Chapter 1 - Afterbirth
Kagome chewed the end of the pen, her concentration centered on the paper before her. The answers to the small questions on it, those were always the most difficult. Months, she had spent months preparing, knowing that this faced her eventually. Now that the day was here she was still confused. There were only three questions left. She stared down at the paper thinking through her answers. A small gurgle brought her attention to the small bassinet at her bedside. "So little one which shall it be, hmm? Kenmaru or Kenyasha? Kenyasha ... hmm ... That was your Uncle Souta's choice. It is close to your daddy's name. Yes, it is. I do like it but ... I think I like Kenmaru better." Quickly she wrote her son's name down in the correct box. "One down two to go." She told him. Her thoughts turned to the one box she dreaded, Father's name. She could lie and put unknown. But the idea of denying Inu Yasha's paternity of their son. No, she couldn't do that. Once again the scratch of the pen carefully filling in the box was heard. Family name. 'Lovely, just lovely' she thought. I could give you my family name Higarashi, but that's not right either. But then, Inu Yasha had no last name. Actually, she reminded herself, only damios or samurai had last names during the Sengoku Jidai. Finally giving up, lifting the remote she turned on the TV. Absently she flipped channels finally settling on anime. She hadn't seen this one before, something about a vampire princess, and demons. Wait. The word they were using for youkai, it was shinwa, myth... With a smile and mouthing arigatou to the TV, she filled in the final two boxes.
She had always been careful when filling out forms. Kagome read over the form to be sure everything was filled out. Baby's name: Shinwa, Kenmaru. Mother's Name: Higarashi, Kagome. Father's Name: Shinwa, Inuyasha. Mothers date of Birth. Father's date of birth, she had forgotten that.. Hmmm should she truthfully answer that one? She thought chuckling softly. Deciding that might not be such a good idea, she thought for a moment more. Inu Yasha... Inu Yasha... well he would definitely have been born in the year of the dog she decided. Western astrology, it was a favorite of Yuka's. Now what had she said about the personalities, a frown crossed her face. Finally she decided on March 22, 1970. With a nod congratulating herself on her own cleverness. An Aries Dog. Yes that was definitely Inu Yasha. Then she giggled, she'd made Inu Yasha eleven years older than she was. Well it was better than five hundred and sixty five, she had to admit. A knock on the door broke her out of her thoughts. Just as she was about to call out for whomever to enter, the door opened revealing her doctor and two others. "Hello Dr. Watanabe." She began to panic when the other two doctors went Kenmaru's bassinet and started examining his little ears.
"Shouldn't be too difficult, there is some musculature ..." one of the doctor's examining her son muttered. She turned to glare at the two.
"Kagome," Doctor Watanabe said gently drawing her attention back to him. "I was speaking with my colleagues. We feel that it would not be to difficult to give your little boy normal appearing ears." The gray haired doctor smiled gently sure that the young mother would be thrilled, "I know your insurance won't cover the cost completely but there are several organizations that.."
"No." The one word from her silenced him, "You will not touch my son's ears."
"Now Kagome, you don't want your son laughed at when he gets school aged..."
"Then I will home-school my son. The answer remains no. Dr. Watanabe, I do thank you for being concerned, but the Kami wanted my son's appearance to be this way. I will not challenge the will of the Kami." She said hoping the fact her family ran the sunset shrine would register with the doctor.
"I'm sorry you feel that way. I suppose I will just have to convince his father, one Shinwa Inuyasha."
"Keh, good luck finding him." She muttered glaring at the doctor as she lifted Kenmaru out of the bassinet and held him. Protecting him from those who wished him harm. Not realizing how much she had sounded like Inu Yasha in that moment.
"I see so the boys father deserted you before the birth." The doctor failed to notice the rolled eyes from the teen. "Where was the last place you saw him?"
'Should I truthfully answer?' she asked herself, chuckling at the thought of the doctor's response to, "In Edo five hundred years ago, being carried off by Kikyou's Shini-dama-chuu, to be dragged to hell." She settled for a very edited version, "Flying off to see his ex-girlfriend."
"Do you know where he was going?"
She sighed heavily, the man wasn't letting go of this bone. "I think the destination was hell," she snapped. "Look, Doctors, I absolutely, positively, without a doubt forbid any surgery on my son to change his ears!" She yelled at the three. Had Inu Yasha or any of her friends from the Sengoku Jidai been there they would have know it was time to back off.
"Miss Higurashi," One of the other doctor's tried. "With this surgery your son will not be exposed to the cruel ridicule, that his ears will cause. It is in his best interest if we surgically alter them."
"You wish to do what to his ears?" A silken voice asked drawing attention to the man at the door. His dark eyebrow was raised ever so slightly. The tasteful black wool pinstripe suit, with its classic styling emphasizing his GQ model frame. His silver hair trimmed neatly, his golden eyes glittering dangerously.
Kagome recognized the demon before her instantly. He may have concealed his markings, trimmed his poison dripping claws. He may even have tried repeatedly to kill her and Inu Yasha, but in this crazy situation he was the one she trusted. Climbing out of the bed she, carefully skirted the doctors to stand behind him. "Please," she begged softly, knowing he would hear. "Help me, Sesshomaru."