Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. Only the story belongs to me.
Pairings: Inuyasha/OC, Sango/Miroku, Sesshoumaru/Kagome.
Follows: The Anime and movies.
"spoken" 'thought'
Special thanks to my betas PockyThief, Kiyota and Ethereal Siren.
Chapter 18: Birth of an heir
The last month of my pregnancy went by pretty quickly. Much faster than any previous months. For the last two weeks, Sesshoumaru had not left my side for more than a moment. It had gotten Jaken off of my back, but then again, I now had to deal with Sesshoumaru dictating my every move. I am still unsure which was worse.
Late one night, after he had returned, he told me he had heard her. He said as he was leaving Rin's room, he could hear her laughter. I couldn't help but smile at him, even if he couldn't see it as his gaze was focused on my stomach. I just hope that hearing her will help him to believe that she doesn't blame him, Rin wouldn't.
He doesn't think I see it, but I know he still blames himself for her death. Just like I see how he smiles every time the baby kicks. I've noticed that the more I am around him, the more I can see past his stoic, emotionless face. I would have thought that there would be subtle signs hinting at what he was thinking or feeling.
You know, crinkling of the forehead, lips drawn into a thin line, slight changes in the color of his eyes. But truthfully, there's nothing subtle about it. If he's mad, his face is hard, stone-like. If he's thinking about Rin sadly, his face is too calm, his eyes staring off at nothing. If it's a happy memory, his eyes shine brightly.
If he's dealing with Inuyasha, it's one eyebrow up, his expression clearly stating 'you've got to be kidding me'. Maybe it's just to me, but the expressions on his face clearly state what he is thinking or feeling. I really don't understand how he can be seen as emotionless, they're there, all you need do is look for them.
“It is almost time,” Kaede told me after walking back into the room and examining me. I give her a slight nod and smile before turning to glance back out of the window. If he doesn't hurry up, he's going to miss it. If only they hadn't decided today of all days to go hunting. Sango had left on Kirara the moment my water broke, but it doesn't look like she's going to get him back in time.
“Ye need to relax dear, he'll be here,” Kaede assured me with one of her grandmotherly smiles as she replaced the wet cloth on my forehead. Relax, she says. Why is it when ever someone tells you to relax, it's at a moment where that is the last thing you can do? Sesshoumaru said the same thing that first night, it didn't work than either.
“Where is she? Did we miss it?” I hear Inuyasha calling from out side, but a moment before the door was thrown open and he rushed in with Shippo. “Oh good, we didn't miss it,” Inuyasha said breathing a sigh of relief. Shaking my head no, I watched as Sesshoumaru walked in the room, a bit more slowly than the other two had.
“Alright, time to go. You can see her and the baby after,” Kaede instructed as she began to usher the boys out. With a pout, Inuyasha and Shippo allowed themselves to be removed from the room. As Kaede turned toward Sesshoumaru to send him out as well, he simply growled at her before beginning to make his way to the futon I was lying on.
Kneeling down next to me, Sesshoumaru took a hold of my hand with his own. “I will stay,” Sesshoumaru told her, leaving no room for argument. Kaede merely rolled her aged eyes at him before coming to check on me once again. Giving me a nod to let me know it was time, she knelt down on the edge of the futon, just as Sango entered the room.
“Good, ye have returned as well. Since he won't leave, Lord Sesshoumaru can deal with the cold compress. Ye get to help me,” Kaede explained and I had to force myself not to laugh at the expression on Sango's face. “Take a few deep breaths Kagome, we're almost ready to begin pushing. On the count of three. Ready?”
There are no words to truly describe watching someone give birth to your heir. It was a beautiful sight and at the same time, it wreaked havoc on my sensitive nose. The amount of blood leaving her fragile body, I was sure it would send me into a frenzy. I found myself having to concentrate on her face just to stop myself from attacking the elder miko.
But in the end, it was the most breathtaking thing I have ever seen. The moment the elder woman had placed my daughter into my arms, I could feel my lips turning up into what Kagome calls one of my 'real' smiles. A strange sensation for me, but the moment called for it. I watch as the two other woman wipe the sweat from their brow before turning to leave the room.
“Why don't you go show her to the others. I think I'm going to get some sleep,” Kagome told me a moment before she broke out into a large yawn and closed her eyes. After waiting a few moments to hear her breathing even out, I turned and headed to do as she had suggested. It was only a matter of time before Inuyasha and the others come running in anyways.
As I made my way out into the other room, all eyes turned to me - well, to the small bundle I was holding, at least. “Is Kagome okay?” Inuyasha questioned when he noticed she wasn't behind me. Does he truly believe she would be up and walking around that soon after birth? He must not know very much about the process.
“She is resting. This Sesshoumaru introduces and names the Heir of the West, Tomoko,” I informed them as I held my daughter up from them to see. From what could be seen of the small patches of hair on her head, she had inherited my white hair and while here eyes are blue at the moment, Kagome had informed me that it is common with humans, that they will take their real color later.
The group broke out in large grins as they looked the small bundle in my arms over. The only exception was Jaken, instead of smiling, he did something that I both had not been expecting and should have been. Lowering himself to his knees, Jaken bowed to the ground and within moments I could already smell his salty tears.
Glancing back down at Tomoko, I can not help but worry about her safety and that of her mother. I cannot always be here to protect them and though my half-brother had been doing alright so far, he hasn't had to deal with my enemies coming after them as well. I left them here because my castle wasn't safe, but now that it is, is it still the best plan to leave them here?
Later that night while mother and daughter were resting, with Jaken watching over them, I decided it was time to have a conversation with my half-brother. So while the other's were cleaning up after dinner, I pulled him aside and we left the hut to speak in private. “I will be asking her to be my mate,” I told him and was slightly surprised when he didn't seem to be.
“I won't stop you Sesshoumaru, not unless she asks me to, but don't make a decision like this right now. Take some time to think about it first. If you end up changing your mind, you'll only end up hurting Kagome. Make sure that this is what you really want, that you could live with having a human for a mate. Don't do this just to keep them safe, there are other options for that.”
Giving him a slight nod, I decide to head out for a walk. As strange as it sounds to me, he does have a point. Am I truly doing this as a way to keep them safe? I admit it is high on the list, but there must be other reasons. The calming effect their presence has on me, seeing my daughter grow instead only seeing it in tidbits and hearing about it from the priestess.
That sense of home and belonging I feel just being in Tomoko's presence, being able to see all of her firsts. Her steps, words, smiles, laughter. This isn't enough. Not to take the priestess as my mate. What would be the reasons to have her as my mate rather than just ask her to move into the castle? Can I really take the priestess as my mate, my equal?
I had just finished breast feeding Tomoko, much to the embarrassment of Inuyasha, Miroku and Jaken, when Sesshoumaru returned to the hut. We were all sitting around the table talking about days of old, laughing about the crazy things we did while collecting the shards. But all words stopped when he arrived, the expression on his face was so serious that it demanded our attention.
He seemed to take a deep breath before walking over to stand next to me. “This Sesshoumaru asks you to be his mate, Kagome,” he said so calmly that I thought perhaps I had heard things for a moment. But the sharp intake of breath around the table, informed me that I had in fact heard him correctly. Before I had the chance to respond, Inuyasha spoke up.
“What happened to you thinking about it first?” Inuyasha questioned and I shot him a look. Apparently he had known Sesshoumaru was going to ask. And he didn't think it would be a good idea to warn me? 'Okay Kagome, that is so not important right now. Deal with Inuyasha keeping quiet on that one later,' I told myself.
“I have, it is what I want,” Sesshoumaru replied glancing over at Inuyasha before turning his attention back to me. The others around the table kept switching their attention between Sesshoumaru and I, waiting to hear what my answer would be. As if I had any idea how to answer a question like that, especially with no warning.
“You don't have to do this Sesshoumaru. I can go back with you so you can spend time with your daughter without you losing the chance to get a mate you really want,” I insisted, deciding this must have been the reason behind him asking. Couldn't really blame him either. Besides, I would be more than happy to go with him, so I wouldn't lose anytime with Tomoko either.
“This is not so I can spend more time with my pup,” Sesshoumaru told me as he glanced down at her softly. “I wish to have my family together, where I can protect them and know they are safe. The reason for you staying here has been removed and my castle would be the best place for the two of you now.”
“We can still go without you having to waste that position on me. You should wait until you find someone special to be your mate, not choose me simply because we have a child together,” I insisted not willing to tie him down being mated to me when I'm sure he would come to regret it soon. Not simply just because he wants us where he can protect us.
“I already have,” Sesshoumaru replied and I swear I felt my heart stop. Once again he was showing off that gorgeous smile of his, his real smile, only this time it was directed at me.
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