Chapter 4

Inuyasha woke up sore and slightly confused. It took him a moment to realize that one, he was alive, and two, he was lying down on his bed. He tried to sit up but a hand prevented him from doing so. Inuyasha looked up to see his mother.

"Hey" was all Inuyasha could manage up, his throat feeling like he swallowed fire.

His mother's soothing voice filled his ears and he could tell she was concerned, "Hey. How are you feeling?"

Inuyasha tried to speak but it just hurt too much to do so.

Izayoi frowned, "I was hoping you would be able to talk… but your father did say Sesshomaru's poison would make your healing process slow… you weren't breathing at the beginning."

Inuyasha just nodded in understanding now that he remembered why he was in bed and couldn't talk in the first place. Touching his neck, he felt the texture of bandages under his fingers. 'mom must have wrapped me up.' He looked at his mom trying to ask where his father was by pointing to her mate mark hoping she would understand what he was asking.

Izayoi looked confused, "Are you asking about your father?"

Inuyasha nodded.

"Ah. Should have guessed. Your father is healing Sesshomaru. After he took him off of you he injected a lot of poison into him. He hasn't woken up yet. He's stable though. When he wakes up your father is going to speak to him." Inuyasha crossed his arms pouting some and Izayoi laughed knowing what her son meant by the gesture, "I know you can take care of yourself but he does need to speak to him." Her voice became serious again, "He almost killed you Inuyasha… this is something that cannot go unnoticed."

Inuyasha's ears flattened against his head. He hated when his mother was upset… and it was his fault. He could smell the fear and uneasiness coming off of her.

"Don't you dare think this is your fault Inuyasha." A strong, slightly irritated voice said.

Inuyasha turned to see his father standing in the doorway his expression upset at first but then relaxed, his voice reflected his change in attitude, "I am very good at reading emotions Inuyasha. No matter what you think, this wasn't your fault. It was your idiot brothers." His expression turned cold and angry again.

Inuyasha rummaged around for a notebook and a pencil. Opening up the notebook, he started to write, making his parents stop and look at him, patiently waiting for him to finish. He held out the notebook to them, 'it is my fault. I'm the one that pissed Sesshomaru off. If I would have kept my mouth shut he probably would have let me go and I would be able to talk right now.'

Inu-Taisho read the note and looked at his son, but Inuyasha refused to look at them, "Inuyasha… what exactly happened?"

Inuyasha wrote down every detail of what happened. He hated to support his brother, especially now when he couldn't talk because of him, but he hated his mother being scared and upset more than his pride being at risk and Sesshomaru getting off the hook. When he was finished, he held out the notebook to his parents again.

After Inu-Taisho and Izayoi read the paper, there was a moment of silence before Inu-Taisho spoke, "I should have known… Inuyasha I'm afraid this is my fault."

Inuyasha looked shocked wondering what in the world his father read because he sure as hell didn't write anything that would make this his fault.

"I will need to think on this… Inuyasha just because you were defending yourself doesn't mean it is your fault. I will talk to Sesshomaru, but not as severely as I was going to." Inuyasha sighed and Inu-Taisho laughed. "You were hoping for the opposite weren't you." He smiled when Inuyasha nodded and then sighed, "Inuyasha I'm sorry we couldn't celebrate tonight. It will take a few days for your throat to heal up but your mother did put some medicine on your neck to help with the pain."

'It's ok' He wrote holding up the notebook.

Izayoi put a hand on Inuyasha's cheek, "How about you get some rest. You don't need to go to school tomorrow if you don't want to.."

Inuyasha shook his head thinking to himself, 'If I don't show, then my classmates will start congratulating that damn wolf Koga for scaring me off! That will not happen. I'm going to school voice or not.' All he wrote on his paper though was, 'no it's fine. I have homework to turn in.'

Izayoi frown, "Alright. Just don't push yourself..." Inuyasha rolled his eyes and Izayoi smiled, "I'm sorry. I'm being overprotecting again aren't I. I know you will be just fine." Izayoi stood and kissed Inuyasha's forehead. "Get some sleep."

Inuyasha nodded and laid back down falling asleep the second his eyes closed.

...

"Sesshomaru is still asleep?" Izayoi asked looking towards her mate as they walked back downstairs.

"Yes… I injected too much. I'm taking off work tomorrow so I can keep an eye on him. No matter how hard I try to be a good father to him I always slip up..." Inu-Taisho said rubbing his eyes.

"You are a great father."

"I am to Inuyasha, I'm not to Sesshomaru anymore. I know he feels like I betrayed him but even though I try and do something about it, it always comes out wrong."

"Why would he feel like you betrayed him?"

"… because of you…"

Izayoi froze and looked at her mate. He led her to the couch in the living room before he spoke again. "His mother was cruel and coldhearted. I wasn't much better at that time because the only joy I found was in my work or with Sesshomaru. I took him to work with me as a pup, when my company was just shooting off twenty five years ago. He loved being there and I loved spending time with him. However, at that time I also believed and taught him humans were weak and could never understand what we were doing or how to really understand us. Then I met you… My whole world changed. I felt love. I felt joy. I felt pure happiness and a longing to be by your side. Sesshomaru's mother left when she found out about you and left Sesshomaru with me. That's when I had to explain to him what was going on. He was probably about Inuyasha's age even though he only looked about eight in human years when I told him. He was furious to put it simply. After I mated you he wouldn't talk to me for a long time and never wanted to go to work with me anymore. Then Inuyasha came along and it didn't help things, but he did start talking to me again and joining me at work to impress me or to take the focus off of Inuyasha. He even started school once Inuyasha was getting attention from it. I guess like a competition in his mind. He strived to be perfect at everything but his heart turned cold in the process. I'm starting to think that there is no hope for him. I would like to see him happy for a change."

"I guess that explains why he treats me so poorly… but my darling you have done your best. You are still a great father and I hope that Sesshomaru will see that someday."

"Maybe…"

Izayoi cuddled close to her mate and he wrapped his arms around her, cradling her to his strong form, "If you start to think negatively then you have already lost the fight. Don't give up on him. Have some hope."

Inu-Taisho relaxed and nuzzled Izayoi's neck, "Your right koi. I'll talk to him tomorrow when he wakes up."

Izayoi smiled, "Good. Now we should get some rest too. It seems like tomorrow is going to be a big day."

"Yes." Inu-Taisho stood, taking a now giggling Izayoi into his arms. He smiled and kissed her gently, as he carried her to their room.

...

Inuyasha woke up not feeling much better than yesterday. When he tried to talk it still felt like a hot iron was shoved down his throat. 'Damn. I thought I would be able to talk a little bit today.' Sighing, he got up and headed towards his bathroom to shower, looking at himself for the first time since yesterday and noticed that blood leaked through the bandages. Hesitantly, he removed his bandages and cursed inwardly once he saw the damage. It looked like his throat had been ripped out! Deep gashes ran all the way around his neck and each one had red burn marks around it. 'Damn Sesshomaru. If it were normal wounds I would be healed by now, but thanks to his damn poison, they are going to take forever to heal and continue to bleed like damn waterfalls.' Inuyasha growled slightly, tossing the bandages in the trash bin and stripped down so he could take a shower, figuring he could maybe wash the poison out. He yelped and whimpered when the water hit his neck. It took a good five minutes before it finally went numb, but he was already shaking from the pain. 'What the hell was in that poison? It's never hurt like this before..' He shook the thought away and attempted to wash up but the blood from his neck was creating a problem. After ten minutes, he finally gave up and got out wrapping a towel around his neck so he could dry off and put his school pants on. A soft knocking came from his bedroom door. Inuyasha walked out of his bathroom and went open to the door to see his mother there.

Izayoi smiled, "Good morning Inuyasha. Feeling any better?"

Inuyasha skipped trying to talk and just grabbed his notebook from yesterday, 'I feel fine. My neck is just annoying.'

Izayoi read it and saw how he had a towel wrapped around his neck, "It's still bleeding isn't it." He nodded and Izayoi frowned, "Go sit on the bed. I'll wrap it back up."

Inuyasha listened plopping down on his bed, tying his hair up knowing his mother was going to tell him to anyway. He watched her go in his bathroom and grab some bandages and ointment before joining him on the bed. Inuyasha grabbed his notebook again, 'I tried to wash the poison out but it just burns now.'

Izayoi nodded, "It's ok. You probably did help it out." She took the towel off of him, which was now bloody, and started to treat and wrap his wounds, "It looks better than it did yesterday so that's good. Do you still want to go to school?" Inuyasha nodded as Izayoi finished bandaging him. "Alright… Finish getting ready then. I'll fix you some milk. You think you would be able drink that?" Inuyasha nodded again as he stood up and put his school shirt on. "Alright," She kissed his forehead, " hurry so you won't be late." And she left.

Inuyasha tucked in his shirt and sat back down on the bed as a wave of dizziness swept over him. 'Why the hell am I so dizzy? I've gotten poisoned by Sesshomaru before so why was this time different?' He stepped into his school shoes and buttoned his shirt all the way up to hide his bandages and put his tie on keeping it loose around his neck. 'I hate this damn tie, sore throat or not.' He grabbed his bag and headed downstairs bumping into his father on the way down.

Inu-Taisho seemed shaken out of thought as he looked at Inuyasha, "Oh. Good morning Inuyasha. I'm happy to see you up and about. You still can't speak?"

Inuyasha nodded slowly as he looked at his father with confusion, 'Why is he in jeans and a tshirt? And his hair is down! I don't remember the last time I've seen it down… Doesn't he need to leave for work soon?'

Inu-Taisho noticed Inuyasha's confused look and glanced down at himself, laughing, "You're not use to me dressing like this are you?" Inuyasha shook his head no still confused. "I'm staying home today Inuyasha. I need to take care of your brother and talk to him." Inuyasha made an annoyed sound and Inu-Taisho smiled, "Needs to be done my son. Have a good day at school and don't overexert yourself. Your neck will take longer to heal if you do." Inuyasha nodded and Inu-Taisho continued up the stairs until he disappeared into Sesshomaru's room.

Inuyasha walked into the kitchen, drank his milk that was on the counter, and waved to his mother as a means of saying goodbye before he left for school.

...

Sesshomaru groaned as he woke from his sleep feeling like a freight train ran into him. He sat up and winced as he tried to put pressure on his right arm.

"Don't move around too much my son. Your arm still needs time to heal."

Sesshomaru quickly turned towards the voice and saw his father and glared at him. "If it wasn't for you I wouldn't need to heal."

"You would have killed Inuyasha if I hadn't."

"Would have made the world a better place."

Inu-Taisho shook his head and said in a sad voice, "Sesshomaru…"

Sesshomaru was shocked his father didn't scold him like he normally did when it came to Inuyasha. He looked at his father fully now, seriously looked at him and saw his current state. Hair a mess, with common, dingy clothes. 'Father never looks like this. His scent… it almost smells like he's depressed… he hasn't smelled like this since mother...'

"We need to talk... but not about what you think."

Sesshomaru tensed up, looking at his father curiously, "I'm listening father."

"I'm sorry you have never been happy here."

"Father we both know that and you have never addressed it before so why bring the matter up now."

"Because now I finally sat down long enough to realize why you hate Inuyasha so much."

Sesshomaru growled some, "What is your theory?"

"You are jealous of him."

Sesshomaru's eyes went wide, "Jealous of a half-breed? Highly unlikely."

"Then why did you go to school once I started praising Inuyasha for doing well in it?"

Sesshomaru's mouth clamped shut not knowing how to answer.

"Why did you always pick on him when I was looking? Why would you never spend time with your father unless I was spending time with Inuyasha when you were a pup?" Inu-Taisho lowered his voice, "I did not come here to fight with you, but you have grown cold in your hatred and I have not helped with that. I have tried to be a good father to you after me and your mother went our separate ways but I see now there is nothing I could have done to make you understand how much I love Izayoi and didn't love your mother."

Sesshomaru flinched and clinched his jaw, his hands curling up into fists forgetting about the pain searing up his right arm. "If you hated her then why did you mate her?"

"Because in demon terms, it was the just thing to do. If we produced a child together, the child would be strong. I never loved your mother, I just did what was expected of me, but I have always loved and cared about you my son, and due to that reason, I will give you a choice today."

Sesshomaru glared at his father but couldn't hold back his curiosity, "What choice?"

"I'm not going to force you to be here anymore. I know the only real reason you are here is because of my research and my company, so I have decided to give you a choice on what you want to do. One option is the company is yours."

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed as he stared at his father. 'There is no way he would just give his company up that easily…' Hesitantly, Sesshomaru asked, "What's the catch?"

"Inuyasha will share the company with you when he comes of age. He is a brilliant scientist."

A menacing growl came from Sesshomaru's throat, "If you expect me too…"

Inu-Taisho cut him off by raising a hand and continued to speak, "I said there were two options. That was just one of them. The second is this." He handed Sesshomaru an envelope. "Open it."

Sesshomaru took it skeptically and opened it, pulling out its contents. He was shocked for the second time looking down at the check his father wrote him for 1,256,100 yen (10,000 US dollars).

"You can choose to leave Sesshomaru, and you can do whatever you want to with that money. I know I have taught you how to use it. The catch for this one is you will never get my company. It will be completely Inuyasha's." Inu-Taisho rose from his seat and walked to the door, "I'll give you some time to think about it, but the choice is up to you." And with that, Inu-Taisho left shutting the door behind him.