Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or it's characters

A Little Favor

Inuyasha huffed in annoyance. The wench was going to be home late from school yet again. Eying the kitchen clock with distaste he tapped his claws on the counter, grumbling under his breath.

A knock at the door disrupted his murmurings. He heard Kagome's mother greet the visitor, and he strained to catch the hurried conversation that followed. Ears slowly flattened as he listened, and with a look of growing horror he crossed the kitchen. Making a beeline for the back door, he focused on his escape.

"Inuyasha?"

He cringed, turning reluctantly. Mrs. Higurashi stood next to the kitchen counter looking at him pleadingly. Clinging tightly to her hands were two decidedly unhappy children. The little girl appeared to be seconds away from crying, and her brother was glaring at him mutinously. Inuyasha opened his mouth to make his excuses, but Kagome's mother jumped in quickly.

"Inuyasha, I know that children are not necessarily your thing, but do you think that you could help me for an hour or two?" Ignoring the slow shake of his head, she continued. "Normally I wouldn't even ask, but I was already running behind, and we're having some friends over tonight for a special dinner, and I still need to get my grocery shopping done for that. I would've told Akiko that I couldn't take the kids today, but she was desperate..."

Mrs Higurashi had started her explanation normally enough, but as she continued, she grew more emotional, and by the end, her voice had developed a definite wobble. Inuyasha grew distinctly uncomfortable as he pictured Kagome's mother bursting into tears in the middle of the kitchen.

"Keh," he grumbled, "I'll watch them for you." He missed the secret smile that crossed her face, but he couldn't ignore the satisfaction that suffused her scent. Eyes narrowed suspiciously at the woman who was crossing purposefully towards the refrigerator. "Thank you so much Inuyasha! I'll just get them set up with a snack, and then I can head out to the store. I'll try to make it a fast trip."

In minutes she had the silent children sitting at the table with cookies. Much sooner than Inuyasha was prepared for, she was heading toward the door. "Atsuko, Junichi, I want the two of you to make sure you listen to Inuyasha alright? The children nodded obediently, but Inuyasha was skeptical. The girl looked too mousy to be much trouble, but the boy had a defiant gleam in his eyes.

In the silence that followed Mrs. Higurashi's exit, the remaining three sized one another up. The little girl was the first to break the silence. "Why do you have puppy ears?" she asked, eyes focused on the fuzzy triangles. Inuyasha froze. "Uh...they're just a...um...costume..." he explained lamely. The boy snorted, even as his sister cooed. "I think they're cute!" she said, inching closer to the half-demon. Junichi laughed outright as he watched their reluctant babysitter edge away from his sister. "You're stupid Atsuko," he said scornfully. "That's the dumbest costume I've ever seen. Why would a teenager want to dress up like a dog anyway? Is something wrong with you mister?"

Inuyasha glared at the sneering boy. He had to stifle the urge to smack him in the head in the same way that he would Shippo. Instead he folded his arms and stared impassively.

"Keh, just eat your snack, kid."

Something was off about these two. Their scents were more sad than they should be, and the boy in particular was radiating hurt, and defensiveness. Inuyasha growled low in his throat. He wasn't interested in getting into the middle of anybody's problems. Glancing anxiously at the clock, he hoped Kagome's mother would hurry.

"I finished with my cookies. Can we play a game?" Atsuko asked sweetly. Inuyasha shrugged. "Sure, go ahead."

Her lower lip went out. "But I wanted you to play too." she whined. "We can play house! Junichi can be my husband and you can be our new doggie!" Inuyasha's eyes widened comically, even as he shook his head. "Sorry, no way. I'm not going to pretend to be your dog."

Junichi protested as well. "I don't want to play house Atsuko. If you want to, play by yourself."

The little girl's dark eyes began to fill. "But daddy always-"

"Let's go outside and explore." Junichi interrupted harshly. Without waiting for an answer, or permission, he left, Atsuko trailing after him. Inuyasha sighed and heaved himself up to follow his charges.

Exploring didn't hold the children's attention for long, and soon Junichi was forcing his sister to stick-fight with him. Inuyasha smirked as he watched the boy's clumsy attacks. "You'd never kill anything fighting like that, kid," he said in a bored tone. Junichi shot him an angry glance. "What would you know," he muttered.

"More than you think." Inuyasha answered, stepping in front of Atsuko, Tetsusaiga still in it's sheath, but raised.

The boy stopped and stared at him. "You have a sword? A real one?" For the first time since they'd met, there was a glimmer of respect in Junichi's eyes. Inuyasha nodded proudly. "My old man left it to me when he died." Junichi froze, and Inuyasha panicked when he smelled salt in the air. Turning to Atsuko, he cringed.

Tears filled her eyes and slid down her chubby face. "My daddy died too," she whispered softly. "Momma said he's not coming back." Inuyasha's heart tightened painfully at the tearful admission. Glancing at the boy, he took in the stiff stance, tightly clenched jaw, and averted eyes. He searched his mind for something comforting to say, or do, but was unable to come up with anything. He wanted to tell them to be strong, that they'd get over it, but the words sounded hollow. And in the back of his mind, he remembered what this kind of hurt felt like.

Sighing he clumsily scooped up Atsuko and walked over to the tall tree in the middle of the yard. Sinking down between it's roots he got comfortable. The little girl snuggled down into his arms as she continued to cry quietly. Junichi trailed after them in silence, his defiant mask stripped away. "Come here kid." Inuyasha patted the ground next to him. The boy looked torn for a second, but his need for comfort overcame his reservations, and he scooted next to the hanyou.

Inuyasha cleared his throat nervously, drawing the eyes of both of the children. "I know it doesn't seem like it right now...but you're both going to get through this," he said gruffly.

Junichi and Atsuko watched him as he stared at the leaves fluttering above them. He hadn't said anything all that special, but he had meant what he said. He'd lost his dad too, and he was doing alright...maybe, some day, they would be alright too. In the mean time, they had their mother, each other, and their new friend. Inuyasha twitched when he felt two little heads resting against him, and he tamped down the urge to run from their need. Fixing his gaze on the sky, he forced himself to relax as the children drifted off to sleep.

A dark head peeked around the entrance of the shrine. Mrs. Higurashi blinked back tears, even as she congratulated herself. A quick phone call was all it had taken. Akiko had been grateful for her suggestion, eager to offer the children a measure of comfort. They had needed someone who understood, and Inuyasha...he needed to be needed.

She was tiptoeing quietly across the courtyard, when she felt his stare. Turning, she met his gaze squarely, and allowed a gentle smile to cross her face. His expression morphed from suspicious to vaguely defensive, before he dropped his gaze back to the children. She may not have seen the slight softening in his eyes, but she did catch the way his arms tightened protectively around them. With a sad smile, she walked inside and closed the door.

A/N: Believe it or not, this chapter wasn't going to be a serious one but, there it is. I know it's sad, but I do like that they draw comfort from one another. Writing-wise, critiques are welcome. It is what it is I guess.