Inu marched toward Kyumio just after the sun had set, humming a little to himself. It had been a day full of mixed emotions. Fear of being alone and away from Seth, pride that Seth was confident enough in his ability to fend for himself to let him go own his own, happiness that he had managed to catch a few fish and a bird, disappointment that he hadn't been able to catch a rabbit. But all in all, it had been a fairly good day.
Inu abruptly stopped humming and sniffed the air. He smelled smoke.
His heart dropped to his feet and he lurched into a run, dropping his bags without a thought. His mind raced with thoughts.
Seth's fine. Nothing could have happened to him. He's too strong. He's going to laugh at me for this. I know he's alright. He wouldn't let anything happen to himself. He's not weak, like me. He's fine. He can't be hurt. He wouldn't leave me...
Inu gasped and came to a dead halt as he neared the village. The whole thing was ablaze, the fires so bright it looked like sunset. Bodies were strewn through the streets, some burned, others just ripped apart. No one was crying, no one was screaming, no one was breathing. The silence filled Inu, causing a blackened hole inside him.
All he could think was.
NonononoAllalone,socold,allalonepleasenoCan'tbealonecoldSethdon'tleavenonono
Inu was running before he knew he was moving, searching for Seth, praying to see him standing there, a smirk one his face as if to say, "I knew where you were the whole time, what took you so long to find me?"
Inu ran up and down every street in the village, his young mind wrapped too tightly to take in most of what he saw. Sometimes a flash of fire, or a splatter of blood would make it into his conscious thought, but that was all.
Until he recognized the purple of Seth's clothes. Inu dream-like state, he was a Seth's side before he was even aware of it. Tenderly, he turned him over.
Seth's face was relaxed and peaceful, had it not been for the fact that his chest was covered in blood, he would have looked to be sleeping. Inu knelt next to Seth, drawing the broken body up to himself. His eyes clouded over and he saw nothing, tears streamed down his face unnoticed.
It was not until he heard the snapping of a branch behind him that he came back, with a startled gasp, and whirled around. He turned and looked around, something inside of him making him look up into a tree. There, he saw the glimmer of something a the tiniest bit of movement.
"Show yourself!" Inu barked while inside he was shaking in fear. It took so long for the person to jump out of the tree that Inu thought for a moment he had refused. What he saw was a dog-demon, his white-silver hair flowing around him as he stood passively in front of the destruction. He seemed to glow with power.
"Who are you?" Inu asked. The person paused, then stated slowly.
"Sesshomaru."
Inu felt nothing even as his mind screamed Brother! Inu felt nothing, so he ignored his mind's persistent nagging that this was his only family left. It wasn't. Seth had been his only family.
"Did you do this?" Inu asked, his voice devoid of emotion. If Inu had been looking up he would have seen surprise mingled with sadness on Sesshomaru's face, but he was staring at Seth's body, as though he could will it to life.
"Yes," Sesshomaru answered softly after a long period of time. Inu nearly leapt off the ground at the same time he clutched Seth's body tightly to his chest. Inu saw red.
"I hate you!" Inu nearly roared, "I'll kill you! I'll find you and I'll kill you and I'll never forgive you for this! I hate you! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!!!" Inu screamed as tears ran brokenly down his face.
If his vision had not been so clouded with, maybe Inu would have seen the pain that laced through Sesshomaru's being, sinking into every bone, every fiber, until it all but consumed him.
But no one except Inu would have ever been able to see that from the outside, and now that Inu hated him, no one ever would again.
Belatedly, Sesshomaru realized that Inu would stay with the body forever if he could, and Sesshomaru didn't want Inu to be there when the scavenger demons arrived to pick at the corpses in the morning. He also realized the only course of action that he could take without giving away his secret. He tried telling himself it shouldn't matter what he did now that Inu hated him, but it didn't help.
"Little Inu Yasha," Sesshomaru chanted, "I think it's time for a little game of cat and mouse."
Inu had barely looked up again when Sesshomaru attacked, aiming his claws just inches in front of Inu's face, so that Inu was forced to let go of the body and jump back. On his feet before Sesshomaru could attack again, Inu stood in a defensive stance for a second, his eyes darting from Sesshomaru back to the body as if trying to find a way to take the body with him. Sesshomaru lunged at him, missing, and Inu made a mad dash for the forest.
Sesshomaru followed Inu as he ran desperately, it wasn't hard for him to keep up with the younger demon, but he made sure Inu only saw him now and again so that Inu thought he was losing him. It also kept Inu from turning back and trying to get Seth's body again. Sesshomaru wasn't sure what Inu would do with it, but he didn't want to find out.
It was hours before Inu felt that he had totally lost Sesshomaru and Inu was almost too exhausted find himself a cave and drag himself in it. But he did manage to find one, though a lot larger than he would have like, and was asleep the moment he hit the ground.
Outside, Sesshomaru watched over the cave from a limb.
That night, Inu had a horrible nightmare about Seth's death. Everything that he hadn't seen before he saw in it's full glory then. The bodies, the blood, the gaping hole in Seth's chest. Inu was screaming by the time the dream ended.
Then suddenly Inu was dreaming agin, and Seth was there, whispering to him, telling him everything he had wanted to hear. Seth told him that he loved him, that he would always be there, and that he would always watch over him, even if Inu couldn't see him. He said that Inu would never have to be alone again. Inu tried to open his eyes and look at Seth, to tell him how glad he was that he was back, but some force held him still. Inu contented himself to returning to a dreamless sleep while Seth murmured words of comfort.
Sesshomaru wanted to cry as he returned to his tree branch. All the pain he had caused his little brother, all the hurt and fear, was it really worth it. Sesshomaru fell asleep in the tree that night with a heavy hear.
And Inu never knew that while he slept, a man with white hair watched over him, never daring to get near, but never going very far. And Sesshomaru never forgot his promise to protect Inu and he did that the only way he knew how; by watching from the background, by helping Inu in little ways never making his presence known, and by making Inu hate him.
Inu abruptly stopped humming and sniffed the air. He smelled smoke.
His heart dropped to his feet and he lurched into a run, dropping his bags without a thought. His mind raced with thoughts.
Seth's fine. Nothing could have happened to him. He's too strong. He's going to laugh at me for this. I know he's alright. He wouldn't let anything happen to himself. He's not weak, like me. He's fine. He can't be hurt. He wouldn't leave me...
Inu gasped and came to a dead halt as he neared the village. The whole thing was ablaze, the fires so bright it looked like sunset. Bodies were strewn through the streets, some burned, others just ripped apart. No one was crying, no one was screaming, no one was breathing. The silence filled Inu, causing a blackened hole inside him.
All he could think was.
NonononoAllalone,socold,allalonepleasenoCan'tbealonecoldSethdon'tleavenonono
Inu was running before he knew he was moving, searching for Seth, praying to see him standing there, a smirk one his face as if to say, "I knew where you were the whole time, what took you so long to find me?"
Inu ran up and down every street in the village, his young mind wrapped too tightly to take in most of what he saw. Sometimes a flash of fire, or a splatter of blood would make it into his conscious thought, but that was all.
Until he recognized the purple of Seth's clothes. Inu dream-like state, he was a Seth's side before he was even aware of it. Tenderly, he turned him over.
Seth's face was relaxed and peaceful, had it not been for the fact that his chest was covered in blood, he would have looked to be sleeping. Inu knelt next to Seth, drawing the broken body up to himself. His eyes clouded over and he saw nothing, tears streamed down his face unnoticed.
It was not until he heard the snapping of a branch behind him that he came back, with a startled gasp, and whirled around. He turned and looked around, something inside of him making him look up into a tree. There, he saw the glimmer of something a the tiniest bit of movement.
"Show yourself!" Inu barked while inside he was shaking in fear. It took so long for the person to jump out of the tree that Inu thought for a moment he had refused. What he saw was a dog-demon, his white-silver hair flowing around him as he stood passively in front of the destruction. He seemed to glow with power.
"Who are you?" Inu asked. The person paused, then stated slowly.
"Sesshomaru."
Inu felt nothing even as his mind screamed Brother! Inu felt nothing, so he ignored his mind's persistent nagging that this was his only family left. It wasn't. Seth had been his only family.
"Did you do this?" Inu asked, his voice devoid of emotion. If Inu had been looking up he would have seen surprise mingled with sadness on Sesshomaru's face, but he was staring at Seth's body, as though he could will it to life.
"Yes," Sesshomaru answered softly after a long period of time. Inu nearly leapt off the ground at the same time he clutched Seth's body tightly to his chest. Inu saw red.
"I hate you!" Inu nearly roared, "I'll kill you! I'll find you and I'll kill you and I'll never forgive you for this! I hate you! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!!!" Inu screamed as tears ran brokenly down his face.
If his vision had not been so clouded with, maybe Inu would have seen the pain that laced through Sesshomaru's being, sinking into every bone, every fiber, until it all but consumed him.
But no one except Inu would have ever been able to see that from the outside, and now that Inu hated him, no one ever would again.
Belatedly, Sesshomaru realized that Inu would stay with the body forever if he could, and Sesshomaru didn't want Inu to be there when the scavenger demons arrived to pick at the corpses in the morning. He also realized the only course of action that he could take without giving away his secret. He tried telling himself it shouldn't matter what he did now that Inu hated him, but it didn't help.
"Little Inu Yasha," Sesshomaru chanted, "I think it's time for a little game of cat and mouse."
Inu had barely looked up again when Sesshomaru attacked, aiming his claws just inches in front of Inu's face, so that Inu was forced to let go of the body and jump back. On his feet before Sesshomaru could attack again, Inu stood in a defensive stance for a second, his eyes darting from Sesshomaru back to the body as if trying to find a way to take the body with him. Sesshomaru lunged at him, missing, and Inu made a mad dash for the forest.
Sesshomaru followed Inu as he ran desperately, it wasn't hard for him to keep up with the younger demon, but he made sure Inu only saw him now and again so that Inu thought he was losing him. It also kept Inu from turning back and trying to get Seth's body again. Sesshomaru wasn't sure what Inu would do with it, but he didn't want to find out.
It was hours before Inu felt that he had totally lost Sesshomaru and Inu was almost too exhausted find himself a cave and drag himself in it. But he did manage to find one, though a lot larger than he would have like, and was asleep the moment he hit the ground.
Outside, Sesshomaru watched over the cave from a limb.
That night, Inu had a horrible nightmare about Seth's death. Everything that he hadn't seen before he saw in it's full glory then. The bodies, the blood, the gaping hole in Seth's chest. Inu was screaming by the time the dream ended.
Then suddenly Inu was dreaming agin, and Seth was there, whispering to him, telling him everything he had wanted to hear. Seth told him that he loved him, that he would always be there, and that he would always watch over him, even if Inu couldn't see him. He said that Inu would never have to be alone again. Inu tried to open his eyes and look at Seth, to tell him how glad he was that he was back, but some force held him still. Inu contented himself to returning to a dreamless sleep while Seth murmured words of comfort.
Sesshomaru wanted to cry as he returned to his tree branch. All the pain he had caused his little brother, all the hurt and fear, was it really worth it. Sesshomaru fell asleep in the tree that night with a heavy hear.
And Inu never knew that while he slept, a man with white hair watched over him, never daring to get near, but never going very far. And Sesshomaru never forgot his promise to protect Inu and he did that the only way he knew how; by watching from the background, by helping Inu in little ways never making his presence known, and by making Inu hate him.