chapter one: Our Little Secret
"Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken exclaimed in disbelief as the dog demon turned away yet another potential suitor with a mere swish of his delicate hand, turning his attention boredly to the demonic imp chastising him. "That was the fourth candidate today!"
Sesshomaru scowled while still maintaining his usual complacent air about him.
"These females hardly interest me," he stated promptly, drawing himself up to full height and moving away from the tree he had been boredly reclining against. "I fail to see the need for me to take a mate."
Jaken frowned as he briskly paced beside his Lord, who was making his way back to their current established campsite.
"As I said, Lord Sesshomaru…you need an heir to inherit the Western Lands, as well as your father's name," Jaken explained in a somewhat exasperated tone. "Also, taking a mate will aid you in overseeing your territory."
"Is that not what I have you for, Jaken?" Sesshomaru's eyes flashed a beautifully deadly golden. "You of all people should know that I am not one for partnerships. Why do you want me to choose a mate so soon?"
"Well…" The smaller demon hesitated. "As I'm sure you know, my Lord, your birthday is approaching soon. And Lord Sesshomaru…you are not as young as you once were."
Sesshomaru honestly looked and felt as though he had just been slapped clear across the face. He was pretty confident in his looks, most notably the fact that he didn't look a day older than that of a twenty-year old mortal. Certainly Jaken was just asking to be stepped on at this point.
"You should watch the things you say," the silver-haired man snapped in an annoyed tone. "I assure you, I am physically identical to the me of a century ago. As for taking a mate, I have no interest in the suitors you bring me."
"But, milord!" Jaken faltered, fear struck into his being at the poisonous look his Lord was currently giving him. "Do you have interest in any one at all?"
Sesshomaru slowly closed his amber eyes, as though thinking intently on the question. When he reopened them, there was a determined yet troubled look worn on his face as he trekked onwards to the camp.
"There is one," he admitted, his voice as callous as ever, "but I have made a promise to never speak of them."
"So you do like somebody?" Jaken asked incredulously, hurriedly scampering to keep up with the demon. "But why did they make you promise to keep it a secret?"
"I merely said I was interested. I do not know my feelings beyond that," he replied tersely, somewhat apprehensive about continuing this conversation. "As for the promise… it is a promise to myself."
Jaken stood speechless as Sesshomaru approached the clearing containing their campsite, motioning deftly for Rin to sit back down as he drew closer.
"I'm going for a walk," the silver-haired man said simply, pacing past the site without so much as a backwards glance. "I take it you two will be here when I return."
"Well, yes, but milord! These parts are dangerous, and-"
"Maybe you should worry about yourself more, Jaken," Sesshomaru replied in a now-irritated tone, his deep baritone voice menacingly harsh. "You yourself have not withstood the test of time well."
Jaken cocked his head a bit to the left, confused by his master's reasoning.
"What do you mean, milord?"
"You look like a wizened grape," Sesshomaru replied bluntly, hoping that this snide comment would leave the devastating results on Jaken's ego that Jaken's age comment had left on his. "I'll be back shortly."
And with this, Sesshomaru strode into the beckoning twilight of the somewhat cool and pleasant Spring day, his long pearly locks swaying ominously with each regal step he took.
It wasn't long until the dog demon reached a pristine, somewhat hallowed looking lake, its waters clear and lucid, and shining with a delicate luminosity that wasn't just the reflection of the young night moon.
Upon further speculation of the pristine pond, the demon was surprised to see that there was what appeared to be somebody bathing in the tarn; the figure's gender was unknown to him until he, out of mere curiosity, drew closer to get a better look.
As Sesshomaru peered out from behind a particularly aged oak tree, he saw that the silhouette bathing in the lake was most definitely male. A very lean, very fit male, as a matter of fact; his body was lithe and sculpted like that of a perfect model, toned muscles rippling under soft, tanned skin with every movement he made.
It didn't take long for Sesshomaru to realize that the figure was his half-brother Inuyasha, who was bathing without a care in the world, his muscular body on display for whatever perverse onlooker stopped by.
In this case, that particular onlooker would be Sesshomaru, but he hardly had the intentions of finding his brother on his walk. Well, actually, to say finding him wasn't on his mind would be a lie, but he hadn't actually expected to.
The half-breed was simply splashing his face and wading about, convinced that he was washing in solitude and without company. He stood up to gaze at the twinkling luminous stars faintly beginning to appear in the now purplish evening sky; at was as he stood stiller than Sesshomaru had ever seen him that the older demon really made a point to actually study the younger male.
Sesshomaru's lucid, amber eyes slowly made their way down the muscle expanse of his brother's abdomen and swept over where the first few soft spangles of silver pubic hair grew; his eyes grew wider as they analyzed the usually hidden parts of the half-demon's anatomy, which was certainly harder and bigger than he had imagined it would be while bathing.
Basically, from what Sesshomaru could assess, Inuyasha was turned on. And he didn't mean to brag, but Sesshomaru's assessments of situations were usually all too correct.
His mouth agape and suddenly agonizingly dry, the older demon couldn't help but lick his lips and stare in awe as the half-demon gingerly began to stroke just the head of his endowed erection, pausing every so often to check and make sure he wasn't being viewed whilst performing such a private, personal act.
Sesshomaru felt like nothing but a pervert; the luckiest pervert on the earth, however. He could feel his own cock start to throb and harden as excited, hot blood pounded in his veins and to his penis. The pounding of his own usually still-beating heart resonated loudly in his ears, mingling with the sweet sounds of Inuyasha's sensual sighs and gruff whimpers of pleasure that were quickly becoming more audible and less reticent.
Instead of a tender stroke, Inuyasha was now full on pumping his arousal to some kind of erratic, unique rhythm that Sesshomaru honestly found he couldn't get enough of.
His own manhood now completely hard from watching Inuyasha get himself off, Sesshomaru couldn't help but fold back some of his clothes and start to play with himself, also; he was so hard at this point that it was becoming unbearable, and although he was ashamed of the fact that watching Inuyasha was making him unbelievably horny, he couldn't deny himself what his body was begging for.
However, despite the lust and longing in his gleaming golden eyes, Sesshomaru also felt an undeniable pang of worry. He was, after all, the great demon Lord Sesshomaru, ruler of the Western Lands, and pure blood demon son of the honorable Inutaisho.
Yet, despite all this, despite the many suitors Jaken brought to the table that would literally kill to bear his kin, Sesshomaru found himself unexplainably and irrevocably attracted to his half-demon younger brother of all people.
It was true; the one person he was and feared he'd ever feel any sort of inclination of romantic interest towards was Inuyasha, and he was admittedly terrified. He didn't want to fall in love, certainly not with Inuyasha. There were just too many obstacles, too many taboos involved with his affection.
Despite all of the things telling his mind no, his body practically radiated a, "Go after him, definitely." His heart, while still undecided, grew troublingly warmer with each passing day, each thought of the half-demon, and each unplanned encounter the two shared.
There was on particular chance meeting that had occured not too many months ago that had set off Sesshomaru's interest. The two had met in the woods by coincidence on a crisp, Spring morning. Inuyasha had ignored him somewhat rudely at first, but then, finally, stated, "Thanks for saving Kagome."
Pleasantly surprised at the gratitude, Sesshomaru had stood somewhat awkwardly in silence for a spell before finally remembering the particular incident in which he had hastily moved the girl out of the way of a possessed demon's arrow.
"I only did it because I know her death would be detrimental to the Shikon shard," the silver-haired male had replied coolly, remaining reserved as Inuyasha drew closer. "I accept your thanks, however. She is your mate, is she not?"
He had had to suppress an uncanny chuckle as Inuyasha flushed at this statement.
"No, she isn't," he had retorted, defiantly making eye contact with the demon. "Recently, I've had other people on my mind!"
"Kikyo, no doubt."
Inuyasha flushed yet again, this time turning on his heel as if to stride away.
"No, and it's none of your concern," he snapped over his shoulder, no doubt making his way back to his camp. "I...I don't really have anyone to call special."
The half-demon slowed his brisk pace to a stop, however, as he trailed off on the last word. A somewhat solemn look overtook his usually lively face as he turned to Sesshomaru, who waited for him to say more with interest.
"To be honest, recently, I've been thinking about you," he said softly, his long hair blowing gently in an ominous, somewhat nippy wind that blew from the east. "I'll wonder what you're doing, where you are, and if you're okay. It's hard to get you off of my mind, sometimes."
He immediately grew impatient yet again, however, and shouted, "Get out of my head!" before heading back towards his companions and leaving Sesshomaru utterly speechless.
The silver-haired man, ironically enough, couldn't get Inuyasha's words out of his own head and this is inevitably what brought him to where he was; currently masturbating to the erotic sight of the younger male trying to bring himself to orgasm and, although it pained him to admit it, it seemed that Inuyasha was going to last longer than him.
As silently as he could, Sesshomaru's pumps quickened and he felt that euphoric, blissfull pool of warmth begin to well up uncontrollably within his core; a few more languid strokes was all it took until he wordlessly came, his body shaking from the intensity and sheer pleasure of the orgasm as he strained not to moan out the name of the figure before him, who found release shortly after.
After he had recovered, Sesshomaru quickly darted back through the woods, intent on finding Jaken and Rin again. It wasn't until he heard the familiar crunching of dead leaves from behind him that he knew he was being followed.
He came to a stop and whisked around, finding himself face to face with a wet-haired, red-faced Inuyasha.
"Bastard," the half-demon snarled, always quick to start a fight without all of the answers. "You saw me!"
Sesshomaru raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Saw you what?" he asked, playing the ignorance game.
Inuyasha faltered and fumbled with his words, trying to somehow convey exactly what needed to be said in as efficient a manner as possible.
He had seen Sesshomaru briskly striding through the forest upon making his way out of the lake, however silently the demon had been moving. He had no idea of how much the long, silver-haired demon had seen, but he wasn't about to just let the man get away without making sure he wasn't going to tell another soul.
"Me, taking a bath," the half-breed replied tersely. "How...how much did you see?"
Sesshomaru's usually so melancholy expression shifted to a mysterious, coy smile as decided maybe it was okay to be honest with Inuyasha for once.
"I saw all of it," he retorted, feigning disgust in his velvety, baritone voice. "If you're worried about me telling others of it, then don't. I find nothing to gain from that." He paused. "You saw me also, did you not, half-breed?"
Inuyasha frowned, relaxing somewhat in his formerly so ornary and uptight stance. "I only saw you leaving when I finished."
Sesshomaru mentally breathed a sigh of relief; his secret was safe, for now.
"Well, today can be our little secret," he stated, his tone inflected with slight mockery.
His amber eyes then widened in realization; this situation was absolutely what he needed to let him have a little fun of sorts with his younger brother, and maybe ease some of his heartache.
"I'll make you a deal," he began, knowing full well that neither he nor his half-brother ever accepted deals of any kind. "I'll completely erase the day's events from my mind under one condition."
Inuyasha shot Sesshomaru a confused, pleading look. "That condition being...?"
Feeling his cheeks admittedly grow quite a bit warmer, Sesshomaru replied with, "Give me a human kiss."
Normally, Inuyasha would've balked at any kind of request like this. He was, of course, shocked, but less at the notion that he would have to kiss Sesshomaru; it was more the fact that Sesshomaru would even suggest for him to.
All his life, even through the strained communication and constant conflict the two shared before the defeat of Naraku, Inuyasha had always deemed Sesshomaru this intangible, unreachable person that he would never be able to understand nor side with.
As he looked at him now, however, Inuyasha realized that his older brother had changed; whether it was for his own good or not, he was still yet to find, but the man most definitely possessed an oddly familiar yet previously absent warmth to his presence. It was the kind of warmth that made one feel protected and wanted, and the kind of warmth that practically begged, "Please stay with this person. They need you."
As much as he hated to admit it, he had deemed Sesshomaru untouchable not just because of his cold demeanor, but largely because of his ethereal beauty; his body was seemingly the basis for any near perfect figure, and his face was handsome and unmarred by the test of time and battle. Smooth, magnolia porcelein-like skin and his long silver locks gave him a delicate, unearthly appearance, whereas his defined jaw and musculature gave away that he was not a creature to be messed with.
Staring unblinkingly into Sesshomaru's golden orbs, Inuyasha curtly nodded but once, looming ever so close to his brother and inhaling deeply, picking up the sweet, mystical masculine scent that wafted ever so faintly off of the older man.
Sesshomaru couldn't help but close his eyes as he felt his lips connect with something warm and soft and seemingly perfectly suited to move against his own; he knew they were Inuyasha's lips, and the thought excited him to the point that he literally exerted some demonic aura in order to keep his body's excitement down.
The kiss was chaste, for the most part, until Inuyasha realized just how right and satisfying the contact was; he pressed forward only ever so slightly, deepening the kiss and earning a relenting sigh from Sesshomaru as his final walls of self resolve came down and he awkwardly yet passionately wrapped his strong arms around the half-demon, pulling him in tightly in what was quite honestly his first embrace.
The two broke apart after what seemed like an all to abrupt blissful eternity, each just as shocked at how irrevocably right the kiss had felt, and how they strangely wanted to do it again.
So, deciding that it was better to live in the moment than to regret later, Sesshomaru connected the two boy's lips once again, this time with more aggression and raw need as opposed to the innocent unsureness he had exhibited earlier.
The second kiss was more brief, but the effects of it were evidently going to last until the rest of Sesshomaru's life unless he finally told Inuyasha the truth.
The pure blood demon stared down somewhat hungrily at his younger brother, blatant uncertainty expressed in his eyes. He needed to tell him he loved him and wanted to be with him, or he was going to have to spend the rest of his life either unhappy or alone.
"Inuyasha, I have to tell you something," Sesshomaru began, his words coming out more quickly than he had intended for them to. "I want to be wi-"
Before Sesshomaru could finish his confession, a startlingly loud, terrified female scream filled the forest, making both boys immediately turn to the source of the shriek.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha muttered in a concerned voice, whereas Sesshomaru couldn't help but feel a pang of distress deep within his gut as he thought of Rin's smiling face.
Wordlessly, the two parted, each torn between the need to defend their territory and the new found desire to just stay in each other's arms; Sesshomaru's brows furrowed as he admitted that maybe it was for the best that the two remained nothing more than former enemies with a strained, barely recognizable family bond.
Maybe things were better staying the way they were, and Sesshomaru should choose someone else to father an heir with.
Maybe Sesshomaru just wasn't meant to love.
author's note: Hey! I hope you enjoyed reading chapter one of this story! It's going to multi-chaptered, and I haven't done one of these in a while, so I'm really excited about writing this (and yes, there will be lemons, haha). c: Please, please, please review! Your feedback means the world to me!