Inuyasha pressed himself against the trunk of the tree, clutching a small bundle in his arms.  He watched as men with torches passed beneath him, unaware of the half demon above their heads.

When the last man passed from sight the bundle moved and gave a soft, plaintive wail.  Inuyasha looked down in horror.  “Sh… don’t cry.  Don’t cry… I’m here,” he whispered, holding the bundle to his chest.  He took a deep breath and jumped from the tree and away to some place safer for his precious cargo.  He had to get out and away before he was found and his treasure taken.

She smiled at him.  Her cheeks blushed a deep scarlet.  In her hand she held the completed Shikon no Tama.  “I want you to have it.”

“You keep it,” he replied quietly.

She stared up at him in surprise.  “Don’t you want to become a full demon?”

He stared at her for a long time, drinking in the sight of her form.  “I learned long ago that it’s not someone I want to be,” he breathed.

She blinked up at him, having a hard time focusing her thoughts.  “Then why did you stay?”

“I think you know, Kagome,” he whispered.  He took a step forward and wrapped his arms around the nervous girl.  “Stay with me, here.  Please?”

She wiggled in his grasp, trying to look up into his face.  “Stay?”

He rested his head on her shoulder, still holding her close.  “ I can’t lose you.  You are my home.  You make me a man I can live with.”

She relaxed in his embrace, her heart still pounding excitedly.  “Inuyasha, what are you saying?”

“I want to live with you… forever.”

 “Forever…” he mused kneeling beside the babbling stream.  He looked down at the bundle he held.  His haori was a bloody mess and inside the haori was… “Hello there,” he smiled at the golden eyed newborn that stared up at him.  

The child opened its mouth and squalled, revealing a pair of tiny fangs.  

Inuyasha looked around nervously.  He pulled the infant to his chest and placed a finger in its mouth.  The baby instinctively suckled at his finger.  “I know you’re hungry… I don’t have anything to give you yet.  I wish… your mama could be here.”  He caressed the side of the child’s head, still bloody from childbirth.  Carefully he wet his fingers in the stream and began to clean the child.

She wrapped her arms around him, her embrace warm and tender.  “Yes.”

He picked her up, holding her tight.  He never wanted to let her go.  She was his now… she had said so.  “I’ll take care of you… we can make a home somewhere… together.”  He swung her around and pulled away slightly to look down at her.  “You’ve made me the happiest man alive.”  Her eyes seemed to tug at his.  He closed his eyes and brushed his lips against hers.  Her breath caught and he delicately tasted her lips.  They were warm and sweet.  Her tongue surprised him.  They stood there for several minutes as time stood still and they became the only two in existence.  And then she whispered those words… the ones that made his heart flip around in his chest and race like the wind.  

“I love you.”

He took her that night, beneath the stars.  Her beautiful, warm body wrapped around his so tightly.  Her scent filled his mind and soul as he completely shared himself with another being for the first time.   It was actually a bit messy with plenty of mistakes, but that didn’t matter to him.  What mattered was being with her… giving freely a part of himself he had never explored before.

Afterwards they lay gasping in one another’s arms, slick with sweat.  The glow in her eyes made his heart ache with something no one could take from him.  It resonated deep within him.

She had been fertile.  He knew, but she didn’t ask, so he didn’t tell her.  

That morning he woke and she was gone.

There was nowhere he could search for her scent.  It permeated from his own body, overwhelming his senses.   For the first time he was lost.

With his gentle cleaning he discovered the child was a girl.  He hadn’t known the gender of his little passenger… at the time it didn’t matter.  All he could do was take the child and run… run as far and as fast as he could.  

The umbilical chord was still attached.  He knotted it off.  

The infant cried, discovering the finger offered to her wasn’t filling her belly.  He wrapped the wailing child in his haori… the blood stains already fading.  “You need a name,” he said softly.  “I don’t know what your mama meant to call you…”

The tiny infant cried at the injustices of the world… a world where hungry babies weren’t fed in a timely manner.  

Inuyasha dipped his fingers in the stream and dribbled droplets of water into the child’s mouth.  “I wish your mama was here,” he whispered again… not the first or the last time.  He thought about his mate for a moment, allowing a single tear to escape his eye.  He sniffled, cradled the infant in his arms and stood, hoping Kaede’s village would be safer.  He could at least feed the little one whose life was now in his hands.  “Kaede-baba will know what to do…” he breathed.

The child stopped crying and looked up at the focus of her life so far.  Aside from the fact that he wouldn’t feed her… he did keep her warm and his voice was soothing.  It had a timbre she recognized.

“What?  You like that idea?” he looked down at the newborn.  

A week passed with no sign of Kagome.  Inuyasha was overly agitated.  He paced the village like a caged animal.  He revisited the place he had first slept with his mate.  The scents were all old and mingled with odors of others who had passed through.

Finally word came in the form of a messenger.  “What does it say?” Inuyasha asked, nearly falling over the others who also eagerly awaited the news.  Shippou squealed at the bottom of the pile of bodies that vied to be close to Kaede and the letter.

Kaede studied it gravely.  “It’s from a warlord from the north… Tateyama.  He offers Kagome in return for the completed Shikon no Tama.”

“The bastard,” Miroku breathed.  “You’ll go and get her back, right Inuyasha?”

Inuyasha stood, staring at them.  “My mate was stolen for… this?”  He pulled the Shikon no Tama from his haori.

“You have it?” Kaede breathed.

“She gave it to me… I don’t want to use it.”

“We can’t just hand over the jewel, it’s too dangerous,” Sango stated.

“Agreed,” Miroku nodded, absently playing with his healed right hand.

“I’ll go alone,” Inuyasha breathed.

“Why?” Shippou demanded.

“I know you are all worried about her, but this is my fight.  She’s my mate.  I’m the one with the jewel.  I should be the one to go retrieve her.”

“And what is your plan?  Waltz in like that?  Half demon on the rampage?” Miroku frowned.

“What’s wrong with the way I am?”

“If Kagome is held ransom, there will be guards.  I’ve heard of this Tateyama.  He’s from an older family.  He knows what he’s doing.  His men are no doubt trained to kill their hostage if their demand is met with hostility.”

“What do you suggest?”

“Something more subtle.”

Inuyasha jumped down from the rooftop and opened the door to the hut.  “I’m back.”

He was met with surprised looks from a retired demon slayer and her husband, the resident monk.

“Where’s Kaede-baba?”

“She’s out… Where have you been?” Sango asked, moving to intercept Inuyasha and the bundle he held.

“Things got… complicated.”  He made a face as Sango investigated his cargo.

The baby gave a soft wail, bringing Miroku to his feet.

“It’s a baby,” Sango said, lifting the newborn into her arms.  

“Where did you get a baby?” Miroku asked.

“She’s mine and Kagome’s,” Inuyasha breathed, watching Sango pass the child to Miroku so she could find something to make the baby comfortable.

“Inuyasha… where is Kagome?” Miroku asked, tenderly holding the newborn.

Inuyasha reached out to take his child back from the monk.  His face held no emotion.  “They killed her.”

“Killed her?  Why?” Miroku asked, his face looking like it was ready to break.

Sango dropped the blanket she had found, staring at Inuyasha in shock.

Inuyasha stared down at the little one, his eyes clouding for the first time with unrestrained tears.  He closed his eyes and let them fall down his cheeks.  “They killed her.”

A woman with long black hair stood at the gate of Tateyama’s castle.  “I come to offer my services as a handmaiden,” she said in a voice a little too nasal and hollow.

“Why do you come at night?” the guard asked.

“I have traveled all day.  Please let me in…”

“Come back in the morning…”

“I come from the girl, Kagome’s village.”

The men at the gate whispered amongst themselves.  A runner was sent and returned.  “You may enter.”

The woman was led into a large room.  A man sat idly on a dais.  “What news?  Does the girl’s village agree to the price set on her head?”

The woman paled a bit.  “No, Lord, they do not.”

The man nodded thoughtfully.  “You may go.”

“The girl…?”

“She is none of your concern.”

“Forgive me, my lord.  We have been friends since childhood.  It would not do for her to die away from home without some friendly face…”

The lord gave the woman a hard glare.  “You speak out of place, woman.”

“I… offer my services as her companion and servant.”

The lord regarded her thoughtfully.  “You would do that?  Perhaps… guards, bring this girl to her new mistress.”

The guards obeyed, pulling the woman away.  She was led down several corridors before stopping at a door.  It slid open and the woman was pushed into a dimly lit room.

A rustle and movement came from the bed as the door closed.  “Who’s there?” someone asked.

“It’s me,” the newcomer replied, making their way to the futon.

“Me?”

Another lamp was lit and the woman stared at the one in the bed.  “It’s new moon… but I thought you would know me regardless.”

“Inuyasha!” the other whispered, wrapping around the gender bending dog demon.  “How did you get here?  Why are you in a kimono?  Where is everyone?”

“I’m here to help you, although looking at this place…” he glanced around.  “May be tougher than I thought…”

“Inuyasha,” she moaned, resting her head on his shoulder.  “They forced me to… I didn’t want to, but they… It hurt.  It wasn’t like with you.  I feel so… shamed.”

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, pulling her down to lay beside him on the futon.  “I won’t let them touch you again.”

Inuyasha sat in a dark corner of the hut, feeding his child.  He had refused to allow anyone to breastfeed the baby girl.  Instead he opted for milk in a pouch-like contraption with a hole in it the baby could suckle at.  He added a few drops of his own blood to the life giving liquid.

Miroku made a face.  “Why did you add blood?”

“The child is part demon.  Her body needs certain… elements to help her grow strong.  Kagome’s body would have been prepared for this… but I have to make due with what I’ve got.  My blood will suffice.”

Miroku could only stare at the hanyou feeding his offspring.  “How do you know that?”

Inuyasha shrugged.  “Instinct, I guess.  I just know she needs me to help her become strong since her mama isn’t…” he let off with a sigh and stared dully at the ground.

“Did you get to spend any time with her before they…?”

Inuyasha nodded.  “They believed I was a servant girl… let me stay in her room the whole time.”

“Did they wonder about her pregnancy?”

The dog demon shook his head.  “She had been… violated before I got there.  We let Tateyama believe the child was… his.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.  I know how much you… you must have been pissed.  Then what happened… when he found out…?”

The baby began to fret in her sleep and Inuyasha cradled her tiny body against his shoulder.  “It’s alright… I’m here.”

“It’s alright… push,” he whispered.

Kagome strained in obvious pain.  She dug her nails into Inuyasha’s hand as she pushed.  She cried out and flopped back on the ground.  “I can’t… I can’t… it hurts.”

Inuyasha gave the guards a nervous glance.  Luckily it was new moon so he didn’t have to hide his hair.

Kagome had gone into labor late that night, taking him by surprise.  He barely had time to comfort her and cover his male body when the guards came in, hearing the moans.

The midwife was fetched and she got to work, ordering everyone around.  She gave Inuyasha an appraising look that made him feel uncomfortable.

He had lived the past eight months as a female, trying to find his chance to get Kagome away from the palace.  He had managed to stave off Tateyama’s sexual advances on Kagome, claiming that her pregnancy was difficult.  To the hanyou’s relief the lord backed off.  Apparently a child from the Great Miko was worth something to him.

Inuyasha had spent his days lurking around the palace, trying to find a way out.  There were wards everywhere, making escape impossible.  Tateyama seemed to be prepared.  The dog demon resigned himself to caring for his mate under the pretense that he was a female friend.  He managed to stay away from the lord and his men, hoping they wouldn’t notice the obvious flaws in his disguise.  He covered his hair with a scarf except on new moon.  He cast his eyes down so they couldn’t see the gold color.  It was difficult but he managed to be discreet for once in his life.  He had to be if he wanted to stay with Kagome.  He slept with her at night.  They often made love in silence so no one would hear them.  Afterwards they would snuggle in each other’s arms, wondering how they would get out of the mess they were in.

Kagome’s belly got big as the months progressed.  Inuyasha could smell the baby demon’s influence on its mother.  Subtle things like blood scent reassured Inuyasha that the child was his own.  Kagome had been worried.  He was quick to comfort her.

Tateyama started to allow certain privileges, believing he would soon be the father of a powerful child.  Kagome was dressed in rich robes and offered more servants, but she declined.

With a final scream from Kagome the baby was brought into the world.  The midwife went pale and backed away.  Tateyama pushed forward.  He stared at the wailing infant with a hard look on his face.  “Foul slut… WHORE!  THIS is what you give me?”  He lifted the child and tossed it onto Kagome’s chest so she could see.  

Kagome’s eyes went wide, staring at the white haired child with pointed ears.

“Kill them,” the lord breathed, turning away in disgust.

Inuyasha put himself between his family and the guards.  “Don’t touch them!” he snarled.

“Inuyasha!” Kagome cried out in alarm, holding their baby.

Tateyama turned to regard the servant who seemed to have a masculine voice.  “You… You’re… I’ve heard of you, except I heard that you were demon.”

Inuyasha made a face.  “You violated my mate, for that I am going to kill you.”

The lord laughed.  “You really think you can defeat me?  You’ve been here eight months and you can’t even find your way out of my palace.  What makes you think you can just leave after you avenge your slut’s…”

Inuyasha wouldn’t let him talk about Kagome like that.  In a heartbeat his hands were on the man’s throat, crushing his windpipe.  “You should have kept your hands to yourself!”

Tateyama made a wet gurgling noise before his lifeless body was thrown to the floor.

Kagome screamed.   Her mate had just enough time to turn around and see a sword come down and… His world went dark.  An inhuman cry filled the room as he fought his way through the guards.  He managed to pull the wailing newborn into his arms before he crashed through the wall.  He ran, feeling the wards tear at his very soul.  They hurt like death itself, but it didn’t compare to the pain in his heart.  He passed the last ward and pulled off the woman’s kimono he wore.  He found his clothes where he stashed them months prior in a tree and hastily dressed, covering the naked newborn with his haori.

He ran until his strength gave out and he hid.  The sun rose and he regained his form to run some more.

“Papa!” the young voice cried as a small figure launched itself at the white haired demon.

“Kagome-chan,” he smiled, extracting himself from the child’s embrace to pick her up and set her on his shoulder.  

“Did you bring me anything?” she asked, trying to wiggle down.  

“Were you good for your Uncle Miroku and Aunt Sango?”

“Of course I was,” the girl giggled, staring at her father like an innocent angel.  

Inuyasha laughed.  He KNEW his daughter could be a terror if she wanted to be.  In many ways she took after her father.  But she also took after her mother, reminding him constantly of his mate.  He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a small bunch of wildflowers.

“Pretty!” the girl squealed, crushing the blossoms to her chest.

They made their way to the village.  The little girl ran on ahead as her father paused before a grave.  His mate’s body had arrived shortly after his escape.  It had been desecrated but nothing could stop the relief he felt for having her earthly remains back with him.  The village burned her, honoring her.

The toughest part had been the pilgrimage to her family in the future.  He didn’t know what to expect when he brought some ashes and the child.  Her family didn’t want to believe she was gone, but one look at the miserable dog demon made them accept the truth.  They offered to let him and the child stay, but he refused.  He promised to bring Kagome’s child back as often as he could.  They added his name to the family registry and helped him name the child.

Higurashi Inuyasha placed a small bouquet of blossoms on the grave.  He sighed and moved away.  It was getting late.  His child needed to be fed and bathed.

“Papa?” the little girl came back to retrieve her slow father.  “We’re going to sleep outside tonight, right?  You promised!”

“I know, I know…” he sighed, picking her up again.

“In a tree this time?”

He rolled his eyes in mock uncertainty.  “I don’t know if you’re ready for the tree yet…”

“Papa!  I’m ready!  You promised.”

“Darn,” he scowled.  “I guess we’ll have to sleep in a tree.”  He pretended to be defeated.

“Yay!” The girl cried, squirming down and rushing to the hut.

“You know you spoil her,” Miroku remarked coming up beside the dog demon.

“I just want her to be as carefree as her mother was.”

Miroku nodded thoughtfully.  “The Shikon no Tama is still safe, isn’t it?”

The dog demon nodded.  “It’s safe.”

“You swallowed it, didn’t you?”

Inuyasha looked away, unwilling to meet Miroku’s eyes.

“Your hair is getting gray and your eyes… you’re becoming human, aren’t you?”

“At first it was to hide the jewel from Tateyama.  But then after Kagome… I began to form a wish.” 

“You knew you couldn’t use the power to bring her back so you decided to follow her to the land of the dead.”

Inuyasha turned to stare at the ex-monk.  “How do you know that?”

Miroku shrugged.  “I know you, Inuyasha.  I know how much you loved her.  I know how hard it is for you to stay behind and raise your child on your own.  You’re restless spirit wants to follow.”

“But I can’t until I finish my duty…”

Miroku nodded silently.  

They watched the young girl tag around Sango, her excitement evident in her bouncy nature.  “Guess what, Auntie Sango?”

“I wish… things could have been better for her.”

Miroku stared at the dog demon.  “For Kagome or the little one?”

Inuyasha stared dully at the ground, unsure how to answer.  “Yes…” he finally whispered, pulling his eyes up to look at the small one he had helped create.  The child bounced into his arms.  He gave a small smile and held her close.

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