I do not own InuYasha or any of the characters created by Rumiko Takahashi

Snowy Day Introductions

InuYasha slid the door closed quickly to keep the snow from blowing in as he stepped into the house. He looked at his son who was shaking the snow off his jacket and hair. The boy sniffed the air, making a worried face.

"Mama's all right?" he asked his father.

"Mama's fine," InuYasha said, leaping up on the wooden floor. "You ready?"

Atae nodded, and the two of them walked back to the sleeping room. InuYasha knocked once, then slid the door open.

Kagome was sitting up, holding a small bundle. The room still held lingering smells of blood and pain, but Atae could only sense peace and happiness from his mother.

She met his eyes and smiled. "You going to come in?"

Atae nodded. InuYasha stayed at the door while he walked over to her bed and sat down on the floor, his ear twitching nervously. She ruffed his hair and smiled. "Don't look so nervous, sweetie."

"Is that . . . " he said.

She shifted the bundle, moving it to where he could get a good look. "Meet your little sister, Atae. We're going to call her Yukika."

The baby was very tiny, but looked at him with steady amber eyes. Like him, she had silver hair, but only a small wispy amount. Folded over puppy ears graced her head.

"Snow flower," he said. He looked up at his mother. "She's so little!"

"So were you when you were born," his mother replied.

He reached out a finger to touch her hand, and Yukika grabbed it. "Ooh! She's strong!" He looked back up at his mother. "You think she likes me?"

"Of course she does. You're her big brother."

"Yeah," he said, smiling at both the baby and his mother. "Hey, little sister, your big brother Atae is glad you're here."

Suddenly, the baby made a face, and started to cry. He looked up at his mother, stricken. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," Kagome replied. "She's hungry." Kagome began to loosen her robe and InuYasha nudged Atae out of the room.

"So, whadda ya think, little guy?" InuYasha asked as they settled down next to the fire pit. He stirred the pot of soup over the fire, and began filling their bowls.

"She's pretty, but really little," Atae said.

"Yeah, she is. You were about the same size," InuYasha said, handing Atae his bowl.

"I'm a big brother now. I have my sister to take care of," Atae said after taking the first bite.

"That's right, son. Your job is to protect her and help us keep her safe and happy." InuYasha said.

For a moment, they ate in quiet.

"You think when she's bigger, she'll want to play with me?" Atae asked.

InuYasha drank a sip of his soup. "Probably."

The boy's eyes lit up. "I'll have to tell her all about Peach Boy and Dog!"

"I'm sure you will," InuYasha replied. Somehow, didn't have the heart to tell Atae that the story of how the Peach Boy killed the Oni King was probably not going to be her favorite story. He'd let Atae learn about how girls were different on his own. Instead, he just ruffed the boy's hair and smiled.