The Lucky Ones
Chapter Twenty-Two
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The Lucky Ones
By Terri Botta
Disclaimer: I don’t own
Inuyasha. Sole copyright belongs to Viz and Rumiko Takashi. I’m poor so do
sue
sue.
Rating: R for later chapters.
Pairing: Inuyasha/Kagome,
Miroku/Sango
Summary: Sometimes Fate hands
you a gift you never thought you’d ever get, and it’s up to you to accept it
for what it is.
Feedback to:
tci100@psu.edu
Website: http://www.wordsmiths.net/Botta
*******
Chapter Twenty-Two
“
at the bottom.
“
she said, offering the bouquet of wildflowers.
Kagome
accepted them and put them to her nose. “Thank you, Rin.
They’re lovely.”
“Where is
he?” he demanded, going over to them. “Where’s my brother?p>
His scent is fresh…’
“
then he went away. Rin is to stay with you until
What the fuck is that alout?out?’
back.
Kagome cast
him a knowilanclance as they both realized the potential danger.
His hand
gripped Tessaiga tightly, his senses on full alert
and he placed himself in a defensive position.
He saw
Kagome sit down next to Rin with Yukio in her lap.
Her face , bu, but her body tense.
or the girl.’
“This is
Yukio.”
“Yes, he
does. That’s because he’s an inu-hanyou, just like
Inuyasha.”
“Is he your
baby, Kagome-sama?”
Kagome
smiled and shook her head. “No. Yukio is an orphan, but Inuyasha and I have
adopted him.”
and Rin. Rin is an orphan
too…” Her little face grew sad and forlorn. “Bandits killed Rin’s
family. She was all alone until she found Sesshoumaru-sama
in the forest.”
Kagome
nodded. “Rin-chan, do you know why
The little
girl nodded, her dark eyes wide with fear. “
be safe here. Bad people are trying to take Sesshoumaru-sama’s
land away.”
Lands, eh? That’s why he brought the whelp here. To get her
out of the battle zone.’
is great and powerful. He will defeat them and come back for me.”
him in his own kingdom.
said they’d go back where they came from and not return. Maybe they changed
their minds.’
“
to Inuyasha-sama’s village, but then he brought
“He
probably smelled the den. Our scents are all over this place,” he explained.
wouldn’t lower himself to crawl into a den and we haven’t been here for five
days. He might not have smelled him.’
“How long
have you been waiting for us, Rin?” Kagome asked,
casting him a glance.
He shook
his head slightly, silently telling her that he didn’t sense his brother
nearby.
“
way he would just leave her here and not make sure she was with us. But where
the fuck is he?’
The wind
shifted and he caught the scent almost too late. He whirled around and nearly
drew Tessaiga as the figure of his half-brother came
into view.
commented disdainfully. “This place reeks of you and the human female. Did the
villagers finally come to their senses and cast you out?”
away from them!” he countered. ‘Still an arrogant asshole.’
him to the core. He saw Kagome clutch the pup close, her own eyes full of worry
and fear.
“What is
that?” the inu-youkai asked in a hard voice.
He drew
scream.
“You stay
away from them.”
“So… the
half-breed has taken a mate. I am surprised a miko of
her power lowered herself to breed with you.”
“Hey! I’m
not lowering myself,” Kagome snapped back indignantly.
never did know when to back down. Then again, she’s always stood up to
He saw
“The whelp
is not yours.” It was a statement, not a question.
“What’s it
to you?” he demanded, still brandishing his sword in front of him, the blade
turned with the cutting edge towards his brother.
“Human.
Bring the whelp to me,” Sesshoumaru ordered.
Kagome
hesitated, then moved to stand up.
“Kagome,
stay where you are,” he warned.
“Fool. This
Sesshoumaru would never dishonor himself by harming a
helpless pup. Woman, bring me the pup.”
He saw
Kagome swallow and nod, walking towards them carrying Yukio.
“Kagome…”
“It’s okay
Inuyasha. I don’t think he wants to hurt Yukio,” she countered softly, although
her voice betrayed her uncertainty.
Sheathing
she offered his brother the pup. Yukio looked frightened and he started to
fret.
and he saw Sesshoumaru’s eyes widen a fraction.
“
He’s Otou’s brother.” :Leader-male.
Pack brother.:
Yukio
turned wide eyes to Sesshoumaru and did not look
convinced.
“You’re
safe. Kaa-san and Outo
won’t let anything happen to you,” she promised, placing the pup into
for his mother. :Mother-female! Mother-female
and the pup went limp in submission, whiing ing as he was gripped by the back
of his shirt and lifted up for the inu-youkai’s
critical inspection.
His heart
nerve endings stood poised on the edge of action, ready to fight for his family
if need be. He waited as Sesshoumaru sniffed the pup
a few times and slowly looked him over, his face never once straying from its
cold, emotionless expression. Yukio stayed limp, but his eyes were terrified,
like those of a rabbit caught in a wolf’s jaws. He gritted his teeth and
gripped Tessaiga’s hilt.
out of his wits.’
“Okay,
you’ve seen him. Now give the pup back to Kagome,” he growled.
“This
said, dropping the pup unceremoniously back into Kagome’s waiting hands. Yukio
sniffled and grabbed his mother, clinging to her desperately.
He breathed
a sigh of relief once Kagome had the pup again, and he was able to turn his
attention to what his brother had said.
“You did?
Who was he?” he asked.
“He was a
general of our father’s. He fought beside Chichi-
war.”
generals…’
“He was
gravely wounded in the battle and suffered the loss of an arm.”
“You would
be wise to hold your tongue, hanyou, or I will teach you what it is like to
lose a limb.”
“I’d like
to see you try,” he countered.
“Inuyasha…”
Kagome warned.
“Stay out
of this, Kagome,” he answered.
As usual
she ignored him and addressed Sesshoumaru.
“I’m sorry
to tell you, but your father’s general is dead. This pup’s mother brought him
here when she herself was gravely wounded after her mate was killed. Before she
died, she told us her mate had given her instructions to come here if anything
ever happened to him,” she said calmly.
“The life
of one willing to lower himself to mate with a human
is no concern of mine.”
that tune when you’ve got your own human whelp that you defend viciously with
one breath and deny caring about the next.’
“
trouble in the Western Lands,” she commented.
“I must
return immediately to handle the situation,” Sesshoumaru
confirmed.
“Those damn
cats again? I’ll come with you and help you send them running back to where
they came from,” he offered.
‘duty’ and made the offer...’
“This
insurgents.”
“So it’s
not the neko-youkai,” Kagome commented.
“No. It is
a human army amassed by a fool to ‘free’ the humans living in the Western Lands
from their demon master.”
stupid enough to go after him… Sesshoumaru won’t go
looking for a fight, but he won’t run away from one either. Fools are all going
to die.’
“I am sure
this person is just misguided. I can’t imagine that you would be a bad leader.
I hear nothing but good things about the Western Lands,” Kagome replied.
“His
reasons are of no importance. I will defeat him as a matter of course.”
why bring your whelp here for us to protect?” he scoffed.
“I have
reason to believe that not all of my subjects are trustworthy and
believe even you can handle the simple task of watching a human child.”
He growled,
bristling. “Why you…”
“We’ll keep
her safe, Sesshoumaru-sama. You don’t need to worry
about her,” Kagome assured him.
“I am not
concerned for her welfare.”
That’s why Naraku was able to use her against you
twice.’
“Don’t
forget to come back for Rin, Sesshoumaru-sama,”
the little girl reminded.
His brother
didn’t answer as he walked away. He was just letting himself relax when Kagome,
still holding Yukio, rushed after him.
“Umm,
The
“I…
Inuyasha’s told me about how you came for him after his mother died, and how
you protected him until he was strong enough to fend for himself. I wanted to
thank you for doing that. Without you to watch out for him, he surely would
have died.”
thanking him for?!’
over his shoulder.
“I did no
more than my duty as the eldest son. It will never be said that this
responsibilities.”
The
and kicked dirt in the direction his elder brother had gone.
“Did his
duty as eldest son,” he spat disdainfully. “Oi,
Kagome, what did you thank him for?”
She was
still staring in the direction Sesshoumaru had gone,
a thoughtful look on her face. Yukio was watching too, his little hands tangled
in his mother’s shirt, but his eyes looking off into the forest.
“Well, he
save you, didn’t he? If he hadn’t come to get you, your mother’s relatives
would have let you starve, right?”
weakling that I wouldn’t have survived?” he snapped back.
“No, but
your chances greatly improved after he came for you. In any case, he did come
for you and he did protect you, and that’s more than your mother’s family did.
I felt it deserved acknowledgement, because I’m grateful to him.”
“Grateful?
Why?”
She reached
over and took his hand. “Because it meant you grew up and lived to meet me.”
He softened
and nuzzled her and the pup tenderly. “Well, there is that. I guess. But don’t
think he did it out of any affection he had for me.”
“I’m not so
sure about that. For a moment when he was holding Yukio, I saw something I
thought might be regret.”
things.”
She
shrugged and didn’t look convinced, but said nothing more and turned to
brother had gone, his brow furrowed.
Woman must have been imagining things. The great Sesshoumaru
regrets nothing.’
********
thanked me for doing nothing more than my duty. It’s all I have ever done.
She’s learned inu-youkai as well. She spoke it to the
pup to calm him.’
He paused,
remembering how she had approached him. She had been afraid for her pup and
uncertain, but brave. He had no doubt that both of them would have proven formidable
opponents if he had meant ill-will. He knew all too well how ferociously a
mother could defend her offspring. His own mother had died defending him from a
dragon, and he remembered that terrible day very well. The look in her eyes was
the same one his brother’s woman had had in hers when she thought he might be a
danger to the pup.
She is strong. Strong enough for my brother, and she
tempers his stupidity.’
The thought
struck him as odd and he shoved it away.
He moved to
walk on, but stopped again, his brow furrowed.
is dead. Died defending a weak human
female and his half-breed whelp. Fool. He should have killed the pup at birth.’
A
pang struck his heart as he remembered the pup his brother now cared for. He
had looked disturbingly similar to another inu-hanyou
whelp that had been presented to him as a squalling infant.
heir, this is your younger brother Inuyasha.”
he is a hanyou.”
He is your brother. If anything ever happens to me, you must do your duty as my
eldest son and protect him.”
Later
he would see the whelp again, after it had been orphaned. Word had come to him
of Izayoi’s death and he had traveled to see to the
well-being of his brother, because it was his duty as eldest son and his
father’s wish. He had found the half-breed whelp sealed in a root cellar; kept
in the dark like a caged animal. Inuyasha had been filthy and starved, and he
would never forget the sight of the wan face that peered up at him from the
dank dirt; hope, recognition and fear in the golden eyes.
“
squinting in the sudden light.
He
had been struck with such rage at his brother’s condition that he’d slaughtered
the priest who had set the seals and two of the guards. Then he had taken the
starving half-breed with him, dragging the whelp to the nearest lake and
throwing him in.
“Bathe
and get rid of your horrid stink,” he had ordered the shivering child.
Inuyasha
had obeyed without protest and followed him without a word afterwards. Later,
knowing the whelp was too weak to hunt on his own he had tossed him a dead
rabbit.
want your food cooked like a human’s, build a fire and
cook it yourself.”
teach you.”
Seeing the
lot of his feelings of shame and regret at his treatment of his own brother.
There had been a time when the hanyou had worshipped him, looking up to him
with trusting and adoring eyes, and had followed him everywhere. It
had irritated him to be shadowed by the half-breed whelp, and he had made
certain that it didn’t take long for him to figure out that his brother held
nothing for him but distain.
hate me?”
hanyou, a filthy half-breed who is beneath me.”
and Haha-ue loved me.”
and his human wench are dead. I am all you have now until you can fend for
yourself. Get used to it.”
for me and take me with you?”
duty as Chichi-ue’s eldest son and heir. Chichi-
life to save you and that human bitch from death. Neither of you deserved to
live! But you are my brother and I am honor bound to protect you. Expect
nothing else from me.”
He had been
cruel. Unnecessarily so, and he realized that now. At the time, he had been
filled with resentment and hate, and his own grief at the loss of his father.
He had taken it out on the child. He remembered well the beatings and
the ultimate humiliation of all: a human spanking administered to the whelp’s
bare backside. In the beginning, Inuyasha would beg and cry, but then one day
he stopped crying and never cried again.
On that day
he knew he had broken something inside of the child, something that could never
be repaired or forgiven. Hanyou, filthy half-breed whelp, Inuyasha might have
been, but he was still their father’s son, and he had made an enemy of a
potentially powerful ally. The Leader of the Dogs’ blood ran in Inuyasha’s
veins and it had bred true. For a hanyou, Inuyasha would be strong. He saw that
in the whelp’s unbreakable determination to live, and he had often wondered
when his abuse of the child would come back to haunt him.
It had been
disgraceful of him to treat the whelp so harshly and unbefitting of a
the error of his ways, it was too late and the damage had been done. Inuyasha
had well and truly hated him by then, and their decades-long battle of wills
had begun.
soon as he was able to fend for himself. It was good that I no longer had to
look at our father’s half-breed disgrace.’
The
disgrace their father had bequeathed the famed Tessaiga.
For years
he had gnashed his teeth and railed at the injustice of his father’s choice to
give his lowly hanyou sibling the famous sword, that and the fact that his
father had not entrusted him with the location of his grave. He had thought to
force his father’s hand and claim the sword for himself,
only to be rejected by the sword and struck down by his father’s own fang. The
humiliation of his loss to his half-breed brother had made him seethe and roil
with indignant rage, and he had vowed to wield Tessaiga
even if he had to kill Inuyasha to do it.
It wasn’t
until Naraku’s detachment broke the sword, that he
would learn Tessaiga’s true purpose. Now he would not
dream of taking the sealing sword from Inuyasha, if only to prevent other
Chichi-ue was right to give Tessaiga
to that half-breed.’
In its
sheath Tenseiga pulsed once, reminding him of its
presence, and he touched the familiar hilt with his hand.
talking to me much more. This Sesshoumaru is only
beginning to understand the things Chichi-ue was
trying tell me.’
He looked
at both of his swords. Toukijin, forged from the teeth
of the oni that broke Tessaiga,
able to kill with its kenatsu alone, and
fang, blade of healing that was able to revive those gone to the next world.
be worthy of Chichi-ue’s favor.’
those who live there. This is the duty of the Lord of the Western Lands.
Whether the threat is youkai or human, both must be
dealt with the same. Even Chichi-ue, with his
fondness for humans, would agree.’
He moved
again, gathering his thoughts together.
rabble who dares to oppose me. When they squabble and battle amongst
themselves, it is no concern of mine, but when they bring the stench of death
and blood to my ancestral home, and bribe my servants to betray me and conspire
to take Rin, I have no choice but to answer in kind.’
He looked
to the sky, frowning. ‘I do not want to
fight humans. They are weak and fragile things not worthy of my attention, but
their insult cannot go ignored.’
Breathing
deeply, he called his power and surrounded himself with a ball of light.
cannot come home until I have made it safe for her to do so.’
It was his
last thought before he took to the air and streaked off towards the Western
horizon.
********
exclaimed and threw herself at the shocked boy.
“
voice, placing his hands on the girl’s shoulders.
“
tight.
Something
akin to happiness came into Kohaku’s eyes and he saw
Kagome smile.
now.’
“
beside her.
She turned
to him and smiled. “I was just thinking the same thing. Kohaku
is so quiet and alone. I know he is tormented by his memories and blames
himself for the death of so many. None of us have any real time for him. You
and I are busy looking for shards and caring for Yukio, and Sango and Miroku
are busy taking care of their daughter. Maybe someone who can give all of her
time to him is exactly what Kohaku needs right now.”
He nodded.
“She’ll have someone to distract her from thinking about my brother, and he’ll
have someone to keep him from sitting around and brooding all damn day.”
“A match
made in heaven. Besides, it’s obvious that Rin has
forgiven Kohaku for trying to kill her. She
beg Sesshoumaru to save his life when
shard.”
“And my
cold-hearted brother did it. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?”
She shook
her head. “No. Sesshoumaru isn’t as cold and
unfeeling as he’d like us to think he is. He tries hard to hide it, but he
cares a lot more than I think even
fact that he can use Tenseiga is proof enough that
his heart is good.”
managed that.”
“Your
father knew his sons very well. He knew Sesshoumaru
had a good heart, but to wield Tenseiga he had to
learn how to use it. And he knew you would be compassionate enough to handle
love for humans,” she replied.
“I don’t
love humans!” he protested. ‘Well… maybe
one or two…’
She smiled
coyly and kissed him. “Yes, you do.”
He growled
at her but she just snickered and handed him his son.
any help.”
She was
gone before he could voice his disapproval. ‘Damn
wench, running off again. You’d think she’d never seen a pup before. She’s got
one right here, and he’s cuter.’
“
direction Kagome had gone. :Mother-female.:
“
Yukio
turned big watery eyes his way. :Mother-female gone.:
“No. She’s
right here in the village. Nose her out,” he said, tapping his nose then
Yukio’s. :Mother-female with pack. Scent still
He saw the
pup sniff the air. :Mother-female scent.:
He nodded.
leader-male.:
He
chuckled. “Shippou is with the old woman. Let’s go see what Kaede-babaa
is up to.”
“’K,” Yukio
answered, chewing on his fist.
Turning, he
headed for the miko’s hut, Yukio balanced on one arm
and looking around at everything. The pup was beginning to recognize home and
specific places. He knew the den, Kaede’s hut, and
Sango and Miroku’s hut, and he knew the village was a
large above ground den that housed the whole pack.
They found
the old miko tending her garden.
“
hopping up onto her fence.
“Inuyasha,”
Kaede replied, pulling out some weeds and placing
them in a basket.
“
that, she’ll sit me into oblivion!” he gasped.
He was learning that laughter meant he had done something pleasing.
“No! Don’t
laugh!”
“
“He becomes
more like his father every day, Inuyasha,” Kaede
teased, still chuckling.
you’re only encouraging him!”
Babaa!”
Yukio’s
eyes went wide with surprise and hurt, but he submitted immediately like he
always did and groveled.
shit…’
He released
the pup’s neck and cuddled him.
“I’m sorry
too, pup.” :Sorry.:
Yukio’s
little whimpers made him feel awful for losing his temper, and he nuzzled the
pup, patting his back.
and sit Oyaji. Oyaji
deserves it.”
He looked
up from comforting his son to see the old woman staring at him with eyes that
bore into his soul.
“What are
you looking at?” he snorted.
The old
“Where’s
Shippou?”
“I sent him
off to play with some of the village children. Where is Kagome?”
He sighed
and hopped off the fence, coming to sit cross-legged by the old woman with
Yukio in his lap. The pup was still clingy and uncertain.
“She’s
helping Sango,” he said with a forlorn sigh.
challenge. She has not the inherent patience Kagome possesses and the demands
of an infant are taxing to her.”
He scoffed.
“Especially human pups. They’re loud and cry all
night. Inu-youkai pups are much better behaved.”
‘beet-faced piglet?’”
“I didn’t
mean it as an insult,” he said defensively.
“I know.”
They fell
quiet for a while. Kaede weeded and he sat watching
her. He gave Yukio some of the flowers Kaede had
taken out of the garden, and the pup busied himself with ripping them up and
seeing if they were edible. Inuyasha knew from experience that they were, but
horribly bitter.
“
his tongue with his teeth. “Pleh.
Pleh.
Pleh.”
“No good,
huh pup?”
He patted
the pup’s back as he spit out the rest of it.
“That’ll
teach you. You won’t eat that again.”
“He does
learn quickly,” Kaede commented.
Inuyasha
beamed with pride. “He’s a smart one.”
mean?”
“Nothing,”
the miko replied innocently, handing Yukio a sweet
root for him to chew on. The pup munched on it happily.
He growled softly
in irritation but Kaede ignored him, and they fell
silent again.
“
of hearing distance to bring up the subject. “No one has heard or seen Kikyou
in a very long time. Do you think something has happened to her?”
The old
woman paused a moment, then resumed her weeding. “The one who would know that
is Kagome.”
“If Kikyou-
belongs to Kagome would return to her. Kagome could not help but feel it if it
happened. If Kagome has not felt my sister’s passing, then it is safe to assume
that Kikyou-onee-sama remains walking
on this plane,” she explained.
He blinked,
thinking. “Would Kagome tell me such a thing?”
for even asking such an obviously stupid question.
She wouldn’t keep something like that from you.’
“It is
doubtful that Kagome would keep something like that from you, Inuyasha. Indeed,
I don’t think she could,” the old woman said, as if she could read and give
voice to his thoughts.
“But if
Kikyou is still alive, why hasn’t she come to see me? She usually appears once
every few weeks, but it has been many months since her last visit.”
“Do you
miss her, Inuyasha?” Kaede asked leadingly.
“No,” he
answered immediately. “But I am… concerned.”
nothing can be resolved…’
“It is as I
said before. Kikyou-onee-sama is not here.”
“Do you
think she has gone on without me?”
He was
surprised by how hurt he was by the idea that Kikyou might have left him
without ever saying anything.
her coming to tell me something instead
of just disarinaring and making me worry.’
“I cannot
begin to know what my sister’s intentions are, and that is the source of my
primary worry.”
“Bah! I
told you before, Kikyou is different now. Kagome healed her.”
“I believe
you. Kagome is a remarkable child.”
more remarkable than you will ever know, babaa.’
“Still, it
would be better if we heard from her so we would know her whereabouts and
actions, ne?” she added.
“Yes, and I
would like to speak with her as well.”
are going to do?”
He nodded.
“Ultimately the decision is Kikyou’s, but I have
decided to choose Kagome if I can.”
“And if you
cannot? If my sister will not release her claim on you, what
then?”
“I will beg
her to let me live until Kagome comes to the end of her mortal life. Kikyou is
immortal and I will outlive Kagome by many centuries. I will ask her to wait so
that I may fulfill my promise to Kagome and our pup,” he replied.
want to go with her, and it would mean my having to abandon Kagome and the pup.
I… I don’t think I can do that. Would my Kikyou, the one I loved, even ask such
a thing of me?’
“How long
will Rin be staying with
us?” she asked.
human army after the Western Lands.”
“I have
heard rumors that tell of this.”
actually poses a threat to Sesshoumaru and our
father’s kingdom.’
He didn’t
like the way the thought made him feel.
can’t leave Kagome and the pup. Besides if he needs help, I know he’ll ask for
it. He sent Jaken to fetch me when the cats came back
fifty years ago. It was how he found out that I had been sealed.’
“They’re
fools. Sesshoumaru cares nothing for humans. They’re
all going to die.”
“If that is
so, why did he bring the child here for you to protect?” the old woman asked
wisely.
“How the
Hell should I know? He says he doesn’t care about the girl, yet he swore
vengeance when Naraku tried to use her against him,
and I know he saved her life with Tenseiga. She said
so when she begged my brother for Kohaku’s life. Why
he would do that is beyond me. Sesshoumaru has always
hated humans.”
he is more like his father than he would care to admit.”
tell him that, babaa. That way you’ll get slapped
with his youki whip and not me.”
Just then
both he and Yukio caught Kagome’s scent coming towards them and turned to face
the direction she was coming from.
“
She came
into view and Yukio squealed a greeting. Inuyasha let him go when he struggled
to get out of his lap, and he toddled over to grab his mother’s leg.
“How’s my
little big dog?” she said sweetly, picking him up, cuddling him, and giving him
an inu-youkai greeting as well.
“
“How is the
taijiya?” Kaede asked.
scorpion and she’s in her element. Give her an infant who needs her diaper
changed and she’s helpless,” she answered, coming to stand next to where he was
sitting.
“Surely
Sango is not that bad,” the old woman chided.
Kagome
shook her head. “No, but motherhood isn’t what she thought it would be. I think
she thought her baby would be like Yukio and she’s not.”
“It will
get easier for her once the infant is sleeping through the night.”
Kagome
nodded. “I told her that. And Miroku does help her a lot. As much as he can, I
think. He can’t feed her, but he’ll rock her and change her and take her so
Sango gets a break.”
“He is a
good husband.”
“Yes, he
is. He’s a much better husband than I thought he would be. He’s stopped being a
lecher almost completely. He told me he intends to name the baby
“Yes it
is,” she agreed. “Anyway, I’m hot. I’m going to go take a swim and then go to
the den.”
“It will be
much cooler underground,” Kaede commented.
what we’re doing, babaa…’ he thought
lasciviously.
He stood,
pretending to be irritated. “Feh,
you and your water. Are you sure you’re not a water demon in Kagome’s
body?”
She gave
him a sly look. “I promise I’ll give you the chance to find out,” she teased.
“
flashing angrily. “What are you teaching our son?”
“It’s not
my fault! He just heard me say it and started calling her that!” he stammered,
sweating.
“Inuyasha…”
“Sit,
si
sighed and closed his eyes. ‘Here it
comes…’
His face
hit the dirt.
Yukio
giggled. “It,” he burbled.
“
himself up.
“
for?!”
She stood
over him, her face hard. “You are going to stop teaching our son bad manners,
right?”
“I didn’t
do it on purpose!”
slammed into the ground a third time. “Alright!
Alright! I’ll stop being a rude, insensitive hanyou around the pup!”
“Thank
you.”
He picked
himself up, watching her warily just in case she decided that he hadn’t been
punished enough, but it looked like she was finished.
to use later,” she teased softly so only he would hear.
He blushed
then flooded with heat in other, lower places.
“
trying to keep a straight face.
She looked
surprised, then began to laugh softly and linked her arm with his, pulling him
with her as she walked away. “C’mon leader-male. I
want that swim.”
“I still
say you’re a water demon that took over Kagome’s body.”
“Hmmm, I
might give you the chance to find out.”
“
Only might?”
“Well, you
did piss me off.”
“I told you
it wasn’t my fault! He heard me say ‘babaa’ and just
repeated it.”
“
He slammed
to the ground.
As he
picked himself up a third time and ran after her, he heard Kaede
cluck and chuckle softly.
“That boy
never learns.”