A/N: Hey guys! Um, I have a couple things to say.

First of all, whoever reviewed and said that I copied from a Gregory & the Hawk song should know that it isn't entirely true. It wasn't like I intended to copy. While I was writing chapter 14, it came to my mind and I'm sorry for not 'giving credit where credit is due'. I was in a hurry with the chapter, and most of the time in my A/N's, I forget to mention a lot of things. Just clearing this up.

Also, I did intend to include the shard. I had talked to my friend about it, asking her if I should include it in the story, and she said that I should, and also, I thought it would make things seem a bit more dramatic and less boring, add more action to the story and give it something else to fight for. I'm also sorry if I'm boring you guys, but I've decided I'm not gonna let that stop me.

I honestly want to be a writer, and I don't want to give up on this piece. It's definitely not the best and I know you guys are becoming uninterested, but I wrote this and I told myself that I wouldn't give up no matter if I got bad comments and lacks of reviews. I started this and I'll finish it. I'm definitely not the best author, but I really want to do something with my writing. I want to be good at it, too. This is my practice. And honestly, I can't give up on this. Also, I know that if you really want something, you work your ass off for it. So this is what I'm doing. I'll work my ass off to finish this, and I won't give a damn about what anyone has to say as long as I'm happy writing.

Okay, I'm honestly sorry for this long ass author's note. I just needed to make some things clear, and I hope I didn't offend anyone while doing it. But anyway, on with chapter 17. (:

After the last visit, she was sure that she didn't want to visit for a while because she needed some time to think. So she was sitting on her window seal, listening to Inuyasha's light snores as she watched the sun rise and come to life. She had thrown on a t-shirt of his, covering her body. It was hard without having Mama around to depend on, and she was feeling slightly guilty for the way she had reacted. But hell, she had been worried to death and she just didn't want anyone else hurt.

But since Mama wasn't here to put food in her mouth, and since her and Inuyasha had been living off of bags of chips and thousands of different kind of instant ramen for almost three weeks, she decided that they needed real food. She did, after all. With a baby constantly growing inside of her, a strong one at that, she knew that she couldn't live off of the things that Inuyasha chose over anything else.

She was sure she could come up with at least a few dollars, maybe take a bit from Souta's stash. He'd kill her if he knew, but she didn't care. She looked back at Inuyasha, studying his naked figure with some sort of gentleness and love in her eyes, and she smiled softly. He'd kill her, knowing that she'd left and gone somewhere without him, but she didn't care about that, either. Inuyasha didn't understand that she couldn't live off of only ramen like he could.

She rested a hand on the slight bump beneath her shirt. Almost 11 weeks. She sat there for a while longer, the sun blinding to her eyes but warm on her skin. She rubbed her stomach softly, feeling rounder and weirder and wonderful all at the same time, wondering what kind of person he or she was and how they'd look.

She smiled at the thought of a boy. A boy that would look just like Inuyasha and say the things he said and look up to his father. Yes, she wanted a boy. A boy with silver, almost white looking hair, eyes like the sun, and the ears that she loved to caress.

She felt like it was a boy. She felt like it wasn't possible for the baby to be anything else but a boy. And then, he would grow up to be a man and Inuyasha would teach him things and they would be a huge part of their son's life. Their son would be happy, and maybe they could be happy, too. It was all she wanted. A good life for Inuyasha and herself, and a good life for their kid. But sometimes, she doubted it with all that was going on.

Jii-chan was doing better. And for that, she was happier than anyone could ever imagine. Her child would need someone to tell him all kinds of crazy, mystical stories that she had the pleasure of hearing when she was a child. And since her father was in a much better place than earth, this simple piece of dirt, her son would want to hear those kinds of things. And if Jii-chan was gone and she'd have to take his place in the story-telling, it just wouldn't be the same.

She rose to her feet to quietly slip into the shower and then throw some clothes, sincerely hoping that Inuyasha wouldn't be too angry as she stole his keys.

XXXxxxXXX

Kagura had always been ready for whatever Naraku threw at her. He made her manipulate people, he'd even made her kill a few of them. She did what he told her because he was her boss, and if she refused, she knew that that would be the last day she would see. So she had always been ready. Ready and willing.

But this innocent girl, this girl who had done nothing to deserve this…he wanted her hurt. Slowly, emotionally at first. It was a surprise that he didn't want her dead, that he had told her not to hurt her. But emotionally and mentally, he did want her dead. He wanted to harm everyone that she loved, and when she would start thinking that her half-demon and the powerful child she was to have would be all that was left, he wanted her to be without them, too. And then he would sit in seclusion and laughed as he watched her scream and curse god for taking away the people she loved when it was actually the devil who had made this happen.

Naraku…

She didn't want this to happen. She knew she was selfish, doing this to keep her own life safe, but she would. Her mind was reeling as he whispered instructions into her ear, vehemence in his words and a nasty smirk on his face. Too close. God, she was just too close. He was too close.

And Kikyo was too close, also. The girl had to be fearless to love him. Kagura knew if she was ever in Kikyo's situation, fucking him only to feel like she was wrestling with the most evil demon, then she wouldn't know what to do, either. Every time he hit her, every time he forced himself upon her, she thought of the girl in admiration. But not in a sick way, never that. She thought of her as strong. Kagura always wanted to be strong while Naraku wanted her to be fearless. Fearlessness and strength weren't very diverse to one another in her opinion. To be strong, you had to have something to fear. And to be fearless, you had to have strength.

Sometimes, she sat in this huge space of nothing that he'd created for protection, that he'd created so he wouldn't be revealed. There was a barrier over this place, and that was supposed to give some sort of protection. She'd be lying through her teeth if she said she felt safe. She sat in darkness all day, fear in her womb, threatening to make her lose control. And the guilt. She winced at the thought. It spread over her whole body as she thought of the man who had actually made Kikyo feel love and as she thought of the girl that he loved.

She wondered, did Inuyasha know how Kikyo felt about him? Did he know? Had she ever told him? She wanted the endless questions to be over with. She didn't want to hurt anyone anymore.

Demons went to hell. Hell was their home, and surely, she'd break heaven. All of the people she'd killed, all of the guilt she'd felt, all of the acid and heavy music and cigarettes she smoked, she thought of it all. Good girl like Kikyo deserved heaven. And although she had an idea about it, a wonderful idea. If Kagome would died, and if Inuyasha would die, or if both of them would be going to a funeral each week, she prayed that they'd meet in heaven. She prayed that god would take their pain away, if there even was a god. If there was Buddha, if there was a anything, she prayed they would meet again soon.

She had been praying to escape, but it wasn't working out too well.

She knew she'd have to be ready for whatever he threw in her face. If she died trying to save them, at least she'd die for a purpose. After all, she was a demon, and she was strong physically if not in any other way. Good girl like Kikyo and Kagome went to nice places. They deserved to live long and happy lives.

She was ready. Absolutely ready, even if this was a suicide mission. She didn't want to see blood shed and wars fought. She didn't want to smirk while people died at her own hands. This was the last time she'd look at them, trembling and covered in blood, cause she was about to bury herself six-feet under and send herself to hell where she belonged for the three, maybe four people, considering the girls womb, that she thought deserved to live.

She just hoped, god, she just prayed that everyone would make it out alive in the end.

XXXxxxXXX

A baggy shirt and a loose pair of sweats, despite the heat, hid the still forming bump. She was bigger than most, and it wasn't something she loved exactly, but she loved it in a way. She was bringing the man she loved baby's in the world, and it was a wonderful feeling. But it wasn't all that fucking perfect.

She growled. It wasn't like she dressed all that great before, but maternity clothes really were fucking horrible. She was a mother now, and she definitely looked the part. She looked old and she was getting fatter and suddenly, she was extremely hot and felt like she could pass out as she struggled to fit the jeans.

It wasn't like she was that big. Only two months and two weeks. But still, the hanyou growing in her belly, the powerful hanyou, made things a bit more difficult, made her bigger and fatter than most.

She gave up, sweat forming on her brow. She slid against the wall of the dressing room, burying her face in her hands and so angry she could feel tears running down her cheeks.

He must've been disgusted. Only two months and two weeks and she couldn't fit her jeans. Fuck her fucking life. Fuck everything. Fuck not even having the money for these jeans. Fuck Inuyasha and his lies and his stupid, almost-broken-down car. Fuck this Jusco and fuck all of the bitches who could still squeeze into their short shorts. Fuck them all.

She swore she could see amusement in that bitch's eyes when she told her that she wasn't able to fit those jeans. A smirk pulled at her lips. She growled, her eyes feeling damp with tears.

Pushing the cart around with a little bit more force than needed, she found the baby section catching her interest. When she thought about him, she didn't care if she was fat or ugly or old-looking. As long as he was healthy, it was fine and she'd be able to buy bigger clothes and avoid the weird look she got whenever she went out. Her hand went to her stomach, a smile playing at her lips as a few toys caught her eye. Inuyasha wouldn't mind if she stayed a bit longer, she was sure.

When she was done, a handful of toys in the cart, she cursed to herself as she remembered she had to go pick up prenatal vitamins.

Honestly, they made everything worse. They made her absolutely sick and she couldn't stand them, but her doctor had said that she needed them for the baby, that they made him healthy. She growled in annoyance, making her way over to the aisle and avoiding the disapproving look she got as she tossed them into the cart. This was definitely the last time she would go here without Mama or Inuyasha.

She felt eyes on her back. Turning around with a growl, expecting it to be some idiot looking at her disapprovingly once more, her eyes widened when it wasn't. Whoever this woman was, she was pretty and she seemed familiar.

A smile was placed on her blood red lips, and it seemed to meet her sparkling red eyes. So she was a demon. Kagome froze, not knowing exactly what to do. Inuyasha's father was a full demon. So was Sesshomaru. But their eyes were all gold, and she'd never seen a woman look at her the way Kagura looked at her. She was a demon. A fucking demon. She'd never really had the chance to meet Inuyasha's father since they didn't get along. And she'd never had the honor of meeting Sesshomaru, either. Inuyasha didn't get along with any of his family, really. So seeing her, being this close to her, was startling.

There was something about the way she looked at her…

"You're pregnant?" The pretty girl asked bluntly. Her eyes went downcast and she could feel heat making its way to her cheeks, and she stumbled upon her words.

"You are. I know you are," she said with a smile, and Kagome gasped when she reached out to touch her stomach. "Your baby has a strong aura. His father is a demon, am I correct? And what are you? You seem human, but there's something odd about you…"

Kagome frowned a little. "His father is half. And what do you mean there's something odd about me?" Kagome asked, slightly offended, slightly curious.

The girl cleared her throat and quickly withdrew her hand from Kagome's stomach, a small smile on her face. "I'm sorry. It's just that it…the aura is strong. Extremely strong and very unusual. That's…strange. You act as if you're merely a human, and the father's a half demon. But still, a hanyou's aura has never been this strong. There was something when I touched your belly. Something powerful."

Kagome backed away a bit, suddenly concerned. The demon woman moved forward, a smile on her face. A soft one. She seemed nice, but still. There was something in the girl's eyes.

"There's no reason to be scared," she reached out a hand for Kagome to shake. Kagome smiled cautiously, outstretching her hand, her palms sweating and her mind reeling. What was she talking about? The demon's hand held onto hers for too long, it seemed. Her eyebrows furrowed at the amazed look in the demon's eyes. "Um…I'm Kagura."

"Kagome." She said simply, giving a small, fake smile before beginning to turn away.

"Hey, Kagome, wait." Kagura said suddenly. "If you take the vitamins at night, you won't feel as sick. And don't be surprised if your belly gets bigger than most other girls. And also, don't be surprised if it seems your baby kicks way too soon. Eat good. That little guy, or gal, is powerful. Another chance to make the world a much better place."

She froze. But when she turned around to question her intentions and knowledge, the girl was gone, a gush of wind blowing her messy hair forward. Her mouth parted in surprise and confusion.

"Thanks anyway, Kagura." Kagome said silently before hoping that she had enough dollar bills to pay for all of this shit.

XXXxxxXXX

She was back by afternoon, shutting the door quietly behind her. She sighed, realizing that Mama still wasn't home. She felt sweaty and she was fat and disgusting and if Inuyasha would give her hell, then she'd give him hell back.

"I'm here," she called out softly, knowing that wherever he was, he'd hear her.

It only took seconds. Her eyes gazed over his body before giving him a shrug. He was shirtless, his skin tan and damp with sweat. His bangs covered his darkened eyes, and her body went rigid at the look he was giving her. Then he was swiftly moving towards her, pulling her body close to him and burying his nose into her neck, sniffing noisily. Then he paused, pulling away.

"Who'd you meet today?" He demanded quietly, a frown on his face and uncertainty in his eyes.

She looked at him, confused. "No one, really," she shrugged. "I met a demon. She was a woman, and she wasn't like most demons I know. Her eyes, there was something about them. Something that I think I can decipher, but I'm not really sure. She was nice though." She wrapped her arms around his torso, burying her face into his chest. "Listen, Yash, I know you're mad. I took your car and I ran off, but it was necessary. I can't survive off ramen. Our son- or daughter, can't either. I picked up some toys and the vitamins. And this…this Kagura woman, she actually gave good advice. But I have something to ask you."

He tensed a bit and she looked up to see that there was something dark in his eyes, something secretive, something she didn't know about. She cupped her cool hand against his cheek, making him look at her. She gave a small smile, leaning into him more. "Hey, what's up? I'm getting the feeling that there's more to it than being mad."

Suddenly he wrapped his arms around her tight, pressing her hard against him as she struggled to breathe. He caught a whiff of her hair and she thought he almost whimpered and he held her tighter. "Don't ever do that again, Kagome. Don't you know that you can't trust anyone, stupid girl?"

She frowned and looked up at him expectantly. "Of course I know, idiot," she muttered under her breath. "I'm not as naïve as you think, and I'm pretty sure I can defend for myself." She rolled her eyes when she heard him snort. "Inuyasha," she said, her voice soft. "She told me that our baby has a powerful aura. More powerful than it should be for a half demon. What'd she mean? She said our baby is a chance to make the world a better place. Every baby in the womb is, right? But still, there was something about the way she said it…"

His eyes were still so dark and so secretive. They were worried, mostly. But before she could say anything, she was on the kitchen counter, his lips pressed harshly against hers. "Inuyasha," she warned, already breathless. He ignored her, his hands squeezing her thighs. She smacked them away. "Don't do that!"

He smirked. "Why?"

"I feel like you're teasing me for getting fatter," she muttered under her breath as he kissed along her jaw line.

He raised a brow, secretly hoping that this would prevent her from asking him questions he couldn't answer right now. "Who said you're fat, wench? I'll fuck them up, especially when they're kinda insulting my child." His hand was on her belly and she giggled, exposing a bit of her neck so he'd have better access to it.

"I cried today." She told him, and she felt him tense for a second, but then he kept on kissing her neck. He made all the troubles, all the questions just fade away.

"Why is that, wench?" he muttered, placing a quick kiss on her lips.

"Because," she paused, kissing him. "Because I couldn't fit into those damn jeans. This kid is making me fat, Inuyasha. I can't even squeeze my ass into them. Imagine how it'll be later on." She paused a second. "Are you disgusted with me? My belly's rounder and my thighs are fatter and I'm feeling incredibly bitchy." She leaned into him, hoping.

"True," he said with a playful smirk, and Kagome laughed lightly before playfully hitting him on the arm.

"You're such a jerk." She said, pressing her lips against his once more and laughing.

"And you're beautiful, Kagome, and that's my kid that's making you fatter, so it's nothing to be ashamed of, right? That's our kid, something we made out of…" he tensed for a second, and her brows furrowed when she looked up at him, her heart racing and she wanted, no, she needed him to finish what he was saying. A look of insecurity took over his face, but suddenly, he relaxed and leaned into kiss her, trying to get her to forget. She didn't kiss him at first, but when she felt his hands feel her curves, and then slowly land on her hips, all thoughts were wiped away and she kissed him back with fever, feeling a smirk on his lips when he pulled away to hear her panting.

She softly pushed him away, though, suddenly angry. "Tell me what you were going to say, Yash. Don't push me away again."

He shook his head, pressing his lips together. "Just…just drop it, Kagome. You already know."

She didn't want to fight, so she did as he said and dropped it. But his words left a ringing in her ears and an ache in her chest. But she let a smile take place on her lips as she thought about the meaning behind his words. She hoped she knew. She wrapped her legs around his waist and reached up to caress the ears she hoped their son or daughter would have. A sneaky smile appeared on her lips, and he smirked.

"What is it now?" he asked, kissing her neck.

"I was just wondering if I could wash your hair. I like doing that, you know. And you could wash mines, too." She stated, wrapping her legs around his waist tighter.

"Would I get to see you naked again, wench?" he joked lightly, a smirk still on his lips and his eyes dancing.

"Inuyasha, I'm fat-"

His hand landed on her stomach and she paused. "That's my kid, Kagome. Our kid. It's not that bad of a thing, right? And I still think your body is beautiful, round belly and all." He gave her a toothy grin and her eyes sparkled. He knew that he had her, now.

She smiled and kissed him again. "I guess it's not that bad."

XXXxxxXXX

She didn't know how, but somehow, they ended up both naked in her room after their 'shower.' She was straddling his back, and he let her do as she wished, a content sigh coming from him as she grasped his hair.

"Your hair is so pretty," she started with a genuine smile, only to hear him snort beneath her. "You know, it's almost longer than mine. And it's so soft and silky when you treat it like shit. I hope our kid has hair like yours." She ran her fingers through it to feel that it was still damp. She smiled, glad he couldn't see the hope in her eyes. "Can I braid it?"

"No." Came his simple answer. He was quiet, his body tense.

She ignored him. She began twisting her slender fingers around his thick, silver hair, a smile on her face. Her smile widened when she heard him groan. "It's comforting, isn't it? Dad used to do my hair all the time, and Mama would fuss at him. Everybody always teased me and asked me what the hell I did with my hair. It was all Dad's fault, really. I looked like a mess. But I didn't care. It feels good to have someone play with your hair, huh?"

She heard him groan again. "Whatever, Kagome."

She smiled and continued. "Inuyasha? Why is your body so tense?" His body jerked a little when she reached to touch one of his ears, and she smirked.

He sighed deeply into her pillow, refusing to look at her. "You're fucking killing me, Kagome?"

"I'm killing you?" she muttered, amused. Taking a break from braiding his hair, she leaned down to kiss his neck and he jerked even more violently, almost making her pitch forward. She giggled and tightened her knees around his hips before leaning forward to kiss his neck again, her breasts smashing against his back as she did so. He groaned, wanting her off him. This bitch was torturing him, being so cruel. And then, her scent came to his nose, making him harder, making his mind reel. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, biting his lip. And he knew he was blushing, because right now, she was in control. She was the one making him lose feeling in his legs, and she was the one making his mind spin when it was usually the other way around.

Her scent was dark, spicy. She was just as aroused as he was. But fuck, she was making this shit painful, making him swell, making him whimper like some kind of lost puppy. "Don't worry," she leaned over to whisper in his ear. "I want you just as much as you want me. But be still at least for a while so I can finish your hair."

He growled out at her words, biting his lip again. He was about to explode just from the feeling of her bare against his back, just from the feeling of her braiding his fucking hair. He hated himself right now. He hated how she knew she could cause all of these things. "Kagome, please." He lost all of his pride, but right now, he didn't care.

He knew she was smirking. "Not right now," she said as her hands trailed over his back, his neck, his shoulders, softly massaging. He could kill her, but he didn't want to. "I'm almost done. I promise. And then, you do whatever you want. Okay?"

All he could do was nod his head as he growled, still biting his lip. She finished his hair quickly, smiling at her work. And then, her voice was in his ear, soft and pleading.

In seconds, she was beneath him. He was gentle. He touched the fullness of her breasts and allowed himself to feel the love she held in her caresses as she groaned, grinding into him. She was his, forever and more. He kissed her over and over again and held her, but made sure that he wasn't crushing her. He kissed her stomach over and over, and she looked in his eyes and saw guilt and she wondered why. And then, he licked his tongue over that spot where he knew a scar would soon be. He wanted to tell her how powerful she was. He wanted to tell her that their child would grow up strong and powerful, and he also wanted to tell her how much he loved her, how crazy she drove him, but he could not say any of those things, because it still wasn't time.

It would be soon, though, and he wasn't sure if he had the balls to tell her all of these things. But he hoped for the best.

All of her self-control was lost when she felt him buried deep inside of her. And when they cried out, not being able to take the intensity any longer, she felt him hold her tight as she began to doze off, her body sated. And when she was near to dream land, she swore she could have heard him whisper in her ear that he loved her.

But she must've already been dreaming.

A/N: OMG! 226 reviews? I never expected that. I can't thank you guys enough. I think I'm going to start updating a lot faster, this is getting easier to write. But anyway, tell me what you guys think, please? See you soon! (: