InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ To Blot out the Sun ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

He entered the tent, lay down on the bed laid out for him, and promptly joined his wife and son in slumber. He slept so deeply that night that he missed the few times his son began to whimper and cry, missed the way his wife stirred and quickly soothed the infant back to sleep. He missed the way her eyes lingered on his still face in the night as she watched him with tender, shining blue eyes.

He finally awoke hours after sunrise to find the others asleep. Still half asleep, he felt like he was in a fog as he struggled to remember the last twenty-four hours. A soft coo from the small bassinette beside his wife quickly reminded him. He was a father now.

He didn't even realize he was moving until he found himself sitting at the foot of the little bed his son slept in. Kaede was right, he certainly did look a lot better now than he had last night. He has been wrong when he though the baby looked nothing like either of them. Swaddled in a soft, pure white blanket, his son was an exact miniature copy of him.

Perfect downy tufts of silver hair hid the two little folds of skin Inuyasha knew to be there. He reached out and gently touched the flawless skin covering the place where human ears would have been. His fingers ghosted over his son's forehead, his little nose, and his eyelids as he was consumed by a soul searing awe that threatened to reduce him to tears. A day ago, his child was little more than an abstraction in his mind. It didn't seem real.

Now, he felt consumed by the emotions the tiny being stirred within him: wonder, fear, joy, love, and even a little bit of dread. He didn't know the first thing about being a father. He was terrified of making a mistake with his son, of not knowing what he was supposed to do with him. He'd never really had a father himself, how could he ever know the right way to do things?

“He's so much like you.” Her soft whisper broke his train of thought as he turned his head to look at her. She looked exhausted, but undeniably happy. There was a tenderness in the way she looked at their baby that showed she would be an excellent mother. She'd know what to do when he didn't. She was born for this, and he'd just have to follow her lead. Possibly for the first time ever, he could honestly say he was happy to have her as a wife.

“Yeah,” he answered dumbly. He didn't know what else to say to that. The kid was his copy. They sat in silence for a while, just taking in the newness of their situation. He looked at his son a little more before turning his eyes to her. She surrounded by white: white bedding, white pillows, white nightgown. Her fair skin looked radiant, practically glowing as the early morning sunlight filtered into the tent and reflected off the bedding. She seemed enchanted by the baby lying at her side. Slowly, her eyes left the baby and turned towards him. She smiled at him and he found himself giving her a small one back. He felt peaceful for a moment, sitting in silence with his new child and newly appreciated wife. Maybe he couldn't love her in the way Kaede had talked about, maybe he'd never truly feel any passion for her, maybe their relationship would never be more than that of companions, but that didn't matter now. She was the mother of his child, the woman who gave him life, and he could never forget that.

The silence did them good, but it was short lived as their son soon began to squirm, whimper, and eventually wail, jolting Kagome from the light doze she'd fallen into and sending Inuyasha into the beginnings of panic. He was just starting to get used to a quiet, sleeping baby; he wasn't prepared to deal with a crying one. Fortunately, one of them knew what to do.

“There, darling, don't cry,” she cooed gently as she took him in her arms. His fussy son quieted as soon as he felt the softness of him mother's chest against his cheek. He gurgled quietly for a moment before opening his golden orbs to look up at her adoring face. “Hello, my love,” she said softly.

Inuyasha stared at them silently. There was nothing he could say as he watched his son's unfocused stare linger on his mother's face, or the way she tenderly brushed her hand along his head, letting her fingertips trace his still folded ears softly. He marveled at the way her simple presence seemed to put their son at ease enough for him to once again close his eyes and quickly fall asleep. They sat there for a while, neither one saying a word, both in awe of the little being resting in her arms.

“I can't believe he's really here,” she whispered finally. She glanced up at him and gave him a brilliant smile before looking back down at the slumbering infant. “I've spent so many nights dreaming about him and wondering what he'd look like and now that he's finally here, in my arms, after so many months, I just can't believe it's true.”

He didn't know how to answer her. He could lie and say he'd had those dreams too; that he'd lost sleep imagining what the child would look like, but the truth was he never had. Up until the moment he laid eyes on his son, he'd never really internalized the idea that he was having a baby. He felt guilty admitting it, but it was the truth. He hadn't been around to watch her belly grow or to feel his kicks against his palm. This baby really hadn't been a part of his life, in any way, until he was born less than a day ago.

For that reason, the intensity of the feeling assaulting him terrified him. How was it possible to come to love another person so much, literally overnight? How could he feel such devastating pride at seeing a healthy baby, his healthy baby, safely snuggled against his mother's breast? He tried to swallow the lump in his throat for the umpteenth time and blink away the hot moisture that had gathered in his eyes with no success. He felt a single tear trail down his cheek, but before he could swipe it away on his sleeve, her soft hand came and gently wiped it away. It lingered there for a moment before dropping down to clasp one his hands in his lap. “Thank you,” he rasped out softly before clearing his throat and looking up at her face, “thank you,” He repeated, “for him. You…you did good. Really good.” He didn't know what else to say to her. It sounded stupid, even to his own ears, but he felt it, and it needed to be said.

She laughed softly and squeezed his hand. “You don't need to thank me, Inuyasha. It's thanks to you that I have him. It's thanks to you,” she said seriously, “that I have a family again.” She let go of his hand and moved her own to cup their son's head gently. “Thank you.”

“You…uh, miss them, don't you?” He asked awkwardly, knowing the answer but wanting to get her talking. Miroku said something about talking making the time go by quicker, didn't he?

“Every day.” She answered simply before falling silent once again. “They'd be so proud of our son.”

“What were they like?” He asked, real curiosity taking hold of him. He knew next to next to nothing about her past and since they had nothing better to do, he figured they might as well talk about that.

She smiled softly, wistfully, and her eyes filled with tears for a moment before she blinked them away. “I loved my family very much. They were my whole world. You know, my father served yours for many years before your father died. From what I hear, they were good friends too. My father always spoke highly of King Inutashio. He told us he was an honorable king, a good man. My father was generally a man of few words so for him to speak so highly of someone was truly unusual. He was away a lot, but he was very good to us. He loved my mother and us dearly and he died protecting us the night our home was invaded.”

She stopped talking for a while and simply stared into space, her eyes glazed over with the memories she was probably reliving. Inuyasha sat awkwardly, tracing a strange design on the carpet below him with his claw, waiting for her to continue, but when she didn't, he pressed on. “And your mother?”

She blinked suddenly before smiling again and looking down at the child in her arms. “My mother was an incredible woman. She was soft spoken and gentle, but firm at the same time. She showered Souta and I with love and affection always. We never had nannies or caretakers like other noble children did. She raised us herself. When we were sick, she was the one who nursed us back to health. She put us to bed every night and told us the most wonderful stories.” She looked up at him warmly, “I still remember her voice. It was so beautiful, so sweet. She was always there to chase away the nightmares with comforting words. I hope I can be as good of a mother to our son as she was to me.”

“And then there was my brother, Souta.” She continued, her voice cracking with emotion for the first time since she'd begun speaking. “Souta was six years younger than I. When my mother got pregnant with him, I was ecstatic. I wanted a brother so badly and I prayed to the gods every night that the baby would be a boy. I don't even remember why I wanted him to be a boy so badly, but when he was, I felt like my life was perfect. I loved Souta more than anything in the world. He was my best friend and playmate, the apple of my eye. When I started my education, I'd finish my lessons only to go over them again as I tried to teach him everything I had learned, even when he was to young to understand.” She smiled sadly and he saw a few tears fall into their son's blanket before she could wipe them away. “Loosing him hurt the most.”

He didn't remember his father's death, but he did remember his mother's. He remembered the fire, the screams, the blood, everything. He knew what it felt like to lose your whole world in a night. Even though she hadn't said so directly, he could tell that the night her family died still haunted Kagome, and for that, he was sorry. “Hey, don't cry,” he said a little gruffly as he reached over to wipe the tears from her face. “It's the past. You have a family now.”

“I know,” she murmured with a watery smile as her bottomless azure eyes met his.

He couldn't explain the sudden anxiety that gripped him and made his heart speed up in his chest or the way her smile seemed to trigger a strange warmth to flow through him. He didn't know why, but it was only then that he truly realized how beautiful his wife was. It was as though he were seeing the flawlessness of her skin and the sincere, fathomless splendor of her eyes. If he stopped to think, he'd be confused. If he'd bothered to wonder where this was all coming from, he would have thought himself crazy. But he didn't. He couldn't bring himself to think or wonder anything. It was just him and her, together, seeing each other for what felt like the first time.

They could have sat there for hours, but their son had other plans. The baby's stirring and sharp cry ripped them from their little fantasy moment and brought Inuyasha back to reality. He watched absentmindedly as Kagome hushed the baby before sliding her nightgown off her shoulder and settling the child against her to nurse. Though his eyes were present, his mind was occupied with thoughts of how stupidly he had been acting. Hot embarrassment coursed through him and replaced the pleasant warmth she had evoked in him earlier. What the fuck was wrong with him? All it takes is a baby and a little sleep depravation for him to be acting like a lovesick weakling with a woman he could barely stand a week ago? By the gods, what would his brother have though of him if he'd seen something like that? For the first time, he was thankful for the solitude of the tent and figured this was probably why the eight days had been instituted; to save the faces of the many fathers who seemed to loose their backbones in the presence of their newborns.

He lingered there stupidly, unsure as to whether he should look on or avert his eyes to preserve her modesty. As he finally fixed his eyes on the patterned carpet below him, he realized that although they were married and had a baby together, he'd never actually seen his wife naked before. They'd had sex only once and even then, he was so against their marriage and angry with her for her connection to it that the whole ordeal had been a miserable chore rather than a pleasurable experience. He hadn't looked at her as he led her towards their marital bed or as he went around the room blowing out all of the candles and lamps that lit it. This wasn't a fucking fairy tale where the protagonists would make love in a candlelit room. There was no love to be made; just fucking to be done, and he didn't need light to do that. He finally turned to look at her and grasp her upper arms to lean her back onto the bed, knowing she couldn't see a damn thing in the complete darkness that surrounded them. “Relax,” he'd told her gruffly as he stripped her and then himself quickly, never letting his eyes move away from her face. She shouldn't be so nervous, he'd thought, she wasn't seventeen anymore.

They'd been married for almost three years, yet he'd always put off sleeping with her with some military campaign or other until his brother put his foot down and demanded that he consummate his marriage immediately or risk not inheriting the lands left to him by their father. That's why they found themselves in that darkened room, finally naked and about to do what husbands and wives had been doing since the beginning of time. There was no love here, only a strong sense of duty. But he wasn't an animal. He wasn't rough with her that night as he took her virginity and watched a few tears slip out from under her tightly closed eyes. Knowing there would be no real pleasure in the act for either of them that night, he finished as quickly as he could without hurting her and quickly lifted himself from his place on top. He cleaned himself, redressed, and left the room quickly, never once having looked down from her face during the entire episode. That's why now, sitting on the cushioned ground of the birthing tent with his wife and son only a few feet away, he didn't know whether or not he should watch her feed him from her naked breast.

But she was his wife and there was nothing sexual about the situation. She was just feeding their child. It was ok for him to look, right? It's not like it would make him lust after her, would it? When his seemingly endless string of awkward questions died down in his mind and he convinced himself to look up to see what was happening, it was over. Her nightgown had been righted and their previously nursing son was now resting against her shoulder as she patted his back gently. “What are you doing?” He asked.

“Burping him.” She answered with a knowing smile. What was it with her? Was she always this smiley or was this a new development? When he didn't say anything else, she figured he had no idea what she was talking about and continued, “It keeps him from getting gassy and fussy later. If they don't burp, they can get uncomfortable,” she explained patiently.

“Oh,” he replied dumbly. She seemed to know exactly what to do at all times to care for their son while he didn't even know where to begin. He wasn't used to being inept and it was uncomfortable for him to admit that he was very much so in this area.

“Don't worry, Inuyasha,” she added, as though she could sense his discomfort, “he's only a day old. It'll come to you.”

“Keh.”

She smiled at him again before lowering their son back into the cradle of her arms. Inuyasha could see his little eyelids drooping as he was lulled back to sleep. “Would you like to hold him?”

He felt his mouth go dry as he thought of the first and only time he'd held his son and the way the little being had shrieked in his hold. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea, but he couldn't deny that he wanted to. Seeing her hold and coddle him all this time had made him a little envious, so he agreed and held his arms out for her to place the baby in.

Immediately, their son was wide-awake again. His unfocused stare darted around as his little nose furiously sniffed at the scent that had displaced his mother's. Inuyasha could see his son growing more and more upset, even as he tried to soothe him by rocking him the way he'd seen Kagome do before, until finally he let out an ear-piercing howl that had his nervous father handing him quickly back to his mother.

“There, there, darling, don't cry,” She whispered as she rocked the distraught infant and gently ran her hand along his head.

“He…,” Inuyasha began, unable to keep a hint of dejection from seeping into his voice as he realized just why his son seemed so wary of him, “he doesn't know me.”

“Of course he doesn't, Inuyasha, he's a day old, he doesn't know anyone,” she answered.

“That's not what I mean,” he continued, “I know he doesn't know anyone consciously, but he's a hanyou, Kagome, he knows people by scent and stuff.” He paused uncertainly, suddenly embarrassed by what he was about to say, “He should know me, I'm his father, but he doesn't, and I'm pretty sure I know why that is.”

He saw her eyes soften in his direction, as she understood what he was trying to say. “It's not your fault,” she assured him.

“Yes it is,” he barked back irritably, though she knew it wasn't directed at her, “I should have spent more time with you while you were pregnant. I should have been around more so he could hear my voice and smell me on you when he was born, but I wasn't, and now my own son thinks I'm a stranger trying to take him away from his mother.”

She saw the hurt in his eyes as he admitted what they both knew out loud and couldn't help but feel sorry for him. “Don't torment yourself over that now,” she said gently. “He's here now and so are you. He'll come to understand if you keep trying. You can still be here for him and show him who you are.”

“You're right,” he answered with a firm nod after pondering what she'd said for a moment. “I want him to know who I am. I know what it's like to not know your father and I don't want that for him. I'll do whatever it takes.”

“Just be here.” She whispered.

“I will.”

They watched their son fall asleep before she gently laid him back down in his own bedding. Just watching him was quickly becoming their favorite pastime, so they indulged wordlessly. When Inuyasha's eyes finally broke away from the slumbering infant to glance up at his wife, he found her asleep in what couldn't be a comfortable position. Propped up on so many pillows, she'd surely have a sore neck to add to her already undoubtedly aching body when she woke up. “Silly woman,” he huffed, but got up to move her anyways.

Slipping his arm under her shoulders, he lifted her top half from the mound of pillows and leaned her against his chest instead. He pulled all but two of the pillows away before laying her down again, taking care to not catch her hair under her shoulders. Would it be wrong to run his fingers through it to see if it was truly as silky as he thought? He didn't really think too hard on the subject before allowing himself to do so.

It was softer than he imagined. As he ran his hands through the inky strands, he allowed himself to think that it felt good to be with her like this. Maybe they could spend more time together, even after their time in the tent was over. It'd be good for their son, right? To see them together? He thought so, and for his son, he'd do anything. As he moved from his seat over to his own bed for a nap, he thought that perhaps he could be with Kagome, really be with her, for their son. Maybe it could happen and maybe he could be happy about it too. Maybe…

* * *

“What the fuck was I thinking?” He asked himself for the hundredth time as he lay motionlessly in his bed. He hadn't been awake for very long, yet he was already wide awake and questioning his prior judgment. The entire day he'd acted like some sort of senseless idiot, contemplating some romantic future with a woman who was still practically a stranger to him. When he remembered the fact that he'd even gone so far as to run his fingers through her hair, he couldn't help but cringe at his own foolishness.

It simply wasn't ok for him to behave this way. He wasn't in love with her and he had no intentions of ever being so, so he needed to control himself to avoid giving her any ideas. Gods knew the woman was soft as it was, with all her senseless smiling and soft-spoken presence, he didn't need to add to it by making her hope for any kind of romantic love from him. He couldn't love her ever, not as she was. What she lacked in backbone couldn't be made up for with sweetness. Truly, she was just a sweet simpleton, and that was precisely why he couldn't love her.

The baby began to stir before she did and, though the last thing he wanted was to keep interacting with her, he moved to wake her before their son really got upset. “Kagome,” he said quietly as he shook her shoulder. “Kagome wake up, the baby,”

“Hmmm,” she whined while burrowing into the bedding for a moment before opening her eyes. “What time is it?” she asked groggily.

“Almost sunset from what I can tell,” he answered blankly, trying very hard not to notice how adorable she looked as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “He's waking up.”

His words came just an instant before the first cry rang out. The strong, shrill cry that came from the infant's mouth and forced Inuyasha to press his delicate ears to his skull reminded them both that he was definitely Inuyasha's son. His grimace must have been amusing, because she let out a light laugh before reaching up to lightly trace the distressed appendages. “Hand him to me?”

He shook off the shock that bolted through him when she touched his ears and went over to pick up the wailing baby. The screams didn't escalate as he though they would when he pick the child up, but neither did they quiet, so he rushed back to hand him over to the one person capable of quieting him. She'd propped herself back up on the mountain of pillows and was ready to take the little noisemaker from him. “Oh, you stink, baby,” she chimed playfully.

Now that she mentioned it, he noticed it too. Their son reeked. Inuyasha couldn't help but acknowledge the boy's right to cry over a smell like that. If he didn't know better, he'd probably be crying too. “Can you hand me that bag over there?” she asked with an elbow point towards a large leather satchel laying near the entrance.

She changed him quickly with what Inuyasha could only assume was practiced ease. She cleaned him gently and rewrapped him in a new soft cloth diaper, tying the ends in small but secure knots. She had him cleaned, redressed, and quiet in the time it probably would have taken him to unravel his dirty diaper without cutting through it with his claws. He'd have to content himself with being her porter for the time being, fetching this and that and putting the dirty bundle she wrapped up for him outside the entrance flap for one of the maids to pick up.

“Thank you for helping me so much,” she said with a smile after she'd settled the baby to her chest to nurse. “I really appreciate it.”

“Keh, don't worry about it. You shouldn't push yourself yet. `Sides, its not like I have anything else to do.”

She smiled at him again, but this time he noticed it falter and turn into a grimace before she looked down at their son and readjusted him on her breast. He'd seen her grimace a few times while feeding their son, but it was always so fleeting he thought he may he imagining it. This time, he was sure of what he saw. “Does it hurt?” He asked.

“Not as much as giving birth,” she joked. When his face didn't change, she answered him more seriously. “It does. He tugs hard, but it's normal and I'm sure I'll get used to it.” She was quiet after that and he found himself focusing on her face.

It didn't take much to see that she was minimizing what she felt for his benefit. She couldn't hold back the frequent winces of pain or the little whimpers he only heard because he was listening for them. “We could get a wet nurse for him once we're out of here.”

“I'd rather not.” She responded. “He's my child and I want to be the one to nurse him. I'm sure it only hurts now because I'm not used to it. I'll get over it.”

The conviction in her voice surprised him, but he didn't argue. If she wanted to feed him, fine. He was only suggesting the wet nurse for her benefit. It's not like he really cared either way.

“I wish his grandparents could be here to meet him,” she said suddenly, “He'll never get to meet them.”

He'd never had grandparents, but he figured she had at some point from the twinge of sadness that had seeped into her voice. “He's got Kaede, doesn't he? She'll be kind of like a grandmother, I guess,” he ventured.

“You're right,” She conceded. “But I still wish our parents could have been here to meet him.”

He didn't voice his agreement, but he truly did feel the same way. He'd been thinking a lot about his parents lately, especially his mother. She would have adored his son. He didn't really know what his father would think, but he liked to believe the old man would also be fond of his son. But they'd never know, would they? Both sets of parents were dead, he reminded himself, and there was no use dwelling on a fantasy that could never come true. His already sullen mood only soured in the brief silence that followed. The sound of approaching footsteps was a welcome distraction. “Someone's coming,” he told his wife.

He glanced over at her as he moved towards the entrance of the tent, waiting for whoever was coming to get close enough for him to smell. “Kaede,” he asserted once the old woman came within the range of his nose, “but she's not alone.”

“She's probably here to check on us,” she said while gesturing towards the infant perched on her shoulder.

It only took a few moments before the old woman entered the tent. “Ah Kagome, Inuyasha,” she acknowledged with a smile and a nod. “Is everything well?”

“Yes, Kaede, everything is fine,” Kagome assured her.

“I thought it would be wise to come and check on you myself and have some attendants bring water for a bath.”

Inuyasha couldn't help but chuckle at the way Kagome's face lit up at the mere mention of a bath. His wife's affinity for daily baths was well known. Kaede was here to bring her favorite present.

“But first I need to check you so please give Inuyasha the baby.” She instructed. She caught the awkward stares the two exchanged and when no one moved, she spoke again. “Is something the matter?”

“He doesn't like it when I hold him,” Inuyasha answered bluntly.

“I see,” Kaede responded. “It's quite normal, I assure you. You just have to hold him until he gets used to it, even if he cries at first. Comfort him when he cries, but don't hand him over. He will learn your scent quickly if you do this.”

“Keh.” He huffed, but moved to take the baby from Kagome's arms anyhow. Not surprisingly, the first cry rang out even before he was fully out of Kagome's arms. Loud, ringing cries filled the tent as the little boy squirmed to get out of his father's hold. But Inuyasha was determined and instead of quickly handing his son over to his wife, he gathered him to his chest and bounced him gently the way he'd seen Kagome do before.

He turned his back to the two women to give them some privacy and focus on the screaming infant in his arms. It felt like the seconds were dragging by as he tried to comfort and quiet the distressed child. He bounced him and rocked him and stroked the back of his head the way he'd seen Kagome do until the screams finally died down to whimpers. He certainly wasn't happy, but at least he wasn't screaming anymore.

He heard Kagome groan from behind him before the scent of fresh blood reached his nose. “What's going on?”

“It's alright, Inuyasha, I'm nearly finished,” Kaede assured him with a steady voice.

“Kagome?”

“I'm fine,” she assured him tensely. He could tell she was in pain and that knowledge unsettled him. What the fuck was Kaede doing to her?

“Alright, all finished,” Kaede finally announced. “Inuyasha, put the baby down and come help me prepare Kagome's bath.”

He placed his son into his little bassinette before turning back to face the two women. Kagome was lying back in her bedding looking as pale as the sheets around her. Though she smiled at him, she couldn't hide that she was in pain.

Between him and Kaede, the bath was quickly prepared and a large screen put up to give Kagome some privacy. She tried to stand up alone, but her legs were weak and he instead carried her over to the tub. He didn't miss the bloodstain left on the bedding or the way she whimpered when he moved her. “Thanks,” she whispered breathlessly as he set her down.

Wordlessly, he went back over to his son and scooped the sleeping baby up. He was surprised when his son didn't wake up, but was thankful for the chance to simply sit and hold him. He could hear Kaede helping Kagome into the bath and the hiss that followed the initial splash of water. “My, how he's changed.”

He looked up to see old Kaede settling herself across from him. “Sure has.” He conceded. She wasn't lying when she'd said he wouldn't always be red and wrinkly. “Is she ok?” He asked her.

From the way the smile slipped from her old face, he could tell that she wasn't expecting his total bypass of pleasantries. “Well?”

“She'll be alright.” She said cautiously. “She's still very uncomfortable, though. It was a very difficult birth and it'll probably take a while for her to fully recover.”

“Was it that bad?”

“Look at your son's hands, Inuyasha,” she told him. He did and immediately understood why she'd asked him to. Soft little claws adorned all ten fingers. “They are soft still, but I assure you, they are hard enough to cause significant damage. That's where the blood is coming from.”

“What can you do?”

“There is little I can do other than help keep her comfortable and clean. It will heal on it's own, but it'll be painful for a while.”

“Why didn't she say anything?” He asked. He'd been with her the whole day and other than the time when she was nursing, she never seemed to be in pain.

“For your benefit, most likely.” Kaede answered plainly. “She doesn't like to complain.”

“Hm,” was all he replied.

“I must ask you to abstain from sex with her for at least two months until the mating ceremony.” She added sternly.

“Of course.” He answered her. It's not like he slept with Kagome anyways…

If Kaede noticed he was being unusually passive, she didn't mention it and they fell into a comfortable silence as they waited for Kagome to finish.

The rest of the evening passed by quietly. They ate the mean Kaede and the servants had brought and drank their tea, occasionally talking about this or that, but mostly remaining quiet. Kaede gave Kagome some strange smelling herbal tea that had her drowsy almost immediately, so she settled down to nurse the baby once more before it took full effect. No sooner had the baby been fed, burped, and handed off to Inuyasha than she was sound asleep.

Kaede lingered for a little while longer to teach him how to change a diaper. He tried several times, but finally gave up with a huff and handed him off to Kaede, insisting he'd never have to do it anyways. The old woman chuckled lightly as she changed the fussy baby who was quickly becoming annoyed at changing arms so frequently.

“I will be back tomorrow,” she said once she was ready to leave them for the night.

“Keh.” Was his reply as he watched the old woman leave and was left alone with his sleeping wife and child.

It didn't take long for him to flop down on his bedding and realize that he was dreadfully bored, not to mention restless. In the past day, he'd had to deal with more emotions than he had in the entire year before it. He wasn't good with feelings and frankly tried to keep himself as detached as possible from everything and everyone around him. It didn't look like that would be possible for him anymore.

He knew he could never keep the safe distance he was accustomed to with his son. He wanted the kid to have what he never did: a father who was around. Sure, it wasn't his old man's fault he'd died and was never in his life, but that didn't mean he didn't resent him for it. His mother had been through hell in trying to raise a half-breed, prince or no, alone. He didn't love Kagome, but that didn't mean he wanted that for her. Sure, he was the king now and no one would dare insult him or his children publicly, but that didn't mean that they accepted them.

There would always be people, human and demon alike, who would resent the concept of his mixed blood. He knew some of his subjects hated him and would want nothing more than to have him rot in a ditch somewhere. He knew it was only fear that kept the majority of them at bay. They couldn't hope to defeat him, so they lowered their heads and followed his lead. He offered them stability and protection, a safe city where they'd always have food. Though he acted like it sometimes, Inuyasha was no fool.

He growled softly as the countless insults he'd been taunted with filtered through his mind.

“Filthy…”

He'd heard the scathing whispers his mother's human ears missed. He saw the way they looked at him when her back was turned.

“Abomination…”

He remembered being alone after her murder and not being able to find refuge in any village because of what he was.

“…shouldn't be allowed to live…”

“…should have been drowned at birth…”

“…contaminated, disgusting being…”

He'd had no one to protect him, no one to shield him for the hateful world, but his son would. He'd make sure the little boy always had a place in the world. His child would have better than what he had had. Inuyasha's son would be a happy child with two parents if he had anything to say about it, and as the king, he certainly would.

“I am the king,” he said quietly with a smirk, “and my word is the law.”