Disclaimer: Not mine, darn it!
CHAPTER 10 Some Good, Clean Fun
Just before nightfall, Sango, Miroku and Shippo returned on Kirara. The poor neko was exhausted and Sango made sure to give her a nice reward before Kirara curled up and went to sleep in her lap.
They had been concerned upon entering the hut and seeing Inuyasha still holding Sesshomaru.
"Don't worry, he's healing now," Kagome assured them.
"Aye, it was a curse that had the little one so ill," Kaede explained.
Miroku looked up sharply at that. "A curse you say? This is most perplexing. Lord Sesshomaru is first targeted with a mysterious curse that returns him to his childhood, yet left no trace or clue as to who had placed it. Then after all the work and risk to do that to a youkai like Lord Sesshomaru, they just leave him there.
"Then villagers attack him and kill his companions, but again, nothing is done to take his life until he and Rin were kidnapped and this strange woman places a curse on him. Is she connected in some way to the original spell? Or did she just happen to need a youkai child and chose Lord Sesshomaru by coincidence?"
"Why would anyone need a youkai child?" Shippo wondered aloud.
"I don't know," Rin put in suddenly. "But they did want my lord. They were upset that I had been brought as well because they were only supposed to bring the little youkai with the white hair and the moon. They said a lady had told them to get him for her. If any youkai would do, wouldn't they have asked for Shippo or my lord?"
"Well, we can probably assume that this lady and the one who kissed him are indeed one and the same, however this does not mean she was involved in the spell that started this whole mess," Miroku said. "I suspect, however, that this woman has some sort of spiritual powers."
"That is my suspicion also," Kaede told them. "The misuse of spiritual items and spells reminds me much of the kuromiko Tsubaki. She may have been defeated, but sadly there are others out there, who put pure spiritual powers to impure use."
Sango, Kagome and Inuyasha all shot Miroku glares. He lifted his hands and
offered them his most innocent smile.
"You misunderstand me. I simply use my abilities to ensure that my companions and mine's physical needs are met, so that we may be able to continue our hunt for Naraku."
"We never said anything, monk," Sango told him.
Kagome nodded. "Sounds like someone has a guilty conscious."
Miroku sighed. "Alas, that the innocent are often punished for the deeds of the wicked. I only wish for the well-being of my friends."
"Oh, give it a rest, you perverted monk," Inuyasha snapped at him. "Well, then I guess we need to hunt down any nearby kuromikos and I'll get the truth out of them with my Tetsusaiga. No one attacks my pup and gets away with it."
There was an awkward silence that was suddenly broken by a long, loud yawn from the pup in question. Sesshomaru stretched as he bared his fangs to the room, then blinked open his golden eyes. He took a moment to gauge his surroundings before he smiled up at Inuyasha.
He turned his head and licked the arm that held him, then exclaimed, "Inyasa!"
Inuyasha immediately bent all his attention on his brother. He ruffled the little youkai's hair affectionately and said, "You feeling better now, brat?"
Sesshomaru nodded and sat up. He glanced down at himself and whined softly, lifting the ragged garment up for Inuyasha to see.
"I know, pup, don't worry. I got your other stuff back for you. But you'll need a bath before you can change. I can still smell that smoke on you."
Sesshomaru frowned and nodded, crouching on Inuyasha's lap as he turned his gaze outwards. He flinched when he noticed Kaede, but forgot the stranger when he spotted Rin.
"Rin!" he barked happily and tackled her to the floor. He sniffed her face and hair, then gave her a lick on the cheek before letting her sit up.
She beamed at him and attacked him with wriggling fingers to his ribs. "My lord is feeling much better now!"
Sesshomaru collapsed into a giggling heap, yipping out pleas for her to stop between the fits of laughter. The others looked on in amazement, though none more than Kaede, who had not yet seen this feared youkai lord at play.
When Rin finally relented, Sesshomaru lay there panting for a moment, before turning and launching himself at Inuyasha. The hanyou fell backwards, pretending that Sesshomaru had overpowered him.
"Oie, pup, you're getting strong!" he told him.
Delighted, Sesshomaru crawled up his brother's stomach and sat down on his chest. He peered down at Inuyasha, then announced, "Hungry. Are we eat now?"
"Oh, so now you're hungry, are you?" Inuyasha asked as he lifted his brother so he could roll back up to a sitting position, then deposited the little youkai back into his lap.
Sesshomaru nodded and put his hands on his stomach. "All empty."
Inuyasha smiled at him, and poked his brother's stomach gently. "I guess we'll have to fix that, then, won't we?"
Turning finally to the others, he barked out, "Hey, Kaede, how far away from Rin can he go, before he starts to get sick again?"
Kaede stirred her fire and watched him over the flames. "Ye wish to take him away?"
"No, you old hag, I need to take him hunting," Inuyasha explained. "The pup don't eat what the rest of us eat. I'll take the girl if I have to, but it would be easier without her."
This conversation brought Kaede back to Sesshomaru's attention and he quickly scrambled to hide beneath Inuyasha's thick length of white hair. Golden eyes blinked out, studying Kaede closely.
"Ye should be safe enough to hunt along the edge of the wood, but ye should go no further than the well," Kaede told him. "It would not be worth the risk so soon after healing."
"Keh," Inuyasha said and stood up, readjusting the swords so they hung properly from his waist. "We'll be back. Unfortunately, the spring is too far, so I'll have to come back for the girl first. She reeks of smoke as well, so it'll be good to get them both cleaned."
That said, Inuyasha strode firmly out of the hut and into the deepening night. As soon as he was gone, the others exchanged serious glances.
"I am surprised to see him so attached to his despised older brother. I had expected he would have left him to die, or at least be avoiding any contact with him," Kaede remarked.
Sango frowned into the fire, stroking Kirara's fur as she slept. "I know. I had expected much the same, but he's been surprisingly protective of him."
"You heard what he called him, did you not?" Miroku questioned, as solemn as the rest.
The others nodded.
"Do you really think he's starting to consider Sesshomaru his own child...er...pup?" Kagome asked.
"It's hard to imagine Inuyasha being mature enough to be a father, but he does seem to be exhibiting some very fatherly behavior towards his brother," Sango told them.
"Aye, that he does," Kaede put in. "And I believe we should keep an eye on him. It is good for him to care for his brother, but should he become too attached, he may be tempted to just keep his brother as he is, rather than restoring him."
Rin sniffed quietly. "But my lord cannot stay like this."
"Aye, he will have to be restored," Kaede told them. "And I fear for Inuyasha should he fully accept Sesshomaru as his own. It would likely crush that fragile spark of caring that has finally managed to spring up in him."
"Perhaps it is simply time for the man to have children of his own then," Miroku suggested suddenly, smiling suggestively at Kagome. "It would help keep his mind off losing his brother."
Kagome blushed and looked torn between strangling the monk with her bare hands or searching for a weapon first. Sango beat her to it, though, and clobbered his skull with her hiraikotsu.
"Is that all you can ever think about, you lecher?" Sango scolded.
Shippo and Rin smothered giggles, and Kaede sighed. She was just too old for this.
As soon as they had cleared the village, Inuyasha stopped to let his brother come out.
"Hurry up, pup. If you want to eat, you're gonna have to pull your own weight this hunt. Do you smell anything yet?"
Inuyasha had already been testing the air and found a very fresh trail of rabbit not far away. With his brother's nose being so much stronger, he should be able to pick it up in no time. Sesshomaru crouched on the ground in front of him, a tiny patch of white in the darkness, and looked up at him with luminous golden eyes. The little youkai sniffed for a moment, then pointed up at Inuyasha.
The hanyou rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes I know you smell me. But what else do you smell?" Before that tiny, clawed finger could swing back towards its owner, Inuyasha added, "Besides yourself. What do you smell to eat?"
Sesshomaru tested the air again and started hesitantly in the direction of the rabbits. "Good, pup," Inuyasha praised, which brought a smile to his brother's face.
"Alright, let's go catch you one. Quiet, though."
The pup's jaw clamped shut. Silently, they trailed the scent of their prey until they found it hiding in a small clump of grass. Inuyasha crept around flushed it out. He moved in a silent circle, flushing it back towards Sesshomaru until the pup finally managed to snare it in his claws.
"Okay, now you have to kill it, pup," Inuyasha instructed, feeling a surprising bit of remorse to see it writhing in agony upon his brother's claws.
Sesshomaru nodded and tore the rabbit's throat out, then handed it up to Inuyasha. The hanyou sighed and snapped the poor creature's neck to make sure it had no bit of life left, then set about skinning and gutting it. Sesshomaru watched eagerly, leaning onto his brother's leg in anticipation.
Inuyasha laughed as he quickly sliced it into bite-sized bits and handed them to the little youkai. As soon as his brother slowed down and enjoyed the meat a little more, Inuyasha started to tease him with it. Lowering it, only to lift it just out of his reach.
Sesshomaru giggled, thinking it great fun. He crouched low and pounced after it until he figured out that while Inuyasha held the one piece above his head, the rest lay unprotected in his lap. With a triumphant growl he snatched it up and devoured it before Inuyasha could pull it away.
"What a smart pup," Inuyasha praised, handing his brother the final piece. Sesshomaru lay back in his brother's lap and proceeded to lick his claws clean of all blood.
Inuyasha watched his brother through the corner of his eye. As playful as he was, traces of fatigue still showed in the pup's face. Once those tiny claws were cleaned to satisfaction, they wandered up and tangled in the long white strands of Inuyasha's hair that kept floating past his face.
Smiling, Inuyasha tucked his arms beneath his brother and lifted him.
"Time to head back for Rin so you two can get clean, then it's time to sleep," Inuyasha told him as they moved swiftly into the village.
Sesshomaru batted at his hair and said, "I not-," a yawn cut him off, "-sleepy."
"Of course not," Inuyasha replied.
His startled companions turned towards them as they burst back into Kaede's hut. Sango, Shippo and Kaede had lain down for the night, but Kagome, Miroku and Rin were still awake.
"Is he okay?" Kagome questioned, noticing that Sesshomaru was being carried again.
"Yeah, he's fine. Just tired. Rin, you ready?" Inuyasha announced.
Rin nodded, but Kagome put in, "Hold on one sec. Okay, now I'm ready, too!"
She hoisted her bag up over her shoulder and moved to stand behind Rin at the door. Inuyasha just stared at her.
"You're going to bathe, too?"
Kagome giggled, "No, silly, I'm going to help you. It's hard to give kids a bath, and I have shampoo that should help get rid of the smoke better than just water."
"Keh, all you have to do is toss them in. What's so hard about that?" Inuyasha retorted as he headed back outside.
Kagome looked scandalized. "Toss them in? Don't tell me that's how you bathed him the first time?"
"Keh, he got clean didn't he?" Inuyasha fired back.
Kagome took Rin's hand and followed after the hanyou. "Well, I'll show you how to give them a real bath."
"Suit yourself," Inuyasha told her.
"Okay," Kagome said as soon as she had both children standing beside the water Inuyasha had found. "Now, Inuyasha undress your brother and put this around him."
Kagome set to work on helping Rin undress then covered her with a towel. After a bit more of a struggle, Inuyasha managed to do the same for his brother.
"Now, you gently put him in the water. DON'T throw him in."
Inuyasha scowled at her, and when she wasn't looking gave Sesshomaru a shove so that he tumbled face-first into the water. The little youkai yipped and waved his arms helplessly as he plunged into the shallow water.
Kagome shot him a glare and Inuyasha shrugged at her. "He tripped."
She narrowed her eyes and helped a giggling Rin walk into the water. Sesshomaru, eager to see everything as a game, shot up, dripping and shook himself before he lunged for Inuyasha. He laughed loudly as Inuyasha caught him and held him back out over the water, trying to avoid wetting his own clothes.
"Nice try, pup. Now back into the water with you," Inuyasha told him. Sesshomaru whimpered as he was placed gently back into the water beneath Kagome's watchful eye. He had wanted to splash again.
Before either kid could get too wild, Kagome whipped out her shampoo and showed Inuyasha what to do using Rin. The girl waited patiently for her hair to be rinsed, then started to sling water back at Sesshomaru, who had been diligently trying to soak everything within a five-foot radius.
"Lord Sesshomaru, do you not think I am clean?' she joked.
He laughed and walked over to whisper something in her ear. Rin laughed and nodded. Both Kagome and Inuyasha exchanged glances, wondering what they were up to. They sat back as the two children splashed together in the shallows and ignored the adults. Then suddenly a large splash of water hit Kagome and Inuyasha. Kagome squealed and Inuyasha shouted.
They wiped water from their eyes only to see Rin and Sesshomaru giggling uncontrollably from the safety of the stream.
"Why you..!" Inuyasha cried, leaping into the stream, heedless of being completely dressed.
The two squealed and ran in opposite directions as the hanyou hunted them. Kagome sighed and took off her shoes and socks, then wrung out her hair. She looked back up to see what they were up to when another large wave crashed down on her. This one caused by Inuyasha pouncing at his brother.
"That's it!" Kagome cried out, smiling broadly as she stalked into the water. She rolled up her wet sleeves and bent to put her hands in the water. "If that's how you want to play, then be prepared!"
Cupping her hands, she swept up the water and pushed it towards the others. Inuyasha smiled at her, baring a fang as he did.
"Oie, wench, you better run," he warned.
Kagome squealed with delight and ran after Rin and Sesshomaru along the bank. They played at that until Rin and Kagome were shivering from the cold.
"Okay, out and time to dry off. All of you," Inuyasha announced. Rin and Kagome scurried for their towels, then ran behind some nearby trees to change, while Inuyasha and his brother simply shook themselves dry in true inu fashion. Inuyasha then retrieved his brother's white kimono from Kagome's bag and dressed him.
Sesshomaru growled his pleasure as Inuyasha raked his fingers through his wet hair, smoothing out any tangles. Sesshomaru twisted around and gave Inuyasha a quick lick on the cheek before curling up against his chest and falling fast asleep.
Inuyasha stroked his brother's hair and whispered, "Night to you too, pup. Sleep well."
Kagome and Rin came tramping out of the brush a moment later, their damp hair swept up in towels. Kagome set the damp items in a pile beside her bag, then pulled out two of the strange items she used for grooming her teeth. She handed one to Rin and turned towards Sesshomaru.
"He's already asleep?" she said with a frown.
"Yeah, it has been a long day for him," Inuyasha told her with more than a little sarcasm.
Kagome stuck her tongue out at him. "Well, when I was at home I picked up some extra toothbrushes for him and Rin. I guess we'll just have to start brushing his teeth tomorrow. Though I wonder if his fangs will be something of a problem? The toothbrush might not hold up."
Inuyasha snorted. "Keh, what does he need his teeth groomed for?"
"Yes, Kagome, is it safe to stick this stick in my mouth?" Rin added.
Kagome laughed. "It's perfectly safe. Just don't stick it too far in. Come on, I'll show you real quick so we can head back to the hut."
Rin obeyed without complaint, and soon they had everything packed for the walk back to Kaede's hut. The whole way back, though, Rin kept smacking her lips and saying, "My mouth feels so cold."
"That just means it's clean," Kagome told her.
Rin frowned. "I don't know. Clean or not, I don't think Lord Sesshomaru is going to like it when you teach him tomorrow."
As quietly as they could, the four slipped inside Kaede's hut. Inuyasha settled in a corner and adjusted his brother on his lap. He stared off into the darkness as he stroked his brother's hair. Kagome put away her stuff and opened her sleeping bag for Rin to crawl in.
The little girl shook her head, though, and moved timidly to stand in front of Inuyasha. His golden eyes darted over to her as he waited for her to speak.
Rin dug her toe into the floor and twisted her hands behind her back. "Um, I was wondering if I could sleep near my lord tonight?"
Inuyasha glanced over at Kagome, who smiled encouragingly, then rolled his eyes skyward. "Fine, bring a blanket over and you can lay beside me."
"Oh, thank you!" Rin exclaimed in a whisper, and hurried brought a blanket and curled up right in front of him so that she could look at Sesshomaru.
Her pale, sleeping face was the last thing Inuyasha saw before he, too, succumbed to the much needed call of slumber; but when dawn first crept into the hut, he awoke to find the little girl curled up in his lap as well, with Sesshomaru balled up down inside his kimono again. How they had managed that without waking him had him mystified, but he grudgingly chalked it up to good, old-fashioned exhaustion. Worrying was very tiring, even more so when the one you're worried about is a pup.