InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Come Home Puppy ❯ Obstacles ( Chapter 7 )

Obstacles
'Italics'=thoughts
It had been a month since Inuyasha had come out of his self induced catatonia and his physical and mental healing had progressed very well. His brash, uncouth spirit was back, though there was still times when he would fall silent in the middle of a rant, when someone mentioned something that reminded him of Naraku or Kagome, or if someone other than Sesshoumaru tried to touch him. Sesshoumaru was proud of the stubbornness that he could see return to Inuyasha, at other times he wished he hadn't, but he knows that without it, Inuyasha wouldn't be the half demon he was meant to mate with. Besides he doesn't need his mate attending to his every wish, he has servants for that, he wants someone to argue with him and Inuyasha was always up for a row.

"That stupid, pig-headed, dumb dog! Who does he think he is, telling me I can't see Sango and Miroku? I don't want to see the wench and conceded on that point, but I want to see them. Argh! He cannot possibly think I would even bother to be around him with that arrogant attitude of his. I need to see them and whether or not they really thought th...that I could do that to K...k..kaede." Inuyasha picked up the vase and hurled it at the door as he picked up on sliding of it against the floor. Sesshoumaru neatly ducked the flying projectile while watching his fuming baby brother in amusement. The inu-hanyou picked up food tray that had been brought a half hour before and prepared to launch it at his infuriating aniki.
"Do you think that wise, Inuyasha?"
"Go away Sesshoumaru! I don't have anything civil to say to you until I can see them." Inuyasha threw the tray and proceeded into bedroom of connecting to sitting room of the suite Sesshoumaru had had him imprisoned in since he demanded to be allowed to see the ningens that had once been dear friends to him. He shut the door softly, belying the anger he felt, and locked it before he allowed the tears to fall. Sesshoumaru was no better than them at this rate. He wanted to do nothing more than rule Inuyasha's life, just as all the people, besides his mother, had sought to before him. Everyone wanted something from him, but when he asked for something in return, it was his needs, wants, and wishes that were always denied.
Since he woke up, Sesshoumaru had been babying him and he was okay with that, he admitted he needed the help to overcome the memories of what had happened in Naraku's castle, but now when he was trying to get his freedom back, his brother was doing exactly what everyone else had. Inuyasha was expected to change himself for everyone else, but receive nothing back. It was a tiresome process that was making him wonder why he continued to fight to live. 'It's not even the fact that he won't let me see Sango and Miroku. It's everything this past week. I have to go everywhere with an escort, I have to be tutored, I have to have every meal with him in his quarters, and I have to "start thinking before acting." I don't see why I am here if I am such a problem. Everything I do is never right, never up to his royal standards. I love my brother, but I don't think I can take anymore of this. It's like I'm being punished for being here. Why did he come for me if he didn't want me here?'
Inuyasha continued to cry as his dark thoughts turned pitch with their course. Ever since he was deemed healthy again by the healer, his brother changed back into the TaiYoukai that would rather pick his nose during a public audience than to be seen consorting with a hanyou. The only time that the pup even sees his aniki is when he seeks him out himself, during meals (only held in Sesshoumaru's private chambers), or when one of his tutors has complained about one aspect of his performance or another. He tried so hard the first three weeks to be what his brother wanted him to be, but now he is just tired. Tired of trying to satisfy everyone else but himself. He hasn't even been outside, and anywhere in the palace that he has been since he got here, was deserted. No one but himself and his escort, whom controlled where they went. If Sesshoumaru didn't want him to be seen, then why keep him here. Inuyasha felt miserable.

Sesshoumaru sighed as Inuyasha, yet again, locked him out. Physically and emotionally. He doesn't know what has gotten into the pup lately, but it isn't good, for anyone. Inuyasha has become withdrawn again and his attentions for his work with his tutors has waned greatly which is saying something as it was already hard enough to hold the pup's attention in the beginning, according to the complaints he got from the tutors. He doesn't know what to do with his otouto. Inuyasha was frustrating him to no end. He won't listen to anything that Sesshoumaru says, the tutors, and especially not the escorts assigned to him. They have given Sesshoumaru a headache with the amount of complaints they have about Inuyasha. The TaiYoukai let out another sigh within the privacy of his study.
Another problem is the pup's demand to see the ningen that had been living within the palace for the past two months. They had been demanding to see his otouto as well, but he just doesn't think that Inuyasha is ready to face them yet. He was just beginning to pull himself back from whatever dark abyss he had been in and Sesshoumaru didn't want those ningens' hurtful words to push him back to that point because he doesn't know if it happens again that Inuyasha will come back to him. Now he feels as if Inuyasha is pulling away from him anyway and he doesn't know why.

Inuyasha was adding to the regal demon's already throbbing migraine. For the past six days, the pup has refused to eat anything and will not speak to him. He doesn't even beg the escorts to take him outside anymore and this has him worried. He knows he should be relieved because the amount of complaints coming from the guards has lessened greatly, but it does not. The pup has also refused to leave his rooms unless it is to see the kit or the fire neko. Even the great Lord of the Western Lands cannot get Inuyasha from the room which has given the inu-hanyou's tutors enough incentive to quit. Sesshoumaru was upset, disappointed, and worried about his otouto. His anger won out in the end, he needed to set Inuyasha straight, for this behavior has gone on long enough.
Sesshoumaru made quick work of the halls separating his rooms from his otouto's and entered the stubborn pup's space without the courtesy of knocking. He looked about the sitting rooom, but didn't see him. He searched out the other rooms using his nose and didn't find the pup in them. He finally came upon the bed chambers and to his fortune, Inuyasha was there. When he entered, Inuyasha turned to look at him before turning back to looking out the window and completely ignoring the Lord of the Western Lands.
"It is rude not to acknowledge your elders, Inuyasha. You should know the basics of this protocol by now."
"...."
Sigh. "Inuyasha you cannot continue to ignore me and to misbehave and expect me not to have to step in and do something."
"...."
"Then I have no choice. You will have to be punished for your misdeeds. I have tried to be lenient and understanding, but I cannot understand you if you do not talk to me."
Inuyasha just settled further into his position next to the window, looking out at a world he could no longer enjoy or be a part of. Sesshoumaru really did not want to discipline his brother, but Inuyasha had given him no choice. He walked over to the pup, lifted him up off the seat, sat down himself and put the smaller male across his lap. He pulled down the black hakama and proceeded to give Inuyasha thirty smacks for his transgressions. After all was done, he held the crying child in his arms until he had fell asleep while whispering repeatedly that he hadn't wanted to do it, but Inuyasha had to learn.

Inuyasha took the punishment without making a sound, but his tears still flowed freely down his face. Now he can finally say without a doubt, that his brother only brought him here to humiliate him. As he was held by his brother and was told over and over again that he had to learn to behave he became even more angry with not only his brother, but himself. He couldn't be what his brother was trying to make him to be, but he wanted to be so badly because then it meant that his brother might actually compliment him, or notice his accomplishments rather than all his failures which seemed to happen more and more often. His brother would never love him as he was, just as Kikyou didn't and just like Kagome didn't. It appears all those fights and the verbage behind them had had some truth to them that Inuyasha had just ignored until now. He sees everything clearly now, there is no place for him because everyone wants him to be one or the other when is a mixture of both. He will never be good enough for anyone. Maybe Naraku had a point in saying that only he would ever want Inuyasha just as he was and maybe he should have given the other male a chance. It was too late now, he was stuck with his loveless situations and their consequences.
'I'm so tired. I don't think I can fight anymore.'