Burdens by asesina
a/n: This is a continuation of sorcerousfang's wonderful story "Protecting": s/10710536/1/Protecting
Summary: Sesshomaru is near death after risking his life to save Inuyasha. The half-demon muses on
their relationship while struggling to keep his brother alive.
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
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Inuyasha blinked hard and swallowed the sickening feeling of despair that threatened to bring him to his knees. What was he feeling? Was it fear for his own life, or worry for his brother? Inuyasha would never have felt like this in the past. He wouldn't have expected Sesshomaru to care about him, or to lose his life for him-
Inuyasha shook his head in disbelief. He looked heavenward and gasped before raising Tessaiga again. The same energy wave that killed-no- injured Sesshomaru was headed straight for him!
With one final, desperate swing of his sword, Inuyasha cried out the name of his attack, Wind Scar, one last time before falling to his knees.
He was breathing hard, just as Sesshomaru had before he fell-
Sesshomaru.
Inuyasha rushed over to his fallen brother and put a tentative hand on his shoulder, shaking him gently.
"Come on, wake up, Sesshomaru! He's going to be back any second. Come on!" Inuyasha said sharply. His worry quickly morphed into anger, a much more comfortable emotion, and he pointed an accusatory finger at Sesshomaru.
"What were you thinking, huh? Do you think I'm still some weak half-demon? I can't believe you'd risk your life for me. Are you that soft?"
Inuyasha noticed the tremor in his voice under all the rage, and he gritted his teeth.
"Come on, Sesshomaru. We need to get out of here," he said softly.
Sesshomaru didn't stir. He was motionless, helpless.
"You're a full demon, Sesshomaru. This shouldn't kill you. Get up," Inuyasha urged.
In the past, he would've been ashamed of his emotion, annoyed that his bastard of a brother was making him worry like this. But this-
This was different.
Inuyasha attempted to move Sesshomaru. The demon's head fell forward as Inuyasha lifted him onto his shoulder and quickly left the battlefield.
He jumped over cliffs and crevasses, attempting to put as much space as possible between himself and the enemy.
Inuyasha stopped at the mouth of a small cave. It was just a small indent in the cold, naked face of the mountain, but he didn't care.
He gingerly lowered Sesshomaru to the ground, holding his breath as he surveyed the demon's face for any sign of life.
When he didn't find any, Inuyasha's heart began to race again.
"Why, Sesshomaru? Why now? I thought you wanted to kill me," he scoffed.
No answer.
"Did you want this to happen? What about your pride? Would you really lose your life over a half-demon?" Inuyasha asked softly as he lifted a hand to touch Sesshomaru's shoulder.
He dropped it to his side and folded his arms over his chest.
"So, what now? How long does it take to heal from something like this?" he asked aloud, and his words bounced back to him.
Inuyasha looked at the blood on his brother's robe and feared that he already knew the answer.
"No way, Sesshomaru! I am not letting you die here, not like this. What do I have to do, huh? Would Tenseiga work?" he asked hurriedly.
Inuyasha realized that the sword was back on the battlefield, and he didn't want to risk running into the enemy again.
He looked back at Sesshomaru and was dismayed to see that blood was still flowing from his body.
"Damn it. What am I supposed to do, Sesshomaru?"
"What am I supposed to do?"
Inuyasha felt tears begin to sting his eyes, and he cursed his weakness. This wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to hate Sesshomaru, and yet-
He couldn't bring himself to hate him anymore. Sesshomaru had saved him multiple times, and he had never killed him, even though he always said he would one day kill his half-demon little brother.
Sesshomaru was the only remaining link to his father, to his family. He had never really acted like a brother to him, and yet he had just willingly risked his life to save Inuyasha.
Inuyasha finally allowed himself to place his hand on Sesshomaru's shoulder. He felt the finely-spun fabric of his robe, and the strong demon energy radiating from within him, from the brother he once thought was invincible-
Inuyasha turned away from Sesshomaru, angry at himself, angry at his brother, angry at the bastard who had dealt the fatal blow.
"Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha almost missed the tiny, imperceptible noise that came from Sesshomaru's direction. Inuyasha looked back at his brother, and his eyes went wide as he heard Sesshomaru gasping for life.
Inuyasha quickly put his arm around his brother and helped him sit up. Sesshomaru was choking on his own blood, and he spit a mouthful of it onto the cold floor of the cave.
"Sesshomaru, you're alive?" Inuyasha asked incredulously.
"I'd never let filth like him end my life," Sesshomaru said angrily. He started coughing again, and Inuyasha shook his head.
"Stop it, Sesshomaru. You shouldn't move. You're still too weak," he admonished.
"Weak?" Sesshomaru wheezed. "You- you've grown weak, Inuyasha."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Inuyasha growled.
"Before I fell, the look on your face-" Sesshomaru managed, "you were concerned, weren't you?"
"What? No way. You were dead weight in that fight, Sesshomaru," Inuyasha said in a huff.
"And don't call me weak when you were the one who jumped in front of me. Guess you couldn't let him finish me off, eh?" Inuyasha scoffed.
"I will kill you one day, little brother. Never forget that," Sesshomaru said weakly. He passed out again, and Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at his brother before lifting him over his shoulder again.
"Let's go, Sesshomaru. We need to get Tenseiga before that bastard comes back," Inuyasha said quietly. He sighed in annoyance as he shifted his weight to support Sesshomaru, but a small part of him didn't mind the burden.
End.