The Last of Their Ind

The scent drifted to his nose, hated yet intriguing. He casually looked at his friends who were setting up camp for the night. They'd failed to find a town that would allow their unusual group to stay within their walls so with nightfall coming, they'd stopped in a small stand of trees for protection. His gold eyes fixed on Kagome, but her image was suddenly superimposed by Kikyo's, making him shake his head. The double vision came on him and and then, and he hated it more and more. Kikyo and Kagome were not the same woman, no matter what Kaede or anyone else said.

When had things gotten so complicated? Why had this happened to him; he was just unprepared for love and soft emotions. Why didn't he just accept that he wasn't allowed to love? Everyone he loved died or was torn from him…

The scent drifted by again. He was downwind of him, but they were too close. His shoulders stiffened as a daring idea came to him… Preempt the strike that was sure to follow being scented…

"Inuyashaaah!" Kagome called. His head snapped around to stare at her. She had been walking towards him but hesitated under his glare. "Ano… Do you want some noodles tonight?" she continued timidly; she knew that glare meant he was snappy at best. She could always control him with the rosary, but…

"No thanks. I just need some privacy. I'll be back later, Kagome." He said quietly. ‘I hope I will at least… '

Sesshomaru shifted away from the small sparse campfire Jaken and Rin had set up. He felt restless and thought maybe a run for running sake might help. He'd not fought or stretched himself for a few weeks now. Cracking his neck, he slid into the shadows and headed for the grassy plain at the edge of the forest. Just as he set foot outside the tree line however, he sensed another presence almost on top of him. He had Tokijin drawn and blocking the attack he knew was aimed at him in a heartbeat, and then blinked in shock as he recognized the sword he'd blocked.

"Tessaiga? What foolishness is this Inuyasha? You can't think to defeat me; you know that's not possible for someone like you." He said curiously, shoving his sibling's sword back and bracing himself for another attack. Inuyasha smirked, revealing a fang insolently.

"Sure, keep saying that, Sesshomaru. I've beaten you every single time we've fought, why shouldn't I expect that I can beat you this last time?" he slung the massive blade over his shoulder and lifted a brow at his somewhat baffled older brother. Sesshomaru tilted his head down, eyes shifting to Inuyasha's bare feet. His eyes drifted back up the younger males form, taking in the red cloth of his clothing, the saffron colored shirt under his haori, and the clawed hands, his white hair and genki ears, before settling on the boy's face. Though he'd never tell Inuyasha the truth, he looked startlingly like their father, in some ways more so than Sesshomaru himself did. Sometimes the hatred Sesshomaru felt for his sibling waned enough that he wanted to try and improve the boy, force him into a river for an hour then dress him as befitted the second son of such a powerful being as their father had been. Maybe he could stop this fire of anger from consuming him if Inuyasha looked worthy of the respect that had been reluctantly forced into Sessh's mind…

So deep in his musing was he that when Inuyasha rushed at him he barely blocked the attack, actually stepping backwards under Tessaiga's offensive. The fang-forged swords rang as Inuyasha used a new technique on his brother; accurate but rapid blows raining down as fast as he could swing the sword. Sesshomaru blocked the blows of course but was stunned that he felt them rattling his arm. He danced back then rushed back in, slashing with Tokijin's power but found it deflected by Tessaiga's. The brothers closed repeatedly, ignoring the occasional cut and buffeting from the screaming sword auras. Both were surprised at how this fight was unfurling itself, but refused to show it.

Then Inuyasha got a good swing at Sesshomaru's hand, and cut it off at the wrist. The hanyou froze in confused shock as Sesshomaru stumbled backwards, fire blazing in his eyes. His youki flared as he knelt and stared at the dismembered hand, still clutching Tokijin a few yards away. All he had to do was place the stump of his arm to the appendage; the hand would simply reattach and then he'd kill his cursed sibling once and for all…

Except Inuyasha walked over and rested the tip of Tessaiga upon Tokijin, staring down at the bloodless, severed hand. Tokijin shuddered and then lay still, obviously cowed by the sudden defeat to its enemy blade. Sesshomaru froze, an unaccustomed fear icing his veins. If his brother destroyed his hand… it had been hard enough to learn to live as a warrior with only one arm. Trying to replace that arm had shown him the futility that would accompany replacing his hand. He would become dependant on Jaken and Rin, he'd have to forget his vengeance upon Naraku… he would become useless…

Inuyasha knelt and picked the hand up, tugging it free of the sword handle and shivering with unnamable emotions as he looked at the graceful fingers and deadly claws. He jammed Tessaiga into the ground and stared blindly, a claw tracing the two adorning stripes on the heel of the hand. He felt… strange. He'd finally defeated his brother, but it was a hollow victory at best. He felt like a criminal, like he'd committed a wrongdoing, and he didn't like it one bit. Slowly he looked up at the seething Sesshomaru. For once, he really searched the youkai's face. And for once he saw into the proud, aloof façade. His brother was frightened. He could smell it, see it in his eyes. He'd dropped his right arm so his long sleeve covered his indignity, but they both knew what he was hiding. Why bother?

Sesshomaru was seething, but also a strange calm was descending over him. He daydreamed about leaving now, just walking away. He was sure he could find a fitting place to die, alone, and peaceful in the new realization of just why their father had acted as if Inuyasha was the heir, not his firstborn son. He felt himself going cold, not realizing he was bleeding badly from the avulsion. He just felt resignation and a sort of epiphany about his little brother. He stood slowly, and Inuyasha stood also.

"You've finally defeated me in an equal fight. I see now, why you are… Good bye Inuyasha. Please tell Rin to find a place to call home." He said softly. He turned and started walk for for the mountains in the distance. He knew they were riddled with demons just ready to feed on someone like himself; they'd absorb his power and he'd find oblivion.

Inuyasha gaped at his brother then flushed with anger; anger directed at himself. He'd more than defeated Sesshomaru; he'd destroyed him with one lucky blow. All their fights came back to him. After the his two "visits" Sesshomaru would fight him to a certain point then back down, leave him alive and mostly unharmed. Sesshomaru had come to Kagome to explain that she had to make sure his hand never left Tessaiga in battle. He'd actually saved Inuyasha's life a few times in sly ways. What had possessed him to attack his brother, who had shown no really desire to kill him in at least a year?

Sesshomaru was sunk so far into his withdrawal that he didn't hear Inuyasha's feet pounding to him. The bleeding had stopped at last, thanks to his metabolism, but he hardly cared anymore. He actually bumped into his brother when the young hanyou planted himself in the youkai's path. His eyes lifted slowly, their golden color now a flat yellow, like any street cur.

"Sesshomaru, I am sorry, I didn't… understand. I can't let you go on maimed this way; here." Inuyasha held out the hand, but the demon simply stared at it. The boy blinked as well, then took his brothers elbow and lifted his arm. Sesshomaru jerked backwards, frowning slightly.

"What are you doing, Inuyasha? Don't touch me." He said, the familiar growl hinting of itself in his voice. Inuyasha huffed in return. Try and help a guy… he grabbed the arm again and growled in warning.

"I am trying to put this damn hand back! We're both demons, we both know it will just reattach, so be still!" he said. Sesshomaru glared at him unbelievingly. Why on earth would Inuyasha give his hand back, when they both new he'd take this indignity out of the hanyou's hide? Yet the younger male was shoving his sleeve back and staring at the severed hand warily. "Will it go back the way it should or will it stick and have to be cut off and redone?" he asked curiously. Sesshomaru opened his mouth indignantly, and then paused. He felt laughter bubbling inside him now. This was absurd, ridiculous… would the hand go back or did it need to be positioned just so…

"Good question. I assume that like the arms I tried to replace this left arm with, it will adjust itself." he said and chuckled. It was damn silly. He couldn't help it. He didn't even know why he was laughing, but it burst out of him anyway, making Inuyasha back off a bit warily. Sesshomaru shook his head and held his arm out encouragingly. The hanyou nervously eyed him as he held the hand in place. The tendons and muscles sprang forth and wound together once more, then the seam where the severing had happened closed and faded, until to human eyes, the arm was whole and looked like it had always been so. Inuyasha could see a hairline scar though and felt the shame of his action again. Sesshomaru however was laughing with near hysteria. He lifted his hand and curled his fingers into a fist then shook them out, shaking his head. He looked up at his brother and nodded, gasping for air.

"All right, Inuyasha. You won round one…" Inuyasha blinked then felt himself flying through the air, jaw throbbing.

"Damn you, Sesshomaru!" he snapped and then winced; his jaw felt broken, what a jerk! He flipped and landed, only to sense Sesshomaru was behind him. He spun and got a blow to the chest, making him sail backwards now and land in the dirt. He grabbed his bruised chest and wheezed; dammit, he should never have given that hand back! Again he was lifted to his feet, and before he could fall over in pain, was punched square in the face. He fell backwards and grabbed his nose, which was not broken despite the power of that blow, and glared daggers at Sesshomaru. He saw that reattached hand reach out and yelped, ducking despite himself. He felt the fingers curl into his hair and then haul him up by the white locks and toss him up into the air painfully. He flailed and tried to right himself midair but got a solid kick to his rear and flew again, tumbling across the ground. He rolled to his side and whimpered in agony, even as his body began to heal; his jaw was already barely a dull ache in his head. Sesshomaru had never hit him this hard before, he suddenly realized. So he'd been right, Sesshomaru had stopped trying to kill him, but when, and why?

Sesshomaru walked over to their abandoned swords and retrieved Tokijin, sliding it in place in his obi. Then he took Tessaiga and ignoring the cracking of the offended barrier upon the blade, brought it to Inuyasha. The younger male eyed it and his brother with trepidation. However he also smelled burning demon flesh. He growled; beating or not, he hadn't given that hand back just to watch it get burned off!

"Drop it Sesshomaru. It's burning you to ashes; drop it!" he said and painfully rolled to his feet. Sesshomaru smiled serenely and handed it to him.

"Hai. I know, and it felt good, that pain, because I have a hand to feel it… I do not understand why you'd help Sesshomaru regain his pride this way. But…He thanks you, Inuyasha." His voice dropped until it was a mere whisper, but to the astonished Inuyasha, it might as well have been a shout. Facetiously, he stepped forward and pressed his hand to Sesshomaru's crescent-adorned forehead.

"You feeling okay? Did losing all that blood make you nuts? You never cared to thank me for anything before…" he said. The brothers froze at the sudden and soft touch, the very first time they'd ever touched without intent to harm or kill each other. Sesshomaru's skin was cool and soft; the crescent marking seemed to be slightly raised and was definitely warmer than the rest of his skin. But that wasn't what made Inuyasha pause. The instant shiver over his skin, and the warmth that flared in his blood was what made him stare at his brother with confusion. Sesshomaru for his part felt a similar response. The hand on his face was warm and surprisingly soft despite the small calluses from wielding a six-foot long sword non-stop. His nostrils flared as he watched Inuyasha flush with equally confused emotions. What was possessing them? The youkai couldn't help moving his head ever so slightly into Inuyasha's hand, so the fingers seemed to caress his forehead, watching the blush deepen on his cheeks and his frame shiver.

Sesshomaru was hardly a virgin, but he knew instantly that his brother certainly was. Somehow it didn't matter to him. Something was urging him to take his little brother and… he was shocked when Inuyasha's eyes flashed red and blue for an instant and the young hanyou leaned up along his body to kiss him. Sesshomaru didn't fight him; on the contrary, heeding the current between them he slung his arm around Inuyasha's slight frame and pulled him closer. His mouth opened for the hanyou's questing tongue, expertly drawing him in and twining his own long tongue around it, sucking it sensuously. Inuyasha moaned into his brothers mouth, confused by the chills that broke out on his skin, at the feel of his brothers tongue on his, but unwilling to draw away. Sesshomaru felt a hand wind into his hair as another snaked behind him to clasp his shoulders. He in turn slid his hand down to grasp his brother's tight ass and smirked against Inuyasha's demanding mouth.

"Easy… I am not going anywhere for a while yet." He said quietly. The slender body against his trembled, but he wondered if it was delight or fear that make the boy quiver. He didn't really care right now; his skin already prickled with sensation from the slight contact they had between then. Whatever instinct was driving them this way, he had no inclination to fight it. He nuzzled Inuyasha's face aside and licked his cheek, dropping to lick and nibble his neck and jaw. Inuyasha made a softly strangled noise as hot and cold washed over him in waves, his claws digging into Sesshomaru's flesh as he fell further into the spell his instinct was weaving around him. He came around slightly as his hands hit the bone plates of Sesshomaru's demonic armor. Without a thought, he skillfully unlaced the sides and tugged it loose, scrabbling and untying the obi by happy accident, his eyes screwed shut the entire time. Sesshomaru was reluctant to step back however, even to let the armor slide down his hips but since Inuyasha was so eager, he felt he had to oblige.

Inuyasha held Sesshomaru's head to his neck as he felt the armor drop away from his brother's body. He gulped for air, not realizing he'd held his breath in his excitement, and feeling lightheaded because of it. Sesshomaru deftly untied Inuyasha's obi and then wormed his hand under the heavy silk of the saffron colored shirt he wore under the fire-rat haori. Inuyasha's eyes opened at the touch; he'd never been touched like this, with a touch so soft and caressing. It felt good, and made him shiver again as Sesshomaru's claws flicked and then pinched his nipples. He suddenly realized he felt hot, despite the cool evening air, and pulled his haori and shirt off at once.

Instantly Sesshomaru slid his hand around behind him and grabbed a handful of his long white hair, tugging it so his head arched back sharply. Inuyasha grabbed his shoulders for balance and stared upwards as his brother traced his collarbones with his tongue and fangs, then pulled harder on his lock of hair, arching the hanyou back even harder. His mouth wrapped around Inuyasha's right nipple and sucked, tongue flicking the hard little nub. The low moan that shook his brother's throat was most gratifying and thrilled him more than a little. Inuyasha bit his lower lip as his bones started to melt and his blood boiled. He relaxed and followed Sesshomaru's lead as he slowly dropped them to their knees. He perched himself over Inuyasha's thighs, his hand releasing his white hair to delve into the hanyou's pants…

"Sesshomaru!?" Inuyasha cried as his brothers hand wrapped around his stiffening member and started stroking smoothly. Sesshomaru chuckled.

"Yes, Inuyasha?" he squeezed then reached further down to knead the boys testicles, drawing another confused cry from him. The hanyou whined and writhed as Sesshomaru alternated between stroking and squeezing, his mouth wandering hungrily over his chest and neck. Inuyasha's back was stiffening and his hips nudged into Sesshomaru's stroking. His skin felt like it was too tight, as if he was going to burst out of it any second. Inuyasha was still clinging to his brother's shoulders as Sesshomaru lifted his head and nibbled the hanyou's lower lip.

"What is wrong, Inuyasha? Don't you like it?" he purred against his brothers lips. Inuyasha's eyelashes fluttered as he moaned and shook his head.

"I feel so tense… and hot…" he gasped. Sesshomaru dipped his tongue into Inuyasha's mouth and rubbed pearls of precum down his aching shaft. Inuyasha's hands suddenly dropped and encircled his brother's hand, moving it faster over himself with a whine. Sesshomaru smirked at that, and reached up to lick the edge of his velvet-soft ear…

Inuyasha stiffened and bit his lower lip as fire raced through his veins and exploded in his belly, his body throbbing and shaking with the pleasure of it. Sesshomaru watched his pale cheeks flush as his body jerked and he stared sightlessly back into his brothers face. Finally Inuyasha slumped bonelessly against his brother, as both the fire and his vision faded, though the pleasure stayed, curled in his belly and shuddering along his bones pleasantly. Sesshomaru shifted them both so that the hanyou leaned against his shoulder, licking Inuyasha's cum from his fingers before sliding his still sticky fingers into the hanyou's mouth. He unthinkingly sucked his own essence from Sesshomaru's digits, licking and scraping his teeth against his fingertips. Sesshomaru felt his still simmering arousal rising even more at the sight of his innocent little brother performing this perverse little act and leaned closer to him, nuzzling his cheek then purring into his ear, "You are responsive, very responsive, Inuyasha… I would never have guessed." The ear twitched at his breath blowing over it, so he breathed into it again. Inuyasha shivered and looked up at him, eyes still glazed with desire and curiosity.

"Sesshomaru, you… I want to touch you now…" he purred and nipped his brother's chin. Sesshomaru lifted a sleek brow but laid back at the gentle urging push on his shoulders. Inuyasha smirked and stood over him, removing his loosened pants then kneeling and tugging his brother's boots off. Sesshomaru looked him over openly, taking in his slender yet strong build, his long graceful legs and sleek flanks. The recent fighting had left a few bruises and cuts on him, but they hardly affected the boy's undeniable beauty. On the contrary, those marks made Sesshomaru feel possessive of that pale, virginal flesh, as if he'd marked him as his. He realized that Inuyasha was watching him look and seemed to like it. He knelt and tugged Sesshomaru's haori and shirt off and then untied the youkai's pants. Slowly he tugged them over his sleek hips and down his powerful, shapely legs. There was no mistake now that Sesshomaru was fully male; he'd been hiding a lithe yet powerful physique under those stiff silks and youkai-bone armor plates. Inuyasha's eye fell on the huge fur; he grabbed it and doubled it up before pushing it under Sesshomaru's shoulders.