Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

A Heat to Overcome	By : Sparrowhawk Category: InuYasha > Yaoi - Male/Male > InuYasha/Sessh?maru > InuYasha/Sessh?maru Views: 31291 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 8
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or the associated characters, nor do I make any profit from this fanfic. All other characters not associated with the original manga or anime, however, are mine.

Chapter List
- 14
- 15
- 16
Moonlight Vampiress: I'm so happy you like Suzu that much and that you're able to get the emotion with him. I always love writing about him, partly cause he's my first original character who has that type of personality that's so flirty and fun, and partly because he has so much emotional depth to him. And he makes a really great best friend figure for Sesshomaru, lol, even if Sesshomaru doesn't realize it (; Don't worry, I do plan to find him a match, I just haven't decided on who that match will be. We'll have to see as the story progresses. Glad you liked it and thanks so much for your awesome feedback! Food for the soul (:
Monogurui: Ha ha, that's exactly what I thought when I brought them together. It wasn't planned from the beginning, but when I started writing about Fuyuki I began to think ... hmm, what if he were to meet Bishamon? Lol, that's how a lot of my ideas get started. What if ... Lol, thanks so much for your review!
Vyperbites: Yes, it is definitely hard for Sesshomaru. I don't know, you'll have to decide for yourself whether the developments in this chapter and the next make it better or worse for him. I'll tell you, it's not gonna be easy. Don't know when the pups are coming yet, but I will certainly be thinking about it. So glad you're looking forward to it! Thanks for reviewing (:
Strawberry: I'm so happy you like it and I hope you continue to enjoy it. I won't give away what's gonna happen with Kagome and Kouga, but ... I'll tell you this, I don't do tragedies, so there will be a happy ending. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
startchilds: Well, here's the next update for you. I hope you enjoy it and I'm so excited that you've taken the time to leave a review and to let me know what you think of my story. It's very appreciated (: Thank you!
Now, on to the next chapter!
Warnings for anyone who wants to know: profanity ... um ... cuddling? Lol. A bit of angst. A bit of laughter. A Lot of cute fluffiness! Oh, and a totally badass Suzu! Woo hoo! If you're all okay with that, read on and enjoy!

Chapter Fifteen
First Night: Fighting the Current
Sesshomaru sighed as he set aside the last of the paperwork that had piled up during the week he’d been away searching for his brother and the three days he’d spent being worried and not doing paperwork or writing official documents or answering letters of concern from domestic and foreign dignitaries. He rolled his head, massaging the knots out of his neck with practiced fingers. In so doing his eyes fell on Inuyasha, still sleeping soundly curled up in the middle of his bed. The fox kit had left some hours ago with Tamae to go to his own bed for the night, and Sesshomaru was grateful for the privacy.
He walked over and sat down next to his sibling, noting the cold sweat on the hanyou’s brow. The nightmares had become a nightly occurrence. It would start as mild sweating, whimpering, shifting, but would soon become crying, screaming, and thrashing. It pained his heart in a strange, though not altogether unfamiliar way. He had found his little brother. Found him, rescued him from Michio, and brought him back. Yet … why did he feel as if Inuyasha was still very far away from him?
“Aishiteru.”
What was his ototo dreaming of when he’d said that? One of his miko women perhaps?
His youki thrashed inside him, full of jealousy. He hated these feelings, these … emotions he had successfully locked away since his Lord Father’s death. He was more than content to keep it that way. So why was it when his ototo was involved all his fine tuned control came undone? What was it about the hanyou that riled him up so easily?
Most importantly, who had been in the hanyou’s mind when he’d said that single word that caused so many mixed emotions within him for a plethora of reasons that he could not say exactly how he felt about it?
“You are throwing my entire life into disarray, ototo, yet you do not realize it in the smallest respect. How am I to treat you? I cannot treat you as an enemy. I cannot treat you as a servant. I cannot treat you as a friend or a brother or a lover. What is it you want from me?”
No answer was forthcoming.
Sighing again, Sesshomaru reached out to pet the hanyou’s mane, an action that had become habit during the time when his sibling slept. It was one of the few times Inuyasha ceased to recoil from him. His touch wasn’t welcomed either, of course, since the smaller inu was unconscious, but the indifference of sleep was much preferred to the rejection he felt at any other time—an emotion he was wholly against as he was unused to being rejected, and thus, didn’t know what to do with it except attempt to ignore it.
A whine pierced the near silence of the room. So it begins, Sesshomaru thought, wincing as the pure and heartfelt sound of distress pierced him to his core. It made his hackles rise and threw his protective instincts as an inu youkai into overdrive.
Sometimes he disliked the fact that they had recently become more intimately connected. The bond they shared as blood relatives and pack members made it difficult for the daiyoukai to block out the torrent of feelings Inuyasha was experiencing. Ever since he’d opened himself up to their bond it had been like being squashed between a rock and a hard place as he fought both his own unpredictable bouts of emotion and that of his very emotional little brother. It was tiring work. At the same time, it also allowed him to know when his sibling was frightened or nervous and when something he did made those emotions worsen or made them better.
Tonight, rather than battle the terror of Inuyasha’s nightmare that would eventually wake the hanyou anyway, he gently shook his shoulder, rousing him from sleep. As he had earlier in the day, Inuyasha lashed out at him, but Sesshomaru easily slid backward out of reach.
“Inuyasha,” he called softly. “Calm yourself. It was only a nightmare. You’re safe.”
“Oh Gods,” his baby brother groaned, falling back against the plush pillows of Sesshomaru’s bed and wrapping his arms tightly around himself. His eyes darted wildly around the room, pausing on every small bit of shadow as if something might pop out of them at any moment. “M-M-M—”
“He is not here, Inuyasha. You are safe,” the daiyoukai repeated.
“He was … Oh Gods, he was … on top of me. I couldn’t f-fight him again. I couldn’t fight him. It was happening … all over again and I couldn’t stop him!” Awake or not, he could feel Michio’s hands violating his body, all over him, inside and out. “I’m … gonna be sick.” Bile burned its way up his throat. Muscles weak and shaking uncontrollably, he pulled himself to the edge of the bed and puked over the side. Sesshomaru quickly stepped back out of the way of the splattering mess, nose wrinkled in disgust for the sickly smell. Shivering, Inuyasha wiped his mouth on his arm and buried his face in his hands, sobbing uncontrollably into them. “Why the hell did this happen to me?! Why was I … even born … if all I ever do … is suffer? What’s the point? I should’ve just let you kill me when you last came after Tessaiga.”
“No, little one.”
“You should have just killed me, Sessh!” Inuyasha shouted, eyes red rimmed and puffy. “How can you even stand to look at me after what they did to me?! I’m so dirty. As dirty and tainted as you’ve always said I am. I want to die …”
“No, you don’t,” Sesshomaru disagreed, a little surprised at the vehemence that colored his tone. He sat down on the edge of the bed, fighting with every cell of his being to not reach out to the hanyou, to not embrace him. “Believe me, little one, you would regret it. Death is not the answer. You must live, if only to defy what the slavers have tried to do to you. They want you to despair. If you give in to those thoughts, they win.”
“It hurts …” the younger inu whimpered, “and I’m … I’m scared.”
“I know it hurts, and I know you’re afraid.”
He glowered accusingly. “How do you know?”
“We are connected, you and I. Our souls share a bond. I may not understand all of what you are experiencing, but I can feel it. I know you’ve been hurt and I know how scared you are, but you will overcome it. You will live, and you will triumph over it, just as you have triumphed over so many other obstacles in your life. You will do this because you are strong and I believe in that strength.”
Not knowing what else he could possibly say, Sesshomaru waited patiently for some sort of reply. Then, when none came, waited as the hanyou regained control of himself. He took deep breaths, breathing in through his nose into his diaphragm, holding it for a few counts, and then exhaling it through his mouth. Gradually, his heartbeat returned to a more normal rhythm and the trembling receded. Fear still lingered in the air, but it had lessened.
“Sessh, could you …” he paused to peer up into the demon lord’s eyes and, seeing no evidence of passing judgment on him, continued quietly, “could you help me take another bath? I feel really gross.”
The daiyoukai frowned, not expecting that his fragile sibling would reach out for him first. “I will have to touch you, ototo.”
Inuyasha lowered his eyes and nodded once, a small, barely there bob of the head. “ … I know.”
“Can you walk?”
“Mm … maybe.” He smiled tremulously, a brave façade to mask his apprehension. “I don’t think I’ve ever healed this slow before. Except when you use your poison on me. I guess that’s part of what makes it so frightening. I’ve never met anyone who could put me down and out as easily as you can. Even Naraku couldn’t come close.”
“Your fear is nothing to be ashamed of. It is a natural part of being alive. Fear is a tool of survival.”
“You’re not afraid.”
Sesshomaru inclined his head in acceptance of that fact. “Be that as it may, I am much older than you and have more experience dealing with demons more powerful than myself. Moreover, I did not go through what you did.”
“Y-Yeah, I guess you’re right. So …” he looked up from beneath wet eyelashes, honey hued eyes expectant, “… you gonna help me, or what?”
“Give me your hand,” the daiyoukai directed, holding out his own hand for his sibling.
Inuyasha reluctantly took it. A sharp yelp escaped him when Sesshomaru pulled him off the bed and his knees gave out on him, sending him crashing into the demon lord’s chest. A strong arm wrapped around his back, steadying him. He shuddered. His skin prickled unpleasantly, the sensation rippling down his spine.
“Th-Thanks,” he mumbled breathlessly.
“How did you ever manage to make it into the bathing room yesterday?” Sesshomaru wondered.
“I … dunno. I was pretty desperate.”
“Adrenaline, huh?”
“Adrena … what-a-lin?”
“Adrenaline. Simply speaking, it gives your body an energy boost when you’re frightened or angry.”
“Oh.”
“Come, ototo, put your arm over my shoulders.” He held on firmly when Inuyasha’s legs started to shake. “Slowly,” he cautioned. “Slowly now. There’s no need to rush.”
“Shut up. I’m not a baby, you know.”
“I am well aware of that fact, little one. You are not a baby … but you are still a pup.”
“Asshole. What does that have to do with anything?” Inuyasha muttered as he finally managed to get his legs under him enough to steady himself and sling his arm over his brother’s shoulders.
“Do not pout, Inuyasha. Father called me a pup well past your age. It is a term of endearment.”
Inuyasha grunted, a flush spreading through his cheeks and reddening the insides of his ears. Endearment. He never thought he’d hear such a word from his icy elder brother. Did that mean Sesshomaru really did care about him? Was he … dear to his brother?
“Inuyasha?”
“Hm?” the hanyou murmured, tilting his head slightly down so his ear was closer to his sibling’s mouth, but in doing so keeping his face turned away.
“Are you all right?”
“ … yeah. Why?”
“You’re crying.”
Inuyasha flushed a deeper scarlet and quickly brought his sleeve up to wipe at his eyes. “N-N-Baka, I am not!”
“You are.”
“No, I’m not!”
“You are crying, ototo,” Sesshomaru insisted.
“You’re wrong. I’m not crying!”
“Then what is that moisture in your eyes?”
“Nothing. I ju-just got something in my eyes. Dust! I got dust in my eyes!”
“Dust?” the daiyoukai repeated, both eyebrows raised as he gazed about his immaculate sleeping chambers. “Dust from where, might I ask?”
“F-From the window …”
“The windows are closed, Inuyasha. Tamae closed and locked them when she came to check on your condition while you slept. It would be detrimental to your recovery if you were to catch a chill on top of everything else. Furthermore, the night is still. There is no wind with which to blow dust up into my chambers.”
“W-Whatever. I still wasn’t crying.”
He would deny it to his grave, Sesshomaru realized with some humor. Denying it so fervently when he had woken shivering and shaking and bawling like a child, his little brother was such a contradictory person. To spare the hanyou further embarrassment, the elder inu decided to graciously drop the subject and instead, began to walk them toward his private bath. Inuyasha stumbled along beside him, nearly collapsing every other step. Though Sesshomaru would rather his ototo clearly ask for further assistance from him, he admired the half breed’s stubbornness and inner strength.
Inuyasha, for his part, was glad for the reprieve from talking. It was exhausting trying to focus on talking while his legs were shaking and threatening to fold every two seconds. It would have been damn near impossible to continue their conversation and walk.
By the time they finally made it into the bath chamber and Sesshomaru gently lowered him onto the stool to wipe his body of the sweat that had accumulated on his skin, Inuyasha was thoroughly winded and had no energy with which to protest when the daiyoukai picked up a wash cloth, fetched a basin of warm water, and started to run the cloth over his neck and shoulders.
“S-Sessh …”
“I am not the slavers, Inuyasha,” Sesshomaru said, a low growl rumbling in his chest. “I am not Michio.”
Inuyasha rolled his shoulders, trying to shrug away the dirty feeling Sesshomaru’s administrations were stirring in him. “Keh … I know that.”
“You are shaking, little brother,” the demon lord pointed out.
“Yeah … s-sorry.” He squeezed his eyes shut when the warm, wet cloth passed over his collarbones and chest, but opened them just as quickly, cruel black eyes haunting the blackness behind his eyelids.
“There is nothing to apologize for. You are not the one at fault. We will take this slow. As before, if you feel uncomfortable you may stop me. I will not be angry.”
Inuyasha made no reply, but he didn’t try to stop him either, so Sesshomaru continued to wipe away the sweat that had accumulated while the hanyou slept. He paid particular attention to his sibling’s underarms and back where he was most likely to build up stink from remaining in bed and, generally, in the same position. His superficial wounds had fully healed while he slept, but Inuyasha still winced when Sesshomaru moved his hair aside and rubbed the washcloth over the newly healed skin of his lower back.
“Sessh,” he whispered, a barely heard whine conveying his pain and unease. His body quaked violently, making his teeth chatter though he wasn’t cold. “C-Could you t-t-talk … while you d-do this? I’m still—”
“What would you have me talk about?” Sesshomaru interrupted, sensing his baby brother’s discomfiture. “I am not often given to idle chatter.”
“I … I don’t know. W-What ab-b-bout … th-that scent that was … in y-your room. Who’s was it?”
“If it was unfamiliar to you, then the one you smelled was in all likelihood Suzu. He is a general of my army and assigned to find bodyguards for your person. He came to see if he could speak with you concerning those he deemed fitting, but as you were sleeping and I had no wish to disturb your rest, he took his leave and will return on the morrow.”
“What … k-kind of youkai is he?” Inuyasha wondered, the chattering of his teeth beginning to calm as the daiyoukai talked, his voice—the sound of warmth and family and safety—soothing the panic that being so weak and vulnerable created in him. “I mean … I ain’t n-n-never smelled anything like him b-before.”
Sesshomaru let his lips curl into a small smile at his baby brother’s bad grammar. “Suzu is a peacock youkai, a very rare species of bird youkai in Japan.” He dipped the washcloth back into the basin, wrung it out a little, and then continued to lathe the hanyou’s back until every inch of it was free of sweat. “I do not know how many there truly are, but I have never seen another within the boundaries of the western lands. When you have the … pleasure of meeting him I am certain you will find they are extremely unique creatures.”
“What … like they have … two heads … a-and a huge ass mouth that can swallow you whole?” He flinched when the cloth and, more importantly, Sesshomaru’s hand dipped lower, swiping quickly across his buttocks. The touch was not sexual, not even remotely and, he noticed, his body wasn’t reacting despite the area his brother was touching—unlike the other day. “S-Sorry, but I already met one of ‘em. Killed ‘im, too.” Tamae’s potion really did work, even though he was male. Without the confusing and more than frightening sensations of an uncontrollable heat rampaging through his body, Inuyasha felt he could breathe a little easier. He was in control. No one was going to rape him because he was in heat, and he wasn’t going to let anyone rape him because he was in heat, either. He was in control.
“Nothing like that,” the daiyoukai murmured in response to his little brother’s joking question. Sesshomaru noticed when the smaller inu’s scent became less pained, a little less frightened, a little less distrusting. He ventured a delicate touch of his fingers to the half breed’s shoulder—skin to skin. A miniscule flinch, but that was it. His fear scent didn’t increase. His trembling didn’t worsen. No whines of distress or whispered requests for him to stop. Maybe suppressing his heat was a good thing. “Suzu is quite a beauty, as a matter of fact. Perhaps a beauty on par with this Sesshomaru.”
“Narcissist,” Inuyasha muttered purposefully loud enough for his elder brother to clearly hear.
Finishing wiping down the lower half of his ototo’s body, though skipping over his groin and the most private part of his rear—leaving that for the hanyou to finish himself—Sesshomaru then picked up the basin with the remaining water and dumped it over Inuyasha’s head.
Inuyasha sputtered in shock, not prepared for all the water falling over him, getting in his eyes and mouth and ears, but most of all, not prepared for the playful smirk on his sibling’s face. “Sessh …” he half growled, half coughed, “… that was … mean!”
“Mean, little brother?”
“Yes, mean! You got water in my ears! Do you have any idea how uncomfortable that is?”
“Oh, my apologies. Do excuse the slip. I did not realize it would make you whine so loudly … pup.”
“P-Pup?! You … Y-You are seriously … I don’t even know why … wh-what the … argh!” Inuyasha snarled, shaking his head to clear the water from his ears. “Shit!”
“Very articulate, little brother. You managed to put two one word sentences together. I applaud you.”
“Fuck you, Sessh. Come here!” Forgetting the weakness of his body, he lunged after the daiyoukai, snagged his elder brother’s hakama as he stepped aside to avoid his hand, yanked his feet out from under him, and they both crashed to the floor. Winded, and in more than a little pain, Inuyasha laid there, staring over at his brother who was—and he barely believed it himself—snickering. Unsure how to react to it, Inuyasha huffed and struggled up onto his hands and knees. “Ass.”
Suddenly noticing how he was acting, Sesshomaru quickly sobered. He pulled the petulant hanyou into his lap, then stood and carried him into the bath chamber. Lowering him onto one of the submerged ledges spaced around the edge of the bath, the demon lord then stood back. “Forgive me, ototo. I do not know what possessed me to do that. I will leave you to your bath. Call me if there’s anything you require.” Feeling like a stranger in his own skin, unable to look his confused baby brother in the eyes, he swiftly made his way to the exit.
“Sessh, wait,” Inuyasha called. He wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, but he knew if the daiyoukai walked out, something between them was going to change. And not for the better.
The daiyoukai paused without turning around.
“I-It was … fun. You don’t have to leave.”
Sesshomaru stood there, frozen, staring at the door. Part of him wanted to leave. He knew that part. It was unemotional. It was analytical, and it knew this wasn’t going to work. He did not play the good older brother. He was the killing perfection. He was a daiyoukai and Lord of the West, the most powerful demon in the land. He did not care about half breeds. He did not care about his bastard half brother. Most importantly, he did not lower his pride enough to play like a pup with a hanyou who was unknowingly ruining all that he had worked for, all that he had believed. It was unthinkable. It was insanity!
And yet … he wanted the hanyou there. He had saved him, looked after him, coddled and coaxed him, encouraged him. Sesshomaru, daiyoukai and Lord of the West, most powerful demon in the land, wanted a half breed, wanted his bastard baby brother.
“Sessh?” Inuyasha called, concern edging its way into his voice. He didn’t understand exactly what was happening, but he knew—he knew—he couldn’t let his brother walk out that door. “Sessh, you don’t hafta go.”
“Do I not?”
“No, you don’t. I … I don’t want you to go. Please stay?” Still the daiyoukai didn’t move, neither to go out nor to return to him. “Sessh?” He had to do something. He had to make him stay. He felt tears burning behind his eyes. His chest felt constricted. His voice broke, “Don’t walk out on me again, niisan. Please … I can’t,” he paused, taking a deep breath. It had always been hard for him to bare his emotions. Now he was called upon to do so. Maybe he and Sesshomaru weren’t so different. “I can’t do this without you. I need you.”
“Need?”
“Yes.”
“But … I do not need you,” Sesshomaru murmured, his voice barely loud enough to be heard. He reached for the door handle.
“Sessh, don’t leave!” Inuyasha shouted, lurching toward the edge of the basin. So desperate was he to reach his brother, he slipped on the submerged ledge and tumbled head first into the water. He had always been a good swimmer, but the minute he started moving his arms a sharp pain shot through his ribs and chest and with a gasp, he went under.
Sesshomaru watched, no emotion touching his face as his his baby brother struggled to stay above the water, struggled to just breathe. How pathetic he looked. How weak.
“Lord Sesshomaru, what are you doing?!” Suzu cried, darting past the inert dog demon and diving into the hot water.
He hooked one arm around the half demon’s chest and shoulders and dragged him backward. At the lip of the basin he first pulled himself up onto dry ground. Before he could pull Inuyasha out, though, a magenta striped hand reached down, grasped the younger inu’s arm, and easily lifted him out of the water and out of danger. The young lord moaned, only semi-conscious. He hacked up a mouthful of water, coughs wracking his body, but at least he was breathing. There would be no lasting damage.
Infuriated brown eyes turned accusingly on his Lord and Master who stood above them, staring at his younger brother who laid there piteously, breathing shallow, body shivering. In a blur of motion, Suzu pinned the daiyoukai to the wall, arm pressed up into Lord Sesshomaru’s throat. The demon lord put up no resistance. “What the hell were you thinking?! You save him, you bring him back, and then you almost let him drown!”
“Release me, Suzu,” Sesshomaru ordered.
Suzu’s eyes narrowed. “Your father would be ashamed of you. Your brother needs you.”
“But I do not need him.”
“Perhaps not,” Suzu replied vehemently. “But you do want him. You want him, and you are afraid of that.”
“This Sesshomaru is afraid of nothing.”
“You would watch your brother die to prove that? I know how cruel you can be, my Master, but I never thought you capable of cowardice.” He stepped back, releasing his hold on the stoic daiyoukai. “Get out.”
Sesshomaru straightened his clothes and drew himself up, his powerful youki swirling around him, eyes flashing crimson. “You dare order me?”
“If you do not get out of this room right now, Master, I will finish the job I started so many centuries ago. I was not capable of it then, but I have not been idle in my time here. I am an elite assassin. Born and bred to kill. That will never change. Get. Out.”
Sneering, Sesshomaru turned on his heel and strode out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.
Suzu took a deep breath, calming his racing heart. He had never confronted Lord Sesshomaru like that, and he had no desire whatsoever to do it again. It was beyond terrifying.
He waited a while longer while his pulse slowed and the cold sweat on his neck turned warm and his hands stopped shaking before kneeling back by his young lord’s side. “Lord Inuyasha,” he said softly, lifting the hanyou into his arms. “I hope you will forgive your brother. He is very confused right now.”
Inuyasha’s eyes fluttered weakly. “He … tried to kill me again … didn’t he.”
It wasn’t a question, but Suzu felt an answer was required anyway. “Not directly, but yes. You must understand; he is at war with himself. He is afraid of the changes you are causing to happen within him. He is afraid to admit that he cares for you, and because of that he is not acting rationally.”
A small smile turned up the corners of Inuyasha’s mouth. He laughed, the sound out of place in the aftermath of his brother’s inaction that had almost cost him his life. “And here I thought he wasn’t afraid of anything.”
“Lord Inuyasha … are you afraid of him?”
“Yeah, but not because of what he did. The thought of being killed by him don’t scare me. What scares me is …”
“Being more than brothers?”
Inuyasha nodded, eyes closing tiredly. “Right. Isn’t that stupid?”
Suzu shook his head. “It’s not. You want to trust your older brother, but you find his changing affections for you hard to deal with. I can understand that.”
“I don’t blame him, ya know.”
“Don’t you?” He had heard—through Miroku mostly—that Inuyasha, despite his sharp tongue and rough ways, had a very compassionate and forgiving nature when it came to those he loved or wanted to love. Miroku’s story about the slayer and how she had come to be with their pack being a prime example of that. Even so, he was curious to hear the hanyou’s answer.
“Nah … he didn’t leave till you threatened him after I asked him to stay. He still pulled me out of the water. Bastard’s never been able t’ kill me. I probably woulda tried to kill him sometime, too. I might still try it if he doesn’t apologize. Then we’ll be even.”
Suzu shook his head, laughing with relief. Whatever had been going through his Lord’s mind, it hadn’t damaged their relationship. “I have never quite understood the bond between inu family members. One minute you’ll be at each other’s throats, the next you’ll be sleeping in a puppy pile. Such fascinating creatures.”
“Well, what about you? You’re not exactly a run o’ the mill youkai around here, y’know. If my nose is workin’ right after gettin’ so much water in it, you’re the peacock youkai Sessh was talkin’ about. Suzu, right?”
“That is correct, my Lord.”
“Well, do ya think you can fetch my brother back for me? I’d go get ‘im myself, but I’d probably end up punchin’ him a new face and then pass out in a dead faint.”
“Would you like help back to your bed first?”
“Iie, kekkou desu,” Inuyasha responded with a slow shake of his head. “I’ll wait for Sessh.”
“Very well. Stay next to the water where it’s warm. I’m not sure how long coaxing that obstinate Master of mine will take and I don’t want you catching a chill.”
“Yeah, yeah,” the hanyou grumbled, waving a hand halfheartedly at the bird youkai. “Not like I could move even if I wanted to.”
Smiling to himself, Suzu stood. At least Inuyasha wasn’t beneath reconciling with his sibling. Now if only the elder inu had cooled down sufficiently to listen to reason. He knew his Lord well enough to guess at what he had been thinking while watching his baby brother struggle in the water and so, too, did he understand what had made him pull the hanyou out rather than leave him to his fate. There were times, hard times, when Suzu had gone through similar instances of confusion, where he had warred between himself as a slave and assassin, and himself as a free demon without the need to kill. Change wasn’t easy. It shifted so many things about a person—physically and emotionally. Changed how they reacted to people around them, situations they encountered, and how they dealt with all the new emotions and choices given to them. Suzu knew what it was like. Knowing that, he also knew where his Master had gone.
Sesshomaru didn’t move or look up when he sensed the bird demon’s approach. “Suzu, silent though you indisputably are, you do not mask your presence sufficiently to fool this Sesshomaru.”
Smirking, Suzu slid out of the shadows and went to stand beside his Lord who was sitting with his back against his father’s door. “I have never tried to fool you, Lord. If I did, you wouldn’t have sensed me before I was already in a position to plunge a blade into your heart.”
“Even should you manage to do as you say, Suzu, you are aware you would die in the process?”
The bird youkai nodded, sliding down the wall to sit on the floor. “I am very aware of that fact. In a fair fight, I am no match for you.”
“You came to see if Inuyasha was awake so you could procure bodyguards for him, did you not?”
The former assassin answered patiently. “Yes, but it will keep for another night.”
“Inuyasha … is well?” Sesshomaru inquired, forcing himself to meet his general’s cool gaze.
“He is. He wishes to see you.”
“I would not know … what to say to him.”
“Well, my Lord, sorry is a good start.”
“Then I will speak with him on the morrow,” the daiyoukai decided. That would give his brother a little time to work through whatever anger he had toward him, or so he told himself.
Suzu sighed and gracefully rolled to his feet. “I’m afraid that won’t do. Your brother has refused to leave the bathing room until you return. Considering where he’s laying and the fact that he’s as naked as the day he was born, save those absolutely adorable puppy dog ears,” he grinned when he heard a warning growl from his Master, a protective, possessive type of sound, “and the fact that he’s soaked because of his dip in the deep end of the bath, I would suggest you swallow your pride and go see him before he falls ill. He is quite stubborn, as I am sure you know, and will probably stay there all night waiting for you.”
More than satisfied with his work on the demon lord, Suzu hummed to himself as he walked away, a cheerful bounce in his stride. It wasn’t often he got the better of the Lord of the West, after all. He stopped at the end of the hall. “Seeing as you’ll have your hands full taking care of Lord Inuyasha, I’ll send for a servant to clean up that mess on your floor.”
Sesshomaru didn’t watch the former assassin leave, nor did he sense his presence fade. He was loathe to admit it, but what the bird demon had said about his feelings of fear toward his half breed brother was true. He was not afraid of the ridicule and rumors and derisive whispers behind closed doors that would follow him after he informed the court of his decision to bring Inuyasha into the kingdom as a secondary ruler. Those he had dealt with before. What he feared was the feelings themselves. The tenderness he felt while watching his baby brother. The concern for his wellbeing. While watching the younger inu struggle in the water, while observing the weakness his human blood wrought in him, he should have been disgusted by it. He should have seen it as pitiful and unsightly. And yet, when his ototo slipped and fell into the water his heart had given a nauseating lurch. He froze. Not because he didn’t want to save his sibling, but because fear had frozen his limbs. It was a fear he had never known. A crippling, terrifying emotion that shook him to his core. It took Suzu’s interference for his mind to regain control over his body. And it infuriated him. He had never cared so much. Never let himself care so much. He didn’t need his little brother.
He didn’t need him. But he wanted him. Like a drug. Like an addiction. His control was slipping.
Then he recalled something his Lord Father had once said to him. It hadn’t meant much to him then. He was barely an adult at the time and he had been angry, so angry that the great Inu no Taisho, the man he looked up to above all others, had taken a ningen woman as his mate.
When confronted about it, the dog general had calmly told him thus, “There are times, Sesshomaru, when life tosses us into a strong and swift river. We can choose to fight the current—fight and exhaust our strength and eventually be pulled under. Or we can swim with the current. Give up control. Let the river take us where it will and see what is at the other end.”
Sesshomaru had scoffed. He was always in control. It was impossible that he would fall into one of those rivers. He hadn’t understood then. He wasn’t sure he understood now, but he was beginning to. It hadn’t been a conscious decision on his part to start caring for the hanyou. Yet he did. Now he knew he couldn’t change his course. He couldn’t watch his brother die, nor could he kill him. The only choice left to him was to “swim with the current” and see where it took him.
Before he was conscious of even moving from where he sat against his Lord Father’s door, Sesshomaru was back inside his own chambers, standing just inside the partition before the main bath chamber of his private bathing room. He let his breath out heavily upon noticing where his little brother lay—right next to the steaming water where he was guaranteed to be warm even in his state of undress. Suzu had lied to him. The bird was getting too far above himself if he thought he could lie to Sesshomaru without being punished. But for now he pushed that line of thought aside.
Going by the sound of Inuyasha’s deep breathing and the slow beat of his heart, he had fallen asleep again. His brat of a brother was just as stubborn as Suzu said—just as stubborn as Sesshomaru, himself, and their Lord Father.
“Fool,” the daiyoukai murmured as he lifted the hanyou, once again, into his arm and carried him back into his bed chamber. He dried him thoroughly before putting him to bed, having no wish to let his brother awaken in a cocoon of wet blankets. It would count, at least in part, as an apology. Bending, he brushed his lips against the hanyou’s temple. “Such a foolish pup.” His brother didn’t stir, so with a second parting kiss, Sesshomaru walked away. It seemed his apology would have to wait until morning after all.
“You gonna leave me again?”
The whisper was barely audible and slurred with the heaviness of someone who’d just woken up, but it was enough to make Sesshomaru come to a halt. He searched for words—adequate words to express his regret for what he had almost let happen. Nothing so elegant was forthcoming, so instead he simply said, “I would not have let you drown, brother.”
Inuyasha turned onto his side, facing the broad, stiff back of the older inu youkai. “Yeah.”
“I would have saved you.”
Inuyasha nodded. “I know.”
“I did not fail you.”
“I know you didn’t.”
Sesshomaru fell silent, at a loss for how to continue. Somehow, just saying he was sorry did not seem like enough.
“Sessh.”
“Nani?”
“Turn around.” Without question, he complied. Inuyasha searched his face for a time, not saying anything. Then, jerking his head in a universal gesture to come, he opened one side of the blankets, scooting back to make room. Not that there was a need, the bed was huge. “Come to bed.”
“I will not. Not when you are still afraid of me.”
“Sessh, come to bed. I know you slept with me before. I could smell it. Your scent was all over me.” When the daiyoukai still didn’t move, he growled. “Look, I’m not askin’ you into bed as a man, I’m askin’ you to come sleep with me as my brother and my alpha. I want to feel safe, Sessh. My youki is tellin’ me the way to do that is to stay close to you. I’ve always trusted my instincts more than anything else. Now get your ass over here and get in bed. I’m cold, and I’m tired of havin’ those freakin’ nightmares.”
“If that is the case,” Sesshomaru replied quietly, letting his youki seep slowly from his control, “then I will sleep with you in my truest form. I always felt the most at ease when my alpha slept with me in that form.”
Within moments, the demon lord was consumed by his youki. Bones cracked and shifted in the silence. Fur covered his pale flesh, assimilating his clothing and swords into his demon form. It was nothing like the explosion of muscle, fur, teeth, and claws that manifested itself when he was angry. Nor was it truly different. His dog form looked the same as it always had, but smaller, with an aura of tranquility and quiet power surrounding it.
Perhaps half the size he had shown when they battled on their father’s tomb, Sesshomaru nosed his way under the blanket Inuyasha held aloft, pulled it from his brother’s hand, and tossed it aside. He pawed at the bed, meticulously moving the blankets and many pillows until he had a kind of “nest” in the middle of the soft mattress. Then he circled a few times and settled down into it.
Inuyasha had been wondering why the bed was so big. Now he knew.
Growling softly—a surprisingly gentle sound—Sesshomaru nudged his little brother closer to him. He curled his body protectively around his more fragile sibling, flopping his tail down over the top of him to keep him warm.
Inuyasha let himself be manhandled, his ears automatically tucking back into his hair and a low whine of submission vibrating in his throat. He was a little startled at the compliant sound, but it felt right, and because it felt right it didn’t frighten him to let his brother take control. At last, the anxiety that had been plaguing him since he awakened from that awful nightmare was put to rest. He burrowed into his aniki’s warm fur, curled his hands in the silky strands, breathed in his scent and, closing his eyes, drifted into a warm, peaceful sleep.
With an approving rumble, the daiyoukai laid his head down. He wouldn’t fall asleep for many hours yet, but he was more than content to just lay and watch over his exhausted little brother.
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Definition of Term
Iie, kekkou desu - no, thank you

A/N: Just a note for those who might feel Inuyasha's emotions and reactions and stuff are all over the place (I know I did). They are! They're supposed to be at the moment. I've gone over this chapter at least seven times trying to fix it up and make it more concrete and keep his feelings more constant, but after reading it over and over I realized his feelings aren't supposed to be constant at this point, so I'm just going to let it be for now. The inconsistency won't last forever, though, so bear with me. Also, thanks to everyone who read the new chapter, I'm hoping to have the next up soon, so look forward to it! If you have the time and desire to leave a comment/review/or constructively criticize my fic, please do (: (:
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A Heat to Overcome