InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Of Gods and Monsters ❯ Chapter 12: Crosscurrents ( Chapter 12 )

A/N: Thanks to Merith for the beta and E-star for the brainstorming! Mucho kudos and chocolate to you both!

Chapter 12: Crosscurrents

"Do not tell me you are going to side with Hera against your own daughter!" Aphrodite was furious. Her grey eyes blazed at Poseidon's green ones. "I cannot believe you would not take her side in this!"

"Aphrodite," Poseidon began, quite tired of the conversation already, "it is the way it must be. Yes, I'm taking Hera's side, but nothing pains me more." He had gone searching her out to tell her of Hera's suspicions. Strangely, Teles' mother was not surprised. Her behavior, on the other hand, was quite surprising.

The goddess paced the length of Poseidon's chamber, shaking her head in frustration. "But she is OUR daughter!"

The sea god stood stoically in the corner. "Yes, and you left her in my care to raise her as I saw fit." He could not understand her reaction to the situation. If anyone deserved to be ranting madly, it was Poseidon -- he had failed somewhere along the line, and was now being forced to live with that knowledge.

Turning around, her eyes wide in anguish, the goddess wrapped her arms around her as if to ward herself from Poseidon's cold demeanor. "That does not mean that she is no longer my child! It merely means that yours was a more appropriate environment for a child. Had I known you would raise her only to betray her, I would have left her in the care of nymphs and satyrs. They, at least, are loyal." She curled her lip as she spat the last word. "You. I had thought better of you."

Poseidon sighed. Why can she not see that this is right? Why does she not believe me when I say this is the way it must be? "Teles must be made to understand that there are rules that gods must follow." He shook his head. "It would be the same for any god or goddess. Why can't you understand this?" He turned his back on the goddess and slowly strode the length of the room. It suddenly seemed too small, and he wished to be away from walls for a while.

"Perhaps it is because I can see other things as well. The world is changing, Poseidon. It is not the same world we ruled in before. Do not tell me that you can't see that our temples and shrines are empty and have begun to ruin, that our followers are few, if any. We do not inspire fear or awe anymore. How can you make the old rules apply to something ever changing?"

How can she ask such a thing? How can she SUGGEST such a thing? "Because they are OUR rules and Teles is one of OUR people. Our rules must always apply to our own. Else, why have them?" Rules were necessary. They maintained order. Without them, chaos reigned. If he did not enforce the rules by which even he had to live, he was nothing better than a hypocrite.

"Poseidon, she is your daughter!"

He sighed, his shoulders sagging. "No, Aphrodite. Not anymore. She is yours."

"And I would never desert one of my own," she said, tilting her chin up regally.

Poseidon found that he could not look at her -- she resembled Teles too much in that stance. "She has disgraced our lineage and our heritage. She has SOILED the blood of the gods by lying with a DEMON, of all things! All she was required to do was to wait through her banishment with an IOTA of grace, not join with the first piece of filth she met!"

"She loves him, Poseidon. Does that not count for anything?"

He did not answer at once. "Her love is wrong, Aphrodite. It should never have come to fruition."

"You cannot say such things against our daughter."

"I have told you," he growled, "she is no longer my daughter."

"Yes, she is, and your saying she is not won't alter that fact. You are abandoning your own blood!"

"And how is what YOU did any different?" the god roared. "You LEFT her with me. I raised her. And now -- NOW -- you feel that you maintain some sort of claim over her?"

Aphrodite shook her head sadly. "I left her with you because of her aspect. I would have liked nothing better than to raise her myself, but she needed your waters to flourish. She needed YOU to guide her. She still needs you. And you are forsaking her."

The god sighed deeply. "She has broken our most sacred law. She must be punished for it." Poseidon was determined to follow through with this. Hera was going to punish Teles for what she had done. Teles deserved to be punished for such a despicable act. He would not let Aphrodite change his mind by trying to appeal to his sentimentality. The law was the law.

"So she is to be punished for something she did not do and punished a hundredfold for something she did?" Aphrodite shook her head. "Poseidon, this is madness! Why not allow her banishment to remain as her punishment? Why not LEAVE her banished?"

"Because that would not be much of a punishment," he replied acerbically.

The goddess clenched her fists in rage. "I do NOT understand how a collection of beings who fancy themselves all-knowing and all-powerful could be so completely idiotic! Has it completely escaped your attention that we are the last of a dying breed?"

Poseidon snorted. "A 'dying breed'? Goddess, you exaggerate."

"Don't you think that, if Lord Ryujin had disapproved of demons, he might have TOLD you about this? It was going on right before his eyes. Why do you think you first heard about this from Hera?"

"Perhaps Teles kept this from him as well."

The goddess shook her head, her red locks swaying with the motion. "Do you honestly believe that something like this would have escaped his attention? Elsewhere, gods and goddesses alike are learning--"

"I will hear nothing more of this!" the god growled, holding up his hand.

"By Gaia, you WILL!"

"I WILL NOT!" he bellowed.

"You can't stand it, can you? Are you really so proud as that? Are you so determined to ignore what is before you? The world is a changed one. If you left your waters once in a while, you would know this." The strata that existed amongst gods and demons were breaking down nearly everywhere. Everywhere except for Olympus, apparently. Aphrodite felt a pang in her chest -- the gods and goddesses of Olympus would be their own undoing. "Yes, our daughter joined with a demon. But it does NOT MATTER!"

"It does matter, and unless you want to find yourself alongside YOUR daughter in punishment, I suggest you hold your tongue." The god narrowed his eyes; his words held a very real threat.

The goddess was shocked. She stared at the sea-god in silence, her mind registering his words. He would do such a thing to me? Is he mad? "So Hera will banish all who disagree with her? She will be the sole goddess in Olympus if she does." She grasped the sea god's hand. "Please, Poseidon, join with me in this. We cannot allow Hera to run unchecked."

"I'm sorry Aphrodite," he said, pulling away from her. "I cannot help you. I will not."

***

Slumber's deep, intoxicating hold loosened as Sesshoumaru stirred in bed. His chambers were still completely dark, but he could hear movement beyond his doors. His ear twitched. It was morning. He could almost smell the dew as the rising sun warmed the grass.

He shifted on the soft surface of the futon, feeling Teles' slumbering warmth pressed against him. He had much to attend to today - lazing in bed was not a viable option. It never had been. But when the soft female body turned toward him, seeking out his warmth, he concluded that a few more moments would not make a difference. He allowed himself the rare luxury of relaxing into the bedding, indulging in the feel and scent of his slumbering mate. He closed his eyes, listening intently to her steady heartbeat. It was slightly out of sync with his and the uneven rhythm was strangely soothing.

As he listened intently to the distant thudding, his sensitive ears picked up a different sound, just behind Teles' pulse. Frowning, he opened his eyes and listened. There was something strange - something irregular in Teles' heartbeat.

He listened more closely. A softer, faster sound - almost like the heartbeat of a small animal.

He blinked, comprehension washing over him like rain. A very small animal.

Sesshoumaru swallowed and looked down at the sleeping goddess. Her breathing was deep and regular - she would not be waking soon. He closed his eyes and listened carefully until he was certain - he had to be certain - that the sound was coming from her.

He pressed an ear to her abdomen until he was positive.

What he heard both thrilled him and left him concerned. Strangely, it did not surprise him. They'd done scarcely little else in their moments together, especially during their stay in the islands.

This was inevitable. The woman is insatiable.

He started slightly when a soft hand began wandering through his hair.

"Hmm... what is it that you're listening for?" she murmured, fingering the soft strands.

Sesshoumaru froze, his throat working as he swallowed. He could feel Teles' fingertips scraping lightly on his scalp, threading through his hair. His body relaxed under her touch while his mind began working frantically. He looked back at her. "A heartbeat."

Teles arched an eyebrow. "Sesshoumaru, you're a little low for that, aren't you?"

He fixed her with an even look. "I did not say that it was your heartbeat."

The louder heartbeat he'd been listening to sped up. "What?"

He closed his eyes, listening for the faint tattoo again. "There is a heartbeat - it is not yours, and it is quite clearly not mine."

"A heartbeat?" Teles stared at him for what seemed like an eternity of silence. Finally, "You can hear one? But how?"

"I am a dog youkai, Teles. We can do any number of things."

Yes, I am aware of that. The goddess shook her head slowly, her eyes widening. "You're telling me that we..."

"Surely it does not surprise you." He allowed himself a wry grin. "I would have been more surprised if we had not."

"But when?"

He shook his head, sitting up. "It is nearly impossible to tell, though I would imagine it was sometime before we left the islands. Narrowing it down further would be quite unfeasible," he said arching an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?" she asked, her hand going to her stomach.

Sesshoumaru stared at his mate. He would have been able to understand it if she'd merely been excited, but this was not excitement. This was anxiety. "Fairly sure. Quite sure, as a matter of fact. It is not all that rare for a youkai's heartbeat to be audible to our ears a few weeks after conception." He was more than a little unnerved at Teles' reaction. Though they hadn't planned on breeding, it was to be expected, was it not? That they would eventually have a pup was...

He felt cold suddenly as earlier words slammed into him with immeasurable force.

'... do you not realize that our children would be hunted mercilessly by Olympian gods and goddesses alike? A demon demi-god is... it is blasphemous. They would never permit a child of ours to live.'

Suddenly his mate's anxiety seemed all too clear to him. "They will not," he said softly. "I will not allow it."

Teles shook her head, real concern, real fear in her eyes. "Sesshoumaru, you can't-"

"I will protect my child," he managed through clenched teeth. Did she not understand? He could not simply accept that a child of theirs was doomed never to survive. He would not sit idly by and wait for his child - their child - to be slaughtered. He would die first.

The goddess swallowed hard. She could see the emotions freeze behind Sesshoumaru's faade, and though his expression was neutral, she could feel the storm going on beneath his smooth veneer. Her mind raced to find something that would comfort him - something that would comfort the both of them. She found nothing.

The demon lord placed his hand over that of his mate. "Perhaps... perhaps they will not find out." He winced at the obvious delusion.

Teles nodded, unconvinced. "Perhaps."

***

The three sisters stood before the queen of the gods in silence. Hera regarded them carefully. It was not wise to anger the Fates.

Clotho, the spinner of souls and the eldest sister, turned pitch black eyes on the goddess. "You have summoned us, Hera."

Hera swallowed. They were hideous beings, too fond of Hades' kingdom and all that cast darkness and shadow over the lands. It was unnerving to face such truly omniscient beings. "Yes. I wish to know more about the banished goddess, Teles."

Lachesis, the second sister, pressed gray lips into a hard line. "We know why you have summoned us, goddess. Do not insult us so." The second sister was the one who decided how much time each being was allotted. It was for this reason that Hera found Lachesis the most powerful of the Fates. Atropos, the third sister, was mute. Her function was to cut the thread that Clotho had spun, thus ending a mortal being's life. This sister only watched Hera with solid white eyes -- all-seeing, though they appeared blind.

"My apologies," she murmured, dipping her head in a bow.

"You are displeased with the goddess," Lachesis stated coldly.

Clotho narrowed her eyes at the queen. "You summoned us before as well. We told you then that Zeus had not lain with the goddess."

"And you chose not to believe us," the second sister spat.

A cold shiver slid down Hera's back. "I thought her capable. I was merely ridding Olympus of a whore."

"Do not attempt to justify your actions to us, goddess," Clotho sneered. "You chose to disbelieve us. We, who know all, are apparently not qualified to advise you in such trifling matters."

"And yet," Lachesis hissed, "you summon us again. And again, you desire to know about the banished goddess."

"I will not be so... foolish as before," Hera said, her tone soft. "Please, tell me of the goddess."

Lachesis regarded Hera with solid black eyes. "So you may punish her again. I see no reason why you have summoned us. You will do what you will, regardless of what we tell you --"

"Sister," Clotho interrupted, "Hera has admitted her mistake."

Lachesis blinked once. "Very well." Folding sticklike arms across her bony chest, Lachesis closed her eyes and fell silent. "The goddess has been marked as the demon Sesshoumaru's mate. He has claimed her and she now carries his child." The Fate paused. "All is as you have suspected, goddess. Now do what you will."

***

Sesshoumaru sat quietly on the thick branch, feeling the slight breeze as it played across his face and the fur on his pelt. He did not come to the trees as often as he had in his youth, but on occasion he still found it to be soothing. It was twilight and the air had grown cooler. The leaves rustled above and below him, the sound acting as a balm for his thoughts.

He was going to be a father.

That thought, simple as it seemed, made the youkai frown pensively. Of course he'd naturally assumed that he and Teles would begin breeding, but he hadn't been sure of her fertility. Apparently goddesses did not go into heat.

No, he thought wryly, apparently that is an unnecessary step.

He found himself wondering how mingling his blood and hers would affect the pup. Youkai pups developed quickly in the womb; Sesshoumaru deduced that gods and goddesses were much the same way. Teles had been remarkably hesitant to go into great detail about her youth; she would only say that goddesses had been known to carry and delivered the children of mortals. A youkai bitch usually carried for five months. His brows lowered in thought -- Teles might deliver sooner than that.

Bringing a pup -- a possible heir -- into the world was a daunting task. Under the best conditions, he had to concern himself with the safety of his mate as well as their brood. There was plenty to cause concern under the best, most favorable circumstances.

These were not those circumstances.

It was enough to know that there would be youkai that would pose a threat to the child. That alone would have caused Sesshoumaru concern. The knowledge that the Olympian gods would likewise try and kill the child only compounded that anxiety.

The rustling in the leaves grew louder. Sesshoumaru looked up expectantly. It was time to simplify the situation. There was plenty to occupy him now and he did not require any further distractions.

*

Inuyasha leapt nimbly from branch to branch, patrolling the perimeter of the camp. Things had been quiet since they'd defeated the scorpion youkai, but it was better to stay alert and not get lazy. He was coming back from a recent sweep, the wind at his back, only too ready to get something to eat and settle down for the evening. He was not a fan of patrolling on a full stomach -- it made him lethargic.

The hanyou jumped an upper limb and continued moving with the wind, the scent of cooking from the camp growing closer. His stomach growled in anticipation. Then, too quickly for his mind to register, he caught a faint whiff of something familiar. He was in mid-air when he saw a sight that sent a growl rumbling through his chest as he unsheathed the Tetsusaiga before coming to rest on a thick branch. "Sesshoumaru," he snarled. "What the hell do YOU want?"

Straightening his back and resting his hands on his knees, the youkai's eyes flicked to the sword before focusing on its wielder. "You are slow to return to camp, little brother."

"That's none of your damn business," he muttered. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Blinking, Sesshoumaru stood in a fluid, graceful motion. Inuyasha dropped into a defensive stance at his movement and the demon sighed softly in annoyance. "I have merely come to tell you that I will no longer be making attempts on your life." He turned, ready to drop from the limb. "Good bye."

Inuyasha blinked and tightened his grip on the sword. "HEY!" he yelled. "You can't just do that!"

Sesshoumaru turned and gave his half-brother a bland expression. "Cease trying to kill you? Certainly."

Opening his mouth to spit back a retort, Inuyasha found that he had none. His mouth snapped shut. What the fuck is he up to? "So, what," he said irritated, "you're just changing your MIND? Like I'm supposed to BELIEVE that?"

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Sesshoumaru turned his attention to the tree he had intended to jump to. "It matters none to me whether you believe it. I was merely attempting to do you a courtesy by letting you know." He was trying to keep his annoyance under control, but the whelp had a way of pricking his temper.

Inuyasha followed his half brother's gaze and leapt to the thick branch the youkai had been watching, blocking his way. "You've been trying to kill me my whole life," he growled, narrowing his eyes. "What are you up to?"

Wishing that his brother would simply accept the news, Sesshoumaru tightened his jaw. He only wanted to return to his own lands. Inuyasha was keeping him, delaying that return. "Trying to kill you has grown tiresome, in addition to which, I find that I am busy taking care of my mate and my responsibilities."

Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha gave a snort. "Right. You're mated. Cut the bullshit, Sesshoumaru. I don't have the time OR patience for it." A mate? How stupid does he think I am? There's a bitch who'll put up with his shit for more than five minutes at a time?

Narrowing his eyes and sending the hanyou a feral glare, Sesshoumaru leaned forward and snarled, "There is no 'bullshit,' as you put it in your idiomatic way. I am simply no longer interested in attempting to end your life. I do not see why this news perturbs you."

Blinking, Inuyasha frowned at his half-brother. Sheathing the Tetsusaiga and folding his arms over his chest, he regarded the youkai. "Yaknow, if I believed it, it wouldn't 'perturb' me." He arched an eyebrow and shook his head, a mocking grin at his lips. "And, gods, you should be able to come up with something better than some made-up 'mate' you're responsible for. Unless you found the most subservient youkai bitch in all of creation to tolerate you."

Sesshoumaru clenched his jaw, gritting his teeth. "My mate is neither imaginary nor subservient, nor is she a youkai. I'll thank you not to refer to her as such." Do not make me reconsider my stance on the situation.

This made Inuyasha's brows lift in mild surprise. He still watched his half-brother carefully, tilting his head. "A non-youkai mate? Don't tell me Mr. Pure-Blood-Lines found himself a human." He snorted. "Keh. As if."

"No, she is not human," the demon lord replied, folding his arms. Clearly this was not going to be as simple as he might have first hoped. Sesshoumaru suppressed a sigh.

"So, not youkai, not human..." Inuyasha paused, thinking. "What's left?"

"I believe you have already met her," he replied stiffly.

"Huh? When the hell could I..." Inuyasha's words trailed off and his eyes widened first then narrowed. "Oh fucking hell, you're kidding. Damn it, she was supposed to have KILLED YOU! Not fucking mated with you!"

Sesshoumaru's mouth twitched as he bit back a grin. "You can take it up with her, if you like."

"Why should I? She obviously doesn't listen worth a damn."

The demon nodded sagely. "So very true."

Blinking in shock, Inuyasha stared at Sesshoumaru. He's agreeing with me? Something is definitely wrong here. He sniffed the air, but could scent no trace of Naraku. In fact, all he could smell were the trees, the camp, and his half-brother. Something wasn't right. Narrowing his eyes, Inuyasha drew the Tetsusaiga again, feeling it surge to life in his hands. "What the fuck are you?"

Arching an eyebrow, Sesshoumaru did not take his eyes off of Inuyasha. "I beg your pardon?"

"I asked you already -- what the fuck are you?" he growled. Every muscle in his body was bunched and tensed preparatory to attack. Inuyasha stood poised on the limb, ready to strike. The thing on the branch before him rolled its eyes and Inuyasha lifted his lip in a snarl. "Whatever you are, you ain't Sesshoumaru. I know that fucking bastard, and you're not him."

The silence that hung between the two brothers was palpable. When Sesshoumaru spoke, he did so slowly. "I am Sesshoumaru." Internally he was searching for patience and found that his usually extensive supply was running fairly low. He grit his teeth in annoyance. "I am Sesshoumaru, eldest son of Inutaisho, the Great Demon Lord of the Western Lands, mate to the goddess Teles, and," regardless of my many wishes and supplications to the contrary "half-brother to you."

Dropping his body slightly and adjusting his center of gravity, Inuyasha lowered his voice to a feral growl. "Oh yeah? Prove it."

Blinking, Sesshoumaru stared at Inuyasha. What? He glanced away, trying to think of something that only the hanyou would have known. He searched his considerable memory, feeling the tension between them as keenly as he could a blade. A muscle in his jaw twitched and Sesshoumaru kept his eyes off of his half-brother. "When you were very young, father used to make me take you for rides when I was in my true form. You pulled my ears. Constantly. It seemed to amuse you."

After his words, there were no sounds left but the wind rustling through the trees and the sounds of birds settling down for the evening.

Inuyasha stared in quiet shock, feeling like his entire world had been yanked out from underneath him. He sheathed his sword wordlessly. No, this wasn't some thing wearing his half-brother's face. On the other hand, neither was it the Sesshoumaru he had known his entire life. Swallowing hard, Inuyasha found that -- for once -- he did not know how to respond. He watched Sesshoumaru, who in turn watched him. After several long minutes, Inuyasha shook his head slowly. "And you don't want to kill me anymore," he said, his voice low.

"No."

"Why?"

Sesshoumaru cursed silently, but Inuyasha continued. "I mean, you were busy before, and that never stopped you. There's always time in the day to try and do a little damage to your 'little brother', right?" he sneered, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Straightening his back, the demon lord regarded his younger brother with a regal look. "It has recently been pointed out to me that, whether it be a joke on the part of the gods or some form of karma for I know not what, you are my brother. The only one I have. You are all the family I have. It is... rash to reject that for what is, after all, a minor question of parentage. I cannot say I am pleased that our father chose your mother, but it is rather a moot point at this late date." Swallowing, Sesshoumaru hoped that this would settle the matter; he was beginning to grow impatient to leave.

Inuyasha stared at his brother, his anger slowly growing until it came to a fine, red-hot point. He grit his teeth, his hands clenching into fists and began pacing the branch restlessly. "And you just figured this out now," he growled. "Now. After years of pointing out to me that I'm nothing, that I'm beneath you, NOW -- all of a sudden, you decide, 'Hey, we're family after all! Guess I'd better grin and bear it!'"

Sesshoumaru clenched his jaw, forcing each word through his teeth. "I was wrong."

Inuyasha's pacing stopped with those words. He stared in unabashed shock; even the air had stilled in lungs at the sound of those words. Inuyasha's eyes searched his brother's face for several long moments until he saw the set of the jaw, the warring pride in the depths of his eyes, and the way his hands were curled into fists at his sides. No, it was not an imposter. This was Sesshoumaru, of that Inuyasha was sure. It's him and at the same time it's not him. "What happened to you?" he asked, his voice low.

With a sigh, the youkai's eyes flicked away from his brother. "Teles. My mate. She is... a goddess. Her people frown on youkai. To them, I am nothing. I thought... I was afraid... I thought she perceived me as nothing. I thought she believed that I was beneath her. And while we were discussing this, the question of my treatment of you arose. It was suggested to me that perhaps if I dislike being treated as a lesser creature, I might well consider my own behavior. There are many things I dislike in this world, and inconsistency in my own behavior is not among the least of them."

His words hung in the silence.

Inuyasha blinked once. "Oh." He narrowed his gaze and scrutinized Sesshoumaru. "You were afraid of what a female thought of you?"

"She is not just a female. She--"

Inuyasha waved impatiently. "Yeah, I know. Goddess, whatever... she's a she. And a she is a female."

Against his will, Sesshoumaru's lips twitched. "She certainly is. But her opinion matters to me. I want her to think well of me. Even for you, this cannot be a completely foreign concept."

Arching an eyebrow at that, Inuyasha replied, "I see she has no problem with you insulting me. Nice to know some things won't change."

"I beg your pardon. Old habits die hard." He paused. "But will you stand there, wielding a sword meant for protecting humans, wearing a rosary bound to a human female, and tell me with a straight face that there is no one in this world whose opinion matters to you?

"Her? Keh. Who the hell cares what she thinks?"

Sesshoumaru nodded once. "That is what I thought." Shrugging, he moved on the limb, preparatory to departing. "It is no matter. If you prefer to ignore it, that's your choice."

Purposely ignoring the remark, the hanyou folded his arms. "Well, well, well. No more Sesshoumaru trying to kill me," he said wryly. "What'll I do with all that spare time?"

"Do you really want me to suggest something?"

"If you say knitting, I'm driving this sword right through your gut, mate or no mate."

The side of Sesshoumaru's mouth lifted in faint amusement. "I actually had something else in mind, but now that you mention it..."

Inuyasha stared, his eyes wide. "You did NOT just make a joke."

"Do not be a fool," Sesshoumaru said, all traces of humor gone from his face. "You're obviously hallucinating."

Leaning against the trunk of the tree, Inuyasha raised his eyebrows and shook his head slowly. "Y'know, I just might be, since this conversation started out with you telling me that you don't want me dead anymore."

"In that case," the demon lord replied, "I also did not tell you that you're a fool for not claiming the miko." He was taking great pleasure in watching the shock and puzzlement play across his younger brother's face.

Inuyasha lifted an eyebrow at Sesshoumaru, who mirrored the expression back at him. Exhaling a breath, Inuyasha asked, "So, how long have you been missing your wits?"

Sesshoumaru gave a half-hearted growl. "Since I ran into this goddess."

Pursing his lips, Inuyasha nodded. "Well, that explains a lot."

"You speak from experience."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "No, I speak as someone who has never heard you crack a joke in my whole life, never mind in the middle of civil conversation. And I think this is the first one of those too. And I've gotta wonder if you just agreed to it because she wanted you to, or if you really don't want to try and kill me anymore. 'Cause, y'know, it'd be pretty damn convenient for you to change your mind if she ever left you."

His half-brother's words sent the youkai's nerves on edge. "She is never leaving me," he said stiffly.

"If you say so," he said, giving a shrug. "Long as it means you'll be outta my hair, I'm fine with it."

"Indeed. Since I have no further business with you..."

"Right," Inuyasha said abruptly, turning and dropping down to a lower limb, on his way back to the camp. He paused briefly on the branch and called over his shoulder, "Tell her I said good luck."

Sesshoumaru nodded once. "I shall."

"She'll need it," Inuyasha muttered under his breath.

And the same to your miko. The demon lord watched his half-brother leap from limb to limb and frowned faintly at the unexpected twinge in his chest. Do not be ridiculous, he scolded himself. Sentimentality at this late date is pointless. He turned and dropped silently to the ground, starting the trek back to the den.