The What If Scenario by TamashaToko

Compensation

“It doesn’t matter,” InuYasha released a pained breath as his own blood pooled beneath him, “you still can’t wield it.  It’s like Kagome said, if you couldn’t pull it out you weren’t meant to have it.”

InuYasha lost, bested by his older brother in his bestial form.  Sesshoumaru had the upper hand from the very start of the battle, it was true, but it almost seemed like things were destined to turn when InuYasha proclaimed his desire to protect Kagome and the once worthless sword transformed into a mighty fang.  Finally InuYasha stood a fighting chance against the giant white dog that stood before him, but it still hadn’t been enough.

“InuYasha!” Kagome screamed in horror after witnessing her companion fall to the ground in such a state.

InuYasha had attempted to strike at his brother’s limbs with his new sword in mid-air only to be brought down by a single head butt by the large hound.  Sesshoumaru might’ve been caught off guard by the fang’s transformation into a formidable weapon but he was still superior in battle tactics being much older and experienced.  The daiyoukai wasn’t foolish enough to let InuYasha get airborne with such a lethal weapon.

Sesshoumaru with his strike had sent InuYasha straight back to where their battle had begun, the floor of their father’s tomb where that nuisance of a human girl and pulled the Tessaiga from its prison demeaning both of the brothers.  The impact not only shattered InuYasha’s bones but caused him to drop the sword many feet away. Without the blade or the ability to stand Sesshoumaru declared himself the victor.

It would have been easy enough to simply pounce upon his prey and stomp the life out of him while the miasma he’d previously dispatched dissolved the body of his worthless half-breed brother, but that’d just be too easy.  At least that was the excuse Sesshoumaru made for himself to explain why he wasn’t taking any action. The truth of the matter was it felt a bit dishonorable to murder his own kin so easily in his father’s tomb. Sesshoumaru felt no guilt in killing his younger brother, but it just didn’t seem right in the moment.

Kagome was still on top of the skeletal remains of Sesshoumaru and InuYasha’s father where the stand off between brothers had reached its climax.  She assumed that this was the end and that the mighty dog before her would kill her without a second thought.

Fearing the worst the young girl closed her eyes, “InuYasha is done for and it’s all my fault!  He did this to protect me. Why? Why would he be so stupid?  All of this was for nothing. I never even found him a jewel shard to make up for what I did.  InuYasha I’m sorry.”

Instead of easily killing her the giant dog instead began to revert back into his humanoid form.  That didn’t mean Sesshoumaru was any less terrifying staring her down with those cold dull amber eyes as though contemplating his next devious move.

“Well younger brother,” Sesshoumaru shook his head with a victorious smile on his face revealing his pointed fangs, “seeing you so broken and pathetic after achieving such a small moment of grandeur has been entertaining.  So much so I’ll reward you by leaving you here to soak up this defeat.”

A gust of wind rapidly formed around Sesshoumaru causing his Mokomoko to flutter in the air as though it were caught within a tornado.  The wind was so strong it forced Kagome’s skirt to ride up, but she was too horrified at InuYasha’s condition to react to it. The wind Sesshoumaru created with his demonic aura was sent towards the bottom of the tomb with the purpose of purifying his own miasma from all around them.

InuYasha was on his feet, but in a crouching position obviously unable to stand up or even hope to make a move for his sword.  He had no other choice but to accept defeat. He was stubborn, but without the ability to barely move his body he had no chance.  That had been when he delivered his comment about none of it mattering for Sesshoumaru couldn’t even touch the sword let alone wield it.

Sesshoumaru paid his younger brother no mind as his eyes remained locked on to Kagome the whole time.

“That might be true for the moment,” Sesshoumaru was confident the Tessaiga wasn’t out of his reach forever, “InuYasha you never fully explained to me your relationship with this human girl.  It is apparent you have affection for her. If you did not I doubt that blade would have transformed. You will tell me the truth. It is the honorable thing to do after I showed something as worthless as you mercy.”

“K-Kagome,” InuYasha said her name looking upward at her, “she’s- she’s nothing to me.  She can sense the shards of the shattered shikon jewel. I want the jewel to be a full demon.  Maybe then if I could do that I could defeat you.”

InuYasha’s words stabbed at Kagome as she was once again being labeled as nothing more than a jewel shard detector.  Sesshoumaru, however was not fooled. He hated that his father had once used the Tessaiga to protect a human woman, but he was not ignorant to the significance behind its transformation.  His brother had affection towards the human girl. That was enough for Sesshoumaru to make a decision with the added bonus of her having value in regards to the sacred jewel. He didn’t think much of the girl at first, but something told him she was no regular human.

“I thought that glass bead disappeared from this world when that other wench of yours died,” Sesshoumaru shook his head closing his eyes as he began to approach Kagome, “I have no desire for that jewel.  I despise what you are InuYasha, how weak you are, but pursuing such an object to grow your strength is pathetic. You desire the jewel that much you’d disregard your pride and fight me with powers that are not your own?  If that is your desire I’ll take away your means of obtaining it. I’ll let you live this day and hold on to father’s sword a little longer, but I am not leaving this tomb without compensation for my time and having to sit through Jaken’s scheme.  Your human woman now belongs to me.”