Inuyasha: The Curse of the Orange Lantern

So…maybe I got a little carried away and off track with this chapter. No matter, it was back where it should be at the end of it.

Note to reviewers:

Thank you everyone who responded to the last chapter, I truly do apprechiate your thoughts and kind words!

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Chapter 3
For the Intangible Monsters Roam

Inuyasha’s stride had slowed to a confident walk while Kagome slept on his back. Her soft cheek resting next to his and his hands linked under her ass so she didn‘t slide off. Shippo remained silent for the most part, every now and then looking worriedly ahead of the group. Kirara paced silently directly behind the hanyou with a troubled Sango and a sleeping Miroku on her back.

“Inuyasha, I’m worried about Kagome and Miroku. They shouldn’t be like this,” she said at last.

Inuyasha tore his eyes from the hypnotic sway of his brother’s hair barely visible ahead of them. Couldn’t he walk any faster? Why’d he always have to…glide everywhere? Damn annoying. Surely he could toss the toad on the dragon’s back and speed up or something. “Yeah, my brother’s pet kid is sleeping kinda solid too.”

“But why?” Shippo asked.

“I dunno,” Inuyasha supplied. “It can’t be a human thing, ‘cause then Sango would be out too. An’ Miroku’s pretty strong for a human he wouldn’t just flop over like that unless it was big.”

“What were you and Sesshoumaru discussing at the tree, Inuyasha?” The demon slayer inquired quietly.

“Er, the tree was bleedin’ human blood. Dead stuff. It was…creepy,” Inuyasha said quietly.

“What?” Sango’s eyes went wide in horror as she looked on either side at the trees. “How? What sorcery does that?”

“Blood! Gah!” Shippo disappeared into Inuyasha’s hair and remained there shaking.

“I dunno, and I’m guessin’ that Sesshoumaru doesn’t either,” Inuyasha muttered. What he didn’t say was that he wanted to get to that barrier by nightfall. If Sesshoumaru chose to walk any slower and they kept a ‘respectable’ distance between them, because they were not following him, they might not get there until next fucking year.

He could feel those not-there eyes on him from the shadows and the smell of blood had all but clogged his nose. He was getting jumpy and he knew it.

He was staring at those trees when something moved.

He blinked his large, warm golden eyes in surprise and strained them in the murky light to see if he could see it again. Because the shadows were always moving here and it was hard to tell. Sure enough, something moved right in his line of sight. A dark shape skittered behind a tree but it didn’t make a sound. Fuck, what was that thing? He couldn’t get a good look at it. Again he tried to spy it when he plastered against Sesshoumaru’s back and received a mouthful of fluff. “What the fuck? You can‘t just stop like that!”

A baleful glare from the corner of the almond shaped eyes was the only response he received as he pried himself away from his rigid brother and stood slightly off to the side. “My Master can do whatever he wishes! You, lowly half-breed, should watch where you step!” Jaken supplied. Sesshoumaru’s eyes returned to the path ahead. He didn’t even turn his head in the least to deliver the glare before.

“We are going in circles.” The deep, encompassing voice stated.

“What do you mean, we’re go…” Inuyasha followed the line of his brother’s gaze. “No way.” There was the oozing tree he had slashed at before. There were the marks of their passage in the ashen and rocky dirt. “How? We never took a turn, we’ve been going straight for hours!”

“Use your nose Inuyasha, we have been moving over our own tracks for the last half hour,” the daiyoukai murmured as he approached one of the wards along the side of the path.

“I can’t smell anything but fucking blood.” Inuyasha spat back, realizing after it came out that he should have kept it to himself. His inferior senses would give Sesshoumaru an ego boost he really didn’t need.

The cold gold eyes glanced sharply at his brother, but he said nothing as his attention returned to the ward at the path edge.

Sango looked around; her muscles had begun to ache with the tension she had been carrying in them since they arrived. “I think we only have a couple hours to sundown, should we turn back? Or will we just keep moving in circles?”

“No way we’re going back now Sango. Yeah, this place is fucked up. But we have to find out what’s doin’ this to Miroku and Kagome and put a stop to it,” he was worried and he was getting tired himself from being at such a high level of jumpy alertness for so long. Plus, if asshole was going ahead, so was he. Inuyasha would not turn and run off like a frightened pup in front of his biggest rival and only family. Sesshoumaru would never let him live it down.

The feel and sound of pulsing energy and a sizzling noise made Inuyasha lurch around to stand protectively in front of Kirara while carrying Kagome. Shippo’s face was peering out from under his hair as they turned to face Sesshoumaru.

The long whip unfurled from his clawed finger tips and he flicked it outward. Its serpentine length lashed out and around one of the enchanted wards to snap it in half and disintegrate it to a pile of sizzling mush. He flicked his wrist and the whip disappeared with a twinkle into his glowing claws before they too dulled down.

Sesshoumaru walked to where the ward had once stood and glanced over his shoulder with disinterest. “If you foolishly plan to continue on, I suggest putting the indecent Miko down.” With that said he glided into the bloody, clutching trees.

“Lord Sesshoumaru, wait for me!” Jaken squawked as he hurried after with a still sleeping Rin in tow.

“Why’d he do that? The path won’t be protected there anymore!” Shippo stuttered.

“I guess the wards were enchanted to make us go in circles or somethin’…” Inuyasha murmured as he cocked his head to the side in thought.

“Kirara, can you take another rider?” Sango asked her feline companion.

Kirara rumbled in agreement, kneeling down so that Inuyasha and Sango could settle Kagome onto her back between the slayer and the monk. She woke up briefly to grumble sleepily before drifting back off.

“Are we going after them?” Shippo asked fearfully from his perch on Inuyasha’s shoulder.

“Beats hangin’ round here,” the hanyou replied as he bound lightly into the trees after his brother. Kirara a few steps behind.

Behind them, in the damp clinging air, the cut tree shuddered in the dismal silence left in their passing.

It did not take them long to catch up to the jabbering toad and the dignified daiyoukai. Their pace returned to that of a snail’s and Inuyasha grudgingly let his thoughts drift as he once again fell under the hypnotic spell of Sesshoumaru’s moon stroked swaying hair.

He admired on some level, respected and wished his brother gave a damn about him.

There it was. The ugly naked truth.

He could never share the first two with Sesshoumaru or the bastard would sneer at him and call him weak and pathetic or whatever. The last thing he knew he would never get so what was the point dwelling on it?

But he did, and it hurt sometimes. It hurt that he couldn’t do anything right for Sesshoumaru. Unable to stop himself he sighed and caught the quick shift of unfeeling golden eyes in his direction before Sesshoumaru turned his focus back to the space before him. Well shit, he couldn’t even sigh right it seemed.

On further contemplation Inuyasha almost felt sorry for his stuck-up brother. He obviously didn’t know how to relax and he mustn’t have any friends but the creepy toad. Who was more like a stalker than a friend. Keh. He wondered if his dad had been so aloof…or did something happen to make Sesshoumaru such an uncaring bastard? His dad had a heart, he had loved Inuyasha’s human mother after all. What would have made him so cold?

He flung a branch aside and growled. Was it his imagination, or were those fucking grabby trees leaning in closer to them? The sticky branches kept tangling in his hair and it was getting annoying to keep knocking them away and pulling his hair free. Sango too was batting at the branches and Miroku and Kagome were just lucid enough to do so as well. Though more groggily.

Even Jaken was whacking away at the grabby branches trying to keep them off the sleeping Rin while muttering about doing his duty and ungrateful children. The dragon’s metal muzzles had disappeared and it was snapping at twigs in annoyance as it trudged forward after its master.

Of course, bastard had no trouble at all. The branches weren’t daring to touch his perfect hair. Figures. Sesshoumaru was drifting like an elfin god through the trees getting further away from them. While they flailed about clumsily.

“Why are we venturing through the forest?” Miroku inquired as he attempted to shake the sleep from his bones.

“The path was enchanted so that we were traveling in circles. Lord Sesshoumaru thought we should go around. HIRAIKOTSU!” Sango shouted as her temper wore thin. She launched her weapon in frustration at the branches slowing her down. The massive bone boomerang spun around Kirara effectively clearing the branches and giving her some breathing room.

The trees seemed to shudder around her as they were struck and their brittle wood shattered off at the points of contact with the weapon. Blackened blood bubbled and oozed from the broken wounds. Some of the liquid splattering on the travellers in the hiraikotsu’s wake.

Sango caught her weapon on its return with a shudder. The blood was in all of the trees, not just in the ones lining the path as she had hoped. It was most assuredly blood as well, not sap and a trick of light. She had seen too much blood in her life time to be able to pretend or convince herself that it was something else.

This place just continued to make her skin crawl. They should not have come this way.

“What is up with these trees? And is that blood?!” Kagome was now wide awake staring at the crimson that decorated her white blouse.

“Yeah, the trees are full of it…” Inuyasha didn’t bother to tell her it was human and animal blood. It would result in a triad of loud disgust he just couldn’t handle right now. They were clear for a moment, but Sesshoumaru was getting too far ahead and the grabby branches were separating them. Soon the calming swish of his hair would be out of Inuyasha’s sight. Bastard, always leaving him behind to deal with the crap. It wasn’t fair.

Inuyasha noted that the dragon was with them now, and that stupid kappa was about to set fire to the forest with his damn staff. His eyes went wide as he did a double take and he intervened before the toad made things worse. He leaped gracefully over the dragon and pounded his fist into that lumpy skull knocking the retainer out cold before he got a chance to use his damn beloved staff. Yeah. Even the toad got a stick from Sesshoumaru. What did Inuyasha get? Fucking battle wounds and an ever present visual of the back leaving him.

To top it off his hair kept making him want to either fall asleep or run after it and bite at the strands. Stupid weird dog urges.

“Good shot, Inuyasha. Having a forest fire with cursed trees would have made our present situation look down-right chipper I am certain,” Miroku muttered as he attempted to strengthen his resolve. Though he was desperate to stay awake in this situation, he was finding it highly difficult. Judging by Kagome’s quiet and her sluggish movements he presumed she was having the same issue. The only clear explination was that something was affecting those with spiritual powers. “It seems that someone wishes this hostile spirit to stay active, thus those with any spiritual ability are being subdued…somehow…I wish I could stay awake to think clearly. This is most aggravating.” He knocked away a branch with his staff, but the strike was not as forceful as was his norm.

“Could it be the spirit doing this?” Kagome inquired.

“I doubt it. I believe it would need to be another force…there is far more to this mystery than it would appear from the surface I suspect,” Miroku added.

“A mystery I’d like to crack open with my claws,” Inuyasha muttered as he dumped Jaken over the dragon. “Hey, Shippo, lead the dragon would ya?” He reached up and pried the kitsune from his shoulder and dropped him on the dragon’s back. “Someone needs to make sure these two don’t get knocked off.”

“Er…sure…”Shippo quivered as he took up the large dragon’s leads into his tiny hands. He would glance back wide-eyed at the sleeping girl and drooling kappa as they moved on.

Inuyasha went about trying to clear the way with his iron claws so they could catch up with Sesshoumaru.

Story of his life.

Unfortunately, the close knit trees would just fall forward to take the place of every branch removed with another. He swore the fuckers were reaching for them with their wrinkled claw-like appendages. The blood was really making him heady and fuck he was tried from all this weird stuff. His eyes seeing shit in the shadows that wasn’t really there and he just wanted a clear breath. He loped at the invasive sticks with increased vigour. Where was this village anyway?

Sango was flipping a branch aside as Kirara and Ah Un joined forces. The two were using their claws, tails and teeth to move the frisky foliage aside. She abruptly felt something grab at her rear and on reflex, shouted, swivelled and back-handed the shocked face behind her. “Miroku!” Her eyes went wide in surprise. “Oh…Kagome, I’m sorry!”

Kagome had nearly been knocked from Kirara and was now sporting a bright red hand print across her face. “What was that for?”

“I was groped and I thought…”

“I didn’t touch you Sango. It must have been a branch or something. That hurt!” She complained rubbing her cheek. She could almost feel bad for Miroku if that’s how hard he got hit several times a day. This was going to leave a bruise.

Miroku was suddenly wide awake and looking happily at the two young, attractive women. “Kagome, did you touch my dearest Sango’s perfect flesh with your own?” there was no accusation in his voice, only hope.

“Miroku!” Both women yelled at him and the silent forest echoed with the sound of two hands striking the monk’s face in unison. Any predator would be able to hear and pin-point their location at that noise. Unfortunately for the predator, it would find a very angry and jealous demon slayer and a just plain angry priestess if it came.

Inuyasha struggled to their sides, “Kagome! Are you alright?” He looked up at her worriedly before turning to Sango. “Why’d you hafta hit her so hard?”

“I’m fine Inuyasha. Gah! These branches are really bugging me!” Kagome glared spitefully at the trees around them.

“Because I thought she was Miroku,” Sango glared at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha backed away with his ears slightly drooped and hurriedly returned to his position at the front clawing a pathway. He did not want to be the one they used to dispel their anger on! Let Miroku have that honour.

Kagome pulled out her bow and fired a purification arrow at a tree in anger. It embedded into the bark with a dull sizzle and faded out. Other than causing more of the blood to flow it had no affect on the tree. “Urgh!” She growled and flailed. “Why are these branches so clingy? I swear they‘re grabbing at me.”

“Keh.” Inuyasha swiped away a few more branches. Crap. Where was Sesshoumaru? He looked around quickly, his golden eyes searching the gloom. He lifted his face to take in the scent and relief flooded him. He could still smell the bastard.

A sudden thought occurred to Inuyasha. Did Sesshoumaru even know where the hell he was going? Or more to the point, was he headed toward the village? Ah shit. They might be going somewhere else entirely all this time! Fuck! It was almost sunset! The bastard might have left them out here to rot. Wait, no, Rin and Jaken wouldn’t have been left. At least, he didn’t think so.

“Indeed, I sense a dark energy in them,” Miroku mused.

“I know it’s like they’re alive, not alive as a tree normally is. But like a beast,” Sango agreed morbidly.

“They’re fuckin’ trees, they’re peaceful, and they aren’t grab--oh shit!” Inuyasha yelped as something grabbed his leg and he was air born upside-down.

“Inuyasha!” Kagome cried out in worried shock.

The trees had come alive. Their many branched limbs reaching and most assuredly grabbing roughly at the travellers. Cold, callous bark scratched tender exposed flesh and miniscule branched claws sliced through skin as they slapped at it. The sound of shifting bark grinding against itself and the rocky, slick earth was deafening. An eerie slithering cracking of old wood filled the forest. The air being crushed in the tree limbs and whipped through the many writhing limbs howled and groaned like a dying buck.

Inuyasha was struggling madly but soon found his limbs bound to his side with the masses of encroaching appendages. He was hoisted from the ground and left dangling, branches covering and coiling around his body unnaturally in ashen black dismay. The dead blood in the trees veins filling his senses and mingled with the lack of air he found himself fighting for consciousness. He continued to thrash and struggle in vain. His companions were in little better of a situation as they fought to stay together and not be pulled apart or completely submerged beneath the writhing, greedy mass.

Oddly, the trees didn’t seem to be bothering Ah Un and his passengers as much as the others. They slashed at the dragon a bit but ignored the sleeping child, unconscious kappa and cowering kitsune.

As Inuyasha growled and bit at the branch within his reach, his arms crushed to his body and his legs covered, he found he could barely wiggle due to the suffocating presence of the branches. He spat out the horrid, bitter, rotten taste left in his mouth from the branch his fangs had crunched. Part of his mind laughed that it would be a tree that killed him. Here he’d trusted the damn things for shelter and food for ages. He’d trusted them with his care and his secrets like he’d trusted no other. He’d even been pinned to one for fifty years and shared his blood with the sacred twig! Now he was going to be eaten by them! Sure enough, he felt the branches dig into his flesh like snake teeth. At the base of the tree he was dangling from, roots began to rise from the ground and crawl toward him and his companions.

Shit. Spending his life fighting for survival and living to defeat some of the strongest demons in the world…and trounced by a tree. He had trusted these buggers all his life! What the fuck was that? If he wasn’t in such a desperate predicament he most certainly would give his head a slap for the feeling of betrayal in his heart. How could he be betrayed by a tree. They had no alliances except to the earth.

He found his vision swimming as more air was forced from his lungs by the unforgiving branches. Sesshoumaru had left them without a thought…bastard.

“Inuyasha!” Kagome was calling out for him the concern in her voice palatable. Sango and Miroku fighting against the inevitable with focused determination at her sides.

He was gagging for breath, the coil around his body making it near impossible to draw in air. That root inching closer to the tethered and helpless body while he spun feebly in ever tightening desperation. Man he was pissed. He loathed this helpless desperation. At least he would die a hanyou and not a mindless killing youkai for Tetsusaiga remained fastened to his side. Where it was bruising his hip and leg.

As his vision began to blur and his struggles reached their crescendo a pair of cold, calculating gold eyes were staring at him upside-down. A clawed hand casually reached up to tangle and clutch in his thick hanging hair and he stopped spinning. “Cease your struggles, Inuyasha. You are making a scene.” The deep, condescending voice was directly against his guard hairs, the warm breath causing them to quiver as it hit. “Ah Un, at rest.” Immediately the dragon stopped fighting. The trees slowly backed away from the scaly beast once it did.

Inuyasha was not aware of that, he was too busy fighting to breath, he couldn’t stop fighting. So what if his bastard brother wanted him to stop and die quietly. He wouldn’t do it! He…couldn’t…breath…just…Sesshoumaru’s eyes…staring…he…air. He was gasping raw and nothing entered his strained lungs. He realized he must look disturbing as his mouth was open slack panting for air that was not coming, his features were paling and his eyes were bugging from his head. He wouldn’t stop, he couldn’t just stop. He wanted to live!

“Inuyasha, listen for once, you fool. The trees only use the same amount of force used against them. Cease your useless struggles if you desire to live.” Sesshoumaru’s voice was demanding and sinister.

Inuyasha had gone past the stage of comprehension in his desperation for air. He was gasping and heaving and getting nothing. His body arched in its bonds, his eyes going bloodshot as his vision failed at the edges. He did not want to die!

With a look of disgusted frustration, Sesshoumaru’s claws released Inuyasha’s hair and slashed through the holding branches with an unseen blur. The hanyou crumpled to the ground at his feet in a heap, his lungs filling painfully and greedily with wanted air.

“Sango, Kirara, Kagome, stop fighting the trees!” Miroku called to his companions having witnessed part of the scene with Inuyasha. Sango gave him an odd look but slowly began to cease her struggles. Now only blocking the attacks and not lashing out. Kirara followed her mistress’ example and Kagome grudgingly stopped slapping at the branches. “It does seem the trees only attack when they are attacked…most fascinating.” The monk murmured as the trees slowly eased from the group.

“Inuyasha! Are you alright?” Kagome exclaimed leaping off Kirara and coming to her knees at the daiyoukai’s feet. She splayed over the half-demon and pushed the hair from his face. “Inuyasha, it’s ok.”

Lord Sesshoumaru remained standing tall and indifferent over the trembling, gasping red pile at his feet. The trees seemed to debate whether or not to strike back at the Lord before making the correct choice and grudgingly withdrawing. The roots burrowed back into the wet earth and Sesshoumaru watched them with narrowed eyes. He believed he now knew how the trees became so laden with human and animal blood. It would also be the reason why there was so little life here now as well. Those who struggled against the great wood were devoured by it. A most malicious and disturbing turn of the natural way. The trees did take nutrient from the earth provided by decomposed life. But they did not destroy life. Trees gave; they were providers and caretakers with ancient wisdom. They were not blood hungry killers. It bothered him greatly his wood had been twisted in such a malicious way.

All these thoughts filed orderly through Sesshoumaru’s mind. He desired answers. Though, at the moment it was taking most of his renowned self-control to refrain from punting the Miko off his half-brother across the forest. Did she not realize that the hanyou required room to breath and not a scantily-clad leech suctioned around him? Apparently, the thought did not cross her ineffectual mind.

He turned and strode softly to where his dragon awaited him. His elegant hand rising to stroke the soft, dry snout of the nearest head in an action that could be considered affectionate by someone who didn’t know him better. He ignored the gibbering kitsune attempting to look invisible.

“Kagome, get offa me, I can’t breathe!” Inuyasha panted, attempting to crawl out from under the girl smothering him.

“Stay still Inuyasha,” she clutched his shoulders and pulled him back, scooting around and trying to get him to rest his head on her lap.

“Kagome! Knock it off!” He coughed out clawing in the dirt trying to get away from her concern so he could get some good solid breaths in and stop this infernal panting and hacking. His thoughts were confused, and not just from lack of air. Had Sesshoumaru just saved him…and given no dumbass excuse for it? No way…must’ve been an accident or something. Damnit, why was Kagome being so clingy right now. He needed some space! “Let go of me!” He had a violent coughing spree that actually hurt his bruised chest and for one moment he thought he would black out. Shit. How weak. He shook it off and managed to climb to his feet after knocking Kagome’s hands away from him. “I’m ok damnit!”

“Well sorry for being concerned about you!” She snapped back, turned and walked over to climb back onto Kirara. “Jerk!”

“If you have concluded. The barrier is not far from here to the north east,” Sesshoumaru commented dryly.

Inuyasha turned to blink at him, “Keh. Then stop standing around, we wanna get there by nightfall.” He stalked forward as his body began to heal from its recent crushing. He stomped past Sesshoumaru, making sure to keep one ear on his movements. Having the killing perfection at his back was as unnerving as this damn forest. He kept glancing at the trees but made sure not to initiate any further battles with the grabby fuckers. These trees were damned and mutated and…miserable about it as far as he was concerned.

Behind him Kirara lightly followed, her riders ducking out of the trees’ reach as much as they could. But the branches were still pressing down on them. They had to shift them aside. But, they tried to do it passively to minimize the rebound from the woods.

“Did you see that? Lord Sesshoumaru saved Inuyasha again…” Sango asked her companion.

“And us. Perhaps, there is hope for Inuyasha to have a family after all.” Miroku whispered back.

The dragon with Shippo at the lead took up a placid pace close to the nekomata. Inuyasha’s ear twitched at his friends and their words. Keh. Sesshoumaru didn’t give a flying fuck about him. There would be no family bonding. It was damn impossible when one member wanted to kill the other.

Sesshoumaru made no response to the humans and their theories. Instead he appeared silently out of arm’s reach next to Inuyasha. It seemed the hanyou disliked having his back to the daiyoukai. As it should be. One did not turn their back on a predator, especially him. It was a wise learned instinct on the hanyou’s part. His face remained unreadable as he stepped with such a slow, liquid grace it seemed as though he floated more than walked beside his sulking half-brother. His thoughts were roving and fluctuating quite steadily behind his vigilant detached gold stare.

The land was, obviously, out of balance. If this spread over all his territory it would affect him the same manner. For a youkai was strongly connected to the lands they roamed and hunted. It was not acceptable to mutate and butcher his lands in such a grotesque manner. It would not be tolerated and the one responsible would be destroyed by his poisoned claws.

“What are ya thinking about so hard?” Inuyasha demanded quietly. He needed a distraction from his spinning head and the damn smell and the silence and the grabby trees.

Sesshoumaru flicked an irritated glacial glare at his brother. This Sesshoumaru preferred not to share his speculations with the world. He was the only one he could rely on. The half-breed was not a moron though. He was actually quite clever in his rudimentary way. Perhaps, Inuyasha knew of something regarding these woods that he was not yet aware. Perhaps. “The trees.”

Inuyasha had not been expecting a response, particularly a semi-civil one. Once he recovered from the shock, he attempted to return the rarity. “Why are they so…messed up? Do ya know?” he asked avoiding a branch.

“No. But I have my suspicions.” Was the curt response.

“Oh,” Inuyasha replied quietly. He guessed the asshole wasn’t feeling up to sharing. Keh. “Do you think the trees…ate…the animals around here?” He voiced a suspicion of his own.

“Yes,” Sesshoumaru responded. He was impressed his brother had not started a fight or insulted him yet. This was quite possibly the most civil discussion they had ever exchanged. Curious.

Inuyasha felt his ears flatten and he suppressed a shudder. That just wasn’t right. Trees did not attack and eat shit. Yeah, they are the nutrients in the soil but…not raw damnit. “That ain’t right. What the fuck is makin’ em do it? And makin’ Kagome, Miroku and Rin so tired? It’s gotta be connected.” He mumbled more to himself than anything.

“Hn,” was Sesshoumaru’s non-committed agreement to the final part of the statement. He believed there might be some clues in or around the human village. That was the reason he continued to head in that direction after all. He had no fear of any predator that might lurk these forests at night.

Inuyasha didn’t have anything civil left to say, and it looked as if the brick wall that was his brother had nothing to say period. Like usual. So, the hanyou just shut up and glowered as he continued to lead his friends next to his brother through the trees. The silence and the smell were really making his stomach turn. Or maybe it was the near suffocation. Keh. Whatever. He’d had worse.

He wrinkled his nose and glared at one of the trees. He swore the thing glared back at him. Ground fucker. What would do this to them? Seriously, he’d never heard of it happening before.

One of his ears twitched in annoyance. Hell, there weren’t even any bugs around here. All he could hear was the feet of Kirara and Ah Un brushing against the rocky damp soil, the steady breathing of the half-asleep Kagome, Miroku and Rin, the toad’s grumbling, Shippo’s trembling and the leather of Sango’s strap on her weapon creaking as she would adjust it. Oh, and the soft, drowsy swish of bastard’s hair over his silks. He kept glancing at him suspiciously. Certain his brother would turn and try to snag his sword at any minute. Just in case his clawed fingers hovered over the hilt of Tetsusaiga at his hip.

“This Sesshoumaru no longer requires my Lord Father’s sword, little brother; you do not need to shield it like a possessive puppy over a bone.” Sesshoumaru’s alluring voice commented dryly. He cast Inuyasha a disapproving glare from the corner of his eye, never altering his facial features or the direction his head was pointed.

Inuyasha glared hard at his brother, his ears perked forward and a bit of fang showing between his lips. “I ain’t no puppy. I’ve taken care of myself for over a century. An’ just ‘cause you say you don’t need it, doesn’t mean you don’t want the old man’s fang for your own fucked up sentimental reasons,” he growled.

Behind them Sango sighed and Shippo hung his head. “So much for them getting along,” the little fox kit muttered.

Lord Sesshoumaru’s eyes narrowed into glacial wrath, he turned the baleful stare that had caused many a lesser youkai to soil themselves and then grovel piteously in their own waste fearfully, at his irksome little brother.

The hanyou did not understand how great their father had been. How noble, wise, and powerful the Inu no Tashio had lived. He could not understand Sesshoumaru’s love of his father, nor his need to prove himself superior to the deceased daiyoukai. The hanyou’s humanity prevented him from understanding that to love was to conquer. The hanyou constantly insulted their great father, a thing Sesshoumaru could not tolerate due to the high respect, admiration and affection he held for his legacy. One of the few individuals the lord could count on his single hand that he had allowed himself to feel so strongly about.

“I would hardly call being sealed to a tree by a human for fifty years taking care of oneself,” he replied icily. His rising anger was evident in the clip of his tone at the gall of the unworthy creature for insulting his own great father and abusing his most powerful fang.

Sesshoumaru had been momentarily impressed just a breath before with his little brother’s ability to remain silent and respectful. He had been curiously watching the expressive ears atop the hanyou’s head. Displaying Inuyasha’s thoughts just as clearly as his eyes often did. Sesshoumaru’s thoughts had grazed upon the way his half-brother had grown and displayed strength impressive in its own right since he obtained their father’s mighty fang. For Inuyasha had matured and strengthened since his awakening from the tree, while Sesshoumaru had remained as he was in strength.

He remained confused at his father’s choice of giving him a sword that could not cut. Why would he desire to save one he just killed? True, it had saved Rin and allowed the girl to remain with him, though what reason he had in permitting the liability he was still uncertain of. Sesshoumaru understood that he would outgrow the Tetsusaiga in time; the sword offered little he could not perform with his own body. But the fact his father had not left it to him still ached. Had his father not trusted him? Not thought him strong enough? It was a betrayal he had not seen coming. It burned inside that his father took an unworthy human mate in a grave disloyalty to his own mother, that he died by unworthy human hands in an effort to save a hanyou babe that none would desire, that he left with tasks unfinished, that he left untrusting of his son, and then to not leave Sesshoumaru his fangs. He even went so far as to place a barrier on the blade to ensure that his eldest could never touch it. He was aware that his father had placed a sword with each son with protective properties that directly ensured they could not kill one another. He made certain Inuyasha wished to keep Tetsusaiga because of how it made him stronger and how it kept his blood in check. He knew Sesshoumaru would not part with Tenseiga because of his pride and desire to hold onto his father’s memory through the blade. But it could have been done another way, surely sesshouamru deserved the right to the killing fang of his father after all they had endured.

Sesshoumaru was conflicted. He desired his father’s relics, to prove that he earned his father’s respect and to outshine his legacy.

But, after watching Inuyasha recently, he considered that perhaps it was best left in his brother’s crude and clumsy hands. To see how he would grow and how powerful he would become with the sword’s teaching and his demon blood in check. Despite having no care for the hanyou, he was a decent opponent and he did not deserve to lose his mind to animalistic killing. No creature should lose who they were. A thing the daiyoukai understood more than any would assume. Sesshoumaru could almost tolerate the thorn in his side.

Then the whelp had to speak and show his true ignorance and insolence. Effectively erasing any previous benevolent thoughts Sesshoumaru had been considering.

Inuyasha spun, his wild thick mane flailing around his angry features. “At least I have a heart to be pinned to a tree with!” He spat flexing his claws and crouching into a fighting stance. Seriously, why did his brother have to hate him so much? Hell, did he do anything but hate? Nah, he obviously loved their dad…and maybe he gave a damn about the toad and kid and the dragon…maybe. But why couldn’t the bastard just not try to kill or hurt him for one fucking day?

The claws on Sesshoumaru’s single elegant hand began to glow a menacing golden green as they extended from his fingers. The hand was held out to his side away from his body and flowing mokomoko. Ever mindful to remain out of the trees. His eyes were narrowed showing anger, but not showing the betrayal, conflict or secret pain that currently swam in his thoughts. “A heart is a human weakness, one a daiyoukai does not posses,” he growled. “You must learn that this so called love you long for is a betrayal and will only bring about your destruction, little brother. I would have thought you would learn this lesson by now.”

Inuyasha’s narrowed eyes widened slightly. Did his messed up brother really think like that? The hanyou kinda did feel sorry for him. If he was that bitter and stupid not to realize love was a strength more than a weakness. How could Sesshoumaru believe in pride and honour so much, but not love?

“Are we there yet?” Kagome asked loudly and full of sleep. She rubbed her eyes and glanced around to be met by two pairs of incredulous golden eyes. “Oh…you’re fighting again? I thought you got that out of your system earlier.”

“I don’t think fighting is ever out of their systems. They should really find a better outlet for their anger.” Shippo chimed.

Lord Sesshoumaru’s claws flexed and Inuyasha immediately navigated between the branches and positioned himself in front of Kirara and Ah Un with Tetsusaiga drawn and transformed into the massive blade it was. The half-brothers glared at one another, fiery molten gold warring against frozen golden winter sunrise. Neither flinching a muscle.

“Lord Sesshoumaru, forgive me for speaking but…how far is the village from here? The sun is setting…I think,” Sango squinted at the murky light that would be the sky. It had changed from a smoky sick yellow to a murky grey to the east.

Miroku raised his head and shook it, following Sango’s gaze. “I believe you are correct, my dear Sango. We must hasten our pace and try to solve this in the morning,” he murmured drowsily. Both of his cheeks were sporting handprint sized bruises, the red having faded.

The brother’s remained frozen in their fight stances, eyes never leaving the other. They both secretly felt that only their brother might be capable of finally landing the ending strike to their lives. As such they required to keep their attention on the other. The personal rivalry between them overshadowed any enemy that might be present. They both longed to establish their ultimate dominance over the other, and with their father gone, it was only a brother left to defeat. This was perhaps felt strongest by Sesshoumaru, but it was in Inuyasha’s mind as well over the years as survival took a back seat to skill. Foolish, but true. And perhaps not the full truth but it was the one they clung to.

“Guys?” Kagome asked quietly. When she received no response her eyes narrowed in frustration. These two were just so stupidly stubborn. They always did this, face down in a dangerous situation; she was amazed they hadn’t been killed yet in the process. Though, in a few battles she had noticed that when they would fight they would end up saving the other from an enemy disguised in their own fight. It was so confusing sometimes. She was glad her and her brother had a good, simple relationship. “Inuyasha…” They had to get going or the freaky trees would eat them. She knew this would be embarrassing for her friend, but she was not going to be fertilizer! And she would not allow Inuyasha and her other friends to be either.

Inuyasha was oblivious to the warning signs, absorbed in his stare down with Sesshoumaru. Both waiting for the other to either withdraw or make the first move.

“Kagome, I don’t think now would be -” Miroku began earnestly.

“Kagome, wait, it w -” Sango also desperately tried.

“SIT!”

The beads flared to life around his neck and Inuyasha’s lithe body was slammed violently into the rocky, slimy ground with a deafening thud that echoed through the silent trees. Some of which seemed to cringe at the sound. Sesshoumaru’s narrowed eyes followed the abrupt descent with a scowl. This treatment was most unsatisfactory. How dare that Miko interrupt their confrontation by such underhanded means.

The daiyoukai’s claws faded and his stance relaxed as he continued to scowl at the ground. Inuyasha lay sprawled like a starfish in the earth. His sword had transformed back to its rusted old state in his hand and he utterly refused to look up. The utter humiliation of being slammed down in front of his brother while they were facing off was enough to make him wish Kagome had slammed him right under ground. His ears twitched in the dirt and he felt that he would have rock shaped impressions in his skin for days.

“Sorry Inuyasha, but we need to move! I don’t want us all to get killed out here tonight while you and your brother do your thing.” Kagome spoke up.

Sesshoumaru squatted elegantly beside the indent in the ground, taking a gentle sniff of the prone hanyou from his position. His hair coiled around him and his nimble black booted feet were at the same level as the hanyou’s twitching ears. After a moment of silent study, Inuyasha’s refusal to leap up and fight, and the lack of any scent of severe injury on the hanyou, Sesshoumaru reached out, his long sleeve pooling over the hanyou’s hair. The striped wrist paused over the scruff of his little brother’s neck. Long fingers tenderly brushed aside the thick pelt of untamed hair before curling to grip the neck of his fire-rat robe.

Nonchalantly, Lord Sesshoumaru rose and lifted Inuyasha by the back of his neck from the ground in his ascent. As everyone watched, terrified Sesshoumaru might break Inuyasha’s neck; he did nothing but set the hanyou down on his bare feet, turned and started walking. “The village is this way.”

Inuyasha blinked in mute astonishment. He had figured he was dead there for a minute. Or at least maimed and ridiculed. But the bastard just picked him up and walked away? Kami, how could he understand that? Fuck. Sesshoumaru had more mood swings than Kagome when she was on her monthly! What the hell just happened there? He reached up and rubbed some of the dirt smeared over his face with his sleeve.

“Well, that was weird.” Shippo commented as Ah Un followed its master.

“Indeed, I feared for Inuyasha’s life a moment.” Miroku murmured putting a sutra away.

“As did I,” Sango relaxed her grip on her weapon.

“Sometimes I think the only time they will actually kill one another is by accident,” Kagome said with a shrug.

Kirara wandered past the still Inuyasha with a soft mew.

The hanyou remained in place for a few moments, staring after his brother in utter confusion. He would never understand the bastard. First Sesshoumaru wants to ignore him, then kill him and take his sword, then he’s in Sesshoumaru’s way all the time, now he wants to kill him, stare at him and pry him out of the dirt…what the hell?! Fuck. He bet the bastard didn’t have a clue what he was doing either.

Inuyasha felt a branch leaning toward him, giving it a feral growl he sheathed Tetsusaiga and hopped after his friends. To immediately slam on the breaks and turn to squint into the moving murk. His ears twitched madly a top his head and his nose wiggled in attempts to catch more information. Yeah. There was something out there. Right there. He could see it shift slightly in the air by that tree a few yards into the greying air in the shadows of the twisting trees.

“C’mon Inuyasha! I told you I was sorry. ” Kagome called back. “It’s getting dark fast! We shouldn‘t be out here then, it’s creepy enough in the day time.” The others had already put a few trees of distance between them.

“Would you be quiet wench, there’s something out there, an I’m going to finally knock it out of its tree and see why it’s been starin’ at us all afternoon!” he growled back unsheathing and transforming his blade once more. Something to fight. This he could handle. No more confused brother thoughts. Without another thought he bound lightly into the woods, avoiding branches and spring-boarding off rotten trunks. The disturbance in the air moved, it pulled away and flitted through the shadows faster than his eyes could detect. He couldn’t get an accurate smell on it, but it did make a bit of a clicking noise when it moved.

“Inuyasha! Come back!” Kagome called out in worry, her voice already sounding a bit faded as he ran after the little pest in the trees.

“We should stay together!” Sango added.

Naturally, he ignored them. He could find his way back to them or the village. No problem. Even if the trees were messed up he knew how to make his way around a forest. His full attention was captured by that annoying, faint clicking noise that took him from hanging tree to consuming shadow and back. They danced through the grey smog of the oppressive crypt air.

At last, he was nearly closing in on the speedy puke. With a final leap he glided through the air, brought down his sword and made contact with something that squealed as his blade pinned it to the rock. He peered down at it through the gloom in mingled revulsion and fascination.

Like most aggressive demons it had way too many spindly legs than was necessary. It was about the size of his fist, kinda long in body and the clicking noise was its many pointy little feet. On closer inspection, Inuyasha figured it looked like it was well into rotting. He guessed it had wings at some point but they were shredded off. The skin on it was a dull translucent, grey-green and its oversized bug-eyes were oozing puss and looked infected. The skinny bug legs were warped and pointed at odd angles like it had scurvy or something and it was covered in lumps. “What the hell is wrong with this place?” he demanded to the air. The creature just continued to writhe and squeal miserably under his sword, one of its legs caught by the blade. The hilt hummed softly in the encroaching dark.

“A question I intend to resolve,” the stoic, enticing voice stated in one of his twitching ears.

“Sesshoumaru, can’t you just walk up to someone like normal?” Inuyasha growled as he turned his head to glare at his brother. “Where’s everyone? You didn’t just leave ‘em unprotected did ya?”

“I believe it was you who left them unprotected, as I have no responsibility toward your companions’ safety,” He commented, a slight amount of amusement touched him at seeing the look of momentary distress in the hanyou’s face as he looked back the way he had come. “I sent Ah Un to the air in the direction of the village and instructed your ningen charges to follow. If they chose to or not is of their own doing.”

Inuyasha rather hoped they did. It really was starting to get darker now. He turned his attention back to the squealing, clicking, rotting bug thing. He kinda felt bad for it. It looked scared and sick. With a slight frown he lifted the sword and sheathed it with a sigh. “Scram.” He growled at it savagely.

It scrambled away to be sliced in half by Tokijin.

Inuyasha spun around and glared at his brother. “What was that for? Did it look at ya the wrong way? Or was its sickness insulting?” He snarked angrily. There was no reason to kill that sorry excuse for a bug.

“Cease your barking, Inuyasha. It was what remains of a will-o-wisp. Considering I can find no trace of the youkai master they once served in this wood, I can assume it was luring you in to be its meal. If you had foolishly allowed it to return to the others in its hive they most certainly would have returned for you - and more importantly my ward and retainer - in this mutated, starved and infected state.” Sesshoumaru explained as he wiped his blade off on a piece of moss in distaste before returning it to his hip.

“Oh…shit.” Inuyasha mumbled in realization looking at the squashed bug. If he squinted real hard he guessed it did sort of look like a will-o-wisp. These things were tricky. If uncontrolled they liked to lead travelers astray and either lose them or attack the traveler as a group and eat them. They could be used to guard treasure. Sometimes, they could be in service of a mage, holy person or youkai and were nice and helped lost folk out or relayed information like Naraku‘s damned Saimyosho. But it was best not to trust them because damned if you knew which was which. They usually were a lot better looking though. And glowing. Not oozing.

Shit. Did Sesshoumaru just do something kinda useful…again? What was he up to now? There had to be a reason…right…the kid and the toad. But…Inuyasha was feeling confused and frustrated as he glared down at the bug. Yeah, and he still felt like he was going to hurl too. “The sooner we’re out of this place, the better.” He muttered to himself.

The sooner he was away from his contradictory brother the better it would be for his headache. As soon as he was at the town, Lord Asshole would be gone thankfully. For whatever reason Sesshoumaru was headed there he wouldn’t be long. No way he’d let himself be near inferior humans.

Inuyasha looked up to find the bastard standing statue still and staring off into space. But the stare was alert and intensely focused, he could see Sesshoumaru’s nostrils flare slightly and his clawed fingers were still lightly resting on Tokijin’s hilt. Inuyasha’s ears swivelled and he strained his senses, reaching to rest his own hand against Tetsusaiga. “What?” he demanded as his muscles tensed.

“Silence.”

“Fuck you.”

“…” How did the hanyou expect him to listen when he would not be silent? Sesshoumaru did not bother with a reply to the overused expression. Knowing well that if he said anything in reply, as correct as it might be, Inuyasha would simply argue the point and keep yapping.

Sesshoumaru’s eyes narrowed slightly and his gaze focused into the distance amid a section of gnarly trunks and expanding shadows. Night was nearly upon them. The sky was bleak and the swirling blackness was overcoming the murky grey sludge. No stars or moon’s sweet light would pass through the interlocked branches to find him. The need to find the root of the problem was growing in his mind. He could not allow this to continue. His pupils dilated slightly in the fading light as he ignored the annoyed fidgeting of his half-brother and the pleasant warmth emitting from his red-clad body in the morbid cold of the trees.

Ah, there it was again. That sound growing closer. At first it seemed like the steady heart-beat of the hanyou beside him, but now he knew it for what it was. Strange. Why would a horse be navigating the trees? More curious, was why it had not been detained by the branches as yet. This Sesshoumaru would know the answer.

Inuyasha had enough. He was just about to shout at Sesshoumaru to answer his question or take Tetsusaiga down his throat when he heard a rhythmic pounding. He blinked his large eyes and swivelled his soft furry ears, perking them in the direction of the noise. “A horse.” He stated in bafflement.

“How observant,” Sesshoumaru replied simply.

“How the fuck did a horse get out here and not be treed?” Inuyasha demanded.

“…”

“It’s coming this way,” Inuyasha tightened his grip on his sword’s hilt. He didn’t like this at all. It was getting so dark now that he was having a hard time seeing even though he had demon sight. He still could only smell blood and he was freezing. His senses were fried. Fuck, was it his imagination or did it get even more quiet…and the trees, they were slinking away from them. “Why are the trees running?” he growled unsheathing his sword once more.

The slide of metal as Tokijin was exposed to the sightless murk was Inuyasha’s only answer. His brother’s face was unreadable as ever.

The hoof-beats drew closer. The continued unaltered rhythm echoing like the beat of the executioner’s drum vibrated through the forest. Sure enough, the trees had moved as far as they could away from the brothers and a path into the pitch shadows formed. As the sound of the horse was nearly on them, Inuyasha tensed and held his father’s mammoth fang before him, prepared to defend or attack. Sesshoumaru casually held his blade aloft across his midsection, stance relaxed, feet together.

The shadows gave birth to the apparition. A great stallion of ebony charged into their sight, its eyes a blazing fiery red in the lightless forest. Seated on its back was a tall, broad shouldered figure dressed all in black, spiked armour and wielding a long straight blade in a gloved hand. The blade had an eerie two toned glow to its hungry metallic length. Once side was a silver and the other gold metal. The most disconcerting thing about the warrior upon his mount was also the most obvious.

“Where the fuck is his head?” Inuyasha asked showing his fangs.

“You have a knack for asking this Sesshoumaru the most obvious and rhetorical questions, little brother.” Sesshoumaru murmured in response.

“Keh.”

“Hn.”

The brothers remained poised to battle, never sparing a look at the other as the figure descended upon them. Sesshoumaru struck first without hesitation or mercy. In a blur of phantom white he flew along side the rider, his body rising in a nimble leap to bring his sword sweeping toward the rider’s torso. All this was done with bored precision. Inuyasha lunged forward as well, refusing to allow his brother the victory of taking down his prey. He swung both his arms and twisted his body away from the stead in a less practiced grace and a more primal beauty.

Both were unmoved as their blades met loudly and forcefully in the center of the headless rider’s body. The force of impact causing both to jar their arms slightly before they separated. Each brother landing a distance and to the side of the horseman.

The black samurai was completely unaffected by either blade. It charged forward and spun its horse around upon the wet soil without a slip. Inuyasha’s eyes widened slightly as he stared at the thing’s chest. There wasn’t any sign that either his or Sesshoumaru’s sword had gone into it. Across from him, Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes as he realized the same. As the rider swung around and charged toward them once more, Sesshoumaru ducked under the arc of his blade and sliced Tokijin’s blade into the horse’s legs. With nothing cut save the air. “They are both apparitions.” He stated thoughtfully.

“Now who’s stating the obvious.” Inuyasha snorted as he leapt away from the horse’s thundering, glinting hooves.

Sesshoumaru spared the hanyou a loathing glare before turning his attention to the more important matter before him. There was a familiarity to the spirit that plagued the daiyoukai’s thoughts but identifying the creature was not his concern. He had little care of spirits; they were left to the monks and priestesses to ponder. What use did a daiyoukai have of a being that refused to leave when it was finished and useless, bemoaning the fate that lead it to death? It seemed a most cowardly act to cling so desperately to their feelings and old useless existence instead of moving onward.

Could this creature be responsible for the affliction which twisted these woods? It seemed unlikely a spirit would cause such damage. It did seem plausible that this unworthy being had caused the humans more fear than it was worth and they had done something to the forest in their attempts to be rid of it. It could be merely a part of the puzzle. But not the cause. There was the added oddity of the trees reaction to it. Perhaps they merely were aware that they could not touch the phantom. The sword it carried, in contrast to its presence here, was intriguing. Lord Sesshoumaru would need to look further into that matter; perhaps the blade was what was drawing the sense of familiarity? But, it could wait until he had obtained his answers.

He pondered if this spirit could actually harm the living. Most could not. The embodied dead Miko who tainted his brother with her ‘love’ not withstanding. He sheathed his blade and turned his back to it. Walking away. Let Inuyasha play with it. The spirit was of no consequence to him and hardly worth his time. Since he was unable to touch it, he assumed it would not be able to touch him.

“Shit!”

Sesshoumaru spared a glance over his wafting fur at his brother, Tetsusaiga’s blade had passed through the apparition’s curious sword to overbalance Inuyasha and send him to the ground. So it would seem he was correct. This ghost could not inflict damage, nor could its sword. Seeing Inuyasha cursing as he rolled to a crouching position and stared at his sword prompted Sesshoumaru to provoke the amusing, infuriating creature. “Inuyasha, cease your playing and heel.”

Inuyasha felt as though his beloved fang had just betrayed him as he leaped away from the horse. It always came through but it couldn’t touch this headless rider. When his brother spoke he glared with heated rage at his elder sibling. “What? The mighty Sesshoumaru is runnin’ away scared from a ghost?” he sneered. Yup, there it was, Sesshoumaru’s back again.

Both brothers were unpleasantly surprised when the headless horseman swung out his armoured fist and slammed it into Inuyasha’s face. The hanyou’s head snapped to the side and he was flung into a tree. Without missing a beat he was back on his feet as the horse’s large black hooves splintered the wood he had been against. Inuyasha twisted and tried a final strike with his sword to have it pass through again. So, the bugger couldn’t be cut, let’s see how he does with a fist. He sheathed the blade at his hip and leapt up, launching himself off a tree to fall fist first right through the apparition again. “What the fuck?! Gah!” He took a hoof to the side of his thigh and it hurt like a bitch! He struggled out of the way and avoided the trees that were now all riled up and grabbing at him again. Fuck. Fuck. Fuckity. Fuck.

As the samurai struck Inuyasha again in the back, Sesshoumaru’s poisoned claws came sailing through it. Followed smoothly behind by the rest of an annoyed Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha just barely avoided being skewered to the tree. The tree did not avoid that impaling fate. As the daiyoukai and hanyou leaped to avoid the tree and the suddenly very sharp blade, the black rider slashed at them with his very solid metal gloves. His booted foot made a sound connection to Sesshoumaru’s head and blood trickled from the daiyoukai’s nose.

Inuyasha stared unnerved. He had never seen Sesshoumaru shed blood except when he had spilled it. Or Naraku got a lucky hit. The sight made him feel oddly queasy. It was wrong. Nothing but him should be strong enough to draw that blood…

Sesshoumaru was losing control of his temper. He could not lay a hit on the creature and yet it could strike them at will. Their swords were useless against it and so were their fists. Since the creature and his stead were not fully spiritual as it could strike them Sesshoumaru had believed he would be able to launch an assault against it when it was solid to strike Inuyasha. It had not worked. Instead, as Inuyasha and he danced around and struggled to find the creature’s weakness they were doing nothing but engaging the carnivorous trees and laying added damage to one another.

“How the hell does it know where we are? It has no head!” Inuyasha roared as he dodged another swing of the creature’s blade and ducked under the lash of Sesshoumaru’s whip. Only to end up having to shatter a branch that tried to impale his leg. All he got as a response was an ominous growl from the bastard.

They danced through the trees. Avoiding the branches as they orbited the horseman and brushed past each other’s attacks. Inuyasha was getting tired and more light-headed as they fought on. But he damn well refused to give up. This sucker had to have a weakness. If it could hit them, they had to be able to hit it. They just needed to find the way! If only the damn trees would leave him alone. Plus, Sesshoumaru’s eyes were starting to get red. Never a good sign.

Without much warning the trees began to fall back though they continued to lash out at the brothers who found themselves at a river. A large covered bridge covered its span and beyond was a dark, sparsely lantern lit village. The houses looked to be in shambles and there was no immediate sign of human activity. What was in working order was the barrier that started at the opposite shore’s edge and hugged around the village.

“My Lord Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha are fighting a monster!” A young voice exclaimed from the village’s edge.

“Inuyasha!” another voice called out with worry. “They’re holding the barrier open for you!”

“Kagome,” He whispered as he focused on getting to the bridge. His friends were there on the other side and he was in need of a rest. He couldn’t touch this thing, he needed to think about it but he and Sesshoumaru were getting pummelled. What was odd was the creep wasn’t using the weird sword he carried to inflict damage. He used more his fists and horse to beat them.

Sesshoumaru had made the same observation regarding the blade in his red state. The horseman was not much of a warrior in truth, he simply had the advantage. His desire to learn more of the sword was growing. His acute hearing had discerned Rin’s sweet voice from the village, and it brought some much required collection to his raging mind. As he dodged and engaged the creature he managed to regain control of himself and suppress the inferno of unquenchable blood-lust that accompanied his temper.

Neither brother would ever retreat from a fight.

But they required more information to properly fight this foe. It was hardly a battle when only one opponent could strike. Sesshouamru was accustomed to having the upper hand of speed and strength, but it was useless against a being he could not touch. He was keenly aware it was herding them toward the village as they drew closer to the covered bridge. Abruptly, amid poisoned claws and bloody crescents, the headless horseman pulled his reigns and the great stallion rose to its hind legs to paw at the air with its front.

The Samurai turned his beast and they thundered back into the thinning trees, the sound of hooves and sight of the lightless being ceased in the stillness of the blood-filled woods.

Inuyasha was panting as he wiped his face with his sleeve to find it smudged with dirt and blood. Shit. He’d never fought anything he couldn’t touch before. How the hell were they going to get rid of it? Miroku and Kagome better be able to do something. This thing wasn’t like any ghost he ever knew of. He paused and stood by the opening of the bridge, glancing at his friends waiting on the other side before looking back at the freaky trees. “Seriously, what is wrong with this place?”

Sesshoumaru was glaring after the creature. His thoughts were along the same as his half-brother. He had found the encounter to be most infuriating. This was indeed not a normal apparition. He must look into the matter of the blade and try to alleviate this nagging familiarity with the way the being held itself. His golden gaze was staring at his extended claws with a frown. In all his life, when things went past what his demeanour, intellect and sword could achieve his claws had never failed him…until now. This was unacceptable.

“Starin’ at em won’t make em work any better,” Inuyasha spat. He didn’t have time to duck as Sesshoumaru punched him solidly in the face and sent him flying through the tunnel of the covered bridge and into the decrepit village with a crash. The sound of his brother’s companions and Jaken’s voice greeted the air-bourn arrival of the hanyou to the village.

Lord Sesshoumaru felt no satisfaction in the act, he knew Inuyasha would sting from the blow for a few moments but no lasting damage was done. It was a strike born of anger and a need to release it on someone. As he had often been for Inuyasha’s verbal attacks. Many of which scared Sesshoumaru in ways no physical blow ever was able. Inuyasha was always a sound choice for such exercises as he was to blame for much of Sesshoumaru’s angst, it often did help to draw his half-brother‘s blood, but this time it did not alleviate his anger at his failure. His cold, half-lidded gaze speared the murky trees with their intensity. This Sesshoumaru required answers.

Now.

---

A/N - I really do find Sesshoumaru’s hair hypnotic as he walks away. I think it’s a ploy of his. An enemy goes to attack him from behind but gets hypnotized by the swaying hair.

Me: Ooooo the shiiinny goes back and forth…back and forth…back…*blink* hey, what happened in that scene?