Summary: An epic story about the two brothers, still living 600 years later, after their feudal area adventures. Forced to work together with their friends Shippo, Myoga, Kouga and Kirara when their old enemy Naraku appears to make live miserable again. Pairing Inu/Sess, implied yaoi

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and co. I would love to own Sesshy-maru though.

"speak"

think


Shippo ran towards the two brothers. "Are you alright?" He didn't wait for their answer and continued. "We have tried to contact the general, but we can't get through." Both the inu brothers didn't react. Shippo looked confused at them. "What happened? Lord Sesshoumaru? Inuyasha?"

Shippo was starting to freak out. He grabbed Inuyasha by the shoulders and shook him up vigorously. Stephanie almost slipped from his shoulder. "Shippo calm down. There is nothing to be worried about." Inuyasha reinsured the kitsune. "Naraku for now is shredded into pieces, but is still alive. He will need some time to recuperate, but will come after us again."

They had reached camp by now. Inuyasha laid down Stephanie on the ground. Amber checked the girl. "Everything looks all right. She is in a deep sleep." Amber gestured to Stanley to pick the girl up and bring her to her tent. "We shall camp here tonight." Inuyasha looked at the confused faces of the human and explained that he didn't expect an attack this night and a good rest was necessary for Naraku would for sure attempt to attack hem the next day.

After a hearty meal they once again sat around the campfire. The joyous feeling from the last night was nowhere to find. In fact they should have felt victorious after they had recovered the nuclear warhead, but the mood surrounding the campfire was gloomy.

Stanley stood up and walked up to the sitting youkai lord and again kneeled in front of him. "Lord Sesshoumaru, I don't know if I will get a opportunity later on, so I'll take the liberty to implore to you to consider a request." Sesshoumaru looked impassive at the human kneeling in front of him.

He gestured Jaken, who was starting to stammer, to shut up. Jaken sputtered a little, but wouldn't go against an order of the youkai lord. "Lord Sesshoumaru, would you consider to employ me as your bodyguard?" David kneeled next to Stanley and solicited the same request.

Inuyasha was stump folded for a moment. He walked over to the two men, grabbed them on their shoulder and jerked them up. "You are army men, serving your country and we have to complete our mission. Stop harassing my brother." Inuyasha turned towards Sesshoumaru and send him a dark glare. Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow and send back a warning glare. "Don't try to steal my men." Inuyasha spat at Sesshoumaru.

"That is so uncalled for, lord Inuyasha. Lord Sesshoumaru doesn't have to sink so low to steal whatsoever. He didn't try to steal your men. If you only had a slight bit of the leadership capacity of lord Sesshoumaru, then your men wouldn't run away from you. You are totally unfit to be a leader." Jaken was all heated up by the insult to his lord and master. 'BONK.' Irritated Inuyasha struck the annoying imp. He knew he was unreasonable, but he couldn't let the jerk steal away his men.

Sesshoumaru ignored everyone and everything said. Shippo hurried t bring him a cup of tea. "I've made this myself. There are no potions in it." Sesshoumaru accepted the cup. "Hey, why are you all fussing about him? Don't I get a cup of tea? I've rescued the son of a bitch (authors note: female dog)." Inuyasha sat down complaining. "Stop acting childish Inuyasha." Amber handed him a cup of tea. Soon they all went to sleep. Inuyasha would take the first watch.

Inuyasha leaned over to the fire and poked it up a little and watched the dancing flames. Tomorrow they would be back and he could go on his well deserved vacation. Inuyasha should have felt relieved, but something was amiss. He felt an emptiness creep into his heart. The kind when Kagome had left.

After the shards of the jewel of four souls had merged together, Kikijo had taken the jewel to her grave and final resting place. Kagome had jumped for the last time through the dry bone eaters well, leaving everyone behind. Inuyasha had been waiting for her on the other side, 500 years later. He waited a few years longer, to marry her. They lived a happy married live for about ten years, when their relationship became tensed.

Inuyasha didn't age visibly and Kagome couldn't handle the fact they weren't to able bless their bound with a child. First she was content with mothering him, but after a while that wasn't enough. The difference in aging became a burden. Finally she left him and married her childhood friend Hojo and they got two children. The feeling of loneliness had engulfed him then and was trying to do so now. It hurt.

He sighed. Oh well, he should have been used to these feelings. Everybody he cared for had abandoned him after a while. Some died and others just left. Inuyasha sighed again. "Are you going to sigh the whole night?" The even cold voice startled the hanyou. "Mind your own business. I'll sigh whenever I want to." Inuyasha spat weakly.

Sesshoumaru watched his little brother poke the fire fervently. "You will kill the fire if you continue." He commented. "You're right. I'd rather kill you." Inuyasha felt the urge to destroy something, so he could get rid of the disturbing feelings. He looked furious at his brother, but his anger diminished when he saw the inquiry look at his brother's face.

Sesshoumaru rose on his feet and strode over to the fire. He sat down next to Inuyasha. Inuyasha didn't know what to do and what to expect. He poked the fire one last time and stared in the flames. The feeling of hurt and loneliness had been replaced by the uneasy feeling of the dangerous youkai sitting so close. Inuyasha glanced at Sesshoumaru and saw him looking at him. "What?"

Sesshoumaru diverted his eyes and watched the flames. "Inuyasha are you content with your life?" Inuyasha looked startled at his brother. Was he really interested or was he just asking. No, his brother was not the kind that made small talks. "Yeah, sort of. Why do you ask?" Inuyasha wasn't sure where this was going. "How long have you been enlisted in the army?" Sesshoumaru inquired evenly. "Hmm, about 300 years now." Inuyasha smirked.

He often had to change regiments to mask his slow aging process. He had to move often, every twenty years or so, leave everyone and everything behind and start over again. Human weren't costumed to youkai and hanyou's. He had to conceal his true being constantly. It was tiresome not being able to be himself. "Your men are willing to leave the army. What about you?" Sesshoumaru turned his attention to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha looked confused into the golden eyes of his brother. Was he offering him a job? "I…, I….. It depends." Inuyasha was curious to know what was on his brother's mind. "Inuyasha, as you know I have established a possibility for youkai to work and live in an environment where they can be with their own kind and prosper. I'm offering you the same option." Sesshoumaru deep voice was serious.

Inuyasha looked startled at his brother. "You are not kidding. You are offering to join you… eh your company. Me, a hanyou?" "My feelings about hanyou have changed. I do not oppose human in the same extent as earlier. Not much hanyou manage to live as long as youkai. You are more an exception."

Inuyasha was totally baffled by now. His pure blooded brother had admitted that he didn't loathed human and hanyou in the same extent as before. He even complimented him a sort of. "Oh, thank you, your high and mightiness. Thank you for your kind approval of our existence." Inuyasha said sarcastically. He was kind of happy with the words of his brother, but wouldn't show that to his stuffed up brother. His feelings towards hanyou had changed, but what about his feelings towards a hanyou brother?

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. "Have I offended you?" He asked evenly. Inuyasha sighed again. His brother was unique. He actually thought he was doing him a favor. Oh maybe he had to accept his brother the way he was. "Yes, but don't you worry your pretty head about it." Inuyasha mocked his brother and dodged a strike of his brother's sharp claws. "Okay. I'm sorry. For the impassive youkai you pretend to be, you get provoked easily." Inuyasha commented thoughtful. "You are the only one able to do so." Sesshoumaru admitted to Inuyasha's astonishment. "Eh, I'm honored, I think." Inuyasha wasn't sure what to think of his statement.

"So, what for position do you offer me? Security or something like that" Inuyasha was sure he wouldn't accept a job like that from his brother. "You are the second son of the great Inu Taisho your place is rightfully next to me." Sesshoumaru sounded a little angry, as if Inuyasha's question had offended him.

Inuyasha looked stupefied at his brother. He opened his mouth to say something, but wasn't able to. His mouth hung open as he stared at his brother. "Why do you repeatedly feel the urge to stare at me with your mouth open?" Sesshoumaru extended a finger and pushed his chin up. Inuyasha snapped his mouth close and swiped away the finger.

"That is totally a bogus explanation. My being the son of our father has nothing to do with the 'empire' you build. I don't have any claim on it. I don't need your charity. Stop toying with me." Inuyasha couldn't believe his brother was finally accepting him as his own kin, but had pity on him. He didn't want his pity. He would rather kill himself then accept that.

"I'm not toying with you. I can be more myself around you. You are not afraid to speak your mind. This alliance would benefit me more then you." The matter-of-factly statement didn't leave any room for pity. Inuyasha fought with all his might against the feelings of belonging and comfort, laying dormant deep in his heart, ready to surface.

Sesshoumaru actually needed him? This couldn't be true. "You are still under the spell Stephanie had put on you, aren't you?" Inuyasha looked suspicious at his brother. "No Inuyasha, as I told you before. I was never under a spell. That was an act to distract Naraku."

Sesshoumaru rose again, walked over to the tree he was sitting against earlier, sat down against it once more and closed his eyes. Confused Inuyasha watched his brother movements. He diverted his eyes and once again watched the dancing flames, his mind in an emotional turmoil. This time his heart was filled with hope.


Please review!

I'm considering to lose the non yaoi act and let the brotherly love blossom in a beautiful yaoi love. What do you think?