A.N." I just wanted to say that him is the universal term for her/it. Sorry I havn't mentioned Ah-un that much! I made up for it in this chapter! ( = Enjoy!

Chapter 9 : A Boy's Best Friend

The pup stroked the scaley mane of his dragon before he headed out the door to breakfast. Ah-un simply looked up at his Master knowing the proceedure that became a habit was now a rule. The two-headed creature knew that he wasn't suppose to follow Sesshomaru until he said so, which was usually a walk around the castle, or a small conversation. The pup couldn't play outside because his health wasn't fully regenerated, and at risk of getting sick again the healer had told him not to go outside.

Today however, Ah-un nor Sesshomaru wanted to follow the rules which were placed on their shoulders. The dragon set his mind on exploring the castle, and Sesshomaru set his mind on going outside.

When the pup had left the room, Ah-un stuck a claw through the sliding point of the shoji, and opened the door. The dragon trotted through the castle halls and heard about the daily conversations which swept throughout the corridors. The sun was shining an hour ago, but was now hidden behind a storm cloud, which made the castle look gloomy to Ah-un. As the two-headed dragon hatchling continued to walk, he began to hear a small tapping sound outside. Ah-un hadn't heard this noise before in his life, so he made his way to the courtyard entrance, pushed away the curtain that acted as a barrier to the castle, and peered into the gardens. At first the dragon didn't notice anything until he spotted a tiny drop of liquid fall from the sky.

Sesshomaru had noticed it too. It was the start of winter rain. Even though it was sprinkling outside Sesshomaru still intended to go, after all he loved the rain. The pup put on his cloak and snuck out of the castle after breakfast. It felt so pleasant to get some fresh air. Sesshomaru almost forgot the feeling because it had been spring the last time he had gone outside. It was the middle of winter and Sesshomaru still didn't shiver because of the cool morning air which made his nose turn pink. He had missed it.

Ah-un scrambled to his feet after triping for the fifth time in a row. The small creature never thought it could be that hard to walk on the castle floors. As Ah-un again began to stagger through the castle he began to hear many sounds coming from the youkai that were scattered throughout the hallways. Ah-un heard many of these tones before and wanted to know what they had meant. Frame, dinner, stupid, pleasing, soul, chef, maiden, mind, manners, accomplishment, raving, bath, oil, mother, family, general... all of these noises were ringing in the dragon's ears. But what did they mean?

Sesshomaru walked calmly and quietly, taking in every breath of cool air that he could. The rain fell apon the hood of his cloak and sounded so peaceful, for not a soul was outside, exept the pup. Everyone feared the rainstorm that was suppose to happen on that icy afternoon, but Sesshomaru knew he could avoid it. But when the rain became heavier the pup looked up to the sky expecting thunder and lightning.

The two-headed creature now knew that dinner meant what you eat when the day is gone, that the chef was who made the dinner, that the oil was the thing that was used to start the fire for the dinner, and that the general was the thing that was meant to be cooked for dinner-wait that wasn't right, but it was true. Everyone in the castle hated Meiyomaru. And Ah-un heard the cook say that he wished he could throw him in the oven and never let him return. The dragon didn't know who Meiyomaru was but he liked the chef's sentance because it sounded funny.

The pup walked towards the clearing in the fields. He remembered many things that had happened in those grassy areas. He remembered living there before his family lived in the castle. And he recalled seeing a strange figure running there a year ago. The strange thing! Could it still be there! Sesshomaru stooped low onto his hands and knees and snifed the damp earth. The thing smelled of fear, hurry, panic, ashes, and love. All the scents together had the aroma of the creek. The pup loved that smell the same as I love the smell of cookies. It was such a beatiful scent, and he wanted to smell it again without sniffing the creek itself, but no matter how hard he tried, the scent was as old as a year, and was begining to smell, again, of the fields.

Ah-un began to test himself. 3,2,1, Go! The dragon chanted to himself in his mind as he translated the youkai's words into his own language.

" Yes, he is a rather boastful man. That Meiyomaru person. But the village seems to like him so shouldn't we trust him too?" A maid said in deep coversation with the chef.

Time! What's my score? Ah-un thought as he tried to understand what the coversation between those two servants was about. Yes! The dragon thought to himself as he understood the entire meaning. One by one the two-heded creature began to learn every word in the castle, and was proud of himself for acheiving this high standard of knowledge.

Sesshomaru ran back towards the palace, as he found that the slow rain became buckets of water falling down apon the cold world. As he approched the castle entrance, he took off his shoes and hurried inside. The hall in which he stood was silent, and so was he. The rain threw itself down on the castle and was the only noise which the pup heard in the silent corridor.

The two-headed dragon made his way back to his Master's quarters. He climbed onto the railing which held the balcony, and coiled his tail around the curtain shaft, looking up at the moon. That night the glowing night sun took its shape as a cresent, and Ah-un gazed at it just like he would glare at his Master's forehead. Wait! His Master should have been back by now! Where was he?

The pup became very cautious. Meiyomaru hadn't attacked since Satsuki had fallen ill, but the pup had a feeling Meiyomaru would charge when the time was least expected. After at least an hour of keeping stance, Sesshomaru let his guard down. Meiyomaru wouldn't attack that day.

Sesshomaru walked through the hallway, and realized he was heading to the east wing. The pup stopped dead in his tracks, and looked down at the floor with a jerk of his head. The wooden floor gleamed so much you could see your reflection in it, and the pup thought he'd see Meiyomaru's reflection standing behind his own, with the evil smile that dwelled in Sesshomaru's nightmares, but there was no one, just himself and the pitter patter of the rain.

The dragon kept his eyes on the shoji waiting for ot to slid open, so he could bound into his Master's arms, but the door stayed shut. When Ah-un decided to give up on the idea, he stared at the room he thought he had memorized completely, but found there were still some things he had missed. The two-headed creature leaped onto the sheets of his Master's futon, and scanned the room another time. There was the evenly made sheets of his Master's bed, and Sesshomaru's clothes at the end of the room, there was also a trunk filled with who knows what in one corner of the almost empty bedchamber.

Ah-un had seen the village before, at the time when his Master was still well. The dragon had also scanned the village boys. They were nothing like Sesshomaru what so ever. The local boys had intrests in bugs and colecting snake skins, and getting their hands dirty so their mothers would scold them. Ah-un had seen them play. They would chase eachother around and scream with delight, or trade their sacks of bugs and go scare off some girls, by showing them what new varitity of spider they had caught. Sesshomaru, on the other hand, didn't have such a life. His Master would spend his free time reading ancient scrolls the scribesman had lent to him, or talking with the castle cook about the meals that would be served for the day, or mabey even take a bath, which most young boys despised around the village.

Sesshomaru hated to get his hands dirty, and he also despised the idea of scaring girls, even if it was in a teasing matter. Ah-un had never seen his master play before, but had seen the pup train with his Master, which was slightly simalar to a normal boy's idea of playing. There were also ornaments called toys that regular boys would use most often in their daily lives. They were either pieces of parchment that a boy would fold into different shapes, or some sort of wooden thing that they would prentend is a person, or very rarely, a doll.

The pup had no interest of such things either. In fact as Ah-un looked around his Master's room, he saw nothing that could entertain someone for even five minutes, without getting bored again. It was deciced. Ah-un was going to help his Master have some fun like normal boys no matter what the punishment was. The dragon was detirmined.

Sesshomaru walked up the castle stairs to his room, and slid open the door. The dragon jumed to his feet and tried to explain everything that happened to his master, but the tiny creature found that when he tried to speak in the tounge of youkai, it only came out to be the grunts and groans of dragons. Ah-un didn't care though, he had to find some way to say, " YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME FUN AND YOU ARE GOING TO LIKE IT!" But no matter how hard he tried, it always came out in his own language. Ah-un then began to bite the sleeve of Sesshomaru's winter yukata, and pulled on it as hard as he could.

The pup fell to his knees confused. " Ah-un, what seems to be bothering you?" Sesshomaru asked slightly worried. The dragon pulled even harder until he noticed the sun begining to set outside the window. Then Ah-un pulled back the sheets of the futon and lay down., and moitoined for his Master to go to sleep. The sooner he sleeps, the sooner he will wake up, Ah-un thought.

The pup fell onto his futon and looked at his dragon. " You really want me to go to sleep, don't you Ah-un?" Sesshomaru asked his dragon. Ah-un nodded his left head and watched his Master begin to doze. The day would come sooner than Sesshomaru had thought.

Ah-un craked open one eye on his left head, and noticed that the sun had risen. The two-headed dragon turned to his Master, and shook him with his talcon-shaped feet. Sesshomaru's eyes opened lazily, as he sat up.

" What is it Ah-un?" Sesshomaru said still half asleep. The dragon pushed the pup to his feet, and twards his folded clothes.

" Alright, alright." Sesshomaru said slightly exasperated. The pup sliped into another winter yukata, and immeaditalty after that, Ah-un tugged on his sleeve, pulling Sesshomaru out his bedroom shoji. They walked throughout the castle, and saw that everyone inside was as busy as a hive of bees. The dragon led Sesshomaru outside. There the two-headed creature stopped and waited expectantly. He had formulated some tests for his master to see if he knew how to do things that normal boys could do.

The pup didn't know what to do, and every second Sesshomaru did nothing, Ah-un grew more impaiteint. The two-headed creature's paitence finally snaped. The little dragon darted into the fields and Sesshomaru followed after him.

" Wait! Ah-un!" Sesshomaru exlaimed as he sprinted after his dragon. Ah-un was delighted. Now he knew the pup could chase. But the next test worried Ah-un. Could his Master handle some dirt?

Ah-un froze in in his tracks so instantly his Master almost ran into him. Then as soon as the dragon stopped he began to run again. Sesshomaru looked discontent as he saw his dragon wonder off again, and the pup, again, began to run.

Ah-un then realized that if he ran away his Master would follow, so thinking it over very wisely, the dragon ran into a high mud pond, and sat in the middle of it, way beyond his Master's reach. Sesshomaru stopped instantly in his tracks.

" Oh, no you don't! You're not expecting me follow you in there!" The pup said pointing a fingure at the dragon. Ah-un looked away from his Master and gave the " I'm not budging" face. Sesshomaru could feel the reddning in his cheeks as his anger rose.

A.N." I don't think Sessy can handle some dirt! XD"

After an hour the pup couldn't stand it anymore, and gave a disgusted face as he stepped in the mud. He ran after his dragon and caught Ah-un by suprise. The dragon dove into the mirky water, and waited. Since he was dragon he held some fish-like characteristics, and then Ah-un discovered he had gills.

" No fair!" Sesshomaru said teasingly, as he searched through the muddy pond. Ah-un's third test would come sooner than expected. The third test was can Sesshomaru handle bugs.

A.N." Nope! XD"

The pup felt something slimey crawl onto his shoulder, and found that his hair had stood up on its tips. Ah-un gave a high-piched sqeal that sounded like laughter, as he saw his Master go into rampaging jerks and screeches. Sesshomaru threw the water bug at Ah-un in fear, and Ah-un threw it back. And thus began the great mud and bug war, which Ah-un lost but was over-joyed to see Sesshomaru's smile. There really was a child inside him.

And the next day was the same, and so was the next. Then the pup had realized something. He did have a friend all along! And that friend was better than a youkai boy.

A.N. " THANX SOOO MUCH FOR REVIEWING! I'VE NEVER BEEN HAPIER WHEN I HEAR YOU GUYS! LET ME HEAR WHAT YOU THINK! PEEEEEEEEEEZZZZZZZ REVIEW! XD