Chapter 15

A few weeks later...

Kagome and Katame were out in the garden. Inumouru and Shippo were playing with a ball and Sugumi was being bounced happily on his mother's knee. It was obvious that the boy had a great deal of demon in him, because he was already quite strong. "Look at this kid he is trying to stand up on my lap. Babies this age aren't supposed to be able to do that." Kagome marveled at her son's progress.

The little guy was quite a determined fellow. When he was hungry, if Kagome wasn't there instantly the whole palace knew. He had a temper on him like his father Inuyasha. They also had to keep his nails trimmed short because the little guy's nails could cut the skin easily. He didn't mean to, but his nails were always incredibly sharp.

His father had found that out the hard way. One morning he was holding him while Kagome was getting ready to feed him. Sugumi was crying and Inuyasha put his face close to the babe to nuzzle him and came away with bloody scratches all down his cheeks.

The little boy was developing fast and his eyes had settled into a brilliant purple color. He had shown no signs of his eyes ever turning red like Inumouru's did when he was young. But this little tyke was an enigma. No one, not even Sesshoumaru could tell what lied within. They would all have to wait.

Sugumi was getting hungry he was nuzzling Kagome's clothes and starting to fuss. "All right, all right. Your more impatient for food than your dad is. Here." She quickly loosened the folds of her clothes and let the boy eat. She knew better than to make him wait. He had a set of lungs on him that just wouldn't quit. Sesshoumaru had given the command that if the brat screamed in his ear once more, he'd take him out to a lake and drown him. Needless to say Kagome kept him out of the way of the foul tempered lord.

Katame was watching her feed him. "Do you think it may be time for him to learn to eat rice and vegetables? He seems terribly hungry."

"I don't know it seems awfully early but the way this guy is going. Why don't we try tonight at supper?" Kagome winced. The little man had a powerful suck on him.

Shippo and Inumouru had run off out of Katame's sight for a while and she had thought little of it when....

"KATAME!!!" Her husband's voice boomed. She ran to find him coated in mud from the knees down. He was holding Shippo up by the tail and Inumouru by the shirt front.

"What happened?!?" Her husband looked ready to burst. He also looked ridiculous, but, Katame knew better than to laugh.

"What did you do, you two? Inu! look at your father!" Scolding the boy and shaking her finger at him.

Take these two wretches and scrub them to within an inch of their lives before I drown them both!" She rushed to take the two errant youngsters away. "Bring them to me when you are done." He commanded and left to change.

"OH no. Now you've done it. Lord Sesshoumaru is very angry with you both. What is he going to do with you two. You can't keep getting in his way like that. You know he doesn't like that." She took both children by the ears and dragged them off to the dreaded bath.

Katame scrubbed and scolded, and scolded and scrubbed. She warned them to apologize the instant they were brought into the great lord's presence. Otherwise their tails would be in serious danger. Both boys promised solemnly not to repeat the offense.

Sesshoumaru's temper had not been great this past while. With Inuyasha's howling brat and Shippo teaching Inumouru new and different tricks to play on people. He had had enough.

Those two were going to learn. When the boys were brought in, he stood before them and demanded that they tell him who he was. Then he transformed in front of them. His huge form filled the room. He brought his great head down toward the frightened kids and snarled fiercely.

"I will not be made to look a fool in my own house! Do you here me?" His voice shook the house. "You two will learn your places." The boys quickly knelt and assumed the formal apology position and began to cry.

"We're sorry, honest we won't do it again. We promise." The little fellows were shaking like leaves in a wind storm.

"Please don't bite us." Came little Shippo's plaintive squeak.

"No." Sesshoumaru returned to human-like form. "You will work for your punishment. You play too much. Now, you will scrub this palace inside and out. Start in the kitchen. NOW!" He barked out the order and the little men ran for the kitchen as fast as their little feet could carry them.

Katame had heard every word and was pleased to note that she had heard no smacks or cries. Perhaps her husband was getting used to having children about the house after all.

She went in to her husband and knelt by his side. "I'm' sorry. I should have watched them more closely."

That night at the table Sugumi was enjoying his first taste of real food. But he was a bit frustrated in his attempts, because he hadn't yet learned that one has to open one's fists in order to get the food into one's mouth.

Kagome would have tried to help him do that if it weren't for those sharp nails of his. Instead she just kept feeding him herself by hand.

The little fellow leaned back against his mother sighed and burped. For the first time he felt full and happy. For the first time, in a while. The palace was quiet. Sugumi wasn't screaming for food.

weeks passed....

Sesshoumaru was still thinking of how he could free his brother from the curse of that sit spell.

He found Kagome alone in the court yard and decided that he would take matters into his own hands. If Inuyasha was not going to force her he would.

"Kagome." Sesshoumaru took her by the arm. "I wish to speak with you." His voice was cold and commanding. "You have a spell on my brother. Remove it."

Kagome looked at him stunned. "What! Are you nuts? No way..."

He tightened his grip. "That wasn't a suggestion woman. Do it now."

"No!"

Sesshoumaru had lost his patience with this insolent woman. He pulled her close and told her. "Your husband may not be permitted to kill you, but I have no such restrictions placed on me. If you wish to continue in good health, woman, you WILL go to my brother now, and you will take off that spell." He growled.

"Sesshoumaru, You are not going to order me to do anything. I'm not afraid of you."

Smack! Sesshoumaru hit her across her cheek.

Inuyasha had come into the court yard just in time to see Kagome fall.

Sesshoumaru was about to grab her to deliver another smack, when he was hit and knocked backward by the full impact of Inuyasha's body.

"What are you doing to her?" Inuyasha demanded.

"If you are not strong enough to rid yourself of this spell then I shall do it for you." He hit hard sending Inuyasha sprawling on his back. "I told you to exert control over that wretched woman of yours. No human should be allowed such control over a demon even a half-breed like you."

"Kagome! Do as I command."

She just shook her head and ran back to the house to get Katame.

"They're fighting!" Kagome puffed out.

"Who?" Katame was confused, was an enemy about?

"Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru. Hurry."

The two demons were wrestling on the ground and each was trying to get in a solid hit.

"STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!" The command had come from Katame. She usually was meek around those two but this was too much.

"You two stop it. You're brothers. I won't have you two fighting like this. What if an enemy comes? Won't that be nice, he can just wait around for you two to pound each other into oblivion and then take your wives and sons without so much as a scratch."

The two demons were taken by surprise by this sudden outburst. They stopped just enough to let Katame and Kagome get in between them.

Katame stood defiant in front of Sesshoumaru. While Kagome wagged her finger at Inuyasha and threatened to sit him if he made one more move toward his brother.

"You told me that I should not concern myself with Inuyasha's business with his wife. Now I'm telling you. Do the same. You don't know the whole story and I doubt you would care to understand. Either way, it doesn't concern you Sesshoumaru. Leave them be."

Inuyasha was standing now. "I'm not finished..."

"Oh yes you are! SIT!"

Bang down he went. "Damn you Kagome! This is not the time for it." He went to get up.

"I said SIT." Came her firm reply. "I'll keep doing this until you promise me not to fight him."

"FINE!" He yelled at her. "If you like getting hit by him. Go ahead, see if I care."

"YOU HIT HER!" Katame yelled at her husband. She was furious. "You can't just go about hitting other peoples wives like that. No wonder he's angry. Sesshoumaru..."

"Enough!" He commanded. He flew off. He needed to clear his head. He couldn't understand how his brother could allow his wife such control, especially when it could be ended so easily. Unlike his own situation with Katame, but she had no control over him. He just couldn't kill her that's all. He would have to think of a suitable punishment for her when he returned, but not now. He couldn't trust himself not to beat her to death for her insolence.