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Shadowed Nights	By : Huronoryu Category: InuYasha > Yaoi - Male/Male > InuYasha/Sessh?maru > InuYasha/Sessh?maru Views: 19767 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
The Pact-Part A

Notes: I have never written an Inuyasha
fan fic before and am still a novice on the series.
Most of this is based off the four movies and the first season as those are the
only DVD�s on the series I�ve seen. My good friend, Kallipso,
provides 90% of all series facts (A big huzza to her!). I know they are almost
(COMPLETELY) out of Character. I tried, I really did but Sesshoumaru is so quiet, you never know what he�s
thinking and I always see Inuyasha as a seriously complex
character. He has more �Human� in him than he wants to admit. So please keep
those thoughts in mind as you read my story and please don�t hurt me. Please!

I do not have the Internet� � �
you can stop gawking now. As a result, I can only access the net when I visit Kallipso, so updates should (hopefully) be bi-weekly
on Tuesdays depending on work, school and other torturous events that try to
take over my life. So please do not think that I am ignoring you when replies
to all your wonderful responses to this fic are slow
and far between.

Pairings: Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha

Summary: Moonless nights and creepy caves are the least of the
worries for two half brothers, but when certain circumstances arise that force them
together in said creepy cave insults are not the only things these two share. (Not
much of a summary, but this was originally a small thought on what went
on during that one night a month for our beloved hanyou
that kind of exploded�)

Disclaimers: None of these wonderfully charming characters came out of
my head, just the torture that I put them through. If Rumiko Takahashi really
wants to sue me for using her characters without permission, I will gladly hand
over my vast amount of debts.

Rating & Warnings: NC-17! Incest! Bestiality! Blood Lust! M-Preg! BAD SPELLING! Bad Sense of Humor! And a lot of other
things as I go! Additional Ratings will appear as needed. The exit to this
story is to your left for anyone who has not already run away screaming.

Fonts: �Speaking�� Thinking�� �Surprise!�
^o_~^

NOW (finally)
ON TO THE STORY!

Shadowed Nights

The Pact Part A: Chapters 1-6

Chapter One: Darkest Hours

There was no moon�

That was never a good thing�

A delicate shadow raced frantically within the deep forest
underbrush as fast as his feet could carry him; which wasn�t fast enough since
the lesser demons chasing his frenzied flight were gaining with each step. It
was almost as if the very trees were reaching for the figure to hold him back,
to ensure that he would not be able to escape his pursuers.

It was karma coming right back to bite him in the ass!

�Kuso!�
the figure growled shooting an irate gaze at the sky. �Why dose this shit
always happen to me?� he thought angrily as he took another sharp corner in
hopes of losing his pursuers.

It wasn�t going to work; he knew
that it wasn�t going to work. He had first hand knowledge that any demons
senses were more heightened and the very sound of his heaving breathing gave
away his every position, but it should buy him some time to come up a plan.

�A plan� a plan, a plan, a
plan�� the thought continued to run rampant through his mind.

He dodged a few more trees and
jumped as best he could over the entangled bushes.

�Fuck, no plan!� It was
getting down right irritating. He never needed a plan before. Usually he just
went out and did what he did best; which was kick the shit out of anything and
everything that so much as looked at him wrong.

A pale, clammy hand clutched at
the small sword at his waist in a vice like grip of desperation with a brief
thought of fighting back, before the figure huffed and continued forward. This
was the one night- the single most aggravating night that always arrived like
clockwork each month- that rendered the small but deadly blade practically
useless in his hands.

He continued his flight through
the forest but that would not be able to save him. He could already feel the
deep threads of fatigue creping upon his consciousness. He knew he would not be
able to keep up this pace for long.

�DAMN IT!� the small figure
bellowed. �Why? Why me? What did I ever do?�

The sky kept silent.

The figure cursed again and
started to venture into the denser foliage of the forests. He could feel the
uneven ground tear at his bare feet. Cutting and tearing into him as blood
soaked into the ground in his wake.

�This has just not been my
night!� the figure thought as he heard the gentle rumble in the distance.
�Like it wasn�t dark enough?� he growled in annoyance.

�Just what I need- rain,�
the figure groaned as he squinted into the darkness. It was only years of honed
instincts that he was even able to navigate the thick underbrush.

If only the demons had stumbled
across him on a different night� �Keh, if it was a different night, they
wouldn�t have come after me at all!� The thought did little to help his
current situation.

Slipping around another corner the
figure quickly whirled away from the offered path of a small farm road. �They�ll
defiantly catch me if I�m in the open,� the figure reflected as he moved
back into the cover of the forest.

�Why the Hell did I have
to leave the thrice damn village tonight of all nights?� he
bemoaned as he continued on his uneven course.

It was really just a simple reason of miscommunication, he
reflected, that led to the argument, which in turn led to the wild hunt he
found himself in now. One small, insignificant comment that set off a chain
reaction of screaming, shouting and finally leaving that small house that for
the past year he could call somewhat �home�.

He had wandered thought the entire
day grumbling at the sheer idiocy of such a fight. It wasn�t as if he went out
of his way to be hurtful. It wasn�t as if he actively sought out to be
cruel or spiteful. It had just been the way he had been raised�

�Or rather how he hadn�t
been raised.

He had truly never been taught the
way of proper manors, or the need to think before speaking. It was never the
most important thing when he was smaller and later as a young child. The simple
need of survival had been a primary concern and it was in those skills that he
prospered and grew to the �young� man he was now.

There was never a need before for
any type of �guiding hand� in how to function in society. He had never wanted
anything to do with society or any form of civilization since that
painful day all those years ago when he was suddenly found himself so terribly
alone.

Proper manners were the least of
his worries when what was his only source of encouragement had been suddenly
ripped away from him to gate of Hades and the underworld.

That pain of loss still hurt to
this day.

Never before, however, had he ever
been accused of such malice. By a supposed friend at that!

How a small simple fight over food
could spin out of control as to come to the point of him actually leaving was
something that was beyond his understanding.

He liked what he liked and to try
and force a different view over years, over the decades, of having a
single mindset was bound to be a harsh battle.

What hurt him the most though, was
that his so called �friend� was constantly trying to change him. To
coerce him to act a part that was so different from his normal habits and
chastising him for simply being himself.

He shook his head to banish the
horrifying trail of thought. �NO ONE can ever FORCE me to do anything,
EVER!� he reassured himself.

In all his life, the only thing
that was ever truly his and not gifted to him by anyone was himself, and
he would be damned if he allowed anyone to take that away. He was himself;
thought sometimes it was difficult to remember who he truly was after years of
cultivating his current persona. But there was enough time to contemplate that
later.

�Right now, I just have to live
long enough to get to later.�

The figure finally lifted his gaze
from the ragged ground he was running only to see a massive tree coming
straight at him.

�Wait.

�Fucking HELL!� the figure cursed
as he quickly tried to slide into a stop. It didn�t work.

The momentum of his hurried flight
drove him head on, and while he managed to avoid the large trunk of the tree,
the full, thick branches managed to catch him dead in the face.

�Stupid Tree!�

The figure managed to catch his
balance and took off once more. �Dawn, just have to make it to dawn!� a
mantra he continued to repeat in effort to bolster his resolve to survive.
However dawn was still hours away and he could already feel what little
strength he had left depleting and his reserves were close to nil.

Eyes that had faded from their
normally sharp golden hue to a springy light bronze darted frantically around
looking for any possible way to escape. Anything would be better than to actually
be caught by these small fries. After fighting and defeating countless
stronger demons among other things, to be finally killed by a couple of lesser
demons really stung at the figure�s pride.

It was perhaps one in a long line
of mistakes that night that was his downfall� literally.

With his gaze away from the path
in front on him, it was just a simple stone that finally brought him down. The
figure hit the ground with a bang and aches that never before were any concern
suddenly took on a life of their own as his body seared with pain.

Blood was pooling in his mouth and
he hastily spat the blood and perhaps a tooth or two out as he tried to stand.
Sharp needles suddenly coursed upward from his ankle and he stumbled again to
his knees gasping for air as he clutched the paining limb.

That was when the fact that he was
not alone finally registered.

A glance over his shoulder
confirmed that the three demons had indeed caught up and were staring at him
with actual glee.

�A human,� one rasping voice snarled
in confusion. �A human but not��

�Who cares?� another hissed. �It�s
lunch now.�

�You want to try it ugly?� the
human spat as he finally did pull the sword from his waist. It was not exactly
useful at the moment, but it was something and all he had. Grasping a low
hanging branch from the tree beside him, the figure was finally able to pull himself into a standing position holding the sword before
him in a shaking hand.

The demons gurgled with laughter
at his small attempt of protection. �What do you think you can do with that?�

�Any damn thing I can!� he shouted
lifting the sword higher. It was not exactly useful at the moment, but it was
something and all he had. �You think that I�m going down with out a fight and
you are fucking out of your mind!�

Another gurgle. �There is nothing you can do, human. We are demons. We are
hungry. You are food. That is the way of things.�

�That�s what you think if you
assume that I�m just another weak pathetic human! I will not be defeated by the
likes of YOU!� and with that the figure lunged swinging the sword in a
large arch before steel struck flesh and the blade caught the side of the lead
demon.

It roared out in fury as it reared
back and swung a massive hand at the fragile human skull.

Instinct once more took over and
it was the only way the human was able to doge the killing blow but it proved
too much for his injured ankle as pain once more came to the fore front of his
mind.

He went down screaming as a second
demon managed to strike him from behind. The instant he felt himself hit the
ground, the figure rolled quickly as far as the small clearing allowed before
bounding back on his good leg. He had managed to keep his sword and held it
once more before him, the only thing between him and a very close encounter
with a demons digestive tract.

The demons gurgled in laughter
again. �Such a troublesome little thing,� the third finally spoke. �This one
has spirit.�

�Or stupidity,� the leader spoke
again. �Do you really think that you can defeat us little brat?�

�If I can�t,� the human rasped,
�I�ll at least be sure to take you down with me!�

With a wild swing of the sword the
figure lunged once more at the three looming fiends.

It was really no surprise when the
sword was bashed from his hands. Pain seared throughout his body as one of the
lesser demons blows connected and sent him slamming into trunk of a colossal
tree.

Blood was now spilling freely over
his body, soaking and blending into the red of his garments.

�This grows tiresome,� the second
demon stated with a bored tone. �Kill him and be done with it!�

The human gritted his teeth as the
lead demon took firm hold of him and slammed him back against the tree once
more for good measure. Lifting him upward until he was completely off his feet,
the human wrinkled his nose as the foul smell of unwashed sweat and decaying
meat wafted at him.

�It is time to die, filth!�

A small smirk graced the wounded
features. �Have it your way,� and a small foot shot out to kick at the creature
holding him.

The demon didn�t even flinch as it
grasped the small ankle of the only un-injured leg.

A pained scream managed to tear
away from his throat as the slender appendage was slowly crushed under the
inhuman strength.

The demons gurgled again with
mirth.

�That sound is the most
irritating noise I have ever hear.� It was a
stupid fleeting thought but it was how he actually felt.

The weight suddenly left his ankle
before it suddenly appeared around his lean throat.

�You have given us a most
entertaining night human,� the harsh voice growled, �however,
all things must come to an end.�

His vision was going.

Darkness that had nothing to do
with the absence of the moon slowly crept forward from the corners of his eyes
and small spots danced in front of his vision. Air was slowly escaping from his
lungs as he desperately clawed at the thing grasping his throat. A growing
rumble sounded from the sky above as the rain was finally released from their
cloudy prisons onto the creatures below.

A whimper left his throat�

A roar left that of another�

Pressure lifted as he was suddenly
dropped like a mere child�s doll to fall in the forming mud. Screams echoed
thought out the dense forest and the metallic smell of blood assaulted his
senses as the human engulfed much needed breaths of air.

Growls and snarls were a low
undercurrent of the lesser demons piercing screams of death until a sudden hush
descended.

There was not a single sound other
that his own gasping breaths and the soft pelting of the rain on the canopy of
the leaves above as his vision slowly came into focus. His eyes slowly took in
the sight of the three mutilated forms of the dead demons before finally
managing to look away at the thing that so easily kill
them.

He saw a massive shape of white and
instant recognition took hold. There was a simple word that floated thought his
mind as darkness crept upward once more.

�Crap.�

Chapter Two: Reluctant Rescuer

There was no moon�

It could have been worse�

�It could be raining,� a
silent figure thought as it prowled thought the still woods.

It was just as this thought passed
through his head when there was a sudden shift of wind and the smell of water
drifted on the air.

�Well fuck,� the figure
chuckled to himself before continuing on his path now with the purpose of
seeking appropriate shelter from the impending storm. The wind blew from the
north so the figure turned southwards, deeper into the woods hoping to find
something that would be able to cover his substantial physique.

It was peaceful for being the
middle of the night. There was no sound of any of the nocturnal creatures that
usually prowled the woods, even with his enhanced demon hearing. There was
hardly any sound at all. Just the simple swoosh of wind rustling leaves and the
figures own peaceful breathing.

As he wandered with his slow,
uneven gait he occasionally paused in the hopes of finding some shelter for his
large form only to be disappointed and moved on. While he wasn�t in his full
sized form that came with a full release of his powers, he was still rather
big. He stood towering at a good nine feet high at the shoulders; thus, his
current problem of finding any trace of suitable shelter. He was glad he had
left his somewhat unwanted companions in the shelter of small outcropping of
rocks near the river earlier that morning before wandering off into the woods.

They never understood why every
month he had to leave them for two or three days- especially the small child.
However, in truth, it was safer for them to stay away. His companions always
treated him as a leader but he had to always remember that he was a demon,
first and foremost�

And a demon needed no one.

It was actually quite refreshing
to be alone if even for a few days.

There was hardly ever a moment
that the demon had all to himself. There was always someone following him,
whether it was allies or enemies, that it seemed as if
there was never any end to them.

It was why he had been so
insistent to his subordinates those years ago that he leave his childhood home and
go out into the world to �further educate� himself rather than taking up the
duties that had been suddenly dumped upon his shoulders on the death of his
sire.

�Something that should have
been mine to take,� the demon reflected as he continued his shuffled
walk through the forest, keeping a keen eye on anything that could possibly be
used as a temporary lodging. �It was my right, not something to be wasted on
that�� the figure growled low in his throat.

In demon hierarchy, it was not
just simply inheriting by birth and blood. Whether he was the
eldest child or not, his right to succeed his title was in his ability to kill
his predecessor. But as such a lowly human had killed his father, the right of Lord automatically fell to him as the
eldest living offspring of the former lord. This chain of authority had been in
practice since the old times in order to keep away war and bloodshed from
falling upon the lands in a fight for succession.�

The death had essentially left him
as the youngest lord ever to take upon a region and he knew that his father�s
councilors had hated him from the start. It was way it was applicable for all
parties involved that he left the palace immediately on his so called �quest�
after his fathers demise.

And from what he heard in his
servant�s yearly reports, everything was running just fine without him.

It was the distant rumble of
thunder that reminded him of his hunt and he had just found what looked to be a
promising shelter of low hanging branches when he heard it.

�DAMN IT! Why? Why me? What did I
ever do?�

It was such a sudden outburst in
the tranquility of the forests that the demon suddenly froze. He tilted his
head to hear better just incase something sounded again.

Silence.

More silence.

�Perhaps I�m going mad,�
the demon thought with a sour note. �That almost sounded like it was-�

�Fucking HELL!�

The sound of someone crashing into
thick underbrush reached his sensitive ears and the demon almost groaned.

�Stupid Tree!� the voice continued

�It is,� he growled as the
echo of the voice once more bellowed in the stillness. �Like I don�t run
into him enough?� he thought in aggravation. �Of all the stupid, pain in
the ass luck, why the in the nine hells do I have to run in to him?�

Almost heaving a sigh, the demon started turning away from
the irritating noise when a resounding �bang� suddenly reached his sensitive
ears.

Even the large form had to cringe
at the sound. �That just had to hurt,� he thought as he started to
resume his path. Tonight was not the night for him to encounter his sworn
enemy, as there was no possible way for him to rightfully combat him in his
current form. He wanted to defeat him sword against sword. The last and only
time he had ever fought him in his current condition had left him with a
constant reminder of the encounter in every step he now took.

He had only gone a few feet when
another voice reached his ears�

�Such a
troublesome little thing. This one has
spirit.�

And then another�

�Or stupidity. Do you really think
that you can defeat us little brat?�

The first one responded back in
ever annoying fashion. �If I can�t, I�ll at least be sure to take you down with
me!�

If it weren�t so uncouth, he would
have rolled his eyes. �Not good to taunt them idiot.�

The sound of feeble fighting soon
followed that announcement and the demon finally turned and headed towards the
noise.

�What has that baka gotten himself into now?�
the demon thought as he made his way through the thick trees towards the
ringing sound of battle.

Suddenly there was silence once
more.

The figure almost turned away again in exasperation when
one of the deeper voices stated,� �This grows tiresome, kill him and be
done with it!�

�What?� the demon couldn�t help but wonder in shock
as he turned back and hurried as fast as his uneven gate could manage.

The smell hit him first. That familiar
smell of blood that assaulted his delicate nose and sent shockwaves straight to
his brain.

It was confusing for a moment.

It wasn�t the same smell that he had ever associated with
the recognizable voice that he heard. Somehow the smell was� different. The
same undercurrent but with the heaver scent of�

�Impossible,� the demon thought and increased his
speed.

He soon found himself by a small clearing looking down
from the slight hill where he emerged from the trees.

He saw red.

Red was soaking the ground as a small figure was suddenly
grabbed by one of the demons and slammed into a tree.

The demon on the hill was frozen at the scene below him
and just stared in utter disbelief.

It was him! It really was him down there but
then it wasn�t.

�Shocking,� the demon concluded as he watched the
small human below him.

There was always wondered if the small rumor about those
kinds held any truth and here was actual proof that it did. He didn�t
know how to make heads or tails out of it now that the genuine article was
right there in front of him.

�Hmph.
Just one more thing that makes those things even more inferior to our
kind,� he thought as he tilted his head in curiosity. He wondered
fleetingly what it was that actually had brought about this change, and why in
all the heavens that the smaller figure hadn�t sought shelter in this, his
weakest moment.

The demon scoffed to himself. �The
most dangerous mistake I ever made was believing that he was weak.�

Watching intently
at the scene that played out before him the demon settled down for a show.

It seemed as if
his acquaintance was loosing as he watched the desperate attempt of kicking the
demon away.

�What in the world dose he think doing that will accomplish?� he
sneered as he saw the lesser demon easily catch the offending leg.

There was stillness
for a moment before the grotesque hand left the human�s leg and grasped the
pale throat.

The larger form
on the hill almost caught himself holding a breath as
he watched the play by play; wondering what trick the smallest of the figures
had in store.

Nothing happened.

He waited.

�You have given us a most entertaining night human,� the
lead lesser demon growled, �however, all things must
come to an end.�

And he waited.

And he waited.

It was puzzling.

�Why in the world is he
hesitating?�

He waited still; completely
convinced that something major was about to happen to turn the tide of favor to
the human.

The human clutched at the stronger
arm that held him. Clawing with his feeble fingernails that
were completely incapable of piercing the demon�s thick, leathery hide.

�We�re nothing alike.� The
demon thought as he stared at the small, pinned form below. �We hate each
other.�

The human started to claw even
more frantically.

�We�re sworn to kill each other.�

It was then that a sound finally floated upward on the
increasing wind.

It was a sound that he would never
expected to ever hear from the throat of his
greatest enemy.

He heard a whimper�

�And he knew he could no
longer ignore the situation.

With a mighty roar, the great
white being leapt into the fray.

Completely ignoring the now
pelting rain that immediately drenched his fur the larger demon briefly took
note of the human�s gasps of air before turning all his attention to
methodically killing each and every one of the three pathetic demons that dared
too try and take away what was his kill by right. He could not allow anyone
else to murder the human. His pride would never allow it. He viciously
squelched down any small part of him that dared to voice otherwise.

It wasn�t much of a fight as demon
fights go. The splash of the rain a momentary distraction as the Great Demon
took on all three of the lesser demons without even batting an eye.

Even handicapped as he was, the
lesser demons never stood a change as the Great Demon easily tore them apart.
Claws and fangs ripping into flesh and blood soon coated the forest floor as
body parts were strewn about.

One lesser demon tried to stab him
with the human�s fallen sword.

Rage filled him.

The sight of such a magnificent
weapon in the hands of a lesser was an insult to him and to the memory
of the one who carried the weapon before.

With a growl, the great demon
grabbed the smaller creature in his massive jaws and �snap�. With a mighty
chop, bit the disgusting thing in half.

Dropping the thing in repulsion
the great white being turned back towards the collapsed form of the human.
Sitting down on his haunches, the demon waited for the human to finally
register his presence.

It was a while as the human continued
his awkward gasps and struggled to pull himself upwards into a semblance of
sitting.

Amazement was not something the
demon had ever felt before as he saw once golden eyes finally open and slowly focus
on his surroundings. It was so odd to see such a familiar person look so
foreign before him.

Glancing at the mutilated corpses,
the human finally turned his dark eyes to him.

The human promptly stopped
breathing all together.

Gold eyes met deep bronze and
locked.

It was a staring contest until the
human swayed and finally managed to mutter the word �crap� before finally
giving into shock and fainted dead away.

The Great Dog Demon stared in
complete frustration at the unconscious figure and wandered over to nose at the
limp form of his enemy, of his brother.

�Well
fuck.�

Chapter Three: Lacking Direction

Sesshoumaru stared down at what was the limp form of his brother Inuyasha and suppressed the urge to growl in frustration.
He nosed the small figure again and when it did not entice a response he cursed
again.

�What the hell am I suppose to
do now?� the dog demon wondered as he glanced around the small clearing for
any semblance of an idea.

His lip curled at the mutilated
corpses of the lesser demons and the stench that was rapidly steaming from the
oozing husks.

�Well, can�t stay here,� he
thought as he was sure the stench would bring even more demons to the area to
feed. Sesshoumaru felt his stomach turn at the
thought. �Damn lesser demons.� A quick look at Inuyasha again, �damn hanyou.�

He couldn�t leave the boy. Not as
a human. He would be eaten before he even regained consciousness. The
temptation was very strong however. His demon instincts were urging him to just
leave the boy and allow him to be eaten; the warrior in him was telling him
that even the cursed half human child deserved a more honorable death of a
warrior in battle that being eaten by lesser demons.

It was a very brief inner
struggle. While he prided his demon heritage and often followed his more
sadistic urges, the warrior�s pride had been instilled in him by years of
battles and the longing to finally defeat the one that was the strongest in the
world.

Sighing again, the large dog like creature
wandered over and nosed the now human over onto his stomach and leaned down to
take the collar of the blasted fire-rat robe firmly between his teeth.

Lifting his head slightly to test
the stability of the grip, Sesshoumaru affirmed that
it was strong and lifted Inuyasha completely off the
ground.

It was odd to have the constantly
moving and boisterous half demon to suddenly be rendered completely limp and
silent.

�Fuck. What a damn pain in the
tail,� Sesshoumaru thought as he once more
started out to find suitable shelter for him and now his unconscious baggage.

Growling at the current situation
did not help him find any shelter and with a flick of his tail, he moved back
the way he though he had come in hopes of finding that promising patch of
foliage again.

As he continued onward however, he
realized immediately that his one damn weakness had once again reared its ugly
head and his sense direction was completely non-existent.

It was amazing that Rin or Jaken never realized that
they were almost always going in constant circles.

Not that Sesshoumaru
would ever admit it.

Perhaps Jaken knew, but he was
in such awe of his lord that Sesshoumaru knew that he
would never be one to point out any faults of his master. It was frustrating
though. It wasn�t as if he could go out and procure a map, demons had no need
for a map...

�Just him.

It just seemed that no matter what
direction he took off in, he always seemed to find himself back in that
damn region by that sickening human village Inuyasha seemed
to hover about while promptly ignored the little voice inside him yelling that
he was being decisively obtuse.

Speaking of the village�

The demon stopped dead, his ears
perked as he listened.

He could not hear Inuyasha�s companions.

They were not within the region
shouting his name as they always had in all the past encounters he had with his
hated enemy.

Nothing.

Silence.

�What the fuck?�

Never before had he ever been alone
with his unwanted relation. It seemed as if that damn eccentric human priestess
in the strange cloths was always at Inuyasha�s side.

He glanced down at his burden as
best he could in the current position with an odd look of confusion. �How
did he ever get away from her blasted presence?� Sesshoumaru
wondered as he started off once more.

It seemed as if hours had passed
when in truth it had only been thirty minuets when Sesshoumaru
realized that he had passed the same bush at least three times. �Fuck,� Sesshoumaru groaned as he shifted his stance and looked
around in frustration. There was no sign of any shelter and the demon was
beginning to seriously worry about the hanyou turned
human when he spotted it.

Through the dense trees there was
a glimpse of a rock face. The Great Demon almost sagged with relief as he
emerged from the forest to come to a small cliff. If anything, it would buffer
them from the biting wind.

He started to follow along the
wall in search of some sort of shelter when he suddenly wondered if he would
soon stumble upon Jaken and Rin.
Though, there was no smell of the river, it could just be hidden by the
overwhelming current of the rain.

�Um, perhaps I should go back
to the woods,� Sesshoumaru wondered as his pace
slowed considerably.

Running into his charges in his
true demon form and carrying his sworn enemy who suddenly had become human and
looked to the entire world like he was dead would not be the most
triumphant scene in his life.

�Hell,� he chuckled as he
gave himself and his burden a once over, �we look more like drowned
rat-demons that the warriors we are.�

Suddenly he was attacked.

Or, at least that�s what he told
himself as he jumped a full foot in the air when a furry creature abruptly
darted out in front of him.

It was so startling that Sesshoumaru instantly bristled and bared his teeth even
more in instant reaction before mentally smacking himself and dismissing the
small whatever it was, concentrated instead on where it had come from.

Coming around a small bend, he
found what he had been looking for.

�Praise the Great Powers, finally!�
Sesshoumaru nearly sagged in relief.

There, hidden behind a cluster of
rocks from some long past rockslide, a large cave that offered the much sought after
shelter.

�About damn time something went
right,� he thought as he managed to squeeze his massive size through the
narrow entrance into the widening darkness beyond. �I thought I�d never find
any shelter.�

Demon eyes adjusted quickly and Sesshoumaru looked quickly for any other occupants that may
have also taken up temporary residence. Disregarding the rat that quickly
darted back into its hole, there was nothing.

It was fairly large, almost the
size of the great hall of his fathers, and he still referred it as his fathers,
palace. Immediately dropping his burden, Sesshoumaru
quickly went to the other side and shook out the vast amount of water that
collected on his fur. Circling a spot along the wall, the demon lowered himself down and simply stared at the slumped form across
from him.

Inuyasha was still unconscious.

Sesshoumaru shifted in impatience but still the hanyou
remained unaware. He snorted in annoyance.

�Stupid pest is more trouble
that anything,� Sesshoumaru though as he studied
the slumped form, �so why am I letting him live?�

No answer was forthcoming.

�Fuck.�

It was a few moments as he
contemplated the situation that Sesshoumaru finally
managed to comprehend what it was that he was actually seeing as he stared at
the hanyou.

Inuyasha was shivering.

It was so unexpectedly surprising
that Sesshoumaru almost mentally slapped himself once
more.

�Stupid frail human bodies,�
he reminded himself as he once more staggered back to his feet and crossed the
massive room to the small body that was by now practically convulsing with the
strength of the cold.

Sesshoumaru paused as he stood over the body, wondering if he could do
anything else in his current form that what he knew was his only option. It wasn�t
as if he could build a fire as a dog demon.

�Fuck and fuck again,� Sesshoumaru groaned as he once more lowered himself down.
This time, he curled around the slump form that was already starting to look a
little blue. Ensuring that he wasn�t dripping any of his
acidic saliva, for Inu Youkai
never drooled; he placed his tail on top of the shivering hanyou.

It was a while, but finally, the
shivering slowed and a faint tinge of red began to flush into his cheeks. The
only thing he had to worry about was if the human would catch a fever from his
unwanted shower.

Now that he was closer, Sesshoumaru continued his study of the new characteristics
of the hanyou now in full human form.

He couldn�t help it.

It was too fascinating for Sesshoumaru to ignore.

He brought his head down and took
a long sniff.

�Defiantly different,� he
thought as he analyzed the smell and compared it to what he knew was Inuyasha�s original scent.

The smell of youki
was almost completely gone. There was only a very feint trace of it beneath the
smell of human sweat that was almost unbearable. Feeling his nose twitch, he
then took in Inuyasha�s altered physical appearance.

Silver to black, that was the most
obvious as he looked at the hair. It was so odd to not see the small koinu ears that always sat permanently perked upon his
head. Now, he had the small round ears of a human. Not even a single point that
signified a demon in human guise but a curved shell of a bland human ear.

�Boring,� Sesshoumaru thought as he continued on.

Bringing his gaze back further, he
took in his unwanted brother�s face.

It was the same� yet it wasn�t.

It was almost smoother, less
angular than his hanyou form. And even under the
paleness of cold, Sesshoumaru knew that Inuyasha�s skin had actually darkened with his human
appearance. Or perhaps that was just an effect of the silver hair that made him
look paler in hanyou form.

Glancing at the rest of the slimed
figure of the human, Sesshoumaru snorted in annoyance
again before turning his attention to the entrance to watch as the rain fell as
he allowed his mind to wander.

It had always been just a rumor
that half demons sometimes shifted into humans, but it was never anything that
anyone had any solid evidence on. It was always heard from a friend of a friend
who knew a hanyou. There was even wild stories that
sometimes the hanyou�s went even crazier that a full
demon and went on killing rampages.

But from the scene with the lesser
demons, it had appeared to Sesshoumaru that Inuyasha was in possession of all, or rather what little he
normally possessed, of his sanity.

He wondered how long Inuyasha would be forced to stay in this form. It was
without a doubt that once he was back into his hanyou
form, that his demonic blood would immediately overtake any illness and heal any injury. However it could be days or weeks before
this what ever it was finally faded for Inuyasha to
change back.

The thought of having to nurse a
sick runt of a hanyou irked at the demon lords
nerves.

It was odd, to find his brother
trapped in his full human form as he was trapped in his full demon form.

Though it never happened before, there was never any
telling what he would do in his current form. For two hundred years, with no
explanation, he always transformed to his true demon form on the night of the
new moon. It was never heard of in his clan to just suddenly revert back to
their other self and there was no healer in any of the clans that could explain
why it was that he was changing.

The first time he suddenly found himself changing, he had
assumed that it was stress from the loss of his father. Then it happened the
next month and then again during the next new moon. It was getting rather
irritating. Deciding against his original idea that it was his youki mourning his lost parent, he then thought that it was
perhaps just some sort of a phase as he matured; but as the decades and then
centuries passed, he began to take his transformation as a normal occurrence
and no longer wondered at the meaning of it. (Again, he ignored the small voice
as it finally screamed in frustration and went silent.)

�Perhaps it�s a demonic version
of the hanyou curse?� he wondered before
dismissing the idea. It was so odd though. To be trapped in his Demon form
without the ability to change back.

It wasn�t as if he lost his mind during those periods, but
the instincts of a full Inu Youkai was a very dangerous thing to anyone around.
The very reason he had left Rin and Jaken behind and traveled as far as his direction sense
would allow him.

Sighing, or at least sighing as
much as he could in dog form, he once more glanced down at the sleeping boy.

It was then that he saw deep
bronze eyes staring at him right back.

Inuyasha was awake.

Chapter Four: Injuries and Irritations

It was so very frustrating.

First it was cold, then hot, then
cold again.

This was why he hated it when he
shifted to human form. Too many things that never had any effect on him suddenly
brought to the forefront: the cold, the sticky feeling of wet cloths�

�The sharp throbbing pain
radiating from his ankle.

Inuyasha bit back a groan as the memories of the lesser demons and
of his flight through the forest returned.

And then he remembered how it was
that he was still breathing.

�A dream,� he thought to
himself as he steeled his resolve to open his eyes. �It was all just a
freaking nightmare and when I open my eyes, I�ll be back in the old stinking
village with everyone yelling at me as usual about being stupid.�

Inuyasha slowly open his eyes.

Black.

That�s all he saw, just a vast sea
of darkness. He blinked and wondered if it was a result of the head wound he
received. He had never experienced such a massive head wound in a battle
before, but then again all those times he wasn�t trapped as a human.

Quickly blinking his eyes in rapid
succession, he once more tried to see exactly what his current predicament was.

Still dark.

�What the hell?� Inuyasha squinted with his weaker human eyes. He was use to
having his vision somewhat dampened in human form and when the moon was hidden
it was even darker but this was beyond black. He mentally cursed again as his
nose was absolutely no help and decided to try listening for any clues as to
where he was. He was lying down, for that he was sure as the sound of rain was
coming from somewhere above his head.

And he could faintly pick up soft
breathing.

�Crap,� he though as he finally
understood what it was that he was feeling under his hands, �fur.�
Almost holding his breath, he lifted his eyes upward and strained to see if
there were any large sized teeth bearing down to chomp his head off. It was
still dark for a while before suddenly golden eyes that lit with an unnatural
inner brightness pinned his.

They stared at each other for what
was an eternity.

Then Inuyasha
opened his mouth.

�What the fucking hell?� he
shouted as he quickly scrambled backwards away from the large creature.

It wasn�t very far due to his
current condition and Inuyasha paused to wince as
pain once more throbbed upward from his ankle. Forcing himself to ignore the
pain, he concentrated on staring at the large dog demon.

�What the hell are you doing here?�
he demanded and winced as his voice echoed back to him. They were inside, now
that he was certain of but his vision was still impaired and the only thing
that was visible to the deep metallic (?) eyes was the eerie glow of the Inu.

�Sesshoumaru,�
Inuyasha wondered in amazement. �The one person in
the entire world who hates me more than life itself was actually the one who
saved my ass.�

Sesshoumaru.

The one who hated humans even more
than hanyou�s, actually coming to Inuyasha�s
aid when he was transformed into the very thing that Sesshoumaru
despised; it was completely and utterly baffling. Even when they tentatively
joined forces to defeat the Hell�s sword Sounga, they
were trying to kill each other.

�He�s been trying to kill me
every single time we run into each other! Hell, the first time we met,
he told me flat out that it would be him who would kill me,� Inuyasha reminded himself.

The memory was still sharp in his
mind.

His mother had once told Inuyasha that he had a full demon brother out there
somewhere that his father had often spoken of to her with pride. Izayoi had always mentioned it in passing, and only when Inuyasha childishly asked if he perhaps looked like his
brother did she confess that she had never met Sesshoumaru.

So when it was, a few months after
his mothers death when he was just twelve years old and banished into the wilds
of the world by his so called �family�, that the appearance of another being
with the same silver hair and golden eye as his Inuyasha
knew it was his demon brother.

To say he was confused when all Sesshoumaru said to him was �I will be the one to kill you,
Inuyasha� before promptly leaving him would be an
understatement.

Something he quickly overcame when
trying to simply survive against adult demons, natural wildlife predators and
the very element that seemed to conspire against the young child. The need of
food soon outweighed the need for companionship and Inuyasha
soon forgot about his brother until that fateful night when Sesshoumaru
appeared in search of their father�s fang, the Tetsusaiga.

Inuyasha shuddered and tried to crawl further into the caves walls.

Sesshoumaru, for his part, was slightly amused at the mad dash by the hanyou to get away from him and simply snorted in response to
the boy�s questions, �like I could answer you nit wit.�

It wasn�t as if he would have
answered Inuyasha even if he could. There was never
once where they were in any semblance of agreement as they both tried to kill
each other at every turn.

Or rather, it was Sesshoumaru trying to kill off his disgrace of a sibling at
every turn.

He could still remember that first
glimpse of his hated relation.

He had known of Inuyasha�s existence and that the child lived within his
borders hidden away in a lord�s palace miles and miles from where his father
had died. Rumor had it that the child was the offspring of a beloved relative
of the lord and it was the only reason the hanyou
could claim any form of shelter from those who would do him harm.

Not that a meager threat of humans
would keep the great Lord Sesshoumaru from killing
the very thing that was his fathers downfall and denied him the chance of
perfecting his strength and power. It was by his grace alone that the child and
his whore of a mother were even still breathing and never mind
what they thought of him.

He had told the human woman as
much in a letter he sent stating that Inuyasha had
been completely disowned by his demon family and would be killed on sight if
the child ever so much as took one step within a mile of the demon palace.

So a year went by. Then two. Then three, and Sesshoumaru could not contain his curiosity any longer. Hanyou or no, any child that had been sired by the great Inu Taisho had to have power. With out a word to his
councilmen, he left the palace and crept like a common thief into the courtyard
of the human palace.

It was with some surprise that he
found the child alone. Knowing how detested any half child was, it was still
odd to see such a young one so alone sitting at the edge of a Koi pond trying to play with the fish that swam there.

Sesshoumaru had left as quietly as he had arrived; wondering at the
small, silent form. The child was defiantly not what he had been
expecting. The silver hair, a trademark of the great Inu
Clan, paled in comparison to the two small koinu ears
that sat perched upon that silvery mane.

It had been disturbing, to say the
least.

At the current moment, however,
the lack of those ears disturbed Sesshoumaru
even more. It seemed as if his koinu ears were not
the only things Inuyasha was currently missing as he
had practically dragged himself to the other side of the cave in his attempt at
safety.

It was interesting to see the
normal grace of the hanyou�s poise suddenly replaced
by the awkward clumsiness of the human form. �It�s almost as if he has no
center of balance when he�s human,� he mused as he watched the boy�s
frantic scrambling. �Then again, that ankle must be paining him.�

Inuyasha sat there staring at him for a full minuet. Nothing was
said as the two simply looked at each other. The rat darted out of his hideaway
and scurried along the wall but neither paid it any mind.

�Well?� Inuyasha
finally couldn�t stand it. �Why don�t you shift back into your normal, ugly
self and tell me what you want!�

Sesshoumaru ears twitched and he instantly bared his teeth, emitting a
soft growl at the �ugly� comment. �Unlike you who could never transform
into a full youkai you idiot, I at least have the
ability!�

He continued to bare his teeth
slightly for a while and nearly smirked as best he could in his current form
when Inuyasha visibly backed down, slumping
his small shoulders and breaking the eye contact.

The alpha in him immediately
recognized the submission and ceased the show of aggression. �Hmph. If only he would show this
side of himself more often I would suffer far fewer headaches,� Sesshoumaru thought briefly as he stared at Inuyasha for any signs of more defiance.

Inuyasha, meanwhile, was currently suffering from a panic attack. �Okay- big scary teeth! Do not insult Sesshoumaru when in full demon form,� he tensed,
holding his breath as he waited for some form of retaliation. Sesshoumaru was not known for having a passive temperament.

He knew he was being cowardly, but
at the moment he didn�t exactly care. With the absence of the moon, all of his youkai bravado had promptly become dormant for the evening
and his human instinct were telling him that his head was left best where it
was. �Damn, why do I always act before thinking?� he wondered in
aggravation.

Sesshoumaru�s ears twitched in irritation before he returned his gaze to
the rain, completely dismissing the hanyou. �Idiot,�
he thought. �Like I would waste breath talking to
you.� He watched as the rains begin to pick up and the wind howled as it
passed through the entrance of the cave.

Inuyasha stared in disbelief when the demon simply dismissed him.
�You�re not going to kill me?� The words were out of his mouth before he could
quash them and Inuyasha groaned at the show of
weakness, however slight.

Sesshoumaru�s eyes once more swiveled to him and they eyed each other.
He snorted again before turning to again watch the rain. Anything was
better than staring at his unwanted companion.

Inuyasha had remained tense for a few more moments as Sesshoumaru continued to ignore him until the chill of the
wind finally started to penetrate his still damp cloths. �Fuck,� he mumbled as
he wrapped his arms around himself. He started shivering once more and started
to rub his hands along his arms to create some form of warmth.

Bringing his leg towards himself, Inuyasha started to gently probe the injury. While the
ankle was defiantly swollen and red, he could not find any indication that it
was broken. �Just sprained then,� he thought with relief.

While the hanyou�s
attention was on his ankle, Sesshoumaru covertly
stole little looks at the boy. It was the first time that they were ever
together in somewhat compatible silence. Then again, it helped that they were
trying to ignore each other and not flinging insults at every turn.

For some reason Inuyasha was just... interesting as a human. �Worse
comes to worse, I could always use this forced circumstances to study for any
weakness in my enemy� aside from the current obvious,� Sesshoumaru
rationalized.

Inuyasha finally looked up and was able to catch Sesshoumaru quickly turning his own gaze back to the
entrance. He tensed but soon realized that if Sesshoumaru
had not killed him yet, he was unlikely to do so while he was awake.

�What the hell is his problem
anyway?� Inuyasha wondered as he continued to
gaze at the large creature before him. �It�s not like I pose any kind of a
threat as a human anyway.� He sighed as he pushed some of his now black
hair back behind his shoulder and winced as some of the strands dragged over a
deep cut in his cheek.

�Must have happened when I hit
that tree,� he concluded as he gently probed the injury. �A twisted
ankle, a few scratches and a missing tooth or two,� he thought as he ran
his tongue over his teeth, � just the
one. I suppose it could have been a lot worse.� He once more glanced at Sesshoumaru. �A LOT worse.�

�Um,� Inuyasha
started uncertainly as he stared at his demon brother. Sesshoumaru
made a point to not look at him and Inuyasha huffed
in infuriation. �Look, I know you want me dead but for reasons only you know
I�m still alive. So�� Inuyasha twitched as he could
actually feel the heat rising to his cheeks and knew that while he could
barely see his hand in front of his own eyes, his face
was quite visible to the demon�s gaze. �Thanks,� he finally mumbled.

An ear twitching in his direction
was the only indication that he had been heard. Inuyasha
sighed and went back to examining his wounds. �Why should I think it would
make any difference if I didn�t thank him?� he wondered in annoyance as he
continued to examine his wounds.

Sesshoumaru wondered himself at the awkward show of appreciation from
the normally selfish hanyou. �I honestly don�t
know why I saved your hide either.� He sighed as he listened to the
consistent chattering of Inuyasha�s teeth as now
human almost curled into himself in an effort to get warm.

�Stupid, stubborn�� Sesshoumaru growled low in his throat and completely
ignoring Inuyasha�s instant reaction of tensing for
battle, slowly managed to climb to his feet. �I did not save your
hide to freeze to death!�

Ensuring that his movements were
slow and non-threatening, he once more made his way towards Inuyasha.

It seemed the closer he got, the more tense the smaller boy became, if that was actually
possible and before allowing his half brother a chance to move, he once more
dropped down beside the boy and waited.

It wasn�t long before Inuyasha tried to scramble to the other side of the cave
but this time Sesshoumaru was ready for him. His
giant paw shot out and managed to thwap Inuyasha back the way he had come.

Such surprise lit Inuyasha�s face as he suddenly found himself flat on his
ass and once more pressed against a warm furry side that Sesshoumaru
suddenly felt the urge to chuckle. He quickly squashed it.

Inuyasha felt his breath catch in his throat when he felt himself
falling backwards towards the demon and he waited for claws and fang to tear
into him.

However, like the previous
times, none was forthcoming. Inuyasha shifted
awkwardly as he debated on what he should do.

On the one hand, his ankle
pained enough that it wasn�t really an option for him to leave.

On the other hand, he could be
eaten in his sleep.

As he debated, the demon�s tail
once more moved to curl around him and Sesshoumaru
showed just how non-threatening he thought Inuyasha
to be as the human realized he could hear the demons breathing even out to the slow
deep breaths of sleep.

�Well, that answers
that,� Inuyasha chuckled as he listened to the
soft wines that soon emanated from the large Inu Youkai. �Who would have thought that Sesshoumaru,
the great feared Inu Youkai
Lord would dream about chasing rabbits in his sleep?�

��Just another moonless night,� Inuyasha sighed as he hunkered down in his now dry, if a
little ripe, Fire Rat robe and settled in for a rather long, sleepless night.

Chapter Five: Dawning Dilemmas�

�I hate that rat,� Inuyasha thought staring as the same rat once more poked
his little pink nose out of his hole and slowly made his way around the two
still figures before once more popping back in his hole.

�He�s fucking insane!� the
half dog demon concluded as the rat once more made his little circle around the
two, occasionally stopping to sniff at Inuyasha�s
feet before moving onward to his home.

Inuyasha sighed as he rubbed his tired eyes. It had been a long
night�

A long night with Inuyasha tensing at every little thing that came from the
form next to him. Even so much as twitch sent his pulse reaching and the wish
that he could once more see in the dark.

But as a human, there was no
helping it and he was forced to listen for every little sound that may give him
a clue as to whether or not his companion was awake. The rat had really been
the only form of distraction to the hanyou in the
long, dark hours.

The one night when his stamina was
almost completely depleted was the one night of the month when he had truly no
choice but to stay awake.

If he wanted to live that was.

Usually he would find a cave like
the one he and Sesshoumaru were currently in, or
perhaps high in a tree covered by the thick branches and hunkered down for the
night. For the past year it had always been in a small corner of Kaede�s hut that he managed to keep himself out of harms
way.

This night had
really been the first night in a long while that any demons had actually
caught him unawares on his one weakest night of the month.

�Or anything else for that
matter,� Inuyasha thought as he glanced back, the
best he could, at the sleeping giant behind him.

Inuyasha wasn�t stupid. He had at least an idea on why it was that Sesshoumaru had saved him. The full-fledged demon had said
so upon their first meeting.

It would be Sesshoumaru
who would kill him and the Inu Youkai
would never allow anyone to take that kill away from him.

It was strange however, that Sesshoumaru was so utterly obsessed with the killing of his
half brother.

�One would think he would be
glad he wouldn�t have to �dirty� his hands by killing such an
unworthy creature such as myself,� he thought as he went over every detail
of the night before in his mind.

It was so odd, that whenever he
turned for the past year it seemed as if Sesshoumaru
was right there behind him.

Briefly, he wondered if Sesshoumaru�s recent and multiple appearance
in the last year, after not seeing him in well over a hundred, had anything to
do with Naraku and the scattering of the sacred jewel
before dismissing the thought entirely.

While Sesshoumaru
was certainly fixated on gaining power, he was also obsessed with the honor of
the nobility and gaining his power himself and not obtaining it through some
cheep short cut.

Sesshoumaru wanted to be the one to defeat the most powerful being on
the entire planet. He did not have time to waste on humans and their ilk.
Perhaps it was the very reason why Sesshoumaru had
allowed him to live.

It was just as he wondered why it
was that fate was constantly bringing them together at every turn that he was
instantly brought to full awareness by something that didn�t come from Sesshoumaru.

He could feel it.

It was happening.

Dawn was approaching.

It began with an irritating itch
that focused on the shifting of the bones that grew or shrank within the
demands of his yoki.

He could feel it, circulating in
his blood. He felt seared by the very power that was running through his veins.
This power was something that humans could only dream about.

It was almost a tingling feeling in
his brain as his senses suddenly sharpened. His nose could suddenly detect that
very annoying rat as it scurried back to his little hole in fear of the strange
happenings.

His vision sharpened and he could
see all the way across the cavern to see every minute detain in the wall
opposite him. He could see every line, every crevice of the rock surface.

Cracking his knuckles, he glanced
down to ensure that his brittle human fingernails had suddenly lengthened to
the razor sharp claws of an inu.

Grinning, he couldn�t help run his
tongue across the bottom of his teeth stopping at the delicate point of his
elongated fangs.

Ensuring that his hair had drained
of the dark color of human to the glowing white of his demon blood would be the
final touch in his morning routine, but even with his now enhanced vision, the
cave obviously faced west and it was still too dark to make out any
colors.�

It wasn�t important.

All that mattered was that he was
back!

And he had to leave quickly before
Sesshoumaru woke!

�There�s no way that this idiot
will allow me to leave without a battle now that I�m almost back to full
strength,� he realized as he slowly stood up.

Testing his weight on his injured
ankle, he could tell that his demon youki was already
at work and the searing pain had now lessoned. With a quick glance back at the
sleeping demon, Inuyasha slowly made his way towards
the exit.

Ensuring that his footsteps were
nearly silent, Inuyasha inched his way towards the
mouth of the cave glaring at the still scurrying rat for good measure. �Will
I be glad to get out of here,� he thought in relief as he finally reached
the last few inches. �This had to have been the weirdest night in all my life!
Psychotic lesser demons, a helpful archenemy� a crazy fucked up rat.�

Inuyasha suppressed a chuckle as he finally stepped out of the
encroaching darkness into the welcoming dawn of a new day.

�Yep, all in all one of the top
ten weirdest nights in my totally messed up life, and one I will be glad to
completely put behind me!�

It was then that a hand firmly
grasped his arm and he was spun around to meet enraged filled golden eyes.

�Where do you think you are going hanyou?� Sesshoumaru growled as
he glared at his hated half brother.

It had been so annoying that after all he went through,
after saving the half demons scrawny hide, searching for hours (forty minuets
tops) for some form of shelter for the two of them to get out of the rain that
the bastard was just going to leave as soon as the little demon blood he
possessed returned.

It was damn right aggravating.

�The least he could do is say �Ja ne� the ingrate,� Sesshoumaru
reflected in aggravation.

While he had slightly dozed, for
the most part Sesshoumaru had been awake
right along side Inuyasha, only as a human, the hanyou couldn�t tell of his cave mate�s level of awareness.

It was a long night.

One, Inuyasha
was constantly shifting and moving and twitching as he tried to find a somewhat
comfortable position on that damnable cave floor. The half human had also made
a wide array of sounds within the dark silence of the cave. Inuyasha
could never keep his mouth shut for even a span of three minuets as he sighed
and groaned and huffed and muttered to himself about nothing in particular.

And then there was that fucking
rat! Sesshoumaru did not even want to think about
the stupid rat.

It had happened just as he thought
he would go insane and possibly eat the stinking rat when he felt Inuyasha tense beside him.

It had taken a while for Sesshoumaru to fully comprehend what it was that was
happening.

It had been the scent that finally
tipped him off. That scent that was burned into his very nose that told him
that Inuyasha was back.

He waited, wondering what the hanyou would do now that he was back to his normal
aggravating self. He had already tensed himself in preparation for an attack as
it was just the sort of situation that Inuyasha would
take advantage of.

So when the younger of the two
simply got up and proceeded to leave the cave it was truly a blow to Sesshoumaru�s ego. Completely in a rage he did not even
take note of his own transformation from Full Inu Youkai to the slightly dampened shape of his humanoid form.

�Do you think that you could simply walk away?� he
continued as he glared at the defiance that crossed the child like face of the
half demon.

Inuyasha yanked his arm away from his brother and with a nimble
leap backwards landed a good ten feet away from the growling Inu Youkai. Sesshoumaru
felt a flash of relief at see that the boy was back to his stoic self instead
of the fumbling, and disorganized movements of the night before.

�All right you arrogant jerk!� Inuyasha shouted. �You want to get into it right here, that�s
fine with me!� He followed that announcement by immediately crouching down into
a fighting stance. �Lets fight!�

Sesshoumaru stared in disbelief, stepping back and taking the full
impact of Inuyasha�s stance, he automatically noted
the weaknesses before turning his gaze on the still growling boy.

�Are you insane?� he asked with
every indication that he was completely serious.

�Wha-?� Inuyasha gawked, his stance wavering slightly.

�I asked if you are insane,� Sesshoumaru repeated slowly as if Inuyasha
were some sort of simpleton though they both knew he was not and they both knew
it would irritate the hanyou even more.

�It is clear that your ankle,
which will certainly heal quicker in your current for, is still not there yet.
If you honestly think, that after a night of absolute no sleep,� and here Inuyasha twitched, �that if you think you are any sort of
challenge for me at the moment then you clearly must be insane.�

Inuyasha held his stance slightly before relaxing his guard. �Well
then�� he mumbled as he eyed Sesshoumaru in
confusion. �Ja ne,� he said
as he started to turn away.

�Moonless
nights.�

�What?� Inuyasha
cried as he whirled back around at the sound of Sesshoumaru�s
soft announcement.

�That�s when you are at you
weakest and turn human, isn�t it?� Sesshoumaru
smirked. �During the darkest phase of the moon.� He
leaned back against the large boulders that marked the cave�s entrance and made
a show of examining his nails. �What a fascinating discovery.�

In truth, it had taken Sesshoumaru a good portion of the night to figure it out
but he had finally concluded that perhaps it was some sort of biological
happenstance that they inherited from their father that chose the moonless
night in specific for both of them to be trapped in their other forms.

Inuyasha growled low in his throat, flexing his claws and baring
his teeth as he spoke. �If you think that I am going to allow you to just tell
anyone and everyone about this, than it�s you who is
fucking insane!�

Sesshoumaru sneered at the small show of aggression and bared his own
teeth. �You forget, I had ample opportunity last night to kill you at my
digression,� the smirk returned full force. �You owe me, hanyou!�

Inuyasha jerked at the commanding tone and softened his facial features,
hoping he was giving off a look of indifference rather that submission.

�And what, exactly, do you want
from me?� he grounded out.

Sesshoumaru scoffed at the question, �it simply occurred to me that you
were a walking target last night and that anyone with so much as a minute ounce
of power had the capability of killing you off.�

Inuyasha saw red and took a long deep breath in order to try to
calm himself down. �What, exactly, are you saying?�

Sesshoumaru sneered again, before leaning back against the cliff
glancing around the woods as if there was any one who would dare eavesdrop on
the conversation. The sun was just starting to fully rise over the bluff and it
lit upon the silver of the figures hair.

Inuyasha was once again brought to that small feeling of awe of his
brother that he had felt all those years ago when he first saw the elegant
form, standing there in the eerie glow of the moonlight while he had been
hunting for food.

The Youkai
finally satisfied himself that there was no one who could possibly hear the
conversation, or at least understand it as he watched the rat scurry away
before finally turning back to the still fuming hanyou.

�I propose a truce.�

Chapter Six: Arguing Acceptance

Silence.

They stared at each other as
the rat, becoming bored with their inactiveness begin to nibble on a blade of
grass.

The silence continued.

Inuyasha stared as the numbness that had come over him with Sesshoumaru�s shocking proposal finally released him. �A
what?� he finally asked in disbelief.

Sesshoumaru nearly screamed in frustration. �Of all the stupid,
ignorant, stubborn streaks...!� �A truce,� he repeated. �I propose a
partnership as to the fruitless fighting that we are mixed up in.�

�I know what a �truce� is Sesshoumaru,� Inuyasha snarled in
exasperation, �Why in the world should we have one?�

�I will be the one to kill you.�

�What?� Inuyasha
jerked at the sudden echo of all those years ago

�What the hell dose he mean by
that?� he questioned to himself.

So wrapped up in trying to figure
out the meaning behind his brother words, he almost missed what Sesshoumaru was saying.

�I will be the one to kill you,
and if you actually get yourself killed before that time would not be acceptable.�
Sesshoumaru ignored the resuming growling. �I�m sure
that you noticed that I was in my other form last night-�

�Yeah, the stench of wet dog was
kind of noticeable,� Inuyasha laced the comment with
as much sarcasm as he could. �Why in the hells dose he think telling me that
is going to persuade me to join in his little �accord�?� He
wondered.

Sesshoumaru completely ignored the insult and continued on. �When
there is no moon, for the last few centuries I transform into my Inu form without any reason.� The completely blank look he
received told him that Inuyasha completely could not
comprehend how significant that was.

�Then again, since he�s been
forced to shift forms for his entire life could be that he truly doses not
understand the meaning.�

�It has never been heard of for a
demon to be unable to control his transformation. None of any of the great
healers can find a reason for my situation.�

Again, the completely blank stare.

Sesshoumaru nearly started tearing out his hair in sheer nerves.

�Look. It�s obvious. During the
phase of the new moon, you are forced into you weaker human form. Meanwhile, I
am forced into my stronger Youkai form. Therefore, I
propose that every night of the new moon, we will meet and I will ensure that
you do not get your fool self killed.�

Inuyasha growled. �Like I need your stupid protection!� he shouted.
�I�ve been dealing just fine on my own!�

�Yes, I clearly saw that,� Sesshoumaru drawled his gaze going over the smeared blood
that made a dark crimson streak across the hanyou�s
cheek.

Inuyasha flushed in embarrassment but stubbornly continued on.
�What the hell do you know about surviving?� he sneered. How dare Sesshoumaru treat him as if he were still a pup! He had
been surviving more than the Inu Youkai
could even dream about. He had been on his own at the age of twelve and
the very reason that he was forced into a situation of simply surviving
was standing two feet in front of him.

�You, living your little pampered life
in the palace!� he shouted. �You never had to wipe your own ass you always had
your sniveling servants do it for you!�

The revenge was swift as the nails
that Sesshoumaru had been examining so carefully
suddenly were lashed out to catch the blood stained and four slim cuts suddenly
joined the one that had just nearly closed.

Inuyasha jerked back, his fist automatically swinging outward in
retaliation only to meet air as Sesshoumaru nimbly
dodged the blow.

Inuyasha casually wiped away the blood flowing from his check
allowing a smirk to come over his features. �Strike a nerve did I?� he asked in
the same drawled voice his brother had used just moments ago.

Sesshoumaru glowered. �I must be insane,� he concluded as he
flexed his fist in frustration and settled for resuming his glare. �To
actually think, that this simpleton would actually believe that I am doing this
all for his sake! What an idiot.�

�Do not think that I am offering
this proposal in anyway to benefit you,� he snarled. �This is simply a
way to ensure that you do not mar our Inu Heritage.�

Blank look
again.

This time, Sesshoumaru
found himself actually reaching up and tugging a lock of his hair in
aggravation.

�It is a weakness!� he nearly
shouted. �Your inability to protect yourself will reflect back on me. People
will start to think that I am just as weak as you are.�

�Weak- I am not Weak!!!� Inuyasha
roared.

�I beg to differ with that. I have
had proof enough of your weakness in any form that you carry.� Sesshoumaru said calmly.

�I have no idea what you are
talking about.� Inuyasha said in a huff not looking
at Sesshoumaru a cherry red blush spread across his
cheek.

�I have a feeling foolish little
brother that you do. Even though you do not use a single speck of brain that
you where born with. It�s not about physical power,� Sesshoumaru
told him. �Of course brute strength is all you know. You must eventually learn
to use the brain our father has gifted you with despite your human mothers
taint.�

�Fuck you!� Inuyasha
snapped back. �Why the hell am I standing around here listening to this? I have
survived for years with out you �protection�! Hell, you were the one who threw
me out of the Western Lands in the first place! Couldn�t even tell me yourself
in person, had to send a fucking note! What the hell are you thinking
that I would accept any form of help from you now?�

�Because you know that you are
defenseless during the new moon and you know that you can not refuse my
offer,� Sesshoumaru announced.

And Inuyasha
knew he was right.

And that pissed the hanyou off to no end.
�
There really was no flaw in Sesshoumaru�s idea. Inuyasha
never had any guarantee that he was safe during the new moon, and now with Naraku practically breathing down his neck�

�I�m going to get killed if
I don�t accept his proposal� I�m going to get killed if I do accept his
proposal �or am I going to go completely insane and kill myself� and the rat.�
Inuyasha reflected. �This is a classic case of the
�damned if you do, damned if you don�t� scenario.�

The hanyou�s
shoulders slumped somewhat in defeat, as he knew that any other option would
never present itself to him. He could either continue on as he had always done,
by hiding and sneaking about; or he could accept Sesshoumaru�s
truce.

He was beginning to feel
actually physically sick at the notion but the older demon had a point. The
only one who actually could fend off any other demons and Naraku�s
minions was the Inu Youkai
Lord.

�Fuck! This is
exactly why I never wanted anyone to find out about my human phase,� he
thought in aggravation. �Okay, maybe not the exact reason but this is
a situation of someone managing to back me into a corner.�

He growled as he stared at the
tense figure before him.

�There has got to be a flaw
in this somewhere! There�s no way that he�s doing this just to protect
our family name.�

�How can I be sure that you won�t
take this opportunity and kill me?� he slowly asked as if fearing what the
answer knowing that it would not be something he would like.

Sesshoumaru practically deflated at Inuyasha�s
hesitant question. �As I said, it would be a truce. I have no intention of
killing you when you have no form of defense.�

�Yeah right,� Inuyasha
muttered under his breath. �I�ll believe that as soon as I see that Naraku is dancing by in a tutu and goes on a campaign of
peace and love between all living creatures.�

Inuyasha nearly laughed at the mental image and managed to calm
himself before turning to his half brother. �I�ll admit,� he started slowly,
�that the idea has some merit.� Sesshoumaru nearly
preened. �However,� Inuyasha continued, �I disagree
with the whole �you come to me� thing.�

Sesshoumaru�s �better than you� attitude returned as he glared at the
shorter hanyou. �As if I could show up in the middle of
those bakas you call a pack without being attacked on
sight,� he sneered.

�Er,
right,� Inuyasha could just picture how that
would blow over.

Miroku
waving his staff around, while attempting to grab Sango butt. Sango tossing her bone boomerang at Sesshoumaru�s
head while decking Miroku for his wandering hands.
Kagome demanding to know at the top of her lung what it was that he had come
for. Shippo hiding behind Kagome�s ankle peeking
around to watch Sesshoumaru�s every move. �Yeah, not good.�

�Some sort of neutral ground?� he
proposed hesitantly. �Like this cave perhaps?�

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at the halfway decent suggestion and
wondered vaguely if he would even be able to find his way back to the cave once
he left.

�Very well,� he agreed. �So we
have an accord?�

Inuyasha sighed and simply nodded. �Do not think that if I so much
as suspect that you will go back on your word that I won�t hesitate to leave,�
he added as an afterthought.

�Fuck you,� Sesshoumaru
scoffed. �Like I would break my honor over a weak, pathetic hanyou.�

Inuyasha scowled, but said nothing. �Now is not the time for
stupid bickering,� he reminded himself. �So, we will meet back here on the
day of the new moon?� he asked instead.

Sesshoumaru made a vague noise of agreement. �However, you are not to
tell anyone about this arrangement!� he suddenly shouted.

�Keh, like anyone would actually believe me if I told
�em.�

Sesshoumaru scowled. �I am dead serious,� he threatened. �You are to
tell no one of this situation. I do not want to suddenly find myself
facing impudent humans and one inconsequential speck of a kitsune!�

�Like I want anyone to know about
this either!� he shouted. �Do not bring anyone here yourself! That toad�s
stupid head staff is fucking irritating.�

Sesshoumaru mentally agreed with the statement before nodding. �No one
will know of this,� he reassured.

�Right,� Inuyasha
sighed, wracking his brain for anything else that could be said. �Ja.�

Sesshoumaru nodded. �Until next month.�

�Matta ne.�

Neither of them moved, not wanting
to give their backs to their hated enemy.

�Aren�t ya
leaving?� Inuyasha asked.

�Don�t you have your blasted
�friends� to return to?� Sesshoumaru sneered.

They continued to stare at each
other.

Inuyasha humped in annoyance as his hands came up to rest on his
hips in frustration.

�Wait�� Inuyasha gasped as he
finally registered that there was something that he was missing. Something that
was very, very important. �Where�s Tetsusaiga?�

��

��

��Um.�
- 1
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Shadowed Nights

The Pact-Part A

NOW (finally)ON TO THE STORY!

Shadowed Nights

The Pact Part A: Chapters 1-6

Chapter One: Darkest Hours

Chapter Three: Lacking Direction

Chapter Four: Injuries and Irritations

Chapter Five: Dawning Dilemmas�

Chapter Six: Arguing Acceptance

NOW (finally)
ON TO THE STORY!