Chapter Sixteen

Brothers

Inuyasha awoke to find himself staring at a familiar ceiling.  Why is it that the entire time I've been here, I've been injured in some way? He thought, sitting up.  His stomach was bandaged, but his body was nearly healed, though it was taking longer than an ordinary wound.  The poison in the whip was a little more difficult for his body to take care of.  Fortunately, this wasn't the first time he'd been poisoned, so he'd built up a somewhat weak immunity towards it.

"Ah, you are awake," Kimiko said, entering the room.  "Your wound is healing nicely.  You should be able to go out some time later today."

"Is the village ok?" Inuyasha asked as she knelt beside him.

"It is the same as it was before your aniki arrived.  I have not seen him since he departed, though I can feel his youki nearby."

"Good," Inuyasha sighed.  Sesshoumaru kept his word.  He didn't harm the village.

"You didn't tell me you had any family, Inuyasha," Kimiko said as she began unwrapping his wound.  "You mentioned children, but none other than that."

"Eh, Sesshoumaru's nothing to talk about, really," Inuyasha huffed.  "He's got his way of things, and I've got mine, and the two rarely go together."

"He is a true youkai."

Inuyasha lowered his eyes.  "Yeah."

"His name, Sesshoumaru is it?  I think I've heard it before."

"Your village is in his lands.  He likes to be known."

Kimiko began wrapping new bandages around Inuyasha's torso.  "I take it the two of you don't get along?"

Inuyasha shrugged.  "Eh, he's ok.  Better than he used to be.  At least he's not purposely trying to kill me anymore.  Now he's just accidentally poisoning me."

Kimiko smiled.  "I'll let you rest now.  You should be ok soon."

She walked out, and Inuyasha crossed his arms behind his head and laid back.  What have you come for this time, aniki? He thought.  There isn't anything between us anymore.  What do you want?

All too well, the hanyou remembered the insults and near fatal injuries he'd suffered in past meetings with his youkai brother.  Rarely had Sesshoumaru been injured; true, he had lost his arm, and had suffered the bite of the Kaze no Kizu, but that hardly made up for all he had done to Inuyasha.

"You and I are simply not in the same class.  You dirty little hanyou!"

Sesshoumaru's words rang in his memory loud and clear.  All his life he'd been insulted, yelled at, hurt, and nearly killed simply because of what he was.  Fifty years ago, when Kagome had still been alive, Inuyasha would not have hesitated to destroy his brother for all the pain he had caused him.  But now…

…Now things have changed, he thought.  Sesshoumaru doesn't fight me anymore.  He acts like none of that ever happened between us.

Inuyasha had been startled, to say the least, when the youkai had come to him and requested his company.  He didn't know why he'd agreed; every part of him screamed it was a deception, but still he had gone with his brother, and had found out many surprising things about Sesshoumaru that he had never known.  To say they had grown close would be a great exaggeration; it was more as if they'd found a sort of peace together after all the years of spite and hatred.

And then that stupid female came into his life, Inuyasha thought angrily.  Sesshoumaru's youkai mate had loathed him, taking every chance she got to taunt him and tell him how worthless he was.  She was the subject of many bad memories, one of which surfaced in his mind.

~*~Flashback~*~

Inuyasha ran.

How long he had been running, he did not know.  His sides ached; his lungs burned.  His bare feet were torn bloody from sticks, rocks, and other sharp objects on the forest ground.  He was near collapsing, but still, he ran.

Had it been any other night of the month, those simple things would not have mattered.  He would not be out of breath, nor would his feet be sore.  He wouldn't have even been on the ground; instead he would be flying through the trees at a much faster pace than he was currently running.  But tonight was the first night of the month, and the human Inuyasha was unable to do such things.

He'd been annoyed earlier that evening when Sesshoumaru had departed, saying there was a suspicious smell in his lands that he had to investigate.  Even on normal nights, Inuyasha didn't like being left alone with that woman, for the moment her mate was gone she would start the name calling, and would try and provoke him into fighting her.  A wicked woman she was; Inuyasha hated her.

When his brother had departed before sundown, the hanyou had hidden himself away in a dark, older section of the castle that was unused.  Sesshoumaru knew of his human secret; it was that female he was worried about, and without his brother there to keep her in her place, Inuyasha didn't want to find out what she would do if she found him as a human.

Soon after his transformation, she had come looking for him.  His changed human scent had confused her at first, but her inu youkai nose was keen, and he'd soon been discovered, as well as his secret.

She had laughed at him; laughed and laughed until he thought for a moment that she's just keep laughing and he'd get off easy.  But then, she had given him a wicked grin, and told him to run.  If he didn't, she said, she'd slay him right there.  So he had run, and she had pursued like a predator hunting its prey.

Inuyasha knew what she was doing.  After all, he'd been the predator before, laughing as some weak animal ran from him, and eventually collapsed, unable to run any farther.  He knew what it felt like to be a predator.  But he was the prey this time, and she would hunt him until he fell from exhaustion.

The idea of fighting her was insane.  In his normal form, she would be no problem, but as a human he had no chance.  His brother had chosen a strong mate, and she could destroy him with barely an effort in his weakened state.

So now he ran, and hours of night went by.  He cursed his weak human blood, his exhausted body, everything about him that had brought him into this situation.  He was furious at his inability to do anything.  His legs shook; he couldn't go much farther, but if he stopped, she would kill him.

Inuyasha could hear her following him.  He could hear her laughter every time he stumbled, could hear every insult she flung at him as she tirelessly pursued her prey.  Part of him wondered where the heck his brother was at that moment; he should be there to restrain his woman instead of off wherever he was.

Finally, his legs collapsed, and he lay panting and cursing every obscenity he knew.  He heard the woman's footsteps behind him, and then the rustle of cloth.  Looking up, he saw she had drawn her whip.

Her whip was unlike Sesshoumaru's, for it was leather and kept in her clothes rather than poison from fingertips.  Whenever she played with Inuyasha, she used this whip, much like Sesshoumaru had when they had long ago been enemies.

She flicked her wrist, and the whip cracked across Inuyasha's back, causing him to cry out as his clothing tore.  Pushing himself to his knees, he tried to crawl away, but was sent to the ground as the burning pain lashed across his back once more.

"You stupid, stupid, hanyou," she practically purred.  "You lie helpless in that weak human body, and are completely at my mercy."

Lifting his head, he glared daggers at her.  "Just kill me," he growled.  "Nothing's stopping you."

"Oh, but what shall I tell your aniki?" she asked sweetly.  Then, she gave him a deadly smile.  "I'll just have to say that you tried to leave his castle as a human, and were attacked during your flight."  The whip cracked over him again, and he felt blood running down his back.  "How does that sound, hanyou?"

Looking up into her face, his dark brown eyes were full of poison.  "Burn in hell."

The woman returned her whip to her clothing, and cracked her knuckles.  "You first."

She flung a powerful attack at him, and he closed his eyes.  A moment later, when nothing touched him, he opened them again, and was shocked to see white hakama, though somewhat torn, in front of him.

"A…aniki…" he stammered.  Sesshoumaru ignored him, instead focusing his intense gaze on the woman who was supposed to be his mate.

"Se…Sesshoumaru!" she exclaimed, startled.

"You have overstepped your bounds," he said darkly.  "This Sesshoumaru cannot ignore this night."

Fearfully, she bowed her head deeply.  "Please forgive me, Sesshoumaru…"

"If you were not carrying my heir, I would dispose of you right here," he interrupted.  "But let it be known, that if you attempt such a thing again, child or no child, I will kill you."

She took a step back.  "Y…yes…Sesshoumaru-sama…"

"Return to my castle, and do not depart from your chambers until I come to you."

"But…Sesshou…"

"I am your lord, and you will do exactly what I say.  Now you will return, and you will remain, is that clear?"

Bowing her head again, she softly said, "Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama."

When she had gone, Sesshoumaru turned his head.  "Can you walk, Inuyasha?"

"If I could would I be lying here?" the hanyou spat, looking altogether ticked and very frustrated.

When Sesshoumaru turned, Inuyasha's expression changed.  The front of his hakama was torn to shreds, and the white material was stained with blood.  The attack she sent at me, Inuyasha thought.  He took it in my place.

Sesshoumaru knelt beside him, and firmly placed his hand on Inuyasha's waist.  He then effortlessly pulled him up, wrapping his arm around his waist.

"You will have to hold onto me," Sesshoumaru said.  "I have only one arm to hold you."

Inuyasha gripped his brother's armor, and the youkai stood, effortlessly pulling the hanyou to his feet.  Leaning heavily on his brother, Inuyasha stood, and they slowly began to walk back towards the castle.

"Curse this human body," Inuyasha muttered, looking up for any signs of dawn.  "Curse it all to hell."

Sesshoumaru said nothing, but held him strongly, supporting his weight with little effort.  For a long time they walked, and neither said anything.

That night would always remain a memory for both brothers.  Inuyasha's running had taken him far from the castle, and dawn was still hours away.  In the darkness they walked together, Sesshoumaru with his arm around Inuyasha's waist, and Inuyasha clutching to the youkai's armor.  The hanyou turned human was exhausted; he wanted nothing but to fall asleep, and a few times his eyes closed and he slumped heavily against his brother's side.  Sesshoumaru never said a word; he simply kept his eyes forward and concentrated on getting back home.

The forest began to lighten as they came in sight of the castle, and Inuyasha looked with tired brown eyes up at the coming dawn.

"Stop for a moment," he said a few minutes later, and his brother halted his steps.

"Nande, Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru asked, looking down at him.

"Just, hang on a sec."

Then, he looked up at his brother's face, and Sesshoumaru's eyes widened as he saw Inuyasha's eyes began to glow red.  He felt the swirl of his brother's youki as it returned to him, and watched as his black hair lightened to silver, and his human ears migrated to the top of his head and became pointed dog ears.  Inuyasha's body trembled slightly at the transformation, and Sesshoumaru felt every tremor.

Soon, the glow in the hanyou's eyes faded.  Golden eyes locked onto golden eyes, and Inuyasha released his grip on his brother's armor.

"I can stand on my own now," he said.  Sesshoumaru removed his arm from his waist, and Inuyasha flexed his claws and swiveled his ears slightly, as though readjusting to his real body.

As they walked the remaining short distance to the castle, Sesshoumaru stayed behind, looking at his brother as if he'd never seen him before.  He had seen his youkai form and his human form, but never before had he seen the transformation from human to hanyou.  Remembering how he had found his brother earlier that night, lying beaten and exhausted on the forest floor with black hair framing his face and frightened human eyes, Sesshoumaru for the first time really realized just what his hanyou brother had to go through in his life.

~*~End Flashback~*~

Both brothers had changed that night.  Inuyasha knew he could trust his brother; that night had proved that Sesshoumaru truly did not hate him.  He'd even gone so far as to threaten the woman who carried his child for Inuyasha's sake.

What are you up to, aniki? Inuyasha thought.

*          *          *

A/N – This chapter was an afterthought, written after the rest of the story was completed.  I woke up this morning with that scene in my head of human Inuyasha being attacked and helped by Sesshoumaru, and spent the morning mentally putting this together and then about two hours writing it and making it fit in the story.

            Oh, and about the memory Inuyasha has of Sesshoumaru screaming at him, "You and I are simply not in the same class.  You dirty little hanyou!"  This isn't in the show; it's from manga volume 13, right after Sesshoumaru blinds Inuyasha and before Inuyasha figures out the Kaze no Kizu.