InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Motherhood: A spring ferility festival spin-off ❯ inu-yasha reacts... ( Chapter 4 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Motherhood 4

Authors' notes: this chapter will offend some readers. If you are offended by different cultural
ways to raise and educate children, do not read. Western civilization is not the only way to raise
a child.

_____________________________


During the same time frame that the last part of Motherhood 2 and all of motherhood 3.


Late Afternoon: Near the Well, on Inu-yasha's side.

Inu-yasha is sitting in one of the nearby trees, staring, glumly at the well. ‘She told me to stay on
this side of the well.' He thinks.

His eyes glance down on the ground below him. There is a new, fresh Inu-yasha-shaped crater
near the tree. ‘Even sat me, to make sure I stay on this side.'

He rubs his chin. ‘She didn't have to do that. I know she wants to talk to her mother about female
things.' He shudders. ‘I don't want to know about any other that crap. Women's things are for
women.'

"Inu-yasha!" Sango calls as she walks up to the tree.

"What do you want, woman?" He growls down, without looking at her.

"I'd like to talk to you, Inu-yasha." She replies.

"We're talking." He is still not looking at her.

She grinds her teeth together.

Her fist hits the tree trunk shaking the tree. Inu-yasha's claws dig into the tree, holding him in
place in the tree. He, now, glares down at Sango. "Woman. What was that for?"

Sango glares up at him, "Inu-yasha. I want to talk to you. Not to the back of your thick skull."

He glares down at her.

"Inu-yasha." She grits out through her clenched teeth. "I would appreciate being able to talk to
you. Face to face, without you being in some stupid tree."

"Why?"

"Inu-yasha." Sango glares at him.

Her eyes fall to the ground. "Please." She whispers, knowing that his ears will hear it, though no
one else would.

‘Please?' Inu-yasha thinks. ‘What the hell?'

"Did my ears hear correctly?" Inu-yasha asks, perhaps with a hint of humor in his tone.

Sango gathers up her giant boomerang. "Inu-yasha." She places the edge against the tree trunk. "I
will not ask again. I will chop down this tree."

Inu-yasha purses his lips. He jumps down, landing next to her.

Sango stares at Inu-yasha. She bites her lips, obviously considering her options.

"Well, woman?" Inu-yasha growls, after a small pause.

Her fist, the one not holding her boomerang closes, brushing against her kimono's sleeve.

Sango takes a deep breath, "I've got something to tell you, Inu-yasha."

"Then get to it, woman, stop fucking around." Inu-yasha interrupts.

She growls, "here, catch this then." She flicks a wadded up strip of paper at him.

He automatically catches it, and opens it.

Inu-yasha freezes...

"You don't want to know what I had to promise Miroku to get him to make that paralyzation
scroll for me." Sango's tone is full of disgust.

**************

Elsewhere . . .

Miroku sneezes. ‘Is someone talking about me?' he thinks.

"Got something up your nose?" Shippo asks. "Dig it out and wipe your finger on your clothes,
like Inu-yasha."

Miroku pauses, pulls out a silk cloth, blows his nose, and then he remarks, "You know, Shippo, I
wonder does he do that on purpose to prove that he's an uncultured idiot or does, he just doesn't
think?"

"Doesn't think."


*************************

Inu-yasha, even with a paralyzation scroll on him, sneezes.

Sango's eyes narrow in surprise, but Inu-yasha doesn't move again.

Sango takes a deep breath and lets out a long, loud sigh. "I paralyzed you, Inu-yasha, because
I've got something to say to you. It won't be easy, and if your mouth was working you'd make it
ten times harder."

Inu-yasha glares back at her. ‘When I get free . . . ' he thinks angrily . . .

Sango looks away from Inu-yasha. "Inu-yasha."

She stops, pauses. She paces around him a couple of times.

"Inu-yasha." She begins again, still looking away from him. "Earlier today." She stops again.

"This is harder than I thought it'd be." She grumbles under her breath.

‘But, Kagome would do it. And she'd expect me to.' She thinks. She nods. ‘And If I'm going to
do it, I need to do it correctly.'

Sango spins around, walks up to Inu-yasha, looking him directly in his eyes.

She bows, deeply to him. And, while still looking at the ground, she says, "I, Sango, am sorry for
underestimating you today, Inu-yasha."

She rises up, and looks him in the eyes, "I did not believe that you were capable of acting good
enough to save the child's life."

Sango pauses, and nods her head at Inu-yasha. "You were. I am apologizing for that mistake."

She reaches out and takes the paralyzation scroll from Inu-yasha, freeing him.

Inu-yasha reaches out, instantly, grabs Sango by the neck and slams her against the tree. "How do
you like that, bitch!" He growls into her face. "This is exactly like you treated me."

Sango stares at him. "I know. I did what I thought was necessary to save that child's life, Inu-
yasha. And, if I thought I needed to do it again. I will." She says through clenched teeth. "And
this is why I paralyzed you, Inu-yasha. So, I could apologize in peace."

He glares at her, still holding her tight against the tree trunk.

"But, if you expect me to apologize for hitting you earlier today." Sango's glare bores into him.
"No."

He growls, wordlessly.

"I was, thinking about it, at least, but then you grabbed me. So. No."


They stare into each other's eyes . . .

He releases her. Sango slides down the tree trunk a few centimeters, before her feet hit the
ground.

Inu-yasha spins around, "I won't be caught like that again." He growls under his breath and starts
to walk away.

"Inu-yasha!" Sango calls.

He turns his head, "What?"

"Aren't you going to say ‘thank you'?"

He growls, without turning around, "no."

Sango quickly runs up to him, grabs his shoulder and spins him around.

Inu-yasha's right fist rises. "Bitch!"

"Ummppph!"

Once Sango removes her foot from his crotch, Inu-yasha collapses to the ground, curled into a
tight ball. His hand's are cupping his very bruised balls.

Sango bends down and whispers into his ear. "One of these days, Inu-yasha." She pauses, "one of
these days, you had better learn how to accept an apology."

She starts to raise, then bends down again, "And, Inu-yasha, one of these days. You had better
learn how to apologize. For Kagome's sake, at least."

She spins around, grabs her boomerang, and walks off. She pauses, spins around and says, "And
if you want a rematch. Just tell me, but, you're going to have to challenge me in front of Kagome
and tell her why."

Sango stalks off . . .

"Bitch . . . " Inu-yasha squirms in pain. ‘I'll get you. One of these days.'


later . . .

Sango and Miroku are walking outside the village.

"I assume that Keade didn't really need Shippo." Miroku says, "and you wanted us to be alone."

Sango nods.

Miroku raises his eyebrow.


Sango growls at him.

"And?" He whispers.

She spins around facing away from him and begins to hike up her kimono.

"Sango!" Miroku says in surprise, as the bottom of her kimono raises above her knees.

She turns her head and growls at him, "Isn't this want you wanted, Pervert? To grab my ass in
payment for that scroll?"

Miroku spins around, so he isn't looking at her, "No, Lady Sango. I didn't mean that."

Sango drops her kimono, which falls with an audible thump. "Huh?" her face is blank in surprise.
"But . . . "

Miroku spins around, walks up to her. He smiles, "You misunderstood, Lady Sango. I did not
want you to hike up your clothes."

Sango's expression of surprise grows . . .

Miroku moves closer to her.

He reaches around and squeezes her ass.

Sango automatically slaps him.

He rubs his cheek.

"I wanted you to grab my ass." He smiles.

Sango's jaw drops . . .


*****************************

The next day, on Inu-yasha's side of the well. Early morning . . .

"Hi!" Kagome calls as she walks into the village.

The group walks out of Keade's hut and greets her.

A couple of minutes later in Keade's hut.

Inu-yasha growls at Kagome, "last night, Keade told me about a rumor of a shard off in the north.
I want us to leave, today."

Kagome looks at the other members of the group. They all nod, they've been told already.

Kagome smiles and shrugs. "Ok. Inu-yasha. Just let me go home. So I can leave a note and grab
my backpack."

‘Out in the wildness, I can be alone with people. Sitting around the village, we're always
watching each other, or the villagers are watching us.' Kagome thinks. ‘So, even though, I'd like
to have a couple of days break . . . '

"Let's go." She smiles.


**************************

later that afternoon, just before nightfall . . .

Kagome and Sango are bathing in a mountain stream.

"Why did you ask Kirara to make sure that we'll be alone, Kagome?" Sango asks.


Elsewhere . . .


Kirara's long tongue is licking it's sharp fangs, as in full size, Kirara is sitting on Miroku, staring
at Inu-yasha . . .

"Why me, too?" Shippo's muffled voice sounds from under Kirara . . .

Inu-yasha stares Kirara in the eyes.

He looks away and sits down by the fire, mumbling under his breath . . .

Back to the girls . . .


Kagome sighs. "Sango? During your training . . . " She begins. She stops.

"Yes?" Sango asks.

"How much did you learn about how demons raise their young?" Kagome whispers.

She thinks, ‘While we've been walking, I've been watching Inu-yasha and Shippo. They don't
like each other. So, if I start to breast feed Shippo, how will that affect Inu-yasha? Maybe if I
know more about how they were raised, that can help me out . . . '

Sango blinks. ‘The childbirth yesterday must have brought that up. I wonder, whom she thinking
about. How Inu-yasha was raised? Or Shippo?' she thinks.

"Some," Sango replies, "is there any type of demon that you want to know about in particular?"

Kagome blushes, "Kitsune's." She whispers.

"Ahhh" Sango breathes. She nods.

Kagome swallows hard as she nods. "Since," She begins to say, "I am, in effect, his mother . . . "
Her voice trails off as she looks away.

"I understand." Sango says.

She sighs, "kitsune's are shape-changers, of course."

Kagome nods.

"And most of them will look like humans. They only become foxes in times of stress." Sango
says, "in fact, my father always believed that most Kitsune's lived in Human villages, not in
some hole in the ground."

"I can see that." Kagome says.

"He believed, that there were villages that were basically populated by Kitsune's, with maybe a
token human family, also living in the village."

Kagome breathes, "Ahh, So, if someone walks into the village it'll look normal, but, in reality
most of the villagers are kitsune's."

Sango nods and continues, "Since Kitsune's are, pretty much, always in and around humans,
then, it follows that they have to raise their children pretty much the same way."

"So that their children don't give them away." Kagome finishes up for Sango.

Sango nods.

Kagome looks at Sango. She bites her up and opens her mouth, but closes it.

‘What?' Sango thinks. ‘She wants to ask me something.'

"What about Dog Demons?" Kagome finally asks.

Sango purses her lips, concealing a smile as she does so. ‘I wondered when she would ask me
about that.' She thinks.

"Dog Demons?" Sango purrs. "Anyone in particular?"

Kagome blushes and sinks into the water. She shakes her head. She's not going to answer that
question.

"Hmmm?" Sango raises her eyebrow. "IS there any specific part of raising a dog demon pup, that
you're most interested in?"

Kagome's blush increases in color. "Breast feeding." She whispers.

"I see." Sango whispers.

"Well," She continues in a louder tone. "Dog Demon's want their puppies to aggressive fighters.
So, unlike human children, who are weaned slowly from their mother's breast, Dog Demons are
weaned quickly from their mother's breast. They are expected to begin to hunt and eat freshly
killed food at a very young age."


Kagome nods. "How does that affect their relationship with their mothers?"

"Huh?"

"Do the young dog demons hate their parents?" Kagome asks, "Most people, especially on this
side of the well, care for and are very attached to their parents. But, if dog demons bitches stop
breast feeding, and especially if they abruptly stop it, doesn't that hurt their relationship with
their children?"

"Ahh," Sango replies, "I see what your saying, Kagome." She slowly nods, "Yes, that might
make sense. When I had nightmares, I know that my mother still would allow me to suckle on
her breast, if she thought I needed it to calm me down. I can't see a dog demon bitch doing that
to her son or daughter."

"So?"

Sango pauses, "hmm, I never really thought about it, Kagome, but you're probably correct. Most
of the stories about young dog demons that I know of, are stories of young dog demons that were
kicked out of their family and have to survive or are stories about the early hunts of dog demon
pups."

"But," Sango continues, "Now that I think about it, a lot of the stories about dog demons don't
emphasize the love and care of the parents. Instead they are about the powers of the dog
demons."

"What about Inu-yasha?" Kagome whispers.

A pause . . .

"He was raised by his mother, right?" Sango asks.

Kagome nods, yes.

Sango nods, "then, I'd say that he was raised like humans." Her mouth twitches, "I wonder.
There are some odd stories about Sesshomaru and his father and his mother . . . "

"yes?"

"I was just thinking that since Inu-yasha was raised by his mother, and if he was raised like other
human children . . . "

Sango nods. "All the time he spent with his mother, I'm sure, caused Sesshomaru to think that
he's a weakling."

"Since, Sesshomaru would have been weaned away from his mother at a young age." Kagome
interjects.

Sango nods, "And from what you've said, Inu-yasha loves his mother."

"Which Sesshomaru would see as a weakness." Kagome interrupts. "And so, if he sees loving a
mother as a weakness, then, it follows that hating your mother is a strength."

Sango nods. "Yes, that does make sense."

A pause . . .

"Sango?" Kagome whispers, "How old were you when your mother offered you her breasts?"

Sango sighs, her mouth twitches. "That was after one of my early fights with a very nasty demon.
I almost lost." Sango shivers, "I almost died."

Kagome moves next to Sango and puts her hand on Sango's shoulder. She squeezes.

Sango looks at Kagome. She reaches up to her shoulder and squeezes Kagome's hand. "Thank
you." She whispers. "I don't like to think about that fight."

Sango sighs, "Anyway, that was three, no, four years ago."

Kagome nods. "Thank you." She whispers. She removes her hand from Sango's shoulder.

Kagome clears her throat. ‘Do I ask her about her relationship with her father and brother? She
loves her brother a lot . . . IS there something more than just the fact that he is her brother.' She
thinks.


Sango raises her eyebrow.

"Do you think that I should breast feed Shippo?" Kagome blurts out. ‘I couldn't ask.' She thinks.

"Ahh." Sango breathes. "So that's what this was about?"

Kagome blushes and hides deeper in the water.


A pause . . .


"You do know that once you do that," Sango begins, "the fiction that you are not his adopted
mother fades away."

Kagome slowly nods.

"And?" Sango asks.

Kagome sighs, "Do you know how hard it is to ignore him on those nights when his nightmares
wake him up?"

Sango moves next to Kagome and places her hand Kagome's shoulder. She squeezes. "IF it
wasn't for Miroku, I'd have let Shippo suckle on me, a long time ago." She whispers.

Kagome's mouth twitches, "Yes. I can see that problem."

Sango's mouth twitches, "I figure that about five minutes after I let Shippo start to suckle on me,
Miroku will have a screaming nightmare."

Kagome interrupts, "And start yelling for his mother, so she can calm him down by letting him
suckle on her."

"Yes." Sango growls, "That is exactly what Miroku would do."

Kagome places her hand on Sango's and squeezes, "So, you think that I should?"

"If you are to be his mother," Sango replies, "You must." She squeezes Kagome's shoulder
again.


Kagome bites her lips, "That is the question, isn't it?"

"Are you?" Sango whispers.

Kagome sighs, as she slumps deeper into the water. "I..." she pauses, "I want to help him." She
whispers, "but . . . Once I adopt him, though . . . that also affects other people . . . "

"Inu-yasha." Sango whispers.

Kagome nods. "They don't get along, now. I don't know what will happen if I start to breast feed
him."

Kagome sighs, "but . . . ignoring Shippo." She bites her lips, "On those nights when Shippo has
a nightmare, I hate myself now. And . . . " She shakes her head. "I don't know."

Sango squeezes Kagome's shoulder. "I'll support you, whichever way you choose."


Kagome sighs, heavily. ‘I've got to think about this and talk to Inu-yasha and Shippo.' She
thinks.

"Thank you, Sango." Kagome nods. "But, I think we've wasted enough time that the boys are
going to be pissed about Kirara sitting on them, no matter what."

Sango sighs, "yes. I suppose. It's time to get dressed."


*******************************************

‘I've never really thought about,' Kagome thinks, as she dresses. ‘But, especially here in the past,
everyone is brought up, raised and educated to be part of something. The family, the village, the
Shogun, the Emperor is all more important than the individual. And . . . as part of that, the
children were keep as close to the parents as possible, to help foster the feeling that to be alone is
bad.'

She nods to herself, ‘but, in my time, the individual is emphasized. So when raising children, like
Sota and myself, we are given a separate bed. The bond between the parents and children is not
emphasized like it is here, because, the individual is considered more important.'

She snorts, ‘and then people get upset because children are unruly and don't obey the parents.
Everyone tells kids to be yourself, but when you do, adults slap you down. And they wonder why
kids rebel?'

Kagome pauses and thinks, ‘but which way is best? To be part of a group? Or to be alone? I
don't know. I'm going to have to think long and hard about those questions, especially before I
have any children of my own.'

"Kagome?" Sango whispers, as she dresses, "it looks like your concerned about something?"

Kagome nods. "Yes." She shakes her head, "but, it's nothing that has to be decided about now,
Sango."

A few minutes later . . .


‘Inu-yasha or Shippo?' Kagome thinks as she and Sango walk back to the clearing where Kirara
and the boys are at. ‘Which one do I talk to first?'

"Thank you, Kirara." Sango says as she pats Kirara on the head. Kirara shrinks and jumps into
Sango's arm.

Miroku sits up with a groan. He starts to run his legs. Under his breath he is saying something
about ‘pins and needles.'

Shippo jumps into Kagome's arms. "Why did I have to stay, Kagome?" He bugs her.

Kagome ruffles his hair. "Sango and I had to talk, Shippo."

"About what, bitch." Inu-yasha growls.

Kagome looks at Inu-yasha. She looks around the group. Everyone is looking at her.

She grimaces. "About something important, Inu-yasha."

"In that case, tell us." He says.

"You really want to know?" Kagome whispers.

"Yeah."

"I want to know, too." Shippo pipes up.

Kagome grimaces, again. "And I want to tell you, Shippo." She looks at Inu-yasha, "And you
too."

"And I?" Miroku asks from the ground.

"No." Sango growls at him. "It's between them."

"What the fuck is going on?!" Inu-yasha cries. "If something involves me, I want to fucking
know?!"

"And I want to tell you, Inu-yasha!" Kagome yells, over his shout. "But, I don't want to shout it
out so the world will know!"

Inu-yasha and Kagome glare at each other.

Kagome looks at Shippo. "Shippo, please, stay with Sango and Miroku. Inu-yasha and I are
going to have a talk."

Shippo looks at Inu-yasha. He looks at Kagome.

"Shippo. Please, stay with me." Sango says. "They do need to talk. Alone. Please."

Shippo looks at Kagome.

She nods to him. "Please." She whispers.

Shippo jumps from Kagome's arms and lands on Sango's shoulders.

"Thank you, Shippo. I will talk to you in later." Kagome says.

She walks over to Inu-yasha.

He stares at her, without moving.

"Please Inu-yasha. Let's find a tree where we can talk." Kagome asks.

Inu-yasha's eyes flick over the rest of the group.

He grabs Kagome and jumps into the trees.


Miroku looks at Sango. "It is about yesterday, correct?"


Sango looks at him, "Somewhat. But, a lot of it has been building for a while, I think."

Shippo smiles, ‘Finally. She's going to put dog-boy in his place.'


A few minutes later, in a tall tree . . .

Kagome grabs the tree trunk as Inu-yasha releases her. She slides down the trunk, straddling a
large branch with her legs. ‘Now, I won't fall off. I don't like having to look up at Inu-yasha but,
this is safer.' She thinks.

Inu-yasha glares down at Kagome. "What is so important?"

Kagome looks up at him, ‘how to start?' she thinks.



She nods, "Do you know a boy in the village named Daichi?"

"Huh?" Inu-yasha starts. "Yeah. Young punk. So, what about him is so important?" He sniffs,
"He didn't touch you, did he?"

Inu-yasha's fist forms and he cracks his knuckles. "If he did," He growls.

"No! Inu-yasha, he has not touched me!" Kagome cries, "And you had better not hit him for
something he hasn't done!"

"Than what is it about the little twirp?"

Kagome stares up at Inu-yasha, "He's getting a reputation as a bully, Inu-yasha. And he's
following you around, repeating what you do."

Inu-yasha glares at Kagome. "Are you calling me a bully?" he growls at her.

"I don't know, Inu-yasha," Kagome replies, calmly, "but, I do know that if Daichi is a bully, and
all that he's doing is the same thing that you do . . . that doesn't reflect well on you."

"I'm not a bully. I hate them." Inu-yasha growls. ‘I've been bullied by Sesshomaru and others as I
was growing up, I hate bullies.' He thinks.

"Inu-yasha, I know that you hate bullies. But, doesn't what I've said of Daichi cause some
concern? If the villagers think that Daichi is a bully, and the reason he is, is that, he is doing the
same things that you do, then the villagers might thank that you are a bully, too."

Inu-yasha cracks his knuckles again, "IF they think that, I'll teach them a thing or two."

"Inu-yasha!" Kagome cries. "Think about what you just said. And tell me, is that not, the talk of
a bully."

Inu-yasha opens his mouth. He closes it. He looks at Kagome.

Kagome raises an eyebrow in a silent question.

He spins around on the branch and walks a couple of paces away. He grabs an overhanging
branch and rips it off and slowly and deliberately tears it to shred, dropping the pieces down to
the ground.


He spins around, and sits, cross-legged on the branch.

"Well?" Kagome asks.

"I am not a bully." Inu-yasha growls. "And if Daichi is, then he and I will have a talk. His face to
my fist. I won't be called a bully."

A pause . . .

"Inu-yasha, please, think about this. Please." Kagome begs.

He grunts, perhaps in a positive way, perhaps in a negative way.

"Daichi, if he is a bully, is also a problem that Keade is trying to solve. If you work with her, you
might solve both problems."

"I'm not taking the old bags orders." He growls.

"And I'm not saying that you have to, Inu-yasha. Just, that she might need your help."

He rubs his chin, "She might need my help, hmmm. I like that. The old bag doesn't like it when I
help her." He nods. "I'll do it." He grins.

Kagome hides a grimace, ‘Well . . . he's doing it for the wrong reason, but, still he's doing the
right thing. I'll have to warn Keade so she'll know how to approach him. Still, I think I got
through when I said that the villagers think that he is a bully. Hopefully he'll think about his
actions around the village, now.' She thinks.

Inu-yasha frowns, "But, Daichi isn't a big enough reason for you to want to be alone with me. So,
what is the reason?"

He pauses, "It's not about yesterday, is it? I fixed that." He finishes emphatically.

Kagome grimaces, "Not totally, Inu-yasha. Although, yesterday . . . " She sighs, "While I'm not
going to say was the final straw, it was close."

"Final straw?" Inu-yasha asks.

‘Opps.' Kagome thinks, ‘there I go again with a modern slang term.'

"The final straw that broke the camel's back, is the full term, Inu-yasha."

"So."

"It means that like a camel, or a horse, for that matter, there is only so much that I can take,
before I break."

Inu-yasha looks at Kagome, curiously, "And what is the straw?"

Kagome sighs, "it about you and Shippo, Inu-yasha."

Inu-yasha doesn't move. ‘What do I do?' he thinks.

"Inu-yasha." Kagome whispers, looking at the ground. "How many times have I cried when
Shippo has a nightmare?"

"Every time." Inu-yasha growls, "the little wimp likes it when you cry over him."

"Maybe." Kagome whispers. She looks at him, and continues in a stronger voice, "And, if he is
doing that, Inu-yasha, I'll talk to him about it. Not you."

Inu-yasha looks at her, without moving.

"Inu-yasha."

His eyes narrow, "Aren't you going to sit me, to force me to do that?"

Kagome shakes her head, "no. Inu-yasha, I'm not. Why do you think I wanted us both up in this
tree? So, I'd be reminded and not say the word."

"Why?"

She stares into his eyes, "because Inu-yasha, you hate that word, and you don't listen to me when
I say it. So, I'm going to try to talk to you like this. Without the word, in hopes that you'll
actually listen, instead of ignoring me."

Inu-yasha looks at Kagome.

She stares back, unflinching. Her mouth slowly forms the word, ‘please.'

Inu-yasha slowly nods. "Maybe." He whispers.

"Thank you, Inu-yasha." She nods to him.

She clears her throat, "now, to get back to what I wanted to talk about." She clears her throat a
second time.

"Well, I'm waiting." Inu-yasha barks.

"Shush." She replies, instinctively. "You know that when I watch Shippo when he is crying," Her
mouth twists, "Anybody really, truthfully, I want to help them."

"Yeah. I've lost enough blood to know that, bitch."

She sighs, "You know that I want to comfort Shippo after one of his nightmares."

"You do."

She shakes her head, "but, he still has them, Inu-yasha and they still cause him pain, and I want
to help him more."

"By doing what?"

She takes a deep breath and she let's it slowly and loudly . . .

"Inu-yasha? When you had a nightmare, what did your mother do to comfort you?" She asks.

"Huh?" that question took Inu-yasha totally by surprise.

He pauses, thinking, "I never really had that many nightmares while she was alive." He whispers.

Kagome doesn't say a thing, ‘I don't want to interrupt him.' She thinks.

He grimaces, "But, there was a couple of times."

He shakes his head. ‘Sesshomaru's mother hated me, and she'd occasionally do things,
frightening things to me, when she thought she could get away with it.' He thinks.

"She hold me tight and whisper that everything would be all right." Inu-yasha whispers, his eyes
staring off into space, as he remembers.

"Anything else?" Kagome whispers, "like holding you to her breasts?"

Inu-yasha nods, slowly, as he remembers how his mother comforted him.

He blinks.

He frowns.

He looks at Kagome.

Kagome is looking at him. Her eyes are beginning to water.

"No." He growls.

"Why?"

"No." Inu-yasha barks, "you are not breast feeding the brat."

"Tell me why." Kagome's voice is showing the strain as she keeps it low and stable.

"No."

She eyes flash in anger, "Inu-yasha." She growls out. "Without a reason, I'm not going to listen
to you."

Inu-yasha closes his fist, "I'll give you a reason, bitch. I said, no."

Kagome looks at his fist and looks at his face. "And you are not a bully. I'd love to see how
you'd react if you were one." Scorn colors her voice.

Inu-yasha pales. He looks at his fist and opens his hand. Blood wells up from his palm, from
where his claws had dug into it.

"Inu-yasha, I'm giving you a chance to give me a reason not to do it." Kagome whispers, "I don't
want to hurt you, but if I have to make a choice between comforting Shippo, especially after a
nightmare and hurting you . . . " her voice trails off.

Inu-yasha opens his mouth. He closes it.

‘She's mine!' he thinks, ‘if she gives her breast to Shippo . . . then she's not mine.'

"Inu-yasha, please, it won't change anything between us." Kagome whispers, "this is just
between Shippo and myself. I am, for all intents and purposes his mother, shouldn't I act like
one? Especially if I'm doing the same thing that your mother did to you."

"Who the fuck cares about that crap." Inu-yasha growls. "You are not going to give him your
breast, bitch, and that's final."

Kagome's eyes glare at Inu-yasha, so hard and angry, he flinches.

She flips her legs over the side of the branch that she's been straddling. She begins to scramble
down the tree, without saying a word.

Inu-yasha jumps down to her and he begins to grab her.

"Go away!" Kagome pushes him away. She almost falls from the tree, but grabs the trunk before
she over tips.

He grabs for her.

"Sit, boy!" She screams.

He crashes through the tree. She hangs on for dear life, as the tree shakes as Inu-yasha breaks the
branches.

"Inu-yasha!" Kagome screams down to him. "Remember that time when I made up that song
about 99 sit, boys!"

THUMP!

"Guess what Inu-yasha . . . " She pauses, "This time I'm counting down to zero. And I'm not
stopping!"

"No!" Inu-yasha howls!

Kagome begins to sing,

99 Sit, boys *thump* for inu-yasha sitting in the tree.

99 Sit, boys, * thump* for inu-yasha

Takes you down, laying you around

98 Sit, boys *thump* for inu-yasha sitting in the tree.


***********************************

back at the rest of the party . . .


Shippo begins to smile.

"I heard a crash and thump, Shippo." Sango says, "your ears are better than mine, what's
happening?"

Shippo's sharp thin fangs shine as he smiles, "She's singing 99 sit, boys."

Miroku shakes his head, "poor Inu-yasha."

"I'm sure that he deserved it." Sango says.

Miroku sighs, "of course, Sango. But, what will happen when she finishes?"

Sango grimaces, "Her position and his positions will be set in stone, and both of them are too
stubborn to change."

Miroku nods, "And since she is singing, I assume the Inu-yasha did not agree with her."

Sango grimaces, "probably."

"And what did she want him to do?" Miroku asks.

Sango shakes her head, "that's for Kagome to say, not me, Miroku. And she needs to say it to
Shippo, first."

"Say what to me?" Shippo asks, excitedly.

Sango replies, "that is for her to say, not me."


later . . .

Kagome stalks back to the group. "Inu-yasha will not be with us tonight." She croaks out.

"I see." Miroku nods, knowingly.

"Sango could you please pass me the water jug, my throat's dry." Kagome's voice is very rough,
from overuse . . .

Sango nods and passes her a jug of water.

Shippo walks over, "Kagome? Do we need to talk?" he starts to ask.

Kagome shakes her head, no. "Not tonight, Shippo, please. My throat hurts too much." She
whispers.

Shippo nods, "Ok."

Later . . .


Everyone is sleeping. The fire is just glowing embers.

Miroku is sleeping leaning against a tree. A fresh bandage on his head.

Sango is sleeping. Her hand is griping her boomerang, the freshly cleaned boomerang.


Shippo and Kagome are sleeping together in her sleeping bag.

Kirara is awake and on guard.

Kirara's head swings around.

Inu-yasha, stealthily walks up. He whispers, "you owe me one, cat."

Kirara purrs, softly. Kirara's head follows Inu-yasha as he walks across the encampment.

Inu-yasha bends down next to Kagome and Shippo. Kirara moves, becoming very close to Inu-
yasha.

The huge demon cat is so close to Inu-yasha that Kirara's breath is ruffling his hair.

Inu-yasha lashes out. One of his claws hits one of Kirara's pressure points. Kirara's eyes roll up
and the huge cat falls asleep.

Inu-yasha breathes a sigh of relief, "I didn't know if that would work or not."

"Now." He softly growls.

He reaches out and grabs Shippo.

Before Shippo can react, Inu-yasha jumps away into the darkness.

Kagome twists in her sleep, but does not wake up . . .


********************


"Brat." Inu-yasha growls at Shippo, who is looking very frightened. "Listen. I'm only going to
say this once."

Shippo's eyes widen, but he doesn't speak. His frightened thoughts . . . ‘The look in Inu-yasha's
eyes . . . '

"Someone, probably the old bag, convinced her that she needs to comfort you." Inu-yasha
growls. "You're a demon. You don't need to be comforted, especially that way. Do you
understand?!" He hisses.

"What way?" Shippo squeaks out.

Inu-yasha's face screws itself up into an expression of disgust. "Her breasts."

Shippo's eyes widen, even more . . .

Inu-yasha holds Shippo up to his face, his breath fills Shippo's nostrils. "Do you understand,
brat?! You are not to suckle on her!" Inu-yasha screams.

Shippo nods, slowly.

"If you're lying, I'll hurt you!" Inu-yasha threatens.

"I understand, Inu-yasha." Shippo whispers.

Inu-yasha releases him, "And I want you to sleep with Sango, not her."

Shippo nods, "ok." He whispers.

"Good, let's go back then."

‘I should have threatened the brat a long time ago.' Inu-yasha thinks, please with himself, ‘Now,
he'll know who's boss.'

******

back at the group . . .

Everyone is still sleeping, including Kirara.

Shippo walks over to Kagome.

Inu-yasha whispers. "Brat . . . "

Shippo turns and whispers, "I just want to get something."

"Hurry it up, then."

Shippo, as he stands next to Kagome's head, reaches out and pinches Kagome.

Kagome's eyes open, "huh?"

"Inu-yasha," Shippo says in a calm voice, "you don't want me to suckle on Kagome, is that
because you do?"


"You motherf---!" Inu-yasha begins to scream.

"Sit, boy!" Kagome screams, interrupting him.

THUMP!

Miroku and Sango wake up, and instinctively stand up, prepared to fight.

Kagome sits up, gathering Shippo into her arms.

"He threatened me, ma . . . Kagome." Shippo whispers.

"Grrr." A very ugly sound comes out of Kagome's throat.

"Sit, boy." She says in a very tight voice.

THUMP!

"What did you do, Inu-yasha?" Kagome growls.

"I fucking laid down the law, bitch!" Inu-yasha yells from the crater. "You are not breast feeding
the brat!"

Miroku's eyebrows rise. ‘I see . . . ' he thinks. ‘While the women were talking about birthing . . .
that must have caused her to really think about her relationship to Shippo. And . . . is she,
Shippo's mother or not?'

Sango's jaw grinds, as she thinks, ‘damn it, Inu-yasha. Why did you have to make a scene out
this? Don't you know that is the last thing that Kagome wants?'

Kagome takes a deep breath. She visibly grinds her teeth. "I gave you the chance to talk to me
about this Inu-yasha. You didn't do it."

Inu-yasha begins to push himself up.

"Sit, boy."

THUMP!

"This is between myself and Shippo, Inu-yasha. I care. No. I cared enough," Kagome's voice is
ice-cold. "To give you a chance to talk me out of it, you declined to take it. Now . . . You will
not interfere. My decision is final."

"Sit, boy."

THUMP!

"I am, as you always say, just your shard detector. As such, as long as detect shards, I can do
anything that does not interfere with that. I am not your slave. And I am here, helping you." She
waves her hands at Sango and Miroku. "And my friends, for my reasons, Inu-yasha. Not yours."

"Sit, boy."

THUMP!

"I know that you hate the fact that I have a life beyond you." Kagome continues, "And, I've tried,
and will continue to try to change my life for you. But. I will have a life separate from you. And
as long as the well works, that life will include Shippo."

She looks down at Shippo. She looks at Inu-yasha.

Inu-yasha raises his head.

"Shippo." Kagome begins to say, in a soft voice. "I am not your mother. I can't really replace her,
either." She chokes up and licks her lips. "But . . . "


"Kagome." Inu-yasha whines.

She looks at him.

In her eyes, he can see that all he has to do is say, ‘please, don't.' And she'd stop . . .

Inu-yasha looks around.

Sango, Miroku and Shippo are also staring at him.

He opens his mouth . . .

He jumps up and jumps into the darkness.

‘Damn his pride.' Kagome thinks. ‘Damn it to the deepest hell. We'll never be together, like he
and I wish, until he can control it.'

Sango, in a stage whisper, says, "Sorry, Kagome. We should have."

"Left?" Kagome says, shaking her head. "It won't have changed anything, Sango. He won't
explain his actions. He only demands."

She blinks, holding back tears.

"Kagome?" Shippo whispers, as he lays his head on her chest.

She begins to pet his head, playing with his ears, as he purrs.

"Shippo." Kagome licks her lips, "how to explain what just happened . . . "

She pauses . . .

She sighs, "you know that I hate it when you have nightmares."

Shippo nods.

"You know how I hold you and comfort you after those nightmares."

He nods, rubbing his head against her chest.

"When your mother was alive, did she offer you her breast to comfort you?" she whispers.

"Yes." He whispers.

"I am not your mother. And, since the well might stop working, I cannot adopt you."

He nods. His chin quivers.

"But, I care about you, Shippo. And if that means offering you my breast, to comfort you, I will.
If you want me to." She whispers.

"I do." Shippo whispers.

Kagome nods. She waves at Sango and Miroku, "please?" she whispers.

Both of them look at each other. They nod and walk away.

"Shippo." Kagome whispers.

"Yes, Kagome?"

"Do not tease Inu-yasha about this. Promise me."

"Kagome." Shippo whines.

"No." She replies sharply. "He hates this. Do not tease him about it."

He sighs, "Ok . . . "

"And, remember," Kagome continues sharply, "he will know if you are faking a nightmare, so,
don't push it."

"Takes all the fun out of it." Shippo whispers.

"This isn't funny, Shippo." Kagome replies, sharply.

Shippo grimaces, ‘I hate it when she uses that tone.'

She sighs, "hopefully. He'll ignore it. He tends to do that when he can't control something. And
if he does that, this will blow over. If you tease him, that's the wrong thing to do, and I will not
like it."

"I understand." Shippo sighs . . .

Kagome sighs, ‘I had hoped to talk to Inu-yasha and Shippo together . . . and try to get them to
talk to each other. Both Shippo and Inu-yasha hate it when I pay attention to the other. They are
sooo jealous of each other, and about losing my attention.' She thinks, ‘I wanted to talk to them
and try to explain that I care for both of them and they don't have to compete for my attention,
but . . . Inu-yasha.' She sighs.

"Kagome?" Shippo whispers.

Kagome's mouth twists into a semi-smile, "It's nothing, Shippo. Just remember what I've just
said, don't tease Inu-yasha." She pauses, "I'm not your mother, but, I think."

She looks into his eyes, "I think that we mean something to each other, so, as a favor. Please,
don't tease him." She begs.

"Or fake a nightmare."

Kagome nods.

"No fun. No fun at all." Shippo whispers.

"And don't tease Miroku, either."

Shippo looks at her, his eyes wide and begging, "please let me have some fun, please?"

She shakes her head. "Shippo, you might have some fun, but all that would happen is Miroku
would get beat up even more, and Inu-yasha would take his frustrations on Miroku."


‘No fun.' Shippo thinks.

"Promise?" Kagome whispers, holding out her hand, her pinky is extended.

Shippo sighs, mightily. He reaches out and wraps his pinky around her. "No teasing. No fake
nightmares. That Ok?"

Kagome smiles and wraps Shippo in her arms, hugging him.


********************


Sango, once she and Miroku are out of sight, slaps Miroku across the face.

"Lady Sango." Miroku rubs his cheek. "What, pray tell, was that for?"

"You were thinking about faking a nightmare and then tricking Kagome, or myself, into letting
you suckle on us."

"And, I am being punished for something I haven't done?"

Sango nods. "You'll do it."

Miroku purses his lips, and then shakes his head. "Lady Sango. No. Sango. I disagree."

Sango's eyes widen and she takes a step back from Miroku.

"I will be very honest that thought, or something similar did pass through my mind."

"You admit it." She says in triumph.

"I am not finished." Miroku says quickly. "But, I would never have acted upon that thought."

"I don't believe you."

"Sango." Miroku shakes his head. "How many times have I said, ‘Tomorrow, because of my
curse, could be my last day on earth. Would you or Kagome please allow me to make love to
you, so that my bloodline will continue?'"

"Never." Sango whispers.

"If I did, would you or Kagome say no?" Miroku asks, looking into Sango's eyes.

She quickly looks at the ground. "Of course we'd say no."

"Tell me that, while you look into my eyes."

"Damn you, Monk." Sango growls, still looking at the ground.

Miroku doesn't say a thing, nor does he move.

"I apologize." Sango says, in a low voice.

"I accept your apology, Lady Sango." Miroku smiles as he bows to her.

"Monk . . . Miroku, why haven't you asked that question?" Sango asks. ‘I've always been
frightened that he would. There is no way that I or Kagome could tell him no.' she thinks.

He sighs. He reaches out, cups Sango's chin and looks deep into her eyes. "Because, you two are
not girls that I can just use and leave. And . . . "

"And?" Sango whispers.

He steps close. They are almost nose to nose . . .

His eyes twinkle, "and . . . "

His other hand reaches around and squeezes Sango's rear.

She instinctively slaps him across the face with one hand. Her other hand shoves him backward
and away from her. "Monk!"

She spins around and stalks off.

Once she vanishes . . .

"And . . . I love you." Miroku whispers in a low enough voice, so only he can hear. "So . . . I'm
not going to lie to you about my curse."

‘Still . . . Keade and the village girls convinced Kagome to share her breasts.' Miroku thinks.
‘And, the spring festival, the I-shin-po scrolls . . . I wonder is Kagome's thoughts about sex
changing?' He nods. ‘Yes. I think so. I wonder what will happen next? Will I get my wish for an
orgy, especially with both of them at the same time?'

"Damn him." Sango mumbles under her breath, in a low voice, which only she can hear. "Why
does he do that? I love the bastard, but . . . I'm not a piece of meat for him for fondle."


***************************


a couple of nights later . . .


"No!" Shippo screams in his sleep. The nightmare has his body twisted into a fetal curl. "NO!
DON'T DIE! MOM!"

His eyes open. His body is covered in sweat. His fur is wet and matted down. He is shaking, like
a leaf . . .

Kagome is holding him, slowly rocking him. "Everything is fine, Shippo. Your safe. I'm here."
She whispers.

Shippo begins to cry and he snuggles into Kagome's chest.

Kagome bites her lips. ‘No. I'm not going to look at anyone else.' She thinks. ‘What they are
looking at doesn't matter. Comforting Shippo matters more to me and than any embarrassment.'

One of her hands slides to her nightgown.

Kagome can hear Inu-yasha start to growl.

She unbuttons her nightgown.

‘Do I stop her?' Inu-yasha thinks as his eyes, even in the darkness see what Kagome is doing. ‘IF
I do . . . She's made it plain that this is her idea and that she intends to do it.'

His eyes flick to the others in the group. Shippo's screams have awoken them, as well. They are
looking at him.

He glances away. ‘They'll support her. I could see that.' He looks at his clawed hand.

His ears flick as he hears Shippo's mouth begin to suckle on Kagome's breast. He forms a fist.
Blood begins to trickle from between his fingers. ‘I can't. He lost his parents, just like me . . . If
someone had cared about me like she cares about him . . . I can't'

Inu-yasha growls and jumps away into the darkness. ‘But, I'm not going to stand there and watch
it, either.'

Kagome's ears hear Inu-yasha as he jumps away, with screaming at her.

She sighs, ‘I'm going to have to apologize to him and find some sort of present for him.'

She hisses, and whispers, "Shippo. Your teeth are sharp."

"Sorry." He whines.

"It's ok." Kagome places his mouth on her teat. "Just remember that my breasts are sensitive."

Kagome rocks Shippo to sleep, his mouth locked on her teat . . . a smile on his face . . .


Sango looks at Miroku. He is looking at Sango.

She raises an eyebrow in a silent question.

"I do respect her privacy." Miroku whispers.

Sango rolls her eyes and shakes her head.

"That's a surprise." She whispers back.

"I do. I mean it." He hisses back.

The end motherhood . . .

******************


The storyline: A shard in Kyoto takes place soon after this storyline. (Miroku doesn't quite get
his wish, but there is a scene that is close in that story.)

I have a couple of reviews question my sources and accuracy of those sources.

Shrug. There aren't a lot of sources available. As such, the amount of knowledge is limited, and
as such, it becomes easy to go off on a tangent, that may not be totally accurate.

But. The fact that Japanese families did sleep in the same room is correct. (It even happens
today.) The fact that historically Japanese are more casual then in the US, about nudity and sex is
correct. The face that uncle/niece marriage were accepted is correct. In many marriages the
mother/son or father/daughter bond is the strongest bond in the family. (Please note: since many
marriages were not love matches, but arraigned, this does make sense, the love that should have
gone to the husband or wife, gets transferred to the children.)

So... If people are sleeping together, and nudity and sex are more open... To me, it follows that
sex is more common.

If you wish to believe that sex did not happen between family members, so be it.

While my story is NOT totally accurate, (I could easily be over-estimating the amount of incest),
I believe it to be more accurate than a story in which incest does NOT exist...

Please note this applies to anything pre-1600 in japan. What knowledge that exists, especially
anything that details the day to day life, is basically all from the upper classes, either written by
them, or written for them. There is some information from religious ie monastery sources. But
that's it. And both of these sources have tremendously built in biases and preformed cultural
ideas. (It would be like taking a "biography," of say, Frank Sinatra or John F Kennedy and
assuming that is how everyone lives.)

As to the accuracy of those sources?

Hard to say. Most people assume that the totally accurate. But is it?

Some readers will know the novel "Genji: the Shining prince" by murasaki shikibu.

Here is a link that emphasizes a different POV about some of the sex scenes in that novel.
(Which is the first novel in the world)

remove the spaces for the link.

sengokudaimyo. com/ Forced_Affection. html

People generally write things to be popular. As such, there is a tremendous tendency to edit
potentially negative things. Most of the sources from pre-1600 japan have been known about for
centuries. Which gives a lot of people plenty of chances to edit out things. (If memory serves, the
source story for Genji: the shining prince is an edition from the 1700's. the earliest know copy is
from 1400's.)

A modern example of people editing out things that might be bad.

During last half of 1945, the US army prosecuted about 250 soldiers for rape, worldwide.

During the first month of US occupation of Japan, during 1945, from Japanese sources, more
than 1000 rapes occurred.

Which is real? (Chances are... both are wrong. US occupation forces wanted to present a clean
image, so, unless forced, they probably ignored reports. The Japanese people, during the war,
were force feed a lot of anti-us horror stories, so, once the us troops arrived, reports of ‘bad
things' happening would be believed and spread.)


There are also translation difficulties. Written Japanese, especially early works, are by modern
standards vaguely written and do not translate well. So . . . you can put the same source quote in
front of, say, three different translators and you'd get three different translations. (They all should
be similar, but, there will be differences.)

Also, if your translating for English/American audiences and you want the book to be successful,
you've got to handle the very loose attitudes toward sex and multiple wives/concubines very
carefully. So, leaving out, or reducing the impact of various passages that might offend, is very
easy to do.


thank you for reading
jeff shelton