InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Transformations ❯ The Best Surprises Are Your Own ( Chapter 63 )

She only hoped her mother wouldn't have a heart attack. So what if there were over three hundred of them now? They'd had five centuries to breed! Kagome was truly surprised that there weren't a thousand by now. With the rate of increase moving as it was. . .Oh darn. Math was still a problem and now it gave her a headache. She groaned and leaned back, staring up at the roof of the car.

I'm almost home, Mama. I hope you like the surprises. There's about 350 of them.

Sixty Two

Kagome came up the Shrine steps running and stood at the top for several moments, get used to the smell again. It wasn't until Inuyasha and Maru made it to her that she noticed certain scents were missing. Scents that she was waiting over five centuries to smell again.

"Where's Mama, and Souta, and Grandpa?" she asked no one. She went into the house with her mate and daughter trailing behind. She sniffed around the kitchen and figured that they'd been gone for a few hours, judging by the thinness of the scents. She found a note on the fridge.

"Kagome - Go upstairs to your room. Don't ask questions. Rare"

She blinked. Where was Mama? She glanced over her shoulder and did a double-take. Inuyasha and Maru weren't there anymore! How had she missed their leaving? Somethng was very odd here. She went upstairs.

Inside her room she found another note on her bed:

"Good, now turn around."

She turned and gasped. "Mama!" she cried.

There Ray stood, in her doorway. Kagome ran to her and hugged her tight, careful of her hanyou strength. "Mama! Mama, I missed you!" And what happened to my long speech? she wondered.

Ray hugged her back. "I know, Kagome. Your father told me how you missed me. Well. . .him and a few others."

Kagome lifted her head, confused. "What's going on, Mama? How did you hide your scent?" Just to be sure she leaned forward and sniffed, smiling at her mother's scent, strong now.

"I'm not sure," Ray laughed. "Some sort of willpower of your father's or something to that extent. Come, I want to show you something." She took Kagome's hand and led her downstairs again.

"What is it, Mama?"

"You'll see."

They didn't stop in the kitchen, or outside. Ray led her directly to the car and had Kagome sit in the passenger seat. Kagome was confused and anxious but kept her mouth shut and tried to recognize where they were going. They stopped after quite a while and Kagome only slightly recalled this place. It was like a larger version of the Higurashi Shrine, but without the "shrine" part. It was a humungous building. Who lived here? Her own home wasn't this size! (DL: She and Inuyasha have a huge house, okay?)

"Come inside with me," Ray told her, leading the way.

Just what was happening here?

Kagome followed her. Inside there were no open windows, no lights, but Kagome could see fairly well. And the place was empty. There wasn't a single piece of furniture anywhere. "Mama. . ?"

The lights flicked on and suddenly the place was filled - with people! Kagome gasped and covered her mouth.

"Welcome home!" they all said in unison.

It was her family! She recognized people she hadn't seen since their births and others she swore had left Japan for good! Although she couldn't remember all their names, she remembered their faces and who was related to who and how. She began listing names as she recieved hugs, and soon she was laughing and cheering like the rest of them.

"Kagome! Mama! Kaa-san! Okaa! Mistress! Aunt Kagome!" they all called. She was crying within minutes.

"Okay who planned this?!" she called over the multitude of voices. Two hands raised in the air and she laughed again. "Inuyasha! Papa! This was cruel!"

"Then why are you laughing?" Inuyasha teased.

The crowd laughed and began milling outside. Several of the sons went about setting up tables and chairs and not a minute later a caterer arrived and served. They all chatted happily over their meal and into desert. Once dinner was done a musician appeared and played a few songs, then called in several more and they became a band. They played all sorts of music and almost everybody danced, right down to Sesshomaru and Kagura and their pups.

Kagome danced with everyone who asked, although Inuyasha protested when Kouga Sr. asked her. Afterwards she sat and talked to her mother for a long time, and Souta pouted for a while. He wasn't too happy that he was an uncle seveteen times and still younger than all of them. All of his nephews teased him near endlessly about it, but promised to give him a few token gifts of their careers.

Ken promised him any vehicle of his choosing when he became old enough. David and Alex pulled together and gave him a money certificate good anywhere, worth nearly ten thousand yen. Taijiro gave him an oversized leather jacket. Tai gave him a book of pranks - which Mama quickly confiscated. Tsure taught him a few tricks for getting off the hook when you got in trouble. Yukio gave him a thumbs-up and a wink, and handed him a wrapped package with an order not to open it until he got him.

Kagome, knowing Yukio's tendecy to give gifts that weren't quite "gifts", sniffed the box and felt inside it with her mind. What she found made her smile. It was a puppy. The box was large, too, so the puppy had plenty of air.

Her sons weren't the only ones who gave Souta gifts. Her grandsons, in-laws, their cousins and nephews, husbands - just about everybody who was related one way or another to Kagome, Inuyasha, or one of their pups. Souta had a big grin and a stack of stuff by the time she sun set. Many of her children also entertained Souta with stories, some made-up and some real, of their times in Feudal Japan. Well, the ones that were there, anyway.

Kagome cornered her loving mate and thoughtful father after a while. They had a lot to answer for.

"Which one of you two had this bright idea?" she asked, faking a sweet voice. Somewhere behind her she heard someone say, "Uh-oh, Papa's in trouble" and several others "Oooooo".

They both looked guilty and glanced at each other. Rare spoke. "I did. I thought you would like the surprise."

She sighed. "Papa. . ."

Inuyasha chuckled. "Don't tell me we did all this for nothing! Do you know how hard it was to get everybody here?! I forgot half of them the first time I placed calls!"

She laughed. "Oh, Inuyasha. . ." She smiled at him. I'm not mad, so you can relax. "Who else was in on this?" she asked, turning to face the crowd.

Everybody looked away and many of them rubbed the back of their necks. Izayoi came forward and hugged her.

"Mama, did you like it?" she asked. "Were you surprised? Did I do a good job?"

Kagome hugged her. "Yes, Izayoi. You planned all this?"

She nodded. "Not all, but I set them up here - did you know Grandpa lives here?! It's one of his homes, you see? See the symbol?"

She meant, of course, a certain marking that was on the homes of youkai's and hanyou's. Kagome looked up and saw it, somewhat hidden, above the door on the roof. "I didn't see it when I came up," she said.

Izayoi laughed. "And I got to see Grandma for the first time! She's pretty, don't you think, Mama?"

Kagome grinned and looked at Ray. "Yeah. Have you talked to her yet?"

Izayoi shook her head, sending her hair swishing from side to side.

"Well go talk to her!" Kagome urged.

Izayoi was gone, hurrying off before she'd let go of her. She laughed.

"She has your energy," Kagome told Inuyasha.

"Hey! She does not!" Inuyasha snapped back.

"There they go," someone in the crowd said.

"I'll take bets," someone else said.

"Five hundred on Mama," Taijiro said.

"I don't know, Papa looks mad," Iyana said.

"Three hundred on Kagome," someone else said.

"Don't I get any bets?!" Inuyasha snapped.

They all laughed.

"A thousand on Kagome," a smooth voice said, and they all cracked up. Sesshomaru was betting on Kagome!

"See? Even Sesshomaru knows you can't win," Kagome teased.

"One hundred on Inuyasha," Rare said.

"Papa!" Kagome whined.

Inuyasha laughed. "Looks like your dad's the only smart one here."

The crowd laughed again and more bets took place. Meanwhile Kagome and Inuyasha got into one of their trademark snits.

"Yeah, look how smart you are, you didn't even figure it out!" Inuaysha snapped.

"Oh now I feel stupid! This coming from you, who always rushes into battle without thinking -"

"That was centuries ago!"

"One excuse after another."

"Hey! Wench, watch it!"

"Go bite yourself!"

"When you could do it for me?"

"You're walking home you ass!"

"You don't have a car here!"

She snatched his keys out of his pocket faster than he could see. "I do now!"

The crowd "Ooooooo"d again. People began switching their bets around, mostly to Kagome.

"Traitorous pups!" Inuyasha snapped at them. He whirled on Kagome again. "You don't even know how to drive a stick!"

"I drive yours pretty damn well!"

The crowd broke into laughter.

"Oh is that what you call it?!"

"Okay now you're sleeping outside!"

"Make me!"

"Watch me!"

"Bitch!"

"Half!"

A lot of people were laughing too hard to stand up anymore. Sesshomaru's mouth was twitching in an effort to keep from smiling. Ray made a bet that Inuyasha would win.

"Mama!" Kagome whined. "My own parents are against me!"

"What are you bitching about?!" Inuyasha yelled. "All of our pups are against me!"

"That's cause we know better!" Yuriko yelled.

The crowd laughed again.

"Okay so far Inuyasha's walking home and sleeping outside," someone said.

"Hey!!"

"And not getting in my bed for a at least a week," Kagome added.

Inuyasha paled. "Funny you should say that, considering you can't resist me!"

"I think that's the other way around," Kagome pointed out. More laughter followed the statement.

"She's got you there," Kagura said.

"Inuyasha's one weakness," someone else put in.

"Kagome," several voices chorused. They all laughed.

"And who jumped on who last night?" Inuyasha challenged. A few people whistled, and several "Ooooooo"d again.

"Which time?" Kagome snapped back.

"I think this has gone far enough," Ray said, stepping between the two. "Souta is here, along with many other children his age."

"Like that's ever stopped them before," someone said.

"No kidding," someone else agreed.

More laughter.

"Someone's coming!" Shippo's voice called. "A helicoptor!"

"Uh-oh," someone said.

"Here we go again."

"Sesshomaru looks pissed."

"Always stay out of Uncle's way."

"Get the talismans up!"

"Where's Maru?!"

"Someone call that guy!"

Everywhere was a blur of motion and those not putting up talismans or something of the sort were rushing inside. Kagome told Ray and Souta to go there. At the end only she, Inuyasha, Rare, Sesshomaru, Kagura and Shippo were still out. Kagome covered up their disinctive youkai traits and waited for the helicoptor to land. Reporters got out and immediately were snapping pictures.

The six of them got to work. Rare and Sesshomaru handled the driver while Kagura guarded the door, and Kagome, Inuyasha and Shippo stopped the photographers. Within minutes they were gone again, with heavy lawsuits watching over them, not quite reality yet but a definite warning. They regrouped and went back inside.

It put an end to the front yard activities. They dismissed the band and caterers, checked the time, and set up things out in the backyard. People began saying goodbyes within another hour and soon only Kagome's immediate family were left, Sesshomaru's included. They all talked long into the night, well after Souta nodded off. Kagome and Inuyasha were invited to stay at the Higurashi Shrine and went back with them, while everyone else said their final good-byes and went their seperate ways.

"My, Kagome," Ray said on the way back, "How many of them are related to you?"

"A little more than half, and the rest are related to Inuyasha," Kagome replied. "I mean, through Sesshomaru."

"And that boy, with red hair?"

"Which one?" Kagome and Inuyasha laughed.

"Oh dear. You called him Shippo, right?"

"Oh Shippo. He's not related to any of us. Do you remember me talking about him before, Mama? I used to bring him crayons."

"Oh yes, I remember now," Ray nodded. "There's so many. . .how do you remember them all?"

"Lists," Kagome laughed.

"Lots of lists," Inuyasha added.

Souta was put into bed as soon as he got home and they let out the puppy to play. Kagome watched the puppy for a long time, sitting in Inuyasha's lap and smiling contentedly. It was a Chow, incredibly furry with a short snout, curled tail and huge mane. Its ears with pointed straight up and were small, but also amazingly soft. They were bred to be guard dogs for the Chinese, so they barked a lot but rarely bit if raised correctly. For once Yukio had given a gift that would be quite helpful over the years. Not that Souta really needed a guard dog who barked at every unfamiliar sound when he had Kagome watching over him, but it was helpful, alright.

Next Morning

Kagome woke to the scent of Mama's breakfast and sighed. She wanted to get up, get dressed and go downstairs to eat, but she also wanted to lay here for a while longer. Inuyasha was curled up against her back and both his arms were around her waist. Despite all the power she had, she still only felt safe when Inuyasha was around her and always felt so warm when he held her. Even after all the centuries that they'd been mated, his warmth beside her was still her heaven.

She sighed and snuggled further into his arms. Inuyasha murmured something and his arms tightened around her, pressing his mouth into her shoulder. His mind was still half-asleep.

She rolled over to face him and lifted a hand to brush aside his bangs. Nearly five hundred years and he kept his hair just the same. His brows drew together a bit and then his eyes opened a crack. He blinked sleepily at her. What time is it? he asked her.

She lifted her head and glanced at the clock. Almost eight.

He mumbled something unintellible but undoubtedly a curse. Let's go back to sleep.

For once she wanted to agree. I want to, but I want to see Mama more.

He snorted. You'll see plenty of her over the next centuries. Go to sleep.

She almost laughed. When did you become a heavy sleeper?

One of his eyes opened and half-heartedly glared at her. When you started tiring me out every night.

I don't recall that happening last night, she retorted.

He snorted again. Old habits die hard, remember? I've been sleeping well into the day for five centuries, woman. Let's see you break a habit that fast.

She smirked. "Okay." She shoved him out of bed.

As she expected, he was up in another second and firing off his mouth.

"What did you do that for?!"

"You're up now, aren't you?" He blinked and she smiled and got out. "You never said which habit I had to break or whose." She sauntered past him, teasingly running a finger along his chin.

He started blankly at the wall. "You've been taking lessons from Sesshomaru, haven't you?"

"I taught him, remember?"

"Oh yeah." He turned to her and pulled her close. "As long as loopholes are all that you taught him."

She smirked. "You just want me to bend over for you," she teased.

"Course I do," he retorted. "I didn't have any of you last night -"

"Out of respect for my parents," she put in.

He nodded. "And you know how cranky I get when I don't get you."

She grinned. Behave for my family, she told him, stepping back.

I don't behave for my own family, woman.

She pinched him. My family is better than your family.

"Agreed."

She laughed. A moment later she stretched and started picking out clothes, marveling at what she found. Looks like Rare had secretly taken a few of her best things here, sneaking in somehow or another. Not only that, but there were things here for Inuyasha, too. She tossed him a few things and they got dressed.

Downstairs she found herself staring at everything, amazed at how it looked even though her memory hadn't faded a bit. She touched the walls and measured the ceiling, counted the tiles on the floor and sought out a crack in the floor that she had tripped over several times when she was young and human. The little Chow puppy barked at her and nipped at her ankles.

And then she looked at Ray felt a powerful energy coming from her. Kagome's jaw fell and she stared.

Ray noticed her look after a short while. "Kagome, dear, what. . ?"

"Mama - Mama you're -" she could hardly say it. "You're pregnant, Mama!"

Ray gasped, lifting her hands to her mouth. She shot a look at Rare, who was staring at her now, too. Souta was staring at Kagome and Grandpa was looking between everyone. Inuyasha chuckled.

"You all look so shocked," he said, moving to stand next to Kagome. "It was bound to happen," he reasoned. "And Kagome's always found out before anyone else."

Kagome gave him a sharp look. "Gee, prideful much?" she asked.

He grinned. "Only for you."

"And our seventeen pups."

"Yeah them too."

"Forty-eight grandpups," she added.

"Okay okay, I see your point."

"Congratulations, Mama," Kagome said, going over to her.

"Kagome, can you. . .can you tell if it's a girl or boy?" Ray asked. "How old it is. . ?"

"Not at a hundred percent," Kagome confessed. "Inuyasha could, though. He's only called about fifteen wrong in all this time."

"Oh my. . .and those were. . ?"

"Mostly multiple births of five or more," Inuyasha replied.

Ray looked faint. "You can guess the sexes?"

"More than that, Mama," Kagome told her. "He correctly predicted most of their features, how far along they were, what kind of personalities they were likely to have. . . Just about everything down to how tall they'd be."

Ray stared at Inuyasha for a long moment.

"Mama food's burning!" Souta yelled, pointing.

"Oh!" Ray cried, turning around and trying desperately to save breakfast. It turned out to be a futile attempt. Rare suggested they go out for breakfast to celebrate and they all agreed.

It was while they were in their cars, Inuyasha driving and following Rare, that Kagome realized just how perfect her life was. With her mother pregnant with a new baby brother or sister, with her seventeen kids and innumerable relations, her and Inuyasha's business and enough fortune to keep them afloat if the world didn't use paper money anymore, and with her career, she smiled.

Everything really was perfect. She was in her own Garden of Eden.

The End.

--------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --

::Sighs:: Innit that just perfect, ladies and gents? Well get prepared because like I said, I have an alternate ending as a follow-up to this.

Plus I need to explain something before I get flamed.

YES I read The Lucky Ones. I love that fic, it is my number one favorite, and I would never steal from it. Most of the things that happened the last two chapters were my own ideas. Those that weren't were spurred by something I read in The Lucky Ones. Like their last names; that just made sense. I don't know if I could have thought of it on my own so I give credit to Terri Botta (the author of TLO) for the great idea. Of course since I'm no good with last names I haven't mentioned any for them and I plan on it staying that way.

Another idea was the Jewel being used to keep them connected. In TLO the wish is used to keep just Kagome and Inuyasha connected, but I won't spoil any more of it for you guys that haven't read the fic. My alternation was thus because I didn't want Sango and Miroku to die, or their children, before Kagome and Inuyasha did.

The smart-alecky comments on Aiko, Yuriko and Yukio's shirts were my idea and have been that way since I drew them last year, before I found The Lucky Ones.

Yukio, however, DID come from The Lucky Ones, and I wasn't going to use it at first. After a while, though, it seemed perfect for the last of their kids. Credit to Terri Botta again for finding the name.

Also the barking thing. I had the beginnings of an idea pointing in that direction but thanks to TLO it solidified the thought. This is just another of those things that just makes sense, along with Sesshomaru running a huge corporation. I don't even think that TLO can claim to be the first person who thought of that. It just fits him.

A few other ideas came from TLO as well, but I won't say them for fear of spoiling it for those of you that haven't read it yet. Go Read It. Right Now. Go.

The Lucky Ones really is that great. If you don't like lemons, go read it anyway. If you don't like super long chapters, go read it anyway. If you don't like original characters, go read it anyway. If you don't like Inu/Kag parings, what are you doing here? And go read it anyway. It's a grand total of fifty chapters but it has to be twice the size of Trans. The chapters really are that long. The detail is perfect. I read it three times already and I plan on reading it again.

Just follow the link. . .

http://www.mediaminer.org/fanfic/view_st.php/54993

Or copy and paste it. You know how to do that, right? Good. It'll take you to chapter 1 of TLO. Enjoy, all. There is no better Inu/Kag fic out there, I swear it. Worship the wonderness of it. ::Bows::

She has a lemon side-fic one-shot for it, and a sequel titled The Coyote Child. TLO is done but TCC is just beginning. This is becoming quite a series and I hope many of you are there with me to read it. ;)

::Sighs:: All done with ending number one. Wow it's been fun to write Trans. Thank you all for reviewing. Many of you had great ideas and little notes that tell me when I screwed up. I catch a lot of those screw ups on my own but it's best if you guys can spot these booboos and point them out. I learned that I accidentally had the same chapter up twice and didn't know it until a reviewer pointed it out. 39 and 40 were nearly the same. Dunno exactly how that happened, but it's fixed now so no big loss.

Note: The Alternate Ending chapters will have a chapter number, so be sure to check and see which chapter I cut in at. It may begin at chapter 60, it may begin at chapter 52, it may begin at 43 or 33 or 29. We'll just have to wait and see.

See ya in the Alternate Ending! ;) Enjoy it! ::Hands out roses to the reviewers::