InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Dark Side of the Sun ❯ Chapter Eight ( Chapter 16 )

Inuyasha fidgeted slightly as he watched his father, grandfather, brother, and stepmother leave the palace gates. Next to him stood all three of his nursemaids and his uncle Kenmaru.

 

`Two weeks. They're going to be gone two weeks . . . maybe longer . . .'

 

He felt extremely vulnerable, especially with his father and older brother leaving. Inuyasha knew why they were leaving, knew that eventually he would be on a similar mission once he was older. His father had explained as much. However, that didn't mean he had to like the fact that they were leaving. When his father left, there had always been Yashira and Sesshomaru there to protect him. With all three of them gone . . .

 

`Anyone can get to me,' Inuyasha thought, a light shiver coursing through his frame. A strong yet gentle hand clasped his shoulder, startling the small boy and causing him to glance up. His uncle gazed at him, golden eyes sparkling warmly and a reassuring smile on his face. Inuyasha found himself returning that smile.

 

“No frowns now,” came the quiet statement, “or your father might never let me come here and stay with you like this again. He'll think I'm a boring and terrible uncle.”

 

Inuyasha giggled at that and found himself sitting on top of his uncle's shoulder. It was something his father often done with him, so he could have a better view of what was going on around them. From where he sat, he was able to watch his family leave until their forms had disappeared into the distance.

 

Once they were no longer in sight, Kenmaru turned around and walked back into the palace, ready to deal with the palace's daily activities. Inuyasha knew that was why Kenmaru was there. It had been explained to him once before, when InuTaisho had left the palace for the first time after Inuyasha's arrival and Sesshomaru had acted in the daiyoukai's stead.

 

Of course, that had been before the newer of his father's advisors and their families had arrived to the palace. Inuyasha had been told by one of the older children that lived there, one that didn't belong to the newer families, that it wasn't unusual for a warlord to bring home “spoils of war.”

 

And that was what the boy had referred to the new advisors and their families as. Spoils of war.

 

At first, Inuyasha had believed that to be the reason why the newer advisors didn't like him. He was the youngest son of a daimyo, the Inu no Taisho. Royal blood flowed through his veins, making him a target on top of his half-breed status. Then, as he had watched and observed, he had noted that it wasn't because they'd been conquered by his father. The advisors adored his father. His father had, after all, been compassionate when he'd made his decisions as to how each would serve InuTaisho. The advisors had a problem with him. From their children (and from their own mouths), he'd heard what they thought of him. It had hurt because he'd had no idea as to what he had done to give them that impression.

 

So he'd done what he could to show that he wasn't. He had tried not to intrude when his father met with the advisors. He'd tried his best to share with the other children, which had always been his wont to do. Nothing had worked. As they had with his mother, things constantly changed on him so he did what he could to avoid the advisors and their children. Another thing that had blown up in his face. After the dream he'd had when he'd been sick, Inuyasha had come to a decision that, had his family known, would have shocked them.

 

He didn't care anymore. He wouldn't care anymore. Not what the advisors thought of him, not what the other children thought of him. The only people in the palace that truly mattered to him were his family members and a handful of the servants. The barrier that he'd had around his heart before was slowly being built once again. He had to. He didn't like being hurt anymore, he didn't want to be hurt anymore. Inuyasha had finally reached his limit.

 

`Besides,' he thought as his uncle walked by several of advisors and servants, `now would be the time for them to try something. But what are they going to do? I don't get it.'

 

As they passed by, Inuyasha's eyes locked with one person's in particular. TsukuYouMaru. For a brief moment, the gaze was held. Then Kenmaru left the room, bringing Inuyasha's attention back to the present.

 

`I'll find out soon enough.'

 

* * *

 

TsukuYouMaru felt himself shudder the moment Inuyasha's eyes let him go. There had been an iciness in the child's eyes that had never been there before and it frightened him. He had become so used to seeing the boy be so loving and affectionate that to see that . . . coldness in those golden-amber eyes disturbed the bat youkai. It disturbed him greatly and he wondered not for the first time if Akari's plan was going to be worth it.

 

`He's a pampered child,' TsukuYouMaru thought, quickly shaking his head. `Of course, it's going to be worth it. Once it's over with, Lord InuTaisho will see his son for what the boy truly is and then proper discipline can be given.'

 

“Something the matter?”

 

At the sound of NatsuMaru's quiet voice, TsukuYouMaru nearly leapt out of his skin and whirled around to glare at the inuyoukai warrior. Though he had more than excellent hearing, TsukuYouMaru could never hear when NatsuMaru, or any of the other elite guards from Rei Inu's army, approached him. The inuyoukai warriors, out of all of the inuyoukai clans, were the most lethal and TsukuYouMaru knew it. That was how they had managed to defeat his father, the largest and oldest bat youkai that had ever lived.

 

“No,” he growled, trying to get his racing heart under control. “Why do you ask? And what are you even doing here? Shouldn't you be with Lords Rei Inu and InuTaisho?”

 

“No,” NatsuMaru smiled softly, his amber orbs blazing bright. “Lord InuTaisho requested that I stay here, to keep Inuyasha safe. No one would dare to attack both him and Lord Rei Inu. No one wise enough, at least.”

 

“You're here to keep Inuyasha safe? Aren't the palace guards enough?”

 

“Possibly,” the warrior shrugged. “However, I do not question my Lord's orders. I merely obey them.”

 

“Then you have another purpose here,” TsukuYouMaru all but spat. He knew better than to get on the bad side of an inuyoukai.

 

A sly grin appeared on the warrior's face in response to TsukuYouMaru's words. The bat youkai shivered when he saw it and knew that he had hit the mark.

 

“As a matter of fact, I do,” NatsuMaru replied. “Lord InuTaisho has informed me of the change in Inuyasha's lessons.”

 

“He has?” TsukuYouMaru echoed, his heart skipping a beat.

 

“Hai. He has and he has asked that I begin Inuyasha's training.”

 

“Training? Training for what?”

 

“To fight, of course,” the inuyoukai answered. “It is what I have done with every child born of Rei Inu's bloodline. Inuyasha shall be no different.”

 

“Does Inuyasha know this?”

 

“He does,” NatsuMaru nodded, that sly grin still on his face.

 

“I'm sure the boy wasn't too happy with that . . .”

 

“On the contrary, Inuyasha's quite excited by this prospect. He's such a good child. A very good child.”

 

“Oh . . . I see . . .”

 

“I'm sure you do. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to prepare for his lessons tomorrow. Good day to you, Master TsukuYouMaru.”

 

* * *

 

“Are you sure that's what he said?”

 

At the bat youkai's nod, Akari licked his lips. This was simply far too delicious for the serpent youkai to digest quickly. He wanted to savour it.

 

Of course, he knew that TsukuYouMaru was quite worried about this development. The inuyoukai warrior was not easy to fool and if Inuyasha even so much as complained to the guard about what was going on . . .

 

`We could be foiled,' the serpent thought. `But I know how to get around such a dilemma. Little child, you are not going to get away with anything anymore. I swear it. Tomorrow . . . we begin.'

 

* * *

 

He was out of breath but still he kept running. If he didn't run, he was going to be late for his first fighting lesson. Inuyasha didn't want to be late. His instructor, Master Akari, keeping him late after everyone else had been dismissed hadn't helped him any.

 

`He says I'm behind,' Inuyasha thought idly as he raced through the hallways. `How can I be behind? My other instructors said I was doing well. Better than Sesshomaru when he was my age. How can I be behind the others?'

 

Quickly, Inuyasha shoved the advisor's words out of his mind. Despite what the other children in the group already knew, the boy figured it had to be a game on the serpent's part. There was no way he could be behind the other children. It was only the first day for that particular lesson.

 

`I'm sure everything will be all right tomorrow,' he told himself as he reached the dojo where NatsuMaru waited for him.

 

However, the next morning, things were not all right nor were they the days following. Each time he went to his lessons, he found himself further and further behind the other children and he desperately wanted to catch up with them. He didn't think about why this was actually happening nor did he think it odd. Most of the advisors/tutors often helped the other children with their studies so Inuyasha thought nothing of it. The only thing he could think of was to get caught up and to prove to his tutors that he was not an ignorant child. He stayed up long into the night, studying everything that he had fallen behind in and trying to get ahead, his appetite also slacking off.

 

However, in his attempts to get caught up, Inuyasha's fighting lessons suffered for it. He didn't have time to practice the basic maneuvers that NatsuMaru was teaching him, and he was thankful that inuyoukai warrior understood.

 

`More understanding than my other instructors,' Inuyasha thought with a yawn as he stepped into the bath, his lithe form trembling from fatigue and embarrassment. Because he'd fallen so far behind the other children, the reprimands had become severe. Most often, they were in front of the other children and very degrading, humiliating. When he did fall asleep at night, it was often because he'd cried himself that way.

`Is this what my dream spoke of? I don't know anymore . . .'

 

As quickly as he could, Inuyasha washed himself off and climbed out of the tub. The water had a very bad habit of relaxing when he couldn't afford to. He had to hurry before he was late, which often anymore. It seemed like his tutors started without waiting for everyone to arrive . . .

 

In his hurry to get out of the bath, however, Inuyasha failed to notice a puddle of water on the floor. He dashed over it, as he often did when he hurried, and slipped. His ankle twisted out from underneath him and sent him crashing to the floor.

 

At the moment of impact, the breath left Inuyasha in a hurry. He lay on the floor, gulping in air as quickly as he could as tears welled up in his eyes. Pain shot from his right ankle all the way up his leg.

 

`I don't have time for this!' he screamed to himself. The moment he'd caught his breath, he scrambled to his feet, ignoring both the pain in his ankle and the worried fussings of his nursemaids. He wasn't about to let himself fail anything. He didn't want to disappoint his father, after all.

 

* * *

 

“Inuyasha, please slow down,” Kira pleaded. She knew that her words were falling on deaf ears. The pup had gotten into his head to finish getting dressed, by himself, and hobbling out of his room to his lessons. She'd seen the bruises that were forming on his body and the angry swelling of his right ankle. The red welts on the top of his hands weren't lost on her, either. They had appeared within a few days of Lord InuTaisho, his mate, and his oldest son leaving. However, the boy had become profoundly stubborn since his father's departure. Inuyasha insisted on picking out his own clothing and getting dressed on his own. The boy even refused help when it came to studying for his lessons. She knew that getting him to slow down would be impossible.

 

And she was right. Rather than listen to her, Inuyasha hobbled into his room, stark naked and dripping wet, then proceeded to dress himself. The child was in a strange mood, one that she couldn't even begin to understand.

 

`He's going to end up severely hurting himself this way.'

 

“Inuyasha,” she began once more. She had to try, at least.

 

“What?” came the terse yet tired response.

 

“Take it easy,” Kira stated, kneeling next to him. “Your lessons don't begin this early. You know that.”

 

“I can't be late,” he replied, not even looking at her. “I can't.”

 

“Inuyasha, your ankle is hurt. I can see that. We need to go see Shinsei . . .”

 

“I don't have time.”

 

“Yes,” she stated firmly, grasping his chin. He flinched, which wasn't lost on her. Not after what Lord InuTaisho had told her. She had to hide her shock of how exhausted and wan the boy looked. “You have time.”

 

“No,” Inuyasha shook his head. “I don't have time. I'm going to be late.”

 

Before she could say anything more, Inuyasha rose to his feet and hobbled out of his room.

 

`This isn't good. Not good at all.'

 

* * *

 

A small twinge of guilt stole through TsukuYouMaru as he watched Inuyasha hobble, quite literally hobble, into the study room that had been given to him. The boy's silvery-white hair still dripped, as if he'd taken yet another hurried bath, and he appeared to be exhausted. In a way, the bat youkai marveled at how the child even managed to keep on his feet.

 

`Can't think of that,' he mentally shook his head. `I have a job to do.'

 

“Inuyasha . . .”

 

“Yes, Master TsukuYouMaru?”

 

“You're late.”

 

At hearing that, the bat youkai noticed Inuyasha's crestfallen expression, and he knew that the boy had done everything he could to get there on time. Given that the inu hanyou now had a limp, TsukuYouMaru knew it couldn't have been easy, either.

 

`Can't make an exception. Can't make an exception. I have a point to prove. I can not make an exception.'

 

“I'm sorry, Master TsukuYouMaru . . .”

 

“I do not wish to hear any excuses,” he snapped. “There is no reason for you to be this late. Come here. Now.”

 

As best he could, Inuyasha walked to the front of the room and held out his hands. With as much force as he could muster, TsukuYouMaru slapped the boy's wrists, using a slender willow stick. Twice. Then he began his usual routine of berating the boy in front of the rest of the children, making an example out of Inuyasha before sending the child back to his study mat. However, he couldn't help but notice the thin trail of blood that followed Inuyasha as the lessons resumed.

 

Once the hour was over, the children scrambled to leave and TsukuYouMaru found himself quietly approaching Inuyasha. Before he could say anything to the child, though, Inuyasha was on his feet and hobbling as he could out the door. The bat youkai then sighed and shook his head. He hadn't meant to slap Inuyasha's wrists that hard. Not to where they bled.

 

“Feeling guilty?”

 

Startled at hearing his mate's cold tone, TsukuYouMaru glanced up and found Kira glaring at him.

 

“Nani?”

 

As soon as the word had left his mouth, a stinging sensation blossomed in his cheek and his head snapped to one side. Surprised, he turned his gaze back to the dark-eyed woman who had stolen his heart.

 

“How could you do that to him?” she hissed. “Especially in front of the other children like that? Do you really hate him that much?”

 

“Kira, he was late,” he feebly began.

 

“Like hell he was!” she exploded. “He was on time! As he always is! And with a swollen ankle, no less! How could you do that to him?!”

 

Now, TsukuYouMaru had seen many sides of his mate. Many sides. He'd seen her happy and joyful, and he had seen her after she'd given birth to Shiori. He had not, though, seen Kira this angry and livid before. Not once in the years they'd been together.

 

“Kira . . .” he began once more, reaching for her.

 

“Stay away from me.”

 

“What?”

 

“Stay away from me, TsukuYouMaru,” Kira stated. “Until you've apologized to that boy for shaming him like that, do not come near me.”

 

“I will not apologize . . .”

 

“Not even for making him bleed like that? What do you think his father's going to say when he sees them?”

 

“Lord InuTaisho will understand . . .”

 

“Understand what? That his son is being tormented? Over nothing?!”

 

“He isn't being tormented,” TsukuYouMaru growled. “It isn't my fault he can't keep up with what I'm teaching!”

 

“It is when you're jumping ahead of him. And don't tell me that you aren't, TsukuYouMaru. I've seen him. I've seen him study himself into exhaustion and I've heard him cry himself to sleep. Have you any idea of what you're doing to him?!”

 

Her expression then softened, tears forming in her eyes.

 

“I watched that little boy fall this morning, TsukuYouMaru. I watched him get back up and do his best to get ready for his lessons. And I couldn't do anything to stop him. I couldn't even convince him to go see Shinsei, as he should have done. Now I know why. I just don't understand . . . how you could be that cruel to him when you saw. And don't tell me you couldn't have made an exception. There was no reason for it and you know it.”

 

“You don't know this boy like I do, Kira,” TsukuYouMaru stated quietly. “You do not see him as I do. He is a needy child . . .”

 

“He is not. You do not know him as I do.”

 

“And how do you know him? What is it that you see, Kira?”

 

“A little boy whose mother let her servants beat him nearly to death.”