Disclaimer - Still do not own rights or characters, (if I owned Sesshomaru, do you really think I'd be on here?)

~New Moon Fears~

Still rough, still doing what I can :) Thank you to everyone that has had my back *hugs*

Warnings: Language, of course. A confession that I probably wrote way too mushy, a very persuasive Inuyasha, once he's done being mushy!

Chapter 10: Convincing

Previously..*"Little brother, earlier when you said you liked me, you were going to say something else. What was it?"*

Inuyasha tensed as he realized what the powerful demon was asking about. Earlier, he had almost admitted, out loud, that he loved this majestic youkai. He felt his body shaking as he stared up into amber eyes that he'd never seen warmth in before tonight.

He didn't want to say it, it hurt so much to love someone that could never love him back. He whimpered softly. "Please...don't."

The older male leaned close and feathered a tender kiss over his forehead. He shivered at the safe, reassuring gesture, only vaguely aware of how odd it was that a canine gesture was working on his human form. As his body began to relax, he heard his brother murmur, "Tell me what you were going to say, my dark angel. I promise I will not be angry."

Those golden eyes met his, and the demon gave him a tiny smile. "If you are nervous, you are more than welcome to ramble, my emotional little otouto, as long as you are honest with me."

Inuyasha took a shaky breath, lowered his eyes, and dove into uncharted waters.

He spoke as quickly as he could, knowing that if he didn't get it all out now, he may never have another chance.

"I love you, Sesshomaru. I can't even remember when it started. No matter how cruel you were, I always thought you were magnificent. I love you so much, you mean bastard, and oh gods, it kills me when you act like I'm not shit, like I d-don't matter! My heart breaks every time I see you, cause I know you're just gonna be a cold, hateful asshole, no matter how much I wish otherwise.
That's why I hoped I was right about tonight not being the first time you've helped me. Yeah, I'm scared of you because you can, and have, hurt me physically, but I was more scared you'd find out your half-breed half-brother loves you like...like...like Myoga loves blood.
I knew if you found out, you'd kill me for sure. I think you might be an asshole just for making me tell you this, cause being emotionally vulnerable is so much worse than being physically vulnerable, not that the Ice Prince would know a damn thing about either of those."

Inuyasha was breathing hard as he let go of the clawed hand he'd forgotten he was holding. He lifted both hands to his own chest to cover his aching heart as he bowed his head and closed his eyes.

He whispered to the demon that he could feel watching him. "I love you so much, and I didn't want you to know because even if you didn't kill me, you'd r-r-reject me just like you've rejected me as a brother and as a half-breed, and you have no idea how much that hurts. Rejecting me because I wasn't born perfect is bad enough, but if you were to reject the fact that I love you, I'd die of a broken heart. You're such a jerk."

Inuyasha could feel his eyes burning as tears tried to gather, and he whimpered in despair. Damn weak human emotions! He could never handle them in this form, since he wasn't human often enough to actually get used to them.

A soft voice surrounded him. "Shhh, it's ok, otouto." He felt Sesshomaru repeat the canine gesture of reassurance, licking along his hairline gently. "Please look at me, little one."

Inuyasha realized he was trembling as he raised his eyes to meet the demon's. The honey eyes held his as Sesshomaru leaned close enough to lick his tears away, murmuring, "I am so sorry I've hurt you, and not just physically. I have been unforgivably cruel to you, and it is incredible that you've loved me after everything I've done."

Inuyasha watched the warm amber eyes as he breathed. "Oh, gods, you have no idea how much I liked hearing that, but...but...oh, aniki, you know I can't tell if you're lying."

Sesshomaru nodded slowly. "Human senses, I know. As a hanyou, you'd be able to tell by my scent and voice if I was being deceitful. Inuyasha, would you rather wait until sunrise to hear what I have to say?"

Inuyasha's heart pounded and he took a shaky breath, filled with shame and guilt as he nodded. "Yes..please. I'm sorry..I can't trust you, no matter how desperately I want to."

As he lowered his eyes in shame, he felt a clawed hand begin gently stroking his hair and heard the youkai's voice. "It is ok, my dark angel. Do not apologize; it is my own fault that you have trouble trusting me. Just...stay with me. Don't...don't leave, ok?"

Inuyasha felt soft lips press against his temple, and he whispered, "Ok." as Sesshomaru began nuzzling his hair. It was a canine action that he recognized; the demon was showing affection and that he wished for them to stay close to each other.

Even as a human, he was comforted by this affection that he instinctively believed was sincere. He moved one hand from his own chest and tentatively laid it on his brother's, feeling the heartbeat he couldn't hear in this form. "I...I've always been able to hear your heart, but I can't now." he whispered.

Before the youkai could reply, Inuyasha impulsively shifted closer and turned his head to press his human ear against Sesshomaru's broad chest, sighing contentedly when he heard the strong, steady beat of his big brother's heart.

He felt slender arms wrap gently around him as he listened to the demon's heartbeat. Instinctively, he shifted to snuggle against the older male, hearing the heartbeat speed up as he pressed his body close.

Inuyasha smiled to himself when he felt Sesshomaru's body responding to his movements, and the heart under his ear began to pound. He tilted his head to look up at his brother, who seemed to be panting through clenched fangs.

He asked softly, "Sesshomaru?" When the burning amber eyes shifted to his, he continued, "You know I still want to mate, right?" As he spoke, he pressed his own aching body against the powerful youkai's invitingly, feeling the heat and hardness of an aroused demon.

A soft growl warned him he was playing with fire as honey eyes watched him with suspicion. "I..I will not break my promise, Inuyasha, so stop."

Even as the canine demon spoke, Inuyasha heard claws digging into the stone right behind his back, where Sesshomaru's hands were, and he caught the way the golden eyes flicked over him for just an instant.

Carefully, he pressed closer, watching the amber eyes as he said softly. "We can mate and your promise can stay intact."

Golden-bronze eyes narrowed at him suspiciously. "How?"

Inuyasha took a deep breath, hoping he could say this right so the honor-bound demon would agree. "Retract your promise. You've kept your word until now; you haven't hurt me. Take your promise back, and it no longer binds you, but you kept it while it lasted. Your vow will stay intact, big brother."

He watched as the older male's amber eyes narrowed even further and a soft hiss of barely repressed excitement filled the air. "Oh, you are a devious little one, are you not? I do want you, little brother. Very, very badly. I want to make you mine. I desire you a thousand times more than I ever wanted Tetsusaiga."

Inuyasha felt his eyes widen, knowing how badly the first-born son had coveted their father's Fang. Before he could respond, the demon was pressing their bodies even tighter together, sliding a hard thigh between his legs and urgently sniffing him.

He realized Sesshomaru was seeking any trace of fear in his scent, and he whispered, "I am not afraid of you, aniki."

The regal demon met his eyes and gave a frustrated-sounding growl. "Even without the promise, I do not want-"

Knowing what the youkai was about to say, Inuyasha leaned up and kissed him, then muttered, "Don't wanna hurt me, got it. But, stubborn-ass, I know it's gonna hurt, and I still want to do this. Just be careful or whatever, because dammit, Sesshomaru, I don't know what's gonna happen after tonight. For all I know, this might be my only chance to be with you. Don't take this chance from me, please!"

Inuyasha watched as a slow, wicked smile curved his brother's lips. "As my dark angel wishes. Consider my promise retracted. We will mate."

~x~x~x~

Sesshomaru watched as Inuyasha's dark eyes widened. "Really?" his brother asked, looking heart-wrenchingly hopeful. Sesshomaru nodded, feeling his chest tighten as he thought about hurting his dark angel once again.
He said quietly. "We will mate, but I want to make you a new promise first, and get one from you."

The younger male tilted his head. "What's that?"

Sesshomaru took a deep breath. "I promise I'll be careful and do my best to make sure I don't hurt you worse than I have to."

Inuyasha smiled shyly at him and whispered. "I accept that promise, aniki."

Sesshomaru continued with the only thing he could think of besides how much he wanted to fuck the smaller male into mutual oblivion. "In return, I want you to promise that if...if I hurt you too badly, you'll let me know. And that you won't...hate me for hurting you again. I need this promise, Inuyasha."

The human version of his brother nodded, leaning up to kiss his chin while the dark amethyst eyes stayed focused on his. "Yes, Sesshomaru. I promise I won't hate you, and that I'll let you know if I can't handle it."

Then Inuyasha licked under his chin, offering his submission in the most canine way. Sesshomaru moaned at the submissive gesture, tilting his head back when the younger male began kissing and licking his throat with an enthusiasm that surprised the demon lord just as much as it pleased him.

As he tilted his head to receive his intended mate's attention, he saw that the fire was burning low.
It would go out soon, and Inuyasha would be blinded by the darkness.

He pulled away a little, and violet eyes shot to his, looking shocked and confused. He kissed his little brother on the nose and murmured, "It's ok. You can have my neck in a minute, my eager little one. I need to do something first." He stood and strode over to the other side of the small cave, gathering some sticks left behind after making the fire. He brought them back and built the small fire up until it burned brightly.

Sesshomaru had felt Inuyasha's eyes following him the whole time, and when he glanced up, those deep, dark eyes were filled with understanding and gratitude, a sweet smile curving those soft lips. He smiled back, then a thought occurred to him. He glanced around and began gathering their discarded clothes, hearing Inuyasha ask, "Whatcha doing now, aniki?"

Sesshomaru smirked at the curious human. "You'll see. It's something for you. Hmmm, actually, may I have your hakamas?"

Inuyasha's eyebrows rose, and the humanized pup had the grace and decency to blush the deepest shade of red Sesshomaru had ever seen. The younger male did not hesitate, though, saying only, "Sure thing." before slipping out of the fire-rat garment and handing them over.

Sesshomaru couldn't help it; his sharp eyes swept over his little brother's completely exposed form. Gods, since when did anybody look that fucking delicious?! He found himself giving a soft growl of desire and was relieved when the human didn't even blink.

Inuyasha merely tilted his head and said shyly. "I'm thinking that was a good growl, big brother. Am I right?"

He nodded, then said softly. "Very good. Now stop distracting me for a moment, this is important. Please?"

The younger male nodded, watching as Sesshomaru began arranging their clothes on the stone floor near the fire. First, he laid down Inuyasha's thick fire-rat clothes and white undershirt. He covered them with his own silky clothes, then laid his fluff across one end and down the side opposite the fire.

Sesshomaru patted the improvised bed meticulously until he was sure the rough, hard stone floor couldn't be felt. He glanced up to see Inuyasha watching him, and suddenly felt self-conscious. "The cave floor is rough and human skin is more delicate and I did not want it to hurt you."

It occurred to him that he had never done something like this in any of his past ruts; making sure their partner would be comfortable was something canine demons only instinctively did for their true mates.

He watched as Inuyasha came to his side and kissed him on the cheek, murmuring, "Thank you. It's very nice, aniki."

Sesshomaru slid one arm around the younger male's waist and touched their noses together, deciding Inuyasha should know why he'd done this. "Just so you know, otouto, I have rutted before, but I've never done this." he gestured at the pallet he'd made and continued, "This is something a canine would only do for their mate. Do you understand?"

Inuyasha blushed and asked in a small voice. "The difference between rutting and mating...um, isn't that like the difference between having sex and making love is for humans?"

Sesshomaru sensed that his little brother, who had grown up without a proper demonic education, was mortified that he'd had to ask that question. He nodded, saying softly. "Exactly right. It only counts as mating if two people really care for each other. I know you care about me, and even though you may not believe me right now, I care for you, little brother."

He watched as Inuyasha's dark eyes widened, searching his own as if trying to make sure he was telling the truth. Knowing the human could not sense deceit, he spoke gently. "My apologies, my dark angel. Do you want me to change the subject?"

The younger male gave a tiny nod, whispering, "Please?"

Sesshomaru found himself smiling once again. 'When was the last time I smiled? Inuyasha...he makes me want to smile.'

He tilted his head, inviting Inuyasha to lay down on the bed he'd made. The pup didn't hesitate, moving to lay down on his back, stretched out on one side of the pallet. "It's perfect, Sesshomaru. You did a very good job on it."

Sesshomaru realized he was staring. Even as a human, Inuyasha's muscles were lean and defined. The lightly tanned skin bore only a few scars, thanks to his usual healing abilities. Against the white silk, his dark angel was a glorious sight.

Sesshomaru took a shaky breath, suddenly conflicted as he thought about claiming the only person he'd thought of in years, but knowing this would hurt his little one at first.

"Sesshomaru?" His eyes flew up to meet dark violet, and his brother asked softly, "Are you thinking about hurting me?"

When he nodded, Inuyasha smiled at him. "Why don't you come over here by me?" the transformed hanyou asked, patting the silky space next to him.

As Sesshomaru moved to lay by his intended mate, Inuyasha murmured. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were nervous."

Sesshomaru didn't answer as he met the dark eyes. He saw them widen as Inuyasha breathed, "Ohhh. Well, that's ok. I'm a little nervous, too. But other than hurting me, you...you want to do this, too...um, don't you?"

The demon lord felt his chest tighten as he realized his hesitation was causing his beautiful brother to doubt that he was truly desired.

Sesshomaru said softly. "I do want to do this with you. More than I've ever wanted anything."

.

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End of ch10: Convincing

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Yes, I know I'm a tease. You'll live :)
I will warn anyone who did not notice in 'The Right Choice', my preparation scenes are long, simply because I hate when a submissive is not prepared and they hurt the whole time.
This fic is no different, so be ready for that in the next chapter.

Also, I was medicated when I wrote the next chapter in my notebook :)

Next time..Ch 11: Starting the Rest of the Night

Sess preparing his submissive, a sassy Yasha, and we're getting the uncomfy and painful parts over with.