Chapter 21: Emotion
"Come on Rin. Just tell us!" Said Inuyasha, for what felt like the hundredth time. She only shook her head, her arms crossed over her chest.
"Hm-m." She said stubbornly, determined to keep her promise. Kagome sighed, kneeling down to look her in the eye, smiling softly.
"I know you promised Lord Sesshomaru, but it's very important." She said softly, her hand on the small girl's shoulder. She didn't budge for that either. Their good-cop bad-cop routine had failed to sway her into telling them when exactly Sesshomaru would return. They needed to convince him to help, but Inuyasha was being called away on another demon hunting mission. He would have to go eventually, but it couldn't wait long without putting lives at risk. He also couldn't go and miss his chance to speak with his brother. If Rin would only tell them, he might be able to swing it, but she held fast to her promise, just like she always had. He growled in frustration.
"I'm not gonna do nothin' to him, Rin! I just gotta know if he'll be here in the next few days or not!" She looked suddenly hurt by his tone, a little mist of tears appearing in her eyes as she looked at her feet, feeling like she had made him mad. He groaned, feeling bad enough for hounding her without her crying. He kneeled down too, her sad little eyes looking up at him. "Sokay Rin, you're not in trouble." He said more softly, defeated by her again. She ran into his arms hugging him tightly as she sniffled.
"I'm-sorry-Lord-Inuyasha!" She huffed. He picked her up, trying to calm her down.
"Keh. I aint no lord Rin. Settle down." She did, forcing herself to stop crying as she laid on his shoulder. He looked at Kagome who was smiling at the way he handled her, excited all over again for him to be a father. Rin just adored him, and he was so sweet with how he looked after her. "Well, now what?" He asked, ignoring the look that he'd seen plenty of times before. They started back to Kaede's with Rin still laying on his shoulder, exhausted from playing with Shippo and the twins at Sango and Miroku's house.
"I'll still be here if he comes while you're away. I can talk to him." She said, realizing that was likely their only option. He considered it, still wary of letting her be alone with someone who had such a long history of threatening to kill them all, but also knowing she could handle him if she needed. Her powers had only become stronger after the hunt, and now she could take just about anyone on, armed or not. He hesitantly nodded, letting her know he agreed to the plan but still worried.
"Be careful if it comes to that. I know there's been more peace between us lately, but don't forget who he is." He said seriously. He felt Rin tighten her hold on his collar, gently reminding him of what she thinks about it. She had told them all countless times that he's not mean, or scary, or dangerous, much to the actual Daiyokai's displeasure. He rubbed her back softly, letting her know he hadn't forgotten. "I don't think he'd do anything, but he doesn't seem to be any too keen on my taking a human mate." Rin sat up at that, having enough of this slander.
"That's not true! He doesn't care about Lady Kagome at all!" She protested. Both the adults laughed at her honest choice of words. She didn't realize how harsh it was in her innocence, even though she was completely correct. He'd told her just that when she'd asked what he thought of her.
"You're right Rin. He doesn't, and Inuyasha shouldn't be so worried." Said Kagome, still smiling at the girl and giving Inuyasha a little look to back off the Sesshomaru talk in front of Rin. "If he comes to visit, just tell him to come find us before he leaves, okay?" She nodded, still feeling sleepy, the sway of being carried making it worse. "Oh, and one more thing, no more saying 'keh.'" She said, making sure Rin was listening. She looked up at Inuyasha, a little worried.
"Is that another bad one?" She asked innocently. He smiled, still thinking it was completely ridiculous that he didn't want her saying that word.
"No, not exactly, just don't say it okay?" She nodded again, laying back on his shoulder.
"Just assume that if he's the only one who says it, it's a word you shouldn't repeat." Said Kagome jokingly, laughing behind her hand.
"You callin' me a bad influence, wench?" He said, knowing full well it was good advice. She only raised her brows at the word wench, laughing again at the way he proved his own point. Rin giggled at their antics, still hugging his neck. They were some of the only grown ups she knew that joked around like that, and she liked being around them for that reason. She wished she could live with the two of them, but lord Sesshomaru had told her she had to stay with Kaede, who she also loved. She was a good guardian, but also old and slow, so she didn't run or play games like Kagome, or carry her around like Inuyasha.
They made it back to Kaede's hut, dropping off Rin before heading back to Miroku and Sango's. The two men would have to leave tonight to get to the village that had called for help before sunrise tomorrow. It would be a short trip if they were lucky enough to find the culprit the same day, but that didn't happen too often. They had a reputation for being the best on the continent, but because of who Inuyasha was they were usually only called in as a last resort. Having a monk on his team usually helped, but all he did to help people hadn't changed too much about the way they saw him. To most strangers he was still just a half demon, only seeing the teeth and claws. Even if they didn't like him, they were usually at least respectful, knowing he and Miroku were their only hope. It didn't bother him too much these days, knowing he had a loving wife, friends, and a community who accepted him waiting at home. Thanks to Kagome and Kaede, nobody in the village had many reservations about him anymore. He'd saved most of their lives on countless occasions, and never harmed any of them. In recent memory, anyway. Sesshomaru, on the other hand, caused the streets to empty pretty damn quick anytime he appeared. Even the sweet way he dealt with Rin did nothing to calm them down.
"Miroku, you ready?" He called as they neared the house. He sounded like he felt, not at all wanting to leave her alone but knowing it was important. They'd have kid soon, so he needed the pay. Kagome had insisted they wouldn't need to worry about getting too many things, knowing that Sango had an extra of whatever a baby would need thanks to the twins, but he couldn't be sure. Although he had a pretty decent horde of cash already, finding he and Kagome were perfectly happy with living a simple life together. Clothes and food were about the only expenses they ever had, and she sewed and he hunted, so even that was minimal. He only wanted to do whatever it would take to provide for the three of them now, even if it meant more nights on the road. Miroku emerged from the house, kissing each of his twin girls lightly on the forehead and telling them to go inside. He carried a bag that Sango had made, a lot like Kagome's backpack, full of supplies for the trip. Inuyasha carried only his sword, happy to sleep in a tree and hunt along the way. He turned to Kagome, pulling her close for a kiss. She wrapped her arms around him, feeling for some reason like she might cry, though she hadn't done that since the first or second time he had to leave. He pulled back suddenly when he scented her tears, looking her over quickly.
"Kagome? What is it?" He asked, worried by her sudden breakdown. A couple tears fell down her face as she wiped them away with her sleeve, feeling stupid for crying.
"It's nothing… I'm going to miss you is all." She said quietly, still trying to control her emotions.
"Huh? I'm comin right back! What's with the tears!?" He asked, trying to figure out why she was acting like he was headed off to the underworld, not just the next village over.
"I know that! I'm just- Sad you gotta leave! Is that so wrong!?" He looked dumbfounded at her sudden anger, the look in her eyes making him feel dangerously close to a 'sit.' Miroku came to his aid, having more experience with this.
"Ah, the hormonal outbursts. I can't say I miss them." He said jokingly, wanting to get the heat off his friend as Inuyasha had done for him with Sango, though it may have not been totally on purpose. He just had a way of pissing her off while she had been pregnant that saved his ass a few times. That was why he knew the best way to piss off a hormonal pregnant woman was to point out that they were being emotional.
"Who asked you!?" She shot, glaring daggers at the monk. Suddenly he felt less inclined to help, holding up his hands in surrender. He gave Inuyasha a little nod before he wandered off to start on the trail, sensing his friend would need a minute before he could go.
"Alright alright, pull yourself together, woman. I'll be back as soon as I can." Said Inuyasha, pulling her into another tight hug, resting his chin to the top of her head as he waited for her to calm down. She melted into his embrace, still not able to stop her little cries that shook her body softly.
"I just… love you so much!" She sobbed into his chest, making Inuyasha smile and chuckle softly at her. "What if you get hurt?" She cried, holding tight to his fire rat robes. He let her go so he could look into her eyes, tilting her chin up with his finger.
"Then I'll come back to you, and you can patch me up." He said softly, love in his voice as well as his eyes. It seemed to calm her down a bit. She was hypnotized by how he looked at her, feeling weak in his strong arms. "I'll always come home to you, Kagome." He whispered, kissing her softly. He let it linger a long moment, knowing he would be missing her for the next few nights. As they parted he smiled and brushed back her hair, seeing the light blush in her cheeks. She had calmed down enough to stop crying, instead now just disappointed he couldn't take her home to their bed before leaving. She nodded sadly.
"I'll be waiting for you." She said quietly, trying to keep from crying again.
"Stay close to the village until I'm back." He reminded, just as he always did. She nodded again, dropping his robes and watching him start down the trail before jumping ahead, his red robes disappearing into the sea of trees. She stood there watching the trail for a moment before she heard Sango coming up behind her. Her friend looked suddenly worried as she saw the teary look on her face.
"Kagome? What-" She was cut off as the miko fell into her arms, weeping heavily. She was more worried at that until she realized their husbands had just left, and remembered being the exact same way during her two pregnancies. She patted her back, whispering a soft 'there, there' before taking her inside for some tea.
Meanwhile, Inuyasha caught up quickly to Miroku. As he landed the monk gave him a knowing smile. "Get used to that quickly, my friend. It only gets worse the more you have. The twins were nothing compared to-"
"We're not having any more." He said, interrupting Miroku's advice. He looked a little surprised.
"You don't want a big family then?" Asked Miroku, a bit confused by Inuyasha's determined tone.
"Keh. It's not like that. Demon pregnancies are rough on humans. We only can have one." He concentrated on the trail ahead, remembering solemnly how that fact had broken Kagome's heart. In truth, he would be happy to give her as many as she wanted, but now that he knew of the danger, there was no way he could.
"So then, she won't be able to become pregnant again?" He asked for clarification, worrying a bit for Kagome. His son had been easy fo Sango, but he'd nearly lost all three of them when she had the twins. He was so thankful Kaede had worked so diligently to get her and the girls through it. The whole pregnancy was difficult for her. He shuddered at the memory. So much blood. Carrying children always came with risks, but he hoped Kagome would be able to go through it without too much suffering. It all seemed normal enough to this point.
"No, not exactly." He relied darkly, still looking ahead. "We'll just have to be careful. There's no guarantee she'd survive a second." Miroku paled a bit at the heavy realization of what he was saying.
"But she will survive the first, right?" He said, filled with a sudden dread. Inuyasha didn't reply right away, only building his anxiety.
"That's what we're hoping, but usually women don't. Not without help." Miroku stopped walking, staring in horror at Inuyasha.
"What are you saying? You can't mean…" His friend looked at him, guilt written across his face at putting Kagome in so much peril.
"No. She will survive. We plan on using Sesshomaru's sword, just in case something goes wrong. That's what saved my own mother." Miroku deflated at that, filled with relief but still horrified.
"Thank the gods you have that option." He said, happy that Tenseiga could save people from the clutches of death. He began walking again. "You shouldn't scare me like that." He said, still feeling the panic in his chest. Inuyasha huffed, a sorrowful kind of half smile on his lips.
"You? How do you think I feel?" He grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. Miroku considered everything, feeling awful for his friends. He knew Kagome wanted a big family, but this one child and all of them would have to be it. Another worry crossed his mind. "How do you plan to avoid it, in the future?" He asked, honestly wondering. All of his children had been unexpected. Cherished and celebrated, but not planned. These things just happened. There were ways to avoid it of course, but they had been completely ignoring them. When Inuyasha didn't reply he realized he had no clue. "Well?" Inuyasha glared at him.
"How should I know?" Miroku sniffed in amusement, realizing his vast knowledge of the fairer sex may be useful for him.
"You plan to never touch your wife again?" He asked, laughing at the idea.
"Maybe, if that's what I gotta do to keep her alive!" He said angrily. The monk still looked amused. The question was one that had been on his mind, but he hoped there was some way they could prevent making that sacrifice. He found that going even a week without her body was torture, though she'd rarely made him wait that long, feeling the same as he did about it.
"There are ways." He said, making Inuyasha look to him hopefully. "I may be able to bring you to a friend of mine, in the very village we are headed to. She can help you."
"Oh yeah? Who's this friend?" He asked sceptically. Miroku only smiled.
"You'll see."