Blind Sided
Disclaimer: I own none of the Inuyasha characters. The plot however and any of the OCs belong to me!
Chapter 1:
Inuyasha looked at his older brother with a smirk.
"It's a great start. Dramatic." Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes and snatched the manuscript back from him.
"It is the truth." His younger brother smiled then clapping him on the back.
"Relax, Sessh. I'm just kidding. Now come on. Kagome and the runts have been waiting all day to see you."
The elder brother sighed heavily as he stood from his desk chair. At this rate he'd never finish. Shutting down the computer he followed his sibling out into the foyer where Inuyasha's brood and his wife stood smiling up at him. Descending the stairs the tai nodded to Kagome then braced himself as four blurs attached themselves to his person.
One found his arm, another his leg and the other two grabbed onto his shirt to pull him down.
"Uncle!" they cried out happily hugging whatever it was they had grasped and releasing as he gave them each a pat on the head. Like little soldiers the four lined up in front of him and stood tall as he looked them over despite their mother's giggles.
There was Shippo, the eldest at twelve. He looked every bit the kitsune he was with his wild red hair and bright green eyes, two tails behind him, speaking of his skill. It was a very great achievement for him to have earned both tails at such a young age but he had had to grow up fast after the loss of his parents. Kagome and Inuyasha had a penchant for picking up orphans.
Next in line was Shiori aged nine, also adopted. The little void demon looked up at him with wise eyes and gave him a soft smile. Most would have thought her a strange child since she barely spoke; when she did she astounded adults. She did however never fail to speak her mind to her brothers, who were often on her nerves. She was very intelligent for her age, already excelling in the sixth grade when she should have been at least two grades lower. She was very much like the youngest child when it came to stories though.
The third eldest was Toga as old as Shiori, so named after his grandfather due to his uncanny resemblance to the old demon. He acted more like his father however, being brash but brave, often sticking his own foot in his mouth. He sported long hair like Inuyasha but his light green eyes were a cool mix between the gold irises of his father and the blue of his mother. The boy smirked up at his uncle as Sesshomaru moved to the fourth child in his brother's brood.
Hikaru had his mother's dark hair and his father's bright golden eyes. Much like his elder sister he was very smart and could often be found holed up in his room working on some architectural structure. He was nothing like Inuyasha and everything the male form of his mother; fiery and opinionated yet caring to all often stomping his own feelings to keep others from hurting. Hikaru was six.
Golden eyes shifted to where the fifth child should have been standing only to find it empty. Glancing at the others he lifted his brow in question when he felt a tug on the back of his pant leg.
Rin was the baby of the family and was fiercely protected by her siblings because of her innocence and carefree nature. At age five the little girl had never failed to capture anyone's heart the moment she looked at them including her uncle whom she loved dearly. Dark hair like her mother with wise but childlike eyes she had Sesshomaru wrapped around her little finger. Rin was, Sesshomaru suspected, the peace keeper of her siblings. No matter what the problem her presence was like a balm and she was often the deciding factor in a disagreement.
Looking down he covered a smile as the little one looked up at him expectantly, her big brown eyes searching his. Reaching down he lifted her onto his shoulder then sidestepped the others toward the kitchen where they followed dutifully, each taking a spot at the counter where he deposited his cling-on.
The cook smiled at the brood and handed out fresh cookies and a glass of milk for each. The children ate happily as their Uncle went back into the foyer to say hello and goodbye to his brother and sister. Kagome bowed low.
"It's good to see you again, Sesshomaru. The children have missed you." Beside her, her husband snorted. "It's only been two weeks! Geeze! You'd think the little heathens were his and not mine!"
Kagome elbowed him hard then smiled up at the imposing figure that was her brother in law.
"Thank you for watching them, Sesshomaru." Said person nodded as the small woman walked toward the door expecting her husband to follow. Inuyasha stared at his brother carefully then nodded, reminding Sesshomaru very much of their father.
"Try not to scare'em too much, Sessh. And stay outta the office. You're already a bookworm enough as it is." Following him to the door Sesshomaru watched their car go down the drive then went back into the kitchen and addressed Keade.
"I will be in my study should anything dire happen. You are to behave and do as Keade says. Understood?" They all nodded obediently as he turned to go back up the stairs just as Keade called out to him.
"Dinner is at six, Sesshomaru-sama!" His response was a grunt making her sigh in exasperation as she looked at the fugitive five.
"Now, what movie should we watch tonight?" Each of them smiled and seemed to radiate with energy. She moved her eyes skyward.
"Lord help me."
Sesshomaru sighed again hitting the backspace button to erase what he'd just written. He'd been sitting in the same spot for over three hours now and an intense case of writers block had hit him. It wasn't as if he had to think these things up! They had already happened for goodness sake! He growled in annoyance, his gaze traveling to the large window that overlooked his massive backyard/garden. He could hear the laughter of his brother's children and smiled softly. Standing he closed his computer down again and headed outside to spend a little time with the brats. Despite his adamant denial he did enjoy having them here.
Coming into the backyard he walked swiftly to the large tree centered in the middle and sat at the base, confident the children would come to him as they always did.
Rin was first. She stopped picking flowers, her favorite pastime and grabbed Shippo's hand who was dutifully watching over her as he should. She scurried over to her Uncle and claimed a seat in his lap, pulling strands of his hair over his shoulder and began braiding it carefully. Shippo, gave a quick yip calling his siblings as he walked into the house and quickly came back out holding a large volume then took a seat across from Sesshomaru and began to flip through it as the others slowly stopped what they were doing and meandered over. Hikaru sat next to Shippo, preferring him over Toga who sat on the other side. Shiori was the last to join, having been reading a book on the other side of the garden. Toga bounced with energy beside his brother and sister.
"Can we hear a battle story, Uncle Sessh? Please? We had to listen to that stupid girly story last time!" Shiori shot him a withering look as it had been her turn to pick last.
"Sleeping Beauty is not girly. It's mostly about the prince who has to save the princess from a dragon, Toga. You know they breathe fire?" The little boy rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at his sister only to be smacked in the back of the head by Shippo.
"Toga." He warned, a bit of growl in his voice to which Toga readily bristled, his instincts kicking in.
"Butt out, Shippo! I ain't talking to you. And it was too a girly story! It ended in a kiss and a dance! Come on! I wanna hear about the time Dad and Uncle Sessh fought over the Tensaiga! That was so cool! There's no kissing in that one!" Sesshomaru huffed in annoyance just as Hikaru put his two cents in.
"You do know that fighting is just like dancing?" He attempted to continue but Toga growled at him. They were very much like a pack of wolves. Shippo being the alpha, Shiori the beta, Rin the Sentinel, Toga the Hunter and or Trouble maker, and Hikaru taking the Omega's place. Now they didn't completely fit the descriptions but often it was Hikaru who was picked on the most and Toga was always attempting to usurp Shippo.
"Shut up, geek!" Toga hissed and Hikaru glared back. The six year old had been recently standing up for himself or so Sesshomaru had heard, and he could clearly see the boy was about to do so now.
"Don't call me a geek, Toga! Just because you're bigger than me doesn't mean I can't kick your butt!" Hikaru was standing now, his face red with anger, and he was making his way over to Toga. With an annoyed snarl Sesshomaru silenced them, having grown tired of the bickering. The children froze and stared at their uncle. Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes on the instigator, who glared back not willing to back down until Shippou gave his own growl making Toga snort.
"Heh." He bent his legs and leapt into the tree, situating himself on one of the branches as Hikaru sat down, his puppy ears plastered to his head. Sesshomaru growled at the pup above him, his message clear when a hasty 'fine' was given from the foliage.
Settling his gaze on Hikaru he met the pup's eyes.
"Control your emotions, pup." Hikaru took a deep breath then nodded solemnly. Toga he could stand up to but Uncle Sesshomaru…not so much.
"Now. Are you going to behave or should I skip this tradition today?" Four gasps echoed in his wake as they vehemently shook their heads. For him to threaten their most cherished routine meant he was really annoyed.
"No Uncle. Please proceed." Shippo quipped, his tone submissive as he handed the book he had retrieved over. The Tai nodded and opened the book when the one sitting in his lap stopped braiding his hair and put her hands on the cover of the book.
"Can I choose?" She asked, looking up at him. He raised his eyebrow and she smiled, recognizing a 'yes' when she saw one.
"Can you tell us about Aunt Mathayus?" The others gasped quietly. They knew how sensitive the topic was and only Rin would be innocent enough to ask about it.
"Please?" She added as he stared down at her with hooded eyes. After a moment he nodded softly then situated her to where he was a bit more comfortable.
"I expect no interruptions." The four nodded and he knew Toga was doing the same above him. If this wasn't battle enough for the brat he didn't know what was.
"Once upon a time…