Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha...

A/N: Wow! That was quite a welcome! I could never abandon the sequel after that! (grins) in actuality I've had the first official chapter written for a while now, i just had to have the time to upload, preen, and post it. I like to have everything written up long before it's posted, gives me enough time to think about it...

Birth

I should be at a hospital! Kagome's thoughts screamed, struggling to be heard and experienced above her pain. She ground her teeth together in anxiety, her body taut as a bowstring. What if something goes wrong? Then all thoughts were obliterated as the pain soared and peaked through her. She tried desperately to steel herself against crying out but a low moan of agony escaped nonetheless.

Sitting behind her Inuyasha's dog-ears would've been flattened with worry and stress—if this hadn't been the night of the new moon. His still acutely sensitive nose and hearing told him everything Kagome was going through nonetheless, and he felt simply miserable about it. The sweat on her forehead, blood and other birth fluids leaking from her, and the raging emotions she was experiencing, all reached his nose and forced him to live through the labor a thousand times more acutely than Miroku and Sango did. He knew nothing of what qualified as good or bad as far as baby-birthing and labor went—but he knew one thing clearly, and that was that Kagome was in extreme pain, and he hated it…but most of all he hated that he was helpless to protect her from it. It was a battle she alone could fight, he couldn't step in and defend her with this one, no matter how much he wanted to.

But it was almost over. Six hours of hard labor since her water had broken and now, finally, it was time for Kagome to push the pup out of her body.

Sango, playing midwife, was at Kagome's feet, checking how far she'd dilated and watching for any sign of problems. She had baby blankets, towels, and hot water waiting at her disposal, ready to be used. It was just the three of them—though Miroku hovered, coming in and out once in a while to act as the maid, bringing and taking away various things as Sango ordered. Mayuko, the housekeeper, was watching the children, Shippo, Kohimu, Tisoki, and Kasai in a different room.

Inuyasha watched Sango carefully as the demon slayer turned midwife bent low to check Kagome's progress when the contraction passed, biting her lip anxiously. After a moment she looked back up at Inuyasha and nodded, "She's starting to try and push now—she's ready."

The hanyou quickly lowered his lips close to his wife's ear and whispered encouragingly, "C'mon Kagome, Sango says this is almost over. It's time to push…you can do it; I know you can Kagome. You've done great…" his hands found hers in the darkness and intertwined with hers in the darkness, "Just a little more and he'll be here…our pup." Exhausted though she was Inuyasha felt Kagome nod against him, weakly. She may have even tried to speak, but she gave up, too breathless and fatigued. Everything within her went to the labor, went to the pup's impending birth.

"Push Kagome! Push now!" Sango cried, abruptly excited, throwing encouragement at the soon-to-be mother.

Kagome didn't need the shouting—she knew what had to be done. The instincts lay deep inside her, but they were strong. As if some secret well of hidden strength and stamina had been opened just for this purpose, Kagome took as deep a breath as she could manage and did as she was told—she pushed. The contraction swarmed, as if in response to her actions, blotting her senses, but still, doggedly (A/N: haha! Very punny!) she continued to push.

Inuyasha felt a sickening fear surge through him as he watched her pale hands grip at the sheets, tangling themselves deep within them. Her knuckles bleached completely white. What if something goes wrong? Inuyasha knew nothing of his own mother's labor with him—the subject of birth wasn't something the hanyou's mother had shared with him at such a young age. Perhaps, if he'd been a girl things would've been different, but why should little boys want or need to know about such things? He trusted in Sango to guide he and Kagome through this battle that weapons couldn't win.

Inuyasha was pulled back into the real world when Kagome's breathing changed, becoming more rapid still, though at once weaker. Nervously he looked to Sango through the dim light, straining his ears, desperately trying to hear or scent if his wife and pup were in danger but—damn the new moon!—his senses were all reduced to a normal human's standards. He called Sango's name faintly, hoping for answers.

She looked up but only for a moment, "What is it Inuyasha?"

"I can't hear or scent her anymore…is—is she all right?" he hated speaking of her in third person but Kagome was beyond hearing him in truth. He could feel her sagging, exhausted body straining against his.

Sango nodded at him, though she hardly spared him a glance. "It's almost over, Inuyasha. Tell her to push again…"

Pursing his lips determinedly, Inuyasha gave Kagome's now limp hands a squeeze and leaned close to her ear once more, whispering. "Sango says it's almost over Kagome. Just a little more, push again…" despite his reduced senses he could still smell her sweat, and much to his inner embarrassment he felt the strange instinct to lick away her perspiration—like a dog attending to its mate. Had he been a hanyou this night he might've actually been overwhelmed by it, but as a human he was able to push it aside. Even so he pressed his nose to her cheek, hoping the touch would encourage her as much as it soothed his nerves, "I know you can do it Kagome…"

Kagome's body tensed once again as another contraction swept over her, and with a gasp she was pushing again, straining and bearing down with all her might. At the foot of the bed, primed and ready, Sango looked up at Inuyasha and Kagome, her eyes full of a nervous excitement.

"The baby's crowning! It's coming!" She shouted, a tense smile curling her lips.

Kagome let out a brief cry of pain and fell against Inuyasha then, but only for a brief second before her muscles snapped taut and she began again. The pushing was nonstop now—the longer the pup was left in the birth canal the greater its chance of injury, suffocation, and death was. It was all Kagome could do to breathe with the contractions and the pushing, but still she went on…

The smell of sweat, although hovering heavily in the room, was replaced by the irony tang of blood…and then there was a strange, weak and guttural cry that ricocheted through the entire estate as the couple's hard won pup was born. Sango pulled the infant free, swaddling it immediately in linens and blankets, then carefully working to cut the cord still connecting mother and baby. While she worked the tiny child continued to cry, weakly and almost strangled at first, but then with more intensity and strength.

Kagome, exhausted, was panting after her effort, recovering a little of her strength. In fact her battle with labor was not yet over—the afterbirth still had to be passed, and her pain was still intense. Inuyasha stayed behind her, supporting her tired body with his own…but his now human eyes were turned toward the Sango at his wife's feet, and his ears were tuned to the pup's squalls.

The pup was alive! He'd dreamed for uncountable years, especially after meeting Kagome's family and seeing how happy they were together, of having his own stable and happy household. Only now had it become reality…he felt light and almost giddy at the realization. Leaning close to his wife he whispered, "You did it! Can you hear him, Kagome? Can you hear him!" he squeezed her hands, and even gave into his strange instincts and began to lick her cheek gently in his enthusiasm.

Kagome, still dazed, didn't respond, but she did hear the child's cries, and she did feel Inuyasha's tongue working over her skin—she was reminded instantly of a cat and a weak smile worked over her lips. Yet the only coherent thought she had at the moment was: I should've gone to a hospital…painkillers…VERY good…

Sango had finished with the baby's cord and lifted the pup up into her arms to get a better look at it…but Inuyasha, catching sight of it immediately, could wait no longer. "Sango! Sango, give him to me!"

The demon slayer shook her head, smiling, and walked carefully over to the side of the futon where she set the tiny newborn into Kagome's lap. Tiredly, Kagome tried to hold the baby, who was still screaming quite loudly, but her movements were so slow that Inuyasha ended up holding the pup in her lap from behind. The new mother was too exhausted to hold her own head up to examine her child, but there was a weak smile on her face.

Behind her Inuyasha was silently staring at his pup, dumbfounded. He wanted to see its eyes—what color would they be? But the pup wouldn't stop crying! Inuyasha fidgeted, creeping out from behind Kagome to get a better grasp on his newborn son, determined, like a nervous mother hen, to appease the child's tears. Looking once to his tired wife, who was already beginning to fall into an exhausted sleep, the hanyou turned human and new father scooped the baby up into his arms, cuddling it possessively.

Above him, the demon slayer, hands on her hips, was shaking her head through the darkness, "I only have one question, Inuyasha." she murmured, smiling, "How is it that you knew so confidently that it'd be a boy? You haven't even checked him yet to be sure but you're still calling the baby a boy…"

Inuyasha looked up at her briefly from his pup and flashed a grin, "I could smell it all along Sango!" when he turned his gaze back to the pup his smile became sweeter and more tender—the pup had stopped crying! He could see its eyes now—they were blue! Unfocusedly the little child's eyes landed on him, and Inuyasha smirked when he saw how genuinely annoyed the pup looked. Just like me I'll bet!

Sango inhaled sharply then and whispered, "Inuyasha—he has your ears!"

Indeed, when the hanyou looked he saw that through the tiny pup's silver hair there were two little white dog-ears, flattened and still wet from birth. Although Sango was grinning ecstatically at this discovery, Inuyasha scowled.

"You poor thing," he muttered, running one finger over the pup's tiny and delicate ears, "Now Kagome will tweak your ears too…"

It was about noon the next day when the midwife answered a knock on her door with a frown on her face. She was expecting it to be Miroku or Sango or Mayuko, it was always those three that ran errands for the Higurashi couple, Lord Inuyasha and Kagome. Chances were they wanted more painkilling herbs or something with which to bless the arrival of the couple's firstborn child…as far as she cared it could rot! She'd hoped that Kagome, for her arrogance in pushing her expertise away, had lost her baby in childbirth. That would teach her!

But contrary to her expectations the visitor wasn't on an errand—he'd come specifically to speak to her—although she didn't know him at all…the man was tall and wore a blackish-gray hood which thoroughly covered his facial features in a shadow. Yet even so she could still see that he was a handsome young bugger with nothing to hide.

"Yes?" she asked, blinking in confusion.

"Lady," he bowed in acknowledgement, "I have come to ask of Lord Inuyasha…"

She scowled, bitterly, "If this is something for them I'll have nothing to do with it!"

The man appeared surprised for a moment and then smiled easily, "No," he shook his head gently and began again, "My lady, you misunderstand me. I am not here on their behalf. I have come to learn about them, or more precisely the lord Inuyasha…"

The midwife sneered, "Some lord. He didn't tell his stupid wife what was good for her! I went up there to help when she went into labor and she sent me off! Me! Can you believe that sir! Me! And that stupid half-breed lets her do it!"

"Is that so?" his eyes seemed to sympathize with her under the shade of his hood.

"Why yes sir it is!" she snarled, "I had hoped that the miserable woman would die giving birth without my aid, but I hear she survived just fine. In fact that monk and his wife and even the housekeeper have dropped by here every once and a while demanding things for her or the brat."

"The brat, my lady?"

"Yes, yes. The brat. They have a son from what I hear now." She sneered again, an expression her face was most familiar with by the lines of wear around her mouth and eyes, "Born sometime in the wee hours of this morning. Do you know what they plan on calling the thing?"

The stranger shook his head, still listening intently. His dark eyes glittered from beneath his hood.

"They're going to call him Koinu…" she scoffed hatefully, "Puppy. What kind of stupid name is that?"

"A very stupid name indeed, my lady." He nodded to her and smiled faintly, "I'm sure it shan't live very long."

The midwife snorted, "You'd be surprised. The half-breed's demon brother can't even kill him! And if this brat is anything like its bastardly father then we're going to be stuck with it for a long, long time…" she frowned as the stranger began to turn his back on her and walk away, "Where are you going sir? Come inside, tell me your business here, have some tea why don't you?"

But the man didn't turn back to her, and his pace never slowed. The only thing he did do was say over his shoulder, most casually, "I have already attended to my business here, lady. Thank you very much indeed…"

The midwife frowned as he skulked off, and suddenly she felt a shiver descend over her, ominously.

Endnote: Ooohh...spooky eh? Is this mystery guy good or bad I ask you? You may be inclined to say bad of course, but remember that I am sometimes crafty, shifty, and evil...I'm going to apologize now (bows) to the readers who so desperately wished for Inuyasha and Kagome to have a girl. ((Snickers) Believe me, if there was a way to prove IY wrong about the whole thing, like Miroku and Sango's Kasai in the last story, I would've done it...but knowing what I do about pregnancy and fetal development and such, I couldn't do it.) See depending on the gender of the offspring, thebaby is flooded by whichever appropriate sex hormone is needed (i.e. when I was nothing more than a fetus I was bombarded by estrogen and therefore I'm female.) so from an early age Koinu would've been producing testosterone (I think i spelled that one wrong...grr...) and considering that that's not Kagome's NORMAL hormone I'm sure Inuyasha would be able to smell the difference. So He KNEW it was a boy...but if it'd been a girl he wouldn't have been able to tell...see? I think I yabbed too long, butanyway, that was my thinking. So I'm sorry that it was a boy to those who wished for a girl...(sighs) I just had to give them a boy...hey...there's always the next one eh? (winks)...next is chapter 2: Mother's Work is Never Done...oh and I almost forgot: THANK YOU ALL! All nearly 30 Reviewers! I grin everytime I see another Review alert in my email box! (SQUEE!) YAYS! I shall try to keep updates steady...but remember my schedule IS busy (and getting busiER sadly...(cries))...but THANK YOU ALL! Drop me a line again please, love hearing from everyone! YAYS! Till next time when we see Kagome and IY take on parenting! Feeding time! hehe...and after that it's meet the gradmother and great-grandfather and Uncle Sota! (snickers...) I can't wait! (grins)