Anomaly
Hatsuyo was an anomaly, one of the only females who didn't have eyes for the Western Lord. This was something which she'd greatly regretted since being titled official 'au pair' to one heir apparent... Evil in infant form by the name Sesshoumaru.
0.
The full moon shone so large and bright amongst the night sky, it seemed like a hole in the darkness that emitted a glowing pale yellow light. It lit up the entirety of the gardens in that eerie glow. The view of the bushes, flowers, trees, even the still watered pond might have been peaceful and serene had she not been so utterly exhausted. Looking out from the window of the nursery, she noted that she'd rather be viewing the magnificent landscape in her dreams.
Hatsuyo gave a dejected sigh, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear and out of the reach of the squirming infant in her arms. It was near morning and she hadn't slept for a straight week. Such was the consequence of motherhood that it was specifically to wear away the youth and longevity of the mother. And yet, Hatsuyo noted rather bitterly, the child was not even her own. "Don't cry, little one," she cooed softly to the screaming baby, likely in need of feeding. The lady of the house was asleep and really, it was worth more than her life to wake her up before the birds began to chirp.
Never, thought Hatsuyo flatly. Will I become a mother. Especially not after witnessing the horrifying if not downright mentally scarring labour of the Lady. Nor after experiencing childcare first hand. The young master was just over two fortnights and the experience of keeping a baby, a taiyoukai baby at that, was completely wearing her out. Even her extended youkai endurance did not keep her nearly as energetic as the baby at that time. The truth was, she was exhausted and what she really wanted, was to sleep, or take a nice hot bath in the hot springs, but she couldn't, for there was no one to trade off her duty to.
Hatsuyo had been the only one appointed to the boy, in the strictest confidence that she would do well on her job. In the eyes of greater demons, she was merely a baby herself, just barely old enough to conceive and yet…there she was, taking care of one that wasn't even her own. If truth be told she was not a great candidate for the job. She didn't have her own kids and she'd never been around any that she couldn't call peer. She was even an only child in her upbringing, but she knew why she'd been picked.
"Of what parentage are you, girl?" the Lady had asked upon meeting with Hatsuyo one day. She'd been lounging in her bedchamber, heavily with child, though serene and beautiful all the same. The lady would be expecting any day now, and then the heir to the kingdom of the Western Lord would be born. In the entirety of the house, even in other parts of the land, people were talking about it. The birth of this child would be the most important birth since the Western Lord himself.
"My mother is your lady-in-waiting, my father governs the most westerly of your lands, my lady," Hatsuyo replied. Her mother and father had insisted she go stay in the main house of the lord at any invitation for they'd thought it would have been a good opportunity to become acquainted with people she would get to know anyways. They had high hopes for her future and it was very likely for Hatsuyo to marry into a good house.
"So you are of noble lineage," the Lady remarked. There was a moment of silence where she'd pondered to herself the credibility of this young youkai. "Mitsuna-san's child, by appearance, I daresay, you look just like her. Tell me child, you are still a maid, are you not?"
"Yes, my Lady," she'd replied. At the time, not even knowing what trap she'd fallen into. She was still young, the human appearance of fifteen indicating her age, though she'd lived for many years longer. The ways and traditions of youkai were much more complex and Hatsuyo remained naïve about most matters, one of the reasons she come to live in the royal house.
"And are you to be courted, or wed in the near future?"
"No, my Lady."
"Good, good… one last question for you and you are dismissed. Do you have great ambitions?"
It was an odd question, though in hindsight it made perfect sense. If the Lady had asked about such a sensitive topic, doubtless she'd have been lied to. She was an intelligent youkai. "As of current, my lady, my only ambition is to fulfill my duties to this court to the best of my abilities." Then he'd come, and shortly thereafter, the young prince had been handed to him and from there on out, he'd become her responsibility. And Hatsuyo had understood the motive behind her strange question.
The demon lord of the West, the great and powerfully awesome Inu no Taisho was not only that, but very charming and handsome. The aura and mystique of the lord was such that nearly every female serving under the house and beyond lusted after him. Lust created delusions and delusions became dangerous when combined with envy and bitterness. The Lady did not much mind, but her child, the heir would no doubt be a target for those contemptuous females and thus, she needed to find a caretaker who did not pose such danger.
It was a shame, thought Hatsuyo sadly, that she'd always seen him as an uncle. If only she'd been so shallow to lust aimlessly after the lord, she wouldn't have to deal with this insolent pup. Twice that day, he'd vomited all over her and Hatsuyo had a narrowing suspicion it was purely out of spite and mischief.
The baby had stopped crying, soothed by the continuous motions of being rocked back and forth in Hatsuyo's arms. His cooing was soft, nondescript and vague and he waved his little arms, laden with baby fat and Hatsuyo look down at his chubby face and golden eyes. She let a finger run over his delicate forehead, pushing his silver hair aside to reveal the crescent moon on his forehead. He giggled happily and Hatsuyo couldn't help but smile. He was sweet, really.
Maybe she would consider children one day. …but only if she too was lucky enough to pawn her offspring off to some naïve loser when she became tired of the children she was to mother.
A sharp pain from her scalp as her head instinctively jerked forward. "Ouch!" she hissed, looking down to see her hair clutched tightly in the baby's fat fist. She reprimanded him angrily, knowing full well he didn't understand as he ignored her instead screaming with delight at her reaction. Oh this is going to be the beginning of a beautiful relationship, thought Hatsuyo darkly.
Author's Note: I was reading a lot of fanfictions about Sesshoumaru's parents and a lot of those stories entailed Sesshoumaru as a child. The idea of him being a child really amused me and I thus, I let the concept of him bullying a nanny, of sorts, entertain me. If this idea also brought you some sort of intrigue, please feel free to leave a comment. You may or may not know how special it feels when reviews are left.
also...
The characters, plot and idea of Inuyasha don't belong to me, but rather the person who came up with it in the first place. I feel as if I'm betraying the entirety of the Inuyasha fandom in admitting I honestly cannot remember the author's name, sorry.