~*~ Chapter 7 ~*~
"Are you sure?" she asked anxiously through the damaged phone's speaker.
"Yes. Do not worry; the principal did say he was relatively unharmed, remember?" Sesshoumaru reasoned with her.
"Yeah… I-I'll be there as soon as I can. I just hate that I had to be so far across town when this happened…"
"Take your time. I will handle this situation myself," he said with finality. Kagome acquiesced and gave her ETA just as he was pulling up to the school's parking lot.
He scowled in the safety of his car where no one could see him. Now not only did he have the two little ones to concern himself with, but the distraught wavering in her voice only upset him more. There would be hell to pay.
Sesshoumaru returned the device to the inner pocket of his dark grey suit jacket and exited the vehicle. The air in the school courtyard turned suddenly very heavy, and the imminent sense of danger sprouted in everyone the daiyoukai traveled past. Humans and youkai alike scurried out of his path as he walked with an icy air of calm about him, making his way into the building where a very flustered administrative assistant had been waiting for him. The soft clicking of their shoes on the tiled floor echoed down the long hallway, signaling their arrival long before they reached the closed door. 'Midoriko Tamada – Principal' the frosted glass window read.
~*~ 0 ~*~
Rin had jumped to her feet and ran to hug her father about the legs as soon as she felt his presence. Sesshoumaru rested a hand on his pup's soft brown hair and stared directly ahead at the well-dressed woman seated opposite behind her neatly organized desk. Her rosy pink, jeweled earrings twinkled as she straightened her shoulders and took a look at him.
"Lord Sesshoumaru, I see you've wasted no time," she said with a polite smile. "Please, sit."
"There is no need for formalities. Explain."
His deep voice filled the quiet space. Midoriko calmly folded her hands in front of her on the shiny lacquered desk. She knew how parents could be when the safety of their young was a concern, especially youkai parents. Midoriko preferred her little school intact, thank you.
"Of course, right down to business," the principal said, leaning back in her plush office chair.
"The Higurashi boy, Shippo, had been being bullied several times this past week by another youkai child by the name of Taro Higa. I assure you we had no knowledge of this beforehand," Midoriko clarified swiftly. The daiyoukai nodded for her to continue.
"Anyway, it would appear that Taro decided to shove Rin to get a rise out of Shippo, and it worked very well. It took three teachers to pull the two apart," she added. Sesshoumaru looked down to Rin for confirmation, and his girl nodded her seal of approval.
"So you see, Rin is physically unharmed, just as we said. We just had to notify all of the parents involved as a policy– "
"Where is Higurashi?" the man interrupted, causing her to blink in surprise.
"Well… he is next door waiting for his mother to arrive," the woman explained. Releasing himself from Rin's grasp and motioning for her to return to her original seat, Sesshoumaru turned on his heels and moved toward the door.
"Wait! Lord Sesshoumaru, you can't– " His steely glare stopped her mid-sentence. Midoriko held up her hands in defeat, and she and Rin watched the tall figure disappear into the hall.
~*~ 0 ~*~
"Why are you here?" Shippo sneered before he had even grasped the door handle.
Sesshoumaru only entered fluidly and closed the door behind him, ignoring the brash comment. He walked into the quaintly decorated sitting room and around the navy blue upholstered chair Shippo was housed in, sitting in the available seat opposite. The boy's scowl only deepened as he turned to look at the potted fern in the corner, indignantly avoiding eye contact. The silver-haired man observed silently for a moment, then spoke.
"You should defend yourself better, kit," he said straightforwardly, noting the scratches lining the boy's face and hands.
"Hey, I look much better than him right now," he retorted. "What do you want, anyway? Don't you have somewhere to be?" he glared. Finding it surprisingly difficult to maintain his calm demeanor, Sesshoumaru drew a long breath before answering.
"Why did you do what you did today, kit?" he asked plainly. Shippo suddenly felt a bolt of anger scorch through him. His head snapped back to Sesshoumaru before he knew it.
"What's it to YOU!? Since when is anything I do your business!?" the boy yelled. Golden eyes narrowed on the impetuous child.
"It would appear that your resentment of me is clouding your judgment, boy. I would advise you to choose your next words very carefully," Sesshoumaru's cool voice threatened. Shippo stood, baring his fangs.
"I wanna be honest with you, Taisho," he spat, "I don't like you. And you know what? I don't like you hanging around my mom. But Rin, she's my friend. And I would do whatever it takes to help my friend, even if it means I have to get in trouble."
He then clamped his eyes shut and prepared for Sesshoumaru's tirade. A slap to the face, a burst of youki... something. Shippo took a deep breath and held his head up high, bracing himself for whatever punishment the daiyoukai had for him. It never came. He felt a strong but gentle hand rest on the top of his head and flinched. Shippo opened his eyes wide with shock and looked up to see Sesshoumaru smirking down at him.
"Well said."
~*~ 0 ~*~
Kagome's lungs felt like they were on fire as she burst into the principal's office, panting heavily. Four sets of eyes took in her frazzled appearance, face flushed and her purse and cell phone clutched protectively to her chest.
"Shippo! Rin!" she cried as she hugged and kissed them both instantly, pushed them both out to arms' length, and checked for signs of damage. Her face contorted with distress as she lightly traced the injuries to her precious son's face. Sesshoumaru cut the woman off before she could start her blubbering rant.
"The boy is fine. Those injuries are only minor," he said in an attempt to calm her.
She looked to him, her gaze wavering and unsure, but he only rested a clawed hand on her shoulder and bade her to stand. He could sense her beginning to calm at the gesture, her heartbeat slowing gradually as she took a few breaths. Sesshoumaru admired her concern, however, especially for Rin, whom was not really her responsibility. Though calming a distressed female was not exactly his idea of a productive meeting, he felt a warm sensation settling over him at the thought of Kagome being concerned for his pup. He did his best to shake the strange sensation.
After being debriefed, the four exited Midoriko's office and walked through the sunny courtyard together, Kagome and the children hand in hand. Given the situation, Midoriko had decided to go ahead and let the children go home early for the day, as Taro had. Both boys would have to be suspended for the fight, however, with Shippo getting three days and Taro five for starting it. Shippo had not been reproached, of course. Both adults had praised him highly, in their own respective ways, for standing up for himself and for Rin. The boy grinned like a fool as Rin giggled away, both holding on tightly to Kagome. Though he betrayed no emotion, Sesshoumaru felt a sense of fatherly pride leading his small brood as they trailed behind him. There was something about the dynamic of the female and the two children that pulled at him.
He halted suddenly.
"Kagome!" Hojo's voice called as the three turned to see him running up behind them, Sesshoumaru staring blankly ahead. 'So this is the one…'
He noticed the children's apparent frustration at the sight of the human man, as well as Shippo's fiery ire flare up. The daiyoukai smirked internally. 'I see it is not just me that incites the boy's hatred,' he thought. Hojo stopped in front of them, struggling to catch his breath before quickly placing his hands on Kagome's shoulders, much to her surprise.
"I heard all about what happened! I'm so sorry I wasn't there to do anything, Kagome!" he apologized hurriedly. Sesshoumaru's sensitive hearing picked up the low, almost inaudible growl that rumbled from Shippo's throat.
"It's alright, Hojo. Really. Everything's been settled already," Kagome placated, hoping he would just release her already so that she could go home.
They may have been old friends, but lately Hojo's obsessive behavior had started to give her the creeps. Kagome almost felt trapped by him: every time she turned around he was either there or calling her repeatedly. If he didn't give her some space soon, she knew she would reach her boiling point, and that was not a thought she looked forward to. Sensing her stress, Sesshoumaru decided to approach.
Hojo had opened his mouth to prattle on more, but paused when he felt the warmth of the sun's rays replaced by a cooling shadow. He glanced to his left to see the daiyoukai towering over him, and soon found his hands being forcefully lifted from Kagome's shoulders by the steely-eyed man. The schoolteacher gulped audibly.
"As she said, the matter has been resolved. Your assistance is not needed," Sesshoumaru decreed, causing Hojo to take a step back timidly.
"Ah… right. W-well, I had better be getting back. I can't wait to see you tomorrow, Kagome!" the man said as he sped off nervously. Sesshoumaru's inner beast grinned maliciously at the sense of fear he had instilled in the man, though for what reason he could not discern.
"Thank you for that, Lord Sesshoumaru," Kagome said quietly. "He is a friend and all but… well…" He raised a hand to stop her.
"'Bout time you made yourself useful, Sesshou," Shippo said sarcastically.
"Shippo!" Kagome gasped, throwing the boy a frown. He only shrugged.
"You know, you'd think you'd have grown to show a little more respect to the Taisho family after all this, Shippo. Besides, Lord Sesshoumaru has never done anything to you, so why do you keep acting that way? It's not like you," she reproached, exhausted with the recurring topic.
"The boy requires proper guidance, it seems," Sesshoumaru said with a smirk. Shippo began to grow wary of the predatory look in the man's eye.
"You think so?" Kagome questioned innocently. Sesshoumaru only nodded.
"Bring him over to my home at six o'clock," the daiyoukai instructed. "I will handle things from there."
