Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha. Sesshomaru does. XD
A/N: Another update. Read and review, please.
Note: Fluff?
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Only Between Us
Part Eight
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"Aniki, here."
Bankotsu looked up at the smiling face, eyes drifting lower as he eyed the food in his hands. Jakotsu stood in front of him with a tray of white rice and miso soup, eyeing him gently as he set it down. The smell of grilled fish and sautéed beef reached the younger boy's nostrils, making his mouth slightly water.
"What's this?" It was, obviously, food.
"You should eat something, Bankotsu-no-oonaniki." His voice was stern; almost motherly-like. The Banyru-master shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"I'm not hungry." He closed his eyes in defiance, back leaned against the smooth planes of wood on the front porch of the classy inn.
"Hm." Jakotsu sat down beside his leader contently, sides touching. Bankotsu remained unmoved.
"Have you eaten?"
"No – I was giving you mine."
Figured. "Well, you shouldn't do that," snapped Bankotsu a little more irritably than he had intended. "You and everyone else need your strength more than I do. We can always get food later on the road. Go eat."
Bankotsu huffed haughtily and snuck a glance at the impassive man beside him, praying to the gods that his stomach won't growl from its hunger. The meal did smell awfully good...
"Sweet, beautiful aniki," began the older man after a short moment of silence. "Always kind, always ready to give. You save us from danger and take care of our every need before yours. When we're sad, you take our burdens. When we're weak, you're our strength. When we're injured, you heal us. Yet, not a word of gratitude was ever given. Never a sound, never a 'thank-you'. Just how far does your heart go, dearest brother?"
Bankotsu just sat there, eyes hidden beneath long and jagged jet bangs. He was tempted to be a pompous ass and state that that was what leaders do, the strong ones, anyway. Instead, he replied with a meek, "I don't know."
"Being the leader is never easy, huh, aniki?" The red-lipped man hummed in understanding before he raised his knuckles to gently caress the smooth cheek that was before him. Bankotsu's eyes widened just a smidge at the friendly gesture.
"You'd better eat, cutie, or it'll get cold." With a flirtatious smirk, Jakotsu quickly pecked Bankotsu lightly on the cheek and walked away.
Bankotsu was shocked. A pleasant kind of shock. The warmth from his lips still tingled upon his flesh, and he smiled just a bit.
There, beside him, the food lay.
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The End
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