InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Topsy Turvy ❯ Oh Brother ( Chapter 7 )

Quick Note- IMPORTANT INFO- ok. Being the science nerd that I am, I am here to tell you why there was no actual pup carnage besides blood when Sess Tetsuseiga-ed himself. In dogs, in the first half of pregnancy if there is something seriously wrong, or the pup is dead, the bitch can reabsorb the fetus into her, using enzymes to decompose the body parts into the fundamental elements that she used to make the pup to begin with. In demons I figure this process is accelerated, so by this time in the story, the pup has been already completely absorbed by Sesshomaru. And an extremely undeveloped pup I doubt would be able to survive a Tetsuseiga attack, even if Sess would. Thus, lots of blood, and the pup literally disappeared back into Sesshomaru. Ok. Veterinary medicine 101, lol.

 

Synopsis- A little bit of RyuuK/InuT, a little bit of brotherly love, and just a little calm before the storm that is Ch 8

 

Beta- The most splendid Demitria Miriam…who understands what it is like to see the glorious mess who is Inutaisho in her head. (Thanks for that, lol) I know he keeps me entertained.

 

Disclaimer- I do not own Inuyasha at all. However, the 2007 Inuyasha calendar has just come out and I already have gotten lipstick stains on it…oops!

 

 

From the memory of Inutaisho - approximately 1000 years into the past

 

The sound of the whip cut through the air, striking the hollow metal of gauntlets.

 

Inutaisho's eyes opened instantly, his body shooting straight up and immediately taking on a crouched position of attack. The slumbering lord had been awoken so quickly, that upon his swift movements from lying down and then jolting up onto the top of the futon, he barely registered that his ankles were tangled in sheets still.

 

Here I am, the revered, mighty warlord of the West and here I have my own bed linens compromising my form. Tch. How degrading. Giving the sheets a swift swipe of claws he was quickly freed from their possessive restraint. Now. Onto the matters that had originally alerted him to full awareness.

 

The noises of a brawl had roused the Lord of the West from his deep sleep, and he glanced around the room warily. What on earth was going on? And where was it going on at?

 

Hiss! Whap! Hiss! Whap!

 

The counterpoint of the two fighters shifted to over near the other side of the room, away from the windows. The inu youkai dressed as quickly as he could, thrusting the infamous three swords into his obi. Damn it! It sounded like a lone intruder. Why hadn't his guards stopped this dumbass in his tracks?

 

Running down the hallway and out into the courtyard, he drew Tetsuseiga and pointed it menacingly at the center of the courtyard. And then-

 

Huh?

 

“Ha ha! That's the spirit!”

 

The dragon youkai leaped across the open space, holding his right forearm out in front of him. “Now here!” he cried.

 

Hiss! Whap!

 

Ryuukotsusei faked to his left and then bore right with incredible speed. “Now!”

 

Hiss! Whap!

 

In the very center of the grass stood their young son, looking a little tired from the flow of energy leaving his body, but quite resolved. The tips of the first three fingers in his right hand glowed a phosphorescent green.

 

“Here!”

 

Hiss! Whap!

 

A long thread of energy flew out from Sesshomaru, striking the dragon's mail covered arm squarely. As soon as the pup noticed his father, a look of excitement passed over his face and he bounded with his awkward toddler gait over to Inutaisho. All energy that had been sapped by the whip was now replenished by the sight of the one he admired most.

 

“Daddyyyy! Did you see what Sessh can do?” The dog lord knelt down and spread his arms wide, catching the tiny inu pup in a giant hug. Wrapping one arm around Sesshomaru in a barrel hug, the puppy giggled and squirmed as Inutaisho held his son horizontally at his waist.

 

“I am soooo proud of you!” The inu youkai cooed at his little son. He bounced the boy on his hip, making him squeal with joy.

 

With a look at disbelief, Inutaisho looked at his mate. He pointed with his free hand at the wriggling child he held.

 

Him? He produced his whip of light? Now? The dragon just smiled and nodded, puffing his chest out proudly. Yes, stupid. I love you.

 

Inutaisho set his son down on the ground once he reached his mate's side. Ryuukotsusei encircled his broad shoulders with a strong arm, pulling his lover close to his chest.

 

He looked down at Sesshomaru, the top of whose head barely reached the middle of his thigh. “Why don't you tell your father what you did this morning?”

 

“Kay!” The child's golden eyes looked almost too big to fit in his head. He wrung his hands together in front of him, fidgeting with his surplus of proud energy.

 

“T'is morning, when I waked up, I played ou'side an' dere was a fwog. He stuck out his tongue an' gwabbed a bug. Den I got `n idea `n I could do dis!” Sesshomaru snapped out his whip of light again, decapitating a flower that hung down from a nearby tree.

 

Inutaisho leaned his head against his mate's cheek. “Wow!” He gushed. “I couldn't make mine until I was twice your age! You are getting to be such a big boy. A fine lord you will make one day!”

 

“Weally?” Sesshomaru couldn't hold his composure any longer. “Cool!” He began to skip around in a circle, grinning crazily.

 

The happy parents settled down to the ground, Ryuu not releasing the dog lord from his embrace, letting his tail curve around the inu's body as well. “I found him laying ruin to your gardens this morning. I thought it would be a good idea to start his training early before there wasn't a single leaf left for his target practice,” the dragon chuckled.

 

“My shrubbery thanks you profusely.” Inutaisho reached up his hand, intertwining his fingers with those of his mate's. He sighed watching his only child bumble about. “He found his whip of light at only age 27. Who knew that us two idiots could create such a wunderkind?”

 

Ryuukotsusei tenderly kissed the inu on his cheek and then pulled the silver hair away from his shoulder to plant one on his neck. “I don't know, love. I don't know.”

 

Inutaisho fingered the dragon's curly, purple coils of hair. “I'm not talking about now, but maybe in a couple of decades, or maybe centuries…would you like to try again? Our first one obviously didn't come out retarded or insane. The odds are good, ne?”

 

Just as he said this they saw, out of the corners of their eyes, a small bundle of demon puppy crashing into a shrub, apparently chasing after a lone firefly. However, the next second he gave up that arduous journey, when something black and bumpy caught his attention near his feet.

 

Ryuukotsusei raised an intricate brow smugly and said, “Are you sure about that?”

 

“Shut up,” Inutaisho sniffed, chuckling all the while. “But seriously, what do you think?”

 

“Hmmm.” Ryuukotsusei paused for a second before calling over his rambunctious son. “Sesshomaru, come here for a second.”

 

“What?” The toddler was mesmerized with a giant beetle he had found crawling around on the ground. He scooped it up in one hand before running over to the pair of demons.

 

The dragon pulled his son over to him so that he sat upon his lap. “Sesshomaru, would you like to have a little brother to play with?”

 

The inu pup stared up quizzically, the black and lumpy beetle all but forgotten. “A bwudder?”

 

“Yeah,” the dragon's green eyes softened. “Somebody who will look up to you. Someone for you to have fun with, teach things to, and love? I used to have one.”

 

Sesshomaru chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. Then, almost exploding, he shouted, “YEAH!”

 

Ryuukotsusei helped the child stand up and the pup scampered away, still balancing the beetle on his wrist. The pup chanted “bwudder, bwudder, bwudder, bwudder” as he ran.

 

“Maybe I should rethink the whole insane thing,” Inutaisho chuckled, shaking his head and then glancing into his lover's eyes.

 

A hand, complete with purple claws, caressed the matching stripe on his cheek. “Perhaps, but does that answer the question for you?” the dragon purred.

 

The dog lord smiled. “Ryuu, did I ever tell you how much I love you today?”

 

Ryuukotsusei rolled his eyes skyward, pretending to think. “Well, I don't know.” He pulled the dog over slightly, sliding him through the grass so that he rested between his knees.

 

“Actually, you don't have to tell me,” he whispered into Inutaisho's pointed ear. The warm tingling of his breath made him feel slightly dizzy. “I already know.”

 

With that, the pair took their leave, running as fast as they could to the bedroom before their son decided to follow.

xXx

 

Inuyasha caught sight of his father as he walked out of his room, carrying a bucket and scrub brush.

 

“Hey!” Inuyasha called. Inutaisho blanched and shoved the bucket behind his body. Using one of his claws, he punctured a fingertip and let his blood drip into the already purpled water.

 

“Hello.” The dog lord quickly composed himself.

 

Inuyasha instantly noticed that something was out of order. “Are you ok? What's with the bucket? You know we have servants to do the mopping.”

 

“Oh, I know. But you know how much of a klutz I am! The bath floor was wet, there was a song stuck in my head, and I was carrying a razor…and yeah. I made a mess. Luckily I found these cleaning supplies before it sunk into the floor. If it stained, I would probably have to replace the whole thing!”

 

Inutaisho hoped that his son didn't come any closer. His blood didn't really mask Sesshomaru's scent as much as it used to now that the youkai had reached full maturity.

 

“Oh.” The hanyou didn't completely buy into it, but he figured that his father was trying to cover up something even stupider that he had done. Like the time I walked into the room and saw something that involved a potato, a hammock, a mirror and six lit candle sticks.

 

That was a day Inuyasha wanted desperately to forget.

 

“That's ok. You don't have to tell me what it was you did. If it was anything like last time…well I'll let you have your dignity.”

 

“Thank Kami!” Inutaisho set the bucket down and slid it behind the door.

 

Inuyasha furrowed his eyebrows together. “You seen Sesshomaru? He's not in his room. I figured that Myouga had come over to tell you that, and then told you the death threats he made against you when I was gone.”

 

“Yeah, I saw him. He didn't much want to see me though.” That was an understatement, Inutaisho thought. “I think he might like to talk to you, though. He'd never ask me to send you to him, but I think he could use your company right about now.”

 

“Are you sure?” The hanyou raised an eyebrow.

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Inutaisho waved his hand dismissively. “I told you, it's not you he has the issues with. Just tell him that you were worried and that you are so glad that he's ok. You can say you're sorry, but you shouldn't have to. He needs to know that somebody cares about him. And as his overbearing, asshole father, I just don't fit that bill. You, as his mate, do, however.”

 

Inuyasha flattened his ears. “How come I'm the one that has to do all the work in our relationship?”

 

“Because if you want to get laid, it takes a little more than lubricant?” The youkai winked and touched his thumb and forefinger together.

 

“And I had to ask,” Inuyasha grumbled. “Sometimes I really do think there is something wrong with you.”

 

“But if I wasn't tragically flawed, you couldn't call me your dad, now could you?”

 

Inuyasha ignored the left handed complement. “I'm getting out of here. If you see him, tell him that I'm looking for him.”

 

“Sure thing.”

 

Inuyasha suppressed the urge to yell out `A sure thing, just like you'. It reminded him too much of something somebody else would say, namely the demon who stood directly in front of him. Shit! He was right! Bastard!

 

As soon as the hanyou turned his back, Inutaisho grabbed the bucket and ran as fast as he could outside. There was a stream not too far away that would suit his purposes quite nicely.

 

Upon reaching the fast flowing waters, he poured a little bit of the bloody mixture into the current. There was no sense in drawing lesser demons onto his land with a steady flow of thick taiyoukai blood in their water, especially a mixture that contained a hint of human royalty from Inuyasha's bloodline within it as well.

 

He watched as each drop fell and dissipated, masquerading as the color of water.

 

Here I go lying again. But I don't think this truth is mine to tell. Inutaisho hoped with all his heart that Sesshomaru didn't feel any malice towards Inuyasha. The hanyou would be even more upset than he was to begin with. He had never spoken with the hanyou about the details of what had happened behind that closed door. Be nice to him, Sesshomaru. He's all you've got.

 

xXx

 

Sesshomaru had perched himself on a rock, basking in the sunlight. His energy was finally returning to him; the weird feeling of having a split youki was gone at last. But for whatever reason he did feel a little…dare he say it…empty?

 

No that couldn't be right. He was just a little tired, that's all. After all, his body had just battled poison, been impaled by Tetsuseiga, and absorbed a pup. Who wouldn't be tired after that?

 

The twinge of a youkai aura made him reel around to face directly into the sunlight. But it was not a pure youkai; it had to be Inuyasha. He reached under the neck of his haori and brushed his mark. The action was like instinct, the rush of blood that the touch gave him caused him to tense and draw in a sharp breath. He noticed that the figure in the distance stopped dead in his tracks, grasping a hand to his shoulder as well. Both brothers looked up, holding each other's gaze, posed like mirror images with a single arm reaching towards their marks.

 

Inuyasha gingerly approached the taiyoukai. I don't see any open hostility. Maybe the old codger was right. “Can I sit down?” he asked.

 

Sesshomaru scooted over, creating a space just big enough for the hanyou to sit. Neither one had returned his hand back to his side; both swung their legs so that the heels thudded dully against the side of the rock. Inuyasha leaned in a little closer so that their shoulders grazed against one another, but Sesshomaru shifted sideways, refilling the buffer of air between them. Refusal burned the hanyou from the inside. The calls of birds filled the silence with song so that neither inu had to say a word.

 

“Sesshomaru, I'm sorry. I know I can probably never make it up to you, but I have to try,” he whispered.

 

“I cannot fully accept that apology, but cannot be angry with you, either. He used you as his puppet.” Sesshomaru continued to watch his feet rise and fall as they struck the stone each time. “He probably told you the powder was an aphrodisiac or something.”

 

Inuyasha nodded. “He didn't really tell me anything at all, just that it was from your father.”

 

“My father,” he repeated. “Ah.”

 

The hanyou looked over to his brother, hoping that maybe, just maybe Sesshomaru would just look him in the eyes. The youkai just continued to stare intently downward and outward. Flicking his ears, Inuyasha sighed. Why does love hurt so much?

 

“If you don't mind, what happened exactly? That is, if you even want to talk about it. You know what? Forget I even asked,” Inuyasha sputtered. Did he just see the thought of a smile flit across his mate's face?

 

“If you want to ask a question, ask it and I will answer.” Sesshomaru finally turned his face to Inuyasha. He looked genuinely curious.

 

“Oh, ok,” he muttered.

 

“I don't see the point in lies,” Sesshomaru growled. Inuyasha could feel the venom of the phrase directed to someone far, far away. In the distance, someone sneezed.

 

The inu hanyou inspected his claws. “Well, in that case, what did it feel like?”

 

“You really want to know?” Sesshomaru's lips were pressed into a thin line.

 

Unburden yourself, Sesshomaru. If you let me care, maybe I would. “Yeah,” he answered

 

“It felt like a thousand fires burning through my flesh. Then, I tried to release my true form. Do you know anything about activating your true form at will, Inuyasha?”

 

The hanyou was taken aback at the question. He struggled to put it into words. “Well, whenever I get angry, I just feel another part of me come alive. Then I just sort of surrender my human self to my demon self. Is that kind of what you do?”

 

“Not really,” he stated blandly. Inuyasha waited for him to continue. When he did not, the younger inu rubbed his shoulder and just smiled when Sesshomaru startled forward at the touch. The youkai glared, but only with a slight annoyance.

 

“My true form is not stored in my blood. It is in my mind. I inherited it from your father because the shape of one's true form comes from the one who gave birth to you. Only when I see it clearly can I let my body become what is in my mind.”

 

“Oh. I guess it makes sense that mine is in my blood considering that I am a being of mixed blood.”

 

“Perhaps.” Sesshomaru had not really taken the time to think about the mechanics of a hanyou transformation. “When I went to call my form I saw my inner inu demon. However, the dragon poison awakened the half of me that belonged to my dragon father. Because our father was uke to Ryuukotsusei, I watched my dragon half pin my inu true form into submission and thus couldn't move.”

 

“That sucks.” Inuyasha didn't really have any better response. And, for the first time, Sesshomaru smiled.

 

“I know it does. In that moment, I had no control over myself. In fact I didn't even exist. All there was in the world was Lord Inutaisho and the Great Ryuukotsusei.” He tapped his claws on his knee. “And in that world, there is only one possibility.”

 

Sesshomaru watched as Inuyasha tried to sort through all of the information. Damn you, Father. By subduing my inner youkai, you condemned me to filling your place. You were the one that made me uke, weren't you. You make me live out your stupid fantasies just because you don't have the guts to pull out that claw and take the raw love of your estranged mate yourself. When that happens I hope it hurts.

 

Inuyasha understood. He himself couldn't be divided into a strong inu and weak human half in his mind; there were no miniature versions of Inutaisho and Izayoi that hid themselves away in his brain. Hell, his human half and demon half could hardly share a body and proved this by kicking one another out of Inuyasha's body in rhythm to the lunar cycle. However, he did understand the struggle of having two forces at war within the confines of yourself. If there was one thing that Sesshomaru had stood for and always would stand for, it would be the control of his own destiny.

 

The hanyou looked over again at his brother who had resumed spacing out into nothingness. Reaching over, Inuyasha snaked his arm over his brother's shoulder. Please, accept me. It's the only thing I can offer you.

 

He felt the tight musculature clench under the weight of his arm in surprise, but the youkai didn't pull away. Slowly, Sesshomaru relaxed and closed his eyes slightly. Inuyasha slid his hand down his mate's back so that it rested in the space between his ribs and his hips, pulling the two of them closer together. The hanyou rested his head on his brother's shoulder and nuzzled the crown of his head against the pure white neck.

 

Hesitant, Sesshomaru leaned his own head over to the side. He was surprised at how content and warm he felt to be in this quiet embrace. Timidly, he reached out and grasped Inuyasha's hand in his own and just sat there in the stillness.

 

“Aniki, I'm sorry for what happened,” Inuyasha whispered.

 

“I know. I told you it wasn't your fault.”

 

“But still. I worried about you. You were so sick.”

 

The sun was beginning to set, and Sesshomaru turned his thoughts to the impending dinner. Perhaps because neither of them would be carrying pups, they would be able to undo their markings and redo them in a second mating. A fair mating. One that Sesshomaru knew he would win without any interference from daddy dearest.

 

The more he thought about it, the more that had to be the most logical course. Next time, he might even let Inuyasha have his way with him. He had learned one good thing about being the bottom. You could be a total sloth and get relatively the same amount of pleasure. Perhaps that was why his father had been so partial to just lying on his back.

 

Lazy bastard.

 

Sesshomaru ran his fingers through Inuyasha's hair, causing the hanyou to squeeze him tighter. Inuyasha was amazed at how affectionate the demon could be; did a mark really bond them this much? Or had Sesshomaru always felt something for him and now he had an excuse to express it openly?

 

Maybe he had to pretend to hate me so that our father wouldn't forget about Ryuu. He didn't want to like me but he really does and was just afraid.

 

Regardless, it didn't really matter now. He grinned.

 

“Sesshomaru?” He asked.

 

“Mmmm?”

 

“Can you keep a secret?”

 

The taiyoukai rolled his eyes. “Yes. What is it?”

 

“I love you.”

 

That special bite pulsed with energy as he said those words. Sesshomaru was a little puzzled at his mate's confession, but he nodded. “Don't worry. I shall not tell anyone your secret, otouto.”

 

“Good.”

 

The two inus sat bathed in the dying rays of the sun, just soaking up the feeling of what it was like to have a true mate. Once the stars began to appear in the sky Sesshomaru wriggled out of his brother's hold. Inuyasha tried to pull him back, but his elder brother brushed his hands aside.

 

“I hope the dinner is by candle light,” he mused, noticing the darkened skies.

 

“Oh shit! I completely forgot about that.” Inuyasha raced forward, leaving his brother walking at a stately pace. When the hanyou realized that his brother was not following him, he frowned.

 

“Hurry up. It's already dark!” He growled.

 

Sesshomaru pointed his nose skyward and glanced at his brother from a tilted angle. “Mate or no, you still are an idiot, aren't you?”

 

Pulling his youki around him in a giant green ball, he began to fly as fast as he could to the castle of the Lord of the West. He laughed as he noticed the dumbfounded look on Inuyasha's face when he shot by him.

 

“Hey, asshole! That's not fair,” he whined. Running as fast as he could, Inuyasha chased after the glowing orb of energy that he knew was mocking him with every springing step that he took.

 

xXx

 

 

Back in the palace's dining room, waiting anxiously for his sons, sat Inutaisho. Myouga, being impatient as ever, bit into the lord's hand and drank deeply, earning a slap and a scold. The white haired dog could not help but wonder the whereabouts of his two sons. When he finally saw his eldest's sailing energy ball through the window, the sight of food made him queasy. Myouga hopped to his master's shoulder, sensing his uncertainty at the arrival.

 

“You know, sire, a friend told me once that it is always the darkest before it goes pitch black,” the flea warned

 

Inutaisho ran his fingers through the ponytail of his long, tied back hair. “Yes, but we can't stagnate like this forever.”

 

Now he heard the voice of Inuyasha speaking softly, just outside the dining hall. At least he had arrived with his brother. Reflexively, Inutaisho started dishing himself some of the venison that had been heaped on the table to each plate. You can't put your foot in your mouth if you fill it with food, came the mantra of the day.

 

The doors slammed against their stops as Sesshomaru threw them open; Inuyasha was nearly hit by the giant wooden panels as they recoiled backwards Sesshomaru took his place at the table, Inuyasha moving to sit beside him. Inutaisho met Sesshomaru's eyes, quickly swallowing the secret bite he had stolen from his plate.

 

“I bet you have had a rough day, Father. Let's eat,” Sesshomaru said dripping with a fake kindness. The Lord of the West took another bite. Who was he to argue with that request?

 

Great Kami, it was going to be a long night.

 

Thanks a lot for the support on the last chapter you guys! You have no idea how scared I was to post. Review please! I love hearing from you all. Every view is unique.