Chapter 19

Author's note: I don't have work at all this week, so hopefully this story can have no more lapses in updating! We shall see!

Three months went by like the wind, the hanyou feeling as if an alien had over taken his body as he reached the seventh month mark. He had grown impossibly large, his size even worrying Kaede to some extent. They feared he would deliver early, though Inuyasha felt for some reason it was unlikely. He had begun to wish he could ask his pups what they were gonna do, since they had decided to take over.

"Yee body is not meant to stretch this much," Kaede told him during one of her visits, the miko not wishing to stay for long periods of time in the hut. Though it was abnormally large the village was being faced with more and more demon attacks as they hurdled into the oncoming summer, spring having been a gentle whisper as the heat began to arrive with a force.

"Is that bad?" Inuyasha asked, biting back his insult at her assessment of his ever changing body. He was Inuyasha! He didn't feel things like insecurity or a depleting body image! However, having Sesshomaru see him waddle anywhere made him feel significantly more negative about his current state. He would have been okay if he just had the small bump from a few months earlier, though once they had connected again it was like he just blew up overnight.

"I can not be sure, I can continue to rub the cream to help with the stretching. However, ye may not be carrying a single pup." Inuyasha scrunched his nose up at that, as his previous hope for twins was hindered by his slowly crushed state.

"Demons don't normally bare twins," Sesshomaru pointed out, Kaede nodding as she finished rubbing the cream she had got Inuyasha for his itching and expanding stomach. She went over to a bowl of water, cleansing her hands.

"This is true, though his heat had gone unnoticed for quite some time. It is likely his body believed itself… undesirable. He would have probably become infertile after some time." Inuyasha took in a breath at that, looking down to his stomach. He only heard stories of female demons becoming infertile if they were not married off and mated, though it usually took hundreds of years. However, he was a half demon. What laws applied to him?

"Could I have pups after this?" Inuyasha ventured to ask, Kaede nodding as she dried her hands on a cloth.

"Be careful Inuyasha, yee may from now on bare more than one pup per pregnancy. Your body will want to show it is viable to your mate." Inuyasha swallowed at that, looking over to Sesshomaru who had an eyebrow raised. Inuyasha was almost thinking of closing his legs at that point. Even though he wished to give Sesshomaru the many pups he desired, to have multiple pups every time he got pregnant was quite daunting.

"How many do you think I carry now?" He asked, Kaede looking to his stomach with a soft scowl of contemplation. Inuyasha would really rather prefer to have a number now, versus wait a thousand years till he would give birth.

"We will not know until you give birth. One baby may hide another during this time." Inuyasha groaned at that, trying to sit up from his laid back position. Kaede aided him while Sesshomaru got up to leave, to no doubt get meat for their dinner. Inuyasha could obviously tell he was joyous of the news, though he really wondered if the demon would pursue more children after this.

Not that he didn't want them, he just hoped there was a break between them all.

"When do you think I'll deliver?" Inuyasha asked, Kaede sitting next to him as she tried to massage his swollen ankles. Inuyasha, when she first attempted this, snapped at her and grew angry as he felt feeble under her care. After the swelling became too much he gave in, especially since Sesshomaru was not nearly as adept at the tender care. Kaede seemed to be carefully articulating her answer, as this was not something one could easily guess. She moved to his other ankle.

"With multiple, possibly next month." Inuyasha frowned at that, looking down to his impossibly big stomach.

"Will I deliver in this form?" He asked, Kaede pulling on the few cases she knew of half breed pregnancies.

"Yee may very well deliver during yee human time. It will drain yee, and possibly kill ye if we are not careful. Yee pups will be full blooded, so yee will need to save up all ye strength." Inuyasha sighed at that, feeling a part of him panic slightly at the thought. It would only make sense, since his birth canal was only present while he was a human, though a thought stopped him.

"But why, if I got pregnant as a half demon male?" Kaede frowned at that, as she herself held very little information about a male half demon successfully getting pregnant. They usually managed to live long enough to become sterile, though Inuyasha hadn't. Though Kagome was not aware, it almost appeared she set it up so the hanyou would become sterile with the loss of his memory. It would have been possible, if she hadn't entrusted Sesshomaru to watch the younger.

"Forgive me Inuyasha, though a case as rare as yee has not been presented to me before." Inuyasha nodded in understanding, wishing some type of knowledge was at least present in this time. Inuyasha looked to the shoji when it was opened, his hopeful thought of his mate smashed by the imposing sight of Lady Kimi. Inuyasha frowned, though didn't speak ill to her as he normally would.

She did protect him from that wench after all. Begrudgingly, she had earned his respect.

"Forgive my intrusion," she spoke in her soft tone, looking to Inuyasha who was sat up on his futon. Kaede turned to face her and bowed, Lady Kimi shooing away her formality.

"We all stand the same here Miko," she spoke, moving to sit next to Inuyasha. The half demon was a little apprehensive, but it wasn't like he could move much while in this condition. He was literally the size of a boulder at this point.

"How do my grandpups treat you?" Kimi asked, Inuyasha huffing some as he motioned to his current state.

"Crushing me," he replied, Kimi smirking softly as she raised a hand. She stopped, looking to Inuyasha's face for permission. Inuyasha nodded hesitantly, her warm hand touching his stomach. Inuyasha gasped in slight pain as his pups seemed to come alive, feeling a harsh kick to his bladder and a kick to his stomach. Kimi raised an eyebrow as they all saw a foot press against his stomach, followed by the hanyou releasing an embarrassed yelp as he almost peed himself.

"Forgive me," Kimi apologized quickly as she and Kaede helped him up, Inuyasha slapping them both away as he went outside to release his bladder. After he was done he entered back inside, Kimi halting whatever she was saying as she looked back to the hanyou.

"I have calmed all matters with the bitch's family. They apologize greatly for their daughter's actions, and grant you one of their estates in apology." Inuyasha raised an eyebrow, not fully understanding nor caring about any of that.

"Is that why you came?" Inuyasha asked, Kimi opening her mouth to respond but stopped by Kaede.

"I called for her. If you deliver while in human form we need a demon to offer their energy," Kaede explained, Inuyasha raising an eyebrow at that. Sesshomaru was a pretty strong demon, and he would feel more comfortable with him. Inuyasha knew he still had a lot to learn about the world, but he wasn't really sure he wanted his mother in law to be there while he pushed out the little demons that kicked his bladder.

"Sesshomaru won't do?" Inuyasha asked, Kaede shaking her head. This time, she let Kimi speak.

"It is not traditional for a male to be present." Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at that, since he thought that seemed pretty stupid.

"Why?" he ventured to ask, Kimi leveling him with her stare.

"You need to concentrate Inuyasha. Do not underestimate labor, many demons and humans have lost their lives during the process." Inuyasha swallowed thickly at that, feeling a sudden fear tighten in his chest. Kaede stood and walked to his side, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Yee shall be fine, Inuyasha. I will make sure you stay safe." Inuyasha nodded and looked down to his stomach, wondering for a split second if all of this would really be worth the possible chance of death. Kimi realized the seed of fear she had planted, and tried to backtrack.

"If you give birth as a human, once the sun rises you will return to being a half breed. Your body will heal." Inuyasha realized a rather large fault in that reasoning however.

"If I will give birth to multiple pups, my labor will be long right? So will I go into labor as a male, and give birth as a female?" The two women looked t each other, both realizing that this was going to be a lot more difficult then they had both originally thought.

Nobody knew what was going to happen.

Sesshomaru walked back into the hut and realized the tension that had filled the air, blood from the deer still on his shoulder and trickling down his arm. Sesshomaru went over to his mate however, letting the hanyou press against him. Sesshomaru looked at the two women, realizing the gears turning in both of their heads.

"Why is my mate distressed?" Sesshomaru asked with malice in his voice, Kaede speaking first.

"There may be more complications than originally thought with his labor," Kaede informed, Sesshomaru looking down to his mate who was shaking just slightly. The demon narrowed his eyes, angered that his mate was distressed in his delicate state.

"We shall worry about it when the time comes. Call upon a healer, we shall have them on standby." Kaede nodded, Sesshomaru looking to his mother.

"Is everything fixed?" He asked, Kimi nodding as she stood from her seated position.

"They have given you an estate, for the trouble," she replied, Sesshomaru looking back to Kaede.

"Do the monk and the demon slayer know of his condition?" Sesshomaru asked, Kaede shaking her head. Sesshomaru nodded, looking down to his mate.

"Alert them, I will take Inuyasha to your village. I feel it best he delivers in a place of comfort if he will face complications." Inuyasha's head shot up at that, his eyes wide with fear. He didn't mind Kaede seeing him like this, but the people he had fought along side with? He really didn't want any of them to see him like this!

"Wait!" Inuyasha chipped in, Sesshomaru turning his eyes to him. Inuyasha tried not to flare up like a bird, but couldn't help but feel like he was slightly left out in these decisions.

"You want me to go over there like this? That's embarrassing!" Inuyasha yelled out, Sesshomaru's expression staying stern as he regraded his mate silently for a moment.

"Though I had wished for you to deliver here, if the miko is unsure of what might happen, I need people to be around who can aid her," Sesshomaru replied, Inuyasha's cheeks becoming a little red as he saw the logic in his mate's decision. He still however felt very left out in the decision of his own body.

"I don't want them to know!" Inuyasha replied stubbornly, some line in his mind crossed. He wouldn't admit it, though he felt his pride was at stake. He had fought next to those people, had been the iron wall they needed and had been the leader of their pack. To face them as the weak thing he was now made him feel… Humiliation.

Let alone, how would he explain he was Sesshomaru's mate? Kaede seemed to read his mind, speaking in turn.

"They will feel nothing but respect for thee Inuyasha. Sango herself has another on the way." Inuyasha blushed at that, pulling away from his mate and crossing his arms over his chest. Sesshomaru pulled him slowly against him once again, placing a soft kiss between his ears.

"Let me ensure your safety, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru whispered, the hanyou's ears twitching back in response. Inuyasha's cheeks grew impossibly redder, though when asked like that he could hardly refuse this for his mate.

He was terrified more than anything to give birth, but maybe…

Maybe his friends could be there for him, as he had done for them.

"Fine."