Rating – M

Pairing – Sesshomaru/InuYasha

Disclaimer – Do not own any of the characters used

A Loss and a Gain

Chapter Eleven

Naraku glared at his sister/spy Kagura who he had sent in to gather information about Sesshomaru six years prior and now he was furious; the mating had been completed and was soon going to be announced; he knew he'd messed up but he was still determined to have the hanyou himself. Kagura glanced at her elder brother wondering what he was planning next. Of course she herself was annoyed as she wanted Sesshomaru for herself however she wasn't foolish enough to try and sabotage his relationship he now had with his brother; she wasn't an idiot however her brother didn't like to lose and would stop at nothing till he got what he wanted. Kagura of course was compelled to assist; mainly for her own amusement as well as family loyalty she had towards him; even though at times that loyalty was pushing her limits.

"Dear sister you are to accept the invitation to the mating ceremony and see to it that when InuYasha is alone you will make sure he remains so and I'll do the rest" he ordered his eyes piercing through her sending icy shivers down her spine.

"As you wish brother but may I ask why you let him go in the first place? Why did you not mark him yourself when you the chance?" she asked causing him to glare at her once more. Naraku shrugged it off trying to show her that it wasn't a big deal; although it was; it had been a foolish mistake and one that would not be duplicated.

"Kagura my sweet sister it's more satisfying for me to take him away now that he's settled with his brother and show him where he truly belongs; underneath me." He responded confidently. Kagura maintained her composure and at that point she truly felt for the young hanyou as the thought of his being underneath her brother gave her the creeps. As much as he loved her brother she wouldn't wish that fate to even her worst enemy; she had seen how he could treat others. It wasn't pretty.

Inu no Tashio sighed in contentment as he lay beside InuKimi; holding her in his muscled arms; afraid to let her go after all the time they had spent apart. InuKimi didn't have a problem with that and was content, however there was something that plagued her thoughts and that was his second mate; InuYasha's mother; a subject that Inu no Tashio had avoided which made her wonder if he was ashamed of the incident.

"Tell me about her; InuYasha's mother" she said quietly. Inu no Tashio turned at InuKimi and sighed once more as he sat up and got out of bed. He walked towards the sliding door that led to a small balcony and stepped out. InuKimi soon followed and waited for her mate to speak. He remained silent for a few more moments.

"Izayoi was a beautiful woman and I truly regret what I did to her; leaving her living in hope that I would return for her, but I never did. I was afraid of what would happen if I did return especially as InuYasha got older; the worst it seemed. I simply continued to watch from afar and watched them. Izayoi understood my wishes and willing complied even though it cost her everything that she held dear; she gave up for me and our future child. She never complained and was a true lover and confidante. I just regret not being there for her when she died and leaving InuYasha to bury her alone" Inu no Tashio finished speaking, feeling slightly better. InuKimi wrapped her arms around him, giving him comfort.

"It's ok my love. I'm sure she was a remarkable woman and her son does her justice. She knew that you loved her and InuYasha will come around eventually and we'll be a family once more. Just give it time" advised InuKimi. Inu no Tashio nodded in agreement and allowed InuKimi to guide him back to their bed.

InuYasha sighed in boredom as the teacher droned on about the great demon role models and today he was talking nonstop about one demon he would rather not hear about anymore and that was his so called father Inu no Tashio. It irked him that everyone else believed him to be this great man; a true legend who had done right by both demons and humans alike. Unfortunately he was alone in believing that his father was also a bastard for his abandonment of his human mate and son; not that anyone cared about that.

"Now class what else as the great Inu no Tashio done to benefit his race?" the teacher asked. InuYasha huffed slightly too loudly, catching the teacher's attention.

"InuYasha is there something you wish to share with the rest of the class?" the teacher sneered. InuYasha glared back.

"I just don't believe that he's done anything for anyone else's benefit other than his own" stated InuYasha. The teacher crossed his arms.

"Really so creating a portal to allow other demons a chance to live where they feel comfortable isn't a benefit to his race? Or continually donating millions to various charities every year not a benefit? Tell me InuYasha the reason you have for hating this great powerful lord?" the class turned to stare at him, waiting for his answer.

"Let's just say it's personal" he replied. The teacher openly glared at him; annoyed at the boy's insolence.

"And you would know a great demon ruler like him how?" sneered a random student. InuYasha snarled and caught the look of concern from his friend's, however he had enough and without warning, he grabbed the boy by his neck; his eyes flaring red.

"HE'S MY BLOODY FATHER" he yelled startling the whole class till one person began to laugh and then the rest joined in which just pissed off the hanyou even further. Without thinking, he flung the boy he held across the room; silencing the rest of them as they shrunk back in fear. Kagome watched at her enraged friend; scared for her class mates as she herself had been in a similar situation; however she was also concerned for her friend who had always seemed troubled and all the pieces of the puzzle were coming to fit into place as she truly began to understand him. He was full of anger and resentment and she was now beginning to see why. InuYasha's ears twitched and had somehow managed to snap out of his rage and the expressions of the other students staring at him shocked him. He turned to gaze at his friends who shared the same look as their classmates and lastly he turned to Kouga and shame filled him before rushing out of the room; ignoring the teachers orders to return. He was sick of being judged by others and being made to believe that he was worthless; the fact that even his father hadn't stayed with his mother just hurt him even more as he recalled a memory that he had nearly forgotten about.

Flashback

A young boy rushed through the park gates; excitement filling the boy at the thought of playing with the other children. He had never seen the park this busy before and didn't notice the looks of disgust he got by the others due to his excitement. He turned round to his mother and Kaede had arrived and he rushed towards his mother; wanting her to take him to the swings. Izayoi smiled warmly and picked him up before taking him towards the swings. InuYasha hugged his mother and smiled as she lowered him on the swing before she began to gently push. InuYasha kicked his small legs as he held on tight. He wanted to go higher.

"Higher" he called out.

He was enjoying himself and he loved the swing, however it was the only one and he slowly caught on to the looks of annoyance from the other children and their parents. Izayoi brought the swing to a stop and InuYasha climbed off.

"Go and see Kaede" Izayoi told him and he rushed off. Izayoi gazed at her lovely son before turning her attention to the annoyed group of parents who were frowning at her.

"We told you to keep him away from here. We don't want him around our children; he's dangerous" one of them told her.

"He's a disgrace as are you" another called out.

"I'm sorry but I will not keep him locked up. He has the right to be around other children and he's not dangerous. He's the sweetest boy. You can call me whatever you want but don't direct your hatred at him; it's not his fault and should not be persecuted due to the actions of his father and myself" she pleaded. The crowd sniggered.

"What father? He abandoned you and the brat. He used you and then discarded you. Just keep the brat out of our sight" the previous person told her. With every ounce of dignity she possessed, she walked away; head held high as she re-joined her son and Kaede. She knelt down beside them and Kaede began setting out their picnic while InuYasha crawled over to his mother; with his heightened senses he had heard everything and wanted to comfort his mother who was his everything.

"Did they hurt you mother?" he asked. She shook her head as she wrapped her arms around him.

"No my son. Their words can't hurt me. I love you my son and so does your father" she told him. InuYasha frowned slightly; he had never seen his father although he'd been there at his birth and had named him however that didn't really count as InuYasha had only just been born and would know him even if he walked right up to him. All he knew of his father was what his mother had told him and even that was limited as she only knew a small part of him.

"They said something about my father" he said and without meaning to; Izayoi felt tears forming in her eyes. InuYasha smelt the tears and sensed his mother's sadness and he hugged her as much as his small arms allowed.

"Don't listen to their mean words InuYasha and don't allow them to mislead you. Your father loves us both and we'll see him soon. You will get to know him for the great man that he his and I hope that you'll follow in his footsteps." Kaede watched the interaction between mother and son in concern. She had a feeling that all this was going to back fire later on and she was worried about the effect it would have on them and it was something she would bring up later.

Later that night

Izayoi blew her son a goodnight kiss before closing his bedroom door and going into the kitchen to face Kaede. She knew that Kaede was worried about something and now it was going to erupt. Kaede sighed before she began to speak.

"Izayoi I admire your loyalty to him however I believe that he is not going to return anytime soon and I fear that this will cause resentment in InuYasha which will only grow the older he gets. I say this only out of concern for both of you" Kaede spoke; showing her wisdom. Izayoi nodded.

"I understand Kaede I truly do, but I believe that Inu no Tashio will come for us one day and want InuYasha to believe in that as well. Those people have no right in wanting my son to stay hidden; he's not to blame, however I know that I can't shield him forever. His father will come for us and things will get better for us. I must believe in that to keep on going" replied Izayoi with Kaede shaking her head while her heart went out to the young mother she had taken in.

"I know it's hard for you both, I just want you to be prepared that InuYasha may not have your faith in Inu no Tashio as you do" Kaede explained. Izayoi nodded in understanding and the conversation ended. However neither of them knew that InuYasha had heard the whole thing.

End of flashback

InuYasha stopped running and allowed himself to scream out his frustrations at the world, his father and at every other shitty arsehole who believed that he was worthless. He slowly began to calm down as his frustration lessened however a low growl soon escaped him as he sensed someone he did not want to deal with right now. His ears flattened against his head as he turned round to face his father. Inu no Tashio was leaning against a tree; his arms folded across his chest; his amber eyes focused on his youngest son.

"You know you shouldn't bottle things up like that we wouldn't want an accident like the broken nose you gave that kid years ago" his comment stunned InuYasha. How does he know about that? Thought InuYasha to himself.

"I know many things InuYasha and even though you've not seen me doesn't mean that I wasn't there" explained Inu no Tashio. InuYasha frowned.

"Whatever just leave me alone I don't want to deal with you right now" he said as he began to walk away.

"You know the boy you flung will be fine and his parents are not pressing charges and I've made sure that no one else will cause you any trouble when you go back Monday. Also you were lucky that I was around when the call came through otherwise you would be dealing with your brother" Inu no Tashio told him.

"Like I care he deserved it" InuYasha claimed although he was slightly relieved not wanting to have to go back to being home schooled; not that he had been against it but now that he had friends he would miss not being able to spend time with them. Inu no Tashio noticed the relief in his son's expression. He had realised long ago that eventually they would have to talk things over and now was as good a time as any.

"InuYasha I know that you don't mean that however I can understand your reasons. I need you to understand that many will not share your opinion of me as to them I have done nothing wrong. However I have realised that I have wronged you my son and will allow you to have these feelings of resentment you have towards me but I MUST insist that you try and rein in that temper of yours before it gets out of hand. Now we're going to stay and talk this out" his tone was commanding and InuYasha gazed at his father and for the first time saw him as the demon lord he was for the first time; a demon that was used to being obeyed. Now he understood where his brother got his arrogance from. His ears twitched.

"Whatever" was all he muttered as he frowned at the elder demon.

"I regret leaving you and your mother. Izayoi was a loving woman and did not deserve that however when you're as old as I am you make enemies; enemies that would do anything to make you suffer and it's not pleasant. However the longer I was away; the harder it became to return. So I took to watching you both from afar; making sure you were both ok. I loved you both so much and hated being away from you but it seemed necessary at the time. I miss Izayoi so much and wished I had honoured her more and being there for you both" he stated calmly and truthfully. InuYasha allowed the information in as he remained calm or as calm as he could be.

"You still abandoned us. We were your responsibility and you abandoned us. Weren't you strong enough to protect us if we with you…obviously not. Before I came to my senses, I used to look up to you now I see that I was foolish to do so. As I got older I hated you even more as mother remained completely faithful that you would come for us; no matter what I said or did would not dissuade her. She loved you unconditionally and it hurt" he told him. His son's words hurt him; even though they were true and he wanted to make it up to him somehow. For the sake of their future he would things right. Silence surrounded them as both contemplated on what to say next. The two of them remained still; not wanting to make the first move. Inu no Tashio wanted his son to make the first move and InuYasha was just being stubborn.

"Listen InuYasha I just want you to know that I want us to get along and I understand that it's going to be some time for you to get used to me and I you. I also wanted you to know that I won't mention this to your brother as I'm sure we can work this out between us" Inu no Tashio stated. InuYasha scowled at that.

"Black mailing me are you?" he questioned annoyed even more at the man.

"That is not my intention. I have NEVER used black mail in my life and that is saying something; I've never needed to. I merely want to gain your trust and besides there's no need to get Sesshomaru involved as long as we try and get along, things will be fine" Inu no Tashio stated trying to reassure his son of his intentions. He hoped that it worked out between them. InuYasha continued to scowl however he let out a sigh and his scowl disappeared.

"I'll play along but if you ever give me a reason to not trust you then that's it. My mother meant everything to me and you hurt her which is something I will not forgive easily" warned InuYasha while Inu no Tashio nodded in agreement. With that settled the two of them made their way back home; the air between them on the road to being settled.

Later that night InuYasha sat in his studio contemplating on the events that had occurred that afternoon. He'd reflected on his actions and hated himself for losing control of his temper and was grateful that he would be allowed to go back without any further problems. He just hoped that his friends wouldn't fear him; he didn't want them to feel nervous or feel awkward around him. He wanted love and acceptance from everyone around him and didn't want to mess it up especially as things were beginning to fall into place. He sighed heavily; his ears flickered as he heard the front door opening signalling that Sesshomaru had returned. He got up and stretched before leaving the studio. He noticed his brother as he gracefully sat down on the settee; settling down with a glass of demon wine. He walked over and settled beside him; curling himself into a ball with his head in Sesshomaru's lap. Sesshomaru idly began to gently rub InuYasha's sensitive ears causing his little mate to moan lightly. Sesshomaru smiled as he placed the glass to his lips and sipped at the wine and spoke in his smooth voice.

"I heard that you and father have begun to work things out between you. I am most pleased" praised Sesshomaru.

"However I must ask what brought it on?" he continued. InuYasha glanced up and stared at his brother.

"I guess I am just sick and tired of fighting and arguing. I want peace and a family and to have that I need to move on from the past otherwise I won't have the peace that I want" replied InuYasha truthfully. Sesshomaru nodded in agreement.

"As am I. I truly want us to become a family and the only way for us to do that is unify together and show everyone that we are united." Sesshomaru declared. InuYasha blinked and had an idea where this was all leading.

"I can assume that will be shown at a certain mating announcement you want to hold" InuYasha grumbled.

"Correct little brother and the mating will be announced and I have explained to you why" answered Sesshomaru. InuYasha continued to grumble; he wasn't liking the idea that their personal life was to become public knowledge. However he was not about to start another argument; he'd had enough of arguing. Sesshomaru sipped at his wine once more before he spoke.

"I have already began the preparations for the occasion and I will allow you to invite your friends if they behave themselves. As long as these humans are important to you they will be included in our lives however do not make a habit of making countless humans your friends; I only have enough patience for the ones who already have" stated Sesshomaru. InuYasha frowned at that but then again he understood why; he would always outlive his human friends and in his way, Sesshomaru didn't want InuYasha to watch his friend's age before him while he remained young. His expression softened and snuggled closer; enjoying his brother's comforting presence with Sesshomaru also enjoying the feeling as well.

Kagura looked out over her balcony and reflected on what was going to occur. She wondered whether or not his scheme would work. She sighed heavily and pulled out her invitation to Sesshomaru's mating celebrations, even though she hated the fact that he had chosen his half brat of a brother instead of her. She had been appalled when she had found out and had chosen to help her brother to get the half demon he wanted. Her mind wandered back to the day she had been told of Sesshomaru's choice.

Flashback

Kagura knocked on the solid wooden door to Sesshomaru's office and waited to hear his smooth silky voice that made her toes curl.

"Enter" she smiled at the sound and opened the door, closing it behind her and strode proudly towards her Lord with her head held high. He gazed directly at her and she maintained the eye contact.

"You wished to see me?" she asked.

"Yes I have something important to discuss with you and that as of now our relationship must be purely professional as I have now claimed my brother as my mate." He spoke in a tone that was commanding which Kagura had always found appealing however now it was beginning to annoy her. Her calm mask slowly began to crumble away as she allowed her emotions to take control.

"My Lord your choosing that hanyou brat over me. I mean you told me you detested him and would never fulfil your father's plans. Why change your mind? I love you" Kagura asked hating the fact that Sesshomaru remained cool and collected. He raised an eyebrow at her words.

"Our fling was just that a fling. I never intended to mate with you Kagura a mere wind sorceress. I need to rebuild my race and yes he is a half breed and should be unworthy of my time, however he still has my father's strong blood in his veins which makes him highly more valuable than you. Now I am willing to keep you on as your work is of a high standard however our relationship must be kept as employer and employee" stated Sesshomaru in a deadly voice.

"Of course my Lord" she replied through gritted teeth as she gave a small bow even though it took all of her pride to do so. She hated being discarded; especially by a pathetic half breed. It didn't sit well with her even if she herself was related to a half breed. Sesshomaru's expression was as cold as ice; his gaze seemed to penetrate through her.

"You are dismissed" he spoke coldly. She gave a final bow of her head before leaving the room.

Kagura scowled as the memory faded and crushed the invitation in her hand.

"Sesshomaru you will pay for scorning me" she vowed before heading back inside.

Authors Note – That's all for now. I hope everyone is enjoying this. What's going to happen next? Even I wonder this story changes all the time in my head. Till next time.