Chapter 6

"Lord Sesshoumaru, the half-breed is here," Jaken ran into Sesshoumaru's private study. "Milord, let me disperse him."

"No, Jaken. I will deal with my brother," Sesshoumaru rose, slipping Tokijin and Tensaiga into his sash.

"Sesshoumaru, get your ass out here!" InuYasha demanded, the Tetsusaiga already transformed.

"Hello, little brother," Sesshoumaru appeared at the front entrance of his palace.

Since it was his home, Sesshoumaru didn't have his usual armor set on, just his swords.

"Where is Kagome?" InuYasha growled.

"She is within my home. The woman was in tears only days ago. Little brother, she does not want you. You chose the clay bitch. Now get off of my lands or suffer dire consequences," Sesshoumaru warned.

"It was a mistake. I love Kagome. Kikyo put me under a fuckin' spell, knowing Kagome would walk in. I told Kagome that I love her and I meant it. I'll fight you if I have to," InuYasha growled further, cracking the knuckles of one hand while holding Tetsusaiga in the other.

"With the Tetsusaiga? You cannot fight for her with that. She is bathing. You can see her when she is done and ask her. You will not cause trouble in my palace. If you behave, I can have your room prepared," Sesshoumaru offered.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" InuYasha asked, quite confused.

"I will allow you to talk to Kagome. I will not deny my guest that since she has been agreeable in her stay so far. As for your room, it has always been your room," Sesshoumaru replied.

"No, you hate me. That's not possible! What kind of trick is this?" InuYasha said, now upset.

"Brother, grow up. If you believe I had anything to do with your mother's death, I swear on our father's grave that I did not. I am not an emotional man. You are my only blood, even tainted as it is. I could have killed you if I wanted, even on your human night," Sesshoumaru explained, growing bored and berating himself on why he indulged InuYasha's curiosity. "In the years following father's death, I was challenged constantly for the Western domain. I could not take care of your mother or you, so I had to send you away. By the time things had settled out, rumor had it that your mother was dead by renegade demons, and your human relatives shunned you, yet made you think that I had also shunned you, and commanded that your mother be killed."

InuYasha was at a loss for words after Sesshoumaru's confession. Years of hating his older half brother over stupid rumors. He fended on his own since he was a pup. Finally, his thoughts came together.

"Why didn't you tell me before? Did you enjoy toying with me?" Inu Yasha growled, then swiped Sesshoumaru across the chest with his claws, leaving deep bloody gashes through his top. "All those years I fended for myself, while you lived here all comfy. Sesshoumaru, you were my only direct living relative and never even tried to reason with me. How can you think I will just let everything be bygones?"

"It was necessary. I cannot have a weak little brother. It was the only way to get through to you, as you had been angry and did not want to listen to any reason," Sesshoumaru grabbed Inu Yasha by the neck, and threw him against the side of the stone palace. "If you know what is best little brother, I suggest you come in peacefully. You will not continue this violence in the presence of my ward or my people."

Sesshoumaru's eyes tinged with red briefly, and then returned to normal, as he turned to go within his home. He felt a bit guilty for treating Inu Yasha like he did all those years, but he was not familiar with being a father, nor wanted to be that way to his only sibling. His own mother never really cared unless it suited her fancy, and it was Sesshoumaru's only honor to protect involved the Western domain. He couldn't take care of InuYasha and defend his clan's legacy. He just did what he could by instigating InuYasha's ire to defend himself, as Sesshoumaru himself was a young lord, barely out of his own pup years, ruling the Western lands.

InuYasha only nodded, then picked himself off the ground to follow Sesshoumaru inside. He understood that Sesshoumaru had grown up hard, and only had loyalties to the Western lands, as he had been groomed as a pup to take up when he was ready. However, he knew that his father died the day he was born, leaving a very young Sesshoumaru as Lord of the Western lands.

As for Sesshoumaru, he remembered that often his human tutors reprimandedhim for wanting to at least check on his half brother, while calling him a "dumb half breed" and requesting that Sesshoumaru kill his brother. However, Sesshoumaru did not adhere to his advisors' requests, and that often led to challenges. Sesshoumaru would come back bloody and his silk haori in tatters as his guards dragged in the corpse of the loser.

He remembered even when the original palace caught on fire, and from that day he sought only his own counsel. He killed the advisors for running his mother and him from the burning palace, just because Sesshoumaru refused to kill InuYasha. They threatened to support a minor lord and wipe out his clan.

As InuYasha followed his brother, he watched his brother's knee- length hair sway, and remembered how he had idolized his brother. It was his reason why he had wanted to become a full demon, so he could be just like his brother, and help him defend the Western lands. No matter how many times he had been chased down by humans and demons alike, to be beat, he dreamed of being by his brother. It was natural for him, despite being a half demon. InuYasha was aware that his inner beast demanded to defend his pack, and his brother was part of it, even if he was estranged. He had hated every battle that he had gone against Sesshoumaru, especially when he had cut off his arm. He secretly mourned the loss of his brother's perfect limb and hoped that one day it could be returned. Sesshoumaru almost had gotten it back, but let his his arm fall into Hell, with Sou'unga attached to it, in order to rid the world of both the sword and his father's rival, Takemaru.

Sesshoumaru stopped at a doorway and slid open the shoji screen.

"Wait in the dining hall. I will send Kagome to see you," he motioned and then turned to leave as InuYasha stepped into the room.