Prompt Idea by: Anime Hottie Lovah "I would really like a chibi!SesshXYasha. Maybe a pre-slash one where Sesshy is being a protective big brother."

Author's Rant: These will be done in the order received. Anime Hottie Lovah, you were the first. Merry Christmas babycakes. This idea was inspired by Tanaki-Maru.

Hidden Treasure

The sky was stained a red as sour as the blood littering the surrounding landscape. Another rebellious village having succumb to the Western King's wrath. It wasn't the most appropriate sight to behold by anyone let alone a child. However Sesshomaru didn't consider himself an ordinary child. He was ten, well aware of everything his eyes absorbed from the burning corpses and the smell of his father's acidic poisons doing away with the few remaining humans who dared to try and overthrow him.

Such fools, such arrogance. They should've known better than to dethrone the beloved King of the West. Sesshomaru turned up his nose at the burning victims as his chestnut stallion was lead through the midst of this calamity to where his father stood with several other soldiers.

"Your Majesty, shouldn't you be home?" Asked a bypassing soldier of the castle. "Your father wouldn't want you witnessing this bloodshed."

Sesshomaru snorted, flicking his wrist forward for his horse to be carried on anyway. Who was his father to say he wasn't mature enough to understand the reason for this bloodshed? Sesshomaru exactly why it all happened, he wasn't oblivious to any of it.

His horse stopped next to his daunting father just as the king finished discussing recovery measures for the village. InuTaisho, clad in his warrior kimono and armory, lifted his hands up to his son and lowered him down on the ground by his side. "Couldn't keep away could you?"

"Mother's hustle over next week's banquet annoyed me. I was likely to kill her if I stayed," Sesshomaru gazed over the smoky skeleton of the old Shikon Village, sheets of ashes and smoke stinging his nostrils and eyes. He wouldn't dare cover his face as that wasn't proper etiquette of a future king.

"Violence is never a primary answer to problems Sesshomaru," the king murmured to an unseen question. "If at all possible, it should be avoided."

"It couldn't be helped this time Father. The fools chose their own fate," Showing pity for those who choose the blemished road wasn't worth the thought. This village had been secretly gathering men until it came to nearly three hundred. None of them had even thought about the consequences of what would happen when trying to assassinate a demon king. They deserved this chaos.

"Your highness! Your highness, we found an escapee!"

The royal family turned to the source of the shouting. A tall foot soldier emerged from a crumbled hut with a struggling, thrashing child in his arms with hair the color of soiled snow. Sesshomaru's ears tickled with the savage growls, grumbling snarls and discarded grunts as the tiny creature wrestled with all his might to get away.

He was thrust on the ground before Sesshomaru's boots. Sesshomaru curled his lip at the filthy thing when suddenly his nose twitched. The scent radiating off this child was unmistakably similar to his own and his fathers'. Sesshomaru smiled knowingly, "A result of one of your nightly affairs Father? What would mother think?"

"She'll hardly care," Snorted the king. InuTaisho shifted his boot under the child's chin and lifted his face from the dirt.

Sesshomaru's gasp was as soft as the winds carrying away the smog. This child had eyes the same color as the gold and treasures in the palace. There were two canine ears on top of his head and if his face wasn't so filthy, Sesshomaru might think of him as something worth keeping.

Maybe. The child's eyes were brave, but scared. He nervously stared from Sesshomaru to the king, back to Sesshomaru then the King as if sizing up his murderer. That look alone made Sesshomaru's decision, "Father will you have any use for him?"

"No, he's worthless to me. I have no need of a hanyou child," The king turned with a swish of his cape. "Guards do away with him."

Three soldiers stepped forward, swords drawn.

"Don't touch him!" Sesshomaru ordered, startling the soldiers as well as his father. The hanyou child's eyes were bright as a new sunrise. Yes, Sesshomaru wanted him. "If you'll not have him father then he shall come with me."

InuTaisho curiously watched his son kneel down to lift the dirty hanyou off the ground and guide him to him. InuTaisho didn't know whether to be amused or astounded, "You've found a treasure beneath this rubble?"

"I have."

InuTaisho nodded, "Very well. He's yours to do with as you please. The rest of you, there is nothing more we can do here until morning. Rally up the troops and prepare for home!" Metal boots click clacked on the ground kicking up loads of black soot and sullen dust.

The hanyou coughed and gagged, rubbing at his eyes. Sesshomaru lifted one of his billowy sleeves to cover his face from the commotion. One of the soldiers came by to pick Sesshomaru up on his horse and placed his hidden treasure in front of him. The little hanyou squirmed, wanting to get down. "Keep still." Sesshomaru said sternly, nodding at his horse guide to lead them home. He was one of the first to leave the gravesite. The child's whimpering unsettled him a little but he ignored it for most of the trip. About halfway to the palace, Sesshomaru placed his arms around the child's stomach and tugged him back into his chest. "What's your name hanyou?"

The child blinked sadly, looking at the dark forest and strange people surrounding him. He sniffled, "Inu-Inuyasha."

"Hn, I suppose that name will do. I thought I might have to change it to suit my tastes but Inuyasha fits you well enough."

Inuyasha sniffled, rubbing his nose against the brownish rags he had for clothes, "I wanna go home. I want my mommy," He looked up with giant watery eyes. "Pwease?"

Sesshomaru turned his face away. He didn't likee the sadden defeat in his hanyou's eyes. "You can forget about going back there now. You belong to me. I'm going to take good care of you."

"No. . . wanna go home."

"Yes, I'm all you'll ever need from now on. You have no mother, no friends, and now no home. I can provide all you can ever want."

Promises of riches, glorious meals, fabulous grooming and lustfully green gardens all sounded like a beautiful dream in its own way. He could have everything a peasant could ever want. That's everyone's dream. At least that's what Sesshomaru assumed. None of it seemed to do anything to stop the tears from falling from his hanyou's eyes.

"Hn," He sighed, tucking a long sleeve around Inuyasha's body. "You'll learn to adjust . . . My little brother."

Three weeks passed with all of the same as before. On the first day of arrival Sesshomaru had the stewardess create a robe for his hanyou to wear. They tried on several different styles after the hanyou was thoroughly cleaned, groomed and cleansed with many different perfumes. Red seemed to be his best shade and so Sesshomaru had that be his main wardrobe.

Wherever he went, he kept Inuyasha protectively grasped in his hand. There wasn't a single moment he'd let the hanyou out of his sight. The servants would stare as Sesshomaru kept Inuyasha in his lap and fed him from his plate and when finished would wipe his chin of any crumbs. During his sword lessons, he demanded Inuyasha be in attendance surrounded by five guards in a small corner of the room.

During a journey into the royal courtyard where a lively festival was being held, Sesshomaru rode with Inuyasha, who hadn't spoken a single word since his arrival. They'd come across a large stand with many different kinds of coloring tools for children and parchment papers to draw on.

Inuyasha's ears perked up, the first sign of emotion besides sadness.

"Do you want them?" Sesshomaru asked. Inuyasha didn't answer at first. He looked down to the ground instead. Sesshomaru turned his face back to him, "Do you want them Inuyasha?" He repeated. "Tell me right now."

Inuyasha's eyes glossed sadly. He nodded.

Sesshomaru released his chin, petting his puppy ears, "You there, salesman, have your cart delivered to the castle. We'll take the lot."

"Y-yes sire," The demon man bowed repeatedly until Sesshomaru and Inuyasha disappeared into the crowd of onlookers.

Inuyasha didn't show an interest in anything else the entire time.

The cart of coloring tools was set neatly in a corner of one of Sesshomaru's play rooms. He carried Inuyasha in his arms to center of the floor, "Stay there," he said and went to pick out some colors to use on the parchment.

Sesshomaru returned with over a dozen different shades. "Which ones do you want?" He held out the spread of hues for Inuyasha to pick.

Inuyasha didn't pick any of them. He merely sat on the floor, staring at the woven patterns dug into the plush carpet. The red fire rat robes he was dressed in looked so large over his frail body. Sesshomaru frowned at that. He placed the color tools on the floor before clapping his hands. "Miroku!"

Miroku was his personal servant and tutor. He always stayed nearby whenever the young prince needed anything. The door opened to his smiling face and eyes, "My prince, what can I do for you?

"A meal. I want something fattening for Inuyasha. He needs to gain weight."

"Yes. Would you have any preferences?"

"No, just bring something filling."

Miroku bowed before stepping out. Sesshomaru gathered some paper and coloring tools around him and Inuyasha to play with. "Here, you use these." He gave Inuyasha a red, a yellow and purple coloring tool. The rest he held by his side to use. If Inuyasha needed any of them, he can just ask and Sesshomaru would give it.

Miroku returned several minutes later with a deliciously roasted venison, some steamed potatoes and carrots, sweetly buttered rolls, and goblets of freshly squeezed fruit juices. "Shall I feed the young hanyou for you sire?"

"No," Sesshomaru sharply said. "I shall feed him. No one else can touch him, not even you Miroku. Is that clear?"

"Yes sire, my apologies." Miroku set up the delicacy on a nearby table closest to a large panel window overlooking the castle gardens. Streams of sunlight beamed in, particles of dust swirling lazily inside.

"Enough coloring, you must eat."

Inuyasha had never touched the coloring tools. He only stared at the floor and kept his legs curled to his chest. When Sesshomaru reached out to pick him up, he automatically held out his arms and let himself be carried over to the table. Sesshomaru sat first as always and placed Inuyasha in his lap always. Sesshomaru cut the food as always, and fed Inuyasha carefully as always. He wiped his mouth, whispered soft words to him about how good the food was and how Inuyasha deserved nothing but the best offered.

As always this was the same.

Inuyasha still never spoke.

Another several weeks passed.

One night Sesshomaru couldn't sleep. The small bed he had built just for Inuyasha was filled with tiny cries and whimpers. Sesshomaru tossed and turned all night trying to ignore Inuyasha's blubbering but the hanyou was a persistent crier. It got to where Sesshomaru was exhausted with trying to find a decent comfort spot and kicked off his blankets to march over to the other bed.

He lifted the sheets. Inuyasha was beneath curled tight into a ball, folded inside his white bed robes. "Inuyasha," His voice startled Inuyasha just long enough to ease his face up. So many tear streaks lined his face and rosy cheeks. It pulled at the tiny strings in Sesshomaru's chest. "Are you ill?"

Inuyasha rubbed his sleeve under his nose and shook his head.

"Then why are you crying?"

Inuyasha said nothing that his eyes couldn't explain. All that sadness had evolved into despair and loneliness. Sesshomaru was confused.

"I don' wanna stay h-he'e," The first words. The very first words he'd said in ages and it was nothing at all what Sesshomaru had expected him to say. "I don' like it he'e. I wanna go home."

Sesshomaru snapped out of his initial shock fast enough to reply, "You are home Inuyasha. This is your home."

"No, I want my mommy."

"Your mother's dead with the rest of that savage village. I took you away because you deserve better than that," Sesshomaru pull the rest of the blankets away and cuffed his hands under Inuyasha's armpits, tugging him off into his arms. "You shouldn't cry little brother. People who have everything they could want shouldn't cry." He explained while carrying them both to his bed. Sesshomaru pushed his sheets back and placed Inuyasha on his biggest pillow. The sheets pulled over them both, yet Inuyasha was still crying.

"I don' ha'e evewythin'" Inuyasha whispered.

"Shhh hush now enough talk." Sesshomaru curled over Inuyasha to keep him extra warm, patting his head. "I'll make you happy. I'll give you everything you could want. You'll smile, you'll see."

"No," Inuyasha squirmed underneath Sesshomaru's arms and slept against the edge of the bed. Sesshomaru pull his back to his chest and buried his chin in his shoulder. Inuyasha didn't stop crying.

"HAVE HIM EXECUTED! I WANT HIS HEAD ROLLING DOWN THE COURTYARD BY DUSK!"

"Yes your highness!"

Inuyasha laid on the ground horrified. He'd been walking by Sesshomaru when one of the servant's children ran into him while chasing a red ball. The little boy apologized, bowing repeatedly for being so clumsy but Sesshomaru wasn't forgiving. Someone touched his hanyou, his hidden treasure. It was all the explanation he needed to eliminate the defiant idiots.

"Wait!" Shouted a voice down the hall. It was a red haired woman with bright green eyes, wearing the violet and cream servant kimonos. She thrust her arms around her son with blue eyes, bronze skin and dark black hair. "Please your majesty, I beg your forgiveness. My son didn't mean any harm. I shall punish him for being so reckless." She held him to her chest, weeping desperately.

"No, he did it on purpose. Don't take me for a fool Ayame or you'll join your son in the courtyard. Guards, take him."

Several guards dropped from their posts, trying to wring the little boy away from his mother's arms, "No please, he's just a little boy!"

"Stop it, leave me alone! Mother!"

"Koga! Your highness, have mercy, he wasn't trying to harm your pet."

Sesshomaru's gaze dissolved into a lethal glow, "Take her too."

She gasped.

"For defiling my little brother with such a degrading title. Stupid woman, a drop of his blood could buy half the territory!" Sesshomaru was enraged, eyes burnishing red and pupils dilated to green slits. The Koga wolf cub struggled angrily to get loose when the soldiers grabbed his mother and roughly dragged her down the hall.

"STOP IT! DAT'S ENOUGH!"

Sesshomaru's demonic guise dropped instantly, the guards stopped exactly what they were doing as if the voice of royalty itself had echoed within the halls. Inuyasha stood there with tiny fists balled, tears like a jagged river cascading over his cheeks. Sesshomaru walked over to him and kneeled down, "What is it Inuyasha? Stop what?"

Inuyasha shook his wild head of hair from side to side, "You stop it, you stop right now Sess'omawu!"

"Inuyasha—"

"Weave him awone he didn't mean it! I tripped an' fell on him!"

Sesshomaru's eyes hardened, "He deserves to be punished. His mother does as well for calling you my pet."

Inuyasha stomped his foot, "I am a pet! You don' wuv me! You tweat me like a dog!"

Sesshomaru was stunned. This little creature, his little brother was speaking to him and again it was without the smile he longed to see. He couldn't even bring himself to be angry. He was more disappointed. "Let them go," Sesshomaru flicked his wrist. The servant and her son were released.

"Thank you my prince, thank you so very much," The servant woman took his hand and flowered kiss after kiss on his palm. "And you little one, thank you very much," She bowed respectfully, slamming her stupid son on the ground by her side. Little Koga was too busy watching Inuyasha's puffy face frown at Sesshomaru's back.

"Be gone with you!"

"Yes your highness, of course. Come along Koga."

Koga blinked, looked up to his mother then to Inuyasha. He grinned stupidly and waved his farewell. Inuyasha didn't see it. He ran away down the hall crying with Sesshomaru running after him.

Sesshomaru was worried. They searched for a full day and still no sign of Inuyasha and with him went the cure to stop the rapid heartbeat in his chest. The ten year old couldn't fathom what would make Inuyasha think he was a pet. Hadn't Sesshomaru given him everything he could wait? Food, clothes, playthings, a bed, letting him go wherever he went. How was that being treated like a pet? It's absurd.

"We found him sire."

Sesshomaru whirled around to the guard, "Take me to him!"

The guard did, guiding Sesshomaru through the less then populated parts of the castle, down the corridors, further down some stairs and eventually outside into the weakly trimmed part of the royal gardens. No wonder they couldn't find him. The smell of camellias, lilacs, roses and baby's breath hide Inuyasha's scent well enough so that no one could sniff him out.

When they reached the middle part of the cove where a small stone bench was, Sesshomaru came up to seeing Miroku kneeling down in front of the weeping hanyou, grasping his shoulders. There was a bandage wrapped around Inuyasha's right hand.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Sesshomaru's voice boomed. "Why is he injured? Explain Miroku!"

Miroku rose and bowed, "Your majesty, it's nothing you need be concerned over. Inuyasha was bitten by Gypsy Viper. I had to treat his hand before the poison could spread."

Inuyasha stared up at him with adoring eyes and a soft smile, "T'ank you Miwoku."

"Hm," Miroku smiled back. "You're very much welcome little one."

Sesshomaru blanched, lip curling over a fang, "Leave us here. All of you go!" The guards snapped to attention and left as ordered. Miroku bowed to Sesshomaru before stepping out of the gardens, leaving the two children to themselves. Sesshomaru stalked to Inuyasha with only one question on his mind and he was, for the very first time, angry with Inuyasha. "I don't get it. What's the matter with you? Why you won't you smile for me?"

Inuyasha scowled, turning his head away, poking out his bottom lip.

Sesshomaru clipped his chin and turned him right back, "Answer me Inuyasha. What have I done to only get those nasty faces huh? You give Miroku smiles and even the servants but never me! What have I done wrong?"

"You hate me!" Inuyasha shouted. "You don' wuv me!"

"What? Yes I do!"

"No you don'! You wuv a puppy, a pet! I'm not a puppy!"

Sesshomaru stood away, "How could you say such a thing?" He looked down at his hand. "I give you everything you could ask for, I let you come with me to my lessons, I buy you everything you could ever want."

"You never let me do stuffs! I always follow you Sess'omawu. You don' let me do anythin'. You do evewythin' for me!" Inuyasha sniffled. "I'm not a puppy. I wanna do stuffs too. I wanna pway wit' other childwen. I wanna wead books, I wanna pwactice with a sword too."

"I don't want you to get hurt Inuyasha. You belong to me. I don't want anyone else to have you. You're my little brother. Mine."

"Dat' selfish Sess'omawu! Dat bad!" Inuyasha took Sesshomaru's hand and smacked it three sharp times. Sesshomaru was flat out confused. His hand didn't hurt but he was wondering the significance of being struck on his hand. "My mommy would pop me if I did bad stuffs." Said Inuyasha.

"Oh." Sesshomaru rubbed his hand now as if it were throbbing. "I'm—I'm sorry. I hadn't realized I'd been treating you like I pet. I just," Sesshomaru blushed ashamed. "I just want to keep you to myself. I don't want anything to happen to you."

Inuyasha frowned, "I know, but I still wanna be fwee. Let me do stuffs wit' you Sess'omawu."

"I, um," Sesshomaru sighed. "If I do will that earn me a smile?"

Inuyasha's head bobbled up and down with all seriousness of a five year old, "Yep, I give you dis' many," he held up three stubby fingers. "If you get me cakes, I give you dis' many." Now all of his fingers were up.

Sesshomaru laughed out loud, "Fine. Cakes it is. I'll let you feed yourself." He held out his hand.

Inuyasha took it with newfound vigor, dancing around and swinging his big brother's hand. "Now you wuv me," He said proudly as if having taught a lesson.

Sesshomaru chuckled, "I always have little brother."

Inuyasha smiled. It was the most beautiful smile Sesshomaru had ever seen.

My, how the years seem to soar like the clouds above. How long had it been exactly? Inuyasha scratched behind his head thinking. Geez he was terrible with numbers. One of the most hated lessons with Miroku was learning how to do mathematics. Well anyway, he was grown now. For the most part anyway.

"Hey pup! Ya in there?"

Inuyasha chuckled. He had his own bed chambers now, flush with all kinds of silks satins and wonderfully warm colors to brighten his day. The paints he was using were laid to the side as he pushed open the side window. Koga, his best friend, and several others were waving up at him from the ground below.

"Come on muttface, we're gonna miss the festival waitin' on you!"

"Shut up I'm comin'!" Inuyasha shouted back down. Inuyasha sat back on his stool, cocking his head to the side at the painting. Well it wasn't nearly complete yet. He could finish it when he returned from the festival with Koga. It'd taken a year to get this exactly as he pictured it in his mind. His fire rat robes stretched with his arms and legs as he stood to leave.

A knock sounded on the door. "Come in," he called.

Sesshomaru walked in. An older, more handsome Sesshomaru dressed in his favorite cream and lilac robes. "You're missin' all the festivities Little Brother."

"I know," Inuyasha got caught staring at Sesshomaru's face, his body and the way his kimono fit so snuggly over his torso. "I was just tryin' to finish this."

"Oh? Let me see."

"No! You can't, it's not finished yet!" Inuyasha scrambled to cover the canvas when Sesshomaru crossed the room to have a look. "Shoo, go away. Weren't you and Father going outta country for a few days?"

"Yes," Sesshomaru leaned away. "I wanted to say farewell before the carriage arrived."

"Oh," Inuyasha swallowed, heat flaring up on his cheeks. "What kind of farewell?"

"This kind."

Sesshomaru leaned his lips down upon Inuyasha's and a familiar flare would always awaken inside him. Warmth traveled like a freshly struck furnace through the pit of his stomach and lower still to the heat of his groin. Inuyasha placed a hand on Sesshomaru's chest, fisting his robes between his claws. Then Sesshomaru swept his tongue across Inuyasha's soft bottom lip, before capturing it and sucking it into his mouth. Inuyasha gasped, breathing hitched pitch per pitch.

Sesshomaru curled his tongue into Inuyasha's mouth with a wet little flick, in and then out, as if he didn't want to overstay his invitation. Inuyasha moaned quietly. Sesshomaru's kiss backed off, his eyes half-lidded, licking his lips as if the taste of hanyou taste would linger like the blood of prey.

Inuyasha felt himself wanting more, the desire to clench his hands around his brother's neck and keep him rooted down, "I miss ya already."

"And I you," Sesshomaru stroked the side of Inuyasha's cheek. "You could come with us."

"Yeah, but I'm no good sitting for hours. I need to move around, spread my wings," Inuyasha shrugged cheekily. "Ya know."

"Yes, I do." Sesshomaru steered Inuyasha's lips back to his, desiring one more special taste to last his thirst until his return. He put a hand on Inuyasha's back and backed him into a wall. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the painting.

He smiled into the kiss; an incomplete drawing of them as children, during a game when Inuyasha was hiding under a veil of roses. Sesshomaru had said that day he'd find his hidden treasure.

In the corner of the picture, yes, that's what it was called. Hidden Treasure

Inuyasha moaned a little, Sesshomaru sighed into the kiss. He didn't think he could love his hidden treasure any more than he did now.

TBC: So sweet and fluffy. I hope you enjoyed Anime Hottie Lovah. Merry Christmas.