Disclaimer: I still don't own Inuyasha and its characters.

Chapter Thirteen: Invincible

"Ayame? Can you do some magic and make this baby appear outside my belly right now?" Kagome begged after nineteen hours of labour. In the beginning, it had been bearable, her contraction coming every ten minutes and she was prepared. But then, as the hours passed, the contractions became more frequent, and the pressure between her legs increased. Nineteen hours of that was too much. Why this baby didn't hurry up and get out of her vagina?!

She was leaning against her mother and was sweating profusely; she didn't even have the voice to scream anymore. She just wanted to get on with it and forget about having a baby for the next 200 years.

Inuyasha had been shooed away a couple of hours before because he had threatened one of the nurses, and Ayame had said he had lasted more than she expected. Now, his brother and Koga were holding him under the threat of a sedative.

"Well, no one had ever asked me that, you know? It would be interesting, but no, I can't do that. Think positive, at least this time you have the drugs; next time you won't have so much luck," she said, referring to future pregnancies in the past.

Another contraction hit her. "Uuh, Ayamee! The only reason I don't fry your ass right now it's because you're my fucking doctor. You should comfort me, not scare me," she started crying. "I'll let you know it's hard to keep my powers in check. Don't let me slip." She gritted her teeth due to another contraction. "Why my contractions are so close, and I'm not dilated enough?"

"You won't have to wait much longer. You're almost there. Then it comes the best part," Ayame explained half ironically.

"Can't you do that for me, instead?" she begged again.

"I'm sorry, Kagome-chan, I already had my share," she answered with an apologetic smile.

"It's not fair! You're a demon; you don't suffer as we weak humans do." Another contraction hit her.

"The big though priestess is afraid of labour but not of demons trying to kill her. Typical!" laughed the wolf demoness. But in all honesty, she couldn't imagine what humans felt during labour. Sure, not even for demonesses was painless, but every time she helped a human give birth, it was always with a lot of cries, pain and threats to the father.

"Mom?" Kagome raised her head and looked at Kaori. "What about you? Can't you do that? And Inuyasha? Ayame, do you think we can switch bodies for the time being? It's only his fault I'm in this condition," she groaned and then swore. "I hope his cute little dog ears still work because I'm going to sit him 'til the end of the world!"

Slam.

"That's funny, dog breath," Koga said, laughing his head off. "It has been centuries since I last see you being sat. I missed it."

"SHUT UP! It's not funny. Couldn't you stay at home, mangy wolf?" he growled.

It was really fun, and other demons in the hospital were looking at the scene unfolding with curiosity and hilarity.

"And missing out all the fun? Not a chance!" The wolf demon smirked.

"It won't be long now, little brother, " Sesshomaru added. "Try to show more self-control. Your behaviour is not becoming of our family."

Inuyasha got up and started pacing again. "I'll show you the self-control," he threatened. "Dammit! Why it always takes so long?" Maybe he shouldn't have laughed so hard at Miroku last month. Better to fill the exteriors of his hut than to come to sit as he listened to his mate's screams of pain.

"For the last time, boy, births are long," Gramps explained, exhausted. "Firstborns take even longer. You have no idea how long I've waited for my son to be born. And then I sat on a chair like this for 29 hours for Kagome. Now, sit down," Inuyasha flinched unconsciously at the command, "or I'll find a way to control that nice necklace of yours."

"Grampa can be very scary when he wants to," Sota shivered.

For some minutes, there was a blessed peace, and then...

"There's not gonna be a surprise, right?" Inuyasha asked, suddenly pale. How could he deal with twins? He had seen how stressed Sango was with Emi and Kimiko. He didn't even know how to care about one pup, let alone one.

"What do you mean, Inuyasha?" Rin inquired.

"She can't have twins too, right?"

They all laughed. "Of course no, you would have known if it was the case," she replied.

"Come on, Kagome, only one more, you are doing fine," Ayame encouraged; she saw a head full of silver hair.

"Uh. I'm not gonna do this shit ever again..." she screamed, trying to push harder than she actually could.

"It's almost over, dear, don't worry," her mother soothed, wiping her forehead with a towel.

"Just another one, I need a big one, Kagome-chan," Ayame repeated

"Do you think I'm not trying?" she shouted back. "It's fucking hard! I'm already pushing harder."

"That's it... here he comes!" Ayame shouted once the shoulders were out.

One last push, and then there were wails. Kagome collapsed against her mother, exhausted. "Is it over?" Her eyes closed tightly, trying to regain some breath.

"We just need to deal with the afterbirth; it's almost done," Ayame told her.

A nurse washed the pup, wrapped him in a blue blanket and gave the baby to the mother, who took it with uncertain hands. "Here's your son, Mrs. Taisho. Make sure you hold the head like this," she said.

"He's beautiful," Kagome whispered, tears falling on her cheeks. "Hey, little one, I'm your mom. I promise you we'll have fun together." He had a tuft of silver hair, just like his father, human ears and his mother facial features. His eyes were still closed, but Kagome was hoping they were golden.

She was so enraptured by the little bundle that she didn't even notice her mother's place had been taken by her mate. "Kagome..." he whispered against her ear, unable to say more. She raised her gaze towards him.

"Inuyasha, look at what we've done," she murmured. "Isn't he the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?"

"Just like you, koishii," he said, kissing her on the top of the head and wrapping his arms around both of them. Suddenly, he was struck by all the responsibility he now had towards that little creature, and just as Kagome had seconds before, he vowed to take care of him as best as he could - of him and his mother. He would make sure he would never have a childhood like his. This pup depended on him, and he would never disappoint him.

As they had their little family reunion, they heard cries coming from the other side of the room. It was her grandfather. The others laughed, waiting for the right moment to approach the new family.

"Do you want to hold him, Gramps?" Kagome asked, unfolding the blanket. With how excited he had been in those last months, it was the only right to do.

Mr. Higurashi slowly approached, still trying to stop the waterworks, and when he finally came closer, they heard a gasp coming from him.

"What is it, Gramps?"Kagome asked worriedly. More tears welled up in his eyes; he took him from his mother's arms and brought him at eye level.

"Oh, Kagome, child. He's perfect. He looks just like your father the day he was born. I remember as if it was yesterday, and your grandmother was at your place. Well, minus all the silver hair. It's the first time I see all this hair on a newborn..." he chuckled, more cries falling down his face.

Inuyasha dried the new tears appearing on Kagome's cheeks. "Really, Gramps?" she asked. He nodded.

"He's going to be a tough little guy, this one; I can see it. And you'll be able to see Daichi in him someday too," he predicted proudly. "After all, he's a Higurashi."

"He's a Taisho," Sesshomaru interrupted cooly; he had already had lots of fights with the old man about that. He could be more stubborn than Inuyasha. The dai-youkai didn't know how they managed to live under the same roof. "What are you going to name him, little brother?"

Inuyasha looked at his mate, then took his son from his great-grandfather's arms and held him for the first time. Kagome nodded encouragingly. "His name is Muteki," he declared, smiling affectionately. The pup chose that moment to open his eyes and gaze into the almost identical ones of his father. In the end, Kagome had had her wish; a cute little boy just like his father, minus the ears. "Do you agree, pup?" he asked, caressing his cheek with the knuckles of his right hand.

"He has father's blood, and he's going to have his mother spiritual powers. Indeed, he will be invincible," Sesshomaru stated. "A fitting choice, Inuyasha."

"Welcome, Muteki, and good luck with your father," Kagome cooed.

More clicks were heard. "He's gonna need all the luck of this world with you two as parents," Nibori snickered. He had been taking pictures and video since the moment he had stepped into the room.

"Good job, mutt. At least, for now, you won't be surrounded by females." Everyone laughed at that. "Kagome, I'd be careful if I were you; make sure he doesn't become hot-tempered like his father." Koga winked.

"Keh. You're the one to talk, mangy wolf."

They laughed, enjoying the moment.

Everyone had left the room, and Kagome had just experienced her first time nursing. Ayame had said she would get used to it, but for now, it wasn't something comfortable; she just hoped he didn't develop little fangs while still nursing. Inuyasha had been glued to her side all the time, unable to look away.

"You think we're gonna be good parents, Koibito?" she asked Inuyasha, who was still mesmerized by the sight of his son. He was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Who would have thought he would have experienced the joy of being a father one day? Damn, he could even be the first half-demon to find a mate, let alone have a pup for what he knew.

"Uh? Oh yeah. Some bumps on the road, but we're gonna do it. And when we master the art of being parents, we'll start working on the second one," he smirked.

"Forget it, dog boy! I'm not letting anything out of my pussy for the next 300 years. That doesn't mean we can practice, however," she chuckled.

"What? 300 years? And how can we practice if you don't want any more now?" he looked appalled.

"The ways of the Lord are infinite," she answered cryptically.

"Lord? What Lord? What does he want with our sexual life?" he growled.

She rolled her eyes. "It's a saying, Inuyasha."

"Then speak clear, wench!" he harrumphed. She giggled and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"There are ways to prevent pregnancy, Koibito. So we can practice without the risk of getting another one," she explained.

"Hell yeah. That means that as soon as we get back at the shrine and this kid falls asleep, you and I are spending some time alone, koishii."

"Dream on, dog-boy," she said, nipping his dreams of glory in the bud.

"What? Why? You said there are those ways..." he trailed off. Had he to wait more?

"Yeah, but women have to heal after having a baby. We will have to wait from four to six weeks before we can get back to business. I'm sorry," she said apologetically.

"Keh. Hey, runt, " he said to his son, "you are already causing troubles, aren't you? First this, then you're gonna steal your mom's tits, and then... EWW, what's this smell?" He put a hand on his nose. "You see, Kagome? You're right; better wait another 400 years before we get another one."

She burst out laughing. "I'm glad you agree, Koibito. Now go change your son diaper; the nurse will show you how."

"Why me?" he cried resigned and took the pup from his mother's arms, holding him as far as he could.

"Because his mother had been all day in labour to get him here, and now she's tired," she giggled at the look of dismay on Inuyasha's face.

"This is gonna be fun," she thought.

"This is gonna be hard," Kagome thought when she got up for the umpteenth time that night. "I don't remember Sango's twins behaving like this. Am I the lucky one?"

Kagome and Inuyasha had immediately discovered that Muteki wasn't the quiet type at all. He usually woke up at least four times at night demanding his feed, screaming as if someone was trying to murder him and promptly waking up the whole household. They both didn't sleep at all the first week after his birth, and even Inuyasha was starting to show signs of exhaustion, and it was saying a lot since he was used to not sleeping for nights. Evidently, lack of sleep and a screaming pup were a deadly pair.

Kagome wasn't fairing well at all. After the second night, Inuyasha had caught her falling asleep as she nursed Muteki, and he had started monitoring her every time she woke up to feed him at night, fearing she could let the pup fall unconsciously. That led to a crying fit the morning after, due to the lack of sleep too. Kagome thought that, if she couldn't even look after her son as she fed him, then she wasn't good at all. It had taken both his and her mother reassurance that what she was experiencing was perfectly normal for a new mother to make her calm down. Inuyasha had brought her to bed and tried to soothe the pup who was screaming again, this time because, apparently, someone had tied his diaper too tight. After racking his brains out trying to understand what was wrong, he had decided to change him, even if he didn't smell at all, and only then had Muteki stopped crying. The relief hadn't lasted much longer anyway because, after half an hour, he had started demanding food again. It had taken much effort to convince him to drink the milk Kagome had previously prepared was good; he didn't like it if he didn't drink it directly from his mother. Eventually, all the ruckus had woken Kagome up, and the pup had avidly demanded her mother. He had also got his father appetite because he requested his milk every two hours like clockwork.

That day they had been back to the village for the first time after Muteki's birth, saying goodbye to her family with good luck wishes and much relief from his brother and grandfather. The whole village had been there to congratulate them, but they had immediately realized how much like his father the pup really was. She only hoped he would eventually change and become calmer. Finally alone with their friends, they told them how much difficult he was being. The first night it also seemed like he wanted to wake the entire village up with his screaming. Who knows, maybe the headman would decide to shoo them away after all if he didn't let the villagers have the rest. Thank God they had built the hut on the edge of the forest.

She yawned and was on her way to the crib when Shippo surprised her and brought Muteki to her. "I think I'm going to sleep to Kaede tonight. My ears are going to fall if I hear another scream," he yawned too and then waved them good luck. Inuyasha was behind her, supporting her while she adjusted the pup's grip on her breast, which was very much sore after only one week of mistreating.

"I don't know how in the seven hells I'm gonna manage to do this after I start going back to school again," she sighed. "Look at me! I barely manage to look at myself in the mirror after a night like this," she cried.

"Both your mother and Kaede had told us that the pup is only trying to find his own rhythm. Then he will settle, and we will be able to sleep a little more. If not, we'll use that thing you used that one time to take your milk, and I'll feed him once so you can sleep a little longer."

"It's a pity he won't take it," she murmured.

"He'll drink it once he understands he can't have you. We can't start giving in just after a week. You need to sleep, koi, it's not good for you. You have school, and you'll have to go back to study with Kaede too, eventually. I'm a half-demon and have fewer duties than you; I can manage with less sleep."

The morning after, the few villagers who lived in the outskirts of the village, near their hut, looked more tired than usual, and Kagome sent them apologetic smiles while she was heading to Sango with Muteki in a baby carrier.

When the time arrived for her to come back to school a month later, Inuyasha and Kagome had established a working routine to make sure she could attend her classes without so many problems. She had taken the exam she was required to the week before but had barely gotten a passing grade. Maybe if her son had humoured her when she had tried to make him fall asleep, she could have received a better mark too.

Luckily for them, Muteki had really found his rhythm and started waking up less during the night but still preferred to sleep more during the day. However, if she fed him just before she left for school, and Inuyasha made him drink the milk she had previously prepared, they could survive the morning and arrive at the afternoon still alive. Ayame had gotten her the authorization to get out of school at lunchtime because of her still debilitated state. Her appearance on this first day back could actually back up her story. Kagome had also decided to stay at the shrine when she had a lot to study, that way, she could hope to find a semblance of peace that was impossible to find in Kaede's village most of the time.

She was at the school gates, shoulder slumped down, looking utterly dismayed when she heard voices behind her calling her name.

"Kagome, you're back!"

"Yuka, Eri, Ayumi, it's nice to see you again," she greeted them.

"How you are? Do you still suffer from beriberi?" Eri inquired.

"We didn't hear from you since last time when you told us the doctor ordered you some time off to heal. Did it work?" Ayumi asked.

"Did you stay in Beppu with Inuyasha?" pried Yuka with gleaming eyes.

"I'm fine. No, I don't suffer from beriberi anymore. It worked. Yes, I stayed at Inuyasha's," she answered all their questions at once.

"We missed you so much. Now that you are back, we can start going out together again. We also have a new girl in class, but she is so full of herself it's impossible to befriend her. She had gone out with half of the males in the school, and now she believes herself the queen of the institute," Yuka scoffed, crossing her arms.

"You should also see how she gets dressed. She still wore her school uniform but had shortened her skirt and widened the neckline of her shirt to show more cleavage," Eri added.

"She isn't very nice, Kagome-chan. Just wait, she will eventually notice you because you had already left when she arrived," Ayumi explained.

"Oh, God! Just what I need, petty business. Did school always been like this? I guess that fighting evil demons and having a child at sixteen did change your priority."

Just as Ayumi had predicted, Kagome hadn't even put a foot in her classroom when the new girl, a curvy black-haired girl who indeed showed too much flesh for being at school, questioned her being in that class. Kagome mentally scoffed. Did this girl really think to be some kind of ruler here?

"Excuse me?" she asked in disbelief.

"Who are you?" the new girl inquired quite rudely, looking at her from head to toe. She didn't even let them enter the class, and the bell was going to ring soon.

"And who would like to know?" Kagome inquired back, looking back at her defiantly.

"Look, sweetie, I don't want to lose time. This is my class, and I decide who is going to pass or not," she stated rather smugly.

Kagome burst out into laughter, "Is she serious?" she asked her friends. They shrugged; they did expect some kind of welcome, sure something but not this.

If new-girl thought she could bend her like she was some kind of wimp she had chosen the wrong day. She'd rather still be in her bed, but she had to start school again after a seven months break and surely didn't want to deal with some bitchy girlie who didn't even know how the world outside of those walls worked. She was already half-annoyed and could currently give her best if provoked. Behind the said girl, she noticed Kanako waving her inside. "Look, new-girl..." Kagome started, "the school is public, but even if it wasn't, they wouldn't put someone like you guarding the door; it would ruin their image." She smirked and bumped her in the shoulder before passing through the door.

When she reached her desk Kanako hugged her and started talking, "You did very well, Kagome-chan. No one had spoken to her like that before. She had been a thorn in the ass since the day she arrived halfway through the school year, just after you left. Her name is Fuyuko, and she thinks herself the best thing that happened to this school." She rolled her eyes.

"The girls already told me. Like I have time to deal with someone like her," Kagome snorted, sitting down and groaning at the sight of the school books.

"So... Since you finally came back, would you and Inuyasha come with us to the new club this weekend?" Kanako asked.

She sighed. Oh, how much she would like to forget the world right now. "Mmm... I'd love to, but I just came back home from Beppu, and I'm still very tired. The doctor suggested I avoid going anywhere besides the school for the first weeks," she explained.

"It's a pity, Kagome-Chan. You can never relax because of your poor health," Ayumi stated in dismay.

"If only you knew, Ayumi, if only you knew."

Yuka squealed and clapped her hands, "We could do something for your birthday, Kagome! Isn't it in two weeks?"

"Uhm yeah," she nodded without enthusiasm. Great, now what? Bring squealing girls in a house where a newborn lived?

"It's settled then. We will do it at the shrine; I'm sure your mother won't have problems with that," Eri decided.

"Yeah, no problem."

"What is it now?" Inuyasha growled, "you fed him less than an hour ago." If he only thought about how this pup was acting, he dared not imagine what he had been like as a child. How on hell had his mother managed on her own?

"I don't know, Inuyasha, can you go see? I'm almost finished with math." Almost. She bumped her head on the book. She was about to make the next problem when she heard Muteki screaming much louder than before. She hastily got up and reached their bedroom.

"Inuyasha?" she asked tentatively.

He was there, holding up in the hair their screaming son who was trying to claw at his face, with black hair, brown eyes and clawless hands. She looked outside the hut and noticed the absence of the moon. The new moon; they had completely forgotten it. Plus, it was the first time Muteki saw his father like that. He didn't recognize him because he kept screaming murder, sniffing at him and crying for her mother or father.

"Well, it seemed I won't finish my math homework tonight, after all," she thought, sighing for the umpteenth time.

"Shh, sweetie, I'm here," she cooed while taking him from his father arms and cradling him. "We forgot, mmm?"

"Yeah, and he doesn't like me as a human."

As soon as Muteki was in his mother's embrace, he stopped crying. If it wasn't for Inuyasha's pout and Muteki's cries, she would have said that the situation was rather comical. Kagome couldn't even come nearer to Inuyasha that her son started screaming again. When he finally settled down again, the couple could finally go back to bed. Kagome hugged her mate from behind and said, "I guess he's still too little to realize you're his father, even if changed. Now you have another person who would always prefer you as a half-demon." She kissed him on the tip of his nose and smiled, "How much do you think this problem will last?"

"Give him three or four months maximum, and he should come around; his sense should be enough developed to recognize me as his father, or I hope. On a positive note, at least whit those weak ears, I won't go deaf because of his screams. I think I heard Shippo leave the house to go to Kaede's again," he harrumphed. "He definitely got his voice from you," he chuckled, "I remember when you used to scream at me during the hunt."

She elbowed him in the ribs. "Yeah, because you were always the quiet one, uh?" Kagome retaliated.

With time she started her lessons with Kaede's too, and the young miko discovered that she relaxed during those. The calm Kaede emanated helped her release the stress she accumulated during the day. The same could be said about her son because he never once complained about his position on his mother's back, and he only fussed when he needed to eat or be changed. It was a sight, the usually over-animated pup being so quiet, so strange that the first time it happened, she worried something wrong was with him. According to Kaede, this was likely a good omen, especially if Muteki would show signs of spiritual powers with time.

"Won't his demon blood be some sort of hindrance to his powers, Kaede-obaa-chan?" Kagome had then promptly asked.

"Nothing is sure, child. Ye and Inuyasha are certainly the first ones to have a son special like him. I never heard of a quarter demon before; that itself could be considered a miracle. Not many half-demon are so lucky to have children. But Inuyasha had even had a son with you, a priestess with an incredible amount of power. However, I'm inclined to say his blood won't obstacle the power he had likely received from you. The amount of demon blood it's too low to do that, so in time he would just need to separate them and learn to use the two sides of him at the best he can. Both you and Inuyasha will have to train him. I'd say more; this child would probably never have any problems controlling his demon blood. It may be still powerful because of his grandfather, but your blood will act as a seal if a problem should arise, much like the Tessaiga does for Inuyasha," the old priestess concluded.

"I sure hope it's like you say, Kaede-obaa-chan," Kagome replied, nodding. She didn't want to think about her son losing himself to his demon blood, much like his father had done in the past. They had never thought of it as a possibility.

In the end, her friends had organized her birthday party and tried to invite a bunch of people she didn't even know. She had put her foot down and said that being surrounded by a lot of people couldn't be good for her health – she started to sound like gramps, making up those kinds of excuses – so they decided to invite only Kanako and her friends. Hojo had also come, but he had left less than an hour after, once he realized the looks Inuyasha, Sesshomaru and Koga were giving him. It had been amusing. Apparently, Inuyasha had explained who the wimp was, and they didn't appreciate his presence.

"If only could I reveal the wimp I am a demon. It surely would be fun looking at him wetting his pants," Inuyasha and Koga both sighed.

She had worried about Muteki and her friends finding out the truth, but for some kind of miracle, he had cried less than usual, and every time Sesshomaru had managed to calm him down. The dog demon had smirked at Inuyasha, showing him how Muteki appreciated his presence. "Jealous much, little brother?" he had asked. Inuyasha had snorted. "As if! He is still too little to understand how much of a bastard you are, hmph!"

Was it any wonder her friends then thought him to be Sesshomaru's son? Inuyasha had tried to correct them, but a well-placed nudge from both Kagome and Rin had shut him up. It was better this way, they had said; make them believe he's only a nephew, and they won't wonder about his likeness with Inuyasha if they saw the two of them alone by chance.

Shin had even asked Sesshomaru if he really was the same business guy that that man in the club had been referring to. When the dai-youkai had glared at him, he had shut his trap and come back to the others. He had his answer, and the man clearly didn't like to be approached.

At the end of the day, Kagome and Inuyasha had privately celebrated their second anniversary.

Kagome had just come back from school when Muteki's cries welcomed her. Inuyasha had left him to her mother this morning because he had to exorcise a possessed demon in the village three hours away from theirs and had gone with Miroku. They would have been away for the whole afternoon too.

"Mom? Grandpa? Sota? What's happening?" she asked worriedly.

She found her grandfather in the living room trying to soothe a distressed quarter-demon. She took him and started controlling his diaper. Nothing. She tried to nurse him. Nothing. Put him in the crib again. Nothing.

"Why he's crying, Gramps?" she said, looking at him sternly.

"Why do you think I did something?"

"I'm not implying anything, Grampa. I'm just asking you because Mom is upstairs, and you were the only one here when Muteki started crying."

He harrumphed and then answered, "I may or may not have picked him up from his crib while he was still sleeping."

Kagome gaped. "What?" she hissed, "You can't do that, grampa!" she scolded him while bouncing her son, trying to calm his cries. "One would think that, after all these years, having raised both your son and his children, you knew something like this." She gave him the hairy eyeball, and he sweated.

"I'm sorry ok? He was so peaceful and beautiful, and he reminded me so much of your father, look," he said, showing her a picture. "I also found this one to prove it. I thought, maybe, he would have liked to be cuddled by his favourite grandfather, he won't be forever here because you and the boy will leave and..." he rambled on with some difficulty.

"Grampa," she spitted out from gritted teeth, "When babies are so peaceful you leave them alone, otherwise this," she pointed out to her still crying son, "is what you get!" She harrumphed and was about to start climbing the stairs to go upstairs in her room when she changed idea turned over, and said, "Besides, you're the only grandfather he has; you can't talk of a favourite!"

That night both Kagome and Inuyasha were back at the village and laid on their futon. Inuyasha was laughing at what happened earlier at the shrine.

"You wouldn't be laughing if you were the one who got to calm down Muteki!" she said sternly.

He frowned, "You're right, I wouldn't, but I would also have thumped the old geezer on his head, and you always say that I have to be nicer with him," he smirked. He hugged her from behind and put his head in the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent that now was a little bit hidden by Muteki's baby scent. "It has already been more than three months, koishi. You were afraid you wouldn't survive the first week, yet here we are," he murmured, nuzzling her.

"Well, I almost didn't, if you recall the first month. Who would have thought that having a baby can be more difficult than fighting Naraku?" she reasoned, "But then again, it's not every baby, just ours. Sango and Miroku have two, and Miroku is always so rested and refreshed in the morning that I would think he doesn't even have two newborn babies."

"I'd swear it's not because the twins are little angels, but because Sango is the only one who gets up during the night. Miroku has always been the lazy one of the group."

"I guess I'm the lucky one then. I have a mate who helps me every night and changes the diapers when I'm too tired, even if his nose is much more sensitive than mine," she cooed and then turned over to kiss him, her tongue stroking his bottom lip to seek entrance.

"Yes, you are. Yes, you are," he answered before returning the kiss with more passion, cupping her neck to tilt her head, change the angle and take control of the kiss. It didn't take long for them to engage in other activities. They had learned well that one must take advantage of every moment free from cries not only to sleep but also to rediscover each other's bodies.

A/N: In the next chapter finally there will be a particular development that will lay the groundwork for a major breakthrough.