InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Brother's Love ❯ Chapter 1

A Brother's Love

By: Tazzy

Summary: Sesshoumaru's feelings and thoughts of his little brother.

Rating: PG

Author's Notes: This takes place in a slightly Alt-U only because I haven't seen all the episodes yet in the anime series. If it didn't happen on screen, then it's my own opinion of what went down. Thanks to Wolf Demoness for her help beta-reading this, my first attempt at an InuYasha story.

 

 

 

I remember the first time I saw him, all white hair and big golden eyes as he clung to that human woman's kimono, his sharp claws piercing the delicate silk. It was obvious from the dog ears on his head who his father was, but I couldn't understand why Father had a human nursemaid for his son, despite his feelings for the weak creatures. Then I looked closer at the woman. She was as beautiful and delicate as a lotus blossom and had the appearance of a human princess. Involuntarily, my eyes returned to the child.

Hanyou.

Father had dared spawn a child with this human woman, sullying his bloodline, and then bringing her and the hanyou to his Court. Hanyous are a weakness that no demon in their right mind would tolerate. There were times when I wondered if Father had blown his sanity away with one of his winds. This was one of them. As soon as word got out about a hanyou in the Court, the Hunts would begin and one this small would be an easy target.

Father sent the woman and hanyou to their rooms before turning to me and demanding to know my opinion of them being here. I told him the truth: he had finally taken leave of his senses and while I wouldn't stop the Hunts, I wouldn't help them either. The child would never see two faces from me.

“That was more than I thought I would hear from you,” Father replied, surprise and pleasure evident in his eyes while his face remained an emotionless mask. “I would have thought that you would have helped the Hunts destroy Inuyasha.”

I shrugged a shoulder. “He is, unfortunately, family. And I was taught to respect family no matter who, or what, they are.”

Over the years I watched Inuyasha in Father's Court, interacting with others and developing his skills and attitude, the cocky mask, the quick temper, and the ability to hide any injury until he was somewhere safe. I remember one Hunt that ended when Inuyasha tore a dozen powerful demons to shreds with his claws before Father's eyes. Then, he simply turned and walked out the door, vanishing into the forest only to return once more, when Father's body was recovered after his last battle.

The next news I had of my little brother was that he had managed to run afoul of a Temple Maiden when going after the Shikon Jewel. I was rather curious to know why Inuyasha had been trying for the Jewel, especially since he had avoided magical items that would have increased his powers while in Father's Court.

It was a short trip from where I had been searching for Father's grave to the forest where Inuyasha was pinned to a tree, but there he was. The roots of the Tree of Ages twining around his motionless body like a lover's arms while the arrow pierced his left breast, keeping him a prisoner through the spirit ward on it. He looked so incredibly young and vulnerable like that, as if he were simply sleeping, and I couldn't help but chuckle at the irony. Inuyasha managed to survive in Father's Court, one of the harshest environments that I knew of at that time, only to be brought down by a Priestess with an arrow.

After that, my time was split between running the Court of the Western Lands that I had inherited from Father and locating his grave to claim the Tetsusaiga, the most powerful weapon that Father had ever created. This went on for several years before an explosion of power erupted across the land. It wasn't long before I found out what had happened.

Apparently, some strange girl had freed Inuyasha from the spell holding him, then shattered the Shikon Jewel, scattering the shards across the land with the explosion. It was this same girl who later helped break my little brother out of the Un-Mother's spell and helped him to gain the Tetsusaiga.

Since that day, we have clashed several times, and each time, I gain a bit more respect for the annoying hanyou that I unfortunately claim as kin. Yes, I want to be the one that kills him and gains the Tetsusaiga as my prize, but each time we fight, he manages to push me a bit farther in battle as his powers grow. Already he has surpassed Father's reputation and power with the killing of Ryukotsusei. Father himself could only trap the serpent and later died of the injuries he gained from that battle.

When Naraku decided to appear on the playing field, I should have removed him immediately, but he played on my vanity enough to show me what true evil is. The thought that someone was cold enough to use others to do their bidding while they sit in some palace safe and sound before tossing them aside like a broken sword eats at my honor. So, to protect my kingdom and my family, I traveled with Jaken, and later Rin, to find Naraku or at least what would destroy him.

I shouldn't have bothered because Inuyasha and his group of humans hunted him down along with the jewel shards, and managed to destroy him after a horrific battle that left all of them injured and exhausted. I came across them only a few miles from my palace and, for some reason that even I am unsure of, insisted that they all come to the palace to rest and recover in peace. I even promised that they would be safe in my palace, and from the wary look Inuyasha gave me, it was obvious how much he trusted me to keep my promise. But, like anyone, I have changed.

It began when I met the little orphan girl, Rin, that my outlook of humans changed. I used the power of the Tenseiga to bring her back after she was killed. I even put Tokijin away where none shall touch it without my knowledge. Most likely I will never weld it again no matter how much mastery and control I have over the evil sword. The irony was never lost on me when it came to Father's fang-swords. I had the sword that healed to the point of bringing back the dead while Inuyasha had the powerful sword of protection. Father was trying, in his own fashion, to tell us something when he gifted the swords to us, but what it is, I cannot say.

It has been a month since Inuyasha and his humans arrived at my palace and the changes in them have been interesting. The monk and demon hunter have grown closer. He no longer wears the prayer beads and glove over his right hand, as if his troublesome wind tunnel has sealed itself up. The demon hunter, Sango, is impressive for a human, welding her massive weapon, the Hiraikotsu, with the ease that my little brother welds the Tetsusaiga when I have seen the monk struggle under the Hiraikotsu's massive weight. The little fox kit has gained another tail under the tutelage of an older kitsune in my Court and has been all but adopted by the six-tailed silver fox. The strange girl, Kagome, removed the necklace from Inuyasha's neck the hour that she managed to get out of bed after recovering from her own injuries, simply stating that they were no longer needed as the beads broke, scattering across the floor.

And Inuyasha has changed the most. It is almost as if being back in Father's palace and court has revealed his full potential. I nearly did not recognize him when he had taken his seat at breakfast the morning after the necklace had been removed. His hair had been combed until it shined and his red fire rat clothes had been replaced with a fine silk kimono, revealing his station as a Prince of the Court for all to see. His manners, which before had been severely lacking, were as polished as my own and no one could criticize him for how he acted. The Court politics that he avoided in his youth, he now navigates as easily as a fish navigates a stream. Although, he has been spending a lot of time with the silver kitsune, perhaps that is the source of this amazing and unusual transformation.

Perhaps I should get to know Inuyasha as a brother and acquaintance instead of an enemy and hanyou...