Inuyasha quickly spat the blood out of his mouth so he could dodge his brother's attack. If they had been fighting over something ridiculous, he would've been laughing at his older half-sibling, but this was serious.

He fought back viciously, his mouth curling up into a snarl as he spat obscenities at his half-brother. Fuck Sesshomaru. He finally managed to get a punch or two in, and for a while, Sesshomaru looked at him in surprise. Seeing the advantage, Inuyasha pounced on the youkai, swinging both fists in a blind rage as his eyes flashed red. He growled, intending to make the cold bastard battered as possible.

He had only got a few punches in before he was flipped. Sesshomaru punched him hard, making him see stars. And then he spoke angrily, because that was the only emotion his brother was really good at showing. "You fucking bastard! Do you know what you've done, Inuyasha? Oh, you have no fucking clue! Are you this much of a fucking imbecile? Didn't you know, you fucking fool!" Sesshomaru continued to mutter curses as he punched him, hoping to break something like his nose, and maybe a few bones. After all, he was the weaker one.

He could barely say anything. He growled, realizing he was right as his eyes turned back to gold. He was winching as Sesshomaru used him as a punching bag, even though he tried not to show it. Sesshomaru was panting heavily by the time he was calmed down, looking at the picture he'd painted on Inuyasha's face. His face went blank again, and he simply got up and dusted himself off, not bothering to give his brother a hand.

He still boiled inside, thinking about the trouble the idiot had caused. He was about to walk away, leaving Inuyasha on the ground panting heavily, his eye black and cuts and scrapes and blood visible on his face.

"Stop right there, Sesshomaru." He heard his father say, and Sesshomaru's eyes swam with anger but his face remained emotionless. "What is the cause of this?"

He looked at his father, his eyes narrowed as he watched him lend a hand to his half-brother. At first he was quiet, and never in his life had he cared about other people's emotions. He cared about Rin and the look in her eyes when he told her he couldn't stay. And he still cared about Kagura, the woman who was as cold as him, the woman he thought was meant for him. Not anymore. But most of all, he cared about what his father had to say.

He kept his eyes narrowed as he watched Inuyasha dust his clothes off, spitting blood out of his mouth once again. For the first time, he noticed his baby brother didn't have much to say. Inuyasha kept the scowl on his face, looking down at the ground with narrowed eyes. The jeans he wore were tore from when Sesshomaru had sent him sprawling across the pavement. It was midnight now, no one was around.

"I'll ask again," their father said, his voice raising slightly, but it still sounded deadly calm. Inuyasha winced and Sesshomaru remained motionless. "What is the meaning of all of this? What have you done to him, Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru growled silently, shaking his head to clear it. There it was again, though. The favoritism. Inu Taisho favored Inuyasha, looked at him with such admiration in his eyes. "Have you met her, father? Have you smelled her, have you felt her power? Have you felt the child's power?" Sesshomaru asked, his voice hard.

"Shut the fuck up, Sesshomaru," Inuyasha warned briskly, his voice gruff and his arms crossed as he continued to wipe away the blood his brother had caused.

Sesshomaru ignored him. "You know, he's gotten her pregnant. He has feelings for her, too. I don't know which is worse," Sesshomaru started. "I have never met her. But little brother has a problem on his hands. The bitch is a miko."

Inuyasha was still surprised, caught up in the moment. His eyes were wide on his father's, and he was silent, he was waiting. He was expecting. Because he knew that no matter what, Sesshomaru would always get the better half. Always. And that was because he was something Inuyasha wasn't. Something better, something more powerful, someone that wasn't looked upon in shame.

Inu no Taisho's eyes were on his son, and he looked calm. For a minute, he ignored what Sesshomaru was saying as he hesitantly stepped closer to his son, dignity and pride in every step. Inuyasha winced and backed away. "Don't fucking touch me," he spat out. "What are you fucking doing here, anyway?"

Sesshomaru watched intently, almost feeling jealousy. Almost. He looked in surprise when he heard his father sigh, his eyes that gleamed like Inuyasha's and his going downcast suddenly. The outstretched hand he'd raised to touch his favored son's shoulder dropped as if it had suddenly went limp. He looked up again at Inuyasha, and Sesshomaru saw pain. "I heard I was going to be a grandfather. I heard you were changing, that you were growing up. If I died, I would have at least wanted to have the privilege of my granddaughter or grandson going to my funeral, if an old man like me even had one. I didn't want to miss out on this part of your life, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha's wide eyes narrowed as he finished. He backed away again, wincing from the pain that took over his body. "Stay the fuck away from me, Taisho. I haven't seen you in decades."

"Inuyasha-" Inu Taisho called out at his son, but Inuyasha winced and when he spoke, there was pain evident in his voice.

"Fucking years. Mom died because of you!" Inuyasha yelled.

"About to cry, half breed?" Sesshomaru spoke up, ignoring the feral growl that descended from his half brother's mouth. His busted lip twisted up into a scowl once more. "You're nothing, Inuyasha. And if it's not right for you to be with her, then you won't." Sesshomaru walked closer, a cool smile on his lips as he leaned into his brother's ear. "Do you understand, teme?"

Before Sesshomaru could pull away, Inuyasha swung a fist at him, a growl ripping from his throat as he fell to the ground with his brother, still hitting him as hard as he could. Inuyasha growled louder, felt his demon taking over, and for a while, as he continued to slam his fists hard against his brother's face, he almost lost himself.

Once again, he was not able to get a lot of punches in. He felt someone grabbing his arms, someone a thousand times stronger than him. He growled loudly and as he was pulled away, he realized he couldn't release his father's hold. He went away kicking and screaming, panting heavily. "Strength, Inuyasha. Strength." He heard his father whisper in his ear before lightly shoving him away. He stood between them when he saw the murder in his youngest son's eyes.

"Strength." He said again to both of his sons, shaking his head. "I want an explanation. I want one now."

Sesshomaru's voice was deadly calm as he began speaking once more. The look in his eyes, though, sent shudders down Inuyasha's back and he looked down to the pavement, disappointed. "The bitch carries the Shikon No Tama. He knew that, father. If not earlier, recently. His child is powerful, and the jewel is still inside of her. People will want her dead, and Inuyasha, also. That child, too."

Inu no Taisho's eyes narrowed at his elder son, and then, he turned to his youngest, the look slowly becoming deadly. In seconds, Inuyasha was shoved roughly against the wall of the alley way, and he winced. His eyes were dead on his father's, and now, he realized they were gleaming with murder just like Sesshomaru's. His father twisted his fist around the ripped fabric of Inuyasha's already torn shirt, tearing it more, his claws slicing through the thin material. He gasped, almost choked, when he felt a pair of deadly claws digging into his arm, the other pair wrapped tight around his neck. His father's breath was hard, his eyes steal deadly.

His blood ran cold, and he was paralyzed. The pain was awful in those few seconds, and he swore his heart almost burst and the air neglected his body, and when his father released him, he slid down the wall of the alley way, panting and clutching his throat, raw panic mixed with some contrite swimming in his darkened, wide eyes. His father towered over him, and he was angry again, but he wouldn't try his patience. His eyes narrowed at his father to make himself seem tough, because this was the man he had never wanted to be weak in front of. So he made his eyes cold, acted like he didn't need him when he really did. After all, his father couldn't teach him to be a good father, because in all reality, he'd felt like his father never was a parent.

Inuyasha stood to his feet hesitantly, and his father stepped forward, his eyes still deadly and he felt himself flinch and pause. But he wasn't a coward like Inu no Taisho. In fact, he thanked him in a kind of fucked up way, because he taught Inuyasha to be braver so he'd never leave his pup alone. Never. Kids grew up. And kids needed fathers, not mothers with broken hearts.

"What is your brother talking about, Inuyasha?" Inu no Taisho asked as Sesshomaru smirked at his brother's misfortune, at the pain in his eyes.

Inuyasha ignored his question, coming up with one of his own. "I ain't gotta explain shit." He crossed his arms, and he knew he was being a child and he knew he was being unreasonable, but he also knew that his father wasn't worth anything. So he mustered some courage, figuring that he would be a better father. Figuring that he'd never let Kagome end up like his mother, and his child end up like him.

Inu no Taisho growled loudly, and Inuyasha paused, fear in his eyes for a split second. But why should he feel any fear towards this man who ran away from everything he had? To think that he loved him one time…god…to think that he used to look up to this man. Inuyasha slowly dropped his arms to the side, his eyes downcast. He knew what he did wrong. But didn't his father know what he'd done wrong?

"I won't tell you again-"

"I got her pregnant." Inuyasha said, stepping forward, his eyes narrowed as he looked at his father in disgust. "And honestly, it was a fucking accident. But maybe the best I've made, because really, it's doing wonders for me. It's teaching me to be a better man than you could ever be. It's not the best time, and maybe it's a huge mistake, but it's unchangeable."

Inu no Taisho growled again, much louder as he briskly walked up to Inuyasha so that he could stare straight into his son's eyes. Sesshomaru stood behind quietly, leaning against the wall, a tiny smirk still playing at the corner of his mouth. "I'll be damned if it isn't! Do you know what she is, son? Do you know how many people would kill for a child that powerful?"

He tried to keep his face stoic, but he knew his eyes were a different story. His father screamed in his face, and he winced. "They will not only want her dead, or you dead, or that child dead! They will want us dead!" Inu no Taisho backed away, his eyes wide on Inuyasha as he panted. "What were you thinking?"

Inuyasha shrugged, trying to remain nonchalant. "Maybe I wasn't thinking at all. But she attracted me. She loved me for who I was and she taught me, she showed me to grow up. Because I used to be a boy. The boy you left. But now I'm a man you didn't raise, Taisho. She's carrying my kid, and I'll be damned if I leave her alone to die, if I leave her alone to raise a half breed by herself like you did Mom. Don't talk to me like an angry man. You're not."

His father backed away, eyes even wider. Sesshomaru looked at Inuyasha in surprise, wondering what had happened to his baby brother, wondering how this woman, this mere human had changed him.

Inuyasha looked at his father, his father at him. Inuyasha refused to break the eye contact, so finally, Inu no Taisho did. Inuyasha saw guilt in those eyes that were just a reflection of his.

For the first time, his father didn't know what to say.

And there was silence. Absolute silence. If tension had a sound, they would all be deafened. Inuyasha stood there in the darkness, the wind ghosting through his hair as he looked at his father's face in remorse. In grief. For the first time, he realized that he had missed him. He had missed him so much. He had missed calling this man his father. The past was unchangeable, though, and his father had knew he had kids to feed. He would never know the reason for him departing, and he couldn't even guess.

His father was the one to break the silence, his voice weak. But there was still power in it. Always power. "Stay away from the girl, Inuyasha. She's a miko. She could turn you to ashes if she wanted to. She could make you her prisoner so that every step away from her could be hell for you. But still, she's weak. If not emotionally, physically. She's a mere human and-"

Inuyasha growled. "It's my kid," he said, his voice deadly. "Our baby. Something we made together when we felt like the world was against us. And also, she's mine. Are you forgetting what I am, Taisho? I'm human, too. If not fucking full human, I'm half. Izayoi may have not been miko, but she was human. She was human and she was kind and she accepted you for what you were. Like I said, the kid's mine. That's your grandchild, and who the fuck are you to take away life?"

Inu no Taisho growled, but there was weakness in his eyes from the mention of Izayoi. "You have no idea what you're dealing with, Inuyasha. You have no idea who you're dealing with. Naraku wants you dead-"

Inuyasha shook his head, anger in his eyes. "Naraku?"

His father sighed impatiently. "Yes. There's a lot you don't know-"

Inuyasha interrupted him. "What the fuck do you mean "there's a lot I don't know?" Inuyasha looked at Sesshomaru, realized that the smirk from earlier was gone, replaced with emotion in his eyes. He shook his head, trying to clear it. He wanted Kagome right now. Especially if it was Naraku who was after the both of them.

His father shook his head at him sadly. "You should've been more careful, Inuyasha. If it was this miko you loved, you should have kept her close to your heart, not other women. You slept with Kikyo. Could you feel her power? Could you smell his scent on her? Could you, Inuyasha?" his father looked down. "You were young, you wouldn't have understood." He looked up at his son, regret in her eyes. "I was stupid back then, less experienced than I am now. You knew the man, Inuyasha. He wanted Izayoi. There would be…consequences if I didn't leave."

"God…" Inuyasha spluttered, and his father stepped up to his, reached out to him. "Get the fuck away from me! Don't touch me, Taisho!"

His father looked pained again. "I never meant to hurt you. It was never in my intentions for you to be left alone, and I never meant for you and Sesshomaru to take care of what I'd left behind. He would have killed her. I tried hard…I fought hard. It was useless. Undefeatable is what he is. You needed a mother. But he knew. Iza…Izayoi was my mate. He wanted me to be the one who killed her. So I did, with no intentions. Every ocean I crossed, every mile I walked was her prison. He said he'd kill her if I didn't. In the end, it was me."

Who wanted to cry in front of their father? When he was a child, criticized for what he was, he'd cry in private. He'd cry in private because even if he was surrounded in the comfort of their small hut, and even if he did have his own toys to play with, what he wanted most was to play with someone else, and he wanted acceptance. Instead, he'd end up at his mother's feet, crying as she picked him up and wiped his face of tears, dirt, and vegetables that the other kids thought would be fun to throw at him. And then, she'd clean his cuts and scrapes, kiss his forehead. But she could see it in her eyes. She was tired.

Anger fueled his whole body, made him shake. He looked up when he felt his father's strong, calloused hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

That was an excuse he'd used plenty of times on the woman he loved. He meant it most of the time. Looking into his father's eyes, he knew he meant it. But still, he shook. His mother, the only other woman he'd ever loved was gone because of Naraku. Father didn't have a choice. Despondency wept inside of him, and before he knew it, his father was pulling him in.

"Do you love her, Inuyasha?" he heard his father demand in his ear.

His ear twitched at the unexpected question, but he mumbled a yes when he wanted to speak it loud and clearly. His father pulled away quickly, leaving a hand on his son's shoulder.

"She's changed you." His father said briefly, nodding in approval.

Inuyasha growled. "Kids grow up."

His father nodded again, but he seemed to look right through him. "This isn't safe, Inuyasha. You're not safe around her. She has the Jewel embedded in her. It's not safe."

Inuyasha growled again, a scowl reappearing on his face. "You think I'm that selfish, you think I'm that low? That's our pup, and if they're alone, Naraku will hurt them. I'm not letting that happen."

"Inuyasha," Inuyasha growled at the sound of the faggot's voice. He should have stayed quiet longer. "He's right. He's not being selfish. The child does not need any harm brought upon it. If you continue to stay around, then it will get worse. Stay away at least for a few days. Let her be clueless. After all, her mother hasn't told her, right? It seems like she doesn't know."

Inuyasha scoffed and crossed his arms, wondering where in the hell they got all of this information from. The info that only he was supposed to know. "No. She fears that Kagome still won't understand. She still thinks that her father is some ordinary human, and she still thinks that her mother is, too. Souta isn't affected in any way, so I guess that Naraku really did only do that to hurt her, tease her. I'm sure it was him. I believe he's trying to get her riled up, make her realize the power she has within herself. I just don't know anymore." Inuyasha shook his head, shutting his eyes. This shit was all giving him a headache, and maybe it was also because of the fighting he'd done with his brother. Once again, he didn't know.

"He's right." Inu no Taisho spoke, straightening his posture, his voice holding confidence. "Give it a few days."

Inuyasha shook his head once more, growling. "I can't do that. She'll get mad and we won't talk and she'll walk away…walk away from me again. She doesn't know how dangerous it is, being all by herself. She doesn't fucking know!" Inuyasha yelled, ignoring the pounding in his head. Frustration was setting in again.

He watched as his father and bastard of a half-brother smirked. Inu no Taisho was the first to say it, though. "She's your mate."

Inuyasha scoffed, but didn't deny it. He wouldn't dare deny it.

Sesshomaru's face returned emotionless. "Mate her, then. But first, take a few days away from her. After you mate her, don't leave her or the child." Sesshomaru saw his brother about to protest, but he spoke again before he could. "We need this. She needs this, the child, too. She needs to be strong. Hell, we all do if it involves Naraku."

"And Inuyasha?" Inu no Taisho said, his voice serious. "I want to meet her. I need to."

Inuyasha looked at him quizzically, his eyes hesitant. "What for?"

"You need my permission. By the time the week's over, I'll see her when you do. And what's her name?" Inu no Taisho asked, looking at his son expectantly.

Inuyasha wasn't expecting a week. Now, he was extremely nervous about the whole ordeal, and he wasn't sure who to trust. "It's Kagome." Inuyasha spoke gruffly as he shoved past his father, still upset as he imagined how he'd sleep in the seemingly empty bed in his apartment for a whole week. She wouldn't be there, nuzzling into him, the scent of her hair in his nose. And he wouldn't be able to feel her or the baby. He wouldn't be able to lay his hand flat on her tummy and rub his baby, let him or her know he was there. He wouldn't be able to feel the power of Kagome or the power of the child. He would be wide awake without her scent there to calm him. He'd be wide awake, praying they were okay.

"Kagome?" his father questioned, and Inuyasha was sure he was smirking. He groaned and turned around, giving him a brief nod. "I…I like that name. I'm sure she'd make a fine daughter-in-law."

Inuyasha growled, feeling the heat in his cheeks. He turned away again, already missing her.

"Be prepared for this week, little brother. There's a few of things we have to discuss, a lot of preparations we have to go over, and a ton of information we have to gather." Sesshomaru said as he walked away. Of course, there was no response, and he knew his little brother would be missing her tonight.

God, take care of them all. Inuyasha was in love.

XXXxxxXXX

His naked body pressed against hers, and by the way he was breathing, she knew he was sleep. But she was wide awake, feeling slightly guilty as she stared into the nothingness that was darkness. The only sounds that filled the room was his breathing, and she relished in the fact that he was warm and that he was here and that she knew for sure that they loved each other. Everything should have been peaceful, but it wasn't.

She shifted slightly in the bed, and she heard him groan. And then, she knew he was awake. She felt him smile against her skin, and she giggled when he kissed her neck. Feeling like this was nice. It had been a while since she felt so at peace, but still, there was something that was bugging her. It wasn't a big thing, but it was something that she had been meaning to do for a while, and the fact that she was so busy with Miroku made her feel guiltier.

"I love you, Sango," he whispered against her skin, and she shivered. Usually if he was touching her like this, she'd smack him away. But he felt so good, and it felt great since things were back to normal.

There were still arguments, but they were working their way around it. He knew that a relationship was only for two, she'd taught him to accept that. He shouldn't have to be taught, but she thought about what Kagome said and she knew that he was merely human, just like her.

Kagome…

Miroku kissed her, long and deep and she moaned, arching up into him. He was panting now, aroused as she was. You see, he made the guilt go away. He made the pain go away. What he made her feel was as real as any pain. He was an angel. He watched over her. He was her life and more.

Just as she wrapped her legs around his waist, he stopped kissing her and she frowned. "You're not here with me right now. Where are you, Sango?" He kissed her neck briefly before looking into her eyes for an answer.

She sighed. "I feel like me and her are growing apart. Kagome, I mean."

He smiled, so willing to help her. To sort this all out. "How?" He asked gently as he kissed her neck again, lining himself up at her entrance. She moaned softly, looking up at him with a soft smile, her face flushed. She didn't know how he expected her to talk when he did these things to her. I took a whole minute before she got a hold of herself, regulated her breathing and remembered what was troubling her.

"Her and Inuyasha. I'm not sure about this whole thing. The last time I saw her was when she was in the hospital. It's been weeks. I feel like we're growing apart. I mean, she's having a kid and we're working on this whole thing. I'm starting to feel like she thinks…bad things, you know? I don't want her thinking she's alone. I'm not even sure if he loves her. After all he did, after all he said…"

He groaned when he slid into her, and she gasped, arching up into him. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and he moaned softly, nuzzling his nose into her neck. "Don't you know, Sango?" he panted into her ear. "The way he looks at her is the same way I look at you…that's…it's love."

He began moving inside of her, rocking both of them gently. She tangled a hand into his hair, whispering over and over again that she loved him, and he did the same.

She loved that about him. He was always gentle, always helping, and she wondered how the hell she could've kicked him out, told him that she wanted separation. How could she have said that? How could she have lived without him?

When they made each other see stars, and when he made her full inside, he pulled her into his arms. "They don't belong here right now. Just…just us, Sango. We'll go see her tomorrow. I promise."

She smiled softly at his promise, leaning into him. "You think we'll have our own kids one day?" She asked him softly.

He smiled into her hair, pulling her closer. "You know, I was kind of hoping that we would. You're the only one, Sango."

XXXxxxXXX

She always woke up with a smile on her face, knowing he was beside her. But her bed was strange and it was cold, and so were her arms. She wanted to sleep a while longer, though. She wrapped her arms around herself, a frown on her face as she felt the sunlight calling to her, disturbing her.

She sat up, only to realize that he wasn't beside of her. But he was last night when they'd made love. She smiled again, figuring that he was downstairs calling to check up on Souta or finding himself something to eat. Mama would most likely be home soon, because she couldn't stay beside of Souta and Jii-chan forever. But still, Kagome knew that her visits would be frequent, and she felt slightly guilty. She wanted to see her family again. And most of all, she wanted to apologize to her mother.

She rested a hand on her stomach, smiling as she wondered who he was. She kept her hand there for a while as she thought back about the lady, the demon- Kagura- from yesterday. She pressed harder, trying to feel what Kagura was talking about. She wanted to know…

She frowned, pulling her hand away. It was strangely quiet. Birds chirped outside, but that was all.

Inuyasha…he wasn't here.

She stood to her feet, and when she walked downstairs, her fears were confirmed. No wonder why she felt so empty inside. Her bed was cold and so was her body. Worry settled in, and she hoped she wouldn't go insane with it. Wherever he was, he had to come back to her.

Right?

A/N: I was aiming for eight pages, but gah, I'm tired. Next chapter will probably be short. But I'm realizing that this story is gonna be a lot longer than I expected. Not sure yet. Thanks for the reviews, guys. I read every single one of them, and honestly, you guys are awesome.

Reviews please? Tell me what you think, or what you'd like to see in the next chapter! I know there's probably gonna be a lot of questions about this chapter, and I'm willing to answer them all! Till next time, loves. REVIEW! PLEASE? (:

Oh, btw, this chapter was inspired by The Day I Left the Womb by Escape the Fate and My Medea by Vienna Teng. (: