InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Transformations ❯ Morning Sickness ( Chapter 45 )

"It's time to go back," he stated, getting up. He took Kagome's hand and pulled her up as he walked by, and then they were walking side-by-side back to their specially-built hut. Now that he was thinking on it, he realized that soon he'd have to build a home for them and the pups they'd inevitably have. With how lost they often got in each other's bodies, it was impossible to take precautions. Nonetheless, he'd have to be careful until they finished off Naraku. He wasn't letting Kagome fight a beetle while she was pregnant.

[DL: O.O Uh-oh! He doesn't know about the pups! Can we say, "angst"?]

~*~ Previous night, Sango ~*~

He left shortly thereafter, leaving Sango blushing and lightly touching her lips. Her eyes were wide and wet, and her lips felt almost swollen. She was shaking, just as Miroku had been minutes before. Although he said nothing after that second kiss, she knew what the future had in store.

She and he were going to be wed.

Forty Five

Grinning, Shippo ran to Kagome like they'd been separated for years. He clutched tightly at her waist and laughed, feeling better now than he ever had before. He had a mother, an almost-father, and eight nearly-siblings! They were all fun, even Hyone, the youngest of the group.

"Mommy!" he said, looking up into her face. She was smiling right back, but Shippo frowned and wrinkled his nose.

"What's the matter, Shippo?" Kagome asked, lifting him higher and hugging him.

"You smell like Inuyasha again," he stated, as though the sentence sickened him.

Kagome laughed again. "Well, that tends to happen when we're out all night," she told him, putting him back down.

Inuyasha wasn't paying attention. He was speaking with Gar, checking to make sure nothing happened while he and Kagome were gone. In a few minutes he and Gar were gone, hunting for food for lunch. They came back with a bag full of fish.

Kagome had been talking to Sango like a teenager spilling secrets when she smelled the fish, and instantly she didn't feel very good. She left the room with Sango trailing behind, asking questions.

"Kagome? Are you alright?" Slowly, she placed a hand on the hanyou's shoulder. "What's the matter?"

"I just felt. . .really bad for a minute there." Sighing, Kagome sat down, brushing her hair back from her forehead. "I'm alright, really."

Sango tilted her head. "Well, let's go to Keade's for a checkup, alright?"

"Sango, I'm fine," Kagome insisted. "Look, I'm a regenerative half demon. I can't even get sick. It must just be allergies or something."

"Aller-what?" Sango asked.

"Nevermind, it's a modern word," Kagome explained. She still felt a little sick, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been a moment before.

"Kagome!"

Her ears perked as her head did, and she smiled when she saw Inuyasha enter. "Welcome back, Inuyasha," she greeted him, getting up.

"Lunch is cooking. I got fish with Gar." He glanced over at Sango, missing the sick look Kagome got at the word 'fish'. "Miroku's been smiling more than usual; what happened?"

"Nothing," Sango said, blushing and looking away.

"Fine, I'll get it out of Miroku," Inuyasha stated, turning in the direction of the door.

"No!" Sango said in a rush. "It's just. . .kind of a secret right now, okay?"

"You don't have to say anything," Kagome assured her, propelling Inuyasha towards the door. She added, mentally, Sorry Inuyasha, but this is girl stuff.

Yeah, yeah, whatever, he said in return, leaving.

"So spill," Kagome ordered, turning on Sango.

"Miroku came to room last night. . ." She broke off, hoping that was enough.

"And?" Kagome prodded, taking Sango's arm. "Finish the story."

"He told me he loves me," Sango finished bluntly.

Kagome gasped. "He did?" When Sango nodded she laughed. "It was about time!"

"What?" Sango breathed, her mouth falling open.

"You two have been making lovey eyes to each other for months, but neither of you could seem to get it."

"Well, it was the same for you and Inuyasha!" Sango returned.

"Oh, it was not," Kagome denied.

"Yes, it was. I could see it every time you two looked at each other. You loved him and he loved you since last year," Sango told her firmly.

Kagome hadn't thought of that before. But if she looked at Inuyasha's actions and words carefully for the past year, she could see it. Inuyasha asking about what went on between he and Koga had been more than idle wondering or worry - and she'd snapped at him for it. That had been the beginning of his little, almost unconscious notes he'd been leaving for her.

And somehow, she'd had no idea whatsoever.

"No way," she breathed out now. She could think back as well and see herself trying to get the message through to Inuyasha about her loving him, and him being oblivious to her efforts. Now she shook her head. "I guess we weren't quite ready to admit our feelings yet," she admitted.

"It must have been the same for us," Sango replied. "But after all the hard battles lately - and the, the thing with Naraku and Kagura - it just woke us up, you could say."

Kagome grinned. "At least we're all paired now," she said.

Sango laughed. "I suppose so."

"Lunch!" Gar called from the other room.

"Let's go eat," Sango said, opening the door. The moment she did, the smell of cooked fish came with it, and even that was too much for Kagome.

"Close the door!" she ordered in a hiss.

Sango turned quickly at the order and slid the door shut, eyes wide as she watched Kagome hold her mouth and half sit, half fall. She rushed over to her and sat down. "Kagome, are you alright?"

"Shh!" Kagome ordered with a wave of her hand. "The smell's just making me dizzy, that's all," she said.

"Then why am I being quiet?" Sango hissed back.

"Because if Inuyasha hears you asking me if I'm okay, he's going to assume the worst and make me stay in bed until everything's okay again," Kagome muttered. And then her head shot up, and she struggled to her feet. "So don't say a word to Inuyasha, okay?" she said, her voice barely a whisper.

But Sango heard clearly, and after a moment she nodded. "Okay."

Right on cue, Inuyasha entered again, this time leaving the door open. "Well, c'mon, aren't you guys hungry?"

Sango gave Kagome a hard look and nodded. "We'll talk later, Kagome," she said and exited.

Kagome put on a false smile and tried not to wobble. Inuyasha was looking at her closely, as though he was trying to find an invisible scar beneath her clothes. "Well, what are we still standing for?" she asked with a light laugh and started for the door.

Inuyasha caught her. "What were you and Sango talking about?"

"Girl stuff, like I said," Kagome replied evenly. "Really," she added, when she saw he didn't look satisfied.

He went on looking at her for another moment before saying, bluntly, "Did you get sick?"

She shook her head. "Please, Inuyasha, I can't get sick," she said flatly.

"Are you sure?" he asked, his eyes searching her face so intently that she wanted to look away and admit that she was.

But she wasn't doing either. "I'm sure, Inuyasha. There's nothing to worry about."

She could've sworn his eyes sparked then, but as soon as she saw it, it was gone, leaving her wondering if she was seeing things. Ad then he smiled at her. "Well, then, if you're sure, let's go eat." He stepped to the side and let her through, following her closely until they were outside and sitting next to her.

Shippo took his place on Kagome's lap with his fish, eating it right off the stick. The eight orphans sat in a circle, talking cheerily back and forth, and everyone else seemed to have their own designated places outside the front door.

Kagome tried her best not to gag and to eat the fish - she liked fish, but the smell was getting to her, even while cooked. And the entire time, she could feel Inuyasha watching her closely, obviously thinking she was either lying or holding something back and trying to figure it out.

She felt like she was going to blurt out the first thing that came to mind any second now, just to satisfy Inuyasha.

~*~ Kagura ~*~

She woke quickly, sitting up sharply, and looked around. She was in her room, not the dungeon. And next to her, as always, was Kanna. Only Kanna was sitting up as well. For a moment Kagura couldn't remember anything, even why she felt surprised to be here.

And then Naraku stepped in and got right to the point. "I've decided to take one of you back into my body," he said. "And I'm having trouble deciding which one of you to get rid of. So I have set up a fight for you two," he said while gesturing the window.

Kagura got up and looked out, seeing that Naraku had shifted the walls protecting the castle so they became a large circle. And she could see Miasma surrounding it, but not inside. A cold feeling snaked through her like a chilly wind as she got the idea of what he meant.

"You two are going to fight until one of you cannot anymore. The loser returns to my body - unless I change my mind at the last moment."

Her eyes narrowed and she spun, glaring at Naraku, who was smirking and looked actually pleased.

"I'm sure you won't disappoint me," he said, backing out of the room. With his hand on the door, he went on. "You have an hour to make up a plan of escape, prepare yourself, or possibly decide on taking your own life. Whatever you choose, but you have one hour." He shut the door.

Kagura yelled at the door and swung her eyes on Kanna, the soulless child who steals souls. As always, Kanna hadn't really slept, and now that Naraku had given an order, she stood and waited for the hour to go by. Kagura moved quickly to Kanna and knelt by her, trying to find some life in those eyes.

Kagura and Kanna were sisters, and so Kagura tried to act like it. Over the past year she'd grown fond of Kanna, and didn't want to see her dead any more than she wanted to die.

Naraku knew what he was doing. This was Kagura's ultimate punishment.

He could easily keep her conscious if her took her back, and on the other hand, taking Kanna back would likely destroy her. She had a choice on her hands, one she didn't like in the least. One the one hand, she was stronger than Kanna - in fact, Kanna had never learned to fight at all. So she could win, and save herself.

On the other hand, she wanted Kanna to live and discover herself. That would mean losing, and becoming part of Naraku again.

And then Naraku himself was the trump card. He said "Unless I change my mind at the last moment." There was no way of knowing exactly what he was planning, but if Kagura wanted Kanna and herself to escape, she'd have to figure it out.

For a year she helped Naraku and betrayed Naraku, set up his traps and led the prey to them. But in all that time, she hadn't paid much attention to his strategies.

She had an hour to think of something, something to save them. It seemed impossible.

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Oy. Hate to be in Kagura's shoes. Can anybody guess why fish make Kagome sick? You'll be wrong! I've given nothing - no hints, no nothing - as to what I have in store thus far. Take your guesses all you want. Hell, if you get the right answer, I'll even let you write the final chapter! That's right! So go on, guess away!

Let's hope none of you guess it then, huh?

(Warning: Thisofferiscompletelyvoidandifyouactuallyguesstherightansweryouwillbecongra tulatedandrecievepropercudosbutyouwillnotbeallowedtowritethefinalchapter.)

See ya!