Disclaimer: I no own; you no sue. Not the story characters, and not the songs. Get it. Got it? Good.

A/N: I don't like Kikyou. I'm a fan of Inuyasha & Kagome, and Sesshoumaru &Rin. And of course, Miroku & Sango, as if that weren't already obvious. So anyways, sorry if you don't like. I like it so I wrote it this way. Go me!

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What If?

And now I'm here to remind you
Of the mess you left when you went away
It's not fair to deny me
Of the cross I bear that you gave to me
You, you, you oughtta know
alanis morissette You Oughtta Know

Chapter Three

"Master Inuyasha, please slow down a little," Jaken panted. "I am not nearly as fast as you are. Besides, there is a village coming up. Shall we pursue your challenge there? If they accept us, then it should be fine. Close to home, but not too close. It would be easier for me to report your progress to your parents from there, don't you agree Master Inuyasha?"

"I'm not worried about them accepting us," Inuyasha said as he slowed to a walk for Jaken's sake. He didn't want to stray too far from home or Jaken. He'd never told anyone, but Jaken was like a confidant to him. "There are other demons in this village; two are even waiting for us with several humans. We must convince them to let us stay. Do not mention the purpose. Simply-" He froze.

"Master Inuyasha?" Jaken asked. He looked to where Inuyasha was and saw the group from the village Inuyasha was talking about. There were several men, and to his surprise, women. There was one woman standing in the front wearing some very unusual clothing with an arrow aimed straight at him standing next to a cat demon just as unusual as the woman. It had two tails! "There's one of the demons now Master Inuyasha. Do you think she'll help us? Master-" Now it was Jaken's turn to freeze up. How could he have forgotten that Inuyasha changed tonight!

He took a protective stance in front of his young master. It was dark now so he took a few steps back so Inuyasha could see him. Tetsuaiga would be of no use now; without the demon side of him, Inuyasha couldn't call on the power of the sword. There was another demon approaching to join the group. The cat demon moved in between a woman with a large boomerang and a monk to allow the demon room. Jaken gasped when he saw the demon's silver hair. Surely not, Jaken thought with a gasp.

"What is it Jaken?" Inuyasha whispered. Now that he was human he could barely see or hear. He was almost completely helpless. Now, he was in some strange village and Jaken was gasping. Not a good sign. "Jaken? What is it? Is something wrong?" He reached a hand out to shake Jaken's shoulder.

"I-i-it's h-him!" Jaken squeaked.

"Who? Who Jaken?" Inuyasha asked, not showing emotion out loud but fear coursing through him. 'Him' could be anyone! His father, the demon who killed his brother, his brother even! That's when he heard the voice.

"Kagome, he looks familiar," one guy said.

"Who are you?" a female called out. "Tell us your names and business."

"My name is Inuyasha," Inuyasha said carefully. "This is my servant Jaken. We-"

"Inuyasha?" the male's voice said quietly with awe. "Kagome, didn't you say my brother's name was Inuyasha?" he whispered too low for Inuyasha to hear. "Is it possible that there are two people with that name?"

"It must be. Your brother didn't have black hair," the woman answered in a whisper. "He had the same silver hair and amber eyes as you do." Inuyasha waited in the silence; Jaken's brain took in every word he heard.

"But wait," a new male said, "Inuyasha is a half-breed, yes? Don't half-breeds change? Every now and then they turn into full human for a span of time. I remember hearing something about the new moon being Inuyasha's time. Taro, is there a moon out tonight can you see anything besides the stars in the sky?"

"No," the first male answered. "It is a new moon."

"Inuyasha," the female called out, "are you son of Hennyo?"

Inuyasha tensed even more. They'd been quiet for a while now and suddenly they wanted to know if he was the heir to the demon throne. If they meant to do him harm, this information would do them good and cause his family even more pain that they'd already suffered. Jaken still hadn't moved or said anything. Finally, "Yes, I am."

"Then this is his human form?" the first male asked the female. Weapons were lowered.

"This is my human form," Inuyasha answered before anyone else could. "Does it matter? Why would it? I simply need somewhere to stay for a while. Will I be able to stay here for some time?

"Yes!" the female nearly shouted. "I mean, please. You must stay with us. I am Kagome, Priestess and healer of this village. You will be staying with us. Come with me please, both of you. There is plenty of space in my home. I can go get some blankets from... my mother's. Taro? Could you guide Inuyasha and... I'm sorry. I didn't catch your name."

Jaken was still frozen to the spot he'd stood in for the last several minutes. A shove from Inuyasha got him going again. "W-what?" He looked around for a second. "Oh, yes yes. My name is Jaken. This is... Taro?"

"Yes, my name is Taro," Sesshoumaru answered tensely as he walked toward them a ways. Kagome jumped onto Kirara's back and flew off toward the Bone Eater's Well. "Come with me. I will show you to where you are to sleep." He turned and began walking toward his home that he shared with Kagome. "Kagome will be back shortly with blankets. They are soft coverings, like pelts. You will enjoy them. Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Yes," Inuyasha said slowly. "You speak in monotone. Is that forced, or habit? I saw the mask you wear. Did something happen?"

"I speak monotonously because I feel like it. And the mask I asked for," was the curt reply given. Inuyasha bristled. He wasn't used to being treated as such. "If you are the prince, Inuyasha, then why are you here? Why wouldn't you be at home, in your palace?"

"That is none of your business," Inuyasha answered in the same monotone as the demon in front of him. "You keep your secrets and I will keep mine. Do you think you can deal with that?" A short nod was his answer. Inuyasha noticed that Taro had altered his pace for them, going slower so that they may walk close to him a bit slower than normal and not trip.

"When do you change back?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"Sunup."

"So it is once a month, only for the night?"

"Yes."

"Here is mine and Kagome's home," Sesshoumaru announced, stepping to the side a bit so they could enter. "Go on in. Kagome will be back shortly." Inuyasha and Jaken entered the hut, then stood off to the side so Sesshoumaru could come in. Once he was in, he moved about getting the fire ready again. "I will heat up some of the fish we had earlier."

"Jaken doesn't eat fish. He's a toad demon," Inuyasha informed his host.

"Then he will have to find his own food. Fish is what we had for dinner and it is all I have right now. If you're lucky, Kagome will bring back some other foods." The fire was larger now. Inuyasha watched as Sesshoumaru brought out a strange metal thing, put the fish in it, and then set it over the fire.

"What is that?"

"The frying pan? It's a metal plate that we use to cook food in. It came from Kagome's- village. She's not from around here," Sesshoumaru answered. He didn't know if Kagome wished for him tot ell about the time passage bit. "You can sit down you know. There's nothing that's going to come through that door besides Kagome."

"So Kagome is... what?"

"She's a female human."

"I mean to you," Inuyasha said as if Sesshoumaru were stupid.

"She's my caretaker. Nothing else. She found me when I was younger, after I had been attacked. She helped heal me, then kept me here. Now, I help protect the village. She will be here shortly. She comes from the northwest, in case you wanted to know Jaken."

"I do not need to know such things," Jaken said, averting his gaze when Sesshoumaru tried to meet it. That is my master, and yet he does not seem to recognize either of us. But he said that his brother's name was Inuyasha! He know that and yet he says nothing now. And I cannot bring it up. Maybe I can speak with the Priestess. It is possible that she has some answers.

"She's here," Sesshoumaru said, rising to help Kagome with the blankets.

"Sorry I took so long," Kagome panted as she entered the hut. "My mother wanted to know what was going on. I brought back Ramen. Chicken, Shrimp, and Beef flavors. Jaken, do you eat meat?" she asked, looking at the toad demon.

"Rarely," he answered softly.

"Hey, Jaken," Kagome said, kneeling so she was eye level with him. "You are no one's servant here. You can do whatever you wish." She paused to look at Inuyasha, silently telling him that she meant what she was saying. "You can tell me what you like and what you don't like. It's okay."

"What I like is to make Master Inuyasha happy," he answered.

Kagome sighed. "Okay. Taro? One of each and a plain noddles for Jaken then. I see you've made the fish. That'll be good." She started to move about preparing beds for their new guests.

"Inuyasha likes Beef," Sesshoumaru said. "Not Chicken. I'll make two Beef, a Shrimp for you, and plain for Jaken then." He went outside to get the water, leaving three speechless mouths hanging open.

"How did he know that I don't like chicken? Chicken anything!" Inuyasha asked.

"I knew it!" Jaken said quietly. "Master Inuyasha, that is Sesshoumaru! He looks just like Master Hennyo! I even heard him say earlier that his brother's name was Inuyasha. You didn't hear it because you'd already changed. That isn't Taro, that's your brother Sesshoumaru! Kagome, I demand you tell me everything! He said you found him, lost in the forest to something. When? How? What happened to him?"

"Jaken! Be quiet!" Inuyasha said sternly. "You don't know that!"

"But it's true," Kagome said softly. "He is Sesshoumaru, first son of Hennyo. I found him over fifteen years ago, badly hurt by the nearby river. He'd been attacked by a demon. That's why he wear the mask. He is badly scarred. He didn't remember anything about himself, his past, or his being a demon so he didn't know how to heal himself. He was on th verge of death when I found him."

"And yet you told no one? Did you know who he was?" Inuyasha asked.

"Yes, I did. I was the only one. No one else in the village knew."

"And you didn't return him home! Surely you knew our father searched for him for over three years! My mother is still heartbroken, sixteen years later!" Inuyasha yelled, jumping to his feet. "You could be killed for this, do you know that? We all thought he was dead. But he was here, not far from home, and you kept him from us. Deliberately! Jaken, return home and tell Father where his sons are, both of them. And we'll see what kind of punishment he inflicts upon you once he hears the story," Inuyasha said, his emotionless mask slipping into place.

Inuyasha found himself against the wall, a clawed hand holding him there dangling above the floor by his throat. "You touch her and I'll kill you," Sesshoumaru growled. "I told you earlier that Kagome meant nothing to me. I lied. She's my friend. If you hurt her, I'll kill you. I don't care who you are."

"No Sesshoumaru!" Kagome pleaded. "Leave him be. He'd right; I should have taken you home."

"You should have, but I don't care," Sesshoumaru said, letting go of Inuyasha and watching him fall to the floor in a heap. Jaken ran to help him.

"Master Sesshoumaru or not, do not treat Master Inuyasha like that!" Jaken yelled, standing in front of Inuyasha. "He's put up with a lot since you left! Master Hennyo and Mistress have been worried sick. They said they gave up hope, but they never really did. She was heartbroken when Master Hennyo came home with the news that he couldn't find you. And then he started to train Master Inuyasha. He would spend days and nights at a time training him, training him because you were no longer there. And it was worse because Master Inuyasha was already older than you were when you started training. To have you back... I don't know what it would mean to us."

"Sorry," Sesshoumaru said, turning his back on them and walking to the door. "I am happy here. I want to stay here. There are people that I l- know and enjoy being around here. I don't want to leave." He walked out the door then.

"I'm sorry," Kagome said softly. "I knew who he was the second I saw him. He was kneeling by the river, washing the blood from his face and body. He was so helpless and hurt. I meant to help him heal, then alert you somehow to tell you that I had him and that he was safe here. But then he... he just latched on to me. He went wherever I went and did whatever I asked him to. I tried for weeks to get him to remember someone, anything. But he could recall nothing. Eventually, the villagers said that I had to give him a name.

"I didn't want to give him a name. A name meant that he belonged here. But somehow, overnight, maybe I began to think that he did belong here. With us. I gave him the name Taro, meaning first son. It was as close to the truth as I dared get. I kept him knowledgeable about everything he needed to know except his past and who he was. I taught him about medicine, demons, humans, and any other basics of life. Shippou and Kirara, demons in our village, taught him about demon life."

Kagome sighed. "I realize it was wrong. I knew it always in the back of my mind, but I didn't want to give him up. Sesshoumaru... he means something to the villagers. And not just a protectorate, or the healer when I'm gone. He said he saw me as a friend, and I'm happy for that. He has remained distant and emotionless from almost everyone, even over the years of familiarity. But there were three people who got through to him: myself, as the first to find and help him; Shippou, as a fellow demon and friend; and Rin, to love him."

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She's telling me who I am, and then he shows up. How is that possible? Why did she keep it from me? She told me that my rage would have consumed me. What does that mean? I don't show emotion so how would my rage consume me? So many questions... Sesshoumaru was standing in the same spot he had been sixteen years ago when Kagome had found him. But this time, someone else found him: Inuyasha.

"You need to come back," he said, not looking at his older brother.

"I can stay out all night if I wish to. I am old enough to do what I please," Sesshoumaru answered.

"I meant with me. Home."

"I don't want to."

"I didn't ask. Mother and Father need you. You're the heir to the throne. Should something ever happen to Father, you'd be the one to take over. I don't want to," Inuyasha said softly. Both brothers suddenly dropped their emotional masks. Inuyasha started to cry. "Why did you leave? Why did you make me go through all of that? It hurt me when you left. And then I heard them talking, about how it was okay that you were gone for a little while; that you were just venting some anger you had toward me.

"Can you imagine what it's like to learn that you're the cause of your brother's disappearance? I worshipped the ground you walked on!" he shouted. "I tried to do everything you did! I wanted to be just like you! I was crushed to find out that you left because you hated me. You have no idea..." Inuyasha stood there, silent tears streaming down him face. He didn't even bother to wipe them away.

Sesshoumaru stood still. This was his brother, but he barely knew him. Even if they'd only spent a year together anyways, he knew very little about him. Sesshoumaru turned to his younger brother. "Inuyasha? Will you tell me? I don't remember much of anything from sixteen years ago and back. Tell me what I was like, what happened after I left, what... Mother and Father are like. Please?"

Inuyasha's tears came faster now. He dropped to his knees and put his hands over his eyes. Great sobs shook his body. Sesshoumaru followed suit and kneeled before his brother. He wrapped his arms around him, wanting to comfort him but not really knowing how to. "I'm sorry. I've upset you greatly. I'm sorry Inuyasha."

"Can... Can I..." Inuyasha said, trying to quit crying. When he finally calmed down just a little bit, he said, "It doesn't matter anymore. You'll never be the same person you were. Why don't you tell me what you're like now? Can I... see? Under the mask?" It was as if a switch had been pulled. Sesshoumaru tensed up, pulled away from Inuyasha.

"My... mask? You want to see under it? Why?"

"It's who you are now and I want to get to know you again."

Sesshoumaru didn't know what to do. He'd vowed that no one besides Kagome and Rin would ever see what lay beneath his mask. But this was his brother. He thought it would be okay. He took the mask off. He left it off while the two talked all night.

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A/N: Thank you wonderful impromptu beta-reader CreativeChilde! Oh! And my one reviewer so far: xWhit3StaRx. I update once a day! I know I am updating fast on this story, but I don't want anyone to think I won't update so I'm updating once a day. Like I said. BUT I'M STILL WORKING ON REINCARNATION! I SWEAR BY THE SHIKON NO TAMA! runs to add another chapter See?