Author: "ZOMG, dude, she totally updated again!" How long has this been since my last update, 3 weeks? A month? I don't know...too long! Excuse my lateness, I've started college and I've found it to be a bit more time consuming than I expected. SadFace T_T
This chapter is a bit shorter compared to last three or so, but read it closely :) Quality over quantity! It's an important chappie.
Previously...
He was surprised when Inuyasha cursed and pulled away from him, raking a hand through his hair. "I knew you smelled different...shit, shit, shit!"
The daiyoukai raised a brow. "What is it? What do I smell like?"
"Like a pregnant bitch."
Sesshomaru froze, a hand flying to his flat tummy. He shook his head once. Please let it be untrue...
Inuyasha grabbed his brother by the wrist and walked off down the hall. "We're going to a healer, and we're going now!"
Chapter 12
Inuyasha paced nervously outside the doors, every once in a while glancing up at them, only to scowl they were still closed and resume pacing once more. Inside, Sesshomaru was laying on a simple futon, hakama put aside and haori wide open. A little old woman, a lesser demon from one of the villages under Inuyasha's rule, shuffled around the room. She finally came to a stop beside his futon, her wrinkled hands surprisingly gentle but firm while she poked and prodded his abdomen, face scrunched lightly in concentration.
"Alright, my lord. I'll need you to open your legs for a bit. I'll need a closer look at you."
Sesshomaru stared at he as though she'd grown another head and she chuckled. "I am nearly nine hundred years of age my lord, and have been midwife to many for more than half that. I assure you that I've seen it all before and hardly anything surprises me anymore."
She patted his leg with a motherly smile, and Sesshomaru found himself opening his legs at her request. She nodded approvingly and moved the base of the futon, covering his lower body with a sheet and moving his legs a bit further apart. Sesshomaru kept his eyes trained on the ceiling above while she worked, feeling her fingers prod some more, shifting his testes aside. He hadn't been touched there in a long while and it was making him slightly uncomfortable. "What is your name," he said to her. It came out as more of a statement than a question.
The woman spoke idly, as though not really paying attention to him. "I am Maiko, my lord, now hush and let me finish..." He knew she didn't mean to be rude, she was simply too focused on her work. He obeyed and remained silent for the remainder of her examination, relieved when she finally told him that he could close is legs and redress. Maiko packed her things and prepared to leave the room, but not before whispering the results into his ear.
Inuyasha's head snapped up at the click of the door opening. He rushed to the old woman with questioning eyes and she chuckled. "The news is one best heard from your mate, young Lord. I have a feeling I will be seeing more of you in the coming months." And with that she continued on down the hall. He stepped into the room, seeing the daiyoukai fixing the last bits of his armor, back facing him.
"Sessh? What did she say?"
The elder continued on adjusting and readjusting his sash, even though Inuyasha could clearly see it was perfect from the very first tie. He walked over to his mate, holding him from behind and stilling his hands. "Sesshomaru, tell me what she said. I think I know the answer, but... I need to hear it from you."
The elder was silent for a while, wrestling with himself, as though the situation would be less real if the words weren't said aloud. "I'm with child," he finally whispered. Sesshomaru's shoulders slumped then, head falling forward. He didn't trust himself to say more just yet. He could feel the wetness in his eyes and knew that if he spoke further, he'd surely cry; an act he hadn't done since he was a pup, hundreds of years ago.
Inuyasha could smell the salt in the air and pulled the both of them onto the futon, holding his brother close to him. "Its alright Sesshomaru...its just us in here. No one will ever know." And almost immediately as though he needed the permission the daiyoukai's shoulders began to shake, his face buried in his mate's chest. Inuyasha said absolutely nothing, knowing nothing he said could possibly make this situation any less horrifying. He opted for wordlessly holding his brother until the daiyoukai had cried himself out.
Days rolled by, neither sibling ever bringing up the episode that occurred in the privacy of the healing chambers after the old midwife left them alone. Sesshomaru never brought up the results of her findings, and Inuyasha made no attempts to remind him. He knew the daiyoukai would say what he needed to say in due time...that was just how Sesshomaru was.
In the meantime they delighted themselves within the presence of their only child, who was quite large now; resembling a 3 year old human and talking in small sentences. Sesshomaru relaxed on a chaise in the nursery next Shiori, his nanny, watching on while his mate played with their child. Inuyasha was on his back, eyes closed and counting to ten while Akihiko tried to find a place to hide. The little boy totted around for the majority of those seconds before settling to hide behind a bookcase.
"Eight, nine, ten! Alright, I'm coming to look for ya!" Inuyasha said aloud. He knew where the boy was, he could smell it very clearly, but it was more fun when he pretended he didn't. He purposely looked in other parts of the room on all fours, even behind Sesshomaru's legs which brought a smile to the demon's lips. Finally, he hopped behind the bookshelf, a shocked cry leaving the boy's lips.
"You cheat, Yasha!" he giggled as Inuyasha scooped him up and over his shoulder. He tickled his sides until the pup screamed for reprieve, squirming to no avail.
"That'll teach you to call me a cheat," he said, finally passing him off to Sesshomaru for his nap time. Akihiko smiled up at his birth father and snuggled against him, wrapping himself in the mokomoko; a habit he couldn't kick from his infancy. Despite adamantly swearing he was not tired, Aki-chan fell asleep in absolutely no time. With a chuckle Sesshomaru passed him to Shiori, who bowed and brought the sleeping child to his small futon.
Inuyasha grasped his brother's hand and pulled him up to join him on the balcony. They watched the beautiful scenery beyond them, the gardens of the estate and Inuyasha's friends relaxing on them. Neither brother said a word for a long time, comfortably enjoying each other's company in the silence. Sesshomaru placed a hand on his stomach absently, rubbing it in thought. It was still very flat, but the abs that had been starting to come back faded again. He sighed. "Inuyasha..."
"Hm?" Inuyasha turned his gaze to his mate to show full interest.
"I have been thinking about this...situation..." He went silent for a bit, collecting his thoughts. Inuyasha only rubbed the back of his hand with a thumb, saying nothing to rush the daiyoukai. Taking a breath, the elder continued on. "You and I have been intimate several times before Naraku...before he took me away," he said. He refused to say the word 'rape'. "You and I coupled just hours before he himself..."
Inuyasha nodded and pulled his mate close, Sesshomaru lightly gripping his kimono. "I know...it was pretty damn great, too, if I remember correctly," Inuyasha said jokingly.
The daiyoukai blushed a light pink at those words. "Otouto, not now."
"Sorry, sorry, go on."
Sesshomaru breathed in the piney scent of his brother and finished his thoughts. "I wanted to curr the child within my womb but...I cannot. If there is even the smallest chance that the child may be yours..." He let his words trail off, closing his eyes and bracing himself for the retaliation he was sure to come at this decision. He wanted to keep this child, but if his Alpha said otherwise then of course, he would have to obey.
Inuyasha pulled back a little, tipping his brother's chin up. He studied his brother's face, the face that resembled his own but was so different. He stroked the demon markings there, always in awe of the exotically feminine beauty Sesshomaru was graced with. "I respect any decision you make and will support you in this," he finally said. "But Sessh, you have to know the risks that come with this. If the kid ain't mine, it's gonna raise some eyebrows around here. And Naraku will hold true to his promise."
The daiyoukai nodded. He'd been grappling with himself for days about this, and he understood the risks from the moment he made his decision. The child would be considered a bastard nobility if it were found to be Naraku's child, and the brothers would have to come out about the rape, something Sesshomaru adamantly refused to do.
"I'd as sooner die than give my child over to that demon," said Sesshomaru.
Inuyasha smiled sadly. He knew Sesshomaru wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice his own life when it came to the safety of his pups. "Now now, no dying on me. If you die, I'll die too. Can't have that now, can we?" He leaned down and kissed those small pink lips softly. If he lost Sesshomaru forever, it would hurt more than anything else on earth. It was why mated always died close behind the other...when the link between them permanently severs, it's just impossible to live without the other half.
The dog demons told no one of their new arrival in Sesshomaru's belly, thinking it best to keep it under wraps for as long as they could. But it was getting harder as the weeks went by, with Sesshomaru's already floral scent becoming more sweet and his stomach getting larger. He found he was getting tired more easily and couldn't train as much as he desired. With his stomach extending by the fifth week of pregnancy, wearing his usual armor had become an impossibly uncomfortable task and he opted for leaving it in the room he shared with Inuyasha. Servants were starting to take notice that he wouldn't eat as much as he used to, the lunches they brought to his room often remaining untouched.
Inuyasha commented on these observations by the time the first month of pregnancy had come to pass. "Sessh, whispers are going around," he said. They were both in the bath, the steam from the water soothing them.
Sesshomaru idly rubbed his stomach with eyes closed. The bump was much more obvious in the nude than when he was dressed in his loose garments. "I have noticed, otouto. Servants whisper when they believe I am out of earshot. They stare when I think I cannot see them...it is very uncomfortable to be under such scrutiny."
"We need to announce your pregnancy."
Sesshomaru opened his eyes eyes after a moment and looked over at his brother. After a moment he spoke. "Naraku will begin making his moves once we do."
Inuyasha could hear the smallest hint of worry and fear in those words. What Sesshomaru really meant was 'Naraku will come to take my baby if it is his'. He moved across the span of water to pull his brother closer to him, placing his hand on top of the rounded tummy. "I won't let any harm come to you...not again. I won't let it happen."
Sesshomaru nodded and leaned his head back, enjoying these little moments when he and Inuyasha could just be. With his new title as Lord, Inuyasha was often too busy with paperwork or meetings and all the other responsibilities that came with him being Lord of the West. Sesshomaru found himself yearning to be with his mate whenever they were apart for too long. He stopped chalking it up to just his youkai influencing his emotions. Though that was part of it, he had to admit that he himself just simply wanted his brother's company.
"We need to announce your pregnancy, Sessh," Inuyasha repeated into his neck.
Sesshomaru shivered at the hot breath that caressed the mark there and nodded. "Very well...tomorrow we will tell the elders."
Inuyasha quirked a brow. "Why tomorrow? We got enough time to do it now."
"Because I want you to myself for the rest of the night," Sesshomaru purred demurely.
Inuyasha chuckled, turning his mate to face him and gripping his hair to expose his neck. Sesshomaru's youkai sang in complete bliss at being handled so roughly. Sesshomaru's request was granted in full, having the attentions of his mate for the rest of the night, and well into the next morning.
Author: Some of your forgot about the few times Fluffy-sama and Inuyasha mated, didn't ya? Shame on you, I wrote those yummy lemon scenes on purpose, you silly beans :) But we won't know who's the daddy yettt. Hell, I don't even know who the daddy's going to be yet. Didn't think that far into the. Ah, well, we'll see!
Read and review. Lots of hits and no reviews makes a sad Kyakume :)
