AN: Thank you for the reviews. I am not exactly sure how happy I am with this chapter, but after reading and editing it over and over and over again. I've settled for this. It's not settling that much though, I think the story is still good, and I have other chapters I'm working on that I feel are way better! I think every writer has those chapters where they want it to be better but can't make it better. That's where I am with this one. Anyways, I'll let you all read now. Please let me know what you think! I look forward to the feedback :)

The two men entered the boy's hospital room. Inuyasha was showing the boy some game on his phone and he nodded to his brother as he came in. Sesshomaru had been getting on his last nerves lately, but he was probably going insane at the moment, so he'd play nice; for now.

Toga had spent a lot of time talking with Kenichi to get a feel for him. The child was very happy, and he seemed elated at the idea of having a father, uncle, and grandfather. He decided to sit back and watch as Sesshomaru interacted with his new son.

Sesshomaru was feeling more confident with his game plan; the only unknown right now was Kenichi. He hoped that he and the child would get along.

"Kenichi," Sesshomaru walked up to the boy and sat next to him. "Tell me about yourself."

"Well," the child smiled and thought for a second about what he wanted to say, "I'm Kenichi, I three years old."

Sesshomaru nodded. "Where do you live?"

"I live at my house," he placed a palm on his chest, "with mommy and Sango."

"Of course." Sesshomaru smirked at the response. Then he realized that he was already out of questions. When was the last time he honestly put any effort into getting to know someone? Probably never. "…what do you like to do for fun?" he settled upon.

The boys face lit up. "I like watching TV, and to eat, and I play with mommy."

"Mhm," where was he going with this? "What do you play?"

"We play hide and seek, and we play at the park, we play learning, and we play lots of games."

"That is good." Sesshomaru was unsure of where to continue. He was not the friendliest person in the world and that was an understatement when it came to children. "Do you have any questions for me?"

The young boy pouted.

"You can ask me anything, Kenichi," Sesshomaru reassured, "I want us to get to know each other."

"Why now?"

Sesshomaru was caught off guard. "Excuse me?" Inuyasha and Toga's eyes widened at the boy's question. Kenichi was only three years old so that was a pretty deep question. Maybe if he was a teenager or even a preteen, but a toddler?

"Where was you? I wanted a daddy forever." The boy frowned. He had seen other children play with their dad's. He wanted one too and he couldn't understand why he had to wait so long for his own father when everyone else already had one.

Sesshomaru took a moment, wanting to respond in the best way possible. Kenichi's question seemed innocent enough, he hoped that Kagome had not said anything to the boy to tarnish his reputation.

"I was at work." It was not the whole reason for his absence, but in a way it was. Besides, how much would he have to elaborate for the little boy?

"At work?" he asked innocently.

"Yes," Sesshomaru nodded. Inuyasha and Toga watched the exchange, wondering what Kenichi's next response would be.

"You work more than mommy," Kenichi said, understanding. His mother frequently left him to go to work; if Sesshomaru was never there then he must work way more than Kagome did.

"I do." Sesshomaru smiled, thankful that the boy would take his excuse. "I work a lot, and I live very far."

"You live far?" The boy did not understand the concept.

"I live far away," Sesshomaru repeated, unsure of how to elaborate distance to a toddler. "Now you will see more of me. I will work less, and won't be so busy. Would you like that?" he asked.

Kenichi's eyes lit up and he nodded up and down rapidly. "Uh huh."

"That is good." Sesshomaru smiled softly, as did Inuyasha and Toga. 'This might just work out.'

Unfortunately visiting hour were coming to an end and they had to go home. Sesshomaru wished they could have stayed a bit longer, but there was only so much bonding he could do at a time anyways. So far though, he liked the child. The boy was very respectful and smart. Sesshomaru commended Kagome for how well she had done with him thus far without any of his own input. She was a great mother, and it showed in her son.

The Taisho men stood up from their seats, all ready to leave.

"Good bye, Kenichi." Toga smiled and gave the boy a small bow before walking out of the room. He was in a pretty good mood. His grandson was charming, and he would fit in well with the family.

"See you later kid." Inuyasha smirked. He held his fist out and to his surprise, Kenichi actually made a fist and bumped his small hand against Inuyasha's. "Pretty cool." He said as he too left the room.

"I will see you very soon." Sesshomaru was left alone with the child for a moment, unsure of what to do. He settled for a gentle pat on the boy's head, careful not to touch his bump. With that awkward moment over, he turned to leave.

Kenichi pouted and began to cry as his father walked out of the room; Sesshomaru began to feel guilty.

"Daddy," Kenichi yelled out, ready to jump out of his bed, "don't leave me." Poor Kenichi, he didn't want to stay alone in the hospital.

"I shall return tomorrow." Sesshomaru told him. "Go to bed now, when you wake up everything will be okay." That should have worked. In Sesshomaru's ignorant mind the boy would have done exactly as he said, but he knew nothing about children.

"No!" The temper tantrum was about to begin. Kenichi's face became red and his tears streamed down his cheeks. "No, no, no!" He shook his head furiously. "I wanna go home!"

Thankfully a nurse stepped in to calm the child. "Kenichi! It's okay!" She hurried over to give him a hug.

Sesshomaru thought it best he left while the boy was distracted, but if he ever in his life felt like a complete piece of shit, it was now. This was his son but he had no clue how to handle him, how to be a parent. He fully expected the boy to have listened to him and lain down to sleep at his command. Kenichi did not listen to him though, and a feeling of doubt crept into his heart. So far, he was a horrible father, and he knew it.

He could hear Kenichi crying out in a defeated voice. "I want my mommy!" The wailing continued and slowly faded out as the three Takahashi men walked away from the room and down the hall.

Inuyasha was silent, but in his mind he admitted that his nephew sure did have a set of lungs. 'Poor kid,' he thought to himself. It wasn't easy being in the hospital, and to be a child all alone, Inuyasha sympathized with him.

They all entered the elevator and Sesshomaru let out a breath as soon as the doors closed.

"Sesshomaru." Toga turned to his son. "He'll be fine." He could see the self doubt from the expression on his son's usually expressionless face. He understood that parenthood was never easy, and that a lot of mistakes would be made. It was a learning experience, raising a child; Sesshomaru would have to learn it just like everyone else. "There will be good days and there will be bad days." He spoke the truth. Some days he would sit and wonder if he was doing a good job, other days he knew his was.

"I know this." Sesshomaru snapped at his father. He didn't need anyone comforting him. He wasn't a child. He just wanted to be left alone. They did not understand. This was the first time he'd met his son, and it ended with the child screaming and crying.

The elevator opened up on the first floor as the trio made their exit. The ride home was silent and tense.

Inuyasha was in a good mood, he chose to ignore their exit and focus on how happy his nephew was. Toga was feeling sorry for his oldest son, he could sense his unease.

Sesshomaru was deep in thought; he wouldn't get much sleep that night either. Mentally he was exhausted from such a day. He found out he had a son, only to realize that he could have lost said son. Then they spend a short amount of awkward time together which ends horribly. He definitely did not expect a father of the year award.

His father's words rang in his head. 'There will be good days and there will be bad days.' Sesshomaru hoped that this was true and that there would be less bad days than good.

The next morning Sango went back to pick up Kenichi since he was being discharged very early. He still had to wear his neck brace for the next week, but he was given medicine to help his numerous scabs heal faster and the swelling on his forehead was gone to be replaced with a dark bruise.

"Sango," the little boy asked as they left the hospital, "are we gonna see mommy?"

"Yes," she answered, "but first we're going to get some breakfast and bring some food back for her." She had promised Kagome that Kenichi would see her as soon as he was released, but Sango wanted to get him something decent to eat, as well as Kagome.

"Oh," he said as Sango buckled him up in the car seat, "okay."

The two went to a small family diner and had breakfast, making sure to get a small order to go for Kagome. Then they drove back to the hospital and went to Kagome's room.

Sango knocked on the door before opening it. "Kagome, guess who's here!" she said, in a singsong voice.

"Mommy!" Kenichi ran in the room and jumped up on Kagome's bed.

"Hey baby," she smiled. "How are you?" Oh how much she'd missed him!

"I'm okay. I have lots of booboos." He looked his mother up and down. "Mommy, you look bad."

Sango couldn't help but laugh at the expression on Kagome's face. Don't kids just say the darndest things? No filter at all!

"I know sweetie." Kagome had glanced at her reflection earlier that day. She had scratches all over her face, a busted and lip, her right eye was blackened, and her hair was a mess. She had a brace on her wrist and her body was covered in bruises and cuts.

Sango placed the bag on Kagome's table. "We brought you some breakfast."

"Thanks," Kagome said, "the food here sucks. They gave me one tiny pancake and the smallest amount of oatmeal possible." She was ready to go home.

Kenichi cuddled under the crook of Kagome's arm as she sat up to eat her food. He was so happy. He missed his mother and he wanted to be with her. Surprisingly the car accident didn't affect him too negatively. Maybe it was due to him meeting his father.

"Mommy," he said, looking up at her, "I have a daddy."

Kagome tried not to let him see her flinch at his words.

"He looks like me."

She nodded. "Yes, he does," that was an understatement. "What did you think about him?"

"He tall," Kenichi said with improper grammar.

Kagome smiled. "Yes, he is tall. What else?"

"He no talk a lot."

"He doesn't talk a lot?" she asked; correcting him.

The boy nodded.

"Was he kind to you?" she asked him. That was important, Sesshomaru was not known for his kindness.

"Yes, and I met grandpa and un-unc..." he struggled to find the right word.

"Uncle?"

"Yeah," he nodded, "uncle. He funny."

"That's good." Kagome replied. "Inuyasha is very funny."

She had not spoken with Sesshomaru since he left her room the previous night. She had no idea what his plans were in regards to Kenichi and fathering him.

At the thought of Sesshomaru, her phone started to ring, she did not recognize the number.

Kagome swiped to answer. "Hello?"

"Kagome."

It sounded like… "Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha must have given him her number.

"Yes."

"Oh," her eyes widened, "what's up?" she asked, not knowing what else to say. He did call her after all.

"I want to see Kenichi today. I told him I would."

"You did that yesterday." She became worried, she hoped his motives were not only because he gave his word. "I don't want you to trick him into thinking he has you, for you to leave and never talk to him again." Yes she wanted them to know each other, but she didn't want Kenichi to get his hopes up for Sesshomaru to disappear.

"That will not happen."

"Really?" Kagome's heart sped up and she quickly squashed the feeling. "What makes you so sure?" she asked, fully doubting him.

"He is my first and only child. I already missed three years of his existence and almost lost him." Sesshomaru was not one for long winded explanations, but he knew that he needed to reassure this woman. "I will have a part in his life."

"That…" she paused for a second, "that's good to know." Oh how she hoped he was being honest.

"Hn."

"He was discharged this morning. If you want to see him, he'll be with me in my room. I don't get to leave until a few hours from now, the doctor wants to look at a few things before I get to go home."

"That is fine. I will stop over. We have much to discuss."

"I agre-" she was cut off by the sound of the call ending. She looked at her phone. "That asshole, he hung up on me."

Less than an hour later, Sesshomaru walked into Kagome's hospital room where he found her, their son, and Sango.

Kenichi was taking a nap in Kagome's bed while Kagome and Sango watched a movie on the television.

"Ladies," he greeted them.

"I'm gonna go to the cafeteria," Sango said, standing up. "You want anything, Kagome?"

"I'm good."

"Okay." Sango hastily left the room. As curious as she was, she didn't want to be there to hear the serious discussion about to take place. She'd just ask Kagome for the main parts later.

"Hey," Kagome greeted Sesshomaru quietly, not wanting to wake up her child.

Sesshomaru took a seat beside her, where Sango was previously sitting. He stayed up throughout most of the night making a lot of important life decisions.

"How are you feeling?" he asked politely.

"Like crap. I feel like I got beat up, or hit by a truck."

"No. It was just another car," he joked.

"Thanks." She said with a jealous tone. He looked amazing and handsome in his pristinely white button down shirt. He had a pair of blue jeans on and black shoes. His long hair was tied at the base of his neck and not a strand was out of place. Kagome looked terrible. Her hair was wild and she was wearing a hospital gown over her clothes. She was covered in cuts and bruises and her pretty lips were temporarily ruined. Life was not fair.

"We have some things to talk about, preferably while he is asleep."

"I agree." Kagome nodded, trying to look like she was a bit more confident with her appearance.

"I want to be in his life."

"First things first, you're not taking him from me." She glared, ready to jump up and fight if necessary. It was an irrational fear but Kenichi was her baby and Sesshomaru couldn't just come out of nowhere and take him from her. She did all the work these last years, not him. He did not say he planned to take the boy but she needed to get it out there on the table just in case.

"I do not plan on it." He reassured her. "I figured that we could make an arrangement."

"Like what?" She was curious.

"I can fly out and visit. One week every month. Sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on my schedule. He can stay with me at my family's home."

Kagome bit her lip, then instantly regretted it when she felt the stabbing pain from her injury.

"I don't know." Once a week each month was a long time. She'd never been without him for more than a day at the most.

"What is wrong with that?" Clearly the whole thing worked out in her favor.

Kagome sighed. "Nothing." She had no reasonable excuse to deny him one week a month with his son. She would still have the other three. He wasn't asking for much, really. "That sounds expensive though."

Sesshomaru shook his head. "I can afford it."

Kagome looked away, "Alright," she said quietly. She had no argument; although she couldn't help but feel envious of his wealth.

"Good." He nodded, ready to continue onto his next topic. "I want his last name changed."

"What?" her eyes widened, as she looked at him with shock. "No," she whispered fiercely.

"Why not? He is my son; he should have his father's last name."

"He wasn't your son until yesterday, he's a Higurashi. He was raised a Higurashi for his whole life-"

"Well now he's going to be raised a Takahashi."

"No," she continued, "what have you ever done for him to deserve him having your last name? Nothing."

Sesshomaru changed his tone. "That is not my fault," his eyes flashed dangerously.

"It kind of is," she retorted, "you were out there perusing your dreams while I put mine on hold to take care of him. I do everything for him. He should have my last name." Maybe it wasn't his entire fault; she was to blame as well. But Kenichi was a Higurashi and Kagome was not going to sign him away so easily.

"We'll see about that." The man's eyes narrowed. He would not have his son running around with anyone's last name but his own.

"I am his mother, his only legal guardian. I'm not changing his name."

"Very well." Sesshomaru knew that continuing the argument was pointless so he moved onto his next concern. He would go back to the name problem once he established his place as Kenichi's father and he had more authority on the boy's life. "I don't want you dancing."

"Excuse me?" she raised an eyebrow. This request caught her by surprise, even more so than the name changing issue.

"The mother of my child will not be a stripper." He stared down at her haughtily.

Kagome fought herself to keep her voice down. "Where do you get off, telling me what I can and cannot do? Dancing has been the reason I've been able to provide for your child. He had a lot of medical bills as a baby and how do you think a 19 year old girl with no college education was able to afford it all?"

"It doesn't matter. You're setting a bad example."

"B-bad example?" Her face reddened with anger. "My example is that I pay all my bills on time, while being able to afford to do nice things with my child. Everything that Kenichi and I have, I paid for. You have no right to tell me what I can and can't do for money."

"I will be able to give you financial support." He turned to flick an imaginary piece of lint off his shoulder. He really could not see what the big deal that she was making was. It was a simple request, and it was more beneficial to her than she could have asked for.

"Look," Kagome almost growled at him, "I don't need your money. I have my own."

"Do not insult me, Kagome. Kenichi is my son too. It is my responsibility to help provide for him."

She sighed. "You're right; it is your responsibility to help provide for him. But that does not mean you get to dictate what I do with my life." She paused for a moment, to think. "When I can, I'll do the math and figure out how much I spend on him every month. Then you can pay me half of that."

"It's that important for you to continue stripping?" Sesshomaru rolled his eyes. "I will be giving you well more than half the amount of his monthly expenses. You will not struggle to take care of the boy while I am here to help. I don't see why you can't find something else to do."

"Sesshomaru," she crossed her arms, "I still have bills to pay. I pay rent, I have to make my car payments, and I take Kenichi out a lot. I don't want to just get by." Truth was, with Sesshomaru's money in the picture, Kagome felt insignificant. She wanted to do just as much for her son as his father could.

"How ambitious of you." He said with narrowed eyes.

"You don't understand." Tears were brimming at this point. She didn't want Kenichi to be resentful towards her in the future. The Takahashi's had so much money and they could do anything they wanted at any given time. If Kagome quit her job, what if Kenichi insisted on leaving her when he was older. Why would he stay with his mother living an average life when he could have everything with Sesshomaru?

"What I understand is that you need to reevaluate what kind of life you want to live. People look down on women like you."

"Women like m-" he cut her off.

"Women who take their clothes off for money." He specified.

"If it's so bad then why were you there that night?" She retorted.

Sesshomaru wanted to laugh. "I was there for entertainment. Don't ever think I have respect for any of the females in that building."

"We work for our money just like any other person." Kagome said, defensively. "You don't know the women and half of their stories. Being good looking enough to dance is a blessing for some of us."

"I get that." Sesshomaru put his thumb and index finger on his forehead as he tried to explain. "I realize that the money you make there is unparalleled to any other job with your skills and education."

"Well if you see that, then why are you making such a big deal for?" She was getting confused.

"Alright," Sesshomaru stood to his full height and gave her his most serious face as he looked down on her, "do you realize how it reflects upon me? I have a child that I've neglected, unintentionally of course, and his mother is reduced to dancing around a pole naked and grinding on strangers' laps for money."

He did not give her a chance to speak and continued.

"It's disgusting and it makes me look bad, it is shameful for both of us."

She was getting tired of his insults. "Sesshomaru what I do is no concern of yours. I'm living my own life just like you have your own. You don't get to control my life."

"Kagome. You have taken care of my son by yourself this whole time. Now I am here. Things are going to be much different." He knew that Kagome was no gold digger. If she was, it wouldn't have taken so long for Kenichi's existence to be made known. He had money and had no problem sharing it with her, to an extent of course.

She looked up at him; she wasn't sure how she felt about his words. Sadness, confusion, a weird sense that resembled hope; but hope for what?

Sesshomaru spoke after a few moments of silence.

"Regardless of our relationship status, you are the mother of my child. Therefore I will not have you going without. You will be well taken care of financially as long as I am able to do so. By the look of my bank accounts right now, it will be a very long time. The need for you to continue with your current career choice is gone."

Kagome looked away, feeling vulnerable. That's the way the world worked, whoever had the money had the power; and between the two of them, it was Sesshomaru by a landslide. It was at this time that the deeply sleeping boy began to stir, thus ending their conversation.

"We will finish this discussion at a later time." Sesshomaru said, as two eyes reflecting his own peered up at him.

AN: please review, like I said before I really struggled writing this chapter. It'd be nice to know how I did :)