So many reviews they made me so happy. Her is the next chapter. Enjoy! A slight change in spelling of names. Apparently I didn't use the right one.

Chapter Three, Between two brothers

'Even when I'm sick and depressed, I love life.' — Arthur Rubenstein

"—So then I followed the direction he gave me and your boyfriend—"

"For the umpteenth time he is not my boyfriend." Kagome Higurashi grounded out and Chiharu rolled her eyes theatrically.

"Whatever," she muttered, "anyway, that's when Inuyasha jumped down from a tree and almost flattened me to the forest floor. Did you know he couldn't see the hairs, in fact not those silly stones you have around your neck either?"

"They're the shards of the Shikin-No-Tama," Kagome told her importantly. "Kaede-baba says I'm the keeper and it is my duty to restore it to its normal size."

Inuyasha groaned from the mat near the entrance of the hut. Being at least part-demon he regenerated and he did so really fast. Yet, being stabbed with a sword took some time to heal from. Kagome fiddled with her school-skirt and readjusted her knees on the wooden floorboard.

"When I came here I ran into Inuyasha." Kagome softly explained. "I soon learned you must have followed me. There was the Shibugarasu, inhabiting the form of a human. And I mean that literally, it had made a nest in the chest cavity were the heart should be. That's when I accidentally broke the jewel."

"You told me that." Chiharu nodded. "What happened after that? You've found at least a few jewel shards."

"Yes," she nodded. "I can sense them. So while trying to find you, Inuyasha is good at tracking people—"

"—Which would have gone a lot better if I actually knew who I was tracking," the Hanyō muttered from his place on the mat, "but of course you did not know and—"

"All right," Chiharu interrupted hastily, "so you tried to find me by literally tracking me down. And then you ran into more trouble. Yes, please continue."

"All right, so then we travelled north. And then we met Nobunaga, he said he wasn't Oda Nobunaga, but he was certainly just as much as the fool he was before the battle of Okehazama and—"

"Onee-chan you're babbling."

"Yes, well, we helped him save a prince and then there was this large fish Yōkai and the Bear Yōkai who held a Shikon-No-Tama shard. And then we came back, had a fight and when I came back — I went home you see — you were there."

"Fuck's sake, the wench couldn't have summarised it before, could she?" Inuyasha complained loudly.

"That's it you childish, little—"

Chiharu wanted to go home, curl in her nice warm bed and forget everything about Shikon-No-Tama shards hunting. She wanted to hug her mother, smile at her silly grandfather and lock herself up at home for the next five days. She couldn't of course. Her sister insisted on staying and helping her not-so-official-boyfriend hunt down silly shards. Inuyasha groaned and rolled on his side, ignoring Kagome's ranting.

"Are you really all right, Inuyasha?"

"I'm fine wench, like I said before, I heal fast." Came Inuyasha gruffly reply.

Kagome's face turned red and she pursed her lips together. Chiharu knew that look. She was trying to keep her temper under control.

Pursing her lips Chiharu glanced outside at the unexpected rain fall that had halted her descend through the bone-eaters-well (and the time). The fresh scent, of wet leaves and grass, wafted in through the entrance to the hut and Kaede-baba shifted in her sleep. After being attacked by one of Yura's marionette's, Inuyasha had buried her till her neck somewhere in the forest (to protect her) and it had taken its toll on her.

Kaede-baba, or Lady Kaede was the elderly Miko of the village. She was of average height for woman this time period, had long grey hair and wore an eyepatch over her right eye. To help her, Chiharu had stitched the wound just below her midriff and tried to get her to take some medicine Kagome carried into her large rucksack, but the old lady refused the latter.

"Kagome Oneechan?"

"Hm?"

"Perhaps we should all try to sleep," Chiharu asked and her older sister nodded wistfully. With a large yawn she unrolled the burrowed tatami mat and wrapped her arms tightly around her midriff for warmth before closing her eyes. Somewhere along the night, Inuyasha had covered her with his outer Hatori again and she slept dreamlessly for several hours.

When she awoke again, groggy but essentially refreshed enough she was alone in the hut. It was still dark outside and with a frown, Chiharu slung Inuyasha's outer Hatori around her and slowly stepped outside. The wind had turned and it was unusually dark outside. She gasped when she felt a hostile aura press against her and she tried to think what she was supposed to do and she slowly crossed the clearing.

Lady Kaede, still pale and tired, was directing the villagers inside of the wooden huts as the trees in the distance moved violently.

"What's going on?"

Lady Kaede turned around. "Yōkai attack it moved further into the woods, but yeh can't take the risk. I would be wise to go inside."

"No, I mean, where are Kagome-Oneechan and Inuyasha?"

"They went after it."

Chiharu wondered when her sister had lost her mind. She must have if they went after every aura that dawned on them. There was no Shikon-No-Tama shard in the vicinity, except for the one dancing less than a mile away, and she knew that was the one around Kagome's neck. As long as it wasn't endangering people, you avoided aura's like the one over there. And then it was gone. Chiharu furrowed her eyebrows and blew a strand of hair out of her face.

"I'll get my bow and arrows." She muttered.

Lady Kaede didn't say anything, just smiled and Chiharu was impressed. The woman had been hurt only hours ago, yet she was already on her legs and moving. Chiharu could learn a thing or two about that. Swinging her quiver with arrows over her shoulder and hung her bow over her other.

The moon stood high on the zenith; pale light filtering in through the thick canopy of leaves, scattering down on the forest floor. She moved quickly, branches and leaves jostling as she ran through her. Her feet slammed hard onto the hard forest floor and she peered around. The dark aura was slowly coming closer, with every step she took.

She jumped over a fallen tree, almost tripping over her own feet, when suddenly a small green kappa appeared in her sight.

"Jaken?" She hadn't expected to ever see him again.

"You!"

He hadn't expected to ever see her again either. Chiharu adjusted Inuyasha's Hatori over her arm and cocked her head. "Yes, me. So good to see you again." She retorted dryly.

"What are you doing here?"

"Investigating," she answered simply.

"Well, do that somewhere else, milord and I have business to attend to." The imp snarled and Chiharu felt a muscle in her cheek pop.

"Yes, it was so nice to see you again, Jaken. Do take care all right, all right?" She retorted sarcastically, while pushing through dark green bushes and nervously fiddled with the long sleeve as she resumed following the heavy aura. It had suddenly become darker, the light of the moon disappearing and she nervously ran her fingers through her dark hair. In the distance she could just make out dark shapes and she squinted her eyes. She had neared a clearing.

Kagome was laying on her side, near the chore of a small pond and a large bulky Yōkai, with the built and height of a flat, stuck out above the trees. Chiharu stood rooted to the spot, peering through the dappled gaps in the evergreen leaf cover of a bush. Almost all light had disappeared in an instant, and a strange silence pressed down onto them. Chiharu touched her hand to one ear, in case it was blocked by something physical. She suspected it had something to do with the strange heavy Youki that seemed the strongest here.

Shaking her head, she crossed the clearing, trying to remain in the shadows of the trees and her eyes widened when she watched a beautiful woman, with long sleek dark hair, literally trying to absorb the almost comatose Hanyō Inuyasha.

"Holy shit," Chiharu mumbled before readying an arrow on her bow, squeezing one eye shut and aimed at the lady's head — obviously a Yōkai of some sorts.

The arrow fizzled, cutting through the air, before lodging deeply into the shoulder of the female Yōkai. Inuyasha fell to the forest floor with a groan. The silence pressing down onto her was lifted and a weight on her chest, she hadn't recognised before, had been lifted and allowed her to breathe the way that she used to.

"What was that?" Chiharu gasped, quickly pulling her sister up into a sitting position. "Are you okay?"

I-I. ⌡. Γ┐

Sesshomaru watched his underling steer the boat over the water towards the Mu-onna. The idea to use a cursed spirit had been a welcome diversion for his idiot of a half-brother. The boy was stubborn, he could give him that, and would have refused to tell him anything he wanted to know. His lips curled into a sneer.

'A mother's touch did wonders.'

As Jaken stepped out of the boat and onto the shore, reprimanding the Mu-onna for not doing her job, suddenly an arrow sliced through the air, brimming with holy power. It lodged deeply into the shoulder of the cursed spirit and she started to designate, dropping Inuyasha to the forest-floor. His eyes widened, gaze lingering for a moment on the fallen girl, still unable to move to the edge of the clearing.

A Miko, small and slender moved quickly towards the inadequately dressed girl and slowly propped her up to a sitting position.

His Youki flashed and Sesshomaru grounded his jaws together in anger and suddenly appeared behind the girl pulling her up to her feet. She was small, barely even reaching average height for humans and two-coloured eyes suddenly were on his. He recognised her immediately.

"You…"

"Let her go, you bastard!" Inuyasha snapped, pushing the fussing girl, who he realised shared a lot psychical traits with the one he was holding up by her collar, aside and jumped to unsteady feet.

Sesshomaru jostled the human a bit, sniffing her delicately and sought his brother's gaze out. "She belongs to you, I should have known."

"I don't belong to him," the girl muttered, feet trampling to the forest-floor, probably hoping to find even ground to stand on.

"Don't you?" He asked, his smirk broadening. It would be just like his brother to string two women along. He sneered. One human of Holy power, who as far as he deigned to listen, where quite boring and one who looked like a poorly payed courtesan.

His brother suddenly charged at him, yet like always he was to slow and Sesshomaru sidestepped him before taking to the air. The girl yelped, her grip on his wrist tightened. The other girl yelled to his brother and a moment later Inuyasha hopped onto a tree branch and went after him. With claws at the ready, Inuyasha clumsily charged at him and Sesshomaru used the Hanyō's momentum to plunge the fingers of his left hand into the socket of Inuyasha's right eye before sending him back to the forest floor. The boy slammed to the ground, sending a plume of dry mud skywards and didn't move for a moment.

He glanced at the black pearl, coated in blood, between his thump and index finger. Finally he found the entrance to his father's tomb. No wonder he hadn't been able to find it. Inuyasha himself probably had no idea he had it with him all this time.

The girl gasped, looking up at him with wide eyes and he wondered. She had served her use, dropping her would be easier than dragging her along, yet— His brother got up to his feet and growled at him. Perhaps she was of some use.

"Chich-ue certainly hid the tomb in a strange place," he whispered as Inuyasha moaned, pressing his hand against the heavily bleeding eye.

"You bastard!"

He made a move to come at him again, but Sesshomaru wasn't in the mood to entertain the foolish boy again and pressed his claws lightly against the girl's neck. "Uh, uh," he started, watching the younger boy's eyes flash, "your female won't like what I'll do, if you waste my time any further."

"Inuyasha!"

"Keh," Inuyasha snarled. "She isn't my female, I do not care if you would hurt her."

"Don't you?" The Yōkai-Lord whispered, making a show of sniffing at the girl. His scent was heavily clinging to her. "Than tell me little brother, why is your stench all over her?"

The girl stiffened when his breath fell onto her. She was staring at his brother's heavily bleeding eye and looked disgusted, her face tinting green. Humans were so easy to read. He sometimes wondered if they truly did not realise how much power they allowed others to have over them, by such blatant emotions. She was afraid, at least she was smart enough to fear him, her heartbeat no longer regular and her scent heightened with the heavy emotion.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" Jaken, the Kappa appeared out of the tall grass. "I have retrieved the Nintoujou," he continued, showing the tall staff to his master.

"Lose it again and I'll kill you."

He stepped forward, dropped the pearl to the forest floor and grabbed the staff out of Jaken's claw. When the pearl was smashed under the staff there was a small moment of silence. Enough for him to wonder if this again was not the right location, but then the face of the old man cackled and Sesshomaru felt a rare smile tug at his lips. The girl squirmed when a darkish light appeared, sucking them down through the grass. A wind sucking from a depth, he Sesshomaru was unfamiliar with, they were suddenly falling. The girl squeaked, dull human nails digging into his wrist and with a sigh he readjusted her, wrapping an arm around her middle.

It did little to ease her fast beating heart, but he didn't care. He passed the large skeletal birds, moving along the semblance of a light blue sky, and landed in the large remains of his great father. Tetsusaiga was there. He dropped the girl and hurried to his legacy. Finally.

"All of this, for that? For a Katana?" the girl asked, pressed against the other side of the carcass. Jaken's bulbous eyes glared at the child and back at the sword.

"That's not just a Katana," Jaken told her importantly, waving his clawed finger importantly. "That is the sword forged from Sesshomaru-sama's father's fang."

"I see,"

Sesshomaru grabbed the handle of the sword. He was repelled almost instantly. "A Kekkai, figures, there's a Kekkai on it."

The girl mumbled something, but he was no longer paying attention. The beginning of anger started flooding through his veins.

"Sesshomaru!"

Inuyasha dropped down from one of the ribs, claws at the ready and Sesshomaru smirked. Not Sesshomaru and not Inuyasha was capable of drawing their Father's fang and with that, Inuyasha stopped serving a purpose. They fought like they had done so many times. Inuyasha lacked speed, strategy and precision. He didn't land a hit and Sesshomaru easily overpowered him. He was about to finally dispose of the shame on the family tree that was his Hanyō brother when the scaredy dressed girl suddenly drew the Tetsusaiga.

His hand tensed above Inuyasha's neck and the girl paled. The Miko girl was at her sister's side the next moment and the girl hid behind her, pushing the sword into her unresisting hands. For the first time in years he was unsure of how to proceed.

Both girls ran when he appeared in front of them and Inuyasha fought even harder. He slammed Inuyasha into his father's sternum before crashing him down against the floor. Sesshomaru's eyes flitted around the carcass, landing on the fidgeting Miko. She seemed to notice his gaze, adequately deducting he would come for the sword again and in a pure fit of panic, she slung it through the air — 'Fetch boy!' — before going the other way.

"Keh, it looks like a piece of junk."

"Who cares?" the girl yelled, knuckles turning white around the bow she was carrying. "Why not using it to get out of here?"

She met his annoyed gaze and her face paled. It appeared that being afraid and having common sense were not in direct correlation with each other. Slowly, ever so slowly, she pulled an arrow free — her last one — and held it close to her bow. Would she really be stupid enough to shoot it at him?

The girl's heartbeat picked up its pace, hammering against her ribcage and her breath hitched when he moved to her. She drew her bow tight and released the arrow. He didn't even bother to dodge it, instead he caught it in mid-air in his left hand and snapped it in two.

"Great idea!" the Miko gasped, hysterically wringing her hands together as she moved farther away from him. "He just caught the arrow in mid-air, thank you Kagome-neechan. Great idea!"

Typically human nature. It was always someone else's fault.

"Leave her alone!" Inuyasha yelled, moving faster than Sesshomaru had expected and suddenly the boy's claw crushed the armour covering Sesshomaru's left shoulder. The sword remained useless. It just bounced off against Sesshomaru's right arm, and the older Yōkai sneered.

"Tetsusaiga," he whispered, his right hand curling into a fist. It should be his. It should be his because of his blood and of course he was the eldest son. He was the Heir to all of his lands to rule. Inuyasha didn't have to do a thing. "Give it to me, Inuyasha."

"Like hell, you bastard, you cannot even touch it!"

He grimaced, his eyes flitting to the girl again. His brother had moved a lot faster when he was about to approach her again. The Hanyō's scent was all over her. He smirked, twisted around and appeared in front of her. The girl yelped, tried to turn away, heart thudding loudly, before holding her bow up as a shield. He had seen enough of that bow and with a careless flick of his wrist slapped it out of her hand, snapping it in two. She looked terrified when he twirled her around pressing her back against his front and dug his left hand into her hair, baring the column of her neck where it met her shoulder to his angry gaze.

"Last chance, little brother."

"You wouldn't!" Inuyasha hissed angrily. The look-a-like was gazing at the Hanyō with horror.

He wasn't even realising he was bargaining with her life. The girl's reiki desperately pressed against him. She was obviously new to it. It wasn't hostile against him. He doubted she was used to any level of hostility and she squirmed in his hold. It amused him more than it should when he exhaled, his breath ghosting over her neck, and she whimpered.

"Inuyasha-Sama!" Myoga the flea cried. The beginnings of doubt spread over the boy's face, but he shook his head in determination.

"He won't," he muttered under his breath. "She's human."

"This one wants the sword." The Daiyōkai whispered, not caring if this waif of a girl was human or not. She would suffer for his brother's mistakes. He always had a back-up plan. Even in the spur of the moment.

"Well, you can't get it, you bastard!" Inuyasha cried, again charging at his older brother. Sesshomaru snorted took to the air again and landed onto one of the ribs. He chuckled when the Hanyō slammed into the carcass-filled floor. He slowly looked up into his eyes. Sesshomaru could see it there. He was not going to give the sword up.

"Your choice…" he muttered, before yanking at her hair, baring even more from her neck. The girl's scream died in her throat as his fangs sank into the pale unyielding flesh of her throat. She trashed against his form, his left arm winding around her waist, keeping her from falling. Her breathing laboured and the hand on his wrist relaxed its grip. The Hanyō cursed foully, eyes wide and mouth opened in a horrified gasp.

When he dropped her, he smirked. "You will give me the Tetsusaiga, little brother, one way or the other."

The girl twitched, feet trembling aimlessly as Youki washed over her. She would suffer. One of them was going to break. He just had to abide his time and in a flash he was gone.

To be continued…

A/N: And this is partly out of Sesshomaru's view. Hopeful it became a lot clearer this way. I hope you'd all enjoyed this chapter and like always, let me know what you think! Reviews are the fuel to my motor^^

Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi