One Week Later…

Inuyasha squeezed his eyes shut as Kagome screamed again from inside of the hut. Inuyasha could hear Kaede and Sango inside of the hut, speaking words of encouragement to Kagome. The sound of his mate in pain had Inuyasha's demon fighting against the tight hold he kept it under. The sun had just drifted below the horizon, the gentle summer breeze ruffling the leaves of the trees. Standing outside of Kagome and Inuyasha's home were Inuyasha, pacing back and forth as time seemed to drag by, Shippou, sitting near the door, licking a lollipop that Kagome had given him before her water had broken, Miroku, fidgeting with the beads he kept wrapped around his hand despite Naraku's defeat, and Sesshomaru, the only person who seemed calm and level headed. The silence between Kagome's cries of pain were filled with tension and worry.

"Fuck this," Inuyasha muttered as Kagome screamed again. "I'm going in there." Sesshomaru's hand grabbed Inuyasha's shoulder tightly, pulling him away from the doorway.

"A birthing is no place for a male to be," Sesshomaru said calmly, pulling him a few feet from the door. "You'll only get in the way."

"My mate is in pain!" Inuyasha yelled, his eyes flashing between their demon red and hanyou amber. "I need to be with her."

"And what will you do? You cannot prevent the pain she feels; this is the way of life. There is nothing in the hut that you can kill for her or fight for her. You cannot keep her from feeling pain. Stay outside and out of the way. The last thing your mate needs right now is to be distracted by you charging inside. Your mate and your pup are strong; they will be fine."

"Sesshomaru is right," Miroku said softly. "You're better off waiting outside than you are inside." Inuyasha dug his claws into his palms, nodding in agreement. Sesshomaru let go of his shoulder, moving a few feet away from him.

All the males outside were absorbed in their own thoughts and worries, making them unusually quiet. Sesshomaru worried slightly about Kagome and the pup, wondering if they were truly going to be alright. Giving birth to a child with demon blood is no easy task. Part of him wondered if the miko would truly survive. Miroku also worried for the health of Kagome and her child, knowing Inuyasha would go on a rampage if anything happened to either of them. But his worry was focused more on his wife, Sango. She was due in a few weeks and if Sango's labor was anything like Kagome's, he'd end up pulling out half of his hair. Shippo was excited to finally become a big brother, but worried about Kagome and her screams. Inuyasha could barely control himself, wanting to tear down the entire forest from his anxiety and worry. 'Never again,' Inuyasha thought, pacing back and forth. 'We're not having any pups after this; I won't let Kagome put herself in this kind of pain again. What if something happens to her or our pup? They've been in there so long, why haven't they said anything.'

Kagome's screams seemed to reach their peak then suddenly they stopped. Inuyasha's heart leaped into his throat, his mind jumping to the worst possible scenarios. Before Inuyasha could run into the hut a new sound reached his ears. A baby's cries. His legs gave out in relief as he heard the cries of his pup and the gentle voice of his mate.

"It's a boy!" Sango said excitedly, sticking her head through the doorway. "You have a son Inuyasha."

"A son," Inuyasha said softly, his mind spinning. In a matter of seconds, his entire life had changed.

"I'll let you know when you can come in," she said before heading back inside.

"Congrats Inuyasha!" Miroku said, shaking Inuyasha's hand as he got to his feet shakily.

"Yes, congratulations to you and your mate Inuyasha," Sesshomaru said, a hint of a smile on his face.

Inuyasha muttered his thanks, his mind only focused on seeing his mate and pup, seeing with his own two eyes that they were okay.

"Inuyasha, you can come in now," Sango said, smiling at him. "Kagome's waiting for you." Inuyasha rushed inside, barely hearing the chuckles from everyone else. Kaede and Sango left the hut as he entered, giving them some privacy.

"Inuyasha," Kagome said softly, smiling as she saw him. He rushed to her side, pausing as he stood in front of her, his chest tightened with nervousness. "Come sit next to me; there's someone I want you to meet," she said as she shifted the little bundle in her arms. Inuyasha sat next to her, looking down at the little bundle wrapped in cloths. "Inuyasha, this is your son." Inuyasha thought his heart could have burst with happiness as he looked at his pup in the arms of his mate.

"He's so small," he said softly, reaching out a finger to stroke the baby's cheek softly. "Our son." Their pup looked a lot like Inuyasha, same furry dog ears on top of his head, same beautiful silver hair though his was much shorter than Inuyasha's. But the eyes gazing up at him were Kagome's. The same warm brown that Inuyasha had fallen in love with.

"Inuyasha, can I have your haori please?" Kagome asked, looking up at Inuyasha's happy expression.

"Sure," he replied, untying it. "Are you cold? Do you want me to get you a blanket?" Kagome shook her head, unwrapping the baby from the cloths he was swaddled in. "Hey what are you doing; the pup's gonna get cold."

"Don't worry," Kagome replied, wrapping Inuyasha's haori around the baby tightly. "I think this is much better for him, right?" she asked, looking up at Inuyasha. Inuyasha nodded, kissing her head softly. "Do you want to hold him?"

"I…I don't know how," Inuyasha said softly, his throat tight with emotion. "I don't wanna hurt him; maybe you should just hold pup."

"Nonsense," Kagome said, shaking her head. "I'll teach you how to hold him. You just have to make sure you support his head like this and hold him tightly." Kagome positioned his arms properly and put her baby into them, smiling as he yawned and blinked slowly. "See you're doing fine."

Inuyasha looked down at his son, rocking his arms gently. "He's perfect Kagome. Thank you."

"For what?"

"For loving me. And being my mate. For giving me the most perfect son in the world to be part of our family. For everything," he said softly, looking at Kagome. His eyes filled with unshed tears of happiness as he kissed her softly. "Can I take him outside to meet everyone?"

"Yes, tell everyone I said hello and they can come in if they'd like," she replied, smiling softly.

Inuyasha got up slowly, careful not to jostle or wake his sleeping son. 'I have a son,' he thought in amazement. "Everyone, meet our pup," he said as he came through the doorway.

"I wanna see!" Shippo said excitedly, jumping up and down. Inuyasha crouched down to his level, showing him the baby. "This is my baby brother?" Shippo asked, placing his hand near Inuyasha's but not touching the pup.

"Yeah, you've got a lot of responsibility now Shippo. It's gonna be your job to help protect pup and make sure he's safe. Can you handle that?" Inuyasha asked, looking at him seriously.

"Yes I can. I'll protect my little brother," he replied, touching the pup's cheek as gently as possible.

"Your son looks a lot like you," Miroku said as Inuyasha stood back up. "Same hair, same ears. Let's just hope he doesn't have your temperment," he said jokingly. "He'll grow up to be a great person with parents like you and Kagome."

Inuyasha walked over to Sesshomaru, who stood a few feet away from everyone else. "Sesshomaru, would you like to see your nephew?" Inuyasha asked.

"Yes, I would," he said, leaning over the pup. "He bares our family resemblance," Sesshomaru said softly, his eyes drifting over the sleeping pup. "May I…may I hold him?" Sesshomaru asked cautiously. Inuyasha hesitated for a moment before placing his son into Sesshomaru's arms.

Sesshomaru looked up at the clear nite sky before placing his fingertips on the baby's forehead. "I, Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands, hereby vow my protection upon this pup. Any creature, demon or human, that dares to harm his pup will answer to me." Sesshomaru handed the baby back to Inuyasha, frozen with shock. "I will take my leave now. Give my best to your mate. I will be…around," he said as he walked away.

Inuyasha watched his brother's figure shrink into the distance, knowing he would be back. "Come on pup; let's go back to your mom," Inuyasha said softly, walking back to the place he wanted to be the most. His mate's side.

The End