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The Forest That Bore His Name	By : Raithea Category: InuYasha > Yaoi - Male/Male > InuYasha/Sessh?maru > InuYasha/Sessh?maru Views: 17700 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

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~~Chapter Three~~
The Past’s Visitation
The room was cavernous, the steady din from the crowd echoing off its marble contours. Servants scampered among the gathered guests, offering drinks and appetizers, whisking away empty chinaware. The assembly of youkai and humans mingled and conversed exchanging elaborate stories, false praise and thin sentiment. High polished beams of marble and granite soared overheard of the agate mosaic embossed into the floor, while expensive sculptures and tapestries were showcased along the walls. The assembly room of Naraku's new home was truly an impressive sight and Sesshomaru could not have been more bored by it all if he'd tried.
The only thing to be gotten from this gathering was irritation. The people here were either trying to stab each other in the back or trying to latch onto someone more powerful and feed. In truth Sesshomaru would not be here at all if it weren't for the fact that Naraku now occupied lands adjacent to his own. Sesshomaru would never do deals with this ilk, so he remained separate from the crowd. Some slime would occasionally work up the courage to try to trap him in talk of something or other, but his general lack of response or in fact, any real facial expression tended to intimidate even the obsequies of worms from bothering him for very long. He had managed to get rid of the most recent irritant and was enjoying the small reprieve while his two inu youkai guards kept meticulous watch.
Sesshomaru glanced down at Aiko, her and her brother, twins; had been loyal to his family for longer than he could remember. They both stood, and by stood that meant all four paws planted firmly on the ground, a little more than waist high and could be counted on for swift action and good judgment. Their physical appearance however, contradicted their sibling ties. Aiko was all solid black and stoic manners while her brother frequently resembled a snow bunny on speed. Sesshomaru was mystified as to how the two could come from the same gene pool, but the odd miss match seemed to work for them.
While Sesshomaru had been getting rid of the most recent sycophant, Aiko had waited patiently to catch his eye and when she had it she pointedly turned her attention to a hallway that Sesshomaru could just see through the rails of the second floor; one that appeared to lead deeper into the mountainside.
Sesshomaru prized many of the skills that the twins possessed but one of the most valuable was being able to converse discreetly, preventing unwanted ears from hearing. He raised an eyebrow in inquiry and she swiped a paw over her nose in response.
So it was a scent that had caught her interest.
He inhaled discreetly and picked up the fragrance that had engaged Aiko's curiosity. It was pungent, with an iron and copper undertone, probably blood; along with some other flavor, interlaced and subtle, that tweaked some lost memory. It might be worth his time to investigate; the host of this gathering was a youkai of questionable heritage and deceitful practices; most likely it was something the owner of this over glorified catacomb didn't wish his guests to see. Sesshomaru was no fool; and with Naraku's new home now practically sitting at his doorstep he would take precautions not to be caught unawares. In any case it might be mildly interesting, hopefully more intriguing then the current entertainment.
And that underlying scent bothered him; his memory had never failed him before, especially when it came to smells. Why was this one eluding him?
Aiko was staring at him, waiting; he gave a slight nod and she was gone. In all his years with the twins he had yet to see Aiko actually blend with the shadows. For that is what she had done, using her magic to merge with the shades and get by undetected. This innate talent for spying was far more valuable to him then any attack skills; after all, he was perfectly capable of defending himself.
With Aiko gone he once again let his attention wander. All that was needed now was patience to see if anything would arise to alleviate his boredom.
His restraint paid off; after less then a minute a high pitch yip made its way to his ears, a sound few could detect and only an inu could interpret. Since he and his guards accounted for all the inu at this assembly they were the only ones to give it any heed.
Sesshomaru cast a cursory glance about the room. His host was nowhere in sight; no doubt in some more private quarters with less than savory company, but that was a side note. Now assured that the only person with the audacity to question him was not present, Sesshomaru made his way along the room and up the stair; keeping his gaze vague and disinterested so no one would make the mistake of thinking he wished to speak with them.
Soon he was beyond the din of the main room, winding his way through the hallways. It didn't escape his notice that none of the rooms were directly connected and it gave the whole building a fortress like feel. He followed Aiko's scent, Haku trotting along next to him, when a particularly strong draft of that metallic fragrance reached his nose and he suddenly knew what he was going to find.
Sesshomaru would reflect back on this moment in the coming weeks, on that instant where he could have stopped and turned right around. Ignored what surely was beyond the turn of the corner. He would ask why he hadn't. He didn't need to go any farther. His curiosity assuaged.
But his feet kept moving, carrying him ever closer to the scene of a broken promise, of the only responsibility he'd ever refused. Of his failure to fulfill his dead father's last wish. Sesshomaru wanted to know none of it, but he kept moving and suddenly he was in the room that housed the battered body of his little hanyou half-brother.
The smell of it all was the first thing to really hit Sesshomaru. The scent of shouki was so thick it was almost tangible, infecting everything in the room, including Inuyasha. It was nauseating but the sight was worse. For a brief moment of reprieve his mind had simply refused to understand what is was seeing. If I don't see it I can still walk away, his inner voice reasoned, never having sounded so much like a petulant child. But that moment was gone before it could even be savored and Sesshomaru saw what was in front of him.
When last Sesshomaru had seen Inuyasha he had been a child, now he looked to be in his late teens. Inuyasha's body was slumped over a finely carved table, towels scattered beneath him to stop his blood from contaminating the expensive rug. His breath strained and buckled in his lungs. Bruises and scratches were scattered liberally over his body, all in various stages of trying to heal, of trying to have one patch of skin that didn't burn with pain.
And five eternal wounds slanted their way across this story of torture.
A mark of possession, a sign of ownership had been branded into the hanyou's back.
Without conscious thought Sesshomaru drifted closer, until he stood over his half-brother. Able to see the shouki twisting within the brand, it poisonous colors shifting in his half-bred brother's skin. Like an oil slick on water, it was mesmerizing and sickening all at once. His gaze continued to flow over the hanyou's back until it fell on the matted and coated tail, lying limply on the towels and the scars crossing and re-crossing its base.
His tail had been ripped out.
And far too early.
Oh gods.
Bile rose in Sesshomaru's throat. His half-brother's time had been frozen, twisted down the wrong path. For once in his life Sesshomaru didn't know what to do. He didn't want to deal with this; he didn't want to see this. But it was like a train wreck, he simply couldn't force his eyes away, as his mind tried to come up with some other, any other, explanation than that this was all his fault.
Sesshomaru was so absorbed in finding reason, that Haku was able to get close enough to start licking at Inuyasha's face. Sesshomaru immediately opened his mouth to demand he stop but the noise got jammed in his throat and came out as an indignant squawk as he saw Inuyasha begin to rouse.
His breathing began to get harsher, as if simply waking required more oxygen then he could hope to get, hitching in pain as the return of consciousness brought back the torture. His ears swiveled back and forth before finally settling for being pinned to his head. Reluctantly, pain-dulled copper eyes drifted open.
Sesshomaru froze.
Inuyasha didn’t immediately notice him. His eyes were instead trying to focus on the muzzle not three inches from his face. A dog? What was a dog doing here? Pain was still racing through his body but it felt oddly numb to it. His brain could only handle so many parts of him constantly saying that they hurt before it started to ignore the message. The only thing he really felt was how hard it seemed to be to breathe. His lungs felt mangled and his own breathing was harsh to his ears.
He just wanted to go back to sleep and wake with less pain. The rest of him agreed wholeheartedly and he could feel his eyelids weigh heavy once more when the muzzle moved forward again and a long pink tongue stretched out to cover his face in a thin sheen of drool.
“Ugh.” Inuyasha braced himself on the table and slowly sat up. His whole back screamed with the motion but he finally managed to get himself sitting up, more out of stubborn will then anything else. He slowly rubbed his eyes to rid them of sleep when he finally noticed the pair of shoes not a foot away from him. Dread coursed throughout his body as he slowly lifted his gaze; terrified that it was his father and horrified by who it really was.
“Ses—Sesshomaru!” Inuyasha tried to scramble away; wanting to hide himself and his shame away. This was the last person he wanted to see him like this. But his body failed him and the best he could do was grab a towel and cover himself. Inuyasha couldn't bring himself to look at his brother; not wanting to see the disgust on his face.
Sesshomaru's mind, in the meantime, had finally arrived at what it perceived to be the only explanation.
The hanyou had sold himself.
Sesshomaru's lip formed a sneer of disdain and his voice returned with his anger, his voice rising in accusation. “I thought you could bring no more shame to our family, Inuyasha. You are a disgrace. So inept at surviving on your own that you sold yourself to the first scum that would take you.” Inuyasha visibly flinched from his voice and to Sesshomaru it was merely a confirmation of his guilt, giving him all the more conviction to press forward until jaws closing over his hand stopped him. Sesshomaru looked down and was surprised to see Aiko with his hand lightly clasped in her teeth. She gave his hand a single shake and dropped it before making her way over to the crumbling hanyou and licking at his face.
Sesshomaru was a little stunned, Aiko had not had the gall to reprimand him since he was a pup; his mind began tripping over itself to account for this new development in his definition of the world.
“Well, well, this is a surprise. I never expected the great Inu Daiyoukai to visit my chambers.”
Sesshomaru turned round, careful to check himself and not act like the guilty teen he felt himself to be. Naraku stood in the doorway, his body blocking much of the light from the hallway; but Sesshomaru could still catch the arrogant smirk that slipped across his face, as he gave a mocking bow. “To what do I owe the honor.”
~~~~~
A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, I really appreciate them.
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and company.
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The Forest That Bore His Name