Authors Notes: Well guys, soz it took so long, Ive been doing Summer cleaning the past few days and everything. Please forgive this authoress! She only means well! Somewhat of a filler chapter I suppose. Not sure. Also, I rewrote the prologue, so you guys go check it out and tell me if its any good!
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Falls On Me
Chapter 4-All I Want To Do Is Find An Easier Way
Sango and Miroku arrived on Kirara the next afternoon. Kagome wondered at the delay when Mako told her of their arrival. They had been expected at latest this morning.
When she arrived outside to greet her friends she knew why they had been late.
Sango was very, very pregnant.
"Kagome!" Sango almost screeched as she waddled towards her friend. Miroku walked beside her looking very haggard whereas Sango looked like the very spirit of life and joy.
"Sango, Miroku, it's so good to see you again!" Kagome cried as she hugged Sango(as best as she could manage around the woman's swollen stomach). She hugged Miroku next and was pleasantly relieved to not receive a lecherous feel.
"Kagome, what happened to your face?" Sango gasped when she got a good look at the young woman.
"I was training," Kagome lied. Sango looked at her quizzically.
"For what?" Sango asked.
"I guard the jewel Sango. Naraku's gone, but there will always be youkai searching for more power," Kagome answered. "But this isn't the time. When is the baby due?" Kagome asked excitedly.
"Well, they are due in two months," Sango answered as they began to head for the inside of the castle. Kagome gasped with joy.
"Twins?" She begged to know.
"No, triplets," Miroku sighed.
"Wow," Kagome said in awe.
"Kagome, I'm hungry," Sango suddenly whined.
"Well, lucky for you we have the best cook in the world. Her name is Airon and she's nice, and ten to one she has something sweet already made," Kagome teased in a sing song voice.
"I could kill for some sweet chestnuts right now, or even some daifuku with soy sauce," Sango chirped.
"Soy…Sauce?" Kagome asked, almost gagging at the thought of the sweet dessert covered in soy sauce.
"She's been eating the weirdest stuff lately. You should have seen her when her pregnancy first started. She was eating raw daikon radishes dipped in a mixture of wasabi and honey," Miroku said with a distinct shudder. Kagome shuddered n disgust as well as they reached the kitchen.
"Kagome, I just noticed those two youkai. They're following us," Sango whispered not too quietly.
"They're my guards. Don't ask," Kagome said as they entered. "But their names are Yotogi and Shisou," Kagome told them. "They are very kind," She finished.
"I don't think I've ever seen youkai like them," Sango murmured.
"That's because we're from Africa," Shisou said in a condescending tone. She really didn't like being talked about as if she wasn't there.
"Where is Africa?" Sango asked, blushing at her ignorance.
"It's a foreign land far from here. Where is Airon? She's usually in here at this time of day," Kagome said as she looked around.
"She's speaking with Sesshoumaru," Said a not too happy voice. Kagome looked over to the corner and saw Jaken with two sleeping children next to him. Kagome almost laughed. He looked like he was having as much as being dipped in a barrel full of jellyfish.
"Do you know when she'll be back?" Kagome asked.
"I'm right here. I take it these are the famous friends you told me about? My, I didn't know you were pregnant! I should have made more daifuku. I only have a few pieces. But I also have some fried custard left," Airon said as she breezed into the kitchen and immediately took control, as she always did.
"That sounds wonderful. Do you have some wasabi and some picked radish to go with it? Oh, don't forget soy sauce," Sango said excitedly. She was hungry!
"Of course dear. Let me set them out for you. Aww, now isn't that a sight? Jaken if only I could paint that," Airon said when she spotted the unhappy toad.
Shippou stirred when the toad youkai moved away from him and Rin and jumped up excitedly when he saw Sango and Miroku.
"Sango, Miroku! Wow! Sango, you got really fat!" Shippou said.
"Shippou!" Kagome gasped.
"No Shippou, I'm pregnant. Soon you'll have three nieces or nephews running around," Sango told him as she ruffled his hair. Shippou bounced up and down excitedly. Rin walked up and smiled shyly at the two new arrivals just as Airon set a plate of the food down, and a few cups holding soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled radish.
Everyone fell into easy conversation as Sango munched on a mixture of the foods that everyone tried to avoid looking at. Soon questions fell to Inu Yasha and how he and Kagome were doing.
"Why haven't you visited Kagome? Inu Yasha could have brought you easily," Sango told her friend as she polished off another piece of daifuku covered in wasabi and soy sauce.
"Inu Yasha wouldn't take her," Shippou said innocently as he nibbled on a piece of daifuku.
"WHAT!" Sango shouted. Kagome blushed and looked down into her cup of tea, as if trying to divine an answer that would appease her friends.
She didn't have to. The innocent mouth of a child did it all for her.
"Inu Yasha has been really mean to Kagome because she hasn't gotten pregnant. He hit her once and now she's got her own rooms. Sesshoumaru has been nicer to Kagome than Inu Yasha has," Shippou explained solemnly.
Sango looked ready to explode. "Where is he? I'm going to kill him," She practically snarled, her eyes dancing with fury.
"Currently he's being held in a sort of cell I guess you could say. He's getting his, I know for a fact," Airon told the extremely angry woman.
"What do you mean?" Sango and Kagome asked at once.
"Sesshoumaru won't kill him, but Inu Yasha is getting a taste of his own medicine from both Sesshoumaru and Anei," Airon supplied.
"Oh my god!" Kagome shouted as she jumped up and began to head for the door.
"Kagome are you insane? Inu Yasha has brought this on himself. You're lucky Sesshoumaru is so against the beating of women, or else you would have to endure," Airon said as she grabbed the girl. Kagome collapsed on the floor. She was so confused.
"Why do I still care for him? He hurt me. But I don't want him hurt," Kagome sobbed.
"Shh, it's okay," Airon soothed her, as she had done a few times in the past week.
"You loved him enough to marry him. It's never easy to do what's best for yourself when there's that sort of love involved," Miroku stated as Kagome stood and wiped her eyes. Shippou walked over to her and hugged her legs protectively.
"Don't worry mama! I'll protect you from that mean old Inu Yasha!" The kit exclaimed. Kagome smiled down at him and picked him up, then hugged him tightly.
"It'll be alright Kagome. I know you're strong enough to survive this," Sango said with a watery smile. Kagome smiled back at her friend.
"And until then, we can delight in the fact that spoiled hanyou is getting his just dessert," Shisou said as she popped a piece of daifuku into her mouth.
"I don't think I can look at it that way," Kagome sighed. "But Sango, what are the babies names going to be?" Kagome suddenly asked, a not so subtle hint to change the topic.
"Well, actually, since Kaede divined that there would be two boys and one girl, I wanted to name one Kohaku, one Kagome, and the last name we haven't decided on yet," Sango told her. Kagome nodded and smiled at her friend as they talked about the babies and everything going on.
"By the way, Sesshoumaru said he would come to the mid day meal in the garden today, which is approximately thirteen minutes from now. The other servants will bring out the meal, now go before you are late," Airon suddenly said. Kagome nodded and hugged the woman as the group left the room. Kagome kept chatting easily with her friend as Rin and Shippou chased one another as they walked outside into the sunlight. Kagome saw that a table had been set up in the gazebo, as well as large pillows for them to sit on.
"Hey, Yotogi and Shisou are gone," Sango gasped.
"Don't worry. They're very discreet and this is not a meal for servants or guards," Sesshoumaru said as he walked up behind them. Kagome nearly jumped out of her skin.
"Hello Sesshoumaru," Miroku bowed slightly. Sango nodded her head, unable to bow.
"Hello Miroku, Sango. Congratulations," Sesshoumaru told her. Sango blushed and smiled.
"Thank you," Sango told him. "They're due in two months."
'Didn't waste any time did they?' Sesshoumaru snorted mentally.
"And I'm going to be their godmother!" Kagome practically crowed.
Sesshoumaru would never understand why women reacted as they did because of another's pregnancy. Miroku for the most part looked like any man with a wife who was seven months pregnant.
And that was to say extremely tired and stressed.
"Do you think it was wise to let her travel in this condition?" Sesshoumaru asked when the women were safely wrapped up in the own conversation.
"What choice did I have? She can kill me if she wanted to, and is more apt to in this condition," Miroku replied. Sesshoumaru inwardly smirked at the other man's plight, but he wasn't about to let it show.
"I see."
"Sesshoumaru, how fares Inu Yasha?" Miroku asked quietly. Sesshoumaru looked at the monk, gauging what he could tell him.
"He is alive. Only his pride is dying as he sobers and realizes what he has done. But I am not sure if it will last. He seems the type to easily given to extreme emotions and easily led by his desires," Sesshoumaru told him. Miroku nodded in agreement.
"I had never thought he would harm Kagome though. She was always there for him, and helped him so much, all of us actually. Why would he strike her?"
"She is barren."
And that explained it. It was a sad truth, Miroku reflected, when women in his world were harmed just because of something they could not help. Suddenly he realized why Kagome was so excited for Sango. She couldn't have children of her own, save Shippou, and unfortunately that would never count to other nobles.
"I wonder," Sesshoumaru sighed. Miroku looked at the suddenly pensive demon. What was the man thinking?
"Lord Sesshoumaru, what could you be thinking?" Miroku asked. Sesshoumaru stood and gestured for Miroku to rise. Kagome looked to him and he motioned for her and Sango to stay seated.
"It is only a man's walk, go on talking," He said as he and Miroku walked off. When they were a safe way, he began to explain some of the little known facts about youkai and hanyou. Miroku almost dropped from shock when he heard the point of the conversation.
"Some hanyou have been known to be sterile. The ratio of sterile hanyou to fertile ones is larger than in any other species. I am thinking it is possible that my brother has mislaid the blame, as it is well known the Lady Kagome is functioning properly," Sesshoumaru finished.
Miroku almost died from laughter. "Functioning properly?" He asked, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes.
"Don't be obtuse. It is a servants duty to make sure her mistress is flowing properly, and when she is not. And naturally Kagome makes it known when she is. The woman consumes more fried custard at that time of the month than any other time," Sesshoumaru said with a touch of sarcasm. Miroku laughed, inwardly wondering why the demon lord was showing this much emotion.
"Don't you think you should tell Kagome this? I'm sure she is devastated by the thought of not being able to bear children," Miroku said after awhile.
"I do not think it is appropriate. After all, she is married to the hanyou, and until one of them dies, she cannot marry another. If she were to have a child now, it would be a sure sign of adultery, and the hanyou could legally kill her for that," Sesshoumaru told him.
"Kagome is not the type to betray those she cares for," Miroku began.
"But if she doesn't care for Inu Yasha anymore?" Sesshoumaru asked.
"She will not betray a vow so lightly. And she vowed before Kami that she would be his dutiful wife. Even now she tries to protect him, or wants to. When she found out you and that Anei person were punishing him she wanted to go help him," Miroku explained. Sesshoumaru absorbed the information.
Silently he wondered. What woman could love a man so much as to accept being hurt by him? He steered away from the images of his mother and quickly began to walk back towards the gazebo where servants were bringing food to. They bowed as he walked past and sat. Kagome and Sango were talking about babies, and Shippou and Rin were sitting around them chattering about having new friends to play with soon.
"Oh Kagome this looks delicious! What is it?" Sango asked as she put four or five squares of something on top her plate.
"It's foreign, and it's called baklava," Kagome said with a smile as Sango began to consume the treat.
"Back lava?" Miroku asked, mispronouncing the name of the food. Kagome giggled and shrugged.
"Something I picked up in home economics at school," Kagome told him. He nodded sagely and began to eat a piece of the treat. Shippou and Rin dug in enthusiastically, and the four people munching on the dessert food seemed to forget about the main course.
Kagome happily ate some rice and beef as she listened to her friends exclaim over the taste. Finally Rin took one of the last pieces to Sesshoumaru, who so far had not spoken since he came back from his walk.
"Sesshoumaru, this is good. It would make Rin very happy if you had a piece," The little girl said. Humoring her, he took the piece and nodded his head, then ate it quickly, expecting an overpowering taste. Instead he found it rather tasty, but did not get another piece. There were none left!
"Mama, you haven't had any!" Shippou cried out. For a moment the four who had quickly devoured the entire plate looked abashed, but Kagome merely waved it away.
"Shippou, I can make it any time. I'm fine," She insisted. The kit looked satisfied with her answer and continued to eat other treats n the table.
Kagome smiled. It was almost like old times, except this time it was Sesshoumaru who said nothing instead of Inu Yasha.
She let her thoughts wander to the hanyou. How was he doing? Was he still angry with her? Would they ever be able to reconcile after he had hurt her so badly? Would he ever accept the fact she couldn't have children? She inwardly sighed at the thought of children. Not being able to get pregnant made her feel more than slightly defective.
"Kagome, I'm sleepy," Sango said with a wide yawn. Kagome smiled, thankful she still had her friends. Maybe one day she would wake to find that her husband had come back to her too.
A week passed, but Sango didn't leave. In fact, without Kagome's knowledge Sango had bravely gone to Sesshoumaru's study and begged to stay so she could make sure her friend was okay. The youkai had merely told her if she planned to stay more than two more weeks, she might as well stay until she had her child lest she endanger the babe within her. The ex-taijiya had practically gushed tears as she thanked the demon over and over. He had never responded, instead he had just continued with his papers. His only thought had been, 'Women'.
Then Sango had informed Kagome she wasn't leaving because she wanted Kagome there when the baby was born.
But the servants whispered that the taijiya was there to make sure Inu Yasha wouldn't hurt the beloved mistress of the servants.
Thankies To: firevixen73, Sesshie's Black Dominatrix, Youkai Sesshomarulover, Kyo-babe, bluediamond-hime, Waxynixo, Erik and Fae, Hoshiko Megami, windprincess342, SpiritHuntress, Fairie Mistress