{ x. Complications Galore .x }
x.| Chapter Thirteen: Cruelty|.x

Again? How the hell was that fair? After everything we're meant to be apart again? No, no, screw that, I can't take it. I don't want to be apart from her, I don't want to go to sleep at night knowing she won't be there the next day. I can't… what if it doesn't work? What if I have to wait another goddamn six years to see her?

I will. If that's what it takes, I'd wait an eternity for her but I really don't want to… I hate missing her, it tears me apart but because the gods think it's fun to fuck with us I jump in and out of the well a thousand times for it not to work once. I even have the shikon with me so why? Why does it do this to us? Is it just fate's way of saying you two don't belong together? That she belongs in her time and I belong in mine?

It's not fair. I can't take this again.

"Inuyasha?" Sango's sweet and hushed voice snapped me out of it as I finally gave up to head back to the village for the night. I couldn't bear to look at her worried expression, "where is Kagome?"

I hated to tell them again just as they hated to hear it again.

I detest their pity but I see it each time I look at them, Miroku made the mistake once of telling me that he would die if such a thing ever happened to him and Sango—how was he meant to live without her? But he quickly checked himself, realized that he broke his golden rule of never bothering me with such thoughts, and quickly changed the subject to his children and had them try to 'slay' me in order to get my mind off of what he just said.

It worked, sort of, there is only so much moping around you can do with a set of twins dangling off your ears and a toddler that just learned how to walk tugging on your necklace.

I like them all, I really do. I would hate to leave them behind… and Sango and Miroku? They're like family, more than that even. I missed them terribly when I was in Kagome's era but for Kagome? For her I could give it all up… I just wouldn't like it.

I don't want to say goodbye to them I just can't let go of her, but that doesn't much matter now, huh? I'm stuck here. Away from her… for who knows how long.

"Inuyasha!" The children chimed before a few hands slapped me in the face; triumphantly they declared me officially 'slayed'.

They had no idea how right they were… I don't know what I'm supposed to do without her. This time it's so much worse. Last time there were unspoken words to haunt me, all the things I never said to her, but this time? All that had been said and returned, she loves me, she said she'd start a family with me, I've had her in the most intimate ways… how am I supposed to be alright with that being torn from me? I can't. I need her back.

Give her back.

..x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x..

Mizuki just learned how to crawl, well, not exactly. She's trying and it's simply the most adorable thing I've ever seen! She can't hold herself up completely yet but as she tries she'll kick her little feet high in the air as she tries to move forward. It's too cute; it melts my heart and sparks an 'awe' every time she does it from everything. I think she knows it, too, because whenever someone isn't paying enough attention to her she'll do it to win the whole rooms amusement. My little darling, an attention-whore at the sweet age of seven months, high school years will be hellish… I don't even want to think about that yet.

See, Inuyasha, if I was still there with you I would have missed this. I love you, still. If not for Mizuki I wouldn't be able to bear all this time apart. Each day at least twice I'll go out to the well and wait, I can't jump down it, I can't do that to Mizuki—you understand, right? She's always here with me, in my arms waiting for you, too.

It's pretty frigid outside now, though, so I think I need to stop bringing her with me. It'd be awful is she caught a cold. Though, you'd love to see how precious she looks all bundled up.

"Please come back," I murmur most of the time as I stare down longing at the always empty well. Mizuki might not get what we're doing out here, she often tries to distract me from the depression that always seeps in.

"Mizuki," I grumbled as I lightly pried my hair out of her grasp, she likes to play with it still, sometimes even stuff it into her mouth like she is now. She'd have a blast with your long silver locks…

"Mizuki," I pouted playfully as I jiggled her little hand to spark a giddy squeal from her, "say, Inuyasha come back. He'll come if you tell him to, tell the mean well to open up."

I don't know what to tell her when she's older and I keep coming out here to wait for you because this time I am. I'll never be with another, I'll wait and wait and wait until the day I die—just like I know you're doing for me.

Still, I miss Isao, too. I love you but that doesn't mean I ever stopped loving him, just not as much as I used to… once I made the journey with Mizuki to Kyoto to see her father's grave.

"I'm sorry you never got to meet her," I told him. Someday, when she's older, she'll understand what it means to go there. "I'm sorry she never got to meet you."

And she'll know sorrow. I can't protect her from that, I'll shield her from everything I can but misery is just a part of life. A large part of it…

"You are a very lucky girl," I whispered to her as I knelt down in front of Isao's grave with her in my arms, "you have two daddies that love you very much."

I wonder, would it be alright with you if I told her that? You never said you wanted to be her dad, just part of her life. I used to ponder if that was just so we could stay together but the more I think about it the more I believe it's because you loved her, too. How could you not? She's so adorable and you are a softie, regardless how you might try to deny it.

"You are blessed to be so loved, Mizuki," I tell her all the time. Both grandmas, a grandpa, even a great-grandpa, an uncle, a mother, and so many others—then all the love I reserve just for her?

"She's simply the most precious little girl in the whole wide world," her grandmother always gloats when she comes to visit or I go to see her in Kyoto. I'm glad for her; Mizuki will get to know her father through her. I tell her that often, and it makes her light heart, she replies by telling me she'll think of me as a daughter forever.

See, Inuyasha, I could never rob her from her granddaughter. It's all she has left of her son. I can't deprive my daughter of all those that love her. That's why I'm here, don't you understand?

"Where is Inuyasha?" She asked me once, shortly after I returned.

I just weakly smiled, it was enough, she understood without me saying a word. You're gone…

She might have misunderstood, she might have thought you left me, but in reality we were ripped apart but how was I to explain that to her?

I couldn't.

I miss you and so does Mizuki.

It broke my heart… one day I found her rolling around in your fire-rat robe. Stupid Souta wasn't watching her like he should have on one of his breaks from college. She got into the laundry basket he kept it in within his room. She had a silly smile on her face as she tugged on it, when I tried to pull her away to take her nap she started to bawl. I couldn't stop it until I picked up your robes to let her hold. She won't sleep without it in her crib now; it's like her safety blanket. It's sweet but… it hurts.

We want you back. We need you back.

Please, give him back.

..X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X..

Time trickled away, he tried his utmost not to think about it, not to lament too much over every time the well failed. Every single time. Eventually, he pried himself away enough to start to go on those demon hunts with Miroku again. They helped him get by, he could take out all his frustration and misery on the demons that were practically helpless compared to his power. Miroku got all the glory, all the rewards, but he didn't care, he got the release he needed and that was why his friend always took him along.

Besides, Miroku had the children; he needed the rice, clothes and whatever else they received.

Irritation clouded his better judgment the longer the well denied him and even the great falter. They miscalculated the strength of one of those many mangy demons and a hole through his gut was the consequence of that. Of course, the demon was slain but the poison that had seeped into his system wasn't something to fade away too swiftly.

Oddly enough, the pain was welcomed. Physical pain would eventually wither away, heal, but the ache he felt in his chest would never be gone, only dulled as he was ordered on bed-rest by the nagging Sango and a crackly, ancient Kaede.

"No, Inuyasha," she scolded each time he tried to get up, "you haven't been this badly hurt in a long while so just be quite and lie down."

He hated to burden the heavily pregnant women but there was no not-burdening her, she wouldn't allow it. When their fifth child came they'd leave him to his gloom, he knew that and looked forward to the child's birth because of it. For some reason, though, even when that occurred Masao and Minoru refused to leave him alone. Apparently, the fact that their parents started to pay more heed to the new baby girl bothered them so they just had to go to their uncle Inuyasha—just as their parents told them not to, since he needed to recover—and play with him.

He couldn't be cruel to the kids, Ayane and Ayano knew how the cycle went already since they had to endure it twice already so they spent more time playing with the local village children then their brothers or the hanyou 'uncle'.

It was worse since Masao was so little; he barely walked let alone talked so he had to pay an awful lot of attention to the boy. If he were to let something happen to the kid under his watch…? He shivered at the thought of what Sango would do to him. Murder would be too kind in that situation.

It hurt, each time the well refused to work, but every time he jumped up to the rim somehow Minoru and Masao would be waiting there for him.

"You're back!" Minoru would laugh as he lifted his arms high in the air; Masao would mimic his actions and let out a gleeful giggle since speaking was still out of his range of talents.

"You aren't supposed to follow me here," he'd always reply with a sigh as he leaped down next to them to gather them in his arms and lug them onto his back like they always wanted. Minoru had learned not to pull Uncle Inuyasha's ears, Masao on the other hand…? Nope.

"Stop it," he would always grumble but either he didn't understand and didn't wish to comply, because he kept doing it.

He wanted to see Kagome so badly. He wanted to see how much Mizuki had grown a terrible amount, but he'd hate to leave the children he was so found of in his time behind… or the family of five children and two doting parents, either.

What was a hanyou to do?

..x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x..

"Happy birthday!" Kagome chimed to her one year old infant as she clapped her hands together, all were gathered for the joyous event—a milestone in Mizuki's life, one that Kagome could never imagine missing. Plenty were gathered, friends and family alike to pay special interest to the attention-hungry child.

She was supposed to be happy that day, to relish in the fact that her baby was one whole year old but all she could think about was the hellish new-moon night and how Inuyasha had been there for her the entire time though he had no obligation to… and then he wasn't. Everyone but her mother mistook her hint of misery as something else.

"I know," her mother-in-law smiled as she hugged her, "they seem to grow up so fast, but don't worry, you'll be remember every moment of it."

It wasn't that… it was…

"It's too cruel," her mother mumbled as they began to clean the kitchen from the little party they held for the gleeful Mizuki who sat upon her very prized red-fire-rat robe playing with all her brand new toys.

"What is?" Kagome had inquired innocently and she looked over to her mother—what would she have done without her?

"All you've had to endure," she replied with a shake of her head, "the first time the well stopped allowing you to return to Inuyasha I thought you would never recover then Isao came along and I knew you'd be fine. But then Inuyasha returned just before the wedding and when you discovered you were with child? And then you lost Isao, had to put up with a risky-pregnancy, only to be stuck for almost a month away from Mizuki and now you and Inuyasha are apart once more? It's not fair."

It was the first time her mother had verbalized all of that, sure, she knew her mom cared and felt awfully sorry for her but to see her usually sweet mother so bothered—even angry—over her daughter's fate? She smiled as she walked around the table to give her a hug, it was understandable. If the same were to happen to Mizuki she would be just as upset.

"Thanks, mom," she smiled, "at least I have you."

"You always will, sweetheart," she replied with a kiss upon her daughter's forehead.

Almost as if her little girl knew that all of their attention had left her she found a way to her feet, ever so wobbly, "mom," Kagome gasped as she pulled away to look down at Mizuki as she took her very first steps with her arms extended towards her mother. She failed to go all the way but succeeded in winning all's awe, Souta and grandpa even rushed in when they heard them merrily cry out.

If she wasn't there… she wouldn't have been there for her baby's first steps.

..X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X..

"I want you to be happy," Minoru mumbled one night as he cuddled closer to the man whose lap he sat in, his eyes long ago closed.

"Yeah," Masao murmured in agreement with the only word he knew how to say as he mimicked his older brother's actions. It seemed out of necessity he learned how to talk, he obviously hated to be overshadowed by his brand new baby sister the most but once he learned just one word he figured out how to win his parents attention all the time, they doted over him whenever he called out 'yeah' to them.

"I am," Inuyasha muttered and it was at least partially true. The kids made him happy, the infant girl, and twins along with his friends and the sometimes visiting fox-demon that had long ago passed his examinations to become a powerful demon—well, what he considered powerful. Inuyasha could still kick the kid's ass if need be.

"Liar," Minoru grumbled, "dad says lying is bad."

"Keh," he scoffed, "it's time for you two to go home and to bed—"

"No," Minoru protested as he grasped Inuyasha's clothes, "the baby still cries all the time! I wanna stay here tonight!"

"Yeah!" Masao chimed in. Inuyasha was fairly certain that Masao didn't know what he was talking about; he just added his one word whenever his older brother seemed passionate about something.

"I don't know… your parents probably want you home."

"No, they don't!" Minoru assured and just like that Masao added another, "yeah!"

"Of course they do, just because there is a new baby doesn't mean they don't want—"

"We know that, stupid," Minoru countered only to receive a fierce glare, "it's just two less children is better, right? Ayane and Ayano know how to behave, we're bad, that's why we should stay over here where the baby doesn't cry all night."

"Let's make sure it's alright with your parents, okay? If it is then I'll allow it."

"Yay!" Minoru grinned as he leaped out of his lap to jump up and down in victor; his younger brother mimicked his actions with a light laugh.

Inuyasha just shook his head with a sigh; those two had a remarkable amount of energy for two very small humans…

..x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x..

"Aren't you being a good girl?" Kagome cooed as she looked down at her baby in the stroll as they left the grocery store, "the cashier loved you, didn't she?"

"Kagome-chan?" A faintly familiar awe chimed to catch her attention, instantly she recognized the man and a bright smile lifted her lips, "Kagome-chan, it is you!"

"Houjo-kun, it's been forever, what, since high school?" She questioned as she watched him walk up to, quickly kneeling down to look at the little giddy girl, "this is my daughter, Mizuki."

"Well, hello there Mizuki," Houjo greeted with a shake of her small hands which pleased her deeply and caused a gleeful giggle from her little mouth, "aren't you a happy baby?"

"She is, the light of my life, too," which was completely true.

"It's been so long," Houjo smiled as he stood up to look her over, "you went to Kyoto University, right? How did you like it there?"

"It was great, I really loved it," she assured, "and you went to Tokyo University, right?"

"Mm-hm, I met my wife there," he grinned like a goof as he whipped out his wallet to show her a picture of him, his wife, and a little infant, "that's my son, Aki. He's about Mizuki's age, just turned eighteen months. Maybe we should set up a play date for them? If that's not too strange, that is."

"I'd really love that," Mizuki needed some friends her age, anyway.

"Great, great, here's my business card," Houjo proclaimed as he handed them out, "call me whenever."

"Pharmaceuticals, huh? Why am I not surprised?"

"I know, right?" He chuckled before they parted ways.

For some reason seeing him made her think all the more of Inuyasha that day… not even Mizuki's cries for attention could break her from that worry.

..X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X..

The mahogany eyed woman rocked her infant daughter in her arms as she watched her sons rush up ever so eagerly to Inuyasha. She gasped lightly when she noticed Masao trip over his own feet but in plenty of time he grasped him then lopped him upon his shoulder to scold him, "be careful, you lil'runt."

"You've become so good with children," Sango praised as she walked up to the busy hanyou as her boys climbed onto his back to simultaneously yank on his ears, before he went to see Kagome he would have gotten furious even though they were just children but now he just grunted and barked for them to stop. "It's because of Mizuki, isn't it?"

"Sort of, I guess," he shrugged.

"You miss her a great deal, hm? I couldn't imagine being so apart from any of my children," she frowned as she looked from her daughter to her playful sons.

"Mizuki isn't mine," he muttered.

"But she is, isn't she? Isao was you, just your reincarnation."

"Doesn't make her blood," he mumbled as his golden gaze flickered away.

"But that doesn't matter to you," she stated rather than questioned as her eyes poured into his golden gaze.

"That's true," he admitted with a sigh, "I miss them both a lot. I love Mizuki."

With a deep frown Sango lifted her hand up to cup one of his cheeks, "you have to go through so much… I'm sorry. I really don't understand why things can't just work out in your favor for once. You know we all love you, we're all here for you no matter what."

He nodded, "thanks," then a smirk shifted up his lips, "you always get so sentimental after popping out a kid."

That sparked a stern look from her as she retracted her hand before she turned around, "children, slay Inuyasha!"

"No!" He yelped but it was too late, Masao and Minoru pulled on every bit of him that they could, screaming 'slay Inuyasha' all the way.

..x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x..

"I'm sorry," Houjo frowned as his eyes shifted from the girl next to him to the children barely a foot away playing with toys joyfully. "To lose your husband like that before Mizuki was even born… I couldn't imagine. That's truly terrible, Kagome-chan, I'm so sorry."

"It's alright," she smiled weakly with a sigh, "things happen. It's hard but I have my mother and grandpa and Souta when he's back from college so I manage."

"You are very strong, you always have been even when you were so sickly in middle school, remember that?"

"Yes," she laughed lightly. "I remember that."

"If you don't mind me asking, whatever happened to that boy you were with back then? And why so secretively?"

"Inuyasha…?" She murmured as an ache pulsed through her, "well… I suppose it was because we were teens," she shrugged.

"I understand, things that we did back then don't make sense anymore, huh?" He chuckled. "This weekend, Saturday night, my wife and I are having a dinner party, would you like to come? I think you and Momoko would get along very well."

"Yes, I'd like that a lot," she replied—she needed friends her age, too.

"Look how well Aki and Mizuki-chan get along," Houjo praised as he clapped to gain the children's attention, "maybe someday they'll get married?"

"If Aki-kun becomes as sweet and successful as his father then that'd be a dream marriage, I wouldn't have to worry about her at all," Kagome assured.

"That's kind of you," Houjo grinned, "if Mizuki-chan becomes half as pretty and intelligent as his mother Aki would be the luckiest boy in the world."

"That's sweet of you," she smiled as she stood up, "it's getting late, though, I better get Mizuki home."

"Call me this Saturday and I'll give you directions to our home," Houjo requested as he followed her lead of picking up their children and their toys before they parted ways.

"Did you have fun with Aki?" Kagome inquired, "he's a nice boy, isn't he? And your age, don't you want to become good friends?"

Of course, she didn't reply, but giddily grasped her mommy's hair and tugged.

"Kagome!" Her brother called out as soon as she walked up the stairs to their home, "hey!"

"Souta, you're home," she smiled, "summer break?"

"Graduated," he pouted, "don't you remember? This was my last year."

"Oh, right," she smiled weakly, "sorry, I just don't think Mizuki should be going on such a long flight yet… I feel really bad about that, mom videotaped the whole thing, right?"

"Yes, yes, don't worry about it, I get it," he assured as he took Mizuki away to hold her in the air, "hey, Mizuki! Uncle's back! With really good news, too!"

"Oh, what's that?" She inquired.

"I got a really kickass job, big money because I got my BA from a college in the States and speak English and Japanese fluently. I'll be able to move out of here real soon and get an apartment closer to the center of Tokyo, which means I'll be leaving an empty room for Inuyasha when he comes back," he winked.

She smiled faintly for him, she knew he meant well… and he had to be right, Inuyasha had to be coming back.

He just had to…

..X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X..

"I want to be a great slayer like my mommy was and how my uncle is! Uncle Kohaku is so amazing!" Minoru declared as he plopped down next to me as I sat lamenting with my back to the hell well that refused to work for me again, his little brother wasn't far behind but he didn't want to sit by me, he crawled into my lap.

"Yep, he is," I agreed.

"Will you help me become strong? You are really good, daddy says, so will you help? Please, uncle Inu?" Minoru pouted as he tugged on his sleeve.

Simply to appease him I nodded, "sure, when you're older."

"Me?" Masao chimed as he looked up at me with his violet eyes.

"Sure, you too, just when you are way older."

"This is really the thing that caused all the trouble but made mommy and daddy meet?" Minoru inquired after he somehow got his hand on the shikon no tama that I still carried with me. "With the big bad demon that you all hunted that are in my parent's stories?"

"Yeah, a lot of pain," I muttered as I glanced over the damned thing.

"Does it really grant wishes?"

"Sometimes," I grumbled as I glanced away. I would wish for the well to work, for me to be with Kagome, I've thought about it so much but it would be a selfish wish, right? And then everything would probably just end up worse than it is because the damn jewel never makes anything better and I can't risk that… I don't know why I even keep it with me; I guess I just don't want any demon to get its hand on it. I don't want it. It can't give me what I want… I want you back, Kagome. And Mizuki, too.

"I wish the well would always work so uncle Inu could be happy with that lady like mommy and daddy are happy," Minoru sighed longingly as his mahogany eyes ventured over the jewel that suddenly gleamed so bright—a pink aura exploded out of it.

I quickly gathered both the kids in my arms and leaped away from it just to be certain nothing happened to us as the glow engulfed the well then faded away. For a moment we just stunned there with a cocked brow and confused gaze, each of us looked to the other before I set them down.

"I'm sorry!" Minoru assured as he grabbed my leg, "I didn't mean for it to go away!"

"It's alright," I wearily replied, "how about we go home?"

I had to take them back to their parents before I went to check and see if the well worked—was that a 'pure' wish? Since Minoru wouldn't get anything out of it…? I love that kid. So I gathered them up in my arms again and rushed them to their hut.

"Hey, Inuyasha," Miroku greeted as I nudged them into their hut, "something wrong?"

"Nah," I shrugged, "I'm just going to see if the well works and I didn't want them to be out there by themselves."

"Ah, so thoughtful," Miroku smiled as he rocked his infant back and forth, "Sango's taking a nap, I hope they don't wake her… Oh, and good luck. I hope it works."

I do, too, so I nodded before I leaped out of the village and sped towards the well. My hopes were too high; I couldn't take it if they crashed down. I didn't waste time lingering around it, I just jumped down and shut my eyes… my feet didn't touch the ground until I felt that odd sensation around me.

I swallowed before I pried open one eye to see I was there, finally! It worked! "Yes," I grinned as I leaped out and away from it swiftly so it wouldn't suck me down once more.

I could feel my heart race as I yanked open the door to rush towards the house but before I got to the door I saw in a window and the beating stopped. My golden gaze shifted about the giddy scene, Kagome was laughing with a man that looked vaguely familiar by her… who was that? It's been over a year… did she move on? No. Right? She wouldn't… I just shook my head as I stepped away.

It was probably for the best that I didn't go in while a stranger was there anyway… so with a sigh I went back to the hut to sit by the well.

Kagome, you wouldn't… would you? You aren't supposed to love anyone but me.

..x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x..

The door to the hut slid open after some time. His eyes shifted up to see Kagome looking down at Mizuki—how big she had gotten!—her hands interlocked with Mizuki's little ones as they walked down the stairs. Together. Mizuki could walk, it caused Inuyasha breath to hitch in his throat just as Kagome's did when he hazels shifted up to see him sitting there.

Mizuki glanced between her mother and the dog-eared man a few times before she reached out one of her hands to Inuyasha and muttered almost incoherently, "doggie."

Just like that, both their eyes shifted down to awe at Mizuki, Kagome even dropped to her knees to place her hands upon her shoulder, "Mizuki… sweetie, did you just say… something?"

Her very first word! But… it was doggie? Why not mommy? Sure, she had noticed Mizuki's obsession with dog-dolls, color and sticker books along with children stories that had something to do with puppies but all kids loved them… still… doggie?

"Doggie," she repeated as she pointed to Inuyasha as her brown orbs shifted to her mother.

She opened her mouth in awe before she let go enough to nudge Mizuki forward, wearily she took the final steps that separated her and the then kneeling Inuyasha. Even more cautiously she lifted her arms up to hug him; he stiffened for a moment before he grasped the little girl in his arms as tightly as he thought he could.

"Welcome home, Inuyasha," Kagome greeted with a sweet smile as she leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek, "we've been waiting for you."

Yes, yes, of course they did.

"I love you," he replied as he lifted Mizuki into his arms and stood up just as Kagome did, "both of you."

"We love you, too," she assured as she lifted her hand to cup his cheek, "I knew you'd come back."

"I knew you'd wait," he grinned before a yank caught his attention, he shut his eyes and pressed his lips to keep from complaining about the constant tugging Mizuki did to his ears and instead of helping her Kagome just covered her mouth and tried to hide her giggling.

But… that was alright, because it warmed his heart to see Kagome in front of him. It was like a marvelous mirage but one that he could reach out and touch, that wouldn't disappear.

He was home.

A/N: You gotta be cruel to be kind, right? Anyway, it didn't take me more then a month to update this time! Yay. There will be one more chapter, more like a prologue, so I hope you've enjoyed the long ride. And please continue to review :)