CHAPTER 24
Kitchens and Bare Feet
Sesshomaru pushed his thumb and index finger into his eyes. The days rushing around gave him such a head ache. He was glad he handled today, Kagome would have had a fit if she knew that the florist had the dates mixed up. Luckily that was the first and only issue; the rest went smoothly.
When he opened the door, Rin stopped dead in her tracks. She stared at him, eyes growing bigger by the second. He was sure his facial expression was very obvious about how he felt: Confuse.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it with an audible click of teeth. He could see the pressure build inside her, and then as suddenly as she stopped, she bolted up the stairs.
His frown deepened, he left his jacket and bag by the front door. Shippou also stopped dead in the kitchen archway and stared.
"Good afternoon?" he tried,
"Hi?" Shippou, still shell-shocked looked into the kitchen, and then again, bolted up the stairs,
When he was at the top, he shouted down,
"My mother has gone insane!"
Sesshomaru could feel the permanent etch his frown would be leaving. He cautiously stepped towards the kitchen. Shippou was right, Kagome was acting strange since the night before. He wrote it off as nervousness, but this was getting ridiculous.
"Good afternoon my love," Kagome's sing song voice appeared as her entered the kitchen,
She was glowing, dancing through the kitchen. Maybe the medication had side-effects?
"Honey," Sesshomaru glared at her,
"Yesss," she threw her arms around his neck, trying to pull him down for a kiss,
He would not budge,
"It is the day before the wedding…"
"Yesss?" she battered her eye lashes, trying again for a kiss… he still did not budge,
"Don't you think SHOES might be a good idea… Since you ARE sick?"
"It's only the Egyptian Flu, love, nothing serious," she turned on her heals and darted for the living room,
Shippou was definitely right, she was going insane,
"Be a dear and get me some juice?" she called, he could hear her plop down onto the sofa,
Sighing he made his way to the fridge. The sharp light blinding him for a few seconds. The fridge was full of different flavoured juices; grape, apple, orange. Fruit and vegetables was stuffed into the weirdest places. Annoyed he pulled a bunch of carrots out of a shelf and stopped. His eye caught something. It was a clear bottle with a strange yellow cap. The bottle was plastic, slightly yellow with something inside. He placed the carrots on the table top, and removed the bottle… The animals decorating the bottle made a lump rise in his throat… It was a baby bottle, and inside was what looked like a… a pregnancy test…
The only reason he knew what one looked like, was because he found one in the trash last year when Kagome's period was late. But this one had two stripes, where the other only had one. Sesshomaru was so lost in thought that he did not notice that Kagome was re-entered the kitchen. She was sitting on the counter top, swinging her legs and looking at him. He finally looked up at her, shock still on his face,
"And this?" he chocked,
"It's what you wanted, if I recall correctly," her smile was wide, but sincere,
"And what would that be?" he gently placed the bottle on the counter, steadying himself,
"Me barefoot and in a kitchen," she winked,
He covered the room in a few long strides, pinning her legs.
"You are pregnant?" his voice gave nothing away, his features on his face was stone,
Kagome swallowed a sudden lump in her throat,
"Yes? I am…" her happy bubble dangerously close to bursting,
"And so close to the wedding," his eyebrows started to knot together,
"Sess-"
"Is this why you said yes?"
A sharp sound echoed through the quiet kitchen, Sesshomaru took a step back, his hand slowly going to his cheek.
"No!" Kagome practically screamed, tears filling her angry eyes,
"How dare you!" she started getting off the table, knots forming in her back,
"I can't believe after everything, you would-"
In her fury she had not seen him step closer, until he enveloped her in his arms and held her close to his chest. He was suffocating her; she tried struggling until she felt it. Warm and wet on the crown of her head.
"Are you?" she finally got her face out of his chest,
"Are you crying?" she reached for his face, and he allowed her to take his cheek,
"No," his voice hoarse,
His eyes barely betrayed him, but a soft glimmer was at the corners. He took her cheeks in turn,
"Oh, Kagome," his face softened into a smile,
His hands dropped to her stomach,
"Oh, good gawd, I love you," he kissed her forehead and dropped to his knees,
He kissed her still flat belly twice, looking up,
"How far are you?" his hands never left their place,
"Until I go for a scan, they said about 8 weeks,"
"Beautiful," he kissed her belly again,
Kagome loved the sight: Sesshomaru looked happy, kneeling before her, admiring the idea of a small Sesshomaru growing inside of her.
"Do they know?" he nuzzled her stomach,
"You are the first," she smiled, playing with his hair,
"Another first," he breathed,
He scooped her into his arms, and with long strides, they were in their bedroom.
He placed her on their bed softly, plumping some pillows and instructing her to lie down. Sighing, she complied; her back unwinding slightly.
"I do not wish to leave your side tonight," his hands were lazily in his pockets,
"Sango will be here," she reminded him,
"And Rin," she relaxed into the softness behind her,
"I will be fine," she rested a hand on her belly.
What a strange thought, a little person growing inside of her.
Sesshomaru pushed his fingers through his hair, a deep sigh brought her back from her thoughts.
"Fine," he breathed, relaxing his shoulders, he dropped onto the bed next to her,
"Just tonight, and the last night," he shifted onto his side, and closer to her,
His large hand covering her flat belly, he smiled,
"What are you hoping for?" Kagome whispered,
A noise at the door broke the serenity. Sesshomaru's face went hard again as his brows knotted.
"Shhh…"
"Shut up, you,"
"What are they doing?"
"I told you their not arguing,"
"Well I don't think I want to know what they are doing,"
"Well they stopped talking thanks to your big feet-"
"Rin!" Sesshomaru raised his voice, and the silence fell,
The door slowly opened with a red-cheeked Rin poking her head into the room,
"Yeah?" her eyes didn't leave the floor,
"Would you be so kind as to get Kagome some juice," his voice stayed levelled and cool,
"Uh, yeah," she hated being in trouble,
"Shippou,"
"Yeah," he kept his eyes on the ceiling,
"Make sure Rin gets a move on," Sesshomaru's voice kept authority,
"And both of you need to come sit down,"