Kagome stood in awe of the house for a long time before she was able to move the rest of the way through the front door. Styled after a small traditional Japanese house, outwardly it showed no signs of the beauty it held inside. The genkan was spacious enough to hold the traditional storage for outdoor shoes and indoor slippers, as well as an antique umbrella urn and a small table with a beautiful flower arrangement. It opened into a slightly less traditional living room, low comfortable-looking furniture, a wall-mounted television and a rounded table in front of the couch. To the right, behind delicate-looking shoji, was the dining room, another oblong low-sitting table with beautiful floor cushions. She couldn't look directly into the kitchen from her vantage point, but she had a feeling it would be more than she had ever lived with in the past.
"Kagome, you should see this." She followed the sound of Inuyasha's voice down the hallway to the left where he was standing in the open doorway of one of the three bedrooms. She peeked in and blinked. The room held an old, but well maintained, crib. Sturdy and handmade, the dark wood shone as though it had just been polished. "My father made it for me," he whispered. She could sense his disquiet. He was trying not to remember his past hurt while feeling awed that his brother had obviously kept the memento at the same time. He pointed out to her where his father had carved Inuyasha's name in the wood with his claws and then painted it with lacquer to preserve it. He showed her where he had scratched the wood with his tiny claws, trying to get out on his own as a toddler.
There was also a changing table, much newer, and a comfortable rocking chair. Kagome opened the closet and found supplies already stocked. Cloth diapers, bottles, several slings, blankets and even a few stuffed animals. No clothes yet, but she had a feeling that someone was simply waiting to know if the baby would be a boy or a girl and then that would all magically appear as well. "We can't take all this, Inuyasha. This is really expensive stuff. These are some of the best products on the market."
Inuyasha snorted. "Only the best for Sesshomaru's niece or nephew." Kagome gaped. She hadn't really thought about it that way, but she realized she really should have. Even though Inuyasha and his half brother were not very close, this child was family. Family that the taiyoukai seemed more inclined to accept and connect with than he originally had been with his younger sibling. "He's grown up," Inuyasha murmured, coming up behind her and gently pressing his hands to the swell of her stomach. "We all have to do it someday."
"Even you?" she teased, a smile on her lips.
"Keh." She chuckled softly at his dismissal and stared into the closet for another moment. "Let's go see the rest." She nodded, taking one last look and carefully touching the soft little newborn cloth diapers before following him into the room across the hall. It was a nice bedroom with a platform futon, an antique chest as a side table and an en suite bathroom. Neither were particularly large, but they had been living in an apartment the size of the living room of this house, so they couldn't complain. "Holy shit!" Kagome lightly scolded him for his language but nearly exclaimed the same when she followed him into the last bedroom.
There was no doubt that this was the main bedroom. The platform futon was the biggest either one had ever seen. Swathed in deep blues and greens, the entire room conveyed the feeling of floating underwater. There was a desk in one corner, a space set up for meditation or yoga in another and a door leading out to the porch that wrapped around the house in another. The door to the bathroom opened onto one of the most opulent bathrooms Kagome could have imagined. Deep soaker tub, a separate, more traditional, shower and a double vanity. The tiling was elegant but not overdone, all of it clearly designed for a balance of comfort and practicality. The shower stool was taller than usual, obviously with their heights and Kagome's growing belly in mind. There were wooden stairs beside the tub, also to help Kagome in and out once she was bigger.
"I hope you guys like it," came a voice from behind them, startling them both around. Inuyasha took in the woman's scent, nose twitching. She didn't smell familiar but he did notice his brother's scent mingled with hers. Not any taller than Kagome, the human woman leaned against the doorframe, her short black hair cut in a stylish bob. She was smiling at them with a knowing look. She was about to speak again when a thunder of footsteps cut her off. She rolled her eyes as two young boys nearly tumbled through the door after her.
They were both hanyou. Kagome fought to keep her jaw from dropping open even as Inuyasha's did exactly that. The boys were clearly twins, but not identical. One had black hair and black ears twitching on top of his head and the other was silver-haired with little silver ears. They both had eyes the color of the sun, little fangs and claws as well. The lighter twin looked just like she had always imagined Inuyasha had. They couldn't have been any older than six.
"You're... you're mated to Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha blurted, still staring openly at the boys.
"Rin," she replied, her smile warm. "These two pests," she said with a slight growl in their direction, "are Eiji and Genji." She touched first the light and then the dark head of the pair who were now standing quietly in awe of, apparently, their uncle.
"You're Inuyasha-oji?" Eiji was the first to speak.
Inuyasha made a face and then cleared his throat. "I guess so."
"That's so cool!" Genji piped up. "You have ears just like us!" The older hanyou's ears twitched as if in reaction to having attention drawn to them. "Chichi-ue never said anything about that. Haha-ue, why didn't you tell us Inuyasha-oji was just like us?"
"It didn't exactly come up in conversation," Rin said out of the side of her mouth. "You never asked," she said a little louder.
Eiji stuck his little fists on his hips and gave Inuyasha a very disbelieving look. "Did you know chichi-ue and haha-ue never let us come see you? Can you believe that?" Kagome fought the urge to laugh at their dramatics. For how stiff and stoic Sesshomaru was, she never would have dreamed his sons would be so animated. She and Rin shared a look that told her Rin often thought the same thing. Kagome grinned at having an ally in the slightly older woman.
"You must have your hands full," she said instead. Rin gave a long suffering sigh.
"Eiji, Genji." Sesshomaru's voice cut through the hall and both boys stood up as straight as their little spines would let them. "They will be going to finish their lessons," he said. Kagome saw the identical looks of "aw, man" cross their features, but they didn't argue, turning on their heels and heading out of the house. Genji managed a little wave at them before he was out the door. "They were not supposed to intrude here."
"They were curious. You know how they are," Rin replied, smoothing a hand over the lapels of his dress shirt.
"They weren't intruding." Kagome smiled at how stiffly he held himself even while his mate snuggled up to his side. "How old are they?"
"They'll be six next week. I don't know how they haven't run me completely ragged yet," Rin said with a laugh. Sesshomaru gave no reaction.
He and Inuyasha seemed to be having a staring contest. "So... hanyou pups, huh?" Sesshomaru lifted an eyebrow as if in challenge. "They're cute," Inuyasha said with a smirk. "They don't look anything like you." Kagome elbowed him in the ribs while Rin snickered softly.
"What is it you wished to speak with this Sesshomaru about?" Inuyasha glowered at his brother for continuing with the regal manner, but sighed and flopped into the leather chair in front of his desk.
"You have pups here, your mate. How are we not putting them in danger by moving onto the property?"
"Much has changed while you were sleeping, otouto. I have taken precautions in order to keep my family safe." He shifted the papers on his desk somewhat restlessly. "Rin's family was one of the many who lost their lives to this... underground war some youkai have decided to wage on humans. Her family protected her because she has latent power, the reason she was targeted in the first place."
"So she's a miko too? Why aren't they up your ass like they are ours?" he cried.
"Not like your mate, no. She can only defend herself under extreme duress, a situation she has only faced once." By his tone, it was easy to guess what that one time had been. "The prophecy indicates a hanyou, not youkai, and a reiki-bearer of great power. My mate and I only partially meet the criteria. The boys are a straight mix of human and youkai, like yourself. No reiki at all."
"Do… do you believe in this prophecy thing?" Inuyasha asked after a moment. It seemed unlike his brother to believe in fairy tales, things that weren't based in fact.
The crescent moon on his brother's forehead wrinkled faintly as he thought about his answer. "What I believe is irrelevant. However, the fact that your pup was conceived at all, and now has survived the first few months of gestation, implies that there is in fact something about you and your mate that is different."
"It doesn't sound like anyone else has tried before us."
"No one else has been able to make the attempt. As I said, the fact that her reiki, even when active, does nothing to you is unprecedented. Any historical accounts of a youkai and reiki-bearer broaching physical relations ended in disappointment at best, tragedy at worst. For some, the reiki was lost or it destroyed its user. Youkai were burned or killed."
Inuyasha ran his fingers through his hair in a frustrated gesture. "I don't know how to protect them from a myth no one seems to understand. How do I fight against other people's fear?"
Sesshomaru contemplated his brother for a moment in silence. "I do not yet have an answer to that. I do have something which may help." Abruptly, he stood, turning to the bookcase behind him and pulling an old tome from the shelf. His long fingers reached into the space left just as a soft burst of air drew Inuyasha's attention to the wall beside him. "Come." He hesitated for a moment. "Your mate is safe. This will only further help you to protect her." Determination filled him and he followed his brother into the short hall he had revealed. At the end was a vault which responded to Sesshomaru's youki and opened with a hiss. Inuyasha sucked in a short breath at what it held.
"Tet-Tetsusaiga?" He approached his sword slowly, not quite believing it was really there. "You held onto it all this time?"
"Tch. This Sesshomaru would not discard such a powerful weapon, no matter that it does not allow this one to touch it."
"Then how did you even… Rin. Rin was able to touch it." His brother inclined his head slightly. Inuyasha approached the sword reverently, gently touching the hilt and the dark wood of the sheath before gripping it more firmly. For a moment he worried that it would not respond to him after the years apart. His fears settled when it practically hummed to life in his hand, his youki raising a slight wind within the vault for a breath as the fang recognized and greeted its master. "Hello old friend," he murmured, closing his eyes to relish the feeling of calm, of confidence, that filled him with the sword in his hand.
"It has been at rest here with Tenseiga for some time. I felt it only right for the twin fangs to reside together. It seems to have done them both good." Inuyasha nodded. He could feel how Tetsusaiga nearly burbled with energy, almost exuberant in its desire to show him what he might now be capable of with it in hand. He could similarly feel power emanating from his brother's inheritance, the two swords feeding off of each other and making his ears tingle.
"Let the bastards come then," Inuyasha rumbled with a fanged grin. "I'm ready."
Inuyasha began his training immediately, relearning the weight and balance of his sword. He and Sesshomaru sparred for hours when they had the chance. Rin had banished them to the far rear of the property to keep them from damaging any of the buildings in their zeal. Or entrancing impressionable young hanyou boys. While Sesshomaru was lightning speed and grace, Inuyasha was agility and strength. Kagome sat to watch them from the porch of their little house sometimes, a pair of binoculars aiding her sight at the distance. Inuyasha wouldn't let her anywhere near where they practiced for fear she could get caught in the middle by accident. "Keh. Can't really focus with you there either," he admitted one night, when she'd asked to observe more closely.
"Huh? Why not?" He smiled a little at her perplexed look. The inuhanyou then explained how attuned to her he was, his senses on alert for her all the time, especially while she was breeding. "Wouldn't that be good practice then? The point of you training is to protect us, right?" she questioned him with a quirk of her brow. Her hands resting on her small but now distinctly rounded belly made him smile wistfully. He then frowned in thought. She was right. He needed to get used to balancing his awareness of her, his instinct to protect her at all costs and the instincts he needed to keep his head on his shoulders. Sesshomaru was no slouch and he was only barely holding back, giving him less slack each day.
"Tomorrow, you can watch from the treeline." Kagome's bright grin made him shake his head with a wry smile of his own. "But the second you think there's a risk to you and the pup, you put up a barrier and you run. Understood?" His mate nodded in agreement.
The next evening, Kagome stood at the treeline as her mate and brother-in-law circled each other. They were just warming up, testing each other's defenses with their youki. Within a breath, they seemed to disappear. Kagome watched for the flares of youkai, the way they clashed against one another as their swords met. When they were visible to the eye, she marveled at the acrobatics Inuyasha was capable of and the incredible speed that kept Sesshomaru just out of reach. The elder inuyoukai had the advantage for range with his whip while Inuyasha had his iron claws to extend his reach.
The Tetsusaiga was an amazing sword. She saw how it transformed from a rusty old katana into a great fang. The youki it emitted in concert with Inuyasha's was a little breathtaking to see. She had never seen Inuyasha fight before now, not like this. Their sparring in the rec room was child's play in comparison to this. Seeing him knock Sesshomaru back time and again, she knew that he could easily have batted her around like a rag doll if he'd been so inclined. They had skimmed close by a few times, but Inuyasha always managed to redirect the fight away from her. Noticing this, Sesshomaru decided to push the envelope a little and intentionally push toward her as if intending to attack her instead. Kagome fought the instinct to throw up a barrier too soon, knowing it could seriously injure her brother-in-law and neutralize her mate's youki, making him vulnerable.
"Fucking hell, you bastard! Stay away from her!" Inuyasha's voice had gained an edge she didn't recognize, a deeper timber than his usual tone.
"Ah, but any enemy you fight is going to be after your mate as well, Inuyasha. You must be prepared to defend her and yourself," the taiyoukai barked as he snapped his whip toward his brother's head while fending off his sword in the other hand. Inuyasha hissed in pain, but the damage was minimal as he'd ducked just enough to keep his ears attached. His eyes became hard, a copper tinge altering their golden glow. "Do not let your youkai rage, brother. It will serve no purpose. You would put your mate and pup at risk."
Kagome blinked as she noted how Inuyasha's youki felt heavier, denser, than usual. As he took several breaths, fist clenched on the hilt of Tetsusaiga, it returned to the sensation she was familiar with. Was that his youkai surfacing? It had done so that day she was attacked, but not to this extent. Maybe because of the baby, she thought, his protective instinct is even stronger than usual. Which was already more than she could always tolerate. He had learned not to hover, but he couldn't keep himself from reminding her to be careful any time they weren't together and being almost glued to her side any time they were. She loved how caring and affectionate he could be as a result, but she was also feeling a little overwhelmed.
The wind whipping her hair around her face drew her attention once more to the brothers as they faced off again. Her mate's youki again rose to meet the challenge of his brother's but with a focus it had not had before. She was startled to see the way they clashed against one another more clearly than ever, almost like two waves crashing into one another. "You must try it, otouto, or you will not be sure you can."
Inuyasha hesitated. "I'm not gonna risk killing you and hurting Kagome just to practice."
Sesshomaru tsked before pressing into an attack. Inuyasha reflexively struck downward. A roaring sound filled Kagome's ears as bright light flashed across the clearing. She couldn't see what was happening, but she had a barrier up around herself without thinking. The force of the attack still knocked her on her backside despite the barrier. Dust and smoke filled the air around her and she couldn't immediately orient herself. Where was Inuyasha? Did something happen to Sesshomaru?
"Kagome!" She blinked away the dust in time to see her husband come flying in her direction. She had the barrier down just in time for him to land beside her without getting the brunt of her energy. "Fuck! Fuck! Where are you hurt?" Kagome put a calming hand on his chest before he tried to pick her up.
"I'm ok, Inuyasha. I just sat down a little hard, that's all."
"Stupid asshole. I knew I shouldn't release the kaze no kizu with you anywhere near!" He sniffed her over several times. She allowed it, knowing he wouldn't let it go until he knew she was fine. "Sesshomaru, you bastard!" he called out. The taiyoukai melted out of the remaining dust, a cut over his eye, but otherwise no worse for wear.
"Inuyasha, I'm fine," she emphasized. He even knelt down to put his ear to her belly and listen for the pup's heart and feel for movement. The pup let out a kick toward his cheek as if to reassure him. "Sesshomaru, are you…"
The elder inuyoukai put up a hand to forestall her worrying. "This is nothing. Our father designed it such that our swords protect us from each other."
"Knew we'd probably try to kill each other at least once," Inuyasha grumbled. His worry assuaged, he stood up and lifted his mate into his arms. "I think that's enough for today. I'm taking her home."
"Inuyasha," his brother intoned. The inuhanyou paused, glancing back over his shoulder. "You did well to release the wind scar today. It has been quite some time." A little taken aback by the compliment, he could only nod at his brother before turning back toward the cottage.