Determination

Kagome's world froze as his words echoed in her head.

Pup.

She...she was pregnant with Inuyasha's child...

She fell to her knees in the hot springs not at all caring that the rocks dug into her knees, splitting the skin as pink tendrils of blood stained the water. Her towel fell from her grasp as she let out a strangled sound. It was a mix of a sob and a gasp.

It was a sound of utter hopelessness and Sesshoumaru decided right then and there he did not like it coming from her. In an instant he grabbed her by her arms and gently hauled her out of the water, setting her down gently on the bank his gaze fell to the blood seeping from her cut knees.

She hadn't even noticed the minor wounds, her whole body was shaking as she mumbled to herself so low that even he was hard pressed to hear her. His whole body tensed up as hers began to tremble, fear and despair entering her scent tainting it an almost acidic way it made him so very uncomfortable.

Shaking her head Kagome could only whimper as tears gathered in her eyes. No, he was wrong, he had to be wrong! Turning to him she scrambled closer to him, not even wincing as her open wounds were dragged across the semi moist dirt around them.

"No, you're wrong. I can't be! We...only once! There's no way! Please check again!" She threw her wrist out towards him, pleading with her eyes from him to test her scent again. Carefully he grasped her wrist and brought it closer to his face; he closed his eyes as he took a deep whiff of her scent, picking it apart and putting it back together again.

It was still the same.

He let her hand fall to her side as he opened his eyes once more.

"You are with pup." His worlds sent her relying back onto her behind as she began to sob, thick gut wrenching sobs racked her small body.

He was confused, he had always assumed that she would be overjoyed to have a life growing inside of her. Everything about her screamed maternal yet here she was bawling like it was the end of the world...had he assumed to know too much about the small miko?

Was the thought of bearing a half breed's child so revolting to her that it made her react this way? No, that couldn't be it, while he did not claim to know her on the level that the monk and demon slayer did he knew that she would never judge one on their blood, so what was at the root of this reaction?

Crumbling in on herself Kagome could only sob as she wrapped her arms around her belly, inside of her a small life was growing... She should be happy, overjoyed yet once again that had been ripped from her fingers all because of a woman she had been in a past life.

How could she be happy knowing that she would struggle to raise this poor child on her own? It would grow up not knowing it's father... without knowing the love of both parents...She wasn't stupid, Inuyasha wasn't coming back and even if he did it wouldn't be for her.

But out of some twisted form of honor to care for the child he no doubt wanted but not with her.

She did not want her child to be the reason he forced himself back here, it would only make him grow to resent the innocent life growing inside of her...no, she would not let that happen. No, she would love this child for the both of them.

Sobbing she cradled her stomach, "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry." She kept repeating the mantra like it was all she could do and it made the great lord of the west squirm. He reached down and pulled her to stand, her body weak and swaying.

"Miko, what is wrong with you?" His voice was even yet there was a small wobble of concern in it and it made her snap her eyes up to his own.

"This child will not know its father...and it's my fault. All because I'm not her." A sob rattled her chest to her very core as she slumped, without his firm yet gentle grasp on her arms she would have once again fallen to the ground in a wet heap of limbs and hair.

Confusion clouded his eyes for a mere moment before it slowly dawned on him, this reaction had ties to the undead miko. Even though she had been put to rest it seemed she was still meddling in the affairs of the living.

Any growth he had assumed his half brother had made since then was ripped away, it seemed the boy had messed up again. Returning to his old ways of hurting those around him before they could hurt him and when faced with the consequence he ran, fleeing in the night like some coward.

It made his blood boil to know he shared it with such a weakling.

He was pulled from his thoughts as the Miko shifted in his grasp, pulling away slightly as she swayed on her feet. He let her go yet kept his body poised to catch her should she falter again.

Clearing her throat she swallowed thickly, a small watery chuckle escaping her, it sounded hollow, defeated. It rubbed him the wrong way.

"Ah, I'm sorry I bet the last thing you want to do is listen to me wail and cry about my fate." She paused for a second her body bending so she could pick up the fallen towel and wrap it around herself. "Honestly, I should have known better, she'll always be in his heart. She was his first love...even so it hurts." Letting out a deep shuddering breath she squared her shoulders as she stood back up to her full height. "But, I won't let that affect my child, no, my child will be well cared for and loved. It will never want for anything, and while it might not know the love of a father I will do my best to love it for the both of us. Plus I'm sure Rin and Shippo will love their sibling."

Nodding to herself and her words she vowed then and there that while it would be hard to raise this child alone it would never question that it was loved.

Never.

Sesshoumaru could only watch in awe as the miko forcefully pulled herself back together, she shoved down her hurt and anger and instead placed a loving hand on her stomach, determination floating in her deep blue eyes. For a split second her visage was replaced by that of his mother, standing tall and proud in the face of all the rumors and scorn tossed her way from losing her mate to a human woman.

It would seem the miko was cut from the same cloth.

The small miko never ceased to amaze him, he mused that while his brother had run from his duty he would step in. He would be there for this small woman who suddenly had three pups to care for on her own and he would not fail her like he had his own mother. No, he would do right by this small miko and her pups.