Disclaimer: :happy grin: I don't own InuYasha, but I do own Makoto.

Chapter 6: Human and Youkai

Sesshomaru's castle was swarming with activity the next day. Inu were seen up and down the halls, while a few humans swarmed just outside the gates. Kagome, Sango, Tani, Usagi, and Mai were busy going over the plans with Rin and doing the final fitting of her wedding kimono. Miroku and Shippou were busy trying to stay out of their way, and InuYasha was moping around just outside the door, occasionally growling at anyone who came too close, and annoying Kagome to death with his hanyou antics. Early that morning she had woken with a little pain in her stomach. InuYasha had tried to make her forget about all that needed to be done for the wedding and stay in bed all day, but Kagome wouldn't hear of it. It was just a little stomach pain, probably from traveling with a full load rapidly growing around that region, or the pup was growing restless and moving around too much.

But he was getting better, better than last time anyway. Kagome only had to 'sit' him twice before he agreed to let her help out, as long as she didn't go out of his earshot. Then she had to 'sit' him again after InuYasha pulled Tetsusaiga out on the priest when Kagome was trying to ask him questions about the proceedings. Despite the slight setback, Kagome had minimal trouble getting around and helping with all the arrangements. For someone who repeatedly said he didn't care for 'that human child', Sesshomaru was sure going all out for her wedding. Much to Kagome's, InuYasha's, and the rest of the groups surprise most of the inu-youkai there didn't seemed too bothered by the human wedding to take place in their castle. After Naraku was exposed for the hanyou he was, and destroyed, and the wars dying down, all of Japan was changing. Youkai and human alike were getting more accepting, or at least tolerant, of each other.

"Kagome-sama! It ripped!" Rin held out one end of her kimono, a small rip formed at the edge. She looked like she was ready to burst into tears. "Lord Sesshomaru had this kimono especially made for Rin." She pouted.

Kagome choked down a giggle and examined the kimono. "Don't worry Rin, I can fix this in no time. Sango, can you hand me a needle and thread?" Sango nodded and handed her the needle. Kagome squinted one eye as she pulled the thread through and began to sew. Years ago she wouldn't even know where to begin, but being in the feudal era for so long now she knew how to do many things the domestic way. In a few minutes the rip was repaired and Rin threw her arms around the miko.

"Thank you so much, Kagome-sama!"

Kagome and Sango smiled at each other. All these years and Rin hadn't changed a bit. She was still the sweet, innocent little girl that had a knack for following around a dangerous youkai without a second thought.

"Rin, we've all been so busy this morning and I completely forgot to ask you what your husband-to-be's name is." Mai folded her hands in her lap and waited intently, as did the other women around her. They had forgotten there even was a groom, with the rush of getting things done and all.

"Yukio. Oh! I'm sure all of you would love Yukio! He's sweet, and honest, and cute… of course he does have this rather annoying laugh… but his smile, and his…" Kagome suppressed another giggle threatening to escape her as the girl went on and on talking about Yukio in an almost gitty voice. Of course, she was never actually 'married'. She thought that if it was her, she'd probably be the same way.

"Oi! What's so funny in there, Kagome!"

"Nosy baka! Why don't you go pick a fight with your brother or something? Anything to get you out of my hair for a few minutes!" she yelled back through the door.

"Keh! Yea right! If Sesshomaru and I got into a fight you'd 'sit' me to my grave. Sesshomaru wouldn't be that far off either with that fiery mate of his." He rambled with his back to the door. "She may look innocent, and cute, but you get her mad and…" Ooops… InuYasha could almost feel the tension seeping out from under the door. He quickly got down on his knees and braced himself.

"Sit! Sit! Sit!" 'THUMP!' Kagome fumed. She opened the door, grabbed InuYasha by the ear and jerked his head up to her mouth. "SIT!" 'THUMP!' She screamed into his sensitive ears and watched as the spell drug him down once again and slammed the door on him. Inside the room the other girls had stopped to watch the scene play out, but immediately got back to work when the miko turned her gaze on them. Yep, that's right girls. Never, EVER, get a pregnant lady grouchy.

"Kagome, you know I didn't mean it that way!"

"Whatever InuYasha!" she blew him off and started to go over the flower arrangements with Sango and Mai. The castle was being decorated in the main hall, the entrance gate, and of course in the back garden where the proceedings would take place. The hardest part was trying to explain everything to the inu workers. They either knew nothing or very little about human weddings.

"No, the flowers aren't for food! They're for decoration!" she yelled at a very stubborn inu female. She had heard that humans eat both meat and plants for food, and was confused as to the why the flowers were being put in bundles and vases around the castle. Kagome shooed her out the door and turned to Rin. "Are Sesshomaru and Usagi going to follow you to the altar?" she asked.

"Rin does not know, she forgot about that." He head hung low and her eyes began to tear for what had to have been the hundredth time.

"Alright, don't worry. Um…" she opened the door and called for InuYasha. "Go find Sesshomaru or Usagi and see if they are going to escort Rin to the altar for the purification ritual. Find Yukio's parents and ask, too, and hurry up!"

"Keh." InuYasha turned and slowly walked down the stairs. No one could tell him to hurry up about anything.

"Sit!" 'THUMP! Da-da-dump!' InuYasha tumbled down the stairs and landed flat on his face.

He growled. "Stupid wench! She did that on purpose!" A pair of feet padded out in front of his face.

"InuYasha. How pathetic that your human wench has such power over you."

InuYasha growled. "Keh! If you had one of these things thrown around your neck, you'd have the same problems!" he jerked at the beaded necklace holding him to the stone floor.

"This Sesshomaru would never allow himself to be tricked into such an object. I believe you were looking for me?"

InuYasha pushed himself up, dusting off his haori. "Kagome wants to know if you're going to escort Rin to the altar during the purification." He smirked. "I'll just tell her you're too scared the priest will miss and purify you instead."

Sesshomaru's lip twitched. "This Sesshomaru will be taking the human to the altar." He turned on the pads of his feet and left.

"Oi! Hold on! Where's Yuk- what's-his-name's parents!"

"They will not be joining us."

Just as InuYasha was about to protest, Miroku rammed into him carrying a crying Yumi in his arms. "Ah, InuYasha. You don't happen to know where my darling Sango is do you?"

He could barely hear over the screaming child. "Upstairs with Kagome and Rin. First door on the right. And tell Kagome Sesshomaru will do it, but not what's-his-name's parents." Miroku nodded and ran up the stairs.

"Oyaji! Have you seen Okaa-san? The priest is here."

"Upstairs, first door on the right." The kit rushed past him, nearly knocking him off his feet again. "Oi! Has everyone gone mad!" InuYasha caught his balance and ran outside into the fresh air. He sat next to the stone wall below the window of the room Kagome and the others were in. No matter what she said, he was still worried.

"Oji?" Keiji walked up to his uncle and sat cross-legged in front of him.

"What is it pup?"

"Why is Rin getting married? Doesn't she want to mate with Yukio? Why does she have to get married? Is it because she's human? Why didn't you and Oba get married? Or Shippou and…"

"Oi, not so fast. Humans get married before they mate. It's their ritual, I guess. Kagome said she didn't need a wedding, so did Tani, so we kinda skipped it." InuYasha flicked his nephew's nose with one finger. "What's with all the questions?"

He lowered his head. "Some say that humans are going to mess up everything. And that youkai will have to fight them. We won't have to fight Oba and Rin, will we Oji?"

"Keh. Of course not, kid." He winked. "That's what we're here for. Someone's got to protect those weaklings from getting themselves into trouble."

"Some human's are mean." He said in an 'as a matter of fact' tone only the innocence of a child could create. "Some youkai and hanyou are, too."

"What makes you think that?"

"Humans were killed in the village, and yesterd-."

"That's enough, Keiji. Go back inside." Sesshomaru stated sternly. The inu-youkai pup bowed lightly and took off with amazing speed. If he had a tail, InuYasha was sure it would be tucked between his legs by now.

"What's he talking about, Sesshomaru?"

"Nothing of your concern. There was a problem. I fixed it." He turned and walked away.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"I think I'm going to be sick." Rin covered her mouth with her hand. Kagome and Sango grabbed fans and worked on cooling the girl while Mai and Tani helped her back into her wedding kimono. The time had finally come, and she was a nervous wreck.

"Kagome, everyone's waiting! What's taking so long in there!" InuYasha yelled.

Mai and Tani pushed Rin toward the door, Kagome and Sango following close behind. "Out of the way, baka. We're late."

"I know you're late, wench, that's why I came to get you!"

Down the steps and into the gardens, Kagome stood next to InuYasha and the rest next to their own family members. It really surprised Kagome at how many inu attended. Some seemed perfectly fine with the idea; others looked like they were force to come. Rin, Sesshomaru, and Usagi walked up to the altar and kneeled in front of the priest. She giggled at the sight of Sesshomaru kneeling in front of anyone. Kagome looked up to see a smug grin on her hanyou's face, looping her arm in his and leaning against him. Then her eyes shot wide open and her mouth gaped.

"InuYasha…" he seemed to be thinking the same thing. "Yukio… is a youkai…" InuYasha nodded. No wonder his family didn't care to show. They were defiantly ashamed; a full youkai mating a human is one thing, but getting married to one was simply unheard of, ever. Yukio, alone, kneeled next to Rin and her family for the purification ritual. When it was over, they stood. Sesshomaru and Usagi went to stand in the front of the small crowd with Keiji. Yukio and Rin locked arms, proceeding in the Shinto ritual of exchanging cups and vows before their friends and family.

"Kagome?" InuYasha questioned when they were sitting at the main table during the after feast.

"Hm?" she mumbled between bites of her food.

"Why didn't you ever want to get married?"

She swallowed. "I did, at one time. Every girl my age in that time dreamed of how their wedding would be, but after everything that happened while I was here, that just seemed… pointless. In my time weddings don't always last forever." InuYasha nodded with an understanding grin.

"I love you, too kioshi." Kagome didn't really hear him as she had gone back to her food. Being pregnant with a hanyou, she easily ate more than InuYasha, and went as far as swiping his food. "Oi. You get one more bite off my plate and you'll be missing fingers." It was a dry threat.

"I'm starving, InuYasha! I didn't eat lunch today, and the pup's being way too restless in the mornings for me to eat breakfast. I haven't had anything all day!" after she had finished off her food and the remaining bit of InuYasha's, they made their way back up to their rooms.

InuYasha, Kagome, Miroku, and Sango sat to talk while the children when off to bed. InuYasha didn't really pay any attention to what was being said. All his attention was on Kagome. She kept saying she was alright, but his senses didn't abide well with that. Kagome was tiny even by human standards. Having Makoto was a big enough strain on her small figure, and even all these years later InuYasha didn't like the idea of her going through with it again. One pup was enough for him. Sure, he wouldn't mind having a few more, like ten or twelve, but not at the expense of his mate's health and wellbeing.

It seemed like hours that Sango and Kagome just sat there talking. Talking about the wedding, Sango's wedding, all the pups, how much things had changed, how much their little group had changed. InuYasha glanced over as Kagome's eyes drooped heavier and heavier by the minute. It was time for him to step in. She would never admit she was worn out, not as long as she and the exterminator had something to talk about. Without a word he picked her up and carried her to the futon.

"InuYasha!"

"Hush, wench. It's getting late and you're about to pass out."

Kagome silently protested, giving the hanyou a punch on the shoulder for treating her like a child. "You baka, I know when my 'bedtime' is and I'm not a little girl! I can stay up as long as I want!"

"I think InuYasha's right, Kagome. I'm a bit tired myself." Sango added with a yawn to prove her point. "We're leaving tomorrow afternoon, are we not?"

"Keh. Of course."

"I would like to stay a little longer, but with Makoto and that girl at home alone, we really need to get back as soon as possible. Makoto has learned healing fairly well, but there might be more that I can do."

Sango and Miroku nodded as they both stood to their feet. "See you in the morning Kagome."

"Alright. Goodnight you two. Oh, can you check up on Shippou and Tani and tell them goodnight for me. I would but I doubt the baka would let me out of the room, since it's past my bed time." She playfully kissed her hanyou on the cheek when he gave her a sour look. He turned his nose up in mocked anger and gave out his 'Keh' in response.

"Sure. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Kagome lay back against her futon. InuYasha joined in behind her, nuzzling his nose against her neck and laying soft kisses up to her ear. "Now that we got rid of them, you're going to tell me what's wrong, wench." He breathed into her ear.

"What? Nothing's wrong."

"Kagome…" InuYasha growled and tapped his nose. "You should know by now that I notice every little change in your scent. So out with it already."

Kagome sighed and turned to face her hanyou. She smiled and gave his ears a few quick rubs. "I just outdid myself today, that's all. I'm tired."

"Ah ha! I knew it! I knew you would end up hurting yourself with all this, but do you listen to me? Oh no! Ignore the hanyou that tries to protect you. Ignore your mate, he's overprotective anyway. Kagome, you can't keep doing this to me. Yes, I worry about you, and yes, I still think you're a pathetic human wench. That's even more of a reason for me to protect you."

"InuYasha, I'm okay. Just a little more tired than usual." Kagome smiled and tweaked his nose. "Now go to sleep, you're keeping me up."

InuYasha lay down next to his mate, listening as her breathing slowed and he knew she was sound asleep, but her words didn't ease his mind at all. All his senses were telling him something just wasn't quite right with Kagome. It was possible that it was something she wasn't yet aware of. He feared for her, feared for their unborn pup. For some reason this pregnancy was getting harder, and the pup's smell had started to change a few weeks ago, then changed back. Now he was getting that same change in the pup again, and another strange smell from Kagome.

He was on the verge of whining in frustration. Or howling, which ever came first. He would do anything to save Kagome, his Kagome, but he didn't want anything to happen to their pup either. What if he had to make that choice? What if it came down to a choice between Kagome and his pup? He had seen this in Kaede's village many times over the years. Things get complicated during the birth, and either the father chose between or both the mate and pup die. How can anyone make that kind of decision?

If Kagome lived and the pup didn't, she would die of a broken heart. If Kagome left him with a newborn pup to rear all on his own, he wouldn't even know where to start, where to begin, what to do. Kagome was the one who sat up with Makoto on his human night when he was still young and afraid of the dark. She was the one who calmed him when he was attacked by a youkai and InuYasha had to pull his shoulder back into place. She was the one who made sure Makoto was fed and bathed and well taken care of as a toddler. Without Kagome, InuYasha was nothing. She was his life, the reason he had a home and a family.

He shook his head, seemingly to shake away his thoughts. He was probably just overreacting, like always. Kagome was strong, for a human, and everything would be fine. She said it herself. Tired, but okay. The scent was probably just something normal in a second pregnancy, or part of his paranoid self's imagination. He could always ask Shippou to take a few whiffs before they left. His nose wasn't as keen to InuYasha, but he would be able to sense anything different or strange in Kagome's scent. He yawned and settled himself down to sleep.

A/N:

Hmmm…could something be wrong with the pup or Kagome? Or is InuYasha just being paranoid? Guess you'll have to wait and see…

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