Trinity Blood Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Shadows of Time ❯ Chapter 19

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Title: The Shadows of Time

Author: Ryukotsusei

Fandom: Inuyasha and Trinity Blood

Rating: NC 17

Warnings: Violence, torture, language, lemons, spoilers for the entire series just to be safe, and the possibility of out of character characterizations. Read at your own risk.

Pairings: Tres Iqus x Kagome Higurashi x Abel Nightroad

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Trinity Blood. The series belong to Rumiko Takahashi, and the late Sunao Yoshido. I make no money off of this fan fiction.

Author's Note: So it wasn't quite such a long wait for this chapter. We may just be getting back into the swing of things for updates.

For everyone looking for new things to read, we've recently run a contest on our Hiei/Kagome forum: The Deadliest Sin. Registered members can get a sneak peek at these stories before they hit the public sites, and you can even have a hand at choosing the winner. Come check it out! Http :// thedeadliestsin .proboards55 . com/

Chapter Nineteen

It had been four months since the day that Father Nightroad had walked out of their lives. There wasn't a day that Kagome didn't think about him, and often she wondered if there was anything that she could have done to make him stay. It had taken a long time for her anger and hurt to fade away enough that she could feel him through the bond again, despite the distance that separated them but it had finally happened.

A sigh escaped her lips and she continued to stare at Tres and Inuyasha working in the distance, even though she really wasn't seeing them. Instead her thoughts were turned inward, focused on the sorrow coursing through her that was not her own. Now she could understand that Abel hadn't wanted to leave, even if she didn't understand why he had forced the issue. Regret was prevalent through the bond, as was longing and she often wondered if perhaps he might return.

Would she be able to greet him with open arms if a reunion came about? Honestly she wasn't so sure. She'd begun to forgive him for the hurtful things that he had said, but not meant. However that didn't mean that Inuyasha had. When he'd learned that the Crusnik had left, he'd exploded in a rage and if it hadn't been for the fact that the target of his anger was over open water, he would have gone and hunted the priest down. It was a battle that would not have ended well and Kagome wasn't so sure that Inuyasha had calmed down enough to face the man again yet.

Perhaps one day things would be settled enough, if Abel ever decided that he wanted to return. Kagome's eyes settled on Tres and she sighed again. The redhead seemed to be mostly indifferent to the fact that his partner had left, although he had been going out of his way to make up for Abel's absence. He was if nothing else attentive, to the point of hovering even. Even when she'd attempted to push him away he'd persisted and it had only gotten worse as the signs of her pregnancy had made itself known. In short he was driving her to distraction at times.

Uncomfortably she shifted when the baby kicked her rather harshly, as if saying that it didn't like the melancholic path that her thoughts had taken. Gently she rubbed the sore spot on her side, feeling the foot press firmly against the palm of her hand. 'Yeah, you're definitely unhappy with the way today is going, aren't you?' She knew that she should probably take the opportunity to lay down and perhaps stretch her back out, but now that spring was upon them she was having a hard time accepting the thought of going back inside. She'd been cooped up for far too long and it had taken a while for her to convince both Tres and Inuyasha to even let her come outside to watch them work.

The pregnancy certainly hadn't been easy on her. The worst had to be the agonizing backaches along with the migraines that came with them. With a sigh she glanced down to her swollen stomach, for being only five months along she felt huge. Kaede had tried to reassure her by attributing her size to the fact that both Abel and Tres were so tall while she was... well, short. 'If I didn't know better I'd say she was full of it and that I was expecting twins.'

However if that was the case, then one of them was unusually quiet since she never felt more than two feet kicking her at a time. The only blessing had been she hadn't been horribly afflicted with morning sickness on top of it all. 'That would have just been the icing on the cake, although it wouldn't surprise me with all the crap they're having me eat.' By far the most disgusting had to be the liver of any animal that Inuyasha had killed, but she still ate it. However, she put her foot down when he insisted that she eat her meat raw, citing that the fresh blood would keep her from getting anemic. 'Maybe I should have listened to him. It's not like I can get iron pills here and I'm always so tired.'

Speaking of Inuyasha, he had stopped in his work and was currently looking at her, although for what she wasn't exactly sure. She was about to get up to see if he wanted something, but just before she could even attempt to move, he looked away and resumed what he was doing. 'It's probably a good thing, I don't think I could get up without help anyway.'

Inuyasha looked at the wooden planks with irritation before looking at the redhead that was laboring beside him to frame in the house they were attempting to build. While this was the last thing he wanted to do, neither Tres nor Kagome and the baby could continue staying in Kaede's little hut. At first the suggestion had been made to make a hut of slightly larger size for the three of them, but Inuyasha had quickly killed that idea. With her failing health, something so drafty was not an option for either her or the child. It was bad enough that they were limited in where she could stay now and he was worried that she was only going to become more ill. 'I don't know what we were thinking when we said she could sit outside today.' However it was a bit too late to change the decision without a war breaking out and at that point he wasn't sure that was something any of them wanted to deal with.

The best thing that he could do was keep working and not dwell on the issue. They had to get this house finished, but it had been almost a total disaster at the beginning. Unfortunately, he knew next to nothing about building houses and had been forced to rely on Tres for suggestions. Some had worked, others, unfortunately had not. Eventually though they had the basic concept down and things were now moving smoothly; which was a blessing in his opinion since Kagome had begun pestering them to let her watch them work. He really hadn't wanted her watching during the trial and error stage of building this house. If nothing else he wanted to spare himself the embarrassment, even if he didn't give a rat's ass about Tres and his feelings.

However his irritation for the day wasn't on the house itself per say, but the person who should have been there working along side of them. 'I sure as hell won't be living in this thing! I shouldn't even have to be working on it.' Yet there was really no other choice, not if he wanted Kagome to get better, even if it would do little to dispel the despair that seemed to have settled over her. When she'd returned that day, she'd been completely inconsolable and he hadn't known how to help her. But the anger and hurt she had felt had to be better than the forgiveness that she was extending to the bastard that was responsible for the whole mess.'Really, you'd think she'd be mad at both of them, not blaming herself for something that she wasn't responsible for.'

'Well, even if she can't hate him, I've got enough anger for the both of us.' A desire burned within him to run into Abel sometime in the near future so he could remove the bastard's head, but he knew how unlikely that was. If the man hadn't come back, even after feeling what Kagome had gone through then he wasn't going to. The sheer amount of self loathing the girl had put herself through about not being good enough was enough to put him into a rage, even after all the time that had passed. 'She didn't need those fucking doubts he put in her head and the bastard had to know what he was doing.' Absolutely nothing could convince him that the man was thinking of the girl's best interests. He'd gotten scared, plain and simple and he couldn't handle the reality that he couldn't have the girl all to himself.

Yet he knew that Nightroad wasn't the only one responsible for what had happened and he was certain that the man standing next to him could have prevented the whole thing. He longed to unleash his anger on that particular target, but to do so would immediately arouse Kagome's suspicion. Covertly he gazed at her through his bangs while he picked up another board and then held it in place so that Tres could nail it up. Did she suspect that Tres had a hand in Abel's decision to leave? If she did, she hadn't said anything as of yet.'She's probably afraid that he'll abandon her too. Even though she has us, Tres and Abel have become such a large part of who she is, she's afraid of losing the both of them.'

But her reluctance to question him only caused more questions to burn in his mind. Surely the Crusnik had said something besides the shit he'd spewed out to Kagome before he'd left. However, it certainly wasn't said to him and he doubted that the man had opened up to Miroku either. No, there was only one person who knew what was going on in that moron's head, and that was the man next to him. Finally, curiosity got the better of him and he decided to initiate the conversation that would give him the answers he desired.

“I think it's time we talked,” he said at last, although he was careful to keep his voice low enough so that there was no chance they could be overheard. He also continued working so that Kagome wouldn't get any bright ideas, like get up from the stool that she was sitting on at the moment.

The hanyou's tone told Tres exactly what subject it was that he wanted to talk about and immediately he stiffened. Truthfully he'd been expecting this conversation for a while and it surprised him that the hanyou had waited so long. “We have nothing to speak of,” he stated calmly and grabbed another handful of nails.

While Inuyasha held another plank in place, he fixed the redhead with a glare, “Like hell we don't. I want to know why the fuck you didn't stop him.” He refused to believe that Abel would decide to leave out of the blue like that and not stop to make sure that Tres would continue protecting Kagome. He might not know either man all that well, but even he realized that the Crusnik would have at least done that much.

“Father Nightroad had made his decision and he was under no obligation to remain once Naraku was eliminated. Nothing I could have said would have made a difference,” Tres replied and began hammering the board in place. It was the truth as he saw it and Inuyasha was going to have to accept it. He'd made the promise to remain with her forever, the Crusnik had not.

“No?I call bullshit on that answer,” Inuyasha said with a snort, “You don't think that knowing he was about to become a father would have made a shits worth of difference?” While Nightroad might have been a lot of things, it didn't strike him that being the type of person to abandon his child would be one of them, or walking away from the child's mother, if only he had known.

Immediately Tres stiffened and looked at the hanyou, his expression unidentifiable. “The child's parentage is as of yet unknown, and would have only prolonged the inevitable. A clean break was best for all involved.”

“You mean the best for you, because it sure as shit wasn't the best for Kagome,” Inuyasha said with a growl, “Face it. This worked out only in your best interest and you were being to selfish to think about anyone but yourself. If Kagome wasn't important enough to consider, then what about that kid, huh? What do you think it's going to think when it finds out that daddy left because he or she wasn't important enough to stick around for?” His eyes narrowed as he picked up the redhead's increasing agitation, “I struck a nerve didn't I? You're so wrapped up in the fact that you get to play house that you don't even want to consider the likelihood that this kid ain't yours.”

Calming himself, Tres took a deep breath, but refused to look at the hanyou. The man had indeed struck a nerve, but contrary to what Inuyasha thought, the decision had been made in what they believed was Kagome's best interest. As for the determination of the child's father, he refused to think about that at this time. “We've had this discussion already. Parentage cannot be...”

“Determined yet? Oh, for crying out loud, shut up! Who the hell do you think you're talking to? Use some common sense for once and stop relying on those damned statistics and probabilities that you like to pull out of your ass. Or is it that you'd rather be blind to the fact that Nightroad's genes probably gave him the advantage over you in getting her pregnant?” Inuyasha's smirk turned malicious when Tres' eyes narrowed. One way or another he was going to make damned sure that the redhead knew how he felt about this entire situation.

“Are you implying that you already have the answer to that question?” Tres asked, tired of the hanyou's games. If the man had solid, concrete proof, then he wanted to hear it and if he didn't, then Inuyasha needed to stand down before the situation got ugly. He hadn't been ready to consider the fact that the child might not be his and what would need to be done if it wasn't. Nor was it something that he really wanted to deal with right now.

Crossing his arms, Inuyasha leaned against the wooden framework they'd just put up, “It seems pretty damned obvious to me, no matter what Kaede has said. But I guess since you're just a human, you wouldn't know these things, would you?”

Tres ignored that particular jab and stared blandly at the hanyou, “Your vague way of answering is unacceptable. If you wish to continue this discussion, elaborate without the dramatics, otherwise we should finish this conversation later where Kagome does not have a chance to interfere.” Of course, talking wasn't likely to be the only thing that ended up stemming from that little confrontation, but the hanyou's constant attempts at irritating him were beginning to grate on his nerves. One way or another he was going to end this little game that was being played and he would be just as happy if it was finished at this moment.

“You want to have a go at it? That's fine by me, just name the place. Kagome might not have asked you whether you knew that chicken shit was going to run or not, but that's because she doesn't want to think that she can't trust you too. I ain't got no problems saying what I think and I'm saying there ain't no way in hell he left without saying something,” Inuyasha retorted angrily, his voice raising slightly, “You know it's pretty shitty if you think about it. Midoriko chose the two of you to watch over her and you couldn't even manage to do that much. For her sake I hope I'm wrong and that kid is yours. Because I can't imagine how Kagome's going to feel knowing each time she looks at it, that it's father was a no good bastard that couldn't even be bothered to stick around long enough to find out he was going to be a father.”

Before Tres could make a retort, either verbal or physical they were interrupted by one extremely pissed off demon slayer who had come up just in time to hear the tail end of the conversation. “Are you two finished?” she said with a growl and glared up at the both of them. While she wasn't sure what had started this particular discussion, she wasn't about to let it continue any further.

“Stay out of it, Sango. This is between me and Tres,” Inuyasha snapped and stared the redhead down. He really didn't give a shit if the man threw a punch at him, he'd take it gladly and then return it in spades.

“I don't care who it's between. Do you want Kagome to know what the two of you are fighting about?” Sango hissed angrily. She didn't know how these two could be so damned stupid. Kagome felt bad enough over what had happened and she was only recently coming out of the depression that she'd fallen into. What these two idiots were doing would toss her right back into it and she wasn't about to stand by and watch it happen.

When neither of them spoke, she stared them both down. “You two need to stop and think for once. You know, pulling your heads out of your asses might be a nice touch while you're at it. You,” Sango said and poked her finger into Tres' chest, “If you know how to get in touch with Abel, then I suggest you do so. Because Inuyasha is right for once. If the child is his, then Kagome is going to need him. Contrary to what you believe, you are not going to be able to fill that void.”

Tres scowled down at the woman, but didn't say anything for the moment. Whether Inuyasha or Sango chose to believe it or not, he would take care of Kagome and the child, regardless of who the father was. He'd promised Kagome that much at least and although he was uncertain about how he would feel if he wasn't the father, he wasn't going to leave either. While it was true that Abel would probably come running if he knew, just what would that accomplish besides putting them back in the strained position they were before he left? It wasn't something he wanted to contemplate.

“And you,” Sango said, turning her attention to Inuyasha, “As much as I might agree with you, quit baiting him. Right now, he's all that Kagome has and as much as you might not like it, she needs him. Picking a fight is just going to make things worse. If you want to help, find a way to drag Nightroad back here, otherwise lay off.” She'd always harbored a bad feeling about the situation and her gut instinct had proven correct. She'd never been the type of girl to believe in cheesy happy endings, but she'd been hoping that she'd be wrong, just this once. It was tragic really and she did not envy her friend in the least. Miroku might be a complete lecher, but even he wouldn't pull something like this.

“Trust me, Sango. If I knew where the bastard was, I'd have already dragged him back by his hair,” Inuyasha said irritably and gave Tres one last scathing look, “If you ever decide to pull your head out of your ass, let me know. Sooner or later you're going to understand just how badly you fucked up. I just hope it's before anymore damage is done to your relationship with Kagome.” With that he turned and walked away from the two of them. Continuing to work with the redhead at this time was pointless and they'd get nothing done. As he walked, he cast one last look over his shoulder and nearly snorted. Sango looked ready to blow up and he'd chosen just the right time to leave. Now he just had to clear the area so she could do what she needed to. 'She'll straighten his ass out, one way or another.'

“What's going on over there?” Kagome asked worriedly the moment that Inuyasha came close enough to speak to. She'd felt the intense anger coming from Tres, even if she hadn't been close enough to tell what was going on. At first she believed it was the normal male crap that happened when they couldn't decide on how to do something, but when she felt the slightest traces of guilt from the redhead, she became unsure.

Inuyasha stretched out a hand and helped the girl to her feet making sure she was steady before even considering an answer. She looked entirely too pale out in the sunlight and he didn't know how to fix it. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her further so he considered his answer carefully.

“Keh, the idiot wanted to change how we were doing something and I told him it wouldn't work. We want the house done by the time the kid comes, not when it's walking. Let's take you back inside before you fall down, all right?” The lie flowed easily from his lips and he didn't feel the least bit guilty. Everything he'd told the man had needed to be said and for once he was thankful that Kagome was large enough that she couldn't really get up on her own. Otherwise they would have had her storming over to find out what was happening and that would not have ended well at all.

“Is that all?” Kagome asked in surprise and looked over to Tres who seemed to be on the receiving end of one of Sango's tirades. It was amazing that the man was just standing there taking it, but then again, when the slayer had something to stay, everyone listened.

“Yeah,” Inuyasha said with a nod of his head and turned her towards Kaede's hut, “Come on.” He didn't want the miko out there watching in case things became violent between the two near the half finished house.

For a moment Kagome balked and looked uncertainly back towards her lover, “Are you sure we shouldn't wait?”

“Don't worry about him. He'll be back and hovering over you in no time,” Inuyasha said with a snort and prodded the girl along. When she continued to hesitate he quirked an eyebrow at her, “Don't make me carry you.”

“Heaven forbid,” Kagome replied dryly and started walking. She would have continued to wait except she knew that Inuyasha would do just as he'd threatened and then all hell would break loose. Both Tres and Sango would wonder if something had happened and if the baby was coming early, which meant it would be up to her to get them to calm down.'No, walking is definitely easier. I just hope Kaede has some tea made when we get there, maybe that will get rid of this headache before it gets any worse.'

She knew that most likely her evening was going to spent with a sulking priest, who wouldn't tell her what was wrong, but it would definitely have something to do with Inuyasha stepping on his toes somehow.'Sometimes I wonder if they'll ever get along again.' Of course if that ever happened, she might believe the world was about to end because neither one of them seemed to be able to be civil to each other for more than a couple of minutes at a time.'Now all we need is for Kouga to stop by to just top my day off. If I hear him say just one more time that he knew he couldn't trust Abel and that I should have just chosen him instead, I might have to find a cliff to push him off of.'

Inuyasha watched the scowl on her face deepen and he shook his head. It would figure that she was brooding again, but it was to be expected. Pregnant women were always so hormonal, which was one reason why he'd never had any desire to stay close to one of them, despite how he'd been welcomed into the village. But this time, he really didn't have much of a choice. It was Kagome and even knowing her temper, he couldn't just run for the hills no matter how tempting it was.

Wordlessly he held the mat aside for her and then followed her into the hut. As expected, Kaede was seated in front of the fire with a pile of material. The old woman was wasting no time in making the clothing that the child would need. Kagome helped where she could, but the miko's sewing skills weren't exactly the greatest so most of the time the older miko took over. “What are you working on this time, grandma?”

Kaede's eyebrow twitched at the nickname, but she didn't react to the jab like she normally would. Instead she concentrated on tightening the stitches and making sure that they were evenly spaced. “Clothing, Inuyasha. Ye don't expect the child to come out fully clothed, do ye?”

“Tch, of course not. Weren't you working on clothes two days ago though?” Inuyasha asked, his ears twitching with amusement. If nothing else the old lady was fun to banter with, especially because she was the most outspoken of the women in the village with the exception of Kagome.

“Hush, Inuyasha. It takes time to make these things,” Kagome said tiredly and lowered herself carefully to the floor before picking up her own forgotten project. 'At least its an easy one. Even I can't mess up a blanket too badly.'

“So what brings ye back inside, Kagome. I figured it would take thee longer seeing how nice it is outside,” Kaede asked curiously. After how hard the girl had fought to even get through the door, she figured the only way that Kagome would come back in was to be carried while complaining the entire way.

Kagome sighed and jabbed the needle through the cloth rather halfheartedly before answering, “I would have been, except someone decided it was getting too cold out there and told me I was coming in even if I had to be carried.” She didn't want to tell them that she wasn't feeling well, because immediately they'd begin fussing over her and she didn't want them to worry. But still, that didn't help the throbbing in her temples that made even seeing a difficulty.

To this Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Women could be so unreasonable at times when they should just shut up and do what they were told. “Don't blame me for looking out for you. Do you want to get sick or something?”

“Of course not, but I'm going to go stir crazy while I'm waiting for my little boy to come out,” Kagome retorted and stuck her tongue out at the hanyou, trying to keep up the facade of feeling well. Their banter had become something of a habit since she'd been cooped up inside, and fortunately everyone took it with good grace. 'Although he's still touchy at times. Then again, aren't all men?'

“Little boy? Weren't you saying that it was a girl yesterday?” Inuyasha asked, arching a brow at her in amusement.

Kagome gave him a sardonic look, “That was before he decided he wanted to make his grand exit through my ribs earlier.” As if reprimanding her for talking about it, the child chose that moment to give a particular hard kick to her side, making her wince and put her hand over the abused area. “See what I mean?”

When the miko took her hand away, Inuyasha stared hard at her swollen stomach and watched as it moved seemingly of its own accord. “Are they supposed to do that?” he asked, his brows furrowing in thought. He'd never seen a pregnant woman's body do that before, but then again, he'd hadn't exactly made a habit of studying their stomaches either.

“Oh, aye. This one seems to be particularly active though. Usually you don't see movement like that until much later,” Kaede said and looked at the young woman critically. More than once she asked if the girl was certain of her conception date, so it was pointless to ask again. However she was becoming concerned with the rate that Kagome was growing, and the activity of the child. She had the appearance of someone into their eighth month of pregnancy, not their fifth.

Kagome snorted and rubbed her stomach again, “He takes after his father, that's for sure.” While she wasn't certain just who the father was, there was no way that the child was taking after her. Honestly, what sort of girl would torment their mother in such a fashion? It had to be a guy thing.

Silence descended upon the hut for several long moments before Kaede put her work down. She was about to broach an uncomfortable subject, but it couldn't be avoided forever.

“Kagome,” she said, gaining the younger woman's attention, “Have you thought about what traits your child might have if Father Nightroad is indeed the father?”

To say that the question had caught Kagome by surprise was a bit of an understatement and for a moment Kagome said nothing. Truth be told, the question had been on her mind quite a bit and the few times that she'd asked Tres what he thought, he hadn't been of any help whatsoever. The only information he had on the Crusniks were that they had been genetically engineered and that none of them to date, had reproduced.

“I'm not sure,” Kagome answered after a few tense moments, “There's just no precedence for it that I know of and Tres isn't being of any help. About the only thing I know for sure is that my purification abilities don't affect his kind.”

“Well what do we know about him anyway, besides the sun doesn't bake him and he's got a creepy second form?” Inuyasha asked curiously. It wasn't often that they could get Kagome to talk about him anymore and asking Tres was out of the question. Perhaps the Crusnik had spoken of himself while they were off together at some point. If that was the case then it was possible that Kagome knew something important and just didn't realize it yet.

“Not much I'm afraid. The fact that he's a Crusnik is because of the nanomachines in his body. But what was he before that? I'm not exactly sure. It's the Bacillus virus that turns a human into a vampire, so...” Kagome trailed off. Her mind had already run circles around this particular question and she really hadn't come closer to finding the answer.

“So unless the nanomachines are able to be passed on, you're looking at it being a cross of whatever he was before that and human,” Inuyasha replied slowly. He didn't much care for the uncertainty of the situation, that was for damned sure.

“I do not think we're looking at a cross in this instance, Inuyasha,” Kaede said and looked at Kagome skeptically. While she wasn't well versed in viruses and much of what she had learned had come from Kagome, she knew that there wasn't a possibility of the child being half infected. It was an all or nothing deal, which lead her to the next question. “Ye said that these vampires fed off of blood, did ye not?” She was getting an idea of why the child was growing so quickly in addition to why Kagome was always so tired.

“Yeah, that's why Abel had to go hunting for himself every so often because regular food wasn't enough when he consistently used his second form,” Kagome said quietly. She really didn't want to be speaking of the Crusnik right now, not when it meant she was being forced to consider the possibility that the child was his and she was never going to see him again.

“What are you thinking, Kaede?” Inuyasha asked carefully, curious as to where the old woman was going with her thoughts. He had his own suspicions, but he wasn't about to be the one to voice them either.

“I believe that if the child is Father Nightroad's, there are preparations that must be made,” Kaede said carefully and patted Kagome limp hand, “Do not worry child, I believe we can overcome any such obstacles that this will present. But we must be prepared in the event that the child does take after him.”

“Of course,” Kagome replied uneasily, “I'm not even sure there's a possibility of being one or the other. Since the Methusela were originally human to begin with, once the virus is in place, that's it. It contaminates their entire body, so if my baby has it, then...”

“The child will be a vampire,” Kaede finished for her. It was pretty much as she thought it would be, but had no way of knowing for sure. “It explains many things. If the child is Father Nightroad's, it's growth rate would be faster than that of a normal child because it's literally feeding off of Kagome's blood.”

“I thought that's what they did anyway,” Inuyasha stated, confusion lacing his voice. While he didn't know how it worked exactly, he knew that Kaede was referring to something entirely different than what he'd learned from idle conversation.

“Not quite, Inuyasha,” Kagome said, knowing that she was going to have to be the one to explain this to him. She'd immediately picked up on what Kaede had said and the old woman was right. It did explain a great many things. “Normally a baby gets nutrients from the mother yes, but it's dependent on what she eats. Since a vampire feeds on blood, I think what Kaede is saying is that it's literally eating my blood,destroying the cells.”

Of course, that entire theory hinged on the idea that the Crusnik had more in common with a Methusela instead of a human. In the beginning, they all originated from human hosts, but afterwards? Inwardly Kagome sighed, she'd never thought to ask Abel exactly what he was. Speculation was great and all, but without solid knowledge one way or another, how would they know what to expect?

“Aye, and that would explain why ye are always so tired, child. It might also explain the headaches since your body is under stress to keep up with feeding the child,” Kaede said quietly, unaware of Kagome's inner turmoil. She allowed her gaze to drift once again to the young woman's expanding midsection, “It would also explain the rapid rate of growth.” The only thing that she couldn't quite understand was why the virus hadn't infected Kagome as well. Somehow she doubted the miko's purification ability had anything to do with it. 'Perhaps it's because of the way it's feeding. If there is no blood returning to Kagome, then it's less likely to infect her as well.'

“Does that mean it's coming out sooner than we thought?” Inuyasha looked horrified by the prospect. The aspect of the kid eating Kagome's blood was disturbing enough, but the possibility of her going into labor ahead of time was too much. They just weren't prepared yet and he wasn't sure that they were going to be done anytime soon. Never mind the fact that he and Tres just couldn't stand to be in each others company for very long.

“I cannot say for certain, but aye, Inuyasha. I believe that Kagome has another month, perhaps two before she delivers if the child continues growing as it is. Any longer than that and Kagome will be put at great risk during the birth,” Kaede said carefully. She didn't want to alarm the girl, but death in childbirth was a very real possibility in this time. The fact that Kagome couldn't go back to her own time just made the issue that much more critical that she be observed closely. If it appeared that the pregnancy was too long, she was going to have to tell the girl they were going to have to induce labor, and pray that the child was developed enough to survive. In this instance, it was better to lose the child then both it and the mother in birthing complications.

End of Chapter Nineteen