A/N – Well, here I am with another addition to this semi-AU situation.
Disclaimer – Inuyasha belongs to Takahashi-san. I'm just borrowing it.
Eccentricities III – The Dark of the Moon.
On the night of the new moon, Inuyasha changed. Sesshoumaru came back to the campsite to find his normally belligerent, hotheaded half-brother perched, shivering, on the highest tree limb he could possibly reach – black haired, dark eyed, and human.
It had not occurred to Sesshoumaru that Inuyasha, too, would be subject to this particularly hanyou curse. Izayoi, though, had obviously prepared her son well – he looked thoroughly spooked, his eyes wide as if he saw everything around him as a threat.
On this night, of all nights, it was true. Inutaisho's blood would avail him nothing; while he was vulnerable like this, he was prey to even the lowest and most primitive predators, whether youkai, animal, or even human. And Inuyasha's shivering, barely suppressed wariness told him that he had already learned this most terrible lesson…
For some strange reason, it irritated Sesshoumaru. Intellectually, he knew that Inuyasha would never be truly safe on this night, but somehow the thought of the great Inutaisho's son reduced to cowering in a tree was almost too much to bear. He had taken the whelp with him, had allowed him to trail after him like an ill-trained puppy, and had put up with his hotheaded bluster, his obstinacy, and his painful naivete, and now he was shivering and shrinking away from him, his fear rank and disastrously obvious.
After all he'd done for the whelp, Inuyasha had the gall to fear him. If he'd wanted to kill him he'd have done it long ago, before he'd taken responsibility, before he'd invested long, painful hours trying to civilize him…
Did he but know it, his fiercely impassive glare was not helping to calm Inuyasha's fear. Though he had been traveling with his brother for three weeks now, Inuyasha was still slightly wary of Sesshoumaru. Normally, fiercely determined not to show it, he covered the fear with insolence, stubbornness and bluster, but that had been when he'd had claws and a much tougher body.
The admonitory, disciplinary blows Sesshoumaru resorted to when his patience ran out normally caused nothing more than a nasty bruise. But now – now his brother could do him real harm with even the slightest flick of his finger. And, seeing the way Sesshoumaru was glaring at him…
Inuyasha couldn't help it. He shrank back against the tree trunk, pinned and mesmerized by that anger, for the first time truly aware – with the instinct of a victim – of just how dangerous a predator Sesshoumaru truly was.
But then the dangerous predator spoke. "I did not think you such a coward, Inuyasha."
"But…" he sputtered, "but Haha-ue said that while I'm human…"
"Hnn. She was right. But face your fear like a true son of our father. Never, ever let me catch you cowering and sniveling again." Sesshoumaru – that blighting, relentless disapproval was all Sesshoumaru – sat down with his back to the tree trunk, and looked out past the fire and into the darkness. "I am the most dangerous being in this forest. Nothing will approach while I am near."
They spent the rest of the night in that manner – Sesshoumaru supremely arrogant and unconcerned, his eyes half-closed and his white, glimmering body seemingly relaxed, and Inuyasha still on his tree branch, but controlling his fear, keeping the demons at bay by constantly reassuring himself of Sesshoumaru's presence and protection.
I am the most dangerous being in this forest.
Inuyasha could easily believe it.
As the sun rose the next morning, Inuyasha, who had not slept a wink all night, rejoiced to feel the transformation reverse as he returned to his normal, demonic state. He could feel his fingernails lengthen and harden, turning to the familiar, reassuring claws, feel the old strength flood back into his body as his senses returned, and his confidence with them. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his hair pale and revert to its normal white, and he let out a long, thankful sigh of relief. Last night had been the first new moon he had ever spent outside, without his mother's protection and reassurance.
Reckless once more, he leapt down from his perch and landed in a crouch beside Sesshoumaru, who was still sitting against the tree. Turning his head very slowly, his brother chose to acknowledge him, favouring him with a blank, half-bemused stare.
Inuyasha stared back seriously. "Last night," he said slowly, unaccustomed to difficult concepts and questions of emotion. "I…I want to thank you…"
Sesshoumaru's impassive gaze became chilling and haughty. Ignoring it, Inuyasha forced himself to continue. "For keeping watch, I mean." He trailed off, withered under the wordless disapproval.
"While you are young and weak," Inuyasha's awe-inspiring, utterly alien elder brother said flatly, "I will keep watch with the new moon. Afterwards, you'd best be able to defend yourself…"
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