UnBound Memories

A/N: To my reviewers, szaugglaughs, yeah, we're back in the realm of plot. Matter of fact, because of the way this kind of went from plot to fluff to plot I had debated making it two stories, but thought, what the heck, and kept them together. When you get back from Japan, I'd like to be done with this, but I doubt it. nette, I wanted to make InuYasha squirm. PurinsuArashi, from the manga, I figured Sesshomaru's mom would help, even though she'd a bit cold.

Short lemon warning

Chapter 25

It wasn't perfect

Miroku found himself on his hands and knees, facing away from his mate. Sesshomaru’s mouth was nipping at his bare back, biting more often than nipping--making Miroku grateful for whatever reason the demon had had for removing his two upper canines. He was still angry, and Miroku was paying for it. The long white hair draped down Miroku’s shoulder, tickling his arm while Sesshomaru placed a third finger inside of the hanyou on the bottom, moving the digits around enough to strike Miroku’s prostate, forcing the man’s back to create a concave shape beneath the pale demon above.

Too soon for Miroku’s liking those fingers were retracted, as the former monk lost a battle to withhold a whimper. But this wasn’t about him, nor was it honestly about Sesshomaru, though Miroku could sense the pleasure that his own reaction and need had evoked in the taiyoukai. Miroku felt his cheeks being separated, Sesshomaru’s member pressed to the top of his crack then moving its way down until it had lined itself at his opening and began pressing itself inside. Despite the continued anger of his mate, Sesshomaru was being surprisingly careful, moving slowly.

Miroku hissed at the sensation of being filled and stretched as Sesshomaru eased his way inside, one arm wrapped tightly around Miroku’s chest, the other helping to support his weight. The demon lord began kissing at Miroku’s neck, giving him a few moments to adjust before beginning to set a rhythm as he pounded into the half-demon. The thrusts grew harder, stroking Miroku’s insides, and driving his face into the futon, making him moan and scream out as Sesshomaru’s hand moved to his aching need, pumping it in time with each roll of his hips.

“Sesshomaru!” Miroku cried out as he came.

With a growl, Miroku felt as Sesshomaru spilled inside of him with a low growl that rattled along Miroku’s back. Sesshomaru pulled out of him, licking below Miroku’s shoulder blades before pulling away.

Miroku collapsed on the bed, turning to look at Sesshomaru, noticing that with this obligatory sex, the afterglow didn’t seem so powerful, and what little was there soon faded as Sesshomaru leapt from the bed and grabbed the nearby bucket, doubling over the container. Miroku crawled off the bed as quickly as he could in his current aching condition. Kneeling beside Sesshomaru, Miroku gathered the pale mane in his hands. The pregnancy scent as well as all of the symptoms had begun.

Still holding the hair in one hand, Miroku rubbed down the pale back with the other, while Sesshomaru emptied the contents of his stomach. Once he was done, he spit into the bucket, then backed away from his mate. “I hate you,” Sesshomaru said, half-heartedly.

********

InuYasha had been standing in the hall having left his grandmother’s room some ten minutes before. He didn’t exactly like the woman. He was a grown demon and she kept referring to him as her “little mutt.” Ignoring the fact that it was embarrassing to be termed both little and a mutt, this woman was strange at her best. It was a small wonder that with his memories gone, InuYasha’s father had become so bitter toward humans, having had this woman as an influence in his life. More than once she had referred to InuYasha’s “dirty blood,” calling humans a stain on existence.

But, as long as Sesshomaru gave his son his approval, it seemed the matriarch gave it as well. It didn’t hurt that InuYasha was strong and mated to a goddess, but to be completely honest, he didn’t care if he had ever gotten her approval, so long as he had his father’s respect and pride.

Upon her insistence, the three inus had stayed the night, and with it now well after dawn, InuYasha wanted to head back to the western palace. He had a wife and mate who was homesick and stuck in the western palace with Shippo, Rin, Jaken, and Kouga. That was a combination that made InuYasha want to go crazy thinking about it.

“You’re thinking about me,” he heard in his head.

“Feh. Don’t think too highly of yourself, Kagome,” he responded back, jokingly.

“How are things going at your grandmother’s?”

“Interesting.” InuYasha paused, still waiting for some sign of movement in his father’s chambers. “Listen, I’ve been kind of keeping something from you, as much as I can with you in my head, but I think we’re going to need your help.” InuYasha again paused. “I’m going to be a big brother.”

“Miroku is--”

“No.”

“You mean… Oh!”

“We’re going to need you to work with Kaede to find out what the tea was that Oto-san was given when he was pregnant with me. It made me strong and helped with morning sickness. Also, if you can find anything to strengthen his youkai, he’s going to need it. According to the crazy inu woman, his youkai is focusing on bringing the baby to term. It won’t be much longer that he’ll be able to transform because of the pregnancy, and my grandmother said that sometimes that can be a part of the mating ceremony.”

“I’ll get right on it.” InuYasha leaned against the wall. “You seem happy today.”

“Even though I’m worried about the two idiots who still haven’t left their bedroom, I guess I am. Did you know Otoson didn’t have to claim me because of how I was conceived? He actually wanted to because he said he was proud of me.”

“He should be, and I am too. I’m going to go look for those herbs. I love you.”

“Same here.” Realizing he’d better at least say it in his head, he added , “I love you, too.”

“Was that so hard?” Kagome joked before InuYasha felt her pull out of his head.

It was a few more minutes before the door to the guest chambers opened, the scent of sex wafting out so strongly that InuYasha thought he might be sick. InuYasha looked in surprised as Miroku limped out.

“He is still mad at me,” Miroku said, “but things are better.”

“You stink.”

“You are going to have to get used to it.” Miroku grinned. Out of the corner of his eye, InuYasha couldn’t help but notice that his friend’s walk looked uncomfortable.

“Could we at least pretend my father isn’t the reason you’re staggering down the hall?” InuYasha folded his arms. “Besides, how weak of a hanyou are you that it hasn’t healed from last night?”

“I would have healed,” Miroku said with a smirk, “if this was from last night.”

InuYasha’s ears plastered themselves to his head. “Damned hentai.”

“It is not as though we had a choice. Can you not smell it?”

InuYasha sniffed his friend, trying to get beyond the odor of recent sex, strong as it was, to find the scent lingering behind it. The pregnancy scent was there, and disgusting as the method was, it seemed to be working to hide who the source of the scent was. Miroku smelled overwhelmingly of Sesshomaru and of pregnancy. Perhaps it helped that the monk had very little scent in his inu form, making him almost blank to be covered by Sesshomaru’s.

“All concern aside,” InuYasha said, “are you excited? I mean, you’ve wanted this a long time.”

“Of course I am. What about you? You are about to become an older brother.”

“I only hope I don’t follow the example that Oto-san set for me.”

“I am quite sure you will not,” said a strained voice behind him. InuYasha turned around and looked at his father, who looked somewhat drained. “You could be nothing but kind to your younger sibling. Being what I was to you is simply not in your nature.”

Sesshomaru made his way to the other two inus, but stood at the side of his son rather than his mate, walking as a group outside of the castle where Kirara and Ah-Un waited. Seeing his father look so drained, InuYasha offered an arm, though it was not accepted. InuYasha hadn’t really expected his father to accept his gesture, but that wouldn’t stop him from making it.

At InuYasha’s side, Miroku froze when Kirara spotted him. She had been off with Kohaku when Miroku had visited the village. The neko’s eyes narrowed as she made her way over in her tiny form. Miroku knelt down, still careful of his aching backside, to pick her up. She took a whiff of him and backed away.

“Yeah, he reeks, but we don’t have any choice but to deal with it,” InuYasha said, leaning closer to the neko and letting her know the truth, as it was quite impossible for her tell anyone.

“You are certain this neko can be trusted?” Sesshomaru asked. As though to reassure him, Kirara hopped off of InuYasha and then to Sesshomaru’s shoulder, daring to nuzzle against his face.

“You are a brave one, little neko,” Sesshomaru said, scratching the little yellow and black head. “There are not many who would attempt such a thing.” Kirara mewed as she leapt into Sesshomaru’s outstretched hands. “She makes some unusual noises in this tiny form. They are somewhat relaxing.”

“What is my son doing holding a neko?”

“Mother,” Sesshomaru said, curling the cat demon protectively to his chest, “she is an ally and a friend to my son. And with my dragon, Ah-Un, she will be our transportation home. Do not treat her with any ill will.”

Kirara hopped out of Sesshomaru’s hands, transforming into her larger form the moment her paws hit the ground.

Sesshomaru said goodbye less than tearfully to his mother. She then turned to Miroku, bowing, which he did in return. Shocking all three of the males, the woman went to InuYasha and held his hands.

“You are so like your grandfather and father. Take care of him, my little mutt.” She unclasped Inuyasha’s hands. “You will bring honor and pride to the clan, and to your small pack.”

Sesshomaru grabbed Miroku’s shoulder. “We need to ride him together. Whether I have the desire to look at your face or not, we are forced to keep close. It will aid in blending our scents.”

Practically being dragged there, Miroku found himself beside Ah-Un, prepared to try to convince the Western Kingdom that he was the one with child.

********

Arriving back at his palace, Sesshomaru looked back at his mate, who was maintaining a safe distance, as well he should. There was still a part of him that wanted to bludgeon the man to death. It was not so much that Sesshomaru was once again pregnant or that he didn’t want the pup growing inside of him. It was the simple fact that the decision for it had been made without his say. That and the fact that he’d had to force the dragon to stop twice on the trip home so that he could throw up behind a bush.

Seeing his palace, Sesshomaru made one final conscious rub of his stomach before forcing his hand down to better remember that he would not be able to do this in public. It would have been all so much simpler if Miroku were the one carrying this baby, but Sesshomaru wondered honestly why he was surprised. Nothing had been simple thus far. Simple and perfect ended when his mother had left, not for any reason at first other than simply wanting to end her relationship with Lord Touga. But once she had found a new love who wanted to claim her as mate, but couldn’t as long as she was still technically mated to the Inu No Taisho, it became that demon’s goal to get Sesshomaru’s father mated to another, or kill him. If Ryuukotsei could have simply been patient and waited for Touga to find a mate capable of accepting his demon blood... but that was the past, and in the present, Sesshomaru was being given a second chance at being a father, he’d been given a mate he loved, and his son was at least somewhat inclined to accepting him. It wasn’t perfect, and it wasn’t easy, but it would work.

Stepping off of Ah-Un and into his home, Rin immediately ran to him, seeming unsure of how to greet him now that they were back at his castle. He gestured for the little girl to embrace him, much to the shock of all of his servants. He watched as Kagome greeted InuYasha with a tender kiss, Kouga scoffing as they did. It was then that all seemed to take closer notice of Miroku, and the faint scent that emanated from them both, whispers going out among the servants, and Jaken looking somewhat sickened by the fact that Sesshomaru and Miroku were already mated.

Kouga greeted them both, a faint smile on his face.

“Do you mind if I ask how long the two of you have been mates?”

“For nearly ten days,” Sesshomaru answered.

“Ha!” Kouga said, then apparently seeing Sesshomaru’s shocked face, immediately apologized. “I didn’t mean that for you. It’s just that I won my bet.”

“You bet on us mating?” Miroku asked, eyes turning to violet slits.

“Yes. Which means I can offer you my winnings as a mating gift.” Out of the corner of his eye, Sesshomaru saw his son blanch. “For a day’s hard labor, I offer you Prince InuYasha, Shippo, and Jaken.”

“I appreciate the offer, Kouga, as for the other three who made the bet,” Sesshomaru said, raising an eyebrow, “my mate and I will decide what to do with you.” Part of him wanted to get mad at the wolf as well for making the bet in the first place, but Sesshomaru couldn't deny he was amused with the predicament his son, adopted grandson, and retainer now found themselves in.

It was then that Sesshomaru noticed his daughter-in-law looking up at him. “I have placed a pot of tea on for your arrival. The herbs for it were growing a bit wild, but were still in Lady Izayoi’s garden.”

“Domo arigatou,” Sesshomaru said, wishing he could express just how much he appreciated having some relief from the so-called morning sickness that still plagued him into the afternoon. He led the rest into the palace, looking down at his son, who walked with his head bowed into the palace.

“You placed a wager on when I would mate?” Underneath of his bangs, two golden eyes looked up, while InuYasha's hand moved nervously to the back of his neck.

“Just a friendly one.”

“As a prince, I cannot have you doing the kind of hard labor I intend to enlist Jaken into,” Sesshomaru watched as InuYasha started to relax. “but since you are accustomed to hard labor, I doubt that would have been punishment, but I do have quite a need for someone to organize my scrolls and documents. It will be a long, tedious job, but you will do it without complaint, will you not, Musuko?”

“Hai, Oto-san.”

Sesshomaru placed a hand on InuYasha’s long hair, stroking down the somewhat coarse mane. In the confines of his own palace, Sesshomaru would take the risk of showing his son affection. At InuYasha’s other side, Kagome held her mate’s hand, meeting Sesshomaru’s eyes for a moment and smiling at him so honestly and purely that he could little wonder why his son had fallen for the young girl from the future. Glancing to his other side, Sesshomaru saw his own mate walking just a step behind.

Darting a hand behind him, the taiyoukai grabbed hold of Miroku’s haori, pulling his mate to his side, hearing Rin skipping behind him. They were a motley crew, but they were his family, even the obnoxious retainer and perhaps even the ookami behind them, in their own extended way. Now it was just a matter of breaking the news of the new pup.

And much to the disgust of Sesshomaru’s pride, there was also left the need to ask for all of their help.