One Week

I don't own Inuyasha

Chapter 10

Sesshoumaru looked around the house trying to find anything out of place before his brothers and sister got up. It was almost as clean as it was when his mother left. He figured it probably wouldn't be a good idea to cook breakfast otherwise it meant he would have to clean the kitchen all over again and the heavens only knew how long that might take him. Aun nudged his hand. Sesshoumaru looked down to catch his dog's eyes staring up at him expectantly before turning a circle and running over to his bowl on the floor. Sesshoumaru shook his head. It was a shame Aun couldn't tell time but he couldn't blame the dog. He was up earlier than usual. He hoped that sending him into the backyard for a romp would satiate the dog's hunger while he got everyone else up and going.

Sesshoumaru decided to start with Rin first. While she was a ball of energy once awake it often took a few tries to get her up since she would sit up and right when you thought she was getting out of bed she would lay right back down. Sesshoumaru counted three times walking in and out of Rin's room before he finally gave her piggyback ride downstairs where she proceeded to lay on the couch until popping up with Puppy Police. Kohaku was a different story. Sesshoumaru was sure his youngest brother was the lightest sleeper in the house. By the time he'd walked into the room Kohaku was sitting up albeit looking somewhat dazed and confused until he blinked a few times and realized that he was not in the depths of the netherworld. Before leaving Kohaku's room, Sesshoumaru noticed a megaphone in the corner. He smirked to himself knowing exactly how he would wake up Inuyasha as he grabbed it and snuck into his brother's room. Sesshoumaru could feel a certain demonic aura rising in him as he crept closer to Inuyasha's bed. The younger brother had his back turned to him and was snoring, a bit of drool hitting the pillow. Sesshoumaru was sure that Inuyasha was enjoying the depth of his sleep. He would have to end that. Holding the megaphone over his brother's head he pressed the button sending a blaring horn into his brother's ears. Sesshoumaru laughed as Inuyasha nearly jumped out of bed getting caught in the covers and rolling out on the floor. Inuyasha sat up holding his head, trying to keep the room from spinning and trying to block out the residual noise of the horn playing through his ears before finally realizing the culprit of this horrific wake-up.

"I hate you asshole!"

"The feeling's mutual bastard. By the way, you should get up. Dad and Izaiyoi will be here soon."

Inuyasha growled as Sesshoumaru left his room with a smug smirk.

Rin and Kohaku met Sesshoumaru as he came back downstairs.

"Can we have flip flaps?"

"Sorry, bug. No flapjacks today. Fruit Rings will have to do this morning."

"Sorry Kohaku, I tried."

"Where's my breakfast?"

Sesshoumaru tried to ignore Inuyasha's voice.

"It's in the box on top of the refrigerator."

Rin stared at her two older brothers before spooning the multicolored hoops of sugar into her mouth. Kohaku seemed to be completely ignoring the two of them this morning doing the same.

"So you woke me up just to watch the other two eat?"

"..."

Rin scooped another spoonful into her mouth watching Sesshoumaru turn to the cabinets and pull out one of Aun's enormous dog bowls, literally empty the rest of the box of cereal into it, pour half a gallon of milk and finished the display by throwing in the absolute largest spoon he could find. Rin was sure that their mother called that a ladle but it was filled with holes. Kohaku looked up hearing the clank of the ladle hitting the bowl and started to giggle along with Rin as they watched Inuyasha attempt to eat this bowl of cereal. Each time he brought the ladle to his mouth the milk seemed to run down between it and Inuyasha's chin back into the bowl. Sesshoumaru tried to keep himself from laughing but he couldn't quite help but let the smirk slip through at Inuyasha's fifth attempt to get the cereal and milk to come together without losing half of it. It didn't help that Inuyasha was stubborn and continued to try and eat the cereal. Sesshoumaru was pulled from the comical act as he heard Aun pawing at the back door and decided to let the dog back in. The odor he was greeted with was enough to make eyelids curl, the equivalent attack on one's nose as fingernails across a chalkboard to the ears. He raced to grab Aun before he managed to jump onto the couch.

Kohaku was once again interrupted from his journey to the end of his cereal by the funk that reached his nose, "Wow."

"Aun is stinky. He needs a..."

"Rin! Don't say that word. You know he goes crazy."

Inuyasha looked at his brother devilishly as he sipped a drop of milk from the ladle, his pinky extended in mocking fashion.

"Inuyasha, don't you dare. I will destroy you."

"What? I wasn't going to say bath. Oops!"

Sesshoumaru was greeted with attempting to control his bear-sized dog that had suddenly turned into a spinning, barking bucking bronco at the thought of suds and water. Trying to hold the dog by the collar was taking more strength than he was willing to put into it at the moment. He angrily watched Inuyasha smirk as he downed a glass of water. As if a light bulb had gone off with how pissed he was with Inuyasha, he pointed Aun in Inuyasha's direction and pushed the dog toward him and released him. Sesshoumaru was comforted by Inuyasha's scream. He didn't even let the flying cereal, milk and water bother him. Seeing his younger brother pinned under their smelly dog who was currently lapping his face and any other place where the sweet breakfast concoction had landed was payback enough.

"Oops, I didn't mean to let Aun go."

"You liar!"

"I guess you'll need a bath too."

Inuyasha tried to move their monster dog who had gone into a whole new round of hysterics on top of him before finally sitting on him.

"Well, Aun isn't the only one who smells like skunk butt right now."

Rin seemed to be tickled by the words as she began to sing them.

Sesshoumaru could hear the car pulling into the driveway as he ushered the dog back outside. There would have to be time for a bath later.

"Everyone, act casual."

Sesshoumaru smirked as Rin seemed to freeze with her hands up in the air and a smile on her face as if waiting for their parents in an already surprised manner.

"No, not like that. You can move bug."

"Oh. How do I do casual?"

Sesshoumaru shook his head, "Just be yourself."

"Oh, okay."

Taisho took a breath noticing that the house was still intact from the driveway. No windows were broken and there were no burns to speak of outside of the house. Nothing was falling down. Izaiyoi looked over at her husband, her mouth in a flat line realizing how relieved he seemed to be and yet he'd told her not to worry about leaving the kids alone.

"So, what do you think the inside of the house looks like?"

"I have no idea but we're about to find out."

Before he was able to knock on the door Taisho was greeted by Sesshoumaru as Rin and Kohaku sprinted to hug Izaiyoi and Inuyasha tried to continue to act casual. Taisho bear hugged his oldest, relieved to see all of his children alive but also looking around the house to make sure the inner walls weren't falling down.

"Dad..."

"Yes, son."

"You're killing me."

"Only because I love you."

Sesshoumaru took a breath as Taisho let go and went to smother Inuyasha but he was thrown off all over again as Izaiyoi wrapped her arms around him not seeming to care that he'd tried to back out of it. He'd noticed Inuyasha try to act as if he wasn't too worried whether or not his parents returned although he knew better. Inuyasha was glad their parents were back to save him.

Taisho tried to ignore the scent of skunk that he was catching and instead focused on what the rest of the rooms looked like. Sesshoumaru was relieved to see that his father and Izaiyoi seemed to be impressed by the cleanliness and lack of destruction aside from a bit of spilled milk and cereal in the kitchen but that was pretty normal for a household with four kids. Walking into the master bedroom they'd literally frozen at the fact that it looked like a completely new space.

"What...why...?" Taisho suspiciously began to question the new look before he was interrupted by Izaiyoi.

"Did you all do this for us? It's so beautiful!"

Sesshoumaru appreciated the silence of his siblings who had agreed to let him answer the questions regarding why the bedroom looked like something off the home channel.

"Yes, well, my mom helped a little."

"Oh! I love your mother's designs."

Sesshoumaru tried to focus on Izaiyoi's happiness as his father seemed to be shooting a questioning glance in his direction that he tried to ignore. It seemed to work as his father sighed and then shrugged.

As the excitement of the house died down with Taisho and Izaiyoi's return, Sesshoumaru decided it would be a good time to ask the burning question that had been brewing since his father returned home.

"So...what did you think?"

"Truly, better than I expected. But, you have to be honest with me before I agree to our deal. How did you and Inuyasha get along?"

"He's still alive."

"Sesshoumaru..."

"Maybe we got into it once or twice but it wasn't bad and Rin and Kohaku can vouch for that."

"Hmm, you're trusting your younger brother and sister to stick up for you?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I?"

Although he wasn't happy that Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha had still disagreed enough to fight he knew that their relationship would be a work in progress and one week wasn't enough to turn things around completely. He would have to find more reasons to make them work together and starting with removing the tree would probably be a good idea. Still, he couldn't deny that Sesshoumaru had done a good enough job keeping his siblings happy and healthy and if he could do that then maybe he'd proven that he was ready for a new car.

"..."

"Dad..."

"You promise to raise your grades?"

"They'll be all A's next report. I promise."

"And if they're not?"

"They will be."

"Alright..."

"You're getting me a car?!"

"Let me think about it and sleep on it."

Taisho couldn't help but let his son question what was to be of the new car that seemed to be hanging in the balance. He was sure that Sesshoumaru's shadow and lack of altercations with Inuyasha for the rest of the day weren't just because he missed him although Sesshoumaru did admit that he never wanted to be left alone with his three siblings again for a full week. As Taisho and Izaiyoi settled in for the evening they heard a gentle knock on their bedroom door followed by Rin peaking her head in.

"Rin, what are you doing out of bed?"

"Can I sleep in here tonight?"

Izaiyoi looked at Taisho giving him pleading eyes as he gave in to their daughter's request.

"I missed you."

"Did you have fun with your brothers while we were gone?"

Rin nodded, "Lots of fun."

"What did you do?"

"I watched Puppy Police, and at first I got sick but Sesshy gave me medicine and read me a story and I felt better, and he made sauce and noodles too but there was supposed to be chicken but then it died of fire because Kohaku hurt the wall and it hurt him when he kicked it because Inuyasha moved. Me and Kohaku played tag, and then we watched scary movies and grandpa came, and then we all slept in Sesshy's room cause we were scared but it was like a sleepover, and then we chased a squirrel around the house and almost caught him but he got away out that window but not that window. We went to the mall and me and Kohaku played at the play place but then we got lost when we got off the choo choo but we didn't stay lost because we found Nana Kaede and then Sesshy and Inu found us and we ate cinnamon rolls. I watched Puppy Police again and me and Kohaku played tag again and then the lights went poof cause of the thunder and lightning. Inuyasha didn't want to come downstairs but Sesshy said he should and me and Kohaku wanted him to too. So he stayed but then he got mad at Sesshy and they fought and then they stopped when they made Bouksenu fall down because he was sad but I don't want Sesshy to be sad."

Taisho and Izaiyoi sat frozen trying to digest every last bit of information that had been delivered to them in rapid fashion. Both of them were sure that Rin had not stopped to take a breath in that entire summarization of her week with her brothers.

"Why don't you want Sesshy...Sesshoumaru to be sad?"

Taisho looked at his wife surprised that that was all that she got out of that entire six seconds of word vomit.

"Because he did really good and he should get a car."

"Did Sesshoumaru put you up to this?"

"No. I love Sesshy."

Taisho smiled hearing how highly Rin thought of Sesshoumaru and she would only feel that way if he gave her reason. Kohaku and Inuyasha hadn't fared too badly either and it sounded like, despite the debacles that seemed to have taken place among it all, that Sesshoumaru cared enough about his two younger brothers as well.

...

Sesshoumaru tried to bat Aun away as the dog jumped up and down on the bed waking him and then digging up underneath the covers to eventually push him out. He huffed as he got up and walked Aun downstairs. The house was eerily quiet. Flipping the light switch he grabbed the note attached and didn't wait for Aun to push him this time as he'd burst out the front door where his family and a brand new silver sports car awaited him.

Rin looked to Kohaku as he nodded to her, "Surprise!"

Taisho and Izaiyoi assured that the car was his as Satomi handed him the key.

"Your father has been storing this at my house for the past week and we thought you might want it."

Sesshoumaru hugged her before encountering Inuyasha as he leaned against the driver side door.

"Dad, Mom and Satomi agreed that there's one last thing you have to do before you can get in the car. Just FYI, I don't agree with it."

Sesshoumaru looked to his father for confirmation.

"Hug each other."

Sesshoumaru frowned trying to figure his way around the act.

"You can do it!"

The sound of Rin's voice gave Sesshoumaru an idea as he beckoned her and Kohaku over to them. What was meant to simply be a hug between himself and Inuyasha turned into a group hug between the four of them and that Sesshoumaru could stomach, maybe not for another week but for the moment and their father would have to okay with that.

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed it! Until next time. :)