A Brother's Protection
It's Inuyasha and Sesshomaru brotherly love only. I don't own and I hope you all like this, enjoy
Warning: very OOC and Sesshomaru is the submissive one
He was running, the dark shroud of night helping him blend with the shadows, as he raced through the forest, his body operating purely on instinct.
He, the great Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands, was afraid of what was behind him.
Hunting him.
The only covering he had left was his pants, shoes, and the darkness of the shadows that were wrapping their arms around him, shielding him somewhat from the being that was stalking him.
He held his two swords in his hand awkwardly, thanking whatever god was listening that they had yet to slip from his grasp.
He pushed himself to go faster, but he knew he was at his limit.
Due to his wounds he was going not able to reach his fastest speeds.
He was in a lot of pain, he ached all over, reminding him of his encounter with his brother's Wind Scar, and he was on the verge of passing out from exhaustion.
He was running from an older dog youkai, who had managed to catch him off guard while he took a rare moment to bathe outside his keep, luckily his charges were safely within his fortress at the time of the ambush.
He felt odd moisture on his face, but did not pause in his flight to investigate.
He was terrified of the one chasing him as he had been terrified of nothing else in his entire existence.
The familiar scent of his younger brother reached his nose and he headed in the direction from whence it came.
Sesshomaru came into a clearing, realizing absently that he had ran all the way to his brother's forest, and saw said hanyou watching him warily from his defensive position near the edge of the clearing.
Sesshomaru felt something click in him and he bolted towards him.
Within minutes, he had dodged Inuyasha's hazardous swing of Tetsusaiga and was kneeling at his brother's feet, too exhausted to remain standing, his face pressed into the fire rat haori that their father had gifted the half-breed with at birth, his traitorous body shaking uncontrollably.
He spared a thought to the loss of his final threads of dignity, but he couldn't find it in him to care in that moment, his instincts still at the fore, all he wanted to do was feel protected.
Inuyasha stared down at his brother in shock.
What had happened to make his full-blooded youkai brother seek him out, the weaker, despised hanyou, in the middle of the night, with the stench of fear and desperation hanging about him like a cloak?
To Inuyasha's shock, Sesshomaru whimpered in pain and fear, and tightened his already unyielding, though it was one-handed, grip around his waist, the dog-demon's two swords digging painfully into the hanyou's back.
He gently put his hand to the back of his brother's head and hesitantly ran his battle roughed hand through his brother's tangled hair.
Sesshomaru seemed to relax at this action, his grip softening around Inuyasha's waist.
Inuyasha stared in awe at his brother, feeling as though reality had ceased to be as he had always known it to be, as he ran his hand through his brother's hair and tried to make sense of what was happening.
Not really believing that this wasn't some sort of dream.
"Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha queried, unsure how this could be his brother that was seeking comfort from him, despite the fact, that the form that was clasped against his chest looked, smelled, and felt like him.
Not raising his head from it position buried in Inuyasha's haori, Sesshomaru responded in Inu-youkai, a language he had once told Inuyasha that a half-breed had no right to use, as he would sully it.
(Pack male. Danger comes.) Sesshomaru's speech seemed to be roughened with emotion of some sort, though it was hard to tell since his voice was muffled by his position pressed against Inuyasha's haori, more than Inuyasha had even sensed from the demon before.
Jerking his attention from his brother's form he scanned the area and could sense a youkai approaching from the direction Sesshomaru had come.
It wasn't moving too quickly, as if it had no fear that its prey would escape.
Inuyasha shook his head in disbelief, what being could be so powerful that Sesshomaru would run from it?
What could possibly make Sesshomaru its prey?
"Can you stand?" Inuyasha asked his brother, his voice harsh with confusion as he placed a hand on Sesshomaru's shoulder to push him away, eliciting a small flinch from his demon brother.
It was just too surreal.
(No. Tired. Ran too far.) Sesshomaru responded. His voice held nothing of the proud resonance Inuyasha was used to and expected from his lord brother.
"Fine," Inuyasha tried to keep his voice calm so as not to cause the demon react, not quite believing his brother was beyond violence if he felt his younger half-breed brother became a threat to him, "But I think we need to move out of the center of this clearing. We at least need to move over to the tree line, where I can put the trees to my back."
Sesshomaru didn't respond verbally, but visibly struggled to stand on his own for a moment, before succumbing to the weakness in his limbs.
Before he could try again, Inuyasha reached down and pulled him to his feet with casual strength he had inherited from his father's blood.
Sesshomaru had his eyes closed, when Inuyasha looked up into his brother's face, and he face was smeared with wetness that Inuyasha hesitated to name as tears, Sesshomaru could travel long distances quickly. Maybe it had rained between where he had been and where he was now.
Placing himself firmly under his brother's remaining arm he draped said arm over his shoulders one hand keeping a firm grip there, careful to avoid the tenuous grip the demon lord still had on his weapons, his other around the demon's waist, and all but carried Sesshomaru over to the tree he had previously been resting in.
Deciding against carrying his taller brother up into the tree, he settled them at the bottom of the tree, carefully leaning Sesshomaru against the tree before plopping gracelessly down beside him.
Sesshomaru slowly opened his eyes, looking around the clearing with a touch of fear still lingering in his eyes and his scent, but even so he placed the swords he had been gripping desperately down beside him, between him and Inuyasha, and turned his gaze back to his brother.
Inuyasha had been examining his half-brother as he placed down his swords on the ground and turned his attention back to him, as if Inuyasha would know the solution to his dilemma.
The great lord's clothing, once a pristine white, now bore rips and stains from his flight through the rough terrain and some of his own blood had soaked through the fabric telling of wounds unseen, his hair, as previously mentioned, was tangled and had twigs and debris littered throughout its length.
What shocked Inuyasha the most was the wounds.
As far as he knew, he was the only one who had ever managed to damage Sesshomaru to any extent. Naraku had managed to injure him in small amounts, but Inuyasha was the only one who had ever really came close to killing the great demon.
Now Sesshomaru was littered with wounds, his chest was criss-crossed with healing and fresh marks and punctured deeply here and there seemingly at random, even his face had a few scratches, but it seemed whatever had attacked him had not wanted to damage his face in anyway.
These wounds were not won in battle. They were carved from captive flesh.
The most disturbing of all this was the scent of another male Inu-Youkai layered slightly over his brother's scent, as if he had been taken by a male in rut.
"What happened to you?" Inuyasha asked, barely remembering to keep his voice calm despite his inner rage so as not to set the demon off. The last thing he needed was a panicking Sesshomaru.
Sesshomaru tilted his head slightly, as if considering what to tell the half-breed, a move that was oddly informative about his state of mind.
Sesshomaru, in his right mind, would never allow anyone to know what he was thinking, much less with a move that was so reminiscent of his true form.
This was very worrying for Inuyasha, even though they hated each other, they both could feel the pull of their familial blood on occasion.
Now was one of those occasions, and Inuyasha was feeling it strongly, unlike he ever had before.
(I am free. Escaped danger. Danger comes. Protect?) Sesshomaru ground out, as if even in this almost primal state he didn't want to ask anyone for anything.
Somehow, the fact that even this primal version of Sesshomaru would keep secrets from him comforted him.
As a spiteful way of showing him he was upset with him because he was withholding valuable information, Inuyasha decided to speak in Inu-youkai just so that Sesshomaru would know that he had no power over him in this situation.
(Danger?) Inuyasha barked out stiffly, expecting Sesshomaru to snap out of his weakened state just to try and put the half-breed back in his place.
He almost hoped for it.
Instead, Sesshomaru made a happy sound at the back of his throat before replying.
(Inu-youkai. Strong. Old. Rival Pack Alpha. Unfair Challenge. Untruths. Danger!) Sesshomaru stressed his word-sounds so that he could ensure his half-breed brother could understand, even as he leaned weakly towards his brother, happy know that he knew that he understood at least some of what his said.
(Pack Male Protect.) Inuyasha gave his word with little more than a thought.
This might mean nothing to his brother when he awake from this primitive state, but Inuyasha would always remember what it felt like to be the stronger brother.
What it felt like to be needed as pack.
As if Sesshomaru's last reserve of strength had been emptied by his promise, his brother passed out, landing partially in Inuyasha's lap.
Shaking his head in awe at his brother's actions, Inuyasha picked up his now completely unresisting demon brother.
The surrealism of the situation struck him again as he shifted his brother in his grip so he could retrieve the swords that had been left resting on the ground when he stood.
'Come on,' Inuyasha thought to his half-brother as he retrieved Tensaiga and Tokijin from their place on the ground, 'let's get you somewhere safe, so I can see what I am protecting you from.'
When Sesshomaru awoke he saw that he was in a human hut lying on his back.
Taking in the hut in one sweeping glance, he settled his gaze on his brother who was leaning in a sitting position against the wall next to him. He had his eyes closed as if asleep.
For a moment, Sesshomaru was at a loss as to how he came to be here next to his sleeping hanyou brother, when the shameful events of the only too recent past came crashing back into his consciousness.
Taking in his half-brother's resting form; he was oddly unsurprised by his shocking discovery.
Inuyasha was shirtless, bandaged from neck to the top of his hakama, one bandage was wrapped around his left forearm, another around his right bicep, and the final visible one was taped awkwardly around one of his deformed ears.
He could still pick up the traces of Inuyasha's mismatched pack of humans and demons; they had been in this hut, probably to bandage the hanyou.
As he came to this thought, he realized he could feel fabric wrapped around his own chest and a strange pulling sensation on his face where he had been wounded when escaping.
Looking down, he was surprised to find himself bandaged in much the same way Inuyasha was, except that someone have replaced his hakama with a more common silk than his normal regal attire.
At least it was clean and whole. It was even white, and he had to wonder what thought was put into finding white cloth in a human village, just so that he would be clothed in an appropriate color. It had some simple red blossom designs around the bunched ankles that resembled his average attire.
It had probably been made for human royalty. It would suffice until he could retrieve clothing more suiting to his station.
His gaze returned to his brother, who had yet to realize that his charge had awakened.
Sesshomaru stared at his brother before finally finding deciding to voice the question that had plagued him since he awoke safe under his brother's guard.
He heard the rustling of fabric and the whispers of his brother's pack-mates before he could lend voice to his inquiry and corrected his original assumption as they neared the hut in which the brothers were housed.
He was under the protection of his brother's whole rag-tag pack.
Sesshomaru felt something stir in his that he thought had died with his father.
Pride in someone other than himself.
He still felt a part of him recoil in disgust from the thought of a half-breed coming to his aid, of a half-breed's haphazard pack protecting him when he was weakest, and he decided for once to ignore that part in favor of curing his curiosity.
Something he did not often indulge in.
He sat up and turned to face his brother, his graceful movements telling that he was almost back to his former glory.
"Why?"
Inuyasha's ears, the left slightly impeded by the wrapping, immediately trained on him as the hanyou's eyes snapped open, their gold stare meeting his own.
(Pack-Brother Safe.) Inuyasha spoke in Inu-youkai his speech-sounds soft in the warmth of the hut, but his eyes held the challenge.
Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes slightly at the direct challenge, but relented and bestowed a small nod to his younger half-brother.
In pack law, Inuyasha had earned his right to be pack, by protecting one of his own familial blood who had come to him for protection.
The demon watched as Inuyasha tried not to smile at this admission from his stoic older sibling.
Neither said anything more.
Inuyasha had finally proven that his existence was worth something, and Sesshomaru was struggling with all that he had believed over the years about the hanyou.
Inuyasha's pack chose that moment to attempt to quietly enter the hut, probably assuming that the Western Lord was still unconscious, and went still when they saw his emotionless stare trained on them in the dimness of the hut.
He saw them look over to Inuyasha to see if they should be concerned about his wakefulness.
Inuyasha looked at them and then relaxed back against the wall, closing his eyes in a manner that both insulted him and made him feel strangely at home.
His movements were strangely reminiscent of their father's.
Luckily his pack saw this action for what it was, and relaxed as well.
"Sesshomaru?" The one called Kagome stepped closer to him, watching him to see if he would take action against her, "I need to check you bandages. Last time we changed them you were almost healed, so we might be able to remove them permanently this time."
He gave her a barely perceptible nod and looked away from them all to stare out of the crudely constructed window.
She approached him slowly, and reached for his bandages, and when he didn't react, she began to unwind them.
As she peeled away the last of the wrappings she was pleased to see he was almost completely healed, she wouldn't have to bind his wounds anymore.
"There," the miko sat back examining Sesshomaru's chest as she motioned over to the male who quickly hurried over to the corner of the hut where he quickly dug through a small parcel, retrieving a white hadajuban, a red nagajubanm, and a thick white haori with red blossoms along the sleeves and collar matching the ones decorating the hakama he was currently wearing.
He approached him and removed the hadajuban from the stack, unfolding it and smoothing the fabric before looking at the miko again who reached for the garment.
She slid the fabric over Sesshomaru's shoulders, methodically dressing him in the layered garments until he was fully clothed once more.
Through all of this the hut was silent.
The only sounds were the rustle of cloth against cloth, and the gentle breathing of the inhabitants.
Sesshomaru found that the inner peace of the miko was affecting them all.
How else could he explain the warm feeling that was emanating from his inner self?
After she was done tending Sesshomaru, Kagome went over to Inuyasha to check his wounds and re-bandage if necessary.
When Sesshomaru tracked Kagome with his eyes over to where she moved to tend his brother, he saw that the hanyou was watching him rather than the human that was currently unwinding the soft cloth bandages from around his waist.
The hanyou was watching him, searching for something Sesshomaru was unsure of.
His mask was firmly back in place, but even so, Inuyasha seemed to have managed to find whatever he had been looking for, because he smirked ever so slightly.
Before Sesshomaru could react to that infuriating smirk, Inuyasha's youngest pack member barreled into the hut, somehow managing to dodge everyone and everything in his way as he scampered up to where Inuyasha and Kagome sat together.
Kagome paused in her removal of Inuyasha's ear-bandage to catch the kitsune as he darted into her arms.
"Kagome!" He said excitedly, not noticing the rest of his companion's suddenly uneasy stances as he started to babble on about how the village children had invited him to the river that night.
Watching the kit for a moment, Sesshomaru stood and moved towards the entrance to the hut, picking up his swords and placing them rightfully at his side as he went, ignoring the humans as they tensed at his movement.
The fox kit had been a troublesome reminder of someone he left behind.
Pausing in the doorway, the demon lord hesitated only long enough to say one thing.
(Pack Safe.)
Inuyasha stared after his brother as he walked away from the hut.
The hanyou knew that the relationship with his brother was forever altered by what had occurred here.
He now had the respect of his lord brother, which meant protection for him and his pack should the need arise.
His friends relaxed around him, the tension of being in Sesshomaru's presence melting away in his absence, and he allowed a small smile to grace his lips as he felt their natural patterns fall back into place.
Life wouldn't be the same, because now both he and Sesshomaru had a brother's protection.
OWARI
It's finally done, Please review and tell me what you think. Again, the two brothers are OOC but I think Inuyasha would be more mature in this one because he is older and Sesshomaru would be more emotional thanks to Rin. Until next time readers, later.