Inuyasha had finally been able to find a huge mint bush. He beamed up at his Aniki, and Chichioya. Shara was sniffing the bush trying to memorize how it smelled her mother worked in the kitchen after all.

"Good boy, Inu." Taisho chuckled. He petted his sons head. "Are you memorizing it, Shara?"

"Yes, Lord Taisho." she said, "It smells really nice."

"Sure does." Inu said, he jumped up on Sesshomaru's shoulder and licked his brother's cheek shocking both his father and brother. Sesshomaru patted his brother's head.


Three days later they came home. Inu beaming happily from ear to ear. He'd done his very best and got some good levels on Hunting, Tracking and Foraging. His fluffy tail was wrapped around him just like Sesshomaru wrapped his tail around him.

"Fluffy!" Inu sang happily walking on all fours. "I got a fluffy!"

"It's a tail." Shara giggled, "Not a fluffy."

"It's my Fluffy, and I have named it Fluffy and it shall be my Fluffy!" he snapped her her. "I see you still don't have a fluffy!" he jumped on to Sesshomaru's shoulder and hugged his tail. "Aniki, Shara is being mean! You should make her come to class with me from now on. "

Taisho chuckled. For the last three days he had planned on doing just that. He still needed to have a talk with the old owl first though. He would not have him treating them differently because they were half breeds.

Inu shyly licked Sesshomaru's cheek again. Then rubbed his head against his brother's.

Taisho and Sesshomaru both understood. Inu was scenting Sesshomaru as his. They doubted the tiny little demon understood what he was doing or what it meant.

"Inu, be a gentlemen and take Shara back to her mother and brother." Taisho said, Inu and Shara ran off. "You said, you were feeling attached to Inu."

"Father do you really think Inu is my mate?" Sesshomaru asked, watching as Shara tried to attack Inu's tail only to be batted away. They two got into a play fight, claws and teeth. He growled when Shara bit Inu's ear.

"Yes, Sesshomaru I do." Taisho laughed, "Already so protective aren't you?"

"Yes, and I have been since I saw him sitting on that woman's grave." Sesshomaru confessed. He watched the two running off but occasionally attacking each other. "We should have taken him and not revived her. She will only cause trouble for him."

"She was not like this when I knew her." Taisho replied, as they continued toward the castle. "I am hoping the clothes I have commissioned for Inu are ready. We have to meet the other Lords in a Month. "


Inu was singing loudly when they reached the kitchen. He had the baby Hanyou in his arms and was singing a human lullaby . He would have had a nice singing voice if he wasn't so loud.

"He knows no demon lullaby's." Sesshomaru growled.

"Calm , my son." Taisho said, also getting mad at Inu's mother. "Inu, " Inu looked up stopping his singing. His ears instantly laying flat on his head. Shara's did the same. Taisho cocked an eyebrow at that. "would you like to learn a new song?"

He sat with the children who exchanged a look before their ears perked up and they nodded. Taisho began singing an old demon lullaby and they copied each word until they could sing it all from memory. Than they began to sing.

"No. no." Taisho said, "Sing it softly , gently. You'll hurt the puppies ears otherwise. "

So they did. Their voices blended perfectly together and though soft carried threw the area making other demons smile . Lord Taisho hadn't liked singing in the castle since Lord Sesshomaru's mother had passed. This wondrous event had them all wanting to rush to meet their new Prince with open arms and hearts. Even the one's who hated Hanyou's.


Inu frowned at his new clothes.

"But, I've always worn my robes." he told Natsumi his new servant lady. "Are you sure Chichioya said these are for me?"

"Yes, my little prince." the woman giggled. Inu reached for the clothes. "No, no, little one. " his ears lay flat against his head in an instant. " I only mean that it is my job to dress you and groom you. That other servant wasn't doing her job correctly."

"These are play clothes?"

"No, these are your school clothes." Natsumi giggled as she dressed her little Master. "After school is out you will return here where I will dress you in play clothes."

"Okay." Inu nodded. "The sleeves are a little long."

"I will tell the tailor to adjust your size. " Natsumi nodded. "Now lets groom your wonderful hair. "

"Natsumi-san? " she hummed as she tended her master's mane. "Are you a human or a demon?"

"I am a wolf demon."

"Okay." Inu said, innocently. "What are you doing?"

"I am braiding your hair." she told him with love in her voice.

"Do you have any puppies I could play with?"

Natsumi was shocked to say the least. She would have to discuss this with Lord Taisho at once. The young prince was looking for friends.

"I do. My eldest son is your age." She replied as they walked hand in hand toward the dinning hall. "His father is in charge of Lord Taisho's security and he is learning so that he may take over one day. " they had arrived and the three royal occupants listened. " his name is Kami. I'm sure he will be delighted to meet you, My Prince."

"Okay," Inu said, "Will you please arrange it so he can meet Shara and I after class tomorrow?"

"Of course." Natsumi beamed brightly. She then bowed, "please enjoy your meal."


"What was that about?" Taisho asked his son.

"I'm making friends." Inu said, brightly his fluffy wagging. "Natsumi-san says that Kami will like to play with me and Shara after classes."

"You shouldn't bother the staff like that." Izuyoi said in a very worried tone.

"If Inu wishes to make friends than he shall." Taisho growled at her. So she had fought of the mind control. Well if this persisted she would be dead again soon. He would not have her corrupting his son .

They began eating the feast as it was served.

"What's this?" Inuyasha asked, Shara's mother. He was sniffing at an orange liquid in his drinking glass his milk wasn't there like it normally was. "Smells like that round fruit."

"It's Orange Juice." she told him softly. "We squeezed it fresh right before dinner using Oranges from the orchard. It is very healthy for young demons."

Inu sniffed it again. He'd demanded that Shara's mother, he really needed to learn her name, be brought to him when he couldn't find his milk. He sipped and his whole face lit up.

"Okay, " he said, brightly, "I like this!"

"I'm glad , my Prince." She bowed and left when Taisho shooed her away. It was clear to Sesshomarua and Taisho that Izuyoi was not at all happy that Inu was getting used to demanding things from the servants and expecting his demands to be carried out.

"That meat should really be cooked." Izuyoi cried when she saw Inu clawing a piece of raw meat into his mouth. "Don't eat that."

"But it's better raw than cooked." Inu explained. He noted that the demons in the room were nodding at him and glaring at his mother when he said this. "It gives me more strength and energy and fills me up . I had to eat a lot of cooked meat to fill me up in the human villages. But here I can eat much less raw meat and still get full. Besides, cook promised me mint buns if I was a good boy and ate all my dinner."

Sesshomaru had to stifle a laugh at that. Inu hadn't eaten much when he'd first come here so it appeared the cook had taken things into his own hands.

Izuyoi couldn't argue that because the village had complained on how much meat Inu had required when they lived in the village. But she was not happy that he was giving into his demon instincts.


Bibben whimpered under his Lord's wrath as he was informed that he would now be teaching two hanyou and had better start teaching them properly and with out hatred.

"Yes, my lord." his two students came in. His Prince and a girl he knew to be Lord Taisho's niece. "Good morning, my Prince." he bowed. "and what is your name?"

"I am Shara." The girl curtsied in her dress. "I'm the Lord's cousin."

"Lady Shara." he bowed to her as well. "I thought we'd learn a bit of reading today."

After testing Shara he learned she was on the same level as Inuyasha and so continued his lessons. When he saw his two students getting fidgety he took them outside. Shocking Taisho, Sesshomaru and the guards who were having a training day.

"Okay." Bibben told them. "We will stand here and you will watch and observe the fighting styles of the guards. Why is this important?"

"Cause we'll need to learn to fight to defend our precious people and castle from enemies when we are older. As are the responsibilities of the royal family." Inu and Shara quoted back at him. Bibben was a little shocked he hadn't taught them that . Maybe the girl's mother had.

"Very good. " Bibben praised earning two bright grins. " You'll also be working alongside these people in battle and it is important to know their fighting styles so that you may work together without causing injury to the other."

The kids sat on their hunches and took the lesson seriously trying to answer the questions Bibben posed to them on Military Strategy . They weren't half bad at it for puppies. Inu got everything a little faster than Shana though. Taisho nodded at Bibben having figured out the two children had gotten antsy in class. Class had been almost over anyway.

After an hour Bibben decided he would let them go. He'd taken a good half hour longer than he'd been instructed to keep them.

"My Prince. My Lady." they looked at him, "Class is now over, please return to your rooms to get your play clothes on."

The kids bounded away calling thanks to him for such a fun lesson.

"I'm sorry , My Lord." Bibben threw himself at Taisho's feet . "It was either this or tie them up to make them sit still..."

"I think it's a good thing you brought them to watch." The Captain of the guard said, "Though a little unnerving that the Prince could see patterns in our movements."

"I taught him that before taking him out hunting." Taisho chuckled. "Though he is learning it rather fast. Bibben you will start teaching them about the in's and out's of the castle. You have one month to get them where they will not embarrass us when we meet the other Lords."

"I will do my best, sire!" Bibben declared finally getting up. "I do not think it should be all that hard if I explain the importance..."

He was suddenly laying on his back with Inu on top of him in his fire rat robes. Jumping up and down on all fours, tail wagging and demanding to know about the other Lords. Shana was next to him but a little more composed.

Sesshomaru decided to save Bibben from being mauled and picked his brother up around the waist taking him for a sword lesson. Shana followed although she didn't currently have a weapon.


"Puppies have to much energy." The Guard Captain moaned. He'd been tasked with Inu and Shana's sword lessons. Natsumi had said Kami couldn't meet them until after his father had finished his own. "Yes, my Prince."

"You are my Father's Head of Guard? " Inu asked. The man cocked his eyebrow and nodded. "Where is Kami?!" he demanded, "I was supposed to meet my new friend today but I do not see a boy studying under his father to become Head of Guard. Yet I was told he was here."

"Kami!" The wolf demon boomed. A boy jumped out of the tree to land at his father's side. He had long black hair and deep blue eyes. "Our Lord Prince wishes to..."

Kami was suddenly very stiff. He had two royal hanyou's sniffing at him.

"He doesn't have a fluffy either." Inu whined. "Oh, well...What weapon do you use, Kami?"

"Bow and Arrow though I am training to learn to fight up close like a proper demon as well. " Kami replied instantly he was still being sniffed. "May I help you, My Lord Prince?"

"Didn't Natsumi-san tell you that I wanted to meet you because you are my age?" Kami nodded, "I want you to be my friend!"

"It is my duty to protect you." Kami said, "not be your friend."

Kami's father face palmed. Taisho laughed.

"You can be my friend and protect me!" Inu declared, "This is Shana she's our friend too! We'll be the strongest demons ever just like Chichioya and Aniki!"

"I doubt that." Sesshomaru said, in a monotone. "We are the strongest demons in all the land."

"We're only 5 right now." Inu said jumping on to his shoulder. "Bibben says that demons can live for thousands of years so we can be stronger than you one day. "

"But I will that long as well and always be older and more experienced." Sesshomaru countered. "Therefore stronger. "

Inu opened his mouth then closed it. Everyone could see he was thinking hard. Finally, he huffed and began to pout. He couldn't refute what his brother was saying. Finally he thought of something to say.

"Just because that's true doesn't mean we should give up ." Inu said, still pouting. "We should all try our very best to become as strong as we can to protect our precious people."

"That's right, Inu." Taisho laughed, as he petted his son, "Good boy."

Inu beamed brightly.


Random Event

Escape Hahaoya!

Rewards:

2 Danger Sense

4 Presence sense 500 xp

Inu quickly escaped his room making sure not to dirty his new PJ's and made his way to Sesshomaru this time the older demon was awake and tucking his manhood away when Inu came out from under his bed and jumped on to it. It was past midnight.

Sesshomaru was a little shocked to see his brother. He himself had been awoken by dreams of an older version of his younger brother.

"How long have you been there?" he asked, worrying over his current scent and what his brother might have heard.

"I just came in." Inu said, truthfully. "I'm sorry but Hahaoya came into my room again."

"I need a bath you go to sleep." Inu sniffed his brother and growled, glaring at him. "Go to sleep."

Sesshomaru chuckled as he entered his bathroom. He knew Inu didn't know what he was smelling or why it was upsetting him and it amused him. His brother subconsciously knew that they were mates and didn't like that he was taking care of himself.

When he returned it was to see Inu staring out his window.

"I told you to sleep."

"Couldn't." Inu said, Sesshomaru smelt the tears before his brother turned around. "Hahaoya is trying to kidnap me."

"Where did you learn that word?"

"Kisa." Sesshmaru cocked his eyebrow. How had his brother met the tiger demon? She hardly ever left her rooms she was so shy. "She said that Hahaoya keeps trying to kidnap me and that means that she's trying to take me far away from Aniki and Chichioya." Inu was unsure of what made him do it but he held his arms up to his brother.

Sesshomaru picked him up in his arms as he lay down on his back. He lay his brother on his chest and wrapped him in his tail. Covering himself in furs he let his little one cry himself to sleep while silently offering comfort. This was new ground for him.