A\N: WOOHOO! 300 REVIEWS!
Just for that, I think I'll give you guys a little treat this chapter, though I'm not sure how many of you will enjoy it or think it accurate, I still like it-- even if there is a bit of WAFF in there.
-Ryunosuke-sama - Lol, well that's exactly what I'm trying to get at. Sesshomaru's a cold bastard, but he's also very cunning and he has shown compassion in the past when he didn't need to. I think that, especially with the way this story is going, they're all beginning to realise that, without an entirety alliance that includes them all, they're not gonna be able to defeat Naraku. But then again, they no longer have everyone, since Naraku's now got a couple of our old favs under him. BTW, I thought I'd point out, everytime I read the first couple of lines of your review, I'd have to go back and reread them because when you said "Quite note-worthy" I always read "Not quite worthy" and it just didn't seem to make sense with the rest of the review. Lol, well, I thought it was funny anyway.
-Wish-full Thinker - Ah yes, I was wondering when someone would ask me that. People asked me near the start if this was gonna be an Inu-Naraku fic and then if it was going to be (of all things) an Inu-Kikyo fic (AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH! FUCK NO!) and once again I have to say no, it ain't gonna be that. Hm. Maybe I better say that a bit louder to make sure everyone gets it. THIS ISN'T GONNA BE A SESS-INU FIC PEOPLES! There. I think everyone's got the message now. Lol, still, sorry if I had you worried there for a bit-- I know you read my other story and were a bit iffy about that.
-teenage inuyasha - YES! THAT'S WHO IT IS! Ugh, I just couldn't, for the life of me remember the name, and I was too lazy to look it up, so I just had to go with the first guess. Lol. Thank-you!
-Box Queen - Lol, that's really quite a feat that I've managed to accomplish, especially since I had no idea what my point was going into this. And I'm glad you're not trying to create war (didn't think you were) because I don't think that'd be very good at all.
-Clouds of the Sky - Hm. Well, since you're new I'll let that slide. I'm actually a fairly quick updater, or so I'm told, and I've been trying to keep up that reputation.
-lunerfox - Lol, yep, Brotherly Love. And is what a word? Replication? Yeah, that's a word.
-RamblingPhilosopher - Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. You need a pick-me-upper. Or something. Lol! -- I'll try and keep them like brother's, but I don't know how much they'll "spar" right now. After all, you've got to remember, Inu is still really effected by everything that's happened. He's training with Sesshomaru, but do you think he'd really want to get into fights with his brother after they just so freshly formed this new relationship? After all, he's been trained by Naraku to not get into fights and be defiant, and, while he may get that back eventually, I don't know if it's gonna happen anytime soon. I hope you understand.
-xolovexinuyasha - Yeah... I did go a bit overboard with the fluff didn't I?... sigh well I suppose that can't be helped, especially with the way I've been torturing them lately in some of my other fics.
-Forever To Be Me - Lol! Longer chapters make for later updates though...
-Almandine-Azaleea - Really? I thought I made her seem a bit... well, childish. I always found her to be surprisingly mature for her age, but not in an unbelievable sort of way. She still had childish attributes in her personality, but she seemed still to be more mature than some of the other's we see... like Shippo. But I suppose that's to be expected, seeing as how she has Sesshomaru and Jaken as her charges.
-Sexy Kat - Lol, I'm glad you liked it so much, and didn't misinterprut it or think it was OOC. I'm trying to avoid OOC-ishness, but it's almost impossible in a story like this. Only the original characters can remain In-character, and that's only because nobody knows what them being OOC would be like. -- And I agree totally-- Blurry is a totally awesome song!
-wolfygirl13 - Beams -- Well I'm glad I could brighten up your day a little! Believe me, I probably have as much fun writing these chapters as you have reading them! Plus, I get the bonus of reading such awesome reviews as this afterward! (BTW -- did you know your the 300th reviewer? o.o)
Let sleeping hanyou lie
Inuyasha felt himself hovering on the brink of wakefulness, and he frowned in agitation.
His feet were cold, and the air around him was chill and brisk and too fresh to be somewhere indoors. His upper body was warm though, and he could feel a weight of some kind draped over his shoulders.
He shifted and the weight did to, and the momentary feeling of anxiety disappeared as he realised that this was clearly not a means of restraint, as he had first thought.
Unconsciously, he snuggled closer to the warmth coming from whatever was under him, and paused when he felt it shift and move slightly to accomodate him. It was definitely alive then, but when Inuyasha tried to find it's scent, he could smell nothing but the faint traces of dew on the grass, and even those were just faint scents that his mind was only registering because they added to the freshness of the air around him.
He tensed slightly in confusion and cracked open his eyes, trying not to move as he glanced at the sky. No moon. Panic surged through him as he caught sight of black hair falling across his shoulder and his mind finally registered exactly why it was so bad to be caught by anyone on this night. He was human.
Confusion laced with the earlier anxiety came soaring up to meet the panic, and he quickly pushed himself up and off his brother, turning his head to look at Sesshomaru with wide, fearful, and slightly amazed eyes.
His brother was looking back at him with a tinge of annoyance and concern in his eyes. After all, Inuyasha's hand had been on his stomach when the boy had so suddenly decided he needed to shoot up and look at his brother, and, while the human had no real ability or strength to harm him, the pressure had been slightly similar to someone punching him lightly in the stomach, and it hadn't been exactly comfortable.
Inuyasha stared at his brother a moment, eyes wide and dark, glittering under the light of the stars, and Sesshomaru stared back, taking a moment to fully take in his brother's new appearance.
He had been slightly shocked to say the least when the hanyou in his arms had suddenly began to change was the rays of the fading sun hit him, his silver hair turning to the darkest black, and his ears sliding down to become the useless swirls of flesh that humans used to "hear" things. He had known that his brother turned human on some given night of the month, but he had never known when or what his brother might look like.
His change was... interesting and intriguing to say the least, especially now that Sesshomaru could see his eyes, no longer a pale gold so like his own, but a deep brown, almost burgundy in colour, a colour that undeniably belonged to the humans. Demon's very rarely had dark coloured eyes, though if there was a connection between that and their ability to see better, he didn't know.
All he knew was that he had a human Inuyasha in his arms, the brother who he had once hated so much in his weakest most venerable form, and he could feel the fear and uncertainty washing off the human in waves. Again, the strong desire to protect flowed through him as his brother glanced around, possibly for a way to escape.
'Inuyasha.' He said quietly, drawing the human's dark gaze toward him. He could feel the light tremble going through that body, whether from fear or the presumably chilly air on his weak human flesh, Sesshomaru wasn't sure. Either way, he wanted it to stop. His brother was safe here, under Sesshomaru's care, and had no reason to be afraid. If only he could get Inuyasha to understand and accept that, then everything would go a lot smoother.
The two brothers stared at one another a moment, neither sure what to say, but slowly, he could feel the fear leaving Inuyasha, even though the boy seemed un-inclined to relax again. He gently eased Inuyasha back down against his chest, secretly enjoying just holding his brother, accepting the offered comfort of having someone to protect that stilled the youkai within him from crying out in rage that this someone was a hanyou and a taint in his bloodline.
Inuyasha's teeth immediately flew to his lip as his brother drew him back down against him, and he tensed, a million thoughts and emotions rushing through his head. Naraku and Kikyo would sometimes hold him like this. Well no, not like this. Naraku always had an evil intent and some sort of torture in store, and Kikyo's embrace was always cold and lacking anything but possessiveness. But Sesshomaru... there was warmth in this embrace and comfort and something... not quite love. He didn't get his hopes up that Sesshomaru would ever love him-- he was still the taint in the family, and Sesshomaru would have to accept and get over that before he could love him, and he knew that was something Sesshomaru would never do.
But still, he felt safe in his brother's embrace, safer than he had in a long time, safe enough to risk falling asleep... Inuyasha started slightly, and sat half-way up again when Sesshomaru's arm tightened, staying him. He frowned, trying to ignore the rising surge of claustrophobic panic, and turned to look at his brother with wide eyes.
'I'm human.' He said, and Sesshomaru's lip twitched slightly and the pure amazement held in that statement.
'Yes, I noticed.' The lord of the Western lands said, and Inuyasha's eyes narrowed slightly as Sesshomaru's lip lifted ever so slightly in the closest thing to a smile he had ever seen his brother wear. 'I didn't mean that, I knew I was human before' he said angrily 'I just meant... I was asleep.'
Sesshomaru's eyebrows raised slightly. 'Little brother, if you are going to continue to point out the obvious, I am going to have to ask you to refrain from speaking at all. I do not need to be told that the sky is blue when I can see it plainly before my eyes.'
Inuyasha's eyes widened slightly at this statement, then narrowed again, though more in confusion now then anger or agitation. 'You don't understand.' He said in frustration 'I never sleep when I'm human. Well, except when Naraku forced me, and when the spiders poisoned me, but that doesn't count because I had no choice...' he trailed off as he realised he had drawn his brother's gaze (though in reality, it had never really left him) and he sat silent for a moment, before shifting uncomfortably and glaring at Sesshomaru.
'What?' He demanded of his elder sibling, and Sesshomaru blinked and his eyes seemed to slide into focus (even though they had never looked out of focus to begin with) and then he shook his head lightly. He was not going to explain to Inuyasha why he had been staring. He was Sesshomaru, and he had no reason to explain himself to anyone, not even his half-demon brother.
In truth, that's all it really had been: a stare. He had been staring aimlessly at nothing in particular (that existed in this world, anyway) and Inuyasha simply happened to be in his line of sight.
Shaking his head again, he gently tightened his grip on Inuyasha, urging him to lie down again and go back to sleep so that Sesshomaru could think or stare in peace. 'It is nothing, otouto. Go back to sleep.' He said. Inuyasha eyed him a moment, but this was his first time in human form with his mind fully his own again, and he was exhausted.
So he let his brother lean him gently back down against his chest, and forced himself to relax (which was surprisingly not that difficult a task) and closed his eyes, drifting to sleep and silently praying that he would be alive to see the sunrise the next morning.
END (But only of the chapter )
Glossary
Hanyou - Half-Demon
Youkai - Demon
Otouto - Little Brother
(Don't ask me why I decided to have a glossary for this chapter, I just did! )
Okay, so, now to the most important part of the story:
SPECIAL THANKS TO: Ryunosuke-sama, Wish-full Thinker, teenage Inuyasha, Box Queen, Clouds of the Sky, lunerfox, RamblingPhilosopher, xolovexinuyasha, Forever To Be Me, Almandine-Azaleea, Sexy Kat and wolfygirl13 -- Wow, I hadn't realised there were so many of you! Lol, I lost a couple people along the way I think, but I hadn't realised so many more had accumulated to my story! THANKS YOU GUYS, FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS AND SUPPORT, AND I'M GLAD YOU ALL ARE ENJOYING THE STORY!
CMoC - Somewhere out there - Our Lady Peace, She Hates Me - Puddle of Mudd, One Day, One Dream - Tackey and Tsubasa, (Don't feel like typing out the Japanese name) Graduation: Farewell is for Tomorrow - Tackey and Tsubasa, Untitled (How could this happen to me?) - Simple Plan, Brother, My Brother - Blessed Union of Souls ( -- This song is actually very much associated with Inu and Sess and I guess, if I had to pick a theme song for this or the last chapter, it'd probably be this, though I've definitely seen fics it suites better), My Happy Ending - Avril Lavigne and In Our Gun - Gomez
Lol, that list wouldn't be half as long if I hadn't ranted on in the middle of it!