so tired, and listening to Inuyasha's heartbeat was so soothing. "if nothing else" she thought, "I do love him"

"It's a boy!" the nurse smiled at Kagome, handing her a small bundle wrapped in a blue blanket. She peered inside at the angelic face of a newborn baby.

"Look at those ears!" she grinned up at Inuyasha. He smiled back at her.

The door opened and Kagome smiled as her mom and Souta walked in, carrying flowers and a balloon. "Lemme see!" Souta demanded, standing on his tip-toes to try and get a peek at the new addition.

"This is Inuchiisai, your nephew." Kagome said as she showed the infant to her brother.

"Now Kagome, it's bad luck to introduce your son before his naming day." her mother chided, smiling at the sleeping infant. Kagome smiled and watched her baby sleep. He really was the cutest, and most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

Inuyasha sighed. "there's nothing to be done."

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked, frowning at Inuyasha's pained expression. Her mom and Souta seemed to have left her alone with him.

"We can't take him back to the feudal era, Kagome." He said, reaching for the infant.

"But, you said..." He was too strong for her, the baby seemed to slip out of her grasp easily.

"There's nothing to be done." he said again, as if it were some comfort to her.

"no" Kagome gasped in horror as her eyes burst open.

"What is it?" Inuyasha asked, as she looked around the room. Kagome put her hand on her stomach and looked at Inuyasha.

"a dream." she whispered, remembering the child's sweet face. Maybe Inuyasha was right. Maybe it was a mistake.

"This is the twelfth week." she said. "My appointment is on Thursday, but if I skip it, we only have ten more weeks to decide. After that, I can't have the abortion." Inuyasha smiled slightly.

"you mean, you're not going to do it?" he asked.

"I need to think about it. I'm not sure anymore." Kagome shook her head as a tear rolled down her cheek. It still seemed like there wasn't anything to do about it, but she couldn't just ignore her dream either.

"I'm going to reschedule my appointment. Two more weeks." Inuyasha nodded.

"I'm staying with you here. Until it's over or you come back with me, I want to stay here." Kagome nodded. She was glad he wasn't leaving again. She was glad he had come.

"Mom, we need to talk." Kagome said as she took a seat at the kitchen table. Inuyasha followed suit, sitting on her left and taking her hand. Kagome's mother put down the knife she was slicing carrots with.

"What's this about Kagome? You can't keep rescheduling the abortion. It will be worse if you wait." She said as she took a seat at the table.

"No mom, I don't want to reschedule. Inuyasha and I have decided not to do it. We want to have our baby." She smiled weakly at her mother. In all her sixteen years she had never stood up to her mother like this. She felt so grown up, and so childlike all at once. Never without Inuyasha would she have even considered having a baby. She squeezed his hand slightly, drawing strength and courage from him. Since when was she afraid of her mother anyway?

"You know that's impossible Kagome." Her mom looked from her to Inuyasha. "I just want you to do what's best, and an abortion is best for now. You're too young." She looked sympathetically at them both, but stood firm.

"No, mom, I can't do it. There's no way to know if we would ever have the chance again. I'd never forgive myself if I rejected this baby now, and never again got the opportunity. You don't know how rare it is for a human and demon to have a child. This is not something I can just throw away."

Mrs. Higurashi sighed. "How will you raise a child with the life you lead, Kagome? Babies are a lot of work and you are not ready to settle down with a family. I doubt Inuyasha is either. You two have to consider what it would mean to have a child. Your whole lives will change. I just can't see you giving up this quest in the feudal age, and high school. Everything, Kagome, and Inuyasha will have to settle down too. You will have to take care of her and your child."

Inuyasha sniffed. "I already do take care of her. We're fine. It's not like we're not willing to sacrifice some things. We're just not willing to give up so easily."

"Mom" Kagome looked to her mother, "We're going to do it. You're right about everything, but it will be ok. We're both strong enough to do this."

Mrs. Higurashi nodded. "I guess I'm going to be a grandmother." she sighed. Kagome and Inuyasha smiled.

Kagome smiled and held up the box for Inuyasha to see.

"It's exactly what we'll need." She told him, "This way I can carry the little one on my back while we travel. Inuyasha looked at her quizzically.

"If the baby's on your back, how will you carry your backpack?" he asked.

"Dummy, someone else will have to carry my backpack. You could try it!" Inuyasha shrugged and scratched his ears through the baseball cap he was wearing to cover them. Now that he was living in Kagome's time, he had to wear modern clothes to keep from attracting too much attention. He was uncomfortable in such form-fitting garments. Kagome wasn't showing her condition yet, and was still attending school, so he only had to dress like this when she wanted him to shop with her.

"Well, this is all we need. Let's go find Mom and go to the checkout." Kagome smiled as she led the way, weaving through the maze of merchandise toward her mother. Suddenly she stopped and grabbed her stomach in pain, dropping the box on the floor. It felt like someone had stabbed her in the abdomen. Fear ripped through her as she felt a gush of warmth between he legs.

"Kagome, what's wrong?" Inuyasha knocked over a rack of baby clothes as he pushed his way in front of her, kneeling down to where she was crouched and putting his hands on her shoulders. She sobbed.

"Inuyasha, the baby-" she managed before losing consciousness.

Kagome awoke slowly and watched the white celing above her. Did that really happen? Must have, nothing seemed familiar here.

"Kagome? You awake?" It was Inuyasha's voice. He sounded so somber, like he was afraid to even hope for her consciousness.

"mmm." she managed, turning to the sound of his voice. "Inuyasha, what happened?"

"Kagome." He took her hand tenderly. "the baby's gone." His voice was barely a whisper, but his words tore into her mind and echoed loudly.

"Gone?" She sniffed, staring tearfully at his profile. He watched the floor as if it held the answer to their grief.

"yes." Inuyasha sat silent after that, listening to the sounds of her quiet weeping. After several minutes, he reached for her hand and turned to look at her.

"We were wrong. It wasn't meant to be."

Kagome nodded shakily.

"There's nothing to be done."

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Author Notes:

Well, hope this made you think, even if it's not the most fun thing in the world. Thanks for reading.