June 2010 Week 1
Title:How It Could Have Been; ch 69, Rescued
Author:petalears
Universe:AU
Rating:PG
Summary:Meeting a new friend.
Quote:No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. - Aesop, The Lion and The Mouse
Rescued
Inuyasha had left his room to reach the bottom of the garden so that he could take his anger out on the trees as he had done before. As of yet he was too small to do much permanent damage, but the shredding of bark by his claws was still satisfying. The boy had been in the garden for over an hour when he thought he heard a sharp yelp in the distance, followed more definitely by another which was easily discernable as pain. When he heard the third yelp, he jumped over the wall without thinking and ran in the direction of the sounds.
He ran for many miles and into forest he had never been in before he came across the source of the yelping. In fact he was much further than he knew, because the wind was carrying the sound towards him; had it been blowing in another direction he would not have heard anything. On the outskirts of a village he’d never visited, he saw a scraggy dog that was tied to a post and trying to dodge rocks that were being thrown at her by boys of the village.
The sight made Inuyasha’s already angry blood hotter still at the injustice he could see, and instantly without further thought he ran up to the dog and untied her. By doing so he put himself in the line of fire and was hit by some large rocks as the boys realised he was a youkai and changed to pelting him instead of the dog. Thankfully the pup was wearing the firerat armour that his father insisted he wear when he wasn’t in the Palace.
Inu no Taishou had given it to Izayoi the night that Inuyasha was born and had insisted later that the boy keep it, as he would more likely need the protection more than his full youkai offspring. Now it served its purpose by protecting the child from the cruelty of hard hitting stones, even though one or two struck gold when they crashed into the back and side of Inuyasha’s head. The small hanyou however was not knocked out and picked up the dog before jumping into the forest trees and running along the branches away from the village.
Unfortunately Inuyasha didn’t know this part of the forest; scents teased him with some familiarity while remaining strange and different. Suddenly he recognised a creeping feeling as it came over him and he knew he had to reach the ground quickly. He was turning human and wouldn’t be able to be up so high without his hanyou abilities and an animal in his arms. Inuyasha cursed himself for forgetting the moon cycle and thereby his mortal time, and unluckily his transformation was complete just before he reached the ground and threw him off balance.
The boy stumbled and ricked his ankle painfully and his head throbbed with the renewed pain of the injuries he’d sustained. What he could mainly ignore as a hanyou, was impossible as a human and he found his head swam and he was dizzy. To make matters worse, Inuyasha knew he was lost and they were not far enough away from the village if any decided to hunt further for them. The dog sensed his unease and pulled on his sleeve to get him to follow her; she could tell that the boy was going to pass out and should be hidden.
She noticed a recess under a large boulder was just big enough for Inuyasha to tuck into, so she pulled him to it and then nudged the back of his knees so they buckled, and he crawled in before losing consciousness. Now all the dog could do was keep an eye on him and make sure he roused and breathed normally each time she licked his cheek, until he fell into normal sleep. Then she lay in front of him, hiding him from view after trying to cover and warm him with the detritus of the forest floor.
Not long after Inuyasha was peacefully sleeping, the medium sized bitch transformed to a much larger size and started to growl out a warning to the approaching potential menace. The threat however came closer, not in the least intimidated by the half grown bitch; Sesshoumaru knew that his brother was being hidden by the dog and was satisfied the boy was not greatly harmed, by his scent. He also recognised the bitch from the time he had taken Inuyasha out to howl for his mother, although the creature had not transformed then.
"Stand down Little Bitch; I need to see to my brother."
"Pup needs sleep; rest. I guard." The dog replied using the language common to Inuyoukai; she may not have been able to take humanoid form, but she was still youkai. Sesshoumaru spoke again in the tongue she would fully understand.
"Pup injured, he bleeds; I care for pup, stand down."
"Pup needs Mama; you fetch mama. I guard."
"Pup’s Mama dead; you saw pup howl. Let me see pup."
"Pup’s Mama human." She mused, then said, "fetch Papa; fetch caretaker, see pup when wakens." The bitch was getting nervous of Sesshoumaru, his power was obvious to her, but the pup needed to rest and she stood her ground. Sesshoumaru was uncertain as to what to do, he should fetch Inu no Taishou, but he didn’t want Inuyasha left alone with the dog; he didn’t think she would harm the boy because she now realised he was hanyou, but...
As it happened he would not have had to go far to reach either his father or mother, they were both downwind and had masked their presence. The Lady had been less than delighted when told that Inuyasha was missing and if anyone thought she should stay put while her pup was out and lost, they had another think coming. However she did agree that Sesshoumaru would perhaps get more out of the young runaway than anyone else could and so both adults stayed hidden and watching.
"Why is everyone so noisy and growling? I’ve got a headache." Inuyasha said as he awoke and was for a while unsure of where he was. Before the child could panic, the bitch transformed to her smaller self and sniffed at the boy; there was still some confusion in his scent, but he would be alright. She moved aside slightly so that the older brother could see for himself that the younger was safe and unharmed by her.
"Hello dog, are you alright now? Why am I under here, I’ve got leaves all over me?" Inuyasha gently stroked the dog and petted her ears.
"Inuyasha, come here and let me look at you, you have a bumped head and your face is bruised. I know what happened, I tracked you to the village and further, but I must check you." Sesshoumaru was unable to feel his brother’s youkai as well as normal because Inuyasha was human. Inuyasha came out obediently and stood still while his brother felt for any broken bones or cracked skull. Thankfully there were none and the bruising would be gone when he turned hanyou again in the morning. Now though the pup could answer some questions.
Sesshoumaru sat Inuyasha down in his lap under the watchful eyes of the young bitch and wrapped his tail around the boy. Inuyasha relaxed into the warmth and comfort born of his earliest memories and felt safe, he almost went to sleep again, but the older brother wanted answers.
"I missed you when I came home Inuyasha, and I found that you had been aggressive again towards the trees in the garden. I want to know what happened and how you came to be out here alone. You know that you mustn’t leave the Palace gardens unescorted, therefore I have to come to the conclusion that you were running away. What has upset you again Inuyasha?"
"Nothing, I wasn’t running away, honest Shu, don’t say that I was running away, don’t tell Papa that, I’m being good, please." Inuyasha said desperately and Sesshoumaru looked at him in concern.
"I must tell Papa you are found. I shall take you back immediately."
"Can’t you tell him I was in the garden all the time, don’t say I was outside or that I was running away, I really wasn’t Shu."
"You want me to lie to Papa? What a ridiculous notion, you know it would never work with his senses Inuyasha. What, are you afraid of another spanking because you went out; you deserve it, making everyone worry."
"No I don’t; you don’t know. I mustn’t get into trouble again, I’ve been very good...I’ve done everything everyone asked me to do...I don’t want to be sent away Shu...I don’t want to...I don’t want to..." Inuyasha’s voice broke and he snuggled his face into his brother’s tail, clutching on tightly and the dog set up a growl again worried for the safety of the upset pup. Sesshoumaru patted Inuyasha and considered his words; it was obvious the pup was overwrought and more emotional because of his humanity this night and probably the bump on his head was not helping.
"Inuyasha you are being idiotic; calm down and stop your imaginings and don’t you think of lying to Papa or you will get in more trouble."
"Am I in trouble no matter what I do now? He whimpered.
"It would seem so Inuyasha; I can’t think how you will get out of some form of punishment."
"Papa will send me away...I won’t see the new baby."
"Papa is not going to send you away Inuyasha, and of course you will see our new brother."
"He’s not my brother Shu...neither are you; I am only half of a brother. Aunty doesn’t want a horrid boy like me around." Inuyasha was finally defeated, suddenly realising that last truth, that Shu was also not his brother.
"Who said such a thing to you Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru was now disturbed himself, what had been going on while he’d been away. This was far more serious than he’d first thought and in the forest Inu no Taishou and the Lady too wanted to know more.
"Michiko, then she was mad and I didn’t know what I’d done and Papa said he’d send me away if I wasn’t very good." Inuyasha said, but he wasn’t whinging or telling tales.
"Inuyasha, I want you to tell me everything that happened since I last saw you and I mean everything. I am your bonded brother, nothing is going to change that and I need to know what has made you fearful. It doesn’t matter if we are half brothers or full, we are still brothers; we two are bonded and my youkai cannot settle if yours is in disarray. So once again I need you to tell me all that has been said and done and I promise to make it right." Sesshoumaru was obviously sincere and that was enough, Inuyasha needed someone to understand.
Inuyasha spoke and Sesshoumaru listened; and even when the older boy was angered, he kept it to himself, but his grip on his younger tightened as Inuyasha snuggled further into his Shu’s arms. At last someone heard him and didn’t jump to conclusions regarding him and Inuyasha felt more comfortable than he had done with anyone else apart from Cho, in the last couple of horrid months. While he rested exhausted and still with a headache, the adults approached quietly and Sesshoumaru covered the pup from view with his sleeves.
Inuyasha My Little Pup, you mustn’t worry about being sent away, that will never happen. I promise you as your father." Inu no Taishou said and he reached for Inuyasha. But his younger son shied away and his elder son growled a warning softly, causing hurt to their father’s heart. "I need to speak to Inuyasha My Sesshoumaru, he has misunderstood me. Let me talk to my son." He said firmly and Sesshoumaru let him come closer, although he couldn’t help the continuous growl and he didn’t let go of his brother.
"My Inuyasha, I am sorry, I didn’t know you thought I would send you away. I would never send my pup away from home however naughty they were, and you have not been a bad boy. I didn’t know all that had happened and I only thought you might have wanted a break from the Palace for a while and to stay with a friend." Inu no Taishou explained gently and was determined in future to make sure anything he said was perfectly understood by his young children. He held out his arms to Inuyasha, hoping that the wide eyed child would feel safe to come to him. After a long pause, Inuyasha launched himself at his father and was caught and hugged tightly, before Inu no Taishou did his own inspection of the boy’s injuries.
"We must get you home and fed before you can have something to ease the pain in your head My Son, and do not be concerned you will not be punished for leaving...this time." The father said, before handing Inuyasha back to his brother and returning to his wife. As they all turned to leave, Inuyasha called out a thank you to the dog for looking after him and Inu no Taishou said he would hunt for her in gratitude, something that her pack would appreciate too. The bitch sat and watched them go; she had said nothing further and finally curled up under the boulder where Inuyasha had slept.
True to his promise it didn’t take long before a large boar was brought to her and Inu no Taishou offered to carry it to her pack, but she looked away and said;
"Little Bitch thanks Inu no Taishou. I carry meat."
"No, Inu no Taishou would thank pack." He looked at her seriously and the bitch sighed and rolled over onto her back in submission.
"Little Bitch has no pack, she runt of litter. Left to die when pack went away."
"You have no home, no master?"
"I alone, live in forest, here, there, until moved on."
"You are very young to live alone, half grown pup."
"No one else here, just learned to grow big last seven days."
"Do you like to live here, no master, no pack?"
"Is no choice, is lonely, no talking, no playing. She not live long, Little Bitch knows."
"Is that your name...Little Bitch?" Inu no Taishou thought it strange.
"No name before, eldest son called me such when saw him at younger son howl for Mama."
"You saw My Sons then?"
"Heard sad howl, not know pup had brother, went to help."
"You help him again now, not care he hanyou pup?"
"Pup help me, why matter he is hanyou? He is pup. Not leave pup hurt." She had suffered from prejudice all her life and knew its cruelties. Inu no Taishou made a decision.
"Would you like new pack Little Bitch? Friend of pup, care for pup in Palace and farm?"
"You mean live with pup, guard pup?"
"Yes, friend of pup, Inuyasha master, you pet."
"Live in house?" She sounded wistful and hopeful.
"Yes, no more cold, wet outside. No more bed in root or boulder."
"Pup like Little Bitch?"
"Yes."
"Why you give this, why you trust me? You not know Little Bitch, trust with pup?"
"You protected him today, growled at older brother, refused older brother, risk own life, Sesshoumaru Alpha. I would kill you if you false or harm pup."
"Little Bitch never harm pup, protect pup, be friend."
"Then follow home, transform, I give you to pup at dinner."
Back at the Palace, Sesshoumaru took Inuyasha to The Lady’s suite following his mother and she sat down and took her new son from her eldest, while they waited for the healer. Sesshoumaru went onto the balcony leaving his mother to speak softly, but sternly to Inuyasha. She parted his fringe with her hands and kissed his forehead, noting that he still looked tired and somewhat defeated and she could feel shame rolling from him when he looked at her.
"I have said it before Inuyasha but you are a silly little pup at times, but we are very sorry you have had such a hard time recently. None of us has communicated very well, have we? There have been many misunderstandings."
"I suppose so Aunty...I am sorry I can’t call you Mama but..."
"This is one of those misunderstandings Inuyasha. But listen and think carefully, has anyone told you that you must call me Mama?" She watched the boy as he thought back and as his violet eyes got impossibly wide and bright before he shook his head negatively. Sesshoumaru came back in to hear what his mother was going to say next.
"Your Mama knew that this sad time would come and we arranged that I would be your mother when she wasn’t here. We both wanted me to be your new Mama, and even if you always call me aunty, it doesn’t matter; I will still be your mother. You need a mother and it just means that I love you and treat you in the same way I do my own pups." She said firmly, as this was not up for negotiation. Inuyasha just looked at her, his eyes filled with tears but he didn’t let them spill.
"I’ll never see her again; she is really gone forever isn’t she?" He whispered huskily.
"Part of her remains and you can still see her there." Was the enigmatic reply and The Lady fetched her looking glass and reflected Inuyasha’s image back to him. "Every black night, once a month, you can see her again as she was in her youth. You look very like Izayoi as a human and I think will do more as you grow, you have similar bone structure." She let him take the glass and he went to sit with Sesshoumaru again while he studied his face in the mirror.
"I have a plan too Inuyasha, I would like you to come with me on a visit, would you like to do that? You can see your siblings first and then join me later, Sesshoumaru will bring you."
"I’m not being sent away am I?"
"Never My Son, you will be with me and come back with me; you do trust and love me, don’t you Inuyasha?"
"Of course, Aunty. Will Shu be there?"
"I will come over often Inuyasha, and if you want to come home sooner I will collect you." Sesshoumaru assured him and his mother heard for the first time in her presence the authority of the Alpha. This time she allowed that authority as she agreed in any case and she smiled, knowing that the next time he tried it, she would remind her eldest he was not her Alpha.
At the evening meal, Inu no Taishou knew he’d done the right thing with the dog, Inuyasha’s face was lit up in his joy and he was so excited that it was nearly impossible to get him to go to bed. Little Bitch was readily accepted into the family; both Hiroto and Michiko were kindly children and knew not to frighten the new addition. She in turn vowed to protect them all to the best of her ability, although her primary allegiance would always be Inuyasha.
Author:petalears
Universe:AU
Rating:PG
Summary:Meeting a new friend.
Quote:No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. - Aesop, The Lion and The Mouse
Rescued
Inuyasha had left his room to reach the bottom of the garden so that he could take his anger out on the trees as he had done before. As of yet he was too small to do much permanent damage, but the shredding of bark by his claws was still satisfying. The boy had been in the garden for over an hour when he thought he heard a sharp yelp in the distance, followed more definitely by another which was easily discernable as pain. When he heard the third yelp, he jumped over the wall without thinking and ran in the direction of the sounds.
He ran for many miles and into forest he had never been in before he came across the source of the yelping. In fact he was much further than he knew, because the wind was carrying the sound towards him; had it been blowing in another direction he would not have heard anything. On the outskirts of a village he’d never visited, he saw a scraggy dog that was tied to a post and trying to dodge rocks that were being thrown at her by boys of the village.
The sight made Inuyasha’s already angry blood hotter still at the injustice he could see, and instantly without further thought he ran up to the dog and untied her. By doing so he put himself in the line of fire and was hit by some large rocks as the boys realised he was a youkai and changed to pelting him instead of the dog. Thankfully the pup was wearing the firerat armour that his father insisted he wear when he wasn’t in the Palace.
Inu no Taishou had given it to Izayoi the night that Inuyasha was born and had insisted later that the boy keep it, as he would more likely need the protection more than his full youkai offspring. Now it served its purpose by protecting the child from the cruelty of hard hitting stones, even though one or two struck gold when they crashed into the back and side of Inuyasha’s head. The small hanyou however was not knocked out and picked up the dog before jumping into the forest trees and running along the branches away from the village.
Unfortunately Inuyasha didn’t know this part of the forest; scents teased him with some familiarity while remaining strange and different. Suddenly he recognised a creeping feeling as it came over him and he knew he had to reach the ground quickly. He was turning human and wouldn’t be able to be up so high without his hanyou abilities and an animal in his arms. Inuyasha cursed himself for forgetting the moon cycle and thereby his mortal time, and unluckily his transformation was complete just before he reached the ground and threw him off balance.
The boy stumbled and ricked his ankle painfully and his head throbbed with the renewed pain of the injuries he’d sustained. What he could mainly ignore as a hanyou, was impossible as a human and he found his head swam and he was dizzy. To make matters worse, Inuyasha knew he was lost and they were not far enough away from the village if any decided to hunt further for them. The dog sensed his unease and pulled on his sleeve to get him to follow her; she could tell that the boy was going to pass out and should be hidden.
She noticed a recess under a large boulder was just big enough for Inuyasha to tuck into, so she pulled him to it and then nudged the back of his knees so they buckled, and he crawled in before losing consciousness. Now all the dog could do was keep an eye on him and make sure he roused and breathed normally each time she licked his cheek, until he fell into normal sleep. Then she lay in front of him, hiding him from view after trying to cover and warm him with the detritus of the forest floor.
Not long after Inuyasha was peacefully sleeping, the medium sized bitch transformed to a much larger size and started to growl out a warning to the approaching potential menace. The threat however came closer, not in the least intimidated by the half grown bitch; Sesshoumaru knew that his brother was being hidden by the dog and was satisfied the boy was not greatly harmed, by his scent. He also recognised the bitch from the time he had taken Inuyasha out to howl for his mother, although the creature had not transformed then.
"Stand down Little Bitch; I need to see to my brother."
"Pup needs sleep; rest. I guard." The dog replied using the language common to Inuyoukai; she may not have been able to take humanoid form, but she was still youkai. Sesshoumaru spoke again in the tongue she would fully understand.
"Pup injured, he bleeds; I care for pup, stand down."
"Pup needs Mama; you fetch mama. I guard."
"Pup’s Mama dead; you saw pup howl. Let me see pup."
"Pup’s Mama human." She mused, then said, "fetch Papa; fetch caretaker, see pup when wakens." The bitch was getting nervous of Sesshoumaru, his power was obvious to her, but the pup needed to rest and she stood her ground. Sesshoumaru was uncertain as to what to do, he should fetch Inu no Taishou, but he didn’t want Inuyasha left alone with the dog; he didn’t think she would harm the boy because she now realised he was hanyou, but...
As it happened he would not have had to go far to reach either his father or mother, they were both downwind and had masked their presence. The Lady had been less than delighted when told that Inuyasha was missing and if anyone thought she should stay put while her pup was out and lost, they had another think coming. However she did agree that Sesshoumaru would perhaps get more out of the young runaway than anyone else could and so both adults stayed hidden and watching.
"Why is everyone so noisy and growling? I’ve got a headache." Inuyasha said as he awoke and was for a while unsure of where he was. Before the child could panic, the bitch transformed to her smaller self and sniffed at the boy; there was still some confusion in his scent, but he would be alright. She moved aside slightly so that the older brother could see for himself that the younger was safe and unharmed by her.
"Hello dog, are you alright now? Why am I under here, I’ve got leaves all over me?" Inuyasha gently stroked the dog and petted her ears.
"Inuyasha, come here and let me look at you, you have a bumped head and your face is bruised. I know what happened, I tracked you to the village and further, but I must check you." Sesshoumaru was unable to feel his brother’s youkai as well as normal because Inuyasha was human. Inuyasha came out obediently and stood still while his brother felt for any broken bones or cracked skull. Thankfully there were none and the bruising would be gone when he turned hanyou again in the morning. Now though the pup could answer some questions.
Sesshoumaru sat Inuyasha down in his lap under the watchful eyes of the young bitch and wrapped his tail around the boy. Inuyasha relaxed into the warmth and comfort born of his earliest memories and felt safe, he almost went to sleep again, but the older brother wanted answers.
"I missed you when I came home Inuyasha, and I found that you had been aggressive again towards the trees in the garden. I want to know what happened and how you came to be out here alone. You know that you mustn’t leave the Palace gardens unescorted, therefore I have to come to the conclusion that you were running away. What has upset you again Inuyasha?"
"Nothing, I wasn’t running away, honest Shu, don’t say that I was running away, don’t tell Papa that, I’m being good, please." Inuyasha said desperately and Sesshoumaru looked at him in concern.
"I must tell Papa you are found. I shall take you back immediately."
"Can’t you tell him I was in the garden all the time, don’t say I was outside or that I was running away, I really wasn’t Shu."
"You want me to lie to Papa? What a ridiculous notion, you know it would never work with his senses Inuyasha. What, are you afraid of another spanking because you went out; you deserve it, making everyone worry."
"No I don’t; you don’t know. I mustn’t get into trouble again, I’ve been very good...I’ve done everything everyone asked me to do...I don’t want to be sent away Shu...I don’t want to...I don’t want to..." Inuyasha’s voice broke and he snuggled his face into his brother’s tail, clutching on tightly and the dog set up a growl again worried for the safety of the upset pup. Sesshoumaru patted Inuyasha and considered his words; it was obvious the pup was overwrought and more emotional because of his humanity this night and probably the bump on his head was not helping.
"Inuyasha you are being idiotic; calm down and stop your imaginings and don’t you think of lying to Papa or you will get in more trouble."
"Am I in trouble no matter what I do now? He whimpered.
"It would seem so Inuyasha; I can’t think how you will get out of some form of punishment."
"Papa will send me away...I won’t see the new baby."
"Papa is not going to send you away Inuyasha, and of course you will see our new brother."
"He’s not my brother Shu...neither are you; I am only half of a brother. Aunty doesn’t want a horrid boy like me around." Inuyasha was finally defeated, suddenly realising that last truth, that Shu was also not his brother.
"Who said such a thing to you Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru was now disturbed himself, what had been going on while he’d been away. This was far more serious than he’d first thought and in the forest Inu no Taishou and the Lady too wanted to know more.
"Michiko, then she was mad and I didn’t know what I’d done and Papa said he’d send me away if I wasn’t very good." Inuyasha said, but he wasn’t whinging or telling tales.
"Inuyasha, I want you to tell me everything that happened since I last saw you and I mean everything. I am your bonded brother, nothing is going to change that and I need to know what has made you fearful. It doesn’t matter if we are half brothers or full, we are still brothers; we two are bonded and my youkai cannot settle if yours is in disarray. So once again I need you to tell me all that has been said and done and I promise to make it right." Sesshoumaru was obviously sincere and that was enough, Inuyasha needed someone to understand.
Inuyasha spoke and Sesshoumaru listened; and even when the older boy was angered, he kept it to himself, but his grip on his younger tightened as Inuyasha snuggled further into his Shu’s arms. At last someone heard him and didn’t jump to conclusions regarding him and Inuyasha felt more comfortable than he had done with anyone else apart from Cho, in the last couple of horrid months. While he rested exhausted and still with a headache, the adults approached quietly and Sesshoumaru covered the pup from view with his sleeves.
Inuyasha My Little Pup, you mustn’t worry about being sent away, that will never happen. I promise you as your father." Inu no Taishou said and he reached for Inuyasha. But his younger son shied away and his elder son growled a warning softly, causing hurt to their father’s heart. "I need to speak to Inuyasha My Sesshoumaru, he has misunderstood me. Let me talk to my son." He said firmly and Sesshoumaru let him come closer, although he couldn’t help the continuous growl and he didn’t let go of his brother.
"My Inuyasha, I am sorry, I didn’t know you thought I would send you away. I would never send my pup away from home however naughty they were, and you have not been a bad boy. I didn’t know all that had happened and I only thought you might have wanted a break from the Palace for a while and to stay with a friend." Inu no Taishou explained gently and was determined in future to make sure anything he said was perfectly understood by his young children. He held out his arms to Inuyasha, hoping that the wide eyed child would feel safe to come to him. After a long pause, Inuyasha launched himself at his father and was caught and hugged tightly, before Inu no Taishou did his own inspection of the boy’s injuries.
"We must get you home and fed before you can have something to ease the pain in your head My Son, and do not be concerned you will not be punished for leaving...this time." The father said, before handing Inuyasha back to his brother and returning to his wife. As they all turned to leave, Inuyasha called out a thank you to the dog for looking after him and Inu no Taishou said he would hunt for her in gratitude, something that her pack would appreciate too. The bitch sat and watched them go; she had said nothing further and finally curled up under the boulder where Inuyasha had slept.
True to his promise it didn’t take long before a large boar was brought to her and Inu no Taishou offered to carry it to her pack, but she looked away and said;
"Little Bitch thanks Inu no Taishou. I carry meat."
"No, Inu no Taishou would thank pack." He looked at her seriously and the bitch sighed and rolled over onto her back in submission.
"Little Bitch has no pack, she runt of litter. Left to die when pack went away."
"You have no home, no master?"
"I alone, live in forest, here, there, until moved on."
"You are very young to live alone, half grown pup."
"No one else here, just learned to grow big last seven days."
"Do you like to live here, no master, no pack?"
"Is no choice, is lonely, no talking, no playing. She not live long, Little Bitch knows."
"Is that your name...Little Bitch?" Inu no Taishou thought it strange.
"No name before, eldest son called me such when saw him at younger son howl for Mama."
"You saw My Sons then?"
"Heard sad howl, not know pup had brother, went to help."
"You help him again now, not care he hanyou pup?"
"Pup help me, why matter he is hanyou? He is pup. Not leave pup hurt." She had suffered from prejudice all her life and knew its cruelties. Inu no Taishou made a decision.
"Would you like new pack Little Bitch? Friend of pup, care for pup in Palace and farm?"
"You mean live with pup, guard pup?"
"Yes, friend of pup, Inuyasha master, you pet."
"Live in house?" She sounded wistful and hopeful.
"Yes, no more cold, wet outside. No more bed in root or boulder."
"Pup like Little Bitch?"
"Yes."
"Why you give this, why you trust me? You not know Little Bitch, trust with pup?"
"You protected him today, growled at older brother, refused older brother, risk own life, Sesshoumaru Alpha. I would kill you if you false or harm pup."
"Little Bitch never harm pup, protect pup, be friend."
"Then follow home, transform, I give you to pup at dinner."
Back at the Palace, Sesshoumaru took Inuyasha to The Lady’s suite following his mother and she sat down and took her new son from her eldest, while they waited for the healer. Sesshoumaru went onto the balcony leaving his mother to speak softly, but sternly to Inuyasha. She parted his fringe with her hands and kissed his forehead, noting that he still looked tired and somewhat defeated and she could feel shame rolling from him when he looked at her.
"I have said it before Inuyasha but you are a silly little pup at times, but we are very sorry you have had such a hard time recently. None of us has communicated very well, have we? There have been many misunderstandings."
"I suppose so Aunty...I am sorry I can’t call you Mama but..."
"This is one of those misunderstandings Inuyasha. But listen and think carefully, has anyone told you that you must call me Mama?" She watched the boy as he thought back and as his violet eyes got impossibly wide and bright before he shook his head negatively. Sesshoumaru came back in to hear what his mother was going to say next.
"Your Mama knew that this sad time would come and we arranged that I would be your mother when she wasn’t here. We both wanted me to be your new Mama, and even if you always call me aunty, it doesn’t matter; I will still be your mother. You need a mother and it just means that I love you and treat you in the same way I do my own pups." She said firmly, as this was not up for negotiation. Inuyasha just looked at her, his eyes filled with tears but he didn’t let them spill.
"I’ll never see her again; she is really gone forever isn’t she?" He whispered huskily.
"Part of her remains and you can still see her there." Was the enigmatic reply and The Lady fetched her looking glass and reflected Inuyasha’s image back to him. "Every black night, once a month, you can see her again as she was in her youth. You look very like Izayoi as a human and I think will do more as you grow, you have similar bone structure." She let him take the glass and he went to sit with Sesshoumaru again while he studied his face in the mirror.
"I have a plan too Inuyasha, I would like you to come with me on a visit, would you like to do that? You can see your siblings first and then join me later, Sesshoumaru will bring you."
"I’m not being sent away am I?"
"Never My Son, you will be with me and come back with me; you do trust and love me, don’t you Inuyasha?"
"Of course, Aunty. Will Shu be there?"
"I will come over often Inuyasha, and if you want to come home sooner I will collect you." Sesshoumaru assured him and his mother heard for the first time in her presence the authority of the Alpha. This time she allowed that authority as she agreed in any case and she smiled, knowing that the next time he tried it, she would remind her eldest he was not her Alpha.
At the evening meal, Inu no Taishou knew he’d done the right thing with the dog, Inuyasha’s face was lit up in his joy and he was so excited that it was nearly impossible to get him to go to bed. Little Bitch was readily accepted into the family; both Hiroto and Michiko were kindly children and knew not to frighten the new addition. She in turn vowed to protect them all to the best of her ability, although her primary allegiance would always be Inuyasha.