Warm
It was so dark, he could scarcely see an inch in front of his nose. Inuyasha took in another deep breath, wincing when he stepped on something sharp and foreign, but didn't bother looking down to try and figure out what it was. It was well into the night of the new moon, and he couldn't believe how stupid he'd been.
He should have started looking for shelter a long, long time ago, should have already built or found someplace to stay. He couldn't help that nowhere he went felt like home. He knew he could have stayed in the village, but he had been getting more unwelcome looks than welcome ones lately. As years went by, as humans expanded their territory, Inuyasha found that there just weren't any places where a half breed like him could go anymore.
It was even getting rare to run into any demons. The humans… they were getting better and better at slaying them. And it was no longer out of necessity no, it had become a sport.
That was another reason why he didn't like going near the village so much these days. Tessaiga spent more and more time on his hip. He went to Totosai occasionally to get it sharpened, he polished it when he had nothing to do (which was more often than not, lately), but he knew he was getting rusty.
He tried staying with Shippo for a while, but the fox demon had a new family and despite helping out there was just no room for an out of place, old friend when there were two kits that needed taking care of and a third on the way. No, he would continue to visit, but he couldn't hold Shippo back just because he wanted company.
The past few months he had been traveling further and further away from his usual haunts, and though he told himself he had no real destination he knew it was a lie.
He'd been stubborn.
Every time he told himself 'would it be so bad?' He responded with 'yes, it would', and before he knew it days, weeks, months were slipping by, until more than a year had passed since he'd seen his brother. It had been a lonely one.
He'd gone farther than he'd ever gone before, saw new places, but always kept to himself. Despite his desperate want for companionship he could never quite bring himself to approach anyone- human or demon. It was strange, but in the end he knew it was for the best. A human was likely to be afraid of him, and a demon likely to attack first and ask questions later. Besides, what was he supposed to do?
Walking up and saying 'hi, please be my friend,' seemed more than ridiculous.
Still, when finding a new forest, and new structure, new mountain to explore no longer gave him a thrill, with no one to fight and no one to argue with, Inuyasha found himself wanting more. He had almost made it when he realized he'd lost track of the moon phases. Without his nose and ears to guide him, he felt like he was wandering blindly through the dark forest- which, if he were being honest, he was. But he had been positive that he was going in the right direction, and he kept telling himself as long as he could continue straight, he would make it there.
Something buzzed in his ear and he swatted at it, letting out a short breath as he willed his tired body to keep moving. His legs ached, his head ached- everything ached. But falling asleep out in the cold was a death sentence. Snow had not yet stuck but outside was cold, especially without the heat of the sun. He really should have known by now how to time this better.
Despite his bitterness, nothing could stop the warm feeling of relief that flowed through him when he finally parted an annoying wall of hanging leaves and saw Sesshomaru's house there, waiting for him. He took a step forward, cursing when his knees buckled out from under him.
No, just a little further…
He took a few moments to catch his breath, curling his hands in the cold dirt and trying to suppress a shudder. He relaxed the tense muscles in his body.
Sometimes… dangerous thoughts entered his mind. Thoughts like, what was the point of continuing on any further? His love was dead. His friends had their own lives that he did not feel right intruding upon, and his only family was… well. The brief bout of depression faded a bit, at the thought of Sesshomaru. He may have been a heartless bastard, but he was a heartless bastard who had extended an invitation.
Besides, if he died Sesshomaru would probably just bring him back with Tensaisga saying 'This Sesshomaru will be the one that takes your life, half breed'.
Inuyasha snorted.
There was a faint breeze, and when he opened his eyes there were boots in his line of vision. He craned his head up with great effort, blinking against the barely there figure of Sesshomaru in the darkness.
A sigh left his parted lips, and he lowered his head.
After a moment, he felt warmth come around him, lifting him up into strong arms.
"I can walk by myself," he muttered, but it was a half-hearted complaint. Sesshomaru knew this, and did not respond. The demon carried him into the house and into a room where a futon already lay waiting, putting him down in a surprisingly gentle fashion.
It wasn't until Inuyasha opened his eyes that he realized he'd fallen asleep.
Sunlight streamed in through a window, and from the way he could smell Sesshomaru's scent saturated around this place he knew that he was a half demon once more. And then he picked up the sound of squawking, and rolled his eyes, standing up.
Jaken was going on about something or other- he didn't care to listen- but abruptly stopped when he slid open the door into the main room, finding Sesshomaru sitting on the tatami next to a low table, legs folded under him and eyes turned towards the window. It was a weirdly… normal sight, and Inuyasha knew it would take a lot of adjusting to get used to the other doing something other than walking away. Or trying to kill him.
"Inuyasha, you're awake," Jaken observed rather pointlessly, and the half demon sniffed. He walked over to sit by Sesshomaru, hesitating only a bit as he did so. He felt a strange sort of nervousness fill him as he considered what to say.
He glanced at Sesshomaru from the corner of his eyes, unable to help the scowl that rose to his face when he saw the other already looking at him. "Well? What are you starin' at?"
Sesshomaru's head lifted slightly, but gave no other visible reaction to the words. "Inuyasha. That was careless of you."
The half demon winced, not having to ask to know what the other was talking about. That didn't mean he had to take it. His lips parted to reply with a few choice words of his own, but was distracted when Sesshomaru turned his head.
"As usual."
"Hey!"
The full demon blinked slowly. "Jaken, you may leave."
"But my lord…"
Sesshomaru gave the other a look, but it was fairly tame. Almost too tame. Still, Jaken obeyed, bowing slightly and turning to leave the room, though he glanced over his shoulder a few too many times. Inuyasha wouldn't be surprised to find the other listening at the door.
"Have you a reason for coming, Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru asked once they were 'alone'. "Or is this a social call." The words were too flat to be a serious question. Inuyasha briefly suspected sarcasm, but was startled to find the other's eyes did not look as cold as they usually did. The half demon snorted to cover up his delayed response. "Feh. Here, I'm tired of carrying this thing around." He dug into one of his sleeves, pulling out Rin's dagger and setting it on the table, sliding it over to Sesshomaru. The full demon's eyes moved to it, and Inuyasha watched his face carefully, waiting for a reaction. He really hoped the other didn't try and kill him again. Perhaps he should have led into that somehow, but the other reason he'd come was… well, it was a bit too embarrassing to just blurt out like that.
After what seemed like ages of Sesshomaru merely sitting there, Inuyasha grew impatient. "Well?" He snapped, leg twitching up and down, antsy. Sesshomaru drew up his eyes, lips pursing briefly.
"You kept it," he observed.
Inuyasha hesitated a second before nodding because- wasn't that obvious? But he knew not how to explain himself.
Sesshomaru spent a few more unnecessary minutes staring, making Inuyasha feel like he was going to jump out of his skin, before he stood slowly, picking up the dagger and walking from the room. For the first time Inuyasha noticed the other wasn't wearing his usual attire. The kimono he wore was white, so it hadn't been immediately obvious. It was such a strange paradox. To see his brother in casual clothing, so non-threatening, yet knowing what the other was capable of. If he was only looking at his face, in those hard golden eyes, the illusion his change of dress brought with it faded entirely.
After a moment Sesshomaru returned, this time without the dagger. Inuyasha felt a small pulse of relief go through him. He'd thought for sure the gesture would be rejected, again. Yet it was also bittersweet… he'd sort of gotten used to carrying around that small part of Rin with him.
Sesshomaru sat again. He stared out the window again, at the snow, and Inuyasha found himself growing anxious as he waited for more questions. He knew Sesshomaru probably didn't buy that he'd come all the way out here, on the night of the new moon no less, just to give him that dagger back.
But, he didn't say anything else.
And he still didn't say anything when he retired for the evening, either, leaving the room without so much as a 'goodnight'. The only reason Inuyasha knew he was sleeping was because heard the others deep breathing, when he finally mustered up the courage to return to the room he'd woken up in.
Sesshomaru sleeping.
Another thing he'd never seen, before.
He had such mixed feelings about staying the night… again. On one hand, oddly enough, he didn't want to overstay his welcome. On another, he didn't want to give Sesshomaru the wrong idea… he had no intention of staying for a long while. He'd just… needed a visit.
To the one normal thing that remained. Even if the 'normal' between them had changed undeniably. Sometimes it was nice to have familiar. Just for a little bit.
That's what he told himself the next few days days he spent there. Sesshomaru continued to do the not asking question things, which was nice, and they developed into a sort of routine. He'd wake up, wander into the main room where Sesshomaru would inexplicably be- they'd eat, then have a conversation that was far more pleasant than it had any right to be.
He noticed that Sesshomaru seemed to spend a lot of time reading, and he wondered where the demon had gotten the collection of literature. It was also surprising to find that Jaken wasn't responsible for all of the meals. Not surprising was Jaken constantly giving him suspicious, hate filled glares, or surreptitiously asking the demon lord when he would be leaving, when he thought he was out of earshot. He could put up with that, though. And the glare Sesshomaru would give the green thing was always worth it.
It got to be so comfortable that soon, he didn't even bother telling himself the arrangement was just for a little bit. The excuse became that it was too dangerous traveling in the snow, that it would be better to wait until spring.
The daily 'tea time' whilst watching the snow fall with Sesshomaru also became something to look forward to. And man that was hard to say. His life had become so boring that something as mundane as drinking tea with his brother was the exciting thing.
One morning, he was awoken by Tessaiga falling hard on his chest.
"Ow! What the hell?"
"Wake up, Inuyasha."
Sesshomaru's calm voice was not the thing he wanted to hear first thing in the morning.
"I am awake you jackass, no thanks to you." He grumbled, sitting up and scratching at his bare torso. "What's the idea? What time is it?"
The demon raised one fine silver eyebrow. "Far later than you should be waking up."
Inuyasha frowned. And the look on his brother's face seemed to say: Yes, I let you sleep in, and you should be grateful for it. He hated that he could read the other only at times he really didn't care to.
"Fine, fine. What… what are you wearing?" That hadn't been what he was intending to ask, but the question came with a blank face as he sat up fully, hands pressing against his knees. His eyes trailed down Sesshomaru's form, not stopping until they reached his feet, still bare. The rest of his body was decked out in his usual armor, complete with chest plate and hakama. He'd gotten so used to seeing the older demon in a layered kimono, hair tucked back behind his ears that the sight of his brother now seemed to take him back in time a decade.
He frowned, eyes staying at the others feet, trying to hold on to the image of Sesshomaru as he knew him now.
"I believe you are familiar with my armor, Inuyasha."
The half demon frowned. "Yea, well… I meant, why?"
Sesshomaru gestured to his sword.
"We are going to train."
"Wha?"
"Are you still tired, or are those ears just for show?"
Inuyasha scowled, getting on his knees to grab his shirts. "I heard you, asshole… but- why?"
The demon hadn't made any mentioned of training before…
"It is necessary to keep the body in top performance. You are growing soft."
"Hey!" Inuyasha's scowl grew darker. He looked down at his stomach, which still held enough muscle definition that he wasn't self-conscious, but he could easily enough conjure to mind the image of his brother bathing in the onsen a while ago, and as usual he didn't compare. "I am not growing soft."
Sesshomaru turned, heading towards the door. "Come, Inuyasha."
The half demon grumbled, dressing quickly and following his older brother down the hall.
They stopped briefly only for Sesshomaru to get his boots on, and the half demon scowled. "That's not fair," he complained, thinking nervously to the snow covered plains that awaited him outside. His feet were not going to enjoy that…
Sesshomaru's only response was to raise an eyebrow at him before sliding open the door and walking out. Inuyasha sighed, but followed. Like hell he was going to back down from a direct challenge.
It was a little strange, going into the battle knowing they weren't actually trying to hurt each other.
Still, Sesshomaru drew his sword, and the an expression slid onto his face that Inuyasha was no longer used to seeing. While he was distracted, Sesshomaru went for the first blow.
Metal flashed, and Inuyasha's muscles sang, body vibrating from the force of the demon's hit as he blocked. Nearly too slow. He hadn't realized just how long it had been since he'd fought… It took him a bit to get back into the swing of things, but after a little while his body seemed to remember the intricate dance of battle, and his hits grew more aggressive.
It wasn't enough to match up to his brother (and he hated that) but it was enough to keep up. He suspected the other was going easy on him.
They broke apart after a while, the half demon panting and the full demon with not even a hair out of place. Inuyasha couldn't help but glare. How did he make it look so fucking effortless?
"You've gotten even worse. I have to admit that is a surprise."
"…" Inuyasha growled. He sheathed Tessaiga, to which Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at. "All right, come on you bastard. No swords."
The demon seemed to consider this for a second, before sheathing Bakusaiga. "Terms?"
"First one to end up flat on their back in the snow loses."
Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. Inuyasha's lips twitched at the thought of the demon lord hitting the ground, snow dampening the back of his armor. That image alone was motivation enough to get past the knowledge that his brother was far stronger than him.
"I accept these terms."
Inuyasha nodded, body tensing as he readied himself. Sesshomaru stayed as he was, straight backed, hands at his side, that same cool expression on his face, and so Inuyasha decided to make the first move this time. He ran towards the other, getting a rush of adrenaline that he hadn't felt in some time as his feet flew over the ground. His brothers face came closer and closer into view, and his lips curled up as he braced for impact, entire body thrumming with anticipation.
Thud.
Inuyasha blinked, finding himself staring up at the sky, something cold seeping into his back.
"…"
"Is that it?"
The half demon growled, jumping up and giving a full body shake to rid himself of snow. "Okay, lets go again!"
He charged again, and this time was paying enough attention to notice when his bother moved. He managed to avoid being grabbed this time, ducking out of the hold and circling around to grip the demon about his waist, in the hopes of throwing him down. The other didn't budge, but somehow Inuyasha found himself losing his balance.
But he couldn't let himself be bested twice in a row.
He jumped back, startled when Sesshomaru turned and came after him almost immediately. Inuyasha kept moving back, chased across the snow covered ground as he searched for a way to gain an advantage. He could see no openings in his brothers defense and so finally just decided to stop with traditional fighting methods, and play it dirty.
He lunged at the other and they locked grips, briefly caught in a standstill before he swiped the demon lords feet out from underneath him.
There was a brief second where he felt his brother's body crumble, and he felt a rush of triumph. But then there was a distinct lack of stability in his own footing, and a rush of wind indicated he was falling once more.
He hit the ground, harder this time, and then something landed heavily atop him, stealing most of his breath.
When he could open his eyes he glared up at his brother, the demon's weight resting fully atop him in what looked like an effort to avoid the snow.
Sesshomaru staring down at him disapprovingly, lips pursed.
"…What?" He grunted, trying and failing to push the other off of him. "You win, you win. Now get off."
Sesshomaru spent a few more moments laying on him- probably as punishment- before rising, impossibly elegant, and turning back towards the house.
"That should suffice for one day."
The half demon scowled. Yea, because he wasn't the one who'd hit the ground twice… still, it had been an accomplishments of sorts dragging the demon lord down with him. And his face had been sort of priceless. He stood, walking after the other, watching his back with sly eyes. He sort of wanted to just tackle him into the snow and face the consequences…
"Don't even think about it."
Inuyasha blinked, pouting when the other noticed him sneaking up close.
"Feh."
Nothing could save Sesshomaru from the snowball, though.
Nothing could save Inuyasha after that either.
