Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha. But I will one day.

Chapter 22: Babies' Day Out

"Whaaaaaaaaa!"

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

"InuYasha!"

"I've got her Kagome!"

"It's not Gina, it's Mehiji."

"I think it's both!" the hanyou whined.

"You get Gina and I'll get Mehiji, then."

"No, you're not moving from that futon Kagome Higurashi. You promised."

"But…"

"No."

"I got him, Okaa." Shippou replied, picking up one of the crying pups. His nose instantly curled at the horrid stench coming from the cloth diaper covering the pup's bottom. He made quick work of tossing the thing away and replacing it with a clean one. The pup continued to cry even as Shippou bounced him lightly and patted his back. "Okaa…" he pleaded, "tell them to quiet down already!"

"They're just pups, Shippou." Kagome remarked. "And you and Tani better be getting use to it anyway." Shippou's head drooped.

InuYasha wasn't having any better luck with Gina. The little girl seemed unfazed by the horrible birth experience over six weeks ago. And, as the others have come to figure out, she had quite a good set of lungs on her. InuYasha bounced her gently up and down in his arms after having changed her. His hair was matted and standing up on end, eyes blood-shot and half closed, ears fixed permanently flat on his head to drown out the wailing.

"Just bring them over here, InuYasha." Kagome replied.

"You're supposed to be resting."

"And you think I'm resting well with all the noise?"

"…" Good point… InuYasha thought to himself with a weary sigh. He took Mehiji from the ever thankful kitsune and plopped down next to Kagome on the futon.

"Come here, little-man." Kagome said, reaching over and grabbing Mehiji from his father's grasp. He almost instantly settled down, and, sensing her brother's ease, Gina soon followed suit. "See? They just wanted their Okaa." Kagome smiled.

InuYasha didn't look too happy. He had really wanted Kagome just to take the day off. She still hadn't gained very much of her strength back, and though she wouldn't admit it, she wasn't able to take care of the pups like she said she was. This is what InuYasha had feared most. True, Kagome had his lifespan now, but she was still just a fragile human wench who just carried two hanyou pups, and had problems during the early birth, and now barley getting sleep from the constant crying. Heck, he wasn't even getting sleep from the crying, and he was hanyou! He turned his head to see that Mehiji, Gina, and Kagome had already fallen fast asleep. A yawn interrupted InuYasha's thoughts. Maybe a quick nap would be okay, since everyone else seemed so secure.

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"Makoto, get back here!" Kita yelled as she chased the inu-hanyou through the edge of the forest.

"Nu uh!"

"Makoto!" she whined. Kita stopped and looked around. Now where did he get to? She huffed. Sometimes his playful moods really bugged her. Especially with the lack of sleep she had been getting. But, of course, he was having no problem sleeping through the night. I swear he could sleep through anything. She thought to herself. "Makoto! This isn't fun anymore!"

"Quit being such a pup!" he yelled from the tree tops.

"I'm not a pup!" she shouted, looking up to search for the hyperactive hanyou. No luck. Then, she had an idea. Kita walked a little ways before stumbling and falling to the ground, grabbing her 'injured' leg with a whimper of 'pain'.

Makoto jumped from his hiding place and kneeled by her side. "What's wrong Kita? Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?" Kita grinned and tackled the unsuspecting hanyou to the ground.

"Ha, ha!" she pinned him to the ground by his shoulders, savoring the shocked look that appeared across his face.

"Th-That's sneaky!"

"So. You called me a pup!"

Makoto flipped over so he could sit up, a knowing smirk on his lips. "Pup."

"Baka." She pushed him back to the ground and stood up, brushing her kimono and making sure to step right on the inu's stomach as she passed by.

"Ooof! What was that for?" Kita just gave a wink along with her grin and started walking off again.

Makoto ran up behind her and wrapped his arms securely around Kita's waist, lifting her up and jumping into Goshinboku's branches and earning a soft giggle from the she-wolf. He smirked, nuzzling into her neck with his nose. She tilted her head to the side to give him better access, her dark hair falling to one side on her shoulder. Makoto graciously accepted her offer, nipping with his fangs and laying sweet kisses on the back of her neck with his talented lips. Kita turned herself around in his arms with a grin and started placing kisses of her own upon his cheek, down across his jaw-line, but stopped with a smirk when she came to his lips.

Makoto quickly closed the gap himself, pressing his lips against hers with heated passion. His hands wandered over her stomach, rubbing her belly through her kimono. The other snaked behind her back and pulled her closer. Kita grinned against his lips, alloying him his way, for the moment anyway. When they finally parted from the kiss they were both gasping for air. Kita snuggled against Makoto's chest as Makoto raised his hand to scratch behind her ears.

Six weeks had been heaven on earth for the couple. Kita had really come around, not looking or acting anything like the wolf hanyou she was when they first found her. Her green eyes had really brightened up, and her smile…her smile brought Makoto to his knees every time he saw it cross her face. He wanted to do everything in his power to keep that smile on her permanently. Like the inu-hanyou, Makoto had found that wolf-hanyou ears were very sensitive to the touch.

"You're still not off the hook, you know." Kita mumbled.

"What did I do?"

"You baka, you ran out and hid from me this morning."

"Keh. I wasn't hiding from anyone, much less you. I was just trying to get away from the noise." He flattened his ears. "Those two sure do cry a lot."

"Like you've noticed. You sleep through it every night."

Makoto shrugged. "I like my sleep."

"MAKOTO!" yelled Shippou from the ground. "You're supposed to be helping me and Oyaji take care of the pups!"

"I am, I am. They're sleeping now right? So I'll take over when they wake up. No problem." He replied with a smirk. Shippou gave him a dirty look. "I will."

"Whatever. Just don't forget." His shoulders slumped and eyelids drooped. "I'm going to bed."

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"I just fed them, so they shouldn't be hungry for a couple of hours, but if they do just bring them back. Mehiji has gotten a bad habit of trying to crawl away, so don't put him down without watching him carefully. And Gina keeps trying to stand on her own, so watch her too." Kagome was packing cloth diapers, blankets, clothes, and everything else she could get her hands on into the make-shift diaper bag Sango had made for her and the pups. Makoto and Kita were listening, each with a pup in slings across their shoulders.

"I think we can handle them for two hours, Okaa-san."

"Don't worry, Kagome-sama. I'll look after all three of them." Kita replied. Kagome grinned and leaned back on her futon. The couple took the pups outside to the hilltop and sat down in the grass pulling the pups out of their slings and setting them down. "They're so cute!" Kita commented.

"That's because they take after their onii-san." Makoto replied with an arrogant smirk.

Kita grinned. "And I bet you think you're the best onii-san around, hum?"

"Yep."

"Then where's your oto?"

"He's right…" Makoto looked around, then a horror stricken look flooded his face. "He was right here!" Kita pointed behind him where Mehiji had crawled behind him and was plucking grass with his hands. Makoto sighed with relief.

"Kagome-sama told you he liked to wonder off."

"How did I know he was so fast! He's only six weeks old, and none of Oba and Oji's pups could sneak off like that until months later!"

"Uh huh. And they're human, not youkai, not hanyou. You of all people should know that."

"Never really thought about it." Makoto shrugged.

"Ah-nee…" Gina held up her arms toward Makoto with a pout and ears flat.

"What is it Gina?" Makoto asked, the girl clinging tightly to his haori.

"Makoto. Do you smell that?" Kita asked, sniffing the air. Mehiji crawled on his hands and feet into her arms with a whimper.

"Yea, now I do. Here, take Gina and get back to the hut. I'll take care of the youkai."

Before Kita had time to get away, a giant boar-youkai slammed through the trees at the bottom of the hill and rampaged straight toward them. Makoto pushed Kita and the pups behind him and raised his claws. The youkai showed no sign of slowing down or changing his course. Its tusks dug into the ground as it swayed its head from side to side with deep grunts. Makoto ran straight for the youkai, timing it just right so he could grab hold of the left tusk, jerking its head to the side enough to change its course.

The boar-youkai halted with the sudden added weight, stirring up dust under its hooves with a loud snort. Its gaze turned angrily toward Kita and the pups, fire flashing in its red eyes. Makoto hopped off the creatures back and stood directly in front of it with a low growl. For a moment the two just stared at each other. Mehiji chose that time to let out a loud wail, causing Makoto instinctively to turn, and the boar-youkai charged, using its massive tusks to slam into Makoto and toss him across the clearing. He landed with a hard thud and rolled across the ground.

"Makoto!" Kita jumped into the nearest tree with the pups wailing in her arms, the youkai now at her heels. The boar snorted, digging its front hoof into the dirt before slamming its tusks into the tree. Kita did everything she could just to keep from falling or dropping one of the pups.

Makoto shook his head, trying to regain some of his senses. His shoulder hurt, really, really hurt. It must have dislocated itself again. But it wasn't the time to worry about little injuries like that. Kita and the pups were in trouble. The tree in which the she-wolf had taken shelter was leaning to the side. One more good hit and it would fall completely over. He shakily stood to his feet and approached the youkai from behind, grabbing its tail and pulling it back a few feet to get its attention back to him.

It seemed to do the trick, for the boar-youkai turned its massive head around trying to slam into the hanyou again. But this time Makoto was ready for it. He grabbed a tusk and slung himself onto the back of the youkai. The youkai started bucking and squealing madly. Makoto flattened his ears at the high-pitched sound. Little did he know at the time that the squeal was more than just a frustrated noise. He heard a scream, followed by several snorts and grunts.

Kita clung desperately to the pups and the branch that held her in the leaning tree. At the boar-youkai's squeal, it had called what seemed to be the entire herd of boar-youkai to its aid in the clearing. Never had she seen so many boar-youkai in one place! Herds were usually small, this one consisted of at least thirteen, including the one that started the attack. Luckily there was only one around the same size as the other. The others were smaller, still around the height of Makoto, but smaller just the same.

The bigger youkai ran over to help its troubled mate. Seeing Makoto on the boar-youkai's back, there was no doubt that Makoto was the one causing its mate all the trouble. With a heavy snort the new boar ran its tusk along the others back, trying to scrape Makoto off. The inu had other plans. He had to get rid of these two and get to Kita and the pups as soon as possible. The hide of the boar was tough and thick. Not to mention smelly and soaked in sweat. But the youkai had to go down somehow. Makoto rolled his eyes. The one place where all animals and creatures like the boar were vulnerable was right across the stomach or in the chest. He was going to have to get under the youkai.

Kita wrapped the pups tightly in their slings and hooked them to the strongest branch within her reach. Her low growl told the pups danger was near, not that they had to be told, and to stay as still and quiet as possible. She could only hope that wolf and inu language weren't that different from each other. After checking once more that they wouldn't be thrown out of the slings Kita jumped to the ground and ran in the opposite direction with the eleven boar-youkai storming after her. Good. That's what she was hoping for. A little further away from the pups and she could take them on without worrying about their safety. She skidded to a stop and turned to face the youkai.

Makoto slung himself over the boar's head, holding onto its two tusks and wrapping his legs around its neck. The other was still thrashing about, trying to pry Makoto loose from its mate. Finally he saw an opening. "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!" Makoto's claws ripped open the boar's stomach, the insides spilling out onto the grass. The youkai let out a loud grunt as it fell forward and ceased moving. Makoto barely had time to recover from the sudden lurch to the ground before the other was staring him straight in the eyes. It let out a shriek that left Makoto's ears ringing. It was mad from the smell of its mate's blood. Before the inu-hanyou could react, he was slung right into a tree, back cracking with the impact.

Kita fended off two of the smaller youkai, three already laying dead at her feet. She was already tiring. There were just too many of them to fend off by herself. Kita let out a grunt of pain as she felt another tusk dig into her side. What had caused these youkai to become so angry? They weren't just attacking; they had a reason for attacking, and in greater numbers than usual. Kita could tell Makoto wasn't faring too much better with the bigger one. She glanced over just in time to see him hit the ground again, and become caught under the hooves of the remaining youkai. She gasped. He was hit over and over across his body, and she couldn't get to him.

"Fox Fire!" came a yell out of nowhere. A giant blue flame took out three more of the youkai Kita had been fighting. "Kita, are you alright? Where's Mehiji and Gina?" Shippou asked, running to her side with Miroku not too far behind.

"I'm fine, the pups are fine, they're in the tree."

"They're WHAT!"

"Don't worry about it, Makoto needs help, I'll take care of the pups."

Shippou nodded and used his Fox Fire to make a path to where Makoto was battling the huge boar-youkai. "Fox Fire!" the blue flames merely singed the tough hide. Miroku grabbed a sutra from his robe and threw at the beast. The holy paper merely singed away without a mark.

"I got it, Shippou!" Makoto yelled from underneath the creature.

"What do you mean you got it!"

"Just shut-up and let me finish this!" Makoto was bruised, aching from head to toe from the bashing, but he knew this technique would work. He had already proved the stomach as its weak spot, and with another slash with his claws the youkai's stomach was ripped open. The foul smell invaded his nostrils, but he simply stood to his feet and walked over to where Shippou, Kita, and Miroku had just finished off the last of the other youkai. He leaped into the tree and pulled down the slings with the pups.

"Ah-nee!" Gina yelled. Makoto gaped at the sight of his sister. There was a familiar silver-ish glow around her that Makoto had only seen on her human nights. Gina squirmed out of the sling and clung to Makoto's haori.

What happened next would be nearly indescribable. With the soft touch of Gina's small frame, a hot sting instantly flowed through Makoto's body. He screamed in pain as the glow from Gina consumed him all over his body. It felt like liquid fire was flowing through his veins and into his wildly beating heart. His ears buzzed with the sound of the crackling electricity, his vision blurred from the immense pain. He wasn't even aware that he was still screaming as the smell of his own burning flesh hit his nose, but the smell became more faint as his senses faded.

"Makoto!" Kita took off towards the inu-hanyou. Just as she reached out to touch him another hand wrapped around her wrist. "Miroku-sama?" she nearly whimpered.

"You can't touch them. Just back away for now, I'll take care of this." Kita nodded and took a step back as Miroku approached the two glowing inu. With a quick, silent prayer he reached out and grabbed Gina from her brother with no trouble except a very upset inu-hanyou pup in his hands.

Makoto stood silent, breathing heavily, then fell into a heap on the ground. His human black hair covering his face.

A/N:

Hey…at least I got the chapter out pretty quick. The next chapter might be out within the week, then I'll be gone for a week. Just giving you a heads-up warning.

Go to http/ kachikitsucasa dot proboards104 dot com for reviewer points, games, updates, chat, so on so forth.

Oh, and fyi, hope you enjoyed the fluff. Things are going to get a bit harder for our crew. There's still the answer behind Gina's episodes (if you haven't already guessed it), Sesshie's coming up again soon, a chappie with mostly Shippou and Taru, and the biggest battle I've ever written later in the story.