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
- 23
- 24
- 25
SORRY EVERYONE!!!!! I know, it's been FOREVER again. Life has not been very good to me for the past little while. I am trying, though, and I think I'm going to go ahead and give you guys two chapters since you've been so patient.
Warnings for all those awesome people who might actually like to read them, lol: profanity, violence, cuteness between our two favorite inu, angst, distress on Inuyasha's part, oddness ... and yeah, can't think of much else at the moment. Brain's being a bit uncooperative. But anyway, enjoy!!!!!
Chapter Twenty-Four

To Gain Confidence
Inuyasha frowned and furrowed his brows, confused when Sesshomaru led him directly from his room where they had just finished breakfast to the dojo. “Sessh … er … what’re we doing?”
“I did promise you a spar, did I not, little brother?” the daiyoukai responded, eyebrows arched.
“Well … yeah, but … what about Botanmaru and Kumiko? Shouldn’t we be goin’ after ‘em, rather than …?” he gestured around the large training room with its solid marble walls reinforced by visible pillars of dark stained wood and its traditional tatami mat floors. His sword still sat on display at the back of the room between the stands for Sesshomaru’s swords, which were currently sheathed at the demon lord’s waist, thrust securely into his obi.
“There is nothing we can do on that front at present. However they escaped, they are most probably long gone. Even if they are not, you can be certain they have gone to ground. Those whose job it is to track and post rewards are doing all that needs doing. If they are sighted, we will be informed. Until then, it is imperative we improve upon your knowledge of swordplay and other methods of battle while we have the time. Are you complaining?”
“N-No! I just thought—”
“Good.” Sesshomaru smiled gently over at the younger inu as he retrieved a couple bokken from the rack behind Tessaiga and set them to the side, then pulled his haori and kosode back from his shoulders and let them drop to hang at his waist, leaving his torso bare. He didn’t pick up the bokken right away and instead, fell into the beginning stance for the kata Inuyasha had been practicing a few days before. “Get warmed up, then. We’ll see how much you remember.”
Pressing his lips together irritably at being ordered around—though not entirely sure why it was bothering him now—Inuyasha fell into the same stance as his sibling, not bothering to remove his haori or kosode. He was far more comfortable fully clothed.
He watched Sesshomaru begin the first sequence and copied him, glancing over now and then to be sure he was doing it right. They started slow, moving fluidly through the jabs and kicks, twirls and elbow thrusts, defensive blocks and the varying stances for each. When they finished the sequence, Inuyasha couldn’t help but grin. He had remembered it. He couldn’t say he’d done it perfectly—he’d stumbled a few times and nearly fell over once when his stance hadn’t quite been correct—but he’d done it.
“Again,” Sesshomaru ordered, already into the first movements, forcing Inuyasha to scramble to catch up. When their movements were coordinated once more, Sesshomaru began to gradually speed up, watching his baby brother out of the corner of his eye as he matched the faster pace. And, he noticed, the faster they went, the steadier the hanyou became, moving fluidly from one sequence to the next. “Faster,” he urged when they started the kata for a third time.
Inuyasha grinned, loving the feeling of being in motion, of sweat beginning to form on his skin, of the slight burn in his muscles and his heart beating a little faster in his chest, his lungs working that much harder. But more than the feeling of being active again, he loved going through the kata with his aniki at his side, loved the blossoming warmth in his chest as the demon lord watched him with pride and approval.
They went through the elementary kata twice more before Sesshomaru slowed down again, added a few, more advanced moves to the kata, and asked Inuyasha to copy them. The daiyoukai was pleased to note that Inuyasha picked up the new moves quickly. It had taken Sesshomaru several weeks to learn the varying kata. But he learned by strict study and a slow progression through each of the movements on an individual level, memorizing each muscle movement, each foot placement, each angle of his body, before he was able to stick it all together. Inuyasha was a learn-by-doing type. His stumbles were huge and spectacular, but his body instinctively adjusted after each stumble or misstep until he had it corrected and it flowed smoothly. It was the same when he was in battle. The hanyou wasn’t one to sit back and observe his opponent’s fighting style as Sesshomaru might if said opponent were enough of a threat. Rather, Inuyasha would charge right in and get hit however many times it took for him to learn his opponent’s strengths and adapt accordingly.
Halfway through the intermediate kata, Sesshomaru stopped, turning to watch as Inuyasha continued to the end. “That’s enough,” he said when the hanyou started the kata over again. “Turn this way.” Inuyasha did, head tilted in silent question. “I’m going to come at you and I want you to block me using the stances and moves we’ve gone over in the kata. We’ll start simple. The attack pattern I’ll be using first will correspond with the pattern in the kata I’ve shown you. Only for the first time, though. After that, I’ll be coming at you in different patterns. Understand?”
Eyes alight, Inuyasha nodded. “Un, got it.” He watched the elder inu circle him, shifting to keep him within his line of sight at all times. The elder inu watched him with the same single-minded concentration, looking for weakness, for the best opportunity to attack. After all, even if Inuyasha knew the set pattern for defending, that didn’t mean the demon lord couldn’t catch him off guard.
And that’s just what Sesshomaru did. Inuyasha’s impatience grew with every tense second that passed without any action beyond the continuous circling and assessing and so, when sweat began to slide down toward his left eye, he lifted his hand to wipe it away. A mistake, he soon realized, when even in the brief two seconds it took him to brush the drop of moisture away, his sleeve had flashed across his line of sight, and Sesshomaru had disappeared. Whether there was some small sound or movement that caught his attention or whether he just knew on instinct where the daiyoukai was going to attack from, even Inuyasha wouldn’t have been able to say. Nevertheless, he whirled to his left, but was still caught somewhat off guard by the speed and aggression with which his aniki came at him.
He cursed when Sesshomaru’s closed fist glanced off his temple when he didn’t quite get his arm up fast enough. The knowledge that his sibling was holding back even at that speed made him painfully aware of just how sluggish his movements were. He gritted his teeth and forged on. Although he managed to block every strike Sesshomaru aimed at him, he only just managed it. Any faster, any more aggressive, and he was certain he’d have more than a clip to the head to deal with.
When the set sequence was finished, Sesshomaru moved back, raising his hands to make it clear they were stopping.
Panting, Inuyasha rose up out of the last stance of the kata and grimaced as he held up a forestalling hand, ears slicked back against his head in disappointment. “Y’don’t need to tell me; I know it was horrible.”
“Actually, ototo, you’re doing better than I thought you would, given the speed at which I attacked you and the strength behind those attacks. Believe me, you have nothing to be ashamed of. Most I would not expect to do half so well as you, for although your movements were a bit sluggish, your technique while you performed the kata was flawless … even if you did almost miss blocking my first strike.”
Inuyasha looked away, somewhat flattered by the praise, but still unhappy with his performance. He knew he could do better.
“Inuyasha,” Sesshomaru said firmly, his voice deepening, on the verge of becoming a growl, “stop sulking. You did well. Now, come here so that I may tend to your injury.”
With that tone, Inuyasha knew better than to argue. Head bowed and shoulders hunched, he shuffled across the small distance between himself and his alpha and stopped.
Gently, the demon lord tilted the younger inu’s head back and to the side, examining the bruise beginning to form on his temple just above and to the left of his eye. Though compliant, Sesshomaru noted the little hanyou was glaring at him, the expression very nearly one of challenge. He answered the almost-challenge with a warning rumble that only grew louder when Inuyasha refused to drop his gaze. Finally, the sound turned into a full-blown snarl as he seized the pup by his throat, claws pricking the tanned skin. “Do not push it, pup,” he cautioned his submissive tightly, youki flaring, crimson flashing across his eyes. “Do not offer challenge to a fight you cannot win, for I will not hesitate to put you in your place if you continue, and I will not do so gently.”
Expression twisting in resentment and anger, Inuyasha tilted his head back, baring his throat in unwilling submission. Then, slowly, that resentment and anger morphed into confusion, uncertainty and then, finally, regret. Biting his lip for the oddly painful grip around his throat, Inuyasha placed a tentative hand over the daiyoukai’s own and offered a sincerely apologetic whine.
Sesshomaru, bewildered by the sudden shift in attitude, leaned forward and nipped lightly under the pup’s jaw, accepting his apology. He then dropped his hand from the other inu’s neck and hooked it around his shoulders, pulling his sibling in against his chest. “Ototo … what—”
“Sorry Sessh,” Inuyasha interrupted as he leaned his forehead against his elder brother’s collarbone. “I was frustrated. I know better than t’challenge you, but … it’s just—I can do better! I know I can.”
Mood swing? Putting aside the little warning going off inside him for the moment, Sesshomaru chuckled and tugged lightly on one of the hanyou’s triangular ears. “We’ve only just started training, little one. You have a good starting point, but remember that that’s all this is—a starting point. You will improve. Be patient.”
Inuyasha frowned petulantly. “I’m not good at patient.”
“I know, pup. Now tilt your head for me.”
Meekly, Inuyasha tilted his head up toward his brother, closing his eyes as Sesshomaru’s warm, soothing tongue lapped away the throbbing pain in his temple. The scare from that morning, though, was too much, and he quickly opened them again, hating the shiver of fear that coursed through him when the image of Michio’s cruel, gleaming black eyes floated behind his eyelids.
Sesshomaru noted the spike in emotion, but made no comment on it. There was nothing that needed to be said. They both knew why it was there, and also that it would soon pass.
“Sessh?”
“Hn?” the daiyoukai responded quietly when he’d finished licking the small wound he’d inflicted.
“You said … if I was good you’d let me spar with some of the soldiers …” He flushed a little at the small flash of warmth and pleasure that shot through him at the thought of being good for his alpha and what that entailed and, looking away, went on softly, “Can we still do that?”
“Of course, ototo. I am a youkai of my word, and you were very good for me last night.” Sesshomaru smirked, amused when his sibling’s face flushed an even deeper red. He had a feeling he’d be using the term “good pup” often in the future if it garnered this reaction from the hanyou. “But first, let’s incorporate the bokken into the kata.”
Inuyasha caught the wooden katana Sesshomaru tossed him and stared at it for a moment, at a loss as to how exactly he was supposed to add in sword movements to the kata they’d been practicing for hand-to-hand combat.
Sesshomaru smiled at his ototo’s confusion and tapped his bokken against the one the other inu held. “Watch me. I have a feeling that’s all that will be needed for you to understand. After all, your use of Tessaiga is, for the most part, instinctual.”
Red rushed to Inuyasha’s cheeks at the praise and he ducked his head as he backed away to give his aniki the space he needed.
As soon as the demon lord started, Inuyasha realized he was right. This would be easy. Remarkably easy compared to learning the kata in the first place. All he was doing was moving the sword to strike in the exact same ways he struck with his hands and then moving it again to block in the same places while the kicks and whirls remained the same. Before Sesshomaru was even done, Inuyasha had begun to go through the kata with him, their strikes, blocks, kicks, and whirls completely in sync. His heart raced with the triumph of finding something that came to him so naturally.
Without thought or prompting from his brother, Inuyasha increased his speed, an almost maniacal grin stretching his lips. His eyes glinted with battle fervor until he couldn’t help but laugh with the joy that bubbled up inside him. He’d missed wielding a sword. He missed wielding Tessaiga. As much as he missed it, though, he still wasn’t sure if he could pick up the sword again. Was he worthy of it? Would Tessaiga still accept him as its wielder?
He finished the kata and then turned to face his father’s sword. He almost reached toward it, almost stepped in its direction, but instead, clenched his hands tighter around the bokken and started into another round of the kata.
Sesshomaru, having stopped going through the kata some time before, watched his sibling struggle with himself. Hopefully soon, Inuyasha would feel he could once again pick up their father’s sword. As much as Sesshomaru had desired to wield the great and terrible Tessaiga before, he had no desire to do so now. The sword belonged in the hands of his baby brother and in the hands of his baby brother it would stay. He would take it up to defend them if need be, but that was the only reason he would wield it. It simply did not feel right that he should wield it while Inuyasha would not.
With a smile for the ease with which the younger inu had learned to use the bokken in place of the original hand-to-hand motions, Sesshomaru raised his hand and caught the “blade” of the bokken as Inuyasha was starting another round and appeared far too focused and immersed in his own thoughts to hear him should he call.
“I think that is enough practice for today, pup,” he stated as he gently took the wooden katana from Inuyasha’s hands. “Give me a moment while I send for some soldiers for you to duel,” he bade the younger inu as he put his clothes to rights, walked to the dojo door, and put his head out into the hall.
Inuyasha watched with some strange amount of trepidation in his gut that almost completely doused the battle fervor of before as the daiyoukai spoke briefly to someone outside before closing the door and returning to his side. Gentle fingers rubbed at his ear. Smiling bravely, Inuyasha raised his eyes to meet his sibling’s, saw the understanding in them, and knew, again, nothing needed to be said.
After a few minutes of waiting with nothing said between them, Inuyasha began to shift restlessly from foot to foot.
“Be still, pup,” Sesshomaru admonished him with a gentle tug to his ear. “They’ll be here soon enough.”
Ducking his head, the younger inu subsided with a quiet and obedient, “Hai.”
Sesshomaru continued to rub at his sibling’s ears and head, surrounding him with his alpha scent and keeping him calm while they waited. He wondered how the hanyou would act toward the soldiers. Would he panic? Would he refuse to leave the daiyoukai’s side? Would his demon side come out to protect him? Was it too soon to try this?
There was really no way for them to know until Inuyasha faced the soldiers.
The door to the dojo swung open, three soldiers bowing in turn as they entered. The first two were young recruits who had trained at the palace for only six months. The third, unbeknownst to Inuyasha, was a mid-level soldier who had lived and trained at the palace for close to seven years.
Inuyasha stiffened against him, his ears laying back—the one escaping Sesshomaru’s grasp. The soldiers were, of course, not of the types that had violated his little brother, which was probably the only reason his quivering ototo didn’t bolt at the sight of the strange youkai entering the dojo. That, and the fact that Sesshomaru had placed his hand firmly on the back of said ototo’s neck.
One of the soldiers opened his mouth to speak, but Sesshomaru forestalled him with a single, scorching glance, and waited with bated breath to see what his submissive would do.
After what seemed an eternity, Inuyasha shifted away from the soldiers and Sesshomaru let him go, sensing he wasn’t going to run. Instead, the hanyou walked deliberately to the other side of the dojo and stood with his eyes fixed on the wall, taking deep, even breaths. Sesshomaru followed him, motioning for the soldiers to remain where they were. Inuyasha glanced at him, but it was still several long minutes before he spoke.
“I thought it’d be easier,” he finally confessed. “That I wouldn’t be so fucking afraid … asking for it, trusting in you when you say you’ll protect me.” He snorted bitterly. “But it’s not easier. I’m still scared. Even though I can sense they’re weaker than me … I still feel powerless. The thought won’t leave my head of what they could do to me … what’s already been done … over and over again.”
Sesshomaru pressed his lips together around the words, the reassurances he wanted to give, knowing now wasn’t the time. The other inu needed to say this, to get it out.
“I hate it,” he hissed. “They held me captive for only a few days, hurt me, forced themselves on me, inside me, tore my flesh and cut at my pride, made me feel lost and abandoned and alone, but they never, never broke me.”
But? Sesshomaru prompted silently.
“But every day I’m free of them, every time I see what they did to me, the way I flinch, the way I cringe, the way I’m always looking for them, expecting them to come back and capture me again, the way I tuck myself away behind you, into you, as if you were-” He stopped, unsure what, exactly he saw in his sibling that he could compare him to. All he knew was the daiyoukai was safe. Brows furrowing as he fixed his eyes on the wall again again, he whispered hoarsely. “Little by little, I feel it happening. Exactly what M-Mi-fucking, damn it!! What that bastard inu wanted! And I fight it, and fight it, and fucking fight it, but it doesn’t make it stop. I’m still breaking. I’m still powerless, and … a-and it’s not right. It’s not right, Sessh.”
When it didn’t appear as if the younger inu would say anything more, Sesshomaru stepped up behind him and wrapped his arm about his waist, drawing him back against his chest. “There’s no shame in waiting if you want to try this another time, little one.”
Inuyasha exhaled loudly at that and held tightly to the arm across his middle. “Maybe not … but I need to do this.”
Mouth thin, fearing what might happen in the coming confrontation, Sesshomaru nevertheless deferred to his sibling’s wishes. “I understand, ototo. Just remember, I’m right here if you need me. All you need do is call and I will be by your side in an instant.”
Inuyasha nodded, took a deep breath, and moved his elder brother’s arm out of the way. Rounding on the three soldiers, he asked, “Weapons or hand-to-hand?”
They looked to Sesshomaru for an answer, but he gestured back toward the inu hanyou, giving him the authority to do as he wished.
“Hand-to-hand,” the senior of the three replied.
“Claws?” Inuyasha inquired, flexing his fingers.
The eagle youkai grinned savagely. “Of course.”
Inuyasha flinched at the aggressive expression and Sesshomaru tensed, more than ready to whisk him away if need be. He didn’t think the soldiers noticed his ototo’s reaction, and for that, he was grateful. They were trained to take advantage of weaknesses such as that.
“Sessh,” Inuyasha called, “why don’t you give the signal.”
“Very well, ototo. Take your positions.” Heart pounding, the daiyoukai watched the three soldiers surround the hanyou, the two more inexperienced soldiers behind and to either side, and the more experienced eagle youkai in front. Hardly daring to breathe, Sesshomaru called out in as steady a voice as he could manage, “Begin.”
The two less experienced martin youkai rushed the young hanyou Lord simultaneously. Sesshomaru held his breath as Inuyasha leapt to the side, his ears flicking to and fro as he followed the sounds of their booted feet when they passed him, skidded a few paces, and pivoted to face him.
Sesshomaru could see sweat beading on Inuyasha’s face, giving away his fear. The two young recruits were oblivious to it, concentrated on their plan of attack, but the eagle youkai’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t have the sense of smell of most predatory demons, but he had keen eyesight and there was no reason for one to begin sweating before the fight had really begun except fear.
While he was watching the eagle youkai, Inuyasha had rushed in to attack one of the martins, as was his usual style of battle. The martin’s claws lashed out. Inuyasha ducked, sliding under the attack as he brought his own claws to bear and ripped into the demon’s side.
Sesshomaru smirked, pleased to see his ototo’s battle instincts were still sharp. The fight was far from over, though. While his sibling had been occupied with the one martin youkai, the other had snuck up behind him and launched himself onto Inuyasha’s back, one arm hooking under the hanyou’s chin in a strangle hold.
A frisson of fear rippled through the young inu as he flashed back to when he was subdued in that same manner while under the influence of Michio’s poison the first time he’d been violated in the clearing. For an instant, he froze, his mind awash with memories that made him tremble and his lungs cease to draw breath, even without the aid of the arm about his throat.
Then, suddenly, he was enveloped by a familiar warmth, a familiar youki, gentle in its coaxing as it pulled him from his memories and returned him to the present. He inhaled shakily, wheezing past the pressure on his windpipe, but it was enough. Martin flooded his nose. This youkai was not the slavers. This youkai was a soldier in Sesshomaru’s army, and a rather weak one at that. He could defeat him. He would. His fear would not be the cause of his defeat.
A threatening growl starting up in his chest, he released the arm he’d been clutching and jabbed his elbow back and up, ramming the martin demon in the ribs. They cracked and he quickly reached back and seized the martin youkai by his nape, dug his claws in, tugged, heaved, and finally threw him over his shoulder. The soldier landed on his back with a loud thump and a rush of exhaled air. Grinning, ears standing aggressively erect, Inuyasha quickly straddled the prone youkai, aware of the other circling in behind him, and knocked the martin out with a well-aimed blow to his temple.
“One down,” he muttered, turning near glowing golden eyes on the second martin youkai before flicking them toward the eagle youkai who had, thus far, stayed out of the fight. “Two to go.”
The eagle nodded in acknowledgement, recognizing what the less experienced martin did not—that he was to soon follow his fellow soldier into unconsciousness.
Wary now that he’d felt the hanyou’s claws in his side and watched him take down his comrade, the martin youkai attempted to circle Inuyasha, but of course, the impatient inu was having none of it. Again, typical of his battle style, he rushed the soldier, causing his opponent to jump back in surprise and upsetting his fighting stance.
Sesshomaru was proud to see how his little brother took advantage of the youkai’s mistake, moved swiftly into his personal space, and delivered an edge-of-the-hand chop to the martin’s windpipe, a strike that could potentially prove fatal. However, with the right amount of restraint, it could also be used to cripple one’s opponent by temporarily causing them to choke. The chop was followed by Inuyasha dropping to the floor and sweeping the soldier’s legs out from under him. The youkai collapsed and, unprepared and crippled by his inability to draw breath, cracked his head against the tatami mats, instantly knocking him out.
Breathing only slightly labored from the exertion of the battle with the two martin youkai, Inuyasha got to his feet to the sound of slow applause from the eagle youkai.
Sesshomaru watched his sibling’s legs tense up and couldn’t help but mutter under his breath, “Don’t rush him. Don’t rush him. He’s been observing you fight. He knows your style. Take the time to learn his.” But by the end of his mantra, the hanyou had already charged across the room to meet the predatory bird demon in battle, and Sesshomaru winced as the eagle ducked Inuyasha’s initial attack and struck him in the gut, pushing him back and driving the air out of him at the same time.
The blow didn’t phase Inuyasha long, however, and he rushed in again, his claws digging into his arm and coming away coated in blood. “Blades of blood!” he shouted as he threw his hand toward the eagle along with the youki-soaked blood, which formed four distinct blades.
Momentarily caught off guard by the unknown strategy and power of the hanyou Lord, the demon hesitated a moment, a moment that cost him as the youki wrought blades slashed through his right wing, shredding it. He shrieked in pain, clutching at the compromised limb.
Inwardly, Sesshomaru cheered for the forethought of that particular attack. With the eagle’s wing shredded, he would be unable to take advantage of his ability to maneuver in the air. His ototo was doing quite well. Admittedly, better than Sesshomaru had expected when the fight began. But of course, it wasn’t over yet.
Inuyasha smirked at the scent of blood that filled the room, his instincts as a predator coming to the fore. He’d missed this—the thrill of battle, the scent of blood that was predominantly not his, the rush of power. This was exactly what he’d needed; he’d needed to prove that he was still able to fight, that he was not helpless.
He flexed his stained claws and watched the eagle youkai as he gathered himself, tucking his wings against his back as much as he was able. When their eyes met, Inuyasha rushed forward and leapt, once more throwing out his blades of blood, which the eagle quickly rolled away from and came back to his feet with talons bared, though it wasn’t his talons he used, but his feet. Inuyasha dodged one, but was struck a glancing blow to his head and shoulder by the other. The bird was more agile than he’d expected for his size.
He shook his head as if to shake away the blow and barely dodged the talons coming at his face, which were swiftly followed by a second set of talons that Inuyasha deflected with a raised arm only to have the demon spin and knock him on his ass with a side kick straight to his chest.
The wind rushed out of him, though it wasn’t enough to daze him to the point that he couldn’t see the heel aiming for his unguarded midriff. Rolling to the side, he came to one knee with his other raised as he coughed and sucked in a sharp, shallow breath of air. It was enough to return strength to his limbs and bring him back to his feet.
Inuyasha could see the eagle demon preparing for another flurry of attacks a split second before the soldier came at him and it was at that point that he remembered his aniki’s training and the kata he’d learned. Though he couldn’t follow the exact pattern given the other youkai would be fighting differently, he could still use the techniques within the kata. It was worth a try, at any rate.
Falling into the stance Sesshomaru showed him, he blocked and dodged several of the eagle’s attacks before one landed on his jaw and another struck him in the ribs. It threw off his rhythm, but only for a moment. He could see the pattern now. See the way the techniques in the kata could be used to counter certain attacks, and how others could be used to evade, and still others to attack. His technique was rough, unlike the graceful maneuvers of his elder brother, but even he could tell they were beginning to smooth out as he got the hang of using them.
Distracted by his thoughts, he almost didn’t see the hand and talons coming toward his temple. His instincts were what saved him as he caught the demon’s wrist and, forming his fingers into something like the point of a blade, drove them into his opponent’s exposed abdomen, careful not to aim for anything vital. Despite their above-human healing capabilities, hitting something vital would still mean a longer than usual recovery time, and Inuyasha didn’t want to disrupt the soldier’s duty to Sesshomaru by injuring him more than a simple sparring session called for.
Suddenly, the youkai’s wings flared outward, splattering blood from his shredded wing onto the dojo floor. Inuyasha sensed that something bad was about to happen, but couldn’t move back before his sparring partner’s feathers spread open and began to pulse with youki that rippled the air in front of the hanyou and made his head spin. His vision began to tilt and whirl and his limbs shook. His balance compromised, he stumbled and gripped the eagle’s wrist tighter. Nausea made his stomach roll and the muscles of his abdomen knot up. He snarled at the threat as sharp cramps shot through his torso and impeded his ability to move. Crimson began to bleed into the whites of his eyes.
Another youki flared, dispersing the eagle’s power effortlessly as Sesshomaru swept forward and caught Inuyasha’s hand on the way to the youkai’s neck. He then peeled the hanyou’s fingers from the other’s wrist and pulled his baby brother into his arms. “That’s enough,” he stated, giving the soldier a glance of dismissal.
The eagle bowed and retreated, recognizing the fact that, had Sesshomaru not intervened, he would have had his throat torn out. He didn’t blame the young Lord—it was a natural response to a threat such as that presented by the debilitating power of his youki. Neither did the ferocity of the attack surprise him. From the behavior of the half inu—his obvious discomfort when he and the other two soldiers arrived, his reaction to the martin putting him into a choke hold, not to mention the reassurance broadcasted by Lord Sesshomaru’s youki at that time—it was clear he had been traumatized by something and this was his way of working through it. He smiled to himself in abject approval. The young Lord, despite being half human, was quite strong in both battle prowess and willpower. Perhaps when he was healed he would ask permission of his Lord to spar with him again.
At the exit to the dojo, he bowed once more, this time to both inu, before shutting the door and leaving the two alone save the still prone forms of the martin youkai.
Inuyasha blinked when he felt a warm arm and protective youki come around him in something of a cocoon and looked up to see his older brother gazing at him with gentle eyes. “Sessh?”
“Mm?”
“Did I just try to kill that youkai?”
“You did. I stopped you before you could do irreparable damage.”
“Oh … m’kay.” He sighed and, closing his eyes, pressed his forehead to his sibling’s shoulder. “Guess this idea didn‘t work out so good, huh?”
“On the contrary, ototo, I believe it worked quite well. You showed great improvement between the beginning of the battle with the martin youkai to the end of the battle with the eagle youkai, who is, I should inform you, a member of the mid-guard.”
“Mid-guard?”
“Meaning his skill is between that of the fresh trainees and the advanced guard. The skill of that particular soldier is nothing to scoff at.”
“He was going easy on me, though, wasn’t he?” Inuyasha asked, though he already knew the answer. As soon as they’d made contact the first time, he could sense it. Mid-guard or not, the eagle had been holding back.
“He was,” Sesshomaru confirmed, and then paused and tightened his hold, causing the younger inu to raise his eyes, “at first. He was battling you seriously in the end. You did very well. You even began to implement what you learned in our training sessions.”
Inuyasha frowned, brows creased. “But I lost control.”
“An occurrence we will speak on another time. The point of the spar was not to test your control, but to overcome your fear and restore some of that confidence you have been lacking in yourself of late.” He bent and touched his forehead to the younger inu’s, breathing in the scent of sweat, blood, battle, and inu strength. “Is that not so?”
Inuyasha frowned, but not for the question. Something under his skin seemed to spark and burn at the touch of his elder brother. It stung. Tamae had said something about oversensitive skin being a symptom of the heat suppressing potion damming up his youki until it became too much for his body to handle and diverted it into dangerous areas.
No. No, this wasn’t that. It was too early. With an inward shake to banish the thought, he returned to the conversation at hand.
“Un,” he answered Sesshomaru’s question.
“Good. Shall we clean up and move to the dining hall for lunch, then?”
“Actually aniki, I thought I’d find Kagome an’ get her to take off this damn necklace. The way you were talkin’ about it, it sounded like it’d be better to get it off soon as possible. D’ya mind if we do that first?”
Sesshomaru kissed Inuyasha’s brow. “Not at all, ototo. I am quite impatient to see that collar and the miko’s claim on you removed.”
“Sessh, I told you, it was only somethin’ to control my youkai blood. It wasn’t meant as anything else.”
“No?”
“Of course not. Old Kaede put it on me after we first met when I was attackin’ Kagome an’ tryin’ to take the Shikon no Tama from her. There was nothin’ between us, on my part or hers, when she gave power to the subjugation beads.”
The daiyoukai pressed his lips together before slowly shaking his head. “It is still a nuisance. I dislike scenting her on you.”
“O’ course you do. You’re a possessive bastard at the best o’ times.”
“Territorial is the correct term. Regardless, I do not hear you complaining,” Sesshomaru pointed out with a smirk.
Inuyasha flushed and turned his back, ears flicking in embarrassment. “Nothin’ to complain about. I find it freakin’ funny when you get that way … an’ it’s not like I don’t like it.”
“Which is to say, my territorial manner pleases you.”
“Yeah, yeah, ya smug asshole, go ahead an’ preen.”
“I believe I will,” Sesshomaru responded arrogantly, waiting until Inuyasha’s eyes returned to him before he brushed his hand back through his hair, letting it glide through his fingers and striking a sensual pose that likely would have looked silly if anyone else attempted it.
Inuyasha snorted and grabbed his alpha’s hand, pulling him toward the dojo door. “Baka. Let’s go find Kagome before someone else sees how stupid ya look.”
*****************************************************************************************************
Definition of Terms
Bokken - a wooden sword often in the shape of the Japanese katana
Shikon no Tama - Jewel of Four Souls
A/N: So there's the new chapter, hope you all enjoyed! As promised, the next will be out shortly. I haven't gotten to the reviews yet, so I'm hoping I'll be able to get that done by tonight. If not, I'll reply to them tomorrow.
- 23
- 24
- 25
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

A Heat to Overcome