It's Good Medicine
A/N: The characters in this story are from my fanfic Todoku's Love Story. Don't worry, the events in this story ARE NOT contributing to Todoku's Love Story in anyway (In other words, I didn't spoil it). Oh, and I don't not own Inuyasha OR make any sort of money off these fanfics.
Michodou paced back and forth at the camp they lived in carrying a very fussy six-month old in his arms. His white kimono embellished with small black vine designs was getting stained by her tears and her messy nose. Baby Todoku's daddy just wasn't giving her what she wanted and was shrieking louder in protest. Even going as far as to pull on Michodou's long, silky white hair; pulling it out of the low ponytail it was neatly tied in.
That was what welcomed the Great Dog General when he arrived at Michodou's quaint primitive little home in the forest. "Having 'daddy problems', my catty comrade?"
"Ah! Well if it isn't my old friend…It's been a while, been busy?" Michodou tried to smile when his little one found his ear.
The Great Dog General chuckled. "Not as busy as you seem to be,"
Michodou's two demon vassals, Alanna the chinchilla demon and Inga the fallow deer demon, came out to greet their visitor and taking the heavy pack off his shoulders. They were busy with restocking the medicines for the hospital; a task that usually took all day. It was the least they could do for their guest at this point.
The cat demon sighed in his response, "You know I really wish Kurope were still alive, I'm sure she'd know what was buggin' her," he bobbed the fussy babe a few times on his shoulder. "I mean I've changed her, fed her…I tried tickling her, but that just made her a bit more angry,"
"Hmm," InuTaisho stroked his chin as he sat down on a log. "This may sound a little funny coming from me, but…did you try nuzzling her?"
"Nuzzling her?" Michodou asked as if he's never heard the word.
"You mean you've had the child for 6 whole months and you don't even nuzzle the poor thing? No wonder she's so irritated," The dog demon countered. He removed his heavy armor from his shoulders. "Here, hand her to me,"
"Gladly, once I get her off my ear…" Michodou felt a small tear in his eye as he pulled her tiny prickly claws off his velvet cat ear. "Watch it, she's got a good grip…"he held her to his dog demon friend.
Todoku cried and flailed a little more. She didn't seem to like the fact that someone other than her daddy was going to hold her at the moment. She squirmed in Inu Taisho's grip (I really wish he had a name…) and tried to grip onto his own demon ear. "Now, now little one…easy there, don't wanna end up with the same piercing your daddy got,"
He held the tiny tot on his shoulder as she wiggled and squirmed. She didn't like this new, unfamiliar scent and tried to flail a bit more, but InuTaisho nuzzled his nose and mouth in between her cheek and neck.
Baby Todoku relaxed almost instantly. That's what's she's been missing. And loving every minute of it. The poor thing was trying to tell her daddy this the whole time. She stopped crying and moving all together. She was so content that she even began to purr her tiny kitten purr. The fact that it wasn't her father that was holding her didn't seem to bother her much anymore.
"My word…how on earth did you do that?" Michodou flopped down onto the opposite log in surprise. "I've been trying to put her down for at least two hours…"
"You think Sesshoumaru was a very quiet baby?" InuTaisho chuckled. "He was ALWAYS very fussy, you couldn't comfort him any other way. But one thing that always did the trick, was a good nuzzle from Papa,"
Todoku was able to lift her head and rub against InuTaisho's neck, all the while purring at her loudest. "Aw, would you look at that…She's trying to nuzzle ya back!" Michodou said smiling finally relieved that his daughter was no longer in distress. Thanks to an already experienced Papa!
"Heh, yeah, she sure is cute," he patted and rubbed the little one's back easing her down for the nap she'd been denying herself. Baby Todoku finally rested her head on his shoulder and let her eyes close.
InuTaisho then proceeded to carry on a conversation with his comrade that he hasn't seen in some time. Their baritone voices were like a lullaby to the babe as she peacefully napped on the Dog General's shoulder.
"I'll take her back if you want…" Michodou offered.
"Nah, she's too comfortable…besides, I haven't done this in a long time," he replied missing the way he used to comfort his baby boy.
"Aw, I guess we never grow out of being such loving fathers," Michodou smiled as he watched (a little jealous) his little girl finally get some rest.
-Several years later-
Todoku received a high end punch to her cheek for failing to properly to predict her father's next move. After so many years of training she still has trouble in her fighting form. Todoku at this point was the equivalent to an 11 year old; so it was no wonder her father felt he may be going a little too hard on her.
Todoku picked herself up off the ground and felt really disgruntled. The past few days she'd been missing her hits, miscalculating her opponent, and her element of surprise was suffering greatly. Michodou was quick to jump on her sadness.
"Aw kiddo, don't feel bad…these things take time,"
"Humans can do it in about a decade or so…" she turned her back to him and looked to her feet.
"Yes, but you're not human…well not fully human," Michodou tried to comfort. It wasn't working.
"Humans are weaker than someone like me, right? Besides, I've done this so much better before, I just don't know why I'm screwing up so bad," sure she's heard the old 'get right back into the saddle' sayings, but to a kid like her, it was too hard to remember sometimes. Poor thing was even on the verge of tears from what her father could tell.
"Don't be upset, my little one," he tried to hold her from behind.
"But Papa, I'm losing it! It's becoming harder with every day that passes," she held her head in frustration.
Without a word, Michodou got himself to purr and nuzzled his little girl's neck. This relaxed any aggravation and made Todoku purr instantly. "Aw c'mon Papa, quit it!" she blushed. She hated it when her father teased her this way, especially in front of any guests that happened to be visiting their humble abode.
Michodou smiled, "There now, feel better?"
Now that Todoku thought about it, the tension in her tummy was gone and honestly did feel better than she did before. Almost as if she had forgotten why she was upset in the first place. "Y-yeah…I don't know how that always manages to get me…everytime," she leaned back into her father's embrace. The kind of love that only a father could give to his offspring. It was times like this that made Michodou sad he would have to eventually give her away to her husband should she find one.
"I didn't know how that works either; our very best friend taught me how to make my little girl happy when she was down,"
"Really?! The Great Dog General taught you that?"she couldn't imagine the ever so masculine InuTaisho doing something so…well…fluffy.
"Yup, remember he has a little boy of his own. He even told me that's how he comforted him when he was fussy," Michodou smiled as he held his little girl.
"Is that so? I wonder if he still does it…" Todoku pondered.
"Um, I don't know…maybe…"though Michodou highly doubted it. If he was correct, Sesshoumaru is in the equivalent to his later teenage years now and doing such a thing would make him as uneasy as Todoku was becoming to the action. Besides, he was certain that InuTaisho and Sesshoumaru's relationship was becoming strained due to the Great Dog General having to leave him and the boy's mother for disclosed reasons. A very upsetting situation that Michodou couldn't picture, but could only hope it was all for the best.
"Hey Papa? How come we haven't seen the Dog General in a while?"Todoku was actually accustomed to seeing him every once in a while and he basically did serve as a second father to her when he visited and when they all traveled together.
"Well, there's a war right now. There's these panther demons are desperately trying to take our lands and that's what he's busy with right now,"
"Why didn't you go and help?" Todoku asked.
"I actually tried to assist him, but I think he loves you too much," her father smiled at her. Todoku didn't understand. "You see, he really didn't want anything to happen to me and leave you without a father. So he insisted on me staying behind with you, especially since you're so young. I'm sure his own son can survive on his own without his papa now, but you couldn't do anything without me right now…could you?"
"Don't talk like that Papa, I don't like hearing it…"she hugged her papa which nuzzled her again in response. That only proved he was right in what he said. His baby girl still needed her papa for right now…
-about 200 years later-
Rin was happily snoozing on Ah-Un's back with Jaken feeling his own head drooping in need of sleep. Sesshoumaru and his group finally stopped to sleep for those who needed it. Todoku included.
Todoku usually traveled with Inuyasha and the only times that she traveled with her mate was when she wasn't fertile in her cycles. Yes, reason would give way to passion should she travel with Sesshoumaru all the time and an unwanted, untimely pregnancy would result. And Naraku would have a field day. So it was decided, to Sesshoumaru's displeasure, that she travel with Inuyasha most of the time.
But tonight, Sesshoumaru finally had his woman in his embrace and desperately wanted more. However, because Todoku wasn't fertile, there was no desire. She actually felt irritated that Sesshoumaru was clinging to her like glue refusing to let her go and sleep by herself. PMS was certainly going to have a say in his actions.
"Oh Sesshoumaru, please…I just don't feel like it tonight. I'm drained and in pain," she rubbed her cramping lower abdomen and tried to spare him from the glorious pleasures of the female cycle.
However, Sesshoumaru always managed to have his woman on nights like this. Thanks to his father teaching him a very special trick. He moaned in his hot nuzzle to Todoku's neck.
"Oh no…not that…" Todoku groaned. She felt her delighted purr coming on. "Damn you Great Dog General, of all the things to teach your sons…and I thought my own father was bad,"
Sesshoumaru's warm hand found its way into the opening of her kimono and began caressing the special parts of the body that always longed for touch, whether or not the desire was there. Todoku gave into defeat, "Alright, alright…I give up, just go easy on me," she said to him quietly so as not to disturb Rin and Jaken.
Sesshoumaru smirked and helped his love to her feet. The departed the area and found another clearing not far from where they previously were. The dog demon continued to nuzzle her to break down all those barriers that keep a female from being willing to lovemaking. All the correct buttons were pushed and the neko-hanyou soon began to drop all her hormonal stresses in return for more favorable desires.
It was the break of dawn upon their return and it was Todoku's turn to sleep on Ah-Un since a certain someone didn't let her sleep during the night. Rin was running around and full of energy that morning.
"Master Jaken? How come Lady Todoku is always so tired in the morning?" she asked as she observed Todoku snoozing into the later hours of that morn.
Of course the toad knew because he could smell it on the both of them, but really wanted to spare the young one her innocence, "Because Lord Sesshoumaru doesn't let her sleep sometimes," he hoped she would leave it at that.
"Hm? Why not Lord Sesshoumaru," she asked. Damn you, Jaken. Sesshoumaru didn't answer anyway, and eventhough he seemed so emotionless, there did seem to be a lighter air around him.
"Rin," Todoku answered her with one eye open. "Let's just say that Lord Sesshoumaru doesn't like to stay up by himself sometimes. And thanks to his father, he knows how to convince me to pull the night shift with him…"
The questions thankfully stopped.
-Two years after Naraku's death-
Todoku paced back and forth in her chambers with a fussy newborn on her shoulder. Scene familiar? Her four month old daughter, who was a split image of her father, was crying loudly into the night. Todoku nuzzled Setsuna on her neck and shoulders the way Todoku herself loved it. Setsuna, however, wasn't giving in.
The new mother was quickly becoming frustrated when she her own intuition, which was all she had at this point, wasn't pinpointing the source of her little girl's distress. Sesshoumaru then entered their chamber fresh from his bath, sliding the paper door closed behind him. Todoku only glanced at him for a moment, but he saw the tears of frustration building in her eyes. The poor babe's voice was even becoming dry from her crying.
"I've tried everything, Sesshoumaru. I don't know what to do anymore," Todoku said as he approached the pair. He held his arms out to take the grumpy child from his love. Todoku didn't know what he could do that she wasn't able to, but it wouldn't hurt to let him try.
He gently nuzzled his daughter beneath her own magenta stripes. And the room finally went quiet. Todoku's jaw dropped to the floor as she could've sworn she tried nuzzling her in the same way so many times and brutally failing to please. "I don't believe it!" she mouthed quietly so as not to disturb her little girl. The neko-hanyou shook her head when it finally struck her.
"Hmph, I get it now Setsuna," she nuzzled her baby girl's neck from behind while Sesshoumaru held her. "You only like it when Papa does it, don't you?"
Setsuna cooed in response. Todoku sighed. "I guess it was inevitable…" she whispered. Sesshoumaru looked at her in confusion. "You inherited the same gift from your father. The same one that works on me as well,"
After a few minutes, Setsuna was finally calmed down enough to put her down to bed. Her father laid her down on a special little mat near their futon. Todoku watched him as he worked. She pondered on how far her lord husband had come from being brutally cold demon, to a loving gentle father. Todoku looked out to the moon through the windows in their chambers.
"The Great Dog Demon left far more than swords behind…"she thought. Sesshoumaru then proceeded to join her in bed giving her that all too familiar gentle nuzzle on her neck. "This little gesture of his built our family…" Sesshoumaru didn't stop his nuzzling; didn't seem he was going to either. "And if Sesshoumaru keeps this up, baby number 2 will not be too far away!"
THE END! HAPPY NUZZLING AND HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!
