InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Shadowed Nights ❯ Home Is Where You Horde Your Food ( Chapter 3 )
The Others are Slowly appearing in this story! Enjoy and a Merry Christmas!
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Shounen / Angst / Romance / Hentai / Comedy / Adventure | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 12.25.2006 | Updated On: 08.29.2007 | Pages: 8 | Words: 13.1K | Visits: 835 | Status: Work In Progress
Shadowed Nights
Home is Where You Horde Your Food: Chapters 13-18
Hi, this is the less known Kallipso. I am posting this for BlackDragonQueen but note that her notes for this chapter are missing. It seems that the disk ate them. I will repost the chapter with the notes as soon as I can.
Notes:
K: I hope that you enjoy this chapter as much as I did when I read it so please review and let BDQ know that you like it.
I do not have the Internet… … … you can stop gawking now. As a result, I can only access the net when I visit Kallipso, so updates should (hopefully) be bi-weekly on Tuesdays depending on work, school and other torturous events that try to take over my life. So please do not think that I am ignoring you when replies to all your wonderful responses to this fic are slow and far between.
Pairings: Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha
Rating & Warnings: NC-17! Read Part A first!
Be warned this chapter may cause sudden fits of insane giggling, also drink and eat at our own risk.
Disclaimer: Read the first two chapters.
Shout outs to AFF: Fluffy, Kelly, Silence, Sasha, ArchNemesis, tigger, HPTR Fangirl, Sara, PurinsuArashi, Jessica, Devious Lil Devil, Sekre, Bambigirl, riddlestar, SP777, DemonGoddess061, Silence, Sara T., Fluffy, Lady Yueh, tigger, Al,gen, JP, Sekre, Bambigirl, Aoi-sama, LT, lelann, PurinsuArashi,DeathWarranty, ym
FF:
Mirokuluver's Friend, Narakus Assasin, Taiyoukai-And-Hanyou, Kags21, MiseryluvsDeath aka Fidele, Sherry,Jester08, C-loke, LT, Nicholas, sesshomarunaraku, MiseryluvsDeath aka Fidele, Gabby Night, Cabbitshivers, Silvermane1, oStilloDreamingo, Mirokuluver's Friend, INUFANDOM, usilang, HPTR Fangirl, neuroticperoxideblonde.
MM: Lelbet, Passing Reader, Random reader, tinkrbell3 .
For those of you up there twice thank you billions, For those of you up there once thank you millions.
Note: During Christmas there will be No new updates as Both BDQ and me will not have internet access. There might be an update after the second but it might not be until the fifeteenth of Janurary. Sorry but it is really difficult to get together to update when You have no internet access. Thanks.
One last thing in this seeming endless not ALL FLAMES will be used to help in Sesshoumaru’s quest to kill the rat. Knowing his fan base that would be unwise.
My rants are over now to the story.
Fonts: “Speaking”… ‘Thinking’… “Surprise!”
“Rin!” Jaken snapped. “You mustn’t bother Lord Sesshoumaru. He is in deep meditation.”
Sesshoumaru glanced at the foreign surroundings. ‘Now where the fuck are we?’ he wondered.
He studied the two paths in front of him before finally deciding to head right and knowing his sense of direction turned left, giving the reins a sharp tug for An and Un to follow.
“Ack! Wait for me, Sesshoumaru-Sama!” Jaken cried hurrying as fast as his legs could move.
Rin giggled as she glanced back at the little toad demon. “Hurry up Jaken-San!” she called cheerfully, “or we’ll leave you behind!”
“Hmph! Lord Sesshoumaru would never leave me behind!” Jaken said with pride.
“Of course not!” Rin agreed. “Sesshoumaru-Sama is so kind!”
‘I wonder if rat stew would taste any good…’
“Lord Sesshoumaru is a gracious leader!” Jaken corrected. “Not kind, Rin.”
She tilted her head to the side, a habit she had gained from her companions. “Isn’t that the same thing?” she asked.
‘Of course, you’d have to figure out something for the broth…’
“They are not the same thing, Rin.”
“Are too!”
“Are not!”
‘Perhaps a side of curried rice…’
“I don’t care what you say, Sesshoumaru-Sama is very kind to Rin!”
“He takes care of you little human, there is a difference from being kind and taking care of ones responsibilities.”
‘Then again, I could use a new muff for winter…’
Rin sighed, the conversation loosing its appeal quickly as many things did to a child’s fleeting attention span. “Sesshoumaru-Sama? May Rin get down?” Rin asked, holding her arms out so she could be lifted off the dragons back.
Wrapping his arm around her waist, the youkai swung the girl down to the forest floor and watched as she ran off to pick some late blooming wildflowers in the field before them.
“I must apologise Sesshoumaru-Sama,” Jaken huffed as he came beside the other figure. “She still dose not understand the appropriate edict for Youkai society.”
“Could one rat skin be enough to make a muff?”
“Err… rats?” Jaken stammered in surprise.
“Sesshoumaru-Sama!” Rin called as she stood and started towards the others. “Rin made you a present!”
Sesshoumaru jerked, dropping An and Un’s reins and surged forward scooping up the girl without even stopping and leaping to the other side of the clearing.
The delicate flower ring that Rin had made was soon trampled back into the earth as a frightened heard of wild deer suddenly stampeded into the small clearing, charging right through the area where the girl had been standing.
Rin coughed as a cloud of dust rose into the air waving her hand in front of her face as she watched the animals go. “What were they running from Sesshoumaru-Sama?” she asked.
Sesshoumaru stared back the way the animals had come, setting Rin down and pushing her behind him.
There was silence as the sound of the running heard gently faded into the distance…
Then-“Damn it! Who needs you?”
There was the sound of someone crashing through the underbrush and a small figure soon appeared in the deer’s wake, stumbling into the small glen. “No one would want to eat you anyway!” Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow as he slowly looked over Inuyasha’s disheveled appearance. “Immaculate appearance as always.”
“Sesshoumaru!” Inuyasha jumped in surprise and immediately positioned himself in a fighting stance. “What are you doing here? Its not…” he halted mid sentence, glancing at Sesshoumaru’s companions.
“You have twigs in you hair Inuyasha-Sama,” Rin called out but did not moved from her spot, watching the two expectantly.
Inuyasha scowled and tried to pull one free of his long strands, “thanks.” Rin giggled as the twig took a few silver strands with it and Inuyasha threw it aside, working on another one.
“Rin, come over here!” Jaken motioned frantically, also keeping an eye on the two warily.
“What on earth were you doing?” Sesshoumaru ignored his companions and wrinkled his nose at the hanyou’s appearance.
“None of your business!” Inuyasha snapped back.
Sesshoumaru reached out and plucked another twig.
“Careful!” Inuyasha barked as he rubbed the spot where the hair had been forcefully ripped out.
“You look as if that herd of deer ran over you,” he commented as he dropped the twig in amusement.
Inuyasha actually blushed and muttered something as he struggled with his hair. Rin giggled as she reached out to brush a streak of dirt off Inuyasha’s pants.
“Why were you chasing the deer anyway?”
“None of your business!” Inuyasha repeated.
Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes. “You always say that, so I’m making it my business.” He studied Inuyasha’s full appearance critically. “Why are you standing funny?”
Jaken watched from the edge of the clearing, darting looks between the elder and younger siblings and becoming increasingly bewildered. “Sesshoumaru-Sama?”
“Not now Jaken,” Sesshoumaru called back.
“I’m not!” Inuyasha defended even as he shifted his stance.
“Yes you are.” Sesshoumaru’s eyes narrowed. “Are you still limping?”
“No,” said quickly.
‘A little too quickly,’ Sesshoumaru thought. “Yes you are. Just what the hell is wrong with you?”
“There’s nothing wrong with me!” Inuyasha insisted.
“Besides your terrible lack of ability to lie?”
“That’s it!” Inuyasha took up his stance once more, his hand moving to the hilt of Tetsusaiga. “If we’re going to fight, lets go. I’ve go no time trade insults with you.”
Sesshoumaru turned and led Rin back to An and Un and helped her re-mount. “What a surprise,” he said. “Neither do I.”
“Wha?” Inuyasha stared as the small group made their way past him, Sesshoumaru reaching out once more to snatch another twig.
“Don’t get killed,” the youkai hissed as he passed.
Jaken glanced back at the fuming hanyou as they made their way through the woods. “Sesshoumaru-Sama? Is it wise to leave him? It would be a perfect opportunity to claim the Tetsusaiga if he was injured as you say.”
The two-headed staff was instantly snatched and brought down on the imp’s head. “Never question me when it comes to that hanyou…” Sesshoumaru snarled.
“Hai, Sesshoumaru-Sama,” Jaken groaned and rubbed the rapidly forming bump.
Rin ignored the males and turned around herself to stare back at her lord’s brother.
‘Is it my imagination or dose he look lonely?’ she wondered as they disappeared around the bend.
The look of sadness and longing on the hanyou’s face stayed with Rin for an entire week as they made their way through the woods. It was not unusual to see Inuyasha angry or smirking at Sesshoumaru, but that last look he had thrown their way as he quickly flashed into the trees and disappeared was something that she had never seen before.
Sesshoumaru was of another opinion. He had seethed for an entire week over Inuyasha’s refusal about his obvious injuries.
On the other hand, the putrid goo had worked wonders and the bruise on his face had dulled considerably to a sickly yellow.
‘There is something strange going on in that little village,’ he thought as he took another random path in the hopes it would lead him to a somewhat familiar location.
It was amazing that it actually did.
The cave was suddenly there! The same cave where he had spent the past four moonless nights with his hanyou brother. And the Rat…
“Sesshoumaru-sama? Isn’t that your sash?” Rin asked innocently as she pointed at the very scene that Sesshoumaru was glaring at.
‘That rat has a death wish…’ Sesshoumaru concluded as he turned to Rin and Jaken. “Stay here,” he commanded as he withdrew Tokujin and quickly ducked behind a tree.
“Um…” Jaken and Rin stared at the spot where Sesshoumaru was hiding. “Sesshoumaru-Sama?”
“SH!”
They shut up.
It was very slow going, creeping up on the rat. Sesshoumaru could feel his nerves tense at every step he took, watching that he did not step on any branches or fallen autumn leaves.
He had made it! He was with in striking distance of the little fur ball that tormented his life… and his wardrobe.
With a satisfied smirk, he raised his arm and brought the sword down with all his strength.
“What the hell are you doing?”
The swords clanged as another irritating rat suddenly appeared to the rescue of the first.
“Why are you so obsessed with killing Kuufuku?” Inuyasha asked annoyed as he re-sheathed Tetsusaiga.
“What are you doing here two weeks early?” Sesshoumaru asked a question of his own. “And who the hell is Kuufuku?”
A small squeak rose from the direction of Inuyasha’s feet.
“YOU NAMED THE RAT?”
Inuyasha shrugged nonchalantly. “Yeah.”
“What the fuck?”
“Um… Sesshoumaru-Sama? May we come out now?” Rin called out.
Inuyasha whirled to Sesshoumaru, “why did you bring them here?” he demanded.
Sesshoumaru scowled. “It wasn’t exactly planned…”
“What do you mean it wasn’t planned?”
“Hello Inuyasha-Sama!” Rin smiled as she walked up to the frenzied hanyou.
“Er, hi.”
Sesshoumaru gazed at the small basket of vegetables and other forest foods that Inuyasha had set down.
“Why are you gathering food?” he asked.
Inuyasha gave him an arched look. “Because winter is coming. You remember winter, don’t you? Snow, cold, the complete lack of food… ”
“Yes, I do know what winter is… but why should you be gathering food? Do you not live in that horrible little human village?”
Inuyasha blanched.
The color just drained out of him leaving remains of the horrible yellow bruise in vivid detail as he gave Sesshoumaru a fearful stare.
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes and whirling around, marched into the cave. Inuyasha took a step forward as if to stop him but the white figure had already gone.
“Inuyasha-Sama,” Rin called, capturing Inuyasha’s attention. He looked down to see her offering a small, embroidered bag. “Sh… the nice ladies at the village sneaked this to Rin!” she explained as he opened it to release the fresh smell of sweet buns. “Will it help?” she asked.
Inuyasha smiled softly and handed the small offering back. “Thank you Rin, but you should save that for yourself.” She pouted but took the bag back.
Stomping footsteps suddenly echoed and Inuyasha was grabbed by the collar and whirled around to face furious gold eyes.
“Inuyasha…” Sesshoumaru ground out between clenched teeth. “Are you actually living in the cave?”
It was a terrible day to start a new life, however that was exactly what Inuyasha planned to do. He watched the retreating figure of his brother from the small cluster of bushes where he had hidden himself in the pretense of returning to the village.
Ensuring that he was completely alone he slowly started back to the cave…
-Only to quickly dive back into a prickly mulberry bush at the sudden sound of someone tromping through the woods.
Inuyasha frowned as he tried to puzzle out why Sesshoumaru would come back to the cave and judging from Sesshoumaru’s aggravated look, he didn’t know either.
The Youkai glanced into the cave briefly before his gaze swept over the ground as if looking for something that was small and possibly furry.
“Here ratty, ratty, ratty… Where are you, you little shit?”
Inuyasha ignored the taste of dirt as his jaw hit the ground. ‘What in the hell? He came back to kill the rat? What is he, mental?’
He watched as Sesshoumaru continue to search for a few moments before finally huffing in frustration, turned and left.
Remaining where he was, disregarding the prickly thorns before once more stepping out into the little clearing, shaking his head in the direction Sesshoumaru had gone.
‘What the fuck was that? I thought Sesshoumaru was above such menial tasks…’
Shrugging, Inuyasha once more entered the cave.
“It looks like it’s just going to be you and me from now on,” he smiled down at the rat that had immediately come out to greet him.
Dropping his sack down again, he stepped back from the center of the room and took in the large chamber with new eyes. ‘Mine,’ he thought with pride. ‘Okay, so it’s not exactly a palace… hell, it’s not even a shack, but it’s MINE!’
The fire pit would have to be moved, that was the first thing he had to do, and make something more substantial for a bed in place of the little pallet he had been using. He wondered if he should make some sort of den for Sesshoumaru but decided that it could wait until later.
Old leaves from past occupants would have to be raked out and perhaps some rushes brought in for warmth in the coming months. It would be a lot of work, but when Inuyasha was determined to do something, he made sure that he got it done.
Still with a slightly maniac grin of triumph, Inuyasha sat down and dragged his bag towards him and began to unpack his few precious belongings. The rat, which was a little surprised at the hanyou’s remaining presence, wandered over curiously and began to sniff the few meager contents.
“This is everything I own,” Inuyasha explained. “It’s nothing really special but they’re mine and mine alone.”
The rat disagreed by immediately gnawing on one of the scrolls.
“Do you mind?” he asked, taking the precious parchment away from the rodent and placed it with grate care on his other side, far away from the rat. “Do you ever stop eating?” he asked in amusement as the rat moved onto his already half eaten strap.
‘Oh god, I’m talking to a rat…’ Inuyasha realized as the rat almost pulled the bag down completely in his frenzied eating.
It was stupid, he knew but he was eager to tell someone –anyone- of his plans and the rat at least wouldn’t call him a complete baka.
“You know, with your endless appetite, I think I’m going to call you Kuufuku. How dose that sound?”
The newly named animal squeaked in approval and devoured half the fastening in a minuet and a half.
Inuyasha chuckled. “Glad you approve,” he said as he searched for a good place for his things.
The total count of his possessions consisted of three shirts, two antique hair combs of his mothers that were missing most of the teeth, a small dagger, and four cups of instant ramen he had snitched before he left the village the day before.
The last but not the least of his collection was the six small scrolls, carefully wrapped in poorly, but lovingly made leather covers. Inuyasha had been completely relived that the scrolls had survived in their little hiding place for all those years he had been trapped to the great tree.
It was the one secret that no one, not even Myouga knew about his love to read.
‘Hell, people take one look at me and automatically think I’m completely illiterate!’
In truth, it had been the one thing his mother had never wavered from. There were many fond memories of him sitting upon his mothers lap under a blooming Sakura tree or in his mothers chamber, the eerie glow of a single candle dancing across the pages, just reading.
They had quickly depleted her small pile of novels and his mother struggled to get her hands on something, anything, for her to use in teaching her son the multitude of kanji and just about anything she hoped could help him through out his life.
Smiling, he moved the scrolls aside and set in to clean his new home. It was hard work, as he knew it would be, but Inuyasha was bound and determined that he would have at least one place that would feel like a home.
The only thing he ever had to go by was his mother’s small chamber in his “uncle’s” palace. Just stepping out of the small room was like stepping into hell and sometimes his mother had a hard time to convince him to go out and enjoy the sunshine and to get some color in his cheeks.
Inuyasha smiled fondly at the memory of his belief that it was hiding in his mother’s room that made him so pale and silver… It was a childish notion but one that he clung to in explanation of why he was so different from everyone around him.
It had taken him a full week before his effort had even begun to show. The removal of the leaves had taken the longest but he was pleased with the result as he laid down some dried long grass and other foliage as a barrier against the cold stone floor.
Kuufuku had a blast hopping through the grass-covered floor. Every once in a while Inuyasha would see a flash of grey as the rat leapt from one side to the other and burrowed through the terrain, leaving little rat sized tunnels behind.
He had even taken to hanging some dried flowers and fruits to the walls to make the cave more inviting. Happy with his work, Inuyasha glanced around to see if he was forgetting anything before stepping out into the bright sunshine.
The storm had finally broken on the second day of his mad cleaning and had lasted for three. However the fresh scent of the rain soaked forest was worth it.
Quickly dashing into the woods, Inuyasha kept a keen eye out for possible food. Winter was barely a month away and he knew from vast experience that if he wanted to eat during those three long, harsh months he had to hunt now.
Jumping from tree to tree, Inuyasha occasionally leapt down to investigate something that looked promising before continuing onward.
He spotted some promising mushrooms but it was an hour later when he hit pay dirt.
He would not have spotted the creature if it hadn’t been for the sudden flick of it’s tail and Inuyasha had to force himself to a stop and turn around to confirm he saw anything at all.
A lone adolescent buck was grazing as if without a care in the world just a few feet away from him. Inuyasha grinned excitedly. Deer meat was not one of his favorite, but a kill that size would last for quite a while.
Dropping to the forest floor he slowly made his way towards the animal rejecting the idea of using the Tetsusaiga and instead flexed his claws as he stealthily crossed the woods.
He was almost upon the buck, poised for the kill when he suddenly had this undeniable feeling of eyes staring at him. As he hesitated, there was a harsh snort behind him.
Freezing in his place, Inuyasha slowly turned, fearing what he would find.
…It was.
An older buck, with a large rack of horns was staring menacingly down at him.
“Er…”
The deer flattened his ears and raised his head to let out a long baying call that forced Inuyasha to flatten his sensitive koinu ears.
There was another answering call from the young buck he had been hunting but what worried Inuyasha was the multitude of similar answers that echoed through the forest.
“Oh SHIT!” Inuyasha screamed as a sudden thunder resonated throughout the woods.
He turned to try and move out of the way but the heard was upon him in an instant and Inuyasha was quickly overrun. Soon he was simply trying to avoid razor like hooves and even sharper horns as escape became impossible.
The herd disappeared as quickly as it had come and Inuyasha was struggling to his feet staring after the dancing white tails of the animals.
“Damn it! Who needs you?” he screamed as he started to make his way through the forest after the beasts. “No one would want to eat you anyway!” he huffed as yanked his Fire Rat Robe free from a jutting branch.
“Immaculate appearance as always,” a voice suddenly declared in an amused timbre.
Inuyasha jumped at the recognition and whirled around. There, standing right in front of him was Sesshoumaru smirking at him as usual.
“Sesshoumaru! What are you doing here? It’s not…” he trailed off as he spotted the little girl that stood behind Sesshoumaru’s cloak.
Rin peeked around Sesshoumaru’s legs and gifted Inuyasha with a warm smile. She told him of the small cluster of twigs in his hair and Inuyasha immediately started with their removal.
“What on earth were you doing?” Sesshoumaru asked as he sneered in disgust at his disheveled look.
‘Who dose he think he is to give me orders?’ Inuyasha thought angrily as he glared at the other. “None of your business!” he huffed in annoyance.
Sesshoumaru’s reply had been to yank a twig out violently from his hair.
He jumped back, ensuring that Sesshoumaru could not reach him. “Careful!” he shouted as he stared at the few strands that Sesshoumaru had taken along with the twig.
“You look as if that herd of deer ran over you,” the Youkai announced and Inuyasha could feel the heat rise to his cheeks.
“Couldn’t get out of the way fast enough,” he mumbled and smiled down at Rin who was attempting to remove the dust from his pants.
“Why were you chasing the deer anyway?” Sesshoumaru asked.
Inuyasha could feel his tolerance ware thin. “None of your business!” he repeated.
“You always say that,” Sesshoumaru told him, “so I’m making it my business.”
‘You make anything that has to do with me your business,’ Inuyasha thought sarcastically as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
Sesshoumaru suddenly changed the subject. “Why are you standing funny?” he questioned.
Inuyasha flinched in surprise. “I’m not!” he insisted but still took a mental stock of any and all injuries. He could swear that he was not standing funnily and he scowled at Sesshoumaru’s keen instincts and took the option to deny everything
“Yes you are.” Sesshoumaru’s contradicted.
Inuyasha shifted under his gaze again and Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. “Are you still limping?”
The word “no” was already out of his mouth before he could think better of it.
“Yes you are. Just what the hell is wrong with you?” Sesshoumaru demanded.
“There’s nothing wrong with me!” he insisted, even as he could feel his muscles freezing up on him. He grit his teeth and continued to stare at the Inu Youkai.
“Besides your terrible lack of ability to lie?” Sesshoumaru drawled.
Inuyasha could feel what was left of his endurance finally snap at the barb. “That’s it! If we’re going to fight, lets go. I’ve go no time trade insults with you.”
Sesshoumaru simply stared at him for a few moments before turning his back on the angry hanyou.
Inuyasha gapped as Sesshoumaru helped Rin onto the dragons back and with a quick nod to Jaken, made his way back towards him.
Sesshoumaru made a point of walking past him so closely that the fur of Sesshoumaru’s stole actually brushed against him.
Inuyasha tensed, waiting for something to happen.
So it was no surprise when Sesshoumaru’s parting phrase of “don’t get killed” confused Inuyasha even more as he watched them go.
‘What the hell?’ he thought in bewilderment. ‘Bah, “don’t get killed”… Like I haven’t taken care of my self for the better part of a century…Still, what did he mean by that?’ he wondered. ‘I’m the one he wants dead…’
Inuyasha gave the little team one last longing glance before leaping back into the trees feeling almost dejected that they left him behind.
While it had been a tense encounter, Inuyasha was almost desperate for company. Kuufuku, for all his entertaining wonder, could not hold a conversation very well.
It was sad almost, that Sesshoumaru’s group was actually better behaved than his own… of course one imp and a little girl wouldn’t cause as much trouble as say a lecherous monk.
They seemed to be much closer too… Well, Sesshoumaru and Rin were at least. Sighing, he turned and continued on in the search of food for the coming winter.
‘It’s a good start,’ he thought as moved a large jug he had appropriated from a village some miles away. ‘Still don’t know if this will last the winter.’
As he returned to the main cavern he smirked at Kuufuku, whom had dragged yet another piece of silk cloth from who knew where that just had to been Sesshoumaru’s, and had half devoured it.
“You’re going to get sick,” Inuyasha told him as he passed.
Kuufuku promptly burped.
Inuyasha laughed at the sight, “suit your self.”
Grabbing a small basket sitting by the entrance, another item he had “acquired”, he stepped back out into the sunshine.
The sun was so very warm and Inuyasha had never felt better as he tilted his head back to allow the suns rays to dance over his face. “All right!” he stated exuberantly as he stretched out his arms above his head. “Back to work I go!”
And he went.
Kuufuku remained where he was for a while before sitting up and smelling the air. There was a familiar scent on the wind, very faint but getting stronger.
The rushes were soon pushed aside as the small creature started to drag the sash out of the cave and if one were to see him, they would have sworn the rat was smirking.
Inuyasha, meanwhile, had made his way deep into the woods and was occasionally picking different kinds of edible plants and placing them in the basket.
While meat was more defiantly the meal of an Inu, the human in him sometimes demanded a taste of something less bloody.
‘Though if I ever see that deer again, its toast,’ he growled as he added some late blooming blackberries to the pile. Popping a few in his mouth, he continued on.
The thought about the damn deer had brought another image to Inuyasha’s mind.
Sesshoumaru.
‘Why am I getting so jumpy every single time I see him?’ he wondered as he added some walnuts to the basket. ‘It’s not like I’ve never seen him before, he hasn’t changed or anything…’
A small smile crossed his face as he remembered the Inu’s look of surprise when he had answered his very thoughts.
He truly didn’t see how that was anything to freak out about. There have been countless times he heard a demons thoughts in his head…
‘Well okay, one time,’ Inuyasha admitted to himself. ‘But the Lesser Demons are dead and I very much doubt they’ll tell anyone.’
As Inuyasha thought back over the past months, he found himself smiling more than not at the antics that had happened.
He was still rather amused at Sesshoumaru’s use of the word “goo” and made a promise to himself that he would get Sesshoumaru to lighten up a little.
The man was far too aloof to Inuyasha’s mind and it was just so fun to get the Youkai completely frazzled.
He wondered if there was ever a time that Sesshoumaru woke up with mused bed hair before giggling at the thought.
‘He’s probably beat his hair into submission before allowing anything like that to happen.’
Still smirking, Inuyasha lowered himself to his knees and started to pick through the small plants that grew around a rotting log.
He paused mid pluck of some herbal leaves as the memory of the Youkai wards rose.
When he had been thrown backwards by the wards while he still possessed youkai blood only to be caught by his brother… That feeling had emerged again.
The emotion that Inuyasha had no name for welled inside his chest at the feeling of Sesshoumaru’s arm around his waist. The weight had comforted him somehow and that disturbed Inuyasha more than his unnamed feeling.
All he knew was that when he could feel Sesshoumaru’s breath tickle the small tips of his ears and ruffle his strands of hair, Inuyasha’s unknown feeling nearly overwhelmed him.
And then Sesshoumaru had dropped him and the feeling was quickly dispersed.
Scowling at that memory, Inuyasha yanked out the rest of the leaves and began to march back to the cave.
It was only natural for Inuyasha to have his brother on his mind, or at least that was what he told himself. After all, he had been spending more time with the silver youkai than anyone else.
Whenever he left the sanctuary of the cave and returned to the village, most of the time he left immediately after returning to hide out in the trees from Kagome’s rages.
The last time had been the absolute worse. Not only did Kagome, Kagome of all people, insult his mother and his half heritage but had actually physically lashed out at him; swinging a large branch and striking him right in the head.
Sango and Miroku had managed to restrain Kagome’s arms but had not been able to silence her words as a multitude of “Osuwari” were fired out in rapid succession.
Striking the ground multiple times added to the already fierce head wound had nearly forced the hanyou to pass out.
It had been a horrible scene and Inuyasha was only grateful that Shippo had been out playing with the other village children.
Kaede had tried to fix him up but Inuyasha preferred to be alone to lick his wounds and left the village for a good ten days, hiding in the woods.
The others had occasionally approached, looking for the missing Hanyou but he refused to reveal himself.
The only one who had found him, who could find him, when Inuyasha was in stealth mode had been Kirara. She was the only one who Inuyasha would allowed to see his true feelings and when she had leapt into the tree to join him he had cuddled the neko to him and allowed himself to let the tears free.
Inuyasha had prayed as the little group had formed that he had finally, after years of watching from the side lines and wanting, had found what he never had as a child.
Friends.
But he knew that he had simply been deluding himself that quiet night when he finally came to his decision.
It wasn’t so much the beating he had received that had strengthened his resolve to leave, but the fact that upon his return everyone went right back to acting normal, even if they were only doing it as a pretense to sooth the kitsune, Inuyasha knew that he could not remain there.
As quietly as he could the night before he was to leave, Inuyasha packed away his few possessions and left the village for what he hoped was for good.
There were always other ways for him to find the Jewel shards. He did not need Kagome and while the other two were great to have around during a battle, Inuyasha could very well take care of his own.
His only regret had been leaving Shippo in the care of humans, but what else could he do? He didn’t have time to take the child with him and he knew that Shippo wouldn’t understand why they were leaving the others.
Shippo loved his little makeshift family and Inuyasha could not bring himself to take a child away from what he himself had lost.
Hell, he barely had enough food to feed himself, to add Shippo’s equal if not more so growing appetite; the cave would be empty in a week.
Inuyasha sighed as he continued onward when he was quickly brought out of his musing by a sudden flash of silver out of the corner of his eye.
‘What in the world?’ he wondered as he slowed his steps and peered into the forest searching for the object. ‘The only thing silver besides myself is Sesshoumaru, but he wouldn’t be here yet…’
Reaching the edge of the woods he stared in amazement. ‘And yet there he is, slowly sneaking up on a rat. Keh…’
Hefting the basket to the crook of his arm, Inuyasha withdrew the Tetsusaiga and went to Kuufuku’s aid.
“What the hell are you doing?” he demanded as he halted his brother mid-swing. “Why are you so obsessed with killing Kuufuku?”
Sesshoumaru scowled, re-sheathing Tokujin. “What are you doing here two weeks early?” he questioned, completely ignoring Inuyasha’s own inquire. “And who the hell is Kuufuku?”
Inuyasha smirked as Kuufuku answered to his name.
“YOU NAMED THE RAT?”
Inuyasha suppressed another laugh and instead simply shrugged.
“What the fuck?” Sesshoumaru sputtered as he glanced down at the rat to Inuyasha and back to the rat again.
Inuyasha was about to ask why Sesshoumaru was there again when a small voice suddenly floated out from the forest.
Inuyasha’s gaze snapped to the edge of the woods and the three occupants that waited there before he whirled to Sesshoumaru, his fury clashing with a sense of panic.
“Why did you bring them here?”
“It wasn’t exactly planned…” Sesshoumaru admitted.
Inuyasha stared at him, “what do you mean it wasn’t planned?” he asked in disbelief as he set the basket down; the thing was heavy.
He didn’t believe Sesshoumaru’s excuse for one second. Sesshoumaru wasn’t the sort of person who would do things on a whim… he had to have brought them here for a purpose and Inuyasha did not believe for one second that it was to kill a small defenseless rat.
Inuyasha wanted to kill him.
It was as his frazzled mind was running around in little yapping circles that the small human child approached him.
“Hello Inuyasha-Sama!” she smiled brightly as she gave him a very practice but still shaky bow.
His mind suddenly stopped at the show of respect to him. “Er, hi,” he mumbled embarrassed at the display.
“Why are you gathering food?”
The question shook Inuyasha out of his daze and he turned to give Sesshoumaru a look of pure menace. “Because winter is coming,” he said slowly as if speaking to someone Rin’s age and not a some-odd centuries old Youkai. “You remember winter, don’t you? Snow, cold, the complete lack of food…”
“Yes, I do know what winter is,” Sesshoumaru frowned at him, “but why should you be gathering food? Do you not live in that horrible little human village?”
Inuyasha could feel his heart freeze.
The village! And Sesshoumaru for some odd reason or another that only he knew about was obsessed with Inuyasha’s safety.
‘Oh no! When he realizes that I’ve left the village, he’s going to be pissed!’
Inuyasha’s stomach rebelled, the few blackberries threatening to come back up to greet the day. ‘Oh God,’ he thought with growing horror. ‘What if he takes me back?’
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at Inuyasha’s growing panic and turning stormed into the cave.
‘Oh God,’ he nearly swayed on his feet. ‘My freedom…’
“Inuyasha-Sama.”
Inuyasha jerked and glanced down at the small girl that Sesshoumaru had somewhat adopted.
She held out a little purple bag, embroidered with gold thread.
He could feel the toad demon’s eyes watching him menacingly but for the moment ignored the ugly imp and hesitantly took the small bag. He glancing at her curiously and he opened it.
The smell of the pastries inside made his mouth water and his stomach rumble.
“The nice ladies at the village sneaked this to Rin!” Rin said with pride, smiling up at him. “Will it help?” she asked as she pointed to his abandoned basket.
He was moved by the girl’s generosity. Usually he had to fight for his food and here was this small human child unselfishly offering him what she was obviously saving for herself.
Thanking her, he told her to continue to hold on to the buns and smiled as her bottom lip jutted out in a pout.
It was then that the sound of Sesshoumaru’s return echoed behind him and spotting the toads evil smirk felt a hand grab the back of his robe and the world spun as he was whirled around.
The planet focused again and Inuyasha found himself staring into Sesshoumaru’s angry golden eyes.
The unknown feeling started to bubble to the surface only to take one glance at Sesshoumaru’s angry look and retreated back the way it had come.
“Inuyasha…”
The said hanyou gulped as Sesshoumaru leaned forward, their noses almost touching.
“Are you actually living in the cave?”
Inuyasha gulped as a large bead of sweat appeared at the back of his head.
“Er… Define ‘living’,” he stammered nervously.
“YOU’RE LIVING IN A CAVE?” Rin shouted. “That’s so NEAT!”
“Rin!” Sesshoumaru glowered at the girl who looked up at him innocently with clamped lips. The youkai turned back to the squirming figure in his grip. “Care to explain this?”
“Um, well…”
“Sesshoumaru-Sama,” Jaken finally spoke up as he made his way to the clustered group. “I know you stated to never question you when it comes to… er… this person, but I am wondering why this is such a problematic situation.”
Sesshoumaru growled again and wondered if he could manage to whap the imp over the head while maintaining his grip on the struggling hanyou.
“Sesshoumaru-Sama,” Rin finally piped up.
“In a moment,” Sesshoumaru snapped at her, to Jaken he said, “This is something that I must discuss with my brother. It is a matter concerning the greater good of the Inu Clan.”
Jaken was sweating and his knees were shaking but he stubbornly continued on. “I do not understand why this er, person has -if any-say in what goes on in the clan my lord.”
“Sesshoumaru-Sama…” Rin whined again.
“Inuyasha may not have a say but I do, and I’ve told you before not to question me in regards to my brother.”
“I am sorry my lord but I must insist in this matter,” Jaken persisted and his shaking got worse.
“There are thing’s in this world that an inu must deal with, and someone like you could not comprehend.”
“But my lord, this person is an outcast by your own hand.”
“I may have disowned him as a member of the royal family,” Sesshoumaru snarled, “however he was never cast out of the Inu Clan.”
Jaken actually stopped shaking and he just stared at his leader in shock. “But your decree my lord…”
“INUYASHA-SAMA!” Rin, who had given up trying to get her companions attention, finally turned to Inuyasha who was still trying to remove his collar from Sesshoumaru’s iron grip.
Stopping in mid struggle, Inuyasha swiveled an ear down in the girl’s direction. “Yeah?” he asked.
“I have to go to the bathroom…”
All three males sweat dropped.
“Uh…” Inuyasha graced the child with his blank stare.
“Yes Rin, you are excused,” Sesshoumaru told her politely.
“Arigato,” the girl smiled and turned to go back into the woods for privacy when Inuyasha suddenly yelled for her to halt.
“You can’t let her go alone,” Inuyasha was now slapping at Sesshoumaru’s arm in earnest. “I saw a bear a few days ago and there are traps!”
Sesshoumaru arched an elegant eyebrow. “You set up traps?” he asked amused as he finally dropped the smaller hanyou.
Inuyasha huffed as he walked over and took the girls hand. “Didn’t want him to try and set up residence while I was gone…”
Sesshoumaru stared down at the furry rodent that was actually chasing his own tail. “Can’t see why not,” Sesshoumaru drawled, “I’m sure he would be better company that the rat.”
“AND DON’T HURT KUUFUKU!”
Sesshoumaru glanced back down at the insane ball of fur. “Oh wouldn’t dream of it…” he muttered as his hand went to the hilt of Tokujin.
The rat darted back into the cave and Sesshoumaru clicked his tongue in annoyance of the rats escape.
It was a few moments later when Inuyasha and one contented little girl returned and sighing, Inuyasha gestured towards the cave. “It’s getting late,” he explained. “Might as well talk inside.”
Sesshoumaru did not wait for any further invite before marching back into the cave once more, leaving the others with no choice but to follow.
After lighting the fire again and moving to light the few candles he had taken from Kaede’s hut, Inuyasha returned and sat with the others at the small table he had set up in a corner of the room.
“Where did all these things come from?” Sesshoumaru asked.
Inuyasha sat up taller in defiance, “I brought them.”
Sesshoumaru gave him a disbelieving stare. “Brought them from where?”
“The village.” It was true; he had acquired them from a village. Just not the one Sesshoumaru thought.
Rin was glancing around the cave with wide eyes at all the little knick-knacks that always seemed to appear in a home.
“Why do you have grass in the cave?” she asked.
“It’s to keep out the chill.”
“Oh…” she looked at the grass again still trying to understand what it had to do with the cold.
“Yes, this is all fascinating however none of it explains why you are here.” Sesshoumaru brought the attention back to the matter at hand.
Sighing, Inuyasha crossed his arms and slumped across the smooth expanse of the tabletop. “Short version?” he asked. “I couldn’t stay at the village anymore.”
Sesshoumaru smirked, “finally kicked you out?”
“No, I just left,” Inuyasha simply stated.
Sesshoumaru jerked in surprise. “You mean you left voluntarily?”
Inuyasha shifted awkwardly and rose from the table, moving towards the fire pit and swinging a makeshift bracket over the fire to heat the small kettle that hung from it. “Well, it wasn’t exactly ‘voluntarily’,” he finally admitted.
He moved on to a little chest and removed a small verity of pouches and a few mismatched cups.
Even Jaken could tell the hanyou was nervous and disliked the conversation but Lord Sesshoumaru was a hard person to shake when he was on to something.
“I think you better give us the long version,” the youkai stated firmly as he settled himself more comfortably for what he expected was a long account of things.
Sighing, Inuyasha filled the cups with the herbs and the now boiled water and served his guest the tea before settling down with his own cup.
“It was really a matter of survival,” he said.
“Survival?” Jaken asked. Sesshoumaru glared at him and the imp tried to make himself as small as possible.
“Yeah. I honestly did not think it was safe for me there anymore.”
“So they really did kick you out because of you heritage? I thought that village claimed to be above such prejudice viewpoints.” Sesshoumaru guessed.
Inuyasha shook his head. “That wasn’t it at all.”
Setting down the cup, Inuyasha looked right into Sesshoumaru’s eyes as he said, “I was afraid Kagome was going to kill me.”
Dead silence.
“You mean that nice lady in the funny cloths?” Rin asked.
“Rin!” Jaken hissed and both turned to see Sesshoumaru’s reaction.
The fury was evident on Sesshoumaru’s face but who exactly he was angry at was anyone’s guess.
“How could she harm you?” Sesshoumaru asked. “You were able to remove the necklace.”
Inuyasha shifted guiltily. “Er, I haven’t really been back since then…”
Sesshoumaru’s eyes widened in comprehension and his eyes shot towards Inuyasha’s bruised chin. “You brought a bag,” he whispered in realization. “You didn’t open it that night…”
“Yeah,” Inuyasha nodded. “I knew before then that there was no possible way that I could go back. Not with the way things have been going.”
“Why did you not say anything?”
Inuyasha gave Sesshoumaru a pointed look.
“…Oh.”
Refilling the cups, Inuyasha once more sat, threw back his head and downed the portion in one go.
Sesshoumaru frowned at the brown liquid that sloshed around in his cup. Tea was all well and good, but at that moment the youkai wanted something a little more… intoxicating.
“Don’t you have any sake?” he asked the hanyou who was already pouring himself a third cup.
Inuyasha stopped and glanced up at the other inu, “sake?” he asked as he set aside the kettle. “Don’t much care for it.”
Sesshoumaru mind boggled. “What do you mean… you ‘don’t much care for it’?”
Shrugging Inuyasha took Sesshoumaru’s now cold tea and drank it quickly before refilling it with a fresh batch. “I don’t like sake. People do stupid things where they’re drunk and someone like me can’t afford to act stupid.”
Sesshoumaru gave him a sarcastic look, “as oppose to your normal stupidity?”
The hanyou glared and shoved the small cup back towards him forcefully, some of the warm liquid sloshing over the rim and fell over his hand. “You could very well leave,” he told him.
Sesshoumaru simply took the new offering and sipped the drink smoothly. “You still haven’t told us the rest of the story.”
Inuyasha glared at him as he sat back. “I told you. That’s it.”
“That is most assuredly not all ‘it’,” Sesshoumaru sneered. “That is just where you stopped.”
Inuyasha huffed in annoyance but still said nothing as he raised his hand and started to lick off the spilled tea.
Starting at the wrist, the dainty pink tongue slowly trailed upward, making sure that he managed to capture the small flowing drops that trailed downward. Spreading his fingers, Inuyasha lapped at the wetness between each one before placing his fingers one at a time, completely in his mouth and sucked them clean.
Sesshoumaru nearly choked on his tea. ‘Fuck.’
He had always prided himself on his ability to keep his emotions in check. It was an accomplishment for a warrior to keep control over every element of his youki and to focus on the battle.
‘Right… so why does it feel as if there’s a sumo match going on in my stomach?’ he wondered.
Sesshoumaru continued to stare as the hanyou licked away any traces of the tea completely oblivious to the distraction it caused the other youkai.
Now Sesshoumaru really wanted that drink.
“You still haven’t explained why it is that you chose the cave.” Sesshoumaru stated instead, desperately trying to keep his mind off the small pink tongue.
Inuyasha shrugged, “why not?”
Sesshoumaru hummed. “Why not indeed.”
“It seemed like a good idea at the time.” Inuyasha continued. “And since we know about the back chamber, there’s really no reason for you to concern yourself with me any longer isn’t there?”
Sesshoumaru jerked in reaction. “Do you really expect that you would be safe here even with the wards?” he demanded.
“What wards?” Jaken asked but his small question was lost as Inuyasha slammed his fist on the table.
“Why not? You said yourself that the wards will not allow a youkai through, why shouldn’t I be protected when I’m human,” he contradicted.
Jaken gawked at the statement as the conversation continued carelessly around him.
“You are obviously a larger baka than I had originally thought!” Sesshoumaru shouted back.
“What does that mean?” Inuyasha snapped.
“It means, you moron, that the wards were built by someone to begin with. It is stupid to think that someone couldn’t just as easily eradicate them!” With each word, Sesshoumaru leaned forward towards Inuyasha menacingly and he nearly jumped at the sudden fierce string of twittering from the rat behind the hanyou.
Scowling at the animal and raised his cup to better aim for the rodent and the rat dove into the rushes. Sesshoumaru scowled before setting his cup back down on the table and reached for the blasted kettle again.
Inuyasha shuddered as Sesshoumaru’s words hit him full force and he finally understood what it was that his brother was trying to get into his thick skull. “Naraku.”
“Yes… him,” Sesshoumaru sneered as he took another sip of tea, resisting the urge cuff those ridiculously distracting ears.
“Well fuck,” Inuyasha muttered as he rose to make another serving of tea.
Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes at the Inuyasha’s complete lack of awareness. “You were probably better off in that horrible village.”
Inuyasha whirled around, nearly clonking Jaken on the head with the kettle as he glared at Sesshoumaru. “Would you just drop it?” he shouted.
The Inu Youkai raised an eyebrow. “Why are you being so difficult?” he countered. “It is just humans. Kill them and move on.”
“What would you know about friends?” Inuyasha roared as he waved the kettle about in emphasis nearly managing to thwap Jaken at least four more times. “You probably never had any in your entire life!”
“Well of course I never had friends,” Sesshoumaru stated in mater of fact tone. “With my position, ‘friends’ are never just ‘friends’. They could betray you for the smallest bit of coin or even worse, to try and use you to further their position. No,” Sesshoumaru shook his head. “It is unwise and dangerous for myself to have ‘friends’.”
Jaken nodded in agreement though no one was paying the smallest bit of attention to him while Inuyasha stopped in mid-motion and just gaped at him in astonishment.
“You never had any friends?” he asked amazed.
Sesshoumaru scoffed. “What need of I for friends?”
Inuyasha turned and jerked the kettle in Jaken’s direction, ignoring the imp’s automatic duck. “What about him?”
A sneer, “Jaken is my servant…” he said in a voice that told Inuyasha he should have known that.
“All right then, what about her?” and this time he gestured towards the futon with the still sleeping Rin.
Sesshoumaru shrugged and said nothing more.
Inuyasha stared at him for a few moments before finally turning back to the fire and the undertaking of the tea.
“Are you trying to drown us?” Sesshoumaru asked annoyed.
Inuyasha glared. “You don’t have to drink it, baka inu.”
The scowl returned full force.
‘Why the hell am I pressing the issue?’ Sesshoumaru wondered as he watched Inuyasha methodically go though the motions of tea making. ‘If he ever learned the discipline of the tea ceremony, he would be quite graceful at it.’
His face quickly darkened and Jaken began inching backwards.
‘What the hell am I thinking?’ Sesshoumaru reprimand himself. ‘He is nothing more that a filthy hanyou. Grace?Hah!’
He glanced at the figure in red. ‘Still…’
It was so odd, to see Inuyasha doing something so mundane as making tea. Usually all he ever saw of the hanyou was mostly fighting and the occasional foolish antics. ‘Or is it the other way around?’ he questioned as he watched as the heated kettle boil over and Inuyasha’s frantic attempt to save some of the water.
Sesshoumaru finally took this time to study, really study Inuyasha the same way he had when he first saw him as a human. The way he had the very first time he saw him sitting at that tiny Koi pond all those years ago.
‘He has certainly filled out nicely from the scrawny child he had been, that’s for sure,’ he thought. Not that Sesshoumaru would ever admit it aloud, but he could still admire him- silently, of course.
Years of fighting for his life had toned the hanyou’s muscles and slimed his physique, though how anyone could tell under the blasted Fire Rat Robe was anyone’s guess.
Then there was the hanyou’s stance. That sense of fluidity, which simply radiated of the hanyou while he danced with the Tetsusaiga, was an enigma. Not even the bird demons of the Hakuchoo Clan could rival that poise.
Inuyasha was a daunting enemy in battle, Sesshoumaru could attest to that.
The very subject of his thoughts then let out a surprised squawk as the kettle finally boiled over completely and spilled onto the hanyou’s bare foot. Hopping around while trying to sooth the burnt appendage, Inuyasha managed to lose his balance and went flailing backwards onto the soft cushioning of the rushes, nearly flattening the rat in the process.
‘And then you take the sword out of his hands and he becomes a bumbling oaf,’ Sesshoumaru finished as Inuyasha started to apologize, apologize, to the rat.
‘Humph. Baka,’ Sesshoumaru huffed and returned to his bland, ordinary tea.
Inuyasha apologized to Kuufuku again before once more trying to make a sixth pot of tea. Sighing, he gave the kettle a depressing glance and begrudgingly admitted to himself that the tea was no longer appealing.
He wondered if he could find a way to get that carbonated sugar drink called “soda pop”. But to get the “soda pop” meant going back to the small village and the Bone Eater Well and that meant possibly running into Kagome as the well was at her shrine and all.
Sighing, he once more dove into the small chest and looked for another combination of tealeaves. It was a mundane task but it kept him focused if even for a moment.
It had come as a bit of a shock to the hanyou to find out that perhaps Sesshoumaru had just as bad a childhood as him.
‘I wonder what he was like as a child,’ Inuyasha wondered. ‘Was he ever happy? Did he ever play as a child?’
He snuck another glance at the menacing Youkai. ‘Did he ever smile?’
Ensuring that there was still enough water in the small barrel Inuyasha sighed and settled down for the second attempt to boil water.
The nightlong discussion was beginning to take it’s toll on him and Inuyasha could feel yet another headache coming on.
He peeked at the regal figure that sat behind the scared wood of the table.
‘What was Sesshoumaru like as a child? Hell,’ Inuyasha smirked. ‘What was he like short?’
He studied the other youkai. His brother.
It was so odd. They were like night at day! Sesshoumaru was the epitome of elegance, while he was the very personification of ineptness.
Sesshoumaru’s very looks were even vastly different than his own! Setting aside the hair and eyes, their physiques were complete opposites.
Sesshoumaru was tall and agile with an aura that radiated his authority. Even his very features were lean and angular with a sharp nose and high cheekbones.
Inuyasha, meanwhile, had a rounder more childish face that made him look more like an impudent kid than anything else. As for his physical stature… ‘Hell, I’m just plain short…’ he snorted in annoyance.
Inuyasha sighed as he once more stole a look at his elder brother. ‘Why is it that he’s so freaking fascinating?’ he asked himself. ‘He’s a completely rude, arrogant, stuck-up jerk!’
Sesshoumaru reached up to push a strand of hair behind his elfin ear.
‘And completely stunning,’ Inuyasha moaned. ‘While I’m…’ he paused as he ran a hand through his own hair, grimacing when his fingers found more tangles and even a few more twigs that just seemed to gravitate to his hair.
‘Hell,’ he tried to discreetly groom himself.
Inuyasha never really cared about his appearance. It didn’t mater to the demons that tried to kill him on what he looked like, but one look of revulsion from Sesshoumaru made Inuyasha feel totally filthy.
Yanking out a few more twigs, Inuyasha looked up right into heated golden eyes. Blushing, he jerked his hand down from his hair and gave Sesshoumaru a defiant gaze.
Sesshoumaru said nothing and returned to the last of his tea.
Inuyasha waited for a moment before standing and retrieving the kettle from the fire, adding a few more logs to the flame before returning to the table.
Once more replenishing the tea, he sat down and was glad that this pot didn’t end up on his poor foot. He briefly realized that it had been the same leg that had been injured by the lesser demons all those weeks ago.
‘Man, is the only luck I have bad luck?’ he wondered in annoyance.
“What did you put in this pot?” Sesshoumaru’s voice piped up.
Inuyasha startled. “Er, just some random leaves,” he muttered.
Sesshoumaru’s eyebrow went up again. “Dare I fear that there’s poison oak in this?”
‘Keh, it’s bad luck alright,’ Inuyasha confirmed. “I do know the difference, thank you.”
“Hmm.” Sesshoumaru still set aside the cup. Even Jaken was gazing into the dark liquid in question.
Snorting, Inuyasha took a large sip just to prove it was drinkable.
Turning somewhat green, he peered back into the cup before collecting the others and, dumping the sludge, started again.
“You know, you can leave at any time,” he hinted.
Sesshoumaru jutted his chin up in defiance. “You still have not told us about the Miko.”
Inuyasha groaned again as he set aside the kettle and instead started to dig out something to eat.
‘Yep. Nothing but bad luck.’
“You know,” Sesshoumaru sighed, “that line is getting really old.”
“It’s the truth!” Inuyasha snapped in frustration.
“Can you not see how wrong this is?” Sesshoumaru hissed, mindful of the sleeping child.
Inuyasha had no such concerns. The child could probably sleep though a battle from the snores that his koinu ears were picking up. “You think I didn’t notice?” he yelled.
“That Miko has outlived any usefulness as far as I can see.”
Inuyasha jumped to his feet. “You can’t kill her!”
“I do not see why not,” Sesshoumaru stated. “Miko or no, she is just a pathetic ningen.”
Inuyasha shook his head venomously. “I still can’t allow you to kill her. She is the only one who can purify the Jewel Shards. And…” he trailed off, reluctant to say anything further.
“…and?” Sesshoumaru prompted.
Sighing Inuyasha continued, “and she’s my friend.”
A narrowed gaze and Sesshoumaru rose to his own feet, “would a ‘friend’ collar you?” he asked scathingly.
Jaken raised his head and looked up curiously but had long since given up getting a word in edgewise.
“It wasn’t exactly her,” Inuyasha admitted. “It was actually Kaede who placed the beads and I can not blame her for fearing the creature she saw as the murderer of her sister even though we now know it was Naraku disguised as me at the time.”
Sesshoumaru couldn’t help but feel disturbed that Naraku once disguised himself as his hanyou brother and filed that information away for further examination as Inuyasha continued.
“Kagome really only held the power to make it work,” Inuyasha finished.
“And the power to remove the beads a her leisure.”
Inuyasha reluctantly nodded. “You can’t really blame her for that though, she’s still a child by ningen standards.”
A glare, “as are you by youkai standards.”
Inuyasha jerked in surprise as Sesshoumaru once more leaned over the table. “What are you talking about?” he asked. “I’m over two hundred you know, hardly a koinu!”
Sesshoumaru’s gaze flicked over the small fuzzy ears before looking into Inuyasha’s stubborn gaze. “You were bound to a tree for fifty of those years.”
Inuyasha eyes widened as a thought crossed his mind. “Is that why you have been so insistent in this alliance?” he demanded. “Because I’m still not of the majority?”
Sesshoumaru scoffed as he sat back down, reaching for the small bowl of fruits that Inuyasha had brought out. “Not in the least,” he stated as he bit into a winter apple.
Inuyasha looked puzzled as he once again sat down. All this standing and sitting was beginning to irritate him but damn it if it wasn’t effective.
“If you aren’t concerned about my age, then what the hell are you worried about?” Inuyasha demanded.
Sesshoumaru scowled and bit into his apple again.
Inuyasha rolled his eyes, “if you don’t want to tell me you could just say so. But I think I deserve an explanation SEEING AS IT’S MY LIFE!”
The Inu Youkai set down the half eaten fruit and once more reached for the last of the tea. “No,” Sesshoumaru said.
Inuyasha nearly threw the apple at his head. “What the hell? And yet you keep insisting that I tell you about Kagome and the others?”
“Yes,” Sesshoumaru sneered. “The others, those other humans who have reached the age of majority. What of them? Hmm? Were they completely oblivious to the goings on?”
Inuyasha shifted guiltily but knew anything he said would be taken the wrong way and who knew what Sesshoumaru would do to Sango and Miroku.
“You can not tell me that they had no idea of what was happening between you and the odd Miko child.”
Shaking his head, Inuyasha refused to give Sesshoumaru his answer.
“But you have told me once that the monk had gone to a shrine to escape the tension.”
Inuyasha picked up his own piece of fruit. “Monks are sensitive to stressful situations I suppose,” he tried half heartedly to explain.
In truth, each word Sesshoumaru uttered cut though like a knife to Inuyasha.
Why had Miroku and Sango allow it to continue on as long as it did?
They knew that things had been getting worse with Kagome and yet they still persisted that it was just a phase and that if they ignored it, it would go away.
At least Miroku, a monk for crying out loud, should have been able to help. Or at least give Inuyasha some better advice than to simply grab Kagome’s ass and be done with it.
Sango even had taken to leaving the village for a string of very long “walks”. “Walks” that would last a good few days before her return. They knew, they knew that there had been something wrong and yet they prefer to continued going along pretending to be completely ignorant.
At least Kagome never did anything too violent in front of Shippo.
The kit worshiped the ground the Miko walked on and in his little eyes could see her do no wrong.
Inuyasha rubbed his chin in remembrance and winced.
She could be evil all right; he had the bruises to prove it. Even if the bruises had faded with the work of Sesshoumaru’s miracle “goo” he still remembered.
Sesshoumaru watched Inuyasha critically as the hanyou thought back over whatever past events that led them to this point.
“Do you understand now?” The Youkai asked. “This is why we can not trust the humans. They are nothing but self absorbed pitiful creatures that have no sense of pride.”
Inuyasha glared. “Clearly you’ve never been around too many humans.”
“I do not need to be around them to know what they are,” Sesshoumaru declared as he returned to his apple.
Inuyasha narrowed his own golden eyes. “Then you are lying through your fangs if you think that you know me at all.”
Sesshoumaru raised his eyebrow at Inuyasha’s show of defiance and asked “You forget that I do know you, hanyou.”
“And that’s why you haven’t been able to defeat me?” Inuyasha scoffed.
Sesshoumaru sat bolt upright, his elegant mouth curled up in a snarl.
Inuyasha released a growl of his own and both had their hands on the hilts of their respective swords.
There was a small cough and both inu youkai’s turned to look at the small green imp.
“Um…” Jaken sweat dropped but set his own tea down and turned to his chosen master. “Sesshoumaru-sama. I am afraid that I do not understand what it is that is happening here.”
“You are not suppose to understand,” Sesshoumaru told him. “I have stated this before that this is between my brother and I.”
Jaken swallowed nervously. “Yes Sesshoumaru-Sama, you have stated that but it was by your own decree that no one have contact with the er… with this person.”
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes and the toad. “You would bound me by my own decrees?” he snapped.
Jaken gulped again and grabbed his tea. “N-no my lord.”
“Then I truly do not see it as any concern to you.”
“But my lord…” Jaken persisted and this time he got two angry gold eyes glaring at him. “Your contact with your brother like this is bound to start the gossip. You must remember your position…”
Now Inuyasha looked worried as he glanced to gage Sesshoumaru’s reaction.
“So?”
Even Jaken rolled his eyes at that response. It seemed Jaken too was use to Sesshoumaru’s curt attitude.
“My lord, everyone knows that you are bound and determine to kill your, er, brother but if it is found out that you have had um…” he glanced between the two, “civil contact with each other…” Jaken trailed off and tried to shuffle to a safe distance from his lord. “Then I am afraid that the other youkai will find you to be deceiving and will try to challenge your position as Lord of the West.”
Sesshoumaru huffed. “Let them try to find me,” he declared arrogantly. ‘I can’t even find myself half the time…’
“But my Lord…”
Inuyasha was staring into the remains of his tea pensively. The toad did have a point.
If it were found out that they had an agreement… hell- that they had been meeting in secret for the better part of five months then the demons truly would challenge Sesshoumaru.
‘Every one knows that Sesshoumaru is determined to kill me,’ Inuyasha realized. ‘That he’s had ample opportunity and had not taken it, it will be shown as a weakness, his weakness, and that’s the very reason that Sesshoumaru proposed this blasted “truce” to begin with.’
Inuyasha sighed as he glanced around the cave. ‘What the hell dose it matter?’ he wondered. ‘It’s not like I’ve never been on my own before. And now it’s back to the way things should be. Just me. Surviving. Alone.’ Inuyasha finished off his tea in silence and stared down at the bottom of the porcelain cup. ‘So why is the though of being by myself so daunting?’
Sesshoumaru was frowning as he mulled over Jaken’s concerns.
‘I should have realized that this was going to be trouble,’ he thought in aggravation. It had been better that these matter were never brought up at all, but that was the reason he kept the little toad around in the first place.
The last thing he needed was someone to find out about his brothers human nights and his own strange shifting. ‘Inuyasha still has some other purpose… what it is, I still do not know but there is something else going on here.’
He turned and growled at Jaken. “Then they best not find out that we have been in contact, shouldn’t they?”
“Er… My Lord?” Jaken stared at him in puzzlement.
“The situation between us is far too important to abandon half way through. I must see if my instincts are right in this matter.”
“What instincts?” Inuyasha glanced sharply at Sesshoumaru. “You forced me into this ceasefire to begin with! What are you babbling about?”
Sesshoumaru completely disregarded him.“Therefore, you will return to the palace and ensure that there are no rumors regarding Inuyasha and myself. If there are, you are to report to me at once!”
“Sesshoumaru-Sama?” Jaken jerked startled. Sesshoumaru scowled and Jaken knew it was in his best interest not to try and dissuade the Inu Youkai. “And where will you be so that I may report to you?” he asked instead.
Sesshoumaru thought about this for a few moments before an evil grin broke out on his face. “I will be here.”
Both Inuyasha and Jaken gave him a strange look.
“Er, where’s ‘here’ Sesshoumaru-sama?” Jaken asked.
“Yeah, ‘where’s “here” Sesshoumaru-sama’?” Inuyasha mocked already feeling the dread creeping upward.
“At this cave,” the Inu clarified.
Jaken’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in shock and Inuyasha could feel any semblance of solitude slowly slipping away.
“Rin and I will stay here for the winter,” the Inu Youkai finished
Inuyasha started banging his head on the table rattling the cups with every thud. “Fucking wonderful.”