bitter & Sweet

It was the next morning in a secluded study when there was a hesitant, bordering frightened, tap on his door. Without looking up Sesshomaru eyed the parchment in front of him. This particular one had something to do with a civil war stirring in the Northern Lands. As he personally had nothing to do with either side of the warring parties, or the Lords he tossed the parchment aside and reached for another.

The tap on his door become a fierce knock.

"What is it Jaken?" He asked calmly as he began to scan over a new document.

The small green demon that had been following him for longer than he cared to remember opened his door. Rather than present his whole self, he peeked around the door, which only annoyed Sesshomaru.

Seeming to sense he was doing just that, not that he was capable of doing anything else when it came to his lord, Jaken cleared his throat.

"Um, Lord Sesshomaru?" he questioned slowly.

Before answering the imp, he signed his name carefully on the paper in front of him.

"It would seem…that Inuyasha has awoken again," the imp continued.

"Was it his insistent yelling that led you to that conclusion? Or perhaps it was the banging and attacking he is doing in one of the cells? I am very much aware that he is awake. You may go."

"B-but, perhaps it is time to call on him? He's…being rather disruptive my Lord."

At that precise moment a muffled furious call of Sesshomaru's own name was heard from his vent. Both he and his servant glanced at the vent before returning their eyes to each other.

"I said you may go," Sesshomaru repeated and the imp's eyes widened before he quickly bowed and headed for the door. "And send Rin in after you," he added as an afterthought.

"Oh! Yes of course my Lord! And I will have you know that she will be severely punished for approaching Inuyasha last night."

If it was in his nature to do so he would have been rubbing his temples in aggravation. More often than not he wondered why he allowed Jaken to live, but Rin seemed to enjoy his company so he was allowed to stay and serve him if that's what he so wanted.

"You were not asked to punish her, you were asked to send her in," he impatiently reminded the servant.

"Ah, yes my Lord. I will send her in at once!" he said and bowed again before leaving.

A few moments later there was another knock on his door. This one was lighter, yet it did not hold the fear in it as he was accustomed to.

"Enter Rin," he called out and watched his young charge sheepishly step into his room. She immediately went to the middle of his large study and stood in front of his desk. She was biting her lip and looking down at her bare feet which were rubbing against each other in anxiety. "Stop that nervous behavior Rin, you know I don't tolerate it," he said in his usual impassive voice.

The girl was quick to stop her fidgeting and peered up at her quasi father figure. Before he could say anything she spoke up. "I'm sorry Lord Sesshomaru for going against your direct orders by seeing Lord Inuyasha but I just wanted to see what he looked like. I haven't seen him in a very long time, but I promise never to go against your wishes again. And I promise I will not have dessert for seven…six days as punishment!"

Sesshomaru studied her for a minute before replying, "And you will receive nothing but excellent marks from your tutors this week correct?"

She didn't look particularly happy about that, but the face passed and she was soon nodding vigorously.

"Very well, return to your studies."

"Yes!" She said cheerfully and skipped her way toward the door, stopping the second she opened it. "Lord Sesshomaru?" She questioned.

"Hm?"

"May I perhaps…be able to play with Lord Inuyasha soon?"

"We shall see, and as of now you do not need to address him as Lord Inuyasha. He has yet to earn that title."

"But he will soon will he not? With the wedding coming up?"

"It is not a wedding ceremony Rin, it is a mating."

"Which I am very much excited for!" The small girl claimed and without another word she left the room calling out for her Master Jaken.

After a second or two of reflection, Inuyasha's cries from the venting system got his attention once more. It made his eyes drift over to the document he had only come across a few years ago during a purge of unnecessary books in one of the castle's libraries.

His father's will. Or, the extended version.

Everything had more or less been laid out the same as the first one. What was to be done with the Tenseiga and the Tetsusaiga, and other legal concerns over the Western Lands. What was added to this testament was a wish Sesshomaru himself had never heard his father utter.

And my last wish is for my two sons, my eldest Sesshomaru, and my youngest Inuyasha to be mated under the waxing gibbous in order to strengthen the inu yokai bonds.

Needless to say upon finding that addition Sesshomaru was less than happy. Perhaps the hate he held for his brother wasn't as strong as it once was, but hate was still the only term he could use to describe their relationship.

Originally he had absolutely no intention on fulfilling his father's wish. In his opinion he had done more than enough, was continuing to do more, to strengthen the inu yokai power. He was expanding the empire of the Western Lands, creating necessary treaties while breaking others, and furthering his own personal knowledge and strength. He'd already allowed the Tetsusaiga to be devalued by being in Inuyasha's care. Sesshomaru did not understand the need for him to do something so…demeaning, as to take his half blood brother as a mate.

And so he had disregarded the clause in the will and did his best not to think about it. Which was quite easy. There were other concerns he needed to take care of and it wasn't until the first mating season after coming across the will that he had thought of it again. While he certainly wasn't getting old in any sense of the word, it had occurred to him that if he wanted the Western Lands to continue to expand he would one day need an heir, and as such he'd need a mate.

It was only the second time he had allowed his own personal scent to be wafted. It told females and males that he was available and considering. In past years he had kept a tight lid on it to avoid the attraction his powerful fragrance would cause.

In his younger years, back when both his mother and father had still been alive and in his life, he had been taught even before he could write how to cover his scent. Then he had been ordered to do so every mating season. Out of rebellious curiosity he had not done so one year. The result startled him. The very day of mating season found the original Western Lords castle surrounded by available females, males, and fathers alike all trying to win Sesshomaru's favor.

Neither of his parents had been pleased with him. Especially when it was their duty to inform all the pursuers that Sesshomaru was in fact, NOT taking a mate. It had caused quite a scuffle amongst the available demons that had come out in search of him. By the time the whole ordeal had been taken care of, he was already vowing never to do such a thing as allow his scent to roam free during mating season until he was ready to mate.

When he had let it excrete again the result was somewhat the same, but not nearly as overwhelming. He summed it up to being because of his age and power level. Only those who figured to have a small chance at persuading him bothered to show. Only the most powerful suitors came along this time, and as his mother had told him long ago he took the time to speak with each.

Sesshomaru was a logical and practical thinker by nature. He talked to each possible mate knowing exactly what he was looking for. An equally powerful demon, with an intelligence that matched his own. At the same time she (or he) had to understand and accept that the heir would be his and that they would have no claims over them. That the pup would be surrendered to him after the first month and that the mother would then return home. But, as compensation they would receive partial ownership over the Western Lands, a few rare and powerful icons, as well as a title that would forever ensure and establish their name on a strong hierarchy.

While many recoiled at the idea of handing over their pup, just as many were happy to mate with him and leave their "baggage" behind. If only to be able to say that they had laid with the great inu yokai demon Lord Sesshomaru. But even after extensive talks that tired him more than he thought they would, he realized he couldn't possibly lay with any of the proposed mates. For all of their knowledge and power he wasn't faintly attracted to any of them. It was plain for him to see that none of them were worthy to bare his heir. That was when his mind had returned to his father's will and when he had thought of Inuyasha.

The half breed would never have crossed his mind otherwise, but when evaluated carefully and forcing himself to keep a somewhat unbiased outlook…he could do worse. Yes his little brother was brash, irritating, crude, a hanyo, unrefined, naïve, and ignorant of common demon ways he still had a superior type of dog demon blood running through his veins. Their father had been the best of his kind before his unforeseeable death, so there were some redeeming qualities to his brother. Also, the hanyo had a few other traits Sesshomaru felt would serve well in a pup, as for the others…well most of those had been learned behaviors from growing up the way he did. Easily assaulted out of a pup if necessary.

So, his brother would do. And at the same time he'd be fulfilling his father's last request.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes briefly at the feeling of the castle rumbling. It would seem that Inuyasha was getting more impatient with him. Opening his eyes back up, he stood and put aside his work for the day. He was very much aware that he wouldn't be getting back to it, perhaps for some time. Inuyasha never had been one to take things lightly so he was expecting a fair amount of resistance for when he informed his brother of his future role in life. To say he was not looking forward to it was a drastic understatement, so it was a good thing he had a trump card.

--

Inuyasha's entire body was heaving as he took in gulps of air. He stared hard at the door that still had yet to budge since last night. He'd spent his entire time awake, thinking and wondering of how he got himself into this and what Sesshomaru's intentions were and he still could not understand it.

He did his best to tear apart the small cell in the best way he could, so that when his bastard sibling did come for him, he'd know he hadn't taken his capture acceptingly. Besides, with each passing hour of his night he grew more agitated and angrier until he had decided that the castle had received more than enough sleep. That was when he had continued to bellow, yell, and make a complete racket until he was sure he was driving everyone insane.

Still…if his senses were working, and he was sure they were, it should have been well into the early afternoon and no one had come for him. This was probably Sesshomaru's way of dealing with him, which only served to piss him off further. As he was getting ready to aim a more powerful attack at the door (he was sure he was close to breaking it down) he heard the oh-so-familiar sounds of feet heading in his direction. Two pairs this time and they didn't even hesitate at opening his door.

It took him by such surprise that he didn't realize he'd been punched in the gut until he was already leaning over into the arms of someone he didn't recognize. While such a move would never usually render him disabled he had used up a lot of energy not sleeping and trying to break down his door. Making it embarrassingly easy to take him down a notch.

After the pain in his stomach subsided a bit he glanced up at the one who had punched him who was now half supporting him on his right. The demon was looking straight ahead so he turned his attention to the one who had caught him. Another demon, mimicking the same behavior as the first. They were half carrying him through the lower part of the castle and while Inuyasha absorbed his surroundings he was more concerned with his current situation.

"Where are you taking me?" he growled out.

Neither of the demons responded to him so he did what he could in resisting being dragged along. It only resulted in him being punched again, which caused him to bare his teeth in anger as he tried to pull away. But the grip the two demons had on his arms were strong. There was still a lot of fight left in him, yet even he was aware that he wasn't getting out of it with his current condition, especially since he hadn't eaten anything in…it was probably two nights ago. He really was on his last bit of adrenaline and he had every intention on saving it for when he came face to face with Sesshomaru.

As if sensing his decision to be obedient, the grip on his arms by the accompanying demons slacked a little. He was allowed to walk rather than be pulled along and at having this small freedom he took the time pay further attention to his surroundings.

They were now climbing up a flight of stairs, leaving the cells behind in favor of the kitchens which were just as quickly passed through. Now though, they were passing by quite a few demons who clearly worked under his brother. All which didn't even pretend to not stare. They openly gaped at him with disgust written all over their faces, causing Inuyasha to snarl back at them. A few widened their eyes in surprise at his response, while others curled their lips and continued with what they were doing.

It was strange for him. Not being looked down on, that he was used to, but being in his brother's castle. He had heard long ago that Sesshomaru was looking to further the Western Lands and build himself an empire, but he hadn't seen it. But this place was clearly his brothers. The demons scent was covering everything.

Just as he was starting to question over how much his brother accumulated the two demons who hadn't said a word to him stopped in front of a large door that was oozing out his brother's scent. The one to the right of him knocked, but without waiting for a response he pushed opened the door that opened to a small private room. It may have been small but the room held quite a number of demons of different ages, races, and power levels. Upon entering he found himself tossed onto the floor unceremoniously.

"What the fuck?!" he snarled, as he turned to see the retreating backs of the demons who had brought him here. They bowed, and left without a sound. Knowing they hadn't bowed to him he looked up from where he had been thrown and was none too pleased to see Sesshomaru sitting in a chair looking down at him impassively.

"How was your night Inuyasha?"

It took that one infuriating question for Inuyasha to gather his last amount of remaining energy and launch himself at his brother, claws and teeth ready to tear into the full demons flesh.

"Cease your foolishness at once little brother," Sesshomaru commanded in such a tone that he almost did as he was told. Almost. He continued to charge at him and just as it looked that he might make successful contact with his brother's face Sesshomaru brought a swift leg up and kicked him, sending him flying back and crashing into the doors he just came through.

"You have not eaten in forty-eight hours, you are tired, frustrated, greatly outnumbered, and Tetsusaiga is no longer on you, yet you still attempt an attack?" Sesshomaru asked in a bored tone.

Inuyasha's eyes widened as a realization came to him, "where is it? Where's my sword?" he mumbled out harshly from his hunched over position against the doors. "And how were you able to touch it?!"

"There should be more important things on your mind right now."

"Never mind 'em!" Inuyasha slowly stood back up, poised to attack again. "Where is it ya good for nothing asshole?!" he barked out, though he left no room for Sesshomaru to answer before he lunged for him again.

This time his brother had the decency to stand up and block a well aimed fist, which made him all the more appreciative that he had two. But even his other fist was easily blocked and in return Sesshomaru made a slight turn before kicking him again. He was able to regain his footing faster this time, making it easier to run toward his brother once more. This time though Sesshomaru met him half way, grabbing a hold of his wrist and twisting it painfully behind his back as he spun him, holding it in a lock.

He struggled against it, refusing to allow his brother this win. Unfortunately fate had other plans and without knowing how he found himself roughly pushed back onto the flooring with Sesshomaru still holding his arm. He even felt the pressure of his brother's knee embedding itself into his lower back. He bit his lip to keep himself from crying out in any sort of pain, in fact he refused to give in. Hoping to toss off Sesshomaru he began to thrash wildly while his brother remained atop him. But it did nothing, if anything the grip got tighter and the knee pressed further. So hard that he did cry out as much as he detested the thought.

"Let go of me!" he demanded.

He glared hard at his older brother when Sesshomaru lowered his head to meet with the side of Inuyasha's face.

"I am weary of your antics; I will release you when you have calmed down."

Inuyasha's response to that was to spit in his brother's face. As he did so there was a loud chorus of, "Lord Sesshomaru!" 's and that was when he remembered he and his brother were still in a little room, being watched by some several dozen demons.

Regardless, he kept his eyes on the other demon and watched him carefully as Sesshomaru made slow movements to wipe the spit from his face, all while keeping a steady eye on him. He watched and felt as his brother released his arm and the pressure from his back, though he dared not move. The inu yokai demon was being very calm about all this, and while he was aware his brother tended to do things with a certain grace, he wasn't one to take something like being spit on lightly either. To be perfectly honest he was bracing himself for the worst. And his brother didn't fail him.

While Sesshomaru slowly stood himself back up from his crouching position his speed in planting a firm tight hold over Inuyasha's neck was considerably quicker. It was still the back of his neck so it wasn't quite as suffocating as the front might have been, but Sesshomaru did have an iron grip. It wouldn't have been so bad had the grip remained on him while his face was still against the flooring, but Sesshomaru's hold intensified as he pulled him off the floor, having him hover above it.

Inuyasha felt a bolt of panic through his heart, and began to wheeze more out of panic than lack of air. He couldn't see his brother's face with his back being toward him, but it was easy enough to feel the anger, the hatred. He felt a few waves of dizziness at being held in the air with a grip near his neck's pressure points, but he fought it off.

"Shall I rip your neck off in front of all these advisors to see?" Sesshomaru lightly asked him in his ear.

Inuyasha thought a moment. Not that he liked the idea of having said neck hacked off, he still didn't care for the idea of letting Sesshomaru get the better of him again. It was a nasty habit and he'd prefer to get rid of it. Unfortunately his human rationale was starting to kick in and it was telling him to give up while he still had his head. Besides, he hadn't gotten any of the answers that had plagued him all night. Not just what had happened to his Tetsusaiga, but why he was here, for what purpose, and what did Sesshomaru want with him. Also, his alpha male instincts were starting to worry with what had happened to his pack. Especially Kagome and Shippo; the two of them were the weakest and wouldn't have as much of a chance at survival as say Miroku or Sango.

With much reluctance he released his fight and slumped into his brother's hold. It really wasn't painful to be held in the air by the back of his neck, just uncomfortable and a bit humiliating.

"You are ready to listen then?" he heard his brother ask, and with a scoff to the side, a yes, he was released and went plummeting to the floor as Sesshomaru took a step back.

Damnit! He cursed to himself as he rubbed the back of his neck. He was going to have a bruised neck from that treatment, that and he was damned tired of being dropped, kicked, and tossed onto the ground.

"You are here for one purpose Inuyasha," Sesshomaru began as he watched him nurse his neckline.

"Yeah, and what's that? Is it to be your little punching bag for when you get pissed off? 'Cause if that's the case I'll pass."

Sesshomaru ignored that and continued, "You are here to be my mate."

Inuyasha paused in his rubbing and eyed his brother full on. "…Your what?"

"Do not pretend your hearing is human inherited. You are here to be mated to me within the next few moon cycles."

"…No?" he responded in such a fashion that even to him it sounded more like a dumbfounded question than a statement of fact.

"Unfortunately you have no choice in the matter."

"'Che," Inuyasha scoffed as he crossed his arms and looked definitely up at his brother. "You're full of it. I ain't being your mate, and I do have a choice in the matter. My choice is no. That it?" He stood himself off the ground, dusting his clothing as he did so. "I think I'll leave now. It was annoying as ever seeing you again. Have someone at the main door with my sword, got it? Some food too, I'm starving." He turned to leave only to find two demons blocking the door. He glanced around to eye his brother. "Mind having your goons removed so I can get outta here? I got other places to be bastard."

"You do not seem to be grasping the situation. I was not asking you, I was ordering you. You will be my mate Inuyasha."

He found himself starting to get angry again, "and how're you gonna make me huh?!"

Inuyasha would never go as far as to say he feared his older brother. Yeah, Sesshomaru was a force to be reckoned with, especially when he was enraged, but he prided himself on being able to take down his brother in a fair fight. He had cut off his arm long ago, even if it had been restored. The point of the matter was he'd been able to do what no other demon could, making him feel slightly superior to those who tried to knock him down because of his heritage.

Even so, he couldn't stop the small spike of fear as he witnessed a foreign emotion cross Sesshomaru's face. It was a smile…well, probably more of a smirk. Neither one common to the demon in front of him. That was especially obvious by the sudden tension of the room. He could sense the other demons in the room shrinking back, wishing to be hidden in the walls. Clearly a Sesshomaru showing any sort of emotion on such a blank face was never a good sign. Inuyasha swallowed as he heard his brother respond, "because I have the power to do so."

"The power huh, how do you figure that?" he heard himself asking.

"How would you define power Inuyasha?"

When Sesshomaru only got a blank stare in response he went on, "in general, power is the ability to make others do what they ordinarily would not do. And as you are going to be mated to me its easy to ascertain that I have power over you."

Inuyasha let out a bark of disbelief, "self righteous as always." He narrowed his eyes, "but you don't know what you're talking about. I aint doing nothing you want me to do."

Sesshomaru's eyes seemed to gleam, but it could have easily been a trick of the light. "But you will. Because little brother I want you, and I will have you."

- FG

FG Notes: Thanks to my first reviewers! I'm so happy that someone likes this, even if it's just a few so I shall continue for you five! :)