AN: The world sucks right now so I figured I would add a little joy to it. In other news, I've now watched more tutorials on how to bleed a fish than I care to remember. Enjoy, friends!
"There!" he announces proudly.
Inuyasha's standing over his patchwork kindling pile. He's been gathering wood to keep them warm for the night while Kiyomi is sulking at the base of an oak tree. Sango is much better at setting up the fires than he is but this should do. He reaches into one of his pockets and pulls out the little magic fire starter that Kagome gave to him. No sense in leaving the pup cold while he goes out to find some grub.
"Uh," he pauses, "how d'ya use this thing?"
Kiyomi looks up, knowing that he's talking to her. She blinks at him like he's slow or something. "You push the button."
Her voice is dull and soft; not the happy chirp he's used to.
"Which one?" He's hoping the kid will take the bait and do something other than mope around.
She narrows her eyes suspiciously. Apparently, she won't be so easily fooled. "There's only one button."
"Well, here, I'm no good with Kagome's weird world stuff and she says you know how to use it. I'm gonna go look for something to cook up. Whaddya want for dinner?"
He'll take down a freaking bear if that's what it takes to get that look off of her face.
She shrugs her shoulders lamely. "'M not really hungry."
He lets out a puff of air, reminding himself to be patient. Trouble is that patience has never been his strong suit. "Fine… I guess I can grab some fish. Sure you don't want to come?"
"No thanks," she says softly.
Her ears are twitching as she takes in the sounds of the forest. Now that he gets around to thinking about it… this is near where they found her. They'd left their things over by the nearby lake and the pup had gone rifling through them. Funny, it hadn't even crossed his mind. He runs a hand over the top of his head. He's not super keen on the idea of leaving her alone in the woods.
"It's fine," he reminds himself. "I've got her scent locked. I ain't gonna lose her."
"All right," he offers, watching her stare at the ground. "If ya need anything just holler, 'kay?"
She hums softly and he turns to head for the waterhole. She waits for him to return staring at the trees and she doesn't bother trying to light the fire. She doesn't really have the energy to try. She looks around feeling extraordinarily heavy; yes, that's the only word that feels accurate at the moment.
She's always known that her father had three sons. She remembers wanting to play with them and being chased away by their mother. It's never bothered her this much before… Is it because of what the oldest one said? He said that they were the ones responsible for her parents' deaths. They hadn't just kept her papa from her but they took her mama away from her as well. And Inuyasha just expects her to ignore that? Just pretend she didn't hear it?
That's not fair! If it were him in her place she bets that whoever had done that to him would have their head rolling on the floor. So what's up with the double standard? Why is he allowed to exact revenge while she's forced to ignore the whole thing like it never happened? Those boys deserve to die!
Her chest tightens and twists with the wrath she's feeling. She clenches her hands again, her claws digging deeper and deeper but she doesn't even notice. She stares out into the trees. She's home now… If she really wanted to she could scurry off and go back to her little cave… She could plot and plan those bastards' murders. It's what she had wanted more than anything only a few weeks or so before… How long has it been? She's only transformed once but she will be transforming again soon… So maybe two months almost?
She likes everyone very much though. She doesn't want to leave them. Is it okay for her to not want the same things she used to? Is that really all right? Or is she dishonoring her parents by not trying to avenge them?
And what of that horrible boy saying that she was hellspawn and deserved to die?
The thought makes her tremble and her eyes begin to water. She's never done anything to them. Why would they do this to her? She groans loudly and buries her face in her knees. She's so over being so full of so many different emotions so she's not about to sob or anything. But she is upset and knows no other way to respond other than to cry.
When Inuyasha returns to the campsite with two large carp in his hands he's a little annoyed to notice that the fire still hasn't been lit. Then he notices the kid sniffling with her face in her knees. He can't pinpoint what emotion the girl is working herself up over. But does it really matter? She's better than those twerps back at the castle for sure.
"Kiyomi," he calls out, putting his fish down in the grass so he can sit in front of her. "C'mon, pup, don't cry. Those shits aren't even worth it."
She snuffles, her head not lifting from her knees. "Why do they hate me? I didn't even do anything to them! They're the ones that killed my-my—"
He raps her on the head, distracting her from working herself up into a fit. "Stop. Crying. Seriously, they aren't worth the effort. You made it clear to 'em where you stand. They don't need any more of your time."
Surprisingly, it's gotten her to stop crying, now she just looks befuddled as she looks up at him. If her mother had ever seen her behave like that she would be so upset with her. That's not how princesses are supposed to behave! Why isn't he mad at her for being naughty?
"I was so horrible and mean…"
'Bad pup!', she berates herself.
"Huh?" He looks down at her. "What's that matter for? It's not like you're ever gonna see them again, you don't gotta be nice."
She glares up at him. "You don't know that."
He lifts an eyebrow at her. "You really think that I'd bring you back there again? After all that?"
He turns his back to her to try and fiddle with the lighter Kagome gave him. Kiyomi watches his back confused, but if she never comes back to this place then who will avenge her parents? Besides, he can't predict the future. What if one day he's not around anymore and she ends up having to return? Or what if there's a jewel shard in the area? Or—
"Show me how to use this stupid thing, will ya? I'm hungry."
"I already told you to push the button."
He gives her an irritated look. "What I mean is get off your lazy ass and help me out. I've got to get these fish on stakes still."
She uncurls herself and Inuyasha catches the scent of blood again. On each of her palms are the same four small crescent-shaped puncture marks only a little wider than before. He growls a little and pulls her palms towards him to inspect. They're pretty deep. She ain't gonna die or nothin' but they are bleeding enough for him to notice. And if he notices that means something else is bound to notice too. Nothing draws a demon out like the scent of fresh blood. After a moment he glares at her pointedly.
"Quit doin' that to yourself," he huffs, reaching into his haori for one of Kagome's "hankies" to dab at the tiny wounds. The pup winces. Her adrenaline from before has faded and for the first time since she'd arrived at the village, she's finally registering pain. "Hmph, hurts, doesn't it?"
She nods, cringing again as he presses down to stop her right hand from bleeding. He looks at her unsympathetically. He can't just let her keep bleeding all over the woods. Something's bound to sniff them out if he does. He lifts the handkerchief and licks the wounds gently much like how he would lick his own minor scrapes.
"Heh, Myoga would have a fit if he could see this," he chuckles to himself. "He's been hankering after a taste of her blood ever since he found out that she's from the Southern Inu family."
The little girl looks at him confused. "What's so funny?"
"Mmm?" He lets go of her right hand and reaches for the left which she pulls back. "Nothin'. Give that here."
"It's okay… I don't wanna," she argues with a little tug.
He rolls his eyes. "It's either I take care of it or I go get Kagome's medicine box. Your choice."
He knows she hates Kagome's medicines. Not that he blames her, that shit stings. That does the trick and she allows him to fuss over her hand. She watches him work, her eyes following his every action until he's satisfied that he's cleaned the wounds. He rips the 'hanky' in half and uses it to tie around her palms. It's not perfect but it will keep the smell of her blood down.
"There. Now"—he presses the lighter into her newly bandaged palm—"start this damn fire."
~.~.~
It's well past midnight. It's gotta be. So why in the name of all that is holy isn't this child sleeping yet?
He's done everything, fed her, chatted with her, let her pout. Hell, he even managed to get her to play for a little bit. (Shippo isn't as tough as she is and doesn't like to play her favorite inu pastime which is essentially a game of chase but with teeth and growls. It's one of those things that only Inuyasha could understand.) But she's still wide awake. She's pretending to sleep but he can see her wiggling her toes to keep herself awake and every few minutes she cracks one eye open to see if he's asleep. It's a surefire sign of one thing: pup's tryin' to do something sneaky.
Fine, two can play at that game.
He leans back against the trunk of the tree, letting out a heavy sigh. He forces his breathing to even out and he shuts his eyes. His ears go into high-alert, picking up even the slightest of sounds. Finally, as an added bonus, he lets out a couple of very convincing snores. The pup falls for his performance within a matter of minutes. He can hear her footsteps pad across the campsite to stand next to him. He can feel her breath against his cheek as she pokes his bicep warily, trying to test the waters. He snores again for good measure. Her little test finished, she tiptoes away from him. Yep, just as he suspected. He waits for the telltale rustle of the nearby brush to pop his eye open.
He's gonna kill this freaking kid if something else doesn't do it for him.
He follows her, quietly stalking behind her using the shadows and the trees as cover. Every so often the kid drops down to the ground to sniff for something. Occasionally, usually, when a forest creature calls out, she'll jump in fear. He waits until she's down again to creep up behind her. She's completely oblivious. Freaking kid is just asking to get eaten. Where's that skittish pup that he met a couple of months ago?
"Boo!" he whispers, yanking the back of her haori so that she jerks up and falls onto her bottom.
That goes about as well he expected it to. She jumps to her feet and turns around completely aghast, claws out. He grabs her by the collar of her jacket and holds her up to his face like he often does to Shippo when he pulls shit.
"You've got two seconds to explain yourself before I start swinging, pup," he deadpans.
"I was going pee!"
'Home!'
The girl winces as her inu-youkai spoils her little fib. He bops her on the head with his free hand. The pup should know by now that he's not one to play for a fool.
"Liar," he tells her, "try again, and this time"—another bop to the head—"the truth."
She stares down at the ground with a guilty pout, rubbing the top of her head. "I was gonna come right back…"
"Not the point."
"… You weren't really sleeping, were you?" she sighs.
"Nope and you weren't really taking a leak so we're even. Now, what were we doing that had to wait until I fell asleep?"
"Iwasgoing…," she jumbles and he can't make out the other half of the sentence.
He bops her head for a third time with a glare, a little lump is starting to form between her ears. "Loud and clear. If you're gonna be a little sneak then at least own up to it."
"I'm not a little sneak!" she argues. He raises a brow at her. "I just wanted to go home! I was gonna come right back!"
'Home!', her youkai trills in her throat again.
Ah, so that's it. He drops her down on the ground none too gently. "Heh, so your little hideout is somewhere around here."
"It's not a hideout," she tells him rudely, crossing her arms. "That's where I live."
"Lived," he corrects her. "All right then, where is it?"
She looks up at him incredulously. He actually wants to go with her? He can't be serious. Well, of course, he wants to go. Kiyomi is under the impression that Inuyasha is not only bossy and arrogant but he's also extremely nosey. And she doesn't really want him finding out where she lives. Mama had warned her to keep it a secret.
"You can't come…" she insists, looking down at her feet. She just wants to grab something while she's here. Something that she's missed since he took her in. "I'll be right back, I promise. Go back now!"
She turns around, sniffing the breeze for the telltale scent of moss that tells her she's near the cave. Pinpointing the scent, she begins to take off, her legs moving with purpose. Only, she realizes after a moment that she's no longer on the ground. Inuyasha's lifted her off of the ground and is holding her up to his face. She's not exactly sure why she expected him to react any other way.
"Let's get something straight, pup," he tells her slowly, tapping her forehead lightly with his knuckles. "I'm the one that calls the shots around here. Got it?"
"Hmph."
"Do that again and I'll drop you. Now, which direction am I going?"
She frowns, obviously not thrilled with her circumstances but she points in the direction of the scent anyway. He marches forward, trying to figure out what she's tracking. Every so often she wiggles, trying to get down. It would be easier if he let her track the way to this mystery hideout without him having to figure out where she wants him to walk. He places her down on her feet and she immediately drops to the ground to give it a long sniff, shuffling leaves aside as she goes.
Just as she thought, she's close. She moves confidently through the trees, the scent of cedar and moss filling her with a little more confidence. This is the path she would have taken that sunny afternoon when she was picked up by a fellow inu-hanyou and a bunch of humans. Gosh, she had been so scared that day. She wonders if he knew that then… She looks behind her, he's watching her interestedly.
"Stop starin' at me, weirdo," she grumbles. "And you can't come inside."
"I'll be the judge of that."
"You're too fat, you won't fit," she tells him bluntly.
"Too fat?" he yelps, aghast.
Could it be true? Has Kagome been fattening him up? He does eat a lot more now that she's around to complain about getting hungry all the time. And those dinners from the villagers could be doing him in! He used to never eat rice before Kagome came along! Is that what's doing it?! He glances down at his midsection expecting to see a round tummy. He presses his abdomen warily with his index finger; nope, solid as ever.
Kiyomi giggles into her hands.
"Think you're funny, pup?"
He lets a low, playful growl loose. He's glad to see that she's starting to turn back to normal. She looks up and sticks her tongue out at him. She's about to say something else rude to him but before she can he snatches her around her midsection and nips at her ears. Her laughter rings around the forest, rousing a few birds and rodents, as she scrambles up his shoulders to grab ahold of his ears. She's growling playfully.
Heh, all pups are the same; a little playtime and they perk right up.
"Ow!" he complains when she gnaws on his left ear a little too hard. "Get down from there!"
He reaches up to drop her back down onto the forest floor, rubbing his sore ear. She hadn't done any damage but, damn, the kid knows how to use her teeth. She yips up at him, eager and cheerful now. He smiles smugly nodding his head forward. He's pretty sure he's figured out what scent she's been following but he'll let her tell him that. She immediately regains her haughty disposition and gets back to her trail. Tracking is very serious business to an inu-youkai, he would know.
After a few more minutes they arrive at a vine-covered cliff face. A dead end. He's about to tease the girl for getting lost when he sees her approach the vines and sniff them. She drops down to the ground, snuffling around in the dirt and moss. Her cheeks have little patches of damp earth decorating them now.
It explains why the pup had reeked of moss when he met her.
"Sorry, pup, your scent's gonna be too stale to pick up," he tells her.
She looks up at him irritably. "Shh!"
He holds his hands up in surrender. "All right, all right."
She only glares at him with her little nose to the ground. After another minute of nosing around, she hisses happily with a proud grin, scampering on all fours for something he can't see. He looks up and watches her dart suddenly into the vines where she disappears. A barrier? Here? Some kind of spell? He can still smell her though…
"Wait!" he calls out as he jogs over to her last spot.
He reaches over to test the barrier only to find that his hand simply pushes the vines aside. It's a cave. That's actually pretty nifty. He crouches down, inspecting the entrance. It's small, but nothing he can't crawl through. He follows her in, aware of how cramped it is. Good thing he hasn't actually gotten fat otherwise he really wouldn't be able to follow. It's smart for a little kid to find a place like this to hide. It actually might explain how she's kept herself alive for so long alone and so young.
Finally, the narrow tunnel opens up and he has to adjust his eyes to the darkness inside. He can make out the pup's outline as she darts around the cave as if she's looking for something. He can smell her frustration. Whatever she's trying to do is hard in the dark.
"Need help?"
She doesn't answer, only huffs just before she squeaks and he sees her outline tumble to the ground. He fishes Kagome's magic fire starter out of his sleeve. It illuminates the small cave just enough for him to make out the pup, toppled on a small pile of kindling wood. It's embarrassingly small, just a few twigs. He grabs one of them and holds the lighter to it so that the cave is lit up by the warm glow.
Kiyomi rolls her eyes up at him. "You figured that out awful quick."
He smirks. "I had a good teacher. So, this the place?"
She nods, darting over to a corner with a small cluster of boulders. It's a decent-sized cave and he can see the signs that she'd once lived there. In the corner is a tiny pile of rags that probably made up a bed. There's a stolen bucket that looks like it had once been used to collect rainwater. The girl also had a little stockpile of wood, just a few flimsy branches, to burn for light and warmth. The pup peeps over her shoulder, waiting for him to look away. He's curious to see what she's guarding so jealously but he turns his head to appease her.
Once she's turned around and moved a couple of rocks aside, he leans over to peek at her little pile of treasures. Nothing special: a few shiny pebbles, a straw doll, and a piece of fabric. The kid takes the pebbles and tosses them aside. Then she pulls the fabric out. It's dirty from its apparent mistreatment but he can tell that it had previously been an ornamental scarf. And a very fine one at that. From what details he can make out, it is probably silk, and emblazoned across the fabric are a number of cherry blossoms. There's no way that it had ever belonged to the kid. If not her then it must have belonged to her—
'Mother,' she whimpers as she holds the tattered fabric in her hands.
"That your mom's?" he asks her quietly.
"Butt out," she tells him rudely, holding it tightly to her chest.
He'd ask her where her new attitude's come from but he already knows that it's something she's likely picking up from him. At least that's what Kagome would tell him. Didn't take her very long either. He slides beside her and pulls her into his side. She sighs but leans against him anyway.
"Hey," he says, nudging the girl who's transfixed by the scarf. "can you keep a secret?"
She shifts when he says this. She assumed that Kagome knew everything about Inuyasha that there was to know. "I thought you don't have any secrets?"
"Well, sure I have some secrets. Doesn't everybody?"
"Like Kikyo?"
"Watch it."
He's not about to have that discussion with her; not in a million years and if he lives that long he'll wait a few more.
"But you said I shouldn't keep secrets from you and Miss Kagome," she retorts, with narrowed eyes.
"You're right, but you do it anyway," he answers her with a knowing look. "Listen, I have something from my mother that I keep with me all the time too…"
She looks up at him and then very bluntly tells him, "You're lying. You don't have pockets. I've checked."
"Eh? You have?"
"Yup," she says dully, running the silk back and forth across her hands. "First time I hugged you. I was looking for money."
"Well, thanks for ruining that, I guess?"
"Money? Why would I have any money?"
She shrugs, "You're a grown-up. Grown-ups keep money. Miroku hides his in his blue robe."
"What the heck are you doing sniffing around everyone's pockets for cash?"
She is silent, back to staring at the scarf like it's made of all the gold in the world. She had tried to steal money to buy a ride out of the village before she was sure she could trust them. Some of the villagers where they live like hanyous because of Inuyasha. She'd been hoping that if she gave someone money that they would give her a ride out of town. That was until she figured out that they were bereft of riches at least. She had to give up that plan quickly.
She's not about to tell him that though, he'll probably be mad.
"You have something of your mom's?" She changes the subject intentionally.
"Yeah," he answers, his claws brushing over his haori, "my robe of the fire-rat is from her."
"What was she like?" Kiyomi asks softly.
"My mom? Well, like most moms I guess," he answers her honestly. "She was warm, she told me she loved me all the time and I thought it was gross and mushy, she used to make me smile a lot. To be honest, I don't really remember much about her."
Is that her fate? To slowly lose the memories of Mama?
"I was a little older than you when she got sick," he continues. "Not much though. I had a tough time when she died for a while. Apparently, hanyou pups are tasty snacks to other demons."
"Well, duh," she tells him. "Didn't your mama teach you to find little places like this to hide?"
He looks down at her. "She was human. I… never knew my father either."
He lets out a mirthless laugh as something dawns on him. She looks angry at him for laughing, her eyes narrowed but still adorably wide. She thinks he's making fun of her.
"What's so funny?"
"Don't get all huffy. I was just thinking that you and I have a lot in common."
"Hmph," she huffs rudely. "What would you know?"
How could he possibly know what it's like to be an orphan without a mother and father? How could he understand what it's like to have siblings who hate you for no other reason than your existence? He doesn't even remember his mother. How could he possibly comprehend the hurt she feels?
"Quite a bit actually. I lost my mother when I was your age. I never knew my father, anything I know about my pops is from Myoga"—Kiyomi growls when he mentions the nomi-youkai's name—"and Totosai. I've got a brother too and… let's just say that we don't get along."
Her eyes soften, going wide with the realization that he just might understand after all. "You have a brother too?"
"Mhmm, and if you thought you and your brothers don't like each other, I can promise you that it could be way worse. I chopped my brother's arm off."
"Oh," she murmurs. Her face lights up. "Does that mean I can—"
He knows she's about to ask to maim one of her siblings. "No. Don't even think about it. I told ya, they aren't even worth thinkin' about."
The little fire that Inuyasha had started finally flickers out. He knew that pile of twigs wouldn't have done the kid any good. He's once again thankful that he and the others had found her when they did. He looks around the cave, it's as good of a place as any to get some sleep. It's dark and pretty secluded. He doesn't have to worry about anything big sneaking up on them in here. He leans back against the stone wall and the kid follows suit, her head pressing uncomfortably into his ribs.
"Get some sleep," he tells her. "We'll hang out here tonight."
"Thank you," she murmurs into his side. "For making me feel better."
The two of them aren't alike at all because she's not going to end up alone. And that's a pretty nice difference, he'll take it.
~.~.~
"Like this?" Kiyomi asks brightly.
They are hunkered down on the riverbank, both crouched like two happy dogs, in the early morning sunlight. They both have one clawed hand hovering over the water. Little droplets splash their fingertips as the water rushes beneath their outstretched hands. Inuyasha looks over at her, checking to make sure her feet are planted properly. He grins at her and nods.
"Remember what to do?"
She nods with a look of fierce determination in her eyes. "Yeah, gotta use my claws!"
'Good pup!' he growls happily. "Yep, I think I see one coming now. Watch closely and be ready if I miss."
Not that he misses, he's an expert fisher at this stage in the game; he had to be or he'd have starved a long time ago. Lo and behold a decent catch comes sailing on through. He waits an extra second, intentionally, before plunging his claws into the cold water.
"Damn! Hurry up and get it!" he calls out, pinching the fish's caudal fin between his fingers so it doesn't have the option of escaping.
Kiyomi's tiny hand launches into the water. It's a good thing he's got a hold of that fish because for the first couple of seconds the kid tries to grab it with the pads of her fingers. It would have slipped right on through. After a slippery grab, she digs her little razor claws in. When he sees the fish's blood in the water he lets go and shortly after the girl is pulling her catch out of the river with flourish. He's never seen the kid smile this much before.
"Look!" she cries out, holding up the flopping fish for him to see. Her claws are now tangled in the gills. "I did it! I did it!"
He laughs, "Yeah, good work, pup! Now all you have to learn is how to let it go." With a scoff, he reaches over to pluck the fish out of her hands. "You know how to bleed a kill?"
She tilts her head innocently before asking, "What's that?"
His stomach rolls at the thought. "Have you been eating all of your catches without skinning them or letting the blood run out?"
Sure, it's fine but it's still pretty gross, even for him. She looks very confused as she slowly whispers, "What's skinning them mean?"
Great, the kid had been eating raw, furry, and bloody food before he came along. "I'll show you the next time we go hunting. C'mere a minute."
She bounds excitedly on all fours towards him. Heh, this is actually kind of fun. Shippo's never really been interested in catching fish or hunting at least not his way. He likes to use those nets that most humans use and he's a shit-for-brains hunter. Kagome's managed to soften that kid up past the point of help. The boy's going to end up being one of those weaklings who only eats veggies and rice at his rate. Kiyomi on the other hand seems to love this. This is the perkiest he thinks he's ever seen her.
She's looking up at him expectantly. "It's done flopping."
"Oh, right," he says, hooking his finger underneath the gill flap. She'd somehow managed to avoid the artery during her little scuffle. "You see where I am? Use your claw to cut right around here, those're the gills, and"—blood begins oozing into his hand—"when it bleeds a lot, you've cut the artery. That's a good thing. Make sure you cut it real good so it bleeds quick."
"Cool!" she murmurs, awestruck. He doesn't think he's ever seen her eyes go this wide before, they look like they could pop out of her head.
He does the same on the other side and smirks down at her before turning her attention to the river. "Then you want to bring it back to the water."
"But… It's dead. I thought we were gonna eat it…"
He laughs. "I know, stupid, you want the blood to run out in the water. Makes it bleed better."
He dips the top half of the fish in the flowing river to keep the blood from coagulating. The whole time the girl-pup watches his hand intently. She's never been shown this before. It's interesting to her. Mama used to take her hunting all the time but she usually napped while Mama prepared their breakfast or supper. She always told her that it wasn't something she needed to learn yet.
She leans over the edge of the water, watching to see if the fish is about to spring back to life and swim away. Suddenly, she darts down with both hands outstretched, claws at the ready. Within moments they return, dragging a trout up the steep slope of the riverbed. Heh, the kid must have pinned it to the side of the bank to get that one. She looks at him proudly, pointing to her catch. She's about to say something when the trout she was so proud of has flopped its way back into the river. Kiyomi stares at the spot where she'd left it looking very puzzled.
"Bad luck, pup, gotta watch out for that. Nice try though," he tells her, lifting the fish he's been draining up to inspect. "That's better. So now what you want to do is—"
Huh, weird, she's not where he left her? He can smell her; she still has that little brat scent to her. It's not something he can really describe, it's just different from what a grown hanyou or youkai smells like. That smell is also trotting further from him. He's sure if this area wasn't so dense with trees and bushes he'd be able to spot her.
"Oi!" he hollers when her scent is further than he's comfortable with. "I dunno what you're chasing, kid, but you'd better find your way back here!"
He's sure that Kagome and the others have to be finished blessing the gravesites by now. He wants to bring them breakfast and show off his fire-building skills. He breathes deep, annoyed that he's got to go hunt down the kid again. Stupid thing just can't come to terms with the fact that she's not supposed to be wandering wherever she wants to anymore. She clearly hasn't been told what to do in a long time, longer than how long she's been orphaned.
In other words, the kid's been spoiled from birth. That's his best guess. It's really the only thing that makes sense at this point. Based on the questions he's managed to ask the kid, she's smart. Smart enough that she should know to follow the few rules he's laid down. And he can tell that she's pieced together that there are certain things that she ain't supposed to be doing; the girl has a guilty tell. (It's all in the ears.) So there isn't exactly a learning curve here… This is intentional, premeditated, fucking willful noncompliance. That's a learned behavior right there.
If the kid's mom let her do whatever she wanted then he's got his damn claws full with her.
"Swear to god if she went swimming after that fish, I'll drown her," he grouches to himself while he's following her trail. "Stupid pup! She better learn to listen or I'll—"
Whatever he had been planning disappears as another scent hits his nose: Sesshomaru.
His stomach drops. The kid hasn't been looking for her fish, she's following this new scent. No, no, no, no! This is bad; no, wrong word choice there. This is catastrophic. He begins running, hoping, and praying that the girl hasn't reached her destination. God, he will give anything to catch her before her stupid ass gets them both in trouble. One wrong word with Sesshomaru and the kid's going to end up barbecued for breakfast by Jaken.
He finally catches up to her, using the trees for cover, but it's too late for damage control. She's found Sesshomaru and his little posse in a small clearing of the forest. The pup is sitting with Rin, merrily chatting as if she hasn't violated the only rule he's given her. The human girl looks delighted as she investigates Kiyomi's ears and Kiyomi giggles happily as they are tickled by her new friend. Sesshomaru is sitting on a boulder, motionless and scrutinizing the pup like he's trying to put a face to a name. Well, at least she hasn't been eaten…
Yet.
His older brother calls out, "Come here."
"Don't do it, pup. Come to your damn senses and turn around so I can get us out of here!"
Damn it all to hell, she actually looks up and walks over to him. Sesshomaru leans forward, nostrils flaring slightly as he sniffs the air around her. Ha! Nice try picking up the pup's scent! He's been watching over her for about two months now; the only thing Sesshomaru is going to smell is him and Kagome. Judging from Sesshomaru's face after a few moments, his prediction is correct. His older brother leans back, looking at the girl like she's told him her mother's now infamous 'naughty words'.
"Where is your mother, Kiyomi?" he inquires abruptly.
"How the fuck does he know her name?" Inuyasha panics, watching as Kiyomi looks up at Sesshomaru as if he isn't dangerous.
Irritatingly, she looks relieved to see him. She sighs a little and leans against his shins like she does when she's looking for someone to pet her ears. She does it to Sango all the time because Sango won't tell her no unless she's truly busy. Turns out, Sango's got a soft spot for kids. Either that or she just feels really bad about her fellow taijiyas killing the kid's mom. Sesshomaru doesn't take the bait and the kid's left hanging. She responds to this rejection by hopping into his lap and pressing her head into his stomach.
"You're not supposed to touch him, you stupid girl!" he groans to himself.
'Pup sad,' she whines softly. "Mama is gone…"
Jaken squawks in horror. "Aika is missing? What terrible news!"
Kiyomi glances irritably at the green demon, eyeing him coldly from Sesshomaru's lap. "No, stupid, Mama died."
"And your father?" Sesshomaru asks while Jaken splutters loudly.
Kiyomi shrugs and says softly, "Papa too." She doesn't want to talk about Mama or Papa. She would much rather receive what she believes are some well-deserved pets.
"I see," Sesshomaru remarks, his eyes flitting to the tree that Inuyasha is hiding in. "So that is how Inuyasha's scent is all over you."
Kiyomi looks happy. She sits up, looking brightly at Sesshomaru. "You know Inuyasha? Do you know Miss Kagome too? And the Lord Monk? I didn't like Lady Sango for a long time but now I think she's—"
"How long have you been with them?"
"I dunno… a while now… I was by myself for a really long time and then they kidnapped me. Inuyasha is really bossy. Now they say I'm part of their pack! Miss Kagome is really nice and she gives me yummy treats and I—"
'Silence!' the inu-youkai barks out. "Inuyasha is here."
The girl lifts her nose to the wind and they both stare at the tree. "Yeah, we were fishin'. I caught two fish all by myself! You shoulda seen it!"
Doesn't the stupid kid know when to shut her trap?
Inuyasha chooses this moment to jump down. He crosses his arms, fixing the kid with a "just wait until I get my hands on you" look. He growls out, "Pup come."
She doesn't move from her spot, looking at Inuyasha as if he's some kind of stupid. Sesshomaru, however, is quite interested to see this. To his knowledge, his brother has no knowledge of pups or their care. The fact that he's using his youkai to communicate is an interesting development. It's undeniable, the boy is speaking their shared language to the child. It is, of course, inconsequential to Sesshomaru but still a notable event considering his association with the girl.
"This is Mama's friend!" she chirps, looking back up at Sesshomaru for confirmation. "We can talk to him!"
'Friend! Friend!' her instincts inform him cheerfully.
"How about we talk to him over here then," he grinds out, watching Sesshomaru as if he's about to attack her in a bloodthirsty rage.
She leans a little closer into his brother, eyeballing Inuyasha's aggressive stance and the look in his eye. He looks mad, mad. She feels a little safer right where she is. She's seen how he's beaten up on Shippo for misbehaving and she doesn't want another bop on the ears, thank you very much. She'd had enough of that last night. Not that she has misbehaved! Mama said it's okay to talk to this person. If Mama says it's okay then she's doing a good thing. She will have to explain it to him later. He simply doesn't understand.
"Uh, you look mad," she tells him warily.
He can feel a vein in his forehead pop. "What gives you that impression?"
"Enough," Sesshomaru warns them both as he lifts the girl off of him with ease. He stands, stepping closer to Inuyasha who grips Tetsusaiga's hilt. "Do you have even the slightest inkling whose child this is?"
"I don't give a shit who's kid she is. She's been alone for too long so she's mine now."
"Did I just call the pup… mine?" he frets.
That's an interesting thought but not one that he really has the time to mull over at the moment. Now that Sesshomaru has stopped paying attention to her, the girl directs her attention to Jaken and she begins to chase him around the campsite on all fours. He watches them both carefully for a moment, daring Jaken to move for his staff so that he has an excuse to attack.
Sesshomaru actually has the balls to laugh. "What a simplistic view; you haven't the slightest idea what this girl will be capable of."
"And you do?"
"How dare you question Lord SesshomaRUUUUU!"
The toad demon has been knocked down by a rambunctious looking Kiyomi who is intent on investigating his staff of two heads. She smirks down at her fallen prey while puffing her chest out with pride. Rin is laughing happily at the sight. The kid bounces off of Jaken's head and drops herself on the staff so that it can't be taken away from her, poking the old man side lightly with her claws.
Kiyomi doesn't look scared at all… She looks like she's trying to play. Really, kid? Now's not the time!
Sesshomaru only surveys the interaction coldly. "I knew her mother well. She was a formidable ally in battle. We were… associates, you could say."
"Yeah, Myoga said something about you two getting engaged. So what; you had a thing with her mom. What's that got to do with the kid? She ain't yours."
She's not, right? No, of course not; the kid's a hanyou through and through.
"My lord did not have a thing with anybody! Lady Aika was a dear friend!" Jaken crows. Then, under his breath, he utters, "She was always so kind to me. Still, no one is good enough for Lord Sesshomaru even someone as charming as Lady Aika…"
"Master Jaken," Rin asks curiously. "Who is Lady Aika?"
Sesshomaru looks at Kiyomi again a wrinkle in his nose. "You called the pup yours, did you not? Just now? What makes you think you are capable of raising her?"
Is Sesshomaru threatening to take the girl away from him? Absolutely not! This will literally be the thing that ends their feud because Inuyasha will take Sesshomaru's life if it comes down to who's walking away with the pup. There's a strange rush of… he can't think of it. It's not anger, he's not scared. It's this weird feeling that he's never felt before.
He just knows that Kiyomi belongs with him.
"What's it to you?" Inuyasha splutters. "I found her and she's staying with me, got it? Kiyomi, c'mon we're leaving."
'Pup play!' She looks at him, clinging to the top of the staff while Jaken is busy waving it in the air. "But I wanna play!"
"I'll kill her for this, I swear to the gods I'll drown her in the goddamn river if she doesn't—"
"I've no interest in rearing Aika's whelp. It was merely an observation," his older brother tells him. "I see you have been left some of our family's qualities after all."
Inuyasha looks gruffly at his brother before muttering, "Well, if you're not interested, I'm taking her and leaving."
He's just glad they aren't trying to kill each other at the moment. Thank the gods he doesn't want to take her, it's a fight he would not be looking forward to under any circumstances.
"You listen here, young man! Lady Aika was a strong ally and was known for her formidable temper. You'd do well to train this child well and early," Jaken huffs behind Sesshomaru. "My lord, perhaps we should consider… Aika's spirit would be surely grateful."
"You aren't taking her anywhere," Inuyasha warns lowly.
Sesshomaru's lips twitch up into a mirthless smirk before he turns to the ensemble of shorties behind him. "Rin, we're leaving."
"But I just met her!" Kiyomi whines loudly, still wrapped around the staff of two heads while swiping her tiny claws at Jaken's fingers. "I wanna play and you just got here!"
Sesshomaru doesn't smile but he also doesn't shout like Inuyasha expected him to. "Be that as it may, I have more important things to attend to."
Jaken finally knocks her off of the staff. The kid rolls in the grass before recovering her footing and bounding after them. Inuyasha shakes himself off, charging over to grab the kid by the back of her jacket. She whines but doesn't do much more than that. Irritably, Inuyasha grips the kid's hand and wrist in his large hand and marches back through the forest where they came from. He's listening to the sound of rushing water to try and recall where he left the fish. Eh, it's likely been pilfered by some other carnivorous creature.
Who does Sesshomaru think he is? Going around acting like he knows anything about him or the pup. The girl's got nobody and she can't stay out here by herself. There's no need to mock him for wanting to watch out for her. Besides, he's taking care of that Rin girl, ain't he? This is the same exact thing! It's just rude and so like Sesshomaru to think little of him for wanting to help the girl. This whole encounter has stirred up something inside of Inuyasha that doesn't understand in the slightest.
Whatever it is, he's not a fan.
"I thought Myoga said this shit was normal," he wonders before remembering that Sesshomaru had hinted something along the same lines only minutes before. "Maybe I am like my old man's pop after all… Myoga did tell me that he took in a few orphans back in his day. Maybe Sesshomaru wasn't mocking me after all? Nah, that doesn't sound like him, he had to be making fun of me. And what's that bullshit about the kid's mother being dangerous? It's not like I'm gonna let the kid turn into some kind of hoodlum!"
Speaking of the kid…
"Are you out of your damn mind?" he scolds, squeezing Kiyomi's hand in his to jerk her back into reality. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you could have gotten us into?"
She looks up at him curiously, her head tilting cutely. "But that's Mama's friend… He won't hurt me."
"Well, isn't that nice? He keeps trying to kill me."
Kiyomi looks at him like he's done something wrong. "Master Sesshomaru is a very nice demon. He used to bring Mama and me presents. What did you do to upset him?"
"It's not my fault!" Inuyasha grumbles defensively. "He's my older brother. I told you last night I had one."
"Oh!" Her eyes light up. "That's where his arm went… I didn't want to ask him. Why'd you cut off his arm? I wouldn't like you very much if you chopped my arm off. No wonder he doesn't like you. You should really try to be nicer—"
He cuts off her little rant before she can distract him. "I already told you! He tried to kill me! This isn't about me! What were you thinking going off like that alone?"
"I always do things on my own," she answers simply. "I'm smart, you know. Nothin' bad's gonna happen."
"Sheesh! He treats me like I'm some stupid baby or somethin'. When's he gonna learn that I'm—"
He sighs, "S'got nothing to do with smart. It's got a lot more to do with size. You're a hell of a lot smaller than I am. You can't keep doing that to me. I can't look out for you if I don't know where you've gone."
"But I— "
She really doesn't understand what's wrong. Then again, she hasn't had to answer to anybody in quite a while. Not that he's allowing that as an excuse. He should add that to the pile of things he's got to consider though. She might not be trying to test his patience at all.
That being noted, she's tested his fucking patience down to the wire.
"What did I just say?"
She cringes a little, looking up at him apologetically. "But Mama used to—"
"Do I look like I'm your mom?" he asks angrily, getting carried away in his outburst. "I'm not your damn mom, pup, so you need to start playing by my rules! Got it?"
He's frustrated that the kid's taken off twice in less than a day's worth of time. If it weren't for this damn demonic instinct, or whatever the fuck it is, he'd fucking leave her behind. She's obviously some defective child that can't handle one simple request. He's not asking for much here: don't wander off. It's that simple. She's got a fox demon and all of those trinkets from Kagome's world to play with so why the hell can't she just act like a normal kid and stay put?
He hears her breath shudder. Ah, shit. He'd yelled at her about her mom, hadn't he?
He stops walking and crouches down so that he can look at her. Well, at least she ain't crying. "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to say that like I did."
She just breathes deep and furrows her eyebrows. She's mad at him all over again. Why does he suck at this so much? "But you did! You did say it that way!"
"Look," he says, his voice cracking because it's usually Kagome scolding him like this. "I was just worried about you, runt. I don't like when you disappear like that. I-I didn't mean to drag your mom into this."
She's looking at the ground now, biting her lip to keep herself from snapping back at him. He can smell how ticked she is. She can also probably smell how he's feeling too, which isn't likely going to help this situation. He's starting to wish that Sesshomaru was still around to take the edge off of this whole mess; that's a first, wishing for Sesshomaru's presence. He's got to figure out something to get it in her head. She's not stupid, and he knows she's not trying to misbehave. But, goddamnit, he needs to get through to her. He doesn't have the patience to keep chasing her around. Not to mention the amount of trouble the kid could get herself into running around by herself. If he keeps on snapping at her, she's going to end up hating his guts. There's got to be a better way to explain…
He switches gears for a minute. "Hey, that was a nice fish you caught by the river."
She's very confused about the new topic. "It was? But it got away…"
"Hell yeah, that fish was half your size," he praises—okay, so he's exaggerating a little—while scratching behind her ears, "and you still caught it. I'm proud of ya!"
She's surprised to hear that. She's also looking at him very apprehensively. Just a moment ago he was really mad at her so what gives?
"You are?"
"'Course I am," he answers, "we're friends, aren't we? Why wouldn't I be proud of my buddy?"
She nods tentatively, noticing that his angry smell is abating. Inuyasha finds himself disturbed that he's used the word buddy as it's actually intended and not an insult.
"We are. And friends listen to each other," he continues. "I know you're used to doing things on your own but I don't want you to. I'm your friend and I don't want you to get hurt 'cause you were alone."
"But you get to go do things by yourself," she complains.
"Do I? When's the last time I took off without telling the others where I'm going?"
She fidgets, looking up at him with a final sigh. "So I have to tell you before I can go play by myself?"
He nods his head emphatically, squeezing her shoulders lightly. "Yes. It's really important to me. There's a lot of dangerous stuff in the world right now and I'm trying to keep you safe. You see where I'm going with this?"
"Yeah, I guess," she answers. She doesn't see the point of it at all. She's perfectly capable of taking care of herself but she guesses if it makes him feel better she should try to listen more.
He nods, standing up again. "We got an understandin' then? You and I? You're not gonna keep taking off every time I turn around?"
"I won't," she tells him. She doesn't look too thrilled with him but he'll take the win.
"Glad to hear it." He turns back towards the river. "Now, let's find something to eat in this freaking forest, I'm starving. Race you back to the river?"
He doesn't give her a chance to respond before he darts towards the sound of rushing water. Her look of surprise quickly shifts into a silly smile before she's racing and shouting after him; calling him something rude. Ah, that's the Kiyomi he knows best!