Chapter Six:

Tiny Little Fractures

"You pacing behind me like that isn't going to help anything, you know." Miroku murmured as he attempted to rub away a pounding headache that was forming behind his eyes. The half-demon only continued pacing back and forth, his clawed toes barely clicking on the wooden floor, much to the monk's annoyance.

In his defense, Inuyasha was far too deep in thought to hear his friend for something akin to fear was forcing his mind to race in search for signs of danger. The human part of him, which was far too close to the surface for any form of comfort, was practically screaming for him to leave. He needed to get as far away from the demon lord as he could with the new moon less than a week away. His instincts, the rawer, more primal part of him, demanded that he return to Sesshoumaru, a potentially powerful alpha, and let the chips fall where they may. It whispered that he deserved punishment from his alpha if the affections the alpha had received or yield to the stronger, elder male if the affections were desired… and fuck both of those options. He wanted to scream at everything, everyone, to shut the hell up. He needed silence. He needed to think with a clear head.

"Inuyasha!" The monk finally snapped, jarring his friend out of his mind and stopping the godawful pacing.

"D'you find something?" The half-demon asked, rushing to Miroku's side only to be met with a frustrated glare.

"No… I have found nothing aside from the basics of how mating rituals are done: a scent claim, a blood exchange, a soul bond, and the blessing of a demonic spiritualist, whatever that is, for those who wish to strengthen the bond. If Lord Sesshoumaru keeps a journal that gives voice to his most private thoughts, I highly doubt he would leave it in the library. I would go so far as to say that such a thing most likely does not exist. If you would like to go into detail on mating rituals, sit down and I will tell you what I have learned but I have found nothing on the idiosyncrasies of dog demon habits towards mating or otherwise. I assume it is something that is supposed to be learned instinctually or in a…" He trailed off to consider Inuyasha thoughtfully. He had been raised by his human mother. It was little wonder he would largely ignore most of his pack related instincts.

"What?" The dog demon grunted with a small scowl, not liking the look on the human's face.

"Nothing… it's just…" Miroku shook his head before leaning in inquisitively. "Does your father's blood speak to you?"

Inuyasha's black brows shot up into his bangs before he shrugged and allowed himself to fall cross-legged on the pillow across the table from where the monk had been doing his research. "Whaddya mean?"

"Does it attempt to guide you? I heard from somewhere demonic blood could do such a thing."

"It… I dunno… I guess so." Inuyasha mumbled with an air of childlike petulance. Miroku fought the urge to strike him with his staff.

"What does it say about this situation?" He bit out instead, rubbing his eyes with both hands to keep them busy. Inuyasha's scowl immediately grew more pronounced and he crossed his arms over his chest, shoving his fists into the sleeves of his suikan.

"Nothing worth listening to."

"Inuyasha, my friend, please. Perhaps it can help me guide you in this." The human tried gently but the half-demon did not seem to budge. "You are seeking aid in this. Perhaps aid from a source with some idea of what is going on and what your reactions mean?" He pushed but Inuyasha was already shaking his head.

"It doesn't work like that." The snowy haired boy grumbled with a small sigh of his own. His dark brows furrowed between his bright, golden eyes. "It doesn't just wait patiently to answer questions it more sort of just yells at me and beats up my brain when I don't listen to it." He complained then looked away. "Then my human side is usually yelling at me to do the exact opposite of what my demon blood is yelling and I usually just stifle it all down as much as possible… they give me a headache." He finished lamely all while trying to fight the urge to pout rather than scowl.

Miroku could only offer what he hoped was a comforting hum as he tried to properly absorb what he had just been told. To have dueling voices in your head generally was not a good sign, particularly when you don't identify either voice as your own. No wonder Inuyasha seemed so spastic at times.

"Perhaps we could go to Casca? He is one of your brother's closest confidants." He pushed tentatively, but Inuyasha shook his head once more.

"I don't want to force them to say something they've sworn not to. Not that I don't trust them but they are Sesshoumaru's minions… I don't want them to feel like they are betraying him or something…"

Miroku huffed a sigh but restrained himself from rolling his eyes. The dragons were sworn to Inu-no-Taishou's clan, not solely to Sesshoumaru, but Inuyasha would, no doubt, argue until the idea was left to rest. He shook all thought on the matter from his head and looked down to resume reading the remaining scrolls scattered on the table before him.

Inuyasha pulled himself back onto his feet and resumed his pacing at a languid pace. He had to admit that getting the information he needed from a demon made the most sense and a dog demon would be even better but he wasn't asking one of them… not that he knew a dog demon aside from his brother… not that he was will to speak to Sesshoumaru at the moment. The thought gave him pause and had him turning to Miroku with a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. The monk chanced a glance up and immediately frowned, not liking the look the half-demon had leveled upon him.

"Inuyasha…" He began but Inuyasha rushed forward, practically diving for his seat.

"It'll work!"

A deadpanned stare was all he received for all his newfound enthusiasm but he was not going to be deterred. "You don't understand! If you go for me, he respects you enough to at least give you a basic answer and if he's in one of his weird patient moods, he may even go into detail!"

Miroku blinked and allowed the scrolls to drop to the table before shaking his head with confusion. "Who?"

"Who what?"

"To whom am I going to for you? Casca? I thought you said—"

"No." Inuyasha interrupted, leaning forward over the table as if a closer proximity was all Miroku needed to understand. His golden eyes practically glittered with excitement as he waited for the monk to understand rather than simply telling him. Then it clicked.

"Please, Miroku!" Inuyasha practically begged, finally giving in to the slight pout that had been pulling at him for a long while. "It'll fix everything and you won't have to do any more reading for me! I'll stay in here and read—"

"No, you won't!"

"—and you go talk to him!" He finished ignoring the snarky tone that had erupted from the monk.

Miroku dropped his head into his hands with a groan. "All these years we have been friends. Good friends, even, and now you want to get me killed? Have I not been a good friend to you, Inuyasha?" He pleaded; missing the half demon's teasing grin and eye roll though he could hear the soft puff of laughter at his expense.

"You'll be fine, I'm sure of it… the most he will do is give you that blank stare until you walk away if he doesn't wanna talk." Inuyasha attempted to wave away the monk's fears but the monk shuddered at the thought of being placed under that stare that icy stare that seemed to make him freeze from the inside out though everything in him screamed to run away. Why? Why was he even friends with the half-demon? Miroku huffed a sigh of disgust as he buried his hands in his hair.

"You do realize that you are sending me to my doom, correct?" Miroku grumbled at long last, his hands sliding down out of his hair and across his face so that he could send Inuyasha a proper glare. The half-demon, who had begun to wilt once more, immediately perked up, his eyes bright with mirth.

"Then you'll talk to him?" If Inuyasha had a tail it would have been wagging enthusiastically. The monk almost chuckled at the mental imagery… almost.

"I… it does seem to be the simplest method to get me killed so it stands that it is most likely the easiest way to get the information we…" He paused, wrinkling his nose with mild displeasure, "you need…" Miroku continued to grumble though it did nothing to deter Inuyasha's sudden burst of happiness. He was not the one who had to actually lead Lord Sesshoumaru into a conversation.

Miroku physically recoiled from the task he had just agreed to and wondered, once more, why he was friends with the half-demon.

Sesshoumaru stared impassively at the ancient cherry blossom tree that towered over the gardens his father had gifted his mother before he was even born. It had been his mate gift to her and she had obviously adored it for she could always be found wandering through the hedge maze that surrounded the lavish gardens. It was strange to think he had chosen to follow in her footsteps while lost in thought, no matter if it was completely unconscious.

He blinked and inhaled slowly before allowing his gaze to follow the tree's trunk down to the massive root system at its base to consider a spot there for a moment before sitting in it, unconcerned for the fine silk that covered his back for it was protected from the rough bark and ground by his mokomoko-sama.

Only after he had settled comfortably against the tree did he realize it was the same spot he had last spoken to his mother before she had left his father. A peculiar thought considering she had not crossed his mind since the incident with Rin. She would need to be notified should Inuyasha bare him pups.

Inuyasha… the boy was a conundrum wrapped in a mystery despite his seemingly obvious nature and fighting style.

If Inuyasha denied him, his chances of finding a mate that would provide a union that was anywhere near as powerful were slim to none. One of the grey clan would be the best bet or someone from the mainland, though such a choice would force his hand. He would have to fight the black clan for the continued control of the west. It would be tedious but not impossible especially if Inuyasha agreed to his secondary offer of merely assisting him in the fight to come solely as his younger brother and prince of the west. It would work but was not the preferable option.

He allowed his head to droop further drawing his silken hair down over one shoulder at the sudden movement and did not bother to conceal the gentle sigh that escaped him when he caught a whiff of the monk that had followed Inuyasha back to the western palace. The human had been shadowing him at a distance for half the day, on some errand from his wayward little brother, no doubt.

"Is it your intention to stalk me for the remainder of the day, monk?" He finally asked, annoyance barely managing to bleed into his tone when fear mingled lightly with the human's scent. To the monk's credit, the human immediately stepped into the clearing with a level of feigned innocence that amused the Daiyoukai.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, it is an honor. I only wonder if you could answer a few questions, if you have a mind to do so, of course."

Sesshoumaru opened his eyes in time to see the monk rising from a low bow. He was respectful of Sesshoumaru's position, at least, though the same could not be said for the half-demon the monk had chosen to follow.

He contemplated the monk's request for a moment, a bit of him enjoying how the human was obviously attempting not to fidget in his presence.

"Ask."

Miroku's eyes lit up and he took a few steps closer before sitting before Sesshoumaru, careful to leave ample distance between them but not far enough to comment on as being awkward.

"Now then…" He began after he had finally shifted into a comfortable position. "I am at a loss where to start… to be honest, I didn't expect you to allow me to ask…"

Sesshoumaru only watched him impassively.

"…Ok... right… first question: What must dog demons go through to become mates?"

An elegant brow rose as Sesshoumaru considered the human before closing his eyes once more, this time allowing his annoyance to slightly crease his brow. Inuyasha had obviously told his pack about his offer and was sending his human to ask questions he was too embarrassed to ask. That was almost as endearing as it was annoying, though Sesshoumaru had to relent that it was partially his own fault that the boy knew next to nothing about his own people.

"Are all of your inquiries over this matter?" He asked almost gently, his ears pricking slightly at the sound of the human shifting restlessly and scratching nervously at himself.

"Well.. most of them…" Miroku laughed awkwardly to fill the silence as some of his confidence fell away.

"There are scrolls in the library over the subject, as Delio has informed me you are more than aware of. If you have any other questions a simple amount of research cannot answer, ask." Sesshoumaru felt tension building between his brows as his agitation grew but he forced himself to remain seated to hear the monk out, though is patience was fast wearing thin.

To his credit, Miroku did not argue but only nodded his head sagely. "Well," the human began again, undeterred, "there were questions I was leading up to." He paused for a moment to consider his mental list before tensing visibly and giving Sesshoumaru a determined, yet guarded, look.

"You hate Inuyasha. Why allow us to stay here? Why choose him?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes flashed open at the direct question, Miroku's sudden bluntness catching him off guard, before allowing his eyes to fall into lazy, cat-like slits so he could watch the human fidget. How long did Inuyasha have to prod the monk to come do is dirty work?

"Our fighting was… petty…" He responded, finally deciding to take pity on the monk who could potentially be an ally in his cause. "Sibling rivalry. Father did not exactly leave us to be on the best of terms and I could not…" He soughed lightly, almost to himself, though he noted it made Miroku's face twist into confusion.

"If you ever pay attention to our fights, monk, you would see that this Sesshoumaru has had many opportunities to kill Inuyasha, but did not… and I will admit that the opposite is also true, but to a lesser extent, though what holds him back, I am unsure." Sesshoumaru added, throwing the monk the metaphorical bone.

Miroku's expression wiped clean and his gaze dropped to the ground before he spoke again. "Did you two get along when you were younger? I know the story about your father but… there must've been a period after that. He was just a child, after all."

Sesshoumaru's head fell gently back against his mother's tree as he contemplated how to answer. "When Inuyasha was born, I was 248." He started slowly, forming each word with ample forethought. "Our father died protecting him and his mother, as you know. Afterward, Lady Izayoi came to me to seek sanctuary. I allowed her to stay here as I assumed my father's position as Daiyoukai of the west, a transition that was not an easy one."

The demon turned his gaze to the hedges surrounding the clearing, though he did not seem to see them for his piercing eyes pinched slightly with anger. "I forced her and the half-breed to leave the castle, eventually. I made a grand affair of it… if it was believed I did not care for the whelp or his mother, they could not be used against me… It was almost laughably easy to do for I was…"

Sesshoumaru's words trailed off into nothing and Miroku was left wondering what the demon had intended to say, to call himself. Silence took reign and the monk made no move to fill the strange void for the expression filling the cracks of the elder's imperturbable mask was enough to hold the monk's tongue. Then, Sesshoumaru was on his feet in one of those elegantly swift motions, too quick for the eye to see, startling Miroku into the defensive, staff in hand. The lord of the west barely spared him a glance before practically gliding past him and into the maze.

"Because our father had passed," he continued once Miroku had scrambled after him and had managed to catch up with Sesshoumaru's long strides, "the duty of caring for Inuyasha had passed, in part, to myself. I sought him out and found him barely able to stand at nearly two winters due to the weakness in his body." The disgust in his tone was palpable making the monk flinch. "The woman had never raised a child before… a dog demon pup requires more than its mother's milk. I gave him blood from my own veins as well as raw meat—"

"Isn't your blood poisonous?" Miroku inquired, accidentally cutting off Sesshoumaru, and his insides froze. He had interrupted the Daiyoukai but the elder did not seem to notice or even care.

"It is but in this case, it does not negatively affect the pup. A considerable amount of poison is still in his body today, though it is not fatal for him. If I were to attack him now, however, my poison could kill him if enough managed to get to him." Sesshoumaru explained before falling into himself once more.

They had made it halfway through the maze when Miroku realized that the demon had almost completely disregarded his presence in favor of some internal monologue.

"My lord?" Miroku called hesitantly, physically flinching back when frosty gold eyes flicked over a silk-clad shoulder. "Ah… you… you gave Inuyasha your blood…?" He tried with the hope that the demon would continue his tale. Sesshoumaru blinked once then nodded before continuing down the path.

"I visited him as often as I was able without raising suspicion Hs health quickly improved and he wisely did not speak to his mother of me nor did he question me. This continued for nearly a year, then the trouble began with Lord Amame in the south." He paused, his fingers rising to stroke his mokomoko-san before flicking his hair back away from his face and resuming. "The… conflict lasted almost two years. He was five when I saw him next. I had traveled near his mother's village to handle a dispute, not even considering how close he was, and he managed to track me. It was truly not that shocking, a pup always knows how to find its family. "Sesshoumaru supplied after Miroku released an impressed hum.

"Anytime I was within a day's travel from him, he would seek me out and I would hunt for us and listen to his childish tales. Eventually, he asked who I was and I told him. Never had… never have I seen him so thoroughly pleased as he was in that moment. I purposely came near the village a week later for he had asked me to return soon, but he failed to appear before me. When I found him, he was in a cave deep in the bowels of a forest covered in human blood. He blindly followed my instructions to bathe and did not speak until he was clean in front of our campfire. He clung to me despite the fact that I had never granted him such contact before."

Sesshoumaru did not pause for Miroku to catch up. "The human children enjoyed harassing and taunting him for his mixed blood. He was strange to them and that incites fear which incites violence. They threw stones and he ran for his mother had told him not to fight the village children for they were weaker than him. A particularly large, well-aimed stone hit him in the head and when he regained consciousness he was covered in blood and three massacred bodies lay near him. It was his first kill."

Miroku felt his eyes bug out of his head as a puff of breath left his shock-slackened mouth when his brain finally caught up with the information he had been given. Inuyasha had murdered three children. Unintentionally, of course, but still…

"He pleaded with me to take him home with me but I denied him." Sesshoumaru pushed on, unaware of the monk's horror. "I brought him back to his mother instead and found her surrounded by a mob who demanded Inuyasha's life as payment for the lives of their children. Seeing him with his hand in mine, however, gave them pause. They attempted to attack but quickly dispersed when I easily cleaved their number in half. Lady Izayoi was furious that I had introduced myself to Inuyasha and demanded that I leave and never see him again. I did as she requested and she filled his head with all the malignant ideas he has of me from a human's view. She blamed me for our father's death as well as the deaths of the human children…"

Sesshoumaru stopped abruptly and turned to Miroku in a single swift movement, agitation now clear in the set of his jaw and glare in his eyes.

"In short, I allowed us to be separated by lies told and enacted by his mother and as well as this Sesshoumaru. Lies that effectively shielded our family's honorable name as well as Inuyasha from those who would uproot us. I began to believe those lies when I was younger…" Golden eyes flashed dangerously before slipping shut. "I have come to realize my lapse in judgement, however. I was foolish then to allow my little brother to be exiled though I knew, full and well, that he would be necessary. Our blood demands his return to the fold."

Finally, the dog demon fell silent once more though this time Miroku held his tongue as well, sensing that if he prodded the demon further he would find its fangs. Instead, he followed the elder until they reached the garden's entrance and there he offered a low, formal bow.

"Thank you, Lord Sesshoumaru, for seeing fit to answer my questions."

The Daiyoukai only stepped around the kneeling monk and went back inside with more on his mind than before.

"Fuck…"

Miroku rubbed at the tension building behind his eyes to no avail as Inuyasha paused behind him cursing sporadically. The monk had done as asked. He had fulfilled his duties as a friend… so why he was once more in the library researching dog-demon rituals was well beyond him. Perhaps he was merely too nice. He contemplated on that then nodded slightly in agreeance with himself. Yes… that was it. He was far too nice for his own good. When Inuyasha's expression fell and his ears drooped making him look like a puppy (yes there were puppy eyes no matter how much the half-demon protested that there wasn't) Miroku should have just walked away. He should have gone back to the village to be with his wife and children but no, he had to go and a be a good friend and help his wayward demon of a brother with demonic mating issues.

"Fuuuuuuuuuccccckkkkk…"

The monk rolled his eyes as the wayward demon in question practically collapsed next to him in a pitiful mound of white and red.

"Miroku… just kill me." Inuyasha groaned with a tone akin to that of a sick child. A chuckle broke free from the monk's lips.

"I do believe you are being a touch dramatic."

"No…" The half-demon lifted himself far enough to fold over the table and look up at his friend, a single golden eye gleaming pathetically up at him through a fringe of white. "Why did he have to spin that stupid story and make me…? There's no way any of that is true but… I remember… fuck…"

Miroku hummed in a noncommittal way as he turned back to his reading though his mind wondered back to glance over the story Sesshoumaru had told him. The lord of the west had seemed to believe and even seemed affected by the story, not that Miroku in any way claimed to be an expert on deciphering the demon lord. Sesshoumaru had plenty of reasons to fabricate such a tale in hopes of a favorable result, though the monk highly doubted the lord of the west would resort to such underhanded techniques… would he?

"No… I can't do this…" Inuyasha murmured, drawing Miroku back to the present. "I can't. Dammit. Stupid Sesshoumaru." The half-demon groaned once more before burying his face in his arms. "I hate him."

"No, you don't," Miroku interjected calmly. "You are angry with him. You've been hurt by him. You do not hate him."

Inuyasha sat up, his face twisting with fury, and opened his mouth to retaliate but Miroku waved him off. "No, you don't hate your brother. If you did, we would not be here looking into…" He gestured broadly at the stacks of paper he had spent the last couple of days reading over, "all of this! You need to go speak with him."

"But he—"

"If he sought any sort of vengeance he would have collected it by now or he would have simply killed me in the garden instead of answering me. Go speak with your brother, Inuyasha. That is the only way this issue will be resolved." Miroku had tried his hardest not to snap, he really did, but Inuyasha still winced at his tone; his ears fell back into his hair and his brows furrowing to meet in between his eyes. The human huffed a sigh before offering a comforting, if not mildly strained, smile.

"The sooner you speak with him, the sooner all of this will be over with and you'll either accept his… proposal or we will be on our merry way." The monk soothed gently, reaching out to touch his friend's shoulder but missing as Inuyasha shot to his feet, his eyes wide with panic and focused on the open doorway.

"Kagome…"

The girl looked absolutely terrible. Her face was blanched, pinched, and drawn and her eyes were red and puffy from crying though there was a sad attempt at a smile on her face. "I…" She started, her gaze flicking nervously about the room, hesitantly landing anywhere aside from on her friends. Eventually, they fell and settled on her hands which she held clasped before her giving her the appearance of a child who had just been thoroughly chastised.

"I wanted to say that—"

"I'm sorry." Inuyasha cut in, grimacing when the girl flinched and actually took a step back. His ears fell into his hair as his closed his eyes with a soft sigh. "I shouldn't have talked to you like that, Kagome. I'm sorry…"

She nodded and looked up just as he looked at her and they finally made steady eye contact. A hint of a true smile managed to reach her lips. "I am too… I shouldn't have assumed that you would come to the future with me. I… I should be the one to stay here… with you…" Everything about her began to brighten and unfold, like a flower beginning to bloom, only to falter and die as anger tinged Inuyasha's expression.

"You don't want me to—"

"No, Kagome, I…" He practically collapsed back into his seat before throwing his elbows up onto the table and burying his face in his hands with a low sound of frustration.

Miroku could only watch them silently though his concern was evident in everything from his posture to the way he was practically gnawing on his lower lip. Surely Kagome could not be this foolish. Inuyasha had declined not merely her expectations of him but also the relationship she desired. How could she not see that? Shock, perhaps? Denial? The monk tasted blood from biting his lip as something akin to anxiety arose within him but he said nothing when Inuyasha lifted his head to settle narrowed golden eyes on the girl.

"Kagome." He began, his voice soft yet weary. "Please don't do this. Please don't add anything more to the pile of crap I'm already trying to deal with right now."

"What do you mean 'deal with'? I'm something you have to 'deal with'?" She snapped, her sad demeanor shifting quickly into something far more aggressive. "I came back for you! To be with you! Why can't you—"

"What? Be grateful?" Inuyasha practically roared making the girl reel back with true fear and had Miroku clenching a tight fist around his staff. "You think I'm so fucking pathetic that I should be grateful that you want anything to fucking do with me? Nobody asked you to do anything for me, Kagome. Nobody asked you to come back and try to be something, someone, you're not! You're human! You belong to another time, another world." Inuyasha began to deflate, his anger turning to pleading. "I know you set me free and I could never have gotten rid of Naraku and the jewel without you but you need to go back. Go home, Kagome." His ears drooped and the tension left his body as he folded down into his seat, his eyes down on his hands that were clasped in a white-knuckled grip on the table before him.

"Please, just go home and live a happy, safe…" He paused, then sighed "…normal human life."

The scent of her tears made the half demon's heart lurch painfully in his chest but he managed not to grab her and pull her into a tight hug and take it all back. Fuck Sesshoumaru, this was Kagome and he was hurting her. He had screw his eyes shut when she scrubbed furiously at her tearstained face.

"But I love you." She shouted before her knees gave out leaving her to fall into an ungainly heap.

"I love you…" Her voice was a soft keening sound that sent a shocking bolt of raw pain though Inuyasha. He had already come this far; he could do this. He could keep his promise to her mother and send her home, safe and sound, for good.

With a shake of his head and a steadying breath, he rolled gracefully to his feet before moving to kneel before her to gently grasp her chin and force her to meet his gaze. She needed to see him when he said this.

"And I love you… as you love Souta."

Bloodshot brown eyes blinked rapidly as if to stem the torrential flood of tears that poured from them, but to no avail. The brackish scent almost shattered his resolve. This was necessary, he needed to destroy this mindset of hers for good.

"I love you as Sango loves Kohaku and would go to the ends of the Earth for you and beyond, Kagome… but I'm not in love with you. I…"

He trailed off as what Sesshoumaru was requesting of him popped into his head. Mating was the equivalent of a human marriage, if not more binding. Could he really do that? Could he truly be Sesshoumaru's mate even though there was less love between them than between him and Kagome? He had very little qualms about turning her down despite having thought he loved her once as she claimed to love him. There was a time when he would have asked her to be his. But why didn't Sesshoumaru's offer give him as much pause as it should have? He had never done anything for the good of his family before, had never been asked to, even. Perhaps that was it. Perhaps he had an unconscious need to comply with Sesshoumaru's request if only to officially say he was truly part of the powerful clan of Inu-no-Taishou beyond blood.

He pushed the thoughts into the back of his mind before they could overwhelm him. "I do love you, Kagome, but this is the way it has to be. I'm sorry. I'll bring you home. Just give me a chance to talk to Sesshoumaru and I'll—"

She pushed vehemently away from him then scrambled back onto her feet when he stood to follow. "Sesshoumaru, Sesshoumaru, Sesshoumaru! What's he have on you, Inuyasha? Why are we even here? He helped us with Naraku but he's made it really clear that he hates you! He would have killed you just to get the Tetsusaiga and now you're all chummy? What kind of spell does he have you under and why—"

"I'm going to be his mate!"

Inuyasha could hear his heart racing and feel his blood boiling with rage as his demon reared its ugly head. He was her alpha. She had no right to… his demon fell to one side and his mind froze as what he had just said caught up to him. His rage was effectively smothered. He looked back at Miroku to find the monk openly gaping at him.

"Shit… I…" Inuyasha floundered for words but Kagome recovered far more quickly.

"Mate?" The girl whispered in that adorably dumbfounded way she did when coming across something foreign she didn't quite understand. She watched him expectantly, eyes wide and curious though her anger still swam in their depths. His heart rose into his throat, threatening to cut off his ability to breathe, and his palms began to grow sweaty. Everything in him yelled for him to just leave but he held his ground. He'd faced tougher enemies. He closed his eyes with a single nod. This was it. In the next moment, he would make Kagome hate him forever. The knowledge of that hardened into an odd lump in his stomach.

Miroku or Kouga would bring her home and he would never see her again. He would feel a tiny blight on his soul every time he thought of how much she must loathe him.

He sighed, then opened his eyes to finally meet her accusing stare.

"Yes, mate." The words left him slowly, hesitantly, and he was surprised to find that his voice didn't crack. "In human terms… we'll be married." Inuyasha mentally winced at the word but gave no outward signs of his thoughts on the matter. He was disgusting and that was that. Moving on.

The moment his words registered to her was evident for she blanched and her eyes grew wide. Her mouth opened, closed, then opened again before closing to give way to a twisted expression of disgust, confusion, and hurt.

"You can't be with me… because you aren't in love with me… but you're going to marry your… your brother?" She whispered tentatively, pausing to give him an opportunity to yell 'surprise' and explain how this was the shittiest joke in the universe. He only watched her with a blank, yet guarded, gaze.

"You're joking, right? That's a sick joke, Inuyasha. He's your brother!" Her voice had finally begun to rise once more. "How could you… and he's a guy and you're a guy, why…? That's disgusting!"

There it was. Even though he had been expecting it, Inuyasha physically recoiled from the word, his ears falling back into his hair. He had seen it coming but it still hurt to have it thrown in his face. Miroku had been confused but had known that for certain demon's gender was practically irrelevant. It was rare but not unheard of. His confusion drew from their apparent hatred for one another but he seemed completely over that once Inuyasha had explained Sesshoumaru's arguments. That and the story that his elder brother had told the monk seemed to have clarified things for Miroku, though it left Inuyasha more uncertain than before. Kagome's was pure human ignorance.

"Actually, Kagome," the monk interjected, as Inuyasha seemed at a complete loss as to how to defend himself and Miroku had spent quite an extensive amount of time researching the subject during the last few days, "it is quite common for demons to interbreed to keep the bloodlines pure and dog demons, apparently, can reproduce with no female present or vice versa. Not sure how exactly it works but…" the monk gave a nonchalant shrug, "According to the records in the library, it does. I'll have to find some medical journals to find out the logistics."

The girl was not in the least bit impressed by Miroku's knowledge, if anything, his words of enlightenment only exacerbated the situation for she turned a shade paler.

Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru are going to have a…" She stopped herself, looking queasy at the thought of whatever she was going to say. The frosty glare she had previously narrowed on the monk melted away as she turned back to Inuyasha and took a step back.

"Sesshoumaru and you…"

He moved towards her but she shuffled unevenly towards the open doorway whispering a quiet warning for him to stay away, her voice wavering and laden with tears.

"Kagome—" He tried again, taking another step only to be shoved back, as much as a tiny human girl could manage to shove a demon.

"No! Leave me along, Inuyasha!" She cried before spinning on her heel and running out of the library leaving the stunned half-demon who only watched her go.

He hadn't expected her to run. Scream, hit him, hell even sit him! To simply run away and hope he would not follow, that was…

"Inuyasha?"

The monk's voice was strangely meek but the warm hand on the half demon's shoulder was oddly comforting. He allowed himself to lean into that comfort even as he wallowed in self-disgust. He really needed to learn to control his temper. There had to have been a better way to tell her; screw it being a necessary evil. She needed to understand. He needed her to understand.

"No…" Inuyasha shook his head as a shudder ran through him. "No, I should have found another way to tell her. Why the fuck did I—"

"She needed to know, my friend, and now she does. She would have reacted the same regardless and perhaps would not have believed you had you not been as aggressive. Perhaps this is for the best." Miroku offered tentative comfort and a gentle squeeze on his shoulder.

Inuyasha only growled a soft curse before pulling away from the monk and stomping out of the room.

It was childish, he knew, but he couldn't risk going to dinner. He had discovered that the easiest way to avoid both Sesshoumaru and Kagome was to remain in his apartments.

He was merely looking out for himself. The fact that neither of them seemed particularly interested in finding him made the whole hiding thing a bit easier… not that he was hiding.

An agitated groan rose up out of him as he rolled over onto his stomach to bury his face in his arms. The only downside of hiding without running was the boredom. His apartments were the most lavish rooms he had ever stayed in, Sesshoumaru's own room aside, but, while comfortable, there wasn't much in way of entertainment available. Aside from breaking the, no doubt, expensive vases and their flower arrangements set up in the room's alcove or ripping up pillows and partition screens, he was lounging on the veranda staring at the garden outside of his room and enjoying the fresh air.

What he really wanted to do was return to Kaede's village where everything made sense but he had sworn he would not leave without telling Sesshoumaru so in a civilized fashion and he doubted having Kurando bring him a note would really be considered keeping his promise.

His thoughts came to a halt at the sound of someone coming up the hallway towards his rooms. His ears perked and swiveled towards the door in an attempt to catch the brief conversation between the intruder and the guard though his nose had already told him it wasn't his brother or Kagome.

"What?" Inuyasha growled, not lifting his head when the door slid open and shut. An amused chuckle made his ears flick and the footsteps that moved quietly towards him made him growl.

"It is quite the show you have managed to put on, my lord." Delio drawled, chuckling once more when Inuyasha lifted his head enough to shoot the dragon a glare. "But I know that pretending to be a fair maiden hidden away in a dragon-guarded castle is not the role you wish to take in this play. Although, I'm sure Gamble wouldn't mind in the slightest to guard your room for a while for the sheer amusement of it."

"You—"

Delio held up both hands, cutting off the irate half-demon. "I merely jest, my lord." The dark dragon grinned his sly half grin as Inuyasha sat up and leaned against a wooden post with a huff so he could more openly glower at the intruder.

"Please remain calm, my lord. I only ask that you hear me out. I am but a humble servant and mean no offense whatsoever." The dragon's voice fell to the gentle, soothing timbre one would use to console a child then paused, silently asking permission to sit and only doing so when Inuyasha sighed and turned his attention out onto the garden.

"Now then," the dragon continued, "Master Miroku has informed me of your unfortunate dilemma and I wish to offer some advice, if I may."

He fell silent, seemingly comfortable sitting with his legs folded under his thighs in a formal seiza despite how uncomfortable the position truly was. Inuyasha shot Delio a glance before rolling his eyes and sitting up straighter.

"Well?"

An amused hum left the dragon as his expression softened. "The fact that you are still here means that you do not absolutely loathe the idea of becoming his mate; please do not be so disagreeable, my lord, you know I speak the truth."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes with an agitated huff but did not argue.

"I suggest you allow Lord Sesshoumaru to place a mark of intent upon you, please let me finish. Nothing permanent, mind you, just something to act as a deterrent to the other dog clans who vie for power. My Lord Sesshoumaru has a rather important meeting of the clans today that he must endure and I believe that allowing this and accompanying him to this assembly will be good for both you, my lord, and him. He is under considerable pressure at the present and, though he rarely allows himself to crack under such pressure, I fear for his followers if he does not find some relief."

Inuyasha stared at Delio for a moment before something – fear? – flitted across his features and he dropped his gaze to his hands folded in his lap where they twisted anxiously. "And how's that gonna work? You want me to just march up to him and say, 'hey before you go into your big, important meeting can you mark me? Oh, but only the first one, you know, the temporary one. Also, can I come in there with you even though I have no idea what I'm in for? That'd be great, thanks.' You really think he's gonna just shrug and say, 'yeah, sure, okay;' like it's no big deal?" He shook his head before letting it fall back against the post he rested on.

"My Lord Sesshoumaru is a tad bit more eloquent than that but I do not see why he would reject you." Inuyasha flinched at the notion of being rejected and Delio, being the ever observant man he was, made note of it. "It is what he wishes, after all."

Delio grinned at the glower sent his way from between the half demon's dark lashes. "I am most certain it will be fine, my lord, so long as you only go through with the claim of intent." The dragon soothed gently, though he was still grinning. "It is not a permanent step."

It seemed strange to have a dog demon question him on this, seeing as dog demon's almost always required a large pack to be comfortable and happy. Dragon demons required no such thing, even having a mate was seen as an opulent idea to a dragon as they were so few and far in between. To have Inuyasha question these things at such a level and confusion proved how badly he had been raised, at least by dog demon standards. Delio found himself cursing his liege lord for the maltreatment of such a powerful ally.

"Go to him, my lord. You must trust that your brother will accept you." Delio softly pushed. "I will tell you all that you need to know."

The half demon's eyes spoke volumes of fear and mistrust that struck Delio to his core. Lord Sesshoumaru surely had his work cut out for him cleaning and tending to the gaping, festering wounds he had left on his younger brother.

"You are here, are you not?" Delio frowned when the young lord's brow was weighed down with confusion. "Here in your ancestral home with your elder brother." He elaborated calmly. "He has offered you this. For what reason would he turn you down?"

Lord Kokiden schooled his countenance into one of humble obedience so as to avoid scowling at the Lord of the West. It would not do to upset the regal white dog demon one-on-one, many of his fellow lords had lost limbs for less. Understandable fear aside, he needed to remain in the good graces of his lordship to keep his daughter in the running to be Lady of the West. He had heard the rumors of the great Daiyoukai intending to take the filthy half-breed as his mate, but that simply would not do. The half-breed was nothing compared to his Aoi noUe.

A moment after the thought of the verminous beast crossed Lord Kokiden's mind, it entered the room as if summoned. He chuckled at that, amused by his own wit.

"Have I amused you, Lord Kokiden?" Sesshoumaru's rich, velvety baritone cut through the black dog demon's inner musings replacing said amusement with pure, unadulterated fear. It took everything in him to withhold the scent of it; to no avail if the dilation of the Daiyoukai's pupils was anything to go by.

"No, venerated Lord Sesshoumaru!" He stammered only to have fear jolt through him once more. "Not to say that you are not amusing when you mean to be just—"

"Sesshoumaru?"

The half-demon cut easily through Lord Kokiden's rambling drawing forth the scowl he had been so desperately been fighting to hold back.

Inuyasha, for his part, did not flinch under his elder brother's glacial golden gaze, though he did begin to fidget slightly when he realized he had the attention of the entire antechamber as well as that of some lords and ladies inside of the meeting hall.

"I need to… can I talk to you… before you go in?" He asked lamely, nothing about him displaying the firebrand everyone had been warned of. The Daiyoukai watched his younger brother shift from one foot to the other nervously though he held the elder's gaze with relative ease.

Delio grinned knowingly at him from behind Sesshoumaru drawing Inuyasha's attention and pulling a small frown on him before he turned back to his brother. "It's kind of important that—"

"How dare you, mongrel!" Lord Kokiden interjected, a part of him proud that he had repaid the rude half-demon for cutting him off before. "You truly believe the great Lord Sesshoumaru, Daiyoukai of the western lands, has time for your foolishness? Were I he—"

"You would be wise to watch your tongue, Lord Kokiden, lest I be forced to remove it." Sesshoumaru warned, the irises of his eyes beginning to tinge blue. The lesser lordling cowered under the Daiyoukai's gaze.

"Forgive me, my liege, I meant no disrespect to you or your family. I was merely attempting to help the half—" He faltered when Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes a fraction further. "To help… prince Inuyasha… refer to your magnanimous self in the proper way, my lord." He murmured, bowing low to his liege lord.

Inuyasha scowled at that and opened his mouth to rise to the bait only to have Sesshoumaru cut him off. "Remove yourself from this Sesshoumaru's sight." The lord of the west's voice was gentle though the slight glare he had focused on Kokiden brooked no room for argument. The man wisely chose to obey, bowing low before the elder white dog demon before turning and entering the meeting hall. Delio followed, still grinning, and motioned for everyone to exit the antechamber effectively leaving Inuyasha alone with his elder brother.

The agitation seemed to melt off of Sesshoumaru's face once the antechamber was empty, the blue tinge in his irises replaced by curiosity. He reached up to touch mokomoko-san on his shoulder, his fingers toying with the soft fur as he studied his younger brother. "What is it that you need, Inuyasha? Lord Kokiden was correct in stating that my time is limited. It would not do to upset those in the hall."

Inuyasha scoffed at that, his nose wrinkling with annoyance. "Like you can't just kill them when they step out of line."

The elder considered that for a moment before humming, the very corners of his mouth tilting up with the ghost of a teasing smile. "If I kill all of my followers, who will I lead?"

The half-demon rolled his eyes and resume his nervous fidgeting, working up the nerve to say what needed to be said.

Mark me. Hey, before you go into your big important meeting can you mark me as yours, but only a temporary mark, and let me go in with you? Mark me as yours… easy… right?

He had said it to Delio. He could say it to Sesshoumaru.

No problem. He opened his mouth to speak those very words just as his elder brother raised a single brow. "Am I to guess what it is you require of me? That will prove a tedious task given your whiplash-inducing mood swings as of late. Perhaps I can have Delio summon you once this meeting is over." Sesshoumaru practically purred, that teasing little not-grin still on his lips.

"No, asshole." Inuyasha snapped back, his heart doing that funny little hop things as a genuine chuckle barely pulled its way free from Sesshoumaru's throat. He blinked twice in shock; quite sure he had imagined the sound though he could still hear the echo of it dancing in his sensitive ears. He cleared his throat, mentally blocking out all thoughts of that nature.

"I… umm…" He paused though he had been rehearsing what he would say verbatim again and again from the moment Delio had left his chambers. Huh… his chambers. That was a stranger thought… and a distracting tangent… why was Sesshoumaru staring at him that way?

"Have you become lost, little brother?" The elder murmured, his gaze flicking on the meeting halls closed doors with mild impatience.

"Just shut up and listen." The half-demon snapped before true embarrassment began to rush through him making him flatten his ears and lower his eyes.

"I'msorryaboutyesterdayandIwantyoutomarkmenowandletmegointothemeetingwithyou." He finally managed in a rush of breath, hoping against hope that his brother had managed to pick up what he had said despite the speed with which he had said it.

Sesshoumaru only stared at him before blinking once but soon confusion gave way to clear understanding. The Daiyoukai took a step forward but Inuyasha took two quick steps back, his hackles rising. His blood screamed at him with disappointment when Sesshoumaru shook his head.

"How am I to mark you if I cannot approach you without you retreating?" He asked, silken hair falling over one shoulder as he cocked his head slightly to one side. "No. I will not mark you. You are not ready."

With that, he turned to enter the meeting hall only to have Inuyasha growl and stomp after him. He did not stop to meet his younger brother's gaze until his arm was rudely grabbed and he was pulled around to face the boy who immediately leaned up and kissed the elder's lips with a bruising force that shocked Sesshoumaru into something akin to submission until Inuyasha pulled away with a huff and glared at the elder.

"What the fuck?" The half-demon snapped, claws still digging into Sesshoumaru's arm rending the fabric and dying it red with his brother's blood.

Amusement sparked in Sesshoumaru at the irony of the statement. It was he, after all, who had been accosted.

"What the fuck do you mean 'I'm not ready,' you asshole. I've been thinking about this shit since you fucking asked me and now you wanna tell me no? Well, fuck you!" Inuyasha growled out before turning to stomp away only to be pulled back and have Sesshoumaru press a kiss only slightly gentler than the one he received to the half demon's lips.

The half-demon growled, gnashing his teeth roughly against Sesshoumaru's lower lip and drawing blood once more but doing nothing to deter the elder who slipped an arm around Inuyasha's waist and buried a hand in his hair to hold him in place. The younger fought to push away but Sesshoumaru's hold was solid and, eventually, Inuyasha relented, his eyes slipping closed as he responded tentatively, his stomach rising into his throat and his heart did that strange fluttering hop around his chest.

Sesshoumaru pulled away all too soon making a tiny whimper erupt from the half demon's throat, where his stomach was currently residing, but he swallowed it all down with the hope that Sesshoumaru had not heard it. A shudder ran through him as a heavily clawed hand slid down through his hair to wrap around the back of his neck, leaving the very tips of those claws on the left side of his neck where they tapped gently at the sensitive skin there.

"You are certain of this, then?" The elder murmured gently, his face so close that his warm breath brushed gently over Inuyasha's left cheek as the elder angled his mouth towards the curve where Inuyasha's shoulder met his neck. An uncharacteristic and indecipherable emotion was laced into that deep, husky voice making Inuyasha in agreement without putting much thought to what the voice had asked.

"You must say it, little one." Sesshoumaru murmured, his lips lightly brushing the skin on Inuyasha's neck and his breath sending another shudder through him.

A soft sound akin to a 'yes' was all that left Inuyasha before he was pulled impossibly closer to the Daiyoukai and a feather-light kiss was pressed to the curve of flesh between his neck and shoulder. Inuyasha tilted his head to the right, providing more access and yielding to the elder by revealing his throat.

A deep growl poured from Sesshoumaru at the sight as his teeth elongated and his irises flicked to blue and the whites of his eyes glowed and eerie red. Then his fangs were buried in the side of Inuyasha's neck drawing a hiss of pain from the younger that turned quickly into a low moan before Inuyasha followed suit and bit down harshly on Sesshoumaru's porcelain pale neck to draw up not only blood but a tiny piece of the elder's demonic soul which was given freely as its owner took a piece of Inuyasha that he would never be able to get back.

'So much for temporary…' was Inuyasha's last thought before Sesshoumaru's scent covered him to bind them completely.