Chapter 18

Sugumi was now five months old and crawling everywhere. He was a terror. Kagome was constantly running after him rescuing servants from his sharp nails. He had a temper on him and if he wanted something he was going to get it.

Kagome had just put him down for a nap. It was hard to say who needed the nap more the boy or the mother.

"What am I going to do with that mutt. He just doesn't stop." She complained to Katame.

"I offered to drown him." Sesshoumaru was behind her. She hadn't seen him come in.

"Oh yeah, a fat lot of good that will do. How about something a little more practical. You're the full demon here. What is going to work with this kid. I can't have everyone running scared of a baby."

"Have you tried growling and showing your teeth. Katame can show you she's gotten pretty good at it." He laughed at the thought.

"Just keep his nails short and be more firm with him. You may have to use force. Demon children can be a handful. Have you not asked his father to discipline him?"

"Don't be silly he's just a baby."

"Kagome, That baby, is a demon out of control. You must be more firm. He should feel his father's hand on him." With that he left to find Inuyasha. He would advise his brother on the matter and then leave it alone.

Inuyasha was out patrolling the territory. The two brothers had started doing that as a way of detecting trouble before it got to the palace.

Sesshoumaru found him to the south of the palace. "Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru called as he approached. "I wish to speak with you." The two sat down in a sunny patch of grass.

"What's up?"

"It's your wife, she seems to be having a great deal of difficulty controlling your son. He has worn her out, chasing after him. She asked me for advice. The only thing I can think of is to be more firm." He looked meaningfully at Inuyasha. "He needs to feel his father's hand, Inuyasha. He needs it hard and often."

"I can't beat the kid, he's too young."

"I didn't say to beat the child. Demon children are a force of their own. You must be firm and unmovable if they are to develop any respect. You can't allow your son to terrorize the servants or run his human mother into the ground." He went to get up. "There I have said my piece. You will do as you see fit." Sesshoumaru left Inuyasha to continue his patrol.

Back at the palace...

Out in the courtyard the two women were practice their snarling and growling. Inumouru came up to his mother just as she let out a terrible long growl. He looked up at his mother his face full of concern. "I didn't do anything bad, did I, Momma." Both women burst out laughing.

"No, no. My Inu, I was just teaching your aunt how to growl."

"What do you think." Kagome let out a snarl-growl combination.

Inumouru made a face and stepped back. "You learn pretty good, aunt Kagome." And with that he ran off. He was thinking to himself. 'If that's how she growls when she's not angry I don't want to be there when she is. She might bite.' He wanted to warn his friend Shippo.

Later that night something odd was happening. One of the servants came to Sesshoumaru and said that some men were at the gate but something was wrong with them. They smelt dead. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha both raced out side to see what the problem was.

Inside the women who were used to strange goings on, and gathered the children to go into a back room. That's when they noticed him. A man, walking through the kitchen. His eyes were white and he walked like a puppet on strings.

The women ran back to the main chamber and ordered a servant to go get one of the brothers. Katame had hold of Sugumi. He could smell the trouble and was desperate to get away from his aunt and fight the strange man.

"NO, no, no Sugumi stay here. Oww owww stop that, you can't go. Oww, NO! SNARL!!" The little demon stopped for a second and looked up at his aunt. She showed her teeth and growled again. "No. Sugumi you have to stay here."

He whimpered and stopped struggling. Katame's arm was bleeding pretty bad. She clamped her hand down on it to stop the flow of blood.

Inuyasha had come back inside and quickly dispatched the walking dead man. He explained that the enemy that was attacking often used something called the dance of the dead. There were no other of the walking dead in the house and the women were safe.

Sesshoumaru came in a moment later and declared all was well.

Inuyasha sniffed. Human blood! That's when he noticed Katame's arm. "How did this happen." He asked crouching down to look at the wounds.

"Your son wanted to join the battle. Inumouru used to struggle like that." She was trying to make light of it but Inuyasha was having no part of that.

He picked up his son and showed him the damage. "Look what you've done to your aunt. Bad!" He tipped the boy over in his hands and smacked the boy. "You are never to scratch your aunt or anyone who is not your enemy. Do you here me?" Inuyasha was furious, he growled fiercely at his son.

The baby whimpered pathetically and the instant he was put down he showed his tummy.

All the while, Kagome was busy bandaging Katame's cuts and apologizing constantly for the trouble her son caused.

The little fellow got to his knees and reached up for his aunt still whimpering. She picked up the little man and held him close. "Its ok, Sugumi but you have to be more careful."

"Sesshoumaru, what was all that about with those men. Katame asked.

"It was an enemy named Mocou he uses the dead as a distraction to divert attention away from his true goal."

"True goal. What goal did he have." Kagome asked.

"To get at the boy no doubt. He said pointing at Sugumi. If he could get the boy and bring him under his control. He would have a formidable power. You remember I said we would have to train him early. Until then we will have to watch him like a hawk."