Chapter 3: Apples To Apples
Sesshomaru sighed and stood under the waterfall a few kilometres away from the village. The water was cold on his skin, but it was a warmer day so he didn't mind. All he wanted to do was clear his head of Inuyasha for just a few minutes, to relax and bathe and feel good.
He pushed his hair out of his face and tilted his head back, sliding his hands to his neck as he let the water pour down on him. He didn't normally stand so exposed either, but he really needed to clear his damn head. Seeing his brother human for one thing was a shock, and even though it had been two weeks since then he couldn't ever close his eyes without seeing that dark hair. And then it was his words, those sharp, dagger like words the hanyou had spat at him. He had to still look after Rin! Did Inuyasha not realize that Rin was still there and Sesshomaru was permitted to visit and stay with her?
Obviously his brother hated him more than he thought, especially now. He had screwed up badly with stabbing him through, but he had no idea that it was Inuyasha standing before him, not some loser human. The demon growled and snapped his head back, glaring around the area. He had had enough of thinking about it and the water was not helping at all. He was better off just hunting...far away from the village.
He walked out from under the water and clutched at his chest. That damned organ betrayed him. He swore when his father died he'd never love, that he'd have no one to protect so he could focus on supreme conquest. But here he was, loving a man that was his own flesh and blood. Sesshomaru just didn't understand himself anymore.
"Wind Scar!" Inuyasha shouted as Tetsusaiga hit the ground, causing three fissures in the ground that tore and ripped at the earth. The attack hit its mark, a large spider demon that was trying to prey on the villagers. Though only two weeks had passed from his fatal injury from Sesshomaru, he was happily recovering and feeling great.
His health was starting to get up again, and the villagers were happy to see that the hanyou they all loved to hate was healthy enough to stone again. It was no fun ragging on a guy that looked like he was knocking on death's door. But now he had colour back in his cheeks and a smile on his face as the spider demon roared and split into three pieces. The hanyou pumped his fist into the air and sheathed Tetsusaiga, jogging over to the remains.
Miroku's kids came running up, along with Rin, and crowded around him. They beamed up at him and made grabbing motions at his face and chest. A couple of them even had flowers and flower crowns for him too.
"Hey! Flowers are so girly you guys!" Inuyasha said, trying to step away from the swarm of kids. "Can't you guys give me manly shit? Like meat and food?"
"Inuyasha said shit!" Miroku's girl said, giggling away at his cussing.
"Master Inuyasha always curses! It's what makes him so attractive, isn't that right, Inuyasha-kun?" Rin said, giving him an eleven year old million dollar smile.
The hanyou blushed and looked away, snorting. He was about to speak when Miroku and Sango came up behind them and laughed. The monk came up behind his friend and slid his hand down to his ass, rubbing it a little.
"Oh yes! Lord Inuyasha's swearing is such a-" Thwack! "OWW! Inuyasha! You should be nicer to those that compliment you! Especially when you skin is glowing so much again and you're actually showing your face!" Miroku held up both of his hands, backing away slowly as Sango picked up one of her kids.
"Rin, why don't you take Houshi-sama and the children over to the shrine to pray and Inuyasha and I will remove the demon's remains?" Sango said, smiling down at Rin who nodded and shouted at her friends to come along. The slayer gave her husband their child and shooed him away, placing her hand on Inuyasha's back. "How are you?"
Inuyasha sighed and walked towards the demon, redrawing his sword and stepping back a little, letting the blade shine over with black. Small stars and nebulas began to appear as it started to glow purple. "Well...I could be better you know? Kagome is gone for good, I got stabbed in my human form two weeks ago, and I'm just starting to be able to sleep and eat again."
Sango nodded and stepped behind him as he raised his sword high in the air, bringing it down with a cry of "Meido Zangetsuha!" A large meido appeared, swallowing up the spider's remains before disappearing. The hanyou put his sword away again and looked over at the slayer. "I'm going to be better. You don't have to worry. If I kept on the track I was going I would have died. But I can't die yet. I need to protect you guys and I need to kill my brother. He's a danger to have around now."
He began to walk back to the village, Sango quickly up at his side. "You're right, Inuyasha. It could have been a child, or one of us out there that night. But he's still your brother. I would have thought after three years you and him could make up." She sighed and looked up at the blue sky. "I guess I was wrong...I just hate to see you too still at each other when my brother and I are alright again."
"It's how it is Sango." Inuyasha shrugged and snatched an apple from one of the village women's baskets. "Sesshomaru and I? Mortal enemies for life. If even after three years we can't kiss and make up, then we never will. It's no big deal really. He never was much of a brother to me." He bit into the apple and chewed slowly on it.
"But Inuyasha...He's your only family. And in that year fighting Naraku, you and him fought side by side. Just like you did against Sounga!" The slayer sighed and branched off away from the hanyou. "Just...please. Think about this Inuyasha!"
Watching her leave, Inuyasha snorted again and continued to eat his apple. His friends were awesome and all, but they seemed to always feel the need to rag on him about Sesshomaru. Yes, for three years they haven't physically injured each other and have been able to tolerate each other's presence. But that didn't mean they were going to be best buddies. No, Sesshomaru was a cold and heartless demon who only cared about himself and Rin. God knows what he had done with Jaken! Maybe he cooked him up and ate him! Inuyasha wouldn't put it past him, the guy was a lunatic.
He just couldn't understand how they'd be anything more than enemies. Anything more than that seemed wrong, just like how it was wrong that Sesshomaru could smell so fucking good sometimes. Okay. Bad thought. But sometimes he smelt like rain, and Inuyasha loved the smell of rain. He noticed that it was when the demon was calmer that he smelt like that. When he was angry though he smelt of a thunder storm. Inuyasha hated that smell, yet...loved it at the same time. It was the same kind of smell he smelt when he had those nightmares. But just because he liked the way the guy smelt sometimes didn't mean he wanted to be any closer than they were. Sticking their necks out like they have done in the past was enough.
Inuyasha sat against his tree in the village and sighed, finishing off the apple and chucking it behind him. He heard it connect with someone and winced. He turned around slowly, opening his mouth to apologize when he felt the apple core hit him in the face. The hanyou stood up and faced his attacker, putting his fists up. "Damn you! You son of a- SESSHOMARU!" He shouted and his hand went to Tetsusaiga.
Sesshomaru stopped and looked at him, raising his eyebrow just slightly. "Oh...You're still alive. Good, I was going to cry if you died." He said sarcastically, feigning his carefree attitude. He didn't want his brother to know that he had been genuinely worried. The last thing he needed was for him to lop off his arm again.
The hanyou snorted and backed up a little, twisting his body away a bit. He didn't want to be attacked. He was still recovering from the last wound he sustained. "Why the fuck are you here, Sesshomaru? You here to die or what?" Inuyasha snarled, lifting his sword from its sheath a little.
"Not even, little brother. I'm here to see Rin." The demon said simply and started to walk into the village.
Not wanting him out of his sight, Inuyasha bolted after the demon, keeping at his side to make sure he didn't do anything weird. He hated this. Walking near the demon like this was setting his instincts on high alert. He wanted to fight, he wanted to protect and rip his god damned head off. But he couldn't, not with the children out playing and since Sesshomaru wasn't actually do anything he just couldn't. It was frustrating.
And of course his brother was just walking along casually, his youki well controlled as was his temper. He wasn't here to fight, yet all Inuyasha wanted to do was punch that calm face. It was so wrong! After years of fighting, it takes defeating Naraku for them to stop. After Kagome had left everything just calmed between them, as if their passionate temper was laying dorment as they waited for the next big fight to consume them once more.
"I still hate your fucking guts. Don't think that just because Naraku is dead and you have that new fancy sword and arm that I think of you as an equal now. You're scum, Sesshomaru." Inuyasha grumbled, slowling his pace as Sesshomaru slowed his.
The demon sighed and snatched an apple from one of the villagers, shooting him a glare when he tried to yell at him. Of course the demon's eyes themselves could make a baby cry, but it was just his whole demeanor. It could change within a second, going from calm and collected to on the verge of breaking in half and becoming hell's fire. Sesshomaru tossed the apple into the air a couple times and stopped, making the hanyou stop as well. Their gold eyes met and Inuyasha couldn't help but feel a pang in his chest, a feeling he only felt when he was in his sick and twisted dreams.
"This, my brother, is an apple. It's whole and shiny, crisp and beautiful. It intimidates all other fruit with its different forms and is quite delicious and tempting. This apple does nothing wrong, it sits there and minds its own business until it is picked from its perch in a tree and carried off in small hands, ready to be turned into a child's feast. This is me." The demon said calmly and then bit into it, taking a large chunk out. He spat the piece on the ground and showed Inuyasha the apple's new form. "This is an imperfect apple. It's angry that it is deformed and that it was abandoned and not eaten. The piece that was bit from it was tossed aside like nothing and it wishes to be put back together, but you cannot put food back together. This is you with that giant chip on your shoulder. If you cannot accept that the one who bit that piece out of you has moved on, then I should have left you to die in that forest."
The apple was suddenly in Inuyasha's hands, and the demon was gone, walking along again before disappearing into Kaeda's hut. The younger brother growled and crushed the apple in his hands, his ears flattening. Damn him! Those words were too true to even deal with. It would only stress him out if he thought about it. "Fuck this..." He said and dropped the apple's remains onto the ground. "I should just try and sleep before I pass out again..."
He walked between a couple of the huts and looked back at the village, making sure that no one was watching him as he ran into the trees. A set of gold eyes watched him through a hut's window, narrowing as they watched the hanyou sneak off.
Sesshomaru wasn't just going sit around while Rin slept. It had grown dark hours ago, and Inuyasha hadn't returned at all. A part of him was panicking because of the hanyou's suicidal tendencies for the past four or so months. But when he really thought about it, he had given his brother reason to live again. Just reasons to kill him, but it was reason enough. Inuyasha wasn't about to end his life when he was so hell bent on killing him.
The demon snuck out of the hut and looked around the sleeping village, listening carefully to the very loud silence before walking off into the forest. He sniffed the air and followed his brother's earthy scent, eventually finding the poor thing slumped and sleeping against the Sacred Tree. Sesshomaru walked forward and bent down in front of his brother, watching his body move up and down ever so slightly to indicate that he was still alive. Sighing, he went onto his knees and reached out, brushing the hanyou's white bangs out of his face. He looked so serene...so peaceful. The demon wished he could sleep next to him forever, or at least wake up to the sweet sight.
Moving his hand down to Inuyasha's cheek, he caressed his soft skin and sighed, smiling a little. It felt good to touch him without being attacked. He rubbed his thumb over his cheek and then nearly jumped back as the hanyou grabbed his wrist. Sesshomaru stared at his brother with wide eyes, unsure of what to do. Was he awake? Was he dreaming of killing him? What was he supposed to do now? Yank his arm away or let him keep holding it?
"Mnn...K...Kagome..." The hanyou moaned softly in his sleep, his grip loosening around his brother's wrist. He glided his hand up and entangled his fingers with Sesshomaru's, making the demon lord blush.
Sesshomaru held still before shifting closer and sitting beside his brother, letting him hold his hand and now lean against him as he slept. They stayed like that for a good amount of time before Inuyasha began to shift, slowly baring his fangs. The demon narrowed his eyes and felt the grip on his hand tighten considerably, his brother beginning to snarl loudly in his sleep.
"Get away from me!" Inuyasha screamed, yanking on his bonds again. He looked around, his gold hanyou eyes giving him the ability to see again. This was much better than the night of the full moon. At least he could look around and pick out his surroundings and enemies with ease.
He caught movement from the corner of his eye and barked loudly at his possible attacker. "What do you want with me!" He roared, yanking harder on his bonds as he whipped his head around, his ears swivelling to catch any sounds.
"Inuyasha...Again I ask...Do you trust me?" The familiar voice spoke behind him. Inuyasha tried to turn around to see but he couldn't, not with the way he was tied up.
"How many times do I have to tell you! I don't trust you! I never have and I never will!" He yelled and was instantly shut up as a claws hand clamped over his mouth.
"Quite, you ingrate! Do you want them to come back? You know as well as I do what he'll do to you if he hears that you're awake." The voice whispered in his ear, hot breath blew against the appendage, making him shiver in slight hand was removed and the hanyou panted, growling lowly.
"Then why don't you just let me go if you care so fucking much?" He whispered back, trying to twist again to look at the familiar man.
"Because...I...I can't...They'll know it was me, and god damnit Inuyasha...They'll- Dam it! Shut up and behave!" The voice hissed and disappeared.
Inuyasha heardthe man walk away and he grunted and struggled against his restaints until he head a heavier foot fall enter the room. He started to panic, not knowing who or what was behind him. Rough hands slid over his waist and around his stomach, a smooth chest pressing against his back as cold breath tickled his ear. He heard a soft heh and panicked more, trying to move but finding his body was not obeying. He was frozen, and it seemed to be against his will, against everything in him. He wasn't one to be scared or freeze out of fright, this man had to be doing something to him!
"My sweet...sexy little hanyou..." A deep voice breathed in his ear, making Inuyasha whimper and try and move his head away. "Tonight you are going to be mine...I am going to claim you..."
"N-No!" Inuyasha shouted, feeling a hand slip down into his hakama, grabbing a very sensitive organ...
"I SAID NO!" Inuyasha roared, waking up and startling a very concerned Sesshomaru. He looked down at his hand, still drozy and wanting to sleep even after such a nightmare. He at first thought he was holding Kagome's hand but with closer inspection he noticed two magenta stripes across the wrist of the pale hand. Looking up slowly, his eyes met Sesshomaru's and it was then that he snapped fully awake. "YOU!"
Sesshomaru ripped his hand away and stood up, reeling backwards away from his very angry brother. The hanyou stood and snarled, cracking his claws. "Inuyasha..." He said softly. "It's not...I saw you and..." He couldn't make the words he wanted to say come out as Inuyasha stalked forward.
"Tonight." His brother said, lunging at his brother with claws extended. "YOU DIE TONIGHT!"