Sesshoumaru Wept

:::Chapter 2: Sleeping Dogs Lie:::

His heart was beating frantically in his ears, pumping adrenaline-soaked blood through his body and propelling him forward. He was desperate to get away from his pursuer, his nemesis... his brother. He could hear the massive body crashing through the bamboo so very close behind him. He risked looking over his furry shoulder and saw the enraged red eyes of the relentless alpha male just as the larger canine shot forward in an attempt to cut him off. He feinted to the left and then, with his energy fading quickly, surged to the right. He felt the breeze of the failed attack blow through the fur on his tail-tail? The momentary surprise at the realization that he was in his true form was all it took for his brother to regain his bearings and leap. The impact stole the breath from him as they tumbled together through the underbrush, and the blue of the sky and the green of the forest spiraled together, making his stomach lurch. It took some time before he felt himself lying on his back and no longer in motion, the heavier male on top of him stomach-to-stomach.

"Go on!" he barked. "Kill me!"

The older dog gave him a look he couldn't decipher and grabbed him by the throat. He panicked and fought when he felt his brother's unsheathed cock pressing into his furry abdomen.

Of course, you would get off on killing, wouldn't you asshole? he thought bitterly.

His struggles ceased abruptly as the razor sharp fangs squeezed tightly around the tender skin of his neck...


Miroku stared. He couldn't help it. He almost laughed too, but managed to contain it behind a rosary-clad hand. The night of the new moon passed, and he insisted InuYasha sleep before continuing on their quest due to bags the size of Buddha's belly cascading under the poor dog's eyes. So the friends set up camp and watched for danger as the adolescent half-demon-on all fours-circled a particularly inviting patch of grass, then collapsed into a deep sleep. It was the sight of the sleeping dog that had Miroku beginning to associate words like "cute" and "adorable" with his good friend; InuYasha lay on his side with legs and arms twitching as if running in his sleep like a mortal dog would, making the cutest whining puppy noises. Miroku motioned for Sango and Kagome to take a look, shushing them as they approached. It was a rare thing for them to see InuYasha sleeping. His senses were too honed for mere humans to be able to sneak up on him, even if one of those humans was the most powerful miko to be born in many years. The young women's hearts melted at the sight of the iron-willed warrior's vulnerability.

Kagome wanted so badly to touch one of those madly twitching ears for so long, she reached out before she could stop herself. As her hand drew closer, InuYasha sat bolt upright, his red eyes staring directly at her. He snarled and pounced before any of them could react, pinning Kagome under him. She opened her mouth to mutter the cursed word, then shut it quickly after she realized he would crash down onto her. Chaos erupted around them with Miroku and Sango trying in vain to get InuYasha's focus away from the woman under him as his sharp teeth came closer and closer to her jugular. Kirara jumped onto his back and propelled herself off of it, gaining his attention for mere moments only to have it snap back to the miko: something inside of the dog demon viewed this being under him as a threat to his safety and was responding to that threat.

Suddenly, all three demons were alert and staring in the same direction, noses and ears twitching. InuYasha was the first to recover. With a shout of "Sesshoumaru!" he jumped up, grabbed Tessaiga and unleashed the Wind Scar. The roar of the magic discharging from the transformed sword drowned out any other sound around the group. They couldn't tell where he pointed the tip of the sword, so they were at a loss as to which direction to begin attacking. The magic carved out great ruts in the ground, and rocks and trees in the path of the Wind Scar exploded with a deafening fury. Sand and splinters rained onto Miroku and Sango who didn't move fast enough to get out of its way. When all settled and the dust cloud began dissipating, they could see a figure garbed in black walking toward them on the changed landscape.

The first word Kagome thought when she saw the Western Lord was striking-Sesshoumaru was a striking demon, even more so in all black than in white. With his hair in a warlord's braid, his markings stood stark against his pale skin and left no doubts that he was from a highly venomous bloodline. At best, Sesshoumaru was dangerous in Kagome's mind. But this Sesshoumaru they faced was a savage beast, a demon of unfathomable ability; Kagome's spirit froze when she reached out a tentative tendril toward the lord and found the rumblings of a great and terrible power gliding over the dog's skin. His lip was curled in a sneer, and his eyes were the color of hellfire.

Sesshoumaru extended a clawed hand and beckoned. "Come little brother. Come let us see just how powerful you think you are."

"Bastard!" InuYasha howled and launched himself at the full demon. The three humans and two lesser demons scurried to get out of the way as blades clashed, sending out waves of energy and nearly knocking the group off of their feet. Ducking behind a large boulder, Miroku could only look on in horror. Never had the sons of Touga fought so viciously to his knowledge. It was an awe-inspiring sight and beautiful in its animal aggression.

The blows each brother dealt were not pulled in any way that could be seen. InuYasha was a blur, seemingly more agile than the older male, but the few strikes Sesshoumaru landed were solid, knocking the halfling-turned-demon to the ground. InuYasha recovered quickly and continued his assault in earnest. He summoned the Wind Scar once more and sent it ripping through the expanse between them, tearing up the untouched dirt and vegetation. The dog lord barely made it out of the way, and a small piece of his black kimono along with a few hairs from his mokomoko fluttered to the ground.

He snarled at InuYasha and redoubled the strength of his attacks. The force of his blade hitting Tessaiga reverberated through the air, down through each of the swords and numbing their hands with the sheer brutality of each collision. They continued, each testing the other for weaknesses to be exploited and finding none. As he maneuvered himself closer to Sesshoumaru, InuYasha saw an opportunity to contact and took it. Sesshoumaru pulled back, nearly having his head neatly severed from his body by the sharp edge of his sire's own fang. He almost lost the cool veneer usually present on his face, but he managed to hide his surprise well.

Tessaiga narrowly missed his brother's mocking face, and InuYasha growled, bringing the large fang up for another attempt. His swings were as fast as the Western Lord's but he couldn't seem to get the advantage, even though he was pressing Sesshoumaru back. He almost lost his concentration when he saw which sword his bastard brother was wielding: Tenseiga. With the momentary lapse, Sesshoumaru slipped in and swung, the blade stationary against InuYasha's neck. Red eyes locked onto each other. The elder flicked the wrist holding Tenseiga, and InuYasha actually felt the blade cut into his cheek. In shock, he hesitantly touched his face and drew back thick blood. He could think of nothing to say, so disturbing and unreal was this use of the healing sword. In the distance, he could hear Kagome scream his name into the pregnant silence.

"Your bitch calls you, half-breed," Sesshoumaru taunted.

"Not my bitch, though she thinks she is," InuYasha stated and hooked a hand around the subjugation beads. "She will try to interfere."

Sesshoumaru nodded once and moved to stand in front of Kagome. He moved quickly, appeared out of nowhere to human perception, and Kagome screamed. He lifted her easily with his moko so she was face to face with him, and he ran his hand over her throat. She began coughing and small, innumerable pinpoints of light exited her mouth with each gasping breath. They collected into a swarm above her head, and there they remained. He dropped her unceremoniously and picked up the fight once more. Sango was by her side immediately.

"Kagome! Are you alright?" she asked, holding onto the younger girl. Kagome opened her mouth and nothing came out.

"What the hell did he do?" Miroku said more to himself. He took Kagome's face in hand and was just beginning to examine her spirit when the air pressure dropped. Miroku and Kagome exchanged a look when the breeze began.

"Oh shit," he whispered. "Get out of here! Now!"

Kirara transformed and the four tried to pile onto her, but couldn't. Miroku slid off and tossed Kagome on.

"I can't just leave you, you idiot!" Sango hissed. Miroku pulled her head down and kissed her.

"You can and you will. I will be fine. Now go before it's too late!" He watched Kirara take to the sky and ride the currents high up out of reach. Convinced they had a chance, Miroku watched the battle through the intensifying wind.

The whole of nature seemed to obey the warlord as he raised Tenseiga over his head, and the wind whipped in a circular motion, creating a tornado around him. Before it closed in, he pierced the ground, and InuYasha nearly dropped Tessaiga to throw his hands over his ears as the earth itself screamed in agony. Several anxiety-ridden moments of silence had passed when it seemed the trees, grass and rocks shuddered, then slowly lost color as their life essences were drained. The gathering energy circled Tenseiga and was drawn into the blade, rendering it an eerie, glowing black. It reflected onto Sesshoumaru's demonic face, and InuYasha recognized something very chilling in his older brother-this male was not a neutral opponent, but utterly evil.

Sesshoumaru drew Tenseiga and threw the black energy directly at InuYasha. It split and became a shadowy Wind Scar, tearing the ground asunder as it clawed its way to the half-breed. With only seconds to react, InuYasha conjured the Backlash Wave and sent it into the oncoming wall. The numerous twisters consumed Sesshoumaru's attack and sliced through the dancing magic, cutting a straight line to the Western Lord. InuYasha was fully prepared for the elder inu to evade the massive attack; he was shocked once more when Sesshoumaru stabbed the fang into the ground and opened his arms wide, as if to embrace the devastating, helter-skelter energies rushing toward him. InuYasha took a step, then another when he saw the fool standing there while his death sped across the decimated landscape. Hands grabbed him, and he was looking at Miroku instead of Sesshoumaru.

"Move!" the monk roared and shoved him out of the way.

InuYasha ran but couldn't keep his eyes from the black-clad figure as the Backlash Wave converged upon him, the sound louder than a thousand thunderclaps. It seemed to echo for an eternity, then stilled, and the dust was thick as mud. Miroku clasped InuYasha to him when the young demon threw his head back and howled in sorrow, his heart breaking within his body. His instincts were urging him to go to his fallen pack mate but found himself held fast by Miroku. And, for a time, he was content to let the monk hold him, staving off the need to deal with Sesshoumaru's brutal demise. InuYasha's head cocked, and his ears perked as a soft whine escaped his chest. Through the dust an answering howl was released, deep and prolonged. As the aftermath settled, the outline of a large dog was visible. When it came into focus, InuYasha was startled by its color. It was black, all of it. Eyes that by all rights should be red were pools of black with no iris, no pupil. InuYasha and Miroku exchanged a glance, and Miroku shrugged, having no idea what just happened.

The black dog began to shift its shape, changing into Sesshoumaru's humanoid form. After the transformation, he fell to his knees, and InuYasha approached him. The demon raised his head, and InuYasha gasped. Gone were the golden eyes of their sire and in their place were black orbs with no end and no beginning. Sesshoumaru hissed at InuYasha's presence but didn't attack as the younger male got closer.

"Sesshoumaru?" he asked quietly. "Are you ok?"

"I am fine, half-breed," he bit out, struggling to stand. It took a couple of attempts before he was solidly on his feet, batting InuYasha's hands out of the way.

"Wh-what was that?" InuYasha asked, relieved to see the familiar burnished gold of Sesshoumaru's eyes once more.

Sesshoumaru took a step toward the boy, who responded by stepping backward into a tree, ears flattened. His body language was subdued, and he knew the pup was frightened of him now... truly frightened. And he should be, a small part of his mind whispered. He could smell the cloying scent of fear coming off of him in waves. InuYasha felt his brother's cool hand lift his chin to look into his eyes. The intensity in Sesshoumaru's gaze had InuYasha wanting to run and hide, tail tucked between his legs. His gaze was searching for something in his own, something he himself wasn't aware of. A muscle in the lord's jaw twitched, and he nodded imperceptibly.

"It does not concern you, pup," he said softly. He let the boy's chin go and was about to turn away when InuYasha reached out to touch the side of his face.

"You're bleeding," he said, holding his hand out for Sesshoumaru to see.

He nodded and took InuYasha's hand in his own, wiping the blood from it. He walked away and retrieved Tenseiga, cleaning the blade on his kimono before sheathing it. With a soul-deep sigh, he began his journey once again, leaving behind his brother and makeshift pack without a second glance. There were many miles to go before he could rest this day.


The muted blast rocked her workroom yet again. She had fortified her section of the Grand Palace to prevent the tremors from shattering her innumerable crystal balls, perched like carrion birds on their stalagmite bases. Her black wings unfurled a bit from where they lay on her back in nervous anticipation of the next hit. She muttered to herself about fools and their pride as small clouds of dirt fell from her ceiling as the room rocked again. Footsteps approached the door to her room, and before the expected guest could knock, she had the door open.

"Welcome, Anubis."

The large jackal-god nodded and stepped into the darkened room. The scent of incense-patchouli, sandalwood, jasmine-engulfed his senses, along with the prayers of their devoted followers. It was a balm to his bruised ego.

"For what reason have you made your way into my domain?" she asked, turning her blind eyes back to the smooth crystal.

"I have come to ask you if you have seen the end of this trial. Is it even in sight, Ma'at?" Anubis asked, his voice weary.

"You have always had the power to end this. However, if you are asking if Touga's son will ever concede, that is in his own hands. From what I have seen, I would hazard to say the pup will die before doing so."

"Have you seen what they did to my face?" Anubis growled, indicating the diagonal line of scars across his once-flawless face.

Ma'at rounded on him. "I saw it when it happened. And I think it so much less than what you did to them."

Anubis held his hands up and knelt to show his submission to the Goddess of Universal Balance. Unblinking, she stared directly at him. The black Eye of Horus around her left eye allowed no question as to who the beloved above all gods and goddesses was.

"I give you no support in this, Anubis," Ma'at said softly. "I advise you to fix it before it becomes more of a problem than it already is."

Anubis departed abruptly, and Ma'at sighed. She glanced at the crystal ball which displayed an angry InuYasha and Sesshoumaru, fighting bitterly. The next ball held the image of InuYasha impaled upon Toukijin and a maniacal grin on Sesshoumaru's face. Yet another one showed the red-clad warrior beheading the Western Lord in his sleep. She shook her head. So many possibilities, so many different worlds, and not a one of them had such potential as the one Anubis had chosen to interfere with.

"Sesshoumaru," she whispered, touching the largest ball in her room. A vision of the lord appeared. He was dressed in black and standing once again in the place where the whole mess began.

"Once in so many lifetimes, you choose to do what is right," she said to her empty room, "and this is how it ends. I am so sorry, young one."


That evening in Kaede's village, InuYasha picked at the cup 'o noodles Kagome prepared for him. While he appeared calm, his mind was frantically trying to figure out what the hell happened with Sesshoumaru. Never in his hundred fifty and some odd years had he seen or heard about what happened during the daylight hours. If it happened at night, he would swear it had been his own eyesight failing. He jabbed the plastic chopsticks into the mass of instant noodles and gingerly touched his cheek where Tenseiga sliced him open. Of course it was physically healed, but the internal scar would remain until he breathed his last. That sword should never have cut him, even with Sesshoumaru at the height of fury. When InuYasha came out of his reverie, the air was tense, and Miroku and Kagome were glaring at each other.

"It was just an idea," Kagome spat.

"It's a bad idea," Miroku countered, scowling.

"Whatever that thing was today was not Sesshoumaru," she continued. "We need information on it. We need to know what we're up against."

"Agreed, but asking Kikyou is not the answer-"

"Why not?" Kagome asked, sitting up. "She could have information-"

"Quiet!" InuYasha barked, and all mouths were shut, all eyes on him. He took a deep breath and handed his food to Shippou, who took it with a measure of trepidation.

"I have no other ideas, so I'll go find her," he said and disappeared into the inky night.


Moonlight, white and pure, filtered through the tangled branches of the trees as InuYasha made his way to the last place he saw the dead miko. The dense underbrush made it difficult to push through but he didn't want to soar through the treetops at this time of night. Nocturnal flying youkai were out, and he could hear a predator coming through the bushes better than one swooping down from above. He muttered a curse as a supple branch left a stinging welt across his face, even as he tripped on a protruding log. Catching himself, he went to brush the leg of his hakama off and wound up falling onto his face.

"Dammit," he muttered without getting up. "Just like a damned 'sit'."

He took a deep breath and let it out. He was about to sit up when something shiny entangled in the layers of dead vegetation caught his attention. He reached out and with his first attempt, could not get it out. Must've been here awhile, he figured. He cut the stringy vines with his claws and managed to work enough of it away to see what could be a picture frame of some sort. He continued digging at its natural cage until he could start making out figures. InuYasha tugged at it until he felt it give and come free. It was a painting. Or what remained of it. He was suddenly compelled to know what this was about and took his sleeve to wipe the years of grime off of the canvas, his heart sticking in his throat when it was revealed.

It was his brother as a young pup. In the background, he could just make out what InuYasha assumed was Sesshoumaru's mother, due to the matching moon on her forehead. To the far right was the beginning of what he assumed was his father, two mokomoko trailing around the front and down, out of the picture. The top of the canvas was charred, as if it had caught fire and then put out. His father's head was missing because of it. But what made him feel sick was the second female he could make out. Izayoi-his own mother. But... why? Wasn't the bastard angry with him because Izayoi seduced their father from his mother? At least in part? Isn't that what the elder brother had told him? If Izayoi was in a painting with Sesshoumaru and his mother, they would have to get along for a short period of time to have it done. And the family portrait (for that is what it was) probably wasn't completed in just one sitting.

A thousand questions saturated InuYasha's mind. He looked up, his eyes scanning the young forest around him for any clue why this burnt painting was in the middle of nowhere. The longer he stared, the more house-like some of the features around him became. Over there, where a wall of ivy seemed to be, took the shape of a tall outside wall. And the thick, dead trees around him could easily be support beams for a roof. He set the painting down carefully and explored the area, discovering tantalizing evidence of what was enshrouded in the forest centuries before. A scrap of silk here, a fragment of pottery there, and wherever he disturbed the age-old plant life, the barest hint of smoke and fire emerged.

The faint undercurrent of a familiar aura brushed against his. He lifted his nose and sure enough, Sesshoumaru's thunderstorm-and-rainwater scent was in the air. He bound up what he knew now was an ancient wall and scanned the area for him. In a clearing that appeared to be well cared for, the Lord of the Western Lands stood staring into the distance. Never had InuYasha been able to get this close without the elder making some rude comment or pulling his sword, and to see his powerful brother's profile almost brought tears to the young half-breed's eyes. This alpha male, his pack mate, was so beautiful. The light from the moon only enriched the color of the dog's facial marks, and created a glittering silver rope out of his still braided hair. However, the look in Sesshoumaru's eyes he had never been on the receiving end of either, and it gave him chills. The outright malice in his expression was enough to freeze the fires of hell, and InuYasha found himself thankful that, for once, his brother's ire wasn't directed at him.

InuYasha dropped down silently on the other side of the partially destroyed wall. He poked around, seeing if there were more treasures of his sire's past he could unearth. He yawned after a time, still tired from the events of the last day and a half. Kagome would be wondering what happened to him, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He needed to know what this place was about, so he curled up to rest until Sesshoumaru finished whatever task he was working on.



He was snatched from sleep by a soul-piercing whine. He oriented himself quickly and saw Sesshoumaru turn to him, streaks of blood running down his face from the corners of his eyes and nose. The lord seemed to recognize him for a moment, even took a step toward him with one hand about to reach out. But golden eyes rolled up into his head, and he crumpled to the ground in a heap. InuYasha's body was on its way to his fallen brother, but then his mind stopped him. What the hell has he done for me?Serves him right, the thought came. InuYasha was about to leave when the shimmering figure of a large white dog appeared next to Sesshoumaru's body. Its crests were identical to his own when his demon came out.

"F-Father?" he whispered.

The dog howled mournfully and stuck its muzzle under Sesshoumaru's arm, nudging it gently. Then it looked back at InuYasha.

"I can't! I can't help him! He would kill me if I put my tainted hands on him!" he explained to the see-through dog. His explanation only seemed to sadden the dog. It lay next to Sesshoumaru and put its head on the lord's hip, a forlorn expression on its face. InuYasha huffed, crossed his arms and turned his back on them both. If he helped Sesshoumaru back to Kaede's village, there was no telling what destruction he would wreak after he learned what happened. His brows furrowed. But could he really deny his father any request? His shoulders slumped.

"Alright. But if he's mad at me for this, I'm blaming you," InuYasha said to what he assumed was his sire's ghost form.

The dog leapt up, tongue and tail wagging as InuYasha approached Sesshoumaru's unmoving form warily, as if the lord was only waiting for the half-breed to get close enough to kill. He touched the black-clad arm and withdrew his hand quickly. When the dangerous dog didn't react, he slid a hand under the large frame and attempted to pull the body into a sitting position. As soon as he lifted, Sesshoumaru groaned in pain and opened red eyes. He tried snarling at the cause of the aching muscles and joints but passed out from the extreme discomfort. InuYasha gave a pointed look to the ghost dog before he slid his arms under Sesshoumaru and hefted him into a cradle hold.

"Release my Most Honored Lord you vile half-breed!" came Jakken's high-pitched screech, startling InuYasha so he nearly dropped Sesshoumaru. The female face of the Staff of Two Heads came barreling toward InuYasha, and he twisted his body so it hit his shoulder, rather than Sesshoumaru's head.

"Ow! Shut your mouth, you little shit!" InuYasha said and kicked the toad. "And stop swinging that thing before you kill him!"

Jakken paused in his attack, the energy seeming to drain out of the small, green body. "I need to take him back to the West."

"No. I am going to take him to Kaede's. He'll get help sooner there."

Jakken nodded. He pursed his beak-like mouth and whistled. Ah-Un ambled out of the forest and stopped in front of InuYasha.

"Take Ah-Un and get help. I shall follow as quickly as I can," Jakken said, the usual disdain strangely absent from his voice. InuYasha maneuvered himself and Sesshoumaru onto the dragon-horse's back, bracing them both on the saddle. It took off into the sky when InuYasha indicated they were ready.

Jakken watched as they grew smaller, then disappeared on the horizon. He turned and bowed deeply to the ghost dog.

"My Lord, I apologize for not reporting sooner..."