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Come little children
I'll take thee away
Into a land of enchantment
Come little children
The time's come to play
Here in my garden of shadows

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It had been five years - well five normal years anyway - since they had broken free from that stupid hellhole. Four years since they defeated that Naraku bastard. And now one year since Kagome had finally returned to him. To this day, she couldn't explain how she formed that bloody rope that she'd used to pull him out of that underworld. The same trick didn't work to reopen the well when the jewel punished her for purifying it but even with Kagome ripped from him, Inuyasha had learned a thing or two about being patient and trusting that Kagome would come back to him. And she had. Thank god she had. He might've acted like he was fine but that was the farthest thing from the...

"Question," Kagome hummed as she came to sit under the Sacred Tree where Inuyasha lay splayed on a tree branch, "I would like to reurge my proposal that we try to a baby. After all we've been married now for like fifteen years and I think a baby would be a good..."

"Fine. Let's have a kid," Inuyasha agreed happily as he lolled his head over to look at her while Kagome gaped.

"You didn't even let me finish my speech," Kagome pouted, "If I had known you would just say yes right away I wouldn't've spent so much time planning how to ask you."

"Well you should manage your time better," Inuyasha teased as he rolled off the branch and landed in front of her, "That's not my fault."

Kagome rolled her eyes but didn't fight when Inuyasha sat down and pulled her into his lap.

"Technically though I think your math is wrong," the half-demon laughed, "Can't count the three years you got trapped on your side of the well. Not really. So like...we've been married twelve years? Maybe a little more."

"I counted that! You didn't think we were married when I was banished?!" Kagome scoffed indignantly and Inuyasha snickered before placing a soothing kiss against her neck.

"Calm down woman. I'm just messing with you. Of course I counted that," Inuyasha hummed as Kagome hmphed before he sighed and rested his head atop hers, "But back to your question, course I wouldn't mind a brat. Everything's pretty calm. We're established here. Our lives are finally stable enough for a kid."

"So you were lying when you said you didn't want a baby ," Kagome accused good naturedly as she stroked his arm, "You know I suspected that at the..."

"Or two."

Kagome furrowed her brow at his amendment. While she knew he'd probably just had been trying to table the issue back in hell back in the underworld, she hadn't anticipated Inuyasha would want more than one child. In all honesty, she was still somewhat surprised he wanted a child at all. Thought she'd have to do some long and arduous convincing to get him to say yes. After all, Inuyasha never seemed like the baby type even if he...

"Two would be..."

"You know, five seems like a good number of..."

"Five?!"

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A demoness with long silver hair and a crescent moon on her forehead sighed in a bored tone as she held up the half orb around her neck. Every so often she flicked her finger and observed its contents before letting out another bored sigh. Would it be too much to have a son that visited his mother every once in a while? It had been years since his last visit and that had only occurred after a few centuries had passed. Then again Sesshomaru had always been a bothersome child. Only visiting when he needed something from her.

It didn't help her current mood that nothing worth her notice had occurred since her son defeated Naraku and that bastard child of her late husband's had assisted.

Her finger flicked again and she sighed as one setting in particular came into view.

She frowned.

To this day, she was not sure when the pearl itself had been stolen. She'd created it simply to visit and pay her respects shortly after her late husband's death. It hadn't been a love match by any means - simply an arranged marriage for the purpose of fathering an heir. Once that was achieved, Toga had left and she had been honestly relieved. He had been abrasive and uncouth which, while entertaining for a very brief time, was something for which she quickly grew tired. It wasn't until Sesshomaru arrived to inquire about the location of the fang of destruction that she realized the gateway she had created was missing. The fang of destruction was, in fact, at the grave and without a portal to that exact location - which unfortunately could only be created a few hours after death - it was impossible to retrieve it. It was for that reason, on the off chance the pearl was still in that little bug's nest that she'd created a portal if the need ever arose to retrieve her little bobble.

After all, at the time, the only person who would have the motivation to hide such a thing logically would have been her late husband's pet. Her bastard son supposedly entitled to the fang although the idea he would ever be strong enough to wield it was laughable. Wrinkling her nose, the goddess watched the little insects mill about their area of the underworld and sighed. It never ceased to amaze her how her late husband and, humiliatingly, her son had such fondness for their pets. A bizarre leaning towards bestiality more like. Mating with animals was far beneath youkai of higher birth and yet it was almost commonplace anymore. At least Izayoi died a tragic death which did bring her predecessor something reminiscent of joy. But then her clan refused to hand over the pearl or the boy who might have at least had some answers as to its location.

Annoying little pests.

They had to go.

Perhaps it was beneath her to wasted her time massacring an entire human village and banishing their souls but the ant hill needed to be exterminated for wasting her time. That and she was rather annoyed that a human insect had managed to steal it which had greatly guided her decision making.

Of course, she'd subsequently discovered it was Totosai who had obtained then hidden her pearl and naturally, she wasn't fool enough to challenge the old man. Senile though he may be, that old blacksmith had value and his death would have deprived her at times beloved son of the one person capable of giving him a weapon worthy of a daiyoukai. Still she had no regrets about her actions against the cockroaches.

Her finger flicked again.

Of course, on occasion, she did enjoy tormenting the souls in their cage. When Inuyasha happened to find himself trapped, she had a bit of fun with the fools who'd annoyed her so thoroughly. Thinking themselves so much better than youkai she arranged it so they were now ruled by a sham of one. It had been a rather entertaining evening and added a new layer of torture once Inuyasha managed to free himself and his clever pet somehow managed to remind the victims of their fate. Many attempted to kill themselves or others to no avail. It was the underworld after all. There was nowhere else for them to go. Inuyasha though had escaped. It should have been impossible and yet it had been done.

There was something to be said for the Jewel of Four Souls. It was quite a powerful object. To be able to open a portal to the underworld and even bring beings back to realm of the living. Quite fascinating.

Her finger flicked again as even watching the various underworld's failed to distract her from the very bad news she'd received earlier in the week.

Sesshomaru was such a disappointment. Fool boy declaring he was planning on fornicating with that little human girl he loved so dearly. Such a shame. He would throw his life and lands away for that insect. Were he to be trapped in some strange place such as Inuyasha had been, she wasn't sure whether she'd extract him. Let his pet save him - see if the child was worthy of the affection he poured upon her. Far as his mother could tell, though, the girl was useless. Needy and completely dependent. Why Sesshomaru was so obsessed with her...

What was her name? Run? Appropriately named. Had a warning on her and everything.

Her finger flicked again.