Disclaimer and warning: I don't own anything from this story but the plotline. Inuyasha and Naruto characters belong to other people, not me. I write for the fun of it and if you don't like my work just remember that I'm not making you read this. Please keep flames to yourself. Compliments are welcome. Criticism is a little pointless because I'm not going to go back and edit anything in this.

Please enjoy the fruits of my labour.


Chapter 8

On the Subject of Life and Loyalties

Shippou rapped on the Hokage's bedroom door impatiently. While he had no qualms with knocking out her personal ANBU bodyguards and picking every lock and disarming every trap just to get into her house he drew the line at ticking her off by entering her sleeping chambers, without permission, in the dead of night. Call him old fashioned.

On the other side of the door his youkai hearing – even though he was sure it would be plainly audible even to humans – picked up the unmistakable sounds of someone rolling out of bed, hitting the floor, and cursing with such fluidity that it brought a smile to his lips. Something about her language brought back memories of his childhood. Ah, nostalgia. But now was not the time to take a stroll down Memory Lane, no matter how much he wished he was centuries away from now.

The kafuffle in the bedroom reached to door and Shippou almost took a step back when it was yanked open with alarming speed.

"What?" Tsunade demanded irately.

"Kagome-sama has requested your presence," he said calmly, "Taisho-sama has gone into labour and Sesshoumaru-sama has granted Kagome's request for one Medic as assistance in the birthing,"

Tsunade blinked at him. Of everything she could have thought of this was the last on her list. So, with the brilliance of someone who has just had a figurative bucket of cold water dumped on her, she asked the one question that was running through her head at the moment.

"Wha?"

"Get dressed. I'm to take you to Kagome," the kitsune sighed and pushed the Hokage back into her room before closing the door behind her. He slumped artlessly against the wall separating them and waited.

And waited.

And waited some more. Was it just him or was she taking far too long? He knocked on her door to hurry her up.

"Beat it, youkai! It's only been a minute! Even I can't get dressed and prepped for a delivery that quickly."

Shippou coloured. It seemed that the tension was getting to even him. And here he had thought that he was doing so well, distancing himself from the strange scents that had erupted around Sesshoumaru's mate when her labour had started. The strange scents invoked a myriad of internal reactions that culminated into one all consuming emotion: terror. He would give his right arm to never have to be around a birthing woman again.

Maybe even his left as well if he could get a guarantee.


Naruto kicked at a pebble that had found its way into his path. For some reason he found himself unable to sleep and, given the option of lying in bed staring at the ceiling or taking a walk, he opted for the walk.

The Village was dead boring at this time of night. The only people awake were insomniacs like him or patrolling shinobi. Crazy or paid, one or the other. He knew that he should be sleeping. A shinobi needed to be rested in order to perform his duties to the best of his ability and as the Captain of the ANBU he knew that more now than he had ever truly realized at any other time in his life.

"Tra lala lala," he sang to himself, whistling a little. He quieted when he felt Kyuubi stir behind his seal.

What is it Fox? he asked internally.

That Miko-friend of yours is up and about late, isn't she? Kyuubi said casually. Naruto shrugged.

Maybe she can't sleep.

Unlikely. She's at your hospital-building.

Naruto paused, standing stalk-still in the middle of the street. The hospital?

Indeed, brat. The sealed youkai purred.

I thought she just got released. What's she doing there? Is she hurt or something?

Try getting a little closer, then test the air. Kyuubi advised with patently false innocence. It would be so much fun to see his host squirm. He did not get to enjoy too many pleasures in this leg of his life but tormenting his sometimes rather dense host was just one.


Kagome opened a window, hoping to be able to catch some sort of breeze. Lady Taisho was up and pacing the room. She did not dare leave – probably because she'd tried it in the past and had less than wonderful results. If she left the room Sesshoumaru – high on instincts and id – would assume, she told Kagome, that there was some sort of danger and would charge in, red-eyed and dripping corrosive green poison from his claws. Deadly Christmas colours.

And as amusing as it would be to see Sesshoumaru that visibly agitated neither woman wanted to risk the repair bill. It was a shame really.

Both Kagome and Lady Taisho stilled when there was a knock at the door. Kagome waited for permission before crossing the room, leaving the windows, to see who dared knock on this door.

"Hello?"

"Kagome-san?" It was a bleary-eyed Tsunade.

"Tsunade-sama! Come on in," Kagome stepped out of the way to allow the Hokage entrance. She peeked down the hall and caught sight of the elevator doors closing, Shippou's youki descending with the metal box. Kagome smiled faintly. Now she had a Medic backing her and all the youkai men had fled.

"Who's this?" asked Lady Taisho with avid curiosity. Kagome closed the door and turned around so she could conduct introductions.

"Taisho-sama I would like you to meet the Hokage of Konohagakure, Tsunade-sama. Tsunade-sama, this is the Lady of the Western Lands. Tsunade-sama is a Medic," she explained.

"It's nice to meet you, Tsunade-san. I understand why Kagome-sama requested assistance and I'm glad to finally meet you. I hear my mate has been somewhat overbearing," the Lady smiled and nodded respectfully.

Tsunade bowed, out of deference to the youkai Lady as well as an excuse to hide a wry smile. Thankfully it was Kagome who offered a return.

"'Somewhat overbearing?' Lady Taisho, I do believe he promised to raze the village to a soul. That's a little more that a mere 'somewhat,' don't you think?" she laughed lightly and fussed with the bed covers.

"Alright," the Lady conceded, "He's been his usual self,"

"Plus a little restraint,"

"Well, it has been a couple years since you have seen him last," she paused, eyes flicking over to Tsunade, who could not help but listen, "And people do change, even youkai,"

Kagome nodded placidly, "It's a good thing too, otherwise Sesshoumaru would still be wandering the countryside, Jaken in tow,"

"Oh, spare me the frog," she took a deep breath as a contraction hit. She hissed slowly, riding the pain out as best she could. Kagome looked over at Tsunade who took the hint and prepared to give and explanation on how to do an examination.


Naruto was shaking by the time he reached the hospital. It was a good thing he could not hear Kyuubi's uncontrollable laughter otherwise he would have been… less than pleased with his tenant. As it was there was something radiating from the house of healing that set Naruto more on edge than anything else he had ever encountered in his entire life. It was creepy!

But, being the manly man that he was, he steeled himself and pushed his way in. There were only two people he could see right away: Shippou and another man with the longest silver hair he had ever seen.

Sesshoumaru-sama! Kyuubi exclaimed, What's he doing here? Oh don't tell me it's his…

His what? Who's Sesshoumaru?

Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Western Lands. Man! If he find out I'm still conscious he'll kill us for what I did!

Oh great, Naruto snarled, Now I can get into more trouble for what you did!

"Naruto?" Shippou looked surprised to see him, "What are you doing here?"

"I, uh, couldn't sleep," he admitted sheepishly, "so I decided to take a walk and I sensed Kagome-san was back in the hospital and I was wondering why. I mean, she had just gotten released, right?"

"Kagome's with Sesshoumaru-sama's mate right now," Shippou's eyes flicked over to his Lord.

"Why?"

"Cease your infernal prattle," Sesshoumaru snapped coldly. Shippou's mouth snapped shut and Naruto felt as if he should be showing the strange youkai his belly and neck. Disconcerting, to say the least.

Sesshoumaru's mate is birthing. That's why the miko was called. Kyuubi offered.

"What?" Naruto said aloud by accident. One of the pitfalls of having another personality inhabiting your body alongside you was that sometimes you said stuff out loud that weren't meant for the rest of the world to hear. Now was one of those times.

"What is it?" Shippou whispered. Sesshoumaru was glaring frigid death at them.

Naruto swallowed and shook his head. It was nothing that he wanted Sesshoumaru to overhear if what Kyuubi said was true. He was too young to die! He hadn't even kicked Tsunade out of office yet!

"Well," Naruto said bravely, "If Kagome's not hurt or anything then I'm just going to be on my way," and with that he quickly bowed himself out. It wasn't until he was a good half block from the hospital that his breathing returned to a semblance of normality.

Wise move, Kit. Kyuubi said, nodding his mental head.

Oh, shut up. You were the one who told me to go there in the first place. Naruto said testily. And what was up with that scent?

It's the scent of a birthing.

But why did it make me so… edgy?

That's just the way it is, Kit, that's just the way it is


It was morning before Sesshoumaru's twenty-first child was brought screaming into the world in a human shinobi Village's hospital. A girl, as if he did not already have enough daughters. Then again, he had a plentitude of sons as well. Tsunade was surprised to hear that Nishiko was number twenty-one but when Kagome explained that Sesshoumaru and his Lady had been mated for approximately three hundred and fifty years, give or take a decade or so, and that was only one child every sixteen years it made much more sense. And just a little less suicidal.

"Congratulations," Tsunade said, allowing Kagome to present the Lady with her newest child. Neither Kagome nor Lady Taisho had allowed her to touch anything. Instead, Kagome opted to work though instructions. When Tsunade asked why Kagome explained – since Lady Taisho was gritting her teeth through a contraction at that moment – that if Sesshoumaru detected any unfamiliar scent on his mate or his child then said person would meet with an untimely fate. It was just better if Kagome did all the work.

"Here you go," Kagome said with an exhausted smile as she settled the squalling bundle in her mother's arms. And, much to the youkai Lady's amusement and Tsunade's shock, promptly passed out.


Sesshoumaru frowned at his mate. "You should not be up," he stated firmly.

"Oh tosh, Sesshoumaru," she scoffed, "Kagome's babysitting Nishiko and you guys aren't leaving without me,"

"I agree with Sesshoumaru-sama," Shippou spoke up, "You just had a kid yesterday,"

"And I'm as fit as I'm ever going to be," she lied, "I want a piece of the scum-buckets that would harm Kagome-sama too,"

"You should be with our pup," Sesshoumaru insisted.

"I'm not staying here while you two go hunting. I refuse." She drew herself up impressively and glared up at her Lord. The staring match of the century began.

And was promptly interrupted by our favorite mask-clad, smitten-with-a-miko jounin.

"Yo," he waved, jumping down from a roof to land beside the trio of youkai. "You're going kidnapper-hunting, aren't you?" he asked casually.

"Kakashi-san," Shippou sighed when both inuyoukai glared at the human, "you can't come. And how in the name of Inari-sama did you know what we were planning?"

"Kagome's babysitting a day-old kid," Kakashi shrugged, "The rest I guessed,"

Shippou felt like smacking himself for spilling the beans and confirming a half-baked theory.

"Kakashi-san," Lady Taisho said sternly, "We can't allow you to follow us into a possible battle,"

Kakashi shoved his hands into his pockets in a silent display of stubbornness. "I'm not useless,"

"You are human," Sesshoumaru snorted and turned to leave.

"So were the taijiya," Kakashi stated calmly, ignoring the fact he was taunting Death.

"The taijiya were trained in nothing but their art from the time they were but children," Shippou said.

"So have I,"

"They have weapons made especially for the slaying of youkai," Shippou pressed. Kakashi shrugged and pulled out a sword he had hidden somewhere.

"Kagome gave this to me. And she said to tell you that she knows exactly what she's doing,"

Sesshoumaru turned and stared at the katana for a long minute. Both his mate and Shippou were stunned into silence. The Taiyoukai's eyebrow lifted and he turned his piercing golden gaze onto the human before him.

"Do you have any idea what that sword means, human?" he asked with very little vocal inflection.

"That Kagome has accepted my suit?" Kakashi raised his own eyebrow, not mocking, but unsure if what Kagome had told him was entirely correct so lacing his voice with a small amount of sarcasm.

"It means, human, that Kagome has actually accepted you as a potential, as you say, husband," Sesshoumaru corrected acidly.

Kakashi blinked slowly. "That important?"

Sesshoumaru nodded.

Kakashi grinned from underneath his mask, "Wonderful!"

Sesshoumaru's scowl was blacker than the darkest night. He spun on his heel and stalked down the street. "Kitsune." He barked, "You will watch the human,"

"Well come on," Shippou urged, scampering after Sesshoumaru, "He's not protesting anymore. That means he won't stop you,"


AN: rofl! Take that next installment: Hunting. Chapter 8/17