A/N and Reviewer Responses: Wow… It's very nice to get seven reviews in one day! And it's amazing that I updated so fast… maybe it was from all the reviews (hint hint).
Kuang: Not sounding mean at all! Here's to a prompt update, ne?
Ultra-violet-catasrophe: Ah, but that's 50 in human years, only about ten in demon years.
GothicCotton: Needs work… take lessons from Maru and Inuyasha… but here's your update anyway!
Ryuchan: It's a nice change, isn't it? Funfunfun…
The-world-needs-peace: A couple of people have already asked for that… heheheh…
Inuyashafangirl007: Soon enough?
Moonmagicks: I'll be careful, don't worry…
Sesshoumaru woke up to his brother bouncing on the bed.
"Maru Maru Maru!" Inuyasha cried. "It snowed again last night!"
Sesshoumaru sat up with a yawn. He rubbed his eyes, then looked out of the window to see that the ground below was blanketed in white. He leapt up, shoved Inuyasha out the door, slammed it, and changed into his normal clothes. Then he dashed out, grabbing Inuyasha by the scruff of his neck as he did. Together they pounded down several flights of stairs and along several hallways, startled castle folk diving aside as they rushed past.
Finally they burst out of the front doors and collapsed into the snow, rolling around joyfully.
"Snowsnowsnowsnow," Inuyasha sang joyfully. "It snowed!"
He flapped his arms and legs idly.
"Look, Maru! Snow demon!" he crowed, standing up to admire his work.
"Inuyasha! Come on!" Sesshoumaru called.
He led the way to the armory, where they managed to wrestle a shield away from the smith. Inuyasha gave a whoop, snatched the shield, and ran for the hills, Sesshoumaru following at top speed. Sesshoumaru recaptured the shield.
"Me first," he said. "I'm bigger."
He plopped down on the shield and Inuyasha gave him a push. He skidded down the hill, wiping out at the bottom, and then lugged it back up. Inuyasha attempted to dive on the shield but missed entirely. He rolled all the way down the hill, gathering snow as he went, and ended up looking like a giant snowball.
"It's not funny," he pouted, as he made it back up to the top of the hill. "Sledding's no fun. Let's make a snowman."
"Sore loser," Sesshoumaru muttered teasingly, earning a snowball in the back of the head.
"What'd you call me?" Inuyasha roared, chucking another snowball. Sesshoumaru ducked, scooping up some snow at the same time.
"You dare throw a snowball at I, Sesshoumaru?" he cried, ducking behind a small mound of snow. "Face the consequences!"
A furious snowball fight commenced, in which both combatants found safe havens but still managed to get hit in the face more than once. Both had trained in the fine art of snow projectiles from an early age, so they were equal opponents. A few servants dared to try to cross the battlefield, but were quickly shot down and had to be carried away.
When the two mischievous demons came inside at last, they were cold, covered in snow from head to toe, and soaked to the bone, but satisfied. Each was sure that they had won the battle.
"I really clobbered you that time."
"Are you kidding? I so kicked your…"
"Ha! You're just jealous because you know that I really did beat you!"
"You're crazy. I knocked you right off your feet once!"
It took a warm fire and some steaming hot chocolate to calm them down. They snuggled under a warm blanket, sipping out of large mugs, and listened to the servants singing carols outside.
The two troublemakers managed to smuggle some more cookies up to Sesshoumaru's room. They bounced on his bed, chomping away, until the chambermaid came to tell Inuyasha to go to bed.
The young half-demon yawned hugely, then stuffed the rest of the cookie he was eating down his throat.
"'Night, Maru," he said, starting to climb down from the bed. "And just so we're clear on this, I totally beat you."
Sesshoumaru tugged on his little brother's ears playfully.
"You're not fooling anyone, kid. I was clearly the victor."
"No you weren't! Loraine, who won?"
The flustered maid looked from one pair of glaring eyes to the other.
"Well, it was a very close fight…" she began, but the two children cut her off.
"No it wasn't! One of us won!"
"Which was it?"
The maid went slightly pink.
"Young Master Sesshoumaru," she said quickly, then picked up Inuyasha by the scruff of his neck and started to carry him off to his bedroom. Sesshoumaru could hear his brother's protests all the way down the hall.
"Yarr, gerrof me! I won! I won! How could he ever beat me at snowballs? Leggo! I'm not tired, I tell you! I said let go! Aren't you supposed to obey me? Let go! I'm not a baby, I can walk on my own! Arrrgh!"
Sesshoumaru kept his dignified silence, with difficulty, until Jaken came to close his door and put out the lights.
"Excellent battle, my lord," the toad demon rambled as he scurried around, blowing out the torches. "Wonderful strategy. Although you did seem to go a lot easier on him than you do on poor Jaken."
"Yeah, well," Sesshoumaru muttered, shrugging. He buried his face in his pillow, wishing he had more hot chocolate. The night was freezing, and the cold air was getting in through the chinks in the stone walls of the castle. "He's a little full of himself sometimes, but let him think he was close. He deserves it. He is my little brother, after all."
Jaken nodded sagely. "Well, poor Jaken wishes you could go easily on him too."
"Fat chance," Sesshoumaru muttered as Jaken disappeared. The only one he would go easy on was his little hanyou brother, but he wouldn't let on. He didn't think Inuyasha would like it very much if he learned that Sesshoumaru was going easy on him!
Idea shortage is striking again… I only have three now. Need help!