Legal: Yadda yadda yadda. If you don't know by now, your starting in the wrong place.
Chapter 19: Family Secrets
"Here." Sesshomaru said simply. "My den is the safest place for her to sleep. No one would bother her here- they wouldn't dare." The last rolled out as a growl, full of malice and foreboding to anyone who would disturb her. The youkai moved and pulled up the comforters enough so that Inu Yasha could slide the sleeping girl under the soft cloth.
"Kagome?" Sango asked quietly, watching her friend's limp form. She, the monk and kitsune had all been called back by Momiji. The ghost had said that there was an important discussion taking place and had insisted that they all hurry back. Trusting that the ghost knew what she was doing, they had dutifully wandered back to Sesshomaru's room in time to trail after the surprised canine demons.
"Its okay, Sango." Inu Yasha whispered as Sesshomaru tucked Kagome in. "She's just tired out. She'll be alright."
"I think we should continue this in my office." Sesshomaru's voice was low as he finished smoothing the covers. Inu Yasha nodded and kissed his mate. Taomaru watched all of this with a sort of confused understanding. He didn't understand what was going on with Inu Yasha, but it was clear that where Kagome's health was concerned the brothers thought as one. The elder shook his head. The three-way bond was going to be making all kinds of difficulties and none would be worse than the issue of Kagome's fertility. Why did she have to go into heat now of all times?
The wolf dog sighed heavily, more to himself than anything else as he slid off the bed. "We should bring the children with us." Sesshomaru frowned at Taomaru and Inu Yasha nodded, agreeing with his uncle.
"These kids," Inu Yasha paused as he tried to express his thoughts. "These two are important though I don't know why. It's also important that neither Kagome nor I should touch our younger self." He tapped his lip with a finger and finally picked up Kago-chan. He cradled the child against him, smiling when the blue eyes opened briefly to see who he was. Kago-chan reached up and touched his stripes, Inu Yasha moving his head low enough for her to do so.
"Inu-chan," Kago-chan sighed as she cuddled back against him. "You got so big and I'm still small." Inu Yasha nuzzled her until she giggled in her sleep, then hanyou finishing with a light kiss on her forehead.
"She knows you," Sesshomaru said, taking the little Inu Yasha from his uncle and holding the child protectively. The youkai moved close enough that he could peer down at the sleeping girl in his brother's arms. "Even though you're coloring is different and you are older, this Kagome knew you."
Inu Yasha shrugged at his brother and began leading everyone down the hall. "Kagome and I would know each other no matter what form we took in any time." He slowed his steps so Sesshomaru could take the lead, the hanyou not knowing where the office was exactly.
It was a surprisingly small room filled with books and scrolls, well used tables and chairs. A pile of pillows was piled high in one corner, a stack of well handled books nearby. Candles in decorative fixtures dotted the walls, providing ample light for all to see. The room looked homey somehow and well used b its owner; it was hard to wrap one's mind around that said owner was a ruthless killer when he wished to be. Shippo had to pinch himself in the doorway as he looked about and then at Sesshomaru, Miroku and Sango doing pretty much the same. Even after that, they still couldn't accept it. This was Sesshomaru's study? This cozy little room? Shouldn't Sesshomaru's study be filled with 'souvenirs' from his conquests and battles? Or maybe swords or other assorted weapons? Shouldn't it be spooky and not so… inviting?
Inu Yasha startled everyone by dimming the lights a bit, moving about the room and blowing out every other flame. "Sorry, but it is making the headache worse." He shrugged apologetically and then moved on as the others got comfortable. "Now what did you want?"
Kouga asked the question that had been bugging everyone since Kagome last spoke. "What did Kagome mean about your youkai side being dominant?"
Taomaru studied his nephew as the hanyou sighed and tried to come up with an answer that would make sense to everyone. "About the best way I can think to describe it," Inu Yasha began. "Would be to say that it is akin to what Kagome knows as multiple personality disorder. It isn't exactly right, but it is close. Most hanyou have some trouble with their dual natures. The degree to which the trouble exists is dependant on the person. As a child, I had almost none."
At this Sesshomaru nodded and understanding finally clicked into place. "The Tetsusaiga suppressed your youkai blood when it was conjured into your left eye that was when you lost your tail and stripes. You are saying that it also upset the balance between the two natures in your mind, correct?" Unconsciously, the youkai began petting Inu-chan again.
At this Inu Yasha nodded and continued Sesshomaru's line of thought. "I think it was supposed to make me less dangerous to the people around me, but it backfired. I'm guessing that father thought that, since I had not had a problem before, I never would have a problem. He forgot the need for balance at my cost."
Taomaru's eye widened slightly, the orb paling to a more orange hue. "You mean to say that, with your youkai blood suppressed, you were more dangerous to those around you rather than less... " Taomaru snorted. It would be like Momaru to leap before he looked. He thought he was heading off a potential problem and instead created another. The wolf dog growled and silently cursed his brother- the first time in hundreds of years. He began to pace, ruffling the pages of books and piled scrolls as he passed. His anger brushed though the room like a physical warm wind, swirling dust motes and making dust bunnies dance.
It was Inu Yasha who calmed his uncle. The hanyou's power creeped out, a cool blanket to sooth those around him- most of all Taomaru.
"Yes, that would be the case. One side without the other eventually darkens and becomes completely unstable. In a complete split, neither side is stable and both are equally dangerous." The hanyou paused a moment and then continued, emphasizing his words with an authority he had not previously possessed. "A human's imagination and proclivity for destruction combined with a demon's power and unrivaled capacity for violence. It is not a pleasant scenario. Very little is known about how or why it occurs. There are so few hanyou it is almost impossible to study and get an objective view." Inu Yasha brooded aloud while he settled into his seat, holding the little girl close. "Father was aware of those facts about me and other hanyou. He had a number of people study me before Mother died. It took me a bit to get what was going on out of one of them. It's a pity my human side can't seem to remember any of this."
Inu Yasha's companions were flat out disturbed by this remark. They all seemed to be looking at each other to make sure they heard him correctly. Miroku seemed to be elected to be the brave one and ask the question after a pause. "You mean you don't have the same memories as your other side?"
"No, they seem to diverge after the sword was placed in my eye. I think he is aware of the stuff before that time, but it is foggy and hard for him to get a good view of. I have the same problem with a lot of the time when I was fully sealed. I can see what we did, when we did it, and have most of the emotional and sensory stuff, but it is almost like I am looking at it through one of those window panes in Kagome's home."
Shippo finally could not hold it in any more and asked the question that had been bothering him about the way the new version of the hanyou was talking, "How come you seem smarter than the one we're used to?"
"We are equally intelligent." Inu Yasha said, a small smile tugging at his lips. "The other half has found it very useful to make people underestimate his intelligence. He does it without thinking, plus, he has forgotten most of the court etiquette and speech crap that we learned as a child. He is very good at finding his opponents strengths and weaknesses using this ploy. He can analyze a battle strategy in no time flat. What he can't do is speak his mind very well. Add to this that humans and their relative emotional states are more complex than those of demons, and you have why he comes off the way he does." At this point, the hanyou slumped back into his chair and closed his eyes. He rubbed his temple tiredly in a slow circular motion. "If you have any more questions, make them quick, Kagome isn't the only one who is worn out."
After answering as many questions as he could for as long as he was able, Inu Yasha passed out in his seat, unable to stay awake any longer.
"Inu Yasha?" Sango asked quietly. She shrugged as the hanyou held Kago-chan more securely. The exterminator tried once more but he failed to respond each time, snoring softly.
Miroku looked from one brother to the other. "There is one thing that truly bothers me." The monk said, his eyes and face hard as he watched Sesshomaru. The youkai arched a brow but did nothing else in response to the monk's tone.
"Sesshomaru," Miroku began. "What caused the rift between you and Inu Yasha? Both of you are getting along fine now so the reason for your rivalry could not have been that serious." Shippo looked at the pale youkai and jumped to the ground.
The kitsune peered up at Sesshomaru and then hopped up onto Taomaru's shoulder. The child continued his careful watching of the demon lord until he finally sat back, arms crossed over his chest. "You were protecting him, weren't you." The fox child said flatly, startling everyone in the room. . "What in all the heavens could you have been protecting him from?"
Sesshomaru snarled at Shippo, the latter squeaking and diving behind Taomaru for cover. "Me," Sesshomaru sneered. "Protect him?" The youkai looked incredulous and then, as everyone watched, any emotion drained from his face. By the time he finished speaking, Sesshomaru looked as cold and as emotionless as only he could ever be.
"Inu Yasha is my half brother. He is not my responsibility and we have no brotherly bonds whatsoever. I barely tolerate humans and the likes of him. His appearance may be altered and he may be closer to a youkai, but Inu Yasha will never be a youkai- never be able to be useful to me other than to fight for these lands." A brief flash of emotion leaked into Sesshomaru's face: pure contempt. "Why else do you think I found him when I did? I did not call him to aid me; I called him so I could use him as a weapon as I will use Kagome as a weapon. When the battle is won and the enemy destroyed, I will rid myself of any of you who are still present!"
Sesshomaru's voice dropped to a growl, sounding not exactly like his dog clan brethren, but more like a tiger. A tiger who has seen its prey and is about to pounce. His power leaked out, a slight amber glow surrounding him, and oozed through the room like a biting wind through an icy window. He crossed through the room, passing by Miroku and Sango when they jumped out of the way and picked Inu Yasha up. The hanyou hung limply over Sesshomaru's shoulder as the youkai thrust Inu-chan and Kago-chan at the others. Sesshomaru stalked out of the room slamming the door behind him loudly.
"Both share that trait." Miroku said in a subdued voice.
Kouga nodded. "Both are loud mouthed hot heads."
"This coming from you." Taomaru snorted as he held both children. "Still," the wolf dog murmured. "It raises some interesting questions."
Sesshomaru paced down the hall back to his den. He was irritated, annoyed, and could do nothing about it except try to calm down. He pushed through the doors to his chambers, closing them firmly behind him and crossed the stone floor to the bed. With surprising tenderness, the youkai lifted Inu Yasha off him and laid the hanyou out on the bed beside Kagome. Both teens immediately moved closer to one another, as if sensing that the other was only inches away.
The Demon Lord sighed, looking sadly down at his younger brother. If only you knew. Sesshomaru thought. If only you knew the trouble you were spared. As the memories began to bubble up inside him, Sesshomaru laid down enough to curl around Kagome. He hugged the sleeping girl close, feeling one of her hands find his and cover it with hers. For one of the few moments inn his life, Sesshomaru wanted some comfort and, above all else, he rightly thought he deserved it.
It had not escaped Sesshomaru that there was something odd about his mother's death. Youkai women were strong fighters and could not be killed by illness. Why then had Lady Kitori died? The woman had died during peace time, not in battle. She had been in perfect health until her body was found, cold and very dead. Her death had been sudden and people were reluctant to talk about it- especially after seeing how Momaru was treating his own son.
The demon prince would have been willing to chalk it up to a fluke and make peace with it, but then Lady Yui also died. Again, the woman had been in perfect health, had been full of life and wonderful right up until a young Inu Yasha had found her cold body. It was around this time that Sesshomaru first began to suspect something was amiss in the castle, that there was a threat from within. It was from that very suspicion that the need to protect his younger brother had hit home for Sesshomaru.
As if this new problem wasn't enough, Lord Momaru had begun drinking again. The elder youkai had retreated into his room again to mourn, though this time he went with land dispute forms, treasury records, new castle defenses, etc. And also a lot of alcohol, his favorite companion after women. Though Sesshomaru took the former as a good sign and a definite improvement over the liquor, the pale youkai was not foolish enough to think that he was too old for Momaru to prey on while the Demon Lord was in a drunken fantasy. It was during one of Momaru's intoxicated moments that Sesshomaru decided to get Inu Yasha the hell out of the castle.
The hanyou child had been recovering from his mother's death faster than Sesshomaru had anticipated though the child still had the habit of sneaking into Sesshomaru's den at night. The pale youkai didn't mind it, though he probably should have. Everyone in the castle snubbed Inu Yasha now that Lady Yui was gone and Lord Momaru seemed to be ignoring the child. Only Sesshomaru appeared to be the one paying attention to or caring for his little brother at all.
During one of Inu Yasha's nightly excursions to Sesshomaru's room, the little boy had run into Momaru wandering the hall. Sesshomaru had been up late that evening and on a whim, opened his door to check for his brother. After silently opening the door, he had spotted the pair near the passage that led to Momaru's wing of rooms.
"Inu Yasha," Momaru had slurred while his youngest son grimaced at the smell of his father. "What are you doing exploring this late?"
The hanyou, now a little taller and tailless, had hidden behind the pillow he carried. His white hair was ruffled by his ears, the furry triangles tracking the noises echoing in the vast hallway. "Nothing." His voice was hesitant and unsure- Inu Yasha hadn't really figured out how to deal with his drunken father yet. "Going to see Sesshou."
"Well," Momaru said, waving an arm expansively. "I'm sure that Sesshou is busy. I'll take you back to your room."
Standing in his doorway, Sesshomaru felt a stir of alarm run through him. He began walking down the hall, as silent as a shadow, to stop the unfolding events and protect his little brother.
Momaru stopped, gazing down at his youngest son with a thoughtful expression. He reached out and caressed his son's cheek. Inu Yasha fidgeted and clutched his pillow tighter, fighting the instinct to growl at the suddenly threatening presence of his father.
"You know you look more and more like your mother everyday Inu Yasha." Momaru said at last and began to herd the hanyou back the way he had come. The dog demon simply started walking, barring any path of escape for Inu Yasha and forcing the child to back up repeatedly. "Why don't you and I go spend some time together? I know I've been neglecting you."
To this Inu Yasha was unsure. On one hand he wanted to spend time with father (something he hadn't done in a very long time). On the other hand, there was something in Momaru's voice, a look in his father's eye that made his instincts want to take over. Something that screamed danger….
"Inu Yasha!" Sesshomaru said, catching up to his brother and sire. The prince bowed politely to Momaru when the elder youkai looked at him in surprise. "Ah, Father. I'm glad you were the reason he has not appeared- I was beginning to worry over his welfare." Sesshomaru picked up Inu Yasha as soon as the hanyou was within reach, holding the child close to his chest and wrapping his tail around him. Though Sesshomaru remained polite and respectful to his sire, the display could not be misinterpreted: Sesshomaru was protecting his baby brother, would protect him even from their father.
"Yes," Momaru said, blinking his narrowed eyes. "He said you two had business together. How odd considering the late hour." Suspicion and a thin thread of anger entered the Demon Lord's voice as he watched Sesshomaru run a hand through Inu Yasha's pale hair.
"Indeed Sire." Sesshomaru bowed, still holding Inu Yasha against his chest. "Many disputes have arisen and I have had to deal with them during the day. Night is the only time Inu Yasha and I get to talk with each other. We are brothers, after all." Sesshomaru straightened and looked his father right in the eye. "Brothers should always spare time for each other just as they should help each other in times of need."
Momaru tilted his head backward, making him appear arrogant and haughty. "That is true son, but fathers and sons should also spend a spare moment with each other to stay in touch."
Sesshomaru nodded and began moving slowly to one side of his father to get access to the hallway. "Wise words, my sire. Quality time is important, but only when both parties are fit for it." Sesshomaru inclined his head at his father, his amber eyes narrowed. "Inu Yasha is but a pup. He should not be exposed to alcohol or the behavior it elicits. Besides," Sesshomaru began walking backwards down the hall toward his den and away from his intoxicated brooding father. "Did you not say yourself that the hour is late? All pups should be curled up in bed and Inu Yasha is a child." The pale youkai paused, unsure of how his drunken father would react to such logic.
Momaru watched his sons, nodded, and continued his walk up the hallway, back toward his own chambers. Sesshomaru waited until his sire was out of sight and then hurried down the hall to his own den. Inside the room, Sesshomaru placed Inu Yasha on the bed and shed his own clothing, pulling on a sleeping robe in their place. Inu Yasha watched his brother leap up onto the bed, curling against his big brother when Sesshomaru had slid under the covers.
"Sesshou," the hanyou asked quietly. "What was wrong with Father?"
"Our father is dead, Inu-chan." Sesshomaru replied, voice equally soft. "He was replaced with a stranger who is only our sire." The pale youkai hugged his younger brother close, curling his tail around the small body.
"Oh," the hanyou responded, not fully understanding his brother's cryptic statement. "Is Father with my mother?" Inu Yasha rose up, moving until he could look down onto his elder brother's face.
"I do not know." Sesshomaru sighed as he looked up into Inu Yasha's golden orbs. "I hope that that man is with both our mothers and that all are happy." Inu Yasha nodded after a while, not fully satisfied with the answer, but not wholly unsatisfied with it either.
"Inu Yasha," Sesshomaru said suddenly and the hanyou could sense that his brother had come to a difficult decision. "Inu-chan, you have to leave."
The hanyou's jaw dropped and he let out a small sound of surprise and abandonment before speaking. "Sesshou no! No!" He started to cry. "Don't send me away! Don't you love me anymore?"
Strong arms grabbed the hanyou and pinned him against a warm chest. A soft tail and satiny strands added to the hug as Sesshomaru turned on his side and wrapped his entire body around his sobbing brother. "You have to go. It's not safe here, little one. You have to leave the castle." Sesshomaru hugged Inu Yasha tight enough that the hanyou couldn't move and could barely breathe. "Your father is dead. Your family ties are gone. You and I are enemies now, not brothers. We will fight as such and live as such."
Inu Yasha began to struggle and Sesshomaru removed one hand enough to line it up for a strike. The little hanyou kept fighting, kept pleading not to be sent away. The words were garbled and ran together to make no sense; even though, Sesshomaru still got the jist of them. When Sesshomaru finally struck, it felt as if his hand was not his own- as if a stranger had temporarily taken over because Sesshomaru couldn't hurt his brother cold turkey.
Sesshomaru struck the back of Inu Yasha's neck swiftly because drawing it out would only make both of them suffer. The hanyou stopped fighting immediately and went limp, lying against his brother as only the unconscious could. The pale youkai hugged his now unconscious brother close and let poison flow through his free hand; using a small amount would do. With a heavy heart, Sesshomaru held his limp brother and flexed his free hand. Watching the dark stripes crawl up his arm, Sesshomaru felt as if a dark destiny were crystallizing before his eyes. If that was his fate, then so be it. Sesshomaru would mourn the loss of such a close relationship with his brother, but if it would keep Inu Yasha alive then so be it. Sesshomaru let a small amount of poison fill his claws. The pale youkai hugged Inu Yasha's body tighter and kissed the pale head. For the best, he thought.
He pricked Inu Yasha gently, letting the small dose of toxic fluid do its job and keep the hanyou asleep. The pale youkai turned on his side and curled around the slightly colder hanyou tightly, enjoying the last few hours of their brotherly relationship. When next they met they would be enemies; Sesshomaru was going to make sure of that. He kissed the top of Inu Yasha's head again, taking a small measure of comfort from the drugged sleeper.
The next afternoon, Sesshomaru and Inu Yasha went out for a walk. Well, that's a bit inaccurate; Sesshomaru walked and simply carried the recovering hanyou out into the surrounding area of the castle proper. The youkai kept walking, ignoring his brother's slow questions as to what was going on. When they were miles from home and Inu Yasha was more alert, Sesshomaru stopped and set him on the ground. Sesshomaru had taken a winding path, moving through territory that Inu Yasha had never been in. Flowers and fragrant trees surrounding the two made it impossible to tell where the castle was by scent.
Inu Yasha looked up at his brother and frowned. Sesshomaru looked back at the belligerent gaze with cold, merciless eyes. The pale youkai looked down at the pale figure before him, so unlike the dark haired and tailed child he had constantly been pestered by. The other traits had disappeared a week or so ago after a meeting between Momaru and the hanyou. Inu Yasha had been confused and sleepy for a day or two afterward, his more youkai traits disappearing within that time frame. Inu Yasha had been clingy afterward; constantly holding on to Sesshomaru as if the youkai was a lifeline- Momaru had again retreated to his room with his beloved alcohol. Sesshomaru looked down at his little brother and sighed internally, hardly recognizing his brother.
"Run." Sesshomaru said, his voice as empty as a winter sky. "You are not my brother, no relation to me at all. You are a mongrel and should never have been born."
Inu Yasha's face drained of all color, tears gathering in his golden eyes. He stood his ground though, not backing down even when Sesshomaru growled threateningly.
"Run!" Sesshomaru roared, his voice deepening as his eyes bled red. The stripes on his face stood out as his face elongated. The dog demon began to shift into his giant form and Inu Yasha became afraid. "Run!" Sesshomaru screamed as he took his new form. Inu Yasha obeyed, bolting through the underbrush as fast as he could go. Behind him, Sesshomaru howled loudly- the howl used when on a hunt; the howl of bloodlust. Inu Yasha ran faster in sheer terror while Sesshomaru snapped at his heels.
Sesshou had never really admitted how much it had hurt him to drive his baby brother away. Not to anyone, not even to himself. It was possible of course that he would never have known how much it had hurt if recent events had never come to pass. The thought made the pale youkai pause and follow that thought. Though it was pointless to mull over the 'what ifs' of reality, Sesshou found himself doing it now. If Kagome had never met his brother, if court subterfuge had never touched the Dog Clan, if Momiji had never become the Guardian of the Western Lands…
Sesshou blinked. Even though Momiji had been the first Guardian, the pale youkai thought of Taomaru. In fact, the wolf dog was now synonymous with the position and was who Sesshou thought of first when on the subject. Well, Taomaru and Kagome. The miko was doing a hell of a job playing Guardian, more so than Tao had been so far. It was odd; the more Kagome exercised more Guardianish powers, the more normal Tao seemed to become... Almost as if they were switching roles.
"Sesshomaru?" Taomaru's voice jolted the pale youkai out of his thoughts. Sesshomaru sat up, reluctantly leaving the warmth of Kagome's sleeping form. He must have looked as awful as he felt because Taomaru paused in his walk to the bed, looking at his nephew in concern.
"What?" Sesshomaru said grumpily.
"Gods, you look beat." Taomaru said bluntly. "Go back to sleep."
Sesshomaru frowned and climbed to his feet. "Did you have a purpose for bothering me?" The pale youkai pulled the mussed blankets higher over Kagome and Inu Yasha and crossed the room to his uncle. Sesshomaru tucked stray locks behind his ears and scowled at the wolf dog.
"You were protecting Inu Yasha when you sent him away." Taomaru said, positive that this was the case. His surety was confirmed when Sesshomaru's scowl deepened- the pale youkai did not want to talk about this.
"Away, vampire." Sesshomaru hissed and walked out the door. Taomaru followed him out and the pale youkai shut the door. Sesshomaru looked at the floor while Taomaru walked nearly to the opposite wall, putting ample space between them both.
"Vampire?" Taomaru arched a quizzical brow at this. "Why am I a vampire?" The wolf dog's tail twitched and his bronze eye began to change to orange with the beginnings of alarm. Something was amiss with Sesshomaru, something that apparently just occurred- or an idea that had just reached boiling point.
"There is something between you and Kagome." Sesshomaru stated, looking up but looking away from his uncle. Taomaru again had the sense that there was something off with his nephew, something that wasn't allowing the young dog demon to think straight. The wolf dog tried a more mental avenue, prodding lightly at Sesshomaru's mind through the bond Kagome shared with the two of them. It wasn't that Sesshomaru was being irrational, it was more… Taomaru continued to attempt an explanation as his nephew lurched forward.
Full blown alarm sang though the wolf dog. "Sesshomaru stop." Taomaru said, moving forward and looking directly into Sesshomaru's face. The instinct to pick Sesshomaru up and tuck him into bed washed over the elder youkai and he fought it off with difficulty- Taomaru didn't even think he'd be able to get close to Sesshomaru as he watched the pale youkai in concern.
The wolf dog had every right to be concerned- Sesshomaru looked ill. Though the pale youkai didn't seem to be paying it any heed, his face was flushed as sweat beaded on his skin and matted his hair flat to his head. The pale youkai's muscles-what could be seen- were corded so tightly that Taomaru was surprised his nephew could even move. Simply standing there seemed to be so taxing that Taomaru couldn't imagine how the pale youkai could walk at all. Sesshomaru moved forward unsteadily, walking forward toward Taomaru.
And that brought up another point: while Taomaru was having no problem walking within the hall, Sesshomaru looked as if he were moving against a solid wall- or fighting against a barrier holding him back. Heat rolled off Sesshomaru's skin, making Taomaru's fur curl. In short, Taomaru's nephew looked ill but determined to make it away from his den and the couple inside it.
"Taomaru," Sesshomaru growled, his voice sounding like the youkai had been chewing on crushed glass. "What bond lies between you and Kagome? What bond allows you to use her energy to live?"
Taomaru's jaw dropped, his eye bright yellow-orange in alarm and confusion. "What? I don't know-" Sesshomaru snarled at his uncle, the air crackling around him.
"The bond between you and Kagome is not a mating bond!" He roared and slowed in his stride, swaying on his feet. "Your bond with her is different! Older somehow, more ingrained." Sesshomaru stopped and glared at his uncle, picking Taomaru up by his kimono. Sesshomaru shook his uncle, tossing aside any deference toward the elder youkai. Sesshomaru shook Taomaru roughly as he held him high in the air, snarling his conclusions into the dark youkai's face.
"You can draw on her power- use it to make yourself mobile. Kagome's power is keeping you alive, allowing you abilities that you have never shown before. Her power is affecting the entire castle, giving Momiji more power to interact with the environment. You can link with Kagome and, through her, link with both Inu Yasha and I. While the three of us can link with each other, you can link with her and only her! In a way, Kagome is slowly replacing you as guardian and if that happens, she will replace you in death!"
Sesshomaru threw Taomaru from him, watching the other youkai slam into the wall. "Your bond is different," Sesshomaru stated again, his eyes refusing to focus on his surroundings. "And if you do not begin explaining it, I will kill you where you stand." The threat would have had more impact if the Demon Lord didn't look like he himself was at death's door.
Taomaru stood, moving slowly and quietly, watching his disoriented nephew trying to find him with dull senses. The pale youkai's eyes were unfocused, slightly cloudy, a film of sweat covering him. The elder youkai was unharmed, any bruises already healing, and was extremely concerned about his nephew; Sesshomaru wasn't healthy at the moment and there was no outside force triggering his sudden distress. As Taomaru watched, Sesshomaru looked at him and took an unsteady step forward. Sesshomaru managed another before his eyes shut and he keeled to one side. Taomaru caught him before the pale youkai could hit the floor, picking up the unconscious youngster and carrying him across the hallway with no problems.
Notes: Okay, there was no real place to break this cleanly so I'm sorry if the end of this chapter is a bit abrupt. When I write, I don't write a story in chapter form so one scene will more often than not flow right into another scene which in turn will flow into something else. I hope the chapter was long enough to satisfy everyone and that the end does give everyone a little food for thought, just as the content of this chapter solved another piece of the puzzle of the plot of this mess.
::laughs:: There's still more coming so no one freak out yet- that'll come later when this Part is over and everyone has to wait until I'm done editing Part 4. Speaking of which, I'm still working on the ending- a tougher job than you may think considering the precedent I've set. ::Pulls at hair:: ARRRG! Is there any other author out there who's good with battle scenes?! Hey Telos… you still around?