Inuyasha opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was water. It dipped and ebbed, blurring the vision of his ceiling. His eyes focused on the big block of soft golden light that came in through the window that faced Central Park. His throat felt as if he'd been plunged with a thousand needles all at once. His chest hurt as if some type of force had been pushing him down. There was ringing in his ears, as water rushed into them.

He realized then, that if he kept doing this, he could succeed.

He could do it.

He could do it.

He could—

His hands flung out instinctively, gripping onto the sides of the bathtub, and pulled, dragging his body through the water, his mouth opening to gasp for air, but all that came out was some type of strangled cough. One of Inuyasha's hands came up to wrap loosely around his neck as he groaned, his throat still burned.

He shook his head to get as much water as he could out of his ears.

After a few minutes of regaining his composure, he ran his hands over his hair, slicking it back. Tired, burning eyes looking out of the large window, and down at the greenery of Central Park.

It was quiet, as it usually was in his apartment.

I can't do it, Inuyasha thought to himself, sighing. He bit down on his lip, dragging his teeth forcefully over the thin skin. He was lost in thought. His mind jumped from memory to memory, person to person, one tempting thought to another. His thumb came up to his lips, and his teeth pressed gently into his nail as he stared down into the city.

He heard his phone buzz against the marble of his bathroom floor, and he turned around, the water rippling around him. Inuyasha leaned over the bathtub edge, water dripping from his fingertips onto his phone screen as he looked at the name.

Sesshomaru.

There was a pang of guilt in his chest as he watched his phone screen with pensive eyes. He reached toward his phone, fingertips brushing against the surface before he grasped it, and answered. Inuyasha didn't say anything, waiting for Sesshomaru to start the conversation.

They waited in silence for what seemed like an eternity.

"Brother." Sesshomaru said.

There was more silence, with Inuyasha glaring down at his phone.

"Don't call me that." Inuyasha responded, "You don't get to do that anymore."

There was a bitter laugh from Sesshomaru on the other end. "Really?"

"You fucking abandoned me at my lowest point, of course, you don't get to do that anymore." Inuyasha spat back, practically sneering at his phone. "You turned around and you left me that day, Sesshomaru." Inuyasha continued. "You left."

"And I came back, brother." Sesshomaru responded; a deep scowl etched onto his face, somehow deeper than the one he normally wears. "Are you not even slightly happy to hear from your elder brother?"

"No." Inuyasha muttered in response, "My life started to get better without you in it."

It was a lie, of course. His life hadn't gotten any better or worse since Sesshomaru walked out, it had somehow managed to stay the same. It hadn't gone up in flames, his career hadn't crashed and burned. Everything that Sesshomaru said would happen once he walked out had been kept at bay fairly well, and Inuyasha was proud of that.

He was proud of that.

He was holding everything together just fucking fine, and he was fucking proud of that.

"I saw our father." Sesshomaru said suddenly, ignoring his little brother's words. Inuyasha swore he stopped breathing for a second. He hadn't thought about his father in...fuck. Years. "He's still alive...if you care." And that comment made Inuyasha's blood boil because how fucking dare he try to make Inuyasha seem like the lesser son. Sesshomaru didn't get to come back and point fingers. "I also saw your mother, Izayoi."

What the fuck?

"I...I thought she lived in Korea?" Inuyasha stammered, blinking hard at his words.

"No, not anymore." Sesshomaru breathed, tapping his pen against his desk. "She's moved back to Japan."

"Oh…" Inuyasha said, realizing that he had no idea that his mother had moved back to Japan. "Good for her...I guess." He muttered.

His feelings for his mother were...they...they were complicated. Sometimes he thought he hated her more than he hated his father, and that was saying something. If there was one person that he could one hundred percent say played a role in his upbringing being what it was...it was her.

Izayoi fucking Takahashi.

Or Hanada.

He had no idea if she had ever actually changed her last name back to her maiden name after she left his father, and subsequently, left him.

She never came back for him, even after she had settled into a new country with a new job...a new life.

She never came back.

Inuyasha resented her for that. She had the power to do something for him and she never did. That wasn't what a mother was supposed to do. If you can do something to help your kid, you fucking do it, damn it. You don't leave them to rot in the mess you've left behind.

You just don't fucking—

"She's doing alright." Sesshomaru said after a few moments of silence. "Father is…" Sesshomaru cleared his throat, thinking of what to say. Their father had gotten worse, that much was for sure. Belligerent in his older age, and an addict to boot. Although, the addict part wasn't exactly new. But the increased belligerence and carelessness for himself was new.

At least when they were younger, their father showed some semblance of functionality.

"Well," Sesshomaru concluded, sighing, "he's alive."

"Cool," Inuyasha replied nonchalantly. "Like I give a shit." He added darkly. It's not like they give a shit about me.

"You had a birthday party?" Sesshomaru asked as his eyes drifted down to the magazine on his desk, the cover had a picture plastered of Inuyasha and Kagome, sharing an absolutely shameless kiss. "...happy birthday."

"You're a few days late," Inuyasha responded quickly. "Is this all you called about? So you can give me an update on...them?"

"Not necessarily." Sesshomaru muttered, cracking his knuckles as he sat back in his chair. Inuyasha's ears pointed forward, his brother had caught his attention. With a heavy sigh, Inuyasha pulled his body out of the water, and grabbed the towel that was neatly folded on the ground next to the tub, he wrapped it around his hips and stepped out, water dripping onto the marble floor as he walked out of his bathroom.

"What is it then?"

"Rin."

"What about that b—" He stopped himself before he could finish his sentence, opting not to go that route today. "What about her?" Inuyasha said again, walking into his closet, he set his phone down on the counter.

"She broke some news to me recently and...I've spoken to Miroku."

Inuyasha threw his head back and sighed, groaning like some petulant child that was told 'no' and was becoming annoyed. "I don't want to be dragged into your drama," Inuyasha said darkly, pointing a finger at his phone as if Sesshomaru could see him. "I have absolutely nothing to do with what happened there, and to be quite fucking honest you two were doomed from the fucking start, so if you'll excuse me, I have to get read—"

"Wait." Sesshomaru said, Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at his phone. This was a new tone of voice—slightly pleading, a hint of desperation. Inuyasha had never heard anything like it come from Sesshomaru before. It intrigued him.

Inuyasha waited.

"..."

Sesshomaru wasn't sure where to start. He'd been decimated by Rin almost as soon as he walked through the doors of what used to be their home. He'd watched her pack her bags, gather her belongings, and leave. She placed her ring gingerly on the table by the entrance, and within three hours she was gone.

She didn't give Sesshomaru time to react and fight for her to stay. Not that he would have.

He knew he'd done wrong.

But somewhere in the middle of her cursing and endless stream of insults she began to blame and insult Inuyasha, something that he could, on one hand, understand. But on the other hand, he'd viewed it as absolutely unnecessary. Sesshomaru could acknowledge that, yes, Inuyasha played a role in what he had done. He was the catalyst, in a way.

But everything that Sesshomaru had done once he stepped foot outside of that hospital room on that day was by his own accord.

In a strange turn of events, Sesshomaru had found himself believing that Inuyasha was relatively innocent in this wrongdoing. It was an odd feeling, he felt. Having to admit to himself that for once...Inuyasha hadn't done any wrong.

"...It was wrong of her to do that." Sesshomaru said, trying not to convey any emotion in his voice, trying not to give away that he was on his side. "I apologize on her behalf."

"You don't speak for her and never have," Inuyasha retorted, glaring at the phone. He forced a brush through his hair, smoothing out the knots that had formed from the water. "You have no obligation to apologize for her, Sesshomaru."

"So tell me," Inuyasha started, wincing as he yanked out a knot, "what do you really want?"

"Nothing." Sesshomaru lied, shaking his head. "I just wanted to apologize to you, for her." He was making it clear that he was not going to be apologizing for himself. He also wasn't going to tell Inuyasha that he was calling in hopes of, perhaps, getting his job back. Sesshomaru had hoped that Inuyasha's life would have gone tits up by now, and that he would be begging to have Sesshomaru back...but he hadn't.

That realization sort of stung, his efforts up until now, they felt as if they were done in vain.

Inuyasha squinted at his phone, then nodded his head wearily. "...okay," Inuyasha replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"Doesn't sound like you need me."

"Because I don't." Inuyasha snapped back. "I told you I don't...and I don't."

"I see," Sesshomaru responded through grit teeth. "Well..I'll let you be then."

"Good," Inuyasha responded, and quickly hung up the phone, pushing it away from him.

He was having a hard time trying to figure out what the name for the emotion he was feeling at that moment was. It was strange, the floor felt like lava, his feet burned where he stood. His chest hurt as if being simultaneously squeezed and pressed down. His head felt cloudy as if a haze or a fog had somehow overcome it. His hands felt numb and he struggled to keep the grip he had on the taped-up bag.

Then he found it.

Somewhere in the back of his brain, jammed between disappointment and anger, was heartbreak.

That's what he was feeling.

"Ren," His brother's voice broke him out of his trance, and Renkotsu looked up from what he was holding, a scowl etched onto his face, his disapproval was abundantly clear. "It ain't what it looks like."

"Like fuck it's not what it looks like." Renkotsu sneered, throwing what he was holding onto the couch. "You're doing this?! Again?!" He bellowed, his eyes darkening. "It's with him, isn't it?" Renkotsu asked, hurling the words at Bankotsu like some type of accusation. Bankotsu moved forward quickly, placing his hand over Renkotsu's mouth, ordering him to hush.

"I'm not selling with him!" Bankotsu said through grit teeth, eyes widening in mild fear. He moved the small object off of the couch and ordered Renkotsu to sit down, reluctantly, his brother obliged. He furrowed his eyebrows at him in confusion, staring at Bankotsu in utter disbelief.

They had moved here to get away from that life. To get away from doing that.

Renkotsu never participated in their illicit activities back in Japan. He was aware of them and tried his best to deter Bankotsu from being around Inuyasha, but never participated.

From the second Renkotsu was introduced to Inuyasha, he knew he was nothing but trouble and did his best to keep his distance from him, outside of training. He was polite enough and had offered himself and Bankotsu the opportunity to come to the states with him, which he took, hoping that getting away from Nishinari would take Bankotsu out of his old ways.

It seemed to have been working for a few years.

Now, Renkotsu wasn't so sure it was ever working.

He wondered how he didn't know, how he didn't catch on, damn it.

How the fuck does this get past me?!

"Then what?" Renkotsu asked, the question came in the form of a growl that climbed its way out of his throat. Bankotsu sighed, drawing his lower lip between his teeth, he scratched at the marking on his forehead with his thumb. "Tell me."

"I'm…" there was a pause, Bankotsu debated whether to come clean. He couldn't lie about what was currently sitting between their feet. They both knew what was in it. Renkotsu raised his eyebrows, impatiently waiting for an answer from his brother. "...I'm...selling to him."

No.

No no no no NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!

FUCK.

NO.

"...no," Renkotsu said, laughing bitterly. He vigorously shook his head, as if it would somehow undo what he had just heard. "No, no. Bankotsu, Bank, please...no."

"Why?" was Renkotsu's next question, as he let out a shaky breath.

"It's...hard to explain."

"You better fucking get to explaining," Renkotsu ordered, sitting back on the couch, crossing his arms as he did so. "Where are you getting from? What the fuck is making you do this, Ban? Of all fucking people...Takahashi?! I...he's the sole reason we're here!" Bankotsu let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his hair as he did so. He leaned forward, his elbows digging into his knees as he pressed his hands against his lips.

"Naraku...approached me, asked me to do something for him, and if I did it...I'd join his team."

"Why join his team if Inuyasha is the current fucking reigning champion!" Renkotsu interrupted, Bankotsu shook his head.

"Once Inuyasha becomes...addicted...his focus will shift, his discipline will falter. He's not going to be the same fighter he is now." Renkotsu's face paled with sudden realization.

"Oh my god...Naraku is sabotaging him." Renkotsu breathed, and then he glared at Bankotsu. "You're sabotaging him." He added, pointing a finger at him. "You're fucking sabo—"

"If I do this," Bankotsu interrupted, trying to defend his deplorable decision. "If...if I do this I can finally get out from under Inuyasha's shadow, Ren. I am tired of being known as his training partner, it was nice for a while but I want my own fame. I want my own success. I want to make my own name for myself in this industry. He's made his. He's a fucking legend," Bankotsu paused. He looked down at his hands. Beaten, swollen, calloused, bruised. "I want my own legacy."

"You could've just left!" Renkotsu yelled at him, he desperately wantedto reach over and wring his brother's neck. "Why was this even an option!?"

"Because it was the quickest way for me! It can cut my time in half, it—" Bankotsu stopped and sucked in a breath. "Damn it, Ren!"

It was quiet for a few moments before Bankotsu looked at his brother again. Renkotsu stared back at him and then spoke. "He doesn't know you're getting it from Naraku...does he?" Bankotsu shook his head.

Of course he doesn't.

"Where is Naraku getting it from?"

"He won't tell me," Bankotsu uttered.

"...Bank—"

"Are you with me?" Bankotsu asked, and the question made Renkotsu's blood run cold.

"I…" Renkotsu stammered. "I...No. I'm not." Renkotsu stood up, glaring down at his brother. "I'm out."

"If you tell Inuyasha about this, I will personally kill you," Bankotsu said as Renkotsu turned to leave, his hand caught onto his brother's wrist. "That's a real threat."

Renkotsu yanked his hand out of his brother's grasp and turned to leave again, slamming the front door behind him. He made it halfway down the corridor before he stopped, his hands coming up to his head. He took a deep, heavy breath and tried to calm himself down but he couldn't.

He wanted to tell. He wanted so badly to tell him! Renkotsu wanted to run into Inuyasha's apartment, grab him by the arms and tell him everything, everything.

But doing so would betray his brother, the only family he has here; he told himself the second they arrived in the United States that he wasn't going back to Nishinari.

It would put Bankotsu out of a job, and Renkotsu didn't want to be responsible for that.

And if word got out?

If word got out of Bankotsu's betrayal…his backstabbing behavior…it would ruin any chances he might have of having his own career.

Kagome! Tell Kagome!

But how?

He had no contact with her, he didn't have a phone number, and didn't follow her on social media. Inuyasha was clear when he'd told the brothers that he didn't want them interacting with her much. Renkotsu didn't want to cause a rift in that relationship…it wasn't his place to.

Was it?

Every avenue he explored came up as a dead-end and it made Renkotsu want to turn back around, get his things from the apartment and leave. Go back to Osaka, back to Nishinari, and find his own way.

Renkotsu let a frustrated cry out as he punched the wall, slamming his other hand into it. "Fuck!" He cursed, resting his forehead against the wall.

He was trapped.

His hands were tired with every knot possible, and that feeling was terrifying.

Renkotsu was fucking terrified.