Disclaimer: I own Rhiodoru, Masaka, Akika, Shinobu, Mutsu, Isao, Zaniistar, Karameida, Miyuki, Kishotaka, and Kuroyama. Inuyasha and the rest of the characters associated with the anime/manga belong to Rumiko Takahashi.
( " " talking, italics thinking )
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Doggin It
Sesshomaru stared at the scene below him, completely stunned.
A dragon in pieces. Zaniistar, the dragon sentry, dead. Those humans again. And then Inuyasha.
Reeling in shock, Sesshomaru struggled to maintain his cold demeanor. Eyes locking with those of the dog demon standing in his full, transformed glory, Sesshomaru told himself that there was no way it could be Inuyasha. It couldn't be. It couldn't be his pathetic, weak, rash, hot-headed, shameless half-breed brother. It couldn't be!
But there was no other explanation. Even if he ignored all the facts that pointed to his brother, he could not ignore the unmistakable, if altered, scent that could be none other than Inuyasha.
"How, Inuyasha?" he whispered. How?
He urged Aoun towards the plateau. The dragon hesitated, afraid of the powerful demon waiting for them, but finally moved at Sesshomaru's insistence.
Landing twenty feet from where Inuyasha and the humans stood, Sesshomaru dismounted. He couldn't help it; he stared.
The dog stood calmly, the monk and slayer on one side of him, the girl on the other. Inuyasha's blood-red eyes bored into his. Sesshomaru understood the silent demand. Inuyasha wanted to know what Sesshomaru was doing there.
Gathering the shreds of his wits, Sesshomaru forced his face into a semblance detached aloofness.
"How is it that he has transformed?" he asked coldly.
He watched as the humans glanced at Inuyasha then looked back at him.
"I think," the monk said quietly, "that he somehow merged with the Tetsusaiga. I don't know how . . ."
. . . merged with the Tetsusaiga . . .
Well, that would explain it. Sesshomaru should have known that the half-breed wouldn't have been able to make the transformation on his own. But still, just the thought of bonding so completely with a sword, even the Tetsusaiga, in order to summon up and release the inner power required to make the transformation was remarkable.
He smiled slightly, looking at the dog. "You do know how to transform back, do you not, little brother?" he asked mockingly.
He watched with hidden satisfaction the looks of alarm that flickered across the humans' faces. The dog, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes for a moment before tossing his head with canine haughtiness.
Sesshomaru's slight smile widened a little more. "I knew it. You do not."
"Do."
Sesshomaru jerked slightly, the humans all starting in surprise. Everyone stared at Inuyasha, who was glaring at his older brother.
"Do," the dog repeated.
Sesshomaru staggered. For the third time that day, he was in complete shock. He decided he was getting too old for this kind of thing.
"Why surprised?"
"Well," Sesshomaru commented, somewhat wryly, his typical aloof demeanor shattered "it is rather shocking to hear a dog talk."
The humans were still speechless.
Inuyasha tossed his head again.
"Stupid. Why not talk?"
"You are only able to speak in that form because of your mind powers, baka. I cannot in my true form."
Inuyasha snorted, as if it was pathetic that Sesshomaru lacked that particular ability.
"Inuyasha?" the girl, Kagome, whispered.
The dog looked at her.
"Inuyasha, you . . . you're talking funny . . ."
"Funny?"
"Because he is a dog, foolish girl," Sesshomaru snapped impatiently. "Since he is in the form of a dog, he thinks like a dog as well. He will not be aware of it though."
He ignored the renewed looks of shock on the humans' faces as he turned back to Inuyasha.
"Well, little brother, since you claim you know how to transform back, why not prove it?" The hanyou had to transform back. There were many things he did not know about being in the dog demon's true form.
"No. Fight."
Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes. "What?"
"Fight," the dog repeated simply.
"You wish to fight me?"
Inuyasha bobbed his head in a nod. "Fight. Must protect pack."
"I am not going to attack those pathetic creatures you call friends, Inuyasha. It would be a waste of my time. Now transform back."
"Can't trust. Scent of lies."
So Inuyasha thought he was lying. How typical of him.
"Let me put it this way, little brother," Sesshomaru spoke with cold command. Bossing Inuyasha around wouldn't normally have any effect except to make the hanyou furious, but in this form, Sesshomaru was the higher ranking dog in their family pack since their father was dead, so Inuyasha would feel compelled to obey. "If you do not transform back, you will become so dog-like in mentality that you will become trapped in that form. And I doubt you wish that, although it will most likely be an improvement in your temperament. Now, transform back."
At his words, all the humans looked up at Inuyasha, fear in their eyes. The girl, Kagome, clutched the dog's leg.
"You'd better do it, Inuyasha."
The dog shook his head.
"Can't trust," he repeated.
Sesshomaru struggled to contain his growing frustration. "Your stupidity is even greater as a dog than a half-breed. Be not a fool. Listen to the human."
The dog examined his brother, distrust in his eyes.
"Come on, Inuyasha," the girl urged, "Sesshomaru helped us battle the dragons before, remember? Why would he lie now? Just do it."
The dog looked at each member of his pack in turn. Each one of them nodded at him. Lastly, Inuyasha turned his blood-red eyes on his brother. Sesshomaru simply waited. Suddenly, Inuyasha's eyes narrowed.
"Prove truth."
"What?" Sesshomaru had no idea what the dog was babbling about now. Why wouldn't he just transform? Sesshomaru's patience was rapidly dwindling.
"Prove speaking of truth."
"Prove I am speaking the truth? And how am I to do that?"
"Good intentions, yes?" the dog asked.
Sesshomaru nodded reluctantly. He just wanted the hanyou back in his hanyou form. If Inuyasha didn't transform, he would eventually become all dog and then even Sesshomaru would be hard pressed to stop him when he began to hunt.
"Prove intentions. Use fang."
What?
"I do not understand."
"Use fang. Reach past the veil. Return life to the one who has fallen."
"Damn you," Sesshomaru said quietly. The dog's tongue lolled out in silent laughter.
Sesshomaru silently cursed himself. How could he have forgotten how devious dog demons were? He should have known that Inuyasha would become far more cunning when he was in this form. And far more subtle. He had just effectively backed Sesshomaru into a corner.
Inuyasha wanted him to use the Tenseiga to bring the dragon, Zaniistar, back to life. And Sesshomaru had to do it, to prove to Inuyasha that his intentions were good and he wasn't lying, or the dog would refuse to transform back, and probably try to kill him. Sighing, the dog demon lord resigned himself to the fact that, for the first time ever – and the last if he had any say in the matter – his little brother had managed to outsmart him.
"Fine. Once I do as you have asked, then you will transform back. Do we have an agreement?"
"Deal."
Sesshomaru, stifling another sigh, headed towards the body of Zaniistar. What had happened to the good old days, when he had been the respected and feared overlord of the entire Western Domain? Now here he was running errands for an overgrown puppy. He tried not to think about how Inuyasha had tricked him. Crafty mongrel. He hoped that when Inuyasha transformed back, he wouldn't be able to make the transformation again. Silently debating with himself the most enjoyable way to murder his brother when he transformed back, Sesshomaru noticed the humans following him curiously, not really understanding.
"What are you doing, Sesshomaru?" the monk asked as Sesshomaru came to a halt in front of the dead dragon.
Ignoring the human, Sesshomaru drew the Tenseiga as it began to pulse.
"Fang," Inuyasha stated simply, coming up behind them, "returns life to the innocent who have fallen."
The monk pondered this for a moment before his head snapped up in surprise. Staring at the dog with a mixture of amusement and respect, he exclaimed, "Why, I don't believe it, Inuyasha. You tricked him." The monk laughed. "I really don't believe it; you're smarter now, as an animal, than you were before!"
The girls giggled.
Inuyasha growled loudly. "Monk knows not where to place his paws."
"Eh?" The monk now looked utterly confused.
"He means," Sesshomaru said coldly, "that you are walking on dangerous ground, human. Now be silent."
Sobering, Inuyasha and the humans watched him in silence.
Sesshomaru's vision dimmed. They came into view, the messengers from the underworld, come to take Zaniistar's soul. Raising the Tenseiga, Sesshomaru brought the sword down in a powerful sweep, obliterating the demons.
The dragon stirred, took a breath, opened his eyes. As the others stepped back, the dragon rose to his feet, looking around in confusion. With a gust of air, the dragon quickly resumed his human-like form.
"Um," the young dragon said slowly, looking around, "what's going on? I, uh . . . I seem to distinctly remember dying . . ."
The girl, Kagome, had already run up and embraced him, tears streaming down her face. The dragon looked at her, looking utterly lost, and patted her awkwardly on the back.
"Call of the fang," Inuyasha declared, and though he showed a great depth of understanding into how the Tenseiga worked, his words didn't seem to do much to alleviate the dragon's confusion.
"Inuyasha?" The dragon asked, puzzled. "Is that you? I didn't know you could transform. And what do you mean, 'call of the fang'?"
"He means," Sesshomaru said coolly, "that I used my sword, the Tenseiga, to call your soul back from the dead. And speaking of transforming, I do believe we had an agreement, Inuyasha."
"So, I really did die?" The dragon mused. "Well, um, thanks for saving me, Lord Sesshomaru."
"Thank Inuyasha," Sesshomaru snapped, still irked that he'd been tricked. He turned to watch his younger brother expectantly.
The sudden breeze whipped Sesshomaru's long silver hair into his face as Inuyasha began to glow slightly. With a sudden violent gust, the wind spiraled around Inuyasha, blowing rocks and sand everywhere. As abruptly as it had begun, the howling gale died down, the wind disappearing. The dust slowly settled, revealing Inuyasha, standing in the dog's place, clutching Tetsusaiga in front of him.
As the hanyou blinked stupidly a couple times before slowly sheathing the Tetsusaiga, Sesshomaru sighed inwardly. As well as diminishing in size, strength, and speed, it seemed Inuyasha had diminished in intelligence as well when he transformed back.
I should have known.
"Inuyasha!" The girl threw herself at the hanyou. She grabbed the front of his kimono and buried her face in his chest. Sesshomaru suppressed the desire to shake his head in disgust and turned away, striding back over to Aoun.
As he mounted the dragon, he turned back to find Inuyasha watching him. Seeing the calm calculation in the hanyou's eyes, Sesshomaru began to doubt his conclusion about his brother's intelligence.
"Remember, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru said, not bothering to raise his voice. The hanyou could hear him. "If you remain in that form for too long, you will lose the ability to transform back. Do not forget. I have no wish to waste my time hunting you down if that occurs."
After staring at his brother intently for a moment, Inuyasha gave one curt nod before turning away.
Sighing to himself again, Sesshomaru urged Aoun on. He had been away for too long. Rin would be worried about him, and Jaken would be nearly insane from having to watch over the child for so many days.
Sesshomaru thought back on the last couple days. So many things had happened in so short a time. Meeting that dragon, Rhiodoru, in the forest and being told Inuyasha had mind powers. Finding Inuyasha nearly dead, and forcing him to see the spirit dragons. Discovering that he and the hanyou had a dragon ancestor. Inuyasha using that human girl as his vessel and stopping Sesshomaru from killing him. Inuyasha battling the dragons, and Sesshomaru helping him. Inuyasha transforming. So much new information, so much to think about.
Head spinning with all these new discoveries, Sesshomaru looked to the distant horizon. This was a time of change. In his long life, the dog lord had lived through many times of change. But for some reason, change seemed to revolve around that strange hanyou that Sesshomaru had always been ashamed to call brother.
But now, for some reason, thoughts of his brother were no longer clouded with hate and shame. Instead, he felt a quiet respect and no small amount of amused tolerance. The winds of change had begun to blow.
How interesting . . .
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A/N:
Only one more chapter! Just the epilogue left now . . .
Schwaa – I'm afraid that your email address didn't show up, so I wasn't able to reply. In reviews, if you don't put your email address in the designated box (for anonymous reviews), it doesn't show properly unless you put it in the form youremail(at)whatever(dot)com with the 'at' and 'dot' spelled out in parentheses.
Midori (aka Menistil, aka Annie) – I can't answer your question for you if you don't leave an email address . . .
Happy Birthday Shaq!
