Sesshomaru's POV:

"Sesshomaru, do not pretend as though you do not see me standing here!" The demoness' reprimand fall on deaf ears as her son strides right past her. "Halt at once!"

The hostile Inuyoukai does just that but refuses to turn around and properly acknowledge his mother. Much like that time many months ago, he found her waiting for him as he roamed the western boarder of his ancestor's land. Only this time, she has brought two unknown youkais with her. From what he can tell from his brief inspection, the strangers appear to be wolf demons; one male and one female. Both of them look fresh out of adolescence and bear the unique tell-tale scent of hormones to prove it.

The Lady of the West knows her prodigy well enough to know he will not speak first, so she takes on the burden herself. "No doubt you are curious as to why I am here with these two wolves, are you not, my beloved son?"

"…"

"They have come from the wolf-youkai tribe to the East. They are ready and willing to become yours for the sake of our bloodline. Their pack leader has expressed than he can see the advantages of crossing our lineage and has relented on this rare instance." 'Oh, I am sure he has.' "These two come from high enough birth for our purposes; not the first or second born of the wolf alpha—but the third and fourth. The woman or man, it does not matter. Naturally, if you choose the man the woman will simply serve as the carrier for any young. They have been trained to serve an alpha male and are both willing to bond themselves to you as pair if that is what you wish."

Again, the daiyoukai offers no comment, allowing a tense and thick silence to settle over them. He can smell the anxiety coming off the duo and is sure that it has taken ample training for them to ignore the instinct telling them to flee in his predatorial wake. To his mild interest, they do step forward to speak on their own behalf. "Lord Sesshomaru."

He spares a curious if bored glance over his shoulder to find the male staring at him with tentative anticipation. He is the one who called out to him and when they make eye contact, he takes another step forward, with his sister's hand in a death grip. They bow their heads low before he speaks again. "We are prepared to follow your every command. Your happiness will always take precedent over ours." 'How annoying.'

Seeing that his master has been mute up until this point, Jaken steps up, per usual, to speak on his behalf. "Sesshomaru-sama has no need or room for the likes of—"

"Is that so?" Jaken startles into quietness when the taciturn lord speaks for the first time.

"Yes, mi'lord!" The young wolf-boy gives his sister an encouraging smile and she nods her head enthusiastically in agreement. Their eyes are shining with the hopeful new prospect that the influential Lord of the West will accept them.

"Excellent. Battle for the right to hold the title of this Sesshomaru's mate."

"We—w-what?"

"Must I repeat myself? Battle and I will consider taking the victor as mine. The loser shall perish by my sword."

"U-Um, w-we," He looks to his sibling in dismay and finds her round brown eyes staring back at him in unveiled horror.

"Sesshomaru!" His mother clearly does not approve of this test of conviction, but it matters not to him.

"Just a moment ago you spoke of how ready and willing you are to cater to my every whim. And now you hesitate on my very first request?"

"I—mi'lord, please, this is my twin sister. We are very close, and she is my one true friend in this world. I-I could not, we could never—"

"I see. How disappointing."

"Mi'lord, could we not prove our loyalty some other way? We will do anything else! Anything!"

"You have made your choice and I have made mine. Never appear before me again." With that final declaration his booted feet leave the ground as he floats into the air, prompting Jaken to latch onto his mokomoko.

"Sesshomaru you brazen fool—" His mothers' cries die on the wind as he soars through the sky in a ball of bright white light. A mocking sneer threatens to darken his otherwise cold features, but he manages to maintain a practiced cool. It is not often he is able to walk away from a confrontation with okaasan with her left as the one vexed instead of him.

"I don't know what your Lady Mother is thinking; bringing those mangy mongrels in your presence. Does she not know that no one could ever be good enough for Lord Sesshomaru?"

'He is not wrong. I thought I made it blatantly clear that I have no interest in such trivial matters. If she continues this way, I will have to put her in her place.' His mother's attempts would be humorous if they were not so infuriating. Is she a fool after all? The reason he has not mated anyone has nothing to do with a lack of suitors. Over the hundreds of years, there have been plenty of potential lovers who have thrown themselves at him. Whenever he deemed any of them half-decent enough and had the carnal urge to satiate his lusts, he would gratify himself and move on. He made sure that no conception was possible and never saw any of his conquests ever again. He has no need and he will never have a need to be burdened by familial relations.

"Lord Sesshomaru, if your mother has ruined your mood may I recommend paying Rin a visit? It has been a long time and I am sure the stupid girl is thinking we must have forgotten about her by now." Although the toad demon sounds flippant and insulting in his remarks regarding the girl, it is obvious that he is a little concerned about their old traveling companion. It is true that is has been many moons since he last saw the bright-eyed girl; not since she told him about Inuyasha's disappearance. There is a part of him that is aware his reluctance has something to do with his younger brother's unknown whereabouts. He would never admit it, but he has been avoiding the human village because he does not want to fall victim to their incessant pleas for help. Since meeting Khuzaimah and affirming the ryu's inferiority, the daiyoukai pushed him and his hanyou outoto out of his mind entirely. Visiting Rin now would bring those superfluous thoughts back to the surface. But…surely, by now, Inuyasha has taken care of that deceitful reptile and is back home…right? It has been long enough. Inuyasha may not be as capable as he is, but he is surely enough for that ryu. With that assumption in mind, Sesshomaru changes course for the little rice field village. 'I will probably find the fool lazing around as though he never left and boasting about defeating the nephew of Ryukotsusei.' "Hmph."

"Aaaah!" Jaken latches on for dear life as he speeds to their familiar destination.

….

Inuyasha's POV:

As the seconds drag by, his body grows dead with cold. The cavern is bleak and dreary in spite of the sun shining brilliantly in the clear blue sky. The grotto is unnaturally quiet save for the droplets melting off icicles and the slow in and out of his steady breathing. He has been sitting with his back against the rock wall for many hours…or maybe it has been a couple of days by now. He does not know. The Inuhanyou has been sitting motionless the entire time; simply blinking and breathing. After Tatsuya dressed and stitched his gaping stomach, he recovered enough to make it through that dreadful night. However, he is so ill he can hardly move. Not that he has tried really. He has not been able to muster the will, motivation, or strength to do anything at all. Even with Khuzaimah not being present, he has made no plans to escape. His mind has been just as numb as his body. He is no longer waiting for anything. No longer caring.

He remains unblinking and unfeeling when someone drapes a worn blanket over his wounded body. Tatsuya meanders in and out of his field of vision as he works tirelessly to warm up the freezing cavern. After some time, Inuyasha hears the cackle of a nearby fire; proving his efforts were successful. However, the warmth does little to alleviate the iciness around his dead heart or the paralyzing detachment overwhelming his body. Time blurs the line of meaningless reality before his mind snaps back to attention from Tatsuya shaking his shoulder. "Inuyasha-sama, here, please h-have some w-water."

"…"

Tatsuya falters before cautiously bringing the cup to his chapped lips. When the comatose-like male makes no move to drink, he tilts the cup, but the water ends up dribbling down his chin to soak the thin blanket covering his body. "P-Please drink it. Y-You are n-not doing well I-Inuyasha-sama."

"So what?"

The child looks shocked that he received a response at all. "Y-Your health is getting w-worse with each passing m-moment."

"So. What?"

"I-If you do not get s-serious about getting better, y-you will not survive."

'So be it.' He cannot see the fledging's blemished face since he is staring blankly ahead, but he can feel the fear and anxiety coming off of him. He does not care about the kid's concerns. So what if he slips away? So what if he perishes in this forsaken cave? He could not keep his children from meeting the same fate. It is his fault they lay dead in a makeshift grave at the foot of this infernal mountain. He broke his promise to protect them. Even his own parents were at least able to give him a chance at this world. 'Why didn't I do more? Why didn't I just use my head?! Why, for even one second, did I believe that bastard wouldn't do anything to hurt his own children?! I could have had Tatsuya cut them out and take them somewhere safe before Khuzaimah came back—who cares what could have happened to me! But no, I wanted to escape with them; I wanted to be with them. I was thinking of my own desires above all else. And because of my selfishness and stupidity, they will never see the light of day. No matter what hardships I endured, my parents gave me a chance at life. I couldn't even do the same for my own.'

The rush of emotion after sitting numbly for so long proves to be too much for the fair-haired Inuyoukai to handle. The dragon beside him starts in shock when he suddenly turns around to face the wall before laying onto his side. He curls into himself and wraps his arms around his knees as his heart aches in his chest. Tatsuya reaches out a hand towards him, but right as he is about to touch him, Inuyasha barks, "Stop! Just…" He has to swallow the sob caught in his throat. "Leave me alone."

"…Yes, sir."

….

He does not recall falling asleep, but he awakes to the sound of two regrettably recognizable voices.

"And why should I care?"

"Ah, a-ano I-Inuyasha-sama r-really is not d-doing well. H-He is v-very unwell and is too…h-he will n-not eat or drink anything." Even without turning around to look, Inuyasha can tell the kid likely has his face pressed to the ground in a low bow.

"Hmm? I still do not see how this is any of my concern. If the half-breed has given up and outlived his usefulness, then so be it. Since I have completely cleaned out the lower roosts, I need new playthings anyway. I am working on it as we speak. If that cur does not survive long enough to bear me better offspring then, heh, oh well."

"B-B-But—"

"And frankly, your insipid attachment to that dog is starting to make me sick."

"I—"

"Shut your mouth." Khuzaimah's footsteps bounce off the walls until Inuyasha can feel his presence right behind him. "And you. How long do you intend to pine around like some brooding brat?"

"…"

"I know you are a pathetic worm but pull it together son of Inu no Taisho."

"…"

"Oh? You think you can ignore me? Lord Khuzaimah?!"

"…"

"Let's see how long you can keep up this attitude." The wind is knocked out of the hanyou as he uses his foot to roll him over. Inuyasha stares up at him in blank faced stillness as he begins to discard his intricate clothing. His golden gaze drifts to the rocky ceiling above as the dragon lord straddles his lithe waist. "You are looking rather thin, hmm?" He does not respond to his remark as he uses his clawed hand to caress his sullen cheek. "Have you given up then? I thought you could not be broken. Remember that?"

"…"

"Hmph. Pathetic. The only value you had was that you were somewhat entertaining and now you do not even have that. There is no reason to keep you'."

"…"

"Fine." His blood red eyes take on a menacing spark as he positions himself in between his legs. "I know one way to get a bitch like you to whine."

"M-My lord, i-it could b-be fatal for I-Inuyasha-sama i-if you are t-too rough."

"Tatsuya spout more useless nonsense and I will kill you."

"U-Uh, um I—"

"Now leave us…unless you want to stay for the show." Although Inuyasha keeps his eyes on the ceiling he can feel the way the young fledging hesitates before scurrying out of the cave. Almost immediately the ryu buries himself deep inside the lifeless male underneath him. Besides a subtle flinch, his disposition shows no sign of his discomfort. He can feel the hard body moving on top of him. The piercing feeling below his waist. The rocks digging into his back. The claws bruising and cutting his already damaged flesh. He feels them all, but at the same time nothing at all.

He noticed that the shiny rocks in the ceiling resemble stars in the night sky. Instead of thinking, he decides to count. '137, 138, 139…'

Just count the stars.

'…442, 443, 444…'

Count the stars.

'877, 878, 879…'

Count the stars and everything will be alright…

….

Sesshomaru's POV:

"And reishi and shiitake are mushrooms that can be used to make medicines! Isn't that great? Uuuh, I think that is everything I learned this time."

"Thank goodness! I thought there was no end to your senseless rambling!"

"It is not senseless Master Jaken! When I travel with you and Lord Sesshomaru again, I can take care of you when you get sick."

"Silly girl, I don't get sick!"

"You might~" She practically sings much to the toad's disdain.

"I won't! Only humans fall ill at every turn. Weak, helpless, little things that you are!"

"You never know~. Something could happen and silly little Rin could be the one to save your life."

"Now listen here you arrogant little…"

The rest of their idle bickering fades to the background as Sesshomaru turns his attention to the flurry of activity around them. Since he arrived at the humble human village, many of the village men have been leaving in small droves. The three to four-man units are being led by the monk, fox demon, and Kohaku. His keen sense of hearing already picked up on their instructions and he knows they are still searching for Inuyasha. His brother's pack completely avoided him, so he can only presume the taijiya informed them of the daiyoukai's unwillingness to lift a finger to aid. He was genuinely staggered to find that his little brother has not found his way home yet, but he quickly recovered and settled into his natural air of indifference. He is there to visit his charge, nothing more. However, now that their time is coming to an end, he cannot help but pay some attention to the frantic mortals moving around him. Judging by the structure of the chaos, it looks as though the men have done this numerous times and are simply rushing to utilize the remaining hours of daylight.

"Rin, where are ye', child?"

"Over here Miss Kaede!"

After a pause, the old eye-patched miko walks into view with a small, but tired smile. Sesshomaru can sense the worry and stress coming from her, but she hides it well in the face of the exuberant young girl. "Are ye' ready for yer' afternoon lessons?"

"Umm." She looks around frantically, as if an excuse is suddenly going to leap out and save her. "But Miss Kaede, I'm still visiting with Lord Sesshomaru—"

"Our time is done." The Western lord punctuates his point by gracefully rising to his feet; earning a pout from the doe-eyed girl. "Rin you should not miss your lessons."

"Aaaaw."

"No whining now." The miko chastises, making the lass bow her head in defeat.

"Can we visit the girls first?"

"Nice try young one, but Sango has already laid them down for a nap."

"Aaaaaaaw."

"If you slack off, you will not be able to tell me anything new the next time we meet." Sesshomaru interjects in an offhanded way.

The effects are instant, and the girl brightens and hops to her feet with renewed enthusiasm. "Miss Kaede, I'm ready to learn lots!"

"Good. If ye' remain focused this time, we can have our morning lesson in the flower fields."

"Yatta! Sesshomaru-sama, Master Jaken thank you for coming to see me. Come back and see Rin soon!"

"Don't count on it." Jaken snaps, but she ignores him and skips off towards her teacher's home. Kaede offers a small nod of gratitude to the demon men and follows behind her energetic pupil at a much more lethargic pace. "Hmph. Troublesome little—?!" Sesshomaru looks down as Jaken suddenly slaps the side of his bald head in alarm. Looking at his hand, they find a flattened flea groaning in pain. "Eh?! How dare you!"

Myoga pops back into form and dusts himself off before glaring back at the larger demon. "Don't flatter yourself. I was aiming for Lord Sesshomaru."

"That's even more foolhardy of you. No one is worthy of Lord Sesshomaru's blood."

"Without Master Inuyasha around, it was the next best thing despite the risks."

There is a brief pause as those words register with Jaken before he starts sputtering in disbelief. "Are you suggesting that hanyou's blood is superior to—"

"You do not appear overly concerned about it. Why not join the search, if you are so thirsty?" Sesshomaru questions with the barest hint of curiosity in his blunt tone.

"W-Well," The ancient flea stutters before passing a hand over his mostly bald head. "I wouldn't be of any use to anybody right now. What if we were to run into a dangerous situation in our search?"

"Hmph."

"And besides, I have been doing all I can on my own by learning more about this Khuzaimah-sama."

Sesshomaru notices the peculiar way he says the dragon's name and once again curiosity gets the best of him. "And?"

A slight raise of his eyebrows is the only indication of his surprise, but the flea quickly clears his throat and reports his findings. "Well it has taken a lot of traveling, searching, and contacting old acquaintances but I hear talk that Khuzaimah may not actually be a lord of anything."

"Ha! Serves him right!" Jaken scoffs.

"Nevertheless, I am not sure. The demons I spoke to claimed he has kidnapped many others who have never been heard from again. The nomadic humans who were willing to speak to me told that Khuzaimah pillaged their villages to kill and steal from their nobles. If he is pretending to be a lord then it would make sense for him to do that, so he can play the part. But I do not understand his senseless attacks on youkai. I could not find a pattern to his madness either. In his wake, he has left nothing but death, sadness, and turmoil—for both humans and demons."

"…"

"I tried to find Totosai to see if he knew anything of Khuzaimah's origins, but he was not at his home. There is no telling where that unpredictable old coot could be, so I came back here to wait."

'Just what is this ryu playing at? When I met him, he made no move to challenge me and yet he has caused all this devastation? For what purpose and to what end? Was the goal to capture Inuyasha? Why? He definitely had his scent all over him, so the fool is—or was alive at that time. Why has he not gotten himself out of this yet? If this Khuzaimah is attacking both demon and human dwellings, how much longer until he advances on this one where Rin resides? Since Inuyasha has clearly not taken care of things, it would fall on these humans to protect her in his absence.' In the face of all these doubts and questions, he can feel a scowl creeping over his refined brow. His face contorts into a full glower as he glances over his shoulder and towards the forest.

"Is there something the matter, Lord Sesshomaru?"

"…Jaken. Stay here."

"Yes my—wait, what?!"

"If something happens to Rin, I will end you."

"Eh?! B-B—"

Without bothering to hear the rest, he turns his back and vanishes into the woods. He walks steadily for a few paces before coming to a full stop in the middle of a small clearing. The sun is just starting to set, casting an orangey glow all over the trees and bushes. The woodland creatures scurry to and fro to settle in for the night, while the nocturnal ones prepare for the coming night. A warm breeze sets a few strands of silvery white hair dancing across his face and his mokomoko rustling gently. He stands there for a while, eyes closed, and completely still. All at once his golden eyes snap open to reveal a dangerous glint to them. "Come out. Now."

A harsher wind sweeps through the area with the subtle flair of his aura, causing the rustle of foliage to break the following silence. After just a beat, a small young whelp steps out from the bushes and stands a few paces behind him; in what he probably presumes as a "safe distance". Sesshomaru remains facing forward but can smell the unbridled fear coming off the boy. It is pungent enough to make his nose twitch. He noticed his presence long ago when he first arrived to visit Rin. He could sense him hiding out in the outskirts and as soon as he left the boy proceeded to follow him from a distance. Without looking, he knows it is the very servant he ran into during his encounter with Khuzaimah. "Explain."

He makes a sound that resembles someone chocking on their own tongue, before finally whispering. "P-P-Please forgive m-me."

"Do not test my patience. Tell me why you were lurking outside that village and why you were tracking me or die. Simple. So, choose."

"I-I-I was n-not t-trying to be a t-threat—I, I went to the village in s-search for aid. When I-I saw you, mi'lord, I—" Sesshomaru's eyes narrow into annoyed slits when the child pauses to gulp down his terror, "And I-I, ano, I thought maybe I-I should a-ask for your help instead."

He does not know what he was expecting the young whelp to say, but it certainly was not that. "…"

"I-It is f-for I-Inuyasha-sama's sake." 'So, he is still alive.'

"Inuyasha sent you to find me?"

"N-No. B-But, y-you are his oniisama, r-right? H-He really n-needs your help. I-I f-fear he will not survive a-another day."

"…Does this Sesshomaru look like an idiot to you? Unlike my foolish little brother, I am not susceptible to tricks."

"T-This is n-not a—"

"Nor do I posses any desire to assist those who grovel at my feet. I do not know what I did to make you think I would run and go save Inuyasha to begin with."

"B-But, h-he will die—"

"Why didn't you ask those humans, as you so originally planned?"

"They…a-are not s-strong enough to survive an encounter with m-my master. Inuyasha-sama w-would never f-forgive me if I-I led them to t-their doom."

His rationale only serves to make the Western Lord more suspicious. "And you believe me capable of defeating this high and mighty lord, you so highly revere?"

"N…" Perhaps realizing he should choose his next words very carefully; the youngster wavers before whispering. "K-Khuzaimah-sama has b-been leaving a lot o-on business. Y-You can go in a-and free Inuyasha-sama t-then escape, before m-my master returns—"

"Impossible."

"Ano—"

"If I venture to that mountain, it will be to slay that dragon." For the first time, he spares a glance over his shoulder to find the boy staring at him with wide jade eyes and trembling legs. "Think about that before asking for my help again." With that he walks away with a specific destination in mind. Unexpectedly, after almost making it out of sight, the little ryu begins to follow him again. Sesshomaru decides to ignore the unsolicited tag along for now, seeing as his mind is elsewhere for the moment. There is someone he must talk to. 'I need answers.'