To the Letter by Chante

Care Killed the Cat

Inuyasha sat before his brother as he awaited whatever “instruction” he would be gifted. It was a blow not only to his ego, but also to his heart that he had endangered his pack in such a way, How could he? They all trusted him to ensure their safety. And the way he repaid them for staying by his side was to abandon them? The disgust that he felt for himself was almost so thick that it left a bad taste in his mouth.

Eventually, Sesshomaru appeared in the hut, followed closely by Kagome and Sango. After a few moments of waiting, he opened his mouth to ask what was going on.

“Your manners are so ill, Inuyasha. You shall wait for the exercise to begin. Do not speak.” Sesshomaru glared at the boy before his ears folded as easily as Sesshomaru did before the table. After a few minutes, the girls were spurred into motion by a wave of Sesshomaru’s arm, motioning to the tea and humble meal they were making.

“We shall attempt to have a meal. Should you act out of turn, you will be punished. Should you speak when not appropriate, you will be punished. I hope you understand, brother, or this shall be a very unpleasant meal indeed.”

After the food had been portioned out, the girls sat. After they sat, Inuyasha reached for his chopsticks, only to yank his hand back in pain. Angry slashes marred his skin, tainted green with poison.

“You are not the current alpha. The head of the house is to be the first to partake of a meal. Hn. Ignorant whelp.”

Resisting the urge to let the pain make his eyes water or his mouth run, Inuyasha placed his hands in his lap to wait for Sesshomaru to take a small bite of his food. With that bite, even the humans began eating. At this, Inuyasha allowed himself a bite of rice. One bite turned into two, and two to three, until he was nearly shoveling his rice into his face. At this, of course, Sesshomaru let his whip cross both the boy’s hands.

“Composure is something to be had at all times; during a formal meal is one of the easiest times to maintain such composure.” A proper sip of his tea later and the quiet chatter of chopsticks against plates and bowls continued. One set of chopsticks faltered, however, and hesitant eyes turned to the regal demon at the head of the table.

“Um, Sesshomaru-sama? If I may be so bold, why do you choose now of all times to train Inuyasha in etiquette?” Hands clasped around her cup of tea, blue eyes searched gold.

“Care killed the cat, woman. I would suggest you ask no more questions.” Her blue eyes hardened to ice, and her voice was firmer when she next spoke.

“Care may have killed the cat, but isn’t it better that it died with the satisfaction of knowing?” Her hands found their way to her hips, before Sesshomaru cracked a smirk.

“Very well, if you are so intent upon knowing. Your little half-breed gives his word readily. It has come to my attention recently that one of his vows is still standing unfulfilled. Care to take a guess which one, little brother?” Kagome allowed her eyes to jump from brother to brother. Inuyasha allowed himself a glare.

“Tch. Don’t open your mouth to say one more word, Sesshomaru.” A whip crossed his knuckles yet again, followed by an uninhibited smile from his older brother.

“Oh? It is very impolite to pose threats during a meal. Moreover, your humans should know about promises you made that infringe upon their arrangements.” Inuyasha gave Kagome a pained look, before he ducked his head yet again.

“I will tell you when I am ready. Surely you can give me that much, Sesshomaru?” It took several moments, but Sesshomaru’s eyes softened a bit, despite himself.

“I suppose I shall allow you this reprieve. However, should your humans ask, I will direct them to the source of your problems.” Sesshomaru allowed his head to rest against his hand, a bored look overtaking his face.

“Thank you, Aniki.” Inuyasha’s eyes fell to his food, and he quietly resumed eating. Although questions burned at her tongue, Kagome resisted the urge to voice them. Apparently, Inuyasha had something to hide, something that he didn’t want to share with them.

A hurt look crossed her eyes for but a moment, but Sesshomaru, keen as ever, caught it.

-;-

Much later, Kagome rested in the bath that they had constructed together. It wasn’t quite as fancy as one that Sesshomaru might have, but it got the job done. It even had a separate room for washing away filth and bathing. Her hair piled on top of her head, Kagome looked out of the little window fashioned from wood just above her line of sight.

“Maa, the moon is nearly full. Soon, Inuyasha’s human night will be upon us.” A small sigh escaped her, as she sank deeper into the water. What was she going to do? Inuyasha was hiding things, Sesshomaru showed up and decided he was staying with them with no warning, and to top it all off, she was the only one who was concerned.

A few seconds of blowing bubbles in the water, and Kagome cast her eyes out of the window again, only to very nearly scream.

“Sesshomaru?! What are you doing there?” Kagome sunk down farther, not wanting him to see anything. Why was he there, all of a sudden? Didn’t he have better things to do than to mess with a human miko?

“You shall report first thing in the morning to host another meal. It is clear that the boy is learning, but still needs more practice. As you’ve seen, he is still a disgrace, lacking both finesse and skill. Even his work with his sword is more like him wielding a log, attempting to bash in heads in lieu of slicing his opponents.”

“Sesshomaru, there are better times to ask me to do this. Practically any time besides right now would be preferable. I am bathing now, surely this goes against the manners that you are attempting to impose upon Inuyasha.” Kagome crossed her arms over her chest, leveling a glare at Sesshomaru. It faltered when he smiled.

“Silly human. How conceited you are. To think that your body matters to this Sesshomaru. You possess nothing I’ve not seen before. Even more to the point, however, is the fact that I’m the current alpha of this pack. I may do whatever I wish. To you, or to anyone else. Do not think to question me, girl.” He cocked his head to the side at the look of horror that crossed her face.

“That is very fitting, girl. Do not forget who holds the power. You may inspire fear in the whelp through the use of your beads, but I hold no fear of you. Nor do I have reservations about harming you.”

Near tears, Kagome quietly waited for him to take his leave.