DISCLAIMER: I do not own InuYasha or anything to do with it.

A Family of His Own

By: Of Memories Past

Chapter 5

`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~

     Aiko simply snuggled into her father's arms even more. Her little flushed cheeks pressed tightly against his chest as she closed her eyes and absently brought her thumb up to her mouth. She found comfort in her thumb. The pain. It just would not go away. Her eyes clenched, her body throbbing once more. A small whimper brought her father's attention back down to her, and she looked up at him with teary, violet eyes.

     Inuyasha watched his daughter's sweet face scrunch a bit as the tears in her eyes threatened to spill over. He soothingly ran the back of his hand over her cheek, careful not to touch the long scratch that blemished her soft flesh. He worriedly checked over her body for the rest of her wounds and frown. Several deep abrasions and other minor scrapes covered her arms and legs, and they still bled. He noticed that they did not show any signs of stopping soon either.

     "Daddy?"

     Glancing down, Inuyasha found Haru staring up at him, anxious glances going to his sister. The tailed pup's golden eyes turned to him again, and he began to shinny up his father's legs without warning.

     Haru got about as far as his father's right arm before his balance failed. With a shriek of surprise, his grip slipped and he fell. But instinct took a hold of him, and he tightly wrapped his tail around the muscular arm on his way down to the ground. The pup's exhale of relief was clearly audible as he hung from his father's arm.

     Inuyasha chuckled. That pup was the clumsiest of them all, but the inept actions only served to make the pup more adorable. Always in trouble. Lightly grasping the small tail so as not to hurt him, Inuyasha lifted his son to his shoulder.

     A wide grin spread across Haru's face, and he wrapped his little baby arms around his father's neck, burying his face into the soft, silver hair. Daddy meant safety, and he knew he was safe with Daddy. But another glance to his sister brought the concerned look to his face once more. She had not been with his daddy, and that was why she was hurt.

     "Aiko be otay?" he asked with wide eyes.

     "Aiko will be okay," Inuyasha answered, picking up the pup with one arm. "Go to your mama, Haru. I need to take care of your sister." He set the pup down onto the ground and watched as he quickly scrambled to his mother.

     Kagome welcomed the pup into her arms and tossed him up into the air, smiling as he giggled before bringing him down to rest on her hip. She threw a questioning glance to her mate, her eyes turning more a moment to her daughter. The distraught look at seeing her baby in that condition was evident.

     "I hear a river nearby," he informed the group.

     Miroku stopped walking, giving Hiroshi over to Sango for a moment so that he could stretch out his arms. "How far?" He too was concerned for the injured pup.

     His ears twitched as he carefully listened to the forest sounds. Yes, it was near. Inuyasha gathered his daughter to his chest and looked over his shoulder at the rest of the traveling group.

     "It's just past these trees," he informed. "But I'm going ahead. Aiko needs to have these taken care of." Inuyasha looked down in time to see tears beginning to roll down Aiko's cheeks. "Be careful, and I'll see you there."

     He rushed off into the trees.

     Kagome sighed and turned to Sango. "I hope her pain goes away."

     Sango nodded and merely look at her own son gratefully.

`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~

     Inuyasha carefully stripped off his daughter's clothes and his haori and set them onto a rock before wading out into the river. Aiko squirmed as the cool water touched her skin, protesting with whimpers as her father tried to immerse her body into it. But Inuyasha, determined to get her wounds healed and cleaned, simply sunk down into the water with her. His hands began gently scrubbing dried blood and mud out of her wounds and off her body.

     Their first day of traveling. It had gone fairly well, considering it had been a new experience for four small children. In the beginning there had only been a few minor mishaps. Kozue had tripped in a rabbit hole, resulting in a sprained ankle. But Shippo had gladly volunteered to carry the pup on his back until his ankle healed. Being a demon, if only part demon, meant that that ankle would heal quickly. Two hours later, the pup was walking around on his own again.

     Then of course Miroku had not been paying attention to where he was going and ran straight into the low branch of a tree. He was unconscious for a few minutes. But other than that and a few squabbles that were promptly separated by two stern mothers, nothing had happened.

     That is, until Hiroshi ran ahead of the group to chase after a butterfly.

     The demon had come out of nowhere then and seized the little boy by his leg, raising the child up eyelevel with itself. Hiroshi cried out both from fright the pain of the grip that the youkai had on his leg. Sango had paled immediately, watching as the feline-like demon raised her son to its jaws. It had cackled and threatened to devour the child if the shards of the Jewel were not handed over to it.

     But while Inuyasha and the others held back, racking their minds for an idea to save the child, Aiko had rushed forward and angrily sunk her baby teeth into the youkai's neck. Crying out in pain, for the child's fangs were indeed sharp, the demon had tossed Hiroshi aside. Shippo caught the flying child.

     Kagome had watched with horror as the youkai thrashed about at her child clinging tightly to its neck while Aiko endured the slashes and hits directed toward her. Blood had splattered everywhere. Forgetting the risks of running straight into battle, once the scent of his daughter's blood reached his nose, Inuyasha had rushed forward and killed the demon with one strike. Aiko fell tiredly and painfully into his arms.

     Inuyasha grimaced and washed blood off of his hands before carrying Aiko out of the river to dry with him in the sun.

     "Daddy, it hurt," Aiko whimpered. Fresh blood oozed out of her wounds.

     Cursing, Inuyasha gently settled his daughter into his lap. The bleeding had not stopped. He grimaced and leaned his face down to her body and began licking the wounds to stop the bleeding. He hated the taste of blood, especially that of his own child. It did nothing but remind him that the babe was injured. But it would undoubtedly stop the bleeding, so he endured it.

     Aiko squirmed, but allowed her father to clean her.

     "Hold still, Aiko," Inuyasha ordered as the pup strained her neck to keep him from getting the cut along her chin.

     The child obediently held still.

     Inuyasha watched with satisfaction as the wounds healed before his very eyes when he finished and breathed a sigh of relief. He pulled Aiko to his chest and nuzzled his face down into his precious daughter's neck, taking in another haggard breath. That was the first and last time he ever wanted to see her in that condition.

     "Daddy?" Aiko giggled, his bangs tickling her sensitive skin.

     Looking down at the child, Inuyasha smiled at her own wide grin. He was relieved that she obviously felt better, and he reached up to tweak her nose.

     The pup giggled again before lifting herself to be standing in her father's lap and planting a big, baby kiss right on his mouth. She grinned brilliantly before throwing her arms around Inuyasha's neck. "I love Daddy!"

     "Inuyasha!"

     The half-demon choked back the tears welling up in his eyes that resulted from his little girl's unashamed affection when he heard his mate's voice and prepared himself to be tackled by two more pups.

     Sure enough, as soon as the rest of their small traveling group came into the river's clearing, Kozue and Haru sighted Inuyasha and leapt at him. The pups laughed, happy that their sister was well, squealing joyously as she played along with them pulling on their father's ears with her teeth and even giving Kozue's own ears and Haru's tail a nip.

     Inuyasha gave off a low growl to get the pups back under control. Holding them all to his chest tightly, he committed the feeling of three pairs of tiny arms wrapped around his neck to memory before sending them off to play and relax. He swallowed as he watched them run off. Aiko was immediate scooped up into Kagome's arms and hugged tightly while Haru and Kozue ran over to Hiroshi to engage in a game of tag.

     Closing his eyes, Inuyasha listened intently to the sounds of little feet pattering rapidly across the soft grass, little giggles and happy laughter filling the air. A slight smile touched his own lips when she heard that soft pattering run over and race around Sango and Miroku, and the adults began filling atmosphere with their own laughter at watching the children. A sudden splash caused his eyes to snap open, and he saw right away that the mischievous children had somehow managed to throw Shippo into the river. The drenched kit was currently in the process of trying to throw each one of his attackers in.

     "You seem preoccupied."

     "Hmmm?" Inuyasha asked, his gaze still on his pups and nephew. His attention finally turned when he felt an arm wrap around him. He turned his head to the side and smiled slightly. "Kagome."

     Kagome sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder. "I'm so glad she's okay."

     "She's a tough one," he sighed. He breathed in deeply. What? All of a sudden Inuyasha's wide eyes snapped to his wife, his look intent upon her.

     Noticing his scrutiny, Kagome shifted uncertainly. "What is it, Inuyasha?"

     A grin touched his features, and he gently wrapped an arm around her waist before leaping high off into the trees above.

     Kagome gave off a slight shriek in surprise and held tight, waiting patiently as he settled onto a thick branch and placed her in his lap so that she was facing him. Her questioning eyes delved into his, and she risked a quick glance down to the pups to see how they were. But she had no sooner turned her attention back to Inuyasha than she felt his lips crush against hers in a bruising kiss. She could do nothing but kiss him back.

     Not that she minded.

     Relaxing, she brought her arms up around her husband's neck, parting her lips slightly as deepened the kiss. So much for finding out what he was thinking about beforehand. Her breathing turned haggard as when he grasped her lower lip with his teeth before capturing her mouth with his own again.

     "What has gotten into you?" she breathed when he moved his careful caresses down to her throat.

     "Nothing," he mumbled between kisses. "Am I allowed to love my wife?" Inuyasha moved to the nape of her neck and lightly sunk is fangs into the flesh there before trailing more hot, little kisses up to her jaw.

     Kagome gasped, catching his implication, and lightly smacked him. "Not up in a tree you don't! Especially with the pups down there!"

     Inuyasha shook with laughter and released his hold on her. "No fun." He pulled Kagome to his chest, stroking her back softly as she relaxed and listened to his heartbeat. "Actually, I have something to tell you."

     The miko looked up with questioning eyes. "What is it?"

     The hanyou smiled secretively before sitting her up in his lap and taking her wrists in his hands. That smile suddenly turned gentle as he pressed her hands against her own stomach. "You're pregnant."

     "I'm what?" Kagome's eyes grew wide.

     Inuyasha smiled and wrapped his arms around her again. "Pregnant."

     That said, the soon-to-be-a-father-again lowed his face and pressed his mouth gently against his mate's, satisfied when she responded immediately.

     More little, precious bundles were on the way.

A/N: I'm so sorry it's been a while since I last updated. Serious writer's block for this story. I hope you all enjoyed. Please review! God Bless! ~Of Memories Past.