"Kagome, Kikyo left me," Inuyasha said in a sadden voice.

"What?!" Sesshomaru 'shh' Kagome because of the pup. She whispered to Sesshomaru, "Sorry." She looked back at Inuyasha. She could tell that he was heartbroken. She went to hug him. She noticed that he was crying. Inuyasha didn't care if Sesshomaru thought he was weak. He whispered, "She left me for another man. It nearly killed me. She told me after we returned last time, that she wasn't happy. She told me that she'd been with him since we returned to Edo. I'd never knew. I didn't even scent him around or on Kikyo. Why, did she do this to me? Why Kagome?"

Kagome had never seen Inuyasha that distraught before. She thought momentarily, "Karma's a bitch, Inuyasha." "I don't know, Inuyasha, but there are more fish in the sea." Inuyasha looked at her like he was saying, 'What does fish had to do with me and Kikyo?' Kagome clearly noticed it and answered his unasked question. "It means, there are more women out there than just Kikyo."

Inuyasha frowned, "Who would love an hanyou, Kagome?"

"I did, once upon a time." She sighed. "Look, Inuyasha, you are a strong person. You have a heart of gold, despite your brash and rude behaviour." Inuyasha smirked. "Have confidence in yourself! Don't let that woman make you have doubt or anything like that about yourself! Don't be anyone but yourself, Inuyasha. Also, take time to mend your heart."

Inuyasha smiled and nodded his head. "Thanks, Kagome... for everything." He hugged her and pulled away before Sesshomaru gets possessive.

"That's what family is for. To help one another. To have each others back. So, what are you going to do now?" Inuyasha shrugged one of his shoulders.

Then he smirked, "Maybe I stay here to annoy ice prick over there." He pointed at Sesshomaru which earned him a glare from said bro... half-brother.

Kagome looked at where he was pointing. "Inuyasha, it's rude to point at someone," she said as she pushed down his arm.

"Keh!" He smirked as he put his hands in his sleeves. Kagome looked at Sesshomaru pleadingly. Sesshomaru sighed. He knew what she was asking. He walked to his half-brother and his mate.

"If you are going to stay here, little brother, you won't be doing nothing. You will train with Hikaru and whenever this Sesshomaru has no paperwork he has to do. He will train you as well. You will become part of this one's army. You will start at the lowest rank then if Hikaru and/or this one sees that you are improving that you will be put into a rank that's befitting to you. Is this agreeable?"

"Keh, I don't need no training, ice prick! I am a good fighter!" Kagome rolled her eyes of Inuyasha's way to annoy Sesshomaru. He must like to start confrontations, doesn't he?

"Inuyasha, training keeps you in top shape. You shouldn't just want to be good. You should aim to be great to make not only your alpha proud, but your father as well," Kagome stated as she stands in front of Inuyasha.

There was silence for a moment. Inuyasha seemed to be thinking. He really has no where to go. Yes, he knows that he's always welcome at Miroku and Sango's home, but he felt like he was intruding in their lives.

"Fine! I'll do some training," Inuyasha grumbled. Kagome smiled at her hanyou friend and she hugged him in thanks before she excused herself to see to Natsume, who was just waking up and crying for her mother. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha watched Kagome attending to Natsume.

Inuyasha said, "If Kagome and me were together or whoever I will end up mated to, I don't believe that I could give her children or pups." Sesshomaru quirked his eyebrow at him.

"Why?"

"Huh?" Sesshomaru rolled his eyes.

"Why would you believe that you can't give your future mate any pups?" Inuyasha shrugged one of his shoulders.

"I don't know. Kikyo said that we couldn't produce any pups."

"Hn, you should consult Inuki about this."

"Huh? Why? What could she do?"

"Our sister is a miko-youkai, Inuyasha. She will know if you are sterile or not."

"Really?" There was hope sounding in Inuyasha's voice. Sesshomaru nodded and then turned to return to his desk.

It was around midnight, Sesshomaru wasn't able to control his beast when he heard howling from the gardens. He howled, in return, in response to Inuhime and Hikaru's mating. During which Kagome woke up to a fussing Natsume due to the howling. She was displeased. She saw the source of at least one of them. Her mate. She narrowed her eyes at the howling Sesshomaru. She was trying to calm her daughter, when she got up from the futon and walked to her mate.

"Sesshomaru," she growled, which made Sesshomaru stopped howling.

Sesshomaru's beast said, "Oops, we woke up mate and pup."

Sesshomaru growled at his beast. "We! What we?! You did this!"

"Correction. We both did this. You and I are one and the same. How many times do I have to tell you?!"

Sesshomaru growled. "You will fix this. Now!"

"SESSHO-MA-RU! YOU BETTER HAVE A GOOD REASON FOR WAKING UP, NATSUME," Kagome yelled in anger, which made Sesshomaru cringed due to her angry yell. He turned around. His beast was still present. Once Kagome saw that the beast was present, she gasped. No, not in fright or anything. She was just surprised.

The beast said in a gurgled sounded tone of voice, "Mate, this Sesshomaru knows that you don't know much about inuyoukai mating, but this one does apologize for waking you and pup."

"Why were you howling, Sesshomaru," she asked now calmed.

"Because Hikaru and Inuhime had just mated. When one of us howls, we howled to let all or any males know that this one female is now his. We responded in kind. It's our instinct, mate."

Kagome nodded as she was rubbing Natsume's back. "So, you howled to tell him..."

Sesshomaru chuckled, "No, it's more like acknowledgement. We responded to acknowledge their mating. That's all."

Kagome's mood changed a little. Sesshomaru noticed immediately. Kagome started to tear up, which made Sesshomaru panic. Yes, panic.

"Mate?"

She sniffed, "You hadn't howled when you are with me. Is it... because that I am human?"

Sesshomaru sighed. He took Natsume from her mother's arms and gave a calming purr-like growling to soothe and make the pup go to sleep. He laid her down on her own little futon. He, then, turned his attention to his sudden sadden mate.

"Kagome, it isn't because you're human. It has nothing to do with that."

"Then why you..."

Sesshomaru never let her finish because he kissed her so passionately that took her breath away. "This Sesshomaru thought that you wouldn't want that. Also, this one didn't want to scare you away, because of this beast."

"Oh, Sesshomaru! I am NOT afraid of you, beast and all. I love you and your inner puppy."

Sesshomaru growled. "This beast is no puppy, mate!"

She giggled. "When prove it, mate." Sesshomaru quirked an eye brow and without another word he pounced on her, which made her laughed. He ravished her, throughtly. She responded with screams, gasps, groans in pleasure. Sesshomaru did a long and loud howl. It was louder than Hikaru's howl. The male inuyoukai were a little puzzled to why would their lord was howling, because they knew that the Lady of the West was his, however, they shrugged and responded in kind to their lord.

In the end, Natsume, once again fussed due to the howling. Both parents of said pup groaned. Sesshomaru, now, returned to his logical self. He sighed tiredly, "Omae, it seems to me that, we must get a room for our Natsume." Kagome agreed. They succumb to sleep in each others arms.

Inuyasha (c) Rumiko Takahashi

Fanfiction & OCs (c) ladytari