A/N: Fae Tree won 2nd place for best AU in the last quarter's Feudal Connection event. Thank you to you all for your love for this fic. It means a lot to me to know that my stories are enjoyed by you
And, it looks like someone nominated it for Best Drama for the 4th quarter now. Thank you!

30

Sesshomaru was an ass, that was a fact a few more than a dozen yasha could confirm. Being his brother, Inuyasha was probably the first on that not short list of individuals. Since his return to the pack, Sesshomaru was less annoying than he had been before, but he was still an ass.

So, when the fucker grinned and accepted the challenge from both Sango and himself, Inuyasha was not surprised. The bastard had the gall to smirk smugly as he did so, too/. One glance to where SAngo stood told Inuyasha that she was positively fuming at his arrogance. Of course she was angry - the asshole had just refused to revive her little brother and Sango was nothing if not protective of the little kitten. He just didn't think it was right to deny the boy who had done nothing wrong. And, besides, Sango was his… Well, not exactly a friend, they didn't know each other for long enough, but they were getting there. Knowing her from the world in the Emperor's well kinda helped Inuyasha to open up to her and trust her to have his back in the great battle. And, during those three days, she had never failed to keep up with him, adjusting to his crazy strategies and filling in where he failed. She had a somewhat hard time accepting him helping her and saving her ass, but he guessed it just had to take some work to make her realize she could trust him as much as he did her.

Sango turned to glance at him and Inuyasha shrugged, trying not to tense at the sudden thought that she could refuse to fight alongside him. He refused to even consider this option - it was her brother's life they were going to fight for, so she wouldn't dare to act foolish. But, as the silence grew longer, his ears laid back just a bit in anxiety. She wouldn't demand to fight alone, right? She was strong, but it was Sesshomaru they were facing, it wasn't going to be easy even when they would fight together.

"What do you choose for the battle?" the neko princess asked,. finally looking away from Inuyasha and glaring at his older brother. The yasha gathered around them and the group with their fathers were quietly observing the three of them, curiosity and anticipation clear in their faces. Inuyasha glanced at the leader of his pack, Touga stood with his thumbs hooked on his obi. He seemed calm, waiting for them to agree on their terms. Sango's father tried to appear as calm as him, but he was tense. Others who were gathered around for the oncoming spectacle were much more just waiting for the entertaining part. Some of the people on the field had left to find their close ones.

"The first one to bleed loses?" Inuyasha suggested, his ears laid back, his hand already on Tessaiga's hilt. His brother looked at him with those expressionless eyes. He was aware of Sango reaching to where her own weapon was, readying herself for the fight, but he didn't look away from Sesshomaru's face. His older brother blinked once and his own hand shifted gracefully to lay on the hilt of his own sword.

"Agreed. This duel shall not be to death… Only to the threshold of it. Fitting, since you wish for this one to bring one from the underworld. Neko?"

"Fine by me," Sango declared with no sign that she was intimidated by how coolly Sesshomaru acted and spoke. Inuyasha smirked, she was just like the Sango of that other world, determined and brave.

He felt a surge of excitement and energy - that was going to be a real fight with Sesshomaru. NO holding back, at least until first blood. No tackling him to chew on his ears in a sign of superiority. He wanted to see if he could really do it, he wanted to show his brother he was as strong as him. And, of course, it was alsi for Sango's sake. The neko princess shifted in her stance, readying her giant weapon, her eyes alert and determined. Whatever she was thinking, Inuyasha knew she was looking forward to it - not only to restore her brother and his good name, but also to prove herself. After all, she was of the cherry tree, just like him, and she craved challenge like any other. And now in front of them stood one of the most powerful yasha. One that, despite being of an oak, could battle with dragons and command a sword of atrocious power. Inuyasha watched his brother's fingers tighten on the hilt of Bakusaiga and he felt a hint of worry - could they do it? He'd hate it if Sango didn't get her brother back. He pushed that thought away, doubting his own strength right now was a very bad idea. It was better to just attack and not prolong the wait any more. Inuyasha shifted his stance, ready to leap.

And that was when a tree grew just in front of him and he barely managed to stop himself from jumping to ram his head against its trunk.

"What?" Sango gasped from where she took a few steps back so she wouldn't be enclosed in the appearing tree. It was thick and tall, but appeared slender and swayed with graceon gentle breeze. Inuyasha grunted as he peered up in the branches adorned with streaming ribbons and lush leaves. A female shiro inu sat in tre tree, her golden eyes chuckled where he stood, giving a sign to the others to remain calm in the face of the sudden appearance of an ancient oak.

"Mother," he heard a cold voice from behind the tree. "You shall explain yourself."

"Lady Full Moon," Sango said in a firm tone of voice. "We were going to fight for the life of my brother."

Inuyasha stared at his brother's mother, sitting comfortably on one of the branches of her tree, not at all embarrassed about the fact that she had just stolen the spotlight and had taken up the area of their upcoming duel.

"My love, are you not supposed to be accompanying the Emperor in Yasha no Mori?" Touga asked, curiosity and some amount of mirth in his voice.

"I was, yes, but I was ordered to come here and snap the weapons in half if the duel was to start," she informed, causing some of the audience to gasp and whisper among themselves.

"Hey! We can't fight without our weapons!" Inuyasha barked.

"You are ordered to find a different way. The Emperor cannot stand even a drop more of yasha blood spilling in Ulthar today," there was a sudden sharpness to her voice as she looked at them and then to where her son stood. "Do a riddle duel. A contest of who has less split ends in their hair. Whatever you do - do not cause the Emperor more strife. The last passing of the comet was a strain enough."

Iniuyasha lowered his head and relaxed his tance, his hand falling from the hilt of Tessaiga. If that was the will of the Kirin, there would be no fighting today. He had only a vague idea of the bond the creature had with the land, but he guessed that the glorified goat had been distressed enough, with so many of the trees in Yasha no Mori dying.

For the Kirin to meddle in the affairs of the yasha it had to be a really bad thing. Inuyasha wasn't particularly fond of the glorified goat for its totally unnecessary test, but he still felt a bit bad for it.

And, what was more important to him, he really didn't fancy his mother breaking his recently obtained sword. He still had a lot to learn about Tessaiga and she could be truly vicious. He could get a chance to kick his brother's ass later, when he got a better hold on his heirloom.

But now, how were he and Sango going to beat Sesshomaru into using his Tenseiga?

"A contest of wit and enchantment instead of a barbaric fight," the tengu leader spoke up from where he stood next to the cat king. "A most refreshing idea, Lady Full Moon." As he bowed his head of black feathers towards the shiro inu sage , the crows perched on his shoulders cawed.

"May we assist in picking up challenges and judging the performances?" the kitsune asked, waving her nine pale tails in obvious anticipation. She had the same kind of a little smile that Uka had when she had been up to some mischief.

"This one has no qualms with that, this Sesshomaru shall achieve victory in whatever task he shall be given," the asshole stepped over the roots of the giant oak, approaching the group of clan leaders.

"Oi, don't be so sure you'll win!" Inuyasha followed him, Sango nimbly jumping to walk beside him.

"Let's then decide upon rules," Touga smiled. "I presume the cat king and I shall remain out of the judging."

"There should be three challenges." said the old ookami who was standing leaning on a thick spear stuck in the ground. "Three is the best number. Whichever party wins two of them, wins."

Inuyasha listened to the leaders suggesting details of the contest, his arms crossed in front of his chest. Whatever Sango was going to agree to, he was fine with. It was her brother, after all. Sesshomaru looked most uninterested

In a few minutes the contest was agreed upon and Lady Kimiko, along with her tree, disappeared back to Yasha no Mori to wait upon the Emperor in its time of need.

Inuyasha glanced towards where Sango stood, biting on her lower lip, trying to remain as calm as Sesshomaru, who stood a bit away from them and looked at the evening sky.

"I will go first," Sango informed him, a twinkle in her eye telling him that she would fight him if he wanted to disagree.

"Sure, go ahead," he shrugged, ohis ears lazily alert on top of his head. She smiled at him, a shy, strangely gentle smile she had never shown him before. He wiggled his ears at her and noticed her gaze flying up to watch the motion before she shook her head at him and turned to face Sesshomaru.

They had agreed that only one of them would face the asshole to keep it fair. And, since it was more for Sango's sake than his own, it made sense to let her try her skill and luck first. Inuyasha supposed she was thankful that she could fight for her brother's life. He had seen a shadow of guilt when she looked at the young prince's body and if she was anything like that other SAngo she would give Sesshomaru a run for his money. The bastard looked uninterested, as usual. He simply watched Sango and the clan leader who had been selected as one of those who would pick up the challenges and voice the judgment. For the first one, it was the vixen, the Lady Tsunade. She was still wearing light leather armor, easy to move in. She was mischievous, but also fierce in battle, her nine tails lashing out like whips.

"Let us begin," she intoned., glancing first at the pair facing each other, then cast her gaze around, where Yasha gathered to watch the match. There were quite a few of them now, the prospect of seeing a duel of any sort with the firstborns of inu and neko clans was a lure for any yasha who wasn't concerned with restoring their family, belongings and friends. The bastard using his Tenseiga on so many fallen yasha had definitely grabbed attention and lifted up many hearts. For that, Inuyasha supposed, a lot of yasha would feel new respect towards his older brother. Losing a duel would definitely be a good thing for Sesshomaru now, so he wouldn't explode with pride. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, lady kitsune," Sango nodded, proud and collected, reining in her emotions in the face of the important task at hand.

"What do you wish us to do, Lady Tsunade?" Sesshomaru asked, his voice polite.

The vixen smiled and shifted one of her tails to curl around her hip so she could easily stroke the richly colored fur with her hand.

"Sing us a song, a song of your desire and your enchantment," she hummed. "A yasha uses music as one of the various types of magic, weaving the sounds like a blanket of fog, bringing forth emotions and desires in the listeners. Whoever sings the more compelling, more moving song, shall be the winner."

"Is the use of an instrument permitted?" asked Sango. Inuyasha sighed in relief that it was her, not him, who would go against Sesshomaru. He was kinda crappy with music. Sure, he had woven spells, some for Kagome, but he was not as good at it as some of his pack.

So, Sango couldn't hold it against him if he screwed up so early in the contest. Besides, if she was as passionate as the other Sango, she was going to put more of her feelings in the song than he did in this situation. The kitsune allowed the use of an instrument.

Sesshomaru went first, kneeling on the grass and summoning his favorite koto in front of him. He ran his fingers across the strings and tweaked some of them, then started to play and sing. His voice was deep and harmonized with the koto as he sang and Inuyasha found himself leaning in just a bit, mesmerized. Of course the bastard sang about power rising from cultivation of oneself, of perfecting oneself, of proving one's might in fabulous battles to defend one's land and people. A fitting song after the long battle for Ulthar. Many yasha swayed a bit to the perfect melody, pride and warm feeling of accomplishment washing over the listeners. Smartly, he appealed to the need many yasha shared, the thirst of power, of being able to hold safe what they deemed theirs.

Inuyasha thought about Kagome, the sweet girl who fearlessly faced off against a yasha, who had trusted him, who was pure and precious like the light of dawn shining on a dew drop. He felt a deep urge to go back to the Higurashi shrine and to take her back in the lands of the inu yasha, to keep her safe from the wicked world of humans, to give her the opportunity to become a priestess in one of the yasha shrines. He would protect her, of course, against any yasha willing to kidnap her. He would kiss her until she smiled at him, he would dance with her in the light of a fire deep in the woods, he would…

He shook out of his daydream when Sesshomaru lifted his hands from the strings of the koto, the last words of his song hanging in the crisp evening air, as if pinned in place by the rays of the low hanging sun. The young inu glanced around and saw that not only he had been under the spell, so skillfully woven that he had been unaware of when exactly he had fallen under it. Many yasha were blinking awake, dazed.

He was startled when he heard a new song rising in the air, right next to him. He blinked and looked to Sango, who sat cross-legged, cradling in her arms a shamisen. She had a look nof grim determination on her face, but then closed her eyes and took a deep breath, calming her features. Then a smile bloomed on her lips, a small secretive smile, so sweet and suspicious at the same time. It reminded Inuyasha of Souta sneaking into his room to join his big sister in talking to the mysterious being in the hidden room.

Sango sang, her voice joining the tune of her instrument to break the last wisps of Sesshomaru's spell. Her voice was strong, lower than Inuyasha had expected it to be. She chose a playful tune, a song about yasha tricking humans and shifting shapes to confuse the priests from their shrines. She sang of joy of being able to cause mischief, to trick and be able to get free with that. She appealed to the common trait of the yasha kind, their insatiable thirst for merriment and happiness. She sang of clever tactics, daring schemes and witty comebacks, of using one's powers to wreak havoc, to brew laughter and dare the fate itself.

Her song spoke of no pain or danger of losing something precious. It spoke of expanding one's abilities and exploring new paths. It promised roads untraveled, spells not yet woven, deeds of daring one could brag about later. It spoke of sharing and giving, but also tricking gullible fools out of their belongings, teaching them a lesson.

OPh, Inuyasha remembered how he had played his flute to lure Kagome into his room. How he bickered with her playfully or helped her come up with some clever ways of getting what she wanted, bending the strict rules her grandpa had in place. Oh, to go back to her and talk her into tricking that old fool into giving away the prized shrine artifacts! Or to pretend he was a human and win her family over so they would beg him to marry her - just to reveal himself right after the vows and steal her away from that place on a branch of lilac. Or, maybe, with Souta's help, he could make a hundred and one pranks all around the town? It felt like ages since he'd chased a herd of stock animals across the fields until it ended up in the front yard of the most wealthy house, shitting all over the orchids.

He was startled out of his wicked plans when he heard Lady Tsunade clap her hands. Inuyasha blinked and realized that Sango no longer sat with her shamisen, but stood next to him, anxiously biting on her lower lip. She had sung a playful tune, but there was no mistaking the tension that reappeared in her after she was done singing. Sesshomaru, who stood a bit away from them, looked as if he wasn't taking part in a contest.

"Splendid work, both of you," the fox praised in a light tone of voice. It seemed that the two songs, one of pride and one of joy, have restored much of the spirit that had faded during the days of battle. Even the cat king seemed to stand straighter.

"Who… Who won?" Sango asked and glanced at where Kirara sat guard over the fragile looking body of her little brother.

"I asked you to weave a song of enchantment," the kitsune said. "But I never told you who you should enchant with it. The both of you had to cast your net wide in hopes to catch most chickens," she paused when some cries of outraged yasha rose behind her back. "Alas, you had to ensnare but one. And I watched him closely."

Inuyasha froze when he realized her smiling, sparking eyes were focused on him. He laid back his ears and stuck his hands in his sleeves, unsure what she wanted of him.

"Albeit the both of you showed us a true skill with music and spell weaving, it was required of me to break the enchantment only once,"and the vixen showed her fangs in a smile. "And that was when the princess of the cats sang us all the serenade of mischief and trickery, cunning and laughter."

Sango gasped and beamed a big smile at him, then at her father, who looked at her in pride when voices of congratulations rang all around her. Inuyasha inclined his head, still a bit dazed by it all. He glanced to where Sesshomaru regarded him with calm eyes, his brother looked unfazed by the fact he just lost the first of three trials. Sango turned away from the cheering yasha and grasped Inuyasha's arm in her strong grip.

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice quivering with emotion.

"Keh, I did nothing," he grumbled. He really did nothing to be thanked for. He just got bespelled first by Sesshomaru then by her and it happened that her spell held him that bit more strongly.

"The second trial!" Lady Izayoi, who stood to the side of the group of leaders, called out after some time. "Let us not forget that there are two more to go!"

Inuyasha looked at his mother with relief. He wanted to get it all over with and for Sesshomaru to just revive the kitten. He wanted some rest and a long bath to wash off the dirt of the battlefield.

"Wise is the Lady New Moon of the inu," Lady Tsunade hummed in her low voice and raised her hands, silencing the audience. "I step down and may Lord Yakurōdokusen oversee the second trial."

As she stepped back, the aforementioned yasha came to the front. He wasn't a fighter, but had come to aid by the means of his magical potions and poisons. Inuyasha smirked when the man stumbled over the hem of his own robe somehow. He took a few steps before he steadied himself and looked at the pair standing side by side. A big smile lit up his wrinkled face and he ran his fingers through his beard, as if trying to groom himself a bit. An exercise in futility.

"Ah, so here, well," he said. "This trial is a riddle. One riddle, so you have to get it right the first time. Whoever speaks up first and has the right answer, wins."

"Understood," Sesshomaru and Sango nodded, but the Master of Potions was looking mostly at Sango when he spoke. Inuyasha shook his head at the old fart - it was no secret that he was fickle and often refused to help… Unless the one asking for his help happened to be a pretty girl. Pretty girls were his weakness. It seemed Sango had won this round already when she smiled at the man somewhat awkwardly.

Sure that this round was a mere formality and a waste of time, Inuyasha let himself return to the daydreams Sango's song had brought. He glanced towards where his mother and father stood among other leaders. She had been a human once, long ago, but now she was a yasha, a fierce black dog of vengeance and justice. She was perfectly happy in that life. She was kind and gentle for most of the time, but when she felt that someone was wrong… well, she would change into a foulest beast of destruction.

"And here's the riddle," the old fool smiled at Sango and lifted a finger as if to make sure everyone knew he was about to utter some weighty words. "Who am I? I gave birth when I was born - a dog, a dragon and a dove. Connected to all I stand alone - no kin, no children, no lover."

Inuyasha cringed, even for him the riddle sounded like something created by a migraine-riddles and brain dead poet. He suspected it was the old fart's own creation.

"You are the Emperor," Sesshomaru's voice sounded clear and calm as he spoke right after the riddle ended. Sango had just enough time to draw in her own breath to speak. "You created three artifacts when you emerged with the Isle. One is the Grasscuter entrusted to this one's father. The second is the gem that had been stolen by a dragon. The last is the mirror lost to humans. The Emperor isconnected to all by Yasha no Mori and yet they have no one to call kin or claim as their partner."

In their split second of silence and stillness Inuyasha saw her eyes widen and her face grow pale when she realized she was too late.

"You are correct," Master of Potions pouted, clearly as unhappy as she was that Sesshomaru got it right.

Inuyasha felt terrible for her, but Sesshomaru was a sennin and the riddle was probably not hard for the asshole. He didn't even give her a chance to voice her own answer, he just had to get it first. Sango lowered her head.

"You won this round," she admitted to the shiro inu, who inclined his head in silence, accepting her gracious admittance of defeat. At least he didn't say anything nasty to her.

"I'm sorry, pretty girl," Master of Potions said before he walked off, drawing a jug from his sleeve and taking a deep sip out of it. Inuyasha scowled and walked to stand next to Sango.

"You know, I won't let him win the last round," he grumbled in lieu of cheering her up. The neko looked up at him and for a fleeting moment he saw her smile graced her lips again. Then her eyes narrowed.

"Why do you stand against your kin?" she asked, a question that probably had lingered in her mind for a while. He shrugged.

"He should've revived the kid," he explained. "And we're friends, you know."

He did his best to sound nonchalant when he added that last little sentence, but his ears were perked up and quivering in anticipation of her response. The neko princess regarded him with those pretty eyes of hers for a moment, then gave a nod.

"That we are," she agreed and Inuyasha released the breath he didn't notice he was holding in.

She was no longer calling him crazy and yelling at him for interfering in her battles as she had done for the last three days. She wasn't proudly challenging him to go first. She simply accepted his offer as if it was only natural for cat and dog yasha to be friends.

"Let us finish this farce, little brother," Sesshomaru said from where he stood, observing them talk. His golden eyes were as always hard to read, but Inuyasha didn't even try it this time. He turned to where the leaders stood and saw the one who was to lead the third trial emerge from between the others.

It was a flame bird chick, one Princess Abi, who had come to the battle instead of her ailing mother to lead her faction in the battle. She was a pretty woman, in the fashion birds of prey are pretty, dark-haired and pale of skin, with sharp features and sharper eyes.

"Phoenix Princess," he heard his brother greet the woman.

"Let us all get this done with," she said impatiently and waved her hand. Then she outstretched both of her arms in front of herself and with a flutter of wings two black birds flew to sit on her wrists, their feathers glossy and beady eyes flashing at them. "You will take a raven and put a spell on it. It's a trial of imagination and creativity, of the strength of magic. You have five minutes before you have to show us the result of your work. And, you can only work with birds."

Inuyasha winced and followed his brother's example in offering his wrist for one of the ravens to settle on. The bird glanced at him with one eye, tilting its head as if doubting that he could even weave spells. He frowned at it and it cawed softly.

He glanced to where his brother stood, staring at his bird and mouthing something. It seemed he was not interested in prolonging this round. Then Inuyasha's eyes turned to spot Sango, tense like a bowstring, staring straight at him with anxiety clear on her face. He lowered his ears and looked back at his bird.

He was decent with spells, but creating an image so he could force it onto the creature would be a big task. It demanded creativity and attention to detail and he hardly had patience for envisioning the smallest details. Sure, he had adorned the walls of his prison in the shrine house, but it had taken him decades and he had had a lot of time to do his work, redo things he had done too hastily, things that didn't fit in the end result, things he had simply messed up.

The stupid bird on his wrist tilted its head this way and that, bored, but resigned to sit on its perch until told otherwise by its mistress.

He winced when the dumb woman said that they had three minutes left. It was best to stop thinking about stupid shit and cast his spell.

A bird… Hm, the obvious choice would be something Abi liked, so it meant no crows. She had a complicated relationship with the tengu leader and even if they were actually engaged right now it was best not to chance them being in their 'not engaged' phase. Seriously, they were like chickens running in circles without their heads.

That reminded Inuyasha about that time when Souta had brought his favorite chicken to his room. It had been hilarious to watch the brainless bird flap its rainbow colored wings and trot around the floor in search of an escape. Kagome had ruined their fun at the expense of the chicken by opening the door and letting it out into her bedroom, but the look of surprise on her face when she had come face to face with the animal had been priceless. And the sounds of her running after it and trying to shoo it out of her bedroom - kami, if not for the arrow he would have been rolling on the floor like Souta had been, laughing his ears off.

He lifted his head and started to mumble, his mind deep in the memory of his time with the siblings. Yes, Kagome and Souta shared a bond as strong as the one that he knew Sango and Kohaku had. He hoped that maybe soon the little kitten would be alive again, so he could play harmless pranks on his big sister as well. They deserved that.

And, if he was not to win this round and Sesshomaru was to leave here without using Tenseiga Inuyasha would get Sango and Kagome to help him find the jewel and use its power to revive the boy just like he had been revived in that other world. A thought deep in the back of his mind whispered that the jewel might not have a mirror one in his world, but he stomped on it.

The animal on his hand made a soft, weird noise and shifted on its legs, claws snatching on the fabric of his robe. It opened its wings a bit at the rise of magic around it. Inuyasha was too focused on his spell to give a shit if it felt anxious about his choice of a new shape for it.

"Thirty seconds. Unleash your spells and let us see," Abi commanded. Inuyasha growled at her tone of voice and was sure that Sesshomaru gave her a cold glare he was known for.

Well, the time to see if his daring idea would work was upon him and there was no time to change his mind. He prayed to all the kami that he didn't misjudge and that Sango would soon be holding her living brother while he smirked at his livid brother.

Inuyasha turned and at the same time whispered the final word of the spell, letting the magic flow into the raven on his wrist. The bird glowed and the glow enveloped it like a ball of radiant light for a moment, before it was gone and the animal was revealed in its new form.

With the corner of his eye Inuyasha caught a glimpse of a three-footed crow in Sesshomaru's hand, the beast's flashing red eyes sending death glares at everyone and everything around. He was about to look towards Sango and then the idiot Princess Abi, but a wave of sudden warmth went over him.

His ears twitched as he heard a voice that only he could, calling from seemingly a great distance, but not carried on the wind. A big hopeful smile lit up his face.

"Inuyasha ap Toga, of the house of Inu no Taisho, come!"

The chicken with rainbow colored feathers made a noise of undignified surprise and distress as it flapped its wings and flopped on the ground with about as much grace as a sack of wet leaves.

Inuyasha was gone.