Izumi went straight for the back towards Ikus quarters. She was barefoot, her hair was wild, her face was tear streaked and she could have cared less.

Knocking quickly on the wood panel she heard Riku call from inside. Taking a step back as he opened the door she looked up at him expectantly

"Come on then pup." He said to her in a way he hadn't in a long time. Walking inside she went to Iku who sat up with her son in her lap.

Opening her arms as Izumi nearly collapsed beside her burying her face against the newborns soft fur. Sobbing and weeping she wrapped her arms around the elder demon gently.

"Everything is fine Izu." Iku soothed smoothing down her golden hair. Moving to look at her with tears falling and pooling in her orbs she trembled.

"Why did this happen?" At the sound of her small voice Iku sighed.

She saw Izumi not as the lady of the east but as the young female with twin braids in her hair and her ears pinned back to the sides of her head.

"I don't know." Iku recalled them having exchanged these words before, after Mizuki had died. "These things happen."

Lowering her head to sniffle and sniff at the little male she closed her eyes as Iku rubbed at her ears. "Do you know how precious you are? Your mother, she loved you so fiercely."

"I miss her." Izumi replied softly. "I wish she were still alive. Everything would have been so different if she hadn't died."

"Probably. There are days I would give anything to see her again. Mizuki was mine. Akio had no right to her." Iku whispered out. Izumi sucked in a breath before releasing it.

"Were you bonded with her?" Staring up at Iku with her mouth slightly agape she saw the answer written clear across her features.

"Izumi, you are old enough to know many things if you want to know them." Iku said sincerely.

The only sounds in the hut were the crackle and pop of the fire in the hearth as flames licked the logs Riku put on and the soft snores of their son.

Swallowing hard Izumi didn't know what to say.

"What things?" She managed out.

"You know you are not the youngest of your mothers pups but you are also not the eldest. You are the only one who ever survived past being whelped." Iku said slowly.

"Mizuki and I bonded when we were very young, similar to how you have with Rin. When she was sent to the east I went with her, we didn't expect to stay. We had decided to return to the south and raise her pup as our own."

"During her initial breeding Akio marked her against her will claiming her as his mate, so we stayed. Mizuki came into her heat later on, just as you did. Unfortunately she had a hard time to be bred, she lost quite a few pregnancies over the years."

Iku refocused her eyes uncertain when she had begun to stare off. Smiling softly at Izumi she sighed.

"You were an absolute miracle. Everyone was so happy when you were born and I thought that he would leave her alone. She should not have had anymore but Akio wanted a son. It wasn't below him to force himself on my female to get it." Iku grit her fangs together as tears rolled down her face.

"Mizuki…my moon, she said to me, 'Iku, don't worry over me. I will be just fine'. I begged her to allow me to terminate it but she wouldn't. As close as we were, how much she treasured you, and how she doted on Kiyoshi and Haruki when they were small she wanted more of her own."

"He always said afterwards she had been killed, not died. He locked the gardens, told you he wanted to know as soon as I was in heat to be bred and he began taking me to the west. That was when Kiyoshi became my guard." Izumi said thinking it out as she remembered the aftermath of her mothers death.

"Yes. Kiyoshi was posted as your personal guard so we would always have someone we could trust by your side." Riku replied. "Captain Tadao enforced it concerned for your well being."

"I had no idea." Izumi shook her head in disbelief.

"We all worked together to protect you as much as we could from Akios toxic influence, I'm glad it worked." Iku said.

"Thank you." Closing her eyes Izu rested against the small pup again breathing in his scent as Iku ran her claws through her hair. "How close was your bond with my mother?"

"In all ways. Mizuki named you Izumi with the intent of calling you Izu, as some derivative of my own name to honor our bond." Iku stilled her hand for a moment. "You and your pack did what we always wanted to do for her."

"What is that?" Izumi questioned taking a deep breath.

"You stood up to Akio. I know he was your father but he was a tyrant. He never saw you as anything other than a pawn to get what he wanted." Riku swallowed his words hard sounding choked.

"No, he was once good to me. I can remember it." Izumi stated. "I think." Closing her eyes she loosened her arms from Iku and sat up running her hands over her face. "I should go and let you both rest."

"It will not be long before I am well enough to come and see you." Iku said. "By the time you whelp I will be able to be there for you, and I will be there."

"I know you will be." Smiling softly at the elder she accepted Rikus assistance to stand bidding her farewells before leaving the hut.

Stopping halfway between their quarters and the main house she looked up at the clouds passing by against the light blue sky.

Breathing in the cooler air she rubbed a hand over her stomach as she felt her son begin to move.

Turning her attention downwards she could see where he kicked as the spot protruded slightly. Running her hand over it she sighed.