Author's Notes: Thanks to wolfygirl13 for this rhyme suggestion!
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, or any nursery rhymes.
The Mother Goose Escapades
No. 24
Because he is so sleek and trim
the greyhound runs quite fast.
The other dogs won't race with him,
They know they'd finish last!
"Father, they won't race me." The small boy look up at his father, a childish pout causing his lips to stick out. It was so uncharacteristic that the white haired demon found himself constraining laughter.
"And why not?" he asked in a very controlled voice.
"I don't know. It's fun to race." Young amber eyes looked in confusion at older tawny ones.
"It is," agreed his father. "Who wins?"
"Me!" The young boy look proudly at his father.
"All the time?"
"Yes!"
"Do you think that makes racing fun for the others?"
"What?" The blatant question threw the father for a moment. Surely it was obvious...? He sat down next to the tree he was currently under, leaned back against it, and patted the ground next to him, indicating for his son to sit. The boy obediently did, looking at his father the entire time.
"What makes racing fun for you?" The father finally asked.
"Leaving the others behind, and knowing I am the best." The boy immediately responded.
"And you know you are the best because you always win?"
"Yeah."
"What would happen if one day you lost?" The question caused no hesitation in the boy.
"I would never lose."
"Never?" The father quirked an eyebrow, amused.
"No," his son answered again, shaking his head for more emphasis. "I'm the best. I will never lose."
"So then, if these friends you race against know that they will always finish last, because you never lose, why would they continue to want to race when you say leaving the others behind is the best part?" The lengthy question stumped the boy.
"What?"
"You like to win, don't you?" The father tried another tactic. His son's face broke out in a big smile.
"Of course!"
"Do you think maybe they would like to win in a race against you?"
"But they won't." Stubbornly sticking with his idea, the boy furrowed his brow at his father.
"Well, if they won't win a race against you, why would they want to race you?" The father tried again.
"Because it's fun. Racing is fun!"
"For you."
"Yes."
"Not them."
"What?" Again, his son looked at him, wide-eyed with confusion.
"Let's try something," the father announced, tired with his conversation that was going no where. "I want to race you."
"Really! I'll beat you, I always do!" His son leapt up, his silver hair catching in the wind. The father smiled knowingly.
"Let's race to that tree, you see it over by the lake, it's half-fallen over?" Looking down, he caught the nod of confirmation. "Once there, and then back to this spot here." Holding out a clawed hand, the father made a jagged mark down the tree he was standing beside. "Ready?"
"GO!" shouted the boy, and they both took off. The father matched his young son's pace, stride for stride down to the tree. They both touched it at the same time and then turned back. But then the father lengthened his stride, stretching out as much as his lanky form would allow. Try as he might, the small boy just couldn't keep up. He was fast, yes, but his father was much, much faster. When the boy made it back to the tree, he looked at his father who was grinning.
"That was fun!" his father said. "Wasn't it?"
"No," pouted his son, who flopped on the ground.
"Why not?"
"You beat me." The boy looked up at his father, standing tall over him. Those tawny eyes filled with love gazed down on him, the jagged stripes on his face more comforting than frightening.
"Indeed I did. I'm older than you, and I've had a little more practice with running. I'm very fast. To tell you the truth, I haven't found someone yet who can beat me."
"But I beat you before."
"Ah. The difference was, I let you. I did not run my fastest."
"Why not? I always run my fastest." The boy's confused amber gaze was focused completely on his father.
"Because I wanted you to win." The father knelt down and rubbed his son's face in a fatherly manner, passing over the smooth stripes on the face.
"Why?"
"It was more fun for you that way." The father smiled, and the breeze ruffled his own white hair. Not colored that way due to age, though he was old. It was merely heritage, as his son's hair exhibited.
"I'll beat you one day for real, Father." The son looked up at his father, the expression on his face earnest.
"I'm sure you will. You are very strong already." The father stood up, and started walking away. "Why don't you take a break for now though. Just enjoy life." The boy looked after his father, determination growing on his face. The great figure was walking, then suddenly transformed into a giant dog. The change was so graceful that the boy caught his breath despite himself. With a giant bound, the dog was off, chasing something, barking joyfully, though it sounded a bit more like a howl.
"I will, Father. It's what I'm supposed to do, right?" whispered the boy. Nothing but the breeze ruffling the trees answered him, and so the boy narrowed his eyes in determination. "It's not supposed to be fun, Father. It'll be hard work. But I can do it." Without knowing it, the boy hid a little bit of his soul away in his heart, closing off a little piece of himself to the world. Power demands sacrifices after all. If he was to always be the best, to always leave the others behind, he must keep himself ahead. He must worry only about himself.
With a less graceful transformation to a smaller dog, Sesshoumaru chased after Inu no Taisho, intent on becoming powerful, even more powerful than his father. After all, it was his destiny. And nothing would ever happen to his father, the strongest demon around, despite those loving tawny eyes. Sesshoumaru, with his young mind, was positive of that. His father was invincible to the world, and only he, Sesshoumaru, would have the honor of one day becoming the next great power.
And he would always be the fastest.
Author's Notes: Even baby Sesshoumaru wanted to be the best, yeah? This one was fun to write! We'll see what happens next...mwahahaha!