Warning: None in this chapter. Eventual yaoi/mpreg.

A/N: Hey, FF readers. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thank you all so much for the flood of response, I truly appreciate the reviews/alerts!

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Inuyasha. Clearly lol.


"Tetsusaiga...it rejected me. I don't have a human to protect anymore and I'm full demon now. I can't touch it...damn it all to hell..." He breathed, panting heavily as panic set in.

It was stiflingly quiet for a few moments before Shippo spoke, the two staring in disbelief at Inuyasha's burned hand.

"Well, at least you get to keep the puppy ears..."

"Keh, whatever!"

Shippo blinked confusedly. "If you didn't want to be a full youkai, why did you-?"

"I don't know, alright? I just kinda did it without thinking! And now I'm stuck like this unless I track her down and make her turn me back to normal!" Inuyasha yelled, balling his hands into fists.

It was quiet after that for a long while. Anything particularly rude or teasing that Shippo wanted to say, he kept to himself this time. Not only did Kagome pass away, but now he was someone -something- totally different? The fox kit backed away slightly, still unsure of how Inuyasha would react. Even though he'd been assured nothing would happen, visions kept flashing before his eyes of how Inuyasha used to act as a full demon.

Wild.

Vicious.

Completely untamed.

The leaves swayed gently and Shippo shivered at the cold. Kirara rubbed against him, also seeking some warmth. It was getting late and it was autumn now - the days were getting shorter and the air was more chilly all of a sudden. Inuyasha blinked several times, before sighing heavily after what seemed like several minutes.

"What are you doing back here anyway?"

Shippo blinked innocently. Well, that wasn't really the words he was expecting. Or maybe, it was, but he didn't want to admit that maybe Inuyasha had outgrown him, or more reasonably, that he had outgrown Inuyasha and was getting too old to continue hanging around the inu youkai for his protection. But surely, Inuyasha enjoyed his company and thought of him as a friend of some sort?

"You idiot, isn't it obvious? I know you're sad about Kagome and so am I! That's why I decided to put off my fox demon exams for awhile longer and spend time with you!" Shippo explained exasperatedly.

"Keh, whatever." Inuyasha grumbled. Which was basically his way of saying, 'Thanks for coming back.'

"I really gotta keep it together now that you can't use Tetsusaiga! Don't worry, with me around, you don't have anything to worry about! I'll beat up any stupid youkai who try to attack us." Shippo proclaimed, pumping a small fist in the air.

"You forget I still have my fangs and claws." Inuyasha griped, punching Shippo on the head.

Unfortunately, he underestimated his full demon strength, and gasped when blood dripped down the fox kit's forehead. Shippo looked stunned, gaping up at him as though he were a foul beast. Inuyasha panicked, crouching down in front of him.

"Shippo..." He murmured.

"Look, I'm sorry! I'll be quiet..." Shippo said in an unusually soft tone. He almost looked afraid and that was when Inuyasha finally caught a good glimpse of his reflection.

In his panic and anger, he hadn't even realized his eyes had become a bright, crimson red color. His fangs were longer and the stripes on his cheeks were more pronounced all of a sudden. Inuyasha stared more intently at the puddle of water on the ground, blinking at his reflection. After a few moments of panting deeply, he was able to calm himself down and he noticed his eyes and face went back to normal. His new normal, anyway.

He looked like himself still, but so utterly different. The genes of his human mother apparently hadn't been eradicated. He still looked like his mother, except full demon. The puppy ears were intact, twitching atop his head at all the sounds he was subconsciously listening to at the moment.

Shippo frowned, the frightened tears in his eyes still lingering. "Inuyasha...? Are you okay?"

"Huh? Yeah...I'm fine...I should be askin' you that. I'm really sorry about this, Shippo." Inuyasha said, examining the bump on Shippo's head. "You ain't brain damaged now or nothin', are you?"

"You shouldn't joke about brain damage or injuries in general, that's rude and really m-!" Shippo paused when he realized that Inuyasha wasn't even listening to him anymore. "Hey, I was still talking you know!"

Inuyasha turned around to face him with a seriousness that unnerved Shippo. He felt relieved moments later when the youkai cracked a wide smirk and gestured for him to follow. "Let's go see Totosai. He'll know what to do about this damn sword of mine, I'm sure of it. C'mon!"

"Right!" Shippo exclaimed. "Let's go Kirara."

She growled in agreement, transforming in her larger form. When Shippo hopped up she straightened up and took to the skies. Inuyasha's eyes widened and he growled. "Hey, wait for me! What's the big idea-?"

Kirara gave him a meaningful look and Shippo's eyes narrowed in a manner that clearly stated Inuyasha should already know the answer.

"I don't get it! I know I can run fast, but you always carry me Kirara. What the hell is your problem anyway?" Inuyasha barked.

"Idiot! You're full demon now. Can't you transform into a beast form also?" Shippo yelled, looking at him curiously. Kirara roared her agreement.

"Oh yeah...I forgot about that. I'm so used to bein' a half demon." He murmured, mostly to himself. "But I don't know how to yet you guys! It's not exactly something I've got time to practice at the moment! In the meantime, I could use a lift."

Kirara flew down and caught him by the collar, tossing him onto her back a bit carelessly. He scowled, but stayed behind Shippo without so much as speaking another word. Luckily, the fox kit filled the silence by blabbing on and on about his adventures with his fellow fox demons, and how much better he was getting at pulling pranks.

...

Totosai squinted when he saw three figures approaching his fiery cave. He hummed thoughtfully and placed a hand on his forehead, before scratching at it. "Now who could that be? I haven't felt such a powerful demonic aura since Lord Sesshomaru last visited me here. No, wait, it's stronger than his...it's similar to the great Inu no Taisho...it can't be Inuyasha, can it?"

"Master! Lord Inuyasha! It's me, Myouga!" The flea youkai cried from his place on Totosai's shoulder. He and the old swordsmith had become better friends and spent more time together regularly. That and Myouga was a bit too afraid to face Inuyasha's daily wrath, especially now that the boy was a bit older and even stronger than before.

"Myouga! You're here too? Long time no see. Too cowardly to face me, huh?" Inuyasha asked in a bored tone, picking at a puppy ear nonchalantly.

"No such thing, sire! I simply wanted to take a bit of a break." Myouga explained.

"So...fifty years is a 'bit of a break' to youkai? Well, damn." Inuyasha replied, snorting amusedly. 'He's definitely a coward.'

'Once a coward, always a coward.' Shippo thought, shaking his head as he folded his arms tightly.

"Speaking of youkai...my lord...you look different and you smell different too!" Myouga exclaimed.

Totosai nodded. "He sure does - I thought something was different about him. He's a full demon now."

The flea hopped onto Inuyasha's neck and began sucking his blood delightedly. The inu youkai humored him for a few moments before slapping his hand against his neck. He watched as the flea groaned in pain from being flattened, before he popped back to his regular size once again.

"Your blood is even more delicious than before. You see, I believe the human blood in you while you were still a hanyou made it delectable but not nearly as wonderful as it now that you're a full-!" Myouga began.

"Ain't you gonna ask how this even happened? Hm?" Inuyasha asked, raising a brow.

"Of course I'm shocked. We're both shocked, to say the least my lord." Myouga replied.

"How did this even happen, by the way?" Totosai questioned.

Inuyasha looked over to where Shippo, Kirara, and Totosai's cow were all lounging around next to each other before finally answering the older youkai. "Well, to make it short and simple, I saved some old sorceress' pet and she turned me into a full demon as a sort of thanks I guess..."

"Do you know her name?" Myouga asked in a fretful way, his already big eyes becoming huge.

"Nope." He answered simply.

"Lord Inuyasha! For shame! You should always know the name of the one you make a deal with, always!" Myouga shouted, hopping up and down in his palm.

Inuyasha crushed him, blinking innocently as he did so. "Oops, musta slipped my mind. It's okay though, she wasn't bad or anything."

"How do you know?" Myouga shouted.

"What are you, my father?" Inuyasha screamed.

"Well, in a way, yes! Your father entrusted me to watch over you and give you advice as you grew older-!"

"Shut up, ya old flea! You weren't no father to me and Sesshomaru sure as hell wasn't a brother!" Inuyasha shouted, before pausing and blushing heavily as he realized he had revealed a bit too much.

Totosai and Myouga frowned, exchanging a wary look with each other. The swordsmith laughed nervously, trying to break the awkward silence. "Well Myouga, maybe Inuyasha is right. Perhaps the old woman wasn't an evildoer. I mean, there's good people in the world too, they're just a little harder to find. You know, your mother was a good person Lord Inuyasha. She was real sweet, an angel in a world full 'a demons."

"I know..." Inuyasha murmured quietly. "But can we drop my mother from this conversation?"

"He doesn't like to talk about her." Myouga whispered in Totosai's ear.

"I see. Well, what's more important is that you seem to be here for whatever reason. A visit? Or do you need a new weapon?" Totosai asked. "I suppose Tetsusaiga isn't working for ya anymore, is it?"

"No...but can't you fix it?" Inuyasha asked.

"Hm, well, sure I could. But it would be the same process all over again as the last time. Do you remember when I pulled your fang out and forged it into the sword and how it was heav-!"

"How the hell could I forget that? The sword was heavy as hell and I had to learn how to master it all over again! It was a pain in the ass!" Inuyasha shrieked, his fingers twitching from annoyance.

"Could you guys keep it down? I'm trying to take a nap." Shippo piped up. Kirara mewed her agreement, curling up even further into his lap.

"We'll have to do it all over again. Perhaps you can still wield Tetsusaiga as a full demon. Of course, the need to protect a human must be there within you or else the sword will only continue to reject you, as I'm sure you already are aware my boy." Totosai explained.

"Okay, got it old man." Inuyasha replied, smirking.

Totosai seemed to space out for a moment. "Now wait, what weapon am I fixing again?"

"Oh man..." Inuyasha muttered, shaking his head. "Tetsusaiga. Remember?"

"Oh, that's right! Now, you're Inuyasha, aren't you?" He asked.

"What the hell? Of course I am! Are you that senile?!" He shouted.

"Sorry, it's just you look so much like your father now. Except for the puppy ears...and the feminine face...and those fire rat robes..." Totosai explained.

"Okay, whatever. I don't care. Help me fix my weapon, old man!"

"A 'please' would be appreciated." Myouga murmured, coughing loudly.

"Fine, please help me Totosai. You're the only one who can, right? I'm counting on you." Inuyasha said seriously.

"Okay, let me see here." He murmured, pulling Tetsusaiga from Inuyasha's obi.

'How come he can touch it? Then again, father did have it forged by him so maybe that grants him the ability to hold any weapons he makes...who knows? Hell, as long as it's fixed eventually, it don't matter.'

...

The cave was quite small, as Inuyasha remembered. He sat down, looking around interestedly. Totosai picked up a pair of pliers, grinning widely. Turning around to face the young youkai, he opened the pliers and gestured for Inuyasha to open his mouth up nice and wide. "Hell no! There's no way I'm opening my mouth. You might of tricked me last time, but I ain't so gullible anymore." Inuyasha said, shaking his head adamantly.

"I need a tooth, Inuyasha." Totosai said patiently, but a small sigh escaped when the inu youkai didn't budge for several moments. "You are stubborn like your father. Forging Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga took forever because I had to had to hold him down and rip his fangs out by force, I tell ya."

"Really?" Inuyasha perked up at this bit of information. He just couldn't imagine the great, powerful dog general lying down on the ground growling at people not to rip his teeth out. It was funny to imagine, causing Inuyasha to snort with laughter.

"It's not funny, young man. You're just like him. Stubborn as a fox." Totosai lamented.

"Don't you mean as an ox?" Inuyasha gave him a funny look.

"Uh...why? What did I say?" Totosai asked, blinking several times. "Speaking of which, where am I?"

"In your own home, idiot!" Inuyasha shrieked.

"Oh, that's right. Now open up." He insisted.

"No way."

"You want your sword fixed or not? The only way is to pull out another fang and merge it into your sword, thus making a sword you can touch, control, and eventually wield." The pliers inched closer to his mouth, making Inuyasha swallow nervously.

"Oh, come on, you're such a baby. You can handle fighting demons and holes through your stomach, but not getting your teeth pulled out or Kagome's spicy curry?" Shippo asked, placing a hand onto his chin.

"Keh, whatever. I'm not doing it." Inuyasha said determinedly, shaking his head.

"Well, at least open your mouth, in order to allow me to better examine your fangs. They must be a bit longer now that you're full youkai." Totosai insisted innocently.

"Oh, okay. Like thi-aaa-ss-?" Inuyasha asked, stretching his mouth wide open.

"Perfect!"

A loud, piercing scream echoed throughout the entire cave and area nearby.

Totosai examined the fang in the pliers, ignoring Inuyasha's small pained whines emitting from his mouth every so often. He hummed, nodding as he turned it around in his hand. "Oh, this is a nice one. Not too long and not too short. You've got great teeth, my boy."

"...Ow...ah...ahhh..." Inuyasha grabbed the sides of his face, his eyes sparkling from the pain. There were no tears though, so Totosai didn't worry too much. The fang was out and that was all that mattered at the moment. "Totosai, you damn traitor!"

"It's your fault for being so naive, Inuyasha." Totosai replied, shrugging. "Now, I'll forge this fang into your sword. However, it will take some time since the sword is not broken this time around. I'll have to completely redo it, possibly. It could take days or weeks to be honest with ya, my boy."

"Damn it..." Inuyasha's fist clenched in his lap, before he sighed and smiled a bit. "It's okay. I don't need it right now anyway. I'll just rely on my claws and fists for now. Hell, I used to before I even got that sword."

"Yes, and now you're full demon, so perhaps you're stronger than before. Do you have a beast form, my lord?" Myouga asked curiously.

"I dunno. I haven't tried to transform into a big fluffy dog or anything like that." Inuyasha replied, frowning as he shrugged.

"Well, perhaps you should ask your brother for some assistance in that area." Myouga suggested meekly, already knowing what his response would be.

Boy, did he ever get it. "Ask Sesshomaru for help? Are you completely crazy? There's no way in hell he'd ever teach me to do anything, much less accept me as a brother..."

"I hate to sound vain, but he detested you before because you were a half demon. You're a full demon now, though. It might change his view about you." Myouga said slowly, twiddling his tiny thumbs.

"...If that's what it takes to be on his good side, then I'm glad we ignore each others' existences. That's not a real brother at all. He should've accepted me the way I am..." Inuyasha murmured, covering his face with bangs, willing the sudden surge of tears to disappear.

"Inuyasha..." Shippo said quietly, yawning as he rubbed his eyes. He could see the pain on his face and frowned. "You don't need him. You've got other friends. Plus, Kouga is like a brother to the both of us. We could always visit his caves or something."

Ironically enough, he caught the familiar scent of wolves just as soon as Shippo was finished speaking to him. He grinned crookedly - could his luck be changing just because he was a purebreed and no longer a half breed? Was the universe suddenly smiling upon him rather than frowning and laughing? It seemed too good to be true, but at that moment he found himself not really caring much.

For once, he was happy Kouga was in the nearby vicinity. What he was doing all the way out here in the volcanic parts of the mainland, he didn't know but didn't really care either. Even before Naraku's defeat, the two had gotten along better, a lot better surprisingly. Once Kouga had given up on Kagome, that had been the turning point in their frenemy relationship. He didn't know why he liked the wolf so much - maybe it was because unlike all other demons he had met, the wolf hadn't ever truly faulted him for being a half breed.

Inuyasha cracked his knuckles - he could use a could sparring match or verbal argument right about now. To take some steam off - come to think of it, that was most likely the reason he tolerated Kouga's presence.

"Ow! Ow, damn it! What's with all this fire?" The wolf demon griped, leaping over the flames that spewed between the cracks of the rocks and pebbles. He landed a couple of feet away in front of Inuyasha with a smirk, folding his arms tightly across his chest.

"Kouga. What the hell are you doing here?" Inuyasha asked gruffly.

"I could say the same to y-!" Blue eyes widened immensely. "Your face...your scent. I knew it was different. It didn't have that usual stench to it. It smells alot nicer. What the hell happened?"

"I'm a full demon or can't you use that nose of yours, wolf boy?" Inuyasha taunted.

"What was that, pup?" Kouga growled, before he let out a loud sigh. "Never mind, I don't have time for arguments today. I came here, believe it or not, because...well, you're not gonna like it. Hell, I don't even like it to be honest..."

"What is it?" Inuyasha asked seriously.

"Sesshomaru requests your, uh, aid for battle." Well, that was unexpected.

"Come again?" Puppy ears twitched as Inuyasha leaned forward with an incredulous look plastered onto his face.

Kouga sighed, and it was clear he didn't want to deliver the news as he looked towards the ground rather than Inuyasha's piercing golden eyes. "Well, uh, there's some runaway wolves who have been causing alot of trouble in the Western Lands. They're rogue wolves, ones who didn't want to merge with Ayame and I's tribes when we got married...so since you weren't able to help in the last battle, he wants you to help out with this one along with me and my warriors."

"The last battle...?"

"You wouldn't know. You were pinned to that tree, right? Fifty years ago or so?" When Inuyasha nodded, he continued, "It was a pretty bad war. Demons were killing each other off left and right. It was probably a good thing you were stuck to that tree. You probably wouldn't have stood a chance without Tetsusaiga."

"Keh, I don't need that sword to be powerful you ingrate!" He snapped.

"Speaking of which, where is it?" Kouga's eyes went down to his hips, noticing the lack of weapons at Inuyasha's side.

"Um, well, you know. I can't exactly use it right now-!"

"What?!" Kouga shrieked. "We're going to war with these wolves in only two weeks! You've gotta be kidding me."

"Two weeks, huh? That might be long enough, actually. I'm getting my sword re-forged." Inuyasha explained.

"Oh...well, are you gonna help or not? I don't have all day." Kouga muttered gruffly.

"I guess. Why are you here though and not Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha said, looking at him suspiciously.

Kouga smirked. "Well, he sent me in his place. Come to think of it, he sent a messenger in his place when requesting my presence also."

"I see." 'Stupid bastard, he's probably too damn prideful to come ask for someone's help in person.'

"The sooner we defeat these guys, the better. I hate the thought of taking out my own kind, but they're too damn corrupted and vicious. Not to mention, Ayame's about to explode." Kouga said, mainly to himself.

"She's gonna what?" Inuyasha looked horrified.

"Ayame's pregnant." Kouga clarified. "She's due any day now. I hate to think I'll miss the birth of our fourth child."

"You already have three kids?"

"Sure. Didn't you and Kagome have any?" Kouga asked curiously. Inuyasha frowned slightly - not only at the mention of her name, but at the subtle resentment in his blue eyes. He knew the wolf still wasn't completely over losing Kagome to him as of yet.

"No. We were content to be with each other. She used stuff called 'birth control' and other weird things all the time, to make sure we were 'safe' or whatever the hell that even means..." Inuyasha replied, shrugging. "It didn't fail, not even once. It was damn lucky, considering we didn't want any children. It's funny though, because now I do want some little brats of my own..."

"Where's Kagome anyway?"

Inuyasha's eyes dulled and he couldn't stop the tears from falling that time. He turned before Kouga could see them but knew he could smell it. It was embarrassing, but he couldn't stop. Losing Kagome had been the most emotionally painful experience in his life as of yet, it had been worse than his horrible lonely childhood even. Nothing compared...

"She's gone." He said in a strangled voice. "She passed earlier...this morning...it's been almost a day, I figure..."

"Oh...crap. Sorry, I-!"

"Save the apologies. You didn't know." Inuyasha said tightly.

"I'm sorry, pup. Hell, now I'm feelin' depressed...I can't believe it. But I guess that goes to show ya how fragile and short human life is, huh?" Kouga looked up at the other man and frowned when he still smelled the fresh scent of salt.

"Yeah..." Inuyasha agreed faintly.

"Hi, Kouga!" Shippo called.

Inuyasha let out a sigh of relief. He was thankful Shippo had interjected, as the atmosphere had turned rueful and almost a bit awkward.

"Hey, kid. Wow, you're almost grown up...kinda girly though." Kouga muttered, smirking.

"I'm not girly looking! You two always tease me, but you two should look in the mirror!"

"I am not girly looking!" The two canines screamed, glowering at Shippo heatedly.

"I don't see what you're complainin' about. You three don't know how lucky you are! To be young and handsome again..." Totosai sighed wistfully, before a somber expression settled over his features. "Anyway, about your sword Inuyasha, it'll be ready in a week at most. Maybe a bit longer."

"That's great. But, uh, can you deliver it to the Western Lands instead? I need to go somewhere." Inuyasha explained.

"Sure thing. I'll fly over as soon as it's finished." Then he paused, blinking a couple times. "Where did you want me to send it again?"

"The. Western. Lands." Inuyasha bit out. "You might want to write it down, because you'll probably forget."

"Forget what?"

"What I just told you!"

"Right, right! The Western Lands. I'll remember, don't worry."

"I'll keep it in mind too, my lord. Have a safe trip!"

"Aren't you coming with me?"

"Well...um...to Lord Sesshomaru's and the Lady's palace...? No, that's...I'll stay here with Totosai for now."

"Too scared to go into battle with the wolves Myouga? I figured as much."

"You all go on now. I'll bring you the sword as soon as I'm done with it." Totosai said.

"Thanks Totosai. C'mon Shippo, Kirara. Let's get going now." Inuyasha said, spinning around on his heels and following after the wolf leader.


Well, that's all for now. Reviews are greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading!

To be continued...