I don't own Inuyasha. -0-
They never noticed.
Those small, finer details of Inuyasha.
Like how his moon-colored mane have always remained smooth and soft, its quality easily surpassed even the finest silk, despite of all the fighting and activities Inuyasha participated in, or, that well-hidden gleam of intelligence in those golden orbs that nobody ever thought the hanyou was capable of having.
It is the most insignificant things that are the most telling, but they all were too blinded by Inuyasha's act of a fool.
The hanyou wore his act well, and was even better at parading around in it. He was underestimated, scorned upon because of his inconsiderate and crass behaviors. Nobody ever looked twice his way.
How foolish. Do they all think that, the Hanyou who survived 200 years in this cruel world would be that oblivious and naive?
A hot-headed, seemingly absent-minded hanyou was too much of a perfect cover, a perfect mask for those foolish creatures to see through.
And the one thing that Sesshoumaru was permanently incapable of, was being a fool.
Regardless of his intelligence, it wouldn't do if Sesshoumaru can't understand what was - still is, his, wouldn't it?
-0-
They never noticed.
That Inuyasha was one to wear such trinkets.
The bracelet sat snugly in Miroku's palm, it gleamed elegantly under divine moonlight, the individual hair-thin strings that made up the band was undoubtedly of highest quality, though Miroku couldn't identify what it was, the dainty strands were silver in color, almost the exact same shade as Inuyasha's hair.
Miroku suspected it to be someone's hair, but it was definitely weird to make one's hair into jewelry.
Under the moonlight, it looked crystalline, almost transparent, it shined brighter than the most magnificent diamond.
As if it was made, solely, to bathe in moonlight.
The only decorations on the bracelet were three - likely, Inu youkai fangs. They were slightly bigger than Inuyasha's, judging from the glimpses they got when Inuyasha was eating, they assumed the fangs are that of an older Inu youkai.
The bracelet was utterly breathtaking in its simplicity.
They could only stare in awe at the otherworldly beautiful bracelet before them. Miroku had brought it back with him in his dazed state after seeing the band for the first time. Him and Inuyasha had been bathing when they sensed some youkai approaching at an alarming speed, Inuyasha told him to stay back and finish washing up while he took care of the low-life youkai, then promptly snatched his fire rat and dashed to the nearest bush to put on his clothes.
In his hurry, Inuyasha didn't notice that something had fallen out of his fire rat, before Miroku could tell him of the object's current position, Inuyasha was already gone.
Having no choice left, he went and retrieved the object. It was a beautiful bracelet that took the breath out of Miroku.
Not just its beauty, but also the enormous power encased within the delicate trinket.
It was distinctively Inu, roaring in its own rhythm, like a slient storm. Dangerous, undoubtedly, but it promised safety and protection.
Odd. Very odd. This type of power got Miroku's fine hairs standing up and senses tingling.
Carefully, he picked up the bracelet and brought it back to their group's camp, deciding to give it back to Inuyasha when he was done with the youkai.
Sango looked thoughtful, she was examining the bracelet with utmost interest. Out of the four of them, Sango was probably the one with the most understanding of the youkai culture, despite of being a youkai himself, Shippou was still young has a lot to learn.
Sango probably knew what this bracelet represented.
"I sensed enormous power in this bracelet. Sango, do you happen to know what this is?"
Sango was silent for a few seconds, then she answered his question,"Inu youkai is a very secretive race."
"So you don't know anything about this bracelet? It seems important..." Kagome was curious, and Miroku can't blame her, for he was, too, curious.
Inuyasha didn't seem like the type to care about jewelry. This bracelet must be of importance to him if he had it with him.
"It smells weird, like Inuyasha, but at the same time, not…… It must be an Inu thing?"Shippou supplied, Kirara mewling to show her agreement. Despite being young, Shippou had a quite adequate sense of smell, the kitsune was sure that he encountered this smell somewhere before, but could not place a name or a face on the smell.
It was then that Sango perked up, Shippou's remark had sparked up something in her memory, and now she has identified it."Ah, that reminds me! There is actually some known facts about the Inu youkai, aside from the identity of their Royal Family. One of them is the Inu's old tradition. The act of owning or wearing another Inu's fang is intimacy in the highest form. It speaks of unbreakable bond and loyalty, usually reserved for collective family and loved ones only. But very few Inu youkai give their fangs to their family. The tradition is sacred and rarely practiced since it is considered as mating proposal in most cases. I figured that this bracelet might be related to the tradition."
"This is another Inu's fang then. You said the Inu youkai is very secretive, where did you get this information?"Kagome asked.
"This fact is made known by the Inus themselves, to avoid opponents taking their fangs as battle trophy, or, just many not needed cultural differences problems. The Taijiyas were specifically instructed to be aware of this tradition so that we do not make weapons out of Inu fangs, it has been too long since the last time I encountered an Inu youkai, Shippou's remark resurfaced my memory."
The kitsune looked happy at the subtle praise.
The rest nodded in understanding. As this is old Inu tradition, they all felt like they have intruded Inuyasha's privacy somewhat. But everyone was a bit curious of the mysterious hanyou. He was seemingly very easy to understand, but they actually knew very little of him and his heritage.
Speak of the devil, and he shall appears, Inuyasha emerged from the bush behind them, everyone was so lost in their own thoughts, or just so used to Inuyasha that they did not notice him at first.
It was until Inuyasha pointed a finger, equipped with sharp claws and still dripping blood onto the forest ground, and demanded in his annoyed tone that his possession be returned to its owner that they snapped out of their endeavours.
He took the bracelet back with his unbloodied hand and proceeded to put it in his haori sleeves.
Ah, so that is why they never noticed. He concealed it so well.
His face was in its usual scowling expression when they asked about the bracelet.
"It's a family heirloom of sorts."
Yes, that made sense. Sango did said that the tradion was practiced among family, although rare.
They wanted to ask more, but Kagome, with her face scrunched up in disgust, demanded that Inuyasha go take another bath or atleast wash the blood off of him or she will 'sit' him until tomorrow for being unhygienic and inconsiderate.
Inuyasha grumbled under his breath when he was leaving the camp for another wash, something a long the line of "annoying wench". Nothing out of the ordinary.
Well, they supposed they could ask another time.
And like every 'another time', the incident was promptly pushed to the back of their minds, locked in the black box named 'Trivial things', and the keys, lost somewhere in the abyss.
They never noticed.
-0-
They never noticed.
Good.
Inuyasha could sense the 'We will ask another time' hung in the air. But he did not worry about that, like any 'another time', the questions never came.
After all, he made sure that they never do.
It is disturbingly easy to deceive and lie in when one is parading as a fool. No one ever expected, no one ever looked deeper.
All the more convenient for him.
There were just secrets that were better left unasked and untouched. Everybody's got their own monsters to deal with. In the rush of the Shikon no Tama hunt, there was nearly no time to sit down and think of complicate matters, aside from plotting how to stop Naraku, of course.
When he said that the bracelet was a family heirloom, he did not lie, but he didn't tell the truth, either.
The best lies are the ones with bits of truth in them.
It belonged to family, but it was not a heirloom.
Family.
He himself didn't know, if the 'family' part could be considered a lie or not, that Sesshoumaru could be considered 'family' or not.
He had been there at the camp the entire time, hiding among the trees, he went back even before Miroku, the youkai was too easy to kill.
They never noticed.
Inuyasha could not be found by mere humans, powerful or not, if he decided he did not want to be found. But.
They never noticed.
Humans, so quick to assume and come to conclusions that they never looked twice. His companions would have never expected him to be capable of such feet. After all, what he showed them of himself, was only the tip of the iceberg.
It was all planned. If he interrupted Sango's explanation, it will only serve to make them all the more curious, more willing to intrude his privacy, so he let them satisfy their curiosity, partly. The small piece of information is enough to keep his companions at bay.
After Sango was done, he appeared to end the matter, and he made sure the blood on his claws did not dry yet. Because he knew, that Kagome would order him to go wash off the blood, that, would be unintentionally giving him an out.
The time he used to wash the blood off, would be enough to take their mind temporarily off the bracelet. And when he came back, he would suggest they move again, because apparently the place was not safe enough.
By midnight when they set another camp, the humans would be too tired to form coherrent thoughts, let alone question him, 'another time' it is.
As expected, he made sure those 'another time' never came.
Funny how they thought they put a leash on him, when he was playing them in his palm like bugs.
Sesshoumaru seemed to find that amusing, because those golden depths, so identical to his own, have always shone with dark humor when they swept by his human companions.
They never noticed.
Just like him, Sesshoumaru wore his mask well. Not even the little human girl can fully see through his mask. She is exceptionally perceptive for her age.
But it never mattered. Because up to this point, nobody realized that there was so much more to the brothers's relationship than crashing blades and burning anger. The living proof of it is right here, on his right wrist, the bracelet made of Sesshoumaru's hair and fangs.
The promise of protection in the old Inu ways. The Claim.
They never noticed.
-0-
This will be a series of one shots, related, of course. I didn't intend for this to be dark lol but plot bunnies happened and BAM we have manipulator! Inuyasha.And to clarify, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha is currently not in a romantic relationship , that will be developed through the course of the series. Right now they have a complicated mess.