Disclaimer I don't own Inuyasha all characters from the show belong to Rumiko

Rated: T for cursing

A/N: Not entirely sure if there will be a pairing just yet. So this chapter I wrote after my sister commenting about how I always seemed to time skip after the whole initial she-bang on the story and just leave a paragraph on who died and how many kids they had, so I'll put in snippets her and there of before the time jump. Just make sure to pay attention to the dates when you are reading some of the chapters so as to not be too confused.

'Italics' - thoughts

"Speaking"

A Demon's Life

Chapter 7: Growth and Family

Edo - 1502

Standing against the wooden beam of Sango's home, one of her tails flicked back and forth in a fast pace show how excited she was.

Sango chuckled, "Alright its done, you're free to move," the thirty-five year old woman said finishing the notch on beam. Standing back to appreciate her work, a hand going to the middle of her back and the other under her bulging stomach. Kagome was sure when Sango promised Miroku ten to twenty kids she never imagined that she would actually be doing it, but now ten children in and one on the way she was thinking that Miroku was going to hold her to that promise for sure.

Kagome smiled moving away to turn and look at the mark on the post only to pout when she saw where the mark was from the last time they had done it.

"Hey five inches in two years is impressive for a demon," Sango said placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Horizontal slashes went up and down the beam with names and ages scrawled next to them. This was a chart of Miroku and Sango's children height as well as hers. Gyokuto, Sango's second daughter who had turned thirteen this year along with her identical sister, had proclaimed since Kagome was growing taller each time they saw her their mom should keep track like she did with them and their younger siblings a few years back. The first time she left she was gone for almost two years and stayed a month before she had to return to the academy. Each time she left the stretches of time seemed to grow longer and longer. and it seemed to almost happen in the blink of an eye to her.

She watched Sango bend down to pick up her youngest son who was now two years old before he could stick a centipede in his mouth. She'd helped alongside Rin with Roku's birth since Kaede passed away almost a two and half months prior to his birth. It was the longest time she'd been away from the academy, the death of the elder miko affecting them greatly. It devastated her in a honesty, as she had meant a great deal to Kagome like a second mother to her. She'd returned when she received correspondence from Myoga sent by Inuyasha that Kaede health was failing and that she might not live past winter. The miko, whom Kaede had just begun training when she left, had taken over all of the duties as the village priestess as there hadn't been much she could do with her reiki almost non-existent and arthritis keeping her from moving much in the colder weather. It was at that time it really set in for her that her humans friends would pass away long before she did.

Kagome doubted Sango had really noticed it, but with her demonic eyesight she could see every miniscule detail about her best friend and closest thing to a sister. Her hair had begun to grey at the roots thankfully Sango wasn't likely to notice for another year of so as it was at the back of her hair. She already had two smiling wrinkles around her mouth and she was sure in ten years the crows feet would come in full seeing the beginnings on them forming by her eyes.

"I know, Shifu Xanxi, said most vixens take nearly fifty years to grow as fast as I have. He's not sure whether that is due to my impressive power or due to the fact that this was a kami's vessel at one point and likely my will to be as tall as I once was causing my growth spurts. Although I've been this height for nearly a year and shifu said based off of his divination I may not get another for another ten years or so thus I should be grateful for this last one."

"Yes, when I last saw Shippo he'd only gained a foot and its been sixteen years since we first met him. Whereas you're only a few inches shy of your old height. Haha when you think about it you will probably be taller than you were originally since from what I remember vixens tend to be quite tall. Remember that snow vixen Miroku faced seven years ago."

Kagome nodded remembering quite well what she was referring to.

Seven years ago during the winter, when they were spending half the year in the taija village to celebrate the completion of the restoration of the village Hisui, four at the time, had gotten lost playing in the forest just as a freak snowstorm blew in. Naturally with Sango watching their kids Miroku braved the weather to go looking for his eldest son who had been kidnapped by snow vixen heartbroken over the loss of her own kit who passed the winter before. She'd just touched down in the village when Sango ran out believing Miroku had returned. Seeing it was her she explained how it had been several hours since Miroku departed into the forest to find their son and the storm was raging. She offered to go find him since her sense of smell was much better since becoming a demon. It didn't take her nearly as long to find Miroku who was facing off against the snow vixen to reclaim his son.

When the fellow vixen noticed her, she pleaded with her to help protect her kit. It took but a few minutes and a slapping to snap the vixen out of grief to realize Hisui wasn't her kit but a human toddler who was freezing in this weather and wouldn't survive much longer if she didn't control herself and give him back to his parent. Realizing how far she had gone in her grief that she'd almost harmed an innocent child, she'd returned Hisui to Miroku and apologized sincerely reeling back in her youki to calm the weather.

"You're right I almost forgot about Yukita. Most of my fellow classmates and teachers at my academy are reynards and usually shorter than vixens by a few inches."

Squealing interrupted their conversation, as both retired taija and miko-demoness turned to see what all the noise was about this time.

Kin'u came running over, nearly keeling over as she huffed out of breath. Behind her Kagome saw the rest of Sango's brood running from one of Kirara's kits who had learned to transform the last time she was here two winters ago. Hisui was running on gangly legs; now eleven years old, Mayumi; Sango's third daughter and nine years old this coming winter, ran much more gracefully and was passing her older brother while Nanami and Renge, Sango's fourth daughter and second son who were fraternal twins turned eight years old a month ago had diverged to run towards the rice paddy fields where the other villages children were playing; the triplets Kenta, Jinenji, and Sayu were five years old and were laughing hysterically ducking and dodging under the inner perimeter fences.

The last time she had seen the triplets was two years ago and they had been itty bitty troublemakers back then. 'Not like that has really changed though, now their more mobile and can move faster.' She having passed her first test evaluations brought custom spin tops and other prankster toys for the kids since Shippo, having failed his last one goofing off, had to stay behind at the fox academy that time.

"Kin'u what did you and your siblings do to Nekata now," Sango asked settling Roku on her hip as he squirmed to be let down.

Kin'u immediately pointed towards her younger brother who just arrived next to his sister. "Hisui antagonized the triplets telling them that plucking a hair from a neko's tail can bring good fortune and food their way. And you know how greedy the triplets are at the mention of food. And Nekata didn't like being woken from her nap to her tail hairs being pulled out and and―"

"Enough," Sango's mothering tone shushing her eldest daughter, "So you heard Hisui tell them that and just watched them do it?"

Kin'u flushed, "Well..I ―I just," she mumbled something so quietly that even Kagome barely caught it.

"What was that!" Sango raised her voice and Kin'u ducked her head before saying it again for her mother to hear.

"I thought it was funny so I didn't do anything to stop them. I am sorry mama."

Sango sighed, "Oh that I seriously doubt, dish duty tonight and tomorrow. And when they go hunting tomorrow you can watch the triplets instead, understood."

Kin'u paled at hearing she was stuck on babysitting duty, but nodded dutifully to her mother. "Yes, mama."

"Good, everyone get inside and get cleaned up and begin setting the table for dinner," she called to the rest of her brood who'd all frozen in their tracks at their mother raising her voice. She was the stern parent, while Miroku was the one who usually coddled them so they knew not to fuss and went inside to do as their mother had bid them to.

"Yes, mama," coursed through the group of siblings, heads hung as they all ambled into the main house to get cleaned up. While Nekata had shifted back into her base form and came to rub herself against Sango's leg in apology for riling up the children.

"It's okay Nekata and I apologize about the triplets taking your tail hairs. I will have an extra fish placed out for you tonight."

Nekata purred while her tail swishing happily at the news of extra fish tonight and felt the few hairs she lost from her tail at the hands of the pesky kids worth it to eat Sango's heavenly made fish. She pranced inside happily to await her meal.

Sango rubbed her temple with her free hand, "Sometimes I wish I took your advice Kagome and used those herbs for preventing pregancies," she said.

Kagome snickered, "No way, you love each and everyone of those rascals. If anything its Miroku's fault for spoiling them so much."

Sango huffs, "Damn right, stuffs them full of sugar and leaves them for me to take care while he goes and helps the surrounding villages with Inuyasha."

She chuckles, "Aww but you love how sweet he is with them when he comes."

The taija smiled, happiness shining from her whole face. "You're quite right, but I think after this little one comes we will definitely be taking a break. A woman can only have swollen ankles and raging hormones so many times before she ends up strangling her spouse."

Both laughed knowing Sango would never hurt Miroku, but having this many kids back to back would tire any woman out. They headed inside to make sure the kids were doing what they were supposed to be doing.

When Miroku came home half an hour later, he swung his wife into his arms with a kiss and she slapped his should to be put down. Shippo came soon after with the younger twins who'd ran off to play with the other villagers children. Kohaku, Kirara, Rin, who was pregnant with her second kid, and their first child Maru now three brought more food for the table and news about new demons slayers being added to the taija village with training going well.

Kagome was glad they had taken her suggestion about adding to their dining area to fit everyone inside. Unlike the huts of the rest of the village there home was more reminiscent of a sturdy six bedroom cabin. Inuyasha came in just before they began serving the meal grumbling about how the villagers always had something needing to be fixed. Of course, everyone knew he really loved helping them out.

Much had changed from when he was first released from his seal on the tree of ages. There were no snide remarks or hateful pointed stares. Rather everyone respected and loved him for his protection of the village from various rogue demons and the help he provided by creating walls out of wood from his namesake forest that helped keep out pesky wildlife and detered petty bandits.

Kagome looked around the low sitting table that was full of children yelling and laughing with Shippo showing off tricks to them, Miroku whispering sweet nothings into Sango's ear, Inuyasha letting Kin'u and Gyukuto braid his hair, while Rin tried to get Maru to eat his vegetables and Kohaku laughing when his son would promptly spit it out when she turned to grab more to feed him. Kirara was even settled off to the side grooming Nekata after their hearty meal, doting on her kit. Her heart felt full at how big her extended family had grown and that they had found relative peace and happiness. They went through a lot with their journey to before and after the destruction of Naraku, but they persevered and overcame those obstacles together.

Even should they part for a few years, the love and acceptance would remain.

They were her feudal family.

~oOo~

"You'll be back before I get married right?"

"Will you bring back cool toys from Ming?"

"Ooh I want a spinning top, but bigger like the one Ship used on Inuyasha last night!"

"I want one of those hanfu dresses, the Ming merchants sell."

"Can't you stay longer?"

It had been a fun two months in Edo, but Kagome and Shippo needed to return to their schooling. Shippo had been working hard towards his second tail and was close to achieving that goal and with any luck might acquire it twenty years early than he'd expected. She hoped to hit her seventh tail in at least the next fifteen years or so. She would never tell Sango and Miroku just how much it hurt to hit her sixth tail. Apparently when the training she did with Inari-kami was just to help with releasing the power she had under her belt, so the five tails was easily achieved. But going past that had taken time, honing her body and cultivating her youki to coalesce it into a physical form and not allow the youki to rebound and eat through her. It required training, finesse, as well as resonance with her inner beast.

And despite being a vixen her beast was a straight a bitch her opinion, but she wouldn't say that out loud.

She'd already voiced that opinion once before with her shifu and he had guffawed and told her that her beast was a base form, and the most bestial part of her. So to call her beast a bitch was to call herself bitchy. She of course had flushed beet red, stammering that she wasn't which only made her shifu laughed harder at her expense.

Sango came waddling forward, pulling her in for a final hug her head barely at her sister's chest

"I will miss you sister, take care to send more letters, and know we are here and that you always have a home with us."

"Haha, I will and you tell Miroku to reel it in. I swear I feel like he plans to fill the half village with his descendants," both laughing while Miroku came up to hug her as well.

"I can't help it, I see my wife's lovely behind and suddenly she's telling me we are expecting another child. And she's so fiery during her pregnancy I can't help, but want her this way every day," he said smoothly, while Sango knocked him upside the head blushing.

"Yes, well I have no plans to be pregnant every day for the rest of my life. We will definitely be taking a good break after this one, now come massage my feet for me honey," she said.

Miroku only smiled, "Yes my dearest. Take care Lady Kagome and Shippo," while they corraled their children back home.

Inuyasha walked them towards the edge of the village that led to the main dirt road.

"Feh, take care woman. And if you need me to kick anyone's ass just get the brat to come get me," he said not looking at her with his arms tucked in his sleeves.

She giggled at his words.

'Still the same as always.'

"Dont worry Yasha, the school is safe and protected and even when we are on the mainland we use charms to disguise ourselves. But if I need help you know I'll call upon you just like if you need me I'll come flying this way," and knowing he wouldn't initiate it she pounced and hugged him.

He resisted for a moment before hugging her back, holding her harder than she had. He took in her calming scent and prayed a silent prayers to the kamis to keep her safe or he would come for them. He released her after a minute and looked pointedly at the fox kit.

"Keep your mom safe brat and come get me if there's trouble."

Shippo's chest puffed up, "Of course, I'll always have mama's back and if I can't I come get you to kick their butts."

He smiled and ruffled his auburn head, "good."

Thank you for reading, please review and tell me what you think!

Shifu - chinese for teacher or higher, blessed being

Reynards - male foxes

Vixen - female fox

Hanfu - ancient Chinese dress, with which Japanese and Korean Hanboks were said to be based off of