Chapter Thirteen:
Gender
The Western Lands/ Four weeks later (Five Months Along)
Sesshomaru sat at a low desk and read over yet another document that had to do with Snake Demon Clan. Apparently Satoshi was interested in the Neko Clan's northern territory.
Pathetic worm. Sesshomaru mentally scoffed as he threw the request away as a beautiful Inu woman walked into the study dressed in a brilliant green noble woman's kimono with her long silver hair in a braid down her back.
"And what are growling about now Sesshomaru?" the woman asked as she picked up the snake demon's request. "Oh that." She threw the paper back into the fire pit to be burned and sat on the other side of the demon lord's desk.
"Sesshy-kun." She said as she poked his forehead.
Sesshomaru felt a slight twitch of his eyebrow and looked up. "What do you want Megumi-oba?" he glanced up at the older demon woman. Her golden eye gleamed with mischief as she gazed at her nephew. This woman had been his father's first-born sister and the more calm and motherly of the sisters. Her gentle nature and calming aura made her someone you honestly loved to be around. As a child she had been the aunt that he had run to for comfort when his mother hadn't been around.
"What do you want Megumi?" he asked again as he sat back and looked up at his aunt.
"I just thought you'd like to know your mother left the Western Lands yesterday."
Sesshomaru tensed. "Why would she do that? She's never had any sort of interest in the outside world before." Megumi laughed as she ruffled her nephew's hair as if were still a child.
"I think Kimi is tired of waiting for a grandbaby to spoil don't be surprised if she comes back with some random child and demand you to adopt it."
Sesshomaru stood and walked from the room followed by his aunt. "I already have a possible heir on the way if InuYasha would only agree to the traditional terms.." Sesshomaru said earning him a snort from the woman next to him.
"Oh please Sesshomaru when you went to speak to InuYasha about this before you pretty much said give me your pup when he's born and have nothing more to do with him. I know your father would never have done such a thing with you or your brother, do you really think your father's son would do it with his own child?"
"That is tradition. If a Lord names an heir other then his own son he must take the child into his home and train the boy to rule. The pup must see me as a role model and that won't happen if InuYasha continually undermines me because he believes that he has more claim then I."
Megumi shook her head as she rolled her expressive golden eyes.
"Oh Sesshy-kun, Do you have any idea how much like your grandfather Ryo you sound? Some traditions are meant to be broken and taking a pup away from his mother at birth is definitely one of them."
"Hm, I would prefer to not be compared to scum like Ryo."
Megumi smiled as she nodded once. "The don't act like him, my Lord."
Meanwhile in Musashi
"So this time when we go to this appointment Tanaka can tell us if you're carrying a boy or a girl?" InuYasha asked skeptically as he watched Kagome wright down what all she had to pick up while they were in her time.
"Yup that's what I said. So do you want to know?" she looked back at him with a bright smile. Kagome had begun to wear maternity cloths, which meant skirts and shorts as well as loose flowing tops. To him she has become even more beautiful then before. Her hair had a healthy shine to it and she seemed to exude a warm maternal glow that made her skin seem so much healthier.
"If that's what you want wench. But I know it's a boy." He grumbled as he turned away with a blush to his cheeks.
Kagome laughed and kissed her husbands cheek. "She could just as easily be a girl. Just so we're clear it's the man that determines the gender not the woman."
InuYasha grinned cockily. "Then it's definitely a boy."
Kagome laughed as she went back to getting her things together she let out a surprised "It doesn't work that way InuYasha. Oh!"
InuYasha was instantly at her side worry and fear etched on his features.
"What is it? What's wrong? Is it the baby?" InuYasha felt the fear in the pit of his stomach there couldn't be anything wrong with them he couldn't take it if he lost either one of them.
Only Kagome's giggles could put his fears to rest as she rubbed her round belly.
"I could be wrong but I think I just felt him move."
InuYasha sighed in relief and placed a hand over his offspring. Though he didn't feel anything the scent of tropical fruit that laced Kagome's sweet sakura scent assured him that all was well and that his son or daughter was safe and happy where he or she was.
Kagome placed her hand over his and closed her eyes in bliss. "Before too long we'll be able to see him kicking and you'll be able to actually feel him." InuYasha smirked and then kissed Kagome's head. Then he nudged her toward her bag.
"Get your stuff so we can get going. I want to hurry and get back."
Once they were ready to leave the couple made their way into the forest unaware of the three Inus watching their progress.
"My, my, you are most certainly your father's son." InuYasha's ears flicked toward the feminine voice and he took a defensive stance next to Kagome just as two male Inus appeared from the shadows and in between them was a female with her long silver hair held by sea shells in two tails and a hime cut. She wore a purple and white kimono with a butterfly pattern on it. Across her arms was her momoko-sama and her forehead bore a purple crescent moon and jagged magenta slashes adorn her cheeks.
InuYasha looked between the tree trespassers but it was the woman he knew. He had met her once when Sesshomaru came to see him and his mother when he was a child. Though his brother had been his usual cold-hearted bastard self the woman had been silent save one scolding comment directed at his mother and had never taken her eyes off of him.
"You're Sesshomaru's mother." InuYasha stated as he put his hand on the Tessiga ready to draw it should the need arise.
"Oh good you remember me!" Kimi said as she moved forward. "I'm not here to harm anyone I understand Sesshomaru approached you with the idea of your pup being the heir to the West but he apparently did not offer a compromise in regards to your involvement. I am here to fix that."
InuYasha glared at the noble woman while keeping his attention trained on the two males as he bit out his reply.
"Not going to happen my pup isn't having anything to do with the West!"
Kagome put a calming hand on her husband's arm. Even though InuYasha was stubbornly rejecting the idea something made Kagome wonder if maybe they should hear Sesshomaru out. Nothing had to be decided but they should at least listen to what the demon lord had to say.
"Actually Ma'am uh-" Kagome was interrupted by the demoness laughing. "Oh my dear, please call me Kimi, its what my brothers and sisters-in-law call me."
"Oh okay, uh, Kimi. We actually need to go. I have an appointment with my healer so perhaps we can discuss this when we get back?"
"Oh of course dear go on off with you."
Kagome smiled as she pulled her growling hanyo with her. "Thank you."
Once on the other side InuYasha sat in the living room with Kagome since her appointment was the next day after lunch the two decided to just lounge around the empty Higurashi house.
It was in the middle of the movie the two had been watching Kagome remembered something odd that Kimi had said.
"Hey InuYasha?" she asked earning a grunt from the half demon. "Did Kimi say she had brothers and sisters-in-law?"
"Yeah so?"
"Then doesn't that mean that they would be your father's brothers and sister?" she looked up from where her head rested against his chest to see him staring wide-eyed at the T.V. "That would make them your aunts and uncles."
InuYasha didn't say anything as he gently sat her up and walked out the house to be alone with his thoughts.
The Next Day/ Kagome's Appointment
InuYasha looked around completely unhappy to be at the doctor's office again. But Kagome had her heart set on finding out whether the baby was a boy or girl so he'd deal with being uncomfortable for her sake.
"InuYasha are you okay?"
The hanyo smiled at Kagome as he looked at her. "Yeah I'm fine why?"
"Because you haven't moved your hand from around my shoulders since we walked into the building."
"Feh, can you blame me? This place reeks of illness and the other smells burn my nose." He complained as he rubbed his nose on the hoodie Kagome gave him to wear along with modern jeans and a t-shirt so he'd blend in better.
Kagome nodded as she listened to the hanyo. "I know I'm sorry but we won't have to come back here much more."
"Damn straight!" InuYasha said. "Kaede is the one that is going to help you deliver not these male healers here."
"Ah Kagome, it's good to see you again." Dr. Tanaka said as he smiled at the young couple. InuYasha, on the other hand, was watching the older man like a hawk waiting for one wrong move.
"Alright Kagome lay down and let me put the gel on you tummy."
Kagome almost jumped onto the table eager to learn what she would soon have.
"Excited to find out what color to paint the nursery I see."
InuYasha allowed Kagome to take his hand as she allowed the physician to apply the jelly to her round stomach.
"Yeah, yeah, will you just tell her it's a boy already so we can get out of here?"
"I see Dad wants a little boy." Tanaka said as he put the wand to the young woman's belly and move it around an image of the unborn child appeared.
Kagome smiled as she held InuYasha's hand. InuYasha was enraptured at the sight of the baby he had help create on the screen. Until now he hadn't fully believed that it was possible to see a child before its birth.
"Well Mommy and Daddy looks like you are having a… little girl."
A/N: Hmmm Wonder what Kimi has up her sleeve? Will Sesshomaru still be willing to make InuYasha's baby his heir now that they know she's a girl? Find out next Chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha! Rumiko Takahashi owns InuYasha!