Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Props to Rumiko Takahashi for being such an inspiration!

Chapter 11

It was the next day and the duo was back on the road. The rain had stopped in the middle of the night but the paths were muddy and unpleasant to walk on. Sesshoumaru had just stopped to offer a complaining Kagome a ride to save her precious shoes when Masuyo made herself known. It was a surprise to see her, considering that Jaken had said she was waiting at the castle.

"Ah, Kagome and Sesshoumaru, what a nice pair you make!" The kind witch exclaimed upon being noticed, looking at the miko's grip on his arm that she was using so she wouldn't slip and fall because of the mud. Kagome smiled at the woman while the taiyoukai merely gave her his customary glare. He knew she was up to something.

"It's good to see you, Masuyo." The teenager greeted with a cautious bow, showing the enchantress the respect she deserved for what she had done for her friends.

"Now, tell us what you really want," Sesshoumaru cut to the chase as soon as Kagome had risen back to her full height, which was still more than a foot shorter than him. The three were at a standstill, Masuyo facing them proudly from no less than 10 feet away on the muddy road. The beautiful witch only smiled as she raised an open palm up to reveal a golden orb that resembled what the Shikon no Tama had looked like. The only difference was that it did not emanate any sort of power and it was not the same colour, either.

"This is a power concealing crystal that entraps a soul and keeps it dormant until it is called upon when needed. The soul that is hiding inside will escape if the time is right and their true bodies will return to them as if they'd never died. I will show you who is in this crystal, once we meet again at your castle. However," She slid the orb back into a secret pocket on the inside of her loose sleeves. "I have another surprise for you before then. The reason I have come to you now instead of waiting is so you may both get accustomed to this surprise before you reach our place of meeting."

"A surprise?" The inuyoukai tried to keep his voice passive despite the feeling he had in the pit of his stomach. What kind of surprise could she give them that would be more shocking than the pregnancy itself? Hadn't she done enough?

"Do not fret young ones. It is only customary that I do this, since the pup was not meant to be yours in the first place." At her words, Kagome slid a protective hand on her round stomach. Was Masuyo going to take their baby away now that they'd gotten used to the idea of becoming parents and that it was bringing them closer together? She can't do that to us, Kagome protested silently.

In a strange moment, it was like everything around them went quiet and still in anticipation. The birds had stopped singing, the leaves were not rustling and even the sound of the flowing river nearby seemed to be drowned out by the reigning silence. Masuyo spread out her arms, weirdly calm under the scrutinizing stares of the powerful dog-demon and the passionate priestess. She was waiting for their reaction as much as they were waiting for her to reveal her "surprise."

"I present to you both, Keiko." Still, nothing happened. Then realization dawned on Kagome and she took a step forward, both of her hands clutching her stomach which was suddenly as flat as it had been before the miraculous pregnancy.

"That's the name we discussed last night while thinking of names for the pup! We were leaning more towards Keiko if it were to be a girl!" The young miko was panicking, feeling desolate at the loss of her belly. Then, Sesshoumaru's eyes went wide and he gasped audibly from behind her.

"That…that scent…" He whispered, the whole world going in slow motion as a little girl stepped out from behind Masuyo's robes. A little girl about four years old with silver hair and golden eyes…

Keiko, even more perfect than they could have imagined she would be, had silver hair like Sesshoumaru's that reached her shoulders, two thick strands of straight locks on either side of her face that settled in front of her shoulders like Inuyasha's did. At the top of her head, the middle of her bangs was held back by a red tie to show a violet crescent moon on her brow just like her father's. Two dog ears, just like Inuyasha's, were standing on point at either side of her pinned back hair. She had the heart shaped face of her mother with her softer shaped eyes except they were the colour of his. Her mouth was in a lazy "o" from which two tiny fangs could be seen. Dressed in a short, purple kimono, she was the picture of cuteness. Sesshoumaru slowly dropped onto his knee, his body ending up being too weak to support him, even as his armour let go on the left side and fell off. The red tie that had been holding it together was the thing that now served to hold Keiko's bangs back.

"That's our baby…" Kagome's eyes welled up with tears and she swayed a little, her hand settling on Sesshoumaru's shoulder for support. She just couldn't believe that there, facing them both, was their pup who had been a foetus in her womb only a minute before.

"Take good care of your daughter. Everything will be explained at the castle but until then, good luck." And Masuyo, like the great sorceress she was known to be, just faded away into the breeze, leaving only the little girl to stand a few feet away.

It took a moment for Kagome to regain her bearings but then she was rushing toward her daughter with her lips quivering and tears streaming down her warm cheeks. Dropping to her knees, Kagome pulled Keiko into her arms and held her to her chest in a tight embrace. The hanyou child didn't hesitate a second to hug her mother back.

"Mommy, why are you crying?" Keiko pulled back and placed her tiny clawed hands on Kagome's face to wipe away her tears, though it changed nothing because new ones just kept coming. When the miko got too choked up to speak through her tears, Keiko looked over her shoulder to the still taiyoukai who was still on one knee in the mud, his eyes wide like saucers. Keiko knew he was he father just by feeling his youki, the demonic aura that was passed down to her in a smaller quantity and power. "What's wrong with daddy?"

It took a good ten minutes of staring at her, smelling her and hearing her tiny worried voice ask about him before Sesshoumaru could will his body to move. Even then, it was because Kagome had picked their little girl up and reached his side, Keiko's hand reaching down to touch the strands of his silky silver hair. Slowly pulling himself together, Sesshoumaru stood and reached his arms out to his little half-demon of a daughter, silently begging to hold her. Kagome handed her over with no argument, though she continued to answer Keiko's unrelenting string of questions.

"Where are we going?"

"To your father's palace, Keiko."

"Why did you name me Keiko?"

"Because you're truly a blessing."

"Why isn't daddy saying anything?"

"He's probably too shocked to form coherent words, baby."

True enough, the great inuyoukai was too shaken to speak. All he could do was stare at his daughter as he held her and gently run his hand over the top of her head, careful of her ears that he knew were sensitive from past experiences with his half-brother. He wondered why he'd ever looked down upon Inuyasha's half-human genes as he marvelled at how perfect Keiko was. Can one truly saw anything bad about a hanyou after taking a look at her? He'd have to apologize to Inuyasha when they got back to Edo for all of the things he'd ever said in the past.

Unwilling to let her go and unable to say anything out loud, the taiyoukai managed to get his body to obey and motioned for Kagome to stay by his side as they continued their journey toward the castle. At that rate, they'd be having their evening meal in the dining hall. During their adventure, Keiko talked and talked and talked, reminding Sesshoumaru of Rin when she pointed out every flower and butterfly she found pretty from her place in his strong arms. For a half-demon with the appearance of a four year old child, she spoke softly and eloquently, a fact that made the inu realize just how similar she could be to him in personality as well as physical appearance. Though, her chatter-box syndrome definitely came from her mother, the ever social Kagome. He'd have to thank Kagome for accepting the deal with Masuyo when he could speak again and also apologize for being a little angry with her during the first few days of her short pregnancy.

True to his assumptions, they reached his castle as the sun started it's descent behind the mountains. Ever considerate, Sesshoumaru sent Kagome and Keiko off to bathe before their meal, knowing how the mud and travels had dirtied their clothing and had dug up their appetites. Feeling more protective than he believed he was entitled to, he was always in hearing distance from his…family. He had a family now. The notion was hard to grasp for a demon that'd prided himself on solitude for half of his life but he suddenly didn't feel the least bit lonely now. Kagome and Keiko are my family, he was happy with the idea but had to revise the thought. Inuyasha is also part of my family, as are Rin and Shippou technically. Have I truly been surrounded with such people and not realized how lucky I am until now? The taiyoukai still could not speak but if he would have been anything other than mute, he'd have thanked Kagome a hundred times over for the impact she's had on his life.

Quite respectfully, Masuyo made her next appearance after they'd had their meal. The servants and guards were sent away to give the foursome their privacy and Masuyo started leading them down a hall that Sesshoumaru had never dared go down. It had been forbidden by his father when he was only a pup himself and he'd never really thought of inspecting it after his death. Kagome, who held Keiko's hand as they walked beside the tall inu, had been too lost in her own thoughts to really admire any of the architectural work or tapestries throughout the castle. Truth be told, she did not care for this place one bit. She wouldn't choose to live here if she had the choice; it was the last place on earth she could possibly consider home. There was a feeling of coldness and isolation in the air that just made her, and everyone else for that matter, want to leave.

"Have you truly never ventured here, lord Sesshoumaru?" Masuyo asked in hopes that he'd finally break his ongoing silence. No such luck. In fact, the question merited her a cold glare from his warm golden eyes and a soft sneer. It was as if he was unable to display such cutting emotions at all anymore now that he felt completely at peace in his heart. He coveted nothing, had no reason to hurt anyone or to hide his emotions. He was free of the persona he felt so inclined to hold up all those years…unreal.

"Uhh, daddy can't speak. But that's okay, I know he's fine. He's just happy is all." Keiko proudly proclaimed as the small group stopped in front of a set of heavy, gold-trimmed shoji doors. In the trimmings, some ancient text was engraved. Kagome couldn't read it all without getting really close but she settled for the words she could make out as Masuyo slid them open; something about a 'podium of life' and 'life beyond death'.

"Here is the room in which I will be able to summon the soul that is hidden in the orb of gold. As soon as we enter, you will feel the enormity of the aura held within it but you will be unable to find out the identity until the person is standing on the podium of life. I suppose I too would be surprised of the outcome if it had not been I that had taken the appropriate measures so long ago." True to the enchantress' words, it felt like a punch to the miko's stomach as soon as her two feet were past the doorway. Sesshoumaru got a sense of foreboding as his youki practically danced on the edges of the aura to feel the level of possible threat. Keiko on the other hand seemed completely oblivious of this powerful aura, though she was aware of it. She only experienced it differently because of her mixed DNA. The spiritual power and the youki that were at peace inside of her were trying to cancel out the overwhelming aura around her by activating in her veins to distract her.

"And now, we will meet him." Masuyo smiled as she extracted the golden crystal from her sleeve and set it on one of the only two things in the large room. It was a golden stand sculpted so that the top had a round indentation the exact size of the crystal instead of being just a flat pole. To its right, there was a slate of gold that formed a podium large enough for a person to stand on.

At first, the whole thing was completely uneventful. Then, as if having purposefully waited for everyone's disappointment before going into action, the orb cracked into two neat halves and a bright red light shot out like lightening bolts. It became clear as it danced a trajectory toward the podium that the aura was pure youki; a strong, pure and suffocating youki that was slightly out of control after being dormant for so long. Sesshoumaru's lips parted and the first sound to escape from behind clenched teeth was a guttural growl of the beast within him.

"What's wrong, Sesshoumaru?" Kagome pressed as she minimized the distance between them for protection and support in case the demon being summoned was really dangerous. She just hoped it wasn't a sworn enemy made out to test them or something. She'd had enough of those the past two years to last a lifetime. Their eyes not diverting, all of them watched as the demon started to take its humanoid form before them, cloaked in heavy armour and an elegant kimono. His hair was pulled up in a ponytail, his bangs brushing over his face as if a breeze was circulating only where he stood. His identity became clear as the red light faded and he clenched his hands to feel his own flesh. He was indeed alive again.

Standing there, in all of his glory, was someone they had not at all expected. With his silver hair, golden eyes and matching single royal blue marks on either cheek, the Inu no Taisho was even more formidable in real life than in any memory Sesshoumaru had or even in the vision they had seen after the destruction of Sounga. The great Dog General was back from the dead over two hundred years after being slain. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha's father was alive!

"Oh dear Kami, the looks on your faces!" Masuyo laughed straight out as she watched them watch him. Kagome expressed clear signs of wonder whilst the taiyoukai at her side looked disbelieving yet accepting of the situation. Keiko, who did not know who was in front of them at all except for the way her small youki brushed up warmly against his, only understood the fact that they were related. It wasn't long before the Inu no Taisho joined the nice witch with his rich, deep chuckles. His eyes were fixated on his elder son, who had now reached out to grab the hand his daughter was extending out to him from her place in her mother's arms. Why, Sesshoumaru couldn't help but wonder, why has she brought father back? And how?

"I've been gone longer than I expected, son. I knew this day would come but I had no idea it would take you more than two centuries!" The great dog demon stepped off of the podium and tested his limbs as he neared his son and his family. The he got a whiff of Kagome and stopped, pinning his Sesshoumaru with a playful glare.

"Tell me why exactly you haven't mated this beauty if you've had a pup together? If it is reluctance on your part, I will do it. She is strong, beautiful and clearly has that radiance all of us long for when searching for a mate. What is wrong with you my boy?"

"Daddy can't speak," Keiko immediately went to say, only for Sesshoumaru himself to cut her off.

"I believe it is customary to court before mating where she comes from." He stated in a tone of voice rougher than was usual for him, taken by the sudden urge to leave. If this situation had happened a month earlier, he would have turned on his heel and left without a care or even a look back. Now though, he couldn't. For some unfathomable reason, he actually cared about what was happening. How could one day be so eventful? I have a daughter and father is alive? For a moment he actually questioned if he'd wake up soon from this bizarre dream.

"But you have a child together, surely you did not simply rut as practical strangers?" It was strange for the young lord of the west to see his father sword-less as he stood before him, even stranger that they were the same height now. With Tenseiga at his hip, Tetsusaiga in Inuyasha's possession and Sounga banished to the underworld, the Inu no Taisho had no weapon. In that moment, Sesshoumaru briefly thought of his past desire to beat his father in combat on his path to supreme conquest. It would be so easy now, especially with Bakusaiga in his grasp. But he wouldn't be able to do it now that his plans had changed.

"Excuse you, there is a little girl here!" Kagome immediately scolded as she clutched Keiko closer. There was no way she'd let anyone talk about such…mature things around her daughter! "Take your inappropriate words elsewhere, grandpa." She huffed, not knowing how lucky she was that the Inu no Taisho wasn't quick to anger or that he enjoyed teasing and banter. If it had been Sesshoumaru a few months back on the other end of that statement, he would have tried to kill her for acting as his superior and calling him grandpa. Well, she has called me a fluffy, overgrown puppy…how is she still alive with such a loose tongue?

"Pardon me, little miko, I did not mean to be so uncouth." Kagome rolled her eyes at the nickname, tisking as she did so.

"Like father like son. My name is Kagome, not 'miko' or 'little miko' or any other priestess related terms. Ka-go-me! I feel a little bit of déjà vu here." To bring her point across, she gently tapped Sesshoumaru's cheek. "That goes for you too, remember? Don't think I forgot how you let it slip all those times."

"Touga, put her out of her misery, will you? You're the third male from your family that she's had to say that to." Masuyo snickered behind a polite hand before taking her final leave in that way she had of just fading away. In truth, they'd all forgotten she was there in the first place. Sesshoumaru could only hope that she'd forget about them now. Boy was Inuyasha going to fall flat on his ass when he'd find out about this.

"I told you I would slip once or twice, Kagome. A habit is hard to break." Sesshoumaru turned his head to the side to look at her with a soft smile. She raised her eyebrows at him before shaking her head.

"I guess you really can't teach an old dog new tricks."

Author's note:

Alright, this chapter is shorter than I expected it to be and a little less detailed and smooth than I would have preferred but it can't be helped at the moment. I deeply apologize and I hope you can forgive me. Meanwhile, what the hell?! The Inu no Taisho is alive and Keiko is already a child?! What about Sesshoumaru who secretly wanted to experience her first steps and her first word? Poor guy has been robbed of that experience for now. But I'm glad we're finally getting into the actual development of his "soft" side! I promise that this chapter was the last major twists! Now we just need to develop the relationships between the characters and give them some room to breathe after all this excitement! Quick note: when this story is done, I WILL go back and edit the hell out of it and add some detail just to make it smoother to read and such, in case that would interest any of you. But for now, see you next chapter! Smile and have a good morning/day/evening/night! –Nat :) ^.^