Chapter Text
It was a typical summer afternoon in Kyuushuu.
The deep, verdant tinge of the mature summer leaves shone bright under the baking hot sunlight pouring between the branches. The deafening sound of the cicadas, buzzing and clicking, filled the flourishing canopy up to its brim. A few days ago, Sesshoumaru happened to come across a rumour about the tomb of his father, the revered Inu no Taisho, and so had sought out the youkai tribe’s village where the word was said to have first spread. The rumour turned out to be just that, a rumour, but Sesshoumaru had suspected it beforehand and so was not overly disappointed. Just enough to mercilessly slaughter each and every one of the insolent scoundrels who dared to talk falsehood regarding their now deceased liege lord. It was justice served right.
Having walked into a clearing where the sunlight shone directly onto the lush grass without being blocked by the thick foliage, he was about to take off into the air when he smelled a waft of weak but familiar scent somewhere in the far distance.
‘This scent…’
The smell was remarkably similar to his father’s, whose legacy and remains he had been searching for, for numerous years. However, it came from a dog demon who clearly had to be alive and it was definitely not charged with the intense force that the late Lord of the Western Lands had naturally radiated. It could not be him. But then who could it be? Sesshoumaru turned his course and unhurriedly moved towards the source of the faint smell that was weak but unfaltering. He had ample time in his hands and there was enough reason to investigate. Because the scent came from someplace far away, he had to walk a considerable distance. As he walked on, an aggressive smell of another youkai, a fearful tang of one being threatened, and a metallic odor of freshly spilled blood joined the scent. Waves of desperation flooded his nostrils as he approached.
A clear, babbling brook appeared when he vaulted over a large boulder blocking his way, and on the bank of the stream was a small boy with silver hair and triangular puppy ears. Unmistakably a hanyou, based on his looks and more closely examined scent. He was lying face down on the damp ground, wearing clothes made from the fur of a fire-rat by the looks of it and looked to be about eight or so in human terms. His side - exposed as the haori was hitched up - was damp with crimson rivulets of blood seeping out from a long gash and his claws were smeared with drying blood, some of them cracked and broken off. Next to him lay a corpse of a lesser youkai, its head torn apart from its body by clumsy slashes, most likely made with claws that were yet to be fully developed. Sesshoumaru strolled up to him and lightly pushed the boy with his foot, turning him over on his back. The shallowly breathing boy’s eyebrows and overall features closely resembled the Inu no Taisho’s, his lord father’s. Sesshoumaru could tell at first sight that this boy was his half brother that he had only ever heard about before.
The first thought that crossed Sesshoumaru’s mind when he found out the identity of the boy was as follows: ‘Weak, just as expected from a hanyou; bringing shame upon Father’s blood.’ He did not feel any sympathy for the wounded half-demon, nor any desire to save him. And why should he? He was an abomination, outcome of a union most unnatural. A puny, weak, baseborn half-demon like him did not deserve Sesshoumaru’s help.
Bitterness welled in his mouth at an unwelcome first encounter.
‘Father. I still cannot comprehend why you have discarded your life for such an insignificant wretch,’ thought Sesshoumaru.
In the ruthless world of the nightfolk, the weak die out and are eliminated. For a powerless creature would have already set one foot into the netherworld, leading a fragile existence that could be shattered at a hint of a turmoil. If he was not strong enough to survive this encounter with such a paltry youkai, then it was his fate to have his life ended here in this forest. His countenance nonchalant and emotionless, Sesshoumaru turned away, to leave the dying boy behind.
It was then when he felt something grab at his ankle. The hanyou child was looking up at him, holding onto the hem of his white hakama with a shaking, bloodied hand. His clear, bright pupils reflected the molten gold of Sesshoumaru’s own eyes.
“Father…?”
He seemed to mistake Sesshoumaru for his father due to his silver locks, golden eyes, youki of an inuyoukai, and the scent that was somewhat similar to his own. Sesshoumaru was slightly startled, not having expected the child to regain consciousness this quickly, but merely stared down at him wordlessly. The hanyou boy, neglecting his injuries, hurriedly stood up and tightly clasped his arms around Sesshoumaru’s leg, hugging it close and pressing himself against Sesshoumaru.
“Father, please don’t leave Inuyasha again.”
The hanyou child who called himself ‘Inuyasha’ rubbed his face covered in grime and dried blood against the pristine white silk of Sesshoumaru’s hakama. He clung to him with a sort of despairing distress, as if he were a damned soul grasping at a last morsel of salvation. His strained voice shook as he trembled with pain and misery.
“Mother died and my aunts and uncles said I’m an ‘in-auspishys’ demon and chased me out. Inuyasha doesn’t have anywhere to go now. I wanna go with you, Father.”
“I am not your father, you lowly half-demon,” Sesshoumaru snarled.
He roughly shook the boy off, disgusted. Inuyasha landed on his back in the damp dirt, one small palm instinctively pressed to his side in an attempt to control his bleeding that the fall exacerbated. But he was not discouraged and scrambled to his feet, valiantly pulling himself upright again and trailed behind Sesshoumaru, struggling to keep up with him. Sesshoumaru did not put a stop to it. It might have been because it piqued an interest in him to see even a slowly dying, lowly half-demon striving to survive and to make a place for himself in this unkind world. How pathetic. But how morbidly fascinating as well. Sesshoumaru even slowed down his steps slightly so that the boy could carry on following him. However the battle must have taken a considerable toll on the boy’s body. Inuyasha’s legs gave out from under him as he lost consciousness again just before they reached the clearing.
Sesshoumaru let out a small sigh as the hanyou’s head hit his pelt with a soft thump. He gazed at the vulnerable child for a moment, his expression unreadable. Anyone watching the two of them would have thought that Sesshoumaru would abandon him right there. That he would kick the hanyou boy away without hesitation and take off into the air, never looking back on the wounded form of the child. Curiously enough he did not. Sesshoumaru picked Inuyasha up, holding the defenceless boy against the chest plate of his armour. The way the grimy silver hair fell across his pelt was strangely intimate. Sesshoumaru finally took off into the air with his hair billowing in the wind, feeling the hot summer air turn cooler as he rose higher into the heavens.
When he arrived at the sprawling castle of the Great White Dogs after flying through the enchanted clouds that only those with dog demon youki and their guests could pass through, the retainers and servants all tried to take the boy from him, scandalised that a half-demon dared to stay in their young lord’s arms for so long. But Sesshoumaru refused all of their offers with a glare that warned them not to bother him and did not let go of the child until he finally saw his mother sitting on her throne. When he stood in front of her, he held Inuyasha by his nape and threw him at her feet. As if the boy were some worthless garbage he had somehow picked up on his way back. The daiyoukai’s eyes glanced at the boy who coughed and whimpered unconsciously then looked up at her son with a subtle smile.
“What a surprise,” she started, though she did not sound surprised in the least, “I thought you were looking for your father’s tomb, Sesshoumaru, not the hanyou he sired."
“…That was the intention.”
“Hm, fate and coincidence are abound under heaven after all,” she nodded and continued, “But why did you not finish him off then and there? I thought you would, if you ever came across him. Considering that you've invariably expressed hatred towards 'the half-breed who is unworthy of your lord father’s blood’. Oh, perhaps you brought him here to sentence him to a proper execution in the heart of inuyoukai territory?”
“No, I was simply intrigued. I intend for him to live in the outer castle.”
His mother eyed him for a moment, as if she was trying to figure out what he truly had in mind. She eventually let out a short laugh and shook her head lightly.
“Quite capricious of you isn’t it? But I do not mind; indulge yourself.”
Sesshoumaru picked the boy back up and walked to the outer castle, far apart from the main residential area of the inner castle. He slid open the door to a cold and empty abandoned building. The tatami creaked bleakly under him and gritty dust rose up as he stepped into the desolate room. This was where the retainers of lower status used to reside before the inner castle of the inuyoukai was moved many years ago to where it currently was. It was shabby, but durable as it was built by the most accomplished youkai architects of their time. It would be more than enough for a half-demon child that was used to living in the wild.
Inuyasha was unceremoniously dropped on the dusty floor before Sesshoumaru left, acknowledging the servants who hesitantly followed him to the room with a nod. They quickly brought in futon and extra clothes that the child might need. Buckets of water and towels were brought in as well to clean the boy up. Shortly thereafter, the inuyoukai healer of the castle turned up with bandages and youkai herbs, having heard about a patient who was in need of treatment.
From that day onwards, Inuyasha lived in the castle of the Great White Dogs sheltered in the valley of enchanted clouds.
When Inuyasha had recovered sufficiently to walk without the stinging pain shooting up his side, he ventured out into the cloud-covered valley surrounding the buildings. As he travelled further from the residential area, everything was gradually covered in a heavy fog, so that there was no choice but to hone his sense of smell to navigate through the misty grounds. He trained by himself in the abandoned training grounds near his rooms and volunteered to help out with hunting for sustenance of the lesser youkai servants that could not survive on twilight mist like Sesshoumaru or his mother. The youkai hunters derisively ostracized him, but did not actively put a stop to him tagging along. He was pleasantly surprised to find more edible creatures than he had expected populated the cloud valley, although they appeared very different from the ones that lived on earth.
As Inuyasha’s quarters were far off from the inner castle and Sesshoumaru was frequently away, it was not often that Inuyasha directly interacted with Sesshoumaru. But the half-demon always excitedly ran up to his older brother when he saw him, chattering with a bright and innocent smile. The only thing that Sesshoumaru showed in return to the boyish smile that was yet to be tainted was a condescending look of disinterested scorn, but Inuyasha was unrelenting in his approach.
One day, Inuyasha looked more tousled up than usual as he ran up to Sesshoumaru, having spotted him while he was walking the grounds of the inner castle. Sesshoumaru eyed the boy, his ice-cold gaze scanning the hanyou from his small bare feet to his floppy ears gently twitching in genuine excitement at seeing his older brother. The crimson of his fire-rat robe was covered with mud and dust and there were bloody scratches on his face and the back of his hands. Inuyasha looked up through dishevelled strands of silver hair at Sesshoumaru to greet him.
“Good morning, Brother.”
“You look like the filthy mongrel you were born," Sesshoumaru rebuked, sneering. "Have I not told you not to traipse around so unkempt?
“Yeah, but it's because they insulted me first!” Inuyasha replied brashly, not able to completely suppress the anger that rose back up within him.
Then his expression turned cocky at the thought of the youkai bullies who were cowardly enough to assault one hanyou as a group. "So I yelled at them to stop, but then they attacked me so I fought back. Stupid idiots."
At that moment, Inuyasha's vision flared and blurred as if a flash of lightning had struck in front of his eyes. When he came to his senses a few seconds later, he was lying on his side on the hard ground. Still feeling slightly disoriented, he raised a shaking hand up to his face, tentatively touching the tender skin of his cheek. He realised that Sesshoumaru had backhanded him. Squarely across the face. It hadn't broken the skin, but Inuyasha's left cheek was burning hot, probably puffing up and bruising. He was lucky that he didn't bite his tongue. He tried to pull himself back up, but it was then the impact of Sesshoumaru's boot-clad foot collided with his abdomen, knocking the breath out of his lungs.
Inuyasha, pushed back a little by the kick, grabbed at his aching stomach and looked up at Sesshoumaru, hurt and afraid. He felt like throwing up and bursting into tears, but tried to hold it all back. Despite his efforts, salty moisture slowly welled up in his golden eyes at the dull pain that started from where he had been slapped and kicked. Muscles convulsing a little, his whole body felt sore as the fear of more beating swept through his frame. This was not the first time he had been thrashed by Sesshoumaru since he had started living in the castle, but he still could not get used to the fear that washed over him whenever he was thrashed. He could feel the disapproving gazes of other youkai on him as they silently passed by.
He cringed, ears flattened against his head in fear and confusion. Why? This time, he was sure he didn't do anything wrong. He wasn’t the one who lashed out at the kids first. He greeted his brother politely like he was told to. But he could not bring himself to say anything at the moment. Silence stretched thin as the seconds ticked by. Inuyasha’s voice finally broke the tension when he could finally summon the nerve to ask.
“Brother… Why…?” his voice broke as Inuyasha whispered, eyes prickling with tears.
“You bring shame upon this bloodline, a dishonorable hanyou fighting pureblood youkai,” Sesshoumaru spit out, his voice as frigid as the winter frost of the northern islands. Cold-edged disdain laced his words. He turned his back on the boy and walked away, leaving him to lick his wounds to himself. The unpleasant scent of salt filled the air as the sound of muffled sobs gradually grew louder.
Shortly afterwards, Sesshoumaru came upon the young demons that taunted Inuyasha. They were sniggering and laughing about how ridiculous the hanyou’s face looked when he was ambushed from behind while retorting to insults thrown at his human parentage.
They were punished, for their impudence in attacking the brother of their sworn liege.
The crepuscular rays of sunlight died out as the brightly glowing eye of Amaterasu sank beneath the horizon, and the deeply etched shadows melted into the dark cloak of Daikokuten. The following night was darker than usual without the moon to light up the murkiness of the ink-black sky. As it was still a ways from autumn, the wind breezing through the night of the new moon did not feel chilly despite the high altitude of the castle. Sesshoumaru was in his quarters, bent over a scroll under the light of kitsunebi magically encased in a cubic paper lantern when he smelled a faint whiff of a human in the air. Most unexpected. He looked up from the flowing scripts on the scroll to the direction of the wind.
There was a human somewhere in the clouds.
Sesshoumaru's expression tightened. Preposterous. These lands were the territory of youkai and no beings without youki could ever enter this place by themselves, or even be able to perceive it. No humans could be, nor should be here. Without even bothering to change out of his nightwear, Sesshoumaru stood up, stepping outside of the building. His feet lifting off the ground as he floated up into the air, he tracked the scent and languidly flew towards its source with a speed that no humans could ever hope to emulate. He recognised the familiar scent of his younger brother mixed in with the human one, riling up suspicion that the half-demon, still wet behind the ears, had somehow brought someone from his mother's side of family into the territory. He was loath to admit that he did not know how the boy could have accomplished such a feat but this was indeed a serious matter. But the sight that greeted Sesshoumaru's eyes when he arrived at Inuyasha's quarters was not that of a human and Inuyasha sitting close together.
Inuyasha was the only one there, as always. But he did not look like the hanyou he knew. Gone were the pale hair and the burnished gold eyes. Gone were the triangular puppy ears and the sharp, developing talons on his fingertips. It was almost surreal how different Inuyasha was. His demonic features nowhere to be seen, his hair and eyes were dark, that of a full human's. He was playing with a Kemari ball by himself in his sleepwear, giggling as he successfully managed to trap the ball that he had kicked high into the air. Having no idea how vulnerable he would be if other youkai rushed here after catching a scent of a human, he was innocently carefree as he continued to playfully kick the ball. The inner castle had been downwind of Inuyasha for only a short while and Sesshoumaru and his mother's olfactory senses were not matched by even other inuyoukai, so there was little chance any other demon had noticed this change yet. Even so, exposing himself as a human in the middle of demon territory like this was absurdly reckless. There were lesser youkai here, those who would be more than happy to feast on human flesh, and even if they did not eat him on the spot, his time of weakness would be out for all to know. Sesshoumaru had been vaguely aware somewhere in the back of his mind that there were certain times when half-demons like Inuyasha became fully human, but he had thought that the boy would already have his own ways of dealing with them. Moronic imbecile. Did his useless human mother not warn him about hiding himself on nights he turned absolutely helpless? Sesshoumaru's amber eyes narrowed and he stepped towards Inuyasha, an icy aura palpably seeping out of him.
Inuyasha felt something like dread drop in his stomach when he noticed Sesshoumaru heading towards him with an expression that could have scared away even the bravest of taijiya. Inuyasha forgot to catch the ball that was falling so it landed on the ground and rebounded a few times as it rolled away from them.
Towering over his brother, Sesshoumaru retracted his claws as he curled his fingers into his palm and raised his fist, ready to throw a punch at Inuyasha's face. The hanyou, no, human instinctively flinched away from him, squeezing his eyes shut.
The demon's hand stilled at the sight of the black-haired boy cowering beneath him. Then a thought crossed his mind. That this blow, delivered as would be to a hanyou, might actually kill Inuyasha, as defenceless as he was as a young human without any youryouku. He lowered his hand, his fingers unfolding from the tight clench. Killing him as he was now would be meaningless. He would not sink as low.
Sesshoumaru roughly grabbed the small human by his biceps and dragged him into the boy's quarters. Inuyasha stumbled in after him, nearly losing his balance but catching himself before he fell. It seemed like Inuyasha had not turned off the lights before he left to play Kemari as his bedroom was still well lit by the warm glow of kitsunebi. A desk, cushions, toys, and scrolls for young youkai were scattered across the expanse of cleaned tatami, making the previously desolate room feel cozier than before. Sesshoumaru sat down on one of the cushions and pulled his brother over his knees. Heartbeat thumping nervously and his stomach locked up, Inuyasha had let himself be tugged into his room without any protests. But now he could not hide bewilderment at his brother's actions. He had never seen Sesshoumaru act this way, what did he mean to do? Perplexed, he looked over his shoulder and tried to look Sesshoumaru in his eyes.
“Brother, what are you…?” he asked confusedly.
But before Inuyasha could even finish the question, his obi was undone and his hakama and underwear were unceremoniously taken down in one sweep. “Hey…!” His cheeks flushed as he uncomfortably squirmed in place. He looked absolutely flustered as he reached back to cover his bottom and to pull up his hakama, or at least his underwear back into place. However, all that came to an end when Sesshoumaru's low voice warned him threateningly.
“If you do not have a death wish, you will keep your hands to yourself,” Sesshoumaru said flatly.
At that, Inuyasha quickly pulled his hands back to fold his arms in front of him and buried his hot face into them, whining softly. The shamefully blushing face, as red as a mature persimmon, was now hidden by the smooth silken sleeves of his sleepwear with only the tips of his human ears visible, equally as red. Even though the summer air could not be that cold, the cool air ghosting over his upturned rear made him shiver.
"Is this the time when you regularly lose your youryouku?" Sesshoumaru quietly asked.
Inuyasha bit his bottom lip and mumbled at the humiliation of having his backside bared. He really did not want to have a conversation with his pants down but defying angry-looking Sesshoumaru was unthinkable to young Inuyasha.
“Yeah, once a month, on the night of the new moon. I've been staying inside when I transform… before tonight. Thought it would be okay to play outside this time 'cause nothing's happened on these nights since I came here. Sorry for not telling you earlier…?”
It was then that a smack came down on his bottom with a plosive crack. Not at all prepared for the stinging slap that rang throughout his entire frame, Inuyasha let out an unintentional yelp.
“Ow!”
"Stay confined to your quarters as a weak half-demon should when you transform, not flaunt your pathetic human form around."
Inuyasha wanted to protest that he had definitely not been flaunting his human form. He had simply been out because no one had been near and so he thought nobody would be able to catch him without his demonic powers. And because he'd been a little bored. But he could not voice his thoughts as his head felt like it was ringing and his stomach twisted up at Sesshoumaru's condemningly cold words. All he could do was lay there and bite his clenched fist, trying not to toss his hands back to protect his bottom from the horrible smacks that rained down.
Sesshoumaru lowered his raised hand and struck the quickly reddening rear briskly. One palm was enough to cover both cheeks because of Inuyasha's size, so each impact built on top of the other more rapidly than it otherwise would. Inuyasha whimpered and gasped at the fire of pain exploding across the burning skin. The aching and the throbbing was becoming so great that he barely heard Sesshoumaru speak.
“You will learn to keep your human stench to yourself.”
Sesshoumaru spoke no more as he continued to repeatedly land strikes on the tightened bottom. The skin turned a darker shade of red with each blow. The scorching sting that followed led to Inuyasha's lips twisting open to let out muffled cries that grew increasingly desperate. The dew-like droplets of tears whose moisture had clumped his thick eyelashes together finally fell, staining his sleeves with small circles of darker colour that melted into irregular blotches. The sharp sounds of skin meeting skin and the subsequent sobs and sniffles violently shattered the peaceful tranquility of the hanyou's quarters, far away from the buzz of the inner castle.
“Ow, Brother, I’m sorry! I’ll just stay in my room when I turn human from now on! Ow, ah! With the blanket around me and the doors shut, I promise! Ow, I promise!” Inuyasha cried.
However, Sesshoumaru seemed deaf to Inuyasha's distressed pleas, showing no signs of slowing down the hits as he pressed down on the boy's back. The choking sobs grew louder as the smacks continuing to fall on the exposed and vulnerable bottom drowned out other thoughts. He wanted to beg Sesshoumaru to stop, but as choked with tears as he was, it was difficult to get any words out of his mouth. Clapping noises from a firm hand colliding against a pliant bottom rang in the room.
Inuyasha had never wanted to disappoint his brother and actually really tried not to get in trouble with him. But he had yet again. Why was that, Inuyasha wondered, was it because of his deficient birth status that was unnatural in essence? The shadows of sadness and guilt stretched out under the fog of pain. Coughing into his sleeves, he cleared his throat as much as he could as started to beg for mercy.
“Please… It really hurts, I’m sorry, Brother! Stop… please…,” Inuyasha wailed, staccato coughs breaking in between watery words.
Sesshoumaru was dimly aware of how fragile a human child's body could be, so he had intentionally put in far less strength than he would in striking him when he was a hanyou. Even so, Inuyasha's face was wet with tears and snot and he was coughing like something had gone down the wrong pipe. He stopped the smacks and looked down on the squirming boy. His own palm was still pale with not a hint of a blush but the spanked cheeks were a deep shade of crimson, looking as if they were about to bruise.
Sesshoumaru pushed the boy off his knees, not too roughly but in a way that certainly could not be considered gentle. Even released from the hold, the aching pain remained and the tears did not stop leaking from the boy's eyes. Inuyasha rubbed at his pink face with his sleeves, his head miserably tipped down. He carefully pulled up his hakama and underwear, wincing as the tender flesh came into direct contact with the fabric. A soft sheen of sweat glistened on his brows as the sobs slowly tapered off to soft sniffles. He knelt down in front of Sesshoumaru and cautiously looked up at him through his messed up bangs, his shoulders hunched and shivering slightly. The youkai's lips parted and the words that came out were as dispassionate as ever.
"Forgetting to thank me for personally correcting your errors. Where are your manners, Inuyasha? Do you need more 'lessons' on how to conduct yourself properly?" Sesshoumaru asked.
"No! No, sir. Thank you… for this correction, Brother. I am grateful you lowered yourself to discipline me," Inuyasha mustered, sniffling with swollen eyes.
Sesshoumaru gave a curt nod and wordlessly pointed to Inuyasha's futon with a long index finger. Inuyasha scrambled up, scurried to his bed without dawdling, and pulled the covers over his head. Now the only part of him that could be seen was a few strands of black hair, damp with sweat. The blanket bobbed up and down with Inuyasha's sobs that sounded like he was drowning in shame and pain. Sesshoumaru dimmed the light of the kitsunebi lanterns with his youki and left the quarters with the door firmly closed and locked behind him. He knew that his time here would have completely covered up Inuyasha's human smell with his own scent.
It was the first night in which he witnessed his brother turn into a being as delicate as a bead of translucent glass.
*Kyuushuu: the southwesternmost of Japan’s four main islands, the island in this work is considered to be "The Western Lands"
*Amaterasu (天照): the Japanese sun goddess, daughter of creator deities Izanagi and Izanami, and central to the Shinto religion
*Daikokuten (大黒天): the Japanese god of great darkness or blackness, one of the Seven Lucky Gods
*Kitsunebi (狐火): an atmospheric ghost light told about in legends all across Japan outside Okinawa Prefecture
*Kemari (蹴鞠): an athletic game that was popular in Japan during the Heian period among aristocrats. It resembles a game of football (soccer) or hacky sack