Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

A/N: Ah, the final chapter is here. I mean, there's still one more chapter, but the other chapter is just a bonus chapter, so you can choose whether or not to read it. I made a bonus chapter because I can't stand the chapters being an odd number (yes, I'm terrible). Thank you to everyone who had made it until the end. Even to those that didn't leave a review, but still read it, thank you. I hope you enjoy this chapter. (This is gonna be long, so be prepared.)

Chapter 17:

Finishing Act

Damn it all.

Everything wasn't suppose to end up like this. She had lost too much. She had lost Mouretsu and Himitsu, and for what? She gained nothing. She lost her two most precious and powerful assets, yet, nothing she planned had been going her way. She thought at first; that maybe, just maybe, Himitsu and Mouretsu's sacrifice would give her something. But no. If she had known, she wouldn't have risked their lives in the first place.

She was still away from her goal to control the Western Lands. Her puppets were all wiped out. Her barrier had been shattered. Sesshoumaru was still alive. And now, she had to let go of the last valuable thing she possessed; which was the hanyou. Oh, how she wished she did not release the hanyou from her grasp. But if she didn't, she wouldn't have enough strength to spare after she switched places with the hanyou. Switching places with her puppet cost too much of her energy, and she didn't want to be left drained after exchanging.

Her hand wrapped around her bleeding arm. Great, she was a fool to allow that daiyoukai to strike her arm. She heard someone shouting something, and she looked up, only to find the hanyou's human companions. She shot them an annoyed look at their questions, and summoned her cloud to make her escape. If she stayed any longer, Sesshoumaru would be here, and she didn't have enough energy left to fight him off.

She got onto her cloud and it lifted her up in the sky. She heard the miko yelling something about the hanyou, but paid no attention to it. She was going to flee from here, and it seemed she would have to go back to planning everything again. Oh well, at least she had Jikiko. If she survived this, she could conquer the Western Lands—or the world—later. She had another plan anyway, and all she needed was Jikiko to accomplish her goal.

But then her body stilled at the terrifying aura that overwhelmed her senses. The hair behind her neck stood, and a shiver ran down her spine. No, that couldn't be... Sesshoumaru had released his youkai, which meant that he was serious of getting rid of her. He hadn't released it before, so what made him release it now?

She didn't realise that her cloud was slowing down. Panicking, she forced herself to use more of her remaining energy to fly faster. She glanced back, and her eyes widened when she spotted a blur of white heading her way. As the white thing came closer, she could see that on top of Sesshoumaru, was his younger brother; lying unconsciously on the daiyoukai's back.

Instead of chasing her, Sesshoumaru landed on the ground, causing Koukatsu to exhale a sigh of relief. She watched as the daiyoukai allowed the hanyou's human companions to retrieve his brother, before his crimson eyes were locked onto her. Her breathing faltered for a moment, and then adrenaline started pumping into her veins.

All of a sudden, she was the prey, and he was the predator.

She was being chased.

She could feel his presence right behind her.

She felt his teeth sunk into her body.

And then the world went black.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, as she quickly dropped to her knees and crawled closer to the hanyou's lying form. She took a few seconds to examine the hanyou, and then realised that his midsection was bleeding a lot. "He's injured," she announced, and turned her head to face the rest of her friends. "Sango-chan, I need my backpack."

"Kirara and I will get it," Sango said with a nod, and hopped onto her nekomata. Without another word, they both flew off.

It was a good thing that Kagome had left her backpack earlier. Before they reached the clearing, which was the battlefield, she had left her backpack at one of the trees. She was worried that anyone might get injured, and was glad that she didn't listen to Inuyasha's complaints for delaying their trip. After a long lecture that anyone could potentially get hurt, especially the hanyou himself, Inuyasha let out a deep sigh and agreed that she should bring that giant backpack of hers. Of course, she wanted to bring it during battle, but there was a chance that she might lose her backpack while fighting. So, she made a last minute decision to leave it at the forest instead.

"He's losing too much blood," Kagome said, as she shifted Inuyasha so that she could take off his suikan.

Miroku assisted her by lifting the hanyou's torso. They had to struggle with all the blood, but at one point, Kagome didn't care anymore and allowed the blood to catch onto her school uniform. She would have to wash them thoroughly later, or ask Mama to buy a new set. But for now, she focused on her task.

They were able to get rid of Inuyasha's suikan and kosode, and Kagome had to fight the urge to vomit at the unsightly patch of dark red at the hanyou's abdomen. It looked so bad; no wonder it wouldn't stop bleeding. How Inuyasha was able to get himself impaled, she would have to ask him when this was over.

Sango had good timing, because she arrived with Kagome's giant yellow backpack right after they had removed Inuyasha's suikan. Kagome let out a quick thanks, and attempted to clean the blood that was still flowing out. Unfortunately, no matter how many times she tried to wipe off the blood, more would come out. She let out a grunt of frustration, and decided to just wrap the wound with bandages.

"I don't understand," Kagome said, her voice breathless due to the exhaustion. "He's still bleeding, and his demon side still hadn't taken over. Tessaiga isn't even with him. What's happening?"

"I think it's because I threw the scent beads at him," Sango admitted sheepishly, and helped Kagome with the bandages. "The beads could knock a demon out, especially one with a sensitive smell."

"No wonder," Kagome muttered, and tied the bandages tightly, but not too tight. "It would be helpful if Inuyasha's demon side could come out now. I know he'll be hard to deal with, but at least he could heal faster," she said, and wiped the sweat that had gotten onto her forehead. "We should bring him back to the village. He's still bleeding."

"You're right," Sango said, and threw a glance towards Miroku. "Houshi-sama, can you grab Tessaiga?"

Miroku nodded and headed over to the sword's scabbard.

As Kagome turned her attention onto the hanyou again, a shadow loomed over, and she had to turn her head to see who was standing behind her. She was startled to see Sesshoumaru's eyes on her, before it flicked towards his brother.

"This Sesshoumaru will bring the hanyou back to the village," Sesshoumaru said, and narrowed his eyes when Kagome was reluctant to allow him near Inuyasha. "The hanyou will die without proper care, Miko."

Kagome hesitated at first—afraid that Sesshoumaru might harm Inuyasha—but then she had a feeling that Sesshoumaru wouldn't hurt him. There were numerous of times when Sesshoumaru saved his brother, and if he'd planned to kill Inuyasha, he could've done so a long time ago. So, giving a slight nod, she moved away for Sesshoumaru to bend down and lift his brother up with his only arm. Since the daiyoukai only had one arm, he had to use the fluffy thing that was over his shoulder to support Inuyasha as he lifted them both into the air.

And then they both left.

"Um... I brought Tessaiga," Miroku said as he awkwardly held the sword in his hand. "So... I guess we'll be going back on our own."

"Kirara can't take more than two people," Sango said, and stroked the nekomata's yellow fur. "Houshi-sama, can you wait while I send Kagome-chan first? I'll come back here once she's at the village to pick you up."

"Why of course, my dear—"

There was a resounding slap.

"Houshi-sama, you'll be walking."

Sesshoumaru landed on his feet, and the first thing he had to hear was an irritating screech. His eyes looked down, and he spotted the thing that was emitting such a horrible noise to his sensitive ears. The said thing was his retainer, and he had to fight off the snarl that was rising at the back of his throat.

"Jaken," he said, his voice devoid of emotion. The toad immediately got onto his feet. "Inform the miko about the hanyou's state."

Jaken opened his mouth—probably to let out a protest—but stopped when his eyes examined the unconscious hanyou in his lord's arms. He then closed his mouth, gave a nod, and hurried inside Kaede's hut to do as he was told.

When Sesshoumaru entered, Kaede was already ready with the medicinal herbs and bandages to replace Inuyasha's now bloodied ones. Wordlessly, she tend the hanyou's wounds, never once breaking her focus from the hanyou. Sesshoumaru mentally nodded in satisfaction at the old miko's service, and sat down to watch her treat his younger brother.

He noticed that Inuyasha's bleeding had slowed down, and that the damaged skin was starting to mend. This had made the old miko's job easier, and she easily replaced the old bandages with clean, new ones.

As Kaede was doing her job, Sesshoumaru took a while to examine his brother's face. His face was something that expressed youth, pain, and fiery. Inuyasha was still very young, and he would stay that way until a few more centuries. Even if his eyes were closed, Sesshoumaru could still detect the pain that overlaid his face. Whether it was from the years of having to survive on his own, or from his wound, or both, Sesshoumaru wasn't sure. One thing he was sure was that, from now on, things would change between them. Sesshoumaru had decided a few days ago; that he should stop blaming his father's death upon Inuyasha. He had been blaming his younger brother for far too long, even if his brother had nothing to do with it.

He had decided; he would allow Inuyasha to live.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Sesshoumaru turned his head, and found Rin standing at the doorway, with her large honey eyes. She was holding tiny flowers in her hands; a sign that she had been out for a while.

"You may come in, child," Kaede said, as she stood up. She met Sesshoumaru's questioning gaze, and explained, "I will be heading to the river to fetch a bucket of water."

Sesshoumaru didn't respond, but watched as the old miko left the hut. Rin was distracted too, before she faced him again and entered the hut. She knelt on the ground and handed him the flowers she had gathered. "Sesshoumaru-sama, these are for you," she said with a big, bright smile.

Sesshoumaru accepted the flowers with a small nod. "Rin, are you well?"

"Yes! Kaede-sama has fed and allowed Rin to bathe in the river," she said, and her face contorted into a look of disgust. "But Jaken-sama wouldn't take a bath, so he is smelly."

Sesshoumaru would've chuckled if it was in his nature, but he only responded the child with a very faint smile. He then faced his brother again.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, will Inuyasha-sama be okay?"

"The hanyou will heal," Sesshoumaru replied, and placed the flowers at his side. "He does not die easily."

Rin nodded, and they both sat quietly in the hut. To someone else, it might've been uncomfortable to stay in one place like this with a stoic demon lord, but to Rin, she was far from feeling uncomfortable. She knew when it was the time to ask questions, and when not to disturb a comfortable silence. Sesshoumaru admired that part of her. Unlike some babbling toad, she knew when talking wasn't necessary.

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened very slightly as a soft moan escaped his brother's lips. He stood up, moved closer to the lying hanyou, before sitting cross-legged again. Inuyasha was stirring, and even though he knew that sitting this close wasn't exactly a wise choice, he couldn't care less about the consequences.

Inuyasha opened his eyes. He blinked sluggishly, before slowly turning his head to the side, and found Sesshoumaru staring at him. He bolted upright, and instantly regretted the decision, because pain shot through his abdomen. Even though didn't let out any indication that he was in pain, Sesshoumaru could see it clearly written on his face.

"You have finally regain consciousness."

"Yeah..." Inuyasha said, his voice hinting discomfort at Sesshoumaru's close promixity. He took a few sniffs in the air. "Where are the others?"

"They were left behind."

"What—" Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Why didn't you—what if the enemy is still alive?!"

"Inuyasha, I have eaten the enemy," Sesshoumaru said, and arched an elegant brow. "Do you really think this Sesshoumaru is not capable of completing his objective?"

"You ate the enemy?"

"Most youkai prefer to eat humans because they taste better, but demons are edible too."

"Glad I'm a half-demon then," Inuyasha muttered, and his eyes fell onto Rin, who was staring at him. "What are ya lookin' at, kid?"

"Oh, nothing," Rin said, blushing due to her own embarassment for being caught. "It's just... Inuyasha-sama's ears are really cute."

Now Inuyasha's face was a much deeper crimson than the child's. His ears automatically twitch on his head, and he didn't know how to respond to that.

"Can... Can Rin touch it?"

Inuyasha's ears perked up, and he shot a look to Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru received his gaze, and the look Inuyasha was giving right now was as if he was asking whether the child was serious or not. Sesshoumaru simply stared back at him, as if to say yes, she is serious and his brother got the message—or at least, Sesshoumaru thought he got the message.

Inuyasha looked at Rin, and shrugged. "Sure, I guess?"

Rin gasped, as if not expecting the answer. She crawled over to Inuyasha, her hand extended to touch the fluffy appendages. She stopped when her fingers almost touched the silver ears, and she glanced at Sesshoumaru, as if asking for permission to touch his brother's ears. It was unnecessary for her to ask for his permission—since those ears belonged to his brother—nonetheless, he still gave a small inclination of his head. It earned him a huge smile.

The two brothers watched as Rin rub her index finger at the base of Inuyasha's ear. Sesshoumaru could see Inuyasha tense under her ministrations, but then, he relaxed. It was understandable for his brother's reaction. Sesshoumaru had seen a few kids try to pull his brother's ears years ago, while his brother was a pup. It wasn't as if Sesshoumaru was spying his brother or anything during that time, but Sesshoumaru had to make sure the whelp didn't die before he got the chance to kill him. Of course, the thought of killing his brother had changed now.

It had been around half an hour since he had woken up, before Kagome's scent hit his nosetrils.

The flap was violently pushed aside, and in came Kagome, whose face lightened up the moment she saw him. She rushed towards him, and knelt right in front of him to offer him a hug. Inuyasha blushed at the contact, but didn't pull away. Reluctantly, he awkwardly returned the hug with one arm.

After a few seconds, she pulled away and inspected his face. "You alright? You were bleeding non-stop."

"He is fine, child. He had to have a few stitches, but he'll live," came Kaede's voice.

Inuyasha snorted. "Keh! As if some sword could kill me."

What he didn't know was that; had Sesshoumaru casted an ability with his sword, he would've died.

Sango was the next to enter. Kirara was right on top of her shoulder in her small cat form. "Inuyasha, I'm glad you're okay. You alright? I'm really sorry for, um, throwing some scent beads a while back."

Inuyasha waved his hand nonchantly. "It's fine, but never use that on me again."

"Inu," pant, "ya," pant, "sha."

Everyone whipped their heads and found a sweaty monk entering the hut. He looked like he was about to pass out, and Inuyasha had to wonder what the hell happened to him.

"Geez Monk, what had you been doing? Did you run all the way here or something?" Inuyasha asked, and chuckled at his own joke.

But when Kagome and Sango were silent, the hanyou had a feeling that that was what happened.

"Wait, you didn't make him run back here, did you?"

"Of course we did," Sango suddenly snapped, and whirled around to point a finger directly at the panting monk. "He couldn't keep his hands to himself, so he got what was coming."

"Now Sango, I told you many times that this hand was cursed..."

"You're even doing it right now!" Slap. "Get your hands off me!"

Inuyasha sighed, and turned back to look at his brother; who was watching the scene with slight amusement evident on his face. At one point, Inuyasha didn't even realise that Rin had stopped rubbing his ear. Her fingers were so gentle, that it probably wasn't even there. He faced the little girl and found her, too, watching the scene with a laugh ready as a reaction.

"Oh, hold on," Kagome said, and slid the straps of her backpack off her shoulders. She searched for something inside, and took out Inuyasha's suikan and kosode. "Here. It's still covered in blood, but I'll help you wash them later."

"Nah, the firerat can clean itself. I'll just have to clean the kosode," Inuyasha said, and accepted the bunch of clothing handed to him. "Thanks."

"Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru said, his voice immediately silencing every single conversation. "This Sesshoumaru would like to speak to you in private."

Inuyasha was in a too much of a good mood to do his usual complaining, so he answered with, "Wait, lemme just—" he tried getting up, but Kaede stopped him.

"Everyone, let us give them some privacy," the old miko stated, and everyone complied by heading out of the hut.

As everyone started leaving the hut, Inuyasha heard a shriek, followed by the sound of someone crying out his name.

"Inuyasha!" Shippou cried out while bursting inside the hut. The kit whipped his head towards his direction, and leapt onto his chest. Inuyasha let out a groan when the kitsune accidentally landed on top of his injured abdomen. Shippou quickly got off from him. "Sorry!"

"Damn," Inuyasha hissed, as his hand wrapped around the bandaged injury. His eyes landed on the remorseful kit, and he forced himself to grin. "Where have you been, runt?"

Shippou immediately forgot what he had done by the change of subject. He grinned. "I was actually playing hide-and-seek with Rin," he said, and then glared daggers at said child, who was about to leave the hut. "But somebody forgot to search for me. So I had to wait for a long time."

"Oh, sorry, Shippou! Rin has totally forgotten to search for you!" Rin said, her eyes widening.

The remainding people in the hut turned their heads when they heard Sesshoumaru clear his throat. Inuyasha realised that it was a signal; that his brother couldn't wait anymore. He faced Shippou. "Listen, Sesshoumaru and I gotta do some talkin'. So you wait outside with everyone else, okay?"

"What? But Sesshoumaru might kill you!" Shippou exclaimed, and backed away at Sesshoumaru's stare. He swallowed the lump in his throat and continued bravely, "A-And he's a big meanie and—"

"Don't worry, Shippou, I'll be fine," Inuyasha reassured. "Besides, as much as I hate to admit it, and probably Sesshoumaru feels the same way too, he recently had saved my life, so," he shrugged, "I don't see what you gotta be so worried about."

"I... I guess you're right..." Shippou said, unsurely, and nodded. "Okay, I'll leave."

With the last person leaving the hut, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were finally left alone to discuss the events that had happened.

Dull blue eyes stared ahead as her feet padded softly against the earth. It was weird. Jikiko knew she wasn't suppose to feel anything, yet, she was feeling something. Was she suppose to have feelings? No. She remembered that her purpose was only to serve her master. She was only suppose to be just a puppet. An emotionless, obedient thing. She wasn't suppose to feel how demons or humans felt. She was suppose to feel nothing.

But after her master had successfully been defeated, all of a sudden, it was as if her body had gained a mind of its own. She was starting to feel things, and was able to think too. Could it be it was because of this thing inside of her? She had no idea what her master had implanted into her that was able to turn her into a powerful puppet, but all she knew was that if she continue to let it grow, the world would be in danger.

If it was in her nature, she would've laughed.

When had she cared about the world?

It must be because of this thing that was making her care. This thing inside of her was giving her emotions.

She wanted to live as a normal demon at least. Wanted to. But she knew she couldn't. The thing that was living inside of her body may be asleep now, and allow her to control the body, but once it grows stronger, it would probably destroy every living being it encounters. No, she wasn't talking about destroying as in damaging their body. She was talking about destroying their mind.

Yes, the thing inside of her could destroy minds. That was the worst part.

How many demons had she killed already by passing through this forest? She had encountered a few, and none of them had survived. If it was in her power, she would've spared all of them. But even though the thing inside of her was resting, its power somewhat radiated off her, and it was affecting nearby living beings. After they had been affected, all of them lost their minds. And just like that, they all died because their brain couldn't handle the thing that was destroying each and every cell.

But she had nothing to worry about.

Because she was slowly falling apart.

Numerous cracks on her porcelain skin had made it evident that she wasn't going to live very long. The thing inside of her was too much to handle, and it seemed her body couldn't withstand its power. Without her master's power, nothing was keeping her body together.

She was going to die, and she would bring the thing along with her. She stopped walking and looked up into the night sky. How she wished she could live a little longer to explore the mysteries of the world. But it was for the best. If she continued to live, the thing inside of her would take over her body anyway, and the outcome would be the same; she would die. Or at least, her mind will. With this thing gone, the world wouldn't be in so much danger.

Oh, she was thinking about the world again.

What was so fascinating about this world?

She dropped to her knees, and found that some parts of her skin had scattered on the ground like a china doll that had shattered. She looked back and found a trail of pieces of her skin that was left behind. Her vision was suddenly clouded, and she knew she wasn't going to live much longer.

It's okay, she thought. The world would be safer without me.

She met the darkened sky filled with stars as her head laid on the ground.

You liar, it's not okay.

You want to live another day.

You don't care what happens to the world. You want more time to explore it.

Was her last thought.

Before her body crumbled.

Inuyasha stood outside of Kaede's hut. He took in a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the familiar village, as his ears caught the sound of the villagers talking. Morning had finally arrived, and he had a good night's rest. He had slept peacefully that night, since no danger would come when Sesshoumaru was around, and that allowed his body to heal. The wound on his abdomen was gone, and he had never felt greater than ever.

Yesterday, Sesshoumaru had, surprisingly, talked a lot to him. It started with an awkward silence at first, but then Sesshoumaru started talking about the subject that had been on their minds; which was the battle with Koukatsu. Then, the conversation slowly shifted about their relationship. Inuyasha hadn't expected for Sesshoumaru to discuss about them, but it was great to know that Sesshoumaru no longer held any hatred towards him. Although, it did take Sesshoumaru quite some time before he finally reached the conclusion that he was sorry. Yes, Sesshoumaru had apologised to him. His message wasn't direct, but Inuyasha got the message.

To know that your brother finally accepted you, it was everything that Inuyasha had dreamt of. Oh, he was wary at first, since this was definitely not like his brother. But then, Sesshoumaru—being the talented demon he was—was able to convince him that he would no longer try to kill him. So he decided, why not give his brother a chance? His brother did save his life, and that rarely happens.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Sesshoumaru's scent hit his nose. His eyes looked up, and he noticed that Sesshoumaru had gathered his pack; meaning, they were about to leave. "You leavin' already?"

"Naraku has yet to be stopped," Sesshoumaru replied, and his eyes focused on something else. Inuyasha realised that Sesshoumaru was looking at his friends, who were standing beside him. Sesshoumaru's eyes then fell onto him again. "I will seek you from time to time to discuss about Naraku's whereabouts."

The widened eyes on his friends' faces reminded him that he hadn't told them what Sesshoumaru and himself had discussed. Which meant, they didn't know that Sesshoumaru and him were on good terms now.

"Yeah, guess I'll wait for ya 'til then," Inuyasha said, and subconsciously scratched the back of an ear. "So, uh, see you later then?"

Inuyasha heard Jaken snorted, while Rin waved at him. "Goodbye Inuyasha-sama," she said, and looked at his friends. "Goodbye everyone."

Kagome and everyone else waved goodbye at Rin. Shippou, as Rin's friend, gave his goodbye by hugging the girl. After they seperated from each other, Rin took a few seconds to bow to Kaede as a thank you, and gave the old miko a tight hug. As she pulled away, her face was suddenly excited, and she turned to look at Sesshoumaru.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, aren't you going to do it with Inuyasha-sama?"

Inuyasha froze, and his brows furrowed as he looked at Sesshoumaru's stoic face. "Wha—"

Inuyasha didn't expect for Sesshoumaru to close the distance between them, and wrapped his only arm around him, pulling him into an embrace. He could practically hear his friends' jaws dropped, he could hear Jaken faint, and he could see the villagers—who were passing by—were in deep shock. The world was suddenly silent, and he found himself failing to breathe. This was just... abnormal. Sesshoumaru was actually hugging him!

Sesshoumaru released his hold, and Inuyasha looked up to see his brother's face. Sesshoumaru's face was a mask, but it no longer held the hostility it had for him. The look of disgust was gone, and the fiery in his eyes had disappeared. Inuyasha couldn't believe it. Sesshoumaru was actually making an effort to fix their relationship as a family.

All of a sudden, Inuyasha hated his human side. These stupid, idiotic tears started forming around his eyes, and he had to quickly blink them away before anyone notices. Unfortunately, Sesshoumaru had a good sense of smell, and the slight tilt of his head told Inuyasha that his brother knew.

"I-Idiot," Inuyasha stuttered, trying to keep his voice even. The small smile on his face betrayed him. Nonetheless, he continued with a gruff, "What was that all about?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama had asked Rin what she would do if she wanted to apologise to her brother, so Rin answered that Rin would hug him," Rin said cheerfully, ignorant to the fact that Sesshoumaru's eyes barely widened and his body stiffened. "He also told Rin not to tell..." her voice trailed off, and a gasped escaped her lips. She spun around to face Sesshoumaru. "Sorry, Sesshoumaru-sama!"

If it was in his character, Inuyasha had no doubt that Sesshoumaru would've slapped his forehead. He tried not to laugh at his brother's injured pride, since his brother didn't make a comment when he cried, but the damn grin was able to make its way to his face.

"Let's go, Rin," Sesshoumaru said, a little too quickly, and headed for the forest in long strides. His brother was probably planning to get out of here as soon as possible.

Rin gave an apologetic smile, and rushed towards her lord. Even if she was far away, he could hear her sending apologies to his brother. He snorted as Sesshoumaru looked like he had quickened his pace.

"Huh? Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken had finally returned to consciousness, and realised that everyone else in his group was missing. He searched frantically for his master, before jumping onto his feet. "Wait for me, Sesshoumaru-sama!"

When everyone could no longer see Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha turned around, only to find everyone bemused.

"What... just happened?" Kagome asked, sparing a glance at Miroku and Sango.

"Sesshoumaru hugged Inuyasha," Sango said, her face blank, as if she was still trying to process with what she had seen. "I'm pretty sure that's what I saw."

"Do not fear, Sango, I witnessed the same thing," Miroku stated, and slowly faced the hanyou. "Care to tell us what just happened?"

Inuyasha nodded, and explained to them what he had discussed with his brother. Everyone didn't believe that Sesshoumaru would no longer attack him at first, but then everyone started agreeing that Sesshoumaru did act a lot nicer towards him.

"I'm glad you two made up... sort of," Kagome said, and beamed. "It's nice to know that he's on our side now."

"Yeah, me too," Inuyasha said with a nod.

"So... are we going to start searching for Naraku or what?" Miroku asked.

"Nah," Inuyasha said, and looked up at the sky. "Let's start searching for him tomorrow. For today, let's take a break."

Everyone cheered happily at the rare vacation the hanyou was giving. They all started seperating as each individual plan to spend some quality time with whatever they had in mind.

"Inuyasha," Kagome said, and Inuyasha flicked his gaze at her. "Thank you. And don't worry, we'll get Naraku."

"I know," Inuyasha said, and smirked.

Kagome smiled at him, and entered Kaede's hut. Inuyasha was left with his thoughts at first, until he heard someone clearing their throat. He looked down and spotted Shippou giving him the largest grin he had ever seen.

Oh no—

"Inuyasha was crying," Shippou said in a sing-song voice, and batted his lashes. "I didn't know he could—"

"Shut up!" Inuyasha shouted, and gave a kick that sent the kitsune flying into the air. He sighed, and his eyes glanced back at the direction at where Sesshoumaru had left. A small, genuine smile took over his lips.

"So what if I did?"

- End -

A/N: To be completely honest, I almost, almost forgot about Shippou and Jikiko, but no worries, they were able to have their own part. This had been a pleasant journey. And yes, I did write Sesshoumaru hugging his brother. It might be a little out of character, but hey, let's give those two a happy moment, am I right?

Thank you to everyone who read this and left a review. This was my first Inuyasha fanfic, so it motivated me when I see people leaving a review. Time to start writing the next chapter for my other story, cause I haven't updated it in a while. Again, thank you everyone for your support.

And want to know how this story started? It all started when I was taking a shower, and my mind was like; hey, let's make a story where Inuyasha gets tortured. And all of a sudden, this happened. I have no idea how these characters suddenly appear or how Sesshoumaru was suddenly involved. They just did. So yeah... that's how Bloodshed was created. I'm not the type that sits down and plans on what to write on my story. I'm more of the type that goes with the flow. But trust me, I'm really trying to write at least a few notes before creating a story, because mistakes are bound to happen when I write like this.

Again, thank you to those who read it till the end.

(And if you want to read more, there's always an epilogue...)