Later 14 Consequences

The following morning Sesshoumaru watched the change wash through Inuyasha as his youkai returned, the boy had been sleeping but now the amber eyes were awake and alert. The elder brother could feel the resurgence of youki, but could also see that Inuyasha was not yet fully healed. The claw marks had cleared and most of the bruises vanished, but it would take the better part of a week for his leg to regain its normal strength.

Sesshoumaru helped Inuyasha sit up again and offered more herbal tea to his bemused brother. Inuyasha took it in silence and then leaned down to feel at his leg to test how far his youki had healed it. He found it was not yet ready to remove the splints although most of the bruising had started to clear and it still hurt to flex the muscles.

When he noticed Inuyasha's unconscious wince, Sesshoumaru brushed his brother's hands away from the leg to examine it, then he put his own hands gently around the break and infused them with his youki. Inuyasha could feel the warmth spread in his bones and the pain lessened considerably for which he was grateful, but surprised, as he muttered his thanks. Sesshoumaru was a puzzle but he supposed his brother felt guilty for causing him such damage; after all whatever the Daiyoukai thought of him personally, they did have a truce.

"You still must not put strain on your leg Inuyasha, but it shouldn't cause you any more discomfort."

"Feh!"

"I can hear Kagome and Rin starting the fire; I shall hunt in your place." He left and informed Kagome of his intention to hunt breakfast, she merely nodded her understanding before she went in to her mate and Rin too only bowed before putting water to heat over the fire. When he returned with both rabbits and fish, cleaned and dressed for the spit, Rin took them from him and left him to deal with the two guards who had come and knelt before their Lord. At first Sesshoumaru was unsure of the gesture from his men, they knelt with their throats bared to him.

"Explain." He growled, baring his teeth and allowing his youkai to come to the fore, but they did not move or flinch from their stance. The elder of the two spoke;

"We have lost your confidence My Lord, you no longer trust us and therefore we have failed in our duty."

"This Sesshoumaru does not follow your reasoning."

"Excuse us Sire, you felt the compulsion to save Rin from a villager yourself, which indicates you thought we had neglected our duty towards your charge and indeed we did fail to keep our charge safe."

"You understand that This Sesshoumaru was in error and that Rin was quite unharmed."

"Yes Sire, but the same cannot be said of Lord Inuyasha; we did not foresee your attack, although given the volatile history you share, we should have been prepared for just such a circumstance. Because of this the pup suffered when he was at his most vulnerable time."

"You are aware that you would have had to stand between Inuyasha and This Sesshoumaru; defying your Lord, for his brother to have remained unhurt?"

"Yes Sire; but that would have been the correct thing to do in order to carry out the instructions you gave us."

"Very well, I accept your reasoning this time, although as no permanent harm was done I shall spare your lives. But you will remain here and form Inuyasha's personal guard from now on and I will put two more on the village guard; will you respect this duty?"

"Yes Sire, we would deem it an honour."

"It is settled then, and I will hear no more about this." Sesshoumaru walked inside the little house; he had heard the disapproval veiled in the guard's words and actions and understood that offering their own lives was the only way they had seen, that would show that disapproval. He was also well aware that Inuyasha would have heard the discussion even if he was in his room; however that just meant the boy would know that his bodyguard was loyal to him.

After a quiet breakfast that had none of the normal loud chatter courtesy of Inuyasha and his pups, Sesshoumaru escorted Rin back to Kaede's leaving Inuyasha in the care of Kagome. He would not however return to his Palace until Inuyasha was fully healed and once more able to hunt and provide for his family, until then it would be Sesshoumaru's responsibility.

As they approached Kaede's hut, Sesshoumaru stepped in front of Rin as a lot of the villagers were already out and congregating around them. Inuyasha's warning about the fear the humans would feel and its consequences sprang to the forefront of his mind, and he looked around immediately for his nephews and niece, worried that they might be caught up in the melee should it develop.

Ahead of all was the village headman and he approached alone after having stopped the others; he bowed low to Sesshoumaru and asked to speak. Sesshoumaru inclined his head slightly, indicating he was listening and the elder asked if the rumours were true; had Inuyasha been hurt by the powerful youkai they had all heard the night before, and been saved by his older brother? Before Sesshoumaru could reply, Miroku's voice was heard.

"It is true, I saw it for myself; Inuyasha has been hurt, but Lord Sesshoumaru vanquished the youkai before it could do far more damage. Inuyasha is alive and mainly well, there is no need for further concern." Miroku looked straight at Sesshoumaru as he said this, almost daring him to contradict the carefully spread rumour. None of the villagers had heard the words in the youkai's roar, only the sound itself.

It seemed too easy, the situation was defused and although Sesshoumaru would never have been in any personal danger, he found for his family's sake he was glad that there would be no trouble. Instead he found he was the object of grateful and sincere thanks for all he had done which made him feel a hypocrite. Miroku seemed to know what was crossing the Lord's mind however and said that at least it was the truth; Sesshoumaru had stopped himself before he had done too much damage.

During the day, there was a constant stream of well wishing villagers to the little house and Inuyasha was touched at all the small gifts that they brought him and Kagome. Fruits and vegetables, fish and sweetmeats all found their way into the kitchen from those who hoped that Inuyasha would get better quickly and in gratitude for all he and his brother did to keep their homes safe.

Of course he also heard of the marvellous Sesshoumaru who had saved him and them all from the giant ogre that had hurt him the previous evening. Wasn't it wonderful to have a brother like that who cared so greatly for him? Inuyasha could only smile wryly and nod his head at the assertions before turning off mentally from more of the same.

A few days later, Inuyasha was able to walk around under his own volition; his leg was not at full strength but was mended enough to support his weight for a short period of time. His pups all knew not to jump on him yet, but it would not be long before he was running and chasing them again. Inuyasha had told Sesshoumaru that he was fine and if the Daiyoukai wished to return to the Palace he should feel no obligation to stay any longer.

But Sesshoumaru did not leave at least until Inuyasha proved able to hunt and keep active as normal for the entire day and convinced his older brother that he was fully healed. Healed in body but not in spirit, Sesshoumaru thought, knowing that their relationship also needed healing and that was going to take some time and effort.

The very fact that Sesshoumaru acknowledged that he would have to repair the hurt indicated to him that his viewpoint had genuinely changed and he had not merely been using Inuyasha to safeguard his human treasure. Inuyasha would not stop protecting Rin even if Sesshoumaru reverted back to his old ways of treating his brother, as the hanyou clearly expected him too; there was no further need for the niceties.

The Daiyoukai had found during and after the time that the vile hanyou Naraku had been wreaking havoc across the lands that his regard for Inuyasha had grown. What had started off as a renewed hatred of the boy had swiftly turned to respect, and eventually during the following years he had come to know and even have affection for his young brother. Also being the Master of his lands had trained Sesshoumaru in many ways; he could smell deceit and hated sycophancy, Inuyasha was neither of these, his love for the elder brother was genuine and obvious.

Sesshoumaru knew better than to believe that Inuyasha was indifferent to him or that he still had hatred of him. The hanyou had never truly hated his brother; he had detested some of the things he'd done, but never him. Even when in his extreme youth he had shouted out his hate and bitterness at times of stress, Sesshoumaru had always known that Inuyasha craved his brother's love.

Inuyasha had not changed even as he'd grown and they had parted ways; the hanyou still remained the same pup in essence. But Sesshoumaru had grown and matured; he was no longer the jealous pup mourning his father and taking out his grief on the hapless hanyou puppy he'd been left with. Obviously Sesshoumaru had to admit he still had some control issues but this time he really had not meant what he'd said to Inuyasha.

But the problem was how to convince Inuyasha; would it be better to try with words still or perhaps actions, it was a new area for Sesshoumaru. Not since he had been a pup under the strong but loving discipline of both parents had the youkai been held accountable for his mistakes; neither before would he have admitted to making any like he had done recently.

Two weeks after the 'incident', Sesshoumaru was lounging in his bath for the evening; it had been a long hard day following many such as he attended his duties as Lord of the West. Customarily Sesshoumaru looked forward to his bath, it was far more than a necessity for cleaning and relaxing strained muscles, it was one of the few luxuries he permitted himself. There was no one else present in the Royal Family Suite except for the barest minimum of servants, namely Jaken who would only leave his Lord if he were dead.

But the imp had his uses; he'd had Sesshoumaru's bath made ready, there were refreshments laid out in the adjoining room and some of the best sake available to hand by the side of the pool. His towels and lounging kimono were on a nearby seat and there was a delicate scent in the air he didn't recognise, Jaken must have found new incense.

Unfortunately, the relaxing aspect of the bath was not working as well as it should; Sesshoumaru's mind could not let go of the problems he had left behind in the village. In the following week when Inuyasha had been up and about, Sesshoumaru had tried to act in the now normal way for them, as if nothing had been said to the contrary. They spoke of the pups, and Sesshoumaru's duties as they had done for the last few years, but there was no way Sesshoumaru could fail to feel the difference in Inuyasha or his mate.

It was not obvious to anyone else that the relationship between the brothers had changed; well not to any in the village. Of course their friends could tell but even then they saw them going about as normal and eventually put any concerns behind them. But Rin still refused to walk alone with him, which meant no more trips to the flower field and the soothing sounds of Rin's chatter and gentle laughter.

Sesshoumaru had also expected some acerbic remarks from Kagome, heavily doused in her sharp wit or at the very least some veiled demands of retribution for Inuyasha's hurt feelings. But he was mistaken, his sister-in-law had spoken quite normally but her words still ricocheted around his brain; she had said that she was extremely disappointed in him, she had thought he was more noble and honest than to treat Inuyasha so badly. She would no longer encourage her children to look to him as a role model for the behaviour befitting a Lord's relatives.

When he asserted that he had spoken in anger and not design, she had shaken her head sadly and told him she did not believe him any more than Inuyasha did. Sesshoumaru had been annoyed at the fact her words had reached him; being well thought of had never mattered to him before and certainly not by a small human Miko who he had not had much time for in any case. But this time she had called his honour into question and in all honesty he could not refute her claim.

It was Inuyasha however that disturbed him; it was not the first time that Sesshoumaru's youkai had become enraged at his stoic persona and the treatment he dealt out to his hanyou brother. Now though after spending time building the relationship even without his own full knowledge, Sesshoumaru didn't need his youkai to make him feel guilty.

It was not as if Inuyasha had reverted back to the way he had been before, being brash, crude and insulting with his brother; no, he was recognising that they still held a truce and besides he was not going to set a bad example for his pups. Rather he answered questions and deferred to his alpha brother most respectfully, but he didn't initiate the conversation nor offer his own opinions, which was most unlike the boy.

But if Sesshoumaru wanted conclusive proof that his harmful words had caused damage, he would have found it in the way Inuyasha wouldn't hold his brother's gaze. Previously when they had fought, Inuyasha would come at Sesshoumaru ablaze with either fury or pain, but he would never look away and this is what the Daiyoukai found the hardest to deal with. He had always wanted Inuyasha to know his place, recognising his inferiority to the elder pure blooded brother; now it seemed he had done so and it left a bitter taste in Sesshoumaru's mouth.

The meeker actions and manner of Inuyasha was totally out of character and they all knew it and who had caused it and Sesshoumaru found no satisfaction in this version of his Little Brother at all. The most off putting part of it was that Inuyasha was not trying to annoy Sesshoumaru by his unusual behaviour; Sesshoumaru could tell that the boy had finally stopped fighting and had given up ever trying to be worthy in his brother's eyes. Sesshoumaru found this the most alarming factor of all, how was he to going to get Inuyasha to believe him?

Unfortunately the familiar ire arose in him, why wouldn't the brat believe him; after all Sesshoumaru had been positively amiable for the last few years? His annoyance was moderated however by the soothing hot water and excellent sake and Sesshoumaru found his eyes drifting shut as he relaxed, and although he didn't sleep he did doze, until he was interrupted by the sound of splashing and childish giggles.

His eyes opened onto the hot mist of the bathing pool and he could see the not quite solid figures of two dark haired human children, one a boy the other a girl. They were splashing and having fun in the water. Sesshoumaru's nose told him that there was no one really with him and that he was in effect daydreaming, but he stayed intrigued by the two who he recognised easily. The girl took the lead in their play, splashing and laughing and encouraging the boy to splash back.

He was nervous but eventually joined in, although he was half hearted at best. They were both dark haired and fair skinned as was expected of their race but the girl had a properly rounded child's figure, she glowed with health and obvious care. The boy though was undernourished, his ribs showed a little too prominently and his body was covered in bruises; Sesshoumaru could see finger marks from where the child had received hard slaps and other marks synonymous with pinches and blows.

Servants came to remove the pair and the girl was treated like a princess with soft words, and loving hands dried and dressed her; the boy though was just pulled about, cuffed and scolded for making the drying area wet with the careless splashes he'd made. Then the girl spied her Lord and excitedly pulled the boy by the hand towards Sesshoumaru; she was smiling and her eyes sparkled, the boy hung back on seeing his brother, nervous and his eyes were fearful.

As the two came closer they also faded away into the heat mist and Sesshoumaru took another cup of his sake no longer wondering why Inuyasha didn't trust in his brother's words of regret; not enough time had passed for the pup to be convinced that Sesshoumaru had fundamentally changed towards him. For even though the children were both human and a figment of his imagination, aided by the heat and sake, they were both modelled on the very real memories he had of each of them.

Suddenly the bath was no longer a pleasant sanctuary and Sesshoumaru got out and dried off, putting on his lounging kimono and allowing himself the luxury of bare feet to walk around his Royal Suite. Where he had always enjoyed the silence before, he now missed his niece and nephews; he even missed the village children he seemed to know by name now from listening to Jaken as he extolled their virtues.

But most of all he missed his noisy, often uncouth, yet endearingly eager to please sibling with his bright golden eyes and mischievous grin; and the child he had replaced the boy with, Rin. She who had always been a calm companion to him since he had brought her to life, who had always trusted him and loved him as unconditionally as Inuyasha once had. Now she looked at him with sadness and even some anger, because he had betrayed her friend and once more put a barrier, albeit a slight one, between them.

TBC