··11/11/07

Disclaimer: Welcome to chapter 10 kiddos. Just as a reminder, as much as I've been trying, I don't own Inuyasha or Sesshomaru. Try as I might, I'm still going on Sesshomaru! So cute! Don't you think so too? Anyway, enjoy and make sure to tell me what you think!

Summary: Sesshomaru's hurt, Rin's at fault, and Jaken's asleep. What more could you ask for, rather than a twenty year-old beauty, and a demon that's finding her strangely attractive...

Baby

by Brijustme

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Jai watched as Rin took Kagome off her back and cradled the young demon in her arms. Yes, he would marry her. She had the perfect body, the perfect looks, and the most beautiful eyes he had ever set his own on. 'Sorry Suri,' he said to himself with a grin. 'Our marriage was arranged anyway.'

Her wavy hair looked like it had frozen ice on it, making her look like a snow angel. He smiled. 'She sure got through my blizzard in good shape,' he thought while rubbing his chin. 'She's my kind of woman, the strong type, I'll give her that.'

His dark blue eyes narrowed at Kagura when she grabbed Rin by the kimono, dragging her over to the fire. He felt his insides melt when she was sat across from him, next to Naraku. 'Is she already taken?' His heart skipped a beat at the thought. 'She's the most beautiful woman I've ever met…'

'So she's what he's looking for? Hmph, it's been a fairly long time since he's had a mate…' Naraku sucked in the silence; this was going grand. "This is what you want in exchange?" he said while wrapping his arm around Rin's shoulder, pulling her closer to him. "I see." Looking down at her, he quickly shot her a glare, demanding that she keep silent. He figured she got the message when Kagura opened her fan that had been frozen to her hand earlier.

Rin knew by now that talking back brought her nothing but trouble. She silently nodded and eyed the man across from her. She was scared. This entire hut was filled with a demonic aura. She somewhat felt left out. 'Who is this man?' she said to herself while cocking her head to the side.

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw that he had the same color hair as Sesshomaru. Shaking her head, she noted that he looked strong, as if he were a fighter. She could also tell from the sword on his hip that he was powerful, as well as the callosity in his fingers and knuckles. His eyes confused her. They were the color of a lake at night. Not completely black, but near that area of color shades. She looked away when he eyed her, hoping she hadn't been rude.

As her eyes looked upwards, she noticed for the first time that he either had a scar or tattoo on his face. It went down his right eye, and it was purple, matching Sesshomaru again. It started from the middle of his bottom eyelid, and stopped at his jaw line. His light brown skin made his muscles shine.

Kagura crossed her arms inside her kimono sleeves. "Wow, you sure are blunt," she said with a grin. "So you're serious about being mated to the human over there?" she asked while motioning over Naraku with her head. "When? How long?" The anticipation was riding her like a bull. 'Just what will Sesshomaru think?!' As soon as the wedding was over, Sesshomaru couldn't do a thing about getting Rin back.

Jai cracked his knuckles. "Baby and I will have to discuss it later," he said while sending a wink towards Rin's direction. His proposal wasn't a choice, it was an order. He was impressed that Rin understood without so much as an argument. "Yes Naraku, this woman is the only thing stopping me from slaughtering the monster that took Suri's life."

He clutched his hand again. "He'll die."

'Who?' Rin's eyes widened when she could have sworn she saw water form under his eyes. "Are you alright?" she asked without control of herself, and got two glares from Naraku and Kagura. Even Kanna took some notice to her, even if she was standing at the entrance with her mirror in her hand. And even the boy sitting next to her noticed.

She expected this to be it, she expected this to be her last day on earth, and she expected to be torn to pieces for speaking. She could tell by his attire that he was either wealthy or some sort of lord. She was nothing more than a follower, and getting her own lord to open his mouth to her was a pure miracle.

Guess she was a little too used to it.

Jai continued to stare at her, oblivious as to what everyone in the room was practically gasping at. "Sure, now that I think of it," he said with a friendly smile. He grinned when Rin's eyes widened. "In fact Baby, I feel great now."

Rin only nodded and held Kagome close to her. She had the urge to slap this man at the way he was staring at her. She felt as if she were a scrap of meat. The perfect thing to say was that she wasn't used to the attention, but she wouldn't have believed it. Sesshomaru, Jaken and Ah-Un stared at her, but it wasn't the same, and now she felt as if she were going to be blown to pieces.

She hated it. She hated being treated like this. She hated being known as the one that was thought of as nothing by the man across from her. She wasn't stupid. It was practically written all over his face that he was lonely. And try as she must, she would resist him till the day she would part with this world and become a spirit.

Being taken advantage of was what most girls went through before they were ten years-old in these times. All you had to do was walk somewhere alone where there was a man that had lost his wife to some 'accident'. You stop to see what the matter is, and that's the story. 'At least I had Sesshomaru-sama to protect me for all those years,' she thought with a small smile.

Not anymore.

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Rin followed Jai through the snow. It was still cold, but it had gotten slightly warmer, causing the snow to drip from gray trees like it was raining. Even with the little sunshine through the cloudy sky, the entire northern lands looked dead.

She was still carrying Rin, but she had temporarily blocked the child from her mind. She was lifeless when she was sleeping. Trying to wake her to keep the woman entertained hadn't worked, nor tapping her, and she didn't even want to say what came from the child's mouth when she had flicked her nose.

She really was Inuyasha's child.

Letting a small smile cross her, she held Kagome closer to her chest when she started shivering. She couldn't afford to let the half demon fall ill. She had never experienced Sesshomaru sick before, but she had heard the tale of when Kagome had brought 'chocolate' from her time and fed it to Inuyaku when he was three. All she knew was that it didn't turn out well at all.

Looking at Kagome's closed eyelids, she sighed. 'Wake up soon, I can't get through this without you.' She at least wanted one person at her 'wedding' that she knew. Having strangers stare at her was something she was used to, but she was onto the thought that Lord Jai was a demon from his aura, which meant he would have more demons present, which meant hell for her.

She had never been afraid of a demon a day in her life, and even though Jai reminded her of a fuzzy creature from his legs, she still stood strong.

Not really.

Rin gasped when she crashed into something warm, falling flat on her butt on the ground. She immediately noticed the cold feeling, but it felt nice to sit down and relax. Jai hadn't stopped at all that day, unlike Sesshomaru who would stop when she said the word. 'I'm such a brat,' she thought while setting a hand on her cheek.

Her eyes snapped upwards when she heard a chuckle. There stood Jai with his arms crossed against his chest. She wanted to say something to stop him from staring at her, but she couldn't think of anything right away at the moment. He was staring at her like she was a piece of meat again. She hated this feeling more than anything.

She blushed when Jai's leg flexibly moved past her without moving the rest of his body. She felt something grip the back of her kimono and lift her upwards. She soon came to see that it was his leg. He looked like he was wearing a pair of very baggy hakamas, but by his huge feet that were in an oval form with long claws at the top, she was frightened. "Are those-?"

"Of course," Jai said while taking Kagome from Rin's arms. "Why do you seem so shocked to find that I'm an animal?" Continuing on his way through the dead trees, he had about two hours before they were at his castle. "Baby, I wish I could carry you too…"

Rin shook her head. "Coming!" she called while rolling her hands into fists. 'He's just as perverted as Miroku!' she scowled to herself as she walked next to the man. Her eyes didn't leave his legs once. "So this means you're a demon?" she asked. "Are lords of lands only demons?"

Jai laughed, and Rin noticed for the first time that he had a deep voice. "Baby, the lord of the eastern lands was human a hundred years ago…" He looked down to his left, feeling pleasure when Rin cringed. "He was the lord until he was killed by a band of humans."

Rin nodded. A good conversation was hard to start with this man. She had to escape from him. Looking at his long claws and feet, it would be easy to kill her if he wished. 'He looks like he enjoys battle,' she said to herself, watching as muscles flexed as he walked. 'He must think he's such a turn on,' she thought as she stuck her tongue out. A man with muscles was good, but not when the muscles were the size of gigantic rocks.

'Maybe that's just my opinion.' Shaking her head, the woman hoped to block this man out of her mind. She had no interest in him whatsoever, he didn't attract her, he called her Baby, and yet she couldn't find the right words to say to tell this man to get a clue. He was blunt, she came to see, as well as totally clueless. 'But wait,' she thought with a smile, 'all men are, so what's there to complain about?'

"Baby, I'm leaving the wedding preparations up to you," Jai said with a grin. "You're going to love it here. I can change the weather with the wave of a finger, you have access to wherever you want in my kingdom, and you can do whatever you want; think of it as a great opportunity." He couldn't wait to have a mate again. 'She's just as beautiful as Suri,' he said to himself with a small blush.

Taking his eyes off her, he looked back and found a small black form walking twenty feet behind him. "Oi! Hurry up!" he ordered. "I'm not sure why Naraku had me tag you along with Rin and I, but that doesn't mean you get to slack off!"

Rin's eyes narrowed at him. Turning back as well, she waited for the young wolf demon to catch up with she and Jai. She gave him a look over when he caught up. He was about Kagome's age, had pretty blue eyes that stuck out from his dark hair, and tanned skin. Though he was at least four inches taller than the half demon in Jai's arms, he looked just as innocent.

Getting down on a knee, she held her hand out to him. "What's your name?" She ignored Jai who snorted and continued on his way. 'He's so shy,' she said to herself as she noticed that his long tail was scrunched like a pig. "It's alright." Taking his hand in her own, she stood and slowly started walking. "My name is Rin."

She looked down at him with a friendly smile, hoping that he would say something back to her. He looked somewhat feminine from the skirt of fur around his waist which she guessed was real. "You're part of the wolf clan, Koga's son, aren't you?" His hair was another giveaway. It went down to his shoulders and was worn down.

The boy only nodded. "…Kola," he said with a small smile. "My name's Kola." Gripping Rin's hand for the first time, both of them continued on their way. "Where are my parents?" he asked with somewhat wide eyes. "I was out playing when a man in a monkey suit came and took me."

Rin sighed. "I'm not sure about your parents, but I'm sure that they're looking for you." She could never turn this boy away. Koga's wolves had killed the villagers of her old village, herself, and probably more people along the way. "So how old are you?"

Kola grinned. "Seven," he said with complete pride, and Rin was starting to see where this boy got his cockiness from. "My older sister thinks that I'm just some little nuisance, but I don't pay much to it."

Rin smiled down at him. "Good to know."

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Kagura put a hand on her cheek. 'Can… C-can this be real?' she thought as she felt her face get hotter. 'Lord Jai and Rin left over an hour ago.' Standing from the fire that was nothing more but ashes, she stretched her arms. "It still feels like that wench is still here…"

Kanna looked back at her sister from her place near the entrance of the hut. "You would say something like that," she said in her regular emotionless tone. "Were you not getting along with her?" she curiously asked. "You seem to be happy that she's gone."

Kagura snorted. "Who wouldn't?!" she yelled, causing Kanna to flinch. "All that human did was irritate the hell out of me! Why does she care if I have feelings for Sesshomaru or not?!" Folding her arms over her chest, she marched to the entrance, but was stopped by her sister. "Get lost-"

"Maybe it's because she already has feelings."

Kagura's mouth formed into an O shape. She could have sworn that she saw a spark for the first time in Kanna's eyes, as if she cared what she, her younger sister, was going through. "K-… Kanna…" Walking past her, she walked out of the hut to see that it looked as if it had just rained. All the snow was melted, and the flat mountain top had already started growing new grass under the gravel.

She looked back when she heard footsteps behind her, and she smiled down at her older sister. "Kanna…" She got down on a knee, and was pleased to see a bit of emotion in Kanna's face. She was quiet the looker when she chose to open her heart. Her eyes were almost a dark purple color, but still black at the same time.

She shakily set her hand on the head full of white, and ruffled her long hair. "You may be older, more experienced when it comes to pleasing Naraku, and a better person than I, but…" Standing, she pulled out a feather from her hair; her heart was racing. "My matters don't concern you."

And she was gone.

With widened eyes, Kanna looked from side to side. "Kagura?" she called. When she got no answer, she dropped her mirror, unaware that it broke into tons of pieces. "Kagura?" Her purple eyes looked for a large feather desperately.

She fell to her knees and started picking up the broken pieces of glass. "You know that we're a part of Naraku's body," she said to no one as she cut her finger on the glass. "We're not meant to think, we're not meant to talk back." She looked to the sky a second time. "We're not meant to love," she said while emphasizing the word.

"We're just not; understand this."

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As a low growl left Inuyasha's lips, he checked to make sure his pups were truly sleeping. When he got the sound of two separate hearts beating slowly, he stood, wincing at the cracking noise his back made. 'Just what the hell does he want?' he said to himself with a raised eyebrow. Kagome wasn't around, and no one he knew lived near here that would interest Koga...

His eyes narrowed when the scent froze, and he directed his gaze in front of him, past the well, and to the clutter of trees in his forest. "Hope you know I can hear you," he said with a grin. "Now if you don't mind, explain to me why you're here." He had to be protective of his pups even if he was weak. If Koga really wanted to, he could kill he and his kids and take Kagome for himself. 'It's not like I can stop him...'

In the blink of an eye a wolf demon was standing before him, a certain wolf demon that Inuyasha found disgusting. He was mated to Ayame, had two pups of his own, and yet he still had his sick obsession with Kagome after all these years. How Ayame felt about it was also sickening, taken that she had two pups with him.

Koga looked past Inuyasha, hoping to find what he was looking for. His ears seemed to droop when he found that what he was looking for wasn't present. "Where's my pup?" the demon demanded through clenched teeth. "Stealing Kola and killing me so you can have Kagome all to yourself won't work."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "You're still as stupid as I thought…" he said under his breath, and got a punch in the stomach as a response. "Jesus! It's not my fault your pup's missing!" He could hear his voice failing him, but he didn't care; he was too broken on the inside. "One of my pups is gone too, so just shut your face and get over it!" Losing one of his children was something he would never let himself forget.

"Koga!"

His light colored eyes narrowed when Ginta and Hakkaku were standing before him as well in a blink of an eye. "Look, I don't have your pup, so take the sidekicks and get outta here." Now he was getting defensive. It was only natural, and Koga was well aware of this.

Koga ignored the half demon's words, and raised an eyebrow when he couldn't sense a holy presence nearby. "Mutt, what'd you do with Kagome?" he asked as he circled himself. "I can't smell her anywhere."

Inuyasha covered his face with his hand. "Which one?" He still blames himself to this day for naming a child the exact name of his wife. It got highly confusing when both of them were together. He still thought it was fair, for his mate got to name Inuyaku and Yuri. His face turned pale when he saw Koga in front of the well.

"You sent her home?!"

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"Dear, are you hungry?" Mrs Higurashi asked with a smile. She set down a fried egg on a piece of wheat toast. She sat down at her small table in the kitchen, hoping to get her daughter to consume something. "Kagome... please... for me."

Kagome looked at her mother with expressionless eyes. She hadn't eaten, hadn't slept, and hadn't even thought of any of those things since her youngest daughter disappeared. "Mama..." she said in a whisper. She covered her face with her hands and sunk into the wooden chair, almost falling off. "I'm a t-terrible mother..."

Mrs Higurashi sighed. "Kagome, you said the same thing when Inuyaku first fell and hurt himself." Standing, she grabbed Kagome's hand from her face and held it with her own. "I'm your old mother; you're supposed to tell me what's on your mind."

Kagome shook her head. "You'll think I'm a terrible mother too if I-"

"Nonsense," Mrs Higurashi said with a wave of the finger. Pulling Kagome so she was standing, she led the way through the house, stopping to get an umbrella. "Strange weather, no?" she asked as she opened the front door. "It's been raining since you returned home..." She kept telling herself that this had nothing to do with the fact that her daughter was sad about something. "You know, this was your father's favorite kind of weather."

Kagome nodded; she knew exactly where her mother was taking her. The pink umbrella with ducks on it was helpful, but not helpful enough to keep stray raindrops off her body. She liked the feeling. It was cold, exactly how she felt.

She sat next to her mother when they were at their destination: the bench under the sacred tree. The only sounds were the ones of the rain hitting the ground, making a noise like beads falling from a jar. "Mama..." She looked to the right where her mother was seated with a smile on her face. "I-"

"Being a grandmother was something I was looking forward to after you and Sota were born," Mrs Higurashi said with a giggle. "If my children had a question, I'd do my best to help them with it. If they needed advice, I'd also do my best to give it to them." She looked over to Kagome. "Even though I've never been able to meet two of my grandchildren, I still treat them just like I would with Inuyaku." Wrapping her left arm around Kagome's shoulders, she brought her daughter close to her. "Nothing will make me think you're a bad mother."

"But Mama," Kagome's eyes looked to the tree. "…I had Inuyaku when I was eighteen…"

"Does that make you a bad mother?" Mrs Higurashi asked. "No, it makes you irresponsible." She looked to the tree as well. "Inuyasha couldn't have been a better choice," she said with another giggle. "Those ears of his are to die for!"

Kagome felt the tears fall for the third time that day. Sniffling, she wiped her face with her hand. "I don't know what to do." Lifting her head, she looked at her mother. "I-I lost Kagome, Mama." Directing her head down again when her mother's eyes widened, she choked on her saliva. "I don't know what to do with myself…"

"Can't Inuyasha find-"

"That's the thing." Kagome wiped her face a second time. "He was badly hurt and can't go after her until he's healed," she said in a whisper. "And I don't think that's possible since he's already worried enough as it is. The more he worries, the more his healing process slows." He didn't have to say or explain it to her. They were mates; it was easy to read his face, his body, and everything about him.

Parting from her mother, she set her elbows on her thighs, her face in her palms of her hands. "I just want my baby back…" The rain hit her like there was no tomorrow, the need to be dry was blank in her mind. "It hurts me to look at Inuyasha now because of the resemblance." Of course she was mad at him, but she wouldn't have left he and her pups for her own time.

'Maybe the scent I gave off made him feel bad…' she thought with a raised eyebrow. Even with her being the only human in her demonic family, she still knew their customs and preferables. 'That's one reason to send me back.' She looked out into the shrine. 'Maybe Yaku couldn't take the scent either…'

"Ma! You home?!"

Mrs Higurashi chuckled. "Over here, Sota!" she called through the rain. A family reunion was something this family needed. Her son was anxious, her daughter was depressed, her father was somewhere roughhousing, and she was cheerful. She scratched her head. 'Not the best combination, I'm afraid…'

"What are you doing over there?! Is that Kagome with you?!"

Mrs Higurashi's eyes snapped to the entrance of the shrine. "It looks like both of my ungrateful children chose to pay their old mother a visit," she said with a smile, and got glares from them as a reply when Sota caught up. "How's Suri?" Even if she saw her son everyday because he still lived with her, Suri wasn't permitted to be near him nor her. Her family had explained this when they discovered that their only child was pregnant with a shrine owner's infant.

"Fat," Sota replied as he sat down next to his sister, taking off his black jacket and putting it over her shoulders. Whenever she came home the first thing he would do is attack her in a bear hug, but he didn't see that happening. For the first time in his life, his sister didn't look that happy to see him. He was going to say something about it, but the look his mother gave him advised him not to speak.

Kagome looked over at her brother. "How's the baby?" she asked with a small smile, and got a smile in return. Her brother was indeed handsome. Sota was a man now, she came to see. He was a twenty year-old man that was going to be a father in a few months. She hated mentioning the part that he was a foot taller than her, as well as ten times stronger. While going to the mall with him, she was the one who looked like the little sister of the pair.

Sota blushed. "I found out the baby's due in late summer…" Folding his arms across his plain white shirt, he leaned into the bench. "Suri's hooked on naming the baby Jai or something like that." Pouting, he leaned on his sister for comfort. "You've got Inuyaku, Yuri and Kagome. I'm not sure about Kagome, but Inuyaku and Yuri sound like demonic names. I wanted to start a tradition or something like that…" He slowly closed his eyes. 'Just like the shrine tradition.' He had been given the shrine once their grandfather started counting his days when he woke up one morning with an aching back.

Looking at the woman, he leaned his cheek on top of her head. "What's up with you?" he asked. "You look so sad…" This was how his sister looked fourteen years ago when she was mad at Inuyasha for something. She came back through the well, and the conversation went as it did now: sitting under the sacred tree.

Kagome shook her head. "Nothing…"

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Bri Note- Thanks for all of you who answered my question. Everyone went a little out-of-character in this chapter, and no, nothing was accomplished, so don't worry if you think you missed something! Hehe, I know. Anyway, know anymore good animes I can watch? I don't know when I'll be able to update next, but it'll be soon. I have an orchestra concert coming up, and I'm afraid that I accidentally may have dropped my viola down the stairs while trying to carry a glass of milk to my mum…

Center Stage will be updated next.

Much Love,

Brijustme