Chapter 23

Kagome sat on the edge of her bed, staring inquisitively at Inuyasha, who was also seated on her bed. She continued to stare at him in silence, but when five minutes rolled around, an annoyed growl started to work its way up her throat.

"Kagome.....?" Inuyasha finally started, his voice kind of sad. "What do you remember from your human night?"

"My human night?" she repeated then closed her eyes as if trying to remember. "I remember....my hair changing to brown. Cuddling up with you because it was cold. Waking up to find you gone, then I went to look for you.....Where did you go?" Kagome opened her eyes and looked at him.

"You don't remember anything after that?"

"Iie!" Kagome said sadly.

"I figured as much.......Brace yourself.....You most likely won't like what I'm about to tell you." He took a few deep breaths before he started. "You found Kikyo and myself talking......I was telling her that I loved you and had chosen you. She said I was only with you because you were her. But I told her she was wrong. You aren't her reincarnation and that I'm with you because you aren't Kikyo. She became very mad and threatened me. I told her if it would make her feel better then just try, but you would hunt her down. That's when she hugged me and told me she couldn't do it anymore. That I was no longer the lonely, unconfident boy she knew, that I had changed too much. I told her it was because of you. That you love me for who and what I am, not what I could become with the help of the jewel.......That's when you showed up." He paused in his story, closing his eyes and taking in a few more deep breaths. Preparing himself for her reaction at what he was about to tell her.

"OK.....and?.....Tell me!"

Without warning, he pulled her into his embrace, wrapping his arms around her as he spoke in her ear, her face rested against his chest. "Your youkai blood took over.....you transformed!" He felt her stiffen at his words so he tightened his grip on her. "You fought with Kikyo!"

Kagome stayed wrapped up in his arms, taking advantage of his attempts at comforting her. She wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling herself closer to him. She pressed an ear to his chest and listened to the sound of his heartbeat. 'I fought with Kikyo! Naze? Why would I fight with Kikyo?.........Wait.....was that....?'Kagome slowly lifted her head and looked at Inuyasha, several questions running through her mind. "Inuyasha......is she.....?"

He cringed at hearing her trying to say that sentence. "Kagome....she's been dead for 52 years. You just reclaimed the rest of your soul is all? She attacked you and you defended against her. Plain and simple!" He reached up and cradled her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him with her sad, wet eyes. "Don't feel bad over this. You did nothing wrong! She was going to kill you, our pup and then me. You did what you had to protect everyone and your youkai side knew that. So don't worry about it."

"Demo....?"

"No 'buts'! I told you not to worry and I mean it!" Inuyasha placed a gentle kiss to her forehead before placing one on her lips. "I want you to protect our pup. So no stressing or worrying!"

"Then I chose the wrong mate!" Kagome smirked at him then winked before hugging him again.

"NANI?" Inuyasha said in a raised voice.

Kagome released him and giggled. She then kissed him and started to caress his ears. "You know I was only joking. But you do make me worry and wonder way to much."

"I guess I'll have to work on that." he smirked back at her. "Now why don't you go ask your mother about tomorrow?"

"Hai" Kagome smiled as she stood up and started for the door. She was stopped but a quick swat to the backside. "MIRO......ku......INU.....YASHA! Your gonna get Miroku in trouble one of these days and it won't even be his fault." She glared at him briefly before leaving the room to talk to her mother about the appointment.

~******~

"OI! If this is a female thing, why do I have to come along?" Inuyasha followed close behind Kagome, pouting. He watched everything pass by as he walked down the crowded sidewalk. Glancing at everyone and everything suspiciously.

"Because in this time, the father helps! Besides we're a special case and the doctor would like to see both of us. Oka-san didn't tell her we're hanyous but there might be complications with the pregnancy, so we both need to go." Kagome glanced over her shoulder at her mate and smiled. "Plus you might feel differently after the ultrasound."

"The what?"

"Ah, we're here! Come on!" Kagome grabbed Inuyasha by the hand and pulled him through the automatic doors into the clinic. "I hope this doesn't take long. I can't stand this smell!"

"It smells like the sick in here. Lets hurry up already." coaxed Inuyasha as he held his sleeve up to his nose and pleaded with his golden eyes.

Kagome walked up to the counter and filed out the necessary paperwork, She then led Inuyasha to the bench to wait there turn.

"Higurashi?" A lady in a skirt and medical coat asked from the door. "Higurashi Kagome?"

"H....Hai!" Kagome stood, pulling Inuyasha with her. They both followed the lady into the office.

"Ohayo....Higurashi.....I'm Doctor Iso.....and this is?" The lady doctor closed the door behind Inuyasha and gestured for him to sit in the chair and for Kagome to sit on the medical table, while she took her own sit across from them. "I assume this is the father?"

"Hai.....this is Inuyasha..." Kagome said quietly, a little nervous about the whole situation. She had managed to hide her ears under a ribbon and had her tail tucked behind her long coat, but what if the doctor asked her to change or strip, what then. Kagome fidgeted with her fingers as they rested in her lap waiting for what was to happen next.

"Ok well, shall we get started?" Dr. Iso pulled a machine over to the table next to Kagome. "Just lie down on the table and lift up your shirt a little bit. ....So how far along do you think you are?"

"One month!" Kagome stated bluntly while she stretched out on the long seat and pulled her blouse up to reveal her belly. She clutched the hem of her shirt tightly as Dr. Iso placed the viewer to her stomach.

"Pretty confident aren't you!" Dr. Iso placed the monitor to her abdomen and started to swirl it around.

"Well I was a virgin before that. So ya!" Kagome glanced over at her nervous mate, equally nervous. 'Please let the baby be OK. I don't know what could happen with us both being hanyous.....Geez I'll need to talk to Kaede about this. What's' everyone at home gonna say.' Kagome was pulled from her thoughts by a fast paced swirling sound. She smiled widely when she saw Inuyasha leaning over and looking at the monitor.

"What is that sound?" Inuyasha asked inquisitively as his eyes darted around the screen.

Dr. Iso smiled at the young mans inquisitive nature while she watched and listened to the ultrasound results. Her eyes became wide as she looked at the monitor. "That sound, Inuyasha is the heartbeat of your children."

"CHILDREN??" Both Kagome and Inuyasha shouted in unison and stared at the doctor dumbfounded.

"Hai!" Dr. Iso started to point to the screen, tracing zipper like lines. "Here is a spine and a head, another head and spine, and one more spi-........what the?" She squinted at the screen as if to get a clearer picture.

"What is it?....What's wrong? Are they ok?" Kagome questioned the doctor hastily. Her eyes darted to the screen, to Dr. Iso, to her mate, then to her belly. Instinctively she wanted to wrap her arms around her stomach, but a moving monitoring device was trailing over her stomach instead. 'Oh please let them be all right, Onegai!......Triplets oh gosh.....I'm gonna have to build a kennel.' Kagome wanted to giggle at her own joke but the situation at hand and the doctor's voice prevented that.

"Calm down! They all appear healthy, it's just.....this one." Dr. Iso traced her finger down what appeared to be the baby's spine. "Normally the spine would end about here.....but this one goes on.....your child is going to have a tail......We can remove it later."

"No way are you removing anything.....That tail is who she is....and it's staying!" Kagome ordered to the still shocked doctor. She glared daggers at Dr. Iso for what seemed like an hour but was in reality only a minute.

"She?....Oh well. There is another problem at hand right now.......You said you were a virgin up until a month ago.......Are you sure?" Dr. Iso continued to stare at the monitor as she scanned Kagome's stomach. She then whispered her next few words. "This is strange!"

"YES I'M SURE!!" Kagome's glare became fiercer at what the doctor was implying. "Just ask Inuyasha! Now what other problem is there....what wrong with them..?" Her expression quickly softened at the fear of something wrong with her babies.

"It's just that......according to the measurements they are almost the size of someone 3 months along.....this isn't right......" She concentrated on the black and white image on the screen. 'How is this possible? What is it with these two? There's something odd about them.'

"3 Months!?" whispered Kagome as she started to count on her fingers. Her eyes went wide with realization, she then turned her head to look at her shock stricken mate. 'It can't be.....but that would explain the duration.....I think I need to talk to Kaede about this, maybe she'll know.' She watched Inuyasha who seemed to be in his own world at the moment. Kagome giggled quietly then redirected her attention back to the doctor. "We both have rare blood types and the unusual duration and tail run in my family."

"Ok but I want to see you again in one month ok." She smiled at the unusual girl as she started to return the monitor to it previous position on the far wall. She then wrote out Kagome's next appointment date and handed her the card.

"OK....Well see then. Ja ne!" Kagome pulled the dumbstruck hanyou out of the office building. And down the street. She neither slowed her pace nor released his hand by the time she crested the top of the stairs leading to her family's shrine.

Kagome gazed at her mate, a little worried, 'He hasn't said a word since we found out I'm carrying triplets......is he ok?" She stopped at the top of the stairs staring at him. "Inuyasha?.......Inuyasha?" There was still no response. He stood there, staring off into space. 'Fine if this doesn't work he getting "sat".' She positioned herself in front of him and leaned p to place a gentle kiss on his lips tugging slightly on his lower lip. She stared back up at him, annoyed that it hadn't worked. "That's it...Osuw-"

"Three.....three......" Inuyasha mumbled, still in a slight state of shock. "Three.....that's not a pup....that's a litter!"

She was a little annoyed at his choice of words, but she couldn't really argue with him, since she was an Inu hanyou. Kagome took him by the hand again and led him inside the house. "I should tell my mother."

Having finally come out of his stupor, Inuyasha stopped in his tracks, causing Kagome to stumble a bit. "I have to do something real quick. Why don't you go talk to your mother then go up and pack. I'll be back for you in a little while." Inuyasha placed a kiss on her forehead then quickly disappeared out the door.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome stared at the closed door and thought a loud. "What could he possibly have to do?'

"He's a young man, who knows." Mrs. Higurashi grinned at her daughter's confused face. "Now tell me how the appointment went."

Kagome let out a heavy sigh then started to walk to the living room. "Oka-san, you might want to sit down for this."

~******~