InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Wounds Heal, Scars Remain ❯ Ch7-Saved? ( Chapter 7 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: TearsOfTwilight 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Hentai | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 10.02.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.3K | Visits: 459 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Hentai | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 10.02.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.3K | Visits: 459 | Status: Completed
Chapter Seven- Saved?
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(present)
Inuyasha jumped slightly as someone tapped him on the shoulder. The hanyou was surprised to find himself face to face with the girl he'd blown off earlier. Slowly he looked at the people around him. 'I forgot they were even here,' Inuyasha thought as four concerned faces stared back at him.
"Umm..Inuyasha," Kagome began. "Don't you think we should take him to the hospital or....something?"
Kagura, who had finally stopped crying, nodded in agreement. "That might be a good idea. I mean, your
brother looks pretty bad." Sango and Miroku bobbed their heads in assent, but before Inuyasha could
utter a sound, someone answered for him.
"Iie."
Miroku, Sango, Kagura, and Kagome gasped in amazement, but Inuyasha merely smiled as Sesshoumaru rose slowly into a sitting position.
"I don't.....require....help..," the youkai panted as he dragged himself painfully from Inuyasha's lap. Standing shakily on his feet, Sesshoumaru turned to look at his companions. Kagura, Miroku, and of course his brother, but who were these other people? The demon growled in annoyance. It was bad enough that people he knew had witnessed the results of his.........episode, but strangers too! Though to the others Sesshoumaru's face looked as calm as ever, Inuyasha could see by the faint redness in his cheeks that his brother felt fairly uncomfortable.
"Hey guys, I'm takin' Sess to my room. Leave us alone for a while and DON'T tell Kikyou, got it?"
Kagura, Miroku, Sango, and Kagome nodded, noting the deep concern that lurked in the hanyou's voice. Using a side door that led to the dressing rooms, Inuyasha helped his brother limp stiffly into the corridor. Sesshoumaru leaned heavily on the hanyou, keeping his eyes focused on the dressing room door. He still couldn't believe what had just happened. 'Why the hell did I let that hentai......' Slowly, Inuyasha helped him lie down on one of their room's overstuffed couches.
"I'll be right back, okay?"
With a small grunt Sesshoumaru heaved himself onto his side, feeling too ashamed to meet his brother's
gaze. As the youkai relapsed into his private thoughts, he felt the weight of time pressing against him.
~~***~~***~~***~~
(past)
Inuyasha screwed his eyes shut, trying to think of anything but the burning apendage that was ramming
into him. He could hear the man on top of him rasping loudly as he sought for release. Sesshoumaru was in the back seat of the car, receiving roughly the same treatment as his brother. He stared off into space, his face completely neutral.
"Damnit, whore! Look at me!" The hanyou's eyes snapped open as he forced himself to meet the man's gaze. The man growled in annoyance. He had wanted to see the pain in this boy's eyes. Only fear would drive him over the edge, but no. The hanyou's golden orbs held no fear, pain, or even anger. They just stared back at him, starved and hollow. The human stopped momentarily to glance over at his friend, who was having his own way with the full demon. He felt himself shudder as he met Sesshoumaru's cold glare. His eyes were much the same, empty, hungry. If possible they were even worse. Beneath the surface, the youkai's eyes seemed to gleam with a feral rage ready to break loose at any moment. Gulping, the man turned his attention to his own hooker. Losing himself once again to his lust, he hoisted the boy's legs up over his shoulders. Grabbing Inuyasha by the hips, he shoved his member deep inside causing the hanyou to gasp as he released his seed inside his body.
Sesshoumaru sighed impatiently, waiting for the human on top of him to finish. All the youkai wanted to do was get the money and leave. Why did this asshole have to take so long? Finally the man's burning seed erupted inside him, causing the demon's lower body to go into an involluntary spasm. Sesshoumaru's customer must have been feeling quite unsteady as well. With an exhausted grunt he collapsed, his overly substancial weight knocking the air out of the emaciated youkai. Panting for oxygen, the inu crawled out from beneath the human and pulled on his pants.
"Okay, we're done. Now get the hell out." The man up front, who had already gathered his composure,
pointed towards the street curb where they'd picked the brothers up.
"Pay us first." Sesshoumaru's hauntingly apathetic voice caused the human to give another shudder. He
began to fish around in his pockets until he came across a few crumpled bills. 'Fuck!' What was wrong with these kids?'
Thrusting the money forward, the man pointed again at the curb. "Out. Now." The two boys scrambled out hastilly and stood, watching the car skid away into the darkness.
"How much?" Inu asked his brother softly.
"Not enough....cheap bastards." A momentary wave of dizziness overtook Sesshoumaru, and he slumped down on the ground, resting his throbbing head against the cool brick of the building behind them.
"Hey Sess, you alright?" The hanyou sat down by his brother.
"I'm fine," the youkai muttered. "Listen, when it gets light, we'll go buy some food.....and maybe some asprin or something." Inuyasha nodded. They hadn't eaten in days, and even with their demon blood, both boys were becoming significantly weaker. He grabbed his stomach as it gave a deafening grumble. Sess's ears twitched faintly. Inuyasha was probably even worse off than himself, what with being so much younger as well as not having as much youkai blood. He thought bitterly of Kouga. 'I could have stopped this.' But what did it matter? Even if they still worked for Musou, they wouldn't be much better off. Sesshoumaru knew that somehow he and Inuyasha must to get out of this life. Yes, he would drag them both out, even if it killed him.
Dawn had just broken over the horizon as the boys stumbled into one of the rundown groceries that populated the seedier parts of town. Sess could feel the clerk watching him warilly from behind the register. The youkai grinned humorlessly. 'Don't worry. We'll pay up this time,' he thought bitterly. In truth, neither of the boys had had the nerve to steal after the last time. Sesshoumaru remembered vividly how he'd been forced to plead with the manager, begging him not to turn them in. In the end, the old demon had let them go in exchange for some of Inu's 'services.' The youkai growled. His brother hadn't been able to walk for three days after that man was through with him.
"Hey Sess, lets get some ramen."
"No, we don't have anything to cook it on."
"Awww, come on! Its real cheap, and besides, that stuff's pretty good cold if you ask me."
"Fine." Sesshoumaru's stomach gave an ominous growl as he watched his younger brother grab several
of the styrofoam soup cups. In his present state, even cold noodles sounded appetizing. Seeing that they didn't have enough money to buy anything else, the young demon started making his way to the register.
"Hey, wait." Inuyasha grabbed his brother's arm. "Aren't you gonna get some medicine?"
"We can't afford to."
"Sess, you're getting sick. I can tell. Every time we finish......working, you look like you're about ready to
keel over."
"Its nothing. Besides, I'm not the only one who feels like shit after getting the hell fucked out of them by some old geezer."
Inuyasha looked imploringly at his older brother who glared heatedly in reply. "Come on Inu. Let's get
going." After buying the food they walked over to the most sanitary looking alley they could find. Within
seconds both boys were woofing down ramen as fast as they could, barely pausing to breath between bites.
It was evening now, and Inuyasha had fallen into a deep sleep. Sesshoumaru dozed quietly, keeping his
senses honed in case any trouble should come their way. Soon he would have to wake the hanyou up. They had another busy night ahead of them and hopefully a fruitful one. Ever since the police had begun cracking down on underage whores, it had become harder and harder to find work. The youkai turned to shake Inuyasha awake, but froze as a searing pain ripped through his stomach. With a muffled grunt, Sesshoumaru collapsed against a dumpster.
Upon hearing the garbage can crash, Inuyasha awoke. He looked about wildly for his brother until his eyes finally fell upon a figure lying doubled up on the ground.
"Sess?" Inuyasha crept up to his older brother. "Sess, are you alri..." The hanyou was cut off as Sesshoumaru emitted a slight groan. The demon's body convulced as he began to wretch, spewing noodles all over the pavement. Inuyasha cried out in dismay as Sesshoumaru's shoulders shook with each rasping breathe. More soup trickled from the youkai's mouth as he forced himself into a sitting postion.
"Inuyasha, I..." The boy was cut off as an old woman's voice drifted down from above.
"What be it that be making such a racket?" The woman stuck her head out the window and peered down at the boys. "Who are ye?"
Sesshoumaru tried to tell her off, but only managed a low growl before his body was once again wracked with shudders. Hearing the boy vomitting below her, the old lady became alarmed and went downstairs to investigate. She was a short, squat lady of about 80 years, with long, grey hair pulled back in a ponytail. She wore traditional Japanese dress of white and red and had only one eye. Inuyasha glared at her warily, not sure of what to do. His brother was in bad shape and probably couldn't walk much less run. The hanyou knew he could overpower this ancient woman, though he hoped it wouldn't come to that. But what if she called the police? He couldn't possibly carry Sesshoumaru, could he? 'Why is it that I'm always the one being protected, yet I am unable to protect those I care about?'
"I'll ask it for the last time. Who are ye?" The one-eyed woman looked down at the children who lay huddled together in the dark alleyway. "If ye be criminals be off, but if ye have but a decent bone in your body, ye needn't fear."
Sesshoumaru watched the lady carefully, trying to keep his wavering vision under control. Her words, though clear enough, sounded distant. His mind, straining to find some kind of reply, seemed to be moving in slow motion. Finally he managed to answer the old one.
"Why....does..it....matter....what we've done? Whether...we're criminals....or not..it wasn't.....our choice. Your under..no...obligation...to help us...so just leave." The old woman was taken aback by this and took a moment to study the older brother. She could see how weak he was. His body, like that of the younger child, was rail thin. His ribs and shoulder blades potruded outwards, making the demon boy look like a flesh-covered skeleton. Even his breathing was ragged and irregular, making every intake of air sound excruciatingly painful. But the color of the boy's pale flesh that betrayed how close to death he was.
"I see that ye are in pain. Why is it that ye deny the aid of an old woman?" Sesshoumaru simply glared at her, his eyes as defiant and proud as those of a lord. He wouldn't accept her help. They would be fine. Inuyasha and himself.....Inuyasha. He glanced over at his younger brother. The hanyou was nearly as thin as he was. His young face had become sunken and smudged with filth. Amber eyes stared back at him. They were filled with fear and hunger and....and submission. He had given up. After all the trials and fighting in his young life, Inuyasha no longer had the will to live, at least not for himself. As Sesshoumaru realized this, an agony much worse than that of his physical pain filled his heart. The hanyou clung to life not out of hope, but out of love. His love for Sesshoumaru kept him going. Each day, as the sickness in the demon boy's body consumed him, Inuyasha fought on, unwilling to abandon his older brother.
The hanyou met his brother's gaze. Something was different about Sesshoumaru's eyes. It was as if a part of the demon's emotionless mask was cracked, shattered on the craggy rocks of despair. Inuyasha was astonished to hear his brother's even voice breaking the silence. "What are we gonna do, Inu? I don't know what to do anymore." He looked away and bowed his head, a perfect statue of misery.
Inuyasha gazed once again toward the old woman. Her demeanor seemed strangly soft, kind even. It had been so long since they had met someone with a heart that was less than stony. For the first time in too long, he dared to think of warmth, of a safe place away from the cold darkness of the city where for once someone would take care of them. A place where they wouldn't have to fight every moment for a pathetic life that he no longer cared for. Since his mother's death, the hanyou had had but one ray of light. As faulted and rough around the edges as Sesshoumaru was, he was the only reason that Inuyasha had left to live. He had protected the hanyou, somehow managing to stay strong enough for both of them despite his own pain, but Sesshoumaru's strength had finally failed. It was up to Inuyasha to keep them safe. Once again, he turned to the old woman. He once again felt the longing for warmth, for a home where all the troubles of life were gone, shut out into the night. "Please," the hanyou whispered. "Please help us."
Without a word she knelt down, and with wrinkled, shaking hands, touched the hanyou's face. "Come, child. Let us go inside now." With strength one wouldn't expect from one so ancient, the woman gently helped Sesshoumaru to his feet. Using the last of his strength, the demon pulled away, intent on at least walking on his own. As the little group made their way upstairs to her apartment, Inuyasha learned more of the woman who had saved them.
"My name is Shikon Kaede. I grew up at a shrine just west of here."
"Excuse me, Miss Kaede? If you lived in such a wonderful place, then how did you come to be stuck here."
The old woman smiled sadly. "About 30 years ago there was a fierce fire. It destroyed nearly half of west Tokyo.(note-this didn't happen as far as I know, its just for the story) After that we lost all our money as well as our home. That is why my daughter, Kikyou, brought me to live here."
Inuyasha listened closely to the woman as she went on, describing her now wealthy daughter with a sense of love that reminded the hanyou of his own mother. Finally they reached the top of the stairs and entered a small but cozy apartment. It was decorated in an ancient style with bamboo, woven mats, and silk cushions.
"Now, ye stay here while I go and fetch my daughter. She will know just how to help ye." Motioning the two boys onto some short, wooden stools, Kaede left through a side door into the darkness of yet another stairwell. Greatful for the rest, Inu nestled up against his brother. Though he didn't show it, Sesshoumaru welcomed his brother's warmth thankfully, glad to feel the hanyou's heat in contrast to the chill coldness of his own body. As the brothers waited, they became aware of a strange humming noise coming from the floor below. As they strained harder, they recognized it to be music. His ears twitching in irritation, Inu turned to his older brother.
"Why's the music so loud down there?"
Stirring himself out of a feverish stupor, the demon struggled to reply. "I...it must be....a club....or something."
Inuyasha whined nervously. Why would there be a club right under the old lady's house? Just then, the door creaked open and Kaede walked in followed by a tall, stern looking woman who must have been Kikyou.
"Here they are dear," Kaede said. "Poor little ones are terribly thin, and I'm afraid the demon child is quite ill." Kikyou scanned the boys briefly with her eyes, assessing them with a cold and calculating stare.
"Mother," she spoke quietly. "We can't possibly keep them. After all with the kind of work we do, it wouldn't be prudent."
"Oh, Daughter! Don't thee have a heart? Let us keep them for but a while, till they be healed at least."
Kikyou eyed her mother sharply before turning back to Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha. "Stand up," she ordered abruptly. The hanyou imediatly scrambled to his feet followed by Sess, who swayed dangerously as he struggled to keep the ground from crumbling away beneath him. Kikyou studied them again, noting for the first time, the fine curves of their bodies and the amber-glazed rubies that stared back at her through veils of white bangs, laced in silver. "My," she whispered. "What strange and beautiful creatures I have stumbled upon."
~~***~~***~~***~~
(present)
There was not much else to tell. After being nursed back to health by the kind-hearted Kaede, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru had found a new means of survival. For four years they had worked at Kikyou's club. It was in no way an ideal existance, but it was an existance none the less. Though they could have, neither of the brothers could quite bring themselves to leave the woman's sinful Eden of earthly, shimmering delights. Perhaps it was that they had grown to enjoy the strange sense of security and understanding given to them by their fellow prostitutes, come to grudgingly love the hell into which they had been thrust. Or perhaps, they were too afraid, too afraid that if they dared enter the outside world that who they had been would be apparent, that their tainted and broken souls would somehow be revealed. Whatever it was, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha remained, trapped in a land of neon lights and shattered innocence. They remained that is until they were awakened once again by the past's insistant knocking.
~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~***~~
-TOT
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(present)
Inuyasha jumped slightly as someone tapped him on the shoulder. The hanyou was surprised to find himself face to face with the girl he'd blown off earlier. Slowly he looked at the people around him. 'I forgot they were even here,' Inuyasha thought as four concerned faces stared back at him.
"Umm..Inuyasha," Kagome began. "Don't you think we should take him to the hospital or....something?"
Kagura, who had finally stopped crying, nodded in agreement. "That might be a good idea. I mean, your
brother looks pretty bad." Sango and Miroku bobbed their heads in assent, but before Inuyasha could
utter a sound, someone answered for him.
"Iie."
Miroku, Sango, Kagura, and Kagome gasped in amazement, but Inuyasha merely smiled as Sesshoumaru rose slowly into a sitting position.
"I don't.....require....help..," the youkai panted as he dragged himself painfully from Inuyasha's lap. Standing shakily on his feet, Sesshoumaru turned to look at his companions. Kagura, Miroku, and of course his brother, but who were these other people? The demon growled in annoyance. It was bad enough that people he knew had witnessed the results of his.........episode, but strangers too! Though to the others Sesshoumaru's face looked as calm as ever, Inuyasha could see by the faint redness in his cheeks that his brother felt fairly uncomfortable.
"Hey guys, I'm takin' Sess to my room. Leave us alone for a while and DON'T tell Kikyou, got it?"
Kagura, Miroku, Sango, and Kagome nodded, noting the deep concern that lurked in the hanyou's voice. Using a side door that led to the dressing rooms, Inuyasha helped his brother limp stiffly into the corridor. Sesshoumaru leaned heavily on the hanyou, keeping his eyes focused on the dressing room door. He still couldn't believe what had just happened. 'Why the hell did I let that hentai......' Slowly, Inuyasha helped him lie down on one of their room's overstuffed couches.
"I'll be right back, okay?"
With a small grunt Sesshoumaru heaved himself onto his side, feeling too ashamed to meet his brother's
gaze. As the youkai relapsed into his private thoughts, he felt the weight of time pressing against him.
~~***~~***~~***~~
(past)
Inuyasha screwed his eyes shut, trying to think of anything but the burning apendage that was ramming
into him. He could hear the man on top of him rasping loudly as he sought for release. Sesshoumaru was in the back seat of the car, receiving roughly the same treatment as his brother. He stared off into space, his face completely neutral.
"Damnit, whore! Look at me!" The hanyou's eyes snapped open as he forced himself to meet the man's gaze. The man growled in annoyance. He had wanted to see the pain in this boy's eyes. Only fear would drive him over the edge, but no. The hanyou's golden orbs held no fear, pain, or even anger. They just stared back at him, starved and hollow. The human stopped momentarily to glance over at his friend, who was having his own way with the full demon. He felt himself shudder as he met Sesshoumaru's cold glare. His eyes were much the same, empty, hungry. If possible they were even worse. Beneath the surface, the youkai's eyes seemed to gleam with a feral rage ready to break loose at any moment. Gulping, the man turned his attention to his own hooker. Losing himself once again to his lust, he hoisted the boy's legs up over his shoulders. Grabbing Inuyasha by the hips, he shoved his member deep inside causing the hanyou to gasp as he released his seed inside his body.
Sesshoumaru sighed impatiently, waiting for the human on top of him to finish. All the youkai wanted to do was get the money and leave. Why did this asshole have to take so long? Finally the man's burning seed erupted inside him, causing the demon's lower body to go into an involluntary spasm. Sesshoumaru's customer must have been feeling quite unsteady as well. With an exhausted grunt he collapsed, his overly substancial weight knocking the air out of the emaciated youkai. Panting for oxygen, the inu crawled out from beneath the human and pulled on his pants.
"Okay, we're done. Now get the hell out." The man up front, who had already gathered his composure,
pointed towards the street curb where they'd picked the brothers up.
"Pay us first." Sesshoumaru's hauntingly apathetic voice caused the human to give another shudder. He
began to fish around in his pockets until he came across a few crumpled bills. 'Fuck!' What was wrong with these kids?'
Thrusting the money forward, the man pointed again at the curb. "Out. Now." The two boys scrambled out hastilly and stood, watching the car skid away into the darkness.
"How much?" Inu asked his brother softly.
"Not enough....cheap bastards." A momentary wave of dizziness overtook Sesshoumaru, and he slumped down on the ground, resting his throbbing head against the cool brick of the building behind them.
"Hey Sess, you alright?" The hanyou sat down by his brother.
"I'm fine," the youkai muttered. "Listen, when it gets light, we'll go buy some food.....and maybe some asprin or something." Inuyasha nodded. They hadn't eaten in days, and even with their demon blood, both boys were becoming significantly weaker. He grabbed his stomach as it gave a deafening grumble. Sess's ears twitched faintly. Inuyasha was probably even worse off than himself, what with being so much younger as well as not having as much youkai blood. He thought bitterly of Kouga. 'I could have stopped this.' But what did it matter? Even if they still worked for Musou, they wouldn't be much better off. Sesshoumaru knew that somehow he and Inuyasha must to get out of this life. Yes, he would drag them both out, even if it killed him.
Dawn had just broken over the horizon as the boys stumbled into one of the rundown groceries that populated the seedier parts of town. Sess could feel the clerk watching him warilly from behind the register. The youkai grinned humorlessly. 'Don't worry. We'll pay up this time,' he thought bitterly. In truth, neither of the boys had had the nerve to steal after the last time. Sesshoumaru remembered vividly how he'd been forced to plead with the manager, begging him not to turn them in. In the end, the old demon had let them go in exchange for some of Inu's 'services.' The youkai growled. His brother hadn't been able to walk for three days after that man was through with him.
"Hey Sess, lets get some ramen."
"No, we don't have anything to cook it on."
"Awww, come on! Its real cheap, and besides, that stuff's pretty good cold if you ask me."
"Fine." Sesshoumaru's stomach gave an ominous growl as he watched his younger brother grab several
of the styrofoam soup cups. In his present state, even cold noodles sounded appetizing. Seeing that they didn't have enough money to buy anything else, the young demon started making his way to the register.
"Hey, wait." Inuyasha grabbed his brother's arm. "Aren't you gonna get some medicine?"
"We can't afford to."
"Sess, you're getting sick. I can tell. Every time we finish......working, you look like you're about ready to
keel over."
"Its nothing. Besides, I'm not the only one who feels like shit after getting the hell fucked out of them by some old geezer."
Inuyasha looked imploringly at his older brother who glared heatedly in reply. "Come on Inu. Let's get
going." After buying the food they walked over to the most sanitary looking alley they could find. Within
seconds both boys were woofing down ramen as fast as they could, barely pausing to breath between bites.
It was evening now, and Inuyasha had fallen into a deep sleep. Sesshoumaru dozed quietly, keeping his
senses honed in case any trouble should come their way. Soon he would have to wake the hanyou up. They had another busy night ahead of them and hopefully a fruitful one. Ever since the police had begun cracking down on underage whores, it had become harder and harder to find work. The youkai turned to shake Inuyasha awake, but froze as a searing pain ripped through his stomach. With a muffled grunt, Sesshoumaru collapsed against a dumpster.
Upon hearing the garbage can crash, Inuyasha awoke. He looked about wildly for his brother until his eyes finally fell upon a figure lying doubled up on the ground.
"Sess?" Inuyasha crept up to his older brother. "Sess, are you alri..." The hanyou was cut off as Sesshoumaru emitted a slight groan. The demon's body convulced as he began to wretch, spewing noodles all over the pavement. Inuyasha cried out in dismay as Sesshoumaru's shoulders shook with each rasping breathe. More soup trickled from the youkai's mouth as he forced himself into a sitting postion.
"Inuyasha, I..." The boy was cut off as an old woman's voice drifted down from above.
"What be it that be making such a racket?" The woman stuck her head out the window and peered down at the boys. "Who are ye?"
Sesshoumaru tried to tell her off, but only managed a low growl before his body was once again wracked with shudders. Hearing the boy vomitting below her, the old lady became alarmed and went downstairs to investigate. She was a short, squat lady of about 80 years, with long, grey hair pulled back in a ponytail. She wore traditional Japanese dress of white and red and had only one eye. Inuyasha glared at her warily, not sure of what to do. His brother was in bad shape and probably couldn't walk much less run. The hanyou knew he could overpower this ancient woman, though he hoped it wouldn't come to that. But what if she called the police? He couldn't possibly carry Sesshoumaru, could he? 'Why is it that I'm always the one being protected, yet I am unable to protect those I care about?'
"I'll ask it for the last time. Who are ye?" The one-eyed woman looked down at the children who lay huddled together in the dark alleyway. "If ye be criminals be off, but if ye have but a decent bone in your body, ye needn't fear."
Sesshoumaru watched the lady carefully, trying to keep his wavering vision under control. Her words, though clear enough, sounded distant. His mind, straining to find some kind of reply, seemed to be moving in slow motion. Finally he managed to answer the old one.
"Why....does..it....matter....what we've done? Whether...we're criminals....or not..it wasn't.....our choice. Your under..no...obligation...to help us...so just leave." The old woman was taken aback by this and took a moment to study the older brother. She could see how weak he was. His body, like that of the younger child, was rail thin. His ribs and shoulder blades potruded outwards, making the demon boy look like a flesh-covered skeleton. Even his breathing was ragged and irregular, making every intake of air sound excruciatingly painful. But the color of the boy's pale flesh that betrayed how close to death he was.
"I see that ye are in pain. Why is it that ye deny the aid of an old woman?" Sesshoumaru simply glared at her, his eyes as defiant and proud as those of a lord. He wouldn't accept her help. They would be fine. Inuyasha and himself.....Inuyasha. He glanced over at his younger brother. The hanyou was nearly as thin as he was. His young face had become sunken and smudged with filth. Amber eyes stared back at him. They were filled with fear and hunger and....and submission. He had given up. After all the trials and fighting in his young life, Inuyasha no longer had the will to live, at least not for himself. As Sesshoumaru realized this, an agony much worse than that of his physical pain filled his heart. The hanyou clung to life not out of hope, but out of love. His love for Sesshoumaru kept him going. Each day, as the sickness in the demon boy's body consumed him, Inuyasha fought on, unwilling to abandon his older brother.
The hanyou met his brother's gaze. Something was different about Sesshoumaru's eyes. It was as if a part of the demon's emotionless mask was cracked, shattered on the craggy rocks of despair. Inuyasha was astonished to hear his brother's even voice breaking the silence. "What are we gonna do, Inu? I don't know what to do anymore." He looked away and bowed his head, a perfect statue of misery.
Inuyasha gazed once again toward the old woman. Her demeanor seemed strangly soft, kind even. It had been so long since they had met someone with a heart that was less than stony. For the first time in too long, he dared to think of warmth, of a safe place away from the cold darkness of the city where for once someone would take care of them. A place where they wouldn't have to fight every moment for a pathetic life that he no longer cared for. Since his mother's death, the hanyou had had but one ray of light. As faulted and rough around the edges as Sesshoumaru was, he was the only reason that Inuyasha had left to live. He had protected the hanyou, somehow managing to stay strong enough for both of them despite his own pain, but Sesshoumaru's strength had finally failed. It was up to Inuyasha to keep them safe. Once again, he turned to the old woman. He once again felt the longing for warmth, for a home where all the troubles of life were gone, shut out into the night. "Please," the hanyou whispered. "Please help us."
Without a word she knelt down, and with wrinkled, shaking hands, touched the hanyou's face. "Come, child. Let us go inside now." With strength one wouldn't expect from one so ancient, the woman gently helped Sesshoumaru to his feet. Using the last of his strength, the demon pulled away, intent on at least walking on his own. As the little group made their way upstairs to her apartment, Inuyasha learned more of the woman who had saved them.
"My name is Shikon Kaede. I grew up at a shrine just west of here."
"Excuse me, Miss Kaede? If you lived in such a wonderful place, then how did you come to be stuck here."
The old woman smiled sadly. "About 30 years ago there was a fierce fire. It destroyed nearly half of west Tokyo.(note-this didn't happen as far as I know, its just for the story) After that we lost all our money as well as our home. That is why my daughter, Kikyou, brought me to live here."
Inuyasha listened closely to the woman as she went on, describing her now wealthy daughter with a sense of love that reminded the hanyou of his own mother. Finally they reached the top of the stairs and entered a small but cozy apartment. It was decorated in an ancient style with bamboo, woven mats, and silk cushions.
"Now, ye stay here while I go and fetch my daughter. She will know just how to help ye." Motioning the two boys onto some short, wooden stools, Kaede left through a side door into the darkness of yet another stairwell. Greatful for the rest, Inu nestled up against his brother. Though he didn't show it, Sesshoumaru welcomed his brother's warmth thankfully, glad to feel the hanyou's heat in contrast to the chill coldness of his own body. As the brothers waited, they became aware of a strange humming noise coming from the floor below. As they strained harder, they recognized it to be music. His ears twitching in irritation, Inu turned to his older brother.
"Why's the music so loud down there?"
Stirring himself out of a feverish stupor, the demon struggled to reply. "I...it must be....a club....or something."
Inuyasha whined nervously. Why would there be a club right under the old lady's house? Just then, the door creaked open and Kaede walked in followed by a tall, stern looking woman who must have been Kikyou.
"Here they are dear," Kaede said. "Poor little ones are terribly thin, and I'm afraid the demon child is quite ill." Kikyou scanned the boys briefly with her eyes, assessing them with a cold and calculating stare.
"Mother," she spoke quietly. "We can't possibly keep them. After all with the kind of work we do, it wouldn't be prudent."
"Oh, Daughter! Don't thee have a heart? Let us keep them for but a while, till they be healed at least."
Kikyou eyed her mother sharply before turning back to Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha. "Stand up," she ordered abruptly. The hanyou imediatly scrambled to his feet followed by Sess, who swayed dangerously as he struggled to keep the ground from crumbling away beneath him. Kikyou studied them again, noting for the first time, the fine curves of their bodies and the amber-glazed rubies that stared back at her through veils of white bangs, laced in silver. "My," she whispered. "What strange and beautiful creatures I have stumbled upon."
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(present)
There was not much else to tell. After being nursed back to health by the kind-hearted Kaede, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru had found a new means of survival. For four years they had worked at Kikyou's club. It was in no way an ideal existance, but it was an existance none the less. Though they could have, neither of the brothers could quite bring themselves to leave the woman's sinful Eden of earthly, shimmering delights. Perhaps it was that they had grown to enjoy the strange sense of security and understanding given to them by their fellow prostitutes, come to grudgingly love the hell into which they had been thrust. Or perhaps, they were too afraid, too afraid that if they dared enter the outside world that who they had been would be apparent, that their tainted and broken souls would somehow be revealed. Whatever it was, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha remained, trapped in a land of neon lights and shattered innocence. They remained that is until they were awakened once again by the past's insistant knocking.
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-TOT