InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Guardian ❯ A Heart Too Innocent ( Chapter 2 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Guardian
By: ShoukaMiko
Chapter 2: A Heart Too Innocent
Blanket Disclaimer for Guardian: I don't own Inuyasha, its characters, songs, or any other songs I put on here by other artists.

The child walked toward his father. HE was struggling to keep his face void or emotion, but the little dog demon couldn't help his annoyed frown. His long silver hair whipped about in the slight breeze as the stripe cheeked seven year old marched determinedly up to his father, who was trying just as hard to hide his amusement.

Wrapping his hand around the bottom half of his mouth, the Inu No Taisho cleared his throat of the laugh that was threatening to surface before he trusted himself to speak to his son.

“Sesshomaru, is there something you wish to tell me?” The boy's father asked warmly.

The youth flipped his hair indignantly over his small shoulder and blinked his cool amber eyes before addressing the older youkai.

“Father, Inuyasha is being foolish again.”

“Is that so? What has he done to warrant your disapproval this time son?” The inu youkai asked his too serious, first born son. His golden eyes brightened in merriment over his purple streaked cheekbones. In his opinion, his elder son was much too serious and formal for his young years.

The little dog demon shifted from foot to foot eager to get his news out.

“Well… he…” The little youkai scratched at the crescent moon on his forehead, then took a big breath and started explaining at a hundred miles an hour.

“He was crawling on his blanket by the flowers and I told him not to, but he did it anyway `cause he never listens to me, so he went over to a flower and he grabbed it in his hand, and now he's holding onto it and I can't get him to let go of it, even when I said I'd tell you, and I know you told me not to touch them' cause they'll hurt me…”

“What'll end up hurting you Sesshy-kun?” Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's mother walked out of the house into the warm spring sun light carrying a tray of ice tea. She smiled warmly at her stepson.

Sesshomaru heaved a deep sigh and pouted as he whined pitifully, “Motheerrr!! I told you not to call me that, I'm the son of the great Inu no Taisho. What if someone heard you? I'll be a laughing stock!!”

The young mother smiled as apologetically as she could while holding back her chuckle.

“I beg your pardon dear. Now what were you saying a moment ago?”

The silver haired boy frowned in concentration for a second, one claw scratching the top of his head in thought.

“Oh, yeah!” Sesshomaru piped up enthusiastically, before trying to resume his calm expression.

“Inuyasha caught a bee in his hand and he won't let go of it.”

Both mother and father exchanged panicked glances.

WHAT?

They dashed to the side of the one year old. He had been in plain sight, but had remained strangely quiet the entire time. At their approach, his tiny triangular ears twitched back, then he half turned where he sat. His big golden eyes looked up innocently at his worried parents. His little fist was indeed closed over something that was making a loud buzzing noise.

He saw his mother drop down quickly next to him and his father putting a hand on her shoulder to stay her.

“Easy Izayoi, if he gets scared he might panic and make the bee sting him.” Inuyasha's father said with a calmness he was far from feeling. His silver hair, that was currently pulled into a samurai style pony tail, brushing the side of his wife's shoulder as he too crouched down over her and the baby.

“Koinu-kun, give mommy the buggy.” Inuyasha's mother cooed to the child, holding out her own hand.

Inuyasha's sun dappled face continued to look up innocently at his mother and father. He turned his attention back to his closed fist where the bee was fluttering its wings and tickling his palm. Then he looked over to his right for a long minute.
~~~~~~

The bright being sent calming messages to the bee in the baby inu-hanyou's hand. She kept telling it that it was safe and not to panic. The angel had been showing Inuyasha the bee and felt guilty that his parents were so concerned.
“Inuyasha.” The angel said drawing the little baby's attention. The baby turned bright eyes toward the angel. Her golden and glowing, feminine form making him smile slightly. “It's time to let Mr. Bee go.”

She could feel his sadness at having to let his interesting new play thing go. She smiled understandingly at the baby.

“You'll see him again soon. Right now though, he has to go home and eat. Just like you do.”

Inuyasha looked down at his fist then up at his guardian angel again. He smiled at his angel and let out a little burble.

“Of course I'll help you say goodbye to him.”

With that the angel sat behind Inuyasha. She helped him cup both hands together gently and put her own golden, transparent hands cupped over his tiny ones.

“Ready? Together now…1…2…3!”

~~~~~

The Inu no Taisho and his wife both gasped when Inuyasha moved to take the bee in both hands. They expected at any moment he would start yelling, screaming, and crying in pain of the inevitable bee sting…that never came. Izayoi started to lunge for him but his father's hand was still firmly planted on her shoulder pulling her gently back.

The silver haired, wild banged, baby raised his tiny, cupped hands into the air and slowly opened them. The bee, none the worse for its ordeal, crawled forward a bit, then launched off of the little inu hanyou's fingers. The baby waved good-bye to his little friend, and then finally turned to look back at his parents, who immediately swooped him up.

Izayoi took Inuyasha's little hands into her own, and searched every little crevice before raising them to her lips and kissing the middle of each palm.

“So did that baka brother of mine get stung by the bee?” Sesshomaru asked eyeing his little half brother with barely concealed interest.

The beautiful woman breathed a sigh of relief. With her dark, dramatic, brown eyes she turned to the eldest child and placed a gentle hand on his silver, straight hair.

“Amazingly enough, that bee just didn't want to sting anyone today.” Then she paused, remembering what else her seven year old had said.

“Sesshomaru! You shouldn't be calling your brother a baka! Where did you learn such a word?”

Sesshomaru puffed his little chest out proudly.

“Father said it when a baka went in front of us when he was driving me to school. Didn't you say that bakas like that shouldn't be allowed on the road? Didn't you father?”

This last was said with Sesshomaru's eyes wide open in question. He waited patiently for his father to answer him. The Tai youkai gave his wife, who was currently glaring daggers at him, a sheepish grin.

“Nevertheless son, Inuyasha is your brother,” The youkai said, casting glances over at his wife to see if he had redeemed himself. “And he is only a baby, he has much to learn.”

Sesshomaru's eyebrows came together over his red eyelids as he pouted.

“I still think he's a baka.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

“Am NOT!”

“Are TOO!”

“AM NOT!”

“ARE TOO!”

“I'm not a baka! I just don't know what it is!” Inuyasha frowned as his brother taunted him further.

“Well baka! It's not something me and father are, that's for sure!”

“So what is it?” Inuyasha asked, a slight whine entering his tone as he grew tired of his brother's teasing.

Sesshomaru lifted his chin, taking on a superior air that any lord would have been proud of, let alone a ten year old.

“Like I said, if you don't know, I'm not telling you.” With that, the tall fourth grader walked away, hair swaying down by the legs of his jeans.

Inuyasha frowned and turned around in search of his mother. The four-year-old was confused at why the other children had called him that name. Both human and demon alike had taunted him, kept his ball from him. Now, his brother seemed even to be ashamed of him.

He couldn't understand his brother sometimes. Since his dad had died, nearly a year ago, Sesshomaru had almost seemed as if he were blocking out that their dad was gone. Inuyasha was only three at the time, but he could sense the loss. What he could also sense was that everything would be okay. He remembered the times when he was the saddest, that there was someone there to make him feel better. Something warm, and bright and… that smelled wonderful. Kind of like a mix of candy and flowers. He remembered feeling it today when the other kids wouldn't give him his ball. It helped him feel better but he was still confused. So he decided to go to the smartest person he knew. His mom.

“Mother?” Inuyasha called out, his bare feet plodding softly on the floor. He still didn't like wearing shoes. They were too uncomfortable. He went about, calling for her throughout the house. His hair flayed his back like silver whips, in stark contrast of his favorite red shirt and dark blued carpenter jeans, as he grew more and more frantic at his unanswered calls.

Finally, he skidded to a stop in their garden out in back of the large two-story house. When Inuyasha's father was killed, he had left the family very comfortable financially.
So they were able to keep their estate and money. The garden had become a retreat for the remaining family. A place where they could go and remember happier times.

His mother was there now. She still preferred to dress in the traditional styles. Izayoi, in her bright kimonos, always reminded Inuyasha of a princess in a fairy tale.

He ran to her now, encircling his arms around her legs and burying his face in her stomach.

“Inuyasha dear, what's the matter?” The beautiful, doe eyed woman's voice was at once warm and comforting as she brought the small child into her embrace.

“Mother…” Inuyasha's uneasy golden eyes stared up into his mother's rich brown ones, before asking the question that had been plaguing him.

“What's a half breed?”

Inuyasha's mother looked shocked for a moment. Then her beautiful eyes clouded with tears and the small droplets rolled down her cheeks to land on Inuyasha's upturned face. His mother drew him into an even tighter hug, and as he turned his head to rest his ear against her, he could hear her stilted breathing. He decided right then and there, at the age of four, that he would never trouble his mother with his problems again.

~~~~~~~

The angel floated a short distance away, looking on at the heartbreaking scene. A mother, reluctant to show her sweet little boy what a cruel, unforgiving world he was born into, and a child, too innocent to know that it wasn't his fault he was different.

“I'm sorry Inuyasha.” The angel whispered. “There's just some things not even I can protect you from.”

One glittering, golden tear rolled down the angel's cheek to her chin. The solitary drop lingered for a moment then fell. As the tear hit the ground, a flower blossomed, stretching out it's soft white petals towards heaven.