I Never Knew
Summary: He was a hanyou… fated to be shunned and hated among the world of humans and fated to be hunted among the world of demons. She was an orphan… a human who helps cure injured demons; fated to be shunned and hated by humans, but most demons…sought her care, her love… what happens when their paths cross? Inu-Kag
Warnings: Characters are OCC and rated for later chapters
Konichiwa!
Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own Inuyasha, simply writing from my own entertainment as well as my readers. =)
IMPORTANT Apologetic Authors Note: Okay…. It has been a while since I updated and I sincerely apologize! Finals came up in school and I had two large projects due as well and had to focus all of my time on that! Not to mention getting things ready for the holidays! I am soooo sorry and I am not abandoning the story. I am going to make this up to you. I will have this and another chapter up before Christmas. I will also have a new story started, AND I am adding an Inu/Kag Christmas one-shot =) I hope this makes up for the long wait and I truly hope you enjoy! Also if anyone would like to offer their help and help me edit the chapters before I post them it would be greatly appreciated! These always take so long to type up and sometimes I am much too tired to catch all of my mistakes. Let me know!
Responses to my Loyal Reviewers:
luis1113: Thank you so much! I am trying thankful for your review and it really helped! I would like to personally apologize for the late update and I hope you still continue to read my story. Thanks again! I won't be abandoning it anymore your reviews mean so much! I am truly grateful for your review on every chapter!
Rose-Aki: thank you very much! That means a lot to me that you think that! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!
Arch-Angel Kagome: Arigato! I love your reviews! I hope you enjoy the chapter as well!
BlueHairedSaiyan: you did? Haha I am glad you can somewhat relate to my story with your cousin! I hope you continue to enjoy!
LabyrinthXofXLies: Arigato for your review! I apologize for the delayed update!
HalfDogDemonGirl: Arigato gozaimasu!
Peaceful Dragon Rose: Arigato!
glon morski: Arigato for your review and your input! But I can assure you, I don't always like her being a damsel in distress and love when she can stand her ground as well. I don't think you will be disappointed with the upcoming chapters. =)
James'Lover13: Arigato! Gomen for the long update!
blue waves18: Thanks! And I'm soooo sorry for this long update!
arizonasiren: I like stories like that too! And thank you very much, I really appreciate you saying that =) It's my first attempt so it really brings some high spirits to me =) I hope you continue to enjoy!
Purianne: I am so happy this made your day! I hope this one does too =D
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Ages:
Inuyasha Takahashi: 25
Kagome Higurashi: 22
Hinata Ryuu: 17
Yuuto Nakamura: 12
Yuka Nakamura: 12
Sakura Ishii: 1
Shippou Kitsune: 8
Chapter 7: Okaa-san?
Kagome's eyes gently fluttered open, taking a moment to register that she had been in the back room, now her bedroom, sleeping comfortably in her new futon. She moved to roll onto her back but suddenly registered the warm arm draped over her waist; her back was pressed up against a warm, firm chest. Kagome cocked an eyebrow immediately becoming guarded, wondering who dared, other than the children, to fall asleep with her. She hadn't even bothered to tap into her powers to figure out who it was. Quietly and carefully she rolled herself over only to come face-to-face with none other than the hanyou who was slowly capturing her heart, Inuyasha. Her eyes widened as she silently gasped, her face flushing a brilliant shade of red. She felt her anger beginning to boil inside of when she suddenly recalled the events of the night prior.
-Flashback-
"Come on you still need to rest. We don't need you relapsing on all of us." He stated smiling at her as she stared at him apologetically. He picked her up again, causing her to gasp.
"B-But…" Inuyasha shook his head effectively silencing her as he laid her into her new futon.
"Not tonight." He whispered, she nodded in response as he wiped the remaining tear streak from her face. He stood and was about to walk to the corner of the room where he intended to watch over her and sleep, but Kagome grabbed hold of the sleeve of his hayori and tugged gently. He turned to look at her, she was blushing at him.
"S…Stay with me tonight…" She whispered so softly no human and none of the demons in the other room could have picked it up. His eyes widened in shock, his heart began to race. Did he hear her correctly?
"A…Are you sure Kagome?" he hesitantly asked, he was sure he hadn't heard her correctly. But her nod confirmed it, obviously too embarrassed to speak. Inuyasha gulped and blushed, but smiled at her, his heart soaring and his mind going fuzzy. This beautiful woman, whom he surely wouldn't mind having as a mate, was asking him to share her bed with him! What man wouldn't be inwardly jumping for job right now? And to put it simply, it warmed his heart to see that she wished to always be near him, even at night.
He bent down and kissed her forehead, running a clawed hand through her silky hair.
"Allow me to stoke the fire so I doesn't burn out, I promise to return." He said softly and she nodded releasing his sleeve burying her burning face underneath the covers.
Inuyasha exited her… no their bedroom and instinctively scanned the main room where the children where sound asleep. Quietly he tossed some more wood into the fire, and waited for a moment for it to burn before retreating back to Kagome. That simple though making him smile madly, he couldn't imagine anything more perfect at that moment.
'Except for her possibly being my life mate…' His mind wandered as he entered the room and saw that she was already fast asleep. His stifled a laugh and removed his hayori. Setting it on the dresser he climbed into bed beside her. He was hesitant at first but quickly gave in and draped an arm over her waist, pulling her back into his chest.
'She fits perfectly here.' He mind wandered again as he sighed in complete content enjoying the fell of her warmth against him and found himself falling fast asleep.
-End Flashback-
'That's right… I asked him to stay with me last night.' She remembered. She couldn't possibly be mad at him now, he had happily complied with her request. The thought made her blush deeper. At least he hadn't done anything more than hold her.
She glanced up into his peaceful face and smiled warmly, the blush still apparent on her cheeks. She silently reached her hand up to his ears and began to gently stroke the base of one of them. It was something she had done with the twins all the time, sometimes in comfort, sometimes to help them sleep, but mostly just out of habit. It was an urge she just couldn't shake; she adored the cute ears on all of her hanyou's. After a few moments, he began to hear him purr in content causing her to giggle softly.
'I didn't know Inu's purred too…' She thought giddily. She stopped her ministrations and began to pull her hand away only to be stopped by Inuyasha's large, callused, clawed hand grasping hers, holding it in its place. She looked up to his face again to find sleep, lazy amber eyes staring back at her.
"Don't stop… it feels good." He muttered in a sleepy tone, closing his eyes again, a light shade of pink appearing on his cheeks. That sure was bold of him to say that. Kagome giggled and smiled, he released her hand and she didn't pull away, she continued her ministrations on his ears.
"And usually, I allow no one to touch my ears…" He added, feeling the need to continue with his boldness since she didn't seem to be complaining, and rather liked it. Kagome eyes widened, although she wasn't all that surprised. The twins were the same way with their ears; only her and Hinata were currently allowed to touch them. She was just surprised he was allowing her this opportunity. She opened her mouth to respond when…
"Kagome-chan!" Shippou shouted appearing at the entrance to the bedroom. Shippou froze momentarily taking in the scene in front of him. He had been wondering where Inuyasha had gone off to, he hadn't realize that Kagome's scent overwhelmed Inuyasha's and didn't think to look for him in the bedroom with her. He suddenly grew angered.
"Kagome! I'll save you!" He shouted again launching himself at the pair, more directly at Inuyasha, and began attacking him.
"Gah! Ooiii! Shippou!" Inuyasha growled, now this was frustrating, and most certainly not how he wanted to be woken up. Nor had he wanted to be disturbed. He struggled to catch the small fox demon who was currently moving too fast for him due to his body still waking up. Kagome sat up sighing, also disappointed with the interruption, Hinata walked in holding Hinata, followed by the twins wondering what all the commotion was about.
"Shippou!" Kagome exclaimed sternly, instantly making the boy hault his actions. Inuyasha took this opportunity to snatch the fox of by the tail and gave him a good strike to the head instantly he wailed in pain.
"Waaa! Kagommmeeee!" Inuyasha simply glared at the fox demon, and Shippou glared back, thinking Kagome would be on his side and he would have the upper hand.
"Shippou… what do you think you are doing?" Kagome asked sternly, her arms crossed over her chest, looking at him with a look he only knew her to give when the kids had done something bad. Shippou was no longer glaring at Inuyasha and turned to give Kagome a shocked, shaky look, as if he were about to cry.
"K-Kagome! Inuyasha was trying to take advantage of you while you were asleep! I-I was trying to save you!" Shippou whined trying to squirm his way out of trouble. Kagome let out an exasperated sigh and took hold of Shippou. Inuyasha released him, allowing Kagome to continue with her motherly duties her couldn't help but find insanely attractive. Seemingly not fazed by what Shippou had accused him of… either that or he was just doing a really good job of holding himself back. Kagome rested Shippou in her lap, but did not release her stern hold on him, she would not have him hugging her right now begging for forgiveness.
"I asked Inuyasha to stay with me last night Shippou. He didn't come anywhere near taking advantage of me." Kagome explained to the shaking Shippou on the verge of tears. Inuyasha smirked.
'I may not have, but that doesn't mean I didn't have one hell of a time restraining myself.' He thought to himself, he was attracted to her in every way possible, and holding her close to him without really touching her had been quiet the challenge last night.
"B-But… why? You two aren't married… or mated!" Shippou whined, obviously not understanding what was occurring between the pair.
"We don't need to be to share a bed with on another Shippou. I have shared a bed with all of you." Kagome mentioned, Shippou opened his mouth to retort again but Hinata stopped him.
"They are also adults Shippou; they may choose to do as they wish." Kagome nodded in agreement, and Shippou hung his head in defeat, his breathing now calm. He was thankful none of them had yelled at him, that wasn't exactly something he could handle at this point.
"Now please… apologize to Inuyasha." Shippou squeaked his eyes widen starring up at Kagome in disbelief. Inuyasha eyed her with surprise as well, he certainly wasn't expecting that.
"But Kagome!" Shippou whined, not wanting to apologize to this hanyou who just suddenly appeared in their somewhat peaceful lives.
"Shippou…" She said sternly, obviously not taking no for an answer. Shippou gave her a sad look before sighing, knowing he had no way out of this, and turned to face Inuyasha, he bowed.
"Gomen-nasai, Inuyasha-kun." Silence passed over them for a moment and Shippou began to feel anger rise from Inuyasha's lack of response. He jumped in surprised when Inuyasha's large hand landed on his head and ruffled his hair, much like a father would do to his son.
"It's alright squirt." He mumbled softly before retreating his hand back to his side and pushing himself up off the bed to stand up. Shippou watched him wide-eyed, like a son admiring his father, but quickly shook his head and glared back at the hanyou.
"Squirt!" Shippou retorted about to start up another argument until Yuuto interjected.
"So Inuyasha…" He started sensing this was the end of the disagreement between the three, and also to stop Shippou from getting into more trouble. But he wasn't sure how the older hanyou would take this new news, he reached his hand up to scratch the back of his head.
"We are kind of… snowed in…" he finished, it became silent again as Inuyasha and Kagome both let the information sink in.
"N-Nani?" Inuyasha and Kagome both shouted in shock starring wide eyed at the darker haired twin. Inuyasha whirled around to look out the bedroom window as Kagome climbed out of bed with Shippou. The younger hanyou was right… the snow outside had come up to the sill of the window. Inuyasha had only secured the door last night from the snow; he hadn't expected it to fall this heavily. The window needed to be sealed up soon before the snow began to pour into their home. Inuyasha grabbed his discarded hayori off the dresser and him and Kagome followed the children out into the main room, glancing at the door Inuyasha had sealed up the night prior, the snow had been heavy, causing the board to bend inward from the weight. Both Inuyasha and Kagome sighed.
"Well… looks like we won't be going anywhere today…" Kagome mentioned to no one in particular, Sakura began to cry from her crib and Kagome moved to tend to her. Picking her up she began to prepare the young demon for a diaper change and a bath.
"Hinata, warm up some water over the fire for Sakura's bath please." She asked kindly, and Hinata quickly obliged.
"Hai Kagome-sama." Hinata turned to Yuka who was standing beside her and smiled.
"Yuka would you like to help me?" Yuka smiled brightly loving the feeling of offering her help when they needed it.
"Hai!" Yuka responded excitedly, bouncing happily after Hinata who grabbed the pot and began filling it with the stored water.
"Oi Kagome?" Inuyasha called. She craned her neck to look at him having removed Sakura's dirty diaper, moving to grab a clean rag to wipe her with.
"I am going to go out and shovel the snow out of the way of the doors and windows. I am not sure how long it will take me, but I will make sure we can at least get out of the doorway by nightfall. It'll give us boys something to do." Inuyasha smirked, upon hearing this Shippou and Yuuto perked up from their spots by the fire obviously bored.
"Mind helping me boys?" Inuyasha asked eyeing them with a smirk. Kagome smiled warmly at the exchange handing Sakura to Yuka for her bath.
"Hai!" Both boys replied in unison with the same excited tone. Sure it may have been work, but all were glad to help Kagome when needed, and having Inuyasha as somewhat of a fatherly figure added to their enthusiasm, yes even Shippou. The boys bounded for the window Inuyasha was getting ready to climb out of."
"Matte!" Kagome shouted standing up. Everyone halted their movements and turned to her.
"I know all of you have demon blood, but I won't you all of you going outside all day, to work in the cold wet snow dressed as you are now." She stated as a matter-o-factly, heading toward the bedroom.
"Kagomeeee." Both Shippou and Yuuto whined. Inuyasha just crossed his arms over his chest and grunted. Sure he thought the boys should be wearing something a bit warmer then what they wore now, but did he really have to do so as well? He toughed out plenty of winter with nothing more than his fire rat kimono, rolling his eyes as she disappeared into the bedroom. She appeared moments later with a bundle of clothes in her arms. Dumping them on the floor, she sorted through them tossing each one of them, including Inuyasha, hand stitched wool jackets, hats and gloves their claws would not rip through. Inuyasha blinked in surprise when he caught his red winter attire, he was half expecting not to receive anything, especially something handmade. Shippou attire was green, and Yuuto's was black.
"W-When did you find the time to make these?" He asked, but only received a smug smirk and a wink from Kagome as she walked back over to where Hinata and Yuka were bathing Sakura
"There are boots for each one of you by the door." She added surprising the three of them again. None of them able to add up where Kagome had found the time to do all of this.
"Is Kagome magic or something?" Yuuto whispered to Shippou who shook his head at him.
"Beats me, I wouldn't put it past her." Shippou responded earning a chuckle from Inuyasha.
"Kagome…" Shippou whined, he hated wearing boots and Kagome knew it.
"Shippou I will not have you working in the cold and getting sick. Sick demons are more difficult to care for than sick humans, even if they don't hold a sickness for as long. I will not have you getting everyone else sick as you did last year." Kagome interrupted speaking in her stern voice again which meant she would not take no for an answer.
"But you were…" Inuyasha did not let Shippou finish that sentence, knowing what he would say, and knowing it would upset her. He grabbed him roughly by the tail and glared at him while growling.
"You gonna help me or not?" He said fiercely. Shippou squeaked in slight fear and nodded quickly. Inuyasha placed him back down and Yuuto walked up to him whispering.
"Don't mess with a demons mate…" Shippou grumbled at his statement and sighed knowing it was true.
"This is defiantly going to take some getting used to…" He mumbled incoherently to himself as they slipped on their gear and followed Inuyasha, climbing through the window.
Once the boys had all piled out the window, and she was sure they had begun their work and wouldn't hear them, she took this opportunity as her chance to speak privately with Kagome.
"Kagome…" she called grabbing the priestess' attention.
"Has Inuyasha asked to court you yet?" She came right out with it, not wanting to waste any time knowing it would fluster the older woman. Frankly, Hinata never got flustered over these subjects, even when they were of her own personal life. The questioned certainly surprised Kagome, unexpectedly dumping the whole bowl of warm water on Sakura making the young girl laugh, she blushed a deep shade of red when she registered what Hinata had asked.
"N-Nani Hinata?" Her wide eyes jerking to look at the dragon demon. What possessed her to ask such a question? Was their subtle hints of intimacy that obvious?
"I-Inuyasha doesn't see m-me that way…" She responded turning her attention back to the small demon she was bathing, beginning to frantically scrub her, but not hard. The response made Kagome giggle heartedly, Yuka joining in as well.
"I think he does Kagome-sama, you should have seen the way he took care of you when you were sick. He insisted on treating you himself, all we did was mix the herbs." Hinata confessed, probably revealing something Inuyasha had not wanted her to know just yet. Kagome blushed recalling how gentle and caring her was with her when she followed down to the creek.
"W-What do you mean?" Still not completely catching on to what Hinata was trying to say, she picked up Sakura wrapping her in a warm towel.
"Kagome-sama…" Hinata started sliding next to Kagome to say this next part low, sensing Inuyasha close by the window.
"He was treating you as if you were his intended." Kagome's eyes widened again. She knew what that meant to a demon having been treating them for several years, she quickly picked up on demon traits and traditions. He blush deepened and her heart began to race, both girls were smiling at her, Sakura bouncing happily in her lap.
"You…" Kagome could even finish her sentence, let alone her current thought before a loud snap echoed through the hut causing the girls to whirl around toward the entrance just in time to see that the board sealing the doorway had snapped, and snow pour into their home, the three boys tumbling in along with it. The girls blinked in surprise for a moment before barreling over in laughter as Inuyasha, Shippou and Yuuto popped their heads out from under the pile of snow.
Kagome recovered first and stood with Sakura still in her arms, wrapping her more securely in the warm towel.
"Alright you three, what caused this to happen?" She asked in her motherly tone, awaiting a proper answer. It was Yuuto who spoke first.
"K-Kagome… Shippou was…"
"Don't even think about blaming each other. I want the outright truth." She interjected, already knowing what the young hanyou was about to do. Yuuto and Shippou whined again not wanting to get into any trouble. Inuyasha then unburied himself and cleared his throat to catch Kagome's attention as he climbed off the snow pile and brushed himself off.
"Gomen-ne Kagome, I had gotten them riled up with a game while we were working to make it a little bit more fun for them." He started and formally bowed to her catching Kagome off guard.
"I suppose we got slightly out of hand." He finished, still bowed. All was silent for a moment before she respond. No one had ever formally bowed to her before.
"Well… It's alright." She said earning squeals of happiness from the young boys and a smirk from Inuyasha who straightened himself back up.
"But, I expect all of this snow to be out of the hut by nightfall." She added sternly, a cold breeze making its way through the hut now from the snow.
"Eh? Kagome-sama!" Shippou whined and Yuuto groaned not expected to perform more work, the girls began to laugh at them in their expense.
"Oi Hinata, Yuka you'll be helping us as well." Inuyasha mentioned, not appreciating their teasing laughter and also knowing that the three of them wouldn't be able to get all the snow out of the hut before nightfall without more help.
"Eh?" The girls shrieked certainly not expecting that demand and looked to Kagome warily, hoping her to be their savior from the hard labor. No such luck, she shook her head at them signaling that she wouldn't hear their excuses.
"We all live here, they kindly offered to do this for us earlier, and you can help them out. It needs to be done before the nights cold air froze the snow over into ice.
"Once I get Sakura settled I will help as well." Hoping that thought would sooth them a bit, as she walked into the back room to grab the girl's winter gear and a change of clothing for Sakura.
She walked back out into the main room holding their things that still made everyone wonder when in the world she had found the time to work on them. She tossed Hinata her pink handmade wool jacket, earmuffs and mittens, as well as Yuka her purple handmade wool jacket, earmuffs and mittens Kagome set Sakura down on an area of the floor the snow had not covered and knelt down with her to dress her into her white kimono and light blue winter gear. The girls dressed themselves and Inuyasha helped Yuuto and Shippou unbury them from the pile of snow.
"Mama…" Kagome froze in place while putting on Sakura's jacket, her breath halted, her heart literally lurched in her throat. Everyone else also stopped what they had been doing to look curiously over at the two. Had she just heard the baby girl correctly? Wide grey-blue eyes focused on the curly haired, happily beaming demon in front of her, Inuyasha approaching behind her with Shippou hanging on his shoulder.
"Wh-What honey?" She asked Sakura, wanting to ensure what she had just heard wasn't just in her head. Tears were welling up in the corners of her eyes. Sakura's cocked her head to the side and continued smiling at Kagome, her small clawed hand reaching up to point at her.
"Mama…" Sakura repeated making Kagome gasp and her heart lurch into her throat again, she gathered the bubbly demon into her arms. So she hadn't heard wrong, and it wasn't her mind playing tricks with her. This adorable demon she had whole heartedly taken into her care not too long ago had just called her Mama…
"Oh honey… no I'm…"
"Kagome-sama is my Okaa-sama too." Shippou interrupted her, once again making her heart lurch in her throat. She placed a hand over her heart as it began to beat rapidly in her chest and whirled around to face him with wide, surprised eyes. Was this truly happening? Shippou jumped down off Inuyasha's shoulder to stand in front of her.
"Shippou I…"
"Ooka-sama… you may not be my bio… biologi..cal mom, but you took me into your care without a second though, and have always cared for me since them as if I were your cub… You are my Mama… and… and I think everyone else feels the same way." Shippou bravely declared. Inuyasha stayed silent, his heart warming at the scene unfolding before him. Kagome craned her head to look at the three other children standing together.
"Is… Is that true?" She barely whispered, unable to really find her voice. This was all so overwhelming; she hadn't ever expected any of them to ever see her as their mother even though she saw them all as her children. When she had taken them in, she fully expected them to live with her as their guardian, she simply wanted to care for them, love them, and although it hurt to accept that they may never see her as a mother as she always discreetly wished they would, she selflessly continued her motherly care toward them, wanting to give these orphans a better life than she had lived. The fact that her silent prayers were now being answer was almost too good to be true.
"Hai!" The twins said in unison giving her a toothy grin.
"That is… if it is alright for us to call you by that… Mama…" Yuka hesitantly questioned, she didn't want to bombard her suddenly, unexpectedly, and force her to accept it.
"A-Are you all certain? What… What of your biological parents? I wouldn't dare dishonor them…" Kagome trailed off. Even though she was happier then she had been, next to the day she met Inuyasha, she still couldn't allow their original families to be dishonored. Hinata walked over to Kagome and knelt down in front of her, looking her directly in the eye, making sure she heard what she was about to say.
"Our parents wouldn't have wanted it any other way…" She began watching as Kagome's eyes widened again.
"You provided us what they couldn't when their lives were taken from them. You have taken away and fears they may have in the afterlife after having to leave us to fend for ourselves… You saved us… and no matter how we have acted… how intolerant we may have been… you never gave up on us… you have always loved us as if we were your own kin… Mom." Tears were now falling down Kagome's face with Hinata's declaration. She would have never guessed her children had felt this way. She was happy as long as they were happy, and never knew something could feel so wonderful. Yuuto grasped her hand not holding Sakura, in both of his and she turned to looked at him with puffy red eyes and tear stained cheeks.
"Is it okay?" Referring to his sisters' question from before. Kagome smiled brightly at him as more tears fell.
"Hai…" She whispered before she began sobbing with tears of pure happiness.
"Hai, hai! It's more that okay… it's exactly what I have always dreamed for!" She exclaimed, the tears now falling heavily down her cheeks. Everyone smiled happily at her, Inuyasha knelt down behind her wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her to his firm chest and she instinctively rested her head back against him.
"Exactly as I had told to Kagome." He teased into her ear making her laugh. She didn't argue, he had been right. She then felt Sakura's small hand touch her cheek gently, she picked her head back up to look down at the young girl.
"Mama?" She questioned curiously having been worried about all the commotion that occurred from her first words. Kagome smiled brightly again and brought her hand up to grasp Sakura's tiny one.
"Hai Sakura… I am your Mama…"
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