I just love this chapter. Jakotsu tries to think of names for Sango's baby!

Chapter 24: 5 Months Later

Five months past, and Sango's baby grew in size along with it. She was getting pretty fat.

Sango was expecting everyone to tease her about it, but instead they treated her really nice. They would often ask if they could bring her anything or if she needed help with something.

Sango still had no idea what to call it. She had been visiting Kikyou often lately, just to make sure her baby was still healthy. The Shichinintai was lying low, too. They figured they should draw as little attention as possible to the temple.

What worried Bankotsu the most was InuYasha. He was worried that he would attack and find out about Sango. It almost happened too. He was in the woods when he found InuYasha dangerously close to the temple, so he lured them away.

Everyone was getting overly excited about the baby now. Sango said she even felt it kick a few times. It was hard for the guys because Sango was getting pretty demanding, and a lot more moody.

Just one tiny mistake was enough to make her explode.

One day Jakotsu made a big mistake. They were eating supper.

"Hey Sango, the baby is getting big! It's going to be so cute! I can't wait to be an uncle!" Jakotsu said in a singsong voice. Everyone chuckled, except Sango, who burst out crying.

"What's wrong Sango?" Bankotsu asked.

"You… you…" she whimpered. "YOU GUYS ARE JUST LAUGHING AT ME BECAUSE I'M FAT!" she wailed as she ran out of the room. Everyone was silent, then about five minutes later, Sango came back with a huge smile on her face. "Hey! What's for supper?" Everyone's jaw fell.

Sango and Jakotsu were sitting in Sango's room trying to think of names.

"How about… Kyabetsu!" Jakotsu suggested, a little too over excitedly.

"Umm… Jakotsu?" Sango poked him on the shoulder. "I'm not going to name it Cabbage…"

"Oh. Shiizu?"

"Cheese."

"Meushi?"

"Cow."

"Nasu?"

"Eggplant."

"Yagi?"

"Goat."

"Burashi?"

"Hairbrush."

"Budo?"

"Jakotsu! Stop thinking of stupid names!" Sango shouted.

There was a long pause before Jakotsu blurted out, "What's a hairbrush?"

"Bankotsu!" Sango called. "I'm leaving now!" Bankotsu came and helped her on Kirara. He had given up on asking her where she was going. Sango took off and Bankotsu went back to whatever he was doing.

When Sango arrived, she began to call for Kikyou, but she was nowhere in sight. "Kikyou-sama? Are you here?" Sango went around back and gasped.

Kikyou was lying on the ground unconscious. She had many scrapes and bruises. Sango rushed to her side and lightly shook her.

"Kikyou-sama? Kikyou-sama, wake up!" she begged.

Kikyou slowly opened her eyes, and then gasped when she saw Sango beside her. "Sango! Run, get out of here!" she warned.

"What happened to you, Kikyou-sama?" Sango asked.

"It came here. It was looking for you!" Kikyou shouted. "You have to get our of here before it comes back!"

"But what will happen to you?" Sango cried.

"It won't come after me," Kikyou explained. "It's after you. If it finds you here now, you're finished. Now go!"

Sango hesitated, but she obeyed Kikyou and jumped on Kirara. A loud sound filled the air. Sango cried out in alarm. The sound came again, louder this time. Although she couldn't see it, she could tell it was getting closer.

Something shot out of the sky, but Kirara dodged! I don't understand, she thought, why is it after me? The thing shot out of the sky a few more times, and Kirara dodged them all again.

Sango finally saw the temple below her. "Bankotsu!" she screamed. "Help!"

Bankotsu instantly came out of the castle, along with the others. Sango was relieved to see them. When she landed, she dived into Bankotsu's arms.

"Something's after me!" she wailed.

"What is it?" Bankotsu asked, looking up at the sky. But he saw nothing.

"I don't know!" Sango said, gasping for breath. "It just started chasing me. I can't see it, but I can hear it. It kept shooting things down at me!"

The sky grew dark and the noise grew louder. Kirara's fur stuck up and she began to growl. The others got their weapons ready. The thing roared in the sky again, then disappeared.

"What the hell was that thing?" Renkotsu asked confused.

"Well whatever it was, it's gone now," Suikotsu remarked.

Bankotsu led Sango inside to her room. She sat down in her bed, Bankotsu kneeling beside her.

"Sango, what happened back there? Are you alright?" Bankotsu asked worriedly.

Sango nodded shakily. "I've been going for the past few months is a temple. I've been visiting a priestess to make sure the baby is healthy."

"OK," Bankotsu said, "and…"

Sango continued. "Well, I went there today and found the priestess had been attacked. It turns out whatever attacked her was looking for me! She told me to leave, in case it came back. So I did, and that's when it started chasing me in the sky."

"What could be after you?" Bankotsu wondered. "Do you know anyone who has a grudge on you?"

Sango's eyes widened. "Naraku…"

Bankotsu's heart stopped. Did she just say Naraku? The demon he wasn't supposed to mention around his comrades? How did she find out about him?

"Naraku is a demon I was seeking when I traveled with InuYasha. He's the only one I know who has a grudge against me!"

Bankotsu didn't respond. Surely it wasn't Naraku who did this. They were allies. But what if it was him? Was that why he didn't want the others to know about him?

"Do you really think this Naraku would come after you?" Bankotsu asked.

Sango shrugged. "I don't see what the point would be. I haven't seen him for over 10 years! Why would he choose now to attack, and why me? It's mostly InuYasha and Kagome that he hates." She shook her head. "No, I don't think it was Naraku."

Bankotsu sighed with relief, but he still had a bad feeling in his gut. He wasn't sure if he could trust Naraku anymore. He hadn't even met the guy yet! Maybe I should talk to the others about this, he thought.

Good Bankie! You're figuring things out now! R&R please!