Chapter 3

Gods, how she wished she weren't bound to her child-bed. She understood the traditions, she understood he would abide by them, but why was it taking so long? She had not even caught a glimpse of her son, and he had been alive for so many hours now; almost half a day. Was InuTaishou displeased with their son? Did the boy not meet his expectations had the Great Dog killed him? So many questions and more piled into her mind as minutes turned to hours and the sun began to fall in the sky, spilling fire across the otherwise azure surface. How long could it take two people to look at a baby? To say she was concerned was an understatement. Finally, after hours of sitting and waiting and worrying, a knock resounded through the room.

"My lady, Lord InuTaishou requests entry into your quarters." Aramatha, her handmaiden announced in her barely there whisper of a voice.

"Yes, yes, of course have him enter at once." She replied desperate to see her son. When the heavy doors parted to reveal her husband in all his glory, she was stricken with disappointment at his empty arms.

"He is with his wet-nurse, my love, she will bring him to you soon; he was ravenous, takes after me in that department." He laughed quietly, almost nervously as he noted his wife's less than pleased demeanor.

"I am perfectly capable of feeding him." Izayoi flatly, leveling him with a pointed stare that spoke volumes her displeasure.

"Sweetheart, you're a Royal Mother, and mustn't burden yourself with something as menial as feeding a child with your lovely body."

"That is the most piss poor excuse for depriving me of my child I think I have had to endure all day." She hissed, narrowing her eyes at the youkai before her. "Tell me, InuTaishou, truthfully, where is my son? What have you done with him you-"

"Now Izayoi, there's no need for this. InuYasha is perfectly fine, he is in his new quarters with the wet nurse being fed and then he will be put to bed. As he has had quite a long first day. I will pretend that I did not hear your attempt at slighting my honor by suggesting that I would harm a child of mine, because quite frankly you didn't finish said accusation, however I will ask that you calm yourself, wife, and get back into bed. You've only just given birth and you shouldn't stress about such trivial issues."

"Trivial?!" She was incensed, now, furious. "I have just given birth to the second son and heir to the western lands some ten hours ago, and have not seen him once. Not once, Taishou; not even when they pulled him from me did I see him. I didn't even learn he was a boy until one of my handmaids told me. I had to learn my boy's gender from a servant! InuYasha? Is that what you've decided to name him? It's rather plain isn't it? Though I suppose I can't expect anything as extravagant as Sesshomaru now can I? What with my son being a half-breed; how can you do this InuTaishou, devalue him like that? All those things you said before, about not thinking any less of him, about how he would be just as great as Sesshomaru, did they mean nothing? Were they all lies?" She grabbed the nearest object to her and threw it blindly at her husband's head. "I want my son, InuTaishou, I don't care if he's with his wet nurse or in his crib, or wherever he is! I want him here in my quarters in my arms, now!"

"Enough!" InuTaishou roared dodging the lamp that flew towards his face easily. "I will leave you to rest wife and you will see InuYasha as soon as he has awakened tomorrow morning. He is lovely, and truly the equal of any and all youkai now living including Sesshomaru. Now, rest, relax and try to get some sleep; you'll feel much more yourself in the morning."

Izayoi clenched her small hands into enraged fists and spoke through a hissing grin. "Perhaps I did not make myself clear. I am a Princess; second Lady of these lands and I have given birth to one of its heirs. I understand that children are a dime a dozen to you, Lord InuTaishou, but to me my child is my one and only, and it is fast beginning to feel as though you mean to steal him from me." She raised her hand to silence her husband's interjection before it even began. "Regardless of the validity of this feeling, it exists, and will only fester. I am begging now, husband, lover, mate, my one and only beloved please bring me our son. I am lost without him."

InuTaishou sighed, not looking forward to the wailing his compliance was sure to earn him from the babe. "Very well, Izzy, but if he cries as he is bound to do, you will be the one to soothe him, love. I will have no part in it."

"As it should be."

Shaking his head, the Lord of the West went to the Royal Nursery to retrieve his youngest son. His hesitation, however, was apparently unfounded, as the child was very much awake and….alone. As soon as he took notice of his Lord Father, he cooed and crooned, raising his arms with the expectation that he would be lifted from the ground. Sure enough not a few moments later he was raised into his sire's arms and swung in the air, laughing all the way.

"Where has your wet nurse gone, little one?" InuTaishou asked the squealing boy, nuzzling his face and neck, breathing in the newborn scent of pack and family, all the while searching for the woman he entrusted with his progeny's care. "Ah well, I suppose it doesn't matter now, come on, son, off to see that stubborn mother of yours."

A tilted head and perked ears were his only response, as he cradled the babe in his arms and carried him down the hall to his second wife's quarters, making note of the reactions of the palace servants along the way. It seemed to him that more than a few had taken it upon themselves to judge their betters; and what's worse, they judged him to be inferior to them, despite their low birth and station. That they had the audacity to sneer openly at the child, as though the mere possession of human blood were enough to dilute his status; as though the blood of InuTaishou were diluted so easily! Vermin, the lot of them. He had half a mind to behead them as they walked down the corridor; one by one granting them reprieve from their obviously miserable lives. For the love of all the gods, even if the boy had been his son he was only just a child; how could they judge him so easily so soon without even giving him a chance to defend himself. It would seem he would have to make a note of every single person in this hall who would think to disrespect his flesh, his blood….and perhaps a little whisper to Sesshomaru of the disrespect to his potential mate wouldn't do too much harm; assuming of course that he had an easier time of reining the child's temper in than last time. He shuddered to think of what would happen if he couldn't. Was this why the child was alone, he thought. Had the wet nurse abandoned him? Disgusting.

When they reached the end of the hall, InuTaishou stood before his second wife's door looking down at his child. "InuYasha," a sigh passes through his lips "your mother had hoped you would be more human. You will disappoint her, child." He gently nuzzled the gurgling boy on the top of his head. "No matter what happens, you are perfection. Never doubt that." With one last lingering press of his lips to his child's forehead, he squared his shoulders and pushed open the door, steeling himself against the whirlwind was sure to follow.

Izayoi waited, fidgeting in anticipation, for her husband's return. Though the stifling quiet that followed his departure from his side was never ending…perhaps he would not bring the child after all. When she heard the door open, she turned her eyes to it seeing her husband holding the smallest bundle of cloth she had ever seen. Still, it was quiet. She began to panic. Was the child dead? Had her hanyou been still born? Was this why he did not want to bring it to her?

Sensing these fears, InuTaishou spoke, his deep baritone soothing in its purpose. "He is not a fussy boy. It seems he had no desire to sleep after all." He smiled and pulled a stray strand of hair from the baby's hands. "Even when he was left alone in the nursery he stayed silent"

Izayoi smiled, extending out her arms in an invitation to relinquish her progeny to her. Her lord hesitated much to her displeasure, but ultimately gave in, gently handing her the squirming bundle of down and flesh. She looked down at him and was…alarmed. Not an inch of him was human. Not one god forsaken inch. Sure, some people would attribute the size of his eyes to his human blood, and the natural shape of his species was narrow, but one look at those sharp and dangerous pupils could dismiss that notion before foolish hearts had even a moment to entertain it. His pale skin covered in marks that screamed out his demon heritage to her, his shock of white hair lent no credence to the fact that this was her child. Was he beautiful? Yes, of course he was. He was beautiful and his aura was very strong and he was obviously InuTaishou's child. How could he not be? But hers? No, no she could not have made such a creature. She was human, flawed. This, this perfect angel laying in her arms all warm and content and still so quiet save the occasional coo at her as her reached to touch her face, could not be her child. Her husband had surely lain with a goddess and now brought her their child.

"Did he die?"

InuTaishou looked confused. "What?"

Izayoi huffed as her eyes filled with tears. "My son. Did he die?"

"No…why would you even think that? Especially when he lays there in your-"

"This is not my child." Izayoi raised her head to display her tearstained face. "I am human. I cannot give birth to…to THIS." She raised her hands to gesture with the child, who now whimpered his distress for his father to hear.

InuTaishou growled viciously in response. "How dare you!?" He growled bearing his fangs. "How dare you imply that my son, my flesh is anything less than perfection? He is the son of InuTaishou, and if you would but use the eyes the gods saw fit to bless you with, you would see that he is nothing short of divine."

"This is my point!" Izayoi screamed, InuYasha now openly weeping in her arms, calling out to all who would listen that he was in need. "I am not a divine being, despite my heritage as a priestess. I am only human and I am as flawed as they come. How can you expect me to believe that I created a child of such divine origins from my own flesh?"

His reddening eyes calmed and glowed amber once more when he was hit with the realization that she thought herself too inadequate for the child. His youkai swelled with pride. "Sweetheart, he is ours. You made him. You and I both made him and he is as we expected him to be." He moved to sit beside her that he might hold them both close. "We did this, Izzy. We did this." He stroked the small patch of hair that rested atop his babes head to comfort him, noting with pleasure that he calmed almost instantly at the touch of his father. "This is our child. Our InuYasha."

She touched her son's face, not bothering to wipe the tears from her own visage as she knew they would simply be replaced by more that she would shed in awe of her child. "I can't believe it. I can't believe I did this. He's so…perfect."

"Yes, no one else can believe it either. Your midwife was sure you were a changeling and that you had taken the form of my second wife to give birth to your god's child that he might be raised in my home.* Even Lily agrees that he is perfection and you know how she lives and dies by lineage. And Sesshomaru! Sesshomaru did not want to give him back to me." He shook his head and chuckled. "They will be mates, Izzy."

"Who will be?" She asked, having stopped listening after he mentioned his first wife, rather preferring to pretend she didn't exist.

"Sesshomaru and InuYasha. The way their aura's and youkai called to each other, pulling on one another and trying to become one. It was lovely. They will make a lovely pair when they are mated."

"That's disgusting love, why ever would I allow that? Sesshomaru is heartless, cruel, and born and bred for death. Look at our son, he's an angel; living perfection. Why would I ever support such a union?"

"I do not imagine that they will ask our permission." InuTaishou chuckled, noting that she was, again, ignoring her in favor of their boy who now cooed and laughed as his mother tickled him. Those thoughts could wait, as they were so far in the future. All he wanted, he had. He had never imagined he could feel so content.

*Growing up in Ireland my Grandfather would tell me not to wonder too far into the garden of his house, lest I get taken by the good folk. We lived in a pretty rural area, so everyone their was very superstitious. Though, I think he said this more for my enjoyment rather than the actual belief that some mystical fairy like creature would steal me and replace me without anyone being any the wiser. Still, I look back on those days fondly.

A/N: So this one gets an update before aToT. I imagine myself finishing this (it would be a miracle, but I do like to dream) but with summer term around the corner, I don't imagine I will find the time to write for much longer. As it is I write in class while my computer takes notes for me. Ah well, as long as I pass what do I care?