InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Young at Heart ❯ Startling Discoveries ( Chapter 4 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

By: Cierah

Chapter Four: Startling Discoveries

Inutashomaru entered the clearing and stopped. There was his son kneeling beside the stream where he had left him. Lifting his brows, he suppressed the laugh that threatened to surface at his sons' appearance. His son was looking into the water, with a rather large puddle circling him. The clothing stuck to his tiny frame, and his hair was stuck out every where. Shaking his head, he walked up to him standing behind him.

“Have a good swim?” He asked softly.

His son's head whipped around with a large smile plastered on his face, sheepishly.

“A fish was teasing me.” Sesshomaru grinned.

“I see. Are you still hungry?”

The small wet head nodded eagerly.

Chuckling, he knelt down and wiped the strand of hair that was plastered across his nose. “We need to dry you off.” Inutashomaru stood up, and pulled out some mushrooms and berries for his son to eat. “Sit in the sun.” His father murmured.

Sesshomaru carried his food into the sun, and sat down on a small boulder. Remembering the sound he had heard earlier, he lifted his head chewing quickly.

“Father?” Sesshomaru asked after swallowing his mouthful.

Glancing up from his spot under a tree, Inutashomaru nodded. “Yes?”

“I heard a sound, over there.” Sesshomaru pointed to the dense part of the forest that was darkened from the sun. It was accessible only through the stream

“Oh? What sort of sound?” Had his son wandered off? “Did you leave the clearing?”

His son paused, and then nodded slowly. “I didn't mean to, but I had followed the fish, and came right back.”

Lowering his gaze, he frowned. “Hmm.” Inutashomaru sighed. “What sort of sound?” He would have to inform his son of mindless wanderings eventually. This would make the second time his son would have wandered off without thought.

“It sounded like a…” His son stopped thinking. Not sure of how to explain the sound, he mimicked it sounding it almost like the one he had heard.

“A whimper?” Inutashomaru nodded. “I see.” Not saying anything more, he lowered his head a bit more shading his eyes from the light, and calming the irritation that surfaced at his sons' escapades.

Sesshomaru knew he was in trouble. The way his father's voice held an edge to it, one filled with suppressed anger. His head was lowered, and he said nothing further. Swallowing, he noticed the frown that marred his father's mouth, and the way his fists clenched in anger.

Looking back to the dark forest, he shook his head, cursing the fish that had led him away. It hadn't been that far, but far enough. He didn't move after he had finished eating, he knew he had to wait for his father to call him over. Sighing, he knew it had been wrong to leave the clearing, and he was suddenly stuck with the memory of the cave. Sucking in is breath, he remembered he had crawled to the edge of the caves entrance. Had he remained hidden in the shadows, would that man have seen him?

Sesshomaru had been so intent on watching his father that he had completely forgotten his father's words to stay hidden in the cave. Frowning, he looked at his hands. What if his father hadn't been there? It was a long while before his name was called, and he looked up, having been lost in thought.

Standing up he walked over to his father and sat down beside him.

“You know I am angry?”

“Yes father.” Sesshomaru replied nodding.

“Why am I angry?”

“Because I didn't stay where I was suppose to.” Sesshomaru took a deep breath.

“Aye.”

“I did it twice father.”

His father looked up, and stared into his son's golden eyes. “Explain.”

“In the cave, I crawled to the entrance to see you fight.”

“Did you leave the cave?” Inutashomaru felt anger bubble in side his chest.

Sesshomaru shook his head quickly. “No, but I looked out.”

Inutashomaru nodded. “Then you did not go against my wishes there. Had I not stopped you last night you would have run off after the rabbit, correct?”

“Yes, father.” Sesshomaru had forgotten about that incident.

“You also wandered out of the clearing, after I asked you to remain here.”

“Yes, father.”

Taking a deep breath, Inutashomaru stood up and walked away, leaving his son sitting beside the tree. “You must heed my words, Sesshomaru. Knowing where you are and what you do at all times is a part of ensuring your survival. Keeping your wits about you and your surroundings will keep you safe.”

Nodding, Sesshomaru whispered. “I'm sorry father.”

Inutashomaru looked back over his shoulder. Closing his eyes, he hissed. “Stay here, I will check out the sound you heard earlier.”

Sesshomaru looked up surprised. “Father?”

Inutashomaru paused. “Yes?”

Swallowing, Sesshomaru walked up to his father. “The sound was shivery.”

Inutashomaru frowned thinking. `Shivery?' He thought. “Eerie?”

“That's it. Yes.”

“Stay here.” With that he left, slipping into the dense trees.

Sesshoumaru kicked at a rock as he gazed at the grass. `How stupid.' He thought to himself. Knowing that he had to listen to his father he walked back to the boulder where he had eaten. Jumping up onto it, crouched on all fours he scowled at his idiotic behavior. If he didn't do as his father asked, he would probably never be allowed on anymore hunts.

A small breeze picked up, blowing his damp hair over his shoulders and around his face. Sesshoumaru remained still, silently thinking on his behavior and his fathers' disappointment.

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Inutashomaru knelt down and sniffed the ground. Catching nothing in his senses, he stood up looking at the dense forest around him. It was dreary, damp and extremely quiet. Frowning, he turned his head slightly, trying to catch any sound, or any smell that would indicate what his son had heard earlier. The wind picked up, and he lifted his head in the direction of the breeze, which blew past him and into the camp he had left his son in. Lifting his nose he sniffed the air and caught a faint smell of fear and tears.

Curling his lip, he stepped forward through the thick brush, towards the smell, quietly and slowly.

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A crack reached his ears, and he lifted his head sharply. Blinking, he saw those strangely dressed men from the cave, only these were dressed differently. Their clothing was in shambles, and mismatched armor covered their legs and torso's. There were only two of them, and Sesshoumaru felt himself shift backwards slightly, on his boulder.

They had seen him, there was no doubt in his mind, as they looked at him long and hard. The men glanced around them quickly, one having his hand on his sword at his side.

Sesshoumaru stared at them, blinking a few times, before feeling a frown cross his features. He sniffed and smelled something strange on their clothing. It smelled like iron, almost like when his father finished polishing his swords. One man stepped forward before he was stopped by the other man holding his sword hilt, still looking around warily.

Their voices were raspy. It hurt his ears. Wincing slightly at the harshly spoken words out of their mouths, rather then the soft smooth ones his father used, Sesshoumaru scooted back a step on his boulder still crouched, almost looking like he was ready to pounce.

“This is a child.” One man said.

“I realize that. It's a youkai child.” The other said, gripping his sword hilt tighter.

The other man glanced up quickly, looking at the child on the rock quickly. It was hard to tell at first, due to the white silver hair flying around the face, but his eyes caught a glimpse of a blue mark marring the child's forehead. Squinting his eyes, he looked harder, and saw the golden eyes looking at him warily. Then he saw the two crimson stripes on the child's cheeks.

“You're right.” He grinned.

“The parents will be close.” The other said backing up slowly.

“What should we do?”

“Let's get out of here.”

Sesshoumaru watched them leave the way they had come, and he smiled. He had heard everything they had said, and smirked. `So they know that it is dangerous.' Nodding in satisfaction, he remained on his rock and stared at the trees the men had vanished in.

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Inutashomaru stepped through the trees and saw yellow on the floor of the dark tiny clearing. Weapons were scattered around, along with torn clothes covered in blood. Wrinkling his nose at the foul stench, he heard a small whimper and turned his head sharply at the yellow lump.

Narrowing his eyes, he eased forward and saw it was a little girl. A human girl. No more then three years of age maybe. Curling his lip, he glanced around the camp again, noticing bones and stolen goods.

Looking back at the wounded girl, he placed his hand on her back, and turned her over slightly. She was unconscious. Sniffing in indifference, he stood up and exited the clearing quickly. He silently wondered to himself if this was the child those men at the cave had been after. Growling low in his throat, he heard faint whispers on his right and he stopped immediately. Turning around he went back to the camp and waited until he saw two men enter the dreary circle of moss and death.

“We need to be careful.” A man dressed in brown, orange, and blue uttered softly. He took off his sword and placed it down beside him, as he sat down by the girl.

The other man, in pink and whatever other color, Inutashomaru couldn't tell through the grime and blood that stained his clothes, nodded also sitting himself near the girl.

“What will we do with her?”

“For now she is a means to an end. She is our ticket for escape.”

“What about the other child we saw?”

“It might also prove to be our ticket out.”

Inutashomaru stilled. `Other child?' His blood turned icy, and he felt his eyes flash in anger. `Had they stumbled upon his camp?'

Immediately, he vanished into the trees, no longer concerned with these bandits, or the little girl who lay injured.

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Sesshoumaru jumped off his boulder, and tried to catch a long thing, slithering through the grass. Pouncing on the tail of it, he jumped back startled when it reared up hissing at him. Scooting backwards quickly, he blinked surprised. He hissed back, and he heard a strange rattle sound coming from the tail he had pounced on.