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Sesshoumaru stared at his twin sons and their younger sister, wondering what trouble they'd gotten into now. They appeared innocent, but he knew better, their wide and eager smiles giving them away. They were up to something.
"Papa," the youngest crooned, green eyes sparkling. "We've been pro-gress-ing well in our studies, right?" Sesshoumaru's gaze instantly turned to his sons, knowing they'd coached her.
Predictably, he saw the look of mischief in their eyes. "Have you?" he queried, watching them intently.
They lowered their heads, sparkling eyes peering up to meet his gaze. "Ye-eess," they chorused.
"Hnn." He glanced around for their guards, who were nowhere to be seen. "Then where are Sadamune and Naritake?"
The oldest twin began to say, "They—" But his slightly younger brother nudged him in the ribs, whispering, "Shhhh! Don't tell!"
Sesshoumaru gave Hiroki and Takahiro a stern look. Hiroki was quieter, more cunning, but Takahiro's brashness was often his undoing. "I am waiting, pup."
Takahiro nudged the dirt with his feet, eyes cast down, knowing he might have put himself and his siblings in trouble. "Well—"
Before he finished his words, however, their sister blurted, "They went to find food for the cat!"
"The cat," Sesshoumaru echoed in disbelief. "There is no cat in the shiro."
"There wasn't," Hiroki bravely corrected him.
"Why is there a cat in the shiro?" He glanced between the three children.
"Because we found one almost drowning in the river," Takahiro admitted, his voice wavering, but his earnest green eyes stared at his father's unflinchingly.
Sesshoumaru let out a small sigh. "And where is it now?"
All three children's faces lit up. His daughter took him by the hand, Hiroki took the other, and Takahiro led their group toward the east garden of the shiro. Resigned, he followed, hoping the cat would not be a nuisance to deal with. He'd never been fond of felines.
Suddenly, the children stopped. Sesshoumaru watched as Takahiro reached into one of the shrubs, pulled out a wet bundle of white fur, and proudly held it in front of him. "She even looks like you, Papa!"
Sesshoumaru wanted to reject the claims, but as Ichika, his daughter, joined in, he was helpless to refuse.
But he also knew the presence of a feline would disturb the dynamic of a canine household. He opened his mouth to refuse, but the mangy creature released a pitiful mewl and looked up at him with bright blue eyes.
It looked so weak. So damned helpless. And those eyes—
Sesshoumaru struggled to smother his grimace. He had to admit he had a particular weakness for blue eyes.
"We named it already," Takahiro said, puffing out his chest. "Ichika picked the name."
"It's Yoshi," Ichika announced, the pride palpable in her voice. "For good luck."
"It is a cat." He sniffed. "Felines are incapable of providing luck."
Ichika's crestfallen expression made him regret his words immediately. He slipped his forefinger under his daughter's chin and tilted her head, meeting her saddened gaze. "But I am sure Yoshi will be very… happy living in the shiro."
He managed—only just—to hide his wince, but seeing his children's happy faces almost made it worth the trouble.
Almost.
He reached out automatically as Takahiro reached out to put the cat into his father's hands. He would not put this thing close to his chest. Instead, he held it by the scruff between his forefinger and thumb.
It mewled as it looked at him. "See?" Ichika said eagerly. "She likes you."
Sesshoumaru lifted it a little higher, then raised an eyebrow. "It is male."
Ichika immediately shoved Takahiro. "You said it was a girl!" she accused.
He pouted. "The fluff was in the way."
"That's called a tail," Hiroki corrected, giving Takahiro a look.
"It's still fluff," Takahiro insisted.
Ichika, however, looked ready to cry. "I wanted a little sister!"
Meanwhile, the cat struggled in Sesshoumaru's hold, meowing and swatting with his tiny claws. "That is enough," he told them, his voice firm. "If you truly wish for this cat to stay at the shiro, each of you will be responsible for caring for it."
All three children froze, then looked up at him in glee. "He can stay?" they all squealed.
Artwork by JulytheArtist
"So it would seem." He hid a sigh as he spied his mate coming around the corner.
They all grabbed onto his robes, chattering at once at how they'd each take care of their new pet, Kagome raising an eyebrow in question as she stopped in front of them.
"They have found a kitten," he said to his mate with great reluctance.
"And you let them keep it?" Kagome seemed more surprised at his decision than the fact their children had adopted an abandoned feline.
"Let is a relative term," he said, attempting to run his hand through his hair, forgetting he was still holding the feline, and hissing when he sank his tiny claws into his scalp.
Kagome bit back a laugh. "Seems like you found something to keep you busy for a while," she teased.
Sesshoumaru gave his mate an arched look. "The children have promised to look after the troublesome feline. I will have nothing to do with it."
Kagome snorted as she patted his shoulder. "That's always how it starts."
Sesshoumaru glared at the pitiful cat still dangling from his fingers. Its fur was wet and matted, caked with dirt. It was so thin that he could practically see its ribs jutting out from its underbelly.
It needed a bath, food, and rest—preferably in that order.
Stifling a groan, he ushered the children toward the bathhouse, encouraging them to strip down so they could wash the dirt from themselves as well.
He would have to deal with the kitten himself.
It did not help that the kitten still remembered the traumatic experience of nearly drowning in the river. It fought him tooth and nails.
His hands were covered in scratches before he'd even gotten half his body wet.
And he could hear his children's giggles.
He was tempted to throw the tiny feline at them but knew it would only end in tears—and a scolding from his mate.
His daughter suddenly screeched. "You're drowning her!"
Considering how hard the thing had latched onto his arm, he didn't think it was possible, but he sighed and lifted it out of the water. "I am not drowning anyone. And I told you before, it is male."
Ichika sniffled loudly. "H-he's all wet and crying!"
"As were you when you were a pup," he replied, dropping a bit of soap onto the supposedly drowned feline. Though he questioned its origins now—it looked more like a rat than a cat.
"He's so ugly now." Ichika would not be consoled as she wailed.
"When you are nothing but fluff when dry, you would look the same, pup," Sesshoumaru admonished, setting the feline down on the side of the spring. "See to it that you dry him properly."
Ichika pouted. "I don't know how."
Sesshoumaru shifted his attention to the two elder pups. "Show your sister." Hiroki grabbed a towel as he stepped towards Ichika, Takahiro on his heels. To their surprise, the tiny beast hissed at them, then waddled back towards Sesshoumaru.
The daiyoukai took a step back, eyeing the feline with a narrowed set of eyes. It let out a pathetic mew, then flopped down on his hair as if the weight of the water weighed it down.
"It looks like he likes you, Papa," Ichika pointed out.
Sesshoumaru picked him up by the neck again, glaring at the rapid ball of fluff. "It has fewer brain cells than Jaken." It meowed loudly as though in protest.
The sodden ball of fluff swotted at his hair, his mate chuckling before taking the kitten from him. "Be nice. You're supposed to be a role model." He huffed but could see no way out of the situation. He would have to dry the scrap of fur himself.
Kagome smothered a chuckle as Sesshoumaru grabbed a towel, the cat hissing as he attempted to dry it and latching onto his arm with tiny claws.
Sesshoumaru hissed as well, the claws surprisingly sharp enough to puncture his skin that he fleetingly wondered if it was part youkai. He lifted it to his eyes to meet its gaze, but it just mewled pitifully.
"You have to be gentle, Papa," the twins chorused, and Sesshoumaru wondered how many times he would be berated with the word before the feline's time was up.
He stifled a sigh as he picked up a clean rag and rubbed the cat dry, setting it on the engawa outside the bathing chamber so it could benefit from the warm afternoon sun, but the kitten reached out and mewled for him again.
He swatted its paw away and took a step back. It cried out, and his pups immediately began to cry. "You're hurting her!"
Sesshoumaru heaved a deep sigh. "The little menace is a male," he repeated for what seemed like the umpteenth time.
Ichika stomped her foot. "She has a name, Daddy!"
He smiled at his daughter, but inwardly, he still cringed. "Very well. Yoshi is male, and he needs to sit in the sun to dry."
Ichika sniffled as Hiroki moved to comfort her. "It's alright, Sis. Yoshi will sunbathe, and we'll come get him when he's ready to play," he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.
"I don't wanna leave her!" Ichika sniffed back tears.
Kagome came to his rescue and placed her hand on the pup's shoulder. "Come, my love, you and your brothers have lessons to do this afternoon."
"But the baby—" Ichika wouldn't budge even as her mother gave her a stern look.
Her mother looked at her father, smiling with obvious mischief shining in her blue eyes. "Papa will take care of him."
Ichika turned her big bright blue eyes on her dad. "You will, Daddy?"
Sesshoumaru raked his fingers through his hair. "I will watch him, that is all."
Ichika's lower lip trembled, and even her elder brothers looked upset. "She could get hurt!"
Sesshoumaru arched a brow. "Do you truly think anything could get hurt under your father's watch?"
"You don't even like him," Takahiro pointed out, hands on his hips in perfect mimicry of his mother. "You probably just want Jaken to babysit him for you."
"I will remind you that the last time you brought home a pet, you neglected to keep the fish in water," he said, eying his son.
Takahiro immediately flushed. "Well, Hiroki said—"
"I thought it was a youkai fish!" his brother argued, the same colour tinting his cheeks.
"What youkai fish is that dumb?" Takahiro fired back, indignant.
"I meant that it should've been able to breathe until we got home!" he said, swiping at him.
Sesshoumaru's voice rang above the start of the squabble. "You all need lessons if you cannot distinguish a youkai fish from an ordinary one," he said, eying them sternly. "Listen to your mother and do as she asks."
A trio of mouths opened but quickly snapped shut at the fierce glare that followed the command. "Yes, Papa," they chorused, heads hanging low as they headed toward their rooms, Ichika looking back constantly.
Sesshoumaru was relieved as silence descended again—at least until he heard another mewl.
He looked down at the matted ball of fluff and sighed. How did he get himself into these messes?
The bright afternoon sun dried Yoshi in no time. Holding it by the scruff of its neck, Sesshoumaru studied the feline, begrudgingly noting the similarities of the cat's fluffy white fur to his true form.
Perhaps his pups had a small point in their similarities, he allowed, but his true form was far superior.
The cat mewled as though disagreeing. He stared it down, hoping to assert dominance, but it glared back at him unrepentantly. This was why he'd never liked felines. They simply did not understand their place.
He sighed. "I have some business to attend to. I suppose there is no choice but to let you come with me. But—" He stared at Yoshi again. "You must promise to be on your best behaviour." Yoshi mewled, and he took that as tacit agreement.
He entered his study, relishing the quiet embrace of his private space, and sat down behind his desk. Yoshi immediately clambered out of his hold to explore. With any luck, the kitten would be too distracted to be a nuisance.
A few minutes passed in peace while he inspected some crucial documents, and he thought he had managed the transition of the new pet into the household smoothly—then he heard the unmistakable sound of ripping paper.
Sesshoumaru slowly turned around, eyes widening with horror as he watched Yoshi use his claw-tipped paws to knead a five-hundred-year-old scroll he had set aside in the corner for review.
He grabbed Yoshi by the scruff of the neck, giving it a little shake, and immediately blanched.
Yoshi's tail had found the ink well.
Dark spots covered his desk, blotting out specific names on the documents below, and a low growl sounded in the back of his throat—a moment before Yoshi's paw touched his nose. He blinked, staring down at deep blue eyes as Yoshi mewled—and then tried to lick him.
Immediately, he drew back, holding the cat farther away from him. "Lick only yourself," he admonished. Yoshi mewed again, batting at his hand as if it were a game.
"This office is not a toy," he lectured, wagging one finger. The cat widened its eyes, following the movement of his finger. Then, it began swatting as though it thought they were continuing the game.
"My fingers are not a toy, either," he admonished sternly, but the kitten was determined to play—and win.
He pounced on his hand as soon as he turned away.
His paws were damp with ink, smearing tiny paw prints on his hand and everywhere else.
Sesshoumaru stifled a groan. "If you did not belong to the pups, I would be testing your ability to fly," he said, eying the nearest window.
But his expression softened when Yoshi Yoshi began to nibble on his finger. "Are you hungry?" He had not even thought the kitten might be hungry. The kitten's blue eyes rounded as it let out another pitiful meow. A little pink tongue darted to lick around its mouth.
"No." He stopped Yoshi. "Ink is not good for you, cat." At this rate, another bath would be needed. Sesshoumaru let out an aggravated sigh, glancing at the stack of missives on his desk. They were important, but if Yoshi continued his antics, they would not get done this way.
Heaving another sigh, he grabbed the ball of fluff and headed toward the garden. Perhaps if he tired the creature out, it would leave him in peace. He quickly cleaned Yoshi off before he set the kitten down in the garden.
He allowed him to explore, settling down against one of the trees, one arm laying across a raised knee as he kept the kitten in plain view.
When a servant passed by, he requested a simple meal to be brought for the cat. He could not risk Yoshi eating anything unsuitable and falling ill—his pups would not forgive him. But the kitten would only eat from Sesshoumaru's hands. It seemed impossibly spoiled.
He nudged the bowl filled with dried fish towards Yoshi, silently urging it to eat, but it only stared back at him with pleading blue eyes.
If he allowed it to starve, his pups would never forgive him. Sighing heavily, he gave in.
Yoshi munched happily, licking its mouth when it gobbled up the last bit of food. Then, it boldly climbed onto Sesshoumaru's lap, circling round and round before settling for a nap. Within seconds, Yoshi was fast asleep.
Sesshouaru sat staring at it, glaring at it, willing it to get up and move, but Yoshi merely rolled over on his belly.
The afternoon sun warmed the cat's body, and evidently, he refused to move.
Sesshoumaru hid a sigh. Perhaps he should work out here for the day. The cat stretched on his lap, nuzzled its face against his stomach, and began to purr.
But Sesshoumaru did manage to get through three scrolls before Yoshi yawned and stretched.
Laying the scrolls aside, he lay back against the tree, allowing the sigh to escape this time, slowly closing his eyes. He vaguely sensed the cat climbing up his torso before plopping down on his chest, nestling its furry head under his chin. It was oddly endearing for such a mangled little creature.
He tried to suppress his yawn, but it came out of nowhere. Idly, he lifted his hand to give the cat a light scratch under its chin, his chest vibrating with happy purrs.
Before he knew it, Sesshoumaru was nodding off.
His lips twitched with amusement when the cat stirred just enough to rub its head against his chin before settling back down.
He awoke a short time later when the cat's paw suddenly found its way into Sesshoumaru's open mouth. Immediately, he pulled the cat away by its scruff and straightened.
The kitten was not the least bit repentant.
He inched his face closer until their noses almost touched. "I thought we had reached an understanding, cat."
Yoshi battled his nose and mewled loudly in his face. Sighing, Sesshoumaru leaned against the tree and returned the cat to his lap.
"What am I to do with you?" he murmured, glancing up to see his pups gaping at him.
"Papa!" his daughter yelled. "What did you do?"
Sesshoumaru sighed heavily. "He is still alive."
"But he's all… weak and flat! He's not moving!" she cried.
"He is attempting to sleep," Sesshoumaru rebuked his daughter gently. "You will wake him."
She approached and knelt beside her father, peering at the kitten whose eyes nearly closed, and the kitten thankfully stretched, sticking one arm straight up in the air. His sons came along, and soon, they all crowded around him, watching one tiny kitten falling asleep like it was the most fascinating sight to behold.
He would not be able to convince them to find a better home for the feline now.
A cat in a house full of dog demons might not be the norm. But, as he watched his pups gazing down at the kitten sleeping peacefully on his chest, he sensed the joy radiating from them.
Perhaps possessing the kitten would not be so terrible a thing—so long as he kept the feline far away from his inks.
Besides, as he lightly scratched Yoshi's chin, listening to it purring happily on his chest, he could not deny: the kitten was adorable.
Though he initially remained silent about his decision, it became all too obvious the following day when he had furniture and toys commissioned for the kitten—all to ensure Yoshi found other ways of occupying himself in Sesshoumaru's study.
If he could not keep the menace out, he would find a way of amusing the kitten within.
But, as he watched his children staring at the sleeping kitten fondly, laughing together, he could not contain a small smile.
The joyous expressions on their faces made all the trouble worth it.