Disclaimer: Wow, what a great idea. I could own Inu Yasha. Shoot, Rumiko Takahashi already does.

A/N- Here's the next chapter. Big hugs to all my reviewers! Lots of luv!

Chapter 6- Healing

Miroku and Sango helped the injured Kagome and Inu Yasha back to the cave. Sango helped Kagome onto the bed. Kagome lay back allowing her son to lie on her chest. Miroku sat Inu Yasha beside the fire and the hanyou began to pull off the blood soaked shirt. Kagome watched Miroku dress his wounds from her position. She was too tired to be of much help. Sango sat beside her on the bed, holding her broken arm.

When Inu Yasha's wounds were cleaned and dressed, Miroku turned his attention to Sango. "Let's put a splint on your arm, we wouldn't want it to heal badly." He took a straight branch and secured it to her forearm. Miroku didn't like the idea of Sango being injured one bit. "Sango, perhaps it was unwise for you to join in the fight. Inu Yasha and I could have handled the situation alone."

She scowled. "What! I'm just as good in a fight as you are."

Miroku realized his mistake when Sango's hand landed on the back of his head. "My apology, my dear Sango, but I was merely concerned about your welfare." His eyes softened as he rubbed at the back of his head. "I don't like seeing you hurt."

Sango smiled. "Oh, Miroku…" She leaned forward and graced him with a gentle kiss. "I worry about you too. But this is my profession after all."

He grinned like a lecher and slipped an arm around her waist. "Well, when you put it that way."

Inu Yasha crawled onto the furs beside Kagome. She turned toward him, laying the tiny baby between them, and smiled warmly at him. He stroked her cheek gently. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, just a little tired." She ran a tentative finger over his bandaged chest. "How are your wounds?"

"Feh, these scratches will be gone by morning."

Her smile broadened at his macho reaction. "Good." She closed her eyes, sighing.

He kissed her brow. "Sleep, Kagome."

She nodded without opening her eyes. "I love you, Inu Yasha."

"I love you, too. Now sleep, my beloved." After he was content that Kagome was sleeping soundly, Inu Yasha turned his attention back to his friends. Miroku was leaning against the wall and Sango was lying with her head on his shoulder. "You two should get some sleep too."

Miroku looked his way. "You're injured Inu Yasha. I am not. I will sit the first watch."

Inu Yasha reluctantly nodded, but instead of going to sleep, he stood and gathered a few of the extra furs and brought them to the couple. "Here, at least Sango should get some sleep then."

Miroku nodded, taking the furs, and shook his wife gently from her half slumber. "Here, Sango, lie down." He spread the fur on the ground beside him and his wife lay down beside him, her head in his lap. Miroku returned his gaze to entrance.

Inu Yasha climbed back onto her bed of furs beside his mate. He slipped a protective arm around her waist and drew her to him. Slowly he drifted off into dreams.

-----

At the edge of Inu Yasha's forest, Sesshomaru stood with Tetsuseiga in hand. It pulsed and glowed as he arched it through the crisp air. Ishimaru's body glowed with the same light and she took a sudden ragged breath. Her eyes opened just a slit and she peered up at her son. "Ses...sho…ma…ru."

"You must leave. I should not give you pity in my position, but you are after all my mother and the one who gave me life." She watched him without emotion. "But now I have given you life. And so, we are even. You will be taken to the main land. Do not return, for now you are no longer my mother and thus no longer under the Lord of the Western Land's protection."

Ishimaru pushed herself slowly to a seated position. Her body ached in terrible memory of what had happened. "Why?"

Sesshomaru merely blinked at the woman, expressionless. "We are even. I owe you nothing." He stepped aside revealing two demon servants, and then turned his back on her. "Go and never return."

She opened her mouth to protest, but immediately closed it. "As you wish, my lord." She slowly rose and the two servants came to escort her away. She bowed her head and spoke again. This time her voice broke with emotion. "I…am sorry…my son. I love you still. Goodbye."

Sesshomaru did not turn to look at her as he sensed the three demons leave. He was the Great Demon of the West and weakness was simply not allowed. Once alone, he allowed his emotions to break into his scent and envelope him. Alone he at last allowed the façade to drop and feel the terrible pain of loss.

-----

Sango lifted her head and looked around the chamber. At first she forgot where she was and then Miroku shifted beside her and she remembered. "Miroku?"

"Sango, is something wrong?"

"No. I'm fine." She sat up in the darkness. The fire had died some time ago and the cave was lit only by pale moon light. "What time is it?"

"It's about two hours till dawn. You should get some more rest."

"You've been up all night, why don't I take over the watch. I promise I'll wake you if anything happens."

Miroku grunted, but laid down non-the-less. "Thank you, Sango. Oh, and Shippo returned a little while ago. He's sleeping with Kirara."

"Not with Kagome?"

"Inu Yasha growled at him."

Sango chuckled lightly. "Even when he's injured and fast asleep, he won't let anyone near her." There was a long silence and after a while, she could hear her husband's soft breathing. Sango turned her attention to the entrance and watched the sky slowly turn from purple to pink to orange. After some time there was a small sound from the bed of furs. She watched as Kagome's head rose slightly and the young mother began to move.

Kagome tried to sit up, but there was an iron grip around her waist that held her in place. She squirmed slightly, trying not to wake up her mate. Slowly she was able to loosen his grip enough to slide up on the bed, so she could sit up. His arms tightened around her legs and his nose pressed against her thigh. Kagome smiled at him as she took up the hungry infant. Inu Denkou's golden eyes glowed in the dimness and his little hands searched for the opening of her kimono. To his relief, his mother finally began to satisfy the hunger.

"Everything all right, Kagome?" Sango said softly, trying not to wake Miroku or startle Kagome.

The miko blinked at the shadowy figure of Sango near the wall. "Yes, he's just hungry. I can't blame him, I'm starving."

Sango lightly giggled. "He's going to be a real lady killer when he grows up. With those eyes and your smile, he'll have to fight the women off."

Kagome softly giggled. "You're probably right. I can tell he has his father's charm." She smiled down at her husband as he slept. As she allowed her son to nurse, she began to stroke Inu Yasha's silver hair. He made a noise in his throat that sounded like a purr. Her smile broadened.

"Is he purring?" Sango struggled to keep her voice low. She had never heard Inu Yasha do that.

"Shh, yes, he does that from time to time." Kagome continued to run her fingers through his hair and he continued to purr.

Sango smiled. 'Inu Yasha sure is different when he's alone with Kagome.' Sango watched the loving scene for a while, until the babe started to squirm and fuss in his mother's arms. Kagome stopped her combing to raise her child to her shoulder and rub his back.

When Kagome stopped stroking his hair, Inu Yasha groaned and opened his eyes. He looked up to meet his wife's eyes. She smiled at him and he returned the gesture warmly. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better. I guess I just over-exerted myself last night."

"I've never seen your powers so strong before."

Kagome took a deep breath remembering the fear from the previous night. "I couldn't let her hurt our son." She trembled slightly, unconsciously holding the pup tighter. "I just couldn't."

Inu Yasha sat up beside her with a little effort and wrapped her in his arms. "I know. Everything is fine now. We are all safe and alive. That's all that matters." He kissed her on the brow and then her lips, feeling the fire rise inside him. "Kagome…" He hugged her tightly, his voice was barely audible. "I was so scared I would loose you and the pup. I love you so much."

She hugged him back and spoke gently in his hair. "I love you too. And you will never loose us." He drew back just enough to kiss her again with more passion. Kagome placed a finger over his soft lips and drew away just a little. She nodded just slightly in the direction of their companions. His eyes followed hers and he understood. She smiled and winked. "Later."

That made him grin. "Okay." He made a mental note to be alone for 'later'.

Kagome mimicked his grin and then turned her attention to Sango. "Sango?" The slayer looked up from her vigilant surveillance of the entrance, where her gaze had gone when Inu Yasha had woken. "I was thinking of taking a bath. Do you want to come?"

Sango looked at herself covered in blood, dirt and mud. "Yes, I think that would be nice."

Inu Yasha frowned. "Why don't I go with you?"

"Why? Sango will be with me. We'll be perfectly safe. Besides we're not going far, just to the spring." Kagome gave him another soft kiss and began to rise from the furs.

Inu Yasha moved to follow her. "I can stand watch at least."

Kagome sighed and put a hand on his shoulder. "You're still wounded. Now, quit being stubborn and lay down."

"She'll be fine. We'll take Kirara with us, if it'll make you feel better." Sango stood slowly, trying not to jostle her arm.

Inu Yasha nodded. "Fine, but if you need me…"

"I know, I'll call you if we need anything." Kagome took up her bag that contained her bathing supplies. The bottles inside no longer held the shampoos and soaps from her era, now they contained her own mixtures of flowers and herbs that made her hair and skin soft. Kagome cradled her son against her chest as she followed Sango and Kirara out the entrance. "We won't be long."

Inu Yasha frowned at Kagome's disappearing back and fought the instinct to follow anyways. But he resigned himself to do as she said and laid back in the furs with a heavy sigh.

-----

At the hot spring, Kagome set her towel on the ground and then Inu Denkou on top of it. As she undressed she watched him swing his legs about trying to get a hold of his foot. "I can't believe he's only two days old. It seems much longer than that."

Sango chuckled. "It will seem like the days go far to fast in the future. By the time he's Shinkuha's age, you'll wish he was still that little again."

Kagome chuckled too and picked up the still squirming infant. He cooed as he was held against her bare skin. Kagome chuckled again and slipped into a shallow spot in the hot spring. Sango went to a deeper area and began the task of cleaning the blood and dirt off.

Inu Denkou's eyes widened as he was lowered ever so slightly into the warm water. Kagome smiled as he flailed an arm in the water. Dipping his fingers in the water, he brought them to his lips and sucked. Sango smiled. "Looks like he's enjoying his first bath."

"Let's just hope he keeps liking them." Kagome giggled.

The tiny boy yawned and his eyes began to close. The warm water and his mother's scent were putting him to sleep. The two girls smiled again. "He's already worn out." Sango had finished cleaning herself and was rinsing her hair. "Would you like me to hold him, while you bathe?"

Kagome looked warily at her son. Normally, she wouldn't have hesitated, but this was a new experience for the pup. She nodded slowly. "We'll try, but I'm not sure he'll like it."

"Well, he will have to get used to me sooner or later. Just because we're mothers doesn't mean we'll stop being friends." Sango came to sit beside her friend in the shallows.

Kagome smiled at her. "I know that. But he doesn't." She passed the infant to Sango and watched for a moment for any reaction. The pup's eyes widened, but so far nothing else. Kagome moved away to collect her bottles to wash up.

Sango and Inu Denkou regarded each other, while Kagome began to wash her hair. The boy's nose twitched and his eyes stared deep into hers unflinching. Then there came the tiny sound in the back of his throat, it was a cross between a whimper and a growl. Kagome ducked under the water to remove the soap. The tiny sound began to grow as Kagome resurfaced. Her head snapped around to the pup. Kagome moved as quickly as she could toward Sango, but she wasn't fast enough to prevent what was to come.

The child let out a wail that made Sango's blood go cold. Kagome quickly took the pup in her arms. His wail sputtered and then stopped after a few tender words and little cooing from his mother. Sango gapped at the miko. "How did you do that? Never in my life have I ever known a baby to stop crying so fast! And you acted like you knew he was going to cry!"

"I did."

"What! He barely made a sound!"

Kagome paused in her soothing to stare at Sango and consider what she'd said. "Calm down, Sango. He is part dog demon remember and I've been living with Inu Yasha for three years and known him for a lot longer. I guess I've come to know what the noises he makes mean. And so I know what Inu Denkou's noises mean too. It's just instinct at this point."

Sango sighed. "I guess I'm just a bit jealous. After Shinkuha was born, she cried for two straight weeks. I don't know if she ever even slept in that time. I just know Miroku and I didn't get much sleep ourselves and we barely saw each other when we did." She sighed again. "You're very lucky in a lot of ways."

"You're very lucky too, Sango. Shinkuha has grown out of that stage. And Miroku loves you a lot." Kagome smiled, causing Sango to do the same.

"Yeah, I am."

-----

Inside, Miroku and Inu Yasha had made a fire and a piece of bore meat hung from the spit. Miroku set the small pot to boil beside the meat. "Inu Yasha, I've been wondering something. Why is it that your son doesn't cry much?"

Inu Yasha looked over at the monk from beside the bed. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, when Shinkuha was born she cried and cried. Sango and I couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. She wasn't sick or hungry or dirty or frightened or anything, she just cried."

"Feh, she was a human baby, not a demon pup. Demon pups don't cry unless they're in danger or sense danger. It's instinct. Crying draws predators, so they don't do much of it." As if to mock him there was a sharp wail from outside. Inu Yasha jumped to his feet and started for the entrance, but just as quick as it began it stopped, and so did the hanyou. He growled low and stepped to the entrance, sniffing the air to make certain there were no demons. "Humph, I wonder what their doing taking so long?"

Miroku sighed. "I don't know, but Sango and I should be getting back. Poor Kaede's probably passed out somewhere from pure exhaustion. It takes everything me and Sango have just to keep up with the little runt, and Kaede is old." The monk sighed even deeper. "I'm getting worried about the old miko, she seems rather ill."

Inu Yasha grunted. "She's dying."

Miroku's head shot up. "What?"

"You said yourself, she's old. The last time we visited, I could smell it on her. She's dying, not very soon, but within the year."

Miroku lowered his head. "That shall be a sad day." He lifted it again to gaze at the hanyou, who was still perched at the entrance tapping his foot with impatience. "Will not Kagome have to take over as miko then?"

Inu Yasha didn't look at him. "No, Kagome has said she will help, but doesn't want the position." He sighed. 'She doesn't want to be the village miko because of Kikyo. They still see her as her reincarnation.' He pushed aside the thoughts of his former love. His mind drew back to Kagome, where it belonged, where it always seemed to be. "I'm-"

Kagome and Sango stepped into view beside the cave, Kirara following them. "We're back." His mate gave him a warm, knowing smile when she saw him pacing the entrance. "Why don't you go bathe now. We need to redress your wounds." She gave him a soft kiss.

"Feh, my wounds are nearly healed." He folded his arms over his chest and tried not to wince at the pain.

But Kagome could not be fooled. She saw the pain in his eyes when he moved. "Go bathe," she turned to Miroku, "both of you. You're covered in just as much blood and dirt as we were."

"You're right, of course, Kagome-sama, we should bathe. Come Inu Yasha and stop arguing."

"Feh, fine." The hanyou followed the monk, once again reluctant to leave his mate.

Kagome and Sango exchanged looks of amusement and went on inside. "Kagome!" Shippo hopped on the bed to be near his foster mother as she sat in the furs.

She smiled down at him. "I'm glad to see you're all right Shippo."

"Are you okay?" He asked and put his small hand over her bandaged arm.

She nodded. "Yes. We will all be fine now." She yawned and stretched. "That bath felt so good. Once I get something to eat, I think I'll take another nap."

"You deserve it. I don't know how you've stood up to all this just after giving birth." Sango marveled at her friend's strength.

"It's amazing the strength we can find when our children are in danger." Kagome looked down at the sleeping pup. Suddenly a terrible thought struck her. "Sango, I killed Sesshomaru's mother and she was trying to protect her child." Kagome's voice trembled. "She and I fought for the same reason."

"No! No you didn't she wanted to keep her position as the only woman in Sesshomaru's family. That's why she fought."

Kagome shook her head and looked down at her son. "Would I have done the same thing in her position? Would I do anything to prevent someone from threatening my child, even if there wasn't a real threat yet?"

"Kagome…" Sango put a hand on her shoulder. "You're not like that. You would never hunt someone down, who isn't already a threat and…neither would Inu Yasha."

Slowly the miko smiled. "Yes, you're right."

The girls and Shippo settled down and began to pick at the bore meat, until the boys arrived. Then Sango and Miroku said their goodbyes and Kagome thanked them profusely for their help. Shippo wandered off into the forest to look for acorns, leaving the small family alone.

Kagome and Inu Yasha lay in the bed holding each other. Their son slept on the bed nearby, safe and sound. "Kagome, I've been thinking. On the next new moon, we should stay with Miroku and Sango."

She looked up at him in understanding. She brushed a stray hair from his face. "As long as I'm with you, I don't care where we are."

He smiled, knowing she had just agreed to do whatever made him comfortable. Holding her tighter, he kissed her deeply. "We will always be together. I promise."

-----

A/N: I'll be adding an epilogue, but it may be a while. Hope you liked the fluff. I'm good at fluff. –snicker-