Title: Light of My Life
Author: kazeko
Series: Inuyasha
Rating: M-15 or so
Archive: Sesshoumaru/Kagome
Characters: Sesshoumaru/Kagome, Inuyasha/Koyama, Sango/Miroku
Summary: A powerful prophecy brings mortal enemies together, but prejudice may well tear them apart and spell the end of all inuyoukai.
Disclaimer: No ownership.


Chapter 3: To Mother a Child
Koyama sat in her tree and watched the stars dance across the sky, sighing softly as she heard her oldest sister, the Alpha of her pack, call for her. She had to go nurse her bratty nephews again, her position as Omega female giving her little choice. She wished that there was a way she could join a smaller pack where her prowess as a hunter would be more recognized, and maybe she could become a mother herself.

A second call shattered her thoughts and she leapt from the tree. As soon as she hit the ground, she caught the scent of a male inuyoukai, slightly diluted, and she grinned. A male from a neighboring pack. With a flick of her red-furred tail, the young youkai returned to her pack.

"Koyama! Where have you been? We are trying to begin a hunt and we need you to watch the pups!"

Koyama growled at her sister's arrogant mate, eyes narrowed. "A youkai approaches our home, Tentei. I would think that you would wait to see what he wants before leaving on your hunt."

The black-haired male growled and raised his hand. "Do not use such a tone with me. You should remember your place in the pack, girl. In any case, go retrieve your sister and bring her here. You will keep silent while the youkai male is here in order not to disgrace your pack."

Koyama growled, the fur on her tail standing on end. "You would do well to remember my place as well, Tentei. I accepted the position as Omega to ensure my sister's power was not ever challenged, but I was a daughter of Kikka and Koshu as well. You were never more than the son of a lesser female in your pack, and are lucky to hold my sister's favor here. Now, I will go bring her here."

Tentei growled as she left, knowing full well the truth of her words. He was of common blood and lucky to have attracted the attention of a female in so large a pack, and he knew that if Koyama ever gained control of the pack, his life would no longer be worth living. Pushing those thoughts away, he waited for the arrival of the youkai male.

Inuyasha jumped off Kirara's back, ears automatically flattening at the low growl that filled the clearing. He could count at least five different scents, and he knew that he had found the Fire Stripe Pack. "Oi! What's with the introduction?" He knew that showing a strong front was essential when dealing with inuyoukai, especially an entire pack.

"We were not expecting you, hanyou," a low growl answered, obviously from the Alpha Male of this pack. Inuyasha's ears snapped forward as a rustle in the grass beside him announced the arrival of another inu, a slender female with red hair and a red tail. The Alpha's voice returned as she stepped into the moonlight. "Koyama! You will step away from the hanyou!"

The female bared her fangs and turned to Inuyasha, sniffing him carefully before stepping back. "He is of the Crescent Moon Pack, blood of Lord Sesshoumaru."

Suddenly the tension in the clearing vanished, and a tall male with black hair emerged. By his side was another female, her power evident in her stride and her strong scent, her red hair tied out of the way. She looked like Koyama, so Inuyasha assumed that they were sisters. Three other males joined the Alpha pair. "Greetings from the Fire Stripe Pack, hanyou of the Crescent Moon Pack. What brings you to our lands so abruptly at this hour?"

Inuyasha straightened, focusing on snatches of regal behavior he had picked up on from Sesshoumaru over the years. Schooling his voice to imitate his brother's light baritone, the hanyou bowed to the Alpha pair. "I am Inuyasha, son of Inu no Taisho and brother to Lord Sesshoumaru. My brother has recently sired a litter of pups, but the bitch was killed by a marauding tribe of coyotes and my pack requires a female to nurse them. I wish to remind you of the incident recently with the High Water Otter Clan that threatened your hunting grounds and water supply and my brother's assistance in the matter."

The Alpha Female stepped forward, her position giving her unrivalled power among matters of females in the pack. "Lord Sesshoumaru has ever been a kind ally of the Fire Stripe Pack. My parents remembered him fondly to me. We have had a good season with his assistance, and we will gladly return the favor and bring life to your pack. Is his wish for a temporary or permanent arrangement?"

"He does not wish to impose on you if your females are few in number. He has sent a generous offering if a female will permanently bind herself to his pack in a position that will later be determined when he himself takes a permanent mate. Until then, she will be an equal to the other females of the pack, none a potential mate for Lord Sesshoumaru, as long as she does not hold ill-will toward humans. Nothing will be forced on her that she does not wish, provided she cares for the pups well."

Koyama felt her heart soar at the words, sensing that her sister was intrigued. Jewels were one thing and very appreciated, but a permanent alliance with the Lord of the Western Lands would serve her pack very well in the future. Knowing that young pups could not survive long without milk, Kosame turned to her sister. "Koyama, as Omega female, your position in this pack is not as high as you might wish. You took that place in order to ensure that my place would remain firm. I would ask you, sister, daughter of Kikka and Koshu, what you would require in return?"

"Sister, you know my love for you is strong, but I wish to join another pack and pass our mother's blood to a new generation. In the Crescent Moon pack I might have a chance for a mate and pups of my own. Also, an alliance with Lord Sesshoumaru would be a boon to our pack. I would go with Inuyasha."

"Then you shall go. We accept the offer, Inuyasha, brother of Lord Sesshoumaru, and we will gratefully accept the gift from your pack in exchange for Koyama. She has nursed many of my litters and her milk is strong. We only ask that your pack allow her a mate of her choosing once her duty to the pups is complete."

"It shall be done." Inuyasha handed the jewels to Koyama, letting her take them to her Alpha. As Beta of another pack, he would not approach the Alpha female as her pack might see it as a challenge. The exchange complete, Inuyasha led Koyama to Kirara and helped her mount, knowing that as Omega female she had few or no belongings that she did not carry with her at all times. Mounting behind her, the hanyou breathed in her light scent as the fire cat flew away. He had never been so close to an inuyoukai female before, and he smiled as they flew towards home. He would enjoy her company.


Kagome cuddled the female pup as she watched the fire flicker. She knew that she should sleep, but she was worried about the fate of the tiny pups and she could not close her eyes. Sesshoumaru had returned to the hut after eating, Inuyasha and Kirara heading off into the darkness to find a replacement mother, but even he had fallen asleep in his corner. The fuzzy female pup, as yet unnamed, whimpered in hunger as she squirmed in Kagome's arms. She was steadily growing weaker, and the miko worried that the female would arrive too late. Humming softly to the baby, she let her powers wash over the pup and calm her, soothing her whimpers. She never stopped to consider that the youkai's instincts would reject the holy energy, letting her eyes close as the baby began to move, wiggling as she . . . shrunk?

Kagome's eyes shot open as the pup in her arms changed from her inu form to her human one. She was tiny, so much smaller than a human baby that Kagome wondered if she was a runt. Her hair, sparsely dusted on her head, was silver like her father's, with stray strands of gold, and her pale skin was covered in tiny reddish strips. On her forehead was Sesshoumaru's blue crescent moon mark, outlined in gold, and her ears were tiny and pointed, like Sesshoumaru's and Shippo's. She noticed the pup's silver tail, wondering if all youkai children carried traits of their true form in their human guise. She had not seen Sesshoumaru's tail while she was bandaging his wounds, but he might have hidden it to prevent it from hurting her while she was treating him. Realizing that the baby was naked, the dried remains of her umbilical cord still attached to her belly button and her tail wrapping around her small form in search of heat, Kagome reached for the nearest cloth and bundled the child up.

"I wonder," she whispered, her voice so low that the crackle of the fire drowned her out, "I wonder if I can nurse you." She knew the mechanics of milk production, the creation and growth of secretory tissue during pregnancy, the first milk letdown encouraged by the same hormones that caused contractions, the neural feedback loop and the two hormones, prolactin and oxytocin, required to maintain lactation, but she wondered if she could do it. In an age of magic and youkai, perhaps Sesshoumaru's potion would work. She looked up to the table beside her that held all of his belongings, spying the blue vial he had been carrying to Matsurika. Taking it carefully, determined not to wake anyone, she opened it and closed her eyes, downing the vile contents. She almost retched at the foul taste, but she could feel the magic of the potion begin to take effect. She felt her breasts grow heavy and begin to ache, straining against the confines of her bra. As hectic as her double life was, Kagome knew that nutrition was important, so she took two multivitamins and three calcium pills a day to counteract her limited diet. So far, it seemed to be working, and her latest physical showed that she was in the best condition of her life. However, milk had a lot of calcium in it, and when it ran out of blood calcium it would begin to dissolve her bones.

Deciding that she could easily adjust to a higher-calcium diet, Kagome carefully took off her shirt and slipped into a yukata Kaede had given her. She removed her strained bra and sighed as some of her discomfort was relieved, slipping into the blue robe, lightly cinching it as she held the baby to her one exposed breast. The girl, her eyes sealed shut, twitched her nose and latched onto the offered breast, mewling softly in content. The young miko, amazed that Feudal Age herbs and magic could do something so incredible, leaned against the wall, her motherly instincts embracing Sesshoumaru's daughter as she had embraced Shippo so many years ago. The gentle movements of the baby's tiny mouth lulled her into an easy sleep.