The Joys of Motherhood

Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this work of fiction belong to Rumiko Takahashi and are used here to no profit!
Warnings: post-mpreg, fluff, may induce squealing and aww'ing, breast feeding
Theme: emotions
A/N: The meanings of the names are as follows: Airi from Japanese 愛 (ai) "love, affection" combined with 莉 (ri) "jasmine" or 梨 (ri) "pear", Haruki from Japanese 晴 (haru) "clear up" or 陽 (haru) "sun, sunlight" combined with 輝 (ki) "radiance, shine" or 生 (ki) "life". , Ichigo means strawberry (it also means first, or so I think...), Miyako from Japanese 美 (mi) "beautiful", 夜 (ya) "night" and 子 (ko) "child" and Youta from Japanese 陽 (you) "sun, sunlight" and 太 (ta) "thick, big".

~ ~ ~ ~

He felt awkward.


Breast feeding was not something he had taken into account when he was pregnant. He'd worried about the babies being born, not even thinking ahead, now he realized that he should have. The birth, aside from the pain had been easy, Kaede had explained it to him beforehand but this...


Was something else.


The puppies needed to be fed. Breastfed. As in suckling on his not-so-masculine-any-more breasts. This was going to be awkward.


“Just do it, you have seen it done many times by women, have you not?” Miroku encouraged him. “It cannot be that hard, surely?”


Inuyasha had their youngest in his arms, the baby was starting to fuss, it was the puppies first feeding and their mommy was beginning to become slightly agitated and jumpy, completely out of the loop in the new situation. He'd only had a little nap before Miroku had gently shook him awake, telling him that the puppies, babies the man called them, what was wrong with puppies, needed to be fed. Or that's what Kaede had said.


And then there were the others.


Oh yes, all of their friends had come to see them just a few days before the birth, wanting to share in their joy. And now they were all there, in his and Miroku's hut. Kagome and Sango both holding a baby in their arms with Kaede holding their fifth pup.


The children, two boys and three girls were a perfect mix of their parents features.


Airi, their eldest girl was being held by Kagome, she had black hair streaked with white and Miroku's blue eyes and a pair of decidedly adorable black ears on her head. As had her sister Miyako whose eyes were a deep blue too but her hair was completely black. The two boys, Youta and Haruki, both had Inuyasha's silver hair with each having a streak of black on one side and their eyes golden and ears black and white. Their youngest pup, Ichigo, had mixed hair with silver and black and blue eyes, her ears were white.


But back to the matter at hand. Even if he did have breasts now, well, somewhat, he was still embarrassed about them. He was, after all, a man. Even as his huge belly had been turned to the puppies held now in adorning arms, his breasts hadn't. They were still there against all his hopes of them disappearing.

Watching at Ichogo's tiny face he felt the love her felt for her well up in his chest, making it hard for him to breathe. He loved them so much, each and every one. He had realized that after they'd been born and he'd held them close, being exhausted from the birth but with awe filling his mind, he ad Miroku had created them and they were perfect.


Their little darlings.


And they were theirs to protect and care for. And feed.

He sighed.


“You wouldn't mind going somewhere else?” he asked their friends pointedly, glaring at them slightly.


The young women grinned back.


“I've seen you without your shirt on already, remember?” Kagome retorted with a wicked grin.


“I have not but I'd surmise that your upper body is something I think I may have seen before” Sango informed him calmly.


He looked at them for some time.


Then Ichigo began to fuss in his arms. He looked down at her as she readied herself to cry out her hunger in a way only a newborn could. Loud and demanding. Laying his embarrassment and reservations to the side he simply opened the haori he was wearing and revealed his chest.


“Just place her to your breasts and she'll know what to do...” Kaede instructed him gently. Miroku was right by his side, holding Miyako and smiling to him. The monk had had on a quite loony grin since the moment Inuyasha had woken up after his brief sleep. The others, who'b observed his mate while he'd slept had told him the other hadn't slept a wink and had been grinning like that since they'd arrived and possibly even before that.


He did and felt her latch onto his nipple instantly, proud that she got it right the first time.


And all his worries, insecurities and frivolous thoughts disappeared in that single instant. Inuyasha felt the connection again, caring for his baby in the most basic of ways, his body nurturing hers, it was like nothing else in the world. Meaningful. And just right.


Miroku pressed a kiss on his brow as Ichigo continued to suckle happily. “Wasn't so hard now was it?” he asked his tired mate.


Inuyasha turned his head to him and smiled, they bent to kiss lightly, his life was full.