A Conflict of Interest

Masumi crouched in the gyon, her button nose twitching as it caught a whiff of the hanyou. Full lips pulled into a grin, feet shifting softly in the loose dirt as the soft footsteps of the hanyou approached.



A brush of air, the rustle of cloth, gentle breathes, ruffling hair and padding steps. The hidden youkai tasted the zephyrs as the hanyou passed. Long ears seemed to swell with the sudden influx of sound. Every hair on her body felt like it stood on end, muscles tensing as she launched from the ground, fingers curved and claws at the ready.



Inuyasha could smell the anxious scent as he brushed past the hiding place. Swift, scurrying footsteps, dewy sweat, rapid breathing, and wind rushing over fur met the soft triangles. He sidestepped the overeager, would-be attacker, sweeping the shorter figure up by the back of the yukata.



“Uuuwaaahhh!”



“Ma-chan. It’s just before dawn. Why’re you awake this early?” The irate hanyou demanded. He’d been gone for a week discussing business with the Okami Koga. He’d pushed the company hard so he could get back early and snuggle with Sesshomaru. The last thing he’d be expecting was an ambush from the runt.



“To-tama! Lemme go! Lemme go!” She fretted and wriggled uselessly; the six year old’s whining voice rising. The silver tipped, black Mokomoko lashed out and wrapped around the restraining arm. She threw a pleading look over her shoulder, large gold eyes filling. She was like the desserts she loved, honey and sugar and impossible to resist, though the hanyou ignored her. Charms didn’t work on him after six years. “To-tama!”



“Quiet.” He snapped, a scowl on his face as he identified four others surrounding them. “Yuugiri! Ryuusei! Gyouan! Katsura!”



“To-tama! To-tama! O-kae-ri! O-kae-ri!” Three swarmed him, chorusing wildly.



Yuugiri, silver hair and Mokomoko like his father but had cerulean eyes, latched onto the outstretched arm, hanging from it as he gave a gape toothed grin. Inuyasha frowned, knowing the energetic pup had all his teeth when he left. Ryuusei with his short cropped gold tipped auburn hair clamored up his back, short arms latching around the hanyou’s neck as the matching Mokomoko wrapped around the hanyou’s waist for support.



Inuyasha grunted as a Katsura clad only in a loincloth crashed into his legs, a tiny likeness of her mother, right down to her lack of Mokomoko and bi-colored eyes. Only the reserved Gyouan didn’t rush the overburdened hanyou, smiling slightly in welcome. The jet haired, green eyed boy had inherited Sesshomaru’s reserved manner, though he kept his light swallowing locks cut into unruly spikes and lacking a Mokomoko.



“What are you five doing awake?” Inuyasha demanded, ignoring the snickering of the nearby sentry. “Where’s Jaken-jii and Rin-nee?”



“Ano! Ano!” Katsura fairly trembled with excitement, jumping up and down, multi-hued spikes bouncing off her neck. She was a wild one; more animal than youkai, often refusing clothes and disregarding anything that would appear courteous. “Rin-nee is sick!”



“Sou-sou!” Ryuusei piped up, warm breath brushing against the hanyou’s neck as he struggled to keep hold, bare feet pummeling Inuyasha’s back as he scrambled for purchase. “Jaken-jii went to help!”



“The four plague carrying monkeys have infected the entire household.” Gyouan supplied softly, an obvious quote from their youkai father.



“Jaken-jii left three days ago!” Yuugiri gave a helpful yip, clamoring onto the hanyou’s chest and having a brief slapping tussle with Ryuusei as he wrapped his arms around the neck. Inuyasha withstood their mad struggling with the air of long suffering.



Inuyasha closed his gold eyes for patience feeling as if the orbs were burning from his head with fatigue. Katsura latched more firmly onto his leg, sitting on his bare foot. He dropped the arm still holding Masumi to his side, allowing her to giggle and dangle in his grip as her toes brushed the ground.



“Why are you awake?” Inuyasha finally demanded, giving Gyouan a stern look.



Gyouan gave a mischievous smile, emerald eyes glistening with mirth. “We have not been to bed.”



“Oh, seven…” He bit off a curse before giving a sigh of defeat. Sesshomaru had been alone with eleven rambunctious pups for three days. He’d warmed up to them as crawling, mewling youkai. All fur, paws, eyes and hunger. As they gathered more energy and learned how to shift into their human forms, the older youkai could only take them in small doses and in pairs. The few youkai moriyaku (nanny) they’d had were driven away by the strong willed, viciously wicked youkai brood. Inuyasha could usually handle the easily excitable bunch, but Sesshomaru (despite the formal address the pups gave him) received no respect from the pups.



The youkai often made them cry with his short temper. Or they would distract and overwhelm him, tearing whatever plans the youkai had to bits. He was too afraid of damaging the pups to be too firm in punishment. He expanded vast amounts of energy just avoiding the whole horde, dealing out punishment to the hanyou for whatever the pups did to raise his ire.



Inuyasha took a breath for courage; starting to walk towards the room he could smell the remaining pups and Sesshomaru dwelled. He didn’t bother to shake off the clinging pups, his pace not hindered by their weight. Gyouan fell into step beside him, tiny legs pumping to keep pace.



“When did your brothers and sisters fall asleep?”



“Hnn…An hour ago?” Ryuusei said hesitantly, legs tangling with Yuugiri’s legs and the two Mokomoko wrapped around the hanyou’s waist.



“Chi!” Inuyasha bared his teeth.



“To-tama, don’t be mad!” Katsura begged from below him, her round face turned up and iris and forest-blue colored eyes wide.



“Why shouldn’t I be mad?” Inuyasha growled in reply. “I come home to find out you’ve been tormenting—“



“We did not torment Chichiue!” Yuugiri protested, face hanging just below the hanyou’s jaw. “We were just playen’!”



“Until almost dawn! I don’t even know what you were doing the past three days! Taking turns giving Chichiue the run around?” Inuyasha shot a look towards Gyouan, who (along with his gold fur, violet eyed brother, Taiyou) was devious enough to match Sesshomaru.



Gyouan had the grace to look shamed, his face coloring and refusing to meet the hanyou’s eyes.



I’m going to punish the whole lot. Inuyasha grumbled silently, wishing he could let matters lie till after he had sleep. His mind cataloged the fitting reprimand for each of the eleven terrors.



Inuyasha opened the shoji, amused and guilty at the sight that was before him. Sesshomaru was sleeping with a grimace, six pups either in youkai or human form laid out over his body. Charmed by the scene, Inuyasha bit the inside of his cheek to restrain a laugh. That Sesshomaru didn’t wake was proof of his exhaustion. They had truly run the youkai into the ground with their games. Waking him was inevitable, so Inuyasha filled his lungs.



“FALL IN!” He bellowed, shocking a concert of yelps and scrambling movements as the rudely waken pups groggily rushed to comply. The clinging ones slipped down, jumping into ranks. Inuyasha eyed them darkly, arms crossed over his chest. He noted that four didn’t even bother to change from their youkai forms. Even in their young youkai forms, they were the size of Great Danes. Their fur length and build varied from pup to pup.



Longhaired, brindle Himeshaga with her violet eyes and Mokomoko fringed around her neck like a mane, blinked up at him. Raiun yawned widely, a large ball of iron colored fluff but lacking a Mokomoko, his jet colored eyes blinking as his head drooped. Sleek, tawny gold Taiyou looked defiant, eyes glittering as the silver tipped copper Ariake cowered, black fringed ears plastered to her skull as she kept her gold and black eyes downcast with her Mokomoko like a shawl around her torso.



Hakugin, resembling his father the most in everything but personality, looked grim but still gave the returning hanyou a merry wave. His gold eyes wary but welcoming as he let his hand rest on top of Ariake’s spiky head.



I guess I should thank my stars that we don’t have Hakuro. She may be the doll of the Eastern Division, but she’s spoiled rotten and just as sharp. She’d cause more trouble if she weren’t their little angel. Inuyasha thought wearily of the hybrid mother, who rarely visited after the pups were weaned. Smart bitch, sticking to her eastern border with the troops and her pup.



He didn’t look at his brother, who was scowling from his futon.



“Extra hour of lessons all around for starters. You’ll also help clean up the wreck you made while you were making life hell around here.” Groans and protests erupted, but Inuyasha silenced them with a growl. “Taiyou and Gyouan, you can’t participate in Chichiue’s affairs for a week.”



“A week!” Taiyou exploded, looking at the taller hanyou in disbelief.



“Two!” Inuyasha snapped, daring the pair to argue. They grimaced, but kept their mouths shut, eyes flicking to meet one another’s before looking back at the hanyou. “Go to your rooms! If the sentries tell me you’ve snuck out, I’ll skin you both. If I hear you’re late for your lessons tomorrow, I’ll increase it a day for each hour.”



The two slunk off, sulking as a guard met them outside the shoji to lead them to their rooms.



“Hakugin, you can’t visit the human village for a week and have two hours of extra lessons. Masumi, no more sweets until I feel better about you. Himeshaga, you’re banned from the library and will have an hour extra weapons training.



“Keika, Ariake, you’ll join her in weapons. Raiun, I don’t want you near the weapon’s room or training room for a week. Ryuusei, Yuugiri, not only will you help out in the library for a week but you’re not to participate in weaponry at all. Katsura, an extra hour of etiquette and you’ll clean everyone’s room for a week. Next time I see you without a yukata on, there’ll be hell to pay.



“Follow those two in their bad behavior again, I’m not going to be easy going. Now SCAT!” Everyone fell out slowly, tails tucked between the youkai’s legs and the other’s looking mulish. The two escorting sentries threw the hanyou a look of pure astonishment as they followed the nine terrors.



Inuyasha exhaled deeply, finally collapsing back onto the futon beside the fuming youkai. He closed his eyes, trying to avoid the foreseeable for a few breaths before cracking an eye. The youkai’s eyes were swollen from lack of sleep and the lips were an uninformative line.



“You walk in and instant order.” The youkai growled, voice dry. “I cannot even get them all DRESSED. The sentries all mysteriously disappear when I need help most and I cannot track them and the children at the same time. They nearly fall from the ceiling to do your bidding.”



“I’m firm enough to where they listen. That and they know they make you uncomfortable when something doesn’t go your way.” Inuyasha pointed out, just wanting to go to sleep. He wrapped his arms around the extended thighs, burying his face in the youkai’s lap. “Sentries just know I can get them to listen…sorry Maru-nii. They just rebel against you. I didn’t know that Rin would get sick and would need help. What happened to Yuugiri’s tooth?”



“He was hiding from me on the roof. He slipped and fell face first on the ground.” Sesshomaru winced inwardly, remembering the scare. He didn't mention the broken nose, black eye, sprang wrist or knot that had healed in the afternoon. Tomorrow the tooth would be regrown. “It was going to fall out in any case.”



“Clutz.” Inuyasha muttered, obviously not too concerned. Youkai were hardy and he'd panicked enough before they reached four to last a lifetime.



The youkai sighed, finding comfort in the nearness of the hanyou that seemed to be the eye of every storm. He’d missed the order Inuyasha had brought to the unstable gosho because of the pups. They weren’t all bad, but together they spelled trouble. They were too clever for their own good and knew how to drive the youkai to distraction. If he weren’t so damned exhausted, he’d bury himself in the hanyou’s heat.



“How did the negotiations go?”



“Fine. Koga and I impressed the Hyou youkai into minding their manners now that they’ve settled half in our southern border and the western third of Koga’s. We’ll see how long they’ll stick to their word.” Inuyasha yawned, rubbing his face in the lap. He’d missed his brother’s scent and warmth.



“Next time I will see to them. I do not wish to have a repeat of the last three days. I am willing to believe that Gyouan and Taiyou managed to get the entire family sick just to arrange this.” Sesshomaru groused as he slid until the hanyou covered his chest. Inuyasha snickered, but made no other reply for a few beats of silence.



“I don’t know where to find anymore moriyaku. We could get a hold of your mother.” The hanyou sounded thoughtful and drowsy, which made the youkai wonder if Inuyasha were talking in his sleep.



“You are joking.”



“Not really. We haven’t talked to her since…fuck. Last time she popped up. Just send an invite. She may just be glad to see that you have a whole pack of hell hounds.” Inuyasha pointed out, nuzzling the jaw lightly as his ears angled back. “She’ll be pissed as it is you never invited her before. She’ll either love them or hate them. We don’t lose anything in the process. If we’re lucky, she’ll stay and help me keep them in line. Hell, I have a hard time imagining anyone willing crossing that bitch.”



“You did.” Sesshomaru pointed out, hearing and understanding the reasoning, but not liking the idea.



“I had a nice fang and a proof of its power to back me up.” Inuyasha pointed out, his eyes drifting shut as his voice began to fade. “I guess we wouldn’t have much luck if she stayed or not…”



“I would rather her not. She may lose interest in the pups and bother me.”



“Do you honestly think they would let her? They’ll keep her busy with trying to find her weaknesses. They’re possessive of you anyway. They wouldn’t stand for her to bother their precious Chichiue.” Inuyasha smiled slightly, realizing where Sesshomaru did not the extent of their children’s love for him. They wouldn’t bother if they didn’t care. They didn’t even tease all of the guards.



Silence and steady breathing filled the air as they slept in each other’s embrace. There were no biddings of sweet dreams or admissions of love, no lullabies or kiss goodnight. Affection seemed to breed naturally between them without any actions to re-enforce them. The thriving gosho and empire gave living proof to their devotion to one another.



An army of demon spawn to anchor the hanyou.



Faithful, unwavering support emotionally, physically, and politically bordering on obsessive for the youkai.



Words weren’t needed. They knew each other better than they knew themselves. Air was sweeter, the room brighter, and the wind gentler when they were at each other’s side.



The dawn, abiding betwixt night and day, bridging the gape to keep peace between the worlds it dwelled. The warm, intense shades a gentle reminder that nothing is absolute, darkness or light, and could co-exist in a sweet harmony.



The night, sharing all it can with the dawn and keeping the nightmares that nested in the darkness at bay. Colors more subdued but arresting just the same. It’s own brand of beauty, hidden in shadows and cold, sparse light lent to it from the jewel stars.



They are their father’s fangs, opposites in strength and weakness.



A youkai who needed compassion and kindness to wield a weapon meant to revive just as easily as destroy. Preparing him for the future that he was compelled to create with his brother.



A hanyou who needed a blade meant for mass destruction in order to balance out the human weakness that made him everything he was. Molding him into a worthy fighter that could withstand the call of duty.



The tapestry that wove their lives was long and intricate. They would walk they threads and help direct the image they were to depict. Perfect together and adrift apart.



Brothers.



Rivals.



Lovers.



Parents.



(Owari.)

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Oh, goodness. This was a ride, wasn't it? R&R!!! ^-^ I love the little monsters! I would write a whole book on them if I had the time! Ah... Their names!

Ryuusei - Falling Star, meteor.

Yuugiri - morning mist.

Hakugin - silver, snow.

Katsura - Japanese Judas Tree.

Ariake - dawn.

Raiun - Thunder cloud.

Taiyou - can mean sun, ocean, important terms or avarice (depending on the Kanji...He leans more towards avarice).

Gyouan - dark before dawn.

Masumi - A Japanese friend of mine's name. I love the name and I love her!! ^-^

Keika - light of a firefly, nimble, to be cautious.

Himeshaga - fringed iris

Hakuro - glistening dew, "white dew" solar term



And Chichiue is what samurai families before the meiji period called their fathers. lol



It's snowing here, by the way! I totally had a dream about the little monsters last night, too. lol I woke up fairly confused and I wished I recalled most of it so I could tell it! Anyway!



Thank you so much for sticking out with me for so long! Your support is what got me through this!