.
“Kagome? What's wrong?” He set his briefcase down, loosening his tie.
“I'm pregnant, she whispered, eyes staring ahead to who-knows-where.
“Pregnant?” he echoed, eyes wide. “Kagome... That's wonderful! That's...” He picked her up and twirled her once before setting her down. “Have you seen a doctor?”
She nodded numbly. “She confirmed it...”
He took a step back. “Is something the matter, sweetheart?”
She shook her head, looking up at her husband. He... Again, she shook her head as he repeated her name. Sure, he was a bit different-looking. But he was still normal. He wore his platinum blonde hair long, tied back and neatly groomed everyday when he went to the office. His honey brown eyes held only warmth and concern for her. She smiled at her husband, ignoring the strange dream she'd had that afternoon. “Sesshoumaru...”
He smiled in return. “Yes, love.” His warm hand covered her belly as he stepped close and dipped his head to kiss her.
“You're going to be a daddy.”
.
“Kagome! Kagome! Wake up!”
She heard screaming and gasped, the sound stopping. “What—”
“It was just a dream, sweetheart.”
Sesshoumaru's face came in to view and she screamed again.
“Kagome!”
She thrashed in his loose hold wildly, pushing him away. “No! Don't touch me!”
His hands were instantly gone, raised by his bare shoulders as his brow knit in concern. “Kagome, calm down, please...”
“Get away from me, you demon!” She scrambled across the bed, stumbling out of it, naked. “You...! You... thing! Don't come near me!”
“Kagome, come back to bed, darling; it's cold. You shouldn't be getting so worked up! Think of the baby!” He hurried towards her.
With a moan, she took in her pregnant state, just beginning to show. “Noo... I...”
Sesshoumaru took her distraction to his advantage, wrapping her in his arms against his chest. “Please... Calm down, love. My Kagome. Please calm down.”
She struggled weakly before sagging in his arms, murmuring his name weakly.
“Shh... I'm hear, sweetheart. I'm here.”
“Oh God, Sesshoumaru, I'm sorry... It was just a dream. Just a dream...”
.
“Kagome...? What are you doing?” Sesshoumaru woke to find his wife's hands running over him frantically.
“You... You're him. You're my husband.” She murmured to herself in a tone just as frantic.
Waking fully in an instant, he grabbed her wrists. “Kagome, what's going on with you?”
“Two hands...” She murmured again in realisation. “You...” She shook her head. “Sesshoumaru...”
“Kagome... something... might be wrong.”
“Wrong?” She cocked her head, blue eyes wide in the dim light of just be fore sunrise.
He sighed and shook his head, pulling her close to his chest. “It's alright. We'll see a doctor in the morning.”
“Doctor,” she echoed. “But...”
“Hush, darling. It'll be fine.” He laid back down, keeping her wrapped protectively in his arms.
As Sesshoumaru fell asleep again, Kagome's eyes remained wide open. He looked and smelled and acted like her husband. Something, however, was off. A doctor? She didn't need a doctor. He was making a mistake. He was the one who was wrong. Off. Mistaken. Confused. Some creature was housed in her beautiful husband, and she was going to have its hideous baby.
.
“Kagome?” Sesshoumaru stretched and looked around the bedroom, light pouring in the big window. “Kagome? Where are you?” He rose from bed, throwing on a light robe, padding quietly to the bathroom. Continuing past the empty room, Sesshoumaru hurried past the nursery and down the stair so the kitchen. “Kagome? Darling?” He frowned, worry coiling in his gut as he wandered through the rest of the house, coming to his den. “Kagome? What are you doing in here?”
She looked up at him from the floor, eyes teary, papers and things strewn around her. “I... Sesshoumaru!” She bolted into his arms. “I... Sorry I made a mess of your things... I was... I was looking for something...”
“What...?” His brow furrowed in confusion. “What on earth were you looking for? I could have helped you find it.”
She shook her head against his chest. “It's... It's not a big deal. I'm sorry.”
He wrapped tentative arms around her, stroking her hair. “It's not big deal. I'm going to go make breakfast, love. Get dressed and come down, okay?”
Kagome nodded and smiled, wiping her face. “Right. I'll be down in a minute.”
.
As soon as Kagome was out of sight, Sesshoumaru hurried to the kitchen and flipped through his addressbook, calling the number of a discrete psychiatrist that might be able to help his distraught and confused wife. Scheduling an appointment for later that afternoon, he hung up with soothed nerves and began cooking scrambled eggs just the way she liked them.
.
As soon as Kagome was out of sight, she ran upstairs and pulled out her cell from her purse and dialled her brother's number. “Souta?”
“Kagome?”
“Yes! Good morning. Want to meet for lunch? I'll come to you.”
“Lunch?” Her brother was obviously still somewhat asleep. “Uh... Sure?”
“Great!” She chirped. “I'll come to your office. I'll bring Chinese.”
“Um. Okay. That sounds—”
She hung up and dressed quickly, flying down the stairs to smile at the man being her husband.
.
“Kagome, hi!” Souta rose and came around his desk, hugging his sister after Kagome dropped her coat and bag into a chair.
“Hey, Souta.” She smiled and then it vanished.
“Something wrong?”
Placing the take-out on his desk, she sat in the chair there. “I... Yes. I think so. I... I know it'll sound crazy, but I promise you, I'm not! It's... It's been very strange.”
“Kagome, what are you talking about? Is it this business with the dreams?”
She looked at him sharply. “So he told you.”
“Sesshoumaru? Of course. He's really very concerned. Though he'd never tell you—don't tell him I told you.” Souta sat down, fishing out his foot and breaking apart the chopsticks.
“These dreams... They're... They're telling me that this man isn't my husband. He's some demon with raging red eyes and glowing claws that spit poison.”
“Kagome—”
“No, Souta! Don't take that tone with me! I'm not crazy. Don't look down on me. He's... He's not different, but he is. No, that doesn't...” She sighed and put her face in her hands. “It's so frustrating! This child, Souta... He won't be normal! He's some half-mongrel!” She shuddered.
“Kagome,” he tried again gently “it's your baby. You'll love the child when he or she has been born.”
She sighed again. “You don't understand. There's a key to it somewhere. You just don't understand. Don't tell Sesshoumaru. I know you two talk a lot, but promise me you won't tell him. Promise me, Souta.”
Meeting her blue eyes, Souta hesitated.
“Promise me.”
“I...”
“Souta.”
“I promise.”
.
“Kagome, you're home!”
“Yes, hello.”
“It's time for your doctor's appointment. You remember?”
“Doctor...?” She looked him up and down. “Oh yes. Let me change.” She vanished upstairs.
Sesshoumaru gathered his coat and wallet and keys and paced around the front hall before calling up to her. “Kagome? You almost ready, dear?”
Silence.
“Kagome!” A glance at his watch convinced him to go upstairs and see what was taking so long. “Shit—Kagome! What are you doing!” Dropping his things, he ran to one of the bedroom windows, the emergency ladder hooked on the sill. “Kagome! Shit.” He leaned out the window, watching her hurry down the ladder, swaying dangerously. “Stay there! Don't move!” He reached towards her and then cursed again, sprinting down the stairs and outside to save her. When he reached the side of the house, she was just feet from the ground and gathering herself to jump.
“Kagome! Don't! Please!” He ran towards her. “I'll.... I'll catch you if you jump! Please! Think of the baby!”
She stopped. Light came into her eyes. “Sesshoumaru...? Oh God. What... This is—” Her hand slipped and she screamed, falling into her husband's waiting arms. “Sesshou—”
He held on to her tightly, striding quickly towards the car. “This is enough, Kagome. I don't know what's going on, but we're going to see the doctor to sort this out.”
Dropping her face to her hands, she nodded, sobbing silently.
.
“Kagome. You say you've been having dreams about your husband not being what he appears to be?”
Kagome shifted her eyes towards the door that had just closed after the doctor asked Sesshoumaru to leave. “His hearing is excellent,” she commented quietly. “I...” She looked up, meeting the doctor's eyes. “I know I sound crazy. Sesshoumaru brought me here—he... he cares for me so much. And even I know I sound kind of crazy... But it's as if...”
“Please. Go on.”
“Sesshoumaru is really some sort of ancient demon,” she said, entrusting this man with her enlightenments. “He has another form of a giant white wolf, raging red eyes and glowing claws. He's dangerous! And this child...” Kagome's hands rested on her belly, taking a furtive glance at Sesshoumaru out in the waiting area on his cell. “This child will be a half-breed abomination,” she breathed. “I...” Tears sprung to her eyes. “Damn it! I want this child! But only terrible things will come if he is born.”
The doctor laced his fingers. “It's a he?”
She flushed. “Oh, I don't know. I only think it's a he. Mother's instinct, I guess.”
“Very good. Why do you think these dreams are true? Of course, it's highly possible that there are things that exist in our world that we don't understand, but what makes you think that your dreams may be prophetic? Has there been any evidence?”
“Evidence...?” Kagome dropped her eyes, chewing on her lip as she thought.
.
“Kagome, why don't you rest. I'll make dinner.”
She nodded and hung her jacket in the closet and pulled her shoes off. “Okay...” She started to head towards the stairs but was stopped by a hand on her wrist.
“Kagome...” His honey brown eyes stared into hers. Pulling her close to him, Sesshoumaru wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head. “I love you. We'll get through this. I just want you to know that. I love you and would do anything for you.”
She paused before wrapping her own arms around him. “I love you too,” she murmured. “I do.”
Giving her butt a light smack, Sesshoumaru smiled warmly at her. “Good. Go ahead and take a nap, sweetheart. I'll wake you when dinner's ready.”
Nodding, Kagome wandered up to the bedroom. Evidence. What evidence could there possibly be? Chewing on he lip again, she looked around the bedroom. Evidence. What could possibly be evidence? Rustling through his drawers, she finally sat down on the bed, eyes burning with tears of frustration. There wasn't any. There was no evidence that could possibly prove who he was.
.
“Kagome, are you awake, sweetheart?” Sesshoumaru knocked on the door and pushed it open. She wasn't on the bed. “Hey, are you in here? Dinner's ready... Kagome—Hck!” Panic flared as his hands went to his throat to pull at the rope restricting his air intake.
“You aren't human!” A voice shrieked hysterically in his ear.
“Ka....gome....!” Reaching over his shoulder, he tugged at his wife's hands, flipping her over his shoulder onto the bed.
Screeching, she flew at him, clawing wildly. “I know you're not him! You're nothing more than a shell!”
He pushed her back and stared at his wife, her hair wild, blue eyes dilated and darting around in their sockets. “Kagome... What are you doing? This isn't you.” He held out hands, approaching her like one would approach a wild dog.
“You're not him. I may not be able to prove it, but you're not him,” she hissed, crouching like an animal.
.
“Kagome, won't you please be reasonable?” Sesshoumaru pleaded. “I don't know why you think I'm something, or someone, else, but I'm me! We met at that café in the city. We got married three years ago. We went to St. Croix for our honeymoon.”
“Silky lies,” she hissed, madness glinting her eyes in the dimming light of sunset. “I know you, dog-demon. You terrorising creature.” Her hand caressed her belly. “This child—I love it, but it will be cursed.”
Sesshoumaru shook his head, helpless. “I don't understand you, Kagome. I don't know what you want from me. I'm not this... this demon creature you think I am! You know me! You're... You're behaving irrationally!”
She hissed at him again, hunching protectively over her middle. “Stay away, creature.”
He inched towards her anyway. “Won't you listen to me? Can you hear my voice? I love you, Kagome...”
“Sesshoumaru: terrifying lord with no mercy. I do not fear you...” she purred at him, caressing her belly again. “Do not worry. Your spawn will feel no pain.”
“My spa—Kagome. Stop it. You don't even make sense anymore. Come away from there. Please.” He reached a hand out to her as she backed against the doors to the balcony. Nervous energy flamed along his nerves, staring at his crazed wife, unblinking. There had to be something...
.
“KAGOME!” He sprinted towards her as she pushed the doors open, a cheeky grin on her face.
“You can't. You won't win. I know you.” She pushed them shut in his face and then backed against the balcony rail. “You'll never catch me. This game of dog and cat is over...”
He couldn't breathe. His breath caught in his throat. He took a deep slow breath, steadying his nerves and stomach. “Kagome...” No sound even came out. He could only mouth her name while a tear slid down his cheek. “Please... Please, darling. Don't... Don't. Don't do this,” he babbled desperately. “Don't—this can be—I'm—I'll be anything you want me to. Just please don't... I love you. I need you, Kagome. Please come to me.”
She tittered coquettishly. “Silly creature. You pretend well. Your tears won't sway me.” Stretching her arms up towards the sky on tip-toes, she smiled peacefully, tipping backwards over the rail.
“KAGOME!!” Sesshoumaru roared, bolting to the rail, almost falling himself. He stared at her form on the patio, one hand weakly reaching towards him, a smile still gracing her lips. Her lips moved and though he couldn't hear words, she said, “I loved you.”
.
“Kagome, you were...everything to me,” Sesshoumaru murmured, dropping a rose into the grave. “I loved you. Love you. Still. Always.”
Teary-stained faces and sorrowful murmurs crowded the grave site as he backed away, turning to head down the hill towards his limo, back to the now-empty house, her light departed from it.
The doctors didn't know what happened. Her pregnancy had somehow effected her mind, her delusions and hallucinatory dreams infecting real-life judgement. Sesshoumaru didn't know any better. He had no thoughts for her downward turn. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Sesshoumaru tossed away thoughts that his wife might have been onto something. She had never done anything without good reason. Perhaps that was why she had a breakdown. He shook his head. Better not to think about it. Better to let something pure remain so. Kagome. His wife. Whom he loved.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Notes: Sorry it's kind of depressing. This came about after I watched The Astronaut's Wife. So I guess it's kind of inspired by that... That, and it's partially from ramblings that came to me at 2 A.M.
Thanks for reading!