July 2009 Week 4
Title:How It Could Have Been; ch 61, Tension Headache
Author:petalears
Universe:alternate
Rating:PG
Summary: Hiroto has serious thinking to do.
Quote:The greatest griefs are those we cause ourselves. - Sophocles, Oedipus Rex
Tension Headache
A/N Sorry for the delay, I have been without my computer for a while. Sue
Inu no Taishou sat back in his chair and massaged his forehead; he had a raging headache, the like of which he hadn’t known for many years. Not since the time in fact he had been the father of one perfect little prince and the mate of a beautiful queen, and the cats had declared a territorial war on the Western stronghold. The worry of what would happen to both of them should he fail to win his battle, had given him a colossal pain in his head and tension in his neck that was only removed once the conflict was decided in his favour.
Once again his present head pain was caused by his concern over his son and the boy’s mother; this time however, it was not Inu no Taishou’s mate and eldest, but his second born and his human mother. To some extent the pounding was exacerbated by his youngest son as well, as he was also part of the overall problem. Although Inu no Taishou spent the briefest second in remembering the earlier days when he only had Sesshoumaru to worry about, he would never regret the extensions to the family...any of them. All children caused concern, it was part of being a parent, and if all of them had been serious and grown up before their times like his eldest, he would have missed the boisterous and interesting things his other children came out with.
Although his Michiko was by her nature very like Sesshoumaru in demeanour as well as looks, she was not quite as stoic in manner as the General’s heir had been, purely because she’d had playmates nearer her own age to knock of any edges. And if the truth be told, it had been the making of Sesshoumaru too to have younger siblings who could teach him how to be a child again himself and not just a miniature adult; the boy had been in danger of growing up too soon. But Hiroto was like both his brothers, as cool as Sesshoumaru and yet capable also of a hot burst of anger more like Inuyasha, or indeed his father.
Inu no Taishou’s heavy sigh became one of relief as his mate’s hand ran expertly over his shoulders and kneaded his neck, eventually unlocking the stiffness. She smiled as he began to growl in contentment, the rumblings issuing from deep inside and making her aware of his growing desire for her; Oh well she thought, it was one way to rid him of the horrible tension he’d been under all week. He had been so busy and distracted there had been no time for him to come to her as her mate; it seemed that he had time now. It was no hardship for her to please him; he was a magnificent creature, wild and beautiful, with kindly wisdom that gave him the edge over all others in her mind and heart.
Afterwards as she lay with her head resting on his chest, he stroked her hair idly, marvelling again at his great good fortune, to still own her loving heart. Only he was privileged to see this side of her, softer and wanton and yet sometimes very vulnerable, she was remarkable. Her children knew her care and fierce love for them, her friends and acquaintances knew of her wit, and anyone else would say she was sharp and clever with humour bordering on the satirical. She was all of these and he too had seen her in all moods, but no one else had ever shared in his complete knowledge, because he too knew of her phenomenal power to adapt and accept; Inu no Taishou was truly blessed.
"Have they all gone now My Mate?" She asked.
"Yes My Love, all gone for now; I have told them that if they wish to find other places for their children in the meantime, they should do."
"Were all in agreement about the decision to close the school?"
"In the main, only one thought I might be over reacting and indulging my son, but his opinion does not matter. Kouga at least will return within the month, it is not safe for him to stay with the wolves for too long at a time."
"Do you know when it will be re-opened?"
"No, not yet; as I said to one of the kitsunes, my pups need time to heal, it was obvious that Hiro wasn’t going to learn much at the moment, the boys have to work things out first. But school will start again, if not for Inuyasha, Hiroto must attend."
"Of course My Mate; now are you rested or are you still recovering from your...exertions?" She laughed and then shrieked when almost faster than she could see, Inu no Taishou turned her over and proceeded to show her he was not yet ready to sleep. Then when she dozed off again, he had time to mull over the events of the past eight or nine days and try to work out what to do next.
Inuyasha stayed with his brother and sister-in-law after he ran away from school, he was adamant that he didn’t want his mother to know what had happened, at least until she felt better and this had been agreed to be a good idea. Inu no Taishou decided to let the boy cool his heels for a while before he sat him down for a more serious talk and he waited for two days thinking that would be enough time for his pup to settle. When he and Sesshoumaru visited again, it was the night of the new moon and Inuyasha was human and didn’t notice their approach.
It meant that Yori was able to explain that Inuyasha had been much quieter than his normal boisterous self and had preferred to stay close to the house and to Kaoru more than was usual, before the pup caught sight of his father and brother. He was obviously pleased to see them and ran over to claim a cuddle and to be surrounded in the strong youki that he particularly missed on this night. But something was amiss with the child, he was not as exuberant and there was a nervous tension to his aura, which in turn caused Sesshoumaru to hover over him; it would have been amusing except for the circumstances.
Inuyasha however climbed happily onto his father’s lap and snuggled as close as he could and Inu no Taishou wrapped his arms round his pup to contain him while he raised his youki level slightly. It worked, the boy relaxed and waited for his Papa to speak; Yori and Kaoru made to leave but the General bade them stay as he didn’t know quite how this would work out. It may be that he would need their further help, or at the least, they might need to know why certain decisions were going to be made. He looked around at the expansive room, noting the large box of toys that Yori’s older children had grown out of, and that were now almost exclusively Inuyasha’s.
"How do you feel now My Little Son? You seem to have been looked after very well. Are you rested?"
"I’m fine Papa; Kaoru let me help her make sweet cakes today...but I’m sorry there are none left...I ate them all." Inuyasha said, not sounding sorry at all, in fact he was far more contented in aura than when the youkai first arrived.
"So I see Pup; I think you have been thoroughly spoiled by Yori and Kaoru, haven’t you?" His father teased, looking with happiness at the healthy glow to Inuyasha’s face. "Now though, I want you to think about returning to the Palace in a couple of day’s time; you and Hiroto need to sort things out before you go back to school." Inu no Taishou said reasonably, giving Inuyasha another two days with his brother’s family.
"No Papa. I am not going back to school; I said it before." Inuyasha said firmly, and much to Sesshoumaru’s obvious amazement, the pup was defying their father. Inu no Taishou noted his elder son’s expression and knew he was shocked, but Inuyasha was not being rude, just assertive.
"I know you said that Inuyasha, and I have given you time to yourself, but the situation has been dealt with, everybody knows now that you were innocent of blame. Hiroto also needs to apologise to you."
"No...he don’t have to; he don’t want to. Hiro don’t like me anymore Papa and nor do the others."
"The situation has changed Inuyasha; they are all aware of Xing-fu’s deceptions now." Inu no Taishou said gently and not correcting the grammar of his son which often slipped when he was upset, just as it had often done when he was younger and the baby talk surfaced.
"It don’t make no difference; none of them like me anymore." Inuyasha was starting to sound sulky and frustrated.
"I’m sure that’s not true..."
"Yes it is." Inuyasha interrupted his father; "it is true, none of them believed me Papa, none of them. Not even Kouga said it couldn’t have been me...not even Hiroto said I wasn’t mean like that. I have been thinking; if they’d liked me they’d ‘a known I wouldn’t do it. Nobody talked to me or played with me, they all gave me mean looks and Hiro wouldn’t smell me with my dirty blood, and The Tiger told me off in front of everyone and I heard them sniggering. So...I’m not going back and you can’t make me." Inuyasha asserted and crossed his arms and jutted his little chin out firmly; obstinately not letting any of the tears that had gathered in his eyes fall.
The General had had to smile however at the small human child telling him, the most powerful creature around, that he couldn’t be made to go to school. It was so incongruous and yet it showed the boy was of his blood, he was strong and fearless which was all to the good although he shook Sesshoumaru’s sense of propriety. The eldest boy was going to have to learn that Inuyasha was not challenging him for power, but his human heart demanded justice.
Inu no Taishou sighed, his memories of a few days past still bringing anger for his middle son and the emotional pain the boy was suffering. It had been clear that it was a blessing that it had been Inuyasha’s human night when he had let out all of the turmoil. As hanyou, he would otherwise have tried to play down what had happened and buried his grievances, which could have caused problems later. But the sight of his young human son with such a sure and determined expression on his face made the father sigh, Inuyasha was obviously principled and honest and Inu no Taishou was proud of him, although aware the boy had a difficult path at times to tread.
The Lady had awakened again, her mate’s restlessness reaching her and she sat up to rub his shoulders. She of course knew all about the situation and she too was proud of her sometime to be stepson and his stand for his beliefs. The child had no experience of the fickle nature of inexperienced youth, which could be cruel; he was upright to a fault himself and didn’t realise that age usually brings wisdom. The fact there could be many sides to a problem which was rarely black and white, was alien to Inuyasha and he couldn’t see beyond the immediate.
Two things had prompted Inu no Taishou to disband the school pro tem and he had written letters to the parents and guardians of the pupils to tell them the news. It would be offered again at a later date, but that was as yet an unknown one and the relevant people would be welcome to collect their children and have audience with Inu no Taishou during the following week. This of course had been done; the General had explained the situation personally to each child and their guardian. The Tiger had offered his resignation but had been refused, Inu no Taishou saying that anyone can make misjudgements. The important thing is a mistake should be learned from and never repeated and The Tiger was a very good and fair teacher.
The first and foremost reason was Inuyasha’s outright refusal to go back, but also Hiroto was giving cause for concern. Ever since Inuyasha had disappeared from school, Hiroto had been inconsolable; he knew he had contributed to the problems his brother had suffered and was guilt ridden. He tried his hardest to do as his father had commanded, but he couldn’t concentrate and wept most of the time. In fact he was so miserable, The Tiger had had to call and ask Sesshoumaru to take him back to the Palace as he was making himself ill.
The pup’s youkai was berating him for the disloyalty shown to his brother, his pack member; and his inu nature was sorely stressed the longer it went before he could make amends. But up to the present, Inuyasha hadn’t come back from Yori’s home and Inu no Taishou had forbidden Hiroto to go and find him; mainly because Inuyasha wasn’t ready to see him yet. That meant that Hiroto was left to consider the effect his words and deeds had really had on Inuyasha, especially when he could feel the disappointment directed at him from the rest of his family as well.
Inu no Taishou had called Hiroto into his study to speak firmly with his son; he would treat the boy no different than the other parents, whose offspring had greatly undermined the confidence of Inuyasha. In actuality Hiroto had done the most damage and his father explained that Inuyasha had taken his rejection hard. The father didn’t explain the meaning of some of the words; the boys were too young to understand, but he did stress that if Hiroto called Inuyasha dirty blooded again, he would feel the strap that was kept in the drawer, across his backside.
The threat wasn’t necessary; the pup was already penitent and had no intention of verbally abusing his brother again. He’d had no idea of how much he had hurt Inuyasha, he’d just been angry for his friend and this had blinded him to what he knew of his brother. Now he was feeling the same pain as Inuyasha had felt, as Sesshoumaru and Michiko were so angry with him that they often couldn’t stand to be in the same place for long. Hiroto spent many hours over the next day or so playing on his own or crying in his mother’s lap.
But the younger pup knew that whereas Inuyasha had been innocent of any crime, he himself deserved it. Sesshoumaru could see the true repentance and besides he was older and he didn’t want the boy becoming too down hearted, so he asked his father if he could take him to see Inuyasha. Inu no Taishou was proud of his eldest, he was becoming very responsible and he agreed that the boys might get on now, if their elder brother was there to help.
Sesshoumaru and Hiroto approached the farm, the younger hiding behind his brother’s leg when the door opened and Kaoru invited them in. Inuyasha ran happily to meet his older brother before noticing that Hiroto was there too; the hanyou’s smile faded and he withdrew slightly. But when he saw this, Hiroto lifted his head and held out his hand calling his brother’s name and Inuyasha saw that his brother was pale and red eyed from grieving. Instantly anger surged in his blood at the thought that anyone could have hurt the boy; his instincts made his own youki rise and he demanded who had upset him.
Hiroto just wailed and said he was sorry over and over again until Sesshoumaru shushed him sternly and Inuyasha just looked bewildered. Sesshoumaru then told Inuyasha just what had happened with Hiroto and what their younger brother wanted to say, as the boy was once again distraught. In fact he seemed more upset than Inuyasha had been, but whatever; there was no need to say anything else. Inuyasha just took Hiroto over to the toys and offered him one of the things to play with and waited until his little brother was able to join in.
Nothing further was said, nor was it needed; Inuyasha was not one to hold a grudge especially against one his instincts called pack and his nose could tell was genuinely sorry. At the end of an afternoon where Kaoru had served refreshments that included sweet cakes and honeyed plums, the boys’ harmony and balance was restored, much to the thankfulness of both older brothers who were happy to keep out of the way and drink tea.
Of course Inu no Taishou was grateful for the outcome and it wasn’t long before the pups were completely back to normal. But where Inuyasha had forgiven his brother easily, he still refused point blank to return to the school where the others were. Hiroto was pack and besides, the children’s youkai recognised each other and Inuyasha knew that his brother had been misled; but the hurt and anger at all the others was still raw and un-assuaged and his trust was shattered in the way only a child can know.
Author:petalears
Universe:alternate
Rating:PG
Summary: Hiroto has serious thinking to do.
Quote:The greatest griefs are those we cause ourselves. - Sophocles, Oedipus Rex
Tension Headache
A/N Sorry for the delay, I have been without my computer for a while. Sue
Inu no Taishou sat back in his chair and massaged his forehead; he had a raging headache, the like of which he hadn’t known for many years. Not since the time in fact he had been the father of one perfect little prince and the mate of a beautiful queen, and the cats had declared a territorial war on the Western stronghold. The worry of what would happen to both of them should he fail to win his battle, had given him a colossal pain in his head and tension in his neck that was only removed once the conflict was decided in his favour.
Once again his present head pain was caused by his concern over his son and the boy’s mother; this time however, it was not Inu no Taishou’s mate and eldest, but his second born and his human mother. To some extent the pounding was exacerbated by his youngest son as well, as he was also part of the overall problem. Although Inu no Taishou spent the briefest second in remembering the earlier days when he only had Sesshoumaru to worry about, he would never regret the extensions to the family...any of them. All children caused concern, it was part of being a parent, and if all of them had been serious and grown up before their times like his eldest, he would have missed the boisterous and interesting things his other children came out with.
Although his Michiko was by her nature very like Sesshoumaru in demeanour as well as looks, she was not quite as stoic in manner as the General’s heir had been, purely because she’d had playmates nearer her own age to knock of any edges. And if the truth be told, it had been the making of Sesshoumaru too to have younger siblings who could teach him how to be a child again himself and not just a miniature adult; the boy had been in danger of growing up too soon. But Hiroto was like both his brothers, as cool as Sesshoumaru and yet capable also of a hot burst of anger more like Inuyasha, or indeed his father.
Inu no Taishou’s heavy sigh became one of relief as his mate’s hand ran expertly over his shoulders and kneaded his neck, eventually unlocking the stiffness. She smiled as he began to growl in contentment, the rumblings issuing from deep inside and making her aware of his growing desire for her; Oh well she thought, it was one way to rid him of the horrible tension he’d been under all week. He had been so busy and distracted there had been no time for him to come to her as her mate; it seemed that he had time now. It was no hardship for her to please him; he was a magnificent creature, wild and beautiful, with kindly wisdom that gave him the edge over all others in her mind and heart.
Afterwards as she lay with her head resting on his chest, he stroked her hair idly, marvelling again at his great good fortune, to still own her loving heart. Only he was privileged to see this side of her, softer and wanton and yet sometimes very vulnerable, she was remarkable. Her children knew her care and fierce love for them, her friends and acquaintances knew of her wit, and anyone else would say she was sharp and clever with humour bordering on the satirical. She was all of these and he too had seen her in all moods, but no one else had ever shared in his complete knowledge, because he too knew of her phenomenal power to adapt and accept; Inu no Taishou was truly blessed.
"Have they all gone now My Mate?" She asked.
"Yes My Love, all gone for now; I have told them that if they wish to find other places for their children in the meantime, they should do."
"Were all in agreement about the decision to close the school?"
"In the main, only one thought I might be over reacting and indulging my son, but his opinion does not matter. Kouga at least will return within the month, it is not safe for him to stay with the wolves for too long at a time."
"Do you know when it will be re-opened?"
"No, not yet; as I said to one of the kitsunes, my pups need time to heal, it was obvious that Hiro wasn’t going to learn much at the moment, the boys have to work things out first. But school will start again, if not for Inuyasha, Hiroto must attend."
"Of course My Mate; now are you rested or are you still recovering from your...exertions?" She laughed and then shrieked when almost faster than she could see, Inu no Taishou turned her over and proceeded to show her he was not yet ready to sleep. Then when she dozed off again, he had time to mull over the events of the past eight or nine days and try to work out what to do next.
Inuyasha stayed with his brother and sister-in-law after he ran away from school, he was adamant that he didn’t want his mother to know what had happened, at least until she felt better and this had been agreed to be a good idea. Inu no Taishou decided to let the boy cool his heels for a while before he sat him down for a more serious talk and he waited for two days thinking that would be enough time for his pup to settle. When he and Sesshoumaru visited again, it was the night of the new moon and Inuyasha was human and didn’t notice their approach.
It meant that Yori was able to explain that Inuyasha had been much quieter than his normal boisterous self and had preferred to stay close to the house and to Kaoru more than was usual, before the pup caught sight of his father and brother. He was obviously pleased to see them and ran over to claim a cuddle and to be surrounded in the strong youki that he particularly missed on this night. But something was amiss with the child, he was not as exuberant and there was a nervous tension to his aura, which in turn caused Sesshoumaru to hover over him; it would have been amusing except for the circumstances.
Inuyasha however climbed happily onto his father’s lap and snuggled as close as he could and Inu no Taishou wrapped his arms round his pup to contain him while he raised his youki level slightly. It worked, the boy relaxed and waited for his Papa to speak; Yori and Kaoru made to leave but the General bade them stay as he didn’t know quite how this would work out. It may be that he would need their further help, or at the least, they might need to know why certain decisions were going to be made. He looked around at the expansive room, noting the large box of toys that Yori’s older children had grown out of, and that were now almost exclusively Inuyasha’s.
"How do you feel now My Little Son? You seem to have been looked after very well. Are you rested?"
"I’m fine Papa; Kaoru let me help her make sweet cakes today...but I’m sorry there are none left...I ate them all." Inuyasha said, not sounding sorry at all, in fact he was far more contented in aura than when the youkai first arrived.
"So I see Pup; I think you have been thoroughly spoiled by Yori and Kaoru, haven’t you?" His father teased, looking with happiness at the healthy glow to Inuyasha’s face. "Now though, I want you to think about returning to the Palace in a couple of day’s time; you and Hiroto need to sort things out before you go back to school." Inu no Taishou said reasonably, giving Inuyasha another two days with his brother’s family.
"No Papa. I am not going back to school; I said it before." Inuyasha said firmly, and much to Sesshoumaru’s obvious amazement, the pup was defying their father. Inu no Taishou noted his elder son’s expression and knew he was shocked, but Inuyasha was not being rude, just assertive.
"I know you said that Inuyasha, and I have given you time to yourself, but the situation has been dealt with, everybody knows now that you were innocent of blame. Hiroto also needs to apologise to you."
"No...he don’t have to; he don’t want to. Hiro don’t like me anymore Papa and nor do the others."
"The situation has changed Inuyasha; they are all aware of Xing-fu’s deceptions now." Inu no Taishou said gently and not correcting the grammar of his son which often slipped when he was upset, just as it had often done when he was younger and the baby talk surfaced.
"It don’t make no difference; none of them like me anymore." Inuyasha was starting to sound sulky and frustrated.
"I’m sure that’s not true..."
"Yes it is." Inuyasha interrupted his father; "it is true, none of them believed me Papa, none of them. Not even Kouga said it couldn’t have been me...not even Hiroto said I wasn’t mean like that. I have been thinking; if they’d liked me they’d ‘a known I wouldn’t do it. Nobody talked to me or played with me, they all gave me mean looks and Hiro wouldn’t smell me with my dirty blood, and The Tiger told me off in front of everyone and I heard them sniggering. So...I’m not going back and you can’t make me." Inuyasha asserted and crossed his arms and jutted his little chin out firmly; obstinately not letting any of the tears that had gathered in his eyes fall.
The General had had to smile however at the small human child telling him, the most powerful creature around, that he couldn’t be made to go to school. It was so incongruous and yet it showed the boy was of his blood, he was strong and fearless which was all to the good although he shook Sesshoumaru’s sense of propriety. The eldest boy was going to have to learn that Inuyasha was not challenging him for power, but his human heart demanded justice.
Inu no Taishou sighed, his memories of a few days past still bringing anger for his middle son and the emotional pain the boy was suffering. It had been clear that it was a blessing that it had been Inuyasha’s human night when he had let out all of the turmoil. As hanyou, he would otherwise have tried to play down what had happened and buried his grievances, which could have caused problems later. But the sight of his young human son with such a sure and determined expression on his face made the father sigh, Inuyasha was obviously principled and honest and Inu no Taishou was proud of him, although aware the boy had a difficult path at times to tread.
The Lady had awakened again, her mate’s restlessness reaching her and she sat up to rub his shoulders. She of course knew all about the situation and she too was proud of her sometime to be stepson and his stand for his beliefs. The child had no experience of the fickle nature of inexperienced youth, which could be cruel; he was upright to a fault himself and didn’t realise that age usually brings wisdom. The fact there could be many sides to a problem which was rarely black and white, was alien to Inuyasha and he couldn’t see beyond the immediate.
Two things had prompted Inu no Taishou to disband the school pro tem and he had written letters to the parents and guardians of the pupils to tell them the news. It would be offered again at a later date, but that was as yet an unknown one and the relevant people would be welcome to collect their children and have audience with Inu no Taishou during the following week. This of course had been done; the General had explained the situation personally to each child and their guardian. The Tiger had offered his resignation but had been refused, Inu no Taishou saying that anyone can make misjudgements. The important thing is a mistake should be learned from and never repeated and The Tiger was a very good and fair teacher.
The first and foremost reason was Inuyasha’s outright refusal to go back, but also Hiroto was giving cause for concern. Ever since Inuyasha had disappeared from school, Hiroto had been inconsolable; he knew he had contributed to the problems his brother had suffered and was guilt ridden. He tried his hardest to do as his father had commanded, but he couldn’t concentrate and wept most of the time. In fact he was so miserable, The Tiger had had to call and ask Sesshoumaru to take him back to the Palace as he was making himself ill.
The pup’s youkai was berating him for the disloyalty shown to his brother, his pack member; and his inu nature was sorely stressed the longer it went before he could make amends. But up to the present, Inuyasha hadn’t come back from Yori’s home and Inu no Taishou had forbidden Hiroto to go and find him; mainly because Inuyasha wasn’t ready to see him yet. That meant that Hiroto was left to consider the effect his words and deeds had really had on Inuyasha, especially when he could feel the disappointment directed at him from the rest of his family as well.
Inu no Taishou had called Hiroto into his study to speak firmly with his son; he would treat the boy no different than the other parents, whose offspring had greatly undermined the confidence of Inuyasha. In actuality Hiroto had done the most damage and his father explained that Inuyasha had taken his rejection hard. The father didn’t explain the meaning of some of the words; the boys were too young to understand, but he did stress that if Hiroto called Inuyasha dirty blooded again, he would feel the strap that was kept in the drawer, across his backside.
The threat wasn’t necessary; the pup was already penitent and had no intention of verbally abusing his brother again. He’d had no idea of how much he had hurt Inuyasha, he’d just been angry for his friend and this had blinded him to what he knew of his brother. Now he was feeling the same pain as Inuyasha had felt, as Sesshoumaru and Michiko were so angry with him that they often couldn’t stand to be in the same place for long. Hiroto spent many hours over the next day or so playing on his own or crying in his mother’s lap.
But the younger pup knew that whereas Inuyasha had been innocent of any crime, he himself deserved it. Sesshoumaru could see the true repentance and besides he was older and he didn’t want the boy becoming too down hearted, so he asked his father if he could take him to see Inuyasha. Inu no Taishou was proud of his eldest, he was becoming very responsible and he agreed that the boys might get on now, if their elder brother was there to help.
Sesshoumaru and Hiroto approached the farm, the younger hiding behind his brother’s leg when the door opened and Kaoru invited them in. Inuyasha ran happily to meet his older brother before noticing that Hiroto was there too; the hanyou’s smile faded and he withdrew slightly. But when he saw this, Hiroto lifted his head and held out his hand calling his brother’s name and Inuyasha saw that his brother was pale and red eyed from grieving. Instantly anger surged in his blood at the thought that anyone could have hurt the boy; his instincts made his own youki rise and he demanded who had upset him.
Hiroto just wailed and said he was sorry over and over again until Sesshoumaru shushed him sternly and Inuyasha just looked bewildered. Sesshoumaru then told Inuyasha just what had happened with Hiroto and what their younger brother wanted to say, as the boy was once again distraught. In fact he seemed more upset than Inuyasha had been, but whatever; there was no need to say anything else. Inuyasha just took Hiroto over to the toys and offered him one of the things to play with and waited until his little brother was able to join in.
Nothing further was said, nor was it needed; Inuyasha was not one to hold a grudge especially against one his instincts called pack and his nose could tell was genuinely sorry. At the end of an afternoon where Kaoru had served refreshments that included sweet cakes and honeyed plums, the boys’ harmony and balance was restored, much to the thankfulness of both older brothers who were happy to keep out of the way and drink tea.
Of course Inu no Taishou was grateful for the outcome and it wasn’t long before the pups were completely back to normal. But where Inuyasha had forgiven his brother easily, he still refused point blank to return to the school where the others were. Hiroto was pack and besides, the children’s youkai recognised each other and Inuyasha knew that his brother had been misled; but the hurt and anger at all the others was still raw and un-assuaged and his trust was shattered in the way only a child can know.