Author's Note: I have no excuse fo r how long it was since updated other than the fact I had lost my spark. But now that I have discovered there is a fifth movie and another set of episodes "Final Act" I have been inspired again. Please be kind and review, I am nothing with out my reader's reviews. -*-*-*-*-*

"I I…I I'm what?" Kagura stuttered in disbelief.

"You are pregnant." Said the doctor putting the stethoscope back around her neck. "The baby seems very strong. I could hear the whooshing of another heart beat when I checked yours."

"But, we mated for the first time less than two weeks ago!" she cried. "How is this even possible?" Kagura cried. Sesshomaru just stared in silence.

"Demon children grow at a rate much faster than that of a human. Nine months is the standard for humans, while demon offspring are ready to leave the womb at about two months. And I have an herbal powder you should put in your tea every day until the baby is born." Said the doctor walking towards the back of the room. Kagura hadn't noticed the wall lined entirely with shelves that were full of glass jars and phials. The doctor climbed up a ladder and reached for a large jar on the left. She brought it down with her and took out a scoop. She poured it into a cloth bag and pulled the drawstring. "Lady Kagura, a pinch should be enough, and remember, take it once every day. And there is still the matter of your hand." She said taking her hand out of the bowl of water and antiseptic. She patted it dry and smeared an ointment on it that had a strong acidic scent though it did not burn. The doctor then wrapped her hand neatly in bandages and started to put away the supplies. "You are free to go Lady Kagura." She said waiving her farewell.

Kagura looked to Sesshomaru; he was staring blankly ahead with no sign of recognition that it was time to leave. His eyes were clouded over with thought. "Sesshomaru?" she asked putting her hand on his arm.

"Hmm?" he asked his eyes returning to normal.

"Are you angry?" she asked looking down to her stomach and then to him.

"I am not angry." He said looking to her. Sesshomaru leaned down to kiss her and cupped her face. "Do not worry, things shall be well. But there is something I need to do. I should be back in a few hours." He said walking away from her.

"Where are you going?" she asked going after him. "Do not worry; he said continuing down the hall. I will be safe."

Kagura looked down at her feet and then back to the door he had just walked out of. What was she supposed to do now? "I'll go back to the library, but I'll avoid the red books." She said heading towards the stairs. If she could, she was going to research demon pregnancy and birth, the Inu family tree, and the Inu heritage. "And they are not dragging me back into that dressing room until dinner." She thought to herself going up the stairs.

Sesshomaru fled from the castle seeking his sanctuary. It was on the castle grounds and no one knew of it other than his father and him. He rarely did this, only seeking spiritual guidance when absolutely necessary. He walked past the gardens and the prayer grounds. His father's great grandfather had built this with his own two hands millennia ago. He came to a knotted old tree and stepped upon a great twisted root. The dirt fell away and opened a staircase winding down into the ground. He stepped lightly, avoiding the fifth and eighth steps as they were cracked and degraded. The pathway above him sealed as he headed further into the earth. It was hot and the air was humid. There was a clear pool in the middle of it all that fell from a small water fall. The waters were hot but not unbearable.

Sesshomaru stripped down to his under garments and waded into the water. He knelt, situating himself just beneath the water fall and let the steaming water pour over him. He had taken tenseiga with him and clutched it in his arms. It would not rust in the water as it was a demon blade and was impervious to the weakening that other blades were prone to. Sesshomaru inhaled and exhaled deeply, relaxing and calming himself. He didn't know how much time had passed but he wasn't thinking about it. All he did was concentrate on his breath and the purifying waters.

He felt a tingle in his toes and knew it was coming, an intense warmth spread over him that had nothing to do with the heat of the water. The tingle moved up his legs and to his waist, to his chest, to his arms, and finally up his neck and to the tips of his ears. "Father, I seek your guidance for I am faced with a situation I have never come upon." He said speaking in a clear loud voice. The dead could be hard of hearing.

He waited, keeping his eyes closed and mind open. He took another breath and exhaled, waiting. Behind his eyelids light danced and an energy surrounded him, His eyes flew open and all was still. His great and noble father stood before him in a perfect vision. "My son, Sesshomaru. You look troubled, why is it that you have summoned me here today?" he asked sitting in the water as well.

Sesshomaru smiled softly. "Father, I have taken a mate. I once stood with a loathing towards humans and half breeds. Yet she is the latter. I have fallen into hypocrisy yet I couldn't care less." He said looking to the great demon.

"My son that is nothing to be ashamed of. I always thought it unwise for you to look down upon them. I would say you have progressed. Congratulations my son, you have found the right woman and I couldn't be happier. But the thing that matters most is, are you happy?" He asked with genuine concern.

"Yes Father, I am happy. She is the right woman for me. But that actually isn't why I have summoned you here today." He said taking a deep breath.

"Oh really? It isn't?" His father asked curiously.

"A child has been conceived in our union." Sesshomaru said softly.

The great dog demon was silent. He let out a deep hearty laugh. "Congratulations my son! You will make a good father! Atta boy!" he cried clapping his eldest son on the back.

Sesshomaru was taken aback. "But father, I don't know how to care for a child!" he cried. "I know not what to teach him, I don't want to be a disappointment to my child." He said closing his eyes and tilting his head away.

"What, do you think? I knew how to take care of you the second you were born? You learn over time. When your mother left I was devastated and there was no on but myself and my servants to raise you. I trained you to fight and to care for yourself. You are a man Sesshomaru, you are self-sustaining and now you are being fruitful. I have succeeded in raising you and you will succeed in raising your children." He said putting his arm on his son's shoulder.

"Father, your words of wisdom are deeply reassuring. I thank you." Sesshomaru said looking to his father.

"Son, one more thing. Is she pretty?" he asked with a sly grin.

"Lovely, thin and young, with eyes of flame and lips of berry, and skin as pale as fresh cream." Sesshomaru said with pride in his own voice.

"Atta boy, that's my son." and with that his image faded and the tingling stopped.