InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Purity ❯ Miracles ( Chapter 45 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

"Why the hell is it taking so fucking long?"

Kagome shot him a look over her shoulder. Dammit whined again. InuYasha dug his claws into the sofa. He could sense the dog's pain. It was enough to drive him crazy. "Calm down, InuYasha. It always takes time to have babies. I suppose having puppies isn't that much different."

"Keh!" He shot off of the sofa again and paced the living room floor.

Kagome sighed. "You're making her more nervous, you know."

"I wouldn't be making her nervous if she'd just hurry it along," he shot back.

Kagome sat back against the window and stabbed InuYasha with an incredulous look. "I can't believe you just said that," she remarked in a dry tone.

InuYasha sank down beside Kagome with a mulish frown. They'd reached home from Midoriko's cave in record time. InuYasha had barely gotten the front door unlocked when Kagome had ducked under his arm and run straight into the house to check on Dammit, who was already in the throes of labor.

That had been hours ago. The sun sank below the horizon, leaving the outer world dark and secretive. InuYasha had built a fire while Kagome gathered some older towels and a blanket for Dammit.

And then the waiting had begun.

Having never seen the birth of anything before, InuYasha had been fascinated . . . at first. His interest had waned considerably with the first of Dammit's ear-splitting howls awhile ago.

"Why don't you distract me?" he asked, leaning forward to kiss Kagome. Her eyes drifted closed, her lashes fanning over her cheeks in a way that he found completely endearing. Her tongue flicked out, moistening her lips. Nearly touching, he could feel her breath on his skin . . . Then the dog howled again. Moment lost, Kagome turned away to comfort Dammit.

He heaved a sigh. He'd spent weeks worrying—agonizing—over his inability to mark Kagome as his, and now that she was, she cast him aside for a dog. `The world,' he thought with an air of disgust, `is an unfair place.'

Still, Dammit's piteous yowls were enough to send InuYasha into a near-panic. He tried to placate the animal, rubbing her sides with his claws. Dammit whimpered. She sensed his upset, and that magnified hers. It was a sadistic cycle.

And what came next was enough to make InuYasha's eyes go wide and his stomach lurch unpleasantly. Positioned as he was away from Dammit's head gave him access to a view he thought that he'd have been better off not seeing. "What the fuck?" he hollered, skittering backward across the floor as a squirming white—something—was forced out of the dog. Dammit howled again. InuYasha tried to shift his eyes away. He couldn't. It was like a train wreck. He knew he shouldn't watch. But he just couldn't not watch, either.

Kagome calmly petted Dammit's head, scratching behind her ears, as the dog sat up enough to clean the first born. The pup whined softly. InuYasha's ears perked up. `Not an unpleasant sound,' he allowed somewhat grudgingly, and he was oddly curious about the infant dog.

Kagome caught his anxious look as he sat up straighter, as though he wanted to look at the pup but was afraid to come near. She grinned. "Come see, InuYasha. This one's a girl, just like her mama."

As curious as he was to see this pup, InuYasha shook his head quickly, eyes flaring in disbelief, and he scooted away a little more. "You're braver than that," she remarked with a gentle smile. He didn't take the bait.

InuYasha shook his head quickly as Dammit yelped again. Kagome happily squealed as Dammit managed to deliver another puppy. This one, from what he could see, was white with light brown spots.

Two hours and three puppies later, InuYasha had abandoned the house in favor of the cool night outside. He sat on the railing with a frustrated scowl on his face. Dammit had been quieter for the last fifteen minutes or so. But when he thought she'd settle down before, she would howl again.

An image of Kagome in pain filtered through his mind, of her delivering their own pup. He flinched. If he reacted that badly to the idea of Dammit being in pain, he didn't even want to imagine what it would be like if it were Kagome, instead.

The door opened. InuYasha didn't glance over. Kagome folded her hands together and draped them over his shoulder, resting her chin on her hands. "I think she's done."

"What's the damage?" he asked with a wry grin.

"Five," she said then giggled. "Two girls and three boys, from what I can tell. Mother and babies seem to be doing just fine. You want to see them?"

He shook his head quickly. "Keh! I heard Dammit having them. Isn't that enough?"

She shivered slightly in the brisk night air. InuYasha slipped his arm around her shoulders. "You ought to go back in," he said, rubbing her arm up and down to warm her chilled skin. "You're cold."

"I'm fine," she contradicted though she snuggled closer to him anyway. "Are you cold?"

"Keh. I don't get cold."

She pushed his hair out of his eyes and turned his face to look at her. "What's bothering you? And don't tell me nothing, because I won't believe you anyway."

He stared at her for long moments before he finally said, "It hurts."

Kagome frowned. "What does?" Her eyes suddenly widened in shock, and she leaned away to work at the buttons of his shirt. "Did Hyou injure you? Why didn't you tell me? Let me see it!"

He caught her hands as she tried to tug on his shirt. "No, Kagome . . ." With a heavy sigh, he made a disgusted face. "That," he clarified, his skin heating as he waved his free hand toward the house.

He heard her hissed breath, the cautious look in her expression. She looked almost amused, a little nervous, and wholly endearing. "Having babies, you mean?" He jerked his head once. She took it as a yes. "Sure, but," her gaze dropped to the ground. He couldn't see her face in the darkness. He had a feeling she was blushing, "sometimes women do things even though it may hurt . . . because the rewards are worth the pain."

"That's stupid," InuYasha said with a snort. "You women like pain?"

"I didn't say that," she explained softly. "It's just that sometimes there are things that are worth more because they hurt you a little."

And he understood. That's why she had been so sure that he would have been able to perform the marking ritual on her. Because, in her opinion, the reward of being with him would have been worth any pain she would have had to endure. He sighed. Now if he could be strong, like her . . . `Human children would fit in,' he mused slowly. `They wouldn't be teased so much . . .'

"Come see the pups," Kagome coaxed, tugging on InuYasha's hands. He let her drag him to his feet and followed slowly into the house.

Kagome knelt down beside the nest she'd fashioned out of the old blanket and patted the floor beside her. "They're so little!" He hunkered down and sniffed at the pups. Kagome picked up one of them and held it out for InuYasha's inspection. He leaned away. "Come on, InuYasha! They won't bite!"

He shot her a nervous glance. She giggled. Slowly, he reached out with his index finger and stroked the puppy's head. It squealed in his face. He jerked his hand back and scooted away from them. Kagome's giggle escalated.

"Keh!" he snorted, shooting off the floor and stomping toward the kitchen.


"Why aren't their eyes open?"

"They'll open soon," Kagome explained. "They were just born last night."

"They don't do much yet."

Kagome giggled. "I'll bet you didn't either, when you were a day old."

Toga frowned in consternation. "When will Yasha-jiji be home?"

She glanced at her watch, shaking her head inwardly at the new way that Toga had informed her InuYasha preferred to be addressed. "Any time. Aren't you having fun with me?"

Toga made a face. "Well, I suppose, even though you're a girl."

Wisely hiding her amusement at Toga's disgruntled answer, Kagome changed the subject to one that she hoped would make the boy smile. "Think InuYasha will be glad to see you?"

Toga nodded happily.

Aiko walked over and flopped down in Kagome's lap. "Story?"

Kagome smiled and took the book from the girl. "You want to listen, Toga?"

Toga snorted, "Keh!"

Kagome did a double-take. With a hidden smile, she opened the book and started reading to Aiko. Toga listened for a few minutes before he skittered over to lean on Kagome's leg. Aiko pushed at her sibling. Toga pushed back. Kagome solved the problem by shifting so that both children could sit on her lap.

She was so engrossed in reading the story that she didn't hear the front door open, didn't see InuYasha slouching casually against the wall, watching her, smiling as he leaned his head to the side. She finished reading the book and snapped it closed. Toga kept chattering to Kagome about the story. Aiko spotted InuYasha and hopped up. "Up! Up!" she hollered.

Kagome glanced up. "I didn't know you were home," she said, moving Toga off her lap so she could rise. Toga ran over to InuYasha, hopping around in his excitement.

InuYasha swung the little girl up in his arms. Her silvery hair flew and bounced, and she shrieked in laughter. "You were a little busy when I came in."

Kagome grinned as InuYasha flattened his ears against the child's delighted sounds. "Kagura-san called this morning. Their nanny's father died, so I told her I'd watch the children till the nanny comes back."

"Yasha-jiji! Show me Tetsusaiga! You promised, and youkai keep their promises, that's what tou-san says." Toga frowned, as if something had just occurred to him. "You're only half-youkai . . . But you're my uncle, so you still have to keep your word!"

InuYasha set Aiko back on her feet. "Let me change first," he agreed.

Kagome followed him as he headed toward the bedroom. "Do you think that's such a good idea? I don't think Kagura would like you showing Toga the sword."

InuYasha dropped the dress shirt on the bed and swiped up a tee shirt instead. Kagome stared at his chest before he tugged the shirt down in place. "It's not polite to stare," he teased. Her cheeks heated. "I'm not going to let him mess with it. Full youkai can't touch it, remember? But I think it'd be okay to show him."

Kagome didn't look like she agreed. Still she didn't comment as he finished changing.

He kissed her quickly before dragging her out of the bedroom by her hand.

She started straightening up the room while the children crowded around InuYasha. He sat them both on the sofa. "Before I get it down, Toga, you have to promise me you won't touch it at all. There's a barrier on it. Full youkai, like you, can't touch it. Promise?"

Toga made a face but nodded. "All right."

After staring at the boy another moment, InuYasha reached up and unhooked Tetsusaiga. "Put on your jacket, Toga," InuYasha instructed. Toga hopped up and ran off to find his jacket. Aiko pouted. "Tou-san says girls don't fight."

"Your mom did, and Kagome is an archer."

Aiko's eyes grew round in wonder. "Really?"

She hopped down and ran off to find Kagome, who had ducked into the laundry room.

He stared after the girl and chuckled then led Toga outside.

The wind had picked up since he'd arrived home. Toga's jacket was on but was also hanging wide open. InuYasha stuck Tetsusaiga into the earth and motioned for the boy to come closer. Toga ran down the steps and tried to skid to a stop. The mist in the air had dampened the grass, and the boy's momentum kept him moving. InuYasha reached out to catch him. Toga put out his hand. He latched onto Tetsusaiga's handle, and . . . nothing happened.

InuYasha set Toga down and pulled open the child's fingers, furiously inspecting the appendages for burns. There was no sign that he had touched the sword at all. "Did it hurt you?" InuYasha demanded, his look daring Toga to lie.

Toga shook his head slowly, his golden eyes obviously upset. InuYasha sighed. "It's okay. I just thought maybe you'd burned yourself."

"I'm sorry, Yasha-jiji," Toga said, chin down, shuffling his feet.

InuYasha reached over, ruffling Toga's hair before he knelt down to zip up the child's jacket. "No harm done, Toga. I'm just glad you're not hurt."

As he straightened up, though, InuYasha frowned. What happened to the barrier that protected the sword from being wielded by youkai? By rights, it ought to have burned Toga's hand, as it had Sesshoumaru's when he had tried to use it. He told Toga to stand clear as the Tetsusaiga transformed into the cold fang he knew so well. His father's fang that had broken so long ago had been bonded back together with InuYasha's own fang. The great sword was his birthright.

InuYasha smiled, recalling the vision of Kagome, sitting on the floor with the children on her lap. He stared thoughtfully at the sword as he lifted it high and brought it down. The Wind Scar jutted out in burning waves. Toga gasped and then yelled.

InuYasha let the sword transform back into its original state with a small smile turning up the corners of his lips. `Tetsusaiga,' he thought, `is something I need to pass down to my own son . . .'