Past Lives, Current Conflictions

Chapter 7: The International Cultural Festival... of DOOM!

This isn’t as bad as you think it might... be... InuTaishou Takahashi chanted to himself as he backed out of his eldest son’s room, eye twitching madly before quickly pivoting to the left and scurrying down the hallway to check in on his youngest son’s progress in the ‘fashion’ department.

It was the day of the International Cultural Festival and... so far, everything was NOT going according to plan.

InuTaishou had been merrily whistling his way down to the hallway when he decided to see how his sons looked in their festival getups. The first room he went to was Sesshomaru’s. Knocking politely three times against the thick oak earned him a “Go away,” which, obviously, translated to, ‘Sure, Dad, come on in!’ in InuTaishou’s mind.

And upon walking in on his eldest son he saw a sight that was sure to send him into fits of giggles later on in life, when his sons would certainly put him in a nursing home, under tight security and or a loony bin complete with non-optional body constraints.

However, he held tight to the wailing chuckles that threatened to erupt from deep within his belly. Instead, he allowed his eye to twitch a bit at the spectacle before him (in hopes that it would somehow delude his bubbling laughter), backed away, out of the room and ran down the corridor, bursting into his youngest son’s room, unannounced... only to stop dead in his tracks.

I will not laugh... I will not laugh... I really don’t want my spleen ripped out by my own spawn... InuTaishou chanted, knowing the sure outcome if he were to let his humor get the best of him now. No, instead he let his other eye twitch (which was kind of weird looking, like he had something in either eye and was trying to blink it out rapidly), walked calmly out of the room, back down the hallway, and into Sesshomaru’s room.

“Father, what on earth are you-?” Sesshomaru began, adjusting the old garments he was in and trailing off as soon as he saw his father shutting the door behind him.

“Take your clothes off.”

Sesshomaru just stared, mouth agape and left eye twitching (and not in the ‘I’m about to laugh’ kind of way InuTaishou’s was).

“Come again?” Surely he’d heard his father wrong... right?

“Take your clothes off.”

Or not.

“Excuse me?” Sesshomaru tried again.

“For the love of-! Just take that off, you’re not supposed to be wearing that outfit! It looks ridiculous on you!” InuTaishou grumbled, walking forward, completely intent on helping his son out of his clothes if he didn’t change soon.

“But-! Hey, stop it! I can undress myself, you know!” Sesshomaru declared, snipping at his father.

“Then get to it!” InuTaishou barked back.

“Why do I have to change? I like this one.”

“It’s not your color,” was InuTaishou’s immediate response, face as straight as he could make it.

“I happen to look good in all colors,” Sesshomaru snapped, not liking the fact that he couldn’t wear what he had originally picked out for a festival that he didn’t even want to go to in the first place.

“I’m sure you do, but it barely fits you as it is. Take. It. Off. I have a better one for you.”

“But-!”

InuTaishou took a threatening step forward, physically telling his son that, yes, he would strip him naked like he did when Sesshomaru was younger and didn’t want a bath so the little youkai would layer up in as many clothes as he could (which always resulted in him either getting stripped naked and dumped in the tub, or... well, in all those layers of clothes and dumped in the tub regardless).

“Fine! Just, get out!”

InuTaishou nodded, completely pacified, for the moment, that his son would heed his demand. He quickly headed over to Inuyasha’s room and declared the same thing. Only to get a mouth full of dirty clothes.

“No! I like this one!” was the teenager’s rather dramatic response.

“It’s too big for you! Besides, white isn’t your color!” InuTaishou growled, currently trying to pull each article of clothing off of his youngest son.

“I happen to like white!” came the somewhat similar response. It truly was amazing how alike Sesshomaru and he were sometimes... to the point of a huge migraine.

“It’s too big, Inuyasha, just take it off, I have a better option for you. Do it or I’ll make you Sesshomaru’s slave for a week!” InuTaishou threatened.

Inuyasha froze. Oh hell.

“FINE! GET OUT!” Inuyasha yelled, and then proceeded to grumble as he picked off each piece of cloth. “Stupid, psycho parent! Should be locked up in a loony bin or… euthanized! Do they offer euthanasia at nursing homes?”

InuTaishou rolled his eyes as he shut the door, pacing back and forth until Inuyasha relented a heap of clothing into the hallway, at which point he promptly transported to Sesshomaru’s room.

“Here, put these on instead. I think you’d look good in white, and look! It even has some red in it!” InuTaishou said cheerily.

Sesshomaru just glared but gave in, handing his father the folded outfit he had removed from his person earlier.

InuTaishou quickly scooped up the clothing and dashed over to Inuyasha’s room.

“Here, put this on. You’ll look good in all red!”

“Keh. I hope you know by the time I’m 21 I’ll have made euthanasia legal for out of control parents!” Inuyasha threatened, grabbing the clothes and slamming the door in his father’s face.

“Well, that hurts,” InuTaishou said to the door dryly. His pacing continued until Sesshomaru’s door opened, signaling his father that he was dressed.

“So, how’s it look? I’m sure you look f-fff-f...” InuTaishou trailed off.

Oh, this was beyond wrong.

“Take that necklace off now!” InuTaishou demanded.

“Should I even ask?” Sesshomaru said, his tone bored and highly annoyed.

“No. No, child in their right mind would ever question the logic of their parent,” InuTaishou responded, holding his hand out.

“I’m not even going to comment on that,” Sesshomaru replied, rolling his eyes and taking the beaded fang necklace off and handing it to his father.

“Thank you. Now, let me look at you... Yes, that looks perfect! Wait... where’s your...?” InuTaishou’s eyes got wide as he did a 180 and ran back to his youngest son’s room, ripping the door open, only to find...

“TAKE THAT OFF!” he cried out. Seriously, he couldn’t take much more of this without losing it!

“I like it though; it feels nice against my skin...” Inuyasha said, rubbing his cheek against the furry shoulder thing that he had on his... shoulder.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! InuTaishou almost cried right then.

The old dog counted to ten and then just stared at his son.

Inuyasha blinked. The message clear in his father’s tone of look.

“FINE! Take the damn thing!” Inuyasha yelled, throwing a heap of furry thing at him.

“Thank you. Now take off your costume and bag it up, you’ll be changing at the festival after your work’s done. I don’t want these outfits ruined; they cost me an arm and a leg,” InuTaishou replied, throwing a beaded fang necklace at his gaping son and then exiting the room. “Not to mention a few years off my life,” he mumbled to himself, walking solemnly back to Sesshomaru’s room, repeating the same thing to his eldest son and then going downstairs to make some coffee... before wailing with laughter that his sons had put on the other’s intended outfit...

He had been so tempted to yell “OSUWARI!!” at Sesshomaru and see if the beads would indeed plant his face in the ground but held himself in check, knowing he’d be looked at even stranger (and legally euthanized even faster by his youngest) than usual. Sure, it was an “inside” joke, but still... they’d know soon enough.

- - -

The smell of funnel cakes and cinnamon candy filled Inuyasha’s nose as the hustle and bustle of the cultural festival took off around him. He had never really like fairs as a little kid, always been jealous that Sesshomaru got more tickets to ride the Zipper than him, but this he liked…this he could deal with.

All around he saw his classmates going from exhibit to exhibit... it seemed they had been the only ones roped into actually helping out. Honestly, he really wondered sometimes if his father had a vendetta against him that he wasn’t aware of. In any case... it was obvious that he at least strongly disliked him. …He always did think Sesshomaru was the favorite.

“...Stupid, haughtily, stuck up bastard,” he mumbled under his breath, obviously not being near as quiet as he intended for Sesshomaru glanced backwards, raising an eyebrow at the random insult shot towards the wind, to which Inuyasha curtly responded with, “Mind yer own business, asshole!” He crossed his arms, starting to like the idea of this culture festival less and less.

When they had arrived their father had curtly told them that they had the responsibility to set up the theatre for the Feudal play set to begin around 6, and they only had till 4 to set up... leaving them little time to do much of anything.

As they got closer to the theater a figure came up from the stage works to greet them, a figure Inuyasha knew only too well.

“Jakotsu Sensei!” Inuyasha exclaimed, going up to his old English teacher. He really shouldn’t be surprised that the young, dark haired human was here, he had also taught drama at the school when he was still going.

“Ah...” the bubbly teacher exclaimed, obviously elated to catch sight of an old charge. “Inuyasha, are you helping out with the festival?” he asked cheerily, coming out closer so that they were just a breath away, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Sesshomaru’s fist clinch for some unknown reason.

“Yeah, Dad made us...” Inuyasha grumbled, silently motioning over to Sesshomaru who seemed none-too-happy at the moment.

“Oh, and who is this?” Jakotsu asked, giving Sesshomaru the very blatant up and down, to which his brother didn’t even seem to look one bit uncomfortable.

“He’s my bastard of a brother,” Inuyasha quickly replied, scowling when Jakotsu reached out his hand to shake Sesshomaru’s own and his brother did nothing but stare down at the appendage in distaste.

“Stop being an ass, Sesshomaru! Jakotsu-sensei was one of my favorite teachers!” Inuyasha scolded, already pissed enough at his brother to deal with this crap Sesshomaru pulled every time someone was nice to him. He swore that the bastard must just think the thought of someone actually being kind to him was horrible enough to stomp out before he ever had the chance of becoming remotely happy. Apparently he wanted to keep him miserable in all aspects of the word.

This theory was only proved more so by the bastard’s next words. “Oh yes, I can see why he would be your favorite teacher... he does have such a caring nature about him,” Sesshomaru sneered, placing a hand to his chin in thought and then motioning towards the dark haired teacher. “Say, weren’t you fired from the school just a little while ago for looking at porn when you were supposed to be teaching?” Sesshomaru smirked triumphantly while Inuyasha held his face in his hands. “There’s nothing like a young girl going up to ask a question on a test and seeing a guy on the computer screen getting a double headed dildo rammed up his ass, is there, Jakotsu-sensei?” If Inuyasha had a knife right now... he’d seriously consider ramming it through the bastard’s heart.

Inuyasha felt his cheeks redden in embarrassment, and not even wanting to begin to imagine the horrified look that was no doubt on the dark haired male’s face, he chanced a glance over... and surprisingly, the teacher didn’t look one bit miffed by the comment.

“Yes, well, unfortunately there weren’t any good pictures of your brother on there, so the guy getting fucked by the double headed dildo had to do instead.”

Inuyasha’s eyes widened to saucers, positively amazed that his former teacher had said all of that so good naturedly and with a straight face... Sesshomaru, however, had a different reaction entirely.

A low, possessive growl escaped the youkai’s throat, and Inuyasha felt two arms grip his hips in an almost painful manner as Sesshomaru got behind him, using his superior height to try to intimidate the person who had dared make such a remark.

“Do you talk to all your students this way, sensei?” Sesshomaru asked through tightly clenched teeth, and Inuyasha was seriously trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with him. He especially began to wonder as the grip on his hip bones got tighter the closer and closer Jakotsu got to where they were standing.

“Why, no, I don’t,” the teacher replied, reaching out, and to Inuyasha’s great surprise, actually slightly stroking his cheek. “But then again, as you so carefully pointed out, Inuyasha is no longer my student, and so I can talk to him however I want... if the situation arises.”

“Well it hasn’t,” Sesshomaru snapped back, grabbing the back of Inuyasha’s arm and pulling him around so fast that he bumped into the elder’s chest. “Let’s go, Inuyasha, we’ve got work to do.”

Angered, Inuyasha pulled away, trying to rip his arms out of the other’s grasp to no avail. “Fuck off, yeh bastard... he hasn’t even told us what we need to do yet!” Obviously not liking the concept, Sesshomaru took in a deep breath, still keeping hold of the hanyou’s wrist and sending little electric shocks up and down his wrist as he squeezed so tight he began to cut off the circulation.

“Well?” the inu youkai asked the teacher, obviously trying to convey through one word everything he was trying to say... and knowing Sesshomaru, the hanyou was sure it went along the lines of ‘Tell me what I want to know or I swear to God I will hurt you,’ ...anyways that’s usually how Sesshomaru’s stuck up one word questions went when they were addressed to him.

Jakotsu smirked at the youkai’s obvious frustration, and then, finally taking pity on him, pointed towards the stage. “All the props will need to be set up…and I’m afraid the other’s who were assigned to help were…held up.” Both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru narrowed their eyes at that prospect. It wasn’t bad enough that their father made them come all the way out here, but now they had to do all the work by themselves!

Inuyasha didn’t even notice the annoyed growl escape his throat until the amused laugh Jakotsu gave him followed it. “Oh don’t worry, boys…it shouldn’t take very long, and once you’re done the area should be pretty empty and you can feel free to loiter afterwards and spend some quality time together.” Inuyasha gave a snort of laughter at that and once again he felt the grip on his wrist from Sesshomaru tighten. The grip became almost unbearable at the next line the feisty teacher found the need to utter.

“And if you’re bored, Inuyasha, I wouldn’t mind some quality time with you either.” Jakotsu purposefully licked his lips, adding, “To catch up on old times, of course,” as an afterthought.

“Yes, well we must be going,” Sesshomaru hissed. “Things to do…murders to plan…the usual.” Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at that, but he never got a chance to ask Sesshomaru just what he meant by the odd comment because he was pulled by his now practically broken wrist towards the stage... having to listen to Sesshomaru mumble something about freak convenient accidents the entire way.

The rest of the time had been pretty silent after that, the deep suffocating air the only thing to symbolize that something was wrong…well that and the fervent looks of hatred Sesshomaru kept shooting him every time he thought he wasn’t looking. Oh, who was he kidding? He shot them even when he thought he was. Inuyasha knew that the entire thing had gone too far when he asked Sesshomaru where he thought the tree should go, and instead of answering like any normal sane person would he walked right over to him, ripped the tree from his clutches, broke it in half, and told him he could stick it up his ass!

“What the hell is your problem... are you going through guy PMS or something!?” Inuyasha growled, finally tired of whatever tantrum his stuck-up, asshole of a brother seemed to be throwing. Honestly, the last time Sesshomaru had thrown this big of a silent fit Inuyasha had come home to find him curled up around his pillow…to which he of course denied later.

Slamming the fake well down where it was supposed to go, Sesshomaaru turned cold hatred filled eyes towards the younger, obviously not liking at all being called out on his tantrum. “Well, Inuyasha, seeing as how you’re always the one complaining about this and that, I’d say the one PMSing here is you!”

Inuyasha gave a manly gasp, cursing his brother with an “Asshole,” and then flipped his the older one the bird... it was really the only thing he could think of at that precise moment; he never was very good on his toes, so to speak.

Sesshomaru snorted in irritation, putting on the ‘holier than thou’ mask he always seemed to flaunt while around his younger brother. “Oh... real original, Inuyasha,” he taunted. “Why don’t you call me a bastard while you’re at it and walk away in a huff…cause God knows I haven’t been called that one before,” he snapped. “And while you’re at that why don’t you go whore yourself out to anything that moves... it seems to be what you’re best at.”

Given the amount of insults in that last statement it took Inuyasha a while to process it, but as soon as he realized just what had happened his eyes narrowed in absolute fury and walking over to his brother and staring him... up (as opposed to Sesshomaru’s staring him down with his superior height).

Narrowing his eyes dangerously, Inuyasha said through clenched fangs, “What was that, you fucker?! I dare you to say it again!!”

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow, not believing he was about to indulge his little brother’s temper tantrum with more ammo.

“Whore,” was his deadpanned response.

Inuyasha’s hair stood on end at the blatant challenge, gasping out his best comeback of, “I am NOT a whore! You… You slut!!”

Sesshomaru’s other eyebrow rose. “A slut?”

Ah ha! Inuyasha had pulled a hair... or struck a chord... or whatever! The point was that he had hit a nerve in the cold, pain in the ass, youkai before him.

“Yeah! That’s right! You heard me! You’re a slut! What with you not wearing any underwear and all!!” Inuyasha said, his face smug at such a clever comeback.

Sesshomaru blew out a puff of air. His little brother really was a moron.

“And how exactly do you know I’m not wearing any underwear today, Inuyasha?” the older demon pressed, mouth puckering in anticipation of a certain sputtering that was sure to happen very soon...

“I-I!! That is-!! N-Not t-today! I meant... well all the other times you more than likely... went c-commando!!” was the barrage of fumbled words.

“Does my not wearing underwear bother you so much?” Sesshomaru asked, a knowing smirk lighting his face.

“Yes! I mean, NO! No! Why the hell would I care if you walk around with your dick dangling about in the pants you occasionally give me as hand-me-downs!” Inuyasha freaked, hands waving about. Oh God... the flailing hanyou thought. We’ve actually bumped uglies through secondhand contact!!

Something in Sesshomaru tingled through his body at the frantic sight his brother was presenting... something in him wanted to hold the hanyou... calm him and touch away anything that could have possibly been bothering him.

However, he attempted to smash that feeling’s brains out once he caught up with himself. Adding, just for good measure, “You can be such a little bitch,” in Inuyasha’s direction before kicking a few props into their respective places.

“Who you calling a bitch?!” Inuyasha sputtered at him immediately, taking a few steps (that really were intimidating) towards his brother, hitting him in a finely muscled chest, finishing lamely with, “You... you... bitch!”

And before the hanyou knew it Sesshomaru had grabbed the offending arm, twisting it while using the leverage he got from the position to pull him in so that they were chest to chest... nose to nose. “If you don’t want to be labeled as such, then I suggest you stop acting the part.”

Inuyasha squirmed in the grip, brushing against his brother’s hard, well toned chest in the process. “Let go,” he stated firmly, not wanting to be anywhere near the asshole right now, because he knew that if he was he might do something stupid like haul off and punch him in the face. And if he punched him in the face they’d probably end up wrestling again, and remembering what had happened last time... Well, he really didn’t want to go down that road again. Honestly, he couldn’t even look at that shower the same way anymore!

Though that small fact really failed to be an issue when he felt an arm snake around his body, only to come to rest on the small of his back. No, all that matter was how a clawed hand scratched lightly at his skin, making a shiver crawl up his spine as he turned his eyes to look up into Sesshomaru’s own. He wasn’t exactly sure that he liked what he saw either... because his brother’s usually bright, golden eyes seemed way too far away for his liking... well that and they seemed to be practically brimming with a jealous sort of lust.

“Sesshomaru, let go,” he tried again, a little more desperate this time when that hand slipped under his shirt, crawling up his bare back and making Inuyasha become almost dizzy with the sensation.

No, they couldn’t do this! It was wrong (even if it did feel really, really good-!! No!)! They were brothers, and for God’s sake they were at a public festival, out in the open for anyone who cared to look to see.

Pushing against his restraints, Inuyasha tried once again, letting all his fear and desperation fill his voice. “Sesshomaru, let me go!” he practically screamed, not above begging as the confusion once more settled into his brain.

His desperate cry must have triggered something somewhere in Sesshomaru’s cloudy head, for the next moment the hand making trails up his skin retreated, and he was quickly let out of the hold he had over him.

“I’m going to go get ready,” Sesshomaru said hurriedly, and it was only after further examination that Inuyasha realized he was blushing. “I suggest you do the same. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can get back to our lives and out of each other’s hair.” With that Sesshomaru took off behind the stage to no doubt go change, leaving Inuyasha standing there dumbfounded, trying to figure out just what the hell had happened.

Ah, fuck it. There was no making sense out of any of the things Sesshomaru did, Inuyasha instantly decided forlornly.

Sighing with the sad knowledge of such a fact, Inuyasha positioned another prop up on the stage, humming a frustrated tune, complete with censor points, which he blatantly ignored by this point, and continued cursing his little heart out as he flung a cardboard carbon copy of some dead, female corpse off to the side against a tree.

Hmm. Well, if that bastard was going to change, he might as well, too. Heh, and, knowing Sesshomaru, he’d more than likely take his sweet time so Inuyasha would be stuck doing the rest of the work, which, really only consisted of a few things here and there.

Heading to the bathroom just beyond the stage area, Inuyasha set upon the awful task of putting his body into something that really was ancient beyond all recognition (alright, now he was just making shit up in his head).

He was definitely NOT looking forward to doing the rest of the work by himself... Lazy asshole... Inuyasha grumbled.

- - -

Sesshomaru took his time getting ready, more so because he couldn’t figure out which part of his body went through what opening of the odd clothing. He had been surprised when, earlier, he had put it on effortlessly, as if he’d done it a thousand times over, but now, that he was concentrating on how to put it on... he couldn’t. He’d ended up putting his head through either of the large sleeves at least three times now...

Finally, after about twenty-three minutes of fighting with the Clothes from Hell, the youkai put the finishing touches to his outfit (which included a tangled mess of long, white wig, sloppily done makeup and ridiculous looking elongated nails), before holding his head as high as he could while looking frighteningly enough like a girl. And if anyone made a single comment like that to his face, or even LOOKED like they were thinking it, he’d haul ass and bludgeon them to death with his fluffy (he wasn’t sure what the hell t was called)!

But that was really the least of his worries. The real thing that was concerning right now was the fact that earlier he had felt as if... as if that bastard was going to take over for minute, what with the way he almost proceeded to grope his little brother in the very public proximity of the school’s theatre. He had felt that same tug on his conscious that he had back when they had wrestled in the living room the other day. It was overpowering to the point where his focus would go in and out and all he could think about... all he wanted to feel... all he wanted to do was be with Inuyasha... in a way a brother really shouldn’t want to be with their sibling. He couldn’t help but feel guilty... especially at having felt so excited by the possible prospect...

But if HE did decide to come out... Well, Sesshomaru wasn’t very sure how much longer he would be able to hold his own against the ancient demon. At least today... today, for some reason his resources, let alone his very will power, seemed to be stretched paper thin... and if that bastard decided to push a little harder against the meager barrier he had tried to erect within his mind then there was absolutely no way to stop him from emerging uninvited, and definitely no way to protect and warn Inuyasha... especially since they were in the very public place of his old school.

Sesshomaru scowled as he entered the stage area from the left side’s dressing rooms. God, he had loathed high school back then, but now... now it seemed to be even worse, what with it being overrun by perverted adults... He couldn’t keep a growl from rumbling past his throat at the absolute arrogance of the man he had been introduced to as Inuyasha’s previous teacher... insinuating what he had about a previous charge of his... about HIS little brother...

Speaking of said little brother...

Looking up, Sesshomaru caught sight of the outfit he had wanted to wear today draped over Inuyasha’s slightly shorter form. It did seem to suit the hanyou better than him, though he’d never admit it, cause he looked good in everything, but still... from the back he looked... pretty good...

Sesshomaru paused in his progress, tilting his head to consider a few things, only to be snapped out of his trance a second later by a cry of frustration.

“DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!!”

The youkai’s attention turned to the wailing half-demon before him. Apparently Inuyasha had miscalculated the descent of the hammer in his right hand to the nail in his left. That really... had to hurt.

For a moment, and only a very brief moment, like two seconds really, Sesshomaru felt the urge to go to the sobbing, cursing hanyou and lick the battle wound better... but then he realized that Inuyasha might construe that as him actually caring... which he didn’t. He just hated when the damn brat whinned so much...

So, the next plan of action (aside from running to his brother and offering to hold the ladder he was on top of steady so he didn’t fall on his fat head), was to insult the brazen beast.

“It’s crooked, you idiot!” he snapped, continuing his trek forward. The next second he heard a very predictable growl emit from his very predictable little brother.

“No, it’s not! The only thing CROOKED around here is YOU!!” came the anticipated insult.

“Feh, this is tedious, little brother, you don’t’ even know what you’re-“

However within the blink of an eye (well, more like two blinks of two separate pairs of eyes), Inuyasha’s head snapped to the side from his place upon the wobbly ladder, a smartass comment ready to slide between his lips and lash off his tongue in his brothers direction, when the hanyou paused in mid-expletive, eyes widening a bit at the sight his brother was before him, and making the foolish mistake of thinking he was actually on the ground and not ten feet in the air on an old, rickety ladder.

“Watch out!” the older male found himself shouting without conscious thought as Inuyasha turned a little too fast to look at him, unbalanced the ladder and started to fall backwards, towards Sesshomaru’s horrified face.

In the blink of an eye, Sesshomaru raced forward (to catch the ladder of course), arms and body thrusting themselves right below Inuyasha’s direct descent into Hell (also known as a very dirty, who knows WHAT’s happened on here theatre stage).

Inuyasha crashed into Sesshomaru’s body with unforgiving force (though, really, it wasn’t his fault; he blamed gravity and the fact that he had those nachos before they arrived), sending both young men tumbling down upon Hell (aka the theatre stage) in a heap of aching, more than likely bruised, limbs.

“Inuyasha?” he rasped, all air practically extracted from his lungs during the initial impact of his brother’s body.

For a few minutes, though, really, it felt longer than that, Sesshomaru was almost positive that Inuyasha had been knocked out by the force of the fall... but then again, his body had taken much of the ground’s beating, so how the hanyou was knocked unconscious and he wasn’t... well, that just wasn’t fair in his mind.

However, the next second Sesshomaru felt breath against his neck, a slight shift of Inuyasha’s legs against... his... legs...

Suddenly he felt a chill run through his body, a thrumming vibrating in his mind... Oh no... No, not now! He couldn’t come out NOW of all times!!

Sesshomaru started to panic, thinking that more than likely the demon inside of him was waking up due to the close proximity he and his brother’s bodies were in... and if that were the case... he needed to remedy that quickly...

“Get off me, you fool!” he snapped. Another ‘thruuuummm’ had Sesshomaru trying to wriggle beneath the hanyou with a flurry of determination (not to mention a little bit of... okay, a lot, of desperation).

“Niquofophr...” came mumbled gibberish.

Instantly Sesshomaru went still.

“In...u...yasha?” he said carefully.

The hanyou in question finally pushed himself up onto his elbows, his lower body still in warm contact with that of the older demon’s.

Sesshomaru’s eyes widened, mouth slightly agape...

...because there on the usually brash, temperamental face of his younger brother... there was a smug look plastered across his features... across his eyes... which were darker... narrower... and only then did Sesshomaru realize that the earlier mumbled ‘gibberish’ had been said in a deeper, rumbling voice... a voice that had an old accent attached to it.

Sesshomaru gulped, not daring to move a single muscle as those golden eyes roved over his body.

“Mmmm,” came a deep hum. “Konnichiwa, Aniki.”

Oh, fuck... he was very much in deep shit...


~ * ~


Chapter end.

Author’s Note: Weren’t expecting that, were you! Hehe, anyway, I'd like to thank my awesome friend, Stina the Wicked, who I co-wrote this chapter with! She's awesome! Go read her fics! Nao!