Author's Note: This is my first Inuyasha fic, so have mercy ^_^;; A two- piece fic (maybe three, depending how long it is when I finish); originally it was going to be just a one shot, but, er..it started getting a bit long. ^^; I wanted to explore the brotherly relationship between two characters who I feel don't interact enough in fics, since their relationship I think may be deeper than is given credit. Nope, no Fluffy in this one-this fic is, believe it or not, about Inuyasha and Souta. ^_^ With a few dashes of Inu/Kag thrown in because I'm a romantic sap. ^^; Ah yes, and otouto is Japanese for "little brother". Comments and critiques are more than welcome, as is criticism so long as it's constructive. ^^ Please? ^^;

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is mine. *looks blankly at all the stares* What? He's mine! He's mine I tell you, mine, mine! You can't take him from me! Nooooooo! ;_; *grabs onto his leg and clings as the copyright police of Rumiko Takahashi--who, alright, did sort of create Inuyasha and all, and who of course has all the rights and is kind enough to let poor desperate fanfic authors use her characters in a non-profit way--arrive in their nice white coats to try to pry her off, shaking their heads sadly* Noooooooooooo! ;-;



Part One ~ Otouto

"She has a family, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha looked up briefly, then scowled and turned his gaze back to the floor of Kaede's hut. He wanted to be alone right now. He had already vented the entire day, screaming and cussing like a full-blooded demon, and now as evening set in he just wanted to be alone to sulk. By himself, with his thoughts. About.her. Why did they think he put on such a show? To drive them away, grrr. And most got the hint and had backed off hours ago, leaving the young man to his quiet. But no, not damned Miroku.

"What's that got to do with anything?" the hanyou mumbled finally.

Miroku stoked the cook fire with the end of his staff. The glowing embers snapped and cracked as the flames came alive again, rewarding him with a warm, autumn light that set the shadows flickering around the two. He closed his eyes and took a calm sip of tea before responding. "She has a family. That's all. You should let her spend more time with them. They surely worry about her, and she surely worries about them, and it isn't fair to her when you put up such a fuss like this. She has something special." There was a significant pause, and when Miroku opened his eyes their look was distant with the memory of his own lost father. "Not all of us are so lucky."

Inuyasha snorted, staring at the ground.that one had struck home. More than he'd let the monk know.

"Huh."

"You may not find much value in it, my friend," Miroku continued, "but I'm sure many long for the chance that Kagome has. Shippou lost his parents at such a young age, I myself have had my losses.besides Kagome, Sango and yourself are the only ones with any blood relatives left alive, if Kohaku can really be considered fully alive anymore. And your brother, ah." Inuyasha bristled as the monk trailed off, stung again.

"My brother. My brother wants me to die," Inuyasha finished, blunt. Bitterly, he scuffed the floor with his claws, leaving long marks. "My parents left me with nothing but this cursed half-blood and a brother who who'd like to spill it, and I've known him far longer than I did them. The word 'brother' means nothing to me," he spat. "As does family. Not much of one, is it monk?"

"I'm afraid not," Miroku agreed, his smile sad. The two were silent for several minutes, watching the flames glint off of the monk's staff and glow in the hanyou's white hair like firelight on snow. The houshi watched the golden-eyed demon's expressions carefully as they sat, reading the emotions beneath them. Anger first, then pain, then something unreadable, and anger again-always back to anger, Miroku mused. Perhaps anger made it easier to hide from himself.

Inuyasha stood up at last and made for the door. "I'm bringing her back."



The cold light of the moon was little comfort as Inuyasha ran through the forest, the trees bleached white like bones beneath it. In fact, it made things worse-an overwhelming swell of loneliness swept through him, driving him on through the silence. Inuyasha had finally found himself alone.

He wished now that he wasn't.

"Damn her," he said aloud, but without any real feeling behind it. He then sighed. Solitude had never bothered him before-at least that he'd admit to himself-but he had gotten so used to her presence, so used to her being there, comforting scents and gentle smiles and.and that warm aura she had about her. She was making him weak, damn it. Feeling weak made him angry out of sheer instinct; it was how he survived so long. But..she was so warm. It made up for something he had always lacked. One that he couldn't place, but that was like a clawed hand through his gut.

A scowl set in his jaw again at that thought and the image it brought to mind. His brother. "No--damn that blasted monk." Damn him for bringing back those memories, making him think about them again. Damn him! Why couldn't the bastard just keep his mouth shut?

The hanyou to his great displeasure found himself thinking as he ran not of the girl he was out to fetch, but of his miserable non-family. And foremost, his brother. His brother smiling whilst carving his flesh with his own claws and tasting his blood like it was honey on his fingertips. Mother and fathers memories were a chaotic mix of love mingled with grief and shame, shame at being what he was because of their union-two halves that did not make a whole, but a freak, a mutt, a half-breed.

Sesshoumaru had made that quite clear. He still couldn't believe he had ever looked up to his monster of a brother, longing to mean something in his eyes, as if to find acceptance there would somehow fix something inside him.

Because truth to be told, it wouldn't hurt as much if he didn't give a damn.

As he reached the edge of the well he slowed, lightly jumping onto its edge and peering at the darkness within; sometimes he almost thought he could see a ripple across the surface.this well drew its water not from the ground, but from the streams of time and the centuries themselves. And so it waited patiently while he collected his thoughts. Kagome, he focused, Kagome. Must bring her back. Must not get sat. With that, he stepped off the side and landed in the well house.

The scent of rain was the first thing he noticed, with a hint of lightning in the air. He could hear water pattering on the roof while he climbed out of the well, but threw the door open and marched into the rain anyway. He made straight for Kagome's window, as always, ignoring the front door-

But unlike always, the door did not ignore him.

"Inuyasha?" He turned, and he saw Kagome's mother on the front steps; she had seen him from the front window. Then, to his surprise, she smiled and ran over to him. "Inuyasha, thank goodness you're here. Kagome is studying at a friend's house; she's decided to spend the night there because of the sudden storm. I need you to watch Souta."

He stared. "What?"

"I need you to watch Souta," she repeated. "My father is arriving tonight on a flight from China; he was visiting an old friend who is ill-I have to pick him up at the airport and I'm not sure what time his plane will be in because of this weather. I have to leave now, but I can't leave Souta alone by himself during a storm. Keep an eye on him for me, please?"

Inuyasha was dumbfounded. He stood there, mouth open. "But-"

"He won't be any trouble, I promise," she said, her eyes pleading with him. "Please?"

Many things went through his mind at that point. Part of him was stunned that she was really asking him this-leaving her son in the care of a demon! Why did she trust him that much? No one ever had.it was strange. At the same time, another part of him was cursing violently, and yet another part instinctively wanted to tell her to go find someone else, wench, he was only here to drag back Kagome-but somehow, he found that he couldn't. He tried, but the way she looked at him, so trusting and hopeful, with that motherly aura about her-

--To his horror, he found himself nodding yes.

Oh gods, what am I doing?!

"Wonderful," Mrs. Higurashi beamed, like she'd already known his answer. Maybe she did. Before he could speak, she took him by the hand and lead the numb hanyou into the house. "There's some leftover oden in the fridge, and ramen in the cupboard if you get hungry-you like ramen, yes? Kagome said you did, she wanted me to buy extra for her next trip down the well. Souta will show you where it is."

He followed her in a kind of daze, nodding as she explained a few household items without really understanding. He was starting to get nervous. What had he gotten himself into?

"He never gets into any trouble," she added, "but he's afraid of storms and needs someone to keep him company, and just incase of an emergency. Here we are." She had led him upstairs to the door across from Kagome's; the scents of this corner of the house calmed him. A little. "Souta, I've brought a friend." A muffled 'come in' came through the door, and she opened and stepped in, motioning for Inuyasha to follow.

To Inuyasha's surprise, Souta's room was much like Kagome's, but the shelves were lined with action figures and a few posters decorated the walls. Souta sat on his bed, focused intently on some sort of small device- a video game, Kagome had told him once. The little boy glanced up at them once as they entered, then turned back to the game.

Then he looked up again and his face lit up eagerly.

"Inuyasha!" he cried, jumping up with a huge grin and attaching himself to the dog-boys leg.

"Good," Mrs. Higurashi nodded, satisfied. "I have to go pick up my father now; Souta, Inuyasha's staying here with you. You two behave now." Inuyasha opened his mouth to protest, but she had already grabbed an umbrella and headed downstairs and out the door. He stared after her in shock. He then looked down and blinked a few times at the young boy, unsure of what to do now. How had this happened? He had come to find Kagome, who wasn't even here, and had ended up to his dismay with her little brother instead. He felt like the village nursemaid. Rrrgh, hell! The Fates were laughing at him.

"Wow," Souta said in a ecstatic daze, unable to believe what was happening. "Wow!"

Inuyasha paused and shook his leg a few times experimentally. Frowning, he took a few steps and shook harder. Gah, the boy wouldn't let go! His ears lay back in panic. He shook it again. "Hey, kid, get off," he said gruffly.

"Sure!" Souta said happily, letting go at last. He beamed up at Inuyasha. "This is great! This is so great, I can't believe you came here just to spend time with me. Are you really staying the whole night?"

Inuyasha started to correct the boy, but stopped at the hopeful look on his face. He stared at him, caught off-guard by it. "Feh." The hanyou folded his arms with a scowl and turned his back on Souta. If he ignored him, maybe he'd go away. "Feh." There were several moments of silence, and the golden-eyed demon risked a glance over his shoulder. Souta still stood beaming up at him unfazed, with what could only be described as pure childlike awe. Inuyasha sighed inwardly. "Yeah, I'm staying the whole night."

"Yeah!" Souta grinned. "Come on."

"Eh?"

"Come on." Souta took him by the hand and pulled Inuyasha behind him into the hallway. Inuyasha followed him helplessly; defeated by that firm insistence only a child can muster.

"Where are we going?"

"I want to show you something."

"Not interested."

"You will be." Souta smiled and led him into his mother's room; Inuyasha could tell by the scent. Her room had a soft, warm feeling, enhanced by the gentle glow of the lamplight. He found himself reminded of his own mother, and rather liked it.

The little boy went for the closet and began rummaging about in it, pulling out several articles of clothing, boxes, and albums, but shaking his head and putting them back in. Finally, he withdrew a newer-looking package, and toted it over to his mother's bed.

"Ah, here it is," he said, satisfied. He handed it to Inuyasha. "Here."

"Hn?" The hanyou took it and sniffed it suspiciously, then found the opening and emptied its contents on the patchwork quilt. His heart caught.

"These." he said breathlessly, "these are..."

"Kagome's school photos," Souta finished with a strange smirk. Before him lay an array of pictures, all perfect in every detail-for once, modern technology held him in awe, for they were finer than any painting or carving, capturing for one heartbeat her smile, the turn of her head, the drape of her hair, the light in her eyes. Not only that, but she had dressed up for the occasion, in a soft but stunning blue. Had the picture only captured her sweet scent, it would have been like holding her in his hand.

Inuyasha realized that he really was holding one of the pictures in his hand and had been staring at it for too long, and he quickly dropped it and looked up at the young boy, lifting an eyebrow. "Why are you showing me this?"

Souta picked up the one he had been holding and put it back in his hand. "Because this one is yours."

"What?"

"Kagome got them in a few weeks ago; mom's been keeping them in here because she wants to give some to relatives. When they arrived though, Kagome said she wanted to give you one."

Inuyasha was stunned, though he tried not to show it. Give one to him.why?

"She did? Well why didn't she then?"

"Because when you came to get her before, you fought with each other, and she figured you wouldn't want one anyway," Souta said glumly.

"Feh," Inuyasha huffed, resorting to his natural gruffness to try and hide just how much this had flustered him, "what makes you think I do want one anyway? Why would I want a picture of that stupid wench?" He glanced at the photo again and felt a strange warm longing. He did want it. He wanted it badly-he could hold her in his hands and she'd smile up and he could pretend she was smiling for him.

--Not that he'd ever, ever admit it, of course.

"Feh," he repeated. Nngh, why was this little boy able to ruffle him so? Damn it, damn.

Souta just smiled and pressed it in his hand. "Of course you don't," he agreed, lying.

"Damn straight I don't." It may have been Souta's imagination, but the demons voice seemed a little less rough, a little softer. Neither of them said anything as Inuyasha quickly tucked it in his shirt.

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A/N: If you've actually made it this far, then thank you! ^_^ *bows before you all* Cut off a little roughly, I know, but it was the best spot I could find. ^^; Next chap, unless of course I've already scarred you all horribly and damaged you for life with my crappy writing, involves ice cream, a storm, and.make up. ^^