June 2010 Week 4
Title:How It Could Have Been; ch 39 Relatives.
Author:petalears
Universe:Alternate
Rating:PG
Summary:Makoto's sister comes to visit.
Quote:Politeness, n. The most acceptable hypocrisy.-Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary
Relatives
Every day was becoming more of a struggle for Inuyasha. He sat gingerly on a plank that was suspended to a strong tree bough by two sturdy ropes but he was not playing, he was in disgrace yet again. Like all little boys and most little girls, Inuyasha got into mischief when he was left to his own devices. Snivelling to himself, he felt great injustice; he never meant to get into trouble, but it always seemed to find him. It was not his fault that Makoto’s sister overheard Inuyasha call her a miserable, flea ridden old hag; she shouldn’t have been hiding behind the washing where the scent of the soap had hidden her own.
Inuyasha wasn’t a rude pup by nature, to the contrary, he liked to please and was a happy boy; but she tried his patience to breaking point and it had become worse as time went on. She and her husband had come to live at Makoto’s farm when their eldest son took over the running of the original farm; he was the oldest boy, Makoto’s oldest brother only having produced girls. The daughter too had married and left home, so they had come to help Izayoi and Makoto with their farm and children and stayed on permanently; the deciding factor being the birth of Hanako and Izayoi’s slower recovery from the birth.
Inuyasha knew that the woman felt the same way as her mother had about him and he tried to keep out of her way so as not to annoy, but it was never enough. She still managed to make politely snide comments in his hearing and then when the matter of Hanako came up, she had got worse. Inuyasha cast his mind back to when he had come home to the farm last time. Izayoi was still pregnant and Inuyasha’s sibling’s aunt and uncle had come to help; the children were excited because their aunt was a favourite, always having time for her brother’s children now that her own were grown.
FLASHBACK
Inuyasha was excited too as he got caught up in the preparations, and was jumping up and down along with his brothers and sister as they took turns to climb the tree to keep watch on the road. They had been up at the crack of dawn and no amount of Makoto saying that the travellers wouldn’t be arriving until mid morning had any impact on the children, much to the amusement of their parents. Eventually though they saw the dust disturbance from a cart and the greatly anticipated arrival was imminent. The children ran down the road to meet their relatives and spent the rest of the trip on the cart wondering aloud what was in all of the interesting parcels and boxes.
However it wasn’t until the afternoon and a good lunch that it was time for the presents to be given out and the parcels reveal their secrets. There were so many things, apparently the older brothers and their families had gone through the entire family farm and had a clear out. The visit to Makoto and Izayoi had been the excuse and anything that was in good order and useable had come down to the younger family. Outgrown toys and kimono, ornaments and utensils were all packed to see if they could find a new home.
Besides those things were various foods and seeds that the smaller farm did not produce for itself, and spices too that were hard to come by. The children were not interested in all the useful items though, they were sitting impatient but quietly for their presents. Their aunt gave Yori, Sora and Chouko a large wrapped parcel each and sat back watching the children open their presents. There was an assortment for each child, carved wooden toys and musical instruments, flutes and drums. Chouko had a couple of dolls that had a wardrobe of clothes to wear. Wooden swords and practice bows and arrows and nice useful things such as the new kimono and brushes with ink were also included.
Along with each discovery was a history of the item and who had played with it last, besides a timely exhortation to take care so that others might also have the fun once the toys were passed on. The time passed in great delight as each gift was explored and in the general confusion, nobody seemed to notice that Inuyasha had not received a parcel. The little hanyou sat with his brothers and sister amid the toys and gifts and wrapping, wondering if there was anything for him. He was happy and pleased for the others and showed his delight for them, but inside he was a bit frightened that he seemed to have been left overlooked and didn’t know why.
Every now and then he looked around in case there was a package that had not been opened; perhaps it had been hidden and forgotten, but he couldn’t see anything else. The children were all absorbed in their gifts and Izayoi and Makoto were engrossed in the kimono and foodstuff. Inuyasha looked down and studied the wooden boat he had been holding, one of several that had been given to his siblings. There was evidence that the well detailed boat had been sailed and that lent authenticity to its overall design.
However as Inuyasha thought and stared at the boat, his younger brother decided that he had held on to it long enough and had asked for it back; Inuyasha hadn’t heard him. After several futile attempts to get Inuyasha’s attention, Sora had resorted to wailing until Izayoi gently rebuked the older boy.
"Inuyasha, give Sora back his toy and play with your own please." Inuyasha didn’t reply or hand the boat back, he was engrossed in the model as he imagined it sailing on the duck pond and fighting storms and huge waves. His mother’s words eventually cut through though as her voice sounded more forceful;
"Inuyasha, give it back and play with your own." Izayoi said, her face frowning at what she saw as the unusually selfish behaviour of her eldest child. Then she frowned as Inuyasha got up and gave Sora the boat and quickly went to his room, ignoring the customary courtesy of bowing before he left. He went and sat on his bed, he was not sulking but he was afraid; Inuyasha was a pack animal, his greatest inherent fear was to be left alone and now his instincts were screaming at him.
It seemed to him that he was being excluded from his human pack, treated as an outsider and he was completely unnerved. It was not the fact that he hadn’t got a parcel; he had plenty of toys and clothes, although like any child he loved presents and was upset that he was left out of the family gifts. He had waited just as eagerly as his brothers and sister for the arrival of their aunt and uncle, and now was treated as if he was nobody. Inuyasha gave a loud sniff and wiped his face on his sleeve before pulling himself together; then choosing a toy from his box, he went back to join the family.
Makoto caught hold of the small boy as he came back and drew him in close, not liking the strange behaviour of the child and hoping to make him feel secure.
"Come Inuyasha; let me see what toy you have there." His voice was warm and inviting and Inuyasha showed him the figurine he had got with him. "Ah, but this is an old friend my boy, bring me one of your new toys and let me see if I remember its history."
"I didn’t get none." Inuyasha whispered; "there wasn’t a parcel for me." He looked down not wanting to meet his foster father’s eyes. Makoto was silent for a minute and then with understanding, pulled Inuyasha onto his lap holding him there with a firm arm; it made the small boy feel safe and dispelled some of the coldness that had crept into his heart.
"Sister, it would appear that Inuyasha’s parcel has been lost amongst all the other things you’ve brought; can you search for it?" Makoto waited expectantly, but was not prepared for her answer.
"There is no parcel for the boy Brother; these things belong to our family line." The sister said sweetly.
"Inuyasha is my son too, Sister; do you mean to tell me you didn’t bring anything at all for my eldest?"
"You do not make sense Brother; the hanyou is not yours, the boy has a living father, surely he gets his treats from him."
"I consider any child of Izayoi as my own..." Makoto would have proceeded, but Inuyasha butted in:
"Don’t argue...please. You are right, I have plenty of toys, and I don’t need anymore."
"There you are Makoto, the boy sees reason, now stop fussing and let your children show you their new things." She smiled at the children and Inuyasha went silently to sit by his mother who was extremely angry for her son although she didn’t show it, merely petting his ears and speaking to him quietly.
END FLASHBACK
Inuyasha sighed as he remembered thinking that perhaps there had been no ill intent towards him, no deliberate singling him out, but things hadn’t improved; rather the opposite since he had interfered with Hanako. The aunt was always polite to him personally, but he knew she felt he was a monster in the same way her mother had. She genuinely loved her niece and nephews and was very good with them; also she freed Izayoi to be the lady wife, concerned only with her children and light household things only. Any of the heavy work and minding of the animals the aunt willingly took over and was often with the children working on the farm.
However it was the aunt’s fault that Inuyasha was now sitting on the swing and grizzling to himself; it was her fault that she had been eavesdropping. Izayoi had been very angry at his rudeness, especially as he wouldn’t apologise, and she had accepted no excuse, before swatting him with her hairbrush, humiliating him in front of the aunt. It hadn’t really hurt for long, but Izayoi had never spanked him before and he was mortified that he had forced her into punishing him. But now he was not sorry at all that the aunt had overheard him, she was not the nice person she pretended to be and it was not fair that one reprimanded her for her sugar coated double standards.
TBC
A/N. The next chapter carries straight on from this one and explains what happened to make Inuyasha react. sorry I'm a bit early with the quote.
Author:petalears
Universe:Alternate
Rating:PG
Summary:Makoto's sister comes to visit.
Quote:Politeness, n. The most acceptable hypocrisy.-Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary
Relatives
Every day was becoming more of a struggle for Inuyasha. He sat gingerly on a plank that was suspended to a strong tree bough by two sturdy ropes but he was not playing, he was in disgrace yet again. Like all little boys and most little girls, Inuyasha got into mischief when he was left to his own devices. Snivelling to himself, he felt great injustice; he never meant to get into trouble, but it always seemed to find him. It was not his fault that Makoto’s sister overheard Inuyasha call her a miserable, flea ridden old hag; she shouldn’t have been hiding behind the washing where the scent of the soap had hidden her own.
Inuyasha wasn’t a rude pup by nature, to the contrary, he liked to please and was a happy boy; but she tried his patience to breaking point and it had become worse as time went on. She and her husband had come to live at Makoto’s farm when their eldest son took over the running of the original farm; he was the oldest boy, Makoto’s oldest brother only having produced girls. The daughter too had married and left home, so they had come to help Izayoi and Makoto with their farm and children and stayed on permanently; the deciding factor being the birth of Hanako and Izayoi’s slower recovery from the birth.
Inuyasha knew that the woman felt the same way as her mother had about him and he tried to keep out of her way so as not to annoy, but it was never enough. She still managed to make politely snide comments in his hearing and then when the matter of Hanako came up, she had got worse. Inuyasha cast his mind back to when he had come home to the farm last time. Izayoi was still pregnant and Inuyasha’s sibling’s aunt and uncle had come to help; the children were excited because their aunt was a favourite, always having time for her brother’s children now that her own were grown.
FLASHBACK
Inuyasha was excited too as he got caught up in the preparations, and was jumping up and down along with his brothers and sister as they took turns to climb the tree to keep watch on the road. They had been up at the crack of dawn and no amount of Makoto saying that the travellers wouldn’t be arriving until mid morning had any impact on the children, much to the amusement of their parents. Eventually though they saw the dust disturbance from a cart and the greatly anticipated arrival was imminent. The children ran down the road to meet their relatives and spent the rest of the trip on the cart wondering aloud what was in all of the interesting parcels and boxes.
However it wasn’t until the afternoon and a good lunch that it was time for the presents to be given out and the parcels reveal their secrets. There were so many things, apparently the older brothers and their families had gone through the entire family farm and had a clear out. The visit to Makoto and Izayoi had been the excuse and anything that was in good order and useable had come down to the younger family. Outgrown toys and kimono, ornaments and utensils were all packed to see if they could find a new home.
Besides those things were various foods and seeds that the smaller farm did not produce for itself, and spices too that were hard to come by. The children were not interested in all the useful items though, they were sitting impatient but quietly for their presents. Their aunt gave Yori, Sora and Chouko a large wrapped parcel each and sat back watching the children open their presents. There was an assortment for each child, carved wooden toys and musical instruments, flutes and drums. Chouko had a couple of dolls that had a wardrobe of clothes to wear. Wooden swords and practice bows and arrows and nice useful things such as the new kimono and brushes with ink were also included.
Along with each discovery was a history of the item and who had played with it last, besides a timely exhortation to take care so that others might also have the fun once the toys were passed on. The time passed in great delight as each gift was explored and in the general confusion, nobody seemed to notice that Inuyasha had not received a parcel. The little hanyou sat with his brothers and sister amid the toys and gifts and wrapping, wondering if there was anything for him. He was happy and pleased for the others and showed his delight for them, but inside he was a bit frightened that he seemed to have been left overlooked and didn’t know why.
Every now and then he looked around in case there was a package that had not been opened; perhaps it had been hidden and forgotten, but he couldn’t see anything else. The children were all absorbed in their gifts and Izayoi and Makoto were engrossed in the kimono and foodstuff. Inuyasha looked down and studied the wooden boat he had been holding, one of several that had been given to his siblings. There was evidence that the well detailed boat had been sailed and that lent authenticity to its overall design.
However as Inuyasha thought and stared at the boat, his younger brother decided that he had held on to it long enough and had asked for it back; Inuyasha hadn’t heard him. After several futile attempts to get Inuyasha’s attention, Sora had resorted to wailing until Izayoi gently rebuked the older boy.
"Inuyasha, give Sora back his toy and play with your own please." Inuyasha didn’t reply or hand the boat back, he was engrossed in the model as he imagined it sailing on the duck pond and fighting storms and huge waves. His mother’s words eventually cut through though as her voice sounded more forceful;
"Inuyasha, give it back and play with your own." Izayoi said, her face frowning at what she saw as the unusually selfish behaviour of her eldest child. Then she frowned as Inuyasha got up and gave Sora the boat and quickly went to his room, ignoring the customary courtesy of bowing before he left. He went and sat on his bed, he was not sulking but he was afraid; Inuyasha was a pack animal, his greatest inherent fear was to be left alone and now his instincts were screaming at him.
It seemed to him that he was being excluded from his human pack, treated as an outsider and he was completely unnerved. It was not the fact that he hadn’t got a parcel; he had plenty of toys and clothes, although like any child he loved presents and was upset that he was left out of the family gifts. He had waited just as eagerly as his brothers and sister for the arrival of their aunt and uncle, and now was treated as if he was nobody. Inuyasha gave a loud sniff and wiped his face on his sleeve before pulling himself together; then choosing a toy from his box, he went back to join the family.
Makoto caught hold of the small boy as he came back and drew him in close, not liking the strange behaviour of the child and hoping to make him feel secure.
"Come Inuyasha; let me see what toy you have there." His voice was warm and inviting and Inuyasha showed him the figurine he had got with him. "Ah, but this is an old friend my boy, bring me one of your new toys and let me see if I remember its history."
"I didn’t get none." Inuyasha whispered; "there wasn’t a parcel for me." He looked down not wanting to meet his foster father’s eyes. Makoto was silent for a minute and then with understanding, pulled Inuyasha onto his lap holding him there with a firm arm; it made the small boy feel safe and dispelled some of the coldness that had crept into his heart.
"Sister, it would appear that Inuyasha’s parcel has been lost amongst all the other things you’ve brought; can you search for it?" Makoto waited expectantly, but was not prepared for her answer.
"There is no parcel for the boy Brother; these things belong to our family line." The sister said sweetly.
"Inuyasha is my son too, Sister; do you mean to tell me you didn’t bring anything at all for my eldest?"
"You do not make sense Brother; the hanyou is not yours, the boy has a living father, surely he gets his treats from him."
"I consider any child of Izayoi as my own..." Makoto would have proceeded, but Inuyasha butted in:
"Don’t argue...please. You are right, I have plenty of toys, and I don’t need anymore."
"There you are Makoto, the boy sees reason, now stop fussing and let your children show you their new things." She smiled at the children and Inuyasha went silently to sit by his mother who was extremely angry for her son although she didn’t show it, merely petting his ears and speaking to him quietly.
END FLASHBACK
Inuyasha sighed as he remembered thinking that perhaps there had been no ill intent towards him, no deliberate singling him out, but things hadn’t improved; rather the opposite since he had interfered with Hanako. The aunt was always polite to him personally, but he knew she felt he was a monster in the same way her mother had. She genuinely loved her niece and nephews and was very good with them; also she freed Izayoi to be the lady wife, concerned only with her children and light household things only. Any of the heavy work and minding of the animals the aunt willingly took over and was often with the children working on the farm.
However it was the aunt’s fault that Inuyasha was now sitting on the swing and grizzling to himself; it was her fault that she had been eavesdropping. Izayoi had been very angry at his rudeness, especially as he wouldn’t apologise, and she had accepted no excuse, before swatting him with her hairbrush, humiliating him in front of the aunt. It hadn’t really hurt for long, but Izayoi had never spanked him before and he was mortified that he had forced her into punishing him. But now he was not sorry at all that the aunt had overheard him, she was not the nice person she pretended to be and it was not fair that one reprimanded her for her sugar coated double standards.
TBC
A/N. The next chapter carries straight on from this one and explains what happened to make Inuyasha react. sorry I'm a bit early with the quote.