A/N: Ahem! WHY do I find myself giving in to you VERY persuasive readers? In the middle of my exams I find myself coughing up…
The sequel to Discovering the Unknown.
Well, I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day. It was my birthday too, yay! I wanted to update that day but wasn't given time. :(
Anyways, fear not, new readers who haven't read Discovering the Unknown, I assure you this story is perfectly safe to read. You haven't missed anything but a few limes and fluff. That being said, please enjoy. I'm trying to make this a one-shot by the way.
Now, old readers.
This sequel is because I need to tie up some loose ends and answer some questions posed to me at the end of Discovering the Unknown. New readers, go straight and read the rest. n.n
Question one: When Kagome and Sesshoumaru finally had sex properly, why didn't/did the sword turn into a jewel?
Answer: No. Once the sword's formed, it's formed; no jewel changes. Plus, of course we're counting on the fact that Goshinboku-kami is a crackpot who didn't get his history facts right. ;) Don't you think a sword is cooler than ANOTHER jewel? Jeez, one Shikon no Tama is enough. XD
Question two: Because Sesshoumaru threw away her birth control pills, saying she didn't need them anymore, does this mean Kagome is pregnant?
Answer: There are a couple of scenarios possible. One, Kagome is most definitely pregnant (take into account she was on birth control, but Sesshoumaru does have youkai seed). Two, Sesshoumaru most definitely wants to get her pregnant. The answer? No, she wasn't pregnant. But read this story for more.
On with the story. Ladies and gentlemen, as your friendly neighbourhood author, I bring you... Rediscovering the Unknown
-
Rediscovering the Unknown
"Jaken."
"H- hai!"
"Tea, you fool!"
"H- hai!"
Jaken cast one look at his master and fled to find some green tea.
And god knew how much Sesshoumaru needed that tea.
The Lord of the Western Lands, though by youkai standards was still very much a puppy, held a matchless regal air and cold aura. In all his nine hundred over years, no one managed to drive him even close to worry or insanity.
No one, except one person, and that one person somehow always drove him right over the edge, plummeting downwards in exhilaration, happiness, and anxiety.
Downstairs, the Lord of the Eastern Lands was waiting. The old Eastern Lord had been a fool, but the new one was a seasoned old youkai who had once been Sesshoumaru's father's friend. Sesshoumaru didn't know how old the lord was, but suffice to say, he was old.
Forgetting all about Jaken and the tea, Sesshoumaru swept out of his room, nearly knocking over the toad who was clutching a cup of steaming tea. The cup shattered, the toad squealed and ran out of the way. Sesshoumaru never missed a stride in his step.
In expensive robes of silk brocade, the Eastern Lord sat erect on the tatami floor. Besides him, an equally well-dressed, extremely young youkai sat.
"There have been rumours of you taking a mate." The Eastern Lord came straight to the point, though he sounded both curious and kind.
Sesshoumaru barely nodded. "I have." He caught the young youkai sneaking a glance at him. The youkai turned away, blushing, and Sesshoumaru took no notice.
"I trust you've met my new ward?"
Sesshoumaru barely looked at the boy. He had flaming red hair, and wide green eyes. A kitsune. His scent was familiar.
Then Sesshoumaru remembered the scent. That silly annoying kitsune, who was in Inuyasha's shard-hunting group.
"Shippou, I believe?" asked Sesshoumaru.
"Indeed. Well, where were we? Right, about your mate. They say she's not youkai."
"She's not."
"Hanyou, then?"
Lying was something Sesshoumaru detested. "Miko."
"Miko," mumbled the lord. He turned to regard Sesshoumaru with a smile. "So it's true. They said you would never come round and take a mate. Apparently, they were wrong. The ladies must be furious."
"Most definitely." Sesshoumaru recalled the hundreds of angry youkai ladies of class, furious at being beaten by a stupid human.
The lord hesitated before asking - he knew better than anyone the fierce protectiveness of demons over their mates. "May I see her?"
"No." Pausing, Sesshoumaru regarded the lord before offering an explanation. "She's not in the castle."
How strange. The lord pushed no further, but moved on to different ground. "And your ward? Is she well?"
"You may see her if you wish."
"If it won't be inconvenient -"
"Stop eavesdropping, Rin," Sesshoumaru said lazily.
Blushing, the girl stepped out from behind the sliding door.
Finally, no matter how many times the tailor had let out the hem, Rin had outgrown her favourite orange-and-white kimono. Now, still keeping the colours, she donned a beautiful three-layered kimono of orange, peach and cream, with her signature forest green obi.
After the usual exchange of pleasantries, Rin took to embroidery, occasionally bantering with Shippou.
The sun started dipping lower into the sky, painting it orange and pink. Jaken served dinner warily. Forgetting all about grace and good manners, Rin hurriedly dug into the sushi and udon greedily. Shippou looked as if he wanted to do the same, but couldn't because of the presence of the two lords. Instead, he nibbled politely on rice and miso soup while the Eastern Lord took to tasting pieces of sashimi.
Sesshoumaru himself was content to just watch Rin stuff herself hungrily. Probably the Lord of the East thought he starved Rin on a regular basis, the way she was eating.
Faintly, the scent of fresh peaches on a summer's day, of dewdrops after a clear starry night, filled the room gently.
No one seemed to notice. But he noticed, and he knew.
Silently, he got up and disappeared from the room. Rin only looked up when the door snapped shut lightly.
"Where's he going?" asked the Eastern Lord in surprise.
"I can guess," smiled Rin.
"She's back, ne?" Shippou said.
"My mommy," Rin said happily.
"Well, I certainly have to meet this mate of Sesshoumaru's," decided the lord.
"Can you fly?"
"Of course I can."
"Well, I can show you…
-
Her slim fingers worked fast, pulling of her clothes and dropping them carelessly on the ground. The place was empty except for a few fluttering butterflies and a soft breeze.
Reverently, she pulled on layer after layer of an expensive kimono, savouring the way the silk draped luxuriously on her skin. She had to work fast – he was most definitely halfway coming already. But kimono weren't meant for people to pull on in a rush, and carefully she secured layer after layer, expertly knotting a tie here, a ribbon there.
Technically, she had no business wearing such kimono with furisode sleeves that swept the ground. She had a mate, for god's sake. Then again, she wasn't formally married.
She'd just pulled the collar tightly and most decently, when deciding against it, carefully, she loosened a few ties, allowed the collar to drop past the nape of her neck, showing a breathtaking expanse of neck, back, and a hint of collarbone. After all, she had waited so long. Why act prudish when she could equally well be seductive? For that same reason she had chosen against wearing a slip and under kimono.
Yet for all her showing of shoulders and lack of underwear, she wasn't going to make it easy for him when he got to her. Her six layers of robes and the intricate obi knot…
The obi was serving to be a problem already. Carefully, she wrapped it round and round herself. It was made of deep black, heavy silk brocade, richly embroidered with gold fans. There was no better corset invented than the obi, and it squeezed her waist tightly. For nearly a whole month, she had worried and worked hard at her figure. She had been determined to regain her former slim size. Now, she was happy, but only he could be the judge of that…
Silently, someone landed on the grass behind her. If her ears hadn't be trained to hear that particular sound, she would never have heard it.
Then again, only one person landed so noiselessly.
-
Sesshoumaru watched, entranced, as she finished the gigantic butterfly obi knot and twisted it so it sat just below her kimono collar. The hem of her kimono swept the floor, along with her sleeves. From behind her, he could see the creamy, exposed nape of her neck.
The most erotic part of a woman's body. He watched the swaying obi knot, and the six layers of kimono on her.
Six layers. Six whole layers.
Five months. Five whole months.
He hadn't seen her for five whole months, and he would have to get through a complicated obi and six layers of priceless kimono to get to her porcelain skin.
She had heard him arrive, he knew.
Kagome. His Kagome.
-
"There they are," Rin said, peering out from the Eastern Lord's cloud.
"Kagome-chan grew prettier," breathed Shippou.
"Ne, what are you talking about? Kagome-chan was always pretty. But she's all skinny now."
"That girl is Sesshoumaru's mate?" asked the Eastern Lord, astonished.
Without doubt, the girl was…
Well, human.
He'd known she was human, Sesshoumaru himself had admitted it.
Still… seeing it in the flesh was different from merely hearing it.
-
She hadn't seen him in ages.
Slipping her feet into high geta clogs, she turned around as fast as her entire regalia would let her.
The setting sun cast golden and pink glows around his hair, turning the silver into a whole artist's palette of swirling colours.
Slowly, Kagome exhaled.
Well, she exhaled as much as her constricting obi would let her.
No matter how much she wanted to run to him, to throw her arms around him, to kiss him, to simply be held in his arms… her kimono wouldn't allow it.
Instead, she had to take tiny steps, the folds of silk trailing behind her.
Maybe she shouldn't have changed her clothing after all.
-
They said absence made the heart fonder, and many quotes to that effect.
Sesshoumaru thought he agreed.
As always, Kagome looked perfect – though personally he thought she'd lost weight. Then again, she'd talked about how modern girls thought being thin gained them immortality or something. Maybe she'd decided to go on one of their 'diets'.
Or maybe five months did strange things to people's eyes.
Kagome stopped just a few inches away from him. She could feel the warmth from his skin, even.
"It's been awhile," she barely whispered, a ghost of a smile on her lips.
He simply reached out and pulled her into his arms, nearly squeezing the breath out of her. Burying her head in his chest, Kagome smiled softly. She was back.
Sesshoumaru finally – he wouldn't admit it, but reluctantly too – pulled one hand from her back, keeping the other firm on her. Gently, he used one finger to push her chin up, coaxing her to look at him.
Those same, warm brown eyes, thickly lashed with dark lashes… That perfect, tiny nose… Her smooth skin and that sweet plump mouth…
That mouth. It was irresistible, even to the most self-controlled person, and he found himself claiming it with his.
-
"It's a perfectly normal occurrence in our household," Rin said, amused at the Eastern Lord's scandalized expression.
"Hugging… no, kissing…" He gaped.
"They do it all the time," grinned Rin.
"All the time! Surely the human hasn't been his mate for long, only a few months at most!"
"About five, to be exact. And they haven't seen each other since he marked her."
He looked even more shocked. "They were living together before, you say? What is this girl's clan's name? Surely they must have objected…"
"Nah, they're very open-minded and, um, modernized," Rin said, nodding innocently.
"Shippou! You knew of this?"
"Uhh, sort of, sir…" Shippou blushed bright pink.
"And you never told me? I should have stopped that silly puppy Sesshoumaru!"
Shippou blushed even further. "Well, they were sort of betrothed, well, they really loved even other, but Kagome-chan was too young…"
"Underage?" exclaimed the lord. "But – but… Underage?" He looked about to faint.
"Oh, don't worry, Kagome's very mature," nodded Rin fervently. "She's good, kind, and loyal. Once, she even offered to pay her friend's dowry." Rin was referring to Sango.
"Wait… she slept with Sesshoumaru and used the money to pay for a wedding?" His voice rose with every word. "She's a prostitute? No wonder her family didn't mind! Imagine! The scandal, oh, the – I'm going down to give that idiot a piece of my mind, really. The Lord of the Western Lands, indeed!"
-
"We have visitors," Sesshoumaru said, breaking his kiss with Kagome gently.
"Sesshoumaru!" cried the Eastern Lord, landing with Rin and Shippou, striding over quickly. "You took on a human prostitute as your mate? I must protest, it's scanda-"
"Shippou-chan!" cried Kagome, seeing the familiar red-haired boy. "I haven't seen you in ages!" She threw her arms around him, having to crane her neck to look up at him. "You're… tall."
Indeed, that 'boy' looked like a 'man'.
"Your mate… hugging… another…" The Eastern Lord seemed speechless.
"Rin-chan!" cried Kagome, hugging the girl tightly. "You too, you've grown so tall!" She pulled the girl over to Sesshoumaru, where she cleared her throat lightly.
Bowing formally, Kagome smiled and winked at him. "Sesshoumaru-sama… as your mate I do beg your forgiveness for staying with my family." Then, she threw etiquette out the window. "I have a surprise for you!" she laughed, twirling around in circles.
He caught hold of her wrist, almost regretting the presence of the others, which stopped him from laughing with her.
"Ok, what surprise?" he asked when she'd calmed down.
"Guess!" she seemed pleased with herself.
Sesshoumaru blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Porn."
"No." Sighing, she took out a folding fan from nowhere and tapped him on the head with it. "Little pervert."
"Well then?"
"I'll give you one more guess."
"Hentai?"
This rewarded him with another smack on the head with the fan, while Kagome rolled her eyes, walking towards the well, signalling for him to follow.
"You can fly me down, right?" she asked.
Kagome was still as strange as the day he'd met her. Sesshoumaru most kindly flew her down, his cloud hovering over the floor of the well. They were soon joined by the Eastern Lord and party, fitting most uncomfortably into the well.
"Ok, wait for me here," Kagome said. Smiling reassuringly, she stepped off the cloud, and disappeared from the bottom of the well.
"Where did she go?" asked the Eastern Lord, astonished.
"Back to her time, about five hundred years in the future," explained Shippou.
"No wonder she's so strange!" muttered the lord. Shippou wondered what he would have done if he'd seen Kagome's old school uniform with its tiny skirt.
"Where's Kagome-chan going now?" murmured Rin, stepping onto Sesshoumaru's cloud.
"Um, back to her time." Shippou volunteered.
"I know that." Rin stared at the floor, as though Kagome was going to come through anytime soon.
Sesshoumaru waited impatiently, listening to the two children's speculations. He's waited a damned five months to see her and now Kagome was going back to her time again?
But it wasn't long before Kagome reappeared, holding a tiny bundle, about the length of half a sword. "There we go."
Well. She never ceased to amaze, or confuse, him. "What's that?"
"Not that. Here, get us out of this nasty well and I'll introduce you."
"Introduce?" Nevertheless, he did as she asked. When they landed on grassy floor, Kagome nodded at him imperiously. "Hold out your hand."
How embarrassing. In front of another taiyoukai and a kitsune, his mate was bossing him around. "What?"
"Hold it out!" insisted Kagome.
Grudgingly, he extended one arm.
"And the other. Not so rigidly, you idiot."
The girl had called him an idiot in front of another taiyoukai. His mind was already coming up with ways to punish her… in the bedroom. Holding out his other arm, feeling truly idiotic, he looked at her expectantly.
Carefully, she placed the bundle in his arms. Stepping closer, she nodded encouragingly at Sesshoumaru, before gently coaxing the folds of the soft blanket free.
A tiny mouth yawned lazily, before two large golden eyes blinked up at him.
"Ne, Sesshoumaru." Kagome smiled. "Meet your son – no, don't drop him!" Rescuing her son from Sesshoumaru's grasp, she gently stroked a plump cheek. The baby poked a tiny hand from the blanket, on which tiny claws were already apparent.
"How long?" asked Sesshoumaru, for once dumbfounded, though not showing it.
"I found out when I got home, so I decided to keep a surprise. It was about four months before he came, so he's a month old, give or take."
"I want to hold him," Rin said, wide-eyed.
"Sure, he's naughty when he's not sleepy though." Kagome carefully gave Rin the baby.
"Oh, he's so cute," sighed Rin, cuddling him softly.
"Hello?" Kagome waved a hand in front of Sesshoumaru.
He simply squeezed her other hand gently.
-
"The only rule is, no claws," Kagome said sternly, shutting the door behind her.
He'd spent most of the time before he'd met her with geisha and courtesans, and she thought he couldn't work obi knots. Rolling his eyes, Sesshoumaru set to work on the huge butterfly knot, gently loosening ties to tug it free.
"Oi, who taught you?" grumbled Kagome. And she'd thought she would stump him.
"One can but learn these things after nearly a millennia of living, don't you think?" he asked her. As he spoke, he triumphantly pulled the obi from her waist.
Breathing deeply, Kagome sighed, finally able to breathe properly. Sceptically, Sesshoumaru eyed his mate.
"Did you overdo a diet?" he asked, untying the thin tie that held her first layer of kimono together. The robe was a gentle shade of pale gold, tie-dyed and embroidered with pavilions, cranes and clouds.
"What? I worked hard to lose that damned tummy. I would've returned practically a month earlier if you had told me you liked fat women!"
"My bad," he said mischievously, pulling the robe off her shoulders, revealing a jade green robe.
"Have you thought of a name?"
"Not really."
"I was thinking something to do with all the guys. Like, Inushiroku or Shirokusha or Rokuyapou."
He looked mildly distressed. "You do know no such names exist in the Japanese language, right?"
"Oh well… how about, Mirokumaru?"
"No thanks, sounds rather distrubing." The green kimono slipped off her shoulders, a delicate pink one appearing.
"You pick a name, if you're so smart," grumbled Kagome.
The pink robe fell to the ground. "I'll need to think it over."
"No screwed-up youkai names, ok?"
"No wishy-washy pathetic human names."
Kagome paused as Sesshoumaru untied her blue layer, a powdery colour. "By the way, is he a hanyou? He doesn't have ears like Inuyasha! I was so disappointed…"
"I think he's a demon." Yet another robe fell and Kagome was down to her last layer, a heavily embroidered silver silk.
"Right, because when I powerful taiyoukai and miko mates, the child can be demon, hanyou, or human with spiritual powers. Blah, blah, I still wanted those fuzzy ears."
"And, pray, what's wrong with a full youkai? He'll be smarter and more powerful."
"Well, demons have nice ears too," Kagome said, as though comforting herself. "I would have preferred it if he had came out faster, he was so horribly fond of kicking."
"You do know that four months is eternity by a dog demon's standard. I was born in two."
"Well, I'm sorry if we slow humans need a whole nine months. If a human baby gets born after four months he's a goner."
"Indeed," snorted Sesshoumaru. "By the way, why aren't you wearing an under kimono? Or a slip." He toyed with the silver robe in his arms, eyeing her in her bra and panties.
"Ha, I, um, forgot."
"Funny how you so conveniently forgot. Did they starve you in your era or what? You're skinny."
"Am not!" grumbled Kagome. Her curves looked perfectly fine to her, thank you very much.
"Fine, not that skinny," he said, cupping her ass lightly. "As firm as I remember. Aren't you supposed to go all fat after having children?"
"So I was," shuddered Kagome. "But I exercise diligently, unlike pampered aristocratic ladies who walk no more than fifteen steps without being carried. Even a month of hard work has got to pay off."
Years of practice with Kagome deemed him an expert in modern lingerie. With ease, he removed her underwear, leaving her nude for his viewing pleasure.
Five whole months he had waited, and he wasn't waiting any longer.
-
"How fast do demons grow? You say he's one month old?" exclaimed Sango, watching the tiny youkai baby fool around with a bowl of rice, dumping the grains everywhere.
"A month. Though he doesn't crawl," Rin said. She hadn't been about to resist showing him to Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha. But Kagome had been right – he was naughty. Somehow she doubted he would dare be naughty around his father, but as it was, the more naughty he was the more everyone doted on him.
True, the baby couldn't crawl. But by merely sitting up he could do a world of damage. Take the rice he was playing with – in an impressively short amount of time, he had pawed at the rice in the bowl, getting it stuck in his lengthy locks of hair and on his arms and face.
"He doesn't have cute hanyou ears," Miroku said, brushing some rice from his nose.
"He's youkai, you idiot," Inuyasha snorted, feeding the baby a grain of rice.
Jaken was determined to give his two cent's worth. "He looks exactly like Sesshoumaru-sama."
"Minus the markings and eyes," Sango said. He had a tiny blue crescent moon on his forehead, but the magenta stripes on his cheeks and body weren't there. His eyes were that same trademark gold honey, but instead of being calculative, intelligent and slim, they were wide and innocent like his mother's.
Which was why nobody had fussed when he'd started playing with rice. He could turn those big eyes on you, blink or maybe look beguiling, and hearts would melt instantly. Then he'd go on wrecking mischief.
Apparently the rice no longer interested him, because imaginary tears filled those eyes, and he looked around.
"Ok, let's get you cleaned up," sighed Rin, looking at the rice.
-
"Takeo!" screamed Kagome, collapsing on top of Sesshoumaru.
"Who the hell is that?" growled Sesshoumaru.
"No, no… we should call our son Takeo!"
"Wha - No!"
"Ok, whatever. I tried." Kagome rolled off him onto the futon. Snaking his arm around her, he pulled her close, savouring the touch.
"Aren't you supposed to lose all your energy and tightness after you have a baby?" he asked after awhile.
"Goodness no, who told you that?"
"After the courtesans have children they lose customers."
"Well, if you must know, I must have gone through Kegel's exercises a million times regarding the tightness issue. He writes these things to help you, um, gain tightness."
"Does he preach on energy too?"
"No, but who wouldn't have energy for you?" she asked lightly, tracing a finger on the stripes on his body.
"You said it yourself," he warned, pulling her below him and spreading her legs.
-
A soaking wet group of five glared at the wide-eyed baby in the wooden tub.
"How much splashing can a little squeak do?" grumbled Inuyasha, shaking his hair dry, very much like a dog. As though hearing him, the boy banged his fist down on the water again, drenching Inuyasha.
"Little squeak!" Inuyasha cursed under his breath.
"What now, Rin?" sighed Sango.
Two big eyes blinked, big water drops clinging onto his thick lashes. "'In," he said softly. "'In."
"He can talk," Rin said in amazement.
"'In-chan," he said, giggling.
"He can laugh?" asked Miroku.
"'In-chan! 'In-chan! 'Nyasha! 'Nyasha!"
"He said my name." Inuyasha stared at him.
"'Gome," he said, his eyes blinking. "Kasan."
"Who's Kasan?" wondered Sango.
This stumped them for a second, until Miroku grinned. "Okaa-san."
"Kasan," insisted the baby, his eyes beginning to close in sleepiness.
"Kasan indeed," sighed Rin, scooping him out of the water and rocking him to sleep.
-
"I didn't know you could wear a kimono," Kagome said, eyeing her reflection in the mirror as Sesshoumaru looped her obi tight around her waist.
"I can't wear a kimono," he said. "The last time I checked, I'm a guy."
"Shut up, you know I meant you putting one on."
"That, too; I can't put one on unless I'm asking to get labelled a gay."
She giggled at the thought. "You'd look good as a girl, I reckon."
"You'd do good shutting your mouth, I reckon," he said, pulling the obi extra-tight, making her gasp.
"Lighten up," grumbled Kagome.
Indeed, Kagome was a mate to be proud of, though Sesshoumaru fondly as he gazed at her. There was nothing flawed about her. Not to mention, she had came through having a baby with a perfect waist, and still tight as a virgin.
And now he had a son.
"What are you looking at?" she smiled, twirling a lock of his hair around her finger.
He answered truthfully; "You."
"Oh, right." She bobbed her head in a tiny bow. "Domo arigatou gozaimashita. Thank you for dressing me up, and I'll be sure to include you on my retinue of maids in charge of my daily toilette, ok? You can be like, my dressing-up person."
"Sure," he said, with a tinge of disbelief. "Remind me to choose the most inconvenient robes."
"Just joking," she sighed, sailing out the door.
He followed, his usual icy mask now freezing over his features.
Kagome looked at him. "Must you do that every time?"
"What?"
"Freeze over the moment we leave the bedroom. People will think you're like that in the bedroom and that I'm sleeping with an ice block."
"How embarrassing for you," he said, rather cynically.
Tossing her head, Kagome looked around. "Where are they?"
"If you had listened instead of trying to kiss me, Rin said they were going to your friend the taijiya's house."
"Excuse me? You were the one trying to rip my clothes off before I stopped you."
"How terrible for you. You look like you enjoyed it."
"Well, I'm not going to sit around grumbling during sex, if you get my point?"
"Loud and clear, Kagome, I get it loud and clear."
"Whatever. You're officially barred from holding Takeo until you can prove to me you won't drop him."
"One, my son is not being called Takeo. Two, I never dropped him."
"You so did," Kagome said, rolling her eyes.
They dissolved into an easy silence, each thinking their own personal thoughts.
"Kagome-chan!" cried Sango as they approached the house.
"Sango-chan!" Kagome ran up to her. "How are you?"
"Your son," she grinned, "is the craziest, naughtiest, cutest baby in the world."
"Glad to hear that. Miroku! Inuyasha! Even Jaken!" If there was a way to hug all three of them at once, Kagome would have done it, except she merely tackled the houshi, danced a circle with Inuyasha and patted the toad on the head.
"Ne, Kagome-chan." Rin walked over, cuddling the baby softly. "Your baby is evil."
"Yet everyone seems to love him," sighed Miroku.
"Keh! That brat. I bet he's exactly like Sesshoumaru when he was little," snorted Inuyasha.
"And what would you know?" asked Sesshoumaru condescendingly.
"We need a name," Kagome said.
"Nothing pathetically human like Keiji or Ichiro or Takeo," warned Inuyasha.
"Hey! I liked that name Takeo!"
"What would demons know of names anyways?" asked Kagome.
"Daiinu," volunteered Jaken.
"NO!" everyone all but yelled.
Miroku looked thoughtful. "Tajimaru?"
"That's actually pretty good," Inuyasha said.
"Kasan," whimpered the baby.
"Okaa-san," corrected Kagome, taking the child into her arms.
"He keeps getting what he wants," sighed Rin. "Better call him Yukio."
"Tousan!"
"Someone wants their otou-san," smiled Kagome. "But the otou-san can't drop him."
Sango smiled brightly – too brightly. "I have to… um, wash some clothes. I'll be back."
"I'll help!" Miroku said, running after her.
Inuyasha looked indecisive. "Um… I need to… polish something…"
"Oi! Ji-chan!" Rin ran after him.
"Sumimasen…" Jaken tapped his head on the floor, before following Rin.
Kagome stared. "Did I miss something, or did they make themselves scarce?"
"Tousan…"
"No one's looking," Kagome said, looking around at the empty space around them. Stepping close to Sesshoumaru, she put the child in his arms. "Careful…"
"He's… soft."
She rolled her eyes. "No, and you thought…?"
"Tousan," smiled the baby.
His grip tightened almost protectively. Kagome smiled.
Give him time to let reality sink in finally, and Sesshoumaru would have to start thinking about rediscovering that unknown.