Chapter 3
A/N The fight with Naraku is strictly non canon.
The hanyou was morbidly fascinated with the kiss, his eyes noting the position of their bodies and how their hands moved as the pair were drawn closer together. Kagome had her hands in his brother's hair while Sesshoumaru cupped the back of her head with his claws.
Finally he could take no more and with a whimper he rushed off into his forest just as Sango came looking for Kagome, she'd been worried about the other girl alone in the night. Sango too just stood and gazed on the sight before gasping her friend's name in shock and seeing the flash of white hair as Inuyasha vanished. Kagome pulled away eventually from Sesshoumaru's embrace to glance at Sango and she blushed deeply but without shame at being caught. Sesshoumaru spoke to her before he let her go:
"Go, speak to your friends. I must see to my brother."
"Inuyasha...he saw..?"
"It was not the best way for him to find out admittedly. I shall explain to him." Sesshoumaru picked up Kagome's basket and handed it to her and she walked back with Sango quietly, knowing that she would have to answer all of the slayer's questions once she reached the hut. The Miko found though, that she didn't need to explain much to the worldly monk or the observant Sango; they had seen how things were developing between the youkai and Kagome whilst they travelled along the road. Even Kaede was not completely surprised but she was concerned for Inuyasha.
Kagome was defensive when the hanyou was mentioned saying that the circumstances were no different than when Inuyasha went to see Kikyou and besides, Sesshoumaru was much more mature than Inuyasha. Strangely it was Shippou who didn't understand her analogy, and he said that he hadn't known that she had been in love with Sesshoumaru before she met Inuyasha. Kaede couldn't help think that Inuyasha was not the one acting immature at the moment, but what could she say?
A fierce blush suffused the girl's face but before she could reply to Shippou with angry words, Sesshoumaru called her name gently and she left the hut to go with him. Miroku asked him how Inuyasha was handling it and prepared to go to his friend, but Sesshoumaru told him to leave the boy alone for a while. While Kagome had been telling her friends about her budding relationship with the Taiyoukai, he had searched out his sibling; finding him in the welcoming arms of Goshinboku. He crept up on the boy who was just in a daze and staring at nothing at all; until his eyes came to rest on his brother, who started to pet his ears.
"I need to speak with you brother." Sesshoumaru stated, but he received no answer except for a pair of wide damp eyes turning to his own. "You could not really have had hopes of becoming the mate of the Miko, Inuyasha; surely you were not so foolish as to harbour affection for such a pure soul were you? Such purity demands a purity of blood to match it; purity that she will find with me not you and your filthy blood."
Sesshoumaru's tone was gentle even though his words were cruel, as was the smirk that accompanied them and the vicious twist given to the sensitive puppy ears on Inuyasha's head. Then he left with a final slap to the hanyou's bowed head, before going to fetch Kagome in order to finish what they had started earlier. Inuyasha was left thinking on the things Sesshoumaru had said to him and realised that all his brother had done was verbalise the hanyou's own thoughts. He knew the kinder brother had been a trick; he knew right from the beginning that Sesshoumaru could never treat him nicely and yet he still let it happen, he was such an idiot...he had known.
Not that it made it any easier to hear or deal with, Inuyasha couldn't help but think that his hopes of having a family had all but gone again. It was not just that Kagome was now lost to him, but so also was Sesshoumaru; Inuyasha could not hang around and see the woman he still loved, mated to his brother. He felt sick at the thought that there might be pups, hanyou pups; how would Sesshoumaru treat his children? Inuyasha couldn't tolerate the idea that they might be tormented like he had been; no, Kagome surely would take them through the well if her children were likely to suffer abuse, they could escape unlike their uncle.
It did not strike him how strange it was that he could feel almost dispassionate about his situation; analysing what had happened in a way that didn't hurt even though tears ran down his face. Inuyasha didn't understand that he was in emotional shock; like all the bad things he had to deal with, this too would be pushed down away from his conscious thought eventually, although added to the turmoil in his bitter heart.
Ten minutes later Sesshoumaru returned to Inuyasha, displeased when the boy would not look at or answer him and surprised when all he did get was the submissive hanyou's bared throat. The Youkai Lord looked concerned for a moment before he walked towards the village, sensing the monk was on his way searching for Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru moved to intercept Miroku before he was within hearing distance of the hanyou.
"Why does my brother weep alone and uncomforted by his friends Monk? Why are his ears bruised?" Sesshoumaru waited for the stunned monk's answer with growing annoyance. Miroku was trying to think of how to state the obvious to the Lord;
"My Lord, surely the reason for his tears is apparent to you, I am just going to him now, you yourself said to leave him for a time."
"This Sesshoumaru spoke to you recently?"
"Yes my Lord, just ten minutes ago when you took Kagome out for a walk..." Miroku was puzzled by Sesshoumaru's reply.
"Where is the Miko now?"
"She was with you Lord Sesshoumaru." Before he'd finished speaking, Sesshoumaru had left with a sharp demand for him to follow. Miroku needed no second call before he was running too and Sango joined him as the white blur of the Youkai rushed passed the hut. They came to a halt not far behind Sesshoumaru who was watching the scene in front of him; although it was only seconds before he moved and Kagome screeched, as the Sesshoumaru who was kissing her was sliced in two by a second Lord of the West.
Sango moved forward to the distraught girl who was staring at the familiar remains of a puppet, this one wrapped with a silver hair. After making sure that nothing else was in the area Sesshoumaru dissolved the puppet and some strange silver vapour that was surrounding it. Then looking at the little group of humans and turning his cold amber eyes especially on the Miko he said;
"I assume I have found the reason for my brother's recent distress for myself. Monk, I require information about this deceit and I doubt that the Miko is capable of answering my questions at this time." He led the way back and while Sango and Kagome went inside the hut to where Kaede could help the upset girl, the youkai and the monk stayed outside to talk. But firstly Miroku wanted to go to offer consolation to Inuyasha, only to be told there was no need and Sesshoumaru flew to Goshinboku and plucked his brother from the branch then dumped him none too gently on the ground next to the monk.
Miroku noticed the reddened swollen eyes, denoting tears had been shed, and the bruising Sesshoumaru had spoken about; but there was no other sign of misery apart from the more withdrawn attitude of Inuyasha. Swiftly and in very low tones Sesshoumaru told his brother what had just happened in the forest, getting a shocked nod of understanding from the hanyou. Before any more could be said however there was a loud sob from the hut and Kagome came rushing out; running straight into Inuyasha's arms and he took her back inside, sitting with her for the rest of the night while she fell into a fitful sleep.
"I require information Monk, how long had you all been deceived by the puppet?" Sesshoumaru was able to absorb the knowledge quickly and understand, plus Miroku was very succinct. When he had finished speaking, he asked a question that had been bothering him for some time. Why had Inuyasha not been able to tell that the puppet was not his brother and why did it not scent of Naraku? By way of answering one part of the question, Sesshoumaru reigned in his youki and his aura. Miroku was now not able to detect the strength of the youkai even though he was sitting right next to him.
"Naraku's scent did not permeate the puppet for the simple reason it was not his; the hair was one from This Sesshoumaru. Besides it was not just a puppet, did you not notice the silver mist? That was a low level Diaphanous Youkai, it has no real intelligence but has a unique talent enabling it to transfer into a body and absorb information from the subject's brain. As much as This Sesshoumaru is appalled at the idea, the creature must have been able to do the same to me. Amalgamating itself then with the puppet allowed it to act in a manner familiar to those who know the image."
"For two whole weeks, it is incredible."
"It more than likely adapted by transferring nightly into Inuyasha and the Miko and replenishing its knowledge of my personality as seen by the pair it inhabited."
"My poor friend, is he thus to be thwarted every step of his life?" Miroku murmured but the youkai heard him anyway and questioned him with a raised eyebrow. "He just made you slightly different didn't he? The puppet would mildly tease him in a brotherly fashion rather than mock him. Inuyasha has now lost that, he even respected you enough to let you lead his pack. Life has never been fair to him and now Kagome as well..."
"I cannot be held accountable for the unfounded longings of my brother, nor the childish infatuation of the Miko; there have been many such foolish desires aimed at me during my lifetime." He sounded calm but he did feel the stirrings of sympathy for Inuyasha; he knew the boy had always liked him to be more affectionate when he was a mere whelp, he hadn't fully realised that the sentiment still held fast hold on the pup.
"Of that I am certain Lord Sesshoumaru, but unfortunately it does not change what has happened or why the puppet was made." Miroku's reply was sharp and disapproving; but Sesshoumaru let it be this time as the monk was upset on behalf of his friend and the youkai could appreciate loyalty.
"Naraku is more than likely trying out a variation of his deceptions, trying to split possible allies or it may have been just an experiment. He will not know how well this one worked however as it did not have the chance to complete its task. He chose his time well; he knew I had seasonal tasks to complete in the West."
"How did you know of this puppet?"
"I did not, but I did know that something was disturbing my brother's aura. That is all I will say." He got up to keep watch by the edge of the village and Miroku wisely kept his own counsel this time. It seemed that the Youkai did keep a concerned watch over his brother albeit at a distance. Miroku gazed after Sesshoumaru for a while as the youkai stood unmoving in the clearing and then he entered the hut, exhausted and ready to sleep for what remained of the night.
In the morning the group was subdued as Sesshoumaru briefly explained once again, the nature of the puppet. Inuyasha was worried that Naraku may have found out about the well or his own time of vulnerability but Sango thought it unlikely. Her knowledge of youkai was extensive and she had heard of the elusive Diaphanous Youkai. It couldn't stray far from its source of nourishment i.e. Inuyasha and Kagome in this case, and it had not left during any time while with the group. At night it replenished itself and if Naraku had come to it instead, Inuyasha would have noticed his presence.
Inuyasha felt all kinds of a fool, he had allowed a tool of Naraku to hurt him; as if there weren't enough people wanting to do him harm. Sesshoumaru had chided him about how he'd eventually let his own mind fill the puppet with hateful nonsense. But his brother had later briefly petted his sore ears in a kindly way, even if he also called him an ignorant whelp. At least their minds were put at ease for the time being and Inuyasha leant down to pick up Kagome's yellow backpack, then stood waiting for her; his face was calm but impassive and he didn't rush her with his words or manner. She too was quiet but resolved and said 'goodbye' to her friends before following the hanyou to the well. Inuyasha jumped her down into the well and out again the other side as it was obvious that Kagome was still emotionally drained.
Mama sensed the strained atmosphere between the two and after giving her daughter a hug before Kagome went to shower; she made a bowl of ramen for her beloved hanyou son. While no one else was around, Inuyasha permitted her to pet him and he leaned against her warm body. He then told her of all the things that had happened in the last two weeks, including Kagome's growing relationship with the creature she had believed to be his brother.
Mama sighed for Inuyasha's pent up pain, she heard all he had said and all he had not and although she recognised that Kagome just had a huge crush on Sesshoumaru, she also knew that Inuyasha rightly felt betrayed. Kagome would have to work this out for herself; Mama couldn't speak for her on this, but she could reassure the boy of her own love for him as a mother. Inuyasha was grateful for her comfort and allowed himself the pleasure for a few more minutes as she held him tightly, her unconditional love was a great solace to him and something he would wrap himself in whenever he was sad. Then he said goodbye and jumped down the well.
Kagome came down to find that her friend had gone and that he wouldn't come back for her during the two weeks. She missed the fuss he normally made and was miserable that he was acting as though he didn't care; although she still missed the kisses of the supposed Western Lord. Unfortunately for Kagome, when she fully realised that the real Sesshoumaru was not likely to be interested in her; her heart broke afresh.
The two weeks went by slowly for the Miko; she did her tests and schooling, went out with friends and confided in her mother. She found that as time went on she didn't miss Sesshoumaru as much as she thought she would. He had served his purpose in helping her with her learning and although he was exciting to kiss, she missed Inuyasha more. Kagome got morose when she would come home from school and find he was not waiting for her; his brash and loud but insecure personality, combined with his sweetness when worried about her was far more endearing than Sesshoumaru's cool self certainty.
She missed Inuyasha sitting on her bedroom floor or annoying Buyo or eating all the ramen in the house; she even missed him calling out 'wench' when she didn't answer him. Kagome finally realised how selfish she was being about both brothers and didn't understand how she had let 'Sesshoumaru' in. She knew that it was Inuyasha she loved and life just wasn't the same anymore without her hanyou dropping in from wherever he had been hiding. Kagome found that she hadn't appreciated him so much as when he was not there and neither was he waiting for her at the end of her break, either at her home or by the well.
During the time that Kagome was away in the future, the rest of the group had not been idle. Miroku and Kaede were making sacred barrier points that could be activated to protect the village; Inuyasha and Sango had made sure that all their weapons were finely honed and that there was food enough in store in case Naraku attacked. Sesshoumaru had helped them for the first few days by scouting round and gaining information from the local ruling youkai of any area; for some reason he felt a sense of obligation to his brother's group and eventually he got a solid lead from the north.
He was still off on his search when Kagome returned; but arrived soon after she did, urging them to hurry along. Naraku had been located. It took them a few days to reach the place where other allies had gathered; but this time it looked as though Naraku also wanted to fight as he was still in situ. All the shards were collected together, even though not yet fused into the jewel.
The battle started in the morning and was finished by the early afternoon; Naraku had overstretched himself with his cocky self belief in his almost god-like status. He had not fully understood the depth of power that all his enemies had when they combined and he had not been prepared for Inuyasha's full use of Tessaiga to obliterate the hordes of youkai that normally were Naraku's first line of defence.
No one had seen such determination on Inuyasha's face before either; his face had been reserved and almost as expressionless as Sesshoumaru's for the last couple of days, but now it was a blank mask as he focused and his power had greatly increased . Naraku didn't stand a chance and he did hardly any damage as everyone knew this was 'do or die' and gave the battle their all. The two Inu Brothers were at the forefront and worked together like a machine, almost as if they were just different parts of the same body and the others were just behind never letting up on the assault. Kagome was making every one of her Miko arrows count doubly neccessary since Kikyou had finally departed; the first strong casualty of the fight.
Then just as suddenly as it had started, it was over although it was quite a while before the truth sank in that Naraku was finally gone. The reality was made clear only when Sango shrieked and ran into Miroku's arms which he'd been holding out to her; proving that his Kazaana was closed. Kagome was left to purify the body of the dark hanyou into non existence and take charge of the now completed jewel; which shone beautifully with its true pure light. Sesshoumaru looked to his brother with respect and made sure that the young hanyou could see it, Inuyasha did and a small sweet smile shone on his face as he basked in his true brother's approval for once. The smile jolted Sesshoumaru, like a small electric shock to his heart and it made him feel sad.
Suddenly a cheer went up and gained momentum as relief surged through the allies and the thoughts and hopes for a more secure future; became solidified. There was impromptu feasting among the survivors and new friendships formed, but for the little group of shard hunters it was time to leave for Kaede's village. They were to be accompanied by the wolves that would become united under Kouga and Ayame, forming one pack that would grow in numbers and hopefully spread.
Sesshoumaru however left them to head home to the West; he needed to check on how things were doing in his absence and to collect Rin and Jaken. Now there was no hurry to get back, the friends travelled at a more leisurely pace; chatting away and making their own plans. Ginta and Hakkaku for once not being left way behind Kouga, could take part in the general conversations. Inuyasha and Kagome did not talk much, each was often lost in their own thoughts and uncertainty about what would happen now. Kagome wanted to apologise and explain to him that she only loved him; but Inuyasha was not open to any discussion except for generalities.
News of Naraku's demise preceded the group and when they reached the village a fete was already in full swing with food booths and entertainments all around. Kaede welcomed them all back with great relief, she had been looking out for them since the news arrived. She looked as if ten years had been removed from her age; as if the worry had been lifted from her shoulders as indeed it had. More astonishing than Kaede's welcome however was the little girl who also ran out of the hut to greet them followed by a tall figure in white.
TBC