Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its original characters
A/N: Finally some interaction between Inuyasha and Sesshomaru in the past too.
Chapter Fifteen: Brothers
"Dammit, monk! Look at where you're going! I don't want to explain to your wife I let you die while with me," Inuyasha shouted while he swiftly grabbed Miroku by his robes to avoid the demon's attack. The monk landed with little grace away from him because in his haste to save him from the clutches of the demon Inuyasha had thrown him off with a little too much emphasis.
In the end, they had found out the village was too much south than what they thought and they arrived when the sun had already set, that's why they had gladly accepted the villagers' offer to sleep in one of the rooms the headman had provided for them. The cries of help woke them up just before the sunrise. When they had reached the place of the commotion, they had seen a moth demon about to suck a woman's life with his disgusting tongue. Inuyasha had promptly cut the demon's arm to free the woman and her kid from his grip. That had obviously enraged said demon, not only had he lost his prey but one arm too.
"Everyone! Let's free the clearing! This kind of demon produces a type of venom able to melt you from the inside. You don't want to get caught by his silk or tongue too!" Miroku warned the villagers, clearly remembering the two moth demons they had previously faced during the shard hunt and the effects the venom had had on Inuyasha.
"How dare you, half-breed! You think you could be a challenge for me?" the demon snarled, his antennas moving frantically
Inuyasha rolled his eyes, "Are you moth demons all the same? You seem to speak in the same way, too!" he stated just before saving Miroku from one of the demon's attacks.
"Fuck, Miroku! Weren't you the one to warn the villagers about the venom? Look at your arm, now I have to miss out on all the fun and kill this fucker as fast as possible. Someone has to take a look at it if you don't want to lose it," he exclaimed. Miroku grimaced and then nodded, keeping a firm grip on his arms.
"Kill me just as soon as possible? Let's see who is the last to laugh, half-breed!" the youkai shouted and tried to launch another attack on them.
"Do you think I'll give you another opening to attack? As if! WIND SCAR!" he shouted just before he obliterated the demon along with plenty of the huts. "Fuck! Maybe if I had used the Meido I'd have avoided all this mess," he exclaimed. "Oh, well, We were in a hurry and we saved their asses anyway. Fucking moths, I hate those insects. Come bouzu, I may have something that could work for now in the backpack Kagome prepared me yesterday. It should slow the infection while we come back to the village where Kaede can have a better look at it."
"This is gonna leave a nasty scar on ye, houshi-sama, but you've been lucky," declared Kaede once they were back at the village. Inuyasha had brought him on his back so that they could travel faster, it was only midday when they had reached the village and the lookouts had shouted their approach.
She turned to Inuyasha, "Your quick thinking had likely saved the monk's arm, Inuyasha. It seemed ye had indeed slowed considerably the infection. Ye did a good job, I wouldn't have thought ye were able to do something else other than fighting."
"Keh! What do you think old hag? I'm not only good at fighting," he growled at her, crossing his arms and assuming his usual defiant position, nose up in the air.
"Actually, my friend, you've never been able to even wash a scratch. It has always been Kagome who did all the healing." Miroku interrupted, eyeing the bandage Kaede had just adjusted and grimacing at the burning he was feeling. At least he still had his arm.
"Shut it, monk! Thank your Buddha I am able now!" he replied, realizing the two were trying to tease him.
"Indeed, I'm forever in debt with you." He bowed.
"Cut the crap, too!" red suddenly covered his cheeks.
Rin giggled while Kaede finished applying the bandage. "We were merely pondering how being married to Kagome had changed ye, Inuyasha. There's nothing to be ashamed about," the priestess said, her only eye gleaming with mirth.
"Keh! I'm off to the other side you folks, see you later," Inuyasha replied just before disappearing from their sight.
"I'm home!" Kagome shouted and then put the slippers on before entering the foyer of the house. Inuyasha hadn't come back to pick them up yesterday night so she had stayed at the shrine with Muteki. In the morning she had gone like usually to school while her mother looked after her son; the school year was nearly at the end and then she could have some free time before starting her last year. Well, free if you didn't count the studying with Kaede and taking care of a newborn.
"Welcome home, dear. Inuyasha is here too, he has just arrived," her mother greeted her. "Are you staying for lunch? Or are you already living for the feudal era?" she asked.
"We're staying, mom, I'm dying to eat some of your cooking," Inuyasha answered coming from behind her, Muteki nestled in the crook of his arm, "Unless you aren't planning to put that hot spices of yours in it," he hastily added.
Kaori laughed and answered, "Of course not, dear. I could make some ramen from scratch, what do you say?"
Inuyasha lighted up and nodded enthusiastically. She promptly left and Inuyasha reached for Kagome, kissing her good afternoon. "How have you two been, koi? Everything good?"
Kagome nodded, "Yes, but Muteki missed his dad."
"Oh, just Muteki? And what about his mother?" he asked while kissing her slightly under her right ear.
"Mmm... maybe?" she replied. He started suckling at her pulse point, eliciting a moan from her. "Hmpf, ok, maybe I missed you a little too much," she corrected herself. He chuckled and passed her Muteki who was starting to fuss for his fill. Once they were settled in the living room and Kagome had greeted her grandfather she asked "What about the exorcism? Was it bad?"
"Not really, but the village was further than we thought, we reached it at night so we stayed there and then killed the demon at sunrise this morning. It was a moth demon, I killed the fucker in one swift but Miroku had been caught by some of his silk on his arm. I put some of that medicine of yours on it before the infection started to spread. This way we managed to come back to Kaede without any problems. The pay was good too; apparently, the vermin were preying on the women and already killed a bunch before they decided to seek help," he explained to her.
"That's awful. Are all the moth demons all the same?" she inquired thoughtful, reminding the ruckus caused by the first moth demon they encountered.
He shrugged, "I asked him the same question, but then I didn't give him much time to answer."
That afternoon, after Inuyasha and Kagome had had their fill too they jumped back through the well and made their way towards their home when both sensed a familiar and unwanted aura waiting for them there.
"Little brother, Miko," Sesshomaru greeted them. He stood graciously in the middle of the clearing, his long hair waving behind him, staring at them intently and acting as if it was the normality for him to seek them. Inuyasha immediately stiffened and covered his mate and son from his half-brother's view.
The way he had uttered those few words reminded Kagome terribly of the first encounter they had with Sesshomaru from the future and she had the suspicion this one would inevitably change the course of their lives too.
"What do you want, bastard? What could the great lord of the West want from his poor half-breed brother?" Inuyasha was tense, he was thinking along the same lines and the idea didn't appeal to him in the least. There was a reason he had avoided all contact with him all the times he had come to see Rin in the village and he would have preferred things to stay that way.
Kagome put one hand on his sword arm, trying to soothe him and avoid a fight in front of the house and with Muteki present.
"I came to speak to you about an agreement," he stated cooly as if it was the most normal thing to say, as if he hadn't ever tried to kill him millions of times and avoided them then.
"You? An agreement with a human and a half-breed? What's the catch?" Inuyasha snorted in disbelief.
"Maybe we should let him talk, Inuyasha," Kagome pleaded. "Think about what he told us," she said referring to the future version of the demon that was currently in front of them. If they had spent 500 years together it meant they had found a mutual agreement at some point. She didn't expect this to happen so fast, but who knows, maybe this was the beginning. She looked at him straight in his eyes, praying he would catch the drift.
Sesshomaru raised his brow, understanding that there was something they weren't letting on.
"Keh. Fine bastard. You can come in with us, but one wrong move and you can forget about that cute arm of yours again," he threatened.
They settled near the fire pit in the main room. Kagome had put Muteki to rest, even if she figured he wouldn't have problems with Sesshomaru since he was well accustomed to his scent and appearance because of the time he spent with him in the future. She then proceeded to prepare some tea, she even asked Sesshomaru if he wanted some although she already knew his answer would be negative.
"So? Speak up! We are waiting!" Inuyasha demanded rudely.
"It came to my attention that you had had a son, little brother," he started. Both Inuyasha and Kagome stiffened, "The old miko told me he is already showing spiritual awareness. Since he has father's blood, diluted as it may be, but still, and I thought that in time with you as a father he could become a... Hn... fine warrior," he said, trying not to show his real feeling; he had to change his attitude if he wanted to follow his mother's plan. After all, he already knew Inuyasha wasn't the same fool anymore, he knew what his brother could do now. Maybe Sesshomaru had to start trusting him a little bit at least.
"Don't force yourself, bastard. It's not like I don't know what do you think of me," Inuyasha snorted. "What has my son to do with your agreement? What do you want from him?" he narrowed his eyes.
"Nothing" Sesshomaru declared, "But from you..."
Inuyasha burst out laughing, "That's rich! You want something from me? What could I have that might be of interest to you? I already look after Rin without any problem. I still don't get what that spirited child sees in you, but that's for another day."
"That has nothing to have with Rin," he replied coldly. "All I want from you is an heir."
Kagome gaped, Inuyasha clenched his hands angrily. "What the Fuck? What the fuckable fuck? Are you kidding me? You said you wanted nothing from my son. The hell I'm gonna give you him. Like that fuckers you live with would want a quarter demon as their ruler."
"I'm not talking about your son, Inuyasha," he said, not in the least fazed by his outburst, "I'm talking about you."
Silence fell in the room. Kagome slowly put her mug down and cleared her throat, Inuyasha was currently speechless.
"You want Inuyasha to be your heir?" asked Kagome befuddled. "I may believe in your sudden change of heart, Sesshomaru, or that you don't want to kill your brother anymore, but, forgive me, this is too much even for me."
"Hn... I may understand where your scepticism comes from, miko, but there is a reason why," he continued. He gazed at Inuyasha quizzically.
"Go on," she encouraged him, Inuyasha would come out of his daze soon.
"The council of elders is demanding me to take a mate to provide an heir," he started explaining, "I am not interested in any political match but it may appease them for a while if I was to present them a legitimate heir."
"And since Inuyasha is your father's son he would be considered as such until you have an heir of your own..." Kagome continued who swiftly caught on.
"Indeed." Sesshomaru agreed. The miko was at least quick to understand.
"You're crazy! Even if I accepted this fucked request of yours - which I will not - I'm not even near what they consider legitimate. I never put a foot in that castle of yours, they have never acknowledged me because of my dirty blood, just like you did when my mother died!" he accused.
"Father was married to your mother in the human fancy and bonded with her. That would have made you first heir if you had been full-youkai," Sesshomaru declared. Had his father been still alive Inuyasha would have been per right first heir, like every child of a bonded pair. However, Toga had died the same night of Inuyasha's birth and there was no way the council could accept a half-demon over a full-demon. But if there was no other possibility, maybe, while he waited for his own heir to be born. Sesshomaru hoped this whole affair could work as his mother had predicted because he was already annoyed by this discussion and Inuyasha wasn't being easy.
"My parents may have been bonded but this hadn't stopped you to abandon me when I was nothing but a worthless pup. I don't see how this information could work now. Besides, you are forgetting that I don't want anything with that life. I'm fine here within the village. You're wasting your time," Inuyasha retorted.
"And what about in fifty or sixty years? Will you still be alright when your companions will die? Will your mate be fine? The kind of life you will be leading here presumes you deal with death too. It might be okay now, but what if in sixty years?" he probed. He knew that to instigate Inuyasha wasn't a good move, but he had no choice, they were just wasting time. He turned to the miko, "What will you do when the slayer will die? Her children? When everything you care for won't be here anymore? Did you think about it when-"
"ENOUGH!" Inuyasha interrupted him before he could say more. He was clenching his hands so tightly he had his claws embedded in the flesh. Kagome hastily grabbed his wrist and stopped him from doing more damage. When he finally spoke again his breath was harsh, the head down, the bangs covering his eyes. "How dare you come into my house, asking me for an agreement and then proceed to speak like that to my mate? Who do you think you are? Do you think yourself all high and mighty just because you're a damnable full demon? Well, let me tell you something, brother. I don't give a fuck about you, your council, your heir and your fucking excuses. I've been fine when I was living all dirty and starved in the forest as a pup, I'll be fine now and in fifty years. GET OUT! I don't want to see your hideous face anymore and next time you come to visit poor Rin - oh yeah, Rin, do you remember the human child you've saved from Koga's wolfs? She will be dead too, one day, she's human after all - next time you come here for her give me the wide berth." It didn't matter that he knew Sesshomaru would take her as a mate at some point, he was too angered right now and he wanted him out of his house in the next few seconds. He pointed to the exit and waited for him to leave.
Sesshomaru kept his face controlled but on the inside, he was boiling. How dare he spoke to him that way? He gazed at the miko and gave her a significant look. He knew he had had some sort of effect on her, she would seek him in time, even if her mate disapproved.
Inuyasha noticed his gaze and shielded her. "Don't even think about it! GET OUT!" he shouted.
The dai-youkai left with that, there was nothing more he could do right now, but at least he had planted his seed. After all, he still had some time.
A/N: Forgiveness does not always come swiftly. It will be some time before some old scars will heal and Inuyasha has still something to say to Sesshomaru. The latter will have to lose some of his arrogance if he wants things with his brother to improve at least a little. Let me know if you like the fic so far!