InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Ruins of Heaven ❯ Chapter Five ( Chapter 5 )

Tanis couldn't stop himself from shaking.  Not after what he'd just witnessed.  Not after Sesshomaru had proved his words to be true.

 

They'd been in the middle of a battle . . . those strange lizard creatures had had them surrounded, somehow cutting Inuyasha off from the rest of the group.  How that had happened, the half-elf didn't know.  He just knew that, as soon as the boy had cried out for his older brother, all hell had broken loose.  Quite literally.

 

Sesshomaru had emitted a very low growl that had resounded throughout the entire area.  Birds had immediately taken to flight and the strange creatures had stopped to stare at the silver-haired male.  Everyone had stopped to stare at Sesshomaru, and it was that sight and had happened afterwards that still had Tanis shaken.

 

The tall male stood staring at those who had surrounded Inuyasha, his eyes bleeding bright red . . . but not from blood.  Sesshomaru's face had then started to change, twisting as if to accommodate some new form.  His fangs had grown, as had his claws.  The strange fur that was always about his shoulders suddenly had snapped out and grabbed Inuyasha, sending him flying towards Sturm.  Whether the knight had caught the boy, Tanis couldn't say.  He'd been too enthralled in watching Sesshomaru as he moved with an uncanny, inhuman speed, slicing through the lizard things as if they were nothing but paper to him.  Before he knew it, none of the strange creatures had remained . . . and there wasn't even a mark on Sesshomaru.

 

For a moment, after he'd slain every last one of their enemies, no one spoke.  No one even dared to breathe . . . except for maybe Inuyasha, who had been the first one to break the silence by running towards Sesshomaru.  Goldmoon had started to reach for the boy, as if to keep him away from the silver-haired male but both a warning growl from Sesshomaru and Riverwind catching her by the waist prevented her from doing so.  Once the child was safe within Sesshomaru's, and only then, would the demon calm down.  The only one, it had seemed, that didn't even appear the least bit ruffled by the strange male's behaviour was Tasselhoff.  Tanis wasn't even sure if there was anything that would ruffle the kender.

 

'Of course, Inuyasha wasn't too seriously rattled, either,' Tanis mused as he took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves.  'It was like he was expecting it.  I should have been expecting it . . . especially after what Sesshomaru had told me . . .'

 

Tanis immediately shook his head.  It didn't matter, he decided.  Sesshomaru had told him that he and Inuyasha had a demon for a father.  He'd been told . . . warned . . . but he hadn't truly believed it.  Not until he'd seen the demon in action.  Now he was faced with a rather strange dilemma.  Should he allow the demon and the child to continue traveling with them or should he send them away?

 

As the questions came to him, he cast one more glance at the demon and the half-demon child that he carried in his arms.  The boy appeared to be safe and looked quite content to be held in his half-brother's arms.  His eyes even drooped some, as if he'd forgotten the horrible ordeal that he'd gone through.  Inuyasha had a rather angelic appearance about him, despite the soft, furry white ears on the top of his head.  Even Sesshomaru had a peaceful expression.

 

And, in looking at them, he knew the answer to his questions.  He couldn't tell them to leave no more than what he could tell Caramon and Raistlin to, or even Goldmoon and Riverwind for that matter.

 

'Besides,' his mind began to rationalize, 'those . . . things went after Inuyasha as well as Goldmoon's staff.  They didn't have to.  He's just a child.  No threat to anyone.'

 

'You sure about that?' a strange voice inquired.  'If the child isn't a threat to whoever is behind this, why would those creatures be after him?'

 

To that, Tanis had no answers.

 

* * *

 

Sesshomaru drew a deep breath then slowly let it out.  Never before in his life had he been so frightened of losing someone as he had in that moment those strange draconic creatures had tried to take Inuyasha from him.  Why he'd been that scared, he didn't know.  He just . . . had.  The desire to protect had overridden all of his senses and he'd done the only thing he could think of.  He attacked.  He slaughtered.  He left none standing, and sent a message to whoever had sent them to leave his brother alone.  Death awaited them should they try again.

 

'But why Inuyasha?' he wondered.  'What would anyone want with a half-breed?  There isn't anything special about Inuyasha . . . or is there?'

 

For a moment, Sesshomaru reflected on the battles he'd had with Inuyasha in the past.  Despite his half-breed nature, Inuyasha had been unusually strong.  Even if it seemed that he had the upper hand over his sibling, Inuyasha had always managed to hold his own against Sesshomaru, even being able to defeat the daiyoukai on many occasions. 

 

A light smile graced his lips as he thought of those fights.  Of course, Inuyasha had been able to stand toe to toe in battle with him.  He had the blood of the great InuTaisho flowing through him.  It was only natural for Inuyasha to have that strength.  Then there was the boy's natural beauty and grace, something that, no doubt, had come from their family's bloodline.  In fact, compared to the rest of the family, Inuyasha had a very exotic-looking appearance, and it all centered around his eyes.

 

Before he could allow those thoughts to continue, Sesshomaru blinked then violently shook his head.  This was his brother.  He would not think about the boy like that, especially with Inuyasha in his current condition.  Still, now that the thought had come to him . . .

 

'Not now,' he firmly scolded himself.  'Not now.  However, once we get home and he's back to normal . . .'

 

He let the thought trail off.  After all, he had to get them home first before he could do anything.

 

* * *

 

“My Queen, I have some news . . .”

 

“Oh?” An eyebrow rose at that statement.  It didn't sound good.  She didn't like it when her subordinates gave her bad news.  “What is it?”

 

“It's about the child . . .”

 

“They failed to retrieve him, didn't they?”

 

“Yes, my Queen.  They did.”

 

“Kill them.”

 

“We can't.”

 

“And why not?”

“Because the brother already has.”