I'm spitting out these chapters faster than I ever have before!
…Feel lucky. Might never happen again.
~End of Days~
By Alpha-Parvani
My hunt for my half-brother was harder than my search for Kikyo. For some reason, the pains and illness from the bond breaking came back, just as bad as before…if not worse. I hated it, having to stop and rest so much. It took me an insane amount of time just to get a clue as where my brother was.
But I found him. Eventually.
I was sitting in a tree, obeying my body's pleas for a little rest. My muscles ached, my joints sent jolts of pain whenever I moved. I was just starting to drift off into much wanted sleep when I heard a voice.
Jaken.
That toad is just…disgusting. Not only is he ugly, he seems to be simply obsessed with Sesshomaru. Really weird if you ask me.
I slipped out of the tree silently, waiting for the toad to come into view. It didn't take long, he stomped into the clearing, followed by the little girl that Sesshomaru always had with him. I crouched low, then sprang.
I felt inexplicably hungry when I had Jaken pinned under my hands, but I shoved it away. He started wailing for Sesshomaru, causing my ears to flatten against my skull. "Shut up, Toad. Just tell me where your Lord is." Jaken went quiet, then managed to conjure up a half-hearted angry look. "Lord Sesshomaru wouldn't want to see the likes of you!" I dug my claws into his skin. He whimpered and pointed in the direction he had come from.
I glanced that way, meeting the little girl's eyes for a moment. She gasped and stepped back a little. I rolled my eyes, then got up, releasing Jaken for a moment. I stepped on him when he started to get up. "You better not be lying." He shook his head. I sniffed and let him up, leaving the two behind as I leapt into the forest again.
I found Sesshomaru standing on a hill that overlooked the entire forest. I cautiously approached him from behind, wondering if he would attack. His acknowledgement of my presence was shown by the slightest turn of his head. "What do you want, half-breed?" I snarled. "I want to talk."
He turned around quickly to look at me, his eyes showing surprise. Then it was all covered up again with his usual indifferent, cold appearance. "Talk? What of?" I crossed my arms over my chest. "Everything. The Lands, the sword, the fights… I want it all cleared up." He raised one eyebrow before nodding his head a tiny bit and turning back to look out at the forest. I came up to stand beside him, marveling at how we hadn't disagreed and weren't going to fight.
Several minutes of silence followed, until I got edgy and decided to break it. "Sesshomaru…" He looked at me and I met his gaze. "Our fighting needs to stop… We have no reason anymore. I won't give you the Tetsusaiga or the Shikon, and I don't want the lands." I waved my hand, as though I could encompass all of the lands with my fingers. He continued staring at me with no sign of emotion. I sighed heavily and looked away from him. "I'm going to Sleep, Sesshomaru. Kagome broke the Mating." His eyebrows raised. "Sleep? I somehow don't picture you as the type, half-brother." I bowed my head. "I can't even eat, let alone sleep normally. I either ache, or feel like I'm being ripped apart." I looked up at him. My eyes were filled with pain, but I didn't care.
"Why does it hurt so much? Does it ever end?"
Sesshomaru was impassive… then his face and eyes softened slightly. "No. It will fade, but the ache with always remain. Your mother suffered the effects you're going through before she died…" I became worried. 'It could kill me?' As if reading my thoughts, Sesshomaru shook his head. "It won't be the end of you, I'm sure." I sighed softly.
The moment was then shattered. "I cannot follow your requests though. I will still pursue the Tetsusaiga." I wrapped my hand around the hilt of said sword. His gaze dropped down to it. "It rightfully should be mine, Inuyasha. And it eventually will be."
"Over my dead body!"
"That can be arranged."
I found myself rolling down the steep slope of the hill. A group of trees halted my fall painfully. I heard more than felt ribs cracking, shattering with the impact. But Sesshomaru didn't give me time to recover. He lifted me by the front of my haori, bringing me eye level with him. "Give me the sword if you value your life, Inuyasha."
I spat in his face. "Fuck you!"
He threw me to the side. I hit another tree, crying out from the second blow to my already damaged ribcage. This time I managed to get up in time to defend myself. I drew the Tetsusaiga. It went straight into its fang form, glowing faintly. I concentrated as my brother stared at the sword he longed for. 'Come on, come on… Ah ha!' The youki of my brother and my youki collided creating the basis for the attack I wanted.
"Kaze no Kizu!"
The sword sliced through the Wind Scar, sending Sesshomaru's power back at him. His legs bent slightly so he could jump.
It was the first time he was too slow.
The blades hit him head on, sending him into a spin. His face bore no emotion, but in his eyes was shock and horror. Was he afraid that I had won? That this would be the end for him? His fears weren't justified. I wasn't going to kill him. I was merely showing him what I could do.
The effects of the attack faded. The sword became decrepit and rusted again as I slid it into it's sheath. Sesshomaru got to his feet slowly. Scarlet started to bleed into his eyes as his irises turned blue. "Enough, Sesshomaru!" That threw him off. He tilted his head slightly as his fangs and claws grew. "I don't want to fight anymore. I just want to make an agreement." He relaxed slightly, returning to his normal appearance.
"Well, brother?"
"Leave me to Sleep. Let me be for… a long time. I…"
"Finish, half-breed."
"I will give you the sword someday if you accept."
Delicate eyebrows rose a small bit. He contemplated for a moment. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other nervously, afraid of his answer. 'What am I thinking? I…can't just give him the sword…' I bit my bottom lip just as he responded.
"No."
I blinked. "W-What?" He frowned. "No. I will not wait." I snarled, stomping my foot. "You pompous ass! What's your deal? I told you, you could have the sword! Just give me some peace!" He shook his head, silver strands of hair drifting to cover his shoulders. "I have waited long enough. I will take it now." I bared my teeth. "I don't think so." I kicked a stone in his direction. He didn't even flinch as it hit him in the chest. "You can take the Western Lands and shove 'em up your ass, Lord Sesshomaru." I spat his name like it was venom. "You aren't getting my sword."
I turned and left.
He let me go.
I headed back for the village. Along the way, I looked for signs of any of Koga's wolves. After my fourth day of my trek, I found a few of them relaxing. A quick bark let them know of me arrival. They greeted me with wagging tails. For some reason, it seemed to fill a little of the void in my soul. I knelt amid them and rubbed their ears in welcome. "Go home. Tell Koga I'm coming." Their tails wagged faster before they ran off to give their leader my message.
I went back to the village, taking less time to get back then it did to leave for Sesshomaru. The villagers happily greeted me, asking how my journey went. I told them it was fine… then told them I would be leaving. Several of the young women looked crestfallen. I covered up laughter as fast as I could. Shippo came bolting out of our hut, ecstatic at my return. I told him to retrieve our belongings. He nodded eagerly and went back.
After a few small goodbyes, Shippo and I were back on the road. We stopped almost every night, ate heartily, and slept, much to Shippo's pleasure. I found I enjoyed it too.
It took us two uneventful weeks to find Koga's den in the mountains. At the midpoint in the trail up the mountain, I was met with several of Koga's pack members, including his two second-in-commands, Ginta and Hakkaku. They eagerly welcomed me with smiles. I returned the greeting before we went up the rest of the way to the den.
To tell you the truth…
The cave never looked so…so…so much like…
Home.
Koga came to me, looking cold.
I was nervous…until the smile broke out on his face and his eyes showed his excitement at my arrival. His tail gave on short wag. He came up to me and turned to look at the expanse valley his home was in. His left arm was thrown around my shoulder as he spread his other arm to the right.
"Welcome home, Inuyasha."
I was happy.
~~Am I getting sentimental here? I hope not. That would scare me. *grins* Anyway, let me explain a few things.
Yes, I know, Sesshomaru wouldn't typically let Inuyasha just leave. Let's just say he was in shock. The last part. I've always liked the idea of Koga and Inuyasha becoming close friends. So, in this story, they will. Inuyasha is going to stay with them for some time (a few years…) so quite a few upcoming chapters will be about his stay with the wolves. I have an odd question…Should I have Koga and Inuyasha…eh…fall in love? How many people would that bother? Because…well, I'm a yaoi/slash/shounen-ai freak and I think the couple is really neat. Anyway, let me know what your opinion is. If I decide to have them fall in love, it won't be for a while, so you'll have time to change my mind. *smiles*So! *coughs* Let me know what you think! R&R!
~Alpha-Parvani