A/N Gomen nasai, this took forever to come out, ne? Well, I had started writing it right after I finished the last chapter, and I was almost done. Then my aunt came to visit and erased it all. I was sorta sulking about it for a while, then got caught up in a bunch of stuff. One thing lead to another, and well… At least I'm writing it now, ne? ;;

Disclaimer InuYasha is the first thing on my Christmas list this year. Until Santa brings him, he's Rumiko Takahashi's property, along with his entourage. Dagnabit.

Chapter Four
Woe is Me

"So, where are they?" the Inu no Taishou pinned the retainer with a fierce look. The tanuki gulped as a cold shiver ran down his spine in response.

"Ahh…ano…that is…uh…they're…"

KatsuYasha's look turned into an outright glare at his servant's incoherent babbling, and the noise subsided as the cowardly thing shrunk back fearfully. Katsu demanded information again, each word even and deliberately pronounced, "Where are my sons?"

"H-h-hiding, milord?" squeaked the tanuki, even more frightened than before. Katsu took a deep breath and rubbed his temples, resisting the urge to kill the pitiful entity. The last thing the taiyoukai needed was another mess to clean up right now. He growled deep in his throat and dismissed the servant with a wave of his hand.

Sesshoumaru and InuYasha had been missing for hours now, along with their friend Yuki. Granted, the three often vanished after pulling a prank (and had they ever pulled a prank today!), it wasn't usually for this long. It was dark out. They had been missing since dinner.

And while Katsu had to deal with the repercussions of his children's mischievous behavior, he was more worried about the little youkai. Somehow, the three chibi had managed to smuggle frogs, snakes, and other assorted creepy-crawlies into the rice bowls – an action that resulted in near-hysterics and over-all panic from the many lords and ladies Inu-no-Tashio had been entertaining. Thinking back on it, Katsu chuckled slightly. The trio were smart enough to leave his – and the boy's mothers' bowls – untouched. Perhaps they had been right to run, too.

But why hadn't they returned? The taiyoukai's face darkened once again with worry. Could they have been hurt? Captured? And if so, by what? An animal? A feral youkai? One of his enemies? A traitor, possibly? Could they have been trapped in a cave, or a landslide? Or maybe –

"Inu-no-Taisho-sama? We've found them."

Katsu spun to face the soldier in his doorway, relief evident on his face, "Where?"

"In bed, sire," answered the samurai, a fond smile stealing across his face. "They snuck into Sesshoumaru-ouji's room."

Katsu hid his smile and nodded curtly.

"Arigato. Let everyone know to stop searching," he commanded. " Enjoy the rest of the night."

The youkai samurai bowed and retreated, sliding the shouji closed behind him. Katsu let out a breath of relief, calmed by the knowledge his family was safe and turned his mind to other matters.

Such as Ryouji-sama.

Tall and regal, with long white hair, amber colored eyes, and a crescent moon on his forehead; that was Ryouji. The guards had accompanied the young lord and his entourage just after the chibi had made their escape, and Ryouji had told him his tale.

He was an ambassador from the continent, he had said. The hanyou was Yuushi, his bodyguard, the houshi was Ikasu, his advisor. The two women were Onkei and Koui (another bodyguard and his healer), while the kitsune was Ritoru, an orphan they had found and cared for.

Katsu had studied the other youkai for moment and sent him to the best of the guest rooms. Ryouji was an enigma; he and Yuushi. They both seemed so familiar…

A/N Sorry it's so short. It's a school night, and I'm tired. This was really just a filler, anyway. Oh, and the names Sesshoumaru chose each have a meaning. Ryouji (Sesshoumaru himself) means "command of a prince." The rest will come later.

Thank you to Azmidiske, Sakrua999, Saeble, Mika, and StormySkys for reviewing!