Brotherly Love

Chapter Two

A Youkai's Love, Being Optimistic

Inuyasha backed away with his hands behind his back. His eyes were red and puffy from crying. He moved back until he felt his back hit the wall.

"Inuyasha." Sesshomaru said, moving forward very slowly, being careful not to arrigate the child. "What are you doing?"

"N-Nothing!" stammered the hanyou child. He screamed as he pulled his hands away. Sesshomaru's brain immediantly registered the scent of blood. He looked on the floor and saw a long carving knife drop of the floor letting out a 'cling' as it contacted with the marble floor.

Inuyasha put his blood cutted finger into his mouth. He didn't want Sesshomaru to see anything. But the scent of blood clouded his nose and he was only a hanyou, so how strong would the scent be to his full youkai brother?

Sesshomaru stopped in front of Inuyasha. The 13 year old teenager youkai bent down to pick up the knife and saw that a stream of blood trickled down the handle onto his own fingers. He held the knife lightly in his hands.

"What were you planning to do with this? Inuyasha?" he asked softly, but sharply.

Inuyasha gasped and choked on a sob, then in a blink of an eye, he turned around towards the door and started to run. Sesshomaru's cheek twitched.

"Inuyasha!" He snapped as he leapt forward and chased after him. Inuyasha was only five years old. Sesshomaru was of course fast then he was. He pulled his brother back by the collar and dragged him back into the room.

The hanyou's bottom lip started to quiver. He let out a wailing cry as he ran forward and hugged his older brother. Sesshomaru looked down on his younger brother.

"Why Inuyasha?" he asked. "Why did you try to commit suicide?"

"I miss her!" Inuyasha said, spilling out the held back tears of a week. Sesshomaru closed his eyes and chuckled deeply. He bent forward in front of his brother and wiped his tears away, but new ones took their place.

"What happened to being optimistic Inuyasha?" he asked. Inuyasha sniffled as his eyes burned through his brother's.

"I-I can't!" the young hanyou cried. "It's hard. I can't forget about Mama."

Sesshomaru gave a slight smirk. "Inuyasha, you don't have to forget about mother to be happy. Thinking about her death is what is making you vulnerable. Think about the happy days and some day when you need it the most, the memories will give you power."

"P-power?" asked Inuyasha.

Sesshomaru gave his brother a warm smile before nodding. "Inuyasha, tell me this."

In response, the young hanyou looked up at his brother with a questionable expression.

"What do you think of your hanyou form?"

Inuyasha crossed his arms and hmphed. Sesshomaru knew how much he hated being a hanyou. He plopped his bottom onto the cold floor and faced away stubbornly.

Sesshomaru slipped his hands under Inuyasha's arms and carried him up. He could tell Inuyasha had lost weight for his eating habbites were varied since his mother's death. He held his brother in his arms and gently stroked his hair.

"Inuyasha, realize this." he said softly. "Mother blessed you with han blood. You shouldn't dispise her action."

"But nii-chan." Inuyasha started. Sesshomaru cupped his hand over his brother's mouth in order to prevent him from inturrupting.

"You are an original. Being like me might make you happy physically, but not mentally. I want you to know that I love you as a hanyou."

Inuyasha widened his already large eyes. Sesshomaru just said he had loved him. His brother was usually cold to him, and if not, he would always tease him, especially for being a hanyou.

Now that Inuyasha realized it, Sesshomaru had paused his insults for a few months. But he just told Inuyasha that he loved him. No matter how nice Sesshomaru had sometimes been to Inuyasha, he would never say anything so daring so boldly.

"And you know as well as I do that mother loved you as a hanyou. And father loves you as a hanyou. You know if you were to become a full youkai, you would have to compete with me?" Sesshomaru said, embracing Inuyasha's tiny body. Inuyasha gave a slight nod. He tried to move his jaw, but his tears had dried, making his cheek sticky and glued his skin together.

"And you know I'd always win." Sesshomaru teased with a small grin as he gave his brother a noogie.

"Biaaa!!" Inuyasha laughed as he tugged on his brother's long, smooth, glossy silver hair. Sesshomaru let out a playful grunt as he pulled on Inuyasha's small ears. He knew it always irritated his little brother.

Sesshomaru smiled as he set his brother back on the ground. Inuyasha's large amber eyes gazed up at Sesshomaru and gave him a happy smile.

Sesshomaru glanced down at his brother and admired his work. He had made Inuyasha happy now.

"Gomen ne." Inuyasha said quietly. "For making you worry."

Sesshomaru's fingers played with his brother's silver hair. "It's alright. We're optimistic now, ne?" Inuyasha closed his eyes as he gave a nod. "But...." Sesshomaru looked at his brother's splintered finger. "Dai jou veu?"

"Hai brother!"

"That's good." Sesshomaru said. "Now get some rest. You look tired."

Inuyasha nodded as he hugged his brother again, then hopped into bed as Sesshomaru tucked him in and lightly kissed his brother on the forehead as he walked out the door.

I almost lost you Inuyasha, he thought sadly. I don't want you to worry me ever again. Okay? He scolded himself for being so stupid. Inuyasha couldn't read his thoughts. But he was worried for Inuyasha. Very worried....

It's been a year since the Queen's death. Inutaisho never remarried. He could never replace a woman such as she, who left a scar of love in his heart. A scar that would never heal.

Inutaisho was spending more time with his sons. But as Sesshomaru grew to be 14, he started to slip away from his family, but still being loyal to his members. But now that he was older and more self regardant, he tended to spend more time on his own, just lying on his bed thinking.

One day when Inutaisho was called for a meeting with his castle crew, Inuyasha wandered outside the castle grounds alone.

He walked around in the forest not too far away from the castle. The forest was said to be enchanted with a curse. Inuyasha didn't believe in nonsence. His comman sence was pretty good for a six year old. When his mother died, his brain didn't mature as much as a normal six year old child. Inuyasha was more of a stubborn brat now then he ever was.

The hanyou walked around and admired the scenary. The scent of fresh grass sprinkled with water and flowers that bloomed everywhere. A squirrel ran in front of Inuyasha to pick up an accorn and Inuyasha laughed.

He heard a soft sobbing as he walked around. He turned around and led himself deeper into the forest where the sound had come from. He pushed away the loose shaggy branches from a low tree and saw a girl.

She was....a girl! Inuyasha didn't like girls. They had cooties after all. And she was a peasent. A poor one judging by the rags she wore. But something about her seemed different from the other girls Inuyasha had met.

He lifted his head up and smelt the scent of blood. Inuyasha looked back down on the girl's ankle and saw that it was bleeding.

The girl stopped crying as she looked up and saw Inuyasha.

"Please." she whispered, her voice dry. "Eskitei. My ankle. I can't get home."

Inuyasha took in a deep breath as he went over to the child and ripped off a part of his kimono and tightly wrapped it around her ankle, topping it off with a knot. The girl smiled at Inuyasha and gave him a hug. Inuyasha blushed.

"Arrigatou!" she cried. She got up and tested her ankle. She winced in pain as she found that she couldn't put weight on it. She let out a small cry as she toppled over. Inuyasha caught her by the arm and they sat back down again. The girl took the basket she was carrying and offered the contents to Inuyasha. Inuyasha peered in and saw freshly picked berries.

He reached in and picked a berry out and popped it into his mouth and slow started to chew. A small spread over his thin lips.

"This is yummy!" he exclaimed as he helped himself to more. He stopped and looked back at the girl. "My name is Inuyasha!" he said.

The girl smiled. "Konnichiwa Inuyasha!" she gasped. "You are Inutaisho's son, ne?"

Inuyasha nodded proudly. "What is your name?"

"Atashi?" Inuyasha nodded.

The girl shyly fiddled with her hair before answering.

"Atashi wa Higurashi Kagome."

Me: So? Did you like it? I'll be putting more fluff in it later. My faggot sister demands the computer now. So I'll be murdering her later. I hoped you guys liked it. Please R&R!