Okay so a forewarning they are OOC in this but not terribly so. I just needed a break from trying to keep them both IC it's just too tiring... typing what they say, asking would they really say that, trying to imagine them saying it, deleting it, and starting all over again. Who needs it?!

This will not be continued ever ever ever. All questions this fic causes you to have after you are done reading will be directed to the little man sitting on the highest hill in the southwestern northern east most mountain range in China.

So beyond that hope you enjoy. Much love for you all. Keva

xx

Naraku stared into the dark snowy night, twisting the wine glass by the stem between his fingers causing the red liquid in the glass to swirl smoothly with each turn. His house was dark; all lights off, just the way he liked it on nights like this.

He watched as his neighbor's garage across the street suddenly open before his car pulled up the drive and the garage. He got out of his car then entered the house with a hit to the button to close the garage door behind him.

Lights slowly went on as his neighbor made his way through the house until he could see him through the sheer curtains in his living room.

He pressed his lips together tightly as he watched him remove his suit coat and drape it over the back of the couch before he sat down, placed his elbows upon his knees, and rested his head in the palm of his hands.

A small snort escaped his lips as he knew exactly what was wrong. It was the same thing day after day after day. Too much work, not enough respect, and a sibling that was bound and determined to run their father's legacy into the ground.

Yes he knew all about Taishou Enterprises due to Inuyasha and his attempt to sell the company to him. If it wasn't for Sesshoumaru he would have taken the bastard up on that offer but instead he opted for something else. He bought out Inuyasha's shares instead; mostly through threats and blackmail. What a man would do to keep his wife from finding out about his mistress.

He was certain that Sesshoumaru found out today that Inuyasha was bought out but under the stipulations of the contract he was listed as a private no name buyer therefore Sesshoumaru wouldn't know who now owned half of his company.

Oh he was going to tell him but not until they went on their yearly hunting trip during the week of Valentines. It was an arrangement they made some ten years ago to avoid the horde of females and their constant requests for dates and the like; especially after they both made the top fifty sexiest men, the top 100 richest bachelors, and world's most eligible bachelors lists.

Every year the same lists came out and they were always on it; maybe not the number 1 or even number 10 but always within the top twenty. It was maddening so they agreed to leave town that week every year and the only one's that knew they would be gone was them.

He was looking forward to it immensely just to see the look on Sesshoumaru's face when he told him that he was the unknown holder of half his company; it was going to be priceless.

He smirked to himself at the thought when his cell phone began vibrating madly on the end table by the couch. Turning around he set his glass down, grabbed the small phone indicating he had a text message, and hit the receive button then nearly laughed out when he read the message.

'The neighbors think you are a peeping Tom.'

'I'm only peeping at you.' He quickly sent back then turned to watch his reaction.

He did chuckle however when Sesshoumaru glowered through the window him then went to typing up another message. He looked down at his phone when it vibrated and read his response.

'Drop dead.'

Naraku shook his head and smirked that was Sesshoumaru for ya. 'Are you ready for our trip?'

'Of course.' Came the quick response followed by another one. 'Let's leave tomorrow morning.'

He grinned at that as it was the same every year; Sesshoumaru always wanted to leave as early as possible. Hell he was beginning to think that if Sesshoumaru had it his way they would leave around Halloween and return about midsummer or so if they returned at all.

'We can't. I have some things to take care of. We can leave tomorrow night if you'd like.'

He watched as Sesshoumaru's shoulders slumped slightly then looked down at his response.

'Fine'

"Someone's testy." He grinned to himself.

'How about you come over for a drink then.'

'I'll be over in a minute.'

He set his phone down on the table and turned the lamp on before he walked over to the wall bar, grabbed a wine glass, and poured Sesshoumaru's favorite wine which was conveniently his favorite as well.

He looked over to the entryway when the door opened and in walked Sesshoumaru brushing snow from his shoulders, stomping his feet, and shaking it from his silver head. He glowered at the mess he made on his floor then cut that glower up to him.

Sesshoumaru snorted as he walked over to him and took the glass of wine from his hand.

Naraku gave a small shake of his head. "So what has your panties twisted today?"

Sesshoumaru narrowed his ambers deeply upon his friend then sat down on the couch. "Inuyasha" He answered which was enough for anyone to know what was wrong with him.

He sat down on the chair next to the couch. "What did he do this time?" As if he didn't already know.

"He sold half the company." He growled.

Naraku arched a brow and acted like this was news to him. "Who'd he sell it to?"

Sesshoumaru gave a small shake of his head. "A private buyer." He then narrowed his eyes deeply upon his friend. "If this person thinks he's going to come in and try to take over I will cut his heart out."

"Homicide is illegal." He smirked.

"You know what I mean." He growled.

"So what are you going to do?"

"Make an offer to buy it back." He bit out and downed his drink then got up and poured himself another.

Naraku watched him and smirked. "And if he doesn't sell?"

Sesshoumaru slammed the bottle back down onto the bar in irritation. "He will." He growled, downed his glass, and poured another.

"If you say so." Naraku snorted. "You better slow down or we won't be going anywhere tomorrow."

Sesshoumaru turned with a hard stare and curled his lip at him. "Mind your own." He growled darkly then downed his third glass before pouring his fourth and emptying that one down as well.

Naraku stood up, walked the short few feet over to his friend and yanked the bottle from his hand. "Inebriation will not solve your problems."

"Hai" Sesshoumaru agreed. "but it will make me forget."

"Only temporarily." Naraku nodded and put the bottle away. "Maybe it won't be as bad as you think."

Sesshoumaru glared deadly at him. "You know nothing of it." He slurred ever so slightly.

"I know you are going to be sorry tomorrow and we won't be leaving because of it."

Sesshoumaru knew he was right and slumped against the bar.

"Come on lets get you home and once I am done with my business tomorrow morning we will leave." He grabbed him by the arm and led him towards the door.

Sesshoumaru sighed in defeat once again and allowed him to lead him home. He was glad he and Naraku were friends… well Naraku was his only friend when it came right down to it but either way Naraku was always there for him just as he was in return.

xx

Naraku tucked the large envelope into his duffle bag then carried it to his truck and packed it into the back. He turned and looked at the being walking up his drive with his last bag when he heard the snow crunching under his feet. "Is that everything?"

"Hai" Sesshoumaru nodded.

"Alright lets get out of here then." Naraku grabbed his bag, put it in, closed the cover, and made for the driver's side.

Once Sesshoumaru was seated in the passenger's side he pulled out, shut the garage door, and headed down the road. He looked over at his friend from the corner of his eye when Sesshoumaru tilted the seat back as far as it would go and closed his eyes.

His guess was that he was suffering from a minor hangover as much as Sesshoumaru tried to convince him that he never had hangovers in his life. "Did you take anything?"

"For what?" Sesshoumaru questioned without opening his eyes.

Naraku snorted causing Sesshoumaru to open his eyes and look over at him. "Your nonexistent hangover you are suffering from."

Sesshoumaru grunted at him and closed his eyes again. "Two aspirins and a shot."

"The remedy of a king." Naraku smirked. "Well you have a week to get over it."

"Two"

Naraku would have looked over at him if he wasn't paying attention to the road in order to pull onto the freeway. "Two?" He questioned as he looked in the driver's side mirror to merge to the middle lane. "We are not staying for two weeks. I'll give you two extra days but nothing longer than that."

Sesshoumaru sighed deeply in irritation though he still didn't open his eyes. "I'm thinking of retiring."

Now that definitely got his attention causing him to glance over at his friend. "You can't be serious."

"I am." Sesshoumaru looked over at him. "I'm tired of it all and just want out."

"So you're going to hand over your half of the business to your new partner then?"

"No I'll sell it to him." He nodded curtly.

"What if he doesn't want to buy?"

"Then I will sell it to someone else." He sighed again and closed his eyes. "Once I sell it all I'm going to buy out the cabin and live there."

"Why?" This was just so not in character for Sesshoumaru and he couldn't imagine why he was thinking like this.

"What's the point of continuing on? We have enough money to live on for the rest of our lives so why keep dealing with the stress when you don't have to? I am not going to be like my father and work myself into the grave. I'm nearly thirty…" He trailed off when Naraku interrupted him.

"I would hardly call twenty-four nearly thirty." He snorted.

"You know what I mean." He growled. "The point is why spend the rest of my life working day in and day out when I don't have to?"

"Well if that's what you want to do then I don't see anything wrong with it; it's just kind of sudden." Naraku nodded with a glance over at him.

Sesshoumaru stared at him for a moment. "I want you to do it with me."

Now that really caught his attention. "What?"

"You heard me." He growled. "You don't have any reason to keep on with your business so why not retire now and enjoy the rest of your life. You're nearly forty."

"I am not." He bit out. "I'm only five years older than you."

"Closer to forty than I am." Sesshoumaru smirked when Naraku glowered at him.

"And what about finding a wife, starting a family, and leaving a legacy of your own behind? You can't do that living in the wilds of the mountains."

"I will leave it all to Rin."

He completely forgot about that little girl Sesshoumaru adopted some years ago as a charity thing. Really he didn't expect him to keep supporting her after the one year contract was up. "So you still support her then?"

"Hai" He nodded curtly. "She grew on me and you can leave all yours to that Kanna girl you take care of."

"Kanna girl?" He questioned slightly insulted. "You know full well that she's my niece."

"With a whore of a mother." Sesshoumaru nodded. "Perhaps we could bring them both to live with us and that will be our family. They'd be better off anyway."

Naraku cast a suspicious stare at him. "And exactly how long have you been planning this?"

Sesshoumaru gave a small curt shrug. "I've thought about it from time to time."

"And do tell why no wife? Don't you want that special someone to share your life with?"

"No" He growled. "I've seen what a woman can do to a man. Look at what happened to my parents, your parents, your niece, and Rin. My father was taken for nearly everything he had not once but twice. Your mother is spending her life in prison for murdering your father. Rin's mother dumped her off when she was born and Kagura only uses Kanna to convince the stupidest of men that she's their daughter just to get a few bucks to support whatever habit she has this week."

"I see your point." Naraku nodded. "But that doesn't mean ALL women are like that."

Sesshoumaru arched a brow at him. "Is that a chance you are willing to take? How many women are you going to take a chance with only to lose everything you own and still have no one?"

Naraku shook his head as this was a losing battle and he knew it. When Sesshoumaru made up his mind there was no changing it. "Well if that's the way you want spend the rest of your life then so be it."

"Hn" Sesshoumaru grunted then closed his eyes and went to sleep.

xx

Naraku pulled into the driveway, reached over, and gave Sesshoumaru a small nudge. "We're here."

Sesshoumaru slowly opened his eyes, stretched, yawned, and sat up.

"Let's get unloaded so we can get some food; I'm starving."

"As am I." Sesshoumaru nodded in agreement.

"Good you're cooking." Naraku smirked then got out before he could protest.

Sesshoumaru glowered over at the empty driver's seat then got out to help knowing full well he was going to have to cook anyway because A) he slept nearly the entire trip and B) he always cooked the first night they were there.

Once they had the truck completely unloaded Sesshoumaru made for the main circuits to turn the power on before heading to the kitchen to begin making dinner while Naraku went about the business of building a fire.

Naraku finished the fire then turned to watch Sesshoumaru as he whipped together dinner. He had to wonder what was gong through his head with his talk of retiring and staying single for the rest of his life.

What had gotten into him to cause him to suddenly think such things? Was it because of Inuyasha selling his half of the company or was there something else he wasn't telling him?

He was going to have to throw some questions at him and try to pry out of him what the hell was going on. Maybe when he gave him the envelope giving him full ownership of his company it would force him to explain to him just what he was thinking.

He sat down on the couch and stared into the flickering flames of the fire while he waited for Sesshoumaru to finish what ever it was he was cooking which he was sure ran along the lines of soup, burgers, or pancakes. Sesshoumaru's signature dishes and practically the only dishes he knew how to cook.

"Here"

He looked at the plate in his friend's hand and spotted a stack of pancakes on them. Which meant he was going to be hungry again before he went to bed.

He took a bite of the airy bread covered in raspberry syrup another one of Sesshoumaru's favorite things for that matter most of Sesshoumaru's favorite foods were red. Red wine, red syrup, red apples, strawberries, and most of all steak tartare with a raw egg. It had to be the most disgusting thing he had ever tried and just as much so to watch someone else eat.

He set his plate down once he was finished and looked over as Sesshoumaru sitting next to him. "Here" He pulled the envelope from between his hip and the throw pillow.

Sesshoumaru looked at the envelope. "What is it?"

"Just take it and find out."

Sesshoumaru set his plate on the coffee table, took the envelope, opened it, pulled out the papers, and began reading over them. Before he even finished the first page he looked over at his best friend. "It was you?"

Naraku smirked at him. "Hai and I am giving it to you."

Sesshoumaru looked back at the papers before he carefully stuck them back into the envelope and handed them back to Naraku. "I don't want it." With that he got up, grabbed all the dirty dishes, set them in the kitchen sink, and went to his room.

Naraku watched him with brows deeply drawn. Something was going on with his friend and by damn he was going to find out what.

He tossed the envelope onto the coffee table before he got up and went to Sesshoumaru's bedroom. "What the hell is going on with you?" He questioned from the doorway.

"I told you already. I'm retiring." Sesshoumaru growled as he went about the task of unpacking.

"What does that have to do with not wanting the Inuyasha's shares to your company? It will be easier to sell it all than just half." Naraku shook his head and sighed deeply.

"True" Sesshoumaru agreed. "But it's too late."

This was like trying to put a riddle together backwards while blindfolded. "Would you make some damn sense already! I want to know what the hell is going on; all of it!" He bit out.

Sesshoumaru sighed deeply then sat down on the bed and stared at the dark being standing in the doorway. "Inuyasha is being investigated for fraud and embezzlement. Once this hits the mainstream it's over for Taishou Enterprises. I've pulled out what I can and hid it in foreign bank account under Rin's name. They will take everything to pay back Inuyasha's debts which includes everything I own and the half you now own."

Naraku ground his teeth together tightly. "Why didn't you say anything?" He bit out.

"I only found out yesterday afternoon." He nodded curtly.

Naraku jabbed his fingers through his hair in agitation. He needed to get rid of his shares of the company before they took him for everything he owned. "You could have told me as soon as you found out."

"I could have." Sesshoumaru agreed. "I didn't know it would make a difference to you so I didn't." He cocked his head slightly. "What are you going to do?"

Naraku turned to walk down the hall. "Call my attorney and get out of this before I'm taken for a ride." With that he was gone.

Sesshoumaru stared at the empty doorway and sighed deeply. "Well father Inuyasha finally did it." He whispered to himself. "I told you and you didn't listen."

He sat there in thought for a long moment before he got up, walked to the door, stepped out, and looked over the banister down to the living room. He watched Naraku pace back and forth while on the phone. He did feel bad that Naraku was now stuck in this mess with him but really there was nothing he could do.

"Make it disappear!" Naraku growled.

Sesshoumaru gave a small curt shake of his head. Then again Naraku was; in his opinion, a rather shady business man and if he wanted out of it he would get out of it. He had seen Naraku get out of the tightest of squeezes without a scratch on him and still come out on top. He was the same but this time there was no getting out of it. He was going to lose everything and there was nothing he could do but let it go and fade from the public eye.

He smirked when Naraku grabbed the envelope with the papers and tossed them in the fire. As usual Naraku had escaped another disaster and he had no doubt that Naraku had his attorney put everything back in Inuyasha's name. It would boil down to Inuyasha's word against Naraku's and no one ever believed a word Inuyasha said anyway.

Naraku looked up at the being looking down at him. "You owe me big for this." He growled.

Sesshoumaru smirked at him. "I don't have anything to give you."

Naraku curled his lip then went to the kitchen and made himself a strong drink; Kami knew he needed it. "Tomorrow Jak will dump everything back into Inuyasha's name since the papers haven't been filed yet." He looked up at Sesshoumaru. "He will call back tomorrow evening once he finds out the whole story with your idiot sibling and see what he can do about making sure you don't lose anything. I'm sure your sniveling little attorney Jaken is only making sure he covers his own ass."

Sesshoumaru nodded and smiled to himself. Naraku was going to fix everything as per usual leaving him to wonder why he never told him about this earlier. If he had he probably could have saved himself a lot of time and trouble.

He wasn't stupid by any means and he was a good business man but when it came to under handed deals he was no good at it because there were a whole different set of rules for shady trading and contracts. That was Naraku's area of expertise; he could make the most ridiculous of deals look legitimate. "One more thing." He smirked down at him when he glowered deadly at him.

"What?!" Naraku bit out as he didn't think he could take anymore surprises out of his friend today.

"I've arranged for Kanna and Rin to be brought up here in two days time."

"WHAT?!" Naraku growled and nearly choked on his drink.

"You heard me." Sesshoumaru continued to smirk at him.

Naraku narrowed his dark eyes upon his friend. "So all that in the truck wasn't just something you were thinking about but something you already had planned out and put into motion; wasn't it?!"

Sesshoumaru gave a small nod of his head.

"I should kill you." Naraku hissed then poured another drink, shot it down, poured one more, and moved to sit on the couch.

Sesshoumaru just stared at his friend and grinned to himself. Almost all of his plan had fallen into place now it was just a matter of getting Naraku to retire with him then everything would be perfect. He was going to have to think on that for awhile as that was what he was good at; getting what he wanted. With one last glance at his brooding friend he returned to his room and finished unpacking while trying to figure out how to do what he needed no wanted to do to get Naraku to retire and live here forever.

xx

Naraku slowly cracked his eyes open when he felt his glass pulled from his hand. "Now what?"

"You should go to bed." Sesshoumaru said in a ordering tone.

"I'm not drunk enough." Naraku responded then reached for the half filled glass only to have Sesshoumaru move it out of reach.

"Inebriation will not make you forget." He smirked.

"I'm not trying to forget." Naraku growled. "I'm trying to cope with you and all your scheming."

Sesshoumaru sat down on the coffee table in front of him and set the glass down still out of Naraku's reach. "I have a reason for what I did."

Naraku arched a brow at him. "And what would that be?"

Sesshoumaru sighed deeply as he stared at his friend.

"Well?" Naraku questioned slightly irritated when Sesshoumaru didn't answer him.

"Nothing" He couldn't do it. The risk was too great and he wasn't going to chance losing Naraku's friendship forever. "I'm going to bed." He nodded and stood up only to stop when Naraku caught him by the wrist.

"What the hell is going on with you these days?!" Naraku growled. "This behavior of yours is completely out of character for you."

Sesshoumaru gave a barely noticeable shrug of his shoulder. "I don't know maybe it's all the stress of everything that is going on."

Naraku narrowed his eyes. "That would be believable if you were anyone else. You never do things like this unless there is a damn good reason for it and you are going to tell me what it is."

Sesshoumaru looked away. "I will not risk our friendship." He tried to jerk free of his hold only to find Naraku had a deadly tight grip around his wrist.

None of this was making any sense and he was sure he was going mad. He stood up and grabbed him by the chin to force Sesshoumaru to look at him. "Tell me." He growled darkly.

Sesshoumaru slapped his hand from his face and returned the dark stare. "It is nothing." He bit out with another jerk to free himself this time succeeding and headed up the stairs for his room.

Naraku watched him go and wanted to rip his own hair out. For the life of him he could not figure out what was going on to make Sesshoumaru act so abnormally. There was something more than just him losing his company because of his brother and he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. He had known him since they were little and in all those years not once did Sesshoumaru act so erratically. It was almost like Sesshoumaru wasn't Sesshoumaru but someone acting like he was Sesshoumaru.

He stormed up the stairs to Sesshoumaru's room bound and determined to get some answers that would explain just what the hell was going on before he killed the bastard and was done with it.

"I want answers." He demanded as he stormed into his room.

"Go to bed." Sesshoumaru sighed as he pulled his shirt off.

Naraku gnashed his teeth together sharply as he stared at his long time friend. He was going to bring an end to this right now. He stormed up to Sesshoumaru, grabbed him by the shoulders, and slammed him against the wall. "I have had quite enough of this behavior of yours now tell me what you are hiding!"

Sesshoumaru locked stares with Naraku's hard dark eyes. "It's you."

"What? Me? What about me? Make some damn sense already!"

Sesshoumaru sighed before he quickly grabbed Naraku by the face and slammed their lips together which caused Naraku's eyes to widen hugely and release his hold. Sesshoumaru pulled back with a small suck to his bottom lip then pushed past him without a word, grabbed his shirt, and left the room.

Naraku just stood there completely dumb struck and not really sure what to do. However when he heard the front door open and close he was quickly snapped back to attention.

He nearly ran out of the room, down the stairs, out the front door, and got there in time enough to watch Sesshoumaru back his truck out of the driveway and take off down the road.

"Damn it!" He cursed under his breath then went back inside to wait for Sesshoumaru to come back so they could discuss his actions.

xx

Sesshoumaru quietly entered the cabin around sunrise and spotted Naraku sprawled out on the couch asleep. It had been a long rough night of too many thoughts and a mountain of stress sitting on his shoulders. He had no doubt that after what he had done he had completely ruined their friendship.

He really did not want to face the consequences but after spending the night thinking about it he knew he was going to have to face up and accept it. It would be hard to spend the rest of his life without Naraku around but he would do it as that was the price for his own stupidity.

He walked over to his friend, pulled the blanket off the back of the couch, and draped it over him before he quietly made his way upstairs to his room to get some sleep before Naraku woke up.

Naraku watched Sesshoumaru through a cracked lid and sat up when he heard his bedroom door shut. He had never seen him look so drained and tired before hence why he didn't say anything when he came home.

After Sesshoumaru left and he overcame his shock of what he did he sat down and really began to analyze Sesshoumaru's actions as of late. Then once he realized that Sesshoumaru was in love with him and added that into the mess it all began to make sense which left him with a whole new mess to sort out… what to do about it?

He had admitted to himself a long time ago that he did harbor a small attraction for his friend but he never dwelled on it or let Sesshoumaru know about it. He figured it was just one of those sinful thoughts that would fade with time... it never did but he never paid any mind to it either.

Then again it probably explained why both of them were still single. Granted they had their share of females they dated from time to time but never once took it beyond a quick fling.

Now it all made sense in some sick twisted way. They stayed single for each other so the other one wouldn't feel left out and alone or so was why he stayed single for Sesshoumaru and apparently Sesshoumaru stayed single to be with him.

This reminded him of that strange American show he once watched Twilight something. Everything was twisted until the person didn't know what the hell was going on and could do nothing but lose their minds in the insanity of it all. That was exactly how he felt right now.

Well no matter how he felt about it he could not and would not let things go as they were and act like nothing happened. This was much too serious to ignore and carried a risk that he wasn't about to take lightly. He'd be damned if he was going to let their friendship fall apart because of this of that he was certain; they had known each other for far far to long.

He got up determined that he and Sesshoumaru were going to work this out before it became something too big for either of them to handle.

He made his way to Sesshoumaru's bedroom, opened the door, and spotted his friend laying on his stomach asleep. "Sesshoumaru"

Sesshoumaru cracked an eye open and stared over at the man in his doorway.

"Why didn't you just tell me?"

Sesshoumaru closed his eye and sighed deeply. "How much is our friendship worth to you?" He questioned back.

Naraku really thought deeply about what he was asking before he answered. "Enough so that I will not let this destroy it. We have known each other nearly our whole lives and you should know by now that there is nothing you can say or do that will destroy it and I would hope you think the same of me."

"I do." He answered and once again looked at him. "This is different."

"Not as much as you think it is." Naraku moved to sit on the edge of the bed. "What makes it different is you not telling me. If I don't know what is going on I can't do anything about it." He watched as Sesshoumaru turned over and sat up. "How long?"

Sesshoumaru just stared at him silently for a long moment before he answered. "The summer before I started high school when we went on our first camping trip together."

Naraku just stared at him in shock. He remembered that trip; he just graduated high school and his parents gave him a truck for a graduation present. He wanted to take it into the mountains and test it out so he and Sesshoumaru decided to go camping for the weekend. They would go every year after that during the summer until they started making those lists in the magazines and just moved their trips to the week of Valentines Day.

"I tried to deny it at first but the feeling never went away it only got stronger." Sesshoumaru nodded. "So I just pretended it wasn't there and acted as if everything was normal. Until I couldn't deny it any longer and decided that I needed to tell you but at the same time I did not want to destroy our friendship. Now that you know I will accept whatever you decide." He stared at him.

Naraku could easily see the fear in his friend's eyes and the vulnerability he was suddenly feeling. This was the real Sesshoumaru right here before his eyes not the hard cold powerful being so many knew and he was sure he was the only one to ever see Sesshoumaru look so weak and afraid. All he could think at the moment was that he wanted to make it better for him at any cost. "What do you want me to do?"

Sesshoumaru just stared blankly at him. "I can not answer that."

Naraku snorted. "You can. You're just too afraid to say it."

Sesshoumaru turned his head to break the stare between them. "I want…" He tried, closed his eyes, sighed, sighed again, and tried one more time. "I want you to love me the way I love you." He barely whispered.

"And?" He questioned as he wanted Sesshoumaru to come out and tell him everything he wanted. He was in no means naïve to the concept of two men being together he just wasn't entirely sure of what Sesshoumaru wanted him to be. You could love someone without ever being with them and you could be with someone and never love them. Of course the latter wasn't what Sesshoumaru wanted and he didn't think the former was either the fact that he had kissed him earlier said as much.

"And what?" Sesshoumaru questioned as he looked at him.

"Do you just want me to love you or is there something more you want? I can't give it to you if you don't tell me." He stared at his friend and could of sworn Sesshoumaru was about to blush but of course he didn't do that sort of thing.

"I want us to be together, to live here, and be happy." He looked down at his lap. "I want to be with you for the rest of my life." Again he whispered.

Naraku stared at him finally getting a complete clear answer out of him. He sighed deeply before he responded to that. "I suppose we could give it a shot." He smirked at Sesshoumaru when he looked up at him. "However I don't know about living up here secluded from the rest of the world."

"Part time then." Sesshoumaru nodded curtly. "Fall to winter."

Naraku narrowed his eyes suspiciously upon him. "Just how much of this do you have planned out exactly?"

Sesshoumaru gave off a small shrug. "All of it. You, me, Rin, and Kanna living together as a happy family."

Then it dawned on him. "You want what neither of us ever truly had; a perfect happy family."

Sesshoumaru smirked at him in answer.

Naraku huffed in irritation. "I should beat you to death it'd certainly make things a whole lot easier."

Sesshoumaru tilted his head slightly and arched a brow at him. "You could fuck me to death."

"Don't be so vulgar." Naraku scowled.

Sesshoumaru leaned over until they were nose to nose and smiled at him. "You like it." He then reached up, tangled his fingers into his dark hair, and pulled him in until their lips were pressed together.

It was an odd sensation to know he was kissing his best friend yet at the same time he liked it more than he thought he would. He powered his tongue deep into Sesshoumaru's mouth and caressed every inch he could reach as his eyes dropped closed. He nearly snapped them open when Sesshoumaru scooted up into his lap, straddled his waist, and tangled his fingers tightly into his hair.

Sesshoumaru pulled back and stared at Naraku's face before he leaned in again and began laying kisses along his jaw line to his ear where he began nipping and sucking on his lobe. "Take me." Sesshoumaru whispered against his ear in an almost pleading yet demanding voice.

He kissed his way back to his lips as his fingers trailed down Naraku's broad shoulders to his chest where he sought out the buttons of his shirt and began working it open. Once undone he pulled the garment open and placed his palms flat against his hot flesh then slid them up to his shoulders to push his shirt off.

He pushed forward which caused Naraku to fall back onto his back so he could explore his body.

Naraku just stared up at the ceiling as Sesshoumaru kissed his way down his neck and over every inch of his chest he could reach. He definitely liked what Sesshoumaru was doing as his body was quickly increasing in temperature not to mention the tightening in his groin area. He arched his back slightly when hot lips wrapped tightly around his nipple and finger flicked over the other.

The feel of his hot tongue swirling around the little bud felt wickedly erotic. It wasn't to say this was the first time someone had ever done such a thing to him but it was the fact that Sesshoumaru was doing it that was making it seem ten times more intense.

He looked down when Sesshoumaru began kissing down his chest to the waist band of his pants and began working the button and zipper in order to get them off. That was when his apprehension began to rise and Sesshoumaru must have felt it too as he stopped what he was doing and locked stares with him up the length of his body.

"Don't"

Naraku couldn't tell if that one little word was an order or a plea on his lips but either way he gave a small nod and willed his nerves down; which was no easy feat.

Sesshoumaru worked Naraku's pants off his hips and down his powerful legs which were in his opinion the hottest part of Naraku's body. He loved Naraku's legs as they were perfectly toned, not to thick in the calves, his knees weren't knobby or girly, and most of all the definition line that outlined his muscles. His legs were nothing like Naraku's they were toned but not as powerful.

Yes he was built decently enough with a nicely toned physique but nothing like Naraku's build. In comparison he always thought himself to be more on the feminine side where Naraku was built like a mountain; massive, broad, and imposing. Hell he was even taller by half a head.

He trailed his hands up his legs making sure to trace every definition line he could fine until he was between his thighs staring at his straining masculinity. He was even well endowed in that area too; it should have been no surprise. He briefly wondered how he was going to take something so thick and long but pushed the thought away. This was what he always wanted and now that he had it he was not going to let it go.

Naraku gasped in shock when he felt a hot wet appendage sweep across his tip before it began swirling around his thick head. He reached down and tangled his fingers into Sesshoumaru's silvery hair and damn near ripped it from his head when Sesshoumaru parted his lips and tried to swallow him whole.

If he had any mind about him he would have wondered how Sesshoumaru knew how to do this so well. However as it was his mind was a torrent of colors dancing to a tune of moans, groans, and grunts that were being ripped from his throat with every stroke of his hot mouth.

Sesshoumaru watched up the length of his body as his head slowly bobbed up and down while fingers worked over what his mouth couldn't reach. It was so beautiful to have someone like Naraku so weak, vulnerable, and completely at his mercy. It made him feel like he could take on the world and never lose a breath.

When he felt Naraku coming close to his release he pulled back and removed Naraku's fingers from his hair. He stood at the end of the bed and removed his own clothing before he crawled up and straddled his waist.

Naraku stared at the being sitting atop him trying to get his foggy mind back in order. It wasn't easy as his body was tight and straining against the lack of his release.

Sesshoumaru reached down, slipped his hand around his neck, and pulled him up so they were face to face. He leaned in and swept him up in a deep passionate kiss as he ground himself against him trying to create some friction to ease his ache.

Naraku pulled back with a deep suck to his lip. "Are you sure you want this?"

"Hai" Sesshoumaru nodded a small nod then wrapped his arms around him and buried his face into his neck. He knew this was going to hurt like hell but it was something he was going to have to suffer through for the sake of being with the only person he ever actually loved.

Naraku slipped his arms around his waist, slid off the bed, and carried him to the bathroom. He suspected that neither of them were prepared for what was about to come and the last thing he wanted to do was to hurt either of them; especially with Sesshoumaru acting so vulnerable and sensitive which he was still struggling to wrap his mind around.

While he held Sesshoumaru to him with one arm; though he could have let go as Sesshoumaru was holding tight to him, he turned the water on in the shower and once warm enough stepped in.

Sesshoumaru sighed against his neck at the relief of the hot water pounding against his back before he lifted his head up to lock stares with Naraku. His whole body was a bundle of nerves as the anticipation of what they were about to do welled up inside him.

He released his hold and settled onto his feet then grabbed the soap and began lathering up Naraku from neck to feet before lathering himself up as well. He then placed the bar in Naraku's hand, pulled his hair over his shoulder, and turned his back to him.

Naraku took the hint and slowly started rubbing the bar down his back making sure to take his time as he worked his way down. He squatted down when he came to his fleshy behind and for reasons unknown he leaned in and gave it a hard nip causing Sesshoumaru to jump in surprise.

He watched as a little red mark appeared and smirked at his handy work then decided that it needed a friend. He grabbed Sesshoumaru by the hips, pulled him back, and sank his teeth into his creamy flesh.

Sesshoumaru jerked and squirmed to get away as what he was doing was actually tickling. "Stop" He growled and was received with a slightly harder bite.

Naraku pulled back with a hard hard suck and grinned in wicked pleasure at the deep red nearly purple hickey Sesshoumaru now sported on his left cheek.

Sesshoumaru twisted his head to try and see what he had done but unfortunately his head didn't turn that far. "What did you do?" He demanded.

Naraku continued to soap him up down his legs before he rose up and slid his soapy hand between the crack of his ass. "Marked you."

Sesshoumaru turned and glowered at him. "Never again."

At that Naraku leaned in until they were nose to nose. "Is that a challenge?" He grabbed him by the hips and pulled him flush against his chest causing their soapy flesh to slide smoothly against each other.

"No" Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes a little more. That was one thing he knew not to do; never ever challenge Naraku as he would do it just to prove he could.

"We will see about that." Naraku smirked and trailed his hands over his posterior.

Sesshoumaru didn't want to argue with him he just wanted him to make mad passionate love to him. He had waited twelve long years for this and by damn he wasn't going to let anything ruin it. He wrapped his arms around Naraku's neck pulled him down and began kissing him deeply.

Naraku lifted Sesshoumaru up so he was once again wrapped around him and began sliding his hard against Sesshoumaru's soapy ass. He pulled back and locked stares with him. "Ready?"

Sesshoumaru took a deep nerve calming breath and nodded his head.

"Tell me to stop if it's too much."

Again Sesshoumaru nodded his head and relaxed himself as much as possible. He buried his face into Naraku's neck when he felt him begin to push inside. It did hurt more than he would ever admit and was thankful Naraku was taking his time so he could adjust and let the initial pain subside.

Naraku gritted his teeth together sharply as Sesshoumaru was insanely tight and all he wanted to do was bury himself to the hilt to feel the tight squeeze all around him.

It seemed to take an eternity but before they both knew it Naraku was seated deep within Sesshoumaru tight body. Both of them were panting with the exertion of holding back so they both could get used to it but for Naraku he was sure he was in hell as he didn't know how much longer he could stay still.

Sesshoumaru lifted up and stared into Naraku's dark eyes. He could see him struggling to control himself and kissed him deeply to show his appreciation. He then rolled his hips as a reward and to let him know he was ready.

Naraku used his powerful arms to lift Sesshoumaru up and drop him back down starting with a very slow rhythm in order to draw out the pleasure.

Sesshoumaru moaned against his neck at the feel of Naraku inside of him. It was better than he ever thought it could be and only made better because it was with the man he had loved his whole life and was in love with for nearly as long.

He kissed his neck before he trailed his lips up to his and opened for Naraku to take command of him. Their tongues swirled against each other tasting everything the other was made of before Naraku suddenly pulled away. He looked at him with glassy eyes for a second before he was placed on his feet, spun around, pressed tightly against the wall, and filled once again.

Naraku nipped at Sesshoumaru's neck as he gripped his hips tightly pulling him back against every thrust deep into his body. "Say my name." He ordered heavy breathed into Sesshoumaru's ear.

"Naraku" Sesshoumaru gasped out, dropped his head back against Naraku's shoulder, and reached up behind him to tangle his fingers into his dark wet wavy hair. "Harder" He panted.

Naraku grinned against his neck and did as he was asked then began nibbling sharply upon his pale flesh. The sound of their flesh slapping together echoed through the bathroom and only seemed to make their coupling that more intense. "You feel so good." He growled between sucks and licks.

Sesshoumaru smiled then moaned loudly when Naraku wrapped his fingers around his length and started stroking it hard. He was having sensation overload and was sure he was going to die at any second. He arched his back sharply, tangled his fingers tighter into his hair, and with a loud moan of Naraku's name spent himself all over the shower wall.

Naraku released him in order to grip both his hips and started pounding into him at a maddening pace in order to find his own end.

Sesshoumaru flinched slightly when Naraku dug his fingers into his flesh and buried himself as deep as he could go spilling his seed deep into his body with a deep groan of pleasure that rumbled through his chest.

He grinned pleasantly when two powerful arms wrapped around him and held him tightly against his chest. He was sure that at this very moment he was in the safest place on Earth.

"You wear me out." Naraku panted against Sesshoumaru's wet head. "Let's get cleaned up and go to bed."

Sesshoumaru nodded in agreement. It had been a long night and neither of them got much sleep but he didn't care it was well worth it.

xx

Sesshoumaru crawled under the blankets and curled against Naraku's chest. "Good night." He yawned.

Naraku just grunted as he was just on the verge of being out cold.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and let his mind take him to the land of dreams where he dreamed a dream of a long time ago when a promise was made.

"Arky!" A young boy of about four years yelled as he ran down the sidewalk.

"Sesshoumaru? What are you doing here?" A nine year old Naraku questioned the little boy in front of him.

"I came to see yeww." Sesshoumaru grinned up at him.

Naraku sighed in irritation and placed his hands on his hips like he had seen his father do so many times when he was exasperated with his behavior. "You know it's not safe for you to leave like that. Someone could steal you."

"Nuh huh you'd save me." Sesshoumaru nodded his head vigorously.

Naraku shook his head. "What if I wasn't around then who would save you?"

Sesshoumaru huffed and tried to cross his arms over his chest. "Ifs you weren't rounds then I wouldn't be here."

"You are too smart for your own good." Naraku shook his head. "Come on lets get you home before you mom starts screaming her head off all over the neighborhood."

"Mama is funny when she screams." Sesshoumaru grinned. "Arky can I asks you someding?"

"What?" Naraku questioned as he took the boy by the hand and began walking him the two house distance home.

"Will you always be with me?" He looked up at the older boy hopefully.

"Of course why wouldn't I be?" He smiled down at the little sliver haired boy. "We're friends remember? We will be together forever; promise."

"Powamise!" Sesshoumaru nodded his head curtly then pulled free of Naraku's hold and wrapped his little arms around his leg. "I luvs yeww Arky!"

Naraku patted him on the head. "I luvs you too. Now come on here comes your mom."

xx

"Wake up we're here." Naraku nudged Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru slowly cracked his eyes open then drew his brows deeply. "I was dreaming?"

Naraku smirked over at him. "Hai; it must have been a damn good one with the way you kept moaning, groaning, and calling my name."

Sesshoumaru glowered over at his friend. "Drop dead Arky."

"Arky huh? Haven't heard that name since you were in diapers."

Sesshoumaru gave his friend one more death glare before he tried to get out of the truck only to stop when Naraku caught him by the arm.

"Now tell me what were you dreaming about that had you moaning like a bitch in heat?" He arched a dark brow at him.

"Nothing" He bit out.

"I would hardly call you crying out my name like that nothing." He jerked him in close. "Maybe we can act it out after we get the girls into bed." With that he gave a quick suck to Sesshoumaru's bottom lip and got out of the truck.

Sesshoumaru drew his brows deeply as this wasn't making any sense. How much of his dream was a dream and how much was a reality? Maybe he was more tired than he thought.

He pulled the visor down and looked at himself in the mirror then spotted two little girls asleep in the backseat. He flipped the visor back up, got out of the truck, and made his way to the back where Naraku was unloading the Rin and Kanna's bags. "What is going on?" He questioned. "It wasn't a dream?"

Naraku set the bags down and stared at him. "What?"

"Us" Sesshoumaru nodded. "This, them." He waved his hand towards the front of the truck with the two sleeping girls.

"Are you okay?" Naraku placed his hand on his forehead. "You feel a little hot."

"I am not sick." He growled and slapped his hand away from his face. "I had a dream we came up here and I told you I loved you and…"

"Yes and that was two days ago." Naraku cut him off. "Are you certain you are feeling okay?" He eyed him speculatively.

Now he wasn't sure if he was feeling okay or not. "Maybe I am coming down with something. I don't remember leaving to go pick them up or any part of the trip." He drew his brows deeply. "Why did we have to pick them up I thought Jaken was supposed to bring them?"

"Because that was the way you planned it out and no Jaken wasn't going to bring them." Naraku drew his brows even deeper. "Go in the house and go to bed. I'll get the girls taken care of then I'll be in to check on you and see if we can't figure out what is wrong with you."

Sesshoumaru nodded then turned, went into the house, and headed for bed. The more he thought about it the more he was sure he was coming down with something. The fact that he thought reality was a dream and he couldn't remember going to pick the girls up screamed there was something wrong with him.

He stripped out of his clothes and crawled into bed. Maybe he was just overly tired due to all the stress of his brother, the company, and everything else that seemed to want to rest on his shoulders or he was coming down with the flu. He was really hoping for the flu it would be a lot easier to deal with.

xx

Naraku quietly entered the bedroom and made his way over to the bed containing a sleeping Sesshoumaru. He placed his hand on his forehead and sighed; he had a fever.

He went into the bathroom, grabbed the aspirin, a little cup of water, went back to Sesshoumaru, and sat down on the bed. "Sesshoumaru wake up." He gave his shoulder a small nudge.

Sesshoumaru slowly cracked his eyes open.

"Here sit up and take these. You're coming down with a fever."

He slowly sat up and did as he was told then stared at him. "I don't feel so good."

Naraku snorted. "Of course you don't." He shook his head. "After that running out of the house in the middle of the night with three feet of snow on the ground with nothing but your pants on I can't imagine you feel well at all."

Sesshoumaru shook his head he wasn't going to try and figure out what was real and what wasn't as it was to exhausting. It was enough to know that he and Naraku were together and that was all that mattered in the end anyway.

He laid back down and smiled a small smile before he went to sleep at the feel of Naraku gently massaging his head and knowing that he would always be with him just like he promised when they were little.