What time is it?

Consciousness came to Inuyasha slowly. His eyes adjusted to the darkness quickly. He preferred to sleep in total darkness. It was comforting, in an odd way. Puppy ears flickered, and Inuyasha sat up. What had woken him up? His senses reached out around the little apartment he shared with his older brother. Sesshomaru was still asleep, meaning that it couldn't have been anything but Inuyasha's own teenage body. He looked at the clock on his nightstand. 6:29 AM. One minute before his alarm would go off. Might as well get up now.

Inuyasha laid back down, only to turn off the alarm on his phone before he got up for good. He lumbered to the light and flicked it on. His eyes hurt for a moment, but it quickly passed. Sesshomaru stirred next door. The hanyou could hear sheets shifting and Sesshomaru's heart beat changing.

It's just the two of them. It had been just the two of them for most of Inuyasha's life. Their father died soon after his birth, his mother died soon after. Sesshomaru's mother was nowhere to be seen and asking Sesshomaru about his mom always ended with an argument. Now, Sesshomaru was eighteen, a senior at the nearby high school. Inuyasha was fourteen, starting his freshman year.

The sun peeked over the horizon. Inuyasha stretched and yawned, showing those pretty white teeth. He changed into his outfit he had laid out last night. Some light wash jeans, a dark red halter top. It showed a bit of his midriff but Inuyasha didn't care. He lazily brushed out his hair with his long, sharp nails. He put it up in a messy bun, letting his sidelocks loose. He smiled at himself in the mirror, giving himself a twirl.

He could smell Sesshomaru getting ready. The minty toothpaste, the cigarette smoke, the calm before the storm scent that clung to his older brother's skin. Sesshomaru's skin prickled with power and elegance.

There was a knock at Inuyasha's door, startling him out of his thoughts. "Almost ready to go, Inuyasha," his brother's voice said from beyond the door. "Yeah," Inuyasha called back, giving himself one last look in the mirror before rushing out.

Sesshomaru drove a Dodge Charger. It was fast, loud, and the stereo made Inuyasha's seat vibrate. However, this early in the morning, not even his badass big brother would play music. Inuyasha watched the traffic outside, still waking up.

"Did you sleep well last night?"

The question caught the hanyou off guard. Usually Sesshomaru didn't talk to him. Especially on the way to school.

"I did," came the hesitant reply. Was this a trap?

"Good," Sesshomaru said, his eyes trained on the road. The car growled and rumbled, apparently just as opposed to being awake this early as the rest of them.

Upon arriving to the school, Inuyasha walked slightly behind his Alpha big brother. His ears twitched nervously, and he bumped into Sesshomaru a few times due to walking too close. He didn't seem to mind, however. Inuyasha could even sense a bit of amusement in the older one's vibe. "Fuck," Inuyasha grumbled, realizing he forgot his phone charger. No big deal. Kouga always had his phone charger in third period. The two brothers walked into the school silently. Then, standing just inside, Sesshomaru paused. Inuyasha, so caught up in making sure no one was staring at his puppy ears, bumped right into him. "Hey, what do you think you're doing," Inuyasha grumbled, trying to regain his composure. "I will see you after school. Wait by the car for me," is all Sesshomaru said, then turned sharply on his heel and entered the cafeteria. Inuyasha huffed, adjusting his backpack and kept on walking. The school was an inside campus- thankfully. Two sets of stairs, both leading to the same upper floor, was in the main hallway. Down both ends were hallways of classrooms. Upstairs was the Freshman Academy- where most of the freshman classes were. Inuyasha sat under the stairs, waiting patiently for his friends to arrive. It wouldn't take too long.

Inuyasha looked up from his phone to look into the cafeteria. Sesshomaru was sitting at a table, dressed devilishly in that black leather jacket. He was joined by his two close friends, Naraku and Kagura. They were siblings or...something.

"Inuyasha," a voice called. The scent of wolf reached his nose and Inuyasha didn't need to turn to see who it was. "Morning Kouga," Inuyasha grumbled, looking at his friend. Despite the way they seemed to hate each other, Kouga and Inuyasha had been friends since elementary school. Kouga had his hair down for once, and smelled like shampoo. So the filthy wolf bathed? Inuyasha smiled a bit, his golden eyes suddenly much more awake.

"Did you do Mr. Oliver's homework," Kouga asked, slinging an arm around his best friend's shoulder. Inuyasha playfully growled, showing his sharp teeth as he spoke,"I don't want your stench on me, wolf." Kouga just smiled, showing his even sharper teeth. "Yes, I did," Inuyasha hissed, hitting Kouga's arm off from his shoulders. Inuyasha dug through his backpack, producing the worksheet for their math class. He could have sworn he forgot it on the kitchen table like usual. Only Sesshomaru could have placed his homework in his bag.

Kouga smiled brightened upon seeing the completed math worksheet. He eagerly took it and began copying. "Damn, how did you get number four," Kouga asked, trying to decipher Inuyasha's work. "Oh, Sesshomaru helped me with it," Inuyasha said. His golden eyes found his big brother again. Sesshomaru and his friends seemed so...far away. So untouchable. Was it their age? No, Inuyasha had an easy enough time getting along with most upperclassmen. Perhaps it was their calm, even demeanors. Their voices never seemed to raise, they didn't get too upset over anything. They looked to be having a pleasant conversation, but for all Inuyasha knew they were all arguing.

"Thanks, dude you're a lifesaver," Kouga said after some time, handing the worksheet back to his friend. Inuyasha smiled, stuffing it back into his bag. "You're welcome. If not for me, you'd be failing Algebra, wouldn't you," Inuyasha teased. Kouga growled low, but Inuyasha just laughed. He knew that Kouga wasn't really angry with his taunting. Kouga's comeback was interrupted by the bell ringing. Was it already eight o'clock? The space around them was filled to the brim with students. The hallways quickly became a crowded, loud place to be. Inuyasha gathered up his things, eager to get out of the crowded space and into the safety of his first period.

He heard them whispering. His sensitive puppy ears picked up their snide comments. Did they not think he couldn't hear their hurtful words? Half-breed, they whispered to each other. Dirty, worthless, half-breed. Inuyasha's ears pressed down against his head, and he walked quicker to his first class. Once he got to the door, Kouga slung his arms around Inuyasha's shoulders again. "Don't listen to 'em, Yasha," he said, knowing what was wrong without even asking. Kouga patted Inuyasha's shoulder, getting his mouth close to the hanyou's puppy ears, "I'll beat them up if you want me to." A faint blush coated Inuyasha's cheeks and he roughly shoved Kouga off of him, "Fuck off! I don't need your damn help! You bastard!" Kouga laughed loudly, above the nose of the hallway. Inuyasha tried to cover up his embarrassment with cursing, but his face only became more red in the process. He felt eyes on him from all sides, but brilliant white hair and the scent of storms caught Inuyasha's eye. Sesshomaru was on the other end of the hallway, his eyes hardened and narrowed. He was...staring. Or, watching, maybe. Naraku is beside him, standing just a bit shorter. Inuyasha blushed more and turned his attention back to Kouga. "I'll see you in math," he mumbled, but he knew that Kouga would be able to hear him. Kouga followed Inuyasha's eyes, seeing nothing there.

"Fine," Kouga said, giving Inuyasha a friendly, quick hug before trotting off to his next class. Inuyasha exhaled slowly, slipping into the cool refuge of the classroom.

Every period passed in a blur, and eventually it was lunch time. Inuyasha sat at a round table in the middle of the cafeteria. Completely engrossed in his snapchat that he didn't notice the presence sliding into the seat next to him. Inuyasha looked up quickly, somewhat surprised to see someone sitting in the seat next to him. No one ever sat next to him. "Can I help you," Inuyasha said warily, turning his phone face down and holding onto it tightly.

"Actually, half-breed, you can help me. See, I have this...problem."

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. He looked at the face in front of him, seeing the mischief. He looked in the background, finding a group of other boys watching them closely, whispering to each other. Hurt flickered across Inuyasha's eyes, which was quickly replaced with rage. Inuyasha growled lowly, "Get away from me. I don't care who put you up to this. I'll-"

"You won't be doing anything, hanyou." the stranger growled back. Inuyasha hissed out a warning, sensing the other male trying to assert some sort of dominance. He stood quickly, off to find another spot. A more secluded one this time. He turned around with a huff, only to feel hands on his hips. With a tug, Inuyasha fell backwards and into the stranger's lap. Anger overrode the surprise, which was then consumed with panic.

"Get your fucking paws off me, pervert," Inuyasha yelled loudly, thrashing wildly. The panic rose in his chest, bubbling up throat and tasting foul in his mouth. As the words left his mouth, he smelled his brother. Inuyasha didn't have time to react, for suddenly another pair of hands were on the hanyou's torso. With a harsh pull, Inuyasha was ripped from the stranger's arms- pressed right into the solid chest of his elder brother.

"Menomaru, get your motherfucking hands off of my little brother," Sesshomaru growled lowly. His voice vibrated in his sternum, which Inuyasha's puppy ears were pressed against. A small shiver came down his spine, and he quickly tried pulling away. Sesshomaru wouldn't budge, however, his youkai flaring slightly.

The stranger- Menomaru- smirked, his eyes seemingly glued to Inuyasha's perky bottom, "Oh forgive me, Sesshomaru ...I did not know that this was your little brother." Menomaru certainly wouldn't start a fight, right? Right? Inuyasha made a soft sound, relaxing in his brother's tight hold. There was a stretch of silence. Sesshomaru's energy crackled in the air like heat lightning. He was every bit intimidating. He could ruin Menomaru with one hand tied behind his back and Menomaru knew it. "You are not so stupid to feign ignorance, are you," Sesshomaru said calmly, although his voice was laced with possessive anger, "You know very well that Inuyasha is my younger sibling. Yet, you put your hands on him when he clearly wanted nothing to do with you. Get out my sight before I beat your ass." Menomaru backed down, lowering his head and angrily standing up. He was going to say something, but another growl from Sesshomaru shut the pervert right up.

"Did he hurt you," Sesshomaru asked softly, pulling back a bit to look at his younger brother. "N-No," Inuyasha said softly, his cheeks a soft shade of pink. Sesshomaru let him go, then, and Inuyasha stumbled back. He stood there for a moment, before his older brother turned and left. He didn't say anything, his job as Responsible Big Brother taken care of. Inuyasha saw him sit with Naraku, crossing his long legs elegantly. They talked, with Sesshomaru taking bites of Naraku's lunch and Naraku smothering his laughs.

After school, Inuyasha walked to the student parking lot with Kouga beside him. "Menomaru did what," Kouga exclaimed, stopping momentarily. The wind blowed slightly, and Inuyasha sniffed the air. Exhaust, Kouga, youkai...No Sesshomaru. Inuyasha turned to Kouga and smiled a bit, "Menomaru shoved me into his lap and Sesshomaru nearly beat his ass for doing so. If Menomaru didn't turn tail when he did, I don't know if he'd be able to come to school tomorrow." Kouga smiled too, and they continued walking, "Yeah well...Sesshomaru just did his job. Dogs aren't far from wolves, ya know. It wouldn't surprise me that Sesshomaru is so...family orientated. You're part of his pack- of course he's going to want to protect you. Especially from creeps like Menomaru."

Inuyasha looked up at the sky, looking at the ominus gray clouds. A few raindrops landed on his forehead. It would really start pouring soon. Hopefully Sesshomaru concluded whatever business he had and came out here quickly. Kouga stared at Inuyasha for a moment, before huffing and saying, "Alright. See you tomorrow, then." Inuyasha nodded and stood by his brother's car. He watched Kouga leave, then decided to become absorbed into his phone.

He didn't knew when it started pouring rain. Just a few seconds ago it was a pleasant sprinkle. But now, Inuyasha had his phone protected in his backpack, and shivering slightly as his clothes stuck to him. Wet skinny jeans were very very uncomfortable. It seemed like forever until he saw a familiar head of brilliant white hair. "Sesshomaru, unlock this damn car, now," Inuyasha hissed between his clenched teeth. His brother smirked at him, before unlocking the car. Inuyasha ripped open the door and slid into the front seat- into the safety and warmth of the vehicle. Sesshomaru got in much more elegantly. The traffic was intense leaving, and it's not like the two of them had anywhere to be. So they would sit in the parking lot until the traffic died down. They sat in silence, besides the music. Eventually, Sesshomaru ran a hand through his hair and said, "I'm joining the football team again this year."

Inuyasha kept his face trained on his phone, "Good for you. That just means I'll be sitting after school waiting for you to get done with practice."

"The cheerleaders practice when we do."

"So?"

"It might give you something to do. Besides you're much more flexible than I am. I'm sure you'll make varsity with ease, little brother."

Inuyasha's face lit up. He choked on his own spit, and his ears pressed against his head, and he protested loudly, "I ain't no girl, Sesshomaru! I'm not being a goddamn cheerleader!" Sesshomaru sighed dramatically, looking out his window, "I suppose you're right. You don't have the discipline and smile that those pretty cheerleaders have."

Inuyasha turned his head pointedly, and crossed his arms with a huff. So Sesshomaru didn't think he could do it? Well he'd show him..he'd show his stick-in-the-ass big brother that he could cheerlead if he really wanted to.

Sesshomaru smirked to himself, putting the car in drive. His plan worked perfectly. It would only be a matter of time before Inuyasha was doing backflips in a little cheerleader outfit.