Whoo-hoo! 14 reviews for the first chapter!
I guess that proves my theory: involve Sesshomaru in a story and the reviews pour in.
Anyway, I'm really pleased with the attention this story got! And I'm really happy that KM8688-san loved it! But I'll do my best to shorten the time inbetween updates, everyone. College is just so unfair to me. It's practically impossible for a sista to get a weekend off with absolutely NO homework!
Disclaimers: I already said 'em in the last chapter and they'll apply to the future chapters. But I have to make a revision on one of them:
Sesshomaru in fact wasn't Aerosmith's inspiration for "Dude Looks Like a Lady". (That was a joke anyway!)
Kamatari was! (Rurouni Kenshin)
Thanks for clearing that up, Minmay-chan! (giggles)
(runs away from Kamatari fans!)
"I Hate Babysitting"
Chapter 2
Sesshomaru finished putting in an order for another glass statue of "Lone Wolf and Cub". Inuyasha sat on the floor beside his feet as commanded, nibbling on his toes while staring up at his brother, making little growling noises in amusement. When Sesshomaru hung up the phone, he glanced down at the toddler hanyou, who only smiled at him, showing his baby fangs. He wasn't moved; he was fortunate the company had another copy of the statue. Otherwise, Sesshomaru's father would have his hide!
"Little brother, do you realize you cost me 4,800,000 yen for father's collectible?" Sesshomaru asked, sounding a bit angry.
Inuyasha stared up at his brother, his tiny ears twitching at the tone Sesshomaru's voice.
"What's a yen?" He cutely asked in curiosity.
Sesshomaru's eyes rolled up as his eyebrow twitched. He teardropped and sighed, deciding to change the subject. "Inuyasha, why did you go into father's special room? You know we are not allowed in there."
He spoke to his brother as he carried him back into the living room under his arm and dropped him onto the couch cushion on his back.
"Sesshounii tol' me to play or something.." Inuyasha said with a playful smile, laughing when the youkai stared down at him.
"I told you to play, not do what you are forbidden." Sesshomaru corrected, trying to stay calm.
He was doing his very best to stay cool, but the toddler was unintentionally making it difficult for him. Inuyasha stared up at Sesshomaru with his wide golden eyes, his head titled to the side as his right ear did likewise. Sesshomaru teardropped again as he saw the huge imaginary question mark over the hanyou's head.
Yet another word that's not in his already limited vocabulary. Sesshomaru thought.
Inuyasha continued staring. "Sesshounii never scream that word."
"Doing what you're not supposed to." He dumbed down for him.
"Oh." Inuyasha's cute response. "But Sesshounii, I was playing. I's just looking an' I wanned to get my toy before you saw'n got mad. See?"
The toddler pulled out a small white and orange ball from his hakama pocket and showed it to his brother for evidence. The youkai softened, figuring he had just knocked it over by accident. Inuyasha's ears drooped in shame, remembering his father saying he wasn't allowed in his collectibles room.
"Gomen nasai, Sesshounii."
Sesshomaru looked to the side, he secretly hated when Inuyasha looked shameful like that. "Well, I suppose I could let it slide since you were only trying to be good. Very well, Inuyasha, but next time your belongings go into father's room, tell me first and I'll get it."
"I starred to, I didn't." Inuyasha said, grasping Sesshomaru's attention. His expression intrigued the toddler. "How does Sesshounii make his big owl eyes?"
"WHY didn't you tell me, Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru demanded, trying to repress his twitch lest he distract Inuyasha again.
"'Cuz I saw you in there one time before and you bend over and knock over mommy's Totoro statue toy with you big booty!" Inuyasha answered with a giggle. "No wonder daddy keep you out too."
A large teardrop appeared on Sesshomaru's head. "I'm in charge when our parents are gone, so I have permission if you lose something in there." He quickly peeked over his shoulder at his behind. "And it's not big. It's nicely shaped."
Inuyasha sneered playfully as his big brother tried to stand dignified and show pride for his unique behind. "Sesshounii should go Beep! Beep! when he back that thing up!"
The little hanyou giggled at his joke, then laughed loudly when Sesshomaru drew his up by his legs and dangled him upside down. The youkai fumed as a vein popped onto his head.
DING DONG!
Sesshomaru stood still as he stared, wondering who that was at the door. Tucking Inuyasha under his arm like the newspaper, he walked to see who that was. He opened the door and found a woman with short black hair in a thick coat with a bright smile. Recognizing each other, they bowed to each other in greeting.
"Ohayo, Sesshomaru-sama." The woman greeted the youkai.
"Higurashi-san."
"Haiyoureshi-san." Inuyasha imitated his brother, who teardropped in embarrassment.
Mrs. Higurashi didn't mind at all; she always found it adorable when the hanyou said her name wrong.
"Ohayo, Inuyasha-chan! How are you today, sweetie?"
Inuyasha didn't hear her greeting, he became distracted by her protruding stomach underneath her coat. He seemed astonished by the size.
"Sesshounii right, you can eat too much pocky." He said, pointing and gawking at Mrs. Higurashi's stomach.
She laughed while Sesshomaru popped his little brother's ear, reprimanding his rudeness.
"Well, you're right about me gaining weight, but no, Inu-chan, this is a baby." Mrs. Higurashi smiled, placing her hand on her belly.
Sesshomaru noticed she had gotten much bigger but decided not to say anything. Inuyasha stared, his wide golden eyes as he titled his head like a curious puppy.
"That's a big baby!" Inuyasha exclaimed. "You're not scared he won't just fall out?"
"That's my baby brother! Don't you call him name, Inuyasha!"
All eyes went to the little voice that sounded from behind Mrs. Higurashi's leg. Her two-year old daughter, Kagome, came out from behind her mother, staring up at Inuyasha.
"I only say he was big! I didn't say he was fat, Kagome!" Inuyasha argued.
"Same thing!"
Sesshomaru gave Mrs. Higurashi a half-lidded stare as the two started fighting again. "Is it my turn or yours this time, Higurashi-san?"
"Mine." She answered, telling Kagome and Inuyasha to chill.
The two toddlers first met each other when the Higurashi family moved into the neighborhood a year ago. Iyazoi invited them to dinner and the two babies really hit it off. Especially when Kagome kept pulling on Inuyasha's ears and telling him they were pretty. They always spent time at each other's houses almost everyday and always seemed to get into little fights.
Kagome saw Sesshomaru and gave a shy smile, blushing. "Hi Sesshomaru!" She greeted with a cute bow.
The youkai nodded his head. "Kagome."
Inuyasha gave his big brother a jealous look when he returned Kagome's greeting, then looked at her. Mrs. Higurashi didn't miss that look; her giggled caught everyone's attention.
"My, Inuyasha-chan isn't jealous of his brother, is he?" She teased.
The hanyou stared in confusion when Sesshomaru chuckled.
"You needn't worry, Inuyasha. I don't intend to steal your girlfriend from you." He teased, assuringly.
Inuyasha and Kagome's eyes widened as they immediately protested, giving the adults a good laugh.
"Forgive my manners, Higurashi-san. Please, come in." Sesshomaru invited, remembering his guests were standing in the cold.
Mrs. Higurashi bowed politely. "Thank you, Sesshomaru, but I won't be long. I only came to drop Kagome off."
"Come again?" Sesshomaru and Inuyasha asked simultaneously; the hanyou seeming hopeful, the youkai seeming uneasy.
"Oh, didn't your father tell you? My husband and I are going on our special getaway trip and Iyazoi agreed to have you baby-sit Kagome for us."
"What about him?" Sesshomaru pointed his thumb at Grandpa Higurashi waiting in his minivan outside, disguising the desperation in his voice. "I assume he going too?"
Mrs. Higurashi nodded. "Grandpa's friends invited him to Nagasaki to catch up on old times. He hadn't seen them in so long, he just couldn't refuse."
Grandpa Higurashi overheard the conversation from the van and waved with a taunting grin to Sesshomaru. The youkai glared back, jealously.
The old man gets a vacation and I get screwed. This couldn't suck more.
Mrs. Higurashi said her good-byes to her daughter, who looked up with longing eyes. She assured Kagome that she and her daddy would be home after their trip and told her to be a good girl while they were gone. That soothed Kagome enough to wish her mother a fun trip and wave good-bye as she left. Sesshomaru watched the van drive away, longing to scream, "For the love of Buddha, take me with you!"
He looked down at Kagome, who only smiled at him, then at his little brother still under his arm. Sesshomaru groaned, rolling his eyes up and taking them inside. He placed Inuyasha in the living room back on the couch and then went to see why Kagome hadn't followed him. She had taken off her coat and tried to hang it up herself, but couldn't quite reach the hanger on the coat rack. Sesshomaru stared as he watched her throw her coat at the rack as if she were playing basketball, continuously missing.
Kagome kept on throwing her coat and yelled at the coat rack for not accepting it, teardropping. "You're supposed to take my coat when I give it to you, coat rack-san!" She whined, still trying.
Sesshomaru shook his head as he approached the struggling toddler. He placed his finger onto Kagome's head, signaling her to stop. She obeyed and watched as the youkai hung the coat up with utmost ease, marveling at his powers.
"Next time, don't be rude." Sesshomaru reprimanded the coat rack to appease Kagome, who agreed and scolded it.
Look at me. I'm talking to an inanimate object. This ALWAYS happens when Kagome's here.
Kagome noticed Sesshomaru's embarrassed expression and figured something was wrong. She glared at the coat rack as best she could like her mother and kicked it, causing the youkai to stare perplexed.
"Don't you talk back to Sesshomaru-sama, coat rack-san! He's in charge so you be 'spectful!" Kagome scolded.
"Respectful, Kagome." He corrected, flatly.
"Oh sorry, Sesshomaru-sama." The toddler responded with an adorable compliant smile, then turned back to the coat rack. "You be more spect, um, ect, specter...r-e-s-p-e-c-t-ful!" Kagome ended in song, standing proudly.
Sesshomaru could only give a blank half-lidded stare, his teardrop grew larger as he couldn't figure out why the two-year girl couldn't say something as simple as "respect". He didn't realize his expressions were being watched and misinterpreted by the said toddler, who kept thinking the coat rack was talking back to him. To put it in check, Kagome kicked it and scolded it again.
"Enough of that, Kagome. The coat rack is not talking back to me."
Kagome ceased and innocently stared up at him, confused. "Then how come you look mad, Sesshomaru?"
He answered with a flat irritated voice, "Because I'm standing here talking to a piece of wood and starting to think it'll actually talk back."
Sesshomaru eyes turned to the side in a sarcastic glare; they turned back with a blank stare as Kagome bowed to the coat rack.
"I'm sorry, Coat-rack-san." The toddler apologized as humbly as she could. "Mommy always tell me to apologize if I do something bad."
Kagome beamed at Sesshomaru, who kept his stare.
"S'alright." The coat rack answered.
Kagome gawked, her jaw almost hitting the floor. Sesshomaru lifted his eyes to it, then softly glared as the coat rack proceeded to call Kagome an ugly dumpling. As she fumed and screamed at it, he turned behind him and found Inuyasha peeking from the entrance to the living room, snickering mischievously. The youkai glanced back at Kagome, who was still yelling at the coat rack. He placed his hand atop her head, silencing her and turning it to Inuyasha who was laughing at her.
Kagome growled at him, "Stop being mean, Inuyasha! Can't you see coat-rack-san is tryin' to 'pologize?"
Sesshomaru nearly fell over at the remark. " HE'S the one who said that, Kagome!"
Inuyasha laughed loudly, pointing at Kagome and calling her a "slow girl". She snarled, little puffs of stream escaping her head.
"STUPID PUPPY!"
Inuyasha screamed and ran away when Kagome grabbed one of Sesshomaru's shoes and ran after him, holding it like a sword. Sesshomaru watched as the two ran about. Figuring Kagome would keep Inuyasha preoccupied for the time being, he continued with his interrupted game of Final Fantasy IX. He was just about to get lost in the game and lose contact with reality when a shoe slammed into the back of his head and he slumped over.
Kagome and Inuyasha stood behind the unconscious youkai, wide-eyed, glancing accusingly at each other.
"Ooh, you're in trouble..."They whispered simultaneously.
Inuyasha felt his tiny body begin to tremble in fear. His big brother would wake up and scream at him, and the hanyou was too familiar with what Sesshomaru looked like when he was REALLY angry. He began to whine when Kagome got an idea on how to fix things and summoned Inuyasha's attention.
