TRIGGER WARNING: MISCARRIAGE.

"Motherfucker!" Ayame shouted, slamming down the phone.

Rin's eyes grew wide, "Do I want to know?"

"That beautiful house that I fell in love with was just sold to someone that isn't me," Ayame pouted.

"Oh."

"Oh, she says. Oh! See, this is a sign. I was iffy about buying a house so close to Koga and this is just the universe telling me I was right. I have no idea where the hell I'm going to move, Rin."

"Maybe, it's a sign that you should just move in with us," Kagome offered.

"If I were to move in here, it would leave plenty of opportunities for running into Koga. Right now, that is the very last thing I want to do."

"Right now, you are not going to be able to find a house for sell in the city that you can afford on your own working as a waitress. Also, you're not going to be able to get an apartment in the city with a wolf as a pet. Be reasonable. We could use the help with the mortgage, too," Sango countered.

"Yeah, Aya. Just stay with us. We love you, and we'd just worry about you if you were anywhere else," Rin added.

"You know it's really unfair when the three of you gang up and bully me, right?"

"Uh, duh." - Sango

"That's the point." - Kagome

"Why do you think we do it?" - Rin

Ayame threw her arms in the air in defeat, "Fine! I'll move in with you!"

"Wooo!" Kagome shouted.

"Dude, you do realize you have work in forty minutes, right?"

"Fuck work. I'm not going in today. Or tomorrow, either, for that matter."

"Right then.."

"I can feel you judging me. Why haven't you left yet, again?"

"Because I just watched you cry your eyes out and drink half a bottle of Jack."

"I really just want to be alone. It's what Ayame wants too. Just leave. Go tell Kagome that you were a good boy and helped me. Don't tell her about the lake house though. She'll just tell Ayame."

Inuyasha frowned, "And you don't want Ayame to know why?"

"Because it's still a surprise."

"No, it's something that's keeping your relationship apart."

"No, what's keeping our relationship apart is that she doesn't fucking trust me."

"Dude, she loves you. She's also known you for your entire life."

"Your point being?"

"High school."

Koga flinched, "That was a long time ago."

"Still. Do you blame her for not trusting you?"

"Will you just leave already?"

Inuyasha sneered, "Why? So you can hide behind the bottle some more?"

"Just fucking leave!" Koga roared throwing said bottle at the wall; it shattered on impact.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, "Very mature."

"Will you just go, please?"

"Only because you said please. I'll be back though. As soon as I'm done with work," Inuyasha warned.

"Whatever."

Ayame sighed, "Fuck this, I'm going back to sleep."

Sango raised an eyebrow, "It's only eleven."

"I'm aware. I'm also tired."

"Alright."

Ayame headed downstairs, collapsing on the bed with a huff. While she prayed for a dreamless sleep, she was only graced with an all too familiar nightmare:

Ayame was freaking out. She'd missed her period last month. For humans, it wouldn't seem like that big of a deal. They had irregular periods all time; it's natural. As a wolf demon though? No period could only mean two things; one is pregnancy, and the other is something is wrong. Ayame hoped for the latter. It sounds cruel to wish for illness over creating life. It wasn't that Ayame didn't want kids; the exact opposite in fact. Ayame would love to have five or six kids running around one day. She just didn't want that day to start while she was in high school.

Ayame wasn't fooling herself though. She knew her linage. The northern wolf tribe weren't just known for their white coats or preference to mountain air. They were known for how fertile their hierarchy was, and apparently still is. Their numbers had dwindled since they had come down from the mountains, though. Ayame didn't think she had much to worry about. The last time she and Koga had unprotected sex hadn't been the first time, but it would definitely be the last.

Ayame grabbed her cell phone, her hands shaking. She dialed the one person she could think of: Kagome.

She answered on the second ring, "T! Why aren't you at school, girlie?"

"I'm-" her voice cracked, "I'm at home."

"What's wrong?"

"Can you come over? It can wait until you're done with school."

"I'm leaving the school now."

"Kagome, second period is starting in five minutes."

"Eh, it's just history. You need me now, in the present. I'll be there in five minutes, okay?"

"Okay," tears sprang to Ayame's eyes, "I'll see you soon."

-0-

Kagome made it to Ayame's in three minutes. She found Ayame curled up on her couch in tears. "Aya, what's wrong? Did you and Koga get into a fight?"

Ayame shook her head.

"Gramps isn't sick is he?"

Ayame shook her head, again.

"Then what?"

"I think," her lower lip trembled, "I think I might be pregnant."

Kagome stared at her in shock, "Are you sure?"

"No, I'm not sure. But, I'm two weeks late on my period. Which hey, for a human wouldn't be THAT big of a deal, but for a wolf demon it's unheard of. Unless there is something seriously wrong or she's pregnant."

"Okay, okay. How about before we start jumping to conclusions, we get a pregnancy test?"

"I'd rather just go to the clinic in Topsfield."

"That's an hour and a half drive."

"I know. I'll pay for the gas and I'll buy you some food. I just don't want to go to the clinic here. Both my and Koga's clans go there and if a single one of those females recognizes me everyone will know within two hours." Panic rose in Ayame's chest at the thought.

"Alright, don't stress. We'll go to Topsfield. We should leave soon though, before one of the guys show up here looking for us."

Ayame hugged her friend, "Thank you so much for doing this."

"Hey, if you can't rely on your friends who can you rely on?"

"True." Ayame pulled away to slip on her sandals.

Kagome held out her hand as they headed for the door, "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Ayame replied clasping their hands together.

-0-

"Congratulations, you're roughly seven weeks along." The doctor said without looking up from the chart.

Kagome held Ayame as she hyperventilated, "Are you positive, doctor?"

The doctor glanced up with a frown at Ayame's reaction, "Yes, I'm sure. I take it this wasn't a planned pregnancy."

"She's only sixteen," Kagome explained, confused.

"I'm aware. That's not as young as you'd think it would be with wolf demons."

"I would think the blatant fact that I'm not mated would show that this wasn't a planned pregnancy," Ayame growled.

"Ah yes. I'm very sorry, I didn't realize. Have you thought of your options?"

"You're kidding right? She only just found out she was pregnant!" Kagome exclaimed.

"No, I have. I've been thinking it over for the past two weeks. I'm going to keep my child, plain and simple."

"Does the father know?" The doctor asked.

"No, I still have to tell him. I'm just not sure how."

"Very well. I wish you the best of luck," he said before leaving the room.

"I don't like him," Kagome glared at the door, "His bedside manner blows."

"He's a demon doctor whose patients are demons, what did you expect?"

"I don't know. Just not that."

"What am I going to do Kagome?" Ayame asked her eyes brimming with tears.

"I don't know, love."

-0-

Kagome leaned against her locker, which just happened to be next to Ayame's, "Have you told him yet?"

"No."

"It's been three days since you found out."

"Exactly. It's only been three days. I don't know how to tell him." Ayame whispered.

"Don't know how to tell who, what?" A husky voice asked as muscled arms snaked around her waist.

Ayame jumped before relaxing into her lover's arms, "I don't know how to tell Gramps that I caught Anita with the pool boy again." Ayame explained.

"Oh. Just leave her be. There are far worse things she could be doing," He said resting his chin on her shoulder.

Just then the minute bell rang, "Well, we should be getting to class!" Kagome exclaimed before she hooked arms with Ayame and dragged her in the direction of history.

She waited until they were seated in class before turning to her friend, "Why did you lie to him?

"I didn't lie. I really did catch Anita with the pool boy three days ago, and I've been trying to figure out how to tell Gramps since."

"So? That's not what we were talking about and you know it."

"Really, you want me to tell him during school hours, between classes?" Ayame countered.

Kagome thought it over, "You're right, but you're wrong at the same time. You do need to tell him, Ayame."

"I will. Eventually."

-0-

Ayame cried as another wave painful cramps thrashed her abdomen. Something was seriously wrong. She reached for her phone and called Kagome. She managed to get control over her tears as it rang.

"Hey, Aya. What's up?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha's voiced filtered in through the background, he was bitching about ramen.

"I need you to take me to the hospital." She said calmly.

"Why? Are you okay?" Kagome's panic must have alerted Inuyasha because he shut up about the ramen.

"No. Something's wrong. Please, just hurry." Ayame heard a door slam, reopen, and slam again.

A car engine started, "Hold on. I'll be there in less than two minutes, okay?"

Ayame sobbed.

She blinked and Inuyasha was cradling her in the backseat of Kagome's car. She clung to him, her tears refusing to stop.

-0-

Ayame squinted against the harsh hospital lights, "Kagome?"

"Oh thank god." Kagome choked, crawling onto the twin bed with Ayame careful to avoid the iv.

"Is my baby okay?" She asked quietly.

"I am so, so sorry," Kagome sobbed.

Ayame's throat felt raw, "What happened?"

"We got to you, and there was a lot of blood. You were just lying there sobbing. So we wrapped you up in your blanket and I had Inuyasha carry you. Then we came here. They managed to stop the bleeding but you have to stay over night. But honey, the doctors say you had a miscarriage. They don't know what could have caused it, but this is not your fault do you understand me?"

Ayame nodded, curling into her friend letting the tears fall freely. She cried for the loss of a child she was only just getting use to having. She cried for what felt like hours before realizing she didn't want Koga to know. She didn't want him to experience this loss. " Hey Kagome?" She sniffled.

"Yeah?"

"You didn't call Koga did you?"

"No, why?"

"I don't want him to know."

"You can't go through this alone, Ayame."

"I'm not. I have you and I have Inuyasha and that's enough. I don't want Koga to mourn something he never knew about."

"He's going to wonder why you're in the hospital."

"Tell him it was a really bad stomach virus. I'll be out tomorrow anyway."

"I don't think this is a good idea."

"Please don't tell him."

"I won't. It's your decision. Inuyasha and I will respect that, always."

"Thank you."

-0-

Ayame answered her phone, "Hello?"

"Hey baby." It was Koga.

"Oh hey. What's up?"

"I was just calling to see if you wanted to go to this party Ginta's throwing for the football team with me tonight."

"I can't.."

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Not that I know of."

"So you're not mad at me?"

"No, why?"

"Because you've been blowing me off for the past two weeks."

"No, I haven't."

"Yes, you really have."

"No. I really haven't."

"Oh really? So you haven't been avoiding me at school or always giving me an excuse as to why we can't hang out after?"

"Nope."

"Can you give me another reasonable answer as to how we could go from spending every waking moment together to rarely seeing each other at all when our schedules haven't changed? You know, besides you blowing me off." Koga replied, frustrated.

"I've just been busy."

"Right. Whatever, Ayame. I gotta go."

Ayame shouted, "Wait! Koga!" But it was too late, he'd already hung up. Ayame threw her phone. She knew she'd be distant with Koga lately. She just couldn't be around him without thinking about their loss. The loss he was completely oblivious to. It wasn't fair to him. She decided then that she'd go to the party; to show him that she still cared.

-0-

Ayame got to Ginta's when the party was in full swing. There were people everywhere. Some were making out, some were dancing, but almost everyone had a glass filled with some form of alcohol or another.

"Ayame! I didn't think you were coming!" Ginta greeted over the music.

"Yeah! I decided to hang responsibility for a night and hang out with my man!" She replied with a smile.

"Hey you want a drink or something?"

"I really just want to see Koga first. Where is he?"

"I don't know." Ginta responded sheepishly.

"Ginta, you've always been an awful liar. Where is my boyfriend?"

"His room.."

Ayame took off running in that direction. Ginta tried to stop her but he was too slow. She could smell sex the closer she got, and tried to write it off as some other couple. It was a party, after all. She reached for his door handle and found it locked. She was about to give up and look somewhere else when she heard a moan. A moan she was all too familiar with. She kicked the door in and glanced at the bed.

"Oh my god, no." She shook her head. There wrapped up in the arms of another woman, was Koga.

"Ayame!" He scrambled away from his bed mate, "What are you doing here?"

"How fucking long has this been going on?" Ayame asked calmly.

"Just tonight, I swear!"

"I'm gonna let you guys have this domestic in privacy," Kikyo stated icily. She moved to pick up her clothes.

Ayame had her pinned to the ground in seconds, "Oh, I don't think so bitch. You just fucked the wrong guy." Her eyes were red and her nails elongated. Koga tackled her off of Kikyo, but not before she sliced those long black tresses down to a pixie.

"My hair! You'll pay for that!" Kikyo roared.

"Leave! Before she cuts your throat instead of your hair!" Koga shouted fighting to keep his hold on Ayame. Kikyo followed his orders, grabbed her clothes and took off.

Ayame broke free of his hold, "How dare you touch me." She said in disgust.

"Ayame, baby. Please. I love-"

-0-

Ayame woke with a shout, "No!" She glanced around disoriented. Slowly the details of what was now her room, came to her.

Kagome came rushing into her room, "Is everything alright? We heard you shout."

"Yeah. Just a nightmare." Ayame replied sleepily, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Which one?" Kagome sat next to her on the bed.

"The one that isn't a nightmare at all. "

"Junior year?"

Ayame nodded, Kagome pulled her into a hug, and Ayame let the tears fall once again.

A/N: And that's all she wrote folks. At least for now. I just wanted to apologize that it has taken over a year to give you guys a new chapter. Also, if you hate me now. I completely understand. I hate me too. I actually cried while writing this. I had to walk away a few times to pull myself together. Anyway, even if you hate me after this. I still love you guys. You will be getting chapters frequently now. Thanks to a dear friend of mine whose inspiration seemed to rub off on me a tad. I know this doesn't begin to make up for the cruelty you poor dears have been through this past year, but it's a start, no? As always, review~