Niko Mane: Hi all! Thank you very much for all your reviews! Also, for "Inuyasha's Honey", I apologize. Sake is in fact, rice wine, not beer. Thanks for correcting me. .

Chapter 2: Uncomfortable

"GAAAAA!!!" Inuyasha screamed. He leaped up frantically, whacking his head into a large branch just above him. For a second his vision faded as he slumped back down on the ground. His head now emitted a sharp pain and he reached up and rubbed it tenderly. His attention was brought back to Sesshomaru when he heard a sinister chuckle. Inuyasha glared at his half-brother, forgetting for the moment about what he knew, as his head gave a particularly nasty throb.

"Clumsy as always." Sesshomaru smirked.

"What the hell are you doing here!?!" Inuyasha demanded.

"I don't feel like telling you." The older youkai replied annoyingly. Inuyasha glared more. But now that he was back to his senses he became scared again about the mating thing.

Sesshomaru frowned. Inuyasha was suddenly becoming extremely nervous. He raised and eyebrow as Inuyasha fidgeted and started to noticeably edge away.

"And where do you think you're going?" Sesshomaru said, blinking slowly. Inuyasha gasped and started sprinting towards the forest. Sesshomaru quickly caught up with him and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pinning him against a tree. Inuyasha struggled and dug his claws into Sesshomaru's hands, but his brother's grip was like iron. "What has gotten into you, you foolish half-breed!?! Sesshomaru snarled.

"Nothing! Let go of me!" Inuyasha yelled back at him. Surprisingly, Sesshomaru obliged. Inuyasha landed on his feet and swiped at him with his claws. His brother of course evaded the attack and responded with a stab of his own claws, poison hissing out of them. Inuyasha wasn't fast enough to dodge it completely and the deadly appendages scraped his arm. Inuyasha hissed in pain at the poison and his head was throbbing again.

Sesshomaru raised his hand to attack again but something stopped him. It was his instincts. They told him that he mustn't harm his future mate, no matter what. Sesshomaru lowered his claws.

"Heh. Not worth my time." He growled, leaving a very confused Inuyasha behind.

The young hanyou blinked in surprise as the older youkai turned and walked away. He had thought he was done for there… Sesshomaru would never kill him of course but almost every time they fought Inuyasha sustained major wounds. Even before he was old enough to fight, Sesshomaru had always been extra cruel to him…

Flashback

5 year old Inuyasha ran happily through the rose gardens. He stopped abruptly and sniffed a huge white rose… The scent was heavenly. He then felt a tickling on his nose. He looked down to find a small red lady bug sitting there. Inuyasha giggled and lifted his finger up, letting the little insect crawl onto it. He turned and ran towards the castle. He'd love to show his mom what he found.

But as he ran through the hallway he tripped over his own feet (as 5 year olds often do) and the lady bug spread it's wings and flew off his hand just in time. Inuyasha landed on the ground with an 'oomph'. He sighed but brightened when he saw the lady bug land on the floor in front of him.

"Yay! You didn't go away. Thanks ladybug!" he said, starting to get up.

'CRUNCH' went the lady bug. Someone had stepped on it. Inuyasha slowly looked up to see Sesshomaru towering over him.

"Foolish half-breed." His brother smirked, grinding the ladybug into the floor with his foot. Inuyasha's eyes filled with tears as he got up. His lip trembled as the salty water spilled over and flooded down his face. He turned and ran away, with Sesshomaru still standing there, smirking evilly.

End flashback

Inuyasha sighed and looked down at his arm, which was still bleeding. His head throbbed painfully and Sesshomaru's poison was burning in his arm.

He ran back to the castle and into his room, where he took out a box from under his bed. It contained bandages and healing herbs that he had taken when no one was looking. He didn't like to bother anyone with his frequent battle wounds. They were needed quite often, especially the antidote to Sesshomaru's poison. He rolled up the sleeve of his fire-rat shirt and spread the antidote over the wound. 'If I didn't have this,' Inuyasha thought idly as he bandaged his arm, 'my arm would probably go numb or something.' He crawled up and sank between the warm sheets.

"Master Inuyasha! Are you in there?" came the voice of Myoga. Inuyasha groaned and turned onto his stomach.

"Go away…" he responded, muffled by his pillow. But Myoga squeezed under his door and hopped over to the bed.

"Master Inuyasha, you seemed quite troubled when you left this morning. Are you really alright?" the flea asked, jumping on his head.

"Yes, I'm fine." The hanyou responded, rolling onto his back (and nearly squishing Myoga who moved to sit on his nose.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"Really really?"

"Myoga, I said I'm FINE!" Inuyasha exclaimed, sitting up. But he had moved so suddenly that his arm started stinging again. He winced and rubbed it tenderly.

"Master Inuyasha! How did that happen!?!
Myoga gasped.

"It's NOTHING." Inuyasha hissed back, but the flea demon wasn't buying it. Suddenly a look of realization crossed his tiny face.

"Was it Master Sesshomaru?" he asked darkly. Inuyasha was silent for a few moments before turning onto his side.

"I told you, it's nothing." He mumbled. Myoga frowned and hopped out of the room. He would have to speak to their father about this.

Inu-taisho sighed as he heard Sesshomaru storm past his room. 'I wonder what he's mad about this time.' He thought to himself.

"My lord, may I please speak with you?" Myoga asked, hopping up to the youkai.

"Of course you can." Inu-taisho said smiling. But his smile faded when he saw Myoga's grim expression. The tiny youkai decided to get straight to the point.

"Inuyasha and Sesshomaru have gotten into another fight, and Inuyasha is wounded." Myoga started. "I'm very concerned about Inuyasha's safety around Sesshomaru. And with this whole mating situation well…"

"Myoga, you are my most trusted advisor and I will heed your advice, but you must believe me when I say that Sesshomaru will never greatly harm Inuyasha. His instincts are already set in the belief that Inuyasha is his mate." Inu-taisho said confidently.

"Yes, well… But Inuyasha's so young! Can't it wait until his second heat?" Myoga suggested.

"The sooner the better Myoga. Both of them need to grow accustomed to being mates quickly, after all, they'll be mates for life." He explained. Myoga sighed, seeing that he couldn't win.

"I don't know my lord… I have a bad feeling about this."

Niko Mane: Bum bum bum bum! So, you peeps like it? More to come soon, but only if you review!