In The Blood

By: Ryu Katanna

Beta:

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Twenty

It had taken only a few hours to return to Sesshomaru's castle while flying at the speed he had set for them. Sesshomaru had seen Kagome safely to the doors of the enclosed hot spring before summoning Kimi. Kagome smiled tiredly upon seeing the servant. Kimi had been assigned by Sesshomaru to tend to Kagome and her rooms when she was visiting and had been sent to her in Tourin to prepare her properly for the meeting with Prince Koenma. He had decided this after her first visit upon seeing how Kagome had taken to the other demoness.

"Good evening, Lady Kagome." Kimi greeted as she entered the bathing room carrying and arm-load of fresh towels, sleeping yukata for Kagome, and two sets of jinbei that she had retrieved from Shippo's rooms for the young ones whose arrival she had heard about from her Lord.

"Good evening, Kimi." Kagome replied quietly with a soft smile down at both the pup and kit in her arms.

"How can I best assist you, my lady?" Kimi asked as she peered at the bundle in Kagome's arms.

"Would you undress them and then hand them to me once I am in the bath one at a time? I would like to try to avoid waking them until they are clean of any traces from where we found them." Kagome replied, and Kimi nodded as she set down the towels and held out her arms toward the bundle.

"Of course, my lady." Kimi replied as she supported the weight as Kagome's arms pulled away to first pull her sword from her koshi himo before stripping out of the soiled garments.

Kagome wrapped a towel around herself before stepping into the spring. Usually, she would take the time to enjoy the hot water, but today she had something more important to do. She could relax in the bath later. Kagome made sure the towel was secured around her before turning to stand near the edge.

"I will start with Shippo. He will take a bit longer to wash up with the grime that looks stuck in his hair and tail. If you could dry him off and dress him while I tend to the pup." Kagome said as she waited for Kimi to shift the two so she could take Shippo.

Kagome took Shippo into her arms once Kimi had maneuvered him out of the fabric and helped undress him while holding onto the pup. She supported the kit against her as she pulled him into the water when she looked back up at Kimi. The demoness had turned to remove the soiled outer kimono and clothing from the pup when she froze. Kagome smiled bemusedly as she knew what had startled the inu demoness.

"Yes. He came as a bit of a shock to Sesshomaru and I as well." She said as she picked up the soap from the tray and adjusted Shippo onto her lap as she sat down.

It was a bit more difficult now than it had been in the past. It would take her some time to adjust to the fact that he wasn't so little anymore. He wasn't as big as a human thirteen-year-old would be, as kitsune kits stayed smaller until they reached maturity. It had been why, though Shippo had been eight in human years back then, he had only been the size of a toddler. It was because of this trait that he would have only reached her just above her knee, or mid-thigh at most, had he been awake and standing.

Even so, Kagome relished the fact that she had finally found him after these last few years of searching. She was determined that she wouldn't be letting go of him now until he came of age, and even then he would be welcome to stay with her for as long as he wish. She had missed five hundred years of him growing up. She refused to miss any more than she already had.

Kagome quickly had Shippo cleaned up though she did so slowly so as not to risk waking him. It had been a bit difficult to get his hair and tail cleaned as he had curled into her collarbone to bury his nose into her neck. This was something instinctive, she knew. Part of the adoption for kitsune, inuyokai, or okami involved scent marking and imprinting due to their canine nature. They may have been separated for a long time, but Shippo still recognized and sought out her scent even while unconscious. It may have changed a bit from human to demon, but the scent that was unique to her would have remained. His instincts recognize her scent and associate it with safety.

Kagome checked over the skin of Shippo's wrists and slender legs to be sure he had healed properly. He would have some light scarring, and the fur on his legs would need time to grow back, but they had healed properly. The sight of the scars, even as light as they were, upset her. Kagome could only breathe a sigh of relief that he should be pain-free when he woke.

"Alright, now we can trade." Kagome said as she moved back over toward Kimi who was waiting with the pup who had already been undressed and wrapped into a fluffy clean towel for warmth while they waited for his turn.

"Yes, my lady." Kimi replied as she shifted the pup to one arm and moved to accept Shippo with the other; wrapping Shippo in a towel as soon as Kagome had ahold of the pup.

It took some maneuvering, but they soon had them switched, and Kagome went to bathe the pup while Kimi worked on getting Shippo dried off and dressed. Soon enough, both of them were clean and dry in fresh clothing. Kagome quickly cleaned herself once she handed the pup to Kimi before stepping out of the spring and drying herself off. She dressed quickly in her sleeping yukata before taking both of the little ones back into her arms.

Kagome made her way to her rooms followed by Kimi. She was unsurprised to find Sesshomaru waiting at the door for them. His beast must be near the surface with his instincts running high right now. Not only had they just gotten Shippo back, but they had found a pup of his blood that he had not even known existed. His beast would be demanding that keep the pack together and for him to watch over them.

"Thank you, Kimi. You are dismissed for the night." Kagome said once Kimi had turned down the quilt on the futon as she knew that Sesshomaru wouldn't want anyone else in the room right then except for those considered pack.

"Yes, my lady. My lord." Kimi replied as she bowed before stepping away and closing the door as she left.

"Would you please grab my comb and pick from the vanity, Sesshomaru? They both have a few snarls I couldn't untangle in the bath." Kagome asked softly as she leaned over to position both Shippo and the pup in the middle of the futon.

Sesshomaru didn't say anything in response, just doing as she had asked, picking up her comb and the pick that was used to untangle and part hair. Kagome sighed in relief as she got the two settled and smiled gratefully as Sesshomaru handed her the two items before moving to sit down on the tatami next to the edge of the padded mattress so that the two little ones were safely between them. The room was quiet as Kagome slowly and patiently untangled any snarls she found in Shippo and the pup's hair before moving on to the fur of Shippo's tail. Kagome felt as her own instincts, which had been high since she had left the council meeting, slowly started to settle.

Shippo was right here next to her now. There was no danger. Shippo and the pup were safe here with Sesshomaru and Kagome watching over them both. There was a lot that they would need to discuss and sort out, but right at that moment, everything was as it should be.

"Will you look for his mother?" Kagome asked softly once she had finished untangling their hair before moving on to slowly run the comb through the long silver-white locks of the pup.

"No." Sesshomaru said after only a few seconds and Kagome nodded in understanding.

She knew what Sesshomaru would think about the situation concerning the pup's mother. Sesshomaru obviously hadn't mated her, but most females would have jumped at the chance of a potential mating to become the Lady by using his heir. Whoever she was, she had not come forward when she fell pregnant with his child. Kagome didn't want to make assumptions, and she would never ask as it was solely Sesshomaru's business who he laid with and why.

Now, they had found the pup in an unsuitable condition. The one who birthed him had not protected the little one properly. Either she had been too weak to protect him, in which case she was likely dead, or she had abandoned him and as such had no claim. Kagome didn't understand how any mother could do such a thing, but that might have been the human mindset she had been raised with. It wouldn't matter which of those two it was; Sesshomaru had already deemed her to be unfit to raise his pup.

"Do you intend for me to raise him then?" Kagome asked, knowing that as the alpha female of the pack, it would be expected to do so in the absence of the mother.

The males in the pack were expected to protect and provide for the young while the females raise and nurtured them. Males and females both taught them skills they would need to be independent. It was rare for a male inuyokai to raise a pup on their own, and usually only happened if there were no other suitable options. In those cases, they did the best they could.

Sesshomaru had protected and provided for Shippo since Inuyasha's death. He had done what he could, but he didn't have the instinctual need to keep him close. Not all females had strong maternal instincts, but those that did would never have allowed a child to wander too far until they were old enough. Oh, they would let them wander but eventually would go looking for them to bring them back.

This was something Kagome had only ever understood in an abstract sense before. When she was human she had cared for, loved, and worried over Shippo but that had been nothing compared to what she felt now. Her instincts to find him had driven her to distraction often over the last few years. Now that she had him back, Kagome wouldn't be letting him wander too far for a while. The condition they had found him in had only made these unfamiliar instincts worse and she feared he may feel a bit stifled with how protective she was feeling right then.

"Unless you intend to take a mate, or raise him yourself?" Kagome prompted for an answer as she finished the pup's hair and moved on to Shippo's.

"This Sesshomaru has no need of a mate. You are alpha female." He answered in a roundabout way, and Kagome held back a sigh as she translated to answer in her head.

He had no need of a mate now that he had his heir, and had no desire to take one. The responsibility of raising the pup would largely be left to her. She had no objections. She hadn't when Sesshomaru had claimed her and Shippo as pack five hundred years ago when his and Inuyasha's packs came together in an alliance against Naraku. Sesshomaru had won the fight between himself and his brother for alpha, and Kagome had been the only one he deemed suitable for the position of alpha female.

Usually, the position would be filled by his mate, but he'd had no desire for one even then. After the group had started traveling together it had been Kagome who Sesshomaru's beast had deemed most suitable as she had naturally started caring for both Rin as well as Shippo, and the other's had easily fallen in line; only Inuyasha had bothered arguing with her and that had been managed easily with a sit command. Raising and tending to Rin had become her responsibility alongside Shippo. That had been a bit different though. Rin had already been old enough to mostly take care of herself, and Kagome had been taken from them all after little over a year.

They were an unusual pack for certain. Typically, packs were family units for canine yokai. The alpha male and female were usually a mated pair. Add to that the fact that their pack, five hundred years ago, had been one inuyokai, an inuhanyou, a nekomata, four humans, and a fox kit. Kagome couldn't help but feel depressed if she thought about it for too long. Their pack had been whittled down to two, three when Kagome was able to return, and now four with the pup. Their pack had grown, but it didn't stop the ache left behind by those who were no longer there.

"We will need to make a few arrangements then. You have your lands to tend to, and I am responsible for two territories as well as my seat on the council. I cannot be away for long periods. At least not until Lord Yomi and my brother return. Even then, I am unsure if Yusuke will want to take the position." Kagome sighed as she turned the comb to her own extremely long hair after finishing with Shippo's.

"How long?" Sesshomaru inquired as to how long she was expected to tend to the two territories.

"Yusuke will be in the human world until his human friends pass on. Probably a century or so depending on if he has any children with his human mate during that time. As for Lord Yomi... I have no idea. He did not give me a time frame for his return as Yusuke did." Kagome replied with a bit of annoyance though she hoped it would be before the coming tournament.

Two large territories, eight Cardinal Lords, and the King's Council were a lot to deal with. She had found herself grateful for her demonic stamina and the help of her father's friends with everything she had going on for the last few years. Part of the problem was that it was a new system that was being implemented, but the other part was that her workload had been doubled with Yomi's request. The next decade would tell them if they would succeed.

By the time Yusuke returned everything should be running smoothly. There was always a chance that the next demon who won the right to be King could cause problems and disrupt the plans that were in place, but only time would tell. They would just have to hold onto hope that the Kings or Queens to come had just as much in the way of brains as they did power. If not... Kagome didn't want to even think about there being a need for her to contest.

She had no desire to be Queen, it just meant more work to be done. The only reason she had taken the position of Lady was to hold the seat until Yusuke was ready for it. She knew that if the power structures of demon society were not maintained then it would lead to even more chaos as they reverted to their more based instincts for survival. Demons had always operated to the terms of survival of the fittest.

They were instinctively more inclined to follow a hierarchy where the strongest stood above the rest. Raizen, Mukuro, and Yomi had managed to make things a bit more 'civilized' in the centuries since Rekai raised the barrier and isolated demon-kind from the humans. They had maintained a delicate balance with their disagreement. Yusuke would have thrown it all away in his ignorance. Kagome couldn't do that when she had been there five centuries before to witness the chaos of every demon for themselves and those they deemed theirs. She didn't want to see things devolve to that. There would be no way to maintain their freedom from Rekai's meddling unless they were able to keep some manner of control over their own.

Mukuro, Yomi, and Raizen had never had to deal with paperwork or needing to drop everything to attend council meetings. They had reined over the three individual territories with power and the respect of those that followed them. Now with a King who reined over it all, there was a need for it. The High Lords/Ladies still controlled those individual territories, but they now had someone else to report to. They were also the ones who would enforce the laws of the King or Queen, but they also held the power to challenge any edict that would threaten the running of their lands.

Kagome softly explained her thoughts on the situation and the coming tournament as she worked through her hair with the comb. It was better for her alpha to know what plans she had for the coming years. It hadn't mattered before that she was living in a separate territory, but now they would need to sort things out between them for the pup. Shippo would have been fine coming with her, but the pup was Sesshomaru's son and heir. If he intended for her to raise him then they would need to come to an arrangement as a pack.

Normally this wouldn't be an issue as the alpha female was mated to the alpha, but their situation was different. Kagome had always viewed their pack more like that of another family that she belonged to. As a human, she hadn't had anything else to compare the bonds she'd had with everyone too. As a demon, Kagome still felt the same though she was more protective and possessive of those bonds. She didn't have the same pack mentality as Sesshomaru, as she wasn't of the same race, but she understood them a lot better now. To her, Sesshomaru was many things, but never a potential mate.

He was a protector, a mentor, an ally, and like an older brother in some ways. He was someone she knew she could depend on. There had been no need to live together as a pack since her return though they had kept in frequent contact and had been searching separately for Shippo. They could move independently of one another without the young ones of the pack to tend to, but now they had Shippo as well as another pup who would depend on them both. She would need to work with Sesshomaru for their sake even as they both had responsibilities outside of the pack.

She sighed as she set the comb aside when she was finished with her hair while Sesshomaru contemplated the plans that the current King and the Council had been discussing and laying the groundwork for in the future. She lay down under the quilt on the futon as Shippo curled into her chest. Kagome shifted the long length of her hair over the top of the quilt to surround both the pup and Shippo in her scent. It would comfort Shippo, and she hoped it helped the pup as well.

It would also help to mask Sesshomaru's scent from being noticed too quickly if the pup woke up. They didn't know what condition the pup would be in mentally, but she hoped it helped. He would be familiar with Shippo's scent, but they would need to see what happened. Either way, they would work through it.

"Hn... We will discuss it later. Rest." Sesshomaru ordered, and Kagome just pulled the quilt up higher over the three of them.

After days awake and on the move while feeling instincts that had been unfamiliar in their intensity, she didn't have the energy to argue with him right now. Though she couldn't help mumbling as she fell asleep.

"Think of a name for your son, Sesshomaru. I don't know if he has one, but we can't just keep calling him pup."

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Kagome woke to the feeling of snuffling against her neck. Brown eyes snapped open at the keening cry from the smaller body. Her confusion cleared as she wrapped her arms around her kit and gave a soothing growl.

"Shhh. I have you." Kagome murmured as she rubbed her cheek against the top of his head before moving down to nuzzle the kit's cheek.

"Mother? You're really here? It's not just another dream?" Kagome's eyes closed in pain at the sound of his voice as he asked her that.

"I am here. We finally found you. I have been looking for you. As soon as I came to Makai. You are safe now. We are in my rooms at Sesshomaru's castle. He's here too." She replied soothingly as Shippo pulled back from where he'd had his face pressed into her collar.

Kagome smiled at seeing those green eyes again though the face was a bit older than she was used to. Shippo looked at her before rubbing his eyes like he couldn't believe he was seeing her, though his nose told him it was true, she had come for him. He turned to look at the other side of the bed to see Sesshomaru watching from where he sat on the tatami and relaxed with the knowledge that nothing could get to him with both of them right there. What surprised him was that he and Kagome were not alone in the futon.

"Oh..." He murmured as his eyes widened in surprise to see the inuyokai pup that looked like Sesshomaru, but the scent was also familiar.

"I found him not too far from where we found you. Do you know anything about him?" Kagome asked as she kept him in her embrace; hoping that asking wouldn't trigger unpleasant memories.

"Not really. I know his scent, and I could tell he was young, but he never spoke. Maybe something happened, but he was there even longer than I was. Oh! What about Mio?! Did you get her out? She's part of Koga's pack!" Shippo asked as he quickly rolled around to face his mother.

"Calm down, Shippo. Mio was alright when I saw her last. Sesshomaru took care of the danger while I got everyone out. She went home with a message for Koga and Ayame so they will know where to find us later. You will have to thank Hiei as well when you meet him. He is the one who found you and led us there to get you." Kagome said softly; thankful once again to the apparition.

"Really? How did he find me?" Shippo asked curiously.

"Hiei has a jagan eye and is a friend of your Uncle Yusuke. I have been looking for you for more than three years now, and so I asked him to search after getting to know him a bit." Kagome answered as she relaxed at how happy Shippo was.

Hopefully, he wasn't as affected by what had happened as she'd worried he would be. Still, it was too soon to tell. He was a kitsune. His curiosity and happiness that she had returned might be helping to suppress whatever trauma was there in favor of asking questions. Demons were a resilient species though, so she didn't doubt he would recover.

"Really? I get to meet him? Wait! Uncle Yusuke is your twin brother, isn't he? Does that mean he knows about demons too?!" Shippo asked and Kagome huffed an amused laugh at the bright smile the kit was beaming with.

"Slow down, Shippo. To answer your questions, yes to all of them. Yusuke is like me. He died, but he came back when the atavism of our mazoku lineage awoke because he is strong. He is living in ningenkai right now but should be back permanently in less than a century. I will have to send him a message because he said he is looking forward to meeting you. Who knows, maybe he will come to visit you if you write to him as well to ask." Kagome told him and had to smile as Shippo was almost vibrating with interest.

"I will! Will I meet Hiei too?" Shippo asked ad Kagome nodded.

"At some time. There have been a few changes in Makai over these last few years. I will explain everything later, but I've been doing a fair bit of traveling. I am not letting you out of my sight now so you will have to come with me." Kagome said softly as she brushed her fingers through his copper hair and away from his face.

"We're not staying here with Sesshomaru?" Shippo asked as he looked over to the inuyokai in confusion as to why Kagome hadn't been living there all of the time.

"Your mother's demonic father was King Raizen, kit. He passed two years ago, and she is responsible for leading his territory while her brother is away." Sesshomaru explained upon seeing the look the kit was sending him.

"Really?!" Shippo almost shouted as he sat up, and Kagome took a deep breath as she looked over to see that the sudden movement had woken the pup.

"Later, Shippo. Hello, pup. Good morning." Kagome said gently upon seeing golden eyes blinking open tiredly.

The pup froze and just stared at her. Kagome could see that he was scared and so shifted to give him some space. She pulled Shippo against her as he rolled over to look at the pup. She left space between them so as not to crowd him. Kagome didn't want to scare him.

"You're okay. We won't do anything to hurt you. My name is Shippo. This is my mother, Kagome. Mother and Lord Sesshomaru saved us from that bad place." Shippo said brightly as he pressed into the pillows and looked into golden eyes.

"You are safe with our pack. Can you tell me your name?" Kagome asked softly and the pup bit his lip as he shook his head and curled into the blanket.

"You can't tell me, or you don't want to?" Kagome asked hoping to get him to talk only for him to shake his head again.

"Hmm. Do you not want to talk to me?" Kagome asked as she switched the topic.

This time, the pup stopped shaking his head and stared at her with wide golden eyes. Kagome glanced at Sesshomaru once again to find him watching his son. Suddenly she got an idea.

"Alright. Well, if you can't or won't tell us your name then how about we come up with one? We do need something to call you." Kagome said softly as she moved to sit up, pulling Shippo against her side.

The pup seemed to think about it for a minute before nodding shyly.

"Okay. Well, I think a name for you should be left up to our alpha. What do you say, Sesshomaru? Have you thought of a name for your son?" Kagome asked as she drew attention to him.

That was when the little one must have noticed Sesshomaru's scent so close as well. The pup tensed and turned around quickly to see Sesshomaru watching them. Sesshomaru raised a brow as the pup growled before returning an even deeper warning growl. Kagome shifted with a bit of alarm as she looked at the pup to see red bleeding into the gold.

That was when Sesshomaru moved. He had the pup pinned to the mattress of the futon so quickly that Kagome would have missed it if she had blinked. She stiffened in concern as the pup thrashed to get out of the hold before going still, and then relaxed as she realized what was happening. They were both inuyokai. Sesshomaru was establishing his dominance as alpha. It was only once the pup went still and exposed his neck in submission that Sesshomaru relaxed and leaned down to rub his cheeks to the pup's, scent marking and claiming him as his.

The pup released and inquisitive yip as Sesshomaru backed away to give him some space to move though he stayed alert to every movement made. Kagome and Shippo both smiled at what they were seeing as the pup sniffed toward Sesshomaru before moving closer and tentatively nuzzling at the underside of his jaw as a sign of submission.

Scent-marking in such an intimate way was something few races of yokai, such as canines and felines, did with mates and offspring; claiming pack in a different way. It was a claim that would warn others outside of their pack that the pup belonged to him. Instinctively the pup would know Sesshomaru was his father. It was also the first step to imprinting which was when the pup acknowledged the parent-child relationship. Kagome smiled only a moment later when the pup curled into Sesshomaru's side with a whine and stretched to bump his forehead to the older inuyokai's jaw in a bid for attention.

A gesture Shippo did with her as he pressed further into her side with a giggle.

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This chapter was finished so much more quickly than I had thought it would take. I've already started on the next chapter as well. I hope you enjoyed the pack fluffiness!

~Ryu

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