Otherworld - 25 - New Beginnings



Chapter 25 - New Beginnings

Four Months Later As the time grew closer for the births to begin, Kagome began to worry about everything -- not only was she going to have a baby, but she was going to have a half Demon baby who would learn much faster than a human baby, have fangs, and who knows what else. Kouga hugged his wife, promising her he would always be there for her. During the last months of her pregnancy, Kouga had indeed been there. He was supportive in every way possible, as were all the men, even Hiten. Kouga gladly rubbed her aching back and even massaged her swollen feet. The Princess had sent them each a large white basket complete with a satin pillow, a mattress and a blanket with each baby's name embroidered on it to use as a bassinette. Kouga put it right next to their bed. Yukina arrived and stayed in a little house that they had built just for her stay. She could keep it as cold as she wanted. Toya had accompanied her. Yukina was still hesitant about mating with him, but she no longer feared him or her feelings. She just need to take that last step and everyone felt it would be soon. Serafin delivered first, and with Kaede and Yukina's help, the delivery was very easy. Kaede used a large wooden tub which was filled with warm water. She found that deliveries were easier in the water and less traumatic on both the baby and the mother. As Hiten held his new son, tears of contentment filled his eyes. Souten looked very much like him. He handed the baby to his mate and sat next to Serafin as she fed his son for the first time. Nine months ago Hiten could not even imagine having this wonderful life.

	Three days later, Kagome and Kouga were out for a short walk when her water broke. He scooped her into his arms and rushed her home. The birthing tub had been placed in their home after Serafin's delivery, ready and waiting. He sent Ginta to fetch Kaede and Yukina and set Hakkaku to boiling water for the tub.

When everything was ready and her contractions were close together, Kouga carefully lifted Kagome into the birthing tub. He slipped an arm around her shoulders for support and put his other hand on her stomach, trying to ease her contractions. They less than a minute apart now -- the baby was coming fast. A few more contractions came and went. "One more push" Kaede told her, and Kagome pushed with all her strength. And then it was over. Kaede told Kouga to cut the umbilical cord with his claws, and after he did, she handed the baby to Yukina to check out and clean. After she expelled the afterbirth, Kouga lifted Kagome out of the tub and carried her to a warm, clean bed, wrapping her in blankets. He lay down beside her for warmth, wrapping his arms tightly around Kagome. Yukina brought their son to them, and he nestled between his parents, his blue oval eyes staring up at them. "Kome," she whispered to her son. She looked down at him; he was already so alert. Kome reached for his mother and she moved him closer so he could feed. Fortunately he did not have fangs yet. But within a month he would. Kouga watched him nurse. Kome was his perfect miniature with the same blue eyes and dark hair. His son! Kouga lay there, with his son and his mate. He could not have ever imagined being this happy. He loved them with all his heart and soul. He found Kagome's lips, careful not to disturb his son's first meal. "I love you so much!" he told her, tears of joy in his eyes.
	A week later, Kaoru gave birth to a daughter. Again Kaede was the midwife, with Kenshin and Yukina helping. And again the birthing tub made delivery much easier. When Kenshin held his daughter in his arms for the first time, tears filled his eyes. His daughter was so beautiful! She was a miracle to him. And ten days after that, Sango and Miroku became parents to their own miracle, Mirago. Rin was kept away during the actual birth, but was allowed to join them as soon as it was over. Miroku held her in his arms while she looked at the new baby in Sango's arms.

The Village had much to celebrate and it seemed like there was a party every night. Gifts arrived from all over Otherworld for the new children of their Protectors. The Princess herself came to visit the new babies. Now that she carried the twins, she could share in the joy without feeling left out. She brought gifts for all, including hand-carved rocking chairs for each of the new mothers. For many, it was the first time that they got to meet Vash and everyone liked him immediately. He was so open and friendly. They could feel his innate goodness. And the Princess' feeling of joy came out unintentionally through her power, and everyone felt happy and content around her.

Kome For Kouga and Kagome, the days passed in complete contentment. Kome was a wonderful baby, quiet and alert. He rarely cried and slept contently in his basket next to his parents, waking up to be fed only once during the night. Many of the wolf clan came by over the first couple of weeks to see their leader's son. They brought handmade wooden toys and fur blankets for Kome and also gifts for Kagome. A perfect crystal, exactly the blue of Kome's eyes, was one gift she especially cherished. New flowering plants for their garden came from the Southern Clan and they were planted around her little porch. Kagome loved sitting in her rocker on the porch singing softly to Kome and watching her beautiful garden. The only sad moment was when a representative from the Northern Clan came to pay his respects and told Kouga the sad news of Ayame. She had run off and no one knew where she was. The pack did not like what she had done to Kouga and they shunned her. The old leader had sent wolves to look for her but they had not found a trace of her. The old wolf was distraught over the loss of his grandchild and would probably not live much longer, dying of sorrow. A new leader would be chosen at his death. Kouga was unhappy to hear the news and very upset about Ayame. As much as he hated what she had done to him, he did not want her to be hurt somewhere in the northern mountains, perhaps trying to give birth alone. But he did not say anything to Kagome, not wanting to tarnish her happiness in any way. Between his third and fourth week of age, Kome got his first tooth. A very sharp one. Kagome went to feed him as usual and suddenly cried out from the pain. She was bleeding, but Kome wouldn't let go -- he was hungry! He bit down even harder. Kouga came running and gently pried his son's jaws loose. Kouga told Kagome to go to Kaede's for medicine while he took care of Kome. They had been expecting this and a gruel and goat milk mixture was already ready and waiting for this event. This had happened last week to Serafin and the mixture had worked wonderfully on Souten. Now he nursed without biting.

	Kouga held his crying son and dipped his finger in the mixture, offering it to his son. Kome sucked his father's finger for a second and then refused to suck anymore. Kouga was now beside himself. Why wasn't it working for his son? Demon women had tougher skin so their children's fangs didn't hurt them, but Kagome had tender human flesh. Kouga could not let his son bite while he fed. He tried again to get his son to eat the gruel, but Kome just cried even louder.

Kagome came home shortly after, running home as soon as she heard her son still crying. "He won't eat it," Kouga said, sounding very desperate. "I have an idea." Kagome said, going into the kitchen with the gruel. She returned in a few moments and asked Kouga to try again. This time Kome sucked his finger hungrily. "What did you do?" he asked. "I mixed in a little deer blood from the haunch you brought in last night. After all, he is a carnivore like his daddy." Slowly, Kouga fed his son, removing his finger whenever Kome bit down. Kome learned fast and very shortly was sucking his father's finger without biting at all. Kagome decided to try to feed him again, using her other breast. Kome suckled contently, not biting at all. Kouga sighed, grateful that his household was peaceful again and Kagome wondered what else would be in store for them while their son was growing up.

Souten While Kome was a quiet baby, Souten was the opposite. He demanded to be fed every two hours, day and night, crying at the top of his lungs for food. Kaede suggested mixing a little gruel with milk to feed him as a supplement fearing that he might not be getting enough food from Serafin's milk. He ate the gruel mixture greedily but still demanded food every two hours. Both Hiten and Serafin wondered if they would ever get enough sleep again. "How long do Demon mothers usually nurse for?" Serafin asked Hiten, one afternoon as she rocked Souten while he slept contently in her arms. "Anywhere from three to six years. Demon children still need the nourishment from their mother's milk even though they are eating regular food by then." "Six years!!!!" she cried, almost waking Souten up. "If he grows like Kouga told us, he will be my size and I will still be nursing him!" "No, no," Hiten explained, "Demon children grow faster than humans only for the first nine months, then their growth slows to that similar to humans. Souten will look like a human two-year old for about a year and a half, then slowly grow to adulthood. He will still be a child. I think you can stop nursing at three years." "If he lets me!" she said, greatly relieved by his words, "All he seems to want to do is eat! But he is about the same size as Kome who only wants to nurse once during the night." "Thunder Demons have a very high metabolism. I eat a lot more than Kouga does because my lightning power is generated from my own body's energy." She looked at her son, kissing his forehead. He woke up and stared at her with those large red eyes of his. His daddy's eyes. Then he reached for her breast. Serafin sighed and unbuttoned her blouse for him. He immediately latched on to her breast. Some days she felt like she had a suction hose attached to her!

	At two months, Souten learned to crawl and it became impossible to keep track of him. He kept pulling furniture over on himself and howling loudly in pain but insisting on doing the very same thing the next day. Hiten enlisted the help of the wolf clan to keep an eye on his fast little Demon child when he was outside. The very next day, they saved him from falling into the stream next to their home! Kagome found him near her own home the day after that and brought the loudly crying baby back to his mother.

Clothes were a huge problem. The knees in his baby clothes lasted about two hours. But all the crawling didn't seem to damage Souten's knees at all, so Serafin put him in short outfits and just let him crawl around. He was always filthy from crawling in the garden and she spent an inordinate amount of time giving him baths. Fortunately, Souten liked taking baths, but he didn't last more than a few minutes clean. Serafin now understood why Demon mothers just let their children run around naked! She was very close to going that route. Kome was also crawling, but tended to stay near his mother. Souten went everywhere his fast little legs could take him. At two months, Hiten pierced his son's ears and put earrings on him. It was the custom of his family. Surprisingly, Souten didn't cry during the entire procedure. He seemed to know that it was a important rite of passage. Although Souten still slept contently in his basket, it could not longer contain him -- he just crawled right out of it. Keiko went to the Human World with Kurama and they brought back playpens and cribs. Hiten and Kurama put together one of the playpens and Hiten set his rambunctious son inside of it, with lots of toys for him to play with. Souten screamed at the top of his lungs and wouldn't stop until he was lifted out by his frustrated father. Finally, with the help of Sanosuke and Katsu, Hiten built a four foot high wall around his house with a child-proof gate. Immediately Souten crawled to the fence at full speed and rammed right into it. He quickly went crawling to his mother and once in the safety of her arms, he started crying. Hiten could barely stop laughing. His son had not utterly a peep until he knew he was safe in his mother's arms and then started wailing.

	"Oh, poor baby," Serafin said to her son, kissing the small bruise on his forehead. Souten stopped crying and looked up at his mother with serious eyes. Then, as always, he reached for her breast. "Forgot your pain, did you?" she admonished as she undid her blouse for him.

For all the trouble that he was, Souten was still much loved by his parents. He loved to be tossed high into the air and caught by his father's strong arms. And he loved to be rocked in his mother's arms while he nursed. And he would watch her with his large red eyes and smile contentedly as she sang lullabies to him. Serafin adored her son even though he was handful. And Hiten loved them both with all his heart.

Kenru Both Kaoru and Sango were very glad that they had human children each time they heard about the latest bit of mischief Souten had gotten into. Kaoru had started teaching many of the villagers her style of martial arts which was defensive instead of offensive. Hers was "the sword that protects." She had to suspend classes when her pregnancy became too far advanced, but once she had delivered Kenru, she started them up again. And it gave her a chance to get back in shape. Kagome and Sango also joined her class, mostly to get in shape after giving birth, since both of them were very capable on their own and already were accomplished Demon fighters.
	Kenshin was more than happy to take care of Kenru during the classes. Kenshin even did the laundry with Kenru strapped to his back. He adored having his daughter around. When his work was done, he would go over to Miroku's and spend time with the monk. Their protector work had been curtailed until the children were older. Miroku wasn't sure if Kagome would even want to resume looking for the crystal shards. They had managed to find only the equivalent to half of the crystal. Kagome would be invaluable in finding them, but it was a lot of ask, not only of her but of Kouga.
In the cool evenings, Kaoru would sit in the beautiful rocker and rock her daughter to sleep in her arms, singing softly to her. Kenshin sat next to them, watching his wife and daughter, a contented smile on his face. He had found the peace that had eluded him for so long.

Mirago Sango and Miroku now had two children with the addition of Rin. Rin had bonded with Miroku very quickly, for the monk always had a way with children. Sango took a little longer, but soon they were a happy family. Mirago was a wonderful addition and, like Kouga, a very quiet, contented baby. Rin loved her new sister and would watch over her and play with Mirago for hours.

	Miroku was more than happy to take care of his daughter. At times Sango thought that if her mate could find a way to produce milk, she would be totally unnecessary. At night, at the very first sound she made, Miroku was up and holding her. He carried his daughter to Sango, waiting patiently for Sango to finish nursing, then rocked Mirago back to sleep. "You are spoiling her rotten!" Sango admonished. But he didn't care. Miroku never actually expected to have a child and she was his miracle.

On sunny days, Miroku and Kenshin would take their daughters to the surrounding hills to play. Katsu and Sanosuke often accompanied them. Katsu would sit and sketch the beautiful scenery, while Sanosuke dozed contently in the warm sun. After a while, the babies would fall asleep in their father's arms and Kenshin and Miroku would quietly talk. The two men had become the best of friends.

	Keiko had brought baby juices from the Human World and Miroku always had a few of these with him in case Mirago or Kenru got hungry. The Human World was filled with wonderful things and Keiko was always bringing something back. One of the most popular items were crayons. They could not bring enough of these. Rin loved to color and always had lots of colorful drawings lying around. Shippo had became good friends with Rin and often joined them on these walks. The two of them would lie on the grass, coloring happily.

Two Months Later Kagome and Kouga took Kome to meet his grandmother, great-grandfather and his young uncle in the Human World. Kagome's mother immediately fell in love with her grandson. She loved his tiny fangs and pointed ears. And she took about a hundred pictures of him. Kome did not like the flash of the camera at first, but soon got used to it. Kagome reminded her that she could not show them to anyone since her grandson did not look human. But it didn't matter to her -- Mikoumi planned to create an picture album for Kome when he grew up. Kagome found that her old room had been converted for them; it now had a double bed in it and a crib for Kome. There was a mobile of soft birds overhead and Kome was fascinated with it. He could not walk yet, but he could pull himself up and when he was in his crib, he spent all his time trying to get the mobile down. Kagome was glad that he was not Souten, because she was sure that Souten would have shredded it by now! Her mother also gave Kome a teddy bear almost as big as he was and he loved it. He slept with his head on the bear's soft tummy, his little arms wrapped around it. After a week, they went back home to Otherworld, promising to return in a couple of months. Kagome reminded her mother than Kome would probably be walking by then and a crib would not be a good idea. He would just climb out of it and perhaps fall. At home, his basket was on the floor. Mikoumi sent teddy bears for the other three children. Kagome took the bear to Souten with the expectation that it would last about five minutes, but incredibly he loved the bear as much as Kome did and kept it in his basket to sleep next to. It was the only toy to stay in one piece during Souten's entire childhood.

[Author's Note: Kome is pronounced: "Co-May" and Souten is "So-Ten"]