InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Lucky Ones ❯ Chapter Four ( Chapter 4 )

The Lucky Ones

By Terri Botta

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Sole copyright belongs to Viz and Rumiko Takashi. I'm poor so don't sue.

Rating: R for later chapters.

Pairing: Inuyasha/Kagome, Miroku/Sango

Summary: Sometimes Fate hands you a gift you never thought you'd ever get, and it's up to you to accept it for what it is.

Email feedback to: tci100@psu.edu

Webpage: http://www.wordsmiths.net/Botta

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Chapter 4

The following day they reached their destination and found that yes, indeed, there was a Shikon shard nearby. It turned out to be in the forehead of a large centipede youkai, and the youkai had no intention of giving it up without a fight. Kagome discovered that it was awkward firing her arrows with the baby positioned in front of her, so she moved him to her back and that gave her more freedom to draw her bow. Balancing him while she dodged and avoided getting attacked by the youkai also turned out to be no small task. In addition, he reacted to her fear and began to cry. The sound caught the centipede's attention for one brief, fatal second and Sango took the opportunity to cut it in half with hiraikotsu.

Once the danger had passed, Kagome lifted the baby from her back and held him to her chest, rocking and soothing him. Inuyasha jumped in front of her and rubbed the infant under the chin.

"Already a fighter, eh, pup? That cry gave us the chance we needed," the hanyou praised.

"I don't think he was trying to help, Inuyasha," Shippo answered.

"Oi! What do you know?"

Kagome patted the still whimpering baby. "Ummm, I think he might be right, Inuyasha," she admitted.

He glared at her. "You too, huh?" He rubbed the baby's puppy ears, quieting him immediately. "Well, I think you knew what you were doing even if these weak humans don't get it."

Kagome gave him a tolerant look and handed the baby to him. "I'm going to get the shard," she said with a small smile.

He took the baby and brought him close to his face. "We both know better, right, pup? You'll be getting your own sword soon."

The baby made a gurgling noise and grabbed a lock of Inuyasha's hair.

"How about he gets some teeth and learns how to walk before you start teaching him how to swing a sword around?" Kagome suggested dryly, dropping the shard into the vial she wore around her neck.

She opened her arms and he placed the baby in them, giving him another ear rub. The look on his face was one of paternal pride.

"It's scary when Inuyasha's happy a baby helped us kill something," Shippo said.

Miroku and Sango looked on in stunned silence and nodded.

"Remind me to keep him away from our baby, houshi-sama…"

"Agreed."

The baby began to make hungry whimpers and nuzzled at Kagome's chest.

"See. A good fight always builds up an appetite. C'mon, Kagome. Let's get something to eat," Inuyasha enthused, leading the way to a potential campsite.

"He really is scary, isn't he?" Sango commented.

Her husband nodded seriously.

Kagome gave them an apologetic look and a shrug before following Inuyasha away from the centipede corpse.

"Wait. We should bury the centipede and pacify its soul," Miroku called.

"You do that while I hunt for dinner!" Inuyasha responded.

"Yes, but…" the ex-monk began, about to remind the hanyou that he was the best choice for grave digging since none of them had a spade, but Inuyasha was already gone.

Shippo shook his head. "He's such an impatient guy."

"Well, there's nothing to be done for it," Miroku sighed, following the others to the campsite Inuyasha had chosen.

Later they did manage to get Inuyasha to dig the grave for the centipede, but only after he had eaten four fish and two cups of ramen. Oddly, Kagome found herself to be unusually hungry as well and very very thirsty. She was so thirsty, in fact, that she finished off two full bottles of water and went to the stream they had camped by for more.

"Oi, Kagome. Are you alright?" Inuyasha asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

"I think so. I'm just so thirsty."

Inuyasha felt her forehead, then his own. "I don't think you have a fever, but here... just in case."

He gave her his haori and wrapped it around her shoulders. She smiled at him. "Thank you."

"Keh, can't have you getting sick. Who'd take care of the baby?"

She wanted to point out that he'd been sharing baby duties rather well, except for changing him, but she thought the better of it. She had long ago learned that Inuyasha always covered his concern with an insult in order to protect himself, and even though he had started to let his guard down with her when they were alone, he still put up the front when they were around others. The fact that he asked after at all her showed her that he was concerned for her welfare even if he had tried to cover it up with a degrading remark.

"Maybe I've been eating too much salt," she offered, drinking another bottle of water. "I should be more careful about what I eat."

"Keh! Next thing you'll say you won't bring me ramen because it's bad for me," Inuyasha scoffed.

"I already say that, but I know if I don't bring it you'll drag me back through the well and down to the grocery store to buy some."

"Damn right, wench."

"Please don't use foul language in front of the baby," she requested.

"Why the hell not?"

"Because he will think that it is acceptable, and it's not. You may not care about how rude you are, but I want this- still nameless- baby to grow up knowing his manners."

"Hey!"

"It's true. Your manners are terrible, Inuyasha," Shippo agreed, nodding sagely.

Inuyasha sputtered angrily. "Wha… wha… what?!" He looked to Sango and Miroku, but they refused to meet his eyes. "You guys too?!"

"Well…" Sango began, but he cut her off with a snort as he plopped down next to Kagome, his arms in his sleeves.

"Fine, I won't fucking curse in front of the fucking baby," he grumbled.

"Inuyasha."

He cringed, waiting for it.

"Osuwari."

"Gah!" he gasped as his face hit the dirt.

The baby made a burbling sound and Kagome turned him to face Inuyasha. "See, Baby, this is what happens to rude hanyous who try to kill the girls who free them from their seals. They get binding prayer beads on their neck and someone forces them to sit…"

Inuyasha slammed to the ground again. The baby blinked and burbled again.

"See? Now, if you grow up nicely and learn your manners and don't try to kill people, then this will never happen to you."

"Why you…" Inuyasha growled.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome said, warning in her voice and eyes.

"Keh! Fine! I get it! No cursing."

"Thank you."

He picked himself up off the ground and leaped into a tree, sitting just above them, sulking. Kagome sighed, then yawned. The baby mimicked her.

"Yes, I know. I'm tired too. It's been a long day, hasn't it? What's say we get ready for bed, hmm?" she said, rubbing his puppy ears and smiling at him.

The baby closed his eyes and let out a sleepy gurgle. She put him in his sling while she rolled out her sleeping bag and did her nightly things. Then Shippo hopped into her bag and settled next to her pillow as she climbed in, tucking the baby to her chest.

"Goodnight everyone," she said.

"Goodnight, Kagome-chan." "Goodnight, Kagome-sama." Sango and Miroku replied, getting into their own bed roll as Kirara, in her kitten form, curled up beside them. Shippo was already asleep.

"Goodnight, Inuyasha," she called up to the tree.

"Keh!" came the irritated response.

She sighed, knowing he would sulk all night, but hoping he'd be in a better mood by morning. The baby shifted against her chest and an uncomfortable ache radiated from one of her breasts. She frowned.

`My breasts are awful sore. I think he's sucking too much,' she thought to herself, moving him so he wasn't putting pressure on her sensitive flesh any longer. She'd even left her bra on in an attempt to discourage him from trying to nurse on her while she was asleep.

It wasn't until she was warm and comfortable and almost completely asleep, that she realized she was still wearing Inuyasha's haori.