Warning: Ok, so this is my first fanfic ever so bear with me. This is a yaoi fanfic involving inucest. Yaoi doesn't come in until next chapter (InuyashaxSesshomaru). Possible lemon in later chapter.

Summary: After kagome vanishes, Inuyasha is left alone. Sango and Miroku are starting a family and shippo is off getting stronger. What happens when the hanyou decides to venture out in the feudal world once again but becomes severely injured with no one around to care for him? Well seemingly no one…

Author Note: So yeah this is my first and I have no Beta. Depending on the reviews, I'll update if people want me to. Constructive Criticism is highly welcomed. No flames because you've been warned about what kind of fic this is.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and all that blah blah blah

Chapter 1: Who do you have to protect?

"I-NU-YAAASHAAAA!"

The said Hanyou jerks violently out of his restless sleep looking around frantically for what he knows is not there. His golden yellow-brown eyes uselessly scan the room for the girl he knows he won't see. 'Dammit! Even when she's gone, she can't leave me alone.' Inuyasha leans back against the wall of Kaede's hut, Tessaiga gripped tightly in his hands. It has been one full month since Kagome has disappeared through the well. He can't take it anymore. How is he supposed to stay where he does not belong? Miroku and Sango are starting a family and even shippo is out learning how to be a proper demon.' I have to leave…I'm sorry guys.'

Inuyasha jumps to his feet before rushing out the flap to the hut. He is surprised when he almost runs into a certain Monk.

"M-Miroku?! What are you doing up?

"I could ask you the same question Inuyasha." Miroku counters before raising a suspicious eyebrow at his hanyou friend.

"Just going for a walk."

"…."

"…."

"…." Miroku stares at Inuyasha meaningfully before taking a step forward.

Inuyasha in turn takes a step back."Nani?!"

"How long will you be gone, friend?"

The tone in the monk's voice indicates that he knows what is going on and his question is not referring to his "walk". "I don't know…" Inuyasha answers folding his hands into his hakama and looking away to the trees.

"… Be safe."

His head snaps back to him in shock." You're not going to stop me?"

"No. Will it really do any good? I know how much pain you're in and if some time to yourself is what you need then so be it…just at least visit once and again…and do not wait until my future children have reached adulthood to come back permanently. You already know that Sango and I might not still be here."

"I…" 'Why do you know everything? Thank you, stay safe, and live long. I'm probably a coward for running from my pain but that's all I want to do. Maybe if I outrun my thoughts, I can have some peace of mind, if only for a moment'. Of course the Inu-hanyou's pride would never, under any circumstance, allow him say any of these thoughts out loud.

"I understand." Miroku completes the unfinished sentence before squeezing his friend's shoulder in affection.

Inuyasha spears him a small smile before scoffing." Keh, you've always been too damn nosy. See you around. Don't make me come back here to save your ass."

Miroku smiles watching the hanyou soars towards the trees. He knows what Inuyasha meant was 'Thanks for being there and be safe but I'm here to protect you guys always.'

Three days past by quickly for the Hanyou. He must admit it is refreshing to be back in the forest hunting his food, sleeping in trees, and just running. He loved running. It almost felt like he was flying the way he leapt from tree to tree. One of his many regrets on having human blood was the fact that he didn't inherit the ability to really fly. Inuyasha comes to a halt in front of the stream he'd been hearing for 15 minutes now.

"Perfect." He smirks rolling up the sleeves to his kimono. "I'll catch some fish then look for some real shelter. I'm tired of these damn trees." He has been keeping his mind busy with menial tasks like these. He wasn't actually hungry; he just had to force his self to do SOMETHING. It was the only way to keep Kagome in the back of his mind.

His golden eyes lock onto a poor unsuspecting catfish as he flexes his claws, piercing the air with a deadly cracking sound.' Gotcha yah' stupid fish!' Suddenly the fish "flies" away, as if being blown by a powerful wind. 'What the hell?' It takes him a moment to realize that the water around him is splashing viciously and his silver hair is being blown around his face. Leaves and dust from the bank of the stream are also in and uproar around him. He squints, looking behind him to find the source of the trouble and mentally groans when he sees something familiar. There is a vortex like wind heading his way at a monstrous speed. Almost like a mini tornado moving through the forest, blowing everything out of its path. That can only mean one thing: Koga.

Inuyasha cracks his neck preparing for the verbal and most likely physical battle that is sure to arise when the wolf demon stops. He is completely taking off guard when said demon actually runs into him as if he didn't see him there. They both go flying in to the air from impact before landing painfully in the middle of the stream.

"Kuso!" The wolf leader curses loudly rubbing his head before glaring down at his "offender". "You?!"

"Geh' roff me!" Inuyasha grunts pushing Koga roughly. "What the hell is the matter with you scrawny wolf?!"

"Shut the hell up Mutt—"the wolf boy cuts his sentence off with a gasp" I don't have time for this. Listen mutt run, if yah' know what's good for yah'."

"Huh?"

"Run!" The full demon stands up as he faithful companions finally catch up to him.

"Koga wait!"

"Please don't leave us!"

He spears a glance back at his pack before barking out." HURRY UP!" He looks to the now standing Inuyasha." Get out of here."

"Why—"

"Ja ne!" Koga smirks before he takes off in his signature whirlwind while his friends try desperately to keep up.

'What the hell was he on about? If I didn't know any better, I'd say the baka was actually running AWAY from something. Bleh, what a baka. Hmm?

Inuyasha's thoughts are cut short as his dog ears twitch towards the area Koga was just running from. SQUISH! SQUISH! SQUISH! SQUISH! 'What is that annoying sound?' SQUISH! SQUISH! SQUISH! Inuyasha's question is answered as a little cactus looking plant with yellow and purple flowers bouncesinto view.

Inuyasha's eyes widen in wonder.' Is this what he was running from?' He can't help but laugh when the plant bounces to a stop in front of him. "BWUAHAHAHAHHAHA! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! KOGA YOU WIMP! BWUAHAHAHA!"

His fingers brush away tears that slipped out from laughing too hard." What a joke." He shakes his head before turning to walk away. He blinks when the plant goes soaring over his head to land in front of him. He simply stares at thing as he moves to step around it but the plant bounces in his way in response.

"Really?" he scoffs sarcastically as an anime sweat drop takes its' place at the back of his head. "You better move yah' stupid weed, before I have you for a salad."

"You are mine~" A deep voice booms out from the plant echoing against the remaining trees.

Inuyasha's eyebrow rises in slight surprise. "A challenge from a weed?" he sighs audibly." I must really be bored to be accepting this."

"Suffer~"

"Keh, Ridiculous." Inuyasha scoffs before cracking his claws." You're worse than the overgrown vegetables me and kagome had to take care of at her school festival thing." His subconscious calls out 'K-Ka-gome!' and his heart cracks in pain but he ignores them both as he dashes at the plant slashing effortlessly.

The plant leaps out the way and bounces straight at Inuyasha with surprising speed, but the hanyou easily flips out of the way landing 10 meters away from the vegetation. "I'm already bored, hold still yah' weed!" Inuyasha dashes at the plant slashing with precision this time. "SANKON-TETSUSOU!" His Iron reaver soul stealer slashes through the cactus with ease, leaving it in shreds all around him. "Pathetic…" he scoffs before walking in the direction that Koga took off in, thinking about if it was worth the effort finding the wolf to gloat.

"Yes~"

The now familiar voice catches him in mid-stride and he doesn't even have time to turn around before he sees a mass of yellow and purple flowers surrounding him. There has to be at the least a hundred of them. The golden eyes of the Hanyou dance about frantically as he assumes a fighting stance, his hand on the hilt of Tessaiga ready to pull out the precious sword.

Suddenly the flowers just stop circling and freeze as if time froze itself. Inuyasha doesn't even have time to think before a black-purple haze spills out from the core of every single flower. He only inhales a tiny whiff before covering his nose and mouth with his sleeve but he's already woozy and feels like vomiting. 'Miasma? What the hell? This is even stronger than Naraku's use to be! Kuso, I have to get out of here or it's over.'

Inuyasha leaps out of the cloud of poison, landing awkwardly on a branch, before making his escape. He gets about 30 meters away before he sees a yellow flower flowing next to him and then soon the whole damn lot of them. 'Shit! They're still spilling out miasma!'

He fumbles in shock when every flower sticks to his skin as if he were a magnet. He hits the ground painfully before struggling to his feet trying to rip the little bastards off. He coughs as the miasma tries to work its way into his system. Any human would have already been dead; hell most powerful youkai would have already been dead. As if things couldn't get much worse, the flowers suddenly glow orange like the sun before one goes BOOM! "AAAARGHHHHH!"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

One by one the flowers explode like little bombs all over his body. Inuyasha stumbles frantically downhill and tries to crawl away but passes out when he reaches a clearing. Twenty-seven of the bombs had gone off before he passed out. But as soon as he did the remaining blood tainted flowers floated away back to the plant to offer up the blood they'd gained.

Sesshomaru's POV:

"Sesshomaruuuuuuu-saaaaamaaaaa!" The annoying green like imp called out for the seventh time. He was pulling A-un as fast as he could, trying desperately to keep up with his master. "Seshooooomaruuuu-sama! Please wait! Rin! You useless child, get off of A-un and help me pull him!"

"Jaken-sama, I'm hungry." The long haired little girl frowned as her stomach gave another frightening growl.

"I don't care! Sesssssshomaru-saaaamaaa!"

The said daiyoukai continued his walk silently, deep in thought. The demon lord didn't usually let his mind wonder because he did not particularly like the places it took him. But today was an exception. He found his self thinking a lot about his fathers' last words to him. 'Do you have someone to protect?'

Now the lord was no liar, especially not his self. Yes, NOW he'll admit…. To his self…. He has someone one to protect. Rin had proved this on many an occasion. He had even found his self protecting not only Rin but also; jaken, kohaku, and he tried to save Kagura of the wind BUT he knows who his father WANTS him to protect.

Now, this Sesshomaru will admit to his self that his "heart" has undergone many changes. He once believed that it was a simple organ that allowed him to live but now he knows the feeling to cherish something important. He would never go as far as to say love. That emotion was simply beneath him and absolutely human and ridiculous. But now that he knows he is changing, he must figure out; does he like it? Does he want it to stop? Or does he actually want to try to follow through with his father's wishes? That would mean to fix a broken, non-existent relationship with a certain hanyou…

The breeze circles him suddenly silencing his thoughts. His narrow gold eyes squint into the distance as he lets his silky silver hair blow around him and his mokomoko blow in the wind. Is this fate? Are you trying to send me an answer father? The Inu-youkai stands there for longer than anticipated because he hears a very shrill voice exclaim.

"Oh, Sesshomaaaruu-sama! You've waited for me!"

"Rin." The demon states coolly after a moment of silence.

"Yes, my lord?" The big brown eyes of said little girl shine at the chance to speak to her lord.

"I heard you say you were hungry, did I not?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Jaken."

The imp, scowling after being ignored, perks up. "Yes, Sesshomaru-sama?"

"Take Rin and find something to eat."

"Hai." The imp agrees distastefully. "As you wish. Come stupid girl!"

Sesshomaru watches as the two retreat further into the woods. After a short pause he starts to make his way south. It doesn't take long for his nose to lead him to what he's looking for. There in a shady clearing lays a bloody Inuyasha.

The daiyoukai glares down at the hanyou now at his feet. 'How did you end up like this? I thought you had more fight in you than this, Otouto.' His nose wrinkles as he picks up on the scent of one of the most potent miasmas he's ever come across. 'I see…where are those precious human friends of yours, Inuyasha? No longer here to protect you? Pathetic.'

The silver haired lord begins to turn to leave but a light whimper stops him. His eyes flash back to a still unconscious Inuyasha. 'You're Alive?!'

'Is this some type of test for this Sesshomaru..? I know what you want me to do father but do I want to? No not particularly. I haven't changed that much. If I leave him here to die, my conscience would not be in the least bit affected by such a choice…but what would affect it is the fact that I know you would want me to save your second son. But do I care? That is the true question. Father I respected you more than anyone on this world but towards your end you lost a lot of my respect….but will I do you this one kindness..?'

He glares down at the filthy, pathetic hanyou before pulling the filthy idiot over his shoulder; staining his white hakama in the process. 'Oh you shall be grateful for this, you half-breed.' The lord thinks to his self before enveloping his brother and his self in his barrier of light and taking flight into the air.

Author Note: Yeah so there it is (obviously yaoi comes in later). Please rate and review. Let me know what you guys thought of my first fanfic and whether or not if I should keep writing this. Suggestions are welcome. Thank you for reading