InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Gods' Opinion ❯ Examinations ( Chapter 10 )

The Gods' Opinion

 

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

 

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

 

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

 

xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx

 

Chapter Ten Examinations

 

“Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.”

 

Kagome had discretely chanted the demeaning anthem as she marched up the stairs to her apartment. Dr. Takahashi was her fertility doctor and recent star in her wild masturbatory fantasies, ears and silver hair showcased almost exclusively. Of course he'd have beautiful women coming to his office to see him for fertility reasons, or even other reasons beyond the needs of just getting impregnated by a catheter. He was hot. She couldn't deny that. He oozed it, despite his tough guy attitude, or was it because of his attitude. And if she could see it, then some other woman could see it as well.

 

So why was she so upset about these other women?

 

It was Tuesday, a day off for her from the school. There were no papers to grade and no other lessons to plan, giving her the rest of the afternoon to focus on her own school work, mainly her portfolio for her capstone class. As soon as it was completed, she could finally graduate with a fancy piece of paper declaring her a certified chef.

 

“Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.”

 

But the scene from his office seemed to be stuck in some kind of infinite playback loop. It only made her all hot and bothered. Hot from being busted for lying, hot from the embarrassment of being caught with her arms wrapped around him in such a manner and hot from that discovery that underneath that lab coat and formal dress, there was a male with hard chiseled muscles. And it all bothered her that she was so hot from all of it.

 

Reheating the leftovers from last night's meal, she put her purse away on the counter and entered the living room to check the answering machine for any messages. There was just one.

 

`Hi Kagome. It's Yuka. Just calling to remind you that it's our Thursday this week. I know you didn't forget. Also, with Ayame and Ayumi both preggers, I figured you could cater a joint baby shower since you're such a good little host. Well, think about it and bring it up on Thursday. Oh, how's how baby-baking coming along. Ha, get it, that pun? Later.'

 

Kagome ignored the message for the time being. No, she hadn't forgotten about Thursday being their Thursday, their dinner night. But a baby shower? She'd figured Yuka to be a tad more sensitive about the subject. Well, yes, she would want to celebrate the blessings of her two friends, but why did she always have to be the one to plan it? Why should she when it would only serve to remind her that she wasn't the one who had swollen ankles and unearthly cravings?

 

Mindlessly wandering into the kitchen, she grabbed the leftovers and carried them with her as she headed into the small study just off from the bedroom, across from the bathroom. It was where Hojo did the work he brought home with him, which was more often than she liked.

 

The study was a smaller second bedroom that had dark blue paint splashed on the walls. A giant desk against the back wall housed the computer they shared. Kagome had an extra table placed against the opposite wall allowing her to spread out her papers when she needed to. There was a lamp, a plant and shelving that had books belonging to the both of them. Hojo's books were to the left of the desk and Kagome's were sitting to the right. His were alphabetized by subject and Kagome's were just scattered about in a random order that made a whole lot of sense to just her.

 

The second bedroom could easily become a nursery.

 

She sat down at the computer, flipping the monitor on with a crackling sound as the electrons zapped the dust on the screen. Immediately she frowned at the sight of all of Hojo's work still up, several windows with chemical formulae and detailed descriptions wallpapered the screen. She wasn't supposed to look at it and yet he left it for anyone to read it if they so inclined to. Sighing, she quickly minimized the windows, unsure if he had saved his work or not. She wasn't going to chance anything. Still, it was reckless of him to do that.

 

Preparing to work on her portfolio included laying every part of her portfolio out on the table into neat, organized stacks. Once that was done, she turned the music on, her playlist of random music that just ended up fading into the background as white noise as her mind focused on matching wines and sake with appetizers and desserts.

 

With the music on, snacks readily available and all of her work ready for her, she could start and work solidly for several hours, losing herself in her work and hopefully forgetting about the embarrassing event in Dr. Takahashi's office.

 

If only Hojo was there, like he was supposed to be, instead, it was just another part of the day she'd rather forget.

 

“Stupid. Stupid. Stupid,” she chanted as she started her work. However, the words weren't just for her anymore.

 

xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx

 

Hojo walked sluggishly down the dimly lit hallway as he finally made his way home from another long and exhausting day of work, though he really couldn't complain too much about it. It was the job he had worked on for a large chunk on his life. High school science fairs, the college internships, all of the extra hours and even the extra classes were all choices he had made because this was what he wanted.

 

“Kagome.”

 

Hojo looked up from the floor, and out of his thoughts at the sound of someone else calling out his girlfriend's name, someone familiar. He hurried down the hallway, dragging his tired feet along the carpeted hallway, curious as to what was going on at his apartment.

 

“Excuse me,” Hojo yelled softly to the figure. “Excuse me,” he called out again, his voice unable to rise any louder.

 

The figure turned.

 

Oh, it was him.

 

“Ah, Dr. Takahashi,” Hojo greeted with a faint pant and a wide smile. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his set of keys. “Uh, what brings you here?”

 

“Kagome.”

 

Hojo blinked his droopy eyes a few times to register the fact that Kagome's fertility doctor was at their apartment, looking for her this late in the evening and using her name so casually. Perhaps it was a matter of importance for the doctor to come all the way out to their place.

 

“Kagome?” Hojo unlocked the door. “Please, come in.” Hojo flipped on the lights and off his shoes at the entrance, sliding them into the corner behind the door. “Could you wait here for a moment? I'll go get her.”

 

Inuyasha just shrugged his shoulders as he watched Hojo do his polite dance. Inuyasha could sense Hojo's hesitation in regards to his presence. Like he cared. Still, it was entertaining to watch Hojo try to be nice to him.

 

“Kagome. Kagome!” he called out, starting with the kitchen, the place where he normally found her whipping up something she'd want him to try. Many people he worked with appreciated her tasty leftovers. Hojo heard endless comments about how lucky he was to have found such a sweet girl who was also a fabulous cook.

 

She wasn't in the kitchen, or the dining room. Nor the living room, and bedroom. Since the bathroom door was open when he walked past it, he knew she wasn't in there. Last place, the study. He groaned.

 

It was a place for them to share, but he had expressed his concerns to her. That work . . . his work . . . it was private. He had invested too much into it. It was his life, no more than that, it gave him life. He felt bad that he couldn't share his work with her, but she understood, and he appreciated that.

 

Quietly, he opened the door, not wanting to frighten her. But all he found was an empty, yet messy room with only the desk lamp on. Hojo sighed as he exited the room. It was too long of a day to worry about this.

 

“I'm sorry Dr. Takahashi. She doesn't seem to be here. Have you tired her cell phone?”

 

“Yeah. About a dozen times. As well as the home number,” Inuyasha stated a bit aggravated as he crossed his arms, the leather of his jacket making no noise as he had worn it for so many years. He had freed his silver locks from the confining braid the minute he stepped out of the elevator doors of the parking garage. He figured he didn't look much like a doctor at the moment.

 

“Strange,” Hojo muttered. He headed back into the kitchen. “It is something I can pass onto her?”

 

Inuyasha grunted something. He wanted to see her. It was why he had taken this route home from work. She had rushed out of his office, apologizing for something. What did she think she had done wrong?

 

“You haven't talked to her?”

 

Hojo sheepishly grinned at the grumpy looking doctor. “Uh, actually I haven't. You . . . you're a doctor. You understand about doing labs, experiments, doing analysis and writing up conclusions. It's easy to get lost in all of the work.”

 

“I guess.” Actually he did understand it well. However, he was never in a long term relationship when doing lab work, so he never had to worry about leaving a girl alone, waiting. Not having a girlfriend meant he could be totally devoted to the science.

 

“Oh, a note,” Hojo declared while glancing at the refrigerator. He pulled it off and read it. “She's gone to do research. Probably a grocery store or the library. Kagome tends to do things like this. She's such an independent girl.”

 

Inuyasha realized that he wouldn't be seeing Kagome tonight. But he did find it strange that Kagome hadn't told Hojo about the change in treatments. Inuyasha figured that would've been the first thing she did once she got on the bus she was so late for.

 

“I'm sorry she's not here. Was it important?”

 

“Uh, yeah.” Inuyasha pulled out an envelope and handed it to Hojo. It was sealed with only her name written across the middle. “She starts injections tomorrow.”

 

“Oh. Injections. Okay,” he beamed as if he fully understood what Inuyasha was talking about.

 

Inuyasha just rolled his eyes. “Just get to her to call us in the morning. And make sure she gets that envelope.”

 

“Sure thing Dr. Takahashi. I'm sorry you had to come out of your way to visit. Kagome's . . . independence can be problematic at times.”

 

Inuyasha didn't miss the look on Hojo's face. The downcast glance of his eyes, the heavy sigh, all signs that this was a pet peeve of his concerning Kagome. Inuyasha smirked. So, he doesn't have his woman trained. It was an old fashioned idea, yes, but for Inuyasha, it was instinctual.

 

He had nothing more to say to Hojo. If he wasn't the man's doctor, he would tell Hojo how annoyed he was with his overuse of politeness and to wipe that damn sweet boy smile off of his face. It was disgusting.

 

Inuyasha walked out without saying goodbye. Hojo didn't deserve it. He didn't like the men who left the females to bear the process of conceiving a child on their own. It was easy to think that the only and true role of a female was for children. It wasn't just a human belief, but many demon species treated their females solely as baby making machines.

 

His kind was different. Not only that, but his job allowed him to see how strong and lonely a lot of these women were. It took a lot of strength and courage for a woman to walk into his office, alone, with a smile on their face trying to fool everyone, including themselves, that everything was okay. Just like how Kagome was today. Perhaps a part of him wanted to tell her that she wasn't alone.

 

xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx

 

“Kagome?”

 

Kagome turned around to see the smiling face she had summoned. She grinned back as she reached out to embrace the taller male. “I'm sorry for calling you here at this time.”

 

“For you . . . anything.”

 

“Sit down. Uh, anything to drink? My treat.” Kagome asked as her dark-haired male friend sat in the stool next to her. She leaned over to him, imposing on his personal space with a wicked grin across her face. “Or are we still banned from alcohol from that incident?”

 

The man snorted. “Right. Like she can tell me what to do.” The bartender stepped in front of him to take his order. “Apple-grape juice please.” The bartender nodded at the strange request, and the sound of a light giggle floated to his demonic ears. “What? I'm driving.”

 

“Sure.” Kagome smiled teasingly at him. “I'm glad you could come.”

 

“No problem. Thanks,” he said as the bartender sat down a medium sized glass with the white colored liquid in it. “So, what can I do for you?”

 

“I have two favors to ask.”

 

“Two? Really? Kagome asking for a favor and not only one, but two. No wonder we're at a bar. Well, then, you and I will have to find some physical way to commemorate this, perhaps in the ladies restroom.” He grinned as he suggestively leered at her, his sly grin growing larger by the second.

 

“Are you finished?” Her annoyed look meant that she might have not gotten the joke.

 

“What? Oh Kagome, you know I'm only teasing. It's so easy to tease you.”

 

“Yes, well, the things you do tease me about are not appreciated by your very violent and very pregnant wife. I'm just lucky she never takes it out on me.”

 

“That's because she has no sense of humor.” He took a sip of his juice as he was now ready to be serious. “Favor number one.”

 

“When's your wife due?”

 

“Kagome, that's something you can easily ask her.”

“Actually I can't. I was going to throw her a baby shower, and I wanted it to be a surprise. If I ask her about it, well, she's suspicious about everything.”

 

“I know that.”

 

“So, when is it?”

“Let's see . . . “His bright eyes darted around as his tapped his finger against his chin.

 

“You don't know?” she asked out after studying him for a moment as he tried to recall the answer to her question.

 

“What? No, it's not like that.”

 

“Then what's taking so long.”

 

“Shut up, I'm counting.”

 

“Counting? Why are you counting? What are you counting?”

 

“Because . . . ah, Junish, end of June. Maybe the beginning of July. Depending on the little bugger. Don't really know. She's using a concealing spell to hide its gender from me and it makes it difficult to scent how far along the thing is.”

 

“Really? Are you sure? I mean, I can't throw her a baby shower if she's already given birth.”

 

“Yep I'm sure. We had sex . . . “

 

“Stop!” She slapped her hands over her ears. “La la la la. Not hearing about this.”

 

“Don't be like that.” He laughed at her childish antics, playfully slapping at her arms to get her to stop before they attracted too much attention. “You've got to have sex to have babies. Even I know that.”

 

Kagome stared at him wide eyed and her body numb from his declaration. Her hands dropped from her ears, falling limply into her lap. Her eyes drifted to the glass of water she was drinking. Oh yeah, she knew, she knew all too well.

 

“Kagome?” he asked at the noticeable change in her demeanor, that, and he could smell the complete 180 change in her emotions. “Oh yeah. Sorry. I forgot.” He turned to his glass, spinning it around in his grip. “You and Hobo, uh, whatever his name is . . . how is that going?”

 

“My doctor's trying really hard, but . . . “Kagome looked up at her friend, her eyes glossy from the liquid pain. She could trust him. And right now, after the events of the morning, she really needed to talk to a friend. “It's not going well at all.” Kagome sighed as a means to keep the tears back.

 

“Hojo and I had an appointment this morning, one he didn't show up for. My doctor is demon, well, part, half . . . he's a hanyou . . . and he knew the truth. Hojo and I don't have sex. We have, but . . . then we don't. And I love him. I-I think that if we weren't trying to have a kid, sex wouldn't be this big issue at all. I'd probably still be a virgin.”

 

“Don't you talk to the girls about this? I mean, shit, I hear all about Eri's adventures.”

 

“I can't. They all think I have this most perfect life, like some romance novel. Hojo, the prince charming of our high school, swept the little naïve Kagome off her feet.” Kagome shook her head at the imagery of Hojo on a white horse galloping onto the soccer field, extending an arm out to her and rescuing her from the nightmare of high school. “And I'm not sure about my thoughts, my feelings about sex. I don't have the kind of sex that Eri has.”

 

“Kagome, no one but Eri has the kind of sex that Eri has.”

 

“But your wife understands it when Eri talks about the feelings and the sensations of sexual pleasure.”

 

The man chuckled, and then blushed. “So that explains it.”

 

“What?”

 

“Why after your dinners I get some of the best sex a male can have, even for a demon like me. Eri must be very descriptive.”

 

“Eh, she can be.” It was Kagome's turn to blush. Kouga had great sex, and Kagome had some very descriptive fantasies the first Thursdays of the month.

 

“Kagome your problem is obvious. Even I can figure it out.” He was so proud that he had caught onto something so quickly.

 

“It is?”

 

“Yeah. You've never been fucked.” He took a sip of his juice, his eyes peering over the rim of the glass to get a look at Kagome's face, watching as her face scrunched from the different thoughts her brain ran through.

 

“Hey! Wait a minute. I . . . well I've had sex!” she proclaimed too loudly, drawing the attention of some of the nearby patrons. Kagome giggled, flustered from the looks and waved it all off.

 

“No. Well, okay . . . yeah, technically, you've had sex. But sex for the sole purpose of making a child.”

 

“What's wrong with that?”

 

“Kagome, I am most definite that I would've killed someone at work, or even just an annoying person on the street by now if I wasn't able to go home and fuck my wife. It's such a great stress reliever, not to mention all that mushy stuff that men like me don't talk about, but we know it's there. You know like trust and being connected, crap like that.”

 

“I know that you can have sex other than to make babies, but . . . for us . . . that's the only reason why we have sex. When Hojo stresses, he runs on the treadmill; when I stress, I make cookies and eat the dough. I can never make it to the baking stage.”

 

He laughed at her. “Well, I can't help you out too much. As much as I would have loved to give you a good roll in the hay, I can't and I don't feel that way about you anymore.”

 

“At least you thought about offering. That's sweet.” She smiled at him, causing him to laugh out at her response. Kagome focused her gaze back at her glass of water, her thumb running along its smooth rim. “People, they can live without sex, can't they?”

 

“Sure. I guess. At least I think so.” He pondered the question thinking that his immediate response wasn't the right one. “Actually, that's not a good question to ask me. I'm a big fan of it. Love it. Absolutely crave it. And I am missing it so much,” he groaned the last part out as his head slammed down against the bar.

 

“Hey. You okay?”

“Oh yeah. I will be . . . stupid hormones, stupid pregnancy.” He sat back up. “Sorry, if I say anymore, I'll just scare ya.”

 

“Uh, okay.” Still, she was curious as to what else he could tell her about this sex/fuck thing.

 

“Two.”

 

“Huh?'

 

“You said two favors.”

 

“Ah, right. Yes. Well, I was wondering if you could let me into that restaurant you have for sale. It was on your website.”

 

“Restaurant? Oh right. The one on the other end of the city center. Can I ask why?”

 

“Just to look. I'm working on my portfolio for graduation. My imagination isn't cooperating with me today.” Only because it was occupied with Dr. McHunky Hanyou and his cute ears, his lean, hard muscles, his body heat which had blanketed her when in his embrace . . .

 

“I was told something about that. Yeah, sure just let me know when.”

 

“Either Thursday or Friday. I'll call to see when you're available.”

 

“Great. Are you girls on for Thursday?”

 

“Yeah, we are. I've gotta call tomorrow and make reservations.”

 

“You gonna tell me where it's at?”

 

“Nope.”

 

He pouted at her. “Ah, Kagome, why not?”

“Because you'll magically appear.” Kagome waved her hands in the air, trying to make fun of him.

 

“No I won't.”

 

“Yes, you will.”

 

The man snorted at her, even going as far as rolling his eyes. “Kagome. I'm a mature, happily married man, a father of three, soon to be four of the best cubs my pack has ever had, after me. I trust my wife complicity.”

 

“But distrusts any and every other male within breathing space of her. I told you once, when you first started to date Ayame. You broke the waiter's arm for serving her meal to her. If I remember right, she broke not only your arm, but your nose as well.”

 

“I know. What a woman.”

 

“Well, if you don't want a repeat of that night, I suggest you hurry home.”

 

“I better. Are you going to be okay?” He reached out and gave her shoulder a soft reassuring squeeze, careful of his claws.

 

“Of course I will be. I guess it's just the stress of this whole baby thing. It's getting to me.”

 

“I'll eat some of those cookies if you don't eat all of the dough.”

 

“No problem. Later. Drive safely.”

 

“Night Kagome.”

 

Kagome watched as Kouga strolled through the crowd, disappearing from her heavy eyes before making it to the exit. A drink of water, followed by heavy sighs and all other sounds of the dessert bar faded out.

 

Stupid.

 

Kagome gripped the glass tighter as she thought about the words Kouga said to her. She'd known him to be dense, simple-minded and yet, even he could see that her fairy tale relationship was nothing more than a farce. But, she just couldn't get over the fact that she loved Hojo and he loved her back. Without sex, their relationship was just peachy.

 

Never had so been so consumed about how her sex life with Hojo stacked up against her friends. It was only because she couldn't get pregnant. This whole issue about sex wasn't about sex at all, it was about her inability to conceive Hojo's child.

 

She was failing as a woman. And it made her feel stupid because she couldn't find a solution. Could she settle for an adopted child to call her own? Yes. Could Hojo? On the outside, probably, but Kagome knew him. He couldn't love a child whole-heartedly if they choose to adopt. Hojo would never sacrifice his life for something not of his flesh and blood. And in that regard, she would fail Hojo.

 

Kagome pulled out enough money to cover Kouga's drink as well as a tip for the bartender for putting up with her solemn presence for the last two and a half hours. Calling Kouga was something of a whim. She remembered Yuka's message, as well as the work on her portfolio and somehow he popped into her head.

 

She slid off the stool and made her way out onto the street. Since it was a Tuesday night, things were slow in the city. Which was fine with Kagome. The sidewalks would be mostly empty. And with her being so wrapped up in her thoughts, she would no doubt run into people. All it would take would be for one person to yell at her and she'd most likely break down, right there on the street, in front of everyone.

 

No, she couldn't be like that. Sure, hormones could easily make her sensitive, but it was no excuse to act emotional all of the time. She had to be strong and confident. Hojo loved her. She . . . she couldn't be selfish. She didn't need him to hold her hand all of the time. What was she, five? It was impossible to expect him to stop work at any minute she demanded it. That job was going to support her and their child for the rest of their lives.

 

A smile graced her once weary face as she filled her head with anything that convinced her that everything with her life was actually fine. That these problems were nothing more than figments of her imagination caused by a temporary set back. Life couldn't be scripted to her schedule. A few bumps and obstacles were bound to happen. That's what this was. Nothing more than a tiny bump on the straight, smooth road of her and Hojo's life.

 

Straight and smooth. No curves, hills or unexpected maladies. Wasn't that the life of the fairy tale couple? An easy calm ride . . .

 

“Kagome, you're home.”

 

“Hi.” She was home already? Looking up, she found Hojo standing there already dressed in his pajamas.

 

“Uh, your cell phone. I tried calling.”

 

“Sorry, I turned if off during our, uh, m-my appointment this morning and I forgot to turn it back on.”

“That's okay. You were in the study . . . working?”

 

“Yeah, I had to do some research. Oh, right. The computer. I, uh, I didn't look. Really. I just minimized the windows. And I wasn't on it for very long.”

 

“No worries. I know you.” He gave her a hug. “Oh, Dr. Takahashi stopped by.”

 

“What? He did?”

“Yes. He said to call the clinic first thing in the morning. And he wanted me to give you this.”

 

Kagome examined the outside of the envelope. “What is it?”

 

“I don't know. Anyway. I had a long day. I'm going to bed. And thanks for the meal. It was delicious.”

 

“Meal?”

“Yeah, the one you left on the stove. I have to say that it's one of your better ones.” He placed a quick kiss on her cheek. “Goodnight.”

 

“Night,” she whispered as Hojo left for the bedroom. Kagome glanced into the kitchen as she turned to see what it was he was talking about, dropping the envelope off onto the kitchen counter. Then it hit her. Lifting up the dirty dishes he had unceremoniously dumped into the sink, she sighed as she placed the plate back. Her assignment. It was all gone, completely eaten. She had to redo it now so it would be ready for class tomorrow.

 

Turning to the fridge, she glanced inside and took a quick inventory of the ingredients, hoping she had enough to make the dish without having to go to the grocery store.

 

xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx

 

Kagome woke up, groggy from staying up too late to remake the dish Hojo ate. She only hoped that it turned out just as good the second time around knowing she may have rushed to get it done. Then she rushed to bed only to jump out of bed exhausted already from all of the rushing around last night.

 

She put on a sports bra, white ribbed tank, running shorts and her tennis shoes to get in her exercise for the day. Exercising in the morning allowed her to do a mental checklist of the things she needed to do for the day.

 

It was a Wednesday, meaning it was double duty day, part-time teacher, and part-time student. As the countdown to the end of spring quarter had already begun, Kagome found herself dealing with finals from both sides, her portfolio, graduation, a double baby shower and of course, the baby. Well, trying to have one.

 

Speaking of which, she needed to call the clinic about something. Kagome stopped on her place on the treadmill, jumping off the moving rubber track before being flung off of it. The injections. She was supposed to start those today. Grabbing her cell phone, she quickly buttoned through her address book for the clinic's number. She hoped it wasn't too early in the morning.

 

“Good morning. Thank you for calling the Izayoi Family Clinic. This is Saori, how may I help you?”

 

“Uh, morning Saori. This is Higurashi Kagome.”

 

“Ah, Kagome. I'm so glad you called. We spent all day trying to get a hold of you.”

 

“I'm really, really sorry about being so troublesome. I . . . I had my cell phone turned off and I just wasn't thinking. I'm very sorry.”

 

“Don't worry about it. You are to start on hormone injections today. We ask that you find a convenient time in which you could come in everyday at the same time.”

 

“Oh, okay, like the pill. Let's see, class, class, uh, it looks like two o'clock is free for me everyday.”

 

“Great. So we'll see you at two this afternoon. When you come in, just say that you're here for hormone injections and a nurse will help you out.”

 

“Thank you. Two o'clock. Okay. See you then.”

 

“Have a good day Kagome.”

 

“You too.” Kagome put her cell phone into the cup holder as she got back onto the treadmill. Class, class, then during her break, an injection, then back to the school to do more work, class, then her last class. She just had to remember two o'clock, everyday for two weeks.

 

xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx

 

Inuyasha strode into work a little earlier than usual. He had a couple of procedures scheduled today and he liked to show up early to make sure he and everyone else was prepared for what had to be done.

 

“Morning Dr. Takahashi.”

 

“Morning,” he grumbled. As of this time, he had no coffee, tea or food in his system. Something he was going to remedy after dropping stuff off in his office. “Messages?”

 

“Yes. Here.” She passed along the slips of paper with names and numbers on them. “Also, the schedule of procedures for today, with attending nurses and locations.”

 

“Did Kagome call?” That was what he was really concerned about. He didn't really care which nurses were going to stand there and shadow him or where the procedures were going to take place.

 

Saori grinned at his use of her name. “Yes. Miss Higurashi contacted me earlier this morning. We set her up with a schedule.” She stressed the Miss Higurashi a little more than she intended, but, she got the intention across.

 

“What time?”

 

“What time?”

 

“Yeah, isn't that what I asked?”

 

“Miss Higurashi has scheduled an appropriate and consistent time for injections. Besides, why do you need to know? You only need to see the hormone level readouts and ultrasound printouts.”

 

Inuyasha narrowed his dark gold, still sleepy eyes at his all too cheery secretary. “And you're not telling me because . . . “

 

“Because it won't matter. You'll be busy. Busy, busy, busy. Like the rest of us. Now, you better hurry and scamper off if you want breakfast this morning.”

 

“Keh, damn busybody,” Inuyasha grumbled a bit more as he made his way down to his office. It was strange for Saori not to tell him when Kagome was coming in for injections. However, it was even stranger for him to even ask about it.

 

Damn, now Saori would be suspicious. And having a curious secretary was just as bad as a perverted Miroku. As soon as that pervert walked into work this morning, Saori would share with him what had transpired, and together, they would gang up on the hanyou and bother him relentlessly.

 

He knew Kagome was off limits. It didn't matter how nice she smelled, how warm her body was . . . none of it mattered. He just had to accept it as a part of his fate. His fate was most likely to be a bachelor too consumed with work to even glance at the rippling dating pool. It was how his life already was, why change it.

 

xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx

 

Kagome sat around the table at the Azul Luna restaurant and bar. She made it a point to be the first one to arrive as the reservations were normally under her name and it was a polite gesture on her part.

 

Azul Luna was a new Latin American restaurant in town that quickly became popular. It wasn't the usual Mexican restaurant, but served a variety of food from Puerto Rico, Central American, South America and even Mexico, only as a way to bring in customers who are unsure of the rest of the food from the Southern Hemisphere. It offered flavors and foods not typically found in normal Mexican restaurants.

 

It also helped that Kagome was a friend of one of the chefs, which allowed her to make the quick reservation, one of the reasons why she chose this locale. Usually, she called restaurants two to three weeks in advance. This time, it slipped her mind. She couldn't help it; she was preoccupied with other matters.

 

One by one her friends showed up, two of them still very pregnant. And though she was slightly jealous of them, she was even happier for them. She wouldn't want to wish her predicament to any of her friends, or any other woman. It just wasn't fair.

 

Drinks were served, followed by appetizers and then the main course, five dishes chosen by Kagome's chef friend. Kagome had explained that two of her friends were very pregnant, and one was a full youkai, which he was happy to work around, adding extra helpings and keeping the spices to a minimum. So while everyone enjoyed the other flavors influenced by the Old World, it was still dessert that always brought the girls together.

 

As the main course plates were replaced by delicate glassware of sweets, the girls all turned their attention to Eri, the star of the evening. Though tonight, she didn't look as energetic as she had been for the last few months, it was the bags under her eyes, the dull skin, and the absence of her proud grin.

 

Eri waited until the waiter disappeared. She checked around the area where they were sitting, looking to see how close others were in proximity to their table. She would have to thank Kagome later for securing a secluded spot in such a busy restaurant.

 

“Eri, we're waiting for you,” Yuka blurted out as she grew impatient with the hovering silence over the table.

 

“Yeah, why so quiet?” Ayumi asked in between bites of her dessert. She didn't care what it was, it was decent tasting and it was food.

 

Kagome leaned over to her friend. “Are you feeling okay? You look exhausted.”

 

“I am,” Eri sighed before downing her sixth glass of water. She wasn't in the mood for fancy cocktails. “I . . . I'm so tired. I just want to go to a spa and be babysat by a cute male masseuse and sleep in his muscular, cradling arms.”

 

Eri was very good at creating suspense and once again she had the four other girls at her table all ears for another installment of her month long adventure. Grabbing Yuka's drink, she finished off that as well, not caring anymore it if was water or not.

 

“Get your own.” Yuka swatted at Eri's hands.

 

Eri lifted her empty glass up. “Mine's empty.”

 

“Hey!” Ayumi cried out with a mouth full of food. “That's mine.”

 

“What does it matter? You're too busy stuffing your mouth and feeding that kid to drink. Besides, we all want to hear what Eri has to say,” Yuka commented as she watched Eri gulp down Ayumi's glass of water as well. “You're not pregnant either, are you?”

 

“Fuck no,” Eri spat out, setting the glass down, feeling that her thirst was satisfied for the time being. “I don't have this thing in my arm for nothing.” Eri leaned back in the cushioned chair. “It's just so exhausting, being a submissive.”

 

All eyes turned to Ayame's squealing. “What? I'm excited to hear what Eri has to say.”

 

“Yes, I was a submissive, not a slave, which I learned is different. I had my master, who was the dominant. He was hot, and powerful. Wow he had power. Not just physical strength, but his voice, his personality, his aura all demanded your complete respect, and of course, your submission.”

 

“Is this different than bondage?” Yuka asked, searching the table for something to drink. Why couldn't the waiter just have left a pitcher of something for them? Speaking of the waiter, where was he?

 

“Kinda. A submissive can be tied up, restrained, but it's not always the case. It's about . . . “

 

“Trust,” Ayame spoke the word clearly. She glanced at her friends who had turned their attention to her. “It is. I'm a wolf demoness. I completely understand the complex relationship of dominance and submissiveness not only between the couple, but within a group.”

 

“Is it sexual?” Ayumi posed the question to both Eri and Ayame.

 

“For me it was,” Eri replied, looking over at Ayame to give her response.

 

“Yes and no. A part of it is. But, it's ingrained in my youkai heritage. Between the couple, yes, it's sexual to a point. Within the group, no, it's about leadership. I guess you humans would refer to it as animal instinct, right?”

 

“Our own human culture displays acts of dominance and submissiveness throughout our history. Mainly, female on bottom in the missionary position, or female on bottom in doggy style. Any sexual position where the male is in total and complete control of the female, from which the Lilith myth of Judaism stems from. This act of dominance in the bedroom leads to dominance in main society. Males going out to do the hunting for food, building of shelter. Males in public office. Males going to war. Males must do this to protect the female and the offspring. However, when it got to a point where females could protect themselves, feed themselves, be independent of males, the males were afraid to lose their status, and had to regain control of the situation,” Eri explained it as simply, but as thoroughly as she could as this happened to be a part of what she studied.

 

“In our society today, males are generally the dominant and females are the submissive, though . . . wait Yuka, hear me out. There are cases of role-reversals in ancient times, many native tribes of the Americas were matriarchal, as well as Tibetan tribes, some small villages in China, etc. and modern society is beginning to accept role-reversals more openly, but not with wide open arms. The so-called great equalization of the sexes.”

 

“With my kind, there are active and passive displays of dominance and submissiveness. These days, we don't have to rely so much on our instincts as we don't travel in packs, and basic necessities such as food and shelter are much more easily obtained.”

 

“But Kouga is like the super alpha male. Oh, wait, super duper alpha male,” Kagome stated, remembering her talk with him the night before.

 

“Well, we can't just switch off our instincts. It's our instincts that have allowed us to survive. But, yes, Kouga displays the typical traits of an alpha male, as that is what he is. He is the . . . uh, monarch of the wolf demon clan, well, his wolf demon pack. There are many packs. Our marriage joined my pack with his.”

 

Yuka pouted. “That's so . . . caveman like. A woman being so controlled by a male.”

 

“You are so wrong Yuka,” Ayame countered to defend herself. “He may be the alpha male, but I'm the alpha female. I'm worshipped by Kouga because I am his mate and the mother of his children. It's hard to bear so many cubs and when I'm pregnant, I'm vulnerable. Our cubs are, well, we're vulnerable. I have a hard time putting on shoes, imagine what it was like a few hundred years ago, when we still had to forage for food. I don't think I could've done it. This would make me very dependent on my mate, to not only feed me, but protect me.” Ayame rubbed her swollen belly as she swelled with pride talking about Kouga, their kind.

 

”But like I said, it's about trust. I trust Kouga to make decisions that benefit all of us. And if he even thinks the wrong way, don't think I won't knock some sense into that pea-brain of his.”

 

“Still!” Yuka shouted, shaking her head. “You are basically owned by him, with the mating rituals and the bonding and crap.”

 

“It's a small sacrifice I made to be with the one I love. The one who will protect me, my family, my kin. We work together, but in the end I will defer to him. He rules the clan, and I rule our family. Never once has his questioned my decisions concerning our cubs. Though, we may help the gender distinctions as I tend to discipline the girls and Kouga prefers to discipline the boys, as well as teach them about their role in the pack.”

 

Kagome glanced down at her half-eaten dessert. A small sacrifice, eh? Was sex just a small sacrifice Kagome made to be with Hojo? If Ayame had given up her independence to be with Kouga because she loved him, then it was possible that their relationship would be just fine.

 

“But you're getting married Yuka,” Ayumi calmly stated as she smacked her lips eyeing Kagome's dessert.

 

“That's pretty much selling yourself to a man,” Eri added as she grabbed Kagome's dessert and slid it over to Ayumi.

 

“No. He's taking my name. Already been discussed and decided on. Okay, so you say this dom/sub thing is about trust. Then my fiancé trusts me to take care of him. He's fine staying at home, cooking dinner, traditional housewife roles. And we don't want children, so I'm not going to be incapacitated like Ayumi and Ayame, so I will be able to continue to work to support his lazy ass. Just as long as we all understand that it works both ways.”

 

“And it does,” Eri added to make sure that her friends understood that any relationship was not only complex, but just as individualistic as the people involved. Perhaps that was what she was really trying to do with her research, something she needed to decide on soon as her advisor was pressuring her for something concrete to produce.

 

“Anyway, I just think that I wasn't prepared for what it meant to be a submissive in this type of relationship. It is something that you have to be completely committed to, 110%.”

 

Ayame shook her head. “That's because it's a relationship. Not some sexual tryst you can walk into and out of easily. Finding some random guy, having a quick fling with him and the moving on to the next conquest is all fine and dandy for your research because you aren't exploring relationships; you're just defining sexual practices.”

 

Ayame raised her empty dessert bowl to the waiter, signaling for another helping. “You're exhausted not because of what you did, but because of the emotions and the trust involved. You'll feel re-energized when you explore some other sexual deviance that is only physical, perhaps this masseuse of yours.”

 

Eri agreed with Ayame. “There's sex and then there's something beyond that. I'm content with just physical sex. I'm not ready to be all touchy-feely with my emotions, giving up a part of myself for someone else's feelings. Give me some cheap bodily gratification and I'm fine. Maybe when I'm more mature I'll explore the feeling side to sex, when I know what I want.”

 

Kagome giggled. “That's a mature thing for you to say.”

 

“Wha . . . no. No, it wasn't. It was very selfish, childish even,” Eri laughed out.

 

The night ended on a good note. And it was one of the better dinners. Everyone was able to take something away from it. Eri was going to avoid anything that involved the exercising of her mind. Yuka was the dom in her relationship. Ayumi and Ayame were only reaffirmed of their chosen roles in their relationships, content to birth children, and raise their family. They weren't just breeder females.

 

Kagome thanked the chef for a fabulous dinner and promised to send all of her friends his way. She opted to walk home. It was a warm late spring night. What did she take away from the night? She loved Hojo. But did she trust him? She did. But who was the dominate and who was the submissive? Could every relationship be viewed as having one dom and one sub? Would that affect their roles as parents?

 

Ayame was particularly passionate in her words. Kagome understood, as Ayame explained it to her when Kouga started officially dating Ayame. Kouga did these seemingly bizarre things, letting his jealousy and anger run rampant in front of everyone. Now that Kagome thought more about it, some of it was sweet. He fought for her. That was a part of the fairy tale too. The fight and the rescue.

 

When Kagome made it home, Hojo had already gone to sleep. It was only ten o'clock. She couldn't remember if he was home or not when she left for dinner. But she was getting used to his long days at work. She realized that if it was important to Hojo, then she needed to respect that. The fact that it was happening right now was something neither could avoid. Hojo was the breadwinner and she was going to be like Ayumi and Ayame, at home and pregnant, focused on the family.

 

It was too early to go to bed. Kagome went into the kitchen to grab something to drink. That's when she noticed it. Setting the glass down, she walked over to the other counter, curious as to what this was. It had her name on it.

 

She carefully tore open the glued seal of the envelope. Hojo had mentioned it to her, but she had forgotten about it for some reason.

 

The sound of shattering glass wasn't enough to wake the sleeping Hojo.

 

xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx