LB: A new fic. Don't worry, I'm not abandoning my others, especially not my main fic (To Choose the Youkai), but my mind is adaptable, meaning that I can switch from one thing to another fairly quickly, depending on what type of inspiration I am getting and what type of day I'm having. Now, after that bit of boring reassurance, on to the chapter!

Disclaimer: I own Inuyasha. The lawyers just don't know it yet. And neither does Rumiko, so shh!

Chapter One. Spilled Blood

He could smell the scent of fresh blood. The entire forest reeked of it. The victim was losing an enormous amount of blood very quickly. The scent was familiar, as he had inflicted it himself on numerous occasions, and that so much was there angered him unfathomably. If his pathetic hanyou brother was going to die, it would be by his hands.

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"Inuyasha! Come on, Inuyasha. Don't die on me…" Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Please, Inuyasha. Don't leave me. You can't."
Inuyasha opened his eyes deliriously. The girl's features were blurred and distorted. "K-Kikyou?" No…that wasn't right. Kikyou was not so emotional. He blinked, trying to remember who it was. He remembered why he couldn't smell her…there was no moon in the sky. He focused. Who…? Oh, yeah. "Kagome."
She winced Even on the verge of death, he thought of Kikyou before anything or anyone else. She desperately tried to wrap his wounds with strips she'd torn from her shirt and skirt, but the blood merely seeped through it and onto her hands, then proceeded to fill puddles of blood surrounding his limp figure. She leaned her head helplessly against his chest, not caring that his blood was staining her pale cheek. Then the sobs came, and she shuddered as Inuyasha's diminishing aura became no more. "Inuyasha," she cried, bile rising in her throat.

:-

The stench of death filed the air, twining itself with the incessant odors of blood and vomit. There was no moon in the starry sky, and blackness taunted him with the knowledge that his brother had died before he'd had the chance to personally condemn him to hell.

Sesshoumaru strode into the small clearing, where Inuyasha lay, dead. The wench was bent over him, crying and pleading, soaked in the hanyou's blood. The tenseiga pulsed. 'The tenseiga wishes to be drawn,' he thought with slight surprise. Why would he want to bring the filthy half-breed back to life? He hesitantly drew it from its sheath. "Move aside, wench." The miko's brown eyes met his in numb shock. She hadn't even sensed his aura. She shifted to the side, not wishing to leave Inuyasha's side, but too drained to argue. He slashed the tenseiga over his brother, almost casually in his coldness. Kagome's eyes widened as Inuyasha's aura faintly reappeared, and his labored breathing recommenced.

Sango, trembling, entered the clearing, facing Kagome. "K-Kagome? Are you…?" Kagome nodded shakily. "I- I did it. I did this."

Sesshoumaru, observing from the shadows, raised an eyebrow. What in hell was this?

Sango placed a tentative hand on Kagome's shoulder. "It wasn't your fault, Kagome. Naraku was…"
"I should've been able to fight it! I was too weak."

"N-no." Kagome turned to Inuyasha. "It's my fault. Inuyasha, I'm sorry. I tried. Do you hate me?"

"S-stop crying. I don't hate you. You know I n-never win when you're c-crying." This only increased the rate of her tears. She sniffled as he pulled her close. "Inuyasha. I can't stay with you."
"What?"
"Naraku is still able to control me. I won't let you get hurt again."
"Kagome…"
"No! Lock me up, kill me, I don't care," she whispered. "As long as you're safe."

Sesshoumaru stepped lightly from the trees, not giving himself time to reconsider his actions. "I will…supervise the miko while she is susceptible to Naraku's possession." Three pairs of eyes stared at him, causing him to battle down an uncomfortable twitch and maintain his icy exterior. "What's in it for you?" Inuyasha demanded rudely. Sesshoumaru decided to ignore his disrespect this once. "I wish for Naraku's death as much as you, if not more. I sense that the miko is deeply involved, and it would be in everyone's best interests."
"I don't think so. Kagome's staying with me." Inuyasha hacked and coughed a moment, and Sesshoumaru waited patiently for him to finish. "I can't trust you, bastard." Sesshoumaru clenched his jaw. He did not appreciate this constant assault to his title, but he knew that Inuyasha was –even subconsciously- trying to get a rise out of him. "I do not think that you are in a position to argue, brother." He gestured plainly to the fresh blood surrounding the hanyou, then to Inuyasha himself. "I had no idea that you became mortal on the new moon, Inuyasha. Are you missing the ears?" he smirked slightly, and Inuyasha growled threateningly under his breath. Sesshoumaru turned to Kagome. "What say you, miko?" Kagome glanced toward Inuyasha, then Sango. She bit back on her lip and nodded. "I think…that that would be best." Inuyasha winced as though she'd slapped him. "Goodbye, Inuyasha," she whispered, not having any idea how long it would actually take for her to see him again.

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Naraku observed the scene in amusement from his lair. "Perhaps this will have a positive effect…I still have uses for the miko, I see."

LB: If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or anything like that, please review. If you don't, review anyways, because I'll get better inspiration. ttyls -Lelyn