"Okay then." Kagome said as she slide shut the door to the Shrine's main room and turned to look at Inuyasha and Sesshomaru. She reached up to flick on the overhead light throwing a smoky yellow glow through the room, shadows retreating to the corners. The brothers stood at opposite ends of the room and reminded Kagome of wrestlers in the rink, facing off. "Inuyasha." He turned to look at her. "Why are you here?"
"It'sâIt's about" he looked away, "Kikyou."
Kagome blinked in surprise. "Kikyou!?"
"She's dying."
Kagome could help the flash of bitter spite that pricked her "I thought she was already dead." And her face heated instantly with embarrassment over her jealous tone. She had chosen Sesshomaru, what right did she have to be upset over Inuyasha's love for Kikyou? Luckily Inuyasha didn't notice her tone.
"Her bodyâshe needs dead souls to keep it going and she doesn't want toâto take them anymore." Inuyasha said quietly.
Kagome nodded. "I understand but what does that have to do with us?"
"He wishes us to save his woman." Sesshomaru said from his corner, face coldly emotionless as always. "Is this not true brother?"
Inuyasha's eye twitched with irritation and anger but he made no sharp retort so Kagome guessed that Sesshomaru's words were true. Kagome frowned a bit. Inuyasha wanted her help to save Kikyou? But what could she do. Kagome glanced down at her palm and as she stared violet light flickered there a moment then was gone, a reminder of the sacred jewel inside her once more. Could she use it to save Kikyou? No. She didn't think she could. The Sacred Jewel couldn't save the deadâ..but she knew what could.
"Tensaiga." She murmured and both brothers looked at her. She looked up. "The Tensaiga can bring back Kikyou." Inuyasha nodded slowly implying he'd had the same thought. Kagome looked to her husband who had given no reaction to all this. "You can save Kikyou."
"No." One word, simple, blunt, and said with no emotion whatsoever.
"No!?" She couldn't believe he'd actually refused. Inuyasha however, apparently could.
"I knew it. I don't even know why I bothered to come. Sesshomaru wouldn't help a starving man."
"If the man is stupid enough to starve." Sesshomaru replied. "Then he doesn't deserve to be saved."
"What kind of bullshit logic is that!?" Inuyasha snapped at him.
"Sesshomaru," Kagome said to forestall the argument she could sense coming. "There isn't a single good reason for you refusing to save Kikyou is there?" She tipped her head to the side and moved towards him. "You can't still hate Inuyasha that much. It's a given you may not live him but if you can't refuse to save someone when you have the power to."
"Are you suggestingâthat I save every dying human in the world?" Sesshomaru asked, lifting an eyebrow.
"That would be nice." And almost laughed at the look he gave her. "Can't you put yourself in his place. What would you do if I was dying and Inuyasha was the one who could save me?"
"That would not happen." Sesshomaru growled, eyes flashing with temper.
Kagome almost left of making her point in the face of that look but she couldn't afford to. She'd promised Inuyasha to do all she could. "But what if it did." She set her hands on her hips. "I hope that you'd ask him and I hope that he wouldn't refuse him."
"I wouldn't bother making him grovel. Of course I'd do it for you, Kagome not for him." Inuyasha said stubbornly but without any real mocking which told Kagome he was doing his best not to upset Sesshomaru and turn him away for good.
Kagome walked closer to Sesshomaru. "Will you refuse helping Inuyasha find love when he's the one who helped me find you? And you had better love me or else." Tears gathered in her eyes and she blessed her pregnancy imposed mood swings. "Can you refuse love when have it?" She tried for a shaky smile. "Besides, Kikyou would make a very nice midwife wouldn't she? Unless of course you want to do it."
"Midwife?" Inuyasha said, tone rather confused.
When Sesshomaru still looked stubborn she huffed, crossed her arms and turned away. "Fine then. In that case I'll just stay right in this spot for the next couple of months and have the baby right here."
"What baby!?" Inuyasha almost shrieked. Kagome blushed slightly then as he leaned over to sniff at her. "Shit! You're pregnant." He snarled at Sesshomaru. "You bastard. You got her pregnant!" curling his hand into a fist.
Kagome opened her mouth to give the sit command, and just managed to stop herself in time to remember that Sesshomaru wore prayer beads too. And she didn't want to sit him since he hadn't done anything yet.
"Inuyasha." He looked at her and she leaned over to whisper in his ear, straightening up as the prayer beads flared and he was slammed into the ground, shaking the room. She turned to look up at Sesshomaru then and crossed her arms once more. "Well?"
Sesshomaru's gaze flickered from her to his smoking half brother that was struggling up from the ground growling. "Very well."
Kagome uncrossed her arms and smiled, face lighting up. "Seriously! You'll do it?"
Sesshomaru lifted an eyebrow at her. "Do not look pleased. It has nothing to do with your threats."
Kagome smiled. "Of course not. Did you hear that Inuyasha? He'll-"
"I heard." Inuyasha said as he rose to his feet. "Then why are you doing it Sesshomaru?"
Sesshomaru didn't bother to even glance at him. "I have my reasons brother. However I'd be happy to retract my decision if you like." Inuyasha frowned but remained silent.
Kagome studied the two musing over the hostility crackling in the air between the two. Would those two ever stop hating each other? Just because Inuyasha was a half-breedâ. Something occurred to her suddenly and she shrieked.
Both Sesshomaru and Inuyasha looked at her at the same time and bother echoed parodies of, "What!?"
She pointed an accusing finger at Sesshomaru. "You'd better start liking half breeds a whole lot mister!!"
Sesshomaru's eyebrow went up with amusement. "And why, exactly, is that. Inuyasha-"
"It has nothing to do with Inuyasha."
"Then why is it, wife." Tone holding faint annoyance and hidden curiosity.
Kagome smirked and crossed her arms again. "Because your son or daughter is going to be one." She smiled in the face of both their thunderstruck faces. "I'm going to run and write a note for my mom so she won't worry. Then we can go." Neither replied, still lost in shock so she laughed and slipped out of the shrine to dash back up to her room. Sesshomaru had better start loving half-breeds to death.