I want to take the time to thank everyone for your reviews. They meant a lot to me, and I am glad to be reminded that I have so many readers. Thank you so much. For those of you who read Changed Body, Changed Heart, I have some bad news. I am going to be taking a break from it. I have been struggling with writing that story and I have officially hit a roadblock. I will finish it and will still be working on it. I am just not going to post it at the moment. I would rather take the time to work through this roadblock and give you quality chapters than force it and give you crap. I hope you all understand. I will still post the other three, and if you would like, I can post a new Sesshomaru and Kagome story in its place. Let me know if that is something you would be interested in. I hope you enjoy and stay safe and healthy.

Chapter 44

Touga looked around the house as he walked through the front door. He had been worried about Kagome all day, many times contemplating on leaving. She knew how important this meeting was, kept reassuring him that she was okay, but he felt horrible leaving her alone.

Even sending Sesshomaru to look after the girls wasn't enough. Something told him he needed to be with his mate. As soon as the meeting was over, that was what he did. He came home, wanting to make sure Kagome was okay.

He looked around once more, listening for any sound or movement. There was none. It was as if the air in the house was tense, stifling. Something was wrong, he could feel it. Filled with worry, he began to head towards his room, assuming that was where Kagome would be.

He didn't make it halfway before something slammed into him, dragging him into another room. Flabbergasted, Touga watched as Sesshomaru locked the door behind them, and then looked at his father. "What has gotten into you, Son?"

"We need to talk, Father. I have a question for you." Sesshomaru walked up to Touga, stopping a few feet away from him. He was silent for a moment, seeing Touga's confused gaze. "Is it true that you do not want more children?"

"What is bringing this up?" Touga still had no idea what had gotten into his son. Sesshomaru wasn't one that normally got into Touga's business. Not like this at least. "What does it matter if I do or don't? You normally wouldn't care?"

"It was a simple question, Father. One that you refuse to answer." Sesshomaru took another step towards Touga, eyes narrowing. "It's as easy as telling the truth. Do you want children?"

Touga shook his head. He just wanted to check on Kagome, instead, his son is acting peculiar and keeping him from going to his mate. "No. I don't want any more children." He could already tell Sesshomaru was going to ask why, so he went ahead and answered before he could. "Izayoi died from complications due to childbirth. I will not put that on Kagome."

"You think Kagome is Izayoi?" Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes farther, disgusted. "Do you look at Kagome and see your dead wife? Do you wish they would trade places? D-"

"That is enough, boy." Touga snarled. He opened his mouth to say more but was slammed into the wall by Sesshomaru. He took a moment to look at his son, surprised by the fury Sesshomaru was showing. His eyes were bleeding red, his fangs elongated and bared. Sesshomaru had only ever been like this when he was about to hurt someone.

"Listen well, Father. Izayoi was a sickly woman. You knew that from the start. Kagome has already proved to be far stronger than Izayoi ever was. Her body has been able to handle more than your dead wife ever could. You continue to compare the two, hurting Kagome in the process. She is not Izayoi." Sesshomaru let go of his father, taking a step back though his eyes were still red.

"I know she is not Izayoi. I love her more than I ever loved Izayoi. She is my mate, Izayoi was my wife. You know the difference, Sesshomaru. I cannot lose Kagome. We are soul mates remember. The pain of losing her would literally kill me." Touga rubbed the back of his neck, sighing. "If I knew that she would remain unharmed, I wouldn't have a problem having children with her."

"What would you do if she ended up pregnant? Would you leave her?" Sesshomaru seemed particularly intense about this question, and Touga cocked his head, looking at his son more thoroughly.

"What has happened, Sesshomaru? Why are you bringing this up now?" Touga could tell something was wrong. He just didn't know what it was. Sesshomaru closed his eyes, looking away for a moment. When he opened his eyes again, he looked back at his father, the red gone from his gaze.

"Someone has interfered in our lives. Rin is pregnant. The tea she got was a fertility tea. It put her into a heat, one that I could not smell, but still attracted me and caused me to go feral. I cannot smell her pregnancy, but it is confirmed. That is why she is sick." Sesshomaru watched his father, seeing as everything began to click together.

Touga leaned against the wall, heart hammering in his chest. Kagome drank the same tea as Rin. A few weeks ago, he had nearly gone feral. It was a night he still remembered clearly. If Rin conceived, and the way Sesshomaru was acting, it could only mean one thing. "Kagome is pregnant?"

Sesshomaru nodded, not saying anything. Touga could feel his world crumbling down around him, his breath stuck in his lungs. Kagome was pregnant. The woman he loved and cherished had his baby curled under her heart. He was terrified, the feeling of Izayoi dying hitting again, but this time ten times worse because it was Kagome. There was a chance that he was going to lose his mate.

"She is not Izayoi." Sesshomaru reached out, pushing his father against the wall and making Touga look at him. "She is healthier. Stronger. You must not continue to treat her as if she is frail. She is devastated. She thinks you will turn away from the baby."

"I would never." Touga pushed his son away, going to pace in the middle of the room. "I never wanted children, but I could never turn my back on her or the baby. You should know that!"

"It is not me you need to convince." Sesshomaru snapped, pointing in the general direction of Kagome. "She is the one who believes you will leave her, and that is because of the constant comparison to Izayoi. You did that. You need to fix it, or you may lose her and that baby in an entirely different way. She will walk out on you if it means protecting her baby. I will help her."

This time it was Touga who was slamming his son against the wall, hard enough that the wall shook. He snarled, eyes bleeding red as Sesshomaru did the same. "You dare to threaten to take my mate away. You are a foolish pup."

"You are the fool, Father. You are angry at me, and yet your mate is devastated. She wasn't even able to be happy about her pregnancy before fear of your reaction overcame her. She is a natural mother, has longed to birth her own child, and now that she is pregnant, she hates it." Sesshomaru pushed back against his father's hand, standing tall as he hovered over Touga. "You did that. You broke her, and all because of an irrational fear that surrounds Izayoi. Do not blame me for doing what you can't."

"You are pushing me." Touga snarled. He pulled Sesshomaru from the wall, just to slam him back again, this time cracking the molding behind him. "She is my mate. You know I love her, Sesshomaru. It was you that could see she is my soul mate. I would never be able to reject her."

"Again, you are telling me this when I am not the one who needs to hear it." Sesshomaru spat, still not backing down from his father. "You are the alpha. I am the beta. It is my job to do what you fail at, and in this, you failed. If you do not fix it, I will be the one to care for her, and that baby she carries."

Touga snarled, inching closer to his son's face. Before he could say or do anything, the door slammed open, causing both of them to look towards Rin. She eyed both of them, her eyes wide as she took in their appearance. She had heard the thud of Sesshomaru hitting the wall and came as quickly as she could. A hand over her stomach, she looked to Touga, begging. "Please don't hurt him."

Touga felt the blood drain from his eyes and then looked back to his son. Sesshomaru was right. Touga had failed, and Sesshomaru did as he was supposed to as the second in command. Sighing, he let Sesshomaru off the wall, taking a few steps back. Rubbing his face, he turned to Rin. "Is Kagome in our room?"

She nodded, and he stepped past her, letting her run to Sesshomaru to check on him. He made his way upstairs, not stopping until he was at his door. Slowly, he opened it, heartbreaking at what he saw. Kagome was sitting on the bed, hunched over with her head in her hands. Everything Sesshomaru said came rushing back, and he hated himself at that moment.

He did this to Kagome. He broke her down with his fear of losing her, and now she feared what he would do. He was a fool. A heartless fool. The entire time, he thought about himself, not once thinking of Kagome. He had asked her to give up something that she desperately wanted, and now that she had it, she feared it. This was his fault, and he needed to fix it.

He walked into the room, shutting the door behind him. Kagome didn't hear a thing, stuck in her own turmoil. He whispered her name, loud enough for her to hear, and she shot up, backing away from him in a hurry. She was afraid of him, and that hurt more than anything else she could have done.

Looking away from her and her wide eyes, he swallowed the large lump that formed in his throat. He needed to fix this. He needed to show her that he would be there for her and the baby. No matter what. Looking back towards her, he took a single step, stopping when she took two back.

"I would never hurt you, Kagome. You know this." His voice was tight, eyes glassy. She didn't say anything, subconsciously placing a hand protectively over her belly. Again, she managed to rip his heart out. "I would never hurt our child."

"You don't want it." She shook her head, tears falling down her face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get pregnant. I took my birth control like I was supposed to, I promise I did." She covered her mouth as a sob escaped. "I didn't mean for this to happen, but I won't, I can't get rid of our baby. I can't."

She was pleading with him, begging him not to ask, and the fact that she thought he could even think of asking such a thing caused his stomach to roll. He closed his eyes again, hating seeing her like this. He did this to her, broke her down, and now he needed to put the pieces back together.

He took a deep breath, looking at her with tortured eyes. "I let my fear control me. You mean so much to me, and I…" He trailed, feeling his eyes beginning to burn. "I can't lose you. However, I should have never compared you to Izayoi. You are far stronger than she ever was. If it had been you having twins, your body could have handled it. I am sorry Kagome. I am sorry that I pushed you to this point. I hadn't realized… I love you, and I will love any children we have."

He took a step towards her, relief flooding him when she didn't back away. Closing the space between them, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her against him tightly. "I have a lot to make up for Kagome, but I promise I will. I will gain back your trust, I will fight my fears, and I will be the mate you deserve. I promise this to you, Kagome." Closing his eyes, he tenderly placed a hand over her stomach, accepting the fact that he was going to be a father again. He wouldn't let his fear control him. He would enjoy the newest addition just as he did InuYasha. It would take time to fix what he had ruined, but he wouldn't give up. He would make it up to Kagome, even if it took the rest of his life to do so.