Bakura's Girl88: Glad you liked the last chapter better! Yippee!

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Fusako had taken care of Lady Kagome and Rin the moment they arrived. She, along with the other servants, had been glad to see their pleasant mistress return—but everyone was worried to see the master's mate so ill. Days had passed with the mistress vomiting—until the scent had become strong enough for her to detect it. The mistress was going to have pups.

The whole mansion was alit with glee. There would be an heir to the Western Lands. The master would be proud! But when Fusako had announced that she would send word to Lord Sesshomaru instantly, Lady Kagome had told her not to. Obediently, she hadn't, but she couldn't help but wonder why Lady Kagome wouldn't want Lord Sesshomaru to know about such a wonderful thing.

Fusako, a dog youkai, shook her head as she entered into the room, where Lady Kagome was with Rin, and the two women and fox kitsune who had arrived this morning. The servant shook her head once more with a sigh, watching as Lady Kagome's head was sticking inside of a bucket, and she hurled. Pregnancy wasn't agreeing with her one bit. The poor woman had been ill everyday. Lady Kagome took her head out of the bucket and reached for the hand towel that Shippou handed her—wiping her mouth.

"Would you like anything, milady? I brought you some water if your stomach feels settled enough." Why won't you allow me to contact Lord Sesshomaru? I know that he would want to be here with you.Lady Kagome looked up at Fusako, her face growing paler by the day, and instead of gaining any weight—she was losing. Fusako was so worried about her. "Water, thank you."

Fusako went over and gave her mistress the water. She took the bucket filled with vomit from Lady Kagome, making a face at the awful smell. Being a full-blooded dog demon with excellent smell wasn't helping her right now.

Kagome smiled gratefully. "I want to thank you, Fusako. You have been so good to me."

Lord Sesshomaru would be better. "It's my pleasure. I just wish that I knew how to help you with your morning illness."

The elder woman, whom Lady Kagome had called Kaede, stood. "I know of some herbs. If you could send a servant with me, I know that I could find some in these forests of yours."

"Yes ma'am." I still say that Lord Sesshomaru should be here with my lady instead of these strangers. She rang a bell, and in seconds another servant arrived. Fusako explained the situation, and the sympathetic servant nodded, taking Kaede with her. Fusako then looked back at her mistress. "What about the children? Would they like to go out in the gardens and play while you rest and converse with your friend?"

Shippou and Rin both shook their heads rapidly, their eyes wide shone with worry about the woman they considered their mother. "No!"

Lady Kagome smiled weakly at them. "I think they're tired. Let them stay."

But what about you milady? You're tired! And you need your rest more than the children do! "Yes milady." She then turned to the other woman. "Would you like something to eat? You seemed faint and in your condition you should be eating more."

The other woman turned white and looked away.

Lady Kagome's eyes widened. "Sango?"

Realizing that the other woman's condition had been a secret, Fusako felt awful. She'd forgotten how bad humans' sense of smell was. From the moment she'd seen the other woman, Fusako had known that this was a woman some months into a pregnancy as well. Excusing herself rapidly, Fusako left the two women and children in the room.

Seeing the tears threatening to spill out of Sango's eyes, Kagome told the children to go outside to play. Even though they didn't know what was going on, they did feel that something wasn't right, so both Shippou and Rin left to play out in the garden.

Going to sit next to Sango, Kagome placed a hand on her slumped shoulder. She'd never seen the other woman crying, and the sight was alarming. "Sango?"

Sniffling, Sango wiped away at the tears that fell freely down her white cheeks. "I guess Miroku doesn't have to keep asking every cute girl he sees to bear his child now, does he?"

"Oh, Sango." Hugging her, Kagome watched as her friend fell apart in her arms. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea that you—that Miroku… I'm so sorry."

"The worse part was that he'd been behaving himself." Sango cried, body shaking with sobs. "I thought—stupidly—that he felt the same way and was changing—for me. Then he got involved with that—that—that girl! And married her! How could I tell him that I was already two months pregnant with his child? With the child he'd always wanted? I guess that feminine little doll is going to bear him many children and they'll live happily ever after."

"Please don't cry." Kagome whispered, her kimono's shoulder getting wet with her friend's tears.

"He changed with the marriage." Her voice was choked and hoarse as she spoke the rest between sobs. "It's like he's a different Miroku—not the fast-handed monk I fell in love with. I miss him so much! I—I—I love him, Kagome, and it hurts. It really hurts really bad to love someone who doesn't love you back. And that wasn't the worst part. The worse part was having to pretend that I didn't care about him—that I didn't care that he was marrying someone else. I had to pretend that I was happy for him and that I wasn't carrying his child. It hurts so bad." And with that she dissolved into uncontrollable tears.

Kagome wished that she could do something to help Sango. She wished that she could let Miroku know what was going on and how Sango felt for him. Then suddenly, she felt a little dizzy. Was it her idea—or had she felt a little bit of her miko powers leave her body?

"He changed with the marriage." Her voice was choked and hoarse as she spoke the rest between sobs. "It's like he's a different Miroku—not the fast-handed monk I fell in love with. I miss him so much! I—I—I love him, Kagome, and it hurts. It really hurts really bad to love someone who doesn't love you back. And that wasn't the worst part. The worse part was having to pretend that I didn't care about him—that I didn't care that he was marrying someone else. I had to pretend that I was happy for him and that I wasn't carrying his child. It hurts so bad." And with that she dissolved into uncontrollable tears.

Eyes flying open, Miroku looked around the darkened hut. He'd felt Kagome's power before the vision hit him like a ton of bricks. The monk watched his beautiful Sango crying…over him. She loved him. She has my child. His eyes moistened momentarily before they acquired a determined glint. He had to break the power of this bracelet. He had to!

Eyes widening, he stood and walked around the desk, glaring at the male who dared to come all this way to his house. Inuyasha was the last person he had imagined coming inside of his study. Sesshomaru didn't know what his brother was doing here, but if he thought he could come here and take Kagome, he had another thing coming!

"What did you do to Kagome?"

The question caught him off guard, but he remained cool. "I made her my mate."

Inuyasha flinched at that, but he stood straighter. "What did you do to her to make her think you don't love her?" He hesitated a moment, looking uncertain. "You do love her, don't you? Because if you don't I'll tear you apart!"

Raising an eyebrow at his brother's outburst, Sesshomaru frowned deeply. "This Sesshomaru doesn't know what you're talking about. Kagome knows that I love her."

"That isn't what she said."

Had Kagome gotten into contact with Inuyasha when she'd gone to the mansion in the forest? Jealousy raged in his body but he kept in under check. "And how would you know this?"

"Damn you, Sesshomaru." Inuyasha announced suddenly. "Damn you for being a full-bloodied dog-demon. Damn you for inheriting the Western Lands and the respect of its people. And damn you for making her love you." Holding out a piece of paper, Inuyasha sighed in defeat.

Everything from his brother's sudden appearance to his little speech left Sesshomaru speechless, so he just reached for the piece of paper and he read it. His usually cool eyes flooded with emotions. "She's—she's expecting my pups." Love and wonderment filled his voice.

Inuyasha sighed. "You really love her."

Sesshomaru looked at his defeated brother, for a moment he realized that the resentment and envy he'd ever felt for his younger brother had disappeared. "Yes."

"I love her too, but she loves you." The hanyou's voice was choked as he looked into his brother's assessing eyes. "If you don't make her happy, I'll kill you."

He would have smiled, but he decided against that. "That is a deal." For the first time in as long as he could remember, Sesshomaru felt at peace.

Kaede pulled the servant girl after her as they ran into the mansion and began ordering the guards to lock all entrances to the mansion—and the windows. The guards did this with questions in their eyes, but seeing the frantic state both women were in, they hurried to comply the order. Kaede followed the servant girl to where the messengers were waiting. They found the same jaguar hanyou that Kagome had sent the letter to her with.

"Go towards the palace now!" Kaede ordered him. "Tell him that Lady Kagome and her unborn pups are in grave danger. NOW!" She watched as he nodded and ran off.

But when she looked outside, she saw that they were surrounded. There was no way that the messenger could escape. They were trapped inside of the mansion without any hope of salvation.

The pain would have been enough to cause anyone to faint, but Miroku continued concentrating—sweat falling down his face. The only thing that kept him conscious was remembering that Sango and his baby were in danger, and if he didn't get help on time, they would die.

He'd been in this meditation state for hours, and little by little, he could feel the evil power dying. Suddenly, the red light around the bracelet disappeared, as did the bracelet. Miroku could feel that the evil powers were gone. He was free!

His eyes widened in horror. I have to go and warn Sesshomaru and Inuyasha!

"What's that noise?" Kagome asked. Getting up from the bed, went out of the room to the hallway. Servants were running everywhere, and Guards were going down the stairs. She saw the children, and then they hugged her. "What's going on?"

Kaede appeared by her side. "Kagome, come here." She took her to a window and opened it, down below, there were millions of insects and demons from hell. The whole mansion was surrounded.

And there, looking up at them was Naraku himself, with a devilish smile on his face. "Hello miko."