Dark Horizons

CHAPTER THREE: THE FIRST SIGN OF DARKNESS

“What the hell did you do that for, Kagome?” Inuyasha growled at her from his prone position on the ground.

The earth was piled up on either side of him from the force of his body slamming into the dirt and grass. The growl was reflexive, because he knew why she had done it, understood quite well. ‘I was going to kiss Sesshoumaru. She probably thinks she saved me from him.’ He snorted. ‘I may be out of my mind, but I knew what I was doing.’ He snorted again when he realized the absurdity of the last thought.

The slam had hurt more than usual, because his body had been in a full state of arousal when she’d commanded him. It wasn’t aroused anymore. Everything ached and stung. While Inuyasha was taking note of his injuries, Sesshoumaru had begun to move.

Even half-naked, no swords, just his claws, Sesshoumaru was terrifying; beautiful death personified. His golden eyes were now red and narrowed into slits and his full lips were pulled back from his fangs into a snarl. His silken white hair billowed and flowed around him as though whipped by a wild breeze. The scent of his demon blood flooded the air, musky, sweet, warm like almond oil. He stalked towards Kagome who was frozen in his path, legs half bent and turned inwards at the knees, big doe eyes glimmering up at him. Sango and the monk realized his intent far before Inuyasha did and moved to flank Kagome and protect her from the enraged full demon.

“Kagome, get behind us!” Miroku yelled. The white slip of paper with a spell upon it appeared between his fingers.

Sango raised her weapon over her shoulder prepared to send it flying even though her heart was screaming against harming Sesshoumaru. ‘Just warn him off. I understand his anger and Kagome’s pain. We shouldn’t be fighting! He’s Inuyasha’s soul mate!’

Inuyasha jerked his head up when he heard Miroku’s command. Seeing his brother striding towards Kagome, cracking his claws as he prepared to slice her open, Inuyasha knew he had to act decisively or there would be bloodshed, there would be death.

“Sesshoumaru! No!” Inuyasha launched himself at his brother and tackled his legs.

Sesshoumaru did not go down. His rage at Kagome for interrupting their kiss and hurting his brother was like fire in his veins and was fueling his transformation into his demon form. He could think of nothing other than watching Kagome’s blood pool on the ground around her. He wanted her voice silenced forever, never to command his beloved brother again, never to interfere with them. His vision narrowed, blackened at the edges and he saw only the white slip of a girl that would die and the darkened horizon behind her. He had lost control for the first time in centuries.

Inuyasha wrapped his arms around his brother’s muscled thighs and tried to pull him back from Kagome. “Stop! Don’t do this! Sesshoumaru, listen to me!”

Inuyasha said the last like a prayer. ‘Gods, we are in dire straights if I have to pray that Sesshoumaru listens to me. Before today he mostly ignored I existed. But Kagome’s going to die if he won’t snap out of this!’

His sweet brother’s voice pounded in Sesshoumaru’s ears, slowing the rush of demon blood that cascaded through him like heaven. But Kagome whimpered, still unable to tear herself away from the terrible sight of the full demon coming for her, and Sesshoumaru’s attention was turned back to her. Kagome wailed when his eyes turned from red to burning blue like hell fire in a frozen waste.

“Inuyasha, help me!”

“For gods’ sake, Kagome, run!” Inuyasha screamed at her as he strained with all his strength to keep Sesshoumaru from killing her.

Miroku and Sango each grabbed one of Kagome’s arms and began to drag her away from the brothers, but at that moment Inuyasha’s hold on Sesshoumaru’s thighs slipped and he fell backwards, hitting his head with a solid thunk on the ground. The monk and the demon slayer knew that they could not get Kagome away from Sesshoumaru in time. Sango whipped her weapon towards him, hoping for a stunning blow. Everyone gasped when Sesshoumaru reached up his one claw and a burst of blue light flamed outwards from it, knocking Sango’s weapon harmlessly away. The monk uttered an incantation, conjuring a fireball that streaked towards Sesshoumaru’s head but it burst apart feet from him, having no effect whatsoever.

“My lord!” Jaken howled as he and Rin entered the clearing where the fight was ongoing. His round eyes bugged out of his head as he saw Sesshoumaru easily deflect Sango’s weapon and the monk’s magic. ‘My lord was not so powerful as this before.’ Jaken’s eyes flicked towards Inuyasha slowly raising himself up from lying prone on the ground behind Sesshoumaru, shaking his head as if to clear it. ‘So it’s true then! My Lord Sesshoumaru and Lord Inuyasha are joined and already they draw strength from each other. Oh, great gods of war, they will shake the heavens, the earth, and the Outer Dark!’

Rin cowered by Ah Un. She had seen Sesshoumaru enraged before, but not like this, never like this. She whimpered and covered her face in Ah Un’s mane. She didn’t want to see the human girl and her friends killed. Jaken remained by her side, seeing that there was no need to charge in and defend his lord. Sesshoumaru was doing a very good job of defending himself.

Shippou had not been idle as the battle raged. He mounted Kirara’s back and urged her forward. “Kirara, to Kagome!”

The cat demon swooped down from the sky, grasping the back of Kagome’s schoolgirl shirt in her fangs and lifted her out of harm’s way. Sango and Miroku scattered into the woods to get out of Sesshoumaru’s sight. Inuyasha’s head stopped pounding enough that he was able to jump up and pursue Sesshoumaru who was tracking the human girl in the cat demon’s grasp as they flew through the sky.

“Sesshoumaru!” Inuyasha grabbed his brother’s shoulders and forced him to look at Inuyasha’s face. “Brother … can you hear me?”

‘For gods’ sake, Sesshoumaru, hear me! I can’t raise my sword up against you, but I can’t let you kill Kagome either.’

Sesshoumaru’s expression was still furious, his upper lip twitched as he growled low in the back of his throat. The blue light in his eyes flared. Sesshoumaru’s arm underneath Inuyasha’s grip was tense; the muscles ready to release his demon strength on flesh, muscle and bone.

Inuyasha schooled his face to be calm, to reach his brother through the haze of anger and hate, “Sesshoumaru, please, come back to me.”

Sesshoumaru stopped growling. He took a deep steadying breath that he shakily exhaled. The mad blue flame in his eye began to dampen.

“Sesshoumaru, come back. I want my brother back with me.” Inuyasha kept his voice low and warm.

The tension in the arm Inuyasha clutched eased. Sesshoumaru’s golden eyes met Inuyasha’s and a questioning look passed between them. Sesshoumaru then began to sway. He fell into Inuyasha’s strong arms, his head pillowed on the hanyou’s chest. His whole body felt ripped apart and stitched back together badly. They sank down to the ground together, Inuyasha cradling his older brother in his arms. Inuyasha warned Jaken to stay back as the little demon had been about to race towards them. He stayed by Rin and Ah Un’s side, his beak opening and closing spasmodically.

“What … what happened, Inuyasha? I can’t … can’t seem to remember.”

Sesshoumaru’s voice was small and muffled against Inuyasha’s chest. Inuyasha could feel his brother’s warm moist breath as he spoke against the fabric of Inuyasha’s robes. A shiver coursed through Inuyasha’s lean frame. ‘Touching him, his breath, his scent, the silk of his bare skin … oh, gods, I can barely think! Even after what just happened with Kagome and all I want is to devour him.’ Inuyasha thrust his desire away from him. Sesshoumaru needs me focused on something other than … physical pleasure. Inuyasha began stroking his brother’s hair to calm him.

“You … you were angry with Kagome and then … you transformed or half-transformed into your demon form. But it wasn’t like how you’ve done it before. You were so much … stronger and you lost yourself to it,” Inuyasha explained as he continued to run his fingers through Sesshoumaru’s hair. It was safer than caressing the wide, muscled expanse of alabaster skin that covered Sesshoumaru’s still-naked chest or allowing his fingers to delve underneath the waistband of his brother’s lose pants, touching the tender flesh there.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and rested his head more fully against Inuyasha’s chest, luxuriating in the sensation of his hair being played with by the hanyou. ‘I lost control. The pull of my demon blood was like a drumbeat in my mind, blocking out all thought, all memory, and all knowledge of myself. Only Inuyasha’s voice brought me back. So the old stories are true: joined demons become … stronger. But what made me lose control like that? Why had everything gone so dark, even the night sky had become a deeper black in my vision?’

Something stirred in Sesshoumaru’s mind. A conversation he had with their father, InuTaisho, before the battle that ended his life. What had Father said? And why did it seem so important now that Sesshoumaru remember?

Father had looked at me, tried to connect with me like we had in the past, but I was having none of it. He’d abandoned me for that human wench and babe she’d bore him. Sesshoumaru had needed nothing but his father to get out of his way at that moment. But the great dog demon had persisted.

“Sesshoumaru, there is a darkness coming. It will blot out the horizon and try to darken all the lands. I have seen the Seer and she predicts that you and your brother, Inuyasha, will be … connected to this evil that comes,” Father had said.

Sesshoumaru had been intrigued despite himself, because Father seemed afraid and Father was never afraid. “What part could a hanyou play in this world with me?”

Father had grimaced at my arch tone. He narrowed his great eyes and said, “Inuyasha and you both bear my blood, flesh and bone. I hope one day that you come to understand that connection and that it serves you well.”

I had stared out at the clear horizon from the castle’s ramparts where we stood. My body threatened to begin shaking with anger, but I kept myself still even though I wanted to scream at Father to shut up about my half-demon brother that he so clearly idolized. Instead I said, “Then the hanyou and I will battle this darkness together, Father, if it threatens the Western Lands. Satisfied? That is undoubtedly what the Seer was hinting at. What else could the old witch mean?”

Father had nodded slowly, his hands clasped behind his back and said, “Sesshoumaru … I hope you are right.”

Back in the present, unease settled in Sesshoumaru’s stomach. He opened his eyes and looked up at the face of the hanyou he had long been jealous of, thought he hated, and now knew he loved beyond all reason. He reached up and placed his hand against Inuyasha’s silken cheek. Inuyasha leaned into the touch, rubbing his face softly against his brother’s hand. Sesshoumaru gasped when he felt Inuyasha plant a small tentative kiss on his palm.

“So bold, Inuyasha.”

“Didn’t you want me to? Don’t you want me to do more than that?” The look the hanyou gave him was half-challenging, half-terrified.

“You are right, dear brother. So I did and so I do. I guess I just feared that Kagome might slam your face into the dirt again if she caught us.”

Inuyasha studied Sesshoumaru’s face to see if the anger was returning, but he saw Sesshoumaru’s lips twitching into what looked suspiciously like a smile.

“Sesshoumaru, did you just make a joke?”

“What if I did?”

“Nothing. Just wondered if maybe I hit my head harder than I thought, but I guess miracles can happen.”

“Are you saying I don’t have a sense of humor?”

“The great iceberg, Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Mirthless Lands, why no, why would I say such a thing?”

Sesshoumaru heaved his body upwards off of Inuyasha’s lap and threw Inuyasha onto his back. He clambered on top of Inuyasha and pinned him down.

“Hey! Get off! I was just teasing!”

“And so am I.” A rare smile lighting Sesshoumaru’s face as Inuyasha struggled ineffectively beneath him. It certainly was enjoyable struggling as it warmed Sesshoumaru in all the right places, but it certainly wasn’t going to encourage him to get off. “There are a lot of things about me that will surprise you, little brother.”

Inuyasha growled playfully and went to nip Sesshoumaru’s neck. “I bet.”

Just for a moment, the night seemed blacker all around them. Inuyasha froze in place, clutching at his older brother’s arms, instead of fending them off.

“Did you see that … feel that, Sesshoumaru?”

‘The joining, the swords and the darkness.’ The phrase ran through Sesshoumaru’s mind. Father knew that we were to be joined and something good … and bad … would come of it. ‘I must discover what Father knew, what he meant. To protect Inuyasha. To protect us both.’