Sesshomaru's secret

One

He was being questioned. Being the Lord of his lands, he didn't have to bare the annoyance of being bombarded with questions like he was a mere pup; his servants and subjects knew better than to doubt him. He knew that some form of change was going to be taken place after Naraku was dead; but he didn't like this type of change. There was a reason he roamed his lands other than to patrol, he couldn't stand socializing more than what was completely necessary. Rin had dragged him straight to the small village where his half brother had settled down with the miko; Sesshomaru had the full intention of leaving the small girl to be around the humans. However, the idea was quickly forced from his head when his ward and the miko dragged him to the hut where everyone else in Inuyashas rag-tag group resided.

"Come on, Sesshomaru!" Rin shook his arm with a small grin, her small hands clutching surprisingly hard to the fabric of his sleeve. He itched to yank his arm away from her grasp, her clinginess usually didn't make him feel this uncomfortable. Then again, his idiot of a younger brother usually didn't prowl through his belongings. Although, Sesshomaru should have known that removing his armor and Yukata was the most idiotic thing he could have possibly have done around his hanyou of a brother. He had originally took off the Armor due to his clothing being wet where Rin had paired up with the fox kit to 'prank' him with a pale of water. Inuyasha decided to be nosey when he fumbled with the metal and Sesshomaru hadn't thought twice about it until...

"Who's in the picture?!"

Inuyasha held the thin piece of paper in between his claws as his golden eyes squinted at the faded ink. The picture was barely half the size of Inuyasha's hand and he would have never have found it if he hadn't kicked his older brothers armor by accident. If the faded ink wasn't a clue to how old the image was, then the crumpled worn edges and the clear signs of how many times the paper had been folded repeatedly spoke volumes. It was obvious the photo, despite its worn appearance, was cared for; so why in the hell is it tucked inside Sesshomaru's armor?!

Inuyasha could make out his brothers stiff form in the photo and his ever-present mask of indifference. His silver hair was tied up in a samurai-styled knot on top of his head and his clothes looked more like the type that was seen in Kagome's time. What really seemed to interest everyone at the moment, though, was the figure who had their arms wrapped around the demons neck and was alarmingly close to the mans person; personal space didn't seem to be a issue. Inuyasha maybe a tad slow on picking up on such things, but despite the person wearing clothes more fitted for a man, this was irrefutably a woman who didn't lack in the department of curves. Her face was blurred to the point that facial features was unidentifiable, much to the room occupants irritation.

Sesshomaru clenched his jaw as the dark haired priest snatched the paper from his younger brothers fingers. He didn't have to lift a finger, though, when the miko hit the man rather harshly in the head. "Careful! You're going to rip it apart with how rough you're being!" She was gently as she pried the picture from his hands and Sesshomaru felt his jaw loosen. The miko must have noticed the tension in his shoulders, his eyes iced over more than they had been in the past two months.

"You're family now, Sesshomaru, like it or not." Kagome smiled as Sango bobbed her head in agreement, noticing the tension in the demon Lords shoulders as well. "And family has to look out for each other."

Sesshomaru bit his tongue as Kagomes words triggered a familiar saying that was preached to him:

Those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum.

He gritted his teeth in annoyance; how it was relevant to the miko's words was unknown. He was uncertain if he considered the people before him as friends... Let alone family; Inuyasha was a exception. The silvered haired hanyou wasn't as horrid as Sesshomaru first thought him to be, but there was still much work to be done for him to be considered capable of with holding the title of being the son of the Great Dog General. It would never be admitted aloud in any circumstance, but the dog demon considered Inuyasha a... dece- ok... brother. His hatred over the years was ill-placed and childish in mild terms. He wasn't going to apologize aloud for his attitude towards the hanyou, because it was unbecoming of a lord; but he could ease up on the half-breed. He was surprised that Inuyasha wasn't up in his face demanding answers.