KEY:

Dialogue

Inner Thoughts

Inner Yokai

Disclaimer: I'm too poor to own anything. .

Chapter 26: 300 years

(Gaara POV)

How predictable.

Gaara watched the monk retreat into his tent.

300 years and human's were still all the same.

His eyes never disconnected to the fire. He carefully watched the flames dance about lighting up the whole clearing like a bright beautiful red flower. It was hypnotic. It had an unparalleled ability to keep his mind focused and running.

Right now he focused on the future. Particularly his. If he made it through this, what would come next? His place had always been at the western castle but with the death of the late Inutaisho and the new addition of Sesshomaru's brother, Inuyasha, he didn't think that was still the case.

So much had changed in the last 300 hundred years.

"Gaara...are you okay?" Forte's soft voice instantly caught Gaara's attention. Despite its low tone it demanded attention. Gaara turned his head to the healer and watched as his feature slowly shifted and contorted to that of his sister's.

The change always amazed him. Katsumi Was so beautiful. Her hair so vibrantly pink, her eyes large and her lips plumped and peach. She was so colorful compared to her brother. Unworldly, it was almost unfair.

The girl leaped into Gaara's arms and with ease he caught her.

"Gaara I missed you." It made no sense how her voice could be deeper than her brother's. Carrying a more seductive deep tone. She was light on his arms and it was almost too easy for him to pull her into his lap.

"Where have you been Katsumi? I was really hoping to see you." He said politely. He moved her pink curl behind her ear and placed his hand on the left side of her face, cupping her cheek. She leaned into the touch before she looked up at him.

"The Lord has been under an extreme amount of stress. He always preferred my brother and never really like me so I decided it's best I stay hidden for awhile." Gaara frowned.

300 hundred years and nothing changed.

The girl was still living in the shadow of her brother. He wondered if she even bothered to try anymore. She probably didn't.

"Well I like you so please try to be present more often." Katsumi blushed before she pulled herself up out of his lap. For a moment he missed the warmth.

"That is noted Gaara." She replied. She bit her bottom lip, chewing it as though deep in thought before she shook her head. "I….I'll get going." She spoke finally before she turned on her heels and left.

Nothing had changed in the last 300 years.

Gaara sighed returning his attention the bright flame. He needed a purpose. After all of this he needed something to go to. What that would be eluded him but he vowed to himself that he would figure it out by the end of his mission.

His ears twitched as it picked up on the very light sound of foot steps. Based on the pattern of it and the sound of the crunching leaves under it's weight Gaara concluded the newcomer was sesshomaru. He twisted his head to the side. Taking in a full view of his dog demon friend. He admired his stride, his elegance, and confidence it was all so him.

Gaara let a smile spread across his features challenging Sesshomaru's serious expression. He didn't have to ask to know. Sesshomaru had won. Although sesshomaru's face was remotely the same, as always, his muscles were now significantly relaxes. It was almost always baffling how therapeutic their fights could be.

"So…"

"why did you bait him, Gaara?" Gaara frowned instantly. His green eyes narrowed before he turned his gaze to the flame.

"What makes you think I baited him?" he replied slyly. He normally would but his mood was not completely restored yet.

"because you are known for being quite vexing." Sesshomaru walked over and took a seat against the closest tree to his friend. "Not that it matters. By the look of your face you got whatever you asked for."

Gaara couldn't help but smile at that. Despite his friends monotonous tone he could feel the humour in his statement. He turned in Sesshomaru's direction. The Lord sat behind the tanuki demon against an old black pine tree, facing the calm river ahead of them.

"He loves you, Sesshomaru." The Lord didn't respond. Gaara took that as sesshomaru already knowing or shock. "He needs you to love him back. Quite Frankly for some reason he got the wild misconception you loved me...he got jealous." Gaara waited for Sesshomaru's disgust filled comment and when he received none he stood. He walked over to the dog demon and took a seat besides him. Something was wrong. Sesshomaru was silent, his eyes closed, and his head back against the tree.

"Move away from me. I want you out of my presence." Gaara didn't listen. It was never in his personality to listen. But he probably should have. The sweet, mouth watering, and bitter smell rose straight up to his nostrils. He had to swallow to suppress the need the react to it. It was strong and it smelt heavenly.

Gaara cleared his throat and when he glanced at Sesshomaru he was met with cold gold eyes. The scent was tantalizing, rolling over and around him as the wind carried Sesshomaru's scent. "you-"

"-did nothing." Sesshomaru's words were swift but calculated. He didn't want any misunderstandings.

"then...why?"

"It was Inuyasha." Gaara cleared his throat before he stood up. He reached down, pulling Sesshomaru up to his feet as well. He placed the lord's arms around his shoulder. He tried to ignore the scent but the smell was beyond stimulating. The scent of sesshomaru's arousal. It was hot enough to send any demon off the rail but it was a smell Gaara had smelt before. It didn't have the same hypnotic reaction from him.

What surprised him was that Inuyasha's arousal was what began this. He wondered if the half-breed scent smelt as lovely. It would have to cause this kind of reaction from Sesshomaru. From all the years he'd known the demon he's only ever seen him get aroused about five times maybe a bit more. Every single time he's remember had always been from the most pristine betas and nothing less.

Gaara pulled sesshomaru off until he found a nice empty spot by the river to bath. "there...the water is cold so it should calm you down." He said. Sesshomaru aggressively pulled away from his arms. Gaara chuckled.

was he embarrassed?

He would admit getting aroused by Inuyasha was unbelievable but not anything to be ashamed of. After all he was an inu demon. They were known for being the best breeders. They were also known for being the purest breed. You don't get that title by mating with whomever you please. You got it by a systematic and perhaps even instinctual in-breeding. Something Sesshomaru seemed to have skipped over in his studies.

After all the last time Gaara brought it up he completely shunned the idea. Granted he was teasing his demon friend, however it was as though he had never even thought about.

Were things different now?

Gaara turned and looked at sesshomaru. His pale skin defected the moon's light. The water that surround his now makes body shimmered and sparkled as though to emphasize sesshomaru's majestic presence.

By the gods he was beautiful.

Gaara took a seat beside the river and watched as sesshomaru moved his silver locks up into the his hand into a high ponytail. When he did this he looked almost like an exact replica of his father. It set Gaara's heart ablaze. He only had love for the late Lord, love and admiration.

This reminder of inutaisho made Gaara feel extremely lonely, like he no longer had a place in this world. He suppose in some way he didn't, but he shook the thought away. Now was not the time. Instead he focused if Sesshomaru and his lords most pressing matter.

"As awkward as this may be sesshomaru…" Gaara's voice sounded deep and raw. The silence was longer than he'd realised. His throat had already grown dry. "We cannot just overlook this issue. What exactly caused this reaction, my Lord. Was it inuyasha?"

Sesshomaru was silent. Gaara watched as the inu-daiyoukai poured water down his flawlessly pale skin with and elegance that would put a flamingo to shame. Every move was calculated however flowed with ease like the calm running river. His clawed hand rubbed at his chest for a moment before he turned and looked at his friend. With the water that lingered on his skin he seemed to sparkle like some kind of deity.

"If I said I had been aroused by my brother, Would it really make a difference? Would it even affect our current situation?" these question seemed hostile but Gaara was sure Sesshomaru genuinely wanted the answers. He stayed silent for a moment. The way he responded to these questions could have major repercussions. He wasn't talking to some normal conflicted demon but the demon Lord of the West.

Gaara's hand instinctively rose up to his face. Slowly running against his third eyes. He's hope the action would give him some insight into his situation.

"Well, my lord…" He began. "that would depend on if you had any intentions on acting upon those desires." His answer didn't really help but it did edge on the conversation. Or at least he hoped it would.

"No I do not." His frown deepened. If that was even possible?

"Well why not?" Gaara's voice sounded less neutral than he would have preferred it to be. However he would being lying if he said he wasn't bias towards sesshomaru relation with his brother. There was a hunger in sesshomaru, one he always had. A hunger to be powerful, to fight the powerful, and to mate with the powerful. Something told him, Inuyasha could give him just that.

"I don't understand, my lord. Let me think of the pros and cons of being with your brother. Cons: you will be mated with a half breed. Pros: you will be mated to and inu-yokai, you will keep your bloodline pure, will breed some badass pups, and you and Inuyasha would rule the West with an iron fist….why again are you so reluctant to try?" he wasn't trying to bait sesshomaru. He was actually curious. Why was his Lord so against this idea that should have been engraved in him since he was young; Mate with your own.

"I do not know if you had been listening to anything I have been saying to you, Gaara, but I have not even been a good brother to Inuyasha let alone attempting to be his mate. I do not want any kind of sexual relationship with Inuyasha. I simply wish to bring him back home. End of discussion." sesshomaru turned his back to Gaara. His tone was not nearly as deadly as he wanted it to be. Instead it was mellow, quiet even.

The sesshomaru Gaara remembered was arrogant and entitled. He didn't work for the affections of others nor did he care for it. The sesshomaru Gaara knew was not standing before him. This sesshomaru was carrying the weight of all of his sins and it was wearing him down.

What had he done to inuyasha? Why was he so determined to name himself the villain in his story?

The Sesshomaru Gaara knew was not a villain. However so much had changed these last 300 years.

A/N: So there is a nice wrap of this chapter. I changed some point of views to expressed the other characters feeling towards the change in inuyasha and sesshomaru's relationship. Anyways so much more to write so I will get to work. Please R&R ^.^ ~love Nana