Later 10 Offspring

It seemed that Kagome took Sesshoumaru's warning to heart and proved that Inuyasha was most attractive to her by birthing their firstborn a mere ten months after she mated with him. He was adorable and a carbon copy of his father; but unlike Inuyasha had been as a baby, he was well received by all that mattered to the small family.

Inuyasha was so overcome by this addition to his family that he was banished to the roof of the little house because he found it very difficult to let anyone else near the pup. He was overwhelmed by his urge to protect the whelp even from its mother and that made it difficult to allow her to feed the baby. The tiny infant was unafraid of his father's scent or the eyes changing between red and gold, and was quite comfortable wrapped against the fast thudding heart, unperturbed by the warning growls that Inuyasha was making at anyone who moved close.

In the end Sesshoumaru in a strike worthy of the fastest snake, had his fangs at Inuyasha's throat and was talking directly at his brother's youkai, reassuring it that nobody was going to harm the pup including him. But the pup needed his mother's milk to grow strong and Inuyasha need have no fear; the village and its inhabitants including the new one, were under Sesshoumaru's protection.

Inuyasha stood down; his youkai appeased by the alpha present and was surprised that he too now felt safe with his brother's reassurance. The hanyou presented the pup back to Kagome who smiled lovingly at him, fully understanding his instincts and Sesshoumaru took the opportunity to jump Inuyasha back to the roof where he kept a controlling hand on his brother.

"You pleased me Inuyasha; you recognised This Sesshoumaru and were obedient."

"Keh, figures you'd try all that domineering stuff on me."

"I was not domineering Inuyasha, I was exercising my authority over you."

"Feh, you got no authority; just 'cos my youkai listened to yours…"

"On the contrary Little Brother, I have complete authority, by right of both birth and age; your youkai wisely recognised its alpha and it was just as well… your pup was hungry."

"Keh, just as well some of me gets it right." Inuyasha felt shame, at least until he heard a rare chuckle from Sesshoumaru and felt a brief but welcome pet to his ears.

"He is a strong pup Inuyasha; true hanyou. It seems that your family blood is easily as strong as most youkai and your Miko has strength too. This area seems to breed strong Mikos; it would not surprise me should your mate's ancestors be from around here apart from her supposed association with the previous Miko. Your mother was a local princess and she too had manifested some signs of spiritual power."

"What do you mean; I never saw any of that in Mama?"

"You did at least once."

"The unmother…you mean when you…she saved me with a pink barrier? But that was not Mama."

"No, but Jaken researched about Izayoi so that she could be portrayed accurately, and her Miko power was documented. The unmother used her youki to replicate the spiritual energy of Izayoi. Truly This Sesshoumaru regrets my involvement in the entire episode."

"My pup could be strong like Kagome too then?" Inuyasha asked changing the subject, as he didn't want to fight Sesshoumaru again about that dreadful day.

"Yes, he is balanced between his dual heritage just as you are; your mother's powers balanced our father's in the same way."

"My pup…you…you accept him?"

"This matters to you? I have already promised you all my protection."

"Feh, I dunno…Yes it's important…I know I was never acceptable, but I want my pup to belong."

"This Sesshoumaru will not keep apologising for my often regrettable actions of the past concerning you Pup, but I do accept you and yours from now on. You have a good pup worthy of father's blood." There was neither sneer nor derision in this statement, and Inuyasha felt that he had been given a gift of great value. He turned to thank his brother who once again understood the feeling of relief that came from his brother's youkai.

"I never knew that about my Mama." Inuyasha whispered.

"I will open the library for you to use at your leisure; there are many things written there that you are entitled to know." Sesshoumaru surprised himself at this gesture that was indicative of the level of his acceptance of his brother, but he knew it was the right decision to make. But now Inuyasha needed distraction from Sesshoumaru's kindnesses to him.

"Are you ready to return to your family Inuyasha?" At the hanyou's nod, Sesshoumaru jumped them down and they went in to the hut where Kagome held her baby son as he slept, replete. At this point the new uncle left the hut and went to find Rin, who was full of her part in the event and couldn't wait to tell him all about it.

Life for Inuyasha and Kagome would never be the same with the addition of their child; they had taken the next step in adult life by having the pup and had now to face the responsibilities that went along with that. There was however a lot of sniggering from Miroku when Kagome gave birth to son number two only ten months later. This pup also had Inuyasha's colouring and puppy ears, but his face was identical in shape and expression to Kagome.

The pups were high profile in the village as it was thought that the sooner they were introduced would make people far less inclined to fear them. The babies were very sweet and pretty and friendly; soon beloved especially of the children and Inuyasha breathed a cautious sigh of relief. Not that he would ever assume the safety of his tiny pups and as they grew he would watch over them as they played with the humans. He knew only too well how quickly a mob could arise.

Sesshoumaru too was observant and alert for any trouble; his guards were always to be vigilant and never be lulled into a false sense of security concerning their Lord's interests. But so far all was well and the village prospered under the ever watchful eyes of the youkai present. No problems at least until on one of the Daiyoukai's visits to Rin, he couldn't find her in the actual village with Kaede and therefore he turned towards the small house, certain that his ward would be visiting Kagome and Inuyasha.

He was right, Rin was sitting with an emotional Kagome calmly speaking and comforting his brother's mate. Sesshoumaru was not inclined to disturb them and so he went looking for his brother who he was sure was the cause of the Miko's upset. He followed the scent of the two small pups and Inuyasha into the forest where he came across them sitting by a small pool.

The youngest at three months was strapped to Inuyasha's back in a sling and the elder pup was lying in his father's arms having obviously cried himself to sleep, although he was still grumbling. Inuyasha's own eyes were suspiciously bright and puffily red rimmed and that was enough to alert Sesshoumaru to sitting down next to his brother.

"Your harmony is disturbed Inuyasha; what ails your family?" But as he spoke he had a sense of familiarity and he knew what the matter was."Kagome is pupped again is she not? Is she not happy at the situation?"

"She's O.K. It's just hormones or something she says. But it ain't nice to be yelled at in your own home and told to get out. I couldn't stop Souta from yelling and crying…Kagome'd had enough; he hasn't stopped." It was true, Inuyasha looked ashamed and hurt, and this did not sit well with the older brother.

"It is good to be the father of pups Inuyasha, you should be proud of them and your mate."

"I am; but I promised that my pups wouldn't have anything to cry over and yet I can't prevent it."

"A very childish promise Inuyasha, and one I will have to annul."

"What? You can't do that."

"I can as your alpha; but I shall elucidate, you cannot possibly protect any pup from tears Inuyasha. They fall or hurt themselves in play and unless you wish to bring up any child without any discipline at all, you will cause some of those tears yourself."

"Never."

"Do not be ridiculous Pup; your sons are strong in their youkai already, they will need training if you care for them and none of these things come without their submission at times. They will not like it, but it is necessary."

"I promised they shall not have the life I had…"

"Nor will they, but I'm sorry to tell you that even a well loved and pampered princeling needs at times to learn their place."

"You mean you…?"

"Certainly Inuyasha; father never let me get away with anything that might cause me harm later and my mother…" He smiled,"Mother was very strict." As he finished speaking Souta awoke with more wails and this time Sesshoumaru took his nephew into his lap and gazed at the boy who appeared feverish. After assessing the situation, Sesshoumaru hooked his bent finger into the boy's mouth and let the child chomp down hard. Souta calmed immediately as he chewed on his uncle's finger.

"I didn't know, we thought he had all his teeth; he wasn't so upset with the others." Inuyasha's voice was low and he was dispirited, but Sesshoumaru had his own memories, 'these back ones came through late in you too Inuyasha; you were a misery with them as well, very like Souta.' Sesshoumaru thought as he studied his now happier nephew; 'I did this with you in just the same way. How quickly the circle turns.' Hismusing was interrupted by the voice of Kagome as she called for her mate.

"Inuyasha, Inuyasha, I'm sorry, where are you? I didn't mean for you to go really."

"Hush wench, I know; it's your hormones and the pups were too much…Sesshoumaru has sorted Souta, he was teething again, back ones." He caught her as she ran to him and nuzzled into her hair appreciating the wave of calm that flowed over him, because although he understood fully her emotional rollercoaster when pregnant, it had hurt when she told him to go away. Kagome took one look at his face and burst into tears;

"I made you unhappy…you were crying…I'm a horrible mate…" She wailed.

"Kagome stop…I'm fine, don't be silly…I love you and you are a perfect mate and mother of my pups."

At this point, Sesshoumaru had had enough and handed Souta back to his father and standing he summoned the smiling Rin and walked with her to continue the original purpose for his visit. Rin's quiet and amused soul was a balm to Sesshoumaru's sometimes troubled heart; whenever his visit with Inuyasha made him feel guilty, Rin could bring back balance to him.

Sesshoumaru was a little startled to see that Rin had grown in height and her body had started to change; she was no longer the tiny girl he had rescued, she was now a slightly lanky thirteen and had recently changed from child to young woman with the start to her monthly cycle. But with that change had come a girl who could keep him entertained with more engaging talk than before, she had started to form opinions and although obviously still childish there were splashes of logic.

Then the brief glimpse of the woman would vanish and leave the child again as she sang and danced and picked her flowers that would adorn his hair, if he could be persuaded to allow her the liberty. Through Rin's eyes, Sesshoumaru once again saw the beauty of his surroundings in all the little details rather than just overall. For Sesshoumaru the speed with which she changed was strange, he was only really used to youkai development up close, but now he saw differences in his girl each time he visited and something about it was disconcerting.

Sesshoumaru realised belatedly that Rin was speaking to him and he glanced down askance to see if she had noticed his inattention. Her face was alight with laughter but there was also a secret smile which was new.

"You find something amusing with my brother and his mate Rin?"

"Yes, My Lord; I don't mean to be disrespectful but sometimes they seem to be like the children who play at 'house'."

"House?"

"A game that boys and girls play all together, where they pretend to be families; usually with a wife, husband and children."

"I understand; it is not so far from the truth with those two." He watched as Rin appreciated his humour.

"I think Kagome is a bit shocked to find her third baby is on the way."

"That I find hard to fathom; she is well educated from her time and I know she understands reproduction far better than Inuyasha, and yet she is surprised. Surely she knows how her pup comes to be." Sesshoumaru stopped and remembered just who he was talking to about such indelicate matters; but Rin was unabashed.

"I am sure she does My Lord; I helped her deliver the first two and some of the things ladies say whilst in labour…"

"I get the meaning Rin, thank you." He looked at her again as she giggled, not sure if he liked his ward growing up in this aspect of understanding; but he assumed that she must have learned the essentials of mating when she was told about her body changes. She didn't seem harmed by her knowledge, just more confident in speaking.

"Poor Kagome she was so upset when she calmed down and remembered that she had thrown Inuyasha and the pups out of the house; she had to run and find him."

"She would have understood what that might mean for one such as Inuyasha and his hanyou offspring."

"Was he upset by her remarks…doesn't he know how she gets when pregnant yet?"

"Inuyasha knew she didn't mean her words; but there was evidence that it had disturbed him, yes."

"Silly man, honestly."

"Rin, you forget yourself and do not know all of Inuyasha's history; as a hanyou he has never been accepted anywhere, since he was as young as you when we met. As you know even his family never cared for him and as one with strong youkai blood, he lived for many years as a small child all alone, fighting for his life often and suffering physical and verbal abuse, just because of his natural makeup. Technically he is still really a pup, so he fears being alone. Kagome saved him from that, so to hear her tell him to leave caused him pain."

Rin could not answer even to apologise; she was trying not to cry, not because Sesshoumaru had rebuked her but because she had not fully considered Inuyasha's history. Of course she knew some from when they had met during the travelling time, and she knew that the hanyou was jealous of her place next to Sesshoumaru. She and Kaede had spoken of it often when Rin had felt that Inuyasha had been unfair to her in the early days.

But her Lord's words, although few, were enough for her to put together a larger picture; and she was greatly saddened for the boy of the past. Sesshoumaru scented her tears and knew that the gentle girl with her large heart needed no further admonition to stop her from taking one of her carers for granted or treating him like a fool. Inuyasha was firm and loyal, he deserved respect and Sesshoumaru could finally acknowledge the fact.

However the sunshine was never lost from Rin for long and soon she was skipping alongside him again as they walked to their favourite field of wildflowers. Sesshoumaru knew the girl was not shallow, she would remember his words and everything was fine again. As he sat and watched over Rin, Sesshoumaru knew he would have to talk with Inuyasha; he thought that Kagome might find it difficult if she become pregnant almost as soon as she had a pup every time.

As the day turned to dusk, he and Rin walked back to Kaede's hut; as always Sesshoumaru thanked the Miko for her care of his ward, as he discreetly assessed Kaede's state of health. Content that the aging human was still hale and hearty Sesshoumaru accepted a cup of tea from Rin as the end to his visit for that time. He did have a final word for Kaede to let her know that his sister-in-law might benefit from knowing about herbs to prevent pregnancy in future, thereby letting her know that Kagome was expecting once again.

Kaede informed his Lordship that Kagome had refused to take preventing herbs as she didn't want Inuyasha to ever think that she didn't want him or his pups. Sesshoumaru had 'humph'ed' and said that the pair were just a couple of silly children half the time, but he was sure that she would learn after the next pup. Even if Kagome had her life tied to Inuyasha's, it took time to build up the strength and she would be very tired for a few years chasing after her small hanyou sons.

The next pup was another son and another mix to look at; and this time the new baby was nearly seven months old before Kagome found she had the next one on the way. Sango had a strong word with Inuyasha to tell him of Kagome's fear that he would feel rejected if she took herbs, but really his mate needed a break from any more children at least for a while.

Sesshoumaru also took him firmly to task; he had sat the boy down and gone into great detail about how Inuyasha could tell when his mate was most receptive to his seed and what he could do to prevent her conceiving at least for a few years. At first Sesshoumaru hadn't wanted to get involved, it was not his business and besides, Inuyasha was entitled to his pups and was a very good father. But Kagome was looking over tired and sometimes Rin had told him, she was feeling inadequate.

As Alpha of the pack, Kagome's wellbeing was partly his responsibility; the part youkai pups needed strong parents and there was risk to Kagome's health. Inuyasha was not insensitive, he was still unlearned and young in many aspects, but he was dreadfully afraid at the idea of losing Kagome and Sesshoumaru played to that fear. In truth Kagome was in no danger from giving birth four times in quick succession, all had been uncomplicated; but it was enough to plant the seed as far as Inuyasha was concerned.

Inuyasha never wanted his pups to be motherless hanyou; the thought scared him intensely and Sesshoumaru had no trouble in getting him to learn how he could prevent pregnancy. Although he had to then stop Inuyasha going from one extreme to the other; getting the pup to balance wasn't always easy as the hanyou was talking about never going near his mate intimately again.

In the end however Inuyasha was happy, he had three sons and a daughter, all healthy and his mate who was getting the bloom back in her cheeks, as well as her much mourned figure. He was esteemed in his community and his relationship with Sesshoumaru much improved; for a couple of years all was well.

TBC