Prince of Shadows: I'm bored. So bored. I had to go back to school, and now I'm bored.I hate school. Bored bored bored...

Akira: Quit sulking and put up the chapter! Over 200 people are gonna be mad at us!

Prince of Shadows:...Bored...

Disclaimer:If I owned Inuyasha Kikyou would've stayed dead, Sesshoumaru would have a girlfriend, Inuyasha would have a tail, and Jaken would be straight.

The great demon lord sighed blissfully as he slid into the hot water of the springs. It was so convieniant to have one right inside of his castle. Since it was hot enough to clean away the mud and dirt(with a bit of help from a few well-placed spells) he never had to worry about the scent of his servants lingering about, nor was he constantly forced to track their pungent smells through the hallowed walls of the halls. Even through the thick stone he could smell them, an odd mixture of cooking spices, dust, and sword wax. Even after becoming so accustomed to their presence he still disliked their constant hovering. Not literally of course, none could do that, but there was at least two in room with him at any given moment. 'But not here.' he thought, almost smiling. 'No servants, no enemies, no advisors, no Sessh---'

He was rudely torn from his lazy train of thought as someone grabbed his hair and dunked his head under the water. Resisting the urge to sputter, he grabbed the hand and yanked it, along with it's body, into the water. As he straightened up and pushed his long, sopping wet hair out of his eyes, he glared at the tiny sour-faced person bobbing in the water in front of him."Sesshoumaru!" he barked angrily. "Explain yourself!"

The young boy of about five years looked up at him, his sun-colored eyes blazing with rage. "I can't believe you, Father!" he shouted. "How could you do this to me!"

Inutaisho blinked. Sesshoumaru was normally a rather quiet. "Because you dunked me."

He smacked his tiny little fist into the water, sending up teeny little waves. "Not this!" he shouted. "The other thing! How could you! How could you replace me!"

Inutaisho stared at his only child. This was probably his worst (albiet only) tantram he'd ever had, at least since he was a baby. "Replace you? Sesshoumaru, what are you talking about?"

He, rather suddenly, calmed,leaving an eery silence in the room. "You know what I'm talking about." he said, a puppy growl issuing from his lips. He probably thought he was scary, but in truth the Great Demon Lord of the West was fighting a losing battle against furocious laughter. "You decided that I was too strong, so you went out and got new one! I grew up too soon for you!"

Laughter gone. Now he was confused. "Another one, Sesshoumaru? Another what?"

He huffed. "You got a new baby." he said matter-of-factly.

Inutaisho watched him for a moment before moving foreward, sweeping him up and lifting him above his head. "Is that what this is all about!" he chuckled, swinging the protesting child around fondly. "I could never replace you, Sessy! No other child in the whole world is nearly as bratty or cute as you!"

Sesshoumaru wiggled for all he was worth, annoyed by his heavy white kimono. He felt like he wieghed a hundred pounds, and the steam rising from the water was not comforting at the least to his plight. "Father!" he shouted. "Quit it! You're going to make me sick! I just ate!"

Chuckling, Inutaisho turned and sat him on the stone edge. "So, if your stomach is feeling settled, would you like to tell me why you thought that I wanted to replace you?"

Sesshoumaru sighed cutely, reaching up a hand to touch the blue crescent-moon shaped marking on his forehead, as if for comfort. "Father..." he started, seeming slightly embarrased to have over-reacted so much. Not for the first time, Inutaisho wondered at the extent of his sons intelligence. "...You see, I saw you come in yesterday with the cloth in your arms. It wanted to know what it was, but you'd been gone for three days and would need to rest. So when Yoshiko brought me my dinner I asked what you had been carrying. He said it smelled like baby."

Inutaisho resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Of course. Yoshiko. The scatter-brained idiot was rather loose-lipped around, well, everyone. "Why am I not surprised?"

Sesshoumaru nodded understandingly. "Yes. Anyways, I was curious. So when Aya came in to dress me this morning, I asked her where babies came from."

Inutaisho tried as hard as he could to keep a straight face. Apparently it worked, because Sesshoumaru continued talking.

"-why she was so surprised, it was just a question. But she said that a mother and father go out to the Stork-Man to ask for one. They go in a room filled with hundreds and hundreds of of little babies and pick out the very best one." his little face took on a smug look. "At first it sounded so made up, but when she got there I knew it had to be true."

Inutaisho snorted. "Go on."

"Well, that's it." he shugged before giving him a pointed stare. "So, why did you come home with a new baby, smelling like lots of other demons?"

He smiled. Sesshoumaru was adorable when he was worked up. "I went to see the wolves, and decided to take in a small orphan."

"As a new baby?"

"No. A servant."

"Why?"

"I wanted to."

"Why?"

"That's none of your business."

"Why?"

Inutaisho glared at him. Great. He was reverting to a three year old again. "Sesshoumaru?"

"Yes Father?"

"Go to your room."

"Why?"

X

Sesshoumaru stuck his head around the end of the hallway, deaming it safe to enter. Father had another thing coming if he thought he was going to stay in his room all day. Maybe he had gone a little overboard in shoving his head under the water, but really. Given the circumstances what else could he have done? And now that he knew that there was a baby in the castle, one he wouldn't need to compete with, he would personally break his favorite top before giving up the chance to see it. After all, with all the noise it and Mazuki's son were making, it would take a deaf person to not be able to find them.

After a few more halls, all of which were mysteriously empty, he found the door to Mazuki's chambers. He'd been down a few times before to see Kenta, so he knew the rooms beyond well, but he wasn't entirely sure if he should be here now. With the babies crying Mazuki could be in a bad mood, and may tell him to leave. He spent a few more moments pondering what to do, before opening the doors. What could

Mazuki do, anyways? He was a prince and she wasn't. She couldn't send him out. And besides, Kenta liked him. Surely the new one would too.

He hurried through the room towards the small door at the end, where he knew Kenta's crib was. Pushing it open, he was immediatly assaulted by earsplitting screams. He clapped his hands over his ears, squinting his eyes. What was it! A banshee? A harpy! Something equally loud and evil!

Neither. He walked towards the crib at the end of the room, only to find a tiny silver-haired baby squalling it's head off inside. Though the endless cries went straight through his hands and into his head, Kenta was sleeping peacefully, straight through it. He was curled up right against the miserable little cub, apparently completely deaf to her wails. Unfortunatly Sesshoumaru wasn't, and simply watched helplessly as she cried. And cried. And cried.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Mazuki opened the door, running across the room and picking her up, rocking her in her arms. "Hello Sesshoumaru." she said distractedly, sending him a brief smile.

"I'm glad to see you again. I'm sure Kenta would be to if he was awake."

"How can he not be?" he asked,watching sa she bounced the baby up and down. "She's so loud."

"Kenta can sleep through anything." she said as she finally got a bit quieter.

He gave her an accusing glare."Where were you?"

She smiled. "All babies cry. You cried, I cried, your father cried. Sometimes you've just got to let them get it out of their systems...See? She's okay now."

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. She was only okay because Mazuki picked her up. "If you say so."

Mazuki flicked her tails, one coming mere inches from his face. He took a step back, not wanting a face-full of fuzz, eyeing the tails warily. "Would you like to hold her?"

"Huh?" he said caught off his gaurd.

"Would you like to hold her? Just while I go and get her some sort of toy."

Sesshoumaru nodded slowly. He hoped she wouldn't start crying again. his overly sensitive ears wouldn't be able to stand it. Holding out his arms, he watched as she lowered her into his arms.

"Remember, support Akira's head, don't hold too tight, and for goodness sakes do not drop her! I'll be back in a few minutes."

Sesshoumaru would have glared at her back, but his attention was completely fixated on the baby in his hands. She was adorable! His father had always told him that those of the wolf tribes were rough, hardened, and animalistic, but apparently it wasn't a rule of thumb. The little infant was fragile, white-skinned and cute. Nothing like the wolves his father had described./ He wasn't exactly certain what he had expected of one of their cubs, but this wasn't it. "Akira." he said, reaching out a finger to trail over her forehead. "You're kinda cute. We could probably get along."

Akira peered back at him with wide eyes. She reached up a little bitty hand, taking his finger in it. She seemed completely entranced by it. He tapped her nose playfully. A gurgely little growl issued from her throat. Before he had time to wonder what was wrong, she opened up her mouth and snapped it shut on the tip.

"OW!"

X

Prince Of Shadows: I know exactly what you're thinking.

Akira:Oh really?(glare glare)

Prince Of Shadows:You're mad cuz Sesshoumaru's out of character right? Well he is. Our personality is made up from our experiences, and he's only five. He hasn't had time to stick that stick up his butt.

Akira: THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M THINKING AT ALL!

Prince Of Shadows: Oh? Then what's wrong?

Akira:I'm out of character!

Prince Of Shadows: No you're not. You bite people all the time!

Akira:Do not! I'll show you!(runs over and bites POS on the leg)

Prince Of Shadows: OW OW OW OW OW! ( tries in vain to shake her off)

Akira: Review or eelse I wont let go! Chomp Chomp Chomp!