Disclaimer—only own the characters I create. Not Inuyasha or any of the others upon which this story is based.

As always sorry for the delay. I'm also sorry this chapter is so short, but this is the second part of the last chapter (which I decided to split up into two halves).

Thanks for the feedback: Icygirl2, Anime-Lover09 (If Kagome comes back it will be towards the end, and if so then I will explain what has been happening to her), TheBigW.

Sesshomaru stopped walking, and waited. Patiently or impatiently, one could not be sure by looking at him. Suddenly a streak flew across the sky, hovering above him for a moment. Finally Kagura landed.

"You don't seem surprised to see me" she noted, her fan covering the lower half of her face.

"If you have something to say, you should say it now before I am completely bored with you."

"Hm." Kagura arched her brow, lowering her fan. "Naraku sent me."

"Of course he did. You do nothing on your own"

Kagura's jaw twitched for a moment, but she refused to allow Sesshomaru to bait her with his words. "Let's just go"

"I am not going anywhere with you" Sesshomaru turned and began walking down the path he was before interrupted.

"But…do you not wish to get the best of Inuyasha? He robbed you of your birth right. Naraku wishes to help."

Sesshomaru stopped, but did not turn to look at Kagura. "What I plan to do with Inuyasha is between myself and Inuyasha; your master has nothing to do with it."

"Naraku is not my master!" Kagura finally snapped.

Sesshomaru actually smirked briefly. But he said nothing as he walked away.

"Naraku does not own me!" Kagura yelled after his retreating back, her anger growing since she realized both of them knew that Sesshomaru was correct.

She was the wind. She needed to be free.

Yet she was nothing but a puppet to Naraku.

And as of late, he was doing nothing but sending her off with messages…she did not know what he was up to.

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Just as he thought. Naraku smiled as Kanna's mirror finally darkened on the conversation between Kagura and Sesshomaru. He did not know what brought him more joy, knowing how tortured Kagura was, or knowing that Sesshomaru wouldn't be around to interfere the next time Naraku chose to show himself to Inuyasha

Sesshomaru was avoiding Inuyasha right now. Which meant he would be nowhere to be found when Naraku's latest plan went into effect, which suited Naraku perfectly. He would use Sesshomaru if needed, but the dog demons brotherly relationship was a lot more complex than either of them would lead others to believe. Then Naraku originally believed himself. But the more he watched them around each other, the more he saw there was more than simple hatred.

Sesshomaru had a certain logic…certain feelings about Inuyasha that Naraku had yet to fully grasp and he did not want Sesshomaru in the way right now.

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Flashback

Inuyasha had just turned 3 in human years when he realized it was because he was a hanyou that people hated him. He did not know what a hanyou was however, and the one time he brought it up to his mother she burst into tears and just hugged him tightly.

"Sesshomaru?"

"Yes."

"Can I ask you sumthin?"

Inuyasha hated making his mother cry, so he decided to ask the other, Sesshomaru, the next time he saw him. Sesshomaru seemed very wise to Inuyasha, so Sesshomaru probably would know.

"May I ask you something." Sesshomaru corrected Inuyasha annoyed. He spoke like a commoner. He was half royalty.

"I wanna go first, please."

Sesshomaru sighed and just let it go. "What Inuyasha?"

"What is a hanyou?"

"You are a hanyou. Now, we are going to try something new.

"But…." Inuyasha knew that much, but he did not know what it meant.

Sesshomaru continued as if Inuyasha did not interrupt. "I want you to strike me."

Inuyasha's eyes grew. He did not want to hit Sesshomaru! He was happy around Sesshomaru. He liked Sesshomaru. He had to stop himself from crying whenever Sesshomaru left. And he did not even bother containing his joy when Sesshomaru was around, though he only showed it with a huge grin.

He hoped Sesshomaru would be around always.

When Inuyasha asked his mother what it meant to be happy around someone, what it meant to like someone, what it meant to want to cry when they left, or smile when they were around, his mother told him that meant one loved the other.

So Inuyasha figured he loved Sesshomaru.

Though he never dared to say so.

But he surely would not strike him either.

"No" he answered firmly.

Sesshomaru cut his eyes as Inuyasha dared to actually tell him 'no'. No one told him 'no' since their father and his mother died. Sesshomaru reached up in a way Inuyasha recognized from all the beatings he took, and Inuyasha instantly shut his eyes, wincing in wait.

Sesshomaru stared as Inuyasha prepared himself to be struck, and something made him lower his hand.

He told himself that it was because Inuyasha was still only a child.

Even as he knew there was more to it than he might want to admit.

"Strike me, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha slowly opened his eyes. "I don't wanna."

"Do you wish to know what a hanyou is?"

Inuyasha nodded quickly, glad that Sesshomaru finally stopped wanting to fight.

"Then strike me."

"No." Inuyasha shook his head, his ears dropping.

"Then we are done here." Sesshomaru turned around and began to walk.

Something about the way Sesshomaru said that, made it clear that this time, he would not return, and Inuyasha's heart fell into the pit of his stomach. "No!"

"What have I told you about yelling at me, Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru stopped walking and Inuyasha ran, wrapping himself around Sesshomaru's leg.

"Don't go!" he cried.

"Then do as I say." Sesshomaru bent down and picked Inuyasha up by the collar. He dropped him on the ground and Inuyasha landed with a slight thud. "Strike me."

"But…"

"Now. Or my time here is done."

Inuyasha stood and lightly threw his hand against Sesshomaru's leg. He looked up into Sesshomaru's eyes and hoped that he was satisfied. He could tell by his silence he was not, so with a swallow, Inuyasha closed his eyes, lifted his hand and swiped once more.

Sesshomaru looked down and noticed a small tear in his pants leg. At least Inuyasha's claws ripped through his pants this time.

"A hanyou is someone who does not belong anywhere."

"I belong!"

"That is why the villagers hate you, you do not belong."

Why was Sesshomaru trying to hurt him? Why would he say he didn't belong? "I do belong!" Inuyasha swung again, this time drawing a bit of blood with his tiny claws. He gasped, backing up. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…" he bowed on the ground.

"Do you not feel better Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha looked up, surprised to see that Sesshomaru was kneeling so that their eyes would lock. This was a serious lesson, and Sesshomaru wanted to be sure Inuyasha understood.

"When someone hurts you, you have a duty to hurt them back. Do you understand me? You do not let someone hurt you without protecting yourself."

"Why do you want to hurt me?" Inuyasha asked, his voice quivering, "Do you hate me too? Because I do not belong?"

Sesshomaru was actually taken aback by his questions, and grew silent.

One word, one truthful word, and it was obvious that Sesshomaru could emotionally crush this little pup.

All he had to admit was that he hated him.

But he wasn't done training him yet. He did not know what demon powers the pup would have yet.


So now was not the time.

This is what Sesshomaru told himself… as he finally answered.

"I do not hate you, Inuyasha."

But a part of him thought he had been more truthful to the pup than he had to himself.

Inuyasha sniffed. "Why do I not belong?"

"Your mother is human and your father is not."

"Father?" Inuyasha never thought of his father. He knew he had to have one, but his mother told him never to speak of it, so Inuyasha decided to just not think of it. "What is he?"

"A demon."

Inuyasha gasped. Demons were scary and evil! Everyone said so! Why would his father be an evil scary demon!

He was part evil scary demon!

No wonder everyone hated him…Inuyasha started to cry loudly now.

"Stop that."

Inuyasha's cries grew louder.

"Inuyasha…Inuyasha…" Sesshomaru's voice raised in annoyance, but as he watched his little brother's sobs shook his tiny body…"Inuyasha" he said softly this time as he touched his hair. Inuyasha hiccupped and with tears still streaming down his cheeks, looked at Sesshomaru. "I am a demon."

"No you ain't!" Inuyasha sobbed, wondering why Sesshomaru would lie about something like this.

"Look at me Inuyasha. Do I look like a human to you?"

"Me….I mean…I look like you." Inuyasha corrected himself.

"The demon part of you looks like me. I am a demon. Do you see reason to cry about your father being a demon now?""

Inuyasha stared at Sesshomaru for a long time. He did look different from anyone else, except him. But…Sesshomaru was not evil to Inuyasha. Sure, he was scary sometimes but…

Inuyasha blinked, remembering the first time they met.


Sesshomaru had killed those humans who were chasing him.

Was Sesshomaru evil?

"No." Inuyasha whispered.

Maybe to others Sesshomaru would be a scary, evil demon.

But Inuyasha loved him.

And that was all that mattered to him.

"I will not cry anymore."

Inuyasha looked up, watching as Sesshomaru stood from the ground. He watched as the demon disappeared down the road.

Sesshomaru chastised himself for being so soft on Inuyasha.

All he had to do was admit he hated him to have shattered the boy's spirit, but not only did Sesshomaru say he did not hate Inuyasha, Sesshomaru even felt…something…when the boy sobbed that made him want him to not be so broken.

Sure, he could, and was telling himself, that it was because there was no honor in breaking a mere pup, but Sesshomaru realized there was more,


Damn the child.

Sesshomaru was so ashamed of himself.

The people he passed on the way back to his castle paid the price for that shame with their lives.