Hauntober:

Forest

Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi

Story and OCs © Me

"Are we there yet, Dad? Are we there yet?"

"No, Yamako."

"How about now?"

"No, bud."

"Now?"

"Yama, if you don't shut your trap, I'll shut it for you! Sheesh!"

"Ichiro!"

"What?! It's true!"

Inuyasha sighed as he walked through the seemingly endless forest with Sanka riding on top of his shoulders while Kagome carried the twins in her arms. Ichiro walked alongside his father with Riki on a leash, the dog sniffing around the leaf-covered ground and stopping to mark any trees. Yamako walked along a bit further than his family with a stick in his hand, just for the fun of it.

"Where are we even going?" asked Ichiro as he walked along, being careful not to let go of Riki's leash. "All I see are trees, leaves, and...dirt."

"This forest is very important to us," said Kagome. "More than you know."

"Really?" asked Sanka as she fisted some of her father's silvery hair. "Why's it so important?"

"Because something very special happened here," Inuyasha answered as the leaves crunched beneath his boots, "just like it'll happen, again."

"What do you mean, again?" asked Yamako as he stopped to look at his father, who chuckled as he ruffled his hair, gently. As the family rounded the corner, that's when they saw it: a huge tree, practically towering over all the others, its branches long and thick and holding many colorful leaves, which gently fell down from the boughs. Inuyasha and Kagome both smiled warmly as they neared it, then sat down on one of its huge roots, prompting their children to sit with them.

"Whoa, this tree is so big!" said Yamako.

"It is, isn't it?" asked Kagome.

"Hey, what's this?" Sanka asked as she noticed something carved into the bark: a heart with the initials I and K in it. "I...and...K..."

"Inuyasha and Kagome," Inuyasha replied, causing Sanka to gasp quietly.

"This is the tree where your father proposed to me," said Kagome. "I remember it so well."

"It was a spring night," Inuyasha mused. "This tree was blooming with blossoms and the petals were falling down on the wind...the full moon was shining down on us."

"Oh, boy, here we go, again..." Ichiro muttered.

"...Did...did we tell you this story, already?" Inuyasha asked.

"Like a million times," Ichiro said with a wry smirk.

"But it gets better every time, Dad!" Yamako added with a giggle.

"But...didn't you say that something special was gonna happen here, again?" asked Sanka. "What is it?"

Inuyasha and Kagome glanced at each other before they gave knowing smiles.

"Well, kids," Inuyasha began, "your mother and I have something very important to tell you."

Yamako and Sanka both leaned in close to their father with their ears perked up while Kagome held Izayoi and Usagi in her arms, the twins blinking at their father curiously. Ichiro just sat where he was, stroking Riki with his hand as the dog sat by his side.

"Well, there's just no other way to say this," Kagome said. "Let's just say...our little family is about to get a little bit bigger."

At first, the words didn't seem to connect right away...at least, not with Yamako and Sanka, and the twins only seemed even more confused, tilting their heads in puzzlement...but Ichiro? Well, the moment he heard that sentence, all color left his face and he suddenly had a look of dread.

"Don't tell me," he muttered.

"Yep!" Inuyasha grinned.

"We're having another baby!" Kagome exclaimed in excitement, and instantly, Sanka gasped in delight while Yamako's jaw dropped in disbelief.

"Really?!" Sanka asked. "Really, Mommy?!"

"Yep!" Kagome answered. "I've been pregnant for almost a month, now!"

"Are you sure you're pregnant?" Yamako asked. "Because I JUST got used to the twins!"

Izayoi and Usagi still didn't quite understand, for they just looked at each other, bewildered, while Ichiro groaned as he slapped a hand over his face.

"I should've known," he said. "Mom's scent was a little different, but I didn't think anything of it, at first!"

"We wanted to tell you guys for a while," Inuyasha said, "but we just couldn't think of how." He cast his gaze to Kagome, who smiled at him. "It was your mother's idea."

"And to think, the twins are gonna be 2, soon!" Ichiro added.

"Hard to believe, huh?" asked Kagome as she kissed both the toddlers on their cheeks, causing him to giggle.

"I can't believe I'm gonna be a big sister, again!" Sanka exclaimed as she bounced up and down excitedly.

"It just better a boy this time, all right?" asked Ichiro. "Please! That's ALL I ask!"

"No promises there, pal," Inuyasha quipped, causing his oldest son to sigh...and yet, he smiled, nonetheless.

Y'all asked for it, and y'all got it! XD

Review, please!