Chapter 17

Forgiveness

Kagome

The sound of two crying infants jolted me out of my sleep. I groaned in slight pain as I sat up in the large bed. Just as I was about to push my feet to the floor, a clawed hand grabbed my arm, holding me in place.

"The twins are hungry." I said, looking down at the golden eyes that were glaring at me.

"How many times must I tell you to stay in bed? You just gave birth a few days ago." He growled, releasing my arm and sitting up himself.

"I'm not going to wake you up every few hours, Sesshomaru." I argued, watching as he stood and walked to our dresser.

"No, you won't. They will. I have no problem with waking when they do. You are my mate, and they are my pups. It is my job to take care of all of you, yet you fight me the entire way." He grumbled, pulling on a pair of sleeping pants before walking to the door. "Lay back in bed. I will bring them to you."

Growling in annoyance, I did as he said and leaned back. I knew he was just trying to take care of me, but his constant worrying was making me feel weak. Yes, I just gave birth, but I have been through worse. I couldn't keep the sigh inside as I thought about how the past few days have gone.

I never realized just how gentle Sesshomaru could be. He was always caring with me, but he didn't need to hold back as much. With the pups, he held back as much as possible. I was surprised when he admitted that he had been scared at first, worried that he would hurt them. After I yelled at him for such a fear, I made him see that he could never do such a thing. He wouldn't allow it.

The crying stopped and I knew he had picked up our twins. It was so easy for him to get them to settle down. He simply had to growl and they were content, no matter the reason they were upset in the first place.

I looked up at the door when he entered, and I couldn't keep the smile off of my face. As Sesshomaru walked towards me, his face was buried in Aimi's neck, soothing the whimpering infant. When he was standing in front of me, he handed me her first, and I took her, placing her to a swollen breast.

It took no time for her to latch on, and Sesshomaru chuckled at the sight of his hungry daughter. Ken'ichi, realizing his sister was being fed but he wasn't, began throwing a fit, forcing his father into action. Sesshomaru placed him at my other mound, helping me hold them as they fed.

"I do believe Ken'ichi got his temper tantrums from you." Sesshomaru teased, smirking at me.

"Haha, very funny." I replied sarcastically. Sesshomaru chuckled again before kissing my forehead. When he was sure I had a grip on the two, he stood and gathered everything he would need to change their diapers.

I had to admit, he was a very good father. Of course, I had known that from watching his interactions with Rin and Shippo but I had never seen him with an infant other than Sakura, and he never had to take care of her like he does the twins.

"You know, you are a wonderful father." I stated as he sat back down beside me.

"You doubted this?" He asked arrogantly even though I could see just how much my comment meant to him.

"Of course not. You have always been a good father to both Rin and Shippo, but I have never seen you with an infant other than Sakura. I am glad that I chose to spend my life with you." I admitted, blushing slightly at the look he was giving me.

He didn't say anything, instead choosing to place his large hand on my cheek and run his thumb gently under my eye. His lips covered mine in a love-filled kiss and I couldn't help but relax into his hold. Tiny squeaks brought us out of the moment as we looked down at the squished twins.

"Oops." I giggled. He smiled as he kissed the tops of each head in apology. When he finished, he placed his chin on my shoulder and watched as I fed our children.

"You are a good mother. Even though I can still smell your fear, you should know by now that you are doing magnificently." He whispered, his arms going around my waist.

"I just worry that I will mess up. Until Rin, I was never a mother, and she was already older. You've raised a child from infancy before; I haven't." I argued, looking down at the pups in my arms.

"That is true, but it does not matter. In just the few days that they have been here, you have proven your instincts have taken over. Even though you don't need me, I will also always be here for you and all four of our pups." He soothed, kissing my neck gently.

A tiny knock at our door had both of us looking at it. Sesshomaru stood and made his way to it, opening it to reveal two sleepy children. He raised his eyebrow as Shippo and Rin looked up at him, hopeful smiles on their faces. Giving in to their looks, Sesshomaru opened the door wider for them and they tumbled into the room, not stopping until they had climbed onto the bed to look at their siblings.

"Mommy, what are you doing?" Rin asked, her eyes never leaving her sister.

"I am feeding the twins. This is how they will eat for the first few months of their lives." I explained, watching as Shippo held out his finger so Ken'ichi could grab on to it. Sesshomaru climbed back onto the bed after shutting the door.

"Was I fed like that?" Rin asked, making me look up to my mate who flinched slightly. Yes, Rin knew she was adopted, but we still didn't like bringing it up.

"No, Rin." Sesshomaru answered, grabbing his daughter and pulling her into his lap. "I had to feed you out of a bottle. At the time, you did not have a mother."

"Oh yea, I sometimes forget you're not my real daddy." Rin said, not noticing the flash of hurt in her father's eyes. "It doesn't matter though. You will always be my daddy, Daddy."

"Thank-you, Rin." Sesshomaru whispered, burying his face into her hair. I smiled at the scene, thankful that Rin helped him to relax without even realizing that she did.

"I think they are done." Shippo cut in, making us look back down at the now-sleeping pups. Sesshomaru agreed and grabbed Aimi from me. He told Rin to grab the pile of diapers at the end of the bed and she, of course, obeyed.

In no time, the twins were changed and sleeping between Sesshomaru and myself. Rin and Shippo had curled up together below their siblings, causing us parents to scoot to the edge of the bed.

"I do believe I need to order a bigger bed." Sesshomaru mumbled, laying down. He may complain, but he doesn't have the heart to make any of his children leave.

"If this becomes a recurring occurrence, then yes, I agree." I quietly laughed, following his lead.

He reached over the children and ran his hand down my face gently. I closed my eyes at his touch and the sound of his gentle rumbling. I knew what he was saying and there was no way to deny him. He wanted me to sleep right along with our four pups, and the rumbling in his chest ensured that I did so, surrounded by my family.

Sesshomaru

I stopped once I entered the kitchen. Once again, I was greeted by a very full house. After a week of everyone living here, you would have thought that I would be used to it. I wasn't. In fact, I almost walked right back up to my room and locked the door.

If it wasn't for Kagome walking behind me, carrying two pups in her arms, I would have. I took my son from her and laid him against my chest, watching as Kagome walked past, followed by Shippo and Rin. It, unfortunately, had become a nightly ritual for the children to sleep in our bed.

While I didn't really mind it, it needed to be stopped. Rin and Shippo were too old to be sleeping in our bed, and the pups would eventually start sleeping through the night. I hated disappointing my eldest children, but it needed to be done…on another day.

"There's my newest and oldest grandpups!" Father bellowed, causing me to groan. It was too early for this. He instantly grabbed Aimi from Kagome while Izayoi went for Ken'ichi. Kagome helped Rin and Shippo get into their booster seats beside Sakura before sitting down herself.

"Umm, Kagome." Kikyou started, sounding a little worried. "Today was supposed to be your baby shower, but we didn't know if you would still want one since you have already had your babies."

"I'm surprised you're asking. It's not like Daddy would let me go without one." Kagome laughed, noticing the way Father nodded.

"That is exactly what I told them, but they insisted on asking you first." Father added, cooing at his granddaughter who looked at him as if he was crazy.

"Then what are we waiting for? We have a party to get ready for!" Izayoi yelled, handing me Ken'ichi before grabbing Kagome and dragging her away, followed by Kikyou, Sango, and Ayame.

I growled in annoyance at the treatment of my mate. She may be able to walk around better now but she was still healing, and I didn't like the way she was being roughly pulled around. They could hurt her further.

"She'll be fine, Son. Both Izayoi and Kikyou were fine around this time, and they didn't have the help of reiki to make them heal faster." Father said, still not taking his eyes from Aimi.

"You're lucky it won't take Kagome six weeks to heal. It sucked having to wait that long before I could take my mate." InuYasha admitted, making my eyes widen. Not once had I thought about how long it would be before I could lay with my mate, and the realization was like getting cold water thrown over me.

"It may not take six weeks, but it will still be a while before Kagome is ready for that. Look at how long it took her to heal from the wounds Naraku inflicted on her. I do have to say, this is the only good thing that comes from Sango being infertile." Miroku added, making us all look at him. We tend to forget that the two can't have children. Not once did we ever ask why.

"Why don't you adopt?" Kouga asked.

"We talked about it, but when Sango found out she was the reason we couldn't get pregnant after trying for two years, it was a real blow to her. If I had been the one that was infertile, we could have used someone else's sperm to conceive, but it is impossible for her to carry. When I first brought up adoption, she argued that she wouldn't tie me down. She wanted to make sure I had a way out if I chose to leave. This, of course, angered me, and it took months before I convinced her I wasn't going anywhere. After that, her reasoning was that it would be too hard to look at the child and not get upset that she wasn't able to birth it. I'm very thankful for Kagome for this reason. She helped Sango through that horrible time, and I fear that if Kagome had not been present, I may have lost my wife." Miroku explained.

"I understand." I whispered, thinking back to how Kagome, at one time, could not bear my children. While it had hurt, I never would have left her. Even if Naraku's mark had never been removed, I would have still married her and lived my life with her for as long as I could. I can only be thankful that she now carries my mark for she will not age and die as she once would have.

"I do think that I may bring up the conversation again though. I have seen the way Sango looks at the twins, and I can only hope that she is ready to adopt now. I most definitely wish to be a father." He continued, his eyes looking over the five children at the table.

"I hope so. Then I can have more grandpups." Father added, getting a chuckle from InuYasha, Kouga, and Miroku.

"Will you ever be happy with the amount of grandpups you have?" InuYasha asked, looking at our father as if he had grown two heads.

"Watch your mouth, Boy. I will never be okay with only having five grandpups. I am an old demon, and by now, that number should be in the hundreds, along with great-grandpups. Sesshomaru has an excuse since Kagome still needs to recover. You, however, do not have that setback which means you should steal your mate away and get busy." Father argued.

"Well, you'll have to talk to Rin and Shippo about great-grandpups. They will be the first to be old enough." Miroku added with a laugh.

"No male will touch Rin." I snarled, startling all of the children.

"But Shippo touches me all the time." Rin added, making all of the adults other than myself laugh.

"Not like that! You're my sister!" Shippo yelled, not surprising me that he knew what we were talking about. He did live on the streets for a while, after all.

"Then what does he mean?" Rin asked, making me inwardly groan.

"He means–"

"Shippo!" I snapped, making everyone look at me in a mixture of confusion and amusement. "You and Rin go and help your mother. Make sure she does not overdo anything."

"Yes, Dad." Shippo pouted, knowing that I was not pleased with what he was about to tell Rin. When they were out of the room, I glared at the four males still snickering under their breath.

"Keep it up, Father, and I will never allow you to hold Aimi again." I growled in annoyance.

"Why am I the only one being punished?" He asked, looking offended.

"Because if I anger you, you will take it out on them. Therefore, less work for me." I informed, and to prove my point, I took Aimi from his grasp and left the room. The sound of yelling followed behind me as Father attacked the other three males.

A few hours later, my house had been turned into a disaster. Of course, I couldn't say anything for fear of Kagome punishing me for it. She loved the way baby decorations were all over the place, and I sighed in defeat.

Since everyone was already living here, there really wasn't anyone to invite other than Souta, who wished to bring his girlfriend. After making him promise that she wasn't crazy like his mother was, I agreed to allow it.

We were now all, minus Souta and his girlfriend, sitting outside beside the pool, which was heated and covered to keep use of it all year long. This, of course, was another reason why it seemed I always had unwanted guests at my house.

Of course, Father had somehow managed to grab a hold of Aimi while Sango held on to Ken'ichi. I could see exactly what Miroku had been speaking of before, and I knew that it wouldn't be long before they began the adoption papers.

The sound of the front door opening caught my attention, and I warned the others that Souta had arrived. Kagome was excited to meet her twin brother's girlfriend while I could have cared less. That is, until I heard the female's voice. Before I even saw her, I was on my feet, snarling.

It wasn't until they turned the corner that everyone understood my reaction. The moment the female set eyes on Kagome, she jumped back so fast, she fell off her feet and landed hard on her ass.

"Kagura!" I snarled, stalking over to the fallen demon who could care less about my presence. Instead, she was trembling in fear, her eyes never leaving my mate.

"What the hell is going on?" Souta asked, looking between all three of us.

"Sesshomaru." Kagome called, grabbing my arm and pulling me away from the terrified female. "Kagura, what are you doing here?"

"I…I didn't know this was your house. If I did, I would never have agreed to come!" Kagura explained. Kagome was silent for a moment before sighing.

"Did you know that Souta was my brother?" Kagome asked, her voice soft and soothing. Why was she being so nice to her?

"No! I swear! We met a few weeks ago, a few days after you attacked me. If I had known, I honestly would have run the other direction even though I really wanted to get to know him." Kagura answered, still shaking.

"This is in no way to try and come between Sesshomaru and myself again?" Kagome asked, her eyes searching Kagura's intently.

"No. After that day in Sesshomaru's office, I realized I wasn't strong enough to be his. I could never beat you, and I really don't want to die. I promise I won't try to steal him from you anymore." Kagura pleaded, almost pathetically.

All was quiet as Kagome looked at the demon beneath her. Needless to say, everyone was surprised when my little mate held out a hand to the trembling female; Kagura the most surprised out of everybody. Hesitantly, she grabbed Kagome's hand and stood to her feet.

"As long as you promise not to cause any problems and treat my brother right, I won't hurt you, nor will I allow Sesshomaru to do so either." Kagome stated, making me growl.

"As if you could stop me, Woman." I argued, narrowing my eyes as she waved her hand at me in dismissal.

"Shush, Big Boy. I know you're the big bad alpha." Kagome teased, making me growl again. Ignoring me, she grabbed Kagura's hand and pulled her to the table with all of the food.

"Yea, this needs to be explained." Souta said. I raised my eyebrow, wondering if I should tell him the truth or not.

An hour later, the history between Kagura, Kagome, and myself had been explained to a very surprised, but understanding, Souta. It was then that he asked if he could finally hold his niece or nephew. Kagome, of course, had no problem showing off her pups and, to Father's dismay, took Aimi from him and handed her to her uncle.

I could see Kagura looking at the pup in wonder and nervousness. While she had gotten used to Kagome's presence, she still hadn't gotten used to mine. I could see her flicking glances towards me, wondering when I was going to kill her.

I knew that if I didn't do something to help the poor female, I would have to deal with an angry Kagome later. Sighing, I took Ken'ichi from Sango and held him out for the wind demoness to take. She looked at me, surprised, before finally taking my son. She smiled down at the pup and Kagome's arms wrapped around my waist in a silent thanks.

I placed my hands over hers and looked over my family. We were an odd group, with lots of history, but we were still pack. It seemed every time we turned around, we were adding a new member. While the newest member would still be watched for a while, I had a feeling she would be accepted. It's funny how the things you least expect to happen are what actually happens.

-sSs-

Teaser: Chapter 18: Mothers: What happens when Kagome's mother shows up again? What happens when Izayoi has enough of the woman's interference in her daughter's life? Continue reading to find out.

I do not own InuYasha.