The true meaning of pack

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and Co. Nor do I make any money from this.

Warning: Sensitive topics of miscarriage and loss. This may trigger some individual.

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Taking in several calming breaths, Sesshōmaru steeled himself for the inevitable confrontation and opened the door. "Father. Izayoi." calmly hailed the inuyōkai as he stepped aside to let them in.

He watched as his father slipped out of his shoes before the older man rounded on him. "Sesshōmaru, what is the meaning of this?!" he barked, clearly not pleased that he had been woken up so late at night.

Sesshōmaru ignored the elder yōkai and turned to his stepmother. "My mate needs your assistance." He said as they moved further into the house.

"Mate?" both parental units shouted in unison, glancing at one another before curiously eyeing their eldest.

"Yes." He confirmed with a shake of his head and finally let his folks know the truth. "Kagome and I are mated, but that is not why I called you here." The teen roughly swallowed before he continued. "Tonight, Kagome suffered a miscarriage."

A gasp came from the right of him, causing the yōkai to see his stepmother's face twisted with concern. "Oh no. Poor child" uttered Izayoi. "I'm assuming she is not taking the loss well?" She asked, swiftly switching into professional mode.

"Correct." confirmed the yōkai while running a hand roughly through his silver hair and exhaled deeply. "I'm not sure what to do for her. She has not spoken since we left the hospital." He disclosed, his concern coloring his tone. "All she has done is cry."

His stepmother sent a sharp look at his father then slid back to him; her gaze softened with an unrecognizable emotion. "Which room is she in?" asked the older woman before her gaze flicked back to her husband.

"The first room on the left." Answered the inuyōkai as he watched his stepmother shoot his father another round of looks before heading in that direction.

That left the males in the room alone, staring silently at one another. It was their father who was the first to break the stillness. "When were you going to tell me that you were mated and expecting a child?!" demanded the elder yōkai, his arms crossing over his chest as he stared over at his oldest.

If the old man was trying to intimidate him, he was failing miserably. That might work on Inuyasha but hadn't worked on him since he was a small child. "When I felt that it was pertinent." He answered honestly, shrugging in the process while inspecting his claws.

A loud growl erupted from the older demon. "This is a big deal, Pup!" barked his father before carrying on. "You are young. Too young to be mated and with a child on the way."

Sesshōmaru snorted softly at his father's choice of words then shrugged as if he didn't care. "Sorry to disappoint you, father, but what is done is done." He dryly replied, holding back the eye roll that he knew the older demon loathed.

"Yes, I can see that." The elder yōkai bit back before the silence enveloped the inuyōkai in the room once more.

Their father took several cleansing breaths then broke the standstill, this time changing the subject and catching the younger demon off guard with the level of tenderness and understanding. "It took your mother and me several tries before we were pregnant with you. There will be many opportunities to have a child. Maybe it would be best for you two to wait a couple of years then try again. Children are hard work and time-consuming. You and Kagome should be focusing on your education before even thinking about starting a family." He continued only to stop when a tiny voice interrupted.

"Dada?" echoed the child-like voice again before Malakai stepped out from behind a door, rubbing his sleep-filled eyes and slowly toddling up to Sesshōmaru.

It seemed that tonight was the night to clear the air. The gods were making that plain and simple. Hell, he got the message. Sesshōmaru picked up his son and cradled him gently as he introduced the small boy to his father. "Father, meet your grandson, Malakai."

The old man's face twisted in confusion, and his eyes bounced from Sesshōmaru to Malakai. "Grandson?" He repeated as he tried to piece together the small information given.

"Yes." Confirmed the younger demon while he rocked the pup in his arms and carried on. "As you can see, father, I do not need reminding on how hard parenting can be. I already know."

"How is it that you were able to keep this from me?" demanded his father as his gaze never wandered from the sleepy-eyed child.

"It was not hard since we never see each other." He admitted to his old man with a roll of his shoulders. It was true that they lived separate lives, always dancing around each other, and hadn't been that hard to hide this part of his life.

The older yōkai didn't comment on what his son had said but gently smiled at the small pup. "Hello, little one." He said, keeping his tone soft and soothing as he continued to smile.

Unlike with Inuyasha, Malakai shied away from the unknown male. He turned to his father for reassurance. "Dada…" he squeaked and buried his face into the folds of his father's shirt.

Sesshōmaru found it interesting that the pup had taken to the hanyō right away but reacted differently with the old man. Usually, kids loved his father. "It is okay, Kai kai." He cooed reassuringly, gently rubbing the toddler's back.

Malakai glanced at the unfamiliar yōkai and sniffed lightly. His eyes widened and quickly turned to his father. "Famee?" He asked, this time excited by the prospect.

"Yes. Family." Sesshōmaru grudgingly revealed with a shake of his silver head. He then brushed the dark hair out of his eyes and carried on. "Your grandfather."

A row of tiny white teeth flashed at the older man as the toddler exclaimed happily. "Gandotter!"

The older yōkai laughed at the sudden change of emotion. "You can call me, Pop Pop, little one." He then peered over to his oldest and chuckled some more. "He is his mother's child."

Sesshōmaru gave a snort of acknowledgment and ruffled the pup's black locks. "That he is."

"Though," His father added, "He looks so much like you, especially when you were his age."

"So, I've been told." Sesshōmaru said, golden gaze flicking to the closed bedroom door then back to his father.

A clawed hand now on the old man's chin as he observed his new grandchild. "I am surprised that he didn't get our signature silver hair."

"I was surprised as well." He admitted, his worried gaze shifting to the door yet again while a heavy sigh slipped from him before continuing softly. "Though, I shouldn't have been since my mate is a very special human." So special that he hoped his stepmother was getting through to her. Every sob sent a pain straight to his heart, and the disheartened feeling increased tenfold.

His father's silky tone drew him out of his musing. "She will be okay, son. Your mother will help her. She is the best in her field and loves Kagome as dearly as I do." The older yōkai's sad eyes fell to the closed door before drifting back to his oldest child and puffing with genuine pride. "You couldn't have chosen a better mate, Sesshōmaru."

Sesshōmaru hadn't expected his father's approval nor the rush of happiness when the words sank in. "Thank you, Father."

The elder male nodded, then the proud smile fell into a small frown as he reached over to squeeze his son's shoulder. "It won't be easy for you as well." He acknowledged giving another gentle squeeze. "I know we don't see eye to eye a lot of the time, but if you should ever need to talk, son, my door is always open."

Yet again, his father caught him off balance. He felt as if he were in that old American show, the Twilight Zone. Though, a small part of him was relieved that his old man was with him and not against him. "I will remember that." He said before changing the subject to something less emotional. "Would you care for a drink?" asked Sesshōmaru, shifting the pup to his other side.

"Do you have any Shichida Junmai?" Asked his father, who ran his hand over his slightly weathered face. "I think I need something a little harder than water or tea."

Yes, so did he. They had something stocked for times when they had guests. It would be perfect for this situation. "I do." Sesshōmaru confirmed and motioned for his father to follow. "This way."

In the kitchen, Sesshōmaru went to the minibar and retrieved the unopen bottle of Saki. He set the bottle on the table, then grabbed two glasses from the cupboard and started to fill them with the clear alcohol.

"Hey! Can I get some?" exclaimed the hanyō, no longer feeling the need to stay quiet. He looked rather put out from being forgotten by both his father and older brother.

"No." the older yōkai said together, causing the hanyō to frown.

His face contorted with outrage, and his arms folded in displeasure as he snarled rudely. "Why the hell not?!"

"Watch your language, Pup!" growled their father, sending a sharp glare the wilting hanyō's way.

Sesshōmaru bit back the pleased grin as he nodded towards the icebox. "There is soda in the fridge." He quipped, fighting some more to keep his smug happiness at bay as Inuyasha sneered at him. Sesshōmaru pretended not to notice while he passed their father his drink.

The hanyō huffed loudly. "Unfuc…" Inuyasha caught himself when their father shot him another glare. "Unbelievable." He quickly covered before grumbling under his breath as he went to get a soda.

Father and son shook their heads, then raised their glasses and cheered. "Kanpai." They said before taking a drink.

Eventually, the inuyōkai moved to the dining table to sip their beverages as they waited for any news on Kagome. It was several more minutes before Izayoi stepped out of the room, closing the door gently, and hurried toward them.

As she approached, Sesshōmaru jumped from the chair and asked about his upset mate. "How is she?"

Sad brown eyes flashed his way as Izayoi answered the question. "Grieving. She blames herself for the miscarriage. It will take time for her to heal, both physically and emotionally. I'd like to start seeing her as soon as possible."

If it would help his mate, then yes, a hundred times over. "Just let me know when and what time." He said with genuine relief.

"I'll let my secretary know and have her call you with the appointments." She responded, glancing at her husband for a second before returning to her stepson.

"That will be fine." Said the yōkai before slightly bowing. "Thank you, Izayoi."

A large smile bloomed on the lined features as she returned the bow. "Of course, Sweetheart. I'd do anything to help my children." She said, smiling some more as her gaze drifted to the sleepy toddler. "Now, who is this?"

Sesshōmaru puffed with pride as he introduced his son to his stepmother. "This is your grandson, Malakai."

A breath caught in her throat and her surprised gaze shot to his father, who smiled happily before trailing back to the tiny child. "Hello, precious." Izayoi softly greeted. "I'm your grandmama, but you can call me Nana."

The pup's golden eyes brightened when he realized that the woman in front of him was family. Malakai giggled and happily clapped his hands as he pointed to the new additions one at a time. "Nana. PopPop. Unkey." He squealed loudly and clapped his hands. "Famee!"

The adults in the room glanced at one another and chuckled in amusement as the toddler copied them.

His father sidled up to his stepmother and lightly kissed her temple. She leaned into him, wrapping an arm around his waist before turning her attention back to her stepson. "Oh, he's gorgeous, Sesshōmaru." His stepmother gushed.

Bouncing Malakai on his hip caused the small child to giggle some more. Sesshōmaru flashed the pup a warm smile then turned to his parent, chest-puffing with pride. "That he is." He proudly boasted, hugging the toddler to him affectionately.

"I can't believe our oldest is mated," Izayoi smiled up at her husband, her gaze full of pure happiness, while she squeezed him tightly. "and that we're grandparents."

"Neither can I." his father revealed, returning the gesture with another kiss to the side of her dark head.

Sesshōmaru couldn't believe how well that had all gone. His parents had stayed for another hour before they announced that they had to go. Inuyasha had offered to stay, but Sesshōmaru declined, telling the hanyō that he had done enough for the time being and to go home. That was when the hanyō had decided to hitch a ride with their folks. It wasn't long before Yuna followed shortly, telling him that she would be back in the morning. He bid her goodnight, then made his way throughout the house, turning off lights and checking on the lightly snoring toddler than to the now quiet bedroom.

Silently opening the door, the inuyōkai snuck into the room and began to quietly undress for the night. Ending up in just a pair of boxers, Sesshōmaru carefully crawled underneath the covers only to jump in surprise when his mate's tired and scratchy voice cut into the stillness of the night. "I'm sorry, Maru."

He automatically reached out and pulled her to him. "Sorry for what, Gome?" the yōkai asked when she curled into his chest, burying her face against pale skin.

She pulled back just enough to squeak out a response, eyes burning holes into his muscled chest. Her tender voice quivered with each word. "For not doing enough to protect our baby."

A heavy sigh escaped as he gently ran a hand up and down her spine. "You did nothing wrong. Do you hear me?" he gently demanded, causing her gaze to finally reach his. When it did, it made Sesshōmaru's heart ache with what he saw.

Tears began to well up in her stormy eyes as her lip shook as she spoke. "Then why does it feel that way?" She sadly asked, the sorrowful droplets now sliding down her cherub cheeks. "I feel like such a failure." Sobbed the grieving teen, dropping her head so that her forehead touched his pectoral.

A soft growl sprang from the yōkai as he held his trembling mate tightly and whispered into her ear. "You are no such thing." He lovingly kissed her messy locks before honestly continuing. "Kagome, you are the strongest human that I know." It was true. Very few humans were as strong as his mate or high in his regard; This woman was both, and it was killing him to know that she was in a great deal of pain.

Kagome continued to cry for a few more minutes before pulling back and sniffling. "I don't feel strong right now." She admitted, a sad frown marred her delicate features, and fat droplets fell between them.

Sesshōmaru reached over to move the damp hair from her face before cupping her jaw, his thumb gently sweeping her wet cheek. "I know. Eventually, you will. It is going to take some time." He swooped in to kiss his exhausted mate softly then ordered her to sleep. "Now rest, love."

A large yawn erupted from the worn-out woman as she shook her head in agreement. "I love you, Maru." She said while settling into her mate's strong arms.

Sesshōmaru tugged her closer and left a light kiss on her temple. "I love you too." He muttered into her dark mane, then kissed her yet again before settling in for the night. The inuyōkai quietly listened to her breathing as it slowly began to even out. His golden eyes watched her beautiful face go slack, then moved to stare out the closed window.

The stars twinkled in the darkened sky while the bright moon currently matched his birthright. He let out a tired puff of air and allowed the night's events to finally invade. Even though Sesshōmaru was one to have complete control over his emotions, he couldn't contain the single tear that managed to escape but bit back the mournful howl that wanted to follow.

The yōkai quickly wiped it away while continuing to stare somberly at the glowing crescent. His troubled mind was suddenly plagued with the thoughts of his mother, and a sense of calm washed over him. 'Mother.' He mused, realizing that no matter where their pup was, his mother would be there to take care of him or her until the day that he and Kagome took their last breaths and were reunited. He needn't worry. All he had to do was be strong for his mate and be there for his small family. Sesshōmaru silently thank his mother for the sudden clarity before his golden gaze shifted from the window to his unconscious mate. He leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead, whispering sweet promises against her silky skin, then settled into bed, thanking his mother one more time before drifting off to sleep.