Ch 37 Returns

Grabbing Inuyasha around the waist, Sesshoumaru lifted into the air on his youki cloud and just said 'Follow' to the rest of the group leaving them to follow as they would. He sped towards the Palace and once there he landed in the dojo area; stripped both himself and Inuyasha from their finer kimonos and throwing his brother a pair of training hakama he stood ready to spar, before Inuyasha had time to even register what had happened.

"Fight me Inuyasha, come on; fight. I know that you want to, so come at me." As he spoke he jabbed at his brother with the tip of a training sword until with a roar, Inuyasha was annoyed enough to fight back. They traded blow for blow; although Sesshoumaru was much calmer, as Inuyasha got more angry. This was purely an excercise to let the boy let of steam and eventually all Sesshoumaru was doing was defending against more and more powerful but erratic moves. When Inuyasha threw the sword away with a shriek of anguish; putting his hands to his face, Sesshoumaru was immediately in front of him holding him tightly against himself as Inuyasha shrieked his rage and humiliation, almost incoherent with his frustration.

His bitterness at how ignorant he felt, how he couldn't speak as well as even Kouga and then the misery of facing the former Eastern Lord and hearing the panther's desires and plans for him. Inuyasha began to wonder if he was fit for anything, he would always be the pup's protector but even that was limited; it would not be long before the child was more powerful than he was and what would he do then? He hated feeling useless or dead weight; he was not lazy but what good was he, an uneducated, unsophisticated and useless hanyou?

Sesshoumaru was learning and by applying what he knew now; that this was the human element of Inuyasha's makeup that was so loudly upset, he let Inuyasha have his say just as he would for Rin when sometimes she seemed to become a banshee. Rin had become a 'little woman' in the last couple of months and Kagura said that the tempermental moods were normal in human females, sometimes also in youkai ones; but it was more pronounced in the human who tended to be more emotional. Obviously the cause was different, but Inuyasha's human side still needed to 'let go'.

It felt secure to shout at his brother, safe and familiar but for once he was not ridiculed for being a halfbreed or a pathetic excuse of a youkai. It was a new and good feeling to be able to sound off, without the usual reproaches and even better when Sesshoumaru was silent but still giving off an aura of care and not disinterest. Inuyasha felt so sick of screaming and crying and was ashamed that his brother and Kagura had seen him so often this way recently; but Sesshoumaru seemed to understand that too and calmed him, saying that after all he'd been through, his reactions were only to be expected.

When Inuyasha raised his head and started to pull away, Sesshoumaru didn't let him go; but he wiped the boy's face with a silk square gently and enquired if Inuyasha felt better now.

"Pretty pathertic, aren't I; I never used to do all this stupid screamy, weepy stuff..."

"Do not be concerned; it is natural for not only the human heart you have, but as a youkai you are very young. You feel safe now and able to release your sorrow and for that I am glad. It is not pathetic; I believe you have been as Kagura puts it 'bottling it up'. for far too long. Are you ready now to freshen up and come back to the family? " The answer he got was another hug and a nod from Inuyasha and they went to the baths attached to the dojo. Bath attendents were ready and waiting for them and although Inuyasha was not used to someone bathing him, Sesshoumaru said he would need help with his hair; which still held the faint aroma of his vomit.

Once they were both clean and respectable, they went to greet the family and guests again. Most of the others would be back in dribs and drabs, those who had no special powers would be accompanied by Sesshoumaru's soldiers until they reached the Palace. Inuyasha was immediately swamped by the females who wanted to make sure that he was unharmed; Kagura and Ayame both fussing and checking him over, much to the amusement of his brother and then when Rin too was trying to get in on the act, he nearly laughed.

Dinner was happy and informal despite the number of guests; business was not discussed at all, anything that needed to be shared with others would be done at a later time. Yuki was very pleased to see the brothers back and got very excited, especially when Inuyasha wouldn't put him down unless he was given to one of his parents and then given straight back. Then implimented immediately around all three pups, but without being too obvious was the no go area; many of the guards remembering the strategy from when Sesshoumaru was himself a boy.

A few days later, Inuyasha broached the idea of visiting Miroku, Sango and Shippou; wanting to make sure that they had everything they needed to keep them comfortable for when their baby arrived. Sesshoumaru agreed without a fuss and Inuyasha set out; although he was going to visit with Kaede first to make sure she was fine. He didn't realise that his brother had assigned him two guards since the incident with East and Sesshoumaru considered that Inuyasha didn't need to know either; the guards were very well able to keep out of sensing range unless required.

Kaede was very happy to see Inuyasha; as were the others who were staying in the village now until after the birth, as Sango wanted Kaede to assist her and they had an empty hut in the village temporarily. Shippou had grown a little bit, from what Inuyasha could see and had obviously settled happily into his new family for which the hanyou was very grateful; as it eased his own sense of obligation towards the small kitsune. Once again there was a lot of catching up to do, but this time the couple made sure that Inuyasha shared his news. This was easier said than done but Miroku was still good at winding him up gently and making him say more than he was going to.

Inuyasha didn't really mind, it was the way it worked best for him as he was not used to just talking about himself. Miroku was astounded to find out that Sesshoumaru had adopted Inuyasha as if he were his own pup until he came of age. He had not realised that in actual fact Inuyasha and Kagome were of similar relative ages, with the hanyou perhaps a year, her senior. In Miroku's eyes it explained a lot about the hanyou's sometimes childish behaviour and personality and from the look on Sango's face, she too had not understood it either until now.

They did not tease him too much, not enough to make him angry; but Inuyasha's eyes did glow a little red when Miroku couldn't resist asking what time 'Papa Sesshoumaru' had given him as bed time, when it was time for them to leave. Once again Inuyasha was going to stay in Kaede's hut for the night and the elderly Miko had reserved her questions until the others had gone; this was the time that Inuyasha would open up to her if he was ever going to. In the half light thrown by the fire and after he had eaten and they were alone, Inuyasha would sometimes trust her and share his thoughts; knowing that he could trust in the Miko's silence.

"Ye still sleep in thy family's futon Inuyasha? Thy brother has reverted back to the old ways for the Inu; this is good."

"Feh! He says it is a long time because our family has been so small, just him and me and we've not been on the best of terms till now."

"Well I'm glad he has started the tradition again; it suits ye child, thou art happier and more content, safe. Are ye not Inuyasha?"

"Keh! If I can keep my youkai in check; I know that he sees me as a pup and perhaps it's just as well."

"Tell me what ye did."

"It was when the pup first came to bed. In my sleep I must've smelt Kagura's milk and started to nuzzle at her. I didn't know, but Sessh pulled me away and spoke to my youkai. It's not happened since. But I don't know why it happened then."

"That child is easy to explain; Any mother's milk is a form of comfort and security, thou has felt for the first time safe where ye are and thy instincts have been very much those of a pup recently. It is just an overlapping in thy mind and Lord Sesshoumaru and Kagura realised this, they made no fuss did they? Then ye shouldn't either."

"I suppose so; it's all happened so fast Kaede."

"Aye child, but it is not bad; thou has the chance to grow up in safety now. Take that chance; as we've said before, there are plenty of second families in the same position that thou finds thyself in; with a father's first family standing in the parents shoes when death robs them both. I see thou art marked at last, that is all to the good and I heard that ye had a Naming and Presentation Day, also quite right and proper. Thy brother has honour, he will not shirk his responsibilities."

"I know, it's just taking a bit of settling down."

"That too is to be expected, how are ye now with the young girl, Rin."

"O.K. We worked well together on the Frog Pond and she's not a bad brat." He yawned and was sleepy; surprising Kaede, but she knew better than to ask anymore. She would find out soon enough, as anything pertaining to the local youkai or their Lords filtered through eventually. There was however no doubt in the Miko's mind that the family in the Western Palace was shaking down together well. Inuyasha finished telling her about the toys he'd made for Yuki and then curled himself in the corner of the cosy hut to sleep although finding that he felt lonely without his family around him. It was a nice feeling to know that he too would be missed and that he would be welcomed back with open arms.

While Inuyasha was away visiting, an express runner reached the Western Lands and reported to Sesshoumaru. It was news of the former Lord of the East; he had been killed trying to escape. The Panther had not taken any of the warnings he'd been given seriously and had made a break during the night for his stronghold in the East. The guards had had no option but to kill him and Sesshoumaru cleared them of blame as the old Lord had known the terms for his life.

Then there was a private missive from the new lord that Sesshoumaru had no intention of sharing with anyone. The new lord had written that his father had seemed besotted with Inuyasha and had spoken of keeping him in a form of 'gilded cage'. Given that Inuyasha would always be a target for his father; even if banished he would still have connections, the lord thought that the best solution had probably been reached. Sesshoumaru sent his 'condolences' and vowed not to let Inuyasha find out about the contents of the letter; very glad that the boy was not at the Palace when the courier had arrived.

The next day in the village, Shippou was showing Inuyasha all the things he was learning with the adult kitsune of his village. His tricks had greatly improved and so had his hunting skills. Inuyasha doubted that there was anything more he would have been able to teach the kit; as the skills for the hunt of a kitsune, were different to his own. He was equally fascinated with the movements of Sango's child in her belly, the slayer allowing Inuyasha to lay his hand on her bump to feel the babe kick. Miroku had to laugh at the organ stop eyes of his friend and especially when Inuyasha lay his head down, listening with his triangular puppy ears to the babe's heartbeat as well.

Inuyasha also helped with any of the running repairs of the village; making sure fences and huts were in good order before the late autumn winds started to bring in the colder weather. Then he was often to be found, once more staring into the old bone eater well; where if anyone were around to listen to him, he would hear the softly spoken words as Inuyasha re-capped on all of the things that had happened to him since last he'd been around. The pain of losing Kagome was still enough to bring the tears; but the sharpness of the resulting life he would have had, once upon a time, was gradually lessening because of the acceptance of his true family.

Miroku came up to him and stared at the well with his hanyou friend. Already the grasses and climbing plants were starting to conceal the well and for Inuyasha the scent of his beloved Kagome was fading fast; soon it would be as if she had never been and in fact that was now the truth as the timeline had changed. Miroku said nothing, he didn't need to; but he put his arm around Inuyasha's shoulders and drew him away and as he did so, he remarked that Kaede had some dinner for them all.

He stayed a few days longer, even sitting for the sculptor who was making the monument; but his patience was beginning to thin and he wanted to be out of the village soon. It no longer held the same attraction for him as a home base that it used to, when the whole group would be all gathered around Kaede's fire. The times had been exciting and dangerous, but Inuyasha found that he didn't miss the adrenelin rush so much any more and he still had most of the companionship if he wished.

Instead he found he had a wistful longing to return home to the West; Sesshoumaru and his brother's family were where he now belonged, away from the smelly human village. He would always protect it and the humans who lived here; because it had been a home of sorts and held some of his most vibrant memories, but if it were not for Kaede he would no longer visit as often. In a few years there would be inevitable change with people growing older and new birth but that would just mean less people in the future who would remember. They would eventually just be a legend linked to a statue, he would stay young while all those he knew would grow old and die and Inuyasha didn't care to watch.

So it was in a couple of days, Inuyasha said goodbye; with promises to come back when the child was born. When he was out of sight his speed increased and happily, soon the air was fresher. Joyfully he sped on and his heart felt so full when he came back to the Palace; especially when Sesshoumaru actually came out to greet him, telling him that he had been missed. His return home meal was like before; not overly ornate but special enough and he was surrounded by his loved ones with his nephew in his arms and crowing loudly, glad to have his uncle back.

That night asleep in the family futon Inuyasha had sweet dreams again; he was surrounded by the warmth of his kin, strange family that it was, he would not trade it now for anything. Tomorrow would bring changes for him of which he was yet unaware; but they would be good ones, as Sesshoumaru had been planning for him.

TBC