InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Torn ❯ Who is Worthy? ( Chapter 5 )

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Chapter Five

 

Who Is Worthy?

 

 

(Special thanks to DemonGoddess for checking this over after I pulled it off of AFF, and to Hellfyrre for beta'ing and helping me to fix this up for mm.org. Also, thank Koga's Hentai Luver for her help while I was writing the original. She put much more time into it than anyone else.)

 

 

 

Sesshoumaru glared at the wolf and got as good as he gave.

 

“You don't deserve him,” Kouga growled.

 

“Who are you to make such a determination?” Sesshoumaru asked, raising a brow.

 

“I'm his friend. In all the years I've known him, you haven't been a brother, much less a friend. Just how many times have you tried to kill him?” Kouga asked as his hands balled into fists at his side. If anyone deserved Inuyasha's trust and affection, it was him. They had been through a lot in their fight against Naraku and had come out friends, despite Naraku's trickery. They had fought over the same woman, but never with killing intent. Perhaps that had brought them even closer.

 

“Do you believe for one moment that I want a carrier of my father's blood living in a den of wolves? It is unacceptable.” Sesshoumaru could barely keep his face from contorting into a grimace.

 

“You never cared before. It's too late now,” Kouga heatedly replied.

 

“Stop talking like I'm not here. Neither one of you own me. I make my own decisions,” Inuyasha growled. “You both are stupid idiots. Kouga's got a point. I've never been good enough for you before. Why now? Why are both of you acting so strange? It's fucking weird. Did someone put a spell on you? All the sudden, both of you want me around. Too much too soon, or is it `too little too late'?”

 

Inuyasha lowered his eyes and shook his head. “Fuck both of you,” he muttered then stalked away, leaving Sesshoumaru and Kouga to glare at each other.

 

“You have not the power to be worthy of him,” snapped Sesshoumaru.

 

“And you didn't want him until, what, a few minutes ago?” hissed Kouga. “What's your game? Gonna lock him up in a dungeon or somethin'?”

 

“Do not insult me, wolf. And do not change the subject. You haven't the strength to provide a proper environment. He needs challenge, comfort…”

 

“Love? Is that what you were going to say? Like he could ever get that from you! Or have you forgotten that he's just a filthy hanyou?”

 

Sesshoumaru nearly winced at having his own words thrown in his face. But the wolf was correct, as was the questioning of his motives. Even he was not quite prepared for his change of heart. He still battled that part of himself that warred against Inuyasha's presence. In the end, he decided to ignore Kouga's statement. Inuyasha was too important to second guess himself.

 

“Wolf, you are meddling in affairs that do not concern you. Were it not for your status as Inuyasha's…companion, I would have long ago disposed of you,” Sesshoumaru stated with such frigidity that Kouga could feel the ice creeping down his spine.

 

“After all your years of tormenting Inuyasha, you have no right to demand his favor now!” Kouga could barely restrain the rising level of his voice. The excruciating amount of pain that Sesshoumaru had caused Inuyasha was enough to drive him to kill the bastard standing in front of him.

 

“You simply have not accepted that I have already accomplished as much.”

 

“We'll just see about that,” Kouga sneered.

 

“Do you wish to challenge me?” asked Sesshoumaru, amused by the wolf's audacity.

 

That made Kouga pause. `Now that's not a bad idea.'

 

“Sure, you're on. Think you're up to it?”

 

`Mangy dog,' Kouga thought to himself. He was too intelligent to not keep it to himself. Keeping his smart mouth in check had been very draining.

 

“Your arrogance will one day be the death of you.” The wolf's audacity to challenge him was unbelievable. His power far exceeded Kouga's. That was one fact weighing in his favor. However, it was the more intimate details of a relationship, the small things that would give him difficulty.

 

“My arrogance!? You should look at your own reflection sometime! Do we have a deal or not?” Kouga's ability to keep his tongue in check was quickly waning.

 

Sesshoumaru said nothing, merely nodded and casually strode away while Kouga planned his courting of his one time rival.

 

`How could Inuyasha possibly want to stay with that cold bastard? And how can I convince him to leave when it's obvious that he is getting attached to this place? It is kinda nice here with servants and all. And he really wants his brother's acceptance. My plan better be pretty good.'

 

`What did he like about the people in his pack? They were gentle for the most part. Not weak because they were a big part of defeating Naraku. That makes them loyal too. They shared in the responsibilities. Kagome always brought them sweets. Inuyasha liked the ones that were always really salty or sweet and he always smelled like those noodles.

 

`Oh man, they took a lot of baths too. Okay, so maybe I should be nice to him, get him food like what Kagome's tasted like…and take a bath. If I hunted, he would see just how good we could eat. Not that there is anything he couldn't get here, but I'll kill it with my own hands. Sesshoumaru's bound to have all different kinds of food, but he didn't use his own strength to get it. Yeah, maybe killing on the bastard's land means that it belongs to the mutt, but presentation can make a world of difference. Tonight we feast!'

 

With that thought in mind, Kouga took off to find Inuyasha and invite him to a campfire dinner beneath the stars. He just knew that Inuyasha would be impressed with his hunting skills. `Sesshoumaru might as well give up now.'

 

 

~*~

 

 

Rin and Shippou crept out of their hiding place and headed back.

 

“Well, it would have worked if Kouga hadn't shown up, but at least Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru were nice to each other,” asserted Rin. Her cup was always half full.

 

“It could've been a lot worse though. Sesshoumaru could've killed Inuyasha. That was so scary.” Shippou shivered as images of a blood bath flashed through his mind.

 

“We're just going to have to get them together again. I know! You could distract Kouga while I get Lord Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha together. Now I just have to figure out how to do it,” Rin schemed. “Okay, you could pretend that you want to go live with Kouga.”

 

“Ew!”

 

Rin didn't skip a beat. “And ask him all kinds of questions about how wolves live. You could keep him talking for a long time. Especially if you ask him about all the enemies he's defeated. He would probably like talking about that.”

 

“I think I can do that,” Shippou nodded.

 

“Now, how can I get them together?” Rin pondered. “We already used the note thing. Oh no! They know that we did it! What do you think they'll do to us!? I've never gone against my Lord's wishes!”

 

“Probably nothing. Inuyasha would be embarrassed that he actually even believed it. I don't know about Sesshoumaru,” Shippou said.

 

“He will think it was foolish and won't say a word, I hope,” said Rin, crossing her fingers that Sesshoumaru would behave as always. “Maybe he'll blame it all on you and he wouldn't hurt you because of Inuyasha. He would never hurt me. But...he might make me stay here while he travels,” she said dejectedly. She never wanted to be without her lord. He was her hero to the end.

 

“You better be right about that, Rin,” Shippou said sternly. It was bad enough that he would have to tiptoe around Inuyasha, much less dodge the Lord of the Western Lands.

 

“Fine, but how do I get them together?”

 

“I don't know, Rin. We'd better hurry though. Sesshoumaru is almost well enough that he won't need Inuyasha anymore.”

 

“You're right.”

 

The two walked on in silence, racking their brains for a solution. Neither one of them wanted to be separated as they had no peers to keep them company. Both children had the sneaking suspicion that their parents would be a lot happier being together. In fact, they knew it to be an undeniable truth.

 

“Rin, what is the meaning of this?” came a deep resounding voice from behind.

 

Both children jumped, startled at the sudden appearance of Sesshoumaru.

 

“Oh, hi, Lord Sesshoumaru!” Rin said with a bright and cheerful smile, all the while hoping that her earlier conversation with Shippou had not been overheard.

 

“You will bathe immediately.” Sesshoumaru glanced at Shippou. “Go to Inuyasha and bathe yourself elsewhere, fox,” he commanded.

 

“Ye..yes sir,” Shippou stuttered.

 

Both children scurried off with their hearts in their throats.

 

Sesshoumaru went back to pondering the dilemma of Inuyasha, which he had been in the process of doing before he had been so rudely interrupted by two blobs of shuffling clay.

 

`Why were they in such a state of filth?' Sesshoumaru wondered then promptly shoved the question away, deigning it to be unimportant. `How will I be able to convince Inuyasha that I truly do wish for his presence? He still doubts me. One kiss and a few words are not enough. It is understandable.'

 

Sesshoumaru sighed. This was not going to be an easily won battle, but he had always been the victor and so he would be again. Of that, he had no doubt. What was the most frustrating was that he had never been in a position to court the friendship…or affections of anyone and hadn't the slightest idea of how to go about such a task. It was an alien thing. A very uncomfortable position in which to find one's self.

 

`What does Inuyasha want? What does he need? Of course he has no home. Even Kouga can provide that. I can provide for every physical need. That is the crux. What he needs is emotional and that is simply too much to ask.'

 

But the great Sesshoumaru would not be deterred from his goal. If it was necessary, he would re-train himself. And it was that thought that brought on a sudden fit of anger. “Why should I, Sesshoumaru, re-order my life and lower myself for anyone!? Unacceptable. The hanyou must die. Problem solved,” the frustrated inu-youkai growled. Confusion was a weakness and the blame lay on the half-breed's shoulders. Never in all of his life had he been brought so low.

 

Sesshoumaru rolled around in his mind all the different methods he could use to execute Inuyasha. There was Tokijin; a powerful blast, the strength of which he had muted in the past. He imagined Inuyasha's body as it blew apart into tiny chunks. Too messy, and to his mind, probably very painful. Then there was the energy whip. He imagined watching Inuyasha's head fall from his shoulders and felt his stomach turn. No, though it would be quick and painless, he didn't want to see his brother decapitated. Acid. Now that definitely would be painful.

 

`Why does the thought of him being in pain or being mutilated have any weight in this decision?'

 

The past fought him, once again rearing its ugly head. ”Just say it, Sess.” Brilliant golden eyes peered up at him through that fall of black eyelashes…

 

`I love you too, Inuyasha.' The child was beautiful. Too beautiful for his own good. Too innocent and too tempting.

 

Even more so now.

 

`Yes, Inuyasha must die,' Sesshoumaru concluded. `Why had I been so adamant as to fight for him when everything he has done has made me weak?'

 

Sesshoumaru lifted his hand and watched green noxious fumes dissipate into the air. No liquid. `Under the proper conditions, it could be fairly painless. Yes…'

 

He reached out and cupped a pink tea rose in his hand and watched it wilt away under his touch until only dried brown petals remained. He gave it a light tap and watched as the brown dried and wrinkled petals came unglued and drifted to the ground.

 

`Tonight, little brother.'

 

 

 

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Reviewer/Reader Responses

I LurvYou All

 

(As for why I am leaving these old reviews. It's confusingto have so many saved versions of my stories laying araound. So, I will no longer delete my readers' reviews then save another copy.)

 

 

MM.ORG

 

ladyjay62

Thank you for reviewing. This is the second posting of the story, but I've been to ill and juggling new meds to keep up. I'm always hoping that I can get chapters out to my readers. So, sorry for the long wait.

 

wbk

Thanks for reviewing. So sorry for making you wait. I've had a real hard time over the past year, but I never loose hope and you will see this finished. In fact, it already is. This is the second posting, but it is being edited and beta'd again.

 

 

 

From Previous Postings

 

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AFF

 

TheGaffler

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Koga's Hentai Luver

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Anon

Youkai Obsessed

inu-chan puppy

yuki

Rawben

kit master

Huong

Bitterchoco 20

moonlight_wing

 

 

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*Disclaimer*

 

Inuyasha and all associated characters are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. I make no profit from this story, nor do I intend to. My only goal is to occupy my demented mind with delusions of actually owning a life-sized, anatomically correct Sesshoumaru.