SURVIVE

Got tired yesterday ended up watching Full Metal Alchemist brotherhood, words added ZERO, but the anime ROCKS! Busy but had to write - a little

Chapter 13 : The Value of a Name

**But things that are owned had no choice, all he could do was protect what was important and ... survive.

"Your orders, my Lord?"**


The silence lasted only a moment, then a deep sigh rumbled out of the Demon Lord's chest. "Orders, orders Hanyou, how about this for an order, stop making my heart ache!" So saying gentle claws reached down and buried themselves in the soft silky hair. Sesshoumaru bent and kissed the point between the twitching appendages.

"Come on, if Jinenji walks in and finds you like this, he will start crying – and we will both end up feeling bad. Come." Sesshoumaru did not bother waiting for a response he picked up the Hanyou and cradled him, in his arms. Inuyasha's eyes widened impossibly in shock, he stared at his owner.

"Hmm, so you are feeling again. The 'deadness' is no longer blanketing you mind. The face you present is a mask for real emotions. That is good." Sesshoumaru smiled into the Hanyou's face, as he placed him on the bed. The Hanyou did not move until Sesshoumaru took the heavy blanket and gently tucked the Hanyou in.

"Wh.. whha.. My Lord should not..." the half breed suddenly realised that his owner was making him comfortable in a sleeping position in the bed, not in a position for other activities. Feeling that it was wrong, he began to sit up and struggle. A rumbling growl shook the bed, and the Demonic energy of the Demon Lord spiked, causing the half breed to freeze.

Deliberately, Sesshoumaru placed a hand on the Hanyou's chest, and pushed him firmly back on the bed. He kept his hand on the Hanyou chest and prolonged his growl. The sound vibrated from the Demon Lord into the Hanyou, and mesmerised by the sensations flooding him, the Hanyou relaxed. His eyes half closing as new and different emotions the vibrations aroused in him.

Sesshoumaru with a lot of effort controlled his arousal, his Hanyou was surprisingly sensitive, extraordinarily reactive to Sesshoumaru. Still, this was not the time for what Sesshoumaru wished to do, at this time the young's one needs took precedence.

"Hanyou, no one tells this Sesshoumaru what he should not do." Sesshoumaru said firmly as he let the growl die. He could not resist a slight stroke to the youth's cheek, before he glided to the side table, ignoring his long forgotten glass of rice wine. Sesshoumaru took his time as he poured a glass of water and brought it back to the bed. The Hanyou had managed to gather himself, and lay on the bed looking at the Demon Lord with blank eyes. Sesshoumaru took a sip of the water, then he sat at the side of the bed, and place the cup to the Hanyou lips.

Much to Sesshoumaru's pleasure, the blank look crumbled, to a look of stunned shock and confusion. "Drink!" Sesshoumaru ordered softly, the Hanyou immediately complied, but the golden eyes were wide, a myriad of emotions playing in them. The pale cheeks flushed a little under the steady gaze of the Demon Lord. |Excellent!

Sesshoumaru did not speak until the youth had finished the drink. His eyes never leaving the handsome face, he tossed the empty cup absently on to the empty sofa.

"I am Lord Sesshoumaru, Lord of the West, and the Voice of the Demon King. What is you name young one?"

The half breed immediately responded in a way he felt was least likely to cause offence, "You are my owner, I will respond to what ever word you see fit to honour your property with."

"Young one, the Lord of the West sees it fit to refer to you by the name that was bequeathed to you by your family and parents. It is I who would be honoured if you would tell me your name." Sesshoumaru chose his words carefully.

"I.. I.. was a foundling as an infant. I do not have parents. I do not have family. The Priests and Priestess of the Temple of Light mostly called me Mongrel, It is a most appropriate for one of my status." The half breed said his voice flat and matter-of-fact.

Mimicking the Hanyou's flat and matter-of-fact tone Sesshoumaru replied, "Any individual who refers to a Hanyou in my Palace, as a mongrel will be whipped." The Half breed gasped in response. Sesshoumaru having his Hanyou's held the young ones eyes with a burning gaze. His voice now dripped with warning, "AND... make no mistake young one, from now and in the future, if you ever respond to such a term or refer to yourself again -even in your own thoughts- using such terms, Your Lord is going to be very, very irritated. Do you understand?"

The half breed suddenly found his throat to be bone dry, he tried to gulp, to create some saliva, but it was to no avail. Words just refused to come, all he could manage was a sharp nod, he stared unseeing at his hand. This was overwhelming.

A sharp claw stroked one of his ears, first one than another. The half breed was used to equating touch with pain, and the gentle stroke of his ear.. was confusing. He could not take it. "Please..." he whispered. The claws lifted his chin to face the Demon Lord. "Please..." he said again, the half breed had no idea what he was asking for.

Sesshoumaru saw the confusion and pain in the eyes, the youth was being overwhelmed. The Demon Lord stepped back a little and clasped his hands together to control the temptation to touch.

"What is your name?" Sesshoumaru repeated.

"Umm.. I refer to what I am as.."

"NO! I did not ask what you referred to yourself as. The Demons do not have slaves, I am NOT your owner and you will cease insulting me by that term. I am your Lord, your pack Leader -your Alpha-, and in that manner you belong to me. You are my subject, my Hanyou, -my Beta- but you are not a slave. You are not a thing, you are mine, but you are not property. You are a Shiro Inu Hanyou, what is your name?" Sesshoumaru insisted.

The half breed felt as if his heart was going to beat right out of his chest. The rushing of blood in his veins drowning all sound. He had said it before, but he had never, never claimed it. No one outside of him self had ever called him by what he did consider to be his name. The world around him seemed to narrow, and all he could hear was his heart beat, and all he could see was the sharp golden eyes of Lord Sesshoumaru staring deep into him. Demanding he respond, challenging him to take a huge step away from the chains of memory and training that bound him.

The words seemed to be dragged from some dark place inside him, his panted as if he had been carrying a very, very heavy weight, up a steep dark slope. Sweat rolled down the sides of his face, his jaw was clenched so hard that his teeth were in danger of being snapped from the force. The veins in his neck stood out. As if he had just reached the summit after the long, lonely climb, as if he was finally throwing off a portion of the burden; his suddenly sat up straight. Looking directly into the eyes of the Demon Lord, his voice harsh and almost tortured, the words were torn from deep inside him,

"MY name is InuYasha!"

He said the words and fell back on the bed, all energy drained. He watched the Demon Lord with uncertain eyes.

"Yes, you are Inuyasha, and Lord Sesshoumaru is most pleased to welcome you into his life." Most satisfied with the turn of events, and rather proud of himself, Sesshoumaru rested his hand against Inuyasha's cheek. "Very pleased indeed."

-tbc—

I know its a short chappie, but it seemed like a natural end to scene, anything else dilutes it. What do you think. Please review. And Thanks