Sorry for the long wait, I hope you enjoy it!

The fallout from his actions was a lot less drastic than he expected. Who he truly was hadn't spread throughout the castle he was trapped in like he assumed it would. He was in his new room again sitting on the floor and thinking hard about how he was going to escape and find that woman. He remembered Myoga or Totosai mentioning that Sesshomaru's mother resides in a floating castle which added another layer to how complicated all of this had become.

Inuyasha felt a shiver run up his back as his mind fell on the times he'd been attacked. He was trying to push the thoughts and associated emotions down but was having no luck. His eyes wandered around the room as he tried to forget. His youkai was still very quiet, and his human half was still puffing its chest with pride. He could hear tiny, quick footfalls heading in his direction before someone knocked on the door. He could tell it was the toad that always followed Sesshomaru around. He didn't have time for that, so he ignored him.

The toad knocked and squawked at him for not bidding his entry. He went to the balcony and jumped to the garden below before climbing into a tree. He inhaled the smell of the Earth deeply before sighing comfortably. He missed his forest, and his freedom. He watched from his perch as the servants went about their daily lives. His mind wandered back to his father the man he heard so much about and yet knew so very little. He thought about his mother and what she might have gone through in this palace.

One thing he liked was that because of his earlier outbursts, the servants have mostly left him alone. He also assumed it had to do with Sakura following him around as well. Holding on to Tetsuaiga he frowned and considered his escape again. With the curse Sesshomaru essentially placed on him he was unable to leave the castle without him. He was effectively trapped without being chained. He sighed. If only his friends were younger, he could trust them to find the woman and ask for her help, he was sure she wouldn't want her son mated to a hanyou anyway.

He thought a lot about Sesshomaru's bullshit reason for trapping him like this. How come he couldn't go against his youkai? He'd never heard of that before. His mind went back to his youkai, and its attempt to protect him from Sesshomaru's attack. While it frightened him, he didn't want any part of him to suffer through such an act. He felt himself shiver as he tried not to remember. He was so lost in thought he didn't hear his youkai alerting him to the one person who he didn't want to see's approach.

Sesshomaru had sent Jaken to retrieve Inuyasha. He planned to answer a few of the hanyou's questions in regard to why no one knew who he was and why it was best for it to be kept that way. The hanyou was headstrong and clearly didn't think any reason Sesshomaru could have had was good enough. He sighed as he shifted through his seemingly endless emotions. There was sadness, anger, disappointment, fear, and a bit of curiosity all wrapped up in a layer of anxiety. Inuyasha was always anxious now. Following his scent, he arrived at the tree he was in. However, he didn't get the reaction he expected. He expected to be cursed, shouted at, and avoided. Inuyasha didn't even move from where he was, and he could hear him mumbling incoherently to himself.

He couldn't make out what was being said but he could see the hanyou looking off into space, he could see how his hands trembled, and his brow furrowed above unfocused eyes. Every so often the corners of his mouth would turn down in a frown as he continued to mumble. Sesshomaru clenched his hands together. He wouldn't have to deal with any of this if not for his youkai. He never wanted to deal with this. Inuyasha couldn't even hear him, his ears showed no indication that he'd heard his words. His youkai prodded at him in distress because of the state his mate was in.

Sesshomaru sighed and sent a servant to retrieve Masane. The woman was there quickly and looked up into the tree at the hanyou who had not moved. "It is a response to trauma." She said quietly. She herself believed the hanyou to be a bit more fortified than most based on his behavior but this, this was surprising. She frowned, "I guess there's a way to break everyone." She thought to herself, not even daring to open her mouth and speak her thoughts with the youkai lord next to her.

"How long will he remain in this state?" Sesshomaru asked.

"It depends-!" She began but Inuyasha had jumped from the tree and was crouched low and growling with Tetsuaiga drawn. "Milord please take your leave; I will speak with him."

Sesshomaru looked at Inuyasha as his youkai yelled at him to help their distressed mate before turning and walking away. When he was gone, Masane sighed and sat below the tree Inuyasha was just in as the hanyou worked on controlling his breathing. "Lord Inuyasha, we need to speak. It is important that we do so."

Inuyasha was still crouched as he dealt with the adrenaline coursing throughout his body. "F-fuck…!" He'd never let that bastard get so close to him before, how hadn't he sensed him? He felt unsafe, for the first time in his life he felt like his senses had failed him. He looked at the Masane woman. His breathing heavy as he tried to calm down. He could see spots dotting his vision and then nothing.

Masane went to him quickly when he passed out from his panicking state. She placed him in a better position and checked his body. Soon, his golden eyes peeled open. "You passed out my lord." She explained, giving him water from her tools she'd brought with her. Inuyasha sat up slowly, he hated this. The feeling of fear, the feeling of his body betraying him repeatedly.

"I must speak with you about the state you are in so you can better understand what has been happening to your body." Inuyasha said nothing and only looked at her. Masane sighed. "It takes a lot of damage to scar someone mentally. It is a wound that cannot be healed with bandages, salves, or herbs. For many, time is what does the trick, for many others they'll only feel free from their pain in death."

Inuyasha was quiet as he listened to the only person he had some trust in. "For youkai, it takes a lot for such damage to take root. For humans, not so much. It all depends on the person, but everyone has a breaking point. Myself included. Things that they will never forget, things they can't forgive, things that will torture them, so long as they live."

The hanyou thought about his constant anxiety. The fear he felt whenever Sesshomaru was near, fear he hadn't felt since he was a child and unable to truly defend himself against those who attacked him. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He would get through this like he got through everything else. With his relentless determination. He wouldn't let his life be stolen from him. He wouldn't be trapped with that bastard. He sighed heavily and looked away from her. "So, you know I'm having a problem, what the fuck do you want me to do?" Inuyasha had long since learned not to avoid treatment for his problems lest he make them worse.

"Eat and drink water. Find something worthwhile to focus on. Confide in someone you can trust." Masane explained, "A good step to take in order to recover is not shouldering the burden alone."

Inuyasha considered her words and nodded, easier said than done. "Why don't you seem surprised by any of this." In fact, the woman was apathetic at most.

"I have served your family for many millennia. Taking a mate by force had only become frowned upon recently and even then, reprimands are only for show. You are not the first inu to suffer in this way within this family." Masane explained.

"How….how many….?" Inuyasha asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"Of those I've seen in my time here, you are the 5th. I was brought in to treat the 1st who was hell bent on ending his life to regain the honor he felt had been stolen from him. He succeeded. The 2nd wasn't a danger to herself physically, but she lost all personality as she retreated into her mind, the only place of safety that she felt she had. The 3rd, lord Sesshomaru's great great-grandmother fought tooth and nail for her freedom. She eventually conceded because of the risk to her life, but she never spoke to his great great-grandfather and rejected all children she bore, leaving most to die of starvation. Only one of those children survived, a girl that resembled her. She wouldn't let her mate near the child either." Masane sighed thinking about that woman, she was truly in a state of deep trauma and latched onto Lord Sesshomaru's great-grandmother, treating her like a doll, and living her dreams of freedom through her.

"The 4th, was Sesshomaru's mother…she was the worse out of all the inu I'd treated…"

"What's her story? What'd the old man do to her?" Inuyasha asked quietly.

"He broke her…or at least he tried to." Masane frowned thinking about her. "Her father gave her to lord Touga, and his position in the council rose."

Inuyasha blinked, "The old dog I met..?" He questioned. Masane didn't know so she didn't reply. "…what happened to her…?"

Masane pursed her lips, "It is not something I'm allowed to discuss in detail. My apologies my lord."

Inuyasha was in his room once more thinking about all that Masane told him. He wouldn't let himself be broken by this; He wouldn't let his life be stolen from him. If not for the command, he would have escaped again when he caused the chaos with the council people. He sighed heavily, he needed to figure out how to override the command. "I fucking hate him. I fucking hate everyone in this god forsaken place." He growled angrily to himself.

Going into the bathing chamber he drew a bath and washed while fully clothed again. He was having a hard time with the idea of being naked. The thought made him shudder.

His mind went back to what Masane told him about the barbaric practices of their family. He thought about the first and the third. If it really comes down to it, he'd rather take his own life. He couldn't concede like she had. He couldn't just let it go. Forgiveness was also off the table, the only way he'd forgive Sesshomaru was if he killed himself.

He felt his stomach rumble, but he knew he wouldn't be able to keep anything down after what he'd learned. Dripping wet, he took to the halls. He could see how the servants were looking at him. He was walking and thinking about his next steps, how could he figure out where Sesshomaru's mother was and how could he get her to help. He was hoping deep down that since they suffered the same fate, she might be sympathetic.

He stopped and quickly climbed to the next floor to avoid a group of people. Sighing, he started moving again. The few servants he passed by bowed to him and continued to move but he ignored them. Eventually, Sakura was with him again. He paid her no mind. He continued walking, eventually beginning to map out the grounds and see just how far he could push it. Then his eyes widened when thinking about the curse. The night of the new moon. Sesshomaru could only command his youkai, for his human self, as dangerous as it might be, he could potentially escape.

As he thought, he looked up and saw the youkai he'd killed before. He only bowed with the others and said nothing. Inuyasha hated these people. He continued walking, keeping his thoughts to himself. He would kill him no matter what.

The hanyou stopped and jumped outside, he was feeling claustrophobic. The walls were too close to him, and he was feeling trapped. He found himself in another garden, one he hadn't yet been to. There were white flowers everywhere and he sat down heavily, feeling his youkai beginning to finally stir. It was silent still but reacting to the area he was in. He found a tree to sit under making sure his mind didn't wander too far and he stayed alert, so Sesshomaru couldn't approach him again.

He didn't believe in the gods and never had, but he wanted to pray. His luck was shit except for when it really counted, and he could use that dumb luck now. He needed it now. He wanted it more than anything. He took a deep breath, if the Well was still open, he could escape to the future. That would be the easiest way. He felt his heartache for the love he'd lost. He felt cold since he was still soaked but made no move to stand. He looked around at the strange flowers. He hated youkai. He hated his youkai.

His eyes found the crescent moon in the sky. The new moon would be soon and his greatest weakness, would become his greatest strength. However, he was slow in his human form. Really slow, and he couldn't let Sesshomaru find out about it. No telling what the bastard would do to him. He reminded himself that he'd escaped from worse and would come out on top like he always did. He had to.

Inuyasha remained where he sat until the morning, his mind going over different ways he could possibly escape. No one came to this garden; he couldn't sense them anyway. He needed the smell of the Earth and trees to feel comfortable, to keep the constant anxiety as low as he possibly could. He pulled Tetsuaiga from its scabbard. "Do you know anything Tetsuaiga? Anything at all that could help me…? If you do…please…"

The sword only vibrated in his hands making him sigh softly. He couldn't believe he'd been pushed into a corner like this. This wasn't the turn his life was supposed to take. His clothes eventually dried, and he found himself staring at Tetsuaiga. For the first time in a long time, he wished to be someone else. His existential dread coming back to him full force as he thought about what death might be like. He thought about all of his close-run ins and how it felt like an old friend he hadn't seen in a while. He wasn't afraid to die. He'd become used to that fear long ago. He was afraid he would throw away all of his mothers sacrifices and make her suffering meaningless.

Death would be easier than trying to escape. Tetsuaiga returned to its rusted form at his thoughts and his youkai whined a bit. "…" He said nothing as it began to tussle with his human half. He blinked and began to ignore the pain they were causing him. He could see glimpses of himself in the reflection of the rusted sword. He looked tired and unfamiliar with the short hair. It made his ears stand out a bit more.

Two days later, Sakura found him. Servants in the castle were a bit frantic when told by the lord to make sure Inuyasha was eating. However, none had seen him at the fruit trees and none in the kitchens had seen him either. "Milord, are you well?"

Inuyasha didn't say anything to her and simply stood up walking past her looking exhausted. She ended up following him to his rooms, but he shut the door on her before she could join him. He was hungry but he had no interest in food. The uncomfortable feeling was keeping him alert and that's all he needed.

Elsewhere, Sesshomaru couldn't focus on anything with the way his youkai was screeching about Inuyasha's hunger. It didn't help that the council before him was screeching about Inuyasha's callous revelation. "You will explain Sesshomaru!" A man growled angrily. The removal of a mating mark was impossible, once one went into death the other would follow. Those were the rules of youkai matings.

Sesshomaru was finding himself more agitated as they berated him with questions he couldn't be bothered to answer. "Leave me be." They stiffened with the flare of his youki and left the room with scowls on their faces. This wasn't going to end well; He knew this already.

The council stormed out and Sesshomaru wasn't concerned about that until he felt them heading towards Inuyasha's rooms. He stood angrily and quickly followed behind. He could hear the servant that had been following him around. "Milord doesn't wish to be bothered! You can't!"

She was shoved out of the way and the door was opened. Inuyasha wasn't inside the room however and was sitting on the balcony. They followed him out there standing before him. Inuyasha was glaring at them. "What the fuck do you want?" He growled.

"You would do well to mind your manners boy!" The old dog growled.

"Or what!?" Inuyasha stood, Tetsuaiga in hand.

"There is no need for violence, we just came to speak." Another spoke, standing in between them. The area was tense, and everyone was on edge, especially when Sesshomaru joined them. Inuyasha growled and back flipped from the balcony. He felt trapped and needed to escape. The council followed him into the garden below with Sesshomaru behind them. The youkai stood between him and the council and Inuyasha darted away. "Do not approach him."

"Do you think to order us Sesshomaru? The boy must answer our questions since you clearly have decided to hold your tongue so tightly." The old dog growled.

They continued this dance, following Inuyasha around the castle until he began to use Tetsuaiga to get his point across. "I told you to stop following him." He growled, looking at the council members. Sesshomaru was feeling very agitated, by everything at this point, especially Inuyasha's hunger.

After he attacked them with Tetsuaiga they stopped following him around but the hanyou wasn't taking any chances. He found himself watching the guards do their training. They looked stupid in his opinion. He watched them boredly. Listening as they followed the orders of their superiors. Many seemed nervous with the way they kept glancing his way.

Soon their supervisor jogged over to him and bowed. "My apologies sir, is there something we can do for you?"

"No, I'm just watching, go away." He said gruffly.

"I mean no disrespect milord but…you're making them extremely nervous."

"Why?"

"They are new recruits and to have milord watching can discourage them."

"Are you telling me to get lost?"

"I wouldn't ever be so callous milord." Is what the youkai said but Inuyasha could tell he was getting a bit frustrated with him. He took the man in, he was kuroinu with striking features. If Inuyasha was bold he would say he was handsome.

"Ugh. Coward." He mumbled before standing and jumping up the fortress and sitting as high as he could, letting out a deep sigh. "I'm gonna destroy this fucking place too."

As he waited for his singular opportunity, he learned all he could about the layout of the castle. It was beginning to get to the point where none could find him for long periods of time. That's what he wanted. It made avoiding the council very easy. The only one who could find him was Sesshomaru and he would avoid him too. The last time they'd seen eachother was a few days ago. Because of the command, when Sesshomaru told him to eat his body forced him to, but he ended up throwing it all up anyway.

The youkai was unnerved by this and called Masane to assess him, but she only sighed and looked at him. "You're making him throw up."

"Explain."

"Forcing him to eat, when he doesn't wish to." She said coldly. Inuyasha's hands were shaking. He wanted to kill Sesshomaru. He wanted him to die the most painful death imaginable. Masane gave him water, but he darted away as quickly as he could. Sesshomaru ended up in his office his leg bouncing. Everything about his current situation was frustrating. His youkai should have let him kill Inuyasha. He should be dead. He should be dead. It was the only thing running through his mind. He shouldn't have to deal with this.

His beast was continuously tearing at him because of Inuyasha. The council continued to pester him, and he wanted to kill everyone to regain his peace.

Inuyasha was staring at the locked door people continued to knock on. He'd learned that if he wanted some warning, he needed to remember to lock the door. He was hungry. In fact, he was so hungry he was starting to feel ill. After that incident with Sesshomaru, he couldn't look at food without feeling nauseous though. It was getting worse. His mental state was declining more. He needed to get out of here, but he still hadn't come up with a way to escape without dying in the process. He figured that if it really came down to taking his own life it would be best to do it as a human so his youkai couldn't interfere. He felt his beast whimper within him and mumbled an apology to it. It didn't want to die but he was trapped. He'd rather die than accept this torment. He continued to lie there, staring at the door when a flash of yellow caught his eye.

He turned and nearly broke down in tears. It seemed fate hadn't abandoned him just yet. The small youkai hopped over to him before jumping into his arms. He hugged her tightly. "I missed you too Kilala…" He took a deep breath before explaining to her what was going on and that he needed her help to escape. He just needed to make a distraction for Sesshomaru. He shuddered at the thought of seeing him again. He just wanted this nightmare to be over already. He told Kilala she needed to remain hidden, and she mewled in agreement. She would return to him at night and curl up with him.

One day, he found himself observing the training once again from a different vantage point. He couldn't stay in that room, he needed to keep moving. The new moon would occur in another week. He needed to be prepared. Inuyasha wondered what the point of what the guards were doing was while ignoring those that approached to speak with him or ask him questions, he didn't care about. He watched the same youkai come up to him, a bit more frustrated this time. "Milord I'm certain there are more entertaining things for you to do rather than making the recruits nervous."

"Nope."

He watched the youkai's face tense. Wondering why he was so bothered by him being there and just assumed it was because he was a hanyou. "Milord your presence is causing them to feel pressured. Their performance and moral is falling."

"I'm not even doing anything, and it's not like I'm that bastard so why does it matter?" He asked staring at the youkai.

"You're stations higher than they. One word of displeasure from you would see them cast out, unable to find work." He explained.

Inuyasha scowled, "So if I just point and say kick them out, they have to go?"

"Yes milord."

"And they won't be able to find work afterwards?"

"It is unlikely."

"Interesting. So, if I fired you that'd be it for your livelihood then?" The youkai stiffened and his eyes widened. Before he could speak Inuyasha was laughing. The youkai blushed in embarrassment. Inuyasha's laughing garnered a lot of attention and the servants were whispering to one another about it. Even Sakura, who was standing behind him off to the side was shocked by it. "Don't piss your pants or anything." He continued to chuckle at the youkai's expense. "What's your name?"

"Hiroshi milord." He bowed and included his rank and position.

"I can fire anyone?" He asked looking at the youkai.

"There are procedures to be followed…" Hiroshi mumbled, wondering what he might have just caused.