Beta: fawn-eyed-girl

The Pup That Grew Up

Kagome didn't have time to do more than cry out. She wasn't sure if it was a cry of shock, fear or concern. Inuyasha, hot tempered as he was, had never done that before. He usually started a word fight, threatening his opponents or attacking with his claws. He wouldn't attack with his sword, especially when there were other people that could be caught in the blast.

There was no doubt in Kagome's mind - Inuyasha wasn't going to play around or underestimate his elder brother. The woman and the girl called out for the daiyoukai, who fluidly drew his own sword and put it in front of himself, the flat of the blade facing the rapidly approaching wind scar, just in time for the attack to hit it.

"You have mastered the sword you have taken from father's tomb," Sesshomaru said as the light dispersed around him, his hair and sleeves fluttering around him in the wind caused by Inuyasha's attack. Not even a scratch was on the elder man.

'Fuck off! What made you come here?" Inuyasha barked, obviously not seeing his brother's words as any kind of positive remark.

"And," he continued, as if Inuyasha hadn't said a word, "you had the audacity to use this awesome weapon against this one. Were it not for Tenseiga, the West would have lost its ruler today."

Kagome shuddered at this calm, disinterested tone of his voice, and at the realization that Inuyasha had almost killed his only remaining family member. She noticed that neither the woman, nor the child standing behind Sesshōmaru, seemed to be scared or upset by what had happened.

"Next time I'll cut off your head!" Inuyasha threatened, Tessaiga raised in a clear warning. Then the hanyou added in a soft voice, "Kagome, you have to go."

"I'm not leaving you," Kagome replied back in a hushed voice.

"This one's mate, the precious sword of this one's father, and the hanyou pup this one has assumed dead for centuries, all in one place." The daiyoukai sheathed his blade and eyed the two with cold eyes. "Rin, you have outdone yourself."

"Thank you, my lord!" The girl bounced on her feet. "But Rin can take credit only for finding Lady Mother. Can we go home now?"

"Not yet."

Kagome was momentarily distracted by the short exchange, but Inuyasha was not. When the daiyoukai lunged forward, his body a white blur against the lush greenery of the forest, Inuyasha had just enough time to push the miko away from himself and lift his sword arm to cut his approaching brother down.

"Damn!" the hanyou swore when the other man evaded his wild swing of the Tessaiga and sent a whip of green youki to lash against his outstretched hand. Inuyasha dropped the blade, blood dripping from his wrist. But he swept with his other hand at the tall figure looming over his crouching body - only to have the other male grab him by his uninjured wrist and punch him in the stomach, causing him to grunt in pain and take a few unsteady steps back.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome grabbed onto the shrine guardian and pulled him back, close to herself as she focused all her will and reiki on a barrier. The shimmering wall of energy came around them and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Sesshomaru not charging at it. She was pretty sure she wasn't strong enough to keep up a barrier against a daiyoukai. They staggered and collapsed to the ground.

"I'm fine," he grumbled, trying to shake off her hands and standing up.

Sesshomaru looked at Kagome for a moment, but then dropped his gaze to where Tessaiga was laying in the grass, once again a rusty katana. Kagome hastily pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve.

"Here, let me..." She grabbed Inuyasha's hand and held it tight when he tried to pull back, his eyes never leaving his brother. The miko wrapped the wound, wincing at the darkened skin around the injury. It had all happened so fast, so suddenly, that she hadn't had any time to do anything to prevent this from happening. She glared up at the one who had hurt her hanyou.

Sesshomaru fell to one knee next to the sword and reached for the hilt.

"No!" Inuyasha leapt to his feet. "The old man left it for me!"

"Do not interrupt, hanyou," came the voice of the woman watching the kneeling male. "This has to happen, and this should have happened long ago."

"Fuck off!" There was more than a hint of desperation in the shrine guardian's voice and Kagome understood it - this was the only thing he had from his father and he was very fond of the sword, even if he didn't voice it often.

"Inuyasha, no!" Kagome gasped when the hanyou jumped forward, easily crossing the barrier a moment before Kagome could undo it, the light fading around him as he went past it. Before he could reach the kneeling man, Sesshomaru laid his hand on the hilt of the sword. Energy akin to electricity went up and down his whole arm, the blade pulsing once, before he lifted his hand and inspected his burned palm. The daiyoukai frowned, but had no time to ponder this, because Inuyasha barreled into him.

The fist and claw fight was short and Kagome didn't see much of it, the movements of the combatants too fast to be registered by her eyes. As the two men jumped away from each other, it was clear to see that Inuyasha was panting: half in anger, half from the exertion. He had a bruise growing dark purple on his right cheek, blood seeping from where Sesshomaru's claw had cut the skin.

His brother stood tall and calm as if he wasn't trading blows with him.

"It appears the Tessaiga rejects this one," he remarked.

"I told you." The woman sounded smug. "The Lord of the West has no need for the blade that isn't his own to rise above all others."

There was pride and affection in the woman's voice; her eyes, now bright red, never strayed from the taller man. The little girl at her side smiled brightly.

"Tessaiga is mine! And you ain't welcome here, so go away!" Inuyasha growled, cracking his knuckles in a threat that was entirely ignored.

"This leaves only one matter left to address," the daiyoukai said, and turned his gaze towards Kagome, who felt a shiver go down her spine.

"Your family has used your reiki to conceal his presence and enslave one of the blood of the imperial inu clan," Sesshhomaru said. "Albeit he is of inferior breed, thanks to his human mother, this one cannot overlook the insult. Release the pup and your death will be swift and painless."

A slender, clawed hand was raised, green youki glowing at the tips of his fingers.

"What? No, he isn't a slave!" Kagome shook her head. "And..."

A shadow fell over her, a furry paw brushing her shoulder as the creature stepped to stand over her. She glanced up, a wave of relief washing over her with the warmth of the youki she knew so well now. The shrine guardian, his dog form practically glowing in the sunlight, teeth bared and golden eyes focused on the daiyoukai, should have been scary, but instead was reassuring.

'Mine,' he growled, baring his fangs. Kagome was able to understand it because he was thinking the words. 'Mine to protect.'

"You have acquired a true form, little brother," the daiyoukai remarked, looking up as if Inuyasha wasn't readying himself to pounce at him. "Are you certain you are willing to challenge this one?"

Inuyasha couldn't speak in this form, not to other people than Kagome, but he barked in anger, his ears tilted back. 'Go, Kagome,' he told her again. 'I'll keep him busy.'

'I'm not leaving you!' she argued.

'Keh, are you crazy or what? He wants you dead! I have to protect you.' His tail swished in annoyance.

'I'm the shrine keeper and I will not run from my shrine or from you.' She put a hand on one of his giant paws, feeling the tense muscles under the shaggy fur.

When she looked towards Sesshomaru, her own body tensed in awe and fear - the man was no more. A dog easily twice the size of Inuyasha, white like him, but with sleeker build and different face markings, glared straight at her and her komainu.