InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Lucky Ones ❯ Chapter Forty-Six ( Chapter 46 )

The Lucky Ones

By Terri Botta

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

Rating: R for later chapters.

Pairing: Inuyasha/Kagome

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

A/N: Ch 47 is almost finished. It will be followed by a short epilogue.

*******

Chapter Forty-Six

When Kagome woke again it was to the sound of the meal carts delivering the morning's breakfast. At some point the door to the room had been cracked open and left slightly ajar so she could hear the activity going on in the hall. Coming to full consciousness, she registered that her baby was tucked against her breastbone and that Inuyasha had not gotten back into bed with her. Instead, he had placed two chairs facing each other, lowered her bed to their level and took down the metal sidebar. Then he had stretched his body out onto the chairs but rested his head on the mattress, very close to her own head. A quick look revealed that his eyes were closed and he appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Smiling, she reached up one hand and scratched his ear. He flicked it under her touch and let out a little sigh. A moment later one golden eye cracked open and he looked at her.

"Morning," she greeted.

He smiled and yawned. "Morning."

"I have to go to the bathroom. Can you take the baby?"

Inuyasha nodded and sat up, reaching over to pick up their son. Even though it had been years since he had handled an infant, she was pleased to see that he had lost none of his talent with them. Their son barely stirred as he was lifted and cradled in his father's arms.

Slowly getting out of bed, she was glad that she seemed much steadier and stronger this morning. The events of the previous 36 hours had left her weak and shaky, but it looked like she was recovering fairly well.

"Do you need help? I can put him in the little rolling bed," her mate offered.

Smiling at him, she shook her head. "No, it's okay."

"Okay."

She shuffled over to the bathroom, noticing how odd it seemed to her not to be carrying so much extra weight around. She was sure she had lost at least half of the 11kg she had gained during her pregnancy when she gave birth, and she felt significantly lighter.

`And look. I can see my feet again…' she mused, looking down. `Hmm, my ankles are still a bit swollen.'

Kagome closed the bathroom door behind her and performed her morning toilet, using washrags and adult wipes to clean up and refresh her body. She was still bleeding heavily, but that was to be expected so she wasn't concerned. She used the toiletries she had packed in her bag to brush her hair, wash her face and brush her teeth, promising herself a full bath complete with shampoo later that day.

`Inuyasha promised to help me.'

The sound of her baby's morning cry brought her out of the bathroom and she settled back on the bed as Inuyasha handed her the infant and she opened her nightgown to feed him.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her.

"Much better."

"I'm glad," he said, smiling at her as he gave her a kiss and went to do his own freshening in the bathroom while she nursed their son.

He was back a few minutes later and sat beside her while the baby finished up.

"Does he need to be changed?" she questioned.

He took a sniff and nodded. "Yeah."

"You know what that means."

"What?"

"You're on diaper duty because I'm not up to changing him."

He flattened his ears and whined, trying to look pitiful but she wasn't moved.

"Soulful puppy-dog eyes won't save you, sorry. Besides it won't be that bad. He should only have piddled.

He sighed and gave up. "Alright."

"Oh, you're so abused," she teased.

"Damn right I am," he grumbled.

She giggled and burped their son before handing him to his father. Inuyasha changed him quickly and dumped the dirty diaper into the soiled linens can then gave him back to her for cuddling.

"He really is perfect," she commented.

"Feh. Our own little beet-faced piglet."

"O-su-wa-" she said slowly, making him lower his ears and head with each syllable. She stopped at the last bit and gave him a wink so he'd know she was teasing. He sighed with relief.

"Knock, knock," came a too-cheerful voice as a dietician's assistant brought in a breakfast tray. "Breakfast."

"Good morning," she greeted as the young tanuki-hanyou entered.

"Good morning," the aide replied, putting the tray down on her rolling bedside table.

Inuyasha glared at the newcomer but Kagome ignored him.

"What culinary delicacy do we have this morning?"

The aide lifted the lid on the plate and read the printed meal slip. "Scrambled egg, white rice, miso, fruit cup and decaf coffee."

"But I ordered quiche," she complained innocently.

The aide did a double-take, then cast a frightened glance at Inuyasha who glared even more and lifted one lip to bare a fang.

"I'm joking," she hurried to reassure the poor girl who was looking more and more frightened with each passing second.

"Of course," the aide stammered, laughing nervously. "I must go. I have other trays to deliver."

She bowed and skittered out. Kagome turned to her mate and thwapped him over the head with her spoon.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"For being rude and scaring that poor girl."

"Oi! I have an image to protect! I was too nice to the nurse last night. The staff will think I've gone soft and then they'll think they can order me around."

She rolled her eyes.

"Weren't you going to get coffee for yourself once they served breakfast?" she reminded.

He looked stricken. "Trying to get rid of me?"

She rubbed his ears and kissed him. "Never, but I know how you are without coffee."

"Impossible?"

"You're always impossible. You're just incorrigible without coffee," she replied, mixing cream and sugar into her own decaf before taking a tentative sip. She grimaced. "While you're at it, you can get me a cup of real coffee. I'm not sure what this is, but it isn't coffee."

"Heh. I don't think the doc wants you to have caffeine," he commented.

"That's fine. This stuff is horrible even by decaf standards."

He leaned over and kissed her. "All right. Do you want the pup in the basket?"

She looked down to see that the baby was dozing off. `All they do is eat and sleep at this age. That and soil their diapers.'

"That would be fine. It would give me two hands to eat with."

"Okay."

Inuyasha carefully lifted their son and placed him in the bassinet. Then he returned to her side and gave her another kiss.

"I'm going down to the cafeteria. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Don't terrorize anyone on your way down."

"Keh, wench, you ruin all my fun."

"I still love you."

He sighed and kissed her a third time. "I'll never stop loving you. I'll be back soon."

"I know."

"All you want is decaf?"

She looked at the tray of food and crinkled her lip. "Bring me back a muffin."

"Muffin and decaf. Okay."

She nodded and he left the room, closing the door behind him. A minute later, while she was trying to figure out if her egg was really an egg or some strange pseudo-food made from plastic and food coloring, there was a plink on her window.

`Huh?'

She turned her head just in time to see a pebble plink against the glass, followed by a third a few moments later.

`What the?'

Pushing the tray away, she eased herself out of bed and over to the window to open it. She had just slid back the glass when Yukio's head popped over the sill, scaring the life out of her.

"Morning!" her eldest chirped happily.

"Eeeeppp!" she squeaked. "What are you doing?!"

"Sneaking in before visiting hours. What's it look like we're doing?" he replied, hopping into the room. He was dressed in jeans and a simple green T-shirt.

"We?"

"Yeah. Miroku's with me, but he's still down there coz he's got the food."

"I see."

As she watched, Yukio took a thin rope from around his shoulder and dropped one end out the window.

"Should I hum the theme from Mission Impossible?" she suggested.

"Heh. We've got this all worked out," he answered, flashing her a grin as he pulled up a bucket full of food and coffee. The bucket was shortly followed by her second inu-hanyou son.

"Good morning, Okaa-san," Miroku greeted, pulling himself over the sill.

"Good morning. Giving up your boring career in education for a job in international espionage?"

Miroku shook his head and wiped his hands on his jeans. "No. This idea was all Aniki's."

"Oh like I had to twist your arm or anything," Yukio groused back as he closed the window to keep the draft off the pup.

"I'm gonna go wash my hands. I haven't climbed a building in decades," Miroku said, heading for the bathroom.

"Because you might get dust poisoning," Yukio teased.

"Hey, I'm not gonna hold the pup with dirty hands," Miroku answered, closing the bathroom door.

"He has done nothing but rave about holding the pup ever since he woke up, but be warned he has a massive hangover," Yukio told her as he took the food out of the bucket and arranged it on the rolling tray. The breakfast that had been brought to her by the staff was quickly relegated to the bedside table. "I brought you your favorite: miso and some shumai, and a short cinnamon latte."

She frowned even as the delicious aromas filled her nostrils. "I'm not supposed to have caffeine."

"Izayoi warned me so I got decaf."

"Bless you," she sighed gratefully, easing herself back onto the bed as he wheeled the tray in front of her and tucked the blanket over her feet.

"You're welcome, Okaa-san."

"So, Miroku has a hangover?"

He sat on the end of the bed and picked up his own danish. "Yeah. We went out to the bar near the house after we left here and stayed there until Last Call. I told Miroku to take 4 aspirin with a glass of orange juice before he went to bed, but he didn't listen to me."

"You went out drinking? Your father isn't going to be happy about that."

Yukio shrugged and took a bite of his pastry.

"Please do not talk about me so loudly," Miroku complained as he came out of the bathroom. He paused to coo at the sleeping pup but did not disturb him, then slumped down into one of the chairs by the bed. "Coffee," he demanded, holding out a hand.

Yukio handed him a tall, insulated travel mug.

"Headache, sweetheart?" Kagome asked innocently.

Miroku opened the mug and took a deep drink. "Yeah. First I get only 4 hours of sleep before Aniki is dragging me out of bed to come see you, then he gets this harebrained idea to sneak in through the window. I didn't even get a shower this morning."

"Oh you poor baby."

Miroku sniffed and took another drink.

"So who all went on this little bender?" she questioned, popping a piece of shumai into her mouth.

"Me, Miroku, Mariko, Eri and Mama-baachan. Tetsu wanted to come too but Izayoi convinced him it would be safer for him to get drunk at home," Yukio replied.

"My mother went with you?" she gasped.

Yukio nodded vigorously. "I was surprised too, but she drank just as much as the rest of us."

"Did Mariko drink?"

"She had one wine cooler. Then she switched to decaf. She was there mostly to make sure the rest of us got back safely. She and Eri crashed at Tokyo House last night. So did Izayoi and Tetsu. They figured there was no sense in going home to Yokohama if they were just going to turn around and come back today."

"I can understand that," she agreed, taking a sip of her latte. "Mmmm, this is delicious. Thank you."

"Where is Otou-san? I have coffee and ramen for him."

"He went down to the cafeteria to get breakfast."

"He is back. And did I hear you have ramen?" Inuyasha announced from the doorway. He was carrying a tray with two paper coffee cups and a couple of donuts.

Yukio picked up a sealed container and showed it to his father. It was immediately pounced on as the donuts were forgotten.

"I didn't scent you in the hall," Inuyasha commented, settling next to Yukio on the bed to eat.

"We came in through the window," Yukio replied.

"What happened to my muffin?" she asked, pretending to be upset.

Her mate looked contrite and sheepish. "They were all sold out of muffins, but see I brought you a jelly donut!" he replied, reaching over to the tray and holding up a sugar-laden pastry.

"Thank god my sons brought me real food otherwise I would have starved this morning."

He flattened his ears and blinked sadly at her. This time Soulful Puppy-Dog eyes worked to earn her forgiveness and she smiled at him, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. His ears came up and he went back to scarfing down his ramen and coffee while she ate more of her shumai.

Inuyasha turned to Miroku, sniffing. "You reek of alcohol."

"Really? No kidding," Miroku replied dourly.

"Oi. Did you go out drinking?"

"A whole bunch of them did. My mother included," she defended.

"Keh, I knew she drank. I remember the night I found her drinking sake in the dark. But I thought I had taught my pups to know better."

"Poor Miroku has a headache," she admitted.

"Really?" Inuyasha replied, then smacked the metal underside of the bed with Tessaiga's sheath making a loud clang.

"Hey!" Miroku complained.

"Oops. Sorry, it slipped."

Miroku rubbed his temples and growled. Inuyasha responded by making Tessaiga's sheath `slip' again. Twice.

"Whoops."

"Stop that!"

"Inuyasha, you'll wake the baby," she scolded.

As if on cue, the newborn began to make hiccupping noises in his bassinet. She glared at her mate, who lowered his ears and looked contrite.

"I'll get him," Miroku offered.

"Oi. You up to it?" Inuyasha questioned.

"I'm fine," he insisted and leaned over the bassinet to look at the infant. "Hey you. How you doing this morning? Do you know you're a whole day old now?"

Kagome saw him reach into the bassinet to carefully pick up the pup and cradle him. She was very pleased to see that he took great care to support the baby's head.

"He shouldn't be hungry or wet. He was just fed and changed twenty minutes ago," she said.

Miroku nodded and lightly rocked the baby, crooning softly under his breath. The infant settled down almost immediately.

"Huh," Inuyasha grunted with appreciation.

"Hmm, looks like you're a natural," she commented.

Miroku looked up at her and smiled.

The next several minutes were devoted to eating. Kagome finished the breakfast brought to her by her sons and nibbled a bit at the one brought by the hospital staff, eating the fruit cup and rice but leaving the "egg" and "miso," as if what they had brought her could have been considered actual food. Both were so bland that they were practically flavorless. She was all for a low sodium diet because of her blood pressure, but they were being a bit extreme.

Her mate and sons ate along with her, consuming the pastries, ramen and coffee Yukio and Miroku had brought with them, then her sons stayed to watch the baby while Inuyasha walked her out to the bathing room for a bath. The hospital staff was shocked to see the two inu-hanyous in the room when they came to get the tray because no one had observed them coming in.

Inuyasha was true to his word as always and muscled his way into the bathing room to help her shower and wash her hair. Luckily, it was so early in the morning shift that the nursing staff hadn't begun giving baths yet so they weren't met with too much resistance. Kagome was certain there would have been more of a scene if it had been just a little later.

Showered, changed and feeling much more human, they returned to her room to find that Izayoi and Tetsu had arrived.

"Good morning, Mama," Tetsu greeted as he came up to her.

"Good morning, sweetheart," she replied, hugging him and scratching his back. He purred his little dragon purr and nuzzled his nose into the junction of her throat and chin happily.

"You're feeling better," he said with a smile when he pulled back.

She nodded. "I am. But I'm still tired."

"That's to be expected," Izayoi commented.

"I know. But my blood pressure is down to 110 over 80 so I'm hoping to be released tomorrow morning," she answered, getting back into bed.

"That's wonderful, Okaa-san," Yukio said.

"Yeah, I'm happy about it. I can't wait to get out of this place."

"You should try to nap," Inuyasha told her, arranging her blankets for her.

"Yes, Mama. You need your rest. We don't mind if you sleep," Tetsu agreed.

"It'll be a while before Mariko and Eri get here, and we can't start without them. Eri would kill us if we named this new pup without her," Izayoi added.

"Ah, the Ritual of Naming," she mused. "How could I have forgotten?"

"You didn't. You just blocked it out," Yukio teased.

"It's just an excuse to aggravate your father," she answered.

Yukio just giggled.

The Ritual of Naming had become somewhat of a tradition in the family. It had begun with Yukio of course, on that day so very long ago when the rest of their companions had bombarded Inuyasha with potential names for their first pup, and it had since become a staple of new pup naming. Inuyasha always pretended to be irritated by the barrage of names, usually just picked for their entertainment value, but she knew that he enjoyed the game as much as the pups did. It was always worse with a son because he was traditionally in charge of the final decision, whereas she was the one who made the definitive choice for all the girls. She had no doubt that today's ritual would be a free-for-all. Even Tetsu appeared to be looking forward to it, but that was probably because it would be his first.

"Oi, you pups better watch it or I'll pound you," Inuyasha threatened.

"Inuyasha, play nice," she warned, but it had no heat because she had to yawn at that exact moment.

"Feh. Go to sleep, wench."

"I shouldn't leave you unchaperoned."

"Keh, we can take care of ourselves," her mate insisted.

"We'll make sure he behaves himself," Yukio promised.

"And we'll take care of the pup while you sleep so you won't have to worry about him," Miroku told her, still holding the newborn.

"We'll all find something to do. I brought a book of baby names to go through," Izayoi said.

"And I brought Otou-san's portfolio like he wanted. I can go get it from the car," Yukio added.

"So don't worry about entertaining us," Tetsu assured her.

"All right, all right. I can take a hint. Wake me if the baby starts to fuss."

"If he needs to be fed, we'll wake you," Izayoi promised.

"Okay," she agreed, looking at her family and smiling softly. "I love you all so much. I don't have the words to tell you how much I love you and how important all of you are to me. I have been so blessed with such a wonderful mate and beautiful children."

They beamed at her and Inuyasha leaned over to kiss her tenderly.

"And we have been blessed with you, Mama," Tetsu answered, misty-eyed.

"Yes, Okaa-san. We love you very much," Izayoi confirmed.

"We couldn't have asked for a better Kaa-san," Yukio said, his voice soft with emotion.

"Rest, Okaa-san. We're here and we'll take care of everything," Miroku added.

She nodded and closed her eyes. The room got quiet and soon a heavy drowsiness settled over her. She knew her mate was there guarding her and she was surrounded by her beloved children. She was safe and secure, and nothing would harm her or her new baby.

"Sleep, koiishi," she heard Inuyasha whisper to her as he kissed her brow tenderly.

She was asleep a few minutes later.

********

Ayumi felt a little nervous as she followed Higurashi Mama through the sliding doors of Hirata Medical Center. When she had stopped by the shrine that morning to inquire how Kagome was doing, she was shocked to find out that her friend had not only given birth to a baby boy, but that there had been severe complications and that her friend had been comatose for 16 hours. As a result, she had readily accepted Mama's invitation to join her, Souta and Jii-chan when they went to visit Kagome. The family cat came as well, hidden in Mama's large handbag. But now, as she stepped through the doors, she was starting to have second thoughts. She had grown up believing the place was a simple clinic staffed by a couple of doctors and some nurses in a few rooms on the first floor. She could hardly believe the nondescript building was actually a full service, multi-story hospital that treated youkai and hanyous.

Everyone she saw looked human, but then Mama had told her that a spell had been cast on the hospital to make everyone look that way. In fact, she was relatively certain that everything she was seeing was an illusion of some kind. It had her jumping out of her skin because she didn't know what was real. The feeling was very unnerving and she didn't like it at all.

"Mama-baachan," came a voice behind them as they walked to the elevators and they turned to see two women coming towards them. One was the Polynesian woman who she had met before with Kagome when they had lunch in the park, but she did not recognize the tall, blonde woman beside her.

"Ah, Eri," Mama greeted.

"Good morning. Jii-chan. Souta," Eri said. "Are you just arriving?"

"Hai," Mama replied. "This is Ayumi. She is a friend of Kagome's from school."

The woman, Eri, offered a hand in a Western-style handshake. "Hello, Ayumi."

"Hello, Eri-san," she replied, adding the honorific for politeness and shaking the offered hand.

"And this is Mariko, Ayumi," Mama introduced.

"Ayumi and I have met before Mama-baachan," Mariko answered, offering her a smile. "It is good to see you again. I am sure my mother will be pleased to see your face."

She bowed nervously and nodded. "I hope so, Mariko-san."

Mariko smiled again as they all got into the elevator and went up to the third floor. The others went ahead but Mariko stayed beside her as they walked down the corridor to Kagome's room.

"Why are you afraid?" Mariko asked her.

"I'm not… not really. Just… nervous. I know this is a youkai hospital. Mama told me so, but everyone looks human."

"That is the Spell of Normalcy at work. Only those who are Gifted or who have had the spell lifted from them will see through it."

"Spell of Normalcy? Is that the illusion spell?"

"One of them, yes. This place has multiple spells on it."

They passed by a nurse in the hall who nodded to them as they walked by.

"Is she a youkai?" she asked.

Mariko nodded. "Yes. Nearly everyone you see will be youkai or of youkai blood."

"And that's why I'm nervous. I can't see what they really are. It's all fake."

"And that frightens you."

"It unnerves me. I don't like not knowing what's real and what isn't."

"That's perfectly understandable."

"I know you have to do it to… to protect yourselves from being discovered, but…"

"But it still makes you nervous."

"Yeah. Gomen. I don't mean to be rude," she apologized shyly.

"It's okay. I'm not offended."

They reached Kagome's room and entered. Ayumi was shocked to see that it was full of people. She recognized Inuyasha only by his face because he had black hair and dark eyes, and his dog ears were gone. The other four people in the room were complete strangers to her. Three were Japanese men and one was a Japanese woman, or at least that was how the spell made them look. She knew from her conversations with Kagome over the past few weeks that all of her `children' were adopted hanyous except for one full-blooded neko-youkai, so none of them really looked like the people she was seeing. They were all concealed in some shape or form, and she had no idea who was who or what was what except for Inuyasha, Kagome and the Higurashis.

Kagome was in the bed holding a baby wrapped in blue. She was smiling at something that was being said as they came in, but all eyes turned towards them as they entered. She hid behind Mama and Mariko so she wouldn't be seen right away, and peered out from behind Mama's shoulder.

"Ah and the mouse chaser has arrived," one of the men enthused with a huge smile. "We can start now!"

"Watch it, boot licker," Eri snapped back, but somehow Ayumi knew she wasn't really angry.

"Ooo, Otou-san, I think she may be hung over. Hit the bottom of the bed with Tessaiga and make her ears ring," the man teased.

"I'll have you know that I am perfectly fine. Unlike you wimpy dogs, I don't get hung over."

"And the cat fight has already started," one of the other men in the room joked.

"Meee-oowwww. Hissssssss," the third man added. This one did look somewhat familiar, although she couldn't place where she had seen him before.

"Okay, that's enough," Inuyasha scolded.

Eri went up to her mother and kissed her. "Good morning, Mom."

"Good morning, Eri. Mariko. Mama. Jii-chan. Souta."

The family cat hopped out of Mama's handbag and jumped up onto the bed with a mew.

"Kirara!" Kagome exclaimed and hugged the cat with one arm.

`That's odd. I thought the cat's name was Buyo.'

"Oh! Ayumi-chan!" Kagome greeted, seeing her for the first time.

"Hai," she replied, feeling even more nervous as all eyes turned to her.

"I'm so glad to see you. Everyone, this is Ayumi. She and I used to go to school together."

She bowed. "Hello everyone."

A chorus of hellos answered her.

She went to stand next to the bed after Mama, Jii-chan and Souta had said their hellos and looked down at the baby who was sleeping in Kagome's arms. Her friend looked tired but happy.

"I stopped by the shrine to see how you were doing and Mama-san offered to let me come along to visit. I hope you don't mind," she explained.

Kagome shook her head. "Oh no, Ayumi-chan. I don't mind at all. Of all my school friends, you're the only one who knows the truth. I'm very happy to see you."

"Mama-san told me what happened when you went into labor. I'm glad that you're going to be all right."

"Me too. It was scary, but we survived."

"Barely, and with no thanks to that asshole doctor," Inuyasha snorted.

"Inuyasha. Language," Kagome warned.

She pointed to the infant. "May I see him?"

Kagome beamed and turned the baby around so his little, sleeping face was visible to her. She couldn't see what color his eyes were, but he had a mass of black hair and two human ears that made her wonder if he was concealed too.

"Ooooh, Kagome, he's so beautiful. He looks like you."

"He got my nose, but he has Inuyasha's chin," Kagome replied.

"Have you decided on a name?"

"Not yet. That's what we're going to do today."

"Oh."

She stepped back and took another look around the room. On the other side of the bed sat Inuyasha and one of the Japanese men. They had put chairs right next to the bed and there was a pile of large papers with what looked like architectural drawings on them spread on a rolling bed tray. Near them and seated closer to the window was the second man. Next to him was the woman, who was closest to the foot of the bed. Eri took the last chair in the room and sat directly at the foot of the bed. On the near side of the bed were herself, the remaining Japanese man, the one who looked slightly familiar, and the Higurashis, all of whom were still standing because there were no more open chairs in the room.

Her nervousness returned and that seemed to draw unwanted attention towards her as a number of the occupants in the room looked her way. She wanted to disappear and escape the scrutiny because it was making her very uncomfortable, but when she moved to take a step back, she ran into Mariko who she had forgotten was directly behind her.

"Would you like to see?" Mariko whispered in her ear.

"Eh?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at the Polynesian woman.

"Would you like to See?"

"You mean, lift the spell like you said?"

Mariko nodded. "I'll lift it if you think it will make you more at ease."

"Oh, yes, please."

"Are you sure? We don't look anything like what you are expecting."

She nodded. "Hai. I know what Inuyasha looks like and he's okay."

"All right then."

Mariko touched her forehead with one finger and a moment later everything seemed to shimmer before her eyes. Suddenly, the human hand that was touching her face became elongated and had grey claws instead of fingernails. It was also missing a finger.

`Four fingers…'

She looked up to see Mariko's true form and gasped. Her nose and mouth were gone and replaced by a beak, and her hair had turned into teal colored feathers.

`She… she looks like a bird!'

Mariko chuckled. "I tried to warn you."

"H… hai, but it's okay. Now I know."

She turned to look at the other occupants of the room. Only Kagome, Mama, Jii-chan and Souta remained the same. Inuyasha, of course, looked just as she remembered him, but three out of the five others looked very much like him with the same white hair and dog ears: two of the men and one of the women. The remaining woman, Eri, had flaming red hair, pointed ears and brilliant green eyes. She also had claws and a set of fangs, and looked almost feline.

`What was it one of them called her? Mouse chaser? Is she the neko?'

The last man had jet-black hair and pale skin that didn't look like human skin once it reached his neck. His face was narrow and his features were very sharp, almost hawk-ish or even reptilian, and his eyes were a vibrant violet that seemed to look right through her. Even the infant had changed and now had his father's silver hair, and a pair of pointed ears where human ears should be instead of dog ones on top of his head. And the family cat had transformed from an obese calico to a sleek white cat with black paws, a black star on her forehead and two black-tipped tails.

`Wow? What is she?'

She turned to one of the men who looked like Inuyasha, the man whose human form had been familiar to her. He was standing very close to her, right next to Kagome's bed.

"Yukio-san?" she tried, hoping she was right.

The room erupted into laughter as the man she had addressed blushed. The other man who looked like Inuyasha stood from where he was seated next to his adopted father and came over to her.

"I'm Yukio," he said with a wide grin. "This…" He reached up and rubbed the blushing man on the head. "This is my otouto, Miroku."

"Otouto?" she repeated, then blushed herself and bowed deeply. "Oh forgive me. I thought… I knew Yukio as a baby and you looked a little familiar…"

"You knew him as a baby?" Miroku asked excitedly. "Oh, can you tell me something good about him? Something really embarrassing?"

"Hey!" Yukio complained and put his brother in a head-lock. "Why I oughta…"

"That's enough," Inuyasha warned, but she just started to giggle at their antics.

`They're just like puppies tousling. I feel more at ease already,' she sighed to herself.

Yukio immediately let Miroku go and returned to his place on the other side of the bed. Both of them were still smiling and chuckling.

"Pssst, you can tell me later, okay?" Miroku whispered conspiratorially.

"I heard that!" Yukio groused.

She blushed further. "Oh, I don't think I know anything like that."

"Anything will do. He's always telling me about things I did as a little pup. I need some ammo for myself."

"I'll… I'll try to remember something."

"Great. So I look familiar?" he questioned hopefully.

She blinked at him and wondered if his expression meant what she thought it did. `Is he… is he flirting with me?'

"Hai," she replied nervously. "When I saw you I thought I had seen you somewhere before."

"Hmmm, you don't look at all familiar to me. Are you in college?"

"Hai." `He is flirting with me. What do I do? What would Kagome think?'

"Where do you go?"

"I start at Meiji this semester." `I can't not answer him. That would be so rude!'

"Hmmm. Never been over to Meiji, but I teach at University of Tokyo."

"University of Tokyo? My older sister goes there." `He is kinda cute. And those ears are adorable...'

"Really? What does she study?"

"Political Science," she answered, casting a glance at Kagome. Her friend looked amused but not distressed or unhappy. `She's not upset so I guess it's okay then…'

He nodded. "I teach history."

"My sister took Introduction to Historical Science last semester."

"What was her name?"

"Kanesaka Maeko."

"Kanesaka... Kanesaka. I think I remember seeing that name on my student list."

She shook her head. "None of her professors were named Fushikenwa."

He waved a hand. "Oh I'm not using Fushikenwa right now. I'm using Kensaiga."

She gasped. "You're Sensei Kensaiga?" `He's the hot young professor my sister and all the girls in her class were gushing about?! Kami-sama! If only they knew!'

He grinned and she was certain he puffed out his chest a bit. "The very same."

"Then I have seen you before. I used to meet my sister on campus for lunch right after your class. I knew you looked familiar." `She talked about you every day. She is going to be so jealous if you ask me out. Oh, I don't care!'

"Wow. Small world, huh."

"Ahem!" an irritated voice interrupted.

She turned to see Eri glaring at Miroku. "Not to interrupt your little mating display, but we have a pup to name and I'm on a schedule."

They both blushed furiously and Miroku sputtered a bit. "It's not like that!"

"Uh huh, sure it isn't. Now I'm ready to get this party started so let's do it."

"Meee-oooow. Hisssssssssss," Yukio teased behind cupped hands.

"Oh shut up," Eri groused, then flipped open a small laptop she had been carrying in her bag. "I've already bookmarked BabyNameAddicts and BabyNames. Provided the satellite link-up doesn't crap out on me, between the two I've got over 50,000 names to choose from."

"Not that you take this seriously or anything," Yukio commented.

"Hey, Tetsu came with his name and I missed Hitomi and Kitarou's namings so I'm making up for lost opportunities."

"And to think there was a time when we actually named our own pups," Inuyasha mused to Kagome.

"I don't think we ever did that," she replied.

"Am I interrupting? I can go..." Ayumi offered. `I don't want to intrude on a private family affair.'

"Oh no, it's okay. We're just going to decide what to name the new pup. It's fine if you stay. It's a lot of fun," Miroku answered.

"Kagome-chan?" she asked, looking at her friend in the bed.

"It's fine for you to stay Ayumi-chan. I don't mind."

"I'll get more chairs," Miroku announced.

"Okay," Kagome said.

Miroku left the room and returned a few minutes later carrying six chairs stacked on top of each other.

`Wow. He's strong,' she thought as she helped him distribute the chairs, blushing when he winked at her. `Okay, he's cuter than Inuyasha. And he seems happier and less violent.'

"All right. Before we begin The Ritual of Naming are there any specific meanings or names you already have in mind?" the woman who looked like Inuyasha asked once they all had taken seats around the bed.

Kagome and Inuyasha looked at each other and then shook their heads.

"No not really, Izayoi, but I was thinking the name should be special," Kagome replied.

"Keh! All our pups' names are special," Inuyasha corrected.

"I meant, the name should mean `gift' or `blessing' or something like that, to honor how blessed we are to have him."

"Okay. Gift..." Eri said, typing on her laptop.

"Shay," the woman, Izayoi, offered, looking in a book she had in her lap. "It's Gaelic. It means gift."

"Okay, so we open with `Shay.' Votes for Shay?" Yukio announced very much like an auctioneer would do. It confused Ayumi to no end because she had been expecting a solemn service.

"No," Inuyasha answered.

"Ok, no on Shay," Yukio said.

"Why?" Izayoi asked.

"I never say yes to the first name. Besides I don't like it."

"Okay, next?"

"Tudor," Eri said. "It's Welsh. It means Divine Gift."

"It's also a type of house. No."

"Ted?"

"No."

"Hercules?"
"No."

"Darin?"

"No."

"Keitaro?"

"Hmmm... maybe."

"Okay one maybe on Keitaro," Yukio announced, writing it down.

`What is this?' Ayumi wondered.

"Look no more! I've got it!" Eri exclaimed.

"Oh this is gonna be good," Miroku smirked, giving Ayumi another wink. He'd taken the seat right next to her.

"Barke," Eri stated.

"Barke?" Inuyasha repeated, one eyebrow raised. Kagome just snickered.

"It's African. It means Blessings."

"Just say the word, Otou-san and I'll pitch her out the window," Yukio replied.

Both Inuyasha and Kagome took deep breaths and spoke in unison, "No."

"Phuc. It's Vietnamese. It means Blessing too," Eri countered.

"Phuc? You want me to name my son Phuc."

"At least now we know why the Americans lost the war. They were too busy laughing," the man with violet eyes commented.

"Ooo! Good one Tetsu!" Miroku enthused, clapping.
`This isn't like any naming ritual I've ever heard about,' Ayumi thought to herself.

"Are we in agreement that Phuc is a no?" Yukio asked.

"Yes!"

"Ionakana means God Gives in Hawaiian," Mariko said.

"Hmmm, that's pretty," Kagome replied.

"Nothing with kana in it. Sounds too much like Kanna," Inuyasha nixed.

"Why not a Cree name? We live in Cree country in Alberta," Yukio suggested.

"Kaneonuskatew," Izayoi responded, looking in her book. "It's Cree for One who Walks on Four Claws."

"I make it a point never to name a pup something I can't scream easily," Inuyasha answered.

"That was a mouthful," Kagome agreed.

"Yaholo. It means One Who Yells. Not sure of the tribe though. It doesn't specify," Izayoi said.

"No, I do the yelling in this family."

"Don't we know it!"

`This... this is a game,' she suddenly realized as more names were tossed about and Inuyasha said no to all of them. `Half of them are suggested just so he'll say no.'

"Bono."

"No."

"Anoki," she offered, just to put one out there. `This is fun!'

"No," Inuyasha answered, but he said it gently and gave her a nod.

Miroku grinned at her and raised an eyebrow. She blushed and sat back to watch the free-for-all.

"Rashid," Izayoi said.

"No."

"Dragon?"

"Nice one Tetsu, but no."

"Connor."

"No."

"Caleb. It means Faithful," Eri offered.

"It also means dog," Izayoi corrected, looking in her book.

"No," Inuyasha answered, glaring at Eri. She stuck her tongue out at him and smirked.

"Gawonii," Izayoi said.

"What the hell is that?"

"It's Algonquin for He's Speaking," Izayoi answered.

"No."

"Tamahere. It means the Loved Child," Mariko suggested.

"You're all my loved children. No."

`Awww. That was so sweet,' Ayumi thought.

"Kaemon," Mama offered.

"Oh that's pretty Mama. Yukio mark Kaemon down," Kagome replied.

"Okay."

"Souta!" Souta exclaimed.

"One of you is enough in this family. No."

"Awww," the boy pouted.

"No," Inuyasha repeated firmly, but his eyes twinkled.

Ayumi giggled. `They're really enjoying this, aren't they.'

"Aiden," Izayoi read from her book.

"No."

"Spike."

"NO!"

"Xerxes."

"How do you spell that? No, never mind. No."

"Asho."

"No."

"Barbod."

"No. Where are you getting these?"

"They're Persian," Eri answered.

"Like the cat?"

"Ummm..."

`She just loves cat and dog jokes, but it looks like they're used to it,' Ayumi mused.

"Keiji," Jii-chan suggested.

"That was Great-Grandfather's name, wasn't it Jii-chan?"

"Yes."

"Yukio put that one down."

"Okay."

"Donato."

"No."

"Rafael."

"No."

"Leonardo."

"No. Quit it with the Italian names."

"Nathan."

"No."

"Jasper."

"No."

"Makoto."

"No."

"Toshi."

"No."

"Dayshaun."

"No."

"Angus."

"Like the cattle?" Inuyasha asked.

"No. It's Gaelic. It means unique strength," Izayoi corrected.

"It also means `steak' to me. No."

"Bairn."

"No."

"Namid."

"No."

"Wicasa."

"No."

"Dakota. It means friend."

"Nice but no."

"Julian."

There was a pause and they all looked to Inuyasha who had a pensive expression on his face.

"Is that a maybe on Julian?" Yukio asked.

"I like it," Kagome said.

"No, but... But it gave me an idea."

"An idea? This could be dangerous," Eri teased.

"Shut up!"

"Wait, wait. Let him speak. Otou-san what is your idea?" Yukio broke-in.

"Well... When we first moved to Alberta and opened the Calgary office back in the 1920's, one of the first men to apply for the construction crew was an Irish immigrant who had no education, no skills and nothing but the clothes on his back. But he was a hard worker and he didn't mind working for a Jap as they called us back then."

"Still do in some places," Miroku corrected.

Inuyasha ignored him. "I took a chance on him and gave him a job because I'd started out with nothing too."

"I know who you're talking about," Yukio said.

Kagome nodded as well.

"His name was Ian O'Flagherty and he became the best foreman I've ever had. He helped me build our house in the highlands, and worked for me for almost sixty years. He was a reliable man and a good friend until the very end. He died five years ago."

Ayumi was positive she heard sadness in Inuyasha's voice for the last bit and felt a pang in her heart. `I wonder if he's had to watch a lot of friends die. That must be so hard. It's good he has Kagome. She'll live as long as he does like she told me.'

"I remember Ian well. He and his family always came to the company picnics. He had the cutest little boy, remember? I think he name was Stephen?" Kagome commented fondly.

"Yeah," Inuyasha confirmed. "And his wife always packed him these huge lunches so he'd have enough food to share with anyone in the crew who couldn't afford to bring any."

"Until you started ordering catered lunch for all your men when you found out some of them were too proud to tell you they had no food," Kagome reminded.

`Wow, that was really nice of him,' Ayumi thought.

"Yeah. I remember Ian was really touched by that. He always thought very highly of me and I always thought the world of him. He did great work when we built the house."

"Yes, he did. He laid all the tile in the bathrooms. The seals are still solid even after all these years," Kagome agreed.

"Yeah."

"Ian. It means God is Gracious," Izayoi supplied helpfully.

"Kagome, I want to name this pup Ian, in memory of him," he said, looking at his wife with hopeful eyes.

"I agree. It is a fitting name," Kagome replied.

"Any objections to Ian?" Yukio asked, looking around.

The room was silent.

"Ian it is," he announced with a broad grin.

Inuyasha reached over and took the baby, who had been sleeping throughout the whole ordeal, and presented him to those gathered in the room.

"Ian. This pup's name is Ian."

"Ian," they all repeated.

Ian took that moment to open a pair of huge golden eyes and wail at the top of his little lungs.

"I still think we should have named him Yaholo," Eri said, covering her ears.

"Shut up!" Inuyasha yelled, proving that, in spite of his newborn son's protests, he still held that title in the family, and handed the crying infant to his mother for feeding. "Pup's gonna have to howl a hell of a lot louder than that before he out does me."

"And this is something to be proud of?" Kagome teased back as Ian quieted down to eat.

"Oi!"

Everyone just laughed at Inuyasha's expense, but he didn't seem to really mind.

"I should just pound all of you," he threatened.

"Still a hot-tempered, violent jerk," Ayumi joked with an embarrassed smile.

"Oh not you too! I've matured since then!"

That only made the others laugh more. Beside her Miroku flashed her the `thumbs-up' sign and smiled.