Disclaimer: Don't own… Wish I did though…

"Sesshoumaru-sama . . ."

Sesshoumaru peered down at the young woman his brother's miko was cradling in her arms. Even in her darkest hours, she was still showing him the utmost respect. She peered at him from the ground with a longing in her eyes that he simply could not bring himself to meet. Her sweet scent was tainted by the grotesque smell of death. Usually, he would find the smell of death appeasing, because it was synonymous to the smell of victory, when he was in battle. But this time, it wasn't his kill, and the smell made him feel sick to stomach, because he knew that he could not prevent it. His ward was dying, and though it was not by his hands, he still felt uncomfortable about his inability to save her, or to comfort her.

"Sesshoumaru-sama" He winced as he heard her call his name for the second time. He had yet to acknowledge her. He simply couldn't. To acknowledge her, meant acknowledging the fact that she was going to leave him, and he was not sure it was a thought that he could live with, at least, not yet. She stared at him, her gaze unwavering as she searched his face. He saw her face contort in pain as she tried to take a deep breath. She clutched at her chest, her breath quickening. He looked away. '(I)Coward(/I)' the word echoed in his mind. Unable to bear the situation any longer, he turned his back, and left the room, tuning out the anguished cries of his ward.

He didn't get very far before his hanyou brother blocked his path.

"Where do you think you're going you asshole? Can't you see that she's dying, and that she needs you there with her? How can you leave her, when she needs you the most? You either get your ass back in there, or I will personally deliver your unconscious form to her," Inuyasha growled, his hand on the hilt of the Tetsusaiga.

"Hanyou, remove yourself from my presence, before I break my promise to Rin, and terminate your miserable existence," Sesshoumaru threatened through gritted teeth. His eyes flashed crimson as his youki surrounded him.

"Don't you dare use her name. Why would you care about breaking a promise to her, when you won't even stay with her in her last moments? I'm not afraid of you Sesshoumaru. If you want the last memory Rin has of you to be of you unconscious on the floor of my hut, then so be it," Inuyasha replied, pulling Tetsusaiga from its sheath. The fang automatically transformed, gleaming dangerously in the moonlight.

Sesshoumaru's poison whip lashed out at him, before he could utter another word. Inuyasha dashed to the side, avoiding the deathly whip, and lunged forward, before slicing at Sesshoumaru's head. Sesshoumaru was a step ahead of Inuyasha. He quickly drew Toukijin, and blocked the attack. The sound of metal clashing echoed throughout the surrounding area. Sparks of energy flew from the contact of the two swords.

"Humph! And you dare call me a weakling. At least I have enough courage to admit my feelings to the woman I love. You are nothing, but a coward, and a hypocrite, Sesshoumaru. You dare call father, and I, weaklings for loving a human, but you, yourself, have fallen in love with one. But you are too proud to admit it," Inuyasha yelled, as he parried, and blocked Sesshoumaru's onslaught.

"Silent hanyou! Who are you to patronize this Sesshoumaru? You are nothing, a worthless hanyou- a mistake. You are not even worthy enough to be a piece of dirt beneath my shoe." Sesshoumaru flared his youki, and pushed Toukijin against his father's fang, temporarily overpowering Inuyasha, and sending him into a nearby tree.

Inuyasha quickly got to his feet, and dusted himself off. "I pity you Sesshoumaru. I may be a hanyou, scorned by both humans and demons alike, but at least I have the love of the one woman I would give my life for. But you, you hide yourself behind a veil of coldness, and a hollow title. You may be Sesshoumaru-sama to everyone, but no one really respects you, they fear you. You have no one to back you up. No one truly cares about you, except for that girl in there, and yet you repay her by turning your back on her. Would it really hurt your pride that much to go to her? There is no one here to witness it. What are you afraid of?" Sesshoumaru charged at him with Toukijin poised to kill.

"Hanyou, do not presume to understand what this Sesshoumaru is thinking." Sesshoumaru's eyes were red, and the markings on his face were livid. He was near transformation. "Rin is mine, and what I do, or do not do with her is not of your concern. If this Sesshoumaru could control the fates, he would never have had Chichue meet your miserable mother." Sesshoumaru's poison whip lashed out, and wrapped itself around the Tetsusaiga. Sesshoumaru pulled, and the sword went flying from Inuyasha's hands.

"Oh, I get it now. You're afraid of feeling guilty for her death. You're afraid of facing the fact that the great Sesshoumaru-sama can't even save a ningen onna that he cares about. You're- oh my Kami, I don't believe this. You're terrified that you won't be able to let her go. That's it, isn't it? You're afraid of her death! You can face your own death a million times over, but you can't face the fact that she's going to die, can you? I don't-" He was cut off as Sesshoumaru's claw wrapped itself around his neck, and pinned him against the tree.

"SHUT UP! This Sesshoumaru no longer wants to hear your mindless banter. Rin is mine, and if it is her time to go, then so be it. Even this Sesshoumaru cannot control the fates," Sesshoumaru growled, digging his claws into Inuyasha's neck.

Inuyasha let out a bitter laugh, as blood trickled from his lips. "It hurts doesn't it brother? It hurts to feel so helpless doesn't it? It hurts to know that this may be the last time you see her. You can't accept it can you? Now you know what it feels like to lose a loved one. It's not a pleasant feeling is it? It hurts doesn't it? " Amber orbs locked, and glared at each other for what seemed like hours, before Sesshoumaru loosened his grip, and let Inuyasha fall in a heap at his feet.

Inuyasha watched as Sesshoumaru walked back towards the hut, his white robes fluttering in the wind. "It does." He heard Sesshoumaru utter so softly that only demon ears- or in this case hanyou ears could pick it up over the roaring wind.

Please don't kill me!

Review!