Anger

Inu no Taishou sighed as he watched one son vanish on his youki cloud and the other grab the tattered rabbit and creep back into the hole. He let out his youki once more and waited closer to his son's retreat and hoped that Inuyasha would finally recognise him. He did, fairly quickly and came out of the hole, the wretched rabbit still clutched in his hands as if it were a comfort toy and perhaps in some way it was.

The pup's face was streaked with tears but he was still silent as he rushed into his father's arms; too silent in fact. But Inu no Taishou was an experienced male as he was not just father to his two sons, but also a father figure to his troops, many of which were not much older than his own eldest and who he had known since birth. Now though both his boys were his primary concern and he cuddled Inuyasha and let his youki swirl round the boy to calm him.

"Shu left me, he wanted me to be eaten by the youkai." Inuyasha wailed.

"No he didn't Inuyasha, the youki you felt was mine and Sesshoumaru knew that. He thinks we tricked him and is cross and upset." Inu no Taishou watched Inuyasha as he digested the information; the father could tell that Inuyasha had accepted the truth of the statement and now was looking for a grievance.

"He smacked me Papa and he threw my rabbit."

"You deserved the spanking my son, you had run off from Sesshoumaru when you knew there might have been danger. He was hardly excessive, had I been disciplining you, you would have received more than you did; Sesshoumaru hit you because of his anger and fear. You frightened your brother today; he spent a long time searching for you."

"He hurted me and my rabbit; his face frighted me." Inuyasha wouldn't let go and his father just hugged him again. "You was the youkai? Why didn't you get me out?"

"Because my son, you needed to learn a lesson and so did your brother; now come on it's time to go home."

"I don't want to see Shu; he is very cross wiv me."

"No my pup, he is cross with me; although if you keep up the baby talk he will be cross with you too." With that Inu no Taishou took firm hold on Inuyasha and whisked them back to Izayoi on the farm, and after a quick word explaining what had happened, he left their son in her care. Izayoi quickly made up the bath for him and after a thorough cleansing and a nice meal, Inuyasha was put to bed even though it was only the afternoon.

The boy was tired and worn out from shock and the fright he had had and didn't complain as he snuggled down in the soft bed with his mother stroking his head and gently singing to him. She could feel that he was still having the tremors run through his body and wasn't going to leave him until he was asleep. Unfortunately the damage was done and Inuyasha's sleep was full of disturbing images.

As for Sesshoumaru it had been many years since his father had had to seek him out while he sulked in his room. In fact the last time was when his father came back from his yearlong sojourn after he nearly died. Inu no Taishou entered the suite and was ignored by the occupant who stood by his window, but he let the bad manners pass without comment...this time.

"Sesshoumaru you are too old to play these sulking games anymore; if you want to say something do so now." The imperious tone in his father's voice was too impelling for a dutiful son such as Sesshoumaru to ignore, besides he recognised the truth in his father's words. But two could play at that game.

"I do not sulk Father, what do you wish me to say to you?"

"For a start then, why were you so cruel to your brother?"

"Cruel I dispute; he deserved spanking, he left without a word and knew better, his disobedience to me required correction."

"Oh, yes he deserved that all right and as I told him he would have received more from me; but you were cruel, you disrespected his hunt and left him to be devoured. Do you not feel that was cruel? Have I ever done such a thing to you when you were very young or allowed anyone of your teachers let you feel deserted?"

"So it is fair in your mind to disrespect This Sesshoumaru by using the pup to play an immature trick on me, but not fair for me to object strongly to such treatment?"

"You are mistaken my son; I would not play such a cheap trick and Inuyasha did not know that it was I who was in the area. When you left him, he was convinced he was to be left as prey to a ferocious youkai and yes, that was cruel."

"Inuyasha didn't know it was you?"

"No, he hadn't recognised my youki because I had masked my scent; he spent over three hours shut in that hole because he thought me a predator and then when you came his relief was short lived by your actions."

"Why didn't you tell him, why did you leave him so long? Surely that was more vicious than what I did?"

"That is where you are wrong Pup. Inuyasha was not comfortable but was in no danger, and although he trembled from knowing my youki was around he was content waiting for you. I had not intended on either of you knowing that I was keeping a watch every now and then on the pair of you, but it was just as well I did."

"You were watching?"

"Not all the time, but taking charge of a young pup was new to you also, I was aware there could be trouble. I didn't reveal myself to Inuyasha because he needed to learn not to run away from you, so I used my youki to keep him in his hiding place until you found him. I did not need him running off and getting lost again trying to find you. You also needed to learn that pups are unpredictable in the way they behave and need constant vigilance.

"You let your guard down when you slept and allowed Inuyasha to get away from you; I thought a dose of puppy hunting and a bit of worry until you found him would do you no harm either. Your youki should have let you know when Inuyasha awoke, you did not prepare properly, but then it went downhill with your temper Sesshoumaru. You have hurt your brother's feelings greatly and made him afraid of you; he said your face scared him."

"What of my fear and concern when I found him gone from me?" Sesshoumaru said and his father had to recognise that his eldest son was still only a selfish pup sometimes, and a long way from fully mature. "I smelled his blood and couldn't find him, what was I to say to you if he'd been taken away; what would I have done?" Inu no Taishou heard the genuine plea in his eldest's voice and came to put his strong arms round his boy. Sesshoumaru still needed to feel that safety and the dependability of his father to know when he needed to be treated like a child.

"You should go and see him soon and make your peace, you have wronged him and must not be too proud to admit it. He also deserves some recognition for his hunt although the scrap he clings to is not fit for consumption now." Inu no Taishou was firm and would not tolerate Sesshoumaru's self pride from stopping him making amends to the small hanyou; but truthfully Sesshoumaru wanted to make sure that Inuyasha was alright for himself.

However when the father and son went to visit Inuyasha at his mother's home she was standing outside as if she were waiting for them, indeed two of her guards were by her side. Inu not Taishou knew this did not bode well for either of them and he was proved correct. Izayoi knew she could not prevent the youkai from entering her house physically, but she was a mother and was fiercely intent on protecting her child.

The general spoke first, asking permission to see his son, but it was refused point blank; Inuyasha was still asleep. Then Sesshoumaru indicated he wanted to speak with the boy when he woke and for the first time since he'd known her, Izayoi's eyes matched his own at their coldest.

"When Inuyasha awakes, I will let him know you wish to see him, and then it will be up to him. You both are responsible for forgetting that Inuyasha is not fully youkai and has a human heart. You allowed him to be stuffed inside an animal hole for several hours to prove a point, and then frightened him some more, well congratulations, you succeeded.

"Inuyasha is having nightmares and until he stops and no longer cries in his sleep about being deserted and eaten, you will not see him back at the Palace. That goes for school too, until he no longer suffers these worries in his sleep, he will not be out of my sight." Angry barely described what Izayoi felt for these two who had so misjudged the effects of the ordeal that Inuyasha had been subjected too.

She knew they had meant no harm, but between them they had not thought things through and Inuyasha was the one having to pay the price. She had heard some of the things that he was saying in his sleep, Inuyasha was usually so instinctively quiet that he must have been very disturbed and she said as much to his father, hoping that the boy's instincts hadn't been ruined by this stupidity.

"You took him out so that he could learn to keep himself safe from dangers and creatures who might want to do him harm, into a forest when I thought he was still too young. Then all the things you wanted to protect him from, you caused to happen to him. So my decision stands, he does not go anywhere like that again; I forbid it.

"You are supposed to protect him; it makes me even more pleased you lived Sire because I would hate to think how my little boy would be treated if your other son had more of a grievance against his brother. Would he have to live like he did today, if I was not around anymore to make sure he was cared for?" That was the final straw for Izayoi, her anger dissipated as she imagined her son alone and scared in a forest where every sound and night time noise would haunt the child, and she collapsed in tears.

It was Sesshoumaru who helped her back into the house and to Inuyasha's side where he looked down with saddened eyes on the little brother who was at the moment, quite peaceful with the scruffy rabbit still in his hand.

"I am sorry Izayoi, and I will make it right with Inuyasha, I promise."

"You had better Lord Sesshoumaru; Inuyasha adores you and your rejection has hurt him greatly."

IYQ Community; October 2009 Week 3, Hold on, man. We don't go anywhere with "scary," "spooky," "haunted," or "forbidden" in the title. -Shaggy, Scooby-Doo