Little Irritations
Sesshomaru woke to a light weight continually moving on his chest; it went from a light weight to no weight to a light weight again. His mako-mako went up to swat at the irritation only to be caught in something that was warm and had oddly sharp teeth. Sesshomaru heaved a sigh before opening an eye, greeted with the sight of Inuyasha with a wide grin splitting his face while holding Sesshomaru's tail between his young teeth, all while bouncing on Sesshomaru's chest.
"Good morning little brother." Sesshomaru ground out, his voice rough from sleep.
"Morning!" Inuyasha spoke around Sesshomaru's tail only to have Sesshomaru raise an eyebrow that told Inuyasha he was not supposed to speak with his mouth full. He only grinned wider before releasing the fluffy appendage.
"Morning Sesshy! It's time to get up, it's time to get up, it's time to get up! So get up!" Inuyasha enforced his point by bouncing up higher and dropping down harder on Sesshomaru's chest.
Sesshomaru allowed it only for a brief moment before wrapping his arms around Inuyasha and rolling them both over. Inuyasha was laying on his back under Sesshomaru before Sesshomaru started to tickle Inuyasha's stomach, delighting in Inuyasha's squeals and yelps of laughter.
Only after a few moments of Inuyasha laughing for Sesshomaru to stop did Sesshomaru actually stop. Ruffling Inuyasha's hair (right between his cute little puppy ears) before standing up, Sesshomaru easily scooped up Inuyasha, placing him on his hip.
"Don't mess up my hair!" Inuyasha protested, clawing his hair to lie flat again; or as flat as Inuyasha's hair was known for, at least.
"Yet, little brother, you look as to be straight out of bed and your dressing attire is still that of your night clothes. Why would you worry about a little ruffling of the hair?" Sesshomaru questioned lightly before chuckling at the scowl/pout that Inuyasha gave him. "I will attend to it at a later time. What do you say to a hair brushing from me instead of the nursemaid?"
"And I get to sit with you at breakfast today!" Inuyasha happily injected.
Sesshomaru chuckled lightly "Yes, you shall sit with father and I at the first meal for today." Inuyasha's smile could have out shone the sun, before he buried his head in Sesshomaru's shoulder, allowing Sesshomaru's happiness at his family being happy to heighten ten fold. As Sesshomaru started toward his door Inuyasha pulled back.
"What are you doing? I thought you said you would brush my hair." Sesshomaru could see the tears starting to build in Inuyasha's eyes.
"I will brush your hair little brother but first you must bathe , just as I must and we both must dress so our father does not get cross, okay little brother?" he said, ruffling Inuyasha's hair again.
"Stop that!" Inuyasha whined before he tried reaching up to ruffle Sesshomaru's hair. Sesshomaru easily leaned his head back avoiding his little brother's hand. Inuyasha whined before attempting to reach again, this time kicking his little legs to get more height only to land his head against Sesshomaru's shoulder.
"OW! Sesshy your shoulder hurted me!" Sesshomaru chuckled giving his brother's forehead a light kiss.
"Feel any better now?" Sesshomaru asked only to get Inuyasha pouting at him, "Now what did this Sesshomaru do to get that cute pout on your lips."
"You called me cute, and your shoulder hurted me." Inuyasha pouted.
"Yes but I kissed it all better. Would you like another?" Sesshomaru leaned down to place another kiss to Inuyasha's forehead only to have little hands pushing his cheeks up and back in an attempt to force back Sesshomaru's face.
Sadly for Inuyasha, Sesshomaru had made it back to Inuyasha's rooms where 3 nursemaids were running about looking under in things, presumably reaching for Inuyasha. One stood in the hall, hands on her plump hips, scowling at Inuyasha.
"Inuyasha remove your hands from Lord Sesshomaru's face and get off his hip. You are not an infant you should not be asking to be carted around as such." Inuyasha's smile fell, his head drooping down in shame before squirming to comply. Sesshomaru simply gripped Inuyasha's bum and arm pit tighter not allowing him down.
"My brother is not to blame, I was the one to carry him, he is just 20 he is allowed to be carried. If I remember correctly my father carried me until I was 100. He is a pup and we were simply playing, do not disgrace yourself again by speaking out of term." Sesshomaru scowled before gently placing Inuyasha at his feet ruffling his hair once again. Turning back to the nursemaid Sesshomaru told her she was to bathe and dress Inuyasha but to send him along with his brushes to Sesshomaru's room promptly after finishing their tasks.
"I will see you soon pup, be good." Sesshomaru smiled, ruffling Inuyasha's hair one last time before quickly turning and briskly walking back to his own rooms to prepare for his own day.
**
Sesshomaru had just placed his last brush down when a soft knock came from the door.
"Enter." He knew it was Inuyasha even though his brother would normally just burst in; he only ever knocked when he had been scolded or when someone of importance was with him.
Inuyasha only opened the door far enough for his small body to slip though. Instantly Sesshomaru could smell wet salt. Turning he saw Inuyasha with red eyes but no other sign of him crying.
"Inuyasha, what is the matter pup?" he strode the small distance between them in 4 steps, scooping Inuyasha up and wrapping his tail gently around the pup.
"Nothing happened." Inuyasha whispered, burrowing his face in Sesshomaru's chest while intertwining his fingers into Sesshomaru's tail.
"Come now pup just tell this Sesshomaru what happened," Sesshomaru gently coerced, taking his free hand and gently rubbing Inuyasha's left ear only to have the pup yelp and try to pull away. He looked closely at Inuyasha's ear, where a long angry red line (split at some point) ran up the inside of the small puppy ear. Sesshomaru growled lightly; he hated to see his brother hurt but to hurt him in one of his most sensitive areas infuriated him to no end.
"Inuyasha, little bother, who hurt your ear?" Sesshomaru tried to sound gentle but a little of the anger he felt slipped into his voice.
"Magome was brushing my hair but I told her you would do it and she got REALLY mad said you didn't have time for brushing a half-breed's hair." His face scrunched at trying to remember the name she had given him. Sesshomaru had to swallow a growl. Instead he gently brushed the back of Inuyasha's hair with his claws.
"She was going really fast and scraped over my ear, pulled it back too!" Inuyasha sounded hurt and about to cry again. Sesshomaru gently pressed Inuyasha tighter to him. He could remember when one of his nursemaids had dragged his ear up and back by a brush, it was no wonder the pup had cried.
"Who brushed your hair pup?" His father would know about this.
"Magome," Inuyasha sniffled. Sesshomaru wrapped Inuyasha up completely in his tail before half storming from his room.
"Where are we going Sesshy?" Inuyasha's quiet and muffled voice drifted into Sesshomaru's ears.
"To the first meal." Sesshomaru answered simply. Little did Inuyasha know but they were going to their father's meeting table, not the family table. After all Inu-Taisho had meetings all day so if they did not go now then Inuyasha would have to deal with his nursemaid again and there was no way Sesshomaru was letting that happen. Sesshomaru quickly made his way to his father's room only to burst in--his father never admitted people unless he had called for them.
"Sesshomaru," Inu-Taisho spoke, his voice held the slightest note of surprise but his face stayed impassive.
"Father," Sesshomaru bowed slightly, feeling Inuyasha grip his tail tighter at the change of altitude. "We need to speak, privately, for a moment. It is about your youngest." Sesshomaru added the last bit at seeing the faces of the men around the table scrunch in anger.
"Of course my son." Inu-Taisho placed his hand on Sesshomaru's shoulder, leading him out of the room and closing the door behind him. "What has happened?" Sesshomaru could clearly hear the anger in his father's voice but he didn't care, he simply unwrapped his tail to show only Inuyasha's head which made Inuyasha blink at the sudden lights.
"Look at the inside of his left ear," Sesshomaru growled. Inu-Taisho held out his arms in a clear sign that Sesshomaru was to hand over Inuyasha. Sesshomaru slowly unwound his tail only for it to be replaced by Inu-Taisho's tail, before Inuyasha was passed over, his fingers once again winding around the fluffy appendage.
"Okay pup, let me see your ear," Inu-Taisho said before gently lifting the edge, which was drooping slightly. Inuyasha's ear had healed the smaller splits but it was still an angry red line.
"Puppy, whom did you say did this to you?" Inu-Taisho growled.
"Magome. She was mad at me because I was playing with Sesshy. She say I not suppose to play with a full blood demon when I'm only half. So she not let me go to Sesshy's room for Sesshy to brush my hair, but he promised. But she made me sit and she brushed over my ear. It hurted daddy." Inu-Taisho smiled inwardly at Inuyasha's name for him. Everyone was respectful and proper around him (even Sesshomaru had never called him daddy), yet his youngest pup was just that, a pup. He gave Inu-Taisho a breath of fresh air, but at Inuyasha's story he wanted to growl. He only refrained because both his pups were here.
"What did Sesshomaru promise you? To play with you?"
"No he promised to brush my hair, cause he always messes it up!" Inuyasha started to pout slightly. Sesshomaru couldn't help it; he reached over to ruffle Inuyasha's bangs. Inuyasha slapped his hand away only to do a full pout. Inu-Taisho laughed, smoothing out Inuyasha's bangs as he did so. The pup could just be so cute sometimes.
"So what made her say that you were not allowed to play with Sesshy?" Still chuckling slightly, Inu-tTaisho spoke, changing his chuckles into him clearing his throat, at Sesshomaru's glare. Only Inuyasha was allowed to call him Sesshy.
"Sesshy was messing my hair so I go to mess his but his shoulder hurted me!" Inu-Taisho glanced at Sesshomaru with a raised eyebrow, questioning.
"He tried to ruffle my hair while I was holding him. He pushed off my hip but I moved my head and he fell back to hit his head against my shoulder." Sesshomaru explained quietly.
"So Sesshy kiss it better, ew! But it not work so he do it again and I squished his face!" Inuyasha stated proudly, laughing as he remembered his brother's face.
"How did you 'squish' his face?" Inu-Taisho asked seriously, only to get Inuyasha raising his hands while opening and closing his fingers, so Inu-Taisho lowered his face and tiny hands pushed his checks up and back. He pulled back to see Inuyasha smiling while Sesshomaru's mouth was covered by his hand, his body shaking the slightest bit. Inu-Taisho couldn't take this much happiness; he started to laugh too. His pups were just too cute! After they calmed down a little, Inuyasha snuggled up to his father's side.
"So that's what you got in trouble for? Squishing your brother's face?"
"Yup! Daddy, Magome's mean!" Inuyasha's smile fell the smallest amount.
"Well Sesshy will just have to make it up by playing with you and brushing your hair." Inu-Taisho didn't think the boy's smile could get any bigger.
"And tell the Chef to get you and Sesshy that sweet ice he makes, after breakfast." Apparently the smile could get bigger. Inuyasha was practically jumping in his father's arms. Inu-Taisho couldn't help but laugh, handing Inuyasha back over to Sesshomaru.
"Now both of you get to breakfast, I must go back to my meeting." Inu-Taisho pet Sesshomaru's head before rubbing Inuyasha's back, and walking back into the meeting room.
"He didn't mess my hair up!" Inuyasha stated as Sesshomaru carried him to breakfast.
"No because he knows it's my job." Sesshomaru waggled his eyebrows before going to ruffle Inuyasha's hair again this time he encountered a little difficulty- Inuyasha's little claws.
***
The rest of the day went without incident. Sesshomaru had brushed Inuyasha's hair before both had to go to their lessons. Inuyasha had finished first, not yet having to take everything that Sesshomaru did. After Sesshomaru came back Inuyasha and Sesshomaru went to the gardens to play until it was dark, when a guard came to fetch them.
They ate dinner with their father, Inuyasha snuggled into Sesshomaru's lap. Inu-Taisho told the boys Magome was gone and one of the other nursemaids was taking over her duties, which got him an evil smirk from Sesshomaru and a yawn from Inuyasha. Calling dinner to an end, he parted from his sons.
Sesshomaru carried Inuyasha to his bedroom, tucking the half asleep puppy in and placing a soft kiss on his forehead before turning to go to his own rooms. As he got to the door he heard a whispered, "I love you Sesshy."
"Love you too Inuyasha." And some day he would be able to show his little brother his full love for him.
End