DISCLAIMER: I do not own InuYasha or anything to do with it.

A Family of His Own

By: Of Memories Past

Anticipation rose in his chest as yet another yowl erupted from the small hut. Deep, amber eyes snapped towards the shack as he listened to the cries of his beloved struggling to bring into the world something that he desired with his whole heart: a family. He anxiously glanced toward the flimsy hut he had been ordered to stay out of. It was driving him insane with impatience. He should be in there with her, helping in whatever way he could to ease the intense pain racking her body. Looking up into the dark, starry sky, he prayed that it would be a safe delivery. Prayed that his family would be safe.

Family. Something that he had so few memories of, his heart had soared the day she had told him that she was pregnant. The world had stopped then, leaving just his mate and himself. She had laughed at his joyous cries and silly antics. Not that he could have blamed her. He had swept her up into his arms effortlessly and spun around until the both collapsed to the ground from dizziness.  Even Miroku had shied away as the Hanyou showed up, leaping about in all directions. But as soon as the news hit him, the monk joined his friend in undignified celebration.

In the darkness a small smile quirked the corners of InuYasha's lips in remembrance of Shippo's reaction. The tiny kitsune immediately began to treat Kagome as if she were made of glass. She couldn't walk anywhere without a small arm wrapped protectively around her form. And she found also that she could not sit down without the aid of a tiny paw. She had laughed and allowed Shippo to care for her.

Another cry brought him back to the present and the event at hand. He sighed, cursing his acute hearing. Every sharp breath she took, every quiet sound that escaped her lips while her body underwent brutal pain reached his ears. He leaned against a tree to wait some more. But nervous glances continually slid toward the small hut. It took all the willpower in him not to barge in and take her in his arms to help her through.

A sudden bout of anger rushed through his veins as he remembered Kaede ordering him to remain outside. The moonlight glistened off his white fangs as he unconsciously bared them toward the hut. How dare he be ordered to stay outside away from his wife!  Sango had explained that it was for everyone's own good and that seeing her in all that pain would just make him angry. But what did they think hearing her cries did to him? He could still hear those.

Tuning out his wife's shouts of pain, InuYasha let his mind wander back to his memories. He remembered holding her in his embrace before they fell asleep in the stillness of their small yet cozy home, feeling the change in her slim figure every night. The small mound had eventually turned into a larger one. She was clearly uncomfortable being forced to sleep on her back. But it had seemed that keeping her close made it more bearable.

A sudden cry turned his attention back to what was occurring inside of the hut, and his face paled. That cry did not belong to Kagome. He was a father! Silent tears rolled down his cheeks as he waited for Kaede to come out and tell him he could enter. But she didn't come out. He waited and waited wondering at the reason why he was still forced to stay outside and wondering why Kagome still seemed to be going through torment. Then he heard another distinct cry. And then another.

His eyes opened to their fullest as he listened to three new voices crying out selfishly for comfort. And he suddenly rushed forward, not caring anymore what Kaede would say, to give it to them. His children needed him.

Kaede smiled at him broadly as soon as he entered the room. "Three healthy pups. Congratulations, InuYasha. I have faith that ye will be a fine father."

His amber eyes, full of emotion, slid over to the bedding where Kagome lay with their babes. The tears could not be stopped as he approached and slid in behind her. Completely exhausted, Kagome braced herself against his chest and smiled, closing her deep brown eyes as she felt his lips lightly brush the top of her head.

"They're beautiful," she whispered, her brown eyes sliding shut as she moved the blanket back.

InuYasha gaped. There before him were three sleeping pups. His pups. He softly scratched the ears of the one pup with hair as dark as his mother's. He smiled. This one had his ears. One with silvery white hair like his appeared to be completely human and content to be sleeping peacefully. InuYasha reached forward and gently ran a finger down the soft cheek smiling as his babe turned to his warmth. The third pup's hair was as raven as the first only his ears were human. But InuYasha could see evidence of a tail poking out.

"All beautiful," Kaede said, kneeling beside the small family. "The two dark ones are males. The fair one is female."

As if they knew that someone had been discussing them, three pairs of eyes opened and for the first time curiously stared up at their father. The pup with the ears had Kagome's deep, brown eyes and tried in vain to focus his vision on InuYasha's face. The second one, the female, had violet eyes, much like his when in his human form. She reached forward and took a hold of his coat. But the tailed pup had his golden eyes. He felt more tears course down his cheeks as the golden-eyed babe smiled at him.

"Hold them," Kagome spoke softly.

InuYasha tenderly lifted the babes into his strong arms, staring down at them in awe. The two boys yawned widely.

InuYasha panicked for a moment. Where were their teeth?

He turned to Kaede. "They don't have teeth! Why don't they have teeth?"

The two women laughed at the Hanyou's worried expression. "It is a characteristic of human children to be quite a few months before getting their teeth," Kaede explained. "Do not worry, InuYasha. Their teeth will come."

He looked down just in time to see his daughter yawn. He smiled. The child that appeared to be human had just revealed to him a mouth of sharp fangs. "Some children," he added with a smile.

"Let me clean then up," Kaede said, scooping up the pups and leaving InuYasha and Kagome alone together.

InuYasha pulled Kagome into his arms and kissed her softly. "I love you."

"Mmmmmmm," she responded sleepily. "They're perfect."

Kaede brought the pups back, cleaned thoroughly from head to toe. Or tail.

InuYasha gently laid the sleeping Kagome back onto the bedding and then reached out his arms for his children. Wrapped in a warm blanket, they entered their father's loving arms. Putting them to his chest, InuYasha laid back next to his wife.

Kaede blew out the lantern. "Sleep well, InuYasha." She turned to leave.

"Kaede," InuYasha called after her quietly.

The old woman turned to face him in the darkness.

"Thank you. Thank you for my children." He smiled at her.

Kaede looked down and grinned. "InuYasha," she said kindly "ye will be a great father." And with that, she left.

InuYasha smiled again and looked down at the pups. "I hope so," he whispered. Then, he closed his eyes, entering a peaceful sleep. His last thought was the beautiful pups sleeping on his chest…

A/N: I hope you all liked it. This was my first IY fic!