Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and Co.
Last time: Instead of verbalizing anything, he stormed to leave only to pause in the doorway to glance over his shoulder. He pierced the petite woman with a molten glare that screamed that they were not finished talking despite what she had said. His jaw jumped rapidly, and it appeared that he was going to say something after all when he suddenly whipped around and disappeared from view, leaving the female to run an unsteady hand through her raven hair and digest what had just happened.
It had to have been thirty minutes since the blow out with Sesshōmaru, and Kagome still hadn’t moved from the spot in her room. The feeling of agitation had shifted to a sense of hopeless melancholy. Now that he knew, what was she going to do? What could she do? In truth, her options were quite limited; unless she wanted to hide out at her Auntie’s house in Kamakura but that would mean leaving everyone behind and uprooting her son. That was not something she would do even it did mean getting away from Sesshōmaru. Not that she thought running would work. The last look he had given her clearly stated that he was serious and if they ran, the Inuyōkai would tear cities apart to find them.
She wiped the tears that trailed down her cheeks with the sleeve of her button up and sniffled several times to clear her stuffed up nose. Crying would do her no good and would not fix the bloody mess she was in. Neither would be hiding in her room even if one half wanted to. She had responsibilities and could not deal with a teenage pity party at the moment. After all, she was a mom, and her child came first, and her pride and feelings, well they came last.
Heading to the open window and leaning out, Kagome scanned the dimly lit shrine grounds to see if the Inuyōkai was gone. -Or if he had decided to wait outside somewhere to ambush her, which would be an underhanded thing the demon would do.
The teen mom spied nothing other than the twinkling stars in the darkened sky and the sound of cicadas. She pulled away from the window and made her way to the bathroom to splash some water on her face.
After reducing some red puffiness around her eyes and nose, Kagome hurried down the staircase, so she could put on her shoes and throw on a thin sweater to fight the chill before slipping out of the house.
Once out of the shrine, she briskly made her way to Sango’s abode, nervously peering around the dimly lit environment to ensure no one was following. It was night time, and she was a woman alone; it would do no good to get mugged and/or assaulted after the shit storm she had just dealt with, but with the bad luck that was surrounding her, it was a good possibility.
The droning of the spring cicadas was the only noise on the empty roadway. Kagome wrapped the sweater tightly around her form to stay warm as she made her way down the sidewalk, passing house after house. The unified homes were locked up tight, and a rosy glow came from the windows. Some were most likely tucking their children into bed with a story and a goodnight kiss while others were winding down from a hard day's work.
She would be doing the same once they were home safe and sound. Malakai enjoyed the book, ‘Gon, the little fox’ and was one of Kagome’s favorite. Her father used to read it to her every night until his death when she was six. It was a tradition that she had started back up when Malakai was born.
A sigh escaped as her thoughts drifted to her deceased father. ‘Daddy.’ Kagome missed him so much. Call her biased, but he had been the best father ever and always made her feel like a princess; like she was the most precious thing in the world. The heavens had wept the day that man had died.
The teen rubbed the familiar ache in the middle of her chest and couldn’t prevent her mind from wandering to the two related inuyōkai. Was it fair of her to keep Malakai away from Sesshōmaru? Would he loathe her for doing so? Was she depriving her child of the happiness that she now craved so desperately? Had she made a mistake?
Kagome forced some fingers through her inky strands and tried to chase away the anxiety-inducing thoughts. ‘Now is not time to be thinking these things.’ She had to be calm so Malakai wouldn’t sense her rampant emotions. Later, in the privacy of her room would she return to these thoughts, but right now, was not the time.
Approaching the familiar gate, she flipped it unlocked and hurried to the front entrance to give it a few sharp knocks. The door flew open rather quickly revealing a curious looking Sango, who ushered her in with a wave of her hand. "Come in."
Sango moved to the bench in the entry and settled upon it while waiting for Kagome to follow suit. When the tired woman plopped down on the plush seat, the brunette started her investigation, “You’re here early. So how did it go?”
Kagome pinched the bridge of her nose and rested the back of her head against the wall before answering. "Not so good. Sesshōmaru knows about Malakai, and he wants to see him."
A surprised squeal startled the exhausted woman to pulled away from the wall and straighten. She eyed her shocked friend and watched as Sango shook off the surprise and asked some more questions. "What? How? Shit, what did you say to him?"
Her blue eyes twinkled in amusement, and an enormous smile graced her features as she recalled the things she had said to the dog demon. "I informed him, that just because he was a sperm donor that it didn’t make him a father. Also, a father takes responsibility for his actions, but he hadn’t so he couldn’t possibly be a father.”
Sango covered her open mouth with a hand and stared at Kagome wide-eyed. "Oh my Gods. What did he do?"
The young mother rubbed the back of her neck and bit her lip before hesitantly responding. "Umm. Yeah. I found myself pinned between the chair and a pissed off yōkai."
"What the fuck Kagome?!" yelled Sango as her concerned gaze searched her form for any injuries and enquired after her health. "Are you okay? Did he try anything?"
She let her worried friend know that she was fine with a gentle shoulder bump. "Physically no, but mentally though it was emotional manipulation at its finest. When I refused to tell him Malakai’s name, he threatened to spill everything to Inuyasha.”
Sango sneered while swearing heavily and slamming a fist against the padded seat. "You gotta be kidding me. Fucking prick!"
"I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Blackmail can be such a bitch," stated Kagome with a shrug.
"I still think you should let me kick the bastard's ass,” Offered the brunette this time smacking a fist against her palm and looking at the other teen with hopeful eyes.
Kagome knew that Sango meant well, but it wouldn’t help the situation, though she had to admit that it would make her feel a teeny bit better. Still, she declined her best friend’s offer and reached out to pat her arm once again. “Sorry, my answer is still no.”
The expectant guise dimmed as the taller woman sighed at the rejection then tossed out a reminder as she replied. “If you change your mind, I’m game. Do you think Sesshōmaru would tell Inuyasha?”
Her gaze went to a narrow window inlaid in the door jamb and observed the waning moon for a few seconds before confirming with a nod. "Yes, if he is desperate enough to see Malakai, he will. You know there is no love lost between the two brothers, so hurting Inuyasha will not matter in the slightest." She'd bet her life on it that he would. As Sesshōmaru stated, he had nothing to lose.
Sango agreed with grim acknowledgment at the truth of her words and tossed out another question that had the young mother wondering as well. "Do you think he would follow you here?"
To be honest, it had only crossed her mind once, and the teen assumed that he had been too mad to stay around; now, she was unsure about that. If desperate enough to resort to blackmail, then he’d resort to sneaking around if need be. Fuck. Even with her powers, it would have been hard to detect him. He could have followed under cover of darkness, and she most likely would have never known until he revealed himself.
"I don't think so, though you never know." Kagome tried to sound unbothered by the unnerving thoughts and tapped a foot against the hardwood. She smothered a yawn that escaped and changed the subject, “Wow, I'm more tired than I thought. I guess it's time for us to head home."
"Well it's expected, you did have a pretty stressful day. Hold tight, and I'll go get him," added Sango as she rose from the bench and hurried out of view. She quickly returned with the drowsy child in one arm, and his diaper bag slung over the other. The little yōkai brightened when he spotted his mother and immediately started to squirm in the taller woman’s hold.
“Mama!” he cried joyfully and extended his tiny hands out for her.
Beaming at his cheerful reception, Kagome gently snagged her son away and greeted him back enthusiastically. “Hey, baby boy.” In return, he nuzzled his cheek against hers and whispered her name once more. “Mama.”
She nuzzled reciprocally then pulled away to thank Sango for babysitting. "Thank you both so much for watching Malakai even if it was fruitless."
The brunette sidestepped the duo to open the front door and waved off the appreciation with a flick of her wrist. "It's no problem I've told you that, and it is what best friends are for."
Sango had gone above and beyond the call of friendship. She was better than the best; she was the greatest and Kagome had been a fool to keep her in the dark for so long. The teen mom leaned in to wrap an arm around her friend’s waist and gave it a tight squeeze. "Yes, I know, and I'm glad to have a great friend like you. I will see you tomorrow."
The other woman returned the hug then stepped away so they could leave. "Hai, but not so damn early this time and lay off the coffee."
Kagome peered up with doe eyes fluttering her long dark lashes while feigning ignorance as she replied. "I don't know what you are talking about."
Leveling her brown gaze and clearly not believing the girl, Sango made a sound of disbelief. "Sure, you don't.” She pointed at the toddler. “Oh yeah, before I forget, he did eat with us, so you don’t need to feed him. Stay safe you two. Goodnight."
“One less thing I have to do. Thanks again." Kagome stepped off the stoop and motioned a goodbye. "See you Sango."
"Bye." Sango returned the gesture then closed the door.
Hitching Malakai into a more comfortable position, she started to walk away from the house and out the gate.
Kagome glanced at her son affectionately and gently smoothed out his disheveled hair with a free hand. "Baby, did you have fun with Auntie Sango and Grammy Kaede?"
He bobbled his little noggin wildly and flashed a toothy grin while exclaiming with excitement, “Un!"
She reached over and pinched his plump cheek while cooing at him happily. "Kaikai, you are too adorable. What did you do with them?"
Malakai put a chubby finger to his mouth for a moment then shrugged his shoulders with his hand moving into the air. “Nono”
“You don’t know?” Questioned the teenage mother, an amused smile adorning her lips as she observed him tossing his noggin about and agreeing with her words.
Kagome hummed loudly then continued to attempt to elicit another response out of the toddler. “Hmm. Did you watch cartoons?”
His golden eyes brightened, and he began to bounce in her arms, crying excitedly, “Ya!”
She laughed at her son’s enthusiasm and the fact that he never answered her question. She tried once again to draw a response out of him. “What did you watch?”
"BooCoos." Proclaimed the tiny yōkai with a joyful grin.
Not surprised by the child's answer and wondering if his interest would ever shift to another show, she kissed him sloppily on the cheek. He pushed her away, and she laughed lightly then adjusted the pup on her hip.
Silence descended over mother and son as they approached the familiar homestead and began to climb the many steps.
"You were telling the truth he does look like me." A smooth tone floated out of the shadows, catching the woman off guard and making her lose her balance.
Panic flooded the terrified teen as she felt herself falling back with no way of stopping. She tightened the hold around the child and hoped that her body would shield his little form from harm.
Suddenly a tattooed arm shot out and wrapped around her waist pulling them to his solid body and lifting the duo away from the stone steps.
Landing in the green grass above, the shaken woman buried her face in the warm chest and tried to calm her rapid heart rate. Holy shit. They had almost died, and it was all because of this asshole. She pulled away from the man, glaring up while shoving a finger at him and snarling loudly. “What the hell Sesshōmaru?! You could have fucking killed us. Gods, next time announce yourself before we reach a set of stairs.”
A snort of disbelief rang out over her dramatic behavior as the dog demon shook his silver head. “You were in no danger of dying woman.”
“Yeah well, you weren’t the one that almost fell down a flight of stairs,” cried Kagome sarcastically and stamped a foot on the supple grass.
“Regardless, you did not fall,” Pointed out Sesshōmaru dryly while arching his brows and running a steady hand through his light locks.
Waving off his brief statement dismissively, she swiftly changed the subject back to the heart of the matter. “So not the point and what are you doing here anyway?”
The look he sent her needed no explanation, and he kicked at a stick resting on the cool ground before answering flatly. “You know why I’m here.”
Yeah, she did, and the priestess wasn’t hashing it out now, especially in front of Malakai. It wasn’t the time or place. Plus, she was simply too exhausted to deal with the demon at the moment. “Sesshōmaru, we are not doing this right now.”
“If you had it your way, we would not do this at all,” said the Inu with a huff and stuffed his digits into the pockets of his pants.
“It’s good to know you understood our earlier discussion.” She snarked back while flipping some hair over her shoulder.
Scoffing some more, Sesshōmaru bit out another reply and waited for the woman to respond. “We discussed nothing. As I remember, all we did was argue circles around one another.”
Kagome relocated the slipping toddler back onto her hip bone and casually commented on the events that evening. “You argued I just told you how it was going to be.”
He made a sound of annoyance, a clear sign he was not pleased with her statement but said nothing else.
She recognized where the situation was currently heading and heaved a sigh of defeat while her shoulders slumped from exhaustion. “I’m not doing this again. Go home Sesshōmaru.”
Turning her back to the demon, the teen went to ramble up to the house when the quiet inupup finally spoke. "Hi!" Call out Malakai eagerly while peeking over a lean shoulder and waving at the speechless Inuyōkai.
Holding her breath, Kagome wondered how Sesshōmaru would respond to the unexpected development. Several minutes passed before he finally spoke to the toddler. It appeared that he was carefully weighing each word and his tone sounded softer than usual. "Hello, little one."
"No." Giggled Malakai and shook a hand around then pointed a chubby finger at himself. “Kai!"
The cautious mother heard the older Inu chuckle causing her to swivel around in surprise and stare wide-eyed at the upturn of his lips. The smile transformed his harsh features into something more angelic like and furthered his attractiveness. If Kagome had been another person and this had been different circumstances, she would have been swooning like all the others.
The warm gaze never wavered from the curious toddler as Sesshōmaru greeted him once more, "Hello, Malakai."
Beaming, Malakai appeared rather pleased with the unfamiliar demon’s response and babbled something unintelligible. “Nico te vook ug.”
Sesshōmaru simply agreed with him then flicked his gaze to the petite female as if contemplating something before returning to the child. He nervously swallowed and rocked on balls of his feet. "I am your fath..."
Kagome cut the demon off when she realized what he was about to do and bounced Malakai slightly to draw his attention. "Kaikai, this is Sesshōmaru."
An angry growl erupted from the Inuyōkai, and he glared over at her sharply. "Little miko," warned Sesshōmaru as he folded his arms across his broad chest and continued to rumble softly.
She huffed loudly and glared at the demon in return. She could not believe he would do that without speaking to her first. What was he thinking?
Both teenagers turned to their son who was struggling to say the name given, “Amaoo. Ahmaoo." The tiny demon frowned in frustration and whined to the couple, "Haad." He put his hand on his head much like Kagome would have done and cradled it. "Houts."
Sesshōmaru snorted boisterously, and another chuckle escaped while his eyes trailed to the smiling woman and quipped humorously. "I believe I recognize who he picked that up from."
"Bite me." She snipped sarcastically then swept her gaze upward and jutted a tongue out at him.
A ghost of a smile passed his lips, and his own stare raked over her form before he replied cheekily. "I have, and if this Sesshōmaru remembers correctly, you liked it."
Remembering exactly what he was referring to, Kagome fought the flush that began to creep up her neck. ‘By the powers of the Kamigami, do not blush!' She thought frantically, only for the color to continue to the apples of her cheeks.
Crap. What the hell was wrong with her and why was she getting so flustered? She needed to redirect the focus somewhere besides her reddened face and maybe, knock the cocky demon down a notch while she was at it.
"Who says I wasn't faking? For all one knows I could have faked every single little thing," declared the young mother with a light scoff and a nonchalant shrug. She knew when the words flew out of her mouth that they would wound his precious pride.
The yōkai before her narrowed his golden gaze, and a growl rumbled from his broad chest as he quickly reached out towards her slight form. She felt his large hand wrap around her wrist then yank them forward and into his muscular embrace.
Caught off guard by his sudden reaction and staring up at the demon wide-eyed, she attempted to express regret for her false words. "Sesshou, I didn't…I meant…" His palm came up and cupped her cheek, cradling it for a second before he swooped in to crush his mouth against hers thus silencing the teen.
The yōkai nipped at her bottom lip intentionally drawing out a gasp which parted the fleshy appendages enough for him to slip in a clever tongue. He skillfully stroked the velvety passage and enticed a small whimper from the quivering woman.
A reasonable part of Kagome cried out that this wasn’t a good idea, but another, the one that held her heart, yearned for this familiar intimacy. That feeling overrode any other and caused her mind to switch off and go on instinct. A hand wove into his silky strands grabbing them tightly and pulling him closer as she kissed the demon back with the same fervor.
Minutes passed as the couple made out in the darkened yard, only to be interrupted by a small growling that erupted between them.
Hearing the distinctive noise, Kagome's eyes flew open, and her mind instantly rebooted; bewilderment and horror washed over her like a cold ocean wave and thoughts began to run amuck. 'What the hell am I doing?! Why did I let him kiss me?!'
Yanking away from his silky locks and resting a palm against his upper torso, the perplexed female pushed out of his hold and stumbled back a few paces. She bored daggers into the still Inuyōkai and shouted at him with an accusing finger pointed his way. "Sesshōmaru, What the fuck?! Why would ever think it was okay to kiss me? My feelings are not something that you can play with when you feel it’s convenient for you! Can you think of someone other than yourself for once?!”
The pleasant warmth of his features glazed over with an icy defense, and a hand shoved roughly through his tangled mane while he ignored her outburst and questions. "I wish to see my son tomorrow after school."
Kagome was about to respond when the entry light flashed on, and her mother’s voice called out from the open door. “Kagome dear, is that you out there?”
Turning her dark head in that direction, she called out to let her mother know that it was not some stranger in the yard. “Yes, mama it is.”
Her mother stepped out of the doorway, wiping her hands on the blue apron and eyeing the trio. “Is everything okay?”
The teen shifted the slipping toddler back to a more comfortable position and tried to reassure the concerned parental unit that nothing was wrong. “Everything is fine. We are just talking.”
Slowly approaching the threesome, the older woman eyed the unfamiliar yōkai as she passed. She sidled up to her daughter and reached out for her grandson. "Here Sweetheart, give me Malakai and you can finish up with this."
That was a wonderful idea; then she could speak to Sesshōmaru without the fear of either getting angry and yelling at each other. It was not a scene that she wanted her son to witness. “Okay,” stated the relieved teen as she handed him over and thanked her mother for coming to the rescue, even if she didn’t know it. “Thanks, Mama.”
“Always my dear.” Her mother reached out to give her arm a reassuring squeeze and bestowed a kind smile before leaving the couple.
Once the duo disappeared in the house, Kagome crossed her arms and glared up at the demon while continuing with their previous discussion. "Sesshōmaru we are done talking about this."
His eyes narrowed, and a growl ripped from his curled lips. "And as I told you, we were not done discussing this."
Kagome massaged her temples in frustration then flapped her hands about as the emotion bubbled over. "What is there to discuss? Gods Sesshōmaru, You can't just waltz into our lives because you now feel like being a father. It doesn't work that way. Don't you get it?!"
The Inuyōkai stayed silent, while the embittered female continued to rant on, "You abandoned not only me but also Malakai when you up and left. So, don't tell me we have anything to discuss because we don't."
She did a three-sixty showing the yōkai her back and stomped to the house yelling as she went. "Go home Sesshōmaru and leave it be."
Fingers curling around the knob and yanking it open, she paused in the entry and peered over a shoulder keeping her voice firm and steady, "Leave us be!"
With that said, the teen mother slipped inside and slammed the heavy door so hard that the frame shook. She sagged against wood taking in some deep cleansing breaths and closed her eyes. 'I can't believe I just did that,' thought the woman as a shaky hand came up to massage the bridge of her nose. If all goes well, he will head her words and stay away this time. If he were as smart as he liked to portray, Sesshōmaru would pretend that they don’t exist and let them go back to how things were before.
Shedding the thoughts of the Inuyōkai a thrown stone away, Kagome pushed off the sturdy structure and toed out of her shoes before heading towards the stairs. As of now, she just wanted to go about their nightly routine then crash; everything else could wait until morning. The weary woman lumbered up the creaky steps and made her way down the hall.
Reaching her son’s room, she spied her mother setting a finger to her lips while carefully sliding the door closed. When it was firmly in its place, she turned around to whisper. "Malakai is in bed. The little guy fell asleep as soon as I laid him down."
Disheartened that she had not been the one to settle him, Kagome rubbed her temples in irritation. Damn it, all she had wanted to do was read Malakai a bedtime story then put him to bed. This was all Sesshōmaru's fault. If he hadn't come around and messed up their routine, she would have been the one to do it instead of her mother. Huffing, Kagome forced her mind away from the bothersome thoughts and expressed her gratitude to the waiting matriarch. "Thanks for the help, Mama. I really do appreciate it."
“I know you do love.” Expressed her mother while a gentle hand came up to stroke her pale cheek. “You okay?"
Kagome assumed she would have asked about the unfamiliar demon, but she hadn't; instead, she referred to her wellbeing.
Trying to lessen some worry, the teen reached over to still the hand on her face and squeezed it. "Yeah, I’m fine. I'm just tired and need some sleep.” She emphasized the comforting words by yawning widely.
“I will let you go to sleep then.” Dropping the palm away from her daughter’s cheek, the widowed mother leaned over to give it a peck, then bid her goodnight. "I love you. Night, Sweetheart."
“Love you too Mama. Night.” Her mother waved as she headed in the direction of the stairs while the sleepy schoolgirl stumbled into her room.
Kagome approached the big bed and sluggishly stripped down to her knickers leaving the clothes on the floor for tomorrow. She lifted the corner of the comfy comforter and collapsed onto the sheets. Drawing the bedding over her body, she could no longer keep the heavy lids open, and they gradually closed hauling the worn-out woman to sleep.
