InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Lucky Ones ❯ Chapter Thirty-Seven ( Chapter 37 )

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 Thirty-Seven

Once most of the guests had arrived and the food was ready to be served, they took their seats at the long table and the meal began. In keeping with Inuyasha's poor opinion of pomp and protocol, it was a self-serve buffet which suited the majority of the guests just fine. A few thought they shouldn't have to serve themselves and wait staff had been provided for them to fetch food from the buffet, but none of them were a part of Inuyasha's brood. Growing up in a household with so many family members, granted there had never been more than six of them living in their parents' house at one time, they had learned the necessity of grabbing for the food while there was still some left. They did try, however, to practice at least some rudimentary table manners for the benefit of their mother- at least while she was looking.

Kagome and Inuyasha were seated at the head of the table, flanked by Mama, Souta and Jii-chan on Kagome's side and Yukio, Eri and Tetsukazu on Inuyasha's side. Everyone else grabbed seats where they could and sat in no particular order except that mates and families sat next to each other. Unlike the normally reserved and quiet mealtimes favored in Japanese culture, this one was lively and full of heated conversations. Many of her adopted children had spread out over the globe and some hadn't been in their native Japan for many decades. They had taken on the language and customs of their adopted homes and left much of their Japanese habits behind. It was also safe to assume that the Japanese culture as they knew it back in the Sengoku Jidai and Meiji Eras bore only a token resemblance to the odd mixture of traditional Japanese and Western culture that now represented life in the Modern Era.

Having not been in Japan for nigh on eighty years, Kagome felt a bit like a fish out of water. She'd been living in Canada for so long that she no longer had the tolerance for noise and crowds that she once did. Taking the bullet train from Osaka to Tokyo that morning had proven that with glaring certainty. The train had gotten uncomfortably crowded and hot the closer it got to Tokyo as people headed to work jammed onto the train. The noise and close proximity of so many people had made her head spin, and she couldn't imagine what Inuyasha was going through with his hanyou senses. Stubborn to the last, however, he refused to admit that the decision to stay in Osaka had been wrong.

`Rigid. Stubborn. Infuriating…'

"Kagome. Here's more Oden for you, koi," her mate said gently, placing a bowl of the stew in front of her. He'd run back to the buffet three times for her without a word of complaint. Her plate hadn't stayed empty for more than a few minutes, but he'd been keeping the portions small because he knew she didn't want to gorge herself.

`Sweet, loving, wonderful…'

"Thank you, Inuyasha," she said.

He gave her a smile and kissed her temple.

"Anything for you, koishii. Do you want more tea?"

"No, just water. And I'm going to have to go to the bathroom soon. You know the baby is putting pressure on my bladder these days."

"Just let me know when and I'll help you."

"I can pee by myself, Inuyasha," she reminded.

"I know that. I meant let me know and I'll help you walk to the bathroom."

`Overbearing, rude, violent…'

A glass of water with three slices of lemon joined the bowl of Oden.

`Three slices of lemon. Just the way I like it. Beautiful, perfect, caring…'

"And then the bull, he did to charge!" Isato's voice rose above the din and she turned her head to see her bull-hanyou son animatedly telling a story to Shippou's grandkits, his large hands waving as he recounted his tale.

`He loves kids. It's a shame half the time I'm terrified he'll trample them before he realizes they're there. His temper is worse than Inuyasha's.'

The familiar pressure in her lower abdomen signaled it was time for her to make a pit stop.

`Damn, my Oden will be cold by the time I get back,' she thought with a heavy sigh.

"What is it, koi?" Inuyasha asked, hearing her sigh.

`Attentive, accommodating, considerate…'

"I have to go to the bathroom. Kid just decided to move and practice his kick boxing on my bladder."

He was standing beside her and pulling out her chair before she could even ask. Then his hand was lightly grasping her arm and helping her rise to her feet.

"Oooffff," she breathed. `And it's only going to get worse. I've only just begun to put on the serious weight. God and I already feel like a beached whale.'

She took a step, lost her balance and was immediately caught by her mate steadying her.

"Careful, koi. Did you trip over your own feet again?" he teased.

`Offensive, chauvinistic, piggish…'

"I wouldn't trip if my ankles weren't so swollen," she complained.

"I could always carry you."

"No thanks."

"Kagome, is everything alright," her mother asked.

"Yeah, just have to go to the bathroom."

Her mother gave her a knowing smile. "Ah. I remember having the same problem when I was pregnant."

"Good, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who's suffered," she replied dourly as the pressure on her bladder increased. "Inuyasha, we have to hurry before I have an accident."

Without warning, he swept her up into his arms and sprinted to the house.

"What are you doing?!"

"Carrying you. What does it look like, wench?"

"Put me down!"

"In a second. We're almost inside."

He set her down right outside the bathroom door. "There. Fast enough for you?"

"Yeah. Osuwari."

"Gah!" he gasped as he hit the floor. "Bitch!"

"Never get on the wrong side of a pregnant lady," she warned, shutting the bathroom door in his face.

To make matters worse, after all the rushing and worry, all that came out was a little trickle.

`I left my Oden for this?' she huffed irritably.

She stayed in the bathroom longer than she needed just for good measure, then washed her hands and stepped out. She found Inuyasha sitting on all fours just outside the bathroom looking dejected.

"What did you sit me for, Kagome?" he asked, giving her `soulful puppy-dog eyes'.(TM)

`I will not cry or feel bad. He embarrassed me in front of the children…'

He added `droopy ears'(TM) and her resolve wavered.

"What did I do wrong?"

"You embarrassed me in front of everyone by picking me up and carrying me like a little child," she explained, trying to hold onto her anger in the presence of `that face.'

"You said you were going to have an accident. Would it have been less embarrassing for you if I'd let you piss yourself?"

`He was only trying to be helpful and you sat him. You're an awful, horrible bitch, Kagome.'

At the sound of the first sniffle, `soulful puppy-dog eyes' turned into wide-eyed `deer in headlights' and he sputtered.

"Kag… Kagome, are you crying? D-don't cry!"

The sniffle turned into a sob and she covered her face with her hands.

"K-Kagome-e-e."

His hands came up to grip her arms and she realized that he must have stood up when she started crying.

"I'm sorry," they both said in unison and his apology for something that wasn't his fault only made her cry harder.

"Oh! I'm such a bitch! How can you stand the sight of me?" she sobbed, burying her face in his shoulder.

His arms came around her and he held her carefully as he stroked her hair and crooned under his breath.

"Shhhh, there, there. Please don't cry. I love you. I never get tired of looking at you."

Somehow his tender words only made her horrible treatment of him worse.

"I'm so horrible to you. I'm sorry, I just can't help myself. I don't know what's wrong with me!"

"Ummm, you're pregnant?" he offered, his voice slightly teasing.

She sniffed. "I am aren't I."

He patted her belly very gently. "Feels like it."

She snickered and pulled back, wiping her eyes. "I'm still sorry that I'm being such a bitch."

"You're just being pregnant. At least you aren't puking up your guts every morning like you were two months ago." He blinked and gave her `innocent wide-eyed look.'(TM) "Are you going to break a bucket over my head now?"

Another small laugh escaped her lips. "I don't think so. Maybe next week?"

"I'll be sure to schedule a root canal on that day just to make sure I'm out of the house."

She laughed a little harder and he smiled at her, giving her a little kiss. "I love you."

She sighed. "I love you too."

"Is everything alright?" Yukio's voice asked and she turned to see him standing in the hallway, looking concerned.

`My baby all grown up. He's so beautiful.'

"Yes, just pregnant lady mood swings and small bladders," she explained.

"Oh good. When Otou-san picked you up like that I got worried."

She gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm fine. But I'm betting my Oden is cold by now."

"Bah, I'll just get you a new bowl and give the cold one to Isato. He won't know the difference," Inuyasha replied, taking her by the arm.

"The sad thing is, you're probably right," she admitted as she was flanked by the both of them and they headed back out to the shrine.

True to his word, Inuyasha brought her a fresh bowl of Oden and her old one was parceled off on Isato, who ate it in-between telling more of his fantastic tales. The bull-hanyou might not be the most intelligent of her children, but he was vibrant and lively, and could tell a great story. She'd often tried to steer him towards a career that suited his talents, but he seemed to prefer racing cars and dating multiple women at once. She figured he would be her playboy son, the one who never really made anything of himself and depended upon his parents for support. Considering the rest of her children were all either in careers or studying for one, if Isato was the only one who never realized his potential, she considered herself lucky.

Once the meal was over the harpist was replaced by a live band, which was a shame in Kagome's eyes because she really enjoyed the harpist's music. Eri had hired a spider-hanyou to play and, considering that she had four arms, she was able to do things with the instrument that normal humans simply weren't physically able to. She also had six eyes and that was a little unnerving.

In that, she had also been lucky. Of all of her hanyou children, only Sai had ever looked almost non-human, and even then he hadn't sported any extra limbs or other extremities. She couldn't imagine what life must have been like for a spider-hanyou growing up in a family where one side had two arms and the other had eight, but she supposed the girl must have had a very understanding family since she seemed relatively well adjusted.

The band that replaced the harpist was good, however, and played many different types of music. She noticed immediately that they had dropped everything down an octave to accommodate inu-hanyous' intolerance for high pitched noise and for that she was very grateful. Inuyasha was on edge enough as it was. She didn't need him to be dealing with a headache on top of everything else.

After dinner, she turned the chair around again so that it was facing out and Inuyasha brought her another so she could prop up her feet. He was hovering close by but thankfully giving her some breathing room. Currently he was engaged in serious conversation with her grandfather and Yukio, and she briefly wondered what they were talking about. During dinner, she and Inuyasha had explained what had happened when Inuyasha made the wish on the Shikon no Tama, and told them how she and her mate were now pretty much immortal unless one of them was killed. She talked about all the hanyous they had raised over the years and their struggles with Inuyasha's infertility. Her mother had almost started crying when she heard that her daughter had suffered through four miscarriages before finally carrying an infant into the third trimester. Mama expressed deep regret and sadness for not being able to be there for her through such a difficult time. She smiled and said it was enough that she was there for this pregnancy, especially since it was almost guaranteed to end in a successful birth.

The afternoon passed happily, except for her near constant trips to the bathroom. Her family was all around her, she was reunited with her mother, brother and grandfather, and she couldn't have asked for a better day. Sesshoumaru showed up with Rin and he and Inuyasha didn't try to kill each other; in fact they didn't even go through the pretend motions the way they usually did. She could only guess that her `delicate' condition had made the taiyoukai err on the side of caution. That and she had no doubt that Rin had threatened him with serious bodily harm in tender places if he tried anything.

"Mama? How are you feeling, Mama?" Tetsukazu asked her as he came over to stand beside her chair.

"I'm fine, sweetheart," she replied, smiling up at her youngest.

He was almost 215 years old, but in dragon years that made him barely out of adolescence. In many ways he was still very immature and she worried about him all the time. His Sight was so strong, and his Gifts still went wild every now and then. She was never more grateful for the sword at his side than any other gift Inuyasha had ever given any of their children. Jyu-shi-Kenshuga had saved Tetsu's life more than once, and he had his hand on it now; a clear sign that he was trying not to See.

He had gotten better with it since the gift of the sword and an extended visit to his dragon relatives. The surviving members of his father's line had found him some 150 years ago, and he'd been living with them on and off over the years. In the early 80's however, he'd relocated to New York to follow a career on Wall Street, a profession where his Sight gave him a clear advantage when trying to predict market fluctuations. She hadn't seen him since the 1997 reunion.

Tetsu crouched down next to her and reached out a hand.

"Mama, do you want me to…"

She took the hand before it could touch her abdomen. "No, honey. We don't want to know."

He seemed relieved then sat on the concrete and rested his head against her thigh.

"Headache?" she asked.

He nodded and she began to rub his scalp and neck with one hand, knowing her touch would soothe him. Soon the low rumble of the dragon purr was coming from his throat.

"Ah, Kagome," her mother sighed. "I had always worried about what we were going to do about your future."

"You're looking at my future, Mama," she replied, still rubbing Tetsu's scalp. "My children, my mate… I did become a pediatric doctor and specialized in hanyous, but I've been semi-retired since we started the fertility treatments. I couldn't keep up the hectic schedule and still be available for all of the things that needed to be done. I still see patients every now and then, if the case is special or unique."

Tetsu looked over his mother's thighs to his grandmother. "Mama has forgotten more about hanyous than most youkai doctors ever learn in medical school."

"Ah," Mama answered.

"Remember that pig-youkai hanyou that came in with an infection and got so sick in the hospital?" he reminded her. "No one knew what was wrong with him and he wasn't responding to treatment. Everyone thought he was going to die, but then you realized he needed low-sodium fluids because he didn't have sweat glands so he couldn't sweat out the salt the way a human could. No one else even thought about that but it was so simple."

Kagome blushed but her son just beamed with pride.

"My daughter the doctor," Mama said happily.

"Semi-retired doctor," she corrected.

"Still, I'm glad that you followed a career. I always wanted you to make something of yourself and be happy."

She shrugged. "I kinda fell into the hanyou pediatrics because I had so many. Soon people realized that I knew more about hanyous and their unique problems than just about anyone else. I liked being a doctor, but I liked being a mother more. After 1785, we didn't get anymore hanyous because the ones that were being born were planned and prized, and I really missed having children. Tetsu was our last one, and I don't think we even would have gotten him if his dragon family had known about it."

Tetsu gave her an adoring smile and rested his chin on her knee. "I'm glad they didn't. I don't think I could have asked for a better mom." He stroked her abdomen with his free hand, making sure he didn't touch her with his claws and spoke to his unborn sibling, "Mama's the best mom. You're so lucky."

Suddenly the baby kicked and she could tell that Tetsu felt it because he broke out into a grin.

"Well, hello in there. I'm your brother Tetsukazu, but you can call me Tet…" he said, bringing his other hand up to cup her abdomen on both sides, letting go of Jyu-shi-Kenshuga in the process.

"Tetsu, no!" she cried, but it was already too late.

She saw the Sight come upon him, saw his eyes roll back into his head as a low groan escaped his lips.

"Tetsu!!"

Inuyasha was there in a heartbeat, pulling her youngest away and shoving the hilt of the sealing sword into his hand. Tetsukazu hit the ground and rolled, hugging the sword to his chest and shaking.

`What did he See?' she thought, terrified.

It took several long moments before he stopped trembling, and a small crowd had gathered. Her daughter Izayoi, who had formed a particularly close bond with Tetsu, knelt beside him and talked him through it while his father further pressed Jyu-shi-Kenshuga against him, all the while muttering curses under his breath. When he finally uncurled himself, he looked shattered and shell-shocked.

"Tetsu? Are you alright, honey?" she pleaded.

His violet eyes fell on her and she saw them dilate for a moment before his expression closed off.

"Yes, Mama. I'm fine. It's just that birth is a… traumatic experience."

`He Saw the baby being born. Oh…'

"Oi, was that all you Saw, pup?" Inuyasha asked, his eyes narrowed.

She watched her son swallow under her mate's scrutiny and knew he was choosing his words carefully. "Yes, Papa. I Saw the baby being born."

"And was it… was it born alive?" Inuyasha asked leadingly.

She shook her head slightly, not wanting to know, but Tetsu would never refuse to answer a question put to him by his father.

"Yes, Papa."

Inuyasha looked at her, his face an expression of pure joy.

"Thanks, pup. That's all we needed to know."

Izayoi helped Tetsu get to his feet, but he still seemed a little shaky and he was still holding his sword close to his body in a death grip. Izayoi was looking very concerned.

"Tetsu," she whispered.

"I'm fine Izzy. I'll be fine."

"Why don't you come over here by Goshinboku and lie down to rest for a little bit?"

Kagome saw Tetsu nod, and his sister led him away. She frowned. Tetsu would never lie about his visions, but something told her that he wasn't telling the whole truth. Part of her was curious and intrigued, but the rest of her still did not want to know. She was brought out of her thoughts by Inuyasha kissing her, then kissing her belly.

"Alive, Kagome. Our pup is born alive," he said.

Yes, Tetsu had insisted that he'd Seen the baby born alive, and that was welcome news indeed. Still she could have lived without the sudden panic and upset that had flooded through her when she saw him huddled on the ground. The adrenaline rush had left her worn out.

"Okaa-san, are you sure you're alright?" Yukio asked her.

"I am a little tired," she admitted.

Inuyasha huffed and looked at her critically. "Why didn't you say something? Didn't you promise me that you were going to take it easy and not overtax yourself?"

She shrugged. "I just noticed it."

He sighed and reached down to take her arm. "Here. Why don't you go upstairs to your old room and lie down for a while? This party's far from over. The band hasn't even started its second set yet. You can take a nap and still not miss anything, okay?"

"Is it okay, Mama?" she asked.

Mama nodded. "Of course, dear. Go on, you need your rest."

"O…okay."

She let Inuyasha help her to her feet, her back suddenly aching and her body exhausted.

`God I hurt all over. I knew pregnancy was no picnic, but I had no idea it was so uncomfortable.'

"Kagome?" her mate questioned, sensing her discomfort.

"My back hurts," she said as she toddled slowly towards the house.

"Hmm, maybe I can do something about that," he offered with a tender smile.

She gave him a grateful look. "That would be wonderful. Thank you." `How I love this man.'

Both he and Yukio flanked her up the stairs and escorted her to her old room.

"It still smells like us," Yukio told them. "I was in here earlier to change clothes. Your scents are still on the bed and my pup scent is still in the crib."

Inuyasha nodded as she opened the bedroom door and paused in the doorway.

`My room. My old room.'

Everything was just as she had left it, right down to the teddy bear on her pillow and the plushy toy in the crib. She gave a deep sigh of relief and headed right for the bed as Inuyasha took a deep sniff and nodded.

"He's right. It does still smell like us," he confirmed.

"Mmmm, that's so odd."

"I'm going to go back down and make explanations if anyone asks," Yukio said.

"Okay. I'm going to stay up here with your mother. At least until she's asleep."

Yukio gave them a nod and left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Here, lie down," Inuyasha told her softly and helped her lower herself to the mattress.

She positioned herself on her side, facing the room and he sat next to her, leaning over to rub the small of her back in little comforting circles.

"How's that?"

"Mmmmm. Good."

"Yeah, but I know what makes it feel even better," he added huskily.

He was hiking up her dress before she could even say another word, and his fingers were lowering her panties carefully. Then his tongue touched her secret spot and all thoughts of pain and discomfort left her completely.

"Ah, Inuyasha... Don't… don't neglect yourself…" she panted as he licked her. "We… we haven't been able to be with each other in weeks..."

"I'm fine," she heard his soft whisper from between her thighs.

"No… if… if you… come up here I can…"

"You're too tired, koi. It's alright."

"It's not... It's... let me..."

"Shhhh," he whispered, his warm breath tickling her sensitive place as he began to love her with his fingers and tongue. "Let me take care of you koishii. Let me make your pain go away."

"Ahhhhhh, Inu-y-a-a-a-s-s-h-h-h-a-a-a-a..." `God, he is so good at this....'

"Hand me some tissues please, koi?"

She came out of her pleasure-filled haze long enough to do as he asked and wrenched a wad of tissues from the box next to her bed.
"Wh-what are you... doing?" she gasped as he returned his attention to the task at hand.

"Something I've gotten very good at, koi," he answered between strokes to her heated flesh. "All those times I had to come in a cup in some doctor's office. I'm an old hand at this."

"You... you're..."

"Shhhh. At least this time I have you right here to stimulate my imagination. All those times it was just me and a dirty magazine... half the time I wanted to ask for a copy of Dog Fancy just because I was so bored."

She chuckled then groaned as he started up again, faster this time, more determined.

"Dog Fancy... Oh to be a fly... on the wall..."

"If you're still talking, then I must be doing something wrong, koi. The only thing you should be capable of doing is moaning my name."

"I-n-n-n-n-u-u-u-u-u-u-y-a-a-a-a-a-s-s-s-s-s-h-h-h-h-h-a-a-a-a-a -a-a..."

"Just like that."

He brought her to climax and she heard his little grunt of completion so she knew he'd joined her in the last moment. In the aftermath of her orgasm, her back pain dulled to a low ache and a heady sense of lethargy came over her.

"Ooohhh, Inuyasha..."

"Shhh, koishii. Go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake. Just sleep," he told her, kissing her sweetly. His lips still tasted of her.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, koi. Anytime. You know it. I love pleasing you."

"Me too. Love you."

"I love you too, koi. Sleep now."

"Mmmph."

The last thing she felt before sleep claimed her was his lips kissing her temple tenderly.

*********

Yukio checked his watch. It had been an hour and his father was nowhere to be seen.

`Hmm, still in with Okaa-san,' he sighed to himself. `Mate guarding again. I can just see him sitting there with his back against the mattress and Tessaiga in his lap.'

A new scent tickled his nose and he was growling before he could stop himself. Whipping around to face the entrance of the shrine, he watched as his brother Ryoukan arrived, right on time after dinner. It wasn't the wolf-hanyou that made his hackles stand on end and his body vibrate with irritation, however, but the two full blooded wolf-youkais who accompanied him. Well, one of them.

`Kouga. Ryoukan brought Kouga. Otou-san is going to go through the roof.'

The wolf-youkai and his mate sniffed around and homed in on him immediately.

`Shit,' he thought, bristling but standing his ground. The wolf had once tried to take his mother away, and learned a very painful lesson in the process. He was once Inuyasha's chief rival for his mother's affections, and the two still had a mutually antagonistic relationship.

"Yukio," Ryoukan greeted, offering a brief hug.

Yukio hugged him then stepped back, taking in his brother's casual jeans and long-sleeved shirt. The two looked much like each other. Both were half-transformed with animal ears on their heads and claws for nails, but where Yukio's hair was silver, Ryoukan's was black as were his lupine ears.

"You look well," Ryoukan said formally. He was always formal and reserved, even around his family.

`He never really fit in. Mom and Dad hated sending him away but they did the right thing. From all accounts, he's much happier with the wolf pack.'

"You too, Ryoukan. How've you been?"

"Fairly well. I just returned from a trip to Scandinavia. We're opening up a new office there."

He nodded. Ryoukan had followed in Kouga's footsteps and become an investment banker specializing in `acquisitions.' The job suited his predatory nature, but his ruthless tactics often made his parents shudder. Ryoukan still had no love for humans and cared little for their fates in a merger.

"Where's Mother?"

"Sleeping. She gets tired easily so she went down for a nap."

"Heh, is dog-turd with her?" Kouga asked.

Ayame slapped her mate. "Be nice, dear."

He glared at the wolf-lord. "Yes, my father is with her. He's been… extremely protective of her lately," he replied, putting emphasis on the word `protective.'

"As well he should be. Kagome always found trouble wherever she could. Now that she's breeding, I'm surprised he didn't lock her in a room for her own good."

He looked to his brother, one eyebrow raised. "You told them about Mom's pregnancy?"

Ryoukan shrugged. "You didn't tell me I couldn't."

"True. Still, we wanted to keep things quiet until after the pup was born to keep down the number of non-family members sniffing around. Dad has been really uptight and he doesn't want a lot of strangers coming to see Mom."

Kouga slapped him on the arm and gave him a wolfish grin, making him grit his teeth.

"Heh, pup. We're not strangers. We're practically family."

`You will never be pack, you stinking wolf…' he thought, but swallowed his anger and held his tongue.

"I'll go see if Mom is going to be coming down soon. In the meantime, there's lots to drink and I think there's still plenty of desserts left."

Ryoukan crinkled his nose. "Human food."

Yukio just shrugged and gave his brother a tolerant look. `All those years Otou-san would bring him raw rabbits and fish, and Okaa-san would turn green having to watch him eat them.'

"I'll be back soon," he said, heading for the house.

He found his parents in exactly the positions he'd imagined. His mother was asleep on the bed, curled on her side, and his father was seated on the floor beside her, back to the mattress and Tessaiga resting against his shoulder. He gave Inuyasha a smile that quickly turned into a frown when smelled the room.

`I don't believe it…'

"What have you been doing to my mother?" he demanded, snarling as he slammed the door closed behind him.

The noise woke Kagome and her eyes shot open in alarm.

"Can't you keep it in your pants for one fucking day?" he seethed, advancing on his father.

"Yukio," his mother said softly, but her tone was a warning. He ignored it.

"She's exhausted for fuck's sake! You're so fucking protective of her that you won't let her walk ten feet without you, yet you'll wipe her out further by rutting on her like some mindless dog!"

A growl began to build deep in the back of his father's throat, but he was too angry to pay any attention.

`How could you be so selfish? How could you endanger her and the pup with your petty base needs?'

"How could you be so selfish?! After everything the two of you have been through to get this far, how could you risk her health and safety, and the pup's health and safety, for the sake of a quick fuck?!"

The hand that grabbed him by the throat whipped out so quickly he didn't even see it coming. All he knew was that suddenly his father's enraged face was a breath away from his and claws were pressing dangerously into the soft flesh of his neck.

"Do not even hint that I would intentionally and willfully cause harm to my mate or my unborn pup," Inuyasha snarled, baring his teeth.

He clenched his jaw and stared his father down, and the longer he refused to submit the tighter Inuyasha's hand gripped him until he was being practically lifted off of his feet. He flicked his eyes briefly to his mother to gauge her reaction to what was happening. She was still lying on her side, watching them. Her face was concerned but she was otherwise calm. That meant two things: 1) she trusted Inuyasha not to harm him, and 2) he was in the wrong. His mother had no reservations about siding with him against his father if she thought his cause was justified, but when she sided with her mate, that meant she believed that Inuyasha was in the right. That above all else was what made him submit. He trusted his mother and if she thought he was wrong, then he was wrong.

Growling, he turned his head and flashed his throat in submission. He was immediately released and he rubbed the sore places where his father's fingers had dug into his skin.

`I'll probably bruise…'

"Good. For a moment there, I was actually worried that you were going to try to challenge me," his father said, his voice hard and full of threat.

"I am only interested in the well-being of my mother," he replied.

"That makes two of us. Don't pretend to know what we are doing or why. It's none of your business what goes on between us when we are behind closed doors."

Another sniff revealed that his initial assumptions had indeed been wrong and if he'd bothered to keep his temper in the first place, he would have thought to track the semen scent, and he would have found it in the waste basket and not on his mother.

`Shit, I jumped to conclusions…'

"I'm sorry. I walked in and I smelled the scent. I just assumed…"

"You assumed wrong, pup."

He winced. Inuyasha never called him pup outside of inu-youkai unless he was really angry.

"I realize that now," he admitted.

"Good, now that we've settled that you wanna tell me why you came barging in here in the first place? You knew your mother was sleeping."

"Ryoukan is here," he answered.

"I already knew that. His scent is all over you."

"He brought Kouga and Ayame with him."

Inuyasha's eyes darkened and he began to growl. "What did he bring that stinking wolf here for?"

"Apparently he told them about Okaa-san's pregnancy."

"Shit."

"My thoughts exactly."

"Alright, you stay with your mother. I'll go deal with the wolf."

"Don't be rude and mean to Kouga, Inuyasha," Kagome reminded.

Inuyasha snorted. "I won't kill him. Or start a fight. Or do any damage to your grandfather's shrine," he promised when Kagome fixed him with an incredulous look.

"And don't chase them away before I get a chance to see Ryou. I see him so rarely…"

"Understood."

"I'll be down shortly."

"I wish you'd stay in bed. You haven't gotten enough rest. If I thought he'd do it, I'd tell him to come up here, but I doubt I could get him to set foot in the house," his father sighed.

"I agree. He hasn't gone into a human dwelling other than our home since we sent him to live with the wolf tribe," she confirmed.

"For what it's worth, he looks good. He told me he just got back from Scandinavia," Yukio offered.

Inuyasha gave him a short nod and turned for the door, hooking Tessaiga back into the loop on his waistband. "Look after your mother," he said.

"You know I will."

His father didn't reply as he walked out of the room. When the door closed, he flattened his ears and went to make reparations to his mother. He knelt next to her as she struggled to sit up and nuzzled under her chin in submission.

:Sorry. Sorry.:

She responded with a sigh and a tender rub to his ears. :Forgiven. Impulsive pup.:

"I know."

"You hurt him more than you realize," she told him, lying back down again. Apparently she was still too tired to get up. "We haven't been making love because the doctor advised against it due to my history of miscarriages, and the past few weeks have been very difficult for him."

Yukio nodded sadly. "I guessed that when I stopped walking in on you so much. I used to interrupt you at least once every couple of weeks, but recently you've been napping and he's been out back chopping wood."

She chuckled softly. "I think we have enough firewood to last us the winter already and it's just June."

"And you've replaced all but one of the wood fireplaces with gas ones," he reminded.

"He's so offended when all of his hard work gathering and splitting wood is replaced by the simple flip of a switch."

He snickered. "Can't take away his primary method for venting frustration, can we."

She winced and rolled to her back. "That wouldn't be a good idea, no."

"Are you alright, Okaa-san?"

"Yeah, it's just my back. The latest ultrasound showed this kid likes to use my spine as a backboard. It's putting a good deal of pressure on my lumbar vertebrae."

He moved to sit on the bed beside her.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Not really. Your father knows what helps the pain. What we did here earlier is part of it."

He drooped his ears. "Oh."

His parents had always been very open and frank with him about their sex life; his father more so than his mother, but she had been relaxing about the subject in recent years. Gods knew he'd intruded upon them enough times when they were making creative use of the public rooms in their house. After a while it was just taken as the norm. His parents had been made immortal at the height of young sexuality, and they didn't seem to be slowing down any with the passing centuries.

He would never forget the one time they had walked in on him and Miaka. His father had cackled about it for weeks and offered suggestions on improving his technique. Poor Miaka had been mortified until Kagome had taken her aside and smoothed things over. Still, from that day forward Miaka refused to do anything sexual whenever they were visiting his parents' house.

`We had good times though. Even in the later years when her passion for me waned because she was old. She never refused a cuddle, even if she couldn't offer me anything more than that.'

Kagome's hand brushing against his arm brought him out of his memories and he raised his eyes to smile softly at her. She had a knowing look on her face, as if she knew where his mind had been.

"Almost 40 years and I still miss her," he admitted.

She nodded. "Inu-youkai mate for life."

He bowed his head. "I... I keep thinking that she would have kept on living if she hadn't refused the infusion of my blood."

His mother frowned, but said nothing. In truth she had very little to say about Miaka's death, and none of what she did have to say was good. Towards the end, she'd had a different opinion of his mate than she had previously held. To her, her mate was everything and she needed nothing else. Inuyasha was her alpha and omega just as he was hers, and she would never dream of leaving him- not even for Death.

Miaka was different. His hanyou blood had sustained her for over 200 years, but he could see she was getting tired and the dropping of the Atomic Bomb on Japan had sealed her fate. They'd known it was coming, and that there was nothing they could do to stop it. Even Uncle admitted defeat in the face of history and fled Japan with his family before 1930. Miaka, however, refused to leave her homeland no matter how much he begged and pleaded.

He couldn't understand. He loved Japan, but he loved his mate more. She was his country, his motherland and sovereignty. Wherever she was was home to him, whether it was in Japan or France or Canada, and being with her was good enough for him. It was not so for Miaka. In 1935, he'd literally dragged her out of Japan by force before the majority of the aggression and fighting began, and in many ways she had never forgiven him.

When the United States dropped the Atomic Bomb on Japan in 1945, something died in Miaka as well, and she refused the infusions of his blood that had kept her alive for so long. She'd lived for another seventeen years, but in those scant years she'd aged considerably. He'd watched it all, his heart breaking to see her dying before his very eyes and being helpless to stop it. He might have forced her from her homeland, but he would never have dreamed of forcing his blood upon her.

Of course now he knew that she'd been clinically depressed and probably would have responded to treatment if there had been any at the time. But back then who knew? Everyone blamed a woman's moods on `female problems' and left it at that. His mother knew better and had once tried to tell him about it, but after he'd taken Miaka from Japan, she'd become so paranoid about Kagome `meddling' in their marriage, that she threw fits every time Yukio mentioned her. As a result, Yukio made a choice he never thought he'd have to make: his mother or his mate, and with his mother's blessing, he chose his mate. He didn't see Kagome for more than ten years, although he did talk to her on the phone, unbeknownst to Miaka, and he did see his father at least twice a year when he would go on a "business trip" which was actually a trip to Denver. Inuyasha would come down from Alberta to meet with him and they would visit for a couple of days.

Kagome never joined his father on those trips for a number of reasons, The first was that she was still practicing medicine and was in high demand within the youkai and hanyou worlds. She had a private office in Calgary where she saw patients and also traveled all over North America to treat sick hanyou children. The second reason was that she felt Yukio was stretching the truth about his trips enough as it was and she didn't want him to have to outright lie to Miaka. If she didn't come, then he could honestly say that he hadn't `seen' her.

Kagome knew what Miaka had done, and knew that she was choosing to die rather than live and stay with her son. She had heard Miaka's arguments about not wanting to live in a world where thousands were slaughtered on a whim and weapons could murder millions in a single strike. She had countered them with tales of the late 1900's, of how the world was better and there was peace and prosperity in Japan. But Miaka would have none of her arguments, and Kagome was forced sit idly by while her son suffered through the agony of witnessing his mate die. She was furious with the woman for not loving her son enough to live for him, for leaving him bereft and alone, and he knew she had never forgiven Miaka for the pain she had caused him or how difficult she had made life for him in the last decades of her life.

After her death in 1962, he'd moved back in with his parents and spent the next decade crying. His parents allowed this, even when his siblings would tell him to `snap out of it.' All they would say was, "Leave your brother alone." whenever one of his sibs pushed too hard or criticized him too harshly. They knew all too well what it felt like to lose someone close to them and they didn't begrudge him his grief. In fact, they'd buried their daughter Takako in 1949 and their grief was still fresh when everything was happening with Miaka and him.

They had been remarkably accommodating of his temper and moods. The only thing they ever insisted on was that he not take his anger out on them, and he did his best to comply. In response, he had received the wealth of their comfort and love to help him through his mourning; giving him just about anything he wanted. They drew the line at allowing him to sleep with them as he had done as a child, but Kagome would often make herself available to him and his father often found them snuggled in a hammock together in the backyard, her arms around him as he let the steady cadence of her heartbeat lull him to dreamless, nightmare-less sleep.

He lived the next twenty or so years in a kind of grief-tainted haze. He went to work for his father, assisting in the acquisition of more assets and real estate, rendering of some of his father's drawings into formal drafts, and overseeing some of the rental properties they owned. He greeted each day, did his job and tried to recover from the blow Fate had dealt him, but there was a huge hole in his soul where his mate had once been and he felt hollow and empty without her.

Then in 1979 they heard about a new technique in the treatment of infertility called in vitro fertilization. It was a new method being pioneered in England at the time and showed much promise. Years ago, they had determined that Inuyasha's problem lay with low sperm count and motility issues, but there had been no recourse until then. Youkai embryologists and gynecologists seized upon the new technology and worked on retro-fitting it for youkai purposes because infertility was a much more serious problem in youkai than it was in humans, with several lines facing extinction if progeny were not produced. By 1985 they were ready to start experimenting.

His parents had been one of the first in line.

The first time his parents announced that they were pregnant, there had been much excitement and joy in the family. Everyone was notified and preparations were joyfully made as they eagerly anticipated the arrival of their new sibling. Then Kagome had miscarried and the world had ended. He vividly remembered coming home from work one afternoon to find his mother standing in the doorway of the nursery Inuyasha had designed for the new pup. She'd been clutching a little white stuffed dog she'd bought as a joke on one of their extravagant baby shopping trips. The late afternoon sunlight was pouring through the open windows of the room and spilling out into the hallway where she stood holding the toy close to her chest. The light had bathed her in gold that shimmered with the waving shadows of the trees outside, and he'd stopped to stare at the almost heavenly vision of his mother illuminated by the soft light. Then she'd looked his way and he saw her face. He would never forget that shattered face for as long as he lived.

From that day on he'd pulled himself out of his own pain and suffering, and dedicated himself to helping his parents weather the coming storms. His mother needed him and her pain gave him something to focus on outside of himself. Over the next fifteen years, he would ride the roller coaster of expectation and disappointment with them, a third witness to what they went through and the trials they endured to have a pup.

After the second miscarriage he'd started asking why. Why did they do it? Why did they put themselves through the heartache and pain only to lose the pup before the 5th month? His father would only reply that Kagome wanted a pup. She missed being a mother and there were no hanyou orphans up for adoption anymore. If they wanted a new pup, they had to have one themselves and Inuyasha was willing to go through it if it would make her happy.

Looking at her now, he had to agree that, although she was having a very difficult pregnancy and his father was a nervous wreck half the time, their overall mood was joyful, and there was a contented light shining in his mother's eyes that hadn't been there before. He smiled at her and nuzzled her to chase the frown from her face.

"But I'll have a new little brother or sister to shower affection on soon enough," he said, changing the subject. "I'll be Aniki again."

She smiled back. "You're still Aniki."

"I know, but they're all grown up. There's no one to play with anymore."
She slapped him lightly. "You get this pup hooked on motorcycles and I'll castrate you myself."

He gave her a wide-eyed look and made the motion of skittering away from her, protecting his crotch. She laughed and sat up.

"I should go down to see Ryoukan. If I wait too long, it will be too late," she said, swinging her legs off of the bed.

He was there immediately to help her to her feet. "Are you sure you're alright?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes. I'm pregnant, not terminal."

He kept one hand under her elbow to steady her as she made her way to the door.

"I have to go to the bathroom. Again."

He chuckled. "Yes, but at least it isn't to throw up like you used to do."

"That's funny. Your father said the same thing."

He waited until she was finished in the bathroom then helped her down the stairs and back out to the reunion. She was swamped immediately by at least four of his siblings inquiring about her, and his father came tearing over to glower and stake his claim before Kouga could get to her. He snickered and shook his head at his father's antics, even if he agreed that his mother was better off being kept a hundred kilometers away from the wolf-youkai.

Things reached a bit of a head and his mother got angry with Inuyasha for being so overbearing. She almost, almost sat him in front of Kouga but he acquiesced at the last minute and avoided punishment. He stood and fumed silently, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched Kagome walk a short distance away from him to visit with Ryoukan, Kouga and Ayame.

`I guess now's a good time to go make up,' he thought.

He approached his seething father from the left, keeping his ears and chin down in submission. When he was a half a meter or so away, he stopped and waited to be acknowledged. Inuyasha cast a brief glance at him, then lifted his chin slightly and turned his head away.

`There. He's given me the opening...'

Closing the distance between them, he licked his father's chin and gave a soft whine of apology. :Sorry. Sorry. Pup stupid.:

Inuyasha sighed and turned his head to nuzzle him briefly.

:Forgiven.:

:Leader-male,: he confirmed, making sure his father knew he wasn't being challenged.

:Beta-male,: Inuyasha replied, reaffirming his firstborn's place in the pack.

It was an attribute of dogs and inu-youkai that once the proper reparations were made, all was well within the pack again. He'd displeased the pack leader, but now that he'd groveled and shown his contrition, he'd been forgiven and accepted. He now stood at his father's right shoulder, mimicking Inuyasha's crossed-arm stance as they both watched Kagome with the wolves.

Inuyasha crinkled his nose. "They still stink," he complained.

Yukio nodded. "But she hasn't seen Ryou in three years. We should let her have her visit without the pissing contest."

"Feh, maybe I should start marking territory. The smell might actually keep that wimpy wolf away."

"If you start pissing on trees, you know Okaa-san will sit you until you make a crater the size of China in the ground."

"Yeah, but if it would make him go away..."

"Don't do it. She'll make you suffer. Besides he's no match for us and you know it. If Kouga so much as touches her inappropriately, we'll take him down so fast he won't know what hit him."

"If he looks at her funny," Inuyasha corrected.

"Deal."

As it turned out, Ryoukan only stayed long enough to visit with his mother for a couple of hours, then he left, taking Kouga and Ayame with him, much to his father's relief. Once the wolves were gone, his mother went to lie down again. They were getting her settled in her bed when there was a scratch and plaintive mew at the bedroom door. Yukio opened the door and Buyo came waddling in, meowing.

"Buyo," Kagome said as the cat came over to her and hopped up on the bed, purring.

"I was wondering where you were. I missed you so."

Buyo mewed again then shimmered, her shape altering until the kitten form of Kirara sat in her place.

"Kirara!!" Kagome gasped.

The firecat mewed happily and rubbed up against Kagome's hand.

"Is this where you've been all these years? We lost track of you after Kaemon died. We had no idea where you'd gone! We were so worried!"

Kirara mewed and purred. Kagome looked up at Inuyasha and saw that he didn't look particularly surprised.

"You knew Buyo was Kirara?" she asked.

Inuyasha shook his head. "I had my suspicions. Every now and then I'd feel a hint of youki off that cat, and after we found out that the Higurashis were the descendants of Sango and Miroku, it made sense that she'd stay to protect them. She was also the only cat that never ripped me to shreds no matter how much I teased her."

Kagome hugged the firecat. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you."

Kirara mewed her agreement and flicked her tails.

"But wait that means it was you who led me down to the well that day! You're the one responsible for me going into the well house! You already knew what was going to happen!"

Kirara nodded and mewed again.

"You sneaky little..."

"Okaa-san, if she hadn't led you then the well would never have opened and you would never have met Otou-san," Yukio reminded, trying to calm Kagome down before she went into one of her snits.

His mother blinked, then softened and hugged the firecat again.

"You're right. Thank you, Kirara."

Kirara closed her eyes and purred her contentment.

"You should get some rest, koi," Inuyasha told her, kissing her brow. Then he patted the firecat on the head and said, "We'll talk later."

Kirara mewed and settled down at the foot of the bed as his father tucked his mother under her blanket.

With Kirara there to guard his mother, Yukio managed to convince his father to leave her to her nap and come back to the reunion. There were a number of his sons who wanted to spend time with him, and soon they were sitting together at the end of the table catching up and discussing the latest new racing bike or car or sports team. Inuyasha was a proud supporter of a number of youth and amateur sports leagues in Alberta, including two hockey clubs and a curling club. His more metropolitan sons loved to tease him about the curling club. The hockey teams they could understand because it was violent and exciting, but Juzo, who now lived in Italy, referred to curling as `housework on ice' and said it was about as `exciting as watching old men play bocchi ball.' Many of the others agreed, but Inuyasha just laughed and said they didn't understand the complexities and draw of watching four grown men with brooms try to steer a hunk of rock across a sheet of ice without touching it.

His mother slept for about three hours then rejoined them. She looked much better and much more rested after her nap, and she was in good spirits. She even managed to convince Inuyasha to dance with her a little bit, although Yukio was the better dancer. He grabbed his grandmother and pulled her onto the portable dance floor the band had brought, guiding her through the steps of a simplified cha-cha as she laughed and blushed at his antics.

The party lasted until well after dark with the shrine lit up with strings of paper lanterns in multiple colors, and the atmosphere was lively and festive. Eri was right and a few nosy photographers showed up to take pictures, but since there was no violence, drugs, or wild behavior she doubted any of the photographs would be published anywhere. Besides with the Spell of Normalcy none of the pictures would show anything out of the ordinary. Uncle got rid of them with his usual efficiency, threatening them with retribution and the legal resources of his empire. Very few people were stupid enough to go up against Sessho Nishitaishou, and the photographers left quickly after taking only a few snapshots.

Just before midnight the band finished its last set, and they rounded off the evening with a small fireworks display. After the show, the reunion began to disband as his siblings bid their goodnights and headed off to their hotels or homes. Many of them were staying in Japan for at least a week, and would be popping in on their parents to visit individually over the next few days.

Yukio found himself too wound up to sit on the train back to Osaka and decided to wait until morning. The delay gave him an idea and he cleared it first with his grandmother before approaching his young uncle.

"Hey Souta-ojisan!" he called, catching the bleary-eyed teen's attention.

"Yeah, nephew?" the boy replied teasingly.

"Wanna come to Osaka with me tomorrow and ride back on my bike?"

Souta's eyes opened wide and he turned to his mother. "Mama! Mama, can I?"

Mama-baachan nodded. "Yes. It's okay. Yukio's promised he'll keep you safe and Kagome says he is a good driver."

"Most of the time," Kagome added, coming over to them. She was looking tired again, and Inuyasha was hovering near her, talking on his cell phone.

"Yeah!!" Souta exclaimed, jumping up and down happily.

"Bring him to Tokyo House tomorrow morning around eight. Miroku, can you give Mama-baachan the security code for the gate?"

"Sure," his brother said and scribbled the code on a napkin. "Here, Mama-baachan."

"Thank you, Miroku," his grandmother replied, accepting the crinkled paper.

"I've called a cab. It'll be here soon," Inuyasha announced, hanging up his cell phone.

"I'll ride the bike over and meet you there."

The last of the guests were leaving and it was almost time to go. Uncle and Aunt Rin came to say their goodnights.

"Goodnight, Kagome," Rin said, kissing Kagome on both cheeks. "You look wonderful. Please take care of yourself and congratulations."

"I will. Thank you."

"You will call when she goes into labor," Uncle said to his father.

Inuyasha snorted but waved a hand. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Get outta here already. We managed to get through a whole day without fighting. Let's not ruin it."

"Come on, dear," Aunt Rin giggled, tugging on the jacket sleeve of Uncle's Christian Dior suit. She was the only one who could ever get away with touching the great taiyoukai in such a casual way.

Uncle nodded to Kagome and followed his mate without protest or question, proving without a doubt that inu-youkai were matriarchal and it was the alpha-bitch who actually called the shots. Then again, all he had to do was look at his parents to know that.

"I'll take down the Spell of Normalcy, Mama," Mariko offered.

"Thank you, sweetheart, that would be wonderful."

Once the spell was dispersed and his sister Mariko gone, all that were left were himself, Eri, Miroku, his parents, his uncle Souta, Mama-baachan and Jii-chan.

"Well, I'm outta here," Eri announced, kissing her mother and father on the cheek. "I'll be sticking around for a little while, I think. Call me when…"

"When she goes into labor. Yes. We'll add you to the list," Yukio sighed.

"It was good to see you Eri. We hadn't heard from you in a while. We were worried," Kagome admitted.

"I'm sorry, Mama. I promise I'll be more conscientious about checking my voicemail."

"Be careful," was all his father said to her, but it was enough.

She gave them both a final smile, put on the bracelet that anchored her concealment spell, then waved goodnight and was gone.

"The cab should be here," Inuyasha said, ushering Kagome towards the stairs.

"Goodnight, Mama," his mother said, hugging his grandmother. "Goodnight, Jii-chan. It's so good to see you and be back."

Kirara mewed and rubbed her leg.

"Goodnight Kirara."

"I still can't believe our family cat is a youkai," Mama-baachan mused. "We've had Buyo for years and never knew. Some things make a lot more sense though. I always thought that cat was smarter than she ought to be."

Kirara mewed an assent and sat at Mama-baachan's feet.

"We'll see you in the morning," Inuyasha said, urging Kagome a little more insistently.

"Goodnight Kagome, Inuyasha," Mama-baachan said, kissing both of them on the cheek and making his father blush.

"Hey, do I get a kiss?" he asked with a wink and his grandmother kissed him too.

"Goodnight, Yukio. We'll see you in the morning."

"Eight o'clock!" Souta enthused.

"You bet. See you then, ojisan."

He and his father put on their signet rings and activated their spells, then he walked down the stairs with his parents, flanking his mother on one side while his father flanked her on the other. He waited until they were in the cab with Miroku and leaving before he moved to get on his bike. At the last minute, he remembered the satchel with his leathers and ran back to get it, saying goodnight to his grandparents again.

Back down on the street, he paused to look up at what few stars he could see through all of Tokyo's light pollution and smiled. It had been a wonderful day.