InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Want To Be Your Slave ❯ Brats ( Chapter 18 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Lord Youko 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 12.31.2010 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.5K | Visits: 1.6K | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 12.31.2010 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.5K | Visits: 1.6K | Status: Work In Progress
Chapter 18 – Brats
Meanwhile, Sesshoumaru entered the room where his father was and bowed slightly. Inu no Taisho was standing facing away from him in the quiet, dark, cool room, his back straight and rigid.
"Sesshoumaru," he said in a deep voice, devoid of the humor and exasperation it usually contained when interacting with his son. Sesshoumaru recognized that tone of voice.
"It has been two seasons, yes?" asked the Lord of the West.
Sesshoumaru felt a thrill of anticipation down his spine.
"Hai, chichiue," he replied formally. "Two seasons will be complete on the night of the full moon."
The Dog General nodded thoughtfully, hands clasped behind his back.
"Be prepared."
Sesshoumaru bowed low. "Yes."
________________________________________________________________ ________
Inuyasha gasped as Kouga continued his story from young Sesshoumaru holding Kinta up by the throat. "Sesshoumaru-sama transformed?" he asked, eyes wide.
Now that he thought about it, this human looking form could not be his Master's true form. He must have a demon form as well, but he had never seen him transform. Truth be told, he hadn't even thought about it till now.
Kouga shook his head. "No, not a full transformation."
"Stay out of this, Kouga," young Sesshoumaru ordered, voice harsh. Killing ki, not strong enough yet to cause the whirlwind it would after a few years, nevertheless swept away leaves lying on the green grass. The suddenly cold wind hit the surrounding children and they backed away, whimpering. Kouga balled his hands into fists and took a step towards the enraged youkai.
"Let him down, Sesshoumaru! You're gonna kill him!"
Sesshoumaru's fangs were bared. "He should have thought of that before degrading the Lord of the West, should he not?"
Kouga spared Sesshoumaru's terrified prey an exasperated glance. He was well aware of the fact that Kinta terrorized the younger kids at the playground, content to Lord over the frightened youngsters who chose to ingratiate themselves rather than incur his wrath. And since he was pretty strong and big for his age, he generally got away with it. But what had he been thinking picking a fight against the Western lord's son?
Sesshoumaru turned his eyes upon his victim and grinned, sharp demon teeth flashing in the sunlight. Kinta's eyes had begun to water from the pressure on his throat. Both his hands were on Sesshoumaru's wrist, trying to loosen his grip but to no avail.
"The punishment for treason is death."
"He's just a kid!" Kouga reminded him desperately. "Just tell Taisho-sama whatever he said and –"
"I fight my own battles," Sesshoumaru cut in coldly with all the arrogance of an 8 year old, squeezing Kinta's neck harder. Kouga looked at him in growing alarm as Kinta's tan face slowly began to turn blue. "And age has got nothing to do with anything. Kinta knows not to insult his Lord…right Kinta?"
Kinta tried to reply but his voice would not come out.
"Sesshoumaru-sama, p-please stop," Hiro spoke up in a small voice, tears brimming in his eyes. "I'm sure he is sorry for what he said. Please-"
Hearing the docile, scared voice, Sesshoumaru stared at the demon in his grasp, deliberating. The grip on Kinta's throat relaxed slightly. Unfortunately, Kinta tried to take advantage of this by kicking at the demon Lord. Kouga looked at him despairingly as the grip was tightened once again and this time, Sesshoumaru's claws glowed green. The children circling the two fell back with a cry as Sesshoumaru threw him into a tree. The bully's back hit the tree trunk with a sickening sound. Kinta slumped down with a groan and lost consciousness.
"Did he die?" Inuyasha asked worriedly.
Kouga shook his head. "We were all very young at the time. Although Sesshoumaru's powers were the earliest to develop, his poison was not strong enough to kill a person immediately. Kinta was treated and he eventually recovered. But he never came back to the castle playground."
"The castle playground?" Inuyasha asked. As far as he remembered, there was no children's playground in the castle grounds.
Having finished tying the last of his bandages on his leg, Kouga crossed his legs and faced Inuyasha.
"When we were young, the back of the castle, which now holds huge gardens, were a playground for Sesshoumaru and me. They had everything; there were swings, a huge sandpit, and a flat, rocky area. There were small hillocks and secret caves where we could hide, tall, strong trees that wouldn't break if a few kids crashed into them and the rest of the grounds were covered in very short green grass."
Inuyasha's eyes lit up. It sounded like heaven. Kouga grinned.
"Since it was just the two of us, some other children were allowed to play in the grounds to keep us company. It was a great honor. Most of the children were noblemen's sons and daughters but there were some farmers' kids as well, who were let in as a special favor on Taisho-sama or Tsukiko-sama's orders."
"Who was Kinta?" Inuyasha asked, trying to picture the bully.
"Kinta was a farmer's kid. His father was connected to some servant in the castle who had requested Taisho-sama to let their son in for a few days and Taisho had agreed. After this incident, though, Kinta refused to be anywhere near Sesshoumaru."
"Weren't the other children angry at Master for that?" asked Inuyasha. "Weren't Kinta's friends angry at him for hurting their friend?"
Kouga grinned. "I don't think you understand just what it meant to be Inu no Taisho's son. The other children, especially Hiro, were grateful to him for sparing Kinta's life. They all thought Kinta was at fault for angering Sesshoumaru."
"Really?" Inuyasha asked in amazement. "Weren't they at all scared of Sesshoumaru-sama after seeing him so angry?"
"Oh they were scared," Kouga assured him. "Everyone was scared of Sesshoumaru, but you see, they thought he had a right to be that way. And they were all fed up with Kinta's bullying. So, they were glad someone stood up to him."
"I see," Inuyasha smiled, ears flickering happily, "So Sesshoumaru-sama was not a bully?"
Kouga grinned. "Yes, he was."
Inuyasha frowned. "But…he was never mean to other kids, right?"
Kouga looked thoughtful. His eyes got a faraway look as he remembered the small, wide eyed Sesshoumaru who, even at that age, had held a haughty disdain for the fawning adoration of his peers.
"Well, depends on what you mean by 'mean'," he said at length. "He was not always nice, that's for sure. Till his training with Taisho-sama seriously began, he enjoyed the attention and the awe, but he never consciously sought it out." He smiled wryly. "He didn't really have to. The other kids used to follow him around, do whatever he told them to. If anyone got on his wrong side, all he had to do was show that he didn't like them and all the other kids would keep that person away, not let him play, not talk to him, the works." He looked amusedly at the hanyou listening intently, apparently trying to picture a very young Sesshoumaru, followed around by admirers. "You can say he had power and enjoyed it."
Inuyasha looked down and didn't say anything. He didn't have the guts to say what was on his mind. Kouga noticed the downcast look on his face.
"What?" he asked.
Inuyasha hesitated. "It's just…doesn't that make him the same as Kinta?" he asked tentatively.
Kouga shrugged. "In a way, maybe it does, but see, the thing was, Kinta was a farmer's kid, allowed into the castle as a favor. As the kids saw it, he didn't have any right to boss them around."
"But that doesn't- " Inuyasha trailed off.
"Make sense?" Kouga finished for him, nodding. "I know but kids are like that, you know. They'd all grown up hearing wonderful tales of Inu no Taisho, of life at the castle, of what a prince's life was like and what it meant to be a prince. Sesshoumaru was all that they had imagined a prince to be and more. So whatever he did, they accepted it as a prince's privilege."
He shrugged.
"Unlike Kinta, he didn't really force them to do anything they didn't want to. He just - well, it's difficult to explain. I guess you can say that the children were happy to do anything to get his approval and he had his fun with their adulation."
Inuyasha's ears flattened. That didn't sound like a nice thing.
Kouga smiled. "See, the stories that people tell about royalty, what they have the power to do and all, they are not all accurate. Many of Taisho's subjects, who had been ruled by tyrannical kings in the past, believed that the king has complete power over his subjects – the power to hurt them. Taisho-sama and Tsukiko-sama have never ruled despotically. They have ruled with justice and strength. But people don't yet know that the king is not allowed to hurt them."
Inuyasha looked up from there he'd been fidgeting with his sleeves.
"Some of the people, who had suffered under autocratic masters and who had been shown kindness by Tsukiko-sama and Taisho-sama really believed that their life was the king's, if he so wished, and by extension, the prince's. Hiro's family was one of those."
"Who was Hiro?" Inuyasha asked. "Was he a nobleman's son?"
Kouga shook his head. "Hiro, like Kinta, was a farmer's son, but he was extraordinarily bright, so he was studying at the castle, under the best tutors. He was really the most mellow, sweetest kid you could ever meet and he was in awe of Sesshoumaru."
Kouga's face softened in remembrance of his gentle, soft-hearted friend who would have suffered untold ridicule at the hands of his tough, aggressive peers if it hadn't been for the unstated protection of a certain fierce prince whom he worshiped. Sesshoumaru had always been a sucker for wide-eyed, tender innocents – a true alpha to the core.
"He used to follow Sesshoumaru around all the time, always afraid that Sesshoumaru was going to bore of him. Sesshoumaru never let people crowd him. He made sure the children kept their distance. But he never minded Hiro following him around."
Kouga remembered the envious glares that Hiro was the recipient of because of his closeness to the prince of the Western Lands that the gentle demon was completely oblivious to. Thin and pale from spending too much time indoors with books, Hiro, in the beginning, used to show his face only once or twice a month until the young heir of Lord Inu no Taisho had become curious about the quiet, reticent boy and ordered him to join them every day. Kouga had gleefully watched as the seemingly uncaring demon Lord had allowed the small, scrawny boy close to him. Sesshoumaru's extensive, and sometimes highly creative pranks had landed most of the other children in deep shit with their parents but had somehow missed Hiro.
Inuyasha cocked his head to the side. "He was Sesshoumaru-sama's friend?"
Kouga laughed. "No, I wouldn't say friend. He looked up to Sesshoumaru far too much to be really called a friend."
"So Master was not really mean to the other children?" Inuyasha asked again, hopefully.
"Well, he never picked on kids," Kouga told him, "Even as a child, he was too honorable to fight someone smaller or weaker than him but he was extremely arrogant. He would take offence easily and if anyone challenged him to a fight, they would not come out in one piece."
Then he grinned.
"And anyway, as the Lord's son, he got his ass kissed so much, I don't know what he would have done without me."
Inuyasha smiled at the cocky smile on Kouga's face. "You were his friend, ne?"
Kouga again let out a bark of laughter. "We were…no, not friends. He hated my guts because I never called him Sesshoumaru-sama or showed any respect but Taisho-sama and Tsukiko-sama adopted me as a sort of a second son, so you can say we grew up like brothers. Except for in training but I'm glad about that." Kouga gave a small shudder.
"Why?" Inuyasha asked. "Didn't you train with him?" Inuyasha had somehow thought they would have trained together.
"Oh no," Kouga shook his head vehemently. "Absolutely not. We never trained together. I was trained by my father but he was much more lenient in my training than Taisho-sama was with Sesshoumaru's. I've watched some of his training sessions. They were grueling."
Inuyasha nodded. That made sense, actually. Demons were generally trained by either their parents or a tribe elder. It was rare for a demon to be trained by someone from a different family. A wolf could not be trained by a dog demon.
"We all used to feel happy when Sesshoumaru had to go train coz we got more time to play then. I've taunted him about it time and again. He even had fights with Taisho-sama about how other kids didn't have to do this but Taisho-sama never let him miss a single training session."
They both turned as the doors to the chambers opened and Sesshoumaru entered. Kouga stood up from the rug where he'd been sitting with Inuyasha and grinned at the demon Lord.
"I was just telling Inuyasha what a brat you were when you were a kid."
Sesshoumaru slowly walked up to the open window in his room.
"Brat?" he asked Kouga, sounding distant.
"Of course," Kouga smirked, looking down at his friend. "You used to enjoy all those poor bastards kissing your ass all the time. And the fact that you could get away with almost anything."
Sesshoumaru didn't respond with his usual comeback and Kouga frowned at him.
"What's the matter?"
"It's time," Sesshoumaru told him in a quiet voice. "This full moon."
Kouga sobered up immediately, all hints of teasing gone. "That's only a few days away."
Sesshoumaru nodded, still staring out the window. Inuyasha looked from him to Kouga.
"Full moon?" he asked hesitantly.
Kouga turned his eyes on the hanyou still sitting on the rug.
"On the full moon when two seasons end, Taisho-sama and Tsukiko-sama test Sesshoumaru."
Inuyasha gasped. "You mean Master's sword skill?"
Sesshoumaru turned away from the window to answer him. "My skill with a sword as well as my demonic powers."
"But…I thought Master finished his training?" Inuyasha ventured.
Sesshoumaru shook his head. "Compared to the Lord and the Lady of the West, my powers are no where near sufficient."
Kouga stared at him. "May I watch?" he asked softly. Inuyasha looked at him in surprise. He had never heard Kouga address Sesshoumaru politely.
"Of course," Sesshoumaru replied.
Kouga nodded.
"I'm going to the dojo. I need to practice too. And don't forget you said you'd help me train."
Sesshoumaru inclined his head. Kouga left.
Inuyasha got to his feet and cautiously approached his Master.
"Sesshoumaru-sama?"
"Hmm?" Sesshoumaru asked absently, still lost in thought.
"Why did Kouga-sama ask your permission as to whether he could watch you train?"
Sesshoumaru finally turned away from the window to look down at his puppy.
"Because," he replied. "A youkai's training is one of the most heavily guarded secrets of his life. If an opponent knows a youkai's attacks, he may find his weakness. It is a privilege generally granted only to family."
Inuyasha nodded. Sesshoumaru pulled the curtains over the huge open window and walked towards his bed. With the light from the window blocked, the rooms had darkened considerably. He gestured for Inuyasha to come. Inuyasha went to him.
"What has the wolf been telling you, puppy?" he asked.
Inuyasha blinked as he his leash was pulled and Sesshoumaru lifted him up and placed him onto the bed. It was the middle of the afternoon. Why were they on the bed?
"Kouga-sama…he just told me what you were like when you were both children, Master."
Sesshoumaru removed his collar and leaned over him, pushing him down into the mattress.
"And?" Sesshoumaru prompted. "What did he say?"
"He-he said you were a bully," Inuyasha admitted as the demon Lord's fangs nipped lightly at the pale skin on his neck.
"I see," Sesshoumaru murmured, drinking in his puppy sweet, fresh scent.
"We-were you really, Master?" Inuyasha asked hesitantly. Sesshoumaru was pleased he seemed to have got some of his nerve back. Whatever Kouga had told him, his puppy was less timid now.
"I have never considered it," he admitted.
Inuyasha sucked in a breath as Sesshoumaru's hands roamed his body, stripping him of his garments. "Do you think I could be a bully, Inuyasha?" he asked teasingly.
"No, Master" Inuyasha replied promptly. Sesshoumaru drew back in slight surprise. That was a very quick answer.
"Why is that?" he asked curiously, scrutinizing the flushed puppy lying under him.
"Because…" Inuyasha blushed and trailed off. He looked at his Master's face hovering over him and he looked away, trying to avoid his intense gaze.
"Yes?" he incited.
Inuyasha squirmed and his ears dropped as certain painful memories came back to him. "I-I know what bullies are like and Master is not like them."
Comprehension dawned on Sesshoumaru.
"You were bullied by other children." It was not a question.
Inuyasha nodded slowly, looking miserable. He didn't want to go over the experience.
Sesshoumaru frowned at the dejected look on his face. Surely memories of bullying wouldn't warrant this degree of distress? Granted, it couldn't have been pleasant but it was just in fun.
"What is the matter?" he whispered in one fluffy ear.
Inuyasha drew his hands and knees close to his chest and tried to curl in on himself the way, Sesshoumaru had come to realize, he did when he was really upset.
"It is…it was scary," he said in a small voice. "They did terrible things."
Sesshoumaru looked at him skeptically. That seemed like a bit of an exaggeration, although Inuyasha tended to downplay things rather than exaggerate. He had, admittedly, never been on the receiving end of it, but he could not imagine it being all that terrible.
"They were children, puppy," he said softly.
Inuyasha looked up at him and Sesshoumaru drew back on seeing the scarred, knowing look in his eyes.
"They did terrible things," he repeated quietly.
"Tell me," the demon Lord ordered, intrigued.
Inuyasha looked away. He didn't want to. He didn't want to even think about it but seeing the imperious look on his Master's face, he swallowed nervously.
"The demon kids beat me. They…they had a game-" his voice broke but he forced himself to continue. "They had made games of…of hurting a hanyou and…and to see who could make me cry the loudest and…and some other things…"
He stared off into the distance, remembering all the painful, brutal things that the children had done, never once considering that the strange looking creature with puppy ears on top of his head could feel pain like them. The slavers had also mistreated him but there were certain cruelties that only children and monsters were capable of; monsters because they had no conscience, and they relished the pain of others, and children because children were too innocent to know the deep, painful consequences of their actions. It was frightening how alike children and psychopaths could be.
"They- they made me do th-things…shameful things and-and if I could not do it, then they would – punish-"
This time, he could not continue as sobs that he had been trying to contain finally came out. Tears rolled down his cheeks and ashamed, he tried to keep his Master from seeing them.
Sesshoumaru, although outwardly impassive, was shocked. Were children really capable of such things? He thought back to his own childhood. They had all seemed so pathetic, falling over one another, trying to gain his favor, doing whatever idiotic thing he told them to do in an effort to please him. They'd been amusing to mess with. When away from the castle, had their games involved tormenting a half-breed child?
Images flashed before Inuyasha's eyes – of himself and 7 or 8 other, older children in a small, muddy deserted ground late in the evening. Two boys, who seemed to be the leaders of the group, had shouted at him, ordered him to do something. He remembered being terrified but he had refused. And then they had smirked at each other. One of them, the bigger one, had pinned Inuyasha to the ground. The other one had pulled his own pants down, straddled the hanyou's face and-
"They cannot hurt you anymore." He heard his Master's low, deep voice and returned to the present, to find himself held securely in the demon prince's arms. He hadn't realized he'd begun shaking with sobs. He hid his tear stained face in his Master's rock hard chest and wished he could just…disappear…so that he would never have to think of those shameful things he had done.
Sesshoumaru allowed the puppy to burrow into his chest and gently caressed his ears which now lay flat against the base of his skull. He was lying down on his back on the bed. He had pulled the trembling slave close to his body, holding him tightly.
The soothing motion seemed pleasant to the hanyou. The sobs tapered off to sniffles and his tense muscles slowly went limp in Sesshoumaru's unyielding arms.
"You do not have to tell me if you don't want to," Sesshoumaru told him softly. Inuyasha raised his head up as much as he could while still being pressed into his Master's body.
"N-no, Master," he replied, in a tremulous voice. "I am sorry…I will answer any questions Master asks. Does Master want me to tell him more about what they-"
"No," Sesshoumaru interrupted swiftly as the pain shadowed his puppy's face again. "You do not have to tell me if it causes you pain."
Inuyasha hesitated. "But-but if Master wishes to know what I – what they-"
"It matters not what they did," Sesshoumaru told him, tightening his arms around the puppy. "You belong to me now."
Inuyasha smiled gratefully, content to be nestled in the demon Lord's powerful arms. He took a deep breath, breathing in the musky, comforting scent of his Master. "Arigatou gozaimasu," he whispered softly.
When Sesshoumaru looked down at his face, he was puzzled to see a conflicted expression on his face, as if he was trying to make up his mind about something. Inuyasha felt the demon Lord's eyes on him and blushed and looked away. Sesshoumaru looked at him curiously. The puppy squirmed in his arms but made no move to get away. He looked at Inuyasha with growing amusement as the hanyou turned redder every time he risked a glance upwards at his Master.
Finally, Inuyasha took a deep breath, closed his eyes and raised his face up to place a chaste peck on the demon Lord's lips. Sesshoumaru's eyes widened slightly, a rare smile forming on his lips as Inuyasha ducked his head in embarrassment and hid his face on his Master's chest.
Sesshoumaru fisted a hand in Inuyasha's long white hair and tilted his head back, forcing him to look up. Inuyasha, too embarrassed to meet his Master's eyes, kept his eyes shut as the demon Lord leaned down and captured his lips in a deep kiss. Inuyasha melted against him as his Master's tongue pressed against his lips, demanding entrance. Inuyasha surrendered, opening his mouth to allow the prince to plunder it as he pleased. Sesshoumaru pulled his head close, kissing him deeply.
When he was released, Inuyasha was out of breath. Well…at least Master was not mad at his audacity.
But the demon Lord made no move to do anything further. He settled Inuyasha's naked back against his chest and held him there, with arm across his stomach and one across his shoulder with the result that Inuyasha was cradled literally in his arms. Inuyasha shivered at the feel of the unbelievably soft, cool silk against his bare and now hot body and the possessive hold of his Master. His bare bottom brushed against Sesshoumaru's rock hard abs, making him feel small and vulnerable. His ass muscles clenched involuntarily and he almost moaned at the heat radiating off the demon Lord. He loved that feeling whenever he was with his Master. It made him feel protected…cared for.
"You know," Sesshoumaru murmured and Inuyasha melted further at the deep voice laced with mischief. "Kouga was not all that saintly then either. Did he tell you that?"
Inuyasha shook his head, curious. The wolf prince had not told him anything about himself except for the fact that he'd saved Kinta from being killed by Sesshoumaru. And he welcomed the chance to think about anything other than his own childhood.
"Kouga used to forever seek out bigger children to fight, especially when females were around."
Inuyasha looked up at him, startled, a light blush dusting his cheeks. Sesshoumaru relished the look of surprise on his face as he understood Kouga had neglected to mention certain interesting details.
"There was one girl in particular," Sesshoumaru revealed. "Her name was Ayame. She was the daughter of the Northern Wolf demon tribe. Kouga had a habit of flirting with all and sundry females but Ayame…Ayame thought he was courting her."
His eyes sparkled with laughter as he remembered the spitfire female wolf who had claimed Kouga all for herself, announcing they would be mated as soon as they were both of age. Kouga had taken it as a joke – of course…what 7 -8 year old seriously thought about things such as mating? But Ayame, it turned out, had been in dead earnest.
"Eventually, Kouga grew quite afraid of her," Sesshoumaru told a gleeful Inuyasha. "He took to hiding or fleeing whenever Ayame came around because she would raise hell if she saw Kouga even speaking with another female."
Even Kouga, who had fancied himself something of a ladies man, would be flabbergasted at the tall tales that woman came up with.
"Kouga, ultimately, was ashamed to show his face among his friends, because Ayame had taken to loudly and graphically telling whoever would listen, just what Kouga had done and promised to do to her."
Inuyasha resolutely avoided the demon Lord's eyes as he unwillingly thought of exactly what Ayame might have said. It gave him a weird feeling in his belly and he was once again extremely aware of his Master's hard body pressed against him.
"What else did Kouga tell you?" Sesshoumaru murmured in his ear. He loved the way the silky appendage flickered because of his warm breath.
Inuyasha squirmed, beginning to feel a little hot and bothered. It was surprisingly erotic to be naked while his Master was still fully clothed.
"Umm…he- Kouga-sama told me about Kinta," Inuyasha said.
Sesshoumaru frowned. "Kinta?" He could not recall anyone by that name.
"Kouga-sama said he-he said something about Tasiho-sama and you attacked him…"
Sesshoumaru dimly remembered almost strangling a fool of a boy. Was his name Kinta?
"And Hiro…" Inuyasha continued, trying to concentrate on what he was saying and not on the feel of his Master's hard, strong thighs near his own thin legs.
"Ahh…Hiro," Sesshoumaru said softly, recalling the pale, bookish boy with an unusually gentle nature.
"What did Kouga tell you about him?" Sesshoumaru asked.
"Kouga-sama said you did not mind him…" Inuyasha trailed off embarrassed. The term Kouga had used was 'kiss his ass'. "…you did not mind him being close to you."
Sesshoumaru shifted slightly, adjusting his position, but Inuyasha barely suppressed a gasp at the slight friction that caused on his exposed ass. His skin had never felt so sensitive. The demon Lord had barely touched him and already, his nipples were hard and aching...so was another part of him.
"That was because Hiro was the most loyal of all those imbeciles," Sesshoumaru recalled. The frail but courageous demon had stood up for what he believed in, unlike those other fools who would sway whichever way held reward. He wondered what had become of Hiro.
"Did all of them grow up with you, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Inuyasha asked, wondering what happened to the nobles' children.
"No," Sesshoumaru replied. "Most of the children there aged faster than me."
Inuyasha cocked his head. "They were older?"
"No, I was older than most of them." He remembered, smiling, how he'd insisted there be no older children there with them. He had and still did despise the supercilious attitude they held because of their age.
"Pureblooded demons age the slowest. Therefore, those of inferior blood 'grew up' faster than I. Most of them left and concentrated on training for whatever profession they intended to take up. After a while, my training began as well."
He recalled how grueling his early years of intensive training had been. He trained daily with his parents then. Eventually, he practiced on his own and his training with his parents became less and less frequent.
"I do not recall when the playground was turned back into gardens. In all probability, while I was away on training."
Once he was proficient in, what the Lord and the Lady of the West called 'basics', he was sent to train in different terrains under different conditions, battling with demons his father deemed appropriate for him. Though in all fairness, what his parents considered 'basics' would be considered difficult and advanced by anybody else. But he wasn't complaining. Although he'd resented having to work so hard then, the training had stood him in good stead. Whether he thought himself ready or not had been inconsequential then. He had to do as he was told. Later, once he was older, his father began to leave the choice of his opponents up to him, interfering only on rare occasions. But by then, Sesshoumaru himself sought out demons stronger and more powerful than himself to increase his strenght.
Unknown to Inuyasha, he smirked, wickedly noting the puppy's increasing arousal. He had not meant to take things very far today. This was the last day he would get to spend peacefully before he began training tomorrow. He had wanted to spend it Inuyasha. His smirk widened as Inuyasha squirmed seeking contact on his tingling bottom. It seemed his puppy was having difficulty controlling himself.
Inuyasha glanced back worriedly at his Master. Sesshoumaru-sama seemed oblivious to his…state. What was he to do now? It was not his place to seek gratification for himself, after all. His Master would use him when it pleased him to do so.
Sesshoumaru saw the heated but resigned look in his eyes and determined he would have the puppy begging him before the end of the night. The hanyou had to learn that he would not be punished for asking although, he thought a little sadistically, it remained to be seen whether he would grant it.
"Rest, Inuyasha," he ordered, knowing full well there was no way Inuyasha would be able to sleep in such a state. "I must awaken at dawn tomorrow to train."
Inuyasha looked over his shoulder and watched despairingly as his Master let his eyes close. Now what? The sun had not even set yet but he definitely couldn't wake his Master!
Then he barely managed to suppress a moan as his Master's hand drifted down his stomach and brushed his almost fully hard member. He knew it was an accidental touch but it made matters much worse. He squirmed as much as he could in Sesshoumaru's steel grip and closed his eyes, trying to sleep. Sesshoumaru-sama didn't seem to realize what even an inadvertent touch did to him.
Behind him, the demon Lord smiled evilly.
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Meanwhile, Sesshoumaru entered the room where his father was and bowed slightly. Inu no Taisho was standing facing away from him in the quiet, dark, cool room, his back straight and rigid.
"Sesshoumaru," he said in a deep voice, devoid of the humor and exasperation it usually contained when interacting with his son. Sesshoumaru recognized that tone of voice.
"It has been two seasons, yes?" asked the Lord of the West.
Sesshoumaru felt a thrill of anticipation down his spine.
"Hai, chichiue," he replied formally. "Two seasons will be complete on the night of the full moon."
The Dog General nodded thoughtfully, hands clasped behind his back.
"Be prepared."
Sesshoumaru bowed low. "Yes."
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Inuyasha gasped as Kouga continued his story from young Sesshoumaru holding Kinta up by the throat. "Sesshoumaru-sama transformed?" he asked, eyes wide.
Now that he thought about it, this human looking form could not be his Master's true form. He must have a demon form as well, but he had never seen him transform. Truth be told, he hadn't even thought about it till now.
Kouga shook his head. "No, not a full transformation."
"Stay out of this, Kouga," young Sesshoumaru ordered, voice harsh. Killing ki, not strong enough yet to cause the whirlwind it would after a few years, nevertheless swept away leaves lying on the green grass. The suddenly cold wind hit the surrounding children and they backed away, whimpering. Kouga balled his hands into fists and took a step towards the enraged youkai.
"Let him down, Sesshoumaru! You're gonna kill him!"
Sesshoumaru's fangs were bared. "He should have thought of that before degrading the Lord of the West, should he not?"
Kouga spared Sesshoumaru's terrified prey an exasperated glance. He was well aware of the fact that Kinta terrorized the younger kids at the playground, content to Lord over the frightened youngsters who chose to ingratiate themselves rather than incur his wrath. And since he was pretty strong and big for his age, he generally got away with it. But what had he been thinking picking a fight against the Western lord's son?
Sesshoumaru turned his eyes upon his victim and grinned, sharp demon teeth flashing in the sunlight. Kinta's eyes had begun to water from the pressure on his throat. Both his hands were on Sesshoumaru's wrist, trying to loosen his grip but to no avail.
"The punishment for treason is death."
"He's just a kid!" Kouga reminded him desperately. "Just tell Taisho-sama whatever he said and –"
"I fight my own battles," Sesshoumaru cut in coldly with all the arrogance of an 8 year old, squeezing Kinta's neck harder. Kouga looked at him in growing alarm as Kinta's tan face slowly began to turn blue. "And age has got nothing to do with anything. Kinta knows not to insult his Lord…right Kinta?"
Kinta tried to reply but his voice would not come out.
"Sesshoumaru-sama, p-please stop," Hiro spoke up in a small voice, tears brimming in his eyes. "I'm sure he is sorry for what he said. Please-"
Hearing the docile, scared voice, Sesshoumaru stared at the demon in his grasp, deliberating. The grip on Kinta's throat relaxed slightly. Unfortunately, Kinta tried to take advantage of this by kicking at the demon Lord. Kouga looked at him despairingly as the grip was tightened once again and this time, Sesshoumaru's claws glowed green. The children circling the two fell back with a cry as Sesshoumaru threw him into a tree. The bully's back hit the tree trunk with a sickening sound. Kinta slumped down with a groan and lost consciousness.
"Did he die?" Inuyasha asked worriedly.
Kouga shook his head. "We were all very young at the time. Although Sesshoumaru's powers were the earliest to develop, his poison was not strong enough to kill a person immediately. Kinta was treated and he eventually recovered. But he never came back to the castle playground."
"The castle playground?" Inuyasha asked. As far as he remembered, there was no children's playground in the castle grounds.
Having finished tying the last of his bandages on his leg, Kouga crossed his legs and faced Inuyasha.
"When we were young, the back of the castle, which now holds huge gardens, were a playground for Sesshoumaru and me. They had everything; there were swings, a huge sandpit, and a flat, rocky area. There were small hillocks and secret caves where we could hide, tall, strong trees that wouldn't break if a few kids crashed into them and the rest of the grounds were covered in very short green grass."
Inuyasha's eyes lit up. It sounded like heaven. Kouga grinned.
"Since it was just the two of us, some other children were allowed to play in the grounds to keep us company. It was a great honor. Most of the children were noblemen's sons and daughters but there were some farmers' kids as well, who were let in as a special favor on Taisho-sama or Tsukiko-sama's orders."
"Who was Kinta?" Inuyasha asked, trying to picture the bully.
"Kinta was a farmer's kid. His father was connected to some servant in the castle who had requested Taisho-sama to let their son in for a few days and Taisho had agreed. After this incident, though, Kinta refused to be anywhere near Sesshoumaru."
"Weren't the other children angry at Master for that?" asked Inuyasha. "Weren't Kinta's friends angry at him for hurting their friend?"
Kouga grinned. "I don't think you understand just what it meant to be Inu no Taisho's son. The other children, especially Hiro, were grateful to him for sparing Kinta's life. They all thought Kinta was at fault for angering Sesshoumaru."
"Really?" Inuyasha asked in amazement. "Weren't they at all scared of Sesshoumaru-sama after seeing him so angry?"
"Oh they were scared," Kouga assured him. "Everyone was scared of Sesshoumaru, but you see, they thought he had a right to be that way. And they were all fed up with Kinta's bullying. So, they were glad someone stood up to him."
"I see," Inuyasha smiled, ears flickering happily, "So Sesshoumaru-sama was not a bully?"
Kouga grinned. "Yes, he was."
Inuyasha frowned. "But…he was never mean to other kids, right?"
Kouga looked thoughtful. His eyes got a faraway look as he remembered the small, wide eyed Sesshoumaru who, even at that age, had held a haughty disdain for the fawning adoration of his peers.
"Well, depends on what you mean by 'mean'," he said at length. "He was not always nice, that's for sure. Till his training with Taisho-sama seriously began, he enjoyed the attention and the awe, but he never consciously sought it out." He smiled wryly. "He didn't really have to. The other kids used to follow him around, do whatever he told them to. If anyone got on his wrong side, all he had to do was show that he didn't like them and all the other kids would keep that person away, not let him play, not talk to him, the works." He looked amusedly at the hanyou listening intently, apparently trying to picture a very young Sesshoumaru, followed around by admirers. "You can say he had power and enjoyed it."
Inuyasha looked down and didn't say anything. He didn't have the guts to say what was on his mind. Kouga noticed the downcast look on his face.
"What?" he asked.
Inuyasha hesitated. "It's just…doesn't that make him the same as Kinta?" he asked tentatively.
Kouga shrugged. "In a way, maybe it does, but see, the thing was, Kinta was a farmer's kid, allowed into the castle as a favor. As the kids saw it, he didn't have any right to boss them around."
"But that doesn't- " Inuyasha trailed off.
"Make sense?" Kouga finished for him, nodding. "I know but kids are like that, you know. They'd all grown up hearing wonderful tales of Inu no Taisho, of life at the castle, of what a prince's life was like and what it meant to be a prince. Sesshoumaru was all that they had imagined a prince to be and more. So whatever he did, they accepted it as a prince's privilege."
He shrugged.
"Unlike Kinta, he didn't really force them to do anything they didn't want to. He just - well, it's difficult to explain. I guess you can say that the children were happy to do anything to get his approval and he had his fun with their adulation."
Inuyasha's ears flattened. That didn't sound like a nice thing.
Kouga smiled. "See, the stories that people tell about royalty, what they have the power to do and all, they are not all accurate. Many of Taisho's subjects, who had been ruled by tyrannical kings in the past, believed that the king has complete power over his subjects – the power to hurt them. Taisho-sama and Tsukiko-sama have never ruled despotically. They have ruled with justice and strength. But people don't yet know that the king is not allowed to hurt them."
Inuyasha looked up from there he'd been fidgeting with his sleeves.
"Some of the people, who had suffered under autocratic masters and who had been shown kindness by Tsukiko-sama and Taisho-sama really believed that their life was the king's, if he so wished, and by extension, the prince's. Hiro's family was one of those."
"Who was Hiro?" Inuyasha asked. "Was he a nobleman's son?"
Kouga shook his head. "Hiro, like Kinta, was a farmer's son, but he was extraordinarily bright, so he was studying at the castle, under the best tutors. He was really the most mellow, sweetest kid you could ever meet and he was in awe of Sesshoumaru."
Kouga's face softened in remembrance of his gentle, soft-hearted friend who would have suffered untold ridicule at the hands of his tough, aggressive peers if it hadn't been for the unstated protection of a certain fierce prince whom he worshiped. Sesshoumaru had always been a sucker for wide-eyed, tender innocents – a true alpha to the core.
"He used to follow Sesshoumaru around all the time, always afraid that Sesshoumaru was going to bore of him. Sesshoumaru never let people crowd him. He made sure the children kept their distance. But he never minded Hiro following him around."
Kouga remembered the envious glares that Hiro was the recipient of because of his closeness to the prince of the Western Lands that the gentle demon was completely oblivious to. Thin and pale from spending too much time indoors with books, Hiro, in the beginning, used to show his face only once or twice a month until the young heir of Lord Inu no Taisho had become curious about the quiet, reticent boy and ordered him to join them every day. Kouga had gleefully watched as the seemingly uncaring demon Lord had allowed the small, scrawny boy close to him. Sesshoumaru's extensive, and sometimes highly creative pranks had landed most of the other children in deep shit with their parents but had somehow missed Hiro.
Inuyasha cocked his head to the side. "He was Sesshoumaru-sama's friend?"
Kouga laughed. "No, I wouldn't say friend. He looked up to Sesshoumaru far too much to be really called a friend."
"So Master was not really mean to the other children?" Inuyasha asked again, hopefully.
"Well, he never picked on kids," Kouga told him, "Even as a child, he was too honorable to fight someone smaller or weaker than him but he was extremely arrogant. He would take offence easily and if anyone challenged him to a fight, they would not come out in one piece."
Then he grinned.
"And anyway, as the Lord's son, he got his ass kissed so much, I don't know what he would have done without me."
Inuyasha smiled at the cocky smile on Kouga's face. "You were his friend, ne?"
Kouga again let out a bark of laughter. "We were…no, not friends. He hated my guts because I never called him Sesshoumaru-sama or showed any respect but Taisho-sama and Tsukiko-sama adopted me as a sort of a second son, so you can say we grew up like brothers. Except for in training but I'm glad about that." Kouga gave a small shudder.
"Why?" Inuyasha asked. "Didn't you train with him?" Inuyasha had somehow thought they would have trained together.
"Oh no," Kouga shook his head vehemently. "Absolutely not. We never trained together. I was trained by my father but he was much more lenient in my training than Taisho-sama was with Sesshoumaru's. I've watched some of his training sessions. They were grueling."
Inuyasha nodded. That made sense, actually. Demons were generally trained by either their parents or a tribe elder. It was rare for a demon to be trained by someone from a different family. A wolf could not be trained by a dog demon.
"We all used to feel happy when Sesshoumaru had to go train coz we got more time to play then. I've taunted him about it time and again. He even had fights with Taisho-sama about how other kids didn't have to do this but Taisho-sama never let him miss a single training session."
They both turned as the doors to the chambers opened and Sesshoumaru entered. Kouga stood up from the rug where he'd been sitting with Inuyasha and grinned at the demon Lord.
"I was just telling Inuyasha what a brat you were when you were a kid."
Sesshoumaru slowly walked up to the open window in his room.
"Brat?" he asked Kouga, sounding distant.
"Of course," Kouga smirked, looking down at his friend. "You used to enjoy all those poor bastards kissing your ass all the time. And the fact that you could get away with almost anything."
Sesshoumaru didn't respond with his usual comeback and Kouga frowned at him.
"What's the matter?"
"It's time," Sesshoumaru told him in a quiet voice. "This full moon."
Kouga sobered up immediately, all hints of teasing gone. "That's only a few days away."
Sesshoumaru nodded, still staring out the window. Inuyasha looked from him to Kouga.
"Full moon?" he asked hesitantly.
Kouga turned his eyes on the hanyou still sitting on the rug.
"On the full moon when two seasons end, Taisho-sama and Tsukiko-sama test Sesshoumaru."
Inuyasha gasped. "You mean Master's sword skill?"
Sesshoumaru turned away from the window to answer him. "My skill with a sword as well as my demonic powers."
"But…I thought Master finished his training?" Inuyasha ventured.
Sesshoumaru shook his head. "Compared to the Lord and the Lady of the West, my powers are no where near sufficient."
Kouga stared at him. "May I watch?" he asked softly. Inuyasha looked at him in surprise. He had never heard Kouga address Sesshoumaru politely.
"Of course," Sesshoumaru replied.
Kouga nodded.
"I'm going to the dojo. I need to practice too. And don't forget you said you'd help me train."
Sesshoumaru inclined his head. Kouga left.
Inuyasha got to his feet and cautiously approached his Master.
"Sesshoumaru-sama?"
"Hmm?" Sesshoumaru asked absently, still lost in thought.
"Why did Kouga-sama ask your permission as to whether he could watch you train?"
Sesshoumaru finally turned away from the window to look down at his puppy.
"Because," he replied. "A youkai's training is one of the most heavily guarded secrets of his life. If an opponent knows a youkai's attacks, he may find his weakness. It is a privilege generally granted only to family."
Inuyasha nodded. Sesshoumaru pulled the curtains over the huge open window and walked towards his bed. With the light from the window blocked, the rooms had darkened considerably. He gestured for Inuyasha to come. Inuyasha went to him.
"What has the wolf been telling you, puppy?" he asked.
Inuyasha blinked as he his leash was pulled and Sesshoumaru lifted him up and placed him onto the bed. It was the middle of the afternoon. Why were they on the bed?
"Kouga-sama…he just told me what you were like when you were both children, Master."
Sesshoumaru removed his collar and leaned over him, pushing him down into the mattress.
"And?" Sesshoumaru prompted. "What did he say?"
"He-he said you were a bully," Inuyasha admitted as the demon Lord's fangs nipped lightly at the pale skin on his neck.
"I see," Sesshoumaru murmured, drinking in his puppy sweet, fresh scent.
"We-were you really, Master?" Inuyasha asked hesitantly. Sesshoumaru was pleased he seemed to have got some of his nerve back. Whatever Kouga had told him, his puppy was less timid now.
"I have never considered it," he admitted.
Inuyasha sucked in a breath as Sesshoumaru's hands roamed his body, stripping him of his garments. "Do you think I could be a bully, Inuyasha?" he asked teasingly.
"No, Master" Inuyasha replied promptly. Sesshoumaru drew back in slight surprise. That was a very quick answer.
"Why is that?" he asked curiously, scrutinizing the flushed puppy lying under him.
"Because…" Inuyasha blushed and trailed off. He looked at his Master's face hovering over him and he looked away, trying to avoid his intense gaze.
"Yes?" he incited.
Inuyasha squirmed and his ears dropped as certain painful memories came back to him. "I-I know what bullies are like and Master is not like them."
Comprehension dawned on Sesshoumaru.
"You were bullied by other children." It was not a question.
Inuyasha nodded slowly, looking miserable. He didn't want to go over the experience.
Sesshoumaru frowned at the dejected look on his face. Surely memories of bullying wouldn't warrant this degree of distress? Granted, it couldn't have been pleasant but it was just in fun.
"What is the matter?" he whispered in one fluffy ear.
Inuyasha drew his hands and knees close to his chest and tried to curl in on himself the way, Sesshoumaru had come to realize, he did when he was really upset.
"It is…it was scary," he said in a small voice. "They did terrible things."
Sesshoumaru looked at him skeptically. That seemed like a bit of an exaggeration, although Inuyasha tended to downplay things rather than exaggerate. He had, admittedly, never been on the receiving end of it, but he could not imagine it being all that terrible.
"They were children, puppy," he said softly.
Inuyasha looked up at him and Sesshoumaru drew back on seeing the scarred, knowing look in his eyes.
"They did terrible things," he repeated quietly.
"Tell me," the demon Lord ordered, intrigued.
Inuyasha looked away. He didn't want to. He didn't want to even think about it but seeing the imperious look on his Master's face, he swallowed nervously.
"The demon kids beat me. They…they had a game-" his voice broke but he forced himself to continue. "They had made games of…of hurting a hanyou and…and to see who could make me cry the loudest and…and some other things…"
He stared off into the distance, remembering all the painful, brutal things that the children had done, never once considering that the strange looking creature with puppy ears on top of his head could feel pain like them. The slavers had also mistreated him but there were certain cruelties that only children and monsters were capable of; monsters because they had no conscience, and they relished the pain of others, and children because children were too innocent to know the deep, painful consequences of their actions. It was frightening how alike children and psychopaths could be.
"They- they made me do th-things…shameful things and-and if I could not do it, then they would – punish-"
This time, he could not continue as sobs that he had been trying to contain finally came out. Tears rolled down his cheeks and ashamed, he tried to keep his Master from seeing them.
Sesshoumaru, although outwardly impassive, was shocked. Were children really capable of such things? He thought back to his own childhood. They had all seemed so pathetic, falling over one another, trying to gain his favor, doing whatever idiotic thing he told them to do in an effort to please him. They'd been amusing to mess with. When away from the castle, had their games involved tormenting a half-breed child?
Images flashed before Inuyasha's eyes – of himself and 7 or 8 other, older children in a small, muddy deserted ground late in the evening. Two boys, who seemed to be the leaders of the group, had shouted at him, ordered him to do something. He remembered being terrified but he had refused. And then they had smirked at each other. One of them, the bigger one, had pinned Inuyasha to the ground. The other one had pulled his own pants down, straddled the hanyou's face and-
"They cannot hurt you anymore." He heard his Master's low, deep voice and returned to the present, to find himself held securely in the demon prince's arms. He hadn't realized he'd begun shaking with sobs. He hid his tear stained face in his Master's rock hard chest and wished he could just…disappear…so that he would never have to think of those shameful things he had done.
Sesshoumaru allowed the puppy to burrow into his chest and gently caressed his ears which now lay flat against the base of his skull. He was lying down on his back on the bed. He had pulled the trembling slave close to his body, holding him tightly.
The soothing motion seemed pleasant to the hanyou. The sobs tapered off to sniffles and his tense muscles slowly went limp in Sesshoumaru's unyielding arms.
"You do not have to tell me if you don't want to," Sesshoumaru told him softly. Inuyasha raised his head up as much as he could while still being pressed into his Master's body.
"N-no, Master," he replied, in a tremulous voice. "I am sorry…I will answer any questions Master asks. Does Master want me to tell him more about what they-"
"No," Sesshoumaru interrupted swiftly as the pain shadowed his puppy's face again. "You do not have to tell me if it causes you pain."
Inuyasha hesitated. "But-but if Master wishes to know what I – what they-"
"It matters not what they did," Sesshoumaru told him, tightening his arms around the puppy. "You belong to me now."
Inuyasha smiled gratefully, content to be nestled in the demon Lord's powerful arms. He took a deep breath, breathing in the musky, comforting scent of his Master. "Arigatou gozaimasu," he whispered softly.
When Sesshoumaru looked down at his face, he was puzzled to see a conflicted expression on his face, as if he was trying to make up his mind about something. Inuyasha felt the demon Lord's eyes on him and blushed and looked away. Sesshoumaru looked at him curiously. The puppy squirmed in his arms but made no move to get away. He looked at Inuyasha with growing amusement as the hanyou turned redder every time he risked a glance upwards at his Master.
Finally, Inuyasha took a deep breath, closed his eyes and raised his face up to place a chaste peck on the demon Lord's lips. Sesshoumaru's eyes widened slightly, a rare smile forming on his lips as Inuyasha ducked his head in embarrassment and hid his face on his Master's chest.
Sesshoumaru fisted a hand in Inuyasha's long white hair and tilted his head back, forcing him to look up. Inuyasha, too embarrassed to meet his Master's eyes, kept his eyes shut as the demon Lord leaned down and captured his lips in a deep kiss. Inuyasha melted against him as his Master's tongue pressed against his lips, demanding entrance. Inuyasha surrendered, opening his mouth to allow the prince to plunder it as he pleased. Sesshoumaru pulled his head close, kissing him deeply.
When he was released, Inuyasha was out of breath. Well…at least Master was not mad at his audacity.
But the demon Lord made no move to do anything further. He settled Inuyasha's naked back against his chest and held him there, with arm across his stomach and one across his shoulder with the result that Inuyasha was cradled literally in his arms. Inuyasha shivered at the feel of the unbelievably soft, cool silk against his bare and now hot body and the possessive hold of his Master. His bare bottom brushed against Sesshoumaru's rock hard abs, making him feel small and vulnerable. His ass muscles clenched involuntarily and he almost moaned at the heat radiating off the demon Lord. He loved that feeling whenever he was with his Master. It made him feel protected…cared for.
"You know," Sesshoumaru murmured and Inuyasha melted further at the deep voice laced with mischief. "Kouga was not all that saintly then either. Did he tell you that?"
Inuyasha shook his head, curious. The wolf prince had not told him anything about himself except for the fact that he'd saved Kinta from being killed by Sesshoumaru. And he welcomed the chance to think about anything other than his own childhood.
"Kouga used to forever seek out bigger children to fight, especially when females were around."
Inuyasha looked up at him, startled, a light blush dusting his cheeks. Sesshoumaru relished the look of surprise on his face as he understood Kouga had neglected to mention certain interesting details.
"There was one girl in particular," Sesshoumaru revealed. "Her name was Ayame. She was the daughter of the Northern Wolf demon tribe. Kouga had a habit of flirting with all and sundry females but Ayame…Ayame thought he was courting her."
His eyes sparkled with laughter as he remembered the spitfire female wolf who had claimed Kouga all for herself, announcing they would be mated as soon as they were both of age. Kouga had taken it as a joke – of course…what 7 -8 year old seriously thought about things such as mating? But Ayame, it turned out, had been in dead earnest.
"Eventually, Kouga grew quite afraid of her," Sesshoumaru told a gleeful Inuyasha. "He took to hiding or fleeing whenever Ayame came around because she would raise hell if she saw Kouga even speaking with another female."
Even Kouga, who had fancied himself something of a ladies man, would be flabbergasted at the tall tales that woman came up with.
"Kouga, ultimately, was ashamed to show his face among his friends, because Ayame had taken to loudly and graphically telling whoever would listen, just what Kouga had done and promised to do to her."
Inuyasha resolutely avoided the demon Lord's eyes as he unwillingly thought of exactly what Ayame might have said. It gave him a weird feeling in his belly and he was once again extremely aware of his Master's hard body pressed against him.
"What else did Kouga tell you?" Sesshoumaru murmured in his ear. He loved the way the silky appendage flickered because of his warm breath.
Inuyasha squirmed, beginning to feel a little hot and bothered. It was surprisingly erotic to be naked while his Master was still fully clothed.
"Umm…he- Kouga-sama told me about Kinta," Inuyasha said.
Sesshoumaru frowned. "Kinta?" He could not recall anyone by that name.
"Kouga-sama said he-he said something about Tasiho-sama and you attacked him…"
Sesshoumaru dimly remembered almost strangling a fool of a boy. Was his name Kinta?
"And Hiro…" Inuyasha continued, trying to concentrate on what he was saying and not on the feel of his Master's hard, strong thighs near his own thin legs.
"Ahh…Hiro," Sesshoumaru said softly, recalling the pale, bookish boy with an unusually gentle nature.
"What did Kouga tell you about him?" Sesshoumaru asked.
"Kouga-sama said you did not mind him…" Inuyasha trailed off embarrassed. The term Kouga had used was 'kiss his ass'. "…you did not mind him being close to you."
Sesshoumaru shifted slightly, adjusting his position, but Inuyasha barely suppressed a gasp at the slight friction that caused on his exposed ass. His skin had never felt so sensitive. The demon Lord had barely touched him and already, his nipples were hard and aching...so was another part of him.
"That was because Hiro was the most loyal of all those imbeciles," Sesshoumaru recalled. The frail but courageous demon had stood up for what he believed in, unlike those other fools who would sway whichever way held reward. He wondered what had become of Hiro.
"Did all of them grow up with you, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Inuyasha asked, wondering what happened to the nobles' children.
"No," Sesshoumaru replied. "Most of the children there aged faster than me."
Inuyasha cocked his head. "They were older?"
"No, I was older than most of them." He remembered, smiling, how he'd insisted there be no older children there with them. He had and still did despise the supercilious attitude they held because of their age.
"Pureblooded demons age the slowest. Therefore, those of inferior blood 'grew up' faster than I. Most of them left and concentrated on training for whatever profession they intended to take up. After a while, my training began as well."
He recalled how grueling his early years of intensive training had been. He trained daily with his parents then. Eventually, he practiced on his own and his training with his parents became less and less frequent.
"I do not recall when the playground was turned back into gardens. In all probability, while I was away on training."
Once he was proficient in, what the Lord and the Lady of the West called 'basics', he was sent to train in different terrains under different conditions, battling with demons his father deemed appropriate for him. Though in all fairness, what his parents considered 'basics' would be considered difficult and advanced by anybody else. But he wasn't complaining. Although he'd resented having to work so hard then, the training had stood him in good stead. Whether he thought himself ready or not had been inconsequential then. He had to do as he was told. Later, once he was older, his father began to leave the choice of his opponents up to him, interfering only on rare occasions. But by then, Sesshoumaru himself sought out demons stronger and more powerful than himself to increase his strenght.
Unknown to Inuyasha, he smirked, wickedly noting the puppy's increasing arousal. He had not meant to take things very far today. This was the last day he would get to spend peacefully before he began training tomorrow. He had wanted to spend it Inuyasha. His smirk widened as Inuyasha squirmed seeking contact on his tingling bottom. It seemed his puppy was having difficulty controlling himself.
Inuyasha glanced back worriedly at his Master. Sesshoumaru-sama seemed oblivious to his…state. What was he to do now? It was not his place to seek gratification for himself, after all. His Master would use him when it pleased him to do so.
Sesshoumaru saw the heated but resigned look in his eyes and determined he would have the puppy begging him before the end of the night. The hanyou had to learn that he would not be punished for asking although, he thought a little sadistically, it remained to be seen whether he would grant it.
"Rest, Inuyasha," he ordered, knowing full well there was no way Inuyasha would be able to sleep in such a state. "I must awaken at dawn tomorrow to train."
Inuyasha looked over his shoulder and watched despairingly as his Master let his eyes close. Now what? The sun had not even set yet but he definitely couldn't wake his Master!
Then he barely managed to suppress a moan as his Master's hand drifted down his stomach and brushed his almost fully hard member. He knew it was an accidental touch but it made matters much worse. He squirmed as much as he could in Sesshoumaru's steel grip and closed his eyes, trying to sleep. Sesshoumaru-sama didn't seem to realize what even an inadvertent touch did to him.
Behind him, the demon Lord smiled evilly.
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