A/N - Spur of the moment thing that formed while i was listening to the song "By My Side" by 3 Doors Down - this is the first fanfic i've ever completed and had Heather beta for me (much love to her XD)
Please R&R - Hope you like it :)
Tomorrow was the day that we were set to battle Naraku--hopefully for the last time. I fully intended to take his head off this time. Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kirara were all preparing themselves for the battle, and I knew that with us working as a team we would probably defeat him easily, but since it had failed before I was trying to think of something to ensure our victory. My own strength had increased since the last time we had battled him, and with Tetsusaiga under my control this shouldn't worry me so much. Yet, it did.
I was trying to think of a reason why when my mind veered onto another route and I was reminded why everyone was here readying themselves for battle in the first place.
Kagome was here because she was the reincarnation of Kikyo. The Sacred Jewel had been in Kikyo's care beforehand, and now had been passed into her hands. Fifty-some years ago Naraku had deceived Kikyo and myself into betraying and trying to kill one another. He had struck her down disguised as me, and she had, in turn, betrayed me, pinning me that wretched tree for fifty years until Kagome had fallen through the well and released me from the enchantment. Kagome managed to lose the Sacred Jewel to a few demons before one had swallowed it and she had used her lousy archery skills to try to take it down. It worked, but it shattered the jewel into tiny pieces, and caused us to have to track each one down.
Sango had lost her entire village because of the Sacred Jewel. They had been called upon to exterminate a demon and while the best of them were gone, Naraku encouraged demons to attack the nearly defenseless village while making sure to slaughter the slayers that were absent. He had used her own brother, Kohaku, to slay their father and companions and then Naraku had turned him on her. She still wore the ugly scar on her back from his strike. He then released Kohaku from his power just to torment the emotionally fragile boy as they were struck down. As if that hadn't been enough, then he told her that I was the one that had attacked her village and sent her to fight me to the death. It hadn't been much of a battle since she was mostly dead to begin with anyway. Sango had barely survived his original attack, and would not have survived the encounter if I had fought back.
Miroku lost his father and grandfather to the curse that lay in his right palm; and it constantly threatened to swallow him as well. The wind tunnel could suck up anything in its path and where it went after that no one knew. Naraku had given him a powerful weapon and a death sentence at the same time. It didn't help restraining his lecherous behavior, either. He always asked the women we came upon to bear him a child since it was inevitable that his cursed hand would one day destroy him. As far as any of us knew, he didn't have any heirs to inherit the curse though. I often wondered if he would really want to pass that curse on, even if it meant his bloodline would cease.
Even my half brother had fallen into Naraku's trap. I smiled inwardly that he had actually been duped twice by that fiend. He was so intent on trying to kill me that Narkau had nearly destroyed him in the process. The mortal arm he had given him with a jewel shard embedded in it had allowed him to possess my sword and not be burned by the barrier on it. The other time Naraku had stolen the kid that traveled with him, I thought her name was Rin, and used Kohaku as a pawn. I suddenly realized that that little scheme had affected not only Sesshoumaru, but Sango as well. Naraku had wanted Sesshoumaru to kill Kohaku for being the one who had held Rin captive, and if he killed him, then Sango would suffer, and Naraku would not only escape, but not have to worry about the minion he controlled. Not to mention piss me off to no end that my half brother would have the audacity to even think to kill a child that was so obviously being controlled against his will. I still wasn't sure what to think about Sesshomaru releasing Kohaku, I was just glad that he had.
That thought brought me to Koga. That damned wolf was so annoying, but he had suffered because of Naraku as well. He sent his incarnation, Kagura, to lure most of his pack into a trap, where she killed them all without mercy. They had then used the dead bodies to lay a trap for me. I felt a growl rise in my chest. That had been a cheap and lowdown dirty trick they had used. They had let me think the wolves were still alive and had covered me in their blood, making it look like I had been the one to slaughter them all. When Kouga saw the battlefield he had been overcome with rage and had tried to kill me for the death of his comrades. Only when Kagura had confessed to the deed did he stop his onslaught on me.
I sighed; I could smell that wolf and his companions making their way towards our camp. He clearly wanted to help take Naraku down; and flirt with Kagome. Sometimes he was just as bad as Miroku. I felt myself frown. I had no right to be upset over him displaying affection for Kagome, I had plenty of chances and I had refused to take them. I didn't want Kagome to be endangered as Kikyo had been. I refused to let another woman I loved be killed because of my affections towards her. Still, he was an arrogant, annoying, smelly wolf; and I didn't have to like him. Kagome would probably be thrilled to have more allies though. She seemed to love meeting new people and making new "friends."
For some reason that had reminded me of how even Naraku's own incarnations had suffered for him. Kagura obviously wanted away from him and to become free. She had kept several secrets to herself and was forever disobeying Naraku's orders. How else would it be that she failed so miserably to kill us, and never seemed to try very hard unless Naraku was right there with her. He had even forced part of himself out that had become Muso. That hadn't gone well for anyone though, and Naraku had returned and reabsorbed him into his vile body against his will. I shuddered at that memory. That had not been a pretty scene. Although I was glad that Muso wasn't around wreaking havoc anymore. That guy had been a pain, and a face stealer. I shuddered again. The thought of wearing someone else's face just didn't sit well with me. Then again, not having one didn't either.
When Kouga's party reached us, Kagome and Sango greeted them warmly and started discussing the plans for the following day. I wondered if anyone else would be joining our makeshift ranks. Kikyo seemed to be on Naraku's side since she had handed him most of the shards we had collected when she stole them from Kagome. But she had told me that she intended to kill him and rid the world of the Jewel, so hopefully she wasn't just leading me on. Kagura and Kanna would have to be on his side as well, even if it was only a halfhearted effort.
As much as I hated to think of it, I knew that Sesshoumaru would show up at some point. There was no way he would let this slip by his notice. He had been tracking Naraku almost as long as we had, and had said several times that he would be the one to make the killing blow, and hold Naraku's head as a trophy. As much as we claimed to hate each other I had a feeling it was all a charade. If Sesshoumaru had truly wanted to kill me he would have done it a long time ago. He had had so many opportunities and had simply walked away from them. He could have killed me when I was pinned to that tree as well; and yet he hadn't. Of course, that wouldn't have been much entertainment for him. He had always enjoyed a good battle before the kill.
Suddenly I noticed a presence with my heightened senses that hadn't been there a moment before. I turned to strike, instinctively reaching for the hilt of my sword, fearing for a minute that Naraku had ambushed us, and came face to face with a blur of silver and white and felt a strong grip on my wrist preventing me from drawing my sword.
"I come without hostility." Sesshoumaru said as his grip lessened, "I come here to offer my alliance to your group."
I was stunned; I had never expected Sesshoumaru to do something like this. Then I realized he would have to keep that child of his safe, and would have to battle alone, and that hadn't worked to kill Naraku either. In fact, he had nearly gotten himself absorbed last time. Had he realized that the only way to defeat Naraku was going to be with everyone's help, and not with a solo venture?
Shifting my stance, and letting my hand fall away from my sword I looked around to see if this was really happening. Sesshoumaru wore a smug smirk, and I hated him for it. He knew he had thrown me for a loop, and was clearly enjoying it.
"You didn't have to make such a dramatic entrance," I huffed at him.
"No, but I didn't want to waste my energy on you, brother," he said, whispering the last word so that I wasn't sure I had really heard it.
"What did you just say?" I asked him, eyeing him suspiciously. He was acting strange, was he possessed or something?
"You know I do not repeat myself," Sesshoumaru taunted as the smirk threatened to grow.
"Feh!" I said exasperated. Maybe he wasn't possessed, just annoying.
"If you do not want my alliance I shall revoke it."
"Why do you always have to be so dramatic!" I fumed, whirling around to face him.
"You're just easy to annoy," Sesshoumaru countered.
Stifling a growl, I tried to tell if he really was here to help us. "Do you really intend to fight with us, and not against us?" I asked him.
"You doubt my intentions?"
"You always have ulterior motives for your actions, I've never known you not to."
"I would not have come if I wanted to waste my time explaining every little detail to you."
Even if he was an arrogant bastard, he always did keep his word, and I had never known him to lie, so I assured myself that he really was here to help, and it would come in handy since he is such a powerful demon. "Did you call me brother earlier?" I asked, still not sure I had heard it.
"What of it?" he asked
"You never call me that, you rarely even use my name, you usually just hurl an insult at me."
"Did it occur to you that tomorrow may be the last day for any, and all of us?"
"Yes."
He was silent for a moment, and I wondered if the conversation was over until he lowered his defensive stance and said, "Then you should know I don't intend to continue the charade. Father asked me to watch over you, and I never bothered to do it properly. The only way I could bring myself to try to fulfill his wishes were if you did not know. I battled you to test your skills without your knowledge."
His voice was so low I could barely hear him, but I had heard every word. I supposed this was the best I would ever get for an apology for his years of cruelty and hatred. He had once again floored me, and I could detect no signs of deceit on his part. I had hoped that he would come and help us to defeat Naraku, he had suffered and therefore had a right to partake in the battle, but I had never thought it would draw this kind of confession from him.
I didn't say anything--I couldn't. All the years of frustration and anguish he had put me through were slamming into the back of my eyes. All of the years of painful loneliness and utter isolation screamed and fluttered around in my brain. I remembered every hurtful word the villagers had hurled at me, and all of the times I had gone hungry and had wondered what I had done to deserve such punishment. I was overcome with memories of the past, and I fell to my knees with the weight of them.
I felt Sesshoumaru move closer and place his hand on my shoulder, steadying me so that I would not fall as my body trembled.
"InuYasha?" He asked, concern creeping into his voice.
I felt like I was choking, drowning in a sea of memories I no longer wanted to remember. I felt the tears sting my eyes, and fought them. I did not need to look so weak before a battle. I did not want anyone to ever see me like this, least of all my brother. "Why?" I choked out.
"Why what?"
"Why tell me this now?" I said trying to inhale enough air into my aching lungs to keep my balance.
"I tried to tell you before, but I was too consumed with the feeling of being replaced, and betrayed by him."
"I didn't know that."
"No one did."
I felt him sink down beside me, and his arm wrapped around me, and I let myself lean against him. I felt my world slowly coming back into focus and could start to battle the incessant flood of memories until it was manageable again. Blinking furiously to clear the last few memories that corrupted my vision I turned to look at Sesshoumaru. He hadn't moved since I had leaned against him. He looked weary himself, and yet, at the same time, he looked serene. I wondered if he was fighting his own inner turmoil. Surely he had more then me. He shifted his gaze to meet mine, and I saw the emotions he usually hid so carefully shine brightly in his eyes.
"What are you thinking about?" I asked hesitantly.
"Everything and nothing," he replied.
"You make no sense at all!"
"Will you stand by my side in battle?" he asked, shifting the attention away from himself.
"If you do the same for me," I replied
"This could be the last time," he said, his eyes shimmering in the moonlight.
"We will not fail," I said quietly remembering all of the plans that were set in motion already for the future.
Sesshoumaru gave me a questioning look and I felt the strength that had left me a few moments before gathering and returning with force.
"There are plans already laid for the future by nearly everyone here to fight," I explained, "Everyone has something they want to be able to return to after this is over."
He nodded; apparently thinking of the young girl that usually traveled with him.
"I suppose you should go meet the rest of the group, and we can all discuss a strategy," I said standing again.
Sesshoumaru smirked and with an amused voice he said, "Why InuYasha, I never thought you knew that word with the way you always seem to simply charge in, swinging your sword and hoping to strike the target."
Anger sparked in me, and I turned, fully intending to strike him, but when I saw his expression all of the anger evaporated. He was joking with me, and he wasn't trying to hurt me, he was simply being my brother. "Jerk," I said with a grin, and punched him in the arm as I jumped from the tree.
He followed me, and as we entered camp together I couldn't help but look around at the hopeful faces that surrounded the fire. Everyone wanted to win, and was determine to win. Everyone knew the stakes, and yet everyone remained in the battle, all of them risking everything so that maybe the others would find happiness.
I knew then that we would be victorious and nothing was going to stop us. It couldn't. We were all committed to helping one another, and that bond would carry us through the battle and reunite us when it was over.
That was my first, and last thought before I headed into battle as the sun rose a few hours later, and we walked towards what could be the last time we would all stand by each other's side.