InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Silver-Haired Beauty ❯ My Lover or My Friend? ( Chapter 10 )

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Week Two

Day One: Morning

Kagome smiled down at the little kitsune held in a pair of massive arms. Currently perched on the broad shoulder of Lord Yamatsu, she thanked him again for the ride back to the cottage.

He flashed her a smile that reminded her so much of Inuyasha, "No problem Kagome. I was in the area and I thought I'd see if Shippo wanted to come with me for today. One of the youkai villages has a fire cat weaning her kittens and I thought he might like to see them."

The kitsune in question quivered excitedly. "Oh please mom, please can I go with him?" Large eyes pleaded with her. She giggled, touched by the endearment and nodded, "With that face, how can I possibly say no?" Turning to look around, she marveled at how quickly companionship with hanyou and youkai had become for her. Take Lord Yamatsu.

While outwardly his features were pleasantly human, save for the white hair and pointed ears, he currently stood at a towering twelve feet tall. That could change depending on his wants or the situation. But he was as gentle as a puppy, despite what Inuyasha had told her a few days ago. Thinking about the story and comparing it to the happily smiling man carrying her, she was hard pressed to meld the two.

The image of the large Lord on his haunches in the pose Inuyasha favored sometimes brought a fresh round of giggles though.

A bushy brow rose as Yamatsu peered up at her with bright golden eyes. "And what is amusing you so much little daughter?" he asked with a smile. She laid the nearest arm behind his neck and squeezed gently, "Nothing largest father. I was wondering about you and Inuyasha."

At the mention of his son's name the Lord sighed. "I wish I knew why he held such vehemence against me. The other night probably didn't help, but by gods those boys drive me crazy sometimes! I did everything I could to protect his mother and him when he was growing up." Sadness colored his voice as he absently ruffled the kitsune's head. "After she died, I guess I did pull back from him a little. I still came around, but that damned Wolf Lord Gorotsuki was nipping at one of my borders, so I couldn't stay as long as I wanted to."

He mused thickly, "I wonder if he thinks I failed him?"

Sighing, Kagome turned slightly to give his neck a proper hug. "He doesn't hate you." she whispered, "He just doesn't understand."

A familiar snort made her smile, "He understands what he wants and he always gave me the impression that I wasn't something he wanted." Ducking under a low branch, the youkai resumed his ground covering pace. Shippo shook his head, "He wants to understand you grandpa Yamatsu, trust me. Inu-baka is just too stubborn to admit it."

Yamatsu's chest shook with a deep rumble of laughter. "He got that from his mother. She was quiet and reserved, but had a temper like a demon!" His gaze turned wistful as he scanned the heavens, "I miss her."

Following his line of sight to the clear skies overhead, Kagome said, "So does Inuyasha."

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Afternoon

Inuyasha scratched his head. What the hell was this stuff? He'd taken a minute while Kagome was visiting Kaede to look at some of her textbooks. The one she said was 'math' looked like the biggest collection of gibberish ever recorded. With a disgusted 'feh' he put it back and pulled out the next one. This one was marked 'History'.

Glad that this was her last semester before graduation, he flipped the book around in one clawed hand. She'd told him that she wanted to stay here in the feudal era with him and their friends. "We're family." she'd told him. It made him smile thinking about it. Now all he needed to do was make sure his claim on her was recognized by both man and youkai alike.

"Marriage for the human side, kids for the youkai. Both permanent enough that even that idiot wimp of a wolf Kouga will finally get the hint." Pushing the bag to the side, he glanced back down at the book in his hands. History. His potential pup's future.

An image of Kagome laying next to him, arms wrapped around the swell of their unborn child sprang into his mind so clearly he felt he could reach out and touch it. 'My child.' Repeating it out loud brought a smile of longing to his lips. "Yeah, I like that."

With a snort he headed for the door. As their father-to-be, he had a duty to check out how their world would change. 'Good logic' he thought and took that book and headed outside with it. At the door, he turned back and replaced the book instead. Leaving it behind, he made his way to a tree and gazed at the sky overhead.

The future would be what it was meant to be. It wasn't his place to know. Trying to change things out of their natural course was what Naraku did, and the thought of doing anything like that bastard disturbed him.

It was his place to love and protect his new pack and the family that Kagome represented to him. An effortless jump took him to a sturdy limb. Settling back, he closed his eyes. Besides, he'd much rather imagine the future the two of them had together.

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"There's a monkey in the middle of the room. Ook, ook!

There's a monkey in the middle of the room. Ook, ook!

Monkey in the middle, monkey in the middle,

Yes, there's a monkey in the middle of the room! Ook, ook!"

Singing happily, the future Lady of the west hung upside down from a tree by her knees and munched on bananas.

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*naptime*

Today had been really nice. Kagome yawned and stretched pleasantly from her nap to reminisce. Inuyasha and Lord Yamatsu had sat down and except for a few bouts of yelling, they'd actually talked. In fact, the two of them had arranged a get together later in the week to talk some more. The day had been perfect, except for Sesshomaru.

Snuggling further against the warm body behind her, she wondered why the reserved youkai had seemed so distraught to her. He had been as rude and condescending as usual, but she felt his heart hadn't really been in it. Then he'd left just as suddenly as he had come, leaving Inuyasha confused but relieved. Lord Yamatsu had just seemed really angry.

A lazy growl against her shoulder made Kagome smile as the arm around her waist tightened. 'Silly puppy.' she mused and rolled over to kiss Inuyasha gently. The growl paused before deepening as he returned the kiss. Warmth fluttered across her chest and stomach as she felt herself responding. Pulling away for a shuddery breath, she was about to resume when a gurgle made her stop. Turning her face away in confusion, she blinked, frowning while trying to place the sensation.

Inuyasha opened his eyes sleepily and watched the play of emotions on her face with concern. "Kagome what…?"

"Oh god move!" she screamed wide-eyed and shoved away before the surprised hanyou could act. It took him a minute to recover from the shock and bound out of the bed after her. A sharp tang in the air and splattering noises traced her to the back door where she was being violently sick.

"Jeez Kagome, I told you those mushrooms looked funny." the barb didn't come out with quite the force he'd intended as he rubbed her back soothingly. A quick sniff verified that she didn't smell sick, even as another heave racked her body under his hands. So what was wrong?

"I don't feel so good…" she moaned weakly and slumped against the door frame. Pressing her hand against her head made some of the nausea fade, but her stomach still roiled treacherously. Almost whimpering as she clutched it, her only thought was how heavy she suddenly felt.

Strong hands pulled her into the circle of comforting arms. "Shhh. It's okay, we'll ask Kaede what's wrong. That old woman can fix it." He tucked her under his chin and rubbed her back slowly. When she whimpered again, he cursed and held her tighter.

"Maybe it's a flu…" she mused weakly. Damn, why was she so sleepy all of a sudden? A large yawn only confirmed her lassitude.

"Come on, I'm taking you and putting you back to bed." At her half-hearted protest, he snapped tensely, "No fucking arguments! I'm going to go get Kaede, 'cause you don't smell sick so there's something else wrong and she damned well better find a way to fix it!"

Wrapped in loving arms, Kagome nodded off before she even hit the sheets.

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Night

Shippo waited until Inuyasha left to hop into the room and lay next to Kagome. He'd been more than surprised when the pair had come bursting back inside with her in Inuyasha's arms. After he'd lain Kagome down, Inuyasha had practically bitten the cub's head off when the cub had ventured too near her.

The little kitsune never got a chance to come in later on after she'd woken up either. Kagome had tried to make lunch, Inuyasha had tried to stop her. Debating amongst themselves, as Kagome swung between violently ill and feeling normal all day, Inuyasha had finally left to go get something for dinner. Now that he was gone, the little guy took his chance.

Sniffing her delicately he rolled his eyes in disbelief as he remembered the haste of Inuyasha's departure. "Baka, she's not sick…" Clamping down on the urge to dance happily, he contented himself with curling up against her stomach instead. As he placed a small paw against her skin he whispered, "I'm going to take care of you so don't worry." before falling asleep contented