Chapter Nine: A Broken Soul

Bokusenou had told them to remain in the car, as he trudged up the steps towards the mall. The stench in the car caused both the Inu brother's to flinch. The early morning light drifting into the car, seemed to bake the stench on them, and Inuyasha had to look away from his muck-covered hair that sat over his shoulder onto his lap.

Sesshoumaru snorted. It was the only way for him to release the smell that lingered in his nose. "What a dreadful morning." He muttered darkly.

"Keh." Inuyasha scoffed. "I don't think we will get this stench off for weeks."

Sesshoumaru remained silent, thinking about everything that had happened in the past few weeks. "Good thing no one else has a good sense of smell."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and wrinkled his nose. "The funeral is soon." He murmured absently.

Sesshoumaru turned his head and peered at his brother long and hard, as though he were trying to find the right words. Nodding more to himself, than to Inuyasha's benefit, Sesshoumaru lowered his gaze to his hand. "The new moon is soon, also."

Inuyasha stiffened and swallowed. "Hai." He whispered so softly, that Sesshoumaru was almost certain that he hadn't heard it.

The car door opened and both brother's were bombarded with a face full of clothes. "Hey!" Inuyasha snarled.

"I will drop you off at the hotel." Bokusenou sniffed, and turned his head away from them as though really not caring about their current predicament. The Inu brothers glanced at one another uneasily before shaking their heads. It almost seemed like it had been their father's way of chastising their foolishness. "I have a bag of clothes in the trunk for you two." The youkai continued. "The funeral is being held tomorrow and a limo will be picking you both up for the ceremony."

Inuyasha flinched harshly and then tried to wiggle his back into the seat trying to work his way out through the trunk. Sesshoumaru sucked in his breath and watched his brother try to hide from the reality of Bokusenou's words.

"What time?" Sesshoumaru spoke softly.

"Ten, the limo will be there and take you to the youkai sōgiya (funeral parlor) where the ceremony will take place, from there we will go to the gates of the shínda (dead) where your father's remains will be sent through."

Inuyasha swallowed and he blinked back the tears that threatened to flood his eyes. He had been desperately trying to forget about this particular day. "Wh-what about my mother?" He choked.

Sesshomaru winced.

"Lady Izayoi will be given the youkai ritual like your father, however you know her remains cannot fully be sent into the underworld with your father." Bokusenou glanced into the rearview mirror and sighed. "A part of her will be sent with your father, and the rest will be left here. We have chosen a perfect resting place for your mother, Inuyasha."

The hanyou nodded, and forced all thoughts of his parents to the back of his mind. He didn't want to think about it, he didn't want to accept it. That would make it too real and he wasn't ready for that just yet.

The magnolia youkai pulled into the hotels lot and stopped the car, turning to glance at both brothers. "I trust you both can stay out of trouble until then?"

Sesshoumaru nodded and uttered his thanks. Inuyasha remained silent as he climbed out of the car and limped awkwardly towards the doors. His head hung low as he carried the bags he had purchased the day before, including both his and Shippou's laptops.

Bokusenou gripped Sesshoumaru's shoulder tightly. "I know tomorrow will try both of you to your limits. I already sense the grief in your brother." He said softly. "Tomorrow is going to be especially long for Inuyasha."

Sesshoumaru raised a single brow.

"Tomorrow is also the night of the new moon. He will need you to be there, should he require your assistance." Bokusenou handed Sesshoumaru an envelope. "This contains information on your brothers transformation, Sesshoumaru. Read it and go from there."

Sesshoumaru held the envelope and watched as Bokusenou took out two bags from inside the trunk, and then reached back in pulling out two traditional kimonos' the brother's would wear for the ceremony. Bokusenou helped drape the kimono's over Sesshoumaru's arm and placed the handles into his hand with a slight smirk. Nodding to the hotel, Bokusenou turned without a word and entered the car, pulling away.

Sesshoumaru took a deep breath and walked towards the glass doors. A young human opened the door for him and quickly nodded his head in greeting. He remembered the youkai from the night before, but now was confused as to where they had left their car. Shrugging, the boy turned and waited for any other customers who required his opening the doors for them.

Sesshoumaru entered the large lobby and looked around for Inuyasha, but there were no signs of him. Taking a deep breath, he figured Inuyasha had already gone to their room.

Shaking his head, Sesshoumaru sniffed out his brother's scent and entered the elevators silently, ignoring the glares and sniffs of disapproval at his presence in the hotel. Once inside the elevator, Sesshoumaru heaved another sigh. He knew what tomorrow was going to be like. He had been tutored on traditional attire and ceremonies in the youkai way. The youkai also knew that it would be draining on him and his brother, but more so the hanyou.

The bell dinged and Sesshoumaru lifted his head and sauntered casually down the hall to their room and opened it softly. Everything was dark inside, but his eyes quickly adjusted and he found Inuyasha lying on one of the two beds. Inuyasha's back was to him and he was curled up in a tight ball, silently.

Closing the door behind him, Sesshoumaru dumped the packages into a chair and remained silent. When his brother was ready to talk, he would. He used his fingers to lift the traditional kimonos and hung them in the closet wordlessly, and tore the plastic off the fine silk robes. Inuyasha's was quite a bit smaller then his, and was almost completely red, with traces of white along the sleeves. The hakama pants were black, and the haori that would sit over top was a mix of red, black and white. His eyes turned to his and he sighed.

He being the oldest was given a light burgundy kimono with white markings along the sleeves. His hakamas were all white and his haori was also white, but the sleeves held the honeycomb designs in red signifying him as a ruling Lord of the Inuyoukai. He furrowed his brows wondering if he could live up to his father's expectations. Not just his father's but also the other youkai who would follow him if there be any need.

Turning his head slightly, he watched as Inuyasha shifted on the bed and made no other move. Sesshoumaru closed his eyes briefly and went to his own bed. Smiling softly to himself, he figured his brother had the right idea. Sleep away all thoughts and deal with them later.

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The sound of rushing water filled his consciousness sooner then he would have liked. It seemed like he had just fallen asleep and now of all times Inuyasha was having a shower. Groaning, Sesshoumaru rolled over and was reminded fiercely why his brother had decided now of all times to use the facilities. Wrinkling his nose, he lifted his head and peered down at his soiled clothing. Smirking, at least he didn't have to worry about cleaning up their own bedding.

Shifting his position, he placed the pillow over his head and tried to go back to sleep. He had been having such a nice dream, one that he wanted to fall back into. Sesshoumaru had been dreaming of his girlfriend, Kagura. His dream had taken him back to the park where he had first met her.

He had been practicing a kata his father had been teaching him, and had lifted his arm in a low block when he had seen her face. Sesshoumaru had lost the feeling in his legs and he had crumbled to the ground in a heap. Of course she had noticed this, his clumsiness, and had smiled when her friends had pointed him out.

His father had laughed and helped him to his feet, asking what had happened. Sesshoumaru had brushed his pants off, being a pair of black gi pants, rather then the traditional white ones, due to the grass in the park. Mr. Souske had been teaching his son the fine parts of grace and elegance one would find in kata.

Then their eyes had met, and Sesshoumaru remembered his throat had gone dry. He had never looked at anything so remarkable. She was pretty, but she was more then that, and he had blushed to the tips of his ears, turning away.

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A soft hand touched his shoulder and he grunted, jerking away from it.

"Sess?"

"Mmm?"

He received no answer and cracked open his eyes, and then remembered the pillow. Pulling it down to stare at the intruder, Sesshoumaru sighed and sat up. Inuyasha was wrapped in a towel, now completely clean from the earlier encounter he had had with the sewer drain.

"You stink, Sess." Inuyasha smirked and turned away.

Sesshoumaru snorted and blinked the sleep out of his eyes.

"I left some hot water for you." The hanyou stated and wandered over to his bags he had left in the corner of the room. He pulled out a pair of black shorts and a red t-shirt and sat down on his bed, fingering the material absently.

Sesshoumaru glanced out the window and noticed it was growing dark out and he frowned. "Did we really sleep for so long?" He grumbled, rubbing his eyes.

Inuyasha lifted his head and stared at the dimming sky, and shrugged. "I guess."

The tone Inuyasha used caught Sesshoumaru's attention immediately. Furrowing his brows, he stared at his brother's back for a long moment. Had his brother given up? There was so much broken pain in those two words, and it caused him alarm. "Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha shrugged again and turned to look over his shoulder. "You should shower, you will feel better." Without another word, the hanyou stood and stretched.

Sesshoumaru bit his tongue and nodded. He had to stay strong. If he pressed his brother too much, Inuyasha would only get defensive and grow angry. The youkai knew his brother would talk when he was ready, not before. Shrugging his shoulders, Sesshoumaru stretched and quickly pulled the shirt off himself and tossed it into the corner of the room. Soon his pants followed and he walked buck-naked into the bathroom, smirking at the annoyed grunt of his brother.

"Next time, do that in the shower room. I don't want to see you naked!" Inuyasha shouted to him as the door closed.

"Then don't look." Sesshoumaru shot back with a low chuckle. He turned the faucet and laughed at the growl from his brother entered the room in a frustrated huff.

Sesshoumaru adjusted the temperature of the water and then slipped under the massaging stream and sighed. Tilting his head back, he allowed the water to run over his thick mane of hair and allowed it to saturate as much water as it could. There was a single bottle of shampoo in the shower, and a package of conditioner. Was this the first shower he had since the accident? He frowned trying to remember.

His mouth parted in a gasp. It must be. Before everything had been so simple. Like shampooing his hair and adding soap to his body. But now, he was at a loss. How was he going to clean his calf length hair with only one hand? How was he going to apply the shampoo without it running into his eyes?

Not once had he looked at his mangled arm, too afraid of what the human doctors had done to it. Sucking in a sharp breath, Sesshoumaru turned his eyes to the bandaged arm, and slowly pulled off the now soaked gauze and swallowed nervously.

He dropped the white gauze and stared. The flesh was an angry red, with white along various parts of his remaining arm, showing where stitches had been and where new flesh had been placed on it. Sesshoumaru gagged. It was horrendous. His knees failed him and he fell heavily to the tiles in the shower, and choked back a strangled cry of rage.

Had they been taken to a youkai healer, would it perhaps have looked better? Would his father still be alive? Clenching his eyes shut, he drove his fist into the tiles and heard them shatter under the force of the blow. The door to the shower room slammed open and Sesshoumaru's eyes widened.

"Sess?" Inuyasha called out, having heard the entire thing. "You alright?"

Sesshoumaru grunted and nodded. "Hai."

"I heard you fall and something break." Came Inuyasha's worried voice.

"It's nothing. Just reality." Sesshoumaru mumbled.

The door shut behind his brother and Sesshoumaru took a shaky breath and stood up. Biting his lip, he stood there for a long while, before he reached out for the bottle of shampoo and attempted to wash his thick mane of hair.

It took him far longer then he would have liked to lather the stuff into his hair, but once finished he was quite proud of himself. One handed he had been able to pour the shampoo into his palm, simply by tilting the bottle and squeezing the substance with his fingers.

Tilting his head back, Sesshoumaru rinsed out the suds and preceded with the conditioner, which was far easier than the shampoo had been. Once finished, he turned the nozzle of the shower off and climbed out of the tiled area. He wrapped a white towel around his hips and stepped out of the steamy room and glanced around. Both beds were stripped and his brother sat on one staring out the window lost in thought.

Inuyasha turned as his brother entered the room and his eyes immediately fell on the remaining arm and his mouth dropped open in a gasp. Angrily the hanyou stood up and faced him. "What the hell did they do to it?" He shouted.

Sesshoumaru turned his head slightly and looked at the mangled limb, but remained silent. He walked over to the bag Bokusenou had given him and pulled out the clothes inside. Kneeling on the ground, he fingered the blue t-shirt and khaki pants lost in his own thoughts. He hadn't even realized he asked his brother a question until Inuyasha answered him.

"It doesn't look that bad, but youkai healers could have done more then what they did." Inuyasha grumbled, anger still tinting his voice.

Sesshoumaru blinked confused and glanced at him. "Nani?"

"You asked me if it really looked that bad." Inuyasha frowned. "I told you no." Concerned, Inuyasha walked over and placed a hand on Sesshoumaru's shoulder. "You alright?"

Sesshoumaru nodded and stood up. "Hai." Pulling away from Inuyasha's hand, he dropped his towel and smirked at Inuyasha's startled gasp.

"I told you not to do that!" Inuyasha mumbled whirling around immediately. "I don't want to see you naked, baka."

Sesshoumaru chuckled. "Turn away then." He quickly dressed himself and sighed. "Inuyasha?"

The hanyou peeked over his shoulder curiously, and a small sigh of relief escaped his lips. "What?"

"Could you wrap it for me?" Sesshoumaru asked, his eyes trailing to the remains of his arm.

Inuyasha nodded instantly and pulled a small black bag from beside the bed. "Bokusenou gave us this kit, it has fresh gauze and stuff in it."

Sesshoumaru sat on his unmade bed and stared at his knees while Inuyasha rebound the angry looking flesh on his left arm. Once finished, the hanyou stood and sighed, the arm should have healed better then that shouldn't it? Sesshoumaru was a full youkai, so his healing abilities were far better then his own, so he should have healed it by now. But to Inuyasha, it looked like it was still fresh, hardly healing at all.

"What are we going to do for the rest of the night?" Inuyasha asked, taking a seat next to his brother. Hoping to break Sesshoumaru from his deep thoughts. The hanyou suspected his brother was thinking about the ruined arm, and wanted to distract him.

Sesshoumaru shrugged, running his claws through his long hair. "I suppose we could always order a movie."

Inuyasha grinned. "Action." He stated matter of factly.

Sesshoumaru smirked and rolled his eyes. "Call down, and also see if you can order something to eat." He turned away and continued to comb his hair with his fingers.

Inuyasha paused. "Why don't we just go out for dinner? Then we can come back and watch the movie."

Sesshoumaru raised a brow curiously.

"We could just go to Chidori's you know. We need to check on the place anyways." Inuyasha stated, giving his excuse to go out.

Sesshoumaru smiled slowly and nodded his approval. "Very well then."

"Call there and make sure there is a spot so we don't have to wait. It is Thursday night and I trust it may be busy." Sesshoumaru proceeded to comb his hair.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and dialed the restaurant. "Why don't you ever use a comb? Why your fingers?"

"Prevents breakage and split ends, Inuyasha. Didn't father ever tell you that?" Sesshoumaru asked looking over his shoulder.

Inuyasha shook his head frowning, and turned his attention to the phone. "Hi Sango. How's it looking there?"

Sesshoumaru snorted at the perked up nature in his brother and the business like manner he was portraying to Sango over the phone.

"Can you get a table ready? Reserve it for Sesshoumaru and myself." Inuyasha stated. "Thanks." He hung up the phone and turned to face his brother with a raised brow. "I don't suppose Bokusenou got us another car already do you?"

Sesshoumaru snorted. "What's wrong with taking a taxi?"

Inuyasha sighed and slumped. "I guess." He reached down once again and called the front desk for the cabs number, writing it down quickly, he hung up and dialed the number.

Once he had finished telling the taxi where to pick them up, he grabbed Shippou's bag and his laptop and hid them under the bed, before turning to face his youkai brother. Sesshoumaru still hadn't moved. Frowning, Inuyasha peered at the blank face and knew instantly that his brother was lost in thought.

"What are you thinking about?" Inuyasha asked softly.

Sesshoumaru blinked and frowned, lifting his head. "Nani?"

"What are you thinking about?" Inuyasha asked again.

Sesshoumaru sighed and pushed himself up off the bed. "Tomorrow." He whispered, and headed to the door without so much as a glance in his brother's direction.

Inuyasha swallowed, he knew that wasn't the only thing his brother had been thinking about. From the look on Sesshoumaru's face, Inuyasha suspected him to be thinking about Kagura.

Smiling to himself with a brief laugh, Inuyasha remembered the dark haired youkai. The first time he had met her, he saw what his brother had seen in her. She was a wind youkai, tall, elegant, and well brought up. Her skin was pale, but not as much as Sesshoumaru's was. Her eyes were a dark ruby red, shimmering with happiness and life. Every time Inuyasha had seen Kagura her long dark hair had been left down in a low ponytail. The night of Sesshoumaru's birthday, her hair had been bound up in an elegant bun and held a rather stunning white flower clip with down feathers embedded in it. Small white sparkles shimmered in the faint lights whenever she turned her head.

He had rather liked the girl. Kagura brought smiles to everyone's faces without any trouble, and had a knack for cracking jokes. Neither brother had seen her since the accident, and Inuyasha suspected that it was partially due to the fact that he was afraid. Afraid to see what it had done to her. Inuyasha knew what it had done to them and he felt a small pang in his chest at the thought of what happened. Kagura had been sitting beside Kikyou when they had crashed. Inuyasha shuddered.

Thinking back on the accident was something he really didn't want to remember, however it came back to him every time he closed his eyes. Most nights he would jolt awake and be covered in sweat. So far he had been able to hide that from Sesshoumaru, and for that he was grateful.

He didn't remember the crash, but he remembered waking up and feeling nothing but pain. It had scared him. The sounds, the cold metal that gripped his leg in a death grip. The smell of blood, his own and the whole cars companions. He remembered Sesshoumaru's scream of pain as the car shifted. There had been loud crunching noises, and more cries from his brother. They had been weaker, and Inuyasha had been terrified. No one else answered him, except those outside the car.

He had remained awake, and he had seen them. All of them. Inuyasha rubbed his arms. The first he had seen was his mother. Gulping he clenched his eyes shut trying to get rid of the image. Sesshoumaru had no idea Inuyasha had been awake during it all.

Izayoi's mangled body had been taken out of the car right after he had been and the image burned in his mind like a brand. Next had been their father. He had been no better, but he had still been alive at the time. Or so he had thought. He remembered the doctors telling him that their father had died instantly, but Inuyasha could have sworn he had seen his father's chest rise and fall with breath. Frowning, Inuyasha also remembered looking into his father's pain filled glazed eyes.

Kikyou and Kagura had been taken out next, and Inuyasha remembered wondering where his brother was. Both the girls had been covered in blood, and they were awake, and crying out in pain. They had lost consciousness not long after. Something had been placed over Inuyasha's nose then, but he had been conscious still. It had taken a very long time it seemed, to him, for them to bring out his brother. Sesshoumaru had been limp as though he were dead, and Inuyasha had been terrified.

He remembered choking back a sob of grief at the thought of his brother being dead. The extremely white skin on his brother's face made the crimson stripes on his cheeks to be more prominent. He had looked dead. Sesshoumaru's eyes had been open and lifeless. The blood that had covered Sesshoumaru left him wondering if there had been anything left inside his brother to survive on. The arm was still there then, he remembered that, but it dragged on the ground uselessly, as the elder youkai had been taken out of the car.

He remembered, everything. It had shattered his soul, and he was still trying to pick up all the pieces.

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A hand on his shoulder broke his thoughts and he jumped surprised.

"Still with me?" Sesshoumaru asked tilting his head to the side.

"Hai." Inuyasha nodded, and shoved the memories in the back of his head.

"Want to talk about anything?" Sesshoumaru asked, pressing the button on the elevator marked with an M.

Inuyasha furrowed his brows and shook his head firmly. "Not right now. I'm fine."

The youkai nodded and they stood in silence as the car floated downwards to the main lobby of the hotel. Once the doors opened, they walked out casually and noticed the taxi already waiting for them.

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Their dinner was pretty uneventful, and extremely silent. Even though there were a ton of people situated at every available table in the place, the Inu brother's table was the only one filled with silence and hidden emotions. Both Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru dreaded what tomorrow would bring, and neither of them had the courage to speak of it.

Once they had left, they went back to the hotel in silence, and they didn't utter a word until they entered their hotel room. Finally Inuyasha plopped onto the end of his bed with a loud sigh, fingering the movie that had been placed there by the hotel hostess. He shook his head and glanced at his brother who stood staring at his newly made bed deep in thought.

"If you don't stop thinking so hard, your brain is going to seize." Inuyasha smirked.

Sesshoumaru blinked and lifted his eyes to the familiar golden eyes of his younger brother. "Funny."

"Cheer up, Sess. We have a good action flick to watch, and I don't need you spoiling the mood." Inuyasha grumbled, jumping off the bed and flipping the T.V on and placed the movie into the machine. "All we are missing now is some buttery popcorn, and some cola." Inuyasha dove onto his bed and bounced in anticipation of the movie, one that his parents would never have allowed him to watch.

Sesshoumaru glanced at the screen of the T.V. and sighed, seating himself on the corner of his bed. He remembered the Friday night movie nights they used to have with their parents, usually consisting of comedy, or a good family flick. This would mark the second night the Inu brother's watched a movie without the presence of their father and Izayoi.

The night usually ended up in laughter, as they stretched and stood from the long sitting they had done. Their father would be in a cheerful mood and would lure his sons into a pillow fight or a play fight with snarls and claws. Izayoi had always been the one to stop their games, usually pulling her husbands ear, or laughing so hard she would join them.

Shaking his head from the memories, Sesshoumaru watched the title dance across the screen and groaned. They were watching another martial arts movie, with Jet Li and a few others. Sesshoumaru shifted and flopped back onto his mattress. It wasn't like he was not interested in the movie, but his mind was elsewhere. He had been thinking about his parents, and his girlfriend for several hours now, wondering what things would have been like had his father and Izayoi had lived.

They would still be in their old house, going to school, taking martial arts and playing soccer. Both brothers' would be tending advanced lessons privately to improve their abilities in the youkai world. Not only in the youkai world, but in the mortal one as well. Things wouldn't have been any better or worse, however neither brother had been taunted regarding their heritage before. Most likely due to their father's power in the west.

Most times Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha had been left alone and left outside the gossip ring at school, but then they had also gone to a school that housed more youkai than mortals. One of the few remaining schools left in that part of the city. Now the youkai were expanding, going to other schools, learning the mortal ways, and trying to fit in to the society that was not meant to have youkai exist in.

Sesshoumaru thought about Kagura. He had only glanced at her before the crash, and he remembered her happy smile. She had been ecstatic on the invitation to a lively and expensive restaurant for her boyfriend's birthday. Even more so when her father had granted her permission. He wondered what was happening with her. Secretly he hoped she was awake and healing, but something in his gut told him that things were far more serious for her well-being than he was willing to accept.

He felt the familiar waves of sleep overtake his senses and he didn't stop them. However even as he dreamt, he was called from his refreshing slumber far too quickly and he released a sharp snarl of warning to the one who disturbed him.

Inuyasha recoiled in shock. Blinking stupidly at his brother, he wondered where he had gone in his dreams. "Uhh, Sess?" He began. "It's morning, and really late."

Sesshoumaru barely registered those words, until his dream respoke them and he shot up in bed instantly. "Nani? Nan ji desu ka?" What time is it?

Inuyasha swallowed and took a step back. "Uhh, late." He evaded.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at his brother.

"Uhh ku ji." Inuyasha blanched stepping back once again. (Ku ji is 9 o'clock.)

"Nani?" Sesshoumaru shot off the bed quickly and growled menacingly at his brother. "It takes almost an hour to dress, baka!"

Inuyasha swallowed and nodded. He was barreled with a face full of fine silk and he blinked pulling it down off his face.

"Get dressed!" Sesshoumaru snapped. "Why didn't you wake me sooner?"

Inuyasha glared at his brother. "I just woke up myself, baka! Don't you think I would have woken sooner if I could have?"

"Excuses!" Sesshoumaru raged. "You had better pray that we aren't late." He slammed into the bathroom, leaving Inuyasha standing angrily in the center of the room.

"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed indignantly. Inuyasha kicked off his pants, and watched them fly through the air into the corner. Soon his shirt followed and he stood there silently, staring blankly at the robes his brother had thrown his way. "Uhh…" He blinked.

There was a loud crash in the bathroom and Inuyasha glanced up with a frown.

"Sess?" He called. There was another loud crash and cursing, followed by growling, and a bone-chilling snarl. Pursing his lips, Inuyasha glanced once more at the robes and shook his head firmly. 'No way in seven hells am I asking for help.' No sooner had those thoughts entered his mind that the bathroom door burst from its hinges and there stood a heaving and enraged youkai in its place.

Inuyasha gulped and stepped back into the corner he had flung his clothes into. "Uhh, Sess?" He whispered.

Sesshoumaru panted, and growled. "How the hell do they expect me to dress myself in this thing with only one arm?" He raged.

Inuyasha chuckled, and shook his head. "I had been tempted to ask for your help because of all these ties."

"It's a simple matter to dress with two arms! But with one? Ridiculous." Sesshoumaru snorted and stalked over to his younger brother and then stopped. "Oh stop being a coward and come here." He sniffed as his brother tried to mold himself into the corner. Sesshoumaru reached out and grabbed Inuyasha's haori he had managed to slip over his torso and pulled him forward with a yank. He instructed Inuyasha how to tie the ends of the haori together and then told him how to put the hakama on.

"You want me to tuck this thing in?" Inuyasha asked exasperated.

"Hai. The obi will cover the lines. Relax, otouto." Sesshoumaru nodded, and sighed seeing Inuyasha's hands shake.

Inuyasha tucked the haori in and then placed the robe overtop and followed every one of Sesshoumaru's instructions. Soon he was standing there with his traditional attire on and glanced at Sesshoumaru. "You want me to help you?"

Sesshoumaru snorted. "If we want to make the funeral in time, then yes. Otherwise I'll still be trying to tie the ties on the haori by evening."

Inuyasha nodded and watched Sesshoumaru place the kimono on and he frowned. "How come you have a kimono and I don't?"

"Because I am the oldest, Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru muttered, folding the kimono over his chest. It fell to his ankles and he rolled his eyes.

"Pink?" Inuyasha chuckled.

"It's not pink." Sesshoumaru sniffed indignantly. "Here." He handed Inuyasha the kaku-obi belt and Inuyasha stared at it blinking stupidly. "Just tie it around my waist." Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes.

Inuyasha nodded and did as was instructed. Then Sesshoumaru handed him the heko-obi.

"Just hold that for a minute." Sesshoumaru muttered as he slipped his haori on, and had Inuyasha tie the sides quickly. He bent down and slipped the hakama pants over his hips and adjusted the kimono underneath and rolled his eyes. "How bothersome." He grumbled. Soon both brothers stood side by side, dressed in traditional robes, and they glanced at the clock. It was already after ten.

They gasped and fled through the doors.

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They pulled into the funeral parlor and gaped at the many people standing outside and in the doors as they were greeted. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha shared a look and swallowed before reaching their hands out to open the doors. A sharp order caused them to freeze.

"You will remain inside the car until you are let out." The driver snapped. Sesshoumaru felt his lip curse in a rebuttal but bit it back when Bokusenou walked up to the car, and gave a bow before opening the door to allow them freedom.

All activity stopped immediately, the instant Sesshoumaru stood to his full height outside the car. Inuyasha followed and stopped staring at the youkai and humans who had frozen in place.

Sesshoumaru glanced slightly to the side and watched them as they took in his garb and features, and then he looked away. Schooling his face into an emotionless mask, Sesshoumaru followed Bokusenou towards the parlor with Inuyasha trailing behind slowly, and confusedly.

Sesshoumaru leaned over slightly and whispered. "Does he not know about this?"

Bokusenou shook his head, as the ascended the stairs leading into the building.

All too soon everyone was seated and the ceremony began. Inuyasha sat hunched in the front seat, beside Sesshoumaru, and consciously tried to block out the words that hung in the air. They were stories, memories, and all were filled with sadness. Swallowing the lump in his throat once the youkai began talking about his mother, Inuyasha felt a hand on his arm, almost as though his brother knew he was about to bolt from the room.

A cold hand gripped Inuyasha's heart and he choked back a sob at the mention of Izayoi's kindheartedness and loving nature to those in the room. Inuyasha shrank back as the youkai announced him and Sesshoumaru. All he wanted to do was to flee from that place and forget. He wanted to forget everything.

He felt tears fill his eyes as hands gripped his shoulder in a comforting manner and he brushed them aside angrily. Inuyasha didn't need their pity, sympathy, or words of comfort. All he wanted was to be left alone. His whole body shook with restraint and somehow Sesshoumaru knew he was about to break, and finally the older youkai stood up, releasing Inuyasha's arm.

Inuyasha paid no mind to what his brother was saying, all he knew was that the hands retreated and the air grew silent. Somewhere in his rattled brain, Inuyasha heard his brother's words, but didn't register them.

Music began playing, people began to move, and he felt a forehead press against his gently. "Come."

Inuyasha lifted his golden gaze and stared into his brother's wordlessly.

"Come, otouto."

Inuyasha stood and somehow was able to follow his brother and the caskets out into the bright sunlight, and he cringed. It felt like he was being controlled as if he were a robot. Before he could comprehend the situations, he blinked back more tears, staring up at the two stone youkai sentinels that guarded the gates to the underworld. Only family and the closest friends were there.

Inuyasha looked down at the ground and blocked out the words that were said as they passed their father and a small piece of his mother through those gates. He found himself back in the car, held tightly in a strong embrace and he didn't care. Inuyasha only wanted this day to end.

Soon cool grass came into his vision, and he was standing before a fresh gravesite, it was a human site and he cringed. That strong comforting embrace wrapped around his shoulder again, and he sighed.

Once again things swept by too quickly and they were again in the car, and were driven somewhere. Looking out the window more on reflex then anything else, Inuyasha noticed they were headed to another location then their hotel and he turned his head to glance at Sesshoumaru confused.

Sucking in his breath, Inuyasha saw a familiar fur pelt over his brother's shoulder and he gaped stupidly. When had Sesshoumaru been granted the honorable fur of the Inuyoukai? When had Sesshoumaru been given the title of Lord? Swallowing, Inuyasha was sure his eyes were about to pop out of his head, however he blinked them back in before they did.

Inuyasha sucked in his breath sharply and Sesshoumaru turned his head at the sound. Sesshoumaru shook his head silently, stopping all questions from his brother's mouth.

Inuyasha heard the raw emotion in Sesshoumaru's voice as he spoke. "We will…talk later."

Inuyasha nodded in understanding, seeing the flash of emotion flicker through his brother's eyes and he sighed. The car pulled up a driveway and both brothers looked out curiously. Car doors opened and slammed shut and soon they were given permission to exit.

Sesshoumaru stood in the driveway peering at a house, and he glanced at Bokusenou in silent question.

"You didn't expect to remain at the hotel did you?"

Inuyasha's mind came to an instant stand still. "Wha...? The laptops!" He cried out.

Bokusenou sighed and nodded. "Fear not, Inuyasha-sama, they are inside along with your belongings. It pays to be a lawyer at times." He winked and chuckled lightly at Inuyasha's instant sigh of relief.

As though he were on autopilot, Inuyasha found himself inside the house, and being guided by the lawyers and once again Jaken and Myoga were there. Frowning, he wondered where they had been all this time since the accident at the old house. Not really caring at that particular moment, Inuyasha shook his head.

The only thing he did register was the fact that his sense of smell had practically vanished. The oh so familiar sign that the new moon would be soon upon them. His hearing was fading, and so was his eyesight. The crispness of the items became duller, details that he took for granted with his youkai eyes, grew fuzzy and muddled together as his human eyes seeped forward.

He felt a sudden panic fill him, as he glanced around hoping the people guiding them through the house would hurry up. Ever since he could remember, he had always hidden in his room or a closet as his transformation overtook his body. No one had ever witnessed it, not his father, mother or brother. He refused to have them fuss over him and worry over trivial things.

Sesshoumaru must have sensed his rise in panic because he stopped and called an end to the day. Immediately, Inuyasha nodded to his brother and bolted out of the hall. Golden eyes followed his brother and furrowed. Glancing outside, Sesshoumaru saw the darkening sky, and knew it was only minutes until Inuyasha would resort to his human body.

He had never seen Inuyasha in his human form, his brother always refused to show himself. Most of the time, Sesshoumaru would lay awake and listen to the soft whimpers and sobs from his brother's room until morning came. The youkai knew Inuyasha didn't want to be pitied, or any ridiculous emotion such as that, however, tonight was different.

They had experienced a lot in this month, and Sesshoumaru felt the need to help his brother through whatever it was that would happen, and was happening in that heart of his.

Sesshoumaru found himself outside his brother's door and waited. Obviously Inuyasha would not hear him, but still the older youkai stood outside as if pondering where to go from here.

---------------------------------

Inuyasha knew his eyes were wide and full of fear as they followed the path of the sun. Too soon, it vanished behind the horizon and his eyes danced upward to peer at the black moon. Then it hit him like a tidal wave. The pain and agony that flooded his body caused him to gnash his teeth together holding back the strangled cry. He clenched his hands and felt the noose tighten around his heart and it felt like it was being ripped out of his chest. The bones cracked in his back as his human body took over, replacing his hanyou form.

The molten pain that filled his eyes as they changed left him breathless, and he couldn't contain the gasp. It felt like someone was melting his golden eyes and then punched his square in the empty sockets as his dark brown and blue human eyes replaced them. More agonizing pain flooded his head as his ears changed, and this time as the bones cracked and reshaped themselves, he couldn't hold back the cry of fear and pain that erupted from his mouth.

He didn't register the door to his room slamming open as he fell to his knees. The claws in his hands retracted and his short dull human nails appeared. To him it was like someone tore out his nails with a set of tweezers. He broke out in a cold sweat and panted as his fangs retracted. The pain was unbearable, something he went through every month, but this time it seemed like there was more pain.

His brain exploded and he felt his eyes roll back into his head and he stiffened as he connected with the hard floor. All too soon the hard floor vanished and was replaced by a soft warm comforting embrace he had never experienced before and he sobbed through his pain-ridden body.

A soft hand ran through his silver hair and Inuyasha released the cry he had been holding in as his black human hair replaced it. Someone was scalping him, or so it felt as his hair changed.

Then as quickly as the pain had come, it vanished, leaving him in a cold sweat and shivering from the unfamiliar, but familiar chill entering the window. Warm hands gripped him tightly, and a blanket wrapped around him. Inuyasha blinked open his eyes and stared up at the face.

It was his brother. Releasing a gasp of fear and confusion, Inuyasha scrambled off his brother's lap and shrank back into the corner of his new room. Why was Sesshoumaru here?

"Oto?" Sesshoumaru whispered, watching Inuyasha cower from him.

Inuyasha gulped. He knew deep down inside that his brother would never hurt him, but the feeling of being powerless and weak before his great and terrible youkai sibling made him feel inadequate and useless. "Sesshoumaru." He whispered softly.

Sesshoumaru nodded and closed his mouth, which had been open since he had crashed down the door to his brother's room. Never before had he witnessed such a sight. The fear and overwhelming desire to protect Inuyasha had washed over him in waves. He had never known the transformation to be painful for the younger boy. Why had Inuyasha never told them?

Inuyasha crawled forward slowly, still shaking both from the transformation and from the insane feeling of terror. "What are you doing in here?" He whispered, still crawling forward on his hands and knees.

Sesshoumaru frowned. "You have never called out in pain before tonight. I had feared something happened to you."

"Something did happen." Inuyasha mumbled.

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Why didn't you ever say anything? We were all there for you."

Inuyasha sat back on his heels, beside Sesshoumaru and sucked his breath in for calming breaths. "It was never this painful before. I could handle it."

"Is it really that painful?" Sesshoumaru asked softly, placing his hands on his knees.

Inuyasha nodded. "More so when I revert back." He shuddered.

Sesshoumaru shook his head and released a soft sigh. "I must say, you do indeed look human."

"Of course I do, baka. I am human." Inuyasha snorted.

Sesshoumaru grinned and turned his head slightly taking in his brother's human features. Before, Inuyasha held a strong likeness to their father, but now, he looked like a male version of Izayoi. The once long silver hair was now black as the night sky itself. The dark eyebrows were the same, only more defined and prominent. The once golden eyes were now a dark brown, with small specks of very dark blue in the orbs, and Sesshoumaru smiled.

The mouth was now more human like. No longer a narrow and elegant feature, it was now fuller and youthful. Sesshoumaru's eyes trailed to the top of Inuyasha's head where his puppy ears used to be and he smirked. Only a full head of black hair met his gaze. Turning his head fully now, Sesshoumaru ran his finger along the rounded lobe at the side of Inuyasha's head. "Hmm."

Inuyasha wrinkled his nose and scoffed, knocking the hand aside. "What is it with you and my ears? Stop touching!"

Sesshoumaru's hand dropped and he shook his head. "Amazing. Such a gift."

Inuyasha gaped. "Gift? Are you kidding me? Don't be so stupid. This is a curse."

"Is it? Look at yourself. As a hanyou, you look like father, but as a human, you look like Izayoi."

"Keh! Great, now I look feminine."

"Iie. That is not what I meant; there is no doubt that you are male, however you hold your mother's features. Her eyes, mouth, facial structure." Sesshoumaru snorted. "Your scent is also changed."

Inuyasha brought his arm to his nose and he sniffed. "Really?"

Sesshoumaru smirked and nodded. "Are you hungry?"

Inuyasha shook his head, slowly, so not to reawaken the ache that had lingered after his transformation. "No, I actually feel a bit nauseous."

Sesshoumaru stood and stretched. "I am hungry."

"Then go eat. Who's stopping you?" Inuyasha curled up into the blanket his brother had wrapped around his shoulders.

"Tomorrow you have business to tend to at the restaurant. You still need a kitchen manager, and I am certain there are phone calls for you to make." Sesshoumaru changed the subject.

"Hai. What will you do?" Inuyasha asked, crawling onto his new bed.

"I will head to the office. I have some matters of my own to settle." Sesshoumaru turned to leave. "You coming?"

Inuyasha shook his head firmly. "I never leave my room when I'm like this."

Sesshoumaru sighed and nodded. "Very well. I will return in a bit."

In less the half an hour, Sesshoumaru had returned with two plates of food, a small nineteen-inch T.V. and a DVD machine. Several movies were scattered across Inuyasha's bed, and he snorted.

"Aren't you going to sleep?" He asked Sesshoumaru.

The youkai shook his head. "I promised to keep you safe. I will not leave you alone like this, especially so soon after everything that has happened." He rested his back against the wall and lifted his plate to his lap, slowly and began eating.

The stayed in silence watching the movie, which was a comedy and Inuyasha couldn't help but laugh even though his heart was sad. The show left him feeling better then he had in a long time and he silently thanks his brother for that.