Disclaimer: I Do not own Inuyasha. I do claim ownership and supreme power over all of my original characters.
This Chapter is pretty much explained in the chapter title so...
Chapter Two: The Entended Family of the Reigning Inu no Taisho
Kentamaru sat in the branch of a great tree on the outskirts of the castle compound, swinging one leg that hung over the side of the branch while idly fiddling with one of the encrypted silver rings that adorned his left hand.
His ear twitched at the sound of arrow after arrow, whizzing by the trunk of the tree he was sitting on, completely off target.
"You're not concentrating Canis," his mother chided gently, her voice sounding slightly disappointed. Kenta closed his eyes, the disappointment in her voice affecting him even though it wasn't directed at him. Disappointment in his mother's voice or eyes always cut deeper than any of his father's threats or punishments.
Kenta could tell though, that the disappointment was not even directed at his little brother at all.
At five years old Canis was officially supposed to begin his marital arts and combat training with his father and even older brother but Inu Yasha had yet to formally start the training. Kagome had been teaching Canis archery since he was three years old and though he hated to admit it, the little whelp wasn't half bad.
He opened his eyes and turned his neck so he could see his mother and brother below him. Kenta could tell what his brother's problem was already and his mother probably knew too.
"He's bored," Kentamaru called to them, dropping from the branch his vest-like haori billowing around him like a cape. This day, he wore a version of his haori-vest with full-length black sleeves like his father.
Canis lowered his bow in relief as Kenta strode over to them. Kagome ran her claws through her hair and sighed dejectedly nodding her agreement.
"I know, I know," she agreed. "Inu Yasha has his reasons for holding off on the training," she explained though her voice insinuated that she really didn't believe what she was saying either.
"Why can't you or I train him? He's being unreasonable!" Kentamaru demanded, folding his arms in his sleeves. Canis looked up at his big brother in admiration before striding over next to him and mimicking the pose.
"You boys," Kagome smiled ruefully, "I'm supposed to be helping you both practice while your father is away," Kagome admitted. Kenta stuck his nose in the air and Canis who was watching his brother closely out of the corner of his eye mimicked him again.
"And since when do you listen to dad?" Kenta asked, deliberately goading her. Kagome's hand flew to the beads around her neck; Kentamaru and Canis both grasped their own beads as well.
Inu Yasha and Kagome's sons both wore beaded necklaces as well. Kenta's only had 2 fangs in the center and Canis had one large fang. They both possessed a subduing spell, the same one as their father 'Osuwari' but to prevent them all from crashing down when only one deserved it was activated only by saying the recipients name first and then the word of choice.
"I can handle Inu Yasha," she said more to herself than to her sons. Kentamaru and Canis looked at eachother both boys sporting wide matching toothy grins.
Kagome smiled warmly at her sons. They knew that when it came down to it, Kagome was the parent to fear. Inu Yasha was all bark and virtually no bite, whereas their sweet little mother could purify them to their human states or send them crashing to the dirt. Kagome also had the great and powerful Tai youkai wrapped around her little finger, though lately she seemed to have forgotten her own power.
"Why don't you go visit your Aunt and Uncle?" she suggested and Kenta nodded.
"What about daddy?" Canis asked tugging on his mother's sleeve.
"I'll handle your father?" Kagome told him ruffling the hair between his ears and shooting Kentamaru a knowing wink. He groaned loudly and rolled his eyes.
"C'mon Canis," Kentamaru called as he brushed by his mother, who watched him go with a small understanding smile. "I want to be as far away from here as possible when dad comes home."
Kagome bit back a laugh as Canis darted after his brother. Once he caught up to Kenta he automatically reached up to grab Kenta's hand. Kentamaru scoffed lightly but did not protest as they passed the tree line into Inu Yasha's forest.
Kentamaru was more like his father than he cared to admit, truth being he denied it any chance he could. Like Inu Yasha Kenta was not one for showing his affections as he just demonstrated with his brother. After all this time Inu Yasha was still more jealously protective than he was affectionate, though Kagome never once doubted him. Inu Yasha was never affectionate in front of the children; he was convinced it would lower their respect for him, though Kagome knew the boys had spotted Inu Yasha being nice on more than one occasion.
Kagome could only guess that Kenta would act the same as his father did when he finally found a girl.
She began walking back to the castle, inspecting her claws and mulling over her relationship with Inu Yasha in the past. She remembered the fights, the arguments over nothing that escalated to them yelling at eachother their faces mere inches apart. She remembered the nicer moments when Inu Yasha would act playful followed by the rare times when he would open up to her, and the moments when his mere presence and the feel of his arms would soothe her even though she was seething mad at him.
Kagome laughed out loud. Nothing had really changed.
"Are we there yet?" Canis complained, his chin resting on top of Kenta's head between his ears, as he was sitting on his older brother's shoulders. Kentamaru squeezed Canis's ankles and the little boy squealed in laughter.
"Quit squirming or I'll drop," Kenta warned in a very serious tone and he loosened his grip on Canis's ankles letting the child fall back just enough to scare him.
Canis squealed again and gripped Kenta's hair to keep from falling. Kentamaru tightened his grip and seated Canis normally on his shoulder again and walked in silence for a while.
"I'm bored," Canis yawned after a time, dropping his chin back onto Kenta's head. Suddenly he grinned revealing his sharp fangs. He cupped his palms over Kentamaru's eyes completely obstructing the older hanyou's view.
"Oi, that's not funny!" Kenta declared, slowing his pace and waving his arms around blindly, putting on a dramatic show for his younger brother. Canis laughed maniacally from on top Kenta's shoulders.
"Yes it is," he giggled and Kenta smiled. Canis's laughter always made him smile.
Kentamaru didn't like to admit to a lot of things. He didn't like to admit that he was indeed the spitting image of his father Inu Yasha and in more than just looks alone.
He sure as hell didn't like to admit he was wrong, which led to him having to admit he was sorry, something he equally detested.
He didn't like to admit that he liked his little brother and that he enjoyed playing with him. In his mind, this was something he should not enjoy at fifteen years old. Kentamaru was generally only nice or playful when it was just the two of them and tended to be gruff when others were around, often chasing or bullying the young boy. Canis was smart though and didn't seem to mind and seemed to enjoy any attention his brother gave him, though on occasion Kenta was sure that Canis deliberately goaded him so that he would chase him around.
Kentamaru dropped to all fours and shook like a wet dog, dislodging Canis from his back who landed gracefully a few feet away, before bolting by Kenta.
"Race ya," he challenged. Canis ran along the forest floor. Young he was, but he was still Inu Yasha's son and a hanyou as well and blazingly fast for a normal five year old.
Kenta pushed himself up, opting to take to the trees so he could keep an aerial view on Canis, since the pint size hanyou could only climb up trees, not yet leap into them and bound through them.
Canis ran quick and care free, his hair tossing about and he often laughed while he ran. The little guy seemed most at peace in the woods, though it would probably be better if he'd stop disturbing the peace of the woods too.
The hair on the back of Kentamaru's neck stood up, the atmosphere bristling with a demonic presence. Eyes locked onto Canis, the five year old could sense it too for he had stopped all his hooting and Kenta could see the boy was now stiff and serious, ready to defend or run.
"Kent-" he started a frightened whine creeping in his voice as he looked around for his older brother. He yelped loudly as a pair of hands picked him up and spun him around one hand sealing over his mouth.
Kentamaru held Canis protectively against his chest with his right arm around the boy's stomach and flexed the claws of his free hand. "Don't bite me," he moved Canis onto his back where the youngster clung to him tightly.
Kentamaru lifted his left hand up near his center, closing his eyes solemnly as he prepared to remove the encrypted silver band on his index finger.
"Now now, down puppy…" a teasing voice called form the tree tops. "Put that thing away." A blur of around dropped to the forest floor. Canis peered around Kenta to see.
"SHIPPO!" the child's piercing voice threatened to burst Kenta's eardrums. Shippo grinned, uncrossing him arms and opening them wide as Canis latched on to the kitsune youkai. Shippo tossed his ponytail back with a swish of his head, his startlingly emerald eyes gazing down at the young hanyou.
"You pups weren't actually going to fry me were you?" he asked grinning, his brow arched suspiciously at Kentamaru.
Kentamaru shrugged his shoulders while fiddling with the ring of his left hand. He cracked his knuckles, made a fist and punched into his right hand while grinning. "I was thinking about it," he said sounding extremely nonchalant.
Shippo laughed and released Canis saying, "That attitude will get you nowhere," he crooned smirking. Canis sniffed the air and wandered around.
Kentamaru scoffed. "Keh," and crossed his arms in his sleeves across his bare chest. Kenta wasn't overly fond of the red headed and obnoxious kitsune. Shippo was a lot older than Kenta, and while the fox had his moments of seriousness and strength. His sense of humor and utter lack of timing left something to be desired. Nevertheless, Shippo was his oldest cousin and was family, by blood or not.
Take right now for instance, as Shippo pulled a leaf from his kimono and muttered a simple incantation. "Fox magic," and he whipped the lead at the ground at Canis's feet. A fairly large top appeared and Canis squealed in delight. Kentamaru could not contain his smile, as warm memories of times when he too had looked up to Shippo's illusions came flooding back to him. Shippo was definitely all right.
Kentamaru sniffed the air suddenly, his left ear twitching. "Shun is coming and he's got Aurion with him," he observed loud enough to be heard over Shippo and Canis's combined laughter as they played. Shippo stood and scratched his head sheepishly.
"Oh yeah, Shun and me are babysitting today so we were showing Aurion to track demons," he informed Kenta. "I was the bait, but I sped up when I caught your scent. Guess they're just now catching up to me."
Canis's head snapped abruptly from the mesmerizing top of Shippo's and sniffed the air.
"AURION!" he hollered running toward the tree line. Kentamaru saw something as did Shippo and both older demons shook their heads.
Canis halted abruptly just before the tree line, his ears turned back. Kentamaru and Shippo exchanged surprised glances. Canis groped in the dirt for a stone. His fingers finding one he chucked it confidently into the woods.
There was a sharp snap, the sound of a simple snare trap going off. Canis brushed his hands off proudly turning to face his cousin and brother.
"I found that trap all by myself!" he cheered and began dancing around. "Like father always says 'Never trust a slayer!'"
All of a sudden, as Canis danced about he tripped over a wire, pulled taught and neatly hidden in the grass. He toppled over backwards, waving his arms to no avail. He rolled and the snap of a snare going off was heard followed by the hanyou's shrill cry.
Kenta turned to Shippo. "I saw that one, how about you?" he commented, arms folded in his billowy sleeves.
Shippo peeled his eyes away from Canis, who was hanging by his ankles nearly 2 feet off the ground swaying slightly and spinning in a slow circle. "Nah, I must have missed it," he admitted truthfully, uncrossing his arms in favor of brushing his bangs out of his eyes.
A shady figure suddenly appeared beside Canis, giving the struggling hanyou a spin. Canis wheeled about in a series of quick tight turns hollering. Kentamaru bit back a growl and even Shippo's face likened to a scowl.
"And that Aurion is how you catch a demon," it said pushing Canis and stepping out of the shadows.
Shippo rolled his eyes, clearly irritated. "Proud of yourself now Shun?" he snorted. Kentamaru laughed and Shun's face contorted to an ugly scowl that did not look as it belonged at all on his handsome face.
A small freckled face boy with unruly black hair pulled back into a ponytail appeared beside him and tugged on Shun's hand. Shun shook his off.
"Shun, you didn't catch a demon, you only caught Canis and he's our cousin." Four-year-old Aurion pointed out.
Shun flipped his hair back over his shoulder. It was nearly shoulder length and half of it was held up in a half ponytail. Miroku and Sango's eldest biological son wore a black and purple slayers outfit and two chakram were fastened to the right side of his belt.
Shun was not brazen or flirtatious like his lecherous father but rather rebellious and tended to come off as mean and cold and he tended to be rather condescending to others. His cousins knew him to take after Sango, as he was painfully shy at times but also honorable like Miroku.
"Canis is also a demon," Shun told the child at his side. Kentamaru strode forward to face Shun. Shun was seventeen and only about an inch taller than him.
"Half demon," Kentamaru corrected proudly. Aurion looked up at his two older cousins in fascination. Shun stalked forward as well his dark eyes shining.
"You pride yourself on that half breed?" Shun shot venomously, the cousins and rivals dangerously close to one another. Ever the peacemaker, Shippo strode forward, taller and much older than the two teens. He extracted Aurion from between the two and separated them. Shun backed off, stalking away from his adopted older brother.
Shippo, having been adopted by Miroku and Sango made him Shun's older brother. "Demon, half demon, slayer, youkai, miko whatever. I don't want to hear it. We are more than that," Shippo stated loudly. "We're family,"
Kentamaru stalked off to Canis who was still spinning slowly and whimpering. His long silver locks skimmed the forest floor. The brother's locked golden gazes with one another.
"I missed a trap," Canis admitted ruefully and Kenta smirked down at him.
"I know," he replied. Shippo turned to them.
"Some brotherly love you got there," he scoffed. "You saw that trap and didn't even warn him. Brothers gotta look out for one another," Shippo chided, lazily throwing an arm around Shun.
"Pups, gotta learn somehow and I don't see my father teaching him anytime soon." With that Kenta strode away from Canis, his haori flowing after him.
"Kenta get me down!" Canis hollered as Aurion tugged on his hand trying to pull Canis down himself.
"You're perfectly capable of doing that yourself," Kenta hollered over his shoulder. Canis was coddled in his opinion and desperately needed training.
Shun drew a chakram and twirled it.
"I'll help him,"
Kenta and Shippo both intervened. The three of them turned to see Canis deftly pull himself up and slice the rope that bound him and toppled to the floor on top of Aurion.
Aurion was Kohaku and Rin's son, and born into a village of demon slayers. He has some freckles and thick black hair tied back into a ponytail. Aurion took after his mother in the sense that he inherited her warm bubbly personality. He loved to laugh, run and talked non-stop.
Right now he was wrestling with Canis in the dirt. The older cousins rolled their eyes.
Kentamaru, Shippo and even Canis suddenly stood up straight. Shippo, who was never a fighter, suddenly growled low in his chest.
Shun turned stern once again, his grip on chakram tightening. Descendant of Miroku he too could sense what was coming.
Canis stalked over, his expression hard with a loathing glare on his face. His fangs were bared and it was in this moment he looked exactly like Inu Yasha. Aurion hid in the middle of the pack.
The family of boys all stood close together, wearing matching expressions of disgust.
"I hate them," Canis declared savagely crinkling his nose in disgust. The older boys nodded in agreement.
"Don't we all," Shippo the eldest added in.
Kentamaru bristled stepping out of the circle his cousins following him. "Wolf shit at three o clock," he snarled.
Sure enough, pair of identical tornadoes were speeding through the forest toward the cousins. The tornadoes halted at the same precise moment leaving two identical looking wolf youkai in its wake.
"Say Rufus," the dark haired one cooed, his black hair pulled back in a ponytail and clad in fur. "I think someone forgot to invite us to their party."
"I think you're right Lupus," his brother crooned, their identical ice blue eyes meeting. His bright red hair pulled back exactly as his brothers.
Lupus and Rufus turned their identical faces to the pack of cousins. The 13 year old twin sons of Kouga and Ayame always seemed to appear where they were not wanted stirring up trouble. Once they had kidnapped Canis and let him loose in a skunk youkai den.
"I think maybe the wolf shits are finally getting it," Shun remarked standing shoulder to shoulder with Kentamaru.
Shippo shook his head, "Nah, the lil' buggers will never figure it out," He added brushing his bangs out of his eyes.
"Wolf shits probably share a brain," Kenta said and Shun and Shippo laughed. The twins scowled.
"Shut your mouth half-breed" they yelled at the same time.
Kentamaru stopped laughing and pinned the wolves with a bemused stare. Shun and Shippo backed away, shooting each other sly grins. The wolves had crossed a line.
Canis lashed out, lunging with his claws at the twins roaring. Shippo and Shun managed to catch him in mid jump, while Kenta stared in shock at his little brother.
The twins were busy pointing and laughing at Canis, who was struggling against Shun and Shippo.
"Go away!" the little hanyou was howling at the wolves. "You're stupid! Don't you stupid wolves get it? NO ONE WANTS YOU HERE!"
Everyone was staring aghast at the youngest youkai. Then the twins started shaking with rage and stalked forward, but Shippo intercepted them having pushed Canis on to Shun.
Shippo was tall for a kitsune youkai and towered over the twins. He had also become a remarkable fighter and often brought Inu Yasha information he obtained. Being a kitsune brought up by demon slayers and an accomplished illusionist, Shippo was quite the adversary.
Kenta turned to Canis, the boy is Shun's strong arms was shaking and seething with rage. "What's this about?"
"They stuck me in a skunk den!" He hollered and Shun fought to suppress his laughter.
"That's why you came home stinking a few weeks ago?" he inquired incredulously and Canis nodded before hopping away rather sullenly to join Aurion who was playing in the dirt.
Shippo's green eyes flashed. He raised his palm upward; emerald flames igniting in his hand casting shadows over his face. "You boys better learn to pick on someone your own size." His voice was thick and dark. After spending so much time with Inu Yasha and being an older brother and cousin, Shippo became extremely protective.
"You better take your own advice Shippo," a beautiful feminine voice called. Lupus and Rufus smirked mischievously suddenly. Kentamaru and Shun scowled and their bodies tensed.
Flora, the twin's older sister dropped to the ground in front of Shippo her black hair with red streaks flowed free down to her waist. Flora was a dignified beauty in her own right and as any of the boys could attest to, threw a mean right hook. Flora was only 16 a year older than Kenta and a year younger than Shun.
"What's the matter Flora?" Shun taunted while spinning a chakram. "Scared?"
Flora flipped her hair back, brushing off Shun's remark and punned him with her staggeringly beautiful glare. "Hardly,"
Shun stepped forward. "Let's have it out then. We're even numbers now." Kentamaru nodded his agreement. "Three on three."
The twins each stepped forward and put an arm on their sister, "Hardly," Lupus scoffed.
"It's three pure blooded wolf youkai…" Rufus started. "Versus a kitsune, a pitiful mutt of a hanyou and a human," Lupus finished. Flora pushed her brothers away from her apparently disgusted by them.
"Alright vermin back away from me," she told them. She turned to the others. "The vermin do have a point. Us fighting you would be like…the twins verse Canis or the other little brat."
Shun, Shippo and Kentamaru all strode forward together.
"Kind of like those two miserable excuses for demons throwing Canis in a skunk den?" Kentamaru hollered.
The older kids had now all started to fight. Shippo waved his hand, emerald flames appearing in a trail as he dodged a kick from Flora and disintegrated the sharp petals she had thrown at him. Kentamaru had Lupus in a headlock after pulling the wolf pups headband over his eyes. Shun was holding Rufus with both hands behind his back in a full nelson.
Shippo and Flora were at a stand off as Aurion shrill crying and Kenta and Shun's struggles with the wolves rang out through the woods. Flora drew an iris while Shippo lit a fox flame in his hand.
"ENOUGH!" a sickle and chain of a kusarigama flew from the woods, slicing through the green fireball in Shippo's hand with a deadly accuracy, extinguishing the flame.
Aurion wailed miserably, a distraught Canis by his side. Shun and Kenta still kept the twins in the holds they had on them.
A lithe demon slayer emerged from the woods, the chain attacked to the sickle led directly to him. He caught the sickle with a bored ease, the slayer donning a navy and yellow uniform.
"Someone had better explain why my son is crying," Kohaku demanded, striding forward. Aurion noticed his father and awkwardly clambering to his feet, trying hard to stop from crying.
Rin emerged from the forest in the same path Kohaku had, a beautiful light clad in a navy and orange slayers suit. As she strode by Shun she lightly touched his arm. "Release him," Shun complied instantly with his aunt's soft order.
Sango and Miroku followed next, Kirara following dutifully behind. Looking much older and wiser than in their younger days the couple still had a staggering presence. This was proven as Shun shrunk miserably as his parents marched up to him.
Miroku took it upon himself to cuff Shun upside the head. Shun recoiled slightly.
"What was that for?" he demanded rubbing his head. Miroku shook his head.
"You were in charge of Aurion today and the boy is clearly distraught." Miroku reprimanded. Sango strode over to the two hanyou's who stood solitary away from the three of Kouga's wolf clan.
"Where are your parents?" she questioned her voice softened at the sight of the two brothers.
"Mothers at the compound, fathers away on business." Kenta told his aunt. Sango nodded. "We were on our way to visit you when we ran into Shippo, Shun and Aurion. Then two little wolf shits showed up." He explained.
Sango smiled at Kentamaru's choice of wording to insult Kouga's children. He truly was Inu Yasha's son.
"Is someone going to tell me why my son is crying?" Kohaku demanded, his arm around Rin while she calmed Aurion in her arms. Sango turned on her younger brother to reprimand him when Aurion piped up.
"Everyone- everyone was fighting," the boy whimpered and everyone turned to him. "I don't like fighting,"
"The boys a slayer he better get used to it," Shun quipped and his entire family shot him dark looks. Miroku's hand was poised to hit him again, but Shun held up his hands in defeat before turning on his heel and walking away. His parents turned to Shippo who nodded and darted after Shun.
Miroku walked up to the three young wolf youkai when a familiar tornado blocked his path. Kouga faced his children, gripping the twins by the back of their necks.
"You two, have been stirring up enough shit today and you had better have your furry little asses back in the den before I get there!" he tossed the twins away. Rufus and Lupus started to protest pointing toward Kentamaru and Canis, both of whom were making obscene gestures and faces while Kouga was faced away.
Kouga eyed them quickly before turning back to the twins. "That was an order," he barked and the twins left. Kouga turned to Flora. "And you…" he crooned his voice softening slightly.
Flora batted her long eyelashes at her father before blowing him a kiss and darting after her brothers. Kouga turned to the hanyou's. "Oi spawn of mutt face, where's your mother? I just saw your father."
Kentamaru arched his eyebrow quizzically. "At home," he answered his tone cautious. "Where did you say you saw my father?"
Kouga shrugged. "Southern Lands. I guess they've got a lot of problems and their hoping an allegiance with your father will help them." He explained then arched an eyebrow looking closely at Kenta. "Don't you know?" Kenta shook his head and Kouga looked utterly surprised for a split second though he masked it quickly. "I'm surprised mutt face wouldn't tell you something that directly concerns…" he never finished his sentence.
Suddenly Kei appeared in the trees. "Master Canis," he addressed his charge, dropping to the ground, his bronze hair falling in his face. "I am to escort you and the young lord back to the compound."
Kouga butted in abruptly. "Eh, you look familiar to me," he mused, his blue eyes scrutinizing Kei. Kei faced the prominent wolf lord.
"I'm afraid I often hear that statement," Kei said respectfully but his tone was somewhat guarder and Kentamaru thought he saw a flash of something in the youkai's silver eyes. He shrugged it odd as imagination.
Kouga shrugged it off as well. "Mini mutt faces, slayers." He dismissed with a short wave before he sped off into the woods. Kentamaru turned to his Aunt and Uncle.
"I guess we're out of here," Miroku and Sango smiled.
"Nice seeing you boys, drop by more often." Miroku winked mischievously. The hanyou's were already starting to leave.
"And be used as targets in a village of demon slayers?" Kentamaru quipped over his shoulder. "I don't think so!"
This was just a fun chapter to introduce my other characters and check up on Miroku, Sango Shippo and the others. Some small aspects of the plot are starting to emerge towards the end there...we'll have to see where this all leads.
Interesting Facts
Lupus is latin for wolf. Lupus is the twin with black hair, (i.e a miniature Kouga)
Rufus is latin for red or ruddy. The scientific name for the North American Red Wolf is Canis Rufus. Rufusis the twin with red hair like Ayame, (i.e thats why he was named.)
Shun means fast person.
I decided not to use regular japanese titles (i.e sama, san etc.) because I wanted Kei to be able to refer to Canis as 'Master Canis.' In that day and age up until boys were 7 years old they were referred to as 'Master' and then 'Lord' and 'Young Lord.'
Flora was named because her mother, Ayame, means iris, which is a flower so in sticking with tradition named Kouga and Ayame's first born daughter Flora.
Kusarigama, if anyone has guessed is the actual name for Kohaku's weapon.
So, next chapter some more plot emerges. Quite alot more actually I think and it's really hard getting started so bear with me for time. I am all done track, I did fairly well, thanks for asking, so I have more time on my hands. Let's hopeI dont get a job this summer...
P.S. Hotdogs or Hamburgers?
Peace out
Deceptress