Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. I am not her

A/N: The chapters aren't gonna get much longer…if you really want to know why PM me and I'll tell you.

Chapter 6: Things get better…

She had been groped on more than one occasion (by a man that she had grown to see as a brother). She had walked in on a few "steamy" moments between Inuyasha and Kikyo. Hell, she had even been on a date with Hojo, and none of those things were nearly as awkward as trying to convince a baby that you really, truly, honestly could not breastfeed him.

"Stop that, Sesshomaru!"

She scolded, removing his small hand from the edge of her kimono, again hoping he would actually stop tugging on it this time. He didn't cry, which is what Kagome initially expected; he only blinked up at her in what she could only assume was annoyance before going for it again. She couldn't help but giggle; normally someone this persistent would have aggravated her, but she much preferred persistence to the overt hostility and aggressiveness she remembered from older Sesshomaru.

And he was just so CUTE!

"Okaa-san, little Sessho doesn't have teeth yet. What will he eat?"

Shippo's innocent question along with Sesshomaru nuzzling up against her had her blushing in no time. She ran her fingers through the baby's soft, silver hair, not able to be upset with him (and hoping to somehow distract him from his apparent hunger). Sesshomaru gurgled, content with the calming gesture and falling into a light sleep for the time being.

"I don't know, Shippo-chan…"

Kagome finally answered, coming back to herself a little. She ghosted her fingers over the baby boy's striped cheek; she felt another smile working it's way onto her face. She estimated (using her own assessment on his weight, length and muscle tone, and Shippo's insistence on knocking it down another month or two since youkai pups grew faster than human babies) that Sesshomaru was about two months old. Needless to say, the care she gave her son paled in comparison to her new charge.

Kagome stilled her ministrations as she felt the baby begin to squirm, having not thought that her light touches would be enough to wake him. Sesshomaru only cooed though, thankfully, staying asleep. He, in fact, leaned into her soft touch, wrapping one small hand around her much larger finger. Kagome giggled, kissing his small knuckles. She didn't know how long Sesshomaru was going to be a charge of hers or just how she was going to take care of him properly, but she slowly realized that she didn't care anymore. She ran her thumb over his tightly closed fist. She vaguely thought again about her Fate, her destiny; she thought about what the legendary miko had told her before she disappeared…she snorted. She only hoped for the sake of the Fates that Sesshomaru was a part of their little plan for her, because she was officially commiting herself to one task and one task only. She'd find a way to keep both the little boys in her care as happy and carefree as possible.

Fate could wait.

XXXXX

The inu general stood stock still, every synapse in his overworked brain now working overtime. Three days he had gone with enough evidence to prove that his son had fallen off the face of the earth ... he and his captor of course. No scent trail whatsoever was he given. He had been searching frantically for three days, only to have his son's scent re-appear. There was no better word for it. It was as if the large cloud that slunk lazily in front of the sun, stealing the warmth from the creatures of earth, had finally moved out of the damn way. He could smell his son again. His Sesshomaru.

The only thing that could possibly make this realization better was the fact that he, and the rather odd group he was traveling with that consisted of a human woman and another inu youkai, were headed straight for him.

At the pace of a snail, he also noted (at least, if you were to compare their pace to his only moments ago). No matter, he would just meet them half-way.

XXXXX

Kagome grimaced again at the sharp pain radiating from her chest, wishing that this accursed, horribly awkward day would just come to and end. She mumbled a few choice words, something about wishing the Kami would have thrown a bottle her way when they decided to drop a baby on her, but made sure to keep her voice low to avoid the ears of both Shippo, and her youngest passenger. Sesshomarau was in a deeper sleep now, having finally gotten what he wanted all along.

The pup didn't know just how lucky he was that there just so happened to be an herb that forced lactation.*

Kagome hid her sigh, making sure to wrap her arm around Sesshomaru, to ensure that he wouldn't be falling from the makeshift sling the elder village miko had also generously provided her with, as she bent down and brought her struck her flint stone next to the dry leaves. She called Shippo over to the growing fire, rolling out the blankets she had sewn together to resemble her old sleeping bag next. She hesitated, making sure he was seated properly, before gently handing him the sleeping pup.

"I'll be right back."

She whispered, pressing a kiss to his forehead. He nodded, not wanting any words of his to wake the baby in his lap, and also too tired to do much else. Kagome smiled at the picture they made, standing back to her full height. She erected a strong barrier around them before setting off into the outer circle of the clearing. She hoped that what little daylight remained was enough to find something for Shippo to eat.

It had become obvious to Toga that this woman was without a doubt NOT the one who had taken his son. And if she was, she was in the wrong line of work. He had been watching her since the sun began it's decent, hoping to make some sense of her to aid him when he finally revealed himself, but he still had not gathered one, sensical, thing. Since the elder boy was not his own, he had no choice but to assume that he was with her all along. He had humored the idea of her trafficking inu children from all the noble families, but the boy bore no markings, so the idea was quickly thrown out. She left the camp sight she had set up; his son now in the care of the older boy, and since it was obvious that the tike would not be able to protect himself or Sesshomaru if something dared to attack, he stepped out from his spot in the shadows.

Sesshomaru cooed, grabbing at the fingers of the boy who held him, before promptly slobbering all over them. Shippo giggled, fighting against the baby inu's surprisingly strong grip.

"Stop, Maru-chan."

Shippo had found the nickname not too long ago and stuck with it, because Sesshomaru was a bit of a mouthful. The baby flashed a toothless grin, more drool leaking from the corners of his mouth at the gesture. Gross, but entirely too cute.

"Stop right there!"

Shippo looked up with a gasp, craning his neck toward the sound of his mother's voice. She stood behind him with an arrow at the ready…pointing at something in front of him. Turning back around, he could (at first) only see the billowing fabric of the "something's" hakama. Looking up he realized just who this "something" was and why he was here.

"Okaa-san, he is Sesshomaru's Otou."

Kagome hid her surprise well, not displaying a bit of it on her face, as she released a bit of her strain on the bowstring. The man certainly looked the part…

A/N: Hello! Sorry this took soooooooo long (I really didn't think it would), but I promise you the next one will be up either tomorrow or in two days. After that though, they'll probably trickle down to once a week. I'm sorry! Oh, and sorry about the cliffhanger, but I had to write something that would make you come back (hopefully…?). I know this was a little slow too, but Kags and baby Sess needed bonding time! Anyway (and yes, I know I've said this before), next chapter the ball REALLY starts to roll. STICK WITH ME! Review Review Review! Even if you just wanna tell me to speed up!

* = hahaha sorry about the awkwardness. The idea was my cousins, and I kind of ran away with it. If you didn't find it as funny as me, feel free to tell me it was a failure.