Inuyasha's POV:

(Two Weeks Later)

How did he do this the first time around? No matter how he looks at it…he is utterly miserable right now. His feet hurt, his back hurts, he has to relieve himself all the time. How did he do this before in such life-threatening circumstances? He can remember even being content and excited at times when he was last with child. But right now, he would do almost anything to birth this brat already. Regrettably, he thinks he has about fourteen more days left based off the duration last time.

Inuyasha heaves a tired sigh as he resists the urge to stop and sit down in the middle of the path. He knows that if he does so, he may not get back up for the night. He is walking the familiar journey to Miroku's hut to have his evening meal and turn in for the day. The sun is barely clinging to the sky on one of the last summer days of the season and yet he stills feels entirely too warm. He cannot see his feet past the swell of his belly, but he knows from the throbbing ache that they are swollen. 'Ugh, this is such a pain. How much longer is this going to take?' He jerks the back of his hand up to wipe his sweaty brow and stops just short of groaning out loud. A sharp sound startles him and reminds him that he is not walking alone.

Sango fully unfurls her hand fan and stretches her arm up to fan the confused and cranky male. Inuyasha blinks before meeting her closed-eyed grin with a frown. Despite the cooling air, he bats her hand away in irritation. "Cut that out, will yah'?"

"Sheesh, you sure are no fun these days Inuyasha."

"Feh!"

"If you are that hot, you can hand me that basket and get back faster—"

"Will you stop acting like I can't do anything!"

"You should not be doing so much in your state!"

"Just because this brat is in the way, doesn't mean I'm some helpless sap!"

"Inuyasha!" At this point, she is almost on her toes as they shout back and forth. He meets her full on with a glower of his own as the villagers scurry around them—more than used to the hotheaded duo clashing every now and then. She opens her mouth to tell him off, but all of the sudden deflates as if she just realized something. "Hey…does this not feel awfully familiar to you?"

"What do you mean?" The sudden change also takes the wind out of his sails as she hooks his arm and pulls him along the path again.

"It has been many full moons since but see if this rings a bell," Her face scrunches down into a mock scowl and her next few words come out in as much as a bark a human can muster. "You. Are. With. Child." Once again, his brow clouds with confusion so she continues with a wider grin. "I'm pregnant, not disabled!"

It takes one more moment before her words click in his mind. He can remember taking this very trail with a once heavily pregnant Sango and having a near identical argument. Only now, they find themselves in opposite roles. Inuyasha grimaces but when she flashes him a knowing little smirk, he cannot stop himself from bursting out into laughter. The absurdity of it all is enough to bring laughing tears to his eyes and he nearly loses his footing when the taijiya joins in with her own laughter. 'Leave it to Sango to make me laugh at a time like this damn it! It feels like a lifetime ago…that very same day, so soon after that moment, Tatsuya was there…ready to change my life forever.' Even that sobering thought is not enough to fully damper his amusement. Sango's mirth is enough to keep him smiling. She is still clutching onto his arm and is nearly doubled over in a fit of giggles. Her hand is over her mouth and her eyes closed shut, so now it is him guiding her as they walk to her home. His laughing calms into a warm smile as he looks at her.

No matter how low he feels these days, he is glad she did not give up on trying to reach him. At first, he immediately regretted that moment of weakness at the Bone Eater's Well and tried to go back to avoiding them again. However, his pack did not allow it. They have been more understanding than the Inu-hanyou could have ever hoped for. No questions, no disgust, no condemnation—just unrelenting care and unending support. It is more than he could have ever hoped for, and it keeps the dark tendrils from his mind during the day.

"What's so funny you two?" They just barely manage to compose themselves as they reach their destination to find Miroku waiting for them outside with curiosity shining in his mischievous eyes.

"Nothing, nothing." Sango reassures with a dismissive wave of her fan. "You would not understand."

"Mm? You both sure took your time." He comments as he moves forward to grab the basket from Inuyasha. He quickly shifts it under his other arm to grab his friend's elbow and help him inside. Inuyasha rolls his eyes but allows the monk to walk him to his seat. Usually, he would snap at the man for treating him like some helpless damsel, but right now he is too exhausted to care. His gold eyes follow his movements as he works with Sango to set up for their evening meal.

Miroku's response to everything has been…surprising. If Inuyasha had to guess before, he would have thought the delinquent monk would be revolted but try to keep it to himself. Or, on the better side of things, pretend that it was not happening for his friends' sake. But instead, he has been oddly attentive to him. Inuyasha can only liken it to the way he has seen some human older brothers look after their younger siblings. Most of the time his considerate actions stun the hanyou into compliance rather than provoking his defensive wrath. Miroku did not ask any questions either, much to his relief.

The half-demon perks up a bit when the scent of delicious food wafts into the room. The smell intensifies when Rin hurries inside carrying a tray of side dishes with Tatsuya doing the same close behind her. "Hi Master Inuyasha! Hello Lady Sango and Hoshi-sama! Excuse the intrusion! We have food and we're here to help! Ne, Tatsuya-kun?" The dragon-boy quickly nods when she looks back at him for confirmation.

"Excellent!" Sango beams at them. The girl's good mood and cheer is always infectious. "Can you two finish setting up with Hoshi-sama? I need to go feed Kin'u and Gyokuto." The youngsters almost trip over themselves in their eagerness to be of some assistance.

Inuyasha watches the demon slayer retreat down the hall to a room where he knows her daughters are resting. He quickly looks away as he thinks of the little infants being nurtured by her motherly affections. He would be lying to himself if he denied that it is still difficult to be around her children. He has gotten to the point that he can talk about them and see them at times, but he is not ready to be near them. To hold them. To hear them cry. It is too much for him. It takes him back to that day every single time. He can see his own children. Their arms flailing as they fight and cry for their lives. 'I don't even know what they looked like. I will never know what they look like. They will never—"

"Inuyasha." He startles out of his thoughts when Miroku clasps a firm hand on his shoulder. He looks up as the monk pushes a chalice of chilled water in his hands. His dark blue eyes are serious and after giving his friend the once over, he smiles at him and pats his back. "We're almost done. Hang in there." He wants to snap at the other male to stop pampering him like some princess, but the calm, confident assurance in his tone makes him avert his gaze to the water. 'These guys…they're making too big a deal out of this.' But somehow, he finds it hard to really get upset about it.

…

After eating a satisfying meal with his rambunctious pack, the pregnant Inu forces himself to his feet, ready to retire to his own home. He is confused when Kaede stands as if to join him. "Don't look so shocked. I won't take up too much of yer' time."

Although unconvinced, he shrugs his shoulders and allows the old miko to follow him out. They walk together in a slow, comfortable silence; age slowing her down and his large stomach hindering him more and more these days. The stars are shinning bright and illuminate the sky so vividly that not even the elder should have a hard time finding her footing. Cicadas sing to them as they pass by and Inuyasha is reminded that soon he will not hear their song anymore. Autumn is fast approaching. A new season and with it, a new life. Not ready to fully face what that means the hanyou shakes his head and instead eyes the old woman at his side. "So. What is it that you wanted to talk about granny?"

"How are ye' feeling these days, Inuyasha?"

"Eeh? What's with that?"

"This may be a new experience for me, but I've been around long enough to know when a child's birth is upon us."

"…I feel fine." He avoids her eye as they slow to a stop in front of his home.

"Do ye' feel prepared?"

'Prepared? How am I supposed to feel prepared for this baba?' "Yes! No! I don't know! Tch, it'll be fine."

She eyes him some more before nodding. "That much is true. Everything will be fine. Ye'' will be fine." This time he does meet her meaningful stare and after a pause, gives her a resolute nod. "I am prepared to carefully cut this youngin' from ye'. This is always a dangerous way of bringing about young ones, but I do not see any other way this could be done." 'I did not know that real mothers also had brats cut from their stomach'. "With yer' demon blood, I imagine this will be less risky for both of ye'. With that said, is there anything I should know Inuyasha?"

"…I…Um…" She waits patiently and her serious face reveals nothing that could be going on inside her head, but the shame still forces his eyes to the ground. "I've had…a wound. A pretty serious one that…may look as if I've already been cut open before…recently."

"…I see. That is important to know. Anything else ye' can tell me right now?"

The phrasing of her words has his eyes rising to meet her visible one. This time he can plainly see the understanding in her gaze. She means it when she asks if there is anything else the hanyou can tell her. She knows there is more. She is too wise not to know there is more. But she also acknowledges that he may not be able to bring himself to say more. Relief sags his shoulders as this shared understanding comes over them and he shakes his head to confirm her suspicions. "No…there isn't anything else I can say…right now."

"I see. Ye' need to know that I will need someone to assist me with this." That makes him stiffen instantly. "Oh, don't start. I just told ye' it will be dangerous. Ye' don't have to tell me now but be thinking on who ye' may want there. I'm sure Sango would be more than willing, and she has some experience at least in birthing children naturally. I am confident in what I have thought Rin thus far and she is talented at keeping her head and recalling her lessons in tense situations. And…the young ryu lad mentioned having much experience is assisting during childbirths."

"Alright already granny! Sheesh! I heard yah'. Don't yap my ears off."

"Fine, fine. One more thing. Miroku wanted me to ask ye' about giving up yer' patrols for now."

"WHAT?! No way in hell that's gonna' happen! He already made me switch from night to morning watch! If he thinks I'm gonna' give this up he has another thing coming!"

"Okay, calm down lad. I will let him know that ye' are well enough to continue for now. Just don't overdo it."

"Feh!" With one last scoff he withdraws into his home but does remain still and listens out for the miko to make it back safely. 'That damn Miroku. He thinks he's so clever, sending in baba to make the request as if that was gonna' make me agree! These guys seriously need to cool it. I'm fine. I'm here to protect them. That bastard Khuzaimah is still out there.'

As he settles into his cot, he can only think on how much his gang is fretting over him when they should be worrying about themselves. He can handle this just fine. If they only knew the conditions he had to birth his children in before. 'This is a breeze compared to that.' He will admit that at times he feels ill or dizzy, but it is still nothing like before and he would not dare let them know that he ever feels unwell. He would not hear the end of it. He can only assume his body is rejecting having to do this. He should have never been able to have children this way in the first place. Khuzaimah forced that bonding onto him and because of it, the monster corrupted his body.

"Tch." The hanyou tosses in his bedroll as he tries to rid himself of any thoughts pertaining to the depraved dragon. He has learned the hard way that if he allows Khuzaimah to be the last thing on his mind before sleep, his fury either keeps him up all night or his dreams are plagued with vivid and gruesome nightmares. He really needs his rest tonight so he can be patrolling at dawn. Even in his current state, no one is better suited to sensing that ryu than he is. But the problem is when he does not think of Khuzaimah, his mind can only fall back on his unborn child. His hands instinctively come up to rest on the swell of his stomach.

What is he going to do? He still does not know. What would be best? He cannot fail like he did last time. He cannot be selfish. He cannot break his promise again. What path is going to give his pup the best chances of survival? Would it be best to leave it somewhere? Never have it know who he is? His disgraced freak of a half-breed mother who failed its siblings. Maybe that would be best.

But where? He cannot just leave it in the middle of the forest. If it looks human enough, could he possibly leave it in a fortified human village? 'No…no, what if they find out the brat is mostly demon? How do I know the brat won't be in harm's way?' Maybe he can watch it grow up from a far. Check on it and make sure it is growing up safely. If he did that, he would want to leave it with Miroku and Sango. He would have no worries then and he could focus his efforts in finding the elusive dragon, however…Khuzaimah knows where they live. At any moment, everything could come crashing down. Not only that but…

'Sesshomaru.' Almost on cue, his pup kicks against his hand prompting him to rub soothing circles on his belly. Most nights, when he has finally exhausted himself with overthinking, his thoughts always settle on the sire of his current child. Any other time he promptly stops himself from thinking any further, buries himself under his blanket, and forces himself into a restless slumber. But tonight is different. Everything is still and quiet around him. He can hear his child best at night and its' soothing heartbeat lulls him into something resembling a trance.

His lids feel heavy with something other than exhaustion as he thinks about his older brother. Where is he now? What is he doing? What would he think? Inuyasha is relieved that the daiyoukai has stayed away because it means he has not had to protect his child from him. He cannot leave the kid with Miroku and Sango because Sesshomaru could easily find it and…He cannot bear to think about it. This is his chance to find a safe haven for this little one without Sesshomaru ever being the wiser. He is glad for that opportunity, but he also feels…

Incomplete.

He did not notice it at first, but over the many nights this burning desire has been building and building within him that is hard to ignore. Unlike his heat, the yearning burns in so many places; the pit of his stomach, his chest, his mind, his… being. He has never felt this way before. He wishes that…Sesshomaru was here.

He lets out an audible groan as he removes his hands to roll onto his side and cover his warm face with his hands. 'What the hell am I thinking? Am I an idiot?' Why would he want Sesshomaru here? That only spells danger for his child. So, what does he want? For Sesshomaru to be accepting of this child? 'Ha! Yeah. I am an idiot.' This time Inuyasha does burry himself in the blanket and resolves himself to stop thinking about it. He will ascribe his foolishness to the odd moods that come from being with child and because of this forced mating bond between the two of them. That is all it is. And that is all it can be. And he can fight and get over that well enough. Above everything and anything—

This child will survive.

…

Sesshomaru's POV

(Meanwhile)

The Lord of the West is the picture of indifferent calm as the bright moonlight sets his ivory skin a glow. He sits abnormally still against a tree as the leaves dance in the wind around him. His imposing presence is typically enough to disrupt nature itself. The animals of the night usually give him a wide berth of space since the demon man's aura is more than enough to trigger their innate instinct to flee. But tonight, like many recent nights, something is different. Something is off. He can plainly hear the woodland creatures moving about freely as if the son of Inu no Taisho is no more of a threat than a passing wolf.

Sesshomaru lifts his hand and stares blankly at his open palm. He can deny it no longer. The difference is too great to ignore. He is…not as strong as before. His halcyon eyes momentarily narrow as he clenches his hand into a tight fist.

What is worse is he has no one else to blame but himself. This is his punishment for meddling into affairs that have nothing to do with him. That damn coward Khuzaimah is fortunate that the lord cannot find him. Sesshomaru must face it at this point. He must rely on the sister to keep her word and deliver her brother directly to him. 'But will she? Was assuming she had any affection for her progeny a mistake?' At the time, she looked concerned when he mentioned having Tatsuya but there was something exceedingly odd about the demoness. It was as though she was still and empty on the inside. He could not read her at all.

A few days ago, the daiyoukai sent Jaken off with A'un to find Totosai and see if the eccentric weapon maker can shed any light about Khuzaimah, his weapon, or his barrier ability. He has not heard back from his loyal servant yet, but after that…he has no other leads to follow. The bond with Khuzaimah is becoming more and more strained. His youkai is trying to reject it despite it already being formed which is taking a toll on his body. 'But the same must be true for that low-born snake. He should be feeling the effects more than I am, so why is he still able to evade this Sesshomaru? Perhaps Inuyasha has some new—'

His brows pull downward into a barely noticeable scowl when his brother crosses his mind. A common occurrence these days, much to the lord's annoyance. Everyday he must catch himself when he finds his thoughts drifting to the half-breed who started this whole mess with his idiocy. Inuyasha has also tainted his youkai in the most sickening way. Every day, the Western Lord can feel his being pining more and more for the red clad Inu. What does he care if his stupid little half-brother has fully recovered? If he has gained his weight back? If he is still overdoing it when cleaning himself? If he needs him—

This time there is no mistaking the glower twisting his noble features. 'This is nonsense. The bond made between me and Inuyasha should be almost as weak as the one between me and Khuzaimah. Inuyasha and I are not compatible either. How could we be?' Even as his youkai tugs at him, compels him to confirm his mate's safety with his own eyes, he rejects the ridiculous notion. Unfortunately, simply ignoring it does nothing to eradicate the sweltering need in his very core. Perhaps…he should go back. If only to see if Inuyasha learned anything new. And after all, Inuyasha has proven himself to be incompetent and useless. Can the daiyoukai very well entrust Rin's safety to his incapable hands?

As that thought occurs to him, the Inu gets to his feet in an entirely too quick but somehow still graceful movement. He gave Inuyasha the benefit of the doubt of being able to take care of himself and handle his affairs once and look how he found him. 'Broken.'

He will not make the same mistake twice.

…

Inuyasha's POV:

"Yah' know, Tatsuya…you can tell them no when they ask yah' to do stuff you don't wanna' do." Inuyasha shakes his head as the green-eyed dragon-boy flinches for the hundredth time this morning. Miroku sent the kid to accompany him on his morning watch, an unnecessary move the hanyou could only scoff at. Every time he clears one of the traps and puts a lowly demon worm out of their misery, the boy looks like he is going to lose his breakfast. Inuyasha has no idea how the boy could see all the horrors he did while serving under Khuzaimah and still be so sensitive.

"O-Oh no, Inuyasha-sama! I-I am h-happy to h-help in a-any way I can. I-I believe t-the others think y-you should not be doing t-these things in your current state."

He can only roll his eyes at that. 'My current state? They act as if I'm dying or something, good grief. And Miroku needs to use his head more. He shouldn't ask the kid to do these things.' Tatsuya may have forgiven the hanyou for attacking him, but Inuyasha has noticed that when they are alone together, the whelp is more on edge than usual. 'The only time he seems to relax is when he is with Rin.' "We'll be done soon. I'm gonna' send you ahead with all the broken traps that need to be replaced. Think you can handle it?"

"A-A-Ahead Inuyasha-sama? E-Excuse my insolence, but w-will you b-be attending t-to other m-matters?"

"Nah'. I'll be right behind yah'." He places his hands in the middle of his back and arches into a satisfying stretch as the kid eyes him nervously. "It's getting harder to move around with stuff like that, yah' know? And I want those traps replaced as soon as possible."

"O-Oh Of course! Y-You can count on me!" 'I knew that would get him.' His eager helper scrambles to collect the damaged equipment with renewed purpose in his movements.

"How yah' been holding up kid?"

"E-Excuse m-me?"

"You know…since everything happened. I never checked in with you. That mountain…was your home and…Khuzaimah is still out there somewhere."

Inuyasha can see the immediate effects of simply uttering the ryu's name on the young boy. Tatsuya halts in place and his knees cave inward as though he lost the strength in his legs. His head bends until his scarred face is no longer visible behind his curtain of deep blue hair. It has gotten longer, and the jumpy boy often takes advantage to shield himself during high stress moments. "I-I…it—I am fine? I-Is that w-what you are asking I-Inuyasha-sama? P-Please d-do not concern y-yourself with someone l-like me."

The older male wants to shake his head and correct him but decides to let the subject drop. He is not going to force the displaced dragon whelp to face the truth of his current situation if he is not ready to do so. "Don't tell me who to concern myself over kid."

"O-Oh! I-I'm s-so—"

"You seem to be settling in here fine, from what it looks like." Inuyasha crouches back down to work on the last trap as the other gathers everything else.

"…E-Everyone h-here is so k-kind. I only h-hope to not b-burden any of t-them."

"Are you kidding? Don't be fooled by nice. Miroku will take any chance to dodge work. Shippo too when he is in the village. You've been working harder than any of them."

"I see…"

"Except maybe Rin." He adds and catches the ryu nodding his agreement from the corner of his eye. "You two seem to be chumming it up all the time now."

"Rin-san is a-amazing. She knows so much, and she is so patient a-and determined."

Inuyasha cannot help chuckling out loud at the obvious reverence in the boy's tone. 'Wow, he even stammers less when talking about her. I wonder what she did to earn all this hero worship.' "Yeah? Well, I'm sure she's enjoying being a leader rather than a follower for once. And here," He hands the younger male the rest of the trap and shoos him away with a wave of his hand. "I'm gonna' catch my breath and be right behind yah'."

"Y-Yes sir!"

He watches the whelp run until he is out of sight before turning and walking further into the trees. He caught the scent of a certain wolf demon tribe leader fast approaching a little while ago. 'What does he want? Did he find out anything about Khuzaimah? And how am I supposed to face him like this?!' Even now, the hanyou is carefully making his way deeper into the woods, using nearby trees to keep his footing but still swaying a bit despite the extra support. His stomach is large enough that he does not think turning his back would be enough to hide it. 'What other choices do I have? I have to try! I could never live it down if that jackass saw me like this but…information on Khuzaimah is way more important!' When his golden eyes spot a figure in the dusk-cast shadows, he quickly turns around while keeping his elbows at his side to hide his obvious gravidness.

"Yo' dogface!" Koga's gruff voice calls out as he stops a few feet away.

"What do yah' want yah scrawny wolf?"

"Hah?! Is that anyway to talk to someone you asked a favor from?"

'So he did—!' Inuyasha nearly stumbles over himself as he makes a move to turn around but remembers at the last second that he needs to keep facing forward. "S-So you found something out about Khuzaimah after all?!"

"Sure…I was able to track down some elders who knew a thing or two."

"So!? Spit it out will yah'!"

"Che! He used to train under some big hot shot back in the day. Ryu something?"

"Ryukotsusei? I knew that already. That's his uncle."

"Oh?" Inuyasha risks a glance over his shoulder to find the other male raising a curious brow at him. "Really? The elders did not mention anything about them being family."

"Eh?" 'Why wouldn't they mention that? Did they not know? From our interactions, the arrogant bastard never misses a chance to announce his connection to Ryukotsusei.'

"Yeah," Koga continues and Inuyasha can hear him creeping closer which makes his back stiffen and his claws dig into his palm. "That would be strange. Especially since they also told me that Ryukotsusei killed everyone in this Khuzaimah guys' clan."

"What?! Are they sure?"

"They sounded sure to me."

'That doesn't make sense…Why would Ryukotsusei kill everyone in their own clan? The way Koga tells it makes it sound like they are not even from the same bloodline…Is he faking it? Why? Why would he do that? Why would he want to be connected to someone who decimated his people? Well, it's not as if that monster gives a shit about anyone but himself but…something is not adding up. Wh—'

"Oi! Mutt!"

"Huh!? Ah! Was there anything else?"

"…I may have learned one more thing."

"Yeah? What?"

"…" Inuyasha nearly jumps out of his skin when the other male closes the distance between them in the time it would take to blink.

"What—?!" Before he can say anything, Koga grabs his wrists and spins him around until they are facing each other. Inuyasha watches as his azure eyes sweep over his entire body and widen in shock. "Oi! What the fuck do you think you're doing?!"

"Whoa. What the fu—how—"

"Let go of me." The hanyou snarls as he tries to yank his wrists free. He glares at the slightly taller male when he tightens his hold to keep him in place. "Let. Go."

"You!" The air leaves him in a rush as Koga takes a step forward and slams his back into a nearby tree, pinning his hands against it on either side of his head.

"Ugh! What's your problem?!"

"Your haughty fucking attitude. I did you a favor after already doing your pack a favor. A favor that stuck my own neck out. And what do I get? You barking at me like I owe you something? I'm not the dog here mutt, remember that! Not to mention you're over here talking to me with your back turned the whole time like I'm some lowly scum. Who do you think I am dogface?"

"Keh!" 'Whether he has a point or not, he needs to back off. He's grabbing me so tight; it hurts!' "Get over yourself."

"And then", The sneering wolf continues as if the other never spoke. "I see this!" Inuyasha can feel his face heat up when he glances down at his swollen stomach again with barely contained skepticism. "Is this for real? You went and somehow got yourself—"

"Hey! I get it already! We can talk about this later and I'll repay you for all you've done for us. Just let go and tell me what all you know already."

"I think you need to learn a little gratitude mutt." Inuyasha tries to wrench himself free again, but not only does Koga keep his grip, he takes a step forward to close the little space between them. The hanyou leans away as far as possible when Koga leans down and buries his face in the crook of his neck. "This fucking smell…" Inuyasha hears him mumble against his throat before dragging his questing nose along his jawline. The hairs on the trapped male's neck stand on end as he inhales too deeply against him.

"You bastard! Get—" The rage dies on his tongue when he feels the other nuzzling into his neck, briefly brushing their cheeks together before continuing downward to his exposed collar. Something feels wrong. He wants to run. He wants to cover and protect his abdomen and he tries to twist his hands free again to no avail. Instead, Koga quickly forces both his wrists into one of his calloused hands and pins them above his head. He pulls back enough to look at the hanyou's face and Inuyasha swallows hard at the far off look in his cerulean eyes. He has never seen it before. He does not want to see it and he can feel his ears flatten into his hair as the unpredictable demon stares unflinching into the younger's eyes. His heart is pumping in his chest and feels like it is going to come up his throat, but nonetheless Inuyasha attempts to reason with his old rival. "Look…you can make fun of me for as long as I live about this but…right now, I really need to know what else you found out on Khuzaimah and then…I need to go h-home, the…others are…" 'Shit.' He meant to sound more commanding, but his words will only just make it past his shaky lips in a whisper.

Koga wrinkles his nose, the hanyou's obvious anxiety altering his scent a little but not enough to diminish its' allure. "Relax mutt. I don't know why you're so wound up. I'm not going to hurt you or anything." Inuyasha's honey eyes widen when he lifts his free hand and slowly reaches out to him. His blue eyes are fixed on the front of his haori and the hanyou shuts his eyes tight as his hand nears his chest. "I just want to—!"

An unmistakable demonic aura envelops them all at once and makes the Inuyasha's blood run cold and stomach drop. His eyes shoot open to confirm what he already knows. 'Sesshomaru!'

The stone-faced daiyoukai has Koga's wrist in an iron grip of his own, stopping it just short of grabbing the younger Inu. He looks the same as always, disinterested lines of scorn the only readable emotion on his visage. But Inuyasha knows better. The hellish atmosphere radiating off him is enough to rattle his youkai to the point that a whimper catches in his throat. Koga can feel it too. He released the hanyou's previously caged hands but now he is frozen in a way prey often do to avoid being attacked by a deadly predator. His captured hand is straining in Sesshomaru's grasp and an audible crack puts a halt to Koga's subtle attempts to slip his hand free. Sesshomaru has his gaze locked with the wolf tribe leader and, an entirely too long second goes by in where no one moves.

Finally, slowly, deliberately, Sesshomaru releases the younger male, but his eyes momentarily flash red as he keeps his focus fixated on his target.

Koga cradles his wrist in his other hand and stares back with a look Inuyasha cannot read. For a moment, he thinks the two older males will come to blows, but just like that the wolf snaps his attention back to his stunned frenemy. "If I hear anything else, I'll send word with one of my wolves. Later." He offers as a goodbye and avoids looking at Sesshomaru as he turns and sprints away from the brothers.

'Oh shit. Oh shit!' If Inuyasha thought he was panicked before, it is nothing compared to how his heart is trying to jump out of his chest. His lungs are working overtime as he sucks in air a little too quickly. It is making him feel dizzy. 'Why?! Why is Sesshomaru here?!' His eyes are glued to the ground, refusing to acknowledge the threat currently burning a whole in the side of his head. When his brother takes an obvious step forward, Inuyasha stumbles away from the tree and reflexively wraps his arms around his middle. "STAY BACK!"

"Inuyasha".

"I'm warning you!" He manages a threatening enough growl from his chest, but it does nothing to stop the other's approach.

"Come here."

'No! No! I won't let him hurt my child!'

…

A/N: I am exceedingly grateful for anyone returning to this story or taking the time to show it any love. I will do my best now that I have a new laptop to be much more regular about updating. It is tough times right now, but I am feeling very motivated and inspired to write again.

I would love to hear from you guys. So along with sharing any thoughts on this chapter, if you choose to do so, I would like your opinion on changing the title. "I Look to You" was never supposed to be the title of this story in the first place. It was a working title and I always intended on changing it, however I recognize that after this many chapters this is what readers know the story to be. If I did change the title, I was thinking of "A Broken Promise". Thoughts? As always, thank you for reading (it feels so good to be able to type that again)!