As we continued with the brother hood, we see the two brothers getting closer, or are they really just getting further away?

Don't you love rhetorical questions?

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha (only Korujin)


"I'm sorry about hitting you, Sesshoumaru-sama." A small girl wearing a green kimono was talking to her self. She was out side a very large wooden house in the Sakura village. She faced the old Sakura tree. The old trunk sighed, and moved her branches to pat the youkai on the head. Kurojin smiled, and started again.

"Please Sesshoumaru-sama, I want to be your friend again, I'm sorry for hitting you." The double sliding doors opened up, and two youkai walked out of the house, silent as the dead.

Kurojin got on her knees, and held up her hands before the Sakura, who had stopped whispering. "I'm on bent knee and foot, I'll do anything you say. I'm really sorry for slapping you, you're the only friend I have."

"I'm so flattered." One of the voices said behind her. Kurojin gasped, and whipped round, to stare at Sesshoumaru. The inu youkai looked rather tired, his slivery/white hair wasn't as sleek as yesterday and his dog fur was very fluffed up. Next to him was a smaller boy. He looked just as tired, and his dog-ears were drooping slightly. He rubbed his golden eyes with a hand; the other was holding his brothers.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" She squeaked, taking a couple of steeps away from him. "I, er, ah." She spluttered, trying to get her words together.

"Want to say something to me?" Sesshoumaru prompted, looking smug.

"Sesshoumaru!" The small boy yelled, aiming a kick at his knees. Sesshoumaru doubled up, glaring. "You promised!" He hissed.

Kurojin looked between the bickering brothers. "Excuse me!" She yelled. "What are you talking about?"

Sesshoumaru had his fist raise, ready to punch at InuYasha's head, which he had in a headlock. InuYasha was biting Sesshoumaru's dog fur. They froze when she yelled.

"All I wanted to do, was say I'm sorry. But clearly, you have other ideas," she said, her voice shaking. She raised her hands, and turned on her heel.

"Kurojin-chan! Wait." Sesshoumaru cried, pushing the still biting InuYasha off him. InuYasha tumbled in the dirt, then sat up, his head to one side.

He took two steps, and grabbed her round the wrist. She gasped. "What now?"

"I want to say I'm sorry. I was wrong to push InuYasha away so violently. And you had every right to slap me." (1) A few of the old Sakura petals fell down around them. "Just, don't do it again."

Kurojin laughed, and threw her arms around Sesshoumaru. He stiffened, but relaxed. "Apology excepted."

Sesshoumaru pricked his elven like ears, hearing a strange noise from behind him. Pulling away from Kurojin, he looked round. InuYasha was on the ground, pretending to be sick. He looked up, with his tongue sticking out. "Your two are turning me off with that sappy stuff."

"InuYasha!" Yelled Sesshoumaru, glaring at his younger brother.

"Go on, Kurojin-chan, you promised me something. I didn't tell a soul." InuYasha cried, rushing foreword, and clinging to her robes. Kurojin ruffled his hair, tugging on his ears, smiling.

"Yes, I guess I did."

"What?" Sesshoumaru asked, looking between them.

"Don't worry your pretty head over it," Kurojin cooed, tapping Sesshoumaru on the nose. "Me and InuYasha-kun have to do something. You leave us alone for the afternoon."

"B-b-b-b-but." Sesshoumaru spluttered in alarm, as the two took their leave.


"It doesn't feel right," InuYasha called, "to leave onii-san out of this." They were up a hillside, facing a large boulder.

"Don't worry about it." She said. "I'll make it up to him." She flexed her claws, looking at the boulder. "Ok, first lesson. Using your claws in combat. I made these attacks up, so I'm passing them on to you."

InuYasha looked at the boulder. "Are you going to shatter it?"

"Yup, watch this." She held up her hand, with seemed to glow slightly. She raised it above her head, and leapt into the air. "Sankon, Tetsusou!" Her claws cut through the boulder as if it was paper. It shuddered, then exploded into shards.

"Whoa!" InuYasha cried, covering his face, shards pinging off his armour. "How'd you do it?"

She cracked her knuckles. "I've never been to sure, but you have to concentrate most of your power to your hand. It becomes like iron, and can smash though nearly anything. You might want to start on things soft, and keep it that way. We don't want you killing anything. This is only protection."

InuYahsa looked at his hand in wonder.

Then brought his hand up in front of him. "Ok, show me what to do." She fished in her kimono for a second, then brought out a piece of cloth. "Very soft." He looked at it, as she attached a string to it, and fixed the string to an over hanging branch.

"Ok, try and slash this to ribbons." Kurojin said, watching the hanyou place his feet apart, and stare at the cloth.

"SANKON… TETSUSOU!" InuYasha screamed, as he lunged at the cloth. All that happened was that the small kid fell into the tree, jamming his claws in the bark.

"I don't think it matters how loud you scream it out," Kurojin noted, looking at him struggling. "It still won't just magically work for you."

"Feh, be quiet!" He snarled, tugging on his claws.

"I won't be." She said angrily, pulling him out. "Did you even listen? I bet you didn't even put a third of your power to your claws!" InuYasha looked stung.

"I did!" He protected, but was silenced with a look.

"Look, InuYasha-kun. You have to try harder. This is to protect your self, not only now, but also in future. I'm sure others will still give you a hard time."

InuYasha looked at the ground, as Kurojin gave his should a squeeze. "Yes, you're right." His eyes flamed, and he curled his hands into fists. "I will."

"Ok, try again!" She yelled, leaping up on the branch. "Aim at the cloth, and concentrate!"

InuYasha took a steady breath. He stood, arms hanging low, as he energised him self.

I have to concentrate! He thought, breathing in and out, gritting his fangs, sweat trickling down his face. He concentrated on his hand. He felt something spark. Flashing them open, he looked at his target. The air around him seemed to thicken, and the breezed picked up, dust flying round his ankles. "Sankon, Tetsusou!" A faint light, glowed round his hand, as he took a swipe at the cloth.

He landed on the other side. The cloth shone for a second, then a few slits appeared in it. Panting slightly, InuYasha turned to look at his work. He looked rather proud, until Kurojin came down on him.

A fan had suddenly appeared in her clawed hands, and she brought it down on his head with a smack. "What'd you do that for?" Growled InuYasha, his head bent double, as she held it there.

"No good enough."

"You said not to kill!"

"I changed my mind. If I'm going to be passing them down to someone, they have to use it's full potential." InuYasha uttered a cried, and looked up at her, which was quiet hard.

"But, you say that like, your going some where."

With a flourish of her hand she snapped the fan shut with a frown. "Don't read into it." She said finally. InuYasha still looked worried. "Hey, don't look so sad, look, try again. This time, you can rip the ground apart. That's how far I want you to go." With a new gleam in his eyes, InuYasha backed away from the cloth.

Once again, he closed his eyes. But the feeling came a bit quicker this time. It spread over his hand, right to the tips of his claws. Slowly opening his eyes, he looked at the cloth. '"Sankon, Tetsusou!" He leapt at the cloth, bring his claws up. The cloth rippled as if in a high wind, and shredded into scraps. "I did it!" InuYasha cried, punching the air. Kurojin nodded, arms folded.

"Pretty good. You did shred the cloth, but didn't even scratch the ground."

"I attacked up!"

"To, bad." She growled, prodding him in the chest. "I'm going to be very hard on you."

"I'm just learning! You can't expect me to just smash the ground, then and there." InuYasha spat indignantly. Kurojin sighed.

"Your right. Have one more go, then we'll call it a day."

"Aw! Kurojin-chan!" InuYasha's eyes grew wide.

"No. We can keep going tomorrow."

InuYasha fumed, but did as he was told.

Crouching beside a boulder, out of sight, was Sesshoumaru. He had tracked down their scents, and followed them up to the hillside. He had been impressed of how Kurojin had shattered the boulder, then annoyed that she was teaching his brother, and not him.

He hid is amusement, as his brother tried to cut the cloth into pieces, and couldn't help put in a hint of pride we he finally did slash it.

He still watched, as InuYasha watched the ground, and struck twice, once with both hands.

The ground crack under his claws but didn't do anything else. He tore them out of the ground. "Hm, I guess I did ok." He sighed. "But I didn't shatter the ground."

"Don't be stupid." Kurojin said, placing a hand on his shoulder, smiling down at him. "Even on my first try, I couldn't do it. Must be your father's determination in there somewhere. And under all that, is your mothers sweet heart." She started to tickle him. He wormed in her grip, biting on his tongue, splutters of laughter coming out. Pausing with her tickling, she glanced at the sky.

A few birds were flying low over the mountains. "The sun's starting to set, we better get back to the village."

"Geez, you're changing your mind so many times, it's not funny."

"Just be pleased I'm proud of you."

Kurojin's words floated over to Sesshoumaru, who stood up. Still low enough to be concealed behind the rocks; he dashed back to the village.

"I'll bring something stronger for you to practice on tomorrow." Kurojin continued, as the pair walked down the hillside. "And, if you can smash the ground, and with out thinking of concentrating on the attack, I'll teach you the next attack with your claws."

InuYasha huffed, to impatient for his own good. Stifling a huge yawn as they got back into the village, Kurojin bid him goodnight, and went into her small wooden house. "Night, Kurojin-sensei." (I'm pretty sure that's spelt right - -' )) InuYasha called, and set off at a run, back to his own home.


"No, no, NO!" Yelled Kurojin, whacking InuYasha on the head for each no.

"What, NOW!" Cried InuYasha, lying panting on the ground.

"You're missing the target. Instead of the shield, your aiming at the ground."

"You're the one who said that, if I could shatter the ground, we could move on. I'm sick of this boring old move!" He jumped to his feet.

"Yes, but. I want you to hit the target. If you're wanting to hit the ground as well, you should be able to cut passed the shield, and then the ground."

"That's impossible!"

"Not if your not distracted!"

"I'm not distracted!"

"Yes you are. You're distracted by my stunning beauty." She said jokingly, striking a pose. The two had been yelling at each other, they didn't even realise they were nose to nose, flames cracking between their eyes. But at the last comment, InuYasha fell to the ground.

"As if!"

"Hmpf. Well then, if you're so cleaver, cut through the shield, and down at the ground." Kurojin pointed down at the stiff metal shield, that she had taken from her father's workshop. Once again, they were on the hillside, practising the, Sankon Tetsusou.

Kurojin had rapped on the window of his and Sesshoumaru's bedroom, at the first brake of dawn.

And being a heavy sleeper, Kurojin had to slide open the window, and drag InuYasha out of bed. After making sure Sesshoumaru was fast asleep, she had pulled the hanyou out of the house, putting a blind ear to his groans and moans of being tried, cold and hungry.

But she did stopped at her house to pick up some rapped sushi. They munched on them, as they went back up the hill, blowing on their freezing hands.

Kurojin had placed out a shield, and then after many tries of cutting through it, we come to this argument.

Eager to prove her wrong, InuYasha scrambled off the ground, and backed away from the shield, for the bajillionth time. The power came at once; it had been doing this for the past three attacks. Flexing his claws, he cried. "Sankon, Tetsusou!" He slashed down. The shield split in half, and the ground shook, then split twice. InuYasha bent down, looking at the cracked ground. It was an inch deep.

"Nya-ha." Kurojin teased.

Some kind of rage and annoyance built up inside the hanyou, and he raised his hand again.
"SANKON, TESTSUSOU!" He thrust his claws that the ground. At once, the ground shook and rumbled. "I… did it?" InuYasha asked, as the rumbling grew louder, shaking Kurojin off her feet. A great part had opened up in the mountain, the crack going deep under ground.

"I-I-I- d-d-on't th-think s-s-so." Kurojin yelled, her voice vibrating out of control, as she bounced round with the rumbling. "I th-think s-s-s-omething-s-s-s, co-coming." InuYasha kept his claws in, in fear of shaking round like Kurojin.

He brought his golden eyes to the peck of the hilltop, and saw something charging down from it. It was the size of a Behemoth. Maybe it was a Behemoth? And it was that, that was making the ground tremble. Something was astride its back.

Anyways, the creature was a midnight blue, with deep magenta stripes running a long it's back. It's mismatched feet were thumping the ground, the larger at the front seemed to jut quickly out, trying to get a head of the strangely long thing legs at the back.

Its head was like of a wolf, but elongated like a crocodile. Two fangs curved out of its mouth, and round its head, making seeing difficult. It's tail was also like a crocodile, oddly scaly, and thick. A mattered, and tangled blue mane was round its neck, and it came along its spine, letting the rider hold onto the creature's back with ease.

Its mad eyes rolled, its small pupils glinting. As the creature turned slightly, InuYasha could see that one part of his side was open. He could see its gleaming rib cage, which jutted out, and he could see its muscles and innards. But the funny thing was that it wasn't bleeding, so it clearly wasn't a wound. It was part of the creature's design and make.

As it galloped closer, the hanyou and youkai didn't have any ideas of running. They were rooted to the spot, horrified at the monster. The hanyou came round first. He felt the hot breath of the beast nearly on top of him, and the smell was over powering. Like the bowls of Hell.

He felt light-headed, as he ripped his claws out of the dirt, and tackled into Kurojin, as the beast made a charge. Its fangs swished the air, as it pulled its head down, and up. If he had been there, he would have been pulled from the earth, and swallowed whole in its cruel maw. Skidding to a stand still, it tasted the air. It was blind from its fangs, and needed time to think. Something that must have been hard. So much brawn, so little brains.

The rider, tugged on it's mane, the creature reared, and turned round, finding it's target again. InuYasha got off of Kurojin, who was still looking petrified, and faced the Behemoth. "What are you doing here?" He snarled. "What do you want?"

The rider pulled back a leather mask that was concealing their face. A shock of fiery red hair fell down the man's back, as slit green eyes looked down at InuYasha. "I'm here looking for the child of Shinzoku."

InuYasha blinked. Who in the Gods name was Shinzoku? "Sorry, you must have the wrong place." InuYasha growled, as Kurojin cowered lower.

The man's eyes narrowed.

InuYasha left his gaze, and looked at the creature. "Who are you, and what is that?" Behind the rocks, was, yet again, Sesshoumaru. The rocks had nearly squashed him, as the man and his steed had thundered down the mountain, and the spilt in the ground had fallen most of the rocks he was hiding behind.

At the smell of the beast, he had drawn his robes over his nose, and lain flat on the ground.

After recovering slightly, he poked his head back round the rock, watching InuYasha push Kurojin to the ground and then face the Behemoth. Getting to his feet, Sesshoumaru sprinted over to Kurojin. Picking her up, he hissed in InuYasha's ear. "I'll get her to the village, I'll come back with some help." And was gone.

"You don't need to now my name." The man continued, noticing Sesshoumaru with his keen, eagle like eyes. "You'll be dead. But I guess you can know, that I'm a Phoenix youkai." In a flourish, wings appeared on his back. They were full of red, oranges, and yellow, like a dying sun. InuYasha didn't even know there were Phoenix youkai. The man also had steel gloves, with iron in forced claws, and eagle like legs.

The man patted he steed, and smiled. "Him? He's a Jaki."

The beast snorted, and stamped his feet. The man drew a flaming finger in the air. With a small gesture, it grew into an arrow. He flicked the finger, and InuYasha dodge on instinct. But the arrow wasn't shot at him. Confused, he looked round the Jaki and saw Sesshoumaru fall to the ground.

Something flaming was sticking out of his leg. "Sesshoumaru!" InuYasha yelled, starting forward, but the Jaki blocked his way, knocking him backwards.

Kurojin gasped, as she tumbled out of Sesshoumaru's grip. Sesshoumaru gritted his fangs, as scarlet blood soaked his legs. The flaming arrow did not go out, instead, its flames spread along his robes, burning them. Kurojin scrambled to her feet.

Putting a clawed hand on the arrow, she pulled it out, yelping at it scorched her hand. It poofed out, and smoke furled form her blackened hand. The flames also poofed out on Sesshoumaru. He lay, panting for a second.

Shaking his head, he got shakily to his feet. "We have to get out of here." He gasped, starting a staggering run towards the village. Kurojin hurried after him.

"Annoying wrench, don't you think?" The man said to the animal, and drew another burning arrow. Thinking fast, InuYasha felt the rush of power in his hands, and he leapt up onto the beast. With a screeching scream, the monster reared up, unsettling the man, and his aim.

"Leave my brother alone!" InuYasha growled. "Sankon, Tetsusou!" He slashed at the man. His Phoenix wings came round, and the slashes passed away, leaving him unscathed. He let his wings fly out, knocking InuYasha back to the ground.

The Jaki lifted it's body off the ground, and it's feet came down on the hanyou. InuYasha felt a good couple ribs cracking, and he cried out. The beast pulled up again, ready to stomp down, but InuYasha, with great difficulty, rolled out of the way. The beast staggered, pulling all his weight on his legs. InuYasha continued to roll, until he was under the beast. The beat looked round, his shaggy head waving side to side.

"Under you, it's under you, you idiot!" The man snarled, driving a talon into the beast's neck. It screamed in its horrid voice, making InuYasha's dog-ears flatten. With blood running down it's neck, and into it's mane, the Jaki backed away a few steps, revealing InuYasha. The hanyou looked up, as the fangs came down on him. They broke through his armoured robe, and threw him into the air. He span once, and hurtled back down, as the Jaki opened it's great jaws. InuYasha drew back a hand, and the man shot it back with an arrow. Using his other hand, InuYasha yelled. "SANKON TETSUSOU!" With an iron hand, he pushed it into the beast's mouth. It caved in. It's fangs crumbled, and its face collapsed round it self. With a strangled snarl, its legs trembled, and the back legs fell, the front ones still upright, to large to go down.

But it looked like it was still alive. Using its front paws, it scrambled round, blood streaming down in great pools at its legs.

InuYasha leapt from its deformed face, and hit the ground. The flames danced before his eyes, and he managed to pull the arrow out of his arm.

Looking disgusted, the man shot round a dozen arrows into the Behemoths back, the flames tearing at it's skin. The already torn apart side, melted, and warped. Soon it was only a pile of smoking bones.

Climbing out of the skeleton of the Jaki the man looked at the bleeding InuYasha. Out of his ribs had finally broken the skin, and the man could see the bone poking from his chest. "Well, well. It's just a hanyou. It's a marvel you even survived my beast." The man pulled back InuYasha's head, as the boy gave a whimper of pain, the rib moving slightly. "Want me to slit your throat, the pain will be over?"

"N-no." Whispered InuYasha, trying to pull away.

"To bad." He cooed, and drew one of his iron claws at his throat. He applied slow pressure, some of InuYasha's skin broke, a trickle of blood running down his neck.

"I said, no!" InuYasha found his voice, and gripped the hand on his throat, the power flooding it. With a slash, the hand slackened, and its owner drew back, looking down at his stump of an arm with a blank look. "The doggy want to play rough now?" InuYasha pulled the hand off his neck, and threw it to one side, but not before taking the steel talon.

In a blaze of flames and ash, a flaming hand was fixed onto the spot where his old one used to be. Smiling, the man's wings flapped open. They started to catch on fire. The flames spread along the wing joints, and started on his arms, soon consuming his whole body. With a shriek like a bird of prey, the flames transformed him into a kind of, concentrated Phoenix soul. The body was somehow, swan like, he wings out stretched, a peacock tail at the base. His long beck opened wide, admitting yet another scream. Rising into the sky, he turned once, and shot right at InuYasha.

Closing his eyes, InuYasha waited for the pain. But something was wrong. Opening up an eye, he saw that he had transformed back into a man, and a shocked expression was on his face. InuYasha looked down, and saw something sticking out of the man's chest. Gasping, he stumbled back, as blood bloomed over the thrown weapon. It was a sharpen log, normally used on fencing like. But who had thrown it?

"Why you." The man turned round rather jerkily, and glared at Inutaisho. His fathers silvery hair was thrown around in the wind, in a flash of light, his golden eyes gleamed red, then back. The sight was some how breath taking. Like what you would see at the end of a movie, a hero in the sunrise or set.

Before the man could move, Inutaisho had appeared before him, and put a hand round the man's throat, lifting him off the ground. With an odd, rasping cough, the man's face whitened, as more pressure was added. In a flash, the man's head had been ripped off his shoulders. As the blood started, it faded, as did the body. Just like a Phoenix. The head vanished in the inu youkai's grip.

"D-dad." InuYasha started to shake, as he held his chest, blood flowing over his fingers from his wound.

"Don't speak." Inutaisho said quietly, as his son shank to his knees, growing pale. Without endangering him with any more injury, Inutaisho swept his son up into his arms. He looked at the bones of the Jaki . "Did you kill that?"

InuYasha nodded, with a weak smile. The steel talon clutched in his hand.

His father carried him down the mountain, and continued. "It was Sesshoumaru, and Kurojin-chan that noted me of what happened."

InuYasha thanked them silently, as his eyes slid shut, and finally, fainted.


The End

Author Note:

(1)12.2- Kurojin- -starts to strangle Ixi with the mouse cord- Bad, Ixi, Bad! Bad cliché of scenery, you fail, you here me! FAIL!

Can't… breath….

Jaki- Means Devil. It was Kurojaki, Black devil, but it sounded to much like Kurojin.


Random rant:

Actually, Kurojin is right. Falling cherry blossoms is a horrible cliché of scenery. I'm guessing InuYasha isn't really very InuYasha-like. But you have to remember that he's really young and pretty naïve in some ways. And kids tend to forgive easily, so don't go nagging me about InuYasha not going round ripping Sesshoumaru's heart out 24/7, as a kid I dough he would do that. Sure, sometimes they might get really annoyed with each other, but nothing like murder…

In on dvd volumes, InuYasha says he can't remember ever beeing loved by his father. So here you go.

TTFN!

-Ixi