Disclaimer: I no own; you no sue. Not the story characters, and not the songs. Get it. Got it? Good.

A/N: I don't like Kikyou. I'm a fan of Inuyasha & Kagome, and Sesshoumaru &Rin. And of course, Miroku & Sango, as if that weren't already obvious. So anyways, sorry if you don't like. I like it so I wrote it this way. Go me!

..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l..

What If?

It's a chance to change for better
It's a life that lives to tell
When the chance comes
Who will take it
I will

How long will the world wander
And empty hearts long to find
Come see where the cup runs over
Here in the fulness of times

It's a day of discovery
It's a time with truth revealed
When the call comes
Who will answer
I will

It's been a long time coming
With not much left to go
It's my time to tell it
I want to live to let them know
greg simpson Fulness of Time from the We Believe EFY 2002 Soundtrack

Chapter Ten

Sesshoumaru, Demon Lord of the Western Lands, was doing something no one would have ever expected any demon, especially a demon lord, to do: he was playing hide and seek with children. Well, they were his children and nieces and nephews. There were seven children in all: four were Inuyasha's and Kagome's; three were Sesshoumaru and Rin's. There were five boys and two girls among the trees, bushes, and tall grasses. There was one set of triplets, something no one had expected, and all three were Inuyasha and Kagome's. Their names were Natsuko and Kameko for the girls and Mareo for the boy, in that order. Yasuo, their youngest, was also a boy. Raidon, Kaemon, and Toshiro were all born separately to Sesshoumaru and Rin. All were boys.

Sesshoumaru hunted for the seven children, two half-breeds, and Priestess while Rin stayed near the house: she was pregnant again. And she swore that if it wasn't a girl this time, she was leaving Sesshoumaru. Jaken brought some food out to his Mistress Rin while the others played. They had spent most of the morning training so Sesshoumaru had wanted to blow off a little steam. He vowed things would not happen the way they had for him and Inuyasha. The second half-breed happened to be Inuyasha's sister, and Sesshoumaru's half-sister: Caley. Just after Inuyasha and Kagome's and Sesshoumaru and Rin's weddings (because both had a human wedding for the sake of their mates), Inuyasha's mother found out she was pregnant again. Caley came along shortly after.

One would think she and Inuyasha were twins: long silver hair, amber eyes, a temper shorter than the hair on Jaken's head. But, she had a passion for the simple things in life Inuyasha did not. She was about the same age as some of her nieces and nephews, but it didn't matter; she thought of Sesshoumaru and Rin as more of a father and mother, and Inuyasha and Kagome as an uncle and aunt, than anything else. Hennyo had joined Sesshoumaru's mother in dieing in battle to defend his honor. What with the bond between him and his mate (explained here in a minute), she followed shortly after. Sesshoumaru and Rin raised Caley as their own in a way, being sure to let her know just who she was. She too was hiding among the branches of a nearby tree, waiting to be found.

Rin gave birth to twin girls: Aiko and Kumiko. Kagome and Sesshoumaru coaxed her through it and were shocked into happiness when they realized it was twins. Both girls were strong and healthy. And Rin finally had her daughters. They would grow up with their brothers and aunt, learning to fight and defend themselves alongside their cousins at the palace.

A new procedure had been found that would allow Kagome and Rin to live as long as their husbands. Before Hennyo died, he told Sesshoumaru of it for he had used it on Inuyasha's mother. If each mate in a demon/human, demon/half-breed, or half-breed/human relationship marks their mate, a bite mark at the juncture of the neck and shoulder enough to bleed on each participant, then the exchange of blood allows several things to happen: one is allowing the weaker of the two to live longer and healthier; another is now the two were joined mentally and spiritually. One could think something to the other, or one could be in pain and the other will know about it.

When Sesshoumaru found this out from his father, he had gone to Rin immediately to ask her opinion in the matter. She was only too thrilled to be able to live as long as her mate did. She knew it was one of the reasons he hadn't wanted to get involved with her in the first place. Once decided it would be done, they traveled to Inuyasha and Kagome's village to tell them of the news. Although Inuyasha was not a demon, he would still outlive Kagome. They, too, were thrilled at the news and agreed they would do it. That night, two couples marked their mates. And that night, their first children were conceived as well.

Kagome had all four children in the feudal era with Inuyasha for two reasons. One, she had decided to live there with Inuyasha. Two, there would be no way to explain to a doctor in her time why her child was a half-breed, if it was. Since Inuyasha was one-half human and one-half demon, there was no guarantee about which half would bond with Kagome to produce their children. All four were born half-breeds, but some more than others. Natsuko looked almost exactly like her mother, except for the amber eyes. Kameko was a female Inuyasha, no doubt about that. Mareo, the first boy, was an equal mix of the two with silver hair and blue eyes. Yasuo, born two years later, may have looked like Inuyasha, but was Kagome's little boy.

There was much concern at Yasuo's birth. When he was born, he did not make a sound and this worried Kagome who had delivered many children. Every single one came out screaming or at least crying. Yasuo didn't even coo. She was worried, but Sesshoumaru and Kaede assured her that everything was fine, that her child was one hundred percent healthy. Kagome was happy that her child was okay, but worried that he would make a noise. It would be four days before he would make any. Kagome got up, leaving Yasuo in his nest on the bed asleep, to check on her triplets. As soon as she walked into the hallway at Sesshoumaru's and shut the door, Yasuo began screaming at the top of his lungs. Kagome quickly opened the door to see what was wrong, and Yasuo stopped screaming.

Sesshoumaru and Rin's children would all be half-breeds, which was okay with both of them. Their first, Raidon, would be Heir to the Western Lands when Sesshoumaru passed on. He was given the name Raidon for his thunderous yell and temper. However, training between Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and Kagome would calm that down real quick. Kaemon, the second child, was a bit more like Rin in personality in that he was always trying to help someone. Same with Toshiro; only he was a very intelligent child, er pup, from the very beginning. All three looked just like Sesshoumaru, except Toshiro who had one amber eye and one brown one.

Aiko and Kumiko, Rin's twin girls, came along a year after Toshiro with much happiness for their arrival. Twins were unexpected, but Rin wasn't going to complain. After three boys, it would be an easy birth and a much welcome relief from all the males in the house. Rin made sure that, when they were old enough, Sesshoumaru would train them just like he trained their sons, sister, nieces, and nephews.

When naming a child, you name it at or near birth. When naming a pup, the name is not given until six months have passed to be sure that the child will make it. Especially any half-breeds because they are susceptible to illnesses and attacks by other demons because of their human blood at this time. When all ten pups reached the six month mark, both sets of parents were thrilled and happily gave names. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha decided on Caley's name together. All would grow up well taught and well loved as they should be.

Things had never been so good and happy at the Western Palace of the Demon Lord.

..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l.. ..l..

A/N: Here are the main pairings and children/pups:

Hennyo and 1st mate (not named in this story)- Sesshoumaru
Hennyo & 2nd mate (called Mistress in this story)- Inuyasha, Caley
Miroku and Sango- Yukiko, Hoshiko, Ichiro
Kohaku and Aneko- Kamlyn, another (unnamed)
Inuyasha and Kagome- Natsuko & Kameko & Mareo, Yasuo
Sesshoumaru and Rin- Raidon, Kaemon, Toshiro, Aiko & Kumiko

And here are the meanings of their names:

Yukiko- snow child
Hoshiko- star child
Ichiro- first son
Kamlyn- variant of Lord (Kami means Lord in Japanese)
Natsuko- summer child
Kameko- child of the tortoise; symbol of long life
Mareo- rare; uncommon
Yasuo- peaceful one
Raidon- thunder god
Kaemon- joyful; right-handed; old Samurai name
Toshiro- talented; intelligent
Aiko- little love; beloved
Kumiko- companion child
Caley­- brave warrior; slender

I want to thank CreativeChilde for all the beta-reading she did and I dedicate this chapter to her as well. I had written it out, printed it, and taken it to her house so she could read it again because it had been so long since she had last read it. And she didn't like this last chapter much. She told me I should change some things, so I did. In fact, I re-did it quite a bit. I think... well, what did all of you think about it? Thanks to The World is a Stage for the review given to chapter nine. I wasn't worried that you didn't review to chapter eight. I know you like the story. I do too. That's why I wrote it. And I am sorry that I have to end it. However, I am working on Reincarnation still. And Romeo and Juliet Inuyasha Style will be out soon. Yeah well, bye everyone! Owari! Adios! Ah-veed-er-sane! Sorry about killing German there. I really am. sighs sadly I'm really leaving now. Bye. dpa06