A Tale For The Holidays

O Christmas Tree

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree!
How are thy leaves so verdant!
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How are thy leaves so verdant!

Not only in the summertime,
But even in winter is thy prime.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How are thy leaves so verdant!

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Much pleasure doth thou bring me!
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Much pleasure doth thou bring me!

For every year the Christmas tree,
Brings to us all both joy and glee.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Much pleasure doth thou bring me!

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Thy candles shine out brightly!
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Thy candles shine out brightly!

Each bough doth hold its tiny light,
That makes each toy to sparkle bright.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Thy candles shine out brightly!

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Kagome was changing Fuyuki’s diaper when one of the guards came to retrieve her for the fitting. Gathering the clean things up off the bed Kagome went to take the dirty diaper to be cleaned only to have the guard tell her to leave it for the servants who would take care of it.

Kagome hated leaving the stinky mess behind like that, but she was indeed needed for the fitting of what would be her new kimonos. Kagome liked the miko kimono since it allowed free movement of her legs better than the formal kimonos she would have to wear.

When Kagome arrived with Fuyuki, it was Sesshoumaru who took the pup from her as he walked away allowing Kagome and Inuyasha to remain while the tailor measured his Tsuma in her bra and panties.

Inuyasha didn’t like the tailor touching his Tsuma, but he was being very professional about the whole thing and soon had Kagome try on a multitude of kimonos until they found five that fit her nicely. Right now she was wearing a red kimono with white flowers and a matching obi. It was perfect on her and made Kagome look like a real Lady.

“Now I will need the pup so I can measure out something for him to wear until I get more made.”

Mana stated as Inuyasha found his Ani outside of the room talking to his pup as the pup suckled his brother’s finger.

“You’re doing this now?”

Inuyasha stated as Sesshoumaru ignored his Otouto’s protest.

“He needs this so be silent Inuyasha. I will bring him in for his fitting in a moment.”

Sesshoumaru stated as he allowed the pup to finish.

Taking Fuyuki back into the armory Sesshoumaru allowed Mana to take the pup for a moment as he pulled out some very nice silk as he unwrapped the pup that was pulling his long hair. Mana didn’t mind the soft tugging and he pulled out a small silk robe that had attached finger covers so the pup would not scrape his little face.

“I have a few of these newborn robes that will match your kimonos.”

Mana stated as he rewrapped the infant in what looked like a small dog fur blanket before handing the child back to Sesshoumaru who looked pleased at being able to hold his little Oi.

“Well I am done here for now. I will be back when the pup grows out of these robes.”

Mana started picking up all the kimonos that did not fit or that were unwanted to put back into the trunk that he originally had them in as he folded each one carefully.

The kimonos and the robes were given to servants to hang in the wardrobes for the royals to use later.

Sesshoumaru looked at Inuyasha who was still picking at the fabric around him. He definitely was not used to so much cloth surrounding him and the armor was new for him even if it didn’t weigh very much it was still bothersome. Sesshoumaru knew though that Inuyasha would overcome this as soon as he started wearing it every day.

“Inuyasha, it is time for us to go to my Haha’s castle. We will be taking the white carriage again and I am trusting that you will not claw up my newly made seats.”

Inuyasha felt insulted by that, but the thought had occurred to him if Sesshoumaru pushed this mating thing too fast since he didn’t trust that his Ani would take things slow.

As the three departed Kagome could see the floating snowflakes through the glass windows of the carriage. It really was a beautiful sight to see all the trees covered in snow and ice.

Once the flying horses were hitched to the carriage by the driver who was another Inu with long black hair and bright blue eyes, they were on their way moving at such a fast pace that the world seemed to disappear as they rode among the clouded sky.

“These Pegasus’, are they friendly?”

Kagome asked.

“They are carnivorous and do not like anyone touching them unless they are a virgin or their master. Even in such a case of being a virgin I do not allow anyone except myself and the driver to touch them. They may attack even a virgin if they feel spooked.”

Sesshoumaru stated as he watched the little pup yawn then close his eyes as the mokomoko curled around him snuggling the child in warmth.

“Fuyuki is going to start thinking you are his Chichi if you keep hogging him from me all the time Sesshoumaru.”

Sesshoumaru smirked.

“Do I detect a hint of jealousy? It truly is unwarranted. The pup knows who his Chichi is; I just have the mokomoko which is keeping him warm and safe. Eventually you will get one of your own so that you can do this with your future children.”

Inuyasha frowned and sat back in his seat holding hands with his wife who was busy looking out the window watching the world fly by.

“So how long is it going to take for us to get to your Haha’s castle Ani?”

Sesshoumaru shrugged.

“It should only take a few more minutes at this speed. If I had Aun pulling it would take us at least an hour or more to get to Haha’s castle so be grateful Otouto that we will only be in the carriage for a short period of time.”

The Pegasus started to slow down and descend from out of the clouds toward what looked like a big hill of snow without trees and bushes.

“Well they were faster than I expected.”

Sesshoumaru stated as he would have to compliment the driver for training the horses so well.

Soon the barrier that was covered in snow opened just enough for the carriage to pass through.

Sesshoumaru almost wished it would have taken them longer to get to his Haha’s. Haha thought it was funny to mess around with his life and make an example of him so he really did not want to be here, but if he refused Haha would show up at his castle and not leave until he produced her a Mago. Now she could rest easy since Inuyasha was indeed a bearer and if Sesshoumaru had his way he would be seducing Inuyasha for the rest of the evening.

As the carriage landed Kagome was amazed at the size of this castle since it made Sesshoumaru’s seem small in comparison.

Walking up the many stairs to where Sesshoumaru’s Haha was sitting at her throne Kagome had to admit going up those steps was quite a workout. Catching her breath Kagome walked behind Sesshoumaru with Inuyasha at her side.

The graceful and beautiful demon woman flipped open her beautifully jeweled fan and smiled at her son.

“So you have come and I see you brought your Otouto with you. It is about time you got over your hate and accepted this boy as your family.”

Lady Mitsuki (meaning beautiful moon) stood up and walked toward Inuyasha as Inuyasha bowed to her only to have her touch one of his ears.

“It is interesting that you have some of your Chichi’s looks young one, but these ears are quite unique. Your Chichi would have loved having you at the castle. I tried to take you and Izayoi in, but your dear Haha was afraid of living with demons when your Chichi took her as a second mate. I thought it odd that your Chichi would choose a human, but he was always so eccentric when it came to his concubines even bringing a cat demoness to our home. That was the final straw for me and I departed to my castle hoping my charmless Musuko would come with me. Instead he stayed with his Chichi which was where he belonged. Now however I am still without a mago, but what is this in my Sesshoumaru’s arms?”

Lady Mitsuki looked at the pup in her Musuko’s arms.

“Did you finally bring me my mago Sesshoumaru?”

Sesshoumaru frowned.

“You know I would not mate a human Haha. This is Fuyuki, Inuyasha and Kagome’s pup.”

Lady Mitsuki frowned.

“Why did you choose Fuyuki for your pup’s name? It is a human name and not a very good one. You should have named him Tsukiya for the moon cycles are what keeps us Inu’s strong. Still if Fuyuki is his name we will not hold it against him. Now hand the child to me Sesshoumaru.”

Sesshoumaru did what he was told as his Mother wrapped the pup back up in her two mokomokos as she sat back down on her throne.

“So my Musuko, when do I get one of these from you?”

Sesshoumaru knew that was coming and this time was prepared to answer.

“Inuyasha is a bearer and he has agreed to be my mate.”

Lady Mitsuki smiled.

“Very well than I shall let you be and not force you to be a part of today’s activities, however in return I expect you both to be true in your decision.’
“Young woman, you will remain with me and this charming little pup while they sort out how they are going to produce another mago for me since I claim this little one as my own.”

Lady Mitsuki shooed the men away as one of the servants came with a chair for Kagome to sit on while she talked to Sesshoumaru’s Haha.

Inuyasha frowned. So far Sesshoumaru got the better end of this whole mess and his Haha was now claiming his child as her mago. He had yet to hold his pup for longer than a few minutes when everyone seemed bent on taking his son away from him.

Sesshoumaru smirked at his Otouto.

“Well now you know my Haha and why I do not wish to be here for long.”

Inuyasha huffed.

“You aren’t the one that keeps having to hand over your Musuko to everyone else. Maybe I would like some bonding time with Fuyuki. He is my Musuko not yours and not your Haha’s.”

Sesshoumaru sighed.

“You will get used to this Inuyasha. It is hard for a Lord to bond with their children which is why when he is returned to you that you must feed him a little bit of your blood. It will bond you to your Musuko and you in turn will almost have the same affection given from your Musuko as he has with his Haha.”

Inuyasha nodded and leaned against the balcony looking up at the stars.

“Sesshoumaru, do you really think Chichi was right when he said there was nothing more he could teach us? I think there was much more than that, but I ain’t the old man.”

Sesshoumaru frowned and looked out into the night sky along with his Otouto.

“I believe that Chichi expected me to train you in the ways he taught me Otouto. I know life hasn’t been fair to you and a lot of it has to do with me, but I plan to make it up to you. I really want this mating with you and not just because you can bear my fruit from your loins, I care about you much more than that. I just never realized it until you proved that you were the true heir of tessaiga. After that I gave you what you needed to survive by having you break tensaiga to gain the power of the Meidou Zangetsuha.’
“At the time I was certain that Chichi had punished me by giving me tensaiga, but after a while I understood the reason I was given this sword. It wasn’t just to save lives tensaiga was here to prevent us from killing one another. It also opened a gateway for me to go and visit Chichi’s grave any time I wanted so that I could still see that Chichi did not abandon me. I was indeed his heir and now I have surpassed him with my sword bakusaiga. I cannot change the past Otouto, but I hope to make a better future for us both.”

Inuyasha huffed.

“If you are trying to woo me with that promise I ain’t biting yet. It is one thing to say you are going to do something; it is another to actually do it. I will be watching you Ani since I don’t know if I fully trust you yet. It ain’t because you lie because fact is you don’t, but you often say something and do the complete opposite. Still, I am not saying I won’t give you a chance with me, but don’t rush it. I am still getting used to having Kagome as my wife since I never thought in a billion years that a woman as beautiful as her would want anything to do with a filthy blooded hanyou like me.”

Sesshoumaru sighed.

“You have to be difficult don’t you? I was just simply stating that I was wrong about you. It is my way of apologizing for the many things I have done to you. I am not going to change that much though Inuyasha. I still think you favor your human side too much and that you seriously need to learn more about your demon side.’
“I want to teach you to embrace that side of yourself since Chichi is as much a part of you as your Haha was. It is disgraceful to condemn one side of your family just because you do not have control of it yet. You have good balance between both your demon and human halves when you are in hanyou form; however you lack control when you become one or the other. Don’t you get tired of running and hiding from yourself? Don’t you wish you could defend yourself better in your human form and learn to control the demon side of you?’
“I am mating you Inuyasha and that means all of you. Do not push me away when I am only trying to help you.”

Inuyasha frowned. His Ani was right, but Inuyasha didn’t want to admit it yet. He wasn’t ready to move so quickly into his demon half when he killed people that begged for their lives.

“Inuyasha, don’t make me read your mind again. You are setting yourself up for failure when we haven’t even begun to train yet. We will be safely away from the castle and it will be fun since I am planning on us hunting together by only using our demon instincts.”

Inuyasha thought about that. It could be fun and without Kagome or anyone picking on him about being part dog demon.

“Alright…that I can do. I use my dog instincts a lot you know, but my friends sometimes pick on me about it. Especially Shippo so it would be nice to not have to hide my natural instincts.”

Inuyasha stated as he smiled up at his Ani.

Sesshoumaru smiled back and felt like this was a good start for them both.

“Can I ask you one thing Sesshoumaru?”

Sesshoumaru nodded.

“Why do you want to mate me when you could have anyone you wanted?”

Sesshoumaru looked at that innocence that still lived in his Otouto. When it came to battle Inuyasha’s confidence was high, but when it was just one on one with him that was when the insecurities set in.

“I have some selfish reasons why, but besides the political aspects of our union I find you to be the most beautiful of all of Chichi’s creations. You are an enigma Inuyasha and even when I hated you I couldn’t deny my attraction to you. In some ways that weakness of mine for you made me hate you more. I detest weakness in myself when I am supposed to be the perfect heir to honor Chichi. I cannot afford to be weak when my Kingdom depends on me.’
“It is alright for my Haha to be frivolous and ridiculously annoying since her castle is under my protection. I am to take care of Haha and insure her safety as Chichi would have wanted. However, it is hard for me to be around Haha so much since I am an adult diayouki now and yet she still treats me as if I were just a youngling. She will do the same to you and to Kagome. You and your Tsuma will be forced to visit Haha often and if you become with pup it will be even worse.’
“Part of me wants to mate you because it will make my Haha ridiculously happy that I have finally settled down in her eyes. Even if you were not a bearer she would approve of our match just because I finally have chosen a mate. I don’t want to do this for her benefit Inuyasha. I want you for my own and I will do anything to make you mine.”

Inuyasha smirked.

“Anything Ani?”

Sesshoumaru nodded.

“Ok than shut the hell up. You already have me and I ain’t going anywhere. I think you got dropped too many times as a kid if you believe I am beautiful. You are the beautiful one of the family and that is just fact so don’t deny it.’
“Your Haha doesn’t control your destiny or your life. You give her too much power and like you she is lonely. Yes I said you are lonely, but it is true. You have no real friends, you pretty much kill anyone who is in your way, and you have a stick up your ass that is ten miles long. Just relax and enjoy the night with me. We aren’t rushing things so just shut up and woo me with actions. Your words are not necessary. Just the fact you want to mate me is good enough for me. I just am completely unsure that I want to mate a guy, but I already said ok so I ain’t taking it back. Just hold my hand and we will pretend we are already mated.”

Sesshoumaru was dumbfounded. Usually complimenting someone made them feel good about themselves, but Inuyasha really didn’t believe he was beautiful. It was odd to say the least. Had he never been told he was strikingly beautiful before?

“May I kiss you?”

Sesshoumaru asked quietly.

“Sure, but no tongue yet.”

Sesshoumaru tilted his Otouto’s head up as he descended giving Inuyasha a lingering kiss as the pale crescent moon sat watching the two brothers finally find peace in each other.