Disgrace, Little Brother

"Here, become acquainted with your brother...Inuyasha. I will be back within the hour."

How he hated to hear those words. That his sire, the greatest demon in all of existence, would stoop to rut and mate with a human woman...and then to PUP her! A shame, a curse on their house, a blot on their pristine existence...

A disgrace!

Sesshomaru gingerly accepted the small bundle swathed in soft white cloth and peered inside expecting a deformed lump of flesh that vaguely resembled an inu—after all, he had heard tale of the mishappen and unfortunate combinations of youkai and ningen who looked like pure monsters—the oni of old.

Instead, he was met with pale infantile perfection—smooth creamy skin revealed plump cheeks and ripe, peach colored-lips that were perfect for kissing. The child had recently been nursed and smelled of mother's milk and the undeniable scent of newness that accompanied every child.

But all Sesshomaru could see was the stain on his family's name personified—living and breathing in his very arms. Bringing the pup very close, he breathed exactly how he felt directly onto the child's face.

"You are a disgrace, little brother."

The hanyou pup's eyes opened at the sound of his voice. Large, bright golden eyes exactly like his own peered at him owlishly with the full innocence of one newly born. The babe was...beautiful.

Sesshomaru hated him.

"A disgrace."

As if he understood, five sharp little needle-sized claws descended on the young taiyoukai and embedded themselves deeply, blood welling from the puncture wounds and seeping down the fine contours of Sesshomaru's aristocratic nose. The princeling managed not to scream—barely—and instead slowly reached up and removed the infant's preternaturally sharp instruments and placed them back into the swaddling cloth, wrapping the bundle tightly to prevent a repeat performance. While he was able to suppress the urge to smash the child into the nearest wall, Sesshomaru could not control the surfacing of his inu, which bled his eyes and youkai red with alpha dominance.

::SUBMIT::

But the child was merely half inuyoukai, and Sesshomaru did not rationally expect the babe to have instincts as keen or interest in self-preservation as sharp as the situation would demand of a full-blooded youkai child. After all, who could expect such a filthy, muddled, unnatural product to have any qualities worth noting?

But then the youkai of the child flared—once, strongly and briefly—coloring the tawny eyes scarlet and purple and the little body went completely limp in his arms.

Inuyasha submitted.

Sesshomaru stared at the tiny creature in his arms only a few minutes old. The infant had promptly fallen back asleep, little golden orbs now closed and sharp little claws tangled gently in his blanket.

The child had submitted to him—fully and properly.

Cradling the bundle carefully to him, Sesshomaru rocked and considered this matter quietly.

"Perhaps not such a disgrace after all, little brother..."

A/N: This is a series of drabbles that I can't seem to get out of my head. Suggestions are welcome and reviews get warm toasties!