Just Strange by Maru

Chapter 1

The characters of InuYasha are not mine, they are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz Media. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

AN: This is it! My first chapter of my first chapter story! Dont everybody get excited now! *looks around at the lack of audience* well then...

This is from Sesshoumaru's POV and is in first person, so beware! If you dont like such things... well, flame me. Go for it! I want to see what all the fuss is about...

I need to give tribute to two people, so please dont skip this! LOOK HERE!!! THESE PEOPLE MATTER!!!

Roune & Nefret: Thank you both for all your help on this, the first chapter of my fanfic. I owe both of you girls deeply. Anybody who wants to say anything about this fanfic, you must look to these two girls too! So if you decide to flame me, blame it all on them!! LOL just kidding, heh! Pay homage to the awesome betas.... down on your knees, scum! Also, back when I first starting writing this, someone told me to add some detail to it. I cant for the life of me remember who said it, so if that person remembers and reads this, please tell me who you are so I can give you proper homage! I changed quite a bit of this thanks to you!

Just Strange

Chapter one

Under the cover of night and my own natural stealth, I prowled along the edge of a field of long, swaying grass, watching the occupants within casually. I did not wish for them to know that I kept close tabs on them. They would think I owned such a feeling as 'worry', and that would never do. I did not worry. In fact, I felt no strong emotions, except possibly anger... and jealousy, to my extreme displeasure.  Anger I could handle; it was something I had gotten used to a long time ago, perhaps even within my first decade of life. But jealousy was new and slow, and crept along my skin like a putrid disease. I felt it poisoning my mind and could do little about it.

Every time I saw Inuyasha brandishing father's fang... Every time he proved how unworthy of it he was...

I forced the thought from my mind, though not easily. The poison kept it there at the edge of my consciousness, taunting me with its nearness. I could do little but shove the thoughts away and force myself to think of other things- like how the crescent moon's light seemed to highlight those in the clearing, making them stand out like targets, and how the black trees seemed to become denser, making any possible escape for those in the clearing appear impossible.

The worst thing was, the jealousy brought on the anger, in even larger doses than I was used to. I had to fight constantly not to let it get the better of me when the idiotic pup was in my vicinity. The anger coursed through me like searing lightening in my veins that took nearly all of my demonic will to keep at bay and not change into my larger form. A three-legged dog was a ridiculous thing to be, and I would not submit to transforming into a hobbling beast.

Thinking of the day Inuyasha had managed to transform father's fang brought another rush of hot anger through my system. Tetsusaiga should be mine, and yet the half breed-pup was the one wielding it, using it to slash wildly about. That he had managed to lob off my leg while I was transformed was another affront to my much insulted pride. How could I have allowed such a thing to happen?

Pure arrogance, that is how.

I had been so sure that (and I thought this term with disgust) my brother would never be able to transform the great sword with such dilute blood running through his veins. I was wrong -  a fact I was reminded of each and every day when I looked down at my scarred stump of an arm -  and it galled me to no end. Granted, it was growing back, ever so slowly. It had already grown an inch or so in the last few months. A year or two from now no one would ever know by looking that I had lost the appendage. The thought was a slight relief to me and helped to push back the all-consuming anger.

I glanced again at the sleeping occupants in the open field and could not help my lips from twitching in distaste. An open field was not the safest place for my ward to be. I growled, disgusted once again with Jaken's inability to take care of the young human girl. I wished there was a sure way to keep her safe when I left to do things she should not see, but there wasn't. My retainer and the two-headed dragon had been my only companions, and I had not been about to expand the already crowded circle any larger. My rare whim to bring the little girl back to life was proving to be quite an annoyance since the responsibility to take care of her lay with me. If I had known that she had nowhere else to go after being revived, I may have chosen differently.

Then again, perhaps not.

And so here I was, pacing about the dark, dense woods like a ghost to be sure the girl's life remained in my hands alone, wishing there was someone trustworthy to look after her so I did not have to. Many times I had considered killing her to simply be free of such an obligation, but every time the thought was rejected and sent back to where it belonged: deep within my own mind. I would not shun my responsibility simply because it was unpleasant. It was below my dignity to do such things.

The morning was coming along quickly now and I watched with some foreboding as the sun come to light with an amazing wash of color. Something was going to happen today. Something unpleasant.

Something to do with the hanyou, Naraku.

I paced into the clearing and woke my retainer and my ward, watching as the little human stretched and smiled brightly at me. She jumped to her feet and ran over to hug my leg while I watched, careful to not let my expression betray how much this disturbed me. It would surely make the girl sad if she knew and it was unbearable to watch her face fall. I could not understand why, and so I shrugged it off and waited until she had let go of me to go over to Ah and Un. I woke the dragon easily and then sat down to wait for Jaken and Rin to be ready.

I watched the small girl out of the corner of my eye, her delight in something as trivial as eating amusing me to no end. She enjoyed her food... well, she enjoyed it like Inuyasha did: exuberantly, like it was the elixir of the gods, and not just sustenance to survive. Her odd hairdo did its job of keeping hair out of her face while she ate. Somehow, there was a bit off food high on her forehead and I fought with a smirk for a moment. She finished quickly and packed her meager camp, ready to go within minutes. She and Jaken climbed onto Ah and Un and I gathered my youki to my feet to prepare for flight.

~*~

Just as I had predicted, Naraku was scheming.

I felt his barrier go down and his stink hit me like an insult.  I left my ward, retainer, and the dragon a ways away in a green, dense bit of wood and walked into what I already knew to be a trap. I knew I was arrogant in this way, but I could not help but feel that the damn half-breed could not harm me. He might try... but he would fail. He always did and always would, because I was a full-blooded dog demon from an impressive lineage, and he was a putrid hanyou that did not even have a lineage. He did not deserve my time, but he had insulted me, and I could not let it rest. My dignity did not allow such things.

I was facing the usual castle with its usual inhabitants; Naraku and his incarnations Kagura and Kanna. The castle stank of their awful smell... a mix of miasma and rotten things, and I could barely stand it. Naraku wore his baboon pelt, something he hadn't worn in a while. I thought I detected another presence about the castle but dismissed it as likely another offspring of the hanyou and unimportant. The woman, Kagura, drew a feather from her hair, and together she and the void girl left in a wash of awful reek. I watched them go, certain that they were about to find Inuyasha and his companions to play some kind of game with them. It was none of my concern if my brother died at Naraku's hands. Good riddance, I say.

Still, I considered doing them a favor and killing the vile hanyou quickly, because surely with him gone his incarnations would die as well. Then I would be able to kill Inuyasha with my own hands, and wouldn't that be satisfying?

Decision made instantaneously as the feather disappeared into the bright blue afternoon sky, I drew Toukijin and aimed an attack at Naraku. The power of the sword flashed and screamed across the ground, blowing bits of dirt and rubble out of its way. Naraku dodged it... just barely, but I was there waiting for him. I saw him twitch to the right and followed, cutting off his escape. He grinned at me and I had a moment to wonder just how crazy the hanyou was. Did he welcome death at this point in time? Did he see his future in my eyes and feel relieved?

"Kidame..." Naraku said in a considering way. I hesitated my next swing of the sword out of sheer curiosity. What could he have planned now?

I should have just killed him.

"Kidame, perhaps you should try your curse now." Naraku said, his deep voice like nails on glass to my ears. I knew many people found his voice enchanting, but to me it just sounded as slimy as he was.

"Yes, Naraku..." an almost pleasant voice answered. I spared a quick glance in the direction it came from and saw a tall, and what I supposed might be considered beautiful, human woman standing in front of Naraku's mansion wearing a brightly colored kimono.  She started to speak in a beautiful language I did not comprehend and I leapt back towards the darkness of the trees to reassess the situation.

Mid-leap I did something rare: I faltered.

The suddenly solid looking ground came up to meet me quickly and I barely managed to get my feet underneath me in time. The jarring landing was actually painful to my knees. My limbs felt oddly heavy, like I was losing control of them. I fought the sensation viciously and I felt a bit better after a moment.

Toukijin felt wrong in my hands, like something large and awful. Malevolent. I sheathed it without thinking about it and pulled Tenseiga from its place at my hip. My father's fang was pulsing... and it usually did no good to ignore it. It had saved my life once. Perhaps it had a job to do today as well.

I held it in a slightly more defensive stance, which was unusual in itself. I could feel waves of black power drifting about me now, saturating into my pores. It trickled like toxin through my veins and into my brain, making me feel light-headed. My stomach flopped. All these new sensations were too much for me and I fell to my knees, senseless. I couldn't see past the clouded weight of the curse running through my veins, couldn't feel or hear or smell... I could sense nothing, nothing save the curse. By sheer force of will I held onto the pulsing sword and stayed upright. I would not fall like this; I would not lie before my enemy. The black toxin clouded my mind and I felt weightless as darkness closed in completely.

~*~

I awoke feeling slightly nauseous. My head was pounding distractingly and I stayed perfectly still, waiting it out. I stretched my senses out, feeling for anything that might be a nuisance to me. I did not hear or smell the presence of Naraku anymore; all trace of him was gone. Distantly, through the foliage and the usual scents from forest-dwellers, I could smell blood- very familiar blood.

The blood of my ward and retainer.

I was up in a flash of movement, far too quick for most eyes to track.

Rage heightened my senses, tingeing everything in a slight haze of red. My eyes focused and my hearing sharpened. The very edges of leaves became clear to me, the little hairs on them as easily visible as fingers would be. Colors were vibrant through the haze of red... the sky turning a wonderful purple... the greenery emboldened by its opposite color. Blood pumped through my veins at an alarming rate but I was unconcerned. I knew I was too close to transforming into a hobbling, three-legged beast. I forced myself to backtrack just a moment and pull the energy back to a decent, controllable level. I had done this often enough lately that it wasn't that much of a problem and only took moments.

Control thoroughly regained, I sped off into the blood-soaked forest, seeking out the wonderful and awful scent that made my own blood freeze. I ignored how strongly this was affecting me for the moment... I would see to that later. Right now I had other things to deal with. More unpleasant things. I could not help but notice that I was not headed precisely in the direction I had left my companions... they had moved. Briefly I wondered why this was so, but the thought fled my mind as quickly as it had come.

I burst into the darkening clearing and came to a sudden halt in the middle of it. Inuyasha's stink clouded my nostrils and nearly stole my sanity because his smell was different and sharp. It was demonic in nature, wholly demonic. Not a trace of human blood could be had in his stench. I growled in anger and forced my eyes to see the silvery clearing. At first, I almost couldn't make sense of it. There were small, bloody lumps strewn across the clearing unevenly. There was one quite near my foot that I recognized as a hand.

Rin's hand.

I was blind and shaking in my rage for a moment. Certain that any second now I would shift forms, I stayed still, forcing my quivering muscles to stay in place. It passed and my sight cleared again. Now that I knew what I was looking for, I could see the whole picture clearly. I could see that there were bits of Jaken all over the clearing as well, his head sitting but a few feet from me, most of his torso near the trees. I could discern the smell of the two-headed dragon's blood as well, but I didn't think it was dead. I didn't see anything of it in the clearing and the whiff of blood was moving westward. So, the dragon must have survived then.

I looked over the scattered remains once more and then left the clearing in a blur of speed.

~*~

My traitorous brother was not hard to find. His now half-human stink permeated the air for miles before I even got close to him. I noticed immediately that the girl he travelled with was nearby, but not with him. An idea crossed my mind and slowly I focused in on it, becoming more and more enamored of it. I passed Inuyasha by, giving him a wide berth to avoid the hanyou catching my scent before I wanted him to. The wind made it easier, blowing my scent away from him, and still it was difficult to do. A large part of me screamed with the desire to rush into that clearing and take revenge on the dirty hanyou, but I kept it in check though just barely.

The girl did not notice my presence as she climbed from a hot spring in something so thin and sheer it set my teeth on edge. She was such an odd female human. Even odder than the little girl whom I had taken care of. The little girl who lay scattered across a dark clearing...

I wondered briefly where the monk and taijiya were, but then put it out of my mind as unimportant. That would come later; revenge would come now.

The current clearing (clearings seemed to be my specialty tonight) was small and well enclosed, perfect for the little hot spring in the middle of it. Rocks piled with the miko's things lined one side and the other side was compact dirt.

The miko dried and dressed quickly and I watched, waiting for my chance. It was a little odd watching the miko dry off... almost exciting. I wrote it off as adrenaline from the coming moment. There was no way that ugly human with her strange clothes and awful stink could excite me, except in her death.

Which was coming soon.

She finished dressing in that ridiculous outfit and was headed over to her strange yellow bag in the bright moonlight. Moonlight? How had I not noticed it was night? Why was I missing so much? I forced these random thoughts from my mind angrily and saw my chance as the miko stood up from packing some of her things, which I assumed were from her bath, into the bag.

Before she could possibly know what was happening I sped forward, wrapping my only arm around her side and sliding my claws along her neck. My arm kept her close to me even as my claws threatened her life. I checked myself before I could break her delicate, odorous, human skin and waited for her to realize what was going on. She drew in a harsh breath and screamed shortly, fighting against my hold. I only just managed not to wince at the piercing noise she made and forced myself to move my claws a bit farther from her neck, not wishing Inuyasha to miss her death.

"Let me go!" she said angrily. I felt an inhuman, sadistic smile pull at my lips.

"Fight any harder, human, and my claws will inject poison directly into your blood stream." She struggled a bit harder. After a moment I added thoughtfully, carelessly, "It is a painful way to die."

I half hoped she would pierce her own skin, then she would writhe ...and Inuyasha would be here to see that. I could already sense him coming- his smell, his presence.  Yes, if the stupid human cut herself now, Inuyasha would see her suffer. He would witness someone important to him slowly dying, and how could I do better than that? If I killed him, it would be an empty victory, because he would feel nothing.

The miko had gone still now, her breathing erratic and exciting to my senses, the smell of fear on the air like a drug. I inhaled it deeply, enjoying it.

"Sesshoumaru?" She choked out lowly. I nearly chuckled. Had she just figured it out? What a slow, dense human she was.

"Your powers of observation are horrifically lacking," I said, wishing she could see the smile on my face. She would tremble in the face of it, and know death was coming for her.

"What did you expect? All I can see is your hand!" she said, her voice loud and annoying.

Could she really be so stupid? Had she not assumed that since I had lost my companions to them, that I would take my revenge on them? She was completely without sense.

"You should have known I was coming for you, both you and Inuyasha. In fact... I cannot believe he left you alone. He must hold you in lower regard then I had thought." I considered this with chagrin. If this was true and then killing this girl would not wholly satisfy my craving for his pain, and that simply would not do. I wanted him to hurt until the day I finally killed him for what had happened today.

I felt the girl slump into me just a bit when I spoke last and looked down to see that she looked... defeated. Defeated? She could not have been so easily overcome by such simple taunts; it was not her nature. I knew from my encounters with her that she was a fighter, right up to the very end, even if it looked bleak. She did not give up... and yet here she was, slumped in my hold, letting her neck press dangerously into my claws.

I had no more time to think about it as Inuyasha charged into the clearing, whipping the sword out in an ungraceful, screaming sweep. He couldn't even unsheathe the damn sword properly.

"Hold!" I said dangerously, jerking the girl upright by wrapping my hand around her neck, careful not to pierce her skin. Not yet. Not yet.

She made a small, half desperate noise and brought both hands up to my arm to steady herself and keep from choking. She was up on tiptoe now, leaning into me to keep my hand from being tight enough around her neck to stop her breathing. She would have wonderful bruises... that is, if she were to live through this, which I did not plan on.

Suddenly, it did not seem like such a bad idea to keep the miko alive after all. My sadistic, slightly stressed mind warmed to the idea... and to the pain it would cause Inuyasha. I felt the cruel smile of pleasure spread across my lips and watched Inuyasha's eyes widen slightly at the sight of it. He knew, oh did he know. His skills at reading others were limited, and he had no real notion of my plans for vengeance. But he could see on my visage that something was going to happen, and it was something he would not like.

"Sesshoumaru! Let Kagome go!" the mutt screamed at me. Then his voice lowered some. "She had nothing to do with it, Sesshoumaru." The look he was giving me... such desperation! I nearly chuckled and tightened my hand about the girl's throat a fraction, listening to her breaths getting more labored. The hanyou heard her gasping wheezes and cringed, taking a step forward.

I choked off the girl's breath completely, ignoring how her fingernails tried desperately to pry my hands off. "Take another step," I snarled, "and I will inject her with my poison and you can watch her scream her way to death." The hanyou stopped dead and I let up on the pressure, allowing the girl to breathe, albeit quite a bit strained. I listened to the rhythm of her breathing and used it to ground myself... to keep the beast inside of me in check.

Her fluttering heartbeat was easy to fall into... so loud and strong and vital. It seemed like it would never stop... and yet I knew it would be so easy to stop the girl's heart. So damn easy.

The wind blew her hair across my chin. It tickled like crazy and I resisted the urge to rub my chin on her head. Her smell, this close, was fogging my brain with its strength. It was putrid and thick. It was hard to fight so many things... my claws reaching for her life... my chin and its abominable itch... my nose trying to inhale as much of her scent as I could... no, trying not to... and the anger. Black anger hovered over me like a second skin, snarling my thoughts into incoherent tangles.

The miko's heartbeat thundered against my chest, her back warm and firm as she leaned against me to try and relieve the pressure on her throat. I let myself fall into that thundering tempo, only distantly taking in the sounds of Inuyasha's panicked voice and Kagome's gurgled attempts at speech. What was she trying to say just now? I mused. Was she be begging for her life... or perhaps the hanyou's? Maybe she was too ignorant to realize how close she was to death and she would be doing as per her usual - saying things that would only place her in more trouble?

"Are you even listening, you asshole?" Inuyasha raved, his sword wavering a bit from holding it in one position for so long.

"Your raving got so tiresome that I tuned you out, Inuyasha. Perhaps you could sum up your stupidity so that I may continue with my business here." I said it offhandedly, awaiting the hanyou's response with what I could only call glee. How I craved his heated responses! Responses that proved how weak he was, how he let himself be ruled by his emotions.

"Whatever, jerk-off. Just tell me what you want to make us even," he said lowly... and did I detect guilt in his voice? Could it be that he would find his punishment just for his crimes? It seemed possible. The hanyou had grown up with humans, who, though disgusting, did seem to be fairly guilt ridden about the smallest things.

"What I want is for you to suffer, boy," I told Inuyasha. He cringed and his sword lowered an inch. "I wish for you to lose as much as I have today." I spoke slowly for him, to make sure my meaning would be clear. It was obvious when it did become clear to him what I spoke of, because his eyes locked on the girl in my grip his desperation kicked up a notch.

"Sesshoumaru... don't hurt Kagome because of something I did. I'm right here... if you want revenge on me, then take it." He hefted the sword in what I supposed he meant to be a menacing way.

"Now... that would not be nearly as painful for you, would it?" I said consideringly. "I think perhaps this girl's life would be about an even trade for what you have done." I paused to let the fear climb up the hanyou's spine before continuing. "That's not really true either... after all, you took two possessions of mine, and I have only one of yours. If I were to kill the girl now it would clear you of one of their deaths... but not the other. So what shall I do about that? You have nothing else in your possession save the sword, and it is not an equal trade." I chuckled quietly and watched Inuyasha's face go white.

"You asshole, Sesshoumaru! These are others' lives you're toying with! You can't just decide who lives and dies!" The hanyou shouted, truly afraid at last. He was surely thinking of his other friends now... friends that he could easily lose.

"Oh, but I can, Inuyasha. And I have decided that since there is nothing else that belongs to you, I shall just have to hold onto my bit of vengeance until I feel differently about this present situation." I smirked at the hanyou and gathered a youki cloud to my feet as the hanyou slowly realized the meaning behind my words. If he had been any slower I would not have seen the fear and pain in his eyes as I left. Understanding crossed his face just as I lifted the girl and myself into the air. Anguish and denial crossed his features quickly and then he was racing towards us, far too late.

Air bound, I watched the hanyou get smaller as he tried vainly to catch up to me for a few dozen miles or so. It only took moments for him to be out of range to follow anymore. Still, I stayed in the air, flying far across the country.

Every day, the hanyou would wonder whether I had hurt the girl for his deeds. He would wonder if she had died that day, or if she would die the next. He would suffer, and he would follow. But he would not find me... us. His pain would eat him right through, and years from now, when I saw him again, this thing between us would be settled. We would be even. And the stupid, dirty hanyou would learn to take responsibility for his misdeeds, finally.

Finally.

~

Please read and review and give critiques. I know its asking for a lot, but I'd really like more then just praise, okay? Take me down a notch, people! Thanks in advance to anyone who does.

Maru