InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Early December ❯ Twenty ( Chapter 21 )

Disclaimer: To own or not to own, that is the question . . .

Author's Note: To quote my friend Ermin-chan: Hey hey! ^_^

Here I am! Updating soon, just like I promised! Aren't you all proud of me? ^_^_^_^_^_^_^ I'm even ignoring my bellowing father just for YOU! ^_~

Anybob- I want to apologize. Again. Everyone seemed to take the cliffie to the extreme. @_@ Though I suppose that's not a big surprise. . .

Well, the only questions asked will be answered in this chapter, so it makes for a wonderfully short A/N. ^_~

This chapter is dedicated to my friend Molly (who has no idea what Inu-Yasha is and is still reading/enjoying this story -^_^-), my friend Emmy (who isn't feeling well and always helps me sort out my thoughts/ideas), FukashiOni (who seemed to be particularly traumatized with last chapter), and DragonChamber7 (Okay, that's your e-mail. . . I can't remember your pen-name, gomen nasai! T_T) (who was checking this story every half hour to see if I'd updated). Of course, I love the rest of you just as much. ^_~

Please enjoy- and- singing it with me!

FLUFF FLUFF FLUFF FLUFF! FLUFF FLUFF FLUFF FLUFF! FLUFFY-T FLUUUUUUUUUF, FLUFFY-T FLUFF! XD XD XD XD

~*~

~Chapter Twenty: Apple Cinnamon~

~Kagome's PoV~

I slowly awake, pulled into conciseness by the sound of furious, hissing voices.

"This is all YOUR FAULT, you MORON!"

"MINE?! HOW THE FUCKING HELL WAS IT MY FAULT?! *YOU* were the one that got in MY WAY!"

"N-not true!"

"TRUE! If you hadn't just popped up RIGHT BEHIND the demon, I would have slain that overgrown bug no problem! But NOOOOOO- *YOU* have to DISTRACT ME!"

A soft, moan like whimper escapes my lips; too quiet for either of the loud voices near me to hear.

Oww. . .

Why do I feel so sore all over. . . ?

As my eyes slowly flutter open, everything trickles back. Oh, yes. . . The well. I was at the well. . . I was about to get in. And then I heard this sound at the bottom. . . It was Mistress Centipede. She had come back to life- just like the first time. Her skin had grown back and everything. . .

Then Inu-chan appeared when I screamed. He told me to run back to Sango-chan's house. . . I tried, but it was hard with the baby and all. . . I'm not as fast as I was back then- and even back then I barely escaped her. So she caught up. . .

The last thing I remember is the feel of ripping skin. . .

!

The pup!

My stormy orbs snap open, all tired hurting forgotten as I try to sit up and examine my abdomen. Yet even the slightest movement pains my lower stomach, eventually meaning I have to flop back in defeat. By that time, Inu-Yasha and Kouga-kun have noticed I'm conscious.

"Kag-chan, don't move!" my mate commands harshly, his eyes reflecting his intense worry as he rests a gentle hand on my stomach. I can see now that I'm sporting a large red-speckled bandage on my side. "You could hurt the p- - - yourself more."

I feel tears begin to well in the corners of my eyes. The baby. . . is it all right. . . ? I want to ask. . .

But I'm so afraid to hear the answer. . .

"Kagome. . ."

I move my head slightly, looking towards the door. It's only then that I notice that I am in Kaede's hut, not Sango's. Coincidentally, it's the aged miko in question that stands at the doorway, looking down at me with concern filled eyes. "Kagome, child. . . how are you feeling?"

I want to reply `fine', but right now my lips don't seem to be working. . . Only my tear ducts. A single, hot water droplet trickles down my cheek in response. I sense Kouga stiffen on my left side.

. . .

"Wha. . ." I finally manage to croak, "What happened. . . ? After I was. . ."

Inu-Yasha looks away.

. . .

"It was. . .

Scary."

I glanced over at the wolf prince in surprise. I didn't expect him to answer. . .

I blink at Kouga's serious face as he recalls the turn of events. "You fell to the ground and something rolled out of your body. It was small, but- all the same- we were afraid that it. . .

That it was. ."

He swallows, hands balling into fists.

He doesn't need to finish.

They were afraid it might have been the baby.

"But then. . ." he takes a deep breath, "we saw that it wasn't."

I exhale in slight relief. So the pup is, at least, still inside me.

But. . . Still. . . He or she could still have. . .

. . .

"What was it, then?" I ask quietly, my hands clenching and unclenching widely at my sides.

"It was. . ."

"The Jewel," Inu-Yasha finishes suddenly, holding up a small, glass bead between two fingers; eyes still on the far away wall. Yes. . . It's the Shikon no Tama. Whole. Glowing.

My eyes widen in shock.

"B- but how- - -?!"

"The baby," Kaede whispers, making all three of us turns out heads to look at her once more. She takes a few steps closer, shifting the small tub of warm water in her arms and kneeling down beside me. "Since you never cast a wish upon the Jewel. . . It only disappeared as it did in my sister's funeral pyre, destined to come back. . ."

"So. . . That was the power brewing?" Inu questions Kouga, glaring. "The Jewel- inside the pup?"

The wolf nods wearily. "I suspected as much. So, it seems, did your brother."

"HALF brother."

"Whatever."

I close my eyes lightly, trying to block the youkais' chatter. That explains it. . . Mistress Centipede. . . After defeating her the first time, her killers had thrown her bones in the well. Then, when those bones sensed the Jewel, they pulled me through for the first time. When Inu-chan killed her, the villagers dumped the remains back into the portal. And now, after five months of developing, the Shikon no Tama became whole once more, and Mistress Centipede, again, returned to life.

Only to be killed for the third time. She just didn't get a break, did she?

. . .

"Inu-Yasha," Kaede suddenly say briskly, getting to her feet with an air of business. "Come outside with me for a moment. Kouga, you stay and watch Kagome."

Both men nod, for once knowing that it is best not to argue. I watch through half lidded, glassy eyes as my hanyou pushes through the front door, trailing after the elder priestess, leaving the wolf prince and I alone. Kouga says nothing for a moment, then reaches over and douses a clean cloth in the water Kaede left behind. As he rests it upon my forehead, he smiles slightly.

". . . That wasn't the only scary thing, you know. . ." he then murmurs, exhaling softly and leaning back on his feet.

"Oh. . . ?" I reply quietly, hands falling to rest upon my stomach. "What else spooked you. . . ?"

"Inu-Yasha."

. . . ?

I glance over at him, a look of curiosity painted on my pale face. He smiles rather nervously.

"Don't tell him I told you," he whispers, as if telling me a dark secret. "But. . . after he saw what happened to you and the whelp. . . He got really, really mad. Angrier than I've ever seen. . . And he began to change."

I blink.

"How. . . so?"

"Well," the wolf oni continues, an involuntary shiver running down his back. "His scent changed- changed to that of a full demon. And his eyes. . . they turned this blood red color. His teeth and fangs lengthened and- - -"

"He grew indigo strips on his cheeks," I finished, my eyes traveling to the door and remaining there. ". . ."

I can feel Kouga's surprise. "How did you know?"

". . ."

He sighs slightly. "Never mind. Forget I asked. Are you feeling okay?"

". . . "

"Anyway," he breaks my silence. "I. . . I was sort of freaked out by him and- - -"

"When and how did he turn back?" I inquire, cutting him off.

"Hm? Oh! Well, after Mistress Centipede combusted, he rushed over to you and scooped you up really carefully- before I had a chance to!- then raced back to the old woman's. By the time I got there he was already okay again."

I shoot him a confused glance from the corner of my eye. "But you couldn't have gotten there more than seconds after him!"

"I realize that. But I still don't know. . . I think Kaede-baabaa mentioned something about touching the sword. . . ?" he shrugs. "I'm sorry, Kagome. . ."

I give him a small smile. "That's okay."

He graces me with a tiny grin in return, taking my cloth and dipping it in the tub again, ringing it out.

But before he can complete this chore, he suddenly slams his fist into the ground, startling me.

What was that for- - - ?

"Kouga-ku- - -?!"

"It's not okay. . ." he hisses, fists tightening around the towel as his bangs hide his eyes. "It's all my fault- - - !"

???

"Wha- - - how do you figure? Kouga-kun, it was not- - -!"

"Yes it was!" he snaps, lifting his face to glare at me. Are those tears in his eyes- - -?! "If I hadn't jumped up behind that monster when I did- I was trying to show off- and he stopped- ! He could have killed me- he didn't- he *waited*. Why he did I don't know- but he DID. And everyone got hurt because he chose to do so! I owe him. . ."

I blink (for the umpteenth time) as he stares down at his shaking hands, looking ashamed and furious- at himself. "I wanted to. . . to show you I was better than the mutt. . . It didn't matter to me if you were his- I still wanted you to know! And because of it. . . your pup. . . HIS pup. . . It might. . . Might have. . . -?!"

He gasps in shock as I suddenly put my hand over his, squeezing it slightly.

"Ka- Kagome. . . ?"

"It's okay," I repeat gently. "You didn't mean for anyone to get hurt. . ."

"But it's still because of me that they are!" he practically wails. I don't think I've ever seen him more ashamed. . . Heck, I don't think I've ever seen him ashamed, period! "If. . . if your child is. . . is. . . I'd be the one to blame. . ."

"Keh. Damn right you would be, wolf."

Kouga jumps in surprise. Guess he hadn't noticed the scent of the hanyou behind him.

We both turn to see Inu-Yasha leaning against the door frame, cold eyes locked on the oni prince.

"Inu-chan. . . " I begin, but he holds up a hand.

"Well, it turns out you didn't kill anyone today, moron," my mate drawls as he comes to sit beside at my bedside, getting straight to the point. Never one to beat around the bush, my Inu-chan. "Kaede just told me. She ran some tests- how she did I don't know, some kind of magic- and determined the pup is still alive. You lucked out. If ANYTHING had happened to it, you would be DEAD." He flexes his claws as if to make a point. The wolf, still feeling pretty guilty, simply nods. He seems to be feeling to guilty to do anything else.

"However, in light of this news," Inu-Yasha continues airily, "I think we can all forgive you. This once."

Kouga looks up, shocked. "Wha- - -?!"

"Yes," I add quickly, feeling as if a heavy weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Or, I suppose to be technical, my abdomen. "After all, we can't possibly hold a grudge against our pup's godfather."

The demon blinks up at me, totally taken aback. "G- god father. . . ? Me. . . ?"

"HIM?!" my mate silently roars at me. I silence him with a look.

So I'm acting on impulse. Inu will live.

"Hey!" Miroku's voice calls pathetically from outside, sounding hurt. "I thought *I* got to be the godfather!"

"You can BOTH be godfathers!" I sweat drop slightly. "I'm sure the pup won't mind."

"A. . . are you sure. . . ?" the wolf whispers, a hint of hope in his voice.

I nod, ignoring my snarling and protesting love behind me. "Yup!"

Slowly, a hint of Kouga's old smirking smile lights his face. "Ha! Me! A godfather!" He leans closer to me, his nose lightly pressed to my stomach as excitement takes over him. "Hey, whelp! Guess you're stuck with me, now! But don't worry! I'll be the world's best godfather- father of any kind! Even better then your old- and let me emphasize that- OLD man!"

I laugh nervously.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. . . ?

"WHY YOU- - -!" Inu-Yasha growls, springing into action and chasing a snickering wolf youkai out of the hut. "AND STAY OUT!"

. . . Probably not.

But something tells me- at least by the way Inu-chan is trying to hide a small grin- that those two respect each other a little bit more than before. . .

After all, even if Kouga didn't notice, I distinctly saw two pairs of feet just outside the door way, remaining stationary, listening,* through the wolf's entire speech.

*

Later that night, Inu-Yasha and I lay awake on the floor, watching the small fire near us make patterns of light on the ceiling. Ah, bliss. . .

As I feel my eyes grow heavy, I feel something else burying itself in my hair. I giggle softly as my mate's inhaling nose tickles me. Then I get to thinking again. . .

"Inu-chan?" I yawn, snuggling into him. "Why do you do that. . . ?"

"Hm?" he responds in slight confusion, face still buried in my ebony locks. "Do what?"

"Sniff me," I laugh quietly. "You do it all the time. Why?"

He props his head up on his hand, blinking down at me. "Huh? Oh. . . Well, because. . ." He blushes slightly, looking for the right word. Or words, as the case may be. "You. . . smell nice. And your scent makes me feel relaxed and calm. At home. Connected and wanted. So. . . I smell you."

"Can you smell the pup?" I question, cocking my head as best as one can while lying on the floor.

He blinks again. "I. . . I don't know. I've never attempted to."

"Can you try?"

After a moment he gives me a silent nod, getting to his knees and crawling next to my stomach, near the wound. Pressing his nose gently against it, he sniffs a few times; eyes narrowed. After shifting once or twice, as if sorting through smells, he comes to one and does a double take.

. . .

He crawls back up next to me, laying back down and carefully wrapping his arms around my shoulders.

"Apple cinnamon," he whispers in my, grinning as I shiver happily. "The pup smells like apple cinnamon."

"So does that mean you can tell if it's a girl or a boy?" I ask, laying my hands over my large abdomen again.

Inu shrugs slightly. "Well, apple is generally a female scent, but cinnamon is a boy's."

. . .

"We're having a he-she?" I question, frowning up at my mate. He chuckles, a grin of amusement growing on his face.

"No," he shakes his head, kissing my temple. "It means the pup's unique; special. Expected to do great things and all that. Like you."

"Or it just wants to keep us guessing?"

"Sure, that could be it, too," he grins, golden eyes fluttering with a hint of sleepiness. "That too. . ."

"Mmm, mischievous of it. . . and mean, just like its daddy," I tease, tapping my love's nose with my finger, squeaking in surprise as he jokingly tries to take a bite of it.

"Keh. More like difficult, like its mama," he retorts, winking lazily.

"I bet strong. . ." I fantasize, almost cooing.

"And curious," my mate adds.

"With doggy ears!" I chirp.

"Oh, please. . ." he snorts.

"And he or she will be bright, as well. . ."

"Beautiful, too," Inu-Yasha murmurs, resting a hand on top of mine and closing his eyes. "Just like you. . ."

With that, he falls asleep; his soft, even breath warm against my neck.

I smile, kissing his nose gently as a blush stains my cheeks. "You're so sweet sometimes," I whisper, sighing in content. "If only the pup could have all your good qualities. . . then it'd be the best child in the world.

Provided it didn't inherit your mouth as well."

And with a quiet giggle, I join my mate in slumber.

~*~

There ya go. Sufficiently fluffy? ^_~ Hope you think so. I'm gonna try to get more `family' moments with Shippo, soon. Poor baby, I feel like I'm ignoring him! ::sobs and glomps Ship-chan::

(Shippo: ::as MotM squeezes him:: ^_^;; It's okay- you can keep ignoring me. . .)

Anyway, I gotta go. Please R&R!

(Shippo: Um. . . could you let go of me, now. . . ? ::turning blue::)

Ja ne!

* No, the FEET weren't listening- the person who owned those feet were. -_- I feel that I shouldn't have to explain this, but someone's bound to complain otherwise. . .