"AHHHHH-HAHAHAHA!" Clutching the fur at the back of Sesshomaru's neck for dear life, Inuyasha screamed and guffawed into his ears. "Wooooooo! HOLY SHIT—how can you even see?!" Fully transformed and with Inuyasha attached to his back, Sesshomaru dashed through the trees at top speeds, turning every shape and color around them into an endless blur. Truth be told, Sesshomaru sensed the obstacles ahead more than he actually saw them. But either way, Inuyasha was obviously impressed. Sesshomaru gave a wolfish grin and leapt higher than the ancient trees of the forest before allowing himself to drop sharply. He'd warned his brother that this would be no leisurely trot. Though he had to admit, Inuyasha was fairing better than he'd imagined. Inuyasha had cursed almost the entire way, but Sesshomaru could feel his brother's glee.
They'd been at this for hours and Inuyasha still held fast. Admittedly, Sesshomaru himself was beginning to tire of this swift pace. He slowed gradually, coming to a full stop before he could hurl them both off of a rather steep cliff.
Sesshomaru's great chest heaved with breathlessness while he gazed down at the distant world far beneath his paws. A river flowed at the foot of the cliff, a source of life for the adjacent village. It all looked so small, so fragile. Sesshomaru wondered if he had ever known what that felt like.
Inuyasha slid off of Sesshomaru's back then and landed on his feet, shaking his arms out. "Damn," he groaned, rolling his head from shoulder to shoulder. "My thighs were clenched for so long my ass oughta be made of steel by now! I'm definitely gonna feel this tomorrow."
Sesshomaru turned his attention to Inuyasha, giving an amused snort. Inuyasha's eyes were bloodshot after holding them open against the constant dry wind, and his already wild hair was tossed about his face in frizzy strands, the tangles causing the mass to be three times its normal size.
Sesshomaru ran his long tongue up the side of his brother's face for good measure.
Inuyasha froze for a split second before horror spread across every inch of his face and he squirmed, flailing and wiping at the excessive saliva with his sleeve. "Ugh, Sesshomaru! I can't believe—oh my god—your tongue is as big as me!" The hanyou glared up at him, though Sesshomaru was sure a drowned rat could have looked more threatening in this moment. "You are one sick bastard."
Sesshomaru shrugged and dug a bothersome stick out of his paw with his teeth. They both knew he could have done far worse.
Soon, Sesshomaru's tongue seemed to be all but forgotten as Inuyasha was leaning against his side, noisily crunching down some apples he'd brought with him. Sesshomaru could not help but marvel at Inuyasha's size compared to his own for about the tenth time that day. Inuyasha was obviously comfortable with the difference to be so close to him all the time; though, after all Inuyasha had said about their history, Sesshomaru knew it must have taken Inuyasha a long time to trust him in this way. If Sesshomaru truly intended to do so, especially with the way they were sitting, he could easily crush his brother between his jaws before Inuyasha ever knew something was amiss. The youkai nearly shuddered at the mere thought, unable to imagine ever wanting to do such a thing… He severely hoped his old self had never despised Inuyasha so much. He mustn't have, seeing as Inuyasha was still alive.
In a sudden bout of protective instinct spawned by his gruesome thoughts, Sesshomaru shifted, placing his enormous front paws on either side of his brother, and stuck his nose into Inuyasha's shoulder through a curtain of hair, nuzzling a bit. Inuyasha shot him a confused look over said shoulder, but he eventually just grinned and patted Sesshomaru's snout.
"Ya know, Sesshomaru, the old you never woulda let me ride on your back. Actually…" Inuyasha frowned, his hand stilling amidst Sesshomaru's whiskers. "It's weird. You never really liked being in this form around me. I used to think about it sometimes because, since you're so proud of your youkai heritage, I couldn't believe you never seemed to want to be this, this huge, fangy, awesome fucking badass beast."
Sesshomaru sniffed, amused by the colorful description of his current form and by the way both of Inuyasha's arms had spread completely to help convey Sesshomaru's mass. His brother certainly had a way with words. "I kinda wish I'd asked you," continued Inuyasha with a sigh. "But I didn't want you to think I had anything against you being whichever way you wanted," he said rather quickly. "You're great both ways." Inuyasha's cheeks colored strangely before he rested his chin on drawn up knees with a slight scowl. Sesshomaru tilted his head at that, unsure of what to make of it. Most of Inuyasha's points were not such blatant compliments.
The hanyou was often far too pleasant whenever his mind swam in the past. Inuyasha was missing him still—missing Sesshomaru while he was right there beside him. They were touching.
And yet Sesshomaru was still not the one Inuyasha wanted. Sesshomaru was a fraud with a beloved brother's skin.
The longing to cradle Inuyasha took Sesshomaru by surprise. And this was not the first time. Sesshomaru never failed to feel Inuyasha's sorrow with his own being. It was instinctual. But how could such coddling be well received? Inuyasha was a man—he needed no such treatment. Sesshomaru would risk dishonoring him. Furthermore, it was not likely the way his old self would have behaved. And that was the person Inuyasha needed him to be.
A short whine escaped Sesshomaru's throat, surprising both Inuyasha and himself. Inuyasha swiveled around, nearly nose-to-nose with Sesshomaru, his brows knitted. "I've never heard you make that sound," said Inuyasha thoughtfully. Interestingly enough, the look on his face was not at all mocking. "I've heard you growl, snarl, howl, and pant but…"
Sesshomaru looked away. Inuyasha merely rose to his feet and sauntered into Sesshomaru's peripheral vision before slumping against the side of his face below his right ear. He leaned his whole body into Sesshomaru, his claws burrowing into Sesshomaru's fur and scratching pleasantly. Even Inuyasha's cheek rested against him. Inuyasha was…he was doing what Sesshomaru had been contemplating doing for him. It was awkward. And Inuyasha was like a mouse trying to hug a tree. And Sesshomaru found himself leaning into it.
"I know you can't talk like this," Inuyasha murmured into his fur. "I also know you probably wouldn't tell me what's eating at you anyways. But damn it, you're not supposed to look at me like that. Giant red eyes are supposed to be menacing, for cryin' out loud."
In this moment, Inuyasha was only capable of embracing a miniscule portion of him. But Sesshomaru's entire body bristled with foreign pleasure at the gesture, and his heart was beating a bit too quickly. It was a shameful reaction but Sesshomaru could not bring himself to push Inuyasha away.
Not until something pierced Sesshomaru's side and shocked his nerves into motion.
Before Sesshomaru had even registered the threat, Sesshomaru was snarling and baring his teeth with Inuyasha safely deposited at his backside. A large group of human men stood before Sesshomaru, their bows drawn taut in anticipation of an attack. It was an organized hunting party. Sesshomaru must have been spotted by the villagers who dwelled by the river. He'd been too focused on Inuyasha to notice their approach.
The humans no longer held the advantage of surprise. Failure to kill Sesshomaru with the first strike had been a fatal mistake. Enraged, Sesshomaru prepared to lunge. He would have them all torn limb from limb before they could even think to target Inuyasha.
A flash of red and silver below him stopped Sesshomaru in his tracks, momentarily stunting his bloodlust. Inuyasha had rushed unarmed between Sesshomaru and the humans.
"Not a step further!" Inuyasha bellowed, his claws spread dangerously. "Everyone just calm the fuck down!"
The men seemed to freeze for a moment in confusion before something dawned on their faces and they lowered their bows to Inuyasha, murmuring amongst themselves.
"It's just the damn hanyou wretch," one pot-bellied human shouted to the rest.
Sesshomaru's blood boiled.
The same human spat and squinted accusingly at Inuyasha. "The hell are you doing bringing this monster to the village?" the repulsive human demanded, having the gall to jab his finger at Sesshomaru as he spoke. "You're supposed to keep these things away from us, not scare the piss out of the children, you good-for-nothing whelp!"
Sesshomaru took a step forward, his saliva growing toxic inside his mouth. But Inuyasha's gaze cut back towards him for a moment, firmly pleading with him to remain where he was. Inuyasha was apparently all too familiar with these vile, entitled swine.
"This monster happens to be my brother, asshole," growled Inuyasha furiously. "And we're not even in the village! Put the goddamn arrows away, he's not going to hurt anyone."
Inuyasha was placing far too much faith in Sesshomaru in this moment.
The humans were similarly unconvinced by Inuyasha's claim.
"Change back," Inuyasha hissed at Sesshomaru suddenly, desperately, and Sesshomaru's resolve broke. Inuyasha was protecting Sesshomaru. But even more so, Inuyasha was protecting the humans.
Sesshomaru took a rabid swipe at the men, drawing out their screams of terror, merely knocking them all into the dirt where they belonged. For Inuyasha's sake alone, Sesshomaru left it at that and snatched Inuyasha into the air kicking and cursing by the back of his haori, bounded over the disoriented men, and disappeared back into the ancient forest.
Swinging from his mouth, Inuyasha struggled and ripped out a handful of Sesshomaru's lip hairs, but the youkai ignored him. Animals scurried and trees splintered in Sesshomaru's unyielding path. Only once they'd happened upon a hot spring did Sesshomaru relinquish his hold on Inuyasha.
Landing hard on his rear, Inuyasha turned enraged eyes on Sesshomaru. The hanyou's expression wavered then. Something in Sesshomaru's face seemed to extinguish whatever Inuyasha was about to say.
Inuyasha may have lost his words, but Sesshomaru certainly had not.
Power surged around Sesshomaru momentarily, heating the surrounding air before it was abruptly condensed within the form that did not drool acid when he was angry. He was human-sized once more. Though his frigid glare was anything but human.
Inuyasha scrambled to his feet, clearly on guard, until suddenly he was moving straight for Sesshomaru. Denying the approach, Sesshomaru held up his hand. But Inuyasha seemed to have regained his wits, as he was not deterred.
"Sesshomaru, you're hurt," Inuyasha persisted, exasperated.
To that, Sesshomaru grasped the arrow protruding from his aching side and wrenched it out with a pained grunt, tossing the bloodied length at his feet without breaking eye contact. "Inuyasha." Sesshomaru's claws bit into his palms. "What manner of creature are you?!" Sesshomaru outright shouted, startling Inuyasha into stopping just out of arm's reach.
"Wha-what? I don't—"
"Are you a mindless animal? Are you a slave and have simply neglected to inform me of this?"
A muscle ticked in Inuyasha's jaw. "That's enough, Sesshomaru."
"No. No, it is not enough." Sesshomaru slashed the air with his arm for emphasis and felt blood dribble down his side. "You protect these lands. You risk your life for them. Why in seven hells, then, do you allow those humans to speak to you as though they own you, you thrice-damned imbecile? Explain yourself!"
"You want me to explain myself?" Flushed, Inuyasha strode forward to yell directly in Sesshomaru's face. "This is nothing new, Sesshomaru! People have been treating me this way my entire life! It's because I'm nothing! Don't you understand that?! I'm mixed, I'm dirty, I'm neither one nor the other, I'm a hanyou! It's all the same thing!"
"How do the circumstances of your birth make you less than anyone else?" demanded Sesshomaru, perplexed.
"Maybe you should have asked yourself that question when I was growing up!"
Locked in the heat of the other's gaze, they froze. Tension was thick in the small space between them. Inuyasha looked about as shaken as Sesshomaru felt himself in this moment. Sesshomaru had been granted the truth he'd asked for. The unresolved truth he could not even remember carving into Inuyasha along with the rest of the world.
Numb to the core, Sesshomaru turned away, barely aware of his current intent as he stripped away the clothing irritating his side, followed by anything that covered his skin.
Inuyasha gawked. "C-come on," the hanyou stammered quietly. "Gods, Sesshomaru… What do you think you're doing?"
"I stopped here to bathe." Sesshomaru stepped down into steaming spring. "So I shall do just that." He lowered himself stiffly into a sitting position.
"But… Doesn't that hurt?"
"This is nothing. It will heal soon enough."
Inuyasha sighed loudly, irritated. Sesshomaru heard him roll up the legs of his hakama before Inuyasha seated himself on a rock at the edge of the hot spring and slipped his feet into the water. Though Sesshomaru focused his attention on washing away the grime clinging to his skin and hair, he knew Inuyasha was staring at him. What Inuyasha expected of him, he knew not. Inuyasha should have just stormed off. It would have been easier. Sesshomaru had no idea how he would face his brother now.
"I forgave you a long time ago, you know," said Inuyasha gently. "I really did. I was just mad is all…"
Sesshomaru punctured his cheek with a fang, deeply agitated. Damn Inuyasha. Why was he already trying to ease Sesshomaru's conscience? Inuyasha should burn to see the internal suffering of those who had wronged him. Gods, how foolish had Sesshomaru's former self been? How long had he considered Inuyasha to be less than he was?
Sesshomaru's eyes finally rose to Inuyasha's. "Why?" he asked rigidly. Why would Inuyasha ever forgive him?
Inuyasha rubbed the back of his neck, looking suddenly aged. "You learned to see past it. I was tired of fighting. Truth is, there was a time in my life I would've done anything for you just because you were my big brother. Guess there was still some of that left in me."
And there it was. Inuyasha had forgiven him merely because they were blood, not because Sesshomaru had actually deserved Inuyasha's forgiveness.
"We did not hate each other before," said Sesshomaru monotonously. "I hated you. You lied."
Inuyasha's ears drooped. "Yeah."
"I never apologized… Did I?" His cowardice in the past would explain Inuyasha's uprooting of a wound that should have been soothed by Sesshomaru long ago.
"Well… Not exactly." Sesshomaru's suspicion was true. "But I knew you were sorry, Sesshomaru. For everything. I don't think you ever forgave yourself…" Inuyasha's expression became one of pity.
Not one single being deserved Inuyasha, least of all Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru had known his brother for about a year, now; and that time had been peaceful. He was unable to remember the many ways in which he'd shown his brother cruelty. And, to make matters worse, it sounded as though only a small fraction of their relationship had ever been civil. Sesshomaru knew he was getting off far too easily.
Rising swiftly to stand in his nakedness, Sesshomaru bent forward and bowed his head before his startled brother. "I apologize for my sins against you, Inuyasha," said Sesshomaru with all the sincerity in the world. "I hope you are truly able to forgive me someday."
When Sesshomaru chanced a look up at Inuyasha's face, the hanyou was as red as a skinned salmon. "S-sit your ass back down," sputtered Inuyasha, wide-eyed and fidgety. "For fuck's sake, Sesshomaru, I'd rather you just vomit all over me than spout all that crap. Fuck." Inuyasha crossed his arms indignantly.
Sesshomaru complied and returned to his seat, a slight smirk ghosting over his lips. He'd said what he meant. Inuyasha would accept it or he wouldn't. The air felt lighter now at least.
In the end, Inuyasha joined Sesshomaru in the hot spring, choosing a spot beside Sesshomaru as he so often did. When silence extended in the proximity, Sesshomaru elected to wash Inuyasha's hair for him. Inuyasha leaned back in the water, eyes closed as Sesshomaru ran his claws along Inuyasha's scalp. It pleased Sesshomaru that Inuyasha would allow him to do such a thing. Inuyasha was so close, so trusting of Sesshomaru's claws. The contact was… Well, how would one describe a sip of water down a parched throat or a bite of food in a starving belly? Sesshomaru had learned over time that closeness and contact was part of Sesshomaru's natural desires. He craved it almost as he craved sustenance. But it was only Inuyasha who could quench it. Or, at least, Inuyasha was the only one Sesshomaru could imagine himself touching for an extended period of time.
"Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha's eyes had opened and a fang protruded over his lip. "What do you think, uh…of me?"
Sesshomaru's mouth twitched and a momentary fear that Inuyasha had somehow gained the ability to sense his direction of thought stilled his ministrations. "That is a strange inquiry," replied Sesshomaru carefully.
"Yeah, well…" Appearing unsure of himself now, Inuyasha rubbed his nose. But he did not back down. "It's just that I was thinking about earlier—and I swear I'm not tryin' to start anything," he promised quickly with a finger stabbed into the air. Sesshomaru nodded, his hand still threaded through Inuyasha's hair. "I haven't seen you that mad since before your brains got scrambled. You know, I once had to stop you from forcing a leopard demon to eat his own balls after he'd tried to buy me from you for sex and labor as if I was your property." Inuyasha chuckled heartily when Sesshomaru's jaw unhinged momentarily. "It always insulted you way more than it insulted me…heh."
"Naturally," affirmed Sesshomaru in a clipped tone, unable to believe Inuyasha would make light of a situation like that and surprised Inuyasha had been able to stop him from punishing the cur. "Is there a point to this?"
"Yeah, yeah," Inuyasha waved a hand. "You basically flipped your shit back there because those village morons got away with talkin' down to me. Point is, even though you can't remember, you're a lot like the Sesshomaru I've known my whole life—minus the rocky bits."
Sesshomaru raised a brow. He'd been convinced he was disgracing the image of his former self. Was that not the reason Inuyasha still grew quiet and fidgety in his presence when he assumed Sesshomaru would think nothing of it?
"Is that so?" asked Sesshomaru incredulously.
"You even washed my hair like this a time or ten." Inuyasha grinned. "You told me it was because I didn't do it right so it was always tangled. Even though that was your reason, I'm pretty sure you just wanted to touch me."
Sesshomaru's eye twitched as he tried not to avert his gaze, as he so wanted to in that moment. "Presumptuous."
"Haha, right, probably." Inuyasha cleared his throat. "So I was wondering if… If you feel, um…"
"Yes?" What was with Inuyasha's tone?
"What I mean is—how's your wound feel?" Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes suspiciously. The look on Inuyasha's face seemed almost pained, and somehow Sesshomaru doubted it was empathetic.
Sesshomaru slipped his hands out of Inuyasha's hair and grasped him by the wrist, guiding his Inuyasha beneath the water to where the arrow had pierced him. Inuyasha had been pulled flush against him, the action appearing to have crossed a boundary with Inuyasha for his entire body stiffened. Sesshomaru's grip did not allow any backwards movement.
"The hell are you doing now, Sesshomaru?"
"Answering your question."
"Augh." With a scowl, Inuyasha ran his fingers along Sesshomaru's side. The sensation prickled Sesshomaru's spine. "Coulda just told me," grumbled Inuyasha under his breath. "Hey, it's smooth." Inuyasha looked up. "It closed already? Figures. It's creepy how invincible you are."
Sesshomaru allowed Inuyasha to move away then, his skin tingling and his mind whirring out of focus. "I am ready to go home."
Inuyasha was behaving strangely of late. He smiled often but he was quieter. He bathed only when he was alone. He slept less. Food was of little interest to him. Food. And on top of that, Inuyasha had just turned down a hunt with Sesshomaru. Inuyasha possessed a deep fascination with Sesshomaru's unsealed form, and yet he had elected to miss a chance to join him when Sesshomaru had verbally invited him.
Alone time. This had been Inuyasha's request. Sesshomaru could very well understand the need for that. And for that reason, Sesshomaru left him with the intention of hunting delectable demons until dawn. Even If he was not overly pleased about doing so.
When Sesshomaru scented Rin, however, he turned promptly around. If Rin were to pay them a visit, Inuyasha would most likely refrain from turning her away and would therefore give up on having his alone time anyway. Pregnant as she was, she visited less often of late. Also, Sesshomaru could admit—to himself—that he had grown rather fond of the girl. She could be outspoken at times but she was kind, so kind Sesshomaru found it difficult to believe he had raised her. And she adored Inuyasha.
The voices of both Inuyasha and Rin captured Sesshomaru's attention as he approached the front entrance of his dwelling.
"I can't take it anymore, Rin."
What?
Sesshomaru crouched beside the woodpile, out of view from the window, and listened.
"I know, sweetie," replied Rin mournfully. Sesshomaru heard the sound of tea being poured. "You can't keep doing this to yourself, you have to tell him. I know why you've put it off but I really think he can handle it now."
"It's not that I think he can't handle it, it's just… It's a lot to take in and…" Inuyasha sighed dramatically. "Aw screw it, I'm a coward. The words won't come out. I almost told him. I was so close. He'd been shot and we were taking a bath—"
"He was shot?" Rin's high-pitched question rang in Sesshomaru's ears.
"Nowhere important!" Sesshomaru rolled his eyes at that. "Really, he's fine. Healed up like a total asshole before we even came home."
Rin gave a sigh of relief. "Jeez. Your recklessness is going to force me into labor."
"Me? I didn't do anything!" Inuyasha paused before grumbling, "It's not always my fault."
"Inuyasha, focus. You said you almost told him." Yes, Sesshomaru thought, focus. This conversation was trying his patience and his nerves. What was it Inuyasha had been trying to tell him? It was something Inuyasha could tell Rin but not Sesshomaru?
"Right. We were at a hot spring, it was the perfect place! Oh don't give me that look, you're an adult too!"
"Ah! La-la-la-la-la! For the love of—please, just skip that part. I take it you haven't said anything about it since then?"
"No… Actually, I've uh... I've sorta been avoiding him."
"Avoiding him? He's going to think you're angry with him or something silly like that! That's cruel."
"I already feel bad enough, Rin! I practically had to kick him off the property today so I could talk to you! You're the only one who knows him better than I do…"
"I know, I know, I'm sorry! I just can't watch you do this to yourself and to him anymore…"
There was a long pause in their conversation, the only sound being the sipping of tea. Sesshomaru could sense Inuyasha's tension from outside. There was a severity to this discussion. It caused Sesshomaru's heart to beat against his chest.
"I miss my mate," declared Inuyasha softly, his voice unsteady. "I need him so much it kills me. I just want to hold him."
Sesshomaru's stomach dropped, the tone of Inuyasha's voice slicing deep into his heart.
A mate. Inuyasha had a mate who was nowhere to be seen and Inuyasha was in pain because of it. This explained everything. The strange behavior, the lack of appetite… Inuyasha was depriving himself of contact with his mate. Prolonged separation could be devastating to the health of a mated pair. The bond was a part of their very beings and they were a part of each other. Sesshomaru could not recall how he knew this but he knew it down to his bones.
As much as he should have been feeling sympathy for Inuyasha, Sesshomaru was undeniably wounded. How could Inuyasha have hidden this from him? Was it due to the fact his mate was male? Or was his mate human, perhaps? Maybe Sesshomaru had despised Inuyasha's choice of a mate in the past. Or Inuyasha's mate despised him. Whatever the reason, how could it have been so horrible that Inuyasha would have hidden him for over a year and suffered needlessly? Not only was Inuyasha hurting himself, he was hurting his mate.
Inuyasha should have known Sesshomaru would understand. He'd lost his memory, he was not mentally impaired! Sesshomaru had needed him for a time, but this was just preposterous. If his brother did not want Sesshomaru around his mate, then…
Sesshomaru had no choice. Either he would force Inuyasha out or he would simply leave the area himself. As Inuyasha had told him, Sesshomaru was once a wanderer. And he could be so again.
The rest of Inuyasha and Rin's conversation drifted by his ears, unregistered. He'd only made it a few paces in the opposite direction before the door to the house burst open and out stepped Inuyasha.
"Sesshomaru..? What are you doing here? You're supposed to be hunting."
Sesshomaru stopped, forcing himself to face his brother. It occurred to him then that he should at least inform Inuyasha of his intentions. His mind was just so…sluggish.
"Sesshomaru-sama?" Rin followed Inuyasha's path out of the house, her nervous stare matching Inuyasha's.
"How…" Inuyasha swallowed, taking another step towards Sesshomaru. "How much did you hear?"
"Enough," replied Sesshomaru bitterly. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself."
"Wh-what?" Inuyasha's voice quivered.
"I will not have a brother of mine continue on this way. So I have decided to travel indefinitely."
"Sesshomaru-sama!"
Inuyasha thrust his arm outward to stop Rin's attempted advance. The expression on Inuyasha's face was nothing less than shattered. Inuyasha should have been overjoyed at the opportunity to return to his old life.
"You're…you're leaving?" The waver in Inuyasha's eyes turned to fury. "I can't believe you! This is your goddamn solution for everything! You don't get what you want? You leave! Someone tells you something you don't want to hear? You leave! This is exactly why I couldn't tell you!"
Sesshomaru's lip curled. "Did you think I would not be disturbed by this? I never knew you could be so utterly irresponsible."
"The hell does my level of responsibility have to do with the way I feel?"
"It has everything to do with it. You have left your mate alone all this time. I will not allow you to be so foolish."
Inuyasha gaped. "What the fuck are you talking about?"
"If he and I cannot coexist, then I will make your decision simple for you before you waste away. Go to him."
"Okay, that is it!"
Inuyasha stormed forward, aiming to drive his fist into Sesshomaru's stomach but it smacked the palm of Sesshomaru's hand instead. Inuyasha's free hand fisted in Sesshomaru's kimono, nearly tearing the fabric.
"You're my mate, you stupid son of a whore!" Inuyasha screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing through the trees.
Rin gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth.
Sesshomaru gazed down into Inuyasha's eyes and saw only truth. And agony.
For only a fraction of a moment, Sesshomaru was aghast, his mind attempting to accommodate a relationship with Inuyasha that was more than blood. But after the moment had passed, Sesshomaru realized there was no accommodation needed. The affection, the adoration…the desire—it was all right there, radiating from his soul.
And all this time…Inuyasha had waited for him. He'd waited for Sesshomaru to realize it for himself. For Sesshomaru to accept him as he had already done once before.
Inuyasha was his mate.
Inuyasha seemed to be trembling when Sesshomaru raised his hand to slide his fingers along Inuyasha's jaw and into his hair. "Inuyasha, I—"
His vision blurring, the ground rushed up to meet him.