As the Playground Turns

As the Playground Turns...

Disclaimer:  I do not own the characters of Inuyasha.

~oOo~

Little Sesshoumaru was quite animated at the playgroup the next day as he watched over his Kagome with pleased eyes, telling everyone of her bravery in facing down a fully grown female inuyoukai – his own mother.  He was in such a good mood that even his twerp of a half-brother's usual antics weren't bothering him – and that was saying a lot.

Although... Touga had definitely noticed the lessening of hostilities between his sons – Kagome was a very good influence on his overly opinionated heir.  Anytime he started to get even a little out of hand, she would turn those devastating blue eyes of hers on his son, and that would be the end of whatever obnoxiously mean thing the boy was planning.

She was also a restraining influence on his youngest, who was quite wild in his antics at times.  All in all, he couldn't be happier with the female his son had chosen – even if it was unheard of for a seven year old to start a courtship.

And that's why the Inu no Taisho was willing to go along with the whole thing, and stood watching the three children with pride.  It was his turn to stay with the tykes at playgroup – the Higurashi's and he had worked this schedule out after Kagome's parents had adjusted to their daughter being courted by the heir to the West.

Toga grinned again as he heard his son telling the story of his mother's defeat once more to a wide eyed group of kids.  

'I will never tire of hearing that story,' he thought with a chortle.  'Life will definitely never be boring with Kagome around, that's for certain.'

That thought gave him great pleasure.

~oOo~

"... and she landed right on her rear with her clothes and hair smoking,"  little Sesshoumaru said proudly.  

Little Sango turned to little Kagome with wide-eyes and asked, "Did you really zap his mother?"

Little Kagome nodded, a blush on her cheeks.  "Yeah.  I didn't know who she was, 'cause when she came out and started yelling at Sesshoumaru, I just jumped in without looking at her.  I didn't mean to do it,"  she finished sadly.

"Well,"  the little brown-eyed girl said dubiously,  "he doesn't seem mad about it.  I think he's proud of you."

Kagome nodded.  "He is.  I guess his mother doesn't like humans, and she doesn't like him courting me.  She wanted him to court Kagura."

"Kagura?!"  Sango snorted.  "Why?  She's just a stupid little bully – even I can kick her butt, and I'm not even a miko!  She's afraid of my boomerang even... and I'm not that good at it yet,"  she giggled, patting the overly large object at her side.

Kagome was about to answer when a commotion at the front of the playground caught her attention, and she looked over, noticing a little boy with black hair in a high topknot entering the playground and looking around as if he owned it.

"Oh, look, Sango – a new boy!  I wonder what his name is?"  she said, watching the boy look around with interest.  "He's a youkai, too."

Sango watched as the boy's eyes landed on Kagome, and then shook her head when he grinned and headed straight for her best friend.  "Look out, Kagome... he's coming over here, and you know Sesshoumaru's gonna get mad as soon as he sees some boy talking to you without him here."

Before the little girl could even answer, she found herself picked up and thrown over a little boy's shoulders, and by the time her mind had caught up to her, she was on the other side of the playground being placed back on her feet as the little boy grabbed her hands and started talking a mile a minute.

"Hi I'm Kouga and I'm a wolf youkai and wolves mate for life and so now you're my woman got it?"  he told the bewildered little girl in run on sentences.  "I'm gonna be the ruler of the wolf clan when I grow up and that means you'll be my princess and we'll rule them together forever and have lots of little wolf cubs and..."

Kagome blinked, then blinked again, not hearing anything past 'Kouga' and 'my woman'.  After a few moments of trying to get her equilibrium back, she finally broke into the wolf's hundred mile an hour chatter about what their whole lives were going to be like.

Apparently he thought he could plan it all out right now.

"Um, I'm sorry, Kouga, but I can't be your woman.  I already belong to someone else,"  she said, trying to pull her hands away from the grabby boy.

"Then I'll just fight them and kick their butt and then you'll belong to me 'cause that's the youkai rules and youkai rules always count even if it's humans and..."

"If you wish to retain the use of your hands, wolf, you will take them off of my female,"  came the deadly cold voice of a very angry little daiyoukai whose youki was quite suddenly flaring wildly over the entire playground.  

Kouga froze as that youki crawled up his spine and slowly let Kagome's hands go to turn and stare at the person that was letting out so much dangerous power.

"Who're you?"  he asked, his brash personality kicking in despite his fear.  He wasn't about to just give up because some kid with a lot of youki said so – even if he was scared.  

"I am Sesshoumaru, heir to the Western Lands.  And Kagome is my female.  This one will not tolerate any further disrespect towards his intended.  You will refrain from calling her 'your woman' or face the consequences, wolf,"  he said dangerously.  "You cross me at your peril."

Little Kouga stepped back a pace at the tone of voice – and big words, some of which he didn't understand - and looked around at the suddenly rapt audience surrounding them all.  "Heh,"  he scoffed,  "you're just a dog.  I'm a wolf – we're better than dogs.  You afraid that... uh..."  he blushed and looked around at the little girl he'd been making eyes at and said sheepishly,  "Uh... I forgot to ask... what's your name?"

The entire group started laughing at the poor wolf cub as he blushed deeper, and Sesshoumaru took that moment to once more take his place at little Kagome's side.  Looking at his rival with an arrogant disdain that only he could have ever pulled off at a mere seven years old, he said,  "I fear nothing, wolf, least of all you.  My Kagome would never choose such a useless baby over one such as I."

Kouga growled in embarrassed anger at Sesshoumaru, and was about to say something when Inuyasha smacked him across the back, sending him flying into the dirt.  "Hah!  You're just a weakling,"  the hanyou howled with laughter, falling to the ground and pounding it in glee.  "I could beat you up, and I'm only five!"

Little Sesshoumaru looked on with a smirk at the sight of the wolf in the dirt, and was about to move over to him, when Touga belatedly pushed into the group of laughing kids, and shooed everyone off.  

He shook his head and sighed, then moved over to lift the little wolf cub out of the dirt, casting a quelling glance at his youngest son, who abruptly stopped his howling laughter.  "Sesshoumaru, take Kagome and go back to what you were doing, and Inuyasha,"  he glared at his son once more in warning, and the boy winced,  "you will wait here for me.  We need to have a little talk, you and I,"  he finished ominously.

Kagome, who'd kept her mouth shut once Sesshoumaru had arrived at her side, just followed along obediently as Sesshoumaru escorted her and Sango back to the little girl's boomerang, little Miroku trailing along behind them quietly – at least, until Sesshoumaru sent him a red-eyed glare, and then the mini-pervert scurried ahead with an ingratiating look at the scary inuyoukai child.

Sango just rolled her eyes.  "Looks like Miroku was looking at our bottoms again,"  she said.  "If Sesshoumaru hadn't scared him away, I'd have had to hit him with my boomerang, and I don't want to crack it on his hard head."

Kagome just nodded as a very irritated and jealous little boy plastered himself to her side, practically trying to climb inside her skin with her.  She really hoped that Kouga would get the message and not grab her anymore – otherwise, she would never get breathing room again.

AND that Miroku would finally stop staring at her bottom, or HE wouldn't be breathing for LONG.

As Sesshoumaru hovered protectively at her side glaring at every little boy on the playground with hellfire in his eyes, Kagome looked at Sango solemnly and sighed.  "You know what?  I think fairy tales are lies, 'cause nothing like this stuff ever happens in them."

Sango looked at her thoughtfully, and then shook her head.  "No... I think you're wrong, Kagome.  I remember one that was just perfect."

Looking confused, little Kagome looked at her friend, head tilted.  "Which one, Sango?"

The little girl giggled behind her hand.  "Little Red Riding Hood... and the Big, Bad, Wolf."

"If that wolf comes anywhere near my Kagome again, that story will have to be renamed Little Red Riding Hood and the stinky little wolf-pelt,"  a certain irate little Sesshoumaru snarled.

Touga, who was returning with a very chastised little Inuyasha in tow, guffawed behind his hand, unable to contain his humor at the sight of his riled up son and heir.

'I think I might just talk the Higurashi's into letting me watch the kids at playgroup all the time.  I can't think of anything more entertaining than this place – it's better than TV.'  

'It's like it's own little soap opera... As the Playground Turns, or something...'