The morning after Inuyasha was sitting up once again staring off into space. He felt empty and alone in the world once more. Logically, with all of the youki and hanyou friends he'd made, he knew he wasn't alone but at the moment that's all he could feel. He wanted his friends back, he wanted someone to reassure him so he could brush them off and insist he was fine even though he wasn't. Just knowing there was someone there who had your back made things better. His eyes found his abdomen and he noticed his firerat robes and sword were missing. His eyes widened as panic set in. It was the type of panic that felt like someone was squeezing your heart repeatedly and Inuyasha tried to stand. Standing he gripped the bedpost as his legs proved much weaker than what he assumed. Taking a knee, he cursed. He needed Tetsaiga. His youkai was even too weak to sense the blade. Cursing once more he fell. "Fuck I feel pathetic."

"You should."

Looking up he saw two servants that he hadn't heard arrive. He growled, "Pissed off bitch." Pulling himself into a crouching position he glared.

"You're the bitch here. What kind of person murders their own children? You're a pathetic excuse for a mate. I feel completely sorry for Lord Sesshomaru." The other spoke up.

"He probably tricked our lord into mating him."

The two servants continued to berate him in his weakened state. "Hehehehehahahhaa." Inuyasha started to laugh. "When I get Tetsaiga I'm going to kill you both."

They quieted then, "Lord Sesshomaru would never allow it! We've worked here for centuries!"

Inuyasha said nothing, he merely stared at them. "You really believe he gives a damn about you, don't you? He only cares about himself you morons. I can't wait to put you all out of your misery." Inuyasha said as he was finally able to stand. The comment about his deceased children was what sealed their fate. No matter how long it took, he would kill them both. "Get out." They flipped their hair and left the room. He sat deep in thought before he shouted, "I hate this goddamn castle!"

"Have you thought that maybe it feels the same way?" Masane said coolly. "You should be on guard. The servants are unaware of your situation. They only see you as the cruel vindictive mate to their warm and caring lord. Quite backwards ne?"

"…" Inuyasha glared at her.

"What? Nothing to say? You're not even going to shout at me?" Masane questioned.

"You're the only person that seems remotely sane…" Inuyasha commented. "How long til I'm up to snuff."

"A few more days of food and sleep and you should be fine." She confirmed. "Are you going to run again?"

"If I say I was?" Inuyasha glared.

"Do what you will. I won't tell the lord." Masane assured him. She wondered what could be on the young lord's mind that put him so deep in thought.

"I have a question." Inuyasha started, seeming to have found his resolve.

"I will do my best to answer if that is what you wish." She nodded, giving him the go ahead.

"Where is Sesshomaru's mother?" Inuyasha asked. Not expecting the stunned reaction from the usually collected woman. Masane merely gapped at him.

"Why?" Was her calm voice.

"I want to talk to her."

Masane sighed, "My lord, the former lady of the west died very many years ago. Long before you were born."

"How?" Inuyasha had literally seen the woman during the time of Naraku. She'd wanted to kill him. If that wasn't Sesshomaru's mother then who the hell was she?

"I am unable to say my lord as Lord Sesshomaru is on his way." The healer explained as she began to mix a medicine for the hanyou to drink.

The door opened a few minutes later and the Lord entered as Masane said he would. "You were panicking. Are you okay?"

Inuyasha glared, "Take your fake ass concern and shove it up your ass." He wouldn't admit it, but even seeing the lord made his anxiety go through the roof.

"Inuyasha." Sesshomaru tried.

"Fuck off!"

"I was only showing concern for your wellbeing."

"Tsk! You didn't seem to care about my wellbeing when you raped me!" Inuyasha growled loudly. "Leave you sadistic bastard! I don't need anything from you except a way to get away from you, asshole!"

Sesshomaru felt a growl build low in his chest. After all he'd done, and after all of the happenings of the past few days the hanyou still had the audacity to disrespect him in front of his staff. "Listen Inuyasha, you will give me the respect that my station demands!"

"What? The station you got from existing? I can respect the position but you as a person don't deserve respect! If all of those brainwashed fuckheads knew what I know about you, how you tortured me my entire life, and made your shortcomings my problem, no one would respect you. I'd rather be mated to Naraku!" Inuyasha belted out for all to hear as Sesshomaru had not closed the doors. "I'd rather be mated to all of my enemies at once than be mated to you for even a minute. I hate you and I always will! Nothing you do or say will change over a hundred years of malice! You are the reason I hate you! Why do you even fucking try!?" Masane watched the interaction with interest as Inuyasha tore into his mate. The lord looked calm and collected but for those who had known him since his childhood, they were easily able to see how furious the lord was. Inuyasha seemed to be having a field day tearing into the lord who stood stark still as a crowd gathered behind him. "And you wanna know what makes me hate you most of all? The fact that that you truly and honestly think just because I'm stuck with you that I'd give up and accept your delusional ass." He laughed then, it was hysterical and dry. "It's so funny really! I've done nothing but fight for my life since the day my mother died, and you expect me to hand that life to you?" Inuyasha laughed some more his hysteria rising as adrenaline and anxiety went through the roof clouding his mind and making him woozy, "Someone unworthy of respect, someone so far from respectable, demanding respect. Damn you're fucked in the head." Sesshomaru growl released and was near deafening. "You can be as mad as you want bastard. Being stuck with you is the only thing worse than death. I must have died in the battle with Naraku because this is what hell would look like for me. Being stuck with you!" Masane had never seen someone meet the glare of the lord head on and unwavering.

"My lord. Inuyasha is still not at his full power, he needs to rest. Being worked up is not good for his body." Masane tried to calm the lord knowing he was seconds away from doing something rash. "It will take him a much longer time to recover if he continues to feel such a high level of anxiety. Sesshomaru said nothing. He glared at Inuyasha before turning on his heel to leave, scattering the servants.

"Ne, Masane. Where's my sword and firerat?" Inuyasha asked in a much more relaxed state now that the lord had left.

"Inuyasha, we'll get to that but I'm wondering…aside from the mating…what has Sesshomaru done to make you hate him so?" Masane asked, handing him a cup of healing tonic to drink.

"Tortured me since I was a child. Hunting me down, beating me near death, and repeating. He's done nothing but curse my birth since the old man died. He'll regret everything he's ever done to me." Inuyasha said with such resolve she became worried. She tilted her head in consideration, she would have to inquire the lord as to where he found the young hanyou.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Only 3 days later and Inuyasha was up and feeling like himself. He hadn't seen nor heard word of Sesshomaru since his tangent about how awful a person the lord was. He was feeling a lot better despite the ache any thoughts of his deceased children brought to him. He shook his head of the thoughts and pulled on his firerat that had been returned a few days prior. Securing Tetsaiga to his hip, he set out to plan his next escape. Inuyasha now realized that getting to the mainland would be his only chance. Sesshomaru had too many connections that inconvenienced him to no end. He also needed time to find that woman he understood to be the mother of the lord. He didn't want to but he found himself wondering why anyone wouldn't want to be mated to his father. From what he was told, he was a benevolent ruler that the people adored. His line of thinking made him pause as he thought back to the servants. That's how all of them saw Sesshomaru. Walking, he paused in front of a painting of the former lord. "What kind of fucked up things did you do old man?" He questioned in the empty hall.

Later, Inuyasha found himself standing in a garden he'd yet to explore. He was standing in front of two small graves. They were fresh, unlike the other graves which were much older. They didn't have names on the headstones and merely read, "Prince and Princess of the west" Along with a date. The date. Inuyasha sighed, "You wouldn't have wanted to exist in this messed up world anyway. Maybe…hopefully…you'll be reborn as my kids again….and I promise I'll take care of you then…I'm sorry…Aiko…Akihiko…." He named them before using the adamant Tetsaiga to get a shard of adamant and carefully engraving the names on the stones. "A name is the least I can give you." He whispered. He looked around the garden of graves. He noticed how none of them had names and felt a little sick. "Who's buried here?" He questioned to the air.

Inuyasha saw a few servants watching him and growled. Turning back to the graves of his children, "I'm sorry…I'll come see you again…." The servants reminded him that there were two he owed death to. Sniffing around he eventually found them outside in the area reserved for soldiers. Inuyasha felt his ire grow with every step he took. He noted Sesshomaru off with one of his advisors watching him. Unsheathing Tetsaiga he growled loudly catching everyone's attention. The servant's eyes widened when they saw him. "I told you I was going to kill you." Other servants scurried away as he approached and his youki pulsed.

"My lord! Please help us!" One screeched looking to Sesshomaru for assistance who merely watched.

"He cannot kill you if you are undeserving of such." The advisor standing next to him stated.

The servant's eyes widened in fear, and only their screams were heard as he sent the wind scar hurdling towards them. "I said not to open your mouth around me." Inuyasha growled, reiterating a portion of what he'd said before he'd escaped because obviously the servants weren't aware of his policy still standing.

"Hm, it would seem Inuyasha had already created the loophole on your command, my lord." The advisor observed.

Sesshomaru remained silent as he watched his brother. Eyes wild and furious. Inuyasha seemed like a different person, more like how he was before he was pinned to the tree. Inuyasha sheathed Tetsaiga and began to leave the area. Everyone present was stunned to silence. "You bastard!" Inuyasha turned to see a weapon coming quickly. He dodged and the attacker was stopped in his tracks, being detained by several guards.

"To attack Lord Inuyasha is an attack on Lord Sesshomaru. Punishable by death." One of them growled.

"But he killed her! My intended!" The man cried out.

"She had her warning." Inuyasha continued on his way not sparing his silent mate a glance, even an insult. When he was out of earshot the complaints began.

"Lord Sesshomaru! He's out of control!"

"Lord Sesshomaru, he scares us!"

"Lord Sesshomaru, why would you take such a cold mate!?"

His servant and a few guards bombarded him with questions but Sesshomaru had no response. Inuyasha was as he described to them. He just hadn't had a reason to show that side of himself because Inuyasha trusted no one here. He was on guard constantly. "Enough." The crowd found silence, "He has been through something traumatic. Anyone bothering him will be put to death. Back to what you were doing." Sesshomaru continued to oversee the work he ordered them to complete.

One servant, however, had followed him. It was the wolf girl that he'd nearly killed a few weeks ago. Her heart was racing as she stood in front of the lords room. She knocked and was quick to open the door when she heard how annoyed the lord sounded. When she entered, she bowed immediately. "What do you want?"

Her hands were shaking as she stared at the ground. She wasn't even sure what she wanted. "Um…my lord…I…I would like to…um…become your…your personal servant….."

"Why?" Inuyasha glared at the wolf girl who clearly had a death wish by coming to bother him when he was already so annoyed.

"S-so-s-so-oo."

"Just fucking spit it out already!" Inuyasha growled angrily causing the wolf demoness to burst into tears.

"I'm sorry!" She was kneeling on the floor crying her eyes out.

"Oaky okay okay! Just stop crying, geez you'd think I was going to…oh right…" Inuyasha realized the demoness might very well be terrified of hm. After all, he had almost killed her before. "Fine, whatever. What's your name?"

"Sa-sa-a-kura!" She looked at him with tearful eyes and a runny nose.

"Gross…maybe you should wash your face or something…." Inuyasha didn't do well with women, especially when they were crying. Eventually the wolf demoness had calmed and explained that she didn't think Inuyasha was the bad guy he seemed, and that the other servants would have no reason to bother him if she became his personal servant. "And how do I know you aren't just going to spy on me for that bastard."

"I wouldn't do that my lord! But I only have my word…I'm sorry."

"You apologize too much, ya know that?" Inuyasha was annoyed with the girls constant apologizing…but it did take his mind off of the grave of his children that had be tearing at him. His youkai, while replenished, hadn't been doing much of anything. He could barely feel it but his human half was quite pleased with itself…and it made the hanyou sick. He felt so sick when he realized that not all of him was mourning the loss of his pups. "Well whatever I'm going to go raid those trees."

"May I join you my lord!?" Sakura pipped.

"Do whatever you want." Inuyasha waved her off.

"Okay!" She followed the hanyou to the orchard at a servant's distance behind him. Many other servants gawked and watched the two move through the halls. Inuyasha approached a different tree which some servants scurried away from. He sat down and pulled his knees to his chest, there was a barrel full of fruit sitting next to him which he begins to eat. Sakura stood to the side watching him deep in thought. "Um, my lord, may I ask you a question?"

"Shoot." Inuyasha's eyes found the wolf demoness.

"How did you meet Lord Sesshomaru?"

Inuyasha felt his heart stop at the question and his stomach start to churn. "What do you mean how did I meet him?"

"Well…did your parents give you to him? Was it for a treaty or something? I'm sorry, I don't know much about royalty…but I have heard about your heroics and how you've saved so many people." Sakura giggled. Inuyasha looked at her dumbfounded until he realized that she truly had no idea who he was.

"How don't you know who I am? The previous lord of this castle died trying to save my life." Inuyasha couldn't believe she didn't know about that.

"But the previous lord died protecting his unbor…." She trailed off, staring at the hanyou. "Eh!? That's impossible!"

"What are you on about?" Inuyasha questioned curiously.

"The lord, the baby, and his mate all died together. That's how the story goes."

"Are you calling me a liar?" Inuyasha growled angrily.

Sakura didn't know what to say. She took in the lord's scent and her eyes widened. She hadn't realized it before but the scent spoke of a blood relation to the lord. She'd assumed it was the scent of their lord marking his mate, but the scent was all its own. "How are you alive?" She asked, hoping she didn't sound rude.

"He saved me and my mother…so…no one here knows that bastard and I are half-brothers?" Inuyasha asked looking around.

"H-how? The lord…was mated…and um…" Sakura was so confused. Infidelity was an impossibility in the youki world. A youki's youkai wouldn't allow adultery.

Inuyasha glared at Sakura before gesturing for her to sit in front of him. "Tell me the story." For the next hour or so the two received very odd and wild looks from servants and guards alike as the wolf demoness told Inuyasha the story as she'd been told. The differences being his mother was supposedly the inuyouki mate of the lord, and Sesshomaru not being asked for assistance. It made a lot of sense since the woman was nowhere to be found. What Inuyasha couldn't understand is why rewrite history? "Well I'm gonna flat out tell you that most of that isn't true whatsoever. You were lied to. The mate was a human princess that was kidnapped by her people because they thought she's been bewitched by the demon lord. After the lord fought the dragon and sealed him to the side of a mountain, he asked Sesshomaru's ass for help, which he refused, he then was able to save me and my mom but died when the burning mansion crushed him as he fought with Takemaru of Setsuna. My mom was taken in along with me by her family, but severely mistreated, and when she died I was chased off… I was maybe 40 something or 50…" Sakura covered her mouth in shock. "And the first thing your beloved lord did when he came across me was hit me so hard I flew into a tree and dislocated my jaw. So, forgive me if you can't understand why being mated to that rapist isn't in my interests."

"But why would lord Sesshomaru do such a thing?" Sakura had only known a kind and quiet king who ruled the best he could.

"Because you're a brainwashed moron along with the rest of those idiots. He fucking erased me from the records, from fucking history. Just another layer of me fucking hating him. I can't wait to break out of this mating so I can severe his head from his fucking shoulders." Inuyasha growled angrily. "Does this place have a library?"

"Um y-yes my lord." Sakura's head was still reeling from the information that she'd been told.

Inuyasha allowed her to lead him to the library. Inuyasha was going to hit the lord where it hurt the most. His pride. According to his knowledge the elders were still present in the castle and wanted to see him and speak with him. He however needed to confirm that he was slashed from the records so he could back the bastard of a lord into a corner. The library was huge and Inuyasha couldn't help but gawk at the tomes lining the shelves. Finding the history section, he started reading up on the west as Sakura picked out the books she assumed would be of interest to him. While he could read a small amount before the Naraku incident, enough to get by, Kagome had really opened his world to literature and he enjoyed reading quite a bit. Everyone thought he was pretty much a moron, and he preferred it that way. Underestimation allowed him a lot of leeway. In about 4 hours, Inuyasha had confirmed through the books that he was slashed from the record. "This is really interesting." It was enough to back him into a corner and potentially force the lord to leave him alone. Before they left Inuyasha made sure to touch, open, and flip through a great majority of the books in the library and make Sakura do the same so Sesshomaru wouldn't be able to pinpoint what he was doing. Better safe than sorry.

He was going to ruin the lord's reputation even more that he already had. Every would see what a sick bastard he was and finally allow him to put the lord out of his misery.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Sesshomaru was sitting down with the elders for a meal, when he received word about Inuyasha allowing a servant to follow him around. It was odd to say the least. After the meal, they continued to pester him about seeing Inuyasha. "My mate has been through something traumatic and it would be best for him to rest." Sesshomaru searched Inuyasha's feelings but was getting nothing more than amusement and apathy which was a strange combination. As he took his leave, he continued to sort through how Inuyasha was feeling. The emotions were a lot more stable than before but he couldn't understand the amusement. "Could it be the servant?" He thought to himself. He confirmed that he would have to reward the servant in some way for getting close enough to even slightly amused his brother that had been an emotional wreck since his arrival.

A guard had confirmed that Sakura, the wolf demoness the hanyou had almost killed was the one following him around. They'd spent a lot of time in the library from what they told him and more time in the orchard just speaking. Sesshomaru assumed that perhaps she was doing it so that no other servants would die. She was quite brave he concluded. He sat in his office drinking wine and going over various documents of interest as a servant detailed what he'd witnessed the two doing. Sesshomaru wondered what his brother was doing. Perhaps he was bored and had taken to reading to alleviate that boredom. In any case, he decided he would go see for himself.

Elsewhere, Inuyasha was sitting on the roof of the castle contemplating all that he'd read. He even read a book about mating and what that meant fully. Sesshomaru had used what amounted to a spell on him to lock him up without chaining him down. Which added another layer of hatred. "What should I do?" While he wasn't the idiot people thought him, he preferred to hit things head on rather than being cunning. There was so much the bastard was hiding from the idiots that worked for him. He should probably start with the whole, I'm actually his brother bit because then the problems would roll in by themselves. Thankfully the elders would be around for a quite a while according to Sakura. He jumped into the courtyard and headed for the small dining hall where more private dinners took place. As he thought, all parties were present. All eyes were on him as he took a seat directly across from Sesshomaru at the other end of the table, completely ignoring the seat beside the lord that was reserved for him. The elders congratulated him on his recovery but Inuyasha leveled an intense glare on the lord as he let his rage and animosity grow. Not missing Sesshomaru's barely noticeable shift in discomfort as it confirmed that what the book said was indeed truth, that the lord could feel his emotions clearly because he'd marked him. He let the rage build but calmly lifted a glass of water to his lips. After taking a swig, he set the glass down and stared at the still water. "I have a question."

"What is it?" Sesshomaru asked unwavering. Glaring at the lord more intensely, Inuyasha's eyes found the elders, which worried Sesshomaru. "Perhaps it would be best if we spoke in private if something is bothering you." Sesshomaru tried to steer, unsure of where Inuyasha was taking this.

"Do you have any siblings?" Inuyasha asked, "Because I always thought you did but according to everyone else that isn't true, huh? Odd isn't it." Inuyasha said with sarcasm dripping from his annoyed voice. "I'm curious as to why I would think you did, yet no one else does." From the way Sesshomaru's eyes widened, Inuyasha confirmed that it was the lord who slashed him from the records.

"I believe now is not the time to discuss such trivial matter as the elders have been waiting to speak to you." Sesshomaru bit out, steering the minds of the elders elsewhere.

"Trivial? Well, I think this is the perfect time to talk about it because I don't think even the elders know. Huh? Strange, don't you think?" Inuyasha crossed his arms and continued to glare at the lord his apathy coming forth and his eyes dulling. "After all, you always said it was you who'd end my life big brother."

"W-what is this now?" An elder stuttered.

"Oh, so you don't know. To think it was you who said you don't lie, Sesshomaru." Inuyasha stood as an older dog youki took in his scent. The dog had to sit down for a moment as he clutched at his heart.

"This isn't possible." He said trying to catch his breath.

"But it is, and the only person here who knew who I was is your beloved youki lord. So, tell me Sesshomaru. Why doesn't anyone know who I am?" All eyes were on the youki lord who seemed to be made of stone as he tried to think of what to say.

Clearing his throat, "As I said. This is a matter discussed best elsewhere."

"I refuse to be mated to you. There's a way to undo it and I will undo it and kill you." Inuyasha said as he left the room of fuming elders.