A/N: Thanks so much for the awesome reviews. Yes, I am aware now that Kilala is actually spelled Kirara, but for the sake of the story, I will keep the spelling as it has been for the entire fic and just use the correct spelling in future fics. I am not going to keep you guys in suspense, but I am going to go ahead and warn you...this fic is nearing its end. There is going to be a twist, but please do not get too upset with me. I will post as many chapters as possible, but know that at the end of the fic, Kouga and Kagome will wind up together. I promise, but you will have to endure some angst. However, for now, you get to find out what is going on with Kagome and in the next chapter, you get to see Kagome lay down some laws of her own. Enjoy!
Kagome sighed as she climbed up out of the well. She had to ask Kilala to stop a couple of times due to her upset tummy acting up. However, she finally made it to the well and sent Kilala back to Sango.
Now, as she walked out of the well house and towards the sliding glass door, Kagome realized that she missed her mom and looked forward to speaking with her. She was so angry at Kouga for his treatment of her and she honestly thought that he was a bit too harsh in his handling of her.
She smiled when her mother looked up and came rushing over to her. Before Kagome could utter one word, she was wrapped up in her mother's arms.
"I have been thinking of you. I am so glad that you are home. How long are you going to be staying?" Her mother asked, her dark eyes dancing with joy.
Kagome sighed. "For a week, I suppose. Listen, I have to talk to you. Do you promise that you will hear me out and not make any judgements towards me?" She asked as a slight twinge of fear inched into her voice.
Her mother's eyes narrowed for a moment, but then softened. "My little girl is a woman, isn't she?" She asked.
Kagome paled. "Well, if you are trying to say that I have had sex in a kinder way, then yes." She whispered.
Her mother nodded. "I see. Well, I hope that Inu Yasha will respect you and not go running off to that Kikyo person now that you have been intimate. It is high time that he made a decision…" She said, but was then interrupted.
"It isn't Inu Yasha." Kagome said in a small voice. She peeked at her mother through her bangs and found that her mother's mouth was hanging open.
"Please tell me it isn't that touchy-feely monk. Kagome, you are asking for trouble if it is him." Her mother said.
Kagome shook her head. "No, it isn't him either." She replied.
Her mother's face was now confused. "Is it the brother? What is his name? Ah, Sessho or something like that." She asked.
Kagome smiled a bit. "His name is Sesshomaru and no, it isn't him. He would rather eat dirt than mate a human, or at least that is how he acts. No, I am mated to a wolf demon. His name is Kouga." Kagome said, her dark eyes now focused on the table.
There was a long pause of silence, and then Kagome's mother asked, "And what does this Kouga do? Does he have a job so that he can take care of you? Is he a good man who is gentle and loving towards you? What if you have children? Does he bay at the moon? And does he have ears like Inu Yasha?"
Kagome quirked an eyebrow up at her mother. Shaking her head, she answered. "Kouga is the prince and leader of his tribe. He has a very nice den, er, home that we share, and he is a very good man and loves me with all of his heart. He loves kids or pups as they are called and I don't think he bays at the moon, or at least he hasn't yet. No, he doesn't have ears like Inu Yasha, but he does have a very soft tail."
Her mother's face broke into a smile. "A prince, you say. That's good. Nothing but the best for my daughter." She said, her eyes twinkling.
Kagome was a bit shocked. She had thought that her mother would be angry with her. "So, you are ok with this?" She asked timidly.
Her mother sighed. "Kagome, when you first started to travel to the feudal era, I was scared out of my mind. On more than one occasion, you came home with torn clothing and scratches. However, you kept going back and I have come to the realization that you have a strong moral sense. You could have just told Inu Yasha to find the shards on his own, but you felt a responsibility to him and have stuck with it. If you say that you are happy, then I will go with your decisions, but let me assure you, when you have children, um, pups I will want to see them. And if you don't bring them to me, I will find a way to go to the feudal era and you won't like what I do." She said, wagging her finger at her daughter.
"Well, it can't be any worse than what Kouga did." Kagome grumbled. She looked up and saw her mother looking at her, waiting for an explanation. So, Kagome told her what had happened and what had been said. When she was finished, Kagome's mother was shaking her head.
"Well, you had it coming, I am afraid, but I do agree that he was a bit too harsh. You disobeyed his command, Kagome. You seem to forget that this era and the feudal era are very different. He must act a certain way to preserve his station in the tribe. You were out of line, but I can also see your point of view. However, you should have let your husband handle it." Her mother said.
When Kagome looked down, her mother laughed and said that she wanted to spend the rest of this visit having fun. So, she sent Kagome upstairs to take a shower while she prepared Kagome's favorite dish" Oden.
When Kagome reemerged, she was dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She and her mother ate and watched a movie together. When it grew dark, Kagome asked where Souta and grandpa were, and her mother grinned.
"Your grandfather is bound and determined to make a monk out of Souta. He took him to a shrine for the week so that Souta could see what the like of a monk was like. Somehow, I don't think Souta will care very much for the lifestyle. Apparently, your friend, Miroku, must feel the same way." She said, causing Kagome to break into giggles.
Finally, Kagome bid her mother a goodnight and went upstairs to her room. When she finally closed her eyes, Kagome allowed sleep to take her, but not before wondering what Kouga was doing at that moment.
Kouga was not having a very good day. He had been moody and sullen as he watched all of the other men rush to their dens and to their mates. He had chased his mate back to her mother's arms. Sango had offered to cook dinner for him and Miroku and he had accepted. He hated to cook.
When they were finally served, Kouga took a bite and had to stop himself from spitting it out. While the slayer was a great fighter, a cook she was not. However, one glance at the monk told Kouga that Miroku would endure anything to make the slayer happy.
"My dear Sango. This has to be the tastiest dish you have concocted so far. I am stunned that you do not cook more often." Miroku said, his eyes closed in satisfaction.
Kouga stared at the monk with wide eyes. So, besides being a lecher, he was also an ass-kisser.
Sango giggled and shrugged. "I just used a bit of everything. I don't know why Kagome has so many spices. But, I made sure to use a pinch of every single one." She said, her face lighting up in satisfaction.
Kouga wanted to groan, but suddenly had a thought. He had once seen a pup slyly push his plate off the table and claim it was an accident just so that he could get out of eating the slop his mother prepared. Perhaps that would work in this case as well. When Sango was not looking, Kouga shoved the plate and watched as it hit the floor. He schooled his face into one of disappointment and said, "Oops. Look at what happened. I am sorry that I won't be able to have any more of your delicious meal, Sango."
Sango smiled at Kouga. She patted his shoulder and got up. "Don't worry, Kouga. I made extra. Here, let me get you another plate." She said as she stood up and reached for the shelf that held the plates.
Kouga glanced over at Miroku and could not understand how the human could eat such garbage, but his attention was quickly brought back in front of him when Sango set the plate down in front of him. It held more of that crap than before.
Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn. He should have just stuck with what he had. Now, he had to shovel this stuff down his throat and pretend that it was tasty. He did not want to hurt Sango's feelings, so he took in a deep breath and gave her a tight smile.
"Mmmm, this sure smells good." He said, as tears of disgust began to form. He quickly picked up a fork and began to eat quickly. Perhaps if he ate as fast as he could, his taste buds would not pick up that it was inedible. He was wrong. Every single bite made him want to wretch.
After Sango and Miroku left, Kouga found himself in the small hot spring, and he was doing the exact same thing that Kagome was doing earlier. When he felt that his stomach was empty, he sat back against the wall and prayed for Kagome to hurry up and return. He did not think he could handle much more of Sango's cooking.
Kagome's mother awoke early and decided that she wanted to take her daughter out to a nice breakfast. She quickly showered and dressed before walking into Kagome's room to wake her up. When she shook Kagome's shoulder, she smiled as her daughter opened her eyes and then promptly jumped up from the bed and ran for the bathroom.
As her mother listened to the sounds of Kagome reliving the previous night's dinner, she thought to herself, 'I do believe that we will be needed a pregnancy test.'
When Kagome was finally cleaned up, they left the house and drove to a restaurant. Kagome ordered pancakes and bacon while her mother ordered eggs and sausage. After they ate, her mother paid and then they walked out to the car.
"Kagome, how long have you been feeling sick?" Her mother asked, her voice light. If Kagome were pregnant, she would need to see a doctor.
Kagome thought about it for a few moments and then shrugged. "It only started a day or so ago. Why?" She asked.
Her mother smiled. Instead of answering, she drove to a store and together they walked inside. They finally stopped walking when they came to stand in front of the home pregnancy test kits. Her mother selected one and then pushed Kagome towards the check out lanes.
Kagome's face was flaming. Was that what was wrong with her? Was she pregnant? She shook her head a bit, and then cringed when she heard her name called out. Turning, Kagome saw that Eri and Yumi were running towards her and her mother. When they came to a stop, both grinned at her and then looked at her mother. Their faces became blank as they stared at the test in her mother's hands.
"Umm, Kagome. Is there anything you want to tell us?" Eri asked. When Kagome's face went red, Yumi shook her head.
"Kagome, you are so young? What about Hojo? He will be heartbroken." Yumi said, her heart already going out to the kind young man.
Kagome gulped and was about to make up some excuse, but then her mother laughed. "Girls, you misunderstand. This test isn't for Kagome. It's for me." She said as she reached over to pat Kagome's shoulder.
Eri and Yumi's eyes went wide. Mrs. H was doing the nasty with someone and now might be pregnant. This was going to be a good day for gossip.
Kagome blushed and glanced at her mother, who was beaming proudly. No shame there. She had to wonder if her mother realized that people would be talking about her sex life for a while now.
Finally, Mrs. H told the girls that she and Kagome were on their way to run some errands and that they could call later. After telling Eri and Yumi goodbye, she walked with her mother and watched as her mom paid for the test.
As soon as they got into the car, Kagome glanced at her mother and said, "You do realize that your reputation is now shot."
Mrs. H laughed. "Honey, you need to realize that when you get to be my age, any gossip about my sexual prowess is welcomed. Hell, they could be saying that I could not get a man to sleep with me, and while that is true at the moment, I would rather them talk about me than you."
In that instant, Kagome's love for her mother skyrocketed. When they got back to the house, her mother shoved the test in Kagome's hands and pushed her towards the bathroom. While she waited, she made them a snack and sat at the table.
Five minutes later, Kagome came out of the bathroom with the test. She gave her mother a look and said, "It's positive."
'Kill me. Just end my misery and let me die. That would be so much easier than this.' Kouga thought as he choked down the breakfast that Sango made for him and Miroku. He glanced over at the kit, but Shippo had stayed the night with his new friends and was now munching on some spiced meat. Lucky little shit.
He had not had a good night's sleep and was anxious for Kagome to return. He had already gone through one day, and was now on his second. Five more days of hell. Perhaps as punishment, he would make Kagome eat Sango's cooking and forget about grounding her to the den, but that was just too cruel. He loved his mate and wanted to keep her, not kill her.
After breakfast, he called to the hunters and left to hunt. If he could find a rabbit or something a bit bigger, that might hold him until the following morning. He did not want to eat any more of Sango's cooking than he had too.
But, luck was not with him and they only killed enough to feed the den. He hung his head and sighed. Perhaps this was Kagome's way of punishing him for not allowing her to help. Yes, his little bitch was punishing him. That had to be it. She would have known that Sango would offer to cook and therefore, make his life a living hell. Well, he would pay her back.
He told the other hunters to return to the den and decided to relax in a tree. The day had not been a stressful one, but he just needed some time away. However, as he leaned back, a dead rabbit appeared before his eyes.
"Here. From the look on your face, I would say that you have been eating some of Sango's cooking." Inu Yasha said, a grin slowly appearing on his lips.
Kouga took the rabbit and watched as the hanyou settled beside him. "I saw Kagome go into the well. I also saw her doing something else, but before I tell you, would you tell me why she felt the need to leave?"Inu Yashaasked, his tone calm.
Kouga sighed. "I was a bit harsh in my anger towards her, and she decided that she would like to go home. Why would she go into a well?" He asked, clearly confused.
Inu Yasha chuckled. "Kagome lives five hundred years in the future. She comes and goes through that well. I take it that she was upset that you were angry that she had left the den and confronted Kikyo."
Kouga nodded. "Yeah. I made her apologize to me in front of the tribe and then I had dinner with Miku and her mate and after that, I slept in another den with Ginta and Hakkaku. But, when I came back to our den after I woke up, I found that the table was set and that she had obviously waited for me to show up to dinner. When she realized that I was not coming, she went to bed, and left her plate untouched. I think that she was upset over that." He said, his blue eyes clouding over in shame.
Inu Yasha nodded. "Where Kagome is from, women and men are equals, or at least on more solid ground than the men and women of this era. She is hardheaded and willful, but she has been brought up that way and sees nothing wrong in it." He explained.
Kouga nodded and then asked, "You said that you saw her doing something else before going into the well, what was she doing?"
Inu Yasha sighed. "She was vomiting. From the sounds she was making, she was very uncomfortable and after she left, I went to the well and picked up on something. I think that Kagome might be pregnant. At least, her scent seems to indicate that she is with pup." He said, his golden eyes drooping a bit.
Kouga was stunned. That explained several things to him. Her sudden illness, her mood swings, her exhaustion. She was carrying his pup and he was too worried about his reputation to notice it. Now he felt like kicking his own ass.
Sighing, he placed his head in his hands. Oh, yeah. He was going to be in for it when she got back. He had a feeling that he and his wolves would be getting very cozy if he did not find some way of relieving his mate's anger. Yes, this was a good time to die.
Kouga and Inu Yasha looked down at the ground when they heard Sango's voice. "I brought some lunch for you, Kouga. You can share with Inu Yasha. I brought plenty." She said, cheerfully.
Kouga groaned.He was wrong.THIS was a good time to die.
Kagome and her mother finally returned to the house after visiting the doctor. After running a couple of tests, it was confirmed that Kagome was indeed pregnant. He had prescribed some prenatal vitamins that would help with the morning sickness and had gifted her with a baby bad and a book for new mothers.
Kagome watched as her mother hummed and giggled as she made dinner. It was clear that her mother was excited about becoming a grandmother. When they finally sat down, Mrs. H smiled at Kagome and said, "I am sure that the baby, oops, pup will be beautiful, Kagome. I hope that he or she has a tail."
Kagome sighed. What was it with her family and their fascination with ears and tails? She finished up with her dinner and quickly helped clean up. After watching a few programs on the television, she bid her mother a good night and climbed the stairs to her room.
She took a quick shower and threw on a pair of shorts and a tank top, then opened her window before climbing into bed. She frowned and realized that she missed her mate's hugs and kisses. She loved the feel of his arms wrapped around her at night, and most of all, she missed the way he would make love to her. As tears began to form, Kagome turned on her side and faced the wall. A loud sob escaped her lips and for the hundredth time, she wondered if Kouga missed her at all.
Soon, Kagome had cried herself to sleep, and it was only then that a dark figure crept through her open window. The figure leaned over and brushed a few stray hairs from Kagome's face and then made sure that she was properly covered. There was a chill in the air, and the figure decided that when it was time to go, it would close the window. Before it left, it place a single red rose on the window sill and then departed, only to pause to lean back and shut the window from the outside. Then, it was gone.
It had been an interesting evening. As the tribe sat around the fire, Kouga envied the other males as he watched their mates lean back to their males' chests. He missed Kagome and now that there was a possibility that she was pregnant, his protective nature was beginning to drive him insane. He glanced over at the hanyou and decided to ask for his help. When the hanyou got up to go to his den, Kouga followed him.
"Hey, mutt. Have you ever been to Kagome's time?" He asked, his curiosity perked.
Inu Yasha nodded. He knew exactly what Kouga wanted. He wanted Kagome back and was now wanting his help. Well, he would help, but only after some groveling.
Kouga grinned. "Do you think that you could take me to go and get Kagome? I would like to bring her back to the den where I can make sure that she is protected." He said.
Inu Yasha pretended to think about it for a moment. "I don't think that you can pass through the well, wolf. See these beads around my neck? Besides subduing me, they also bind me to Kagome. They allow me to pass back and forth, but I have never seen anyone else go through. Sorry." He said, turning around so that Kouga would not see his smirk. Oh, yeah. This was going to be good.
Kouga scowled. "Ok, would you go and get Kagome for me?" He asked. He narrowed his eyes when Inu Yasha's face lit up. This was obviously going to cost him. "Ok, what do you want?"
Inu Yasha clapped his hands together and said, "First, I want you to stop calling me mutt. Second, I want a bit of respect from you, and third, I want you to introduce me to that cute little blond wolf that is looking over here."
Kouga looked at where Inu Yasha's eyes were directed at and he found himself looking at Suzaru. Fine, she was unmated. "Ok, mu, I mean, Inu Yasha. I will stop calling you mutt and will try to respect you a bit more. I will introduce you to Suzaru, but you have to be on your best behavior. She is shy around people she doesn't know." He growled.
Inu Yasha grinned. "One more thing." He said. Kouga whirled around and snarled, "You just can't make this easy for me, can you? Well, spit it out."
"You have to be a bit more understanding to Kagome's feelings. She isn't from this era and you need to be a little more lenient." Inu Yasha replied, his arms folded across his chest.
Kouga let out a deep breath and nodded. He called Suzaru over and introduced her to Inu Yasha. After a couple of minutes, both were engrossed in a conversation, but Kouga managed to get Inu Yasha to promise to bring Kagome back in the morning. That being said, Kouga stalked off to bed and prayed that Kagome would come home.