A/N: This goes out to any girl who's reading this story, any girl who's ever had a relationship like Inuyasha and Kagome. It's not that important, but if there's anyone out there who's reading, I want to tell you guys something, and I wanted to tell you that you're not alone.

I never thought that my story would become my reality. And no, I'm not pregnant or anything, I just got involved with the wrong guy. He's completely different from Inuyasha (haha), but still.

Never forget that you can be better, that you deserve to be better. I got my heart broken so badly by this guy before, and my infatuation went on for three, almost four whole years. Anyway, I finally got my shit together and realized that he didn't love me. I was happier and I was enjoying life and yeah, I'll always love him, but there's a difference between loving someone and being in love with someone. This boy destroyed me so badly I thought I'd never be able to smile again. And then this other guy came into my life recently, and I was an idiot to think he wanted anything more than sex. So we fooled around behind his girl's back. He's now telling me he doesn't want to date me, and honestly, all he wants is sex. When I fell out of love with the guy before, I thought that to be completely happy and to make sure that I'd never look at his face again, I'd have to find another guy. So I did. Every time he kissed me, wrapping his arms around me, I melted and my world fell apart, and I'm a light-weight, I fall easily and one word could shake up my whole world, turn it upside down.

He told me all of these sweet things. And it hurts when I look at him and it hurts when I don't. I've been broken before, so I thought I could deal with this, cause I got these cuts on my arms to prove it, but I don't do that anymore. But you know, I'm stronger than that, and that's all because of this old guy I used to love. So when I got involved with this new guy, I thought to myself, 'no one gets to call me a whore, and I make no apologies for how I choose to repair what this old jerk destroyed.' Listen, I was right.

Girls, don't ever let anyone call you a whore. And I know the road gets rough and the sky gets jumpy and you feel like all of this shit is falling on top of you. But everyday is a new day, and it just proves that you're stronger than you were the day before. Oh god, it hurts. But it's not so bad. I've realized that pain makes and unmakes you, it shakes you up and breaks your heart wide open so some other kind of love can get in. No one stays forever. Maybe that's the truth, maybe it's not. But if any of you girls or guys meet someone that wants to stay forever, open your heart and open your arms and let them in. We're all beautiful. We're all so strong. And none of us are whores. Like I said, no one has to make apologies for how they choose to repair what some jerk broke. We are love. We're all so fucking brave. We can all be better, we all deserve to be better. So don't go through your months and years ashamed and sad. You be happy, even if it hurts to smile.

I promise every single one of you that things will get better. Don't you ever give up. We are what we make. We're the ones who destroy ourselves, but we also can repair ourselves. Someone out there loves you for you. And mistakes are what life is made up of. You'll get broken one day, I can't promise you that you won't. But remember, you're so strong. You're beautiful. Every single girl out there is. Please don't give up.

She figured it all out while he was sleeping, while he held her in his arms so tightly that she thought she'd break. He was created for her, molded for her possibly. The sun was breaking in now, and she hadn't missed a thing. She'd stayed up all night, snuggling into him tighter when she heard him whimper in his deep sleep, and she pressed herself tight against him when he tossed and turned during the night. Because if he had have drowned over the night in those horrible nightmares he was having, she vowed that she'd bring him back to life.

She was so lucky, just lucky to have someone who made it hard to say goodbye. To have someone who'd hold her tight throughout the whole night, just to have someone who made all of this shit a bit easier. Over the night, she'd felt like crying. But she had decided, all alone and all by herself, that if he woke from those nightmares to see her crying, it would only hurt him and those nightmares of his would become reality. When she looked at those wounds splayed across his strong body, her eyes watered and she wanted to kill the horrible people who'd given him these ugly, painful things. But instead, she found herself rubbing his back softly, her delicate fingers stroking across his cheeks as his face twisted up into some kind of painful expression.

She decided that she was devoted to trying not to cry. If he woke to that sight, it'd only worry him, so through the night when she felt her hair being pulled by the stars and felt her body completely restless, she decided that she'd blink those tears away and clench her teeth and swallow even if her throat didn't want to close, and she'd look up at him and smile.

But he was still sleeping. And he probably would be for a while. Throughout that tough night, her delicate phalanges with pale skin stretched over the bones longed to run through his hair, to touch his face and sooth him. So that was exactly what she'd done. And it had worked. He continued to have fits of tossing and turning, but as soon as she touched him, as soon as she stroked him, he seemed calm and reposed.

And now, she was calm, too. She breathed him in, breathed everything in. She wouldn't sleep because she'd die a little inside if she woke to find him gone. So she made sure he was here with her and feeling safe. And she was still deeply inhaling his scent through her nose. He was the smell before the rain. He was so close. He could make or unmake her. Inuyasha Takahashi was everything.

And even in the midst of all the terrible things that were happening, she knew that terrible things could save you.

She didn't know how much longer she stayed there, listening to the sound of his beating heart and his soft breathing. It must've been two more hours or so, and then he was shifting in her arms, his hands searching out for her. And then, he opened his weary eyes and she smiled, cause that was all she could do to keep herself from falling apart.

That's what you do. You look up the one who loves you and you smile.

When he spoke, he sounded so tired, so broken. "We made it through the night, wench…" he trailed off, and despite being extremely worn, he pulled her tighter against him and ran a hand through her mass of black hair. "I promise we'll be okay no matter what, Kagome."

She didn't have to say a thing. All she had to do was snuggle closer to him, if possible, relishing in the moment with him as he held her close, tucked her away just like that, as he ran his fingers through her hair and pressed his lips against her forehead again and again and again, showing that he was grateful for having her, and grateful for her acceptance, grateful for her carrying his kid, despite the hell she went through with it.

Everything was so extremely silent, but so extremely comfortable. She took his hand and laced it with hers, kissing it gently. "You know you can never leave me alone like that again, right, Yasha?" she breathed softly. "Your kid hates it just as much as I do. It's like I can feel it when your hurt. It's like he can feel it too. And what emanates from him brings me down even more. It hurts, you know? Please, not again-"

He silenced her with a kiss, and she felt her cheeks heat up. Maybe from frustration because he wouldn't let her finish the words that he needed to here, the words that would possibly, hopefully make him stay, or maybe it was because she missed him, she missed this.

Eventually, she relaxed and let him do as he pleased. She moaned slightly, turning her head and lifting it slightly so she could show him what she wanted, so she could show him what she'd been thinking about for the longest time. She looked straight into amber eyes, and those amber eyes looked straight back at her brown ones, and she saw hesitancy flash for just a second. His eyes were darkening and it reminded her of the lust she missed so much. And she wanted him right now, in this very moment. She wanted him to finish what he had started, she wanted to be whole with him.

He kissed her neck gently, bit the delicate skin, but not hard enough to break skin. She felt herself getting red and hot from frustration again, and she almost wanted to shove him off her, scream what she wanted into his face so maybe he'd get a better understanding.

But he continued kissing her neck so she did nothing but give in, buck against him, and moan softly, her moans and his heavy breathing cutting through the peaceful silence that was surrounding them. He suckled her neck, making sure to run his tongue languidly over where he had softly bitten, make it all better with a kiss.

She lost it when he trailed kisses down her collarbone, only to bite into her shoulder softly.

She pushed him away gently, frowning deeply as he looked at her with confusion. She sat up, still breathing heavily and still dazed. And then, she turned to look at him and got the guts to tell him exactly what she wanted.

"You know exactly what I want, Yash. It's hard being away from you like this. I feel everything when you're away, and so does your kid. Things won't change much. We'll just feel…more together, more whole than we've ever felt while we're together," he was looking at her with that stupid smirk, but she continued on, still frustrated. "Listen, I love you. You said you love me. You're the only one I want to be with forever, until the end if there's such a thing as an end when it comes to us."

He didn't say a thing, so she stood, crossing her arms over a constantly growing tummy.

"I watched you all night. You were tossing and turning and whimpering in your sleep. I wanted to cry. But I want to show you that I'm stronger than that, and that I can deal with all of this bullshit. Whether it be finding out the truth, even if I'm not sure that I accept it yet, whether it be carrying your kid, even though it's like a living hell. I love him anyway. I can deal with all this. Yash," she took a step closer to where he sat, and he looked up at her with a goofy smile, "Yasha, I love you. I've loved you ever since I met you, baka, and I'm ready. I'm telling you I am, I'm telling you the truth so don't you dare, for not even one second, think that all of this is insubstantial. Yeah, I can get pretty pathetic when you're not around. And yeah, this kid makes me sick to my guts and most of the time I'm scared to eat, but I do it because this kid is something you gave me, and no matter what happens, I know that for the rest of my life, I'll be a mother and god, I love him so much and I don't even know him - or her, yet, but this kid's a gift. Yasha, I love you, I do, I really do. And I'm ready for anything."

He still wasn't saying a damn thing, but he still had that damned goofy smile curving his lips upward, and her face reddened in anger and she let out a growl, almost ready to turn away, walk away from it all. But before she could swing her bedroom door open, he gripped her wrist tightly and turned her around to face him. His eyes were filled with things she couldn't decipher and she was taken aback, especially when he ferociously pulled her into him, his breath warm on her ear and her heart beating wildly and oddly, his beating wildly, too.

"You make things so difficult, Kagome. I had…preparations. Yeah, I hadn't got the damn ring yet, and Miroku didn't exactly know what I was planning, and actually, just one person knew. And I didn't want you to think I was only doing this because you were having my kid or anything, but I wanted you to know that I love you and my kid so much that I'd die for both of you, but I won't ever leave you alone with all this bullshit." Inuyasha trailed off for a moment, and when he got down on one knee, Kagome was taken aback again, her eyes widening and she was paralyzed in something that was close to fear, but she wasn't sure. All she could do was listen to him and the beating of her heart, and look down at him as if he was crazy. He cleared his throat, crimson taking over his cheeks before he continued.

"You see, I don't really plan things at all. And I know I really suck at these kinds of things, but I've loved you forever, too, koibito, and I'm sorry I didn't realize it soon enough. I'm sorry for all I've put you through. I'm sorry for being a terrible boyfriend, or whatever you and Sango called me, over these three, almost four…I think, years, but I'm here now and I'll make you happy no matter what, and for every time I've ever made you cry, I promise I can make up for that. You see, you're my lifeline, my best friend, my lover, all at the same time. You don't let go of people like that. It was obvious to everyone but me. I've always loved you, wench. Be my wife, be my mate, give me more brats if you want. That's fine with me. I love you, Kagome Higurashi. Always will. I know I don't have a ring yet, and I know a lot of stuff is going on, but I'm yours and that's it forever. Marry me."

She could've passed out, she could've demanded that he stopped playing around. But looking down into his eyes, all she saw was sincerity. So she closed her eyes and furiously shook her head, emotions bubbling over and her stomach in knots and she tried to swallow, but her throat didn't want to close. And when she tried to open her mouth to speak, she couldn't. All that came out was a sob, a whimper, and she heard him sigh deeply and pull himself up, his hands on her hips, and she felt how close he was, but she still couldn't open her eyes.

"Kagome," the way he said her voice emphasized all of the emotion he was feeling, too. "Kagome, open your eyes. This isn't a joke and I only want you. Forever. I promise. Please say yes before you make me feel like a complete fool. I love you."

His lips were close. They pressed ever so softly against hers, and she whimpered against him, hands on his chest and both hearts beating incredibly fast. He kissed her with all he felt, and she kissed him with all she felt, too. And right then and there, right as he gripped the back of her thighs and carefully hooked her legs around his waist, right as she ran those slender fingers through his mane of silver hair, right as he clumsily began carrying her to the bed to lay her down and show her just how she made him feel, he knew a few things.

Her answer was yes.

Kagome had forgave him long ago for all of the things he'd put her through.

She was his forever.

He was kissing her long and hard, extremely happy. And he wanted to have his way with her right now, even more so as she tried to lift his shirt over his head, but he stopped her, giving her a soft smile as he reluctantly pulled away from her.

"What -" Kagome started, confused, only for him to interrupt her.

"You know that person I said you needed to meet?" Inuyasha asked her, rolling over beside her and lacing her fingers through his. "We can't forget. It's important, and if we start now, we'll get too carried away and I hate starting something I can't finish with you. If we started, we'd be here for hours. So we need to get ready. Like I said, this person- he's pretty important, wench."

"Can't you tell me more about him, then?" Kagome asked, her thumb stroking against his knuckles.

"Wench-" Inuyasha started, frowning.

"Okay then. I won't ask anymore questions, but I'll answer one of yours," she leaned over, smiling sweetly and whispering into his ear. "A million times yes, Yasha. I love you. Thank you."

XXXxxxXXX

It was infatuation, she was sure. But god, it seemed much more intensifying with him being away from her like this. And yeah, she was pitiful, maybe. She was stupid, maybe. But that didn't change the fact that she felt what she felt.

She felt stupid, to be honest. She wanted to start a fight with him to feel something, because sometimes, she feared that she wasn't what he wanted at all. And it was pretty dumb to send him endless text messages, long ones, too, if he didn't feel the same. But she was Rin, and she never gave up and she fought for everything she wanted.

She was laying down on bed, her hand squeezing her phone so tightly she was sure it would shatter. But she was waiting. Just waiting. Waiting for her phone to make a sound, waiting for him to say hey or anything, waiting for him to start an argument or call her just so she would know her Sesshomaru was safe, just to know that he cared.

But then again, she had this problem, this problem where she felt too much. She didn't know whether it was a good or bad thing. Her mind was racing. Her heart, too. Her body was shaking, but she knew that when the road got rough and you started feeling as if the sky would fall on top of your head, you held on. And she knew that when you loved someone, you stuck it the fuck out because that's what you're supposed to do when you love someone.

Love. It was a funny word. Did she even know exactly what it was? She never had parents to love. They died and left her behind and back then, she felt as if the world was swallowing her whole and would later spit her out, sad and lost and confused. There was no mother to teach her compassion, no father to put his arms around her. But she had friends. God, she had Kagome and she had Sango and she had Inuyasha. There wasn't many of them, but it was enough for her.

But still, would she ever find this certain kind of love that she desperately wanted to find? Yeah, she knew she had amazing friends like Kagome. And she also knew that if someone was to dissect her, they'd find that her friends were a big part of her. But still, she wanted to find that other kind of love, and she wasn't ashamed to say that she wanted a lover and a best friend. She was jealous of Kagome sometimes.

Speaking of her, she was worried. She hadn't heard from her in forever it seemed, and now she was feeling bad.

She would see what was going on later, she decided. For right now, she'd lay there feeling as empty as she'd ever felt, thinking over and over again and wishing Sesshomaru was here. Did he have any idea what she felt for him? He had to. He was a demon. He could tell her emotions, he could see what was in her eyes better than anyone else could. He could hear her heart racing, he could feel what she felt. But her emotions weren't enough to drown him or make him feel an ounce of sympathy, because she didn't think she'd ever mean that much to him.

Her phone still hadn't made a sound. The dorm seemed so empty without Kagome. She could hear nothing. Feel nothing. And that was when she sat up, tired of feeling this way, tired of comparing herself to this Kagura woman, tired of thinking of her past in that horrible, horrible orphanage, tired of feeling envy over what she didn't have, tired of everything.

She had gotten lost for a while. She had forgotten how to smile. But in that moment, sitting up and taking a deep breath and running a hand through her hair, she smiled as wide as she could because she missed it.

This is what you do when you love someone. You stick it out. You just stick it the fuck out and stay strong and realize that courage isn't always as loud as an earthquake or a war, volcano or tornado or hurricane, it isn't as loud as all the shit you hear inside of your head and it isn't as loud as all of the voices in there screaming failure. In that moment, she realized that courage was sometimes as quiet as the sound of a heart breaking, as quiet as the wind caressing through your hair.

She would try again. After all, she was human and she never ever gave up.

XXXxxxXXX

"Bravery," he said, his hand touching her arm and she could feel him smiling, almost see it. She shivered from his touch.

Bravery? Kikyo had definitely been brave before. She had been brave when she had fallen in love with this man, or whoever the hell he was now, and she had been brave when she had slept with the girl's lover behind her back. She had been brave all of her life. She had been brave when he had beat her, when knives were flung towards her, she had been brave when Naraku had wanted her apart of all this bullshit.

He pulled her close. His touch was cold and she wondered how she had taken comfort in him so long ago. He was gripping her throat. There would be more blood on his claws. Could he see? Could he feel?

"You're brave, Kikyo, so fucking brave. I'm proud of you," he whispered all of these things to her. "And do you want to know something else? I love you. I love you so much."

He pulled her closer and she was shivering.

"You'll do as I say."

And that was it and it always would be, forever. Just because he had that much power and just because she was shit. She was pure shit and she was nothing else, never nothing more.

Sometimes, she didn't think she needed bravery, especially in small moments of her life. He made her realize that she did.

XXXxxxXXX

She couldn't be scared. She loved him and that meant that she trusted him with everything in her, even if it broke her heart in the end.

It was getting dark outside and she had no idea where he was leading her. She was starting to feel cold, but his hand in hers kept her warm, mostly. He walked her slowly, and when she looked over to catch a glimpse of him, he looked serious and almost fearful. He tightened his grip on her hand, jaws clenched together. He was tense.

He caught her staring and a slow smile started on her lips as she held onto his hand tighter. "I trust you." She told him, and it was as simple as that.

Inuyasha gave a nervous smirk back, obviously trying to hide how tense he was. She leaned into him, sighing lightly and letting him wrap his strong arm around her waist.

Once again, all she could think about was the day this pregnancy would end. But their child was precious, people had told her so. They would look at her and stare, shake their heads in shame at the thought of her being so young, looking so pregnant, and looking so irresponsible and unaware and unmarried. She was learning to ignore all of that, though. She was having a child with someone she loved, and her family was there for her, too, and the father. So finally, she had started to become a bit more comfortable with the changes in her body. No more baggy hoodies and sweatpants. She dressed how she wanted, even if her growing belly showed.

After all, Inuyasha didn't seem to mind. And she was slowly beginning to realize that barefoot, first thing in the morning, she felt surrounded with beauty, just because he accepted her love, just because he was here and just because he cared and just because she never thought she could simply brighten someone's day by loving them with all of her heart.

His grip on her tightened, and suddenly, a low growl erupted from deep within his chest and she froze, eyes going wide as she wondered what sort of tragedy would happen next.

"Yasha?" she asked ever so quietly, heart rate speeding up.

Inuyasha was quiet at first, and suddenly she realized that she felt someone was around. She was still frozen to spot, her hand squeezing the life out of his and vice versa. Suddenly, he was pulling her behind him, and suddenly, her mind was racing.

"Stop thinking the worst, Kagome," Inuyasha finally said quietly to her. The only thing that could be heard in the dark of the night was their harsh breathing, and the beating of hearts. "He's here," he finally told her. "He wants to speak to you and he doesn't want me around when he does. You trust me, right?"

Kagome eagerly nodded her head, the sound of her wildly beating heart blocking out any sense at all. "I trust you with my life."

And that was the truth and that was all he needed.

He pulled her close to him, kissing her slow and sweet like the way he used to hurt her. He pulled away, his forehead touching hers and his panting in her ear. He kissed her forehead, and she closed her eyes, her heart slowing down as she looked up into his eyes. "Promise me that if anything goes wrong, you'll call for me. Promise me, Kagome. I'm not playing."

She nodded again and closed her eyes, finding it quite hard to speak. "Like I said, I trust you and I promise."

When she opened her eyes, Inuyasha was gone and so was his heat and every other feeling he'd left her with, and the shadows seemed to be moving and the wind seemed to blow a bit harder and the moon seemed to shine a bit brighter, and that was when she saw him.

At first, she thought all of this was a joke. It had to be. But the man stepped closer to her. His features were harder than Inuyasha's. His eyes were more narrowed, they were brighter. He stood tall and proud, that same smirk on his face, though. He was big, his muscles strong and his eyes warmer than Sesshomaru's, cooler than Inuyasha's. His hair was long, long, long, flowing past his waist. He had pride in every step he took and he was smiling at her, his eyes glancing down at her slightly protruding belly.

There were no bad vibes about this man. Looking at him, she felt as if she could fall into his arms, have him be her protector and she was instantly drawn to him, completely enticed. She took a step closer, one hand reaching out and one laying protectively over her belly where her child rested inside of her womb just in case. There was no change in her child's aura. If anything, she suddenly felt lightened, she suddenly felt safe even though she couldn't see Inuyasha, only feel him.

He was still smiling at her, but that didn't stop her from being cautious. She didn't know why, but she felt safe.

His voice was unlike any other she'd ever heard. It wasn't soft, no, not like Sesshomaru's. His voice was gruff like his youngest son's voice, but it had a soft tone underneath it, a tone of experience and wisdom and kindness and if it wasn't Inuyasha's and Sesshomaru's father, she didn't know who the hell it was. It had to be. "Kagome."

Her eyes widened in realization. This man was the one Inuyasha claimed to hate, the one that he said he'd never miss. This man was the reason, this man was the big influence in Inuyasha's life. An influence to be a better father, and suddenly, Kagome felt so extremely thankful for him.

She stepped closer despite the tenseness Inuyasha showed earlier, despite the fact that he talked down about his father so many times. She rested a hand on his rough cheek, eyes still wide, but her heart calm and steady and strong. That was how this man made her feel. He made her feel strong, he made her feel brave. She looked up into his eyes, narrowing hers slightly.

"Inu no Taisho, huh? I've heard plenty about you." Kagome said and then she swallowed even though her throat didn't want to close. After all, Inuyasha had never said that he was dead. Here he was, real, eyes shining with life under the moonlight, and he was not insubstantial, none of this was insubstantial. He took her hand in hers, and she wanted to know everything.

"He was right," Inu no Taisho spoke in that voice that made her feel so extremely safe. "You're beautiful. And you're glowing, just as you should be. Motherhood is a nice look on you, Kagome."

Her eyes narrowed to slits and she backed away a bit. "How much do you know? How much did Inuyasha tell you? What do you know?"

"Inuyasha…" Inu no Taisho chuckled a bit and Kagome rubbed her belly, not forgetting to be cautious. "Inuyasha chose well. Why hasn't he marked you?"

She winced. "Don't answer my question with one of yours, Taisho. You most likely have answers and I wanted them."

The man nodded slowly, and Kagome looked at him in amazement. She wanted to be tough, she didn't want to let her guard down. But this man suddenly felt like he was family, and the baby resting in her womb didn't seem to have any problem with that. Her stomach wasn't churning, and her baby still wasn't giving off any strange auras around this man. He had those eyes that made it easy to trust him…just like Inuyasha. How could Inuyasha have hated a man like this? Were all those things he said just to keep from missing him? He looked like an amazing father, an amazing, wise man. Those stripes on his cheeks made him seem dangerous, but those eyes made him seem so kind, so trusting.

"I don't know everything." Inu no Taisho told her simply.

Kagome growled, suddenly frustrated and Taisho was taken aback. "Tell me what you do know then. Yeah, I'm a priestess, I get that. And the kid's father is half-demon, yeah, I get that, too. But what makes my baby so special? What makes me so special? I don't feel so special. Not once in my life have I felt or discovered any of these powers. I'm just a normal girl. My baby should be normal, too. I don't get it. I have something Naraku wants, apparently, and so does this kid. But they won't take him away. I'll do anything in my power not to let that happen."

Taisho nodded, looking at her with kind eyes filled with sympathy as he watched her eyes fill with tears. As soon as the tears started, they stopped. He watched as his soon-to-be daughter-in-law gritted her teeth and fiercely wiped away the tears from her cheeks. Very quickly he began to understand that Inuyasha had chosen the best. He'd chosen a girl with bravery, he'd chosen a warrior that would never give up, mortal or immortal. He couldn't lie to this girl, and he decided it was about time that she knew the truth because she deserved it.

"You carry the jewel inside of you, young one. And also, you carry the child of a brave priestess and a fierce half-demon, a Takahashi at that. Our blood…it's rare. And you're strong to be carrying this child despite the possibilities. There's a war going on that may never end. And they see a chance of it all ending if they have what's inside of you. The Shikon jewel, and that powerful child. Bravery. We may all die a thousand times before this war is over, but I know of Naraku and I know of his ways, and this time, he can't have this way. That child could change the world for the better, and that jewel you're carrying could fall into the wrong hands and that, darling, could change the world for the worst."

Suddenly, she was angry. Inuyasha hadn't told her, no one had told her. Didn't this put her in danger? Didn't this put their child in more danger. She quickly realized how precious the truth really was, and quickly understood the importance of knowing the truth, even if it stabbed her insides and made her heart go haywire. It was meant to be known.

She was crying again, and if possible, that angered her more. Her eyes narrowed, her teeth clenching together as she held a hand tight over her belly and used the other hand to once again angrily wipe away those worthless tears. She might as well save them for a time when she was really gonna need it. She just wish she knew sooner.

"What do I do?" she almost cried out desperately. "Make me stronger. Give me all the strength I'll ever need. I'll die for my child, and I'll be damned if anyone takes him away from me. Teach me, Taisho."

He looked at her, slightly amused and slightly concerned. The girl was strong, that was for sure. "Inuyasha knows someone who can make you stronger, someone who can prepare you for the worst and for all else that is to come. You'll be safe. Your child is family, and even though you and Inuyasha aren't mated, you're already like family. You have potential. You have bravery. If you didn't think you'd need that in the smallest moments of your life…well, you do."

She nodded, felt his arms as he pulled her close into his chest. Her heart calmed, her mind stopped racing and the squirming baby inside of her belly seemed to calm down. She closed her eyes. Inu no Taisho smelled of earth, water, and trees. Just like Inuyasha. She was safe and he was family, they were all family now and that meant they fought together, they loved together, they stayed together, and no one was to be left behind or forgotten.

"Thank you," she murmured into his chest, eyes shut tight.

"Go home and rest, Kagome. You'll need it for your training. I want that child…my grandchild…healthy. No stress, no worries. We'll meet again soon, Kagome. Goodbye, and be strong. You'll need it."

And that was that. When she opened her eyes, he was gone and Inuyasha was there.

He didn't ask her any questions, not even when he saw her all tensed up next to him. Her aura and his child's aura, both were calmer than before. So he didn't say a thing as he pulled her close to him, comforting her.

And when they were home, all alone in darkness after they had lost themselves with heaven orbiting around them, with every touch belonging to each sound, the only words that were spoken was "I love you."

And he meant those words more than he'd ever meant anything in his life and he knew that she did, too.

A/N: Damn, it's been two months. But I've been so busy with life and school that I suddenly just became uninterested in writing, and I honestly don't know when the next chapter will be out. But I'll try. I hope you all can forgive me for being SO extremely late. I meant to have this chapter done by the end of November, but you know, shit happens. A lot of shit. And I'm really just trying to adjust to this seemingly new life of mine. But I'm not giving up. Never, ever that. I'll try to update soon, so please just stick with me guys!

Reviews please? Thank you guys so much! (: