Title: Love Me Love Me Not

Chapter: Life and Death

Date: January 22, 2011

Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I make any profit from the writing of this fiction.

InuTaisho was sitting in the garden with Bokusenou while the children were talking to their mother about everything under the sun in order to motivate Inuyasha to fight to live. The two eldest demons were talking quietly about what they knew to be true about Inuyasha's condition and to find a way to inform Mother Nature without receiving her horrid wrath. Well, that was more on InuTaisho's side; Bokusenou was more interested in giving the younger of the two the chewing of a lifetime because of his stupidity in following conformity instead of setting the trend.

"I understand that I was wrong in the way that I treated Inuyasha and I had been trying to make it up to him. Really, I was trying and he seemed to be forgiving me for a while and then he just suddenly stopped participating. It was almost like he was avoiding me. However, what's done is done and there is nothing I can do about that. However, I can make sure that my children have at least one parent left alive to take care of them by not dying by a fit of rage. And when the little one is born and if Inuyasha dies because of it, I will make sure that the child knows who their mother was and what a wonderful spirit that he had."

"That child would have its mother to know themselves if you had acted like the lord and king you were supposed to be and pulled your head out of your rear end. You may speak of regret and you may actually feel a bit of it, but you have no concept of all that you should truly be regretful of. That child suffered through hell at an age that every child should be sheltered. It was not his fault that his mother was human or that she was part of your harem or that she became pregnant with him. You had no right to place such a burden on his shoulders. Even worse you condoned the abuse and torture of your mate for a century before you even blinked at your actions. Worse than that, though it should be impossible, it took repeated suicide attempts before you would even reconsider that your actions toward him had no basis. You have never even treated your enemies with such derision when they had done worse than that child. Don't snort at me. You were not the one who had to relive every moment of that child's life for over a decade and just when he had finally gained some peace, you and Mother Nature pushed your own agendas without thought to what you were putting that young one through. Had he been placed in any other family but yours, I am sure that child would have had the family, love, and happiness that he deserved more than any being on this plane of existence." InuTaisho had the decency to look ashamed, but kept his thoughts to himself. A yelp took both demons attention away from their conversation.

"What's going on?" InuTaisho asked as he turned more fully toward the room. Sesshoumaru was the one to answer.

"Momma's stomach!" He was in awe of the strangle ripples he could see across the skin of his unconscious mother's nine months pregnant belly. InuTaisho barked at the guards to send for Healer Pancho and his assistant and to tell him that Inuyasha had gone into labor.

Moments later, Pancho entered with his assistant that had replaced Inuyasha when the pup had mated to InuTaisho. Pancho had recommended that Inuyasha still be allowed to apprentice under him, more to give him an escape from what he knew would be hell for the child, but the DaiYoukai had shot that idea down before he had finished the sentence. Pancho and his unnamed assistant began to prepare the young consort and pushed both InuTaisho and the children out of the room so that they could work in peace.

The royal family paced outside the doors impatiently as they waited to hear news about the new addition and Inuyasha. The only sounds that they could hear were of Pancho barking orders at his assistant and his assistant's stuttering replies. InuTaisho was just moments away from bursting down the doors to see why it was taking so long when he heard the familiar wail of a newborn, but he also felt his heart plummet to the floor as he heard the panicked voices inside. Something was terribly wrong and InuTaisho had a feeling that Tenseiga (he had had it made after the death of his first mate in a wave of grief) would be needed. His assumptions were right as the assistant threw open the doors and relayed Pancho's words to him.

Nothing had worked. Inuyasha was gone and even Tenseiga had not been able to revive the sickly hanyou. However, in death, Inuyasha looked more peaceful and happy than he had ever looked in life. All of those present in the room could see the sweet smile that graced gaunt features and served to make Inuyasha look only that much more beautiful in death. Sesshoumaru was the first to break the stone silence as his grief caught up with him, tears falling, and sobs escaping from his usually un-emotional frame. The twins followed suit and attempted to cling to their mother's unmoving, no longer living body, but were held back in InuTaisho's arms as Pancho went about cleaning Inuyasha's body and preparing it for its last journey in their world. Bokusenou's voice, however, stopped them from doing anything beyond cleaning.

"Bring the child to me." Everyone was surprised and confused but no one protested the ancient one.

"He found peace within my branches when he was alive and I will watch over him in his eternal rest. He had to face the ravages of the people; I will not give them or her chance to ravage him in his final resting place." Inuyasha's body was given into the sturdy branches of Bokusenou, who absorbed the fragile corpse before hefting his large bulk to return to his own home. Sesshoumaru stopped him before he moved.

"W-wi-will we still be able to see, Mama?" Bokusenou gave a grunt and answered gruffly.

"This is your parent, I would never deny a progeny that right. It is not my place." With those final words, Bokusenou began the long, arduous trip back to his home within the forest and leaving the family to grieve in peace and togetherness.

A/N: This is the next to last chapter, so I hoped that you all enjoyed reading. Please keep the reviews coming. The sequel to Forsaken will be coming soon and I will try working on some of my other stories.

Cheers!

Nama