Another little update ^^
Many reviews, if you would be so kind my lovelies ^^
"Master Sesshomaru!"
The dog demon turned to the sight of his assistant running to him with a white package in his hands, his green eyes wide.
"I-I brought them my Lord," the imp huffed as the demon took the kit, "I-I hope I was quick enough."
"Yes, thank you Jaken," Sesshomaru murmured, his eyes turning back to the glass-paneled board room, his amber irises softening as he watched his father bend over the sheets of paper and the crayons the boy drew with, his fingers holding the utensils almost tenderly, colouring without the brute force of most four-year-olds.
"Um… m-my lord?"
The demon turned from his smiling and laughing father to look at his assistant, the green eyes trying to peer around his master's legs to have a peek at the young boy.
"Do… Do you really think that child yours, Sir?" the imp asked, his eyes darting from Sesshomaru to the child.
"That's what this test will prove," Sesshomaru sighed softly as he held the kit up, his eyes darting to the little boy colouring with his thought-to-be grandfather, the demon looking happier than his eldest had seen him in years, guilt filling him as he thought of the distrust he already had with the boy.
"Is… Is it what you want, sir?"
The question caught him off guard for a moment, his surprised eyes looking from the small imp to the child, the boy catching his eye and smiled timidly at him, the little boy waving for a moment as his grandfather looked up towards his eldest son, his smile still on his face before he turned back to the boy, his hands tickling the child until the younger giggled, Sesshomaru felt his lips curl slightly at the sight.
"I think so yes," the demon murmured as he slipped inside, the sound of the child's giggling reaching his ears.
"Hey Sesshomaru," his father laughed softly as he relinquished the boy, the child turning his amber eyes to the approaching demon, the smile still soft as the demon placed the white package on the table, the demon gesturing to it, "what's that."
"It's a DNA test," Sesshomaru told him quietly, his father's smile fading slightly.
"Sesshomaru…"
"I understand what it sounds like," the demon explained softly, "but… it's better to have something concrete," his eyes flickered to the boy, "for all our sakes."
"Alright," the elder sighed, clearly still perturbed by the thought, the boy looking from one to the other in confusion.
"Akihiko," amber eyes looked towards Sesshomaru, his hand pulling out a cotton swab encased in plastic, the cap popping off as he bent towards the boy, "can you open your mouth for me?"
"Wh-Why?"
"You're not in trouble," Sesshomaru explained, "I just… want to swab your cheek."
"Why?"
"Cause we wanna make sure that he's your dad," Kagome piped up from a chair on the other side of the table, her smile radiant, the boy looking a mixture between confused and disheartened.
"H-How?" he murmured, his lower lip quivering slightly, "I-I thought-"
"We think you are my son too," Sesshomaru interjected softly, "we just need to be sure."
"So… how is that gonna tell you?"
"What do you know about… mommies and daddies and their children," the demon asked softly, finding the childish words odd as they rolled off his tongue; odd, but fitting for the young boy.
"Umm," the boy put a finger to his lips, thinking back to the many questions he asked his mother, "mommy said that a baby is half mommy and half daddy… but she said she'll tell me when I'm older and understand more."
"Right," Sesshomaru nodded, smiling at how honest Rin was with her child yet kept him innocent, "see, everyone's made up of something called DNA. So, if you're my child…"
"I'd have half your DNA stuff," the boy looked up at the demon, "right?"
"That's right," the demon smiled softly, still impressed with the child's deduction skills, "very good Akihiko."
The boy blushed at the praise, his mannerisms even more like Rin's.
"So-"
Without needing to be told twice, the boy opened his mouth for Sesshomaru, fingertips touching the underside of his chin while a cotton swab slipped into his mouth and against his cheek, the demon retracting it from the boy's mouth after twirling and coating it in the child's saliva, the cap closing with a snap before he returned it to the package, the second used in the same treatment of his own mouth before the cap was closed and placed with its brother.
"Jaken-"
"I'll take it back," Kagome piped up, "I'll make sure it gets rushed."
"You kept him from me for a month and a half," Sesshomaru snapped at her, "I'll take Jaken's word over yours for now."
"That's a little harsh," InuYasha stood up for his wife, his brother's glaring eyes rounding on him.
"If the test results come back what we expect, I'll forgive you," the demon told his half-brother, "but if they're a negative, you are beyond salvation."
"I second that," InuTaisho murmured, his amber eyes narrowing slightly before he turned back to the boy beside him, his smile slipping back on his face at the confused look on the child's face, "don't worry Akihiko, you're not in trouble."
"Kay," the boy mumbled, glancing over at the demon that sent the test down with the small green imp from earlier, amber meeting amber as Sesshomaru straightened up and approached the four of them.
"Don't we all have work today?" Sesshomaru asked the three of them, his father giving him an incredulous look.
"I think we can all make a little exception," the eldest demon murmured, his hand touching the small head, the ears twitching in response, "wouldn't you agree?"
"Well yes…" Sesshomaru trailed off, figuring only to bring up the topic to find some semblance of normalcy that he seemed to have lost in the short two hours when he found out about his son, his amber eyes looking towards the young boy sitting in the chair, the child watching him with curious eyes.
"If you need to work," Akihiko piped up, "then I can go home."
"Don't think that," InuTaisho corrected him, he too noting the hint of sorrow in the small voice, "we love having you here."
"Even if he's not my daddy?"
"Well," the demon father looked to his own son, a kind smile slipping onto his features, "let's worry about that if it happens, okay?"
"'M kay," the boy nodded, looking up to Sesshomaru as the demon sat next to him, his amber eyes looking at his before down to the drawings.
"I've asked him to draw something for me," InuTaisho murmured, the boy blushing deeply, "but he seems a little unsure."
"I only ever draw for mommy," Akihiko mumbled bashfully, "she says I'm good, but I dunno."
"Why not?" Sesshomaru asked, his fingers pulling two of the three completed pictures, his amber eyes looking them over.
"Cause she's my mommy," the boy explained, "she says wants me to be happy, so she might say something not rue to make me happy."
"Would she lie to you?" the eldest son asked calmly, his amber eyes looking over his potential son, the boy hardly needing to think before he shook his head.
"Uh-uh," the child told them, "no way, she doesn't like it."
"So why would she lie about your art?" Sesshomaru asked softly, his father looking from his son to his grandson, the boy thinking for a moment.
"Cause I'm not that good…"
"I think you are," InuTaisho smiled softly at the blushing boy, "but if you don't want to draw something for me, maybe next time, okay?"
"Okay…"
"Akihiko, I'm gonna pull everyone outside for a minute, just to talk, is that okay?"
"Uh-huh," the boy nodded, the crayon turned over in his hands as he watched the adults file out slowly, each of them giving the boy a nod or a wave, Akihiko still feeling unease, but relaxing after his crying jag, a small smile on his lips that he felt as though his small but loving family had grown.
"Is there something you need to talk to us about, Sesshomaru?" his father asked once the door had shut behind them, his arms over his chest while his youngest son and daughter-in-law looking embarrassed.
"Next Time?" Sesshomaru asked, "father, we don't even know if that's my child-"
"Rin would never cheat on you, you know that," the eldest demon interrupted, his eyes determined, "now, Kagome, is that his child?"
"Y-Yes-"
"Did Rin tell you that?"
"Yes-"
"Well, there we have it," his hands clapped together, "he's yours."
"Nothing concrete-"
"And when that test comes back a positive, like we all know it will," he emphasized, "we'll have a nice sit down chat with the boy and you and Rin and talk it all out."
"That might not happen."
All three sets of amber eyes narrowed as they looked at an incredibly bashful Kagome.
"What do you mean, not going to happen?" Sesshomaru pressed.
"Well, see, Rin's just the tiniest bit… hurt, about the whole thing with the break-up-"
"Yes, we're all still a little hurt about it," InuTaisho murmured softly, Sesshomaru swallowing thickly before Kagome pressed on.
"Right, but… she's never told Akihiko… who his father is."
The silence was deafening as the three of them looked at the young woman who was staring at the floor.
"She what?" InuYasha spoke up, his own eyes mimicking his brother and father, the amber irises wide in disbelief, "you never mentioned that!"
"I know and I'm sorry," Kagome apologized profusely, "but-but the boy shouldn't grow up without a father, he should at least know who you are!"
"Not without his mother's approval," InuTaisho corrected her, "Kagome-"
"Wait, did she even want me to meet the boy?" Sesshomaru asked her.
"Not really no," the young woman squeaked, pressing on at their disbelief, "but-but I'm sure once she sees how happy the boy is with you, she'll change her mind!"
"Kagome, I can't believe you roped me into this," InuYasha grumbled, his hand over his eyes, Kagome shooting an angry glare at him.
"You agreed-"
"Only because I thought Akihiko knew about his dad!" the half-demon defended, his hands held up, "if I had known the truth-"
"Enough!"
Both of them turned to look at InuTaisho, the demon lowering his voice for fear in the small child listening at the door.
"So, Kagome, what you're telling us, essentially, is that we've kidnapped the boy in there," the demon finished, his daughter-in-law looking appalled.
"NO!" she spluttered, "of course not! Rin gave me permission-"
"Did she give you permission for him to meet me?"
The room was thrust back into a thick silence, Kagome swallowing thickly before she forced herself to press on.
"N-No," she stammered, her blue eyes glued to the ground, "she-she said she didn't want him to meet you… she said she… she didn't want him to get hurt."
"I see," the demon murmured, guilt and sorrow clutching his heart, his throat thickening, "well-"
"But, if you can prove to her that you want this child too and if you take care of him, then I know we can convince her to change her mind!"
"Kagome-"
"At least try," the young woman pressed, "please? For Akihiko's sake?"
The jaw tightened as Sesshomaru glanced back to the double doors, his heart hammering slightly, a sigh slipping past his lips.
"Fine," he conceded softly, "for the boy's sake, I'll try."
After what felt like fifteen minutes of Sesshomaru prying Kagome off his chest, the alarm on her phone rang, the young woman thankfully releasing him to glace down, he face one of surprise as she worriedly told them that she needed to take the small half-demon home to Rin, Sesshomaru offering to bring the child to meet them in the garage. The demon slipped inside the boardroom to call the small-half demon, nothing but the white hair and ears visible over the armrest of the chair.
"Akihiko?" Sesshomaru called softly, walking to the half-demon, "Kagome's ready to go."
When the boy didn't move, the demon stepped beside the chair the child was in, his hand reaching to touch the small shoulder, the child hardly moving, causing Sesshomaru to rotate the chair towards him, his eyes widening at the sight of the sleeping face, the small body curled into himself with the sleeves of the black coat touching his lips. Sesshomaru sighed softly, unsurprised that the boy was sleeping; the child had had an emotionally taxing day, his heart was probably so set on meeting his father he must not have slept for days. Gently, his arms slid under the boy, the small head resting on his shoulder with a hand to his back, the other arm under the boy's knees, his arms between their chests.
Sesshomaru was thankful that he agreed to meet Kagome in the parking garage, the elevator ride was smooth and thankfully uneventful, the boy beginning to stir slightly in his arms.
"Good morning," the demon smiled softly as the little boy rubbed his eyes, "how'd you sleep?"
"'m kay," the boy mumbled, only just becoming aware of his surroundings and whose arms he was in, his cheeks flushing a deep red as he stammered, the demon chuckling at the flustering child.
"Don't worry," Sesshomaru told him kindly, "you're not that heavy and I don't have an issue carrying you, at least until the garage floor."
"O-O-Okay," the child mumbled, his cheeks still flamed as he looked down at his sleeves, a question nagging at his thoughts, "um… Mr. Takahashi?"
"Hm?" the demon looked down at the boy, the thought of the child calling him sir or mister irritating him more than he first thought.
"Wh-What if… you're not my daddy," the boy mumbled quietly, his fingers playing with his black jacket, Sesshomaru smiling softly as he looked the child over.
Being honest with himself, Sesshomaru couldn't see how the boy could be anybody else's, his mannerisms were Rin's, the kindness, the smile, the bashfulness and his innocence. Rin would have never cheated on him he knew that and given the boy's age, she hadn't found another dog demon out of spite, not that that thought would even cross her mind.
"If you are not my child," Sesshomaru told the boy, his hand straightening the bangs, "then I promise, I will do everything in my power to help you find your father."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," the demon smiled, the boy returning his smile.
"Thank you," the tiny head rested on his shoulder, the boy humming softly, "I hope you are my daddy."
"Why is that?" Sesshomaru asked him equally as softly, the boy still smiling lightly.
"Cause," the boy simply said, the demon smiling at the child.
"Cause why?" the demon pressed, his smile unconscious as the child giggled.
"Just cause," Akihiko shrugged, giggling softly, a deep chuckle rumbled out of the elder's chest.
"There has to be a reason," Sesshomaru encouraged, the bright amber eyes looking up at him, the boy smiling.
"Cause your nice," the child told him, his voice slow as he collected his thoughts, "and you sound like you really love my mommy."
"Yeah," the demon asked, "what makes you think that."
"You say nothing but nice things about her," Akihiko murmured, "and you remember who she is; if you were with someone you didn't like, you wouldn't think highly of them, you wouldn't remember them."
"I guess so…"
"You also looked at her picture like you really missed her," the boy told him, Sesshomaru stunned into a soft silence as he thought of the truth in the boy's words, his hand gently covering the top of the child's head.
Silently, the demon lowered the boy to the ground, his feet touching the elevator floors as the doors slid open to the cool parking garage, the boy following after the demon's brisk pace practically running to keep up with the long strides, Sesshomaru noticing this and slowing for the huffing half-demon.
"Am I going too fast?" the elder asked with a soft smile, the boy panting slightly.
"No," the child shook his head as he came to stand beside the demon.
"Well, here," a long-fingered hand extended to him, the amber eyes widened in surprise as they glanced to the hand, his own to his chest before he hesitantly extended his own, the fingers wrapping around his tiny palm, the elder's hand warm and comforting.
"Thank you," the boy mumbled blushing furiously, his eyes glancing up from the floor to the demon for a swift second, a small smile on his lips, "thank you for today."
"How was it honey?"
"It was… good," the boy finished, his backpack put on the couch beside him, his eyes looking towards his mother's smiling face, Kagome winking at the kid behind the young woman's back, her own face smiling as Rin turned to her. Their ride had been smooth and unusually quiet, the boy lost in his thoughts, a smile breaking out as his mother met the two of them at the front door.
"He looked like he had fun," Kagome told her old friend, "InuYasha enjoyed himself too."
"That's good," Rin smiled, her hand running over the soft ears, the boy smiling up at her before she turned to Kagome, "thank you, for today."
"Yes, thank you Miss Kagome!" Akihiko smiled, guilt racking through the young woman as she smiled at them.
"Well," her finger touched her lips, "if you had such a good time with uncle InuYasha, would you like to do it again? Maybe in two weeks? If that's okay with you Rin."
"Yeah, it doesn't seem like a problem if you want to sweetie," Rin told her friend, the boy nodding vigorously, his mother laughing kindly, "then sure, if you're up for it."
"Actually," Kagome tried again, her smile cheeky, "I was thinking that InuYasha take the boy and you and I go out for a good old fashioned ladies night."
"What?" Rin asked, her smile still on her face, "come on Kagome, I haven't gone out in years."
"Neither have I," her other friend smiled, "come on! It'll be fun! Dress up, dinner and drinks or we can just stay in and have a glass of wine and a chick flick."
"The latter is preferable-"
"Great! So, we'll let the boys have their night and we can have ours!"
"B-But Kagome-"
"That sound good to you, Akihiko?" Kagome asked, blatantly ignoring the young woman's stuttering protests.
"Um… okay, but-"
"Great! See you then!"
"No, wait, Kagome!"
The door shut behind the young woman as she too to the streets leaving a very confused looking boy sitting on the couch and sighing Rin.
"Mommy?" the boy asked timidly, "what-"
"That is what Miss Kagome does… a lot," Rin told him kindly, "she insists on things being fun and happy and though she does have our best interests at heart, she doesn't always go about it the right way."
"She does that… a lot?"
"A bit yes," his mother laughed, "when she goes off on an idea she's got, she doesn't listen to anyone, just goes on and on, planning and arranging everything."
"Isn't that a little bossy?" Akihiko asked, his mother sitting beside him.
"Yes it is," Rin nodded, "but don't call her that, it's not a very nice thing to say."
"Okay."
"Now," arms wrapped around the child and pulled the smiling child on her lap, "tell me about your day; Kagome said you went to a big park, how was that?"
The amber eyes looked up at his mother, a small smile on his lips as he thought of how, in two weeks, he may get to meet the man he already thought of as his father.
"It was really really good mommy," he smiled up at her, "I'm looking forward to the next one."
So... thoughts^^