Disclaimer: If owned Inuyasha, it would be much, much more interesting...and it'd appeal to an entirely different audience. -giggle-
Heartless-chan's Notes: Something I wrote at ten o'clock at night, then later fixed up to be a one-shot, as I've got nothing posted on this account yet.
Tiny paws dipped into the river of pure white. Inuyasha, at the time barely bigger than Shippo, was amusing himself by shifting the strands from side to side to watch them glide back into place. "Onii-chan!" Giggles. A small fist tugged on a pale lock of hair. The owner tilted his head so a shimmer of gold was barely visible. Satisfied big brother was listening, the boy exclaimed, "You have the most pretty hair I'd ever seen!"
"Should I be thanking you for that?" Was the dry response, but it lacked any true bite. The child amused himself by fluffing up the silky tresses. Absently stroking the pelt of fur slung over one shoulder, Sesshoumaru stated quietly, "I think you are wrong."
"Wrong?" The boy echoed, peering over the pelt-covered shoulder with wide gold eyes to watch his brother's face closely. "Mama's hair ain't even this pretty."
The elder's lips curved upward in a smile. "True, however..." Pulling the tiny child around to sit in his lap, he explained, "My hair is white." Little Inuyasha blinked, and pulled a lock of the Sesshoumaru's hair to examine. Then he held up a hank of his own. After comparing them for a minute, he decided,
"Mine's darker, Onii-chan!"
"Yours is silver."
"'s not pretty, though." He whined, looking upset. Sesshoumaru chuckled, running his claws through the younger brother's messy bangs. "That's because you don't take care of it."
Inuyasha's eyes turned teary, "But Mama's comb hurts!"
Now Sesshoumaru held back a laugh. "Very well. I shall help you, then...And I promise it shall be painless."
Inuyasha grinned. "Okay, Onii-chan."
With care, Sesshoumaru's claws slid through the snarled mane, patiently untangling knots...
Shaking away painful memories, Inuyasha ran his fingers through his hair, internally cursing the branch he had chosen to sleep on the previous night. It had given out, sending him crashing to the forest floor. Now he had all sorts of twigs and leaves in his hair. Normally, that wouldn't bother him, but he felt something moving within the silver folds, and that was...creepy.
Sigh.
Inuyasha's ears twitched. He glanced over his shoulder at where Kagome and Sango sat. They sent gooey looks back.
His brow furrowed. "What?"
A blink-blink (complete with sound effect) ensued, then still in unison the girls replied, "N-nothing!"
The hanyou arched an eyebrow. "...Whatever." He went back to the task of removing stray objects (and snarls).
Siiiiigh.
"What the hell?" Inuyasha barked, glaring at his female companions.
"Um, it's nothing...Eh heh heh..." Sango laughed, eyes darted around the campsite as if expecting Miroku to jump out and say something (Miroku had disappeared saying something about needing to meditate. Shippou had been chosen to follow after him, so as to see that the hentai houshi didn't get into trouble.).
Kagome laughed as well put a hand behind her head, a nervous gesture. "Um, Inuyasha, I was wondering...do you need help with your hair?" Sango gasped, then scowled at her friend.
"Cheater!" the huntress muttered under her breath.
Inuyasha chose to ignore that. He moved the mane of silver over one shoulder, clutching it protectively. "NO!" At Kagome's hurt look, he continued, "I'm not letting you put that stinky poo stuff on my head ever again!"
The schoolgirl sighed, but this time it was irritated. "I meant, with the stuff stuck in it! And it's 'shampoo'."
Inuyasha said nothing, but let his hands to limp, and contemplated. His mind swiftly recalled of another such offer ...
Claws.
Those deadly sharp claws he had thought were so gentle would eventually be ones to encircle his throat. Claws that would scratch, claws that would maim, claws that would strike to kill.
Letting Kagome help would erase the touch of those claws.
...She was watching him expectantly...
"No thanks, Kagome." Inuyasha replied quite calmly, and threaded his fingers through his long silver hair.
Owari!