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What Matters the Most	By : Avarwen Category: InuYasha > Yaoi - Male/Male > InuYasha/Sessh?maru > InuYasha/Sessh?maru Views: 55388 -:- Recommendations : 4 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
- 18
- 19
- 20
AN: Well, I don�t know if this is a coincidence, but I was just watching that 70�s show and hyde got shot with a BBgun. That�s a little... strange. You know how the saying goes �If it�s a not coincidence, it�s a conspiracy.� -- And I don�t believe in coincidence.
Anyway, I haven�t really taken a break from writing (other than that little half-hour one, but that was to eat) so this chapter is ready. I decided that I wanted to update right away because I want to have Chapter 20 up on New Years day. I don�t know why, it just seemed kinda interesting. And in about six days, it�ll be this stories one month anniversary. 20 chapters and a one month anniversary... man, I really need a life don�t I? lol-- what can I say, it�s boring down here! (if you get over the random people getting shot).
Anyway, There aren�t a lot of reviews for this chapter cause I didn�t give people a lot of time to review, but to the few who were fast enough to review:
- SaDiStIcxWh0r3 - Well, I don�t know, I imagine lots of people will be doing that, and I will probably be forced to spend new years with my family (who, at this moment, I cannot stand) So I don�t think that�ll work. I think my first update of the New Year will be chapter 20, but that�ll have to be later in the new year. I agree though, that�ll be a neat idea, but I don�t think I�m going to do it. Sorry. : ( -- and, until they develop pregnancy tests in the feudal era, you�ll just have to wait and see, won�t you? ^_^) And don�t be ridiculous, reviews could never be annoying. Rips and flames can sometimes be, but not reviews.
- Deity - Oh, yeah, her name is kinda hard to spell. Take-hi-ko. Lol, see if that helps you remember. Anyway, yes she is a woman, and I�m sorry if I confused you... I hope I didn�t do the same with this chapter, but I really don�t know. I�m not entirely in my right mind at the moment, and my left one is pretty crowded because of that. Lol, and you�ll just have to wait and find out, but you are pretty sharp aren�t you? It could well be that he�s pregnant-- and I make no promises about who the father would be if he was pregnant. *grins evilly* (<-- man, I�ve been doing that way too much lately) and I don�t mind your �spellings� (I�m probably gonna call them that for the rest of my life now-- thanks to the guy everybody hates ^_^), they�re no worse than my own.

VERY IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER - (This applies to the last chapter as well) - I OWN NO ONE AND NOTHING OF THIS EXCEPT TAKEHIKO, KATASHI, AND THE STORY ITSELF! I MAKE NO MONEY OFF OF THEM! EVERYTHING ELSE BELONGS TO RUMIKO TAKAHASHI!

~*~

Broken

Sesshomaru stared blankly at the wall of the datsuijou while he scrubbed at his brother�s skin roughly, trying to get that monster�s scent off of his mate.
The bathhouse was really an incredibly large hot spring that had simply had a building erected around it. However, it served it�s purpose far better than most (or really any) man-made bathhouse could.
He had washed all over Inuyasha�s body (including between his legs, which had set Inuyasha into a fit of pained and fearful whimper as his body jerked weakly in attempts to get away-- a difficult experience to endure for both the unconscious and the conscious of the two) several times now, but his mind was so far away he had failed to notice.
All his thoughts at the moment were bent on Inuyasha, but not, necessarily, the Inuyasha he had in his arms at this exact moment. The past Inuyasha, things that had happened between them, things his brother had done or said, at the forefront of which was the moment when Inuyasha had suddenly sprung to life a short time ago just after Takehiko had left.

�There was no hurt in his eyes.� Sesshomaru thought. Takehiko had warned him that Inuyasha would likely be broken from the incident-- torn irreversiblely at the seams and would have to be carefully sewn back together, but would never again be as whole as he once was-- but Sesshomaru had seen his brother�s eyes very clearly in that moment, unfocused and glazed, but very much whole. The spirit behind those eyes had not been broken. �No hurt... only anger. At what Naraku did to him... perhaps at me for not coming in time to prevent it...�

Sesshomaru growled, then quieted when Inuyasha twitched slightly in his grasp, and he glared accusingly at the bloody water surrounding them, as though it alone had been the cause for all these events unravelling, as though it was causing him to think in such terms.
Of course Inuyasha would not be angry at him for that! It was not something that could have been helped! He had no way of knowing that Naraku would attack, and had Inuyasha not run off in the first place, none of it would have ever happened.
Sesshomaru froze up slightly as his youkai growled warningly within him.
Had he just accused the events that had transpired on... Inuyasha?
Of all the people in the world he could have blamed, up to and including their father, his mind had chosen to place blame on Inuyasha-- if only to avoid blaming himself.
He felt the urge to growl again and suppressed it, angry that he was daring to show such emotion. If it was anyone�s fault-- besides Naraku�s-- it was his. He was not there when his brother needed him. A mate should be able to count on the other to protect andor help it when it is feeling weak or vulnerable or in possible danger. He had not arrived in time to do that.
He had failed his brother.
He had failed his mate.
By not arriving in time he had failed Inuyasha and let that monster have what no one but him should have ever had-- and that thought alone was enough to nearly make Sesshomaru sick to his stomach.
Shifting Inuyasha slightly in his lap (the only place the boy could be without running the risk of drowning) Sesshomaru lowered Inuyasha down slightly so that he could begin to wash his hair, scrubbing roughly but carefully so as not to hit any hidden bumps or cuts on his mate�s head, as he began peeling away the bloody dye that now tinted his brother�s hair. The worst was the bottom, where blood and dirt had accumulated like carrion birds to a carcass, clinging desperately to the ends and sticking them together, darkening the once silver strands of silk to a thick brown-red colour and taking several minutes for Sesshomaru to untangle and rinse out.
By the time he was finished, Inuyasha�s hair was again the faint colour of silver that matched the faint aura of light surrounding the moon, and he gently pulled his brother from the steaming water, watching as the dirt and blood washed away to some unknown destination, replacing itself with fresh and sparkling clean water as Sesshomaru began to roughly but carefully dry his brother off.
He then wrapped his brother in a large and irregularly heavy yukata to ensure that he would be warm (thankful to see that the bleeding had finally stopped) and then lifted him and carried him as quickly as he could back toward the room.
He came in to find Takehiko watching sternly as a group of servants worked to hastily reset the bed-- using light animal skins instead of silk this time, for which Sesshomaru was grateful. Inuyasha would be warmer and, probably, feel more secure if he resided under an animal pelt then the slippery water-like silk sheets.
As soon as they were done they began to file out, each offering him a small bow to him as they passed. The last one-- a girl with dark hair and deep green eyes-- paused to collect Inuyasha�s soiled clothes to be washed, before moving to bow before him.
He frowned as her scent reached his nose-- though definitely diluted and weak in a way that only a human�s can be, there was the faint trace of the sweeter, stronger flow of youkai blood there as well, and that caught his attention, for very few youkai actually worked as low-class servants like this girl.
�You are not human.� He said as she began to straighten again, and she seemed to stiffen slightly (though not in a defensive manner but almost as though... with pride) though her eyes remained respectfully down as she spoke.
�My great ojii-san was a demon, my Lord.� She said. Ah. So that explained the strange scent about her. Though that would only make her... maybe an eighth of a demon? Sesshomaru was unaware there were such things in existence! It seems that, after that one demon in her family, the rest had decided to stick to ningen�s as mates.
�What is your name?� He asked, staring coldly down at her. He could feel the presence of the other servants hovering in what they probably thought to be a very discreet manner just outside the door, and it was irritating him to no end. Inuyasha would need care when he was sick, and Sesshomaru would need a servant to save him from running about all over the place to make sure his brother got what he needed, but he didn�t want this bunch of baka ningens constantly flitting in and out and then running off to reveal all they know to everyone they know.
Yuko, my Lord.� She said, and Sesshomaru rolled the name around in his mind for a moment. He then strode toward the bed and, keeping his back to the kerai as he said �Yuko, I want you and only you to serve any and all things to this room. Any other servant who sets foot in this room will not make it past the door with their head. Do I make myself clear?� He asked, not caring if he was acting unlike himself. He was jarred by Inuyasha�s experience, and it would likely take a while before he could completely regain reign over his actions, speech and emotions. Right now it didn�t matter, because the only one�s to witness it were the servants and Takehiko, and the servants would not dare to question him-- or anyone else-- about it.
Yuko stared openly at him a moment, forgetting to look away, and Sesshomaru guessed that she was likely no older than fifteen human years. No older than Inuyasha. Not by human standards, anyway.
When he met her gaze with a cold one of his own, her eyes immediately found their way to the floor again and her mouth snapped shut, only to open again as she quietly said �Yes Lord Sesshomaru. I shall see that it is done.� Her voice belying the smile she clearly had plastered on her face, which she tried ineffectively to hide as she left the room.
Sesshomaru mentally scoffed at the inadequacies of the entire human population, before turning back to his brother, only to find Takehiko looking at him from across the futon, her eyes narrowed as though she was considering something, before she moved over and began to help cover Inuyasha in the soft fur (taken from some breed or another of mountain rodent), her heavy silver-smoke bangs falling down to cover her eyes in a way not unlike Inuyasha�s did as she said �That was very considerate of you, Lord Sesshomaru.�
He raised a questioning eyebrow as he tucked the edges of the fur around Inuyasha, and the old healer moved quickly to elaborate. �As I said before-- too much contact with those he does not know or feel comfortable around could be disastrous for Inuyasha. He will need familiar surroundings and faces, and having to deal with only one servant will most likely bring him a certain amount of security-- though how much really depends on how well he takes things in the first place.�
She straightened, standing a good foot or so shorter than Sesshomaru, and said �I have a tea boiling, Sesshomaru, you need only to pour it when it is ready� he clawed and withered hand moving to gesture toward the fireplace where a kettle was gently and faintly-- too faint for human ears-- bubbling and humming it�s discomfort at being in such hot conditions. �And there are guards set at either end of the hallway should his assailant try for another attack.�
Sesshomaru nodded, again surprised at the healers tactics-- this technique was something only a person skilled in defence should have known. Rather than have the guard stand right outside the door, one is posted at either end of the hallway. This will not only give them a better place to view whatever assailant may come faster, but it also allows them to go to one another�s aide fairly quickly, and, if both are overthrown, gives whoever is inside the defended room time to hear and prepare for what is coming. That would indeed be helpful, because, should the guards be defeated, it would give Sesshomaru time to go and stop the intruder before they caused yet another traumatic experience for Inuyasha.
The two Inuyoukai stared at each other for a minute before Sesshomaru decided it was time for the old healer to leave. �Arigato, Lady Takehiko. You may leave now, I can look after Inuyasha from here.�
She snorted in a very undignified manner. �Of course I may-- I am hardly a servant who has to be told when and where I may come and go.� She said defiantly, and Sesshomaru�s eyes narrowed, though he knew, of course, that she was right. Healers were the farthest things from slaves in the world, and. while they may not be considered as high up as someone like himself or Inu Taisho, they still were not the sorts to be bossed about. Not by anyone.
She stared at him like that a moment more, before slowly allowing some of her haughtiness to slip away as she gently asked �do you require anything else, Lord Sesshomaru?�
He stared coldly at her in a way that clearly said �no� and that she was a fool for even asking. Takehiko sighed, shaking her head as she bowed before making her way slowly toward the door, pausing to say �I take my leave� in an almost mocking tone.
Sesshomaru growled as the door closed, then waited until her smell had all but disappeared from the room itself (something which takes a considerable amount of time) before slowly moving around the bed, dropping his armour along the way, and then slipping in, gently pulling his brother against his chest.

�Inuyasha...� Sesshomaru�s mind murmured as he pressed his nose against Inuyasha�s hair, inhaling his brother�s all to familiar but incredibly alien scent of his mate, before pulling back to stared at his younger brother in something fairly akin to remorse. �I don�t know what Naraku did to you.� He thought quietly at his brother. �But I swear I will avenge you. I will not let him break you.�

Inuyasha�s only response was to shiver slightly, causing fresh bloody tears to leak from his eyes (though it was obvious the hanyou no longer truly cried) and Sesshomaru sighed and wrapped his arms tighter about Inuyasha�s small frame, pulling him closer against his chest-- offering his brother the little comfort he could like that as Takehiko�s words again rang through his mind.

~*~

Glossary

Datsuijou - I am pretty sure this means bathhouse andor dressing room, but I could be wrong. That�s what it�s supposed to mean for this fic anyway.

Yukata - I usually use this when referring to the �under-kimono� that Inuyasha wears, as a Yukata can be either a bathrobe or a summer Kimono. I believe that basuro-bu and yokui also stand for �bathrobe�.

Youkai - Demon

Ojii-san - Grandfather. I am not sure how the Japanese refer to great grandparents, so I simply put �great� beforehand. It doesn�t look as good next to the Japanese version of Grandfather.

Ningen - Human

Baka - Idiot, stupid person, moron

Yuko - Gracious Child

Kerai - I�m pretty sure this means servant. There are a lot of terms here I�m not entirely sure of, so feel free to let me know if I�ve made a mistake.

Inuyoukai - Dog-demon

Arigato - Thanks. There�s a more polite term, but I can�t remember how it goes at the moment.

Inu Taisho - This is still Inuyasha�s father, and that hasn�t changed in the past chapters, and it�s not going to in the future. His name means �Lord of the Dogs� or something akin to that.

Hanyou - Half-demon
(Any Corrections please let me know)

~*~

AN: Chapter 20 should be up tomorrow! I don�t know when, but keep your eyes pealed for it! ^_^
~Avarwen~
- 18
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