InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Brothers After All ❯ Chapter Four: He asked for Help ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: No owny. No suey. . . . Wow, that just sounds sorta. . . wrong.

Mini-rant:

Okay, not sure if the last chappy went through, but it says it did, so I guess it did…anyways, here's chapter four! (I know I'm writing kinda short chapters lately, but. . . eh.)

Um, anyway, is it just me or is this fic REALLY REALLY sad! R&R. Two or three more chapters, I think.

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"Brothers After All"

by: Banshee Puppet

Chapter Four: He Asked for Help

"Her soul has been stolen," Kaede said flatly, frowning. `Again,' the old miko thought.

"But then why can she move, and talk? Kaede-baba, last time Kagome's soul was taken away she didn't move at all. She just laid there," Shippo bounced next to Sesshomaru, who put a hand roughly on the bobbing kit's head and scowled at him as if to say `stop that, or I'm going to hurt you.'

Shippo "eep" -ed, and sat still.

"I do not know Shippo. Something was left behind, something that couldn't be taken, I suppose. But I know no more what that may be than you do."

"Old woman, just tell me how to get her soul back," Sesshomaru half-hissed.

Kaede sighed. "You're as impatient as your brother," she commented, the name sending flames of anger licking their way up his skin. (metaphorically speaking, of course)

"I am NOTHING at all like that. . . " his lips curled into a sneer and he spat out the last word. He was going to say hanyou, but that was no longer true. ". . . monster!" He growled, clutching his fist tightly, not noticing the venom seeping from his claws at the mere thought of Inuyasha.

"Perhaps you should tell me exactly what has happened," Kaede said.

Sesshomaru took a mental breath, a very very deep breath. He was swallowing what pride he had left just to be here, to find out how to get his Kagome back, and it was hard enough remembering finding her dead in the road without crying like a small helpless child, without. . . and this old miko was forcing the issue.

"Isn't it enough. . . Isn't it enough that I'm. . . " he muttered before turning his steel gaze upon Kaede. "Is it so important to know the details, old woman?" he said, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice only half-successfully. "Isn't it enough that I am asking for your assistance."

Kaede just stared at him for a moment, before he said weakly. "Old woman, I am asking for your help. Just tell me what I need to know. How do I turn her back to normal?"

"To receive the proper answer, Sesshomaru of the Western Lands, you must supply me with all the information you can give."

Locked in a mental battle with himself, Sesshomaru was about to try to speak, saying, "I found her. . ." but his voice cracked shamefully and Shippo suddenly opened his mouth again. "Sesshomaru found Kagome dead and used his sword to bring her back to life, but she was brought back to life like this! And when he asked who killed her she said Inuyasha did it. . . and Kaede-baba! Inuyasha used the Shikon no Tama to turn himself into a full-blooded youkai! He's sooo scary!"

"And you say when you revived her she was already like this?" Kaede asked thoughtfully.

"Yes," Sesshomaru said, teeth gritting.

`He really does love her,' Kaede noticed. `Very much. Who would have thought that a demon known throughout the lands for his cold heart could love anyone so much. But, Kagome is a very special girl.'

"I understand. To regain Kagome's soul, you must dispose of the one who took it from her," Kaede told him. `And there's only one person at this point in time that can possibly have taken it.'

"Is that all? Well, who is this person, and where do I find them?" Sesshomaru was getting impatient.

"It is. . . not such a simple thing. But the one you seek is a dead miko named Kikyo."

"Kikyo?" Sesshomaru knew that name. His brother had loved a woman by that name once. "How do I find this woman?"

"Trust me, Sesshomaru, you WILL know her when you see her. Kagome is her reincarnation."

He didn't really understand what the woman was talking about, but just now, he didn't really care. He WOULD dispose of this Kikyo, and get his Kagome back. It would be simple.

Inuyasha had been sitting in the same tree for three days. After killing Kagome, he just couldn't fathom what came next at all. The future just seemed to have gone off and left him behind in this weird sort of stasis and he just felt so empty. The only consolation he had, was that Sesshomaru was suffering, that Sesshomaru was in pain. But he wondered, what was taking his older brother so long to come and try to kill him. At this point, he didn't really care who won. Half of him hoped it was Sesshomaru, just so that he wouldn't have to think about what came next, what would happen tomorrow.

That's when a familiar scent wafted by. He sniffed the air. Sure enough, it was just the person he'd been thinking of. `He still has her scent all over him. I bet he hasn't even bathed or washed off the blood yet,' Inuyasha thought.

He took a deep breath and forced a smirk onto his face. Yes, he was going to enjoy this. . . he was. . . really. Ah, there it was, the old hate, he'd found it. It was so much easier to latch onto in this youkai form. `She was mine,' he thought with a snarl as he took off after Sesshomaru's scent.

Sesshomaru snarled. "Get out of my way," he demanded of Inuyasha. "I do NOT have time for you right now."

Inuyasha blinked. `Wait, he's supposed to want to kill me. Well. . . he DOES look mad but. . . he ALWAYS looks mad!'

The fact that Sesshomaru wasn't mad ENOUGH at him infuriated Inuyasha, so he taunted.

"What's the matter, Sesshomaru, got somewhere better to be? I thought you'd be mourning the loss of that slut by now."

Inuyasha blinked. `When did he get so fast?' he wondered as he found himself pinned up to a tree with Sesshomaru's hand around his throat and his face dangerously close. His eyes, not mournful, not sad, just. . . extremely. Pissed. Off.

"Do NOT think for a SECOND, little brother, that I do not intend to kill you, in some extremely painful manner, for what you did to Kagome. But at the moment, I have more pressing concerns. Kikyo. . . where is she?!" he demanded.

"Kikyo? What does SHE have to do with anything?" Inuyasha blinked. This was not what he had planned. Why wasn't Sesshomaru a broken shell of his former self? He was supposed to be broken, shattered. And what the hell did he want with Kikyo?

"Where. Is. She." Sesshomaru made his demand again.

"How the Hells should I know?!? She hates my guts!" Inuyasha snapped testily. `Why can I hate him so much, and yet never stay mad at him when he finally shows his rotten, no good face?' Inuyasha thought testily. `It's not fair!'

Sesshomaru snarled again and dropped his brother. "I WILL deal with you. LATER."

`There he goes,' Inuyasha thought as he rubbed his throat and stared at the retreating form. `Think I'll follow him.'

Sesshomaru retrieved Kagome from where he had left her when he first caught Inuyasha's scent.

"Kagome, come here," he said, at which the figure walked out of the bushes and stood in front of him.

He wrapped his arms around her for comfort, trying to give himself strength to last just a little longer, until he could kill this Kikyo--he knew she was somewhere close by, but didn't know where-but her lack of responsiveness only made him feel more helpless.

With a disgruntled snort, he straightened up, wrapping his tail around her waist and saying hollowly, "time to go," before taking off again.

`K-Kagome!?!' Inuyasha's eyes widened. `B-but how!?!' he wondered. Then he noticed the swords at his brother's hip and could have slapped himself in the head right there. `Tenseiga, of course. Gyah! I'm such an idiot! Of all the stupid. . . `

Inuyasha heaved a mental sigh. Kagome being alive DEFINITELY put a considerable hitch in what he once thought was a faultless plan, but there was still something very wrong, and he intended to find out what it was. Sesshomaru WOULD suffer. I'll just follow him and see what he wants with Kikyo, and then I'll ruin his plans. Simple right? Yeah, simple.

But things are rarely as simple as they at first seem.

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hokay, this chapter was kind of blegh. I'm so much better at writing fluff than I am at action. *frowns*. Uh. . . anyway, two more chapters should do it, and at the rate I'm going I'll be done in no time. (Then I have to finish typing "Waiting for You". . . I'm such a dork) Erm. . . in the next chapter, we get the "battle" with Kikyo. (Like I said, I suck at fight scenes, so I'll probably end up writing my way around all the action! Don't hate me.) Then I think one more after that to wrap it all up. Kaede and Shippo will probably get one more small camio appearance. Uh. . . why can't I rant properly tonight? Anyway, r&r. . . . blah. Evil Fever of Doom won't let me think straight. Guess that's it.