January 2010 Week 1
Title:How It Could Have Been; ch 31 Making Amends
Author:petalears
Universe:Alternate
Rating:PG
Summary:A solution is found.
Quote:Peace cannot be achieved through violence; it can only be attained through understanding. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Making Amends
Inuyasha reached his rooms and his upset had turned back into frustrated anger with his brother. He had cleaned his claws and was busy putting his assortment of balls and chase toys into a box by the time Sesshoumaru knocked and entered his room. Sesshoumaru would have smiled to himself as he heard the grumbling under his breath that Inuyasha was making, if not for the increase in youki he could identify.
Swiftly the older brother reached the younger who turned his golden eyes on his brother showing that red swirls were also in evidence, meaning that Inuyasha’s youkai was also angry and upset. Sesshoumaru went to pet Inuyasha’s ears in the way he always did when the boy was out of sorts, but he found his hand batted away and he heard the hanyou growling at him.
This was almost unheard of, but given the situation, Sesshoumaru respected Inuyasha’s space and moved over to the side and sat on the bed. He decided to speak with Inuyasha’s youkai to try and appease it, as his own was unsettled too with the situation.
"Inuyasha, why are you being rude to your alpha brother, my youkai is being made to feel unhappy?"
"Shu made my youkai sad and you is ashamed of me, that makes my youkai sad too. I am very cross Shu, you is unfair and you is mean to me." When Inuyasha wasn’t thinking he still got his tenses mixed up, but Sesshoumaru realised that now wasn’t the time to correct him.
"I didn’t realise all that the wolf had said and done to upset you Inuyasha."
"He didn’t upset my youkai, you did. You was right, it was my fault I lost my temper, not Kouga’s; but now you is ashamed of me and made my youkai sad." Inuyasha grumbled. The argument was rapidly becoming circular and Sesshoumaru knew he would have to show his little brother that he still loved him, because while the hanyou nursed his grievance, words would just fly over his head. So Sesshoumaru decided to change tack and asked what Inuyasha was doing with his toys.
"I’s putting them away, I don’t need them anymore...they are for babies and I’s not a baby now." With that Inuyasha jumped up from his bed and reached the top of his wardrobe to put the box away out of sight and mind. Sesshoumaru felt sad in a small way, Inuyasha wasn’t a baby but he was only a little pup still. The older brother scooted over on the bed and picked the youngster up wrapping his tail around them both as was his custom.
Yet once again, when he reached his fingers to find the sail-like ears, Inuyasha moved his head out of the way. Sesshoumaru found out that Inuyasha wasn’t to be appeased so easily, his human feelings and youkai pride had been very hurt. But he was a child who needed to feel secure boundaries at the moment and therefore Sesshoumaru held him closer and stroked his hair, while talking and growling softly to him in their natural tongue.
Within their shared bond Sesshoumaru reassured the little youkai nature inside his brother that he was proud of him and that it was who had made the mistake. The older brother was not ashamed of his younger at all and they remembered together all the times when they had been strong for one another. Slowly the hanyou relaxed against his brother as the calming words spoke to his blended soul, soothing the hurt and allowing Inuyasha’s heart to feel lightened.
The combined warmth of his brother’s tail and the gentle words and growls acting like a lullaby soon had the hanyou pup dozing off in Sesshoumaru’s lap. The youkai too felt relief as his inner being relaxed, knowing that their joint harmony was restored. For over an hour the two brothers sat together, one asleep, the other thinking, until the younger awoke again and once more objected to his ears being petted.
"I’s not a puppy dog Shu; no one else has ear rubs."
"No one else likes them like you do."
"I don’t anymore, I hate them; I hate my ears. Why aren’t I got side ears like you and Papa and Mama and everyone else?"
"Inuyasha, we have explained this before, you are a youkai and human mix and that is what makes your ears as they are."
"I doesn’t understand Shu; both Mama’s and Papa’s ears are on the side, why does only mine look like dog’s ears?"
"I’m not sure Inuyasha; all I do know is that it is because you are hanyou. I don’t think it matters and neither should you."
"Well I do, perhaps one day I can find someone to make me all youkai or all human."
"You will do no such thing, messing about with what you are just spells trouble and you hate your human night so how can you wish to be human all of the time?"
"I could be youkai." Inuyasha whined, but Sesshoumaru was stern.
"No Inuyasha; your youkai is too strong even when trained. I forbid you to look for such trickery and so will father when he hears about it." Sesshoumaru was adamant mainly because he knew that there were sorcerers around who would claim to be able to do such things, and they always wanted far too high a price. If Inuyasha were to carry on thinking along these lines, he would not give up and the idea would grow in his tenacious mind.
Powerful creatures such as those if they heard of his desires, would flock to him regardless of his young age in order to hold power over him and probably his father. However Sesshoumaru could recognise the despondency in Inuyasha and carried on speaking in a gentler manner, he was old enough to realise not to make his brother rebellious.
"Listen to me my brother; you are loved and accepted for who you are, you will get stronger as you grow and are trained. There is no need for you to want to be something else and until you are grown you will have Papa and I to protect you as we do Michiko. You both will learn and get stronger but meantime you are both pups at the moment."
"I’m not a puppy Shu, why do I have to keep on saying it?" Inuyasha sounded exasperated and suddenly everything fell into place for Sesshoumaru.
"Is this all about what Kouga said to you when he was trying to get your attention? Is that why you no longer want to play with your toys and why you don’t want your ears petted?" Sesshoumaru knew he had found the correct answer because of the sense of shame coming from Inuyasha. He cooled the flare of anger he felt for the wolf swiftly, and told Inuyasha what his father had said about the young Prince and how that it was really Kouga who was treated like a pet and not Inuyasha.
Inuyasha listened and thought he could understand what Sesshoumaru was saying to him but he needed further convincing and whined in his throat. The older brother carried on:
"You are a pup because we are Inuyoukai; Papa still calls me pup doesn’t he? As for your ears you like them petted and there is nothing wrong with that or chasing a ball or any of your other toys. In fact we will get them down and ask Papa to play with us both, shall we? Perhaps we can get our little Princess to join in."
"You will play too? I thought you were going to smack me for scratching your face."
"I provoked you Inuyasha and had I come here to punish you we would never have come to the proper understanding of your problem. You would just have become resentful, but now we will get your toys and find father."
"Your father is already here boys and so is your sister; now I think the best thing for you all to do is run because I fancy a game of hunt the pups." Inu no Taishou growled in a way that would frighten anyone else but his pups and then he laughed as they all scattered, including the, oh so grown up, Sesshoumaru. Then he snagged the box of Inuyasha’s toys from their place on the wardrobe and went out to play with his offspring.
Inuyasha didn’t return to school until after the short break as his family decided he needed some time at home to reinforce his ties to them. But he returned happy and ready to work again when he did go back and everyone welcomed him and it didn’t take long for him to be back in routine.