CHAPTER FIFTEEN
*
Myoga launched himself at Inuyasha's face, with his four tiny arms outspread. "My lord, how I have longed to see you again!"
There was a loud slurping sound, and Inuyasha suddenly slapped his nose. "Don't you ever quit?" he growled. The flattened Myoga fluttered to the ground, making soft groaning noises. The baby blinked and pawed at him, and the flea only narrowly escaped being squashed a second time.
"Oh, I do hate that," Myoga muttered. Then he squinted down at the baby's face, and his tone turned to one of pride. "Lord Inuyasha! What a magnificent little child."
"Yeah, ain't he," Inuyasha said with a hint of sourness.
"I can certainly see the resemblance. He looks just as you did at that age." Ignoring the faint growls that were building up, Myoga continued prattling, "I remember it as if it were only yesterday. The ears, the eyes -- oh yes, he's the spitting image. It is a boy, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Inuyasha said tightly.
"I thought so," Myoga said with satisfaction. "You must be quite proud, milord!"
"Proud of what?" Inuyasha snapped. "He ain't my kid."
Myoga drew back slightly, shocked. "Lord Inuyasha... really, you must be willing to accept the consequences of your actions. Did I teach you to shirk responsibility like that?" he asked, sounding sorrowful.
"Wait a minute," Kagome said, recognizing a telltale twitch in Inuyasha's face. "Uh, Myoga, Inuyasha is telling the truth -- the baby isn't his."
"Not his?" Myoga glanced down at the baby's face. "How very curious. Then whose is it, may I ask?"
Kagome recounted the story of how they had found the baby, and were fairly sure that the baby was somehow related to Inuyasha -- although definitely not his child. "We were hoping you might know who the father is and where we could find him," she finished. "Can you think of anyone who might have had an affair with a human woman in the last year?"
"Hmmm," Myoga said, pondering the question. "I'm not familiar with every part of Lord Inuyasha's family. That would take more time and research on my part. I could do it, but it would take some days."
"How about one to start with, huh?" Inuyasha said, joggling the fussing baby.
Myoga thought it over for a few more minutes, before finally, "There is one somewhat less powerful relation of yours whose consort was killed a few years ago. Perhaps, in his grief, he sought comfort... elsewhere," he finished delicately. "And this little child was the result."
"Sounds as good as anything else," Inuyasha said grimly. "We'll go in the morning."
"Inuyasha!" Kagome said suddenly.
"What?"
"You're not supporting the baby enough. Put your other hand under his bottom." Kagome mimed what she wanted him to do.
Inuyasha obeyed, shifting the baby's sagging little body higher on his shoulder, then winced. A look of almost comical alarm came over his face. "Kagome..." he said faintly.
"Does somebody need to be changed?" Kagome asked rhetorically. She carefully took the baby from Inuyasha and broke open the package of diapers. The baby whined and clutched at Inuyasha's hand, sticking his fingers into his mouth and slurping hard on them.
"Milord," Myoga said, hopping onto Inuyasha's shoulder. "I'll give you instructions on how to find the stronghold of the dog-demon you are looking for. Then I will go out myself to find out about other possibilities -- other dog-demons who might have fathered a half-human child."
The baby suddenly chomped down hard on Inuyasha's fingers -- and a bloodcurdling howl echoed through the small cottage. The baby followed up with a frightened wail that only stopped when Kagome picked him up and started cuddling him.
"Oh my," Myoga said proudly. He watched Inuyasha clutching at his fingers, making a muffled whimpering noise. "I see his first fangs are coming in."
TO BE CONTINUED
*
Myoga launched himself at Inuyasha's face, with his four tiny arms outspread. "My lord, how I have longed to see you again!"
There was a loud slurping sound, and Inuyasha suddenly slapped his nose. "Don't you ever quit?" he growled. The flattened Myoga fluttered to the ground, making soft groaning noises. The baby blinked and pawed at him, and the flea only narrowly escaped being squashed a second time.
"Oh, I do hate that," Myoga muttered. Then he squinted down at the baby's face, and his tone turned to one of pride. "Lord Inuyasha! What a magnificent little child."
"Yeah, ain't he," Inuyasha said with a hint of sourness.
"I can certainly see the resemblance. He looks just as you did at that age." Ignoring the faint growls that were building up, Myoga continued prattling, "I remember it as if it were only yesterday. The ears, the eyes -- oh yes, he's the spitting image. It is a boy, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Inuyasha said tightly.
"I thought so," Myoga said with satisfaction. "You must be quite proud, milord!"
"Proud of what?" Inuyasha snapped. "He ain't my kid."
Myoga drew back slightly, shocked. "Lord Inuyasha... really, you must be willing to accept the consequences of your actions. Did I teach you to shirk responsibility like that?" he asked, sounding sorrowful.
"Wait a minute," Kagome said, recognizing a telltale twitch in Inuyasha's face. "Uh, Myoga, Inuyasha is telling the truth -- the baby isn't his."
"Not his?" Myoga glanced down at the baby's face. "How very curious. Then whose is it, may I ask?"
Kagome recounted the story of how they had found the baby, and were fairly sure that the baby was somehow related to Inuyasha -- although definitely not his child. "We were hoping you might know who the father is and where we could find him," she finished. "Can you think of anyone who might have had an affair with a human woman in the last year?"
"Hmmm," Myoga said, pondering the question. "I'm not familiar with every part of Lord Inuyasha's family. That would take more time and research on my part. I could do it, but it would take some days."
"How about one to start with, huh?" Inuyasha said, joggling the fussing baby.
Myoga thought it over for a few more minutes, before finally, "There is one somewhat less powerful relation of yours whose consort was killed a few years ago. Perhaps, in his grief, he sought comfort... elsewhere," he finished delicately. "And this little child was the result."
"Sounds as good as anything else," Inuyasha said grimly. "We'll go in the morning."
"Inuyasha!" Kagome said suddenly.
"What?"
"You're not supporting the baby enough. Put your other hand under his bottom." Kagome mimed what she wanted him to do.
Inuyasha obeyed, shifting the baby's sagging little body higher on his shoulder, then winced. A look of almost comical alarm came over his face. "Kagome..." he said faintly.
"Does somebody need to be changed?" Kagome asked rhetorically. She carefully took the baby from Inuyasha and broke open the package of diapers. The baby whined and clutched at Inuyasha's hand, sticking his fingers into his mouth and slurping hard on them.
"Milord," Myoga said, hopping onto Inuyasha's shoulder. "I'll give you instructions on how to find the stronghold of the dog-demon you are looking for. Then I will go out myself to find out about other possibilities -- other dog-demons who might have fathered a half-human child."
The baby suddenly chomped down hard on Inuyasha's fingers -- and a bloodcurdling howl echoed through the small cottage. The baby followed up with a frightened wail that only stopped when Kagome picked him up and started cuddling him.
"Oh my," Myoga said proudly. He watched Inuyasha clutching at his fingers, making a muffled whimpering noise. "I see his first fangs are coming in."
TO BE CONTINUED