InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Prophecy ❯ The Mating Marks ( Chapter 34 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: mshutts 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Psychological / Hentai | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 02.24.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.9K | Visits: 3.6K | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Psychological / Hentai | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 02.24.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.9K | Visits: 3.6K | Status: Work In Progress
The Prophecy
By: mshutts
WARNING: incest, also a bit citrusy
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in except for Sturaki
* * * * *
Chapter 34: The Mating Marks
Inuyasha was awoken rather roughly by a foot prodding his side. It wasn’t enough to actually hurt him, just enough to shock him out of his sleep. He quickly realized where the jab came from when he saw his elder brother standing next to his prone form.
He blinked at him languidly, his brain still having yet to have gotten the message that it needed to awaken as well. He realized that he was still lying on the ground, naked, and his brain immediately clicked back into gear as the events of the previous day came back to him full force.
Sesshoumaru had mated with him. He had mated with Sesshoumaru. They were now mates. No matter how he thought it, that idea just did not seem possible. It was ludicrous. There was no way that his elder brother would have willing mated with him.
As thoughts of disbelief were swirling through his head, he heard his brother tell him to get up, put his clothes on, and follow him. He did it without even realizing it, too caught up in his own world.
He tried to get a grasp on the situation in his mind by forcing it into smaller pieces. Taking a deep breath, he ignored his elder brother and focused on his internal thoughts instead.
Yesterday, he had come to see his brother. He had been drawn to him and they had had sex. His brain once again refused to work its way around that idea. There was no possible way that his older brother, who had hated him probably since the day he was born, had mated with him. It just wasn’t possible. Something else had to have happened.
But, now that he thought about it, maybe it was all because of mating season. He knew from talking to Myouga that there were few things in this world that were stronger than a youki’s desire to mate. Under the right circumstances, a youki could force most anyone into mating. Youkis tended to be rather persuasive in their own right, after all.
And, with the scents he was positive he had been releasing yesterday, his brother might not really have stood a chance. Especially since he knew that his youki wanted his brother and his brother’s youki wanted him. After all, Sesshoumaru seemed to have been just as much under the influence as he had been. Neither one of them had been in complete control of their actions during the encounter.
Unlike his normal, brash self, Inuyasha had found himself acting completely submissive to his elder brother. He had felt out of place in his own body which was moving in ways that Inuyasha was quite sure he was not instructing it to. But, much to his amazement, his body appeared to be able to do what he, alone, had not.
He watched his brother succumb to his show of submission rather quickly. Much faster than he had thought he would. Sesshoumaru was always so uptight. He had thought it would take much more than a few tilts of the head and seductive scents to ensnare him. However, apparently his instincts knew something he did not, for whatever they were doing, was definitely working and he was not about to complain.
He had wanted his brother to mate with him, and it was looking more and more like that was what he was going to do with every passing second. He could feel some of his initial fears about being his brother’s mate popping up from his human side, but his demon side ruthlessly squashed them down. This was a demon thing and his human side had no part in it.
When his intended mate stopped suddenly, as if in thought, his instincts kicked back in. Mating was not a time for thought. It was a time for action. It was a time to allow the youki to roam free with its mate. So, to draw his mate’s attention back to him and only him, he pricked his back with his claws. It was not enough to hurt, just enough to tease for what was to come later.
When his clothes as well as his mate’s were suddenly removed not a moment later, he let out a groan of approval. His youki was quite content in the fact that his mate seemed to finally be getting with the program. He basked in the power of his mate’s youki and responded eagerly to his kiss.
He was so lost in the passion that he almost whimpered when his mate pulled away to lower him to the ground. When he was not immediately joined there, he opened his eyes to take in the glorious creature that was before him. He longed to touch the smooth skin that covered taunt muscles on his mate’s body. The abrupt ending of his left arm did not even cause Inuyasha a second thought in his perusal. His mate was perfect.
The light sheen of sweat covering his mate made him appear to glow in the dim light and his golden eyes shined with lust. Unable to hold back a moan at the pure heat that was being directed at him, he found himself becoming more and more aroused as his brother claimed every bit of him with his tongue and teeth.
Closing his eyes in ecstasy, he didn’t even attempt to hold back his moans and soft cries, his youki telling him that his mate would love to hear them. He was not only not used to, but was uncomfortable with being shown this much affection by anyone, but his youki was insisting that it was alright for him to allow this.
In fact, his youki was insisting that not only was it alright, it was to be expected. He was the beta mate after all. If his alpha wanted to do this for him, he was expected to just lie back and enjoy it. He would have his chance to worship his alpha later.
The idea of getting a chance to return the favor to his mate later was enough to arouse him even more and he knew that he needed to be claimed. His body would not be able to stand not being claimed any longer. As such, he allowed his youki, which had been doing such a great job up to this point, to once again take the lead. He didn’t even attempt to stop the pleas from flowing out of his mouth and before he knew it, he was on his hands and knees under his elder brother.
Feeling the heat behind him, he arched his back into it, wanting nothing more than to be surrounded by that heat. When he felt the claw at his entrance, he arched his back even further to encourage the action, hoping his brother would take the silent hint and fill him until he was once again complete as he had been in his dream.
Moments later, his silent prayers were answered in the form of his brother slamming into him. Unlike in the dream world, this time it hurt. Not as badly as being wounded in battle, but it was still bad and, since he had not been expecting it, he could not stop the barest of whimpers from leaving his throat. Thankfully, his mate stayed still long enough for him to adjust.
As his youki insisted the worst was over, he felt his mate begin to move in and out of him at a steady pace that he easily met, enjoying the feel of having his mate inside and outside of him. This feeling was only enhanced when he felt his brother drape his body over him.
Closing his eyes, he allowed the feeling of being completely dominated wash over him. He would never admit it to anyone but he liked the feeling. He enjoyed knowing, at least at this moment in time, he was not the one who was in charge. He was not the one who was responsible for everyone else. He was not even responsible for himself.
With this final surrender of conscious will, Inuyasha allowed himself to drop from his hands down to his elbows, resting his head on his forearms. He could feel his brother’s head lying on his shoulder and took the continuing thrusts with contented ease. In the midst of this frenzy of movement, he had found his peace, his center, his home.
Feeling oddly disconnected from the entire experience, he felt his arousal rise with each stroke and as he felt his release, he reached behind him to gouge his brother’s back. Strangely satisfied when he felt the warm blood flow over him, he did not even react when his brother returned the favor moments later. By the time his brother had collapsed on him, he was already mostly asleep.
Back in the present, he looked down at the hand that had ripped open his brother’s flesh, realizing that there was still dried blood covering it. He wondered if the gouging they had done to each other’s backs had been significant in some way. As he was just considering asking his elder brother, who had been silently leading him somewhere this entire time, they came upon a hot spring.
He watched his elder brother step up to the edge of the spring and remove his clothes without hesitation. For the first time, he was given the opportunity to see his elder brother’s backside in his full glory. He took in the well-toned muscle that matched the front and couldn’t help but notice the firm butt being presented before him. He felt an insane urge to grope it. ‘Oh, god, I’m turning into Miroku,’ he thought, trying to resist the temptation.
Forcing his eyes to look elsewhere lest he give into the temptation, he turned his gaze to his back, being slightly upset that the image was marred by dried blood, however, another part of him felt proud at the sight. That blood was there because of him. It was a sign to the rest of the world that this ethereal being belonged to him and only him.
But under the blood, he noticed something. Glistening in the morning sun, there was an image teasing just beneath the layer of blood, mocking him. He could not make out the figure but was sure that it had not been there before. Could this be his brother’s mating mark?
His curiosity was insurmountable. He had to see just what figure now adorned the once pristine back of his mate. Without thinking about it, he stepped forward and touched the part of the image that was peeking through. When he felt Sesshoumaru stiffen, he sharply pulled his hand back.
Internally berating himself for forgetting who he was with, he did not even notice that his elder brother had turned around to look at him. “What is it, Inuyasha?”
At this, he looked up into his brother’s eyes, being careful not to look anywhere else. Sesshoumaru didn’t APPEAR to be upset. So, he decided to chance his question, “What is that on your back?”
“I would imagine it is the mating mark.” He paused for a second and then asked, “What did it look like?”
Inuyasha shrugged, “Couldn’t tell. Too much blood.”
“We both know whose fault THAT was.”
“Hey! You took just as much out of me!”
Instead of giving him a response, Sesshoumaru just turned back around and stepped into the water, commenting, “You really should clean up as well, little brother.”
Noticing that his brother was not looking at him, Inuyasha quickly undressed and climbed into the hot spring, making sure there was a good distance between himself and his sibling.
He watched his brother raise an eyebrow at him. “Embarrassed now, little brother? And after all we did yesterday.”
Inuyasha just mumbled, “Feh,” and tried to keep the blush from his cheeks. The truth of the matter was, he really was embarrassed now. Yesterday, he had been so caught up in the mating season spell that he had not been able to feel unsure. Today, however, was another story entirely.
He decided this would be much easier if he did not have to acknowledge the youkai sitting on a rock ledge right next to him. To this end, he turned partially away from him and stepped away from the rock ledge, further out into the spring. When he was at waist level, he stopped, dunking under the water completely, trying to ignore his sibling’s stare that was boring into his back.
Resurfacing, he briskly ran his hands over himself, ridding his body of the dried blood that had covered his back and hand. As he scrubbed away, he made note that the scoring seemed to be completely healed. His back felt as smooth as it had always been.
He quickly ducked under the water again, ready to be done with this bath when he heard a slight gasp. Turning quickly, sure that something was terribly wrong with his new mate, he saw the normally composed youkai lord walking slowly closer to him, an unidentifiable look on his face.
Taking a defensive step back, he stuttered out, “Wha-what’s wrong with you, Sesshoumaru?” That look on his brother’s face was creeping him out more than any other look his elder brother had ever directed towards him.
As his brother silently continued to walk towards him, he continued to take steps backward, never allowing his eyes to leave his new mate. When he finally reached the point in the spring where he could retreat no more, he stopped, looking like a deer in the headlights, sure his brother was really going to kill him now.
A peaceful encounter had obviously been too much to hope for. ‘Way too much,’ his human side said. ‘Did you honestly think he was going to accept you?’
‘But he mated with me, he has to accept me on some level,’ his demon side argued back.
‘You know your instincts had a lot to do with why you acted submissive and allowed him to mate with you. Why would it not be the same case with him? And now he’s going to kill you for forcing him to lower himself to this level,’ his human side insisted.
Sure that his human side was right, Inuyasha lowered his eyes from his brother’s face. He didn’t think he could stand to see the disgust on his beloved’s face. As such, he was a little shocked when his brother grabbed his arm, turning him around and swept his hair over his shoulder.
Now he was confused. Why had Sesshoumaru done that? It was then that he felt a claw gently trace the middle of his back, almost as if it were following a line. He felt his entire being relax into the feel of the caress. To be touched so possessively, as if his brother had every right to do so, it made his youki rumble in contentment.
But even in this haze of contentment, he found himself wondering at just what his brother was doing. There was entirely too much purpose behind the tracing for it to just be a random movement. It was then that his brother’s previous words returned to him, “…it is the mating mark.”
Remembering his brother’s other question, he asked, “What does it look like?” while trying to see it over his shoulder. Given the angle, seeing it that way was proving impossible. He made a mental note to find a mirror while he awaited his brother’s answer.
He barely made out a murmur of, “Exquisite,” from his brother.
It took all of his will-power not to turn around like an idiot trying to look at what had moved his normally emotionless brother so. Instead, he merely asked again, “Well, what does it look like, Sesshoumaru? I can’t exactly see my own back you know.”
“It is an inuyoukai in true form howling at the moon,” he heard his elder brother say with no trace of the scorn that was normally present in his voice, in fact, if he had not known better, he would have called the tone almost awestruck.
He tried picturing it in his head and found himself at a loss. Growing in his resolve to find a mirror as soon as possible, he wondered at what his brother’s looked like. Would it be the same as his? They were mates, right? It would stand to reason that it would look the same, at least in his mind. He wasn’t too sure about what all the mating rituals entailed.
His curiosity overcoming his embarrassment, he quickly turned around and grabbed the arm that had been tracing the image on his back. When he pulled on the arm and his brother refused to move, instead giving him a questioning look, he said, “Come on, bastard. Let me see yours.”
At the raised brow he said the first thing he could think of, “Don’t you want to know what yours looks like?”
He thought he might have seen a slight smile on his elder brother’s lips but was unsure for, not a moment later, he found himself once again presented with his mate’s bare back. Not wanting to give his brother a chance to change his mind, he quickly moved the long hair out of the way and gasped at the image before him.
There, covering most of his mate’s back was the most enchanting image he had ever seen. It was a likeness of a majestic tree. The delicate lines of the figure seemed to almost fade into the white expanse of his mate’s back. Had he not been aware it was there or so close to his brother, he might not have even noticed it even existed. But, there it was, a tree that for some reason reminded him of Goshinboku, the tree he had spent 50 years pinned to, shining off his mate’s back with its faint, iridescent lines. It was breathtaking and Inuyasha was not one to admit to something like that lightly.
His brother asking, “Are you planning on telling me what it looks like, little brother?” abruptly pulled him out of his contemplation of the mating mark.
He tried to answer but found his mouth dry. Quickly swallowing, he attempted again, this time able to get out a soft voice he knew his brother would be able to hear perfectly fine. “It’s a tree.”
“A tree?” he could hear the raised skepticism in the voice.
“Yeah, a tree,” he said with more confidence. “I don’t know, it kind of reminds me of Goshinboku.”
“Goshinboku… You mean that tree you wasted 50 years being sealed to due to your foolishness?”
The cold-condescending tone was back and was making Inuyasha feel defensive again. “Yeah. What of it?”
“You decided to mark me with a symbol of your greatest mistake,” he could hear the disgust dripping in his brother’s tone.
Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest and shot back, “I didn’t have any choice in the matter. I didn’t ask it to create that image. It just did.”
“The mating mark is always a symbol that holds great importance to the giver. If that tree is what you have marked me with, you must have meant to mark me with it.”
“I already told you I didn’t mean to,” Inuyasha pouted, walking back over to where his clothes were. He was done with this bath. Everything had been going well up until now. Now, because of something he had no control over, his brother was angry with him again. He had been so stupid to believe that his brother might have actually accepted him. Apparently, even as his mate, he was unacceptable.
Getting down on all fours and shaking himself dry, he paid his brother no mind and began to pull his clothes back on. He would just leave now, he obviously wasn’t wanted here. Besides, everyone else was probably wondering where he was by now.
Heavens only knew what Shippo had come up with to explain his absence to the rest of his group. He sighed. There was going to be questions, lots and lots of questions, questions he did not want to answer. He was sure of it.
He idly wondered if they would be able to see the mating mark on his back. That thought made him stop dead while he was still pulling on his haori. How was he supposed to explain it to them? He couldn’t very well tell them he had mated with his elder brother, knowing good and well that his older brother had not changed his view of him at all.
He doubted that, ‘My youki made me do it,’ would carry much weight with them either. Deciding that he would just have to cross that bridge when he got to it, he finished pulling on his haori and was about to start off to Kaede’s village when he heard, “And where do you think you’re going?” from right behind him.
Not turning, he said, “Home,” and began to head off only to find his arm in an iron grip.
“You already are home, mate.”
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A/N: In regards to the mating marks: I figure that if the blood mixed with the signature used only for the second claim covered both their backs in their entirety, wouldn’t the mark as well? As for why the images are what they are, I thought about it a lot (probably too much) and those two pictures would not get out of my head. Hey, if you’re going to make mystical beings have mystical mating marks, why not make them cool, right? I just wish I was a good enough artist to do the image I have of them in my head justice.
As always, thanks for reading and/or reviewing. I really get a kick out of it (and it encourages me to write more).
By: mshutts
WARNING: incest, also a bit citrusy
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in except for Sturaki
* * * * *
Chapter 34: The Mating Marks
Inuyasha was awoken rather roughly by a foot prodding his side. It wasn’t enough to actually hurt him, just enough to shock him out of his sleep. He quickly realized where the jab came from when he saw his elder brother standing next to his prone form.
He blinked at him languidly, his brain still having yet to have gotten the message that it needed to awaken as well. He realized that he was still lying on the ground, naked, and his brain immediately clicked back into gear as the events of the previous day came back to him full force.
Sesshoumaru had mated with him. He had mated with Sesshoumaru. They were now mates. No matter how he thought it, that idea just did not seem possible. It was ludicrous. There was no way that his elder brother would have willing mated with him.
As thoughts of disbelief were swirling through his head, he heard his brother tell him to get up, put his clothes on, and follow him. He did it without even realizing it, too caught up in his own world.
He tried to get a grasp on the situation in his mind by forcing it into smaller pieces. Taking a deep breath, he ignored his elder brother and focused on his internal thoughts instead.
Yesterday, he had come to see his brother. He had been drawn to him and they had had sex. His brain once again refused to work its way around that idea. There was no possible way that his older brother, who had hated him probably since the day he was born, had mated with him. It just wasn’t possible. Something else had to have happened.
But, now that he thought about it, maybe it was all because of mating season. He knew from talking to Myouga that there were few things in this world that were stronger than a youki’s desire to mate. Under the right circumstances, a youki could force most anyone into mating. Youkis tended to be rather persuasive in their own right, after all.
And, with the scents he was positive he had been releasing yesterday, his brother might not really have stood a chance. Especially since he knew that his youki wanted his brother and his brother’s youki wanted him. After all, Sesshoumaru seemed to have been just as much under the influence as he had been. Neither one of them had been in complete control of their actions during the encounter.
Unlike his normal, brash self, Inuyasha had found himself acting completely submissive to his elder brother. He had felt out of place in his own body which was moving in ways that Inuyasha was quite sure he was not instructing it to. But, much to his amazement, his body appeared to be able to do what he, alone, had not.
He watched his brother succumb to his show of submission rather quickly. Much faster than he had thought he would. Sesshoumaru was always so uptight. He had thought it would take much more than a few tilts of the head and seductive scents to ensnare him. However, apparently his instincts knew something he did not, for whatever they were doing, was definitely working and he was not about to complain.
He had wanted his brother to mate with him, and it was looking more and more like that was what he was going to do with every passing second. He could feel some of his initial fears about being his brother’s mate popping up from his human side, but his demon side ruthlessly squashed them down. This was a demon thing and his human side had no part in it.
When his intended mate stopped suddenly, as if in thought, his instincts kicked back in. Mating was not a time for thought. It was a time for action. It was a time to allow the youki to roam free with its mate. So, to draw his mate’s attention back to him and only him, he pricked his back with his claws. It was not enough to hurt, just enough to tease for what was to come later.
When his clothes as well as his mate’s were suddenly removed not a moment later, he let out a groan of approval. His youki was quite content in the fact that his mate seemed to finally be getting with the program. He basked in the power of his mate’s youki and responded eagerly to his kiss.
He was so lost in the passion that he almost whimpered when his mate pulled away to lower him to the ground. When he was not immediately joined there, he opened his eyes to take in the glorious creature that was before him. He longed to touch the smooth skin that covered taunt muscles on his mate’s body. The abrupt ending of his left arm did not even cause Inuyasha a second thought in his perusal. His mate was perfect.
The light sheen of sweat covering his mate made him appear to glow in the dim light and his golden eyes shined with lust. Unable to hold back a moan at the pure heat that was being directed at him, he found himself becoming more and more aroused as his brother claimed every bit of him with his tongue and teeth.
Closing his eyes in ecstasy, he didn’t even attempt to hold back his moans and soft cries, his youki telling him that his mate would love to hear them. He was not only not used to, but was uncomfortable with being shown this much affection by anyone, but his youki was insisting that it was alright for him to allow this.
In fact, his youki was insisting that not only was it alright, it was to be expected. He was the beta mate after all. If his alpha wanted to do this for him, he was expected to just lie back and enjoy it. He would have his chance to worship his alpha later.
The idea of getting a chance to return the favor to his mate later was enough to arouse him even more and he knew that he needed to be claimed. His body would not be able to stand not being claimed any longer. As such, he allowed his youki, which had been doing such a great job up to this point, to once again take the lead. He didn’t even attempt to stop the pleas from flowing out of his mouth and before he knew it, he was on his hands and knees under his elder brother.
Feeling the heat behind him, he arched his back into it, wanting nothing more than to be surrounded by that heat. When he felt the claw at his entrance, he arched his back even further to encourage the action, hoping his brother would take the silent hint and fill him until he was once again complete as he had been in his dream.
Moments later, his silent prayers were answered in the form of his brother slamming into him. Unlike in the dream world, this time it hurt. Not as badly as being wounded in battle, but it was still bad and, since he had not been expecting it, he could not stop the barest of whimpers from leaving his throat. Thankfully, his mate stayed still long enough for him to adjust.
As his youki insisted the worst was over, he felt his mate begin to move in and out of him at a steady pace that he easily met, enjoying the feel of having his mate inside and outside of him. This feeling was only enhanced when he felt his brother drape his body over him.
Closing his eyes, he allowed the feeling of being completely dominated wash over him. He would never admit it to anyone but he liked the feeling. He enjoyed knowing, at least at this moment in time, he was not the one who was in charge. He was not the one who was responsible for everyone else. He was not even responsible for himself.
With this final surrender of conscious will, Inuyasha allowed himself to drop from his hands down to his elbows, resting his head on his forearms. He could feel his brother’s head lying on his shoulder and took the continuing thrusts with contented ease. In the midst of this frenzy of movement, he had found his peace, his center, his home.
Feeling oddly disconnected from the entire experience, he felt his arousal rise with each stroke and as he felt his release, he reached behind him to gouge his brother’s back. Strangely satisfied when he felt the warm blood flow over him, he did not even react when his brother returned the favor moments later. By the time his brother had collapsed on him, he was already mostly asleep.
Back in the present, he looked down at the hand that had ripped open his brother’s flesh, realizing that there was still dried blood covering it. He wondered if the gouging they had done to each other’s backs had been significant in some way. As he was just considering asking his elder brother, who had been silently leading him somewhere this entire time, they came upon a hot spring.
He watched his elder brother step up to the edge of the spring and remove his clothes without hesitation. For the first time, he was given the opportunity to see his elder brother’s backside in his full glory. He took in the well-toned muscle that matched the front and couldn’t help but notice the firm butt being presented before him. He felt an insane urge to grope it. ‘Oh, god, I’m turning into Miroku,’ he thought, trying to resist the temptation.
Forcing his eyes to look elsewhere lest he give into the temptation, he turned his gaze to his back, being slightly upset that the image was marred by dried blood, however, another part of him felt proud at the sight. That blood was there because of him. It was a sign to the rest of the world that this ethereal being belonged to him and only him.
But under the blood, he noticed something. Glistening in the morning sun, there was an image teasing just beneath the layer of blood, mocking him. He could not make out the figure but was sure that it had not been there before. Could this be his brother’s mating mark?
His curiosity was insurmountable. He had to see just what figure now adorned the once pristine back of his mate. Without thinking about it, he stepped forward and touched the part of the image that was peeking through. When he felt Sesshoumaru stiffen, he sharply pulled his hand back.
Internally berating himself for forgetting who he was with, he did not even notice that his elder brother had turned around to look at him. “What is it, Inuyasha?”
At this, he looked up into his brother’s eyes, being careful not to look anywhere else. Sesshoumaru didn’t APPEAR to be upset. So, he decided to chance his question, “What is that on your back?”
“I would imagine it is the mating mark.” He paused for a second and then asked, “What did it look like?”
Inuyasha shrugged, “Couldn’t tell. Too much blood.”
“We both know whose fault THAT was.”
“Hey! You took just as much out of me!”
Instead of giving him a response, Sesshoumaru just turned back around and stepped into the water, commenting, “You really should clean up as well, little brother.”
Noticing that his brother was not looking at him, Inuyasha quickly undressed and climbed into the hot spring, making sure there was a good distance between himself and his sibling.
He watched his brother raise an eyebrow at him. “Embarrassed now, little brother? And after all we did yesterday.”
Inuyasha just mumbled, “Feh,” and tried to keep the blush from his cheeks. The truth of the matter was, he really was embarrassed now. Yesterday, he had been so caught up in the mating season spell that he had not been able to feel unsure. Today, however, was another story entirely.
He decided this would be much easier if he did not have to acknowledge the youkai sitting on a rock ledge right next to him. To this end, he turned partially away from him and stepped away from the rock ledge, further out into the spring. When he was at waist level, he stopped, dunking under the water completely, trying to ignore his sibling’s stare that was boring into his back.
Resurfacing, he briskly ran his hands over himself, ridding his body of the dried blood that had covered his back and hand. As he scrubbed away, he made note that the scoring seemed to be completely healed. His back felt as smooth as it had always been.
He quickly ducked under the water again, ready to be done with this bath when he heard a slight gasp. Turning quickly, sure that something was terribly wrong with his new mate, he saw the normally composed youkai lord walking slowly closer to him, an unidentifiable look on his face.
Taking a defensive step back, he stuttered out, “Wha-what’s wrong with you, Sesshoumaru?” That look on his brother’s face was creeping him out more than any other look his elder brother had ever directed towards him.
As his brother silently continued to walk towards him, he continued to take steps backward, never allowing his eyes to leave his new mate. When he finally reached the point in the spring where he could retreat no more, he stopped, looking like a deer in the headlights, sure his brother was really going to kill him now.
A peaceful encounter had obviously been too much to hope for. ‘Way too much,’ his human side said. ‘Did you honestly think he was going to accept you?’
‘But he mated with me, he has to accept me on some level,’ his demon side argued back.
‘You know your instincts had a lot to do with why you acted submissive and allowed him to mate with you. Why would it not be the same case with him? And now he’s going to kill you for forcing him to lower himself to this level,’ his human side insisted.
Sure that his human side was right, Inuyasha lowered his eyes from his brother’s face. He didn’t think he could stand to see the disgust on his beloved’s face. As such, he was a little shocked when his brother grabbed his arm, turning him around and swept his hair over his shoulder.
Now he was confused. Why had Sesshoumaru done that? It was then that he felt a claw gently trace the middle of his back, almost as if it were following a line. He felt his entire being relax into the feel of the caress. To be touched so possessively, as if his brother had every right to do so, it made his youki rumble in contentment.
But even in this haze of contentment, he found himself wondering at just what his brother was doing. There was entirely too much purpose behind the tracing for it to just be a random movement. It was then that his brother’s previous words returned to him, “…it is the mating mark.”
Remembering his brother’s other question, he asked, “What does it look like?” while trying to see it over his shoulder. Given the angle, seeing it that way was proving impossible. He made a mental note to find a mirror while he awaited his brother’s answer.
He barely made out a murmur of, “Exquisite,” from his brother.
It took all of his will-power not to turn around like an idiot trying to look at what had moved his normally emotionless brother so. Instead, he merely asked again, “Well, what does it look like, Sesshoumaru? I can’t exactly see my own back you know.”
“It is an inuyoukai in true form howling at the moon,” he heard his elder brother say with no trace of the scorn that was normally present in his voice, in fact, if he had not known better, he would have called the tone almost awestruck.
He tried picturing it in his head and found himself at a loss. Growing in his resolve to find a mirror as soon as possible, he wondered at what his brother’s looked like. Would it be the same as his? They were mates, right? It would stand to reason that it would look the same, at least in his mind. He wasn’t too sure about what all the mating rituals entailed.
His curiosity overcoming his embarrassment, he quickly turned around and grabbed the arm that had been tracing the image on his back. When he pulled on the arm and his brother refused to move, instead giving him a questioning look, he said, “Come on, bastard. Let me see yours.”
At the raised brow he said the first thing he could think of, “Don’t you want to know what yours looks like?”
He thought he might have seen a slight smile on his elder brother’s lips but was unsure for, not a moment later, he found himself once again presented with his mate’s bare back. Not wanting to give his brother a chance to change his mind, he quickly moved the long hair out of the way and gasped at the image before him.
There, covering most of his mate’s back was the most enchanting image he had ever seen. It was a likeness of a majestic tree. The delicate lines of the figure seemed to almost fade into the white expanse of his mate’s back. Had he not been aware it was there or so close to his brother, he might not have even noticed it even existed. But, there it was, a tree that for some reason reminded him of Goshinboku, the tree he had spent 50 years pinned to, shining off his mate’s back with its faint, iridescent lines. It was breathtaking and Inuyasha was not one to admit to something like that lightly.
His brother asking, “Are you planning on telling me what it looks like, little brother?” abruptly pulled him out of his contemplation of the mating mark.
He tried to answer but found his mouth dry. Quickly swallowing, he attempted again, this time able to get out a soft voice he knew his brother would be able to hear perfectly fine. “It’s a tree.”
“A tree?” he could hear the raised skepticism in the voice.
“Yeah, a tree,” he said with more confidence. “I don’t know, it kind of reminds me of Goshinboku.”
“Goshinboku… You mean that tree you wasted 50 years being sealed to due to your foolishness?”
The cold-condescending tone was back and was making Inuyasha feel defensive again. “Yeah. What of it?”
“You decided to mark me with a symbol of your greatest mistake,” he could hear the disgust dripping in his brother’s tone.
Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest and shot back, “I didn’t have any choice in the matter. I didn’t ask it to create that image. It just did.”
“The mating mark is always a symbol that holds great importance to the giver. If that tree is what you have marked me with, you must have meant to mark me with it.”
“I already told you I didn’t mean to,” Inuyasha pouted, walking back over to where his clothes were. He was done with this bath. Everything had been going well up until now. Now, because of something he had no control over, his brother was angry with him again. He had been so stupid to believe that his brother might have actually accepted him. Apparently, even as his mate, he was unacceptable.
Getting down on all fours and shaking himself dry, he paid his brother no mind and began to pull his clothes back on. He would just leave now, he obviously wasn’t wanted here. Besides, everyone else was probably wondering where he was by now.
Heavens only knew what Shippo had come up with to explain his absence to the rest of his group. He sighed. There was going to be questions, lots and lots of questions, questions he did not want to answer. He was sure of it.
He idly wondered if they would be able to see the mating mark on his back. That thought made him stop dead while he was still pulling on his haori. How was he supposed to explain it to them? He couldn’t very well tell them he had mated with his elder brother, knowing good and well that his older brother had not changed his view of him at all.
He doubted that, ‘My youki made me do it,’ would carry much weight with them either. Deciding that he would just have to cross that bridge when he got to it, he finished pulling on his haori and was about to start off to Kaede’s village when he heard, “And where do you think you’re going?” from right behind him.
Not turning, he said, “Home,” and began to head off only to find his arm in an iron grip.
“You already are home, mate.”
* * * * *
A/N: In regards to the mating marks: I figure that if the blood mixed with the signature used only for the second claim covered both their backs in their entirety, wouldn’t the mark as well? As for why the images are what they are, I thought about it a lot (probably too much) and those two pictures would not get out of my head. Hey, if you’re going to make mystical beings have mystical mating marks, why not make them cool, right? I just wish I was a good enough artist to do the image I have of them in my head justice.
As always, thanks for reading and/or reviewing. I really get a kick out of it (and it encourages me to write more).