“Gods, I wish HQ would let us upgrade to the newest model.” Bossy intoned, flipping through the Modern Systems and Drives magazine that had come in the mail. If her pathetic salary would let her, she’d go and buy the upgrades herself. It would make her own life so much easier. No more rebooting the system, no more unplugging the synapses and waiting a few seconds and then praying that fixed the problem. No more viruses. No more lag-happy system. She nearly sighed at the mere thought of it.
“Bossy? Hey! Oi, the system’s acting weird! Come and fix it!” Fist on her hip, Angry nearly drug Bossy away from the magazine back to her monitor.
“What do you mean? It’s been a long time since there has been any problems. Is Sesshomaru back or something?” Bossy laughed at her own joke, fumbling with the controls and looking through the programs.
“Well, yeah, actually. Or that’s what Kagome was just told, at least.”
There was a pause, heavy in the air. Bossy’s fingers hovered above the screen, and she slowly turned to face Angry. Then the laughing started, hysterical and panicked, before she gingerly held the side of her face.
“Oh my God. We’re going to die. All of us. Sesshomaru doesn’t know. Sesshomaru doesn’t know. Fuck.”
The other Kagomes looked on as Bossy lost it, tears streaming down her face as she laughed, crumpling to the floor.
“This isn’t good” Sad muttered, sharing a look with Angry.
“Tch. Tell me about it. She’s the only one who knows how to do the reboot-fix-it-thing.”
-;-
“There is so much that we have to do.” Kagome muttered to herself as she struggled with orders and accounts. She wanted everything to be as it should be for when Sesshomaru finally made it back. He had trusted her, after all. It was her responsibility to worry about all accounts and budgets and expenses and making sure that everything ran smoothly. This was the most important thing she had been tasked with.
“Kagome, I am certain that my son will be pleased with the state of affairs. Seriously, child, calm down.” Sesshomaru’s mother intoned carelessly, waving away the servant that had brought her tea. She sat up to pour her own, casting a glance at Kagome.
“Could you send for Arisu for me again?” Kagome asked, worrying her lip as a cup of tea was poured for her as well.
“Kagome-chan, no need, here I am.” Arisu wandered into the hearing room, a relaxed smile on her face.
“How goes the infirmary?” Kagome rubbed her stomach, trying to alleviate the pain of the pup pressing into her bladder.
“All goes well. The group of servants you assembled to search for ingredients are as skilled as ever. How goes your pains?” Arisu passed the miko a satchel of herbs, and nodded at her.
“I know not how long a hanyo takes to gestate, but I assume you are closing in on being full term. You should take those herbs twice a day as a tea during a meal. It should lessen the pain for you.”
Kagome sighed, nodding at the girl. After the initial potion that Arisu had slipped her, and whatever she had seen, her loyalty bordered on as much as Jaken held for Sesshomaru. Initially, Kagome relied on Sesshomaru’s mother to scent if any lies were forthcoming. After almost six months of no lies, Kagome began to trust the little witch.
“Would you be so kind as to escort me on a walk, Arisu? I cannot sit any longer.” At her nod, Kagome worked her way to her feet, her stomach protruding from her slight form as she waddled towards the door. After a moment, Arisu made her way to the little hybrid’s side, wrapping her arm tentatively around her shoulders. The further along the little woman got, the more independent she tried to be. It would be cute if Arisu didn’t have to worry about her hurting herself.
An eventful twenty minutes later, Kagome finally sat at a bench under The Camphor tree to rest her aching feet. The white blossoms that littered the branches signaled that spring was in full swing. Watching as one in particular fluttered free from the branch, Kagome’s eyes locked onto the delicate flower, small in size but aromatic, as it tumbled and turned through the air in a dance to a beat only nature knew. Finally, a pale arm was extended to catch the little treasure, and this gave Kagome a pause.
A pale arm? In the middle of the inner gardens? The only ones allowed in here were the royal family, and, of course, herself and her escort. But Sesshomaru’s mother truly didn’t like the gardens, aromatic and full of buzzing from insects and chatter from the little animals that lived here. Then…
“Sesshomaru-sama?” Kagome called, rushing to her feet despite the pain in her lower back. She waddled closer to the hand, half hidden behind another tree, and had to forcibly stamp down on the tears that wanted so desperately to roll hot and hard down her cheeks.
“Sesshomaru.” This time it was said slower, such that she could savor every letter in his name, so glad was she to see him again.
“Kagome.” It was soft-spoken, with an amused tilt to it, as he slowly rose to his feet. There was an easy smile, and a slow inhale, followed by the widening of eyes.
“Sesshomaru, it’s been so long.” It was whispered, perhaps, if she were honest with herself, a bit fearful, but it came out just the same. After a bit, her lip quivered, and the torrent that had built up with every second that he was gone crashed hard and fast, and she was nearly sobbing when he gathered her into his arms.
A soft exhale next to her ear, and she grasped at him, desperate for his touch after the months and months of waiting since the start of the war. Every day of keeping accounts, making negotiations, collecting herbs, going in secret to see to Rin, all of it unbearable in the moment of its occurrence was made okay now that he was there with her.
There was a moment of hesitation once she finally stopped crying. She pulled back enough to dab at her eyes with the edge of her sleeve; once she could see him unobscured, she smiled, caught between berating herself for her histrionics and being overjoyed that he had come back, as whole as he had been when he left.
His hand grasped her shoulder, and he looked into her eyes before he couldn’t help that his eyes flickered down to her stomach. Slowly, without rush, his hand slid down her arm, before sliding up to her stomach to stroke the sizable baby bump that he could see even through the layers and layers of fabric that she wore. He sank down to one knee, stroking the lump on the otherwise slight woman that he had bedded and apparently pupped. After a moment or two, he felt a little push, and his eyebrows rose at the kick from the child.
“How long?” The gentle stroking continued, and after a moment Kagome found her voice.
“I’m uncertain. I assume I became pregnant the last time that you visited, nearly seven months ago.” Kagome allowed her fingers to wind into Sesshomaru’s hair, and they were together like that for a long while, just existing together, taking in their new reality. When they finally made it in, Sesshomaru’s mother couldn’t hide her glee in seeing her son home.