InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Hanyou on a Hot Plate: Guess Who's Coming To Dinner ❯ Family: The Ties that Bind ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter Eight

Family: The Ties that Bind

The turn took ninety minutes of prep work but went well and the baby moved. Now it was just a matter of waiting to see if the baby would make an appearance on her own.

The fetal heart monitor sat in the room keeping time and so far according to the doctor everything was as it should be.

However Kagome's temperament wasn't much improved.

Sesshomaru made a single appearance in her room but after one good measure of her new personality he decided he was needed in the waiting room. Apparently the couch was lonely.

Inuyasha was flabbergasted; he'd never seen the Taiyokai back down before. Unbeknownst to Inuyasha Kagome had; when he'd lost control and turned on his half brother, eyes red and claws out. Today though it was Inuyasha bearing witness to a demon of an entirely different caliber.

Kagome cut Sesshomaru down when he referred to the human race as cockroaches and he swept by Inuyasha muttering under his breath, "I give her half an hour before her head spins and she spews pea soup."

Inuyasha cracked a grin at her as the door shut, "Damn, I love you."

Kagome huffed, "You'd fricking better after this. I swear to the Gods I'm getting you fixed."

His face paled and his voice went up an octave, "Umm Kagome...I'm a person...you can't have that done."

She shot back, "Who said anything about having it done? I can do it right now." She lifted a shaky hand and made a half hearted grab for him.

Inuyasha stepped out of her reach and shuddered as he leaned over to press the nurse call button. When the blonde peered in the doorway he asked, "Are you sure the epidural thing is working?"

She checked it diligently, "Mr. Inu, its fine. It's just a long labor."

He checked the wall clock and saw it was noon. Kagome asked, "We've been here since last night...how much longer before we know how this will end?"

"Let me get your Doctor."

Thirty minutes later Dr. Goodman arrived. "Let's check you and run a few tests."

She glanced at Inuyasha, "If you'd like to step out we'll come get you when we know something. It should only take a few minutes."

This time he didn't have to be told twice and oddly enough he was almost looking forward to Sesshomaru's company.

----

A few minutes in doctor speak can really be several hours. This day Inuyasha was fortunate that it was only ninety minutes before a blonde nurse appeared in the waiting room.

“Mr. Inu-Ya-sho?” She asked uncertain how to pronounce his name.

He was on his feet and at attention in mere moments, “Yes?”

She smiled, “Your wife is already pushing and she's...asking for you.”

He followed her back to the room where Kagome was sitting up, exhausted but determined.

He rushed to her side and took her hand in his. “Kagome?”

She gave him a brave sweaty smile, “Inuyasha. I'm still here.”

He answered, “So I see. Are you ready to do this thing?”

Kagome's usually dark pupils were almost a deep ocean blue. She was drawing on her miko powers for energy reserves and he would've given anything to be able to help her.

“I…I'm so tired.”

Inuyasha checked the clock and saw they'd been in the hospital for well over eighteen hours. “Kagome, I believe in you. I always have. You can do this.”

“I'm trying.”

The doctor was at the business end of the table and calling out, “Push Kagome!”

“Shhh… its okay just hold on to my hand.”

She squeezed his human hand surprising him with the pressure. "You fucking bastard! I can't believe I agreed to this."

He suppressed a grin, 'Now she's starting to sound like me.' Instead he offered tough encouragement, “Come on wench! We can do this!”

“Don't you dare call me that Inuyasha!” Her words were forced out from between clenched teeth as she bore down at the doctor's command.

“Again, PUSH!”

Kagome did as ordered and Inuyasha worried over her pale face and the dark rings under her eyes. `Damn wench has always been too thin; I don't know how she can do this.'

Her eyes closed and she was almost dozing with the exhaustion of it. He put his lips by her ear, “Kagome, stay with me.”

She opened her eyes and narrowed them at him, “Believe me when I say I couldn't leave here if I wanted to.”

Her words brought a grin to Inuyasha's lips. “Keep it up. Remember when Kaguya took you to her castle?”

“Kagome push!”

She winced and bore down. “Yeah but you…you came for me…”

“Push!”

Inuyasha kissed her hand where her fingers were wrapped in his, “But I didn't save you. You saved me, that's what you've always done. ”

“Push, I need a good long one this time. Kagome I can see the head.”

Kagome gasped and pushed. When her breath returned she said, “Inuyasha go see our daughter. She's almost here.”

He looked up at the doctor who seemed to have the situation under control. “Yeah she is. You know that doc's all right.”

“No…go see her…” Kagome's eyes shut.

“Push! We're getting the head. Keep it up.”

That's when Inuyasha realized, Kagome wanted him to get up and look.

At that.

The birth.

Inuyasha wasn't squeamish. He'd been impaled, blown up, thrown off several cliffs, broken all his limbs multiple times, and buried more rotting corpses than he could count. But she wanted him to look.

His stomach turned over in his chest and he glanced up at the nurse who'd over heard Kagome's words. She nodded at him and he saw her smile under the mask. “It's fine really, go on up.”

He stood and brushed off his foreboding reluctance. Naraku was always in a pile of massive rolling gooey guts. But this was Kagome and his son. It wasn't a big deal. Women had babies every day; hell Darryl had four of them.

The end of the bed was miles away but it only took him five steps before he was at the doctor's side. The nurse led him by the elbow so he was standing behind the doctor's left shoulder with a perfect view of everything.

Inuyasha's dark eyes widened as he took in the bloody wiggling mess that was the `beautiful' process of life. Then his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell over like a sack of rocks.

Without missing a beat Dr. Goodman called out, “We've got a fainter!”

The nurse broke his fall and propped him up on the chair. Horribly embarrassed but relieved to be out of view of the delivery, Inuyasha stumbled back to Kagome.

She was past the point of talking and was just pushing and panting. He held her hand, wiped her forehead and whispered his love and encouragement, all the while praying that she would NEVER ask him to look again.

Dr. Goodman called out, “One more good push, come on Kagome we have the shoulders.”

“One…, Two…, Three…,”

Five minutes later the doctor held a tiny red baby. She tied off the umbilical and wrapped the baby in a green sterile blanket. Once the cord was severed the baby broke out into a series of hearty wails.

`She did it. Gods she really did and it's over!'

Kagome face was red and her hair stuck to her sticky skin.

She was the most beautiful vision he'd ever seen. Just as when she'd shot the sacred arrow the brought down Naraku, he was blinded by the light that was her strength and heart.

Inuyasha looked up from his exhausted Kagome to see Dr. Goodman standing over them, “Congratulations Mom and Dad, you have a healthy son.”

She put the baby in Kagome's arms and for the second time in his life Inuyasha, the man who didn't even shed a tear when he felled his first love, cried.

The baby's strong angry wails were reason to rejoice. His little face was still squished from birth but he opened his eyes for his first time for a look at his father. Newborns have blue eyes that change later on and weeks go by before they can follow objects with their eyes.

Inuyasha knew this because he'd memorized Kagome's baby books. But his son's eyes were clear, focused, and liquid gold with undeniable dark tilted slits for pupils.

--

After helping Kagome through the afterbirth, Dr. Goodman borrowed the baby for a thorough exam and other unpleasantries.

 

She returned with the baby and studied his eyes carefully with a pen flashlight.

“There's no doubt he can see. I'd keep an eye on his eyes though.” She said smiling at her own pun. “Just to be sure, those pupils should be round but they don't appear to be deformed. I guess you would know more than I do about it as it seems to run in the family.”

Kagome was confused by this but she followed Inuyasha's gaze and saw Sesshomaru leaning in the doorway. The Taiyokai said evenly, “They do but they're hardly a… handicap. He'll be fine.”

The doctor sat the now clean baby in Inuyasha's arms, picked up her clipboard and left to continue her rounds.

Sesshomaru leaned over Inuyasha's shoulders to see the baby but Inuyasha stepped back out of his reach and growled softly.

Sesshomaru shook his head at the sight of the baby's fine silver white hair and round human ears, “So it's another half breed.”

Inuyasha answered in a hushed voice, “We thought he'd be… human.”

Sesshomaru cut him a withering glare, “Imbecile why would he be? You aren't human not like your Miko.”

He shook his head and wondered why he was telling Inuyasha this. “You are a purified half yokai with yokai genes.”

When he got no response from his half brother he asked, “What's the little spawn's name?”

Kagome who realized the weight of Sesshomaru's words, made and instant decision and spoke up. “Inu-Taro.”

Inuyasha's heart stopped in his chest, the last conversation they had on names they agreed to name the baby after Kagome's father if it was a boy or Inuyasha's mother if it was a girl.

`Inu-Taro, first born of Inu-Yasha. God's I don't deserve this woman.'

Sesshomaru cut the thin skin on his palm with the sharp talon on his thumb. He bent over Inuyasha's shoulder and with his index finger, drew a two thin streaks on each of baby Inu's face then put a faint bloody thumb print on his tiny forehead.

“Half breed.” Sesshomaru started his speech but Kagome's glare had him revising his words.

He sighed and started over. “Nephew, with this blood, the blood of your great yokai ancestors, I call you Inu-Taro. Welcome to the House of Inu. You are hence forth under my protection which you will surely need for you have a half wit mortal for a father. ”

Inu-Taro squalled at this and Sesshomaru turned and gave Kagome a polite nod. It was amazing how many generations had passed but her resemblance to Rin was astounding. The connection was strong and he wondered why he hadn't felt it tug at him until now. His head began to hurt and he turned towards Kagome. “Congratulations. It's a mutt.”

He stepped towards the door, his duty done. “And if you are inclined to think of me next Christmas, or on any other of your half baked human holidays, don't.” And with that he was gone.

Inuyasha's lips hovered over his son as he whispered, “Keep an eye on that one, someday you're gonna be responsible for the kicking of his ass.” Then he grinned, “But only if I don't get him first.”

He walked the baby over to Kagome's bed. She wouldn't be running in the Cooper River Bridge walk anytime soon but after the addition of electrolytes in her IV she was much more energetic.

Inuyasha carefully passed Kagome the baby making sure he supported his tiny head during the transfer.

She pressed the baby to her breast as Inuyasha slid onto the narrow bed beside her and pulled her into his arms. His son begin his dinner while Kagome watched intently.

“Kagome…he's amazing.” His voice almost broke with emotion. The world fell away leaving only the three of them.

“Yeah…” she whispered.

Inu-Taro's golden eyes were open and she ran her hand over his small head marveling over his perfection and silver hair. “He's not quite human but we'll manage. We've always have.”

Inuyasha snorted with pride, “He'll learn to use Tetsusaiga.”

Kagome blinked, “On what? The local watermelon patch?”

When he gave no answer, she said in a warning tone, “Inuyasha! He will NOT be doing battle with his uncle. The man was here for his birth for Gods' sake!”

Inuyasha muttered, “Keh, we'll just see about that; Pup's not going anywhere for a while anyway.”

Kagome closed her eyes and pressed Taro to her protectively, "He won't be doing any fighting. I'm raising him as a pacifist!"

Inuyasha crossed his arms and scoffed, "Keh. Good luck, but did you hear that wail? He's already got it in for the asshole."

She winced at the pride in his tone and warned, "Please...watch your language."

He rolled his eyes but said, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Then Kagome said, “I may have said somethings….earlier that I didn't really mean…”

Inuyasha cracked a fast grin and pressed his face in her hair, “That's okay Kagome, because when you asked me to watch the birth…I was…cool with it.”

She frowned,” No you weren't! You nearly fell on a nurse!”

“No I didn't, the same way you never said a damned thing about Kikyo.” His voice was smooth with the happiest tone she'd ever heard him use when mentioning that name.

Kagome's eyes widened in understanding and she turned her head to kiss his lips. “What goes on in the delivery room stays in the delivery room. If anyone asks I'll tell them you were a pillar of unending, un-queasy strength.”

Inuyasha ran a finger over his son's tiny round ear, “I knew he was a boy.” He looked up at Kagome with a proud gleam flashing in his dark eyes, “Woman you were wrong!”

She smiled softly, “Enjoy it while you can because it doesn't happen that often.”

Inu-Taro hiccupped and she realized now she had two hanyous and wondered what the hell she'd gotten herself into.

---

Nine weeks later...

Kagome sat in the wicker rocker in front of the open window. Taro was finally asleep. It was momentarily quiet and all was right with her world.

The baby's hair was still silver and his eyes only became more pronounced with each passing day. But in today's world of over political correctness she wasn't too concerned.

The day before she caught Taro growling at Kiki who still didn't know what to make of him. Somehow she didn't have to ask the doctor to know that other babies didn't typically growl. Inuyasha surprised her by growling back and now Taro and him enjoyed a great secret game she could never learn to play.

She wasn't too worried though; Taro knew who was in charge of his dinner.

Kagome heard the squeak of the floorboard and knew Inuyasha was standing behind her. Taro yawned in his sleep flashing his tiny pink gums.

Kagome lifted a brow and wondered if he'd sprout a set of tiny fangs to compliment his eyes.

Inuyasha leaned over her and pressed a soft kiss into her neck just under her ear. She turned her head to face him and brushed her hand over his face. “Kagome…”

“Yes?” she whispered not wanting to wake the baby.

“He's the greatest thing we've ever done.”

She smiled. “What about restoring the Shikon no Tama?”

He shook his head, “Can't compare.”

She couldn't resist adding, “And killing Naraku.”

Inuyasha grinned and his dark eyes flashed. ”Nothing to it. Though all we really needed was a bunch of pregnant women. Ya'll are fearsome.”

Kagome rolled her eyes and leaned back in the rocker. “Men are such babies.”

Inuyasha snorted, “Woman I have a huge sword that says different.”

“Yeah, yeah it's all about that stupid sword.” She turned back to her sleeping baby hanyou.

“It's ALWAYS about the sword.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

Kagome leaned back and let him kiss her soundly on the lips. She grinned wickedly at her husband. “You do realize I wasn't talking about the Tetsusaiga.”

He nipped the edge of her jaw and her blood took up a familiar hum. He pressed his face into her neck and she felt him smile. “Neither was I.”

 

_-_-_-_

Notes:

I hope this fic inspired you to check out the other Hanyou fics (Southern Fried Hanyou & The Hanyou Hits the Frying Pan). I don't have any immediate plans to add to this series but as soon as I have an idea that will work with a human Inuyasha I won't be surprised if it made an appearance here, though I am running out names involving the word Hanyou and cooking implements. Suggestions are welcome…just in case I come up with another one. (wink!) Winner will get a dedication on the next fic whenever that is.

I'd like to think this series is unique because there aren't too many other human Inuyasha fics. Though the most famous one is The Hero in the 21st Century, it's a must read and can be found at hibernatingbats dot com.

I had a blast writing this and hope you had a blast reading.

 

Fin!