Inuyasha:

Second Blessing

Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi

Story and OCs © Me

Summary- Ayame is about to give birth to her third child, soon, but Tsukihime doesn't seem eager to go home. Perhaps Koga can sort things out?

The trees rustled gently in the wind, leaves of orange, red, brown, and gold slowly falling off the branches. The once hot air from the summer months had become crisp, leaving goosebumps on any exposed parts of her skin. The sun was slowly dipping behind the horizon, making the sky a mix of pink and orange.

Tsukihime sat on the porch of Inuyasha and Kagome's house, her arms wrapped around her knees while Ichiro sat next to her, both of them watching the sunset, together. The quarter put his hand on his best friend's shoulder, causing her to glance at her before she gave him a small smile in gratitude...but as quickly as that smile appeared, it was gone in a moment's notice. Ichiro's ears drooped and his shoulders sagged, his heart heavy with concern. She had been acting like this for the past few days...and she had good reason to be.

"Tsuki!"

Tsukihime looked up to see her father, Koga, approach.

"Come on, kiddo!" he called. "Time to go home, now!"

Tsukihime looked to Ichiro, who smiled at her and gestured his head to Koga, who stood waiting beneath the trees.

"Come on, Tsuki!" Koga called, again. "Your mother's waiting!"

"...I'm coming, Daddy!" Tsukihime replied as she soon stood up and headed in his direction.

"Bye, Tsuki," Ichiro said. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye, Ichi," Tsukihime said as she followed after her father.

"So how was your day?" Koga asked.

"It was okay," Tsukihime answered. "Ichi and I were playing near the creek and we found a few slugs...and a toad, too!"

"A toad, huh?" Koga repeated with an amused grin.

"Yeah!" Tsukihime answered before she dropped down all fours. "And we were chasing it around, too! It was pretty fast! Like this!" She proceeded to hop around her father, making little "ribbit" noises, causing Koga to laugh.

"Well, that sounded like fun," he said, "but come on, we gotta hurry and get back to your mother, okay?"

Tsukihime stopped hopping as she looked at her father, then glanced up at a nearby tree. She grinned, mischievously before she proceeded to climb up the trunk, all the way to the top before she hung upside-down on a branch by her knees.

"Daddy! Look what I can do!" she called, causing Koga to look back at her before he gaped for about 2 seconds, then let out a loud guffaw.

"What are you doing?" he asked as he walked up to the tree. "You're a wolf, not a monkey!"

Tsukihime proceeded to make chittering noises, causing Koga to laugh even more.

"Okay, come down from there," he said. "Seriously, we gotta get home. Your mother's gonna get worried."

Tsukihime's smile fell before she sighed and righted herself before dropping to the ground, then she proceeded to follow after Koga. She bit her lip as she glanced up at her father, who cast a glance at her in turn.

"...Something wrong, Tsuki?" he asked.

"Uh...n-no," Tsukihime replied with a shake of her head. "I'm okay, Daddy."

"You sure?" Koga asked. "Because you can talk to me."

"Yes, Daddy, I'm sure," Tsukihime assured while giving him a smile. "Really! I'm okay!"

"...If you say so," Koga said as they kept walking. The rest of the walk was quiet as they climbed up the rocks and made their way through the stream. All the while, Tsukihime would make some excuse to stop, like "I need a drink of water" or "can we play a game of chase?"

Koga would indulge his daughter for a while, but he absolutely insisted on continuing the trip home.

Soon, the mountains where the Wolf Demon Clan dwelled were within sight, just as the stars were beginning to come out...but as they walked, Tsukihime suddenly grabbed Koga's hand, causing him to look back at her.

"What is it, now, Tsuki?" Koga asked.

"...Daddy...I...I have to tell you something," Tsukihime said, "and no, it can't wait."

Koga blinked at his daughter before he soon got down on one knee so that he was at her height level, showing that he was willing to listen.

"...Daddy...I'm not sure if you knew," Tsukihime began, "but I've been stalling all this time."

"I had a feeling," Koga replied. "Can you tell me why?"

"...Because...I'm afraid," Tsukihime answered. "Afraid for Mom and...afraid for the new baby." She then held her hands together. "I was excited, at first...but now..."

"...You're afraid that this baby will end up dying, too, like Keiko did," Koga surmised. "Aren't you?"

Tsukihime didn't say anything...but she felt her cheeks get hot and her eyes start to sing. As soon as Koga heard that sniffling, he soon pulled his daughter into his arms, causing her to sob softly as she pressed her face up against his chest. He gently ran his claws through her dark brown hair and his chest rumbled softly in order to soothe her, then he planted a small kiss on her forehead.

"Oh, Tsuki, it's okay," he whispered as he gently cupped her chin and tilted her head up so that she was looking him right in the eye. "I know...between you and me, I'm scared, too."

"Really?" Tsukihime asked.

"I don't know what could happen to this next baby," Koga answered. "All I know is that we just have to do what we can and...hopefully, things will turn out better. If not...well, we can't say we didn't try, now can we?"

"...No," Tsukihime answered, causing Koga to smile at her before he wiped her tears away, causing her to smile back at him. "...Thank you, Daddy."

"I'm your dad, Tsuki," Koga said. "It's my job."

Tsukihime giggled, a wide smile appearing on her face.

"That's better," Koga said with a chuckle.

"Koga!"

"Koga, where are you?!"

Koga turned to see Ginta and Hakkaku approaching, both of them panting heavily.

"There he is!" Hakkaku exclaimed. "Koga! We found you and Tsukihime, just in time!"

"What's the matter?" asked Koga.

"It's Ayame!" Ginta answered. "She just went into labor!"

Koga and Tsukihime both gasped before they looked at each other, then nodded their heads before they began to break into a run, leaving Ginta and Hakkaku in the dust.

"Hey!" Hakkaku cried.

"Wait up, Koga!" Ginta shouted as they soon followed after.

XXX

Ayame panted as she lied on a bed of hay, her midwives preparing for the birth. At that moment, Koga finally arrived and ran up to her, taking her hand in his as he smiled at her lovingly.

"Ayame," he whispered.

"Koga..." Ayame said, smiling despite her pain. "I was getting worried...what was taking you so long?"

"We, uh...had a bit of a holdup," Koga answered as he glanced at Tsukihime, who smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry, Mom," she said.

"Oh, sweetheart, it's all ri-" Ayame suddenly grunted as she felt another contraction. "Ohhhh...yeah...I think they're starting to get more frequent, now...!"

"It's all right," Koga reassured as he squeezed Ayame's hand. "I'm right here."

"Oh, Koga..." Ayame whispered before she felt another contraction. She spread open her legs and began to breathe as her midwives instructed. Outside, Tsukihime sat and waited with Ginta, Hakkaku, and the wolves, listening to her mother's screams. She whimpered at the smell of blood, but she knew that it was nothing to be worried about as long as it wasn't too strong. As more stars appeared in the sky and the half moon began to rise...that's when Tsukihime heard it: the wailing of a newborn infant.

"Uwaaaaaaaaaaahh!"

"It's a girl!" exclaimed one of the midwives, causing Tsukihime to gasp silently.

"Hear that, Tsukihime?" asked Ginta. "Sounds like you got another little sister."

"Wow...!" Tsukihime whispered as she went to go look for herself...but then...

"Waaaaaaaahh!"

"It's a boy!" Koga exclaimed.

"Huh?" Tsukihime muttered before she went to go look for herself...and she couldn't believe her eyes: Ayame was holding not one, but two newborn babies in her arms, a girl with red hair, just like Ayame's and a white tail, and a boy with black hair and a brown tail.

"...No way...!" Tsukihime whispered. "Twins!"

"That's right, honey," Ayame answered. "A boy and a girl."

"...I don't believe it," Koga said with a breaking voice. "I have two daughters...and a son..." He sniffled as he gently stroked both babies' heads. "The Fates must be smiling at me, right now..."

"They're beautiful," Tsukihime said. "I have a baby brother AND a baby sister." She then looked at Ayame. "What are their names?"

"Well...the girl's name is Hasu," Ayame answered. "It means 'lotus'...but...I don't know what to name the boy."

"What do you think we should call him, Tsuki?" asked Koga.

"Hmm..." Tsukihime hummed. "What about...Hoshi?"

"Hoshi, huh?" asked Ayame.

"Hoshi..." Koga repeated before he chuckled and gently pet his newborn son. "I love it."

"Welcome to the world...Hasu and Hoshi," Tsukihime said, causing both infants to coo and gurgle softly. "I promise I'll take good care of both of you."

Koga and Ayame looked at each other before they gently pressed their foreheads together, lovingly, then pulled their eldest daughter into their arms and kissed her cheeks, causing her to laugh.

"...I love you guys," she said. "All four of you."

"We love you, too, Tsuki," Koga replied.

"And you know what?" Ayame asked. "If Keiko were still here, she'd say the same thing."

Tsukihime smiled while Hasu and Hoshi both cooed, causing her to smile as she kissed them both on their heads, then she sighed as she nestled herself in her mother's arms, allowing herself to fall asleep. Soon, Ayame wrapped all three of her children in a blanket made from a brown wolf pet before she fell asleep in Koga's arms.

"...Goodnight, you guys..." he whispered to them before he soon followed suit...and as the stars twinkled, one might hear the cheerful giggling of an infant in the night sky.

I might have rushed this a bit, but I hope you like it, anyway!

Review, please!