InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ For the Honour of My Family ❯ Chapter Eight ( Chapter 8 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Sesshomaru strode swiftly through the halls of his ancestral home, his face set in determination. A new set of questions had presented themselves to the daiyoukai, questions that couldn't wait for that cowardly flea, Myouga. Only one could give him the answers that he desired. Only one truly knew what he was going through with his half-brother, if only through observation alone. Shinsei.

The healer also possessed some oils that he'd need if he were to continue bedding his brother as he had been. Sesshomaru had no doubts that he was causing Inuyasha a great deal of pain with each penetration and he tore each time. He could smell the blood on his sibling each time they mated. The last thing he wanted for his brother to be scarred like that.

His brother . . . Things had started to become complicated with the hanyou around. Those from other courts who had been around when he'd first arrived at the castle had noticed the changes within the boy. At least, they'd noticed the physical changes in his half-brother. He could tell by the way they practically devoured his appearance. Sesshomaru couldn't blame them but he also didn't like it. Inuyasha was his. The hanyou belonged to no one else but him.

And therein lay Sesshomaru's confusion. He'd gone from disgusted with his brother's half-human blood to being somewhat tolerant of it to downright possessive of the boy. He needed to know why that was.

Shinsei glanced up the moment he stepped into his abode, a bit startled to see the daiyoukai there. Sesshomaru paid no heed to the healer's surprise. He was on a mission. Everything else could wait until this was taken care of.

“I need answers,” he stated. “And I need them now.”

“I see . . .” the healer murmured. “And these answers . . . would they have to do with your brother?”

“You know then?” Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at Shinsei.

“I know only what you and NatsuMaru have told me,” Shinsei replied.

“NatsuMaru? What has he been saying?”

Shinsei took a deep breath then let it out. He then began to move around, gathering things as he did so.

“Just that he's noticed a slight shift in your brother's scent and that he's been able to detect your scent on him as well. Other than, he's been expressing his concern for Inuyasha's pain these last few days. The hanyou's been rather sluggish in their training sessions.”

At that moment, Shinsei paused, having pulled out quite a number of jars. He then met Sesshomaru's gaze.

“You wish to know what you should do regarding your brother . . . don't you?”

“Hai,” Sesshomaru nodded. “I do.”

“I figured as much . . . you're close to making him your mate completely . . . I can tell . . .”

For a moment, Shinsei didn't say anything else. He just stared at the bottles and vials that he'd pulled out. Then he moved, mixing a few of them together.

“You wish to know if it's possible to stop the process, ne?”

“Hai,” Sesshomaru nodded again, licking his lips. “I do.”

“Hmm . . . I see . . . well, the answer to your question, my Lord, is yes. However, I must warn you, it won't be easy . . . and it has to be something that you truly desire.”

“What . . .”

The healer turned around to look him directly in the eye.

“You'll have to kill your own pups, my Lord. If you do not wish for your brother to be your mate, if he is truly expecting your young, you will have to destroy the young. That will be the only way the process will halt itself.”

* * *

Sesshomaru fought back the urge to heave a rather weary sigh. His conversation with Shinsei had not gone as he had anticipated. The last thing he had expected was for the old healer to tell him he needed to kill off his own pups in order to halt the mating process with his brother. He had hoped that it would have been something simple . . . like not following Inuyasha to his bedchambers at night. That was not the case.

He had always thought it would have been easy to kill a child of less than pure blood. After all, he'd had no problems in trying to rob his brother of his life. And there weren't any doubts in his mind that the pups his brother now bore would have some human blood to them. It should have made his decision easy.

`But it isn't easy,' he thought as his brother's ningen friends were escorted into the dining hall. He noted with a bit of smug satisfaction that the humans had, indeed, been dressed in appropriate attire, much to the females' discomfort. Then his mind went to the problem at hand. How would he halt the mating process without killing his unborn pups? Did he really want to halt the mating process? Despite the fact that they'd have some ningen blood to them, they still would have his blood flowing through them. His blood that came from the father that he and Inuyasha shared. And Izayoi was a powerful woman in her own right. It wasn't as if she and his father had created a weakling. `Now I know how Father felt.'

With his decision forming and gaining strength and resolution, Sesshomaru turned his attention to the ningens that were being seated at his table, taking the opportunity to study each one.

Both of the females, he noted, were extremely uncomfortable in the formal kimonos that had been chosen for them. The young miko wore a pale blue kimono with white leaves adorning the sleeves and sides. The taijiya wore a simple pale pink kimono with no adornments. Sesshomaru knew the value of those kimonos, knew exactly what they were made of. If either female knew, he was quite certain they'd be blushing.

The houshi, on the other hand, was now enjoying the formal attire he'd been required to wear. A dark violet haori with silver stars adorning the left sleeve and hakama had been chosen for the male. Sesshomaru did not fail to notice the way his female servants were staring at the ningen male. The monk was quite enjoying their attention, much to the taijiya's dislike.

`Pathetic,' he thought with no uncertain amount of disgust. How his brother could stand to be around such fools, Sesshomaru couldn't even begin to fathom.

In thinking of his brother, Sesshomaru was reminded of the situation between them. He would have to tell Inuyasha eventually of his pregnancy. The changes in his body were already making themselves known. If NatsuMaru were able to detect them, it wouldn't be much longer before the rest of his servants discovered it. All it would take would be a slip of the tongue and his brother would know. Once his brother found out . . .

Sesshomaru blinked then mentally shook his head of that thought. Inuyasha would be upset, no matter who he learned the news from. It would be best if he told his brother of his condition then have him see Shinsei for confirmation.

`I'll tell him tonight,' he decided then glanced up . . . just in time to see his brother enter, NatsuMaru right behind him.

His brother still wore the simple white kimono from before, though the hakama had recently been changed. For a moment, as he gazed at his brother, Sesshomaru felt as if he were staring at his father's visage and not Inuyasha's. The only glaring item was the damned rosary around Inuyasha's neck. Then it quickly passed.

The humans also noted Inuyasha's arrival. Both females automatically blushed, though the miko was the only one to avert her gaze. Her heart began to pound heavily in her chest and her breathing hitched. Sesshomaru not only detected those changes but also a hint of arousal coming from the young girl. He also noticed how his brother had gazed at the miko, the hanyou's cheeks staining slightly pink. There would be feelings between them. There would always be feelings between Inuyasha and the miko. It was inevitable, and Sesshomaru knew it. However, that knowledge did not stop the rising surge of jealousy from flowing through him. Inuyasha was his and his alone. He would mark his brother in front of them before he allowed another human to touch the half-demon.

However, before he had a chance to say anything, the young miko quickly glanced at his brother again, just as the hanyou was sitting down. The moment he was sitting, she began.

“So, Inuyasha . . . how've you been?” she inquired meekly. It was a facetious question and everyone there knew it. However, Inuyasha nodded and replied, “I've been good. Quite good.”

“That's . . . good,” the miko smiled then looked at her food as the serving girls gave it to her. “That's . . . very good . . . we were worried about you . . .”

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at her but chose to say nothing. He knew what she was hinting at. Not that he blamed her. In their previous encounters, he'd been quite malicious, trying to kill his half-brother. Still, she was being reserved and careful with her wording. She wasn't going to do anything to spark his anger.

“Why?” Inuyasha blinked. “I can take care of myself . . .”

Sesshomaru almost snorted at that but refrained. To an extent, it was true. Inuyasha did know how to take care of himself, having had to since he was little. However, Sesshomaru knew there was a difference in surviving and truly caring for one's self. Still, he wanted to see how this would play out.

For her part, the miko refrained from snapping at Inuyasha. Her hand clenched, though, her cheeks flushed an angry pink, and her aura radiated her irritation . . . something that wasn't lost on his brother, either.

“I'm fine,” he hurriedly stated. “No need to worry anymore.”

The ningens each wore an expression that indicated otherwise. They didn't believe Inuyasha for a moment. The miko then changed her strategy.

“So we see,” she smiled brightly. “And that's good. That's very . . . good.”

An uncomfortable silence, for the ningens and his brother, ensued. Inuyasha quickly turned his attention back to his food and began to eat in the slow deliberate manner that he'd been developing over the past week. The ningens all gaped him, shocked. Finally, the miko shook her head.

“I can't stand this anymore . . .”

“What?” Inuyasha looked up, his golden eyes blinking in confusion.

“This!” she declared, waving her arms around her. “You . . . you're not acting like yourself! You shouldn't even be here, Inuyasha!”

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at this but didn't say anything. The humans were acting like he wasn't even there. For the moment. It annoyed him but he also wanted to see how it would play out, to see who would be proven right. Him. Or Inuyasha. He lowered his chopsticks and waited for the girl to continue.

“What do you mean, I shouldn't even be here?” his brother demanded, his face marring into a scowl. “This is as just as much my home as it is Sesshomaru's!”

“That isn't my point,” she snapped. “This isn't you! The Inuyasha I know wouldn't have stayed here! He'd have left here the moment he got the chance!”

“You think that I didn't try?” Inuyasha spat, his cheeks burning red with his rage. “Because I did!”

“Then what are you doing here now? You don't look like you're being held here against your will,” the miko pointed out. A low growl escaped Inuyasha.

“He stays because to leave now would be to dishonour himself,” came the smooth reply. All eyes focused on NatsuMaru.

“What?”

“For him to leave now would be dishonourable,” NatsuMaru stated. “He has agreed to stay here and train under his brother's watchful eye. To back out on that now would be dishonourable.”

The miko let out an exasperated sigh at that.

“But he can't stay here! Naraku . . .”

“Won't stand a chance once I've finished my training,” Inuyasha stated, his jaw set in determination.

“I don't believe it, Inuyasha. I don't believe that Sesshomaru has you here out of the goodness of his heart!”

“Kagome . . .”

“No,” the girl shook her head. “You're not going to convince me otherwise, Inuyasha. Tomorrow, we're leaving.”

The air in the room grew incredibly tense and thick. It had become charged with the amount of anger and frustration between his brother and the miko. Sesshomaru felt the hairs on the back of his neck standing on edge. When he glanced back at the miko, he knew why.

The girl's purifying powers were surging throughout her, a sure indication of her anger. A quick look around the room told him his servants felt it as well and it had his guards on edge. An intervention was needed and quick.

“Then you'll be leaving without me, Kagome,” Inuyasha stated quietly, breaking the silence. “I'm staying here.”

Kagome's jaw dropped in shock and her eyes widened. His brother turned away.

“I don't expect you to understand why but I'm staying here. I'm going to complete my training.” Inuyasha's gaze then met hers. “It's what I need to do. If it makes me sound selfish, so be it. I'm not going to change my mind. Now if you'll excuse me . . .”

Before anyone could say anything more, Inuyasha rose to his feet and quickly exited the dining hall. Sesshomaru cast a meaningful glance at NatsuMaru as he rose to his feet. He knew his brother was troubled, knew why the boy was troubled, and he wanted to put those troubles to rest. Inuyasha, in his opinion, was making the right decision in staying. Sesshomaru knew that he was. The question was, did his brother realize it?

As he often did, Sesshomaru followed his brother at a considerable distance then waited for Inuyasha to enter his bedchambers before following him in. The instant he stepped in, he closed the shoji door behind him. Inuyasha stood at the far end of the room, gazing out the window at the palace gardens.

“Did you come here to gloat?”

“No,” he replied, trying to ignore the hurt that had laced itself into Inuyasha's voice. “I did not come here to gloat.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Why do you think I'm here, Inuyasha?” he inquired, closing the distance between them.

“Sessh,” he sighed, “I'm not in the . . .”

“You're making the right decision.”

“What?”

Inuyasha turned around to face him, his eyes wide. Sesshomaru reached out and caressed a satiny smooth cheek.

“I said you're making the right decision,” he murmured. “After all, how can you expect to defeat your enemy if you're not properly trained?”

His brother nodded mutely at that, his golden eyes still troubled. Sesshomaru leaned in closer.

“Do not trouble yourself over their wants, otouto. If they think you are being selfish then they are being as equally selfish to want you to give up this training.”

“Sessh . . .” His brother's breath hitched as he moved in closer, heat radiating from the younger one's body.

“Not another word,” he breathed before capturing Inuyasha's lips with his own. His tongue made its way into his brother's mouth and began to probe and explore every inch.

Inuyasha moaned into that kiss, his body melting against him. Sesshomaru wrapped his arms around his brother's waist and lifted him up, Inuyasha's legs going about his waist. He then carried the boy over to his futon, where he laid Inuyasha down and stretched out on top of him, never once breaking their kiss.

`This is it,' he thought, slipping his hands into Inuyasha's hakama. `This is where I have to decide . . . do I take Inuyasha as my mate? Or do I reject him?'

The thought of his brother no longer being in his life after his training was complete somehow disturbed Sesshomaru, as did the thought of having to kill his own young in order to severe the bond that had been forming between them. He couldn't do it, no more than what his father could do when Izayoi had been expecting Inuyasha.

`He's mine.'

He ground his groin against Inuyasha's, his member hardening and becoming erect as he did so. His hands squeezed the soft yet firm globes of his brother's behind, earning him a faint whimper. Inuyasha arched his back against him and wriggled, arousing Sesshomaru even further. In a rare display of impatience, he broke their kiss and pulled away. Before Inuyasha could even protest, Sesshomaru shredded his clothing then tossed the garments to the side. He proceeded to shred his own clothing as well. Once they were both fully naked, he nestled himself between Inuyasha's legs, their heated erections rubbing against each other. On the floor next to them lay the oil and salve Shinsei had given him.

“What are these?” Inuyasha breathed huskily, reaching for one of the vials.

“One is a salve, otouto,” Sesshomaru replied, grinding his hips against his brother's groin. “It is for you for . . . after . . .”

“And the other?” Inuyasha's eyes gleamed.

“You'll see.”

Sesshomaru caught Inuyasha in another heated yet bruising kiss. Fire coursed through Sesshomaru's veins until it reached his belly, where it began to pool. He managed to pull away from his brother's lips long enough to start trailing his tongue along Inuyasha's jawline. One hand reached up to pet a furry ear, an action that often made Inuyasha very responsive to whatever Sesshomaru did to him, while the other held his brother in place. Slender arms wrapped around his neck moments after the stripes on his cheek had been stroked, sending delicious little shivers of delight and need coursing throughout him. Sesshomaru then moved lower, trailing his tongue along his brother's hot flesh until he reached a perfect, rosy nub. Without preamble, Sesshomaru latched onto it, biting gently. Inuyasha gasped and moaned, his body practically melting all over again. Already, Inuyasha tasted of a strange sweetness, a sure sign of his pregnancy, and Sesshomaru found that he quite liked it. He suckled on the nub for a while longer, relishing as the pebble-textured flesh hardened under his ministrations. As soon as he finished with that one, he gave the other the same treatment while Inuyasha moaned and writhed against him. A hardened erection rubbed against him, his brother's essences leaking from him.

Each little action from Inuyasha - his gasps, his moans, his writing - hardened Sesshomaru's member until it began to ache with need. His own essence began to drip from his throbbing length, and Sesshomaru knew that neither of them would be able to last much longer. He pulled away once more . . . for a moment only . . . then reached for the oil that Shinsei had given to him. Inuyasha lay there, panting, as he did so, and watched as Sesshomaru poured a small amount of the oil into his hands and rubbed them together. Once his fingers were slick enough, he reached under his brother to rub them against the boy's entrance, his member twitching in anticipation as he did so.

As soon as the hole itself had become slick with the oil, Sesshomaru inserted a finger into his brother. Inuyasha arched his back and spread his legs even further, allowing Sesshomaru more access to his sacred area. The daiyoukai moved his finger around, the digit gliding with ease and coating the passage with oil. He then inserted a second finger, using a scissoring motion to stretch Inuyasha out some.

The entire time Sesshomaru prepared his entrance, Inuyasha writhed against him, his hips trying to gain friction where none could be gained. His breathing came in short, breathy gasps, and his fingers dug into the sheets of the futon. Inuyasha's expression was one of pure bliss as his body moved of its own accord.

Finally, Sesshomaru felt that his brother was more than ready. Using the remaining oil on his hands, he coated his own member then stretched himself out on top of his brother. Inuyasha raised his hips up some and Sesshomaru put himself into position. In a quick, singular thrust, he buried himself deep. A soft cry emanated from his brother as he did so, his back arching. Sesshomaru silenced him with a kiss. Then he began to thrust into his brother's body, delighting in the feel of the tight walls of Inuyasha's entrance constricting against him. The muscles there pulled on his aching member, spurring him to continue.

Each thrust earned him a moan. Each grunt caused his brother to cry out his name. Sesshomaru moved slowly and deliberately in and out of his brother, his member tightening under the pressure. He wanted, no, he needed his brother to climax at the same time he did. It would be one of many things that would seal their mark on each other, for Sesshomaru had no doubts that his brother was claiming him just as he was claiming his brother. Instinct would dictate as much.

`Little brother . . . after tonight, you will know . . . the miko can never have you. You . . . are . . . mine.'

His brother's hot essence coated his belly just as his exploded deep within Inuyasha's body. When it was over, they lay there, their breathing heavy. Then Sesshomaru pulled out, collapsing against Inuyasha. In the morning, he would tell Inuyasha of what had happened and of the new burden that he carried. In the morning, he would have his brother visit the healer and have it confirmed.

For now, they would sleep. Morning was still several hours away.