Chapter 5: My Mate
On the fifth day of his special 'training', he collapsed on the floor against the wall, exhausted. Kagome followed him in, wearing a pretty kimono that had been aquired for her at a nearby village. He watched her as she sat on the futon, pulling out her brush and grooming her soft black hair. He wished he was that comb, so he could touch her hair without fear of being ridiculed or pushed away or laughed at. He knew there was pain in his eyes, so he quickly looked away.
Kagome felt his gaze on her back and sensed his melancholy. "Inuyasha?" She asked, turning towards him, her eyes worried. She always worried about him. "Are you okay?"
He nodded stiffly, not looking at her. He heard her stand and knew she was coming towards him. He fought off the urge to take off out the window. When she sat down beside him, he scooted away just slightly and he heard her gasp and immediately kicked himself. Too late now, though.
She pulled her knees to her chest, resting her chin upon them. "You don't have to shut yourself off when we're alone, you know?" She asked, looking towards him. She could see he was trying not to look into her eyes and sighed heavily. "Oh, Inuyasha, what's wrong?! Don't you understand I can feel something eating at you inside?" She lifted a hand, caressing his face with her tiny fingers. She felt his hand come up and wrap around hers and smiled fondly at him.
He turned towards her slowly, his eyes pained and sad. "I don't want to change." He said softly. "Doing this...It's like I'm trying to become my brother, and I don't want that!" He became frustrated and jumped to his feet, pacing the floor. "He chastizes me for being rude, and for my language, and...For crissakes, he tells me I should have taken you long ago! He is ripping me apart, trying to make me into him!"
Kagome looked at the ground, hiding her blush with her hair.
"I don't want to be what my father was and Sesshoumaru is. I want to be what I've been all my life. So I'm immature, and uncouth-Did I really just say that?-and I'm loudmouthed? So what?! I've ALWAYS been those things!!!" He wanted to hit something, take his anger out on something, he wanted to tear something apart.
Kagome stood, walking towards him and gently put her arms around him. "I know." She said softly.
"Then why do you want me to change, too?!" He pushed her away, shaking his head.
She wanted to cry for him, or hit him, or anything. She settled for shaking her head. "I don't want you to. I want Inuyasha to stay Inuyasha." She looked at the ground, her eyes sad. "I fell in love with you the way you are, with your imperfections, and insults..." She heard him gasp and realized she'd said something she hadn't said before. It was too late to take it back. She didn't want to take it back. She reached up, caressing his rough face. "Inuyasha..."
He stared down at her, his eyes watery. He was fighting the urge to bury his face into her shoulder and cry out all his pain and misery. He'd never truely been accepted as he was before now. Kikyou claimed to love him, but she wanted him to become a human with the shikon no tama. He caught her wrist, holding it to his face, then brought it to his mouth, pressing kiss after kiss against her palm, nuzzling it with his nose.
She stepped towards him, resting her face against his chest. "I don't care what you look like, or if you decide to just run away from here, as long as you take me with you." She put her arms around his neck, embracing him tightly. "I want to be with you forever..."
His eyes flashed and he crushed her closer to him, pressing whisper-kisses across her face, murmering intimate nothings to her, wordless sounds, practically whimpers emitting from him. Without knowing what he was doing, his fingers plucked away at the kimono, pulling it away from her skin. When he finally regained some semblance of sanity and control, Kagome was half-naked and wide-eyed. He pushed her away from him, squeezing his eyes shut and turning his head away. I can't...not yet, she isn't ready...
Kagome watched as he retreated from her, then sighed, shedding the kimono and pulling out a sleep-shirt, which went down to her knees. Modest for her time. Rather erotic here. She didn't care. "Come to bed." She said softly, extending her hand to him, begging him to accept.
Inuyasha's eyes jerked back to her and he fought to keep his control. That little shirt didn't show as much as her uniform did, but...she looked so sensual in it. Shaking those thoughts out of his head, he walked towards her, lacing his fingers through hers. "Kagome, what are we going to do? I don't want to stay here. I want to live a private life. I don't want to be a lord." He looked so urgent she ached. "I need to know what to do, I need you to tell me."
She sat, and watched as he sat beside her on the futon. "Tomorrow, we can tell Sesshoumaru we have to return on the search." She said softly, petting his ears and elicitting a soft purr from his throat. "Then, after the mission is complete, we return to Kaede's village. And from there, we go to the one place he can't find us." She caressed the side of his face, smiling.
When he realized what she was saying, his heart lept into his throat. He knew she would still want to be married, not just mated, but she was still saying she would run away with him. "Your world..." He realized.
She smiled, nodding. "We could come back and visit the people here now and then, but we would be free to live how we wanted...besides, I don't think I could handle living here with Sesshoumaru breathing down my neck." She giggled, seeing him smile as well.
"Oh, Kagome..." He tackled her onto the futon, embracing her tightly. "I love you so much..." He whispered, feeling her go rigid.
He loves me? Me? She lifted her arms, holding him back, tears filling her eyes. The ache in her heart drifted away and she nuzzled his face, sobbing into his shoulder.
He understood. He didn't know how, but he understood. She was happy. That made him happy, too. He nosed towards her lips, kissing them and tasting her tears on them. The kiss was slow and sensual, and it was making both of them breathless. When they broke the kiss, Inuyasha stared down into Kagome's eyes, his hands on either side of her beautiful face.
"It's okay." She whispered through the dark, her eyes shining. "I want this, too."
He closed his eyes, feeling a shuddering ache all through his body. "If it's what you wanted..." He whispered, nipping at her ear lobe. "I would give you the world."
Kagome surrendered herself into his arms, and Inuyasha into hers, finding pleasure in each other. After that night, they would refer to is as the first time they went to heaven on an angel's wings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I don't see why it can't wait until later..." Sesshoumaru said irritably, his eyes narrow.
Inuyasha glared down at his brother. "Look, we started the mission before you tried to turn me into a pansy ass like you." He growled, fighting to control his temper. "We're going to finish it now that we've side-tracked to help you."
Kagome put her hand on Inuyasha's arm. "This is something that needs our attention now." She said softly, her face serious.
Sesshoumaru smelled a difference in Kagome from just being marked, noting her smell was mixed with that of another. He finally nodded. "You will be returning in a few months, then." He said, looking directly at Kagome.
"Huh?" Kagome asked.
Inuyasha glared at his brother. "We'll come back when Naraku is dead." He snarled.
"Your mate should not travel after the first few months of her condition, dear brother." Sesshoumaru said, somewhat amused that Inuyasha hadn't noticed it yet. Then again, his brother's nose would never be as good as his was.
Miroku and Sango looked at Kagome in curiosity. "Condition?" Sango asked, her eyebrows knitted together.
"Condition?" Inuyasha asked. "What condition?"
Horrid realization filled Kagome. She tried to say something, but she couldn't find the words. "Oh shit..."
Sesshoumaru almost grinned. "She's pregnant."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"WHAAAT?!" Inuyasha cried, looking at Kagome, who was packing her stuff, looking dazed and lightheaded. "But-I...We only-" He looked so friggin confused, Kagome almost giggled, but the situation was too serious.
She threw her bag over her shoulder, looking towards him. "It only takes one time, Inuyasha." She said softly. He looked panicked, now.
"Then you gotta go home..." He said furiously. "You can't stay here if you're..." He strode towards her, putting his hands on her upper arms. "You have to go home, you're not safe here..."
She put her arms around him. "I don't have to go home. I want to stay with you through this. Besides, if we play this right, then in less than a month the jewel will be complete and then YOU'LL be coming home with me." She nuzzled his chest, feeling him oozing worry. "Don't worry, Inuyasha, I knew it might happen. But I don't want to go through this alone."
He held her protectively, his eyes serious. "Okay...but promise me you'll be careful...don't do anything stupid..." He tightened his hold for a moment.
She giggled. "That's my line." She teased, then they went out to meet Miroku and Sango, who looked pale.
"Kagome, are you sure you should be traveling in such a delicate condition?" Miroku asked, looking genuinely concerned.
Kagome blushed. Damn Sesshoumaru for telling everyone that she was pregnant. "Look, I'll be okay, it's done in my time all the time. Besides...I am not far along."
Sango looked a little serious. "What are your parents going to say...they are probably going to be furious..."
Inuyasha felt his ears flatten against his skull. That's right. He forgot about her family again. How would they react to Kagome's pregnancy? He played with the hem of his haori, chewing on his lower lip. He felt SO guilty. He'd gotten her pregnant. He knew that she was his mate and all, but she couldn't possibly want this kind of responsibility dropped on her like this! He should have had more control!
Kagome shook her head, holding up her hands. "Momma will be okay with it and Sota will be delighted. Besides, it's about time Jii-chan had an excuse for my school that was true." She smiled at them. "I'm okay, really. But right now, I just want to finish this quest and..." She stopped herself. She knew she didn't have to finish when Inuyasha reached out and squeezed her shoulder.
"You're going home after this?" Shippou asked, teary eyed. "But I thought you were Inuyasha's mate..."
She giggled. "I'll explain it later." She said, smiling and climbing on Inuyasha's back. He'd insisted that if they did journey, he would carry her around so she wouldn't have to overexhert herself. She told him it was rediculous, but he was too hard to argue with.
With that, they set off towards Kaede's village, where Kagome would go home to get her homework and tell her family everything that had happened...and what was to come...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Tadaima!" Kagome called, kicking off her shoes and running up, hugging her mother, then ran to her room, barely pausing a moment.
"Okaeri!" Her mother laughed, watching her run off. Then, she turned towards her other guest. "Ohayo, Inuyasha." She said politely, noting the awkward expression on his face, now nervous he looked. "Would you like some tea?"
"H-Hai..." He said, blushing and looking at the floor. He followed her into the kitchen, sitting at the table, his hands shaking. "Um...ma'am..." He started, trying his hardest to be polite, to not screw this up for him and Kagome. "I...would like permission...to m-marry your daughter." He heard the cup crash to the floor.
She stared at him, her eyes wide in shock. Then, her eyes narrowed. "What did you do to my baby girl?!" She asked, storming towards him, a frying pan in her hand.
He raised his hands, trying to defend himself. "It's...It's not like that...I just..." He closed his eyes, giving up. His ears fell flat against his skull, his hands falling. "Gomen ne..." He started. "I made Kagome my mate."
Author's notes: Dundundun DUUUUUN. Hee hee. I know, evil cliffhanger. What do you think so far? Like, hate? Dun worry, it doesn't end here, or even after they complete the mission. I have a feeling this is going to get long...Oh, well. Gomen ^_^; Ja!
On the fifth day of his special 'training', he collapsed on the floor against the wall, exhausted. Kagome followed him in, wearing a pretty kimono that had been aquired for her at a nearby village. He watched her as she sat on the futon, pulling out her brush and grooming her soft black hair. He wished he was that comb, so he could touch her hair without fear of being ridiculed or pushed away or laughed at. He knew there was pain in his eyes, so he quickly looked away.
Kagome felt his gaze on her back and sensed his melancholy. "Inuyasha?" She asked, turning towards him, her eyes worried. She always worried about him. "Are you okay?"
He nodded stiffly, not looking at her. He heard her stand and knew she was coming towards him. He fought off the urge to take off out the window. When she sat down beside him, he scooted away just slightly and he heard her gasp and immediately kicked himself. Too late now, though.
She pulled her knees to her chest, resting her chin upon them. "You don't have to shut yourself off when we're alone, you know?" She asked, looking towards him. She could see he was trying not to look into her eyes and sighed heavily. "Oh, Inuyasha, what's wrong?! Don't you understand I can feel something eating at you inside?" She lifted a hand, caressing his face with her tiny fingers. She felt his hand come up and wrap around hers and smiled fondly at him.
He turned towards her slowly, his eyes pained and sad. "I don't want to change." He said softly. "Doing this...It's like I'm trying to become my brother, and I don't want that!" He became frustrated and jumped to his feet, pacing the floor. "He chastizes me for being rude, and for my language, and...For crissakes, he tells me I should have taken you long ago! He is ripping me apart, trying to make me into him!"
Kagome looked at the ground, hiding her blush with her hair.
"I don't want to be what my father was and Sesshoumaru is. I want to be what I've been all my life. So I'm immature, and uncouth-Did I really just say that?-and I'm loudmouthed? So what?! I've ALWAYS been those things!!!" He wanted to hit something, take his anger out on something, he wanted to tear something apart.
Kagome stood, walking towards him and gently put her arms around him. "I know." She said softly.
"Then why do you want me to change, too?!" He pushed her away, shaking his head.
She wanted to cry for him, or hit him, or anything. She settled for shaking her head. "I don't want you to. I want Inuyasha to stay Inuyasha." She looked at the ground, her eyes sad. "I fell in love with you the way you are, with your imperfections, and insults..." She heard him gasp and realized she'd said something she hadn't said before. It was too late to take it back. She didn't want to take it back. She reached up, caressing his rough face. "Inuyasha..."
He stared down at her, his eyes watery. He was fighting the urge to bury his face into her shoulder and cry out all his pain and misery. He'd never truely been accepted as he was before now. Kikyou claimed to love him, but she wanted him to become a human with the shikon no tama. He caught her wrist, holding it to his face, then brought it to his mouth, pressing kiss after kiss against her palm, nuzzling it with his nose.
She stepped towards him, resting her face against his chest. "I don't care what you look like, or if you decide to just run away from here, as long as you take me with you." She put her arms around his neck, embracing him tightly. "I want to be with you forever..."
His eyes flashed and he crushed her closer to him, pressing whisper-kisses across her face, murmering intimate nothings to her, wordless sounds, practically whimpers emitting from him. Without knowing what he was doing, his fingers plucked away at the kimono, pulling it away from her skin. When he finally regained some semblance of sanity and control, Kagome was half-naked and wide-eyed. He pushed her away from him, squeezing his eyes shut and turning his head away. I can't...not yet, she isn't ready...
Kagome watched as he retreated from her, then sighed, shedding the kimono and pulling out a sleep-shirt, which went down to her knees. Modest for her time. Rather erotic here. She didn't care. "Come to bed." She said softly, extending her hand to him, begging him to accept.
Inuyasha's eyes jerked back to her and he fought to keep his control. That little shirt didn't show as much as her uniform did, but...she looked so sensual in it. Shaking those thoughts out of his head, he walked towards her, lacing his fingers through hers. "Kagome, what are we going to do? I don't want to stay here. I want to live a private life. I don't want to be a lord." He looked so urgent she ached. "I need to know what to do, I need you to tell me."
She sat, and watched as he sat beside her on the futon. "Tomorrow, we can tell Sesshoumaru we have to return on the search." She said softly, petting his ears and elicitting a soft purr from his throat. "Then, after the mission is complete, we return to Kaede's village. And from there, we go to the one place he can't find us." She caressed the side of his face, smiling.
When he realized what she was saying, his heart lept into his throat. He knew she would still want to be married, not just mated, but she was still saying she would run away with him. "Your world..." He realized.
She smiled, nodding. "We could come back and visit the people here now and then, but we would be free to live how we wanted...besides, I don't think I could handle living here with Sesshoumaru breathing down my neck." She giggled, seeing him smile as well.
"Oh, Kagome..." He tackled her onto the futon, embracing her tightly. "I love you so much..." He whispered, feeling her go rigid.
He loves me? Me? She lifted her arms, holding him back, tears filling her eyes. The ache in her heart drifted away and she nuzzled his face, sobbing into his shoulder.
He understood. He didn't know how, but he understood. She was happy. That made him happy, too. He nosed towards her lips, kissing them and tasting her tears on them. The kiss was slow and sensual, and it was making both of them breathless. When they broke the kiss, Inuyasha stared down into Kagome's eyes, his hands on either side of her beautiful face.
"It's okay." She whispered through the dark, her eyes shining. "I want this, too."
He closed his eyes, feeling a shuddering ache all through his body. "If it's what you wanted..." He whispered, nipping at her ear lobe. "I would give you the world."
Kagome surrendered herself into his arms, and Inuyasha into hers, finding pleasure in each other. After that night, they would refer to is as the first time they went to heaven on an angel's wings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I don't see why it can't wait until later..." Sesshoumaru said irritably, his eyes narrow.
Inuyasha glared down at his brother. "Look, we started the mission before you tried to turn me into a pansy ass like you." He growled, fighting to control his temper. "We're going to finish it now that we've side-tracked to help you."
Kagome put her hand on Inuyasha's arm. "This is something that needs our attention now." She said softly, her face serious.
Sesshoumaru smelled a difference in Kagome from just being marked, noting her smell was mixed with that of another. He finally nodded. "You will be returning in a few months, then." He said, looking directly at Kagome.
"Huh?" Kagome asked.
Inuyasha glared at his brother. "We'll come back when Naraku is dead." He snarled.
"Your mate should not travel after the first few months of her condition, dear brother." Sesshoumaru said, somewhat amused that Inuyasha hadn't noticed it yet. Then again, his brother's nose would never be as good as his was.
Miroku and Sango looked at Kagome in curiosity. "Condition?" Sango asked, her eyebrows knitted together.
"Condition?" Inuyasha asked. "What condition?"
Horrid realization filled Kagome. She tried to say something, but she couldn't find the words. "Oh shit..."
Sesshoumaru almost grinned. "She's pregnant."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"WHAAAT?!" Inuyasha cried, looking at Kagome, who was packing her stuff, looking dazed and lightheaded. "But-I...We only-" He looked so friggin confused, Kagome almost giggled, but the situation was too serious.
She threw her bag over her shoulder, looking towards him. "It only takes one time, Inuyasha." She said softly. He looked panicked, now.
"Then you gotta go home..." He said furiously. "You can't stay here if you're..." He strode towards her, putting his hands on her upper arms. "You have to go home, you're not safe here..."
She put her arms around him. "I don't have to go home. I want to stay with you through this. Besides, if we play this right, then in less than a month the jewel will be complete and then YOU'LL be coming home with me." She nuzzled his chest, feeling him oozing worry. "Don't worry, Inuyasha, I knew it might happen. But I don't want to go through this alone."
He held her protectively, his eyes serious. "Okay...but promise me you'll be careful...don't do anything stupid..." He tightened his hold for a moment.
She giggled. "That's my line." She teased, then they went out to meet Miroku and Sango, who looked pale.
"Kagome, are you sure you should be traveling in such a delicate condition?" Miroku asked, looking genuinely concerned.
Kagome blushed. Damn Sesshoumaru for telling everyone that she was pregnant. "Look, I'll be okay, it's done in my time all the time. Besides...I am not far along."
Sango looked a little serious. "What are your parents going to say...they are probably going to be furious..."
Inuyasha felt his ears flatten against his skull. That's right. He forgot about her family again. How would they react to Kagome's pregnancy? He played with the hem of his haori, chewing on his lower lip. He felt SO guilty. He'd gotten her pregnant. He knew that she was his mate and all, but she couldn't possibly want this kind of responsibility dropped on her like this! He should have had more control!
Kagome shook her head, holding up her hands. "Momma will be okay with it and Sota will be delighted. Besides, it's about time Jii-chan had an excuse for my school that was true." She smiled at them. "I'm okay, really. But right now, I just want to finish this quest and..." She stopped herself. She knew she didn't have to finish when Inuyasha reached out and squeezed her shoulder.
"You're going home after this?" Shippou asked, teary eyed. "But I thought you were Inuyasha's mate..."
She giggled. "I'll explain it later." She said, smiling and climbing on Inuyasha's back. He'd insisted that if they did journey, he would carry her around so she wouldn't have to overexhert herself. She told him it was rediculous, but he was too hard to argue with.
With that, they set off towards Kaede's village, where Kagome would go home to get her homework and tell her family everything that had happened...and what was to come...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Tadaima!" Kagome called, kicking off her shoes and running up, hugging her mother, then ran to her room, barely pausing a moment.
"Okaeri!" Her mother laughed, watching her run off. Then, she turned towards her other guest. "Ohayo, Inuyasha." She said politely, noting the awkward expression on his face, now nervous he looked. "Would you like some tea?"
"H-Hai..." He said, blushing and looking at the floor. He followed her into the kitchen, sitting at the table, his hands shaking. "Um...ma'am..." He started, trying his hardest to be polite, to not screw this up for him and Kagome. "I...would like permission...to m-marry your daughter." He heard the cup crash to the floor.
She stared at him, her eyes wide in shock. Then, her eyes narrowed. "What did you do to my baby girl?!" She asked, storming towards him, a frying pan in her hand.
He raised his hands, trying to defend himself. "It's...It's not like that...I just..." He closed his eyes, giving up. His ears fell flat against his skull, his hands falling. "Gomen ne..." He started. "I made Kagome my mate."
Author's notes: Dundundun DUUUUUN. Hee hee. I know, evil cliffhanger. What do you think so far? Like, hate? Dun worry, it doesn't end here, or even after they complete the mission. I have a feeling this is going to get long...Oh, well. Gomen ^_^; Ja!