InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Topsy Turvy ❯ Star Crossed ( Chapter 9 )

Quick Note: I have just had surgery, so I have been a little out of it of late. A stupid evil cyst just decided to exist in my back, and then I lost the ability to sit because it hurt so bad. Soooo, that has affected my writing speed. And my beta's sick. Get better Dem!

 

Ok. So also in this story, I mention the Japanese holiday of Chugen. In this holiday, generally gifts are given by people to members of their families, acquaintances, and especially to those higher than them, such as their boss. Usually the gifts are everyday objects, but sometimes not. Gift giving is a very integral part of Japanese culture. Keep this in mind.

 

Synopsis: Stargazing (yes! Russanya did research actual Japanese star myths), a different take on Izayoi, and what you all have been waiting for…the err star-crossed Ryuunion of two very special lovers (ha! I made a joke) and hopefully a very satisfying event at the end.

 

Beta: The absolutely amazing Demitria Miriam, for whom I am eternally indebted to and worship.

 

Disclaimer: I do not profit off of InuYasha in any way. But if Rumiko makes money off of this story somehow…she better give me a cut.

 

Inutaisho and his son stared into the sky, searching the heavens for anything that resembled a comet. The Lord of the West was puzzled at the midnight velvet carpet that was empty of anything but fixed, twinkling, happy stars. He swore that they were taunting him.

 

Good omen for the dinner, my ass. Damn astrologer. I thought he said tonight was the comet. Or wait…did he say that yesterday? Inutaisho thought, somewhat puzzled.

 

Inuyasha stared up at the stars, the pain in his heart evident upon his face. Inutaisho couldn't help but feel slightly responsible for it, and it burned in the pit of his stomach. What could he do to cheer him up?

 

“Have I ever told you the story about the emperor Tentei, his daughter Orihime, and her suitor Kengyuu?”

 

Of course I haven't. Inutaisho thought. For the two hundred years I have lived with him in my household, I never gazed at the stars with him. Only with Izayoi after a night of love. And before that only with… Inutaisho didn't really want to think about that any further. He just wanted his son to be happy.

 

Inuyasha dragged his toes through the sandy ground below their feet, making swirling circles in the dirt. “No,” he said, not bothering to look up.

 

“This was a story your mother told me. It's something that humans tell one another to make sense of the heavens they do not understand themselves. They have a great number of myths to explain the stars in the sky.” Inutaisho glanced over nervously, seeing if his little hint of the story's origin had roused Inuyasha at all.

 

The hanyou lifted his eyes a little. “That's strange. Don't they know that stars have spirits of their own?”

 

Inutaisho rolled his eyes. “Yes, some do, but that doesn't make a good story now does it?”

 

The dog lord pulled his son close to him and pointed into the sky. He closed one eye so that he had the same vantage point as the disgruntled hanyou.

 

“Ok, now imagine that star right there is Tentei and that milky band of stars is the river.” Inutaisho gestured to the Milky Way and a bright star off to the side. “The brighter one next to Tentei is Orihime, and the one across the river with the slight reddish cast is Kengyuu.”

 

Inuyasha had to narrow his eyes to see the stars a little more clearly.

 

“One day, the emperor's daughter, Orihime, was sitting beside the river of heaven. She had been weaving because her father, the emperor, loved the beautiful clothes that she made. One day, she was very sad because she realized that she had been so busy that she didn't have time to fall in love. Her father, Tentei, the ruler of the heavens, felt sorry for her and arranged a marriage with Kengyuu, who lived across the river. Their marriage was one of sweetness and happiness from the start; and everyday thereafter they grew happier and happier.”

 

Inuyasha smiled slightly. “An optimistic ending. I see what you are trying to do. Don't push it.”

 

“I'm not finished yet.” The older inu folded his arms across his chest.

 

“But you sounded done,” Inuyasha whined.

 

“Quiet.” Inutaisho cleared his throat and began to fiddle with his hair tie, making sure it was perfectly level. “Moving on. Soon her father Tentei became very angry, because in spending so much time in her happy marriage, Orihime was neglecting her weaving. Tentei decided to separate the couple, so he placed them back in their original places, separated by the river. On only one night of the year would he allow them to meet, the 7th day of the 7th month.”

 

“Oh ok. Are you trying to tell me something?” The hanyou felt his mood rise a little bit as he made a joke. He raised an eyebrow at his father, who looked slightly green.

 

“No. This is just how the story goes,” he snapped. “Are you going to listen or not?” Inutaisho was a little surprised at his reaction, but he had so little control.

 

Inuyasha noticed the surprise that passed through his father's eyes “Fine. Carry on, my lord,” he said, bowing ever so slightly. Touché.

 

Relieved, the inu youkai returned his hand to his son's shoulder and traced a path in the sky. “Every year on that day, from the mouth of the river, the boat man, you know, the moon, comes to ferry Orihime over to her beloved Kengyuu. But, if Orihime has not done her weaving to the best of her skills and ability, Tentei may make it rain. When it rains, the boatman will not come because the river is flooded.

 

The hanyou flattened his ears to his head. “I suppose I was wrong. That's a depressing story, only being able to see one another once a year and maybe not even. I mean, what if it rains everyday that she is supposed to go?”

 

Inutaisho shushed him. “I'm not done yet.” The dog lord coughed exaggeratedly to fake his annoyance. “However, in such a case, a group of magpies may still fly to the river of stars to make a bridge for Orihime to cross. And that night is what makes their lives worthwhile.”

 

“Oh.” Inuyasha studied the skies harder. The seventh day of the seventh month was close. Sometime next week.

 

He suddenly remembered something. “And what about that comet?”

 

“Comet? Did I say something about a comet?” Inutaisho bluffed, forcing the most baffled expression on his face. Shit! I've been found out! But I could have sworn it was today.

 

Inuyasha shrugged. “Ah, doesn't matter.”

 

Inutaisho relaxed. Thank kami.

 

The older inu suddenly felt a little tightness in his heart, like he had just remembered something he had forgotten to do long ago. Strange. He leaned against a stone pillar, suddenly a little bit exhausted.

 

“Are you alright?” Inuyasha asked.

 

“Yeah. I must just be getting old or something. I think I need to turn in for the night.” Inutaisho rubbed his eyes and forehead.

 

Inuyasha stared at him expectantly as his father squinted, thinking.

 

What the hell has come over me all of the sudden? I feel like I'm forgetting something.

 

“You should come in, too. He'll be back, don't worry.”

 

His youngest son stood with his back turned to him, nose to the stars. “I don't think I'm ready to go just yet. The night feels good on my skin for some reason.”

 

Inutaisho sighed. “I'll stay here for a little longer. Nobody likes to be alone.” Sliding his back down the pillar, he sat on the ground and rested his forehead against his knees.

 

The tugging feeling became a warming sensation, reminding him of a million different memories of his childhood. Arms circling around him, the aroma of a fresh meal, and the haze of a lazy afternoon all popped into his head.

 

I really should go to sleep somewhere else besides here, like my bed. This is too weird. Inutaisho was hurtling through the liquid of time, and he could feel it submersing him head first.

 

Keep yourself together! He shook his head and opened his mouth to speak to Inuyasha, but the hanyou had already turned to face him.

 

“Father, is that the comet that we were supposed to see? It's not in the same quadrant of the sky, and it's kind of a strange color. Is that supposed to be an extra special omen or something?” Inuyasha questioned.

 

Inutaisho raised a flat hand to his eyebrows, searching the inky heavens. There was something shooting through the skies…but it was not a star.

 

“Inuyasha. It is not safe for you to be here. Go inside. Grab the Tetsuseiga and hide. Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself.”

 

“What the hell are you talking about?!” Inuyasha growled.

 

He wants me to wield his sword and take cover. Why the fuck is he so scared? “It's not like the comet has a personal vendetta against you or anything. You said it was a good omen”

 

“That's not a comet.” Inutaisho whispered. That heart deep pull. How could I have been so stupid? But more importantly, how is this possible? He shouldn't be here. He sniffed the air, now starting to smell the scent of blood lust. His thoughts then wandered to his other child. Where's Sesshomaru?

 

Inuyasha was determined. “Well than what else is it? Sure, it might be purple, but…Father?”

 

Inutaisho's eyes began to glow red. Fighting his youki, he suppressed the surge of power, his fists clenched. Inuyasha had never seen the daiyoukai loose control of his own youki in public. In fact, he had only seen it happen once to Sesshomaru, and that was a very long time ago.

 

I have to get my swords. If he means anything malicious at all, I must have my swords, came a racing thought to Inutaisho.

 

The streak of the comet was beginning to grow larger, losing its trail of fast energy, becoming more focused and spherical. He clutched a hand to his chest.

 

He is trying so hard to locate me, I can feel him. He could feel so much in his heart deep tie. Panic. Anger. Confusion. Jealousy. Urgency. But he did feel another emotion flowing into him, and at a rate he had missed for such a long time.

 

He could feel love.

 

“That, my son,” Inutaisho panted, “is Ryuukotsusei.”

 

The hanyou froze. “But isn't he—”

 

Inutaisho shook his head. “Not anymore, apparently.” The dog lord laughed, throwing back his head.

 

Feeling so euphoric and yet scared shitless at the same time, his face resorted to his default expression, grinning like an idiot. I am ready Ryuu! I will not ignore this any longer.

 

Inuyasha had never experienced anything like this before. Inutaisho had never really been on the shy side, but the demon beside him had a new found strength, an inner fortitude that he never knew his father had. To his surprise, Inutaisho threw off his haori, the planes of his chest electrified in the moonlight. In stark contrast with the ivory skin, his mark, usually hidden by the thinnest silk, screamed out in scarlet. The dog lord rested his hands against the tips of his hip bones that just barely peeked out from the band of his hakama.

 

When he had sealed Ryuukotsusei so long ago, half of his own power had been frozen away, never to be touched; it was the energy that kept the dragon alive on the other side of the claw. This was no time to get cocky; he knew that his mate was fueled by the same fusion of power. Their fate was sealed in the instant they were marked.

 

“Inuyasha.” Inutaisho let the red of his youki bleed into his eyes again, this time willfully. “My mate has returned, and this is his home.”

 

Inuyasha felt his muscles seize up with adrenaline. His body was on fire. He looked over to his father one last time, but the gaze was not returned.

 

“I suggest you run.”

 

xXx

 

(From the memory of Izayoi- approximately 150 years into the past)

 

“Oh!” The elegant woman raised a hand to her mouth. “Honey, let me help you with that.”

 

The hanyou child was happily plunging his clawed finger into the pot of fresh honey Izayoi had just collected. Undeterred by the gooey mess that oozed from finger to finger, Inuyasha enjoyed the snack while he tried to lick himself clean. Izayoi pried the pot from her son's hands and replaced the cap that had slid from the top. Knowing that it would only slip off again when the child would run to give the gift to its receiver, she tied a ribbon around the container.

 

She had her own captive hive that she kept in a small barn near a grove of plum trees. The nectar from the lord's orchard made the honey flavored with sweetness she had never known living among her race. She had no fear of reaching in to remove the food. Had her father seen her do such a thing, being of such noble birth, he would have chided her for threatening the unblemished skin of her hands and wrists. The favor of the Lord of the West clung to her human flesh, scattering the hardworking insects to either side of her intruding fingers.

 

Inuyasha wandered over to the fountain and cleaned the rest of the mess from his hands. Though he was half human, his demon blood decelerated his aging like nothing Izayoi had ever known. Since the Lord of the West had taken her into his household, she had learned so much about youkai, things that had never even occurred to her before.

 

When she had first met the daiyoukai in the forest, by looks alone, she judged him to be a young man of about twenty five years. It wasn't until one day that he made a comment about how he hadn't had “so much fun in centuries” that she got a glimpse into his true age. Though Inutaisho never would tell her how old he really was, she was able to infer from jibes made to him by Sesshomaru that he had walked the earth for at least two millennia. It really shouldn't have surprised her that her hanyou son now looked only eight years old after a full 50 years of life.

 

It saddened her that she would never see Inuyasha reach his own adult hanyou threshold. If she was lucky, she might see him reach his teens. However, she was glad that nobody in her immortal adopted family would watch her mortal body wither and die. Her lover had seen to it that she receive a potion of foul smelling demon herbs every day that would make her appear young, so that she would not feel so inadequate.

 

In a way it was almost worse. She felt her body aging even if she didn't see it in the mirror. One day, when it was her time, she would simply leave her eternally young body behind, and that would be that. Inutaisho hardly kept track of time, and why would he have to? He seemed to just cavort about the lands like an overgrown pup; she seriously doubted that he even knew that she had passed her seventieth birthday. However, she always got the sneaking suspicion that his secretive, older son counted every day she was alive.

 

Izayoi never regretted mortal life. Sometimes, she was just so tired.

 

Sesshomaru. Izayoi had never really understood her son's full demon, half brother. Come to think of it, she had never seen the pale inu smile. In the court, on the lands, behind the scenes, he was always there; he was always watching. She had tried to act kindly to him, offering him gifts and other polite gestures, but he always brushed them aside.

 

No matter what she gave him, he always turned it away. The more he shunned her, the more she was intrigued by him. If only she could get him to talk to her. She could feel the pain and darkness that he held close; she always wondered if it was the loss of his mother at an early age. If only he would let her, she would have gladly tried to heal him.

 

Izayoi had fallen in love with humans. Her original betrothed had been a rather crooked general, who accepted bribes from anyone. She had fallen in love with a demon. He was the most fearsome creature she had ever known and had watched him decimate with his own hands the home and family that had raised her. Even after she had seen the blood of her relatives dripping from his sword, she still followed him to his castle, cradling his child in her arms. She had fallen in love with her own hanyou son. This beast would never truly be accepted by demon or human society. Only the luck of his father's noble status would protect his future.

 

Izayoi could love anyone. Why would Sesshomaru be any different?

 

Inutaisho never answered her questions about his eldest son.

 

`If he wants you to know, he will tell you. I do not pretend to know everything about my own sons. There are some things he would never dream of telling me,' he would say.

 

A familiar voice disturbed her from her thoughts. “Mom, do you think he would like this?”

 

“What's that, love?” Izayoi leaned down so that she was at the boy's level. Inuyasha held out an obi. The length was wrapped several times around his hands so that he could hold it.

 

“This one. I got it from a shop in the village,” he beamed.

 

“I thought your father and I told you not to go to the village anymore without one of us with you. It's dangerous for a child to go all alone,” Izayoi scolded gently.

 

“Oh don't worry, nobody saw me. I just saw it in the shop and I grabbed it and ran.”

 

Oh boy.

 

“Inuyasha, things like this, especially fine things like this cost money. Somebody saw you in the shop when you paid, surely.”

 

The pup's eyes searched upwards as he began to giggle. “I knew I forgot to do something.”

 

Not much I can do about it now. Izayoi smiled and pressed her hands together. “Well, you can give it to him, and if he doesn't like it we will both go back to the village and return it together. If he does like it, I will just make a donation to the shopkeeper.”

 

“Hai!”

 

The obi was a blend of beautifully dyed silk. It was close in color to the one he already wore, being gold and striped with blue. However, at the ends, it was a little fancier than the older inu's sash, having a motif that looked slightly like the waves reaching up to the golden sky left by the setting sun. Izayoi did know that Sesshomaru hated change, and this obi was so close to the pattern of his old one, he just might appreciate the thoughtfulness behind the gift.

 

Today was the beginning of Chugen, and although the youkai never celebrated the holiday, it was one little human tradition that she held on to. As she always gave gifts to those older than her, here that was practically everyone. She had originally hoped to use it to mend her at best strained relationship with the Lord's eldest son. Sesshomaru refused anything from her, but to her surprise, he welcomed the gifts from Inuyasha.

 

“Let me wrap that up for you.” Izayoi folded the obi carefully and placed it in the paper she had brought out with her. After folding and tying her intricate masterpiece, she handed it to Inuyasha.

 

“I'm going to give it to him now.”

 

“Ok.”

 

Izayoi sighed as he disappeared into the forest. His brother was quite an enigma. Sesshomaru never showed any interest in the little hanyou pup that was just so fascinated by him. It was a wonder that Inuyasha continued to follow his brother around. The most the future lord ever said to the hanyou was an insult.

 

What do my son and I both see in him?

 

One day, Inuyasha would hit his teens, and the sweetness of this age would leave him. No doubt when Izayoi was dead, the bottom of Sesshomaru's pent up anger and sarcasm would fall out, sweeping the two brothers up in a rivalry neither of them needed. These were the good days now.

 

Izayoi wandered out to the riverside, curious to watch the exchange between the inu brothers. She knew Sesshomaru would sense her, but she didn't care. She continued journeying in the direction of her son.

 

In an open stretch of forest she stopped to rest. Seventy years on the inside kept her from moving too fast. After a brief pause she stepped onto a patch of slightly unstable ground. The earth gave way to reveal a hunter's pit, placed there by some of Inutaisho's soldiers in the hope of catching some meat.

 

The fall did not hurt her as much as it shocked her. After checking over herself, she found no injuries, save a bruise on her leg where she slid down the side of the ditch. There was nothing else she could do but wait for somebody stronger than her little mortal self to save her.

 

“Inuyasha!” She called out. “Inuyasha, can you get your father?”

 

No answer.

 

“Inutaisho?” She tried again.

 

Still no answer.

 

The sun set slowly, hidden by the forest canopy above. Izayoi tried to claw up the pit in vain, but the most she succeeded to do was to fill her fingernails and shoes with grime. A soft mist of rain now coated the earth around her, making her hair stick to her face and puddles of mud to form at her feet.

 

Her voice rasped from yelling names, it burned the back of her throat just to breathe. As the stars in the sky appeared overhead, the defeated woman sank to her knees in the filth.

 

Where are you, my dearest?

 

Everything faded into black as she surrendered to sleep.

 

In her dreams, a pair of hands lifted her out from the darkness. They wrapped so gently and carefully around her waist, she almost didn't realize that she had woken up. Only seeing a bit of white kimono and the long clawed fingers, Izayoi was slightly unsure of her rescuer's identity, but whoever it was could jump over ten feet vertically. This feat was normal; she lived with demons now. When the silver white hair brushed her face, there was only one possibility.

 

“Oh, dearest. Thank you for coming,” she whispered. How did he find me? Did he track my scent when I didn't return to his bedside tonight?

 

A bitter voice answered her. “Never call me that again.”

 

Izayoi's eyes widened. “Gomen nasai. I did not realize it was you.”

 

“I only did this because he wanted me to.”

 

Of course. Izayoi smiled. “Where is your father?”

 

“He left in the morning to visit a neighboring province,” Sesshomaru said.

 

“I see,” Izayoi nodded.

 

A haggard looking Inuyasha came tearing out from the cover of trees. He saw his brother had flown off somewhere, but it had taken a while for his tiny body to catch up with the inu daiyoukai. To his surprise, Sesshomaru held his mother's waist in his hands, and she stared into the demon's frigid eyes with a dazed expression.

 

Before the inu pup reached the pair, Sesshomaru spoke to Izayoi. “This is yours. I know it is.”

 

Izayoi blushed. She staggered away from the fair-skinned demon when he let go of her, her balance and grace flowing into her slowly.

 

“I cannot accept this from you.” He held out the pot of honey. At Inuyasha's arrival, he handed the container to his young half brother.

 

“Thank you.” The words were not what she wished to say, but she couldn't think of better.

 

The youkai said nothing in return. She had come to expect this, although it never lessened the emptiness inside of her heart when the words ceased to come. Turning away from Izayoi, Sesshomaru began to march slowly to the castle.

 

As she watched him disappear into the distance, she noticed something unusual. Expertly tied and fluttering against the sides of his hakama in the wind, he wore a different obi. Similar, yes, but not the same.

 

Inuyasha tugged at her muddy sleeve. “Mama, I didn't know where you were. I was so scared. I didn't know what to do.”

 

Izayoi thought back to Sesshomaru's words.

 

`I only did this because he wanted me to.'

 

Inutaisho couldn't have asked such a favor of his eldest. He had already left on business. That could only mean…

 

Her son babbled on. “He wouldn't take the honey. And he hates the obi but he never gave it back. He's such a meanie.”

 

“I know sweetie.” Izayoi knelt down to her son's level, enveloping the pup in her arms. Cradling his weight close to her heart, she lifted him up. Either Inuyasha was really starting to get heavy, or her age was starting to really add lead to her bones.

 

Something made her smile as she thought about the solitary youkai, hiding from her son as he redressed with the obi that he hated so much. “I know.”

 

(End of Izayoi's memory)

 

xXx

 

Ryuukotsusei pressed his eyelids together tightly, focusing on the invisible red string that bound him and his mate together. Inutaisho was not far from here; in fact Ryuukotsusei could determine the exact location of the Western Lord. He was in the courtyard, standing above the stairway that led down into the garden, closest to the dining hall. The dragon smiled. He was good and he knew it.

 

Inutaisho had never been quite so good at tracking, but early in their pairing, they would play hide and go seek, trying to hide themselves from the pull of their own marks. The ryuu youkai had only evaded his lover once, and even that only lasted for five minutes. The dog had a specialty of his own; he could sense emotions through the bind of the mark. Ryuukotsusei never pretended to be jealous of that empathic ability though. As much as he loved his mate, sometimes he wondered if sharing a true empathic link would have driven him mad. The violent kaleidoscopic storms that were the moods of Inutaisho were an experience of their own, if only to be seen.

 

However, as detached as the dragon was, he could feel the raw attraction, love, and longing that poured from the inu youkai. He feels me. He wants me. He needs me.

 

No, this wouldn't make Ryuukotsusei forget about the past two centuries he had spent pinned to the cliff of Musashi. It wouldn't make him entirely forgive his clandestine unions with that mortal whore. It most certainly wouldn't make him forgive the fact that in some castle, a long time ago, that his mate rescued a child from death that shared half of the lord's blood and none of the dragon's.

 

You will pay, Inutaisho, but if you play it right, we both just might get what we want.

 

The castle was visible in the distance. Just like I thought. Two hundred years have not dulled my sense of tracking. The dragon slowed his flight and floated more leisurely through the air. His mate wasn't running anywhere; he could take his time for a dramatic entrance.

 

Inutaisho stood transfixed by the violet haired demon that was enshrouded by his purple cocoon of electricity. Is this Ryuukotsusei? My Ryuukotsusei? The demon inside the sphere had the same white face as unreadable as a mask, the same spear ended tail, and the same emerald toned eyes that calculated every thought behind the rice paper thin façade of the inu youkai.

 

The dragon descended upon the ground, his youki sizzling against the earth before it rejoined his body. Neither demon released eye contact. With sure and graceful footsteps, he approached Inutaisho, reaching out his right hand. Inutaisho closed his eyes as the palm slid gently across the hollow of his cheek.

 

Ryuukotsusei lifted the inu's chin with an index finger. “200 years, my love.” Inutaisho yelped slightly as the dragon's other hand landed upon his bare abdominals. The dragon smirked. “And I can see it was nearly 200 years without sex. I didn't know you had it in you. I am impressed. Guilt does wonders.”

 

Why are you being such a tease? The Lord of the West narrowed his eyes. I feel your anger. Say what is really on your mind.

 

“Let me ask you something. Was whatever that kept you from releasing me and finishing our business worth it? Or was this something else, a love you were willing to die for?” The dragon sneered. “Have you given that stupid mortal an immortality potion? Do you transfuse her with your own blood to keep her alive?”

 

“Izayoi died 150 years ago. Let the dead rest.” Inutaisho barked. Ryuukotsusei was being far too nice. The bland smile plastered on his mate's face frightened him much more than the fight they had before the dragon was sealed.

 

“Ah.” The ryuu youkai smiled politely. “And now that 200 years have passed, I am sure you have disposed of that unsightly hanyou child. 100 years of age is usually the time by which a hanyou is capable of living on its own.”

 

Inutaisho gulped. “Ummm…Ryuu? There's some things we should probably sit down and talk about. You know how I have a hard time letting go of some things—”

 

Ryuukotsusei interrupted. “I have been your mate for a full millennium. I understand your idiosyncrasies. I am sure you told yourself many times that you were going to release me tomorrow, but then tomorrow just grew into centuries. I could smell your presence and sense the sorrow in the tears that you shed on the ground.”

 

Inutaisho would not lie about that. As much pain as he had shouldered by keeping Ryuukotsusei captive, the procrastinator in him always had the last laugh.

 

The ryuu youkai was dizzyingly close. The gentle hiss behind his voice in his breathing was now clear to the dog lord. It reminded him of the sounds that the demon made long ago as he lay next to him in bed, sound asleep.

 

Ryuukotsusei continued. “Am I disappointed in you, as my mate? Yes. Am I angry with you? No.”

 

The dragon drew Inutaisho into his arms, tracing the inu youkai's lip with his forked tongue. Unable to hold back any longer, Inutaisho took the lead, hungrily grasping at the dragon with his lips. The chill of Ryuukotsusei's armor pressing against his bare skin only spurned him on to hunt for more warmth in the mouth of the dragon.

 

“Let's go inside. I can tell you have suffered enough. Do you think our bed will recognize me?” The dragon grabbed a hold of Inutaisho's ponytail and tugged it in the direction of the castle.

 

“Ryuu, there are some things that we really need to talk about, before we continue.” I have to tell him about Inuyasha. I can't just keep this from him, and in the mean time, I wouldn't have anywhere to hide the hanyou in question.

 

The dragon rolled his eyes. “What is it then?”

 

Where to start…thought Inutaisho.

 

A slight rustling of the bushes made Ryuukotsusei scan the area immediately. He flicked out his tongue, testing the air. Withdrawing it back into his mouth, he studied the sample in his mind, analyzing his palate like a wine taster.

 

Inutaisho blushed. Oh, shit.

 

The dragon turned back to face his mate. “Inutaisho, correct me if I am wrong, but do I smell a hanyou in our midst?”

 

“Well I said we have to talk…”

 

The dragon's eyes blazed red and he raked his claws over the dog's bare chest. Inutaisho winced. He had never stopped taking his daily regiment of antidote, but it didn't mean that the poison was painless. Ryuukotsusei called upon his youki to release his true form. In a panic, Inutaisho joined his mate in his own unfettered form, pouncing upon the narrow snakelike body, trying to pin the dragon to the ground.

 

Ryuukotsusei reared up, attempting to shake off the dog's giant body. “You have kept this embarrassment at your side, rather than me. Things will be even between you and I soon, mate. Surely you understand.”

 

“You will not hurt him. Your battle is with me. Remember, I am the unfaithful one.” Inutaisho's voice cracked on the word unfaithful.

 

“Yes. Which is naturally why you must pay for your mistake.” The dragon finally broke free from the barrel hold Inutaisho had made over his body. “Even if you are the Lord of the West, you don't get to do whatever you want. I am sure that by now I am a laughing stock among my kind,” he added.

 

“There are no more of your kind,” Inutaisho barked.

 

“What?” What the hell happened in 200 years?

 

“You heard me. There was war on your ancestral lands, and the northern ryuu clan was slaughtered.”

 

Ryuukotsusei froze. “Why didn't you help them? With your political power, you could have swayed so many powerful allies. Are you truly that selfish?”

 

“No. Your family is so fucking prideful that they didn't even ask, let alone did I know about it until it was too late.”

 

Ryuukotsusei lunged at the dog, narrowly missing the great white throat. “I see. My fight is with you. But, what would hurt you more than to lose your favorite son?”

 

“My favorite?”

 

“Honestly now. Do you think that Sesshomaru would have set me free if he hadn't felt just a little bit slighted?”

 

Kami-sama! Sesshomaru set you free? How?!?! Shit!

 

Inuyasha, knowing his cover was blown, stepped free of the foliage. He could have sworn that the two had already gone inside before he went to look for Sesshomaru. I can't believe that my father told me to wield his sword. He knows that the attacks I make won't hurt Ryuukotsusei, I don't even know how this thing works.

 

The hanyou drew the sword, thoroughly surprised when the blade flashed gold and nearly quadrupled in size. Getting over his initial shock, he pointed the weapon at the violet scaled dragon who was slithering towards him. Keh! I don't know how to use this thing, but he doesn't need to know that.

 

Ryuukotsusei opened his mouth and began to form a ball of lightning between his teeth. What the hell is he doing now? That attack is huge! Inuyasha stood there paralyzed with strategic thought.

 

“Inuyasha! You fool! Run!” The Inutaisho barked, cursing himself for not taking Inuyasha on battles with him as often as Sesshomaru. The laziness of using the strength of his eldest son to settle disputes in the quickest amount of time was starting to bite him in the ass. If you survive this, I will train you to the level that I trained Sesshomaru. Even he cannot teach you everything.

 

Thinking quickly, the hanyou held out the flat of the sword, which deflected the ball of flames, sending it rolling off at a tangent. The scorched earth trail that it left behind cut through the courtyard, a portion of the castle, the entry, and finally to the forest beyond.

 

My garden! thought Inutaisho. He grabbed the dragon's tail in his fangs and shook it, catching his mate unawares. In retaliation Ryuukotsusei flung the barb of the tail against the dog's chest. A bloody gash erupted through the silvery fur, and the inu youkai was flung backwards.

 

“I shall kill you now, little hanyou. At the feet of daiyoukai, you stand outclassed.” Ryuukotsusei threw back his head again, brewing the storm of death in his jaws. This time, the diameter of the giant ball had reached the proportions of twice the hanyou's height.

 

Inuyasha knew he couldn't run. In an attack with a range this short, it was futile. He could see his father struggling to get up onto his paws. Inutaisho's larger dog form made his movements sluggish; he doubted that he would be able to reach his son in time. As he had seen his father do, Inuyasha thrust Tetsuseiga forward.

 

“KAZE NO KIZU!”

 

A force like Inuyasha had never known erupted from the katana. Power raced forward in five fiery veins, rushing to quench themselves with the dragon's flesh.

 

“No! Inuyasha!” Inutaisho screamed. Shit! Now he's just more pissed off. “It won't work. Think about it. Do you think I could ever make a sword that will kill my mate by its force alone!?”

 

He was right. The attack fizzled into the purple hide of his enemy, the electrical current zipping from scale to scale and sparking like fireworks. Tetsuseiga made a slight pinging sound against a rock as Inuyasha dropped the sword, now useless, on the ground.

 

The feeling of hopelessness began to overwhelm Inuyasha. Suddenly, against his control, he felt his claws and teeth lengthen, thirsting for blood.

 

Ryuukotsusei catapulted his head forward, flinging the burning ball at the hanyou. I am the only one who has the full attention of his heart. Not a mortal woman, not a hanyou child. Me! the dragon seethed.

 

In his demon form, Inuyasha could see the blazing fire hurtling towards him. Transforming didn't give him any more protection from death, it just made the prospect easier to bear. He wasn't as afraid of death now. It was now funny to him how much humans feared death. At one with the demon blood in his veins, he now simply just accepted the fact that as soon as the fire touched his skin, there would be nothing left of him. It truly was that simple.

 

The face on Ryuukotsusei's mask grinned as he watched his handiwork fly in its course to the hanyou. How he would savor the scent of the burnt flesh and hair. After all, what did Inutaisho expect from this whole matter? One giant happy family and a blind eye? Like hell.

 

Suddenly something jumped into the path of the deadly projectile. With a sizzle and a thud, the flaming orb hit the shoulder of a giant white dog. He howled as the fire burnt away the fur and skin, and the electric current wracked through his nerves.

 

Ryuukotsusei was dumbfounded. “Sesshomaru?” he hissed.

 

The crescent bearing dog could no longer sustain his canine self. His rate of blood loss was so much faster in youkai form. Collapsing in upon himself, he disappeared into his youki whirlwind, returning once more to his humanoid body.

 

Sire. Stop this.

 

The Lord of the West and his mate called back their human selves, standing like ants in the divots of their destruction. Ryuukotsusei gaped at the hanyou who now held his only son so gently in his arms. Sesshomaru's shoulder and chest were covered in blood; the arm limply hung off of the few ligaments that held it to the rest of his body. The burns had laid open skin like raw meat, but the magic of demon healing was already beginning to mend the skin into its usual unbroken fabric.

 

“Aniki!” Inuyasha whispered. The demon in his blood had finally taken refuge, now that the mention of his own mortality had ceased.

 

“Sesshomaru, what is the meaning of this? Why do you ruin yourself to save the life of a worthless half-breed?” The dragon paced impatiently.

 

Sesshomaru spat out blood, flecking his fluffy pelt even more with crimson. “Sire, you cannot kill this creature.”

 

With his free hand, he pulled his star shine hair away from his neck and thrust his good shoulder forward. The dragon couldn't believe what he was seeing.

 

“That can't be.”

 

Sesshomaru pointed his nose nobly to the stars above. “He is my brother, and he is my mate. I love him.”

 

The ryuu youkai's arms dropped to his sides, the heavy mail he wore clattering against itself. He spun to face his mate. Inutaisho had a few open wounds, but nothing serious. He would be alright in a day or so, healing naturally.

 

“Such an ingenious solution to your gravest problem, my love.” The dragon said tightly. “You.” Ryuukotsusei growled. He struggled to stay still. Rage boiled within him, but he could not move. I need strength. I need restraint. Why does it hurt so much? “You have cuckolded me!”

 

“But Ryuu!” Inutaisho stepped forward to his mate.

 

“Congratulations. I cannot kill my mate,” the dragon sneered. His tail twitched impatiently. “I cannot kill my only son's mate either. As you can see, I stand at an impasse.”

 

“Ryuu!” The high pitched whine was the only sound that the Lord of the West could seem to make. I am so sorry. I will do anything. Any thing that you ask.

 

Ryuukotsusei strode gallantly to where the inu hanyou held his son in bloody arms. Inuyasha pointed Tetsuseiga at the dragon, watching him warily.

 

“Relax, little one. I'm not going to hurt you or my son. I just came to give you my…erm…my blessing.”

 

The dragon's smile made the sensation of ice water trickle down Inuyasha's spine. “From one man to another, I hope that Sesshomaru inherited my sense of loyalty and not his father's. But if he ever starts to stray…just remember: He didn't get it from me.”

 

Bowing ever so slightly, Ryuukotsusei sauntered off into the glade. Inuyasha first stared at the broken youkai in his arms, and then to his father who looked both hungrily and dim-wittedly in the direction his mate had disappeared.

 

“Ryuu! I'm coming!” The taiyoukai bayed at the half moon before sprinting in the direction of the dragon. “Forgive me! I love you!”

 

Inuyasha wasn't going to lie. That was weird.

 

The hanyou stared at his father in disbelief, trying to take in all he had seen. Ok. First of all, he tried to kill you two centuries ago, Father. Secondly, he tried to kill me. And finally, he nearly kills Sesshomaru. Father, I know he's your mate, but are you mad?

 

Sesshomaru stirred against his lap. To Inuyasha's surprise, the demon was laughing. “What?!” Inuyasha snapped. He could see no humor in this situation whatsoever.

 

Sesshomaru tried to lift himself up, but his shaking muscles left him uncoordinated. The taiyoukai clutched at his useless arm, willing the bones to mesh in place. If only he hadn't left the Tenseiga back at the cliff, he could make an easier time of this. In his haste, he had forgotten to thrust it back into his obi.

 

Inuyasha pulled Sesshomaru into a sitting position, leaning his mate's back against his chest.

 

“Inuyasha,” Sesshomaru said.

 

“Yes?” The hanyou was receptive to anyone's opinion on the situation. Anyone had to know more about this than him.

 

He hunched over his brother's shoulder and began to lap at the wounds. Sesshomaru leaned his head to the side, so that Inuyasha could clean the lesions that covered that side of his body easier.

 

“Welcome to my childhood,” he said.

 

Inuyasha was still slightly baffled, but he continued tending to his mate. All of the bones were finally set, but he knew that even he would never be able to carry Sesshomaru into the castle like this without doing further damage. Even a youkai body had its limits. They would just have to stay out here tonight. With the two youkai lords both back on the land, they had nothing to fear from traveling evil.

 

Inuyasha picked the scabs and dirt from the mokomoko-sama and began wrapping it around the two of them. Annoyed, Sesshomaru tried to grasp it out of his brother's hands and settle it about their bodies, but his range of motion was much too hindered by pain and unconnected ligaments. Finally, after five minutes of futile arranging, he gave up, rolling his head onto his side so that his face was buried into the thick fur. Inuyasha quickly draped the softness around them, pretending as if his older brother had not just admitted to a slight weakness.

 

Inuyasha traced a finger down the back of the inu's neck, ghosting it behind the pointed ear. He saw the demon shudder visibly. Drawing back the flap of his kimono, Inuyasha placed a gentle kiss upon the mark.

 

“Thank you, aniki,” he whispered into his brother's ear. Inuyasha's heart quickened as he remembered his brother's words.

 

`He is my brother, and he is my mate. I love him.'

 

Sesshomaru raised his head from the fluff momentarily to glare at Inuyasha, before lowering himself back down into sleep. Inuyasha smiled. For today, that was enough.

 

Ok now…Review Replies

 

Skullz- Thanks a lot! I am glad that you like it so much. In order to piece my characters together, I looked at the traits of Inu and Sess and picked out what they had the same and different. Those traits that they shared, I gave to InuT. The traits that Sess carried that InuT did not have, I gave to RyuuK. I am trying to update as fast as I can, but school is just not good for a working author. Especially the whole science thing. Expect to have another update in 2 weeks maybe 3 depending on my beta's schedule. I trust her with the world, and will not put anything up that is unbetaed

 

Rin_sama1989 - Thank you! I am happy that you like!

 

Sesshys numba 1 gurl - nope. Nothing. But they will get warmer as the story goes on. Everybody can start to heal each other now that most of the issues have been brought to the surface. That final issue of Sess's child though will give me a challenge, lol.

 

Nekoyoukie - I hope this answers your questions, lol. Thanks a lot for the review!

 

MewMew2 - Thanks a lot. I am glad that you have enjoyed it. And as a new reader…I just have to say…welcome to the nuthouse *winks*

 

Jester08 - Thanks for the review. And lol, I can't wait to see what happens next, too! I never know what is going to happen in this story until I actually sit down and write something, lol.

 

Hooray!!!! I finally have Sess's character up and ready and mobile for development! And of course…more tomfoolery of the RyuuK/InuT relationship. The more of this story I write…the harder I fall in love with the pairing. *sigh*