Kakudan frowned, leaning against Ah-Un as he watched his friends playing cheerfully. 'How can they just goof off like nothing happened? How can they just play around when they saw him?' Shippo was busy showing Rin his Spinning Top of Doom, while the young girl was tossing flowers at it, giggling when they were showered back at her. Kagami was spinning around in circles with Kirara, the poor cat, in her arms. Ah and Un were watching in amusement as their beloved mewled, her eyes rolling. 'They act like it never occurred.'

*FLASHBACK*

Kakudan wiped his eyes tiredly, yawning as he stood. He looked around the cave, taking in his surroundings. He noticed everyone in a circle, and stumbled over to see what was so interesting. He crawled through Inuyasha's legs and froze. 'No.'

Sleeping soundly, Sesshomaru curved his body tightly around his miko's, rubbing his nose into her neck. Kagome smiled in her sleep, using a hand to attempt to wave him away from the ticklish skin. Grabbing her hand to stop her, the Daiyoukai growled against the back of her neck which brought forth a silent giggle from the miko.

Eyes narrowed, Kakudan stormed forward, prying his mother's hand from Sesshomaru. When the demon lord's eyes snapped open and narrowed, Kakudan simply glared back. "My momma is off limits."

Kagome's eyes fluttered open, and she sat up, rubbing her eyes. 'I'm warm.' She looked behind her to see what was causing such, and blushed furiously, jumping up and getting into battle stance, "What the hell?!" She mouthed.

"Hn." Sesshomaru rolled his eyes and sat up. He looked down his nose at his miko's child to find the small boy's finger pointing in his face.

"Stay away." He growled.

"Am I to be afraid?"

Kakudan crossed his arms, ruby eyes flashing dangerously. "My papa could wipe the floor with you!" He managed to remain calm even when he was grabbed by the scruff of his collar and jerked forth. If he even placed a scratch on him, his mother would attack. He almost hoped the Daiyoukai would harm him a little.

"Watch your mouth, child. Your father is pathetic. He could not truly harm me if he tried, the weak hanyou."

"I'm hanyou!"

"Then you are weak." Sesshomaru hissed.

Kagome gasped, taking her son in her arms. She glared at the Daiyoukai. "How dare you?" She managed to croak.

Sesshomaru looked to her indifferently. "You should teach your son some manners."

"He is a child, Sessho-" Her voice cracked.

"He is old enough to know now that he is to respect those of higher positions than himself. Hanyou have no place in society." He hadn't meant for it to come out so badly. He was annoyed at being surrounded and not realizing, at being disrespected, at being awoken from his dream in which he made love.

Kagome's eyes widened as she held her son tighter. This couldn't be the same Sesshomaru who had confessed his feelings for her, the one who'd protected her, the one who'd held her so tenderly, who'd kissed her so gently. The empty feeling that had disappeared when she was with him reappeared and her eyes became hollow. Setting her son down, she kissed his forehead and sent him outside to play with the other's.

*END OF FLASHBACK*

Sesshomaru had degraded him. He'd hurt his mother. No one had seen the dull look in his eyes besides Kakudan, but when he had, his heart had broken. Perhaps his father…That's it! A smile came to his face. He would talk to his father.

"Kakudan?" Kagami tapped the young hanyou's shoulder, jumping when he flinched. "Sorry."

Sighing, he looked to her. "I'm okay. What is it?"

"I just thought you looked lonely over here, so I decided to check on you." She sneezed. "Well, that, and Kirara just threw up."

A small smile blossomed on his face. "Hm."

"So, what are you doing?"

"Thinking."

"You know, Sesshomaru-sama would take good care of your mother and you very well."

Grimacing, Kakudan turned away, annoyed. "I don't want him to. My papa will."

Kagami touched his hand, "But Kakudan-"

"But nothing!" Snatching his hand away, he stood. "I'm going to see my papa. Don't tell anyone." He pulled Sango's small katana from its spot on Ah-Un's saddle and flitted off as quickly as he could, letting the wind dry his tears.

Kagome sliced her swords through the air in quick, chopping, precise slashes. 'These will do well.' She whipped around, slashing her sword downward and nearly slicing Sesshomaru in half. Smirking a bit, she continued her practice.

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes. 'She purposely did that.' There was no doubt in his mind that she'd sensed him approached her, so she'd decided to attempt to nick him. 'Damn woman.' When Tensaiga rattled at his side, he growled mentally. 'Leave me be, father.' "Miko?"

Huffing, she sped up, stabbing into the air. 'Ignore him. He doesn't deserve my attention.' With a near silent grunt, she 'accidentally' swiped at him.

Just in time, he whipped his own sword out and blocked her attack. "Will you listen now?"

'Not like I have a choice.' She thought with annoyance. Her swords charged with energy that was not entirely her own, she attacked again.

"What I said was not meant to sound so degrading. You misinterpreted."

Kagome snorted, lifting her sword above her head to block a downward attack. 'Misinterpreted him calling my son a weak hanyou? I think not.'

Sesshomaru noted that her attacks were becoming stronger and concluded that his 'apology' had worsened things. "I directed my anger toward Naraku at your son, when he should not have faced such." He felt her applying more pressure into their locked blades. "I was not attempting to harm your son nor you. Since I did such, I should apologize." He trailed off there because she had lowered her sword to her side.

'Oh? He's apologizing.' She waited for the apology.

Sensing that she was waiting for something more, he swallowed his pride and spoke, "This Sesshomaru- I am sorry."

Her lips twitched before a full blown smile appeared on her face and she leapt into his arms, kissing his cheek. 'How sweet! I know that took a lot out of him!'

Sesshomaru wrapped his arms tight around her and lowered his head to kiss her when she suddenly snatched away from him. He growled lowly and followed her gaze to where his half brother was rushing toward them, the other members of the group following close behind.

"Kagome!" The hanyou skidded to a stop before her. "Kagami just told us that Kakudan took off, said he's going to see Naraku."

The miko's heart skipped a beat. 'My son is gone…and it's all Sesshomaru's fault.' Growling loudly, she clutched her swords and swung at him.

Eyes widening partially, he jumped back, avoiding her swing. But as she began to come faster, he found that he had to fight back to defend himself. "Miko, stop this!" With her new Inuyoukai blood, she now had speed to rival his.

'It's his fault! It's all his fault my baby is gone!' Baring her two and a half inch long fangs, she pushed herself harder. She needed an advantage, and she would take it anyway she could.

"Kagome!"

She ignored her friend's cry, clutching her swords tighter as her eyes flashed a venomous green. "Aggggh!" She let out a hoarse, anguished cry. Beyond the hilt, one of her swords became a long rope of ivory, wrapping around Sesshomaru's ankles.

Quickly, he swiped at it, trying and failing to cut through the strong material as it hardened. He noticed, out of the corner of his eyes, that Kagome was racing at him, sword raised. His lifted his sword to block her, but with her vigor and velocity, he was knocked onto his back, forcing her sword back to avoid its tip slamming into his skull.

"You did this." She hissed gruffly, her eyes once again flickering that dangerous toxic jade as she stared into his. 'And to think I was going to forgive you.' Her eyes lowered to her reflection in her sword, and she frowned, her eyes resuming their natural coloring. Rising, she recoiled her left sword from his ankles and sprinted off in search of her son.

Sesshomaru sat up slowly and looked to his sword, which was chipping. Without bothering to look to his brother, who was no doing smirking, the Daiyoukai hurried after her.

"You called for me, my son?" Naraku asked as he sat at the base of a tree.

"Papa." Kakudan raced into his arms, embracing him warmly. "Papa! Sesshomaru-sama is ruining everything! He's trying to take mommy away from you and me!"

Though a deep frowned marred his dark face, he simply caressed his son's back gently. "Yes. I have realized that." And he already had a plan in motion.

Situating himself in his father's lap, the young boy sniffed. "I don't know what we're going to do. We have to stop him."

"It is nothing to cry over. You are getting older. It is time for you to act as such."

"What do you mean?"

"It is time that you've matured. As my child, you will age slightly faster than other youkai children."

Kakudan narrowed his eyes in hate, looking at the dull claws on his hand. "I am not youkai. I am a hanyou."

Growling lowly, Naraku picked him up, turning the child to face him. "You are not a hanyou. You are my son. You are strong, unique, intelligent. You are the furthest thing from a lowly hanyou, and if I hear such filth from your mouth again, you will be punished." With that, he set the child back in his lap, only to have him turn and embrace him.

"Yes, papa." He beamed at his proud papa. Being warned of punishment made him uneasy, but he knew his father meant well.

"And no more 'papa'. As much as I like the term, I am your father."

"Father." He nodded. "And mommy can't be mommy anymore?"

Naraku combed his fingers through his son's long hair. "No. She is your mother."

Kakudan nuzzled his face into his father's chest. "I love you, father."

"Kakudan." He replied, inhaling the sweet mix of himself and Kagome that his son gave off.

"Father, I have some questions that need answering."

"Ask them then. Remember, though, that you are soon to be royalty. Other than myself and your mother, you do not need to ask permission."

"Okay." Kakudan took a deep breath, then asked, "Why did you hurt momma? Why did you disclaim me? Why aren't we with you? Why did you let me see it all in my head?"

Naraku's eyes glazed over. "My son," he sighed, "I do not feel that you are man enough to hear such answers. They will harm you."

Swallowing, he urged, "I'll be okay…And if you feel that I'm not man enough, or strong enough, then I'll prove it. I've been learning from mom- mother, Kohaku, Inuyasha, and…Sesshomaru-sama how to wield a sword. We could spar!" That was a surefire way to earn his father's respect!

"That is far too dangerous. And being strong physically does not mean that you are strong mentally and emotionally."

"I can do it! And if I lose, you have to answer me. If you don't answer me…I'll decapitate you." He said proudly.

Naraku smirked. The child certainly was his son. "Very well. Shall we begin?"

'His blood! I smell his blood! And Naraku!" Kagome's pace picked up as she sprinted toward the scent, which was still some ways off. 'If anything happened to him…no, don't think that way! He's fine! He just tripped and skinned his knee! That's all!' His blood was beginning to drive her wild with fear. 'Just a little further!' She halted suddenly at a large puddle of blood. 'No.' There were also other puddles, some she could scent as Naraku's, and some she could scent as Kakudan's. 'My baby.' Falling to her side, she sobbed silently.

The tachi stared in horror at the surrounding area. None of them knew what to say, so they shrank back, quiet. Sesshomaru quietly approached the miko's crumbled form and pulled her into his arms. Instantly, she fought against him, sobbing harder.

"You did this!" She wailed throatily. "You killed my baby! Let me go!"

He did just the opposite, holding her tighter as she beat him in the chest with all her might. Who would think that the cold, heartless Lord of the West would feel terribly sad and remorseful? And though most would think that he felt such because he was harming his love, but, in fact, he was upset that he had in some way been the cause of the young child's life ending. "I am sorry." He whispered in her ear.

"No!" She cried. "M-my baaaaby-y-y-y!" She stopped her fighting and fell against his chest, sobbing.

Inuyasha's ears flattened on his head and he averted his eyes. He'd never seen his best friend break down so completely. Kagome was strong, unlike most of the women in his era. To see her so broken…Inuyasha whispered, "It'll be okay, Kagome. You'll get through this."

"He was the only one who loved me." She whispered softly, trying to pry Sesshomaru's arms off.

"We love you, Kagome." Miroku offered, jumping slightly when Kagome looked at him with dead eyes and a sad smile.

"Of course you do." She replied sarcastically before closing her eyes.

Sango stared at her feet, starting to wish she had stayed at Totosai's with the children and Kohaku. This was all going back to how they had ignored her and sent her away. They'd been busy. They'd made a few mistakes. They were sorry.

"I want to be alone." Kagome croaked, still trying to free herself.

Sesshomaru glared at her. "I will not leave you, not in this condition." He hissed in pain and frustration when she allowed her aura to flare with reiki.

Smirking, she choked out, "You…you can…only hold on…for so…long." With a loud, gruff growl, the daiyoukai released her. Kagome rushed away from him, slumped against a tree, and buried her face in her knees. 'I can't do this! I just can't do this! I need help! I need support!'

Miroku pulled Sango to him as she began to weep silently for her friend. Ayame buried her face in Koga's shoulder. Kikyo clasped Inuyasha's hand tightly to keep her emotions in check, but it did not keep her from crying. 'Tears. I'm crying.' She would have smiled because it meant that she was becoming human again, but she could bring herself to.

"So, what do we do? We can't just let her mope. I mean, I'm worried about her. She hasn't even eaten in three days." Inuyasha whispered lowly, since Kagome was sitting in a tree a few yards away.

"Perhaps something that will cheer her up. What does she like?" Kikyo asked.

"Well, before we go to Sesshomaru's Palace, maybe we could take her to the well."

Kohaku beamed. "Yes. The well! She's been dying to see her family, and her brother is having a birthday soon."

Shippo wiped his eyes. "Yeah. That might make momma happy." Tears dripped down his face. "He can't be gone though." This lead the rest of the children to start crying again.

Koga cringed as his daughter wept into his armor free chest. He hadn't realized she cared so much for the kid. She hadn't even been around him much, so it was a wonder why she acted as though she'd lost her mate.

Inuyasha sighed, standing up. "Kagome!" He watched as she jumped down from her limb and head towards him. "We're worried about you. I think you need to go home for a bit."

"Home." She'd regained her voice after being bedridden for an entire day. "I don't want to go."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm never going there. My son died here, and here I will stay. We should be moving on. I can sense something about to happen." Grabbing her swords, she slid them into their places at her side and walked off.

Inuyasha's ears flattened on his head. "She's worse than I thought." The tachi gathered their things and started after her, allowing her to lead the way. 'I know it's hurting her, but what am I supposed to do to make her feel better. Half the time, she doesn't even talk to me.'

Kagome sighed as she started up the small mountain. 'Gone. My baby, gone forever.' She wrapped her arms around herself. Her shoulders shook as she willed off a burst of emotion. She unconsciously touched the hilt of her right sword when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Glancing at it, she found the magenta stripes that ran up the wrist and scowled. "Remove your hand before I do it for you." She snapped.

Sesshomaru removed his hand, but continued his stride. "Has your pain eased?"

"Go to hell."

He took that as a no. "I am sorry for your loss."

No answer.

"I am here if you need comfort." He felt like an ignorant pup, and Tensaiga was currently jabbing into his side.

"D-" Kagome halted as she saw something at the very top of the small mountain. 'Is that-' Heart racing, she took off.

"Kagome!" Sango cried.

Kagome tripped on a jagged rock, her boot ripping, but she could care less. As she got closer, she was certain. "Kakudan!" She shrieked as she reached the top and wrapped her arms around here. "My baby, you're okay!" She took his face in her hands, kissing him all over.

"Kakudan!" The tachi shouted in surprise as they reached the top.

"Your arms, your legs, your face, what happened?" Kagome asked as she took in the bandages that he wore.

"I missed you, mother." He said in a soft voice, kissing his mother's forehead.

She teared up. "I miss you too." She sniffed after rubbing her nose and found another scent wafting into her nose, the scent of fire. Rising, she turned her attention to her side as Naraku appeared. "You brought him back?" When he nodded, she embraced him, crying softly. "Thank you. I was so worried."

He sent a cocky smirk to her companions as he hugged her in return. "He pled with me for a spar, and eventually I consented. He was wounded, so I took care of his wounds, fed him, and spoke with him on some matters."

'The first visitation of a father to his child in history.' Kagome laughed, kissing him on the mouth. "Thank you so much!!!!"

Sesshomaru growled a warning for the hanyou to release his miko.

"My, what is the matter, Lord Sesshomaru? Surely you have not accumulated feelings for my mate, have you?"

Sesshomaru resisted the urge to kill him, instead letting his eyes roll all over Kakudan. "You are alright?"

Kakudan looked to him and nodded numbly, before turning to look at his father. Naraku placed a hand on his son's head. "You see, Sesshomaru-sama, this is my family. My mate, my son, our family." He smirked when the Daiyoukai clenched his fists.

"SO you're taking us with you?" Kakudan asked in awe.

"Does your mother wish to go?"

Kagome flinched at the question. Did she? 'Sesshomaru and I don't have a future anymore, not after this stunt. The other's don't give a damn about me. Shippo and Rin…they could look up to Sesshomaru.' "I…"

"She doesn't…not yet anyway." Kakudan answered. "We will join you…when she is ready, father." He bowed.

Naraku arched a slick brow, then smirked. "Very well. When you are ready, Kagome, I will return to you." He pinched her chin. "Understood?"

"Uh-huh." She nodded, smiling up at him.

"A bid you farewell." Naraku turned to leave, then paused. "We do not battle anymore when we meet, Inuyasha. That simply cannot go on for much longer. Once my mate and child have returned, we will have to start again." He looked over his shoulder. "And, Lord Sesshomaru, you had better not try to force your way into my family, otherwise, you may find yourself dying in a pool of miasma."

Sesshomaru's jaw set. Narrowing his eyes, he snapped, "Your mate is already mine."

Kagome whipped around. "What?!"

Naraku's eyes flashed, then he smirked. "My mate doesn't seem to know that." With that, he vanished.

"Sesshomaru, what the fuck?!"

He closed his eyes to regain himself. Perhaps he'd lost his mind. Yes, that's it. He'd lost his mind. At least she was talking to him. "Miko."

Kagome tossed her hands on her hips. "Y-you're just a jackass."

He hadn't been a jackass when they'd been naked on the floor of that abandoned shrine. His beast snarled, 'You ruin!'

'Ruined?'

'You ruin everything! Mate like us, then you ruin. Now she hate!'

'Hn.'

'Hn, he say! Idiot master!'

'Grrr.'

Kagome hugged her son again, deciding that he was far more important than arguing with Sesshomaru. "You're okay."

Kakudan sighed into her chest. "Yes, mother. I am fine." He resisted the urge to flinch as he thought about all his father had revealed to him. 'My poor mother.'