Inuyasha:

Changes

Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi

Story and OCs © Me

Summary- Yamako is having trouble coping with the twins.

"WAAAAAAAAAAHHH~!"

"Inuyasha, could you get Usagi, please?"

"I got her, I got her!"

Inuyasha sighed as he bent down and gently took baby Usagi in his arms, the infant wailing loud enough to wake the dead. She cried so loud and so hard, her face was as red as a ripe apple and beads of tears fell from her eyes. All Inuyasha could do to attempt to console her was gently bounce up and down in his arms and whisper soothing words in her black-tipped ears, hoping to assuage her.

"Shh, shh, it's okay," he murmured. "It's okay, Usagi."

As for Kagome, she was busy nursing Usagi's older twin sister, Izayoi, who quietly suckled from her mother's breast. During this time, Yamako, who was nearly six years old, tugged at his mother's hakama while looking at her with a longing expression.

"Mom," he called. "Mommy!"

"Not now, honey," Kagome answered. "I'm busy feeding baby Izzy."

"But Mommy, you said you'd play with me," said Yamako as he still tried to pull on his mother's pants.

"Yama, stop pestering your mother," said Inuyasha while he continued to try and console Usagi, who was still crying her eyes out. "Shh...it's okay, Usagi. It's okay...jeez, she cries almost as much as Yama does."

"Hey! I don't cry that much, anymore!" Yamako exclaimed, causing his older brother, Ichiro, to scoff as he walked by.

"Yeah, right," said Ichiro. "You were crying the other day about a teeny little mouse!"

"Well...it came outta nowhere," Yamako said with a pout.

"Daddy," Sanka said as she walked up to Inuyasha. "Can I hold Usagi? Maybe she'll stop crying if I hold her."

"Well, at this rate, I'll try anything," Inuyasha said in exasperation before he handed the wailing infant to his thirdborn daughter, who gently took Usagi into her arms, being careful to cradle her head, just as Kagome had taught her to do, and as if by magic, Usagi's caterwauling ceased until she was cooing softly.

"Good girl," Sanka praised, gently while her parents both sighed in relief.

"Finally," Kagome said before she soon laid Izayoi down in her basket, and Sanka soon tucked Usagi in next to her.

"So...can you come and play with me, now, Mom?" asked Yamako.

"Oh, honey," Kagome replied. "Maybe I can have a little nap first?"

"But...I wanna play, now," Yamako said with his ears drooping. "Please, Mom?"

"Yama, go play outside by yourself," said Inuyasha, gently yet sternly. "Your mother's exhausted and frankly, so am I."

"But...I want Mom to play with me," Yamako said.

"She'll play you after she has a rest," Inuyasha rebuked. "Now go on, go outside and take San with you."

Yamako pouted before he made a small, frustrated huffing sound and stomped out, prompting Sanka to follow after him as they both headed downstairs and out the door. Once they were outside, Yamako huffed and grunted and kicked away a pebble while Sanka sat on the stairs, watching her second older brother throwing something she liked to call a "quiet tantrum". She had seen him do it many times before, so that's just something she called it.

"What's wrong with you, Yama?" Sanka asked.

"Aren't you a little bit angry?!" Yamako questioned.

"Huh?" Sanka asked while tilting her head in perplexity. "Angry about what?"

"The twins!" shouted Yamako. "It's not fair! Ever since they showed up, all Mom and Dad care about are those two! Aren't you even a little bit mad at them?!"

"Not really," Sanka said. "I like to pay attention to them, too."

"Ugh~!" Yamako groaned. "Well, it's not like you'd understand. You're a girl just like them!"

"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Sanka.

Yamako growled, pinning his ears against his head...but then he sighed, casting his eyes down to the dirt.

"I just wanted Mommy to play with me," said Yamako, "but she was too tired...and then Dad made me go outside." He then sniffled a bit, feeling his eyes sting with tears. "Maybe I should just run away."

"Mommy and Daddy are just tired, Yama," said Sanka, worriedly. "It's not like they're trying to ignore you on purpose."

"She's right, y'know."

Yamako and Sanka both turned to see Ichiro, who was lounging against the trunk of a tree with his hands behind his head akin to the kind of pose their father would take.

"In fact, Yama, now you know how I felt," Ichiro said.

"What do you mean?" Yamako asked.

"When you were born," Ichiro began, "Mom and Dad were so busy with you, they hardly noticed me. It got even worse when San came around. I almost wanted to run away from home, too."

"Then...why didn't you leave?" asked Yamako.

"Because Dad made me realize I was needed here," said Ichiro. "What are my baby brother and sister gonna do without their big brother around? I mean, you might be a little annoying sometimes, and yeah, the twins can get a little annoying, too, but babies take a lot of work. Mom and Dad need all the help that they can get."

"...I don't know what I could do to help," Yamako muttered.

"Just be there," Ichiro answered. "Let the twins know that you're around so they can turn to you for help when they need it."

"...Like...how I turn to you sometimes, Ichi?" Yamako asked.

"Exactly," Ichiro smiled, causing Yamako to smile back at him, and even Sanka giggled a little.

"...I guess I was a little upset for a while, huh?" Yamako asked.

"It's okay to be jealous," Ichiro replied, "just don't let it get to the point where you feel like you're not wanted."

"Yeah, Yama!" Sanka exclaimed as she stood beside her second older brother. "I want you around!"

"And I want you around, too, even though you can be a crybaby, sometimes," Ichiro added. "And I'm sure Mom, Dad, and the twins want you around, too."

"...Wow...!" Yamako whispered, a feeling of warmth building up inside him, causing Ichiro to chuckle as he stood up, went over, and pulled his little brother into his arms. Sanka, not one to be left out, quickly wormed her way into the embrace, as well. Unfortunately, the tender moment between siblings was short-lived, for the sound of Usagi's familiar bawls filled the air, followed by Inuyasha groaning.

"Uh-oh..." Ichiro muttered. "Better go see if Mom and Dad need help."

XXX

"Ow! OW!" Kagome cried as Usagi pulled at her hair. "Usa, ouch! Let go of Mommy's hair!"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Usagi screamed.

"What's wrong with her this time?!" asked Inuyasha while he held Izayoi, who quietly sucked on her pacifier. "She just ate and she doesn't need a diaper change!"

"She's just fussy, Inuyash- AAAH!" Kagome cried as Usagi yanked at her hair, again. "Usagi, that is not nice! Stop it!"

Just then, Yamako came rushing in and looked up at Usagi, who suddenly stopped crying, causing Inuyasha and Kagome to gasp silently.

"...Oh, my god..." Kagome whispered in disbelief.

"Give her to me, Mom," Yamako said as he held out his arms, and, though hesitant, Kagome slowly bent down and carefully handed Usagi off to her second eldest son, who held the infant in her arms and gave her a gentle smile. Not long after, Usagi started to squeal and giggle as she wiggled her little toes, causing Yamako to laugh, too.

"She's laughing...!" Inuyasha said while Izayoi reached her hands out to Yamako, who held his arm out to her, next, prompting Inuyasha to hand her off to him. Soon, Yamako was holding both twins in his arms, being very careful not to drop them as he sat down on the floor.

Nearby, Ichiro and Sanka both smiled at their brother while Inuyasha gently ruffled Yamako's hair and Kagome kissed his cheek.

"Sweetheart, we are so proud of you, right now," Kagome said.

"I had a little help," Yamako said as he looked to Ichiro, who winked at him.

Review, please!