Authors note: I knowwww, no Rin for a bit. I'll get them back together as quickly as possible, the anime dragged this battle out forever. I do think it's important to note and example how irrational Sesshomaru can be, when he angry and triggered.
Chapter 38 - Idiot
The bright sunny day, began fading into a red streaming sunset. The sky appeared on fire, with purple clouds serving as the smoke.
Appropriate.
It lasted only a moment in such vibrant color, before the fire began to drain from the sky, throwing the world into blue tinted darkness. The last traces of sunlit backlit the mountains high above Sesshomaru and Jaken.
The farther they walked, the steeper the gorge became. Eventually, the stream vanished, presumably dipping deep underground of the mountain that they walked in the shadow of. The mountains rose high on either side of the deep rock valley. The scent of the cat demons was everywhere, impossible not to follow. Perhaps they thought Sesshomaru needed guiding to their "castle". The yokai lord sniffed.
As if I could lose their scent.
It wasn't long until new scents merged with the cats. One was a wolf. Initially Sesshomaru thought it may have been Royakan, or one of his friends… but this was distinctly a Wolfpack demon. Royakan was a forest guardian. No, this was someone else entirely. His stench, mixed and interspersed with another scent. One Sesshomaru knew instantly. InuYasha.
Why would he be here? He knows nothing of this. The anger that had been stewing for the last fifty years, rose to the surface again. InuYasha has no right to interfere. How dare he think he can do his duty now — when he abandoned family obligations when it truly mattered?
They reached the end of the gorge just as night was falling. On the horizon, a full moon began to peek its face. There, only briefly did Sesshomaru stop. There had been a barrier here. His eyes traced the long jagged lines left in the ground. InuYasha had broken through it with the Tetsusaiga.
Hm.
Jaken wisely remained silent as they continued, now on the other side of the ravine. The barrier had been hiding a village on the other side of the gorge — a well hidden valley filled with human huts. InuYasha had recently been here. His smell was very definitively following the scent of the cats. Sniffing, Sesshomaru determined that a great many humans lived in the village, it was quite large. Though it seemed empty. No sounds of life touched his ears.
Are they stupid enough to think that I will care about human hostages? An explosion of light drew Sesshomaru's attention farther ahead. That's a blast from the Tetsusaiga.
Eyes narrowing, Sesshomaru turned toward the light. It didn't take long to pick through the human village, InuYasha's scent flared like a beacon amidst the stench of the cat demons. The closer Sesshomaru came to the battle, the more he was able to ascertain. He could hear the voice of Karan, the hot headed fire cat demon. There were other, lesser cats hovering on the rooftops. InuYasha's snarl came from closer to the ground. Though Sesshomaru couldn't perceive the words, they were yelling back and forth at each other.
The yokai lord arrived at the edge of the city square, where they were battling, as black fog began to fill the area. One sniff told him what it was — the humans would be unaffected. This smoke was created specifically to incapacitate himself and InuYasha.
With a huff of dark amusement, Sesshomaru withdrew Tokijin from his obi, and pointed the sword at the nearest building that the smoke poured from. As it so happened, it was also the building that Karan stood upon. With an explosion of green light, the building evaporated and with it, the black smoke. The force of the blast, sent most of the horrible scent away with the wind. Leaving only the white smoke from the building destruction, and his own attack. Unfortunately, Karan survived and landed light as a kitten on the roof of the building behind InuYasha.
Sesshomaru walked through the billowing smoke and into the city square, Tokijin still held at the ready in his right hand.
"Sesshomaru." It was InuYasha who spoke but Sesshomaru didn't spare him a glance, and was instead only looking at the panther demon.
"What is the meaning of this, Karan? Is it me that you have business with, or these people?"
Smirking as if she'd caught a bird, Karan looked down at him from the rooftop. "The elder brother has arrived. Your timing couldn't have been better. Son's of the dog leader, we will be waiting at the castle." With our another word, Karan and her cat demons leapt from the roof in the direction, Sesshomaru assumed, of the castle.
"What the hell are you doin' here Sesshomaru?" InuYasha asked, Tetsusaiga held at the ready, now angled toward his brother.
Seeing the Tetsusaiga in his brothers hands, reminded him of the reason that Toga had left the blade to the hanyo. It still irritated the yokai, like an unhealed wound, but it reminded him of the reason why he wouldn't attempt to take it from his brother again.
"Just what I was thinking." Sesshomaru said, white smoke still billowing between the brothers. "Leave while you can." He was sure that he was being more than generous, considering InuYasha's abandonment of his responsibilities, to this very event, fifty years ago.
"Hnn? What did you say?" InuYasha's voice was half growl.
Idiot.
"This is my war. I won't let you get involved." The subtext was clear — back off. But of course, as always, InuYasha had to open his mouth. Again.
"Heh! I don't need to have your permission!"
But you do, brother. You aren't the recipient of father's title. I am.
"Kagome has been captured by those demon cats." InuYasha continued speaking, as Sesshomaru's anger grew, rendering the yokai servant to his impulsive anger.
"You are such a fool." Lifting Tokijin, Sesshomaru sent a blast at InuYasha. Not enough to harm him, but certainly to show his meaning, and blow him back into the wood buildings behind. The wood, gave way under his brother's bulk, and he crashed through the wall. Sesshomaru turned, walking in the direction of the castle, struggling to restrain his boiling anger.
"Hey!" InuYasha called, lifting himself from the rubble of the building. "What are you coming after me for?"
Barely able to hold down his rage any longer, feeling the wildness of loss of control, Sesshomaru glared at his brother from the corner of his eye. "Silence InuYasha!"
"Huh?" InuYasha looked at him with an expression of surprised cluelessness. "What the hell?"
Sesshomaru let a heartbeat pass, then a second one. Attempting to control the anger that threatened his control. Slowly he slid Tokijin back to it's place beside Tenseiga, still glaring at his brother.
"Remember your past InuYasha. You lost your heart to a mortal and ended up under a spell for years. Consequently you have no right to be part of this battle."
Jaken ran up to his master's feet. "Eh, Lord Sesshomaru?" The imp was using his sweet voice, which only meant he was going to request Sesshomaru to do something distasteful. "We need all the ally's we can get! We mustn't be too choosy at a time like this."
Completely ignoring the imp, Sesshomaru walked over him, that is to say — he stepped on the tiny irritating demon. Also ignoring the whimpers from his beak afterwards. Anger roared like a fire in his ears, though it lessened slightly now that Sesshomaru had finally put voice to his grievance.
He has no right.