Inuyasha was getting worried. Surely he and Kagome hadn't had that much sex? She was still sleeping! It had been two days already; he knew his love was mind-blowing, but now he was concerned he'd killed or paralyzed her or something. The fact that Kagome's heart rarely beat didn't help him any. It was time to seek some help.

Since he didn't trust Houjou or Kanna not to break into his house and attempt to kill her (if, in fact, she still lived), Inuyasha gathered Kagome up and left the apartment. He was going to have to head to Sapporo and get Kagome properly diagnosed by her mother, even though the conversation would more than likely be somewhat awkward. "Yeah, I think I fucked your daughter to death. Is that what's wrong with her?"

It was just his luck that the awkwardness started as soon as he left the building. Who should he bump into but Gingitsune, getting up from a bench rubbing her stomach.

"Excuse me." He said evenly, and she sighed, looking nervous.

"Not today, Inuyasha."

"Whatever. I have somewhere to go anyway." Inuyasha shrugged, walking around her and continuing to walk. Apparently, she was flabbergasted at his disinclination to make conversation with her, and jogged alongside him.

"Where are you going?"

"I thought you said not today. I assumed that meant for me to leave you alone."

"I'm sorry, I don't feel well today. I shouldn't've been rude to you."

"I don't care."

"Are you bitter?"

"I said I don't care." Just then, Gingitsune noticed the vampiress in Inuyasha's arms, and pursed her lips resentfully.

"Oh. I see you have business to attend to."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you, and yet you're still walking beside me. Why is that, Gingitsune? When I wanted to spend time with you, you wanted to be around your boyfriend Houjou. You didn't have time. Well, now I don't have time for your faucetries."

"What the hell is a faucetry?!" Gingitsune laughed in disbelief. "Don't you mean falsity?"

"No. I mean faucetry. You run more hot and cold than a faucet; hence the term."

"That's pretty inventive of you."

"Gee, thanks. Now could you tell me why you're still around me?"

"Not really."

"Whatever." He repeated listlessly. Inuyasha was determined to have his hands washed of Gingitsune as much as possible (though he'd still try to protect her, of course). Her fate was her own. That was how she wanted it, right? "I wasn't lying when I said I didn't have time for you. I need to find out what's wrong with my nyoubou." Somehow, the term didn't seem as foreign as he thought it would when said to Gingitsune. In fact, it sounded just right.

"Your...nyoubou?"

"Kagome's my wife by law now."

"I thought you...said you were only lusting for her." It was clear that Gingitsune was hurt now, but Inuyasha was forcing himself not to care. She hadn't cared when he was hurt.

"I was. And then I found that I liked her more than that. She accepted the bond because she likes me as well. But I suppose that's uncharacteristic of you."

"Oh...I see."

"No, Gingitsune, I don't think you do see. Do you know what this bond entails? We're going to be together forever. That's quite some time, I realize, but I thought about it for some time, and I decided—you wouldn't be a suitable nyoubou after all." Inuyasha wanted to stop there, but some unknown force was propelling him to say more. "You're faithless, irresolute, and altogether flawed. If I had made you mine, the relationship wouldn't withstand a day. Kagome is a special woman, and I feel as though I judged her too rashly in the past because of what she was, but I let myself get to know her better, and now I think that this is the woman I want to bear my children. Do you see now?"

"I get it, Inuyasha." Gingitsune ground her teeth together, her eyes becoming moist. "I wanted to tell you I was pregnant, but you're too busy being a total ass to care, so I guess I'll leave." Inuyasha paused for a brutal moment. She was pregnant. Gingitsune was pregnant. And there was only one possible father...he knew the child—or children, God forbid—would scourge Gingitsune's body so badly she would pray for death, if by some divine intervention it did not come. She was strong, sure, but the pain was still unbearable even for vampire women. His prediction had come true. Gingitsune was not long for this earth.

"Gingitsune, I..." His voice was streaked with every emotion he felt right then: pity, pain, hate, and anger. And then it all vanished, replaced with a cold firmness of purpose. "I wish you a happy pregnancy." He said instead, and continued on his way.

Gingitsune did not follow him.

When he came to Nanako's apartment building, Kagome still had not awoken as he'd hoped. Inuyasha sighed, going into the building and knocking on Nanako's door.

"Come in" was the muffled reply from inside, and Inuyasha opened the door.

"Hi, stranger. Haven't seen you in a while. Thought you'd killed my daughter by now." Nanako smiled brightly at him from her spot on the couch. Inuyasha laughed nervously, laying Kagome down on the couch beside her mother.

"Um...funny thing about that. First, there's something I think I should explain to you..."

"You and Kagome are coupled now." Nanako continued to smile, and it was unnerving Inuyasha greatly. "And one night, after you mated with her, she fell asleep and never woke up. Am I right?"

"...Listen, Nanako, I didn't plan for it to happen this way." He started saying frantically, hoping to invoke her pity. "I really didn't. I honestly was just in it for the lust, at first, but then I found out we were mated!"

"Inuyasha, calm down!" Nanako laughed. "I'm not mad. I'm happy you're together!"

"You...are? Then how did you know what happened to Kagome?!"

"Because, sweetheart, it happened to me. I am a mother, remember?" Inuyasha's brain fizzled and he wasn't sure he'd understood what language she was speaking.

"What does your being a mother have to do with Kagome's heavy sleeping?" He asked, slowly and carefully.

"Kagome's pregnant, Inuyasha." Amusement made Nanako's bright red eyes sparkle. Inuyasha looked as though he'd just had a stroke.

In fact, he fell to the floor.

And stopped moving.

Nanako's laughter could be heard from miles away.

"Sorry I...passed out." Inuyasha muttered, feeling embarrassed as he drank a small cup of blood.

"No worries. Takefumi reacted pretty much the same when I told him." Nanako grinned.

"So...uh...she's..." He squeaked out the word "pregnant", as if it would kill him to say it too clearly.

"Ah, you men. So quick to have sex, but bring up the word "pregnancy" and you're such children about it. No pun intended...wait, it might have been."

"I'm no child!" Inuyasha huffed, then simmered down. "I'm just at a loss as to how to...you know, take this."

"Well, I'm happy about it, frankly, but I can't tell you how to react." Nanako idly tapped her claws on the side of the chair.

"I mean...what if we end up with something uncontrollable?"

"All newborns are uncontrollable, Inuyasha, whether or not they were born normally or created. They just need a good guardian to teach them better, and I'm fairly confident that you and Kagome will more than meet the qualifications." Inuyasha was quiet at this for a few moments, looking over at his nyoubou, who slept on.

"Can you tell me about it? I mean, what's it going to be like?"

"Certainly." Nanako's smile was much more eager than Inuyasha had anticipated, and she explained, "I've always wanted a chance to explain this to my daughter's teishu one day, but once Takefumi impregnated me and I saw I would have a hanketsuki, I never thought she would live long enough to have one."

"Oh." A surge of guilt arose in Inuyasha as he remembered his hatred of Kagome and her human blood.

"Well, anyway. Average pregnancy lasts anywhere from three to six months. The time can consist of any of the following: violent distemper, insatiable lust, occasionally hysterical sadness, delusion--"

"Whoa, whoa, wait. Delusion?" Inuyasha clarified, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yep!" She chirped. "I can't tell you how many times I almost killed someone, thinking they were out to get me! Ha ha ha!" Inuyasha stared at her and her laughter trailed off. "Ahem...but it probably wouldn't be that bad. Heheh."

"Right. Anything else?" Inuyasha mumbled.

"Hunger. I honestly cannot stress this enough, Inuyasha—feed her, and feed her extravagantly. You have to realize that she's eating for two. It doesn't matter whether the blood is human or otherwise; just make sure she gets enough, or else."

"Or else...what?"

"You don't want to know." Nanako shook her head, no longer in an amused mood.

"No, I do want to know. What happens when she gets underfed?"

"The child will attack Kagome's body and move about riotously until it gets the proper sustenance. If it doesn't get it externally, it succumbs to feeding on Kagome's inner body..."

"Which will kill her." Inuyasha finished gravely. Nanako said nothing, confirming his reply. "Well...is that all?"

"...Oh! No, I forgot about the petulance. She's already very easily annoyed, but when she gets heavier, you have to be careful. Other than that, there's nothing more."

"What about when she actually starts having this kid?"

"Bring her straight to me. Vampiric childbirth is...something best left to those who've been through it before. And then you may want to leave the room." Inuyasha grimaced, not wanting to envision that.

"One more question. Is she supposed to sleep like that?"

"I suspect she's tired." Nanako shrugged. "Throughout her pregnancy, she's bound to sleep a lot more often."

"Oh. So...don't wake her up?"

"Well, how long's it been?"

"...Three days."

"..." Nanako looked blankly at the nervously laughing man before her and shook her head with a sigh.

"Inuyasha."

"Yeah?"

"Wake my daughter up."