April 2010 Week 3
Title:How It Could Have Been; ch 42, Judicial Decision.
Author:petalears
Universe:Alternate
Rating:PG
Summary:Inu no Taishou explains a few salient points.
Quote:Warning: Humor may be hazardous to your illness.-Ellie Katz
Judicial Decision
Inuyasha followed his father into his study, his sharp little fangs worrying at his bottom lip; so far all the boy had ever received from his father’s hand was a spanking and that had been bad enough. Now he was threatened with a beating, the pup was understandably nervous and he started to whimper and grizzle again; the sound going straight to his father’s heart causing him pain.
"You are not afraid of me are you Pup? I will never harm you even if I have to cause you hurt for your own sake; I love you too much." Inu no Taishou heard the hitch in Inuyasha’s breath, the pup was not reassured much; he didn’t want to be hurt either. Inuyasha watched, his damp golden eyes wide as his father went to his desk and pulled a long flat leather strap from a drawer and doubled it in his hand. Turning back round, he called Inuyasha to him and sat him on his lap, the strap still around his hand; Inuyasha couldn’t take his eyes of it.
"Do you wish to say anything about what happened, My Pup? Or do you trust that Makoto spoke the truth to me?"
"I dunno what I should say Papa." Inuyasha whispered.
"I have then to agree with both him and your mother, whatever the cause, it was dishonourable for you to steal and you should have spoken with them before your anger made you act in haste. You are fortunate that your fury only found outlet in stealing and not in your injuring anybody; your temper is something that must be controlled at all times My Son. Too, you have a position to keep, a position of trust; you are a Prince of this realm and must be above suspicion of dishonesty. It is not too soon for you to learn this lesson.
"No, Papa."
"I would have you know that Makoto felt you needed no further discipline; he said your grief and guilt was obvious and I have to agree, you are contrite. But there must be no repeat of such behaviour so..." Inu no Taishou moved swiftly and struck Inuyasha three times with the leather strap across his bared backside before the pup knew what was happening and could become too afraid. He didn’t need a build up, or prolonged anticipation with meaningful words; this was to be more of a deterrent than true punishment. But it hurt and Inuyasha shrieked first in shock more than the pain, although that would make itself known for longer.
"I want you to heed this as a warning Inuyasha and to remember that you must tell us if someone upsets you. If there is ever a next time I need to do this, you will find out that I can use that strap very effectively and the sentence will be far heavier. I hope I have made the point clear." His words were stern, the tone severe; he wanted to impress his message on the young hanyou so that neither of them would find they were forced to be in this position again.
At that moment though Inuyasha was gasping and unable to form a reply, so after stroking the boy’s head for a while, the father gathered him up and rubbed his backside to ease the sting. But it didn’t help and Inuyasha tried to squirm away from his father’s gentle touch; he also felt the agitated youkai of his brother and called out to him. Remembering how Sesshoumaru had sought out Inuyasha after he’d been punished, Inu no Taishou put his son down and let him go to the arms and comfort of the elder brother.
Inu no Taishou came out of his study a few minutes later to find Inuyasha once again hidden out of sight; his brother’s tail curled around them both. But he could be heard even if not seen, and it nearly broke his father’s heart to hear his cries. Sesshoumaru just glared at his father, it was just short of a challenge had he been older, but the General swallowed his ire, recognising that the older boy was upset too. But he could not put up with the scorn in the clear eyed gaze without comment;
"You think I wished to do that, to hurt my pup? You are wrong Sesshoumaru and one day you will feel how I do now, when you have your own offspring. But if correction isn’t given at the right time, things can become far more serious for everyone. Do not judge me before you have been in my position." With that the father left his sons together and strode off to find his mate, he too needed comfort, but before he closed his door to his private suite, he called for his aide to send for Totousai.
After their father left, Sesshoumaru felt strange, he’d never seen his father so obviously worked up. He seemed vulnerable somehow and that was displeasing, Inu no Taishou should never appear weak; it made his son feel unsafe somehow. Inuyasha picked up on Sesshoumaru’s uncertainty and remained very still, his head resting on his brother’s chest, instinctively stopping his crying in case there was danger. Finally realising what the pup was doing, Sesshoumaru told him not to worry, Papa was just cross. Inuyasha sniffed at the air and the diminishing scent of his father and snuggled back against Sesshoumaru thoughtfully.
For the rest of the day, the boys didn’t see their father and Inuyasha clung like a limpet to his brother, refusing to be put down. Shu carried him very gently and his tail was soft enough not to hurt his little brother’s tender backside, although it was nowhere near as painful as it had been by dinner time. Unfortunately, dinner that night had dumplings on the menu purely by chance; Inuyasha’s eyes filled with tears making him feel unable to eat anything and he ran off without permission towards his room.
He almost careered headlong into the Lady of the West, but she stopped him and swung him into the air and held him against her; sitting him on the bump of her very soon to be son. He gazed into her face, so similar to his brother’s and she studied him closely, noting immediately the tearful eyes and the probable cause. She ‘tsk’ed at him and said:
"Inuyoukai do not run from their problems Inuyasha; they stand facing them and defeat them. You will come back and eat your meal." And she carried him back to the table and put him in the chair next to her own and made sure that he ate enough to satisfy her. It didn’t take long for Inuyasha to get over his reluctance to eat the dumplings and after the meal he was once again swung onto his Aunt’s hip and held in place by her tail. Not to be outdone, Michiko jumped lightly onto her mother’s other shoulder and grinned cheekily at Inuyasha from her slightly higher perch.
Sesshoumaru was astounded at his mother; he rarely saw her this playful, it only seemed to happen when she was pregnant and he had only witnessed that twice. It must have shown on his face because suddenly she laughed and held out her free arms to him while winking at his father.
"Come Sesshoumaru, I have more than enough room still for my eldest pup."
"Mama, don’t be ridiculous, put the pups down; don’t forget you’re in a delicate condition." He said pompously and as if talking to someone younger than himself and not his mother. He saw the spark of tolerant amusement in her eyes though as she replied;
"Now what condition could that be, My Son?"She laughed again looking over to her mate; "Oh look My Love, it would seem I am expectant." She rested her hands delicately on her very rounded stomach that was impossible to forget at this stage of her pregnancy. Then once more catching sight of her eldest’s expression she smiled lovingly at him; Sesshoumaru didn’t like to be laughed at, he still took himself very seriously. But once again she held out her arms and her look of love drew the boy to her and she embraced him firmly.
Inu no Taishou’s heart swelled while he watched over the family and he too went over to his mate and enclosed them all in his tails; he was so happy that he started to growl in pride for them, making all feel safe in his care. Sesshoumaru was reassured that his father was in charge once again and relaxed; the old forgotten feeling of being lost, as he had been when Inuyasha was born, had dissipated, thankfully.
Inuyasha picked up on his relief and suddenly found everything funny, he had a mental picture of his Aunt picking Shu up and he started to giggle. It was infectious and soon everyone was laughing, including the servants who were also caught up in the moment and it certainly released a lot of tension. But soon, the Lady of the West had to put the smaller pups down as her stomach twinged in warning; her latest son was protesting at all the noise and movement, apart from the swirls of youki buffeting around his normally comfortable home.
Inu no Taishou also felt his infant son’s displeasure and after sitting his mate down on his lap, he placed his hand over her womb and growled low and melodically to calm his babe down. When she finally relaxed against him he whispered in her ear of his love for her, his devotion to the exceptional woman she was, and told her how blessed he and the family were that she was His Mate. His words brought happy tears to her eyes and her assurance that she felt the same way about him; this he knew of course, but it wasn’t he who cared about someone else’s pup as if it were their own.
Later that night, Inuyasha padded down the corridor from his brother’s room, where he had been allowed to sleep as a treat, to his father’s; then noting that there was no sound to indicate that they shouldn’t be disturbed, he went in to stand by the bed. Before he had chance to breathe more than twice, he found himself in the arms of his father. Inu no Taishou was always alert, even in the seeming depths of sleep and he had heard the door softly open and recognised his young son’s scent in the same instant.
"Are you well My Inuyasha?" He whispered, tucking a fur blanket around the pup so that he wouldn’t become chilled.
"I is sorry I’s a bad pup Papa." Was the shocking reply spoken equally softly, and the father’s youki swelled in indignation before he remembered that Inuyasha might not understand that it was not directed at him.
"Who has said you are a bad pup Little One?"
"No one, but I is; I made you unhappy and you hit me." Inuyasha said and Inu no Taishou thought quickly, making sure he was awake enough to deal with this properly. Why did his pups always require explanations in the wee hours of the morning when he was not at his best?
"You are not bad Inuyasha; you made a mistake and did a bad thing, but that does not make you bad, only what you did. Of course I was unhappy, but I didn’t punish you because I was upset, but to make you think and stop before you did it again. Do you understand?"
"I dunno..."
"Everyone makes wrong decisions Inuyasha and parents have to try to put their pups on the right path again. This is often painful for the pup, but it also hurts the Mama or Papa; that was my sadness, I had to hurt you and you were then upset with me. I love you Inuyasha, you do know that don’t you?"
"Yes Papa, and I love you too...have you ever beaten Shu?" Was the surprising rejoinder.
"I have had to correct your elder brother once as I did to you...he never needed any more. I don’t expect you to need any more either."
"I won’t Papa...what did he do?"
"That is your brother’s business Inuyasha, and now it is way past your bed time."
"Are you still sad Papa...I doesn’t like you to be sad..." He whined and was startled to see his aunt peering over his father’s shoulder. "Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up Auntie..."
"Would you like to get in with us Inuyasha, would it make you feel better?" She smiled and made room for him between them. Inuyasha’s eyes glowed with happiness as he snuggled down; it had been a long and exhausting, not to say traumatic day for the young pup and he went to sleep, feeling immediately safe surrounded by the much missed youki of his family. When his breathing evened out, Inu no Taishou called softly to Sesshoumaru who was standing outside the door.
"Inuyasha is fine, do you want to come in too, the bed is big enough and you are not yet too old?" He smiled in the darkness when he heard Sesshoumaru’s bare feet on the mat and without saying anything else that might make his son shy away, he indicated for him to climb in next to Inuyasha; the day had been trying for the older boy too. In the morning however a rather smug Sesshoumaru just had to comment that he had warned his mother not to over spend her energy; the Lady had gone into labour. The midwife said that it seemed all that laughter the day before had triggered the contractions.
Author:petalears
Universe:Alternate
Rating:PG
Summary:Inu no Taishou explains a few salient points.
Quote:Warning: Humor may be hazardous to your illness.-Ellie Katz
Judicial Decision
Inuyasha followed his father into his study, his sharp little fangs worrying at his bottom lip; so far all the boy had ever received from his father’s hand was a spanking and that had been bad enough. Now he was threatened with a beating, the pup was understandably nervous and he started to whimper and grizzle again; the sound going straight to his father’s heart causing him pain.
"You are not afraid of me are you Pup? I will never harm you even if I have to cause you hurt for your own sake; I love you too much." Inu no Taishou heard the hitch in Inuyasha’s breath, the pup was not reassured much; he didn’t want to be hurt either. Inuyasha watched, his damp golden eyes wide as his father went to his desk and pulled a long flat leather strap from a drawer and doubled it in his hand. Turning back round, he called Inuyasha to him and sat him on his lap, the strap still around his hand; Inuyasha couldn’t take his eyes of it.
"Do you wish to say anything about what happened, My Pup? Or do you trust that Makoto spoke the truth to me?"
"I dunno what I should say Papa." Inuyasha whispered.
"I have then to agree with both him and your mother, whatever the cause, it was dishonourable for you to steal and you should have spoken with them before your anger made you act in haste. You are fortunate that your fury only found outlet in stealing and not in your injuring anybody; your temper is something that must be controlled at all times My Son. Too, you have a position to keep, a position of trust; you are a Prince of this realm and must be above suspicion of dishonesty. It is not too soon for you to learn this lesson.
"No, Papa."
"I would have you know that Makoto felt you needed no further discipline; he said your grief and guilt was obvious and I have to agree, you are contrite. But there must be no repeat of such behaviour so..." Inu no Taishou moved swiftly and struck Inuyasha three times with the leather strap across his bared backside before the pup knew what was happening and could become too afraid. He didn’t need a build up, or prolonged anticipation with meaningful words; this was to be more of a deterrent than true punishment. But it hurt and Inuyasha shrieked first in shock more than the pain, although that would make itself known for longer.
"I want you to heed this as a warning Inuyasha and to remember that you must tell us if someone upsets you. If there is ever a next time I need to do this, you will find out that I can use that strap very effectively and the sentence will be far heavier. I hope I have made the point clear." His words were stern, the tone severe; he wanted to impress his message on the young hanyou so that neither of them would find they were forced to be in this position again.
At that moment though Inuyasha was gasping and unable to form a reply, so after stroking the boy’s head for a while, the father gathered him up and rubbed his backside to ease the sting. But it didn’t help and Inuyasha tried to squirm away from his father’s gentle touch; he also felt the agitated youkai of his brother and called out to him. Remembering how Sesshoumaru had sought out Inuyasha after he’d been punished, Inu no Taishou put his son down and let him go to the arms and comfort of the elder brother.
Inu no Taishou came out of his study a few minutes later to find Inuyasha once again hidden out of sight; his brother’s tail curled around them both. But he could be heard even if not seen, and it nearly broke his father’s heart to hear his cries. Sesshoumaru just glared at his father, it was just short of a challenge had he been older, but the General swallowed his ire, recognising that the older boy was upset too. But he could not put up with the scorn in the clear eyed gaze without comment;
"You think I wished to do that, to hurt my pup? You are wrong Sesshoumaru and one day you will feel how I do now, when you have your own offspring. But if correction isn’t given at the right time, things can become far more serious for everyone. Do not judge me before you have been in my position." With that the father left his sons together and strode off to find his mate, he too needed comfort, but before he closed his door to his private suite, he called for his aide to send for Totousai.
After their father left, Sesshoumaru felt strange, he’d never seen his father so obviously worked up. He seemed vulnerable somehow and that was displeasing, Inu no Taishou should never appear weak; it made his son feel unsafe somehow. Inuyasha picked up on Sesshoumaru’s uncertainty and remained very still, his head resting on his brother’s chest, instinctively stopping his crying in case there was danger. Finally realising what the pup was doing, Sesshoumaru told him not to worry, Papa was just cross. Inuyasha sniffed at the air and the diminishing scent of his father and snuggled back against Sesshoumaru thoughtfully.
For the rest of the day, the boys didn’t see their father and Inuyasha clung like a limpet to his brother, refusing to be put down. Shu carried him very gently and his tail was soft enough not to hurt his little brother’s tender backside, although it was nowhere near as painful as it had been by dinner time. Unfortunately, dinner that night had dumplings on the menu purely by chance; Inuyasha’s eyes filled with tears making him feel unable to eat anything and he ran off without permission towards his room.
He almost careered headlong into the Lady of the West, but she stopped him and swung him into the air and held him against her; sitting him on the bump of her very soon to be son. He gazed into her face, so similar to his brother’s and she studied him closely, noting immediately the tearful eyes and the probable cause. She ‘tsk’ed at him and said:
"Inuyoukai do not run from their problems Inuyasha; they stand facing them and defeat them. You will come back and eat your meal." And she carried him back to the table and put him in the chair next to her own and made sure that he ate enough to satisfy her. It didn’t take long for Inuyasha to get over his reluctance to eat the dumplings and after the meal he was once again swung onto his Aunt’s hip and held in place by her tail. Not to be outdone, Michiko jumped lightly onto her mother’s other shoulder and grinned cheekily at Inuyasha from her slightly higher perch.
Sesshoumaru was astounded at his mother; he rarely saw her this playful, it only seemed to happen when she was pregnant and he had only witnessed that twice. It must have shown on his face because suddenly she laughed and held out her free arms to him while winking at his father.
"Come Sesshoumaru, I have more than enough room still for my eldest pup."
"Mama, don’t be ridiculous, put the pups down; don’t forget you’re in a delicate condition." He said pompously and as if talking to someone younger than himself and not his mother. He saw the spark of tolerant amusement in her eyes though as she replied;
"Now what condition could that be, My Son?"She laughed again looking over to her mate; "Oh look My Love, it would seem I am expectant." She rested her hands delicately on her very rounded stomach that was impossible to forget at this stage of her pregnancy. Then once more catching sight of her eldest’s expression she smiled lovingly at him; Sesshoumaru didn’t like to be laughed at, he still took himself very seriously. But once again she held out her arms and her look of love drew the boy to her and she embraced him firmly.
Inu no Taishou’s heart swelled while he watched over the family and he too went over to his mate and enclosed them all in his tails; he was so happy that he started to growl in pride for them, making all feel safe in his care. Sesshoumaru was reassured that his father was in charge once again and relaxed; the old forgotten feeling of being lost, as he had been when Inuyasha was born, had dissipated, thankfully.
Inuyasha picked up on his relief and suddenly found everything funny, he had a mental picture of his Aunt picking Shu up and he started to giggle. It was infectious and soon everyone was laughing, including the servants who were also caught up in the moment and it certainly released a lot of tension. But soon, the Lady of the West had to put the smaller pups down as her stomach twinged in warning; her latest son was protesting at all the noise and movement, apart from the swirls of youki buffeting around his normally comfortable home.
Inu no Taishou also felt his infant son’s displeasure and after sitting his mate down on his lap, he placed his hand over her womb and growled low and melodically to calm his babe down. When she finally relaxed against him he whispered in her ear of his love for her, his devotion to the exceptional woman she was, and told her how blessed he and the family were that she was His Mate. His words brought happy tears to her eyes and her assurance that she felt the same way about him; this he knew of course, but it wasn’t he who cared about someone else’s pup as if it were their own.
Later that night, Inuyasha padded down the corridor from his brother’s room, where he had been allowed to sleep as a treat, to his father’s; then noting that there was no sound to indicate that they shouldn’t be disturbed, he went in to stand by the bed. Before he had chance to breathe more than twice, he found himself in the arms of his father. Inu no Taishou was always alert, even in the seeming depths of sleep and he had heard the door softly open and recognised his young son’s scent in the same instant.
"Are you well My Inuyasha?" He whispered, tucking a fur blanket around the pup so that he wouldn’t become chilled.
"I is sorry I’s a bad pup Papa." Was the shocking reply spoken equally softly, and the father’s youki swelled in indignation before he remembered that Inuyasha might not understand that it was not directed at him.
"Who has said you are a bad pup Little One?"
"No one, but I is; I made you unhappy and you hit me." Inuyasha said and Inu no Taishou thought quickly, making sure he was awake enough to deal with this properly. Why did his pups always require explanations in the wee hours of the morning when he was not at his best?
"You are not bad Inuyasha; you made a mistake and did a bad thing, but that does not make you bad, only what you did. Of course I was unhappy, but I didn’t punish you because I was upset, but to make you think and stop before you did it again. Do you understand?"
"I dunno..."
"Everyone makes wrong decisions Inuyasha and parents have to try to put their pups on the right path again. This is often painful for the pup, but it also hurts the Mama or Papa; that was my sadness, I had to hurt you and you were then upset with me. I love you Inuyasha, you do know that don’t you?"
"Yes Papa, and I love you too...have you ever beaten Shu?" Was the surprising rejoinder.
"I have had to correct your elder brother once as I did to you...he never needed any more. I don’t expect you to need any more either."
"I won’t Papa...what did he do?"
"That is your brother’s business Inuyasha, and now it is way past your bed time."
"Are you still sad Papa...I doesn’t like you to be sad..." He whined and was startled to see his aunt peering over his father’s shoulder. "Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up Auntie..."
"Would you like to get in with us Inuyasha, would it make you feel better?" She smiled and made room for him between them. Inuyasha’s eyes glowed with happiness as he snuggled down; it had been a long and exhausting, not to say traumatic day for the young pup and he went to sleep, feeling immediately safe surrounded by the much missed youki of his family. When his breathing evened out, Inu no Taishou called softly to Sesshoumaru who was standing outside the door.
"Inuyasha is fine, do you want to come in too, the bed is big enough and you are not yet too old?" He smiled in the darkness when he heard Sesshoumaru’s bare feet on the mat and without saying anything else that might make his son shy away, he indicated for him to climb in next to Inuyasha; the day had been trying for the older boy too. In the morning however a rather smug Sesshoumaru just had to comment that he had warned his mother not to over spend her energy; the Lady had gone into labour. The midwife said that it seemed all that laughter the day before had triggered the contractions.