June 2010 Week 2
Title:How It Could Have Been; ch 40, Dumplings.
Author:petalears
Universe:Alternate
Rating:PG.
Summary:More remembering.
Quote:It's not a slam at you when people are rude - it's a slam at the people they've met before.
-F. Scott Fitzgerald
Dumplings
Not long passed before Inuyasha could scent that Makoto approached him and he waited with some trepidation. He was not afraid that his foster father would hurt him at all, nor would he punish him some more as that was not how his parents did things. But he knew he must have disappointed the man and was expecting a scolding at least. Makoto however was well used to childish upsets by now and Inuyasha’s reaction was not so very different to his own offspring in the way the boy felt. Makoto stood in front of Inuyasha and lifted the hanyou’s chin firmly with his hand to make the reluctant boy look him in the eye, and then he spoke;
"You will feel much better when you apologise to your mother Inuyasha."
"I’m not saying sorry to Aunty; I can’t, because I’m not." The reply sounded rude, but Makoto knew better, Inuyasha was unhappy and just being emphatic.
"Did I say you needed to do that? I said, you would feel better when you apologised to your mother; I made no mention of anyone else."
"But...she’s your sister...I thought..." Inuyasha hid behind his fringe in confusion; he recalled the time his foster father had whipped his hands when he was rude to the old lady. Makoto smiled at the bent head and ran his hand gently down the boy’s hair in a comforting gesture.
"Yes, Toshi is my older sister Inuyasha and your mother has dealt with your rudeness; but I consider you are my son just as much as if I was the one who sired you. I would never ask that you lie to anyone My Boy, and if it would be a lie to say you were sorry to my sister, I do not require that of you; any more than I did when you rebuked my mother that time." Makoto pulled him off the swing to stand before him, holding Inuyasha by his elbows;
"Toshi is my mother’s daughter, with the same prejudices; she was brought up not trusting in differences and no matter how sorry I am for her attitude, I cannot change it. She remembers Mother’s telling of her bad experience too well; it is not you she doesn’t like so much, it is anyone with youkai blood. But I can protect you; now, are you ready to dry your eyes and come inside?" With a final tweak of Inuyasha’s ears, Makoto turned and walked ahead leaving the boy to follow when he was ready.
Inuyasha was astounded at his foster father’s words, and grateful, but felt he should not have been so surprised. The man was known for his honesty and sense of fairness, and his family was very important to him. Inuyasha remembered that he had been given some of Makoto’s own cherished toys, which had been preserved for his children, on the day Inuyasha had been left out of the gift giving. Inuyasha recalled with a smile the look of shock on Toshi’s face when Makoto presented the toys to his foster son with a fond glance, before sending him to play with the others.
Inuyasha remembered also overhearing the strong, but kindly rebuke Makoto had given his sister, when he told her that no child of his should be singled out from the others again. He also told her that whenever Inu no Taishou came to visit he brought gifts for all of them and was most gracious. Makoto also exhorted his sister to learn a valuable lesson from the Daiyoukai’s generous nature. Inuyasha remembered he had grinned at the mental picture he got of a generous she-dragon offering him presents, then his face fell as he considered that Toshi hadn’t taken her brother’s wisdom to heart and that was start of the trouble Inuyasha had got into.
Inuyasha had been ecstatic with the gifts; much more than their monetary worth, was the sense of belonging and the history of the toys that reached so far back. The small hanyou was much too young to fully realise the significance that he was not actually of Makoto’s line and the need to belong was very strong in him. So he’d relaxed, his youkai once again feeling the much needed reassurance that he was a part of his human family. As Makoto heard Inuyasha trot up behind him, he waited until the boy caught up, and then rested his hand on the hanyou’s shoulder.
"Having said all of that Inuyasha, I still require some explanation of why you feel my sister deserved your scorn." His voice was firm and Inuyasha knew the explanation was not optional; he would have to tell his side of the story. All the way back to the house and after being told to take a bath to make himself presentable, Inuyasha thought about the aunt and how she was with him. When did her meanness come to the fore or rather when did he notice it again?
The nursemaid who bathed him was a gentle woman, but down to earth and she bustled about as she made sure that Inuyasha was clean and well groomed. That meant his claws were thoroughly scrubbed and clipped. Of course they were no longer sensitive from when he had tried to remove them, but he still flinched each time they needed tending. His nurse was aware of the reason why the involuntary reaction happened, and never commented on his rigid little hands; she merely rubbed them with cream which was soothing, until he relaxed again, the ordeal over.
Today however, Inuyasha remained tense; but the nurse knew that there had been a domestic upset and so didn’t question the boy, knowing only his parents were needed to solve the problem. But that didn’t stop her from giving Inuyasha a cuddle and telling him everything would be alright, while she brushed his hair out to dry and unknot it. Inuyasha sighed, he enjoyed being groomed; once again it was an instinctive feeling of well being and care, and it soothed him while he felt so awkward.
"Would it help to talk to me little one?"
"I dunno Akie; it makes me sound like a baby."
"Well if not me, make sure you tell your Mama." Akie smiled, as she carried on brushing the long white locks, enjoying the task almost as much as Inuyasha. He was pre-occupied though and thinking back to a couple of months after Hanako was born. Once the baby was old and strong enough to go outside in her brother’s care, Inuyasha took her out every day. At first he showed her the farm and the animals, but then he would seek out his siblings to join their play, usually though he ended up just a spectator because he couldn’t risk dropping the baby.
Sometimes by the time Hanako was changed and fed and they got outside, the others had gone and it would have been too dangerous to go and search while responsible for his sister’s safety. That all changed however once Izayoi was up and about as usual. She had seen for herself the way that Inuyasha would be alone with Hanako for most of the day and knew that his self imposed solitude was not good for the boy. She was much better now and decided that she would take Hanako for a few hours a day even against the boy’s wishes and make him go out, unencumbered by the frail baby.
At first Inuyasha had objected, his instincts wanting to make sure the baby was protected personally by him, but Izayoi said that Hanako was quite safe with her and sent him out. He would then go and find his siblings, usually to discover that they were finishing off some of the treats that Aunt Toshi had made for them. She was a very good cook and the house always smelled delicious with the scent of meals ready to welcome home tired and hungry children. The treats however were a more rare delight for Inuyasha; he never seemed to be around at the right time to share. Of course there would be the apologies that none were saved for him, but they didn’t know if he was coming or not, and the other children had earned their sweets for all of their hard work in the morning. If Inuyasha were hungry, Toshi was sure he could catch himself something from the forest.
Then when they came home from play, Inuyasha would often find that the adults were just finishing their afternoon tea with some more of the sweets that Toshi was so good at making. He never went hungry of course, but he missed out frequently on the sweet deserts and Toshi would once again say how sorry she was, but her baking and cooking was done for the day and that other things needed to be done. Inuyasha thought nothing of it until one day he was with the others when Aunt Toshi came with a basket of honey dumplings, a particular favourite with the children.
They were beautiful large dumplings with fruit inside, but there was only three. Inuyasha was not late and auntie said she hadn’t realised that Inuyasha would be with the others and so had not packed him one. She also refused to allow Yori to share, saying he had earned his treat and Inuyasha had not done any work that morning to build up an appetite in any case. Finally Inuyasha realised these were deliberate deprivations and that he was being left out again and he got angry. He was just as entitled to the treats as anyone else and he did work hard, it was not easy looking after Hanako.
Inuyasha’s resentment built up until he was fit to burst and that had caused his latest problem. He was passing the kitchen when he saw a fresh batch of dumplings cooling. There were exactly seven which meant that once again he was not to be included in the share out. These dumplings were not fruit however, but had a savoury meat filling and they made his mouth water. In less time than it took to think he had leapt in through the window and out again with the platter of dumplings in his hands, then before he could regret his decision, he proceeded to eat them all.
Once the evidence was gone, guilt set in, he had stolen the dumplings from everyone, something he had never done in his life. Stealing was a forbidden act by both his human and youkai families and he would be in serious trouble when he was found out. The thought made him angry and a bit frightened; the dumplings now didn’t sit so well in his stomach and he thought they weren’t worth the eating anymore. So he cursed Toshi and her discriminating ways that had made him steal, and his mother and aunt overheard part of the tirade which had led to his predicament now.
Explaining to Makoto why he had been rude was something Inuyasha was not looking forward to doing, especially as he knew that Toshi would have missed the dumplings by now. Shaking his head free of the brushing Akie had done, Inuyasha decided it was time to face the music. Makoto was right, he did need to apologise to his Mama and he knew that once he had done so, he would be forgiven; but his stubborn little heart would not feel remorse for Toshi’s so called ‘hurt feelings’.
Author:petalears
Universe:Alternate
Rating:PG.
Summary:More remembering.
Quote:It's not a slam at you when people are rude - it's a slam at the people they've met before.
-F. Scott Fitzgerald
Dumplings
Not long passed before Inuyasha could scent that Makoto approached him and he waited with some trepidation. He was not afraid that his foster father would hurt him at all, nor would he punish him some more as that was not how his parents did things. But he knew he must have disappointed the man and was expecting a scolding at least. Makoto however was well used to childish upsets by now and Inuyasha’s reaction was not so very different to his own offspring in the way the boy felt. Makoto stood in front of Inuyasha and lifted the hanyou’s chin firmly with his hand to make the reluctant boy look him in the eye, and then he spoke;
"You will feel much better when you apologise to your mother Inuyasha."
"I’m not saying sorry to Aunty; I can’t, because I’m not." The reply sounded rude, but Makoto knew better, Inuyasha was unhappy and just being emphatic.
"Did I say you needed to do that? I said, you would feel better when you apologised to your mother; I made no mention of anyone else."
"But...she’s your sister...I thought..." Inuyasha hid behind his fringe in confusion; he recalled the time his foster father had whipped his hands when he was rude to the old lady. Makoto smiled at the bent head and ran his hand gently down the boy’s hair in a comforting gesture.
"Yes, Toshi is my older sister Inuyasha and your mother has dealt with your rudeness; but I consider you are my son just as much as if I was the one who sired you. I would never ask that you lie to anyone My Boy, and if it would be a lie to say you were sorry to my sister, I do not require that of you; any more than I did when you rebuked my mother that time." Makoto pulled him off the swing to stand before him, holding Inuyasha by his elbows;
"Toshi is my mother’s daughter, with the same prejudices; she was brought up not trusting in differences and no matter how sorry I am for her attitude, I cannot change it. She remembers Mother’s telling of her bad experience too well; it is not you she doesn’t like so much, it is anyone with youkai blood. But I can protect you; now, are you ready to dry your eyes and come inside?" With a final tweak of Inuyasha’s ears, Makoto turned and walked ahead leaving the boy to follow when he was ready.
Inuyasha was astounded at his foster father’s words, and grateful, but felt he should not have been so surprised. The man was known for his honesty and sense of fairness, and his family was very important to him. Inuyasha remembered that he had been given some of Makoto’s own cherished toys, which had been preserved for his children, on the day Inuyasha had been left out of the gift giving. Inuyasha recalled with a smile the look of shock on Toshi’s face when Makoto presented the toys to his foster son with a fond glance, before sending him to play with the others.
Inuyasha remembered also overhearing the strong, but kindly rebuke Makoto had given his sister, when he told her that no child of his should be singled out from the others again. He also told her that whenever Inu no Taishou came to visit he brought gifts for all of them and was most gracious. Makoto also exhorted his sister to learn a valuable lesson from the Daiyoukai’s generous nature. Inuyasha remembered he had grinned at the mental picture he got of a generous she-dragon offering him presents, then his face fell as he considered that Toshi hadn’t taken her brother’s wisdom to heart and that was start of the trouble Inuyasha had got into.
Inuyasha had been ecstatic with the gifts; much more than their monetary worth, was the sense of belonging and the history of the toys that reached so far back. The small hanyou was much too young to fully realise the significance that he was not actually of Makoto’s line and the need to belong was very strong in him. So he’d relaxed, his youkai once again feeling the much needed reassurance that he was a part of his human family. As Makoto heard Inuyasha trot up behind him, he waited until the boy caught up, and then rested his hand on the hanyou’s shoulder.
"Having said all of that Inuyasha, I still require some explanation of why you feel my sister deserved your scorn." His voice was firm and Inuyasha knew the explanation was not optional; he would have to tell his side of the story. All the way back to the house and after being told to take a bath to make himself presentable, Inuyasha thought about the aunt and how she was with him. When did her meanness come to the fore or rather when did he notice it again?
The nursemaid who bathed him was a gentle woman, but down to earth and she bustled about as she made sure that Inuyasha was clean and well groomed. That meant his claws were thoroughly scrubbed and clipped. Of course they were no longer sensitive from when he had tried to remove them, but he still flinched each time they needed tending. His nurse was aware of the reason why the involuntary reaction happened, and never commented on his rigid little hands; she merely rubbed them with cream which was soothing, until he relaxed again, the ordeal over.
Today however, Inuyasha remained tense; but the nurse knew that there had been a domestic upset and so didn’t question the boy, knowing only his parents were needed to solve the problem. But that didn’t stop her from giving Inuyasha a cuddle and telling him everything would be alright, while she brushed his hair out to dry and unknot it. Inuyasha sighed, he enjoyed being groomed; once again it was an instinctive feeling of well being and care, and it soothed him while he felt so awkward.
"Would it help to talk to me little one?"
"I dunno Akie; it makes me sound like a baby."
"Well if not me, make sure you tell your Mama." Akie smiled, as she carried on brushing the long white locks, enjoying the task almost as much as Inuyasha. He was pre-occupied though and thinking back to a couple of months after Hanako was born. Once the baby was old and strong enough to go outside in her brother’s care, Inuyasha took her out every day. At first he showed her the farm and the animals, but then he would seek out his siblings to join their play, usually though he ended up just a spectator because he couldn’t risk dropping the baby.
Sometimes by the time Hanako was changed and fed and they got outside, the others had gone and it would have been too dangerous to go and search while responsible for his sister’s safety. That all changed however once Izayoi was up and about as usual. She had seen for herself the way that Inuyasha would be alone with Hanako for most of the day and knew that his self imposed solitude was not good for the boy. She was much better now and decided that she would take Hanako for a few hours a day even against the boy’s wishes and make him go out, unencumbered by the frail baby.
At first Inuyasha had objected, his instincts wanting to make sure the baby was protected personally by him, but Izayoi said that Hanako was quite safe with her and sent him out. He would then go and find his siblings, usually to discover that they were finishing off some of the treats that Aunt Toshi had made for them. She was a very good cook and the house always smelled delicious with the scent of meals ready to welcome home tired and hungry children. The treats however were a more rare delight for Inuyasha; he never seemed to be around at the right time to share. Of course there would be the apologies that none were saved for him, but they didn’t know if he was coming or not, and the other children had earned their sweets for all of their hard work in the morning. If Inuyasha were hungry, Toshi was sure he could catch himself something from the forest.
Then when they came home from play, Inuyasha would often find that the adults were just finishing their afternoon tea with some more of the sweets that Toshi was so good at making. He never went hungry of course, but he missed out frequently on the sweet deserts and Toshi would once again say how sorry she was, but her baking and cooking was done for the day and that other things needed to be done. Inuyasha thought nothing of it until one day he was with the others when Aunt Toshi came with a basket of honey dumplings, a particular favourite with the children.
They were beautiful large dumplings with fruit inside, but there was only three. Inuyasha was not late and auntie said she hadn’t realised that Inuyasha would be with the others and so had not packed him one. She also refused to allow Yori to share, saying he had earned his treat and Inuyasha had not done any work that morning to build up an appetite in any case. Finally Inuyasha realised these were deliberate deprivations and that he was being left out again and he got angry. He was just as entitled to the treats as anyone else and he did work hard, it was not easy looking after Hanako.
Inuyasha’s resentment built up until he was fit to burst and that had caused his latest problem. He was passing the kitchen when he saw a fresh batch of dumplings cooling. There were exactly seven which meant that once again he was not to be included in the share out. These dumplings were not fruit however, but had a savoury meat filling and they made his mouth water. In less time than it took to think he had leapt in through the window and out again with the platter of dumplings in his hands, then before he could regret his decision, he proceeded to eat them all.
Once the evidence was gone, guilt set in, he had stolen the dumplings from everyone, something he had never done in his life. Stealing was a forbidden act by both his human and youkai families and he would be in serious trouble when he was found out. The thought made him angry and a bit frightened; the dumplings now didn’t sit so well in his stomach and he thought they weren’t worth the eating anymore. So he cursed Toshi and her discriminating ways that had made him steal, and his mother and aunt overheard part of the tirade which had led to his predicament now.
Explaining to Makoto why he had been rude was something Inuyasha was not looking forward to doing, especially as he knew that Toshi would have missed the dumplings by now. Shaking his head free of the brushing Akie had done, Inuyasha decided it was time to face the music. Makoto was right, he did need to apologise to his Mama and he knew that once he had done so, he would be forgiven; but his stubborn little heart would not feel remorse for Toshi’s so called ‘hurt feelings’.