ONCE AND AGAIN
By Jodie-chan
Chapter 3 Consumed Heart
Sunday morning, Kagome decided to tell Sango about her condition since it was confirmed that she's definitely going to be a mother soon. She sneaked from her mother yesterday to drop by in the nearest clinic to take pregnancy test. And the thing she feared the most was confirmed, she's positively pregnant.
It was like a bomb blown to her face, she's just recovering from a recent problem and now she's facing another problem. She was so lost that day she didn't notice she's already sitting in a bench at the park near her school. She watched the sun sets as the surroundings goes darker and so did the pain she feels inside.
It took almost all her courage to talk it over with her best friend. She needs someone to lean on, a shoulder to cry on, all the strengths she have has been consumed enough.
They're been sitting in the same bench where Kagome stayed yesterday. She is unusually quiet.
"So Kagome, we're here in the park, now care to tell me what you've been talking about that you can't tell over the phone," she said while looking at her friend curiously.
Kagome is looking down on her hands in her lap like it is the most interesting thing to look at while the gentle breeze blows her raven-black hair out of her face, which only shows her blue-gray eyes that's full of deep sadness and tiredness. She's quiet for sometime, readying herself to reveal the truth to her friend.
"Sango…I'm pregnant." She said calmly still looking down, not even noticing Sango's reaction until she heard her gasps.
Sango's jaw dropped and when her brain finally registered properly what Kagome told her all she could say is, "How…why…who?"
"It's a long story Sango, but if you want to listen, I'll tell everything from the beginning…" Sango can feel pain from her friend's voice and it's shaky too as if she wants to restrain the urge to cry.
Sango hold her hands and smile to her. "Kagome I have all the time in the world to listen to you, I am your friend. But is it Hojo?"
"No!" she said defensively while shaking her head.
"That's better, I'm relieved, he doesn't deserve you at all, only in my opinion but I think he's really boring?" she said while making a face that earns a light smile from Kagome. She knows that Sango only wants to cheer her up a little.
Kagome begun to relate everything, from the day she met Jakotsu and Yura in the restaurant to the night she gave herself to the longhaired stranger in a very, very dark room of the hotel that she tried hard to forget but failed. It took her only 30 minutes to finish her story.
"Oh my God Kagome, you don't know the guy at all and, and…I don't know what to say. Kagome I'm so sorry, I never imagined that you're carrying this kind of burden all by yourself." She's in near tears too.
"I know Sango…but I was desperate that time, I don't want Souta to die…it's the only way I can think of." That's the last thing she said before bursting into tears, Sango can't help but took pity on her friend. She hugged her and she hugged her back. She cried on her shoulders and held on as if her life depended on her.
When she calmed down a little, Sango manage to ask if she's going to tell her mother about it.
"Sango, I already made my decision, I gonna tell mom and I'm going to bear and raise this child. What I did is already a mistake…I don't want to commit another one."
"Rumors spread quickly, and how about school?" She looked at her friend to see determination in her eyes. She may be a crybaby but she knew in her heart that she's a strong girl.
"I know, I'll continue to study, we only have 2 more terms and we'll graduate in Senior High School. The doctor said that I'll be due around mid March and from then I'll just take every step of the way," she said smiling.
"And I would always be there just don't forget, I will be the godmother of your baby," she said teasingly.
Somehow she felt as if the burden she had has been lifted a little bit from her shoulder. She can smile now, with her family and friends behind her, she can make it somehow.
But as expected, it wouldn't be that easy to face the world knowing that unwanted pregnancy especially in teen-agers has been a subject of scrutiny.
Rumors spread quickly in the campus. Kagome Higurashi, one of the brightest students in Shikon High, always on top of the class and honor lists…pregnant!
She endured every insults, every humiliation for the sake of her baby. Students gossiping on her back, talking ill of her situation, calling her names when they think she can't hear them even the people she consider her friends shunned her.
She can live through it all but not her best friend. One day when they're having their lunch in the canteen, Sango saw a few girls sitting across their table whispering to each other. Sango wouldn't bother at all if she didn't only hear her friend's name in their mouths saying some nasty things about Kagome.
Sango was furious; she was seething in anger and ready to stomp over the gossiping girls when Kagome held her back.
"Sango don't…just don't mind them, ok. Eat your lunch and then we'll go." Sango only nods and continue eating her meal.
"How disgusting! She must've been chasing men, and ends up eating watermelon," one girl whispered aloud and giggled. The other girls started laughing and giggling.
That time Kagome wasn't fast enough to stop Sango. She stomped to the girls across them and banged her fists on their table.
"Shut up!" she shouted on their face. All the girls gone quiet but Sango was just starting. "You know what, if you can't say anything right…just shut all your fucking mouths and stop insulting my friend! If I ever hear one more nasty words from all of you, I'll swear to God I'm going to rip all your tongues out and make you eat it!" she shouted on four girls' paled face who have gone too quiet while she's making a threatening remark, afraid that if they say something, Sango's gonna pull their tongues right then and there.
Kagome was shocked; she has never heard Sango cursed and gave a death threat like that, she must've been really mad. Sango's scary when she's angry.
That incident made all the rumors and gossiping subsided slowly. And earned Sango a reputation that even guys in their school was afraid of. 'Don't make a certain girl named Sango Taijiya angry or she'll rip your tongues out and make you eat it.' (A/N: Those girls were lucky, I didn't make Sango's boomerang appear in this fic, coz if I did they'll be dead meat in a split second - )
A few more months have passed, a week from now and they'll be graduating from Senior High School. It's mid March and Kagome is really big now. She's hoping that the baby comes out after graduation. She still wants to attend the graduation ceremony to deliver her Valedictory address at least before giving birth.
She's stroking her belly while sitting in the couch watching TV with Sango. "Hey Kag…aren't you afraid of giving birth?" she asked with concern.
"Afraid…maybe…but not for myself, for my baby. I don't know what kind of life I can give to him and I don't know how to be a mother either. But then again, there's mom and Souta and you…I will be ok and my son."
"Ever wonder how he would look like, I mean you don't have any clue, what if he looks like more of his father…and he doesn't look good?"
"No matter what he looks like he's still my son and I will love him with all my heart. Maybe at first when I found about my pregnancy, I felt really sad and depressed but now that I feel him coming into this world I can't help but be excited. I'm happy Sango…I don't know why, but I do. Mama is very excited too even Souta, although he doesn't know the real story, and he never ask. Maybe someday I can tell him, when he's old enough."
Graduation day.
The Shikon High's gym is very crowded with so many students taking pictures, posing everywhere, congratulating each other.
The ceremony has just ended a few minutes ago. "Wow sis, this is a cool medal," Souta said in awe while holding and looking at his sister's gold medal.
"What can you say Souta, you're sister is very intelligent," Sango said smiling.
"Not to mention pretty and charming," her mom teased.
"Stop patronizing me, will you?" Kagome said blushing.
"Kagome I gotta go now, mom, dad and Kohaku are waiting for me in the car." She hugged her friend before leaving.
Inside the car on their way home, Kagome's mother drives and Souta's beside her while Kagome is in the back when they heard her shrieked.
"Mom go back!"
"Kagome, why?" her mother asked in concern.
"I think my water bag broke…" That's the magic word and her mother sped up to busy roads of Tokyo not caring if she could hit someone or something on the way as long as they will reach the hospital in time. Kagome's shrieking and Souta's praying.
Outside the delivery room her mother is squinting uneasily at her chair. Every now and then she'll stand up, sit and walk, stand up, sit and walk…
"Mama will you please calm down, I'm sure oneechan will be fine," Souta said a little annoyed of her mother's anticipation.
"I can't help it, my baby's going to have a baby now. She's so young…but then again I'll have a grandson too, I'm so excited!" his mother said with dreamy looks in her eyes. Souta just rolled his eyes.
Sango came bashing in the hospital. She's equally excited like Kagome's mom. "Aunt Mikan, how's Kagome, how is she doing, is she gonna be alright. I can't wait any longer!" Sango said while panting heavily.
Souta sweat dropped. "Women."
Then they heard a loud scream, a very loud scream that came from the delivery room. The scream echoed through the hospital and slightly shaking it's walls and breaking some glass windows. The voice belongs to, no other than…Kagome Higurashi. ( - )
A thousand miles away from Tokyo, across the seas' a certain long silver haired guy is sleeping soundlessly in his bed. He shifts on his side, he seems to be having a nightmare, his face is contorting, and his brows twitching and sweat appears on his face.
"Ahhhhh!" he bolts upright, panting heavily and clutching his head tightly. "What the hell is that…screaming girl in my dream? Is it a nightmare? Gods she's loud." He said to himself while rubbing his temples.
Inuyasha look on the other side of the bed. "Where's Kikyou?" But then he remembers that his wife is out of the country, she's somewhere in Paris now, probably gliding in the ramp. "Crap! She fucking left yesterday! How could I forget?" He gets back to sleep hoping not to hear the 'loud girl in his dream'.
Back in Tokyo
Kagome's mom is holding a bundle in her arms while smiling from ear to ear. "Oh dear look at him, he so beautiful!" he mother squealed in happiness. Sango and Souta look on.
"Mama, he's not beautiful, he's a boy, he's supposed to be handsome or cute," Souta said innocently. Everyone sweat dropped.
"Oh! That's what I mean." His mom said.
Before she hands the baby to her daughter, Sango looks closely to the sleeping infant and thought, 'His father must be really good looking…Kag's mom is right he's beautiful beyond description…I wonder what his father looks like.' "Kagome look, your son is so cute and he has your hair too, well just a bit lighter, but most of your features…"
"Yeah…he's beautiful…" she said groggily while holding the baby's tiny hands. Overwhelming and unexplainable happiness flooded Kagome's heart, she may never understand the feeling but she welcomes it with a smile.
Souta sits besides his sister and asked, "Oneechan, what will you name him?"
Kagome looks on his son once again and a smile grazed her lips.
"Inari".
Sango and her mother smile, they exchanged looks…he's a blessing after all.
A/N: I made a bunch of corrections and I changed the name of Kagome's son too, it's better that way I think…
INARI – The rice or harvest god in Japanese mythology