Disclaimer: I do not own the Inuyasha fandom or its characters. I make no money from this. This is inspired by an original piece I did a while back and I do own this plot line.

XOXOXO:

Clothes lay strewn across the bed room and hallway floors. Red, green, yellow, and rainbow colored hand prints coated the hallway walls.

She walked into the bathroom and winced. A rubber duck and fire truck stuck up out of the toilet. She pulled them out, cleaned them in the sink and then mopped up the floor.

She walked into the kitchen and saw a yellow baseball and some plastic keys n the dog's water bowl. The cabinet doors, counter top, and kitchen window above the sink were decorated with slimy brown goop and some white chunks. She watched the mass of chocolate pudding and chicken slither down the wall and plop onto the counter.

Kagome shivered. 'What a nightmare to clean.' She ran a hand through her hair. 'Is it really worth going through again for forty bucks But if I don't finish the week, I won't get paid. Today is the final day.'

She sighed heavily. 'I wanted to actually relax today.'

"I really wish there was a way to send someone else and still get paid." She scanned her computer screen and blinked.

Replacements R Us:

Need a break but still want to get paid? Then count on us to do whatever you don't want to. If you're not satisfied with our performance, we will refund your fifteen dollar fee, so give us a call! What have you got to lose?

"Hm, why not?" She dialed the number and listened to it ring.

"Replacements R Us, how may I be of assistance?"

"Um hello, I'm a bit under the weather today and the family I sit for need a babysitter really bad. Do you have any qualified babysitters?"

She heard some typing.

"We have three ma'am. How old is the child?"

"Five. I'm warning you, he's a real handful."

More typing was heard.

"I have just the guy for this. He adores working with kids. May I have the address?"

Kagome rattled off the address. "Be sure he gets there promptly at 2:00 pm." She hung up and fell onto her bed with a relieved sigh. 'Finally, I can actually relax.' She tried to stretch her arms above her head and felt sharp pains in her shoulders and lower back. 'I'll start with a nice hot soak.'

XOXOXO:

Suikotsu woke up two hours later than he'd intended and cut himself shaving. He'd had his car towed to the shop because it refused to start.

'I knew I should have budgeted that stupid engine overhaul last week.'

He sighed heavily and pushed to his feet and then propped his hip against his desk. He tugged at the end of his pristine sleeve.

He was dressed in all green; even his socks and shoes were green. 'It's a good thing that green is my favorite color.'

The secretary picked up a printed paper and walked over to his desk.

"After searching through the files, I've concluded that you are best suited for this assignment."

He frowned. 'Couldn't you pick Inuyasha? This really isn't a good day for me.'

She passed him the paper. "Your assignment is to show up at this address at 2pm sharp. You are to fill in for Kagome as she is sick today."

He rubbed my chin. "She's probably just faking it." He scowled. 'This just isn't my day. Why couldn't I get called to replace someone for a party instead?'

The secretary clucked her tongue. "She's paying good money for this, so we expect nothing less than a superb job from you."

He nodded. "You got it boss," he saluted her and walked out to the company car. He climbed behind the wheel and drove over to the address on the paper.

He walked up and was ready to ring the doorbell.

"I want it, give it to me now!"

He blinked and stared at the paper in his hand and then at the address on the mailbox. "Well, this is definitely the place." He straightened his tie and cleared his voice. He pushed the button and tapped his foot. 'Come on already. I haven't got all day.'

The door flew open.

He smiled at the kid. "Hi! I'll be filling in for your babysitter today because she's sick."

The kid scrunched up his face. "I want Kagome, not you!" The kid kicked his shin and ran off.

The lady, presumably his mother sighed. "Sorry about that. Bankotsu gets pretty hyper sometimes. Please come in Mr...."

"Suikotsu, Ma'am." He passed the paper to the lady. "I know kids can be a bit, er... rambunctious at times."

She looked over the paper and smiled. "They certainly can. I see you have experience with kids? That's good." She stared at his suit and tie. "Aren't you a bit over dressed for babysitting?"

"" It's company policy Ma'am, and kids usually love to have me for a babysitter."

She led him to the living room. "Bankotsu is to be in bed at eight sharp and asleep no later than eight thirty. Here is a number to where you can reach my husband, but only in an emergency. The same goes for my work number which is on the fridge."

He nodded and tucked the paper into his pocket.

She picked up her keys and sighed. "There is a list of foods Bankotsu can and can't eat on the fridge. Remember, he is to have absolutely nothing with sugar in it!"

He smiled. "You can count on me."

She eyed him a moment and nodded. "Do tell Kagome that I hope she gets to feeling better."

He nodded.

She walked over to the door. "Don't let him watch anything scary or he will be up with nightmares all night."

He smiled. "Relax Mrs. Ryuujin, Bankotsu is in good hands."

She nodded. "The bathroom is at the end of the hall on your right and Bankotsu's room is the second door on the left. Oh and be a dear and take the trash cans to the curb before the garbage man runs at five thirty. I should be back from work by nine o clock." She left.

Suikotsu heard something crash down the hallway. He blinked and stopped mid step. "What was that?"

The boy with his hair braided and big blue eyes ran towards him giggling. He took his hand. "Come quick."

Suikotsu blinked but allowed the child to lead him to the room where the noise came from. His jaw dropped.

The child beamed and puffed his chest out. "Isn't she pretty?"

A cat glared at him and hissed, trying in vain to pull the ribbons off its tail and neck and the bows off its head and chest.

Suikotsu's jaw clenched. 'That poor cat,' He turned to the kid. "Why don't you go play in your room while I clean up in here?"

The kid tilted his head and then grinned. "Okay."

Suikotsu blinked and felt dread creeping up his spine. 'What was that grin for?' He sighed heavily and shrugged. 'Oh well, time to get started.'

"Come here kitty, I'll help you get that off."

The cat stared at him a minute and then allowed him to pick it up.

He gently cradled her in his arms and pried the ribbons and bows from her hair. "Poor thing, there you go."

She hissed with her ears laid back and jumped up, swiping at his cheek.

"Ouch!" His hand flew to my cheek and came back with blood on it. He frowned. "Hey, what was that for?"

He sighed and walked over to the bathroom to clean the scratches with some alcohol. He winced. 'Ouch! That stings.' He applied some salve to the wounds and went to check on the kid.

"Hey buddy are you - " His jaw dropped and his eyes widened at the paint mess all over the carpet and walls. 'Hungry yet?'

He saw the boy happily splashing his hands in the paint and sticking them to everything he could find.

Suikotsu's teeth ground together. "No!" He grabbed the child up and carried him to the bathroom where he washed his hands. "No more paints."

The boy scowled and kicked his thigh. "Meanie head!" He wiggled free and ran off down the hallway.

Suikotsu sighed. 'Remember he's just a kid. Above all you must remain calm.' He took a deep breath and followed the child into the kitchen.

He had pulled the pots out of the lower cabinet.

Suikotsu smiled and picked up a pot, turning it upside down and sat him in front of it. "Watch," he took two cooking spoons and started to drum them against the pot. "See?"

"My turn!" Bankotsu grabbed the sticks and slammed them against the bottom of the pots.

Suikotsu smiled and walked over to the fridge. He skimmed over the list of what the boy could and couldn't eat.

"Let's see what they have."

He opened the door and pulled out some eggs, hamburger meat and ketchup. He walked over to the bread box and pulled out the bread.

"Bankotsu, do you want to help me make meatloaf?"

The boy's brows furrowed. "Can you really cook and still be able to eat it?"

Suikotsu smiled. "I'm no gourmet chef, but I can cook some meals." He dumped the hamburger meat into a bowl and added the ketchup and eggs, throwing away the shells.

Bankotsu pulled over a chair and stood on it watching. He stared up with big eyes. "Watcha doing?"

He smiled and rolled up his sleeves. "I'm going to mix the ingredients." Suikotsu stuck his hands in the bowl and squeezed the mixture together. "Do you want to help?"

Bankotsu grinned and nodded, with his braid bouncing against his back.

Suikotsu pulled the chair into a steadier place and let the child take over the mixing.

"Squeeze it to your little heart's content." He mentally pat himself on the back. 'There see, now he will stay out of trouble for a while.'

He opened the bread bag and tore the bread into little chunks, dropping them into the bowl.

"Now make sure you get them good and covered as they mix into the meat, okay?"

The boy giggled.

Suikotsu walked over to the fridge and pulled out the juice jar. He rinsed it at the sink and pulled a frozen apple juice concentrate from the freezer. He dumped the concentrate into the jar and added three cans of water, then stirred.

"How's that meatloaf..."

His nostrils flared. 'You have got to be kidding me.' He sighed heavily and walked back over to the sink, shaking his head.

"Why did you do that?" He pointed to the meat and ketchup splattered all over the counter top and the kid's his clothes.

The mischievous tyke beamed. "Ain't it pretty?"

"First, aint isn't even a word. Secondly, no. it's a huge mess!" Suikotsu slapped his forehead.

Bankotsu's chin and bottom lip quivered and his eyes watered.

"You're so mean. I want Kagome back." He glared. "I hate you!" He kicked the man's shin again and jumped off the chair, running to his room and slamming the door.

Suikotsu banged his forehead against the wall. "Way to make the kid hate you." He scraped most of the mess off the counter and out of the sink, tossing it into the garbage can.

'Oh great, I still have to take the trash cans out to the curb.' He checked the clock and saw that it was already three. He finished cleaning the sink out and making the counter tops clean. He snorted. 'This has got to be the single worst job I've ever had.'

He went to Bankotsu's room and made him sit on the bed. "Don't even think about moving kid."

Blue eyes narrowed but the kid sat on his bed with his arms folded in front of his chest and his nose in the air. Suikotsu cleaned the paint out of the carpet and off the walls.

He tossed the sponge into the bucket of water. He carried the water to the bathroom and dumped it down the sink. He went back to the room and carried the squirming child to bathroom.

Suikotsu drew the water and filled the tub only a third of the way full. "Its bath time kid, and no arguments!"

He pulled the child's shirt off and stood up. "I'm sure you can do this rest alone by now. I'll be right outside this door if you need help."

Suikotsu slid to his butt on the floor outside the door. He hung his head and took a deep breath. 'Why on earth do I do this again?'

He remembered his mortgage payment waiting to be made and snorted. 'I just know I'm going to end up sopping the floor with towels later.'

Fifteen minutes later the kid walked out with a towel around him and a scowl on his face. He stomped over to his room and slammed the door shut.

Suikotsu checked the clock. 'Good I still have time to put the trash out.'

He walked to the kitchen and put the lids on the cans. He picked up the first can and set it by the curb. He went back for the second can and carried it out.

He could see the trash truck turning around the corner down the road. He wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his long green sleeve. 'Looks like I made it just in time.'

He stepped back as the garbage truck rolled up., but apparently didn't move back far enough because the muddy water the tires kicked up splashed all over the front of his clothes.

He huffed and rubbed the mud off his face and sighed staring at his clothes. 'That is the last straw! This is so my last day filling in for babysitters.'

He scoffed when he remembered that part of the company's policy was not getting to choose which assignments you did and didn't take. 'Screw that! I'm going to find something safer, like blowing up buildings or how crashing cars.'

He stepped inside and went into bathroom, trying to save his clothes. He took off his tie and tossed it onto the floor. 'No more stinking ties either. Those damned things are so constricting.'

He washed his face and rinsed most of the mud out of his shirt. He hung it up on the shower curtain rod. 'Only a few more hours and I will be free.' He gripped the sink and glared at the mirror. 'I am so handing in my resignation once this nightmare of an assignment is over.'

He heard another crash and groaned. 'Why did it have to be me?' He shoved away from the sink and ran to the kid's room. "Bankotsu!"

The five year old cringed and stared at the broken mirror. "Momma's gonna be so mad." He fell to his butt on the floor and wailed.

Suikotsu shook his head and cleaned up all the broken glass and then picked the boy up. "Now look kid, we only have two more hours until your bed time. How about we watch a movie?"

The boy stopped crying. "Okay, but I still hate you, meanie head."

'Trust me brat, the feeling is mutual.' Suikotsu took Bankotsu to the living room and pulled open the door where he said the dvds were.

"Look Kid, just don't give me anymore trouble and we can watch a movie, then brush your teeth and put you to bed."

"What about the popcorn?

"Excuse me?"

The boy stomped and balled up his fists. "Momma always lets me have popcorn when we watch a movie. Kagome does too." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I am not watching any movie without my popcorn!"

"Whatever, let's go to the kitchen and we will make the popcorn."

The boy smirked and ran into the kitchen.

Suikotsu tensed just waiting for something to break.

When nothing happened he relaxed and walked into the kitchen. He pulled down the box of popcorn. He set a bag in the microwave and put the box away.

"How about some juice with our popcorn?"

Bankotsu tilted his head to the side and then nodded.

Suikotsu poured the juice and stuck the jug in the fridge.

"Go sit on the couch and don't move or touch anything." He picked up the two glasses and put the bag of popcorn on a tray and carried everything to the living room.

"Bankotsu! I told you not to touch anything!" He nearly slammed the tray down and pulled the remote free of the boy's grubby little hands. "Now, sit!" He pointed to the couch.

The boy's eyes widened and his face paled a bit, but he sat.

Suikotsu snorted and popped the movie into the player. He sat on the couch next to the boy.

'Alright Suikotsu, you just have to get through this movie, get the kid to bed and run like hell when his mother finally comes home.' He took a deep breath. 'It shouldn't be that hard.'

They watched the movie without much trouble. In fact, Suikotsu was pleasantly surprised that the child had fallen asleep during the movie.

'I guess all that mischief he caused tuckered him out.' He yawned. 'Don't blame you kid, I'm a bit tired myself.'

He gently picked him up and carried him to his room. He tucked Bankotsu in bed and left the door open a crack, just in case it was some sort of ruse.

'At this point I wouldn't put anything past that kid.'

He took my shirt off the rack in the bathroom and shoved by tie into my pocket. He walked into the kitchen and scrubbed up the dishes he'd used and then rinsed them and put them in the drainer.

He met the boy's mom at the door.

"How was he?"

Suikotsu shook his head and sighed. "He's in bed asleep."

She smiled. "Thanks a lot for filling in today."

He waved her off and walked out to the car. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Kagome's number.

"Hello?"

"Kagome, this is Suikotsu. I'm the man who filled in for you today."

"Oh, so how did it go?"

He gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turned white. "Congratulations, the job you gave me made me quit."

He slapped the phone shut and drove to the office. He sat at his desk and wrote out his resignation. When it was finished he passed it to Kagura. "I am so gone." He tossed the tie on top of the resignation." His eyes narrowed. "I quit!"

He walked out to the car and drove home, locking the doors. He took off the soiled clothes and threw them in his fireplace. 'I never want to see the color green or a child ever again!'

He slipped into his gray sweats and fell onto his bed sighing and instantly feeling a hundred times better. 'Tomorrow I will start applying at the construction and demolition companies.'

He closed stared at the ceiling wondering what other less 'dangerous' jobs he could do. 'I'll do anything but babysitting. I'll even flip burgers if I have to.'

XOXOXO:

A/N: That's it folks. Hope you enjoyed it. I'd love to hear your opinions! XD