Hitori ni Sasenai
by Lady Mac
A/N: Sorry this is sort of a short chapter, but I don't write action scenes. If I went on from here, it would be rather longer and I'd take a really long time getting it posted.
Thanks to all my reviewers - I love hearing from you! Especially those of you who write longer reviews and talk about specifics, then it makes me feel good about the choices I've made.
And another apology: I probably won't post anything for a while, now. It's hell week for West Side Story, which means I have rehearsal every night until like 11:00 (the bastards!), and then four shows on the weekend, combined with State for the one-act play festival. So I'll be stressing about trying to learn my parts for pit orchestra ("Mambo" is the spawn of Satan, I swear to God) in the last three days now, and keeping the play together AND working out our director's gift. And I have an enormous project to work on that's due at the start of December, and Thanksgiving's in the middle and seven people are coming from out of town. Add that to the normal stresses of my life, and I'll be lucky if I don't murder someone by Christmas. Leonard Bernstein hates clarinets, that's the only explanation.
Ooh, ooh, ooh! Speaking of West Side Story, Del Kaidin wrote a prequel to "Broadway Baby"! It's called "One Hand, One Heart" and it's on MediaMiner. I would give you a link but I don't have one. She's also writing a sequel, "Broadway Bound," which is (of yet) incomplete but TOTALLY AWESOME! Wooh! Be aware, though, it's rated NC-17. I do love it, though! Illustrations for "Bwy Baby" and "Bwy Bound" are also available at kristinsstudio dot com. She is so amazing! I'm totally jealous. (OMG, Inu is too hot!) And for those of you who are of age (or can handle it), Del Kaidin also wrote a collection of short stories (forgot the title, also on MM), and one of them is called "Hard On." It is the funniest thing I've ever read! Go read it now, tell her how funny it is! (ROTFLMAO!) It's so great - Inu is just like a horny teenager!
Oh yeah - I also realized that I've been messing with the timeline quite a bit. I'm gonna put this here for now, and if i change my mind yell at me so I can change everything at once. So if Kagome's at three months on August 9, that means she conceived around the beginning of May or end of April (okay so far?) and is due end of January/beginning of February. Okay? Good.
A couple of language notes before we start: Onii-san big brother; onegai please; otouto little brother; gomen shortened form of "gomen nasai" (I'm sorry); oyaji rude/informal term for "father" or "dad".
Disclaimer: Aah! Don't tickle me! I don't own it! Uncle! Uncle! Uncle!
Chapter Eleven
Onii-san
It was a hot afternoon in early September. Inuyasha was on the roof of his nearly-completed house, shirtless and busily thatching, when a voice from the ground startled him out of his trance.
"Inuyasha!"
He stopped working and peered over the edge at the glowing young woman below. "What?"
She grinned at his sweaty features. "Someone's got some news for you."
"Really?" He leapt nimbly to the ground. "Who? What is it?"
"He wouldn't tell me." She held out her hand, and a familiar dark speck alighted on his shoulder.
"Myouga-jiji! What brings you here?" Inuyasha took him in his hand and moved to sit in the shade of the structure, and Kagome followed.
"Well, it's like this," Myouga began. "I went to your brother to inform him of your upcoming marriage to Kagome."
"Aw, Myouga, why would you waste your time with him? He couldn't care less about me, or her."
The old flea scowled. "That's beside the point, Inuyasha-sama. You know your brother has been ruling the Western Lands well and fairly, but recently a multitude of lesser youkai have begun an uprising against him. They have taken many human lives, and Sesshoumaru-sama is having difficulty keeping them at bay." He took a deep breath while the girl and hanyou watched him. "He has hidden himself in his castle with the girl Rin, and has left that Jaken in charge of affairs outside." He sighed heavily. "Jaken told me this. Sesshoumaru-sama would not let anyone in or out, or even speak to me."
Inuyasha was stunned into silence for a moment. "Is ... is there anything I can do? I should go to him! Together we can stop the uprising. I mean, with Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga together, we can drive the youkai out and save anyone who was killed." He noticed Kagome looking at him strangely. "What?"
She smiled. "I never thought you cared so much about your brother."
He blushed. "I ... well ... he's a jerk, but he's family. And I wanna shove it in his face that I'm as good as he is." He stood up and Kagome followed. "I need you to stay here," he said softly, placing his hands on her waist.
She looked down and placed her hands on her belly. "Okay," she sighed.
"I'm not even kidding," he said earnestly. "I would hate myself if I let you get injured. And it's just too easy for something to happen to our baby." He ran a thumb down her jaw and she met his golden gaze. "I'll be okay, I promise. This is no big deal. You stay here and take care of yourself, and I'll be back as soon as I can."
She looked into his eyes for a long moment, then threw her arms around his neck. "Please be safe," she begged. "Onegai..."
He pulled her firmly into his body and almost had to fight back tears. "I will. I promise."
#-
Inuyasha reached the Western Lands two days later, and the scene was even worse than he had imagined. From several miles away he could begin to smell the stench of human blood mingled with a bit of youki. He tried to ignore the villages full of bodies that he passed, but it sent sharp pangs through his heart every time one of them would look at him as he bounded through.
Sesshoumaru's castle lay on the top of a bluff overlooking the ocean, and as he approached a small, greenish creature jumped out in front of him.
"Halt!" he cried in a gravelly voice. "None are allowed to enter the presence of Lord Sesshoumaru!"
Inuyasha frowned at the toad. "So bite me. I need to see my brother."
"I cannot allow that," Jaken said haughtily, brandishing his head staff. "Sesshoumaru-sama will allow no one in, not even this Jaken!"
"Maybe he just doesn't like you," the hanyou scowled, walking around him.
"N .. never! Sesshoumaru-sama would never-"
Inuyasha spun on the creature, suddenly drawing Tetsusaiga, which transformed obediently. "Listen, you. I'm gonna go in there, and I'm gonna talk to my brother. Now either you're gonna help me, or you're gonna get in the way. And I don't recommend getting in the way, because that doesn't have a happy ending." He looked at the creature trembling on the ground. "Well? Which one is it?"
"Ja-ja-ja- Jaken will assist you, my lord."
"Good." He shouldered the sword and stood up straight. "Now get me inside."
Jaken led him to the main door of the castle, and Inuyasha banged on it with Tetsusaiga's hilt. "Oi! Sesshoumaru! Lemme in!"
There was a long moment of silence, and then Inuyasha heard a soft voice within. "Sesshoumaru-sama won't let anyone in."
"Rin?" he said. "It's Inuyasha. You need to tell Sesshoumaru that I need to see him."
He heard small footsteps going into the distance, and after several minutes Rin was back. "He says you can't come in."
Inuyasha snorted. "Of course he does. Stand way back from the door, Rin, I'm coming in." He heard her shuffle quickly, then ran Tetsusaiga swiftly through the door. He twisted and the wood splintered, until finally a chunk fell out. Replacing the sword in its sheath, he used his claws to tear a large enough hole to walk through. "Done and done." He stepped briskly through, and walked up to the girl. "Now, take me to my brother."
She bowed hastily, and rushed off with Inuyasha on her heels, and Jaken at a safe distance. They followed her through the building, until she finally slowed down at a large shoji door. "He's out there," she whispered, backing away. "Don't tell him I let you in."
"You didn't," Inuyasha said. "I let myself in. And thank you."
She bowed again and rushed away, with Jaken close behind her.
Inuyasha slid the door open and stepped out onto a large balcony overlooking the ocean. The wind was brisk and salty, and he saw Sesshoumaru sitting at the far end, his arm on a planter while his long hair and robes blew elegantly behind him as he stared into the distance. "Sesshoumaru."
Cold eyes regarded him briefly before looking away again. "Who let you in?"
"I let myself in, dumbass. No one else would. You've got them all wrapped around your little finger." He walked to the corner and stood a meter or so behind the sulking youkai.
"What do you want with me?" he snarled.
"I want you to drag yourself out of this 'oh, pity me' funk and go out there and do something about your problem."
"It's not that easy," he snapped. "They are too strong for me to completely defeat them and prevent the loss of human lives. I am safe, and those of my castle are safe. But the others ... I cannot help. The number of foes is too great."
"Keh! Since when are you such a wimp? It's like you haven't even tried!"
"I have tried, it is in vain!"
"Then you didn't try hard enough! I can't believe you're just giving up like this!"
"I already told you, it's not that simple." He turned and set his chin on his arm. "Go home. I have no need for you, or anyone else."
"You're being unreasonable."
"You don't understand, Inuyasha. I doubt you ever will."
The hanyou fumed at his brother's words. "I'm not just some punk kid anymore, you know. I have responsibilities now, too."
"Hmph," he snorted, rising and facing Inuyasha. "Responsibility? For finding the jewel your stupid human wench broke? For keeping her from being upset about your affair with that undead miko?"
Without thinking, Inuyasha reached out and hit his brother across the face. He felt his claws scrape the flesh, smelled the metallic scent of blood. "Show some respect for the dead," he growled. "And get used to Kagome. She's the reason I came to see your sorry ass."
Sesshoumaru raised his eyebrows. "Indeed? Did you offend her and need some help digging yourself out of a pit?" he sneered, carefully wiping the blood from his cheek.
"Kagome is pregnant!" Inuyasha exploded, and his half-brother was suddenly silent. "Yeah, that's right. I fucked a human. But you know what? I love her, and we're getting married, and our child is going to have a family, whether or not it has an Uncle Sess."
Sesshoumaru turned silently away and looked out over the sea, at the waves crashing below. He gripped the banister tightly, and his arm quivered a little.
"Dad always wanted us to get along."
The youkai's head dropped and his eyes closed in resignation. He sighed. "You are a man, then, otouto?"
"Feh. As a husband and father, I have to be."
"This is a big change for you."
"I know."
He paused. "It's a big change for me. Accepting humans as family."
"What about Rin?"
He turned suddenly, his bright golden eyes searching his brother's. "Rin is ... I don't know. Rin is Rin. A companion for Jaken."
"She's more than that," Inuyasha said quietly. "I can see it in you. When you look at her. You care. It's why Tenseiga accepts you."
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. "You are overly bold, otouto."
"Gomen." He held his gaze for a long moment before he spoke. "I hear you have an insurrection on your hands."
Something almost like relief crossed the older man's face. "You can help me put it down."
Inuyasha grinned. "Let's go show these bastards that we're just as great as Oyaji was!"