InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Second Chances ❯ Wake Up Calls ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimers: All characters portrayed here are property of Rumiko Takehashi with the following exceptions: Yukio and Ian are Terri Botta's from the Lucky Ones Universe and used with her full permission. I have also received Terri's permission to post this story as a continuation, but it is in no way connected to her story, "Coyote Child".

 

~Chapter 1~

Wake Up Calls

 

With unrelenting directness, a single shaft of light cut through the quite stillness of early morning, stabbing through the cozy dimness to smack on the outside of his closed eyelids.

 

Expelling a muffled groan he rolled over onto his side, sighing in contented pleasure at the easy defeat of his enemy. A lazy, boyish grin spread across his face as he burrowed deeper into his pillow and began to slip back into dreamland. Until suddenly, his eyelids were forcefully pried open by chubby little fingers and his line of sight was overwhelmed by the color of amber.

 

“Niki up?” Inquired a tiny child's voice laced with suspicion.

 

“Gahhhh!!!”

 

Yelping in alarm, he reared back away from his miniature assailant, sheets tangling around his legs. Unfortunately, even hanyou senses take a little time to recover from such a wake-up call and in the rush of adrenaline he forgot his current location. As his dexterity completely abandon him, he tumbled over the side of his bead and fell in a painful heap on the floor.

 

“Niki up!” the overeager little boy squealed, launching himself off the bed and directly onto his older brother's chest.

 

“Ummfph!” He grunted as a sharp little knee connected with his solar plexus. He took a minute to regain a hold of his senses, as the entirely too energetic toddler bounced up and down on his chest.

 

Fushikenwa Yukio, the eldest adopted son of the inu-hanyou, Inuyasha, and his human mate, Kagome, had more than happily opted to stay with his parents to help them raise the little ball of energy that was currently burrowing under the white sleeveless shirt he wore to bed; just like he had done with each of his other siblings. The only difference between little Ian and the others was that he was a biological child. Hanyous, unfortunately, were unable to have children without the aid of fertility drugs and invitro procedures. His parents had desperately wanted another child, but with the change of heart towards hanyous, the previously distained children were now treasured among the dying species so there weren't unwanted orphans to adopt. So, they chose to try for a child of their own blood. After five heartbreaking attempts, Inuyasha and Kagome had finally managed to bring little Ian into the world, the first quarter youkai pup to ever be born, giving hope to other hanyou-human couples. Ian was a happy, affectionate little boy, doted on by his parents and spoiled rotten by the older brother he clearly idolized.

 

Yukio loved being part of pup rearing. More than anything, he regretted that he and Miaka hadn't adopted any while she was alive. Maybe if they had, things would have turned out differently. Yet, whenever he had suggested it, she had gotten angry with him and refused to discuss the topic further. In the end, he had contented himself with his role of Aniki and pushed his dreams of fatherhood aside. The only problem was that after nearly two centuries without having a baby in the house, Yukio had forgotten one very important fact: pups are notoriously early risers. So here he was, sprawled on his back on the floor with a wide-awake pup on his chest.

 

“Ugh,” he groaned. “Who needs an alarm clock with you around, huh otouto?”

 

Ian giggled, not really understanding the joke but glad his older brother was awake to play with him.

 

“Niki up!” he affirmed, with glee. “Make beckfust!” The demand was accompanied by a huge grin, his little fangs poking out over his bottom lip.

 

“And why didn't you ask Okaa-san to get you breakfast? She should have been up already.”

 

Ian suddenly got very quite and his mouth scrunched up into what his mother had termed, “The Pout” and tugged on a lock of his own silver hair. In that moment, he was the spitting image of their father, despite his lack of Inuyasha's dog ears.

 

“Tou was bad. Momma had t' tickle pin him again. Tou said I'm not s'posed to go in yet.”

 

Yukio choked, trying desperately not to laugh at the picture of a tickled Otou. Kagome had used the “tickle fight” euphemism to explain their more intimate marital activities after the inquisitive toddler had walked in on them. Yukio himself had many painfully embarrassing memories of walking into random rooms in the house to find his parents enjoying themselves, or “naked hugging”, as Inuyasha like to call it just to make Yukio squirm. While Yukio was happy to see his parents were still as passionately in love as the day they first mated five centuries ago, he wished he didn't have to see it so often.

 

"Oh yeah?” he asked. “That's not good. You know how Otou-san hates it when you see him lose a tickle fight, huh otouto?"

 

Ian just bobbed his little head sagely.

 

"And momma always wins tickle fights,” he said with the utmost solemnity.

 

He tried. He really did, but having been an involuntary witness to some of his parents more heated sessions, his baby brother's expression- the closed eyes, upturned nose and flattened lips - a miniature version of the his mighty hanyou father, was too much. With an indelicate snort he flopped onto his back and chuckled wickedly. Ian scrunched up his little nose, his little eyebrows slamming down over his eyes. He didn't see what Aniki found so amusing; he'd just stated the obvious.

 

“Oi,” he groused. “No laughing! Momma does too always win! I've seen her. Momma's a better tickler than `tou!”

 

Yukio managed to get his laughter under control and effect some semblance of innocent contrition in his expression, drooping his ears a bit, but damned if he could suppress his cocky grin for long.

 

“You're absolutely right otouto,” he coughed trying to hide the giggles that threatened to bubble over the surface of his fragile façade “Momma could defiantly take Otou-san down whenever,” he coughed to clear his throat, “she wants to.”

 

Ian cast him a dubious look for all his efforts.

 

“Keh!” he proclaimed, returning to his former position. But, the not-so-subtle glances he cast his older brother out of the corner of his amber eye told Yukio that he was trying to figure out just how Otou would make him get up and produce the desired morning meal. Sighing dramatically to cover the last of his mirth, Yukio snatched Ian up under his elbows and proceeded to wrestle out a few tickles of his own.

 

“Come on then pup,” He growled playfully. “Let's get you fed.”

 

“Yay!” he cheered and bounced about; all attempts at seriousness abandoned. Yukio had to flatten his ears to his head at the high pitched noise.

 

“Ow ow ow,” Yukio grimaced. “Don't break Aniki, rowdy pup.” He growled a gentle rebuke at Ian in the inuyoukai language to reinforce his demand and Ian was instantly contrite.

 

:Pup sorry: he responded, sticking his little clawed finger in his mouth and opening his amber eyes as wide as he could.

 

:Forgiven: Yukio smiled and gave Ian a little nuzzle on the head as he gathered the boy to his chest and stood up, heading towards the kitchen.

 

Yukio kicked his leg a bit as he walked to untangle the leg of his black knit pants from around his knee, causing Ian to giggle at the way he was bounced around by the movement.

 

“Alright, what to feed the pup?” he asked aloud, teasing more giggles out of his brother. The question was completely rhetorical, of course; he knew the answer even before the question left his mouth.

 

“Ramen,” Ian beamed. “Ramen, ramen, ramen,” proceeding to shoot Yukio his cutest pleading puppy face.

 

Yukio chuckled warmly but held his ground against it.

 

“That look's not gonna work on me pup,” he teased. “Okaa-san would have my head if I let you eat ramen for breakfast again.

 

“Yeah and I'd scruff your butt for dipping into my stash,” a new voice grouched from behind him.

 

Fushikenwa Inuyasha- the great and powerful hanyou who had taken down the evil Naraku and spent centuries striking fear into the hearts of those who'd dare to threaten his mate or his pups -cut a fearsome figure in the red and blue `Big Dog' boxer shorts he wore to bed. The dopy face of the cartoon Saint Bernard on the front was defiantly an imposing image. Yukio had to bite his cheek to keep from laughing as his father lazily rub at one of his ears, buried in the tangled mess of silvery white hair. Inuyasha cracked a jaw splitting yawn, his long, pink tongue curling ever so slightly at the tip and scratched at his bare chest. Inuyasha was the very picture of a sleepy puppy making a show of just how noisily he could force himself awake. Not that Yukio would ever be suicidal enough to tell him so.

 

“Tou,” Ian burbled. :Leader-male, up! Play with pup!:

 

Inuyasha sleepily crossed the room and held out his arms, signaling to Yukio he'd take Ian. The second he changed hands, Ian was nuzzling into his father's neck and Inuyasha had him cuddled to his chest with practiced ease.

 

“You're up early this morning,” he commented.

 

“Well somebody decided to wake his aniki up since Otou-san was too busy getting tickled by Okaa-san to make him breakfast,” Yukio goaded.

 

Inuyasha only snickered at the petulance in his son's tone.

 

“Oh yeah?” he asked, smirking hugely. “Sorry `bout that.”

 

“I'll just bet you are,” Yukio retorted and chucked a dishrag at his father's head.

 

“Keh!” Inuyasha easily avoided getting a face full of cloth and caught it as it sailed by his head.

 

Ian, who by this time had decided he was being unduly ignored, whined plaintively at Inuyasha.

 

“Tou,” now flashing the cute puppy look at his father. “Can I have ramen?”

 

Inuyasha affected a thoughtful expression.

 

“I dunno pup,” he said. “Your momma only wants you to have it for one meal a day, and I was planning on fixing you some extra special ramen for dinner tonight.”

 

Yukio hid his smirk at the way Ian's little face had lit up at the words extra special by going over to turn the coffee maker on. He knew his father would be perfectly content to have ramen morning, noon and night, but his mother was determined to keep him from passing the obsession on to Ian. For as tuff and manly as Inuyasha was, it was obvious that when it came down to it, Kagome was the true alpha. Yukio had to commend his father's tactics to adhere to his mother's wishes without looking completely hypocritical.

 

“Really?” Ian asked with poorly repressed excitement. “Extra special?”

 

“Extra, extra special,” Inuyasha confirmed then sighed dramatically. “But, if you can't wait till dinner I guess I could make you some of the boring ordinary kind now.”

 

“Noooooo,” Ian squealed. “I want extra special!”

 

“Well then you can't have ramen now.”

 

“Ok,” the little boy agreed. “I'll have my O's now.”

 

O's was what Ian called his Cheerios. Yukio smiled as he pulled the box down from its place atop the refrigerator and made his way to the cabinet that housed the dishes.

 

“I'll get them for you otouto,” he said.

 

“I want my bowl,” Ian demanded and Yukio dutifully pulled out the little plastic bowl with a very disgruntled looking Stitch painted on it.

 

“Thank you,” Ian giggled brightly, minding his manners and clapping his hands together in anticipation.

 

“Is that my good boy?” a soft feminine voice called.

 

“Mama!” Ian chirped, flinging his little arms in the air and leaning in Inuyasha's arms as far as he could towards Kagome. Laughing softly, she plucked him out of his father's arms and placed kisses on both of their cheeks.

 

Kagome had already gotten ready for the day, having showered and dressed in a blue sleeveless dress with a matching long jacket. It was her first day back to work since they had begun the fertility treatments. She had become a partner with Dr. Maggiano, the youkai fertility doctor who had helped them to have Ian, at her clinic for youkai and hanyou in Calgary.

 

“Good morning Okaa-san,” Yukio called as he finished making Ian's breakfast. “Coffee's almost ready if you want some.”

 

“Thank you sweetheart,” she responded, shifting Ian so she could kiss his cheek and give him a little ear rub. “That would be wonderful, but could you put it in my travel mug? I need to get going soon.”

 

“Oi, wench,” Inuyasha grouched. “You be careful! You don't need to be fiddling with coffee when you should be watching where your driving.”

 

Kagome rolled her eyes at her mate.

 

“Don't you get on my driving, dog boy,” she warned. “You're the one who could wallpaper the den with all the speeding tickets you get.”

 

Inuyasha scowled, shoving his own mug under Yukio's nose as soon as he had passed Kagome her pink travel mug of coffee.

 

“Feh!”

 

Yukio laughed and his amusement increased at the look Inuyasha gave him indicating he was not amused by his son's lack of support.

 

“She's right Otou,” he said. “The police should just mail you a bill each month and save themselves the hassle of writing you out so many.”

 

“Don't you need to be getting ready for you consultation at the Clarkson's?”

 

Yukio scowled in distaste and bit into a cheese danish he'd found in the pantry.

 

“Ugh, don't remind me,” he complained. “That woman is about as pleasant as an infectious disease.”

 

Inuyasha smirked, but nodded in agreement. The Clarkson woman had more money than feeling, so he didn't feel at all guilty for charging her a premium rate for the renovation work she wanted done. He just didn't have the patience to be in the same room with her without wanting to rip her head off. That's why he sent Yukio instead. Still, he couldn't resist needling him a bit more about it.

 

“Well, maybe you'll be able to charm her into loosening up.”

 

Yukio looked as though Inuyasha had just suggested he handle toxic waste.

 

“Right,” he said dryly. “I'm sure she'll just fall for me and my charms.”

 

Inuyasha shook his head in mock sympathy.

 

“I know your skills are a bit rusty, but you'll have the pup with you. And there isn't a bitch alive that can resist a man with a pup.”

 

Kagome's brows lowered ominously, causing Inuyasha to tense ever so slightly. Yukio narrowed his eyes and laid his ears back against his skill, missing his mother's dangerous expression.

 

“The ones that eat their young can,” he groused. “She'll probably take one look at him and complain that she's not paying me to run a daycare out of her home.”

 

Inuyasha chuckled at the pout in Yukio's tone as he turned to head off for a shower.

 

“Keh! Well then, Pup, you'd better make sure you hurry. Don't wanna be late now do ya? Bad for business.”

 

An with that Inuyasha cocked a self impressed smirk, arrogantly sauntering out of the room; the effect sorely diminished by the fluffy little tail printed on the back of his boxers that seemed to wag perkily with each swaggering step.

 

* * * * *

 

The water running in the shower was turned up as far as it would go, steam billowing up it huge clouds and fogging up the mirror above the sink and still it wasn't hot enough. She had scrubbed and scrubbed at her body till it was red and raw, depleting an entire bottle of soap in the process, but she couldn't seem to get clean. She still felt dirty, unclean.

 

The numbness of the past few hours had finally worn off, replaced by an all-consuming panic. She thought if she could just get clean, she'd be able to forget the way he'd felt. But it wouldn't go away. Pathetic little mewling sounds tore out of her throat and she flung the washrag she'd been using across the bathroom. Curling up into a ball underneath the stream of water, she rocked back and forth, fighting the tears that threatened to spill out from under her clenched eyelids.

 

She took several deep, hiccupping breaths to get control back over her body, hating herself for being so weak. She would not cry! She wouldn't! She was supposed to be stronger than this! But the memory of cold yellow eyes and a cruel, chilling laugh flashed through her mind and her body jerked involuntarily in reaction. She pressed a tentative hand to her throat, still able to feel his teeth against her flesh. No, they had been too sharp to be teeth. What was sharper than teeth? Fang? They had to have been fangs. And his nails had been too thick and deadly to be normal. Claws? Then there had been the dark, tribal-like streaks on his cheeks and the odd crescent tattoo on his forehead. What the hell was he? She didn't quite understand how she knew, but somehow she was certain he hadn't been human.

 

She started to shake, coldness settling into her bones despite the warmth of the water. With jerky, halting movements she turned off the tap and wrapped herself in her fluffy purple robe. Mechanically she made her way into her bedroom, trailing water as she went, and collapsed on her bed. This was supposed to be behind her. It wasn't real. She'd go to sleep and when she woke up, everything would be back to normal. Nothing would have happened and she'd be safe, it wasn't real. Somehow, she couldn't quite believe herself.

 

A soft whine cut through her misery and her head shot up. An old, gentle eyed Irish wolfhound sat by the side of the bed, his head resting on the mattress near her own. The dog's brown eyes watched her with knowing compassion and his tongue swiped out to comforting lick her cheek before nuzzling her with his nose.

 

She reached intending to pet the soft fur at his neck, but found her face buried in it instead, her arms barely able to wrap around his huge frame as she attempted to anchor herself to reality. No, she didn't believe herself at all.