SoccerGirl13: I have an excuse!

LegoLord91: (mutters under breath) This'll be good…

SG: An evil, rabid plot bunny that had been living in my closet kidnapped me and held me hostage until I wrote this!

LL: Why me…?


Disclaimer: I own nothing!


My brother stood across from me. His sword was out and he was snarling. It was the same response I had gotten the first time he had seen me in nearly a century and every time after that. I can't say it was the greeting I had hoped for. Ah, well. I don't blame him, I know that horrid human of a mother he had had poured lies into his ears concerning me before she died. Evil wench.

Inuyasha calls me something that shouldn't be repeated, but contained the words "Heartless" and "Evil". All this time, and I thought that Father's "Never Show Emotion" training was useless. But the mask that I developed hides the fact that those words cut deep.

I fought him.

I had to.

To make him stronger.

It's for your own good.

It's a phrase I've heard ningen's say. I suppose that best describes why I fight him. I don't suppose you find that this makes sense. My half-brother would definitely not understand it. He's too brash, too ignorant of subtly. I used to be like that.

I can almost hear the laughing. I, Sesshoumaru, brash? Oh, yes. I was beaten so many times as a child I have lost count. I spoke out to much. I didn't hate humans enough. That one was rather ironic, as Father was the one who married and had a child with a human.

I wanted him to think that it was because of the Tetsusaiga. To tell the truth, I sometimes wonder about his intelligence. Doesn't he realize that every time I've fought him, he has gained a large amount of power? The first time, over the Tetsusaiga, does he not realize that he gained a hugely powerful sword? I gave my arm so he could have that sword.

I would be lying if I said that I had not been mad when I found that it was his birthright, not mine. But he does need it more than I. He has the mark of fate on him. He will be the one who will defeat Naraku, not me.

The second time we fought he gained the use of the Wind Scar. I nearly lost my life that time, instead of just my arm. I would have gladly given it for him. He was my little brother, my koinu.

I had practically raised him for his first 25 or so years. For a demon, he had been the equivalent of a four-year-old human when he had been taken away. Though I have no malice toward him, I must say I despised his mother. My best friend, my only friend, had been killed just a short time before. My father was anything but kind. Inu-chan was all I had, and she took him away. Then Father died and I was all alone. That was when I began getting cold, began masking my emotion.

Of course, I didn't just abandon him. I followed, always at a distance. I watched as his mother died. I kept away all the stronger demons. I tried to keep him away from the human villages. Whenever he wandered into one of those, they would beat him for being a half-breed. When that happened I would leave healing herbs where he could find them. I even tried to get the miko, Kikyo, to leave him alone. That didn't work, and when she broke his heart, it broke mine. I was always watching, always from the shadows.

And now here I am. Inuyasha is standing over me with Tetsusaiga at my throat. I'm going to die. And my Inu-chan is going to kill me. I wait for the death blow. And I wait. I had closed my eyes, anticipating the end. Now I opened them.

"I remember something." My little brother whispered. I stared. "One time when I was little. I went into a small village. I tried to play with some human kids, and the villagers nearly killed me. I passed out, and when I woke up I was in the forest and someone was beside me. I didn't see who, but I do remember a pair of yellow eyes. Whoever it was had scared off the villagers, and bound my wounds. Was that you?" I was shocked to find my mouth hanging slightly open. I shut it quickly.

"You remember that?" I asked quietly. "Yes, it was me."

"Why?" I blinked. Why did I need to explain myself to him!

"Why do I need a reason?" He glared.

"Because I want one. Tell me, NOW." Inuyasha was losing his temper. And he had a sword at my throat. I scowled.

"I don't need a reason to help my own little brother." Whatever answer Inuyasha had been expecting that was not it. I looked away.

"You never cared before." The hanyou's voice was dripping with scorn.

"Show's what you know."

"What do you mean?"

"I was always there, little koinu."

"I never saw you."

"Baka. Didn't you ever wonder why no stronger demons ever found you? Or why the right herbs were there when you needed them? Or why you barely ever saw villages? You really are an idiot." Realization was dawning on Inu-chan's face. Those fools who followed him around had just arrived in the clearing, looking thoroughly confused.

"Inuyasha! Finish him off!" The monk yelled. Inuyasha just stood there, staring at me.

Then he smiled.

He put away his sword.

His hand reached out to me…

"Nii-san."

Maybe things would be alright after all.

Owari


SG: OK, so I've found that alot of people think that Sesshoumaru is some kind of heartless creep 'cause he keeps on attacking Inu-chan. So, I thought, what if he isn't being mean? Every time I've seen them fight, Inuyasha has gained a lot of strength! What if Sesshoumaru was doing it on purpose? And so, this fic was born!

LL: Ah, yes. A look into the mind of my twisted older sister.

SG: If I got anything wrong then it's probably because I only seen a handful of episodes. Please don't flame me! Flames hurt… Oh, definitions! If any of these are wrong blame the cruddy English-Japanese on-line dictionaries.

Ningen: Human

Koinu: Puppy

-chan: A suffix attached to names, mostly those of children. Usually means little.

Miko: Priestess

Hanyou: Half-demon

Baka: Idiot

Nii-san: Elder brother

Owari: End


Well, unless I get an at least five people ask for a sequel (Or, more likely, a prequel) This will be a One-shot. Please R&R! Ja Ne!