Inuyasha stared at the golden paint that took up the irises in the drawing of the great lord. The gold color was his own. It amazed him that this person looked so much like him and yet didn't. It could go either way. And if you chose to believe that this person did really appear to look like him, it was odd that they were nothing alike in personality. At least, that's what he could say from the stories the servants told him in an old fashion way. He remembered little of this man in this picture because he was so little, but everyone else in the castle knew so much and could tell him anything he needed to know.
By now he knew just about everything, relying on there information, and he could justly say they were different in so many ways. People told him his brother was strong and cold in appearance, but inside they all knew he was fragile and simply sad with the way things were. 'And yet they still pushed him to be something he couldn't' Inuyasha thought sullenly. Inuyasha continued staring to soak in his whole appearance, just like he always did every time he set his eyes on the portrait. He'd been gazing at it a lot lately, though. He'd been thinking of it just as much as well.
Goodbye Norma Jean
Though I never knew you at all…
Inuyasha stood alone in the grand hallway with the portrayals of the former Lords of the Western Lands lining the walls all the way to the end. At this moment he stopped to look, once again, at his brother's picture. The man simply captivated him. It was like he had an obsession. He wished on every star in the galaxy that he could have known him. Oh, he wanted it so badly. If you look at the situation through technical terms, he did know the youkai. The fact was, Inuyasha was only five or so when he was around. But he did have one memory. He knew he had it, but it was somehow lost in his mind. It was just too blurry right now.
Whenever he tried to tell the servants of this memory, they would give him a terrified glance and brush it off and say they knew nothing of it. It was like they were trying to hide the fact that this great lord, Sesshomaru, was dead. The memory held his death in it. He knew that. It seemed as though no one wanted to talk about it though. And his father wasn't around to tell him if these fantasy-ish images were what had really happened on that historic day.
You had the grace to hold yourself
While those around you crawled…
Inuyasha spun on his heel, dragging his evening kimono with him as he walked away. He held his head up high as he went through the halls, but he felt nothing of the sort. He was indeed head over these lands now, but how was he supposed to add up to his father or brother? It didn't seem possible at this point. He reached his room with a sick heart and slid open the door.
The wooden frame revealed his warm pelt of a bed and he gladly welcomed sleep to overcome him. It meant he could see imagery of the lovely lord again, if only for a few hours. Then the eventful downfall part would come and he'd wake up in a cold sweat. It never failed.
They crawled out of the woodwork
And they whispered into your brain…
Dream:
Tiny Inuyasha ran across the garden soil to meet his brother's open arms as the other stood in the doorway back into the castle. Sesshomaru hugged him tightly as he picked his body up from the ground and carried him inside. "Oh!" Inuyasha whined in protest. "Why do we gotta go back inside?"
"Dear brother, you know why. You desperately need a bath. And since you won't cooperate with your nannies, Father sent me to do it." The elder of about fifteen years held the younger in a bridal style, but it was somewhat distorted to make sure Inuyasha did not get away from him.
Inuyasha's eyes became large. "Do you hate me so much that you don't even want to give me a bath?" The whisper fell from his lips guiltily as he slumped against his brother's body fitfully. The other's eyes narrowed for a second before becoming normal again.
They set you on the treadmill
And they made you change your name…
"Inuyasha, how can you say such things? You know I love you dearly. What have I done that you would think things would be any other way between us?" Sesshomaru dropped the other nicely to the ground and kneeled down to be eye level with him. His eyes looked tired and sad. His expression didn't leave much.
"No, onii-chan. I was wrong. Never mind." He said while bashing himself in the head lightly to show he was just being silly. Sesshomaru smiled slightly and then picked him up again and carried him to the bath house at the other side of the castle.
When the pair got there, they undressed to only skins and got into the bath. Sesshomaru got a lufa and proceeded to scrub Inuyasha's hair and ears first. If only he'd sit still. The older laughed when he dunked Inuyasha's head under water and he complained about not getting a fair warning. Sesshomaru was just getting the other to calm down and sit still as he applied oils to his hair when a maid burst into the room hurriedly.
And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never knowing who to cling to
When the rain set in…
"Oh! Um…my lord…" She said distractedly, trying hard not to look at his naked form along with his baby brother's through the mist. At his nod of approval, and telling her he didn't care, she continued. "I'm sorry, but I need to tell you that the Wolf demons have returned from the mountains for war! There going to be at the gates any minute now!"
Sesshomaru's eyes visibly widened as the woman left and he jumped out of the huge tub with grace and got dressed in a rush. "Inuyasha, I want you to get dressed and go to your room. Go as fast as you can. And when you get there, stay there. Don't you dare wander off into danger okay? And if a stranger finds you, you run. I will come for you when I think it's safe." He was fully clothed by now and had his swords around his waste. He gave his little brother a quick kiss to the cheek and then whispered a goodbye and left.
And I would have liked to know you
But I was just a kid
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend never did…
Inuyasha stared after his brother for about five minutes before he even began to move. He was confused, but he had had enough experiences with his brother to know to heed his word. The boy tried to get dressed, but he kept slipping on the wet floor making his way over to his clothes. He was also a bit worried. Normally his father helped him get changed.
Suddenly crashes were heard outside the door and screams erupted from what seemed like everywhere. Inuyasha flinched and wondered what happened to his family. He didn't bother with clothing; he was too scared to breath at this point. He was deathly silent, as the crashing got closer. He curled his body into a ball and closed his eyes shut. And then the door burst open to reveal a relatively muscular wolf demon. But even with the little amount of muscle possessed, he could take Inuyasha.
Loneliness was tough
The toughest role you ever played…
Inuyasha whimpered when he felt the demon's gaze fall on him in a greedy way. He opened one eye to look and then closed it again, wishing this wasn't occurring. The wolf stomped his feet down on glass oil bottles, breaking them, as he trudged over to his huddled form. "Aren't you a pretty one? Not too bad for size either." The reddish eyes traveled downward and Inuyasha tried to melt into the wall.
The rough hands were immediately on his shoulders and pulling him away from the wall. The demon was beginning to remove his own clothes while rubbing the child's 'spot'. Inuyasha bit his lip so he wouldn't cry. He didn't know why this was happening. And then a sound came from the door again. This time it was his brother. His eyes were blood red and he dashed forward, grabbing the wolf be the throat and sinking his poisons deep into his neck. He then threw the demon aside to die. The gold quickly came back to his eyes when he looked to the other.
Hollywood created a superstar
And pain was the price you paid…
"Inuyasha!" He leaned over the now sobbing boy. "It's alright…It's going to be okay…" Sesshomaru took a towel from the rack and put it around the child to cover him up. The crying continued. Then Inuyasha noticed all the blood dripping from Sesshomaru's head to the tips of his brother's hair. And the extra crimson color he had on his kimono. And the stickiness of his brother all together. He was covered in blood.
"Sesshomaru? What's…what's wrong? Why are you bleeding so much?" Inuyasha questioned with scared features. His brother meant the world to him. The other sighed, still holding Inuyasha to him.
"I'm okay. Some of this isn't even my own blood. The wolves have attacked, Inuyasha. We can beat them in this onslaught, but you have to understand people will be killed…" His voice was hesitant. Something had gone wrong, terribly wrong.
"Sesshomaru…" Inuyasha pulled away from the embrace to stare at his brother. "You're scaring me."
Even when you died
Oh the press still hounded you…
"I'm sorry, little one, but you just have to know. Father…he died in the midst of battle. I couldn't save him." Sesshomaru caressed the younger's cheek in a slow manor, almost like he was drawing out the tears that would certainly come. 'Why…' came to his mind, but he had no time to think. "Inuyasha, we cannot stay here. My wounds are deep and I have to find a doctor, if any are still alive. Come on."
He picked him up again, but now it wasn't the same. It was desperate. He ran through the halls and Inuyasha couldn't help but look at the damage. Things were torn and destroyed. Corpses were lying on the floor with their eyes open. Tables were thrown and blood splattered every single wall. And some demons were still fighting, but Sesshomaru ran past without being noticed.
Inuyasha had never been in Sesshomaru's room before, but that's where he took him. It was also in ruins, though. Sesshomaru placed Inuyasha on the floor exasperatedly and then lay on his bed and placed his hand over his stomach area. They didn't talk. What was there to say anyway? His breath came out in short rasps and when he picked his hand up every so often, blood would still be covering it. "Inuyasha…a healer is coming…to take care of me…Make sure you stay out of her way…when she's working…" Sesshomaru was hardly conscious when a woman dressed in off white robes stepped in to the room.
All the papers had to say
Was that Marilyn was found in the nude…
"I sensed that you would be needing me. Now my lord, remove your haori so I can see your wounds." She was busy examining his body while Inuyasha watched. "Well you definitely did a number on yourself." The old woman croaked with a shake of her head. "I can try to treat them, but some of these will not heal for many days."
She leaned in close to Sesshomaru's ear to whisper something Inuyasha couldn't hear. He strained his ears, but all he got was 'critical condition'. He didn't know what that meant. Sesshomaru growled helplessly. The healer then walked from the room to find more supplies, knowing when she came back her job would be done for her. When she left, the elder motioned for Inuyasha to come to his bedside.
"Brother, I never asked yet, but are you alright? I know this has been a lot to throw at you in one night…" Inuyasha nodded carefully. It was a lie, but if his brother was sick, he wanted to make him feel better. His brother's hand rested on his head. It felt like dead weight and that frightened him. Sesshomaru hissed in pain when he moved a bit to face his brother on the bed. "I'm so sorry. I'll make it up to you, okay?" Again a nod. "I'll take you to that pond you love so much with the silver fish. You can pick lily pad flowers and relax on the bank. And we'll stay as long as you want."
And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never knowing who to cling to
When the rain set in…
Sesshomaru's voice got weaker and weaker as he pushed more words out. Suddenly he stopped and gasped and closed his eyes for a minute. He opened them a bit then to look at his brother. "I love you, Inuyasha. Don't forget that." He gave the younger a kiss on the cheek. His lips were so cold.
"I won't forget. I love you, too." Sesshomaru smiled a bit.
"I just wish things could have been different between us…" When he fell back onto the bed and turned away from the child, Inuyasha whimpered.
"Sesshomaru?…Sesshomaru?…Sess-sesshomaru? Brother please! Please wake up! What am I supposed to do? Tell me! Please help me!" He was in tears by now. He summoned all his strength to turn his brother's body toward him. But his eyes were closed and his short pants had stopped. The hand on his head had fallen to his shoulder and it felt as lifeless as Inuyasha felt. He then jumped away, realizing the truth of the situation. Sesshomaru, his beloved brother, had died.
And I would have liked to know you
But I was just a kid
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend never did…
Inuyasha ran to the hallway, sliding down to a sitting position. He cried with his legs bent to his chest and head on his knees. His whole body shook with his sobs. He soon heard the healer come back. He didn't budge when she dropped all her remedies and ran to him as best she could. She knew what had happened. He didn't move when she took him in her arms and let him cry on her shoulder. All he knew to do was keep crying and crying.
Inuyasha sat straight up and looked around the room. He let out a breath. Everything had been fixed since then. The whole room. Sesshomaru's room. He had slept in here ever since that day. Inuyasha walked out into the hallway to look left of the door frame. That was where he cried with the healer.
And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never knowing who to cling to
When the rain set in
And I would have liked to know you
But I was just a kid
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend never did…
Automatically his feet brought him to the portrait of the taiyoukai. He groaned, trying to hold up the dam of tears behind his eyes. He sat below the picture and stroked the silk. He sighed. In one horrid night, his whole family had been taken from him. Now he remembered. Sometimes his mind tried to block it out, but after night he'd remember. Something so traumatizing was meant to be forgotten. He walked out to the gardens and hastily picked a lotus from the beautiful vines of flowers. It made him think of that pond Sesshomaru had spoke of. He hadn't gone there ever again. He was too afraid. He brought the flower inside and placed it under the portrait with a prayer.
The flower would die in a day or so, but it would serve its purpose. The lotus would die long before the mourning would ever would.
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend never did…
When I heard the song I knew I had to do a story like this, but I was upset when it mentioned names in the song. Hopefully you can ignore that. Disclaimer applies to all.
-PL
Elton John - Candle in the Wind