This is for the fan who asked about human times. I decided that it starts between the 8th and 9th birthday, at least for Yuki. Eventually Harutoga will experience it too. Thank you all for the reviews. Keep the requests coming! This excerpt will actually be a part of Instinct. I don't have enough of it written to start posting anything.
The pregnancy wasn't without complications. By the time Rin was three months instead of the morning sickness lessening like it had with Yuki and Harutoga, it was so bad she couldn't get out of bed. Any movement caused her to gag. Hisato stood outside her door with his hand over his nose and his own stomach churning at the scent coming from the room. Atsuko busied herself trying to find soups that Rin could keep down, and teas that she wouldn't throw back up. Even Yuki and Harutoga avoided their parents room.
Sesshomaru landed lightly in the public entrance of their home. His face was stoic and emotionless as always. Inside he felt disappointment as he surveyed the entrance. Jaken came scurrying up to him, Nintojo in hand, "Sesshomaru-sama, welcome home!"
"Chichiue!" Harutoga came bounding up to his father. He pounced into his father's arms, bringing a half grin to Sesshomaru's mouth.
Yuki was absent for the first time. She had never missed his homecoming in the past. Sesshomaru glanced around. Akari was also missing, not that he cared but then who had been watching Harutoga? Hideyoshi leaned arms folded with one leg bent against the wall. The sentinel was a guardian not one of the trusted adults who were meant to watch his children. He glanced at the sky, it was clear, without a moon, "where is Kasan?" Sesshomaru asked Harutoga.
"In bed, she stinks," Harutoga waved his little hand next to his nose.
"She is agitated," Sesshomaru said half to himself. He could feel it through their bond. Rin was anxious and nauseated. "It hasn't subsided?" He looked at Jaken.
"It's worse. She hasn't been able to keep anything down in the last week. She has lost weight," Jaken walked with Sesshomaru towards the entrance, "she won't let anyone but Atsuko and Akari into the room. Akari that ungrateful hanyou. She didn't show up for work today, so poor Atsuko has been here all day. She's exhausted from cleaning up after Rin," they made it into the public dining room.
Sesshomaru could smell the scent of sickness coming already. The putrid smell of vomit. He set Harutoga down and handed the child a wrapped package.
Harutoga opened it excited, inside was a bag of sweet rice, "Thank you Chichiue!" He hugged his father's leg.
Sesshomaru continued into the corridor with Harutoga trailing along behind him, "Yuki won't come out of her room either," Harutoga informed his father, "she's been crying since the sun started setting. It stinks, why is Ka-san so sick?" Harutoga asked his father.
"She didn't tell you?" Sesshomaru stopped. They hadn't told the children yet. Rin wanted to wait until she was passed the stage where she had miscarried before. He stopped short next to Hisato.
Hisato breathed uncomfortably with his hand over his nose and his head down, "I'm sending for your mother, something is wrong."
Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at him, "unnecessary, open the entrance down the hall," he instructed Hisato. He wanted to take a deep preparatory breath for what he would find inside the room, but the stench was overpowering his senses. It was sour, and raunchy. Harutoga followed behind him holding the material of Sesshomaru's leg. Sesshomaru knocked on the door. He opened it slightly, "my heart," he pushed the door open all the way.
Rin lay in a daze in their bed. Her purple lavender yukata was soaked in sweat. She shivered underneath her blankets. Her skin was deathly pale, a clean empty bucket rested inches from her head. The smallest mound protruded from her yukata. Her eyes opened slightly. She turned her neck, "Sesshomaru…son of Inu No Taisho," she whispered weakly. "I hate you," there was the slightest hint of humor in her voice.
"Ka-san, you're smelly," Harutoga got in bed with his mother, "why are you so sick?"
Sesshomaru opened the door to their garden and the windows. Rin curled tighter into a ball, "what are you doing? It's cold," she shivered.
Sesshomaru hoped his sleeve over his nose would clue her in. He pulled the covers off of Rin who protested against him. "Airing the room out," he answered her. He took out a warm red cotton blanket from the trunk and wrapped Rin inside of it.
"Don't move me," she protested as his arms wrapped her waist and hoisted her up, "I'm going to throw up on you."
"You've done it before," he replied quickly carrying her out into the foyer of their garden, "you need fresh air."
She wasn't lying. As soon as he moved her she started heaving. Sesshomaru stopped long enough to help her lean over. The vomit splattered on the foyer. Harutoga jumped out of the way still following them. It was mostly dry heaves with a watery substance. Sesshomaru frowned, "have you eaten?"
"I try," she whimpered, "why did I let you do this to me again?"
He sat with Rin under their sakura tree. The air was already cooler in the evenings. She shivered against him. He put her head against his chest and wrapped her into his mokomoko for warmth. "Is there something you can eat?"
Rin whispered frailly, "I was able to eat some deer meat the other day, and ginger root soup. I threw the soup up this morning though," she held onto his arm. She felt his lips brush against the side of her neck, "don't get any ideas." She touched his heart, "please? I haven't slept in days. My hands won't stop shaking."
Sesshomaru nodded. He opened their bond and sent waves of comfort and warmth into Rin. She sighed against him, her body relaxing. "You're back hurts," he rubbed it gently.
"Why is she sick?" Harutoga jumped onto his father's shoulder.
"Harutoga," Sesshomaru loosened his obi, and unclipped his armor. He slid it off with one hand, the other holding Rin, "take Chichiue's katanas and armor into my room. Tell your sister to come outside. We should tell them," Sesshomaru encouraged Rin. He soothed the ache in her back with his yoki. He could almost taste the illness on his tongue, "HISATO!"
Hisato walked in through their room, "yes? Sesshomaru-sama."
"Send Taisho and Sota to bring a deer back for Rin and have the kitchen prepare it," Sesshomaru commanded him.
Hisato shuffled his feet, "they won't leave their rooms either Sesshomaru-sama."
Harutoga came screaming out of the room with his hand on his cheek, "Yuki scratched my face!" He cried.
"Did the whole house go mad in my absence?" Sesshomaru felt frustrated, "where is Akari?" Akari was often the only one that could handle Yuki's moods.
"It's her time of the month," Rin softly muttered from under his chin, "come Haru, let Ka-san see," she motioned her son to her.
"That is not an excuse," Sesshomaru growled.
"Not cycling, she won't leave her home on the new moon," Hisato told Sesshomaru. "I'm sure you aware that hanyous become human during once month."
"Not human dear one. Their yoki simply becomes latent," Gobodo-sama waltzed up behind Hisato and nibbled his neck, "my…my…look at you two. Where is Yuki?"
"I told you not to send for her, mother leave," Sesshomaru growled at Hisato. His eyes flashed red.
Harutoga finally stopped crying in Rin's lap. She moved his hand away from his face. Worry creased her face, "Sesshomaru look," she held Harutoga's face. The scratches were barely deeper than the first few layers of skin.
Sesshomaru looked at the scratches, his mouth went dry. He stood up, gently setting Rin against the Sakura tree. Rin's face was still white as snow as she leaned against the bark, wrapped in the blanket. "Hisato, find someone in this house capable of bringing Rin a deer, who isn't suffering from humanity." He walked through their room into Yuki's room. He heard her crying. There was a lump under the blanket that shivered, "Yuki come out," he said harshly.
"Go away!" She yelled from under the covers.
"Yuki," he pulled the cover off her form, revealing a black haired, brown eyed little girl.
"Don't look at me!" She covered her face, "I'm ugly!" Her nails were short and human like. Her wrist stripes and face stripes were gone. Her forehead was mark-less, "I'm ugly!" She yanked the blanket back over her head.
"Oh, you're not ugly," Gobodo-sama came into the room. She knelt next to Sesshomaru, "honestly you would think you would talk to her about this to avoid this kind of reaction."
"I told you to leave," Sesshomaru snarled at his mother.
"I was summoned," she argued back, "come out little one," she reached under the blanket and hefted Yuki out by the wrists. "Let me look at you," she held Yuki up, "stop squirming. That's it, let me see," she stroked Yuki's cheek and smiled, "you look like your mother."
"I'm an ugly human," Yuki folded her arms.
"The change isn't permanent Yuki," Sesshomaru told her.
Gobodo-sama gave Sesshomaru a fierce glare, "the change isn't permanent? That's what you say when you're daughter says she is ugly?"
Sesshomaru glared at his mother.
"You should be telling her how beautiful she is regardless," Gobodo-sama said furiously.
"She is beautiful, I merely wanted her to understand that this change is only for the night," Sesshomaru rolled his eyes.
"I'll look normal tomorrow morning?" Yuki asked hopeful.
"Yes dear," Gobodo-sama stroked her cheek, "now come out into the garden so I can see why this pregnancy is making your mother so sick."
"Pregnancy?" Yuki glanced from her grandmother to her father, she took a hand from each one and walked between them back to the garden. "She has a baby in her belly again?"
"Yes," Sesshomaru answered proudly.
"When is it going to come out?" Yuki let go of their hands and ran into the garden. Sesshomaru followed. He sat behind Rin and pulled her against him again.
Gobodo-sama knelt down in front of Rin. She touched Rin's stomach lightly with one clawed hand then looked in Rin's eyes. "Sooner than the rest, I'll be impressed if you make it to five months."
Rin's stomach cramped, "is something wrong? Yuki, look at you. You look like me," Rin smiled adjusting the blanket around her.
"Haru, there's a baby in Ka-san's stomach, you're going to be a big brother!" Yuki clapped her hands.
"Yuki you look funny," Harutoga wiggled his cat-like ears on top of his head.
"Shut up Haru!" Yuki raised her hand nails extended again.
Rin caught her hand, the movement alone made Rin start gagging again, "do not," she coughed holding her stomach, "hit your brother. I'm going to be sick again."
"Why not? Chichiue hits his!" Yuki stomped her foot.
Rin scowled at Sesshomaru holding back her roiling stomach, "see the example you set. I need something to drink," Rin collapsed into Sesshomaru's embrace.
"The yoki is strong, but that doesn't account for the sickness, this is a human condition," Gobodo-sama touched Rin's forehead, "relieve her of some of the nausea and ensure she eats and drinks Sesshomaru. Where is that Miko?"
Sesshomaru closed his eyes. He placed his hand over Rin's stomach. A curious sensation washed over him as he allowed his yoki to sooth her stomach. "In her own time," he answered his mother. "Hisato, why aren't Taisho and Sota coming out of their rooms."
"The transformation lasts longer for them," Rin pressed her face into his Mokomoko, "Taisho usually lasts for ten days and Sota a week. They feel self-conscious around their pure blooded Oji-sama. Hisato this doesn't happen to you?"
"Occasionally I find myself weakened, but I never revert to a human form," he answered, "I will send Sato to find Rin a deer."
"I'll go get you water Ka-san," Yuki got up and kissed her mother's cheek.
"Mother if you want to be of some use, return to Rin's childhood village and ask the hanyou Jinenji for herbs for her Rin's stomach," Sesshomaru asked annoyed.
"Of course, I will return with all haste," she lit into a giant ball, then flew into the sky in her true form.
"How did the baby get in there?" Harutoga asked, "you're tummy is fatter."
Rin chuckled while putting a hand over Sesshomaru's mouth, "we'll tell you when you are older."
Sesshomaru removed her hand, "he can't know now?" He tilted his neck.
Rin pushed his head back, "eww, don't kiss me, you taste like rotten fish," she groaned holding her stomach.
It was Sesshomaru's turn to groan in discomfort. It would be a long few months until the baby came.
677Art Thank you I had ridiculous fun writing the last chapter. I think Gobodo-sama may be seen more often. She cracks me up.
Guest from Chapter 8 asking about Rin being immortal. Sadly...I'm not taking the immortal route with her. I may have it that being bonded and his yoki inside of her may increase her life-span a small amount, but as Gobodo-sama said in Sesshomaru and the Underworld a human life is meant to be limited. Natsuki is definitely going to mess things up but also make them better. Once I actually get further along writing it.
Therec3iver Thank you! I love your reviews. I know table of contents in chapter 9 is ridiculous but who cares...it will take entirely too much effort on my lazy part to rearrange my chapters in order and put it in the beginning. Readers can just click to chapter nine and choose which story to read.
