A Breeder's World

~~~Aiko’s P.O.V.~~~

When we stepped off the chair he grabbed my arm again and hurried to the door. When he tried to open it wouldn’t. He seemed frustrated and pulled out a set of keys trying to find a particular one. The problem was his hands were shaking so bad again that he couldn’t get the one he wanted. After a few minutes of this I finally grabbed them from his hands. Looking at them I watched as he turned to glare at me.

“Give those back Aiko!” He yelled. I just sighed and shook me head but before he could explode I said.

“Which one dad? You’re wasting time here with your hands shaking ain’t getting us inside any faster.” He looked funny holding his breath with his cheeks puffed. He slowly released his breath.

“Its the longest one. It goes in the hole there by the door unlock it and push aside the panel below. Joanne has set the door to thumb scan.”

I did as instructed and realized that I really had never been here. This was his shop, he seemed to always be here instead of at home where he belonged. Mom never complained but she wanted more of his time. I hated how he treated her but she still loved him and I wasn’t going to ruin her happiness. But this woman he wanted to meet raised my suspicions.

Finally he pressed his hand to the scanner and opened the door. After we stepped inside he froze and I heard him take a deep breath through his nose. Wondering why I sniffed too. There were three strong scents in the store. One I instantly knew as my sister, another as uncle Inu, and the last was almost over powering. The smell of orchids as fresh as a summer bloom filled the store.

I watched as his head whipped around until He saw someone near the training outfits. The next thing I knew he was running and I heard his joyous yell of, “OKA-SAN!!!!” I was rooted to the floor by the door. I had never heard him like that. I knew his real mom was dead. Very slowly it dawned on me that maybe my father’s stories about the miko from the future were true. After I had hit puberty the stories he told seemed like nothing but fairy tales. Who had ever really heard of a miko taking care of a youkai? So I stopped believing in them and constantly scolded my father for going on about something that supposedly happen so long ago.

I had seen the hurt in his eyes many times when I had said I didn’t believe it but he never tried to change my opinion. He respected me and let me think what I wanted. Now it seemed I was the one who was wrong. I watched as he hugged a woman and mumble her name over and over. I slowly made my way over and until I could see her. She was just like he had described. The tears on her face as she said, “my son, my son” was heart wrenching.

I knew my father had been raised differently then other youkai. He allowed us our freedoms and doted on us. Always coming when we needed help or a shoulder to cry on. I had seen many of my friends get beaten in their house for voicing their opinions. Though I was not happy about how father treated mom, I could never say he had ever really hurt me. He had punished me and scolded me but had never laid a hand or anything else on me. According to Uncle Inu it had been her influence that had changed him. But since I hadn’t believed the stories I just thought that it was because he had traveled with humans and had picked up their ways instead of youkai ones.

I never disbelieved the story of him following Inuyasha and his group. I just never could believe a humans heart, let alone a miko, could ever truly love a child youkai enough to raise it as their own. now here in this store right now in front of me stood the so called miko that I hadn’t trusted calling my father her son. My throat closed in on itself and tears stung my eyes. Even If I had hated humans this was something that could turn the coldest heart. It didn’t matter to either of them that my father was almost nine centuries older then his so called mother the joy of their reunion surpassed age.

Finally their embrace ended and I watched as she looked up at my father his face in her hands. One hand ruffled his hair as she grinned.

“My you turned out so handsome Shippo. I hear you had a large family. I already met Joanne so when do I get to meet the rest of my grand children?” her aura was so calming just like he had said and her smile was genuine. I looked at Uncle Inu to see an actual smile on his face with his arms crossed.

“Keh! He told them so many stories we might have to leave the city before they come pounding on the western office’s doors.”

“Never Inuyasha! I want to meet them! You had all this time to get to know them and I have only been here three days! So hush up before I S-I-T you.” it was funny to see her wagging her finger at Uncle Inu like he was a small child in so much trouble. He softly kehed again but remained silent. I had never seen anyone shut him up when he didn’t want to.

“Well we could have a get together next week. It will take a little while to gather my way ward children back to Japan.”

“That’s fine though we might take longer then that Shippo. I still have the presentation to do.” My father frowned at that.

“That reminds me Kagome. I know this isn’t any of my business but I thought you loved Inuyasha. Why didn’t you just become his mate instead of house breeder?” Kagome sucked in a deep breath and Inuyasha pushed her aside and grabbed my dad by the throat.

“Damn straight it ain’t your business twerp. I should beat you for that.” he was growling hard and low.

“Inuyasha put him down! He knew how we were before. It wouldn’t make sense to him. Hell I had to explain it to you remember?” Slowly the growling faded and so did the massive amounts of youki. Breathing a sigh of relief I watched as Inuyasha set papa down. Kagome made Inuyasha step back behind her again.

“Shippo do you remember what I told you of my time?”

“Nearly everything why?”

“Shippo this isn’t my original timeline. I was born almost 400 years ago the first time. My wish changed everything. Youkai had all but died out before. There was no cohabiting in peace. as far as any average human knew demons had never existed. But this time my wish allowed you all to survive.”

“In my original time there was no breeder program no wide spread manipulation of the gene pools. I would have married and had my husband’s children only. I was never raised with the knowledge I would give birth to others children and be forced to give them up. When I awoke on my 20 birthday I had those values and I still do. I couldn’t be a regular breeder. If I had become Inuyasha’s mate then I would still have had to serve my time as a regular breeder. This way I keep all children I bear. Like I would have kept you even though I didn’t birth you, I would have finished raising you as my own.”

“I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t carry a child and not be the one to raise it. It would eventually kill me Shippo. That's why I choose this. The jewel gave me a life where I never fell behind in school, never disappointed my mom, let me keep a future, allowed you all to survive, but no wish is perfect. I had to give up becoming Inuyasha’s mate to stay by his side. Ironic no? Before it was a undead priestess and now its the rules of the city.” her words I could tell were heart felt.

She had survived so much and gone through hell only to have her one heart’s desire go up in smoke. But she made due with it and she was here. She could have given up and went on her marry way. In that moment I knew my father's stories were true and this was the woman I had to thank for such a loving father and family. here was someone who had sacrificed everything and still didn’t get her wish. I almost pitied her but her spirit was not one that asked for it. She remained strong and continued on. My father’s favorite words came to me when he had described her.

“She would never call herself beautiful and it was true she wasn’t. But it was her soul, her heart, her smile in the face of adversity that was. She never gave up on us, she wouldn’t let ourselves give up. That is what I remember the most about her. The comforting arms of her embrace when we suffered a loss, her soft words of sympathy and encouragement when we were injured, and her determination to make us laugh and continue on living. it was these characteristics that made her the most beautiful woman in the world and I had the honor of calling her mom.”

In my youth that had always made me cry. My father had said I always reminded him of her. My hard headedness to get my own way, the way I enjoyed the moment, and the fact that I never let anyone push me around. After I grew I lashed out at the supposed reminders of a woman I had never met. I hated being a reminder when I was my own person. But again I am a reminder because she had suffered the same from Uncle Inu when he thought of her as a copy or reminder of his first love. Nothing I seemed to do was my own unless I was destructive. So I became destructive and he finally seemed to see the real me. Even with the disappointment in his eyes I was happy because he didn’t see me as her anymore.

Life was to full of ironies....

~~~Joanne’s P.O.V.~~~

My heart soared when I saw her and father embrace. The stories were true and here was the most heart warming reunion I had ever seen. Kagome’s tears and whispered words made tears come to my own eyes. I would forever remember the look of gratitude on his face as he held her tight. I had rarely seen my father cry but here he was gushing tears.

I looked past them to see my sister Aiko. She was pale and though I could tell she was warmed by the sight like I was, she was looking on as if it were some kind of horror. Her face slowly crumpled from its usual mask of haughtiness to absolute shock. her mouth opened to speak but whatever words she said I could not hear.

I looked back at my father and could almost see him as a kid again being in Kagome’s arms. The years lifted away and his eyes held a brilliance that I hadn’t seen. It was almost as if he had been partially dead and now was revitalized. I wondered how mom would take it to see him so happy again. I could tell he would be the life of the reunion party and most likely make a fool of himself but that was him. He would do anything for those he loved. For this moment in time I was glad I had some small par t in it. Some last piece that helped make him whole again.

I had a feeling that things were about to change, whether for the better or worse had yet to be decided. But no matter what lay in tomorrow, here in this moment, We were all happy and that for now was all that mattered.