The room was silent. The Phoenix's proposal had all of them stunned.
"What do you mean by the family we should have been?" Inutaisho finally said.
"I can give you three days and three nights together as if you were a real family. As if Hikaru had never been taken and Inutaisho had not been killed by Ryukotsusei. A chance to be a real family," she said. "The children will be children and the parents will still be alive. And it will just be the family, no one else will be present," was added.
Inuyasha was stunned beyond words. A family, a real one? To spend some time as if all those years of being alone hadn't happened. For Mother to be alive again. It was sounding wonderful to him.
Hikaru was surprised. She had been told that her parents were dead. Over time, she had gotten use to the idea that she would never know them first hand. But here was a chance to change all that. And to spend a few extra days of her childhood with her parents and brothers? Why not?
Sesshomaru was also stunned. To be able to spend some extra time with his father; it did sound great. But why? There was nothing for him to gain from this. And it would all be over in a few days anyway. Why bother with the mirage? No, no he would not go along with this. Not for anything.
"What say all of you? Are you willing to do this?" Phoenix asked.
Inutaisho and his second wife immediately agreed. They wanted to the chance to spend time with their children. Then Inuyasha and Hikaru said yes as well. But Sesshomaru declined.
"I don't want any part of this," he said and left the room. Behind him everyone was stunned by his reaction, even the Phoenix. Hikaru ran out after him.
"Nii-san! Wait a minute! Please, give me a chance to talk to you!" she cried out.
++ 'nii-san' means older brother in a respectful tone.
If only for curiosity's sake did Sesshomaru stop. That and there was something in her voice that called out to him. Turning around, "Yes, what is it?"
Hikaru stopped a few paces in front of him gasping a little for breath. "Why? Why don't you want to do this?"
"Because it doesn't matter, that's why. So we get to spend a few days pretending that nothing has happened to us or our family. It ends after three days and nights. So why bother?"
"Then at least we get to have spent that time with them. Look, unlike you and Inuyasha, I don't have any memories of either of my parents. So what if the spell ends and they're dead again? I will have something to remember them. A few moments is just enough for me, thank you," she said angrily.
Sesshomaru was taken aback. She was willing to do this, even though she was aware that it would be a farce. He saw something in her eyes that was calling out to him. She was begging to him to do this with the others. He still didn't understand why. "I still don't see what this has to do with me. I don't have to agree with this in order for it to work," he replied.
"No, no you don't" she agreed, "but it would be nice if you did. And besides, Father did say that there were some things that he wanted to tell you. This may be the only chance you'll get to find out what they are."
Dammit, she was right. He was curious to know what Father had been wanting to say to him for all these years. So in the end, he bowed his head and returned with her to the manor. There the family was gathered around the table with the Phoenix while the rest were sitting against the far wall.
"Good, you have changed your mind then?" the Phoenix inquired. Sesshomaru nodded. She clapped her hands together in delight. "Wonderful! I was dreading that you would be stubborn enough not to go through this. But now that you are, we can get started." She instructed all of them to sit around the table. To the others she told them that there was a cave nearby equipped with any supplies that they might need. Jaken and Myouga protested. They believed that they had every right to be a part of the spell too.
"Myouga, go with young Juanyu. I don't think that you will be needed here," Inutaisho ordered.
"Jaken, I'm leaving Rin's safety in your hands. Don't fail me," was enough to quiet Jaken.
After the followers had all left, the Phoenix continued. She had them all close their eyes and clear their minds. Then she began to chant in a language that none of them knew. Gradually they all began to feel very sleepy and heavy-headed…
******
"Inuyasha! Hikaru! It's time to get up!" Mother said.
From within the room, Inuyasha groaned and wiggled further underneath the covers. He had no desire to get up. He was still sleepy.
Beside him, little Hikaru opened her eyes and sat up in bed. She didn't want to get up either but Mommy was calling for her and nii-chan. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. The six-year-old hanyou crawled out of her bed and saw that Inuyasha was still in bed, the old sleepyhead. But Sesshomaru wasn't there. Nii-san must have gotten up earlier than the rest of them. He was probably waiting with Mommy and Daddy for them to eat breakfast.
Quietly she crept over to nii-chan's bed and lowered the covers enough to see one of his ears. She could her him breathing softly as he slept on. Taking a deep breath she bent closer to his head. Then with one hand she grabbed the ear and pulled. And she got the reaction that she wanted.
"Aaaagghh!" he screamed. She jumped back from him as Inuyasha sat up, rubbing his ear. When he saw her, he growled and pounced. Hikaru dodged and ran out of the room on all fours. Not too far behind, Inuyasha followed.
******
Downstairs, a teenage Sesshomaru was rubbing his left arm. It stung a little bit, like he had bumped it somewhere or it had fallen asleep. He didn't know why it felt strange for his arm to be there, but it did. Next to him, Inutaisho was sitting with a great air of patience. On the table before them was a breakfast large enough for five. Sesshomaru's stepmother had gone out to fetch the hanyou brats.
"Sesshomaru, I know that you have no liking for human food, but please just this once will you be polite and at least try some?" Inutaisho asked. His son made no reply and he sighed with the implied answer. Some things would never change.
He heard multiple footsteps running down the hall. He stood up and opened the door. Just outside was his wife and he turned to look in the direction that she was. He could see what the noise was. Inuyasha was chasing his imooto, both of them down on all fours.
Hikaru hurried when she saw her mother and hide behind her legs. Inuyasha managed not to run into Mother and made an abrupt stop a foot in front of her.
"Inuyasha! What are you doing? Why are you chasing your sister?" she demanded.
From behind her Hikaru piqued up, "I only woke nii-chan up for breakfast, Mama."
"Yeah, by pulling on my ear!" Inuyasha protested.
Their mother scooped Hikaru into her arms. "Hikaru, that was not a very nice thing to do to Inuyasha. In the future, if you want to wake him up for anything please find another way, all right?"
Hikaru nodded and murmured agreement. Inuyasha was briefly scolded for chasing his sister and ignoring his mother when she was calling for him. After that they went into the room to join Sesshomaru and Inutaisho for breakfast.
Later that morning, all the worries and troubles from earlier were forgotten as Inuyasha and Hikaru played ball outside in the garden. They were having a grand time, kicking the ball around, screaming with delight. Inutaisho envied the youthful innocence. Because of the spell, none of the children would remember what the future would be. But the youkai and his wife would since they would be returning to the lands of the dead. So it was with great joy and peace that he saw his hanyou children play carelessly.
He heard Sesshomaru walking without glancing at his younger siblings and would have passed on by if Inutaisho hadn't called out to him. "Sesshomaru, there you are. I was hoping that you would join me here for a moment," he said.
"Why?"
"Because it is long past due for the two of us to talk. And right here is a good enough place as somewhere else," he replied.
Sesshomaru gave the sigh that all teenagers give to their parents when they are forced to undergo something that they would rather wish not to. He sat down by his father's side and said nothing. He wanted Father to start this discussion off. But his father was content to sit for a few minutes in quiet and watch the hanyou play with each other.
Finally he gave in and said something. "Father, I have been meaning to ask you, why did you have Toutousai make Tenseiga for me? Why not a sword that I can actually use like he made for them?" he waved to Inuyasha and Hikaru.
His father was silent for a few minutes, in thought. How could he explain to Sesshomaru his motives behind giving him the Tenseiga? He sighed, this was going to be tough. Laughter brought him out of his thoughts and unto Inuyasha and Hikaru. They had stopped playing with the ball and were simply rolling, tumbling, and spinning around on the grass. A new laugh came in as their mother joined in on their fun. He smiled and realized that he had gotten in idea.
"Listen to me carefully, son. Listen and remember my words, all though you might not understand them now. The main reason that I wish for you to have Tenseiga was so that you could dance before you have forgotten how," he said.
++ he couldn't get more cryptic than that, could he? (kudos to anyone who can tell me where I'm pulling this from.)
"Huh?"
"Look at Inuyasha and Hikaru, they knew how to dance even before they learned how to crawl. Now they dance with every breath that they take. I want the same happiness and joy for you, Sesshomaru," he said. He laughed at his son's confused expression. "Let me see if I can explain this better. For Tenseiga to truly be effective, it needs to be wielded by someone with a caring heart. I want you to learn to care, my son. You have let your heart get too cold lately."
"And what's wrong with that?" Sesshomaru demanded.
Inutaisho looked sad, "I just don't want you to be like others of our kind. Cold hearted, power hungry, no regard for others, and doomed to a life of pettiness and loneliness. And in most likelihood you will be killed by another youkai determined to prove that he or she is more powerful than you are. That is if you aren't killed by the exterminators first.
"As for Inuyasha and Hikaru, well, they'll need the power of their swords in order to survive. They are not as powerful as you or I are."
Sesshomaru stood up, "Thank goodness for that. Father, I don't understand why you love them so much. They're just hanyou!"
"Yes, that they are. But they are also my children, just as you are," he replied.
Sesshomaru said nothing but instead walked away. Inutaisho sighed. He felt that he had gotten no where with his son. And that was probably true. The boy could be thick headed and stubborn when he wanted to be. Sesshomaru couldn't understand that he loved them all equally. His son thought that he had Inuyasha and Hikaru because he didn't love him. But that wasn't true at all. He stood and saw that the rest of the family were happily playing. He went and joined them.
Sesshomaru stood on the shadows of the corner and watched as his father went and joined the others in the garden. A stab of sadness went into his heart with traces of jealous. Father did love those hanyou more than he loved his eldest, true youkai son! But why? What had he done to lose his father's love? He had spent hours searching his memory for the answer but couldn't find any. It was a mystery to him. So his anger at his younger siblings grew. He left claws mark in the wood as he turned around and continued walking away.
******
The day waned with clouds gathering in the sky. A wonderful storm promised to give its performance that night. Inutaisho told his children that it would be wise if they spent the afternoon in their room. And that it would be best if they went straight to bed after dinner. The storm was bringing an early twilight and he didn't want the children, especially Inuyasha and Hikaru, out in this kind of weather.
Hikaru looked scared. "I hope that there won't be any thunder," she said. The little girl hugged her knees and shivered. "All that loud noise scares me, Papa."
He smiled fondly and rubbed her back. "Don't worry, Hikaru. The thunder has no chance of getting you while you're inside," he said. That seemed to soften her fears somewhat but a bit still remained.
Lunch was a quiet meal as the wind became still and night fell. Sesshomaru still wouldn't eat any of the offered food but his father ignored this bit of rebellion and ate his calmly. The hanyou ate as well, and were a little messy in the process. Their mother scolded them for their table manners but happily cleaned them up.
All the children shared the same bed room, much to Sesshomaru's chagrin. He wanted a room to himself, but his father insisted that he share with the hanyou. His father did ask that he also watch the hanyou and make sure that they didn't get into trouble. This soured Sesshomaru's mood more; but he said nothing. And so the house settled down to pass the time through the storm.
******
Or so it seemed…
She waited until her brothers were absorbed in their own endeavors before sneaking quietly out of the room. What she was doing was going against what Father had said for her to do, but she had to. She had to do this, it was a surprise for nii-san. With the early darkness settling on the manor, lanterns were lit and hung up at regular intervals. It helped light her way to the garden pathway.
On silent, bare feet, she crept down into the garden and beyond. She had to hurry. The storm might open and rain at any time. The girl needed to be quick.
******
Back in the room, Inuyasha watched his brother and wished that Sesshomaru would pay some attention to him. The young youkai had a habit of ignoring his younger siblings. No matter what he did, Sesshomaru never showed any approval. Why didn't his nii-san love him? He couldn't remember anything hat he had done that deserved this kind of treatment.
Inuyasha was playing with his small, wooden soldiers on the floor. Hikaru had crept into her bed for a nap. And he was tired with playing by himself. His brother was sitting in a corner just doing nothing. He crawled over there holding one of his soldiers.
"Sesshomaru? Do you want to play with me?" he asked.
Sesshomaru was silent for a moment. Then he turned and looked at his younger brother. His gaze was stern and uncaring. He saw the soldier and took it into one hand. "Why would I want to waste my time on you?" he said. And then crushed the soldier in his hand. The splintered toy dropped to the floor in silence when Sesshomaru flipped over his hand.
Inuyasha's eyes went wide with shock and a few tears spilled over. He quickly turned around and retreated to the rest of his toys. Nii-san didn't have to do that. All he could have said was 'no'. He didn't have to destroy one of his toys. He bit his lip to keep from crying out loud. He didn't want Sesshomaru to see him cry; not like this. Instead, he turned to the bundle that was his sister's sleeping form and gently shook it.
"Hikaru? Do you want to play with me?" he said. He waited for her to wake up and answer, but there was nothing. After a moment, he repeated his question, much louder and shook more enthusiastically this time. Still nothing. He was getting annoyed. Hikaru wasn't usually like this. She never napped deeply and she often wanted to play with her older brothers. In frustration, Inuyasha ripped the blanket off. He intended to shout at Hikaru but the words died in his throat. Instead the hanyou turned to his youkai brother and gathered some different words.
"Sessh…Sesshomaru," he stammered.
The youkai sighed. "What do you want now, brat?"
"I..it's Hikaru."
"What about her?"
"Sh…she's, she's…"
"What is it, Inuyasha? Just say it for crying out loud!" Sesshomaru exclaimed. What was with the boy? He wasn't usually like this. His anger faded when his eyes fell unto Hikaru's bed. Where he had thought his sister had curled up to sleep was some blankets bundled into a child-size lump. His face paled.
"She's gone," he whispered.
"What do you mean by the family we should have been?" Inutaisho finally said.
"I can give you three days and three nights together as if you were a real family. As if Hikaru had never been taken and Inutaisho had not been killed by Ryukotsusei. A chance to be a real family," she said. "The children will be children and the parents will still be alive. And it will just be the family, no one else will be present," was added.
Inuyasha was stunned beyond words. A family, a real one? To spend some time as if all those years of being alone hadn't happened. For Mother to be alive again. It was sounding wonderful to him.
Hikaru was surprised. She had been told that her parents were dead. Over time, she had gotten use to the idea that she would never know them first hand. But here was a chance to change all that. And to spend a few extra days of her childhood with her parents and brothers? Why not?
Sesshomaru was also stunned. To be able to spend some extra time with his father; it did sound great. But why? There was nothing for him to gain from this. And it would all be over in a few days anyway. Why bother with the mirage? No, no he would not go along with this. Not for anything.
"What say all of you? Are you willing to do this?" Phoenix asked.
Inutaisho and his second wife immediately agreed. They wanted to the chance to spend time with their children. Then Inuyasha and Hikaru said yes as well. But Sesshomaru declined.
"I don't want any part of this," he said and left the room. Behind him everyone was stunned by his reaction, even the Phoenix. Hikaru ran out after him.
"Nii-san! Wait a minute! Please, give me a chance to talk to you!" she cried out.
++ 'nii-san' means older brother in a respectful tone.
If only for curiosity's sake did Sesshomaru stop. That and there was something in her voice that called out to him. Turning around, "Yes, what is it?"
Hikaru stopped a few paces in front of him gasping a little for breath. "Why? Why don't you want to do this?"
"Because it doesn't matter, that's why. So we get to spend a few days pretending that nothing has happened to us or our family. It ends after three days and nights. So why bother?"
"Then at least we get to have spent that time with them. Look, unlike you and Inuyasha, I don't have any memories of either of my parents. So what if the spell ends and they're dead again? I will have something to remember them. A few moments is just enough for me, thank you," she said angrily.
Sesshomaru was taken aback. She was willing to do this, even though she was aware that it would be a farce. He saw something in her eyes that was calling out to him. She was begging to him to do this with the others. He still didn't understand why. "I still don't see what this has to do with me. I don't have to agree with this in order for it to work," he replied.
"No, no you don't" she agreed, "but it would be nice if you did. And besides, Father did say that there were some things that he wanted to tell you. This may be the only chance you'll get to find out what they are."
Dammit, she was right. He was curious to know what Father had been wanting to say to him for all these years. So in the end, he bowed his head and returned with her to the manor. There the family was gathered around the table with the Phoenix while the rest were sitting against the far wall.
"Good, you have changed your mind then?" the Phoenix inquired. Sesshomaru nodded. She clapped her hands together in delight. "Wonderful! I was dreading that you would be stubborn enough not to go through this. But now that you are, we can get started." She instructed all of them to sit around the table. To the others she told them that there was a cave nearby equipped with any supplies that they might need. Jaken and Myouga protested. They believed that they had every right to be a part of the spell too.
"Myouga, go with young Juanyu. I don't think that you will be needed here," Inutaisho ordered.
"Jaken, I'm leaving Rin's safety in your hands. Don't fail me," was enough to quiet Jaken.
After the followers had all left, the Phoenix continued. She had them all close their eyes and clear their minds. Then she began to chant in a language that none of them knew. Gradually they all began to feel very sleepy and heavy-headed…
******
"Inuyasha! Hikaru! It's time to get up!" Mother said.
From within the room, Inuyasha groaned and wiggled further underneath the covers. He had no desire to get up. He was still sleepy.
Beside him, little Hikaru opened her eyes and sat up in bed. She didn't want to get up either but Mommy was calling for her and nii-chan. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. The six-year-old hanyou crawled out of her bed and saw that Inuyasha was still in bed, the old sleepyhead. But Sesshomaru wasn't there. Nii-san must have gotten up earlier than the rest of them. He was probably waiting with Mommy and Daddy for them to eat breakfast.
Quietly she crept over to nii-chan's bed and lowered the covers enough to see one of his ears. She could her him breathing softly as he slept on. Taking a deep breath she bent closer to his head. Then with one hand she grabbed the ear and pulled. And she got the reaction that she wanted.
"Aaaagghh!" he screamed. She jumped back from him as Inuyasha sat up, rubbing his ear. When he saw her, he growled and pounced. Hikaru dodged and ran out of the room on all fours. Not too far behind, Inuyasha followed.
******
Downstairs, a teenage Sesshomaru was rubbing his left arm. It stung a little bit, like he had bumped it somewhere or it had fallen asleep. He didn't know why it felt strange for his arm to be there, but it did. Next to him, Inutaisho was sitting with a great air of patience. On the table before them was a breakfast large enough for five. Sesshomaru's stepmother had gone out to fetch the hanyou brats.
"Sesshomaru, I know that you have no liking for human food, but please just this once will you be polite and at least try some?" Inutaisho asked. His son made no reply and he sighed with the implied answer. Some things would never change.
He heard multiple footsteps running down the hall. He stood up and opened the door. Just outside was his wife and he turned to look in the direction that she was. He could see what the noise was. Inuyasha was chasing his imooto, both of them down on all fours.
Hikaru hurried when she saw her mother and hide behind her legs. Inuyasha managed not to run into Mother and made an abrupt stop a foot in front of her.
"Inuyasha! What are you doing? Why are you chasing your sister?" she demanded.
From behind her Hikaru piqued up, "I only woke nii-chan up for breakfast, Mama."
"Yeah, by pulling on my ear!" Inuyasha protested.
Their mother scooped Hikaru into her arms. "Hikaru, that was not a very nice thing to do to Inuyasha. In the future, if you want to wake him up for anything please find another way, all right?"
Hikaru nodded and murmured agreement. Inuyasha was briefly scolded for chasing his sister and ignoring his mother when she was calling for him. After that they went into the room to join Sesshomaru and Inutaisho for breakfast.
Later that morning, all the worries and troubles from earlier were forgotten as Inuyasha and Hikaru played ball outside in the garden. They were having a grand time, kicking the ball around, screaming with delight. Inutaisho envied the youthful innocence. Because of the spell, none of the children would remember what the future would be. But the youkai and his wife would since they would be returning to the lands of the dead. So it was with great joy and peace that he saw his hanyou children play carelessly.
He heard Sesshomaru walking without glancing at his younger siblings and would have passed on by if Inutaisho hadn't called out to him. "Sesshomaru, there you are. I was hoping that you would join me here for a moment," he said.
"Why?"
"Because it is long past due for the two of us to talk. And right here is a good enough place as somewhere else," he replied.
Sesshomaru gave the sigh that all teenagers give to their parents when they are forced to undergo something that they would rather wish not to. He sat down by his father's side and said nothing. He wanted Father to start this discussion off. But his father was content to sit for a few minutes in quiet and watch the hanyou play with each other.
Finally he gave in and said something. "Father, I have been meaning to ask you, why did you have Toutousai make Tenseiga for me? Why not a sword that I can actually use like he made for them?" he waved to Inuyasha and Hikaru.
His father was silent for a few minutes, in thought. How could he explain to Sesshomaru his motives behind giving him the Tenseiga? He sighed, this was going to be tough. Laughter brought him out of his thoughts and unto Inuyasha and Hikaru. They had stopped playing with the ball and were simply rolling, tumbling, and spinning around on the grass. A new laugh came in as their mother joined in on their fun. He smiled and realized that he had gotten in idea.
"Listen to me carefully, son. Listen and remember my words, all though you might not understand them now. The main reason that I wish for you to have Tenseiga was so that you could dance before you have forgotten how," he said.
++ he couldn't get more cryptic than that, could he? (kudos to anyone who can tell me where I'm pulling this from.)
"Huh?"
"Look at Inuyasha and Hikaru, they knew how to dance even before they learned how to crawl. Now they dance with every breath that they take. I want the same happiness and joy for you, Sesshomaru," he said. He laughed at his son's confused expression. "Let me see if I can explain this better. For Tenseiga to truly be effective, it needs to be wielded by someone with a caring heart. I want you to learn to care, my son. You have let your heart get too cold lately."
"And what's wrong with that?" Sesshomaru demanded.
Inutaisho looked sad, "I just don't want you to be like others of our kind. Cold hearted, power hungry, no regard for others, and doomed to a life of pettiness and loneliness. And in most likelihood you will be killed by another youkai determined to prove that he or she is more powerful than you are. That is if you aren't killed by the exterminators first.
"As for Inuyasha and Hikaru, well, they'll need the power of their swords in order to survive. They are not as powerful as you or I are."
Sesshomaru stood up, "Thank goodness for that. Father, I don't understand why you love them so much. They're just hanyou!"
"Yes, that they are. But they are also my children, just as you are," he replied.
Sesshomaru said nothing but instead walked away. Inutaisho sighed. He felt that he had gotten no where with his son. And that was probably true. The boy could be thick headed and stubborn when he wanted to be. Sesshomaru couldn't understand that he loved them all equally. His son thought that he had Inuyasha and Hikaru because he didn't love him. But that wasn't true at all. He stood and saw that the rest of the family were happily playing. He went and joined them.
Sesshomaru stood on the shadows of the corner and watched as his father went and joined the others in the garden. A stab of sadness went into his heart with traces of jealous. Father did love those hanyou more than he loved his eldest, true youkai son! But why? What had he done to lose his father's love? He had spent hours searching his memory for the answer but couldn't find any. It was a mystery to him. So his anger at his younger siblings grew. He left claws mark in the wood as he turned around and continued walking away.
******
The day waned with clouds gathering in the sky. A wonderful storm promised to give its performance that night. Inutaisho told his children that it would be wise if they spent the afternoon in their room. And that it would be best if they went straight to bed after dinner. The storm was bringing an early twilight and he didn't want the children, especially Inuyasha and Hikaru, out in this kind of weather.
Hikaru looked scared. "I hope that there won't be any thunder," she said. The little girl hugged her knees and shivered. "All that loud noise scares me, Papa."
He smiled fondly and rubbed her back. "Don't worry, Hikaru. The thunder has no chance of getting you while you're inside," he said. That seemed to soften her fears somewhat but a bit still remained.
Lunch was a quiet meal as the wind became still and night fell. Sesshomaru still wouldn't eat any of the offered food but his father ignored this bit of rebellion and ate his calmly. The hanyou ate as well, and were a little messy in the process. Their mother scolded them for their table manners but happily cleaned them up.
All the children shared the same bed room, much to Sesshomaru's chagrin. He wanted a room to himself, but his father insisted that he share with the hanyou. His father did ask that he also watch the hanyou and make sure that they didn't get into trouble. This soured Sesshomaru's mood more; but he said nothing. And so the house settled down to pass the time through the storm.
******
Or so it seemed…
She waited until her brothers were absorbed in their own endeavors before sneaking quietly out of the room. What she was doing was going against what Father had said for her to do, but she had to. She had to do this, it was a surprise for nii-san. With the early darkness settling on the manor, lanterns were lit and hung up at regular intervals. It helped light her way to the garden pathway.
On silent, bare feet, she crept down into the garden and beyond. She had to hurry. The storm might open and rain at any time. The girl needed to be quick.
******
Back in the room, Inuyasha watched his brother and wished that Sesshomaru would pay some attention to him. The young youkai had a habit of ignoring his younger siblings. No matter what he did, Sesshomaru never showed any approval. Why didn't his nii-san love him? He couldn't remember anything hat he had done that deserved this kind of treatment.
Inuyasha was playing with his small, wooden soldiers on the floor. Hikaru had crept into her bed for a nap. And he was tired with playing by himself. His brother was sitting in a corner just doing nothing. He crawled over there holding one of his soldiers.
"Sesshomaru? Do you want to play with me?" he asked.
Sesshomaru was silent for a moment. Then he turned and looked at his younger brother. His gaze was stern and uncaring. He saw the soldier and took it into one hand. "Why would I want to waste my time on you?" he said. And then crushed the soldier in his hand. The splintered toy dropped to the floor in silence when Sesshomaru flipped over his hand.
Inuyasha's eyes went wide with shock and a few tears spilled over. He quickly turned around and retreated to the rest of his toys. Nii-san didn't have to do that. All he could have said was 'no'. He didn't have to destroy one of his toys. He bit his lip to keep from crying out loud. He didn't want Sesshomaru to see him cry; not like this. Instead, he turned to the bundle that was his sister's sleeping form and gently shook it.
"Hikaru? Do you want to play with me?" he said. He waited for her to wake up and answer, but there was nothing. After a moment, he repeated his question, much louder and shook more enthusiastically this time. Still nothing. He was getting annoyed. Hikaru wasn't usually like this. She never napped deeply and she often wanted to play with her older brothers. In frustration, Inuyasha ripped the blanket off. He intended to shout at Hikaru but the words died in his throat. Instead the hanyou turned to his youkai brother and gathered some different words.
"Sessh…Sesshomaru," he stammered.
The youkai sighed. "What do you want now, brat?"
"I..it's Hikaru."
"What about her?"
"Sh…she's, she's…"
"What is it, Inuyasha? Just say it for crying out loud!" Sesshomaru exclaimed. What was with the boy? He wasn't usually like this. His anger faded when his eyes fell unto Hikaru's bed. Where he had thought his sister had curled up to sleep was some blankets bundled into a child-size lump. His face paled.
"She's gone," he whispered.