Disclaimer: I do not own 'Inuyasha' or any of its characters.

A/N: From this chapter on, we are taking a little step into the future, circa six years later. There is adult content that had been removed to conform to the site's rules. The original version can be found on AO3.

Chapter Thirty-Five: Life goes on

The sun was almost down and men in the quiet village at the edge of Inuyasha's forest were starting to collect their tools and leave the camps to go home to their wives. The two priestesses, one still very young and the other rather old and slightly shorter, had two baskets with them and were still picking herbs; the men bowed to them before going home. When the older one seemed to have some problems, the younger one hastily approached her and helped her to stand up, a hand on her lower back supporting her.

"Kaede-obaa-chan, I told you you shouldn't keep doing this. The boys and I have enough hands to collect everything we need. Why don't you go home? It's almost sunset. I'll send Inuyasha to bring the other share when he comes back," Kagome told her mentor.

"Aye child, maybe ye are right. The back is giving me some problems lately, thank ye," Kaede agreed before leaving her alone in the field. Kagome followed the old priestess with her eyes, a frown on her pretty face, until it was possible and then sighed. Kaede could be stubborn too when she wanted; she wasn't so young anymore and couldn't keep doing certain chores that aggravated her health. Even if she was still very much alive and kicking compared to other elders of the village, it didn't mean she should make more effort than necessary. She had all the help she needed.

Kagome turned over when she was certain that Kaede had arrived near her hut and then started looking for her two little helpers. She caught sight of two little silver heads bent over catching some herbs and sniffing and reached them. When they noticed her presence behind them they turned to her and exclaimed at the same time:

"Mama, I got plenty of the herbs you asked for."

"Mommy, I got more!"

They were pushing each other, the arms full of herbs, trying to impress their mother and prevail on the other. Kagome giggled at their show and hastily moved to settled them, knowing well how to do it.

"You've done a great job, both of you," she praised them. She ruffled the hair of the younger one and winked at the older of the two. She helped them put some of the herbs inside her basket and Muteki hurried to take it from her arms, eager to help her. Kagome took Toga's little hand in hers and they started walking towards their home.

It had been almost six years since the day Kagome wished the sacred jewel away and the bone-eater's well had stopped working. Kagome was now twenty-four years old and had taken Kaede's place as head miko, even if she kept training with both she and Miroku. She believed there was always something new to learn or something other to master. Kaede had proclaimed she didn't have anything more to learn, that she had taught her everything she knew, but Kagome still found peace during their lessons, especially when they find their time to meditate together.

Shortly after the well closed, Inuyasha had told Kagome she was pregnant again and she had found out that she was already some weeks along. Apparently, she had forgotten to take the pill because of the stress due to the wedding's preparations and the final exams; since they didn't use any other kind of protection she had easily got pregnant again.

It had been another shock at first because she wasn't planning on having another baby in some decades since she figured they had all the time of this world and Muteki was still a toddler causing troubles. But she had settled as soon as she had noticed the joy and pride in Inuyasha's eyes and when she realized that at least this time she didn't have school to attend or friends to lie to. The half-demon was loving every moment as a father, despite the bad days, and couldn't have been happier. Overall, he was doing a good job, even though he had never had a fatherly figure himself.

Sango and Miroku had been overjoyed too since it was the second time the two women got pregnant shortly after the other; these babies could grow up together too. Three months later Sango had given birth to her first son, Miroku had called him Hisui; this time the delivery last much less and Miroku didn't cover his front door with plenty of sutras.

A little over four months later Hisui's birth, Kagome had given birth to another son she had insisted they called Toga when Sesshomaru - who had been adamant about being present much to everyone surprise - had said that the pup's shade of eyes reminded him of his late father. Toga had the same silver hair and golden eyes as the other men of the family and his mother's smile. However, Inuyasha and Kagome swiftly realized the pup took after Inuyasha character-wise.

While Muteki had calmed down and found his rhythm soon after the first hard months and now he had a calmer and more collected demeanour that resemble Sesshomaru more than Inuyasha most of the time - he was still a child and Inuyasha certainly didn't want his son to be a creepy replica of his brother so he kinda encouraged him to be rebellious - Toga quickly proved to be a troublemaker and took to emulating his father in every way, especially when it came to pouting and complaining. Kagome loved his little pout and his show of affection, he was what in her time they used to call a mamma boy and wasn't ashamed to show it. While Inuyasha was really satisfied that at least his second son didn't want to look like his stuck-up brother, he still used to complain when Toga tried to steal his time with his mate.

In the first year and a half, it had been very difficult to find some alone time when Toga threw one of his tantrums or cried because he wanted his momma. When Inuyasha couldn't stand this wimpy behaviour anymore - because no son of his would grow up a weakling and he needed to learn soon to be a man - he had promptly ordered Muteki to teach his little brother how it worked in their household: Mommy and daddy's alone time couldn't be interrupted. Shippo had laughed his head off and Kagome had been tempted to sit him hundreds of times but then stopped when she had realized that it could have been good to be able to breathe without a clingy pup who cried as soon as she tried to put him down.

When Koga usually came to the village to visit them, he liked to make fun of Inuyasha because one of his sons was learning to resemble his cold brother and pitied Kagome because Toga took after his father. "You're gonna have your hands full with a son like that, Kagome," he had commented once. Inuyasha had wanted to beat his ass off but then had remembered what Koga's fate was and cracked up.

Koga had already mated Ayame by then and they already had a little girl, the first one of many. Inuyasha had wiped his eyes and approached the wolf demon, putting a hand around his shoulder in an amiable way - a move that had earned him some strange looks from everyone present but Kagome - and had proclaimed, "Don't worry wolfy, you'll have your share." His head inclined towards the cub sleeping in her mother's arms.

Both of their sons, despite having inherited their father's demonic looks had shown spiritual powers before Inuyasha and Sesshomaru even had the chance to probe their demonic ones. First, they had discovered the whole truth about Muteki's inquisitive looks as soon as he had started speaking more and better. He could really discern one's true intentions or pureness of heart, he only needed to look the person in the eyes and could it without even knowing how.

In the beginning, it had been faint but Kaede had proclaimed that if trained, Muteki could even reach the depth of one's soul. Everyone had been shocked and Miroku had told that even if it was rare, legends spoke about this peculiar gift. It was like reading one's aura but in a different way.

It could be really useful, but at the same time they had to be careful and not everyone was to know about it.

The first time they had suspected something like that could be possible, Muteki was only two years old and was with his pregnant mother when two men had approached her to ask her and the headman consent to settle in the village. They looked innocuous and hard worker, that's why the headman had had no real reasons to deny their request. Young men weren't many in their village and these had told them that their home village had been burnt down by brigands and their families hadn't survived.

They had heard of a peaceful and quiet village east of the forest and were hoping to start a new life there. But before the headman could accept them, Muteki, who had been silently observing them from below, had started shouting "Bad men, bad men" in a panicked way that was unusual for him. He had even tried to pull his mother away with his tiny hands and had attracted a little crowd.

During the whole conversation, the men hadn't cared about the kid and dismissed him the first time, when Muteki had looked at them. He was still very short and Kagome was holding him by his hand; it was easy to ignore him. However, when they had focused on the source of the ruckus their face scrunched and showed clear signs of disdain because of the pup's colour of eyes and hair. Kagome, who had tried to soothe him and find out the reason for his sudden distress, had noticed and stiffened. The headman had then proceeded to explain to them that in that village they bore no ill towards demons and that the protector was a very esteemed half-demon who had been living there for years with his family. If they wanted to live among them, they had to accept their ways too. Without a word, the two left and never came back.

Two days later a messenger from another village three hours away from theirs, had reached them and warned against two men whose descriptions corresponded to the young ones who had sought refuge. The man had explained to them that they had been travelling this way for weeks after they had been banished from their old village where they had been abusing young and unmarried girls for months before someone had dared to spoke. The headman of that village had sent some messengers towards other villages to warn them and news had been spreading.

That night, Inuyasha's group had reflected on the occurrence and the way Muteki had been adamant about his mother leaving the bad men. He had peered through their souls and saw the darkness they harboured, just like previous persons had claimed when the pup had observed them. Miroku had then exposed his theory based on legends he had read about during his training. If something like this was true, Muteki needed to be trained and warned. In the future, in no other case would he have to reveal what he discovered at the end of his analysis. They could not allow others to find out about his gift or him to proclaim his disdain for someone publically.

A couple of years later, Muteki had started meditating with his mother and Miroku and now, at seven years olds, the monk was sure he could even start practice to learn how to create a defensive barrier. Usually, people with spiritual powers started training as children and just because that hadn't been Kagome's case, it didn't mean Muteki couldn't start now. After all, Inuyasha and Kagome had been warned when Muteki was still a pup: every child of them would have to be trained carefully from both sides; learn to fight with the father, learn to master the spiritual powers with the mother. That's why even Toga, at five years old, had already started meditating much like his older brother before him.

Since they were still children, Kagome didn't allow Inuyasha or Sesshomaru to train the children very hard, didn't matter how many times Inuyasha tried to convince her otherwise. Right now, they were still testing their strength and durability, to better understand how a quarter-demon was different from a half-demon, but it was still a long way. They couldn't do much while they were still young besides building their body little by little and wait for their real power to come to the surface, much like it happened with every demon or half-demons. Kagome certainly didn't want them to discover their strength the hard way as it had happened for Inuyasha.

In the end, life had been good for them in those last years, even if Kagome still missed her family on the other side sometimes, and they had loved every moment of it. They were happy in the village and Inuyasha and Miroku's extermination business was going really good allowing them to live a fine and wealthy life, even if Miroku and Sango currently had five children - they had had another girl and a boy after Hisui. They had had little trouble, even if sometimes it came to visit them in the village.

The family of four kept travelling back and forth to the West and people there had gotten used to them by now. The majority of them respected their position at court and Inuyasha could show what he really could do more than once. The number of dissents had definitely decreased after such display and fewer whispers could be heard now when they were staying at the palace.

However, Sesshomaru was still sure that Noboru was just biding his time and was very much inclined to strike again, sooner or later. He, along with his group and some others that still didn't appreciate the power Inuyasha had, hadn't liked Toga's introduction to court when he had been more or less six months old because it meant that the ningen was very much capable of filling the West with disgusting half-breeds. The dog demon had never seen his brother so much enraged like when he had heard the first of these rumours or when Muteki had told them, in his special way, that one demoness, who had warmly congratulated them only half an hour before, wasn't how she appeared.

The dai-youkai had been truly surprised since her family had always supported his father in every way and never condemned him because of Izayoi; he had thought that they could be safe with her when she had approached them. Evidently, this had changed when she had mated one who was close to Noboru's sphere of influence, even if not officially. The following morning the couple had foolishly tried to sneak up on them and Inuyasha hadn't had qualms about striking out at them, showing everyone what he could do if his family was threatened. He had killed the two of them in cold blood in front of everyone else, as his right stated; they had tried to kill his youngest and no one could oppose him.

Inuyasha's rage that first-time Muteki had been in peril hadn't served them as a warning but this time the attack had been easy to counter and predictable, plus the half-demon had been able to unload his anger on the culprits.

Afterwards, he had glared at Sesshomaru as if to say "do you see what I have to suffer because of you?". Yet they had stayed, they had continued to travel back and forth and, once again, it had been proven that the Inu-no-Taisho's family was untouchable.

Sesshomaru hadn't said much after the incident. He had merely looked down at his court with condescension and the smirk that always made Jaken cringe on his lips. The show Inuyasha had put on when he had killed the two demons responsible for the attack was enough of a warning; there hadn't been much more to add.

That, however, didn't mean Inuyasha hadn't been in a foul mood during the rest of their permanence at West. Although he had had his revenge, his aura hadn't settled; the demons had kept their distance and hadn't dared to approach him.

By now, everyone had learnt Inuyasha wasn't to trifle with. If that would have been enough to keep Noboru away, they couldn't predict.

His relationship with Sesshomaru had changed so much that if someone had told Inuyasha that someday the same demon who had tried to kill him plenty of times and rejected him just because of his mixed blood was going to trust him with his life, he would have thought they were making fun of him. The two had come a long way and their bond was surely much stronger than before. Sesshomaru still retained his usual icily demeanour, he was still far from the one they had met in their future, but he figured that they will have to wait centuries to see him more relaxed and affable.

Right now it wasn't what they need, they need his cold and most of the time conceited self. He was the first one to defend Inuyasha and his family with such vehemence, that demons around him sometimes still wondered about this change of heart. The ones that believed the dog demon would have turned back to this old hateful self had been proved wrong; his attachment towards his half-brother kept growing. No one could speak ill of them in his presence and opponents had learnt to do it out of his earshot, even if Sesshomaru was still very aware of who didn't appreciate his brother's presence in the West. As long as they didn't plan anything, he couldn't do so much but he could enjoy their sour faces when Inuyasha showed at court and started being all arrogant and brazen with them. The only ones who had dared to try and attack them had met their end very quickly and Sesshomaru had seen the surprise on Tai's face when he had declared them traitors.

The older dog demon had come to them to formally ask forgiveness, not having any idea his daughter was holding animosity against them and if Sesshomaru had had some difficulties believing him, one imperceptible look to Muteki had cleared everything. The pup had kept a calm facade next to his father, very different from the scowl he had worn the day before in front of the demoness. After that, everything had been calmer, much to Kagome's relief who had feared for her sons. It didn't matter if they were very well guarded, it was inevitable to fear for them and it had taken her quite some time to start feeling comfortable in the castle again.

Suddenly, Kagome felt a pull coming from her right hand. She shook her head, forgetting what was going on in her mind, and looked down at her son who was trying to get her attention.

"Momma?" Toga asked with a tiny voice and curious eyes.

"Yes?"

"Why is Oji-sama always spending time with Rin-chan?" He turned towards the edge of the forest closer to Kaede's hut and, just like Toga had just told her, Sesshomaru was standing next to Rin, gracious and impassible as ever – even if Kagome knew the truth about his real feelings by now – as the girl was madly giggling and seemed as happy as every time Sesshomaru went to the village to meet her. That was certainly another thing that had developed little by little in the last six years. Rin was now eighteen years old and Kagome believed that it wouldn't take much longer before Sesshomaru asked her officially to become his mate.

He had been courting her since she was fifteen and even if at the beginning he tried not to show it, Kagome and Inuyasha had realized his true intentions quite soon. It had started when the dog demon's visits to the village had increased; he had tried to let it pass as visits to them, but every time he spent more and more time with the little girl who was now a woman in this era standards. Inuyasha had told Kagome that he was likely trying to stake his claim on her, let everyone know that she was not available for courting so that no man in the village would have dared to ask for her hand.

Officially, within the village, Rin was Inuyasha's ward even if she lived with Kaede. Since she was an orphan, she needed a man who would have taken her father's role and Inuyasha had assumed this responsibility without problems, knowing too well that everything regarding Rin would have to be approved by his brother first. Sesshomaru was rarely seen by villagers and when they saw him he usually was at Inuyasha's, so with time they had completely forgetting he was the one who had brought little Rin to the village in the first place. Thus, young men had started to eyeing her as soon as her body had started changing, just like they did with every other child becoming a woman in the village. It was how it worked, they started looking for a wife and if they liked her, they asked for her hand and then married her. Inuyasha had noticed the looks and he couldn't even act upon it, that Sesshomaru started coming more.

He had begun bringing her more gifts too, but the typology changed; Kagome had noticed silk kimono, carved combs and bath oils among the other things. Rin, on the other hand, had overcome her childish behaviours and realized the nature of her feelings some time ago, so she had gladly accepted the way things were working. She was very aware of who Sesshomaru was and what would have entailed being mated to such a demon; she wasn't naive and knew things would move much slower than if another man had been courting her. She had waited patiently and shown him without regrets how she felt for him. Kagome was happy for them, she had seen how much in love they were in the future, but at the same time, she felt sorry for all the pain they were going to endure. Everything would be difficult from the moment Sesshomaru announced his intention to take a human as his mate.

She looked at her son and stated earnestly, "Well, Toga-kun... You know... when you are an adult like your uncle and you like a girl, you want to spend time with her to get to know her."

"Oh... Oji-sama likes Rin-chan?" the child asked again. Kagome nodded and he continued, "Does this mean Rin-chan will be Oba-sama soon? Just like aunt Sango?" he tilted his head a little peering at her, his lips forming a little 'o'.

Kagome didn't know why her son kept adding the honorific next to Sesshomaru's title, but she figured he would lose this habit when he'll grow up; the demon never acted formally towards his nephews or pretended formalities from them either. Toga had started adding the sama when he had learnt to talk since everyone at the palace called Sesshomaru that. Even if Inuyasha explained to him plenty that he didn't need to call him that, the child persisted, much to his father's dismay and his uncle's amusement. Her sons even called Kimi "Baa-chan", but they knew very well that the dog demoness wasn't their real grandmother and Inuyasha had stressed that millions of times.

He didn't hate Kimi, the two had learnt to respect each other, but he felt that wouldn't have been right towards his mother's memory if his sons believed she was their grandmother much like Kagome's mother was. They even brought flowers to Izayoi's tomb every time Inuyasha went to visit his mother.

"We'll see, Toga, we'll see," his mother replied not wanting to tell more before it was time.

But his curiosity had not been sated so he asked still another question. "Did daddy spent a lot of time with you too before Muteki, mommy?"

"Didn't you listen to Shippo's stories?" Muteki interjected. "They spent a lot of time together, they had to! But dad was dummy just like you and didn't tell mama that he liked her," he explained, puffing his chest with an air of importance because he already knew everything and his little brother didn't even remember.

Kagome shook her head; sometimes they could be so competitive they could pass even Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, thank the Gods it was always over something silly. Nonetheless, she always tried to soothe them to avoid such behaviours. She didn't want the rivalry to grow up with them.

"Muteki, don't call your brother names. What is Shippo telling you? Your father wasn't a dummy either," she told her oldest.

"I think I'm gonna kill Shippo as soon as he came back home from his training. What kind of stories is telling them? If Inuyasha finds out he is likely to skin him alive."

"The truth, mom; he always tells us about your travels all around Japan with uncle Miroku and aunt Sango. How you fought Naraku and saved the world," Muteki explained, pride filling his eyes at having parents so brave and strong.

"Your father and I already told you everything, why Shippo is telling you more?"

"But mom, you left so much out! And dad just talks about how he acquired Tessaiga and killed plenty of bad demons with it; his story never changes. Shippo tells us every funny story," he continued earnestly.

"You shouldn't believe everything he told you, Muteki. You know how Shippo is sometimes," Kagome warned him. She couldn't believe the kit was telling her children such stories.

"You mean dad was never a dummy with you?" Muteki inquired curiously. Toga looked up at her the same way and Kagome started sweating.

"Well... you see..." it's not like Inuyasha hadn't been stupid at times, he just had his problems and now that she wasn't her old fifteen years self, she understood his behaviour better. "At the beginning, when your father and I started to travel together because of our mission, we had other things to think about. We didn't have time to speak about that."

"And then you fought with the evil demon and got married!" Toga piped up merrily. They had almost arrived at home and the sun had already set; Inuyasha would likely show up in a matter of minutes. He had been asked to help rebuild an old hut and had been away the whole afternoon.

"Yes, and Shippo also told me that great-grampa wasn't happy because mom was too young!" Muteki told his brother again.

"Oh, I am definitely going to kill that brat!"

Kagome had almost finished cooking dinner when cheers of joy from the boys reached her ears and shortly after a pair of strong arms circled her from behind, a tender kiss on her neck followed and then Inuyasha whispered in her ear, "I've been thinking about you all the time, koishii." The breath on her neck and the way he spoke to her made her shiver.

Even now that they had two curious kids following them everywhere and asking about everything, they made sure they had always time for themselves. Maybe it was because they were part demons and they were able to recognize the telltale signs for mom and dad alone time, or because they had Shippo to put on babysitting duty every time he was at home, but they had few problems in that field. If one didn't count the first year of both Muteki and Toga, that's it.

Kagome didn't know much about relationships in her old era, where it was common to have more than one sexual partner in a lifetime. However, she had heard from other women in the village that after a couple of years men started losing interest in their wives, especially after their bodies changed because of the pregnancies and the years spent doing chores after chores.

Still, she knew that her relationship with Inuyasha wasn't anything like that. She presumed because of their bond because they were going to spend centuries together or simply because of his nature; he was the most loyal man she knew after all. The half-demon never missed a chance to let her know that he still loved her body as much as the first time they had made love, he always made sure to satisfy her fully and had accepted every change. Kagome still aroused him to such a degree that often all it took was a word or a gesture to make his blood boil with desire. Just like now. The woman could easily feel her mate's erection grazing her bottom from behind.

She giggled and swallowed a moan when he starting kissing and nipping her ear shell. "Inuyasha, the boys are just behind you!" she chastised, but he could hear the lack of seriousness in her tone.

He kissed her again, enjoying the smell she was starting to give off. "It's not like they don't know mom and dad like to have fun for themselves," he teased her neck a little more. "Besides I'm not doing anything wrong; I'm just showing you what is waiting for you after the runts are going to bed." He was grinding his hips with more effort now when he suddenly stopped and left her to go greet his sons that were currently writing some kanji down; Kagome took great care of their education and both of them already knew how to write or read. They always dedicate some hours per week to learn something new.

Kagome shook her head at him, knowing full well that he had wanted to rile her up so that she arrived at night more than ready. She returned to the dinner and finished it before calling the boys to set the table and then sitting to enjoying another meal together, exchanging tales of what they had done during the day. At some point, Toga even asked Inuyasha if what Shippo had said about him being a dummy before he married his mommy was the truth. Inuyasha's eyes twitched and Kagome covered her mouth while she giggled; Shippo was surely going to get it as soon as he was back at the village.

Inuyasha had already put the pups to bed when he reached his wife in the common room, where she was currently washing the dishes they had used for dinner in a barrel full of water. He took a rag and started drying the ones that were already washed; Kagome thought was the perfect occasion to approach the topic she was thinking about since Toga had made her noticed Sesshomaru earlier that day.

"You know..." she started, "I think we won't have to wait much longer."

Inuyasha kept wiping the surface of a bowl for a few seconds before speaking, "You mean Sesshomaru?" He had felt his brother's aura too shortly before he arrived home. Kagome nodded and he continued, "I agree. I think he'll call us to West again soon, but I still don't know how he intends to proceed," he admitted earnestly.

"What do you mean? He can mate with her and then communicate his decision to the elders before he introduces her to court," Kagome said. "We already knew it will have been difficult."

"It's not that simple 'Gome," he replied, taking another plate from her. "It's not how it works there. He's the Inu-no-Taisho; the elders like to meddle in his life. They want to be consulted in everything that regards him and the mate subject had been a pain in his ass for decades. He hated my guts since day one, he hated my mother when my father married her. A human as his mate? There are precedents."

"You think they are gonna asking him to leave her even if they mate? We've seen them in the future, they're bonded! You two always stressed the importance of the bond!"

"No, I'm not implying that... they can't do anything if they mate before he approaches the elders, but..." he wiped his hands on the rag before putting one in his hair. "What do you think he will do? Sesshomaru has always done everything by the book; even when he wanted me to be his heir, he asked the council's approval. What if he communicates his decision before he mates Rin? They aren't gonna let him do it and there's no way to know before you mate if the bond will form. Sure, you know if you love someone, but nothing is sure and they could imply that Sesshomaru simply doesn't know what he's thinking. They will get in the way and prevent it at all costs," Inuyasha explained to her.

"Then he has to bond with her before someone discovers his intentions," Kagome reasoned; he wasn't convinced yet.

"You know what we'll happen then? Everyone will think of it as a repeat of my father and mother's story. I don't know exactly how things went back then, but you heard the ruckus that had caused. And this time it will be even worse because Sesshomaru's is my father's son and because he had been the first to condemn him back then." He raised one hand to stop her from interrupting him when she was about to open her mouth. "No, it's different from the shit we went through when we were introduced at the palace. One thing is to reconnect with your brother, even if is a half-demon, another is taking a human as a mate when you always had despised them. I mean, if I hadn't known all along he was going to mate her I would have been shocked myself. Remember how I reacted when we met them back then?"

"I still think this is his better option. Rin will be in danger in any case, I am afraid so," Kagome finally said. "There will be hell to pay anyhow, but at least this way they won't be able to stop their union."

Inuyasha grabbed her by her waist and crushed her in his arms, tucking her head under his chin. "You don't know how much relief it causes me knowing that we didn't have to go through all this shit," he murmured.

"We had our trials, Inuyasha," she reminded him, "and we're here now, together. It may appear as nothing, but back then it wasn't simple. Do you remember Sesshomaru trying to kill me the first time we met? Or Kikyo trying to bring you to hell and kill me? It will be the same for them, they'll have their own ordeals, but they will make it. I'm sure."

[...]

The morning after, while the family was eating breakfast, Muteki talked about the training he was going to do with Miroku that morning. He and Kagome used to train Muteki and Emi together, the girl was the only child of their friends who had manifested spiritual power until now and they thought that training them together would have better results.

"... and last time uncle Miroku told us today we will try to make a barrier!" he exclaimed excitedly, waving his chopsticks and throwing rice all around the table.

"Make sure you make one that is strong," Inuyasha encouraged him, "then next time we train we'll try to find your own attack. I wasn't much older than you when I discovered mine."

"Muteki, please, don't toss rice everywhere," Kagome sighed then turned to her mate sending him a death glare. Inuyasha gulped knowing too well she would have liked him to wait but now that Inuyasha had promised their son he couldn't back down; she knew he had done it on purpose. He chuckled nervously and kissed her before she could even think to retaliate in some painful manner that required the use of her voice.

"Why can't I make a barrier too, mommy?" Toga pouted, a replica of his father and Kagome found herself melting at the sight. Yep, such a mama's boy. "I'm tired of just meditate," he complained.

Usually, the boys went to train together, but Toga was still too young to start making a barrier or to even concentrate enough on his power, that's why he still needed to meditate, much like Muteki had done before it. However, impatient just like his father, he sometimes lost his focus too easily. Miroku said that it was important he learnt to focus before attempting to create a barrier; the focus was the most important thing when using defence stances. It usually started when one was a child, to get one used to the process.

"Because you're still a baby and you're still too impatient," Muteki promptly answered. Toga's pout increased and Inuyasha smelt the tears in the air. He glared at his older son and then hastily tried to do some damage control. He brought Toga in his lap and said, "Tell you what pup... While your mom and Muteki go to train with uncle Miroku you can come with me as I patrol the forest. What do you say? Want to spend some time with your old man?" he tickled him in the belly to make him laugh and wiped the few tears that had escaped his eyes.

Kagome, who still hadn't had an opportunity to answer his question, panicked as soon as Inuyasha proposed that. He surely couldn't bring their son with him, what if he found a demon and he needed to fight it? "Inuyasha! You can't do that, he's just five years old! What if someone attacks you?"

"Relax, koi. I did one yesterday too, and I didn't smell anything. It's highly improbable we are taking any chance. Don't you trust me?" he pouted too, mimicking his son.

"Pleaseee, mommy? Can I skip meditation today and go with daddy?" Toga asked, pout still in place. Kagome found herself trembling under their gazes and didn't know what to do. In the background Muteki's snort was heard; he had seen this scene other times and he had done the same thing plenty. Sometimes Kagome was really a goner, the only woman in a family of males with big golden eyes that could melt her from the inside.

Finally, she huffed then answered, "Ok, ok. You both can go." Inuyasha gave his son a high-five and they cheered just before Kagome continued, "But... Inuyasha," she looked at him sternly, "if I find just one scratch on him as soon as you come back there will be hell to pay! Toga, you will have to meditate with me this evening, ok?" The pup nodded eagerly, too much enthusiast at the prospect of going on patrol duty with his father.

Inuyasha scoffed, "Like I would let anything happen to my son." He crossed his arms and stuck his nose up in the air, but his efforts to make her feel guilty didn't work because she promptly answered, "I know too well your concept of scratch, Inuyasha."

The half-demon was flying through the forest, jumping from tree to tree, the wind ruffling his long hair, his pup secured on his back, much like he had done plenty of times before with Kagome. Toga was laughing wholeheartedly, enjoying the feeling, his little arms tight around his father's neck. Inuyasha looked back at him and smiled at the sight, "You're having fun, Toga?"

"Yeaaah," the little boy exclaimed, raising one fist. "Will you teach me how to fly like you, daddy?"

"Of course, pup. You're gonna be strong like me one day, plus you're gonna create the strongest barrier this village had ever seen and make your mama proud," he replied.

The pup's eyes filled with joy and hugged his father from behind, "Love you, daddy!". His sons surely didn't have problems expressing their feelings unlike him. After all, being raised by Kagome meant being open and jovial like her most of the time. Inuyasha had changed a lot from the rough and loud half-demon she had freed from the seal too, even if some things would always be the same.

Life in the village where he was a loved husband, father, friend and protector surely had increased his confidence. This didn't mean however he trusted more easily, the contrary! Concerning the trust issues, he had likely rubbed off on his wife and not the other way around, especially because of the events in the West.

At that moment, Inuyasha saw himself at Toga's age, when he was still an enthusiastic pup and his mother had not yet died; it filled his heart to know his sons could grow up in a real family. These were the moments he cherished most, because before Kagome, before she stubbornly planted herself in his life, Inuyasha had always thought he was hopeless. But every time he made love to his mate, hold her in his arms, his sons cheered at him or proudly looked at him, he remembered the great possibility he had been given.

They reached the river and Inuyasha stopped, putting his son down. "Want to learn how to catch fishes, pup? We're gonna show mama how strong you are." Even if his sons were still young, Kagome hadn't opposed him when had told her he wanted to teach the survival skills, including how to provide for themselves. She understood that he would have gladly had someone to teach him these things when he was their age and was only trying to compensate for this lack, proving himself he could be a good father even if he never had one. She would have never taken away the possibility.

Toga was showing Inuyasha his catch when the half-demon sensed a familiar aura coming closer. He praised his son, put their fishes down and waited for Sesshomaru to reach them. When he finally entered the clearing, Toga waved at him enthusiastically and he greeted them back before speaking. "Little brother, I am in need of your counsel."

It seemed the day had come earlier than they expected.

A/N: In this chapter, I introduced some of the topics that will be treated in the future. I hope you like the interactions between Inuyasha and his sons because I plan on writing more - I always like reading about Inuyasha as a father.

Concerning Miroku and Sango's first son. I kept the name they gave in Yashahime - even if I don't like the character very much.

As for Sesshomaru and Rin relationship... I am well aware that a lot of fans don't like them together and still consider it strange. However, I purposefully wrote that he started courting her at fifteen years old because it was normal for older men to pursue younger women at their age in that era. Women were considered such at a younger age and they married very young. So, yes the two have a huge year gap, I know, but the same could be said for Inu/Kag and even Toga/Izayoi if we want to be meticulous.

Another important topic that will be dealt with in upcoming chapters will be Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's relationship.