InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Royal Birth: Sequel to His Little Girl ❯ Freed from fear ( Chapter 23 )

 

“Sesshoumaru,” Kagome called softly from the darkness of their bedroom, her eyes focused on the silvery slit of the waning moon that could be seen from outside their window, the falling snow looking like glitter in the midnight sky.

 

“Yes my mate,” Sesshoumaru said as he rolled onto his side and took her into his arms, spooning up against her back, molding himself to her as she gathered her thoughts.

 

Sesshoumaru, though tired, had found himself unable to gain much rest upon this night, his mate's mind filled with far too many thoughts. She had met with visiting royals not long after taking a private lunch with himself, Rin and Shippou after her visit with her mother. The woman had seemed happy enough, but when he had joined her in their room that night he had felt the heaviness upon her mind, could feel the swirling thoughts that would not part from her that eve.

 

“I know you said…you said that I'm not a shame to you, but…but your own mother, she was able to care for you on her own wasn't she?” Kagome asked her voice soft and distracted as she stared out at the night.

 

“Yes, but Kagome, I was the only pup my mother ever bore. I had no siblings to contend with, not at that time, and by the time Izayoi came into the pack, I was already very nearly fully grown.”

 

So this was still bothering her, he mused. Why? Why was this still bothering her? What did she feel she had to prove, or disprove? What was she so afraid of?

 

“Yes, but in the mean time your mother was able to care for you on her own, was she not?” Kagome asked again, her words, though still breathy soft, were more forceful this time, demanding an answer from him.

 

“Yes. She was able to care for me on her own.”

 

“Then if I am to be a good mother shouldn't I be able to care for my pups on my own?”

 

“Kagome,” Sesshoumaru said as he wrapped his arms more tightly around her pliant form. “You have five pups, five. My mother only had one. On top of this all though, you are pregnant again. Soon there will be a sixth and if the past proves to be any pattern to go by, possibly a seventh pup to look after and care for and nurse. You need help; this is far more than you can do simply by yourself.” He sighed softly, sadly as he too looked at the moon. “Tell me my mate,” he said deciding on a different view to provide her with. “If you were to be a good miko than would you not be able to tend to your entire village on your own in one day?”

 

Kagome turned her head to look at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. “No that would be impossible to do without at least some for of hel-p…” Kagome sighed and averted her gaze from his. “I've been completely ridiculous about this all, haven't I?” she asked with a soft laugh that for the first time in a while was filled with humor - self directed though it was.

 

“Not ridiculous,” he said as he yawned and kissed the curve of her neck. “Lost. You've been lost. So much responsibility was put upon you before you could find your feet and in doing so I guess you lost sight of the chair you had been sitting in.”

 

Kagome's brow furrowed in a moment of confusion before she began to understand what it was that he meant. She had lost her balance and had not been able to regain it, no matter how hard she had tried and there was nothing to hold her up when she couldn't stand on her own. A soft smile tugged at her lips and broke away as her face split in a yawn she wasn't able to catch and hide behind her hand. Sesshoumaru looked upon his yawning mate with a soft smile and gentleness in his eyes, she was a rare diamond this one, a blue diamond. So rare it was rarely recognized for what it was when found.

 

“Kagome,” he said softly as she yawned yet again, this one smaller and shorter than her last had been. “What were you so afraidof, surely not me?” he questioned as he watched a third yawn come out of her, sleep was pulling at her and it was about time too he thought.

 

“When I was little, after daddy died…mamma, she couldn't,” Kagome looked away. “If I hadn't taken care of the family than we would've all fallen apart. If I had been weak and admitted needing time for myself my family would've suffered for it…I was afraid…I have my own family now. If I had admitted to being weak, I thought…I thought I might loose everything. That it would all disappear like such a dream. So I did everything I could to hide the fact that I was weak, that I was failing. Being weak is almost a sin among youkai, I didn't want to shame you, or shame the Inu house or any of that. I wanted to prove myself a strong mate, a worthy mate, and I guess somewhere in there I just lost sight of who I was, who I am. I forgot that it was ok to ask for help, that it was ok to be weak as long as I didn't wear my weakness like a new kimono. I just got so stupidly scared,” she said her voice breaking off on yet another yawn.

 

“You're anything but stupid, and most assuredly are not in any way weak. The pups will be under my care this following week, I will no longer confine you to our chambers for bed rest, but only if promise me that when fatigued, you will return and rest,” he said his voice brooking no argument.

 

Kagome opened her mouth to respond only to be cut off when another yawn swept her up in its clutches, her eyes tearing at just how deep and intense the yawn was.

 

“Mm-k,” she said as she felt sleep tug at her all the more and turned over, snuggling herself deep into her mate's embrace and giving in to the heady call of sleep.

 

“Good, I shall hold you to that,” he whispered to her as he felt her fall asleep in his arms, following her shortly after into the realm of sweet soothing darkness.

 

 

 

An excited shout of `Pappa!' was the only warning Sesshoumaru had before a body moving at the speed of light landed on his stomach knocking the breath out of him and making him sit up quickly. He looked down with surprised eyes to see Rin sitting on his stomach, her face a mask of innocence - too innocent. Which only served to make him wonder - what had his pup done this time?

 

“Good morning Rin,” Sesshoumaru said once his breath had returned to him and looked over to see Kagome slowly awakening.

 

“Hey princess,” Kagome greeted groggily as she sat up and leaned against her mate's side, his arm wrapping around her shoulders and tucking her against him.

 

“Guess what, guess what, guess what?” Rin asked excitedly as she bounced on Sesshoumaru's lap making him wonder if he could ever remember being `sea sick' and if what he was feeling at the moment was the same sensation.

 

“What baby girl?” Kagome asked with a giggle at the girl's excitement.

 

“Shippou and I made you breakfast!” she said excitedly and looked over to see that Shippou had not followed her in. Rin frowned and pouted rather amusingly as she noticed the absence of her brother and partner in crime. “He was supposed to bring it in,” she said as her black puppy ears flicked this way and that.

 

“And I would've,” Shippou's voice sounded through the door from the other side. “But you closed the door!”

 

“Oh,” Rin said and then bounded off the bed with a bright smile to open the door and help her brother bring the food inside only to end up knocking the food all over him in her excitement.

 

Kagome took one look at the egg and - what she could only guess might have at one point been intended to be pancakes - that covered her son and covered her mouth with her hand and buried her face in Sesshoumaru's shoulder as she struggled not to laugh. As it was soft little whimpers of her laugh were breaking through the barrier of her hand and her mate's shoulder, her body quaking against his.

 

Sesshoumaru looked out at the food covered kitsune and the to his hanyou daughter who was standing over her brother looking rather perturbed that the meal she had painstakingly made - and burned the eggs as well as undercooked the pancakes one might add - was strewn all over the boy. The inu taiyoukai was doing his damnedest not to join his mate in her silent laughter, but when both parents saw Rin stomp her foot, pout and growl in frustration at the mess they lost the battle. Kagome grabbed a pillow from behind her and buried her face in it as she chortled into the soft cotton covered feathers while her mate choked on the laughter he was trying to suppress.

 

“Oh my,” they heard a voice say and looked up to see Keiko in the hall standing not too far from the mess the pups had made trying to control her laughter as well, her lips twitching as she held back her giggles. “Come on little ones,” Keiko said to her grand niece and nephew. “Let's clean up this mess and by the time it's all cleaned and in the kitchen then I think your parents will have risen from their chambers,” she said smiling in on the couple while closing the door to their room with a chuckle.

 

Once the door had been closed Kagome gave up all pretense of suppressing her laughter and burst out into uncontrolled laughter, slapping both hands over her mouth as her eyes sparkled and watered in her mirth. She looked at her chuckling mate and couldn't help but laugh harder, nearly sobbing in the hilarity of it all.

 

“At least be thankful we avoided what could very well have been a rather treacherous meal,” Sesshoumaru said with as much seriousness as he could muster in the moment.

 

Kagome nodded unable to form words through her giggles. Sesshoumaru smiled upon his laughing mate and pulled her into the circle of his arms as he sat her on his lap, happy to see her laughing and smiling again. He kissed her cheek and held her close to him as he hugged her tight in his arms.

 

“I suppose we should get up and get dressed,” Kagome said as her laughter died down and a happy energetic smile was left in its place upon her face.

 

“Yes, unless we wish for our pups to bring us a meal again,” he said with a soft chuckle.

 

“Poor Shippou,” Kagome giggled. “Rin's gonna give him an ear full.”

 

“She can be a forceful pup,” her mate sighed as she left his lap and moved to her wardrobe.

 

“Forceful,” Kagome giggled lightly. “That's putting it lightly.” Kagome shook her head, Rin's temper, even before turning hanyou was as formidable as her own and everyone knew to stay far away from the miko when she was in a temper.

 

“Come my mate,” Sesshoumaru said once they were both dressed. “Let us go eat.”

 

 

 

 

A.N.: Just a little bit of humor to tide you all over until the next part is up. For those wondering - yes Kagome is alright now, but still in need of much rest. For those of you whop have commented to me on FF.net - as per to their rules I cannot respond to your comments, I do not know why this rule is in place just that I must follow it.