InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Tomaru's Story ❯ Chapter 15

Chapter 15

 

Kagome's nausea didn't go away in a few days like she had thought. For months she was continually plagued with a loss of appetite and revulsion at generally everything edible. The only thing she could keep down was her imitation ramen, which she had created with her own bare hands in the kitchen.

 

She had long since run out of the instant stuff that was in her backpack, but she had used the last container as a reference as she concocted her own version of the instant food. Simple noodles, seasonings, diced veggies, and whatever meat happened to be available mixed together with a broth kept her going during the worst of the sickness.

 

Kagome figured that it was her body adjusting to a different era. Now that she was permanently here, there were probably bacteria and viruses that were nonexistent in her time that were invading her system and making her sick.

 

On one bright, sunny afternoon, about four months after Inuyasha's death, Kagome glanced at her reflection in her mirror. She had suggested- rather, pleaded- with the tai-youkai for a mirror for her room, as well as a few other necessities. In a shocking display of generosity, he had given her items that had belonged to his mother, long since locked away and unused.

 

Turning sideways, Kagome's brow furrowed. Was it her imagination, or was she gaining weight? I always told Inuyasha that ramen wasn't healthy for you. Here's the proof.

 

Still, ramen was the only thing she could keep down. What else was she supposed to do? Either she'd die from malnutrition or she'd gain some extra weight from food that actually stayed in her stomach where it belonged. Given the choices, she could always start exercising more to try to take some of this excess weight off.

 

Gah… the thought of exercising almost made her vomit again. The most she could do lately was go on slow, leisurely walks with Sesshoumaru and sometimes the children.

 

A soft knocking on the door captured Kagome's attention away from her reflection. Smiling, she walked across the room to open her door, revealing the tai-youkai, dressed in only his normal robes- no armor, no mokomoko-sama.

 

She beamed up at him. Every afternoon Sesshoumaru had taken her on walks around the grounds, showing her the place where he had grown up, where his father had ruled, where his mother had lived and died. They talked, questioned, and gradually got to know each other better. Kagome now knew more about the Inu no Taishou than Rin probably did.

 

She loved their time together. He no longer treated her as a measly, weak human- he treated her as a friend.

 

Although she didn't view him as merely a friend anymore. As they spent more and more time together, her feelings for the inu-youkai had grown. Her memories of Inuyasha gradually retreated, leaving her more at peace with herself. She knew he wouldn't want her to mourn him forever, and her memories of their time together would always be in her heart. Hopefully her cycles would return now that the majority of her grief had passed- they had ceased right after Inuyasha had died and she blamed her sorrow for the lapse. Still, the only thing on her mind lately seemed to be the ethereally beautiful tai-youkai.

 

Not that Sesshoumaru seemed interested in her in that way. He always seemed to keep himself apart from her, as if afraid that he might scare her away. She couldn't explain his behavior any more than he could.

 

Today they walked through the extensive gardens to the south of the house. It was her favorite place to walk in, as the flowers had finally bloomed and color was abundant throughout the area.

 

Sesshoumaru truly enjoyed watching Kagome as they walked sedately through the gardens. Her face was filled with joy over nature's beauty, and that in turn made her seem to glow even more. Her aura had shifted slightly ever since their one-time mating, from shades of lavender, light blue and light green, to including his shade of red-orange. She was truly a shining star in his long and dark life.

 

He dared not get too close to her, or else his hand would inevitably want to stray to touch her: her hair, her cheek, her slightly rounded belly. She seemed to be unaware of the changes in her body, though for how much longer that would last, he didn't know.

 

The change in her scent had occurred some time ago, gradually getting stronger as time went by. Every morning he could smell the arousal on her- her dreams must be as bad as his were.

 

The kit, mercifully enough, didn't realize what the changes in Kagome's scent meant. He figured she was still ill and that accounted for the strange tang in her scent.

 

He knew better. He had known as soon as that light green crescent had appeared on her back.

 

Diverting his thoughts for the moment, he paused by a particularly large gardenia. Kagome saw him reach up to lightly touch the flower and was saddened by the fact that he still only had one arm.

 

“Sesshoumaru… would you like me to… try and restore your arm?” she asked hesitantly.

 

His golden eyes turned to her. “Restore my arm? How?”

 

She stepped closer, unaware of him tensing as she did so. “I… I thought I could try my miko powers and see if it would work to regenerate it. You did say it was slowly growing back.”

 

His face was unreadable. “So I did. But why would you want to try?”

 

She blushed, reaching out to touch the remaining part of his arm as if her light touch alone could restore him. “I… I just wanted to… I mean… you didn't deserve to have it cut off like that…”

 

Kagome wouldn't mention his name in front of him any more. It was like she knew how much just hearing his brother's name would hurt him.

 

Her feather-light touch was like a fire-brand. Desire and heat flooded through him, making his eyes turn to molten gold and his youki to stir. She gazed up at him, confused as to why her touch would do that to him. She was afraid she had overstepped their unspoken bounds.

 

“Sesshoumaru? Are you okay?” she asked, stepping even closer. She was nearly pressed against him now.

 

Mutely, he stared at her, trying hard to control his youkai or else he'd take her then and there on the ground, surrounded by a cathedral of flowers. “I… am fine…” he managed to say stiffly.

 

Suddenly her gaze went wide and dropped to her stomach. Sesshoumaru followed her line of vision, staring at the slight mound under her dark blue silk kimono. She dropped her hand from his shoulder and placed it on her stomach instead. She gasped once, then again, placing the other hand on her belly as if to be sure.

 

He knew what had happened. He just wondered if she did.

 

Kagome lifted her eyes back up to his, absolute confusion written all over her face. “What's wrong with me?” she cried. “It feels like there's something inside me!”

 

Taking one of her hands in his only one, he lifted it up and kissed her knuckles, making her even more confused. His amber eyes sparkled with a light she had never seen before.

 

“There is something inside you, Kagome. A child.”