Long time, no post! Sorry about that. I got really stuck with this story, then life came flying at me like a freight train with no brakes. I last updated this exactly a month before I got married, in middle of grad school... Not my brightest idea. I also now have a three and a half year old. So that's a blast. And exhausting. And delightful. Did I mention exhausting? Whoo boy.

Anyway, this is the second to last chapter and then there's an epilogue that I'm still mulling over because it doesn't feel right yet. Please enjoy and feel free to leave a comment should the mood hit you.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the things. Also, the parenting style written here does not completely reflect my beliefs. Except wearing them in slings/wraps/etc. #WearAllTheBabies!

Mother, Hitoshi whimpered from his place on the floor. Kagome looked over at him, letting out the small wuffing sound that let him know she'd heard him. Not like, he complained, a more human whine leaving him. "Aa," he expelled in a pleading tone. She smiled at him and moved to pat his back. The twins were getting "tummy time" which Hitoshi had not taken to quite as well as his brother. Toga was already half scooting across the tatami. He was clearly very proud of himself, grinning widely and letting out occasional squeals of excitement. Hitoshi, on the other hand, kept grunting in frustration and letting his mother know he was displeased with his current position.

"I know you don't like it, 'Toshi. You want to get big and strong like Otou, don't you?" she teased gently, tickling under his chin. Had it been Toga expressing his frustration, he would have instantly lightened at the caress. Hitoshi was a little harder to please. He didn't like not being able to easily turn his body to see her as she moved about the room and often voiced - or rather, whined - his upset.

"Ou," he said in recognition. Father. Big Father. Kagome smiled.

"And I'll be bigger than both of you for a long time yet," Inuyasha mock growled as he scooped Toga off the floor, startling a shriek of laughter out of the golden-eyed baby. Hitoshi sniffled, then whimpered before bursting into tears. "Eh, don't you do it, Kagome," he warned her as she went to reach for Hitoshi to comfort him. She bit her lip, looking up at her mate with a pleading look even as her baby tried to reach for her, working himself into a good cry. "If you keep coddling him, he won't do it on his own."

"That's not really how that works… And he gets so upset." Hitoshi and Toga both reacted to the scent of their mother's upset in the air, Toga beginning to get teary as well. "We don't need to let this become a full meltdown, Inuyasha."

"Kagome, if he doesn't learn to move on his own, he's going to be stuck relying on us all the time. He's done it before, he just has to want something enough to go for it."

His mate scowled at him from where she sat a foot or so from their son. "Since when are you such an expert?"

"Since I read that book you brought back from your mother's and having watched these two monkeys pull all your heartstrings since day one." Kagome continued to watch Hitoshi whimper with a pained look on her face. She clearly didn't consider it coddling. Inuyasha sighed softly at how sensitive to their pups his mate was. "Make him want to come to you instead of going to him," he said gently, kneeling down beside her and setting Toga on the floor beside his brother. Hitoshi calmed some having both parents nearby, but he was still grunting to let them know how frustrated he was. "Hitoshi, you can do it," Inuyasha encouraged their son, wuffing something similar in inuyoukai. Both boys perked up at the sound, Toga quickly "army crawling" over to his father's knees, pulling on the firerat fabric of his hakama. Hitoshi took a little longer to get motivated enough, finally bracing himself up so he could push forward with his toes, scooting on his stomach.

"There you go! That's my smart boy," Kagome cooed when he finally made it to her, scooping him up and nuzzling his soft little cheek. He giggled softly, clinging to her yukata once he was close enough. Tucking his face against her chest, he spared his father a glance.

Smart pups. Good pups, the adult inuhanyou yipped, making both boys gurgle their pleasure at the praise. Inuyasha shook his head with a wry grin. "They'll be walking soon enough and then we're going to have to leash them." Kagome's mouth dropped open as she gaped at him. "What?"

"Did you, the proud inuhanyou Inuyasha who ranted about being "collared" for years, just suggest putting leashes on your sons?" He rolled his eyes at her, hefting Toga up in a light toss. He squealed loudly, laughing when his father's ears flipped back and down to protect themselves. "I don't understand how they don't know not to do that. It can't feel good in their ears either."

"Keh. They're still part human and their hearing hasn't completely developed yet." A knock on the frame of the door let them know they had a visitor. "Come on in, Gaki."

"You can stop calling me that any time you want, you know." Shippou's scowl was short-lived however, the twin squeals of "A-i" and grunts of big brother in inuyoukai bringing a grin to his face. The redheaded kitsune knelt down and held his arms out for Hitoshi who seemed to have latched onto their adopted aniki even more than his twin. Toga squirmed to be let go too, grunting at his father. "Hey you two," Shippou crooned happily, nuzzling the pups in turn when they sought his affection. Kagome fought tears at how beautiful it was to see all three of her sons interacting in such an open way. She couldn't help feeling like his time with her and Inuyasha - well, mostly her - had shaped him into this openly affectionate young man. Being a kitsune probably had something to do with it too, but she had to believe their group had raised him well. "Sometimes I think they're calling me brat too, no thanks to you." Kagome smiled an apology, while throwing her husband a sharp look that was not amused. They wouldn't know for sure until the twins' earlier consonants came in.

"Oi, don't look at me like that." Kagome raised an eyebrow at his tone. "I'll stop, I'll stop!" he conceded, grumbling about demanding wives. Meanwhile, the twins were chattering nonsense at Shippou and to each other, mostly vowels and the occasional consonant. Kagome, having picked up a book on child language development from the bookstore one of the last few times through the well, knew that her boys would likely be calling for their father long before they could call for her in spoken words. She could at least claim the prize, since it was obviously a competition, that they had figured out the inuyoukai term for mother long before father. She was the one who fed them after all.

"They certainly have a lot to tell me today," Shippou said with a laugh. Kagome and Inuyasha grinned at their boys. The twins were more and more vocal, and not just in inuyoukai which they understandably found easier than spoken language. "I saw Sango and Miroku over at Kaede's a bit ago, but they seemed to be having an intense conversation, so I let them be. Are they… alright?" the kitsune asked tentatively.

Kagome sighed, glancing at her husband. "I don't know that it's any of our business, but I think their relationship is fine."

"They've been trying to have a kit of their own, haven't they?"

The miko blinked at the redheaded youkai, slightly stunned. Much more observant than my husband… "Yes. It doesn't happen right away for everyone," she conceded. "How did you..."

Shippou's nose wrinkled a moment and he quickly handed off Hitoshi to Inuyasha whose nose followed suit. "Come on stinky, time for a change." The inuhanyou took his son into the other room to remedy the situation and Kagome couldn't help smiling at how he stepped in without being asked, without complaint.

"They smell like each other and… that. All the time. It's been like that for over a month."

Clearing her throat, Kagome fought down a blush. Knowing Inuyasha could smell that kind of thing was bad enough. Even if he only mentioned it - usually rather smugly - when she smelled of sex and him. Knowing her adopted son, who was essentially a teenager, could smell that on their friends was awkward. Inuyasha returned with a burbling Hitoshi who was more than happy to curl into his mother's arms and gnaw on her yukata. "They'll settle down soon," Inuyasha intoned as he patted Hitoshi's back and put his other arm around Kagome's shoulders.

"You... spoke to him?" The hanyou nodded. "Ah." Eyeing him thoughtfully, Kagome smiled. "Perhaps they'll have good news for us soon."

"Keh."

"More than likely. Sango smells different already." Kagome smiled, then gently reminded them both not to say anything until the couple came to them. "They would already know, though, wouldn't they?"

"Probably. But, especially in this time, the beginning of a pregnancy can be hard." Explaining to the two youkai men how women in her time usually didn't announce a pregnancy until they were into their third or fourth month was baffling to them. Youkai fetuses were apparently more resilient and something really awful would have to happen to lose a baby before birth. "We'll have to help Miroku keep an eye on Sango. She's a strong woman, but sometimes pregnancies can go wrong for the mother too." Kagome didn't miss the way her husband stared at her and then their sons with a thoughtful frown. He kept his thoughts to himself until Shippou finished wearing out the pups before letting them know he was leaving for a few days to check on his kitsune friends and Kagome had put the boys down.

"You never said that it was dangerous."

His tone wasn't exactly accusatory, but he did sound worried. "There was so much else going on, I didn't think to talk about it with you."

"You did with Sango though, about youkai pregnancies." Kagome froze, then relaxed. She realized she should have assumed Inuyasha was always within earshot, even when she didn't want him to be. "He heard everything," the hanyou admitted, the first time in months he had even mentioned the alternate part of his soul.

With a sigh, Kagome settled into his chest where he had been holding her loosely. His arms tightened around her in response. "Pregnancy can be dangerous no matter who the father is, so don't focus on that. I thought you read all about this."

"Sure, the parent stuff that comes after they're born. It was too late to read about the important stuff that happens before they're born by the time I was… me again." Inuyasha's fingers flexed against her stomach where he held her. The last of her baby weight was disappearing and her waist was actually getting back to normal. Her mother had mentioned that was one of the advantages to having babies young. Your body tended to bounce back more quickly. "Is… was having twins more dangerous?"

"Multiples can be, particularly for the babies since they tend to be smaller and born earlier. Most humans don't have more than one, three at most, on their own."

"On their own?" Kagome nodded, telling him how some couples really struggled to have children and eventually turned to the medical community for help. "So they end up with more than they bargained for."

She chuckled. "Sometimes. But I imagine if you spend years struggling just to have one, four or five would seem like a blessing. Very overwhelming, but a blessing."

Inuyasha was silent for a long moment. "Not if you lose their mother."

Kagome shifted in his lap, turning so she could look into his eyes. "Inuyasha…" He growled softly and looked away, a faint flush rising on his cheeks. "That won't be our situation. Twins don't run in my family and I doubt we'll ever be in a situation for fertility treatments. Even if we…" she paused, looking him over. They hadn't talked about having more children, but they had each indirectly hinted a few times that they would like to. "Even if we don't have any more, the boys are a wonderful gift we should thank the kami for every day."

He sighed, nuzzling the side of her head and pulling her in close. She was right, of course. His sons and his wife were more family than he could have ever hoped for in the past. He should be on his knees in thanks every morning he woke up with Kagome at his side, the boys sleeping between them. Part of him still felt like he was missing out on something. Part of the whole process. Guilt rose in him like bile and he had to choke it back. Part of me doesn't feel like I'm really their father. Logically, he knew that was ridiculous. The same way Midoriko had told each of them that, no matter what reality they came from, Kagome and Inuyasha belonged together, she had expressed that these amazing little boys were meant to be theirs. Why was he suddenly feeling like he didn't deserve them?

...

"That time again, huh?" Inuyasha sighed when he came into a hut full of the screaming of hanyou infants. The look he got from his mate told him she didn't find his comment funny. Be calm, he growled at the boys, taking Toga from his spot on the floor. The twins stopped screaming bloody murder, but they continued to sniffle and whine. Scared. Mother, Father. Scared, they whimpered in inuyoukai.

"'Tou!" Hitoshi pouted.

With a sigh, Inuyasha took both boys in his lap and tried to explain to them in the simplest inuyoukai terms what was happening to them in hopes that they would understand and settle down. Mother, Father stay with pups. Pups safe, he tried again to reassure them. Kagome curled into his side, petting both boys' ears as they watched their parents with wide eyes. Watching the change come over them was beautiful in its own way, the change in colors like the disappearing of the sun below the horizon. Two dark haired babies with brown eyes stared up at them with tears clinging to their long lashes. "See, Kaa-san and Tou-san are still here. You're safe," he murmured to them.

"Maybe they'll eat now," Kagome said softly and hopefully. Inuyasha grunted his agreement, still rumbling gently to keep the boys calm. Hitoshi had his fist stuffed in his mouth and Toga was tugging on his now human ear. Toga was more receptive to being moved, so Kagome fed him first. While he was open to nursing, he had no interest in the solid food the boys had been eating happily earlier in the day.

"They probably want the comfort of being close to you more than the actual food." Kagome couldn't help but agree. Her usually ravenous boys only seemed to want to cuddle, which she understood. Even her mate, who would deny it if asked, stuck closer to her on his human night, had since the first time she found out about it years ago. And he was a grown man. Through many stilted conversations over the years, she knew it was mostly the loss of her scent that caused him to stay near her. No matter how hard he denied that first admission of liking her scent.

Kagome smiled softly at Hitoshi in her arms then up at Inuyasha. "What?" She just shook her head and leaned into his side. His unoccupied arm went around her back, holding her closer. They spent most of the night like that, curled protectively around their sons as they intermittently fed between snoozing.

Inuyasha was again filled with awe for his mate and the calm with which she fed their boys. He knew it hadn't always been easy for her. He'd sat up with her while she cried from pain when she was raw from both boys cluster feeding, helpless to do anything but be with her. At the beginning when Hitoshi had struggled to latch on properly, causing more discomfort for her and wailing for him because he wasn't getting enough, all Inuyasha could do was try to help her adjust how she held him. When Toga had gone on a "nursing strike" and refused the left side entirely, he'd held her while she vented her frustration and anxiety. Yet Kagome had persisted. Even now when the twins were developed enough to take solids and the feudal era version of what Kagome called "formula," she continued to provide for them. "What are you?" he murmured without realizing.

"Excuse me?" Kagome's voice reflected confusion and not a little hurt.

Inuyasha flushed as he tried to explain himself. "It's just… You feed them like it's no big deal. You hold them and love on them like any baby. You did from the first moment." He could see the confusion start to outweigh the hurt in her eyes.

"They're our babies, Inuyasha, why wouldn't I?" He turned his eyes away and she understood. His own mother might have been as giving and loving, but he wouldn't be able to remember being that small. All of his experience since had been hanyous being killed, cast aside, raised like animals with the rare exception of a mother who cared, but had been hardened by the world around them trying to destroy their child. "Human, youkai or hanyou, our babies deserve to be loved. You deserved to be loved," she whispered.

"But you give of yourself for them without thinking."

He processed what he'd said for a moment before looking down into her face, her mouth curved in a slightly wry smile. Just like she's always done for me. She had offered him her heart without a thought about the fact that he was hanyou. She had taken it in stride that she was going to give birth to the offspring of a hanyou, her only hang up being concern he didn't want the commitment it would force him to make to her. She had accepted his mark, his youki, his soul as part of herself with only nervousness for the unknown intimacy. At no point had she been anything but honest in her belief that his heritage didn't matter.

"I love you," he breathed. Kagome's eyes grew huge for a second before softening and filling slightly with tears. Her small hand brushed against his cheek before she pulled him down for a soft but intense kiss. She sucked in a shuddering breath and kissed him again until Hitoshi squeaked in his sleep, startling them apart for a moment. Kagome opened her mouth to say something, but instead of saying a word, she nuzzled his nose. His golden eyes closed in bliss at the feeling of connectedness, of true acceptance. Finally, he'd been able to speak his heart and she had shown him how precious those words were to her.

Kagome made a conscious effort to slow her breathing to steady her nerves. This has to work, she thought, praying to whatever powers were in control. Please, please let this work. They had planned for everything, or so they thought. "Ok, I'm ready." A gentle squeeze around her waist was her warning before Inuyasha lifted her onto the lip of the well, following her up so he could wrap all three of them in his embrace. The boys, picking up on their parents' anxiety, were still and silent. Strapped tightly to their mother's front in a double wrap, they were sandwiched between her and their father.

Feeling Inuyasha take a deep breath as well, Kagome looked up into his serious gaze, the pair sharing a last look to confirm that they were going to try this. She couldn't help closing her eyes as he lowered them all into the bone eater's well using the rope ladder, the comforting strength of his arm around her waist. She watched Shippo's anxious face stare at them from the bottom of the well, ready to scoop up the boys if they didn't pass through. Kagome felt the time slip take her and continued to pray that she wasn't imagining the weight of her babies or the warmth of Inuyasha's touch in contrast to the cold around her. When the blue light finally faded to darkness, she found herself holding her breath. "K-keh. You can breathe, Kagome. We made it." If she noticed the waver in his voice, she didn't mention it. The pups were making curious noises, squirming as they tried to sniff this completely new environment. Both parents jumped when they sneezed almost in unison. "Told ya," he smirked.

Resisting rolling her eyes at his smug look, the young woman from the future let the tension seep out of her. "I hope Mama is here. She has to be itching to see these two." Hitoshi made a soft yip in question, mumbling something that might have been an attempt to say "Mama."

"That's your obaasan," Inuyasha explained as he lifted them all out of the well and onto the steps. Mother's mother, he expressed in inu. The boys eyes looked at her before looking expectantly up toward the door.

"Mama!" a voice yelled. "Mama, I think…" The doors flew open showing a figure backlit by the sun. "Kagome-neechan! I knew it. I knew I felt the well working!"

"Hey Squirt," Inuyasha said with a grin. There was a clatter of a dropped broom as Sota flew down the steps, colliding with their sides to hug them both. Kagome sniffled a little at the exuberant greeting from her little brother.

"Kagome?" The miko's eyes jumped to the familiar shape of her mother. Inuyasha let her go with a gentle nudge for her to bustle up the remaining steps as her mother stepped into the well house. "Kagome!" The two mothers laughed and cried at the same time, embracing around the pups between them. "Oh Honey, I was starting to worry. Kagome, my baby," she breathed as she pressed her forehead to her daughter's.

"I'm so sorry we didn't come earlier, Mama."

"I know, I understand. Those first months with a new baby…" It was then that the older woman looked down at the intricate wrapping around two whining bodies. "Babies. Oh Kagome!"

"Keh. Let's get inside so Kagome can let them down." Inuyasha came up beside his mate, a hand at the small of her back as they stepped cautiously out of the well house into the late afternoon light. Luckily the shrine was empty so they were able to make it to the house without causing a scene. Sota was openly gaping at the twins while Kagome's mother was slightly more subtle about it. They settled down in the living room on the floor, Inuyasha helping Kagome start the complicated process of unwinding the long woven wrap that kept the boys tucked tightly to her chest. He popped Toga out first, a soft whimper leaving his son who scrabbled against his collar to hide. "Oi," he called in mild exasperation. Mother's mother. Mother's brother. Pack. Pups safe, he rumbled comfortingly. Toga turned his head to peek at the two humans openly watching him. His golden eyes, the mirror of his father, never left the people his father told him were family. Hitoshi was similarly curled into his mother's arms, tiny silver ears rotating. When he finally looked up at his grandmother, his little nose twitched before he buried it back in Kagome's neck.

"They're shy with new people," Kagome explained gently. "Inuyasha has Toga. He was born first. This is Hitoshi." Kagome went on to retell of their reunion when he regained his body. Inuyasha noted that her mother's scent reflected open relief at the knowledge that he was restored to the hanyou she knew. She told her family how he'd been the first one to tell her she was carrying twins, how she'd gone into labor not long after. He relived the moment when he realized they both presented as hanyou, despite their disparate coloring. The pride rose in his chest all over again at the strength of his mate, his pups. My family. He truly had a family.

It was obvious, and natural, that her mother had a multitude of questions, but she managed to hold them back for the time being. Far more important was getting to know her grandsons. It took some time for the two to be comfortable enough to let their parents set them down in front of them instead of trying to climb into their clothing. Inuyasha intermittently growled softly to reassure them as they tentatively explored the living room. They were both strong crawlers at this point, but Toga had started pulling up too so he was currently teetering at the corner of the coffee table. "Inuyasha, they… they are amazing." Kagome's mother's words, and the fact that she had directed them to him, struck the inuhanyou like a body slam of warm affection. She was telling him that she accepted him, just like Kagome did, in not so many words. He let the corner of his mouth kick up in a grin and nodded.

"I can never predict what they're going to figure out and when. They're so far ahead of human babies. Luckily, the only thing we really have to baby proof is the fireplace at home." The easy and joking tone in her voice made him smile. It was the fact that she called the feudal era, their little hut, home while sitting in her birthplace that caused him to look up from keeping an eye on Hitoshi who was staring down Buyo under the couch. She noticed his attention and smiled softly at his surprise. "Yasha, grab him before he pulls her tail." He blinked a second then scooped up his violet-eyed son. With a light toss in the air, his tiny grunts of protest to being torn away from his investigation turned into squeals of laughter.

It took almost another hour before Hitoshi would let his grandmother hold him. Toga, jealous little thing that he was, tried to climb up into her lap right after. Both boys stared at her in confusion when tears welled in her eyes. "Perfect. Just so perfect," she sniffled.

"Kagome said the same thing when they were born," Inuyasha stated with obvious pride. Sota sidled up to his mother's side so the boys would start to associate him with safety too and finally was able to gain Toga's trust enough for the tiny hanyou to let him pick him up.

The Higurashis encompassed the twins in snuggles, tickling and short games of peekaboo until they both started yawning. "I'll feed them and put them down in the guest room," Kagome murmured to her husband. His eyes asked her if she needed help, but her mother was already on her feet with Hitoshi in her arms. Sota reluctantly handed over his nephew to his sister and watched them go before turning his curious gaze on his hero.

"Inu-oniisan?" Inuyasha looked back at the more familial address. "Did… are you going to marry her?" His cheeks were flushed, likely nervous to be standing in as man of the house.

"Back there, we're… married. At least according to the way we do things."

"Did you have a ceremony?" Inuyasha paused before shaking his head. He was slightly surprised by the relief he saw and smelled. "Mama would have been very disappointed if she missed that." Understanding washed over him at his brother in law's explanation. To her family, she'd left unwed, unclaimed and pregnant with the child of a hanyou whose soul was unfamiliar to them. They hadn't been back for almost six months. Her family was understandably concerned about her safety, her honor and her happiness.

"Hey kid, if we… we planned something like that, would other people want to be here?"

"Kagome's friends probably? Our aunt. But they would see you, Toga, Hitoshi. It would be too risky."

"What if we did it at night, after sunset at least?" Sota's eyes widened and glowed as he put the pieces together. "It's only a few days away though."

"Leave that up to me. You figure out how to protect the boys, and I'll take care of the rest." Sota's face was positively gleeful as he jumped up to run into his room, feet thundering on the stairs. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow but sighed. Protecting the boys was less the problem, and more how to hide their features from strangers. On top of it, if Kagome's friends came, they would be completely shocked to see their friend of many years with twins when they never knew she was pregnant to begin with. He hated hats, but he wasn't sure how else to hide their ears. They might tolerate keeping their tiny clawed hands out of view and they barely had any teeth to worry about. Their eye colors, while somewhat strange were not too noticeable as long as you didn't get too close. He had a lot of thinking to do.

Inuyasha had almost forgotten about Kagome's grandfather until the old man entered the house, grumbling as he slipped into his house shoes. He froze upon seeing his granddaughter and was just barely stopped from shouting her name. "Jii-chan, they're sleeping," she shushed him, scrambling to her feet to greet him with a hug to soften the reprimand.

"Kagome! I'm so… oh child," he whispered while squeezing her to him. "Who's sleeping?" he said after a beat. Instead of telling him, Kagome pulled on his wrinkled hand, putting a finger to her lips with a smile. Inuyasha stood as they passed, unable to completely wipe his anxiety. While her grandfather was harmless to him, he had never fully accepted him the way her mother and brother had. Would he reject his great grandsons, potentially the only ones he would ever meet? The inuhanyou stood in the doorway, watching tensely as the old man stared silently at his two tiny replicas sleeping soundly on the futon. "Kagome, my girl, they are…" Inuyasha held his breath as the man sought for the words he was looking for. "Astounding." He knelt down and gently brushed a wayward silver curl from Toga's forehead. The pup snuffled in his sleep but only rolled toward his brother. Inuyasha felt his whole body relax when he scented her grandfather's tears. "Thank you, for letting me meet them." Kagome's face almost crumpled into tears but she pulled herself up and linked her arm through his while they knelt beside the futon.

She told him about the twins, their antics lately, the way they were growing. "They make me wonder how Dad felt when I was born." Her jii-chan smiled, murmuring memories of Kagome's father as a new parent. Inuyasha listened with rapt attention. So many of the same feelings he had experienced had plagued Kagome's father. Feeling joyful yet overwhelmed, unworthy yet determined to try, not enough but always striving to be more. So that's… normal? he thought in wonder. He'd thought that was his mixed blood causing him to be at war with himself, to feel such extremes of emotion at the same time.

Kagome helped the old man to his feet and held his elbow gently to steady him as they left the twins to sleep. She gave her husband an affectionate look and patted his arm as they passed by. Looking back at the boys as they slept, he couldn't help feeling like every tense muscle in his entire body had just relaxed. Her family - his family now too - accepted them. They were happy they were here, that they had been born. They will never suffer like I did, he thought in a mix of certain knowledge and determination to make it so. His sons would never know the loneliness of having no one to turn to, the chilling fear of having no one to protect them when they were vulnerable. They would never feel the gnawing hunger in their bellies after days of trying to hunt without experience. They would know love, gentle touches from hands that cared for them, whispered words of comfort if they got hurt. His boys would know the life he had only dreamed of as a child. They would also become strong and confident in their abilities, whatever they might be, because he and Kagome would show them how to protect themselves and the people they loved. As he had finally learned to do when a crazy girl from five hundred years in the future dragged him kicking and screaming into a world where his life, his soul, his happiness mattered. And he hadn't had to give up anything except the emotional walls that kept him isolated.

Inuyasha turned slightly to listen to his mate talk with her mother and grandfather in the kitchen. His nose told him they were sitting down with a pot of tea while she recounted more of the last six months. He heard her mother finally start asking more of the questions it was obvious she wanted to ask earlier. Inuyasha winced at the sad tone of Kagome's voice when she explained the true fate of the Inuyasha they had met while he was locked away, sleeping.

He knew it shouldn't bother him so much. Inuyasha knew exactly why she felt sympathy for the other him. He never had the fierce chisel of Kagome's love breaking down his walls like he had in this reality. Yes, he had known true friendship and he had seen the will-o'-the-wisp of what a life with Kagome could be, but he had not known the overpowering feeling of being unconditionally loved by someone as open and pure hearted as this Kagome. It was no wonder he had fought so vehemently to hold onto it once it was presented to him. But it was this same knowledge that made this Inuyasha so determined to get his body back. His Kagome was meant to be with him.

Soon, we'll make it official in all the ways it can be official in both our worlds. That thought in mind, he headed upstairs to find out what her brother was up to in regards to their union ceremony here in the future. He also thought to find out what options they might have to disguise the pups. Plus, the hero worship from the kid wouldn't be unwelcome either, he thought with a smirk, vaulting the last of the steps onto the upper landing.

Note: I TRIED to research Japanese child language development patterns, particularly sound acquisition. My area of expertise is adults anyway, so that doesn't help, but everything I could find made it seem like Japanese babies don't "develop" consonants until they're well over a year. Maybe that's when they typically master them? Anyway, I based the twins' phonological development on English, because what else can you do?