Hey little piggles! Iisarainbowpig here!
Ok so...I really enjoyed writing this and not to mention it's completely out of my general domain of writing. So I pretty much surprised myself. Anyway, I had a dream a few nights ago that was really sweet, and that said dream became this one-shot. It's pretty sweet, but because of how the dream just kind of started...some of it is not directly from the dream...but 94% of this is from the dream. Just sayin'.
Anyway, please review and tell me your thoughts on this! This is my first Inuyasha FF and it came out better than expected. So...
ENJOY~
His body couldn't hold up anymore. He lay there; merely capable of twitching his fingers, covered in his own bloodied wounds.
"Dead already?" Sesshomaru's calm voice spoke as he advanced upon his fallen half-brother. He held Tokijin in his right hand, his only intact arm. "A fitting place for a half-demon."
Inuyasha could do nothing but glare and struggle to get up—he didn't even have enough energy to speak. Gathering the last of his energy, the half-demon managed to wrap his hand around the hilt of the reverted Tetsusaiga. The feeling of the sword against his skin sent a wave of relief through his body, calming the stirring demon blood within him.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome struggled to her feet and attempted to run to her fallen friend, only to find a jingling staff blocking her path. "Miroku! What are you doing!? We have to go help Inuyasha!"
Miroku didn't lift his eyes from the scene of the two brothers, and looked reluctant as he said, "Inuyasha is strong. He'll make it. If we go and try to help, we'll only get in his way."
"But-"
"Kagome-chan, from the times we've seen Sesshomaru, we've found he is a formidable opponent," Sango said as she placed a hand on the teen girl's shoulder.
Kagome stared at her companions before nodding silently.
"This is where your inferiority shall end," Sesshomaru growled, raising Tokijin above his head as he stared down at the tattered body.
Kagome's eyes widened. "H-he's not going to make it!" Fumbling with her bow, the girl struggled to aim an arrow at the demon, silently praying she could shoot it in time.
Just then, a loud beat pulsed from Tetsusaiga held loosely in Inuyasha's palm. Sesshomaru froze, his eyes widening slightly as his hand froze in mid-air.
'What-what is this feeling…'
Wondering if for a split second Inuyasha was transforming, the older brother leapt back cautiously.
The sword began to pulse more frequently, beginning to sound more like a beating heart. The full moon shining in the ink sky seemed to shine brighter as its rays swept across the blade of the fanged sword.
Sesshomaru nearly flinched when he felt a similar pulsing at his own hip. His eyes glanced down at the sword he despised, Tenseiga, at his hip as it began to pulse in harmony with Tetsusaiga.
'Tenseiga…?'
"Wh-what's happening?" Shippo asked in shocked confusion as Kagome lowered her bow.
"I don't know," Sango said, a hint of worry in her voice. Kirara adjusted her stance, her fur beginning to stand on edge as she hissed at the pulsing swords from the group's spot by the rocks of the similarly rocky land. It was an ideal spot to take cover as the rocks formed a sort of ditch with the mountain of rocks forming a wall behind them.
The pulsing of the two swords became more synchronized as they grew faster, both beginning to give off a light glow. With a flash of light a large figure began to form, slowing taking the form of a large beast; seen merely as a silhouette due to its blocking of the moon. All of the onlookers stared up in shock as two great, white paws crunched onto the rocky ground. Even Sesshomaru's eyes had widened a bit as he stared up at the large, white, dog head raising.
No longer a silhouette, the legendary dog general gave a flick of his long, glossy tail as he stared down at his two sons, one unconscious and the other in silent shock. However, he was not solid, but rather, translucent. It was only the spirit of the brothers' father.
Without a word, he crouched down atop the rocks, and although seemingly only a spirit, the rocks crunched under his paws as he walked forward and laid on his stomach, sweeping his tail along the ground. Once the tail had reached the fallen half-demon's limp body, it gently slid Inuyasha, sword and all, to in between his two large paws so that he was resting with his head against his father's furry chest and where the dog's arm became submerged in his own fluffy fur.
Sesshomaru stood speechless, the hilt of Tokijin sliding slightly in his grip. How could their father be here? It didn't make sense to him, his father had been dead for centuries. He had been in his skeleton!
As silently as he had swept up Inuyasha, the large demon turned his head to face the older son before leaping so quickly into the air, it was too swift for anyone to track. With a loud crunch and the shattering of many stones, the dog general landed nearly on top of Sesshomaru who had flinched. As the great demon landed, he grabbed the back of the elder son's clothing in his mouth and leapt back to where the younger lay. Now laying on his stomach again, the demon placed his son next to his opposite paw, gently repositioning Inuyasha to his original position.
"I-is that…?" Miroku blinked and stared in disbelief at the large dog demon, lying with both his sons in between his paws.
"I've only heard about him in stories...but...how is he…?" Sango was struggling with her words as the realization of what just happened began to sink in.
Kagome stared wide eyed, yet at the same time, she felt happiness for Inuyasha. 'So that's his father…'
Something felt warm, and fluffy, but Inuyasha couldn't figure out what. He could have sworn he was about to be killed by Sesshomaru, yet, he felt like he was as alive as ever. And incredibly comfortable. Stirring in his resting spot, the half-demon's eyes slid open, requiring for him to blink a few time to adjust to the outside world's views. He glanced to where his head was resting to find the same softness that seemed to be engulfing him. '...fur…?'
His eyes popped open when he swore that his resting spot shifted. He almost jumped back when he looked up to be met with a pair of fierce yet gentle red eyes. "Wai-wait! Wh-what the…!?"
'Wait...is...he maybe…'
"Are you...?" Inuyasha's body remained tensed in shock as he continued to stare up at his late father.
Nearly scaring the living shit out of him, the huge demon moved his large paw and pretty much destroyed the rocks beneath as he almost slammed his paw down between Sesshomaru and Inuyasha. Sesshomaru simply flinched as he looked up to meet his eyes with his father's who was now giving off a low growl as he stared down at the older son. To Inuyasha's surprise, Sesshomaru seemed… abashed. He almost seemed… ashamed. Slowly, Inu no Taisho lifted his paw from the cracked ground, pebbles and bits of rubble tumbling onto the ground once more as the paw was placed back at Inuyasha's side.
"S-sesshomaru!?" This time, the growl was directed to Inuyasha, who immediately silenced himself, his ears flattening on his head as he whipped his head back to his father, abashed.
A gentle expression returning to the eldest dog demon's face, he leaned his head down closer to Inuyasha's who stared back in both discomfort and slight curiosity. No words were exchanged still, only the dog general's tongue began to gently lick at a bloody cut on the half-demon's cheek. Inuyasha made an inaudible sound of discomfort, closing his right eye from the close proximity as he accepted the gesture, albeit hesitantly. His demeanor had mellowed and to the shock of everyone else there, the brash and rough Inuyasha seemed almost shy.
Sesshomaru watched calmly and quietly (even a bit jealously) as their father continued to clean up the wound before moving on to a nasty gash on Inuyasha's back. The older brother seemed to be both glaring and staring at the younger until the dog general noticed, stopping midway to send a warning growl and glance at Sesshomaru. The young demon averted his eyes, but didn't say anything as he subconsciously leaned back, further into his father's fur. He turned on his side, snugly resting his head against his father's broad chest. He closed his eyes in tranquility as he listened to the rumbles and purrs Inu no Taisho gave off as he groomed Inuyasha.
As silently as they could, Miroku, Shippo, Sango, Kagome, and Kirara began to inch closer to the family of demons, until the father's large ears twitched and he turned his head to them, causing them to freeze in their tracks. He glared at them, searching their frozen forms for signs of danger and let out an audible, rumbling growl. Sesshomaru looked up briefly to see what was causing the growl, but laid his head back down when he saw it was only them—Inuyasha's human friends and kitsune. The group raised their hands up in surrender while slowly backing away a few steps. Seeing that they had no intention of harm, the great demon's features relaxed as his growl died away before he returned to cleaning up Inuyasha's bloody wounds. As he progressed, the wounds began to scab over quickly—to the point that it seemed it would only a few more hours to heal completely.
"Sesshomaru-sama! Sesshomaru-sama! Where did you-AAAIEEE!" Jaken had just showed up from around a few walls of rocks and had stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed the giant dog demon glaring and growling loudly at him. Shifting his paws so that they rested closer around his sons, the demon's growl grew audibly until he let out a loud warning bark, which sent the goblin-like servant stumbling back considerably. Rin was about to appear around the corner as well until she noticed Sesshomaru sending her a look that meant for her to leave with Jaken.
"Hai!" She nodded in excitement with no objection before grabbing a protesting Jaken and running back the way they came, Ah-Un following suit.
After the last of the crimson blood had been cleansed from his youngest, the dog general glanced between his two sons who were avoiding one another's eyes, a rather long huff of air escaping his wet nose as if to sigh. Something caught his eye however, and it wasn't something good. The large demon glared at the unwelcome Tokijin, sheathed just above Tenseiga. While his son was distracted he swiftly swiped the evil sword from Sesshomaru's belt, whose breath hitched slightly in surprise as he witnessed the sword flung into the air and imbedded into the ground many meters away from them.
"Sesshomaru," their father began, his voice strong and echoing audibly despite his unmoving lips, as he turned to look at his eldest son once more. "I intended for you to inherit Tenseiga so you may have the power to heal and protect. Yet you go and find yourself an evil sword such as that."
Sesshomaru looked up calmly at his father's face before speaking. "I have neither a need nor a want for a sword that cannot cut."
"Oi! Sesshomaru! Even though Tetsusaiga is better, he passed these onto us as heirlooms, how could you be so disrespectful!?" Inuyasha questioned angrily.
"Shut up, you filthy half-breed. You are the one who has disrespected my father's name with your very existence! Afterall, you are merely a half-demon. I cannot comprehend why father left a valuable sword such as Tetsusaiga in your undeserving hands!"
"You-!"
"Silence, both of you!" The dog demon silenced their bickering, his voice now more of a warning growl. "Sesshomaru, I am not only your father, but Inuyasha's as well. I passed Tetsusaiga to your brother so that it may protect him both internally and externally. I also passed Tenseiga to you so that you may be able to heal others. It was also my way to keep you two from fighting, seeing as it will only end in a draw. And now I come to see your brother half dead due to your resentment of his heritage?"
Sesshomaru regarded his father silently before haughtily turning his head away and returning to his original leaning, sitting position. It was almost reminiscent of a pouting teen.
Their father stared at them silently before pulling his paws closer together—to the point where he had forced both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru close together, enough for them to be touching and pressed against one another.
"O-oi!"
"Do not touch me."
"I'm not trying to!" Inuyasha lashed back, glaring at his older brother. The two's attention however was caught when their father began to growl at them again, and they quickly fell silent.
"What're we going to do? We can't get close to them and we can't just leave," Sango asked as she sat cross legged on the rocks—Kirara nestled deep in her lap—watching the demons with interest.
"I suppose we wait until we're allowed to have Inuyasha back," Miroku replied calmly, closing his eyes as he too sat down.
"Well, we shouldn't interrupt them. This is the first time Inuyasha has seen his father," Kagome said with a smile.
"It really is a sweet sight, isn't it?" Miroku said, a small smile tugging at the corners of the lips as he opened his eyes.
"Hmm? Where's Shippo?" Sango asked, looking around with worry.
"Eh?" Miroku got up and did a quick circle around the area, but stopped when Kagome let out a cry.
"Ah! A fox is taking him away in its mouth!" Kagome spotted Shippo, indeed in a fox's mouth, being carried up the mountain side until they reached a certain ledge where the small fox child was deposited. "You don't think maybe that's…?"
"It probably is Shippo's father," Miroku said, almost in awe. They had witnessed two miracles tonight. The legendary Inu no Taisho and Shippo's deceased father were there in front of their eyes. "We are in the Valley of Demonic Souls."
"The Valley of Demonic Souls?"
"It's basically a place where the souls of dead demons rest, if not somewhere else more precious to them. The great dog general appeared simply because his soul was in the two swords and thus he was temporarily released due to us coming here and because it's a full moon night. Shippo's father probably temporarily appeared as well because his son's arrival here and the full moon triggered him to be released from resting here," Miroku explained.
"How do you know all this?" Sango asked, eyeing him in growing suspicion. They knew that Miroku had a vast knowledge of things such as these, but she had a feeling that he had a different source this time around.
"Oh. A beautiful maiden working in a home I exorcised told me about it," he replied with an innocent smile.
Sango closed her eyes, a tick mark visible as it took her all her willpower not to smash the monk's head into the gravel and stone below. Instead, the sound of a loud smack rang out in the quiet night.
Shippo had been quite shocked when he felt his feet lift off the ground. He was still in shock as he was being carried up the mountain side. At first he had squirmed and protested, however, he stopped when a wave of familiarity washed over him. Whatever had carried him up, stopped on a ledge half way and gently placed the child down.
"Who-?" Shippo froze as he stared up at the sleek, translucent fox looking gently down at him. He recognized him, and missed him...his father. "D-dad…"
Without a word, the fox strode next to Shippo and lay down on his stomach, lifting the child with his mouth once more before placing him so that he could rest on the fox's tail while leaning against the fur on his side. Shippo didn't care how weird it was, he missed this, therefore he didn't object but simply snuggled deeper into the pumpkin fur.
Inuyasha and Sesshomaru sat silently pressed together—thanks to their father. The older had his head turned away, his left eye twitching in disgust while the younger sat with crossed arms, looking away while grumbling under his breath. Every time the half-demon made even the smallest twitch as to wield Tetsusaiga against Sesshomaru, he was discovered and suffered under his late father's glare and growl. And every time that happened, shame welled up in him and his ears drooped.
Time passed and the three demons, well, two demons and a half-demon, continued to be isolated from the rest of the group along with Shippo—now sleeping—nestled in his father's fur on a ledge along the rocky wall. It could have been lack of blood, or maybe comfort, but eventually, Inuyasha found himself being peacefully lulled to sleep while snuggled against his father's soft fur. Not being able to stay awake any longer, the half-demon's eyes drooped shut as his breathing evened out and and became shallower, his body subconsciously leaning deeper into the warmth of his father. Sesshomaru glanced back at the younger when he felt the shifting of weight next to him before averting his eyes again and allowing himself to sink deeper into the dog general's coat. The same as Inuyasha, the demon found himself slipping into a deep sleep before relaxing and allowing his head to tilt slightly to the right. He would never admit it, but his body leaned slightly closer to the younger's after consciousness was lost.
As the moon began to set, and the sun began to rise, dawn spreading its ribbon like fingers across the brightening sky, the dog general lifted his head up to the sky, having previously been watching his sleeping sons.
He stared silently up at the coloring sky with a feeling of sadness and disappointment growing inside him.
'It's about time I leave then…?'
Careful not to awaken the two brothers, the great demon moved the two sleeping bodies so that Sesshomaru was snuggled against the long, fluffy stretch of fur he always carried while Inuyasha was put so that his head and back leaned against the outer fluff of said fur. Sesshomaru shifted as he stirred, but miraculously, he resumed sleeping. Inu no Taisho looked at both of hims sleeping sons with a fond look on his face—for once peacefully withstanding each other. He gave them each a small lick on the head in farewell and with that, the great demon pulled away and began to shimmer as he began to fade. With one last glance of his slumbering sons, the spirit faded away, the spirit of Shippo's father soon following. Shippo's eyes closed, but he forced his eyes open again as he was snuggled against his father. However he was not prepared when the dying wisps of his father's spirit slipped out from under him. He opened his previously closed eyes.
"Dad!" The small fox's eyes began to water as he watched the wisps escaping into the coloring sky, the wisps of the dog demons' father already ahead.
Kagome, Sango, Miroku, and Kirara watched with slight sadness as the two demon spirits escaped into the sky.
"What should we do about them?" Sango asked quietly, dropping her gaze at the two brothers unknowingly sleeping together.
Kagome smiled. "Leave them be. I think it's good that they're not fighting for a change."
"You mean 'going after one another's life' fighting, right?" Miroku asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Of course! What else?" Kagome replied, waving her hand dismissively.
Finally the sun revealed itself fully, casting away the last specks of the full moon night's sapphire rays. The two swords lay dormant by both brothers, the sun glimmering on the fanged blades instead of the previous moonlight.
So, what'd you guys think? Please review, I'd love to hear feedback from you guys. I know it was a bit repetitive, but you know...it's fine. More cuteness right?
SilverDewDrop is my editor and therefore, all formatting and grammar correction credit goes to her. Not to mention she added in a few humorous Sesshomaru moments.
Anyway...please review and I'll personally PM the people I am able to PM as a reply. I hope you enjoyed and, out of lack more things to say...
BYE~
