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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
- 3
- 4
- 5
Chapter Four

For almost a fortnight, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru had purposefully avoided each other except when absolutely necessary. In a castle the size of their father's, it wasn't a difficult task, and so they only met in the castle grounds at noon each day for practice.

It had not been going as well as Sesshomaru had hoped. He hadn't realised until the disappointment set in that he had actually been placing some faith in his brother's strength and abilities. Yet despite his best efforts, Inuyasha seemed no closer to even being able to make the Tetsusaiga show its true form, let alone call the Kaze no Kizu.

There had been a brief ray of hope at the start. Perhaps that was what had given him such expectations. The first day of training, he had planned to start with the basics, only to suffer a terrible shock when Inuyasha not only successfully parried his initial blow but also nearly knocked the training sword from his hand.

After a moment of stunned silence, realisation had set in. "Father trained you."

Inuyasha had snorted. "'Course he did. What the hell d'you think we used to do? Go fishing or some shit?"

"What, indeed," the daiyoukai had murmured in reply, but he'd let the matter drop.

Truthfully, he'd had no idea their father had been training Inuyasha as well. Though he had spied on their activities when Inuyasha had still been a child, back when he was still trying to fathom what, exactly, drew the Inu no Taisho to a grubby little half-breed, he had long since stopped. He'd had no desire to see their bond grow with his own eyes.

Now, though, he was left wondering what their father had planned for Inuyasha, if anything. Was it merely to teach him to defend himself, or had he been preparing the hanyou for something more? Certainly he hadn't felt compelled to discuss it with his eldest son and heir.

Whatever it was, it hadn't progressed very far. When Sesshomaru had upped the ante in their training, he had discovered Inuyasha's form was mediocre at best. He understood the basics, but the finer points of swordplay were lost on him. Predicting an opponent's movements, too, seemed beyond him, but at least his reactions were admirably quick; it was becoming more and more difficult for Sesshomaru to catch him on a blind spot.

However, his temper spoiled much of his potential progress. It didn't take much for him to snap; a comment here, a well-aimed barb there, and the hanyou was quite willing to resort to fangs, claws and dirty tactics to try and inflict any damage he could. Sesshomaru would be just as willing to nurture that style of fighting if it would lead to some progress with the Tetsusaiga, but every avenue was a dead end.

The daiyoukai was beginning to wonder if the entire thing was an exercise in futility.

He stifled a sigh and bent stiffly to retrieve one of the training swords, gritting his teeth against the spasm of pain that ran up his back. Just a matter of days ago, he'd received another challenger, and yet again he'd been betrayed by his flagging strength and stamina. He'd become tired and, humiliatingly, he'd taken a blow to his back.

Never in his life had Sesshomaru allowed an enemy behind him. He had always been faster, stronger, able to defend himself without significant effort. Now...

Was he so much weaker than his father, who had defended this land for centuries without mishap? Or was it simply that he was no longer able to hide how much he was struggling, drawing more and more youkai out to seek his head? It certainly felt as though the numbers were increasing of late, but perhaps that was simply due to his fatigue.

Sesshomaru looked up at the sky. Exactly noon, by his estimation. Inuyasha should be arriving shortly. He was never early, as though he couldn't bear the thought of spending even an extra few minutes with his older brother. It mattered not to Sesshomaru, who was seriously considering sending the hanyou away rather than continue such fruitless pursuits.

As if on cue, he heard Inuyasha's steps approaching. "Let's get this shit over with," came the hanyou's idea of a greeting, but Sesshomaru had given up being irritated by his crass manners. It was just another aspect of his brother's being he could do naught to change and no longer wasted effort trying.

The daiyoukai tossed the sword he was currently holding to Inuyasha and bent to get himself another despite the pain, schooling his expression under Inuyasha's gaze. Though this injury Inuyasha had seen happen with his own eyes, he had lied to the hanyou, claiming superior healing abilities had already fixed things by the next morning, and that was some days ago. While it may be true the wound had closed, the damage was far from taken care of and the pain still very real.

The daiyoukai was aware his pride was doing him more harm than good, but he simply found it impossible to give it up when it was starting to feel like it was all he had left of himself.

Resigned to another training session of pointless misery, Sesshomaru closed his fist around the handle of the wooden sword, feeling the slight hum of magic come from its very core. A simple durability charm to protect the wood, which would never withstand the strength of an inuyoukai otherwise, even a half-breed such as Inuyasha. Such practicality was common of his father, a stark contrast to his mother's manipulations.

He took his usual position at one end of the boundary he'd had marked out for their training sessions, planning to incorporate rules and challenges to help Inuyasha's progression, such as a step beyond the boundary counting as a loss, but any hope of a structure to these bouts had long since flown away. It was a pattern he was beginning to realise repeated itself where Inuyasha was concerned.

The hanyou took his habitual place opposite Sesshomaru, one sleeve of his haori dragged across his nose. "You're wearing that flowery shit again? What the fuck, Sesshomaru? You finally stop wearing it about a week ago, then you start up again? Seriously, what the fuck are you doing?" Inuyasha exhaled sharply, as though trying to expel the scent from his nose. "You look like a fucking girl enough as it is, don't make it worse. Shit."

Sesshomaru's jaw clenched and slowly released. His knuckles cracked against the hilt of his wooden sword. Inuyasha was only useful to him alive, he reminded himself. If he was useful at all.

Controlling his anger was made easier by the fact that he... almost agreed with Inuyasha. With the sentiment of trying to get the scent out of his nose, at least. Constant exposure to this potion was beginning to make him feel nauseous, just another inconvenience he suffered through for the sake of his pride.

The daiyoukai pointed his weapon at his little brother and, from somewhere, he managed to pull a small smile onto his face. "If you have time to think about my supposed flaws, Inuyasha, could you perhaps explain why you have failed time and time again to call the Tetsusaiga to your will?" His voice was soft as silk, for he knew that would make it grate all the more harshly in those ridiculous furred ears.

The hanyou bared his teeth in a growl. "Why the fuck do you still assume it's my fault? Maybe your damn training is what's really flawed around here. I got better with the old man."

"A pathetic argument, but intelligent nonetheless for one such as you," Sesshomaru responded smoothly, perversely finding a little of his footing again. This was familiar, a fight he could... enjoy simply because the only thing at stake was the right to gloat another day. "The Tetsusaiga would respond to me, as it did to father. Perhaps your abilities were overestimated and you simply do not have the power to wield it."

The reaction was instantaneous. One moment, Inuyasha stood before him, angry but calm; the next, he was all but flying across the training grounds with his sword slashing at Sesshomaru's head. The blow was easily deflected, but Inuyasha allowed the momentum to carry him further, using it to help him spring off the wall in an impressive display of athleticism and return for another attack, which the daiyoukai sidestepped.

They took off running at the same time. The entire castle grounds was their battlefield as, each driven by his own reasons, they sought the other's defeat. It was no longer training; it was, simply, a fight.

This, Sesshomaru realised, was a large part of why Inuyasha had not yet improved. He allowed his temper to get the better of him, he would attack, and what could have been a productive training session devolved instead into a pointless battle.

He could have stopped it. It was wreaking havoc on his healing; his back felt as though it was on fire, tearing anew. Yet his pride smothered the logical impulse and led him to indulge Inuyasha's unrestrained temper instead, knowing he would never live it down if he was the one to end things without knocking the hanyou flat first.

And there was a part of him, he admitted, that relished the victories he had over his brother when others were seemingly slipping steadily from his grasp.

Perhaps it wasn't even as within his control as he thought, he mused, as he traded vicious blows with the hanyou. Their personalities were so conflicting, their dislike so deep and so old, that this might even be inevitable. Like oil and water, they would never mix; their differences sparked a conflagration that would burn for all eternity across the surface, preventing any chance of reconciliation.

He supposed, in the grand scale of things, it mattered not. Neither desired to rebuild any burned bridges between them. And if Inuyasha truly did not have the power to help, this one last gamble he'd made to save this land and his life will have come to naught. He would send Inuyasha away and face his fate straight-backed and without flinching.

Sesshomaru cut himself off there. Such fatalistic views were beneath him even in his current situation and he would not indulge in such morbid thoughts. It was not befitting a daiyoukai of his stature. It was time to end this entire farce with his brother and retreat into the castle to tend his wounds. He was almost certain some of the still tender flesh had split.

However, just as he cornered the hanyou to do just that, a blaze of youki bombarded his senses outside the castle gates and he turned, Inuyasha all but forgotten.

A single trail of sweat trickled down Sesshomaru's spine, but he ignored it. Another challenger so soon? He already ached from this mock battle with Inuyasha, and this youkai was stronger by far than the most recent. A worthy opponent for him at full strength. Now...

Whatever it meant for him, the challenge was clear as day. All servant activity around him had ceased as they waited for his response. Even Inuyasha was still; he could feel the hanyou's eyes on him. There was no way he could or would back away from this.

The wooden sword fell from his grasp as he began walking at a steady pace toward the gates. This time, it was not pain that checked his speed, but a refusal to allow this trespasser to make him hurry. This fight was on his land; he would come to it on his own terms and no one else's.

"Open the gates," he commanded as he drew closer, the order to close them again after being left unspoken. Simply unnecessary, after how many times this had played out in recent months. Barring the imp, most of those who served him were satisfyingly competent enough that he rarely had to make his needs known.

The heavy ivory gates parted slowly and Sesshomaru gained his first sight of his opponent. It had him stiffening even more.

He wore a stainless white hakama and haori with green patterning at the sleeves. The obi tied neatly at his waist was green and yellow and secured a sword at his hip. His shoulders were guarded by thick, scaled pauldrons that connected to a dark grey chestplate.

His hair was not white, and yet nor was it silver; it fell to a shade somewhere between, and sat high on his head in a long tail that fell down his back. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed as he examined the stranger's face. Three smooth lines of dark red curved across his cheeks, matching the slashes of colour on his upper eyelids.

But it was the mark on his forehead that truly gave everything away. It was a perfectly formed crescent moon, the exact shape, size and colour of Sesshomaru's.

This challenger was not simply a youkai. He was inuyoukai.

Sesshomaru walked out onto the bridge, locking gazes with eyes that were a darker and somehow colder gold than his own. Those eyes saw only his death.

Yet Sesshomaru was not a youkai to be cowed easily, even with diminished strength. He walked with his back straight and his head held high, his gaze never once wavering, and remained at his own pace. It was only when he drew close enough to be heard without raising his voice that he stopped.

"You, of the same blood as I, come to challenge me? What is the meaning of this?"

The stranger's lips twisted up into an arrogant smirk, revealing a fang. "You're doing a poor job protecting your land, Sesshomaru... or should that be Lord Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed further. "If you know my name, you can supply yours. Your face is unknown to me."

"As well it should be," came the cryptic response. "My branch of the family tree has been unwelcome in this land since your father took up rule."

"And yet you return. Explain."

The inuyoukai barked a laugh. "You can't order me around like one of your servants, my lord," he said, voice dripping with acidic humour. "Yet since I want you to know exactly why you must die, I shall tell you nonetheless."

Sesshomaru waited as the inuyoukai paused, his expression not altering despite how the silence stretched. If this fool thought he would be impressed by such theatrics, he was mistaken.

Those dark eyes began glimmering with festering rage. "Did your esteemed father ever tell you how he came to rule the Western Lands?" he asked, voice deceptively smooth.

Sesshomaru's shoulders stiffened imperceptibly. He didn't like where this was going. In truth, he had never thought to ask how his father came to be the ruler of this territory. In his mind, such things had simply been, without need for explanation.

"He stole it, that's how," the stranger growled. "This land was meant to be my father's, not his! Succession was handed over to him, and your father insisted on fighting for it. And for the female who came with the title."

In spite of himself, Sesshomaru felt a jolt. He was well aware there was no love lost between his parents and that his mother had, at times, resented her husband and her marriage, yet she'd never mentioned this even once. It led him to believe it was not true, yet a small doubt remained.

Now was not the time to worry about such things, however.

"And so you seek revenge against me for my father's doing? How petty," he replied, satisfied with the flash that went through the inuyoukai's eyes. "You were not brave enough to challenge my father directly, I see, but you hope I will prove to be weaker. A foolish assumption."

The rage rippled across the inuyoukai's face, yet he managed to bring back his smirk. "Such confidence from one in your position is admirable, but laughable. Do you think it has gone unnoticed how you are slowly failing as protector of these lands?"

"You show more cowardice by admitting as much," the daiyoukai countered. "Have you bided your time until you believed my strength had diminished enough that you could win without giving such a pathetic plan away? Such a coward cannot defeat me."

The inuyoukai shifted his stance ever so slightly, but to Sesshomaru, it was a warning sign as bold as the hand that rested on the hilt of his sword. He was prepared to attack at any moment. Sesshomaru mirrored his movements, flexing his fingers.

"You would truly draw your sword against a fellow kinsman over something so petty?"

The stranger barked a laugh. "Any claims of shared blood matter not in this battle." He smiled slowly. "Besides, such an argument from you is ridiculous. I've heard you hate your own brother... yet as I've also heard he's nothing but a half-breed mongrel, I suppose I can't fault you there. Your father fell from grace in the last years of his life to get tangled up with a human, wouldn't you agree?"

"You will leave Inuyasha out of this," Sesshomaru warned.

"Oh?" The dark eyes sparked with interest. "Protecting your brother, are you? Had a change of heart? How surprising..."

Sesshomaru didn't so much as blink. He protected his father's reputation, but he felt no need to explain himself. "Hardly," he said instead. "You seem to like hearing yourself talk, so I felt it necessary to keep you focused on the issue at hand."

The inuyoukai sneered, but his eyes became harder at the insult. "Very well, then," he said. "Shall we begin? I, Tetsuhiro, will take your head and my birthright along with it!"

In the next instant, he had vanished from sight, leaving only a cloud of dust in his wake. Yet Sesshomaru was prepared, and blocked the slash of the sword with his claws, knocking it aside as the inuyoukai - Tetsuhiro, he had called himself - reappeared before him.

They leapt apart and charged each other, Sesshomaru's claws striking metal again and again as he blocked and dodged the vicious swipes, but he began to realise that was all they were. There was no finesse to this brutal assault; it was like fighting a stronger version of Inuyasha. It seemed Tetsuhiro's rage was clouding his better judgement.

In the next charge, he changed tactics. Instead of blocking and attacking in turn, he ducked under a blow and reached up, catching Tetsuhiro's wrist. Wasting no time, he twisted sharply, heard the bone crack and saw the sword fall from his grip, but before he could take it or otherwise remove it from Tetsuhiro's possession, acid-tipped claws streaked by his face and he was forced to retreat.

Tetsuhiro stood over his dropped weapon and cradled his damaged wrist. "I see," he said almost thoughtfully. "Your boasts about your strength were indeed not false. It seems I cannot simply vent my rage on your battered body as I wish, my lord." He smiled cruelly as he twisted his own wrist, setting the bones back into place with a grinding crunch. "At least, not yet."

He bent and retrieved his weapon with his left hand, but Sesshomaru could see the fingers of his right slowly flexing already. Such a wound wasn't terribly debilitating to an inuyoukai at full strength and health; it had merely been to buy himself a bit of time.

This time, the daiyoukai did not wait for Tetushiro to attack first. He launched the offensive himself, making it the inuyoukai's turn to defend himself against a barrage of attacks. Sesshomaru used this distraction to suddenly spin, kicking with all his strength at Tesuhiro's midsection.

He both felt and heard the armour crack under the force of the blow, and Tetsuhiro himself was launched of his feet to fly some distance away. Sesshomaru watched dispassionately as the inuyoukai pushed himself back up, a snarl marring his otherwise handsome features.

"Someone of such poor skill as yours cannot win against me," the daiyoukai said as he cracked his knuckles in warning. "Or did you forget who it was that trained me in battle? You learned from an inferior fighter, Tetsuhiro."

"How dare you," Tetsuhiro growled as his eyes bled red and his pupils constricted to pinpricks of blue. "I'll kill you!"

Sesshomaru met his charge head on, summoning all the strength he had left. He could win if he finished this quickly before his strength flagged. He refused to die on the sword of a coward like Tetsuhiro. With his eyes as red as his opponent's, Sesshomaru threw everything into his assault, driving him back inch by inch as he forced himself to forget everything but the need to win this battle.

----

A/N: Well, another chapter so soon, huh? Surprised me, too. Started it yesterday, and here it is... As some of you will know, I even had to chop the thing in half because it kept getting bigger and bigger... This on its own is about 3,400 words, and it's only halfway through the outline I originally had for the chapter.

I haven't started the next chapter yet, but it's where my focus is at, so I'll hopefully start and finish that soon as well. But as it's going to be largely action-based and I really SUCK at that, it could... take a while. >.> Or be finished quickly and be a big flop for a large part of it until the fighting stops and I get back to usual standards. xD

Next chapter... quite dark and violent, though, yes. And I hope it'll have its surprises. A few of them, at least. Shit gets real. But that's all I'll say on that matter. XD

Enjoy! <3
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Fortification