InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Fang of the Father ❯ Welcome ( Chapter 25 )

LES: You guys should consider yourselves lucky. This story almost wasn't updated this week. Because my Thanksgiving was ruined by a sudden bout of the Stomach Virus. I was so sick yesterday that all I could do between trips to the bathroom was sleep. Anyway, I'm on the road to recovery, and here's the chapter. I know that over-using an imaginary time-machine is a bad idea, generally, but I've just about run out of ideas until their pup is born. So, I'm going to press the fast-forward button about six months. It is now early December, and Kagome is due any day. Not a lot has happened. Sesshomaru has been laying low and Inuyasha hasn't seen a trace of his half-brother in months. So you aren't missing anything.

 

Chapter XXV: Welcome

 

Winter was just settling in on Feudal Japan, and many were settling down to wait out the winter.

Inuyasha couldn't understand how everyone was so damn calm!

It was now a pretty common sight to see Inuyasha pacing like a restless animal and wearing trenches into the ground randomly around Kaede's village and his forest. Kami forbid anyone should try to interrupt his pacing, or they would find an angry and nervous hanyou snarling in their faces.

It was difficult to predict when the pup would arrive in Feudal Japan, so the best they could do was guess. And by Inuyasha's estimate, the pup would arrive within the week.

Kagome was very large with their pup, and had taken to resting all day with her mate hovering over her. He had taken to growling at anyone who approached her. It was really annoying for everyone else in the pack and village.

Miroku tried to bless the hanyou with peace of mind, but either the blessing didn't work, or he had become so agitated that spiritual intervention couldn't help. Everyone believed that it was the latter.

“Inuyasha, you need to calm down.” Miroku said when Inuyasha interrupted his mediation for what seemed the hundredth time.

Inuyasha snarled. “Don't tell me to calm down! The pup's coming!”

“That's interesting. Has Kagome gone into labor yet?” Miroku asked.

Inuyasha's ears pinned to his head. “No.”

“Then you have plenty of time before the pup comes.” Miroku said. “Your stressing will not make the pup come any faster.”

“Damnit!” Inuyasha swore.

“Kagome seems to be handling herself just fine.” Miroku commented. Inuyasha growled. “Hanyou pregnancies tend to be easy ones, or so I've heard. You two have barely had to dealt with the bad side of pregnancy. Why don't you tell me what's really bothering you. A more specific blessing might be able to help you.”

“Feh.” Inuyasha snorted, and then fell silent.

“Inuyasha?”

“What if I can't protect my family? Do you remember when that gang of hanyou-hunters attacked six months ago?”

Miroku nodded. Thanks to Inuyasha and Kenji, not a single villager has lost their lives.

“I almost lost Kagome.” Inuyasha said. “I would have lost her if Shippo hadn't been there. When one is a hanyou, there can be no mistakes; cause the moment you make a mistake, you'll die. I made a mistake leaving Kagome and almost lost her. I can't afford to make another mistake like that again.”

“Everyone makes mistakes, Inuyasha.” Miroku said. “The only thing that we can do is learn from our mistakes and never repeat them. I daresay that you have your ear on Kagome at this very moment.” The monk had noticed how one of Inuyasha's ears had focused in the direction of their hut.

“Yeah.” Inuyasha admitted. “At any time… it could happen.”

“For what it's worth, I believe that you'll do just fine. Just try to relax. You're not doing anyone a favor.” Miroku said.

“Speaking of pups, why hasn't Sango smelled of pup yet?” Inuyasha asked. “Sango's not a Yokai bitch that only goes into heat during the spring.”

“Sango… she… doesn't like the idea of settling down at the moment. Not while the Jewel is incomplete and Sesshomaru is at large.”

“Fool.” Inuyasha snarled. “Sesshomaru ain't a threat to your infants. He doesn't love humans, but he doesn't mindlessly kill them either. I'm the one who's worried about it. A Yokai family is most vulnerable after the birth of a new pup. If he attacks after the pup is born…”

“We will all protect your family.” Miroku said. “Isn't that what a pack does?”

Inuyasha flashed a reluctant smile, and then it quickly faded. The ear that was focused on Kagome flicked.

“What's wrong?”

“I don't know. Maybe nothing. But Kagome's awake.” Inuyasha took off with hanyou speed into the woods in the direction of the Goshinboku and his Kagome.

Within seconds, he had burst into the master bedroom. His mate was sitting up in bed, holding her rounded stomach, and moaning.

“Kagome? What's wrong?” Inuyasha asked, instantly concerned.

“I think… it's almost time.” Kagome said.

“Huh? T-time?!?” Inuyasha stuttered. He came to his senses with a jolt and immediately began to panic. His bubble of stress had popped and he rushed around the room, saying a lot of things in a mixture of Japanese and Inu that, when put together, made no sense.

“Inuyasha! Calm down!” Kagome yelled and Inuyasha stopped in his tracks. But he was still shaking, on the verge of a nervous breakdown. “We still have some time.” Kagome said softly.

“But…” :Bitch whelping pup.: He whined.

“Not right this minute. We have until my water breaks. Come sit with me, my nervous hanyou.”

Inuyasha stared at her like she was crazy for not freaking out as he was, and then reluctantly joined her on the futon.

Kagome snuggled into his body as closely as she could. “I love you, Inuyasha. During the next several hours, don't forget that I'm doing this because I love you.”

“Stupid bitch.” Inuyasha said, but there was no anger in his voice. Honestly, he was so nervous that he couldn't be angry even if he tried, especially with her. “I've never even been near a birthing. Even when my mother was alive, they drove me out of the village in case my presence cursed the infant. Though with my ears, it hardly mattered. I could hear a woman's birthing screams from a mile away.”

“I'm strong, Inuyasha. Even if it hurts, I'll be strong for us and our pup.” Kagome said.

“Kagome?” Inuyasha asked.

“Shh. Be quiet, Inuyasha. Let's just enjoy our last moments together before we become parents.”

~~~~~~~~~~

It took quite a while, and her small moans of pain were still plenty far apart when her water broke in a rush.

Inuyasha had managed to calm down somewhat, but all the anxiety returned full force when the strong smell of birthing fluid filled the room.

“Oh Kami! Shit, Kagome! Is the pup coming right now?!?”

“Soon.” Kagome winched at a contraction. Sure, the contractions hurt, and she knew that if she were still human, she would be screaming in pain. Her hanyou body gave her a higher threshold for pain. If Inuyasha could brush off having a gaping hole in his stomach, then she could handle labor. “Take me to Kaede's.”

Inuyasha didn't need to be told twice. He easily scooped up his pregnant mate and ran to Kaede's as quickly as possible. He burst in, startling the old miko who was busy putting the finishing touches on sorting her herbs for the winter.

“Kagome's having the pup!” Inuyasha said quickly, preempting the miko's question.

The old miko smiled. “Indeed. What a joyous occasion. Set her there, Inuyasha.” Kaede indicated the futon. Inuyasha set his mate down carefully and then hovered at the wall.

“How far along did ye wait, child?” Kaede asked.

“My water broke.” Kagome answered.

Kaede took a look at Kagome's progress and ignored Inuyasha's warning growl. “I would never guess this was ye first child. This child will be born quickly.” She finally turned to Inuyasha. “Fetch Sango. And when you are done, go boil some water.”

“Water?” Inuyasha asked.

“It is necessary.” Kaede said simply. Both Kaede and Kagome were well aware of exactly what purpose the boiled water would serve: keeping a nervous hanyou occupied until it was over. Kagome almost took pity on her mate and told him the truth of the boiled water. But she didn't get the chance.

Inuyasha bolted out the door. “Right away!”

“That wasn't very nice, Kaede.” Kagome said.

“Believe me, I am doing that poor hanyou a favor.” Kaede said. “If we let him stew helplessly in his own nervousness…” She trailed off. “This way, he has a purpose, even if it is for naught.”

Kagome got her point. “Oh yeah, that is a good idea.” She winched and moaned.

“Are ye in pain, child? Do ye want a pain reducer?” Kaede asked.

“No.” Kagome said. “Save it for those who really need it. I'm fine. Really.”

Kaede nodded. Very soon, Inuyasha came back with Sango and then dutifully left to get to work on boiling that water for Kaede.

Sango took in the situation in an instant and realized what was happening, having been present at several births before her village had been destroyed. She was at Kagome's side in an instant. “Kagome! How do you feel?”

“Pretty okay, given the circumstances.” Kagome said. “I'm a hanyou, so I can handle the pain.”

“Well, I'm right here with you.” Sango said.

“Thanks, Sango.” Kagome said gratefully.

~~~~~~~~~~

Outside the hut, Inuyasha was tending a fire, trying to get his water to boil. But it was taking longer than he expected.

“Damnit!” Inuyasha swore. “How can Kagome get it to boil so quickly?!?”

“A watched pot never boils.” Miroku said wisely, walking over to the hanyou. “So, Kagome's having the pup?”

“No shit. How'd you guess?” Inuyasha asked sarcastically.

Miroku laughed. “Because you are out here boiling water like a dutiful new father.” Being a scholar, he was aware of the big secret.

“Why does that old hag need boiling water anyway? Maybe water to wash the pup, but even a hanyou pup would get cooked in boiling water, much less a human infant.”

“Do you really want to know?” Miroku asked.

“Yeah.”

“The purpose of the boiled water is a simple one. It keeps nervous new fathers busy and out of the way.”

“Huh?” Inuyasha's jaw dropped.

“Childbirth is woman's work, Inuyasha. Us men would just get in the way.” Miroku said. “That's why your place is outside boiling useless water.”

Inuyasha stood up angrily. “I don't care how things are done! It's too quiet in there!”

“Calm down!” Miroku said. “I'll keep you here if I have to create a spirit shield around Kaede's hut.” Inuyasha gave up reluctantly, sat down, and kicked over the water.

~~~~~~~~~~

Kaede and Sango were well aware how Inuyasha was behaving outside, judging by Miroku's constant instances for him to calm down. They knew that the fact that Kagome wasn't screaming her head off disturbed him. He had only heard human women give birth, at a distance, and the silence was unnatural to him.

“Perhaps you could scream a little.” Sango suggested quietly. “Just to put him at ease.”

Kagome almost laughed, but was cut off by another contraction.

It was getting pretty late, and Kagome was tired, but that was it. Kaede checked on the laboring hanyou once again, and nodded to Sango.

“Now?” Kagome asked, slightly breathless.

Kaede nodded. “This child wishes to be born. It is time.”

Kagome nodded in understanding.

According to old Kaede's instructions, she pushed and rested. She may have grit her fangs as she struggled to give her pup life, but not a sound escaped her lips.

The strength of the female hanyou amazed both Kaede and Sango. Rarely had they witnessed so short of a labor, and that was usually in experienced mothers, not `first-timers'. The child was being born quickly too. For the labor having lasted several hours, the actual birth was over within minutes.

As the child slipped from her body, Kagome let out a laugh of relief. Kaede quickly took the child across the room to the prepared tub and cleaned the gunk from the pup's mouth and nose.

The most glorious noise that Kagome ever heard to that point in her life was her pup's first cries, high and shrill though they may be.

“Pup.” She sighed, leaning back. “My pup.” There were tears of joy in her eyes.

She could hear her mate just outside the doorway, whining in Inu. :Pup. Pup. Pup. My pup.:

“Sango… let in Inuyasha.” Kagome said. “I want us to meet our pup together.”

Sango nodded. She moved over to the door flap and opened it.

Inuyasha accepted the invitation instantly. He was at his mate's side in an instant, nuzzling, kissing, and licking. :Bitch smell of new pup.: Inuyasha growled softly. “Kagome, are you all right?”

“I'm fine, Inuyasha.” Kagome smiled and embraced her mate. “We have a pup!”

:Where pup?: Inuyasha barked.

“With Kaede. Kaede?”

Kaede smiled as she presented the tiny and precious bundle to Kagome. “It's a healthy babe… a healthy and strong daughter.”

“A girl.” Kagome sighed, gazing upon her child for the first time with Inuyasha at her side. Kaede and Sango quietly excused themselves, allowing the new parents to greet their first child without any outside interference.

The pup already had plenty of hair, hair that was the purest silver like her father's. She also had silver folded over pieces of soft tissue on the top of her head which were the underdeveloped precursor to erect triangular canine ears. Her eyes were tightly shut, not because she was still screaming loudly, but because she had been born blind and deaf as are all Inu-Yokai and hanyou pups.

I hope she has Inuyasha's golden eyes. Kagome thought to herself.

The pup may have inherited Inuyasha's coloring, as far as they could tell, but the pup's face was Kagome's. Inuyasha knew that their daughter would easily grow up to be as beautiful as her mother.

Both could do little more than stare in silent wonder at the miracle in Kagome's arms. Their daughter's little button of a nose began to twitch, scenting for her parents, and she quieted down.

Inuyasha moved closer slowly, and scented the pup, imprinting the smell of his pup to memory. The new pup smell unleashed a flood of emotions. Mine! This is mine!

Kagome took her turn, letting the pup smell her in return. The tiny pup whined and then spoke clearly in Inu. :Mother. Hungry.:

Kagome felt a new flood of joyful tears spill over onto her face. Inuyasha found that he could not wipe off the wide grin on his face. The part of him that has survived most of his years by never daring to find happiness in anything tried to stop him from grinning like an idiot. But he couldn't help it. His pup was only minutes old, and she was already speaking the canine language.

“Mate… love… pup's hungry.” Inuyasha whispered, awed by the presence of this tiny life that he had waited so long for.

Kagome smiled and pulled down the collar of her white undershirt, exposing a breast, filled in preparation to feed her pup.

The girl-pup whined loudly as Kagome assisted her blind and deaf pup to her breast. The pup barked in approval as she latched onto her nipple and began to suckle noisily.

Inuyasha quickly stripped off his fire-rat haori and draped it over Kagome's shoulders to preserve her modesty.

Kagome smiled at her mate. “Inuyasha… she's perfect. Absolutely perfect.”

“I guess I was wrong. It wasn't a boy.” Inuyasha said.

“Are you… upset?” Kagome asked.

Inuyasha shook his head. “No. We have centuries, and plenty of opportunities to have as many pups as you want. Odds are, some of them will be boys.”

Kagome laughed as the pup whined to be switched, which she did. “Chauvinistic pig.”

“Only for you.” Inuyasha's calming growl (purr) rumbled around her, and she took comfort in it.

Soon enough, the pup finished her meal and began to fall asleep against her mother's breast. The new mother fixed Inuyasha's haori over her and let the pup settle down against her.

“Pup needs a name.” Inuyasha reminded her.

Kagome sighed. During the past several weeks, they had argued almost constantly about a possible name for their pup. It was the tough first decision in the lives of new parents, and they still had not agreed on a name.

She gazed down at her daughter's sleeping face. She's going to be strong, just like her father. We should probably name her Inu-something to honor her Inu-Yokai heritage. Too bad Inuyasha probably wouldn't appreciate us taking advantage of the second meaning of his name. After all, his name could mean `Dog Spirit' or `Female Dog Demon'. Kagome giggled at the thought of what Inuyasha would say if he could read her mind, but also glad that he couldn't.

Inuyasha has always been proud of his Inu-Yokai heritage. But that's not what has given him his edge over Yokai for two centuries.

Shortly after the Sounga incident, Inuyasha had confessed to her how he defeated Takemaru. He had blushed when he told her that it was his human side's unwillingness to give up and the burst of strength that he received from protecting someone that gave him the power to overcome Takemaru when he was already injured and tired.

Inuyasha never knew his father and even said that he wasn't glad to have met him after Sounga. It is his mother that he loved, the human woman who was the first to give Inuyasha her unconditional love. It is Izayoi who is the source of his strength.

A human name… not a Yokai name. Kagome decided. Izayoi… I've never met you, but you must've been an amazing woman to have raised a son like Inuyasha in the three years that you had together.

“Inuyasha… if it is okay with you… I want to name our daughter Izayoi… after your mother.” Kagome said as Inuyasha stared at her in complete shock.

“Ka—Kagome!”

Kagome instantly back-pedaled. “I'm sorry, Inuyasha. We don't have to… I just thought…”

“You… thought to honor a long dead Princess who has been forgotten by time for committing the unforgivable crime of loving a Yokai and birthing a hanyou…” Inuyasha said it, almost as if he couldn't believe it.

“I don't care if this world calls your mother a Yokai whore and a traitor. To me, she was an amazing woman for loving you and your father so much.”

“Kagome… I'm not objecting.” Inuyasha said. “It was just… a shock. I'm sure that my mother…” He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence. He didn't have to.

Kagome embraced him with a single arm, one still holding her pup to her body. “Our pup's name is Izayoi.” She said softly.

~~~~~~~~~~

The new parents only had a few moments of privacy before Kaede allowed Miroku in, and Sango came back in.

Miroku gazed at the pup. “Absolutely beautiful. A daughter, right?”

Inuyasha growled. “Stay away from my daughter, Lech!”

“Give me more credit than that, my friend.” Miroku said. “I am here to bless the child. What have you decided to name her? Or have you decided?”

Kagome ignored Inuyasha's growls. “We've decided to name her after Inuyasha's mother, Izayoi.”

“It's a strong name.” Miroku made a gesture of blessing and sent up a small prayer to the Buddha on the pup's behalf.

Kaede preformed a similar blessing, but to the Kami, since she was a Shinto priestess.

Next, the rest of the pack was allowed in to welcome the new pup and first ever child born from hanyou parents. Shippo hogged as much time as he could with Kagome. He had promptly, and inappropriately, joked by asking Kagome if she was upset that her pup looked like Inuyasha and if she was worried that the pup would be stupid like her father.

Inuyasha growled louder than ever, and was about to take advantage of his daughter's deafness by cursing up a storm when Kagome stopped him.

“Inuyasha's not stupid, Shippo.” Kagome said.

“Thank you.” Inuyasha said… too early.

“He has no common sense. There's a difference.” Kagome giggled.

“Hey!”

Next was Kenji and Megumi. Megumi was carrying the sickly pup who had not yet spoken in Japanese, but he was improving. But it was clear that he would never fully recover. He would be a runt hanyou for the rest of his life.

Both Kenji and Megumi expressed their congratulations, but stared at the pup as if they couldn't believe it. They both knew that it was a rare sight that they were seeing: the first ever child produced by two hanyou parents… or even one hanyou parent.

The runt pup also stared at the pup. :New pup?:

Kagome smiled warmly at him. :Yes. New pup.: She leaned over carefully, as to not wake the sleeping pup on her breast, and gently rubbed his ears. :This pup still loved and wanted.:

Inuyasha was truly shocked at the runt's survival. By all accounts, he was a young hanyou that shouldn't have survived the loss of his parents. Yet, with Kagome's persistence, the runt pup has survived.

Izayoi suddenly decided that she didn't like the fact that everyone's attention was focused on the runt. She woke up and began to cry, with both the cries of a human infant, and calling for her mother in Inu.

Kagome was confused. Before, when she had been hungry, she had said exactly what she wanted. Now she wasn't. “Inuyasha? What's wrong?” She asked.

“She wants attention.” Inuyasha said.

“Well, I'd say that she has it now.” Sango said.

“Pups just need to know that their parents are close by. Here, like this.” Inuyasha carefully joined his mate and pup on the futon. He wrapped his arms around his family. His comfort growls increased in volume until she could feel the vibration of his chest throughout her whole body. To her amazement, the tiny pup quieted.

“How did you do that?” She asked, surprised.

“While she is deaf and blind, we cannot give her the attention she desires as you would a human infant or an older pup. All she has now are her sense of smell and touch. With our smell so close and the comfort of vibration, she gets the attention she wants.”

Kagome copied the growl that Inuyasha had vocalized and the pup instantly responded. :Mother. Mother.:

Kagome glanced at Inuyasha. Izayoi had yet to vocally acknowledge the presence of her father. She couldn't help but wonder if he was upset by it.

“Inuyasha, are you upset?”

“Huh?”

“That she hasn't called you father yet.” Kagome said.

“What? She's speaking already?” Sango asked.

Megumi took to explaining to the humans that the pup could already speak in Inu, while Inuyasha sighed. “A pup's much more in tune with her mother than her father for the first few weeks. She won't acknowledge me for a while, and even when she does, she'll want your company more than mine. It can't be helped. The male provides for his family, and I'll be away a lot because of it.”

“Inuyasha… you are Izayoi's father.” Kagome said, offering the pup to her mate.

Inuyasha froze, torn between his desire to hold his pup, and the obvious frailty of the tiny life. If he hurt his own pup or, Kami forbid, killed her, even by accident, he would never be able to forgive himself.

Kagome read the indecision in his eyes. “Yokai are highly vicious creatures, but even they would not hurt their own young. And you won't either.”

Reassured by the complete trust that his mate had in him, he carefully accepted the pup, holding her as if she were the most delicate thing in the world.

Izayoi balked at the exchanged and began to cry. But Inuyasha quickly quieted her with the comfort rumble.

Miroku wisely recognized that the new parents wanted more alone time with their pup, so he shooed everyone outside with the exception of Kaede. After all, it was her hut.

The new pup smell confused Inuyasha. The scent flooded his heart with emotions: happiness, awe, and a terrible fear. He felt powerful and weak at the same time. He previously thought that he had waited for his pup for the past nine months… but then he realized he had been waiting for this moment his entire life.

He inhaled deeply, and then caught an oddity about the pup's scent. :Pup smells different.: Inuyasha barked, smelling the pup again.

“Different? Compared to what?” Kagome asked in Japanese.

“From Inu-hanyous.” Inuyasha said. “She smells a bit more like a dog than normal.”

Kagome sniffed, comparing her own hanyou scent to that of her pup. Inuyasha was right, the dog smell was slightly stronger in Izayoi's scent. “What does that mean?”

“It means… she could be in a different state of half-transformation than a normal Inu-hanyou, leaning towards the canine.” Inuyasha said. “Old hag, did you see any sort of odd canine features on Izayoi?”

Kaede nodded. “I believe it may derive from ye state as more than an average hanyou. Ye Yokai is stronger, and it made her slightly more akin to her canine cousins.”

Only Izayoi's face could be seen at the moment, wrapped as she was. Inuyasha carefully unwrapped the pup. The pup was naked, but he still couldn't see anything odd. He could see the soft beginning of claws on her fingertips, but nothing new.

He glanced at Kagome, confused, and became even more confused at the look of surprise on her face. She seemed to be staring at the pup's backside, but he couldn't see properly while holding Izayoi securely. “Kagome? What is it?”

“She… our pup… has a tail!” Kagome gasped.

“Huh?”

Kagome reached for her pup and Inuyasha passed the precious bundle over to his mate. His eyes traveled down the pup's back and he froze in shock.

Kagome had not been joking. Izayoi had a thin, whippy, furless tail.

“I do not believe the tail will be a hindrance to little Izayoi's life. After all, Shippo fits in quite comfortable with the village children. It is likely that all ye children, Inuyasha, will be born with similar characteristics.”

Once Kagome's initial shock wore off, she realized that it didn't matter to her if her pup had a tail. She accepted her daughter, tail and all. “Inuyasha and I promised to love our pups, no matter the ratio of Yokai to human. A tail won't change that.” Inuyasha nodded dumbly, still in the `shocked' phase.

“I am glad to hear it.” Kaede said. “Stay here for the night.”

 

LES: Yeah, I totally wimped out on Izayoi's name. But, still, it's pretty sweet, borderline cheesy. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Anyway, I hope that all your Thanksgivings were better than mine with no puking!