Bathe me, Big Brother

"No! No! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

His brother's cries were so loud and so distressed that Sesshomaru heard them even in the training hall where Sushio was having him repeat his katas. But it was only a moment until he had the pup in his arms, nursemaid flung across the room, hackles raised and youki flaring a warning to all nearby. The entire wing had come to a stop at the immensity of Sesshomaru's ire and the sheer power of the flare, for though all knew he was the son of the Inu no Taisho, none had witnessed the devastation of his raw demon.

None who survived.

And Sesshomaru's youkai was truly enraged—the cries and screams of his future mate still rang shrill in his ears though the child was safe, cupped in his arms away from harm. But his blood, the anger boiled...

DEATH! Someone must pay!

Soft, gentle laps against his neck and chin, a cool nose, small whimpers brought him back gradually. There was no immediate danger, no threat that he saw, so what...? The red receded from his eyes and as quickly as his youki flared, it died down as Sesshomaru regained his icy control.

Sesshomaru looked down ready to drop his troublesome little brother, only to notice the red slowly receding from the pup's own eyes, his little chest heaving a mile a minute while he nipped and licked and caressed his way to appeasing his riled alpha. Only when he felt the last of Sesshomaru's youki retract into his body did the puppy sway all of the way back, baring his belly and whimpering pitifully, tears falling from his golden eyes.

Sesshomaru swallowed his anger and finally spoke to his brother—he had to calm him lest his youkai rise once more and further damage an already tenuous situation.

"What ails you, little brother?"

The pup looked so tragic that Sesshomaru further deflated. With what magic did the child control him so thoroughly?

"not her." Small pouty lips trembled so softly that even Sesshomaru could not hear.

"Excuse me?"

"Yasha no want her! Yasha only want Sessy to ba...bave him. Not her! Only Sessy!"

Sesshomaru looked down at the downy head and tearful eyes with a mixture of shock, resignation, and indignation. He had cut his training session with a master swordsman, nearly slaughtered an entire wing of servants, and unleashed the majority of his full, fearsome youkai because his brother wanted him to bathe him?

What humiliation! To lose control like that over nothing! For a hanyou!

There must be a better way to divest oneself of annoying infant halflings.

But Sesshomaru The Killing Perfection, feared Future Lord of the West, and One True Heir to the Dreaded Inu No Taisho finally sighed, unhooked his armor, and slid down to the warm waters of the bathing chamber with his precious cargo.

"Which soap do you desire, Inuyasha? Red or blue?"

A/N: I have heard children scream like their being murdered...just so they can get a cookie off the counter. I always want to say WTF?, but wind up giving them the damned cookie, anyway...