Current mood:	gloomy
Entry tags:	chaptered fic: between the devil and ..., fanfic, fanfic: inuyasha, genre: action/adventure, genre: slash, pairing: sesshomaru/omc, rating: r

[InuYasha] The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, Pt.5 [R] slash
.
.between the devil and the deep blue sea.
InuYasha. overall rated r. chapter rated pg-13. yaoi/shonen-ai. adventure/action. violence. Sesshomaru/OMC. WIP. chapter ~3500 words. | Summary: A sinister presence troubles the land, and Sesshomaru is trying to find out what or who it is. Friends and foes, old and new, cross his and his companion's (OMC) way, including InuYasha + friends and Naraku.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

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*** = scene change
-I- = POV change

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Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea,
Part Five: Silent Rain
by Chocolate H.-D.

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You can’t see tears in the rain
No matter how hard you try.
-- Tears in the Rain, Jennifer Rush

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It was only when Anakin did open his eyes that he noticed he had fallen asleep. Well, duh! Now this was great; he hadn’t even noticed how tired he had been last night. Talk about attention skills, really. Slowly getting himself into an upright position, he stretched his arms over his head, trying to ease the pain out of his muscles.

Not that it helped much, but it was a start, at last. Note to self: Do not fall asleep on the ground like this ever again! Stretching his legs out as well, he winched from the pain. Damnit.

Groaning in annoyance, he let his eyes take in the scene before him.

The fire was still burning, but everyone else beside him seemed to be asleep. Kagome was lying in what she had called a sleeping bag, his dog, plus Shippo cuddled up to her side. Sango was lying near her, her cat deep asleep next to her, with Miroku a bit further away and his back against the cave wall. Anakin smiled in sympathy. The monk would probably hurt about as bad as he did now as soon as he woke up.

The only one who was missing was InuYasha. He wasn’t asleep nor was he anywhere in sight. But that was something to worry about later. He had to get up first. Now that he thought about it, it wasn’t a very pleasant thought. Nope, not at all.

Well, at least nothing had happened in the meantime, because he was still alive. Or seemed to. Groaning again, he forced himself to his feet in one motion. No, he had to be alive, because he dobted he would hurt this bad if he was dead. As it seemed, the cat had been woken by his noises. She flicked her ears at him, sleepy eyes watching him guarded as he started to walk up toward the mouth of the cave. Once she was assured nothing bad would happen, she yawned and went back to sleep.

Anakin smiled. Kirara was cute.

Still he needed to get out of that cave. Or better said, what he needed was fresh air.

A lot of it.

Obviously Sesshomaru hadn’t returned yet. It wasn’t unusual for the youkai, but it still worried him to some degree. It always did. Especially in times like this. Slowly moving one foot in front of the other, he reached his objective without falling on his face. Damn, but his feet – hell, his whole legs! – were hurting like a bitch. As did his back.

At least the air was fresh. It had to be raining at some point during the night, because the ground was still damp, the air heavy with humidity. Breathing in deeply, he stepped onto the moist grass. Despite the fact that he liked to watch the rain, he was glad that he’d spend the night in a fairly dry cave. Not the most comfortable way to spend the night, sure, but he had worse.

Much worse.

The second thing he noticed was that even now it was unnaturally quiet.

He shivered despite himself. Again, the stillness was starting to freak him out, and it wasn’t even dark anymore. Great, now he was--

A noise behind him made him jump in surprise, whirling around so fast that he was dizzy for a second or two. Once he could see straight again, he came face to face with InuYasha. A very hanyou InuYasha. But then again, the night was over, and it was only natural that he had returned to his usual self. “Good morning.”, he said quietly, not knowing what else to say. The wounds the hanyou had suffered just yesterday seemed to be almost gone as well. I wish I’d heal that fast.

“Keh!”

He frowned. “O-kay, maybe not. Whatever. Do you happen to know if there is a stream or something like that nearby? I thought I heard water when we were walking through the woods.”

For a moment he thought the hanyou wasn’t going to answer him, but then he pointed a clawed finger toward a small path that would lead him deeper into the woods. “It’s not far.”, he was told grumbling.

Anakin smiled. “Thanks.”

He hadn’t taken three steps when the hanyou called his name. “You can't go there alone. I am not going to be held responsible for your death if some youkai decided to use you as his meal!”

“Don’t worry, I can't take care of myself. Beside, there is nothing around, no?”

It looked like InuYasha tested the air, then nodded. “I can't smell anything, which doesn’t mean there isn't.”

“Like I said, I can take care of myself.”

“Keh! See if I care!”

He watched the white-haired hanyou spin around and stalk away. He chuckled and shrugged. It didn’t take him long to reach the stream, a few minutes maybe, and it wasn’t huge nor did it seem to be especially deep, but it should do to get his legs to stop hurting. Removing his shoes, he started to roll up his pants to his knees.

The water was cold.

Really, damn cold, but after he got over the initial shock, it was bareble. More so, his feet and legs seemed to crave the cold at the moment. Whatever got rid of the pain, he wasn’t going to be picky about it now. He knew he couldn’t bath in there, that would be too cold, but at least his legs would be better. The pain in his back had to wait for later. He needed his leg more than his back and neck.

Padding further into the water so the water reached his knees, he curled his toes and sighed content. Now that was something. In his relaxed state – plus the fact that he was still a little sleepy – it took him a moment longer than usual to notice that something was off about this place. In fact, something was absolutely wrong. It was still quiet, only the low murmur of the streaming water reaching his ears, but that wasn’t what was disturbing him.

Or he didn’t thought it was. The stillness of all of this was creeping him out, allright, but he was starting to get used to it. Nah, there was something else, only he couldn’t put his finger on it. Yet. He kicked one of the bigger stones on the ground of the stream, watching the clear water curling around his legs, when it suddenly hit him:

There were no fishes in the water!

None. Zero!

That couldn’t be, could it?

The water was extremely clear, there should have been plenty of fishes there, at least one or two that he could see, but there was nothing. It was… “…empty.” If the water had been poisened or something, there should have been dead fishes all around, shouldn’t there? And the grass around him should have been affected too, not only the fishes. Only that it wasn’t.

Was that the doing of that strange creature as well? Well, duh, who else?, a voice in the back of his mind groaned annoyed, mocking him. He wasn’t sure how long he had been standing in the water staring like he did, but some time later his feet started to feel numb. Uh-huh. Time to out then. He was getting his second shoe on when someone walked up to him. “Did you say something?”

InuYasha. Of course.

He kept silent until he was done with his shoe and the hanyou was next to him. “Watch the stream, InuYasha. What do you see?”

The canine ears twiched once, twice, and the hanyou frowned, but then he stepped closer to the stream. “Nothing.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

“Huh?”

“There is not a single fish in there.” The other simply stared at him as if he was speaking a foreign language, so he went on. “They are gone, just like the other animals and whatever lived in these woods before yesterday.”

“Maybe the water has been poisened…”

He shook his head. “See the grass and the flowers?”, he pointed to the moss that was growing on the rocks at the other side. “This would be gone as well if that was the case.”

InuYasha sniffed the water, but he didn’t seem to smell anything out of the ordinary. Yes, that was what he had thought. What the hell had happened and what the hell was that thing that it could do something like this? Everything and anything seemed to be fleeing from that thing. And what scared him the most was that animals were usually right when it came to what their instincts told them to do.

And he didn’t like it. Not one bit.

“Did you… did you see what happened in the village?”

The question was stated quietly, almost hesitant, and InuYasha wasn’t looking at him when he spoke. “Yes.”

“And?”

“When we… came there last night, the whole village looked like it was painted red. With blood. It was sickening.”

“I am not asuming that my high and mighty brother took care of the bodies, huh?”

Anakin stared long and hard at him and the hanyou seemed to sense his eyes on him because he turned away from the stream to look at him. “There were no bodies to take care off, InuYasha. You are right. He wouldn’t have, but I would. But there were no bodies to take care of. Everything…everything was gone.”

Silence, then, “feh!”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

He went on to wash his face and drank a little from the water. It was still silent, the silence sill bugged him, but he wasn’t alone. He took InuYasha’s brashness and big mouth over the deafeing quiet and solitude every day. When he was done, he turned to walk back to the cave, only to feel claws on his arm. “What?”

“Why do you do it?”

Huh? “Do what?”

“Travelling with him. Sesshomaru, I mean. What is he to you and you to him?”

“I’m sorry but that is not my place to tell you, InuYasha.”

“I ask you so it damn well is. Now answer me.”

“I don’t have to answer to anyone but mylord, try to remember that.”

“But..but…”

Anakin sighed. Okay, maybe he should give him something. “Listen InuYasha, whatever you might think, it is not what it is. I am not his slave. I am with him because I want to be. If you can't except that, that is your problem. Now let’s return before Kagome and the others start to worry about your whereabouts.”

He was able to walk away this time, soon followed by the now very silent hanyou. They arrived at the, well, camp to find everyone beside the monk still asleep. He too, asked about the villagers, and InuYasha took it upon himself to explain what he had expplained back at the stream. Soon, the little kitsune tumbled out of the cave, followed by Shadow.

“Shippo seems to like him.”, Miroku spoke up quietly after watching them interact for a while.

“I think kids in general like animals, no matter what. Rin is crazy about him, so it isn't really surprising.”, Anakin asnwered.

“Rin, is that the girl that travels with you?”

He nodded. “Yes.” And by kami, I hope she and Jaken are safe.

Obviously the monk picked up on the fact that he wasn’t going to elaborate, so he changed the topic rather quickly. Anakin was grateful for that. He didn’t want to get into this conversation with them. There was no good that could come off this, so it was better to stay away from that topic as far as it was possible.

***

It was almost noon when dark, grey clouds had started to gather on the horizon, making it look like it would rain again shortly. InuYasha saw no need to go back into the cave, he had told them that it wouldn’t rain anytime soon. No sense in argueing with the stubborn hanyou. Kagome had asked him earlier if he wanted to eat with them and because he really was hungry – and Sesshomaru nowhere in sight – he agreed.

He was never going to regret that decision.

Nope, not at all. It had been delicious, even though he had no idea what it was. He didn’t ask though. That wold not be polite and given that it was good, he saw no reason to question the girl about her strange food. Plus, she’d even provided the dog with something. Normally only Rin took care of it if Anakin himself wasn’t capable of doing so. He had thanked her for her thoughtfulness, but she had only responded with a kind smile.

Now he was sitting on the ground with his back against a huge tree, dozing in the few, warm sun-rays that reached them here. It was still silent all around, only the chirping of a bird passing by now and then had interrupted it so far. Surprisingly the silence bothered him less these past hours. InuYasha’s friends made enough noise to make up for his surroundings.

And for once, he was glad.

The hanyou himself had disappeared after lunch.

According to Sango, that meant he was sitting in a tree, sleeping or moping around. Or both. Some kind of hobby, she had told him smiling.

But as amusing it was to hang out with them, he wished Sesshomaru would return soon. Leaning his head back against the rough wood, he calmly watched the clouds above him. There were more now, but it seemed InuYasha had been right. No rain so far.

A small sigh escaped his lips. Rain.

Yes, he always liked the rain. His mother had teased him for that in the days she had still been alive, but he had not cared. Well, not much. Listening to it at night had always been soothing to him, like a lullaby his mother had sung to him and his brother almost a lifetime ago.

Brother, I miss you so much, he thought smiling sadly to himself. But that, too, was a lifetime ago. Or at least it felt like one.

Closing his eyes, he pressed the heels of his hands into the them. Hard. He would not go again and start to think about the past, not here, not now. But the burning prickle behind his eyes was overwhelming all of a sudden, the urge to cry almost to much to bear. But there is no rain he can use as disguise – his mask – and he doesn’t. Then again, he had almost forgotten how much it hurt just to think about this.

Him, his subconscious corrected involuntarily. Yes, him. Dead for almost two years now, but it still hurt like it did the day he died. Perhaps that particular pain would never disappear entirely.

‘You have to let go, forget, and the pain will leave you along with the memory’ Someone had told him this some time ago, but there was no way he could – would – do it.

He couldn’t forget about his beloved brother, his mother, even if he lived a thausend years.

Losing his mother had been painful, still he came around, but his brother as well? He had been the last member of the family he knew. After that, there was nothing. The sudden snap of a branch into the silence around him snapped Anakin out of his gloomy thoughts. That exact same moment, InuYasha appeared next to him in a blur of red movement. His own eyes shot up to see… nothing.

Only when he saw Shadow staring at something to there right, tail low, flipping left and right, Shippo forgotten, and ears twitching softly, he knew who was coming. He stood up calmly, wiping away the dust that clung to his clothes.

Sesshomaru was back.

“InuYasha,” a deep, cold voice rose from behind him.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourself to hear the infamous needle fall.

Everyone froze. Well, everyone minus InuYasha and himself, that was. But as he smiled at the youkai as he came into view, InuYasha was scowling. Anakin shook his head inwardly. There was no way he would understand them, ever. “Sesshomaru, you bastard. A little bit late, are you?”, he spat at his brother, and he saw the youkai tense.

Uh. Not good. “Do not use that tone with me, hanyou.”

“And what if I do? Will you fight me again?”

Damn.

He had forgotten just how bad meetings between these two could end.

Fighting wasn’t the best idea. Not here and certainly not now, but it was not his place to tell them that. But what to do now, what to do? He took a slow, shaky breath, still a bit troubled from his almost meltdown a minute ago, when golden eyes abruptly switched their focus to him. Huh?

For a moment the youkai just stared, like he was looking for… something, something only he could see. Anakin had no clue. And most of the time it was better not to think abot these things alltogether, since the only thing that came off it was a bad headache and no answers whatsoever.

“We are leaving.”, the youkai lord announced firmly, already starting to walk away. There was no room for protest.

Anakin shrugged. He turned and was about to thank the other for their help when InuYasha spoke up. And he was angry.

“What the hell, Sesshomaru?”, he screamed after his brother, and to Anakin’s surprise, the youkai actually stopped. “You left us with your little friend here, and now you are leaving without saying a word again? What was that thing that killed those people, you bastard! You can't just waltz in here like the arrogant bastard you are and walk away like nothing happened.”

“Do you intend to stop me, InuYasha?” Anakin understood it for what it was: taunt.

“Hell yes I do, you arrogant ass.”

“It is none of your concern.”

“The fuck it is not! It attacked us and killed all of those people. Not that you care about them, but we do! So tell me or--”

He broke off then, because Sesshomaru turned slowly, cold eyes glaring at his younger brother. InuYasha’s hand reached for his sword, but the youkai didn’t reach for his. His voice was as cold as ice, and Anakin shivered. Maybe the sword would have been the better option. “Or what? Do you dare threaten me, half breed?”

“Keh! Don’t look at me like that. I am not afraid of you!”

“That is very foolish of you. But you are a fool, are you no? I am not surprised. You are a disgrace to your heritage, InuYasha, that something like you is our father’s son.”, Sesshomaru trailed off, just staring. Now that had to hurt. Yes, he knew the youkai Lord could be cruel, and this only made it obvious. Then again, it wasn’t solitary his brother that had to undergo this form of treatment. He treated humans and various other youkai just as heartless.

“How dare you…”, InuYasha snarled, and he was about to attack his brother, when Kagome’s voice rang out, this time stopping the hanyou in his tracks.

“Don’t think I won’t say it, InuYasha.”, she yelled and even though he had no idea what she was talking about, it seemed to have the desired effect. “It is not the time for you two to fight, damnit. Look around you. Something is so very wrong here, we can't take any risks.”

So the girl could not only cook, but she was clever as well. Sesshomaru seemed to think so too, because he spoke up suddenly, “Do not try to seek out what you encountered. It shall be wise, if you treasure your pathetic lifes.” And walked away. This time, he didn’t look back.

Anakin smiled at the girl and the other. “Do what he says. I think it would be better. Thanks for the food, Kagome and take care of yourself.” With that he started to run after the youkai. Shadow followed him.

They walked in silence for a long time after they left the others behind. A long time for Anakin to start thinking again. And that was never a good idea. With his brother, it had never been silent for a long time. Or not completely anyway. They had spoken to each other, joked and laughed, but that was over now. Lost to him forever. Had been for a long time, but every now and then, when the silence got too much, a strong sense of sadness seemed to crush him under its wight.

That had been the case back at the cave just before Sesshomaru had shown up.

“We are in trouble, aren’t we?” he spoke quietly once he coldn’t take the silence anymore. That was the one thing he dreaded more than anything else while travelling with the youkai lord alone. His stoic silence. When Jaken and Rin were there, it was okay, because he could listen to Jaken bicker or Rin singing or whatever. Sesshomaru wasn’t very talkative, and Anakin hated that the most. No matter how strong he felt for the youkai.

“The presence, it is a threat not only for the Western Lands, but everything that is alive and dead.”

And dead? Oh. He had the sinking feeling he didn’t want to know. “The…the dead?”

“That was what I said.”

“Right.”

And again, they became quiet. Shadow wasn’t a big help either. The dog was trotting alongside him, touching his nose to his hand every now and then, licking. It was his way of trying to reassure him, and Anakin was glad for that. Still, the dog couldn’t make the silence disappear.

Or the dark, icy dread making his heart clench in his chest.


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