Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, but "I'm his biggest fan I'll follow him until he loves me- papa- papa - paparazzi~!" I don't own "Paparazzi" either.
Enjoy! :D
"Why Mama's tummy big?"
"Because there's a baby inside of her…"
The brisk autumn air nipped at the faces of the two half-demons, father and son, as they travelled down the wet path that lead to Kaede's hut. It had rained the whole day before, and the cold ground underfoot helped to increase the speed at which they journeyed. The walk was not as short as it would have been, had they been coming from their hut; however, they came from Miroku and Sango's hut, which was about two miles away, and therefore it was not an unbearable distance. Not that it mattered: Inuyasha could go as fast and as far as he wanted to without tiring out. It was for the sake of his son that they were walking at a healthy pace.
"What's a baby?"
Inuyasha held the hand of his two year old son, trying to be understanding of his child's newfound love of chatting. Kagome could listen to his questions for hours; her husband, on the other hand, could only take so much, especially when the questions involved things which he was not quite comfortable answering.
"A baby…is a tiny person."
"So…Shippo, baby?"
The father couldn't help but snicker; if the pint-sized fox demon had been there, he would have protested enthusiastically.
"No, Shippo's not a baby. Even though he acts like one," Inuyasha finished, muttering the last phrase under his breath.
"Then what's a baby?"
Mamoru watched his father with big golden eyes, his dark eyebrows raised as he waited for some sort of comprehensible reply.
"A baby…is a new living thing."
"Was I a baby?"
"Yeah, once. But you're a big, strong man, now! Just like me!" Inuyasha grinned down at Mamoru, who was delighted.
"I protect Mama!" the toddler smiled, swinging his father's hand back and forth.
"Hey, that's my job!" his father laughed, scooping his son up into his arms.
"No-no," he declared, pulling on one of his father's ears, "I do it better!"
"What have I told you…about pulling…on my…ears?" Inuyasha growled, gently removing his son's little hands from his ears.
"'Don't pull 'em!'" Mamoru put on his best scowl as he imitated his father's voice to the best of his ability.
"Yep!" Inuyasha affirmed.
There was a moment or two of silence; the half-demon carried his son down the path, picking up his speed. However, peace could only last for so long.
"Where'd Mama get baby? Why's it inside her?"
The question was innocent in intent, but that didn't keep Inuyasha from blushing.
"Uh…why don't you ask Mama when we get back home?"
"Why?"
"Cause…Mama's smarter than me. Much smarter," he winced as he admitted it. The kid would forget that he had said such a thing in a few hours' time.
"Oh."
Before he could ask another question, they managed to reach Kaede's hut.
Their errand was to retrieve some herbs that were good for pregnant women; Kagome had gone through her flimsy supply in such a short time. Because winter was fast approaching, she would have to make do with the dried plants Kaede kept stored for such occasions.
It was a good thing Kagome was the only woman in the village who was currently expecting; it gave her greater access to the dwindling supplies without worrying that she was taking them from other women. The way in which his wife always thought of the concerns of others first, he was glad that she could focus on taking care of herself for a change.
The baby was expected to come in about three weeks; Inuyasha could hardly fathom becoming a father again. Holding Mamoru when he was born had been one of the most incredible things he had experienced, and the thought that he would get to do it once more made him nervous and overjoyed.
Sango had come to live with them for the time being; it helped to have another woman in the home who already had plenty of birthing experience. With her she had brought her youngest child: her daughter, Haruna, who was only a little over a year old. Mamoru enjoyed the little girl's presence: her inability to say very much and his talkative nature were a perfect match. The demon slayer had another young daughter who was Mamoru's age; however, she had chosen to stay at home with her father, who was having a difficult time managing their home without his wife around. Luckily he had his twin daughters, Aiko and Yoko, who were both five and eager to help him take care of his three year old and two year old children: Miyatsu and Tomomi.
As Inuyasha watched Mamoru interact animatedly with Rin, he couldn't help but smile. He would never have thought it possible; only a few years ago, he wouldn't have believed that he'd ever have one child, let alone two.
With those thoughts dancing in his head, he longed to see Kagome again, though they had only been apart for a few hours. It worried him that the baby would come early, before he could get there. Kaede assured him that although it was close to the time when she would give birth, the likelihood of an early delivery was encouragingly low. While it eased his fears by a small degree, he still had a difficult time being away from her for very long.
"Okay, Mamoru! Let's go home!" he called, his voice affected by the anxiety he had begun to feel.
"Daddy, I want to-to play," Mamoru whined, clinging to Rin's arm. The young woman was gentle with him; she didn't mind his spiritedness in the least. In that aspect she was much like Kagome.
She was training to be a priestess, although he doubted she would be able to keep the powers she attained; Rin was fifteen and already there were countless men in the village who wanted to court her, some twice her age. Despite the fact that he preferred to stay out of gossip, he couldn't help but be dragged through the muck of it when village women approached his wife to ask her what she knew; however, in most cases she declined to reveal what little knowledge she possessed of such affairs. In the back of his mind, he wondered how his brother would handle it…not that he cared that much.
"Mamoru, we have to bring these herbs to Mama," he asserted, prying his son from the priestess-in-training.
"Daddy what's herbs?"
"They're plants."
"What's plants?"
"They're…green."
"That's brown," Mamoru pointed to the handful of dried vegetation that his father held in one of his clawed fists.
Kaede and Rin chuckled quietly as Inuyasha struggled to come up with a retort; by the time he left, he still hadn't answered, and his son had already devised an entirely new slew of questions with which to frustrate his father.
"Mama, why is baby inside you?"
Inuyasha nearly spit the tea he was drinking into Sango's face.
Mamoru had been playing with Haruna for a few minutes since they had returned from their journey to Kaede's, and the half-demon had finally been able to settle down next to his wife and their friend, who was helping to prepare the evening meal.
Now, however, the little boy had decided to ask the question whose answer had been postponed.
Inuyasha whipped his head to the side, eager to see Kagome's reaction.
His wife was smiling.
"Come here, my little protector," she called to her son, patting her lap.
He didn't need to be asked twice: his little legs carried him to her faster than she could blink. Inuyasha saw Sango stifle a laugh with her mouth. He wondered if she knew what Kagome was going to say…
Mamoru hopped up to her, bracing his small, clawed hands gently on her heavy stomach. She picked up one of his hands, guiding it to a specific place on her belly; his ears pricked as his curiosity peaked.
"Can you feel the baby?" Kagome asked after she felt a kick.
The half-demon child grinned from ear to ear.
"Yeah!" he exclaimed, pleased with himself. His mother rustled his silver locks gently.
Inuyasha smiled as his chest filled with that familiar warmth; the sight of his wife and son always stirred his heart in a way that nothing else could.
"Baby is inside of me because-,"
"-because Dad loves Mama very much."
Kagome turned to look at her husband; his golden eyes flickered as he gazed at her. That look could still make her heart beat faster…
"Inuyasha…" she murmured, her voice glazed with affection.
"But how'd it get in Mama?"
"…"
So not the BEST ending, but I thought it was pretty cute~ :D
Some background: Mamoru was born in 1501 and his little brother Yuudai is going to be born in a matter of weeks. The year this fanfiction takes place is 1503.
Miroku and Sango have five children at this point: Aiko and Yoko (females, b. 1498), Miyatsu (male, b. 1500- the year Kagome returns), Tomomi (female, b. 1501), and Haruna (female, b. 1502). During this fanfiction, Sango is about two months pregnant with a son, but she is not aware of it yet, so I didn't include it. :D
This was a lot of fun to write, and I love Mamoru! He's at that age where he asks a question about everything, and I thought it'd be fun to put Inuyasha under some fatherly pressure ;) He's just so cute! And the part with Inuyasha and Kagome at the end was one of my favorites!
I thought Inuyasha was a little OoC, but I think he's mellowed out a TINY bit after having a son. I think he'll get some of his attitude back once his kids get older! :D
Please leave me a review to let me know what you thought- things you liked, things you didn't, suggestions, hello's, giving me virtual cookies (please?), pointing out things that might have been kind of confusing, etc. I can't say it enough: I love hearing from you all! It makes me really happy when I get reviews! :D
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this story and I wish you best of luck in your own writing endeavors! :D
Have a great day!
Byebee:3
TohrutheGreat
