"Oh master Sesshomaru you're ba-." Jaken's beak falls open when he spots the little puppy his master held from the scruff of its neck if Jaken didn't know any better he'd say the runt was… pouting. Ah-Un seemed to take interest in the ball of fur as Sesshomaru released his hold causing the pup to fall hard on the dirt, the dragon moving forward to observe the new comer.
'Oh god this thing is gonna eat me!' Inuyasha cried mentally, on normal days Inuyasha would not acknowledge the pacifist herbivore dragon, but when you're barely three feet tall and staring into the eyes of a seemingly ginormous two headed reptile one can't help but feel a little skittish.
Ah-Un gave a brief huff of approval before one of the heads picked up the pup with its mouth, Inuyasha immediately started kicking and scratching, 'Sesshomaru did you bring me here to be dinner for your pet dragon? Make him put me down NOW!' Inuyasha barked, he thought he saw the corner of his brother's mouth twitch indicating he found Inuyasha's obvious panic comical, 'well I'm glad you're having a good laugh at my expense!'
The dragon curled its body into a 'C' shape placing Inuyasha in the small space and curling tighter around the pup. Inuyasha was surprised and a little uncomfortable with the affection. Sesshomaru on the other hand was amused at seeing Ah-Un treat his little brother like a teddy bear, he glanced at the green skinned kappa who still stood stock still beak nearly touching the ground, the lord briefly wondered if the imp was still breathing, but then again he didn't want to have the kappa squawking his ear off so he decided to leave it be.
Closing his eyes the Yokai kept his senses on high alert; tomorrow was going to be a long day. With that in mind the lord of the west contemplated exactly how he was supposed to change Inuyasha back, he knew that if he left the pup alone like this something will definitely eat the little hanyou, and for some reason that thought didn't exactly sit well with him.
Golden eyes opened to glance at the half-breed who was now fast asleep,
Sesshomaru smirked to himself, it's a wonder how his baby brother can be so carefree even in a situation like this. That's when he caught the sound of soft whines and whimpers, they were so quiet even Sesshomaru's demonic ears had to strain to pick up the faint sound.
Now intently observing the ball of fur, Sesshomaru noticed the faint trembling of the pup. Another whine of pain escaped the pup louder this time and Sesshomaru could make out Inuyasha's unusually small voice faintly whispering in the back of his mind.
'N-no! Kagome! Come back… don't leave me alone again!' the panicked whimpering continued, 'Kagome?' Sesshomaru pondered the name remembering it to be what Inuyasha addressed the strangely dressed priestess by, 'did she die? No, by what I gather it's more like she abandoned him.' The Yokai scowled in disgust, 'yearning for a human that has forsaken him, what a pathetic half-breed.' Sesshomaru couldn't understand it; he'd known Inuyasha to have grown up on his own so why had he become so dependent on his misfit pack.
Another whimper escaped the pup's throat, accompanied with more longing cries for his priestess. Sesshomaru felt a growl form in his own throat; even though he loath to admit it Inuyasha isn't a weak creature his little brother has proven that to him on many occasions, so why rely on others when the hanyou was so capable alone?
Suddenly Inuyasha's body shot up in a speed that nearly caught the lord of the west off guard, closing his golden orbs to feign sleep Sesshomaru sensed the pup cautiously approaching him.
Inuyasha stared warily at his sleeping brother, he had dreamt of Kagome again and as always the dream left him feeling weak and lonely. Confirming that Sesshomaru was asleep (not really) the little pup curled up as close as he dared to the powerful yokai's side, blaming the entire action on his 'puppy instincts' Inuyasha fell into a peaceful sleep once more, confident he could wake up before the lord of the west did, so he could scamper back to his previous resting spot, just laying here for a little while isn't so wrong…right?
Once Sesshomaru was assured that the pup had fallen asleep once more he opened his eyes to look down at the curled up hanyou, at first the lord of the west contemplated reprimanding Inuyasha for daring to be so close to him, but something in him refused to push the hanyou away, 'it's just for tonight so there's no harm.' Sesshomaru convinced himself subtly wrapping mokomoko around the tiny form. Yup tomorrow was going to be a long day.
Inuyasha woke up with a wide yawn rubbing his paws down his muzzle, he was momentarily wondering how his face got so hairy but then remembered the events of the previous day, opening his eyes he groaned realizing the whole thing wasn't just one long fucked up nightmare. That's when another realization hit; he had slept next to his sadistic ass brother, 'oh god! Please still be asleep.' He mentally prayed looking back to where his brother sat… well where he was sitting.
Inuyasha's head spun around, ears swiveling atop his head. Had his brother just left him in the forest? '-keh what else should I have expected from the jackass?' Stretching in a very canine like fashion, Inuyasha mentally prepared himself for the day ahead. That's when his stomach decided to get whiny, well tracking down the witch can wait till he at least had a decent meal.
Inuyasha was just about to leave the clearing when a rustle of leaves halted his movements, to the pup's shock his immaculate brother appeared. 'W-what are you doing here?'
Sesshomaru looked at Inuyasha as if he were the biggest idiot he had ever met, and considering Sesshomaru's social stand point then that assumption might be correct, "you requested my help, did you not?"
'Err… um… yeah, I guess…" Inuyasha murmured in a series of hesitant barks, his furry ears flattened against his head and his curled tail drooped in embarrassment when his stomach gave a rather loud growl. 'Ugh! This is so embarrassing.'
"Hn, you require sustenance I shall hunt, whilst you stay here and at the very least endeavor to stay alive." Sesshomaru said coldly, by now Inuyasha knew he should be used to his brother's attitude towards him but it still cut him to the core that his brother still thought of him as a 'weak and pathetic half-breed', what more does he have to do to get his brother's approval, he didn't need Sesshomaru to shower him with praise but he just wished that at least once his brother would acknowledge him as something other than a nuisance.
Sesshomaru observe the way his brother's eyes lowered to the ground as well as the odd drooping ears and tail. Did his brother not want food? No, his stomach seemed to voice his hunger loudly enough, then why the sudden depressed mood?
The Inu-yokai turned away from the sulking puppy, berating himself for even worrying. Inuyasha was an annoyance nothing more; he was only helping the runt so that he did not stain their father's name. With that decisive thought Sesshomaru took off in the direction he scented his prey.
Inuyasha sat in the clearing wondering what to do in the meantime, that's when Ah-Un decided to make an appearance. The dragon happily trotted up to the hanyou, 'oh great this again.' The pup mentally groaned as he was picked up in the dragon's mouth.
'Hey, I know you don't got a clue what I'm saying but don't you DARE slobber on me!' The dragon snorted in response settling down, placing Inuyasha on the ground beside his flank, Inuyasha waited for the dragon to do… something, but it seemed Ah-Un was satisfied to simply stare at the hanyou pup with all four of his eyes.
If Inuyasha still had his regular body, he would've waved his hand in front of the dragon's face to make sure it was still breathing, that's when he felt the presence of something else approaching, and it wasn't Sesshomaru that was for sure. The hanyou's head spun around so fast it gave him whiplash but that didn't stop the pup from pouncing at whatever it was that had snuck up on him.
"Agh! Gack-g-get off me, you mongrel!" Inuyasha growled at the green imp he had pinned beneath his slightly larger body, Jaken flailing in an attempt to escape.
'What 'ya call me? 'Ya damn toad don't make me shove your precious staff down your throat!'
That was the sight that Sesshomaru walked onto, Inuyasha weighing down and threatening a distressed Jaken with Ah-Un as a spectator. 'The day has only just begun, and already Inuyasha is wreaking havoc.' The demon lord let an amused smirk pass his lips before setting his indifferent mask back in place.
"Inuyasha, stop suffocating Jaken." Inuyasha's head snapped up and the pup jumped off the now slightly blue kappa, 'he started it.'
Sesshomaru resisted the urge to laugh, he had a reputation to keep but Inuyasha was an amusing creature. "Here, eat." He stated tossing a pair of dead rabbits at his brother's feet.
Inuyasha took a tentative sniff at the bloody carcasses and almost instantly recoiled, Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed at his brother's movement, "I never listed you as a picky eater, Inuyasha."
The hanyou growled indignantly, 'it's not that bastard, it's just that…' even through the fur Sesshomaru could make out the faint redness dusting Inuyasha's otherwise snow white fur.
"Then what is the issue?"
'I-I… I CAN'T EAT RAW MEAT OKAY?!' Though he didn't show it but the demon lord was mildly taken aback by his brother's little outburst, "are you saying you are unable to consume demon food?"
Inuyasha silently nodded keeping his gaze trained on the ground, he didn't want to give his brother more reason to think of him as a weak half breed, but in the state he's in now he didn't have much choice.
"Jaken, prepare a fire and cook the rabbits." Sesshomaru watched amused as both Jaken's and Inuyasha's jaws (err-beaks…Muzzles?) simultaneously hit the ground. Sesshomaru was mildly surprised himself that he didn't feel the desire to taunt and belittle his brother for his weaknesses, was it because he has started seeing Inuyasha as an actual person? Or was it because he was pitying the hanyou? Being the stubborn demon he was, though he would deny it, he chose the latter.
As Jaken non too happily set to work on gathering kindling for the fire, Inuyasha cautiously studied his brother, as the demon sat to rest his back against a tree. 'What's he up to?' the hanyou wondered, because of course his sadistic older brother who has been trying to kill him for decades wouldn't be nice to him without an ulterior motive… right?
"Hanyou, cease your staring it is rude." There's the jackass he knew and didn't quite love, assured that Sesshomaru wasn't taken over by some kind of body snatcher demon he turned towards Jaken, who was grumbling as he cooked the rabbits, something about serving uncivilized half breed mongrels, Inuyasha had been called worse.
The smell of roasting rabbits almost made Inuyasha want to drool, almost, he wasn't completely canine. 'Hey Sesshomaru how are we going to find the witch?' Inuyasha asked.
"By finding her coven."
'Uh… coven?'
The Yokai gave an exasperated sigh at his little brother's unending stupidity, "witches usually cast spells in groups, that group is known as a coven, every coven has an individual kanji symbol, all members of the coven is required to wear them, what did the kanji on the witch that attacked you read?"
'Oh yeah she did have a symbol on the back of her hand.' Inuyasha could remember the symbol but he didn't have a clue what it said, he never learned to read, growing up in the wild and fighting for survival didn't really require an education.
"What did it say, Inuyasha?"
'I-I don't know I never learned to read.' Inuyasha refused to feel ashamed about that fact; it wasn't like he grew up in a fancy palace with tutors to teach him stuff like that, unlike his pure ass brother.
"Did your mother not teach you?"
The reminder of his mother made Inuyasha's heart give a painful throb; he missed her so much, even more now that he had lost another human who had accepted him half blood and all.
Sesshomaru didn't understand his emotions at the moment he felt oddly… guilty? But why would he feel guilty over a hanyou? It wasn't as if it was his fault that Inuyasha couldn't read- a sudden realization hit the demon lord at that moment, Inuyasha had grown up on his own fighting for survival since he was a pup because he, Sesshomaru, had refused to take a half breed under his care. Is that why guilt was eating at his stone cold heart? Because he was regretting his treatment of his brother? No that could not be, the great lord of the west never regrets his treatment towards anyone, much less a half breed mongrel.
'That half-breed mongrel is our little brother.'
Sesshomaru was surprised to hear his yokai's voice usually his inner beast remained silent unless in battle. Glancing at his brother, who had started devouring the two freshly cooked rabbits while the lord was lost in thought, the hanyou seemed thoroughly distracted, so Sesshomaru turned his thoughts back to his youkai.
'What do you want?'
'We have something to discuss.'
Leaning his back against the tree to get more comfortable as it seemed this conversation was going to be tedious.
Amethyst: so that's all I have for you guys today I's soooo sorry for being so late please don't kill me.
Michi: If they don't I probably will.
*****THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO, Nikkie23534, AND, THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS!******
SPECIAL THANKS TO-
Black Kitty77
Chitomi
Dark-ekin
Nala1220
VampireDoll666
Alygayy
Ankwhat
freefall-gypsy
jamikitsu
keiFORREAL
leen01
yukinome23
Chavoone
Koukou Ra-men
Lady Noticula
Melanyl
Stormy Oton
sisbug96
three-is-enough
FOR YOUR FAVOURITES AND FOLLOWS.