Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me.
Meeting the Family
Dear Baby,
You are going to adore your family, they already adore you.
You'll hear the term blended family a lot. In a sense, that is what you have. By the time you are old enough to read this, you'll be quite aware of the fact that you come from a very unusual family. On one side you have your grandmama, your uncle Souta, and great-grandpa. On the other side you have a monk named Miroku, Sango the demon slayer, three demons (your brother Shippo, Kirara the firecat, and your uncle Sesshomaru). You also have a cousin named Rin, she's human like the monk and the demon slayer. Sango and Miroku have two children of their own, the twins Suki and Yuki. They will be having another child soon. Though Sesshomaru may be the only one related to you by blood, make no mistake that the others don't love you. We are a family. Some might refer to us as a pack.
I love you always,
Mama.
How boring, Kagome thought to herself. What was she doing? Giving the baby a lesson on genealogy? Plus, she felt a little funny telling the baby about how the others feel about him or her... when they didn't even know! Not that she didn't want to rush off and tell everyone as soon as she knew. There was a golden eyed stumbling block in her way though. The trick would be convincing her overly protective Inuyasha to let her go. It struck her as funny that she would have to beg to go back to the past rather than stay here. But her lovable fuzzy eared husband was a little paranoid about... well... everything. He was worried about the jump down the well, the magic in the well, and every tiny little possible danger that was waiting on the other side.
"Inuyasha...?"
"No." He didn't look up from the baby book, didn't even take off the headphones as he tried to follow along with the audio book. How many times has he listened to that thing? A dozen? A hundred?
Wait... No?
"I haven't asked you anything yet." She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him, willing him to look at her. It was an impressive glare and it would be a shame if it was wasted.
He didn't look.
"Anytime you ask for anything you shouldn't be having," Annoyingly he tapped the book as if she had been violating its sacred laws, "You get that tone in your voice. So, no."
She prayed for patience. Didn't really help though... she was still irritated at him.
"I want to go tell the others the good news."
His eyes widened (apparently spreading the news wasn't HIS first though), then narrowed stubbornly. He hated telling her no, and she knew it. "We can't do that, Kagome.... We talked about it. The risks are too big."
Kagome sighed. Then she plastered on a smile and scooted closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. It wasn't an underhanded ploy to butter him up and sweet talk him into bending to her will. Really. Oh, okay... maybe just a little. She sighed heavily. Ah ha! His attention was now on her, regardless of the fact that it may LOOK like he was still absorbed in the book.
Marriage had changed her hanyou. Or maybe they were still in the 'honeymoon' phase. But he was very intent on making her the happiest wife on earth. She felt a little guilty though. It wasn't as secret as he thought it was that he feared that she would change her mind. He knew that in her world there was such a thing as divorce. And he worried that she would regret her choice. Slowly she sat back up. It wouldn't be right to manipulate Inuyasha into doing what she wanted. She would have to try to (sigh) reason with him.
Sitting back up, it seemed, caused Inuyasha to worry even more. She grimaced. She hadn't meant for it to seem like a withdrawal of love. She'd never do that to him. That was perhaps the worst punishment in the world, especially for someone who still wondered how he could have been "chosen".
Laying her head back on his shoulder she tried to see things from his side. It was something she was trying to be better at. Perhaps they wouldn't have fought so much when they first met had they practiced that a little more.
For Inuyasha, the idea of being a husband, a mate, had been enormous and hard to believe. For months after they said their vows he still tried to convince her that marrying him was a good idea. He kept waiting for the other shoe to drop so to speak. But now... now there was a child. Kagome had always imagined that one day she would be a mother. She had babydolls when she was a little girl, and when Souta had come along it was like she had a real live babydoll. Her mother had even given her a couple of pieces of jewelry that had been handed down for generations that she was instructed to one day give her daughter (or daughter in law), and she'd dream about having a child. And then when she had done the parenting project with the electronic baby, she thought that maybe Inuyasha had imagined it too. But she supposed he didn't really think it was a realistic dream.
Besides the fact that he never thought he'd have his own family, there was the problem with... well... IF he could father a child. Kagome had done many school reports on hybrid animals, and most were sterile. Mules, ligers, zonkeys, and even wolfphins.... though two of the same 'kind' could mate and have a child... that child would most often be sterile because of their DNA. Hybrids are said to be stronger than their respective parents, they are unable to reproduce. So while they had run across other half demons, they had not heard of a half demon having children of their own.
Okay, she could see how having a child might come as a big shock. And... she could see how he wouldn't want to risk it. She didn't want to risk it either.
She blinked rapidly, her heart speeding up.
What if.... Tears sprang to her eyes and she tried to push the thought away. She tried to push away the horrible images her mind created. What if she wouldn't be able to... what if...? No. She wouldn't think of that. Nothing bad was going to happen. Nothing! Her hands flew to her stomach protectively.
"Kagome?"
Her throat had closed up, so only a strangled sound came out. She tried to find a smile so he wouldn't be worried about yet one more thing. But that only sent him into panic mode.
"Feh." The book was forgotten and he ripped the headphones away from his ears. "Okay, we can go. Let's pack." He looked at her and changed his mind. "I'll pack." He crouched low, looking around for an answer... or a place to hide. "We'll just go and come back, forget packing."
"It's too dangerous," she whispered as she looked at her still flat stomach.
"The... the book doesn't mention anything about magic... and the magic hasn't done anything to either of us.... and I'll carry you the whole time. I won't let anything hurt either of you."
"But..."
"Shippo is probably worried," Inuyasha said. "And Sango too. We've never been gone this long. Well, except for the honeymoon... but they knew we'd be gone for that."
Mention of their two week 'vacation' stopped the tears and brought a smile to her lips. She couldn't help it. Only Inuyasha would be able to get them kicked off a ship in the middle of an ocean and get them stranded on possibly the only uncharted demon infested island in her time period. Well, she knew life wasn't going to be boring married to him.
"And Sango would probably like to be able to go for a bath with you again before she can't wobble that far anymore."
Kagome's eyes narrowed and her smile slipped. "Wobble?"
"Because she's..." Inuyasha's mouth snapped shut when he realized he was about to make a huuuuge mistake and dropped his hands from where he had started to mime something round.
"Yesssss?" Kagome hissed.
"We should eat before we go. Want me to make ramen?"
Her stomach rumbled happily at the suggestion. Even though she would have liked to fight over what he had almost said (and how they could possibly switch sides of an argument so fast), her body demanded ramen. But only the bacon soy sauce ramen.
"Inuyasha," she sighed, ignoring her stomach, "We should just stay here."
"You miss them. You miss our home."
It was true. Yes, she missed the people very much. But she also missed their home. A good distance away from the village (but not so far that they couldn't hear a call of distress), they had built a hut of their own in the forest. It was a good size for a hut, especially for the era, and amazingly well hidden. It was close to a hot spring and a small cave entrance along the side of the cliff that no human could possibly reach. They had stayed in the cave while they built their house. After the wedding, Inuyasha had become... well... more possessive than she could have imagined. He didn't trust the other villagers enough for them to stay in the village. She loved her little home. She loved the hot spring. And she even had fond memories of their time in the cave.
It was THEIR home. Kagome looked around her. Though this is where she grew up, it was no longer her home. And suddenly she was very very homesick.
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Going back first seemed like a stupid idea. Way too risky. But once Inuyasha set feet back into the feudal era, he knew he had made the right decision. Immediately he felt a little more relaxed. There were a lot of things he liked about Kagome's time, but he felt more at home here. Quickly he checked to see if Kagome was okay. Seemed okay on the outside...
"You okay?" he asked quietly. Marrying Kagome hadn't kept the rest of them from teasing him every chance they got. He just had to make sure they didn't get any chances.
"I'm FINE, Inuyasha."
"Do you feel sick?"
"No."
"Does your stomach feel funny?"
She opened her mouth to snap at him, possibly to 'sit' him. But then she took a deep breath and let it back out slowly. That was a good sign. When she did that it usually meant she was going to be reasonable. Usually.
"Everything feels fine, Inuyasha."
He hugged her close to him. Cradling her in his arms like this was nice. Really nice. Not very effective for carrying for long distances since he would need the freedom of being able to use his arms to fight and draw his sword. But as long as there were no dangers around he wasn't letting her go. He ignored Kagome's assurances that she could walk on her own and carried her to the village. Too many things could go wrong if she was out of reach.
Inuyasha had expected Shippo to be at the well waiting for them. He shrugged off the sense of... nah, it couldn't be disappointment... the sense of whatever, and headed towards the village. They'd catch up with the others there. As they got closer to the village he started feeling uneasy. There was no way Shippo would not have heard them by now. He wasn't even TRYING to be quiet. And Kagome certainly wasn't trying to be quiet.
They were close to the village when Sango's scream pierced the air.
"That's Sango!" cried Kagome.
After a moment's hesitation, Inuyasha held Kagome tighter and ran towards the village. He couldn't smell any demons around. He couldn't hear any sounds of fighting. But no way was he letting down his guard. He raced into town and skidded to a halt outside of Kaede's hut where Kohaku was sitting with his head in his hands. Inuyasha's arms stayed around Kagome, keeping her near to him. Her nose wasn't keen enough to tell, but there was the scent of blood. Sango's blood.
"Sango!" Kagome cried again as she wriggled out of the hanyou's grasp. He let her go, but stayed close behind.
They reached the hut and found Miroku barring the door, Kohaku had not even glanced at them. Miroku looked a little green. And pale. It was an interesting, and slightly frightening, skin tone.
"She..." he started, then stopped as Sango screamed again.
"She what?" demanded Kagome. "Is she okay?"
Miroku took a deep breath, then went back into the hut.
"Sango's having her baby."
Inuyasha and Kagome looked up on the roof to see Shippo wiping tears from his face.
"But..." Kagome looked at Inuyasha with confusion, then fear. "But it's too early. She's not due 'til next month!"
A premature baby. Inuyasha tried to remember what the book said about them. It would be small, and may have health problems because their organs didn't have time to fully develop. In Kagome's time there were hospitals and doctors and machines that could help the baby survive if it came too early. But this is not Kagome's time.
Kagome held his hand tight in her own, and they walked into the hut together. Silently the walked to where Miroku was.
"Kagome!" snapped Kaede, "Hot water! Clean blankets!" She turned a kinder eye to Miroku, who had obviously been the one to serve as Kaede's assistant before they showed up. He looked thankful (and relieved) that he would not have to leave his spot.
Inuyasha watched as Kagome sprang into action and fulfilled all of Kaede's request. Inuyasha... watched.
Sango looked to be in a lot of pain. And there was blood. A lot of blood. Had he brought Kagome home to watch her best friend and baby die? No. Sango was strong. But the baby... it would be so fragile. And there were no incubators here to keep the infant safe, breathing, and warm. It could have infections, low blood sugar, vision or hearing problems, anemia... there were just so many things that could happen. Things that they were not equipped to handle here. Inuyasha watched Kagome move efficiently, and listened to her calm and soothing words to Sango. Things could be dangerous for the mother too.
Sango screamed in pain once more.
The thought of Kagome going through this pain made him sick. Actually physically sick. He had to sit.
Kaede encouraged Sango to push, and Inuyasha watched Kagome as she watched Sango give birth to a baby boy. Quickly they cleaned up the baby, wrapped him up in a warm blanket, and handed him to Sango.
"Toutoi," she whispered with a smile before passing out.
Miroku was crying. Inuyasha and Kagome left after gathering the bloodied blankets to give him time alone with his exhausted wife and new son. Kohaku peered into the doorway as they left, making sure to keep his eyes averted from what they were carrying. Miroku invited his brother in law in, and quietly Kohaku went to be with his sister.
"He was so small," Kagome said worriedly.
"Is he going to be okay?" asked Shippo, who had appeared behind them.
"His heart was strong," Inuyasha assured them. And it had been. Well, stronger than he had feared it would be. And his lungs seemed to be working just fine. "We'll just have to keep a close eye on them both." He looked around. "Where are the brats?"
"The girls are with Sesshomaru."
Inuyasha and Kagome both dropped what the blankets.
"WHAT?"
"Well, with Rin. And Rin's with Sesshomaru, soooo..."
"WHERE?"
"They took them for a ride on Ah-Un."
"You LET my..." he bit back the word he intended to use (the book said that babies might be able to hear what was going on around them, and Kagome would kill him if the baby came out swearing) "... brother take Sango's kids?"
"Things all kinda happened fast when Sango started leaking," Shippo explained. "Miroku rushed Sango to Kaede, and Sesshomaru happened to be bringing Rin by to visit with Kohaku. Rin offered to take the girls when the screaming started. Don't worry, Kirara went with them."
He didn't like it, but he didn't have much of a choice. If things were different he would have chased after his brother and take the girls from him. But now he had Kagome's condition to be extra careful about. So instead he followed as they went to the river and began washing. They continued to do chores to keep themselves busy. They were able to visit Sango for short periods of time and bring her and Miroku food. Toutoi was small, but he seemed to be in good health. Sango was tired and sleepy, but she too seemed to be well. Inuyasha tried not to think of what might have been. Or, he thought miserably as he looked at his wife, what could still be.
"Let's tell them tomorrow," Kagome said as she started taking the lids off of ramen cups. "I don't want to take the spotlight from today."
"Hmm?"
"I don't want to make the day be about me," she explained, "When it is Toutoi's birthday."
That was fine with him. His preference, actually, was to tell everyone goodbye and they'd see them next year so he could keep Kagome someplace safe where no one and nothing could touch her or the baby. This was going to be a very long nine months.
Miroku joined them for dinner, saying that Sango insisted. He brought his son with him, though Inuyasha thought the kid would be safer inside with Sango. Sango, even though weak and bedridden, could probably protect the kid better now that Miroku had turned to goo. He watched as Miroku made odd noises to his child, he had done the same with his daughters. Then he looked at the baby as if he was the most precious thing in the world. Inuyasha gulped. In a few short months he would be holding his own child. He looked over to Kagome and saw that she had been watching him with a smile on her face. His instinct was to hop into the trees and hide. Instead he smiled back. THEN he hopped up into the tree to hide.
The wind brought a familiar scent to him and he had to hop right on back down.
"Hello, little brother," Sesshomaru said. He took a breath to say something else, then looked at Kagome.
Inuyasha skidded to a halt in front of her, arm raised to protect her.
"I will not hurt your mate," Sesshomaru said impatiently. Then he sniffed again. "You are..."
"Ack!" cried Kagome as she stood up to stop the dog demon from continuing that sentence. "Good to see you," she said quickly. Inuyasha growled as she talked to his brother. "How were Suki and Yuki? Were they good? How is Rin? And that little frog guy?"
Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at Kagome. Kagome turned pleading eyes onto Inuyasha. He sighed. Great. Now he'd have to actually TALK with Sesshomaru.
"Come on," he said irritably.
"You're mate is going to have a child," Sesshomaru stated once Inuyasha stopped a fair distance from where the others would be able to hear. "Yet you wish to hide this fact?"
Was Sesshomaru... angry? Nah, couldn't be.
"Sango just had her baby and Kagome doesn't want to steal away any attention from her with spotted lights."
"I see."
"Do... YOU know anything about hanyou births?"
There was a pause. Then he answered. "This Sesshomaru knows nothing of how your mate will fare when she births your child. Just remember, little brother, that humans are fragile, and we are not."
With that Sesshomaru called for Rin and Jaken (who seemed to appear out of nowhere), and he left.
When Inuyasha got back, Suki was looking at her new baby brother while Kohaku tried to keep Yuki from pulling Kirara's tail. His pack was getting bigger. He looked at Kagome, and she smiled at him in the way that let him know that everything was going to be okay.
And, for the moment, he believed it.
Hey Kid,
Don't be in a rush to get born. I'll keep you and your mama safe 'til its time. Just stay put.
Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and well, pretty much everyone started hugging and crying when we told them you were on the way. Please don't pick up that human habit of crying when you're happy. It's confusing.
And please try to get your mama to eat something other than the bacon soy sauce ramen. It's hard to find. Like chicken or beef instead.
Inuyasha - your father
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Author's Note: To anyone who goes back and reads Kagome's Baby, I'm really sorry about all the spelling and grammatical errors. I don't think they allow me to go in and fix them and repost. I'm sure I make tons of errors in this one too. I am aware this is a huge shortcoming of mine, and I try to fix it as I go along.
Also, there is such a thing as bacon soy sauce ramen. I looked it up.