Chapter 6

"Here will do." Though Sesshoumaru would never admit it, 'here' had taken almost all his effort to get to. He was bone weary from travelling so far in one day, as well as keeping such tight control of his patience. Keeping yourself from massacring another is tiring work and one Sesshoumaru was not precisely used to. Jaken annoyed him, but never pushed him to actually wanting to kill him.

Be proud of yourself. You made it through a little over three-fourths of a day with your brother.

Not a comforting thought when there is, in the very least, another full day to tolerate.

Pessimistic much?

Under the circumstances, I have a right to be.

Ignoring his own thoughts was not becoming anymore easier. Though, why should it now? It hadn't in all the years he had walked this ground. Sesshoumaru looked around the small clearing, glad that no fire would be necessary as none of the trio needed warmth from the flames. He had spent so many years not needing one that he often forgot that humans did. Before Rin had realized she had a right to ask things, she had almost passed through several cold nights without a fire. Fortunately, either Jaken or Sesshoumaru would notice her shivering and recall the reason. Since then, Jaken had kept up the task of tending the fire for the girl, though it was an easy one since he had in his possession the Staff of Heads.

"Fine." For once, Inuyasha didn't present any arguments. He wasn't going to open up the opportunity for Myouga to point out the flaws in his thinking again. Had he realized that the flea was already asleep, he might have acted differently. It was fortunate for both of the two brothers that he didn't.

The hanyou glanced around, picked out the tree with the most serviceable limb for his purpose, and swiftly climbed up to situate himself. His older brother had been ignoring his actions until then, but could scarcely ignore something he viewed as completely and utterly absurd. Sesshoumaru stared at Inuyasha, before finally stating bluntly, "I am aware you were not raised by a youkai, Inuyasha, but I still would have thought that you would have realized by now that you were not a cat."

Tensing in irritation, Inuyasha opened one golden eye to regard his brother than slowly the other, "Now you have a problem with the way I sleep?"

"It is not the way you sleep that so vexes me as opposed to where." Sesshoumaru replied coolly, moving to sit under another tree and resting his back against it.

"Maybe I like trees, ya ever think of that?" Inuyasha felt his temper rising at his brother's ridicule and at his own self for allowing Sesshoumaru to get to him. Why was he letting his brother's bad opinion still bother him? He thought he was past that point. When Sesshoumaru didn't respond, Inuyasha found himself continuing, "Or maybe it's the very fact that I wasn't raised by youkai. I'm a hanyou- you should remember that as much as you like to shove it in my face."

Sesshoumaru finally lifted his eyes to Inuyasha again but this time they were narrowed, "And what, pray tell, does that have to do with anything?"

"There isn't a safe ground for me, brother." Inuyasha sneered, his fangs glinting in the moonlight, "You're a fighter. You do the odds. When everyone wants you dead just because you dared to be born, what do you do? You stay on your guard. All the time."

The youkai lord's eyes widened as he finally caught Inuyasha's drift, "You mean that the advantage is yours sleeping there." His voice was oddly quiet, without a bit of acid in it.

Inuyasha honestly wasn't sure what to make of it. Instead, he closed his eyes, resting his head against the trunk of the tree and simply muttered, "Keh." It was an all-purpose word for him and it was all he felt he needed to say.

Sesshoumaru just stared forward into the dark night, though it really wasn't dark to him. He could see every leaf on the trees around, every little insect making its away across the ground. He found himself almost wishing that they had built a fire. Fires were peaceful to watch. There was something captivating about fires that kept one's eyes pinned on them, losing all sense of self as they slowly consumed the logs and the realization they could just as easily consume their watcher. He wouldn't have to think then, would just have to let the fire's spell come over him.

There was no fire, which left Sesshoumaru only with the nightlife around him to see. There was no way for him to simply block out his thoughts, and he wished he could, as he didn't much like the ones he was having now.

The hanyou's words struck you, didn't they? They're making you see his position.

And what position is that?

That life was hard for him. That you were downright pampered compared to him.

What use would it be for me to realize that? He is a hanyou. His existence taints the blood of my family... his ever being born dishonored the memory of my mother.

Yet, even as he thought that, he could not help but to recall Inuyasha's statement, "When everyone wants you dead just because you dared to be born..." He had to admit that his brother had endured the trials with an impressive stubborn desire to live. Inuyasha's fighting skills were decent considering they had never been polished by any real training or grace and, of course, excepting the fact that he swung Tetsusaiga around like it was a log as opposed to the magnificent sword it was. Still...could his animosity have been misplaced all these years?

Inuyasha opened his eyes only to find his brother's gaze set intensely on him as if Sesshoumaru was trying to see under his skin. Unnerved, he scowled, "Whaddya lookin' at?"

Sesshoumaru snorted softly at the question, finally closing his own eyes and shifting into a more comfortable position. He couldn't answer Inuyasha's question.

What was he looking at? The worthless, inferior-by-his-very-nature hanyou he had so ridiculed throughout the years or ...something he did not yet understand? He had been looking at his brother, yes, but had he been looking at an equal creature as well?

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A/N:

Here's for those of you who wanted Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha to get along a little bit better. ^_^ The next chapter will hopefully be out soon, but life is still hectic so we'll see. Please review to let me know how it's going so far and suggestions and creative criticisms are always helpful!