You guys deserved a quick update =]

Inuyasha returned to the guest bedroom with the linen all clean & smelling fresh. He didn't care much for doing the laundry but he really loved the smell of clean sheets [especially on his own makeshift bed]. Something about a clean room with fresh sheets & blankets, open windows & a sunny day always put the hanyou in a great mood.

"Be a dear, Inuyasha, & help Shippo with the bed covers" Old Kaede, the head maid, said. She was old , obviously by how they referred to her, & you'd think from the way her back was haunched it would bother her to bend over but if it did she never complained about it. Inuyasha thought of her as a mom, considering he didn't have one [or rather didn't know her].

"Old Kaeda bought new laundry soap. Can ya tell?" Shippo asked & buried his face in the corner of the blanket.

"Of course I can ya dummy, I can smell just as well as you. & stop plantin' ya face in the covers; King InuTaisho & Prince Sesshomaru will have all of our hides if this room is not perfect" Inuyasha said irritably.

"Ahh…Prince Sesshomaru…ain't he dreamy?" the young fox said breathily as he tucked the sheet under his side of the bed.

Inuyasha did his best to fight the jealousy as well as the sudden flutter that erupted in his belly at that name. "Yeah he a'ight. Pull your side tighter!"

"I bet his breath never stinks. & I bet his hair never gets all tangled & stuff, not to mention he's gorgeous"

The hanyou stayed silent. If he was stupid enough to tell anyone of his relationship with the prince of the Western lands it most certainly would not be a little punk kid who could barely hold his own piss.

"I wish me & him could trade places" the fox went on.

"Yeah well you'll never be as beautiful as him" Inuyasha bit back.

"But I thought you said he was just alright?" Shippo said, a slow smile stretching his face, "So you admit he's attractive? Do ya fancy him?"

The hanyou sputtered as he looked for something to say & hoped to Kami he was not blushing. "Look just…scrub the damn floor already so we can move on!"

Shippo giggled as he dodged a wet rag Inuyasha flung at him but both demons got back to work when Old Kaede gave them a serious look. Considering the Taisho family rarely got visitors overnight, the guest room was cleaned fairly quickly. Inuyasha went over the storage chest once more with a rag dipped in oil & herbs to make it shine & add a bit of exotic fragrance in the room. He smoothed out the few wrinkles in the bed covers, adjusted the pots of bamboo in the corner & made sure all of their cleaning supplies had been removed before he finally slid the door shut.

"Do you mind cleaning Prince Sesshomaru's chambers, Inuyasha? I have to take the maids & servants to get started on dinner" Old Kaede said.

The hanyou nodded once, hoping it didn't come across as too enthusiastic. "Sure, I'll take care of it"

"Thank you, dear. When you finish hurry to the kitchen. I'm sure I'll need you since I don't trust the others to cut up the vegetables"

The half breed nodded & hurried into the prince's already neat room. For some reason Old Kaede said they should always clean quickly & to avoid detection if possible. Of course Inuyasha knew it was always better for the royal family to call to you rather than be all in their way but he didn't understand why it seemed like if they were caught doing exactly what they were supposed to, they would get punished.

"Women…" he muttered. That was exactly why he preferred men. That & he didn't really care for womens' tendancies to be clingy.

Inuyasha opened the windows before he pulled his kerchief down to cover his mouth & nose then dusted off the few pieces of furniture in Prince Sesshomaru's main chamber. He hummed softly as he worked & even danced a little. The room smelled of the man he loved, a scent that was half sweet, half musk with the undertones of something exotic & fascinating. A scent that Inuyasha hated washing himself of whenever they had sex so their affair could remain a secret. He'd have to ask Sesshomaru one day if he liked the way the hanyou smelled & did he pressed his face to the pillow Inuyasha had previously laid on when the half breed left to start his day the way Inuyasha imagined he would.

Inuyasha opened the windows in the left wing of the bedchambers, not surprised by how not a single thing had been changed since the last time they made love in here, just four nights ago. Sesshomaru claimed that he didn't see the point of trying to straighten it when no one ever entered it except he & his lover & his lover cleaned it anyway but Inuyasha sometimes felt like Sesshomaru would come in here & touch himself, remembering how Inuyasha's hands touched him. Well…it was a nice thought anyway.

"Mmm…"

Inuyasha straightened. Had he made that noise, fantasizing about Sesshomaru fantasizing about him? It was possible; it'd happened befor-

"Oh…gods…"

Wait. Was someone….? Inuyasha crossed the room to the door that led into Sesshomaru'd third bedchamber [more like a study] & stopped abruptly at what he saw. Sesshomaru's face was buried in the neck of some guy who was moaning, his head tilted back as the inuyoukai showered the pulse at his neck with attention. His hands fluttered to Sesshomaru's hakamas & tugged at them, trying to create enough room for his hand to slip inside but Sesshomaru took the hand & put on the guy's crotch.

"Pleasure yourself" the dog demon whispered.

The man immediately obliged, spreading his legs for the silver haired beauty as his hands caressed his throbbing member. Inuyasha felt his face blush with embarrassment, anger & the effort to stop himself to stomping over there & tearing up the man that was exposed in front of his man.

At one point the man's head lilted to the side & his eyes opened & landed on Inuyasha. Rather than be stunned & ashamed he smiled sleepily. "We have a visitor"

Sesshomaru glanced up….& said nor did anything. Nothing in his facial expression changed. Not surprise. Not shame. Not regret. Nothing. That angered Inuyasha more than anything.

"Are you here to join us, sweet one?" the man asked, "You are more than welcomed to"

Inuyasha turned on his heel & forced himself not to stomp away, slam any doors or throw things around to show just how angry he was. He should've known getting involved with a highborn would be detrimental to his emotions. He was stupid to believe Sesshomaru might have loved him. & he was stupid for loving him back.

…..

….

…

..

.

He tried not to. He really did but the tears came anyway & would not stop. Inuyasha punched himself for crying over that jerk. He could have any man or woman he wanted, why was he crying over someone who didn't give a shit about him? He was always the seme in the relationship & semes just did not cry. It was unacceptable.

In the back of his mind he remembered Old Kaede wanted his help in the kitchen but his legs stayed folded & his arms didn't try to help him up either.

'She'll understand. She always does when it comes to emotional things' [even though not even she knew about Prince Sesshomaru & Inuyasha's affair]

Inuyasha angrily wiped away the tears from his face. He'd find someone else, someone better. Someone who didn't hide their relationship. Someone who didn't care that he was low class. Someone who valued him more than their title. Matter of fact, he was going to leave the castle tonight & find that Someone Better somewhere else. He could start his life over instead of dragging around this servant burden. He could be a smith or a carpenter, anything he wanted & no one would question him.

He was in the middle of packing his few belongings when his door opened & he turned to find Sesshomaru slowly closing the door.

The hanyou's face pulled down into a frown. "What do you want?"

"Regardless of how your feelings may be hurt I am your prince & you will address me with respect"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Yeah Sesshomaru could have his head lopped off for how he'd just spoken to him. He should be thankful he was being shown mercy but he definitely wouldn't be handing out any tearful thank you's to the stuck up bastard.

"Are you leaving?" Sesshomaru asked, glancing down at the large length of fabric that would serve as Inuyasha's traveling container.

"Yes"

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?" Inuyasha snapped, "You honestly think I'd want to stay here after what I saw?!"

"You will keep your voice down" Sesshomaru bit out through gritted teeth.

"Yeah well you should have told your new lover the same thing…"

The inuyoukai averted his eyes off to the side, his version of showing an once of shame. "He is not my lover"

"But you wish he was"

"No"

"Then why, Sesshomaru? Why would you do that to me? To us?"

"I have no excuse for what I did, only that I wanted him at the time"

Inuyasha ran a frustrated hand through his bangs, trying his best to contain the anger that was steadily rising in his chest. "What, I ain't good enough for you?"

"You are"

"But…?"

"It is as I've said, I wanted him at the time"

"Oh what a load of-!"

"Be quiet before someone hears us!"

Inuyasha stepped up into Sesshomaru's face, pointing a finger at him as he tilted his head down slightly to look him in the eye. "Who you fuck is your business but I ain't finna stand around & act like that shit don't bother me when you know I love you"

"Is it my fault you fell for me the moment your cock entered my ass?"

Inuyasha's hand twitched. He almost slapped Sesshomaru as hard as he could.

Too angry to respond, Inuyasha grabbed a shirt by his foot & flung it onto the bed where his makeshift knapsack lie in wait. He couldn't believe Sesshomaru had just said that, as if he honestly did not even love Inuyasha. Well, maybe he didn't. No use in trying to win his affection after that. He was going to go someplace far away & start his life somewhere where nothing reminded him of the dog demon prince of the west anyway. He couldn't care less about how the inuyoukai felt about him anymore.

Inuyasha stilled when a hand planted itself on his own & he tried to control his heart rate that was picking up speed. He shouldn't be feeling excited at this, he should be angry still, he should be fighting the hope that started to take over the rage…

He met eyes very similar to his own & had to swallow a few times before he could talk. "If you love me then wait until I can get my chores done so I can satisfy you myself" he whispered.

Sesshomaru nodded ever so slightly once, his long fingers lacing with the half breed's.

Inuyasha hated how easily he always forgave Sesshomaru when the inuyoukai never once said sorry or expressed any sort of regret. Just a look, a touch, the way his eyes pleaded to understand the words he couldn't [or wouldn't]say was enough. It always irritated Inuyasha but he never did anything about it. There was no point in changing who Sesshomaru was considering this was the Sesshomaru he fell in love with.

Inuyasha rested a finger under Sesshomaru's chin. "You have nothing to say for yourself?"

Sesshomaru only stared at him, his facial expression unreadable & his eyes blank.

The hanyou sighed & kissed him. One day he wasn't going to tolerate this kind of treatment. One day he was going to tell Sesshomaru that sometimes he really needed to hear certain things like apologies & words of affection. One day….just not today.