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Fortification	By : TheKaytla Category: InuYasha > Yaoi - Male/Male > InuYasha/Sessh?maru > InuYasha/Sessh?maru Views: 6107 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own the series Inuyasha, nor its characters.They are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-One
- 2-Two
- 3-Three
- 4-Four
- 5-Five
- 6-Six
- 2
- 3
- 4
Chapter Three

Standing just inside the castle gates, Inuyasha stared at Sesshomaru as he stood immobile at the other end of the castle's gardens. The daiyoukai neither beckoned or welcomed him, just stood there silently and expectantly, waiting for Inuyasha to make all the effort, like the stuck-up, arrogant bastard he was.

Growling low in the back of his throat, Inuyasha decided Sesshomaru was even more of a self-important prick than he'd been before. He grabbed the unconscious toad from the dragon's back and started trudging up the path toward the castle, his shoulders hunched defensively.

He could feel their eyes on him. Some even stopped what they were doing to stare at him, just like they did back then. Every set of eyes was like a brand, marking him as less than them for having human blood. Some of those he glared at, he recognised as servants who'd been there when he was a pup, the ones who'd sneered and spat at him whenever they caught him alone. He couldn't even remember the number of sly kicks and smacks he'd been forced to dodge over the years.

Well, just let them try it now. He may not have fancy poison claws like his bitch of a brother, but he could certainly tear them a new asshole if they so much as breathed on him. If they just left him alone, though, he'd leave it be as well.

He knew they'd never accept him because of his taint, so it was the best he could hope for.

He'd thought more than once now that even his father unconsciously looked down on him for it. He knew the old man cared about him, that much had been obvious, but he'd left Inuyasha with nothing but a sword. In the Western Lands, he had no title or position of power, just a claim to sharing blood with the former and current rulers. Granted, he didn't give a shit about the politics involved in running youkai territory, but it would have been nice for the old dog to try to give him some standing in this land. Maybe he just didn't think a hanyou would be able to cut it.

That was why it was only the youkai who had lived here back when he'd been a pup who even knew what he looked like. Youkai of status and rank wouldn't even recognise him if he cartwheeled past them naked, but they tripped over themselves just to stand in Sesshomaru's presence. That was what came with having the kind of upbringing he'd had, and the kind of blood the flowed through his veins.

Hanyou just didn't get that kind of consideration.

Not that he was bitter or anything.

Inuyasha mentally scoffed at himself. Who the hell was he kidding? Sure he was. Their father had given everything but the Tetsusaiga to Sesshomaru. He'd left it to Sesshomaru to carry on in his stead as Lord of the West, entrusting all ambitions and responsibilities to just one son. From what little he understood of the so-called functional family dynamic, he was aware the firstborn son was naturally the heir, but couldn't he at least have been offered something? Admittedly, he would have turned it down flat, having no interest in politics or making things easier for Sesshomaru, but surely the Inu no Taisho had known him well enough to realise he'd want to be asked? It would have made him feel like he was worth something as a son.

And if he had taken some stupid position at the castle, he certainly wouldn't greet his guests with a hoity-toity attitude that made them well aware he thought of them as less than scum like Sesshomaru was currently doing. Then again, the bastard had never spared much time or attention on him; Inuyasha supposed it would be the same with his manners as well. He should be grateful the amazing and wonderful Lord Asshole had even come to see him at all.

He guessed not even Sesshomaru could reconcile dragging him all the way back here and then ignoring him completely. Still, now that he was here, he wasn't going to let it all play out the way Sesshomaru wanted it. He'd get what he came for, and then he'd be gone before the bastard even knew what happened.

He drew level with Sesshomaru and stared straight into his face the way he hadn't dared to do as a pup. He noticed Sesshomaru was wearing dark, sombre colours compared to his usual white and red - ice and death, Inuyasha had always been reminded of - and wondered what the hell was up with him. Still mourning? Taking it a bit far, in his opinion. He didn't get the entire ceremony surrounding death; you said your goodbyes and that was it.

His nose twitched as it registered Sesshomaru was also wearing some sort of heavy scent that was undeniably... floral. It was so powerful, in fact, that he couldn't smell Sesshomaru at all. Not that he wanted to, of course, but it was strange. He'd never known his brother to wear anything but his own scent before. Maybe becoming daiyoukai had shoved his head even further up his ass.

Inuyasha hoisted Jaken up between their faces. "Don't send me anymore fucking annoying messengers," he said flatly, and let Jaken drop, the unconscious imp landing with a dull thud at the base of the castle steps. Inuyasha watched Sesshomaru's eyebrow lift slightly as he looked down at his servant, then back up.

"I see your manners have not improved, hanyou, if this is how you greet your host."

Inuyasha bit the inside of his mouth hard enough that he tasted blood and mentally counted to ten. He wasn't going to rise to the bait and tell the bastard what he thought of his manners. He was going to play along until he got what he wanted...

But Sesshomaru was watching him with that knowing look in his eyes...

Oh, fuck this.

"Oh, yeah? At least I was fucking decent enough to drag my ass over here to help you out, and you can't even be bothered to walk down to the damn gate? You make me come to you when you're the one asking for my help? You're a real piece of work, Sesshomaru. But I'm not gonna be kissing your ass like that damn frog."

"I don't believe I ever asked you to," the daiyoukai replied after a moment, turning back to the castle before Inuyasha could get a word in. "Follow me."

Pissed at this blatant dismissal of the issue, Inuyasha started grinding his teeth together so hard, he could hear them squeaking as he followed his son of a bitch brother into the castle.
---

They ascended the stairs in silence.

Silence, at least, except for the incessant grinding and squeaking coming from the hanyou's mouth. Sesshomaru bit back the urge to strike him or curse, or even sigh. He would not let Inuyasha know how much of a toll this endless fighting was taking on his mental health as well as his body. Just requesting his younger, weaker brother's help was embarrassing enough.

He would never understand what their father saw in Inuyasha. A parent's love for a child extended only so far as the need to protect and nurture that child until they were able to fend for themselves. The hanyou had long since passed that stage; weakest of the two sons he may be, but against ordinary youkai rabble, even Sesshomaru would grudgingly admit Inuyasha was a destructive force in his own right. It was only natural for one who carried even diluted inuyoukai blood.

Yet their esteemed father had continued to shelter and nurture his half-blood child well into maturity, while ignoring his pureblood heir. Sesshomaru hadn't understood then, and still didn't to this day. He had thought his bond with his father unshakable until Inuyasha arrived.

From that moment on, the Inu no Taisho became his general more than his father. Their conversations devolved to focus on his responsibilities as heir, and the knowledge he would need to rule. Their time spent together became restricted almost entirely to training and little else. His father spent all other times with his ningen woman and the tainted child they created, leaving his mate and firstborn behind in silent bitterness.

He had seen them together on more than one occasion when even his father hadn't been aware of his presence (and that alone had been proof enough that his training was complete, hadn't it?). Rolling in the mud and getting covered in filth, running and chasing each other like a pair of pups, laughing like they were having the time of their lives acting like fools.

Sesshomaru had expected it from an uncouth mongrel such as his brother, but from their father, a proud and noble daiyoukai who held one of the largest territories in the country? It had been an unpleasant shock, for buried underneath his affronted dignity had been, he could privately admit, a flare of jealousy. Not even in his youth had his father played with him in that way. From when he was first able to understand, there had been lessons and training and duty before fun. Not so for Inuyasha.

Sesshomaru still did not understand why such unreserved affection was granted to the hanyou who did nothing to please their father, while Sesshomaru had done everything he was ever asked to do, and more besides. He had done everything he possibly could to honour the Inu no Taisho and their noble lineage. So why... did his father choose Inuyasha, time and again?

Then and now, Inuyasha was scruffy, unrefined, lacking in intelligence and most likely unwashed. Fortunately, with his nose dulled as it was, he couldn't verify the latter was true now, but it had been in the past. Getting the pup to bathe after he came home from one of his adventures in the surrounding woods smelling like he'd rolled around in a dung heap like a common stray had been a monumental task.

Despite all this, the hanyou remained the favoured son, even after their father's death. Didn't the Tetsusaiga prove as much? The most precious heirloom went to the most precious son.

With difficulty, Sesshomaru stifled another sigh. He had to let this go. It wouldn't do for him to get so worked up that Inuyasha realised something was amiss. He had already exposed one vulnerability to the hanyou; he would reveal no more.

Focusing back on his brother, the daiyoukai finally realised the irritating grinding had ceased and turned his head just slightly to look over his shoulder.

Inuyasha suddenly looked uncharacteristically pensive. He'd lost his aggressive stance, no longer holding the Tetsusaiga in a way that suggested he was ready to draw it at a moment's notice, and was instead looking around. Sesshomaru wondered if perhaps he'd finally noticed just where they were actually going.

By the time they finally reached their destination just a few minutes later, Sesshomaru was certain. There were shadows in Inuyasha's eyes as he stared at the door, and his shoulders seemed to droop over so slightly. Curious, Sesshomaru watched him in silence for some time.

"Aren't you going to go in?" he finally asked quietly. "The bed has been prepared for your arrival. Everything else is just as you left it."

Inuyasha blinked and looked at him. "It is?"

"It is," the daiyoukai confirmed.

The hanyou seemed to struggle for a moment. "Why?"

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "You cannot guess?" When no retort was forthcoming, just a silent stare, he relented and explained. "Father always hoped you would return, even after you were all grown and... self-sufficient."

"He did, huh?" Inuyasha murmured to himself. It was clearly a rhetorical question, however, and Sesshomaru lapsed back into silence as Inuyasha opened the door and stepped inside.

The room itself was nothing special; compared to others, it was downright plain. But this had been where his childhood began, where his memories of his mother were. For the longest time, Inuyasha simply stood and silently looked at things: the bed, the vanity table his mother used, the children's toys scattered around the room.

It occurred to Sesshomaru that he had never seen Inuyasha so still and quiet before. He was always bursting with energy, never sitting still, fighting or cursing or getting into trouble. Never... small like this. It was oddly disconcerting, but he couldn't fathom why.

But Inuyasha seemed to be regaining a modicum of control. When he turned back to face Sesshomaru, his inner struggles with his memories were almost entirely hidden.

"So you've stuck me in the room next to yours, huh? Worried I might change my mind and leave you to clean up this shit on your own?"

It took more effort than it should to remain calm and not let the antagonistic whelp get to him. "Not at all. I now sleep in father's old room."

Inuyasha's eyes cleared completely. "What? Why?"

Sesshomaru had difficulty ignoring the obvious disapproval. "That room is where the daiyoukai of this castle sleep. Such is the way it has been for generations." That wasn't his only motivation, though, not that he would ever allow Inuyasha to know that. After his father's sudden death, he had felt bereft, despite the resentment he'd carried. He'd simply wanted to keep a piece of him close.

"Fine. Whatever." He leaned against the doorframe. "Let me get one thing clear, Sesshomaru. I'm only here to tidy up this mess, and then I'm out. Other than that, I want to be left alone. So you tell your mother to stay the hell away from me, got it?"

The daiyoukai's jaw clenched ever so slightly. "You would do well not to disrespect my mother, Inuyasha," he warned. "However, she left the castle shortly after father's death, so you needn't fret. She claimed her duty here was done and she was needed no longer after his passing."

"I'm not fretting!" the hanyou snapped. "Besides, like I care why she's gone. I'm just glad she is." He tucked his hands into the sleeves of his haori. "Anyway, we've been chatty enough for one day. I'm tired. We can start this shit tomorrow."

He stepped back into the room, hand on the door to close it, but paused with it halfway shut. "Oh, and by the way, Sesshomaru, there's something I've been meaning to tell you..."

The hanyou beckoned with his free hand and, in spite of himself, Sesshomaru leaned forward minutely. Then Inuyasha grinned ferally and said: "You smell like a damn woman."

The door closed with finality, leaving Sesshomaru blinking in surprise.

He smelled... like a woman, did he? Well, he supposed it was unfortunately true, and he would have to live with the consequences. It was better than Inuyasha finding out the truth.

A slender hand fell down and rested against his right thigh, and even that slight pressure had Sesshomaru stifling a wince, as he'd been doing with every step up to this floor. He'd sustained yet another severe wound, this time from the second dragon youkai. It had been far more cunning than its brother and had taken advantage of a brief window of opportunity, sinking its massive teeth into the flesh of his leg. His thigh muscle might have been torn away completely if he hadn't rammed his poison claws into the beast's eyes.

That had been the previous day and, though his abilities and the herbs his servants prepared for him had aided in healing, the tears and the damage weren't quite gone yet. Another day, perhaps two. Until then, he would have to keep dousing himself in this ridiculous potion to keep Inuyasha from finding out about his injuries.

It was a concoction of his mother's that she'd left behind; ingenious, as they always were. This particular potion nullified even the most sensitive youkai's sense of smell while leading them to believe they were simply surrounded by the scent of flowers, fooling them into believing their noses were still functioning. It seemed to have worked exactly as expected on Inuyasha.

An added benefit, of course, was that he found it irritating to be able to smell his own blood. To know that these youkai were inflicting such pain and injury on him caused him great anger, and he longed for the return of his full strength and stamina so that he could return that pain tenfold to those that remained.

Beyond that, it was simply embarrassing. A weakness he shouldn't have, one that prevented him walking far without the muscles cramping, seizing. One Inuyasha should never learn about, even if it meant not defending himself when accused of poor manners.

With his thoughts brought full circle back to his brother, Sesshomaru realised he was still standing outside his Inuyasha's door. Another thing that would be embarrassing if discovered, and so Sesshomaru moved away as quickly as his injury would allow and returned to his room to rest.

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A/N: This post is brought to you by Demitria Miriam and the new Nightwish song, Storytime.

Woooo, long time in coming, huh? But despite that, I kinda like this chapter. It's meant to reflect how they're alike in the sense that they think about the same things, right down to being annoyed with each other's appearance, but at the same time, it's still... different. Because they're different in many ways, too. So hopefully that came across.

And for anyone who wants to say they're being whiney... well, yeah. But they're both younger than usual, and they're both still upset over Inupapa. And they're jealous little puppies, too. So cut them some slack, they do some growing up later on. xD
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Fortification