Inuyasha watches his friends disappear into the thick forest, his brother's last words to him echoing in his mind.

"Meet here tonight. Do not give yourself away."

Stupid Sesshomaru. Who does he think he is, trying to tell him what to do? Those are his friends. What right does he have to just go off with them? If he even so much as thought about hurting them, not even Tenseiga would be able to save him.

Even though he can no longer see them, he can still faintly hear the distant crunch of leaves as they march back toward camp. If he can still hear them, he can still find them, and he wants nothing more than to pick himself up off of the ground and chase after them.

He makes up his mind. To hell with Sesshomaru. Inuyasha would do this his own way, just like he always has.

He gets as far as finding his feet and taking a few wobbly steps in their direction before dizziness overwhelms him and he plops back down onto the ground. After a few long breaths, he tries again.

It takes ten paces this time before the forest blurs in his vision and he topples backward, armor rattling as it clangs against the forest floor.

Again. And again. By the sixth time he ends up on the ground, Sesshomaru's pristine white pants are coated with dirt. With effort he sits up, detangling his arm from a few stray ropes of hair. He thinks he must be making some progress at least, but when he looks back he finds that he's barely made it out of the clearing.

This is getting him nowhere.

Even if he wanted to, he's obviously in no state to follow his friends. And as much as he hates to admit it, his brother is probably right. This whole situation was too weird. They needed to figure this out, and fast. He hates the idea of having to work with Sesshomaru on anything, but this time it seems that he has no choice. In the meantime, he has bigger problems.

Inuyasha runs a hand over his aching head, more surprised than he should be that his hands meet smooth hair instead of furry ears. A bird above him screeches and he covers his new pointed ears.

This sensory overload is killing him.

He had always known that his brother's senses were better than his, but he had no idea just how true that was. He hopes it's just a matter of getting used to it, but right now it's practically intolerable. When he sees the bird fly away he carefully uncovers his ears and is greeted by the sighing of the trees and nothing more.

No. There's something else. Wind? No, water.

With deliberate slowness he finds his feet once more, and carefully lumbers in the direction of the sound of running water. He considers it no small victory that he stumbles and trips only twice. The scent of water grows stronger with the sound, and before long he is greeted to the blissful sight of a sparkling stream. He collapses to his knees along the bank, and automatically reaches his arms toward it.

Only one hand appears.

Right. Damn.

He does his best to cup water with one hand and leans over to drink his fill. Finally the sour taste of bile fades from his mouth, and he focuses on the feeling of the cool liquid as it slides down his throat. The more he drinks, the better his head starts to feel. Maybe he was starting to get the hang of this.

The headache returns full force when a grating voice cuts across the water.

"Lord Sesshomaru! We've found you at last!"

The little toad imp that follows his brother everywhere scampers toward the opposite bank, leading a two-headed dragon by the reins. From its saddle a human girl waves enthusiastically.

He almost panics. He wasn't nearly ready for this. What was he supposed to say? What was he supposed to do? Then he shakes his head.

Really, how hard could it be to act like an arrogant asshole for a day? This could almost be fun.

Inuyasha does his best to stand without swaying, but his vision swims. Okay, first things first. Acting like a jerk for a day might be fun, but first he needs to get someplace where he can rest. Though he seems to be gradually getting used to these heightened senses, he needs to take it easy until he does.

Inspiration strikes.

Ignoring the pain in his head, he tosses his hair behind him and straightens his spine. He clears his throat and draws on his most imperious voice. "Jaken. We're going home."

Not bad. I've totally got this.

Jaken is silent for a long moment. "Home, milord?"

He looks down his nose at him. "Yes. I require rest. Lead the way."

Jaken looks uncomfortable. "Is - is this a test, milord?"

The little girl – Jin? Lin? – laughs from the saddle. "Of course it is, Master Jaken! Lord Sesshomaru doesn't need rest! He's tireless!"

Jaken laughs nervously. "Oh, haha, good one, my lord! For a moment I thought perhaps there was a secret base of which I was unaware!"

Great. So on top of everything else his brother is homeless. Not that Inuyasha could claim any better, but still. He thought Sesshomaru would have had some impressive holdings somewhere, being a lord and all. Wasn't their father some great general? What the hell happened?

He had tuned out for a moment, but when he returns his attention to his companions he is not surprised to find that the toad is still talking. "… just around the corner is a shaded meadow, respite with colorful wildflowers. If my lord requires comfort – "

"Yes. That will do." His head was starting to swim again. "Well done, Jaken."

At the praise Jaken's eyes practically sparkle. Apparently he needed to cut out the niceties if he wanted to stay in character. "Yes, my lord! Thank you! Right this way!"

Jaken crashes loudly through the shallow stream, dragon and little girl in tow. Inuyasha follows at a distance, trying to keep some space between him and the noisy creatures in his party, both demon and human alike. If he hadn't had a splitting headache to begin with, he's sure he would now, what with all of the constant chatting and singing. How did his brother manage not to kill these two? Sesshomaru wasn't exactly known for his patience.

When the meadow opens up before them he gives a small sigh of relief. The little girl immediately hops off of the dragon's back and sprints into a field of wildflowers so tall that they threaten to engulf her. Jaken chases after her, shouting her name – Rin – and they both disappear into the foliage, leaving him in peace.

Finally.

He finds a tree and practically crumples next to it, grateful to be off his feet. As he watches the flowers wave in the breeze, he takes inventory and tries to determine just what it will take to occupy his brother's body – and his life – for a day.

One. His brother is a full demon. There isn't a trace of humanity in his blood, and the enhanced senses are only one of the obvious differences. Inuyasha scans his body for just a moment and congratulates himself on finally starting to adjust to those. Well, he isn't squinting against the sunlight anymore at least, and his nausea seems to be receding. He takes a deep breath. As if to prove him wrong, the direction of the wind changes and the scent of decay from somewhere in the forest invades his nostrils. His stomach roils and he groans. How did his brother deal with this every day? Maybe that explained why he's always in such a foul mood.

Two. Now that he was getting control of his senses he's becoming aware of other interesting side effects of being a full demon. He had always begrudgingly acknowledged that his bastard brother was powerful, but now he can feel it. The menace of it swirls darkly in his chest, and tendrils of demonic aura creep off of him like smoke, spooling around him. At first he thinks he's just imagining it, but when he moves his hand the vapors dance and dissipate. He doesn't remember Sesshomaru looking like this except when he's really angry; he must be able to reel it in somehow. For a little while Inuyasha tries to concentrate on it, to get it under his command, but he only succeeds in making his headache worse. It resists him like an untamed animal, snapping at him for his efforts. He gives up. His brother was just going to have to be a little messier than usual. Hopefully no one would notice.

Untamed energy reminds him of problem number three: Tokijin. The sword at his hip pulses with agitation. Inuyasha knows better than to touch it, let alone try to wield it. Even if it wasn't completely saturated in evil aura, that sword has a personal grudge against him. If Inuyasha can't contain his brother's demonic powers, he certainly isn't going to try to take Tokijin for a spin. The last thing he needs is to be possessed by an evil sword when he isn't even in his own body. With Sesshomaru's powers, he'd be unstoppable if he went on a rampage. If anything tried to attack them, he'd just have to rely on hand-to-hand combat.

Which, of course, leads to problem number four. This ridiculous situation is all thanks to Naraku, which means that he undoubtedly plans to attack both him and his brother when they are in this state in the hopes of taking them down. He needs to figure out a way to use this body to his advantage, and fast. Using the sword was out. He wracks his brain to try to remember his brother's other attacks.

His mind snags on an option. That might work…

Using his only arm he pushes himself up and moves a few paces from the tree line. He looks to the meadow but Jaken and Rin aren't in sight. He can still hear them, so they are still nearby, but he needed to make sure they wouldn't see what he was about to attempt. Assured that he is alone, he takes a deep breath and flicks his arm out to the side.

Nothing happens.

He knows that his brother can produce that whip-thing, but how does he do it? He tries over and over, but he can't seem to get it to form. He glances around again, knowing how ridiculous this must look and hoping that no one is watching. Maybe it was all in the wrist?

He cracks his knuckles and feels something rise to the surface. Got it! He smiles and flings his arm out triumphantly.

Only instead of a whip, green liquid shoots from his claws and sprays across a patch of wildflowers, creating an acrid stench as they bubble and dissolve into toxic smoke.

He cringes. This wasn't working. But it had to.

He concentrates harder, focusing the energy within him, visualizing the whip. He feels a shift, a solidification of power, and swings –

-CRACK-

He almost celebrates until he turns and sees three trees behind him topple to the forest floor, severed cleanly at their bases. He winces in pain and embarrassment as they crash loudly to the ground.

Jaken and Rin appear, pushing through the flowers and jogging in his direction. Jaken looks frantic. "Milord, is everything alright?"

The headache intensifies. He knows how stupid this must look. How can he even begin to explain himself? The moment draws out as he stares at them, struggling for something to say.

Rin rolls her eyes. "He's fine. Lord Sesshomaru is just doing as he pleases! Isn't that right?"

Stunned, Inuyasha can only nod weakly.

The little girl smiles. "Told you, Master Jaken!"

She grabs the toad's hand and starts to lead him back to the field. When they reach the edge of the wildflowers he thinks he's in the clear, but without warning Rin drops Jaken's hand and spins back around, skipping in his direction.

She stops a mere two feet from him and panic strikes again as he wonders what she might want. But then she holds out a handful of yellow flowers and grins.

"I almost forgot! For you, my lord!"

Mutely he looks at the proffered bouquet. Did his brother actually accept flowers? The Sesshomaru he knows would just sneer at the impudence and melt them into goo with his poisonous claws.

But the Sesshomaru he knows also wouldn't keep a human girl around that would offer him flowers in the first place.

The world spins a little, and not just because of his earlier exertions. Why did his brother travel with these two? Jaken he might be able to understand; despite being annoying the little demon seemed to have some use, as he saw when they were searching for the black pearl.

But Rin?

He comes out of his thoughts long enough to look down at the little girl, the edges of her smile trembling with vulnerability. He doesn't know what his bastard brother would do in this situation, but he knows what needs to be done nonetheless.

He reaches for the flowers and makes a show of bringing them to his face and inhaling deeply. Their sweetness is almost cloying and for an instant the pain in his head spikes, but he ignores it. He nods at her solemnly.

"Thank you."

Her grin widens. "You're welcome, my lord!" And with that she skips back to Jaken and pulls him, kicking and screeching, back into the field.

Inuyasha watches them long after they've disappeared into the flowers. Then he shakes his head. He has other things to think about right now. Protecting himself – and the others in Sesshomaru's peculiar entourage – took first priority.

He keeps practicing, and by the time night falls he thinks he might finally be getting the hang of the whip. It's nowhere near as controlled or graceful as when he had seen his brother use it, but it's just as destructive. And that's what mattered, right?

Without being told, Jaken collects firewood at dusk and uses his staff to light a fire. Rin settles in next to it, humming to herself while she weaves some of the flowers she collected into little crowns. As he watches the sky darken, he tries to keep a stoic face while he searches for an excuse to leave camp.

It's true that he needs to find his way back to where this began so that he can meet with his brother to come up with a plan of action. But that isn't his main concern right now. It should be, but there is another urgent matter that's going to require his attention first.

He shifts uncomfortably against the tree at his back, hoping his companions don't notice. Already he had been forced to make graceless adjustments after accidentally sitting on the impossibly long hair his brother insisted on keeping. At this point, however, he can barely bring himself to care. He has been ignoring the pressure for hours now, but there was no avoiding it any longer. One way or another, this problem needed to be resolved.

He really, really regrets drinking all that water.

Part of him wants to just let go right where he is, just to spite his stupid brother and his perfect white pants. He imagines strutting across the Western Lands, dark yellow stains running down his legs, showing demons and villagers alike that the great Lord Sesshomaru isn't potty trained. He can't help it; the image of it is so absurd that a bark of laughter escapes his lips.

His companion's heads swing in his direction and he immediately realizes his mistake. He overcompensates with a scowl and they quickly go back to ignoring him.

He's tempted. He really is. The comedic effect alone might be worth it, except that would mean that he would be forced to walk around smelling like piss all day, and with these senses, it would be unbearable.

The pressure builds painfully and he realizes that if he doesn't do something soon, that fantasy might just become reality. He has no choice; he's going to have to take care of this.

Which means he's actually going to have to touch…

He tries not to gag.

Commanding that his companions stay where they are, he pushes himself to his feet and heads toward the thickest grouping of trees he can find. Once he is a safe distance from camp, he goes about the complicated process of figuring out just how the hell his brother's clothing works. With one hand it takes longer than his protesting bladder would like, but eventually he figures out how to untie the complicated obi knots and other fastenings of his brother's attire. Finally, the ties on his hakama come loose and he glances down.

"…Son of a bitch."

Damn demons. God-given gifts, indeed.

When he's finished, he vows not to drink anything else until he is returned to his rightful body. And when he is, he will casually ask Miroku if he knows any prayers to aid in forgetfulness.

After Jaken and Rin are asleep, he uses his senses to find the spot where he and Sesshomaru had been attacked by the witch earlier that day. Now that he's adjusted to it, the enhanced sense of smell actually comes in handy. Despite the passage of time, he can still detect hints of his friends as he enters the clearing. Miroku. Sango. Shippo.

Kagome.

His heart cinches. He hopes they are safe. Sesshomaru would protect them, right? The thought sours his mood. Sesshomaru might have his reasons to watch over a defenseless human girl, but he has no reason to protect his friends. The fact that they're Inuyasha's friends makes it even less likely that he would be concerned for their safety. If something attacked them…

But maybe he wouldn't have to worry. After all, despite all his preparation nothing had tried to attack him yet. Besides, the effects of this curse couldn't possibly last long. Soon they would figure this out and everything would go back to normal. Right?

Inuyasha watches the stars through the canopy of leaves, and more than once he is sure that he dozes off. Soon enough, the stars begin to fade as dawn breaks along the horizon.

Sesshomaru never arrives.

A/N - Stay tuned for the next chapter, where we'll see how Sesshomaru is getting along! Spolier: not well.