Nights in White Satin
Chapter Ten: Brother
Written by Sleepwalking Chicken
Written: September 12, 2004
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'Why did I stop her?' Inuyasha asked himself silently, later that night. The sun was a mere thought now and the inu youkai had convinced the schoolgirl to return to the sanctuary of the inn. The man was currently residing atop the roof of Kagome and the other's temporary resting area. He didn't dare show his face for fear of his friends losing their comfort and security.
'I've wanted these off for so long,' he told himself with a frown, 'Why now do I stop her?' His golden eyes narrowed in concentration. Something inside him had told him to hold off, and he didn't know why. His fingers idly played with the beads strung around his neck, the constant reminder of the collar Kagome held around his neck; and when he had the chance to be free from it, he had refused her.
He sat in silence for a moment, thinking about reasons as to why he had rejected his freedom. 'I don't want to believe it,' he told himself with a sigh. 'She said she picked me; she wants to stay with me. But… how can she refuse her family just like that? Surely nothing is worth leaving your family?' His golden eyes closed as he tried to keep from yelling out the insecurity that was welling up inside him like boiling water in a pot. 'If she takes these off and leaves me… I don't know if I could bare it… I need these.' His clawed hands touched the beads tenderly. 'To remind me of her…'
His thoughts fell silent.
'God, I'm such a moron,' he thought to himself with a small scowl, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the horizon. He felt weird staying here. It brought too many memories back and it scared and angered him at the same time. After leaving this accursed place he had vowed that he would never return.
So why was he here?
'The others,' he answered his own question. 'They didn't know. And they won't know.'
His golden eyes closed as he inhaled a deep breath of air. The gentle night breeze caressed his cheeks and brushed his silver hair aside, the strands flying over his shoulders, moving like liquid satin; its sleekness illuminated in the soft nearly nonexistent moonlight. Clawed fingers reached up and touched the hair atop his head and scratched his scalp.
He was bored but couldn't bring himself to sleep. He let out a small sigh, trying to appease the boredom that was slowly consuming him.
'I'm too restless,' he thought with a frown. 'Tomorrow we'll be traveling to the northern territory, overrun with youkai. Whenever I think about that, I feel slightly excited. My blood is itching for a fight.' It didn't come to him as any surprise. When he had first transformed after his Tessaiga broke, he'd been in a mindless bloodlust, searching for something to shred apart. He was the same person now, only more controlled. 'My youkai blood was born to fight, and I'm not answering the call. It's been quiet for a while… and with everything going on, I've been distracted.'
With a graceful leap, the youkai hopped off the roof and onto the ground. He stood up and began walking towards the western side of town, creeping along the shadows so any night owls awake and from their homes would not happen to run into him.
His shadow-hopping lead him to the edge of the village, the sliver of the moon shining incandescent beams of silver light upon the flat ground. Grass reached up and brushed across his shins, the dirt soft beneath him. Inuyasha's golden eyed gaze stared out at the small flat of land, where markers protruded from the dirt and the grass. The stone slabs didn't mean anything special to a passerby's muses. Only those who lived in this village understood.
Inuyasha walked with delicate ease around the grave markers and walked towards a lone slab at the back of the graveyard, its stone face almost touching the forest that surrounded the southern side of the village. The youkai knelt and examined the grave with soft, reminiscing eyes, their golden orbs glowing with a surreal light.
"Mother…" It came out a tiny whisper, his voice lost in the soft night breeze. He blinked his golden eyes and held out a hand, touching the unmarked gravestone. No one had cared to engrave the princess's name. She had been nothing to her people.
Footsteps behind him caused the youkai to pause in his gentle musings and stood up, his back stiff. He turned and eyed the figure walking towards him.
"You shouldn't be out here alone," Miroku greeted as he emerged from the darkness, the moonlight casting a shadow across his face. His staff's rings jingled when the monk came to a halt before him. "Should you not be sleeping, Inuyasha?"
"Obviously I'm not," Inuyasha said.
"Yes, I was too when a strange aura awoke me. Came from this direction, really," Miroku said. He eyed the youkai. "It isn't you." The monk paused and closed his eyes, concentrating. Inuyasha watched him wearily.
After a long pause, the monk turned to the unmarked grave. "It wasn't blessed," he murmured as he gazed at it. He knelt down and examined the grave. "They were not properly buried." The monk seemed amazed and appalled by this information.
Inuyasha turned his gaze away. "They murdered her. They hated her."
"Her then…?" Miroku stood and jabbed his staff into the ground. Raising his hands to in a prayer he bowed his head and mumbled chants. After a long moment between the two men, Miroku stood straight again. "She may rest in peace again."
"Miroku…" the youkai's soft, thankful voice reached the monk and he turned his blue eyes towards his friend. Miroku smiled softly.
"It's what we monks do," he said with a wave of his hand.
Inuyasha stepped forward and lightly touched the grave of his mother. "But… you know… thanks, anyway…" he mumbled, embarrassed.
"Get some sleep, Inuyasha," Miroku said softly and left the youkai in the dead of night.
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The following morning found the group crossing the passage between the two islands. Kagome sat at the bow, staring ahead of her, the light wind caressing her cheeks. She closed her blue orbs and let out a sigh. It felt nice to simply relax in a boat, and not have to walk on her aching feet. She'd been almost everywhere in Japan over the course of her adventures, and despite all this, her feet were always sore when the sun set. Thinking of this, the schoolgirl reached down and lightly touched her foot, massaging the skin near her ankles. Her feet felt swollen and uncomfortable in her shoes. They had grown too small for her, but she was unable to replace them, obviously.
The blue-eyed girl tilted her head to look at her companions, who all seemed relatively relieved to be sitting down instead of walking. Inuyasha rowed the boat slowly, his golden eyes trained ahead, unreadable and lost in thought. Their molten depths flashed in the morning sunlight. His arms were the only things that moved as he dug the paddle into the clear water.
Sango sat near Miroku, though far enough away to discourage any unwanted groping. Though the two had promised to start a family together so long ago, even before they had gotten near destroying Naraku, Sango still didn't appreciate the feel of Miroku's hands upon her backside. At least not in public. Kirara sat snuggled in Sango's lap and Shippou sat at Miroku's feet, trying to keep his mind off the fact he was in water. The little kitsune was still prone to seasickness, and had discovered that as long as he didn't see the water, he was fine.
Kagome smiled lightly at the memory of the first night of the new moon, as they traveled along the water, just the three of them. Shippou had gotten very seasick. And now, he had finally found a way to avoid such illness. Her smiled brought about the attention of a certain youkai, who looked up from his work to glance at her.
His eyes were questioning, wondering what it was she found so amusing. 'Just thinking about the good old days… when it was just you and me…' she thought with a slight bit of sadness. 'And Shippou.' She loved her friends dearly, Miroku and Sango both; but she often looked back at the time when it had simply been her and Inuyasha… the time had been short-lived, but at this time, she often wished those days could come back.
Inuyasha took on a surprised expression before he gently shook his head and went back to what he was doing, which consisted of staring blankly and rowing like there was no tomorrow. Kagome stared in astonishment at his odd behavior. He'd gone from curious to terrified to indifferent in just a few short seconds. That was certainly odd.
Slightly peeved by her youkai's act of behavior, Kagome turned her attention to the front of the boat, where the northern island was drawing closer. "Look, there it is!" she said unnecessarily.
"Wow, that's amazing," Inuyasha said sarcastically, but Kagome noticed him start to paddle faster. Kagome rolled her eyes and smiled brightly.
They were getting closer.
Her grin faded lightly, just barely. They were getting closer… but was that a good thing?
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After reaching the northern island of Hokkaido, Kagome still couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. She had been warned of the powerful demons that resided in this territory, their untamed and wicked hearts running wild amid the branches of the lush trees. Mountains towered high above them, and according to Inuyasha, the smell of hot springs was everywhere. His excellent youkai nose also assured her that no demons were coming towards them, but there was a wind blowing and the smart, wildest youkai could be wise enough to stay downwind of Inuyasha. The youkai wouldn't be able to smell something downwind of him…
Kagome found herself constantly checking over her shoulder for any remote kind of danger, her eyes darting to every branch and every leaf, checking to see they were not bent out of place or that an unnatural shadow had befallen the foliage. The others seemed less worried, more confident in their ability to protect one another. But, Kagome's powers were still peaking and her physical strength was practically nil. Her heart pounded in her chest at the prospect of an ambush.
Hours passed and nothing happened.
Kagome's tense muscles stayed on high alert, though it became clear that no youkai was coming towards them. Perhaps it was their reputation? Or maybe the youkai understood the group was filled with strong fighters? Never the less, Kagome found herself relaxing to some degree as the day went on. The sun beat down on the traveler's backs, the golden sun's rays only blocked when the group passed under the dark foliage of the wild, restless forest.
"Can we take a rest?" Kagome finally asked after what seemed like years of traveling under the burning sun. She wiped her brow with the back of her hand and felt the slickness of her sweat cling to her skin. She grimaced at the feel and wiped it gently on her pleated skirt. She turned pleading eyes towards Inuyasha, who always decided when to stop.
Inuyasha pursed his lips, and looked like he was about to decline her request when they locked eyes. She watched him melt and avert his eyes in another direction. "Fine… whatever," he finally muttered and Kagome let out a silent cheer.
Plopping down onto the ground, she threw her bag off of her back and rested against it, her hands folding and resting daintily in her lap. Sango and Miroku seemed more than happy to follow the miko's example and were soon joining her on the soft ground. The youkai snarled slightly and ascended into the treetops in order to keep watch.
Shippou and Kirara scurried to Kagome's sides and tucked underneath her shadow in a desperate attempt to keep cool. Kagome let out a content sigh and closed her eyes, finally feeling at ease.
And that's when disaster struck.
Suddenly, like a switch had been flipped on, the two demons beside her started writhing and curling into the fetal position. Alarmed, Kagome sat up straight to stare at the two twitching demons, Kirara's little mews of pain filling her ears.
"What's wrong?" Kagome nearly shouted out of surprise and anguish at seeing the tiny creatures in pain.
"It hurts…" Shippou muttered and grasped his ears. Kagome watched Kirara try to move her front paws to her black ears, which were firmly planted against her small head. A crash behind the group announced that Inuyasha had emerged from his tree.
Kagome turned around in time to see the youkai in a similar position to the kitsune and the fire cat. He was curled into a little ball, small cries of pain emitting from him, his clawed hands desperately trying to block out whatever it was the demons were hearing.
The humans of the group looked around blindly, trying to determine what was wrong with their friends. "I don't hear anything," Sango said as she grasped her weapon. Miroku's grip tightened on his staff and his eyes narrowed dangerously.
Kagome ran to her bag and dug around until she emerged with her bow and arrows. She kept them stored in there whenever she was not using them.
The trees rustled around the group and a large bundle of birds emerged from the forest, their long wings a dirty grey color, their talons outstretched and dripping with blood. Their blood red eyes locked on the group and they opened their giant beaks, brimmed with crimson, and let out a silent scream. Kagome stared in confusion. That is until she heard the writhing and twitching of her demon companions.
'Their screams are too high pitched for humans to hear,' Kagome realized with wide eyes. 'They're like a dog's whistle.' Ignoring her stupid pun, she knocked an arrow against the bow and drew it back, aiming towards the incoming murder of oversized crows.
She let the arrow fly, its tip engulfing into a bright white light as it started towards the frontal bird. Its pointed edge dug into the bird's chest and the youkai fell to the ground, a scream emitting from its throat before it died. Kagome aimed another arrow.
Miroku exchanged a look at Sango before slapping a holy scroll onto her boomerang. With a small grunt, Sango heaved the large youkai bone over her head and let it soar through the sky, like the birds she was about to exterminate. The bone hit bone and the birds shattered into pieces as the holy scroll Miroku had added started to take affect.
Seeing that they were outpowered, the birds cawed loudly, this time hearable by the humans, and fled.
The group stood in silence for a moment, their confusion and disorientation evident.
A rustle alerted them that they were not done. Glancing at her companions, Kagome aimed an arrow towards the thicket.
And a toad demon emerged.
"No…" Kagome heard Inuyasha moan. Not from pain, but from sheer annoyance. A moment passed before it sunk into their heads and they all realized what they had just run into.
Sesshoumaru and Rin, riding Ah-Un, emerged after the toad vassal, Jaken. Sesshoumaru, ever cool and stoic, did not show any emotion in the fact that he was standing in the same clearing as his brother and friends. Rin, recognizing Kagome from the short while they'd met, smiled brightly and gripped Ah-Un tightly. Jaken sneered as usual.
"Brother," Sesshoumaru said firmly, his voice sending chills down Kagome's spine. His dark golden eyes, void of emotion, stared at where Inuyasha was currently trying to stand upright. His ears were still ringing from the bird's shrill screeches.
"Sesshoumaru, what the hell are you doing here?" Inuyasha asked with a deep snarl, his lips drawn back in a disapproving snarl of who was addressing him.
"The business of this Lord is of no concern to you," Sesshoumaru said darkly, his golden orbs flashing for a brief moment before returning to their enigmatic indifference.
"Screw you," Inuyasha said firmly and walked forward, shoving Kagome aside and into Miroku and Sango. The humans backed off, Shippou and Kirara following after him. Inuyasha stood not too far from his elder brother, his lips still drawn back and his fangs bared towards the older of the two demon youkai. "What do you want?"
"I see that my youkai bird did not amuse you, then," Sesshoumaru said darkly, ignoring his younger brother's demands and questions.
"What? Those were yours!" Inuyasha snarled and clenched his fists, his golden eyes flashing red before returning to their normal stance. For a brief moment, a golden aura surrounded the once-hanyou, but it was soon gone. A simple trick of the eyes. 'I must protect her.' Kagome blinked when she heard a voice. She looked around and realized no one had spoken… She shook her head, mentally telling herself to relax.
"I was simply testing you," Sesshoumaru said nonchalantly, his indifferent demeanor unfazed by his brother's rants.
"For what?" Inuyasha demanded angrily, his temper's fuse quickly reaching its end.
Sesshoumaru walked towards the group, his steps soft, yet powerful as the grass bent and twigs snapped underneath his powerful stride. His golden eyes focused on Inuyasha and stopped just before reaching him. Inuyasha's hands went to his sword, which only protested against him with a few sparks of electrical power.
"To see if you truly are as strong as you should be," Sesshoumaru said coolly as he stared at his younger brother. His eyes darted to where Tessaiga was fruitlessly protesting the youkai's grip before returning to his brother's molten orbs.
"What's it to you?" Inuyasha barked.
"To see if you truly are worthy of this Lord's time," Sesshoumaru said with a deep frown. "Until I can sire an heir, Inuyasha, you are the next in line for Father's lands. I would never hand this over to a half-breed, nor would I hand my lands over to a pathetically weak youkai."
"Why you…" Inuyasha growled.
Kagome stared, 'I guess what Sesshoumaru's saying is true. Though I've never thought of Inuyasha as being a prince. But that's what he is… isn't it?' Pondering this, she glanced at Miroku and Sango, who were wearing similar looks to her own.
"Inuyasha's a prince, eh?" Miroku seemed very amused by this.
"Yes, Inuyasha-Sama is the next in line for the lands, should Sesshoumaru ever fail," Myouga said with a nod of his head.
Kagome did a double take, staring at the flea on her shoulder. "When did you get here?"
"I've been here the whole time!" Myouga protested with a deep frown and a look of frustration on his tiny flea face.
"Well, if Myouga's here," Miroku said calmly, his attention turned back towards the bickering brothers, "Then we shouldn't be in any danger."
Myouga glared at the monk but said nothing.
Quick as lightning, Sesshoumaru's hand darted to his sword, drawing it from his side. Inuyasha let out a growl before gripping his Tessaiga tightly and throwing it from its scabbard. The two swords clashed together, both youkai standing their ground, their eyes locked together and Inuyasha's face contorted into a disdainful sneer.
"You've grown quicker, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru said with a small smirk and pushed against his sword, trying to break the lock the two had made.
"Heh," Inuyasha returned his brother's smirk with his own, his golden eyes glowing in an almost happy light. He was finally getting the fight he'd been itching for, and he was excited about it. He felt his blood pumping through his veins, his adrenaline almost overpowering his senses. He felt Tessaiga in his hand, the way its power radiated off his father's sword, adorned with his fang, and the way it felt in his grip. "I've been practicing, I guess."
"Indeed," Sesshoumaru flipped his sword in a quick maneuver, catching his brother off guard, the sword nicking his left arm. Inuyasha hissed in pain and jumped back to collect himself. Sesshoumaru smirked coldly. "Unfortunately, it appears you'll need to practice more, Inuyasha."
"Screw you," Inuyasha repeated the earlier phrase. He began running towards Sesshoumaru, his sword in the ready position to jab into his brother's abdomen. "I'll kill you!"
Sesshoumaru's lips quirked upwards into a smirk again as he sidestepped his rampaging brother and hit him in the back with the hilt of his sword. Inuyasha staggered in his steps, trying to regain his lost balance. "What the hell? Sesshoumaru, stop toying with me!"
"I'm doing no such thing, weakling," Sesshoumaru said with a narrow of his eyes.
"You could have stabbed a blade through my back, you ass, but instead you hit me with the hilt? What the hell are you doing?"
"If I wished to kill you," Sesshoumaru said with a small snort, "I would done it have long ago."
Inuyasha growled.
Sesshoumaru sheathed his sword, looping the blade through the large yellow tie that adorned his body. He had yet to retrieve a scabbard for the sword. Inuyasha glared darkly and stayed perfectly still, his sword held in front of him.
"I have seen what I wanted to see," Sesshoumaru said coolly. "You are worthy of me, Inuyasha."
Inuyasha stared in surprise for his brother's words. His posture began to relax and he stood off guard, his golden eyes wide in disbelief. "What?"
"If I should ever perish in battle, you will be worthy of father's lands," Sesshoumaru said, his voice void of emotion yet again. He turned towards Jaken and Rin. "We're leaving."
"That's it?" Inuyasha demanded, his eyes narrowed in agitation.
"Goodbye, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru said calmly.
"Oh, hell no! I want to fight you," Inuyasha snarled.
Sesshoumaru gave him a sideways glance. "You want a fight? So be it."
He continued walking, but held his hand up, snapped his fingers and disappeared into the thicket.
A loud-pitched screech filled the air and Inuyasha cringed.
Suddenly, hundreds of youkai emerged into the clearing they had set up in.
Inuyasha didn't stand a chance.
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"Ow! Damn it, wench, what are you trying to do?" Inuyasha snarled angrily, his lips drawn back in one of his classic snarls and his golden eyes glaring at her.
Kagome ignored him and continued doing the medical treatments the youkai required after his brutal beating. He hadn't won, he hadn't gotten close. He'd been overpowered, even with the whole group working against it all. Sango and Miroku had been injured as well and were currently working on each other's wounds. Shippou had hidden with Myouga in a bush while Kirara fought alongside Sango, as she always did.
"Ow!" Inuyasha barked again, his face contorting in pain as she added rubbing alcohol to one of his wounds. "Damn it!"
"Oh be quiet, you little whiner," Kagome berated her companion and began wrapping bandages around his bleeding cuts. Inuyasha snorted and began sulking, ignoring her.
"Ow!"
"It's not that bad, Inuyasha," Kagome told him, her agitation with the situation evident in her voice. "Is there any place that doesn't hurt, then?"
He snarled and thought for a moment. "My elbow."
Kagome gave him a dry look before returning to what she was doing, trying her best to ignore the youkai's little rants of pain.
After a few minutes Kagome threw down her supplies. "Okay! Where the hell does it hurt, then?"
He glared at her, his golden eyes holding the challenging look he always had when they were about to fight. "Here!" he declared and pointed to his left arm, where Sesshoumaru's sword had cut. Kagome sighed and leaned over, her lips connecting to the part of him that he had pointed. Inuyasha blinked in surprise.
She pulled away and looked around for her supplies.
"Here." His voice was soft and Kagome looked back up, seeing that he was pointing his right shoulder. Kagome smiled gently and did the same thing she'd done to his arm. "Here," he said, his voice growing quieter still as he pointed to his chest, right where his collarbone ended. Kagome kissed it tenderly.
"Anywhere else?" Kagome asked warmly, their little feud from earlier having been forgotten.
"Here." His index finger tapped his lips and Kagome happily took the invitation, their lips connecting.
"Better?" she asked when she pulled away. Inuyasha looked up at her, his lips quirking into a tiny smile.
"My lips still hurt," he said innocently. Kagome rolled her eyes and leaned back down, capturing his lips with her own.
After a while, Kagome finally pulled away and began wrapping his wounds again. "I better not hear another word out of you," she said warmly, her eyes twinkling. He snorted and closed his eyes, content for the moment.
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Author's notes: Sorry for this taking so long!!! The beta and I had some issues involving computers and communication. Plus schoolwork.
And if anyone can pick up the thing I yoinked from Indian Jones gets brownie points.