InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Lucky Ones ❯ Chapter Eighteen ( Chapter 18 )

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 Eighteen

Kagome pulled aside the reed mat that served as the door of Miroku and Sango's hut, and quietly entered. Then she pulled the door closed behind her, taking extra care to make sure that no one could peep into the dwelling. The hut itself was cozy and had two rooms: the main room and a separate room for sleeping that Miroku and Sango used while Kohaku had his futon in the main room. Shippo slept in the main room too when he wasn't with Kaede or Inuyasha and her, but he curled up on blankets piled in the corner.

All four of the hut's primary occupants were there, but it was the visitor to the hut who brought her through the door. Inuyasha sat on the far side, furthest away from the entrance, holding a human Yukio in his lap, his black hair and dark eyes clearly visible even in the dim light. She came over to sit beside him after greeting her friends and rubbed her son's back comfortingly.

"He's confused," Inuyasha told her as Yukio made little noises of distress.

She nodded. "It's only the second time he's been with us on a Full Moon."

"He's better this time than last. This time he didn't start bawling at sunset," he replied, even as Yukio turned to look at his mother, reaching for her.

Kagome lifted her son into her arms, cooing to him.

"It's okay, baby. I know you smell and feel different, but you're still you. Someday you'll understand all about hanyous and how they have human times."

"Have some dinner, Kagome-chan," Sango offered, handing her a bowl of fish and rice.

"Thank you, Sango-chan," she replied and accepted the food with a grateful nod.

Her friend gave her a questioning look, and she replied with a silent signal that meant 'later.' Since her and Inuyasha's return to the Sengoku Jidai late that morning, she hadn't had any opportunity to talk to Sango and tell her what had happened between her and Inuyasha. Sango had been out with Kohaku on one of the boy's long walks while she had been reacquainting herself with Kaede and spending time with Shippo. Then Miroku had come to find her and Inuyasha to remind them that Yukio's human night was that evening, and to offer his hut as sanctuary.

Since Kaede was the village miko and the closest thing they had to a doctor, Inuyasha could not be assured that no one would discover his secret if he stayed in her hut on the night he lost his hanyou power. Miroku had been offering his and Sango's home as a safe place for Inuyasha to wait out the New Moon since the hut had been completed. When he found out that Yukio's night came when the moon was full, he extended the offer to those nights as well.

So by the time Sango had returned with Kohaku, Kagome had already been back in the village for several hours and Inuyasha was sitting in her hut talking with Miroku, hiding Yukio from the eyes of the villagers. Kagome knew the pregnant woman must have dozens of questions, and she was happy to answer them… just not in front of Inuyasha. In truth, she suspected that their 'girl talk' would have to wait until morning because she was fairly certain Inuyasha would want to go to the den tonight.

The den. While she had been able to prevent him from building a house for her, she had not been able to stop him from making what amounted to a private love nest in the forest. Since she refused to engage in any sexual activity in Kaede's hut, and making love out in the open forest left them vulnerable and exposed, not to mention distracted from any approaching threats to them or Yukio in his sling, they needed a safe place for their trysts. Inuyasha had provided that place in the form of a den.

It was a true den, dug out of the earth. He had carved it into a small hillside in the forest, close to the stream where she liked to bathe. The entrance was almost completely obscured by brush and foliage, and he lined the front with rocks to keep out the rain. Inside it was spacious enough for the two of them to move around comfortably but not quite high enough for them to stand. There was a small fire pit by the door, and a built-in bassinet molded from the earth for Yukio at the very back. The floor was pounded smooth and the 'sleeping space' was covered with a thick layer of buckwheat straw which he kept clean and fresh so it always smelled of sweet hay. Blankets and a couple of old futons he'd scrounged by calling in a couple of favors from villagers who owed him for saving their lives, or in trade for firewood or game, lay on top of the straw- creating a thick, comfortable, sweet-smelling bed.

His design of the small space gave her a number of insights into what any house he built would be like, and she knew that if she ever did let him build it, it would be the equivalent of a modern marvel. He'd taken elements from her house in Tokyo and incorporated them into the den, creating what could only be described as built-in larders and cubby hole dressers- all formed from packed earth and rock. There were spaces for everything: wood, tinder, clothing, food, even her books and a flat space for studying. Natural light was let in through the main entrance and five ledges were carved into the walls for lamps if it was too dark. There was even a tiny spring that seeped fresh water into a stone-lined basin that then shunted the excess out of the den via a bamboo tube that served as a drain.

Because it was underground, it maintained a steady temperature and was readily warmed by a small fire and their own body heat. Air vents were strategically placed to reduce drafts while providing ventilation, and a door made of branches and leaves attached to a reed mat could be placed over the entrance to keep in the warmth. In fact a space Kagome had been worried would be quite cold and damp had proved to be anything but; creating a warm, cozy and intimate place where she and Inuyasha could be alone without threat of being disturbed.

The den was an architectural wonder, and a testament to his skill and intelligent mind. It was no mere hole in the ground, but a tiny efficiency apartment a little larger than about half the size of her bedroom in the Modern Era with all the amenities of home- well, most of them anyway. There was no indoor plumbing and no hot running water, but she was sure if he'd been given enough time, he would have figured something out.

Everything was geared to provide for her comfort and safety, and that of their son's. Inuyasha had done his best to anticipate her needs and address them outright while also satisfying his need to create a secure and easily defensible haven for his 'family.' Without smoke from the fire to give away its location, the den was almost invisible simply by virtue of being right out in the open. Few would give the hillside with its cover of brush and scrub trees a second glance. In fact, although the villagers knew Inuyasha would take his lady into the forest on a regular basis, only Kaede, Shippo, Miroku and Sango knew the den's location.

She and Inuyasha spent at least every third night in the den, and she was pretty sure he'd snuck away sometime during the day to make sure no interlopers had tried to lay claim to it, and also to freshen the buckwheat and air it out from being empty while they were in her time. She fully expected him to take her and Yukio there as soon as they were finished eating dinner.

"Ah, Kagome-sama, now that we are all here, I have news of a possible shikon fragment," Miroku announced, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Eh? Why didn't you say something earlier, bouzu?" Inuyasha grumbled.

"Because Kagome-sama was not here, and because you could do nothing until tomorrow unless you wanted to put your infant at risk," the ex-monk replied mildly.

"Feh!"

"Where did you hear there was a fragment, Miroku?" Kagome asked.

"Two days ago some travelers on their way to Edo passed this way. As always, I am eager for news of other places outside of this village so I went to see them. They spoke of a boar youkai terrorizing the lands east of here that was proving exceptionally hard to kill."

"Hmmm. Sounds like a shikon shard to me," Kagome agreed.

Inuyasha slapped his palm with his fist. "Right. We'll go in the morning."

"I'll be staying here," Sango said regretfully. "It's time for me to stay close to home. I don't want to risk the baby if I get into a fight."

"I think that's wise, Sango-chan," Kagome answered sympathetically.

The taijiya nodded and let out a wistful sigh. "I know. But I will miss all of the excitement. You must tell me everything when you get back. I'll be so bored here knowing you're out there."

Kagome patted Yukio and smiled. "Just wait until you have one of these. You won't have time to be bored."

Yukio gave a burble and snuffled at her. She cuddled him and rubbed his head, missing his puppy ears.

"Somehow I don't think it's quite the same," Sango commented.

"I'll be going with you," Miroku said.

"Me too!" Shippo added.

"Miroku? Are you sure?" Kagome answered.

He nodded. "It is still four months before the baby comes. It is safe for me to leave. Besides, Kohaku is more than capable of protecting Sango."

Kagome looked at the troubled teen and wondered if Miroku's decision had less to do with searching for a shard and more to do with him trying to coax the boy back to the land of the living. Kohaku hardly spoke and his haunted brown eyes were windows to his tortured soul. Maybe having his sister and unborn niece or nephew to look after would give the young man a purpose, and help him start to overcome the horror he had lived through.

"Kirara will be here as well," Sango said. "And it isn't like I can't protect myself if I have to. I just don't want to go looking for trouble."

She nodded that she understood. Part of her didn't like taking Yukio on the shard hunts with them, but Inuyasha refused to leave him behind and with good reason. Hanyous were targets, especially infants, and Inuyasha didn't trust anyone but himself and Kagome to protect their son. Besides, being a hanyou actually made him a much better traveler than a normal human baby. He was stronger, less vulnerable and he knew when to be quiet and still.

"It's decided then," Inuyasha announced. "We'll leave as soon as Kagome and I get back from the den."

"You're going there tonight?" Sango asked, casting a glance at her.

Inuyasha snorted. "Of course."

She nodded to Sango, telling her that she was fine with going to the den for the night. The taijiya gave her an incredulous look as if to say that she was far more tolerant and forgiving than Sango herself would be.

'I know. You'd have dropped him off a cliff by now. But I'm not you, and I love this man. And I know how badly he feels. If you'd seen him cry in my arms two nights ago, you'd feel differently too,' she thought, giving Sango a soft look.

Sango's silent response to that amounted to a: 'I'd have refused him until his balls fell off before I'd let him touch me again.'

She gave her dear friend a knowing smile.

"Oi! What are you two up to?" Inuyasha complained, looking at the two of them.

"Nothing," Kagome replied innocently.

He frowned. "You were looking at each other strangely. Is it some weird woman thing?"

"Yes," Sango answered. "I was asking her how she could accept you back into her bed so quickly when I would have made you wait until your parts turned blue before I let you back in."

Inuyasha blushed furiously and stammered an unintelligible response. Kagome giggled.

"Woman, what's made you so bold!" the adult hanyou demanded.

Sango shrugged. "Those hor-oh-moan things Kagome-chan keeps telling me about. I feel oddly… free now."

"Keh! Free? Bouzu, is your woman getting away from you? You're letting her run her mouth everywhere. What kind of a man of the house are you? You ought to rein her in before she thinks she's the leader here," Inuyasha scoffed.

Miroku gave him a patient look while Shippo just gaped and shook his little head in disbelief.

"You really are simple minded," the kit said.

"Sango has her own mind and I love her for it. I did not expect her to give up her opinions and become a typical wife when we married. Don't tell me you do not do the same with Kagome-sama," the houshi replied.

Inuyasha cast her a guilty glance and she returned it with a look that said very clearly: 'If you ever want to have sex with me again, you will answer appropriately.'

"Ummm… ahhh…" he stuttered.

"Thought so," Miroku commented.

"Sheesh, what a guy. I still don't know what Kagome sees in you," Shippo sighed.

"Oi!"

"Inuyasha," she warned, stopping him in mid-swing as he tried to pound the kit on the head.

He snarled, but dropped his hand, grumbling. She gave him an approving nod and turned to her dinner.

When they were finished eating, she helped Sango clean up the remainder of the meal and the soiled bowls, ignoring Inuyasha's impatient looks.

'Hmmph, after a comment like that, I am gonna make you wait. Chauvinistic jerk.'

Then she gave Yukio his dinner, taking Inuyasha's suggestion and supplementing her milk with a little bit if rice and fish that she'd saved for him when he was done nursing. She let the infant take his time, not rushing him as he fed and letting him eat at his own pace. He didn't suck as heartily when he was in human form and he had a little more gas so it took him longer to finish his meal. She cooed and rocked him, patting his bottom and offering her breasts a couple of times to make sure he was completely finished before she even thought about leaving the hut.

By the time she finally was ready to go, Inuyasha was huffing and fuming, but she was fairly certain she'd gotten her point across. When they left the hut, he took hold of her firmly but not roughly and she pinned him with a warning look that had him flattening his ears and backing off. She gave him the cold shoulder all the way into the forest and by the time they finally reached the den, she had him making all the gestures she'd come to recognize as submission.

'Good. So long as you know your place.'

He went ahead of her, sniffing the entrance of the shelter and giving her a nod that it was safe. Crouching down, she passed through the low hanging opening and waited for Inuyasha to light a fire so she could see. The flames illuminated a den that had obviously gone unused for several days. Even with the fresh straw and fluffed bed, she could easily tell that this was the first time anyone had been there for a while.

"I… I couldn't stay in here," he said, answering her unspoken question. "This is our place and… and you were gone. I slept in my old tree and stayed as far away from here as possible."

She nodded to him and took off her shoes, placing them in the cubby by the entrance made just for footwear. Then she knelt down on the bed as Inuyasha pulled the door over the entrance, leaving a hole for the smoke to escape, and watched him as he went through his ritual of settling into the den, sniffing the perimeter, checking the air vents, inspecting the lamps and fixtures, and finally coming to join her on the bed. His other ritual was to undress and place his clothes in one of the cubbies for clothing, and he watched her in askance as he removed his haori. When she did not give him any reason to believe his actions were unwelcome, he stripped the rest of the way and came to lie beside her on his stomach with his head pillowed on his arms as he blinked at her in silent apology.

Kagome had half a mind to give him one good whack across his bare backside as punishment for being such a male chauvinistic pig, but decided that he'd groveled and begged forgiveness as much as she could expect from him. Besides, naked Inuyasha by firelight was a true sight to behold, and she wouldn't mar that perfect flesh for anything. She put Yukio down between them on the bed. Even without his heightened senses, he recognized the den as a place of comfort and safety, and he relaxed immediately. Within minutes he was asleep and she moved him to his bassinet.

She waited until the den was warmed up from the fire before removing her own clothes and putting on a nightshirt. She wasn't about to sleep in the nude when Inuyasha was still 'in the doghouse' so to speak. The object of her affections snuggled up and nibbled at her throat, humming happily as she settled down next to him and got under the blankets.

"You're not mad then?" he asked suddenly, breaking the silence of the space with his uncertain voice.

"Oh, I'm mad, but I think you've gotten my message."

He flattened his ears and dropped his head. "I'm sorry."

She sighed and rubbed his ears affectionately. "I know. You're just a product of this era. You think women are just useful for breeding more sons."

He gasped and reared back in abject disgust. "I do not!" he spat vehemently. "I would never… never…"

He trailed off, sputtering and she had to laugh at his antics.

"It's alright, Inuyasha. But I am a product of the modern era and in my time women have their own minds. If you're going to be with me, you're going to have to accept that," she scolded gently.

He sighed. "I know. I shouldn't ask you to stop being yourself any more than you should ask me to stop being me. People who care about each other don't ask the other person to change to suit them. You taught me that."

"Inuyasha," she breathed with pride. 'Okay, you're getting back into my good graces. The chances of your getting laid tonight just doubled.'

He gave her a questioning look. "But, Kagome… in your time… you said that women don't ask their men to build them houses. Is that good? If men know they don't have to build a house what's to keep them from using several women at once?"

"Some do just that, and some women don't mind. Most do though, and if they find out their man is two-timing them they will leave him. As for the other, a man will offer to build a house when he wants the woman to have his baby. In my time, a woman can keep from getting pregnant until she is ready for a baby," she explained.

"Your birth control."

She nodded, pleased that he remembered the term. "Exactly."

She saw him puzzling it out, his face intent with concentration. "So… when they are ready to have pups, the man will build a house."

"Sometimes. Sometimes the man builds a house before that, if it's what both he and the woman want."

He gave her a sidelong glance. "But you don't want me to build a house."

She closed her eyes and sighed. "It's not that I don't want you to build a house, Inuyasha. It's that I want you to be free to live in it with me for as long as we both shall live, and I want that to be longer than the end of our quest."

He sighed too and gave her another look. "Kagome… Kagome can we talk about this?"

She swallowed hard and nodded, and she wasn't sure if he was relieved or disappointed by her answer. After a few moments of pensive silence, he began to speak.

"I know that I promised to protect Kikyou and yes… go to Hell with her…"

Her heart sank and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep in the cry that gathered at the back of her throat. He saw her do this and hurried to continue.

"But only if that was our fate. I always thought that my life was hers because she died for me, however… I died for her too, and… and Naraku is dead now and she is avenged. And… and she is nowhere near here. She has gone off on her own."

He paused, thinking again. She waited, holding her breath.

"I know… I know that she comes back sometimes and she wants me to meet with her, but she's had many opportunities to drag me to Hell and she hasn't. I don't know, but… she's been different since you healed her. I… I think you healed more than Naraku's miasma that time. I think maybe you healed her heart too or part of it at least. What I'm saying is I don't think Kikyou wants to die anymore."

She released the breath she'd been holding and nodded. Then she spoke from her heart.

"If that is so, then I am glad. I am happy to have been able to help her. I know there were those who thought I would be petty and not save her because she is in the way of you being with me. That made me angry because I'm not like that, and I would never let someone die because I was jealous. But if she no longer wants to die, what does that mean for me and you?"

He looked away, his face uncertain. "I don't know."

"What is to keep her from coming for you and making you keep your promise?"

He began to look flustered so she cut him off before he could voice his thoughts. She really didn't want to get into a fight with him, and she knew that was what would happen if he got irritated.

"I've heard you tell her that her life is yours, and I know that she's said your life is hers. In the end, she has a claim on you I can't challenge. Unless you break that claim by telling her that you no longer honor it, you aren't free to be with me. I don't even know if she'd accept that even if you did tell her. And I know you still have feelings for her. She comes within sight of you and... and you get all nervous and unstable. You go to see her every single time regardless of my feelings and our circumstances.

"For two years, I have lived in her shadow, knowing full well that I have no right to complain because I chose to stay with you even though I knew how you felt. I couldn't forget you and I wanted to be with you so I made this choice and I live with it. But things have changed drastically between us and our relationship has progressed so much. If you leave me now, I will lose… all that I have managed to create with you."

She shivered, closing her eyes and felt Inuyasha's arms hug her tight, his warm breath on her neck.

"Kagome…"

"I'm… I'm terrified of what she will do, what she will think. When she sees Yukio and finds out that we're sleeping together, she's going to think I'm using the baby and sex to win you from her. I just know it. But I'm not. It… it just happened that way. I didn't plan it. I didn't ask that poor woman to carry her baby here and give him to us. I didn't plan to seduce you into my bed. Making love to you was the most natural thing I've ever done, and I wouldn't change a single thing about that night. It was beautiful and perfect. And I didn't do it because I was thinking that I'd be one up on Kikyou if I did. I did it because I love you and I wanted to share myself with you in a way no one else ever had."

"I didn't feel seduced. In fact I thought I was the one pushing you that night. After you… let me nurse from you, I just… I needed you," he admitted.

She covered his hands with her own as he pressed them to her abdomen. "I know. I needed you too."

She rolled to her back and he propped himself up on one elbow to look down at her. His eyes held all the love he had never voiced aloud, and she felt tears welling up in her own.

"But I think… I think we may have made a mistake when we did this," she whispered softly. "I think it has made things so much more complicated and difficult for the both of us."

He flattened his ears and gave her a distressed, horrified stare.

"Kagome… do you… are you saying… are you telling me you want to stop?"

He looked absolutely bereft and her heart cried out to him. "No. No I don't want to stop, and that's the worst of it. I don't think I could even if I wanted to. But… that will make things so much harder in the end."

"Why are you assuming that I'm going to leave you?" he asked suddenly.

"Because… because you said… you said you'd go with… her."

"Maybe I'll go with her. Maybe. That is not for certain."

Hope blossomed in her chest, small and fragile, but there. 'Is he saying…what I think he's saying?'

"Inuyasha, are you saying that… you'll choose me?"

He looked seriously at her as if trying to decide on the right words. "I am saying that, when I am free, I will choose you."

"But Kikyou…"

"Kikyou is dead."

His words shocked her, and to be honest, he looked a little shocked himself, as if he was surprised by his own admission.

'Oh, oh my God. He finally said it. He acknowledged that Kikyou is dead.'

"But you love her…"

"I do," he confirmed, and his answer confused her.

"But…"

"What? I can't have room in my heart for you and her? She was my first love. I will always have feelings for her and want to protect her. She was and is very special to me. Does that mean I care for her more than you? No."

'What? Is he… is he going to say it? Is he finally going to say it?'

"Inuyasha…"

He stroked her hair tenderly. "I don't want to go with Kikyou. Kikyou can't be mother to the pup, and she can't have pups of her own. Now that I know what it is like to have a mate and a family, I won't give that up without a fight. I've made promises to you too Kagome, and to Yukio, and I intend to keep them."

'But you can't do both,' she wanted to say.

"My biggest fear is that I won't be able to choose one without sacrificing the other. I couldn't live knowing one of you had died because of me," he admitted softly, holding her hand. "But… but Naraku is dead and Kikyou has gone off on her own. I don't think she needs me to protect her anymore. Her greatest enemy is gone and she is free to live. I think that is what she's doing, and she's doing it without me."

"And are you okay with that, Inuyasha?"

A small smile graced his lips. "Yes. Because it will mean that you will let me build you a house, and I will live in it with you and the pup, and pups of our own."

She smiled back and grabbed the opportunity to change the subject. 'I'm tired of talking about this. Inuyasha has said he will choose me if he can. I have to be happy with that because it's all he can give me right now. Everything is in Kikyou's hands. But will she set him free? I don't want to think about it anymore. I just want to love him while I have him and not worry about the rest. It's how I've lived the past two years, there's no sense in trying to change it now.'

"Our pups? And how many were you planning on having, hm?"

He gave her a heated look and a sexy smile. "Oh… two or three."

"Not ten or twenty like Miroku and Sango?"

"Keh! He only said that so he wouldn't have to worry about… what is it?... Birth control."

"I'm sure there's birth control here. Women have always found ways to prevent pregnancy. I wouldn't be surprised if Sango or Kaede knew about a herb or tea that could keep a woman from getting pregnant," she told him.

"Heh, human women and their wily secrets. You wouldn't need it if your weak noses could tell you when not to mate."

"Like with us?"

His sexy smile turned into a sly grin, and he made a show of sniffing her. "Yeah," he replied, a low rumble of pleasure escaping his throat. "And right now, you're not in heat and won't be going into heat for at least another eight days."

His nose at the juncture of her neck and shoulder sent little shivers of anticipation through her and she shuddered.

"Inuyasha…" 'Yes. This. I'll keep this as long as I can, and the rest doesn't matter.'

His hand rubbed her abdomen just under her breasts. "So… am I forgiven?"

"Hmmm?" she answered, sinking into his seduction willingly.

"My runaway mouth," he reminded.

"Oh, that. Yes, you're forgiven. Provided you don't stop what you're doing."

He shifted even closer and she could feel his fingers deftly undoing the buttons on her night shirt.

"Is that my punishment?" he asked huskily. "To not stop?"

"Mmmm hmmm."

"Then I won't stop. I'll keep going until you tell me you can't take any more."

"Don't forget we have a shard hunt tomorrow and we'll need to rest sometime."

"Rest? Silly human. I'm a hanyou. I don't need rest," he cooed in her ear, his hands slipping into her opened shirt to caress her naked skin.

"Yeah, but I do," she replied, arching into his touch.

"Don't worry. I'll carry you and you can rest on my back," he told her, moving to cover her with his body. "I'll have to because you won't be able to walk."

"Is that a promise?"

"Yeah."

"Good."

********

Morning came and Kagome woke to the sound of the forest birds singing in the trees outside the den. The fire had gone out making the two lamps Inuyasha had lit the only light or heat in the den, but she was cocooned in warmth because Inuyasha was spooned behind her, holding her possessively against him. Sometime during the night Yukio had crawled out of his earthen bassinet to cuddle with them under the blankets, and his little body was now tucked against her stomach, his head resting just under her breasts. He was a hanyou again, his hair silver and his puppy ears back on his head. Dimly she wondered if he'd nursed during the night. If he had, she hadn't been aware of it.

'Not that I would be after… that,' she thought, remembering Inuyasha's enthusiastic lovemaking. Her body was still tingling from the pleasure he had given her, the thrill of their joining and the ecstasy of being one with him in every way possible. At one point he had lifted her legs and curled her body up, driving so deeply into her she swore she could feel him hitting the back of her throat. She mentally felt down to her nether regions and winced at the soreness there. 'He wasn't kidding. I probably won't be able to walk. Horny bastard. He'll probably just smirk and tell me he keeps his promises. I know he does. That's what I'm afraid of.'

Not willing to allow herself to slide down into the depression she often felt whenever she thought about Inuyasha, Kikyou and her, she pushed the thoughts from her mind and concentrated on enjoying the feel of the two most important beings in her life snuggled next to her.

'This is heaven.' Her smell wafted to her nose: the scent of sweat and sex. 'Now if only it was heaven with a hot bath. Now that would be paradise.'

She sighed and shifted a little. The movement woke both her hanyous. One responded by nuzzling her neck and nibbling at her earlobe. The other just grabbed breakfast.

Inuyasha let out a low growl. "Meddling whelp," he grumbled, but there was no real anger in his voice.

She patted her son's back. "Good baby. You saved me from the evil sex fiend."

"Evil sex fiend am I?" he repeated, giving her another light nip on her throat.

"Yes, you are and I'm mad at you."

He pulled back and peered over her shoulder to look at her, his eyes showing true concern. "Mad at me? Why? What'd I do?"

"You said I wasn't going to be able to walk. I didn't think you meant I wasn't going to be able to walk for a week."

He gave her a lascivious grin, his eyes twinkling. "Hey, you can still feel your legs can't you?"

She stuck out her tongue at him.

"Tease," he huffed.

"Insatiable letch."

The grin got wider. "I am what you made me, woman."

"Oh, so your overactive sex drive is my fault now?" she asked, incredulous.

"Of course. I never even acknowledged that I had a sex drive until you came into my life. Now I have all those years of denial to make up for."

"And you've decided to do all your catching up in two months?"

"Six at least!"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm doomed."

He chuckled and kissed her, sighing happily. "Kagome. I'm glad. For a moment, I thought you really were mad at me."

"Hmmph," she snorted.

He snuffled into her hair and licked her neck. "Isn't that whelp done eating?"

"No. He just started. He hasn't even asked for the second breast yet."

Her lover responded with a frustrated growl.

"Besides, we have to get up anyway. We have a shard hunt, remember?"

He gave a suffering sigh. "I remember. I'll just have to wait until tonight."

"Tonight? We're going to be camping out tonight."

"So?"

"So? Miroku? Shippo?" she reminded.

He shrugged. "Tree?"

"Tree?"

"We'll just find a tree, or some other good place away from the others."

"Oh we will, huh?"

"Hey woman, I've got eight days before you go into heat. I'm not about to waste them."

"You know, we could use birth control and not worry about it."

"What kind of birth control?"

"Well, I could go back to my time and buy some condoms."

"Con-doms? What's that?"

"Um…" She stopped, trying to figure out a way to explain prophylactics. "Well, they're these… sheaths that you put on before you make love and they catch the seed."

He blinked at her. "Sheaths that catch the seed," he repeated, then his eyes opened wide. "Oh! You mean something I put on my…"

He blushed furiously and she snickered.

"Yeah," she confirmed, making him blush more.

He sputtered and she snickered again, letting him off the hook. "Never mind. I'll ask Kaede if there's a herb or something."

Yukio asked to be switched; actually he asked then switched himself. He'd been doing that for a few days as his upper body strength increased. Now Kagome just had to make sure the nipple was available and he moved himself over.

"You said he talks," she mentioned, changing the subject so he'd stop blushing.

He blinked at her, then nodded. "Uh, yeah. Inu-youkai language. He's talking pretty clearly these days."

She frowned slightly. "I can't understand him. It bothers me that I might be missing out on something."

"He'll be talking in human words soon enough. Inu-youkai speech is pretty simple. Our sounds don't say words as much as they convey ideas or emotion. The pup has no sense of place or time other than the pack and the present."

She listened eagerly, always fascinated by his knowledge of his demon half and its characteristics. He knew much more about his youkai side than he did his human one. It made her sad because it meant that youkai had been closer to him than his human family, which considering how often he had said he was a target until he was old enough to start fighting back, said a lot about humans' treatment of him. Youkai had tried to destroy his body. Humans had tried to destroy his heart and soul. Sometimes she shuddered at how close they had come to succeeding.

'And the world would never have known this sweet, brave, wonderful, compassionate being,' she thought sadly.

"Can you teach me?" she asked suddenly.

"Eh?"

"Can you teach me your language so I can talk to him?"

"I could, well, mostly. Your human voice and ears can't make or hear some of the sounds. But why would you want to learn inu-youkai speech?"

She gave him an irritated glare. "Because he's my son and if he's talking I want to be able to understand him."

He flinched but blinked at her. "Oh. Okay. Umm…"

"Tell me how to say his name."

"He doesn't have a name."

"Yes, he does."

"Not in inu-youkai. There's no term for name in our tongue. Names are the individual's scent and their title is one's place in the pack. He calls me leader-male and you mother-female. He recognizes Sango and Miroku as pack-female and pack-male. Shippo he sees as pack-brother because he knows Shippo's a pup too. It isn't until we learn spoken words that we start to acknowledge names," he explained.

"So, what do I call him?"

"Pup," he said simply, shrugging.

"Okay, how do I say that?"

He made a low noise in the back of his throat. She repeated it. Yukio stopped eating and looked at them.

"See, you've gotten his attention now."

The baby made a noise, and Kagome looked to Inuyasha. "What did he say?"

"Mother-female."

She smiled and answered with the sound she'd just learned. Yukio blinked and replied with a small whine.

"He said he's hungry," Inuyasha translated.

Kagome giggled. "Always thinking of food aren't you, my baby. How do I tell him he can go back to eating?"

The adult hanyou made the noise and she repeated it. Yukio must have understood because he burbled and resumed nursing. Kagome gave Inuyasha a fond look.

"Thank you."

He flushed. "It's nothing, really."

"It means a lot to me."

He gave her a happy smile, preening under the praise, and she smiled.

"I love you," she told him.

He gulped and kissed her. "Kagome."

For a moment she thought he'd say the words, but he didn't and she let it go, not bothering to be angry about something she couldn't change. For some reason, he felt he couldn't tell her that he loved her and she had to respect that, even if she didn't always understand his motives.

They waited for Yukio to finish eating, then Kagome changed him and left him in Inuyasha's care while she went to bathe in the stream. When she came back, she saw that Inuyasha had already freshened the den, airing it out and discarding some straw that had been crushed by their bodies overnight.

"Ready?" he asked her.

She nodded, picking up Yukio. "All we need to do is get the packs from Kaede's hut and we'll be able to go."

"Let's go then," he said, offering his back.

She blushed a little, remembering what he'd said about carrying her, then she got on and he took them back to the village. Miroku, Sango and Shippo were already waiting for them at the miko's hut, and their knowing looks made her blush again.

"Good morning," she greeted as Inuyasha set her down.

"Good morning, Kagome-chan," Sango said, Kirara also mewing a greeting from her place in the taijiya's arms.

"Good morning, Kagome-sama," Miroku answered as Shippo hopped into her arms.

"Kagome!" the kit said happily. "You're late. We've been ready since dawn. Kaede's already gone out to gather herbs for the day," He dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "What were you and Inuyasha doing?"

"Shippo-chan!" she gasped, then sidestepped to save the kit from Inuyasha's angry fist.

"Oi!"

Shippo swung over her shoulder and settled on her back, next to Yukio. The baby blinked at him and burbled.

"Hi Yukio!"

A gurgle was his answer.

Inuyasha picked up the packs and handed Kagome her bow and arrows. Then they said their good-byes. Miroku hugged and kissed his wife, and Sango gave her a hug and told Inuyasha to behave himself on the trip. Shippo switched to Miroku's shoulder, Kagome got back onto Inuyasha, and they set off to the east at a quick pace.

They stopped around midday for lunch and to take care of Yukio. Inuyasha gave her more lessons in inu-youkai with Miroku picking up some of it as well, and Kagome was surprised to learn that Shippo already knew most of it because kitsune was similar. All in all, the day went quickly in pleasant company with everyone, Inuyasha included, in good spirits. Kagome mused on how much sex softened and settled the usually volatile and irritable hanyou, and decided that if she'd known how much it would improve his disposition, she'd have bedded him years ago. Miroku made a comment similar to her own thoughts and Inuyasha only thumped him once.

Close to nightfall they made camp by a stream and Inuyasha fished for their dinner. He was still insisting that Kagome eat liver because she was still making milk, and fish liver was the easiest to come by. They were eating the fish he had caught when Kagome suddenly felt the unmistakable presence of a Shikon shard. Inuyasha noticed her stillness immediately and was on his feet.

"What is it?" he asked, one hand on Tessaiga's hilt.

"Shards… two of them… coming at us with great speed…"

Terror seized her and she gasped, realizing who it was.

"Oh, oh no! Inuyasha! It's Kouga!"

They had only a moment to brace themselves before the whirlwind that was the youkai-wolf lord blew into their midst.

TBC...

A/N: Yes, I know! I know it's a cliffie! Ch 19 will follow very soon! I promise. Please don't kill me. *ducks and runs*