I don't own Inuyasha or Tokyo Revengers

Chapter 7: Sweet, Sour, Bitter

Pastry cream, glazed fruit, a perfect golden-brown vessel. From this bakery especially, the fruit tart was a blessing from the heavens. Whatever higher being existed in the back of the shop, she hoped they could hear her prayers for continued sweet miracles.

"Are you going to eat it or just stare at it?" With yakisoba pan in hand, her brother looked at her in fond exasperation.

"It's so pretty I almost don't want to eat it."

"If you're just going to stare at it, I'll eat it myself." He smirked at her and inched his hand toward the tart.

"I'll slice your fingers off if you come any closer." She warned as she waved her plastic knife in his face.

"Where do you get these threats?" Brushing her hand away, he savored the bread and wondered, like his sister, who the heck was back there making all these amazing treats. A comfortable silence blanketed them and followed them all the way back to their home.

"Onii-chan, thank you for taking me out today, I had a lot of fun."

"It was whatever," he said as he pat her head. "I have one more thing for you, but it's in my room. Couldn't let you find it, right?"

They shared a smile as Baji dug around in his pockets for the house keys.

"Baji." The siblings' attention snapped to the speaker. A tall boy with waist long silver hair stood at the top of the steps, a frigid glare aimed at the younger boy as he and another boy approached them. Baji's fist clenched, Sesshomaru was one of the very few people that could intimidate him. There was something unnerving in those golden eyes.

"You're late, asshole." The same silver hair sat upon the other boy's head, but the look in his eyes was nowhere near as frightening.

"By an hour!" Kagome turned a worried glance at her youngest older brother. Was there a time limit for something? Should she not have insisted on stopping by the bakery?"

"Even so, you broke the agreement," Sesshomaru drawled. "As such, Father will be keeping Kagome overnight and for the remainder of the weekend."

"What?! That's not fair Aniki!" the young girl grabbed at Baji's wrist. "I was the one who made us late for whatever this is!"

"Kags—" Inuyasha started.

"No! It's MY birthday and I should get to spend it however I want to! I'm going to hangout with you and Aniki tomorrow. That's how it always is."

"Well, that's not how it is this year." Inuyasha sighed and crossed his arms, leaning against the wall turning his gaze out and over the balcony.

"But why?" So soft was the girl's voice that the boy almost didn't hear it. As her body began shaking with her growing anger, Baji brought her closer to him.

"Because Father said so."

She felt her lips part as she stared at Sesshomaru incredulously. What?

"There's an event he wanted to attend with you."

"So he put a time limit on my birthday?"

"That's the gist of it." Inuyasha gazed off to the side. Even though his relationship with his sister consisted of arguing and screaming at each other, she was still his little sister. He loved her and wanted her to be happy. Happy with her paternal family. Happy with him. But, looking at her now, he thinks that perhaps their father had officially ended any hope for that. He had never seen her look so upset. Even after interactions with his mother, she had never looked like that. It was painful.

"Can't you just lie and tell him we were on time? Tell him that you guys were late."

"No, imouto," Sesshomaru answered quietly. "He's waiting for us in the car."

Snatching away from Baji she turned and punched the wall until she was grabbed. Even faster than Baji who was standing right next to her, Sesshomaru grabbed her wrist.

"Cease your tantrum," he said stroking the irritated skin on her knuckles. "He'll only make things worse if he sees you injured under Baji's watch."

"Why is he like this?" she asked as tears slid down her cheeks. "I hate him so much."

Turning into her eldest brother's chest she quietly sobbed her bitter feelings into his shirt.

"Well, don't act like it. Like Sess said, it will only make things worse."

Baji, who had been left near forgotten in the drama moved casually toward the door, making the keys jingle loudly in the silent hall.

"Kagome, don't worry about it. Go hang out with these losers for the weekend. I'll see you when you come back. I totally get the desperation though. I mean, you do spend most of your time here with me anyway," he smirked haughtily at the brothers. Inuyasha grit his teeth at the jab, it was the main source of his dislike for the boy. It was hurt to know that his sister held the other boy dearest in her heart. "Plus, you still have your surprise to look forward to."

A trembling smile lit her face as she nodded at him as he pat her head.

"Let's go."

Holding her eldest brother's hand, she let him lead her to their father's town car.

That was her last birthday with Keisuke. Keisuke's birthday was in two days. A reminder on her phone told her to get him a gift. And for some reason, her thoughts turned to her birthday and the surprise that was still waiting for her somewhere in his room.