InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Come Home Puppy ❯ Fixing It ( Chapter 9 )

Fixing It
Inuyasha felt secure and warm within this dream. He felt as though something that had been missing for a long time had returned, but he couldn't figure out what it was. Subconsciously he knows what it is, but when he tries to think of it directly, the memory runs away. Inuyasha decides that he is too tired to care about chasing about the memory, so he decides to just bask in the warmth and safety exuding from it. He sinks deeper into the exhaustion that has kept him under heavy sedation for the past day forgetting that there are supposed to be people he was fighting to stay awake for.

Sesshoumaru could only hope that this would bring Inuyasha back. He had finally taken the time to figure out how to balance taking care of Inuyasha and not getting behind on palace business. He had the pup moved to the suites that connect to his through the study. With Inuyasha close by, he would always be there when the pup needed him and not just when it was convenient for Sesshoumaru when he got a break from reading over the numerous documents. Why he hadn't thought of this before, he didn't know, but right now he was regretting his oversight of his otouto's condition.
Sesshoumaru started as he heard a purr coming from the direction of Inuyasha's new rooms. His brows furrowed as he wondered who was in there to cause that reaction out of Inuyasha besides the fire neko and the kit, both of whom were sleeping soundly by the sounds of it. The royal demon rose and covered the distance between himself and Inuyasha in quick, ground eating strides. When he entered he found the scene cute, yet heart wrenching at the same time.
Inuyasha was curled around Shippou and Kirara while burying his nose in the pillows that had come off his own bed. It was a sight that reminded Sesshoumaru of when Inuyasha and his mother still lived in the palace, Inuyasha would be to young to remember that time, and the toddler would crawl into his bed after a nightmare and just snuggle into Sesshoumaru's blankets and pillows. Sesshoumaru also recalls how he would come in late to see the gaki had put his bed into complete ruins before he was able to get in and how Inuyasha would always say the next morning that his brother smelt like safety. It was like fathers, but softer and stronger than warm feeling that his mother gave off. When he had the pillows put on Inuyasha's bed, he hadn't thought that it would have the effect that it seemed to be having now. As soon as the pup rejoined them in the land of the living, he would ask Inuyasha if he would prefer his current accomodations or if he would like to stay with Sesshoumaru.
The stoic faced demon sat on the edge next to Inuyasha and stroked the silver hair that had lost its shine since it hadn't been taken care of in a while. He hated seeing Inuyasha in such a state, he was way to thin, and he had lost some of the muscle tone gained from living most of his life on his own. That was another thing that Sesshoumaru regretted. He should have taken the pup in, but he had been so angry because father had died trying to save that wench and the unborn child (1). Inuyasha had received the brunt of that even though it had not been his fault.

Inuyasha felt himself leaving the safety of his dream and he was scared. He didn't want to go back to the world and face all those people that claim to care for him, but leave him to flounder because he doesn't fit into their pre-planned schedules. His body wasn't giving him a choice in the matter, though, and he continued to surface from his sleepy haze. Before he opened his eyes, he noticed that there was something running through his hair and he thought it was Shippou, but the scent was different. It smelt like...Sesshoumaru! Why was Sesshoumaru in his rooms? He didn't want anything to do with him, right? Inuyasha was so confused.
Finally, the pup opened his eyes and looked around to find everything white. He realized he was face down in the bed and shifted to get a better look at where he believed Sesshoumaru to be. Golden eyes met an identical, yet completely different pair. Inuyasha was surprised to see the emotion that was usually hidden in those depths were so similar to his own. Sesshoumaru just marveled at Inuyasha and the bags that seemed to have lessened from yesterday to today just by having surrounded the pup with his scent. After his theory yesterday was proven, he had slept with Inuyasha the night before wrapping all of them in his mokomoko-sama. Shippou and Kirara had made it a point to hit and bite him in their 'sleep.'
"Wha...wh?" Inuyasha's throat was killing him. Sesshoumaru handed him the water from the bedside table and watched closely as Inuyasha drank from the cup.
"I'm sorry Inuyasha. I did not mean to belittle you and your feelings. I hope that you will forgive me of my arrogance." Sesshoumaru looked intently at the pup that was struggling to speak before him.
"Why?" was the terse reply. Sesshoumaru knew what he was asking, he just didn't know how to answer without upsetting Inuyasha. He sighed deeply and began to speak.
"I did not ignore you on purpose, Inuyasha. It has been awhile since I have had to care for others other than myself in any personal capacity and I had forgotten that you have needs, wants, and the ability to think for yourself. The panic with trying to retrieve you from Naraku," Inuyasha flinchd. "- did not help. Instead of helping you to regain your footing, I instead crippled those chances. I am trying Inuyasha, but even I make mistakes. I can only hope that you will be patient with me as I learn."
"Okay," the half -demon replied sincerely. Sesshoumaru was shocked by the pup's ability to forgive him and the transgressions he committed against him. The TaiYoukai gave Inuyasha a genuine, albeit small, smile before kissing him upon the forehead as he did when they were younger, again Inuyasha was most likely to young to remember.

"Hey. Papa! Your awake." Shippou was so happy that he didn't notice his slip up, but the two dog demons did. Inuyasha was surprised that Shippou held him in such high regard. The kit was usually always under Kagome's skirt especially when he told the child that the chocolate was bad for him.
"Good ta see ya too, kit," it came out hoarse from his recently under-used throat muscles. Shippou hugged the inu-hanyou tightly about his neck as Kirara rubbed up against whatever body part came within his reach while mewling happily. A strained smile came to Inuyasha's lips as he petted her back.
"What are you doing here, Sesshoumaru? Are you being mean to Inuyasha again?" Sesshoumaru had to smirk at the kit's forwardness before replying. Inuyasha looked between the two of them confused, wondering when Shippou had become so brave as to stand up to Sesshoumaru and when Sesshoumaru had mellowed out enough to let such insubordination pass (he learned a couple of things from his tutors).
"No, I am just here to correct my mistakes."
"You're just he- hey you didn't call yourself, this Sesshoumaru. I thought you always talked like that." Another smirk graced the usually stoic face of the Lord of the Western Lands.
"Being a lord means weakness is not an option. To overcome those weaknesses, you acknowledge them and create a mask to cover them from your enemy's eyes. That is just one of those things, but I use it more to throw them off guard than to cover a weakness."
"That's just a way to say, he does it because he likes to hear his own name." Inuyasha mumbled lightly into the kit's ear, happy when he managed to get a giggle from the small demon.
"I heard that and it's not true." Sesshoumaru would have pouted, but he was beyond such things. Inuyasha, Shippou, and Kirara looked at him increduously. Shippou was the first to crack up with mirth followed by Inuyasha, though his sounded more like a hacking cough by the time he was finished. It felt good to laugh again, even if it would only last until Sesshoumaru made sure he was well enough to send back out on his own. He only hoped that Shippou and Kirara would come with him.
"Do you still wish to see the ningens, Inuyasha?"