Luna Silvereyes
A/N: I was watching the first episode I ever remember seeing when I was about seven. The one where InuYasha destroys Gatenmaru and his gang of bandits. I got to thinking after Sesshomaru knocked him out and then returned to his little group, acting enigmatically, exactly why he did that, and why he really stopped InuYasha from going completely berserk.
" There would be no point in killing him, for he doesn't even know himself." Sesshomaru explained monotone to the monk and slayer who had stepped between him and InuYasha and the young priestess. Both seemed ready to protect the two with their lives, even after fighting all of these bandits. The monk's eyes narrowed. " We all know you despise InuYasha. Don't tell me you've developed feelings for your little brother."
Sesshomaru regarded him coldly for a moment. He glanced at InuYasha and the priestess. He always found it so strange how she always dared to challenge him in order to protect his half-breed of a brother.
" I will slay InuYasha, eventually." Sesshomaru said. " But now, it would be pointless, when he does not even recognize who he is."
With that, he turned and walked off. He could feel their stares boring into him as he departed, but he'd long since gotten used to it.
//ooo//
As always, Rin, Jaken and Ah-Un were glad to see him, he was secretly relieved that Rin had fared well during his absence. He always worried a little whenever he left her alone with his incompetent vassal. But he didn't even really notice when Jaken hurried up and demanded to know why he'd gone after InuYasha himself. To further confuse the imp, he tilted his head to the left, and then completely turned to look eastward. He heard them murmuring in confusion.
That evening, after Rin and Jaken had gone to sleep, Sesshomaru silently leapt off the ground and into the high branches of a tree. He was angered to admit, he did in fact like the solitude of high altitudes you could find high up in tree branches. He stared into the horizon, his mind filled. He contemplated going hunting, for he hadn't eaten anything in almost three weeks, a little too long for typical demons. But this somehow brought his mind back to today's events.
"He recognized neither himself, nor I, nor his companions. The one thing he did recognize was my presence."
Sesshomaru hummed. " Bokuseno was correct. InuYasha's blood is too strong for him, yet he does not understand it will be his inevitable undoing. I refuse to allow him to destroy himself. That task belongs to me, alone."
Sesshomaru smirked. " I'll continue this little game, InuYasha. I shall continue to 'train' you until you are strong enough to defeat me fairly. Until you wield enough self control to carry the blood of our father proudly."
Sesshomaru stood up and prepared to jump down. " He doesn't know." He said, leaping off the branch. " He doesn't know exactly what I'm doing for him."
With that, he vanished into the dark forest, swallowed up by the night.