A smooth, feminine voice coos, "Oh, Hisashi, isn't he just adorable?!"
"Looks just like him!" another pleasant voice chimes behind him, this one male.
If he didn't know any better, Inuyasha would think that these people are friendly.
"Whaddaya think you're doing?!" Inuyasha hollers, finally knocking the demon off of him.
In front of him stand two pansā-youkai, one male and one female. Long-legged and pale, they both boast violet-colored hair and swirling orange eyes. They are dressed similarly as well, a white haori with purple stitching. The man is wearing a pair of matching pants while the girl dons a pair of tights. A glance tells him that they are at least related, they have the same smile and pointed noses. They look at him interestedly. He doesn't feel very threatened so he releases his grip on Tetsusaiga's hilt.
"Master Inuyasha!"
A familiar sting on his neck. Oh yeah, he's definitely not in danger because Myoga's here. He smashes Myoga with his palm none too gently. Funny, he figured the flea would steer clear of him for a while. Last he checked, he's still on the pup's most wanted list. The last threat the kid gave Myoga involved digesting him. Oh well, he had wanted to talk to him anyway. It's convenient.
"Master! May I introduce you to—"
The woman waves her hand dismissively before bouncing over to Inuyasha and patting between his ears; a feat considering how she's a head shorter than him. She's smiling so warmly that Inuyasha almost wants to like her.
"Oh c'mon, Myoga, there's no need to be so formal with the boy," she tuts. "You look just like your father did when he was a hundred!"
The male laughs, tugging on the woman's arm. "Enough, Chikako! Or Oi-san will think we are crazy."
"Did he just call me… nephew? I've never met these people in my—"
Suddenly it dawns on him. While the two youkai bicker about Chikako's familiarity, he remembers what Myoga had told him. His grandfather had adopted two demon cubs before he'd had his father! These must be them! But, why would they be all the way out here?
"Uh, are you—"
He's interrupted by the short demoness, her eyes narrowing, "Don't tell me you weren't expecting us!"
"Um, no…"
For such a short woman, she's surprisingly intimidating now. Her orange eyes narrow into dangerous slits and she's displaying her fangs now; they are as long as his but much thinner with a needle-sharp point. She could really do a number with those.
"Myoga!" she hollers. "You dragged us all the way out here and didn't have the courtesy of telling him we were coming! Why you insufferable little cretin!"
The flea is decidedly quiet, hiding in Inuyasha's hair.
The man steps forward, eyes glinting in the rising sunlight. "Well, in that case, I think an introduction is in order. I'm Hisashi, and this loudmouth is Chikako, my sister."
"I'll show you a—"
"We're your father's older siblings," he finishes, ignoring his sister's interruption with an eye roll that could easily put Inuyasha's to shame.
The woman talks a lot but they seem like decent people. In fact, he'd argue he likes them a bit. Both of them seem ridiculously friendly for youkai, the woman more than the man. Either way, he's not picking up any bad vibes from them despite their unexpected entrance. That's a relief, the last thing he wants to deal with after yesterday is a confrontation with two youkai. He's pissed off enough strangers for one week.
"My Lord," Myoga whispers. "It occurred to me when we last spoke that you may have some questions regarding your recent situation so I've gone to get you some first-hand advice."
"Yeh mean the pup," he says plainly. "No need to beat around the damn bush."
Chikako smirks, "Myoga is infamous for that. So, Inuyasha, Myoga's told us that you've adopted a little girl. Is this true?"
"I, uh, yeah… I-I did," he stammers, his newly discovered aunt peering into his eyes uncomfortably. She seems nice but she's definitely a little strange. She must not have spent much time around Sesshomaru. "Well, not literally. She just, like, uh, lives with us and stuff."
She smiles warmly, clasping his hand in hers. "Please bring me to see her! I adore children!"
"You're scaring the boy," her brother warns her. "And stop telling people you adore children like that, it makes it sound like you're going to eat them. Ignore her, son, you don't need to indulge her insanity."
"No, uh, it's fine," he answers. He's got to get back to let the pup know everything's okay anyway. "She's this way."
His aunt hooks arms with him and chatters the entire way back to the campsite, marveling over how "he looks just like" his father. It's not exactly annoying but he wouldn't say he's enjoying this. His uncle is nowhere near as buoyant as his aunt is. He doesn't appear to be shy, just very reflective, and patient. Well, Chikako clearly does enough talking for both of them. They finally get closer to the camp when Inuyasha stops. It might be a good idea for him to let Kiyomi know they are coming. He might have scared her earlier and he doesn't want to cause a scene with two unannounced strangers. It'll be best if they—
Ah, shit, too late.
He has just enough time to toss Chikako aside while a snarling Kiyomi makes a flying leap for her head. Quickly, Inuyasha lifts her off the ground to hold her against him, rumbling in his chest that she's okay. Chikako looks a little surprised but she's not angry which is a relief because Kiyomi is not letting their presence fly. Despite his social cues indicating that these people are safe she's still baring her fangs and growling rudely over his shoulder at them. At least these two are easygoing.
"Hey, kid," he laughs softly, "relax. They ain't gonna hurt ya. They came to see me."
Her angry gaze shifts to peer at him. 'Safe?'
'Safe.'
She stops growling but she does watch them very carefully from over his shoulder. She's showing them her claws, being very careful not to let Inuyasha feel them. Sure, he said they are safe but are they really? She's never smelled these demons before and they are too close to her pack's alpha for her tastes. This lady with short hair keeps smiling at her. There's also a familiar smell in the air… she wishes she could pinpoint it.
She announces, "Everybody's awake now."
He chuckles, Kiyomi very likely caused some sort of spectacle and now the entire camp is up much earlier than they'd planned. He can imagine Kagome's sleepy face rubbing her eyes now. He wishes he wasn't missing it.
"Good work, runt."
"What's that smell?"
A nasal-ly voice sounds behind them from Chikako's head. "Why greetings, little one!"
"Wish you hadn't done that, Myoga," he internalizes, rolling his eyes.
The pup, previously so courageous and fierce whines sharply and goes rigid. Her little ears shoot back and she gives him the most horrified stare he's ever seen out of her. Hell, he thinks she reacted better to Sesshomaru almost walking off with her than she's about to now. Her head darts between Inuyasha and where Myoga's voice had come from frantically and before he can get a good grip on the little tyke she's leaped out of his arms. The next thing he knows, she's running for the campsite screaming like she's about to be murdered. Behind him, both youkai look bewildered.
"She don't like Myoga," he explains.
Chikako giggles holding her hand over her mouth as if that would hide what she's doing. "Nobody likes Myoga."
"I take offense to that," the tiny demon complains from Chikako's bangs.
She only looks up as if she can see him through her skull. "And we take offense to you but we've learned to live."
At the campsite, he can hear all sorts of sounds, namely Kiyomi bugging out over Myoga. Other sounds indicate that everyone is waking up: Shippo complaining that he's starving since he'd missed supper, Kirara purring contentedly, Kagome yawning. By the time they've arrived, the girl has managed to wrap herself around a very baffled Miroku. The monk's arms are up in the air and the girl's gripping his torso for dear life. Her ears dart towards the sound of their arrival and she bares her fangs.
"Keep that nasty bug away from me!" she shouts. "He said he'll suck him up into his hand if he gets too close!"
"I did not!"
"Um, Inuyasha," Kagome says softly, politely, ignoring the monk and the girl, "who's this?"
Oh yeah, his aunt and uncle are just watching all of this crazy happening. He turns to introduce them only to find that Chikako has once again done away with formalities and is hugging Kagome. There's no way this woman could be an advisor for Sesshomaru, she's way too happy. Either that or she's faking it.
"You must be his little girlfriend! Oh, aren't you just beautiful?" his aunt gushes, holding Kagome's face in her hands. Kagome blushes brightly. Did she just call her Inuyasha's girlfriend? "Myoga told us he traveled with a group of humans. You know, honestly, I was not surprised to hear this. Tōga loved humans, why wouldn't his boy be any different?"
"Go away, bug!"
Kiyomi's unlatched herself from Miroku and is now trying to put some distance between Chikako and herself. The flea must still be on his aunt and she can smell him. This is turning into more of a hassle than Inuyasha had planned on. He had been hoping to get to the kid first before she freaked herself out. Thanks to Myoga he has no such opportunity. Now she's all pissy about Myoga and uncomfortable with the two strangers in their camp. Hisashi smiles at him apologetically; apparently, this behavior is standard for Chikako. She's making her way around the camp introducing herself.
"I'm sorry about this," he offers, folding his arms over his chest. "She's a little too friendly sometimes. She's excited to meet you. I couldn't get her to shut up about it. Honestly, we had no idea Tōga even had a second son or we'd have traveled out to meet you sooner than this."
Chikako pulls away from admiring Shippo's foxfire to shout, "I think I like this one much more than the oldest. The stuffy little shit."
"Couldn't agree with ya more, lady," he thinks.
"It's fine," Inuyasha finally replies, watching as Kiyomi takes very careful movements to avoid Chikako and him at the same time. Her eyes are darting between Chikako and Inuyasha as if the two of them are about to gang up on her. "Where're you guys from?"
"Oh, we manage your father's estate," Hisashi answers politely. "So pretty far out west. You should come to see it sometime. She keeps the gardens pristine."
Inuyasha doesn't know what to say to this so he just nods. In all of his life, he had never imagined being invited to his father's estate. Really, the past couple of months have really smashed his previously very limited expectations. How'd he get this lucky? He would never have thought something like this was possible one hundred years ago.
Kiyomi's scrambling backward eyeing his aunt with sheer horror. With an irritated sigh, he sneaks behind her and scoops her up. She's gonna have to get over this whole Myoga thing at some point. Part of him just wishes the damn flea would creep up on her and take a bite so that she'd figure out that it doesn't hurt all that much. That being said, he's pretty sure she'd kill him in his sleep if he helped the flea achieve this in any way.
She looks up at him. "Put me down!"
"Nothin' doin'," he tells her. "'Ey, Myoga, get over here— Oooff!"
She's climbed out of his arms and up on top of his head. "No!"
"Oi, get off my head!" he growls, trying to peel the girl off of his skull and the back of his neck. "All right, pup, this problem yeh've got with Myoga ends now. Got it?"
"I'll eat him!"
"No, you won't!"
"Excuse me? Is this the little girl Myoga told us about? She's a darling!" Chikako has joined them, watching as Inuyasha's holding a wriggling Kiyomi off to the side.
Apparently, the pup's been planning on avoiding Myoga for the entirety of his stay. Well, not about to happen. He runs into the flea too often to keep dealing with this. He presses her into his chest so that he can reach out to hold Myoga in the other hand. Like it or not, the pup is at least going to come to some sort of understanding with the flea. Kiyomi stops wiggling around, the youkai absorbing her attention.
"Who're you, lady?" she asks curiously.
"Hisashi," Chikako says softly, watching the way the two hanyous are interacting, "just look at them! It's almost like… You don't think?"
"Think what?" Inuyasha snaps. "Did you do something to them, pup?"
It would be just his luck that the girl's pulled something on these people when he wasn't looking. The kid apparently lives to get herself into all kinds of trouble.
"I didn't do nothin'! Lemme go!"
"No, no," Hisashi answers, joining his sister in observing. "Well, this certainly brings us to the point of our visit."
"And what, may I ask, is the point?" Miroku asks suspiciously. It's not every day that Inuyasha brings two youkai to the camp. They must be here for something important.
Hisashi smiles as Chikako, surprisingly, is lifting Kiyomi out of Inuyasha's arms; he doesn't address Miroku though. "You'll take the girl and I'll take him?"
"You've got it," Chikako says before nuzzling Kiyomi while the pup curiously sniffs her neck. Myoga must have found somewhere to hide that wouldn't threaten to eat him, it's the only reasonable explanation. "Aren't you just the sweetest thing?"
Inuyasha's alarmed to see that Kiyomi's being carried away and she hardly notices. He snorts loudly. "Just what the hell is going on?!"
A hand on his shoulder keeps him from marching across the campsite to collect his pup. He turns, Hisashi staring into his eyes intently. The demon smiles, thin fangs making themselves noticeable. He doesn't know these people well enough to say he trusts them taking off with the girl. Hisashi sniffs, his pointed nose flaring at the nostrils. He can smell the anxiety on the lad. It's a good thing they are here or he'd never understand what's happening.
For once, Myoga made the right call.
"Son, has your father taught you anything of your demonic instincts?"
"No, I've never met the guy." His eyes don't stop following Chikako.
"That's a shame, my sister and I were very fond of him. She was brokenhearted when he passed…" He releases a heavy sigh as if he's preparing to recite an epic poem. "Well, I see I'll have to start at the beginning, won't I?"
"The beginning of what?" Kagome asks, joining Inuyasha's side. Chikako and Kiyomi sit down together a good distance away from the camp and Inuyasha finally allows his attention to be diverted. "Does this have something to do with Kiyomi?"
"It does," Hisashi answers. "Don't worry, Chikako is just going to ask her a few questions."
"Questions about what?!" Inuyasha demands. "There's nothin' the pup's gonna say that I don't already know about!"
Hisashi only sighs, watching how Inuyasha's pupils dilate just enough for him to notice. "The best way to determine if you've both bonded is to ask her alone. Where her answers can be honest. Otherwise, she could simply answer what she thinks you want to hear. Don't scoff like that, I've seen it happen."
"What the hell do ya mean, bonded? I ain't bound nothin'!"
"Perhaps if you explained a little more of this bond then we could help explain it to him?" Miroku suggests, leaning forward. "I'm afraid he's a little slow."
Bullshit, this is Miroku trying to stick his nose where it doesn't belong!
~.~.~
"And this is my super high jump!" Kiyomi boasts, leaping agilely into the air. "It's really high."
Chikako smiles sweetly at the little girl from where she's sitting on her knees. "You're right, it's very high."
She looks in her brother's direction. Based on the high-pitched sounds coming from her nephew, he is explaining the bond to the more mature audience. Good, she's horrible at explaining it anyway. Honestly, she doesn't really know very much about it; Hisashi is the one who's studied it more extensively. He spent at least two hundred years reaching out to every demon in the West that had taken in a foundling. It wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't dragged her along on his escapades. The number of youkai who are not welcoming to strangers is astounding. If Tōga wasn't their brother, she suspects that Hisashi would have gotten them killed.
But, sure enough, he eventually cracked it. In almost every case he saw there were the same physical responses and usually very similar behavioral patterns. Never before has such a natural instinct been studied so extensively, or at least she doesn't think so. He has always had such an astute mind. Perhaps his fascination with the subject is more or less because the two of them had experienced it so long ago?
She'd been surprised when Myoga had told them about the boy. Inuyasha, was his name? Yes, that's it. Boy, is that going to take a little getting used to? Having a second oi-san hadn't been something she had ever thought she'd see. Anyway, she and Hisashi were furious to hear that he'd grown up alone after only a few years. Really, one hundred and fifty years and you'd think that Myoga would at least tell them that their baby brother had a second son. Not that she doesn't adore Sesshomaru but the boy's always been so… somber. Not to say that he's not allowed to be that way, she'll love him regardless, but she definitely prefers someone with a little more energy.
Like this little cutie pie!
She watches the little girl pounces to catch a butterfly between her teeth. Only once she tastes it, it doesn't taste quite as she expects it to so she spits it out. Yes, it's definitely prettier than it tastes. After this, she sits quietly, staring at the group interestedly.
"What are they talking about?" she finally asks. "Inuyasha's getting really loud."
"Oh, it's nothing we need to worry about," Chikako says lightly. "Say, Kiyomi, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"
The girl's ears flicker interestedly. "If you wanna!"
"Come sit here, I want to look at your eyes, love. You have the prettiest eyes!"
She actually wants to watch the girl's pupils while she answers. Kiyomi, however, isn't even the slightest bit suspicious. If there is one thing that Kiyomi loves, it's to be flattered. She beams up at the nice lady she's sitting with. This woman is very nice and she seems to like all of the tricks she's been showing her. So far, she likes her.
"Thanks!" the little girl proclaims, batting her eyelashes. "Mama has the same eyes!"
"Oh does she?" Chikako asks. "Well, I think they are beautiful. Us youkai have incredible eyes."
"Hmph!" Kiyomi huffs. "I'm not a youkai! I'm a hanyou like Inuyasha!"
"Oh! I'm sorry! I never would have known!"
Just as she'd expected, the little girl's pupils grow wider, nothing anyone would notice unless they are looking for it. Honestly, she doesn't even really need to ask the girl anything. It's obvious to anyone with a basic understanding of demonic instincts that her nephew and the orphan have already begun to forge a bond. She can easily remember her love and devotion to her father, even though he was never her blood. If anything, the only person she should have been loyal to had been Hisashi. Thanks to that bond that all youkai possess—and inu-youkai are naturally prone to developing strong bonds of loyalty and love—she'd had a perfectly lovely childhood.
"Don't let Inuyasha hear you say that," the child whispers conspiratorially. "He's very proud of being a hanyou."
"Oh! Of course, he is. He should be," Chikako responds, running a hand through her shoulder-length violet hair. "Do you like living with Inuyasha?"
The girl's ears jerk upward. "W'll, yeah I do! He's my best friend! Why?"
"I'm just wondering. Did you know that I'm his aunt?"
The girl sniffs the air around Chikako. She doesn't smell like an inu-youkai… "You are? You don't smell like him…"
"That's because my brother and I were adopted by his grandfather when we were little. We don't share the same blood."
Kiyomi's eyes go wide and she leans interestedly into Chikako's lap. "Y-you're an orphan too?"
She shakes her head. "I've never considered myself an orphan because I was so loved by his grandfather. He let me become a part of his family."
Kiyomi's eyes glaze over just a little before sparing a telling glance towards Inuyasha in the distance. "Do… Do you think I'll have a family someday too?"
Chikako grins, lifting the girl into her lap and taps her nose. "I know you will."
She knows based on the way the little one's eyes widen when she talks about Inuyasha. She saw it in the way they looked at each other, that darting look when she'd just asked if she'd find a family. And she's sure she'll see even more signs that the inevitable bond is forming between the two of them. Kiyomi returns her smile before darting out of her lap to show her, yet another, jump. This one is vastly different from the previous; it's not really, all of the girl's jumps are pretty much the same but she's not about to tell her that. Instead, she lets the girl continue to demonstrate all of her different jumps and kicks that she insists are the coolest fighting moves.
"I've gotta get real tough because Inuyasha said that I'm not gonna have to hide when he gets into fights anymore!"
"Does he make your little raccoon-dog friend hide as well?"
The little girl looks insulted. "Shippo's a fox…"
"I'm sorry, does Shippo join Inuyasha during these fights?"
Kiyomi crosses her arms and looks very studious for a minute. "Yeah, he gets to go all the time and I would have to stay behind. But not anymore! Inuyasha promised me this morning that I get to go too."
Mhmm, that protective instinct is another sure-fire sign that there's a bond forming.
"You must be very brave," Chikako praises.
Another sweet grin and a happy twitch of her ears. "I'm real brave! I used to live all by myself for a long time so I'm not scared of anything anymore."
"You were alone?"
"Yup!"
Interesting, to say the least. It must be a strange coincidence that they'd crossed paths, stranger things have happened. "And how did you feel when you met Inuyasha."
The little girl looks guilty. After a moment she confesses, "I didn't like him one bit. I thought he was mean for kidnapping me."
Chikako leans forward to pat the girl's head. "Well, that's all right because now you two are friends."
"Best friends," the girl corrects. "Can we go back now? I wanna tell him something!"
"In a minute, I'd like to ask you one more question." Kiyomi tilts her head curiously. "How would you feel if you were a part of Inuyasha's family?"
The girl smiles shyly and twiddles her thumbs. It's obvious to Chikako that something is building between them. She's fascinated because humans also form the same bonds, it just takes noticeably longer, so both the girl's human and her youkai are clamoring out at the same time that she needs that connection. It hasn't quite clicked for them though. Not that she has any doubt that it will, the girl is a breath away from admitting how she feels about all of this.
Finally, after a long moment and rosy cheeks, she confesses, "I… think I'd like it a lot. He… makes me miss Mama less. An-and he teaches me cool stuff like how to fish. And he plays with me a lot. I… But we're a pack. He's not my Mama or Papa."
Because being part of a pack is different from being a part of a family. At least, Kiyomi thinks so. She's never really been in a pack before… But the rest of the group doesn't seem to snuggle as much as she and Mama would, and no one says "I love you" at night. Maybe that's the difference? Packs you are best friends with and families you love?
That must be it.
~.~.~
"Inuyasha! Inuyasha!"
He barely has enough time to turn around and plant his feet when the pup crashes into his shins. He looks down at her, trying his best to stay completely calm while the girl giggles at his feet. Trouble is that he feels like he's gonna puke or faint… Or maybe the ground is going to open up and swallow him whole? That'd be nice.
And everyone's looking at them.
His uncle's spent the past fifteen minutes explaining why he and Kiyomi have grown so close. Apparently, it has a name: bonding. Youkai children form strong bonds with older demons, sometimes mortals but it's not as common, to keep themselves protected. It makes a lot of sense if you look at Shippo and Kagome. No one's going to say it but she's practically a surrogate mother for the boy. But that's beside the point, ain't it? The problem isn't Shippo, the problem is the girl that's right in front of him.
Hisashi pretty much spelled out in layman's terms that his demonic instincts and her demonic instincts are forming some sort of parental bond.
At some point, Kiyomi is going to consider him… well not literally… but the equivalent of her pops. It's one of those things that Inuyasha almost knew was happening but at the same time, he's shocked to hear it out loud. It's not like he doesn't know something's been building between him and the pup and that it's different from how he feels about Shippo. Still, it's one thing to feel something and another thing entirely to hear it spoken aloud. And despite the relief it brings him to know that he's not going out of his damn mind it's a very surreal concept.
He had thought for the first hundred years of his life that he was going to just end up alone. He never imagined he would have people who relied on him or trusted him. He certainly never anticipated being considered someone's father. Yikes, that's a scary word, He's gonna stop thinking it now.
"Inuyasha!" Kiyomi whines annoyed that she does not have his undivided attention. "I ate a bug!"
Brat needs to stop eating things that she picks up off the ground, she ain't exactly starving anymore. Ah, shit, but she's actually a really cute kid. It wouldn't be so bad to be… WAIT! No, he's not going to think about that now! He's going to wait until he is alone and he can process this information in peace.
Hang on a second, did she just say she ate a— Where's Myoga?!
"W-what kind of bug?" he stammers, bad enough the girl's eating insects but if it's Myoga… "It wasn't Myoga was it?"
She jumps and holds her claws out as if they would ward off the flea. "Ew! No! Keep him away from me!"
Well, that's a relief. "Quit eatin' random stuff."
She looks up at him dismissively. "It wasn't as tasty as I thought it was gonna be."
"Well, no shit!"
"Inuyasha!" Kagome scolds, marching over to pull Kiyomi away from him. "If you keep talking to her like that she's going to end up with a potty mouth!"
Kiyomi looks up at Kagome. "Miss Kagome, what's a potty mouth?"
She pats the girl on the head. "I'll tell you when you're older. Until then, you just ignore Inuyasha's nasty language."
Inuyasha takes this break from the runt to look over at his aunt and uncle. They are both huddled together and chatting quietly. Argh! He hates when people do that. He knows they're talking about him. Why don't they just come out and say it? A quick sniff confirms that Myoga is with them. The little pest…
"Well?" he asks as he approaches the trio. He's looking at Chikako with an irritable expression. "Did you learn what you wanted to?"
She glances at her brother slyly. "I see he's also inherited a little bit of Tōga's temper."
"You gonna answer me?"
She smiles up at him. "I did. I learned she likes to jump very high and eat butterflies if you must know."
Ah, so that's the bug the kid was talking about. He growls frustratedly but he's under the distinct impression that his aunt is not someone he should pick a fight with. She's got to be much stronger than she looks. He does not doubt that underneath that friendly exterior is a savage demon lying in wait.
"She'll eat pretty much anything she can get her hands on. I coulda told you that."
"I should hope so. That's basic information and the two of you are already bonded. If you didn't know that already then it would be embarrassing, I should think," she responds smoothly as if she's talking about nothing important.
He feels like he's about to choke on his own tongue. Did she really have to say it like that and that loudly? Based on the smirk climbing up Miroku's face, the monk has overheard them as well. Goddamnit. He attempts to glare at the monk to silence him but it's futile, he's already gone to inform Sango. Can't he get even a little privacy around here?! His ears dip, as he watches Shippo and Kiyomi playing.
"One," Shippo chants.
Kiyomi chimes after him, "Two."
"Three!"
"Four!"
In unison, they carol, "I declare a THUMB WAR!"
The two kids are immediately jerking their thumbs back. Kiyomi's growling competitively and Shippo's trying his best to keep his appendage away from Kiyomi's. The trouble is that her hands are larger than his so he has nowhere to hide. After a brief struggle, she finally pins down his thumb.
"I win again!" she cries victoriously. "Inuyasha! I won again!"
He's not a role model by any means. How's he supposed to—
His thoughts come to a grinding halt as Chikako rests a hand on his shoulder. She's smiling at him again, it's a little unnerving how much this woman smiles. It's not natural. There's no conceivable way that anyone could be this happy all the damn time.
"I learned that she absolutely adores you," she says sweetly low enough that only the two of them will hear. "Don't worry so much about it. You inu-youkai bond faster and closer than others. It's in your nature. Just enjoy it, okay?"
He's about to make a case for how his panic is perfectly justified when something collides with his knees. He doesn't need to look down to know it's the pup, Shippo's a little stealthier than her; at least when he climbs, that is. He winces as she scrambles up his back, her claws digging into his clothes as she ascends. She's growling up a storm.
"KEEP HIM AWAY!"
Ah, this is about Myoga, he shoulda known…
He can hear his father's vassal on the ground shouting, making his way up to Inuyasha's shoulder. "I only came over to apologize!"
She shrieks and moves to dash off of his head. He sighs heavily, relieved for the change in subject. Getting the kid to tolerate Myoga is a far less daunting task than thinking about that. Before she can land on the ground he's got her by the waist and he's sitting down. He's not having a pup that's scared of bugs.
"Go away, bug!" she hollers, leaning as far away from Inuyasha's shoulder as she possibly can. "I don't like you!"
"OI!" he snaps, drawing her attention instantly. "'Nough of that, gimme your hand."
"Noooo…"
Her eyes go all big and her lips start trembling as if that action alone will save her. She tucks her hands behind her back. She is not letting that nomi-youkai touch her! Absolutely not. Inuyasha snorts before reaching behind her and unclasping her hands. This is ridiculous. The kid's acting like Myoga's a murderous dirtbag.
"Come on, you big baby," he urges, giving her the most charming grin he has in his arsenal. It should be noted that it's actually rather intimidating but no one has the courage to tell him that yet. "Have I steered you wrong yet?"
She looks at him suspiciously but she shakes her head. "You promise he won't bite me?"
"Mhmm."
She lets out a funny-sounding 'humph' before, reluctantly, she holds out her right hand. She's still mopey about it but at least she trusts him enough to do it. After a couple of seconds, Myoga tentatively hops into the little girl's palm with a reproachful 'eep' on her part. Inuyasha growls lightly to her. He's not gonna let the stupid kid run around being scared of everything she doesn't like.
Shyly, she finally whispers to Myoga, "Hi, bug."
"See?" Inuyasha tells her after about a minute or so of the hanyou and the youkai staring at each other. "He's nothin' to get all worked up over."
'Good pup!'
Myoga, fond of children, decides to dance across the girl's palm. He's heard that his tiny limbs tickle. Well, okay, no one has actually said it, but he's made several cats purr just before he's gone in for a bite. Kiyomi confirms his suspicions by giggling softly while her fingers curl reflexively. After a couple of seconds of this, the flea chortles and sits back down on the heel of her palm. Inuyasha leans back, relieved that maybe the kid's going to stop bugging out—pun intended there—over everything. Miroku, Sango, and Shippo are gawking at him. At least Kagome and Kirara have the courtesy to mind their own damn business.
"Whaddaya starin' at?" he snaps, knocking Kiyomi and Myoga off of his lap so he can sulk privately. Or at least as privately as it gets for someone like him.
"Hey!" Kiyomi calls out. He turns his head. He'd assumed she'd be preoccupied with her new friend at least for a little bit. "Where're you going?"
He narrows his eyes. "Around, I'll be back."
'Alpha bad!'
She marches over to him and glowers at him with her hands on her hips. Very bossily she warns, "You'd better not wander off, mister! If you do then no supper for you!"
"EXCUSE YOU?!"
He literally doesn't know what on earth to say to that. He stares at her, dumbfounded for a solid thirty seconds while she points her finger up at him in a warning fashion. Did… she just try to— Why this little shit! He's not about to take orders from the pipsqueak! Before he can even come up with a coherent sentence, the sound of everyone's laughter distracts him.
How was that even remotely funny?!
Kagome glides over and pulls Kiyomi into a hug. "Great job, Kiyomi, you sure told him!"
"Yeah, I did!" she announces proudly, nuzzling Kagome contentedly.
"Hey!" he barks out. "Who do you think—"
She's apparently not done. From the safety of Kagome's arms, she looks Inuyasha dead in the eye and orders, "Go play and stay close! I don't want you gettin' into trouble!"
There's another round of laughter that even his aunt and uncle have joined in on. The humility of this situation is not lost on him. He's the top dog, damnit! If this little punk thinks he's gonna let her—
"Ah, shit. She's still kinda cute, even when she pulls this crap," he bemoans to himself, maintaining his scowl.
He's thankful when Kagome carries the girl away so that everyone can admire her mimicry. Good, he needs a break from the kid. He just needs a little time alone to process this whole goddamn mess that's become his life. Is that so much to ask for?
~.~.~
Chikako and Hisashi have left with Myoga before Inuyasha had a chance to say goodbye. When he got back to camp Miroku and Sango had let him know of their departure and their promises to stop by Kaede's village. Kagome and the runts were already sleeping. He wouldn't say he's upset that they're gone but he had wanted to ask them a couple more questions. Well, it can't be helped now.
Trouble is that he can't get it out of his damn head. Him? The equivalent of a— It can't be possible. He's terrible with children! Just look at Shippo! How's he even supposed to fill that kind of role? Argh! He's been thinking about this crap all night. He should get some sleep himself. Just a few hours where he's not freaking himself out. He huffs, forcing himself to lie on his side while holding his head up with his palm to his temple. He knows better than to think that he'll truly fall asleep. They're heading back to Kaede's village and he'll sleep when he gets there. Kagome's got one of her stupid test things and she's been bothering him about it all week. His eyes stay closed but his ears shift towards a rustling sound followed by little footsteps coming closer.
Goddamnit.
He opens one eye. Sure enough, Kiyomi's crouched in front of him with a weird look on her face. Heh, apparently this is his life now? Not even able to get a night's rest to himself. The kid doesn't say anything, just looks at him all peculiar. She's got something' on her mind. He can read the damn pup like a sutra. She's not exactly subtle. He'd grab her and get her to stop staring at him like that but she's just out of arm's reach and he's feeling lazy. He doesn't feel like moving at the moment.
"What'chu want?" he grumbles.
She bites her lip and shakes her head. Argh, stupid pup. Is this about his aunt and uncle? Had they actually told the kid? There's no way. She'd have said something before he'd left. There's no way Chikako had explained something like that in a way she'd understand. So what had they talked about? Whatever it is, he doesn't really like the look in her eye. She's thinking about things that are bigger than her. It makes for an anxious pup and an anxious pup makes for an irritable guardian.
If he can't get her to settle down then he'll never get his nap.
"Yer supposed to be asleep. Kagome's bed's warm, get going."
She shakes her head again, peering at him. Lazily, and grumbling the entire time about stupid pups, he leans forward and tugs her by the haori into him. He's got a feeling that he won't be able to get her to sleep if he doesn't. She nestles against him, her heart is rapid against her ribs. Whatever's gotten into her head is making her really nervous. With a sigh of resignation, he closes his eyes. Whatever's bugging her is obviously something she's not willing to share tonight. Suits him fine, maybe he'll be able to get—
"Inuyasha?"
Or not.
"Mmm?"
"Do you think that someday I'll have a family?"
He frowns, this doesn't sound like they'd discussed the bond, instinct, whatever the hell it is. Otherwise, she would probably be asking more awkward questions. Hell, he's not going to wonder about what's going through her head. Doesn't do him any favors.
"Why do you ask?"
She won't look up at him. "Miss Chikako… she told me that she was an orphan too when she was little like me. And she said that she had found a new family…"
"Yeah, my grandfather or somethin'. What's that got to do with you?"
She nuzzles his chest. "I-if I find a family will I have to go away? Be-because if I do then I hope I never find one! Families are dumb and I don't want one. I wanna stay in the pack!"
She looks like she's really mad about the thought that she might have to leave. Heh, the stupid kid doesn't have a damn clue what today was all about. He huffs and wraps his free arm around her shoulders. (If anyone asks, it's because she's cold.) His sleeves cover her for the most part. She finally lifts her face to look at him, a look of fierce determination in her eyes.
He smirks and squeezes her into him. "Quit talkin' like that. You're not going anywhere. Got it? I already told you this morning. Now can you let me get some sleep?"
That look smooths out a little. "Are we going to be a family?"
"Ah, fuck, now's not the time, runt."
He rolls his eyes and shifts his hand so it covers her eyes. The action crams the pup into a nice little warm cocoon of darkness. She'll fall asleep in no time if he stays like this. "We are tired. Go to sleep. You're too little to worry about this kinda stuff."
The stupid pup hasn't figured out that she's already his family. She'll get there on her own. Somehow, without him even noticing really, this damn runt has snuck in and given him all of these stupid feels. Doesn't she see that the pack is his family? It's a family that he's chosen. He sees Miroku and Shippo as his brothers more than he does Sesshomaru. And he wouldn't trade even a hundred demon slayers for Sango. If something ever happened to Kagome… He doesn't even want to start imagining that… They are all his family. And now he's got something that he'd never thought he'd have in a million years: a little kid that looks up to him, believes in him, falling asleep to the beat of his heart.
Nothing's gonna take that away from him.
~.~.~
"Koga! Koga! Look at me!" Kiyomi's standing on her right tiptoes, holding her arms out in the air for balance. "See me? See! I can do this for a really long time!"
Koga glances down, gives the pup a charming grin, and then goes back to chatting with Kagome. Can today get any worse? No, Inuyasha's pretty sure it can't. This is quite literally the worst-case scenario imaginable. What has he done to deserve this? He's always thought of himself as a decent guy! Sure, he's not exactly subtle and sometimes he can make the wrong decision but he tries to live honorably! So why is he being punished like this?!
Koga is practically drooling all over Kagome. It's sickening. She's standing beside him talking all nicely and the fleabag's eating it up! And to make matters worse, the pup's over there too. Ever since Koga arrived, she's been goo-goo eyed and pink. She's happily bouncing on the ball of her right foot trying to show Koga her "cool ninja tricks". He can't even get a word in edgewise and it's infuriating. Normally Kiyomi hangs on to every word he has to say! Now, he's stuck in the dust while the stupid wolf gets all the attention.
It's just not fair! He'll try to get him to leave. Yes! That's the solution! Wait, is the pup blushing again? Aw, goddamnit, she is. It's not right that he's got both of them in his pocket, the pervert. Can't he just scram already?
"KOGA!"
Inuyasha turns, watching as Koga's little buddies race towards them. Great, doesn't he have enough wolves to deal with? Well, maybe since they're here Koga will hurry up and get the hell out. The two ōkami-youkai skid to a halt, kicking up tufts of grass in the process. Kiyomi, alarmed by the strangers, compacts herself quickly and whines.
'Pup scared! Danger?!'
"Hehe, let's see who's the big shot now, Koga. That pup's gonna come running to me and Kagome's gonna see how good I am. Then you'll be history, you wolf turd!"
Clearing his throat loudly he holds his arms out wide for Kiyomi to seek shelter in them. "Did those nasty wolves scare you, pup? C'mere, you'll be safe with—"
"She's not even looking at me! Why's she hiding behind him?!"
His pup has slunk to hide underneath Koga, wrapping herself around his leg. He looks at Inuyasha, arms still open for her, and smirks before bending down to scoop Kiyomi up while soothing her with assurances that these strangers are his friends. That fleabag had better put his kid down and now! He squawks loudly when the girl blushes and nuzzles against Koga's armor, eyeing Hakkaku and Ginta warily. How—How dare he show up here to flirt with Kagome and fraternize with Kiyomi like this!
He did that deliberately!
He marches over to the three of them. Enough is enough. His little friends are here so it's time for this smelly-ass wolf to get lost. He roughly slides between Kagome and Koga, hands on his hips and growling at his rival. Koga only stares at him flatly while Kagome laughs nervously. He holds out his hands to take back his pup.
"I'll be taking that, thank you," he warns, fixing the wolf with his most intimidating look. "Don't you think it's time you left?"
Koga laughs, reaching around him to take Kagome's hand in his while cradling Kiyomi in one arm. "Kagome, soon it will be us with pups of our own. I want you to know that I'll—"
Kiyomi looks confused. "You're a papa?"
"Uh, no," Koga answers, peering down at her. "As I was saying, Kagome, just wait until I've defeated Naraku and then we will—"
Kiyomi interrupts him again. "But do you want to be a papa?"
Ginta perks up when she says this. "One day he and Kagome are going to—"
Inuyasha silences Ginta with a thump on the head and a glare that could send him to kingdom come. No, no! Absolutely not! They are not going to discuss Kagome and Koga having children together! Of all of the disgusting things… This has gone on long enough! Inuyasha growls loudly and yanks Kiyomi out of Koga's arms, holding her securely against him. No more negotiating!
His pup, his arms; end of story here.
~.~.~
It is sometimes a relief to find respite from the others. Not to suggest that Miroku doesn't enjoy Kagome-chan's company or even the children scampering around the camp. And Inuyasha is… Well, the hanyou's undeniable loyalty is admirable and he assuredly appreciates his companionship but he's abrasive, to say the least. It's a wonder the children don't regularly run from him screaming. It's difficult to imagine him fulfilling the demanding role that this supposed bonding instinct inspires. He can't help but wonder if perhaps that panther demon had been mistaken.
They are only a day or so away from Kaede's village now and this should be their last stop until they arrive. So far things have gone quite smoothly. Though, with their lifestyle, is there even a way to account for the, well, unaccountable? He'll enjoy the quiet of the forest now. Sango is by his side, tending to her hiraikotsu about as lovingly as he wishes she would tend to him. Her long, dark hair is draping over her right shoulder as she works, polishing the weapon with smooth, purposeful strokes. If only she would stroke him that way…
Before he can even consider the repercussions of his actions, his hand begins twitching forward. Surely just one grasp and she'd finally—
A soft voice behind him murmurs, "Lord Monk?"
His hand freezes in mid-air while Sango's attention is diverted. If she notices his outstretched hand, she doesn't say anything about it. Shame, he was sure he was about to get a good handful of her bottom if he hadn't been interrupted. He shifts in his seat so that he can get a good look at what distraction Buddha has brought him. Standing just shy of close is none other than Kiyomi and it doesn't take any spiritual gifts to notice that the girl is clearly troubled by something. Strange, usually she turns to Inuyasha for comfort. The two of them are practically joined at the hip as of late.
"Hi, Kiyomi," Sango says cheerfully, "would you like to join us?"
She nods, biting her lip and not quite meeting anyone's eye. Her ears, the benchmarks that she's not the same as other children, are tilted downward. The fact that both Inuyasha and Kiyomi are hanyous is most often the reason why she so rarely turns to anyone else for comfort or advice. The crotchety lad usually knows what to say to perk the girl back up; birds of a feather, after all.
So, why is this any different?
Kiyomi burrows herself into Sango, sweetly growling up at the taijiya. The girl has adjusted quite well to their traveling band, even if she can be a bit of a handful to reign in sometimes. As of late, ever since the incident with Sesshomaru that Sango had told him about, she's been perfectly reformed. Miroku's all but certain that the girl's even asked for permission to sit beside them. He looks over at the campsite, which isn't very far off from where he's been relaxing. Kagome's playing some sort of silly card game with Shippo by the fire while Inuyasha glowers from a tree branch.
He's been testy all evening, ever since Koga had shown up this morning with more protestations of his love for Kagome.
His surly attitude is likely what's brought the girl to him and Sango. Still, something seems to be troubling the girl. She's resting in Sango's lap, staring at him intently; almost awkwardly actually. Strange, she's not normally shy at least not towards any of them. He had been surprised today to see that when Koga joined them she warmed up to him very quickly. It was actually quite endearing to see the girl emerge from her shell.
"Um," she finally voices softly, "can I ask you somethin', Lord Monk?"
He smiles, reaching over to scratch that spot behind her ears that he knows she likes. "Of course. What seems to be the trouble."
She hesitates, leaning forward in Sango's lap to double-check that they are alone before she whispers, "D-do you know what it's like to be in love?"
Both Sango and Miroku look at each other above the girl's head, eyes wide. They blush as they contemplate their own unique mutual affection that neither one of them is quite ready to share. But, why on earth is she asking him that? Who could have possibly caught the little one's eye? Shippo is the more outgoing one so he would really expect that question from the boy before the girl. And, more seriously, does Inuyasha know about any of this? His guess is no based on the way she keeps leaning forward to ensure that their conversation is private.
"Well," he begins, deciding to tread lightly over the subject, "I do. Being in love is a wonderful thing. One of the greatest treasures life could offer."
Her face flushes tellingly. "Oh… How do you know when you're in love?"
He's not about to answer that type of question. He's more than sure that Inuyasha has not had that discussion yet. If anything, the hanyou will be avoiding that talk until the day he perishes and then some. The girl isn't old enough to hear of such things! What on earth could be going on? Before he can dwell on it too long, Sango saves him.
"Well," the taijiya tells her softly and with more maternal wisdom than Miroku knew she possessed, "you might blush, or sometimes you'll feel like you have butterflies in your belly. And it makes you very happy to see them."
"Oh." The girl deliberates, leaning forward again to ensure they are indeed alone. Once satisfied, her face colors even more than he'd believed possible. "When am I old enough to get married?"
If Miroku had a beverage, he would have choked on it. Where is this coming from?! He has to turn as well to verify that Inuyasha's not about to storm over and get the wrong idea. He needs to handle this conversation very delicately. Should Inuyasha catch wind of this, Miroku is sure it will likely end in a pummeling of a lifetime.
"What is this about?" he asks her quietly, trying to ignore the pounding of his heart.
She must have heard one of Shippo's stories. Yes, that's it; she's overheard some romantic story and she merely has questions about it. Strange she's not asking Inuyasha as she usually does but he's relieved that this is nothing more than—
"I-I think I'm in love," she confesses worriedly. "'N if I'm in love doesn't that mean I have to get married? I don't know what to do! If I get married then I'll have to leave here and I don't want to go… but I don't wanna live separate like Mama and Papa did."
The girl, for someone announcing she's feeling such a blissful emotion, looks rather disturbed. Sango only smiles tellingly. Thank Buddha, Sango is going to handle this for him. She adjusts the little girl so that they can look into each other's eyes.
"You are still a little young to get married so you shouldn't worry about such things yet," she soothes. "And I'm sure whoever you marry will be very happy and want to stay by your side when you are ready."
The girl giggles brightly and she has a loopy smile on her face. "You think so?"
Miroku can't help but wonder who could have spurred such a reaction out of the little lady. "And, may I ask, who is the lucky lad?"
She covers her cheeks with her hands as if they would hide the blush and then she says very quietly, "Koga."
Oh! Not a lad at all! Thank all that is holy that Inuyasha is not present for this discussion. If he heard any of this then he'd likely lock the girl in a chamber before he lets the ōkami-youkai within an inch of her. If Sango's surprised, it doesn't show at all. Instead, she smiles and rubs Kiyomi's ear.
"When you're older you'll have to let him know how you feel. I think you should wait for a little bit though."
Kiyomi nods decisively. "You're right. I'm too little to be a mommy."
There's some horrible choking sound above them and, before anyone has a chance to react, a red and white blur plummets to the ground. Kiyomi visibly jumps to grip Sango around the neck for safety. Inuyasha is sprawled out on the ground almost as if he's been subdued by Kagome. He looks like he's about to retch. Or implode. Or—
Through grit teeth, he yells at them. "Can someone tell me what the fuck is going on here?!"
Kiyomi looks furious that he's been spying on their little discussion. The impracticality of her statement is completely lost on her, of course.
"I can see your nose and it's in my business! Go away!"
Inuyasha snorts and it looks like he's about to gag on his own saliva. "You-you're not talking about that mangy wolf are you?!"
"And what if I am?" she sasses from Sango's lap. "I'm gonna marry him one day!"
From his hands and knees, he hollers. "OVER MY DEAD BODY!"
Kiyomi is pink-faced and looking very upset. After a few moments of the two hanyous glaring daggers at the other, she rolls out of Sango's lap and decides to seek shelter with Kagome. Inuyasha follows her, grabbing the back of her jacket rudely. He's not going to have this discussion ever again, goddamnit! This pup is going to get that foolish idea out of her head if it's the last thing that he does.
She's just too little to be thinking about having pups with some dirtbag wolf!
"Oi!" he snaps, holding her haori. "We're not done talking about this!"
She glares at him over her shoulder before she smirks. Just what is she planning now?!
Suddenly, she bellows, "MISS KAGOME! He's picking on me!"
This little shit! She's lying to get out of trouble with him! The audacity of this little pipsqueak!
"Why you little—"
Kagome looks over just as he's raising his fist to remind the pup who the alpha is around here. Oh no! That's not good! She's gonna think—
"Inuyasha, sit!" she snaps loudly.
As he drops to the ground he can see Kiyomi's little feet making a mad dash for Kagome. That's it, he and Kagome are going to have to talk about who's in charge around here. Damn, pup thinks that she has the run of the household and that ain't gonna fly! Before he can stand, he's distracted by Sango clearing her throat.
"Inuyasha," she warns, "I'd let this one go if I were you. It's just a harmless crush. If you keep telling her off like this you'll hurt her feelings."
"Le-let it go?! She's only—"
"Little kids sometimes think silly things. She doesn't know any better and it won't lead to anything more than a few awkward questions."
"But… why's it gotta be the stinking wolf?" he bemoans, watching Kiyomi rolling around by Kagome's lap before shooting him another dirty look.
Miroku chuckles and answers wisely, "The heart wants what the heart wants."
Inuyasha launches from his subjugation and rounds on Miroku with a glare that chills the monk to the bone. Oh dear, perhaps he shouldn't have said that…