Chapter Seventeen:

Getting to Know the Relatives

The Next Morning

The next morning InuYasha was woken by a loud roar in the forest. In an instant InuYasha was up with Tessiga in his hands and his nose sniffing the air. The others had woken in a hurry when the roar shook the foundation of the hut as if an earthquake was happening.

"What was that?" Sango asked as she got her hiraikotsu up and ready for an attack.

InuYasha relaxed as only the scents of the four adult Inus that had come in the night. For a minute after the loud monstrous roar it was quiet until…

"Kami Damn it Aiko! Get back here with my rabbits!"

InuYasha rolled his eyes as he sat back down next to his mate signaling to the others that there was no danger... yet.

Aiko came sprinting into the hut with two fat hairs in her hand and a mischievous smirk on her full pink lips.

"There is a pregnant female that needs this meat more then your greedy gullet Dai!" She yelled as she turned to meet seven pairs of curious eyes.

Aiko felt her cheeks redden slightly at the fact that she and her brother had probably woken the group up with all the shouting. Not to mention Dai had been in his true form when she snatched his morning breakfast right out of his paws.

"Sorry for all the noise. I thought I'd bring some rabbits for Lady Kagome's breakfast."

Sango looked over to her friend and leaned over to whisper to her.

"Who is she?" Sango asked. Kagome smiled as she noticed that the demon slayer's grip on her weapon had not slackened a bit. "She Aiko-oba, she was InuYasha's father's little sister."

"Oh!"

InuYasha stood up and took the rabbits from his aunt. "You sure you caught them or stole them?" he asked as he eyed Dai as he stormed into the hut. He looked angry and his silver hair had brown dirt covering it.

"Aiko!" he growled as his sister turned to the angry male. "Mind explaining why you stole my breakfast?"

The younger royal rolled her eyes as she shrugged. "I told you Lady Kagome needs meat more then you do right now she is eating for two now you know."

Dai snarled at the female who was examining her claws, completely unaffected by her hostile older brother and the rising tension of her nephew's pack. "The woman has her own mate to hunt for her why does the bitch need my food?"

Aiko simply shook her head. "It is the packs duty to help provide for a whelping female." Aiko said as she smiled serenely at the pregnant miko.

Dai rolled his golden eyes and crossed his arms in his black and red kimono sleeves. "The woman is human not an actual Inu female. In my opinion pack law shouldn't apply to her."

InuYasha handed the rabbits to Kaede as she began to cook them into a stew for the morning meal. He then turned to the older male whom he had decided that he didn't want around his mate.

"You got a problem with my wife then you can get the hell out of my village you old bastard!"

Dai's lips stretched over his gums as he flashed his fangs in an angry snarl at the half demon boy that showed such blatant disrespect to his superiors and he took a step forward.

"You may want to watch that mouth of yours half breed. I am not Sesshomaru I will gut you where you stand!"

InuYasha growled as he prepared to throw the arrogant male from Kaede's hut when another clawed hand clasped the prejudice demon's shoulder.

"Dai I am sure the elderly miko would rather her hut remain in one piece." Raiden said as he stared at his brother sternly. As the brothers locked eyes a battle of wills ensue and before long the younger brother looked down and submitted to his elder brother.

"Feh!" he scoffed as he shook Raiden's hand off of his shoulder and stormed from the hut and the village to find himself another rabbit.

Raiden shook his head and turned to face the hut full of people. Aiko had made herself at home and was happily caressing Kagome's swollen belly as she gave soft barks and yips to the developing pup resting inside.

The demon lord then turned to Kaede and bowed lowly to her.

"I apologize for my brother's rudeness he has not spent much time among humans in his life."

He then glared at his trouble making younger sister. "And Aiko has always been very impulsive."

At the sound of her name Aiko lifted her head and stuck her tongue out at her big brother. "I was only doing my pack duty elder brother."

InuYasha sat down next to the wall and though his eyes were closed his senses where narrowed in on Kagome and their daughter. As long as neither were stressed he was fine. Raiden smiled at Kagome whom had a fox kit snuggled sleepily to her side.

"How are you little priestess?" he asked as he nodded to her six-month belly.

"We're fine Raiden- oij."

Raiden smiled then sat down near the door.

"Well I met Lady Kagome and the Lord monk last night." He turned to Sango and bowed to her as well. "You must be the Taijiya known as Sango. I am Lord Raiden, the uncle to Lord Sesshomaru and InuYasha. You have already met my younger brother and sister."

Sango returned the bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you Lord Raiden."

Raiden then bowed to Kaede and Shippo as well.

Megumi chose this time to enter the hut. "Why is Dai sulking in the forest again?"

"Big sister come feel the pup is moving!" Megumi laughed when she saw her baby sister with her elf like ears eagerly pressed against their nephew's mate's belly.

"Aiko you should back off her, give the girl a chance to move around." Megumi then looked to the remaining members of InuYasha's pack. "I am Lady Megumi."

"She is my younger sister as well, she is second oldest." Raiden informed them as he turned to Megumi. "And Dai was causing grief this morning and I merely told him to take it outside."

The eldest sister sighed as she sat daintily down.

Dai is becoming so angry as of late. He is beginning to resemble father's less honorable traits.

"So all of ye are the siblings of the Great Dog General of West?" Kaede asked as she passed the rabbit stew around for breakfast.

"Yes we are. We are all that remains of the five pups of the original Lord of the West. Ryoichi was our eldest brother." Megumi said before she sipped the broth from the stew.

"Wasn't your papa the Inu no Taisho like InuYasha's father and Sesshomaru?" Shippo asked, as he was perched on Kagome's knee.

"No," Aiko answered. "Father was the last of the Lords of old. After Father's death Ryoichi created the Taisho council and gathered the Lords of the twelve strongest tribes; The Cat Demon Tribe, the Rabbits, the Foxes, the Wolves, the Dragon clan, Ox clan, the snakes, The horses and monkey clans, the Boars and the rats as well as the Dog clans. And because the Silver Inu pack is the strongest of the Inus our Taisho, Sesshomaru, represents all three. There has been peace between all of the Lords and Elders ever since."

"I can't imagine the Gold and Black Inu clans are pleased that Sesshomaru would name a female hanyo as his heir." Miroku commented as he listened intently

Raiden laughed as he nodded. " Lord Kuro of the Black clan wasn't pleased that Brother allowed his half demon son to survive his first month in the womb. He almost had a heart attack when Sesshomaru named his brother's baby his heir."

"But Lord Kin seemed awfully pleased did he not?" Megumi asked as she looked to her brother.

Raiden scoffed as the image of the arrogant golden Inu came to his mind. The yellow dog Lord had a nasty habit of bedding any female he could get his hands on."

"Kin has less honor then Kuro, he probably plans to seduce the pup when she's of mating age to gain the title of both Inu no Taisho and Lord of the West."

Kagome looked at the three full-blooded demons in the hut as she listened t their talking. "They already know the baby is a girl?"

Megumi smiled reassuringly at the young mother to be. "The council aren't aware of that fact as of yet but Kin and Kuro each suspects that due to InuYasha's diluted blood the pup is female. Usually the first born of a strong male Inu, especially the Inu no Taisho, is always male."

Aiko laughed. "Yeah and I think Kin is hoping the baby is a girl because then his charms will actually work."

InuYasha glared darkly at the wall. "If this Kin bastard even looks at my pup I'll rip his eyes out and feed them to him!" he growled.

Raiden nodded sagely as he full heartedly agreed with his nephew's words. Kin was certainly not one he wanted his great niece to end up with.

"So you four are here to escort Lady Kagome to the West?" Miroku asked

"We're here for all of you actually." Aiko answered. "We understand that the village will need their miko but once Kagome enters her last month we will have someone come for you Lady Kaede and stay in your stead to look after your people. But besides her we were told to bring all of you the West."

The group was quiet as they thought over the demon woman's words. "Well I suppose we should get things ready to leave." Sango said as she stood and carried hiraikotsu outside.

"Yes," Miroku agreed before he turned to Kagome. "It may be a good idea to return to your time Lady Kagome and inform you family of our trip."

Kagome nodded and then looked to InuYasha.

"InuYasha are you okay with all of this?" the Hanyo sighed as he walked over to the woman before taking her hands and lifting her to her feet.

"I agreed to Kimi's compromise so do I really have a say in it?" he asked as he looked away from his wife. Kagome reached up and turned his face toward her. She could see the worry eating away at her lover as their daughter's future began to seem overwhelmingly real to him. "Of course you have a say." Kagome whispered lovingly. "You're her father. No one has more of a say then you do."

InuYasha smiled as he nuzzled his cheek into her hand. "Thanks wench. Lets go tell you mama what's going on so we can get back."

Kagome nodded as InuYasha led her outside where everyone had gone to give the two mates privacy.

"Oi old man!" InuYasha called out to Raiden who looked walked over to the younger hanyo.

"Kagome and I are going to spend the night with her family we'll be back in the morning so you all better be ready to go."

Raiden nodded. "Yes that would be best, it's not good for a whelping female to be out in the open for long. The sooner we get her to Western palace the safer she and the princess will be."

InuYasha nodded as he lovingly led Kagome toward the well.

In the modern era Mama Higurashi was happily preparing breakfast for her father and son when the door to the house was opened suddenly.

"Mama I'm home." Kagome called as she and InuYasha walked into the house.

The older mother of two stepped out of the kitchen with a dish towel to greet her daughter and son-in-law.

"Oh Kagome InuYasha I wasn't expecting you two to come home so soon." She said as she hugged her daughter and then the hanyo.

InuYasha shrugged as his cheeks reddened from the obvious affection.

"Yeah well we were thinking about spending the night since we won't be able to come back for a while."

The half demon's words confused and worried the human woman as she looked at her daughter.

"What is he talking about Kagome?" she asked.

Kagome glared at her husband before she turned a reassuring smile on her mother. "InuYasha's older brother, Sesshomaru, wants to make the baby his heir for the West. His mother made a compromise to make InuYasha feel better about the situation and we agreed."

Mrs. Higurashi nodded. "But why would you not be able to come back?"

InuYasha sighed as he put his arm around Kagome. "My half-brother sent our father's brothers and sisters to escort us to the Western Palace. That's the safest place for Kagome and the baby. We'll come back and see you though after the pup is old enough to travel."

Mrs. Higurashi nodded though both InuYasha and Kagome can see that this news bothered her some.

"As long as Kagome and my grandbaby are safe that is all that matters." She said. "Are you two hungry?"

"No mama we already ate at Kaede's. InuYasha's uncle Dai caught some rabbits for us."

InuYasha scoffed as he nudged Kagome toward the kitchen table so he could sit down instead of being on her feet. "More like his sister stole his breakfast and brought it to us."

Kagome laughed. "Yeah I guess that is what happened huh?"

"Sis?" the couple turned to see Souta come stumbling in with sleepy eyes.

"Hey twerp." Kagome said as she hugged her half asleep little brother.

When grandfather Higurashi came in from his shrine chores and the family sat down to eat breakfast InuYasha and Kagome explained about their upcoming tip once more and then proceeded to tell the family about Raiden, Megumi, Dai and Aiko.

As Kagome laughed with her family and talked about the future InuYasha watched and hoped with all his heart that he had made the right choice for his girls.

A/N: So next Chapter the group heads for the West and then the Taisho Council. They will meet old friends, new allies and new enemies and is someone in Sesshomaru's Court is working for Naraku?

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any of the characters affiliated with the Show. Rumiko Takahshi owns InuYasha. Raiden, Megumi, Dai, and Aiko are mine as well as the Taisho council. Thanks and please review!