Chapter 44
Sesshomaru woke to Kagome shifting beside him, his eyes snapping open. He was more in tune with her movements, aware of every single one she made. It was instinct to take care of her, to be sure that she didn't harm herself in any way. As his mate, his protectiveness was already more than the average human, but now that she was pregnant, he couldn't stop himself from watching her like a hawk.
"Kagome?" She was sitting up in bed, feet on the floor. She didn't say anything at first, just looking down. Shooting up, he placed a hand on her bare shoulder, worried. She wasn't acting right, and that meant something was wrong. "What has happened, My Love? Is the chi-"
"Sesshomaru." She spun around, tears in her eyes as she stood on her knees, gripping his shoulders hard. He looked up at her face with worry, trying to read her emotions, to understand the swirling emotional turmoil he could feel through their bond.
"What is it?" He asked softly while gripping her hips gently. He held her, still trying to work out what was happening. The tears had yet to stop, cascading down her face and he reached up, wiping them away. He hated when she cried.
"Look." One hand moved down to her belly, covering it. Slowly almost hesitantly, he moved her hand from her belly, lips parting with surprise at what he saw. She had popped, as the humans called it. Far earlier than they expected. Her belly was rounding out, her bump visible.
He placed his hand over her stomach, feeling the rise and fall of their child. Suddenly he understood her reaction. She had woken, rubbed her belly, and felt the bump that hadn't been there the day before. She was happy. He was just as happy as her.
Leaning down, he pressed his lips against their child, letting them linger. He was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that he could see Kagome's pregnant belly. They had expected it to happen obviously, but not this early in her pregnancy. She wasn't quite four months yet. She shouldn't be showing at all.
Gently, almost reverently, Sesshomaru picked up Kagome, laying her back out on the bed. He hovered over her, staring down at her stomach with awe and a small smile on his face. Growing up, he knew at some point he would create a family. It had been expected of him when he had been the heir of the West. Even when he gave up that title to mate Kagome, he expected the two of them to create a family at some point.
When he scented the change in her, he had been happy, but some part of him didn't believe it. It was as if he hadn't fully processed that she was pregnant and was going to give him their first child. Now, as he stared at the swelling of her stomach, it washed over him for the first time. He was going to be a father. Right there in front of him was the proof. Their child was growing.
Lowering his head, he paced his ear against her stomach, eyebrows pinching in concentration. He wanted to hear the heartbeat of their child. Her hands rested in his hair, scratching at his scalp soothingly, but he ignored it, still listening.
At first, he heard nothing. He didn't think he would be able to hear the heartbeat of his child, but then, just before he pulled away, he heard it. The soft and fast pitter patter of a baby's heartbeat. Sesshomaru felt himself gasp, his arms wrapping around Kagome's waist.
"Can you hear the baby?" Kagome whispered, her voice tight and restricted. Sesshomaru nodded, not wanting to ruin it. Eyes closing, he focused just a little longer, wanting to listen to the sound of his child. It amazed him how much that little sound meant to him. Already the child meant so much to him. He would kill if it meant keeping his family safe.
Nuzzling his face against her stomach, he purred in happiness. With her hands in his hair, her scent in his nose, and the heartbeat of his child in his ear, he couldn't be any happier. As he shifted, his ears picked up something that hadn't been picked up on before. A second little thrum that beat in time with the other. Lifting his head suddenly, he stared at Kagome in shock.
"What?" She placed her hands over her belly, confused and worried.
"There are… two." He looked back down at her stomach again, cocking his head to the side. Now that he said it out loud, he realized it made sense. It was why Kagome was showing far sooner than they expected. She would grow faster than any of the others. "We are having twins, Kagome."
"Twins?" Her voice choked off, and then she laughed. "Really? I had hoped, but I didn't know if it would happen."
"You wanted twins?" Resting his head on her belly, he looked up at her, both watching her and listening to the children in her womb. It was a sound he was going to want to hear often.
"I did. Growing up with Miroku… I want my children to have that bond as well. I wanted my children to be close enough to know that no matter what, they would always have each other." Her hands were back in his hair, rubbing at his scalp absentmindedly.
"I want many children, Kagome." He admitted, still relishing this new type of happiness he was feeling. It was something he had never felt before. He wasn't sure, but he knew it had something to do with being a father. That was why he was so happy all of a sudden, more so than usual.
"We can do that." She chuckled, sitting up suddenly. It forced his head off of her stomach, and he pouted, causing her to laugh again. Hands cupping his face, she pulled him up until their lips were just barely touching. "Until then, why don't we practice making them?"
His purr turned into a growl, and he pressed his lips against hers hard, pushing her back as he crawled over her. Her legs wrapped around his waist, arms circling his shoulders. They were both still naked from the night before, so her warm core pressed against his lengthening cock. He thrust against her, pulling a groan from her. "Practice makes perfect, Little Mate."
"You're already perfect." Kagome whispered, pressing her mouth against his again. Gripping her thigh, he held her against him, their blood heating with every passing second. Just as he grabbed a breast, they both froze, feeling the auras of several people heading his way, four they hadn't expected.
"I will kill them all." Sesshomaru snarled, and Kagome laughed, kissing his pouting lips before slithering out beneath him. She dressed quickly, Sesshomaru watching her from their large bed. It was only when she tied her obi in place that he finally got up with an annoyed sigh and dressed himself. By the time he finished, there was a knock on his front door.
Kagome took off running with a squeal, heading straight for the front door. When she opened it, Kouga was standing there with an arm raised. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped when Kagome went right past him and to Ayame, more specifically, the baby in Ayame's arms.
With a scoff, Ayame passed the baby to Kagome. "This is Yona."
"She's beautiful, Ayame." Kagome whispered, ignoring all of the other's as she walked back into the house. Miroku rolled his eyes while Touga chuckled. He escorted Sango and Izayoi in, following behind Kagome. Ayame stepped in next with Nona, the witch that had confronted Sesshomaru and Touga so long ago. That left Kouga and Sesshomaru alone, both of them staring the other down.
"So…." Kouga rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Truce?"
"I suppose so." Sesshomaru reluctantly agreed. Naraku was after the Shikon Miko, and as much as Sesshomaru hated it, he had to admit that Kouga could be an asset. He was the lord of the East. He had an army of his own.
"Good." He motioned towards the house, and Sesshomaru nodded, the two of them entering. Sesshomaru froze the moment he stepped inside, eyes zeroing in on Kagome. Yona was sleeping peacefully on Kagome's chest while the miko rocked her and talked softly with the other women.
It was a beautiful sight seeing Kagome holding a baby. Now that she was pregnant with their own, he couldn't help but to picture her holding one of their twins. He couldn't wait for the day that he finally met them. Sitting down beside Kagome, he placed a hand on her back possessively. He needed to be touching her.
"As you know, I called Kouga here because he can help keep Kagome safe. All of us here know her secret." Touga looked at everyone, eyes lingering warily on Nona. Outside of meeting her the one time when she gave Sesshomaru the potion to heal Kagome's scars, they hadn't heard from her again.
"Nona knows." Kagome spoke softly, making sure she didn't wake Yona. "She helped me with a few things years ago. I told her then."
"If you trust her…" Touga nodded, then looked back at Kouga. "Naraku is searching for the Shikon Miko. He knows things about her that he shouldn't. He has been tracking her for hundreds of years, and he shows no sign of letting up. This is why I called you all here. I know you would help keep Kagome safe. Right now, she is going to need all the help she can get."
"The worst bastard to have on your tail." Kouga mumbled and then scoffed. "At least it's not Naoshi. There's something off with that guy."
"Naraku went to Naoshi after he left here. I sent a spy to both the North and South, but they would have arrived after Naraku made it to the South. Whatever was said between them will remain unknown to us." Touga leaned forward, placing his knees on his elbows. "There were rumors that Kagome was in the West. Naraku requested access to search, I denied him with the promise that I would inform him if I heard anything. We have set up "trails" for him to follow, things that will get him out of the West, and my general has set up several undercover patrols to roam the West. If he, or anyone sets foot on the West, we will know."
"When you mentioned that you needed me for a security reason, I knew I needed to bring Nona." Kouga motioned to the silent witch, eyes not leaving Touga's. "She can help with her magic."
"I will place a spell around Kagome." Nona held up her hand, whispering words in another language while drawing out figures with her fingers in the air in front of her. When she was finished, she nodded. "A protection spell. Naraku, nor any with ill intent, will be able to sense your power. Unless you release it to be seen by them, they will not know of the energy beneath your skin. I also have my mirror." She pulled out a small compact mirror from her robes, waving a hand over it. The form of Naraku appeared, but Nona quickly erased the image when they saw him between the thighs of a random woman. "I will keep watch and report anything I may see that is troubling."
"Watch Naoshi as well. We are unsure what He and Naraku discussed. We do not want to be blind sided if he is planning with Naraku." Sesshomaru added, and Nona nodded in agreement.
"I'll send out my wolves. No one would suspect them. They can report back to me and I will keep you informed as well." Kouga offered, and Sesshomaru relaxed. It wasn't much, but it was more to keep Kagome safe.
"Good. We listen and wait. The first time we hear anything that potentially threatens Kagome, we react then." Touga met the eyes of everyone there, and they all agreed.
"Well, with that out of the way…" Kagome looked at Sesshomaru, smiling. He nodded, and they both looked back out towards the crowd. "Sesshomaru and I are having twins!" They all jumped up happy and excited, waking Yona from her slumber who started to cry. Surrounded by hugs and family, neither Sesshomaru, nor Kagome could worry about the danger lurking.
...
I know I disappeared for a few weeks, and I apologize. I got a job as a ghost writer, but then I got fired because my boss found someone better. I'm still a little salty about it to be honest and it's now made me question my ability as an author. But whatever. With no job, that means I am able to get back to posting at the minimum. I'll try to keep posting at least once a week. However, I am still steadily applying for jobs as a ghost writer, and it is my hope that I will gain a job once again. Because of this, I am only going to post once a week and no longer do any challenges. Until I relearn how to manage my time, I need to step back and figure everything out. Thanks for sticking around.
