InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Fenced ❯ Izayoi ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter Three: Izayoi

Izayoi sat in the first reception room in the manor, on the glorious window seat sipping a cup of earl grey tea with lemon from a bone china tea cup. Her long dark hair was pulled into a lose plait and she was wearing a relatively casual ensemble of a white silk shirt and blue fitted jeans. Pearls in her lobes and her wedding band but no other decoration and nothing but Chap Stick for makeup.

She was seriously thinking about Kagome, the girl she had sequestered for the role of Rin's Au Pair. She had seriously meant it when she had told the girl that she reminded her of her sister, she was so reminiscent of her Aki. Always so stubborn, unstoppable. She wondered where she was now.

She was snapped out of her daze when a light giggle caught her attention and she turned to see Rin stood in the doorway hand in her mouth to muffle the giggles looking at a thoroughly flattened Inuyasha.

“Inuyasha-niichan is a rug” she said happily her fangs poking from her grin and her ears twitching in her mirth.

“What did he do?” Izayoi enquired mildly, her son was always getting himself into trouble with Sesshoumaru somehow.

“How come everyone always automatically assumes I've done something?” the irate Hanyou who was personally acquainted with the floor enquired.

“Because that is always the case” Sesshoumaru intoned coldly steeping on the spread eagled Hanyou on the floor in order to gain entrance to the room.

“Bastard” Inuyasha muttered and Sesshoumaru growled.

“Shut your mouth whelp, you shall not expose Rin to that kind of language” he intoned, sounding bored.

“Was there something you wanted Sesshoumaru-chan?” Izayoi asked raising a brow, she knew the boy well. Despite not being his biological mother she had practically raised him. He rarely chose to inflict himself with the company of others unless he desired something from them and he never willingly shared the same space as Inuyasha.

Sesshoumaru's brown quirked and he nodded at his step-mother “Why did you request her to help us?” he asked not explaining who he was talking about, just expecting her to realise.

Inuyasha who had peeled his face from the floor was looking between the two of them with light confusion on his features.

“I think Rin needs normal company” she answered stating only a half truth as she knew that the dog demons in the room would be able to tell her lie “Sesshoumaru you teach her values but I do not believe you are comfortable with play and I don't want Rin to be subjected to Inuyasha for any longer than necessary” she grinned as she said the last.

“OY!” Inuyasha harrumphed folding his arms as his mother stuck her tongue out at him like she was the child.

“The real reason” Sesshoumaru's voice was flat and unyielding

“I like her” Izayoi chirped; this wasn't a lie either, she did like Kagome, the fact that she liked Kagome because she reminded her of Aki had nothing to do with anything.

“Hn” Sesshoumaru said frowning at his normally very truthful stepmother, there was something else going on here, of that he was sure, but he had no idea what was going on. He also knew by know that she wasn't going to tell him what was going on in her head, she had never backed down from anything before. He had enough experience of her adamantly defending Inuyasha and Rin to those who still, even in this modern era, despised Hanyou.

Izayoi grinned happy that Sesshoumaru was smart enough to give up his line of questioning.

“What are you two talking about?” Inuyasha decided it was time to actually understand what they were talking about.

“Izayoi-san has decided to employ an Au pair for Rin” Sesshoumaru was loath to explain but he did it anyway, wishing to leave the room as soon as was possible without seeming rude.

“Seriously?” Inuyasha asked “Didn't we have one already... Kaede or something?”

“She retired three years ago” Sesshoumaru gave Inuyasha a look that suggested he was mentally incompetent.

“Keh” Inuyasha was embarrassed at his little slip up but was not going to show it, he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans “So we get another old lady?” he asked sullenly

Sesshoumaru smirked “If she heard you call her that she would reduce you to Hanyou sushi”

Inuyasha started, the apocalypse must be coming, Sesshoumaru was smiling...smirking. it was just not done by his older brother. “Who is she?” he asked almost timidly, not something you would often accuse him of being

“You probably know her” Sesshoumaru was enjoying himself know “she goes to your infernal school after all, Kagome I believe she is called”

“Kagome?” the Hanyou was abruptly ecstatic and Sesshoumaru could have hit himself, he had forgotten about the apparent crush the Hanyou held for Kagome.

“Do you know her?” Izayoi was surprised, her eyebrows flew to her hairline

“She's in some of my classes” he admitted sheepishly a light blush on his cheeks

“Inuyasha-niichan, do you like Kagome-neesan?” Rin piped up and everyone jumped, they had forgotten she was in the room

“Shut up brat!” Inuyasha yelped

“I think you hit a nerve” Sesshoumaru told Rin who grinned in a gap toothed sort of way.

“Shut up asshole” Inuyasha growled and suddenly found himself being flung bodily from the room by an irate Sesshoumaru.

“Speak properly in the presence of one so young” he warned as he left Izayoi to her won devices, kicking Inuyasha down the hall at every cuss word he used with a giggling Rin following at a skip.

Izayoi grinned, life with her family was never boring at least.

“So what is your real reason Izayoi-koi?” a new deeper and more sensuous voice enquired and Izayoi turned to look, rather sheepishly, at her husband. He was dressed in his work suit; as usual he had forgone a tie deeming them insufferable contraptions of neither use nor comfort, dark blue pressed trousers and a rumpled white shirt that had probably at one point been tucked into his trousers and his jacket flung over a shoulder. His long silver hair was tied into a top knot due to annoyance of its presence. And a slightly mischievous look played about his golden eyes.

“Whatever do you mean?” she replied playfully

“As if you can hide it from me” he pretended to be affronted

“She reminds me of Aki” she sighed, knowing full well that unless she confessed he was not going to leave her alone until she did. Her husband could be seriously annoying when he wanted something.

“Ah” Toga suddenly understood “so that is why”

“I know it is frivolous but still I want her to be around, at least some of the time” she smiled as Toga wrapped his arms around her shoulders “on the plus side, perhaps love shall blossom, both Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha seem to like her, then I shall have her as my daughter in law” she giggled

“Sesshoumaru likes her?” Toga was astonished, he wasn't aware Sesshoumaru had defrosted enough to feel gentle emotions to anyone other than Rin.

“Not exactly, but I've never seen anyone that can get under his skin as thoroughly as she does, I mean no matter the insults that fly from Inuyasha Sesshoumaru deals with him like he is a pest and a nuisance, he never loses his temper or gets goaded” she tried her best to explain it

“I see” toga was thoughtful “well then, let's hope this turns out okay. I don't want to have to deal with anymore sibling rivalry between Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru”

“I don't think the house can withstand it” Izayoi commented wryly as they heard yet another crash and then giggling from Rin.

***

Kagome stood outside her school cursing the handsome bishounnen for being late, surely it couldn't be that hard to get from a building to the one next door. It was freezing cold and she hadn't brought a coat due to the fact that she needed a new one and had no money for one at the moment. She was currently trying to warm up by stomping her boots and rubbing her gloved hand together before breathing on them. A white scarf twined around her neck was working on stopping her from turning into a Miko Popsicle.

“Are you cold?” Sesshoumaru enquired as he snuck up on the Miko, she squealed in shock and turned round punching him on the arm, probably doing more harm to her hand than she had done to him.

“What do you think?” she asked “or do you make a point of asking blindingly obvious questions?”

“I am not cold, I was merely curious about the human capacity to withstand temperature changes. It seems to be very low” he said in his best superior tone

“Yeah I'm cold” she growled “and I should've guessed you wouldn't notice, after all you are the ice prince aren't you”

Sesshoumaru glowered at her as he recognised on of Inuyasha's nicknames for him, it riled him up that she was spending time with the idiot. “I would refrain from spending time with the idiot, his mannerisms are already rubbing off on you” he told her

She rolled her eyes “Trust me I prefer not to spend time with people who rot my brain” she frowned “but shouldn't he be with you, I presume you both live in the same house”

“When I mentioned that you were coming to our home and that any woman would be dramatically repelled by the state of his room, he was suddenly less adamant about turning up and more determined to tidy as he never has before”

Kagome giggled and grinned at him as they set off walking “Who would have thought you knew what a joke is?”

“It was not a joke” he said shortly. Which made her giggle even more as she continued to walk beside him. He was determinedly ignoring her when he abruptly heard her inhale sharply and smelt her blood on the breeze.

He turned back to her “What did you do onna?” he asked

“My teeth were chattering and I bit my lip” she cursed and ran a finger over the gently bleeding appendage.

He sighed, apparently it really was that cold, he couldn't understand, it was only September and that weekend had been quite balmy. He removed his own, fairly pointless, jacket and hung it over her small shoulders with the expression of someone imparting a great privilege.

She gratefully accepted the jacket and pulled her arms into the huge sleeves. She had never really appreciated the difference between their sizes up until that point and she snuggled into the huge warm jacket. It smelled of him, she realised belatedly, and she tried to decipher what it was he smelled of.

Sesshoumaru allowed a smirk to flit across his features once he was safely in front of her, he could hear her inhale his scent like a newborn pup would memorise their parents and it amused him.

“What did your parents say about this endeavour?” he asked

“My mother” she corrected “she didn't mind”

She frowned as she remembered the conversation, it was almost as if her mother was worried about her working for the Taisho's...

“I've got a job” she told her mother

“What?” he mother was confused momentarily, her daughter had only just come in the door and she had been expecting her to run off for her customary bath. She had only just sat down from a long day at the hospital and her ankles were aching. She looked every bit Kagome's duplicate except obviously older, less voluptuous and with brown eyes instead of blue.

“I have a job” she said slower pausing to grab an apple from the fruits basket on the table

“Honey, if you get a job who will look after Shippo and Souta while your aunt and I are at work?” he mother questioned raising a brow.

“That's the beauty of the thing, the job is babysitting” she giggled as she remembered how Izayoi had called it having an `Au Pair' “I get to bring them with me because Rin liked them so much when she met them today”

“Rin?”

“The little girl I'll be looking after” Kagome explained around a mouthful of apple

“Don't talk with your mouthful dear” her mother reprimanded “so who will you be working for?”

“Izayoi Taisho” Kagome offered

“Izayoi?” her mother breathed looking a little shocked

“What is it mama?” Kagome asked at her mother's blank expression

“Nothing” he mother shook her head and fixed her usual cheery face back in place “I just used to know someone called Izayoi a long time ago”

“Oh...okay so can I work for them?” Kagome asked twirling a strand of hair around one finger expectantly.

“I suppose so, if you're sure it won't interrupt your studies” her mother hedged

“I'm positive!” Kagome grinned and flew from the room happy to get both a substantial income and her mother's permission.

Her mother sighed and looked down at her interlaced fingers; it couldn't possibly be the same Izayoi...could it?

“Onna!” Sesshoumaru tried to snap Kagome back to attention, only to fail drastically. He rolled his eyes as she continued walking forward...straight into the lamppost ahead of her.

She stumbled comically and then fell harshly on her derrière.

“Huh?” she said looking around as she came back to the present with a bump, literally.

“You are an idiot” Sesshoumaru said walking up behind her and hauling her to her feet by her elbows.

“It appears so, huh” she said in bemusement.

***

The four of them reach the manor half an hour later in various states of disarray. Sesshoumaru was at the end of his tether and wondering if anyone would mind terribly if he killed the incredibly annoying Kitsune who appeared to think that he was a climbing frame. Kagome and her brother meanwhile were chatting amiably by his side, apparently impervious to his discomfort.

“Whoa” said Kagome and Souta in unisons as they turned the corner in the drive and the manor was brought into perspective.

“It's pretty” Shippo commented

“It's western” Kagome was confused, sure enough the manor was eye wateringly western and yet it was supposed to be really old... or so she thought.

“It burned down in the 1900's” Sesshoumaru explained “and was rebuilt in the fashion of the western world, it was the pride of the land for a while”

“Right” Kagome said nodding

“Sesshoumaru-niisan!” Rin pelted from the house jumped down the steps and flung herself into Sesshoumaru's surprised arms.

“What's wrong Rin?” he asked soothingly

“The world is ending” she said looking up at him with wide eyes

“Why is the world ending?” Sesshoumaru raised a brow

“Inuyasha-niichan is tidying his room” she said in a breathless voice, “and then he used the vacuum cleaner!”

Kagome cracked up laughing at the expression of utter sincerity on Rin's face as she looked up at her Sesshoumaru.

“And why does that mean the world is going to end?” Sesshoumaru queried

“Papa said if he ever tidied it was the end of the world” she exclaimed

“He was being figurative” Kagome smiled at the little girl

“What's that mean?” she asked titling her head to one side her ears twitching adorably

“Stupid” Sesshoumaru supplied in a monotone, causing Kagome to start giggling again.

They all trudged into the house, just in time to see a blur that was Inuyasha whizz down the staircase holding the vacuum cleaner and almost barrel into Rin. She was saved a painful encounter by both Souta and Kagome grabbing her and whisking her out of the way.

“Idiot” Sesshoumaru muttered catching Inuyasha by the back of his shirt and flinging him into a wall, the plaster cracked and crumbled, but the wall magically held.

Rin giggled “They're breaking the house again”

“We're going to die” Souta said to his sister and she nodded in a dumbfounded sort of way as Inuyasha pounced on his half brother's head, only to be backhanded into a pillar.

“I'm beginning to understand why this place burned down” Kagome said and they all ducked as a Hanyou flew over their heads followed by a grinning Daiyokai. The grin promised death, if he was lucky only dismemberment.

A/N: I do not own Inuyasha and I never will. So what does everyone think? I enjoyed writing it hope you enjoyed reading.

With thanks to those who reviewed on fanficition dot net; Moonlight X Luna, foxgodess07, xXxXOuTcAsTXxXx and Inuyasha4ev.Tsukiko-san.

Thanks to Kags521 on Mediaminer dot org for her review and I'm sorry about the gaping hole between updates, I have been submerged under piles of work and only just managed to dig myself out.

Thanks to Lily on Dokuga and I'd answer your questions, but that'd give everything away!