February 2008
Title:How It Could Have Been; ch 78, Differences
Author:petalears
Universe:AU
Rating:PG
Summary: Parental intervention
Quote:"Sometimes the measure of friendship isn't your ability to not harm but your capacity to forgive the things done to you and ask forgiveness for your own mistakes." - Randy K. Milholland, Something Positive Comic, 11-07-05
Differences
Inu no Taishou was nursing a headache; or, as his mate confided to her chief Lady in Waiting who was a discreet friend in everything, he was skulking about in bed. The reason was that his household was in uproar recently with his two eldest pups at loggerheads with each other. Inuyasha was back at his farm in the new school area and had forbidden Sesshoumaru to step one foot on his land. Of course this had prompted the older brother to prove just how mature he’d become by going and hovering outside the classroom on his youki cloud.
He had been stopped from winding Inuyasha up any more when Inu no Taishou had arrived and without ceremony picked his heir up ignominiously around his waist and carried him off, Sesshoumaru draped over his arm. The older boy had railed against his father about the humiliation and was now snippy every time Inu no Taishou tried to speak with him.
The first sign that something was amiss with the two was the chill in the atmosphere and Inuyasha’s use of Sesshoumaru’s full name. It sounded so strange coming from his mouth and at first, Sesshoumaru didn’t realise that it was Inuyasha who had spoken. When he did, his face lost expression and paled, although he answered his brother nonetheless. Their parents thought nothing of the exchange beyond the surprise, after all siblings were often at odds with each other and this would blow over in time.
No one had wanted to explain to the adults what had caused the rift at first, each boy keeping his own counsel and forbidding anyone else to comment; therefore all the parents ignored it at first. But soon it became apparent to the Lord and Lady that things were beginning to deteriorate, the sneer that Inuyasha added to Sesshoumaru’s full name was only the first clue. By the time the two boys’ auras were getting disturbed it was time for Inu no Taishou to step in.
He sent a discreet note to Susumu who had returned to his family lands with his brother for a visit, asking the kitsune for his account of what had happened. The Lord was grateful, although apologetic when the fox ambassador returned to the West personally rather than sending a missive, but Susumu said he hadn’t minded cutting short his visit when his friends’ happiness was at stake. He faithfully narrated what had been said at the party at which point, the Lord and his Lady looked at one another and sighed. After thanking Susumu, they decided to wait until they were required to intervene; which experience taught them would be sooner than later.
Meanwhile Inuyasha was starting to use bad language whenever he was near to Sesshoumaru, slipping in offensive words in his answers to the older brother. He was most careful not to swear anywhere near to his parents or younger siblings, but it gave him great delight and a feeling of power to annoy Sesshoumaru, who hated any form of what he considered plebeian behaviour. He knew that his older brother wouldn’t disclose his bad behaviour; he had far too much honour to snitch on Inuyasha.
Sesshoumaru also had another problem; he seemed to be accident prone when it came to delicate things recently. He didn’t know what to make of it, was he having a late growth spurt and becoming clumsy, or perhaps his strength had increased. All he did know was that it was most infuriating to break goblets that always seemed to have deep red wine in, or soup bowls which landed him with hot liquid staining his garments. Thankfully, so far the only ornaments he’d broken as he went past were not overly valuable; but it was mortifying to watch the guards or maids on alert whenever he was in the vicinity. They were ready to catch anything that might fall or provide him with damp cloths; the worse thing though was being forced to listen to Inuyasha sniggering or downright laughing at his misfortune.
It was as if his accidents waited for the boy to witness them as Inuyasha always seemed to be there, prancing in glee and making Sesshoumaru twice as bad tempered. The thought once aired wouldn’t go away and the Prince mulled it over in his mind. He had no accidents around his parents, only Inuyasha, but the boy was never that close to him when they happened, in fact he was never within touching distance. Although Sesshoumaru had his suspicions, he couldn’t fathom out how it could be his brother’s tricks, but somehow he knew he wasn’t wrong.
And he wasn’t; Inuyasha had discovered quite by chance that he had another gift of his youki. He had been feeding the horses on his farm and had got a deep splinter in his finger. After pulling it out cleanly with his teeth, he had then shaken the blood from his finger and watched in surprise as a small bush fell over, its trunk decimated by the blood. So, over the next few weeks, Inuyasha had practiced with flicking his blood and could fine hone it down to the barest drop, which he could accurately aim.
When he had become annoyed at his brother at the party, this miniscule amount had been plenty to break Sesshoumaru’s goblet and from then on he wanted to play the same trick again and again to pay his brother back. Inuyasha’s scent couldn’t be detected from such a tiny drop, not when he was in the area at least, and it required less than a pin prick of blood. However, after a while the hanyou wasn’t happy; his anger was fading, especially when he felt his brother’s frustration, Inuyasha wasn’t a malicious boy and to tell the truth he missed Sesshoumaru.
He missed the closeness they had shared and being able to talk to him about anything; Sesshoumaru seemed to have grown away from him and all Inuyasha wanted was to have things back to normal, but he didn’t know how to go about it. Oh yes, Sesshoumaru was pompous and arrogant and full of himself, but he was strong, considerate, wise mostly and always had time for the younger Beta brother. And even though he could be and had been hurtful, Inuyasha knew that he hadn’t really meant it...had he?
With his mind made up, Inuyasha went to search for Sesshoumaru to try to make up with him and perhaps clear the air; anything to restore their harmony and ease the growing strain in their bond. He also hated the unsettled feeling of his youkai which berated him over the disrespect it felt he was showing their Alpha, even as his human heart at the same time told him that the older brother deserved everything that Inuyasha had done.
Sesshoumaru had spent the morning busy in his study and was just on his way to speak with Susumu on an urgent matter when Inuyasha called his name. The older youkai sighed heavily, he really wasn’t in the mood to deal with his brother’s foul mouthed witticisms; and besides which he was genuinely busy. Therefore he made sure his face was expressionless when he turned around, aiming to discourage Inuyasha from delaying him further.
"Leave me alone Inuyasha, I haven’t got time for you now." And with that he left the boy and walked away, not realising that his words had been taken wrongly by the insulted and hurt Inuyasha. The hanyou hung his head hiding behind his hair; an old trick he’d used since a tiny pup when he thought no one would know how he was feeling if he couldn’t be seen and now was almost an instinctive mannerism. He clenched his fist and waited until Sesshoumaru was out of sight before giving an angry exasperated snort, and noticed that he had dug his claws deep into his hand.
Before properly thinking what he was doing, Inuyasha flung his hand out and watched in horror as his blood took the shape of curved blades mimicking his claws and cut Sesshoumaru’s office to pieces. Ink pots exploded and paper shredded; all of Sesshoumaru’s hard work of the morning was ruined, as were his table, ornaments and cushions. Inuyasha took one horrified look at the damage and ran, although as his human heart informed him, there was nowhere he could hide from his Alpha and his youkai agreed and said he’d be better to stay than run like a coward.
It had been an accident, although provoked by bad temper; Inuyasha though heeded neither of his separate halves, the hanyou was still enough of a child to want to hide from what he knew would be Sesshoumaru’s justifiable wrath. He didn’t have long to wait, Sesshoumaru had met up with Susumu when the scent of ink and Inuyasha’s blood reached his nose and he and the kitsune rushed to see what had happened. On finding the scene of devastation, any concern for his brother on smelling his blood vanished and Sesshoumaru breathed deeply.
All of his work and his personally chosen treasures gone; broken beyond repair, his eyes stung hotly but he decided that he was far too old for tears and channelled his sorrow into anger. His youki flared brightly and alerted everyone to his state of mind, including his father who immediately gave up the idea of a few extra hours in bed to find out what had happened now. With the speed and power of his mature youki, Inu no Taishou seemed to be instantaneously dressed impeccably and standing outside of Sesshoumaru’s study where by scent he accurately assessed what had taken place.
Unfortunately for Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru too had remarkable speed and he had found his younger brother with no difficulty at all. He yanked the boy out of a store cupboard by using his whip around Inuyasha’s wrist and had already got three slaps onto his bared backside by the time their father found them. Not that Inuyasha was taking it calmly; he was kicking and clawing at any part of his brother that he could reach, all the while yelling that it had been an accident, peppered with swear words of which any hardened soldier would have been proud.
Before the fourth swat hit home, Sesshoumaru’s wrist was held in a vice like grip; and Inuyasha stopped moving to lay limp on his brother’s lap. Their father stood sternly, and then he spoke;
"Is this discipline or punishment Sesshoumaru?"
"He is past discipline, he is objectionable and spiteful; this is punishment for what he has done to my room."
"I have seen it; very well you may complete your punishment with two more strikes and then you may give five more on my behalf. Then I want you both in my study where I will expect some explanations. Do you understand Inuyasha? Be thankful I am allowing Sesshoumaru to carry on, because as I told you once before, if I discipline you it will hurt more and last longer." Inu no Taishou didn’t leave, he just waited by the door until they were done.
The fight had gone out of Inuyasha as soon as he heard his father condemn him to his brother’s mercy, he didn’t understand and at the moment had no inclination to think anyway as Sesshoumaru had a very powerful hand. But he kept his teeth clenched and refused to cry out to either his brother or father; in fact his sense of injustice gave him strength to endure without tears. When it was over, he got up and walked off, his head held high and without a word or look at either of his Alphas, both of whom followed him into the study. Inu no Taishou went to sit in his comfortable chair and held his hands out to both of his sons; they went to him but Inuyasha refused to be drawn into his arms.
"You are angry with me My Inuyasha; you have no cause to be, Sesshoumaru handled you lightly in comparison to what I would have done, especially hearing your disgraceful language." His words were provocative as the father wanted his son to react; Inuyasha obliged.
"I said it was an accident..."
"Were the other occasions accidents as well Inuyasha, those times when things suddenly broke around Sesshoumaru?"
"No, but he deserved them all..."
"It was you, why, what did I do? You are infuriating Inuyasha and five swats wasn’t nearly enough for all you did." Sesshoumaru entered the conversation.
"You gave me ten, five for Papa, and that was plenty...and why aren’t you telling him off for doing that to me, he isn’t my parent?" Inuyasha was suddenly very indignant and not very wise considering to whom he was speaking.
"Sesshoumaru is also your Alpha, Pup, as you well know and I have trusted him with you at various stages of your life. I suppose I could have taken over...you would have then got six and five was plenty Sesshoumaru. No doubt Inuyasha feels justified in this little vendetta."
"Of course I am, he is stuck up and he let people say horrid things and said it was my fault. He called me a baby and he don’t care about me anyway...and what does it matter, I’m only his half brother." Inuyasha shocked himself by the amount of bitterness that sounded loud and clear in his voice and once more hid behind his fringe, determined not to say more. Inu no Taishou knew then that he had to get the boys to talk to each other, he couldn’t allow this to fester.
Sesshoumaru was also rocked in his core, he hadn’t felt this much turmoil from his brother through their bond, and how on earth had Inuyasha hidden it. Inu no Taishou asked Inuyasha to tell him what had happened to set off this chain of reaction; Inuyasha hated being put on the spot but wouldn’t disobey so he mumbled about all that had occurred. When he finished he glanced up askance at his brother with a scowl.
"Essentially that is what happened, but I don’t see what all the fuss was about. My friends only spoke the truth as they saw it. Had Inuyasha been on time and correctly dressed, everyone would have known who he was and the misunderstanding and various speculations would not have happened. His audacity to chide me on the suitability of my peers in public was irregular and impolite; Inuyasha does not know my friends as I do, he has no right to judge them." Sesshoumaru said coldly, although his anger was easily detected below the veneer.
"What of your remark that he is only your half brother?"
"It was not said in such a way Father; I was asked in what way Inuyasha was connected to me and I replied he was my half brother. Papa, Inuyasha is too young to have been much in society and my friends do not automatically know who he is, you yourself require that we do not indulge in senseless talk about our family..." Sesshoumaru now desperately needed his father to understand him; he didn’t want to be thought of as failing his father.
Inu no Taishou heard the plea in his son’s voice; of course Sesshoumaru never spoke with anyone about his immediate family or anything that was close to his heart, he was an intensely private person by nature, apart from knowing that his father hated others’ speculations too. But the older boy had erred by allowing his pique with Inuyasha to colour his speech with the younger, in a way that only Inuyasha seemed to be able to bring out in Sesshoumaru. His sons’ special bond could be a mixed blessing at times.
He was not looking forward to this discussion, Inuyasha was at a young impressionable age where absolutely anything could and probably would be taken the wrong way. But it was imperative too that the hanyou learn, so that he would understand in the future when people spoke to him, they were not necessarily meaning to insult him. This was going to take some time to explain even before he had to have a disciplinary word with Inuyasha about his language and keeping his new youki attack a secret. Therefore he called for refreshment and asked for his Lady to be present; her calm spirit might be needed.
"Sesshoumaru I have mentioned to you before that you need to consider your brother’s human elements when you speak with him; Inuyasha does not heed you as a full youkai would."
"I remember Izayoi surprising me greatly." The Lady said, joining in as she smiled at Inuyasha before looking sternly at Sesshoumaru letting him know this was also pertinent for his ears. "It was possible to forget that she was a human at times and had very little in the way of senses compared to us. She couldn’t tell from scent whether someone lied or tried to mislead her, but she still could discern these things. However she was sensitive too in comparison to youkai, adept at reading more meaning into words that were spoken, and therein lies your problem too Inuyasha; you also have this human ability."
"Whereas youkai usually say only what they mean." Continued Inu no Taishou,"Inuyasha has youkai strengths and gifts, but a human heart and sensibilities, therefore when he is perturbed Sesshoumaru, he will read much into your words, and not necessarily how you may mean them. It is your duty not only as his older brother, but also his Alpha that you realise this." The father’s words to the elder son were only partially understood by the younger pup.
"I said nothing that wasn’t the truth Papa." Sesshoumaru reasserted and his father sighed; his eldest still did not fully comprehend.
""I will spell it out for you My Sesshoumaru; when you said that Inuyasha was your half brother, he heard it as if you were saying he was only your half brother, and took it to mean you thought less of him for the relationship. This was because he was already upset by your friends’ assertions and the fact you didn’t defend him to them. He also felt you scorned his pet name for you which is why he hasn’t called you it since."
"If I’d meant to say only I would have said only, why would he put words in my mouth?"
"You failed to stop your friends Sesshoumaru; they may have been speaking the truth, but there was no tact and remember you censured Inuyasha for speaking about they who he didn’t know, but allowed your friends to do the same without curbing them; after all they didn’t know Inuyasha either. Your first allegiance My Sesshoumaru is to your family." Inu no Taishou now turned his attention to Inuyasha.
"In the same way that I require Sesshoumaru to learn about your humanity My Pup, I want you to learn about full youkai; especially if noble born like your brother. You can scent dishonesty and you know your brother doesn’t lie; he has no need to do so. He can be discreet and mislead with words but he will always say what he means and only what he means. Do not be quick to forget this or you may find yourself with heartache of your own making. Did you understand what he was saying?"
"Yes Papa." Inuyasha said and he did understand; his heart and youkai had both told him Sesshoumaru hadn’t meant it like it sounded, but he had ignored them and allowed his temper to get the better of him.
"I am sorry you misunderstood me Inuyasha, and I am sorry I didn’t realise that you had especially as I knew you were upset. I let this go on for too long...and you can call me Shu again, for anything else sounds strange from you." Sesshoumaru said sincerely and Inuyasha's senses told him that his brother meant every word.
"I s’pose I’m sorry about the accidents you had...but they were funny."
"That brings me to the other things I must talk to you about young one and the reasons for the other swats you earned. Your bad language must stop, I know you have been insulting Sesshoumaru and before you think he mentioned it, he didn’t. Others do not feel that you are behaving in a Princely manner or showing enough respect for my heir; but that aside for now, I’ll address the more important transgression. You kept your knew attack to yourself, yet you knew that was wrong, young youkai need training when their gifts come through. It is a strict rule that you know well; what have you to say for yourself?"
"I have been practising Papa and I’ve got good..."
"That is no answer Inuyasha; you have disobeyed me and I am most displeased. You saw the damage done to Sesshoumaru’s room."
"I said I was sorry and he hit me for it." Inuyasha said petulantly.
"It was an accident only because you didn’t know the strength of your blood; would sorry have been enough if one of your siblings had been in the way...or anyone else, come to that? You could have caused serious injury in your uncontrolled temper tantrum." The father watched as the full weight of his words hit home to an immediately contrite Inuyasha. The boy hadn’t thought of that at all and finally the tears came; they’d been bottled up since the day of the party and had not even found relief from the spanking.
Knowing that the point had been made, the Lady came and knelt by Inuyasha and put her arms round him offering him much needed comfort and finally heard him call her Mama. She looked up in joy to her mate and the first time in many, many years, Inu no Taishou saw his Lady moved to tears of her own as she tightened her hold on Inuyasha.
Author:petalears
Universe:AU
Rating:PG
Summary: Parental intervention
Quote:"Sometimes the measure of friendship isn't your ability to not harm but your capacity to forgive the things done to you and ask forgiveness for your own mistakes." - Randy K. Milholland, Something Positive Comic, 11-07-05
Differences
Inu no Taishou was nursing a headache; or, as his mate confided to her chief Lady in Waiting who was a discreet friend in everything, he was skulking about in bed. The reason was that his household was in uproar recently with his two eldest pups at loggerheads with each other. Inuyasha was back at his farm in the new school area and had forbidden Sesshoumaru to step one foot on his land. Of course this had prompted the older brother to prove just how mature he’d become by going and hovering outside the classroom on his youki cloud.
He had been stopped from winding Inuyasha up any more when Inu no Taishou had arrived and without ceremony picked his heir up ignominiously around his waist and carried him off, Sesshoumaru draped over his arm. The older boy had railed against his father about the humiliation and was now snippy every time Inu no Taishou tried to speak with him.
The first sign that something was amiss with the two was the chill in the atmosphere and Inuyasha’s use of Sesshoumaru’s full name. It sounded so strange coming from his mouth and at first, Sesshoumaru didn’t realise that it was Inuyasha who had spoken. When he did, his face lost expression and paled, although he answered his brother nonetheless. Their parents thought nothing of the exchange beyond the surprise, after all siblings were often at odds with each other and this would blow over in time.
No one had wanted to explain to the adults what had caused the rift at first, each boy keeping his own counsel and forbidding anyone else to comment; therefore all the parents ignored it at first. But soon it became apparent to the Lord and Lady that things were beginning to deteriorate, the sneer that Inuyasha added to Sesshoumaru’s full name was only the first clue. By the time the two boys’ auras were getting disturbed it was time for Inu no Taishou to step in.
He sent a discreet note to Susumu who had returned to his family lands with his brother for a visit, asking the kitsune for his account of what had happened. The Lord was grateful, although apologetic when the fox ambassador returned to the West personally rather than sending a missive, but Susumu said he hadn’t minded cutting short his visit when his friends’ happiness was at stake. He faithfully narrated what had been said at the party at which point, the Lord and his Lady looked at one another and sighed. After thanking Susumu, they decided to wait until they were required to intervene; which experience taught them would be sooner than later.
Meanwhile Inuyasha was starting to use bad language whenever he was near to Sesshoumaru, slipping in offensive words in his answers to the older brother. He was most careful not to swear anywhere near to his parents or younger siblings, but it gave him great delight and a feeling of power to annoy Sesshoumaru, who hated any form of what he considered plebeian behaviour. He knew that his older brother wouldn’t disclose his bad behaviour; he had far too much honour to snitch on Inuyasha.
Sesshoumaru also had another problem; he seemed to be accident prone when it came to delicate things recently. He didn’t know what to make of it, was he having a late growth spurt and becoming clumsy, or perhaps his strength had increased. All he did know was that it was most infuriating to break goblets that always seemed to have deep red wine in, or soup bowls which landed him with hot liquid staining his garments. Thankfully, so far the only ornaments he’d broken as he went past were not overly valuable; but it was mortifying to watch the guards or maids on alert whenever he was in the vicinity. They were ready to catch anything that might fall or provide him with damp cloths; the worse thing though was being forced to listen to Inuyasha sniggering or downright laughing at his misfortune.
It was as if his accidents waited for the boy to witness them as Inuyasha always seemed to be there, prancing in glee and making Sesshoumaru twice as bad tempered. The thought once aired wouldn’t go away and the Prince mulled it over in his mind. He had no accidents around his parents, only Inuyasha, but the boy was never that close to him when they happened, in fact he was never within touching distance. Although Sesshoumaru had his suspicions, he couldn’t fathom out how it could be his brother’s tricks, but somehow he knew he wasn’t wrong.
And he wasn’t; Inuyasha had discovered quite by chance that he had another gift of his youki. He had been feeding the horses on his farm and had got a deep splinter in his finger. After pulling it out cleanly with his teeth, he had then shaken the blood from his finger and watched in surprise as a small bush fell over, its trunk decimated by the blood. So, over the next few weeks, Inuyasha had practiced with flicking his blood and could fine hone it down to the barest drop, which he could accurately aim.
When he had become annoyed at his brother at the party, this miniscule amount had been plenty to break Sesshoumaru’s goblet and from then on he wanted to play the same trick again and again to pay his brother back. Inuyasha’s scent couldn’t be detected from such a tiny drop, not when he was in the area at least, and it required less than a pin prick of blood. However, after a while the hanyou wasn’t happy; his anger was fading, especially when he felt his brother’s frustration, Inuyasha wasn’t a malicious boy and to tell the truth he missed Sesshoumaru.
He missed the closeness they had shared and being able to talk to him about anything; Sesshoumaru seemed to have grown away from him and all Inuyasha wanted was to have things back to normal, but he didn’t know how to go about it. Oh yes, Sesshoumaru was pompous and arrogant and full of himself, but he was strong, considerate, wise mostly and always had time for the younger Beta brother. And even though he could be and had been hurtful, Inuyasha knew that he hadn’t really meant it...had he?
With his mind made up, Inuyasha went to search for Sesshoumaru to try to make up with him and perhaps clear the air; anything to restore their harmony and ease the growing strain in their bond. He also hated the unsettled feeling of his youkai which berated him over the disrespect it felt he was showing their Alpha, even as his human heart at the same time told him that the older brother deserved everything that Inuyasha had done.
Sesshoumaru had spent the morning busy in his study and was just on his way to speak with Susumu on an urgent matter when Inuyasha called his name. The older youkai sighed heavily, he really wasn’t in the mood to deal with his brother’s foul mouthed witticisms; and besides which he was genuinely busy. Therefore he made sure his face was expressionless when he turned around, aiming to discourage Inuyasha from delaying him further.
"Leave me alone Inuyasha, I haven’t got time for you now." And with that he left the boy and walked away, not realising that his words had been taken wrongly by the insulted and hurt Inuyasha. The hanyou hung his head hiding behind his hair; an old trick he’d used since a tiny pup when he thought no one would know how he was feeling if he couldn’t be seen and now was almost an instinctive mannerism. He clenched his fist and waited until Sesshoumaru was out of sight before giving an angry exasperated snort, and noticed that he had dug his claws deep into his hand.
Before properly thinking what he was doing, Inuyasha flung his hand out and watched in horror as his blood took the shape of curved blades mimicking his claws and cut Sesshoumaru’s office to pieces. Ink pots exploded and paper shredded; all of Sesshoumaru’s hard work of the morning was ruined, as were his table, ornaments and cushions. Inuyasha took one horrified look at the damage and ran, although as his human heart informed him, there was nowhere he could hide from his Alpha and his youkai agreed and said he’d be better to stay than run like a coward.
It had been an accident, although provoked by bad temper; Inuyasha though heeded neither of his separate halves, the hanyou was still enough of a child to want to hide from what he knew would be Sesshoumaru’s justifiable wrath. He didn’t have long to wait, Sesshoumaru had met up with Susumu when the scent of ink and Inuyasha’s blood reached his nose and he and the kitsune rushed to see what had happened. On finding the scene of devastation, any concern for his brother on smelling his blood vanished and Sesshoumaru breathed deeply.
All of his work and his personally chosen treasures gone; broken beyond repair, his eyes stung hotly but he decided that he was far too old for tears and channelled his sorrow into anger. His youki flared brightly and alerted everyone to his state of mind, including his father who immediately gave up the idea of a few extra hours in bed to find out what had happened now. With the speed and power of his mature youki, Inu no Taishou seemed to be instantaneously dressed impeccably and standing outside of Sesshoumaru’s study where by scent he accurately assessed what had taken place.
Unfortunately for Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru too had remarkable speed and he had found his younger brother with no difficulty at all. He yanked the boy out of a store cupboard by using his whip around Inuyasha’s wrist and had already got three slaps onto his bared backside by the time their father found them. Not that Inuyasha was taking it calmly; he was kicking and clawing at any part of his brother that he could reach, all the while yelling that it had been an accident, peppered with swear words of which any hardened soldier would have been proud.
Before the fourth swat hit home, Sesshoumaru’s wrist was held in a vice like grip; and Inuyasha stopped moving to lay limp on his brother’s lap. Their father stood sternly, and then he spoke;
"Is this discipline or punishment Sesshoumaru?"
"He is past discipline, he is objectionable and spiteful; this is punishment for what he has done to my room."
"I have seen it; very well you may complete your punishment with two more strikes and then you may give five more on my behalf. Then I want you both in my study where I will expect some explanations. Do you understand Inuyasha? Be thankful I am allowing Sesshoumaru to carry on, because as I told you once before, if I discipline you it will hurt more and last longer." Inu no Taishou didn’t leave, he just waited by the door until they were done.
The fight had gone out of Inuyasha as soon as he heard his father condemn him to his brother’s mercy, he didn’t understand and at the moment had no inclination to think anyway as Sesshoumaru had a very powerful hand. But he kept his teeth clenched and refused to cry out to either his brother or father; in fact his sense of injustice gave him strength to endure without tears. When it was over, he got up and walked off, his head held high and without a word or look at either of his Alphas, both of whom followed him into the study. Inu no Taishou went to sit in his comfortable chair and held his hands out to both of his sons; they went to him but Inuyasha refused to be drawn into his arms.
"You are angry with me My Inuyasha; you have no cause to be, Sesshoumaru handled you lightly in comparison to what I would have done, especially hearing your disgraceful language." His words were provocative as the father wanted his son to react; Inuyasha obliged.
"I said it was an accident..."
"Were the other occasions accidents as well Inuyasha, those times when things suddenly broke around Sesshoumaru?"
"No, but he deserved them all..."
"It was you, why, what did I do? You are infuriating Inuyasha and five swats wasn’t nearly enough for all you did." Sesshoumaru entered the conversation.
"You gave me ten, five for Papa, and that was plenty...and why aren’t you telling him off for doing that to me, he isn’t my parent?" Inuyasha was suddenly very indignant and not very wise considering to whom he was speaking.
"Sesshoumaru is also your Alpha, Pup, as you well know and I have trusted him with you at various stages of your life. I suppose I could have taken over...you would have then got six and five was plenty Sesshoumaru. No doubt Inuyasha feels justified in this little vendetta."
"Of course I am, he is stuck up and he let people say horrid things and said it was my fault. He called me a baby and he don’t care about me anyway...and what does it matter, I’m only his half brother." Inuyasha shocked himself by the amount of bitterness that sounded loud and clear in his voice and once more hid behind his fringe, determined not to say more. Inu no Taishou knew then that he had to get the boys to talk to each other, he couldn’t allow this to fester.
Sesshoumaru was also rocked in his core, he hadn’t felt this much turmoil from his brother through their bond, and how on earth had Inuyasha hidden it. Inu no Taishou asked Inuyasha to tell him what had happened to set off this chain of reaction; Inuyasha hated being put on the spot but wouldn’t disobey so he mumbled about all that had occurred. When he finished he glanced up askance at his brother with a scowl.
"Essentially that is what happened, but I don’t see what all the fuss was about. My friends only spoke the truth as they saw it. Had Inuyasha been on time and correctly dressed, everyone would have known who he was and the misunderstanding and various speculations would not have happened. His audacity to chide me on the suitability of my peers in public was irregular and impolite; Inuyasha does not know my friends as I do, he has no right to judge them." Sesshoumaru said coldly, although his anger was easily detected below the veneer.
"What of your remark that he is only your half brother?"
"It was not said in such a way Father; I was asked in what way Inuyasha was connected to me and I replied he was my half brother. Papa, Inuyasha is too young to have been much in society and my friends do not automatically know who he is, you yourself require that we do not indulge in senseless talk about our family..." Sesshoumaru now desperately needed his father to understand him; he didn’t want to be thought of as failing his father.
Inu no Taishou heard the plea in his son’s voice; of course Sesshoumaru never spoke with anyone about his immediate family or anything that was close to his heart, he was an intensely private person by nature, apart from knowing that his father hated others’ speculations too. But the older boy had erred by allowing his pique with Inuyasha to colour his speech with the younger, in a way that only Inuyasha seemed to be able to bring out in Sesshoumaru. His sons’ special bond could be a mixed blessing at times.
He was not looking forward to this discussion, Inuyasha was at a young impressionable age where absolutely anything could and probably would be taken the wrong way. But it was imperative too that the hanyou learn, so that he would understand in the future when people spoke to him, they were not necessarily meaning to insult him. This was going to take some time to explain even before he had to have a disciplinary word with Inuyasha about his language and keeping his new youki attack a secret. Therefore he called for refreshment and asked for his Lady to be present; her calm spirit might be needed.
"Sesshoumaru I have mentioned to you before that you need to consider your brother’s human elements when you speak with him; Inuyasha does not heed you as a full youkai would."
"I remember Izayoi surprising me greatly." The Lady said, joining in as she smiled at Inuyasha before looking sternly at Sesshoumaru letting him know this was also pertinent for his ears. "It was possible to forget that she was a human at times and had very little in the way of senses compared to us. She couldn’t tell from scent whether someone lied or tried to mislead her, but she still could discern these things. However she was sensitive too in comparison to youkai, adept at reading more meaning into words that were spoken, and therein lies your problem too Inuyasha; you also have this human ability."
"Whereas youkai usually say only what they mean." Continued Inu no Taishou,"Inuyasha has youkai strengths and gifts, but a human heart and sensibilities, therefore when he is perturbed Sesshoumaru, he will read much into your words, and not necessarily how you may mean them. It is your duty not only as his older brother, but also his Alpha that you realise this." The father’s words to the elder son were only partially understood by the younger pup.
"I said nothing that wasn’t the truth Papa." Sesshoumaru reasserted and his father sighed; his eldest still did not fully comprehend.
""I will spell it out for you My Sesshoumaru; when you said that Inuyasha was your half brother, he heard it as if you were saying he was only your half brother, and took it to mean you thought less of him for the relationship. This was because he was already upset by your friends’ assertions and the fact you didn’t defend him to them. He also felt you scorned his pet name for you which is why he hasn’t called you it since."
"If I’d meant to say only I would have said only, why would he put words in my mouth?"
"You failed to stop your friends Sesshoumaru; they may have been speaking the truth, but there was no tact and remember you censured Inuyasha for speaking about they who he didn’t know, but allowed your friends to do the same without curbing them; after all they didn’t know Inuyasha either. Your first allegiance My Sesshoumaru is to your family." Inu no Taishou now turned his attention to Inuyasha.
"In the same way that I require Sesshoumaru to learn about your humanity My Pup, I want you to learn about full youkai; especially if noble born like your brother. You can scent dishonesty and you know your brother doesn’t lie; he has no need to do so. He can be discreet and mislead with words but he will always say what he means and only what he means. Do not be quick to forget this or you may find yourself with heartache of your own making. Did you understand what he was saying?"
"Yes Papa." Inuyasha said and he did understand; his heart and youkai had both told him Sesshoumaru hadn’t meant it like it sounded, but he had ignored them and allowed his temper to get the better of him.
"I am sorry you misunderstood me Inuyasha, and I am sorry I didn’t realise that you had especially as I knew you were upset. I let this go on for too long...and you can call me Shu again, for anything else sounds strange from you." Sesshoumaru said sincerely and Inuyasha's senses told him that his brother meant every word.
"I s’pose I’m sorry about the accidents you had...but they were funny."
"That brings me to the other things I must talk to you about young one and the reasons for the other swats you earned. Your bad language must stop, I know you have been insulting Sesshoumaru and before you think he mentioned it, he didn’t. Others do not feel that you are behaving in a Princely manner or showing enough respect for my heir; but that aside for now, I’ll address the more important transgression. You kept your knew attack to yourself, yet you knew that was wrong, young youkai need training when their gifts come through. It is a strict rule that you know well; what have you to say for yourself?"
"I have been practising Papa and I’ve got good..."
"That is no answer Inuyasha; you have disobeyed me and I am most displeased. You saw the damage done to Sesshoumaru’s room."
"I said I was sorry and he hit me for it." Inuyasha said petulantly.
"It was an accident only because you didn’t know the strength of your blood; would sorry have been enough if one of your siblings had been in the way...or anyone else, come to that? You could have caused serious injury in your uncontrolled temper tantrum." The father watched as the full weight of his words hit home to an immediately contrite Inuyasha. The boy hadn’t thought of that at all and finally the tears came; they’d been bottled up since the day of the party and had not even found relief from the spanking.
Knowing that the point had been made, the Lady came and knelt by Inuyasha and put her arms round him offering him much needed comfort and finally heard him call her Mama. She looked up in joy to her mate and the first time in many, many years, Inu no Taishou saw his Lady moved to tears of her own as she tightened her hold on Inuyasha.