CLAIMING KIN by Salome and Talon

A Parent's Love

By Salome and Talon

Author's Note: So glad the "Intermission" (fluff) chapter went over so well. But now it's back to the angsty aftermath of the evil that Tetsuo the bull (boo hiss) wrought upon our beloved boys. Never fear, though, for in this long, loving chapter Onii will begin to recover his confidence…thanks to Papa helping get his ass back in gear. Happy 2009, and thanks to for continuing to read and review. Even a few lines of encouragement does wonders for us!

Warning: Shouta. Smut. Kinks of many varieties. Don’t read it if you don’t want to.

My Lord Father,

I do not know who I am anymore. I have failed Kin—your offspring, my child—more completely than I ever thought possible. And I have failed myself more fully in failing him than will permit me to eat, sleep, or face you. I continue to visit my boy, to check on his progress, to ensure he knows I will never abandon him even as I have already so horribly done so in letting him be taken and hurt so grossly and so deeply. I cannot and will not compound the damage by withholding myself from him now, though the wrongness of his looking to me for comfort strikes me like a blow each time I look at his battered body and into his innocent, lost eyes. At moments he seems almost to wish to ease my pain and it is more than I can bear, Father.

You have already been more than sympathetic, more supportive than any son could ask for during this tragedy. I cannot but imagine how deep your disappointment in me must be, though I feel you withholding whatever deep emotions you bear regarding it, just as I withhold the depth of my self-loathing from Kin. I hate to ask any more of you, Father, but I must. I have sworn to find a way to keep my child safe from this moment on. And yet my mind is as blank as my heart is torn. I am empty. I can think of nothing that does not reveal Kin's true and complete vulnerability as a child, a hanyou, and a bastard.

I do not wish you to solve this dilemma for me. I fear it cannot be solved, but nor would I have you take on responsibilities that I have accepted. And I can envision your reaction to these words so clearly: "I would not take them on even if you did asked, my son." Rather, I wish only to ask: Is there a better life for Kin? In my selfishness and inexperience, I have wronged him so terribly that the fact that he is alive and will heal is more a gift than I can possibly merit. If there is a better life he can have that I cannot see right now, my revered and esteemed Lord Father, I beg you to help me free him…from me.

I await your leisure to contemplate this matter and summon me if you should wish to reply. Until then, I will be at Kin's side, giving him all of myself, as I always have. That it is not nearly enough is a burden I can bear so much more easily than he can his wounds, both mental and physical.

Your Devoted Son,

Sesshoumaru

~

Tai reads the message over and over and rubs his eyes. His poor child. Both of them, yes...but it is Sesshoumaru he worries about most, and not only because he is his favored One True Son and Heir. That has never changed, and it never can or will change. But Kin, though frightened and injured, seems to have taken the incident much more easily than his eldest child. True enough that part of it is because of the status he bore most of his young life. And Tai feels his soul flinch at every word uttered in the child's uneasy sleep. Worthless. Hanyou. Slave. Not a slave. And the way he begged for his Onii, over and over again. No one else. Just Sesshoumaru. That alone speaks volumes.

No, his hanyou offspring will heal, under his boy's watchful eye and care. But who will heal his boy? Kin, to the best of his ability. Yes, the little one will try. And that little spitfire youkai side of him...Tai was never so exhausted as he was dealing with that particular side of Kin... Ken...Sesshoumaru called him. Though so strong and fierce, he had also been much more insecure and clingy and needful than the hanyou when he returned. It had been a humbling experience...to see his own offspring in a way he never had before. And now, the Inuyasha called Kin rests and heals while his older brother questions and berates himself. Tai reads the letter again and rubs his eyes again.

That his boy actually questions whether the child would have a better life away from him somehow breaks his heart into tiny, sharp pieces. On the one hand, it shows how much his child has grown in the past…why it has been nearly a year now since Kin was given to him. On the other hand, it also shows traces of the spoiled, indulged child he has been. That somehow by dodging his responsibility it would be better for all. Tai is savvy enough to know that his eldest child would be aghast to realize that is some of what his words are saying, but Tai has the experience and the long eye to see it.

And that he thinks him, his own father, disappointed in him? The Lord groans aloud. Parents cannot watch their children all the time, or keep them from getting hurt all the time. In looking into the matter of Tetsuo the bull, Tai found himself appalled that one such as he lived and worked under him, and his father and possibly even his father's father for so long. Going back through records, there was a small but consistent pattern of slaves and servants going missing...some returning with severe wounds they would not discuss, even under threat of dismissal or treason, and others who never returned nor surfaced anywhere else. And this incident has made him more aware then ever of the bastards he is eventually sending out into the world. Bastards they may be, but they will have lives that befit their station, unless they do something that provokes a different path.

No, Sesshoumaru is not to blame for this. If anyone has blame to take, it is Tai, for allowing such a being to live and work beneath him, known and unknown. Spies, he expected. But dangers like the bull, he had not. And he will not accept their presence. Which is why, very quietly, Tai's most trusted men (and women) are slowly going through the household workers, one by one, logging and categorizing them. Not only will it out any spies that may be lurking but it will also give him a registry to work from in the future.

And now that the puppy's youkai has receded and the hanyou come back out, Sesshoumaru has far too much time to think and not enough to actually DO. He pens a short reply to Sesshoumaru, asking that the puppy be left in the care of Kini, the wet nurse, and that Sesshoumaru report to his Lord Father. At once.

Yes, it is past time they should have this discussion. He leans back in his chair as the servant scampers off to deliver his sealed scroll to Lord Sesshoumaru...a task that no one wants anymore, given his fierce protection of his child.

A better life. Away from his Oniisama? The very thought is laughable. And yet, Tai can smell and taste the sincerity in his son's grief-filled words. Well, let him come before his father, and let his father do what he must to console his child.

Patiently, Tail waits.

~

Sesshoumaru receives the small scroll while he is seated at Kin's side, helping—or more accurately coaxing—him to sip the thick herbal broth that supplements his own healing powers effectively. It is the only remedy he even grudgingly approves of, for he has seen it work. Kin is obedient and eager to reassure his Onii that he is getting better every day. Sesshoumaru feels his need to comfort and bolster his ego deeply painful, but to show that would be to make matters even more intolerable. When he offers to sip some of the broth too, so they can both make the same horrible face at its dreadful smell and taste, Kin smiles. Sesshoumaru, in his restrained way, almost-smiles back. The moment is painful but wonderful. As he bends forward to kiss his boy's soft lips, the servant is announced, bearing a tight little scroll. From Lord Tai.

Sesshoumaru notes well that Kin easily accepts the forced lightness in his apology as he states that he must attend his father for a moment as soon as Kini can be summoned. The reminder of how good Kini's milk will taste after the horrible healer's potion is unnecessary, but the ritual of its mention is one more gesture toward ease between them. Both sons of the great Lord of the Western Lands are trying equally hard not to tip the delicate balance of emotions. Sesshoumaru is relieved to find Kini was just on her way to serve as he completes his kiss. She enters and he thanks the gracious, loving wetnurse and strides silently from the room.

Kin waits until the door closes behind Onii to put his ears down. Kini is here, and she helps him finish the medicine, then lies with him, being comfortable and comforting in the way that only Kini can be. He wonders what Papa wants with Onii, and he hopes whatever it is will help Onii. Nothing Kin does seems to help his big sadness, no matter how many times he assures his Onii that he is better and better...Onii's sadness is very heavy.

~

Once beyond the door, Sesshoumaru sighs heavily and hastens his pace. Past unseen servants and down long, echoing hallways, his mind is stilled and tense as he approaches his father's office. He wills himself to think of nothing, to guess at nothing, though he knows well that a curt summons is likely to signify Tai's great discontent. Without further contemplation, he arrives at the ornately carved doors and asks a guard to announce him.

Tai looks up at the guard and shakes his head, rising, to meet his son, opening the door. "Come with me please, Sesshoumaru," he says, neither his voice nor his scent betraying any of his thoughts or intentions.

"As my Lord Father wishes," Sesshoumaru replies with quiet firmness, standing tall, his aura seemingly confident before the guards, and follows. He cannot guess where they are going, nor will he. Papa will tell him what must be done, since he cannot seem to be strong enough on his own.

Tai has Sesshoumaru's scroll tucked into his robe and he leads his child to his bedchamber, and points to the chairs set in front of the crackling fire. Begin at the beginning. "Sit down, Sesshoumaru, and explain to me this note you sent."

Sesshoumaru is not surprised that they will talk in his bedchamber and not his office, but he can deduce nothing significant in the decision. It might be a desire for greater comfort or greater privacy, or simply a change of scenery. Does it truly matter? But the question he is asked shocks him, and that does matter. "Father?" he says, confusion in his eyes. "I do not understand. I labored hard to be as open and clear as possible…" He catches himself. This is no way to talk to his Lord Father, especially when his voice is so formal. "Forgive me." He considers again. Perhaps Tai just wishes to know why he felt it necessary to write rather than speak with him. "I wrote because I feared I would struggle with holding back my fears if I were to say these things aloud. I…sought to be honest…truly and fully so, my Lord…Papa."

Tai takes a breath, and lets it out. "I do understand why you sent it, pup," he says gently. "And I understand what it says and why it says what it says. What I want is to know why you feel you have failed him so utterly? Because he got lost in the bowels of this castle? Because I, Lord of this castle and all I survey allowed such a person to not only work, but live in this, my home...my sanctuary for all whom I call family? Why is this your failing? I do not understand Sesshoumaru. And I want you to tell me." Tai sits, seemingly at ease in one of the large chairs before the fire, watching his son calmly.

Sesshoumaru's brow creases as he lifts his head fully to see into the proud, powerful eyes of his father as he…takes on responsibility for his son's failure? Surely not. Before he can bear to accept the possibility that this is Papa's fault, he speaks. "I am the boy's guardian. You gave him to me." He finds himself nearly out of breath, though he has spoken only two sentences. His heart hammers. "Even if the…the bull should long ago have been destroyed, or exiled before he could do his worst…even so…Kin is my child…my responsibility." He fights back tears and curses himself inwardly for their threatened appearance. "Damn it, Papa, you know your own anguish as a parent—the infant death, the miscarriage, my struggle to survive. I know you blamed yourself…" He pauses to catch his breath. But there is more to say. "Have you truly never questioned whether I...whether any of your children would be better off…" When he realizes what he is saying, he finds himself stunned again. He has never for one moment of his life wished he was the child of any but Lord Tai. Never. He forces himself to his feet and then to his knees before his Lord Father. He presses his face to the stiff boots he knows so well. He truly is lost.

Tai bends down and lifts first his child's face, then his body, laying his head and upper body across his lap so he can stroke the distraught head. "My precious child, I gave you Kin for many reasons. And I have had no reason to ever regret that decision. Not now, not ever. I have made so many mistakes in your lifetime, Sesshoumaru. I am sure if you got your mother in the right mood, she would be happy to enumerate them for you. Kin is my child because I gave him life. But I gave his life up to you. Do you honestly think anyone else would bother themselves about a bastard inu-hanyou the way you are right now?" He strokes Sesshoumaru's face as he speaks, quietly and firmly. "Your responsibility, yes." He grips Sesshoumaru's face in his hands, hard, to get his attention and pins him with his gaze. "Your responsibility. It is not something you can doubt, nor run away from. I do not think you are trying to escape your responsibility, but in your grief and your self-blame and doubt you are forgetting entirely that it is Kin you are responsible for. You are forgetting his feelings, and his needs and his desires. Not on purpose...it is how grief and blame work. I know. But they lie, Sesshoumaru. Do not heed them. Know, inside you...that spot I know exists...where your love for your child lives. Know he would not trade you for anyone. Not for myself nor even his mother, despite how he loves her. Understand that."

Every word his father says is true. Even that no one else would likely want responsibility for the "bastard inu-hanyou" except to bind him into servitude…or worse. That thought enrages him more than anything because he loves the child as nothing else in this life. Does his pitiful state not give testament to the depth of that love with crystal clarity? Yes. All is clear now. "I should not have written what I did, nor had it brought to you. My failures multiply by the moment. But I will not run from them, nor whatever form your disfavor may take at my weakness, my Lord."

Tai resists the urge to roll his eyes and smack his son for missing the point entirely. Instead he grips his loose, beautiful hair in a tight fist. "You weakness lies not in coming to me for help, whelp. It lies in asking for the wrong thing. Understand this, my one and only Sesshoumaru: You may always come to me for anything, without fear of ridicule, or reprisal, or punishment. You may bring me your questions, your doubts, your fears...but do not ask me such a stupid question as to whether your child needs to be protected from the one person on this earth who would give his life for him."

Sesshoumaru thrills at the small pain of his father's fist in his hair and at the satisfying harshness of his words. They hurt…perfectly. "As my Lord says. I am weak, and wrong."

Tai studies his son for long seconds. Sesshoumaru is stressed and unhappy and confused. He needs solid grounding and reassurance, but he can't take reassurance. Not of his child's love, or his father's love or anything until he has reached some sort of...retribution. "Disrobe, Sesshoumaru." He releases the handful of hair.

Sesshoumaru nods minutely and rises. He disrobes without the sensuous flair he reserves for his father's eyes, or with the dominant seduction of undressing for Kin, nor even the eagerness he displayed throughout his youth for his wresting sexual play with Prince Kouga of the Mountain Wolf Tribe. No, Papa is not wanting him to strip, just to bare himself. The cool air of the room hits his bare skin like the sting of icy water. Good. This is good.

Tai watches with cool eyes. He keeps his scent toned way down because he is watching, reading what his child needs the most in order to move forward. "Bow before me, Sesshoumaru and tell your Lord Father what guilts you most."

Sesshoumaru drops, instantly, to his knees and touches his forehead to his hands on the floor. He has, to his memory, not abased himself before anyone, not even his father, this way since he was a child…and even then, not more than a handful of times in total. Why is it so good now? Where has his alpha pride gone? In a soft monotone, he speaks to the floor. "No matter how powerful or toxic I may be, Kin can be taken from me, misused, tortured, killed. I…I did not know that…and I do not want to know it now. I do not think I can live every day knowing it, my Lord Father. And it is that which makes me truly weak and unworthy."

"What are you going to do about it, Sesshoumaru? Since leaving your child without you is not an option." Tai's voice is smooth and strong, his scent even, tinged with a bit of loving dominance.

Sesshoumaru remains very still, thinking. He is going to do what he has always done, can do nothing but do: he has claimed Kin, he will keep Kin. Kin belongs to him. Why does his father bother asking? What he will do and whether he has a right to call himself an alpha any longer are two different questions. "I will uphold my responsibility, my Lord Father."

Tai casually presses the sole of his boot down on Sesshoumaru's head. "Answer my question directly, Sesshoumaru. How are you going to keep your child safe? How are you going to uphold the responsibilities that you were born to as the One True Son and Heir of the Lord and Lady of the Western Lands?"

Sesshoumaru pants as his father's symbolic gesture fails to trigger the reaction a dominant inuyoukai should have to such humiliation. He speaks in a rush because he does not know why he feels no inner struggle. "I will protect him with my life, my Lord Father. I will keep him with me whenever as I can and I will ensure he is never without the protection of servants and guards I trust when I cannot. I will kill anyone who hurts him…who touches him…ever…" Tears threaten again and he brings his hands up and holds his father's foot down as he keens in pain to keep himself from crying.

Tai listens and watches and smells his son's grief, his guilt come pouring out of him in a rush. He knows what his child is feeling. The knowledge that all the power and all the dominance in the world cannot stop bad things from happening to those you love is a difficult reality to face.

More pours forth: "I want to collar him, leash him, cage him. Like a slave. Like an animal. Anything to keep him safe. But I cannot. He is neither slave nor animal. I would not break his spirit, I will not." He claws at his father's boot. "Help me, Papa…"

Tai's voice is toneless as he replies. "More than once I wished to keep you small, so that I could always wrap you in my fur and keep you safe. That your mother's embrace would ever be enough to ward off anyone who would try to harm you. Before you can let your child grow, Sesshoumaru, you must grow past this self-pity. It is about keeping Kin safe, yes, but it is also about keeping you safe from the pain of losing him. You cannot be a slave to the idea of that pain."

"Yes, my Lord Father," Sesshoumaru answers, soothed by the wise, strong words. He knows his resolve should be equally strong, but right now it is all he can do to withdraw his hands from his father's foot and let his scent show his desire to rise.

Slowly he removes his boot from his child's head and watches him. "Have you anything to say to me, Sesshoumaru?"

Sesshoumaru sits up on his heels, but keeps his eyes down for the moment as he thinks. To say? Forgive me? Thank you? I will do my best? What is there to say that is not unworthy. "I…I will find a way to make my boy safe enough to keep me from being a slave to fear. I am my father's one true alpha son, and I will not fail you, Kin, or myself." The words sound good, right. He wishes he felt them more deeply, but perhaps that would come…eventually.

"Indeed." Tai rises and pushes back a shoji screen that hides some of his more personal...equipment...most of which Sesshoumaru is intimately familiar with. His hands and movements are steady as he works and adjusts the bench for Sesshoumaru's size and measurements. His boy needs to purge his guilt at the very least. And the fear can go with it. This...submission that he should be fighting and he is not must also go. Tai knows his child. And he knows himself. And he will not be easy on either one of them.

Sesshoumaru's eyes widen. He cannot say he predicted this, nor can he think of resisting. "Is my Lord so disappointed in my response?" he asks, wondering if perhaps he is misunderstanding. Where the hell is his aura? He feels more naked than he has been since childhood.

Tai turns to face him. "I am not disappointed in you in any way, my precious terror." And he emphasizes it by going over and tilting that little pointed chin up and kissing that doubtful mouth. "This is not about punishment, though you may accept it as such if you wish. Go take your place, and trust Papa to explain."

He accepts the kiss gratefully. He wants to whimper "Make me whole again, Papa," but even as he thinks it he realizes this is what Papa is about to do. He rises gracefully and places himself properly over the bench, ankles and wrists placed for cuffing, should his Lord Father decide to do so. It is sized perfectly to his body, for Tai knows his every measurement without thought. This comforts and rouses Sesshoumaru, who finds his cock twitching even as he lies hard upon it.

The movements are soothing, and Tai breathes in and out as he straps his son's wrists and ankles, waist and neck, stroking his head softly when he is finished. "Listen well, Sesshoumaru, because this is for your ears only. I know, as I love you...so do you love the child I have given you. And it pleases me more than I may ever tell you again that I chose him...and that you chose each other when I did."

The words make Sesshoumaru's breath catch. He whispers "Papa," and, bound hard and firmly, hair spilling down across his face and back, the tears at last cannot be held back. No sobbing, just a steady, burning flow.

He finds the good, heavy flogger. One that will sting well, and hit hard at the same time. It is well used, well broken in, and fits in his hand perfectly. "I will purge you, my child. And then you may move forward." He bends to kiss his son's mouth softly, then stands back and begins. His blows are hard and steady, up and down his back from the soles of his feet to his shoulders. He puts his considerable strength into each blow. "Let it out. Get rid of it," he orders. "All of it. That guilt you are carrying. Let it go. Your boy is alive and safe and YOU saved him."

Sesshoumaru does not move, does not wince. His tears flow but do not become weeping, his body welts but does not bleed, his scent remains faint and alien. He feels, relishes each blow. And Papa's words. He urges himself to purge…please…open for Papa…open so you can reclaim yourself…and your boy…please, Papa, beat me…

Tai takes a break and switches for a moment, removing his haori and boots, to stand barefooted and barechested. "Look up at me, Sesshoumaru." When he feels his child's eyes on him he slowly unties his hair and lets it fall around his shoulders and back. "You are my precious terror. Let go." He hefts the paddle that has more than a hint of wolf on it from teenaged years gone by and moves behind his boy to begin to beat his ass over and over again.

At first, the paddling, though harshly delivered, is simply a familiar stinging pain, burning through him. After a while and as his powerfully muscled sire puts his considerable strength into it, his entire body is rocked by it. He is trapped in the neck restraint, his fists ball and his balls tighten. A feeling of claustrophobia fills him. And the beating does not stop. The same places where ass meets thigh, over and over and over. Unrelenting, unforgiving, Papa's might beating his pain out of him. Unable to move out of reach even slightly, Sesshoumaru finds himself howling. A long, high inu wail that does not cease, even when his voice breaks and grows hoarse.

He paddles him through the hoarseness through the howl, and his voice joins his son's. He puts the paddle aside and mounts him, his cock sliding between those spread cheeks, not penetrating, but humping slightly. "Who do you belong to, Sesshoumaru," he growls softly in his son's ear.

Sesshoumaru bucks at the unexpected covering of his body with his fathers, the mock mounting. Why now? Is he not supposed to be taking back his power? Taking Papa's beating to release his weakness, not to be further owned by his father? He can say it, easily. The words "I belong to my Lord Father" are always close to his lips and his heart, from years of training, unquestioned love and respect, even during the worst of his adolescent rebellion. But why? His heart pounds in his chest and he hisses through his teeth.

Tai smiles, pushes his cock against him harder and says softly. "Who belongs to Lord Sesshoumaru?" His hands grab the sore, purple-red cheeks of his boy's ass.

Sesshoumaru groans at the new pain even as his mind twists with way Papa's question changes and his scent changes with it. What game is this? He struggles with the restraints, though he does not directly challenge Tai's mount.

Tai oils his cock and presses it at his boy's tight-as-fuck entrance. "Who belongs to you, Sesshoumaru!! TELL ME."

Sesshoumaru thrashes and grits his teeth. "Kin," he growls, "Kin belongs to me. My father's child, Kin, belongs to ME."

"Again," Tai commands as he shoves his cock into his boy. "Tell me Sesshoumaru...tell yourself...who is your child? Who do you love above all others in this life? Who would you lay down your life for, my precious boy?"

"Ahhhh fuck!" Sesshoumaru spits. That cock. That enormous fucking cock. There is no way to escape it and gods it hurts. His father demands he bring forth his dominance and pins him down with his cock simultaneously. Damn it. "Kin. Shit. You know it, Papa. You know the answer." He groans and writhes pointlessly in his bonds. "Kin is mine. Kin belongs to me. To me alone." His voice grows in strength, as does his scent and his cock, crushed beneath him. "He belongs to no one else. Ever. EVER. Fuck, Papa, your fucking cock. You're splitting me open," he pants and cries out: "Kin. KIN. KIN!"

His fur twines around Sesshoumaru's thrashing fur, stroking and calming it even as he shoves his cock in hard and deep. "That's right. The child is YOURS, Sesshoumaru...and no one may take him from you. NOT," he shoves hard, "EVEN," he smacks his hand hard on that well beaten backside, "YOU." He growls the last, meaningfully into the boy's ear as he hilts himself fully. "That child is yours, now and forever, and you will NEVER AGAIN think that his life without you is an option." His hands are gentle now, stroking Sesshoumaru's hair as he speaks, making sure his child hears and heeds every word. "It would kill him, Sesshoumaru. He would die. First spiritually, and then gradually his body would follow. Without you, the boy will not wish to live. And he will die. No matter how many orders you give to the contrary, if you take yourself away from your child, it will kill him." He lets his words sink in as he holds himself within his boy, rocking gently, his skin warm against the hotness that is his pup's beaten flesh.

Sesshoumaru winces, feels…good. "Yes, Papa… I will not leave him. Ever. And I'll make him as safe as I can… but kami-sama, why are you telling me this with your cock shoved so fucking hard up my fucking ass, you sadistic beast?"

Tai chuckles. "So that you may reclaim that part of yourself too. You are mine, Sesshoumaru. A grown dog, a strong alpha, but part of you is mine, nonetheless." He kisses the back of his neck. "Besides, I oiled my cock, I don't know what you're bitching about...bitch." He pulls back and shoves into him. "A good beating and a good fucking and a good loving by your Papa is what you need. And I need. I can still taste his blood..." His mind flickers to fighting his boy off so he could help heal the worst of the child's wounds before he buries his face into Sesshoumaru's neck and sucks there as he begins to fuck him...not too roughly at first.

"You convince yourself," he grunts, "that you fuck me to strengthen me." He moans as his father hits that deep, sweet spot with short, sweet strokes. "But you just can't resist mounting your one true, son…and bitch." He gasps, "Fuck…yeah… Oh fuck…I'm right aren't I, old man?"

He wuffs, deep in his chest, a sound of amusement and contentment. "You are right," he says as he fucks him good, angling upwards and just to the side...there... "My precious terror...no one is as good an ass fuck as you baby...you have no equal."

He whimpers like a bitch in heat. How this changed from so much pain to so much lighthearted pleasure, he does not know. All he knows is that only Papa could make it happen. "Show me, my Lord…show your boy-bitch how good his fuck is." He takes it greedily. And when Papa comes…and perhaps lets him come, he thinks—insofar as his mind is capable of higher thought, it will be time to return to his pup, proud and determined, both aura and control at last in tact.

~

Kin startles and then whimpers. He had been asleep. He hadn't realized he'd fallen asleep and he immediately whines for Onii and Kini calms him at once and he remembers that Onii is with Papa. The light in the room tells him that Onii has been gone a long time and he sighs and curls up against Kini's soft warmth. He smells the milk that is always available to him, waiting in her breasts, but it does not rouse his hunger. He pets her breasts, though. As always they are friendly and comforting and he loves them, even if he does not wish to feed right now.

Kini smiles, so pleased he has slept in her arms so quietly. And she is so happy to know the combination of Kin's own saliva, the healer's herbal medicines, and her own milk has helped make him better. Above all of that, of course, is the love and protectiveness of Lord Sesshoumaru. She is honored to play her small role in their lives. "Kini is here, Kin. Feed when you wish or just stay in my arms." She knows he will feed…when he is ready.

"I know." His voice is soft. Many parts of the experience, Ken is keeping from him. He does not insist. But at the point where Ken went feral, he cannot and could not hide that. And the before...it is not so very frightening now, but he is still sore and aches where the whip struck him, and from where he struggled and hung. "Papa came," he tells her. "Onii did not want to let anyone near, even the healer at first, even though he called them. Papa came and made the biggest bleeds stop." Everything else had to be his own, and the healer's herbs, because even Papa's scent on Ken and Kin made Onii...not happy.

"Lord Sesshoumaru is very protective of his boy," she says, smoothing his hair and leaving her robe open for him to nurse, should he decide to. He has lost weight and there are still little circles beneath his eyes. But Kini has hope and knows little Kin will be well...in time. It cannot be otherwise.

He lays his head on her soft, sweet smelling breast and just rests for the moment. His hair is uneven...a big hunk had been cut from it. He does not remember that. Mostly he is tired. He is not truly afraid because Ken was not afraid, and Onii came. And Jaken-sama. And he knows the bull is dead. But the healings and the herbs and the licking and Onii's rage that he keeps all bottled up is tiring.

"Sometimes the pain inside is much worse than the pain outside," Kini says, hoping to offer sympathy and understanding to the child. "But it fades in time, too." She keeps softly stroking and wishes she could do more...so much more.

He nods. "Ken needed to rest, so he went back in and I came back out. He fought hard, Kini. He wanted to kill the bull. The more the bull hurt him, the fiercer Ken got. Some of it he hides from me. Some he can't." He looks up at Kini. "I'm not afraid, Kini. Onii said. I'm just tired." He sighs a little bit. "And achy," he admits. The bleeding had been easy enough to stop, but the impact of some of the strikes has left bone deep bruises...and they take longer to heal. "The healer said my arm will probably have a little scar. But everywhere else should be good."

"Ken is very fierce...and I am so glad he protected you, and still does. I hope he can come out again so I may feed him too," she says, blushing with her boldness. She thinks about the little fierce child inside this child and longs to comfort him.

"Onii has gone to see Papa, Kini. I hope..." His voice trails off. Onii is so...angry sometimes, and other times he smells sad and guilty and Kin cannot understand why. He is not sure what he hopes Papa will do for Onii. "Onii doesn't feel good," he says at last. "Maybe Papa will make him feel better."

"I am certain he will. Lord Sesshoumaru must heal, too."

Kin sighs and pulls his Onii doggie closer. "I'm not hungry right now Kini...but please don't go away."

"I wouldn't dream of going away, precious one. I will stay until your Onii returns." She kisses his warm little forehead and closes her eyes.

He pets her as he lies in her arms. He doesn't sleep, but he rests and that is just as good as sleeping. After a long while, he asks, "Kini?"

"Yes, Kin?"

"Do I make you sad?" He rubs her other breast softly.

"Of course not," she says, perhaps too quickly. Kin makes her life so much more full than she could possibly have imagined such a short time ago. So she means what she says, but that is not what Kin is truly asking. "Sometimes, Kin-san, when you are sad, I am sad too. But that is because I love you. And loving you makes me very, very happy."

"Kin does not mean to be sad." He sighs quietly. "Kin is just tired. But Kin can't sleep Kini..."

"When Kin's body is ready to sleep, Kin will sleep." She places him on top of her and bundles the furs over them. Her arms wrap him close and she puts his head on her shoulder and hums a quiet lullaby.

"Kini," he whispers as his body settles. Onii is not here, but he is present. His scent is strong...everywhere. Everywhere Kin goes now, Onii's scent is strong...warning. He wonders if his Mother knows what happened. He hopes not. "People will stop making funny smells around me, won't they Kini?"

"Do they make 'funny smells,' little one?" She smoothes his hair back from his forehead and places a kiss.

"Yes. They are..." He sighs. "I can't explain it. But they don't smell normal. They smell funny at me. Like..."

"They are worried about you, sweet Kin. That is all. They smell of worry and concern. Do I not?"

"Not the same." He shakes his head gently. "I feel funny anyway. When I smell that...smell...it's strange and...makes me not want them to look at me."

"I am sorry it makes you feel funny, Kin-san. I hope it eases soon, for you all. My heart is very full...of love for you both...even for Lord Tai. He works very hard to make the kingdom a good place for all of us."

He nods. "Yes. Kin won't forget. Papa is scary, yes...but...Kini?" He looks up. "The bull came at me...and I...he was big. And I thought...Papa is bigger. I still couldn't get away."

Kini holds Kin even more tightly, though she tries not to crush him or show him how frightened she feels even hearing about his...ordeal. A tear slips down her face and she tries to ignore it. "He was a terrible, terrible creature, Kin. But he is gone now. Forever."

"I know. Kin isn't afraid. Onii said that Kin is safe. Kin believes him." He looks up. "Kini...don't be scared...it's okay."

"Ohh," she says, blushing, "you mustn't worry about me, Kin-san. I am here to help you feel safe.... I…I..." She dissolves in quiet tears.

He leans up on his elbows and he wipes her face gently. "Kini...it's okay. I promise. I don't even hurt very much anymore."

She shakes her head and blinks away tears as Kin wipes. "Forgive me," she murmurs, "I did not mean to...I just want...I only...I am just so grateful you are all right..." She holds Kin and presses kisses to his soft face, lost in her emotions and thus heedless of her status as servant for the moment.

He puts his little arms around her neck and closes his eyes at her soft kisses and gentle hands. "Ken is strong, Kini."

"I am so grateful to Ken. Will you tell him, Kin-san?"

"I will." He rubs his nipple absently. It doesn't hurt...there's just the ghost of a hurt there.

"Since you are tired but cannot sleep, would you like to tell Kini a story?"

"What story would Kini like?" He cocks his head to one side curiously.

"The fairytale about the handsome lord, the beautiful pup, and the happy loving servant."

Sesshoumaru has been at the slightly open window, listening from the balcony, the cool night wind soothing his overheated body and mind, blowing his scent outward to keep Kin and Kini from sensing him until he is ready to rejoin them. When he left after the harsh beating and rough fuck that has done more for him than all the soothing words and loving reassurance in the world, he took to the air, flying high over the castle and reminding himself of who he is and what he and Kin needs. But he could not stay gone for long. He thought to find Kin asleep, but this is better. He feels renewed and reinvigorated and his short time aloft has reinforced the plan he has been considering for protecting his boy. He smiles inwardly at Kini's fairytale.

He thinks about that. He and Kini know it is a true story, of course. So, in an echo of his bossy, slightly spoiled way, he instructs Kini to arrange the pillows so she might sit up just a bit, then he makes them both comfy. "Once there was a beautiful Lord. He had a puppy who was his best to be a good boy always. And their servant was lovely and beautiful and soft and good smelling, and the beautiful Lord was perfect."

"And the servant was so happy to belong to them that she made all the milk that ever there was, and they drank it all up so she made even more," she adds, with a smile.

"Yes. And she would do whatever the puppy wanted, and loved him. She would make him feel good, and he could make her feel good, and so could the perfect beautiful Lord. And they drank it all up because it was sweet and good like her milk too."

Kini blushes and smiles. "And the servant passed out from blushing so much from all the attention the pup and the Lord gave her in their generosity."

Sesshoumaru huffs in pleasure, so glad to see Kin at ease and so grateful for Kini's warmth and devotion to his boy. He has not enjoyed his pup sexually since the atrocity (as he thinks of it), and he is happy Kin can talk in such casual terms about sexual intimacy now. His pup. His servant. Yes.

"But she waked back up...and they did it again. And and...and..." He sighs and curls up against Kini. "And she is warm and soft and good."

"And he is loving and gentle and...safe." She kisses his forehead again. "Do you suppose they all lived happily ever after?"

"Oh yes," Sesshoumaru says, entering the room, dominance in his demeanor and scent, just as he wishes it to be.

Kin turns and lifts his arms up automatically. "Yes, because the Lord makes everyone safe. 'Specially the puppy."

Sesshoumaru strides to the bed and takes Kin into his arms. "The puppy belongs to the Lord, so all is well. He looks down at Kini as his fur wraps Kin's little bottom possessively. "I am grateful for how well you care for my child," he says, with an alpha confidence he owns yet knows he owes his father for. His ass and thighs and back burn to remind him.

Kini blushes again and quietly reminds her Lord that her services are always at his command and there is nowhere else she would rather be than caring for Kin-san. She rises and fastens her robes.

Kin snuggles his face into Onii's chest and is held close. "Kin was not hungry...just tired, but can't sleep more yet, Onii. Will you stay? Please?" He swallows. "Onii? Are you okay?"

"Of course, I will stay, little one. Perhaps you will sleep if Onii sleeps with you. And yes, Onii is very much 'okay.'" He still loathes what happened to his boy, still blames himself for failing to protect him, but yes, he is…okay. And he will make things even better.

He clings hard. "Please stay. Kin will sleep if Onii stays. Please. I promise."

Kini bows and waits for Sesshoumaru to dismiss her. The boy needs his Onii, and she does not want her own needs to interfere with what is best for the pup now.

"Kin, I am not leaving," Sesshoumaru says again, quietly and firmly. "I want nothing more than to hold my boy and to rest." He turns to Kini. "Thank you again, Kini. You may go."

He holds tight. "Thank you Kini...please come back tomorrow." He nudges his head up under Onii's chin. "Onii will stay and hold Kin and rest," he whispers almost to himself.

"Good night, little one," Kini says, bowing again and smiling softly, and then she quietly leaves.

"Good night, Kini..." He sits up in Onii's arms and noses his cheek. "Kin missed you...but Onii leaves lots of smells for Kin."

He rubs noses and walks them to the bed. "Oh yes? What smells, pup?"

"Warning ones. Big warning ones."

"Yes, Onii's anger at anyone who tries to hurt his pup is big. So his warning smells are big too." He breathes in deeply and reminds himself that Kin is safe now. Safe and his. Always his. And he will not fail him again. Ever. He feels the burn of his father's harsh flogging of his lower back and is grateful for the pain as reminder.

He does not want to ask. But he has to. "Why is Onii hurt?" he whispers.

"Hurt?" he asks, and for a split second he does not know what Kin means. And then he does. "Onii is not hurt, Kin..." Well, not injured...not accidentally injured or battle-wounded... "Papa...Onii and Papa..." He sighs. "Papa was helping Onii to feel better," he says, futilely.

"Oh. That's okay then. Onii and Papa...that is okay. Kin...doesn't understand entirely...but...but...Kin can smell that Papa did help Onii be…better."

"Yes, Papa helped me be…strong again." He smiles the non-smile that only Kin can see, grateful Kin understands as well as he does.

"If that is what Onii wishes," he says. "Onii spanks Kin...right?" He looks up hopefully. Not because he wants a spanking...but because he is understanding...right?

He ponders that a moment as he puts Kin down and gracefully strips off his clothes. "Onii spanks Kin to remind us that Kin belongs to Onii, yes. But Papa…spanked me to remind me that Kin belongs to Onii also. Not exactly the same," he says, lightly, grasping Kin and slipping beneath the furs with him, "but yes, to remind us of who we are. And I am yours, pup. Now and always." He tips up the little face and kisses his sweet little mouth with gentle possessiveness. "Your protector, your alpha, your Onii."