A/N: Ahh sorry this took a while lol. I had a ton of papers due this week for my classes and couldn't find time to sit down and write on this story.

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Chapter 34: Talk

Everything seemed to happen so fast. One minute, she'd been happily discussing baby things with her mate, and the next minute, Miroku had come to tell her that her mother had died somehow. The young inuhanyou was more than shocked at the news. She had to regain her composure before she even thought about going to help her father.

Kouga had insisted she go inside and sit to help collect herself before they left. He walked her inside and to their chambers where she could have a comfortable place to sit down.

Tamako pouted a little as he suggested she sit on the bed. "Kouga, you know I will never be able to get up from there if I sit down that low." she said, looking up at him.

"I know, which means you'll stay put for a few minutes. I'll help you up when we need to anyway."

His words didn't make her feel better, she just looked at him. Getting up and down were both problems for her as their pup grew inside her belly. Slowly she took Kouga's hands, moving to lower herself to sit down on their bed, gripping his fingers as she did, knowing he wouldn't let her fall.

Sitting back onto the bed, letting out a breath and leaning back on one hand, looking down. "Kami...I just...I just want to go see my dad Kouga..." she said slowly.

Nodding to her, moving to sit behind her, his legs shifting so she was in-between them and she could lean back on his chest. "I know you do, koi. But you have to think of your health and our pups too first. We will go, but you need to sit down and rest before we go. You also need to stay calm. Stress is not good for our pup." he said. Moving his hands to rub her shoulders, leaning and kissing the back of her neck.

"How am I supposed to stay calm? My mother is dead. Again. And this time I'll remember it. I'll remember what she looks like...like that. Before..I didn't even know her. It was strange sometimes hearing people talk about her, not knowing who she was or anything. And now that I'd met her...and gotten to know her...I can't imagine she being gone." She said with a sigh. Leaning back against his chest, closing her eyes and moving her arms to hug her stomach a little. As she did so, she felt the baby kick a little against where her arm rested against her stomach, which only made a small smile move over her lips.

"He's kicking." she said softly, looking down at her stomach.

"Really? Where?" Kouga asked. Moving one hand down to the area she showed him, resting his hand against her stomach softly, leaning into her back, smiling a little. "I know you're upset, Tamakochan. But...you are a mother now too. Kagome is my friend...I've known her for a long, long time. And I hate that this has happened to here. We will find out what happened, I promise you."

"Don't hide it from me..." she said, looking back at him. "I know you've been hiding things from me because you don't want me to worry. I know its because you just want me to worry about growing our pup. But...but don't hide anything from me about this. Please.."

"I won't." he assured, looking up at her face. "I wouldn't hide anything like this from you. I only hide the small every day things that can be stressful, nothing big, nothing major." he said.

"Good." she said, leaning to brush her nose against his cheek, sighing. "I can't wait until I can help make decisions with you again..." she told him. In the wolf tribe, the leader and his mate truly were partners. The woman had just as much say as her mate, and they often made decisions together. But, with her being pregnant, Kouga hadn't wanted to take any chances.

He grinned a little, looking at her face. "Ohhh you will. But, I'll pup you again. And again. And again." he teased, trying to make her feel better.

Chuckling softly, she shook her head. "Nooo you won't. Not over and over like that, seesh. I don't think I would like to spend my entire life pregnant. I do enjoy having ownership of my body you know."

Leaning his chin against her shoulder, looking down at her stomach. "Yeahh I know. Must be weird. Feeling something move inside you like that, sharing your body. And...and I put that there. A little piece of me is in your belly..." he said, almost sounding fascinated.

She smiled softly, looking at his face. "Yeah, you did do this to me. It is weird...but I don't hate it. Just a little difficult sometimes." she said with a sigh, leaning her head back against his shoulder a little. "Can we...go see my dad now? Please? I'm feeling fine..."

Kouga glanced at her face and nodded. Without even saying a word, he stood up and scooped her up into his arms bridal style, starting to walk out of their room.

"Kougaaa, I could carry myself y'know." she said, moving her arms around his neck a little.

"Mm...nope. I don't know. Besides, you're pupped, its my job to take care of you. And I'll be damned if any pupped mate of mine walks too far."

She couldn't help but giggle at that, shaking her head and leaning her head on his shoulder. "You're crazy." she said. One hand moving down to slowly run her fingers along her stomach, looking down at it. "You hear that? Your daddys crazy."

"Hey, don't fill the pups heads with lies."

She just smiled and shrugged. Taking in a breath, closing her eyes halfway as she let Kouga carry her, moving her fingers along her stomach just slowly. She always felt so huge now, she felt even bigger than most though, and she wondered a little if there were more than one baby. After all, wolves and dogs tended to have multiple pups in one pregnancy, and she wondered if she would too, since she was a dog demon and he was a wolf demon.

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With Kouga running, it didn't take too long to reach her parents hut on the side of the river. Once the hut was in sight, Tamako shifted. "Put me down please." she asked. Kouga just nodded, resting her down onto her feet carefully.

Standing up, she took in a deep breath, looking at the hut, walking up to it slowly. The closer she got, she wrinkled her nose a little.

"Yeah...smells like death..." Kouga agreed with her without even having to hear her say anything.

Nodding to him. "Yeah it does..." she said. Resting one hand over her nose and mouth slowly. Smells affected her a lot more now, she was a lot more sensitive to different smells since she'd become pregnant. It was all different smells that would set off her sensitive stomach now. She couldn't stand the smell of meat being cooked, so whenever dinner was being prepared in the den, she had to go outside. And the smell of pure death now almost made her want to vomit as well.

"You okay?" Kouga asked, looking down at her. He knew smells affected her a lot, and he felt helpless since he could not really do anything to help her.

"Uh huh..." she said slowly. "I will be." she finished. Taking in a breath as she walked up to the hut, her hand over her nose and mouth still.

She walked to the door, slowly her free hand hand moved up to push the door to one side. As she moved the door, her hand clasped tighter over her nose and mouth, trying to filter the smell. Stepping into the hut slowly, looking around.

"D-D-Daddy?" she called out from behind her fingers. Loosening her grip a little on her nose and mouth so she could detect the source of the smell. Stepping towards her parents bedroom, she pushed the mat to one side there too, looking in and seeing her father sitting against the wall.

Sighing slowly as she stepped into the room, sighing a little. "Oh daddy..." she said as she looked at them.

Inuyasha sat against the far wall of the room, holding Kagome against his chest, cradling her almost, his face down, shadow covering his eyes. When he heard his daughters voice, he looked up, growling softly for a moment, the whites of his eyes were red, the golden color still there. "Ta-ma-ko..?" he asked.

She nodded a little to him. "Yeah, its me.." she said. Slowly walking up to him, moving to have a seat by him.

He saw her having a little trouble sitting down, and he instantly shifted, moving his hand to take ahold of Tamakos and helping her sit down next to him, looking at her curiously. "What...what're you doing here?"

Sitting down with her fathers help, sighing a little. "I swear, I don't know whats worse. Getting down or getting up." she said with a soft chuckle, looking up at her fathers face. "Daddy...you have to let her go..." she told him. Reaching one hand to take ahold of his again, gripping it a little.

Feeling her hand grip his, he shook his head, looking down. "No. No I don't. Please just...leave me be..."

Pouting softly, shaking her head. "Nope. Nope I will not. You're stuck with me. Please daddy, she's my mother too...we have to get her buried, properly. You have to listen to me..."

"I can't...I can't let her go again.." he said, his eyes looking down at Kagome's face. "I can't loose someone else that I love..."

"She's gone daddy. Sitting here looking at her will not bring her back." she said, holding onto his hand. Sighing as she watched him. "Listen to me, okay? You need to let her go. It'll be okay." she told him. Gently bringing his hand down to rest it against her stomach lightly, looking at her fathers face. "You'll be a granddad soon. And you'll always have me. Its us against the world, right?" she asked.

Letting her move his hand, he looked down to her stomach and then up to her face. "How...how can I let her go? It...it feels like I just got her back..."

Nodding slowly, she sighed a little. "I know daddy. But...but she wouldn't want you to be upset. She loved you. And I do too. You're my dad. For such a long time it was just us. Please...let her go. For me? And for her?" she asked.

Listening to her, he sighed and gave a small nod, looking down a little. "O-okay.."

Smiling softly, she nodded again. "Good." she said, looking towards the door. "Kouga!" she said.

Kouga slowly walked in and stepped up to them and kneeling down. He went to take Kagome from Inuyasha, pausing when he heard the inuhanyou growl. But Tamako took ahold of her dads hand. "Daddy..." she said slowly.

With her voice, Inuyasha slowly let his mate go, watching as Kouga picked her up and started to walk out.

Tamako sighed a little, holding her fathers hand tightly. She felt for her father...she couldn't imagine not being with Kouga, to have him go. It would crush her. The weeks she'd spent in Tokyo without her mate nearly broke her heart. She'd felt so far away and so alone. She could only imagine what her father was going through.

Leaning close to him, she rested her head on his shoulder, looking up at his face slowly and smiling. "It'll be okay daddy. We'll get through it. Together."

He only nodded to her, looking down at his lap. Bringing his left leg up, his foot resting flat on the ground and resting his arm against it. Sitting with her quietly, his eyes closed just halfway.

"Daddy?" she asked.

"Hm?"

"Would you...consider...come living with Kouga and me?" she asked, looking up at his face. "I don't like the idea of you being out here all by yourself. Especially now. And...and I'd really like you at the den with me, helping get ready for the pup. Please daddy?" she asked.

Hearing her question made his ears perk up a little, looking to her slowly. "I...I don't think so, I don't think I can do that. You know I don't get along with your choice of mates."

Shrugging slowly, leaning close to him. "He has a name daddy. And he's the father of your grandchild. I'm sure you two could get along with each other. Especially now. Kouga's chilled out a lot. He's paranoid he's going to stress me out. And I'm pretty sure fighting with you would be high on the stressing me out list."

"But still..." he sighed, looking at her. "Did you discuss this with your mate?"

"Mmm...nope. But I always get what I want. And...I really want you to come live with us. I'm nervous enough about this pup and...and you need to be around family now more than ever." she said, looking up at his face. "To remind you that you're not alone in this. And...and you can be there. Be there when I give birth. Be there when your grandchild grows and learns to crawl and walk and talk."

"I'll be there either way." he told her, leaning his head back against the wood. "I just...I don't know Tamako, okay? Maybe, we'll see."

Taking his hand, bringing it to rest against her stomach so he could feel the pup moving a little, smiling a bit. "Y'know...I am so excited for this pup to get here. I wish it would already. But I am so nervous. I don't know the first thing about babies..." she said, looking up at him.

Holding his hand on her stomach, he could feel the pup moving, looking at it slowly. "Keh, you think I do? I wasn't around when you were a baby. Babies can't...talk, can they? You were old enough to tell me what you wanted when I brought you home."

She giggled a little and shook her head. "Noo babies can't talk." she said, pretty glad she was distracting her father a little bit. "We can learn together. We've always learned together."

Smiling a little, he took his arm and brought it around his daughters shoulders, rubbing her shoulder opposite of him. "You just don't give up, do you?" he asked, glancing down at her with a sigh and leaning to kiss her forehead. "Alright, you win, princess. You always do. I'll...come with you, at least for a little while."

When she heard his words, she grinned slowly, moving to hug him slowly. "Good. Because I wasn't going to give up." she said, looking up at his face. "Besides, you're the one that taught me not to give up. Ever."

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