Every muscle in his body told him that he needed to go, to barge in and draw his sword towards the beast that was making his wife scream and wail like she was. All logic told him that there would be no beast, no physical danger that he could slay, but that didn't mean he couldn't sit in a tree with his hand wrapped around the hilt of Tessaiga. White knuckled and with a clenched jaw, he heard another sharp scream come from Kaede's hut, causing his ears to flatten against his head. Inuyasha had tried to find a place that was close enough that he could still sense her, but far away enough to not have to listen to the sounds of her agony.
An agony that he was partially responsible for.
There would be moments of silence, telling him that a contraction had subsided and his wife would have some sort of reprieve, at least for a short while. But then they would come back and Inuyasha would be subjected to a sound he never wanted to hear in his life. It tore at his heart and gnawed at his gut with guilt, wishing he could at least be there with her.
He'd never wanted to hurt the old coot, but he came pretty close when Kaede demanded him to leave the hut and stay away until she said so. The look of apprehension on his face had been seen by all of the women in the room, and it wasn't until Kagome - his perfect, wonderful Kagome - took his hand and told him she would be okay, that he heeded Kaede's words and left.
What if she wasn't okay? What if something happened? Their child would still have some demon in them, afterall. No. Kagome was strong - though she'd corrected him that she was kind - but she was stronger than anyone else he knew. She would be fine.
"Inuyasha!"
The hanyou's eyes shot open and peered down at the ground below him, seeing the monk with a jug and two cups, Shippo perched on his shoulder. Inuyasha's lips pursed as he released a noise of discontentment that they'd found him. Couldn't they let him worry in peace?
"Inuyasha, come down, my friend!"
"Yeah! C'mon Inuyasha!"
A low growl of frustration left him, hearing another familiar shriek in the far off distance, "Dammit," he grunted to himself somewhat exasperatedly, "Whadda you want?" he called back, though averting his gaze to stare off in the direction of the hut.
"Just come down, would you!?" Miroku called out before hearing the rustling of branches and the hard thunk of his hanyou friend's feet meeting the ground. Miroku knew that look, the look of a man who was trying hard to keep up appearances by putting up walls of indifference and irritation, "I brought us some fine rice wine to celebrate."
"Keh. Celebrate what? Kid's not even born, yet," Inuyasha grumbled as he shoved his hands into the sleeves of his kosode, having left his suikan with Kagome before he was abruptly shooed out. He kept one ear pointed in the direction of the hut, in case they needed him for some reason.
Miroku placed a reassuring hand on his old friend's shoulder, pairing it with a similar smile, "It's normal to be worried, Inuyasha." It wasn't hard to see some of the hanyou's resolve wavering, eyes softening and jaw loosening, "But, I assure you, Kagome is in good hands. And plenty of them, I might add."
That was true. Kaede, Sango and Rin were all there and all of them holding experience with childbirth in some regard, most of all the monk's wife.
Watching Miroku sit down, Shippo hopped from his shoulder and took a seat at his side, "C'mon Inuyasha, sit down and try not to worry so much." That statement earned Shippo a rather sharp, pointed glare from the hanyou, causing the kitsune to flinch and quickly move to hide behind Miroku. Even still, Inuyasha conceded and took a cross-legged seat across from the monk, Tessaiga resting on his chest and shoulder.
Taking notice of how Inuyasha's ears flattened, Miroku's brows furrowed before understanding what was happening, "You can still hear her, can't you?" Though it was posed towards the hanyou as a question, it was more so an obvious observation. Inuyasha nodded in confirmation, worried his voice would fail him if he tried to speak, "We can move farther away."
"Don't wanna," Inuyasha left no room for pauses, words spoken bluntly and efficiently, as if he were afraid to waste time. Both kitsune and monk look at one another before staring back towards the soon-to-be father. Inuyasha had recalled hearing similar sounds coming from Sango during her birth, but this was different. This was Kagome - his Kagome.
Releasing a sigh, Miroku opened the jug and poured himself and Inuyasha a glass, causing both the kitsune and the hanyou's noses to bunch in discomfort, "That ain't no rice wine, monk," Inuyasha stated, realizing Miroku has brought straight shōchū instead.
"I wanted to make sure you felt something when you drank it," Miroku explained, only to hear Inuyasha give a deflective scoff.
"Y'know human alcohol is too weak t'do anything."
"Then humor me," Miroku countered, "It's good luck for a new father to share a drink with a friend before the birth of his first child. An added charm if said friend is a man of the cloth." Taking the glass in his hand, Inuyasha's gold-set eyes narrowed in skepticism.
"That sounds like a load of horse shit to me," the hanyou stated., "We never did this when any of your children were born. In fact, you weren't even there for the second one."
Shippo looked up at Miroku with the same sense of skepticism, "Yeah, I've never heard that one before."
"That's because it is an ancient proverb that dates back to the Kamakura period," Miroku defended, lifting a finger as if his words weren't a complete farce., "Also, it states the first child, not the second or any after."
Looking down at the drink, Inuyasha scrunched his nose at the scent of it, pungent and extremely acidic, "Feels wrong," he stated honestly, keeping his gaze on the drink which made him unable to see the confused expression on the monk and kitsune's face. "Celebrating while she's-"
"Trust me, Inuyasha. You never indulge in celebration and this is something to celebrate," Miroku implored, reaching out to grip Inuyasha's wrist and push the drink up towards his face. "Besides, maybe this will take the edge off, a bit."
Inuyasha gave the same look of uncertainty, hearing the screaming had stopped for the time being, though they were becoming few and far between, "Fine. Just one." A warm smile passed over Miroku's face as he raised his own glass.
"Kanpai!" both men said at the same time, though one much more enthusiastically than the other, before shooting down the drink.
What followed was a string of coughs and gags from the half-demon, his senses overloaded by the taste and smell, "Fuck," he managed to yelp between coughs. It didn't burn going down at all, it was just the taste of it stuck in his mouth and the back of his throat, paired with the stinging in his nostrils that had his eyes watery. Inuyasha let his tongue hang out of his mouth for a few moments as a time, as if trying to make it so the taste would be taken with the breeze.
With a sigh of contentment, Miroku held up his empty glass as if he'd taken a nice drink of water. Perhaps he'd inherited more traits from Mushin than he thought, "Ah! Very smooth."
"Smooth?!" Inuyasha countered with wide eyes as his coughs began to die down, though he still struggled to speak completely clearly, "You tryin' t'kill me?!"
Miroku couldn't help but let out a low chuckle, "Are you sure you don't want another?"
"Fuck no! That shit tastes like fuel," Inuyasha snapped, finally feeling some of the sensation back in his mouth and tongue, nostrils empty and clear.
Another scream, this time seemingly much more agonized than the previous ones - and long. Inuyasha's ears flattened against his head once more, eyes closing tight as his brows furrowed as his hand gripped Tessaiga. The sight of pure anxiousness coming from his friend had Miroku give a look of empathy, "You recall how Sango was the same, yes?"
"Yeah," Inuyasha managed to growl out, eyes opening and looking towards the father of three, "I don't know how the fuck you stayed so calm through all this."
"Because, Inuyasha, women are a lot stronger than we are. Didn't you know that?" Miroku teased, trying to lighten the mood. It seemed to work somewhat, Inuyasha giving a bemused scoff, knowing full well that Miroku was correct in that regard, "Our wives especially so."
"Yeah! Kagome's one of the strongest people ever! You know that!" Shippo added, trying to reassure his friend to the best of his abilities.
He knew that. He knew that better than anyone.
Before he could respond, the screaming stopped and Inuyasha's head snapped towards the direction of the hut. Panic set over him - why had she stopped screaming? Yes, there had been lulls in between but this scream, it had sounded different, like it held the last shred of strength she had left.
"She stopped," Inuyasha stated as he climbed to his feet, causing Miroku to peer up at him with confusion before it morphed into a knowing smile.
Following suit, Miroku grabbed the jug and glasses before climbing to his feet, "Well, perhaps we should go investigate." Shippo jumped up onto Miroku's shoulder, watching as Inuyasha simply took off faster than any of them could blink.
"I've never seen him so uptight," Shippo stated, hearing Miroku give a warm, low chuckle in response.
"You know Inuyasha, nothing can be done in halves and that includes having new parent jitters."
Inuyasha bounded off over tree tops until he neared the path to Kaede's hut, suddenly hearing the soft wailing of an infant. That sound, it bore deep into his chest and caused him to halt in his tracks.
A baby.
His baby.
Their baby.
Inuyasha had halted a few yards from the hut, seeing that Sango had opened the door mat to see if the father of said child was close by. The warm, giddy smile on Sango's face when she saw Inuyasha said it all, "Inuyasha!" She called, making her way towards the hanyou. He felt frozen, like if he moved he would suddenly wake up and realize that all of it - the last few years - had all been a dream. That he was still alone in the world and had never met Kagome or the rest of his friends.
That trauma ran deep and he cursed himself for letting the symptoms of it rear its ugly head at a time like this.
Sango's face never faltered, having expected Inuyasha to react the way he was; not only a dear friend, but a mother herself, she had an intuition about such things, "Kaede and Rin are just cleaning up and getting them settled."
"Them?" Inuyasha asked, as if he didn't realize the plural included his and Kagome's newborn child.
"Kagome and your baby, silly!" Sango stated before gripping his wrist and tugging him towards the hut. As badly as Sango wanted to reveal the gender of the baby to him, Kagome had asked that she be the one to tell him.
"A little late to get cold feet, friend," Miroku called, seeing his own wife seemingly dragging the new father towards the hut. That comment had Inuyasha jerking his head over his shoulder.
"Shut up, Miroku!" he argued before finding his own stride and making his way towards the hut without the prompting of the demon slayer.
As he neared the hut ever closer, Kaede and Rin both emerged with smiles on their faces, "She did so well, Inuyasha!" Rin chirped with that bright, bubbly smile that had even warmed the hollow Sesshomaru's heart.
"Aye. It was an easy delivery," Kaede stated reassuringly, leaving Inuyasha perplexed and somewhat offended by the way the old coot had said such a thing so casually. How could it have been easy when she'd been screeching so loudly and for so long?
Remaining still a few yards from the hut, he felt the hand of Miroku place itself on his shoulder, "Well? Are you going to go in, or not?"
He could smell it. The blood and scent of birth, paired alongside the saltiness of Kagome's tears. It was overwhelming, almost afraid to open the door to find the worst-case scenario. Not a moment after that thought crossed his mind did he smell a new scent, one that was faint but seemed to blend his own and Kagome's together to create something on its own. That scent quelled any second thoughts. "Go see your child, Inuyasha," Sango cooed much more encouragingly, the hanyou giving one semi-confident nod before taking a few steps forward and pushing the door mat aside.
What he saw felt like something out of a dream.
Kagome looked up at him with tired but loving eyes as tears welled up within them, lips pulled into a wide smile. She was on the futon, sitting up with his robe of the fire rat draped over her shoulders. There was a deep flush of red that stained her cheeks from the amount of effort she had to exert for the last few hours. Cradled in her arms was a tiny bundle pressed against one of Kagome's exposed breasts to feed.
"Inuyasha…" her voice low and gentle, though holding back tears of joy.
Each step felt like more effort than it should have been, making his way towards Kagome with a sense of overwhelming disbelief and wonder. "Kagome..." he breathed, finally finding himself knelt as in front and as closely as he could get. She could hear the threat of tears in his voice, quaking with the inability to handle every emotion he felt in that moment.
"Meet your daughter," she continued, keeping her eyes on his face as he leaned forward to see a small infant with eyes closed, suckling while making small cooing noises of contentment. A deep, shaky breath left him, seeing their baby literally taking his breath away.
Daughter.
A part of him had hoped it was a boy - he felt like he knew how to raise boys, all brawn and strength and sword. They weren't as fragile, easier to roughhouse with. Girls needed finesse and a gentle hand, two things he didn't have but Kagome did. Yet, something inside of himself quickly scolded those thoughts away, as Sango and Kagome herself were perfect examples of the opposite of that sentiment. If this tiny bundle, this tiny being, had any of Kagome's blood in her, she would be a strong one indeed.
Reaching a claw-tipped hand out, he gently ran the back of his knuckles over the infant's cheek, feeling just how soft her skin was, "Our daughter…" he breathed, letting his eyes flicker up towards his wife with a smile that told her just how overjoyed and overwhelmed he was. There was so much love in his gaze, all sense of nervousness washing away at the sight of her deep mahogany staring back at him with adoration. "Kagome..." he breathed, leaning forward to press a kiss to her lips, one that Kagome happily returned.
It was slow, tender and languid, Inuyasha trying to portray just how much all of this meant to him, as he could never put it into words.
For so long, he'd thought himself cursed to a life of loneliness and instead tried to fill that void with power. A half demon that had belonged in neither world, destined to live without a wife or family of his own. His demon side had always been his dominant side, the one he found comfort in the most, he'd never found the human side of him until he'd met Kagome. She'd nurtured it like a delicate plant, making sure to give it such loving care until it blossomed into trust and strength in kindness. Then she gifted him with her love and commitment through marriage, having promised to stay by his side long before then.
Now she'd given him the gift of a child - a family in his own right.
Pulling away from the kiss, he lifted his hand and pushed her sweat-coated bangs from her face, "Are you okay?"
Maybe it as a stupid question to ask, as she was obviously absolutely exhausted, but Kagome couldn't help but give him a warm, loving smile with a nod in return. The care he held towards her was unwavering, and for that she fell in love with him all the more. Though, not nearly as much as she did for the small infant in her arms - a mother's love was so much more all encompassing than she'd ever imagined, and she was sure Inuyasha was feeling the same.
With her well-being confirmed, Inuyasha felt no guilt looking down at the tiny bundle in his wife's arms, seeing two big, mahogany eyes looking up at him. They looked just like Kagome's, it almost confused him. The young infant had finished feeding, belly full but wide-eyed with wonder. Those eyes gave him an overwhelming sense of purpose that he'd never felt before. It was almost painful how much love he suddenly felt in his heart, the desire to protect and cherish searing deep into his very being. He thought he'd given all he had to Kagome, but it was nothing compared to what he felt towards his daughter.
The new face of her father intrigued the small infant, seeing the child still staring curiously up at her father. "That's your papa," Kagome cooed, maneuvering her yukata to cover herself.
"She looks so human…" Inuyasha mused, watching the small infant release an audible yawn and seeing nothing but gums. That sentiment calmed him, worrying that maybe she would have his ears, something obvious at first-glance that would give away her lineage. But thankfully not. She had human ears sitting at the sides of her head, no fangs to speak of and perhaps the smallest hint of claws on each of her fingers.
"She looks like you," Kagome stated, watching as Inuyasha gingerly placed his hand on the girl's forehead and ran it back to the crown of her head.
The hanyou scoffed at that sentiment, "She looks like you. Her eyes are yours," he stated, watching as said eyes began to close with the intent to sleep.
"Yeah, but everything else is yours," she countered, offering a gentle, almost teasing, smile., "If she looks like you, she might act like you. Which means we have trouble on our hands."
"Oi!" he chided, though with a genuine smile on his face, "She'd be just as much trouble if she acted like you, too, y'know." Kagome released a breathy giggle then, letting her gaze fall to the unnamed infant in her arms.
"Then I guess we're in for it, either way aren't we?" Kagome teased while Inuyasha moved to sit behind her, letting her lean back against his chest and find reprieve from the ache in her stomach.
Resting his chin on her shoulder, it made it easier for him to see their daughter clearly, "Nah, she's perfect," he stated flippantly and confidently, enveloping his arms around his small family. Kagome's heart swelled not only at the comment itself, but how he said it, leaning her head against his own as the two of them marveled over the life they'd created together.
A silence fell between them then, lasting for a good few minutes as both of them reflected the journey they had to go through to get to this point. Facing unspeakable perils together, only to be ripped away from one another for three years before reuniting. Their life had become one that Kagome had only dreamed about, alone in her bed as she tried to keep herself from crying; it was one that Inuyasha hadn't even been able to fathom for himself.
A miko and a half-demon; both formidable but in extremely different ways - like a double edged sword.
"Moroha," he stated thoughtfully, suddenly breaking the silence between them, "We should name her Moroha." Kagome pondered the name for a moment, letting it sink in and sit with her.
"Double-edged…" she mused, finding amusement in the sentiment, "I like that..."