Disclaimer: Apart from merchandise with his logo, I do not own Inu-Yasha.

Author's Note: After finding myself hooked on them, I've decided to start my own little ficlet corner (600 words or less in each installment) for my baby ideas that I don't have time to nurse into full blown plot lines. They will have no rhyme or reason or order- some may be AU, others not. I just felt like this would be fun to try.

Please enjoy!

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"COSTUME"

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"Isn't it great?!"

Inu-Yasha stared blankly down at the little boy, arms crossed over his chest, one eyebrow lifted in mild exasperation and surprise. "Uh. . . what the hel- - -"

He flinched as Kagome's slapped him, glaring. Oh yeah. 'Language'.

"Er- heck," he corrected dourly, shooting the girl standing next to him in the foyer a cold glare. "What the heck are you doing, Souta?"

The child giggled as his grin widened, pulling a large cardboard sword out from underneath his red-cloth belt and began poking Inu's stomach with it. Faintly annoyed, the hanyou pushed the pathetic 'weapon' (if one could even call it that) away, and surveyed the child once more. He was dressed in a maroon terry cloth bathrobe with matching sweatpants on his legs. On his head was a long white wig and spotted cat ears; on his neck a string of tiny plastic beads. In one hand he held a plastic bucket and in the other that cardboard sword; his feet stuffed into tennis shoes. Inu-Yasha blinked once as Kagome tried to muffle a giggle.

"It's Halloween," the girl then explained, biting back her amusement. "That's where little boys and girls dress up as youkai and oni and other such spooks to get sweets." 'Too bad Shippo can't travel though the well,' she mentally added, but knew it was for the best. After all, it was hard enough to control one demon in her time, much less two.

"Eh?" the hanyou cocked his head. "So that ugly face I saw and tried to attack in the window- - - ?"

"A kid," she nodded solemnly, still wincing at the memory. But then she put on a smile, gesturing at her brother. "Now- guess who Souta's going as!" She smiled as the boy puffed out his chest proudly. They had put a lot of work into that costume. . .

"No."

"Guess!"

"Oh. . . fine."

After all, who was he to back down from a challenge? Crouching down in front of Souta, brow furrowed and practically nose to nose with the child, Inu narrowed his eyes and took a few careful sniffs; considering. Then- to both Kagome and Souta's happiness- he grinned. Well, smirked more like it, but what else were they to expect out of Inu-Yasha?"

"Yeah," the half demon rolled his eyes, ruffling the boy's fake hair. "I know who you're going as. Smart, kid."

Souta's eyes welled up with tears as he gazed upon his hero, faint stains of red on his cheeks. "R-Really? You like it?"

"Mhm," Inu-Yasha nodded before opening the front door to the night, the glows of the jack-o-lanterns, and the screams of giggling children. "Now get out there."

"'Kay!" the child beamed, bolting out the door and down the shrine steps, calling for his friends to wait up. Kagome and Inu-Yasha stepped out after him but remained on the porch; enjoying the cool fall air.

"So," Kag began after a few moments of silence, staring out at the moon. "Did you ever expect that Souta would want to go as you for Halloween?"

Inu, who had begun to zone out, snapped back to attention at her words; frowning. "Huh?"

Kagome laughed and tweaked one of his ears, ignoring his growl. "I said, did you ever expect Souta to go as YOU for Halloween?"

". . . What?" the hanyou blinked, nonplussed. "He was dressed as. . . ME?"

Kag stared at him in surprise, a dangerous tone leaking into her voice. "Well, YEAH. Who else would it have been?"

Inu-Yasha shrugged, still looking a bit shocked. "I thought he was going as the old man!"

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(Note: I realize that the Japanese don't celebrate Halloween. But I still wanted to do this, anyway. XD)