UnBound Memories

A/N: nette and saturs_shimmer, thank you so much for reading. Here is the final chapter, and it was a long time coming.

Chapter 36

Making up for it all

Watching the soccer game enthusiastically, various photographers and reporters observed not only the nearly professional-level players, but also the crowd. More of the media than usual were turned out at tonight’s event, as it was known that one of the younger Taisho brothers was one of the players, and his family would surely be there to watch. The senior brother, owner of the entire Taisho company would of course be present to cheer the young one on, but seated behind Sesshomaru was the middle brother InuYasha and his wife Kagome, on a visit from their home in Malibu.

Yet, the biggest excitement was getting to see Sesshomaru Taisho’s young wife, now seven months pregnant, and finally arrived home from a visit with InuYasha and Kagome. There had been some who had frowned on the pregnant woman traveling overseas so far along in her pregnancy.

The more observant reporters and photographers noticed there was a tension between the CEO and his wife, thinking that possibly the tension stemmed from that.

And there were a small handful of these reporters who knew the truth, knew Sesshomaru was no twenty-nine-year-old, but well over a thousand, and had been protecting Japan for almost one thousand years, save for the period around World War II when the country turned its back on him. They knew his mate, and Kagome, and they knew the man behind him was his eldest son, not brother, the man on the field his youngest, the teen beside InuYasha, Sesshomaru’s grandson.

But thankfully for the family in their box seat, no one could hear their conversation.

“Are you still angry at me?” said a melodic, feminine voice from the woman at Sesshomaru’s right.

“I am trying to watch my son play soccer,” Sesshomaru answered, voice emotionless. “If you do not mind, you are distracting me.”

“That was five hundred years ago, Sesshomaru.”

“It was only yesterday,” the dark-haired businessman said.

“You two can’t still be fighting,” Kagome said, leaning forward.

“Keh,” InuYasha said, crossing his arms and leaning back in his seat. “Of course they can. This is oto-san we’re talking about.”

********

Kouga and Shippo sat at the Higurashi table, feeling grateful that the first few awkward questions of their appearance were done with.

“Don’t know why we didn’t get to go to the game,” Kouga said, sipping on the tea that Kagome’s mother had made for them.

“I believe it was because Miroku confided in us several years before this happened and we never told Sesshomaru.”

Kouga rolled his eyes. “I knew that, Shippo, I was being sarcastic.”

Kouga watched as his daughter and Kagome’s brother played outside. She’d been given the choice of meeting her great grandmother and the rest of her family or going to the soccer game and had made the decision to come here. The two were kicking around a ball, Souta finally learning there was no need to take it easy on the girl who appeared about twelve years old compared to his fifteen. After all, she was Kouga’s, and she was fast. She was also Takara’s, so she was also strong.

“Dad!” he heard his daughter yell. “There are noises from the well! Mom’s back!” After spending the last thirty years in America, his daughter had adopted that country’s terms for addressing her parents.

Neither of the demons sitting in the Higurashi household could be contained there as they both went running out to the well. Kouga imagined it had been the same for the fox demon, feeling like their mate was gone forever the moment the two demonesses vanished down the well.

Kouga noticed a large shadow being cast across the ground.
“Jinenji, what are you doing here?” Shippo asked, apparently having seen the large hanyou. Honestly, Kouga was as surprised as Shippo. He supposed that Yasashiku could have told Jinenji everything; they were certainly close enough for that, even if they weren’t yet mates.

“I’m waiting on Yasa,” he said. Yasa? Kouga thought the fact that the horse hanyou had a bit of a pet name for the younger twin was a sign the couple was at least headed in the right direction.

The figure that looked like a solidly built man of over six feet, folded his hands, and kept his head bowed.

“Oh, Shippo,” Jinenji said, “I wanted to thank you for replacing my disguise.”

“There was no reason for you to have to go around trying to hide when it’s so easy for me to make one,” the kitsune said. It had been a few months since the replacement disguise had been made, essentially no different from Jinenji’s true image, which had been greatly improved with time. It had taken the poor hanyou some time to grow into his features after he’d rushed into his adulthood.

That was when the screaming began to emanate from the well.

“Yasa,” Jinenji said, immediately entering the enclosed area that held the well. From his vantage point, Kouga watched as the twins and Manami rose from the well, Jinenji immediately grabbing hold of Yasashiku, attempting to comfort him. Seeing Takara once again, Kouga once again remembered their presence in his past, and that Yasashiku had left them all just before the signing of the oath, very much in labor.

Yasashiku’s hand went up to Jinenji’s face. “Gee, you’re a regular knight in shining armor.”

“You’re going to deliver,” the horse hanyou said, seeming to still be in shock. “Shouldn’t the father be here?”

Yasashiku’s breathing was ragged, but despite it, he still managed to groan at his lover. “Baka. What kind of a slut do you think I am?”

“But, you can’t want to have--”

“You’re right. I prefer having children with strangers.” Then for good measure, Yasashiku repeated, “Baka.”

“But, you’d have to really want to have my baby since we’re not mated. Doesn’t it worry you that it could be ugly like me?”

“You aren’t ugly. Even when I met you in the past, you weren’t ugly. I only wish I could manage to be half as wonderful as you are, inside and out.”

“You are,” Jinenji said to the white-haired demi-god in his arms.

“Not that this isn’t an incredibly romantic little moment,” Takara said, “but we need to get my brother back to the mansion where Manami can deliver my nephew.” Then, with a rather harsh smack to the large hanyou’s arm, she added, “And maybe somewhere in that time, you can complete your mating with my brother.”

********

Sesshomaru watched his mate at the mirror, removing the make-up from the delicate female face.

“Well, the headlines are going to be lovely, you know. CEO in fight with pregnant wife. Things aren’t happy on the home front for Sesshomaru Taisho.”

“And you should know me well enough by now to know that I honestly do not care.” Sesshomaru watched a thin hand move up to long ebony hair. “And I want you changed before you take that out.”

Brown eyes rolled, and with a quick movement, the female figure vanished into the bathroom. “You know some men find women’s clothing sexy.”

“Yes,” Sesshomaru said, adding with emphasis, “I know” There was a giggle from the bathroom. “Hentai,” Sesshomaru added.

“It really doesn’t sound like you’re still furious at me, Sesshomaru.”

“I am and not just for yesterday.” His mate emerged dressed in a white t-shirt and black sweatpants. “You had to include those diagrams with the clothing. You nearly killed my eldest son of embarrassment, and got me blamed for being a hentai. Not to mention you are a damned idiot for traveling to this time.”

“I was an idiot,” his mate said, pulling the leaf from black hair, revealing shorter, fluffy black hair and a pair of hanyou ears. “Remember, for me that was five hundred years ago,” the familiar, male voice said. “I didn’t know the risks if both versions of me had been in Japan, which we weren’t by the way. I was on a plane back from the states with InuYasha and Kagome.”

Sesshomaru said nothing, sitting on the bed, feet stretched out in front of him, ignoring the fact that part of the daiyoukai’s mind was reminding him how good his mate’s once again taut stomach, lean muscular build, and deep violet eyes truly were.

“Come on, I hate when you get like this,” Miroku said, crawling on the bed toward his mate of over five hundred years, looking far more cat-like than inu.

“Then stop making me like this,” Sesshomaru’s still brown eyes met violet as Miroku reached into the elder inu’s hair, removing the thick green leaf.

“We’ve tried over and over, Sesshomaru.” Miroku placed a kiss on Sesshomaru’s lips, tender but still passionate while his clawed hand laced itself in the long strands of white hair. “I simply am not cut out to be a bearer.” The dark head dipped down, placing a kiss on Sesshomaru’s rounded stomach, then looking irritated at the suit that separated him.

“You’re never going to be top again,” Sesshomaru said with emphasis.

“You’ve said that every pregnancy, and yet here we are on number four together.” Miroku smirked.

“Don’t look so smug.”

The smirk didn’t fade as Miroku began unbuttoning the suit jacket, sliding it off Sesshomaru’s shoulders. He began kissing at the daiyoukai’s neck as he loosened the black tie. “Look, I was stupid and scared, and I’m guessing your grandson had something to do with that.”

“He can’t turn someone into a baka,” Sesshomaru stated evenly, despite Miroku’s best efforts to get him flustered.

“I have apologized over and over again, Sesshomaru. I even called from the plane.”

“No, I called you on the plane and nearly deafened your little puppy dog ears.”

Miroku looked prepared to say something, but instead only nodded in agreement. “The first question out of my mouth should have been where are you in my time, but I was terrified you and Katsuro--”

Despite the emotionless mask that Sesshomaru still so easily wore, he cringed. “It is bad enough his daughter is engaged to our son.”

“Now you’re just being spiteful. You adore that little hanyou, and she’s good for our blockheaded boy.” Miroku removed the tie and began working on unbuttoning the white dress shirt, kissing at Sesshomaru’s collarbone, wiggling his ears at the daiyoukai’s neck in what Sesshomaru felt certain was a purposeful attempt to get him to laugh or squirm. Unfortunately for the daiyoukai, Miroku was successful in making him wiggle back just a bit.

Thankfully, the sudden activity from her fathers made the little pup in the rounded belly between them kick Miroku soundly. Sesshomaru lowered his clawed hand down to rub the bulge, addressing the little bump. “Good girl.”

“Don’t go teaching her she can beat me up.”

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes and pulled his mate closer to him, kissing him soundly on the lips.

There was a rapping on the door. “Oto-san, Papa,”

“Yes,” Sesshomaru said, recognizing the voice of his youngest daughter, for at least another month.

“Takara and Manami have come back home, but Yasashiku, he’s in labor.”

“In labor?” Miroku asked, looking up at Sesshomaru.

“Yes. He’s pregnant.”

Miroku immediately leapt off the bed, headed for the door when a growl from the pregnant daiyoukai stopped him.

“Right, sorry,” Miroku said, walking back and offering Sesshomaru his hands. “You can get down but not up.”

“Four times, and you still can’t remember that.”

********

To say that InuYasha was shocked when Jinenji had come bursting into the mansion carrying a very pregnant, nearly ready to deliver Yasashiku was an understatement. Seeing Takara, his memories of the past returned, but that didn’t make it any less of a surprise that once again he was going to be a grandfather.

Then, almost immediately, he realized that Yasashiku still wasn’t mated either, and he immediately looked up at Jinenji with a growl.

“He knows… he was… a baka…” InuYasha’s oldest son said just before crying out again from another contraction.

Manami guided the large hanyou into the next room, InuYasha wanting to follow after him, but found his sister pulling him out to leave the two in the room together.

“They don’t have to have sex to complete the mating,” she said, InuYasha’s face showing a bit of his disgust. It was his son. He didn’t want to hear that, or worse yet, picture it. “But they can be alone for a few minutes before the baby’s ready to be delivered. And while they get their time alone, I need all of you to get the necessary provisions for the delivery.”

********

“I’m so sorry,” Jinenji said, looking down at the sweat-covered face of his lover.

“For what, Gee?”

“For making you go through this alone.”

“You didn’t… Aah!” The white-haired demi-god clamped his hand around Jinenji’s.

As the contraction passed, the horse hanyou laid Yasashiku down on the bed. He no sooner had his lover on the bed, than a shaking hand was moving to the collar of the feudal era haori. “Please,” was all Yasashiku said, pulling Jinenji down with the hand not pulling the collar away from his neck.

“No, you should do it first. I don’t… I shouldn’t be… I’m not right to be alpha.”

“Cursed to be true mates, Gee. No alpha.”

“Then why can’t you ?” Jinenji ripped the too-tight collar of his own shirt, exposing the same area on his neck.

“Because if one of us were alpha, I want it to be you.”

As another contraction hit, it allowed Yasashiku’s grip around Jinenji to tighten, pulling the mouth with its dull, flat teeth to the sweet yet salty skin. Murmuring his love for Yasashiku into that skin, Jinenji bit down, not long after, feeling the sensation of four canines just a bit sharper than a humans breaking his own flesh. Another pained contraction and the four teeth became a whole set as the bite deepened and the two exchanged their blood and bonded themselves together forever.

********

Miroku sat on the sofa just outside of the birthing room, watching Manami enter with Kagome, all that would be necessary. This left Takara and InuYasha still in the family room with the rest to wait, something neither of them did very well. Though Takara at least had the distraction of her wolf mate, who, though he wouldn’t admit it, had been lost without her. As Kouga eagerly kissed her, InuYasha groaned, turning his attention to a the intercom and the voice of his little brother outside.

“Are you going to let me in or not?”

“Yeah, you can come up,” InuYasha said, pressing the button that Kouga had broken the day before.

Miroku rolled his eyes and stretched out his left leg, offering his hands to Sesshomaru to guide him onto him slowly and carefully. The daiyoukai sat down, laying his back on Miroku’s chest while the former monk massaged his mate’s shoulders and ran his hands over the beautifully round stomach that held their third daughter.

“I love you, Sesshomaru,” he whispered in the elfin-like hear.

“And I love you, my hentai,” Sesshomaru said as one of Miroku’s hands lingered just a bit too long on Sesshomaru’s chest.

“Kami, Sesshomaru, I swear you’re trying to populate the entire inu clan again,” Katsuro said, walking into the family room behind his daughter and Miroku’s son. “The kit told me at the door that your grandson is about to deliver.” He looked up at Takara. “Something I’d have remembered is someone hadn’t made swiss cheese of my memory.”

Kouga growled at the slightly terse tone in Katsuro’s voice as he continued to hold onto his still-leather-clad mate, their daughter at their side.

“Good to see you again, Katsuro,” Takara said, flatly, moving a hand down to the base of Kouga’s spine, scratching, forcing his tail to wag.

“Damn it, Takara,” Miroku heard him hiss, “don’t do that. It’s embarrassing.”

Shippo re-entered the room, his daughter by his side, both waiting until Manami came back out to shower the same affection on her that Kouga and his daughter were already showing Takara.

“You’re smiling,” Sesshomaru said, grabbing hold of Miroku’s hands on his stomach. “You’re very happy now. I can feel it.”

“I am.” He kissed his mate’s shoulder. “Very happy.”

Miroku heard InuYasha’s youngest son asking if they knew for sure that Yasashiku was going to have a boy, meaning he would no longer be the only male still a child in the family. InuYasha only nodded his head and watched the door, ever the worried father.

********

With a final push he felt certain would rip him apart, Yasashiku felt the baby being forced out of his body. He heard it’s tiny little cry as Manami cut the umbilical cord and wiped the little one off.

“It’s a boy.” His aunt smiled. “But you already knew that.”

“Please can I see him?” Yasashiku asked, holding out his arms to see the tiny life he’d created. He looked up at Jinenji, who still seemed afraid of his son’s appearance.

Because the baby was less than a quarter inu, its large eyes were already open, a dark and rich brown, his hair was a mixture of streaks of black and white--very rare from what Yasashiku could remember--he had tiny little ears like Jinenji, his face looked to be a blend of the two, though the brows were undoubtedly Yasashiku’s, inherited down from his own grandfather.

“He’s beautiful.”

“Don’t sound so surprised, Gee,” Yasashiku said. “He’s your son. I’d expect no less than beautiful.” Placing a kiss atop the baby’s black and white head, Yasashiku handed his son to his father. “Go and show him to the family.”

As the door opened, a flood of Yasashiku’s relatives surrounded Jinenji, and for a moment, even after the agonizing labor, the demi-god pitied his mate and son. He smiled at that. His mate and his son.

He had almost missed as his ojiisan walked into the room, placing a hand on Yasashiku’s head.

“You have done well,” Sesshomaru said, smiling down at him.

“So have you,” Yasashiku answered, taking hold of Sesshomaru’s hand. “I had no idea just how strong you really are.” Then he smiled up at his grandfather. “Now, bring me my son back. He needs fed.”

********

Holding the little baby in his arms after being handed his great-grandson by Jinenji, Sesshomaru looked down at the tiny pup, baby, colt, whatever it was, feeling his own child shifting inside him. For a long time, even after he and Miroku had been mated, he’d thought Fate had been cruel to him, but after watching his children, grandchildren, and now great-grandchildren grow. He considered that Fate seemed to be more than making up for it all.

THE END