Giving In

Inuyasha awoke just as the birds began to chirp and the sun shone through the tiny window in the hut. He blinked and yawned, rubbing his eyes and ears before deciding he would sleep a little longer, feeling absolutely exhausted from the nightmare he had last night.

He was a little freaked out by them, and he was positive now that whatever the scent he used to smell in them was Sesshomaru. But really...he just wasn't sure. He didn't want to overthink the nightmares too much in fear that they would mean something more and he honestly did not want to be a rape victim.

Turning over, he cuddled close to the body next to him and then recoiled, scrambling out of the bed as he remembered who was sleeping with him. Inuyasha stared at Sesshomaru, who lay soundlessly in the bed, hair splayed out perfectly and body just barely moving with each angel like breath. He seemed more serene and likable while he slept, making the hanyou crawl forward and brush the demon's bangs away from his face, watching as Sesshomaru gasped softly and turned his body closer to the sheets and pillows.

Curious, ears twitching madly, Inuyasha crawled back into bed and shimmied his way into Sesshomaru's arms again. He brushed back the demon's bangs again, listening closely as a soft rumbling echoed out of his chest. The demon was purring. Fascinated, the hanyou continued, watching as Sesshomaru cuddled closer to him, even nuzzling his head into his neck. He didn't know what to think. This was his demon brother, the brother who tried to kill him, who fought him for so long and he was always here now, just sitting around and now in his bed, cuddling closer and closer to him like they were lovers.

Oh god, that wasn't what he wanted was it! Inuyasha bit his lip as his heart jumped at the thought. It wasn't uncommon for demons to engage in incestuous relationships. He'd heard of it before, but...he was still only half. Would the same rules apply to him? Was this some sign from Kami that he had to move on from Kagome and be with...Sesshomaru? Oh this was too much for his brain to handle and he instantly shoved it out of his mind as the demon, who was now in his arms, tilted his head up and licked his chin before settling back down into the bed, purring away as he slept.

Okay, that was enough! Inuyasha snarled and shoved Sesshomaru hard out of the bed, snapping to his senses and back into his normal angsty attitude. Sesshomaru growled and groaned as he shook himself awake, glancing over at the hanyou.

"What in gods name is your problem, hanyou?" The demon asked in groggy, sleep deprived voice.

"You licked me!" The hanyou shouted, breathing in to calm himself only to realize that the one scent he tried to protect was now completely gone. Now, in its place, was that damn smell he had begun to love and hate at the same time! "You...You...you ruined it! Her scent is gone you...you...!"

"Don't you dare say it, Inuyasha!"

"Bastard!" Inuyasha didn't even wait for the thud. He got up and stormed out of the hut, hearing the demon snarl and then before he knew it he was on the ground, face first, eating the dirt.

"You filthy hanyou! When will you learn to respect your big brother, hn?" Sesshomaru sneered into his ear while he pinned him down. "And don't even think about calling me bastard again for you are beneath me now."

The hanyou thrashed and clawed at the ground, whining and snarling as he tried to free himself. God damn it! This damn demon would be the death of him! "Her scent is gone! Everything I had left of her is gone you, fucking...fucking...ARGH!" Inuyasha managed to wriggle and pry himself free, bolting towards the forest with the demon right behind him.

Making it as far as the Sacred Tree, his wrist was grabbed and he felt himself get yanked back against his brother's body. Inuyasha trashed and clawed and roared, trying to get out of Sesshomaru's grip, but it was useless. The two collapsed to their knees as the hanyou broke again, everything left of Kagome was gone except for the beads around his neck. He thought he could keep her alive, he thought he could keep her with him...and in the end it failed. It was time to move on. It was time for him to start again.

Sesshomaru waited for Inuyasha's breathing to calm before he picked the hanyou up onto his feet and walked slowly to the tree where he sat next to him at the base. His brother leaned limply against him, only being held up by a protective arm around his shoulders.

"She's...gone...Both of them. There's nothing left to protect..." Inuyasha found himself whispering. It was weak and pitiful, but without either Kagome or Kikyo left in his life, Naraku gone and only a pile of heroic memories to look back on, he felt like there was no reason left to be a hero anymore.

"Then let someone else help you..." Sesshomaru whispered back.

"What do you mean?" The hanyou's ears perked.

"Let me in..."

"You're no better than every enemy I fought..."

"I spent years hating you for the wrong reasons, Inuyasha. Let me try again." The demon paused, sighing and reaching up to scratch behind one of the furry little appendages. "Let me be your brother..."

The hanyou's ears perked more, his head leaning into the scratching and before Inuyasha knew it he was curled again the demon, letting out another 4 months of pain out onto his kimono. Sesshomaru wrapped his other arm around his brother, looking up at the branches of the tree and sighed again.

No one is going to hurt you again, little brother. I'll always be there for you. I'll always be here...

Inuyasha was struggling with the whole brother idea. He never had one really, as his half brother was a jerk to him for most of his life, and thus he did not know what brothers even did with each other. He would suggest wrestling, but then he'd for sure pull a sword on him and then they'd be back to square one. Training would be a good thing, but he'd just be using the sword that got him into crap loads of trouble in the first place.

It was frustrating. He just wanted a good, happy life, but now Sesshomaru was around and things were getting weird. His nightmares disappeared when the demon crawled into bed with him when he noticed his trashing, and he was slowly figuring out that he was dreaming of his brother the whole time.

The idea of that itself was odd, but it explained alot. Maybe it was some deep and meaningful thing, but Inuyasha wasn't really a deep kind of guy, and so he just left it that his brain was just retelling his relationship with the demon. It was simpler to understand that way.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Sesshomaru thump into the hut, removing his armour and huffing before shoving the hanyou out of the way...

...And passing out on the futon.

Inuyasha stared at the demon with narrowed eyes and kicked him lightly. "Oi!" He hissed. "Sesshomaru!"

Nothing. The demon must have been out all morning doing something...Actually, now that he thought about it, Sesshomaru had been leaving in the middle of the night a few times and coming back late afternoon. He didn't know why, but he was definitely curious.

Leaning over the demon, he flicked his pointed ear and shouted, "WAKE UP, LORD SHITPANTS!"

Sesshomaru snarled and punched Inuyasha in the jaw, sending him across the hut. The hanyou growled and then laughed, rubbing his face. "Well that woke you up!"

"Ugh...Hanyou...what do you want?" The demon groaned, punching the flat pillow.

"You've been leaving at night for a couple days now." The hanyou mumbled, standing up and flopping over the demon, making his brother moan. This was how brothers acted...right?

"How observant...ngg...Inuyasha, get off..."

"Where have you been going?" Inuyasha ignored the demon and started batting and playing with a few small strands of Sesshomaru's hair, making the demon shove him off again.

"My mother is travelling again and I've been warding her away from the village. I'd prefer if you two never met. I was doing you a favour. She's looking for more servants now anyway. Only so much you can do with a castle in the sky." The demon rolled his eyes. "Are you happy, little brother? May I sleep now?"

"No. But thanks. I want to do...brother things. I want you to train me in this weird thing you want between us." Inuyasha crossed his legs and shoved his arms in his sleeves.

Sesshomaru's eyes widened and his eyebrows rose. "You want me to train you?" He cracked a rare smile and shook his head. "I can't train you how to be a brother. I think you have half of it down as it is, hanyou. It's something that's built in you that you either ignore or let out."

With that the demon rolled onto his stomach and fell asleep again. The hanyou sighed and pounced onto him, growling and biting his ear. "Ish thish bruverly!" He asked.

Sesshomaru snarled and swatted at the pup, catching his ear and yanking it. "Get off! Yes it is! Now let me go before I stab you through!"

The hanyou snickered and rolled off of him, lying on his back next to the demon. He watched the dust particles in the streams of light from the roof and reached up, trying to grab them. "Sesshomaru...?"

"What now...?" He heard the demon ask tiredly.

"...I..." The hanyou stopped and shook his head. "Never mind."

Sesshomaru groaned and turned his back to his brother, instantly falling into a steady purr and snore, his body rising and falling slowly, barely noticable. Inuyasha sighed softly and put his hands behind his head.

"I want to protect you now. As much as you don't need it, it will give me something to do. I want us to work together..." He whispered to himself, glad he didn't spit that cheesy line to the demon. He'd get a good smack for that one anyway. He closed his eyes, unaware of the demon's large grin at the words he managed to catch before he quite his faking and slipped silently into sleep.