Inuyasha shook his head laughing. His brown mysterious eyes grew bigger; while Sota had closed his mouth completely the minute he heard Inuyasha's voice lingering in his ear. Sota was still folding his hands nervously, something Inuyasha had picked up on in the first week that he had meet my entire family. Inuyasha just gathered his breath, looking at the young eight-year-old boy watching him waiting on his every word and every breath. Sota's eyes were growing wider every second, and he had complete patients when it came to him. Sota's expression looked like he was about to cry or run and hide when he heard Inuyasha's laughter. He didn't know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing. He brought Sota underneath his arm in a smug type of way, a manly way of showing affection that he cared deep down for him. Sure they threw toys at each other, were slobs at eating, but that's what guys can be. I love them for that though.

I was sitting in the leather couch by the window, peering out on the dock seeing two shadows at the lake's edge. It looked exactly like a beautiful oiling painting. Everything was just set right. The colors, the features, everything. I was never tempted to watch them talk to each other, but when I looked out the window and saw Sota underneath his wing, for once I could ignore everything else. I had never seen guys get all-emotional in their own way. Just Inuyasha's arm over him was enough to make me break a smile and laugh by myself, but yet enticed me to watch them moments longer.

" Sota.. He's so cute.. I'm glad Inuyasha was able to stay up here. It's where he belongs. I mean he's an only child. I can understand why he's so attached to my world. I guess being an only child has it's faults too. I never saw him so good with my brother before like this. Guys just hide away when they truly bond though. Otherwise the bonding consists of beating each other up. Inuyasha I don't know what we'd do if you were out of the picture. I'm glad you are though. Whether you like it or not you are considered a part of the family."

I couldn't pull my eyes away. This was something you wouldn't see in a million years. Lucky enough I was able to. My hands had the long blue curtains held back seeing a glimpse of the two shadows turned towards each other, while laying at the edge of the dock. It was cute. I knew if I ever brought it up to Inuyasha he'd likely pound me or chew me out. Never would he like to be considered a softy; but he is though. He always plays this tough troublesome guy take no prisoners attitude. It's all an act though. I think I've figured him out quite well since we met each other.

" Aww..there so cute. It wouldn't hurt to see what they are talking about. After all I am his sister."

" Let me take guess…"

He trailed off gathering his breath, while Sota stood up straight with sweat creeping down his face. Inuyasha gave the widest, sheepish grin he could possibility make. Every time he knew something his brown eyes would grow wider basically seeing the shine in the corner of his eyes. You could lie and he'd know how to get it out of you. The qualities sometimes I wish he never had. Inuyasha's strong hands grasped the small glass, hearing the ice cubes hit against the glass making Sota flinch from a harmless sound of an ice cube. Inuyasha felt the lemony cool drink splash against his throat making sure it was wet and he was able to talk without his voice cracking or drying up.

" It has something to do with a girl doesn't it?"

Sota's face grew longer and his eyes were completely over exaggerated. He tried to keep a straight face but he was just at the breaking point to bursting and letting his little secret all fly out. Inuyasha watched the clouds move fast over head and watching a flock of seagulls past by noisy as ever, into the sunset. Sota was stalling. He grabbed his drink immediately slowly chugging it down hoping that would slow down the process of being on the subject and hoped Inuyasha would likely forget and move on to something else.

" The sky is so beautiful isn't Sota?"

Inuyasha gave another smug smile placing the straw between his lips until the ice tea generally disappeared, and only the half melted ice cubes were left. Sota gave a smile, wiping his forehead thinking Inuyasha was that dense and left himself in the clear.

" Of course it is. I mean pink, and yellow and…"

Inuyasha nudged him in closer feeling the brute force of just his arm ceasing him, and it didn't take along of arm strength to hurt anyone. He was full of it.

" Pink and yellow. Girl's favorite colors. Just like that girl you saw today at the beach.."

Inuyasha was making my brother squirm pretty badly. He knew how to twist and turn people until they just blurted it out making them admit to something. With Sota it was easy for him to figure out. He knew a lot of younger boys wouldn't go to their sisters when it came to girlfriends. For an only child, he knew a hell of a lot even with my family. Things, I didn't even know myself. How bad is that?

Sota's hands were rapidly looking for the glass as though his throat went completely dry, like he hadn't had any ice tea for weeks. Inuyasha titled his head down swiping the cup from underneath his nose before his hands could ever feel the cold that was coming off.

His hands held the cup at his mercy swigging the ice tea watching it splash the sides and giving a delighted evil grin saying he basically won.

" Hmm Sota.. I don't think you need this, after all you didn't look like you were dying of thirst of few minutes ago.. and it would be kind to give me some considering mine is empty…"

Sota shook his head feeling the light breeze hit his moist forehead, acting like he was a robber that stole something precious of his.

" Hey Inuyasha give it back it's mine!"

Sota continued whining and begging, more like struggling for the glass back. Inuyasha was enjoying torturing my brother, and enjoyed the whiny expression on his face as though that glass had some kind of value to him. Inuyasha's hands were way up to the sky, and out of Sota's reach. He was shaking the glass like teasing a dog with a bone, watching my brother literally jump to reach it.

" Come on.. girls jump like that.. are you a girl?"

His voice raised higher than ever when he mentioned; girl or girls. Sota was thrown off each time he heard him even say it. He stopped jumping for a moment, while before he knew it Inuyasha robbed him off his cold ice tea catching only a glimpse of it until it disappeared.

" Inuyasha! My ice tea!"

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders throwing the cup over his shoulder, while he watched with alarm it rolling in the middle of the wooden dock, almost tipping over the edges and into the real cold water. He chuckled. Throwing his head back and pointing and laughing, at the same time, watching his maturity diminish .

Inuyasha was laying flat on his back with his index finger pointed directly at Sota, with his feet kicking and his one hand over his forehead.

" Inuyasha my ice tea, my ice tea!"

He imitated raising his voice, sounding similar to my brother's cry. He could see he stopped and just kicked his bare feet into the water, seeing he wouldn't respond to Inuyasha after he made fun of him.

" Sota come on you know I was only kidding. Look I'll get you some more if you want." Inuyasha sweetly offered after he saw the happiness expression die down on such a joyful, easily amused kid. The last thing he wanted to do was get him upset or sad, and he knew many ways how to fix it. Sota turned his head back slowly, with a low tone. " No thanks."

His hands grabbed the glasses placing them beside each other neatly, while he sighed getting out of his comfortable position and moved himself to the edge of the dock.

"Sota I know you like a girl.."

He whispered in a playful tone winking at him. Sota felt his warmth from his body when he nudged him in-between the ribs while he looked at his feet underneath the blackish looking lake.

" How did you know that?"

Sota said curiously admitting that his hunch was exactly right. Inuyasha slowly fell back with style, seeing Sota's head pop in the corner of his eye.

" Well.. You tell mostly all your problems to your sister right?"

Sota nodded in silence.

" You came to me because you know I'd know something about that without nagging right?" Sota nodded again with a crooked smile. " Exactly. Knowing Kagome or any sister, they'd jump up for joy, hug you until your ribs break, and get way too involved. You came to the right person."

Inuyasha jammed his fists into his jet black hair, giving him a huge nugey.

" So sport. You like this girl.. You like her a lot can't stop thinking about her.. can't stop saying her name.. You like her but you don't know how to tell her correct?"

Sota's eyes widened with astonishment with a hint of redness lingering on both of his cheeks. Sota looked down and looked back up at him as though he was his god or something.

" Ya..that's exactly it!"

He said with excitement, practically bouncing off the dock. Inuyasha shook his head almost ashamed pie facing the kid.

" Calm down.. calm down.. you look like your going to pee yourself.."

Inuyasha yelled fiercely placing my brother back down pretty hard into his original position. Sota gave a light smile with a soft sigh following afterwards.

" I don't know what I can possibility say to her. What happens if she doesn't like me?"

Inuyasha gave a sweet smile and a look like he was going to smack him hard for doubting himself.

" Well if you don't say anything you won't know, right?"

Sota quietly nodded with a small smile watching the stars slowly coming out one by one.

Still, I couldn't get my eyes off of them. I had the drapes pulled back time to time so I could catch another glimpse of them. That wasn't enough for me. " I want to hear what they are saying.. I mean after all they look serious and it would be nice to see what he's asking him and not me. That little brat. He always runs to Inuyasha. Not that I have a problem with it. Just sometimes I like to be the known sibling not him. Even if he's basically apart of this family."

They had been talking for at least an hour or so. Watching wasn't enough for me anymore. I had to listen to every word they were saying. If I didn't I'd probably go out of my mind. If he plans to keep the conservation between Inuyasha and him he's dead wrong.

Everything went quiet between Inuyasha and my brother. They were never quiet usually. They usually would be each other up or yell at each other until they were blue in the face. Sota just looked up at the bright stars laying against the fold out chair, while Inuyasha had a smile slowly fading when he stared out across the lake looking at the trees and the glass blowing with the soft breeze.

" I don't blame Sota coming to me to talk about it. Feh, smart kid. Knowing Kagome she would have been screaming at the top of her lungs and crushed Sota's ribs. She means well. Maybe these couple of weeks won't be bad after all. I'm practically apart of her family, and they enjoy my company. Especially Sota. With them I'm alright. I don't feel like an only child anymore. I thought it was pretty cool without siblings then again they proved me wrong. I couldn't ask for anything more or anything less."

Inuyasha laid down against the hard wooden dock, and my brother just gazed at the sky wondrously. Inuyasha's hands held his head up just enough to see the sight of the water and the sky at the same. Inuyasha wasn't liking the silence that much. Still he didn't know what else he possibility could say to Sota. Sota would always occupy him all day with questions, ideas, and everything else. Sota never really questioned Inuyasha about anything; He expected Inuyasha to answer everything for him.

Inuyasha was always awake. My brother was already partly passed out in the thin foldout chair, that wasn't really comfortable. We only used it after we went swimming, or in my case sun tanning. His head rested against the plastic arm rest, while he was curled up shaking and still in his swim trousers from earlier. Inuyasha could escape now from answering all his questions. He was by himself now, and he could think and breathe without any interruptions.

" I guess being in a house full of girls isn't easy…"

Inuyasha thought shaking his head at the thought of it. Inuyasha looked how cold Sota was and sweetly grabbed his long red sweater throwing it over him, acting like a blanket. His sweater covered him nicely, noticing his body stopped shivering the moment he threw it on him.

Sota slowly awoke from the feel of a warm, soft, fleece like material covering him that wasn't there before. His eyes opened just enough to see Inuyasha walking away back to laying against the dock, knowing he had his warm sweater on him. Sota gave a warm smile to himself weakly trying to clear his throat and talk after falling asleep for alittle while.

" Inuyasha?"

He said basically in a whisper clearing his throat and coughing for a moment or so. Inuyasha's attention towards the night sky disappeared when he heard Sota's voice call out his name. He just grinned while he gave a light yawn shivering , but instead let my brother have his sweater.

" What is it squirt?"

He questioned looking at him and then back at the night sky. " Umm well.. Have you ever liked a girl?"

Inuyasha attention was grabbed immediately when he heard him question him for the first time. His body turned inwards to look at him but enough, to be comfortable.

" Probably. I've liked many girls. Half I don't even remember." Inuyasha admitted wondering where my brother was going on with this.

I was already sneaking out sunroom, opening the small sliding door and walking down the stone steps that lead down the hill towards the dock. The stairs were pretty long but I was practically use to flying down them to anxiously go swimming or to meet a couple of summer friends I met when they stayed at the cottages. My father bought the cottage along time ago for my mother and the whole family before he died. He bought it when he discovered my mother was going to have me, and thought it would be a nice treat every summer for us to go up there together. Of course we do. My mother kept her promise to my father to come up here as a family, and we've been going since I can remember. My mother…she never let my father down, and I can understand this is more than a tradition; It's a promise she'll always keep.

It's probably one of the nicest cottages at the lake. My father must of spent all the money he possibly had on this nice looking cottage. He must of understood he wanted someplace where we'd enjoy it, and he was lucky to get this particular spot. It's got a great view of the lake from the cottage and the steps and I've never been happier to back here again. With Inuyasha's company, it makes my summer worthwhile.

I was already half way down the steps trying to be as quiet as I could, to sneak behind the bushes and enough to listen in on them from the start of the dock. I just crouched down quietly listening wondering what they could be possibly talking about.

" Well do you like my sister?"

Sota said without any hesitation, more with curiosity to the fact if he was infatuated with me or not. Sota adjusted his heavy red sweater making sure it covered his body completely, wrapping himself until no skin showed any longer. Inuyasha's look towards the distant sky disappeared; he was caught of guard by my brother's question and question he never thought that an eight year old would ask him.

His mocha colored eyes grew wider. He didn't know how to answer that I mean of course we were best friends but it seemed like Sota's talk about girls intrigued him to ask Inuyasha that question. Inuyasha rose an eyebrow widely and cocked his head towards Sota, until he saw the black headed boy curled up in the chair with his upper body still visible. Inuyasha just crackled his knuckles until they made nerve racking sound that echoed across the lake. His face was burning redder than ever but the darkness covered his hint of blushing. He just swallowed placed on the spot, knowing he couldn't back how because Sota gave him truthful answers and it was only fair. He cracked his knuckles until he could no more. His head was still looking up at the night sky wishing that question had never been said. " I got to answer this. I mean I like Kagome a lot as a friend and all but I don't want anything to get complicated than it already is."

My eyes completely lit up the minute my brother's question lingered in my ear. I understood the whole conservation now completely. Sota had ran out there to privately talk to my brother about girls. Such a predictable topic it seemed boys always seemed to be talking about girls as much as we talked about them. My own brother too scared to talk to me about something like that…I can understand he believes Inuyasha has every answer, every piece of advice and I can understood why he'd run to Inuyasha for something like now but now.. it was different. Silence wasn't a good thing, and it wasn't a good thing when he asked him if he liked me? My heart was literally jumping at my throat, forgetting the cold glasses that I held in hands. I wanted to sneak back up the set of stairs and pretend to act like nothing happened, but the fact was I couldn't get myself too. I needed to hear the gossip, and when it was about me I felt like I needed to listen.

My hands were shaking badly and maybe it was because there was a possibility. Inuyasha liking me? I felt like some school girl trying to figure out the crush, waiting on his answer of yes or no. I gently placed the glasses of ice tea in front of me, leaning abit closer and listening with my eyes opened wide.

Inuyasha was close enough to be considered a brother, apart of the family yet close enough to mean something else. He always stayed at my house for long hours watching movies with me and the rest of my family and usually staying for dinner and pitching in. He'd be such a gentleman, even though that never seemed like his nature. He wouldn't watch my mother even pick up a rag, my mother would sometimes have to sweet talk him out of doing her choirs. I wanted to know the answer, but yet I felt scared to.

" Me like your sister..Well Sota between me and you I-"

His voice trailed off. My clumsiness kicked in again, and at the wrong time. Inuyasha and Sota's head swung backwards hearing the noise of a faint scream and hearing glasses shattering against the paved path and hearing it smash into a million pieces across the dock. My famous ice tea had disappeared forming a puddle on the ground, and feeling a stinging that pulsed against my palms and my knees.

" I'm such an idiot…I could of heard what he could of said.."

I continued ranting and cursing while Inuyasha wasn't surprised by me being there, he was more concerned about something else, that should of hit me before him. Inuyasha looked at me curiously noticing my skirt draped over my knees and the pieces of what were glasses full of drinks shattered and scattered, all across the area.

Sota stood in alarm from the seat. Inuyasha gently kneeled down noticing the puddle of ice tea and the color of red which wasn't from any drink; it was blood from the cuts of the sharp glass. How stupid could I have been? Tripping and cutting myself on glass and blowing my cover. I knew I'd have nice little marks all over my legs and hands. My skin was buried with shards of glass and all I could feel was pain everywhere which compelled me to scream when he attempted to pull them out.

" Kagome..shit…"

He commented it must of looked worse than ever to him. He always swore when it came to accidents or nasty turn of events like this. He gathered his breath calmly. First I became the topic of choice, and now he was gazing at me…How I felt so stupid, but yet how I enjoyed every minute of it..