got your six: military term for "i've got your back"
Inuyasha has been missing for awhile. He was with his human friends during the day and when the sun set, he was grabbed by someone or something. When the sun rose again, Inuyasha was long gone. At first, Sesshomaru didn't worry about it. His puppy brother is remarkably good at getting himself out of sticky situations.
But the days joined as weeks. And the weeks grouped together and three months had gone by without a sign of Inuyasha. Wherever the puppy is, he is in big trouble. Sesshomaru had continued his wandering and refused to admit he was searching for his stupid little brother. Even if he was constantly checking the wind for his scent. Or following any and all leads he heard dealing with twitching puppy ears and golden eyes. They all ended with a cold scent trail or youkai talking shit out of their asses.
The first person Sesshomaru came across (or, he sought out) was Naraku. Really it was the wretched hanyou that found him, but the brief encounter gave all the information Sesshomaru needed. After a short chat ending with a decapitated puppet, it was decided that Naraku knew about as much as the rest of them. For even Naraku to have no clue...
Inuyasha must be hidden deep. Naraku seems to have eyes on everything and everyone- except for the puppy eared little brother.
It shouldn't be Sesshomaru's problem. Inuyasha can take care of himself. He should stop searching and leave the puppy alone. It isn't his responsibility!
Sesshomaru takes a deep breath and stares up at the night sky. The stars hold no answers to Inuyasha's whereabouts and the moon laughs at Sesshomaru's blatant denial. Perhaps it is time to start really...trying to find Inuyasha. But he still is not searching! Sesshomaru is not worried about Inuyasha. He isn't.
Oh yeah, and Jaken isn't annoying.
Sesshomaru scowls and stands from his spot under the tree. Fine, he's concerned about Inuyasha and yeah, he's searching for his little brother. Before he can set off, he has to do something with Rin. She could be on her own for awhile but who knew how long it would take to find Inuyasha? Sesshomaru doesn't want her without proper protection for too long. He sets their course of travel for the village his brother is so fond of.
The greeting he receives at the village is what he expects. Villagers flee and Inuyasha's little group stands in his path. Sesshomaru doesn't draw Bakusaiga, just dodges their attacks until they wear themselves out. It was just the pervert monk and the slayer woman. Where is that annoying, strangely dressed girl that followed Inuyasha around?
"What do you want, Sesshomaru?"
The dog turns his attention to the human voice. Are they done trying to fight him? Very well. Sesshomaru stares at the monk and says, "Rin will be staying here while I take care of business." The humans lower their weapons and give each other strange looks. They seem a little...dumbstruck and speechless.
It's the woman who speaks first, "The little girl that follows you?" Sesshomaru responds with a "hn". She is quiet again before she drops her youkai-bone weapon completely. "I don't see why not," she says to the man. He nods back at her and says to Sesshomaru, "Alright. We'll let her stay with us."
Sesshomaru's lips pull into a small smile. His voice is venomous as he spoke, "It was never up for debate. If I return and she is harmed, this Sesshomaru will not hesitate to kill both of you."
The two humans look a little sick and they silently nod.
It takes a few minutes, but eventually Sesshomaru is able to get Rin to calm down enough to leave. He makes sure his back is to the humans (so no one sees) as he kisses her forehead and murmurs, "I'll be back. No more tears, little girl." Rin sniffles anyway, wipes her runny nose on her Lord's sleeve, but does her best to stifle her sobs.
The slayer woman is remarkable with the teary eyed Rin. Sesshomaru lingers for a bit longer than he should, watching the slayer help Rin pick flowers and cheer up. Only when he's satisfied that his adopted human is safe and happy does he leave for good. He almost doesn't notice that he leaves Jaken behind until he hears the toad's screeching. Sesshomaru growls and shows his sharp teeth and Jaken cowers behind Rin and agrees to stay.
With his group dropped off, Sesshomaru is able to move freely. Not that he doesn't go as he pleases before, but traveling will be much quicker. Which is an amazing thing because his toes curl in his boots at the thought of a great white dog sprinting through the forest.
His giant paws lead him north. Wolves and dogs naturally get along and it wouldn't be strange to find Inuyasha at the bottom of a wolf-pile. Sesshomaru shifted into his less threatening but equally dangerous human form after crossing into Prince Kouga's lands. He lands in a crouch, his sharp eyes scanning the treeline. Even if he can't see the wolves, the wolves can certainly see him. Sesshomaru stands up and declares loudly, "This Sesshomaru comes with his sword sheathed. He seeks counsel with Prince Kouga."
After a moment of silent consideration, Prince Kouga in all his young, wolffish glory comes from the shadows. He's younger than Sesshomaru by a good bit. Prince Kouga is just claiming his crown, however, and is around the same age as Sesshomaru was when he was given his father's lands. Kouga's wild blue eyes settle on the dog in his territory and he says, "Well, Lord Sesshomaru? I'm here. Talk."
Sesshomaru looks around and lifts his chin to smell the air. "Dismiss your patrol and your guards. This Sesshomaru's words are not to be heard by any ears but yours, Prince Kouga," he says loudly, eyeing the young prince warily.
More silence, another careful consideration to be made. Kouga's tail flicks before he waves his hand. The smell of wolf recedes and Sesshomaru let his hackles lower. He waits until they are surely alone before he spoke.
"Is Inuyasha with you," he asks in a careful monotone. Kouga crosses his arms but replies, "No. I haven't seen him for at least three moons. Have you?"
Sesshomaru looks up at the sunset and decides to skip the reply. Kouga hasn't seen you either, little brother? The strange, sort of panicking feeling gets closer to his heart.
"No? Do you think Naraku-"
"You know that Inuyasha would have freed himself, wolf."
Kouga opens his mouth, closes it, and opens it again, "Why are you asking, anyway?" Sesshomaru elects to skip this question, too. He is about to turn and leave (Kouga had no information, either.) when Kouga says, "I can help. I'll send my fastest wolves out and across my territory. I'll report-"
"If Inuyasha was hiding out in the mountains, he'd be sniffed out by now!"
Sesshomaru's eyes widen at the sound of his own voice being so out of control. He clamps his jaw shut and turns his back on the young wolf Prince. His fists clench at his sides for a brief moment. With a deep sigh, Sesshomaru calms himself. Even though he doesn't want to stay, he does. Because diplomacy demands it.
Sesshomaru looks up at the sky and says with a dead and flat tone, "If your wolves find anything, send word to this Sesshomaru. Your aid is appreciated." Kouga doesn't reply, but there is a silent understanding between them. Sesshomaru's eyes focus on the stretch of woods before him and he walks out of Prince Kouga's territory. The wolf stands there for many moments after Sesshomaru's scent has grown stale.
He summons his quickest wolves and they are set out to the farthest corners of his lands.
Sesshomaru stays in a relatively small area on the border of his Western lands. He washes his dirty hands in a cold river, having just killed a hare and devoured it whole. His reflection's face is bloody and Sesshomaru scowls at it. This Inuyasha situation is making his insides twist around. He isn't used to this Worry Panicking feeling and he doesn't like how close it is to the surface. Inuyasha, in all of his dirty, half breed life has never gone missing like this. Sesshomaru kept a close eye on the pup when he was growing up, telling himself that he won't let the other son of their Lord Father die by the hands of some low life. Of course like any young puppy, Inuyasha got himself into a lot of trouble. He always escaped. He always found a way out. Why can't he free himself this time? The last time Sesshomaru had to intervene like this Inuyasha was a toddler and incapable of defending himself. His claws were soft and his teeth were blunt- like all puppies. Inuyasha needed his big brother's protection during those first few years without his human mother.
But Inuyasha's claws are sharp now. His teeth are long and capable of ripping flesh. Not to mention Sesshomaru thought he did a rather nice job of teaching Inuyasha how to fend for himself. What could have possibly gotten the best of the half breed?
Sesshomaru growls under his breath and washes the rabbit entrails from underneath his claws.
It is a dull week before Sesshomaru is approached by a fleet-footed wolf. She kneels before the taiyoukai and holds up a loosely bound scroll. Sesshomaru takes the document and unrolls it, holding the scroll in front of him to read it. Kouga reports that he didn't find anything along his southeast border. The northern borders were blocked off by mudslides but there were no signs of lost puppies there. Along his southwest border (the one that runs along Sesshomaru's own impressive lands) the wolves picked up Inuyasha's scent. The trail led over into the Western Lands. They had stopped their trailing to avoid trespassing. Kouga wished Sesshomaru the best of luck and for Inuyasha's safe return. He is confident that the pup will be brought home with the Western Dog Lord's sharp nose on his scent trail. Sesshomaru closes his eyes and rolls the scroll back up.
The Western Lands belonged to Father and were passed down to him when Father met his end. Sesshomaru never really cared for being a Lord. He would much rather go where he pleases and do what he pleases. Being tied down isn't in his agenda any time soon. He rather likes his nomadic life with Rin. Still, there was an empty palace that he could return to. He was pretty sure that Mother ruled in his absence and he had no objections.
Sesshomaru opens his eyes and the wolf messenger is gone. He checks the air for other wolves and when there aren't any others around, he sprints to the West. For Inuyasha to be hiding right under his nose...
The Western Lands are familiar and secure. How can a puppy hide here for so long? Sesshomaru comes a stop on the river that borders his land. Without much hesitation, he jumps across.
Dry boots lands on the loose, wet sand of the other side. He frowns when he sees wolf paws imprinted in the ground. At least the wolves were scenting and not just being disrespectful. Sesshomaru has good relations with Prince Kouga and he preferred to keep them that way.
Sesshomaru scents the air and was a little surprised to smell his baby brother. The scent is stale and the trail cold, but it is one step closer. He walks up and down the river bank, pacing and sniffing and growling under his breath. His boot prints covered up the wolf's paw prints and create a confusing mess.
Just as the sun starts to rise and Sesshomaru's hope starts to sink, his clever nose catches wind of something puppylike and scared. Sesshomaru crouches to sniff the base of a tall tree where the scent is most concentrated.
Inuyasha's scent. Definitely Inuyasha. A scared Inuyasha. A bleeding, deathly terrified Inuyasha. The dog follows the scent up the tree and stands on his tiptoes to make sure the scent keeps going up. Inuyasha must have scrambled up the tree- yes, he was injured pretty heavily. The wind blows again and Sesshomaru was ready to climb the tree when-
Fresh puppy scent. Fresh fear and fresh blood and fresh Inuyasha. His sibling- his family- needs him. Inuyasha is a strong puppy, but he is not strong enough to escape this and he needs his big brother. Pure instinct grips Sesshomaru by the back of the neck as he makes a mad dash in the direction of his little brother. It sends chills down his spine and makes all his hair stand on end.
Sesshomaru trails the scent until it came to an abrupt halt. His eyes narrow at the small, run down shack that feebly stands before him. Inuyasha was nearby, if not inside the shack. He takes a step forward and puts a hand the doorknob. He goes to turn it when it stops- locked. Fuck.
With a little more force, the door cracks and bursts open.
In all his life, Sesshomaru has seen a lot. There isn't a whole lot that can surprise him. However, the sights and the scents inside the shack make Sesshomaru want to vomit.
It reeks of blood, urine, and fear. The dim morning sun only shows a corner of the whole picture but Sesshomaru's eyes were sharp enough to see it all.
His little brother is inside the shack. It's a disgraceful, pathetic display. But yes, Inuyasha is inside.
He's face down on a dirty, soiled mattress with his hands tied behind his back. The puppy is completely naked, his his hips high in the air, and Sesshomaru has to keep himself from gagging. Inuyasha is completely still minus his twitching ears. The fear scent in the air doubles.
Silently, Sesshomaru walks over to the hanyou. When he crouches down, Inuyasha lets out a muffled whimper. Inuyasha can definitely sense that someone is there. He starts trembling then, his knees press together, his hands claw at his wrists.
Sesshomaru reaches out with his new arm and places his hand between the twitching puppy ears. Inuyasha flinches like he's been struck, whimpers, but otherwise remains docile.
"Inuyasha..."
When his name is spoken, Inuyasha's head lifts. Sesshomaru bites the inside of his cheek to force silence. His little brother is gagged and blindfolded. Even his nose is clamped shut, making his breaking ragged and difficult. He looks pathetic and utterly helpless. A son of their Lord Father...reduced to a whimpering prey animal. It made Sesshomaru's stomach twist. He hears Inuyasha's wheezing and it makes his stomach twist further. With a gentle movement, Sesshomaru pulls off the clamp keeping Inuyasha's nose shut.
Instantly, the hanyou sucks in a deep breath. He takes a few more to steady himself before he screams at the top of his lungs. The sudden loud noise startles Sesshomaru and he's shocked into a stillness as Inuyasha thrashes on the dirty mattress. He grabs the hanyou's bound wrists and says in a commanding voice, "Calm down." Inuyasha stopped his useless struggling, occasionally whimpering behind his makeshift gag. Sesshomaru sighed and waited for Inuyasha to wear himself out. Eventually, all movement stops and Inuyasha just lies there on his back. Sesshomaru watches the blindfold soak up the terrified tears that pour out of his little brother's eyes. It's a pitiful sight to see.
"Little brother," he begins, but for once even Sesshomaru is stunned speechless. He doesn't even know where to begin. "Be still," he eventually chokes out, his hands starting to shake a little. His fingertips run along Inuyasha's head, to where the blindfold and gag are tied. Quickly, the messy knots are undone. The fabric falls from his little brother's face and Sesshomaru keeps his eyes carefully trained on Inuyasha's face. He slices the bindings on Inuyasha's wrists effortlessly. The pup flexes his fingers at his sides and rolls his wrists a few times to get used to freedom again.
The breath is sucked right from Sesshomaru's lungs at the look of the golden eyes staring up at him. Inuyasha sobs- dry heaves because he's crying so hard- and stares up at Sesshomaru. He's accepted death. That is not the look of a man that has fighting spirit left in him. Inuyasha has been used and abused and broken in like a well-worn saddle.
"Little brother," Sesshomaru murmurs with his voice tight and soft, "What did they do to you?" His fingers run through the oily bangs sticking to Inuyasha's forehead. The puppy keeps sobbing, whimpering, showing off his stomach and submitting in the most primal form. Sesshomaru's hand trails down and cups the hanyou's cheek in the palm of his hand. There are no words to say. Inuyasha's tears come quicker and thicker and he reaches up helplessly for his aniki.
As gently as he possibly can, Sesshomaru leans over and gathers the broken puppy in his strong arms. Inuyasha gasps when he's bent a certain way, but eventually his arms manage to wrap themselves around Sesshomaru's neck. The youkai uses one arm under Inuyasha's naked bottom to hold him up. He's lost a significant amount of weight and thus he is easy to carry with one arm. Sesshomaru looks around the dirty shack and sees a flash of red in the corner. He steps over the dirty mattress and crouches to grab Inuyasha's Fire rat furs. Tessaiga is not here. Sesshomaru is about to ask about the sword when Inuyasha starts to cry again. His wet cheeks and runny nose press against the heat of his big brother's neck. The scent of family (and safety) calm down his panic. Sesshomaru is rescuing him from this hellish place. His older brother answered his prayers. There was still hope to live for.
"Aniki," Inuyasha gaps between sobs, "An-Aniki-"
"Shh, pup," Sesshomaru murmurs back at him. Inuyasha shivers at the deep purr that vibrates the dog's chest. Sesshomaru kicks the broken door open and Inuyasha breathes in fresh air for the first time in days.
He feels his world shift and soft grass underneath his skin. Inuyasha's eyes flutter open as Sesshomaru gets down on one knee in front of him. Warily, he watches Sesshomaru inspect him. Gentle hands trail over his neck, down his tummy and over his ribs. They caress his thighs and calves and stop around his ankles. Sesshomaru has a quick summary. The story of Inuyasha's absence is written with the bruises and cuts on his skin. His little brother has been beaten down, humiliated, violated in the worst of ways. Rage instantly boils beneath Sesshomaru's calm demeanor. He swallows it bitterly and ignores the growling Beast in his subconscious.
"Tell this Sesshomaru who is responsible for this."
The words catch Inuyasha a little off guard. He gives his older brother a blank look and attempts to collect his messy subconscious. After a moment of silence Inuyasha says, "Slave traders. They got me on the new moon night. I was sold and brought here." His voice is tight, but careful. Inuyasha bites the inside of his cheek and averts his eyes from Sesshomaru's intense gaze.
"They...they hurt me," he continued, pulling grass out of the ground, "I never expected to be put through that. I have been bullied and tortured beyond belief but big brother what they did to me-"
His throat closes up. Fistfuls of grass are yanked from the earth.
Sesshomaru knows that what Inuyasha tells him is only half the story. However, he can piece together the rest of it. An image of a broken, brutally raped Inuyasha flashes in his head and Sesshomaru instantly pushes it down. It would do no good to go into a rage induced rampage. Sesshomaru knows slave traders. He has seen how their product is cruelly mistreated. Father despised all criminals, but he despised slave traders the most. Trafficking is a horrific act punishable by death in the Western Lands. Father made it so the day he took the title of Inu no Taisho.
The beast who ended up buying Inuyasha must truly be stupid to bring an inuhanyou slave this deep into inuyoukai territory.
Especially when that inuhanyou slave is Lord Sesshomaru's little brother.
Inuyasha reaches for him again, evidently needing something to ground him. Sesshomaru can't deny those puppy eyes anything. He soon has a lapful of Inuyasha, his little brother pressing his face into his shoulder. Sesshomaru lays his cheek against Inuyasha's head and closes his eyes. He isn't sleeping- merely resting his mind. All of his pent up anxiety over finding Inuyasha is very draining. Even if he appeared asleep, the taiyoukai's ears catch every small sound and his nose constantly sniffs for threats. Not that anything is stupid enough to attack him.
His hands gently rub Inuyasha's bare back and Sesshomaru's eyes snap open when he hears a gentle snoring. The hanyou must be exhausted. The poor thing probably hasn't slept well for months. Sesshomaru gently holds the sleeping puppy against his chest. Inuyasha's little puffs of exhale land on his collarbones, but Sesshomaru doesn't really care.
He has found Inuyasha. Inuyasha is alive. A little worse for wear, but alive.
The same would not be able to be said for whoever took his little brother away from him. When Inuyasha wakes up, he will tell Sesshomaru what those slave traders looked like. What they smelled like, what their names were.
The disgusting beasts would be brought to Lord's Sesshomaru's feet and publicly executed for their crimes against Prince Inuyasha. He can vividly imagine the blood gushing out of their beheaded bodies and it somewhat calms his bloodlust.
Sesshomaru frowns when he realizes that he can't keep Inuyasha with him for that long. He needs to be returned to his friends or something.
But as his big brother, Sesshomaru is much more of a packmate than a rag tag band of humans.
They've waited this long, Sesshomaru reasons as he runs his claws through Inuyasha's hair, they can wait a little bit more. Besides, Inuyasha needs to heal as much as he can before making such a journey. In body and in mind. He'll need to be wrapped up in his aniki's love and protection for some time before Sesshomaru feels he is ready to face the world again.
Face Naraku, face the constant prejudice against hanyou's, face that annoying girl's shrill voice and temper tantrums.
Sesshomaru starts to gently lick his little brother's puppy ears, dispelling the nightmare that lingered over Inuyasha's peaceful sleep. Inuyasha will be staying with him for awhile and there will be no arguments about it.