InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Love Reigns Down ❯ My Brother's Keeper ( Chapter 11 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

A/N: First off, thank you so much for all the well wishes and reviews –  I really appreciate it!
Now to the story… I know everyone wants a happy ending and while I can’t tell you how it all plays out, I can promise that this will not end up being a depressing, dark fic. Although fair warning, it will get angstier before it gets better, and I really hope you stick around to the end… That said, this is the one chapter I’ve been itching to post from the very beginning (the last scene was one of the first written for this story). Okay, enough babbling, onto the chapter *goes off to hide now* ;) Thanks, as always, for reading! ^_^



It should have been one of the happiest times of his life — awaiting the birth of his firstborn — but for Yash Takahashi the baby’s due date loomed over him like an executioner’s axe ready to fall.

He spent the first week in perfect denial. He shyed away from the truth, not wanting to even contemplate the events that would transpire. He was doing a good job of it too, but seeing the little charm dangling off Kagome’s fingers as she showed it off to her family when they came for dinner on Sunday night made the hot, dull ache of reality crash down on him.

After the denial came the anger, the cold fury at the injustice of it all. Didn’t Kagome and he go through enough hell to be together and when finally, finally they were happy, this had to happen.

Running scenarios in his head, he could not for the life of him fathom how events would unfold the way they would. Normally, he would be bursting with his notorious cocky confidence. How could he — the strongest hanyou around — possibly die? It was inconceivable. He was well-liked and respected in the youkai community and he didn’t have any enemies. Well, no enemies that he could think of.  If he died tomorrow the company would continue to run a tight ship under Sesshomaru’s watch. No, he could not foresee how his death would benefit anyone. And if his death wasn’t for profit or for someone else’s gain then for what?

And if it had happened in his past, did that mean it was destined to occur again no matter what he did? That he couldn’t change his future because his past was already written? If that was the case, he would soon die. Bloody fucking hell. Even though he was resolutely determined to get to the bottom of it, he just didn’t know what the hell he should do. Neither answers nor sudden epiphanies came to him and he was helpless in the face of an unknown enemy.

Hot on the heels of anger was the unbridled terror, the helplessness. He wasn’t scared of dying. No, he was frightened of leaving Kagome pregnant and alone. The thought that she would cross the well again devastated him to no end. The burden of the knowledge lay heavily on his heart like a cold and unyielding stone. He could no longer deny that it was Kagome whom he had aided and his own son whom he had helped birthed. Racking his brain he re-played the birth scenario over and over again in his mind, and as the floodgates of his memories opened out came the sharp tang of remembrance. He remembered her; her every movement, her every look, her every gasp, her every breath. It was Kagome. Deep in the recesses of his mind, he always felt some sort of empathy towards that girl, some magnetic pull towards her. Now he knew why.

He couldn’t possibly tell Kagome, and even if he did, what the hell would he say? Hey, sweetheart, guess what’s going to happen before the baby comes? Hell, Fuck no. Her enthusiasm for the upcoming birth increased as did her nervousness, and he didn’t want to do or say anything to jeopardize her emotional state. Whenever he was around her, he pushed away his fears and concentrated on her well-being and happiness, and thus she was blissfully unaware of his inner turmoil.

But as the days passed it got harder and harder to keep up the cheery disposition. The baby’s birth was like a time bomb waiting to go off and as every second ticked by, Yash became more and more desperate. He felt powerless to stop it.

He massaged his temple. This was a living nightmare.

At the end of his rope — with no resolution in sight — he did the only thing he could.

He went to see Sesshomaru.

In a fit of frustration, restlessly pacing in front of Sesshomaru’s desk, Yash filled his brother in on his dilemma and the inner chaos that it was causing. He left nothing out.

The only indication the older youkai gave that he was listening to his younger brother was the slight quirk of his eyebrows. He simply listened and then dismissed the frustrated hanyou with a direct order to keep silent on the subject.

Sesshomaru sat and contemplated the situation long after his brother left. Yash’s suspicions opened up his own cache of memories and he sat and re-played past events in his mind. He kept coming to the same conclusion that he did not want. He hoped he was mistaken, but he knew that he wasn’t. He was Sesshomaru; he was never wrong.

He picked up the telephone.

“Rini, set up a video conference with General Haru Matsamoto and his brother Takumi Matsamoto.”

He was owed some answers. And he wanted them now.


Two hours later, Sesshomaru ended his conversation with the Matsumoto brothers. Most of the time was spent in disagreement as the three youkai adamantly voiced their opinions.

Sesshomaru flicked off his computer screen and leaned back into his chair as he heavily weighed his options now that his suspicions were confirmed. He had pooled his memories with Haru and Takumi; bits and pieces coming together to show them the larger piece of the puzzle.

A hanyou baby.

Sesshomaru picked up the photograph that graced his desk and stared at it, not seeing the reflected images of his own two children. No, in his eye’s mind he saw another child; a hanyou one.

He closed his eyes and tried to deny what he knew had to be done. The thought burned in his chest like acid and left a dry, sour taste in his mouth.

Finally deciding not to delay the inevitable — and with no other recourse left to him — he reluctantly picked up the telephone. By-passing his secretary, he dialed the private number that was committed to his memory. He waited impatiently for the call to be picked up at the other end. When it was, he said without preamble, “Mother, I need to see you.”


It was Friday evening and Yash and Kagome had just finished supper. They sat on the couch with Yash’s arm slung casually around Kagome’s shoulders as they enjoyed the warmth that radiated from the fireplace. Even though it was late spring, there was coolness in the air.

Kagome rested her head comfortably against her husband and in the silence that followed she covertly watched him out of the corner of her eye. She wasn’t as oblivious to his moods as he had thought.

While he had always been fiercely protective of her, this past week he was even absurdly more so. His over-anxious concern for her and their baby’s well-being — while sweet and endearing — was oddly intensive, even for the hanyou. Even now when he should have been relaxed in the safely and seclusion of their own home, his handsome face held a closed somber look. His eyes were guarded — anxious — and his mouth was marred with a worried frown. She could tell he was a million miles away by the way his ears twitched in irritable thought.

She reached up and gently stoked his ear between her fingers. “Hey…” she said softly.

Yash blinked, startled back to the present by her touch and soft voice. His furrowed brow smoothed and he focused his amber gaze on the woman by his side.

She smiled at him and reached for his hand, placing it on the swell of her stomach.

His eyes widened slightly before a huge grin appeared on his face as he felt the small kicks against his palm.

“He’s really active tonight.”

“He’s kicking up a storm,” Kagome agreed. “He must have really liked the donburi we had for supper.” She smiled, thinking of the rice dish she had made with breaded pork cutlet, eggs and onion.

“I don’t blame him. It was delicious.” Yash smacked his lips together making Kagome giggle.

“Well, he better enjoy it while he can. Once he’s born it’s breast milk all the way,” Kagome joked.

A fleeting smile met Yash’s lips before he fell silent again. He turned his attention back to the baby as he continued to feel the soft palpitations against his hand, an achingly tender look on his face. “He’ll be born soon enough,” he whispered, his voice hauntingly soft. “And when he is, you’ll be the best mother this baby has ever seen.”

His words brought tears to her eyes and Kagome rapidly blinked them away before she laid her hands on top of his. “And you’ll be the best father ever.”

Yash stilled and he lowered his head, his silver mane falling around his shoulders shielding his face like a curtain. He couldn’t meet Kagome’s eyes any more than he could stop the bittersweet smile that briefly crossed his lips. After a slight hesitation he moved his hand across her stomach in slow, gentle strokes.

Kagome searched his face. Through the silver veil she could see the apprehension that lurked in the depths of his gaze and no matter how much he smiled at her tonight, something else besides happiness lingered at the edges of his expression.

She reached up and brushed back his hair. “You’re awfully quiet tonight. Is something wrong?”

A hint of sadness flirted across his face before he abruptly doused it with a warm smile. It was so fleeting that Kagome wondered if she had really seen it.

His eyes softened and he leaned over to place a tender kiss on her temple, resting his lips there as he said, “Just thinking.”

“About what?”

A sigh escaped him before he answered, “About the birth. I’m a little nervous, I guess.” It wasn’t like he was blatantly lying to her. He was worried about the birth. Well, about what was going to happen before then, but he’d bite his tongue off first before he told her.

She nodded and bit her lip in trepidation and admitted in a quiet voice, “I know what you mean. I’m a little nervous, too. I’m not sure how the baby is going to be affected by the barrier.” She sighed, thinking of the unknown.

Fuck. He didn’t like the worry frown he saw on Kagome’s face. “Hey, no getting upset thinking about it, okay? I told you everything will be fine.”

He shifted her onto his lap and encircled her in the warmth and protection of his arms. Gripping her in a reassuringly hug, he rested his cheek against her head and buried his nose into her hair, inhaling her sweet scent. If he could stop time, he would do it here and now, with his family in his arms.

With his eyes closed, he held her tight and murmured in a gentle, but firm voice, “I know you’ll do everything in your power to protect him, so don’t worry about the barrier. The birth is going to be fine. You’ll be just fine. Trust me, I know everything will turn out all right. Just don’t forget to do your breathing exercises, deep breaths in and out slowly. And remember to just…” He swallowed the lump that suddenly formed in his throat. “…to just hold on to my hand.”


A series of memos had been issued stating when the security system would be down for maintenance and testing. All staff were given strict orders to vacate the building until further notice. The fact that he was here in the empty building and breaking the rules didn’t faze him. He was used to not following orders.

All he worried about was timing it just right. In fact, he thanked God for small favours. He had an hour before the security cameras were turned on again and that gave him the opportunity he needed to test out his idea.  

He slipped the ring on and looked in the mirror.

He stared unbelievingly at his reflection; his natural shoulder length hair was replaced by a cascade of silver down his back and his features shifted into a familiar face that always invoked in him the urge to punch it every time he saw it.

Holy fucking shit.

It worked.

With shaky fingers, he took the ring off and stared down at it.

Now what?

Now that he knew it worked, what does he do with it? Like anyone in his field of work, he got carried away. He was so caught up in the pursuit of knowledge that he didn’t care about the consequences until it was too late. But now reality reared its ugly head and he stared aghast at his newest invention. Look where his insatiable curiosity got him… yet he was strangely proud of his accomplishment. He knew it was too dangerous to keep around. He would have to destroy it, but… somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to do it… just yet. An internal struggle brewed in the pit of his stomach; the lust for knowledge and the ethical principles of humanity were at such odds with each other.

He finally decided not to do anything at all… for the time being. Tossing the ring into a side safe, he locked it and took his leave, unaware of the green light of the security camera blinking off at his departure.

“Yash, I don’t have time for this. Stop following me.” Sesshomaru flicked an elegant hand against the panel and waited until the green light appeared before entering the building, Yash hot on his heels.

“What the fuck is this?” Yash exclaimed as his youki dispersed and he turned human.

Sesshomaru watched dispassionately as his brother’s silver locks turned black and his eyes altered from amber to grey, but his step didn’t falter as he continued down the corridor. “If you had read the memo I issued two days ago, you would know that we had to bring the barrier down in this building for a new security feature.”

“Bring it down? Why? Didn’t we just update the security system in this bunker?” Yash asked using his wife’s favourite nickname for the building.

“Hn. Nice to see you still care about the company to keep up to date on internal communications,” Sesshomaru said as he entered the elevator.

“Prick. I’ve always cared. I’ve just had a lot on my mind lately, okay?” Yash shot back, following his brother as they stepped out onto the top floor. “Speaking of which, what should I do? Do you have any ideas?”

“Yash, stop hounding me like a pup. I told you I don’t have time for this.” Exasperation was evident in Sesshomaru’s voice. “I need to make sure everything is in place for the new barrier.” He stopped mid-stride to direct a pointed stare at his brother. “Turn off your phone.”

“Huh?” Yash was so busy doggedly following Sesshomaru that he almost ran into him when the inu-youkai abruptly stopped.

“Your cell will run interference with the security system. Turn it off.”

“Yeah, okay, but are you listening to me?” Yash flicked off his business phone, but hesitated when it came to his personal one. It was his direct line to Kagome and if she needed him…

Sesshomaru cleared his throat, waiting impatiently for Yash to comply. “Turn it off.”

“Since when did you personally check on barriers?” Yash muttered at Sesshomaru’s dark look, but did as he was told and turned his personal cell phone off. It would only be for a few minutes, and he’d call Kagome as soon as he was out of the building.

In his customary unhurried grace, Sesshomaru continued down the short corridor and into the open office space.

He tapped on the nearest computer. Even though the memo issued had ordered all staff out of the building for an undisclosed amount of time, he knew that not every one of his employees followed the rules. Eyes swiftly scanning the screen, he confirmed that there was no one else on the premises. They were alone.

Another series of clicks and the steel blinds that hid the only windows in the compound automatically opened up and lifted, allowing the waning natural light to come into the room.

“It’s been a week since I told you about that damn charm. Don’t you fucking care?”

“I am busy trying to run this company, as you should be doing.”

“Because I’m going to die! You fucking cold bastard!” Yash retorted angrily. Fuck, didn’t his brother give a damn?

Sesshomaru leveled a look at his younger sibling. “I told you not to concern yourself.” He watched as his brother nervously fiddled with his transformation ring, taking it off to allow his hanyou features to appear and then putting it back on. Sesshomaru watched analytically as his brother’s features turned from human to hanyou again. His own wife had created the new hanyou transformation charm and he still hadn’t even changed his ring yet. Baka.

“I think it’s going to happen in two weeks when it’s the new moon. That’s the only time I can think of. It only makes sense.” Yash moved towards the edge of the window and looked out at the expanse of trees that dotted the landscape. It grew darker by the second. The last sliver of sunlight from the near cloudless sky disappeared. “I’m human then; I’m at my most vulnerable. It’s the only time I can die.”

Yash paused, a look of determination etched on his face. “I have no choice, Sess, I have to destroy the well. I need to keep Kagome and the baby safe on this side. Even if I end up dying, she can’t go back, she just can’t. I won’t take that risk. I’m going to destroy the well tonight. It’s the only way.”

The inu-youkai watched dispassionately as his brother continued to play with his transformation ring and came to a decision as soon as the hanyou slipped the ring onto his finger again; his long silver hair turned black and his cognac gaze turned smoky.

“Hn,” Sesshomaru responded noncommittally as he sidled up to his brother. The flex of his fingers was the only sound breaking the tranquil silence.

They both stood in silence watching the outside lights flicker on illuminating the paths below with eerie efficiency. Shadows emerged and contorted ordinary shapes into hideous dark figures.

Sesshomaru tilted his head and after one last glance at the darkened sky, he turned to his younger brother. “Sometimes it is our duty to do what is right even if we know that it will not be construed as such.”

“Huh?” The hanyou started to turn towards his brother.

“You are wrong as usual, InuYasha. You will not die in two weeks. You will die tonight.”

As fast as a cobra ready to strike, Sesshomaru whipped around and grabbed InuYasha’s hand in his, using his other arm to put a choke hold on him. It happened so fast that Yash had no time to think.

“Prick! What the fuck—?!” Yash gasped out as he tried to free himself. Bastard! The hand trapped in Sesshomaru’s grip was the one with his transformation ring on it and he couldn’t get it off to change back into his hanyou form. He clawed ineffectively with his other hand to try to yank Sesshomaru’s arm off his throat, but as a human, he was as helpless as a newborn babe in the youkai’s arm.

Holding tight, Sesshomaru slammed Yash’s head against the wall. A purple contusion began to form on his forehead as his left eye darkened into a bruise, his nose broken. A deep gurgling sound emitted from the younger man as he tried to catch his breath amidst the blood pouring from his nose and mouth.

“InuYasha, I am sorry. I have no choice.” With that ominous warning, Sesshomaru crushed Yash’s hand and tightened his grip on his throat.

Sess, what the hell are you doing —?  was Yash’s final thought before he died.




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