AN: Ok guys, this is my first. I've been working on it for a while now. Changed it about ten times, re-wrote the first five chapters about four times and am now satisfied with the way the story is developing. I want your input though, and I'm only putting out the first chapter at first. I have six more written, but I want to see how you like it, if it needs to be changed, and if my writing style is ok. So do me a favor and review. This isn't one of those, 'give me five reviews or no update' thing, I just want your honest opinions before I continue with the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any affiliated characters created by Rumiko Takahashi. I seek to gain nothing from the writing of this story except for enjoyment. There are numerous characters that I have created that I do claim ownership of, and ask that, if for some reason you want to use them in one of your own stories, you simply ask my permission.

Ok that's it. Not too long of an A/N. And now, the first chapter of Child's Play.

Modern Day Japan. .

Inuyasha growled low in his throat. How long was this supposed to take? The scent of pain and anxiety permeated the entire building, mingling with the heavy odors of disinfectant and death. He had paced a path into the industrial carpet long ago, much to the annoyance of the others in the waiting room; all casting venomous glances at him. The hanyou finally snarled in defeat and headed for the door labeled "Stairs" as he felt the overwhelming need to breathe un-recycled air in solitude.

He raced up the twelve flights easily; his heart rate not even increasing . . . Worry was doing a fine job of that already. He burst through the door marked "Roof Access" and sucked in a deep breath. Coughing immediately from the choking smells, he was reminded of where he was. It had been her choice, coming back here to have the baby.

It was amazing how she won out on "discussions" as she called them. As much as he would deny it to anyone, even her, he couldn't put up much of a fight when she crossed her arms, eyes flashing and cheeks flushing. She didn't do it that often, with the exception of the last few months. Anything concerning the baby was incredibly important to her, which is why InuYasha knew she'd make a fantastic mother. Plus, how could he deny her anything when she crossed her arms over the pup she was carrying? So here they were, in her era, where she insisted both she and the baby would be safe. And in the end all the hospitals and doctors and "modern technology" in the world might not be able to help her.

Sesshoumaru stood solemnly, a few feet behind InuYasha's left shoulder as his younger brother leaned over the railing, watching the traffic below. Keeping his distance from everyone in the sub-floors of the structure, the youkai hadn't noticed InuYasha leaving until the door shut after his red hoari. Knowing how unpredictable InuYasha could be, he had wisely followed him up the stairs. Much as he disapproved of the hanyou's choice of a mate, he couldn't fault him for being so agitated. It was Inu-Youkai instinct, any youkai's instinct for that matter, to be insanely protective of their mate. He pondered for a few silent minutes what exactly to say to the boy to get him to behave rationally.

Sesshoumaru watched as InuYasha began slashing at the metal barrier, his claws causing the steel to shriek with every swipe, turning to the concrete of the roof when he wasn't satisfied with destroying the guardrail. Should he tell him that everything would be ok? That is surely what he wanted to hear. The InuYoukai considered all courses of action as the hanyou racked up thousands of dollars in property damage. He had to say something. In the end he simply did what he always did, he said exactly what he was thinking.

"You still have an heir InuYasha."

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened as he found himself suddenly pressed against the wall of the entrance to the hospital, talons wrapping around his neck. InuYasha's chest moved visibly as the growl rumbled through him, baring his fangs angrily at the demon that had spoken as if Kagome was already dead. 'Perhaps,' Thought Sesshoumaru, 'that was not the wisest choice of wording.'

"Remove yourself from me half-breed, or you will not be there to greet the human when she wakes up."

InuYasha's eyes caught the glint of gold against Sesshoumaru's ardent hair. The band on his left hand shimmered, pulsing briefly in the moonlight as if reassuring him that she was still breathing; there was still hope. Images flashed through his mind; Kagome's smile, her flushed cheeks, the lump in his throat that refused to go away, and the white dress she wore when they publicly committed themselves to each other. His shoulders slumped as emotions washed over him, loosening his grip on the youkai's throat.

"Her name is Kagome." He murmured, and then repeated it again, raising his voice slightly. "You'd better get used to it Sesshoumaru."

"And you should return to the waiting room, you can't sense what is taking place underground with eighty feet of concrete between you and her."

InuYasha sighed, defeated, and backed away completely, dropping his arm to his side. "I know that." He shook his head, "I just couldn't stand the smell. All blood. Blood and pain and fear. I could smell Kagome's fear."

"Did you not smell the pup?" Sesshoumaru was rather. . surprised that InuYasha hadn't bonded with the pup yet, his need to know his mate was ok was overriding his basic instincts.

InuYasha's golden orbs flickered briefly with guilt. "Yeah." He had forgotten his own son. What kind of father did that make him? Not even the monk would forget his child, and InuYasha had always secretly compared himself to Miroku.

"What does he look like InuYasha?" Anything to get the boy's mind off of 'her'.

"I haven't seen him yet, I can't.. Not until. ."

Sesshoumaru's amber-colored eyes closed briefly, the only sign of emotion he allowed himself the luxury of. Was this pity he felt for the torn being in front of him? 'Surely not.' he snorted mentally. The mere fact that he was even here was a mystery to him. How exactly had he been talked into this? He didn't even like the miko, and certainly wouldn't call her by name. 'She was crucial in the defeat of Naraku, doesn't that earn her at least some measure of respect?' He could almost hear that nagging voice, the one that plagued him with the thoughts and emotions of a human. How could InuYasha stand to be with one of those foolish creatures every single day?

"Go back inside InuYasha. Do not force me to carry you, I have already done so once today and I did not enjoy it in the least."

The hanyou winced as fresh memories of his tirade in the delivery room came rushing back. Mere moments after the pup was born the strong smell of blood grew overpoweringly as Kagome's sweat-soaked body began to bleed out; turning skin flushed from exertion to a ghostly white in a matter of seconds. Her eyes fluttered around the room, locking with his before drifting closed, his name on her lips. .

He had gone nearly insane when they began compressions, wheeling her immediately out of the room, screaming medical jargon. His last sight of her was a demon twice her size straddling her chest as he pumped her heart for her. When InuYasha become violent, Sesshoumaru had to bodily drag him away from the scene, away from the pool of fluids on the cold tile floor.

Both of the brothers jumped half a foot when an ear piercing "Beep-beep-beep. Beep-beep-beep" interrupted their trains of thought, sending their demon senses into overdrive. InuYasha reached for his Testusaiga instinctively, grabbing the first thing it found. He wielded the weapon threateningly and then froze. Instead of his father's fang, his hand grasped the pager the hospital staff had provided him with. His eyes flew open wide in realization and met Sesshoumaru's knowing look.

"Go, hanyou."

The boy practically ripped the door off it's hinges and careened down the stairs in a fraction of the time it took him to race up them, his half-brother following him as swiftly as a Youkai Lord could while retaining his dignity. He was not enjoying this experience. The precariousness of Kagome's life reminded him of how easily he could lose Rin. Not that he cared for her, or whether she lived or died, or came of age and left. He held no emotion for her whatsoever. At least that is what he told himself. He did what pleased him, and having her around pleased him. Besides, torturing and abusing his retainer got tiresome after awhile, and Rin annoyed Jakken to no end. It was a . . . satisfying arrangement. He almost allowed himself a slight smirk when he realized that there were cameras everywhere, and someone was surely watching.

Meanwhile, a nervous young demoness in scrubs was trying to explain to the very hostile InuYasha exactly what the situation was, suddenly wishing that she weren't two floors underground with an inu hanyou blocking the only exit. The fact that the terrified girl was a neko-youkai only amplified the caged feeling, her instincts telling her to distance herself from the inu-hanyou immediately, if not sooner.

"Where.. Is.. Kagome?" He rumbled through clenched teeth.

"W. .w..well." She licked her lips. "Taisho-sama, Kagome-sama suffered massive blood loss in an extremely short period of time. I...I'm afraid that, although she is stabilized, she is in a.. very.. deep.. c-c-coma." Her eyes shut tight at this, expecting her death to be swift.

"And what the hell is a coma, wench?"

She relaxed almost imperceptibly as she realized he wasn't angry, or at least not angry enough to kill her. "It's a very deep sleep. It's common for the brain to slip into this type of state if the body has gone through a traumatic experience. It's a defense mechanism. However, we never know if I mean when one will wake up from it."

InuYasha felt some of the anxiety melt away from him at the word 'defense'. "So her body is fighting this.. whatever it is?"

The female youkai nodded briefly. "After giving her several units of blood, we got her heartbeat and oxygen levels stabilized. However you should know that the amount of time it took to revive her and restore oxygen to her brain has us slightly concerned. We are hoping that there was no permanent brain damage, but only time will tell. For now she needs to sleep and let her body recuperate." She said this all in a rush as she saw the hanyou's features twist from relief, to confusion before settling on a mix between rage and terror. The scent of his emotions caused her to be on edge and she wanted nothing more than to get away from the pain she saw in his every movement.

"You may come in and see her for a moment if you like. And when you are ready, push the yellow button of your pager and I will take you to meet your son. I wish you all the best of luck Taisho-sama. Kami be with you." She bowed slightly before scurrying away, hating having to expose her back to him in his current mood.

InuYasha's stomach roiled in response to the overwhelming aroma of the hallway. Whatever they had used to clean Kagome's blood off the floor had his senses reeling. He could still smell it, making his eyes bleed red slightly as he fought off the bliss that oblivion would bring. All he had to do was let his youkai take control and he would forget the pain for a while. At least, that's what he told himself. Deep down he knew that he had never been and would never be capable of harming or forgetting Kagome, no matter what form he took. Human, hanyou, youkai, they all shared one thing; a common love for the woman on the other side of that door.

InuYasha turned slightly, "Did you catch all that, or do I need to have it repeated for you?"

"Indeed. I heard all that I desired to know." Sesshoumaru turned swiftly and began walking toward the exit.

"Hey asshole, where are you going?" The hanyou hated the fact that he truly didn't want his elder brother to leave him. Not alone. Not with her lying in the next room.

"I have.. business to attend to in my own lands.. I shall return when I have concluded it." With that, the Lord of the Western Lands disappeared around a corner.

InuYasha cursed himself mentally for being so weak as to desire the company of a demon whom had on more than one occasion, attempted to kill the woman currently fighting for her life. Come on idiot, just walk in there. You've seen her injured before. She's just sleeping. Just sleeping. Baka.

He sucked in a deep breath. . And pushed the door open. .

A/N: So after ten different tries I finally got this chapter to look the way I wanted it to. Geez. Please reveiw. Give me an idea of how I'm doing.