A/N: Again, sorry about the wait, but frankly, it took all that time to read 2 books, watch a movie, and write 5 essays for school. At least I got it done.
Anyway, I ended up going to school with the most inconvient schedule EVER. (one class downstairs, one class upstairs, and so on, never two classes in a row on the same floor). Oh well, it's my last year, so I can live with it. But its really fun being a Senior, we get our own breakfasts and stuff!
(Oh, but I am mad at our school district. They're starting school ten minutes early, but they did NOT inform us until today about this, so everyone showed up late. If they're going to open school ten minutes early, they need to TELL PEOPLE, damnit!)
Besides my rant, the good news is, I gave you guys another fluffy chapter, so I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 36: The Gift of Love
"The Miko knew that it had to be the happiest moment of the Hanyou's life," Kagome said, her eyes seeming to sparkle with the happiness from long ago. "And for her it was a joyful moment as well; she had always wanted nothing more than to give him happy, and to see him overjoyed to the point of tears made her heart feel like it was going to burst with love for him."
While Kagome told this story, Sango too, looked at her with starry eyes, no doubt imagining this within her mind's eye. She knew it had probably been one of the last truly happy moments of Kagome's life.
Kagome smiled as she looked down at Inuko, fighting to stay awake in her lap…the product of her and Inuyasha's love. She smiled, remembering when she had learned she was pregnant for the first time…how, despite how scared she was, she couldn't help but be glad about it, because Inuyasha was happier than she had ever seen him.
Her smile lowered as she continued, "But even though the Hanyou and Miko were happy with her sudden pregnancy, they couldn't forget the situation they were in…and the danger it brought about. But for a little while, they decided, they would enjoy this feeling, before everything started to fall apart…"
It seemed that not a day had gone by without Kagome having to rush out of Kaede's hut and dash toward the bushes to empty her stomach, and that day was of no exception. Inuyasha instantly rushed out after her, while their friends stood in the doorway, watching and feeling sorry for her once more.
"Kagome's still sick?" Shippou asked, glancing back at her. "But I thought going to her time would make her better!"
"She did say that what it was wasn't something to worry about," Sango reminded him. "Just some form of stomach sickness, nothing more."
Inuyasha's ears twitched slightly when he heard them speaking, but for the first time, he didn't want to comment on their words. He was more worried about Kagome, who was now taking deep breaths to help her recover from her violent vomiting. Inuyasha remembered how he had been worried before when she had been in this position, but now, when he knew what was wrong, his heart swelled whenever he thought about it.
Kagome was pregnant. Pregnant with his baby…it was something that still made happiness in him whenever he thought about it. They were going to have a family together…a family of their own…It had been two days since she had told him, and yet every time he thought about it, he was hit with a sense of awe and wonder all over again.
Inuyasha continued rubbing Kagome's back as she turned to look back at him. Smiling weakly, she said, "Sorry I'm such a burden, Inuyasha…"
"Keh. What are you talking about woman? You know I don't…" his hand began to slide over her belly, but he remembered their friends watching them. Growling and turning back to them, he yelled, "Do you guys mind? We'd like a little privacy, you know!"
The three standing in the doorway rolled their eyes, but didn't protest as they walked back inside. Once Inuyasha was sure they were gone, he looked back at Kagome, and allowed his fingertips to graze her stomach. "Don't worry about it, Kagome…I want to take care of you."
"Thank you, Inuyasha…" she replied leaning against him while the world stopped spinning. "You know, we've got to get back soon. I have that doctor's appointment today…"
"Oh…Right…" the hanyou grunted. He didn't like going to this doctor's visit thing because that would mean telling other people—other people he didn't know—that Kagome was pregnant. He didn't care what Kagome said about it being safer getting the facts from "experts", it sounded fishy to him.
Kagome pushed away from Inuyasha, standing up on shaky legs. "I'll just go get my stuff…"
He stood up in and instant. "Here, you want me to get them?"
She shook her head, her nausea beginning to clear up. "No, I'm starting to feel better already. Just wait for me out here so we can go to the well." Inuyasha watched her closely as she slowly walked back into Kaede's hut, hoping that perhaps the doctor's visit might be able to help her with her frequent upset stomach.
A minute after Kagome went back inside, Kaede came out of the hut, which instantly put Inuyasha on alarm…but since no one was rushing back towards him, he figured Kagome was okay…for now. "What do you want, old hag?" he muttered, folding his arms as the miko approached him.
"Inuyasha," Kaede began, him with a serious look on her face. "There is something I wanted to ask you, but I didn't dare in front of Kagome or the others…it is important."
The hanyou had a feeling of what she might be asking… "So what is it?"
Kaede didn't waste an instant. "Kagome is pregnant, isn't she?"
I knew it. Inuyasha's ears flattened on his head as he looked away. "Yeah…" His voice was nearly a whisper as he spoke, as if afraid this one word would suddenly project to the world.
There was a sigh from the miko and she closed her eyes for a moment. "I figured…ever since those herbs I gave her to clear up morning sickness worked."
Inuyasha said nothing. So, they had been found out. Out of everyone he knew, he was glad, at least, that it was Kaede, who he instinctively knew wouldn't say a word about this to anyone if he told her so. Like Kagome, he did feel a little bit guilty for keeping this a secret, but that was overruled by the fear he had of what his friends would say if they knew.
"You know why this is so hard on her, don't you, Inuyasha?"
"It's because it's a hanyou, isn't it?" Inuyasha replied, his ears sinking lower.
Kaede nodded. "Yes, it would naturally be harder on a human. Things aren't going to be easy for her, especially when it comes to the birth."
The hanyou cringed a moment at that thought before asking, "Is there anything I can do for her? I mean, it's not like we could…I didn't know she'd be suffering like this—"
"There is nothing more than you can do then be there for her, Inuyasha," the miko responded. "But there is one more thing you must know, a thing that, if ignored, could be fatal to the child."
Inuyasha turned back to gape at her, his face instantly paling. "What is it?" he demanded, "What's wrong with my…"
"Calm yourself, Inuyasha, there is no problem as of now. But listen well; though Kagome's powers have waned slightly due to her relationship with you and with her pregnancy, she is still a miko in possession of great power. The child you two created is a hanyou. Though because of her miko blood, it will be immune to small amounts of miko energy, but if Kagome has to call upon large amounts of her purification power, it might very well kill the baby."
Inuyasha's face got whiter, if possible. If she uses a lot of her power…kill the baby…if we end up in a desperate situation, we might survive, but our child…
Seeing his reaction, Kaede quickly finished, "Don't worry about it now, Inuyasha. With Kagome's powers in the state they are now, I doubt she would be able to call up that amount of energy anyway. Her powers, recognizing that she is carrying a hanyou child, will most likely retreat into dormancy for a time."
"So, she can't protect herself?" Inuyasha asked, after a long silence. "If something were to happen, then she couldn't—"
"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked. He stopped talking and turned around instantly, to see her standing in the doorway with her backpack slung over her shoulder. She glanced between him and Kaede. "What were you two talking about?"
"Nothing," he said at once, before Kaede had the chance to interfere. Coming over to her, he put his arm around her, and started walking her down towards the well. "Come on, let's go back, you don't want to be late for that doctor's appointment, do you?"
"No," she replied, though she glanced at him with a suspicious look on her face. Why was Inuyasha acting to weird all of a sudden?
"Kagome is what?" her grandfather exclaimed as both girl and hanyou stood in front of them, their heads hung slightly.
"Yes, Jii-chan…I'm pregnant." Kagome's voice was so small that even Inuyasha had a hard time hearing her.
Gaping at both of them while his eyes popped out of his sockets, it took him a few seconds before he rounded on Inuyasha. "How did this happen? Explain yourself, young man!"
"Look, it's not like we planned this, or anything!" the hanyou growled, wondering why when Kagome turned up pregnant, everyone seemed to want to place the blame on him. "But no matter what, I'm taking care of her."
"Taking care of her! Why, you've already—!"
"Wait a minute," Souta cut in. "Pregnant means you're going to have a baby, right nee-chan?"
Kagome turned a slightly pink at her brother's question. "Yes, Souta, that's what it means."
"But, then…" he seemed to be trying to put something together. "If you guys are having a baby then that means…you would have had to have done that thing, right?"
All in the room turned an even deeper shade of scarlet than before. "Okay, we really should get going now," Mrs. Higurashi cut in, dragging the couple off towards the car.
Once they were outside, Kagome stated, "Well, that went better than I thought it would."
Inuyasha turned away with a pout, muttering, "Speak for yourself."
The car ride to the clinic composed of Inuyasha and Kagome both sitting in the backseat, while an air of silence descended upon the car. Though before Inuyasha had been happy to learn that they were going to have a baby, with the news Kaede had given him about the dangers of Kagome's position, he wasn't so sure. Especially with Naraku still around with Kagome unable to protect herself…and no doubt if Naraku learned she was pregnant, he would use that against her.
I've put her in great danger because of this…the hanyou thought glancing over at his mate, before his eyes rested on her midsection. I never wanted to put her in danger…
That feeling that he knew well, the icy cold chill of fear descended upon him as he looked at her. And if the baby is born into a world where Naraku still exists…No, I can't let that happen! I won't let that happen!
But…if we have to fight Naraku while she's still pregnant, it'll put her in even greater danger of getting herself or the baby hurt…then, maybe…Maybe I should just make her stay—
"We're here!" Mrs. Higurashi said, parking in front of the obstetrics and gynecology building. Inuyasha was immediately broken out of his thoughts as they got out of the car, with Kagome double-checking his appearance. His ears were covered by the same old hat, and he wore his usual clothes, though he had been persuaded to wear shoes, as she doubted he would be allowed in the building without them. And, just for Kagome, he had left Tessaiga behind, because bringing a sword into a medical clinic would no doubt raise a few eyebrows.
When they turned away from each other, they looked at a small building, which unlike most of the concrete and metal Tokyo, was actually built with materials to make it look like the outside was made of wood. Kagome guessed that perhaps it was to soothe pregnant women's nerves, as a high rise metal building would have made her nervous if she had to come to it with an extra couple pounds on her belly.
However, despite the outside appearance, there was still a small fear in Kagome's heart. There were many things for her to be afraid of, once stepping into that building; the doctors to tell her something was wrong was of course, one of them, but there was another worry. After all, she was only seventeen, and pregnant, and unmarried (though she counted mating a commitment deeper than marriage, she supposed others probably wouldn't see it that way). What if there were other women there? What would they think of her? Many girls her age didn't even have a boyfriend, so to be a baby having a baby was something to feel slightly ashamed of.
Almost as if reading her mind, Kagome felt a hand slide over to clasp hers. She turned to see Inuyasha smiling at her slightly, as if to say, No matter what happens, I'm here. That thought caused her to smile as well, and it gave her the courage to walk back into the clinic behind her mother.
The waiting room was smaller than Kagome expected, and done up in a light, bland color of gray, not very much for decoration. Several metal chairs were placed throughout the room, and a few, comfier couches as well. A courtesy for those eight-monthers, smirked Kagome. She also noticed that this waiting room seemed to be made especially for an ob/gyn clinic—there were two drinking fountains, as well as an exit for a bathroom nearby. As her mother went up to fill out the forms, Kagome and Inuyasha glanced at each other, before sitting down in two chairs next to the wall.
They weren't the only people in the waiting room—a woman with a quite round stomach was sitting on one of the couches across from them. When she noticed Kagome and Inuyasha's arrival, she seemed a bit interested before going back to her entertainment magazine provided by the clinic.
After a few minutes of silence, the impatient hanyou couldn't stand it. "What are we supposed to do in here?" he whispered to her.
"We wait, Inuyasha. We have to wait until a doctor is free to examine me."
"But for how long?" His voice held a slight whine—he hated waiting.
"I don't know!" she shot back. "Find a magazine or something if you're bored." Taking her own advice, Kagome picked up a parenting magazine and instantly opened it to the first article that interested her—"Welcoming Your Newborn Child"
Inuyasha glanced at the stack of magazines on the table next to him, not understanding half the words on the ones that were about these things called 'Movies' or 'Celebrities', but he wasn't so bored that he would turn up a reading opportunity. Next to the slightly tattered (apparently pregnant women cared a lot about 'hot celebrity gossip') magazines, there was a smaller, relatively untouched pile of pamphlets pertaining to pregnancy. Feeling he needed every bit of advice he could get, Inuyasha grabbed Your Pregnancy and You, Keeping Healthy During Your Pregnancy, and A Guide For Fathers-to-Be. He instantly began scanning the pamphlet on being a father-to-be as if it was a matter of life and death.
Kagome was still reading about the joys of holding a newborn baby in your arms when her mother came over to her. "Kagome, I have to go run a few errands, but I'll come back in an hour to pick you up. Do you think you and Inuyasha will be okay without me?"
Kagome glanced at Inuyasha, who was currently scanning a diagram of the correct places to give a woman with back pain brought on by the pregnancy a massage, and then back at her mother. "I think we'll be fine, Mama."
Mrs. Higurashi nodded and left the clinic, leaving them all alone in the room which was getting dangerously quiet. Kagome moved on to an article of how to deal with sibling rivalry (one that she thought perhaps she might want to show Inuyasha when it came to the subject of him and his brother) she felt her stomach start to churn all over again. No matter what she took to get rid of the morning sickness, apparently it did not want to leave her. Closing her eyes and taking deep breaths, she placed her hand on her stomach, wishing the room would stop spinning.
Her morning sickness began to subside, and when she opened her eyes, the other woman in the room was looking at her. "Your first, I take it?" she asked with a smile.
"Yeah," Kagome admitted, rubbing her stomach with her hand. "It seems this little guy or girl just wants to cause a whole lot of trouble."
The woman, who looked to be in her late twenties to Kagome, smiled at her again. "Don't worry about it, I had terrible morning sickness when I had my first, but it seems that my second is a good natured baby."
"Congratulations," Kagome smiled, but she also began to wonder if after this one, she and Inuyasha would be having another.
"My husband wasn't too happy about it," the woman explained. "He thought one child was quite enough, but men just don't seem to understand sometimes."
Kagome grinned back at Inuyasha, who was now looking a bit green after going over the labor and delivery diagrams in Your Pregnancy and You. "You can say that again."
"Husband?" the woman asked, but her question caused Kagome to turn a bit pink.
"Um, well…more like fiancé, actually," she admitted, definitely not going into a definition of mates with this woman.
The other woman's name was called, and she stood up, but not before smiling back at Kagome. "Well, then congratulations to you both, you look like you'll be wonderful parents." She left into the back of the clinic, leaving Kagome and Inuyasha alone again.
Now feeling a bit bored with no one to talk to, Kagome turned back to Inuyasha, who was still staring at the same diagram of delivery he had been looking at before. "Hey, you there, Inuyasha?"
"That's just…that's got to hurt…" he mumbled, log okinwide eyed at the picture.
Sighing, Kagome rolled her eyes, "Yes, it does, but women have done it for thousands of years, so in the long run, it's no big deal."
The hanyou looked back up at her, "But I don't want you to be hurt, Kagome…"
"Then you should have thought of this before I got pregnant, Inuyasha," she muttered, just as her name was called. "Come on, Inuyasha, we have to go to the exam room, now."
He stood up at once, and they both followed the nurse into the sterile white room. They waited in silence for a while, Kagome looking around nervously at the charts of a baby in a mother's womb and charts following a baby's growth throughout nine months, while Inuyasha began to studiously study the pamphlet once again. Though he was showing ridiculous behavior, and Kagome doubted he understood half of what was written there anyway, she couldn't help but give a small smile. At least he's trying…
Soon, the doctor came in, carrying a clipboard which he glanced at, and then to Kagome. "Kagome Higurashi, correct?"
"Yes," she replied, sitting up a bit straighter.
"And you are seventeen?"
She looked away, a bit ashamed. "Yes…"
The doctor looked at Inuyasha, and Kagome could have sworn she saw a slight bit of fear in Inuyasha's eyes. "And you are the father?"
"Um…yeah…" the hanyou said, looking for all the world that he wished the doctor would stop looking at him with that pondering look, thankfully he did.
Giving a small cough, the doctor sat in his rolling chair and got down to business. "Given by the symptoms that were described, I'd say you are in your second month."
Kagome's hand slid down to her lower belly instinctively. "Yeah, that's what I thought too."
Jotting down a few notes on the clipboard, the doctor continued, "When did you find out about your pregnancy, Miss Higurashi?"
"Last week."
"Have you been eating healthily ever since then?"
Kagome paused only a moment before responding, "I try, but I don't eat that much junk food anyway."
"And you have been keeping up with your exercise?"
She couldn't help but chuckle and subtly glance at Inuyasha. "Every day."
The gynecologist scribbled a few more things down on his clipboard before asking, "Do you know of any diseases that run in your family?"
After thinking about it, she replied, "My grandfather has mild arthritis, but that's it."
The doctor made a note before turning his gaze on Inuyasha. "Do you know of any diseases that run in your family?"
The hanyou narrowed his eyes. "No." He fought the urge to tell this doctor whom he already didn't like (any male with a job Miroku would kill for was someone he instinctively knew he couldn't stand) just exactly why there would be no diseases in his family, but because he knew Kagome would kill him for it, he kept his silence.
More notes were taken until the doctor looked back at Kagome through spectacled eyes. "I normally wouldn't do this, but since you're so young, I think it would be wise to get an ultrasound."
Kagome stared. "Now?" Her mother had already told her not to expect one until she was three months along.
"Yes, now. Normally I would ask you some more questions, but they could be answered by a simple ultrasound. You won't be able to see much, as the fetus is only a few inches long, but it would be enough to check and see if it is growing properly at this stage."
Wanting to make sure her child was quite safe, Kagome agreed. "All right." Standing up, she asked, "Where is the ultrasound room?"
"Down the hall, to the left."
Inuyasha came with her, and while in the hallway, he ventured a question he had been wondering for some time. "What's an…ulltruhsownd?"
"It's a way of being able to see a baby in the mother's tummy," Kagome explained. "I don't actually know the details, but I know it has something to do with vibrations and sound waves and things…"
The hanyou stared at her. "They can actually…see it?"
"Not really. It kind of looks like a dark blob, with some grey areas. But you will be able to see something, at least."
As they walked into the room, he still couldn't help but stare. The stuff in her world is amazing…
"Kagome Higurashi?" the woman in charge of the ultrasound machine asked. Kagome nodded. "Okay, lie down on the couch there, and pull your shirt up."
Kagome did what she was told, while Inuyasha sat in one of the chairs on the other side of the room. He glanced at the metal thing in front of them, which had a screen which looked a lot like the one on her… tee vee. Would the baby show on this box, like how people suddenly appeared on the box in her home?
"Okay," the female doctor began, while squirting a gel like substance on Kagome's stomach. "I heard that you were a special case; the doctor wanted to check you out because you're so young to make sure everything is normal." Kagome shivered when the cool gel touched her skin, and the ultrasonographer smiled sympathetically. "Sorry, I know its cold, but it's to cut friction between the probe and your skin."
With that, the technician shut off the lights and turned on the machine, which emitted a few whirrs and blips before fully turning on. The screen showed nothing but black…that is, until the ultrasonographer ran the probe over Kaogme's stomach. The blackness became fuzzier, with some bands of lighter grey on the screen. Suddenly, the technician stopped when a small blob of dark grey was found. "There it is," she said smiling, indicating to the grey shape.
Inuyasha stared at that blob as she zoomed in. There what was? It was just a little tiny blob…But then he glanced at Kagome's eyes, which had that almost teary look in them again. His eyes darted back to the little blob, and then at her, and it hit him.
It wasn't just any little grey blob, it was their little grey blob. And he felt his heart swell with pride and love once more.
"There's no problems with the baby, is there?" Kagome asked, as the technician ran the probe over her skin a few more times, the blob moving in and out of the picture on the screen.
"Everything looks normal." The ultrasonographer wrote down a few notes and then saved the image to the computer, before handing Kagome a wet towel to clean up the cold, sticky substance off her chest. "You'll probably be back in a month or so for your official first trimester ultrasound, and then you might be able to see more of the baby."
"I can't wait," Kagome smiled, she figured the motherly hormones were getting to her, because she liked nothing more than looking at the blob on the screen and having the knowledge that it was her baby.
The minute they were out of the ultrasound room, Kagome nearly scared Inuyasha with her sudden urge to hug him. "Oh, Inuyasha, did you see it? It was really there, our baby…We got to see our baby!" There were tears in her eyes, and the hanyou couldn't help but hug her back.
"Yeah, I know…it's amazing, isn't it?" his hand covered hers over her stomach. They stood there, holding each other, until a nurse informed them they were free to go and that Mrs. Higurashi was waiting outside.
As they walked towards the car, Inuyasha pulled Kagome towards him again, covering her stomach. "I love you."
Kagome leaned against him smiling, "And I love you, Inuyasha."
"I was talking to the baby."
"You jerk!" That remark earned him an elbow to the chest as she pushed away from him and marched off towards the car, though a secret grin was on her face.
