Prologue

The sex, she had to admit, had been fantastic. Wild, passionate, erotic; there weren't enough words to describe what they had achieved. The night had passed in kisses, licks, nips, and touches, mostly a blur of the straight shots of pleasure she had recieved. He was the best she had ever had, though it was not saying much. She had only had sex a few times before, finding it generally unappealling with the bed partners she had ended up choosing.

As she lay in an empty bed with nothing but the memory of the night before, Kagura realized something that she had missed in her blind and impulsive passions. It was not he who was the conquest; it was she. She was sought after to be brought down and he had succeeded. The fact of the matter was that she had been played, and even though she should have been furious as her inherent nature demanded, she couldn't find it within herself to be as such. Nothing more than the inevitable had happened, and the only anger she could find was directed at herself for not seeing it long before her humiliation was complete.

In her hand was a note, written in his flowing and elegant script, telling her of his enjoyment of the night previous. Shallow pride had welled in her breast as she read the words, he having admitted to her being the best he had sampled as well. Now it was only an empty condolence to her shattered pride, an ineffective one at that. With an almost limp hand, she closed her fist about the note, crumpling the physical expression of her emotional wounds. The only words left visible were at the very bottom, a post script written in a somewhat hasty manner, as though she had almost awoken even as he wrote.

'The money for your cab fare and tip are on the bedside table. I expect you to be out of my house before I return or I shall alert the police. Never try to inject yourself into my life or interact with me in any way. You are but a lowly and inconsequential conquest.' The words burned her soul, branded her in a hateful intent with their meaning. Her eyes drifted towards the note as it lay clenched in her hand, the words written there forever seared into her memory. As she gazed at it with glazed and distant eyes, a slight wind picked up in the room, slipping the paper from her grasp. Her once fiery and vibrant red eyes followed it, too weak to turn her head in her misery. It flitted about in her line of sight for a few moments before being torn to shreds by the angry winds that circled the room. The torn pieces were thrashed about the room, ripped into ever smaller pieces by the jaded winds.

As Kagura watched her powers act out on their own, she realized that she would have to get up and leave in a timely manner. It was almost noon time and while she wasn't expected into work that day, there was still work to be done in her own home and a life to be lived outside of the relationship she had thought she had.

Sighing, she forced herself to sit up in the all at once foreign and familiar bed, calming the winds that had kicked up with her lack of control over them. What was left of the note floated in lazy spirals to the floor, her anger tamed and once more put under lock and key in the darkest corners of her mind. There was nothing but painful, blissful emptiness within her mind and soon enough, she didn't know how she found herself standing outside the gates that lead to his lavish home.

Pausing her slow and steady steps away, Kagura allowed herself one last peek just over the top of her shoulder at what could have been. Her eyes trailed up the faux inviting exterior all the way to the upper-most floor, where a single window looked down upon the grounds. She knew it to be Sesshomaru's room, having enjoyed the view only moments before he had stolen her away into a land of what seemed to be unending pleasure.

Pain flashed through her ruby orbs as the night before played one last time in her mind's eye before she turned away and continued her trek that lead her far from where she wished to be.

Kagura couldn't bring herself to rise from the cold, comforting sheets of her bed. While she had been attending her classes in good faith as she was expected to by her father, the subjects that she had once listened to with rapt attention and studied with an all together inhuman vigor had lost the shine they had held only two months before. She knew why they had lost her interest but she could not bring herself to acknowledge it. Her still fierce and independent spirit refused to contemplate the possibility that she had become reliant on another person, let alone a man, for happiness.

The mid-morning light streamed through her half way shut blinds and fell just short of her dulled and inattentive ruby orbs. She knew that with a few more minutes, the light would brighten her eyes through reflection, but she doubted whether they would brighten of their own accord anymore. There was just too little reason for her them to shine like they once had, before and during her time with him.

Cursing herself in a whisper and with no inflection whatsoever, Kagura wished she could find and regain the drive she had lost to the cold man she thought she knew. Unbidden, however, a surge of nausea that was determined to become more than familiar rose in her gut and spurred her to a quick reaction or suffer cleaning vomit from her sheets. As was becoming usual, she was only just able to make the swift journey to her bathroom in time to contain her retch.

The sick sound of her own bodily fluids hitting the water and bowl was enough to incur another round, never mind the smell that came with it. Panting, she narrowed her eyes into a pathetic excuse for a glare at the pinkish, floating mass that sat within the confines of her toilet. At the back of her mind, Kagura thanked her father for forcing her to have the stomach of steel that she did, pushing off the toilet and stumbling to the sink as she did.

"When will this damned retching stop?" She mused to herself aloud, twisting the elegant knobs to begin the flow of cool, crystal water. Sighing, she cupped a handful of the water to her mouth to swish before spitting out the contaminated water into the sink once more. Her mouth twisted into a weak sneer as she watched it slither down the sides of the sink before she opened her cabinet mirror for antacid pills.

Kagura's hand froze when her eyes landed on something much neglected within her cabinet. A cheerful box of tampons stared back at her, making a mockery of the intelligent woman she thought herself. Her immediate thought was to recall the last time the annoyance she hated to call her period had visited her with its malicious intent. Her thoughts raced as she realized that she could only remember having her period a week before her liaison with Sesshomaru.

Paling, she cursed herself for not realizing earlier that, not only had she missed her period twice, but she was having morning sickness; an obvious side effect of being pregnant. Her first thought was to call Sesshomaru, begging for his assistance in the matter. That thought was quickly banished however, as Kagura recognized that not only would her pride be forever crippled by the blow, but he would have nothing to do with her. He had made that explicitly clear in the note that still gave her tantalizing nightmares.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it..." She muttered, a renewed vigor impressed into her body as she bustled about her apartment, throwing on the first garments she grabbed. It wasn't like her to be so unconcerned with her appearance, but her mind was far from what tedious garb she was wearing. The thought first and foremost in her mind was to get a pregnancy test as quick as she could. She was out the door and on her way to the local pharmacy within minutes of her revelation.

Staring at herself in the mirror, Kagura examined her features with a critical eye. She wanted desperately to know if she could continue to attend school and family functions without drawing attention to herself. There was a growing paranoia that the bump in her stomach was swelling, but she knew that it was still easily written off. It could easily be passed off for slight weight gain. Pressing a hand to her cheek, she examined what the doctor had called the 'pregnancy glow'; the sheen of oil that made her face shine. Nothing the excuse of a period couldn't cover for. For her sixteenth week of pregnancy, she didn't think she looked so bad.

Still, there was a lingering feeling that she couldn't get rid of. In the back of her mind, she knew the feeling, but she refused to acknowledge it. The feeling that she was clear as glass and everyone could see what she was hiding was prevalent. She couldn't acknowledge the feeling, register it even, because her father was visiting. He was a shrewd business men and had sniffed out more than a few people after his money and position. It was those same skills that worried Kagura that she would be a mere window for him to gaze into.

Distress pushed her features into a frown, but she strode from her bathroom anyway. A glance at the clock on her bedside warned her of his eminent coming. She had just under twenty minutes to prepare herself and a tight story for his arrival, explaining her weight gain and sheen with as few loopholes as was possible. Settling onto her couch with a once cold glass of cheap wine, she wished herself all the luck in the world before trying to come up with a suitable story in so short an amount of time.

To her own fear and extreme panic, her fabricating time was cut when the ominous sound of her doorbell ringing reached her ears. For an instant, she froze in place, not wanting to believe what she had heard. However, with a second ringing of the bell, she was brought to her senses and a truly inappropriate thought flooded her mind as she scrambled to answer the door.

'Do not ask for whom the bell tolls, for the bell tolls for thee.' Rang through her head with a third ringing of her doorbell and her arrival in front of the door. Smoothing out her appearance as best she could, Kagura managed to look as though she retained some semblance of decency before she reached to turn the knob and invite her guest in.

"Naraku! Daddy, how long has it been?" She put on her best smile as she ushered in her father, noting with no small amount of worry the calculating look he had on his closed face. While she hated to admit it, his shrewd personality had been passed on to her and they often caught onto each others' plots.

"Kagura..." His greeting was wary, as though he suspected something and she forced herself not to panic. In the back of her mind, she knew that they always greeted each other with mistrust and she was arousing suspicion with her warm greeting. She hadn't called him 'Daddy' since well before she started middle school.

"So why did you call this meeting?" Immediately, she cut to her normal cold and stand-offish demeanor, seeing some of his suspicions abate as she did. He was still watching her though; she would have to walk on eggshells until one of them retreated first. "To tell me you still love me?" Both shared a unanimous snort at that, glancing askance at the other before crossing their arms. Their similarities often scared them more than they cared to admit.

"No." Was his sardonic reply with a customary roll of his eyes. "I'm here to ask you about something... important." Kagura froze for all of half a moment, but it was all Naraku needed to confirm his suspicions. "You are pregnant." Her glare was cold and cutting as it sliced its way through the thick tension.

"What's it to you?" Her tone dripped acid, all manner of caustic remarks flitting on her tongue, ready to use as a rebuke.

"Nothing," he scoffed, examining his well-kept nails, "but what is of concern to me is whom the father is." A piercing glance towards his eldest child told her that lying to him would not be fortuitous. She frowned, biting back a snarl at her situation. After growing up in her father's business world, she knew that the father of her child was far from the best choice. Sesshomaru was a rival company to her father and any relations with the enemy was considered betrayal among the family. There was no doubt in her mind that she had fucked up; she just didn't know how bad.

Tense silence stretched between the two already strained family members, both eying the other with healthy amounts of wariness. They had fought together physically before and both come out with severe battle scars and a good, if grudging, amount of respect for the other. Their tumultuous truce had lasted quite a few years but Kagura was sure it would be broken with her actions.

"I want a deal worked out." She knew she was in deep shit, but she wanted to walk away with as much pride, and money, to her name as possible. It would be difficult with Naraku calling the shots, but their minds worked the same way.

"Then what Kanna said is true." Kagura scowled, remembering back to the night she had broken down to her younger sister with her worries about supporting her child. She may have been pro-choice, but for some odd reason, she wanted to keep her child. "Sesshomaru is the father." Putting on a brave face and fighting back a wince, Kagura stared her father dead in the eye, daring him to judge her in her choice of bed partners. He said nothing, merely eying his eldest with more disdain than was usual for them and taking a step backward.

"I still want my deal." She said, her tone carrying what she hoped was a firm and unrelenting note. From the look on Naraku's face, however, it was clear that she had to work on perfecting a business voice.

"You are disowned the moment I can get my hands on the proper paperwork." He said, his voice a smooth velvet that she knew better than to acknowledge without fear. "All your assets will be liquidated and your funds withdrawn to be replaced back into the company. There will be no further association between you or any of the family directly related to me, is that clear?" Shuddering, Kagura had more than enough smarts to know when to put in a defeat. Her head bowed, but her eyes blazing, she forced her voice to remain as calm as she could make it under the circumstances.

"Of course, fa-... Naraku." She could feel his smug gaze on her and it took all her self-control not to assault him right then and there. However, she was no longer family and as such, no longer privy to the privilege of being able to attack him and deal only with him. There would be the consequences of facing off with his burly guards if she wanted her retribution to take that turn.

"I'm glad we've come to an... understanding Kagura. Good day." He turned and moved to leave the same way he had entered but paused to spare a malicious smirk over his shoulder. "Oh, and you have thirty days to move out before the police will forcibly move you." She waited until her acute hearing picked up on his Rolls-Royce driving away in a roar before letting her powers spin out of her control, wreaking havoc on the once neat and tidy room.

Sitting in the parking lot of a chain mall, Kagura could have sworn she had never felt so indecisive in her life. Naraku had drilled it into his children to make split-second decisions, never hesitating or faltering. It was a weakness that the enemies would exploit ruthlessly. Resting her head on the wheel, she vaguely wondered what enemies her former father had been talking about.

"He was a paranoid nutcase." She muttered, lifting her head. "I am not. Be rational about this Kagura. No one is going to kill you for going into a baby store." That determined thought in mind, she exited her car with her head held high, stomach bulging with the roundness of seven months. Purse in hand and deal-minded, Kagura felt ready to take on the world as a pregnant woman.

Her most comfortable pair of shoes squeaked against the linoleum floor as she entered the mall. The blast of air conditioning made her shiver, instinctively wrapping an arm around her bloated stomach. Not letting the chill slow her down, she kept her brisk pace toward where she knew the Baby's-4-All store was. Turning the corner, the pastel colored sign came into clear view and her feet came to an abrupt stop.

Ruby eyes looked on in trepidation as they drank in the cheerful store. Women with a range of stomach sizes browsed the aisles, visible through the large glass window. All of the women had something in common however; something Kagura noticed in sharp clarity that she was missing. Every pregnant woman in the store had a support system standing near her, helping, giggling, and hugging whenever was necessary. Her thoughts flashed to Sesshomaru and how he should have been there with her before she forcibly shut down that train of thought.

"Forget about him." She muttered under her breath as she took a tentative step towards Baby's-4-All. "Right now, focus on getting into that store for baby and you." Breathing in deeply to steady herself, she walked at a brisk pace towards the store, trying to get there before her resolve crumbled and she fled. Before she knew it, she found herself surrounded by a multitude of pastels and her fellow pregnant women. Human and demon alike shopped around her, and she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

The comforting smell of pregnancy assaulted her; a smell unique to each woman, but that blended to make something altogether soothing and calming.

Opening her eyes, Kagura found her nerves far more settled than before and settled in to browse the aisles. Blankets, clothes, toys, cribs, strollers, and all manner of baby things called out to her from their shelves. The thing that caught her eye the most was a blanket.

Sitting with the baby rock star display was a shimmery, silvery blanket that positively screamed her name. Her legs carried her swiftly towards it, and she snatched it up, rubbing it against her cheek. It was soft, probably one of the softest things she had ever felt. Pulling it away to scrutinize, a disheartening revelation came to her.

It was the exact shade of Sesshomaru's hair and just short of being as soft. It drifted between her hands as she fought back tears, shining as it floated down towards the floor. Kagura gritted her teeth against the onslaught, having learned long ago that she would not cry; could not cry.

"Ma'am?" Kagura flinched as a kind voice carried to her ears. "Do you need help with anything?" She blinked furiously to rid herself of the look of tears before turning to face the sales associate who had come up behind her.

The woman was a demoness with a kind face and calming aura. From the tranquil expression and blue hair, Kagura guessed she was a water sprite. They always were the type to mother.

"No, but thank you." Kagura answered in as steady a voice as she could manage. "I just got a little sentimental is all." The demoness smiled, understanding sparkling in her clear blue eyes.

"Don't worry, it happens to a lot of women." She soothed, leaning down to pick up the blanket at Kagura's feet. "I think you dropped this." Without a word, Kagura took the blanket, trying to hide the shaking of her hands as she did. She avoided looking at it as best she could. Her eyes instead zoomed in on the demoness's name tag. Aiko was printed in a cheerful blue and pink font.

"If you need anything else, just come find me." Aiko said at length, smiling once more. Kagura nodded before Aiko turned and disappeared down the aisle. Her feet were rooted to the spot, her hands clenched into tight fists around the silky fabric. Her traitorous imagination could almost make her believe it was the silken brush of Sesshomaru's hair between her fingers.

Mechanically, she drifted towards the cashier, suddenly no longer in the mood to shop for baby things. Paying for the blanket, Kagura barely made it to her car and shabby new apartment through her haze. As she pulled out the blanket, her control slipped and the apartment was reduced to a jumbled mess. Only the blanket stayed perfectly clean.

In the birthing room, the winds screamed their fury along with their mistress, whipping up anything that wasn't grasped, tied, or fastened to or by something unbreakable. Despite being the special wing of the hospital reserved specially for demons, Kagura felt all together very human as one of the doctors exclaimed that her baby was crowning. Over the rush of the winds, she had to strain to hear the harried order to stop pushing. Despite the fact that her body wanted to continue to do so, Kagura let herself fall limp, clutching the quite bent metal railing of the bed she occupied.

She heard the whispers of the nurses despite the howling of the winds, her intangible servants enhancing the whispers until they were shouts reverberating throughout her pounding ears. It was an un-mated birth, a shame upon her family; if she had a family that is. A grudging respect for Naraku dredged itself from the very pits of her being for having foreseen the backlash of an un-mated birth. He didn't want that kind of scandal on the family and thus rightly disowned her. The all-business part of Kagura could see the sense in his frosty actions.

Pain wracked her body once more and she could hear more demands to push. She did with all her might, wanting her pregnancy to be over so she could be out of her miserable pain. For hours the alternating pain and relaxation continued, her baby refusing to come from the warmth and shelter provided by his exhausted mother's uterus. Kagura was almost tempted to reach down and rip him from her body herself, but refrained.

As her doctor had informed her as she went on her tenth month of pregnancy, she was more than likely to give birth to a Taiyoukai. As an infant and child, a Taiyoukai was more delicate than most demons and needed more time in the womb to prepare for the outside world. She had known her pregnancy would be long and arduous, but she could kick herself for not having consented to the cesarian the instant the option had been present. Despite her current anger, the rational part of her mind whispered that she would be proud that she birthed a Taiyoukai without the constant support of a mate.

'Not that Sesshomaru would have made the most supportive of mates...' drawled the sarcastic, and yet still truthful, side of her. The image of Sesshomaru even so much as changing his expression at her screams made her burst into hysterical laughter. It was cut short, however, as the largest burst of pain yet hit with enough intensity to steal her breath.

"You're almost there Kagura-san! Push!" And she did. With all the strength remaining in her long past exhausted body, Kagura pushed. With a squelch she wished she would never have to hear again, the child she had been carrying for close to a year was passed from her body and into the waiting hands of the doctor. Tired, sore, and more than ready to pass out, Kagura fell into a semi-conscious state of mind, only just picking up on the distress of those around her. As she heard their whispers, the mothering part of her she didn't know existed screeched at her to have her baby in her arms.

"My... baby," she panted, opening her eyes to a half lidded state, "I need to see... my baby!" The winds kicked for a moment, emphasizing what her weakened voice could not as the nurses and doctors fluttered about in a frantic dance against time.

Ruby eyes darting about the room, Kagura's sight fell upon the baby boy she had birthed. She had seen the births of all of her siblings and thus knew what a newborn was supposed to look like. All the blood drained from her face as she registered that a newborn was not supposed to look like what her precious baby did.

Her baby was swept from her sight once more and the realization that she could lose her child hit her. She could lose her baby; Sesshomaru's baby. In that moment, she began to do something she had long ago thought she lost the ability to do. In the middle of a birthing room and in the face of losing her first child, Himura Kagura broke down crying, sobbing into her hands, frail from the energy taken by giving birth.

A/N- I don't own Inuyasha. That extends to all of this story, so I don't have to keep writing it.

This has been brewing for a while and I'm halfway through the first chapter. That, however, is no indication of how soon it will be out. It will probably take a while, factoring in school and all. I will try to get it out asap though. Again, no promises, but we can all hope.

Deux Ex Machina