Blanket Disclaimer:

Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions. I make no profit from this or any other fanfiction.

OC's will be stipulated as such and owners of said OC's will be mentioned.

Warnings: OOC, violence, supernatural content, cause language, nudity and sexual scenes

And a blanket thanks to all my reviewers and readers.

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Recap: "I'll take first post," InuYasha muttered thinking about it and the implications it brought.

"Whatever," he muttered crossing his arms as he looked up at the sky, a shooting star crossing it in a blaze of light.

A Big Brothers Protection

They walked and walked and walked until Kagome abruptly sat down in the middle of the clearing and crossed her arms over her chest glaring at Sesshoumaru's back as the others, except Sesshoumaru, Inu and Jaken looking back. Bitting back a groan at the stubborn look on her face InuYasha asked "Oi, Kagome, why did you stop?" his voice gruff with irritation.

"I'm hungry and my feet hurt!" she snipped her eyes flashing fire as Sesshoumaru paused and glanced back his eyes flickering with a brief impatience before his face fell back into its blank, uncaring, arrogant lines.

"Little brother we have not the time to waste," the lord said his eyes narrowing slightly as his brother looked back at him confusion in his eyes.

"Where are we going anyway? You're impatient to be some where I can tell!" he snapped annoyed that he hadn't known and that he'd just blindly followed his brother and his friends had followed his lead.

"Fool, this Sesshoumaru is leading you and you're…friends to a safer place," the man said his yoki flaring to search for any possible threats though that was highly unlikely with him around. Few if any could match his strength the only he'd found so far any were near his power being InuYasha and Naraku, though Naraku's was a fake power sucked from those he'd absorbed.

InuYasha was a legitimate power, no matter how much he was loath to admit it.

"A safer place?" Miroku inquired hope flaring in his eyes, "A place was food, bedding? Women?" a lecherous light in his dark purple gaze.

"… Monk, dare to make inappropriate offers to my staff and this Sesshoumaru will do much for repayment," the lord said turning. "They are with me for protection not to be molested by my guests," he said as he began walking and Rin squealed in delight from her place on Ah-Uhs back.

"Yay! We get to go home!" she shouted then looked at Sesshoumaru with large eyes and murmured "Sorry, my Lord," and he made a small flick of his wrist, a small almost unnoticed movement of acknowledgment that only she and InuYasha and Inu noticed. Though Inu noticed every movement the demonic lord seemed to make and the small changes in the blank mask he wore.

Even blankness has a flavour.

"You're taking us to your home?" Yasha asked in surprised and Sesshoumaru didn't bother to say a word as he disappeared into the trees. Inu, Rin, Ah-Un and Jaken following after his as Kagome continued to pout.

"Kagome, come on," Yasha said as he held out his hand to her only to have her glare at him, "No! I want a rest! We've been walking for hours! He's a sadistic slave driver!" she snapped.

"…I'll go get him, hopefully he didn't spirit the others away," InuYasha said before rushing off though only Shippo and Miroku and Sango acknowledged him in anyway.

"Kagome, we really should follow them, Sesshoumaru can't continue for too much longer," Yasha said, it had been about half an hour since InuYasha had rushed off to find Sesshoumaru and was either trying to convince his brother to he back or was still tracking the group.

"I'm not moving," she said before childishly turning her back on him as something crashed behind them. Spinning around Sango gasped as demons spilled into the clearing, all grotesque monsters with bloodstains on their bodies as they laughed maniacally. "Oh, no," Miroku whispered as Saimyōshō dotted the sky, eliminating the use of his wind hole.

"…Miroku," Yasha whispered and Miroku glanced at the human counter part to his best friend and bit back a curse, Yasha couldn't defend himself against this many demons, hell he probably would only take out one, maybe two before they got the better of him. "Stay behind me," the monk said as the first wave came and Kagome gave a shriek.

"We're surrounded!" Shippo shouted and the battle began.

"Hiraikotsu!" Sango shouted as she flung her weapon at the hoard, Kagome shoving Yasha behind her as she notched an arrow into her bow screaming "INUYASHA!" even as her arrow hit purifying and destroying a large demon meters away from her.

"Yasha, catch!" Sango shouted tossing back her Wakizashi, and the dark haired man caught it in an unsure grip, the handle feeling odd in his untried hands, "In case you need it!" she called as Kirara shifted into her larger form.

"Sango! We have to hold them off until the others return!" Miroku called and the demon slayer nodded. The wait wasn't long and soon the three demons were deep in the fray, Inu utilising his long claws as InuYasha shouted, "WIND SCAR!" Sango following his call wait "Hiraikotsu!"

Sesshoumaru leaping gracefully into a thick group of the blood splattered and lustful demons his light whip twisting around his form and slaughtering the hoard around him. His dance only pausing when a startled and pain came from his human brother compelling him to finish the battle with haste.

InuYasha gave one last swing of the Tetsusaiga before he dropped to his knees as Yasha collapsed panting in agony as the demonic poison infiltrated his system and Inu plopped onto his backside as the blood drained from his face.

"Yasha!" Kagome cried rushing to the human, the demons now dead.

"InuYasha!" Miroku shouted kneeling by his Halfling friend who gave his a tired smirk and Sesshoumaru knelt by Inu, silently asking if he was alright before looking to Rin who nodded and ran to the demons side as Sesshoumaru rose heading for InuYasha.

"Are you well?" he inquired and the half-breed grunted, "Been better," before his eyes became glazed and he fainted, the sounds of Inu hitting the ground and Yasha relaxing as Kagome called his name in fright.

Catching his baby brother with Moko-Moko-sama he pulled the younger male to his chest even as Miroku made a small sound of dislike. "We must hurry," the lord said glancing at the human part of his brother, "Should Yasha perish InuYasha will die," he said and the two human females who knelt by the mortal man nodded as the fire cat shifted into its larger form.

Moments later they were off, Miroku holding Inu and Shippo clinging to the monks shoulder were riding on Ah-Un with Jaken and Rin as Sesshoumaru carrying InuYasha. Who was cradled in his arms, close to his chest as if made of the some fragile china and Kagome and Sango held Yasha between them on Kilala.

'Hold on little brother,' Sesshoumaru thought as his eyes drifted down to the sweat-coated brow of the man tucked close, 'You're not allowed to die…not just yet.'

"Bring the healer!" Sesshoumaru snapped at the first servant he saw his little brother still held close to his chest though knowing it was the human part that had to be treated. The woman bobbed her head, chirping "Yes Lord Sesshoumaru, right away my lord!" her eyes wide as he swept past.

"You little brother, need far more rest than this Sesshoumaru requires, I shall watch this night," the lord said and InuYasha rolled his eyes at the low blow to his human blood.

The pack followed at his heals, some taking in the magnificent home of the lord, others too worried or too ill to notice the majestic building or its lavish furnishings until they reached the lords chambers.

"Lay them on the bed," Sesshoumaru murmured as he stepped up upon his large bed. Unlike most of his people he slept on a bed not a futon, and Kagome's eyes widened at the shear size of the thing. It looked capable of fitting about ten people on it with a little room between them!

The sounds of scrabbling feet came and a tall thin man with long pale blue hair and green eyes floated in, behind him a small imp like creature with a mop of sickly yellow hair followed, her kimono an off shade of white making her green flesh brighter.

"My lord," the taller demon said, "How can this Hakushi be of serves to you?" his voice low and Sesshoumaru; who now sat at the head of the bed, directly in the middle, InuYasha's head resting on his lap, Inu and Yasha on either side of him, spoke in just as soft a tone.

"Heal the human first, his death will bring about the others as well," the dog demon said and the healer nodded, moving swiftly to the humans side, having to crawl into the large bed to check him over.

"Kouba, this one needs bupleurum, skullcap root, pinellia, ginseng, jujube date, licorice and ginger, you know how it is to be prepared," Hakushi said pressing his fingers into the young Princes' throat counting the beats of his heart.

"This one also needs a suction tube and spit bottle," he murmured causing a small sound to crawl from Kagomes throat.

"Can you heal him?" Miroku asked looking at all three faces of his friend then at the healer, who spoke in that odd way Sesshoumaru did at times.

"This one can only try, Prince InuYasha is very weak and at present near death. This one hopes that once he removes the poison from the humans frail body he will have enough will to survive," the healer said taking a long clear tube and a medium sized bottle from where the female imp had placed them.

"This one knows not how or why the Prince has been split apart, nor does he truly care, it will not effect his healing, he, the young human Prince will heal at a human rate, the Halfling a halfling or faster rate and the demonic prince at a demon one. That is if we can keep the Human Prince alive," Hakushi said.

"His name is Yasha, not human," Kagome snapped glaring at the handsome demon, the man didn't bat a lash at this, didn't glance at her as he used a claw to open the wound that had injected the poison into Yashas' system.

Sliding the tube into the weeping wound he began flexing his hand around the wound, though said hand shone with light, helping draw only the infected blood and poison from the other mans mortal body into the bottle.

The need for sleep hit Sesshoumaru like a slap from his father the next day, after nearly two weeks without sleep, and he shook it away as he looked down at his bother. All three where still out of it thanks to the sleeping tea Hakushi had been slipping them to help them heal, having explained that should they, mainly the human though start rushing about they could easily fall ill again.

A yawn forced him to lock his jaw as he traced the line of his brothers' cheek, not really noticing that he was petting the younger male as his mind wondered. Thoughts of his brother, his father, his ever absent mother and his adopted daughter Rin, who was ever smiling, ever happy.

InuYasha he knew had never been an overly happy child, not like his Rin, and had never really had the chance to be given the best of everything, he himself had prevented that for the most part. At first out of resentment of his fathers death, then because he knew not where InuYasha was then because his own standing in the world had been threatened.

Having not wanted to bring his baby brother into all of this political mess he had left the boy to his own devices, helping out every now and then, dropping off herbs and meats and vegetables he had notice his brother eating.

"My lord, this Hakushi believes very strongly that you my lord Sesshoumaru need rest," the healer said opening the door to his chamber, casting an irritated glance at the man Sesshoumaru did his best not to yawn.

His eyes burning as he took in his birth doctors face. Hakushi had been ever near for as long as he could remember, the healer even helping raise him as his mother had run off when he had been but a new born pup. Not uncommon really but unexpected and hurtful.

"My lord you cannot help your brother, in any form he may take if you are not well yourself," Hakushi said his eyes narrowing. "You push yourself all the time, never giving yourself a brake and now, when you need to be at your strongest, to protect your kin you are weary and sleep deprived," the healer said and Sesshoumaru glared, gods knew he hated the healer at times.

"Ses-sshoumaru," InuYasha whispered sleepily as the demon at his side let out a muted growl, "Go to sleep you idiot," the halfling drawled shifting slightly to the side, closer to Yasha so the Sesshoumaru could lay between him and Inu.

He didn't know why he was so comfortable with his brother all of a sudden but the room swum with his scent, his own hair recked of his brother and it made him feel safe, a feeling he got from his demon blood that he was sure of.

"See my lord, even Prince InuYasha bids you good rest, and worry not my lord, this Hakushi will keep you and your brothers safe," the healer said as the demon lord stretched out between InuYasha and Inu. The latter rumbling his approval and shifting closer, one leg going over Sesshoumarus as his head rested in his brothers lower stomach, his nose pressed into the other demons hip.

InuYasha too rolled into Sesshoumaru, already asleep as his head hit Sesshoumarus chest, resting of the his brothers heavily muscled breast, his length pressing close to the older sibling as said sibling curled his arm up, his long fingers tangling into the halflings silver locks.

Watching as his lord slept Hakushi smiled hours later at the sight of his lord practically buried beneath his brother, Inu rested against his left side his face now pressed into the lords throat. Sesshoumarus face turned to him, tilted down long silver strands tickling his nose as he slept with InuYasha draped atop him, his legs between Sesshoumarus, his head in Sesshoumarus chest, face turned towards Yasha who was pressed into Sesshoumarus right.

His dark hair looking startlingly dark in the white and silver bedding, mingling with the different shades of silver stands. His head resting on Sesshoumarus shoulder, one hand curled into the lords top, his legs blanketed by Sesshoumarus right one as the lords only arms draped over his waist.

The sheets lay low on the family, covering the globs of InuYashs butt, the creamy skin of his back exposed to the room though he wore pants. Only Yasha had taken the top of the garments offered and his legs where tangled in the sheets with Sesshoumarus exposed leg over the top.

Inu was covered up to his shoulders, his bare feet the only part except for his head that was exposed and with the heat they all offered Sesshoumaru needed no blankets, even now his cheeks where slightly pinked with warmth.

Whispers reached Hakushi's ears before a light rap on the chamber door came and then the door eased open, and the healer knew of only three people give such free access to the lords chamber bar himself.

Rin.

Miroku.

And young Shippo.

And it was the latter two who entered and paused their eyes growing comically wide at the sight on the bed, "Keep your voices low," Hakushi said as the door clicked shut.

"Why are they like that?" Miroku asked having never seen such a scene in all his years, except in animal dens that is.

"Instinct, for the most part Miroku, and also because for most animal based demons like InuYasha, Sesshoumaru and I, cuddling like that is very natural, especial with family," Shippo said softly in the monks ear.

"I remember when mamma, pappa and I would, though when we slept I was in the middle, Lord Sesshoumaru looks squished," he said, eyes bright as he took in the four men on the bed. The sudden desire to go over and curl up against them washed over him but he pressed in down, unsure he would be welcome.

By the time Sesshoumaru woke the sun was high in the sky and Kagome was demanding to be let into the room, Hakushi telling her threw the door that they were resting and where not to be disturbed.

Closing his eyes he took in a deep breath, which was slightly impeded by InuYashas' weight, the boy's body lay, sprawled over his and the scents of the monk and fox kit hit his nose along with the thick scents of his brother and the healer.

"Allow her entrance, the noise she makes disturbs me," he murmured not making any effort to move or remove himself or any of his brothers forms that pressed against him. It was an enjoyable sensation to be sure and he intended to bask in it as long as he was allowed and he wouldn't allow that mortal priestess bitch to ruin it for him.

"Finally!" she snapped at the healer, glaring at him as she and Sango entered both stopping five steps into the room at the sight of the male pile on the bed. They could have spread out, had about a futon sized spot to themselves but instead they had piled into the middle, as if they all wanted the spot where Sesshoumaru lay, his eyes closed, as if asleep.

But what disturbed Kagome the most was how comfortable and content they seemed pressed into the demon lord, Yasha even having small frown upon his lips as he wiggled closer to the demon lord as if Sesshoumaru had moved. As soon as he was nearly plastered against the demon lord he smiled dreamily and released a small sound of pleasure and they then noticed the clawed hand that held onto him, its long fingers tangled into the thick inky strands.

"Why are they all…snugly?" she demanded looking at the healer who just looked at her as if she was dense or incredibly stupid.

"They are dog demons lady Kagome, what do dogs like to do when in a pack and when they sleep?" Hakushi asked softly and Sango said, "Puppy pile," her eyes still on the pile of men.

Voices woke him and InuYasha groaned his dislike of the disturbance, happy to stay asleep atop the warm body beneath him, the position not only easing the near ever-present ache in his back but also made him feel safe. He could pull away any time he wanted he could stay if he choose it was a nice feeling.

Until Kagome shrieked, "But they're not dogs! Yasha and InuYasha are human or partly so!" her voice irate and unreasonable. Gods it was all about being human and how much better it was to be human. Humans didn't get, even Sango and Keada didn't get that demons had just as many emotions, just as many desires and just as many fears as they did. It was just human to believe that they, demons didn't have feelings, that they were evil and cruel and demons like Myouga helped the theory along. It was easer to agree and allow them to believe what they would instead of trying to persuade and prove to them that demons and animals where just like them.

Humans could be just as evil as demons could and their were more evil humans than demons, demons where just easier to notice because of how destructive they could be alone, without the help of others. And if you asked animals, they would tell you that humans were the worst creatures on the planet because of how easily they slaughtered animals, forests and each other.

Humans labelled things, namely demons as evil because they too had to eat and at time the easiest prey was a mortal human.

Demons where just like them, just as capable of love but very protective of themselves and their hearts because to have it broken hurt so much more than any human could comprehend. And would never believe that more often than not if a mated demon was killed their mate would avenge them and then die them selves, unable to live without their life partner.

It was too easy for a demon to die emotionally and so they often locked the emotions away.