InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Words with My Uncle ❯ Huff and Puff ( Chapter 6 )

AN: To put the time frame into perspective - Senko was born about two weeks after Kotaromaru went to live with Inuyasha.

 

-Chapter Six-

-Huff and Puff-

 

“I believe God put us here on earth to accomplish a certain number of things.

And right now, I'm so far behind, I can never die.”

- Bill Watterson, “Calvin and Hobbes”

 

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For those with curious minds, allow me to summarize the rest of that night. Senko finally came into the world - much to the relief of both Miroku and Sango - an hour before dawn. He simultaneously disappointed his sister and overjoyed his brothers by turning out as a male. Nonetheless, Sachiko was the first of us all to hold him and coo over his tiny baby body - besides his mother, of course, and Aunt Kagome, who delivered him.

 

I finally went to sleep after the sun was already in the sky, and slept right through the afternoon, courtesy of Hani, who believed I deserved a break. When I woke up I found that Kyuichi had bullied mostly everyone, including Shintaro and Miyami, into a rousing game of bandits and samurai, which I declined to join and merely watched instead. It was all good fun until Kyuichi accidentally gave Sachiko a bruise the size of a large stone. That ended the game and my cousin was left trying to defend himself while Yoshio and Tsune beat him mercilessly with their wooden swords and Uncle Inuyasha just stood back and allowed it to happen. Needless to say, I found that for the most part it was turning out to be a good day.

 

Around dinner time, however, things swung out of my favor…

 

OooOooOooOooO

 

Kotaromaru and the rest of his family were seated comfortably around a table outside, enjoying their first meal with the newest member of the tribe. Baby Senko was not awake to enjoy the gathering, however; he was sleeping soundly in Sango's arms, quite impervious to the noise all around him - the laughter, conversation, and the occasional loud burp from Kyuichi and Tsune's side of the table, followed by giggles and smothered snorts.

 

Kotaromaru, personally, had never seen such a dinner before in his life. Each person passed around the platters and dishes of food, taking what they wanted and leaving what they didn't. There were about ten different discussions taking place at once, ranging from the serious to just plain silly. Back at the castle, he usually only ate with Minami and perhaps an advisor or two. Even when the entire court got together for big important meals, what happened were quiet, formal affairs where the chatter was rare and low in volume. Food was more commonly dispersed among each attendant, rather than handed down the table. The young tai-youkai knew no one at the castle would have enjoyed the type of dinner he was experiencing now; that thought somehow made him feel even happier.

 

“Kotaromaru, pass the rice, please?” asked Yoshio on his left. Kotaromaru complied with a grin, right before he found that on his other side Kagome was offering him a bowl of different vegetables, saying, “Here, sweetie.”

 

He accepted the dish, spooning out what he felt he could eat, and put it down. His plate was now full, and Kotaromaru wasted little time in digging in; he was really hungry. But he had only just started making a dent in his fish when Hani appeared at his side. The owl-youkai had rather grudgingly turned down the opportunity to join them for their meal, saying he had other obligations to tend to.

 

“Hani!” Kotaromaru greeted. “Are you finished with your chores? Can you eat with us now?”

 

The advisor frowned and shook his head. “I'm afraid not, My Lord. And I must ask that you abandon your food for now as well, as I have something to discuss with you.”

 

“But-” The tai-youkai was very unwilling to neglect the rest of his dinner.

 

“Go on, honey,” interjected his aunt. “We'll save some for you and you can finish later.” She smiled at him.

 

Sighing, Kotaromaru nodded and got up from the table. “Okay. I'll go.”

 

Hani bowed gratefully to Kagome before leading his student away. “I apologize, My Lord,” he offered once they were out of earshot of the others, heading - for some strange reason that Kotaromaru could not discern - towards the edge of town and the forest.

 

“It's all right, Hani,” replied Kotaromaru, never really having been able to get angry at the man. And besides that, his curiosity had jumped to the fore. He asked, “Where are we going?”

 

“I'd like for us to speak in private, My Lord. Your uncle's forest is the ideal location. And, well, you'll see…”

 

His interest peaked, the tai-youkai spent the rest of the short journey in silence, wondering what could possibly be waiting for them at its end. It was not what he had imagined.

 

A boar-youkai was sitting on the edge of an old well, and Kotaromaru instantly recognized him as one of the palace sentries. The well he thought he had heard his aunt mention several times, usually before she disappeared to go visit her mother.

 

As Hani and his pupil approached the well the guard got to his feet. He bowed to them respectfully before proffering a scroll to Kotaromaru. “My Lord,” he said with his head down, “A message from Master Ujitama.”

 

The inu-youkai's heart sank like a stone in water. He frowned and reached hesitantly for the letter, but Hani got there first. He grabbed the scroll firmly and ordered the sentry to give them some privacy. The boar-youkai nodded and quickly scuttled off to wait in the trees. Then Hani turned back to Kotaromaru, who had adopted what appeared to be a look of grim resignation.

 

“He wants me to go back, doesn't he?”

 

“Only temporarily, My Lord. As we agreed.”

 

The boy sighed. “I thought so.”

 

Truthfully, despite his duty to mold him into a good ruler, Hani could not stand to see Kotaromaru upset, and so he said, “You know, My Lord… All previous obligations aside, you are the tai-youkai. You don't actually have to do anything that does not please you.”

 

For one small moment Kotaromaru's mind lit up with glee - I don't have to go back! - but then he remembered the promise he made for Minami, and knew that she would have wanted him to return, for many reasons. His honor, his pride… And for his own sake he acknowledged that Ujitama would be expecting him to bow out, and Kotaromaru did not want to give the old rat the satisfaction of being right.

 

“No, Hani. I'll go,” he declared, and his voice was stronger now.

 

The older youkai smiled affectionately. “Very well. We leave tomorrow morning, My Lord, so please do be ready, yes?” He inclined his head before turning and walking in the direction of the sentry who was still waiting in the cover of the forest.

 

Grinning, Kotaromaru raced back to the village, following the familiar scents. He found that dinner was just concluding as he made it back in the vicinity of the huts and shops. Unfortunately, he was still hungry. Being brave took a lot of energy, after all.

 

“Oi, pup!”

 

Kotaromaru's head swiveled in the direction of the well-known voice. “Uncle Inuyasha!” He made his way to the hanyou, who was sitting on a barrel outside Sango and Miroku's hut. Aunt Kagome was probably inside.

 

“What did Hani want?”

 

“Oh. Um.” Kotaromaru scuffled his feet in the dirt. “Ujitama sent me a message. I have to visit the castle tomorrow-”

 

“I'm goin' with you.”

 

The boy stared blankly in surprise. “What?”

 

“Did I stutter? I'm goin' with you, pup. Ain't no way I'm lettin' that bastard around you by yourself.” Inuyasha huffed, and the look on his face made Kotaromaru understand that there was no arguing with him - not that he wanted to. He smiled.

 

“Okay, Uncle Inuyasha. We're leaving in the morning.”

 

“Gotcha.”

 

OooOooOooOooO

 

Here's something for you to think about. How much danger could a simple trip from one location to another inspire? The answer is, a lot more than one might normally expect. I learned this the hard way when our journey was interrupted the next day by an unforeseen visitor. And, in my uncle's (ahem, humble) opinion, unwelcome. I, however, actually enjoyed the whole spectacle. Perhaps you'll see why when I elaborate…

 

OooOooOooOooO

 

“We'll stop at the brook up ahead for a while, okay, pup?”

 

“All right,” responded Kotaromaru, nodding at his uncle. The two of them, as well as Hani, were running through the woods as fast as they could, or at least as fast as Kotaromaru's shorter legs would allow. The young inu-youkai was growing tired; their small group had been traveling for at least three hours. It was almost noon, if the position of the sun in the sky was anything to go by. Kotaromaru did feel somewhat bad, too. If he were faster, his uncle and advisor wouldn't have had to slow down so much. They, however, were not uttering a single complaint, so he didn't let it get to him too much.

 

In a matter of seconds the sound of clean spring water rushing over rocks came to Kotaromaru's ears, and he put on a small burst of speed to reach the stream. He knelt on its bank and made quick work of drinking some of the fresh water from his cupped hands. “Yum!” he exclaimed, not caring if he sounded childish. “This is great.”

 

Behind him, Hani chuckled. The owl-youkai dropped to his knees gracefully beside Kotaromaru and mimicked his actions - albeit with a much more civilized manner. The tai-youkai turned to ask Inuyasha why he wasn't joining them, but he stopped when he saw the hanyou's expression. It was suspicious, and he kept sniffing the air, then assuming an air of utter disgust.

 

“What is it, Uncle?” asked Kotaromaru.

 

“Fucking bastard,” was the reply that he received, although Kotaromaru was pretty positive that the name was not directed at him. He was right.

 

“Long time, no see, mutt-face!”

 

“Why don't you come out here so I can kick your ass, you mangy wolf?”

 

And then Kotaromaru could put a face to the deep, cocky voice that he had not recognized. From the darker shadows of the forest, where the trees were thick, strutted a tall youkai with his hands on his hips, unmistakably the wolf that Inuyasha had addressed. He wore brown furs and armor over his waist and chest, and a band of the fuzzy pelt around his head that kept his sleek black hair out of his bright blue eyes. Kotaromaru stared in awe. He looked so cool.

 

“Well, well, well. What have we here? The mongrel, a feather bag, and a little baby puppy, too!” The youkai threw his head back and laughed throatily.

 

Kotaromaru felt Hani stiffen at his side. His own temper raised a little as well. `Baby'? He snorted. He was ten years old! Definitely not a baby.

 

“Watch your mouth, Koga, unless you want it ripped from your ugly mug,” countered Inuyasha, looking very annoyed. But his comment just made Koga laugh harder; Kotaromaru didn't know why - if his uncle had been looking at him with that much threat he would be shutting up faster than the time it would take to blink.

 

Through his hearty chuckles the wolf replied, “I'm not scared of you, mutt. But I'm also not here to beat you into the ground, even though I may want to-”

 

Inuyasha growled.

 

“-I'm just passing through. Going to see the bastard brother of yours, surprised he hasn't killed you yet-”

 

“What the hell are you talking about?” The inu-hanyou looked suspicious. Kotaromaru, annoyance gone, began listening intently. He stilled so much that he was barely breathing.

 

Koga rolled his eyes. “Your brother, dirt-for-brains? Sesshomaru? You know, that guy who is stronger and not as worthless as you?”

 

“Fuck you, Koga. I know who my damn brother is. What I don't know is how you think you can go see him when he's been missing ten years.”

 

For a split second the wolf youkai looked startled, but the expression quickly morphed into a mixture of dislike and disbelief. “Yeah, right. Very funny, dog-breath.”

 

Inuyasha's amber eyes hardened. “You don't believe me? Take a look right there.” His clawed hand shot out over his shoulder, one calloused thumb pointing directly at Kotaromaru, who swallowed heavily in surprise. “See that pup? That's my nephew. Wanna know why he's here? `Cause his dad ain't.”

 

Koga's piercing blue stare fixated on the young tai-youkai, taking in his markings, his hair, his clothes. Kotaromaru knew he looked like Sesshomaru; he'd been told so many times. The wolf youkai must have realized it too, because a spark of recognition and then realization flared into his gaze, which he abruptly turned back on Inuyasha.

 

But he said, “I won't believe it till I see it myself, meathead. So lead the way.”

 

“What?”

 

“You heard me. I'm coming with. For all I know you kidnapped the damn kid and are trying to escape with him or something. You bring me to Sesshomaru's castle and show me he's not there, and I'll believe you. Simple.”

 

Inuyasha looked livid. “That's the stupidest logic I ever heard! And I am not spending the rest of the whole trip with you tagging along like… Like… Some kinda fungus!”

 

Despite the tension in the air, Kotaromaru giggled. Koga's eyes flared and he turned to face the boy again. “What's so funny, short stuff?” The wolf-youkai took a step forward, his long black ponytail swinging behind him.

 

At once, Inuyasha and Hani sprang to action, moving shoulder to shoulder to create a very tall, solid, and angry wall before the tai-youkai.

 

“Leave him alone, Koga,” ordered the hanyou, deadly serious.

 

“You will not speak to the tai-youkai in such a way,” added Hani.

 

Koga chuckled low. “Is that so? What kind of powerful lord-” he snorted, “-can't even stand up for himself, hm?”

 

Growling fiercely, Inuyasha was prepared to either tell the wolf off or punch him across the face, but he never did because, quite startlingly, he heard an even more agitated growl coming from behind him. A moment later, Kotaromaru pushed himself roughly through the slight space between his uncle and advisor's legs.

 

“I can so stand up for myself!” he declared, glaring at Koga with his pale brows drawn down in a scowl. Who on earth did the insolent youkai think he was talking to? First the wolf called him a baby, of all things, and now this? As long as he was set on being so brave, Kotaromaru felt he should exercise the emotion on someone besides just Ujitama. Koga needed to be put right.

 

Unfortunately, the only effect his bravery had on Koga was to make him laugh heartily again. When he was done he looked down at Kotaromaru with a twinkle in his eyes, who, despite being laughed at, was keeping up his “in charge” façade.

 

“You know,” Koga said with a smirk. “Maybe you got more spunk than I thought. What's your name?”

 

The tai-youkai drew himself up as tall as he could and replied, in what he hoped was a condescending manner, “Kotaromaru.”

 

“Is that so? Well it's a little too stuffy for me, short stuff. How about we just go with Kotaro, instead?”

 

Hani made a strangled noise behind him, but Kotaromaru didn't pay any attention. Truth be told, he liked the sound of “Kotaro”; the lack of the honorable ending made him feel kind of edgy and wild.

 

“Fine,” he said to the wolf. “But no more `short stuff' or I'll punish you for it.”

 

Again, Koga started to roar hysterically. Through his laughter, however, he managed to gasp out, “I like you, kid. I like you a lot.”

 

In spite of himself and the murderous scowls on both his advisor and uncle's faces, Kotaromaru smiled. He had a feeling the trip was about to get much more eventful.

 

OooOooOooOooO

 

There you have it. Koga was true to his word; he followed us all the way to the castle at our slower pace even though he could have easily gone on ahead. I don't think I am required to tell you that Uncle Inuyasha adopted a perpetually bad mood from that point on. The two of them were on pins and needles every second, nearly getting into a full blown duel half a dozen times. Even Hani was much less than his normally pleasant self. He seemed to think that Koga did not show me nearly the proper amount of respect that I was due. For my part, that didn't bother me. The wolf-youkai was someone new and intriguing and I actually enjoyed his company a great deal. He told me old stories that involved my uncle and aunt that kept me laughing for hours. He informed me of his own mate back home in the northern part of the country. Her name is Ayame, and I would meet her some years later. But I'm getting too far ahead of myself. Let me back up.

 

When we finally made it to the castle and established for Koga that my father was, in fact, missing, he began asking questions of Hani, who reluctantly filled him in on what had happened, starting with the death of Naraku. Koga had been away in the far, isolated north for so long that he knew virtually nothing about the goings on of the rest of the nation. And while he was being enlightened, Uncle Inuyasha and I met in the dining hall with Ujitama, who seemed incredibly determined to unveil any reason at all why I should be forced to leave Kaede's village and return to the palace. For perhaps the first fifteen minutes of the conversation, I stood my ground and would not let Ujitama dominate the discussion. But after that I'm embarrassed to say that my resolve wore away under his constant disapproval and skillfully cloaked insults. I probably would have ended up being moved back into the castle before midnight if it weren't for my uncle.

 

Uncle Inuyasha took control after he realized that I had lost heart. For every condescending question he had a smart answer, and before the hour was up we were finished and leaving a fuming Ujitama behind us. And we were almost, almost out of the grounds when the worst possible thing that could happen - in my mind - well, happened.

 

OooOooOooOooO

 

Kotaromaru trudged miserably in between Inuyasha and Hani - Koga walked behind them - as they headed for the front gate. His head drooped almost to the point where his chin grazed his chest. He could not believe how badly he had failed in his pursuit of being courageous. He was not brave in any way; if he had been he would certainly not have allowed the old rat-youkai to walk all over him like he had. Koga's words from earlier branded themselves in his mind's eye, glowing red and angry.

 

“What kind of powerful lord can't even stand up for himself, hm?”

 

Kotaromaru had the pressing urge to mash his hands against his ears, as if doing so would prevent him from hearing the taunt over and over again in his head.

 

“Oi! Runt!”

 

A most familiar and unwelcome voice sounded to his left, and Kotaromaru almost groaned in anxiety as he turned to face the source. Nagushoka, his fighting instructor.

 

The enormous bear ambled toward them, sneering as he did. His deadly axe hung over his shoulder. Inuyasha looked him up and down with contempt.

 

“Who the hell are you?”

 

And Nagushoka, who was three times as wide as the hanyou and at least two feet taller, did not, unsurprisingly, take kindly to such a greeting. “Excuse me, half-breed? Who do you think you are?”

 

“Stop, Nagushoka-san,” spoke up Hani. His voice was quiet but firm, and the bear grudgingly stepped back with a loud snort. “Inuyasha-san, this man is Kotaromaru-sama's teacher in combat.”

 

“That's right,” declared Nagushoka, directing his gaze at the young tai-youkai. “And you aren't going anywhere without showing me how your weaponry skills are. You better have been practicing.”

 

Kotaromaru felt like he might be sick. He had not been practicing at all, which Nagushoka must have known very well since the inu-youkai had left his halberd hanging in the weapons shed when he had gone with his uncle the first time around. And now the bear-youkai wanted to humiliate him before Inuyasha, Hani, and Koga, who would probably get a great laugh out of the ordeal.

 

“Well stop staring like a fish and come on already,” ordered Nagushoka, who turned and walked in the direction of their usual sparring ground. Unable to think of an excuse against the idea, Kotaromaru was forced to follow, with the other three men in tow.

 

When they reached the place Kotaromaru was surprised to see that his halberd was already there. Noting his expression, his instructor said, “I heard you were coming from Ujitama and decided it would be a good time to assess your skill level.” There was a hint of amusement in his voice. He expected the tai-youkai to be awful and Kotaromaru thought sadly that he probably wouldn't be disappointed.

 

Numbly, he mumbled, “Thank you for readying Danryokusei for me, sensei.”

 

“My pleasure,” Nagushoka replied with a nasty tone in his voice. “Now get into your starting stance - if you still remember how, that is.”

 

Kotaromaru complied, picking up his weapon and gripping it tightly - his knuckles turned whiter than snow - while spreading his feet to a shoulder-width apart. Every second he felt more and more resolved to his dreaded fate. The bear-youkai would beat him easily, and then he would truly be known for the disgrace that he was. A tai-youkai that couldn't fight properly. The son of the great and fearsome Sesshomaru, unable to use a sword. His stomach did a funny feeling sort of somersault.

 

“I won't go easy on you, whelp! Now be ready!”

 

And without any more warning, Nagushoka was in action, charging forward with the force of a hurricane, his battle axe gleaming menacingly from where it was poised above his head. The threat of imminent failure grabbed Kotaromaru and held him close, feeling like a thousand buckets of ice water dumped over his head. He stood, frozen to the ground, and before he could tear himself out of his stupor Nagushoka was there - right in front of him - swinging his axe down in a huge arch.

 

The young inu-youkai barely managed to dodge the attack; the blade of his opponent's weapon clipped the side of Danryokusei and suddenly his center of gravity had changed. He was losing his balance, falling backwards onto the cold, unforgiving earth. Nagushoka was looming over him, ready to strike again. Kotaromaru braced both of his small hands on the wide surface of his halberd and used it to shield him from the next swing. Then he held Danryokusei to his body and rolled to the left, wincing when Nagushoka's loud roar and heavy stomping reached his sensitive ears.

 

Kotaromaru scrambled to his feet - his heart was racing so fast he thought it might be trying to escape his body - and turned to face his teacher. The bear looked wild, his eyes and nostrils were wide. “Stop running and face me like a man!” he yelled, spit flying from his monstrous jaws.

 

The rest of the world had vanished around Kotaromaru. It was only he and Nagushoka, the arena, and the heavy weapons in their hands. He no longer had the capacity in his mind to entertain worries about what his uncle or Hani would think of him. All of his brain was employed in trying to just stay standing, to avoid the danger of being beheaded or sliced in half. All his senses were on overdrive, maintaining a state of awareness that the tai-youkai didn't know even existed. He could hear Nagushoka's feet shift, knew that the bear-youkai was preparing to run at him again.

 

Jump, his mind commanded, and Kotaromaru heeded the call. Nagushoka barreled towards him only to swipe at empty air when his target was suddenly soaring ten feet over his head. Kotaromaru landed lightly - swaying only a tiny bit due to his halberd - facing his instructor's back. For only a split second he realized that he had the advantage and the opportunity to strike, but so caught up in congratulating himself was he that soon the moment was gone and Nagushoka was staring at him again, angrier than ever. His giant arm reared back, axe in hand, and then whipped forward with astounding speed. The axe flew out of his grip and was sent spinning fatally through the air.

 

Kotaromaru had not foreseen this new development. He ducked low to the arena floor with Danryokusei over his head. Even so, he felt the current of wind that the axe made when it reeled over him, and heard the whoosh that followed in its wake. A tiny glimmer of silver fell before his line of sight and he recognized the source as a few pieces of his own shiny hairs, neatly cut from their strands by Nagushoka's weapon. His throat very quickly became rather constricted.

 

Across the arena from him, the huge bear laughed. “You're pathetic, my lord. Instead of fighting you just run away.”

 

Kotaromaru did not argue the declaration; he much agreed with it, himself. Instead he stood back up straight and waited for the next blow to come, already going through the ways to dodge it in his mind. He didn't have long to wait. Nagushoka came at him again and again, opting on short range attacks so that Kotaromaru would have very little chance of getting away.

 

The tai-youkai was forced to defend himself from the onslaught by hiding ashamedly behind Danryokusei. The force of every strike made his arms waver and his ears ring, but he couldn't do much of anything else. Nagushoka was relentless, seemingly possessing unlimited amounts of stamina. He halted for nothing, and backed up each swing with a fierce grunt. Kotaromaru thought wearily that if his wrists broke he might be spared from dueling any longer, but even that was unlikely, since the bear-youkai had never granted him mercy for any other reason.

 

He was being pushed backwards ever so gradually; he could feel the ground sliding beneath his feet and knew any moment he would be knocked out onto the grass that surrounded the fighting ring. But just as the edge was digging into his heels, an infuriated shout stopped the next and final hit from coming. At this point Kotaromaru's golden eyes were squeezed shut in dread, but when he discovered that he was still on his feet and not unconscious in the dirt, he opened them and found a surprising sight.

 

Inuyasha was in the arena, stalking towards Nagushoka with his sword drawn, cursing angrily. The great Tetsusaiga shone brilliantly for a moment before it was shadowed by the bear-youkai's large form. “I said leave him the fuck alone,” Inuyasha snarled.

 

“Stay out of this, hanyou,” responded Nagushoka, turning to face the smaller man, Kotaromaru forgotten.

 

“Like hell I will. What are you trying to prove? That you can defeat a ten year old? Well congratulations, bastard, you did it. Now get the fuck away from him.”

 

“I'm teaching him a lesson. How can he be expected to be tai-youkai if he can't even-”

 

“And how do you expect him to learn properly when all you're doing is trying to maul him?”

 

“If he is too weak to-” Nagushoka began, but the next second his words turned into a strangled growl as an irate hanyou pressed the blade of the Tetsusaiga to his throat.

 

“My nephew,” he ground out through clenched teeth, “is not weak.” Then he was wheeling around sharply on his feet and stomping away, his sword sheathed once more. “Come on, pup,” he hollered over his shoulder. “We're leaving.”

 

Stunned, Kotaromaru skittered around Nagushoka and ran after his uncle, halberd still in hand. The bear-youkai did not even call after them.

 

As he walked out of the castle with Inuyasha, Hani, and Koga, the young inu-youkai felt strangely like he should apologize for what had just transpired. Hesitantly, he started, “Uncle, I-”

 

But Inuyasha interrupted him. “Save it, pup. Wait until we get home.”

 

The way the hanyou said it confused Kotaromaru, as if something was waiting for them back in Kaede's village. “What happens when we get home?” he asked.

 

“You're getting some real training, that's what.”

 

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AN: I'm very sorry for the long wait between this update and the last. A lot of things came up, plus I took some time off for my birthday. Besides that, I'm awful at writing any kind of action scenes and so this chapter took me an enormous amount of time to get right. I'm still a little unsatisfied with it… If anyone has any advice about action scenes, I would love to hear it.

 

Also, this chapter is humbly dedicated to BrownRecluse, who nominated this story in two categories (best AU and best OC) of the IY Fanguild's second quarter contests. Thank you, so much. I'm honored.

 

And finally, for anyone who cares, a short progress report is always available for this story in my profile here on MediaMiner. You can go there to check the status of the next chapter.

 

Thanks for the reviews:

shipporinKIMS11 (Oh, don't worry. Senko is just the last child because that's the way things worked out. Thanks for reading.) - InuGoddess715 - Nikkie23535 - midcat (Thank you, and I'm glad I could change your perspective a little bit.) - Chase65 - Caitriona (Thank you, and please enjoy this next chapter.)

 

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is property of one Ms. Rumiko Takahashi. And thank gosh for that, because if I owned it you would be running for your life. Toodles.