Summary: Sesshoumaru makes an inadvertent wish that his mother decides to grant to see if he can handle it. But will Inuyasha figure it out before he kills his brother?

Blood and Rain

Chapter 1: A Wish

"You have grass in your hair,"

Trust a mother to spot something like that. She pulled the fragile strand of wheat from my silver locks and tossed it to the side with a flick of her delicate fingers. From where we stood, even with the wind against them, we could both smell the hanyou's blood.

"He's hurt himself again,"

I didn't say anything. What was there to say to a statement like that?

She didn't speak again for several minutes, only watching me as if expecting an answer. Finally, I gave in.

"Yes,"

She didn't look away immediately then seemed to accept my answer and looked back towards the valley we both sensed hidden by the trees where my little brother's entourage was setting up their meager camp. I would not care except that, in my absence, Rin and Jaken had decided to join the larger group.

Three days was not the longest I had spent away from them. Why did they seek solace in the company of my hanyou sibling? One who incessantly tempted fate, steadfastly seeking an end to his endurance which one could admit was astonishing. He bore such pain without complaint. He had the strongest will I'd ever seen, of human or demon. Such a thing I would not admit out loud of course. This Sesshoumaru had worked very hard to eliminate such emotions from his life.

Yet, of course, okaa-san looked right through me as usual.

"You can't keep him from trying to kill himself."

"Hn,"

He's borne too much pain to withstand much more. There should be a way…someone should be there to help him bear it.

I blinked twice. When had I developed such concern for Inuyasha? He was filthy hanyou, a despicable bastard sibling I was forced to deal with, and yet…my father's last words to me rang in my ears. No, I had nothing to protect. That which I wanted to protect would not allow me to do so.

I wished…I wished he would allow me to bear some of that pain for him.

Mother was smiling at me. Why? Why was she looking at me with those eyes that said she knew something I didn't?

"Go on, my son," she said softly, giving me a gentle push towards the group that barely disturbed the cloth of my haori let alone my being. But go I did.

As I entered the clearing, Inuyasha's companions tensed, watching to see what I did. The hanyou himself was quite unconscious and wrapped in bandages. As I made no effort to rise to the offense, the taijiya was the first to lower her weapon followed by the monk and then the miko. I noted this order with some sense of pride though I knew not from whence it came.

Jaken came too close to me as I crossed the clearing to Ah-Un and was bowled over. I stepped over him and noted the surprised looks from Inuyasha's companions. Why were they surprised? Jaken merely jumped up and dusted himself off.

"Ah, Lord Sesshoumaru is in a good mood tonight!"

I had the oddest urge to pick him up by his oversized head and see how far I could throw him.

"That's a good mood?" I heard the monk ask. Rin curled up against the fur over my shoulder and went to sleep. I closed my eyes and feigned an imitation of her. Only when the remainder of the group had fallen asleep did I open my eyes once again.

And found another pair of golden orbs staring at me.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed, his face flushed. His scent reeked of anger, fear, and embarrassment. He was ashamed that I see him like this.

So I closed my eyes.

"This Sesshoumaru does not have to answer to the likes of you."

I heard him growl but after a few more minutes his breathing steadied out again. Chancing opening up my eyes again, I found I was the only one left awake and that was perfectly fine. I somehow had the feeling that I had inadvertently become the sole protector of this estranged clique.

Three days passed and I traveled alongside them. Our purposes lay in the same direction. Why should I not? The miko was the first to try and include me in their daily routines but it was the taijiya that actually stood and made the effort.

Inuyasha was still healing and the food supply was running low. The miko took her large yellow pack and said she was returning 'home.' Why would anyone want a pack that color? She glanced at me as if trying to decide to explain why she was going to throw herself down a well. I wished she wouldn't. I already knew. I made a point to know everything about my enemies and at one time, she had counted as such.

Now she was merely annoying.

Once she was gone, the taijiya stood and shed her kimono to leave only her black armor. She left her large weapon behind and suddenly turned to me where I stood monitoring the wind for any foreign demon scents.

"I'm going to go see if I can scrounge up some meat for dinner tonight. Normally, Inuyasha and I go…the heightened sense of smell makes things a hell of a lot easier. Anyway, would you help, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Outwardly, my expression did not change. Inwardly, I wondered what had gotten into the taijiya. It was certainly not something I had been expecting. Inuyasha was asleep again. The monk looked bored and upset that his plaything had deserted him.

The taijiya continued to stare at me, waiting for an answer. I began to debate doing so until she crossed her arms over her chest and her gaze shifted ever so slightly.

"Hai," I responded, my tone bored, to the surprise of the rest of the group.

She turned and headed away from the group and I followed. Perhaps this would be interesting.

We walked for several minutes in silence when she lowered her hands and checked on several throwing knives hidden away in her outfit. Then she raised her head to me. All this I noticed out of my peripheral vision.

"Sesshoumaru-sama,"

I made no effort to show I was listening but I was. The taijiya was by far the most intelligent of the group and she held my fascination. She stopped walking and I followed suit. This seemed to be enough to show that I was paying attention for she continued.

"Just why are you here? Why haven't you left yet?"

She was determined, that I could see. Not answering was out of the question. Still, I went over several answers in my mind before choosing one.

"Our goals lie along a similar path, taijiya."

"Sango."

My gaze flicked towards her.

"My name is Sango."

"Hn."

"What is that, youkai-speak?"

"I was aware of your name before."

The taijiy…Sango frowned deeply. "Then why would you call me taijiya?"

Why did my tongue flow so freely around this brash human female? It answered without my bidding.

"It is not polite to address another by given name unless permission is received to do so. Doing so without permission is considered an expression of disrespect and, at the least, is taken as an insult."

"You call Inuyasha by his name."

"He gave me permission a long time ago, albeit unknowingly. He seemed rather opposed to being called 'hanyou.'"

She seemed poised to respond when a sharp pain spread through my side. I looked around for a cause but saw nothing. The taiji…Sango had not moved though she seemed to have noticed a difference in my expression. I had to give the demon-slayer credit for that but not now. I could smell a new demonic scent in the air as well as Inuyasha's blood…fresh.

Sango started to run but I was half a second behind her, snatching her up by the arm and gliding back towards camp. Instead of protesting, however, she wrapped her hands around my arm and shoulder and allowed herself to be carried.

Strange. Where was this pain coming from? It did not lessen as I sped back towards the camp. It seemed to increase instead with still no catalyst to be seen.

The jewel empowered demon was a strange type usually only seen in the Southern regions. What was it doing here? The poisonous cloud it imbued spread towards me and the taij…Sango raised one hand to tie the mask I'd sometimes seen her wear over her face.

The demon rose out of the fog and I began to wonder how I was going to attack. The tai…Sango was taking up my only good arm. She hadn't seemed to notice yet. Strangely enough, I found the entire situation rather comical.

Especially when I delivered a rather brutal kick to the demon's temple, its estranged whine brought a wan light to my eye.

"Drop me," the tai…Sango spoke and I did so without hesitation. I was not surprised when the fire cat rose to catch her.

It had been a long time since I had a killed a demon with nothing but my claws and the thought sent a shiver through my soul. I twisted in the air as the lowly youkai came spiraling back towards me. My claws cut through his skull as easily as they parted water and I hooked my hand into the bone, tossing the youkai's now dead body towards an open field. It still spasmed, not willing to admit it was dead but where its body lay began to melt as it bled. If it had landed on the camp…

"Keh…I thought you said not to touch it."

"Lord Sesshoumaru has poison of his own which allows him to touch the demon."

Still, its blood was burning my skin which was barely an annoyance compared to the still growing throbbing in my side. My hanyou brother and his monk companion became visible as the fog began to dissipate. Jaken had been guarding them and Rin by keeping the poison at bay with fire.

Hn. Everyone deserved their brief chances at intelligence.

"Lord Sesshoumaru saved us!" Rin cried once the venomous gas was gone.

I quickly withdrew my hand from her reach despite the frown this earned. My flesh still dripped with that of the demon's acidic blood. It ate at my skin. It would tear her fragile human body apart.

Inuyasha stood and I saw he was gripping his side. Blood was there. He had reopened his wounds. Foolish.

I didn't realize this last word had slipped from my mouth until Inuyasha was glaring at me.

"You're the one who stuck your claws through its skull."

I did not give him the pleasure of responding. The pain in my side was getting too much to ignore and I could still not discern a reason as to why it was hurting.

Inuyasha poked his side and the pain in my own screamed at me.

"Don't do that, Inuyasha." The monk chastised.

Something began to click together inside my mind.

"Keh…it doesn't hurt that much."

He slowly began removing the bandages and once he did, it was clear there was nothing but worn pink flesh, nearly healed, where a dark wound had once been.

My side was screaming at me vehemently and I realized what had happened though not how. Without even thinking, I tensed and took off into the sky, leaving my brother and companions far behind.