There were some things that a little brother just couldn't accept.
Like Kagome leaving her girly shampoos, soaps, and other girl products everywhere in their shared bathroom. Or her dumping her end of the chores on him with the excuse that Inuyasha wanted her back early, when any other time she'd fight with him to stay. Souta couldn't accept it when she took on too much, and immediately stepped in to lighten the burden for her, reminding her about important dates of exams, bringing her forgotten homework and books to school for her before going to his own, on the occasion that she was back from the past long enough to even go to school that is. And when she was, he made sure to walk with her on the way home because he was worried about how much of an air head she was; she might get lost, after all.
These simple things were truly unacceptable to Souta as a little brother. Even though he was younger then his dear sister, he was the man and therefore he needed to watch out for her. While she was away on her adventures, he relied upon his hero Inuyasha to take care of her, but when she was home in their time, he was in charge.
In order to keep up with it all and to assist his sister, Souta pushed himself in every aspect. He studied hard and took harder classes than necessary for his level in order to get closer to that of his sisters, so that when she came home and didn't understand something, he could help her out as much as he could with his knowledge. He trained his body as much as his mind, practicing soccer with friends and alone, doing his best during games. When Kagome came home, haggard and in low spirits by the dealings of the past, he'd draw her out with his stories of a counting down clock and a quick kick to get the game-winning goal. It never failed to bring the spark back to her true blue eyes.
"Kagome! Sister! Wait, you forgot your biology book! You have a test today, remember?" shouted Souta as he ran down the shared street to their schools. Kagome turned around sharply in front of him, the panicked look on her face letting him know that she wasn't ready at all for the test.
Reaching his sister, Souta drew out said textbook from his messenger bag and handed it over. As Kagome reached out to take it, worrying her bottom lip as was her bad habit in times of panic, Souta didn't let go. Instead, he caught her eye, taking on a serious and firm look as he spoke.
"The test is on micro-organisms. That's chapter 4, most of the important stuff is in sections 3, 4, 6, and 8. Terminology is at the end of each chapter, so be sure to review those. Take your time reading it over during lunch and you should do well enough to pass. Okay, sis?" he said, smiling gentle at her as he let go of the book.
Kagome gave her little brother a sheepish look. Removing her pack from her shoulder to tuck the book inside, she noted that four brightly colored markers were sticking out of the long side. 'He must have put page marks in each section for me to read,' she thought, a sisterly warmth filling her. Souta was always taking care of her, even though she was the older sibling.
"Thank you Souta." Kagome said, giving her dear little brother her best smile.
Grinning back, Souta started to walk down the street again, walking on the side closest to the street. 'Knowing Kagome, she'll get lost in thought and walk right out in the middle of traffic!' he thought amusedly, gently bumping his shoulder against hers.
"Hey, what are big brothers for?" he teased.
"Big brother? I'm much older then you!" Kagome said, sending him a sharp glance. Her warm smile had disappeared as her hot-spirited temper sparked.
Glancing at her again in amusement, Souta bumped his shoulder against hers again, causing her to stumble a bit to the side, unknowingly missing a large dip in the cement that would have otherwise caused her to trip. 'Careless,' Souta thought.
"You may be older then me, but you haven't grown an inch past 5'4" since you entered high school. In the last year alone I've grown at least 3 more inches, so I'm just as tall as you, if not a bit taller! Therefore, I'm the big brother!" he smirked at her startled look, looking him up and down in close exception. "And, I'm still growing."
Kagome frowned as she gave Souta a serious look over. Since the time she had started to travel between the two times, her regular life had been put on the back burner. She did her best to keep up with school and spend time with her family but that wasn't always a success. 'Actually, lately I haven't paid any of them much attention, my head's been too stuck in the past,' she thought with a deepening frown.
Being so busy, she had barley noticed her brother's gain in height and because she had let it go in and out of her mind for so long, actually looking at his growth now was a bit of a shock. While once her dear little brother had stood as high as her navel, he now stood should to shoulder with her. Most of it was in his legs, but the rest of him had grown up as well, his shoulders broadening and the added weight of muscles forming. It made her blink to see that his once cute round face had become more angular, his cheek bones standing out sharply. Souta was becoming a handsome young man.
Staring at him in stunned awareness, Kagome stopped walking. She kept on looking at him, looking for pieces of the little brother that she remembered so well. The baby brother that used to bug her to play with him, that ran to her asking her to save him from grandpa's craziness, or even the one that stared at Inuyasha in hero-worshiping awe. But none of those things stood out clearly anymore, they had faded away and grown into more.
"When did you grow up?" Kagome asked in a nostalgic voice.
"When did you become such an airhead?" he asked back, the smirk still in place.
Kagome's nostalgic feelings quickly switched from warm and fuzzy to temperamental and annoyed. 'Little brothers are still little brothers, so annoying!' she thought in secret relief. With that she began to chase her grown up little brother down the street, the sound of his laughter being followed by her sisterly threats.
'This is acceptable,' Souta thought, soaking in the feelings of having his sister home.