InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Lifetime Loving You Part 1; Seasons in Owari ❯ Of Cows and Promises ( Chapter 18 )

Chapter 18; Of Cows and Promises

Author's Note! Read this chapter if you love your humor, because this will be the biggest amount of humor for a while, people.

(Inu-yasha POV)

When I looked at Kagome, I found myself wondering what her baby would look like. Would it have her eyes, her smile? Gods forbid if it had its father's ears. Hopefully my father's trait would spare Kagome's child of that curse. Yeah, soft floppy dog ears would be right, and a mane of...oh now I'm just wishful thinking again. I wanted the child to be mine, and the fact I would never be able to guess the out come made me hate the fact even more.

One thing I did know was that I wanted to know what it would feel like to hold that little piece of Kagome in my arms, to smell that baby smell, and to cradle it in my arms.

Yet, for one moment this all was erased from my mind when the thought of baby's disgusted me for one day.

It was the only day of rest the household took every seven days, and I decided to keep myself preoccupied that afternoon by spending some time alone on the porch of the Resmi House. I decided to were a tan hakama with my white under shirt so that my skin could get some relief from the sun, and sat on the rail with my foot up eating a piece of smoked fish I stole from Firso, the fifth oldest. She was a good cook too, but most of the time I thought her indigo hair would go black with rage if you made her forget the last measurement of something while she was making dumplings.

If only Friso knew how to make ramen, this would be heaven.

I sat there on the rail on the side that had the most shade and ate my steal while Polaris conversed with Niko, the second oldest, about herbs and what not. In all honesty it was really nothing I was interested in.

I finished the small amount of meat in my hand and hopped off my perch to wander the grounds. I looked into the garden in search of Kagome, but I couldn't find her anywhere outside. I felt a little panic go through my body, and took off toward the house.

I came to the door just as Lamina, the fifth oldest, walked through the door on the western side. She closed it behind her silently and turned around just as I got to her and held her hand up in my face. "She's resting, Inu-yasha! For a girl at twenty weeks, she needs as much rest as possible."

I tried to catch my breath since I realize I had run to the side of the house. "Can't I just see her for a moment?"

Lamina widened her large neon yellow eyes as her purple mane shifted in the wind. "Nephew, you know that you are not allowed in the females' area of rest. Besides, it's best that you do not disturb her."

She gestured to me to move along and find something else to keep me busy, and I stomped off moping about the whole thing and found solitude in the pink blooming tree not far from the door. I sat up in the tree and crossed my arms ready to wait the whole day if I had to for Kagome to finish her rest.

Suddenly, I heard a voice calling out to me and I sat up on the branch I had favored. I soon found Aki at the base of the tree completely out of breath and without his shirt on. He brushed off his green pants after tumbling down the hill that led to the barn. I acted like I had little interest in whatever he was trying to tell me, which I didn't.

"Inu-yasha, come with me to the barn," he demanded.

I snorted and sat back on my branch again. "It's the seventh day, Aki; you can't order me around this time."

Aki growled, "You are excused form her rest if there is an emergency, and this is an emergency."

I opened my eyes slightly and perked up my ears to show that I was listening. Aki clenched a fist before me. "The milking cow has gone into labor. We need to help her."

I ignored him, and closed my eyes. "The cow can do it by herself can't she?"

Suddenly, I felt something take hold of me and before I knew it I was in the air just over the hill with Aki clutching the waist of my hakama. "What's the fuck, Aki?"

"Shut up, and get your ass in gear. I need you to get the calf out."

As soon as he landed at the opening of the barn, the cow was already on her side mooing as Aki dropped me on the hay covered soil. I growled and got to my feet as he knelt down by the cows face. I brushed the hay off my body and stomped off over to him. "Never, do that again!"

Aki glared at me. "You need to take your mind off that girl. She's not having your child, so forget about her."

I snarled, "I came here to help Kagome, not serve you!"

Aki smirked with an evil glimmer in his eye and acted as though he would make me pay. "You want to help your mortal woman? Fine! Here's some practice for you. You get the calf out!"

My eyes felt like they would pop out of my head and looked at the other end of the cow in labor on the hay. "You're kidding, right? I've never done anything like this before."

Aki grinned, "It's never too late to teach an old dog a new trick."

I stared at him in disbelief and felt my heart pounding in my chest as every nerve in my body tensed. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, I was just a statue before Aki finally growled and I came back to my senses. "Alright, alright, don't you have a cow too?"

I groaned as I crawled to the opposite end of the mooing cow and moved the tail out the way of the opening end, and winced. I could handle blood, guts, anything, but this? This was tops for me, and it was a cow for crying out loud.

"What do you see?" Aki asked as he tried to sooth the mother.

I opened my eye slowly looking at the end. "I see two hooves, and some fluid."

Aki licked his top lip and thought for a moment and curled his upper lip to show his top row of teeth. My face was close to the same, only I was degusted by the smell. Aki looked at me. "The shoulders must be too broad and she's having trouble passing them. You'll...you'll have to reach inside and--"

"What?" I screeched.

Aki snarled, "She can't get it out on her own. You need to reach in, take hold of the shoulders, and pull it out."

I looked at the two hooves and took a hard gulp. Aki was getting impatient, "Inu-yasha, we don't have time for this!"

I moaned and removed my shirt quickly so that it hung around my waist. I took a deep breath and plunged into the hot and sticky area following the calf's legs hoping they would lead me to it shoulders...and soon.

"Oh, this is so gross!" I complained as my wrists passed through the cow's opening. Aki watched from what he could see.

"You feel anything yet?"

"Aki, I'm up to my elbows in cow, what do you think I'm feeling right now." I said as my heart trembled in my chest. Nothing and nothing was worth this much torture.

"Do you feel the shoulders?"

"No!"

"Well then I don't care if you're up to your face in cow, just get the calf out!"

I was ready to kill him. I wanted to kill him, but first I would get this calf out so I could get out of the freaking cow. I felt fluid and tissue as I reached deeper, and was ready to puke form the smell. I didn't know how much longer I could take this. I tried to keep my mind off of it and traveled the calf's legs until I could feel a nose and then a face. Okay, two ears, and that would lead to the neck and then...

"I've got the shoulders!"

Aki held down the mother and called out to me. "Now pull!"

I cringed and gripped the calf as I pulled the slimy beast out of the mother's opening and cried out as it slid out and fell on my chest with its large nose in my face. It was out!

"Holy shit!"

Aki smiled and pet his cow while she recovered. "You mean, 'Holy cow,' right?"

I gasped for breath as I squirmed out from underneath the calf as Aki grabbed a rag and began to clean the little beast from the red tissue and slime. I recovered as I sat back on a wooden post and gasped for fresh air as I looked over my fluid and tissue covered body and arms. "Oh, this is so gross!"

Aki chuckled to himself as he cleaned the calf's face. "He looks like you!"

I sniffled and glared at him. "Very funny, Aki!" I told him sarcastically.

Aki then threw a clean rag at my face and shook his head. I wiped the crap of my arms and looked at the calf murmuring in his arms. Aki smiled, "Not bad for a guy who couldn't stand the sight of birth long ago."

I rubbed my arms and looked at him. I turned away and spoke slowly as I continued to clean myself. "I'm sorry. If I had kept my head clear, maybe Jinni and the baby would still be alive."

Aki smiled a little. "It wasn't your fault. Jinni was too young and the baby was too large."

I stopped and looked at him. "Did you ever find out the sex?"

Aki closed his eyes and tried to hold all emotion in. "Yeah...it was a girl!"

I lowered my head and folded my ears back, as Aki turned to me. He smiled weakly. "It wasn't your fault, Inu-yasha. If not for you, Jinni would have died in pain."

~~~~

It was hot that night in our room. Aki slept with ease since he was tried from caring for the day old calf and making sure it could suckle. I of course still had all those images running through my head. I couldn't sleep with the thought of cows popping out of cows going through my head. Not to mention the heat and my own sweat was starting to replenish the scent that has settled in my arms.

I slept naked in my bed trying to see if the heat would lift, but it seemed whatever I did, nothing helped. Also, my clothing was hanging out to dry and I really did have nothing else to wear. I was miserable!

Despite the fact I was physically hot, I was mentally cold. I would have done anything to get the images out of my mind.

It was the dead of the night when the sound of a soft knock came to the door. I opened my eyes and picked my head up at the next sound of more knocks. I sat up and wrapped the blanket around my middle. I glanced at Aki and then at the door. "Who's there?"

I pushed myself to my feet when I heard a soft voice. "Inu-yasha, hurry, open the door!"

I groaned and yawned as I stumbled to the door, and leaned against the jamb as I slip it open with my eyes half open. My eyelids shot open when I realized who it was. I stood up straight. "Kagome!"

She hushed me and looked around cautiously before looking back at me. "You'll wake them up. You know I'm not supposed to be in this wing of the house."

I looked back at Aki and then turned back to her once I made sure he was fast asleep. "What are you doing up at this time of night? You should be getting your rest!"

Sure, now of all times I think about her getting rest. Kagome looked at me and smiled a little. "I...I couldn't sleep!"

I blinked a few times to clear my sleepy vision. "Why not?" I asked with a slight feeling of a yawn coming on.

Kagome closed her eyes and reached out for my hand as I went to cover my mouth with it. After yawning I looked down and watched as she placed my free hand on the side of her pregnant belly. I waited a moment, and felt Kagome place her warm palm over the back of my hand. I looked at her not completely sure what was going on. She closed her eyes and stayed perfectly still.

Then, it happened! I felt something hit my hand and I jumped because I had become used to the stillness and silence of just being near Kagome. I gasped slightly and watched as Kagome opened her eyes to look at me even though I was looking as the place where my hand rested. "It...it kicked!" I stuttered.

Kagome smiled and waited as we both felt movement in side of her. "That's why I couldn't sleep."

I hardly even heard her, because I was so absorbed into the feeling. It was just so weird, but so completely amazing at the same time. It was like feeling, oh how do you put it? I couldn't describe it, but the feeling in my chest was amazing, like being cool and warm at the same time. My heart was pounding, but not out of fear. No, this time it was like dancing for joy will all of the pride and honor of this one moment in time. All it took was those simple little movements to make my body want to be closer to Kagome. It was just so amazing, feeling this tiny bit of life inside of her for the first time. It was so strange, that even though the child wasn't mine I still felt this way about the whole thing. I wondered if Sesshoumaru would be jealous that this was given to me.

I felt Kagome pick my hand up by its wrist and she guided me as the baby moved around inside of her. I waited as the movement touched my hand. I smiled and laughed silently. Kagome looked at me surprised and leaned forward to look into my eyes. I controlled myself, and found myself looking into those brown eyes.

"What is it?"

I waited until I had the strength to talk again. "I can feel it, just slightly...a heart. I can't feel the heart beating."

Kagome's fingers loosened around my hand, and I wondered if something was wrong. I took hold of her hand and placed it over the same spot, and I shared it with her. She bated her eyes slowly and smiled as she closed them and looked down at the place where our hands covered the tiny heart inside of her.

"It's all so...amazing!" she whispered

I looked at her as she smiled a little and felt every emotion build inside of me. I rested my head against hers and watched as her hand moved along her body, and mine followed. I was dangerously close to her, I knew it, but even if Polaris was screaming at the top of her lungs, it wouldn't take away the amazing feeling I was getting to share with Kagome.

I was so happy, and I wondered if there was anyway to be happier than this. No? Yes? I didn't seem to care at the moment. I looked at her hand and watched as my second hand joined to feel for more movement.

"Amazing," I whispered, echoing that sweet word back to her.

It was then, that I felt Kagome's hand tense. "Um, Inu-yasha?"

I opened my eyes and looked at her. "What?"

She took a hard gulp and it was then that I realized she wasn't looking at our hands anymore, and rather was blushing uncontrollably. "Your, um, your blanket?"

I looked down instantly and discovered I had completely forgotten that my other hand was holding my blanket around my waist, and now I was standing full exposed to Kagome. I yipped and went down to grab the blanket and cover myself as Kagome turned away. I could feel heat build in my face and I knew I was as red as my kimono. I turned back to her and took hard gulp. "Sorry, I just forgot!"

Kagome turned around and smiled a little nervously. "It's no big deal, Inu- yasha. Remember, we've seen each other in the nude before completely on accident."

I looked away slightly embraced, but I was sure Kagome was too. Truth was, I was completely comfortable with her seeing me. It was odd, but I had gotten used to being with her so much and so often, that even standing bare before her felt natural to me. It wasn't in a sexual sense at all; I was just comfortable with it. The only reason I was embarrassed was merely because I had embarrassed her. I didn't know why, but it just felt like it was nothing to her anymore.

Kagome smiled a little and looked over her stomach. "I must have moved so quickly that it stopped."

I felt my heart fall wishing I hadn't been so forgetful. I looked at her wondering if she'd ever let me touch her again.

"You will let me feel the baby move again, right?"

Kagome looked at me with the softest eyes and my heart felt heavy. She smiled and nodded, "Of course I will!"

I smiled a little and watched as she approached me as gently kissed my right eye. I could feel my restlessness start to die and I found I could fall asleep know. She smiled sweetly as my eye fluttered open halfway. "Good night, Inu-yasha!"

I felt so weak, like the bottom had dropped out of my ego and everything I once was. I mumbled softly, "Night, Kagome!"

She blinked softly once and I suddenly realized her hand was squeezing mine. I clutched it as she walked away and let her fingers slip away from mine. She took one last look and walked back down the dark hall.

I leaned on the jamb of the door and felt my heart being to pine for that one little touch again as I watched her shadows disappear around the corner.

'No more, good nights, Kagome! I don't want to know you're too far from my reach. When I said amazing I meant it. It was amazing, because you're amazing...and so much more.'

These words would lay dormant on my lips for longer than I had wished. I want to run down the hall and tell her those words at that instant, but my body failed me and I fell asleep between the door wondering, just wondering, that nothing, and nothing was worth the same joy I would have watching that tiny life inside of her come into this world.

'You're worth it! You're worth the all of it!'