They went and picked up Mi and Taro and returned. Kagome knocked on the door and when it opened InuYasha though he was looking in a mirror. Both he and Kagome gaped at the young man before them.
"You must be Uncle Inuyasha. I'm Haru." he said. He turned to Kagome. "You could only be Kagome. I wish that I had met you first."
Inuyasha growled. "Unless you're over 500 years old I don't see how that would be possible." Kagome replied.
"So the story is true then?" he asked.
"I am going to kill Sesshomaru." Inuyasha grumbled.
"Don't be mad Uncle. Besting grandfather isn't something he admits to easily. Besides I was only joking about meeting her first. Everyone knows what you do to those who try to take her from you." Haru said.
Behind Haru was a female youkai carrying a young boy. He was looked to be about 5 and was wearing a scowl. Kagome imagined it must have been exactly what Inuyasha looked like at that age. She smiled. I better get used to seeing that face, soon Taro will be that age.
The woman noted Kagome's amusement. "Yes the resemblance is remarkable." She said. "Father always tells Kuni 'if you keep making that face you'll end up just like Inuyasha.' I suppose he was right."
Kagome looked at Inuyasha. "Come on. You can't tell me you don't feel like you are seeing yourself." she said. "I bet in a few years Taro looks exactly like you, so you better get used to people saying that."
"Keh." was his reply. Kagome rolled her eyes.
Dinner turned out to be quite enjoyable, for everyone but Inuyasha. Kagome figure it must be hard for him. They got in the car to go home. The pups fell asleep almost immediately. Kagome reached up to rub one of his ears, but he stopped her. "What is it?" she asked.
"It's not fucking fair, that's what." he said. "After the hell he put me through, he still knew our father and now he has his own family. He accepts them all."
"Even the ones like you." she said softly. He nodded. "Inuyasha, look at me." He raised his eyes to meet hers. "You can't know how much it pains me to think about what you went through. I can only imagine how you managed to survive. If I could take it all back or change places with you I would gladly, to spare you the pain, but I can't. All I can do is spend the rest of my life trying to make up for it. We have our own family. I thought I made you happy."
"You do." he said.
"Then try not to dwell on the past." she told him.
He pulled her into a kiss. "You make the past worth it." he whispered.
Surprisingly time passed quicker than anyone expected. As October drew to a close Inuyasha found himself being rudely awakened in the dead of night. "Inuyasha." Kagome said .
"What baka wench?' he asked. "It's the middle of the night."
"I don't think our pup cares what time it is." she said.
He jerked awake. "Now?' he asked.
"What, did you think I wet the bed?" she asked. He realized that the sheet was damp. "Go get mama."
Inuyasha knocked on Asami's door. She opened it and took one look at his face. "So it is time then." she laughed. "Go back to her. I will call the doctor and get her things together."
He went back to their room. "Inuyasha, I need you to get me some clean clothes." she said. He opened the dresser and began pulling out things until she had what she wanted. "Make sure I don't fall."
"Like I'd let that happen wench." he scoffed.
She slid on her pants as a contraction gripped her. She leaned against him. "That one hurt." she said softly.
They arrived at the hospital. By the time they arrived Inuyasha had to carry Kagome inside. They brought a wheel chair, but he refused to set her in it. Asami helped Kagome into a gown and she settled her in bed.
"Now what?" Inuyasha asked.
"We wait." Asami said with amusement in her voice.
About an hour later the doctor came in. "Uncle, good to see you." she said.
"Uncle?" Asami asked.
"Didn't they tell you? Because of the special paternity of this baby, my father thought it best if someone of similar heritage make the delivery. Dog ears are cute. I have two dog eared pups of my own, but most humans wouldn't understand." she said.
"So your father is Sesshomaru?" she asked.
"Yes." she replied.
"Then why would he help. Hasn't he tried to kill you and Kagome?" Asami asked.
"A couple of times." Inuyasha replied. "But things have changed."
"Let's see how things are progressing." she said. "Well I'd say we still have several more hours. She is at four centimeters."
"Inuyasha." Kagome said reaching out for his hand.
The hours passed. Inuyasha thought his hand might never recover, but he continued to let Kagome squeeze it with each contraction. It was all he could do. He hated seeing her like this. He was remembering now why the men waited outside in his time. Damn when did she get such a strong grip, he cursed inwardly.
The last hour was the worst. Kagome let go of his hand and grabbed his shirt. With a strength he didn't know she possessed she pulled him down to her by his shirt. "You did this to me." she said with a deadly calm. "OS..."
"Oh shit." Inuyasha groaned.
"...WARI." she finished.
His face planted into the hard tile floor. He groaned loudly. The spell wore off but he didn't get up. He knew she would just sit him again. Asami came over and knelt beside him. "Are you all right?" she asked. She had seen Kagome do this to him before but not in a long time and before he always got back up.
"If I get up she'll do it again. She took them off last time." he said softly. "I had forgotten how much that hurts." he lifted his head..
"You think that hurts." Kagome said. "I'll show you pain..."
"No please Kagome..." he pleaded.
"OSWARI." she yelled.
Once again his head hit the floor. A few tiles cracked beneath his head. "Oh.." was all he could say.
She'll kill him, Asami thought. "Inuyasha can anyone else remove those beads." she asked.
"Only Kagome or a more powerful miko." he groaned.
"This can't go on." she said. "Kagome, Inuyasha is going to get up and you are going to remove that necklace. You will have to be satisfied with breaking his hand instead of his face. Do you really want to hurt him?"
"But..." she started.
"No buts. Inuyasha up." she said.
"Do it Kagome." Asami ordered.
Inuyasha didn't know who was more frightening at that moment, Kagome or her mother. Kagome reached up and pulled off the beads. "There I did it." she said. Another contraction came and she screamed.
"It is almost time." the doctor said.
Inuyasha tried to take her hand. "Don't touch me. You are never touching me again." She yelled at him. Another contraction came.
She watched as his ears drooped a little and she saw the hurt in his eyes. It took away everything else and she realized what she had said and done. "Inuyasha, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it..." he started, but was cut off by the pain.
He took her hand and leaned close to her. "It's all right." he said softly.
"Are you ready to push?" the doctor asked.
Kagome nodded. She pushed through the contraction. "It isn't okay. I love you." she said.
"Three, two, one...push..." the doctor coached. "Inuyasha come here."
He was hesitant. He wasn't sure he wanted to see. He had stayed beside her the first time. He looked around. "Is that the head?" he asked.
"Yes. You're about to be a father, again." she told him. "All right Kagome, just a few more and your baby will be here."
Ten minutes later the doctor placed a perfect little boy with two perfect little dog ears on Kagome's chest. "He looks just like you." she said to Inuyasha, and it was true. He had amber eyes and traces of silver hair. "He's beautiful."
Once the baby was clean Inuyasha his pup in his arms. He couldn't help but be amazed by all that he was feeling, even though he had felt it before. He was so small and helpless. He swore the same oath he had pledged before as he looked upon his first two pups, to protect him with all that he had.
Kagome watched the years of pain and loneliness leave Inuyasha's eyes as she stared at their newest child. In that moment it had all been worth it. Every bump, bruise, and cut. Every angry word he had yelled to protect his own heart, and every minute she had spent giving birth. She wanted to hold him, but she couldn't bring herself to ask him just yet. It had taken her two years to get him to show her the same emotion that was pouring out of him towards their baby. She felt the tears rolling down her face.
He smelled Kagome crying. He turned to look at her. She smiled at him. He saw the longing in her eyes. Even the baby sensed it and started to fuss. He knew she hadn't said anything as a gift to him. He handed their son to her. He started trying to nurse as soon as they were in her arms. "He is definitely yours." she said to him with a laugh.
He leaned down and kissed each of them on the forehead. "Thank you." he said softly. He wished there was more he could say and hoped that she would understand what he was thanking her for.
Kagome looked at him. He meant thank you for my children and so much more. He was thanking her for freeing him from the tree, for being his friend, for showing him that there were good things in this world, and for loving him as he was. "You don't need to thank me." she told him. "We did this together." He nodded. "I just realized we have waited too long in choosing a name again."
"I picked the last two." He told her.
"How about Kenji?" she asked. He nodded.
Asami left soon after to get Mi and Taro, so they could meet their new brother. InuYasha was holding him when they came in. He motioned for them to come closer.
Mi looked up at InuYasha. "Papa, can I touch him?" she asked. He smiled and nodded. Both she and Taro reached out and gently touched their new little brother.
"He's so small." Taro said.
Kagome laughed. "You were that small once too." she told him. "Don't I get a hug?" They both smiled and went to their mother, joining her on the bed.
That evening Sesshomaru paid them a visit. "Aiko called me and told me that she had delivered your pup today." he said. InuYasha held out their son. The little boy opened his eyes and scowled. "Yes, this is definitely your son." Sesshomaru said in response. "Have you named him?"
"It is going to be strange showing them to you again when we go back." Kagome said. "His name is Kenji."
"Very fitting." he said. "I will take my leave, but I hope you will bring him to meet the rest of their family soon."
Inuyasha put the baby in the basinet that was in their room. He found her bag and pulled something out. "Kagome, I want you to have this." he said holding out the box Sesshomaru had given him.
She opened it. Inside was ring, with a heart shaped amber stones, and a crest on either side of the band. "It was your mothers." she said.
"And now it is yours." He told her.
"Will you keep it until we leave the hospital?" she asked. He nodded. "Inuyasha, thank you."
When Kenji was a month old they took him to see Sesshomaru and some of his extended family, even though when they returned to the past most of them wouldn't even be born yet. Sesshomaru took it upon himself to take the smaller children aside when they were ready for a nap and telling them a long told favorite bedtime story. Kagome listened in and was surprised at many of the things he said about both her and Inuyasha. She guessed that 500 years really did have a way of changing people. She couldn't measure how much she had changed in only five.
Kagome was tired when they got home that night, so Inuyasha offered to put Mi and Taro to bed.
"Papa" Taro said. "Is what Uncle said true?"
Inuyasha took in the frown on his son's face and saw his daughter seemed to be concerned as well. "What did he say?" Inuyasha asked.
"He said that humans are weak and that we always have to watch out for mama because she could get hurt or sick, and that most humans we know will get old and die, long before us." Taro told him.
Inuyasha growled. Damn Sesshomaru. He wasn't ready to explain all this. "That's true." he started.
"Is mama going to die?" Mi asked near tears.
"Not for a long time." Inuyasha said. "Mama will live as long as any of us. When you are both older I will explain how. Don't worry about what your bast...baka Uncle said." They both nodded. "Now go to bed."
Inuyasha groaned softly as he crawled into bed. "What's wrong?" Kagome asked softly, so as not to wake a sleeping Kenji.
"Sesshomaru had the pups thinking that you were going to die, because you're human." he said.
"Did you tell them I wasn't going to?" she asked.
"Of course I did wench." he replied. "Just not why. I don't think I'm ready for that talk yet." Kagome laughed softly and kissed him. "What's so funny wench?"
"Nothing." she said. "I love you Inuyasha."
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "I love you too wench."
Days passed and when the well opened they went back through, to their time. Shippou, Miroku and Sango and their two girls were waiting for them when they climbed out the other side, to welcome them home. Kimi jumped onto Taro and Mi, knocking them to the ground. They all laughed.
Sango and Miroku had kept their home relatively clean and in good repair in their absence. That night they put the pups to bed and Kagome curled up next to Inuyasha. She sighed softly. "It's good to be home." she said. He growled a little and nuzzled her neck. "So you agree." she laughed.
"Enough talking." he replied.
Kagome supposed you didn't have to be a genius to figure out what he wanted. She had to admit that they had been having far too little time alone together as of late. Kenji had only recently gotten over the cholic that had him up almost all the time. "All right koinu." she whispered, reaching up to capture one of his ears. She smiled at his growl of approval and relaxed, lavishing in his affections.
Time passed as it always did. Summer came and brought with it a startling realization. She was inside making lunch. Kenji was a few feet away trying to figure out how to crawl. She heard the twins playing just outside. Soon their laughter had turned into a disagreement. She thought they both had their father's temper and of course he insisted they had hers. Inuyasha had told her to let them argue unless they started fighting. He told her they had to learn to work things out on their own. The yelling died down and she thought it was all right, until she heard Mi screaming. She grabbed Kenji and raced outside.
Mi was sitting on the ground beside Taro, crying. As Kagome got closer she saw why. Taro was unconscious and his hair was black. She looked up and saw Inuyasha coming toward her. "Where's Taro..." he started, coming to stop. Kagome always marveled at how he knew exactly which of their children was hurt. She looked down and he followed her eyes. "What happened?" he asked, picking up both Taro and Mi.
"I don't know." Kagome replied. "They were arguing and all of the sudden Mi started screaming. I came out and found him like this." Kagome was trying hard not to cry. Kenji sensing everyone's distress started to become upset.
"Let's go inside and then we can figure this out." Inuyasha told her. She nodded and followed him into their house.
Inuyasha put Taro in his bed and kept Mi with him, while Kagome set Kenji on a blanket and gave him a few of his favorite toys. Once that was finished they sat down to talk. "Taro's dead." Mi wailed.
"Taro's not dead." Kagome said gently. "He's going to be all right. Just tell us what happened."
The little girl managed to calm some. "We were playing and he wouldn't give me the ball...." she started.
Kagome watched both her husband and her daughter's ears twitch and Mi jumped up and ran to her room. "Taro's awake." Inuyasha told her. They both got up and went to see him.
Mi was hugging him. "Mama? Papa?" Taro said softly. "Why can't I smell anything?"
Kagome knelt beside him. "You know how you and your sister change on your secret night?" she asked. The little boy nodded. "Well you have changed into that form now. We are going to find out what happened, so don't worry. Just rest and you'll be fine soon. Now Mi finish telling us what happened."
"Taro wouldn't give me the ball. I got really mad at him." she said, much calmer now that her brother was awake. "I went to push him and a pink light came out of my hands and he fell back."
Inuyasha and Kagome exchanged a serious look. "All right." she said. "You say with Taro." Kagome and Inuyasha went back into the main room.
"How is that possible?" Inuyasha asked.
"Maybe you should go get Miroku." Kagome suggested. Inuyasha nodded and left.
A short while later he returned with Miroku. "Inuyasha has told me what happened and I do indeed have a theory about what happened." he started. "Just as Kagome was born to her powers and has maintained them even after she was no longer a maiden, I believe your daughter was born to her powers. As you know you possess far greater powers than any other Miko. I have long since concluded that purity has far less to do with blood or body and more to do with the spirit."
Both Kagome and Inuyasha considered Miroku's words. It made sense. Most priestesses' power came from aptitude and training and not from natural ability, but Kagome's had always been a part of her. Since Mi was half human that part of her would protect her from her own miko energy. It would probably also mean that she herself would not be affected by purification. They talked about it a bit more with Miroku before he returned home. It took Taro a day and a half to return to normal, but he did. Somehow Kagome knew that this was only the beginning of the surprisers she would have in store for her, especially if she and Inuyasha really did end up with six children. Oh well what is life without a few surprises.