Brief Note: I apologize to all my readers. I have been gone more than a year and that is unacceptable. I went through a lot of personal drama and that affected my life greatly. Thank you to all of those who have stood by patiently waiting. I am back and working on this fiction and others. Sincerely, Fireflycross

The young man leaned against the brick wall and spoke quietly into the tiny cell phone.

"I did it."

"Excellent, now our family won't have to suffer the humiliation of being poor." Came the reply.

"Her father has shown up." The young man said slowly.

"Sesshoumaru?"

"Yes."

"Fuck!" The young man flinched and shifted his weight.

"I'm sure this won't screw up the situation, Sir."

"Do you?" The voice was sarcastic. "Be sure that it doesn't or you will find that you and yours will be outcast from this family."

He paled considerably, leaning over and pinching his nose with his thumb and forefinger.

"You need to bring the girl to our own territory, we'll be better equipped to control the situation as it develops."

"Yes, Sir."

"That is all." And the line went dead.

Nakia awoke feeling strangely sick.

"What the fuck did I drink to much?" She murmured to herself.

She swung out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. Being on her feet seemed to make the nausea worse. She closed the door and sat on the closed toilet with her head in-between her legs. That seemed to make it subside. Nakia sucked it up enough to get the shower going and wash. By the time she was back into her shared room the nausea was raging enough to make her go back to bed.

Maruchi knew there was something wrong with Nakia. It wasn't something he could smell, see or touch. He just felt it, the only way a twin can feel and know things.He tapped lightly on her door. She had slept in later than usual and he had sent her boyfriend away so she could rest.There was no answer so he gently opened the door and eased it shut after he slid through. He couldn't spot any part of her anatomy.She must've been buried way beneath the sheets. He sat on the edge of the bed pulling the sheets away from where he thought her head would be.

"Naki?" He murmured discovering her face. For a moment he hoped his daughters looked like her. She had such a sweet face, their mother's face.

"Maru?" Her eyes fluttered open.

"Are you ok?" He asked, he knew that she would lie.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" She slowly sat up.

He frowned at her. "Don't lie Naki, it doesn't become you."

She frowned and pulled her knees up to her chin. Then, she started crying. All he felt was her pain.

"What should I do?" She sobbed quietly.

He was happy she wasn't like other girls who coughed and hacked when they cried. She cried quietly, sniffling here and there with the tears sliding silently down her pale cheeks. He sighed knowing an abortion was out of the question. The real question was whether or not she should marry the father of her pup. Maruchi could admit that he didn't like the punk. That British family wasn't honorable and had long lost any respect they once held among the clans that had remained in Japan.

"Naki?" She wiped her nose on her sleeve and turned to face her twin. Her liquid amber eyes almost made him wish he didn't have to tell her what was on the tip of his tongue.

Almost.

"We have intelligence about Jamie's family." He started slowly. "He's after money, Naki. Since his family fled feudal Japan, they've lost their fortune. You know that they are distantly related to us, but when they ran off they lost any ties they had with our clan. They'll get money any way they can. We're very wealthy, Naki, and I know this is hard for to accept but you have to."

She was quiet for a long time. Just staring at the wall watching the light from the window dance across it.

"How long do you think I have, before Mom and everyone else can spell it?" She asked finally.

"A couple of weeks maybe."

"What if I go away until the pup is born..?" The answer lingered in the air, but they both knew that would never happen. It was wrong to give up a child just because one wasn't prepared.

"You've made your bed, Naki." Maruchi shrugged. "It's up to you whether to be grown up enough to lay in it."

Nakia and Maruchi sat down at the table quietly in front of their parents. It was Nakia's responsibility to tell them, Maruchi was only there for support.

"Mom." Nakia decided she would more or less ignore her father since he had only recently made his existence known.

"Yes?" Saphira was distracted sipping her coffee and reading the Tokyo Times.

"I'm pregnant."

Maruchi being the clever one had a towel ready for when his mother dropped her coffee. Sesshoumaru's only response was to growl.

It took a moment for Saphira to recover. "Are you keeping the pup?"

The twins knew that their mother believed in all freedoms, but when it came to abortion, it was the freedom or the very life of the unborn child that she defended. "

Of course, Mama." Nakia scoffed.

"I'm guessing that Brit is the father?" Saphira sighed.

"Yeah."

"So?" Saphira pushed.

"So what?"

"What are your plans then?" Saphira demanded."

Oh." Nakia thought for a moment. "I'm going to finish school Mama, then apply to a university, NYU maybe."

Saphira absorbed this. "Are you giving up dancing then?"

"Yes." Nakia answered without hesitation. "I want to be able to support this pup as soon as I'm able."

Sesshoumaru nodded approvingly. His fear had been that she would run off with the mongrel. That would indeed be less honorable than birthing a bastard. Besides in this time, an unwed mother was common even expected and there was nothing shameful about it. Among the humans anyways.

"What of the mongrel?" Sesshoumaru asked keeping eye contact with his daughter.

Nakia squirmed. "I don't know, I haven't informed him of his impending fatherhood."

Sesshoumaru seemed to approve of this answer and settle against Saphira.

"May I offer you a bit of advice?" Saphira asked already softening her daughter up.

"Of course Mama."

Saphira seemed to gather her thoughts. "I do not like this youkai you have mated with..."

To use the term loosely, Sesshoumaru thought sarcastically.

"...I think it's best if he is not in the picture, Naki. He doesn't come from a good clan. Look at that sister of his, I know you are much better than that." Saphira paused, then continued. "I want my grandpup to have a father, don't get me wrong. But I want and I'm sure you do as well, for you to have a mate that will always put the interests of your family first. I just don't think this youkai is capable."

Nakia took in this information without a hitch. What her twin, her best and most trustworthy friend had told her, still lingered in her mind. She only nodded in response to her mother's statement.

"If you'll excuse me." Nakia asked rising from the table.

"Just a moment, Nakia." Sesshoumaru interjected. Nakia sat back down.

"It is extremely mature of you to take in all of our advice without protest." Sesshoumaru began. "I only wish to tell you that you are a mother now, and that in all your decisions your most important concern be that pup. You are no longer responsible for just yourself, but for the life of the pup as well."

Nakia bowed her head and left the table quietly.