I'm REALLY sorry that I haven't updated recently, but I jammed a muscle in my finger a couple weeks ago and since it hasn't healed yet and I've had to buddy tape it so I type really slow now. Anyway, R & R!

Inuyasha raced through the village, trying to get to the outskirts and find the bastard that almost killed his wife. He could still remember the drunk's scent, it was hard to forget. His scent of beer and burnt wood was still in the air when he had found Kagome half dead. He reached the outskirts in record time, but to him he could've gone faster. He slowed down and walked through the scattered houses, kicking up dirt as his bare feet scrapped against the powdered road. "Damn! I can't find the stupid bastard's scent anywhere! The fucking coward must've skipped town." He continued his retributive search and, unbeknownst to him, a figure lurked in the shadows, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. It quietly slinked away, sensing that another had entered the village.

Kagome was running as fast as she could to the outskirts if the village where, she presumed, her husband was about to be ambushed. She had just reached the outskirts when she was side tackled and shoved roughly against the wall; a hand closing around her throat. "Well look who's 'ere. I thought I made it clear girl, to stay away from 'ere or die." She heard a slurred voice say. She opened her eyes that she didn't even know she had shut to see the drunk in front of her.

"Did you miss me?" he sneered. She frowned disgustedly. How could she forget? This man almost killed her and now it looks like he was going to finish the deal. But she couldn't let that happen. It couldn't end like this. She had taken down the most powerful demon of all; what made this one so different? She at least wanted the baby to be safe. "Oh damn. I dropped my bow when I was tackled, but I still have the quiver. Now if I could just reach it…" So she would buy time until she could get away or for Inuyasha to find her. "I know what you are." She whispered. "What did you say." He asked angrily. "Did I stutter?" He squeezed his hand tighter and said, "That's not how one should talk in your position." "Well, I never really was one for manners. Oh, wait, now the slur is gone? The game is up, so tell me. What do you really look like? Or better yet, show me." The man smirked and said, "Ah, a feisty one. You should learn to hold your tongue." He said as he slapped her. "However." He continued. "I will give you a last request." He was concealed in a ball of solid red fire. Kagome held back a gasp as she saw his true form.

Inuyasha had searched the outskirts for what seemed like forever, and right now, it was a breezy mid-morning. He was tired, but he wouldn't give up on finding the man that almost destroyed his family. Then, the breeze swept up and carried not only heat, but a whiff of the man's scent. He was close, but he wasn't alone. Inuyasha started towards the scent, but he hadn't realized that the man's scent had changed.

In the place of a 30 something balding man was the perfect image of what the word demon suggests. Long black hair fell down to the mid-shoulders and the bangs covered fire engine red eyes placed on a rough face. There were two small dark onyx horns protruding out of the black abyss of his head. His face was sunburned badly, giving the impression that it was red. He was wearing a baggy shirt that kind of resembled a sack and covered the top of his brown pants that trailed down to his ankles, ending at his feet. She was surprised he wearing such clothing in this heat. It was like he was used to this extreme temperatures. "You're a…a demon from hell. You work for the devil." "That's how he knew I was pregnant; he could smell the baby, but Inuyasha couldn't. He must have an unheard of sense of smell." "Actually, he prefers the term Satan. Too bad there aren't more clever girls like you. Now there's going to be one less. Pity." His hand clenched her throat tightly, but a second before, she took her chance and yelled "INUYASHA!" "Shut up!" he roared as she felt his hand connect with her cheek and when he pulled away, she saw blood on his hands.

Inuyasha's ears perked at the sound of someone calling his name. His mind quickly registered who it was. "Kagome." He whispered. As he ran towards her, he recognized the drunk's scent, but it was changed somehow. He could feel his tie with Kagome weaken as he realized that she was dieing. "That goddamn son-of-a-bitch bastard." He thought as two figures came into view. Neither seemed to notice him and he saw a demon hit what he now saw as Kagome on the side of her face. His rage skyrocketed and he flung Tetsusaiga to the side and let his demon side take over him quickly. He knew it would not harm Kagome because it loved her as well and it could take out any threat to her easily.

Kagome 's throat felt as if it were on fire and she grasped at the demon's hand, trying to pry it off, but she was getting weaker. Just as her grip gave out and her eyes shut, a body collided with the demons and she fell to the ground, gasping and coughing. She saw a blur of red coming towards her and recognized Inuyasha's voice. Her vision cleared as she looked into his eyes, but instead of seeing the golden eyes that she loved so much, she saw red eyes, but the emotion they showed, what was it? Concern? Love? Probably both.

Inuyasha couldn't believe his eyes. The demon dared to strike Kagome, and then he has the nerve to leave a red hand mark on her other cheek! He had felt this human emotion for her, what was it called? Love? Ah yes, that was it. He had felt it for what seemed like forever; like he always knew she was the one. He and his human side both cared for this girl with a never ending depth. Ever since, he considered it his duty to watch over her and mainly kiss her every time he could. He kneeled down on his knees and propped her head up. "You alright?" he asked.

Kagome didn't answer; she just turned to the side and coughed up blood onto the dirt. "I guess not." He whimpered (couldn't resist.) and licked the blood that trailed down her cheek off. "That should pass, but right now, I've got to take care of that bastard demon." She nodded and shakily said, "Nothing's stopping you." She smiled weakly at him and watched him head over to the demon and pick it up by the shirt collar… She just couldn't watch him kill like that. She knew it was because the demon almost killed her, but did he have to be this brutal? She propped herself on her elbows and slowly stood up. Her head got dizzy really quickly, and she leaned against the wall. The dizziness went away and she walked to the center of the dirt road and picked up her bow. She saw Inuyasha drop something on the ground and head towards her. He walked to her while he wiped something on his haori. She didn't need to think twice to know that it was blood. He was just a few feet from her now and she wasn't scared at all. She knew he wouldn't kill her because they had bonded now. They shared a link; it made both sides want her.

The space between them shrunk and then his forehead was against hers. He gave her a small smile then sent his lips crashing down on hers in a heated kiss. He laid one arm gently on her waist, then wrapped the other around the small of her back protectively. Her hands held his face while her thumb stroked his cheek. They just kissed like that for awhile and when they pulled away, Kagome saw that Inuyasha's eyes were back to normal. "Kagome?" he asked. "Hmm?" "You get hurt and into trouble too much." "Nu-uh. Trouble just finds me." "Well how can I protect a magnet?" "Oh shut up." She said playfully. "Well make me." "Fine." She said as she grabbed his head and kissed him. She pulled away to see a happily dazed Inuyasha and she started to walk back towards Kaede's. Suddenly, she heard Inuyasha come up behind her and sweep her, literally, off her feet and into his arms.

She laughed and had to yell at him in the rushing wind, "Inuyasha! What are you doing?" "Carrying you, what does it look like?" "Why?" "Because. Oh I don't know, the baby?" he said, in a lame excuse. "Well that's a really weird reason. But ok." They spent the rest of the trip talking about baby names and they reached Kaede's hut almost too quickly. Ish saw them through the grime and dirt encrusted window and came bounding out of the door to see them. "Momma! Daddy! I miss you this much." She said stretching her little arms to the point where they couldn't reach anymore. Kagome beamed brightly and Inuyasha picked her up. "So Ish, how was your day with the ha…I mean Kaede." He said, seeing Kagome giving him the 'look'. "It was fwun. I got to color a pwetty picture for you and momma." They went inside the hut to escape the sweltering heat and a male villager hurried out, avoiding their gaze. "I'm sorry for all this Lady Kaede. We've been around here so much we must've scared the villagers off." Kagome began as they sat down at the old table in the corner of the hut.

"Nay child. Tis not you. I'm afraid there's a demon lurking somewhere in the village. Some have said that tis a Satan's Follower; a demon from hell." Inuyasha and Kagome shared a 'look' and Kagome said, "Well I think that the threat's gone now." "Really?" "Yeah; In fact, I don't think we'll hear from it ever again." "And why do ye think that?" And Kagome told her the events that happened that morning, stopping at when Inuyasha had killed the demon. "And Inuyasha, how did ye kill this demon from hell?" "Umm, I slit its throat and ripped its heart out." "But Inuyasha, a Satan's Follower does not have a heart." "Well I ripped out something. One thing's for sure; the damn demon won't be moving anytime soon." "Inuyasha, watch your mouth in front of Ish!" But Kagome didn't need to worry; Ish was busy trying to find her drawing on the other side of the room. They shared with Kaede their ideas for the baby's name and then Ish surprised Kagome by jumping on her lap and showed her the picture. It was what you would call 'modern art' where the figures were distorted and drawn unevenly, but to Kagome, it was the best drawing ever. It showed what she thought was Ish, holding hands with who she knew was Inuyasha because Ish had drawn doggie ears on him and colored him red, and Kagome, who was wearing what looked like a kimono. "Oh Ish, I love it!" "See mama, I drew us outside our house." "Well Ish, we should leave Kaede be and go home." Inuyasha said. "Okie dokie, Daddy." Ish bounded out of the hut as Inuyasha ran after her. Kagome lingered at the doorway and waited for Kaede. She waddled to the door and watched Inuyasha playing with Ish.

"Ye know child, ye are very lucky to have a family such as this." "I know Lady Kaede. We've had too many close calls. I must've scared Inuyasha close to a coronary a couple times." Kaede laughed lightly and said, "No child that tis not what I meant. I mean ye and Inuyasha are meant for each other. Poor child always needed someone to love him and I'd always known that ye were meant for the task. My sister wasn't right for him. They never had the trust that you two have. Tis a wonderful thing, love. Cherish it, for there are some that never know what it feels like." She said as she hobbled back into the cool hut. Kagome stood there, leaning against the door frame, contemplating what the wise old lady had said. She would cherish the special relationship she had and she always would. She was sure that there was no better father for her children than Inuyasha. He loved Ish deeply as he would with their next child and the ones that might come after it. She smiled as she walked over to her husband and daughter and announced that it was time to go. Ish stood up, followed by Inuyasha, who was brushing the dirt off of him. Kagome bent down to pick up Ish, then stood up as the little girl wrapped her small arms around her neck gently.

They started to walk home and were halfway there when Ish noticed her mother's messed up cheek. "Momma, what 'appened to your cheek?" she said as she touched it with her fingers. "Oh, that. Well, momma got hurt again." "Is the demon gone now?" "You know Ish, you're too smart for your age." "I know." "Yes the demons gone Ish. Daddy took care of it." Inuyasha answered. "Good. I don't want nobody to hurt my momma or daddy." "No Ish, from now on, no one will." "What about the baby?" Inuyasha butted in. Kagome shot him another 'look' and his ears drooped. "Uh, you know what, never mind." They reached the house and went inside to the warm smell of the flowers that Ish had picked earlier that week. "Ah, home at last." Kagome said with a sigh of relief. "You know Ish's birthday is coming in a couple of months. She'll be a big three year old. Just think. It's been almost 5 years since you killed Akhei. Can you believe it?" "Not really; it's all been like a dream to me." "Yeah me too." Kagome didn't want to wake up from this dream in reality (oxymoron) ever.

2 MONTHS LATER…

"Oh my god Kagome!" Sango yelled as everyone in the hut looked at the two girls sitting at the table. Kagome grinned as she watched Sango's shocked face. "You're pregnant!" she squealed. Kagome nodded, still smiling. "Wow. I'm going to be an Aunt again! Does Miroku know?" "I think Inuyasha's telling him now."

"So, any new news?" Miroku asked, watching Ish and Ryoku playing with Shippo on the floor. "Yeah, we're expecting another kid." "Ah, that's why my dear Sango injured our ears. I've been thinking about having another as well." "How've you been dealing with the whole 'no girls' thing?" "Actually, I'm doing great. Once I broke the habit, it has been a lot easier to not look at other women. Now, I belong to only one." "What's her name?" Miroku rolled his eyes and looked at his friend. "You really are an idiot." He said as he stood up and walked over to talk with the girls. "What? What'd I say now!" Inuyasha asked, confused. The girls giggled and Kagome mentally tallied the scores. Miroku-1, Inuyasha-0. Sango and Miroku were here for a few weeks to visit. Kagome was glad that her best friend was here with her. She wished that this feeling of content would last forever.

6 ½ MONTHS LATER

Sango came out of the room and shut the door quietly. She strode over to where Inuyasha and Ish were laying against the wall, asleep. "Inuyasha, wake up." She whispered, shaking him. His eyes snapped open and focused in the candle lit hut on Sango. "Wha' is it?" "It's Kagome." Inuyasha stood up, now fully awake. "What happened? Is she alright?" "She's fine and congratulations, you have another daughter." He smiled in the darkness and headed towards the door and opened it noiselessly. "Kagome?" He whispered. "Over here." He heard a weak voice answer. He walked to where his wife was laying in their bed, smiling at the little bundle in her arms with affection. To him, she was at the most beautiful he had ever seen her. Her pale face was illuminated by the candlelight and her shiny hair was pulled back into a low ponytail that was hanging over her shoulder and there was sweat clinging onto her forelocks from childbirth. "Come here Inu and see your daughter. You'll be surprised." Inuyasha walked over and saw the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen looking back at him. His daughter's eyes were brown mixed with gold and he was surprised when he saw two fuzzy silver ears peeking out at him from the top of her head. "I have the perfect name too." Kagome said proudly. "What?" "Zenbi." (Beautiful. Again, Japanese-English Online Dictionary) "That's a great name! So Zenbi it is." "You can get Sango and Ish now if you want." Inuyasha nodded and left to wake up Ish. Kagome recognized the new feeling of never wanting to leave the child in her arms. She didn't think she could ever love her family more. "Just look at how adorable Zen is!" she thought. "I couldn't love her more. I miss her. That's ridiculous; I'm holding her, and I miss her! But that's how much I love her." Her thoughts were interrupted when the door creaked open and Inuyasha came in, carrying Ish. "Hey sweetie." Kagome said as Inuyasha sat Ish on the edge of the bed next to Kagome. Ish looked at the small baby and grinned. "This is my new shisuta?" "Yes Ish. You know, you were like this when you were born." "I had doggie ears!" she squealed. "What happened to them? Why don't I have doggie ears!" She whined. "Ish, you never had doggie ears. You just weren't as lucky as Zen was, but you still turned out beautiful. Ish, do you know what your name means?" "No, but why don't I have…" Ish was silenced when Kagome put a finger against her lips. "Ishoku means uniqueness. Ish, we named you that for a reason. You are unique in your own way. You have beautiful brown hair and gorgeous golden eyes. Ish, you're different, but in a good way. Tell me, how many children have you seen with golden eyes the color of honey mixed with the sun?" "None." "And how many have brown hair?" "All of them have black hair." "Exactly. Ish don't you see? You're you, and that's what makes you special to us." "Oh. Okie Dokie momma, know I love my hair." After the 'conversation' Ish continued looking and marveling at her little sister's absolutely adorable dog ears. After Sango had taken Ish out to go back to sleep, Inuyasha brought up a chair next to the bed. "Wow." He said, looking at Kagome "What?" "Nothing, it's just, you've gone through childbirth twice, ouch, and yet you're still beautiful." "Well is it supposed to make me ugly? Cause by the time we have all of our children, I'll probably be the ugliest thing alive." "I'd still love you though." "I guess that's something I'll have to look forward to. Now go away, Zen needs to breastfeed." "Okay, I'll leave you to be." He said as he kissed her and silently shut the door. Kagome smiled and stared at the beautiful baby in her arms. Zen started to cry and Kagome replied, "Welcome to the world. It's tough like that. You're gonna love it."

Well, the story's done, and I hope you enjoyed it' it's my first completed story. Let me know if you want a sequel and maybe there will be. Until then, R & R with my other stories, "Happy Endings?" and "The Battle Continues". I'm sry if it seems like Kagome got or gets hurt too much and if, when she did, it didn't sound like Inuyasha cared much, but I was aiming for that feeling you get -like you're about to cry, but you don't- and I'm not sure if I achieved that. Thanks to all my reviewers and hope to c ya in my other stories!