Brother My Brother

It was a clear and peaceful night. The
moon shone in the sky while countless sparkling stars spread out in the
darkness. There were no clouds to disrupt the peace, save for those
clouds storming deep within Inuyasha’s heart. The half demon had donned
his usual position up on a high tree branch, his back leaning against
its sturdy frame wile his eyes locked gazes with the stars. His golden
eyes shimmered with them and they stung with the threat of tears. His
arms were crossed inside his sleeves and he clenched his fists in
defiance of those tears. He felt a stinging on his palms and the scent
of his own blood came to his nose, but he paid it no heed. Instead his
mind focused on just one thing: His absolute misery. The emptiness he
felt in his heart was overpowering. He felt a pain there like no other
he had ever felt before. The immense guilt he felt threatened to
overtake him, to defeat him entirely and leave him drowning in his own
despair. The only thing keeping him going now was his determination in
making Naraku pay for it all. Inuyasha’s sadness transformed into rage
and his tears disappeared as he thought of just how much he was going
to make Naraku suffer. Inuyasha clenched his teeth and growled to
himself, his eyes clouded over with his anger and hatred.

“What are you doing up there, half breed?” came Sesshomaru’s voice from
the ground. Inuyasha looked down, seeing that his brother was not
looking at him but rather was sitting with his back against the tree,
his eyes hidden under his bangs.

“Nothing,” Inuyasha replied quietly, leaning back against the wood.
“I’m just… thinking.” He sighed, returning his gaze to the stars.

“Naturally, there is a first time for everything,” Sesshomaru’s voice
said plainly. Inuyasha frowned, but did not answer. There was silence
between them for a moment until the elder of the brothers snapped
sharply, “Stop it.”

“Huh?” Inuyasha questioned, leaning forward to look down again. “Stop
what? What’re you talking about?”

“Hurting yourself,” Sesshomaru replied. “I don’t know exactly what you
are doing, but I can smell your blood.”

Inuyasha paused, then uncrossed his arms and looked at his hands. They
both had four curved indentations scarring them, and blood stained his
palms and dripped off his wrists. He huffed and crossed them again,
this time laying his hands palms down on his arms. He sighed again,
leaning his head back and closing his eyes, feeling so very tired and
at the same time much too awake. He opened his eyes again, gazing up at
the brightly lit moon as it stared back down at him, its one
half-lidded eye glaring at him accusingly. style="font-style: italic;">Your fault, she silently said to
him. All of this is your fault. You
brought this on yourself. You brought on the deaths of your friends.

He heard a noise below him and looked to find Sesshomaru standing on
his feet, his eyes fixated on the forest before him. Inuyasha followed
his gaze, seeing nothing but the dark shadows. He perked his ears up
and scouted the area with his nose, searching for whatever it was that
had disturbed his brother. Eventually he picked up the sound, the soft
thumps of footsteps on the ground. They were light footsteps, too light
to be Naraku’s, or someone of Sesshomaru or Inuyasha’s stature. And
then the smell came floating on the breeze to his nose. It was a sweet
smell, a smell rivaling the purity of spring flowers. Inuyasha leapt
down from the branch, landing smoothly on his feet next to his brother,
keeping his eyes fixated on the unseen individual. After a moment the
figure emerged from the shadows and upon her entrance, Inuyasha felt
his heart leap from his chest.

“K-- Kagome…?” His voice was hoarse and part of it lost its way in his
throat. The woman who stood before him was familiar in every way, her
beautiful ebony hair flowing down her shoulders and framing her
beautiful face. Her eyes were dark and loving, and although her skin
was a bit pale, she smiled warmly and his heart melted. He was frozen
in time as he stood staring at her, taking in her sight and her smell,
remembering everything that had he had loved about her and seeing it
there in front of him. His body moved, although his mind remained
frozen, and he ran forward, embracing her in his arms. His tears thawed
and began to flow down his face as he held her to him and she held him
as well, her arms wrapped tightly around his back. “Kagome…” he
whispered, his voice trembling. “Kagome…”

“Inuyasha…” Her voice chimed in his ears, sending waves of warmth
washing over him. She rubbed her face into his shoulder, and he felt
her wet tears through the fabric of his kimono. He strengthened his
embrace, pressing her closer to him, and she wept in his ear. The
thoughts of how or why did not cross his mind, and he was stuck in the
realization of now, seeing
that now Kagome was with him and now she was embracing him as he
embraced her. He whispered her name and she in turn whispered his, and
her voice brought more tears to his eyes. He did not know how much time
passed as he held her, but he was only brought out of his euphoria when
he felt Sesshomaru’s presence at his side. Kagome broke the embrace,
her eyes falling on the elder demon brother and shock painted on her
face. “Inuyasha…?” she began.

“It’s okay,” he cut her off. “Sesshomaru and me… We’ve patched some
things up. We’re teaming up to destroy Naraku.”

“Inuyasha,” Sesshomaru said, his voice cold. “Are you a fool?” The half
demon looked at him, his eyes narrowing.

“What the hell’re you talking about now?” he demanded.

“This girl,” the demon went on. “she is not your dead friend revived.
Can you not smell it on her? Her scent is different from before and her
disposition has changed. You were more familiar with her in life, why
can you not see these differences now?”

Inuyasha looked from Sesshomaru to Kagome, using his nose to pick up
her scent. But it was exactly as how he remembered it, sweet with a
softness to it like silk. He looked her up and down, but still could
not find anything abnormal about her. “I don’t know what you’re talking
about,” he said, turning back to his brother. “She’s exactly the same.
I should know, I know her better than you ever did.”

Sesshomaru’s eyes narrowed. “Do not let your emotions cloud your
judgment. I know that you want nothing more than for her safe return to
you, but you must not jump to conclusions. Look at her again, more
closely. She does not smell human.”

“Stop it!” Inuyasha growled, putting a protective arm around Kagome. “I
don’t know what you’re talking about, Sesshomaru. She looks and smells
completely the same. So back off already. I won’t let you hurt her
feelings!”

“Inuyasha, what’s going on?” Kagome questioned, her voice a whisper.
“Are you working together with Sesshomaru?”

Inuyasha’s anger was evident in his eyes. “I was,” he said. “But he’s
back to being a total ass.”

Sesshomaru raised himself to his full height. “I did not think you were
this dense,” he said. “This is obviously some form of trickery, and you
have fallen into it without a second thought.”

“Shut up!” the half demon snarled, leaving Kagome’s side to stand
before his brother with a rage burning within him. “Kagome’s come back
to me and not you or anyone else is going to take her away from me
again!” He lashed out with his claws, but Sesshomaru moved far too
quickly for him to make contact. The elder brother moved to the side
and caught Inuyasha’s wrist in his claws.

“Damn you and your emotions, hanyou,” he growled. “I will not stand
here and take this abuse from you.”

“Then get the hell outta here!” Inuyasha shouted, pulling his wrist out
of his brother’s grasp. The claws ripped into his flesh, but he paid no
heed to the blood dripping down his hand. “It’s not like I needed you
with me anyway!”

Sesshomaru’s gaze left his brother for a moment as he regarded the form
of Kagome standing not far behind him. She took a step backwards, her
eyes reflecting confusion and unease. “Very well then,” he said, not
taking his eyes off of her. “If that is what you wish. I will take my
leave.” He turned and began walking into the surrounding forest, the
shadows falling onto him and concealing him from his brother’s vision.
“This will not be our last meeting,” his voice came floating back.
“When you realize your mistake, you may come find me. If, that is, you
are still alive.”

“Bite me!” Inuyasha shouted back at him. Silence was his response, but
he did not spend much time looking after his brother. Instead, he
turned back to Kagome and smiled at her. “You all right?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She walked toward him, laying her head on
his chest. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too,” he responded. They held each other close for
several minutes, Inuyasha relishing and losing himself in the girl’s
scent. He was quite certain that he had never been as happy as he was
in that moment. But it could not last forever and, much to the half
demon’s dismay, Kagome broke the embrace and looked up at him with
curious eyes.

“Inuyasha,” she said. “I don’t remember anything that happened. I
remember there was Naraku and Kagura and that everything suddenly went
black. The next thing I knew, I was alone and didn’t know where I was.
I was so scared!” She wrapped her arms around him again and pulled him
forward, causing him to stumble slightly. “Inuyasha, what happened? And
where are the others?”

His breath caught in his throat and he had difficulty swallowing before
he could respond. “Kagome, I was certain Naraku had killed you.” He
wrapped his arms around her, pressing her close to him. “I tried to
save you, I really did. I even went to find Sesshomaru to bring you
back to life with the Tenseiga. But Naraku had stolen it, and then I
was all out of ideas. That’s when…” He swallowed hard. “That’s when
Kikyo came and took you away from me. I tried to stop her, but she got
away. That was the last time I saw you.” He broke the embrace to look
down into her eyes. “I don’t know how you came back to me, but that’s
all that matters now.”

She nodded, although her eyes were reflecting a sort of horror and
fascination. “I was… killed?” she whispered disbelievingly.

His own eyes softened and he gently touched her silky ebony hair with
one hand. “That’s what I thought. You have no idea how much I-- I…” He
struggled against his own emotions. He hated to cry, especially before
someone he had sworn to protect. He forbade the tears to fall and shook
his head. “It doesn’t matter. As long as y82178217;re here with me again.”

She smiled and his heart melted. She appeared happy, but her eyes were
sad and still filled with inquiry. “What about the others?” she asked
him.

Inuyasha bit his bottom lip and had to look away from her. “I-- They’re
all… gone.” Kagome gasped and he licked his dry lips before he
continued. “Sango and Shippo… They were killed by Naraku, too. Miroku
became depressed and then he got sick. He was killed by a possessed
wolf, and Kirara died trying to protect him.” He paused again. “Koga…
When he heard that you had been killed, he went completely crazy and
attacked me for not protecting you. I had to defend myself or else he
would’ve killed me. But I didn’t mean… to kill him…” His voice trailed
off and there was a longer pause before he finished. “Kikyo was killed,
too. I couldn’t protect her, either.”

Kagome had laid her head on his chest during his tale, and now she
trembled against him, her tears falling onto his kimono and seeping
through the fabric. For several moments the only sounds were her
uncontrolled sobs. Inuyasha laid a hand on the back of her head, gently
stroking her hair and desperately trying to hold back his own tears. He
failed, and they fell rebelliously, dripping on the girl’s raven hair
as he continued to stroke and comfort her.

“I’m sorry, Kagome,” he whispered, his voice trembling. “I’m so sorry.”

She shook her head. “Don’t be,” she said, raising her face to look at
him. Her tear-stained face pained him and he flinched slightly. “It’s
not your fault, Inuyasha. None tt’s your fault.”

He sighed. “I wish I could make myself believe that,” he said. “Oh
Kagome, you have no idea what I’ve been through these last few weeks.”

“I can’t imagine,” she replied. “I’m only hearing about it, but you…
You experienced it all. And you were a. I . I have you here with me,
but you were all alone.”

Inuyasha’s right ear twitched. “Maybe not completely alone…” He turned
from her and his eyes fell upon the shadows into which his brother had
vanished. Kagome followed his gaze, searching the darkness.

“He’s gone,” she said. “He left you.” She looked back at the half
demon, finding his face distorted in anger.

“He’s such a damn bastard,” he growled. “Let’s not worry about him
now.” He turned back to her, his face softening as he smiled. “Are you
tired? It’s late.”

“I’m exhausted,” she answered. “I’ve been looking for you and the
others for days now. It’s hard to sleep alone in the woods. There’re so
many… things out there.” Inuyasha put his hand on the small of her back
and ly lly led her over to the tree he had been resting in before. He
gestured to the ground and she laid down there, resting her head on her
hands before closing her eyes. Inuyasha looked at her, feeling a
warmness in his heart, the like of which he had not felt in far too
long. Without thinking he removed his outer kimono and gently placed it
over the girl’s body. She opened her eyes and smiled at him as the half
demon laid next to her, propping himself up on his elbow so that he
could see her.

“Thanks,” she said, her voice quiet and soft. She pulled the kimono up
to her chin and nestled into the red fabric as she closed her eyes
again. Inuyasha reached over and brushed away the stray black hairs
that had fallen onto her face. He watched her, her body rising and
falling with her even breathing until she finally fell asleep. Then he
himself laid down and closed his eyes, feeling tired but restless as
well. It was some time before he was able to fall asleep.

====

Sesshomaru’s golden eyes pierced through the shadows, seeming to glow
in the darkness. His anger at not being believed had compelled him to
leave the forest and the area completely, but his better judgment told
him to stay nearby. He stood tall against the cold wind that rustled
his clothes and silver hair, looking down from his perch atop a tall
plateau. His eyes were locked onto his younger brother and the object
of his delusion. He was far enough away that Inuyasha could not see,
smell, or detect him, but close enough that Sesshomaru could watch over
him and be at his side in an instant. The woman who had approached them
was in no way human, and her scent resembled that of rotting earth and
death. She had no trace of humanity within her, and her demeanor was
different than what he remembered Inuyasha’s friend to have.

The wind blew again, colder and harsher than before, and a strange
scent came to Sesshomaru’s nose. He turned toward the south, the
direction from which it came, intently scouring the landscape for the
source. The tops of silent trees stretched out before him, hiding
whatever may have been there from his watchful gaze.  But although
he could not see the figure, its scent was becoming more and more
distinguishable by the moment as the beg began to pick up. style="font-style: italic;">That scent, he thought to himself. style="font-style: italic;">is of the wretched creature that stole my
swords. He narrowed his eyes. But
this scent is a bit different than his. Even different that that wench,
Kagura. What is the meaning of this? Sesshomaru looked down at
his younger brother who had settled down to sleep. style="font-style: italic;">The fool doesn’t even realize it. He
cannot pick up the scent as the trees block the wind from carrying it
to him. He looked again to the south. style="font-style: italic;"> I will investigate this on my own. There
is no need to awaken him and again ignite the flames of his rage.
He leapt from the plateau, gracefully landing on the ground below with
hardly any sound and took off at a demonic sprint southward. The forest
blurred on both sides as he moved with great speed toward the source of
the smell that had disturbed him. As he approached he slowed his pace
until he had stopped before a young white-haired girl. She stood stoic
and still, her face blank and emotionless as she held a white mirror in
her small hands.

“Who are you?” Sesshomaru demanded of the girl. “If you refuse to
answer, I will cut you down. Your scent much resembles that of Naraku
and the Wind Sorceress.”

“Naraku is my master and Kaguramy smy sister,” the girl said quietly.
“I am Kanna, and Master Naraku has instructed me to seek you out, Lord
Sesshomaru.”

“And why is that?” he inquired, eyeing her distrustfully. She did not
answer and instead turned her mirror slightly. The glass shimmered and
an image appeared there. A dark room was visible, blanketed in
foreboding shadows that seemed to move on their own. In the center of
the room was the small, frail form of Rin as she curled herself into a
small ball, her body trembling against the frigidness of the room. Her
kimono was torn and her body looked abused and beaten. Sesshomaru fehis his blood boil and his rage began to take the form of a low growl in
his throat. He turned his gaze to Kanna before him, his eyes turned
crimson with anger. “How dare you…” he snarled, his fangs elongating in
his mouth.

Kanna turned her mirror again and the imvanivanished. “Master Naraku
requests your presence at his fortress alone. You will come there if
you wish to rescue this young girl. She does miss you so. I have heard
her weep alone in the darkness.”

“Tell me where Naraku’s fortress is,” Sesshomaru demanded, his voice
venomous.

Kanna turned from him, her empty eyes fixated on the landscape to the
south. “It is there. A demon of your caliber should be able to reach it
within a few hours. Master Naraku will open the barrier for you as he
is expecting you.” She turned back to him. “Now go, if you wish to save
the girl.” She vanished into the darkness, leaving nothing behind her
but her deadly flowery scent. Sesshomaru growled low in his throat and
took off running in the direction she had specified. Rin was still
alive, and Sesshomaru set his mind to saving her above everything else,
no matter what happened to him in the process.

====

Inuyasha’s dreams were unlike any he had ever had. Where they had been
blurred and cloudy before, they were now crisp and clear. Everything
came at him in vibrant colors, calming and gentle, making him feel warm
and invited. In his dreams he stood with Kagome and she was smiling,
her beautiful ebony hair dancing in the  breeze and her creamy
white skin shining brightly just for him. They were surrounded on all
sides by beautiful, radiant flowers of the most extraordinary reds,
yellows, and blues, and they carried with them the sweet scent of their
petals. “Kagome…” he whispered and held her tightly, refusing to let
go, even as the smell of the flowers changed and became the ghastly
stench of death. He shut his eyes and pulled her close, burying his
face in her hair in order to drown himself in her scent, but it had
also faded and he finally opened his eyes. He was no longer in his
field of flowers, but instead in the darkness of the unforgiving
forest. As his dream faded and reality set in, he realized that he had
made a costly mistake. The woman laying beside him-- She was not Kagome
at all. And as her unfamiliar scent sank in, he wondered how on earth
he had been led to believe such a lie. He sprang to his feet, outraged
at her masquerading, and his sudden movement woke her.

“Inuyasha?” she asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes. “What’s wrong? Do you
sense something?”

“I sense something all right,” the hanyou replied, gnashing his teeth.
“I finally sense it. I don’t know how you managed to trick me, but it
stops right here!”

“So, you finally figured it out, did you?” she said, her voice mutating
as she spoke. “You truly are a fool, letting your emotions cloud your
judgment as did.did. If only were as perceptive as your brother.”

“Who the hell are you?” he demanded. “Where did  you come from?
And why did you trick me?”

She laughed, a cold and cruel cackle that sounded harshly in his ears.
And as he watched, she began to transform. Her body seemed to explode
as another form emerged, shedding her skin as if it were a shell. The
new form was all too familiar to him, and the sight of the baboon
pelted man sent waves of rage washing over him.

“You… bastard!” Inuyasha snarled, baring his fangs. “You damn bastard!
After everything you’ve done you have the gall…”

Naraku smiled and it looked unnatural on his evil face. “You
sentimental fool. Emotions will be your undoing. They’ve already led to
your brother’s downfall.”

“What did you say?” Inuyasha growled. “What did you say, you bastard?”
He took a step forward, unsheathing the Tetsusaiga as he did so.
“Where’s Sesshomaru? What did you do to him?”

“He has answered my call to come to my fortress,” Naraku replied,
remaining completely still. “I see you wish to go to his aide. First,
however, you must defeat me.”

“Whatever you say,” the half dog demon snarled, taking a swing with his
lasworsword. Naraku moved swiftly, avoiding the blow completely as his
long tendrils stretched out from beneath the  baboon pelt.
Inuyasha leapt into the air, avoiding the lashing tendrils that had
come at him, and as he came back down, he aimed his sword at Naraku’s
head. Before contact, however, a tendril caught him by the wrist and
threw him to the ground. Inuyasha landed hard on hi side, his sword
falling from his grasp upon impact. “Damn it…” he swore, reaching for
the Tetsusaiga with his free hand. But another tendril wrapped around
his neck and yet another around his midsection, and they raised him
into the air. Inuyasha struggled against the strong grasp, feeling the
tendrils wrappiore ore and more tightly around him. His lungs began
struggling for air as the tendril began to crush his throat, and he
desperately clawed at it. His claws did little to deter it, and Naraku
began applying more pressure.

“You are nothing more than a wretched half breed,” Naraku snarled.
“Your attachment to your friends was your greatest weakness and has led
to your demise. And after your death, I will turn my attention to your
foolish brother and make sure he does not leave my fortress alive.”

Inuyasha growled viciously. “You… damn… bastard!” he managed to snarl.
“I… won’t… let… you… win!” His claws suddenly became as hard as diamond
and as he lashed into the tendrils again, they shredded easily. He
dropped onto the ground, feeling his blood raging inside him as it
burned with a merciless hatred. His fangs had grown and suddenly his
mind was filled only with the desire to kill his enemy. His blood-red
eyes glowed in the night, and he roared as he sped forward, lashing out
with his claws and quickly reducing his enemy to shreds. He landed on
his feet, feeling his head pounding painfully, and he could do little
else but struggle to remain standing upright. A sound came to his ears,
a strange pulsating sound and as he turned toward the source, the
sheath of Tetsusaiga called the sword over, and it forced itself into
his clawed hand. His migraine slowly disappeared and his senses became
unclouded as his body began returning to normal. He dropped to one
knee, breathing heavily as he surveyed the scene. There in front om
wm
was a broken golem, and he realized that his enemy had not been Naraku
at all. “Damn it all to hell…” he swore, pushing himself to his feet
with his sword. “You’re not going to get away this.” He sniffed the
air, and a faint trace of Naraku’s miasma drifted to him on the wind. style="font-style: italic;">His fortress must be nearby. Hang on
Sesshomaru, I’m on my way.