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Devotion	By : BlackberryPatch Category: InuYasha > Yaoi - Male/Male > InuYasha/Sessh?maru > InuYasha/Sessh?maru Views: 12488 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
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Chapter List
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7
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Toukijin

Sesshomaru shuddered, tried to reach out with his senses and found the world dead to him. He could not touch it... A distant keening echoed in his ears as someone, or something, cried out in pain; there was something metallic about that pain, and he breathed in, deeply, and suddenly he could see, faintly, the outlines of shapes. He could hear a voice calling his name. He felt the soft brush of air on his skin as someone knelt beside him, and he blinked up at the familiar shape of Inuyasha. But... it couldn't be Inuyasha- his brother's scent was nowhere, and Sesshomaru found
himself pressing forward, closer to this supposed illusion, taking that familiar face in a hand he absently noticed was shaking, and pressing his nose to that skin. He buried his face in dark hair, tracing his way down his brother's neck; here, along the throat where the blood beat so close to the surface... Here the scent was usually so strong, but now he could barely sense it. "Inuyasha," he murmured, unsettled.
He felt Inuyasha breathe deeply. "Sesshomaru," he responded, pushing Sesshomaru's own hair back from his face and seeking his eyes as if to confirm something. "Are you..." He trailed off.
Sesshomaru stared at his brother, trying not to notice the thick, dark hair that hung down from
his own head like shadowed spider webs. "I am dreaming," he said flatly.
Inuyasha swallowed, reaching up to caress his brother's face. "Somehow I don't think so."
Pain flickered through Sesshomaru suddenly, a stabbing pain that centered in his hand. He lifted it and stared at the now oozing wound on his palm. He glared at it intently. "Black magic was in that arrow," he murmured.
Inuyasha took his hand, turning it so that he could also see the wound. He hissed, in worry or sympathy, and reached out to wipe the dark blood from the cut. Not understanding fully why he did so, Sesshomaru sharply pulled his hand away. "Don't touch it," he warned. Inuyasha looked at him questioningly, holding up his own had to show that his brother hadn't quite been quick enough- his
fingers were slicked with Sesshomaru's blood. It shimmered faintly, like the substance that he had noticed before on the arrowhead, and he knew that was the source of his current state. "Wipe it off, quickly," he commanded, his voice sharp. Inuyasha looked at him, but obligingly wiped his hand clean on a pile of leaves as Sesshomaru tried, mostly unsuccessfully- his fingers seemed unable to follow the directions he gave them- to tear a strip of cloth from his kosode. Inuyasha moved to help him, but Sesshomaru took the piece from him and bound the wound himself. He tried to push himself to his feet, stumbling.
Inuyasha was beside him in an instant. "Steady," he murmured in Sesshomaru's ear. "It'll take a
minute to get used to it."
Sesshomaru shuddered. The world reeled around him and he wasn't sure it would ever be still. That
strange voice was still keening in his ear; he couldn't seem to concentrate. Don't think about that... Inuyasha- Inuyasha is here, think about that... He leaned on his brother and together they stumbled into the forest in search of deeper cover.
Finding a shallow cave, they rested, drinking from a natural cistern just above the cave's entrance.
Sesshomaru noted that he felt inordinately thirsty; he didn't think he'd ever been this thirsty in his whole life. He shook his head; the screeching whine that had been echoing in his ears was getting softer now. He stood for a moment in the dark night, away form the cave, testing his balance and the strange newness of his body as he searched the darkness for things he could not see. A hand fell easily to his hip and he was surprised to find Tenseiga warm, hot even, as if the sword had recently been engaged in a great battle. He curled his fingers around the hilt- this, at least was something that still felt familiar to him- and the keening cry of pain was suddenly louder, then, it vanished completely.
Sesshomaru stumbled, falling to his knees. He felt as though some great presence had just landed upon him; a presence he could not dislodge. Shaking his head, he pushed himself shakily to his feet. Where was Inuyasha? He couldn't see his brother, even in the dim starlight, and suddenly his world went as dark as it had for those first moments after the change. He was head-blind, and his hand went again to the hilt of his sword. Except... this time it drifted past Tenseiga to rest lightly on...
Toukijin.
Ah, yes... This was what he was looking for. His fingers curled tightly around the hilt and he drew the sword. It flared, the energy overpowering him momentarily, threatening to consume him as it burned its way up through his arm.
He opened his mouth to snarl a refusal at the blade, he opened his hand to drop it, but his body did
not seem to be entirely inclined to listen to him. His eyes narrowed predatorily, suddenly sharpened vision searching the night.
So then, where was that Inuyasha?

--

As his brother drank from the cistern, Inuyasha turned to to search the forest for any signs that the hunter had followed them but when he turned back Sesshomaru was gone.
He blinked, disbelieving for a moment. "Sesshomaru?" he called, but there was no answer. Diving into the forest, he searched for some sign of his brother's passing, but between his limited senses and the dark of the moonless night he found nothing. Pausing, his breath coming hard with something more than exertion, his hand fell to his hip automatically. A steady thrumming pulse rumbled against his hand unexpectedly, and Inuyasha cast a wary glance down at his sword. The new moon usually saw Tetsusaiga as dead to the movement of demonic energy as the sword usually appeared, but for some reason now the fang was humming- the way it did when it sensed a strong demonic aura. His fingers curled more tightly around the hilt as he felt the sword pulling him in a specific direction, the direction of the demonic energy. He followed it, first walking, then running- part of him knowing it had to lead him to Sesshomaru.
He was running through the darkness when he saw a familiar flash of pale light that filled him with a sick feeling. Toukijin... That damn sword again. He shivered; Sesshomaru shouldn't be able to use the sword either, in his current state. He turned that thought over in his head- usually Sesshomaru
kept Toukijin well in line, but the events of this night had probably shaken him more than anything else ever had- and Sesshomaru's unfamiliarity with his newly human body would be a good opportunity for Toukijin to attempt to reassert the control it had been used to wielding over its bearers before Sesshomaru had taken up the sword. Adjusting his speed, Inuyasha crept closer to the source of the light. Coming around a group of trees, into a small clearing, he saw Sesshomaru
standing there. Sesshomaru had the Toukijin drawn, and when he turned toward Inuyasha he eyes were wide and blank. But not without recognition- he lifted Toukijin, and, faster than Inuyasha could
comprehend the movement, his brother was in front of him, the sword coming down at him in a vicious swing. Without thinking, Inuyasha brought Tetsusaiga up, holding the sword- scabbard and all- in a block that was an automatic reaction. The swords sparked when they connected, Toukijin's hatred bearing Inuyasha to the ground. He growled softly as he pushed back against the sword. "Sesshomaru," he called to his brother.
There was no immediate response, but then he heard the softly growled out, "Run."
Inuyasha shook his head. "Stupid bastard," he grumbled, temper breaking. He kicked up, hitting
Sesshomaru in the stomach and throwing the other man off of him and disengaging the swords. Sesshomaru stumbled backwards, his unfamiliar body unable to react quickly enough when Inuyasha jumped up and tackled him. They went down, rolling over and over, Sesshomaru
fighting his way back to his feet to find Inuyasha had slipped inside Toukijin's guard. He was pressed against Sesshomaru's body, trying to pry his brother's fingers from the hilt. "Drop it," he hissed.
Sesshomaru growled. "Can't." Inuyasha swore under his breath as Toukijin screeched, pulsing, and
Sesshomaru started to turn the sword back, the blade coming to rest against Inuyasha's neck. Growling Inuyasha pressed back harder against Sesshomaru, elbowing him in the stomach. As he moved, Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga clinked together, sending a bolt of energy through both brothers. Inuyasha hissed, twisting away from Toukijin's blade, the movement twisting him away from his position against Sesshomaru, but as he moved away he pulled the Tenseiga. He ducked to avoid a blow from Toukijin, hitting the ground and rolling to his feet with both of his father's swords held in a crossed double guard.
Sesshomaru's whole body was shaking as he fought with Toukijin, but there was more awareness in his eyes and the sword faltered in its swing; Inuyasha felt certain that his brother's stubborn arrogance would eventually overpower even Toukijin's hatred, but it was going to be a long, slow battle- one he wasn't sure he would survive. He growled in frustration and swung the Tenseiga at Sesshomaru as he dodged another blow from Toukijin, this one more on target. He hadn't expected
Tenseiga to do anything; not only was the sword not an offensive weapon, he couldn't access its demonic power. But... He paused a moment and concentrated on the sword. He could feel the
currents of demonic energy, feel them moving within the sword and- connected as he was to the sword- feel them moving through himself and Tetsusaiga as well. He stared at Tetsusaiga, concentrating on it. Forced into action by the attacking Toukijin he didn't have a lot of time to spend doing so, but he could feel it suddenly- through Tenseiga, a little sliver of the energy that he knew Tetsusaiga was capable of. He brought both swords up again, to block the downward swing of Toukijin, and he was rather surprised to see Toukijin's hatred repulsed by a pulsed aura tha
emanated from his crossed swords.
An idea flared through Sesshomaru's eyes; Inuyasha saw it, and knew what his brother was thinking. So, he wasn't surprised when Toukijin struck down at him again, harder and faster this time, with a hell of a lot more power behind the blow. He held his ground, gritting his teeth as he felt
Toukijin's strike fall full upon his guard- and he murmured to his father's swords, praying that their defense held. A high pitched keening rose through the spectrum of his hearing, and just when he
thought he head might explode from the pressure of the noise, something cracked, and Toukijin fell in pieces to the grass.
Inuyasha lowered his swords, only then noticing how heavily he was breathing, and looked over at
Sesshomaru. His brother was also breathing heavily; he glanced up at Inuyasha, then fell to his knees, his body shaking with exertion. Sheathing Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha stepped over and touched his brother's shoulder with his free hand. Sesshomaru shrugged off his touch, but Inuyasha simply crouched beside him, Tenseiga held before him, ready to be claimed. It was several moments before Sesshomaru reached out a shaking hand and took the sword, his fingers steadying as they
wrapped around the hilt. Inuyasha stood, offering his brother a hand, but Sesshomaru ignored him and stood by himself, shakily. "Stupid bastard," Inuyasha growled again, but with a hint of approval in his voice.
Sesshomaru glared at him and reached out, shoving Inuyasha roughly. The unexpected move
catching him by surprise, Inuyasha fell, sprawled on his ass, and glared evilly back up at his brother. A smile pulled at the corner of Sesshomaru's mouth, and for a moment Inuyasha forgot everything that had happened to them in the past few hours and he could just see his brother
as he had always been. But then Sesshomaru knelt beside Inuyasha and, reaching out, pulled the younger man's body against him. "Inuyasha," he murmured, burying his face in Inuyasha's neck. "I can't..." He took a deep breath. "Your scent. I can't... it's as if you are not here." He shuddered. "How can you live like this?"
Inuyasha reached up to stroke through his brother's hair soothingly. "I am here," he said
softly. "It... it'll be alright."
Sesshomaru laughed bitterly, but his face was its old calm mask when he looked up and met Inuyasha's eyes, holding his gaze for a moment.
Light was growing steadily, and Inuyasha realized it was because the dawn was breaking. He turned toward the rising sun expectantly, desperately- some part of him hoping it would cure Sesshomaru as well. But as the rays fell over him, he had to turn away, the light too bright for human eyes to bear unshielded. He turned his back to the rising sun and tried to keep the fear out of his own eyes as they met Sesshomaru's. His brother ran a hand through Inuyasha's still dark hair, then- their positions the same but the roles reversed- pulled the younger man's slight body against his own again, kissing him softly, comfortingly.

--

Sesshomaru sat watching the sun rising in the sky. Inuyasha lay near his feet, ostensibly sleeping
though Sesshomaru knew he was awake; despite the long night they had had, it seemed impossible that either of them could sleep this morning. Though, there was little else to do. While they had
moved out of the forest to a more open grassy area, resuming their travels seemed inadvisable and an attempt to discover the reasons and methods behind their current state would require revealing themselves to he who had first brought about that state. What they really required, Sesshomaru mused, was a way of discovering their adversary without that adversary's knowing about them. That would require finding a different source of information...
Thinking about such things kept him from thinking about certain other things- such as the nigh
unthinkable possibility that he would live out the rest of his days as a human- though there seemed to be a certain other positive aspect to his train of thought. As soon his mental wanderings decided upon the fact that they needed to seek out other humans, preferably natives to the area, three shapes appeared on the horizon, moving toward him. He watched them in silence for several moments. The trio stopped often, for indeterminate periods of time, and he decided it was a foraging party, probably for a larger group of humans. While he did not attempt to attract their attention he made no attempt to hide himself either and as the party came closer one of them noticed him, raising a hand in a hail. Sesshomaru stood, in acknowledgement that he had seen them as well.
Inuyasha stirred. "What is it?" he asked, his voice tense.
"Foragers, it would seem," Sesshomaru responded, a hand shading his eyes as he tried to determine more about the strange trio.
Inuyasha stood as well, watching the approaching group with suspicion foremost in slitted eyes. He followed, albeit reluctantly, as Sesshomaru made his way over the mostly open grassland toward the direction from which the others approached. Ducking under the low-hanging branches of a tree, the brothers found themselves face to face with the trio.
Sesshomaru stood back, observing the three strange humans. Two were obviously related, the man and woman sharing many similar facial features, but it was the second man, the one who hung back from the others, who seemed vaguely familiar somehow and who drew Sesshomaru's gaze. The
woman stepped forward and greeted Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, though the suspicion in her eyes rivaled that of Inuyasha; Inuyasha turned to his brother as the woman spoke, and Sesshomaru shook his head- he did not understand her words either.
"Look, we're not from around here," Inuyasha said, hoping one of them would know Japanese, as had been the case in the last group they had encountered. But humans were less widely traveled than demons, and these three looked at him and then at each other with expressions of incomprehension.
The second man, the one who had hung back at first, approached now, speaking in a language that sounded different but was still gibberish to Inuyasha's ears. He shook his head and turned to Sesshomaru. His brother was regarding the strange man with interest and spoke something back to him, with a slightly different sound to it. The man's face lit up and he spoke at length in the common language he and Sesshomaru had discovered.
Inuyasha frowned as the pair of them crouched on the ground, apparently comparing notes as they
scratched what looked like maps in the dirt. He moved up behind Sesshomaru, standing close to him, and his brother looked up at him. "Inuyasha," he murmured, touching Inuyasha's arm reassuringly. "It would seem this man speaks Arabic, which I have made a study of- though
my command of the tongue is not what I would wish." He indicated the group. "These people are from a town not far from here, a holding of the Safavid dynasty of Persia. They are currently at war with the Turks, and are pleased to discover that we are not allied with that group." He glanced back to the man he had been conversing with, who had turned to the brother and sister and was explaining something to them. "The man I am speaking to is Kunya; the woman is Shadi and
her brother is Rustam."
Apparently Kunya had been relaying the same information to his group; the woman came forward. "In'asha," she attempted with a big smile on her face, and handed him a basket. She spoke what she wanted his to do, but also explained it with motions, so that he understood quite clearly long before Kunya translated it for Sesshomaru who translated to Inuyasha, "She suggests that you help her and Rustam gather food for their village while I speak with Kunya."
Inuyasha smiled back weakly at the girl. "Sure, why not?" He nodded and hefted the basket,
standing at the ready, waiting for her to show him what to do. She laughed good naturedly and showed him, babbling away all the while.
Kunya stood watching them as the group moved off in search of edible items to gather. "You were
speaking on the locations of the Turkish army," Sesshomaru reminded him, speaking their common language of Arabic as he crouched again by their map. "And the best ways of avoiding them should one wish to travel west."
Kunya turned and crouched swiftly across from Sesshomaru, his eyes wild as he sought and held Sesshomaru's own. "You are a demon," he said clearly.
Sesshomaru blinked. "I'm afraid you are mistaken," he replied evenly, though his heart had tripped over that declaration and was picking up its pace.
Kunya shook his head. "I am not." He reached out and grabbed Sesshomaru's bandaged hand and
tapping firmly on the wound that lay beneath it. "I know what has happened to you." Sesshomaru's teeth bared reflexively and he snatched his hand back as he regarded the other man with a sudden
wariness. Kunya laughed. "Forgive me," he said, holding his hands up. "I am perhaps a bit hasty. It has been awhile since I have seen one of my own; Yasmin was the last to recover and leave me, and that was weeks ago." He took a deep breath. "You were attacked by a hunter, yes? A hunter of the Turks, who attacks by moonlight. He infected you with an oil that shimmers in the darkness and mixes with your blood and becomes you."
Sesshomaru stared at him. "Yes," he replied shortly, before asking suspiciously, "How do you
know?"
Kunya laughed again, the sound verging on hysteria. "Because the same thing happened to me, is it not obvious? To me and to all of my group."
Sesshomaru was watching him carefully. "You are a demon; that is how you knew me." And that explained the strange familiarity about Kunya that tickled at the edges of Sesshomaru's consciousness. "You said there were others? This is not a permanent state. It... fades?"
Kunya nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! There were five of us struck; as you can see I am all that
remains. I pray I remain for not much longer."
"How long do the effects last?"
Kunya shrugged. "It depends, on many factors. Banat was affected for only a week, but he was
not even scratched; only barely did he touch the arrow that struck Yasmin. The others... it has been now a month and a week, and they all had recovered in the week before the last one- in the last few days of the first month."
Sesshomaru breathed, the process easier now for some reason, and stroked the cut on his hand
thoughtfully. "That is good to know."
Kunya nodded eagerly, glancing up in the direction the others has left. "They are returning. I do not speak in front of the humans; I never know how much they pretend to not understand, and I do know they would kill me if they discovered me. Is there anything else you wish to know?"
Sesshomaru shot a glance at the returning group, his eyes seeking and settling on Inuyasha's familiar form. "Why do you stay with them?" he asked quickly.
"The hunter is still out there." Kunya shrugged. "He does not know my face, but he knows I am in a
group of five. We hide in a town, in a large group of people, and if the hunter comes and asks about demons we hide the cut he gave us that does not heal, and we shake our heads."
Sesshomaru nodded. "Will your village hide us as well?"
"They do not 'hide' knowingly; they are compassionate to travelers- I have already told them you are
traveling from far in the east to far in the west, what big matter is it if you decide to stay awhile here and rest from your journeying?" Kunya smiled; he seemed very pleased that Sesshomaru was planning on staying.
Sesshomaru could easily see that Kunya had not been the leader of his particular group; the man had a deep need for companionship and a craving to be instructed. "Then my brother and I will stay awhile in the village. I will require you to serve as interpreter."
Kunya nodded eagerly. "Of course," he said, and Sesshomaru could almost hear the "my lord" tacked on to the end of the sentence.

--

Inuyasha found that he enjoyed his time foraging with Shadi and Rustam more than he would have thought possible, considering. It was easy, thoughtless work and Shadi reminded him of Kagome with her endless chattering, her easy smile, and the way the strangest, simplest things drew expressions of wonder and appreciation from her. He relaxed and returned her smiles, and felt the smallest prick of homesickness that sparked in his chest in a way it hadn't in all his travels with
Sesshomaru. Rustam was quiet and spent most of his time watching for signs of Turkish soldiers, leaving Inuyasha and Shadi to gather berries, nuts, the stalks of some strange grass like plant, among other odd plants. He couldn't understand a word either of them said, but the easy feeling of camaraderie that surrounded them fell around him as well and included him easily. The only time he wished he understood what they were saying was when they were discussing Kunya at one point; Shadi didn't seem to like him very much and Inuyasha wondered why.
They returned to where they had left Kunya and Sesshomaru after a much shorter period than Inuyasha would have thought, but Rustam was watching the horizon with worried eyes. He pointed out a dark area on the horizon and Inuyasha gathered that there was a storm brewing. They made their way back to find Sesshomaru and Kunya still deep in conversation, but they stood and greeted the approaching group, Kunya, smiling and immediately addressing Rustam. As they spoke Inuyasha moved past Kunya, his eyes seeking Sesshomaru. His brother looked thoughtful, but
calmer somehow than he had been before. His mouth curled as he looked at Inuyasha, and he reached out to touch Inuyasha's arm, stroking it softly. The movement was comforting, but also a subtle warning- one that Inuyasha hadn't needed. He knew their relationship was going to have to change slightly in view of these humans. "You learned something?" he asked quietly.
Sesshomaru nodded. "Yes." He said no more for a moment, and Inuyasha resigned himself to waiting until later to hear what it was his brother had learned; probably not until they were alone. "I thought we should stay with these people, for awhile." He searched Inuyasha's face for dissent, but found none. Inuyasha nodded, seeing the reasoning behind the maneuver, and also admitting to himself his own desire for the companionship. A happy shout told him that Kunya has just revealed the news to Shadi; she came over and smiled at him again, walking beside him as they all made their way back to the village and talking to him the whole way.

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