InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Lucky Ones ❯ Chapter Seven ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter Seven

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

*******

Chapter Seven

Shortly thereafter, they doused the fire and resumed their trip back to Kaede's village. The mood was greatly lightened now that she and Inuyasha had made up, and it wasn't nearly so dourly quiet. Shippo, Miroku and Sango were offering suggestions for names as they traveled, some of which were offered just to tease and irritate the hanyou.

"Yuske."

"No."

"Ginta."

"No."

"Sasuke."

"No."

"Kenshin."
"No."

"Houjou."

"Are you crazy? No!"

"Ranma."

"No."

"Akira?"

"No."

"Jounouchi?"

"No."

"Kioshi?"

"Are you kidding? This pup's anything but `quiet.' No."

"Azuma?"

"No."

"Ekiken."

"No."

"Goku?"

"No."

"Utamuro?"

"No."

"Miroku?"

"I am not naming the pup after you, you lecherous bouzo."

"Yoh?"

"No."

"Manta?"

"No."

"Rougan?"

"No."

"Souta?"

"No, one irritating little brat named Souta is enough."

"Hey, my little brother isn't an irritating little brat!"

He gave her a look.

"Well, okay, maybe he is an irritating little brat."

"Feh."

"Takai," Shippo suggested, resuming the `game.'

"No."

"Naoko?"

"No."

"Sano?"

"No."

"Myouga?"

"Hell no!"

"Mokouba?"

"No."

"Seto?"

"No."

"Kouga?"

"You really do want to die, don't you, bouzo?"

"Shinei?"

"No."

"Tomo?"

"No."

"Yuki?"

"Hmm, now that's a possibility."

"Yoshi?"

"No."

"Tenchi."

"No."

"Bobu?"

"NO! Whaddya take me for? Think I'm gonna name this pup `Bobu?' Are you nuts?"

"Orlando!" Kagome piped in.

"Eh? Orhh-raaannnn-dooo? What kind of a name is that?"

"He's... he's..." she stammered.

He turned his head to look at her from the corner of his eye- as much as she could see of his face from her place on his back.

"You're not honestly going to tell me someone you know actually has that name?"

"Well... someone I know of. Orlando Bloom. He's an actor."

"A what?"

"He's stars in movies. He's really really cute..."

"What's a moo-veeee? And who is cute?"

"It's... oh nevermind."

"Fukashi!" Shippo exclaimed happily, reclaiming Inuyasha's attention and distracting him from his jealousy.

"No."

"Hiei."

"No."

"Oritarou?"

"No."

"Sawajirou?"

"No."

"Haku."

"No."

"Jakotsu!"

"NO! Shut up all of you! I've had enough!"

They all laughed at Inuyasha's ire and kept at it. Much of the afternoon passed that way, with the hanyou shooting down every suggestion, yelling occasionally, but mostly enjoying the good-hearted game.

Finally, as it approached sunset and a number of hours had passed, Kagome called the group to a halt.

"Time to feed the baby?" Inuyasha asked gently.

She nodded.

"I'll find us a good place," he assured.

She rested her head on the back of his shoulder. "I know you will."

He did. He sniffed out water and brought them to a lovely forested place by a bubbling stream. It looked like others had found the spot before them because logs had been dragged and set up as makeshift benches around an old firepit. Inuyasha assured the group that no one had used the campsite for quite some time.

Kagome pulled the baby sling around to her chest and took the baby out of it as she sat down on one of the logs. She changed him and cleaned him up while the others gathered firewood and set-up camp. Inuyasha unwrapped the boar meat and carp and inspected it.

"We need to eat the fish, but the boar will last another day," he said.

Sango nodded and took the fish from him, skewering them and setting them to roast on the fire.

"I'm going to catch more fish for the liver," Inuyasha told her quietly, as she dried off the baby's bottom with a towel. He was gurgling and waving his little arms and legs as she wiped him dry.

She looked up at him and took in his hopeful expression, then nodded. "Okay."

He gave her a satisfied nod, draped his haori gently over her shoulders, and leapt off. She saw him wading into a deeper part of the stream, fully clothed except for his haori, and watched him fish as she brought the baby to her breast.

The dying sunlight was coming through the trees and reflecting off the moving water. It made flashes of light play on the surface and dance in Inuyasha's sliver hair, sending little sparks of light and rainbows off all around him.

`He's beautiful...'

He'd rolled up his kimono sleeves and was hunting intently, his arms raised up and poised to strike. Almost too fast for her human eyes to see, he swiped at the water, causing a tremendous splash, and a fish flew up, wriggling, to land on the bank where Shippo waited to put it out of its misery. She watched him do this three more times, before he turned and inspected the catch.

`He's such a good provider. He will take very good care of us,' she thought.

She looked around at the little camp. Sango and Miroku were rolling out their bedroll and Kirara was staring hungrily at the fish. The two looked at her and smiled, their eyes reverent and misty. She glanced down at the nursing baby, hidden but unmistakable under the red haori, and knew they were seeing their own future. She smiled back at them.

"Ouch!" she gasped as the infant signaled that it was time to move him to the next nipple.

"Did he bite you again?" Sango asked.

She frowned and grumbled, switching him. "Yes. Impatient little brat."

"Scruff him when he does that," Inuyasha's voice suggested as he brought the fish to camp. They'd already been gutted and the livers were in his one hand.

"Huh?" she replied.

He gave the fish to Sango and dropped the liver into the waiting pot. Then he washed off his bloody hand, and came to sit beside her.

"A breeding bitch will take her pups by the neck and scruff them when they do something wrong. I'm sure you've seen dogs do this," he explained.

"Umm... I think so."

"Well, when he bites you like that, just give him a quick scruff and a little shake. He'll get the message."

"Won't I hurt him?"

"Hell no, woman, not unless you grab him and shake him until his head falls off. Just grab him lightly on the back of his neck, and give him a squeeze and a shake," he assured, pantomiming the action.

"Okay. I'll try that."

"He's so smart, I doubt you'll have to do it more than two or three times before he gets it."

"He is smart, isn't he?" she mused, smiling.

Inuyasha nodded but remained silent, his eyes focused on the nursing infant he could hear and smell, but not really see.

"Kagome... why did this happen?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know."

"This pup... he's not yours. You shouldn't be making milk for him."

"I don't have an answer for you. I'm sorry that it makes you angry," she answered.

His eyes opened wide in shock. "You think I'm angry about it?"

"Aren't you? You've been irritable and on edge since this morning."

He shook his head. "I'm sorry. I'm not mad. Confused and distressed, but not mad."

"I'm confused too, about some things. Why this happened, how it's possible. Things like that," she admitted.

"But there is something I'm not confused about any more. You're right that this baby didn't come from me. Your seed didn't conceive him and I didn't carry him. We are not his true parents. However, he is ours now. My body has claimed him with this milk, and you have assumed the father role without even hesitating. Tonight you will take the father's right and name your son. So it really doesn't matter the `why's or `how's, only that it is, and we have accepted it."

He nodded in agreement, and grew pensive, looking at her. She met his eyes and a deep emotion passed between them: love, commitment, contentment. The tender moment was broken by the baby biting down. Kagome gasped then did as Inuyasha suggested, grabbing him by the back of his neck and giving him a light shake. The baby jerked with surprise, released her nipple and went immediately limp.

"Did it work?" Inuyasha asked.

"He just went limp."

The hanyou nodded. "That means he knows he's done something wrong and he's submitting. He might not know exactly why he was punished, but do that when he bites you another couple of times and he'll figure it out."

She nodded, gently pulled the baby from her breast and drew him out from underneath the haori. He was staring at her with frightened eyes, his little face screwed up with confusion and worry. She hurried to reassure him, bringing him to her shoulder and cuddling him as she burped him.

"Poor little guy. You weren't expecting that, were you? Well, you can't keep biting me like that. You've got strong hanyou jaws and once you get teeth, you might really do me some damage. So you have to learn now that biting Kagome-kaa-san isn't acceptable."

He snuffled into her neck and mewled, grabbing onto the shoulder of the haori with his tiny fists. She rubbed his back and patted his bottom, cooing so he would know he was forgiven.

"Here, let me have him for a bit. I want to look into his eyes," Inuyasha said, holding out his hands.

Kagome placed the baby gently into his arms and he positioned the baby so they were face to face. The two hanyous looked at each other for long moments, Inuyasha's face serious and thoughtful. Something was definitely going on between them, and Inuyasha was obviously figuring a few things out by looking into the baby's golden eyes.

Seeing them like that, Kagome realized how much they looked like each other. The faces were completely different, but still fine boned and well-chiseled, and well proportioned. The hair, of course, was the same silver, and their eyes matched as well. It was easy to see that the child would become as handsome as his adopted father.

`He almost could be Inuyasha's son.'

"So," Inuyasha began, placing the pup in his lap and giving him a finger to gnaw on. "Tell me about this person you think is cute."

"Eh? Who?" Kagome blurted.

"That guy. The one with the funny name."

"Orlando Bloom?" she offered.

"Yeah, him. Who is he?"

"I already told you, he's an actor who stars in movies."

"I have no idea what you are talking about," he admitted, looking at her.

"The moving picture box at my house? Remember? He's on that sometimes."

Inuyasha blinked. "He's in the box?"

"Sometimes."

She saw him trying to work it out. Contrary to popular belief, she knew Inuyasha was one of the smart ones. He was very smart, he just hid it well.

"So, you don't really know him," he finally said.

"No. I just see his picture."

"And you think he's cute," he commented leadingly.

She didn't take the bait. "A lot of girls my age think he's cute."

He nodded once. "Ah. But… he is not close to you? He is far away in the box?"

"Yes. Very far away. He lives in America."

"Ahh-mmmerrr-eee-caaahhhh? Where's that?"

"Across the ocean. You've seen it. My world map, remember? I pointed it out to you," she reminded.

He nodded again, remembering. "Yes. Your… at-las."

"Exactly," she replied, smiling that he remembered the term.

"It is good he is far away. Then I won't have to kill him and you won't be sad."

"Inuyasha!" she scolded, shocked.

He gave her a stern look. "What? We have a pup now. You can't be flirting and going off after other males anymore. And that includes that damn wimpy wolf!"

She huffed. "I don't flirt with Kouga. Besides, we haven't seen him in months."

"Yes, but he never misses an opportunity to come sniffing around when he catches your scent."

She gave him a tolerant look. "We're friends, Inuyasha, nothing more. I don't know why you are still so insecure about it."

Inuyasha picked the baby up from his lap and held him close because he was squirming a bit, wanting to be entertained. He was fed and changed and now it was playtime- as much as an infant his age could `play.' Usually it just meant he gurgled a lot and grabbed at whatever came into reach. He didn't care that his parents were having a conversation- or trying to at least.

"He'll kill the pup. You know this, right?" Inuyasha told her.

Kagome gasped. "He'll what?"

Now it was his turn to give her a tolerant look. "Kouga will kill the pup. One, because he is a hanyou. Two, because he is under your care, and rival males have a habit of killing the offspring of the other male in order to free the female to have new pups. Three, because he is under my care, and he'd do it because I'm the rival male. Kouga is very dangerous to this pup," he explained very seriously, showing his intelligence and grasp of the situation.

"Inuyasha is right, Kagome-sama," Miroku confirmed, reminding the two of them that they weren't alone. "Kouga would try to kill the pup in order to sever your tie with Inuyasha. He would do it instinctually."

Kagome glared and stamped back her sudden rush of maternal rage. "No one is touching my baby."

Inuyasha nodded in approval at her protectiveness. "If he shows his ugly face, you have to do everything you can to make sure he can't touch the pup. If he gets his hands on him, it's all over. He'll kill the pup before you have a chance to draw your bow."

"If you sense him coming, Kagome-chan, give the baby to Kirara. Kouga may be fast, but he can't fly," Sango suggested.

Kirara mewed an assent.

"I'll go with him," Shippo added.

Kagome nodded in agreement and looked to the baby, missing him in her arms, but Inuyasha was holding him protectively against his shoulder, although he was looking at her with his big golden eyes. She smiled at him and rubbed his ears. He burbled at her and smiled back.

"Dinner is ready everyone," Sango announced, breaking the sudden dour mood.

The fish was served, with Kagome getting the choicest portions (plus the livers, which she ate without protest, although she did make a nasty face) and they enjoyed the meal. The fish Inuyasha had caught on both occasions were large and one was enough to feed both Shippo and Kirara, leaving the remaining five to be split among the adults. Kagome noticed that Inuyasha restricted his portions in deference to making sure she got enough to eat, and only went for seconds when he knew she'd been satisfied. In the end, each of them had consumed a single fish, with Inuyasha eating half of the last one and giving the remainder to Shippo who was still hungry. Funny how his paternal leanings were now bleeding over to include the kitsune kit as well.

After dinner they all sat around the fire. Kagome had returned Inuyasha's haori to him and he now wore it again as he held the baby in his lap.

"Okay, Inuyasha. It's time to name the baby," Kagome said seriously.

Inuyasha looked at her and nodded, his eyes dropping down to the infant who was dozing in his lap.

"Have you given any thought to what you would like, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked.

"I don't want anything fancy. Or too long. Or too complicated. But I want it to fit him, and I want it to be a name he can live with," the hanyou answered.

"What about Kentaro?" Shippo suggested. "He looks like he'll be a big boy."

Inuyasha shook his head. "That would fit only until he was a man."

"Kisho means one who knows his own mind," Sango offered.

Inuyasha smiled. "Well, he does at that, doesn't he? But… it doesn't fit."

"You could name him Kin, for his eyes," Shippo said.

The adult hanyou gave it some serious thought, then he picked up the infant and looked into his eyes.

"What do you think, pup? You wanna be named Kin?"

Two sleepy golden eyes blinked at him, then the pup made a face that Inuyasha had come to associate with him soiling his diaper. A moment later a noxious smell assaulted his nose. He sneezed and handed the baby to Kagome for changing.

"I don't think he likes that one."

Kagome giggled and set to getting the baby into a clean diaper. They were quiet as she did this, waiting, and when she was finished, she handed him back to Inuyasha, but without his blanket, so he was dressed only in the cloth diaper and nothing else.

"You liked Yuki earlier today," she reminded.

"Yes, but… it's too girl-ish. I wanted a boy's name," Inuyasha replied, holding the pup by his sides, his face very serious.

There was a long silence as Inuyasha looked into the pup's eyes again, then he sighed and closed his eyes, thinking.

"Yukio," he finally said.

"Yukio?" Kagome repeated.

Inuyasha looked at her then the rest of the group. "It fits. It has two meanings, `snow boy' which is obvious, but it also means `gets what he wants' which fits him even more. It's simple and masculine and suits him."

"I like it," Kagome agreed.

Inuyasha nodded once, then held the baby up for the rest of them to see. "Yukio. This child's name is Yukio."

"Yukio," they all repeated in unison, acknowledging the name.

"Well, it wasn't an official naming ceremony, but it's good enough, right?" Inuyasha said, a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Give him to me. I will make a blessing," Miroku offered.

Inuyasha obligingly handed Yukio to him, and the ex-monk made a gesture and a prayer over the infant's forehead. When he was finished, he gave him back to Inuyasha who had his blanket waiting.

"Thank you, Miroku-sama," Kagome said, genuinely thankful as Inuyasha passed Yukio to her.

"It was an honor," the ex-monk replied.

She smiled at him, then looked down at the baby happily, taking his two hands in her own and kissing his nose.

"Yukio. You'll grow up big and strong and surrounded by people who love you, you pushy little stinker."

Yukio burbled and laughed, giving her a toothless grin. The rest of the group laughed with him, his happy mood infectious, and Inuyasha placed an arm around Kagome. She looked up at him and smiled softly, then nuzzled her head under his chin with a content sigh. Shippo came up to sit on Inuyasha's knee and look at the baby, and the four of them painted a picture of familial bliss; an image that was not lost on the remaining observers. Sango reached over to hold her husband's hand, a soft, wistful smile on her lips.

"Inuyasha," Miroku began, then waited for the hanyou to turn his attention to him.

Kagome pulled back slightly from Inuyasha's shoulder, but did not leave his loose embrace. Shippo looked his way as well, and Yukio, by virtue of how he was being held.

"Yeah, monk?"

"There is another meaning to the name Yukio," he said.

"Another meaning?" Kagome repeated.

Miroku nodded seriously. "Yes. It can also mean nourished by Kami."

"Eh?" Kagome gasped.

Inuyasha blinked, then looked at Kagome, a pleased smile widening his mouth. "Nourished by Kami, eh? Well, that fits too."

Kagome shivered under his intense gaze and blushed furiously.