I Do Not Own Inuyasha

Trying Not to Grow Up

Tsukiko Taisho: Part V

Three years later they discovered what had woken Masaru up that night, the conceiving of her first pup. Now they had two other pups and again she was pregnant. It was her newest pregnancy and news from Mizuki which had them walking towards her parents' home.

It was amazing what being her mate had done for Masaru as and her father's relationship. That and having grandchildren helped the relationship. Her yōkai pups loved their grandfather and unlike her hanyō heritage her pups were only human once every three months versus the monthly period of being hum. Tsukiko smiled as she picked up her toddling two year old who's tail swished with every wobbly step he took. She propped her son on her hip and let her mate carry their other son who was content being perched on his father's shoulders.

"Do we have to go to this dinner?" Masaru asked as his silver tail slashed with irritation as he walked beside her.

"Yes, Aki said he had news for the whole pack and that means all my cousins, the Houshis, and the Ookamis are all going to be here so we have to come. Besides I'm certain that Tsuneo and Tsutomu would love seeing their friends and I want to tell my mom I'm pregnant before it's obvious to all my brothers." Tsukiko said happily as she scratched her son's silver ears, he giggled and she pressed her brow against his.

"I still don't want to go," Masaru grumbled and she smiled over her shoulder then.

"Well Yuichi will be there with his daughters, and my mom will be happy to have you so you have to come," Tsukiko said. She would admit that since having her pups she had turned into her mother though she wasn't as emotional as her mother was she had softened up a lot for her pups and mate. The kitsune walked beside her when his arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her close.

"Think Shizuko and Yuichi would mind having the boys for the night," Masaru whispered in her ear as they walked into the front yard of her parents' home and saw all the vehicals and family there. Tsukiko looked up to her mate who was smiling mischievously as she thought this over. It had been weeks since it had been just the two of them and she did want a night off before her pregnancy and toddlers demanded attention again.

"I'll see what I can do but you know, dad might like having the pups with him," Tsukiko grinned as she suggested it. Masaru paled slightly but didn't argue with her suggestion because it was true. The mighty Sesshomaru Taisho had a soft spot for his grandpups, and InuTaisho didn't stand a chance of ever retaining custody of the pups for a night when they were all stuck on Sesshomaru. Literally. All of the grandpups loved Sesshomaru's mokomoko; just like they all had when they had been pups. Tsukiko had fond memories of crawling on her father's mokomoko and she had always wanted one but wouldn't have one.

"He would probably like brainwashing my sons against me," Masaru grumbled. She jabbed his ribs as they walked into the house.

"Miwa!" Tsuneo cried out as he wiggled out of her arms towards his cousin who was only a year older than him. Tsukiko smiled at her brother's daughter who laughed as she hugged Tsuneo then they wobbled off to look for trouble.

"I'm glad you could come!" Shizuko came up to her and hugged her. Tsukiko accepted the hug grudgingly because she still wasn't fond of being touched. But Shizuko was an exception because Yuichi loved that human so much. Shizuko pulled back and was holding her other raven haired, dog eared daughter on her hip; Kazumi.

"We're happy to be here, Kazumi looks just like Yuichi," Tsukiko commented because the six month old just stared at her with large amber eyes.

"Yeah, it appears that my daughters are going to look like Taishos, I'm not certain what to think about that." Shizuko sighed and Tsukiko smiled a bit as they walked out to the jungle of a garden her mother maintained. Tsukiko knew what had Shizuko saddened but it couldn't helped; according to her father it was the same fears her mother had had before the birth of Mizuki who was the only other raven haired Taisho in her sibling line up (though in actuality it was Yuzuki who was most like Rin). Her mother said it was the fear of being nothing more than an incubator for Taisho clones to be carried in and birth. But it didn't matter; there was enough of Rin in herself and her siblings for her to know her mother's fear and Shizuko's fear was unreasonable.

"Well they're going to be knockouts one day but Shizuko they're still your daughters no matter how they look. Besides that I've hear Miwa started playing the piano, at three, and she has your musical talent because Kami knows Yuichi can't play music without making everyone dive for cover and cry. So they're your daughters as well."

"Glad you think that," Shizuko smiled and both she and Shizuko watched as their toddlers rode on Sesshomaru's mokomoko as he walked around the yard on the phone for a business deal. InuTaisho was pouting a bit but he held Izayoi's hand tightly as they relaxed. Rin was chatting with Yuzuki who was happily reading over something in her arms. The identical trio looked like they were planning a prank on Inuyasha's three daughters and two sons; Asami, Kokoro, Miyako, Katsou and Katashi were preparing counter measures. Sango's twins and son were sipping beers as they talked with their father at the grill while Koga and Ayame were relaxing on a bench and their four; Aki, Yuki, Haru, and Natsumi were all talking happily.

"Yuichi, any idea what Aki's news is?" Tsukiko asked as her mate found a silent spot in the grass and lounged there with his beer as Shizuko gave him Kazumi who liked her husband's ears and Tsutomu crawled all over Masaru.

"None, I was going to ask you but since you've threated to disembowel him for merely touching you I didn't think he'd tell you his news." Yuichi admitted as he handed her a bottle of water. She shot him a warning look, he smirked then tugged her floppy ear before he walked off to join Yuuta who just walked into the garden with Mizuki carrying a part of dinner.

They went about four hours of this get together, by the time they were four hours in her father had all four of his grandpups and everyone was winding down. It was nice, the family get together when Aki stood up.

"Hey everyone, as you know I called us all here for news. And since you're my family I just thought you should be the first to know." Aki said nervously and Tsukiko looked up at her kitsune who didn't say anything as he tightened his hold on her shoulders.

"We're getting married!" all eyes snapped onto Mizuki who stood up smiling happily.

"WHAT!?" Sesshomaru and Koga roared in unison. The others began scrambling away when Yuichi grabbed his daughters and her sons. He nodded as he grabbed Shizuko and disappeared, her father's death glare zeroed in on the Ookami who grinned dumbly and happily. The homicidal atmosphere had her standing and Masaru hugging her to him.

"Time to go!" Masaru whispered in her ear, she pouted a bit but didn't argue with the kitsune as he engulfed her and him in kitsunebi and they reappeared in front of their house.

"Stupid wolf," Masaru grumbled then looked at her. "And I thought your father hated me, he looked ready to obliterate his own home at that news."

"Well Mizuki does have the dramatic flair in the family; she gets that from InuKimi." Tsukiko said as they walked into the house. "At least Yuichi has our boys for the night."

"Mm, that he does," Masaru spun her around as he gripped her slightly wider hips since she had given birth. Tsukiko's arms wrapped around his shoulders as he hauled her up then. She caught the evil smile of his before she was pressed against the wall of their slightly burned and battered home as he kissed her breathless. Tsukiko moaned and melted into his touch as he sliced her dress off of her. "I love your scent when you're pregnant."

"Masaru!" she gasped as he kissed the mark he loved. Then he carried her into their room. They tripped on one of their sons' toys and fell to the ground. She laughed, he growled but didn't get up as he kissed her again. They never did make it to the bed…

Masaru curled around his mate and pulled the couch blanket around them because she was sound asleep and not moving. He didn't mind sleeping on the ground or floor because he had slept there for centuries before he had had a mate. It was amusing to have her all to himself after the night they had had. The family get together was fun, but aside from Yuzuki he wasn't really close to anyone in the Taisho pack. He was a kitsune and didn't run in packs, he was a wanderer at heart but he was also a protector of what was his so he stayed with his mate and pups. Tsuneo and Tsutomu were his life, they were everything he would die for and then some; though their kitsunebi was beginning to irritate the love of his life it couldn't be helped. They'd learn to control those flames one day, until then though he'd just have to keep absorbing them.

Masaru had had a fun time this evening but the most amusing part (aside from when he had gotten Tsukiko out of her dress) was when that stupid wolf and Tsukiko's younger sister had announced they would be getting married. It was most amusing because the homicidal look Sesshomaru had given him for mating his eldest daughter was now directed sole upon that ridiculously, brightly, colored wolf who had stood there with a stupid, happy, go lucky grin on his face and had been oblivious to the hatred Sesshomaru was then directing upon him. It was most entertaining and relieving to know that Masaru was no longer the main source of hatred in the eyes of the mighty Sesshomaru. Masaru had to actually fight of his laughter at the sight because his father-in-law was all but encased in flames as he had glared at the young Ookami.

There was a knock on the door which had Masaru grumbling.

Grudgingly he got up pulled on sweats then carried his dead to the world mate to their bed before he walked to his front door. Whatever he had been expecting it was not this when he opened the door to five silver head, five sets of gold eyes, and five men who he still avoided so as to keep his tail (literally).

"Uh, did I do something I don't know about?" Masaru asked as he assessed the five men there. His father-in-law's mokomoko twitched in irritation.

"We need your help," Yuuta said coldly and Masaru lifted his brow as he assessed the five men there. The Inu Daiyōkai, the four hanyōs and himself did not ever get along; he only got along with Yuichi on the principal of him being Tsukiko's twin but he didn't hang out with these four brothers of hers' ever.

"With what?" he asked carefully as he tuned his ear on his mate's heart and breathing hoping she stayed asleep.

"Easy, Aki and Mizuki," Yuji said coldly.

"Huh?" Masaru was thoroughly confused before Sesshomaru growled lowly at him.

"If you like living you'll help. I will not tolerate that wolf marrying my daughter when I can barely tolerate the kitsune who mated my daughter," Sesshomaru growled. Masaru sighed, well…

"I'm always up for a little mischief though I'm not certain what good it'll do when they looked pretty determined to get married," Masaru grumbled as he stomped after the five silver inuyōkai. Five sets of gold eyes glared at him and he shrugged. This wasn't going to work but he'd enjoy watching it blow up in the Taishos' faces.

That's all for now folks!

Enjoy Trying Not to Grow Up! =)