(Inuyasha's POV)

Inuyasha's dull golden eyes flicker about restlessly as they study the steady flow of snow falling from the gray skies outside. The small window that he is staring out of is the only thing that separates the boy from the white wonderland. A little less than a week ago, he would have been completely ecstatic to see the pure white substance flittering down from above but now there is no point in getting excited. He knows he will not be allowed outside so there is no use in even asking. Two uneventful days have passed since he got in trouble with his aniki, and he has learned to stay out of the man's way. He stays put in his room and the girl named Rin brings him a snack in the morning and fetches him for dinner at the end of the day, which he eats with her at the small table in the kitchen. He has only caught sight of the Yakuza lord twice while being led down the hall by Jaken to be returned to his room and it terrified him to no end. On both occasions the mature teen did not even glance at him. But that is fine with Inuyasha. He rather be ignored by the man than get the wrong type of attention from him...or so he thought.

At the moment he feels incredibly lonely but that is probably because today happens to be Christmas Eve. He has never experienced such a feeling of loneliness, abandonment, and all-around sadness. Everything would be more bearable if he did not know what day it was. Christmas Eve is meant to be spent with family and there should be love, joy, and warmth everywhere—and toys! The only thing that has kept him strong these past two days is the thought of his father coming back to get him or even staying here with him and Sesshomaru to spend Christmas together but...he is not here yet. Maybe he will be coming tonight or tomorrow morning, but he must be coming...right? His father would not leave him all alone on Christmas, right? He has never spent a Christmas alone and it will already be tough having to spend one without his dear mother…so surely his father would not make him—Knock! Knock! His head jolts up from its' place against the desk by when someone suddenly knocks on his door.

"Good morning Inuyasha-kun, it's nine thirty which means it is time for your snack." Rin's bright voice makes him smile as she makes her way over to him with a silver tray in her hands.

"Good morning Rin-chan." She tilts her head to the side when she smiles causing her long brown hair to cascade down her back. He tries to suppress his blush from being so close to a pretty girl like Rin which leads him to wonder why in the world is she here. He has no idea how someone like Sesshomaru can put up with someone like Rin. She is sweet, nice, cheerful, and overall optimistic. Basically, everything that the home owner is not.

"Here you go. Today is a bowl of chopped apples and strawberries with a glass of milk."

"Thank you."

"No problem. Today when you're done you can bring the tray down yourself." His eyebrows furrow in confusion and a worried little frown takes shape on his pouty lips. He is not allowed out of his room until dinner or his bathroom break at twelve o' clock so why would Rin tell him to bring it down himself? "Don't worry," she continues after noticing his puzzled expression. "These are Sesshomaru-sama's orders." With that she closes the door, and he can hear the fast pitter patter of her heels as she scurries off to do her morning duties. What could Sesshomaru-sama want with him? His frown deepens and his chewing halts when he thinks about the possibility of being in trouble again. He did not do anything, right? He could not have, after all he has not even spoken to his brother since that time two days ago. The man leaves every morning and comes back around dinner time. Could it be that...his father is here?! At that thought he practically swallows the remaining fruit, chugs down his milk, and sprints to the door with the tray clutched tightly against his small chest. He ignores the stairs and instead chooses to slide down the intricate wooden banister. As soon as his little bare feet touch down on the hard wood floor, he bolts down the hallway like a silver bullet. Halfway down the corridor he spots the Yakuza lord and comes to an abrupt stop with at least three feet of space between him and the unpredictable man.

"U-Um…good morning Sesshomaru-sama."

Said man glances over his shoulder to find the damn near shaking look alike staring at him with big apprehensive eyes. "..."

"Uh Rin-chan told me to put away my own tray, that's why I'm out of my room! And she also said that you were okay with it so that's why I—"

"Silence. I know why you are down here." His mouth instantly snaps shut, more out of fear rather than respect for his brother. "There is someone here to see you." His breath catches in his throat, and it feels as if he could float up to the ceiling from the overwhelming hope filling up his small body. But when Sesshomaru steps out of the way instead of finding his beloved father, he is met with a smiling Kagura. He can feel his face drop and you can practically feel the disappointment radiating off him.

"Well, geez honey, you don't look too happy to see me again."

"O-Oh no, it's not that. I'm sorry, I am very happy to see you again Miss Kagura."

"Then why the long face?" She crouches down to get eye-level with the dejected boy, who turns away slightly to hide his disappointment.

"I was just expecting someone else." At that he notices that Sesshomaru throws him a narrow curious glare, but he focuses his attention on the woman in front of him.

"Hmm, I know something that could cheer you up." Inuyasha thinks the woman looks pretty silly with her huge fur white petticoat, dark eye-shadow, bright red lipstick, and red heels to match. She looks like some type of famous movie star which is nowhere near his mom's sweet, calm, pastel colored style. She is completely different from his mother not to mention that she also looks kind of scary.

"What?"

"My little sister and I used to go to a little place in town to make gingerbread houses around Christmas time. Would you like to come with me? I'd feel lonely if I had to go all by myself this year and I'm sure this is not Sesshomaru's style."

"Really? I can really come with you?" His eyes drift over to a blank faced Sesshomaru and Kagura follows his gaze knowingly.

"I don't see why not, ne Sesshomaru-kun?"

"...Have him back by noon." He states impassively before turning to walk away.

"Mmm, I'll have him back by about one because I'm going to take him out for lunch too." He can feel elation boil within him at the thought of not having to wait until six o' clock to have full meal. Sesshomaru does not respond and disappears in the direction of his office. Inuyasha holds on tightly when Kagura takes his hand and guides him outside to her little red convertible. He tries to stall the time he has before getting inside the car to enjoy the fresh air. He has not been outside since he and Myoga first step foot into his new prison. His eyes close and he ignores the harsh nips of wind against his flushed cheeks and tries to soak up as much of the sun's precious rays as possible. He is only wearing the red jumpsuit outfit that he came in, but he could not care less about the cold. That is the least of his concerns.

"Are you coming or what sugar?" He snaps out of his daze and climbs into the passenger side of her car. After buckling his seatbelt, she starts the car and in no time, they are on the highway leading away from the outskirts of the city. Kagura frowns when she notices that the boy does not have on a jacket but just assumes he forgot it and clicks on the heat. "Tell me Inuyasha, how do you like living with Sesshomaru-kun?"

"I...like it just fine." He scowls at his blatant lie, and he focuses his attention on the snow falling from the gray skies outside.

"You didn't get into too much trouble when I left the other day did you?"

"No...He umm just yelled at me a little and uh sent me to my room."

"Oh good...is there something wrong honey?" She glances at him from the corner of her red eyes when his head droops down suddenly. She also noticed how nervous and tense he had gotten when she asked if he had gotten in trouble. "Come on, you can talk to me."

"I'm just hoping that my dad comes to visit us for Christmas." Sighing he decides it would be smarter to tell her that instead of his plan. In all honestly, he does hope that his dad comes and then he could beg him to take him back home but...he is planning on running away as soon as he gets the chance. As soon as Miss Kagura takes her eyes off him, he is gone. He will find his way back home on his own.

"Aw, I hope he does too, but until then let's have some fun, ne?"

Well why not have some fun before he makes his escape? "Sure." He nods with a small smile as they reach the Musashi sector. In less than ten minutes they are walking into a little Christmas craft shop and for a moment he forgets all his worries. The two spend all morning building and decorating little frosted ginger houses and baking the little men to match.

While they are waiting for his batch of cookies to finish baking Kagura surprises him with a random comment. "I'm really glad that you came to live with Sesshomaru...he really needs someone like you."

His head whips around incredulously and he comes face to face with her sincere ruby eyes. Does this lady really know the Sesshomaru that he knows? "What are you talking about Miss Kagura? He definitely doesn't need someone like me around, and all he wants is for me to stay out of his way."

"He does need you; he just does not know it yet. In actuality, Sesshomaru is losing touch with humanity...he is continuously being swallowed up by more and more darkness and I'm constantly fearing for his sanity. I know our line of work requires us to be like this but he's becoming much too cruel, and it seems as though his young heart is encased with a block of ice. He's much too lonely in that big house which only allows all this darkness to eat away at his soul much quicker, so I'm glad he has you now."

Their line of work? He still does not know exactly what that is. "He...doesn't need me, trust me...and he's not even alone. He's got Jaken-san, and Kaede-baba, and Rin-chan."

"Honey, those are mere servants; hired help. They are there to earn a paycheck at the end of the month and for free room and board—no matter how fond they have grown of their lord. And nothing compares to the warmth and security that family members can bring. Other than his mother you are the only one he has left and his mother...well let's just say she is not the best one to guide him towards the light, considering that she is one major reason why he is so in the dark in the first place. He needs the warmth and love of a child and you are just the child to do it. If he doesn't have you, I fear…he'll turn out to be just like Naraku, if not even worse since he's so young. Evil, cold, bitter, lonely, vile…" Her voice trails off as his thoughts take him elsewhere. Na-ra-ku? Is that the man in the picture from the hallway? If Sesshomaru-sama does not have him around…he will become just like the Naraku man…? Although he has never met the man, he has a feeling it would be horrible if Sesshomaru turned out that way. His little body involuntarily shudders when he recalls the ominous feeling he got from just looking at the pale man's portrait…he does not want Sesshomaru to turn out like that but…what can he do? Shower him in love? Ha! That's a laugh. He may be a kid, but he is no idiot. His ass still hurts sometimes if he sits down for too long.

He flinches a little when she reaches out suddenly to ruffle his messy sterling hair. "It may be hard to get around his icebox heart, but you are the only one who can do it. If you can't then there is no saving him from himself." Is she reading his mind? His head bows a bit as his eyes shift down to stare at the floor in reflection.

"What about you? I think he likes you more than anyone else."

He misses the bright blush that graces her high cheekbones but catches her exasperated sigh. "Sesshomaru-kun does not like me in that way…it is very likely that he wants something from me and I'm just enjoying myself until he reveals his true intentions. He thinks me a fool…but no Inuyasha you're the only one who can do it." But he was planning on running away…he has no plans to help his cruel older brother. In all honestly, he is terrified! What if in turn for all the love he tries to give, his big brother decides to shower him in hate and violence? But he really wants to help him…dad what should I do?! Why aren't you here to help me—

'You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.

You must do the thing you think you cannot do.'

That is right…his father used to tell him that all the time when he was too scared to do something. There would be points in his young life where he was ready to start bawling over simply being scared but all his father had to do was put his strong hand on his little shoulder and whisper these words of encouragement in his ear and he would have the strength he needed to follow through. His hand subconsciously moves to grasp his own shoulder to recreate the feeling. It is not the same, but he must make do with what he can do. His dad used to say that too…

"Inuyasha-kun, are you alright? I did not mean to upset you." He realizes that he must have been zoning out when he looks up and meets her nervous gaze.

"Mm, I'm fine. Say Miss Kagura, do you know what in the world Sesshomaru-sama could possibly want for Christmas?" The two stare at each other for a little while before Kagura's surprised expression begins to match his wide toothy grin. He will do his very best.

(Sesshomaru's POV)

"I do not care what day tomorrow is, if that old man does not have my money kill the little boy."

"The one that bit you?" Jakotsu's obnoxious giggle echoes loudly through the phone receiver and he almost loses his temper with the flamboyant twenty-four-year-old man, but he knows that would bring the annoying sadistic fucker some sick joy to hear his lord all riled up.

"Yes, that one."

"Hoh? Heeheehee, so you do hold a grudge Sesshomaru-sama."

"Use that as a warning," He continues dryly. "And if he still has any problems kill them all."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, I'm sure. Naraku-sama will understand."

"Heh-heh. I really hope the old bastard has some fight in him. It's more fun than way, don't you agree?"

"Hn."

"In other matters—"

"Other matters? We have already discussed the new plans for January. What else is there?" He interrupts curtly knowing that if it is not business then the man is most likely going to start talking about something insignificant.

"What are we going to do for Christmas tomorrow, Sesshomaru-kun~. I bought this wonderful red outfit that you must see…although it will only be appropriate to view it in the privacy of a bedroom—"

"If that is all goodbye."

"Aw wait; at least tell me that you are going to Naraku-sama's New Year's Eve party. You haven't been in three years."

"…" Click! He hangs up his office phone with a pleasant slam only to have Jaken knock on his door and poke his head in.

"Lord Sesshomaru, Akago-sama is on the other line for you. And Kagura-sama and Inuyasha have just arrived."

"Alright, tell Kagura that I will only be a moment."

"Yes, my lord." With that the little imp disappears and Sesshomaru tries to mentally prepare himself to deal with the vile boy. "Hello?"

"Sesshomaru-senpai, how are you?"

The Yakuza lord can feel the irritated nausea in his stomach at the brat's exaggerated childish tone. "What do you want now Akago?"

"I just wanted to confirm that you are in fact coming to ojisama's party? And you're bringing the boy so I can check him out?"

"That's what I said isn't it?"

"Oh, how snippy heh-heh, I was just making sure. It is also hard to believe that you agreed without asking for something in return."

"Do not take me as a fool. Of course, I require something in return."

"And what could someone like you want from wittle ol' me?"

His fine eyebrow twitches slightly at his infamous baby tone but he leaves all hints of annoyance out of his monotone voice when he answers. "We will discuss the conditions at the party."

"Very well then, Merry Christ—"Click! Christmas…what a superfluous holiday. It is just a waste of time and a stupid excuse for businesses to take a day off because they are all worthless and lazy. After pushing his silver mane behind his elfish ear, he finds himself wandering towards the hallway where he knows Kagura is waiting.

"Merry Christmas Sesshomaru-kun."

He is really tired of her "endearing" honoriphic, Sesshomaru-kun, but he reminds himself that he only has to put up with her for maybe a few months or so before his plan comes together. "Hn."

"Inuyasha is already up in his room."

"Good."

"I'm glad he's here to keep you company this Christmas since you always refuse to spend it with any of us."

"Tsk, if that is all then I will see you on New Year's."

"Uh right." She gives the stoic man a short bow before walking out to her red convertible. When he turns around, he is not shocked to find his staff lined up behind him.

"I've prepared dinner for tonight and breakfast and lunch for tomorrow is in the refrigerator." Kaede is the first to speak and he just nods at the eye patched old woman.

"You are free to go, be back before dinner time tomorrow."

"Yes mi 'lord." As she stalks towards the door Jaken steps up and bows so deeply that his forehead almost touches the floor.

"My lord if you need me then I will be more than happy than to stay here with you. I do not need a day off, my duty is serve you—"

"Goodbye Jaken."

"Ah yes my lord." The Yakuza resists an eye roll at the grown man's obvious and baffling disappointment. He will never understand that imp. Soon it is just Rin left, and he sighs when she latches onto his arm in a hug.

"Merry Christmas Sesshomaru-sama thank you for the day off. You're the best!

"Yes, well let go of me." His face remains blank as he removes his arm from between her breasts. Thank goodness this girl is much too stupid for his tastes, or he would have taken advantage of her long ago. "Where are you going?"

"To my old orphanage. I'm gonna' help cook and decorate to get things nice for the kids so they can enjoy Christmas."

"You can stay the night."

By how bright her eyes spark he knows to move out of the way and he is right when her second attempt to hug him ends with her bumping into a wall. "Oh, thank you, thank you Sesshomaru-sama!" After giving him a ditzy smile, she leaves rubbing her head and he heads back to his office to do more paperwork. When he finally makes his way back to his desk, he finds it hard to focus on his work. A scowl graces his harsh features when he realizes that it is because his mind is trying to take him places that he refuses to go. This is why he hates holidays but usually he is able to control his thoughts. Is it because his father just died? Is that why no matter how hard he tries he cannot seem to push the memories of his father taking him and his mama out to see a Christmas play every year out of his head? Or how his mama would stop being a bitch for once and they would all enjoy an afternoon ice skating? Or how they would all go to the park, and they would, well mostly his father, play with him all morning after opening gifts and getting every single thing he asked for? How ridiculous. What use are these memories? He wishes he could just erase them from his memory, but they have remained ridiculously persistent over the years. In any case, it was never all joy and happiness…at some point during the day his mother and father would get into some type of argument and his father would send him to his room while his mother would insist that he stays and listen to her pathetic excuse of a husband, as she would put it. Every time he would run upstairs to his room and sit in the middle of the bed covering his ears with his pillow, but their voices would always find their way through his sorry attempt.

'You are so pathetic and worthless! You can't even provide for your own wife.'

'Kazuna let us not do this right now, it's Christmas.'

'I don't care, how could you?! I told you exactly what I wanted yet you—'

'Kazuna, if I got you the necklace from that magazine then Sesshomaru wouldn't have gotten anything for Christmas. Can't you be happy with what I gave you? That pearl necklace belonged to my grandmother. It holds sentimental value and I want you to have it.'

'What the hell can I do with sentimental value? And so what about Sesshomaru? I come before him! After all he's just a brat and a damn mistake that you spoil—'

'That brat is your SON KAZUNA! How could you say such a thing about your own son?!' Up in his room he would flinch at his father's aggressive tone. He never yelled at them so he knew he must be pissed when he yelled at her. 'How can you be so selfish?! I can't believe you're acting this way—'

'I wouldn't have to act this way if you weren't such a horrible provider and a sorry excuse for a man. Now if you will excuse me, I have somewhere to be.'

'Somewhere to be? It's Christmas night, where could you possibly have to be?'

'I told some friends I would meet them.'

'…' Sesshomaru did not have to be downstairs to know that his mother would have a devious smile on her lips and a sparkle in her eyes. He would hear the click-clack of her heels and then the slam of the door which signalized that she was in fact gone. Minutes later his father would come upstairs and poke his head into his room. He would always crawl under the blanket and pretend to be asleep, but his father always sat next to him and stroked his pearly hair.

'Sesshomaru…Sesshomaru I know you're not asleep…' His father would murmur softly in his pointy ear, but he would just close his eyes tighter in an effort to disappear. He hated it when his father saw him cry. 'Your mother didn't mean what she said. You are not a brat, and you most certainly are not a mistake; you mean the world to us. You are the best thing that ever happened to me, and we love you so much. You know that right? Like I have told you, you hold the key to my heart. He would nod weakly, and his father would sigh and place a kiss on top of his head. 'She just…well you know how bad her temper can be. Please don't let her words get to you and…sorry that Christmas turned out this way.'

'…'

'I promise things will get better…and I know that I say that a lot, but everything will work out in the end, okay? Just remember that everything will be alright, doesn't mean everything will be the same or go back to normal…do you understand?'

In all honesty, no, back then he did not understand what his father meant at all. But a year later when he turned ten and his father left him all he could think about is how much he hated him. He was forced to stay with his mother, no matter how much he begged and cried like a little pathetic idiot, his father still left him. He went as far as to move out of the city to start his new life without him. He was such a liar, such a bastard, and mother was right. If he could provide for them properly then things would not have turned out the way they did. Once he thinks back on it, he realizes that his mother was cheating on his father, but he does not care about that at all. It is his father's fault after all. Instead of handling it like a man, he found some worthless whore and abandoned his only son.

The Yakuza lord is snapped back to the present when the pen he was holding suddenly bursts in his iron grip. He blinks several times when the ink splatters against his papers, desk, and his face. "Dammit'…" This is exactly why he does not let his mind wonder to the past. What a waste of time. He stalks over to the bathroom in his office and washes his face vigorously. The bastard is dead now anyway, what is the point of holding onto such an insolent grudge? If his father never left him then he would not be where he is today, so in a way he should thank the old worthless piece of crap. Piercing halcyon eyes meet his gaze as he stares at his wet face and hair in the cracked mirror on the wall. He watches blankly as water droplets trail down his chiseled jaw line and down onto his bare chest through his unbuttoned black long sleeve shirt. His eyes wonder to the tattoo of the crescent moon mark on his right peck, and he touches it lightly. "Yes…I would not be where I am today…"

know about you and your lifestyle and cannot say I am proud or approve of it.

He almost falls back when his reflection changes into his father's stern yet calming image as the words from his letter resonates in his mind. He shakes his head frantically and the allusion transforms back into his own panicked expression.

"Kuso!" Without thinking his fist slams into mirror and the whole thing shatters, leaving glass shards in his hand. He watches the blood trickle down with indifference and just as quick as he lost his temper his stoic demeanor returns. After wrapping his hand, he makes his way back into his office and is taken aback when he spots the time on the clock mounted on the wall: 11:50 pm. Just how long was he pondering all these meaningless thoughts? It is way past dinner time. After locking away some important files he walks into the kitchen and puts the lasagna Kaede left in the oven to reheat. As he watches the snow flitter down outside something dawns on him: the damn kid. He forgot all about the little brat. He is actually quite surprised that he did not come down on his own out of hunger. A few minutes later he opens the door to the boy's room. He finds the adolescent sitting on top of the wooden desk and staring outside of the window with a detached look on his childish features. He looks just as expressionless as the time after he spanked him which thoroughly bothered the lord and is also bothering him now. But why…his eyes narrow when he realizes that it is the same blank look he used to get when he no longer cried after his father and mother would argue. It is a numb expression. "Come." He jumps a little at his sudden presence and turns around with wide nervous eyes. Nervous? Why aren't they filled with the usual fear? "Come. Dinner."

He nods slightly and scurries past him almost falling on his face in the process due to the overly large red sweater he currently has on. Hmm, he should probably get Rin to go clothes shopping for him…but then again soon he will not be his problem anymore. Why waste his own money on the little nuisance? He will let Akago take care of it. The younger of the two takes his place at the little table in the kitchen as Sesshomaru dishes out the homemade lasagna. He places the plate in front of him and proceeds into the living room to eat. Just as the teen lord was contemplating whether or not to retire for the night a small soft voice makes his half-lidded eyes snap open dangerously.

"S-Sesshomaru-sama?"

"What is it?!" He snaps at the little boy clutching onto the doorframe leading to his well decorated living room. Half of his small body is hidden by the wall and is in the hallway and only one big puppy eye is visible under his silver fringe.

"It's umm twenty m-minutes pass twelve…"

"So what?"

"So, it's technically Christmas…"

"And?" He prompts impatiently. The child cannot be stupid enough to expect a gift from This Sesshomaru, could he?

"And uh…Merry Christmas!" He pipes up innocently.

"…Go to bed." He moves to stand up and retire to his room, but the boy stops him yet again.

"Wait!"

"What now?!"

"I-I-I got something f-for you Sesshomaru-sama."

"You…what?"

"You know like a present! Well, it's kind of two presents."

"…"

"Can you pweeeease wait here for a minute while I go get it?" He was going to refuse but when he stared into those pleading eyes and caught sight of his pouty pink lips and blushing cheeks he was shocked into silence. He could hear the Badhump! of his own heart in his ears and was so taken aback that he plopped back down on his leather coach. Inuyasha took this action as the go ahead and ran off to fetch his presents. What. The. Hell. What the hell just happened to him? That kid…he…

"I'm back~" Sesshomaru forces his eyes to return to a less comical size as the little boy places a medium sized gingerbread house on the coffee table in front of him. "I don't know if you like sweets, but I worked really hard on this. The roof is painted with pink dyed icing which was supposed to be red, and the windows are made of strawberry crackers, and the flowers in the icing yard are gum drops, and the door is a chocolate bar, and—"Sesshomaru tunes out Inuyasha's bubbly little ramble as his focus narrows in on three gingerbread figures standing in front of the house with their arms around each other. One is obviously shorter than the other two, while the mid-sized one has a large intimidating scowl on its' face, and all of them have gray licorice attached to their heads acting as hair. "Oh!" Inuyasha exclaims when he notices what his aniki is staring so hard at. "That's me." He states animatedly while motioning towards the smallest one. "And this one is you," The corner of Sesshomaru's mouth almost twitches into smile against his will when he points at the scowling one. "And this one is daddy—I mean dad! Geez, I'm about to be ten and I'm still calling him daddy." He shakes his head in disappoint at himself for the blunder. Sesshomaru continues to stare at the little ginger people in awed silence, so Inuyasha continues. "Eh, well since we are the only ones left in our family, I just thought it would be nice if we lived together as small and broken, but loving and warm family..."

"…"

"But of course, Kaede-baba, and Rin-chan, and even Jaken-san could be in our little family. We're just missing otosan." Missing…father…? Does he not know that he died…? Did no one tell him? Did Myoga overlook it? "Well if you don't like this, hopefully you'll like your next present." The teen lord looks over in time to watch his nervous little brother pull a rectangular box out of his oversized sweater. He hands him the medium sized box and he notices the messy childlike wrapping and red bow placed neatly on top. "Sorry it looks like that…Miss Kagura wanted to help me, but I wanted to do it myself because this is my special present to my big broth—uh! I mean to you Sesshomaru-sama." Said man stares at the box for a very long awkward moment causing Inuyasha to fidget from one leg to another in anticipation of being smacked or yelled at or even laughed at, but he sighs in relief when the elder finally tears the wrapping off to reveal a pristine white tie. Inuyasha almost giggles at the look of genuine shock on the usually stoic man's face. "Miss Kagura told me that you love to where ties, especially white ones, but you're always throwing them away when they get soiled while you're handling your business issues. And she told me that lately you hadn't gotten the chance to get a new one since you've been so busy with work." The whole time that he had been giving his explanation the boy had his hands behind his back and was merrily rocking back and forth on his heels. How can something be so sickeningly cute? Cute?...When did that become part of his vocabulary?! "…Well do you like it?"

"…" What can he say? "Yes…I appreciate the tie. Did you have Miss Kagura buy it for you?" His eyes narrow slightly at the thought and Inuyasha shakes his head vigorously.

"Uh uh. Myoga-jiji gave me some money on the bus when we were on our way here."

"And you spent it on this?" Sesshomaru murmurs when he realizes that the brand is not a cheap one. He has some clothes of this brand in his closet.

"Yeah…it was seventy-five dollars and even though that was all I had I wanted to do something nice for you. I mean what's a nine-year-old gonna' do with that much money anyway?" His eyes close as he chuckles slightly and Sesshomaru can feel his heart thump loudly once more.

"Well thank you…that was nice of you."

"I'm so glad you like it!"

"Why don't you…" He pats the seat next to him on the coach and watches with annoyance how the boy's eyes widen in surprise. "Like you said, I don't really care for sweets so why don't you stay up and help me with it." Inuyasha plops down next to him with a little too much enthusiasm and too close for comfort, but Sesshomaru only frowns slightly and ignores it. He reaches out and takes the gingerbread house, which was sitting on a tray, and places the tray in the excited boy's lap. The Yakuza lord leans his elbow on the armrest and places his cheek in his palm and simply watches as the little look alike digs in. Again, nothing but the word "cute" comes to mind as he watches the silver-haired child pull apart pieces of the house before eating it happily. It has been awhile since he's seen any kind of expression of the kid's face so he is slightly relieved to see that he is not completely broken…Akago will not want a boring child.

"Sesshomaru-sama, try this! It isn't so sweet."

He blinks out of his thoughts when his little sugar-coated hand comes close to his face but to his own astonishment, he opens his mouth without a second thought and chews on whatever the hell the boy just placed in his mouth. Whatever it was, it was covered in icing but thank goodness it was cream cheese icing and not something that tasted like it could give him diabetes. He realizes that it was just a strawberry cracker covered in icing and licks the remaining icing off his little fingers. He takes notice of Inuyasha's bright blush and smirks at his innocence. Really what is he doing? Could This Sesshomaru be a pedophile? His halcyon eyes shift over to stare at the boy once more with pink icing all over his plump cheeks and lips. No, there is nothing fuckable about his little brother…at the moment…however he does like watching him squirm, writhe, blush, whimper, scream…hmm maybe it is a good thing that he is giving him away. This could have become a problem in the future. His hand reaches out and locks onto the unsuspecting boy's jaw. Inuyasha tenses up and his eyes close tightly as thoughts of being punished flash in his mind but his eyes snap open when he feels the lord's long tongue lick at his cheek. He tries to squirm away, but Sesshomaru's grip makes it impossible. When his tongue slides near the corner of his mouth, it falls open and to allow a little gasp to escape past his plump pink lips. Well, this is his chance to really test it. Almost immediately after his little mouth fell open, Inuyasha's mouth is soon being invaded by the elder's long tongue.

"Mmmph! Mmm! Mmmmh~" He can feel Inuyasha's little hand grip at his shirt desperately as the Yakuza lord pushes him down on the couch all the while making sure their lips don't disconnect. The elder's hand tangles in the boy's silver locks and yanks roughly making the boy cry out. He takes the chance to force his tongue further down his throat and uses his other hand to stop his useless struggles by gripping his tiny waist. He can tell that the brat is running out of air, so he finally breaks the kiss but not before nipping harshly at his little bottom lip. This earns him a cat like whimper, that sounds more like a mewl, which thoroughly satisfied his sadistic nature. The nip only drew a little bit of blood, but it still brought tears to the younger's eyes. As he stares down into the big wet golden eyes with interest, the boy pants desperately to try and catch his breathe. Sesshomaru uses his thumb to swipe the drool dribbling from the corner of the younger's mouth and he must admit that the sight was quite something to behold. It is safe to assume that he is either a pedophile or a narcissist…or a narcissistic pedophile.

"Hah…hah…hah S-Sessho-maru-hah-sama…w-why did you hah do t-that?"

That gullible innocence does not help he notes to himself before answering. "Why did I do what?" He responds nonchalantly as he sits up and runs his fingers through his now messy hair.

"W-Why did you…" His face turns beet red as he sits up to look at the peculiar man. "Why did you k-k-kiss me? That was my first! And you're a boy and you're my bro—"

"It wasn't a kiss."

"It wasn't?" He cocks his head to the side slightly as he takes his bottom lip into his little mouth to suck off the tiny bit of blood smeared there. It took all the lord's self-restraint to not attack him again.

"No, it wasn't. You had junk all over your face, so I was just getting it for you."

"…"

"You're welcome."

"A-Ah! Thank you…" He mumbles with uncertainty clear in his eyes as his hand reaches up to scratch the back of his head.

"Are you done? If you are you can go back to your room now."

"W-Wait." What on earth could it be now? The question is obviously clear by the look on his face, so Inuyasha continues. "What do you usually do on Christmas?"

"I take care of business and if there is none to be taken care of then I don't do anything. I rest or hone my skills."

"Don't you do anything special? You know for the holiday?"

"Ridiculous. That's a waste of time."

"Oh." He watches expressionlessly as his head dips down in defeat and curses the weird feeling that surges within him.

"Tomorrow you may leave your room whenever you please."

"Hontoni?!"

"Yes really."

"Thank you!"

"And if you were to get a present, what would you want?" He asks just for the hell of it.

"Uuuh…a kitty! That is what I got last year…but I think she might have d-died in the fire. Her name was Kirara, and she was the best cat in the whole world…"

Judging by the way his voice wavered Sesshomaru could tell that he was going to start with the waterworks again. He hates tears that are not caused by real pain. "Hey cut it out. Aren't you about to be ten? Aren't you supposed to be a man? Or do I have a little sister?" Inuyasha smiles at first since this is the first time that his aniki has acknowledged him as a sibling and made a joke with him.

"NANI?! Of course not! I am a man! Watch, I'll become more of a man than you ever will be!" Sesshomaru leans away when the brat stands up in his couch suddenly to yell at him, but he does not do anything else about it.

"Yeah, yeah and in any case, there is no way in hell This Sesshomaru is getting a kitten but I have a dog."

"Do you?" A wide smile graces his pouty lips as he plops back down to sit next to the underboss. "What's it's' name? Where is it?"

"His name A'un and he is in the backyard. You can play with him tomorrow. There. There's your gift."

"Hold on, what if there's something I want even more than that?"

"And what could that me?" This is another reason why he does not like children. Give them an inch, they take a mile.

"Well…could y-you just have umm…" Sesshomaru stares on with practiced apathy when the youngster starts twisting a lock of his own hair around his little finger and is not surprised when he stares down at the floor. "Could you have dad come and spend time with us for Christmas?" He looks up at him with so much hope sparkling in his eyes that he actually causes the Yakuza lord to pause.

"…"

"P-Please Sesshomaru-sama? I'll do anything you want! I'll find a way to buy you a million white ties, I promise."

"Fool…He…"

"Please please please!" To his dismay more tears threaten to spill from the boy's eyes as he presses his hands together in a desperate plea. He scowls slightly when Inuyasha moves onto the floor to kneel between his legs. Dammit…does he know what he could do to him? He better move.

"Move!" He snarls angrily.

"Please! I will do anything you want. Just name it."

Sesshomaru can feel the heat rush to his lower regions as the idiot shuffles closer. "He…he's…" Why is he even hesitating?

"Just name it Sesshomaru-sama! I'll never leave my room ever again after that. I promise I'll really stay out of your way. I could even help Rin-chan clean, or Kaede-baba cook—"

"Look—"

"Or Jaken-san with whatever it is he does." He continues frantically. "Or I could give you a foot rub after work every single day—"

"Hey—"

He is interrupted once again by his futile blubbering. "My mom used to say that I gave the best foot massages in the whole wide world—"

"HE'S DEAD!"

"She said that I should become a profe…ssion...al…w-what? What…did you just say?"

"I said…that he is dead." He states coolly after having calmed down. "He died in the hospital. Something about the injuries he sustained when going back into the house to rescue you and your mother. He gave his life protecting you and he also tried to protect her, but he failed which is why you are here now."

"But…in the hospital he told me…h-he told m-me to remember that e-everything will be alright…but…-"

"But that doesn't mean everything will be the same or go back to normal?" He looks at the man with wide eyes and Sesshomaru nods slightly. "Don't you understand what he meant now?" He waits patiently as realization dawns on the child. When it finally does it looks as if someone punched the kid in the stomach and knocked all the air out of him. Sesshomaru watches carefully as he stumbles back gasping for air. The child stumbles out of the living room and into the kitchen where he leans over a trashcan and vomits everything that was in his little stomach. Between his violent retching and heavy sobbing, it is a wonder how he can breathe at all. When he finally turns around, he finds his aniki leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed and looking as stoic as ever. Inuyasha disregards everything and throws caution to the wind when he tries throws himself into the elder's arms. Sesshomaru stares down at him with narrowed cold eyes and keeps his arms crossed as the boy breaks down into his black shirt. He can feel his little arms wrap around his midsection and does not react when his fingernails sink into his strong back.

"S-S-Sess-sshomaru! Sesshomaru! H-How did this h-happen?" He remains silent as the boy interrupts his own sentence to break into a coughing fit. "T-This is a-all my fault! Mom and dad are d-dead because of me! What am I gonna' do?! I'M ALL ALONE NOW!" His sobs are so violent they are even shaking the Yakuza lord's sturdy body and he is sure that he's going to have to throw up again. His assumption is correct when Inuyasha turns his head away to retch but all that comes up is saliva due to his earlier episode. Sesshomaru allows him to cry into his shirt until he finally looks up at him minutes later. He is shocked to find that the boy still has tears streaming from his now red tinted eyes. "Do you h-hate me too for k-killing Otosan?"

"…"

"S-Sesshomaru-sama," He whimpers anxiously as he buries his face back into his shirt. "I h-have y-you don't I? We're family r-right? Y-you won't leave m-me?"

"…"

"Will you stay with m-me f-forever? Please answer me. I don't want to be all alone! Say we'll be t-t-together forever, won't you? We will w-won't we?"

"Yes…" His face reveals nothing when Inuyasha looks up at him with a broken teary-eyed smile and he unfolds one of his arms to stroke the younger's head. Inuyasha buries his face back into his toned chest as Sesshomaru continues to stroke and caress his snowy threshes. "Sure...you won't be lonely ever again. I'm here."

"Arigato…aniki."