August 2009 Week 4
Title:How It Could Have Been; ch 77, Summer Holidays
Author:petalears
Universe:A/U
Rating:PG
Summary:Inuyasha gets to grips with his project
Quote:It is in the character of very few men to honor without envy a friend who has prospered. -Aeschylus
Summer Holidays
That summer was very busy and productive for all of the Inu youkai family and their dependents and therefore it seemed to go by very quickly. Inuyasha was an attentive student for Akio and as the summer wore on he found he began to feel a great love for and very protective of his land and his livestock. By the time the families he had evicted had moved out and he’d made the rounds of those he allowed to remain, Inuyasha had a good grasp on the productivity of his holdings. All of Gorou’s generation had had to leave immediately, except for one woman and her two small children; she was a widow and had been left to her own devices once her husband who had been part of the family died.
Inuyasha was horrified to learn of her neglect and had assigned two of his own farmhands to work on her land. The woman was very grateful, she had been exhausted trying to get by and be a mother at the same time. Now she could rest a while and recover her strength; Inuyasha granted her free tenancy for a while, at least until her son was able to start to work too. Inuyasha hadn’t taken advice to make this decision, any more than he had done when telling the rest to leave, but he knew it was the right thing to do.
He seemed to assimilate easily the principles of husbandry that Akio taught him, and made good observations on how the land was used. This was not difficult however as his land had had good managers down to now. Inuyasha also favoured one area of land in particular, and wanted to stay there rather than at the farmhouse with Akio and his family. The small cottage bordered on the forest and the land in front was quite wild because it took a lot of keeping clear from the woods that wanted to reclaim it.
This suited the young hanyou however, Inuyasha loved the trees and didn’t mind the little saplings sprouting up all over, but Akio helped him to understand that if he didn’t keep the land cleared, the forest would eventually encroach once more on the rest. Then, knowing that Inuyasha also loved his animals the human one day offered a good solution; the hanyou could keep goats, boars and deer to keep the brush down and the land fertile and ploughed as the pigs would root around and turf up the soil keeping it from being compacted.
Of course Inu no Taishou had to be consulted about this and he agreed to allow Inuyasha time off school during the week to keep his eye on his animals, on condition that he also had a housekeeper who would look after the house for him when he wasn’t there. The general then made suggestion of a youkai couple who had no children from his own staff and who were willing to take on the responsibility.
Not only Inuyasha but also his classmates and siblings joined in; all were asked to do various tasks and given responsibilities to keep the smallholdings ticking over. There were harvests to consider, grain and fruits to gather together and animals to check and feed. The novelty of the work was engrossing and even Alpha Kouga was unknowingly obedient when the hanyou asked him nicely. In fact, Inuyasha naturally but knowingly, used tact for the first time and was surprised at the wolf prince’s acquiescence; deciding to remember the tactic for future reference.
Over the course of the summer, another couple who had been turned away from the farmlands came back to beg Inuyasha to reconsider their case. Their children were gone to start families of their own, leaving the parents with nowhere else to go and only a bleak old age sometime in the future; they were not young enough to start all over again. If Inuyasha turned them away they would die in poverty or have to decide which of their children to live with and never see their others. Inuyasha received plenty of advice from his peers about what he should do, but he decided on the merciful approach, his heart was moved by the two humans who were after all his now distant relations.
But his mercy was tempered by his youkai who agreed with his full youkai friends and the couple were allowed to return but only as housekeepers. They would have to agree to look after one of the cottages that would be home to the rest of the boys during school time, making sure that the place was kept clean and that food was provided daily. In return they could live free and receive a portion of the harvest to use or sell for other necessities, but they would not be the tenants of their own land, only servants to the youkai boys. This was agreed to and it was written down as a contract, including the clause that said that any infringement of the agreement would mean an immediate cessation of the contract.
When all chores were done and the rest of the boys and often Michiko too played, Inuyasha was busy writing his reports into his project for The Tiger. Of course the others too had their projects to write and often were found to be doing this homework, but it had become important to Inuyasha to get this right. It was part of his future and he was beginning to realise just how essential his land would be to him; as an illegitimate son of his father, his own land would give him a place, position and respectability.
Inuyasha was meticulous with his reports; the lessons from Akio and his own observations were all carefully written down and Inuyasha found he took delight in the work. It was satisfying and he found his writing flowed quite easily; his love for his farmlands also shone through his words, evidence enough to those who would read his project that the hanyou had found his vocation.
Of course the youngsters were not left completely to their own devices; guards were always present if not obvious, Akio was always around for guidance and supervision and The Tiger too was available for help. They also reported to Inu no Taishou about how the boys were developing and the whole exercise proved to be an invaluable source of information; because although it was mainly Inuyasha’s determination to live and learn throughout the summer, the others had all willingly wanted to help.
The Western Lord was delighted in the way things were working out; the nuclear group surrounding his son would undoubtedly stay with him as trustworthy friends for life, and was something that no money or influence could buy. Some of the boys showed a similar love for the land and each had their favourite area, to which they gave most of their attention; and Inuyasha would get stuck in helping wherever there was need. Kouga found however that he preferred to oversee the work that was needed to be done rather than get involved in any other way, although he would sometimes lend brute strength to show off his muscle.
In the evenings they would all get together to discuss their days and in many cases, Gyuoh would offer sound advice which Inuyasha had learned to heed. It was the large bull hanyou who had said it seemed a good idea to enlarge the cottages to house larger families or larger youkai. He also suggested that Inuyasha ring fence some of his income to buy up more land to the West of his property as it became available. His reasoning being that it might be a good idea to own the land down to the sea and beach which would encourage fishermen to settle and that would enhance Inuyasha’s income.
Inuyasha was good at listening to all and any suggestions from his friends and was also humble enough to consider things he hadn’t thought of himself. But he made the final decisions and usually, he agreed to Gyuoh’s ideas. Another good one came from Jinenji who proposed that he create a new herb field; he would be prepared to teach someone the properties of the herbs too, so that it would be a useful source of medicine and Gyuoh remarked that it would be a good idea to make the field in the centre of the farmlands where anyone could have access.
Inuyasha thought it was a good idea, but qualified it saying that it was not good for anyone just to come and take, but to go via the healer; they would have to find someone who was prepared to be trained and live there as Jinenji already had family land. It was also Jinenji who put forth the idea to allow both youkai and humans to rent the farms in the interest of promoting a peaceable area in which to live. The boy who was most surprising was Xing-fu, the idea of an herb farm in the middle of the other farms really appealed to him and he claimed the role of healer for himself.
Of course this was the way Inuyasha reported it in his project, the real discussions had been less formal. For instance, Gyuoh had complained loudly that the houses were too small for someone of his and Jinenji’s size and should be made bigger; he also said it was a shame Inuyasha didn’t have any homes near to the beach where they could all mess about in the water. These and many other considerations were painstakingly written down and Inuyasha mulled them over whenever he had a spare moment.
The last two weeks before the school was due to resume, Inuyasha was left alone as his friends returned to their own homes and families, full of the exciting times they had had. Once again staying with Inuyasha had been far different than their normal and most thought, boring courtly activities. The young hanyou had already submitted his project to The Tiger, his final entries documenting the decision to allow his friends their choice from his cottages as homes whenever they wished and the setting up of caretakers while they were absent.
Inuyasha had enjoyed the exercise greatly; he was very interested in his property and the people who were coming to populate it, and he made the decision to continue to write about his life pertaining to his estate. But it was time for him to return to the Palace and he was excited, he would be attending his first formal gathering apart from the times his siblings had been introduced. Sesshoumaru had finished his schooling and along with his own peers the older brother had been busy all summer visiting with his friends at their homes. Now it was his turn to play the host and much preparation had been put into Sesshoumaru’s first official adult engagement.
However, on the day that Inuyasha returned to the Palace and was given his new clothes for the occasions to come, he was called to his father’s suite where he found Susumu waiting to speak with him. Inuyasha was always pleased to see the kitsune and catch up on what was happening; and this time Susumu’s news concerned him. Susumu had been approached to ask Inu no Taishou for asylum in the West for a baby hanyou and her mother by the youkai father, who was the Prince of a corrupted Lord.
Tsukuyomaru was the current guardian of the barrier for his bat tribe, but his price to fulfill his role was that his tribe, led by his father Taigokumaru, was not to use the local village as their hunting territory. This was in harmony with the Daiyoukai of the West’s own edict, but Taigokumaru was often a law unto himself and his son was in fear of his life. However as he was the only one who could control the barrier, he would feel safer if his mate and daughter were protected in the West where they would be unreachable for Taigokumaru.
Inu no Taishou had already agreed to grant sanctuary to the family including Tsukuyomaru which was more than the young bat could have hoped for. He knew that his presence could be a danger to the West, but the General wouldn’t hear of the family being separated for longer than necessary. Inuyasha was asked whether or not he minded providing a home on his lands for the bat family and of course he agreed; it would be his pleasure and it was so important to him that he had to go back there and then to find out where would be most appropriate.
It was Akio who suggested the main house; it was the largest and was central to Inuyasha’s lands and thereby the most protected. He and his mate would be happy to stay on as caretakers to the young wife and mother, being old enough to be her parents; or if need be they could move out to one of the other cottages. Inuyasha thanked him for his generosity and spent the next couple of days making sure that the house was supplied with all a mother could want. He was also there when his guests took up their residence, blushing profusely at the sincere thanks from Tsukuyomaru.
Inuyasha was also enthralled by the pretty baby with her shock of white hair and her violet eyes. The young human woman reminded him a little of his own mother and the hanyou bat-pup Shiori was reminiscent of his baby sister Hanako. Inuyasha vowed publicly that he would protect them both as much as he was able and that they could live for as long as they wanted on his farm; Inu no Taishou was very proud of him.
Unfortunately Sesshoumaru was not quite so understanding; he had missed his brother over the summer as they were both doing something completely different to the other. Jealousy was still a failing of the older boy on occasion and the fact that Inuyasha had been missing from Sesshoumaru’s gathering had annoyed the youkai. Inuyasha hadn’t helped by asserting that he had been doing something very important which meant that Sesshoumaru’s party was less significant. Inuyasha didn’t mean to hurt his brother, but to him it was obvious that settling baby Shiori safely in her new home was far more important than frivolous wining and dining and he said so.
"Of course it’s more important to make sure the baby’s safe Shu and I’m coming to your party now aren’t I?"
"It was not the same as being there when I introduced everyone else; and you were hardly needed to open the door personally, you were selfish and put yourself first, you were trying to impress."
"I wasn’t and you can introduce me now."
"How should I do that Inuyasha? Here is my brother who likes to play that he is a self important grown up when he is still very much a child playing house." Sesshoumaru said scornfully; not realising that in his hurt, he too sounded very childish.
"You are being an idiot Shu." Inuyasha retorted loudly, much to his older brother’s surprise. Sesshoumaru was still taken aback by Inuyasha’s sometimes lack of respect for his Alpha brother; even though he had been reminded often, that the hanyou would at times react differently to a full youkai. It was a sore point with Sesshoumaru that had not been helped by the praise for the boy from not only The Tiger and his father, but from his own tutors who had agreed that Inuyasha’s project was the best they had ever seen.
As far as the angry Sesshoumaru was concerned, Inuyasha should know his place; a hanyou could not exceed a full youkai in anything by very definition. The Prince truly loved his younger brother and their bond was very deep, but the older boy’s original prejudice sometimes came to the surface. After several weeks surrounded by his friends and their families and courtiers who were unfailingly flattering of Sesshoumaru’s looks, abilities and everything else, the older boy was feeling vastly superior. He had wanted to show off in front of his family and Inuyasha was stealing his limelight.
"I don’t think I shall introduce you now Inuyasha; it is obvious you don’t wish to come to my celebration, so don’t feel you are obligated to make an appearance." Sesshoumaru said before he turned away from Inuyasha and stuck his nose in the air to walk away. Inuyasha was furious and called out that Sesshoumaru should learn not to flounce like a girl if he wanted to impress people. With great determination and self control, Sesshoumaru ignored the ill mannered pup and carried on until he was out of sight.
Inuyasha meanwhile huffed in annoyance and stuck his tongue out at his brother’s receding back before spinning around to face Susumu who had come behind him and was tutting and shaking his head.
"That was not wise Inuyasha, nor was it kind; you are old enough to know better than to call your brother names."
"He started it; he gets me so angry sometimes when he is puffed up and all hoity-toity."
"Yes, your brother could have handled it better, but he was upset; he has missed you all summer and this is an important occasion for him. He has finished school and if considered an adult."
"Well he don’t act it." Inuyasha said scornfully.
"Sometimes adults can be very childish and Sesshoumaru is still young, but you are missing the point Inuyasha, as you very well know."
"All right, I’ll say sorry...I missed him too." Inuyasha said sulkily but he was heartened by the approving smile of Susumu. Although as he got to the doors of the main audience chamber and heard the subdued hubbub of many voices, Inuyasha had to grab his courage with both hands to enter; he was unused to so many people. When he passed through the door, he made a beeline for Michiko and Hiroto as he couldn’t see Sesshoumaru, and asked them if they had seen their older brother. Unfortunately they didn’t know where he was, so Inuyasha wandered over to another friendly face.
But Kouga didn’t know where the Prince had gone to either and neither did Susumu or his brother who was also attending the function. It seemed that Sesshoumaru had vanished into thin air, however, someone had noticed Inuyasha flitting around the room; emerald eyes set in a lovely face were curious about the youth. She couldn’t make him out, he was dressed finely, although his feet were bare, yet he seemed to have no purpose and she didn’t know what he was; however she was hungry and he would do. Raising her voice just enough to carry she called sweetly;
"Boy, you creature, come here." To her chagrin the boy didn’t even look up and it wasn’t until she called again and someone spoke to Inuyasha indicating he was wanted, did he come over to her. Inuyasha looked shocked but went over to the beautiful otter youkai. She smiled charmingly at him and took his hands in hers and examined them.
"Good, your hands are nice and clean boy, even if your feet probably are not; you may bring us some food and something to drink." She said, encompassing her companions in the order.
"Who are you?" Inuyasha queried, most offended.
"We are guests obviously of your Lord Sesshoumaru; now if you don’t wish to be in trouble, do as I say." Her tone was patient, condescending and confused; she tried again, perhaps the boy was a simpleton. "What manner of creature are you child...I cannot place your species?" Inuyasha just stared at her and her friends before walking off without a word. He found a waiter and told him that his services were needed before going back over to his brother and sister; unfortunately his hearing was very good and he could hear all the whispers as they circulated around the room.
"Aimi, have you never heard of hanyou, that boy is a half-breed?"
"I’ve never seen one before."
"He has the look of Inu no Taishou."
"The rumours must be true then, that is the result of indiscretion with a human on the Great Lord’s part."
"Well be careful, if those rumours are true, then so might others be."
"Yes, I heard that the hanyou is actually permitted into the family home."
"What? You mean with the rest of the royal family?"
"He is a strange looking creature...are those ears real do you suppose?"
"They look it, he seems half transformed."
"It’s almost a deformity...quite shocking."
"Oh, I don’t know, he is very pretty."
"I hear it could have been a lot worse, most hanyou are extremely ugly."
"Sesshou’s mother must be a saint; fancy her lord flaunting his indiscretions under her very nose."
By now Inuyasha’s ears were flat to his head and bright red on the insides, he was embarrassed and angry; who did these people think they were? With his fists clenched and trying not to growl he took a deep breath to calm down, just as Sesshoumaru walked into the room, with a strange but very lovely girl on his elbow. The prince’s eyes took in the situation instantly, besides which he had heard some of the whispers, himself. He noted with pride that Inuyasha had not had a tantrum and shown himself up and he held out his hand to his brother.
All Inuyasha had to do was show the proper respect to his Alpha brother so that Sesshoumaru could publically claim him and put all of these comments to rest. Nobody would dare to risk insulting Inu no Taishou in his own home and in front of his heir; if Inuyasha just came over quietly and put his head under Sesshoumaru’s chin displaying his subjection, everything would be fine. All eyes were on the pair and you could have heard a pin drop, but there was nothing cool about Inuyasha, his fury was tangibly hot and getting hotter.
So instead of showing the assembly that the Alpha brother was magnanimous in loving and accepting his Beta brother and that said little brother was grateful for the attention, Inuyasha went and stood proudly in front of Sesshoumaru. He seemed oblivious to the silence and the spectacle they were making, however Sesshoumaru was well aware of the gathered and eager audience.
"Did you hear what they was saying Shu? They was being mean about me. Does Papa know what sort of people your friends are? I don’t think he’d approve of them." Inuyasha declared, his grammatical slips rare, but still in evidence when he was under stress. But his comments put Sesshoumaru’s back up instantly; who did Inuyasha think he was, admonishing him and in front of his peers?
"Had you been on time and dressed properly Inuyasha, everyone would have known who you are instead of thinking you some uncouth brat. My friends are entitled to make of you what they will." That was too far Sesshoumaru knew, but he would not be put down at his own function and by his younger brother no less. The flash in Inuyasha’s eyes told him that it had been a mistake too...
"Well I think you’ve got horrid friends Shu, but then they suit you down to the ground." He was about to add something more when Sesshoumaru’s companion tried to defuse the situation. She too had younger siblings and recognised the danger of an all out ignominious spat.
"That is such a quaint name the pup calls you Sesshou; it sounds like it belongs in the nursery." She hoped to remind her escort that Inuyasha was much younger than the full blooded youkai and to give him leeway. But Sesshoumaru was still smarting.
"You are correct Yuzuki; really the boy should call me by my name now, Shu does sound rather undignified." Sesshoumaru said haughtily, but his heart ached as his youkai reacted to Inuyasha’s pain in that split second, and he wished he could recall his harsh words. Yuzuki seemed to realise he had said the wrong thing and endeavoured to smile at Inuyasha in a friendly way, but the boy just looked down and walked away with no further word.
When he left his brother, Sesshoumaru’s friends came over to him to enquire after the boy and the last thing that Inuyasha heard before he left the room was his beloved older brother confirm that indeed, Inuyasha was in fact his half-brother. Suddenly Sesshoumaru’s large goblet shattered into thousands of pieces and soaked his white kimono with a burgeoning crimson wine stain and splattered hi s guests. Inuyasha laughed, it was the only thing he had found funny all evening.
Author:petalears
Universe:A/U
Rating:PG
Summary:Inuyasha gets to grips with his project
Quote:It is in the character of very few men to honor without envy a friend who has prospered. -Aeschylus
Summer Holidays
That summer was very busy and productive for all of the Inu youkai family and their dependents and therefore it seemed to go by very quickly. Inuyasha was an attentive student for Akio and as the summer wore on he found he began to feel a great love for and very protective of his land and his livestock. By the time the families he had evicted had moved out and he’d made the rounds of those he allowed to remain, Inuyasha had a good grasp on the productivity of his holdings. All of Gorou’s generation had had to leave immediately, except for one woman and her two small children; she was a widow and had been left to her own devices once her husband who had been part of the family died.
Inuyasha was horrified to learn of her neglect and had assigned two of his own farmhands to work on her land. The woman was very grateful, she had been exhausted trying to get by and be a mother at the same time. Now she could rest a while and recover her strength; Inuyasha granted her free tenancy for a while, at least until her son was able to start to work too. Inuyasha hadn’t taken advice to make this decision, any more than he had done when telling the rest to leave, but he knew it was the right thing to do.
He seemed to assimilate easily the principles of husbandry that Akio taught him, and made good observations on how the land was used. This was not difficult however as his land had had good managers down to now. Inuyasha also favoured one area of land in particular, and wanted to stay there rather than at the farmhouse with Akio and his family. The small cottage bordered on the forest and the land in front was quite wild because it took a lot of keeping clear from the woods that wanted to reclaim it.
This suited the young hanyou however, Inuyasha loved the trees and didn’t mind the little saplings sprouting up all over, but Akio helped him to understand that if he didn’t keep the land cleared, the forest would eventually encroach once more on the rest. Then, knowing that Inuyasha also loved his animals the human one day offered a good solution; the hanyou could keep goats, boars and deer to keep the brush down and the land fertile and ploughed as the pigs would root around and turf up the soil keeping it from being compacted.
Of course Inu no Taishou had to be consulted about this and he agreed to allow Inuyasha time off school during the week to keep his eye on his animals, on condition that he also had a housekeeper who would look after the house for him when he wasn’t there. The general then made suggestion of a youkai couple who had no children from his own staff and who were willing to take on the responsibility.
Not only Inuyasha but also his classmates and siblings joined in; all were asked to do various tasks and given responsibilities to keep the smallholdings ticking over. There were harvests to consider, grain and fruits to gather together and animals to check and feed. The novelty of the work was engrossing and even Alpha Kouga was unknowingly obedient when the hanyou asked him nicely. In fact, Inuyasha naturally but knowingly, used tact for the first time and was surprised at the wolf prince’s acquiescence; deciding to remember the tactic for future reference.
Over the course of the summer, another couple who had been turned away from the farmlands came back to beg Inuyasha to reconsider their case. Their children were gone to start families of their own, leaving the parents with nowhere else to go and only a bleak old age sometime in the future; they were not young enough to start all over again. If Inuyasha turned them away they would die in poverty or have to decide which of their children to live with and never see their others. Inuyasha received plenty of advice from his peers about what he should do, but he decided on the merciful approach, his heart was moved by the two humans who were after all his now distant relations.
But his mercy was tempered by his youkai who agreed with his full youkai friends and the couple were allowed to return but only as housekeepers. They would have to agree to look after one of the cottages that would be home to the rest of the boys during school time, making sure that the place was kept clean and that food was provided daily. In return they could live free and receive a portion of the harvest to use or sell for other necessities, but they would not be the tenants of their own land, only servants to the youkai boys. This was agreed to and it was written down as a contract, including the clause that said that any infringement of the agreement would mean an immediate cessation of the contract.
When all chores were done and the rest of the boys and often Michiko too played, Inuyasha was busy writing his reports into his project for The Tiger. Of course the others too had their projects to write and often were found to be doing this homework, but it had become important to Inuyasha to get this right. It was part of his future and he was beginning to realise just how essential his land would be to him; as an illegitimate son of his father, his own land would give him a place, position and respectability.
Inuyasha was meticulous with his reports; the lessons from Akio and his own observations were all carefully written down and Inuyasha found he took delight in the work. It was satisfying and he found his writing flowed quite easily; his love for his farmlands also shone through his words, evidence enough to those who would read his project that the hanyou had found his vocation.
Of course the youngsters were not left completely to their own devices; guards were always present if not obvious, Akio was always around for guidance and supervision and The Tiger too was available for help. They also reported to Inu no Taishou about how the boys were developing and the whole exercise proved to be an invaluable source of information; because although it was mainly Inuyasha’s determination to live and learn throughout the summer, the others had all willingly wanted to help.
The Western Lord was delighted in the way things were working out; the nuclear group surrounding his son would undoubtedly stay with him as trustworthy friends for life, and was something that no money or influence could buy. Some of the boys showed a similar love for the land and each had their favourite area, to which they gave most of their attention; and Inuyasha would get stuck in helping wherever there was need. Kouga found however that he preferred to oversee the work that was needed to be done rather than get involved in any other way, although he would sometimes lend brute strength to show off his muscle.
In the evenings they would all get together to discuss their days and in many cases, Gyuoh would offer sound advice which Inuyasha had learned to heed. It was the large bull hanyou who had said it seemed a good idea to enlarge the cottages to house larger families or larger youkai. He also suggested that Inuyasha ring fence some of his income to buy up more land to the West of his property as it became available. His reasoning being that it might be a good idea to own the land down to the sea and beach which would encourage fishermen to settle and that would enhance Inuyasha’s income.
Inuyasha was good at listening to all and any suggestions from his friends and was also humble enough to consider things he hadn’t thought of himself. But he made the final decisions and usually, he agreed to Gyuoh’s ideas. Another good one came from Jinenji who proposed that he create a new herb field; he would be prepared to teach someone the properties of the herbs too, so that it would be a useful source of medicine and Gyuoh remarked that it would be a good idea to make the field in the centre of the farmlands where anyone could have access.
Inuyasha thought it was a good idea, but qualified it saying that it was not good for anyone just to come and take, but to go via the healer; they would have to find someone who was prepared to be trained and live there as Jinenji already had family land. It was also Jinenji who put forth the idea to allow both youkai and humans to rent the farms in the interest of promoting a peaceable area in which to live. The boy who was most surprising was Xing-fu, the idea of an herb farm in the middle of the other farms really appealed to him and he claimed the role of healer for himself.
Of course this was the way Inuyasha reported it in his project, the real discussions had been less formal. For instance, Gyuoh had complained loudly that the houses were too small for someone of his and Jinenji’s size and should be made bigger; he also said it was a shame Inuyasha didn’t have any homes near to the beach where they could all mess about in the water. These and many other considerations were painstakingly written down and Inuyasha mulled them over whenever he had a spare moment.
The last two weeks before the school was due to resume, Inuyasha was left alone as his friends returned to their own homes and families, full of the exciting times they had had. Once again staying with Inuyasha had been far different than their normal and most thought, boring courtly activities. The young hanyou had already submitted his project to The Tiger, his final entries documenting the decision to allow his friends their choice from his cottages as homes whenever they wished and the setting up of caretakers while they were absent.
Inuyasha had enjoyed the exercise greatly; he was very interested in his property and the people who were coming to populate it, and he made the decision to continue to write about his life pertaining to his estate. But it was time for him to return to the Palace and he was excited, he would be attending his first formal gathering apart from the times his siblings had been introduced. Sesshoumaru had finished his schooling and along with his own peers the older brother had been busy all summer visiting with his friends at their homes. Now it was his turn to play the host and much preparation had been put into Sesshoumaru’s first official adult engagement.
However, on the day that Inuyasha returned to the Palace and was given his new clothes for the occasions to come, he was called to his father’s suite where he found Susumu waiting to speak with him. Inuyasha was always pleased to see the kitsune and catch up on what was happening; and this time Susumu’s news concerned him. Susumu had been approached to ask Inu no Taishou for asylum in the West for a baby hanyou and her mother by the youkai father, who was the Prince of a corrupted Lord.
Tsukuyomaru was the current guardian of the barrier for his bat tribe, but his price to fulfill his role was that his tribe, led by his father Taigokumaru, was not to use the local village as their hunting territory. This was in harmony with the Daiyoukai of the West’s own edict, but Taigokumaru was often a law unto himself and his son was in fear of his life. However as he was the only one who could control the barrier, he would feel safer if his mate and daughter were protected in the West where they would be unreachable for Taigokumaru.
Inu no Taishou had already agreed to grant sanctuary to the family including Tsukuyomaru which was more than the young bat could have hoped for. He knew that his presence could be a danger to the West, but the General wouldn’t hear of the family being separated for longer than necessary. Inuyasha was asked whether or not he minded providing a home on his lands for the bat family and of course he agreed; it would be his pleasure and it was so important to him that he had to go back there and then to find out where would be most appropriate.
It was Akio who suggested the main house; it was the largest and was central to Inuyasha’s lands and thereby the most protected. He and his mate would be happy to stay on as caretakers to the young wife and mother, being old enough to be her parents; or if need be they could move out to one of the other cottages. Inuyasha thanked him for his generosity and spent the next couple of days making sure that the house was supplied with all a mother could want. He was also there when his guests took up their residence, blushing profusely at the sincere thanks from Tsukuyomaru.
Inuyasha was also enthralled by the pretty baby with her shock of white hair and her violet eyes. The young human woman reminded him a little of his own mother and the hanyou bat-pup Shiori was reminiscent of his baby sister Hanako. Inuyasha vowed publicly that he would protect them both as much as he was able and that they could live for as long as they wanted on his farm; Inu no Taishou was very proud of him.
Unfortunately Sesshoumaru was not quite so understanding; he had missed his brother over the summer as they were both doing something completely different to the other. Jealousy was still a failing of the older boy on occasion and the fact that Inuyasha had been missing from Sesshoumaru’s gathering had annoyed the youkai. Inuyasha hadn’t helped by asserting that he had been doing something very important which meant that Sesshoumaru’s party was less significant. Inuyasha didn’t mean to hurt his brother, but to him it was obvious that settling baby Shiori safely in her new home was far more important than frivolous wining and dining and he said so.
"Of course it’s more important to make sure the baby’s safe Shu and I’m coming to your party now aren’t I?"
"It was not the same as being there when I introduced everyone else; and you were hardly needed to open the door personally, you were selfish and put yourself first, you were trying to impress."
"I wasn’t and you can introduce me now."
"How should I do that Inuyasha? Here is my brother who likes to play that he is a self important grown up when he is still very much a child playing house." Sesshoumaru said scornfully; not realising that in his hurt, he too sounded very childish.
"You are being an idiot Shu." Inuyasha retorted loudly, much to his older brother’s surprise. Sesshoumaru was still taken aback by Inuyasha’s sometimes lack of respect for his Alpha brother; even though he had been reminded often, that the hanyou would at times react differently to a full youkai. It was a sore point with Sesshoumaru that had not been helped by the praise for the boy from not only The Tiger and his father, but from his own tutors who had agreed that Inuyasha’s project was the best they had ever seen.
As far as the angry Sesshoumaru was concerned, Inuyasha should know his place; a hanyou could not exceed a full youkai in anything by very definition. The Prince truly loved his younger brother and their bond was very deep, but the older boy’s original prejudice sometimes came to the surface. After several weeks surrounded by his friends and their families and courtiers who were unfailingly flattering of Sesshoumaru’s looks, abilities and everything else, the older boy was feeling vastly superior. He had wanted to show off in front of his family and Inuyasha was stealing his limelight.
"I don’t think I shall introduce you now Inuyasha; it is obvious you don’t wish to come to my celebration, so don’t feel you are obligated to make an appearance." Sesshoumaru said before he turned away from Inuyasha and stuck his nose in the air to walk away. Inuyasha was furious and called out that Sesshoumaru should learn not to flounce like a girl if he wanted to impress people. With great determination and self control, Sesshoumaru ignored the ill mannered pup and carried on until he was out of sight.
Inuyasha meanwhile huffed in annoyance and stuck his tongue out at his brother’s receding back before spinning around to face Susumu who had come behind him and was tutting and shaking his head.
"That was not wise Inuyasha, nor was it kind; you are old enough to know better than to call your brother names."
"He started it; he gets me so angry sometimes when he is puffed up and all hoity-toity."
"Yes, your brother could have handled it better, but he was upset; he has missed you all summer and this is an important occasion for him. He has finished school and if considered an adult."
"Well he don’t act it." Inuyasha said scornfully.
"Sometimes adults can be very childish and Sesshoumaru is still young, but you are missing the point Inuyasha, as you very well know."
"All right, I’ll say sorry...I missed him too." Inuyasha said sulkily but he was heartened by the approving smile of Susumu. Although as he got to the doors of the main audience chamber and heard the subdued hubbub of many voices, Inuyasha had to grab his courage with both hands to enter; he was unused to so many people. When he passed through the door, he made a beeline for Michiko and Hiroto as he couldn’t see Sesshoumaru, and asked them if they had seen their older brother. Unfortunately they didn’t know where he was, so Inuyasha wandered over to another friendly face.
But Kouga didn’t know where the Prince had gone to either and neither did Susumu or his brother who was also attending the function. It seemed that Sesshoumaru had vanished into thin air, however, someone had noticed Inuyasha flitting around the room; emerald eyes set in a lovely face were curious about the youth. She couldn’t make him out, he was dressed finely, although his feet were bare, yet he seemed to have no purpose and she didn’t know what he was; however she was hungry and he would do. Raising her voice just enough to carry she called sweetly;
"Boy, you creature, come here." To her chagrin the boy didn’t even look up and it wasn’t until she called again and someone spoke to Inuyasha indicating he was wanted, did he come over to her. Inuyasha looked shocked but went over to the beautiful otter youkai. She smiled charmingly at him and took his hands in hers and examined them.
"Good, your hands are nice and clean boy, even if your feet probably are not; you may bring us some food and something to drink." She said, encompassing her companions in the order.
"Who are you?" Inuyasha queried, most offended.
"We are guests obviously of your Lord Sesshoumaru; now if you don’t wish to be in trouble, do as I say." Her tone was patient, condescending and confused; she tried again, perhaps the boy was a simpleton. "What manner of creature are you child...I cannot place your species?" Inuyasha just stared at her and her friends before walking off without a word. He found a waiter and told him that his services were needed before going back over to his brother and sister; unfortunately his hearing was very good and he could hear all the whispers as they circulated around the room.
"Aimi, have you never heard of hanyou, that boy is a half-breed?"
"I’ve never seen one before."
"He has the look of Inu no Taishou."
"The rumours must be true then, that is the result of indiscretion with a human on the Great Lord’s part."
"Well be careful, if those rumours are true, then so might others be."
"Yes, I heard that the hanyou is actually permitted into the family home."
"What? You mean with the rest of the royal family?"
"He is a strange looking creature...are those ears real do you suppose?"
"They look it, he seems half transformed."
"It’s almost a deformity...quite shocking."
"Oh, I don’t know, he is very pretty."
"I hear it could have been a lot worse, most hanyou are extremely ugly."
"Sesshou’s mother must be a saint; fancy her lord flaunting his indiscretions under her very nose."
By now Inuyasha’s ears were flat to his head and bright red on the insides, he was embarrassed and angry; who did these people think they were? With his fists clenched and trying not to growl he took a deep breath to calm down, just as Sesshoumaru walked into the room, with a strange but very lovely girl on his elbow. The prince’s eyes took in the situation instantly, besides which he had heard some of the whispers, himself. He noted with pride that Inuyasha had not had a tantrum and shown himself up and he held out his hand to his brother.
All Inuyasha had to do was show the proper respect to his Alpha brother so that Sesshoumaru could publically claim him and put all of these comments to rest. Nobody would dare to risk insulting Inu no Taishou in his own home and in front of his heir; if Inuyasha just came over quietly and put his head under Sesshoumaru’s chin displaying his subjection, everything would be fine. All eyes were on the pair and you could have heard a pin drop, but there was nothing cool about Inuyasha, his fury was tangibly hot and getting hotter.
So instead of showing the assembly that the Alpha brother was magnanimous in loving and accepting his Beta brother and that said little brother was grateful for the attention, Inuyasha went and stood proudly in front of Sesshoumaru. He seemed oblivious to the silence and the spectacle they were making, however Sesshoumaru was well aware of the gathered and eager audience.
"Did you hear what they was saying Shu? They was being mean about me. Does Papa know what sort of people your friends are? I don’t think he’d approve of them." Inuyasha declared, his grammatical slips rare, but still in evidence when he was under stress. But his comments put Sesshoumaru’s back up instantly; who did Inuyasha think he was, admonishing him and in front of his peers?
"Had you been on time and dressed properly Inuyasha, everyone would have known who you are instead of thinking you some uncouth brat. My friends are entitled to make of you what they will." That was too far Sesshoumaru knew, but he would not be put down at his own function and by his younger brother no less. The flash in Inuyasha’s eyes told him that it had been a mistake too...
"Well I think you’ve got horrid friends Shu, but then they suit you down to the ground." He was about to add something more when Sesshoumaru’s companion tried to defuse the situation. She too had younger siblings and recognised the danger of an all out ignominious spat.
"That is such a quaint name the pup calls you Sesshou; it sounds like it belongs in the nursery." She hoped to remind her escort that Inuyasha was much younger than the full blooded youkai and to give him leeway. But Sesshoumaru was still smarting.
"You are correct Yuzuki; really the boy should call me by my name now, Shu does sound rather undignified." Sesshoumaru said haughtily, but his heart ached as his youkai reacted to Inuyasha’s pain in that split second, and he wished he could recall his harsh words. Yuzuki seemed to realise he had said the wrong thing and endeavoured to smile at Inuyasha in a friendly way, but the boy just looked down and walked away with no further word.
When he left his brother, Sesshoumaru’s friends came over to him to enquire after the boy and the last thing that Inuyasha heard before he left the room was his beloved older brother confirm that indeed, Inuyasha was in fact his half-brother. Suddenly Sesshoumaru’s large goblet shattered into thousands of pieces and soaked his white kimono with a burgeoning crimson wine stain and splattered hi s guests. Inuyasha laughed, it was the only thing he had found funny all evening.