Hey, I know I said quick update... and this is quicker than the last one. This was finished a couple days ago, but it still needed to be edited, which I thank my wonderful beta for: neenabluegirl, and Evelyndark for her help with my grammar. Both of you helped so much! Oh! And soon, I'm going to be offering a little challenge for you guys... so if you're up to it, keep an eye out! Thank you for reading, and for all your wonderful reviews!

-Foxgirl

Chapter Ten: Sweet Torture, and Mischievous Vulpines

Inuyasha had found a small creek, down a gentle slope that was accompanied by a sharp drop, with a shallow cave dug inside the cliff. This was where the two found themselves now, Inuyasha feeling itchy and irritable as he lay in the middle of the cave, and he couldn't move his left arm no matter how hard he tried. He was also becoming uncomfortably hot, and the cool stream was looking simply amazing by this point... but Inuyasha didn't want to have to rely on Sesshomaru. He would rather die before asking him for help.

The daiyoukai he had just been thinking about walked into their temporary resting place, flipping his obscenely long hair over one shoulder as he knelt down beside the half-breed. He leaned forward slightly, his hand pressing against the uncomfortably hot skin of Inuyasha's forehead. The hanyou grunted in protest, his eyes shut tightly as he resisted the urge to scratch. He knew it would only make it worse. His eyes closed as he dealt with the annoyance of the youkai's venom, wondering how bad the situation would be if he were human. He suspected that Sesshomaru hadn't explained all the symptoms of the poison, just the ones that he would be subjected to.

Inuyasha vaguely heard Sesshomaru shifting a bit, before he felt dexterous, smooth hands at his sides. The half-demon's eyes shot open. The amber orbs looked over to Sesshomaru nervously, who seemed completely immersed in his task. The daiyoukai pulled gently on Inuyasha's undershirt, lifting it slowly and revealing the tan flesh of his stomach. Inuyasha paled. Every so often, he felt the gentle brush of Sesshomaru's long fingers against his sides, and he was becoming even warmerfrom the feeling, squirming uncomfortably as he struggled to control himself. Really how did the soft, chaste little touches have such an effect on him?

"Wha-what are you doing?!" He questioned, his right hand reaching to stop Sesshomaru's actions. He stifled a gasp of surprise as one of the daiyoukai's digits reached up and brushed against his neck, his hand supporting him as he lifted his torso slightly to further remove his clothing. The daiyoukai easily swatted Inuyasha's attempt to stop him away, continuing in his endeavors and pausing only a few times to get the white fabric over Inuyasha's head as he was lying down.

"Be silent. You are developing a fever; I am going to cool you down."

...Well, technically, he hadn't asked Sesshomaru for help, so it didn't count, right?

...Right.

Inuyasha settled for nodding when Sesshomaru tossed the discarded piece of clothing away, and he heard the slight sound of shuffling fabric as Sesshomaru stood, walking out of the cave with that regal saunter of his. It was only then that he took notice that Sesshomaru still donned his fire-rate kimono, and it looked slightly ridiculous with Sesshomaru's large fluffy thing wrapped around his shoulder. He allowed his eyes to linger on the daiyoukai's form as he disappeared from sight, before beginning to squirm uncomfortably again, his chest immediately irritating him as it all but begged to be scratched. Inuyasha ignored the impulse however, watching Sesshomaru as he once again came into the small cave, almost having to duck to come through the entrance as he was so tall. He was cradling moko-Mokomoko-sama in his arm, and Inuyasha noticed that the tail end of it was dripping slightly. The daiyoukai knelt before him again, taking the fluffy object and gently squeezing it over Inuyasha's chest, releasing trails of water that almost burned when they touched the hanyou's flesh. Inuyasha hissed lightly, shutting his eyes as the sensation gave way to a more pleasant one.

Just as he was getting used to the feel of the liquid dripping off his chest, he felt something soft and firm press against his stomach, and his amber orbs opened widely as he looked up at Sesshomaru. The demon lord didn't seem to notice, continuing with his task and tentatively spreading the water on Inuyasha's skin, managing to thoroughly convince himself that this was to bring the hanyou more comfort, not from any desire to... touch the half-breed. But really, the water dripping off of his absolutely delicious form was just about too much to handle. Inuyasha himself didn't know what to make of the situation. He couldn't deny that Sesshomaru's hand felt... good but he was seriously considering the possibility that it felt too good. He had to hold back a moan as the daiyoukai's flesh skirted a little too low over his abdomen, a fiery blush lighting up his face as he turned his head away and willed himself to calm down. Sesshomaru was just trying to help him; that was all. And, thankfully, the itching had gone down, even though its persistence wasn't likely to let up anytime soon.

Sesshomaru had to force himself to pull his hand away, hoping Inuyasha didn't notice how it lingered a bit longer than necessary. He found himself cursing the fact that he didn't have his other arm, so as to more thoroughly explore Inuyasha's body. But that thought was quickly forced out of his mind. He found himself a bit nervous now, but refused to let it show, focusing on making his tone monotone as he spoke.

"Does that feel better?"

He realized that he couldn't completely take away the pain, or the symptoms, but he wanted to be as useful as possible. It was his fault that Inuyasha was like this, after all.

"Wha-?" Inuyasha mumbled, slowly gaining back his focus. "Oh, yeah." He said, managing to speak without stuttering. How did the daiyoukai manage to make his voice so sexy? Sesshomaru nodded, tearing his eyes away from the hanyou's shirtless form and moving away to sit on the other side of the cave. Inuyasha lifted his good arm up to move the long bangs from his face, sighing angrily as he did so. He should have better control over himself. Kagome bandaged him up all the time, and was constantly touching him, whether he wanted her help or not. Her hands were just as soft as Sesshomaru's... though whereas Kagome's touch was common the daiyoukai's seemed... special somehow. He knew that only a select few had been touched (willingly) by the demon lord and had lived to tell the tale. But that didn't explain why he was still flustered. He breathed calmly, looking around for something that would ease the tension. When Inuyasha realized, once again, that he could only moving his right hand, he scowled angrily, lifting said appendage to brush away the bangs that had gathered in his face once more.

Inuyasha was very upset. He had spent days trying to find reasons why he shouldn't like Sesshomaru, least of all find him attractive, beautiful, or any other complimentary word, and every reason he had come up with his youkai had shot down. So now, he was sulking, twitching with the effort of trying not to scratch everywhere. His body felt like it was on fire, not to mention that the whole left side of his torso now was completely numb. He could feel it spreading down to his hip, but it didn't appear to go any further. He was aware of the steady growling sound that was coming from his chest, but did nothing to stop it. He was in extreme discomfort, he would growl if he bloody well wanted too. He scowled, right hand twitching in irritation.

"I hate feeling like I only have one arm." Inuyasha mumbled, poking the limb that was completely numb bitterly. It was just so... awkward. He felt like he couldn't do anything, though the fact that it wasn't his sword arm was a comforting thought. He heard Sesshomaru let out a sound that was dangerously close to a snort, and he caught him rolling his eyes the slightest bit. The hanyou allowed his amber orbs to narrow, his expression turning into another angry scowl.

"Yes, but you still have it."

Inuyasha blinked as he eyed Sesshomaru's one empty sleeve guiltily. Right. He had cut off his brother's left arm.

"O-oh."

The daiyoukai didn't respond.

"Couldn't you just, like, I dunno— re-grow it or something?"

"Yes."

Inuyasha blinked. Sesshomaru's abrupt response had startled him. "Then... why don't you?"

Sesshomaru quirked an eyebrow.

"It would require a large amount of demonic power to be present at one instance, and I have had neither the time nor need to use that much energy on something so..." Sesshomaru blinked slowly as he tried to find the right word. "Unimportant."

Inuyasha's brow furrowed.

"Unimportant? I'd say it's hardly unimportant. You only have one arm!"

Sesshomaru scowled. He was becoming very agitated with where this conversation was going. He had had to fight too many unnecessary battles because people thought him weak, and he was sick of it. After all, what was the hanyou going on about? He was the one who had cut it off in the first place. If he thought he was so much better with it, then why'd he feel the need to get rid of it!

"And I have gotten used to it." He snapped. "It is not as if it brings me any great hindrance, as I am just as powerful with one arm as with two." The daiyoukai's eyes narrowed. "Do notunderestimate me because of my one shortcoming." He spat. "Or do you believe that because of what you have done I am less intimidating? Less useful? Less appealing?"

"N-no!" Inuyasha blurted before he could stop himself. "No! I just... I thought it might be an inconvenience. I mean, you're still as strong— I know that firsthand— and as for other things, well, I mean, you are— er, well, you're very... well, I know I— uh..." Inuyasha didn't know why he couldn't stop himself from stuttering. He should just close his mouth right now, and pretend like they'd never had this conversation. It would all be for the best. But he couldn't seem to shut up, and his youkai was highly amused. Sesshomaru quirked an eyebrow, though by now his anger had all but diminished. Inuyasha's face was bright red, however, and he was not going to miss an opportunity to embarrass him. The daiyoukai was... amused. Though he felt flattered as well, that Inuyasha would make such a fool of himself simply trying to say that he was pretty. Er, handsome.

"So," The demon lord began, sounding as indifferent as he always did. Though if you looked closely, you could see a slight twinkle in his eyes that probably meant he was up to no good. "You are saying that you are attracted to me, Inuyasha?" The daiyoukai spoke, his voice coming out in a slightly mocking tone. To anyone who wasn't listening closely, they would swear that the man had been purring, but the hanyou knew that it's undoubtedly arousing tones were unintentional. Inuyasha's face went even redder at that, and he turned his head away from his brother, not wanting to embarrass himself any further.

"Not that I can help it..." Inuyasha mumbled under his breath. "Who wouldn't find you beautiful?"

Sesshomaru wasn't able to hear what the hanyou was muttering, but dismissed it as unimportant. He looked outside the cave now, noticing that it was completely dark. Earlier he had still been able to see at least, but now it was turning pitch black outside the cave, and inside was becoming dark as well. He allowed his eyes to fall shut, realizing that the only thing to do now was to wait until morning. He wouldn't sleep, no, his body was getting too used to that as of late; if he permitted himself to drift off any more, he might not be able to return to his regular schedule once he regained his demonic energy.

And he wouldn't have that.

His eyes opened slightly when he heard the half-demon begin growling again, and allowed himself to wonder if he was really in that much discomfort.

"Inuyasha?"

The hanyou heard the deep voice from across the cave, and he could barely drudge up the effort to turn and look at his brother. It was pointless though, as he knew Sesshomaru wouldn't be able to see him. He could see just fine, however, and was stunned to see the slightly worried look on Sesshomaru's face.

"What?" He answered, managing not to sound like a complete bastard. The question was clipped, however, and he was aware that it was harsher than needed.

"Inuyasha... if you are that uncomfortable, then stepping into the water for a bit might cool you down." The daiyoukai suggested.

The hanyou breathed in relief.

Yes.

Yes, that sounded good.

He pushed off the ground with his good arm, attempting to stand by himself and succeeding for the most part, only stumbling slightly as he tried to regain his balance. He saw Sesshomaru stand as well, not having the least bit of trouble, and he noticed the daiyoukai pause before stepping towards the entrance of the cave. It was a bit lighter outside now, the moon shining down onto the black waters with a subtle elegance. Inuyasha hesitated at the edge of the stream for a moment, considering how he wanted to do this. Should he step completely into the water, and just pour water on himself until he felt better? But if he fell into the waters it would be difficult to resurface with a numb arm... he still hadn't quite gotten used to it yet, so maybe that wasn't the best idea.

"Sit down and be still, half-breed. I will assist you."

Inuyasha hesitantly obeyed, eyeing his elder brother suspiciously. But, hey. If Sesshomaru was offering to help, who was he to say no?

Kagome continued whispering into Kirara's ears, rubbing the fur around her neck gently as she urged her to continue forward. She wanted to reach Inuyasha as soon as possible, and they already had a fair amount of distance ahead of her. So, she didn't allow the fire-cat to stop, deciding that when it truly became too much they could take a short rest. Idly, she pulled a few treats out of her humongous backpack, offering them to the two-tail and smiling when she slowed her pace to chew. Yes, soon she would be with her love once more. Really though, she felt sort of silly now. Inuyasha, and Sesshomaru?

The mere thought was simply ridiculous.

Inuyasha didn't know if he would be able to take much more of his situation. Sesshomaru had indeed 'assisted' him, though the way he had run his hand up and down the hanyou's chest, dexterous fingers rolling over every piece of exposed skin Inuyasha allowed him to touch felt more like torture. Sweet, sweet torture. The daiyoukai had a strange look on his face throughout the whole ordeal, and Inuyasha had found it exceptionally important to not look into his deep, icy pools of gold. Those eyes seemed like they could peer right into his soul, and it greatly unnerved him. Inuyasha also found that the itching died down a bit after Sesshomaru had given him the thorough rub down, though every so often a particularly painful spike would rush through him and he'd grit his teeth before the feeling died down to little more than a dull, constantly throbbing annoyance. The water had clung to their skin, leaving two dripping inu demons inside the cave. That did nothing to help Inuyasha's current predicament. It was hard enough not to stare at Sesshomaru, but when it was a soaked, wet Sesshomaru, everything was all the more difficult.

Inuyasha sighed.

Life simply wasn't fair.

Sesshomaru was pleased to say that his wounds had almost completely healed, and his chest no longer hurt, much to his relief. This made him all the more willing to help his little brother with his current problem, though Sesshomaru would never admit to liking being able to touch the hanyou. Ever. In a million years. Hell would freeze over before— well, you get the point. It was oddly warm outside, and the slight breeze that filled the cave every so often felt good on his still drying skin. He allowed his eyes to close momentarily, beginning to feel slightly drowsy. It wasn't long before the daiyoukai drifted off into a light doze, his head falling to the side slightly.

Inuyasha noticed immediately when he was asleep, as he could hear the demons breathing slow down a small margin, and he happened to catch his eyelids sliding close whiles he was busy not staring at the daiyoukai. With Sesshomaru unable to catch him now that he was unconscious, Inuyasha found himself watching the older male freely, not having the resolve to chastise himself for his actions. It had been a very long day. As if in response to that, Inuyasha's skin flared and he cursed under his breath as his hand automatically reached up to his neck and began scratching. He felt his skin burn as his claws only made things worse, and other parts of his body, seeming to notice Inuyasha finally giving his skin some attention, focused on making the itching as painful as possible so that he would scratch them, too.

Inuyasha sighed, whining low in his throat as he began to rake his claws over every part of himself that he could touch, desperate to get rid of the irritating sensation. He found that it was hard to even dredge up the energy to scowl, and closed his eyes tightly while he forced his hand to still.

Yes, it had been a long day.

But he had a feeling it was going to be an even longer night.

o0o

Morning came much too quickly, and Inuyasha groaned when a few hints of daylight snuck inside the cave, wishing that he had gotten a bit more sleep. Sesshomaru, to his credit, woke easily, appearing none the worse for wears, and considerably drier than he had been last night. Inuyasha found that his itching hadn't died down, but he was getting better at ignoring it. And if he focused hard enough on daydreaming, he was able to forget about the poison altogether, though the fact that most of his daydreams were about Sesshomaru certainly wasn't helping anything in the end.

Inuyasha stood and stretched, walking outside the cave, pointedly not looking at his unusable arm. It would only bring on his ever-present scowl, and he just didn't feel like dealing with the disappointment at the moment. Honestly, he had hoped that the venom would have run its course by morning. He sighed, stepping forward and inhaling deeply, sighing as he got a nose full of Sesshomaru when the daiyoukai walked past him and towards the stream. He wasn't going to admit that the demon lord's smell was incredibly intoxicating, because it wasn't. Really. He sorted through the scent, secretly trying to figure out what made it so addictive when he came across a slightly more familiar one. He turned, inhaling again, closing his eyes slightly to focus.

Amber orbs snapped open when he realized just what he had been sniffing.

"Kagome?" He whispered, wondering how in the world she could smell so close. He looked off into the forest, an abstract expression falling onto his face.

Kagome was definitely near. But why? Her aura was approaching with speed faster than the miko possessed, and it took Inuyasha a moment to realize that Kirara's scent was with her as well. Inuyasha found himself sighing slightly, almost feeling a bit troubled with her presence.

He rolled his eyes slightly, before moving back to the river, where Sesshomaru was sitting quietly. The daiyoukai's legs were crossed, eyes shut in a perfect expression of calm.

He eyed his brother for a moment, before he saw the mirror image of his golden eyes crack open slowly, one after the other.

"Is something bothering you, little brother?"

The question startled him, but he was able to shake off the surprise, twisting his face into a trademark scowl.

"Feh. I smell trouble, that's all." He grumbled, not knowing quite why he felt inclined to even answer the daiyoukai, instead of simply telling him to bug off. Whatever the reason, he felt his anger retreating slightly at the soft, 'hn.' that escaped Sesshomaru's lips. "Kagome's somewhere near here..."

"Calm yourself, Inuyasha." Sesshomaru said, not bothering to open his eyes this time. He found that meditating was an excellent way to get rid of any unwanted thoughts, and it also provided time to think without expressing what he was feeling. Inuyasha needed to 'take a chill pill' as he had once heard the miko say, and though he wasn't quite sure what that entailed, he got the general gist.

Inuyasha frowned slightly, about to tell Sesshomaru off, when the daiyoukai opened his eyes again, tilting his head slightly as he looked at Inuyasha with those chilling eyes of his.

"It will help you forget about your irritated skin." Sesshomaru said simply, sounding, for lack of a better way of putting it, like someone trying to convince someone else that their way was better.

Inuyasha's scowl quickly turned into an interested expression, and he promptly closed his eyes, crossing his legs and after a few moments of consideration, crossing his arms as well, instead of Sesshomaru, who's hands rested on his knees lightly. Once this process was finished, the hanyou frowned, realizing he didn't quite know what to do from there. He sat still for a few moments, sneaking a few glances over to the daiyoukai every so often, noticing how he looked so serene. He was once again wearing his expressionless mask, though somehow Inuyasha knew that he was completely at peace.

After a few more moments of sitting still and doing nothing, Inuyasha's frown grew deeper.

He began muttering slightly, opening his eyes fully. "This is boring—"

"Relax your mind. "Sesshomaru spoke, eloquently cutting off the half-demon. "Focus on the nothingness provided by empty thoughts." The daiyoukai supplied. After a few more seconds, he added, "And cease your incessant staring." He said before going quiet once more. Really, did the hanyou think that he couldn't feel those eyes on him? Sending tingles up and down his— ahem.

After hastily denying having ever stared, Inuyasha reluctantly followed Sesshomaru's advice, clearing his mind of every inconvenience he had dealt with lately. After a moment, he found himself slipping away from reality, a drowsy feeling settling over him. His ears dropped slightly, and a soft sigh tumbled from his lips. This was nice, he decided. It felt good to not have to worry about anything, not think about anything (because contrary to popular belief he did think), and not have to banish away thoughts of his brother.

Sesshomaru.

In spite of his previous thoughts, Inuyasha found his mind centering on the subject of the demon lord, Sesshomaru's face appearing in his mind. In the past, when Sesshomaru would charge forwards to— presumably— kill him. He always looked so calm during battle, nothing appeared to faze him.

He saw Sesshomaru's face just after they had shared that impromptu and entirely unwarranted kiss, his face flushed and eyes wide. That was a rather good look on him...

'Now just imagine his face in the future, when he's writhing underneath us—'

'Dammit can't you leave me alone for one day!'

'—moaning our name.' His youkai continued in a mocking tone. He could almost hear the smirk in its words. 'Inuyasha, Inuyasha!'

'You're SO annoying! If you had a physical form I would—'

"Inuyasha!"

Said hanyou snapped out of his meditative state, shaking his head wildly as his eyelids went into overdrive, blinking rapidly until he could see again.

"Wha—? Huh?"

He glanced over to Sesshomaru, who was staring at him suspiciously. His lips had fallen into what could be called a pout, though the daiyoukai himself would swear he was simply hiding a frown.

"I asked you a question." Sesshomaru said plainly, face arranged into his normal expressionless... expression.

Inuyasha frowned. "Uh..."

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes discretely, before turning to stare back at the water. It wasn't difficult to hide the smile on his lips, as his hair provided an excellent curtain to shield his face from prying eyes. Really, Inuyasha was quite adorable when he was all clueless, ears drooping to the side and—

Dammit!

He was about to furiously chastise himself about comparing Inuyasha to any word that wasn't a synonym of disgusting, when a soft, rapidly growing thumping noise reached his ears. He looked off into the distance, just barely able to see over the cave's roof, a large, indigo-colored figure racing towards him. After a moment of thinking about all the things that it could possibly be, he scowled, beginning to mumble under his breath, "Oh for Kami's sake." Inuyasha growled as he smelled the familiar scent getting closer, standing as a giant fox leapt towards them, and landing with a crashing thud on top of the small hill. It managed to hold an air of dignity, even though the wild smirk was apparent on its face.

Sesshomaru felt like crying. Wasn't it enough that he agreed to mate with him? Why did he have to follow him everywhere?

Amatsu slowly changed back into his humanoid form.

Sesshomaru wanted to just lie down and die. Though he forced himself to walk towards the fox demon; not noticing the absolutely livid expression on Inuyasha's face.

"Hello, Fluffy."

Inuyasha was, in fact, very angry. And he wouldn't admit to the twinge of jealousy that flared when he remembered Sesshomaru's words several days before.

'This guy is our competition!' His youkai howled.

Inuyasha scowled stubbornly, refusing to give in to the urge to run over and beat the snot out of the indigo-haired demon.

"Amatsu." Sesshomaru said in greeting.

As the half-demon gave Amatsu the evil eye, an awkward air settled over the three.

"A little birdie told me, that a certain inu was coming to my home."

Sesshomaru frowned as he realized Chikotsu must have disclosed this information. Of course she would tell him.

"I've come to escort you."

"Hello! I'm right here!" Inuyasha interjected, clenching his fists tightly together.

Amatsu turned, giving the half-demon a bored look.

"Yes, and?"

"Why I oughta—"

"Inuyasha, enough." Sesshomaru said tiredly. If he was going to mate with Amatsu, he might as well get the whole thing over with quickly and start now. But first, he would have to explain his current predicament. He sighed. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Amatsu, I—"

"You don't have to say anything, Sesshomaru. Chikotsu told me this as well."

Sesshomaru blinked.

"...Oh. Well then—"

Sesshomaru was cut off once more (much to his annoyance), when Amatsu took the few strides necessary to close the distance between them, snaking an arm around Sesshomaru's waist and using his other hand to gently grab the demon lords chin, pressing his lips to the other daiyoukai's demandingly. Sesshomaru's eyes widened slightly, but he resisted the urge to pull back, reminding himself that he was going to have to get used to this.

That thought made him shudder slightly. But he wasn't about to explain to Amatsu that it was in disgust, and not pleasure. Let him think what he wanted to. Reluctantly, Sesshomaru pressed back, returning the kiss with the slightest of pressures, before pulling away.

Sesshomaru would admit that it wasn't terrible. Amatsu obviously knew what to do with his mouth, but that wasn't the problem. It just... didn't feel...

The daiyoukai shook his head.

Something just didn't seem right about it.

Regardless, as he felt Amatsu attempting to pull him close once more, he placed one hand on the other daiyoukai's chest, attempting to push him away.

"Amatsu, control yourself." He spoke, voice perfectly even. There was an odd look on Amatsu's face, but he obeyed, taking a step away and giving Sesshomaru back his personal space, much to the demon lord's relief.

Inuyasha was furious.

He felt jealous and betrayed, and hurt and confused all in one. His youkai was enraged, snarling and demanding that he stop this. But the hanyou could do nothing but look on, a frown set on his face and an odd feeling in his stomach.

"Come, Fluffy. I'll take you back to my home. You'll revert to your true form?" The daiyoukai asked. "Or would you rather me carry you?"

Sesshomaru shook his head, resisting the strong urge to roll his eyes.

"Amatsu, you know that I am incapable of doing that in my current state." Sesshomaru said, ignoring the other daiyoukai's question.

The fox demon blinked. "... Why?" He asked.

Sesshomaru frowned.

"I thought you said Chikotsu had told you; my demonic powers have been repressed. That's why I was going to your castle in the first place— your healer knows the remedy."

His tone was flat, and an odd tone was settling over Sesshomaru as he kept an even stare on the fox demon.

Amatsu's expression went from shocked, to understanding, to slightly hurt.

"Oh."

The word was said softly, so quietly that Sesshomaru wasn't even sure if he heard him correctly. For a moment he pondered why the fox suddenly seemed to upset, but brushed off the thought. He didn't particularly care, at the moment.

Suddenly, Amatsu seemed to cheer up, and he gave the demon a haughty smirk. "Well then! Let's get back to the castle, so I can turn my Fluffy back to normal."

This time, fluffy— er, Sesshomaru, did roll his eyes.

Amatsu turned his head to Inuyasha, finally, noticing for the first time his sour expression, and the way his jaw was locked firmly in place. His smirk grew as he realized that the hanyou was jealous, and he stepped closer, throwing an arm around Sesshomaru's waist just to annoy the half-breed.

Sesshomaru glared at the fox demon, realizing that he had gotten even bolder with his ministrations than the last time they had met, and silently cursed Chikotsu for her meddling.

"Are we to be taking your brother with us, as well?"

Sesshomaru looked to Inuyasha, and as their eyes met it seemed that they could almost understand each other.

I swear if you leave me alone with him...

Like hell I'm leaving you alone with him.

Inuyasha nodded, rubbing at a particularly itchy spot on his shoulder blade. No matter the weird looks, he had to scratch, dang it!

"Feh! 'Course! He's still wearing my clothing, after all." Inuyasha snapped, reveling in the envious glint in the fox-demons eyes.

Amatsu frowned, but chose not to ask just why exactly his soon-to-be-mate wearing another man's clothes, settling instead for just sending a piercing glare towards the hanyou. It wasn't as cold as Sesshomaru's tended to be, but it had the same effect. Inuyasha ignored this, however, looking off into the distance where he still smelled Kagome approaching quickly. He didn't want to just leave her out there...

"But first I gotta go get Kagome..." He mumbled.

Amatsu frowned. "Who? We have no time for detours, my Fluffy needs help—"

"We need to get my brother's jewel-detector, Amatsu."

"Anything you want, Sesshomaru."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, attempting to turn his face into one that was a little less spiteful. Amatsu turned to him, looking slightly angry and staring at Inuyasha with a resentful scowl.

"Just lead the way, half-breed."

foxgirl: Hope you enjoyed! Hopefully, I can get the next chapter to you sometime next week. Thank you once again for reading!

Vixen: Review, please.