InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Immortal Lessons ❯ Sunny Days in New York ( Chapter 1 )

Immortal Lessons: The Art of Empathy and Learning to Laugh

Chapter 1- Sunny Days in New York

A/N: I own none of this, but I think that's obvious from a distance.

Sunny days in the city are very different from sunny days in the country. In the country, sunny days are frequent and poignant. Each one stretches on as do the fields, standing on the horizon on all directions. When you spend a great deal of time in the country, you grow accustomed to sunny days. After building a record of consecutive sunny days, you begin to take them for granted. This is nothing of which to be ashamed, of course. It is merely human nature to become comfortable with the things you do not lack, sunny days, for example. Farmer tans and sun-streaked hair, the signs of a true sunny day enjoyer, become your norm.

However, for the urban sun-hermit, a sunny day is a true rarity. You have the chance to walk down the street and not step into puddles, turning your nice sweat pants brown and wet from the knee down. Sunny days are your opportunity to wear those expensive Gucci sunglasses on which you spent your last paycheck. On sunny days, even the bums smile more often. You see fewer cubicle-bound, Wall Street sweatshop workers jumping out of windows on the precious days of light. In the evening, right around dusk, you can watch the cloudless sky blush pink and then deep blue. All you can see is the blue because it is impossible to see stars in the city, but blue is enough. Midnight blue is a wonderful end to sunny days, especially for the cave dwelling urban population.

It was a sunny day in the city. The sky was turning a soft shade of pink to the west while the eastern horizon melted into dark blue. The long band of sky that peeked through the buildings smiled down on the road and the people therein.

Two men walked down one sidewalk. They were of differing heights and same builds, but their garb and characters were very different. Both men had a casual look on his face, but the meaning of each visage was different. One said "Hey," while the other said, "Move."

The man dressed in "Hey," stood a mere few inches shorter than his companion, and he appeared to be younger as well. Shaggy bangs and a hat, much like those worn by the paperboys during the American depression, turned backwards, framed his content countenance. His youthful face cast pleasant smiles at those who walked by him, especially at the young women. He could not help it that everyone smiled at him first.

His skin was tanned, unlike his companion, while his silvery white hair hung around his rather handsome face like soft curtains. With his hands resting comfortably in the pockets of his fading blue jeans and the sleeves of red shirt pushed up, he walked with relaxed broad strides.

"Move," walked with the same strides as his companion, but his movements were more refined. His posture held him high, making him stand out like the rare star in the midnight urban firmament. His character, however, was not one of a shining star. His face, though relaxed, rested in a rather unpleasant expression that was often mistaken for a scowl. What made him even colder looking was his almost albino complexion. Even his hair, like his companion's, was white; however, his hair hung to his shoulder blades and was bound back at the base of his skull. It was slicked back giving him a sleek, clean cut appearance. His pale face was masked only with a short, white goatee and rather odd markings that looked like two pointed stripes on both cheeks and a crescent moon on his forehead. Though few had ventured to ask from where he received such bizarre tattoos, none knew the true origin of the markings save the man walking to his left.

A dark blue business suit garbed the frame of "Move," under which he wore a white dress shirt and a silken tie. His polished black shoes reflected a crisp view of the buildings and the fading sky.

The pair of them were clearly brothers despite their differing characters and gestures. They had the same angular jaw line and golden eyes. Both men, though one of them hid it, had long fingernails. Normally, this characteristic was assumed feminine, but these gentlemen had lean claws, not slender hands. Their metatarsals were prominent as were the muscles and tendons that twined around the bones.

The strolling men had been companions for the past three or four centuries, though prior to that, they had been enemies. Shortly after their habitat and species was nearly destroyed, they realized that a little propinquity would probably ensure both of theirs survival a little longer. At first, their companionship was forced and rather violent, but a century or so of proximity can change a person's opinions.

Sesshomaru raised his right wrist from his side to look at his watch. A low chuckle escaped his lips as he lowered his arm. He did not glance his brother as he spoke in a crisp, low baritone.

"You have ten minute before you start your time of the month, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru said with a smug smirk on his pale mouth.

"Bite me," Inuyasha replied, his face contorting into a scowl that did nothing to damage his pleasing visage.

"You shouldn't make threats minutes prior to your transformation. I might consider it," said Sesshomaru, still smirking. He and his brother had developed a rather comical view of their differences, both of them feeling no deep-seated shame in their natures.

"Hey, being a hanyou has its benefits."

"Other than the fuzzy ears?" Sesshomaru raised one eyebrow though no one say his change in expression.

"For your information, Sessh, the ladies love fuzzy ears," snapped Inuyasha facetiously. Sesshomaru began to laugh at the thought of his younger brother actually attracting a female. It seemed that both the Inu brothers were chronically single, but being whole or part demon tended to put a damper on one's love life. "At least I don't try to bite my girlfriends," added Inuyasha.

"What girlfriends?" asked Sesshomaru as his laughter began to fade. "Eight minutes, and counting," he said after glancing at his watch. Inuyasha let out an irritated sigh before removing his hat and running a hand through his hair. He tried to appear absent, but Sesshomaru knew he was checking to make sure his pointed, animalistic ears were still there. Inuyasha quickly recovered his head as a human couple strolled by. They, of course, smiled.

Together, the Inu brothers turned when they reached a familiar apartment building. They shared a penthouse for which Sesshomaru paid from his plentiful paycheck. Inuyasha paid his share, though it was far smaller than his brother's. Their home was more than large enough for the two men, and they had long ago released their petty differences, making their shared home very comfortable.

For the most part, the entire suite was open for either inhabitant; however, there were a few rooms that fell into the territory of one brother or the other. Sesshomaru guarded his space like a pack leader guarded his ward. His bedroom was his first claim. To Sesshomaru, this was his lair on which only an elite few could tread. Sesshomaru himself was one of his own elite, along with two other people, both of whom were women. Both those pairs of feet had strode once before a hasty banishment, though each exile was not without pain. Sesshomaru's other ground was his private study. From that room, he could conduct the entire city, perhaps even the entire country. Inside that room, he was Mr. Sesshomaru, with three degrees in the English language and two in journalism. While seated in his throne, Mr. Sesshomaru was the chief editor of the New York Times. He controlled what information was fed to the public of one of the most pulsing and thriving cities in the entire United States of American. He had the opinions and ideas of the populace in the palm of his hand. This was the kind of control Sesshomaru knew best. He ruled, as he was meant to do.

Inuyasha, on the other hand, had his bedroom as well. Far more feet had graced his domain than his brother's. Inuyasha, though he often came off as rather crude, was not extremely territorial. Just as Sesshomaru had his study, Inuyasha had his studio. Music was one of the first things a human had ever taught him. It was the guitar that finally broke Inuyasha of his anthrophobia. Shortly after mastering one instrument, he moved on to the next. At the time, Inuyasha had learned to play the guitar, piano, bass, taiko drum, harmonica, cello, and he could sing. He was the proud owner of a pure, Irish tenor voice on a good day and a smoker's cough on a bad day. Inuyasha had mastered them both, using his temporarily gravelly voice to bring out the baritone in him.

Along with enjoying music, Inuyasha had used his immortality to climb a ladder much similar to Sesshomaru's. Inuyasha was a professor of anthropology. His specialty was ancient religions, but he was willing to teach anything above high school. He hated high school children.

Together, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha had sold out to the human society, though neither of them felt shame in doing so. Had they tried to remain vicious demons, they would have died out with the rest of them. As far as the Inu bothers knew, there were no other demons left besides themselves. Most of them died in the dark ages. The Bubonic Plague, though it nearly wiped out Europe, had actually been a demonic disease. Humans were never meant to be subjected to the plague, but one feral rat demon had fled into a small town to avoid extermination. The rat's arrival was like dropping a bomb on the city. Within weeks, there was less than one fourth of the population left in the village. While the humans suffered from the plague, demons were nearly extinct all over the planet. The few survivors had been in Eastern Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.

Inuyasha and Sesshomaru had survived the plague barely. The next wave of extinction had been human pollution. Japan was a human filth hot spot, and all the demons in the area were killed by poisoned food and air. The Inu brothers left Japan to live in Australia. There, they found far less human density and poisons.

In New Zealand, the pair learned that survival in the Human Age required knowing how to play the Human Game. It was there that Sesshomaru first discovered the power of the press. After doing many experiments in small towns with different types of propaganda, Sesshomaru learned he could practically dictate the lives of humans by merely hand feeding them half truths and white lies. He earned himself three of his five degrees while there, taking rule over different domains with each upgrade. For a time, Sesshomaru believed that his theories of human stupidity only applied to small groups. However, after living in California, he learned that human stupidity did, indeed, come in bulk. From there, he moved up to New York, where he reigned over the populace.

While in Australia, Inuyasha had learned to play the guitar from an aging widower. The old man had lived near the Inu home and seemed to take a liking to Inuyasha. Along with learning music, Inuyasha stumbled upon an Aboriginal demon while in Australia. She was very similar to Inuyasha being a dingo demon. She introduced Inuyasha to the art that was ancient folklore. Immediately, he took a liking to demonology, which led him into a fascination with human religion. From there, he began his human studies, much to Sesshomaru's disgust.

Nora, the dingo demon, traveled with Inuyasha and Sesshomaru to New Zealand, where they all lived rather interesting lives. The three of them seemed to function well, each with an understanding for the other. Like war veterans, Nora, Sesshomaru, and Inuyasha had common ground.

Then, disaster struck in the form of long repressed sibling rivalry: Sesshomaru married Nora. Not only did he marry her by human standards, he claimed her as his mate. Both brothers knew that Sesshomaru had no right to claim Nora. They also knew that Nora was unhappy with her choice; however, she accepted Sesshomaru's proposal voluntarily. This was a blow Inuyasha was not prepared to take. Immediately after the marriage, Sesshomaru and Nora moved to California, leaving Inuyasha in New Zealand.

By the time they had moved to California, humans had evolved enough to realize that they were living in their own filth. In the year 2005, the major countries of the world banded together for the first time to start an anti-pollution campaign. It worked, giving a glimmer of hope to the few surviving demons.

Sesshomaru and Nora lived in California for less than a year. There, in their seaside home, disaster struck again: Nora died. Her death was sudden and painless for her, but long and excruciating for Sesshomaru. Yes, he loved her, and he mourned for her. That much he was not afraid to admit. What pained him further was the nature of her death: Nora died during the last legs of a premature child birthing, taking the child's life with her. Sesshomaru, fully acquainted with human life by that time, walked into a private clinic with a wife and unborn daughter and walked away with nothing but an empty wallet and his car keys.

Mustering the rest of his strength, Sesshomaru earned his final degree at a university in California. There, as he was walking out to his car, clutching his mounted diploma under his right arm, he found Inuyasha. Leaning casually, the hanyou waited by his brother's car. Without words, they exchanged their anger, pain, grief, and eventual forgiveness.

Together, they moved to New York, now one of the most environmentally aware states in the country. The year was 2006 when they arrived in their home in New York, each accepting their new occupation with grace that could only belong to a being that had lived through centuries of learning experiences.

Inuyasha and Sesshomaru sat, both sipping dry drinks, in their most frequented room: their den. Their fireplace was ablaze as they lounged on expensive, comfortable couches. Inuyasha sat spread eagle, his posture sagging and tired. His now black hair hung around his face as he slumped lazily in his pajama pants and a shirt. In his right hand, he held his glass. His left hand rested by his side, though it frequently flew up to his new ears, situated awkwardly on the sides of his head.

Sesshomaru was just as relaxed as Inuyasha, though he did not sprawl. Sesshomaru was too refined to sprawl. He leaned back casually, keeping his shoulders back. His legs were extended out before him with his ankles crossed. His hands, however, rested at his sides, revealing yet another similarity between the Inu brothers. Sesshomaru had kicked off his shoes before sitting down and now relaxed in his slacks and dress shirt. His tie had vanished with his coat, and his collar was unbuttoned to mid-sternum. With his cuffs unbuttoned and rolled up, Sesshomaru raised his drink to his lips.

For entertainment that evening, Inuyasha was reading a rather pathetically comical essay that a student had given him. To the lesser educated, the paper would have appeared appropriate, but neither Inuyasha nor Sesshomaru knew that. They were accustomed to their intellectual standards that rose leaps and bounds above those of the common man.

Despite their conflicts and differences, which were thick in their pasts, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha had gained respect for the other. In their own level of enlightenment, the brothers lived peacefully, unaware of just how similar they were. Over the centuries, both the Inu brothers had struggled to learn two very valuable things: empathy and a sense of humor, though they learned them to different degrees. Inuyasha had developed empathy toward humans long ago, earning him flocking companions and lovers. His sense of humor, though pleasing to most, was not his strongest characteristic when it came to laughing at his own character flaws. Sesshomaru, on the other hand, had mastered his sense of humor, using it as his true skill. He could charm with one word and stab with another, all with comical commentary. Empathy, however, was not Sesshomaru's strongest suit. He, though he admitted it to few, had been deeply wounded by the loss of Nora. The wound was now a scar that still ached at times. With the pain of his grieving, Sesshomaru had forgotten how to have empathy. He had once had empathy for Nora, but her death seemed to take that facet from him. Sesshomaru often caught himself wondering about his missing emotion. It was like a puzzle piece, dropped on the ground somewhere on the path, miles and miles back. So, while Inuyasha learned not to take himself too seriously, Sesshomaru learned to care for others.

Inuyasha concluded the essay with a hearty laugh to which Sesshomaru added his voice. Then, as the laughter faded, Inuyasha released a sigh while Sesshomaru drained the remainder of his drink.

"That was one of the most pitiful documentations of stupidity I have ever seen. I'm surprised humans have survived this long with that in their gene pool," Sesshomaru said as he rose from his seat to refill his drink at the bar at the back of the room.

"At least the kid tried," replied Inuyasha, looking over the paper once again. He flipped to the cover to see the large D minus scrawled across the front in red ink. With a chuckle, he set the essay on the coffee table where he would pick it up in the morning.

"You know," Inuyasha said, sounding as though he was thinking aloud. "The kid who wrote this essay…"

"What about him?" Sesshomaru asked in a flat voice as he sat back down with a refilled glass of amber liquid.

"His name is Higurashi," Inuyasha said as though the comment was supposed to mean something to Sesshomaru. The name Higurashi stirred no memories in Sesshomaru, so he merely stared expectantly at his younger brother.

When Sesshomaru gave no reply, Inuyasha added, sounding exasperated, "Higurashi. As in Higurashi Kagome."

That name, however, rang a bell. "Higurashi?" Sesshomaru asked. "You have that little girl in one of your classes?" Sesshomaru expressed a small amount of interest in the topic. He merely commented upon noticing the synchronicity.

"No, I don't. I would have remembered seeing her." Inuyasha paused to think. "You don't think she could… you know… show up, do you?"

"She could," replied Sesshomaru, thinking as he gazed into the fire. "I can only assume a Higurashi Kagome exists in our time." Pausing, Sesshomaru turned a sardonic smirk at his brother. "She wouldn't be your Kagome." Sesshomaru snickered as he ended his comment.

"She never was my Kagome," Inuyasha snapped, not finding the remark as humorous as Sesshomaru had.

"Then why are you thinking of her?" Sesshomaru asked, an accusatory note in his dark voice. Inuyasha scowled at his brother.

"I am merely noting a coincidence," Inuyasha replied succinctly before tossing back the rest of his drink with finality. "I've got a class in the morning. Good night." With that, he rose from his seat and exited the room, leaving his drink on the coffee table without a coaster. At the circular base of the glass, a thin film of cold water gathered. Somewhere, in another part of the suite, a door closed loudly.

"Five centuries old and still sixteen," Sesshomaru muttered under his breath as he picked up both glasses and left their den.