I don't own ... so please don't sue

Chapter 2

I, Myouga, came by to see Inuyasha, Kagome and the children after my television interview.

"How did you like my performance, Master?"

"I thought you were stretching the truth a bit.", Inuyasha replied casually.

"Well you were gleeful at having Miss Kagome become your lifemate."

"Gleeful? I don't know if I would use that word, Myouga.", said Kagome.

"Well, I disagree, Lady Kagome. See ..."

flashback

Dawn was breaking after another blissful afternoon and evening. As Kagome slept peacefully, Inuyasha walked out onto the hillside for an early morning dip in the cold mountain river. As he swam quietly in the waters, Myouga hopped on a rock.

"Well, Master. You are now mated. Your father would be so proud to know you had yourself a mate. He was so worried while Lady Izayoi was pregnant that you would never find a mate and be happy."

"Heh, if he was so worried, why the hell did he even bother creating me?"

"Master!"

"Oh shut up, Myouga. I don't want a lecture. I'm too happy now. I never thought I would be this happy in my life. My miserable, dreadful life is finally showing signs of being even more livable. Thanks to Kagome."

"But you had Lady Kikyou at one time, Master. Weren't you happy then?"

Inuyasha positioned himself on a rock and sat with his chin into the water as he thought about Myouga's question.

"I was happy, yes. Happy to be accepted, finally. Even if I had to turn human to be accepted. I would have given up my life to be accepted and here she offered me love and I only had to give up my demon side. Since I had already considered giving up my human side to be accepted, it wasn't that far of a stretch to give up my demon side."

"But, Master, would you have been truly happy?"

"I don't know. I think not, now that I have Kagome and I know what true acceptance is. She has accepted all my faults, my differences. It doesn't matter to her whether I'm full demon, full human, or half -demon. I'm Inuyasha. That's all. That's how she sees me. And I'm happy for that."

Inuyasha smiled at the thought. Truly smiled. Yes, Kagome had accepted him and everything about him without a second thought. How did he get lucky enough to get her. What had he done for the Fates to smile on him so? And she had mated with him. An animal. An abomination. At least to others, that's what he was. But not to Kagome. His Kagome.

"Myouga, I never knew love could feel like this. How does she do this to me? Makes me feel like the strongest man in the world when I battle yet I'm weak-kneed when she walks into the room or when I catch a whiff of her scent. I would do anything and everything for her. I never felt this way with Kikyou. I loved Kikyou, yes. But, Kagome ... she's ... she's different. I'm madly in love with her. It's like an addiction. An obsession. Yet it feels so natural to have her by my side. Kikyou ... I felt I had to be there or I wouldn't be accepted by anyone else in my life. It felt forced. Not natural. That's why I argue with Kagome so much. I know I can argue with her and she won't leave me. Not forever anyway. She'll always come back. That's why I let her go home, even though I don't want her to leave. If I felt she would never come back to me, I would have destroyed that well a long time ago."

"Master, you truly sound happy. Now if you could only have a pup..."

"WHAT? A pup? Myouga, damn, I just mated. I want sometime with Kagome first. Besides, I though half-demons couldn't produce."

"That's a rumor, Master. Half-demons on Houjiri Island produced."

"Did they? I didn't know.", Inuyasha said, thoughtfully.

Inuyasha started getting out of the stream.

"Where are you going, Master?"

"To get dressed and go hunting before Kagome wakes up. I want her to wake up to the smell of fresh cooked duck or deer and berries. Wild strawberries are her favorite this time of year.", Inuyasha said as he entered the cave.

end flashback

"Inuyasha.", Kagome said softly, as she hugged him and stroked his ears, "I didn't know you felt like that. Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"I don't know,", he replied, just as softly, "But I feel the same way today and if you keep doing that to my ears you're gonna find out exactly how I feel.", he said as he hugged her back and growled softly in Inu-Youkai :Mate: She growled :Mate: back to him as Kadiri and Asame looked googly eyed and romantically at their parents and Shinobu, Toki and Yukio rolled their eyes and pretended to gag at the lovefest.

"Kill it dad, that's gross.", said Toki.

"Yea, dad,", said Shinobu, "You're making us sick."

"That's gross to think that our parents still do that.", said Yukio.

"Where do you think your younger brothers and sisters came from? Immaculate conception?", joked Inuyasha.

"Or the stork?", added Kagome.

Marina came toddling up to her mother from her place in Tanaka's arms and babbled, " 'Tork, mommy, 'tork" as Kiska and Alex laughed, "No Marina," said Kiska, "You came from mommy's belly. We all did."

"Here?", Marina asked, as she pointed to Kagome's belly.

"Yea, there.", said Shawn, as he shook his head while drinking down a can of melon soda, "Curtain climbers!", he commented, laughing.

"Daddy, why is your's and mom's love considered the greatest love story ever in demon lore?", asked Tanaka.

"I dunno.", her father shrugged.

"Because your father and mother survived numerous hardships and still stayed together when others thought they should be separated.", I said.

"Others did too...". Taikan said.

"Yes, but others weren't a half-demon and a human.", Kagome said, "Your father was always put down. That's why we stayed in the village of Inuyama we had created and built our lives there. It was safe to your father. Safe to raise pups without the stares and put-downs of others."

"How did you find out you were pregnant the first time, mom?", asked Asame.

"That was Yasha, right mom, asked Kadiri.

"No it wasn't Yasha. I lost the first child. Yasha was my second pregnancy."

"Ooooohhh.", the girls said together.

"I bet dad was happy you got pregnant again, right mom?", asked Tanaka.

"Well ...", started Kagome.