[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Chapter 19 - Incriminating Evidence
"Kagome, you're too fat."
"Inuyasha! Don't you DARE say that to me! It's all your fault anyway!"
"My fault?! How the hell is it MY fault?!"
"....Do you really want me to answer that question, Inuyasha?"
He glared at her for a moment more, before realizing what he'd just gotten himself into. She
glared fiercely back, determined to win this argument. Inuyasha cleared his throat, more than a
little uncomfortable.
"Uh...no, I think I got it." He looked wistfully up at the sky through the vantage point of being
inside the well. He sighed, then looked back down at Kagome, argument forgotten.
She hadn't forgotten it quite as easily.
"Inuyasha, you get me out of here now, before I hurt you." Inuyasha blanched, then braced
himself and leapt out of the well.
They landed with a thud, Inuyasha almost toppling over from all the weight he was carrying. He
righted himself quickly enough, then ran as fast as he could toward the village.
And it was quiet... too quiet...
They reached Kaede's hut and Inuyasha swept open the curtain, stepping inside as though he
owned the place. Once inside, he set Kagome and the monstrous backpack down.
"Oi, Kaede, where is everyone?" The old woman slowly turned around, and regarded them with a
rather blank expression. Kagome raised an eyebrow, asking the same thing.
"They went hunting for jewel shards. They left near a week ago." She turned back around at
continued to stir her stew. Kagome and Inuyasha shared a confused look, and Kagome rested a
hand on her belly.
Didn't she notice it at all? The last time they'd seen Kaede had been nearly two months ago, and
there had been no sign of pregnancy at all.
"Kaede?" Kagome walked around to the front of Kaede and tried to think of something to say.
"Where exactly did they go?"
"To the north, I believe." Kagome frowned. Something was wrong here...

---

"Inuyasha? Could you take me outside please?" Inuyasha looked up from where he sat and gave
her a strange look.
"Can't you go out by yourself?" Almost immediately, he realized what she wanted, and flushed
as Kagome's face grew red, but not from embarrassment.
"Inuyasha..." He leapt to his feet and whisked her out the door before she could utter another
condemning word. He carefully placed her down outside, and she gained a smug look on her face
that was usually characteristic of the hanyou himself.
"Thank you, Inuyasha." Then she looked curiously around, before pointing to a villager
excitedly.
"Take me to her Inuyasha! Please!" Growling under his breath, Inuyasha obeyed her and carried
her to the other human.
"Please ma'am," she said once she was down, "Is there something wrong with Lady Kaede?" The
woman looked up at her, the same blank look on her face that was on Kaede's. Saying nothing,
she shook her head from side to side, then began to turn away.
Kagome blinked. Hurriedly, she yanked the woman back around and looked into her eyes. She'd
seen this before. But where? Her eyes didn't seem right...
With a gasp, Kagome remembered and began pounding on Inuyasha's back to get his attention.
"What wench? Stop hitting me like that..." She pressed her lips tightly together and pointed back
to Kaede's hut. He rolled his eyes but took her there anyway.
They entered the hut in the same fashion as before, but now Kagome waddled over to Kaede as
fast as she could and spun the old woman around. And there they were. The same eyes that
Kohaku had when he was under Naraku's spell.
Kagome frowned deeply, and looked to Inuyasha, fear all over her face. He noticed quickly, and
he grabbed her and dragged her out of the tiny hut.
"What is it?" he whispered fiercely. Kagome tried not to cry, but broke down into sobs at the
thought of where her friends were now. Inuyasha held her as close as her belly would allow,
trying to decipher her mumbled words.
"Naraku...they're gone...Kaede....they're like Kohaku..." At this, Inuyasha forced her face up to
his, searching her face for more answers.
"What do you mean `they're gone'? Who's gone, Kagome? Who's gone?" He shook her gently,
trying to stop her tears from flowing. She winced and closed her eyes.

---

"Miroku, Sango, Shippou. They're gone!" She began to cry again. "Naraku was here, he had to
be here, everyone's under his control..." Inuyasha's eyes widened, just as he caught the familiar
scent of wolf.
"Oh, shit..." And just like that, the prince appeared in all his glory. He began to race up to
Kagome, but his pace grew slower as his eyes grew. He took in her enlarged stomach, and looked
to Inuyasha. The hanyou grinned, finally able to throw something in the wolf's face. Kouga
gulped, then sniffed the air tentatively. Another gulp signified that he got the message. Kagome
was no longer up for grabs. She was Inuyasha's.
"Hello Kouga," Kagome whispered, trying to control her tears. Kouga moved as thought to
embrace her, but one look from Inuyasha stopped him from doing so. Inuyasha wrapped his arms
protectively around Kagome's shaking form and nodded at Kouga.
"Yo, you seen Naraku around?" Kouga frowned, then tapped his chin in a thoughtful manner.
Then he shook his head with a frown.
"Nope, mutt-face, ain't seen him around lately. Why'd you ask?"
"Come on Kagome, we're going to find him." Kagome looked up at him, her mouth wide open.
"Inuyasha, please let me go back! I can't risk this! The baby is almost here now, you said it
yourself!" Inuyasha shook his head, even as Kagome felt tears coming to her eyes. Kouga
watched on thoughtfully.
"Kagome, I need you there! Who knows if he has them or not? I need you to help me." He
grasped her shoulders and met her eyes with his own. She sighed, and frowned sadly. She
couldn't win this fight.
"Yo, Kagome." She looked over to the wolf prince wearily. "When did all this," he motioned
indelicately to her monstrous belly, "happen? Last time I saw you, mutt-face hadn't laid a hand
on you." Kagome flushed, and shook her head.
"It's only been two months Kouga-kun." At this, she glared at Inuyasha, who shrugged it off.
Kouga's eyes widened.
"Two months? But you aren't even a demon!" Kagome raised an eyebrow and he continued.
"Most demon bitches only take two months, especially canines, but you aren't a demon, and he's
only hanyou." Kouga shook his head, oblivious to Inuyasha's growling.
"Yeah, I didn't know that until this morning," she said, shooting Inuyasha the Evil Eye. He
squirmed under her gaze, but tried to look his manliest in front of Kouga, who shrugged.
"It happens quick, that way bitches can't get rid of unwanted pups early enough," he said,
callously casual about it. "By the time they wanna get rid of it, the pup's too old to get rid of."

---

Kagome made a face, but nodded. Kouga didn't notice. He was inspecting his claws quite
meticulously.
"Besides," he went on, "The little demon blood that your pup's got in him will make it grow
faster regardless..." He looked back up at Inuyasha, remembering why he was there.
"Mutt-face, you really shouldn't take Kagome with ya. She and the pup might get hurt -"
"No, they won't. I'll protect them and they'll be fine, and that's that!" He looked at Kagome, his
eyes still fierce with anger with Kouga, but shimmering with the love he held for her. She smiled.
Kouga shrugged again. "Suit yourself mutt." he started to run away, heading north. "You know
where to find me, Kagome!" And then he disappeared in his trademark twister.
"I can't wait till I kill him..." Inuyasha muttered. Kagome just sighed and shook her head.

---

Document Outline

Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

---