InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Beautiful: An Adventure in Parenthood ❯ Shinni's New Form ( Chapter 15 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
I don't own Rin or Sesshoumaru or any character from the Inuyasha manga. I do however own Shinnoumaru! Please ask to borrow either the character or the name. Thanx. *hearts*
His black boots crunched down on solid earth only once Sesshoumaru had determined he was well out of scent range from the shiro. He sniffed the air, seeking out the scent of dampness and mineral deposits that would alert him to the presence of a cave in this rocky territory; preferably one unoccupied, but if need be he'd simply kill any inhabitants and den down for the night.

His nose still upturned to the wind he set Rin on her feet, still visibly upset at his earlier reprimand and the distress of her son. "Sesshouma-"

"This way." He turned and began to move up the steep hillside, having located a cave that's only animal scent was that of bears, and it was not hibernation season any longer; they would have been gone from that place many weeks ago. He handed the child to Rin and began their ascent.

Rin huffed and followed after him, holding her squirming youkai son in her arms, cradling him as best she could while keeping her balance over the rocks.

Just as they were entering the mouth of the too-small-for-his-taste cave, he heard Rin shriek in surprise and felt a small aura behind him. His son was already enshrouded in a pink mist and when he turned around the little pink ball when darting around wildly through the air. The pink ball of youki paused in the air before it pivoted, then aimed directly for Rin and slammed into her chest, knocking her back, but before she could fall backward he was behind her, cushioning her fall and staring over her shoulder as she instinctively reached up to catch the now rematerialized child before he fell.

Rin stared, and Sesshoumaru looked down over her shoulder… Both surprised that instead of ahumanbaby there was now a very… hanyou-looking child in her arms.

He was very much a little…

Sesshoumaru groaned. He'd spoken too soon… His child did, in fact, take after his younger brother with those ridiculous looking puppy ears; worse, in fact as one was folded down at the half-way point. He still had the blue crescent on his forehead though… So… Where was Inuyasha's moon-marking?

Idiot… His transformation is on the night where there isnomoon, so of course he would not bare the mark of such, even if father had carried that trait…

Which he hadn't. Sesshoumaru's father had had single stripes as his son, the moon skipping a generation, in that case.Distant cousins can still marry and have so many differences...He was glad that his mother still had the family marking, and that his son bore it as well.

Yes, he was pleased the child carried his markings, even in this form. It was testament to how much stronger the child's ki would be than that of InuYasha's, (due of course tohiski being so much surpassing his father's) that Shinnoumaru's hanyou form still boasted even the stripes on his cheeks, as well as his father's hair color, but…

"His eyes!" Rin brushed her fingers over the child's eyelashes lightly, staring into chocolate colored depths that matched her own perfectly, "They look like mine now!"

"Indeed." Sesshoumaru agreed, not quite sure what to make of this development. How did he… feel…  now? He wasn't sure. He knew he had a duty to this infant, and he intended to carry it out; any feelings could wait until later.

"Sesshoumaru…?" Rin hedged, suddenly noticing the little boy was naked in her arms, and it would soon be getting both dark and cold.

"What is it?"

"You know we didn't actually… bring… anything."

"Bring anything?"

"Blankets, changing cloths, swaddling, a sling…" They stood on the hill and Rin turned to face Sesshoumaru, who looked extremely puzzled at the moment, "He needs those things. All babies need at least changing cloths and a swaddling blanket."

"Why?" Sesshoumaru hadn't the foggiest notion on why so many… things… would be required for one so small?

"You want to get peed on all night?" Rin laughed at his ignorance. It was rather endearing to see The Great Lord Sesshoumaru look puzzled for once.

"He can go outside the cave, naturally."

"No, he can't. He can't move on his own yet! He's still too little in this form! He's going to go when he's going to go, covered in a cloth or not. That's just how babies are."

"The child is unable to move under its own power in this form?" Sesshoumaru was having a hard time believing this. How could any newborn that had been alive for almost a month not be able to move around on its own? Even mortal dogs' puppies moved around before that time!

"His power," Rin corrected harshly, "And no, he can't.". As soon as Shinnoumaru was hanyou-looking all of a sudden he was an 'it'? What in the seven hells was that about? "He's still your son! Don't you dare call him an 'it' to me, ever again!"  Rin stalked off down the hill.

"Where are you going?"

"To a village; I recognize this place, and there is a village just over that hill. I'll see if someone won't take pity on a poor single mother whose husband was very recently killed by someone  who went into a fit of rage and stabbed him with his own sword!" Rin flipped her head to the side and cuddled Shinnoumaru closer, "Truly a tragic tale, wouldn't you say, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

He could have growled at her, were he not so… worried.  One day this girl was going to let her emotions get the best of her and wind up dead!

They would kill her if she walked into that village with a hanyou child in her arms.

Sesshoumaru sighed silently through his nose and pushed down his irritation. She had just cause to be… short… with him. He'd only recently given her the same treatment. Instead he made his way in front of her, moving steadily toward the village. The one thing shewasright about was that that would be the best place to acquire supplies for a humanoid… baby.

~ 8 ~ 8 ~ 8 ~

"Remain here." Sesshoumaru stood with Rin on the outskirts of the village, nose in the air once more and searching for the scent of a new mother or infant. His eyes narrowed as he picked up the scent of a young female infant, a young mother, and an older woman… a relative… not a mother, no… an aunt or cousin of some sort, perhaps?

No males…

This was good. He did not want to have to put some stupid human male in his place in front of that male's female. It would make the female less cooperative if he harmed her mate in front of her… but any mate worth his weight in salt would attempt to defend his female and offspring, so Sesshoumaru had planned on a possible confrontation.

It seemed that he was lucky tonight, and the male was absent for some reason.

"But!"

"Remain here, Rin." Sesshoumaru glared at her, then looked down to his son with slightly softer eyes, before he walked forward, prepared to demand the 'necessities' Rin had named.

"Sesshoumaru…" He heard her call and he paused without looking back, "Don't… Don't hurt anyone, okay?"

"I will do what is necessary, Rin." He answered solemnly, making no promises.

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