That Night At the Inn

News

He was stalling. He knew he was stalling.

The day after Kagome's return, he had everyone restart their journey. Miroku joked, Sango hurt him, Kagome smiled and handed out ninja snacks, and InuYasha acted surly.

Acted.

He was still completely confused about everything.

It didn't help that every time he smelled Kagome, he smelled himself on her and images, flashes, of that night came into his mind.

She wasn't purposefully teasing him, she gave him space, she didn't pester him, she acted like nothing happened. The others followed her lead treating it like the time she kissed him in Kaguya's castle, never speak of it. Ever.

To make better time, and to avoid awkward silences from walking together, they rode on Kirara. Well, Sango, Kagome, and Shippo rode on Kirara. InuYasha and Miroku, who was very fast for a human, ran.

They took short breaks, mostly for Miroku's benefit, but didn't really stop all day.

Finally, around sundown, they stopped for camp. It was the usual, it was normal.

And InuYasha decided to stop being a coward and confront Kagome.

Her owed her that, if nothing else.

"Kagome." he said as she stroked the fire, urging it to grow.

Kagome looked up at him, saw his face and knew.

"Shippo, watch the fire for me." Kagome told him as she gave Sango a look.

Her demon slayer friend nodded.

Kagome stood and followed InuYasha into the woods.

Again, they traveled for about half an hour before they stopped. There was no clearing this time, InuYasha just stopped, took a deep breath, and turned to her.

Kagome stood, patiently, not prompting him, letting him take his time.

She was pretty sure she knew what he was going to say. She also knew what she was going to say.

"Kagome...I thought about it...a lot." he said at last, not looking her in the eye. "I just...don't think it would be fair...to you."

Kagome nodded, unsurprised. "I thought you would say that."

"I did consider it." he said, looking into her eyes trying to tell her just how much he wanted what she wanted, just how desolate he was that he couldn't have it.

"I know you did." Kagome smiled. He was a bit surprised at how unconcerned she seemed. She was smiling sadly, but not what he expected. He kind of hoped she would get angry, yell at him, and sit him so everything could go back to normal. He was pretty sure she had fought with him before, and he had fought back, just for that purpose alone.

"I...I have something to say."

"What?" he asked, a bit concerned. Not really worried, but curious. This just wasn't like her.

"I went home and... I took a test." Kagome said.

InuYasha shrugged, not sure what her examinations had to do with the subject. "Alright...?"

"It was a..." Kagome opened her mouth but no noise came out. She stayed like that for a second then all the air left her lungs in a great whoosh. "I thought this would be easier. It was a...a..."

"A...A what?" InuYasha tilted his head. "More of your mathematics?"

"No." Kagome chuckled a bit. "No, it was...well..." She tried again but still nothing came from her mouth.

She sighed, reached into her pocket, and pulled something white out. "This. This was the test I took." She held it out to him.

"You told me your examinations were on paper." InuYasha said, taking it from her. It was made of that material she called 'plastic'. It was white, about as long as his hand, with a tiny window on it that had a pink, even cross in it.

"Not that kind of test." Kagome smiled a bit, though it wasn't a happy smile. "That's a... a magic stick."

InuYasha turned the magic stick in his hand, not really understanding. But Kagome had been patient with him; he could be patient with her.

"It was positive." Kagome said like she was getting a great weight off her chest.

"You passed it?" he asked, still not comprehending. "Passing is good, right? Don't you always tell me that you don't like not passing your examinations?"

"I passed all right." Kagome laughed humorlessly. "Doctor confirmed it and everything."

"Doctor..." InuYasha thought about the word. "Oh. A healer right? Why did you need to see a healer? Are you sick?"

"No." Kagome's answer eased his worry.

"Then what?" he asked, getting impatient. And with impatience came anger, and with anger came their fight, and with their fight came things getting back to normal. Maybe this was her roundabout way of getting there. He liked that.

Kagome hesitated. Then said, "InuYasha...do you know where babies come from?"

"Of course." InuYasha looked a bit insulted. "They come from..."

Kagome stared at her half-demon love as realization came over his face and her pregnancy test slipped from his fingers. His eyes went wide and shot straight to her abdomen.

"InuYasha?" Kagome called his name but he didn't react. He looked like he had slipped into shock. "Okay, I know it's a bit...a lot of a surprise. But...I do want it. I mean...it's our child. True, it's a bit...inconvenient, but I'm happy. I'm so happy!" She beamed and her face seemed to light up.

Still, InuYasha didn't move.

Kagome's face fell. "You...don't want it...do you?"

InuYasha's eyes shot back to her face. "What?"

"I mean...that's fine." Kagome looked away as she crossed her arms over her chest, like she was trying to keep her broken heart from slipping out of her chest. "I always told myself when I was young, not that I wanted to get pregnant so young, but if it ever happened I told myself I would give the father an out from the start. Told myself I wouldn't force him, it was my choice to keep it; it should be his choice to stay. I always..." tears slipped down her cheek, "I-I underst-stand..."

"No!" InuYasha was suddenly there, pulling her into his arms. "No! Great Kami, no! How could you even think that, Kagome?"

Kagome looked up at him.

His face wasn't frozen in shock now.

Now it was fierce.

Fiercely devoted, fiercely protective, fiercely loving. He held her as if he was never going to let her go again.

This changed everything, he thought to himself. He could die for Kikyo before because he only had to think of himself, he had made no oaths that bound him to Kagome.

But a pup?

A pup bound him more tightly to her than any oath he could ever make to anyone. He would talk to his dead lover, tell her that he couldn't follow her anymore, tell her there was something more important keeping him here. If she didn't understand than too bad.

A pup.

He was going to be a father.

Holy Kami! He was going to be a father!

He picked up Kagome, a shout of joy on his lips, as he turned her in a circle.

"I'm going to be a father!" he yelled for the entire forest to hear.

Kagome giggled as he set her back down.

"You're happy?" she asked, smiling up at him.

"Oh, Kagome." InuYasha held her face in his hands and kissed her proudly.

She was the love of his life, the mother of his pup, and he could stay! Even Kikyo wouldn't hold him to his vow, not if there was an innocent life like a child involved.

Naraku.

Like a slap in the face, the wicked name popped into his head and he stepped back, suddenly filled with concern.

"What's wrong?" Kagome asked, shocked at his sudden mood shift. Mood swings were her job!

"I'm going to be a father..." he repeated, a lot more apprehensively than before. "Oh, no..."

Oh, no, Kagome thought, did he regret it already?

"Naraku." InuYasha said quietly, suddenly catching Kagome up to his worry.

"Oh..." Kagome said, bringing up her hand and biting her nail. "That's not good."

"If he finds out..." InuYasha trailed off, suddenly not so happy that he had yelled for the entire forest to hear about his impending fatherhood. "We need to head back to Keade's. You have to go back to your time."

Kagome nodded in agreement though she was concerned about the word 'you'. "What about you? Are you going to...stay here?"

"Are you kidding?" InuYasha brought her back into his embrace. "I'm not going to leave you ever again!"

Kagome beamed as she buried her face in his chest. "I like that."

InuYasha pushed her back suddenly.

He untied his fire rat robe, and then dropped it over her shoulders. "Keep this on at all times!" he said urgently. "Don't ever take it off!"

Kagome nodded as she used his expansive sleeves as a belt to hold the thing on over her uniform.

"Here." InuYasha took his sword from his belt, removed it from the sheath, then pressed the sheath into her hands. "This is for you too. It'll protect you."

Kagome nodded as she put the sheath at her waist, as he would wear it as he put Tessaiga back as his hip, sheath-less.

"Let's go." InuYasha took her hand and pulled her close. He wouldn't feel safe again until he got Kagome back in her safer, relatively demon-free, time.

Sooooo? What do you think? Naraku just ruins everything huh? Please review and let me know what you think.