Sorry for the late post! I've been swamped. Midterms and all, you know, work, karate. All that hangs head so I really don't have an excuse, so shoot me.

I don't own any characters in this story, I've made up a couple but I'm sure they're in someone's head somewhere.

Chapter 4

Inuyasha's ear twitched, picking up the deep breath, all else was quiet in the early morning hours, and the other flicked toward the sound too. Suddenly his eyes flew open and he sat up.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Kagome was up as well, looking around her, "What's the noise?" She asked.

Inuyasha just looked at her pointedly and nodded to the baby in her arms, his hands clamped over his ears.

Kagome looked down and began to coo, the baby ignoring her, "What's wrong?" She asked him, her face contorting with worry, "What does he want?"

"Give him food!" Inuyasha suggested, and the girl took his advice while he closed his eyes, letting out a sigh of relief as the baby's mouth was otherwise occupied.

"What time is it?" Inuyasha asked Kagome, who checked her watch. "Three A.M." She yawned, holding the baby carefully. "This is weird."

Inuyasha waited, "Done yet?" He asked after a few moments of silence.

"I…think so?" Kagome laughed a little, "You can look now."

He peeked open one eyelid, not willing to invade Kagome's privacy just yet. It was too early for a 's-i-t'. However, the coast was clear, Kagome was fully dressed and yawning.

"Can you…burp…him?" She asked softly, fading back to sleep.

Inuyasha glared at the baby, and at Kagome, "BURP HIM?" He growled under his breath, but she was already asleep. Turning away, Inuyasha refused, but his resolve wavered when he heard the small whimper from the baby.

Inuyasha looked over, and the pup had its eyes trained on him, begging him to burp him.

"Smart pup." He growled, and picked him up, jiggling him a little in his arms and rubbing his back. Inuyasha picked up a cloth from the floor, he may be a dog, but he couldn't live with that smell. After a few moments, a nauseating smell, and a satisfied sigh came from the infant on his shoulder. (AN: can you picture Inuyasha with a baby on his shoulder? )

He glared at the ceiling, asking the god's once again why they hated him, and then threw the cloth outside. Inuyasha tried to rid himself of the baby too, but the infant just growled and clung to the boy when he tried to shift him over to Kagome. Resigning himself to babysitting the night away, Inuyasha sat down beside Kagome with the baby on his shoulder and tried to get some sleep while he could, it didn't seem like he'd be getting much of it anytime soon.

He felt a rumbling on his shoulder and looked to the baby to find him…purring? A smile found its way across his face before he stopped it. He finally drifted off again, one hand on the baby's back, the other on Tetsusaiga, one ear pointed towards Kagome. Idly he wondered if this was what it felt like to have a family before he fell asleep.

"Inuyasha!" He opened his eyes and focused on the face in front of him.

"What?" The boy yawned, showing his fangs off to the girl kneeling beside him.

"You need to let go of the baby." She pointed to his shoulder where two blue orbs looked up at him, one tiny little fist in the baby's mouth.

Inuyasha blinked twice and smirked down at the baby, who gurgled happily back at him, drool slipping down his fist and onto Inuyasha's Haori. Inuyasha's hand was still wrapped protectively around the baby, pinning lightly to himself, to keep him from any harm. Kagome smiled at him and reached for the baby, "Are you hungry, Baby?" She cooed, and went to feed him before Inuyasha flung his fire-rat robe onto her, covering her up.

'Don't need the monk to see." He mumbled before going outside to find the others.

Kagome looked at the door where he left and wrapped the robe around her and the baby, snuggling with the tiny form as she fed him, breathing in Inuyasha's unmistakable scent. She smiled down at the baby, meeting his eyes as he paused in his hunger to sniff the air delicately. Kagome giggled and she nodded to the baby, "Yup, that's your daddy." The baby looked up at her and continued to feed himself, leaving Kagome to blush delicately and sigh.

"A baby?" She asked the world at large, "Who would have thought. Well, at least he has a family. A mom, a dad," She blushed, the implications of Inuyasha being her baby's father running through her mind. "An aunt and uncle and brother too!" She finished hurriedly, looking down once more at the baby, who was finished eating and was now looking at her face, watching her talk. Kagome fixed her shirt, a little baggy, because she only brought clothes that would fit over her stomach; and her uniform was too small to wear. After she was all set, Kagome burped the baby, wrinkling her nose at the smell.

"Well, Baby, let's find the others." She looked down at him, in his blanket and clothes a villager gave her. "And get you some clothes…" Kagome walked out of the door slowly, holding the baby in the crook of her arm, "And a name!"

"I think we should name him Kichiro." Shippo said through a mouthful of soup. Everyone was sitting around Kaede's hut, eating lunch and discussing the baby, who was currently sleeping soundly in a simple bassinette.

"Kichiro?" Miroku asked politely, "Why's that Shippo?"

"Well because it means 'lucky son'," He explained, looking around, "And he is real lucky, because he's got everyone to take care of him. He's got a mommy and a daddy and me and Sango and Miroku." He looked back down at his soup, "He's a really lucky baby."

Kagome looked down at Shippo and gave him a hug, "That's very sweet, Shippo."

"His name should be Daichi," Miroku stated, eating a piece of bread. "It means 'great first son', for he will be one of many, if Inuyasha and Kagome spend many more nights together like last-"

Inuyasha reached over with no effort and hit the monk hard on the head, at the same time Sango had hit him with her Boomerang. The monk lay on the floor, and the rest of the group turned back to the subject.

"How about Kiyoshi," Sango suggested through gritted teeth, "'purity' as someone needs to be pure with that lecherous monk around."

"How about Keitaro," Kaede's voice spoke quietly but all could hear, "It means blessed, and this child is surely blessed to have been born to such a family."

Inuyasha Humphed and folded his arms, "That's a wimpy name, the baby should have a strong name, like Takeshi. The baby will have to be brave and he should have a powerful name. He shouldn't have to grow up with a girly name, like 'blessed' or 'purity'."

Kagome looked thoughtfully at the baby, who snuffled in his sleep and curled his legs up closer to his body.

"Takeshi…" Sango mused, and Shippo nodded thoughtfully.

"It is a strong name, and the babe will have to be strong to be able to defend himself."

"Let's take a vote, and no voting for your own one," Everyone's heads bobbed in agreement, "Alright, Kichiro?"

"…"

"Daichi?"

"…"

"Kiyoshi?"

"…"

" Keitaro?"

"…"

"Takeshi?"

Everyone's hands shot up into the air except for Miroku and Inuyasha's.

"It's settled then," Kagome looked down into the baby's face and smiled, "His name's Takeshi."

I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed and suggested names, I hope you like my choices.

As a side note, someone thought I was pregnant in school and the rumor has circulated, I love kids and I thought it was real funny, I just don't want guidance to sniff me out,

Til later days.

--stephanie--