Author's Notes: Greetings all! This chapter isn't part of the next episode. It's mostly a fluff chapter for the lolz. You don't have to review this at all. It's completely skippable. Just go to the episode titled Rainbow Garnet Megaliths part 1 to continue reading. I mentioned that I would put these fluff chapters in from time to time when I explained how the filler episodes would work for this series. Think of this as one of those bonus pieces you might find in manga where you get some kind of special art or scenario with your beloved characters. That's all it is.

Doggie Toys

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"Musuko? What are you doing over there?" Kyoko asked, peeking inside the taxidermy center of Meioshi's museum.

Kyoko was on her way to visit her sensei's home for the big youkai bake-off until she heard noises coming from the stuffing room. Her best friend and classmate, Musuko, was concentrating on another sculpture. There was no school during the big heritage festival, especially if Meioshi participated in it to some degree. This year was really special for the children. They got to see Meioshi dance and march! To see her taxidermy mate in the museum doing schoolwork was odd to little Kyoko, but Musuko turned to his friend with a sheepish smile and rubbed his head at having been caught in his project.

"Uh, promise you won't tell," he said, watching Kyoko sneak inside next to him.

"Sensei doesn't have a new assignment up yet. This something for you? Our displays are all messed up because of that meanie!" Kyoko complained, huffing with disapproval.

"Well, uh, actually, i-i-it's for L-l-lo-lord Sesshomaru," Musuko admitted, blushing brightly.

"Really? Why?" Kyoko asked, tilting her head cutely.

"He keeps staring at my leopard cat sculpture when he visits the museum. He even asked if I'd keep doing taxidermy and sculpting when I grow up. I think he'd like a cat of his own," Musuko replied.

"Oh, so it's like a gift!" Kyoko said, smiling brightly. "Well, I'll help you. He might be a quiet man, but he's been nice to us. Chiura gives him little presents all the time."

"What's she give him?" Musuko questioned, standing up to adjust his stony base. It was a small sculpture of a cat this time, but Lord Sesshomaru seemed to prefer realism, so the boy wanted the landscaping to be larger for his scene.

Kyoko went to work helping construct Musuko's pouncing scene from the looks of it. She had a mouse sculpture that would work, so she hustled about to help Musuko craft a perfect hunting display. Kyoko then answered her friend's question, "She gave him some flowers during the banquet. I didn't think he'd like those, but he took them and had this look in his eye like he was really happy and... maybe a bit scared."

"Scared of what?" Musuko asked, repositioning some things so he could chisel the base.

"Well... call it a hunch, but... I think he's scared of sensei like what she thinks about him," Kyoko replied, gathering moss to plot on the stone base. "Or how she feels about us kids."

"She loves us as much as we love her. She says it all the time!" Musuko said, smiling brightly and blushing lightly at the memory of Meioshi saying such words to them.

"That's what I mean, though. I think Lord Sesshomaru is scared of that. If she loves us more, he'll never get a chance to know what that feels like. It's like feeling left out of something good but not knowing how to get it for yourself," Kyoko replied, adding more to the scene. "I think that's enough wood, huh?"

"Mmm... more moss and a few mushrooms for the mouse," Musuko suggested. "So, Lord Sesshomaru wants to be a kid again? Just as sensei's apprentice?"

"Hmm... I think it's a bit different than that. Grownups are so confusing!" Kyoko complained.

"How so?" a familiar voice asked. It was Ohta.

Hasumi ran inside, twirling about to observe a specimen, and said, "If you're talking smack about me, I haven't gotten into a fight all day. We can go anytime!"

"Absolutely not!" Ohta reprimanded, making Hasumi flinch from his tone. "I'll call your dad in less than a second to spank you, miko!"

"But that's not fair! You approve of indirect bullying?" Hasumi argued, stomping.

"How do you know they were even talking about you?" Ohta challenged, earning cute pouting and a small growl. He then turned to Kyoko and Musuko and asked, "What are you two doing in here anyway?"

"Making a cat statue for Lord Sesshomaru," Musuko admitted, blushing a bit from embarrassment.

"Oh? Why?" Ohta asked, leaning over to read Musuko's body language and facial expressions. He was doing this out of good intentions. He was just trying to be secretive about it.

"Well, he's been staring at my cats a lot, so I thought he'd like one. He helped you guys get out of the okiyas, too. I thought he'd like a gift for helping you, big brother Ohta," Musuko replied, fidgeting a bit. "And Hasumi, too. We're a family now, right?"

Ohta and Hasumi had to fight everything in their bodies to not laugh out loud. Yeah, a dog would be interested in a cat, wouldn't he? They both inhaled deeply and Ohta finally said, "That's very kind of you, little brother. How about we make a basket of different gifts for Lord Sesshomaru? It'll be from everyone! We're a team!"

"Okay!" Musuko cheered.

As Sesshomaru was sitting on Meioshi's engawa, he caught the scent of Chiura approaching him with a big smile. She was carrying a large basket to him. Inside of it was the aforementioned cat, some biscuits shaped like bones, and a few child's toys from Hasumi's memories of Sesshomaru as a toddler when she babysat him. He inhaled sharply, eyes shrunken with dread, and stiffened up.

"What is that?" he asked as the little girl approached him.

"Presents for you, Lord Sesshomaru! Thank you, my lord, for being our guardian!" Chiura said sweetly.

His lordship said nothing more. Chiura was simply too powerful for him...