Disclaimer: This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied.


Brother's Gift

Inuyasha plopped to his knees. Peering down into the dry, useless depths of the well, he gave a great sigh, drooping ears rotated forwards enough to catch even a whisper of a spider spinning her web.

"Are you happy, Kagome?" he whispered, settling down for a one-sided conversation. "I hope you're liking you 'high school.' Did Souta have to change 'school' too, or is he still going to the same place as before? What's so special about 'high school' anyway? Couldn't you have just kept learning more stuff where you were?"

He continued in a similar vein for awhile, before moving to his own life. "Can't believe some of the villagers want me to rebuild their huts for 'em. Me, a hanyo? Guess I did do a pretty good job on Kaede's hut—that's what everyone says. If you were here, I'd be figuring on it just being practice, before building ours—well, if you'd wanted one for ... us. You would, wouldn't you? If the well had stayed open?"

His eyes suddenly stung. Inuyasha lunged to his feet, screwing his eyes shut as a defense against the threatened tears. Damn it, he wasn't going to cry again! He wasn't that weak—

"Still hoping the miko will return, hanyo?"

Inuyasha spun, Tessaiga out and transformed before Sesshomaru even came into his view. With a growl and a leap, he swung the blade down in a two-handed move that might have split even Sesshomaru's skull, had it struck.

It rang against Bakusaiga. Growling, Inuyasha exerted his strength trying to bear down on the slender blade, only to take a wild leap backwards when he felt the sudden crackle of youki along the blade. "What are you trying to do, bastard?" he spat. "You're not breaking Tessaiga!"

The quiescent blade was down by the daiyoukai's side. "Youkai blades should not be used for temper tantrums," he observed. "Sparring is acceptable."

Inuyasha blinked, Tessaiga shrinking, though not to its ragged form. "Sparring?"

"Surely, even the hanyo might wish to improve his skill with a blade."

"Keh!" Inuyasha bristled, hating to be reminded of the times foes had knocked the sword out of his hands. "I ain't that bad."

"If the hanyo does not wish to improve." With the barest of visible shrugs, Sesshomaru sheathed his blade and turned.

Inuyasha hesitated the merest breath of the moment, sensed his brother gathering youki to fly or transform, and yelped, "Wait!"

Sesshomaru did not move. Inuyasha dug his fingers into Tessaiga's hilt. "Why?"

"Elaborate."

Inuyasha huffed. "Why are you willing to spar with me?"

A moment of perfect silence. "Did the hanyo not express a desire to be as brothers with the Sesshomaru?"

Inuyasha's eyes widened. He lowered Tessaiga, dropping his left hand, ears pivoting forward. "Ani ... ani-chan?"

Sesshomaru pivoted slowly, his face expressionless ... except for the slightest tilt of an eyebrow. "Otouto?"

Inuyasha sucked in a breath, indecisive, as memory of his earlier resentment and jealousy flickered through his mind. The timing of the gifts still annoyed him, but he knew it would do no good to accuse his brother, or try to explain his reaction.

And this... Sesshomaru was offering to do this? How could he refuse?

"Keh!" He swung his sword back, willing the last of the power out of the blade, and then leapt forward.

Blades clashed and metal rang. Sesshomaru critiqued, and Inuyasha insulted, but the hanyo did listen and did try to improve. And later, arms folded on top of the well, described every detail of the bout, unaware of the happy purr in his voice, that he had received some of what he truly desired.


Author's Note: A 500-word version of this was intended to be entered in a LiveJournal contest, but I missed the deadline. So you all get to read it here, first!