The Snow Angel by SunsetMiko

The Medicine

Chapter 146 - The Medicine *Immanence* (Stella's Soundtrack Challenge)

Kagome's trip home was short. She refreshed her supplies quickly, eager to return to the Feudal Era. The longer she stayed in her time, the more likely it was that her mother would ask questions she wasn't prepared to answer. Mrs. Higurashi often inquired about her daughter's recent travels, and this time the miko wasn't eager to share all that she experienced since she was last home. She didn't know how she was going to explain her impending mating. To do so would be to tell her mother that at some point she would not be returning. Since she didn't know when yet, she didn't want to worry the older woman unnecessarily. When they were approaching the end of their quest, she would tell her, but not before.

The miko had been wracked with guilt when she had to confess that she had gotten none of her school work done over the last few weeks. Though Mrs. Higurashi tried to hide her disappointment, Kagome knew that it was embarrassing for her mother to have a daughter basically failing out of school, even if she did have a very good reason. She accepted the new list of her makeup work and promised herself that she would get as much done as she could before Sesshoumaru showed up to collect her. Even if in the end she would likely never graduate, she owed it to her family to keep up for as long as she could.

Kagome rushed through her good-byes and headed back through the well, eager to get back to Kaede's hut. She had an herbal medicine to learn how to make. She was abundantly thankful that the old miko knew how to make the Feudal Era's version of birth control, because it saved her a very awkward conversation with her mother that would have led to the questions she least wanted to answer. If she was getting mated, then she would obviously be staying in the past with her mate. No, it was better this way.

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Kagome and Sango watched closely, the miko taking copious notes, as the older woman demonstrated how to make the herbal medicine Kagome intended to make good use of over the coming years. She had no intention of being a baby factory. She loved Sesshoumaru and would love having his pups, but a reasonable amount of them and not until she was ready. Having given it some thought, Kagome had decided that pups could wait a while, even after they defeated Naraku. She was enjoying her time with her taiyoukai and knew that a baby would change everything. No, she wanted it to be just the two of them for a while. Besides, they already had two children to take care of. There was no reason to rush things.

"Tell me, child," Kaede started as she stirred the pot over the fire. "When will you start your bleeding time?"

Kagome looked thoughtful for a moment. "Soon, I think. I'm already starting to cramp." She pulled her calendar out of the depths of her large yellow bag and checked. She always had been one to keep track of her cycle. Wandering around the wilds of Japan, it was helpful to know when to expect her monthly visitor. She never, ever wanted to run out of her modern feminine hygiene products, though, she realized, at some point she would, no matter how much she stockpiled. Aging like her demon mate would ensure it. "Yup, today or tomorrow I expect. Why?"

"That is good. You must take this medicine on the first or second day of your bleeding for it to be effective. By the time it has passed, you will no longer become fertile, so long as you take it monthly without fail."

"Will one batch be just enough for one month, or can I bottle it?"

"You can bottle what remains. Just ensure that you do not forget when your supply will run out. If you are not prepared, and do not have the necessary supplies to make a new batch, the effects will wear off, and you will have to wait until the next month to take it again."

Kagome nodded her understanding. "And is it only good for so long before it has to be thrown away and replaced?"

"If you make a large batch, it must be used within six months or it will begin to lose its effectiveness. It is almost finished. Watch." All three women leaned close, waiting for what was about to happen. "There," Kaede said as the liquid bubbling in the pot changed color. "As soon as the color shifts, remove it from the fire and allow it to cool. It is ready."