Mates

By: Of Memories Past

Chapter 7: Through the Well...

Dedicated to Hanyou-elf who I know would be kicking my butt up and down the panhandle of Florida if I didn't get this chapter out. This one's for you girl!

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Kagome placed a hand against her aching back and slowly trudged back to her hut. She was tired, Kaede's wonderful meals were making her stomach turn, food was hard to keep down, her breasts were so swollen that the slightest touch caused a great deal of pain, and she could not stop urinating.

Pregnancy was overrated.

Looking down at her steadily growing abdomen, Kagome tried to remember what her back use to feel like without the added weight in her front. She gave up trying when a pang shot up her spine. Days where her back felt fairly normal were few and far in between anymore, and she learned to relish them when they came.

Absently, she wondered what it had been like for her mother when she had been pregnant. Tears unwelcomely sprung into her eyes at the thought of her mother, but she suppressed them. It would do no good to let Inuyasha see her upset. But nevertheless, she was four months pregnant, and her family did not even know.

The warmth exuding from the hut was more than welcomed as she pushed the door covering aside, even though the temperatures in April had warmed up quite a bit. A homey, orange glow reflected off the walls, and Kagome moved toward the fire in the middle of the hut. Her shoes came off first, followed by her cloak and the socks that she had with her from her time. Left in only her miko robes, Kagome took a moment to sit by the fire and relax before moving to the bedroom to change.

When pregnant, even the simple things were more tiring.

She stretched her hands out and wiggled her fingers around a bit, trying to get the circulation flowing smoothly again. Her stomach, just now starting to show, poked out a bit more when she sat. A proud smile lightened up her face, and she dropped her hands to rub her stomach.

"You didn't like Kaede's cooked rabbit, did you?" She laughed when her stomach gurgled. "Well, I liked it, but because you didn't I wasn't allowed to keep it. Now I'm hungry, and I think that you are too." Her smile softened. "But it doesn't matter if you don't like it. I'll keep trying until I find something that you do. Maybe tonight's dinner will be better for us, ne?"

Kagome looked up from her conversation with her unborn child and looked around the hut. A perplexed looked settled on her features when it dawned on her that she was alone. "Speaking of dinner, where is your daddy?" She was about to get up when she saw the door covering move.

Inuyasha stepped in a moment later. Kagome could tell that he had been running by the looks of his wind-blown, disheveled hair. He wasn't breathing hard, but his breaths were a bit quicker than normal.

"Deer get away?" she asked lightly.

"Keh," he snorted, "the deer never get away."

Kagome ducked her head to hide a smile. Of course the deer never got away. She remembered a similar conversation from a few weeks earlier. The deer only got away if he decided they were worthy enough and he let them. She shook her head. Male pride. When she looked up, she noticed Inuyasha subtly sniffing the air while his eyes darted quickly around the room, searching.

"What's wrong?"

His attention focused back on her. "Who were you talking to?"

"Oh," Kagome said quietly, before a radiant smile lit up her face. "Our baby."

"The pup?" Inuyasha walked over to her and pulled her up gently when she lifted her hands to him. "Why? She can't hear you."

"Actually, she can," Kagome countered, tucking herself warmly into his arms. Her own arms found their way around his waist, and she felt his wrap securely around her back and shoulders. "My voice echoes in my body when I speak. She might not comprehend what it is she's hearing, but after she's born she'll recognize my voice. She'll..." Her voice stopped.

Startled at her sudden silence, Inuyasha pulled back a bit and looked down at Kagome. "What's wrong?" It wasn't like her to just stop speaking, and he could detect the scent of salt.

"She? You know that the baby is female?"

He took in her wide, watery eyes and grinned. "I have a good nose."

That Kagome was excited would have been an understatement. Her shrill voice pierced the air as she squealed and extricated herself from Inuyasha's arms to celebrate. For a pregnant lady, celebrating consisted of clapping her hands together and very lightly bouncing up in down in her excitement while joyously laughing. Inuyasha knew that if she had been capable of cartwheels, they would have happened too.

"Oi, calm down, woman." His ears pinned against his skull.

"We're going to have a little girl!" And Kagome threw herself at Inuyasha. The force of her weight caught him off balance and he struggled for a moment to keep them both from falling.

"Not if you keep jumping around like that!" Inuyasha snapped, grabbing her shoulders. "Take it easy!"

Kagome stopped her jolty movements and clasped her hands behind her back, beaming. "Little girl."

Her vocabulary obviously consisted of only two words at the moment. Inuyasha shook his head before pulling her close and tucking her under his chin. In truth, he was as excited as she, but he had other concerns as well. It would be hard to determine at present, but Inuyasha knew the possibilities that lay ahead.

"Kagome," he took her hand and led her into the bedroom, "you need to listen to me."

Her eyes narrowed in curiosity and worry as she descended onto the bed. She awkwardly crawled to the head of the bed to rest her back against the wall, snatching Inuyasha's pillow along the way. The extra support against her back helped the aching. Once she was situated, Kagome looked where Inuyasha sat looking at the floor at the foot of the bed.

"What's wrong?"

"Your pregnancy." Inuyasha paused for a moment, searching his mind for the easiest way to explain. "It could be...difficult."

"What do you mean difficult?"

He expected the alarm in her voice. Sango had warned him that this would be the last thing she wanted to hear, especially with her first child. In truth, he had felt and reacted the same way when Sango decided to bring this bit of information to light. Inuyasha grimaced. Actually, he had reacted a lot worse and ended up getting smacked in the face by the taijya for being very rude. But he was going to forget that unfortunate incident...

"Inuyasha!"

"Calm down, Kagome," he soothed, taking her hand. "Your body was not created for holding youkai—"

"Not completely youkai."

Inuyasha glared at her, his wife obviously oblivious to the minor insult. "Youkai pups. It can be done, but your body will be put under more stress than a normal human pregnancy as time goes on."

Kagome eyed him suspiciously. "What do you mean stress?"

"Pains," he said, clearly uncomfortable discussing this subject. "Feeling harsh movements within you. When the pup starts to move, she will really be moving. A normal kick may feel like a punch in the stomach to you."

"Great."

"I didn't say you couldn't handle it."

"It's not a matter of whether I can handle it, Inuyasha. It's a matter of will I handle it." Kagome awkwardly rolled herself off the side of the bed and stood facing him. "How long before things start to get difficult?"

"About a month. Youkai grow slightly faster too."

"I don't want to hear anymore." She held up her hands and sat back down on the bed. "We'll worry about it as it comes along. Now," she put her arms around his neck, "what's for dinner?"

Inuyasha growled when she reached up to tweak his ears, but she knew he was not serious. It was all just a front.

"You're not being nice," she complained, "and I'm hungry."

"I'm not nice," he said standing up and leaving the room.

"Well, not right now you're not," Kagome mumbled, laying back on the bed. Things had been going better for both of them. They had their rough spots still, but in general their time together was peaceful. Once in a while a bad fight would break out, but they had put enough hard work and time into their relationship now that they were able to work things out.

Sighing, Kagome awkwardly pushed herself up and left for the main room.

Apparently, the deer had not gotten away, and Inuyasha was crouched by the fire, nursing the flames to life and spitting the meat. Next to him, a clay bowl was already filled with chopped up vegetables and water, ready for stewing over the iron griddle that Kagome had brought with her from her time.

"So little faith in your mate," he said lightly, lifting his eyes to meet hers. He was teasing her, and she knew it.

"Well, I suppose I can forgive you for being irritating back in the bedroom. Dinner does smell pretty good." She smirked. "Did you have to threaten Kaede for the deer?"

She laughed when he gave her a pointed glare, knowing that he was not serious. "You love me."

"I do," he agreed.

The mirth in her eyes changed to warmth at his words, and she fell into a comfortable silence while walking over to the fire to sit at his side. He held out his arm and she leaned into him, happy to just sit there and cook dinner together. He turned the meat and she stirred the vegetables, him pulling her back when he felt she got too close to the flames. She argued that she was not a porcelain doll, and he shot back that she was if he wanted her to be. Then they both laughed at their foolishness and sat back to rest as they had been until dinner was finished cooking.

"Kaede made rabbit today," Kagome said.

"Did you keep it down?"

"Nope."

He chuckled. "I think she's going to be a picky eater."

Kagome smiled. "I think you're right."

Dinner finished and with Inuyasha's help, Kagome stood and went to retrieve some plates from the trunk under her bed. She knelt down and pulled out the trunk, popping off the lid, and selecting two plates with a vine patterned around the rims. A smile brightened her features. Her plates, her home, her husband, their baby...

A tear rolled down her cheek before she had time to brush it away, Inuyasha was in their room, alarm on his face.

"What's wrong?" he asked. He knelt in front of her as she snapped the lid back on the trunk and slid it back under the bed.

"I'm fine," she laughed, wiping her eyes. "My hormones are just out of whack. It happens when you're pregnant."

Inuyasha simply nodded, though he had no idea what hormones were.

"I'm just happy."

Shaking his head, Inuyasha stood and then held his hands out to pull Kagome up. She gladly grasped his and then giggled like a schoolgirl when he lifted her off the ground and into his arms to kiss her.

"I love you," she grinned, her feet still dangling off the ground.

"Then do me a favor?" he asked, setting her down. He took her hand and led her back into the main room, putting food on their plates as she sat down and made herself comfortable.

"What?" She was curious and slightly confused.

"Go back to your time with me."

Kagome stared at him, not knowing what to say. She had not been back since before they had been married and now...

"You're serious?" she swallowed.

He nodded, not dropping her gaze.

Next thing he knew, she was screaming, laughing, and throwing her arms around his neck.

oOo

"Don't let go of me."

Kagome rolled her eyes and squeezed him tighter. "I said that I wouldn't. If I hold on any tighter, my arms are going to fall off. Just jump!"

Inuyasha chucked at her agitation, and Kagome poked him in the ribs with her elbow. She was excited, and the vibe exuded from her. To have kept her away for so long...

He leaped high into the air and descended into the well. The magic of transcending time surrounded them, and Kagome began laughing giddily, squirming in his arms. She was like a little kid at the moment, and he found it endearing. When they finally reached the bottom of the well, Inuyasha tightened his grip around her and jumped out.

As much as he knew she loved him, Kagome struggled out of his hold as soon as they hit the ground and began running around like a little kid at Disney World, touching and smelling everything she could find and then doing the pregnant woman's celebration again, bouncing up and down lightly while clapping her hands.

Inuyasha just rolled his eyes.

Then Kagome bolted out the shrine door.

"Hey, Kagome!" he shouted as he mate disappeared outside into the dusk.

"Souta!" he head her voice squeal in delight.

The little boy stood by the house, a small watering can in his hands as he took care of his mother's flowers. He stopped what he was doing and stared at his sister and then Inuyasha as he came out of the well house.

Then he smirked. He did not run to either Kagome or Inuyasha like they thought he would have but instead bolted into the house.

"Mama!" they heard him shout. "Kagome got fat!"

"Got fat?" Kagome sputtered, looking down at her small mound. "I'm not that big yet!"

Inuyasha was chuckling behind her. "You're mother is going to have it figured out before she even gets out of the house."

Kagome grinned. "Then get ready to run for your ears, daddy, because she's going to go on and on about how she hopes the pup has yours."

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more to come later...

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A/N: (Memories cautiously peeks around the corner) Hello everyone! How are you all doing? I hope everything's going well. Now, I know it's been and extremely long time since my last update (ducks the flying, rotten vegetables). Sorry. Life has been busy. Life has been a mess. Life has been life. And I have been uninspired and unsure of how to continue. I refuse to just put out chapters for the sake of updating, leaving them worthless and not thought out.

And life is still busy. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm 20 years old, in school, and responsible to getting my life in order so that I can support myself. I will be training as an EMT soon, and then finishing my degree before going on to Paramedic school, and perhaps even grad school. I'm going to be busy and updates are going to be crazy. But I meant it when I said that I am not giving up on any of my stories. It will just take time. I've begun the next chapter for You're not Alone and hope to have it out within the next month. It has definitely been my biggest challenge. Thank you to all of you who have been waiting patiently and sending words of encouragement. I would ask that you all review the story if you read it and let me know that it is still worth continuing, especially after having been so long. And as always, your input is greatly appreciated. God Bless and I'm back! Of Memories Past.