Actions Unplanned

by Baby Dolnar

After returning to the Feudal Era, Kagome finds herself pregnant- but does InuYasha want to be a father? Does he even want to be married? (Written in 2010, published now for your entertainment)

Title: Actions Unplanned
Author: Annie Dolnar
Language: English, Rating: Rated: T
Genre: Romance/Drama
Originally written: 6-30-2010

AN: This is one of the stories I wrote that clearly shows my adherence to the nuclear family and family values as I understood them, yet plays with some rebellious ideas. It's clearly unfinished- I won't be finishing it any time soon, either- but the conclusion would have adhered to those values. I think that in my mind, the end result was what mattered, and not necessarily the details of the journey- which makes some sense for a young Conservative girl.

Actions Unplanned

Chapter 1

Kagome was weeding the garden, her stomach churning with her fears. It was something she had never really thought of having to do, something she figured wasn't going to happen to her. It wasn't that she didn't want this- of course she did. She just didn't want it now.

No one knew about this, not even Kaede. She hadn't told any of them, although she already knew what their reactions would be. Inuyasha would be the first one to know; this was something she had decided from the very beginning. But now? It was insane.

Inuyasha and Kagome had been together since she had come through the well. In fact, he had refused to let her out of his sight for months after, even to use the bathroom, which was rather embarrassing. Though of course now, after her complete reassurance to him that she would always be there and wouldn't ever leave him again, he was going on exorcisms with Miroku. But they hadn't been married yet. No, Inuyasha hadn't mentioned marriage and Kagome hadn't brought it up either.

It was like the quest for the Sacred jewel all over again. Sango was constantly asking when, Miroku was asking when, except about other things, and Shippou had been bugging Inuyasha about "when are you gonna ask her?"

The only good side to this was that she wasn't on an emotional roller coaster about whether or not Inuyasha really wanted her, like she had been with Kikyo. Inuyasha had not needed to tell her that what he had with Kikyo was nothing compared to what he had with Kagome, for she could see it in his eyes. It also helped that Shippou mentioned that he had visited the Well every three days the entire time she had been gone, and that Kaede had told her how deeply Inuyasha had missed her, and that Sango had heard him having conversations with himself about what he should have done, rather than look for Kikyo, what he should have said, instead of "shut up, wench!" (Which he still said).

Another good point was that Inuyasha no longer kept his emotions hidden from her. He told her he loved her, he kissed her (not around the others, though). Inuyasha's kisses were something she had thought she would never feel.

This however… This was something she was sure would not bode well with him. This was going to force the both of them into some humiliation, as well as pain, a few scars, and some very bad memories. He had caught her crying herself to sleep a few times over it, though he thought it was nightmares.

She suspected Rin knew the truth. Rin always knew. It was an intellectual ability she had that made Kagome wonder if perhaps she didn't have spiritual powers as well. But there was no way she could go to Rin about this; she was much too young to understand why exactly Kagome was down about it.

Sango and Miroku were so busy with the girls and Akira, who was about a year old, that they hadn't been paying much attention to what was going on with Kagome, and Shippou was gone away all the time, training. He lived in Inuyasha's hut any time he came home, and trained in his fighting skills with the hanyou.

"Why the hell are you crying this time, wench? I thought I told you, those are just dreams! Ain't nothing gonna be able to hurt you when I'm around," Inuyasha said from behind her. Kagome whirled around to see him towering above her, a huge sack of rice thrown over his shoulder. Despite his tone, he looked worried and especially concerned when he saw the state of her.

"I should get Kaede," he reasoned. "Get in the hut now Kagome, you look really sick. Why the hell are you out here if you're so pale? Don't you know, you can't ever be si-"

"I'm not sick," sobbed Kagome. "I'm not."

She could just see Inuyasha rolling his eyes at her. "Yeah, ok. Why do you look like you're about to throw up lunch, then? Kagome, you can't get sick. Please."

Kagome looked up at Inuyasha's now fearful expression. "I… I… Inuyasha, I-"

Inuyasha threw the sack of rice to the ground and sat down next to her. He felt his forehead, then hers. "No fever, good," he muttered. "Would you rather I carry you to Kaede's?"

Shaking her head, Kagome let out a harsh laugh. "Kaede can't really do anything. Inuyasha, can't you figure out what's wrong? Can't you… Smell it?"

Unsure of what she was talking about, Inuyasha sniffed the air. He smelt flowers, dirt, Kagome, and… Something else. It was very faint, but it was a new smell, and it completely awed him. He hadn't smelled anything like it in his entire life.

Inuyasha growled. "I don't know," he said. "I can't figure it out." He smelt her again, this time more directly, and made a face. "You smell a little different," he said, face going slightly pink. "But only in that one area…" he glanced between her knees, then looked straight into her eyes, and kissed her. It calmed her nerves considerably, which caused her lover to smile triumphantly.

"Inuyasha," she murmured, but he heard her perfectly. She kissed him back again, eyes closed, wishing everything else would go away.

"Would you look at that," a voice said, amused. "I thought I'd never actually see that happen."

Inuyasha broke the kiss but let his face linger in front of hers. "Get lost, Miroku."

Kagome looked up, and Miroku jumped back. "Kagome! What happened to you?"

"She's sick, you bastard," said Inuyasha. "What do you want?"

"I'm not sick," said Kagome, but the men ignored her.

"I thought you might want this," said Miroku, throwing a sack of money at Inuyasha's feet. "Payment, you know. I keep forgetting to give it to you, and it just kind of built up…"

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "That much?"

"Yeah. There's just enough there, Inuyasha," he said, and winked. "Feel better Kagome. You should get her to Kaede, Inuyasha."

"I'm not sick," Kagome said again, but Miroku was already gone. She sighed. Telling anyone was going to take some guts.

"The hell you're not," said Inuyasha. "Have you seen yourself? You look horrible."

"Thanks, Inuyasha. I feel so much better about my perfectly natural condition now," said Kagome a little too loudly. "And I thought losing the figure was supposed to be the first horror…"

Inuyasha stared at her. "I'm not following."

"Inuyasha, have you ever thought about, well… Getting married?"

He blushed. "Did you want to? I wasn't sure you did; I mean, Sango said you might, but-"

Kagome smiled. "Did you want to ask me?"

Inuyasha took a moment to register this. "Did you want to?"

"You won't know unless you ask me, Inuyasha."

"What if you say no?" he asked, more to himself than Kagome. He noticed suddenly that the color was coming back to her cheeks.

"Why do you think I would? Don't you know me by now Inuyasha? You've mated me; what's the point of not marrying me? What's the point of thinking I would say no? Inuyasha, if we were to do that again, what if… What if I got pregnant? What would the villagers think? Kaede? Sango and Miroku? I'm not sure they'd be too pleased."

Inuyasha growled. "You are not having a baby," he said. "Not now, not ever."

This was exactly what Kagome had feared. "But, Inuyasha,"

"No," he said firmly. Kagome sighed.

"Why not?" she asked calmly.

His face became pained. "Do you remember anything you learned about a Hanyou's life, Kagome? We don't belong anywhere. We can't stay with Humans, because we're demon. We can't stay with demons, because we're human. I can't do that to my pups."

Kagome shook her head. "I don't think it's all like that any longer. This village accepts you. They will surely accept your children, and if they don't, then Sango, Miroku, Kaede, and Shippou will always be here for us. And Inuyasha, you're forgetting how strong you are. You can protect them."

He shook his head. "Forget it," he said firmly. Kagome sighed.

"How did Sango smell when she was pregnant with Akira, or the twins? Just curious, you know."

Inuyasha sniffed. "I don't remember. I wasn't really paying attention…"

"Inuyasha… Are you afraid? You know, to raise a child? Something tells me this isn't all about… Acceptance," Kagome said carefully. Inuyasha looked away, silent.

Kagome rested her head on his shoulder. "If I was pregnant, Inuyasha… What would you want me to do? Really."

"That ain't gonna happen, because you ain't getting pregnant."

"But if I did-"

"You won't."

"But-"

"End of story, Kagome."

Kagome sighed. She stood up calmly. "If you won't listen," she said, "or answer me, I'm going. I need a bath."

Inuyasha sighed as Kagome left him alone in front of his hut. He watched her go disdainfully, feeling oddly as though he had done something horribly wrong.

"Hey Inuyasha? What's going on?"

Inuyasha groaned as Shippou floated into view. When he saw Kagome, walking away in the distance, he automatically said, "What did you do this time?"

"I don't know. Ask Kagome. She's the one who walked off."

"Why? What were you guys talking about?"

Inuyasha blushed. "Scram," he said harshly. He stood and picked up his money and his rice, and walked back into his hut.

How can I have kids, he thought as he threw the rice into the corner, and opened up the money bag to see exactly how much Miroku had given him. When Miroku had said it was just enough, he had meant it. Not a cent over, not a cent under.

In his mind, he tried to imagine a pregnant Kagome. The image was strange and alien to him, but he could see it as clearly as he could see his hand in front of him. Then he tried imagining Kagome with a baby in her arms, a sweet look in her eyes as she cooed at the sleeping child. It was just as, if not even more, clear as the first image.

But himself? Himself with a baby? He couldn't even dream of it. He had always thought of growing up to be a powerful demon, not a father. Of course, he would rather spend his life with Kagome that fight for it all the time, but that was different from being powerful.

Emotionally tired, he collapsed onto the floor and tried to make sense of things. Why was Kagome bringing this up now? Had she been spending too much time with Sango and her children? Perhaps she had been thinking it over, and wanted children of her own now?

He wasn't sure. The only way he would figure it out is if he asked her, and he definitely wasn't going to do that.

Chapter 2

Kagome finished bathing faster than she would have hoped, and came out of the water feeling sick again. Inuyasha still didn't know, but she would have to tell him. She didn't have a choice in the matter.

The minute she had her clothes back on, she heard a small noise. Without thinking, she covered her stomach with her arms before Myouga surprised her by jumping onto her nose, and sucking her blood. Before she could slap him, however, he jumped back off.

"Holy cow, Kagome! You're blood! It's… It's…"

"Pregnant?" Kagome guessed dully. Myouga's mouth dropped.

"But-"

"Don't tell anyone, Myouga. No one else knows about this, you hear? No one."

Myouga studied her for a quick second, and then nodded. "I won't say a thing. Now, about that… Who's the father?" he asked excitedly. Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Guess."

"Inuyasha?"

"Oh, no, it was a fish. Of course it was Inuyasha, Myouga, who else would it be?"

Myouga looked like a Mexican jumping bean. "The master's son, having a child of his own! How wonderful!"

"Don't tell him," squeaked Kagome. "He doesn't even want kids, Myouga! He doesn't want them, but he's going to have one, and I don't know what to do, and... And…"

She sank into the grass and sobbed, not even caring that she was finally opening up… To a flea. "And he won't even talk about what he would do if he got me pregnant, or what he would want me to do, and we're not married, and this is going to cause problems, and the little one in here," she said, pointing at her stomach, "hasn't even been born, but I know he'll be the cutest baby ever, but Inuyasha is afraid to have children because he doesn't think they'll be accepted. But I know that's not true, at least in this village and I can't tell him yet, because he won't listen, but I have to tell him sometime Myouga, and I don't know what to do!"

Myouga sat helplessly as Kagome cried and cried. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. Having never been married, he had also never had to deal with a pregnant woman; Sango didn't count, he had never had to be there when she had a mood swing. And Sango hadn't been married to Inuyasha. Or been the carrier of his child. Myouga suspected that Inuyasha likely wouldn't live to see the baby at all if he kept Kagome on an emotional roller-coaster the way he did. He was almost surprised Kagome hadn't purified the half-demon.

Before Myouga knew it, Kagome fell asleep in the grass, her sobs dying down. He frowned. She looked so tired, though, that he didn't wake her. Instead he jumped away to get Kaede. He wasn't going to tell her about Kagome's predicament; he had made a promise and he was going to keep it. But he could tell she wasn't feeling well.

He was just about to reach the village when Inuyasha caught him between his fingers.

"Myouga. Where are you going?"

Myouga squirmed. "Well, master, if you must know, Kagome wasn't feeling well, and-"

Inuyasha dropped Myouga, and left without saying a word. He sighed. "He never listens."

When Inuyasha arrived, Kagome was sleeping soundly, eyes still puffy from crying. Even sleeping, she looked troubled.

"Baby," she murmured. "Don't cry…"

Inuyasha's heart sank. A baby was something she really wanted, wasn't it? But he just couldn't do that. He stared down at her pointedly. "What can I do, Kagome, to make you happy?"

"Baby," she murmured. "Don't cry, little one… Daddy's coming. Mommy's here. Don't cry. Don't cry."

Carefully, Inuyasha picked up the sleeping Miko and carried her away. He felt like dying.

"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered. "I love you."

Inuyasha was sure his heart was beating fast; he could hear it pounding. He was almost worried it would wake Kagome. "I love you too," he whispered. She half- smiled, and cuddled closer in his arms.

Chapter 3

"Kaede, something is wrong with her."

Kaede was picking herbs by the lake, and Rin was helping her. Inuyasha and Kagome were in Kaede's hut. Inuyasha had refused to leave her side since he had brought her there, especially after she had woken up and gotten sick a few times. Kagome had no fever though, and as far as Kaede could tell, there was nothing really wrong with her.

"What do you think it is, Rin?"

Rin bit her lip. "Well… I thought of something, but I don't think… I mean, he never even kissed her before she disappeared, so how… I haven't even seen them kiss now actually-"

"Out with it, child. What was your thought?"

"Well… Remember when Sango was going to have Akira? Remember how… Pale she was? And the mysterious illness she seemed to have? Just before we found she was with child, you know. And her mood swings… They were pretty crazy, Kaede. She mad for no reason, sad, happy, all of that."

Kaede stopped. "Rin, do not speak that way. Kagome and Inuyasha are not married. Of course Kagome would not…"

"Inuyasha isn't fully human," Rin pointed out. "His customs might be different from ours. And Kagome? I don't think she gives a damn-"

"Rin!"

"-Since she's been away from him so long. I think they've known each other so long, neither of them really truly considers marriage an issue. Would you, Kaede, if you were so in love with some one that you couldn't live without them?"

Kaede was still. "I do not know, child, but I will try to understand. If Kagome is with child, the two should be married."

Rin sighed. "I think Inuyasha is afraid to ask her."

"Why not?" Kaede asked incredulously.

"Because," said Rin pointedly, "he always has been. He never admitted anything to her, until she came back out of the well, never even told her he loved her. He was always afraid, I think, that she'd turn him down.

Kaede thought this over. "Why on earth would he think that?"

Rin shook his head. "The fool. He never could see what was right in front of him… I don't think he can tell if Kagome is pregnant or not, Kaede, because he was so busy waiting for her to come back through the well while Sango and others in the village were having babies."

"We should go back," sighed Kaede. "I think these are the right herbs. Be careful, Rin, she can't take that if your theory is correct."

Rin nodded and dropped the herb into the basket. "Inuyasha can take it for his nerves, though."

When they reached the hut, they received no greeting from Inuyasha. Kagome was sleeping with her head in his lap, looking less troubled than she had been. Rin noticed she had one hand on her stomach and one in Inuyasha's, which he promptly removed at the sight of the old Miko and the young girl.

"Inuyasha," said Kaede, "What say you about having children of your own?"

This question took a moment to register with Inuyasha. He certainly hadn't expected Kaede to ask him suck a thing, especially when Kagome was laying asleep on his lap. Inuyasha shook his head. "It's none of your business, hag. Why is everyone asking me about babies lately?"

At this, Rin lost her temper. She felt as if she had dealt with Inuyasha's blindness enough lately, and couldn't take it anymore. "Inuyasha," she growled, satisfied to see Inuyasha's ears droop and eyes widen. "No wonder your brother is so irritated by you! You are so damn blind, you stupid boy, that you can't even see what's going on right in front of you, no matter how many obvious hints are dropped, or how many times she tries to talk to you! We can even see it! And I'm sure, if she hasn't actually said something to us, then she was planning on mentioning it to you first!"

"Baby," whispered Kagome. Everyone looked at her. "Look. It's Daddy. He's here. And mommy is here, too. Don't cry. Daddy loves you. I know he does. Somewhere, in his heart… Baby, don't cry…"

Inuyasha looked pained.

"Now do you see, Inuyasha? What she is afraid of? Why she doesn't want to tell you? You don't want kids, do you? And she is going to have one. Of course she'd be afraid to say something, you idiot, she's pregnant with a child you don't want! She thinks you won't love it! She probably thinks you'll leave her! You should be ashamed of yourself," Rin screamed, and stomped out of the hut.

Kaede sighed. Inuyasha's ears were plastered to his head. "Inuyasha, she is with child. Whether you are the father or not, she's got to marry, or the villagers will be against her, you, and the baby. Think about this," she said. Inuyasha looked at Kagome. He picked up her head and set it on the pillow.

"I need to breathe," he said, and walked out of the hut. Kaede began to prepare herbs for the pregnant woman.

"Kagome," she whispered. "I don't know if your life is going to get better from here, or if you are just extremely unlucky in matters of the heart."

Chapter 4

Inuyasha held his breath as the cold waterfall splashed on and around him. He couldn't think straight. The only thing in his mind was Kagome crying, Kagome afraid of him and his reaction, Kagome pretending as if nothing was wrong.

He knew he was going to have to face it: why didn't he want children? He had definitely never wanted to deal with a second Shippou, he knew for sure, but somehow he also knew that wasn't the whole of it.

What he had told Kagome was also true. He didn't want his family shunned because half-demons had hard lives. She had made him see that he wasn't worthless, just because he was demon or human, but who was to say that his kids wouldn't still be shunned by the human population?

And there was something else. What kind of father would he be? He had no idea how to raise a child, though he did know changing diapers was a stinky business. No, besides baby-sitting the twins, he didn't really know what to do. He had never had a father of his own around to talk to, and he didn't exactly have one now. Unless he was going to ask Miroku for advice, but he wasn't sure he wanted to raise his child the way the lecherous monk would. Sesshomaru was out of the question; Inuyasha didn't believe for a second he would even consider such a thing.

Inuyasha stepped out of the waterfall, only to see Kagome step out of the trees, wearing a white Kimono. Both blushed; Inuyasha wasn't exactly clothed.

"Kaede told me… I didn't want for you to find out this way, Inuyasha," whispered Kagome. He could hear her, though. Calmly he stepped out of the water and pulled on his Hakama.

"Were you supposed to be leaving the hut?" he asked. She shook her head and bit her lip.

"I snuck out, after taking some pregnancy herbs Kaede forced down my throat. I didn't ever see Rin, though."

"She got pretty pissed at me," Inuyasha said, chuckling without humor. He turned.

"Coming?" Inuyasha asked. He felt Kagome climb onto his back.

He began to sprint away into the night, content just to have her there with him. He didn't stop until they reached a clearing far away, one of the many places they had camped out in the search for the jewel shards. The remains of the fireplace still existed, but as if it had been hundreds of years, rather than three, vines had grown over the rocks and cracked them slightly. Kagome climbed off of Inuyasha's back and began to pull the weeds away.

"Inuyasha," she said, "it's a little chilly…"

"I get it," he said, and ran off to get firewood while Kagome cleared the vines. He arrived back just as she finished, and dumped a few logs into the pit. Kagome found herself banging rocks together, trying to start the fire.

Inuyasha took the rocks from her calmly and lit the fire himself, as Kagome wasn't really getting anywhere. She cuddled closer to him as the fire sprang up with a roar.

"Kaede said you would have to be married," he whispered, loud enough for her to hear. She turned to face him.

"Do you want to?" she asked.

He took a deep breath. "Will you? Marry me, I mean. Will you marry me?"

"Of course, you crazy hanyou," exclaimed Kagome, almost too loud for the poor guy's ears. She kissed him full on the mouth, before either could recover. He kissed her back in surprise.

"Nobody's here," he muttered as he pulled away, so the two were touching noses only, "Just the two of us…"

"Mhm," Kagome sighed. She moved so that she could look at his face, and then frowned. He seemed troubled.

"Inuyasha, what's wrong?"

Inuyasha sighed.

"How could I be a father?" he asked, more to himself than to her. "I never really had one myself…"

"Inuyasha," sighed Kagome, "think of all the things your father did before he died, to prevent you and Sesshomaru from killing each other. Doesn't that seem pretty fatherly to you? He probably spent a ton of time just putting it all together, so one day the two of you would quit fighting."

"He wasn't exactly around to teach me stuff I needed to know," Inuyasha explained. "Like how to protect my mother, before…"

"How was that his fault? Inuyasha, I don't know much about your father, or how you were raised except that your life was pretty hard, but I believe you'll be a great father."

Inuyasha gave her a suspicious look. "You really are pregnant, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. And with your child. Inuyasha, whether you like it or not, you're going to be a father. No matter how good or bad you think you'll be, it's still going to happen. You can't change what happened."

"I wish I could," Inuyasha mumbled.

"I don't," said Kagome firmly. "I want this baby."

Inuyasha stared into Kagome's eyes, fiery from the glare of the light in front of her. She stared back for a few moments, and then kissed him lightly. "You'll be a great father," she whispered. "You just have to believe in yourself."

He hugged her close. "Are you sure I can?"

"Don't give me that," scoffed Kagome. "You're being stupid if you think all that baby-sitting Sango's kids and dealing with Shippou all the time was for nothing."

"That's not raising a child," Inuyasha pointed out. "That's taking care of another person's child."

"Sango told me how good you were at it. She said you're like an Uncle to them, or an older brother. You see? You can do it; you have the potential. And if you think you'll be alone, you've got it totally wrong. Did you forget you have me? We're in this together, Inuyasha."

"And you're not afraid?"

"Not if you're there beside me. Then again, since when have I been afraid if you were there?"

Inuyasha laughed. "Not since that first day, I guess."

Kagome smiled smugly. "Good. Then that's settled."

Chapter 5

"Inuyasha?" called Sango. "Can I have a word?"

Inuyasha trudged up the hill slowly. He and Kagome had decided it would be safer if Sango and Miroku knew about the shot-gun wedding before it happened, but so far, all that came out of it was constant tips from each of them. Like he needed help from the perverted monk on raising a pup.

"What now, Sango?"

"You still aren't convinced, are you, Inuyasha?" Sango asked, voice low.

"Of what?" Inuyasha asked, confused.

"Of you being a better father than you think. Kagome told me you were, ah, worried about it."

"Swell," scoffed the hanyou.

"Inuyasha, do you remember how afraid Houshi-sama was when he became a father? He wouldn't even hold the twins for days. Nobody thinks they'll be good at it, unless they're big-headed fools."

"It isn't just that, though! Sango, do you remember what I am?"

"Didn't Kagome already teach you that just because you are a hanyou, that does not make you better or worse than anyone else? Can you and Kagome accept who the baby will be Inuyasha? Because if you can't, then it can't accept itself. And if it can't accept itself, then the villagers won't either. Ever think of that?"

Inuyasha stared at the woman he had thought to be crazy, who was finally making sense. Loathe to admit such a thing, he stalked off without saying a word.

The truth was, in Inuyasha's mind, that there was always going to be someone that would be ready to kill his own son or daughter, just because they had youkai or human blood. Just as he had never been completely safe, his children never would be. What worried him more was that they would have less youkai blood than he would, which he knew may not allow them to do some of the things he could do.

There was something else…. Himself and Kagome. It wasn't as though he had never thought about him and Kagome, and getting married, and stuff like that, but… Starting a family, right then? And getting married because of it? Doing so didn't feel right to him. He and Kagome had barely had a chance to be together; just one time, one, dear, sweet time, they had had sex. And it had led to this.

"I," he said, "am such an idiot…"

"Don't remind me."

Inuyasha growled, though not so angrily as much as irritated. "Sesshomaru."

"Rin tells me Kagome is with child?"

"What's it to you?"

"I happen to know a few things you don't," Sesshomaru said, raising an eyebrow.

"Bastard! I don't need tips on raising a child from the likes of you!"

"Calm down, half-breed. I simply found this in my mansion. It is yours, and the idea of having your things lying around my house does not bode well with me. There was a scroll with it as well."

Sesshomaru threw a package at Inuyasha's feet. Before Inuyasha could retort, he turned his back and walked away.

Hesitantly, Inuyasha opened the small crate and peered inside. The scroll Sesshomaru had mentioned was inside, as well two small weapons: a little toy sword, and a beautiful porcelain doll. He picked up the little sword and doll, wondering how these things could possibly have been his, as he had had no sword, and especially no doll, growing up. Inuyasha was about to figure that it was some kind of sick joke Sesshomaru was playing, but then realized there was also a scroll.

After replacing the toys to where they had been, Inuyasha picked up the scroll and opened it carefully. As it rolled open, another paper fell out of it.

Reluctantly, Inuyasha picked up the letter and set it aside as he viewed the scroll. It was another letter- from Totosai.

Inuyasha,

In this scroll are some things I figured you would need to know, as Kagome has returned and I figure it is only a matter of time before the two of you had children, whether they be planned or not. I myself am about to die, and the master did say to warn you of these things by giving you the scroll. However, as I could not deliver the scroll to you myself, I forged a new scroll from a metal Sesshomaru could not destroy, and inscribed the words of the old scroll onto it. I also enclosed a letter from your father to me, which bares the instructions he gave me. It also explains some things.

I doubt your father wanted you to see this letter. Granted, it does have some rather… Unneeded information in it. But he never said to discard it or to destroy it, and so I am giving it to you. He didn't know whether you would be a girl or boy at the time, and so he uses "it" to speak of you. The scroll and letter also give instructions on the toys I had delivered to Sesshomaru to the scroll. I doubt he'll keep them. He's hardly going to keep a thing of yours, and he certainly won't give it to the human girl he travels with.

With all well wishes,

Totosai

The Half-Youkai Scroll

Introduction: The Half-Youkai Scroll is of observations of other half-youkai that could be useful to half-youkai in the future.

How Half-Youkai Came To Be

Half-youkai are created in a few different ways. The first happens when a human allows himself to be consumed by youkai, thus granting himself youkai powers. This way is very dangerous, and usually results in the human's emotions being pushed aside as the Youkai gain control.

The second way that half-youkai come to be is when a human woman (or man) mates a male (or female) youkai. The human woman gives birth to a half-youkai child. These children tend to have human characteristics and youkai abilities, though it differs with the type of youkai.

The third way a half-youkai can be created is when a human becomes fully corrupted to a point of no return. This way is very rare.

Children with Youkai Abilities

Half-youkai born children are often gifted with exceptional abilities which allow them to survive the conditions of a life as half-youkai, half-human. Usually these abilities are strong enough to leave them exceptionally powerful, more powerful than many other full-youkai. Sometimes, however, these abilities are not strong enough, and the child dies at a young age.

Youkai blood in a child can be very powerful over him or her. If the half-youkai child, or sometimes adult, is in a dire situation where it is fighting for its life, and is about to lose, the child (or adult) undergoes a change in which their youkai blood takes over. For some half-youkai, this change is bad. When it occurs, these half-youkai lose their minds and kill until they die themselves. Some half-youkai do not have to worry about this, however. Often these half-youkai are of lesser demons, usually the same half-youkai that cannot defend themselves.

Half-Youkai children will grow at a normal human rate until they reach a certain age, usually eighteen to twenty-one years. Then they will grow at a normal youkai rate.

Other terms for Half-Youkai

Half-demon: Originating on the continent, this term is used often by pompous European explorers.

Hanyou: This is the most often used term for a half-youkai.

Half-breed: Usually used by a youkai insulting a Half-Youkai.

The Reproduction of Half-Youkai

Though most half-youkai do not live to take mates of their own, some do, and it is not well-known what happens when half-youkai take a mate.

If the half-youkai takes a youkai mate, the half-youkai is changed so that he or she will live longer, about as long as the youkai, which is also the case between human and youkai mates. This can be undone, if and only if the youkai dies before the half-youkai. The half-youkai will then live the amount of time left in his or her life, depending on the age the half-youkai appears to be, and die. Any child produced by this union would have mostly youkai characteristics, being about one-fifth human.

If the half-youkai takes a half-youkai mate, no change will happen. Any child of two half-youkai will be mostly youkai as well, as the youkai blood will prevail more over the human blood. The child would be one-fourth human.

If the half-youkai takes a human mate, the human will undergo a change causing it to live longer as well, as long as the half-youkai. This can also be undone, if the half-youkai dies before its mate. Any child by a half-youkai and a human will be half-youkai.

Also, in the case of a half youkai and a human together, or a youkai and half youkai together, or even a youkai and human together, the youkai or half-youkai should take only one mate. This is because if the youkai or half-youkai (in the case of a half-youkai and a human) takes another mate after the first, the change on the first will be undone, and the first mate will live a normal-aging life. If the one who takes a new mate is the human or half-youkai (in the case of a half youkai and a youkai), the change on the one that took a new mate will be undone.

The mate that did not undergo a change will feel a severe pain if it or the other takes a new mate.

In the case of two half-youkai (or two youkai), both will undergo a severe pain because neither underwent a change, but are still bonded.

Half-Youkai Living Normal Human or Youkai Lives

At the time this scroll is being written, there is little hope for a normal life for a half-youkai, as they are not generally accepted by humans or demons. Hopefully, however, half-youkai in the future will be more accepted and be able to live normal lives.

Created by Youkai High Priest Osamu

Inuyasha stared at this scroll for about five minutes, analyzing in his head what all of it meant. First, Kagome was going to live as long as he was, which he was ecstatic about, as he was going to live quite a long time, if he wasn't killed first. Second, his pup would be half demon, like him. For this, he was relieved. It would not be any less powerful than he was, would it? Third, his pup would need something to keep its youkai blood in check, like Tessaiga did for Inuyasha.

Unfortunately, Inuyasha was startled out of his reverie when he smelt Kagome directly behind him. "Inuyasha, what is all of this?" she asked, interest taking over her voice. She looked into the box and picked up the beautiful porcelain doll. "Oh," she whispered. "It's beautiful!"

Then Kagome took notice of the letter lying on the ground. Without Inuyasha's noticing, she picked it up and read to herself,

Dearest,

I know I am to pass on soon, though I wished not to tell you this until much later. I fear you will have to raise the child on your own, for until he is old enough to leave you, at least. You will not see him grow into a man (or woman, I suppose, though I highly doubt that it's a girl. Have I mentioned that to you already? It smells like a BOY, Izayoi). I will not either, though. Hopefully you will get the chance to enjoy more time with him (or her) than I will. I would never have been able to stay with him anyway, though I wish I could, for if things had been different…

If I could share one last kiss with you, that would make my parting more peaceful, though I fear I may not get the chance. Instead, I asked Totosai to forge a small something for the child. You should have seen me begging him. He kept saying he only forged swords, but in the end I got him to promise me one thing.

The promise he made to me was that when the child loses his baby-fangs, he would take them and forge certain toys from them. One a doll, the other a sword.

The doll was already made, since I didn't trust Totosai to create a beautiful porcelain doll. I had found it in my travels. It looks exactly like you, Izayoi. It was broken in half, so I told him to fix it with one of the fangs. The second fang would be a toy sword.

The only reason for these two is because you so nagged me about "if he or she has a child of his or her own" this and "what if he or she has pups" that. Well, I thought ahead, in an attempt to give you peace of mind (I hope you're happy… I love you). Thinking any further, like if he has more than two pups, or more than two boys or girls, he can just pull out his own fangs, see how that works for him. The toys will only work until the pups are grown, anyway. Then, I trust the pups will have to find a way on their own. Or our son(I'm sure of it) will find a way himself.

In case we never meet again or I never get to send another letter, I wish for you to remember always that I love you and that, someday, we will meet again, though more likely in hell than anywhere else.

Love always,

Tai-youkai of the North,

Dearest

"Oh," whispered Kagome, bringing a hand to her face. "Inuyasha… Look here! This is so romantic…"