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Shadowed Nights	By : Huronoryu Category: InuYasha > Yaoi - Male/Male > InuYasha/Sessh?maru > InuYasha/Sessh?maru Views: 19768 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
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Shadowed Nights

By The Black Dragon Queen

Co Authored by Kallipso

Notes: I do not have the Internet� � � you can stop gawking now.
As a result, I can only access the net when I visit Kallipso,
so updates should (hopefully) be bi-weekly on Tuesdays depending on work,
school and other torturous events that try to take over my life. So please do
not think that I am ignoring you when replies to all your wonderful responses
to this fic are slow and far between.

Notice: The others will slowly, but surly appear later on in this
story a few characters at a time� I wanted to get Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru as
much �alone time� as possible! So please be patient!

Pairings, Summary, Disclaimers,
and Rating & Warnings: Please Read
�The Pact-Part A� (Though why you would be reading a story out of order
is beyond me�)

Fonts: �Speaking�� Thinking�� Surprise!�
^o_~^

NOW (finally) ON TO THE STORY!

Shadowed Nights

The Pact: Part B- Chapters 7-12

Chapter Seven: The Return of the Rat� and
Inuyasha

It was shaping up to be a beautiful day.

The birds were singing; the sun was shining down brightly. A
lone Hanyou grumped to himself as he walked through the forest. �Damn birds, Damn Sun and Damn Sesshoumaru
that rat.�

One month� it had been one month almost to the day since the
baffling incident with his brother and the somewhat agreement of a ceasefire
between them.

Inuyasha couldn�t believe that here he was, actually
making his way to the blasted cave with the insane rat in order to keep his
word to his blasted brother! �After everything that happened last time, I
should only go long enough to chop of his smirking head! Of all
the stupidity, how in the hells could he have forgotten Tetsusaiga?� He
snarled at the memory as his had grasped the hilt more firmly.

In the response to his question of the swords whereabouts,
all that Sesshoumaru had been able to respond with had been the ridiculous
�um�.

�And here I thought that this sword was the one thing
that Sesshoumaru actually desired,� Inuyasha mused as he continued throughout
the forest, casting his memory back to the trek through the very forest he was
in to search for the missing article.

And the fact that Sesshoumaru had been
absolutely no help what so ever in re-locating the sword still
t-ed him off.

�Will you stop following
me?� Inuyasha had shouted more then once at the figure that meandered along
behind him. It had been truly irritating that instead of going his own way,
Sesshoumaru had followed along behind him, like an irritating bug that refused
to go away and continually flew around his head.

How Inuyasha had wanted to
squash the irritating �bug� at the time.

�The least he could have
done was point the way there seeing as I had been unconscious when we left,�
Inuyasha groused as emerged from the woods and turned towards the cave, �but
no~o, instead he had to trail behind me, insulting me
nearly the entire way!�

Calling him a stupid hanyou
was one thing, but to call him an irresponsible combatant was quite another. �It
wasn�t as if it had been me who forgot the thing. It was his stupid
lack of attentiveness that the sword had been forgotten!�

When they finally did
return to the little clearing, Inuyasha had searched for a good twenty minuets
before finally unearthing the sword from the mud.

It had been a relief to
finally have his sword back when he found it, though why it was so blasted
important to him after decades of never needing it before was odd. But Inuyasha
decided to blame his human sentimental feelings at have something that once
belonged to his father and left it at that.

Not that he would ever
admit it.

Inuyasha believed that it
had been sheer luck that when Sesshoumaru had bashed the sword away that it had
gone under a bush and that none of the following demons that wandered the
forest had located it.

And now, here he was at the entrance of the stupid cave and
absolutely no sign of Sesshoumaru.

�Of all the stupid, fucking irritations!� he shouted. �He�s
not even here!�

He glared around the small clearing and with a huff, dropped
himself down to sit and wait. �There�s not even a sign of the stupid rat,�
he thought briefly as he glanced into the entrance of the cave.

��Where the fuck is
he?�

Inuyasha had absolutely no idea that at that very moment
just a half mile away, the very subject that was missing was asking his very
question.

�Where the fuck am I?�
Sesshoumaru growled as he trumped through the forest. Not one tree looked
familiar. Hell, they all looked exactly alike and there wasn�t one hint of the
demons whereabouts.

�Of all the stupid exasperating things,
to get lost at every god damn turn!� Sesshoumaru chastised himself.
It had been absolutely amazing that he had been able to find his way back to
Rin and Jaken. Hell it had been amazing he made it back at all!

Of course, following Inuyasha had helped. Though there were
a few wrong turns as the hanyou tacked the scent of the decaying corpses and his own scent on the sword, as the previous night�s rain had
dampened the smells somewhat.

Not that Sesshoumaru was impressed by Inuyasha�s tracking
ability.

Not one bit�

�Fuck!� he snarled. Though, if he was complaining
about his current lost situation or at himself he really couldn�t say.

There was absolutely nothing that he admired about his half
human brother, Absolutely nothing. He was, after all, a
full-fledged demon and there was nothing that the less powerful hanyou
possessed that he did not. �Well, aside from the Tetsusaiga,� he
admitted begrudgingly.

He suddenly came to a dead stop and just stared at the very
familiar footprints in the soft dirt before him.

�I HATE THIS!� he nearly screamed the sentiment out
loud but the training of a warrior that must never allow his enemy to know what
he was thinking held him back�

� That was until he saw the rat.

The stupid, irritating rat was just sitting there,
not two feet away, methodically cleaning his whiskers and completely ignoring
the Inu Youkai�s presence.

Sesshoumaru practically gawked in utter disbelief. It was
with out a doubt, the same fucking rat from the cave.

The same twitching pink nose; the same left ear that he
noticed was missing a good chuck from some long ago fight, and the same ugly
hairless tail that twitched sporadically.

�Oh, you are so dead,� he growled as he started to draw his
sword.

The rat, which wasn�t as stupid as others would believe,
promptly turned tail and ran for his life.

�Get back here you diseased ridden rodent!� Sesshoumaru
screamed as he took off after the rat. �I have had fleas for two weeks because
of you!�

The rat ran faster.

Meanwhile Inuyasha, oblivious to the rat�s current situation
of mortal peril, was still sitting in front of the cave waiting for any sign of
Sesshoumaru.

He had been waiting for nearly an hour and began to
seriously doubt his sanity at remaining any longer for someone who more than
likely wouldn�t even show up!

�I can�t believe that I�m sitting here waiting for that
prick!� he thought to himself as he climbed to his feet.

A quick glance at the horizon behind him told Inuyasha that
he had better make a decision fast as the sun was already starting to sink
behind the hills.

�Damn it!� he groused as he turned away from the cave in
annoyance. �I wasted almost a whole day on that stupid jerk and now I have to
find shelter fast!�

He thought about staying in the cave before he dismissed it
entirely. It wouldn�t do to stay somewhere that someone else knew about.

For all Inuyasha knew, Sesshoumaru had told about his
secret night and who knew what might just show up. Returning to the village was
one idea since he and the others had �made up� after their argument. However,
Inuyasha was still upset with Kagome�s temperament and his back was starting to
ache from all the �sitting�s� she
constantly put him through.

The fight about the
food had merely been the start of all the fighting, even more than usual as the
past month had been nothing but screaming, fighting, ignoring and downright
hostile environment that had made Shippo actually crying on more than one
occasion that everyone was being so resentful towards each other.

While the other two
humans had silently chalked it up to a tiff in what they saw as a relationship
between the hanyou and the reincarnated priestess they had taken it upon
themselves to try and help move the process along.

However, any
relationship advice from Miroku was so stupid, that even Inuyasha had to roll
his eyes. Grabbing Kagome�s butt did not seem like it would help any semblance
of a truce.

And who knew what Sango had said to Kagome from all the odd looks she was sending
his way after their individual �talks�.

On the whole,
Inuyasha had actually been looking forward to a reprieve from his companion�s
presence and now it looked as if he had to go back!

�Fucking idiot!� he
grumbled as he started making his way back to the forest.

Two koinu ears were suddenly perked as the muffled sound of
shouting unexpectedly floated towards him.

He turned, his hand automatically rising to the hilt of
Tetsusaiga when a figure emerged from the bushes, brandishing a sword of his
own.

�Die you fucking rat!� the demon shouted as he swung
his arm in a wild arc.

Inuyasha quickly unsheathed Tetsusaiga and with a resounding
�clang� the two blades connected.

�Who are you calling a fucking rat you prick?� he screamed
as he shoved the taller demon away from him.

Golden eyes actually widened in surprise. �What are you
doing here?� Sesshoumaru asked.

Inuyasha gawked as
Sesshoumaru took in his surroundings. �We�re back at the cave,� he said in
almost amazement.

�No shit!�
Inuyasha screamed in annoyance. �What the hell were you doing swing Tokujin
around like a freaking idiot?� he demanded.

Sesshoumaru blinked as if coming back to himself and turned
back to the hanyou, leveling his sword at him.

�Step aside, Inuyasha,� he commanded.

Blank look. �What the hell?�

Sesshoumaru scowled. �I said to stand aside. That� thing��
and here Sesshoumaru jabbed his sword in the direction of Inuyasha�s feet, �is
too much of an irritant to allow it to live.�

Inuyasha stared at his brother before slowly glancing
downward at the small ball of fur that was currently quivering behind his
heals. He recognized the ear.

He slowly looked back up at the furious Inu Youkai.

�It�s the rat,� he said slowly.

Sesshoumaru scowled even more.

�You do realize you are seriously speaking about killing a
rat because he annoyed you.�

Inuyasha could feel the laughter beginning to bubble upwards
and bit his lower lip to try and suppress it.

It wasn�t working.

�I could easily kill another annoying thing instead,�
Sesshoumaru stated as a small giggle made its way past Inuyasha�s lips.

The rat squeaked and Sesshoumaru jumped as if one of
Kagome�s arrows had shot him.

That was it for Inuyasha as he finally burst out laughing;
holding his stomach as he nearly doubled over in merriment.

�Oh my god!� he laughed, �You were seriously going to kill a
small, defenseless rat because it managed to get on you bad side!�

Sesshoumaru glared as he re-sheathed his sword. �He will
never let this go,� he realized as he watched Inuyasha actually falling
down to the ground as his body shuddered with the strength of his laughing.

The rat had meanwhile
wandered back into the cave, his tail held high as he left the two larger
creatures behind him in search of something to gnaw on.

Chapter Eight: Settling In

The cave was actually larger than Inuyasha remembered it.

In the dying light of the
sun, he could clearly see that the ceiling went up a good twenty feet if not
more, and that the whole room was a good fifty, easily able to house a large
Youkai Inu in full form�

�Keh, he actually did a good job finding this place,�
Inuyasha thought as he started to walk the circumference of the space, �damn him.�

It was quite annoying when his brother showed his �superior
intellect�, as Sesshoumaru called it, and was able to get the upper hand in
countless situations. Inuyasha liked to call it his �brainless luck�.

�I should just chalk it up to him being older�� he
thought. Then he thought again. ��Nah.� He finally decided as he glanced
back at the silver form that was totally ignoring him. �The bastard,�
Inuyasha thought. �I can�t believe that I�m actually here with that jerk,
voluntarily!� he huffed again as he tried to remember why it was that he
actually honored the blasted agreement.

It was rather odd to be able to have a somewhat normal
conversation with his brother, especially after all the insults, fighting, and
downright hatred they had against each other. He had thought long and hard on
the days following after their encounter and for the life of him he could not
figure out what angle that Sesshoumaru was playing.

He almost laughed again at the thought of Sesshoumaru
hunting down a little grey furry rodent and skinning it to make what Kagome
called a �Davy Crocket hat�.

It was not something he ever pictured his brother doing. It
seemed to him as if Sesshoumaru never, ever, lost his decorum. Though,
there was the time against Naraku but Inuyasha agreed that the spider demon
would make anyone lose any semblance of restraint.

�Why would he insist that we �guard�
each other on the moonless nights though?� the hanyou wondered as he
glanced at the other youkai. He was still ignoring Inuyasha, much to Inuyasha�s
irritation, and was instead setting out what seemed to be a pallet of some
sort.

Inuyasha almost
tripped over his own feet. �Damn!
He�s one up on me again!� he
bemoaned as he realized that Sesshoumaru had actually thought ahead and brought
provisions for the long night.

When he first saw
his brother emerge from the woods he had questioned the small pack that
Sesshoumaru had had, and now as he saw Sesshoumaru unpacking food he about
kicked himself. He vaguely wondered if this was the first time that Sesshoumaru
had gone though this little ritual or if it was something that the Inu Youkai
always did.

�Something else for him to poke fun of when
he realized that I didn�t bring anything,� he groaned in irritation. �Not
that I ever really needed supplies when running for my life.�

His wits and the Tetsusaiga were all he really ever needed on these
nights. He was almost always too tense with the fear that someone would find
him and kill him in his weakened state to worry about sleep or food or any
other form of daily survival.

Inuyasha sighed as he could feel the beginnings of a
headache forming. His ears flattened in response and he forced himself to relax
his jaw in order to try and relieve the pressure.

This too was a monthly occurrence. Every time when he
shifted from half youkai to full ningen, it always started out as a slight
headache before worsening to the painful tearing and reassembling of his body.
�A very fair warning,� he supposed when he thought about it. �Better than just shifting right in the middle of a battle.�

�Still fucking annoying though,� he concluded and
rubbed his temples.

As he walked a little form scurried behind him, occasionally
nipping at his heals with excitement and bringing Inuyasha�s attention away
from the odd thoughts of his brother. �You are just one giant pain in the ass,
aren�t ya?� he asked the small rodent that traveled
behind him.

�I beg you pardon?� Sesshoumaru inquired in a near
shout from where he still remained at the entrance.

�Talking
to the rat!� Inuyasha called back
cheerfully.

There was a soft growl at the mere mention of the animal and
Inuyasha tried to suppress a grin. �Tried� being the operative word.

�Just what did you do to him anyway?� he chuckled as he
glanced back down at the furry creature.

At that moment, he could have sworn that the rat gave him a
look of perfect innocence. �Squeak!�

He sniggered again. �That bad, huh?�

�I heard that!�

Inuyasha this time allowed himself to laugh fully as he
continued his explorations.

It was when he just reached the other side when he saw it.
There was dark hole in the wall and when the hanyou glanced inside, he saw that
it was actually a long dark corridor that seemed to stretch on forever.

�Hey! There�s a passage over here! There might be another
entrance on the other side!

It took a full five seconds before Inuyasha realized that
there was no answer. Not even a snide comment thrown his way.

Puzzled, he turned to see what it was that Sesshoumaru found
so interesting that it was not worth answering him.

When his fading golden eyes finally lay upon his brother, he
could see that it was very interesting indeed.

Sesshoumaru, meanwhile, had been completely ignoring the
wanderings of his little brother, preferring to watch as the last of the sun�s
rays fading beneath the horizon and refusing to admit that he was still in a
tiff over the rat.

�Fuck.� It was a very coarse word, but in
Sesshoumaru�s experience, it summed up everything very nicely. �How could I
allow my emotions to become so uncontrollable that I ended up degrading myself
in front of the baka?� he wondered as he stared at the slowly sinking sun.
While he had grown quite use to his monthly changes, this would be the first
time that there was any one else there to witness it.

He glanced at the wandering figure and scowled at the little
fuzz ball that followed it.

�Damn rat!�

Sighing, he finally removed the small pack he had thrown
over his shoulder and began to unpack the few contents.

While he rarely needed such frivolous things such as a big,
fluffy bed or any other luxuries when the ground worked just as well, it was a
surprising realization that the hanyou may actually require some sort of
supplies for the coming night.

Humans were weaker were they not? The time they had spent in
the cave the last moth had shown Sesshoumaru as much with Inuyasha�s reaction
to the wet cold. And as such, it stood to reason that Inuyasha, as a weaker
human, required more than just the hard dirt to sleep on.

�Did hanyou�s �truly bruise easier in their weaker forms?�
were just one of the many thoughts the Inu Youkai had after discovering
Inuyasha in his other appearance.

He had come to the decision that Inuyasha would never even
think to bring anything for the night, so had taken it upon himself to bring
along what he thought a human might need.

�A blanket for one,� he thought as he remembered the
shivering form huddled in a tight ball one month earlier. There was also an
extra robe, some medicinal herbs and even an extra pair of chopsticks. �I
wonder if my feral brother even knows how to use those,� he wondered
absently as he went through the contents.

There was also at the bottom of the pack a small pack of
food that Rin had given to him just before he left her and Jaken under the
protection of An and Un.

Sesshoumaru actually had to smile at the remembrance of the
little girl who barely stood as high as his knees so stubbornly insisting that
he needed looking after.

She was a treasure.

�It is her that I should be looking after,� he
thought as he unpacked the dried meat and other foods. He glanced at the slight
figure that was still wandering the caves edge. �So why do I have this urge
that Inuyasha is the one that needs my protection more than
anyone?�

He once more peeked at the hanyou. �For Inuyasha to still
be alive at his age though shows great determination and a strong sense of will.�

More than once, he wondered why it was that he had gone to
the hanyou�s rescue on that rainy night. The excuse that it was to keep the Inu
Clan from disgrace had long ago worn out when he had realized that there really
was no demon, powerful or not, that had not heard of his younger brothers
exploits and concluded that the half yokai actually
could take care of his own.

There was just this feeling. It was a little itch in the pit
of his stomach that said the �chance� encounter with his brother the month
precious had not been a mere �chance� at all! There was something greater at
work. Some form of other power that was pulling he and
his brother together.

The multiple encounters and the mutual hatred of their arch-nemesis
Naraku was merely the tip of the iceberg to something far greater in the works.
There was just something that nagged at Sesshoumaru on that long, long, long
journey back to his companions that told him an alliance with the hanyou
was imperative. It was not so much his Youkai premonition as it was the
animal instinct that was warning him that something big was going to happen.

And so, against his better judgment, he had bullied his
brother into accepting his propels of the monthly meetings. There was no way
that he could go on with the knowledge of Inuyasha�s weaker state and not do
something about it. It was not honorable.

Sesshoumaru had not expected to see Inuyasha waiting for him
at the cave entrance earlier and had been fully prepared to raid the little
human village to drag the hanyou by the scruff of his very neck.

�This is insane,� he huffed as he finished unpacking
the small bag. �It�s not as if I�m his blasted mother, so why in the hell am
I so concerned whether or not he�s taking care of himself?�

�You are just one giant pain in the ass, aren�t ya?�

�Then again, it could just be that no one would bother
killing such a stupid, annoying��

�I beg your pardon?� Sesshoumaru nearly winced at the
raised tone that escaped from his throat.

When Inuyasha responded, he couldn�t help growling at the
reminder of the small rat and frowned at the small bout of laughter and the
squeak that accompanied it.

�I heard that!� he shouted and frowned even more at the soft
laugh that answered him.

Somewhat miffed, he again turned to the small pallet he had
formed when it suddenly happened. The sun had completely set.

His insides felt as if they were being torn apart and he
doubled over in pain clenching his stomach.

He could feel the urge to kill anything that moved rising
and hoped in the back of his mind that the rat would suddenly dart out in front
of him.

What happened instead was the feeling of a hand coming to
his shoulder as Inuyasha had moved to his side. Though what the hanyou thought
he could do to help in this situation was slim to none.

He could already feel that his face was elongating and that
fur had begun to sprout from his body as red begin to seep into his eyes. Bones
cracked and groaned as the lengthened and Sesshoumaru had to drop his jaw to
allow his teeth room to expand.

The process on the whole took less than a minuet and soon a
full on Inu Youkai staggered to his feet in a daze.

Shaking out his newly grown fur, Sesshoumaru sat back on his
haunches and looked down at the creature that sat at his feet looking up at him
in awe.

Inuyasha had never known that a Youkai could wear an
expression of surprise and now he knew that they could.

Ginning sheepishly, he reached up and tugged his still furry
koinu ears. �My shift is more subtle and slow to take,� he explained to the
question in Sesshoumaru�s eyes.

Even as the words left his mouth, Sesshoumaru could see the
silver of the hanyou�s hair gently overshadowed by the dark black that bleed
downward and the koinu ears slowly sinking beneath the silken strands.

Inuyasha gasped as he felt his youkai power melting away and
the dulling of his senses finally complete and he could no longer see, hear or
smell as well as he had before.

With his very center of gravity off balanced, Inuyasha
nearly fell over. Grabbing hold of Sesshoumaru�s massive leg in order to steady
himself.

With in moments, the change was complete and there they
were.

A simple Ningen and an Inu Yokai.

�And one rat that was very happy that he, at least, remained
a rat.

Chapter Nine: Behind Door Number One

Inuyasha jumped back from the furry Youkai as if he had been
burned and staggered back a few steps to fall on his ass.

And they sat there.

And they sat there and they sat there.

Just staring at one another for a long twenty
minutes.

Inuyasha scowled. �Do you have to stare at me?� he demanded.

Sesshoumaru cocked his head and made a point of looking
around the cave before coming back to stare at the now human.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, �I�ll admit that as exciting as
this place is, there has got to be something else for you to do. Why don�t
you go patrol the grounds or something?�

Sesshoumaru woofed in annoyance, ��Or something�
he says, Like I would ever be able to find my way back.�

Inuyasha shifted awkwardly. �Could you at least pretend that
you�re not staring at me?� he asked.

The crimson eyes did not shift in the slightest.

�Fucking terrific,� Inuyasha grumped as he crossed
his arms and looked away.

He saw the small sack that Sesshoumaru had brought and
dragged the item to him. He turned to the large creature, �did ya bring anything to eat?� he asked opening the sack and
peering in.

Sesshoumaru could have rolled his eyes, instead simply
nodded his head to the best of his capabilities.

Which was completely lost on the hanyou who had already
delved into the bag and yanking out the few items of food Rin had given
Sesshoumaru.

It was amazing that he didn�t smother himself to death with
the way he had inhaled his meal. Within seconds, almost half the food supply
had vanished down that hanyou�s throat.

�I don�t suppose you have any �Instant Ramen� in here?�
Inuyasha asked between mouthfuls.

Sesshoumaru stared. �Why am I not surprised by this
display?� he asked himself. �He�s rude, arrogant,� he stared
at the tangled black locks, �has no sense of hygienic cleanliness.
And what the fuck is �Instant Ramen�?�

It was almost like watching
a wild animal, gorging himself to death after a fresh kill. Almost as if he was
afraid that some other, stronger predator would suddenly appear and steal his
dinner.

The sight was a revelation
to him on just how bad off Inuyasha had truly been in the wild. It was almost
as if he had become a creature of the wild himself.

�Speaking of wild animals�� Sesshoumaru stared at the
little pink nose that suddenly poked out of a small hole.

Tempted by the smell of food, the rat risked life and tail
to emerge from his hidey-hole and slowly crept towards the munching hanyou.

Inuyasha stopped and glanced down at the small creature that
looked to him with such longing. Such pitiful eyes were beseeching him to share
a small morsel of fare.

Rolling his own darkened eyes, Inuyasha handed down a round
chunk of bread. He smirked at the little paws that reached at grabbed the
offering greedily. �What do rats normally eat in the wild?� Inuyasha asked as
he looked back at Sesshoumaru.

A bale stare was his only answer.

�Er, right.� Inuyasha ducked his
head, retuning to his chunk of dried meat.

The cave fell silent, only the soft rapid chewing of the
rat.

Sesshoumaru huffed to himself and watched as the last of the
food was quickly devoured.
He was actually rather put out at the fact that Inuyasha had
not even bothered to offer him any food but gladly shared with the rat.
�Well, I know where I stand,� he thought. �I suppose that after years
of trying to kill him I suppose I would be leery of me too.�

After the rather filling supper, Inuyasha glanced at the
pallet that Sesshoumaru had set up before the sun had set but couldn�t bring himself to truly relax around his brother.

He squinted in the darkness and once more delved into the
sack. �How about flint?� he asked. Answering his own question, he soon found
some flint in the bottom of the bag and went about searching for something to
create a fire.

He reached for the robe that was folded up only to freeze in
mid-motion by the growl that emanated from the large form next to him.

�Er, I think I should get some
firewood�� he started when Sesshoumaru rose and went to stand by the entrance.

Inuyasha bristled, �I think I can survive for five fucking
minuets!�

Sesshoumaru didn�t move.

Narrowing his eyes, Inuyasha got up and forced himself to
walk calmly to the entrance and right pass the large creature that watched his
every move.

Walking towards the woods he looked down and started to pick
up some twigs and smaller branches that lined the edge. Gathering some small
dried foliage, he started to move further into the forest when there was a
sharp bark behind him.

Pausing, he glanced back at Sesshoumaru in question.

When no other sound was made he turned and again tried to go
into the forest to gather larger pieces of wood.

Again there was the irritated bark.

�Oh come on!� Inuyasha shouted. �I can�t even gather fire
wood? I�m not that fucking helpless! Even Shippo gathers firewood by
himself!

�Shippo? Oh, the kit,�
Sesshoumaru remembered, �however the kit is not my concern.� He barked
again when Inuyasha tried a third time to go into the woods.

Inuyasha whirled around in annoyance. �You are a fucking
pain in the ass, you know that?�

Sesshoumaru coked his head and tried to put on a bored
expression but still continued to growl whenever he thought Inuyasha was
getting close to the border.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and gathered more small twigs until
he had a sufficient armload and whirling, marched back into the cave not even
looking at his brother.

By the time Sesshoumaru had turned his large body around
Inuyasha was already furiously striking at the flit. However he was so furious
by Sesshoumaru�s controlling rules that there was no time for the flint to
spark.

�Just like a pup throwing a tantrum,� Sesshoumaru
thought as he settled back down to stare at the now human.

Inuyasha ignored him completely and tried to take a deep,
calming breath. He struck the flint again and this time was able to get it to
light. It was a few more times before he was able to get the small bundle of
kindling to catch fire.

He sighed in content as he immediately held out his hands to
warm up. The fire could not heat the entire cave,
however it did give some warmth to their little corner. Now that that was done,
Inuyasha sat back and looked up to find he was staring right into crimson eyes.

��He is creeping me out!� Inuyasha could feel goose bumps rising
as Sesshoumaru continued to stare. �He is really creeping
me out!�

Inuyasha wracked his brain for something, anything as
a distraction. �But they were in a cave, and what was so exciting about a cave?

�Oh yeah!� He sat straight up
suddenly as he finally remembered and turned to the youkai. �There�s a
passage.�

Sesshoumaru was suddenly on his feet growling furiously. �A
passage?� he thought in disbelief. �A PASSAGE?
And he�s only telling me NOW?�

�HEY! It�s not like I meant to forget!� Inuyasha
screamed indignantly as he jumped to his feet. �I was a little busy turning
HUMAN! And you�re lucky I remembered to tell you at all!�

Sesshoumaru snarled at him and begin to look for the tunnel.

�Keh,� Inuyasha huffed as
he picked up a piece of firewood like a makeshift torch and wandered back
towards the direction of the small hole he had found earlier on the opposite
side of where Sesshoumaru had been searching. �This way, genius,� he called and
he made his way down the small ally.

Sesshoumaru barked again in
surprise and quickly darted in after the smirking hanyou.

�Damn it! I
should go first! What if there�s demons or
something, anything at the other end?�

Sesshoumaru soon caught up
and snapped at the back of the leading figure.

He was very pleased with
himself when he saw that Inuyasha jump three feet into the air and whirled
around.

He was not pleased that his
fur caught on fire.

�Oh SHIT!� Inuyasha cried
and quickly started hitting at the small area of Sesshoumaru�s flaming hair.

With in seconds it had been
put out and Sesshoumaru�s once impeccable white pelt now had a rather large
black spot right on the center of his chest.

Inuyasha had to bite his
lip to keep from laughing and instead he wrinkled his nose at the smell. Even
with the nose of a human, the smell was terrible.

�Powers that be,
strike me down now�� Sesshoumaru groaned.

Inuyasha turned back and
once more started heading though the tunnel. �Oh come on,� he called over his
shoulder. �It�s not that bad.�

Sesshoumaru dejectedly
looked back down at the small spot in on his chest before he continued on after
him.

The tunnel was rather
narrow, but like the main cave it had very high ceilings. Sesshoumaru only had
to scrunch his shoulders slightly to fit. It was actually not very long before
the tunnel gave way to a small antechamber, and there they found a dilemma.

There were two new tunnels.

�Well,� Inuyasha muttered
in confusion, �this is weird.�

Sesshoumaru had to agree.

Taking a closer look at the
tunnels, he could feel his fur nearly stand on end.

There was magic in the air.
A strong youki, imbued with age but still powerful in it�s
own right was emanating from the very stone of the walls.

Of course being human, the
whole menacing effect was completely lost on Inuyasha.

�We�ll go right,� he
announced as he started to move in that direction when Sesshoumaru suddenly growled
and shoved his large head passed the human and headed him back into the
antechamber.

�What the fuck?� Inuyasha
cried, as he was herded towards the left one. �Just because I said we
should go right, you absolutely insist we go left! MUST you always have to do
the opposite of everything I say?�

�Yes.�

Sesshoumaru continued to
herd the hanyou towards the other tunnel. The fact that it was Inuyasha that
insisted to go that way was one thing, but it was actually the fact that the
tunnel to the right practically resonated a �Do Not
Enter� vibe.

Inuyasha nearly sulked at
the second show of pompous arrogance from Sesshoumaru, but continued onward
down the new tunnel.�

�I can�t believe that he
actually insisted we take the opposite tunnel. Just who dose he
think he is?� Inuyasha wondered as he held the torch up higher, trying to
see further down the dark hallway.

They wandered down the
tunnel, turning right, then left, then right again. It was almost as if they
were going in circles.

�This is ridiculous!�
Inuyasha cried as they turned again. �Dose this thing ever end?� He
asked the large youkai behind him.

They went around yet another
bend in the passage and Sesshoumaru �woofed� in total agreement.

It was ten minuets later
when they finally saw a light ahead of them. Sesshoumaru immediately tensed.

Dawn was still hours away.

He surged forward, pushing
aside Inuyasha, who let out an offended squawk of protest, and surged ahead;
narrowly avoiding a second hair cut courtesy of the torch.

Emerging out of the tunnel
he came face to face with his number one enemy� after Naraku that was.

The Rat.

That small, infuriating, rat
was sitting in the middle of the main cavern; happily munching away at the
elegant robe that he had brought along with the supplies.

�You have got to be fucking
kidding me!� Inuyasha cried as he to finally emerged
from the passage and stepped back into the cave. They were actually only a few
feet away from the first tunnel they had gone in a few feet past where Inuyasha
had stopped his explorations. �We WERE going in circles!�

Sesshoumaru growled and
bared his teeth in furry.
�
Inuyasha smirked at the
angry Inu. �Care to try my way now?� he inquired sardonically.

Sesshoumaru turned back to
snap in his direction.

Inuyasha raised his
eyebrow. �Is that a no?� he asked.

�Fucking
hanyou!� Sesshoumaru
growled. �What do you know about youkai wards and the power that radiated
from that passage? Can�t even keep himself out
of trouble for five minuets!�

�I can so keep out of
trouble!� Inuyasha shouted. �And what wards? This is a stupid cave! Who would
bother to ward that?�

�You couldn�t feel
Youkai Magic if it came up and bit you in the ass! No matter what form
you�re in!� Sesshoumaru countered.

�What the hell do you
know about me?� Inuyasha was in full ranting mode now. �My senses are
perfectly functional, thank you very much!�

The stared at each other,
Sesshoumaru growling in complete furry and Inuyasha�s chest heaving at the
exertion of the unusual shouting match. Nether of them dared looking away from
the other as they both continued growling at each other, though Inuyasha was
less menacing that usual without his fangs to back up the snarl.

The rat continued munching
on his high fiber lunch as the two brothers struggled and forced themselves to cool their head.

Ensuring there was a short
rein on his temper, Sesshoumaru finally took a step
forward and looked deep into his brother�s bronze human eyes.

�Can you hear me?�
he asked, never once believing that he would get a response.

Inuyasha huffed and flopped
back down, shoving his hands into his large sleeves. �Well of course I
can hear you,� he stated irritably. �And I�ll have you know that I do
know about �hygienic cleanliness� you pampered prick!�

And Sesshoumaru had his
astonishing answer.

Chapter Ten: Circling the Issues

�What the fucking,
god damn, hell is this?� Sesshoumaru scrambled back, staring at
Inuyasha in utter disbelief.

Inuyasha stared back at him
as if he were utterly insane.

�What the hell is your
problem?� he asked in all seriousness.

�You! What? Impossible!
Human! Talking! Gah!� Sesshoumaru�s brain
promptly closed for the night.

Inuyasha gave him a very
odd sidelong look, �O~kay� Care to repeat that
wonderful string of nonsense?� he asked.

�Gah!� came
again.

�Right�� Inuyasha turned to
the rat. �Did you get any of that?�

The rat, which by now had
managed to devour a whole sleeve and was working furiously on the body of the
robe, simply let out a squeak and continued chewing.

�Right, neither did I.�

�You! Talking back! You can hear me?� Sesshoumaru asked again.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes.
�You already asked me this.�

�HOW CAN YOU HEAR ME?
I�M NOT TALKING BUT THINKING! HOW CAN YOU HEAR MY THOUGHTS
HANYOU?� Sesshoumaru raged.

Inuyasha shrugged it off.
�How should I know?� he retorted. �I thought this was some sort of Youkai
thing. Isn�t this how you all communicate when in Youkai form?�

��This �Youkai thing�
as you call it, is not a �Youkai thing� at all!
No demon, be it Inu, Ookami, Kitsune, Kumo, or any other can invade
another�s mind! Now tell me how you can hear me!�
Sesshoumaru demanded.

Inuyasha glanced at the
rat, �I think you missed a piece.�

�GOD DAMN IT!� Sesshoumaru snapped in irritation, �This
is not some sort of JOKE!� he nearly screamed. �The only person I
can think of who could remotely be powerful enough to read the
thoughts of another youkai was father and you are no where NEAR
his level.�

Inuyasha rolled his eyes.
�Unless your eyes went bad in the past five minuets, you would realize that I�M
HUMAN you nit wit!�

Sesshoumaru was taken aback
for a moment.

�And what makes you think
that it�s me listening instead of you talking, hm?� Inuyasha continued.

�Because when ever
something just remotely odd happens around here, it always seems to come right
back to you,� Sesshoumaru grumbled.

Inuyasha glared. �Right then.�

Completely annoyed,
Inuyasha decided that the last thing he needed was to sit there and be insulted
by his condescending brother.

Clambering to his feet, he
turned his back on the Youkai and marched back to the tunnel entrance�s and
picking up his abandoned torch stormed back into the main door without a
backwards glance.

�Fuck!�

Sesshoumaru tromped after
his younger brother. �Where the hell do you think you�re going?�
he questioned.

Inuyasha huffed and marched
onward.

�I told you that the
other passage is warded! You can�t go through there!
There�s no doubt traps and other nasty surprises in
there!�

Inuyasha continued on; soon
reaching the antechamber and plowed straight through the right hand passageway.

Sesshoumaru came to a halt
at the entrance. �Don�t come crying to me when you get killed!�
he sent after the fleeting figure.

Nothing answered him.

�Fuck.�

Sesshoumaru waited,
watching the golden glow that filtered around the corner where the hanyou
disappeared.

He shifted awkwardly as he
listened for any distress from the hanyou.

Every time he stepped
within a foot of the entrance, power danced through the air and Sesshoumaru�s
instincts just screamed �Back Away�!

It was only a few moments
when Inuyasha returned, a rather puzzled look on his face.

�It was empty,� he
announced.

Sesshoumaru gaped as
Inuyasha walked past him back to the main chamber. Whirling around again, he
jogged slightly to catch up.

�What was empty?�
he asked.

Inuyasha shrugged. �It just
led to a smaller cave further back,� he explained. �There really wasn�t
anything back there to freak out about.�

Sesshoumaru mulled over the
information as they returned to the main cave. �Who would bother warding an
empty cave?� he thought and looked at Inuyasha expectantly. �Well?�

Inuyasha glanced up from
removing the tattered remains of the robe from the very fat rat. �Well what?�
he asked.

�Didn�t you hear me?�
Sesshoumaru asked.

�Hear what?� Inuyasha asked
back, getting rather annoyed.

The Inu Youkai now hand a
lot wonder about as he went to what he deemed �his� corner and plopped himself
down, gracefully of course, to think.

Inuyasha waited patently
for Sesshoumaru to continue before the full inch and a half of his patience
wore out and he went back to search for anything else to eat.

�I wonder who warded
that cave,� the Inu questioned as he watched the small human dig though his
bag once again. �Hell, I wonder how old those wards actually are!�

While the wards were
defiantly old, the fact that they still had that much strength to actually stop
the son of the All Powerful Inu Taisho dead in his tracks meant that who ever
built them had to have been powerful indeed.

He glanced back at
Inuyasha. The human had since abandoned the bag, having consumed anything and
everything edible and hand now moved on to the pallet, rearrange and fluffing
the blankets.

�Can you hear me now?�
he thought experimentally.

No reaction.

�Can you hear me now?�

Inuyasha dug out a pillow.

�Can you hear me now?�

�GOD DAMN
IT! WHAT DO YOU WANT?� Inuyasha screamed.

Sesshoumaru sent a mental
shrug. �Nothing.�

Inuyasha nearly stabbed his
brother with a chopstick.

�Of all the fucking,
pain in the ass�� Inuyasha growled as he climbed beneath the rather fluffy
blanket and tried to find a comfortable spot.

It had been the most
bizarre night that even went beyond the wackiness of the month before and
Inuyasha was nearly at the end of his rope.

While exploring the tunnels had been fun, and he had to
admit some sort of satisfaction at managing to set Sesshoumaru on fire, the
fact that Sesshoumaru was hounding him with questions and ordering him about
nearly drove him insane.

It didn�t help that he could hear the odd snatches of his
brother�s thoughts every once in a while either.

�I do too know about �hygiene�,� he huffed
annoyed as he yanked the cover up to his chin to ward out any cold. The fire
had long since fizzled out to a small smolder but Inuyasha was to tired to go out
and find anything more to burn.

He wondered vaguely if Sesshoumaru would finally allow him
to burn the now rat chewed robe but decided that moving would be too much
effort at the moment.

�Why dose he think this whole �reading thoughts�
is my fault?� he wondered as he ran the conversations though his head.

While Sesshoumaru was right that a lot of strange things
happened to him, it was highly doubtful that he, who barely possessed a handful
of youkai power in comparison to his brother, was responsible for the latest
turn of events.

His strength and power was built though decades of vigorous
training and sheer determination. There was nothing that had just been handed
to him.

Chancing to peek out of his
makeshift burrow and dared glance at the large Youkai across the dying fire, he
smirked at the large patch of singed fur.

�He dose have a point
though, the bastard,� he thought as he pondered over Sesshoumaru�s
announcement about the small chamber.

�Why would someone ward
a cave? It�s not like there�s a lot of Youkai activity around here.
Especially since Kikyou had the Sacred Jewel. Only since the Jewel�s
shattered have there really been youkai�s wandering into the area.�

It had been strange when he
went into the smaller cave. The whole thing was smooth. Not smooth as if by age
and time, but rather smoothed as if someone had deliberately erased all the
rough rocks and worn the walls down.

The floor was completely flat and even and there were
actually little shelves carved directly into the walls.

It was almost� �Homey�.

�Right, you�re completely losing it�� he chastised
himself as he rolled over to try and find a better position.

His mind was too worked up to allow him to sleep, but his
body was so fatigued that it demanded he do just that.

He tried counting sheep.

�What I don�t get,� his thoughts continued between
bleating ewes, �is why this snooty jerk is suddenly so obsessed with me.
Yeah, he was obsessed with me before over Tetsusaiga but why this paranoia over
the fact that I can hear him?�

Inuyasha wondered over the significance as he counted sheep
seventeen through thirty-four.

�It�s not as if he�s thinking quietly,� he continued.
�Hell, I think they heard him all the way back at the Palace of the West.�

He rolled over again and curled into a small ball, scolding
himself for even so much as thinking about Sesshoumaru�s odd worrying.

�Oh God, I so don�t want to go back tomorrow,� he
groaned and he buried his face in his pillow.

He knew that going home meant facing an enraged Kagome. An enraged
Kagome meant a painful �sit�. A painful �sit� meant a throbbing back. A
throbbing back�

Inuyasha groaned just picturing the day he had ahead of him.

Kagome was still on the warpath from the last moonless night
he had disappeared and his refusal to divulge his whereabouts that night. The
week she spent back in her own world hadn�t even helped with her attitude.

If anything, it had only gotten somewhat worse upon her
return!

Inuyasha had over heard Sango and Miroku wondering if Kagome
had finally come to regret her duty to return to the past and deal with the
Sacred Jewel shards. He scoffed at the notion at the time. It had been her
fault that the thing was broken into a thousand pieces in the first place!

Baring the so-called �Relationship Advice� from Miroku, no
one had actually come out and ask what was going on between himself and Kagome
however. It was something Inuyasha wanted to know himself!

Even Kaede had noticed the rapid
change in Kagome and had wondered if a vengeful spirit had possessed her.

Inuyasha didn�t care what was going on with the wench, he
just wanted one day without a face full of dirt. The rat braved death by
abandoning his own hole to crawl over to the distressed human and curl into a
little ball next to him, giving little squeaks every so often as if to comfort
him.

A pitiful moan rose from the huddled form and Sesshoumaru
was dragged out of his thoughts.

�Nani?� he asked
curiously.

Inuyasha rolled over again, presenting his back to the
Youkai and reached sheep number one hundred and forty seven.

�Nothing.�

Chapter Eleven: Time And Again

�I think this robe can be
donated to the fire pit,� Inuyasha announced one month later as he picked up
what remained of the robe from the corner where the rat had dragged and clearly
made a nest out of it.

Sesshoumaru frowned as he
glanced at the ragged remains accented sharply by the setting sun. �That was
pure silk,� he lamented.

Inuyasha laughed at
Sesshoumaru�s expense, something the other did not appreciate, and dropped the
robe onto the burned out circle on the cave floor.

The hanyou had added small
stones to border the makeshift fireplace, something he had done in the long
hours waiting for Sesshoumaru to make his belated appearance, and there was now
a small stack of firewood to last the night.

He winced as he
straightened, stretching his back and he moved towards �his� pallet. �What was
with that lizard Youkai?� he asked, referring to the week previous. �That thing
was down right ugly!�

Sesshoumaru shook his head
at Inuyasha�s remarks. �The Tokage Tribe is one of
the oldest tribes in the East,� he explained. �Though why a Tokage
Youkai was straying so far from its territory is somewhat worrying.�

Inuyasha shrugged as he sat
down and immediately began eating. �Go with the flow,� he said, coining
Kagome�s phrase from her time. �Blame the Jewel Shards.�

Sesshoumaru glanced at him
before agreeing with him and moved to get a fire started.

Inuyasha watched avidly.
�How did you explain the burn?� He asked referring to the fire incident from
before.

�Explain?� Sesshoumaru
inquired.

He rolled his eyes. �Leave
it to him to not even bring it up,� he thought, instead stating for
Sesshoumaru to �forget it� and shoveled another helping into his mouth.

Sesshoumaru shrugged and returned
to arranging his supplies. �I inquired about who could have warded the back
cave,� he announced as the kindle sparked and Inuyasha bolted to his feet, the
small bowel clattering to the floor.

�You mean you told someone
about this cave?� he shouted.

Sesshoumaru raised an
eyebrow, �I did nothing of the sort.� Inuyasha minutely relaxed but still
remained poised for flight.

�I inquired about any
powerful demons that may have resided in the area over two hundred years ago,�
the youkai continued, ignoring Inuyasha�s tense stance. �There has not been a
response as of yet, but I suppose going back though two hundred years of
property tax archives will take quite a while.�

Inuyasha fell back down,
gathering his bowel and moving for another portion, the rat eagerly eating the
remains of the first on the floor.

�Why are you so obsessed over that cave?� he asked as he
took a fresh mouthful.

Sesshoumaru declined to answer as he snatched the bag away
from Inuyasha�s reach and dug out some food of his own. �Why are you so
obsessed that no one find out that this is where you�re hiding?� he asked a
question of his own.

Inuyasha jerked back and stared down at his empty dish.

Sesshoumaru huffed and filled his own bowel. Balancing it
upon his knee with practiced ease, he began eating at a more dignified pace.

Inuyasha rarely ever took notice of his brothers missing
limb that he himself had removed nearly a year ago. Perhaps because Sesshoumaru
had such an intense aura that sometime he forgot that his brother only had one
arm at all.

The absence of the limb
suddenly brought to the forefront with the mere act of trying to eat suddenly
hit home with Inuyasha and he realized that it had to have been hard for
Sesshoumaru to adjust his whole way of living to make up for the lack.

Inuyasha was compelled to see Sesshoumaru not as the
commanding Inu Lord but as a mere
person who had his own tribulations of life.

He hunched into his own dinner feeling the threads of shame
begin to creep over him. While it had been a triumph at the time, the fact that
Sesshoumaru would forever be burden with the loss completely shamed the hanyou.

To a warrior, their hands were their life. To suddenly have
one stolen away would be a devastating blow too more than most. That
Sesshoumaru not only continued as he had but to actually thrive after
the loss of his arm showed just how great his determination and strength truly
were.

Inuyasha held out a small breadcrumb, watching
disconnectedly as the rat took the offering.

Shame was actually a rare feeling for him to have.

While he felt sorry or sympathetic, he had never truly felt
shame at himself. It was enlightening.

And down right disturbing!

�Any one who could be powerful enough to erect that barrier
has to be one of the most powerful creatures ever to live.�

The statement jolted Inuyasha out of his reminiscence and he
looked back up at Sesshoumaru curiously.

�What do you have in mind?� Inuyasha asked eagerly. �Perhaps
he is thinking of acquiring allies to fight Naraku, or more believable,
learning how to gain that power��

Sesshoumaru elegantly set his bowel aside and dabbed at his
mouth.

�None of you business.�

Inuyasha nearly fell over. �Man, do you have trust
issues��

Sesshoumaru tilted his just as he had done in his Inu form
and gave him a sidelong look.

The hanyou sighed and reached for a third helping only to
have Sesshoumaru snatch the bag and hold it out of his reach.

Inuyasha stretched for the bag. �I�m hungry!� he complained.

�Then don�t eat the entire supplies!� Sesshoumaru countered
back. �You�ll just be hungry later!�

�I�m hungry NOW!� Inuyasha declared.

�What are you? Three?�

Inuyasha jumped to his feet. �Am not!� he responded and
again tried to reach for the sack. �Come on! Or else it�ll spoil and I�ll give
it to the rat!�

�You do and you die!�

Inuyasha stood there glaring at the smirking Inu Youkai who
swung the bag lazily over the hanyou�s head.

�God damn it, give me the food mutt!� he shouted and lunged
towards the other youkai.

Sesshoumaru simply stepped out of the way and glared. ��Mutt�?�
and the food was lifted a half a foot higher. �Care to
say that again?� he challenged.

�You bastard!� Inuyasha cried and
dropped his hands to his hips. �Now who�s acting like he�s three?�

Sesshoumaru smirked as he held the bag up loftily. �Not
getting the food��

Inuyasha lunged again and managed to tackle the larger form.
Only by his sheer grace was Sesshoumaru able to keep his feet and he turned his
body away trying to keep the sack from reaching hanyou.

Inuyasha nearly climbed the youkai like a tree as he leaned
even further over, pressing his entire body against the hard contours of
Sesshoumaru�s armor; the fur of Sesshoumaru�s stole tickling his cheek.

He looked up and froze as he came nose to nose with Sesshoumaru,
his accursed Youkai brother. Gold stared into gold and the two froze, nether
daring to so much as breath.

That�s when it happened. He suddenly felt the change and the
bag dropped from nerveless fingers.

Inuyasha, never one to miss an opportunity when it came to a
quick meal, darted forward and grabbed the bag, heedless of his own change and
quickly darted towards the back passage.

Sesshoumaru shook himself out of his daze and took off after
the now fleeing human.

�Come back here!� he roared as he skidded to a
halt at the back cave entrance.

�NEVER!�

�Of all the fucking stupid, self-indulgent, maddening,
pains in the tail, THIS TOPS THEM ALL!� he stared at the small tunnel in
furry. What disturbed him however was that tense moment when they had been
trapped in each other�s gaze.

His heart actually thumped. It had never done that before.

He glared at the corner where Inuyasha had disappeared
before turning back the way he had come. Inuyasha would come out when he had
consumed everything to look for something else to eat. It was inevitable.

Sesshoumaru had actually insisted on packing extra food for
just this situation after witnessing Inuyasha�s previous dining habits.

Rin had giggled and declared she believed that Sesshoumaru
had acquired himself a girl youkai.

Jaken had been horrified at the notion.

�Women� bah,� he huffed as he moved to his corner. �That
is the last thing I need. Always simpering and tittering and wheedling
and�� Sesshoumaru shuddered.

�At least I was able to train most of that out of Rin
before any of those dreaded female tendencies settled in.�

Sesshoumaru considered himself far to busy to try and take a
mate, female or otherwise.

There was the Tetsusaiga to appropriate; which, he absently
noticed, was leaning against the cave wall forgotten in the imperative pursuit
of food. Again, Sesshoumaru marveled at Inuyasha�s continued existence.

Then there was the need to destroy Naraku and his deranged sisters.
Now that was going to take some time.

One of the reasons he had inquired about the cave�s previous
occupants. If they could get any sort of clue as to whom it was that had
actually lived here and if they were even still alive, then that would be an
accomplishment worth noting.

If he could find who ever it was that had held such power
and learn the secrets for himself, then he would be an
adversary that no one dared to challenge.

�Anything else to eat?� Inuyasha
asked as he made his way back into the main chamber.

�And then there are those who just stubbornly refuse to
get a clue��

�What do you think?� Sesshoumaru scowled at
the dark haired figure.

Inuyasha shrugged nonchalantly. �I thought you were just
trying to horde all the food for yourself,� he explained as he dropped the now
empty bag on the floor.

��Most of that
Rin packed for my supposed �mate�,� Sesshoumaru huffed.

Inuyasha gawked at the Youkai. �Mate?� he screeched. �You?�

He promptly fell over laughing.

Sesshoumaru huffed irritably. �I�ve
learned human girl children have rather romantic notions,� he tried to
explain.

Inuyasha did not stop laughing. �Sesshoumaru� Girl� MATE!�
he burst into another fit of laughter.

�Must you always be this annoying?�
Sesshoumaru asked.

�But you! You would never
take a mate!� Inuyasha guffawed. �Hell, what girl would have you?�

Sesshoumaru almost felt
offended by the matter-of-fact way his brother stated his belief.

�But I will have to take a mate eventually,�
Sesshoumaru justified. �The blood line must continue.�

�Oh, God�� Inuyasha gasped. �Mental
picture! Get it out, get it out!�

The Inu Youkai huffed angrily. �Like you and that Miko
are no where near being bond-mates yourselves!� he retorted.

�DO NOT EVEN JOKE!�

Sesshoumaru reeled at the sheer venom that laced the demand.

The hanyou had sobered considerably and was not glaring back
at the shocked creature. They stared at each other, Sesshoumaru in narrowed
eyed suspicion and Inuyasha with a wild challenge in his eyes�

�What spell dose she have over you?�
Sesshoumaru accused.

�Nothing!� He shouted shoving his hand in his sleeves again in
that annoying habit of his. �She doesn�t have a �spell� on me� well not the way
you think at any rate,� he mumbled the last part but Sesshoumaru still heard
him.

�Why do you stay with them? Three
humans and a scrawny kitsune kit; hardly your average pack.�

Inuyasha shrugged absently, �we all want the same thing.
Naraku destroyed and the Sacred Jewel in once piece.�

�Then by you reasoning, I too have the same objectives.�
Sesshoumaru countered. �Do you plan to incorporate myself into you
atypical party?�

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow, �isn�t that what you�ve done to
me with this little accord we have going here?� he asked.

�Hardly the same thing,� Sesshoumaru
dismissed.

�Yeah, whatever.�

They were silent for a while, both deep within their own
thoughts. �How in the world did you end up with those four to begin with?�
Sesshoumaru finally had to ask.

Inuyasha sighed. �I�m not quite sure myself,� he admitted. I
think this actually all started those years ago when I was bound to the Great
Tree��

�I can�t believe you got trapped to a tree!�
Sesshoumaru jeered.

�What they fuck do you know anything about it?� Inuyasha
snapped back angrily. Sesshoumaru gave the impression of a shrug and they
returned to their silence.

�Do you suppose my future mate will be someone of
rational mind?� Sesshoumaru finally broke the silence to ask.

Inuyasha laughed at the question, the tension from his
shoulders dissolving in an instant. �To deal with your temper, your insane notions, and your obsession with obtaining
physical strength and power?� Inuyasha asked. He laughed hysterically.

�Your mate would have to be completely nuts!�

Chapter Twelve: �Nothing� Always Means Something

It was Sesshoumaru who was waiting for him at the cave the
next month with now two sacks resting at his feet; one solely packed to the
brim with food.

He had been sitting there for a good three hours having
arrived relatively quickly since he left in the early dawn. It had only taken
him four hours and only a few wrong turns. He was actually glad he had found it
at all; last time it had taken him seven.

He glanced up at Inuyasha�s arrival and narrowed his eyes
menacingly. �Why are you limping?� he didn�t even try to curb his words.

Inuyasha growled as he made his way through the last of the
underbrush, a pack of his own now slung over his shoulder.

�None of your business!� he snapped as he dumped his own bag
next to Sesshoumaru�s and immediately turned back into the woods.

�Where are you going?� Sesshoumaru called after him, rising
to his feet in order to follow the grumping hanyou.

�To get firewood!� Inuyasha
responded over his shoulder. �That all right with you, Your Highness?� and he
soon forged into the forest and disappeared behind a tree.

�Well!� Sesshoumaru bristled before sitting down
again to wait for his second self appointed charge.

It wasn�t long before the Hanyou returned,
baring a huge stack of small logs that towered over his head. A stack that size would last a week and not just a single night.

Sesshoumaru wondered absently how he could see where he was
going. Rising to his feet once more, he made his way over and appropriated some
of the wood, balancing it on his right shoulder.

�Care to explained?� he asked
evenly.

Inuyasha nearly deflated the same way Sesshoumaru had all
those months prior on that rainy night and slowly made his way into the cave,
dumping his load by the remains of the last fire before going back out for the
bags.

�Been a bad month,� he snarled as he sat down on the pallet
they had left.

The rat soon darted out to greet the hanyou and Inuyasha
actually reached out to pat the creature.

�Do you know how many diseases those things carry,�
Sesshoumaru stated.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and rubbed the bridge of the rats nose. �About the same as a mangy dog I imagine.�

Sesshoumaru glanced sharply at him. �Care to say that
louder?� he snarled.

�You heard me,� Inuyasha challenged as the rat, sensing
danger, returned to his own little hole.

�This conduct is completely out of line, even for you!�
Sesshoumaru shouted. �Just because you had a bad few days dose not give you the
right to snarl at your betters!�

Inuyasha jumped to his feet, �what betters? You�re
just older!�

�I,� Sesshoumaru hissed, �am a High Regional Lord and your
inherent ruler.�

�The West has nothing to do with me!� Inuyasha retorted.
�You saw to that, remember? When you kicked me out of it!�

�That�s it!� Sesshoumaru
shouted as he leapt to his feet. �This attitude is worse than your usual
immature conduct.�

He marched over to the hanyou and grabbed his chin in his
hand, ignoring the wince. �And why the hell is one side of your face almost
completely purple?�

Inuyasha reached up and tugged at the arm with very little
effect.

�Nothing.�

�You said the same thing last month.� Sesshoumaru accused. �When I asked if the Miko had a spell on you.�

�Why do you care?� Inuyasha asked continuing to struggle out
of the Youkai�s firm grip. �You want me dead! Why should you care if I�m
in pain?�

�You�re in pain?� Sesshoumaru repeated, immediately
releasing the hanyou�s jaw.

Inuyasha jerked away and stormed down the passageway in an
echo of the month previous.

Sesshoumaru again trailed after him. �You have been acting
strangely ever since that night I found you in the rain,� Sesshoumaru continued
as he followed along. Inuyasha remained stubbornly silent. �What has been going
on?� the Youkai asked. �I noticed it the last time our two groups happen upon
each other. There seems to be this undercurrent of hostility and uneasiness.�

Inuyasha walked faster and turned sharply to enter the
smaller chamber knowing it was the one place that Sesshoumaru�s youki would not
allow him entrance�

The problem was, Inuyasha could not
pass the barrier either.

He had gone not two steps into the doorway when he was
suddenly propelled backwards into the air, colliding with a warm, solid chest
as Sesshoumaru caught him with his right arm to prevent the hanyou from further
damaging himself.

�Wha- what was that?�
Inuyasha sputtered as he stared at the blue crackles of power that sparked from
the small passage.

Sesshoumaru looked down at the silver head pressed against
his chest plate as Inuyasha�s koinu ears perked forward and swiveled as he
listened to the crackle of the wards. They were even fuzzier than Sesshoumaru
imagined. �What I�ve been trying to get into you thick skull for two months!�
he said slowly. �The blasted wards.�

Inuyasha watched as another lightning streak spark across
the floor.

�Why would anyone do that?�

Sesshoumaru dropped him.

�HEY!� Inuyasha cried as he felt himself falling backwards
connecting with the stone floor hard.

�YOU
BASTARD!� Inuyasha screamed after
the retreating figure.

Sesshoumaru glanced down at the rat, �you want to say
something?� he asked mockingly.

The rat twittered and moved to Inuyasha�s bag, methodically
chewing on one of the straps.

Inuyasha eventually re-appeared, rubbing circles at the
small of his back. �Did you have to drop me?� he asked accusingly.

�Yes,� Sesshoumaru answered truthfully. �Yes I did, now come
over here.�

Inuyasha stopped and graced his elder brother with a
scathing look. �You�re kidding, right?�

Sesshoumaru held up a small medicinal jar. �It�s actually
muscle relaxant,� he explained as Inuyasha slowly made his way towards him,
�and I�m sorry to say it will not improve you face any��

He smirked and handed over the small jar. �However it should
help with the bruising.�

Inuyasha bristled. �Very funny.�

Sesshoumaru smirked, �yes, I thought so.�

Inuyasha sighed as he dropped onto his makeshift pallet,
absently pulled his sack away from the munching rat, and opened the jar to the
pungent odder of moss and what could possibly be bird droppings.

�What the hell is in this?� he started to ask before
shaking his head. �Never mind, I don�t want to know!� He took a small portion
of the brown good and lifted it up to sniff it tentatively. It did little with
his rapidly declining nose as the sun slowly set but it was a force of habit.
�Better question, where in the world did you get it?�

�Fathers Court
Healer swears by it and I�m sorry to say that the putrid goo actually works.�

Inuyasha paused in applying said �putrid goo� and stared at
Sesshoumaru in shock.

Sesshoumaru instantly tensed defensively. �What?�

�Say that again,� Inuyasha instructed.

�Say what again?�

�Goo.�

�What?�

�Say �goo�,� Inuyasha specified.

�WHAT?�

�Just say it!� Inuyasha pressed.

Sesshoumaru glared and said in an extremely deadpan tone,
�goo.�

Inuyasha grinned widely, satisfied and went back to applying
his medication.

�What the hell?� Sesshoumaru wondered. �Was there a
point to all this?� he asked.

�Oh nothing really,� the hanyou admitted as he finished with
the sloop and placed the leather cover over the jar. �It�s just really amusing
to hear you say the word �goo�.�

Sesshoumaru stared in surprise before accepting the offered
container. �I take it you�re feeling better now.�

Inuyasha sighed as he lay back down on his pallet, crossing
his arms behind his head and watched the small fire crack and pop. �You were right, there has been a lot of tension with the others
lately. Miroku actually went to a temple voluntarily to meditate and there are
absolutely zero women there.�

Sesshoumaru nodded sagely. �This is serious.�

�Yeah, and it�s been getting steadily worse these past few
months.�

The sun finally set and the two shifted forms but neither
took any notice. �Has anything happened with Naraku recently?�
Sesshoumaru asked.

Inuyasha shook his head as he sat up and poked the rapidly
hardening gunk on his chin. �How long dose this have to stay on?� he asked.

�All night,� Sesshoumaru replied.

�Keh, great�� he poked at it with a finger.

�Leave it alone,� Sesshoumaru chastised. �Has
it been everyone acting oddly or just a few?�

�Actually it been more like �only�
Kagome.�

�Ah, the Miko,� the youkai mused. �It
seems as if this is all coming back to her.�

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. �I thought that when anything
weird happened it always came back to me.�

Sesshoumaru woofed. �Contrary
to your belief, the world dose not revolve around you.
Now then,� he continued, blatantly ignoring the humans
sputtering. �Have there been any odd anomalies around her?�

Inuyasha shrugged, �just the usual demon fighting for the
Jewel shards.�

��What about her
previous carnation? The one that was
resurrected from clay?�

�Kikyou?�
Inuyasha shook his head. �Haven�t seen her for at least two
months now.�

�Hmm,� Sesshoumaru ran over the facts
wondering if there was anything crucial he had missed.

Inuyasha stared at the Inu Youkai, watching as the long tail
occasionally twitched back and forth.

�We�ve actually been civil for four months�� he told
himself, �so why am I getting nervous lately with the though of seeing him?�

It had started the month previous when he had been hiding in
the back chamber eating the remains of the food.

It had almost been� fun with Sesshoumaru. Almost as if they
were acting like actual brothers but there had been an undercurrent of
something. Inuyasha had actually lost his breath. It had been a small incident
in a string of oddities but still Inuyasha shuddered at the remembrance of
staring into the golden eyes that were exactly like his own.

He sighed and rubbed his temples in an attempt to banish the
pounding headache. Sitting up he poked at the now flaking gunk on his cheek the
subjugation beads clacking with his movements.

�Why do you wear that ugly necklace?�
Sesshoumaru finally had to ask.

Inuyasha �keh�ed� again and looked down in disgust. �This ugly thing?� He asked lifting the beads up before him.
�This is the humans way of forcing me to �submit�,� he
explained. �Kagome only has to say �sit� and I�m literally forced to the
floor.�

�Then that�s the spell that the Miko has on you!�
Sesshoumaru finally comprehend. �And your bruise.�

Inuyasha released a bitter
laugh. �Stupid, isn�t it? They almost treat me as if I were an actual dog��

Sesshoumaru looked at the dejected figure with a small trace
of pity. �Why don�t you just take them off?� he asked.

Inuyasha let out a halfhearted laugh. �You think I haven�t
tried?� he asked. �They�re spelled so that a youkai can�t remove them. I�ve
tried every chance I get�� he explained as he took the beads firmly in hand and
jerked them upwards to demonstrate.

And Sesshoumaru snorted in annoyance as the beads slipped
right over his head. �You were saying?�

Inuyasha gawked at the strand that hung innocently from his
hand.

�YOU�VE GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!�
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Shadowed Nights

Shadowed Nights

By The Black Dragon Queen

Co Authored by Kallipso

NOW (finally) ON TO THE STORY!

Shadowed Nights

Chapter Seven: The Return of the Rat� andInuyasha

The rat had meanwhilewandered back into the cave, his tail held high as he left the two largercreatures behind him in search of something to gnaw on.

Chapter Eight: Settling In

Chapter Nine: Behind Door Number One

Chapter Ten: Circling the Issues

Chapter Twelve: �Nothing� Always Means Something

Chapter Seven: The Return of the Rat� and
Inuyasha

The rat had meanwhile
wandered back into the cave, his tail held high as he left the two larger
creatures behind him in search of something to gnaw on.