Disclaimer: No, I don't own Inuyasha

A/N: Well, as I promised...I start off with one of the first challenges to new parents-feeding and care for the baby. I know that this kinda nearly killed my parents. My dad had crackpot theories about how babies never poop after five in the the afternoon/evening. Ha...that was HIS version of our childhood-he never cleaned any of our diapers...(huffs) it was all mom's work...thus I wrote what I thought would be a "perfect" guy, what would make Inuyasha perfect...but it makes sense, and it's kinda funny...see he's never had family before (a theme I stressed in "Hanyou" this storys prequel) so Koinu really REALLY means alot to him. So he really WILL be a doting father, the type that spoils his babies. Hehe...that's the type that my father is, and we were, for years, the only people on this planet that he knew were biologically related to him (he was adopted and kinda hated his adoptive family...) so I think it makes sense...if you disagree write in and tell me so, I really DO listen (grins) and I like hearing from you no matter what...(to fanfiction1: nope I didn't turn off the anonymous thing (winks)) Ah, my last note is actually a question: Do any of the movies, or anywhere in the series, does it cover whether Inutaisho was an only child? Do Sesshomaru and Inuyasha have an aunt or uncle at all? And have we ever seen a cousin at all? That's my question, it's kinda important...if anyone knows, PLEASE! I BEG you! Tell me...I've always been curious...(whimpers) well enough of me blabbing, here's the story...

Mother's Work is Never Done

Crying woke Kagome, but exhaustion prevented her from stirring. Koinu was hungry—again. The pup wasn't a fussy baby, he only cried when his diaper needed changing, when he'd hurt himself, didn't feel good, or was hungry. Otherwise he'd generally be asleep. But although the other things didn't happen very often the little hanyou was ravenous—he needed more food more often than Kagome had ever thought possible…of course Inuyasha was unfazed by this, and in fact could remember that his own years as a youth had been filled with one sense above all others—and that had been hunger.

It wasn't normal baby behavior, Sango and Miroku assured her—this was the influence that Inuyahsa's youkai genes were playing on Koinu's development. The pup was, simply put, a pig. Kagome pitied Inuyasha's mother the torture it must've been caring for him.

Beside her Inuyasha jumped awake, expecting danger. After the pup's birth he'd become a lot more protective, oddly enough, of everyone. He slept deeply but was easily roused—as times like now proved.

"WHAT? What's happening?" he muttered, speaking unnecessarily loud. (that's how my dad wakes up!(grins))

"Koinu's crying…" she mumbled, her face still smashed against the pillows.

There was a pause and then Inuyasha responded with a simple, "Oh." And then he leapt from their futon, flinging back the covers, rushing to his pup's aid. Kagome sighed, already knowing that Inuyasha would reach the infant's crib, scent him, and know immediately what the problem was…

"He's hungry." Her husband announced, as she'd expected, and the next thing she heard was the hanyou picking up his son and cheering him up, whispering promises of food as fast as it could be gotten. This quieted the pup swiftly, though he continued to whimper—much like a real puppy would—to remind his father that although he was appeased the problem had not yet been amended.

Inuyasha lit a candle to illuminate their bedroom just a little and then made his way with Koinu is his arms carefully to where Kagome was still pretending to be asleep. Of course Inuyasha knew better, with his keen senses, to fall for that ruse.

With one clawed hand he brushed a stray lock of her black hair from her face and whispered, "Kagome…it's that time again…"

With an exhausted sigh Kagome forced herself up, blinking against the light. As she moved Inuyasha moved pillows behind her back without even being asked to, which made Kagome smile. Not even Sango was this pampered, she thought. Indeed Inuyasha acted nothing short of her—or was it Koinu's rather—slave since the pup's birth about a month ago.

When she was ready the hanyou passed her the pup, carefully, and Kagome sighed tiredly as she looked down at her young son. He still had blue eyes—she was beginning to think that he would keep them. All babies were born with blue eyes, but a few kept it all their life, though in Japan such a thing was rare to see in normal humans. Among youkai it didn't matter, so Koinu's chance of actually having blue eyes was increased. The pup's ears, the same as his father's, were now clearly sticking up from the rest of his silvery hair, though the pup had yet to learn how to move them.

Mother and pup stared at each other fondly for several moments and then the pup squirmed in her lap eagerly and twitched his mouth, trying to smile. Kagome couldn't help but grin at that; he was, in his own way, apologizing for waking her. Despite her exhaustion she couldn't help but love him, ravenous little part-dog demon as he was.

Inuyasha had already slunk back into the covers at the other side of the futon, but he wasn't sleeping, or even trying to return to the land of slumber. Instead he was sitting close to her, watching the exchange between her and the pup. It was a typical behavior of Inuyasha's, she'd noted, he was overly eager to be involved with the pup or anything that had to do with him. And he took special fondness in watching the interactions between her and Koinu. Kagome often wondered if it was a strange sort of nostalgia that the hanyou was drawn to—after all, Koinu looked suspiciously like Inuyasha and Kagome had the basic features of Lady Izayoi—black hair and brown eyes. Perhaps when Inuyasha stared at scenes between Kagome and his own son he was reminded of sweet moments with his own mother before she had died…

Or maybe it was something else entirely, Kagome thought, throwing her husband a smirk. He caught the glance and blinked at her, golden eyes blank.

"What?"

In Kagome's lap Koinu squealed, squirming a little again, drawing both adults' attention. He was asking for the food his father had promised him. Kagome sighed, loosening her kimono robe to expose one breast, and held the pup up, supporting him. Unlike completely human babies Koinu was stronger and nursed greedily, his tiny but already clawed hands reaching for his mother's skin and clothing, grasping, almost kneading the air like a cat…from a very early age the pup had acted this way, it seemed to be instinct passed on from Inuyasha's dog demon heritage.

She looked quickly to Inuyasha and noted that he was still fixed—riveted—to the scene. She shook her head wearily and sighed, "You hentai…"

The hanyou blinked and looked up at her, innocently. "What do you mean?" Kagome wasn't sure whether this was fake or real—was he genuinely innocent or playing with her coyly? She thought she could see a small sparkle of amusement, a smirk, twinkling in his amber orbs, but she wasn't sure. Fatigue clouded her senses.

"You'd be asleep right now if I weren't sitting here with my chest bared…"

His ears, adorably, folded backward, and he appeared wounded for a moment, but now Kagome was certain he was playing with her. "How could you think something like that?"

She shrugged, though the movement of her shoulders brought a low sound of disapproval from Koinu, a little like a primitive growl. Inuyasha laughed heartily at the pup then, nodding his approval, "He's my son all right!" he grinned through the dim candlelight, his white teeth and fangs glittering.

Kagome snorted, "As if you had any doubt!"

The hanyou chuckled, unable to dismiss her words—certainly they were true. How many other dog-eared, silver haired men were there that could've fathered the pup in her arms? Except for Koinu's blue eyes he was identical to Inuyasha, and everything that the generally kinless hanyou could've asked for or dreamt of…a surge of pride and love reached Inuyasha and he moved in close to his wife, nuzzling her neck, taking in her rich scent, grazing her skin teasingly with his lips and teeth…

That woke Kagome up. Blinking she shivered a little at his closeness, at his hot breath on her flesh…but although she felt the distantly familiar sense of desire rise within her Kagome stifled it. The pup was still nursing and it was too soon after her pregnancy and difficult labor…she hated the thought of denying the hanyou but although she was willing her body was likely unprepared still. As if Koinu took offence to his parent's flirtations, he ceased his suckling and squealed, catching their attention.

"What is it, Koinu?" Kagome asked him, smiling down at her son warmly. At her side, with his lips still to her neck, Inuyasha stopped his movement and withdrew, sensing that the time was not quite right. Instead he offered his baby-problem-detecting services.

The hanyou sniffed once and then wrinkled his nose, "He's wet himself."

"Oh." At her words Koinu whimpered, his little face starting to pucker up in frustration. His legs kicked feebly at the air.

"I'll change him." Inuyasha announced and scooped Koinu up and out of his wife's arms in a second, swiftly leaving the room after finding a new linen diaper for his son.

Alone Kagome sighed, not wearily this time, but happily. Inuyasha, as it turned out, wasn't squeamish about diapers and he, as a result, did most of Koinu's changes. It was just as Kagome had thought earlier—her husband was a slave to his son and wife…well…maybe more to his son, but if it let her sleep she could've cared less…

Kagome slid under the covers after tightening her robe once more and immediately fell asleep, peaceful and content.

A man in a black hood and cape waited at the entrance to the Lord of the Western Land's great castle, a small burlap sack in his hand. The ground around him was covered in a thin layer of crusted snow. In the lowlands it was still autumn and the air, although containing an ominous chill at night, was still pleasant during the day—and there was a complete absence of snow. But here, where the castle was so prestigious and proudly perched, in the highlands the first snows had already fallen, though warm weather in the afternoons had melted most of it away…yet just beyond the gates of the castle the hooded stranger knew that the grounds of the Inuyoukai lord, son and heir of the dreaded former Lord Inutaisho, were warm and bathed in spring's magnificent glow. The youkai's strength alone kept it thus while outside his walls the highlands froze in the fall and winter, shriveling and dying.

Just as he'd expected, a small boy appeared abruptly, pulling himself out from under a broken, dug out spot just to the left of the huge and magnificent castle's gates. The stranger smiled to himself and held the burlap bag higher into the air so that the little boy could see it clearly. With a squeal of excitement the boy raced forward eagerly, slowing only at the last minute to stop and bow low to the stranger in black.

"Shero at your service, sir." The boy murmured faintly, his breath coming in quick gasps. He'd just run through the gardens of the castle from the stables where he was learning to be a stable boy for the great and mighty Lord Sesshomaru. (If you don't know him this is the orphan boy from So Much For The Hanyou's Happy Ending.)

The stranger nodded curtly and smiled in the shadow of his hood; "Thank you Shero, I'm sure you'll serve me well…" he reached into the small bag with one hand and pulled out a small sugar cane, handing it to Shero gently. The boy's eyes bugged out in glee and he took the treat from the stranger with restrained eagerness. The moment it was in his hands he bit into it viciously, savoring the taste only a second or two before swallowing his cache and biting again. In no time at all the sugarcane was completely consumed and the stranger began to casually ask Shero about the Lord and Lady of the Western Lands.

"How are the rulers of these lands doing, Shero? You serve them, do you not?"

The boy nodded eagerly, still chewing, "I do, since my parents were killed…" he sniffled a moment, distressed, and then began again, meeting the stranger's eyes openly and honestly, "Lord Sesshomaru is away from the castle—I don't know where he went. And Lady Rin is probably still sleeping because Lord Sesshomaru-sama hasn't come to wake her up because he isn't here."

"The lady sleeps this late?" the stranger frowned slightly, apparently worried, "Tell me Shero, is she well?"

Shero chuckled to himself a moment and nodded enthusiastically, "Rinrin is like that. She sleeps late like that all the time."

The dark man nodded and absently his hand brought out another sugarcane and offered it to the eager boy. As Shero munched on his sweet snack the man asked, "How has the Lady Rin been doing? Has there been talk of an heir for the Western Lands?"

Shero blinked up at the man, clearly confused with this question, "Sir, what do you mean? Rinrin won't have Lord Sesshomaru-sama's heirs…" the boy regarded the darkly-clothed stranger as if he'd suddenly grown three pairs of wings and sprung into the air, singing American Christmas carols. "You must be really new to the Western Lands, sir, if I may say so." Among Sesshomaru's people, particularly his servants, nothing was better known. Lady Rin was their lord's lover and mate—the one he wished to spend his time with, but his duties as the lord and ruler of the Western Lands and to the great dog demon clan from which he was descended, dictated that his heir be a full youkai, not a hanyou. That Rin was human and therefore an unsuitable partner in the creation of heirs, was widely known and somewhat lamented among close servants such as Shero. The stranger's ignorance betrayed him as an outsider—for he'd assumed that Rin was a dog demon, the same as Sesshomaru.

The stranger didn't understand his folly and didn't need to—he merely offered Shero another sugarcane, quieting the boy's sudden concern with its simple sweetness. As the boy chewed the stranger asked his question anew, though carefully rephrased, "Does Lord Sesshomaru want Lady Rin to have his children?"

Shero stopped gnawing on his sugarcane to look up at the mysterious stranger with a simple look in his eyes, to an American it shouted, "Duh!" and to the Japanese it screamed, "Baka! What kind of question is that!" of course Shero never said these things aloud, he was too well trained and carefully respectful of his elders for that. Instead he swallowed his treat and nodded at the stranger.

"Lord Sesshomaru-sama wants her to have lots of pups!" he grinned at this thought. A dog in the stables had recently birthed a litter of puppies. Shero loved sitting near them, listening to the whimpering, crying noises they made as they suckled agains their mother's warm furry belly. When he heard Rinrin talking to her closest maids about Sesshomaru's continued desire for "pups," he'd always laughed inside thinking about the tiny whelps in the barn, suckling happily away, so adorable and fuzzy and warm…

"Do you think that it will happen anytime soon?"

Shero cocked an eye at the stranger, suddenly feeling as if he were betraying his lord and lady who'd been so kind to him since the terrible demons had stormed through his village a few years ago; slaughtering the villagers…Shero had been lucky to survive. His mother, thinking fast, had hidden him inside a beer barrel…through the rank stench of alcohol the demons had never found him—but the rest of his village had not been so lucky…once the demons left Shero left the security of the barrel and searched for his mother—he found only her clothing and the shattered, torn, bloodied pulp that had once been her body. When Sesshomaru had come across him the next morning Shero had wandered some miles away from his village, delirious, covered in his mother's blood and the stale, sticky, dried remnants of beer. The Inuyoukai lord had taken in the orphan without a word, and that was how he'd become a member of the Western Lord's household.

Now, looking to the stranger, it struck him that this man hadn't offered him a name, and hadn't even revealed his face…

"No, sir, I don't think Rinrin will have a pup soon." He muttered, turning his gaze away, "And I thank you for the sugarcanes, but I must go now, I beg leave of you…" he bowed slightly and turned fast on his heel, dashing away.

The stranger watched the boy flee, cursing himself for being clumsy. How could he have just put the boy on such edge? Now he'd never know if the last few questions had received correct answers…but what did it matter? Just looking at the walls of Sesshomaru's castle he knew that the Inuyoukai lord would likely not fall for any of his trickery. This lord's child would be unreachable, buried deep beyond the walls of the lord's land, high in the protection of the castle, surrounded by servants that were loyal even at the thought of death…only an army might even come close, and the stranger cringed at the thought of his kind dying in such numbers, futilely.

But the brother's estate was smaller, more personal. Fewer people inhabited the place, fewer to suspect anything, to question him…it would be far easier to reach a child in the younger brother's estate than it would be at Sesshomaru's castle.

The stranger nodded once to himself and carefully stowed the sack into his cloak. After a last look toward the walls of the Inuyoukai lord's castle, he turned and began to walk slowly away through the thin layer of crunching snow…

Kagome and Sango sat, nearly shoulder to shoulder, on the steps leading up to the verandah before the sliding entryway door, watching as Kohimu, Tisoki and Shippo played tag with each other and wrestled. The weather was still calm and pleasant outside, although the nights brought more and more chill with each appearance of the moon. The cherry trees in Inuyasha and Kagome's small and modest garden had almost entirely shed their leaves by now. As they ran, the three older boys skittered up the leaves and tripped over them. Shippo was especially fond of this time of year—grabbing a leaf up he could easily dodge the other two boys in tag by playing one of his kitsune youkai tricks on them.

In each young woman's lap there was a baby—in Sango's it was her little daughter Kasai, and in Kagome's it was her pup Koinu. Kasai, with her gleaming blue eyes, had already taken to listening to her mother's speech attentively, trying to pick up the patterns of speech even when the words weren't directed at her. Though as the two mothers sat watching over the older children Kasai's eyes were naturally drawn to their sharp movements and shouts. In Kagome's lap, meanwhile, Koinu was sleeping, fitfully. The infant shivered and jumped like a sleeping puppy in Kagome's lap. His tiny eyelids flickered, his fingers twitched, his legs and arms jerked, and his little adorable ears twittered involuntarily.

"I can't believe how fast they grow, Kagome." Sango sighed next to the new mother; "I can still remember when Kasai was born, just as if it had been last month, and not almost last year!" the demon slayer's eyes were bittersweet. Kagome could only nod in agreement. To her Sango's children had grown up remarkably fast, but she couldn't possibly understand how it felt for the demon slayer to actually live that. It was one thing watching another's children grow up, and quite a different thing to live through your own…

She looked down at Koinu's sleeping form for a moment and ran a finger lovingly along the pup's jaw line and neck, up to his dog-ears, so obviously inherited from his father the famous hanyou Inuyasha. Beneath her touch the pup gave a whimpering noise and his muscles jerked spasmodically for a moment before he settled once more…but now Kagome could see the pup had puckered his little lips and was making a gentle but consistent sucking motion…likely he was about to wake up and be hungry—again.

"Kagome," Sango began again, recapturing her young friend's attention, "I've been wondering something…it took you so long to have Koinu…" the demon slayer looked timidly to Kagome with her warm brown eyes, embarrassed, "…do you and Inuyasha think it will ever happen again?"

Kagome blinked, surprised at that question. In truth she hadn't given it much thought. To her Koinu's birth had still been so recent to her—and so hard and excruciatingly painful—that she was in no hurry to do it again. Besides, Sango was right about Koinu, Kagome hadn't exactly fallen pregnant quickly, it wasn't easy like catching a cold or something, although Sango seemed to make it look that way.

She focused her gaze on Koinu as she answered Sango's question, her fingers grazed over the pup's skin lovingly. "It's not been long enough for me to even think about it Sango…" she sighed. Realizing that she had been pregnant at all late the year before had been a shock, and the imminent arrival of the pup had almost been the cause of Inuyasha and Kagome's forced separation. Sesshomaru, perceiving a future threat to his own offspring, had almost driven Inuyasha over the edge, only the young woman named Rin had been able to intervene and convince Sesshomaru otherwise…

Now she could only wonder if happiness with Koinu was real, or if she was still a month or two pregnant, dreaming up this fantasy…but Koinu's weight in her lap felt real enough, and the memory of her labor to give birth to him was definitely convincing. Could she do it again?

Kagome shook her head. "Maybe we'll try later, but not until Koinu's older." She laughed then, "Anymore pups and I think that they'd starve!" she'd have to raise the pups on formula from her Era, Koinu already thought he was starving and she barely had anything to give him…she shuddered at the thought of nursing him once his teeth started to come in!

"He'll always have Shippo and my boys to play with." Sango promised, nodding her head. In her lap Kasai squealed and reached out as Shippo bounded to the foot of the stairs, Kohimu fast on his tail, literally.

"Shippo!" both women shouted, pulling their babies close to them for protection as Shippo leapt clear over them and Kohimu stumbled on the second stair and fell, cutting his knee. The next thing that followed his hard landing was a loud wail as the sight of blood beginning to ooze out of his kneestartled the boy.

"Mama!" he screamed, looking to Sango with his large, innocent, chocolate brown eyes wide in new terror.

"Oh no…" Sango turned to Kagome, "Do you have some small bandages?"

Kagome smiled warmly and nodded, "I'll go get them Sango. No problem. A mother's work is never done huh?"

Sango was already at the foot of the stairs, Kasai held in one arm against her shoulder, Kohimu cradled in the other soothingly. She just managed to throw Kagome a brief smile. "Yes, you don't know how right that is!"

Endnote: Okay, remember my question folks! I NEED to know...oh oh! Special Announcement: If anyone wants to make pictures illustrating the fanfic here (or any of my otherfics)that's definately okay by me, just say what inspired you, that's all I want, well, that and to see it if possible! (squees!) I LOVE hearing from everyone and knowing that my writing these things can make you guys feel good...brings a smile to my face and keeps me happy even when I'm bored or bummed...YAYS! Also I had someone ask about my Rin and Sesshomaru sequel...((grins) That story, in case you're wondering, I think I'll call it "You Are My Only One." I have to keep up with the tradition of naming them after songs you know!) I'm thinking and contemplating that story all the time...It's going to be alot easier to write that one though, so if I don't get this one going steadily the other would take over...and I figure that "Somebody" needs to be finished before I do too much else too, right? But Sesshy will appear at least briefly in this story too (don't worry though, you won't hate him like you did last time (girns))Also, out of curiosity, (this relates to the question I had to ask you guys too) would you guys be interested in reading a story about Inutaisho's parents? I have this question spinning in my head, like where did Inutaisho come from? Why is he so great when in the midst of the Inu group's adventures I've never heard of or seen another dog demon anywhere, even though they're supposed to be a "clan." And everybody knows about Inutaisho! What was his family like? Did he have siblings? That sort of thing...I just know I'd have fun fleshing out that hind story...(snickers)..anyway, write in guys and tell me, kay? THANK YOU!