Author: WOW, two updates in as many days, with my longest chapter yet! It's a record for me :D

Shout out to Dragon77 for the support, and to DarkAngelJudas for always reviewing without fail, know that it's much appreciated. :) Enjoy the drama below my lovelies, and be sure to leave REVIEWS please and thank you.

On with the story!

Previously...

The bond between them was considerably stronger now. Every emotion the other felt was registered as though it were their own. It was almost as though they could read each other's minds. Thankfully, they found they could dim their own side of the bond so as not to release too much or accept too much stimulus at once.

Inuyasha slipped his hand within Sesshomaru's, not sure what came over him but wanting the contact. Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow but otherwise said nothing, lightly squeezing his brother's hand as both stepped into the clearing where the group was.

Chapter 7

The children were the first to fall asleep after dinner, the long trek combined with the heat having tired them out. Everyone else, except the dog demons, chatted a bit longer before calling it a night themselves. Kagome stared at her dog-eared friend from her place in her sleeping bag, watching how he interacted with his new family...and she had to admit, she a was a little jealous. She was happy for him, truly she was...but she couldn't help but feel as though she lost him again to someone else. First Kikyo, a dead priestess, and then Sesshomaru, his brother. While she knew this sort of thing was the norm for higher-level demons like the Inu clan, it still bothered her a bit. Homosexuality was never something she was against, having had her own share of experimentation with girls herself, but incest was kind of pushing it for her. She nearly flipped out the first time Inuyasha told them he'd mated with the Western Lord until Sango and Miroku thoroughly explained it to her. She was still in a state of disgust until Kouga explained it again from a demon's point of view. It took awhile, and while she hadn't quite warmed up to the whole incest thing, she was a lot more understanding. One man's social norm is another's taboo..she thought idly.

Inuyasha said something that caused a blush to dust the older demon's cheeks as he looked away, smiling only slightly. He looked so femininely beautiful in that moment, and kind of vulnerable. Kagome sighed and rolled over in her sleeping bag. How could she compare to a beauty such as that anyway? Besides, it was clear from a long time ago that Inuyasha didn't see her like that. He even said that she was more of a little sister than a life-long partner to him. And something about his youkai not being interested. Whatever that meant. Ah well, a part of her knew it wasn't meant to be anyway, them being from different eras and all. There was no way she'd leave her family for him, or he leave behind the feudal era for her. Once the Shikon no Tama was made whole again, there would be no reason for her to stay anymore, and the relationship would end there. It's better we hadn't started something we couldn't finish...that would be too painful..too cruel a thing to experience when the time comes... Kagome thought to herself. Her eyes drifted shut, and soon her breathing slowed to that of someone peacefully asleep.

"Never knew you liked it so kinky," Inuyasha said jokingly. "Maybe I should pull your hair more often."

Sesshomaru's blush deepened. "Otouto..."

Inuyasha's grin broadened. His brother actually sounded a bit...embarrassed. That was a first. He laughed a bit, and it choked off into a yawn. "Ah man, guess I'm more tired than I thought..."

"Then rest, little brother."

He looked to his older sibling. "What about you?"

"I do not tire as easily as you, otouto."

Inuyasha ungraciously scoffed. "Bullshit, you nearly passed out in the springs a couple hours ago, don't feed me that crap. And I can literally feel your exhaustion through the link, so come lay down with me."

Well, Sesshomaru couldn't put up a good argument with that...he was tired and just didn't want to admit so aloud. "Hn, if you so wish." He reclined next to his brother, blushing further when Inuyasha snaked an arm around his waist and pulled him close. "Inuyasha, the others-"

"The others are fast asleep, so don't worry about them seeing. Now shut up and sleep," Inuyasha said with already closed eyes. Sesshomaru did not find it befitting to show such intimacy in public, but it was clear Inuyasha would brook no further argument, and wouldn't release him as he was already drifting toward sleep. Sesshomaru closed his eyes and followed his brother into the waiting arms of deep slumber. Ah, the headache you give me...

Kagura flew silently over the Western Lands on her big white feather eyes searching the ground below for the one she was supposed to spirit away, Kanna ever silent from her seat behind her. Kanna really didn't need to be here, but Kagura knew the only reason Naraku sent the white haired girl to accompany her was to make sure she fulfilled her mission. Damned spider still didn't trust her.

She hated that man with a passion, ugh.

"We are near. I can feel it," said Kanna in that odd, ethereal voice of hers.

Kagura nodded. "I can feel it too..." Soon enough, she spotted the pack Inuyasha usually traveled with. So as not to wake them, she opted for landing a ways off. "Kanna...remember the plan. I can't just go in there and grab the baby. The demons could scent me a mile off, or catch my aura. You don't have either of those."

"Remember your purpose here as well, little sister." Her voice held no emotion, but the threat was there. Remember your purpose...or else risk the wrath of our Master.

Kagura nodded and watched the fading back of her sister. Damn, that girl could be so creepy sometimes...

Kanna held her mirror at the ready as she always did, walking quietly toward the camp site. Her footfalls were light and calculated, so as not to disturb the sharp hearing of the inu brothers. Reaching into a pouch slung on her obi, she held a cloth in front of the faces of the monk, priestess and demon slayer, releasing a fume that would pull them into a deep slumber they wouldn't rouse from for the time being. She had to give a stronger dose to the fox kit and Kilala, since they were not human. She spotted the inu brothers slumbering within each other's arms, Sesshomaru's face nuzzled in his mate's chest. They were not her interest at the moment. Not yet. She was solely interested in the sleeping infant snuggled within that fluffy boa she knew belonged to the demon lord.

So, this wouldn't be as easy. She thought for a bit on how she could take the child when her gaze landed on the pubescent, dark haired girl that often traveled with Sesshomaru. She walked over to the girl, lightly nudging the girl awake with the mirror pointed at her...

Sesshomaru could feel something wrong, even in the depths of his slumber. His inner youkai rumbled within. 'Our ward is in danger...'

His eyes snapped open and immediately searched the area. He could smell nothing, sense nothing, and yet...

"I trust you slept well, Lord Sesshomaru."

The voice. Sesshomaru settled his eyes on the eerie child just off from him. He emitted a low growl from deep within his chest, causing his mate to stir and tighten his grip around his waist. "You insolent wench..."

Kanna's stoic expression rivaled that of the lord before her. "Naraku sends his congratulations on the birth of your new child."

Sesshomaru went still at her words but otherwise kept his face unreadable. That Naraku already knew of his son before the official announcement could not bode well for him. "What does he want?"

"Nothing...just your son. And you will hand him over willingly, unless you wish to come in the stead of your son."

Sesshomaru made a move to get up and Kanna tsked at him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Not if you truly care about your little human companion."

Rin. Immediately his eyes darted to her now empty sleeping bag, and then over to where she stood next to his sword. Eyes wide and face pale with fright she jerkily reached for his sword and unsheathed it, slowly bringing the sharp edge to her neck. "Chichue...sama...help me!" she squeaked in fear.

"You put that down this instant, Rin."

Kanna gave an odd, emotionless laugh. "She can't until I free her from the spell of my mirror. I alone hold complete control of her, and can quickly make her take her own life should you not comply with Master's wishes."

For the second time**, Sesshomaru felt real, heart-clenching fear for the child's safety. If she slit her own throat and died, he wouldn't be able to revive her this time, as she'd already been revived by Tensaiga, and then again by his mother's Meidou. But he couldn't, no, he wouldn't just hand his son over to that vile hanyou. If either happened, he would never forgive himself. How was he supposed to choose one life over the other? Sesshomaru, though cruel in nature, would never wish this ordeal on another. This...this was too much. His youkai screamed at him to fix this, but he didn't even have the slightest clue as to how he could do that. For the first time in his life, Sesshomaru felt...helplessness.

Inuyasha was stirred awake by the spike of emotions he felt through the mating mark. Fear, and overwhelming anxiety...? Mate in danger. His body tensed, the odd feeling of nearby danger waking his body up before his mind fully registered what was going on. When his eyes finally opened, the first thing he saw was Rin holding that sword, and then Kanna's stoic face and that blasted mirror with Rin's image reflected within.

Immediately Inuyasha grabbed for his sword and pulled it out halfway. Sesshomaru's eyes went wide as Rin dug the sword deeper, drawing a thin line of blood this time. He spun and halted his brother's movement, sword unsheathed halfway. "No, otouto!"

Inuyasha froze and looked down at his mate, who's eyes were wide. That damn anxiety spiked again, anxiety that wasn't his own. "Sessh, what's goin' on here..?" he growled out.

"Naraku."

That one word made Inuyasha release a deep, rumbling growl of displeasure. Though Sesshomaru knew the displeasure wasn't aimed at him, he still lowered his eyes in submission, bowing his head. "He wants Akihiko."

"Well he can't have him!" the younger yelled out. The noise was stirring the rest of the group awake.

Time was ticking, and Kanna knew it. Luckily, she could see Kagura above them, but the brothers were too distracted to sense it. She casually walked over to the still sleeping infant and and kneeled next to him. At that, Sesshomaru got up. "Do not touch my child," he said levelly. He slowly walked over to Akihiko and picked up the slumbering child, gazing onto the face that was so much in his likeness. Damn that Naraku...

Inuyasha wracked his brain for something that could be done to grasp control of this situation. Beneath that cool exterior his brother put up, he knew the demon lord was roiling with a motley of emotions inside right now. He cared deeply for his charges, and his mothering instincts doubled the protective behavior over his litter. Inuyasha sighed. He was stuck...no matter which way he looked at it, he couldn't make a move without endangering the welfare of either child. Goddamnit all, he hated this!

"I will go."

Inuyasha's head shot up at the words. No..I couldn't have possibly heard right... "Sessh...Sessho..maru...?

Said person had his face buried in the crook of his child's neck, hiding his face away. He took in a large breath, stamping his child's scent in his mind. Jasmine, and rain. Fresh rain. What a wonderful scent... "I will go in place of Akihiko," he repeated.

Inuyasha's eyes went wide, mouth open in shock. No..! Sesshomaru walked over to an anguished Inuyasha, feeling it through the bond. He kneeled to his brother and handed the still slumbering child to him. Inuyasha grabbed him into a hug. "Sessh, no. We can figure out another way-"

"You must take good care of him in my absence, otouto. I won't forgive you if you let harm befall my only son..."

They sat like that in agonizing silence, delaying the inevitable. Sesshomaru was the first to pull away. "Inuyasha..promise me...that you will come after me...? You won't leave me with that disgusting..."

Inuyasha bit his lip. He didn't like the look he saw in those eyes. Doubt, worry, anxiousness...feelings such as those should never be in the mind of one like Sesshomaru. "I'll find you, Sesshomaru. If it means giving up my life, I swear I will come and find you."

Sesshomaru nodded after a moment and swallowed the knot in his throat, slipping back his cold mask. "In that case...I will see you again in due time." He rose and stepped back, finally sensing Kagura nearby. He assumed she'd been hanging around for a while, but he'd been so preoccupied that he missed it.

"We leave now," Kanna said, finally releasing hold on Rin. The girl dropped the sword and fainted from over exertion. "Goodbye, Inuyasha."

Kagura lowered just enough for her sister and Sesshomaru to get on, before shooting away again. Inuyasha watched them fly off until he could no longer see them.

Anger. Unimaginable anger. "Fuck!" he yelled. Fuck, fuck, FUCKKK!" He threw his sword down and it clattered noisily away from him, landing next to Bakusaiga. What kind of a mate allowed his other half to be whisked away at the drop of a hat like that? He curled in on himself. "Damnit Sesshomaru, why'd you offer yourself up like that..." That was a dumb question to ask, and he knew it. Had it been himself in his brother's shoes, he knew he'd have made the same choice. That made him more angry.

He went to rouse his friends, but they wouldn't wake up. "Guys, c'mon this isn't funny!" He shook them harder this time, and still they slumbered. Damn you, Naraku... Kanna probably slipped them something to keep them immobilized for a while.

Inuyasha fell back and sat with his head hung low in defeat. He had no choice but to wait for the effects to wear off.

It didn't for several hours, long after the sun had risen. Miroku was the first to stir, eyes groggily opening. He sat up and rubbed his head. "Ah, my head feels like I had too many cups of sake..." He looked up to see a dejected hanyou with shoulders slumped over. "Inuyasha...?"

Only one thing could make the boy look like that. Miroku looked around and saw no Sesshomaru in sight. "Inuyasha!" Miroku's yell roused the girls from their slumber. They stretched and yawned, unaware of what happened. "Inuyasha, where is Lord Sesshomaru?"

"Gone...taken...Naraku..."

At that both girls sprang to life. "WHAT?" They exclaimed simultaneously. They waited for their dog-eared friend to elaborate.

"He sent Kanna...she doesn't have an aura or a scent, so we missed her...Naraku came for Akihiko for god knows what, but Sesshomaru offered to go in stead..." Inuyasha finally raised his head to look at his friends adn they were shocked at the redness of his eyes. As though he'd been crying for hours. "I couldn't stop it, I tried but...but..." his voice trailed away. He'd never felt such sorrow since the death of his mother all those years ago. His heart was ripping into a million, tiny pieces. An agonized howl ripped itself from his throat and reverberated throughout the forest. He'll murder that spider if it was the last thing he did.

I'll find you, Sesshomaru. If it means giving up my life, I swear I will come and find you...

**NOTE: Shortly after meeting Sesshomaru earlier in the anime, remember that Rin is killed by a pack of wolves led by Kouga, but is then revived by Sesshomaru's Tensaiga as it sang for her revival. Much later on in the series, Rin is snatched into the underworld and is killed during Sesshomaru's quest for a stronger sword. He takes her back to the land of the living at his mother's castle where she revives the little girl with her Meidou Stone (given to her by the late Inu no Taisho, saying she'd know when to use it...when Sesshomaru would need it most). She enlightens him with the knowledge that one can only be revived by the Tensaiga but once, and that he should not be expected to receiver her kindness to do this act again should the girl die once more, telling him that death could only be cheated but so many times.

Author: Eh, not entirely pleased with this chapter but I'm pretty sure no matter how many times I re-write it, I'll never be pleased lol. If Sesshomaru comes off as a little OOC, then I've done my job well. He's being influenced by his natural instinct to protect his young and his youkai, so his usually nonchalant and condescending demeanor is diminished just a bit in this situation. However, I REFUSE to make Sesshomaru a big ball of crying mess -_- That's not believable at all.

But awe, Inuyasha, I'm sorry I'm putting you through torture by ripping your mate away from you again. T_T

Read and review! Many hits and no reviews makes a sad Kyakume indeed! I like to know what you all think; I read EVERY single review and take your thoughts into consideration!