Atem sat at the river bank a few days later. Head tipped back, relaxed, he smiled at the feel of his pup's Yōkai gliding over his own. With Yōkai pregnancy only being four months, it had already grown enough for him to feel it, in just over a week and soon, his belly would grow, and he'd feel the pup move. Tears stung his eyes, thinking of the fact that, it should have been twin pups. That vicious bitch, Kagome, had gotten off lightly.

"Here you are!"

Startled, Atem wiped away his tears and looked up smiling warmly at his husband striding toward him. "Sorry, I just needed some air. Karim, Mahad and Isis are only here an hour, but dear Ra, their fussing has already taken a toll."

Barking a laugh, Inuyasha dropped down next to him, and dropped his head, nuzzling his throat. "That'll explain, Kaede. She set them to work to keep them busy and so they'd "stop fretting over expecting mothers who aren't invalids!" as she put it."

Laughing himself, Atem cuddled into his mate's warmth. "Is Shippō still asleep?"

"Snoozing away. Kaede took a look at him." Inuyasha grinned. "He's gaining weight and his Yōkai has hugely improved. Another couple of weeks and he'll be able to survive off a raw diet."

Atem beamed happily, expression growing fond. "I've noticed he's calling me mama more and more. On occasion, I've heard him refer to you as papa."

Inuyasha startled. "Seriously? I…Well…I'm honoured he'd see me that way."

He truly didn't see how good of a father he already was and would continue to be once their pup was born. A burst of desire flooded Atem's body and smiling demurely, Atem shifted, until he was straddling Inuyasha's lap and nuzzling Inuyasha's cheek. "Mate of mine, it's been days since you touched me."

Blood heating, his cock filling, Inuyasha nipped suggestively at Atem's jaw. "Oh yeah, well how awful of me. In my defence, we've had no privacy, and I don't think you'd appreciate me gutting anyone for seeing you naked."

Chuckling, Atem arched into hands that had begun to wander. "True, but this area is secluded…the village residents tend not to venture here."

"Thank Kami for that," Inuyasha groaned, a second before he rolled Atem onto his back.

Breathing hard, Inuyasha yanked down his mate's Hakama, reaching to undo his Fundoshi, even as Atem attacked his own clothing. Hungry kisses intermingled, between starved growls, their demons rippling beneath the surface and when Atem's hands closed around his raging hard-on, he barked a guttural curse.

"Inside me!" Atem snarled. "You will cum inside me!"

Oh, he was all over that. Another bruising kiss and Inuyasha moved between his husband's shapely thighs. With one thrust he was buried to the hilt; hands gripping the smaller Demon's ass, lifting him slightly. Atem's eyes rolled at the blissful fullness and the angle had delicious shocks running through his entire body. Legs wrapping around Inuyasha, he rolled his hips with each thrust, arms tossed above his head as the bigger Demon thoroughly marked him.

"Mine!" Inuyasha growled lowly, eyes bleeding blue and red.

Atem moaned, eyes shifting to solid black. His own Demon responding. "Yours!"

Yes! It felt so good! With a snarl, Inuyasha roughly moved Atem. The smaller Demon grunted but didn't protest at being suddenly shoved on all fours. Nor when Inuyasha forced his upper body down by the nape, before plunging back inside. Instinct had completely taken over, the pair rutting with a violent need that would scare a human.

Hand pressed to Atem's middle, Inuyasha growled happily. "Pup…My pup!"

"Y-Yes!" Atem purred, blissed out from the domination, his Demon positively giddy. "Harder! Need your knot!"

Inuyasha picked up the pace, sliding in and out of Atem's slick wetness and when his knot began to swell, he shuddered at the feel of it catching until finally they were tied. Atem groaned as he spilled all over the grass, the hot rush of Inuyasha's seed pouring into him, leaving his body trembling.

When Atem sank to the ground, Inuyasha followed, careful not to tug too much. He lapped at Atem's shoulder, over his mating bite, his hips jerking every now and again to empty more seed.

Returned to his senses, Atem chuckled. "If I wasn't already pregnant, I certainly would be after this."

Inuyasha grinned, nipping playfully, eyes back to their vivid amber. "We're insanely compatible. Fuuuuuck!" Another rush of seed and the Hanyō sighed with relief when his knot went down. Carefully, he untangled them and helped Atem to the water to wash up before both redressed.

"I'd say the squirt is up and being a menace," Inuyasha commented, as he fixed his Hakama.

"Like any lively kit," Atem chuckled.

Together, they made their way back to the village. They had barely set foot within the boundaries of it, when Isis, Karim and Mahad descended.

"Atem!" The three said in unison, each apologising rapidly.

Atem burst out laughing. "It seems, Kaede's words left a lasting impression. Have we gotten it out of our system?"

The three flushed with embarrassment. "Forgive us, Atem." Mahad said, the cat Demon fiddling with his tunic. "Your pup will be the first Jackal Demon born in decades. It's a miracle."

Atem understood that. He was the last of his species and now the child in his womb would change that. The fact the pup was a purebred Jackal Yōkai was pure luck. A miracle as Mahad had stated. The pup could have easily been a Hanyō Jackal, a Hanyō Inu, a mix of the two, or a pure form of either. Though a pure form of an Inu Yōkai would be absolutely miraculous, considering Inuyasha was a half demon.

"All is well, Mahad," Atem promised. "The pup will be born in a matter of weeks and will be perfectly fine."

"Mama!"

Everyone jumped at the excited shout, and chuckled when the whirlwind named Shippō sprang by them and into Atem's arms. Beaming down at the kit, Atem nuzzled his little face. "Hello, little one…sleep well?"

"Uh huh! And guess what? Papa says he'd take me hunting when I woke!" Stiffening, Shippō's gaze snapped toward a stunned Inuyasha, realising to his horror, he had called him Papa out loud! "I…I…"

"Oh?" Atem said, glancing toward Inuyasha. "Is that so, papa?"

Shaking himself, Inuyasha grinned toothily and nodded. "Yup! Come on squirt! Papa is gonna show you how to hunt rabbits, while your mama spends time with his companions."

Cheek's flushing, green eyes filling at the easy acceptance, Shippō scrubbed them away and jumped from Atem's arms, landing gracefully on Inuyasha's shoulder. "O-Okay papa! Let's go!"

X.x.X-I-N-U-Y-A-S-H-A/A-T-E-M-X.x.X

Kouga stalked through his territory, Ginta and Hakkuku hurrying to keep up. It had been days since he severed his claim to Kagome and ever since, he'd been locked in a rage that just didn't want to leave. Now, to add to the bullshit, someone had been stealing from their stores for Winter. He had sent several of his pack to find the culprit, but none had been able to catch them and from the scent, they weren't a human. So, he was taking the matter on personally.

"Boss, the scouts this morning found blood this time," Ginta told him, jogging up to his left side. "One of the sentry wolves obviously managed to get a bite in."

"Maybe," Kouga responded, nose taking tentative sniffs. "Definitely would slow them down…I can smell them…they're hiding."

Slowing down, signalling for his seconds to stay quiet, Kouga followed what he was smelling. Blood and fear. There was something also…familiar…about the scent, but the wolf couldn't place it. A rustle had his head snapping around. Pointed ears twitching, he caught the telltale thump of a frantic heartbeat. They weren't just scared, they were terrified.

Kouga approached as cautiously as he could and stepping through the brambles and green, the wolf Demon came up short, blue eyes widening in shock.

Their thief was a Hanyō, one that looked barely sixteen years for a human, but was possibly much older. He was tiny, not surprising since he was clearly a submissive, with red, black, and blonde hair pulled up in a messy tail. A tattered Kimono barely covering him and what flesh Kouga could see beneath grime and bruises was moonlight white. Large eyes stayed locked on him, the colour of amethyst gemstones and stood erect from his skull were the most shocking thing. A pair of inky black Jackal ears! He was a Jackal Hanyō! A submissive Jackal Hanyō!

Blue eyes running over him, Kouga saw immediately why he wasn't running. The sentries had gotten their teeth into his right leg, bad enough to rip open the calf muscle and break the bone. Depending on how fast he healed and how strong his Yōkai was at present, it could be a few hours to a few days of healing.

Carefully, Kouga crouched, hands up. "Easy…Easy…No one's gonna hurt you. You got a name?"

Ears twitching, those vivid purple eyes moved to Ginta and Hakkuku, before settling back on Kouga. Tongue lapping at dry lips, the boy rasped. "Y-Yugi. My name is Yugi."

Grinning in triumph, Kouga gestured to himself. "I'm Kouga, leader of the Northern Demon Wolf tribe. These are Ginta and Hakkuku, my seconds."

Bruised face paling, Yugi whimpered and tried desperately to get upright, mumbling apologies. When his eyes suddenly rolled and he went limp, Kouga caught him before he hit the ground. He was tiny. Tinier than any female he had ever been around. Tiny even for a submissive male. Standing with the Hanyō, he stepped out of the bush, grimacing when it only brought his injuries up in stark relief.

"A Jackal Hanyō?" Hakkuku gasped in surprised. "Didn't you tell us, Inuyasha's new mate is the last of his kind?"

"He's supposed to be." Kouga grunted, fixing Yugi in his grip. "Doesn't mean some illegitimate pups didn't sneak through. He has some Egyptian in his features, but there's definitely mostly Japanese. We better bring him to Aya. We need to get his injuries seen to before we do anything else."

"You gonna bring him to Inuyasha?" Ginta asked.

Kouga nodded his head. "Muttface was heading to Kaede's village. With his mate pupped, he's probably still there. We'll head that way, soon as Yugi is healed."

In his arms, the half Jackal Demon burrowed in closer and for the first time in days, Kouga's rage melted away.

X.x.X-I-N-U-Y-A-S-H-A/A-T-E-M-X.x.X

Inuyasha thought he would avoid it, but no, the Royal bastard was in the village. No doubt having gotten wind of the stunt Kagome had pulled. When he returned from hunting with Shippō, he was waiting with Atem, Rin happily playing about his feet. The rest of their group making themselves scarce clearly.

"Lord Inuyasha!" Rin cried, running toward him, elated to see him. "We came to visit my Lord!"

"Hey, squirt!" Inuyasha greeted. "That's great…Hey, why don't you and Shippō go play? I need to talk to Sesshōmaru…. We'll call you when dinner is ready."

"Yes, Lord Inuyasha!"

Watching the two scarper off, Inuyasha carried the rabbits they had caught and sparing a brief glance for his brother, he bent and kissed his mate, hand pressing over his belly. Sesshōmaru was amused by the display and also warmed by it. Despite their father's interference, it was clear it worked out for the best.

Amber eyes lifting, Inuyasha grinned. "We're seeing each other too much Sesshōmaru."

"Indeed, little brother." Sesshōmaru responded. "I heard an intriguing rumour and came to investigate."

"We dealt with it," Inuyasha grumped. "Kagome got what she deserved for killing our pup."

Sesshōmaru's expression immediately went from cool, to righteous fury, his body stiffening. "She did WHAT?!"

Inuyasha startled, tugging Atem behind him. "Isn't that what you meant?"

"I was referring to the announcement of a pup I received from that irritating Wolf, Kouga!" Anger draining, Sesshōmaru looked between them both. "The pup is gone?"

"One of them," Atem replied softly. "I was carrying twins when that monstrous bitch used those beads, while Inuyasha was holding me…Once I was well, I had her remove them and dealt with her accordingly."

"The Miko is dead?"

Atem barked a laugh. "Oh, she'll wish she was. I'm a reaper, Lord Sesshōmaru. I control the outcome and if that means leaving her in a realm of death where no matter how much pain…or injury, she can't die…well, it isn't that hard of a task."

Sesshōmaru actually laughed. Not something he often did, but he couldn't help it. The tiny submissive was vicious. It was delightful. "And the other pup, they're healthy?"

"They're perfectly fine," Inuyasha said proudly. "A pure Jackal Yōkai, before you get pissy."

Sesshōmaru mentally winced. Yes, he deserved that. "Irrelevant, little brother. Any pup will be a blessing to our family."

Inuyasha was shocked, because he knew his brother was being genuine and after so many decades of wanting a proper family, he could scarcely believe he was getting one. Grinning toothily, he held up the rabbits. "For that, you're staying for dinner!"