Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

Sedition	By : BlackberryPatch Category: InuYasha > Yaoi - Male/Male > InuYasha/Sessh?maru > InuYasha/Sessh?maru Views: 5561 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and no money is being made from this fan work.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
5 - I've Come to Talk with You Again

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The soft warmth of sunlight filtered in through the window and Inuyasha opened his eyes to find he was alone. The scent of Sesshomaru was all around him, but faded without the demon's current presence. Inuyasha felt well and indolent, his shoulder and other scrapes healed. Closing his eyes, Inuyasha poked at the tickle in the back of his mind and received an impression of his brother leaning over a table with scrolls scattered across it. The image was fleeting but he felt an answering brush of emotion.
He prodded again at the back of his mind, reaching into the feeling to see what he could see. Sesshomaru had said Father used the ward spell to see everywhere in his lands, so theoretically it would connect him to everything therein. He thought about Miroku and reached out; he could see his friend in the village, standing, laughing about something, his son Isamu, whom Inuyasha had met briefly during his stay at the village, holding his hand and directing his attention to whatever it was that was so humorous.
The experience was heady, bewildering, and oddly exhausting, and Inuyasha dropped the strange over-sight. He lay still for a bit longer, waiting for his mind to settle more firmly back in his head before he sat up. The world swam before his eyes and he decided he would ask Sesshomaru if there was a trick to it before he tried that again.
He stood from the bed and regarded the bloody mess Sesshomaru's attentions had made of his clothes. Since he'd given his haori to Rin, he'd known that he would be needing to find other material for himself to wear. If he was truly Sesshomaru's mate it wouldn't do to keep running around half clothed – and the urge filled him to not disappoint his brother in that way. A part of him knew that Sesshomaru would accept him however he should present himself, but another part of him remembered Gaiko and the great stag's contemptuous look. He had a lot of ground to make up, and it would help him better to start on an equal footing. Though a part of him mourned the fire rat haori, he had outgrown the need for its protection. It was time to pass it to one who needed it more, as his mother had done with him.
He knelt beside the remains of his old clothing and reached into the folded pocket in his kosode, drawing out the silver mirror Afzal had given him. Pausing a moment, he looked into it. It showed him nothing more than it always had – his own face, slightly distorted – and he snorted at it in exasperation. Refined and flawless... Back out in the rest of the world it was sometimes hard to remember the full impact of Afzal's brief teachings. For all that his every word was poisoned by his obsession, there was a seed of truth to the elemental's philosophies that spoke to Inuyasha; it spoke more wistfully from a greater distance, but Inuyasha found himself often remembering with a pleasant fondness the group of half-blood children playing games together. A place that gave children that kind of peace couldn't be entirely evil, no matter that Inuyasha didn't particularly want any part of it for himself.
Inuyasha blinked, realizing suddenly that he'd been staring into the silver disc for a long time. He frowned at it for a moment before he set it carefully on the table that stood against the wall as he passed it on his way to the clothes chest just beyond. Sesshomaru had said that everything here was Inuyasha's as well, but the half demon felt a slight ripple of anxiety as he lifted the lid. He reached a hand in to touch the folded cloth that lay within and felt a strange peacefulness steal over him as he sat for long moments letting his fingers trail through the folds of silk. He paused at one and carefully lifted the garment out. The dark silk spilled over his hands heavily and he closed his eyes as he rubbed the cloth between his fingers. Impulsively he buried his face in it; this was the same heavy cloth that Sesshomaru always wore. With a soft sigh, Inuyasha stood and shook out the kimono. Matching hakama lay under it, and he found a kosode he liked as well. The end product was easily the nicest clothing he'd ever worn. The fire rat coat had its uses but it had never had the feel to it, as this did, of the weight of truly fine silk.
He was still running his hand down over the outside of his leg, feeling the nap of the cloth, when he felt a tickle at the back of his head. He brushed at a non-existent fly before he realized the disturbance was, literally, all in his head. It felt as if someone he knew very well was standing behind him, just out of his line of sight, trying to say something to him but he couldn't quite make it out. He closed his eyes and focused on the feeling. After a moment's concentration he could better make out what the watch spell was telling him, and he smirked. It looked like he wasn't going to have to hunt down Shippou after all, though, for better or worse, the kit hadn't come alone. As he left the room, Inuyasha lifted Tetsusaiga from where it rested. Not that he expected trouble worthy of the sword from the meeting he was going to, but the area just around the fortress was getting crowded the past few days.
As if his mental comment on the issue was a beacon for attracting unwanted attention, the moment Inuyasha left the fortress he felt a heavy gaze upon him. He paused a moment, looking around him with more than eyes, searching for his watcher. There was no question as to who it was, Inuyasha had known that from the moment he felt the eyes rest on him with an all too familiar contempt, but where Gaiko was lurking was still up for grabs for the next few moments. The feeling of being watched and judged was so intent that for a moment he forgot why he'd come out.
"Inuyasha!" Shippou called in pleasure as he ran up to greet the half demon. The fox kit Inuyasha remembered had grown a lot in the past five years; he was tall and lean, and moved with an easy loping gait that Inuyasha supposed came from spending all of one's spare time running with wolves. Shippou had a young, unfinished quality to his frame, but if one didn't look closely it was easy to mistake him for a demon of greater years. There was a weight behind his eyes that made him look older. Inuyasha wondered if he had a similar look about him; he wondered if it came from being orphaned at a young age, from surviving Naraku, or from interacting so much with humans who expected so much more from life, and those who lived it, in much shorter spans of time.
Shippou slowed as he approached, as if unsure of his welcome, but Inuyasha smiled and held out his arms to the kit, hugging him in genuine pleasure at seeing him again. "Hey Shippou, good to see you."
Shippou grinned up at him, though the 'up' was only barely. "I'm glad you're back." His voice was quick and eager, though uncertain. "I... missed you."
Inuyasha tousled his hair affectionately. "Yeah, well, I missed you, too. Vacation was nice, but you knew we wouldn't be gone forever right?"
Shippou's look eased, and became far more mischievous. "Well you never know what someone might forget in five years. I mean, you're so incompetent that I can only imagine you might wander off and forget the way back in that short amount of time."
Inuyasha tried to smack him, only halfheartedly, while Shippou easily ducked aside and laughed; honestly, it was nice to get back into some of the familiar banter.
"Hey, dog-breath. Guess nothing decided to do us the favor of eating you yet."
Nice maybe, but then there was overdoing it. "Watch where you're talking wolf-shit. I might have to kick your ass if I hear any more." He'd felt Kouga's swift approach and he shifted his gaze to give his old rival the once over.
Kouga was... not that different. His hair was longer, and though he still wore it swept up in a long tail it hung down past the back of his thighs. There was a warmth to his expression that Inuyasha didn't remember, or maybe had never noticed, and a distinct lack of the tunnel vision the two of them had tended to get into when around each other. But there was still a sharp wariness to the wolf demon that had him scanning the treeline as he approached them. There were other wolves, further back in the forest; Inuyasha could sense them – not that close but close enough if Kouga should have need of them, or the other way around. "As if you could," Kouga retorted to the half demon's jibe, but in a tone of voice that suggested he wasn't in the mood to test the claim.
Inuyasha felt the magic of the land thrill up through him and he had the thought that, should they come to blows, Kouga would be rather badly outmatched. It was an odd feeling. Though Kagome had come between them enough that they'd never seriously gone head to head, he'd always thought that Kouga would be near his equal and that, while he would certainly win in the end, any earnest combat between them would test his reserves. He was surprised to find that it wasn't so, and a sudden desire to not start that fight had him only scoffing lightly in response to Kouga's retort.
"What are you doing here anyway?" he asked, grinning at Shippou. "I thought I was going to have to hunt you down."
Shippou's expression was uncharacteristically solemn. "We heard you were back. Everyone knows." He shrugged. "I've seen Idachi a few times and I figured he wasn't done making trouble."
Inuyasha felt his senses focus to alert on the fox demon. "You've seen Idachi? The guy so mysterious Sango only barely knows he exists?"
Kouga raised an eyebrow laconically and grinned. "Trust a fox to know things he has no business knowing."
Shippou blushed but looked pleased. "I've seen him," he confirmed.
"Is he a tall guy, broad-shouldered, uses a glaive?" Inuyasha demanded.
Shippou frowned. "Um, no."
"That fucker." Inuyasha shook his head. "I thought there was something off about that." Shippou motioned impatiently and Inuyasha continued. "He was here, claimed he was Idachi and he wanted to fight Sesshomaru. He also likes to kill little girls, apparently."
Shippou blinked. "His name is, was, Slager." His expression darkened. "He was mated to Hina, Idachi's sorceress. She used blood magic to steal power for them."
"She's the one Ros killed then." Inuaysha's lip curled. "Her magic couldn't help her there." He snorted. "Good riddance."
Shippou still looked worried. "They were Idachi's enforcers. They united under another demon, but it's Idachi who's really behind everything."
"Another demon?"
"I don't know his name, but I saw him once. He was tall." Shippou ducked his head and smirked as he continued, "Lordly, like Sesshomaru. He had dark hair, the color of the sky during a thunderstorm."
Inuyasha frowned. "I haven't met him, but that must be Eikoseisui."
"Eikoseisui? I've met him before and the description fits." Kouga shivered. "That's good news."
Inuyasha was about to respond, but when he looked up he saw Gaiko stepping out from the forest.
The huge demon stag eyed them scornfully. Kouga snarled, an answering growl coming from the forest behind Gaiko. The stag shook his great antlers in disdain and fixed his eyes on Inuyasha.
The half demon stepped forward from where his friends were standing and met Gaiko's gaze. His hand rested on Tetsusaiga's hilt as he looked across at Gaiko. "What do you want?" he asked. The question was more civil than be would have expected of himself, and Inuyasha wasn't sure if he'd prefer Gaiko answered it and left, or if he wanted the demon to start something.
Gaiko stared at him for a long time before stepping forward again. Inuyasha's fingers tightened on Tetsusaiga's hilt, but he didn't draw. The watch spell was humming softly in him and he could feel that Gaiko was testing him, not attacking. This is my home and these are my friends, Inuyasha thought with steady determination. You cannot have this.
Gaiko came forward until the spread of his gigantic antlers almost framed Inuyasha like a cage of sharp spikes of bone. The demon cocked his head and regarded Inuyasha closely from one huge red eye. After what seemed an eternity he snorted, and turned to leave, making his way silently to the treeline before he vanished.
Inuyasha took a deep breath.
Behind him, Kouga swore. "Eikoseisui and now Gaiko too? What the hell is going on here? You having some sort of super demon lord get-together?"
Inuyasha turned to grin at Kouga with reckless energy. "What's the matter Kouga, think we weren't going to invite you?"
One of his wolves ran out of the forest to bump its head against Kouga's knee and the wolf demon automatically lowered his hand to the creature's head. Rather than respond in kind to Inuyasha's taunt, Kouga shook his head, expression thoughtful. "I'll stick with what I've got." He eyed Inuyasha appraising. "Good luck with that."
Inuyasha sobered instantly. "Thanks," he said, accepting Kouga's words in the spirit they were offered.
Kouga grinned suddenly. "Of course, you're going to get your ass killed like the idiot half-breed dog-shit that you are, and then I'll be back to laugh. See ya, dog-breath!" And he was gone, running off into the trees.
Watching him go, Inuyasha threw his arm around Shippou's shoulders. "That is one cocky-assed wolf-shit," he observed. "I think I could grow to like him for it."
Shippou grinned but Inuyasha could see he was pleased. "It makes you both easier to talk to," he said offhandedly, "when you don't spend all your time yelling and trying to punch each other."
"Trying?" Inuyasha scoffed in amusement, walking with Shippou to the entrance to the fortress. He wondered if he was growing up, that he didn't have the urge to beat Kouga into the ground, or if he was just... complete, in a way he hadn't been before. He closed his eyes and touched the place in the back of his mind where Sesshomaru's presence burned like a flame.
Shippou looked tired, and, questioning him, Inuyasha learned that he'd been running with Kouga's pack far to the south when they'd heard that he and Sesshomaru were back. They'd run all night, and the kit looked like he could use some sleep. Inuyasha put him to bed and went in search of Sesshomaru.
The warmth in his mind lead him to a room back in the depths of the fortress. He stopped in the doorway. There was a lamp burning on the low table off to one side of the room and he could see rows of shelves revealed by its light. And his brother, sitting at the table, reading from a scroll. Inuyasha paused to watch Sesshomaru in the lamplight – looking at the face he knew so well, now cast in dancing shadows by the lamp – and thought about his brother, fierce and obstinate, his lover, both gentle and insatiable, his mate, considerate and implacable, and all of these things his forever.
Sesshomaru knew he was being watched and when he reached the end of the passage he was reading he looked up. He meant to greet Inuyasha with a welcoming smile, but the sight of his brother stopped all other thought. Inuyasha was wearing a full kimono with hakama in the darkest shade of blue Sesshomaru had ever seen. The light cream of kosode peeked from beneath the dark cloth and there was the soft sparkle of metallic thread at shoulder and cuff where a golden plum blossom was stitched inside a silver hexagon. He was awestruck for a moment, aware that his mouth was hanging open as he regarded his brother.
Inuyasha flushed and ducked between the shelves to walk away from his brother. The open admiration in the demon's gaze was a bit unsettling. He'd never expected Sesshomaru to look at him with a look like that, all possessive appreciation, and Inuyasha felt his shoulders straighten a little under the influence of his mate's regard even as he turned away to hide from the openness of it.
Wandering in between the shelves, Inuyasha reached out to touch one with a slight hesitation. He could read, though he was sure he wouldn't know more than half of the characters used in some of these volumes, not to mention the ones written in other languages. He picked up a scroll at random and unrolled it partially. The writing was messy and he couldn't tell if it was illegible because he didn't know the letters or because he simply couldn't read the hand. There was something familiar about it though.
He felt Sesshomaru move up behind him and his hand tightened almost convulsively around the closed scroll as he turned to face his brother. The demon was eyeing him almost rapaciously, his eyes roaming Inuyasha's body from foot to crown. The half demon had foregone the boots that had been in the chest under the kimonos, and it now seemed as if he had forgotten something vitally important, his bare feet suddenly cold on the stone floor of the chamber as they never had been before. His breath caught in his throat, but Sesshomaru raised a hand to brush the half demon's cheek and lean in to steal a kiss.
"Truly," Sesshomaru murmured against Inuyasha's lips, "that color suits you well." Sesshomaru pulled back slightly. "Though I think I shall need awhile to get used to it." His hand moved to softly touch the design woven at Inuyasha's shoulder. It touched Sesshomaru, in a place he hadn't thought could still be touched anew, to find Inuyasha of his own volition wearing his crest. Closer, he could see that the gold and silver thread were stitched in tandem down all the seams of the kimono as well.
At his words Inuyasha pulled back. "There was a red one," he murmured, but Sesshomaru caught his wrist.
"Never mind," he murmured. "Inuyasha... I... You look magnificent." He was still stroking his brother's shoulder as if mesmerized, and a slow smile spread over Inuyasha's face. The half demon leaned in and pressed his lips to his brother's. Sesshomaru's return kiss was more intense, and Inuyasha found himself thrust bodily back against the shelf behind him. He raised his hands to bury them in his brother's hair, and it was then that he remembered the scroll.
Sesshomaru pulled back, regarding the scroll Inuyasha had nearly brained him with, a polite look of inquiry on his face. "I... It felt familiar," Inuyasha murmured, suddenly thrusting the scroll back onto the shelf with his own mumbled, "Never mind."
But Sesshomaru caught at his hand. "Familiar how?" Inuyasha didn't answer, and the demon pulled the scroll free of his brother's hand and unrolled it. Reading its contents, he stilled.
Inuyasha watched him, heart in his throat though he didn't know why. Sesshomaru closed the scroll and placed it almost gently back in Inuyasha's hand. "Well?" Inuyasha demanded. His brother looked at him sharply. "I can't... it's written really messy." He shifted his feet and looked away.
Sesshomaru touched his face, drawing Inuyasha's gaze back to him. "It is a letter your mother wrote." He stroked Inuyasha's cheek for a moment as the half demon stood stunned. "It is written in women's script which is why the characters are different from the ones you were taught. I will teach it to you, so that you may read this." Inuyasha nodded silently. "Come, there is something else I would like to show you."
Inuyasha followed his brother to the table where Sesshomaru had been seated earlier. As he knelt beside the table Sesshomaru passed him a scroll. With a slight grimace, Inuyasha took the scroll and scanned it briefly. After a moment he handed it back to Sesshomaru in defeat. "I can get part of it, but some of those characters aren't ones I know. You read it."
Sesshomaru watched him carefully, but nodded and began to read. " 'I recently discovered in my possession a scroll that I think will have some bearing on Izayoi's child. Hotaru gave it to me long ago, a souvenir of his journey far to the west. It has often made for an interesting read, but I read it again with new eyes now and my gaze lingers on the passage about Aaliyah's child. The elemental is a powerful demoness yet her son is as human as my own will be, and yet still I have heard Hotaru speak of his power.
" 'In hope of meeting him, I have traveled to the port of Aden and explored the surrounding lands, but without any fruit for my travels. The desert has swallowed this demon as easily as it would cover an insect. I am undaunted however. There will be time. Perhaps I will take Izayoi and our child with me on the next journey. There is nothing marvelous in the squalor of such a place as that dirty port, but she is curious and quickly finds amusement in even small things; I think she will like the desert and the new landscape it would present. It pleases me each time to see her eyes light with joy.' "
The room felt oppressive as Sesshomaru finished reading and Inuyasha stood from beside the table, moving blindly out of the room.
He was on the roof before he realized what he was doing, the soft touch of a cool breeze breaking his daze. There will be time... But there hadn't been. "You're saying our dad knew about Afzal?" he said without looking, knowing his brother had followed him.
"Yes," Sesshomaru replied. "I found the scroll he mentions; I hadn't realized that it was Hotaru's until he was here yesterday and I recalled his scent. I have been searching Father's accounts for further mentions."
Inuyasha stared at him. "You've got fucking Idachi and who knows who else trying to tear this place apart around your ears and you're spending all your time looking shit up for me?"
Sesshomaru blinked slowly, as if he hadn't quite thought about it in that way. "Yes," he replied eventually.
Inuyasha stared at him. There was something so new to that admission, but all this discussion of their father – of being in that room where the demon's presence seemed more real even if it was just in the reading of words he'd written hundreds of years ago – stirred the embers of something Inuyasha had thought long dead. His hand went to the front of his kimono where he'd tucked his mother's letter. "He... You're not mad? He loved her, and... me. He was going to do all that for me."
Sesshomaru's questioning glance softened into amusement. "There are other volumes, Inuyasha. He wrote much about me as well." He stepped forward and reached out to touch Inuyasha's hair, running his fingers through the long strands. "I have made my peace with the past. Did you think I would be so easily drawn back to it?"
He sounded slightly disappointed and Inuyasha answered him with a pulse of love through the watch spell and a kiss so fierce it left both of them bruised and bloody. "No," he answered finally with words, his fingers stroking over the dark stripes on Sesshomaru's cheeks. "That room just kind of freaked me out."
To his surprise Sesshomaru met his eyes with complete understanding. "Sometimes when I am in one of the rooms where I feel him the most strongly I remember how it was to be in his presence, his power and the way he could make me feel so young."
Inuyasha scoffed slightly at the idea. He searched his brother's eyes and smirked softly as he reached out to grab a fistful of the demon's kimono and pull him closer, kissing him softly this time. They parted and Inuyasha reminded his mate, "I still can't believe you were doing all this instead of worrying about Idachi."
Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying I should be worried about Idachi?" he said archly.
Inuyasha shook his head. "No, but Eikoseisui probably."
Sesshomaru sighed, his hands coming to rest on Inuyasha's shoulders. "You should know, wherever Eikoseisui is involved Raidennotaisho will certainly be as well." The demon paused for a moment. He didn't need to say anything further; Inuyasha already knew that Raidennotaisho was a bit beyond their level, but Sesshomaru did continue, saying words Inuyasha knew he would not have spoken to anyone else in the entire world. "It is likely that he is more powerful than I."
Inuyasha held his brother's gaze steadily and responded in the only way he could have. "So? I kicked your ass when I wasn't half as powerful as I am now. That doesn't mean we can't take him."
Smirking suddenly, Sesshomaru leaned in close to his brother, their foreheads touching. "As always, your unique perspective sheds an interesting light on matters, brother." He closed his eyes for a moment and leaned in closer to Inuyasha, sighing softly as he laid his head on the half demon's shoulder. "It will not be easy, and there will be other... problems."
"Speaking of that, I ran into Gaiko outside earlier." Sesshomaru's head snapped up and he regarded Inuyasha with serious eyes. Inuyasha shrugged. "He was... testing me, or something. I asked him what he wanted and he left." Sesshomaru regarded him with fathomless eyes and Inuyasha brought up the subject because he knew that his brother wasn't going to. "He doesn't like me because I'm a half-breed."
A soft angry hiss escaped the demon and his eyes went red. Inuyasha fisted his hand in his brother's hair. "Stop it. We've had this discussion. If you want to kill him do it later."
The demon's breathing was shallow and uneasy for a moment, but he admitted, every word pulled from him unwillingly, "It is most likely that they will not... accept... us."
"You mean me, they won't accept me." As Inuyasha watched, his brother's eyes flared red again and a muscle in his jaw clenched ferociously. "Who is 'they'?" Inuyasha asked. His voice was calm and he tried to hold on to that facade of reasonableness.
Sesshomaru paused, his eyes going to Inuyasha's face without truly seeing him. He gave a huff of frustrated anger. "Raidennotaisho, Nanshoku, Gaiko. Of those I know, they are the only ones who might present a difficulty."
"Because they don't like me," Inuaysha insisted.
His brother glared at him. "It is not about you. Eikoseisui hates me, and he is the one who will bring Raindennotaisho down on us." Sesshomaru's gaze softened and he admitted, "Gaiko will discount you for your human blood and Nanshoku will despise you for it, as well as because you are my brother."
Inuyasha shoved the demon. "See? I've got two and you've only got one. I win." He raised his chin stubbornly and Sesshomaru regarded him for a moment as if seriously deciding whether to just tackle him to the floor and forget about talking.
"They cannot control me," he said clearly, eyes on his mate. "If they attempt to be difficult, we will be ready for them. It is good to be aware of them, but to submit to their scrutiny is not something I will permit."
Inuyasha grinned and kissed him again. "Sometime I forget just how much of a stubborn ass you are. So do we have a plan for squelching Idachi?"
"I take it Rin's theory is now popularly accepted?"
Inuyasha frowned. "Rin? I just talked to Shippou. He says he's met Idachi and that the guy you toasted was someone called Slager. He was mated to the sorceress that Ros killed, which, according to Shippou, explains why he was running around killing little girls."
Sesshomaru scowled in annoyance. "So we are hacking at the neck of the beast without managing to strike the head."
Inuyasha shrugged. "Keep hitting it and we will eventually."
Sesshomaru regarded him with amusement. "Ah yes, I forgot your signature move of 'just keep hitting it.' So, does that work often?"
"Quite often actually." He pressed against Sesshomaru, tilting his head back to look up at his brother through half closed eyes. "In fact I usually strike the head in my first go." The demon was stroking his brother's shoulder again, the one with the golden plum blossom, and Inuyasha had to repress a grin. "But how often do you think I should hit it?"
Sesshomaru seized him and pulled him closer and Inuyasha felt his brother's teeth against his neck as the demon whispered, voice dark and full of promise, "I think you have struck near the head."
Inuyasha grinned, already pulling at the tie of his obi, letting the hakama he wore fall to the ground. He shoved his brother back, throwing him to the ground, and, wearing only the long fall of his kimono and kosode, Inuyasha straddled his brother's prone body. Eyes flashing, Sesshomaru reached up to brush cloth back and stroke his fingers over Inuyasha's thighs as Inuyasha worked at the tie to the demon's own hakama. He stripped the cloth out of his way and took the demon's stiffening cock in his mouth eagerly. He heard Sesshomaru moan approvingly, but that taste wasn't his ultimate goal and he straddled his mate's body again, guiding Sesshomaru into himself. He grunted in concentration for a moment before he eased himself down fully, feeling the comfortable stretch of Sesshomaru filling him. The demon's fingers were curled more intently around his thighs and Inuyasha smirked softly to himself as he eased up, feeling that length of flesh slide out of him slowly. Sesshomaru made a small sound in the back of his throat, tossing his head back, and Inuyasha leaned down to lick the demon's throat as he moved. Sesshomaru's hands explored under the half demon's clothes, one circling long fingers around Inuyasha's own very present arousal. Inuyasha murmured in approval and pleasure against the skin under his lips. He felt Sesshomaru's other hand return to his shoulder, the demon's eyes going back to the plum blossom design.
"Why?" Sesshomaru had to ask his brother. "Why did you choose this design?" His hand drifted from that shoulder only long enough to catch at Inuyasha's chin and pull his eyes up to Sesshomaru's own. His pupils were wide with arousal and he smirked at the demon.
"You like it that much?" Despite the grin on Inuyasha's face, the tone of his words was solemn.
"Inuyasha, I..." He wondered if he could say in words what it meant to him. His fingers tightened around the half demon's cock, stroking the length of it, and Inuyasha moaned. "I do," he said finally. "It means a great deal to me."
Inuyasha's eyes opened again, focusing on Sesshomaru's face, and he grinned again, the expression silly now. "I thought you would like it, though not this much." He placed his hands on either side of Sesshomaru's head, staring down at his brother as he moved with intent. It was Sesshomaru's tun to close his eyes against the powerful surge of arousal that swept up through him.
Eyes closed, Sesshomaru heard the scrape of foot against stone of someone moving behind him. "My lord, I..." The address trailed off into silence, followed by Inuyasha's possessive snarl.
Sesshomaru sighed, but opened his eyes to find both Radomir and Shippou watching them. He glared at them. Shippou was already retreating, smirking behind his hand, but Radomir stood in shock.
"Hey, fuck off," Inuyasha advised the demon. When Radomir didn't move, Inuyasha raised a hand and cocked his claws in preparation for an attack, which seemed to get the message across. Radomir bolted from the roof.
Sesshomaru sighed again; this wasn't the best position to be caught in... But then Inuyasha turned back to him, eyes blazing with fierce possessiveness, and Sesshomaru found he couldn't bother to care if Raidennotaisho himself walked up at that precise moment. Inuyasha cupped the demon's head in both his hands and kissed him savagely.
His breath caught in his throat and Sesshomaru had to take a moment to marvel at his brother. Every time he thought he knew himself, or Inuyasha, thought he knew just how deeply he could care for someone, he learned he was wrong, that there was a deeper place he could go. He could feel the power of Inuyasha's proprietary desire through the bonds of the watch spell, and he found himself oddly humbled. He reached up and stroked the half demon's face before leaning in and kissing his brother under the chin. He pressed his face into the soft skin of his mate's throat and inhaled; between his regular senses and the watch spell he was filled with Inuyasha, and it wasn't long before he felt his climax build. He thrust up against the enveloping heat above him and came with a small cry of wonder, even as he felt his brother's own climax warm against his fingers.
Inuyasha pulled himself free, bending his head to clean the evidence of their romp from the demon's skin. When he was finished Sesshomaru tumbled him back to the stone and returned the favor, which left them half aroused again.
"I suppose we should go see what they wanted," he said to the dark, pert nub of a nipple he was washing and he heard Inuyasha's bemused chuckle beneath him even before it was born on the air.
"Probably should." And it was Inuyasha who pulled Sesshomaru's face to his own to give him a last kiss before going to find where he'd dropped his hakama.
Sesshomaru had never seriously thought about having a mate before. It was something he'd never wanted, being saddled with the responsibility of someone, in a way that was different than Jaken or Rin. A mate would have expected to be consulted about decisions, would have expected his consideration of their needs – would have been as demanding as he was. As he straightened his clothing he realized it was never something he'd wanted because he never could have imagined what life with Inuyasha would be like. He'd found a partner who continued to challenge him and who filled him with the desire to be better.
-----
The crack of wood sounded sharply, echoing through the morning air as Rin regarded Taian darkly from across the locked staves of the naginata. "Don't treat me like I don't know what I'm doing." The words came out harsher than she'd intended, and Taian's eyes narrowed in response.
"Fine." The two young women drew apart and sized each other up. Taian twirled the pole weapon between her hands. "Let's try something a bit more advanced." She came at Rin much faster this time, and Rin found herself hard pressed to keep the blows from landing. Taian won the interchange easily, knocking the naginata from Rin's hand and angling her own blade at her companion's throat. Her expression was grim, as if she expected Rin's ill will from the demonstration, but Rin surprised her by grinning.
"Show me how to do that disarm trick," she demanded, reaching to pick up her weapon.
Taian flushed, watching her carefully. "Alright," she said finally.
She showed Rin how to twist her weapon under her opponent's, which lead to a longer interval where they laid weapons aside and stood close discussing the use of leverage to the advantage of a smaller fighter against a more powerful one, complete with diagrams sketched in the dirt. This in turn became a wrestling match; in this they were rather evenly matched, both in ability and the desire to win, and the use of underhanded moves had them both grunting and swearing before long.
The sun had risen high above them before they stopped, gasping for breath and looking worse for wear. Rin was grinning, despite a large bruise on her cheek, and her companion informed her succinctly, hair mussed and eyes red from dirt ground into them, "You look like an idiot."
Rin laughed, lying back on the grass. "I've never had someone I could do this with," she said contentedly. "Shippou and I would play, but we were so young it was just play, not training. And when I was with Sango I was still too young and too inexperienced for her to fight with me without holding back. The same, even more so, for Inuyasha and Lord Sesshomaru. Inuyasha has shown me some ways to strike an opponent who took hold of me, but again it was not the same."
"Did your Lord Sesshomaru not teach you how to defend yourself?"
Rin frowned thoughtfully. "He has always protected me. And, truly," she turned to look at her companion, "the dangers from which he has saved me are things I could not have fought even had I been the best trained warrior in the entire world."
Taian nodded. "But still, there are smaller things that you could have protected yourself from."
Sitting up, Rin shrugged. "I think things like that do not happen to Lord Sesshomaru." She grinned. "They are too small."
Taian raised an eyebrow and shrugged in silent concession that was not entirely agreement. "I've never had someone I could do this with either," she said suddenly. Rin turned to face her and Taian wrapped her arms around herself, not looking at her companion. "Someone I could... talk to. Usually people get mad at me when I'm better than them, or they just gloat when they're better than me."
Rin frowned. "Sango wouldn't do that, or allow that."
Taian smiled softly. "Sango is... amazing. I meant more so my life before I came to the village of the Boneeater's Well. By the time I came there I was... set in my ways and I expected certain things of people, so that's what I got from them."
Rin nodded. "When I traveled with Lord Sesshomaru we met some people in China. I expected them to dislike my traveling with Lord Sesshomaru, so I concealed the truth from them. They surprised me, and when I told them that I traveled with demons they were just as welcoming."
Taian smirked at her. "Is that a not so subtle attempt to make me rethink my positions?"
Rin shrugged. "You seem discontent with being 'set in your ways.' I thought to offer you other ways to become set in."
"Oh?" Taian held her gaze. "And are you content, in your own ways?"
About to answer with a quick affirmative, Rin hesitated. "I am content with my ways," she said finally, her gaze wandering to settle on distant trees, "though I have recently begun to realize the things that will not come into the path that I have chosen to walk. Those realizations are... occasionally unsettling." She glanced over at her companion again.
"And why have you chosen the path that you have?" Taian made a placating motion when Rin bristled at the question. "It is not that I question why you have chosen to follow a demon, but rather that... I have met only one other person in my life as dedicated to their chosen path as you are to yours. I just wonder how one finds such dedication, and how one pursues it."
Taian's words were wistful, and both young women fell silent for a long while, the cool wind teasing through their hair. "It is difficult to explain," Rin mused finally. "Lord Sesshomaru is... He is something greater than life, greater than choices, or paths. He is the universe and all the power in it." She waved down Taian's protest she could see coming. "I know that he is a demon and a creature as mortal as any other, but... It is like trying to tell my soul that the sun appears at night. My soul knows the truth and words you say have no meaning." She shrugged.
"It is about an outlook on the world," Taian mused in her own turn. "Such dedication is not something I must look for and find, but a change that happens within."
Rin grinned. "Yes, I think."
"I heard a priestess say something similar once. Though she would be shocked to find I had taken her words in such a way."
Rin was going to ask her companion more, but she looked up to find Lord Sesshomaru coming toward them.
She stood eagerly to meet him. He touched her cheek wordlessly; she suddenly remembered her disheveled appearance and blushed. She glanced sidelong at Taian who looked mortified. Lord Sesshomaru was examining them both with careful eyes, and Rin blushed again. "Taian was helping me practice," she said determinedly, and her lord smiled.
"Good," Sesshomaru returned, and Taian almost fainted at the curve of his lip that passed as his smile.
Rin grinned. "Was there something you wished of me, Lord Sesshomaru?"
"Inuyasha and Shippou have devised a plan to capture Idachi. I am quite certain they will require your aid."
Rin narrowed her eyes at him. He was laughing at her, she was sure, but she couldn't read it on his face, even in the golden eyes that were usually open to her. "Then I will not keep them waiting."
He nodded and stepped aside. She swept passed him into the fortress with all the grace of a great lady, just to show him that Sango had taught her a few other things. And she went first so that neither her lord nor her companion would see the smile she could not keep from her face.
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Sedition