Inuyasha:

Big Brother Guardian

Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi

Summary- Ichiro shows that he's more than capable of looking after his siblings.

When Ichiro was younger, he never really showed much interest in his siblings. Sure, he would hold them now and then, but he didn't play with them much because he was always so busy wanting to run around with his friends. However, as he got older and after the twins were born, he started to realize just how much his siblings relied on him.

He'd play with them more often, and whenever Inuyasha was away at some far-off village, he would often help Kagome comfort them. He would teach Izayoi how to walk by gently holding her hands to keep her from falling or toddling too fast and he would make Usagi laugh by making funny faces at her. There were often nights where Inuyasha and Kagome would get a little...intimate, so Ichiro would have them sleep in his room with him and he would try his hardest not to snore so loudly. Whenever one of them was frustrated and wanted to cry, he would often carry them on his shoulders and cheer them up by telling them some funny little story.

He even treated his little cousin, Taisetsu, like he was one of his siblings.

Inuyasha and Kagome were always so proud of Ichiro. They saw that he was really stepping up as an older brother now that he was in teens. However, they didn't realize just how seriously their eldest son took his job until one spring day.

It was just about sundown. Ichiro had gone off to hang out with his friends and Yamako had gone off on his own, somewhere. Kagome told him that as long as he stayed close to the village and could find his way back home, it was fine. Right now, Kagome was taking the laundry off the clothesline while Inuyasha was tending to Izayoi and Usagi, both of them sleeping together in a basket. Sanka sat with her father while gently brushing Mamoru's fur with a brush, causing the nekomata to softly purr.

"It's getting pretty late, isn't it?" asked Kagome. "You'd think Ichi and Yama would be home, by now."

"I'm sure they're both on their way back," Inuyasha assured. "They practically know the village like their backs of their hands."

"Even so," Kagome began, "I can't shake this feeling that something isn't right."

"Oh, Kagome, you worry too much," Inuyasha said. "I mean...what do you think will happen while they're out there?"

"Inuyasha, this is Ichiro we're talking about," Kagome replied. "You know how he tends to get himself in trouble whenever we're not around!"

"He's older and smarter, now, Kagome," Inuyasha rebuked. "I mean, seriously, what do you think's gonna happen? He'll show up all bloody and bruised, like tha-" He gasped as he realized that he was looking at his oldest son...his right eye bruised shut, his nose dripping with blood, and his yukata ripped and torn and some places. Beside him stood Yamako, who only had a few little scratches and bruises on him, but sniffled with tears in his eyes, nonetheless.

"Oh, my god, Ichi!" Kagome cried as she ran up to him. "What happened?!"

"...I...I might have gotten into a little fight," Ichiro replied.

"A little fight?!" Inuyasha repeated. "Ichi, I haven't seen you this beaten up since you were 4!"

"And Yama, look at you!" Kagome exclaimed as she got down on her knees and gently cupped her younger son's face. "How did you get like this?!"

"What happened to you guys?" Sanka asked, worriedly.

"...I was on my way home," Ichiro explained. "Nothing too out of the ordinary there."

Flashback

Ichiro hummed a little tune to himself as he walked through the tall grass, heading back home after hanging out with Roku and Tsukihime for the day. As he walked, he suddenly heard clamoring coming from somewhere nearby. As he turned to the direction where the noise was coming, he saw a group of three boys that were about his age. Judging by the way they were dressed, it seemed that these boys weren't from around here.

Ichiro shrugged, about to walk away...until he heard a familiar cry, causing him to turn around, and it was then that he saw what- or rather, who- the boys were surrounding. It was Yamako, whimpering as he cowered from the towering boys, who laughed as one of them pushed him to the ground, causing him to yelp as he fell down, and not long after, the brutes started to kick him and beat on him with sticks.

Ichiro felt every hair on his body stand up on end. He growled in a vicious manner that was not unlike the kind his father would make when he got angry.

"HEY!" he yelled as he ran over, causing the boys to look up at him. "What do you punks think you're doing to my little brother?!"

"Back off, half-breed," said the ringleader, a boy with blue eyes and his hair tied up in a topknot. "We're busy."

"Yeah!" agreed his two lackeys.

"Yeah, I can see you're busy," Ichiro snarled. "Busy beating up my brother! What do you think you're doing here, anyway?! You don't live in this village!"

"Yeah, we don't live here," said the ringleader. "We just happened to hear rumors about a priestess who had kids with a dog demon. We wanted to come and see if it was true."

"We heard that the dog demon was a vicious beast," said one of the lackeys. "Perhaps we could see if his kids were just as savage." He pointed at Yamako, who sniffled with tears in his eyes. "That's why we found this little wimp and started beating on him...but he's nothing but a whimpering little pup."

Ichiro growled, his ears pinned against the back of his head. If there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was bullies and bigots who always tried to lump and his family with the likes of all those other demons.

"Listen," said Ichiro. "I'm not gonna waste my time on you punks. Now get away from my little brother so I can take him home."

"We're not done with him, yet," said the ringleader as he walked up to Ichiro, getting up in his face.

"...Get your pig nose outta my face," Ichiro growled.

"What'd you say, you half-demon hick?!" questioned the ringleader.

"You heard me!" Ichiro barked. "And for your information, I'm a quarter-demon, you walkin' bucket of horse piss!"

"You better shut your mouth before I shut it for you, mongrel boy!" the ringleader snapped.

"Go on, then, chicken shit!" Ichiro badgered. "I'm right here!"

Soon enough, the fists were flying. Ichiro grunted as he tackled the ringleader and slammed him against the ground, but the other two bullies tackled him as well, attempting to pin him down. Yamako gasped as he watched his older brother fight back, punching, kicking, and even biting and clawing at the bullies. It was only when Ichiro punched the ringleader in his nose that they finally got the hint.

He wanted them gone.

With a cry of "Let's get out of here!", the bullies soon turned and fled while Ichiro chased after them for just a moment, only to stop once he was about several feet from Yamako.

"That's right, you shitheads!" Ichiro barked. "Keep running and don't come back!"

Yamako gaped in awe as his brother came limping back to him. He sniffed as he wiped his bleeding nose and panted as the adrenaline subsided...but right now, to Yamako...he looked like the most amazing that he had ever seen.

"You okay, Yama?" asked Ichiro, causing Yamako to sniffle as he nodded his head. "Good...come on, let's get home so Mom can fix you up."

Yamako nodded again before Ichiro took him by the hand as they began to make the walk home.

Flashback end

"So that's what happened, huh?" asked Kagome as she bandaged Ichiro's left wrist. Sanka, Izayoi, and Usagi sat beside her with Mamoru as they watched.

"Once the ringleader's nose started bleeding, he ran away like the coward he was," Ichiro smirked. "What babies."

"Ichi was so cool," Yamako smiled, having various bandages and ointments wrapped on his body, as well. "You should have seen him, Mom and Dad!"

"Heh!" Ichiro smirked. "Yeah, well...you know, I'm just doing what big brothers do."

Inuyasha grinned proudly as he ruffled Ichiro's hair. "That's my boy! Tough as nails!"

"Thanks, Ichi," Yamako said. "You're the best big brother."

"No problem, Yama," Ichiro replied as he gently gave his little brother a noogie. "Besides...picking on you is my job."

"Hey!" Yamako cried, causing everyone in the room to laugh.

After that angsty one-shot, I figured we could use a bit of lighthearted fluff. ^^

Review, please!