InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Learning to Trust ❯ Autumn ( Chapter 7 )

The chime of laughter rang throughout the garden. Rin sat beneath a cherry tree with her new hanyou baby in her arms and Sugimi chasing the falling blossoms. Kagome sat next to Rin, stroking the downy hair atop the newborn's head.

 

Summer was fading slowly into fall, bringing enough chill in the evenings to make it comfortable to sit outside in several full-length kimono.

 

Kagome smiled gently at the toddler who was now bringing his hard gained prize of a perfect cherry blossom. She stroked her swollen belly. She was big enough that Izayoi had suggested that she not sleep on her front. She was also big enough that Izayoi had suggested, more forcefully, that she and Inuyasha not engage in the full act of coupling.

 

The conversation had been one of the more embarrassing ones she'd ever had. She had thought that it would be the end of their activities for at least the next few months until she was recovered from the delivery, but she was proven wrong. Inuyasha was a much gentler lover when he couldn't rely on straightforward penetration sex. He was also fascinated by the life growing in her. When she had still been thin he hadn't shown an overly active interest in her belly, but as she swelled and her body adjusted to the new burden she would often turn to find him staring in rapt awe.

 

Never had he seemed so young and childlike to her as when she first felt the baby move. The bright flame of curiosity that lit in him had yet to extinguish, or even abate. He was intrigued by her swollen and tender breasts, her expanding hips. He seemed to take the backrubs she sometimes asked for as opportunities to feel for new changes in her fertile body.

 

Kagome was shake from her speculations when Sugimi bounced over and offered a slightly bent cherry blossom from between his muddy hands. She giggled, and lifted the flower from his hands and brought it to her nose to appreciate the sweet scent. Sugimi clapped and gave a squeal of delight. He suddenly looked up and yelled louder.

 

“Papa! Papa!”

 

Sesshomaru let out a rare smile and scooped the approaching toddler up and held him close.

 

Rin approached her mate with an air of assumed annoyance.

 

“Why is it that he can say `papa' and not `mama?'” She grumbled.

 

Sugimi squirmed in his father's grasp and held out his chubby little arms for his mother.

 

“Mama!”

 

Rin's jaw dropped, and completely missed the look of smug accomplishment on her mate's face.

 

“I guess all the training paid off.” The newly arrived Inuyasha whispered into Kagome's ear.

 

She nodded wordlessly; fully aware of the time Sesshomaru spent coaching Sugimi to say `Mama.' He had the word down fairly quickly but associating it with Rin was a little more challenging.

 

A squall arose from the infant in Rin's arms and she was pulled from her temporary shock to attend to her child.

 

“Who gave you the flower?” Inuyasha asked Kagome.

 

Kagome raised her eyebrow. “My suitor.”

 

Inuyasha's eyebrows reached his hairline. “And I didn't think I had competition.” He gently took hold of her hips and pulled her into him.

 

“I suppose I'll have to convince you that I'm much better than any other guy out there,” he rumbled.

 

“Wouldn't you be angry if I had some other man?” Kagome asked quietly, her coy mask falling away.

 

Inuyasha sighed. He nuzzled her gently, and planted suckling kisses on her face.

 

“Yes. But I think Sugimi is forgivable.” He placed a lingering kiss on her temple.

 

“But you can get mad at him if he ever goes around with another woman.” Rin interjected. “I could probably get Sesshomaru to beat him up for you.”

 

Sesshomaru smiled maliciously. “I would be pleased to.”

 

“Not on your life, bastard. Besides,” he pulled the collar of his kimono top away from his shoulder to show the mark on his neck, “this shows exactly whom I belong to.”

 

Kagome blushed slightly. The idea of belonging was still slightly foreign to her. Hell, she still wasn't adjusted to how Rin and Sesshomaru stood up for her whenever she and Inuyasha disagreed.

 

Kagome smiled at them, to which Rin gave an impish smile in return.

 

When they all walked up to dinner, Kagome stopped to lean against the wall to rest. The baby was kicking much harder than usual, and the pain was making her slightly dizzy.

 

All three looked back in slight alarm. Pregnancies were still quite dangerous and thus pregnant women were watched over closely.

 

“Kagome?” Inuyasha asked, the worry apparent on his face.

 

“Daijobu,” she said softly. “But I think it might be time.”

 

“Alright. Let's get you to the healers.” Rin suggested. Inuyasha had already shot to his mate and was hovering protectively over her.

 

Several minutes later they burst into the infirmary, Kagome in Inuyasha's arms. The youkai doctor looked up with his question apparent on his face. Sesshomaru nodded.

 

The midwife arrived shortly. Kagome was still calmer than her mate, who had taken to straightening her clothing and pacing around the small chamber.

 

He helped the midwife to change Kagome into a plain white yukata that no one would miss when it became covered in the fluids of birth. The he began adjusting the bedding and frantically trying to ignore when Kagome would grimace as the contractions passed.

 

For the next hour or so Kagome spent more time being worried about whether Inuyasha would pull through the birth okay. While he was not having a meltdown he was much more frantic than she had ever seen him.

 

Sesshomaru left temporarily and returned with Izayoi. She took one look at the situation and then took command. Within minutes she had Kagome up and moving around to make herself more comfortable and possibly speed things along. Sesshomaru took Rin and their children off to have dinner and she sent Inuyasha to fetch a pot to boil water, which she revealed after he left was mainly to get him out of their hair for a little while.

 

She and Kagome exchanged conversation about how the birth was progressing and what would possibly be needed later on. Inuyasha returned at a dead run, holding out the pan in triumph, only to have his face fall when Izayoi waved him away.

 

“You're just making her nervous.” Izayoi admonished. “Either sit here calmly or go somewhere else. It will be several hours yet until she gives birth.”

 

Inuyasha stubbornly sat across from his mother on Kagome's other side. Izayoi rolled her eyes and returned to her conversation with Kagome.

 

Most of the rest of the birth went smoothly. When Kagome began to experience serious contractions, Inuyasha took her hand and let her take out her pain on it. She kept herself from screaming somehow, but the shifting of the small bones in his hand from the pressure told him how much pain she was in.

 

Izayoi wiped her sweaty brow with a cloth and the midwife gave directions to push. Kagome's face became red with exertion and a light dew of sweat formed all over her face. She gave quiet closed mouth yips and squeezed her eyes shut.

 

Inuyasha felt completely helpless. He stroked the back of her hand comfortingly, but winced every time she sucked in a pained gasp.

 

Sometime before midnight the baby arrived. The midwife cried out in triumph and held up the squirming red flesh, which sucked in a little breath and then began to scream.

 

Izayoi smiled at Kagome and congratulated her. Inuyasha just looked happy that Kagome didn't seem to be in pain anymore.

 

The midwife returned with a bundle of blankets.

 

“She's calmed right down.” She remarked, handing the newborn off to her mother.

 

Kagome's face glowed when she held her child up to her breast. She looked fascinated when the little girl latched onto her breast with a little guidance.

 

Izayoi gave her best wishes to the happy parents and then she and the midwife took their leave.

 

Inuyasha reached out and ran his finger down the newborn's cheek. It was still slightly wet from just being washed, but he could feel the softness of the baby's cheek underneath it.

 

The girl detached from her meal and closed her little eyes.

 

“She's adorable.” Inuyasha said finally.

 

“I think she's tired. It is her first day in the world.” Kagome said, never taking her loving eyes from the child.

 

Kagome ran her gentle fingers through the light covering of hair on the girl's head. She stopped abruptly and rubbed a spot on the girl's head. Inuyasha looked over his mate's shoulder to find that his daughter had little silver ears to match the fine silver hair on her head. He stroked the one Kagome wasn't, feeling the small bones and delicate skin that were pressed flat against the baby's skull.

 

“She has your hair.” Kagome said finally.

 

“And your adorable ears.” Inuyasha responded.

 

Both sat in comfortable silence. Soon enough they would have to rejoin the rest of the family, and get used to attending their little daughter's every need. But, for now, as she slept in Kagome's arms, everything seemed perfect.

 

 

Epilogue's coming in a few weeks. Sorry about the late update-Akihana

 

Review Responses:

 

inuAngelInuDevil: What about school doesn't make sense here? Maybe it has been a while for you, or you coasted through some crappy public school, but I take my education seriously. I hold a part time job and am working towards my black belt. Fanfiction requires a serious time commitment, which I do not have to spare. When I say I will update in June that means that I will update…in June. It means I do not have the time at the moment to devote to putting out good chapters. And quite frankly, reviewers like you don't really make me want to write more. So, would you rather I spew out crap 5 sentence chapters every week or a good solid chapter when I can?

 

0oStandingOuto0: Thank for the exuberance. There's no way I'd leave y'all hanging on a new moon!

 

Reih: That was quite profound. I can say that I didn't intend for that to happen, but it's really awesome that it did. I think I was more in awe of your explanation that anything else. Thanks!

 

KIttenFLuff: Thanks for telling off the people that try to abuse me! It's really appreciated. You rawk!

 

Ebit 333: Okay. We have some bloodlust going here, don't we? Though, I must say on a certain level I agree with you.

 

Inuobsession911: Are you sure you meant 5 out of 10? After the glowing review I was a little confused. Thanks for actually writing complete sentences and using proper spelling. It really shows in the time and effort it takes to write something coherent versus “luv it luv it plz updte soon!”

 

Whiteraven08: I'm glad you found the story too. I hate it when I lose them.

 

Inu inu luvluv: But isn't it so much nicer to be light? On a more serious note, I don't particularly like dark fanfiction. It makes me cry while I'm writing it, and then I get depressed really quickly. Besides, I'm ending it really soon, and I want it to be happy by that time, at least to an extent. I have always found it depressing when dark fics end with someone dying or being left depressed and alone. That was actually where the idea of this fic came from. A perfect dark beginning, but transitioning into something happier, to show that it is possible for things to get better, and that there is always hope.

 

Forsaken Faith: Thanks for actually giving the idea some thought. It makes me feel slightly accomplished that someone understands what I'm trying to do.

 

Hanyou_swimmer: Thanks for reading! I will tell you that I'll never abandon a fiction, and thanks for giving some thought to my ideas instead of writing them off.

 

Tduke1999: Thanks for reading! Also thanks for the nice long, positive review. Generally long reviews mean that I seriously pissed someone off and they are taking a lot of time to tell me exactly why they're annoyed. And you're right about the rush, that's something I need to work on…

 

Dudekiller: Flying pigs? I'm not gonna ask.

 

Kao-gurl: thanks for the support.

 

Blue eyes cryin in the rain: Wow. I'm honored. I cried while I was writing it too, if you want to know.

 

InuGrrrl: Thanks for the never ending support and love and timely updates. (unlike me) Rock on girl.