The Power In Me

By Ammie Hawk

Disclaimer: Nope

AN: Okay, so this chapter is kinda filler, kinda not, but it is here. I ended up cutting this part in two, because it was starting to get away from me, so hopefully the next part will be up sooner rather than later. Anyway, on with the show.

Chapter 4

It had been a week since Sesshomaru had arrived at the demon slayer village and things were not going that well for him. Granted, he had made progress in teaching young Harry Japanese, the chibi was incredibly smart for his age, but it was going to take time. He had also taken the opportunity to speak with both the wolf demon and the monk about different courting habits, though he felt that none of their suggestions would win him what he wanted.

Speaking of Inuyasha, the Hanyou was downright avoiding him. In fact, the only times he'd deigned to even acknowledge the daiyoukai's presence was when Harry was being passed between them. It was starting to annoy him, especially since his window of convincing the younger male to accept him was closing rapidly.

Though, he had a plan. And as devious as it might be he was not above using Inuyasha's weaknesses against him. So with that in mind, he went in search of his little brother. He found both the Hanyou and Harry, though his name would have to change if he was to become a prince of the Western Lands, in with the demon slayer woman and the new baby.

The door to the room was open when he arrived, but he paused at the threshold and rapped his knuckled lightly on the frame to gain their attention. Three sets of eyes immediately rose to meet his.

"Lord Sesshomaru," the new mother greeted him with a smile.

Meanwhile, the raven haired chibi scrambled off Inuyasha's lap and raced over to him. He held up his hands with an expectant look in those vibrant green eyes. The demon lord met his gaze impassively, one elegant eyebrow raised expectantly.

"Pick up, please," he said in halting Japanese.

Without a word, he lifted the boy into his arms and settled him on his hip. He turned his attention back to the two adults in the room. Inuyasha was glaring at the wall with his arms crossed stubbornly over his chest, pointedly ignoring him, while Sango gaped at him with something akin to awe.

"I require a word with Inuyasha," his tone left no room for arguments.

"Whatever you got to say," the Hanyou apparently didn't get the message, "you can say right here."

"Very well," he inclined his head, keeping his temper in check.

That very trait was part of the reason he wanted the younger male for his mate. He challenged Sesshomaru, was willing to stand up to him and hold his ground. Usually it was just him being contrary, like now, and they would have to work on that, but the point was he didn't just roll over and take any command given to him.

"I'll be taking my leave in the morning," he gave an imperceptible shake of his head to clear his thoughts. "I have been away from my duties for too long and must return to the Western Lands at once."

"Good riddance," his brother grumbled not so quietly.

"I thought that would be your stance," he barely suppressed a sigh. "However, Harry will be coming with me."

"What? No!" enraged amber eyes finally met his gaze. "The kid's doing fine. He stays with me!"

"Inuyasha," his tone was patient, with only a trace of condescension, "the child's education has barely begun and there is still much he must learn to even be able to communicate properly, and you have refused to even try to understand him. So, yes, he will be accompanying me. Whether you choose to join us is entirely up to you."

"He's right, Inuyasha," his friend placed a gentle hand on his folded arms. "Harry is picking up Japanese at an astonishing rate, but he is not there yet. If something were to happen to him, we might not be able to figure out what exactly happened in time to help him. That is why we called in Sesshomaru to begin with."

"But he's mine!" the Hanyou protested. "I… I mean," he stammered when he realized what he said, "I found him. And… I… I feel responsible for him. I… I have to make sure he's taken care of."

"I would never attempt to separate you from any of your pups, Inuyasha," the daiyoukai said softly. "Were circumstances different, I would try. However, there is unrest within my kingdom and I must return to handle it. Since, I must take Harry with me, the only logical choice is for you and Shippo to join us."

"Fine," Inuyasha slumped in defeat. "I'll go with you, you asshole."

He inclined his head in acknowledgement. "We will leave at first light."

888888

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru's voice cut across the stillness of the late afternoon.

Amber eyes snapped to the tree line off to the right, where the older male had just emerged. They had left the Slayers' village at dawn and had been traveling throughout the rest of the day. The pace was slow due to the two children with them. Surprisingly, it had been the daiyoukai's suggestion that the two boys run along ahead of them, as long as they stayed within sight. They had taken turns carrying the chibis as they wore themselves out, and only then would the pace increase.

Overall though, it had been a fairly relaxed day, and the Hanyou was kinda glad to have his brother there. But only, only because his presence deterred most threats and it lessened the role of 'protector' he had had since he was a child. All that changed, however, about an hour before when the asshole just up and disappeared without a word. Now, though, it looked like he was back and just taking charge again.

"Harry, Shippo, come," he motioned all three of them over.

"Now wait just a minute here," the younger male planted his feet firmly and refused to budge, "who died and put you in charge? You disappeared for god knows how long and then just expect everyone to follow you when you show back up. I don't think so, jackass."

"Inuyasha," the demon lord was at his side in an instant, causing him to flinch and reach for his sword, half expecting an attack, "you would do well to remember that I do not answer to you, but if you must know, I went ahead to secure shelter for the night, as well as procuring some food."

"Yeah, well, you could've said all that before you left," Inuyasha pouted slightly, not that he would ever admit that.

"Next time I shall," the elder male inclined his head. "Now, we should move as dusk is fast approaching, and I would think that you would want to be somewhere safe before that occurred."

Confused amber orbs turned incredulously on the other. What was Sesshomaru playing at? He was being way too nice to the person he'd always considered shit that he just accidentally walked through. And why would he care if Inuyasha felt safe? He never had in the past, and besides, he could take care of himself, thank you very much.

"Come, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru's hand landed on the other's elbow and gave an almost imperceptible nudge, more a suggestion than a demand.

Without real conscious thought, the Hanyou began walking toward the trees, where the two children were waiting, watching them curiously. Well, Harry was curious, Shippo looked more nervous than not. Not that he could blame the kit, his brother's weird behavior was making him uneasy too.

Sesshomaru was just acting weird, and he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. True, he seemed to genuinely care for Harry, which was surprising but then again not, considering his weird thing with Rin. And the daiyoukai claimed he wanted Inuyasha as a mate. Not that he knew what that meant. Okay, so he knew it had to do with sex, he wasn't stupid, but he didn't believe it was about having babies. Because no matter what that damned wolf said, he was a guy and guys didn't get pregnant.

Though, didn't Koga also say something about him going crazy if it wasn't 'fulfilled?' Maybe that was it. If the claim was 'fulfilled,' he'd probably become Sesshomaru's willing slave. That bastard could order him to walk off a cliff and he'd probably do it with a big dopey grin on his face, just to please his 'mate.' Or he could demand the Tetsusaiga. That's what this was about, it had to be. The jackass was being nice so he could get in his pants and then finally be able to claim the damn sword.

With those thoughts circling in his brain, he began stomping after the demon lord, who had taken the lead. He would've just taken off, but Harry kept him from doing so. Loathe as he was to admit it, the chibi needed his brother at the moment. But as soon as that wasn't the case, and they could talk to each other, he was gone, and Sesshomaru could kiss his ass and his plans goodbye.

When they finally reached their destination, a small cavern maybe ten meters deep with a wide opening, but enough shelter to keep out the elements, some time later, Inuyasha was in a foul mood. He didn't want the kids to worry, so he took a seat outside the entrance and watched as the sun began to slowly sink below the horizon.

"Shippo," the daiyoukai said from inside, "get a fire going."

The Hanyou didn't turn, but could tell the kit had done as he was told as he heard and smelled the burning wood a few moments later. He knew he should go get the boys something to eat, and maybe he would. He could take out his anger on some poor unsuspecting rabbits or whatever he could find. He was just about to get up when Sesshomaru sat down next to him. He barely managed to keep himself from jumping at his appearance. How had the other male managed to sneak up on him?

"Here," the demon lord held out a rather small chunk of meat. "You need to eat."

"Like that's gonna fill me up," the younger scoffed.

"It is just to tide you over until the rest has cooked," gold eyes rolled in mild annoyance. "Besides, any more than that and you would not be able to appreciate it."

He was confused by that last comment, but grudgingly took the offering.

"What is it?" he took a tentative sniff, but couldn't place it.

"Deer."

A frown marred his features at the simple answer, as he took a bite. That didn't make sense. He knew the smell of deer anywhere, alive, dead, cooked, or rotting. There was no way he would've misplaced that. Unless… His gaze flew to the rapidly changing sky, searching for the one thing that could save him.

"It's the moonless night," he tensed as the realization sunk in.

"It is," the other agreed.

Inuyasha practically sprang to his feet, the last bit of meat slipping from his fingers. He had to get away. But where would he go? He didn't have time to find somewhere, not with the kids in tow. God, how could he have been so stupid? True, he'd gotten a bit lax recently, what with having his friends around almost all the time. But they weren't here now, and he and the kids were gonna die, or worse.

"Inuyasha," his brother's voice cut through his rising panic. "Calm yourself."

But it didn't help. In fact, it made things ten times worse. He was going to be at his most vulnerable and his fucking jackass of a brother was going to be there for it. He was going to find out his deepest secret, something only a few people knew about and for good reason, and he was probably going to take advantage of that and force him to 'fulfill' the claim while he was too weak to fight him off.

He couldn't take it, he had to go. The only good thing about Sesshomaru being there was he wouldn't have to worry about the kids. He may not like the bastard, but he'd at least shown he would take care of the little ones. And if he didn't, well Inuyasha would kill him first thing in the morning and move on with his life.

He had barely taken two steps when his arm was unceremoniously grabbed and he was pulled off balance. He had no time to brace for impact when he found himself landing on something that was definitely not the solid rock that made up the ground. He glanced up, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu and locked eyes with the daiyoukai.

"What are you…?" he began.

"Hush," two fingers rested against his lips, while the other arm snaked around his middle, keeping him in place. "There is no need for you to run. You are safe here tonight."

He continued to stare at the older male, unsure what he was talking about. His brother couldn't possibly know what was going through his head. He knew the other had never been near for his transformations in the past, he had made sure of that as he didn't want the arrogant bastard to have any more reason to look down on him.

The Hanyou had just gotten over his initial shock, when he found himself being readjusted on the other's lap. He was now facing fully away from his brother, with his back pressed firmly against Sesshomaru's chest and strong arms encircling his middle. From this vantage, he watched in growing horror as the sun finally disappeared and he felt the change come over him.

He began to struggle immediately, hoping to catch the daiyoukai off guard, but the grip on his waist only tightened further.

"Inuyasha," the elder's voice held a note of reproach.

Before another word could be spoken, Harry rushed out of the cave, carrying a cloth with what even Inuyasha's human nose could tell was cooked venison wrapped inside it. The little chibi paused to stare at them for a moment before a huge grin crossed his features and he scrambled onto the Hanyou's lap.

"Shippo say done," he announced, holding up his offering happily.

"Shippo said it's done," Sesshomaru corrected.

"Uh-huh," the boy nodded, as he began munching on his dinner.

Gold eyes rolled in fond annoyance at the raven's antics, but he couldn't bring himself to be upset. Harry was just a child after all, still a baby even, even by mortal standards. And he really couldn't begrudge his timing. Inuyasha would have more than likely continued with his attempts to get away if the chibi had not so effectively incapacitated him.

"Yasha dye hair?" Harry asked curiously, his eyes locked on the midnight locks the Hanyou now sported.

"No," the daiyoukai barely managed to suppress a smirk. "Why do you ask?"

"Hair change," he shrugged. "Aunt Tunia do dat when dye it. To cover gray. Doe her stink. I whike Yasha's white hair."

"So do I," Sesshomaru agreed, lifting a hand to run his fingers through the silken strands. "However, I am not sure how much you would actually understand, so just know Inuyasha will be back to normal in the morning."

"Otay," the chibi nodded, settling back to continue eating.

Inuyasha wasn't entirely sure what the two of them were saying, but he was pretty sure it had to do with his hair, if his brother's touching it was any indication. He would never admit it, but his traitorous human body was actually enjoying the caress, especially as the long fingers worked their way upward to massage his scalp. It was actually taking all his self control to not lean into the touch. He was saved, however, if you could call it that, as his stomach gave a demanding rumble. His face flamed as the chibi on his lap giggled.

"Shippo," the elder male called quietly into the cave, "bring some food for Inuyasha."

"Why doesn't he get it himself?" the little fox demon whined.

"Shippo," Sesshomaru's voice turned cold.

A small eep of fear issued from inside. A few moments passed before the kit finally emerged, carrying a very generous portion of the cooked deer for the Hanyou. He was trembling slightly as he approached the trio, his eyes darting apprehensively to the dog demon, hoping to escape his ire. His whole demeanor changed, however, when he spotted the dark haired figure on his lap.

"Inuyasha!" his free hand landed on his hip, his tone the epitome of reproach. "Why didn't you tell me it was the new moon? We should've stayed with Sango and Miroku. Now it's up to me to protect both you and Harry all by myself."

"I assure you, Shippo," the daiyoukai interjected, "that is not the case."

Instead of being reassured, the turquoise gaze narrowed suspiciously. In a daring move for the kit, he jumped onto Inuyasha's shoulder and got right up in the older demon's face.

"I don't trust you," his glare intensified. "And if you do anything to hurt Inuyasha, you'll have to answer to me."

He inclined his head in acknowledgement. Not that he believed the kitsune would ever possess the ability to defeat him, but he had no intention of letting any harm come to any of them, not while he was present. Once the kit relaxed, he relieved him of his burden and handed it to Inuyasha. He then picked up the redhead by the back of his shirt and shifted him to his own shoulder so the Hanyou could eat in relative peace.

Ammie: Okay, there it is. I know Sesshomaru is very OOC in this fic, but hey, it happens. Anyway, this fic has not been abandoned, it's just got temperamental muses, and they'd rather work on the sequel than this one. But to get to the sequel I have to finish this one... Just don't try and tell them that. Anyway, please let me know what you think.