InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Falling For the Baby Sitter ❯ Actions and Consequences ( Chapter 75 )

Inu Yasha glared at the hole he just kicked in the wall, then proceed to throw his phone at it, like it would magically make it disappear. "Fuck! What am I gonna do now?" he spat under his breath and ran a hand across his face. "Fuck!" he screamed out in anger. Another crash followed. He had punched another hole in the wall to match the one he kicked in.

Sango walked into the room and peered cautiously over to the riled boy. "Inu Yasha... Kagome is ready to go." She eyed the holes in the wall apprehensively. "I think I should stay here and watch the kids. Miroku is on his way over and I'll call Kouga if you want as well. You should leave now though, she doesn't look good."

Inu Yasha snapped his head towards her and nodded in agreement "Do me a favor pack a few bags of clothes for the kids and get them out of here." he said as he started down the hall. "Take them some where and hide— get Kouga to help you." Inu Yasha stalked into the bedroom and over to the bed. "Alright, Kagome," he said to her prone form on the bed surrounded by a halo of her solemn children. "It's time to get you to the hospital," he picked her like she was a fragile china doll and cradled her to his chest.

Kagome opened her eyes and yawned. "I can walk you know..." she mumbled softly, but nonetheless took in a deep breath of his comforting scent, and tilted her head closer to him. Mayu glanced up at Inu Yasha and wiped her runny nose on her sleeve. "Is Mommy gonna come back Daddy?" the little girl asked in a hushed voice.

Inu Yasha rushed her past the kids, and to the door. "Yeah, she will honey. Don't worry, I just need to get her to the doctor. You and the boys will go with Sango and Miroku, ok?" he said. He juggled Kagome carefully in his arms, trying to get into his pants pocket for his car keys.

Kagome looked up at Inu Yasha and frowned. "Who was that, Yasha?" she asked softly her eyes clouded with worry. "Are the kids going to be ok? We can't leave them if they won't be ok..." she trailed off and stared down the hall, her pale skin casting a near glow, ethereal and pallid in the dark doorway.

"Shhhh…" he whispered gently in her ear. "They will be fine. Kouga, Miroku, and Sango are going to take them to a safe place," he said as he rushed out the front door to his car. "Right now, we need to get you to a hospital or ...." the catch in his throat at the thought made Inu Yasha pause a moment as he set her in the passenger seat. "Or Sango will cut off my nuts" He finished comically as he closed her door and rushed over to his side, hopping in. Inu Yasha glanced at the house, saying a small prayer for the kids as he turned the car over and backed out of the drive way. Once rubber touched pavement, he was off like the devil himself was breathing down his neck.

Kagome's eyes widened and she sucked in a deep breath as the blurred trees rushing past began to make her vision narrow. "Jesus, Inu Yasha, We're going to start go back in time!" She closed her eyes tight and buried her face in her arm so she wasn't watching anymore.

Inu Yasha kept his eyes on the road. "Well, I would take the long slow way around but I have an injured party sitting shotgun and three kids at home scared she is gonna die," he explained as he took a sharp turn into town. "Don't worry, we aren't gonna wreck or anything." He pulled up into the emergency lane of the hospital and slammed on the brakes, and laying on the horn to get someone to come out.

The injured girl looked up at him and something in his face calmed her slightly. Well, calmed her enough, at least, so that she could continue to watch his face as it slipped into a panicked expression. Maybe she'd never noticed it before, but Inu Yasha seemed to genuinely care about her. All this time she'd spent being childish, and selfish, trying to hold onto something that wasn't hers to start with, was all done to this person who truly cared about her, cared about her in a way that her family never did. The only people that ever looked after her like he was no was Sango... Mayu... and now Inu Yasha. A slow bittersweet sensation crept throughout her body and she closed her eyes again, turning her head. "Are we there yet, Inu Yasha?"

"Yeah, we're here," he muttered as he opened car door and motioned someone with a stretcher over. "Passenger seat, she's been stabbed,” he told the man in scrubs as he rushed around to help them get Kagome out of the car .Once they got her on the stretcher Inu Yasha helped roll her inside. "It's gonna be ok, Kagome, you're gonna be alright," He promised her.

Kagome complied as much as she could with her aching body as they jostled her around, dodging obstacles as they went. She looked up at Inu Yasha and lifted the corner of her mouth. "Thank you, Inu Yasha..." she whispered softly.

"No, Kagome, I'm sorry for getting you into all of this," he said quietly. A man grabbed him by the arm, forcing him to wrench his eyes from her face.

"I'm sorry, Sir, you can't go any farther. Don't worry, we'll take care of her from here."

Inu Yasha stopped as he watched them roll her into another room and he collapsed to his knees in tears as soon as she was out of sight and hearing range.

 

Kagome blinked as she reopened her eyes at the blank white tile above her, scowling in confusion. The beep of machines filled the silence of the sterile room, and she was hooked up to an IV as well as a bag of blood and there was a small screen monitoring her heart rate. She closed her eyes and leaned back against her pillow. She'd only been dreaming, then.

In her dream, Mayu was in the seat of a small car, and she was driving, and they were driving around in summer time, the tall cedar trees all around them. Mayu wouldn't talk to her, and she'd been crying the whole car ride. Every time Kagome would try to talk to her, she'd glare at her, and Kagome would just give up and drive on.

"All of this won't change my decision, Mayu," she'd said to her daughter at one point. Mayu had burst into a fresh batch of tears than and screeched, “I hate you!” at the top of her lungs.

A knock on the door sounded and she looked up to see a doctor come in.

The man straightened his already streamlined jacket and cleared his throat, as if he needed to draw any further attention to himself. "Kagome Higurashi?"

She smiled at him. "That'd be me."

The man looked at her sternly. "First of all, whoever cauterized your neck did a fantastic job, my congratulations. You lost a lot of blood, only a slim 12 % away from how much you'd have to lose to be considered beyond saving. Secondly, we'd like to let you know that after a few more tests we can release you. You should be out of here by six o'clock today. Third, we'd like to ask you some questions about the accident, two officers are waiting outside. However, considering your condition, we'd like to give you the week, if you'd like, before answering any questions." His eyes studied her face as it darkened with mistrust at that. "And finally, I am told that you have an irregularly high hCG level in your blood."

Kagome frowned, knowing she'd heard that term before and stared blankly at the doctor. He simply stared back at her.

"Kagome, we have reason to believe you are in the early stages of pregnancy. They found the hCG when they were testing your blood type."

The girl stared at him further, but now in a stunned silence, feeling as if the walls had eyes and were staring in a mixture of hilarity and condemnation at her.

Kagome turned her eyes back to the doctor. "How sure are they?" she asked quietly. He sighed and looked at her. "Well, the blood loss may have terminated any chance of a successful pregnancy, but at this point we can't be sure until your blood finishes mixing with the rest. We can do a follow up if you'd like..."

A nurse tapped the door frame. "Doctor, there's a young man out here ready to tear down the walls."

The doctor nodded and spoke softly to the petite blonde woman. "Let him in." The nurse scampered away and the doctor turned back to Kagome. "If you'd like to set up a follow up appointment schedule it with the desk clerk. I'm going to go ahead and tell the fuzz to beat it for a while, you look exhausted. They'll probably pay a call to your house soon, however."

Kagome nodded gratefully, and then he was gone, leaving her to stare at the floor in a stunned silence.

 

Inu Yasha wore a path in the tile walking back and forth, waiting for someone to tell him something, anything! So far he had managed to piss off three nurses and had threatened a doctor with physical abuse trying to find out that something. He stopped his walking and growled in pure undiluted frustration. "Someone, god damn it, tell me something before I go psycho on someone's ass!" he snapped with flashing eyes. The people in the waiting room were all watching him like he had grown three heads. He sighed as he took a seat in those god awful plastic chairs that they always have in the waiting rooms and slumped down in it in defeat. Inu Yasha looked at his hands still covered in Kagome's blood.

"What have I done?" he asked himself as he clenched his fists closed.

Inu Yasha lightly knocked on the door frame of Kagome's room as the nurse patted him on the shoulder consolingly.

"Hey, pain in my ass, how are you feeling?" he asked as walked into the room and pulled a chair up to her bed. Inu Yasha took a seat and looked at her face. Immediately, upon seeing how pale she was from the blood loss and how she looked like a sick and twisted marionette hooked up to all of those machines, he began to feel sick to his stomach. "Kagome, I'm sorry," he said as he reached for her hand. "It's all my fault, I'm so sorry," he choked, trying to keep his voice from cracking.

Kagome looked up from the sheets and studied his face silently, taking in every contour and shadow, every lock of hair that fell out of place against his forehead, not even registering that he had spoken, so she could commit everything to memory. Her forehead furrowed as she looked into his warm brown eyes and she felt her muscles all tighten as the weight of her verdict started to hit her.

Inu Yasha glanced at her tenderly. "Kagome…" He gave her hand a tight squeeze. "Kagome, are you ok?" he asked, genuinely concerned. "You're not looking so hot."

Kagome shook her head and looked away. "Yea I'm fine, Yasha, and of course I'm not, all things considered." She looked back, this time with a beaming smile on her face. "I promise, I'll be ok."

Inu Yasha nodded slightly, trying to figure out what it was that was wrong, or worse yet, what she was hiding from him. "So that aside, what did the doctors have to say?"

Kagome had already made the decision to keep the most shocking news to herself until she knew more, but it didn't stop the hooded look from creeping into her eyes before she looked away. "The police want to ask me some questions about the 'accident'."

Inu Yasha sighed. "Well that's to be expected, I suppose." He shook his head as a resigned look settled onto his features. "Looks like I wont be seeing you and the kids for a while." He laughed bitterly. "I'm gonna have some nice silver bracelets to flaunt around soon."

Kagome looked sharply up at him and stared. "What the hell are you talking about?"

He covered his face with his bloody hands. "I'm in some deep shit, that's what." Inu Yasha sighed. "That attack on you was meant for me, and if I'm right about who sent him, he will send more a lot more." He laughed again, that same strangled self loathing laugh that had become habit as of late. "Since I will be in jail for doing his dirty work, you and the kids should be alright, but I may never see you all again."

"Doing whose dirty work, Inu Yasha?" Kagome's tone had slipped in desperation, becoming higher pitched and a bit softer.

The defeated boy dropped his hands and sighed. "The guys name is Jin. What you would call a mafia boss, so to speak." He looked at her. "I got involved with him when I left a while back to earn some extra cash for the kids."

Kagome stared at him. She could not believe what she was hearing. "Jin Shinichiro?" she whispered. She'd heard the name muttered in passing while she'd been working at the dives while he was gone. More than once, a girl had come up missing and many a turned head could be heard muttering the name like a curse.

Inu Yasha eyed her for a moment "You know of the son of a bitch? How do you know him?"

Kagome turned her head and shrugged; all doubts of telling him of the news now assuredly tucked away in her mind. "I've heard it around."

Inu Yasha sighed "Well anyway I'm in some serious shit with him. Well hell you have seen first hand what he is capable of." He collapsed back in his chair. “So, as for what to do now, I don't know."

Kagome sat back against the pillows and rested her folded hands on her stomach. "Where are the kids?" she asked softly, staring at her hands.

"Miroku, Kouga, and Sango were going to hide them in a safe spot." He sighed and closed his eyes, exhaustion creeping into his limbs. "So they should be ok ...I hope.”

"And what about you?"

Inu Yasha found the wall rather interesting at that moment. "Oh, I will be ok. You all come first and foremost."

Kagome nodded without looking at him. "You're lying."

"Now why would I lie about that?" he asked quietly, avoiding any eyes she might have been studying him with.

She shrugged and lifted her eyes towards his face. "To make me feel better."

Inu Yasha laughed at that. "Now that would make me a caring bastard now wouldn't it? Besides, I know you're not telling me all of what the doctor said, so we are even."

Kagome blushed and looked away hard. "Shut up, Inu Yasha..." Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. "If you're gonna go, then just do it, I can take care of the kids myself."

Inu Yasha looked at her in disbelief "You want me to go? ...After all that begging for me to stay when I got home not long ago,” he mused feeling stung. "Even after that night we spent together?" He stood up. "Well I don't know what to say or do anymore.”

Kagome snapped her eyes up to look at him. "And I do, Inu Yasha?! I understand that I made it hard for you, and I'm sorry. You LEFT. You left me alone with three kids and I had to bust my ass, getting it grabbed and pinched just so I could keep them alive and happy week by week! And now you're saying you're going to do it again!" By the end of her spiel she was sitting straight up in bed and was yelling at him, the tears starting to spill over. "Well, if you're going to do it, then go now, so it's like you never fucking came back!"

Inu Yasha scowled. "It's not like it's a choice, Kagome! I have done some bad shit, don't you get it?! If I go to jail, it's not my choice, but I probably deserve to go!" He turned his back on her to keep her from seeing the tears threatening to spill on to his cheeks. "Hell if I got the death penalty then I brought it on myself."

Kagome stared at his back. "What did you do." It wasn't a question. It was a demand.

That same bitter laugh danced off of the sterile walls and floor. "Oh, broke a few bones here and there ...nothing a good hit man doesn't know how to do."

She stared at him and shook her head slowly. "What are you talking about?" she asked carefully. She laughed. "You wouldn't hurt anyone of your own volition."

"No, I wouldn't but ..." Inu Yasha paused for a second. "Jin owns a casino, and well I ran up a big bunch of gambling debt, and entered a few fighting tournaments to pay it off. Well, he saw me, and decided to double the debt to make me work for him."

The girl slid out of bed and felt her feet hit the floor with a shock of cold tile. She scowled at her arms and yanked both the IV and blood trans out and walked over to slip her arms around Inu Yasha's waist. "Why didn't you just call...?" she pressed the side of her face against his back. "You know I would have given you the money, even Kouga would have."

Inu Yasha shook his head. "Bad enough I caused a lot of heartache. No use in me causing financial difficulties too...I'm not taking food out of children's mouths because I got my ass into trouble."

Kagome closed her eyes and tightened her arms around him. "How many?" she mumbled softly trying to reason against her love for the good heart of this boy before her.

"How many what?" Inu Yasha asked barely above a whisper.

"How many jobs did he make you do?" she asked, her lips against his skin of his back and attempting to brace herself for the answer.

Inu Yasha thought for a minute. "Twenty jobs, maybe more... I lost count after a while they all began to blur together." He pulled away from her. "I have become a monster …that night… when Kouga slept on the couch… that night ...I threw him up against the wall for startling me."

Kagome's widened but her hand slipped back into his and she held it tight. "I'm sure he doesn't blame you. You may have scared him more than anything else but I wont believes that he hates you for it, Inu Yasha," whispering loud enough for him to hear.

He shook his head. "To be honest, it scared me that I lashed out him over nothing ...what...what if it had been one of the kids ...I ...I might have killed them." Inu Yasha began to shake as the tears rolled down his face. "I'm not fit to be around anyone anymore..."

Kagome pulled him around to look at her. "Don't ever say that. You would never ever do it to the kids and I know you wouldn't. You've changed, Inu Yasha, but I refuse to believe you would ever hurt one of your children. You wouldn't ever hurt your children! I know you, and you can't! You won't!" She looked up at him, a strange panic rising in her eyes. "Inu Yasha, I know you won't!"

"Yeah, but what if and besides I treat them like they are my own but they aren't really mine...I won't ever have any that are really mine," he laughed darkly. "Not unless god makes it to where men can get knocked up...and god I hope its not me." he grinned.

Kagome's hand fell out of his and she looked away quickly. "Yea you always were a pussy when it came to your own pain," she muttered softly.

Inu Yasha laughed again. "Hey, what can I say? I don't want stretch marks. Hell, let Kouga have them, he has the gut for it." He stuck out his tongue and pulled down an eye lid at her.

Kagome looked up at him and stared for a while, a final decision finally clicking into place. "If you're leaving, then I'd like to take Souta and Shippou with Mayu and myself back to Illinois with me," she blurted before she even realized what she was saying. She stared at him almost in shock at what she had just said, but her jaw set firm. "Then you can Kouga can live happy, and maybe then, if we are separated, they wont tag any of us and they'll find something better to do with themselves," she stammered.

Inu Yasha's jaw dropped at the sudden change of subject and mood. "What the hell, Kagome, you having mood swings or something?!" He threw his hands up in the air. "Forget it...." With that, he turned on his heel and marched out the door feeling hurt and defeated all in one stroke.

A nurse swung out the window of the office and shot him a grin. "Congratulations!" she chirped and went back about her paperwork.

Inu Yasha raised a brow at the nurse "Congratulations?"

The nurse looked up in surprise. "Oh, is it not yours?" She mused thoughtfully, "And to think how cute a baby of that parentage would be." She shrugged and turned back to her work. "Ah, well, never mind then."

Inu Yasha blinked, confused for a second, then it hit like a sledge hammer right no top of his head. He staggered, then hit the hospital wall, feeling light headed. "Pre… pregnant…she's pregnant ..." The boy began to have a panic attack and couldn't catch his breath.

The nurse looked back over to the boy in shock. "Are you alright?" She ran out from behind the counter. "Sir, can I get you something?"

Inu Yasha panted, "Can't ...bre...breath..." He put his head between his knees trying to catch his breath. "Can't bre..bre. breathe.."

The nurse looked up and threw a glance at the other receptionist who immediately started paging the doctor. She kept her hand on his back and reached for a paper cup and filled it with water handing it to the boy.

Inu Yasha reached for the cup but his hand was shaking so bad that water sloshed from the sides. "Cant stop it from shaking," he muttered more to himself than to the nurse.

The doctor from Kagome's room came rushing up and knelt beside the boy and the nurse. "What's wrong, son?" he scowled. "Are you alright?"

Inu Yasha looked at the doctor in disbelief. "She's...she's pregnant..." he looked towards Kagome's room, trying to stop shaking and fighting to regain his breath.

The doctor's face darkened and he shot a look at the nurse, who was carefully looking away at the moment, and refilling the cup for the boy. "Yes, she is. Are you the father?" he asked sternly.

Inu Yasha nodded dumbfounded. "Yeah...that would be me..."

The doctor nodded. "Does she know that you know?"

The boy shook his head. "No she didn't tell me a thing..."

The doctor scowled further. "Are you two married?"

Yet again he shook his head no. "No, we aren't married...what would that matter any way?" Inu asked.

The doctor nodded. "It would matter a lot to how she's going to react. Are you two together?"

Inu Yasha nodded. "We are now it looks like."

The older man shot him a glance. "Meaning you weren't before?"

Inu Yasha stare at the room. "No," he said flat out. "But it doesn't matter she needs me more than ever now."

He shook his head. "If she hasn't told you, she may try to leave without saying anything." He sighed and rocked back on his haunches. "And if that's what she is planning then she'll probably follow through. Women are strange when it comes to pregnancy. And adamant. Very adamant."

 

Kagome sank to the bed and stared at the floor. Tears came, and she just let them fall. She'd never stopped them before, why should she start now? Now when everything was drawing to an end. She had seen the gleam in Inu Yasha's eye when he was talking about getting Kouga pregnant, though joking he may have been. That was the caring and love and tenderness she had held out for all this time. A caring, a love, and a tenderness that wasn't meant for her. And that's why she had to leave. Even if she didn't turn out pregnant, it was just better this way. And if he didn't want to let her have Shippou and Souta, she was still leaving with Mayu.

Kagome closed the door and lay down on the bed, pulling the cover up around her shoulders and closed her eyes so she could relax and hopefully get some more sleep.

 

Inu Yasha stood shakily on his feet, but his face was set firm with determination. "Its my kid and she knows how I am ...she knows I will follow her and make her stay so I can take care of her I love kids." He moved towards Kagome's room and leaned on the door frame looking pale and shaken. "Kagome we gotta talk…" he said in a demanding voice.

But Kagome didn't move from the bed where she lay, and the doctor peered over Inu Yasha's shoulder. "I believe she's sleeping... You're welcome to stay though. Just don't make me come back and kick you out of my hospital for harassing my patient." He patted the boy on the shoulder, and strode off down the hall, waving the nosy nurse back into the office.

Inu Yasha sighed as he walked over to the chair and took a seat. "Man...What a mess...damn that Jin." He ran a hand into his hair as he sat there trying to think of way to get everyone to safety. "I know a place to hide everyone," the boy said with a slight smirk and he began to breathe easier in his relief.

Kagome's eyelashes fluttered against her porcelain cheeks, feeling the presence of someone in the room with her. She opened her eyes slowly to stare at the wall. Inu Yasha's overwhelming scent was filling the room. There was no denying his presence. She tried to space out her breaths again. Maybe if he thought she was asleep...

He moved from the chair over to her bed and pulled the blankets up around her shoulders. "Can't have you getting sick now. It's kinda cold in this room," Inu Yasha mused to himself, thinking she was still asleep. "Wont are long we can go home. Well not home, but somewhere safe for now at least until I can get things figured out."

Kagome's hand tightened slightly around the bed sheets as he came closer. Her body was betraying her again as she tried to block out the warmth radiating from his body and the smell washing over her senses. 'Damn it, Kagome, you're supposed to be leaving this behind not reveling in how wonderful it is.' She breathed deeply, filling her lungs with his scent. 'And it is wonderful...' She mentally shook herself and turned her face into the pillow so she could block at least some of it out. 'Come on now, you're only making it harder on yourself.'

Inu Yasha brushed some of the hair away from her face "So cute when she is a sleep but damn what a pain in the ass when she is awake.” He laughed as he moved back to his chair "Now time to call in some high powered reinforcements.” He picked up the phone near her bed on the table and dialed out. Inu Yasha waited for some one to pick up. "Hi can I speak to Bankotsu please? It's his little brother."

Kagome listened quietly and curiously, feeling guilty for spying on Inu Yasha. 'Good god, you're pathetic,' she said chuckling inwardly at herself bitterly. She stared at the charts and figures on the counter. She turned her face back out of the pillow to allow small traces of his smell come back and soothe her back almost to sleep.

Inu Yasha paused for a second as he took count. "Lets see Shippou, Souta, Mayu, Kagome, Miroku, Sango and me."

"That's a lot of people, Yash, but it's cool. I will have rooms prepared don't worry, you will be safe here."

Inu sighed in relief "Thanks man I owe you one." "No problem, just get here in one piece." Inu Yasha hung up the phone and crumpled back in his chair.

Kagome sighed softly and stared silently at the floor. She tugged the blankets up higher. A few more moments of silence past before her hoarse voice cracked past her chapped and dry lips. "Why are you doing all of this?" she asked in a whisper. "There's no need if we leave..."

Inu Yasha looked at her. “And here I thought you were asleep," he scolded her. "Get some rest we leave soon, ok?"

She continued staring at the counter, and then nodded, closing her eyes again. The doctor knocked on the door frame. "I just need to check up on her, and draw some blood to make sure she she's taking the transfusion properly." He pushed into the room and clutched his clip board close to his chest. "They'll run a few more tests, and then if it all checks out, she'll be free to go."

Inu Yasha nodded. "Good the sooner we are out of here, the better," he said as he got up and stretched. "Excuse me, I need to go to the restroom." Inu Yasha excused himself to go to the bath room. "I will be right back."

The doctor checked the charts and drew a vial of her blood, then left the room again. The clock ticked tantalizingly on the wall and Kagome looked around, and spied her jacket on the chair where Inu Yasha had been sitting. She scooted off the bed and scurried over to scoop her phone out of her pocket. She found Sango's number and punched in the numbers on the pad of the hospital phone.

It rang three times.

"Hello?"

Kagome breathed a bit easier at that. "Sango, where are you? Are the kids ok? Where's Miroku? Is he there with you? And Kouga too? Are they--"

Sango interjected smoothly with, "Kagome if you don't calm down I'm going to sell the kids on the black market and then where will we be?"

Kagome took a breath and started over. "I want you to meet me somewhere with Mayu. And I'm going to need to borrow your car..."

 

Inu Yasha knocked on Kagome's hospital room door. "You dressed?" he asked. He walked into the room "I found some vending machines I got some junk food and juice want some?"

Kagome looked up from the bed where she had resettled herself after her conversation with Sango and looked up at Inu Yasha. "No thank you." She forced a smile on her face. "So we're headed to your parents' house, eh? Would it be too much to ask to drive? I don't really want to die, you know... all things considered."

The boy smirked "No, you're not driving. Besides, we are picking up a few people and heading to my older brother's house. I will call Kouga and have him swing by the house and pick up some more necessary items."

Kagome pouted and sat back at the pillows. "Can we at least stop by my parent's house so I can grab some stuff? I have been using them for my P.O. box while you were gone and I have some important mail coming in.”

"I don't know. I mean, it might not be such a good idea in your condition." Inu Yasha walked over and handed her a can of apple juice "Drink that, its good for you." He flopped back down in the chair by her bed.

Kagome turned the juice over in her hands again and again. "I'd like to say good bye... in case I don't see them again," she whispered softly, not specifying who exactly she meant on purpose.

Inu Yasha looked at her and shook his head then he put his can of juice down on the table got up and moved over to her bed. He took her hand as he kneeled down next to her bed and looked up at her. "Kagome …" the boy paused a second. "I will keep you safe no matter what even if it costs me my own life ...marry me."

Kagome felt a knot in her stomach pulse as if beginning to unwind an then yanking itself back into a mess, the sensation sending adrenaline throughout her body. She just stared at Inu Yasha and shook her head slowly in disbelief. "This isn't you... this isn't real..." she mumbled as a desperate yes tried to escape her mouth. She clamped her lips shut and felt her entire body start shivering. "Inu Yasha, don't play games with me right now... please…"

Inu Yasha looked at her curiously. "Ummm, a yes would suffice, but no, Kagome. I'm not joking.... marry me."

Kagome felt her entire body go slack. She had just been stabbed. She was pregnant. She had planned to meet up with Sango and book it with Mayu at her parents' house. She was going to leave so he could be with Kouga, and now... he wanted to marry her. She shook her head, confused. "Inu Yasha, I can never be what Kouga is to you... I'm sorry," she stammered and looked down to hide her own building tears of confusion and emotional overload.

Inu Yasha looked at her like someone ran ice cold water down his back "Huh?...I ask you to marry me and you bring Kouga up...ok your officially ill,” he said as he reached up and raised her chin to look at him "Marry me, Kouga can take care of himself."

Tears were streaming down her cheeks and she was starting to get that embarrassing hiccupping breath thing going. "God, Inu Yasha. I want to so bad, but ... Inu Yasha you don't understand, I can't let you throw everything away for me. There are chains that bind me that you don't need wrapped around you...” She hiccoughed and took a deep shuddering breath.

"You don't want to marry me, I take it then?” he asked with a sad smile. "I knew I should have gotten a ring first..." Inu Yasha laughed. "Well, we are in quite mess then, aren't we?"

Kagome looked down. "I want to marry you Inu Yasha... it's just better if I don't." 'Better for you...' she thought to herself trying to get herself to calm down before she started gasp talking.

He rolled his eyes as he got up off his knees. He felt like such a fool. "Well with that said and over." He dusted his pants off. "Make sure to grab all of your stuff. Hopefully, we can leave soon." He pulled his hair back in a ponytail nervously and looked around the room anywhere but at Kagome.

"Can we stop at my parents' house, please?" she whispered softly, closing her eyes tight.

He sighed and reluctantly gave in. "Fine, but Hojou better not lay a finger on you or hurt the ...' he stopped and just shook his head. "Go ahead."

The doctor eventually came in and cleared Kagome, and briefed her on a few more precautions she should take, and signed the release papers. As Kagome stood up to go and put some clothes on, the doctor turned to Inu Yasha and eyed his dark face. He patted his shoulder again. "Don't forget what I said."

Inu Yasha nodded "Yeah I will remember... anyway, thanks doc, for taking such good care of her." Inu Yasha walked out the door with his hands shoved in his jean pockets.

Kagome walked out behind him and saw him stalking down the hall and stared. She couldn't figure it out. One minute he was talking about having kids with Kouga, and the next... he was proposing to her. Maybe he was as exhausted as she was. It wouldn't matter tomorrow anyway... She slipped her arms around her waist, and for a moment she could almost feel the warm life stirring in her womb, premature and fragile as it was.

Inu Yasha walked out of the hospital and towards his car. He reached in his pants pocket and pulled out the keys .He looked back at Kagome and held out his hand. “Here you drive."

Kagome looked at the keys extended to her and blinked. She slowly reached out to pluck them gingerly from his hand. Without saying a word, she strode around to the driver's seat, opened the door, and slid in. The car started with a growl and idled as she waited for him to get settled.

Inu Yasha got in the car and closed the door. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, and eyed them before shoving them back in his pocket "Let's roll."

Kagome drove silently down the road, trying to formulate a goodbye that wouldn't completely give her away, but one that would not leave him feeling abandoned without an explanation. She loved Inu Yasha to the depths of her heart, but she knew that if she stayed, and she had his child, only more problems would ensue. Problems that none of the kids needed to be exposed to. Her hands relaxed on the wheel and she leaned back as she began to accept her own decision. Sure, she still would love to take back what she said before and demand that he marry her, but this way, things would turn out for the better, and he need not ever know about the pregnancy. She pulled up into the driveway, her headlights sweeping the front of the house. She turned off the car and stared straight ahead. Silence ensued and stretched as she worked up the courage of what she had to say.

Inu Yasha leaned his head on the passenger side glass as he stared out the window, the deafening silence almost unbearable. "Kagome..."he muttered "I love you, do you know that? Your one of the main reasons I came back, besides the kids, that is." His expression was unreadable as he sat there talking. "I want to be with you. Can I be with you?"

"I want to be with you, Inu Yasha... I do..." she whispered. Tears shimmered that she would not let fall. "I love you... so much. So much it hurts." She stared at the house before her. "But I can't ask you to leave Kouga for me, because I know how much you love him." She forced a smile on her face that didn't reach her eyes that betrayed her. They screamed for him do exactly the opposite of what she was asking. "Besides, I'm just a pain in the ass, right?" She laughed bitterly and glanced away. She took a deep breath and looked away. Something told her that it was time to go and she turned back to him and leaned across the seat, gently grabbing his face and making him face her. She closed her eyes and kissed his lips gently; pouring all of the feeling she could into the chaste kiss. She pulled back slightly, her eyes still closed in an attempt to mask the tears dripping off of her eyelashes. "Thank you... Inu Yasha..." she whispered softly, then bolted out of the car and up into the house before he could move.

Inu Yasha watched for a second as she bolted before he jerked open his own car door and bolted after. "Oh no you don't!" he screamed as he ran behind her. "I love you! Don't you do this to me!"

Kagome leaned against the door inside of the house, the tears streaming down her face now. Mayu looked up from the couch where Sango was sitting with her. "Mommy? Is Daddy outside?" she asked excitedly. "Are you ok, Mommy?" she asked in child like concern. Kagome grabbed Mayu's hand darted out the back door with an apologetic look to Sango.

Sango stood straight up and ran to the front door and swung it open. "Inu Yasha, how could you?" She screamed. "How could you make her leave just because of something so stupid?!"

Inu Yasha glared at Sango "You don't know what you're talking about!" he blurted out. "Where did she go? Where is Mayu?! "He asked panic stricken. Inu Yasha turned and grabbed Sango by her shoulders. "Sango where did they go? For god sakes tell me!"

Sango stared at him and shook her head. Seeing his expression though, she figured she'd just been sucked up into one of Kagome's schemes again and relented. "She's heading to West Virginia. She said that she'd call me once she was out of the state..." she mumbled. "She told me that you wanted her to leave because she found out...." she stared at him and clamped her mouth shut.

"I didn't want her to leave…" he clutched his head and let out a roar. "That little Shit! ..." He burst into tears. "I asked her to marry me...she's pregnant with my kid, Sango the doctor told me tonight at the hospital." Inu Yasha fell to his knees "She said she didn't want me to leave Kouga ...she doesn't know I know she's pregnant."

Sango sank down beside him and grabbed his hands away from his head. "Inu Yasha, calm down and listen to me. Kagome is probably afraid that you're going to reject her and that Kouga will try to get even if you marry her. I'm not saying it's true... it's just... things were hard while you were gone... and a lot of things were said that never should have been." She shook her head and refocused. "My car is almost on empty, so she's going to have to stop and get gas, and I doubt she has any money on her either." She lifted his head. "Inu Yasha, if you go now, you may still be able to catch her."

Inu Yasha nodded as he got to his feet and bolted out the door. He jerked the car door open and jumped inside cranking the car he spun out of the driveway heading for the highway "I got to catch her. I just have to ..." he said, as he pushed the gas pedal down to the floor board.

Mayu was sitting confused in the front passenger seat as her mother started cussing the car and its gas tank. They had run out of gas about 20 miles down the deserted road that ran past her mother's house. She punched the steering wheel and shouted in frustration. Mayu was trembling, not knowing how to comfort her mother, when something suddenly caught her eye. "Mommy! Maybe that man has gas!"

Kagome's head snapped up and her eyes landed on a man walking up to the front of her car with some long object in his hand, not even 100 ft away. She could tell even from this distance that it was a sword and she froze with her hands on the wheel. Slowly, she reached to the glove box to grab the gun she had snatched from her father's study on her way out. The man drew close enough so she could see his face stretched into a morbid smile. She snaked her hand around to lock the doors, just as he sprang off of the ground and leapt onto the hood of the car.

Mayu screamed, and the sword penetrated the top of the car, missing Mayu by inches. Kagome roared in out rage and shoved Mayu to the floor. She looked back up and the man was gone. She shot another glance around and almost shrieked when she saw his face right outside her window and grinning like a maniac. She brought the gun up between them and aimed right for his face. She squeezed the trigger and in an instant numerous things happened at once. She moved to protect Mayu from the shattering glass and became showered herself with it. The man let out a scream and crumpled to the ground. Kagome threw the door open and stepped out of the car. She re-aimed the gun, and pulled the trigger again. And again. And again. All the while, her face a blank mask of rage, save for the tears leaking down her cheeks. She stood there, squeezing the trigger long after she ran out of ammo and the man lay still and dead in a pool of his own blood.

Inu Yasha turned on to a deserted back road thinking it would be Kagome's style to take the low road and keep out of sight. Ten minutes and a few miles down the road Inu Yasha spotted Sango's car on the side of the road and a very panic stricken Kagome standing next to the car with a gun in her hands .He slammed on the breaks and turned on his high beams to see what she was pointing the gun at. His jaw dropped at the sight and he rushed to get out of the car "Yoshiro..."he said in a hushed voice. "Kagome..." he said as he slowly moved towards her with his hands up in the air. "Hey, Kagome, you're alright....where's Mayu?"

Kagome looked up at him, blood splattered up her arms and on her face, both Yoshiro's and her own. The glass in her skin glittered in the head lights. "Inu Yasha..." she whispered in defeat. Mayu shrieked, upon hearing Inu Yasha's voice from the floor boards where she had been covering her ears and crying. "Daddy!"

Inu Yasha rushed towards Mayu and picked her up, spinning her around. "There's my baby girl! Are you ok? Are you hurt anywhere?" he asked, looking her up and down for any signs of injury. Inu placed a kiss on the little girl's forehead "Thank god......"

Mayu sniffled. "The boogey man tried to hurt Mayu, but Mommy killed him. The boogey man and Mommy messed up Aunty Sango's car, Daddy." She was still shaking, but trying to act brave for her father. Kagome was staring at the dead man in front of her again with the gun in her hands.

Inu Yasha glanced back at Kagome. "He is dead, Kags, come over here and let me check you out." He rubbed the little girl's back. "Shhh, shhh, its ok, I know he scared you but I'm here now. I wont let anyone near you all ever again. I love you both."

The gun clattered out of Kagome's hands as it suddenly hit her that her daughter was still waiting for her. She rushed over and took her from Inu Yasha's arms, ignoring the glass as it twisted in her skin and she cradled Mayu close to her. "Oh my god, Mayu, are you ok? Did you get hit by any of the glass? Did the sword nick you?" Mayu shook her head and tried to explain to her mother that she was fine, but Kagome would have none of it until she'd check every limb for signs of fracture, made sure there were no fresh scrapes on her body, and felt her forehead to see if she was clammy from shock.

Inu Yasha wrapped his arms around Kagome. "Shhh. She is fine but are you ok?' he asked as he started to look through all the blood that was on Kagome to see if she had any wounds .Seeing none he kissed Kagome on the ear "I told you not to run from me why did you run away?"

Kagome closed her eyes, her body shaking just as much as Mayu's. "Inu Yasha... I can't... I'm..." Mayu tightened her hands around Kagome's neck trying to help calm her down as she stammered and trailed off. Kagome smiled softly at her small daughter and brushed a lock of hair from her face. She sighed and stared at a place beyond Mayu. "Inu Yasha I'm pregnant..." she said flatly, waiting for him to recoil in disgust.

Inu Yasha looked at her and smiled. “I feel sorry for you, since its my kid ...39 hours of labor for my mom with me.” He laughed as he brushed some hair away from Kagome's face. "Marry me? I wont take no for an answer and if your so concerned about Kouga he can live with us and be our sex slave."

At first she couldn't believe what she was hearing him say, and then Kagome couldn't help it any more, and burst into laughter at the image of Kouga in leather s+m gear. She lifted her eyes to study Inu Yasha's eyes quietly. "Are you serious?" she asked softly, not allowing herself to register the question any further until she knew he wasn't just trying to make her stay because he felt guilty.

"I'm as serious as a heart attack. I will buy a queen sized bed so we all three can share it." He laughed. "I know how horny pregnant women get. Kouga can take the heat off of me while my dick heals."

Kagome covered his mouth with her hand and shot a meaningful look at Mayu. "You are going to have to clean up your mouth if you want to be around my kids," she said sternly but humorously, and then smiled. "But yes. I will marry you, Inu Yasha." As soon as the words were out of her mouth every tension she'd felt built in her muscles release, and she sat there, a soft radiating glow of happiness enveloping her.

Inu Yasha leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips and then one on her nose. “Not even married yet, and you're already trying to change me...what's next, a list of honey do's?" he asked with a smirk as he kissed her lips again slipping his tongue in between her lips.

Kagome closed her eyes and parted her lips slightly, flicking the tip of her tongue against his as she closed her lips again, only to part them again for her tongue to snake out and brush against the curve of his upper lip. She pulled it back and nipped gently at his bottom lip, warmth spreading throughout her body.

Inu Yasha chuckled against her lips "Hmmm looks like I'm not the only one that needs to clean up my act around kids." he glanced down at Mayu in Kagome's arms. "Anyway family reunion is over; let's get out of here before some more jerks show up." Inu Yasha grabbed Kagome's arm and pulled her towards the car.