TWINS AND JEWELS
By CrystalBlueSeraph
Disclaimer: I don't own characters and setting from sailormoon and inuyasha.
CHAPTER 2
SIX YEARS LATER-
Within the beautiful forest near the village where the twins were born, about two miles from the shrine, a young man laid half propped against the base of a tree. He looked like a teenager of sixteen years of age, but to this individual and his kind, looks could be deceiving. He was much older than what he seemed to be because he was a hanyou, half man – half youkai.
He was a half dog-youkai, an inuhanyou, very distinguishable because of the white dog-ears sitting on top of his head. He possessed long silver hair and golden eyes, very prominent and specific to those of the inuyoukai royal blood of the Western Lands. His father had the same features and so did his older brother who was the current ruler of the Western Lands, the taiyoukai named Sesshoumaru.
What was he doing just lying around in this particular forest? He grudgingly reasoned he was resting, not that he needed it, because in truth he just wanted to stay away from Sesshoumaru for awhile.
He was in no hurry being in the same room, same presence, with his older brother and resume their earlier discussion this morning, the discussion that lead to a heated argument and the usual squabble, if you call clashing steels and inflicting wounds a squabble.
If not for the disturbance of Sesshoumaru's loyal servant Jaken, and the pressing news the said servant delivered, which needed immediate attention and action, one of them would have been sporting massive injuries right now.
He wouldn't admit it to himself because of his pride, but he was positive that the one who would have sported the injuries would have been him. Sesshoumaru was a full-bloodied youkai after all.
FLASHBACK
"And where have you been...Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru asked in a cold monotone voice, his elegant, beautiful, and flawless face set in boredom. The taunting innuendo within each syllable uttered...pronounced.
He settled himself at the head dinning table to partake needed supplement, patiently waiting for his brother's retort. Humans called it breakfast, but for him it was just a way to replenish and restore much needed energy lost, and to be ready in case some idiotic lowly youkais or other species try to challenge him off of his power and position.
Inuyasha stiffened at his half-brother's tone of voice. 'Feh'. He though disdainfully. He knew well enough that Sesshoumaru knew where he had spent the whole of his afternoon and night passed. 'So what if he doesn't approve?'
"What do you care? It's none of your business anyway." Inuyasha shouted back, eyes burning with anger and indignation as he took a seat by a dinning table far across from where Sesshoumaru had situated, crossing his arms across his chest as a sign of pertinence. It was just as well that they were seated far away from each other.
He refused to look at his brother. His brother who remained narrow minded when it comes to humans. His brother who remained blind on all the advances and accomplishments made by the human species he so disdained. 'He does not understand them... he does not understand me... will never understand me.'
"You reek of her........of a filthy human........Must you taint our family's blood more than it already is by associating your self with such lowly, smelly specie?" Sesshoumaru punctuated the words filthy, lowly, and smelly, his voice slightly increasing in volume at the said words, but his face remained the same, stoic, showing no emotion. Each word was calculated to raise the ire of his, in his opinion, wayward and insolent half-brother.
Inuyasha became furious. He was seething in anger that he just wanted to lounge at his brother and rip off his tongue, 'better yet his whole head' he thought bitterly. But he forced himself to tamper down his temper because he knew that it was what Sesshoumaru wanted him to do, to lose control.
"She is not filthy, or lowly, or smelly." Inuyasha stated in a low calm voice, so unlike the raging storm of anger that needed to be unleashed because of the need to demand retribution from the defiling words uttered by his half-brother. His eyes flashed in challenge at his brother, mentally urging him to take the first move to strike. His hands fisting so hard, turning his knuckled white, breaking skin and drawing blood with his claws that was slightly drawn from the moment he laid his eyes on his brother.
This action did not go unnoticed by his brother. Sesshoumaru smirked mentally, amused by his brother's display of emotion. He frowned for a bit, slightly disappointed that even with all the training his brother had undergone, Inuyasha never learned to conceal his own emotion, shamelessly wearing it at his sleeve, a disadvantage in a state of battle.
"Oh?" With one eyebrow raised slightly, marring his stoic bored face, he continued. "Brother, I think you need to see the healer. There is something definitely wrong with your sense of smell. It is not functioning well." Sesshoumaru taunted, still in a monotone bored voice.
In his mind, he was right. 'Can his idiotic half-brother not smell the scent of decay and sickness humans usually wore around them? Some worst than others because not all of them have any sense of hygiene?' Sesshoumaru thought disgustingly.
He was well aware that the humans he was unfortunate enough to encounter did not often take baths to cleanse themselves off of the dirt and grime and filth which would at least lessen the atrocious odor that seemed to be a permanent part of their very being.And to demons like him with a keen sense of smell, smelling the natural process of cell cycle in humans; cell production, growth and development, and degeneration or decay...mostly decay, was very undesirably inexorable.
Inuyasha had enough. He couldn't hold back the raging urge to strike, fueled by the heat of anger that couldn't be contained within. With an angry cry he lounged at his brother his sword drawn, crashing through his dining table, breaking it in half in the process.
'Another table destroyed. How many has it been?. . . .Too many to count.' Thought Sesshoumaru as he effortlessly dodged his brother's advances who was using their father's fabled sword - Tetsuiga.
Tired from dodging, Sesshoumaru drew out his own sword, Tenseiga, and quickly made a series of trusts and parry, so fluid and precise, Inuyasha had to concentrate very hard on his defense.
Bang! Both brothers suddenly jumped from one another landing on each side of the room, still in a defense position, swords ready to clash once more. Their attention riveted to the green toad youkai who was currently hunched over, gasping for air.
Sesshomaru straightened up, his cold demeanor back in place, waiting for his servant to state the reason for the interruption he caused. He was well aware that the green toad knew not to interrupt him when he was engaged with his brother in such an activity that had just taken place.
"Ses – (huff) shoumaru – (huff) Sama" The said servant intoned while gasping for breath, and after a pause continued, "Something urgent has come up. There is a message for you from the Lord of the Northern Lands. The messenger is waiting just outside the gates. He wanted to give you the message personally, as if this Jaken could not convey it myself." He puffed with indignation at the last part of his speech, slightly hurt that he was not given the task. 'This Jaken can relay an important message, thank you very much.' he thought huffily.
Sesshoumaru turned to his brother. "We will continue this discussion later, Inuyasha." His tone clearly indicated dismissal. And with that, he walked out the door, his silky white kimono billowing out after him as he disappeared through the hall, to meet the messenger waiting outside the gates.
"Feh." Inuyasha muttered with a huff. He placed his sword back in the scabbard that was hanging on the right side of his waist. He was very irritated at the youkai toad right now, but because the said toad was under Sesshoumaru's protection as his retainer, he could not as well kill the toad right in front of its master.
'I'll just go and patrol or something.' He thought. He was in need to do something to release his frustration and anger. 'Maybe, I might get lucky and find an opponent to fight and end its miserable life.' He smirked at that though and left the ruined dinning room.
END OF FLASHBACK
It was already noon. The blazing hot sun was right on top of the forest. But because of the canopy provided by the trees, the temperature in the forest floor remained slightly cool and comfortable.
Inuyasha, with his eyes closed, suddenly went on alert, but didn't move. The only movement that could be seen was the slight twitching of his ears. He heard something approaching. He didn't care though, which was why he was lying down on the forest floor instead of a tree branch away from immediate danger.
'Let it come. I need some action anyway.' He smirked, ready to engage into combat at any given time.
(giggle, giggle) 'Huh?' Inuyasha frowned, 'that sounded like kids laughing.' Still he did not move. He sniffed the air, trying to find out who or what it was that was coming his way. He couldn't figure out what it was because the wind was not cooperating with him at the moment. He really didn't like that prospect but decided to just rely on his hearing.
(pit, pat, giggle, rustle, giggle, pit, pat) 'I think there are two of them. Children from what I could hear. Running children, probably playing around with each other.' 'Should I move and hide?' 'Nah, if they see me, they will just go running back to their home crying 'youkai' or something like that. I'll just stay here.'
'Wait. Why are they in the forest so far from the village?'
'Wait..................why do I care?'
