A/N: This is a pretty long chapter. I just got into a rhythm and finding myself being unable to stop. Anyways, thank you all for the reviews, favs and follows, they keep me going and I greatly appreciate it.

Present day - regular format; Memories - italicized

Answering questions from the previous chapter

Yes, some of the words Sesshomaru had been speaking in the first chapter were from the song by Joe. I included them because I believe the song is very sweet, however, this story will be far from the saccharine sweetness of the song.

Now on with the chapter

Arrogance

What exactly is arrogance? Most people would say it is the result of someone with a large ego. The pompous jerks of society who get a kick out of thinking they are superior to others.

However, to Sesshomaru Takahashi, arrogance was the privilege for those who've earned it. To him, arrogance, like success, could only be tasted by the select few who deserve it. Of course, he was one of those people. Puffing on another cigar with excessively long drags, he let the memories overtake him.

He was born into a close-knit family, however, they were far from wealthy. His mother had left his father not long after he was born for reasons that were still unknown to him. Needless to say, when he was two, his father remarried to a woman from a noble family.

How he hated that woman. She seemed to sweep in like a tidal wave, no a tsunami into his life. At the time she was like an invasive species, leeching off of his father and being bothersome towards him. Not too long after their marriage, they had a child, another boy.

He hated the boy too even though it was his younger brother. He, along with the woman, seemed to suck away his father's attention from him. So for the first few years of his father's marriage, he hated both his step mother and younger half-brother.

Then, when he was twelve, his mother flowed back into his life. He was elated, his mother would come back to his father and the three of them could be a family again. However, that fantasy was shattered just as quickly as it was formed.

She breezed back into his life just as quickly as she left. She promised they'd be a family and she'd buy him the world. She'd promised they'd spend endless amounts of time together and she'd cook for him every day. She'd promised so much….just for it to be reneged.

She left after an argument with his father, concerning him, his step mother and half-brother.

"We can be a family again Taisho. Me, you and Sesshy" his mother had pleaded with his father. They were alone after spending the day together with Sesshomaru.

"You walked out of our lives once, who's to say you won't do it again" his father retorted

"I was young and silly, it won't happen again" she replied softly "I promise" she leaned in to kiss his father passionately, wrapping her arms around his neck.

They were unaware that a pair of young amber eyes was watching. However, these eyes were smiling. His parents were still in love and they would be a family again.

His father then broke the kiss and removed his mother's arms from his neck "We are not doing this again, I love my wife."

His mother scoffed "Your wife"

"Yes, my wife" he replied "What you used to be before you left"

"I told you it was a mistake" she snapped

"You say that every time" he snapped back "You can't just keep breezing in and out of our lives any time you feel like it. Sesshomaru is twelve years old Miko, he needs a real mother, someone who will be here tomorrow and every day after that."

"Like your wife" she rolled her eyes

"Yes, like MY wife" he snapped

"I don't want that woman around my son"

"Well you aren't woman enough to stay for your son, so she'll be the woman that is"

Sesshomaru moved closer to their conversation. He was growing angry. That woman was getting in the way of his dream again. Why couldn't his parents finally be happy?

"Look, I'm not going to argue with you" Taisho told her "So you need to leave."

"I'm not going anywhere" she replied

"Yes you are, just like the other times you left" he retorted

"It wasn't that many times"

"Six times in twelve years is plenty enough to know that you haven't changed" he responded softly

Sesshomaru's eyes widened. She had come and left six times. Why couldn't he remember any of those times and why hadn't she stayed.

"Look" her voice rose "I didn't want a family then but I want one now"

"Didn't want a family" his father chuckled "Family isn't a jacket you can pick up and take off any time you damn well feel like it" his father's voice rose as well "And you've already done that way too many times"

"I already said I was young and stupid" her voice was pleading once more "I didn't want a husband and son and…."

Sesshomaru stood up quickly when he heard his mother's words. She didn't want a family, didn't want a husband, didn't want a son….. didn't want him. His head began to spin and tears formed in his eyes. His mind pleaded with him to not do something he'd later regret. However, his heart was pounding and pleading to be healed.

"YOU DIDN'T WANT ME" he screamed as loud as he could now standing in his parents' faces.

"Sesshy, baby" Mika tried to calm him by reaching to give him a hug

"DON'T TOUCH ME" he screamed once more, tears rushing from his eyes "I DON'T NEED YOU IN MY LIFE"

Sesshomaru stared into his parents' eyes. His father's was sorrowful and his mother's was guilty. His head continued to spin and he bolted away from them and into his room, where he spent the next few hours crying his eyes out.

Later that night his door had opened and he felt the foot of his bed sink in. Not bothering to check to see who had intruded his space he muttered two words "Go away"

"I heard the argument dad and your mom had" it was the voice of his younger brother Inuyasha

"I said go away" he stated once more

"I know you're sad" Inuyasha replied, his voice soft "Kinda like I am when you tease me"

Sesshomaru refused to reply, however, Inuyasha's soft words had reached him and he felt guilty.

"Maybe…" the younger brother started "Maybe we can share my mom" he smiled softly "She has enough love for everybody"

Sesshomaru stiffened and clenched his pillow, sharing a mother. Would it be possible after how terribly he treated her and his younger brother?

"Just think about it okay?" Inuyasha continued softly as he moved to leave "And can you think about me and you being friends too?" he added softly as he left

Sesshomaru clenched his pillow even tighter as he heard his door close. And with two silent tears dripping from his eyes, he drifted to sleep.

He was later awoken by a hug with a scent of vanilla and Jasmine. Looking up he gasped as an angel, humming an ancient Japanese folksong (he had forgotten the name) held him. Blinking his eyes to clear his vision, he was surprised to see the face of his stepmother.

Not noticing that the boy was awake, she spoke softly "I won't leave you"

Looking away, he stiffened somewhat as Inuyasha's words from earlier that day replayed in his mind. A few moments later, he visibly relaxed and drifted to sleep from the sound of his stepmother's beautiful hums.

A few years later, the night of his sixteenth birthday to be exact, Sesshomaru sat with his brother and stepmother eating the dinner she had prepared for his birthday.

As the seconds ticked by, Sesshomaru grew anxious as his father had yet to come home. As the clock struck another hour, his father was officially five hours late.

"When is dad coming home" a fourteen year old Inuyasha asked his mother

"Soon" she responded coolly, even though her eyes continued to drift to the clock constantly.

"If he doesn't come soon all the food will be gone" Inuyasha replied which caused his mother to smile

"Probably" she gave a short laugh

Sesshomaru's eyes darted between Inuyasha and his step mother. They were so sure he'd return. Maybe he didn't want a family anymore. Maybe his father had left just like his mother did. Maybe no one ever wanted to take the time to raise him.

The three of them sat together for another two hours before a knock came at their door. Rising to answer it, Sesshomaru was stopped by his step mother.

"I'll answer it Sesshy" you sit here with your brother; she gestured toward Inuyasha who had begun nodding off.

Answering the door wearily, she was met with the faces of two members of Tokyo's police force.

"Izayoi Takahashi" one of them asked, his faced laced with regret and sadness

"Yes" she replied, his facial expression not going unnoticed by her

"It's about your husband InuTaisho" the second man answered

By this time Sesshomaru had draped a blanket around Inuyasha whom was drooling over his now very cold dinner. Moving from his sleeping brother to the door, he hid in the shadows so that he would go undetected by his stepmother.

"What about my husband" Izayoi asked nervously

Sesshomaru's eyes widened and his ears visibly perked up. Why would two officers come to their door to speak about his father? Maybe he'd done something wrong. Maybe he'd tried to escape and the police caught him and he needed to post bail.

"He was involved in an accident" the first man answered. It seemed to be a staple of theirs, alternating responses between each other.

"What sort of accident" Izayoi's eyes became slits "Stop beating around the damn bush"

Both of the officers and even Sesshomaru cringed. He had never heard his step mother curse before; she always seemed to be too mild-mannered.

"An automotive accident" the first one answered. It was good to finally here them not alternate like brainless robots. "A fatal one"

Sesshomaru felt the wind knock out of his body. He felt his fists clench as his mind was sent into a whirlwind.

Izayoi's face paled "You….you're lying" she said softly

"I wish we were ma'am" the second one answered her

Sesshomaru watched as his stepmother stiffened and fell to her knees. Her voice starting as a variation of sobs and emerged into inhuman wails.

He felt his emotions getting the best of him and burst from his hiding place screaming "YOU LYING MOTHERFUCKERS, GET OUT OF MY FATHER'S HOUSE" hot tears rushed from his eyes.

He then began screaming for them to leave once more after he noticed they had yet to leave. Never mind that they were his elders and he was taught from birth to show them the upmost respect. Never mind that they were telling the gospel truth. At that moment all of it was irrelevant as he continued to cry loudly.

"What's going on" Inuyasha emerged from his slumber, yawning loudly. Surveying the scene before him, a screaming older brother, two somewhat startled officers and his mother still very much screaming on the floor asked again albeit more firmly "What's going on"

"We'll be going now" the second man replied "Have a good night and I am so sorry for your loss"

"Loss" Inuyasha questioned, his eyes darting back and forth between his brother and mother "What's going on, why won't anyone tell me anything"

Ignoring him, Sesshomaru went to help Izayoi to her feet. He murmured words to her that were inaudible under her harsh screams.

"Mom what's wrong" Inuyasha pleaded again

Sesshomaru looked toward his younger brother and coaxed his stepmother into speaking. After her screams became slight sniffles

Izayoi raised her eyes to meet her youngest son's. Her eyes were glossed over and red from the constant crying "Inuyasha baby we have to talk"

They sat down at their table once again and Inuyasha watched them both curiously "About what"

Izayoi stared into her youngest son's eyes, not wanting to be the cause of the heartbreak he'd feel after she told him "Your father"

Sesshomaru looked at his step mother and then to Inuyasha. He was jealous of the soft tone Izayoi was using with him to not hurt him. He was jealous that Inuyasha had a real mother to comfort him. It wasn't that Sesshomaru didn't see Izayoi as his mother but the touch of a blood mother sometimes couldn't be replaced.

And at that moment he was so very angry for reasons unknown. Angry at his mother for leaving his father, angry at his father for remarrying and angry at his father for getting himself killed.

"He's dead" Sesshomaru said bluntly

"What" Inuyasha asked

"He's dead, gone, never coming back" Sesshomaru couldn't control his angry words "He's left just like my mom did"

"That's not true" Inuyasha cried

"Do you ever stop whining" Sesshomaru chastised him "What do you have to whine about, he's gone, get over it"

"SESSHOMARU" Izayoi scolded him

Inuyasha glared at him before running to his room.

"Why did you say that to him" Izayoi scolded once more

Sesshomaru shrugged and watched as Izayoi left him to talk to Inuyasha. He gritted his teeth at the pain he felt and the sobs he heard from the other room. But what could they do? Their father was gone and he wasn't coming back.

He remembered the funeral perfectly too. More crying, screaming, whining and denying. The family that had been so close knit for the past four years now had a rift between them.

His father's best friend Myoga was asked to help care for the family in case anything happened to

Taisho. However, no one could guess anything would happen to him before he turned fifty.

After the funeral, Myoga presented Inuyasha and Sesshomaru two very identical swords, said to be their father's.

"They are made from two halves of the same whole much like you two are to your father." He had told them "So treat them well" the two of them followed his words carefully.

Despite Myoga's constant presence in the home, nothing could replace the aura InuTaisho seemed to emit when he was in the area. However, the family somewhat healed and were even closer than they were prior to his death.

Two years later, not long after his high school graduation, Sesshomaru was busy preparing for college. He had been a scholar in high school and had been admitted into Universities across the world. He had yet to make his final decision, however, he felt that Tokyo U would be the college for him as it would be close to home and he could care for his brother and step mother.

As he continued to fill out scholarship forms he received a knock on his door. Turning around he faced the concerned eyes of his step mother, a phone clinched in her hand.

"Do I have to go" Sesshomaru asked Izayoi as she fixed his suit once more

"Yes, you do" she replied simply

"I want nothing to do with that wench" he responded

"Watch it" she told him sternly "She is still your mother"

"She is no mother of mine" he grunted

She visibly sighed "I understand this may be hard for you…."

"How can this possibly be hard for me?" he interrupted her "I've only seen this woman twice in my entire life"

"Regardless of what you say" Izayoi replied firmly "she is still your mother and you will attend her funeral"

He sat in the woman called Miko's funeral. People gave him pleading looks and words of condolences. It had to be hard for him, losing two parents in two years. He couldn't tell these people that she had nothing to do with his life and that he was raised by another woman.

It was ironic he chuckled to himself as the last straggler moved away. The woman's name was Miko, however she was unlike any priestess he ever met. She didn't seem kind or regretful, sad or loving. She was just a woman who didn't want his father…didn't want him.

That fall he attended Tokyo University where he majored in business with a concentration in corporate management. He'd had the idea to start a business that specialized in the manufacturing and distribution of advanced weaponry – specifically swords.

He immersed himself in his studies and had little to no contact with his family in two and a half years. He'd worked through both summers despite the pleas of his family to visit them.

"You never call anymore" Izayoi told him during one of their rare talks

"I have been busy" he told his stepmother

"Too busy for family I see" she retorted

"No, I'm busy for the family" he replied swiftly

"Inuyasha's graduation is next month you know" she told him pleadingly "Will you attend"

"I'm not sure" he responded honestly

"What do you mean you aren't sure?" she asked angrily

"I have so much work to do. I'm sure you're aware that I'm trying to graduate as early as possible" came his soft response

She sighed loudly "There are some things more important than work Sesshomaru"

There was a long pause as neither of them chose to say anything, finally Izayoi spoke up "You can call me anytime"

"I know" he replied

Needless to say, Sesshomaru missed Inuyasha's graduation. Izayoi was very angered by this and another rift between the two brothers began to form.

"I'm sorry" Sesshomaru had told Inuyasha during a visit not long after his graduation

"You don't have to apologize" Inuyasha replied "I knew you wouldn't show"

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" Sesshomaru asked

"Nothing Sess don't worry about it" Inuyasha looked down at his hands as he clinched and unclenched them frequently

His erratic behavior didn't go unnoticed by Sesshomaru and the elder brother searched somewhat desperately for the words to calm his younger brother down to no avail.

After a lengthy silence between the two of them Inuyasha spoke "Mom's sick you know"

Sesshomaru's eyes rose to meet Inuyasha's "What do you mean sick"

Inuyasha leaned back in his chair and sighed "You would know if you would return her phone calls"

"Okay, I get it, I haven't been available much but don't you dare get self-righteous with me" Sesshomaru's voice was testy

"She has cancer" Inuyasha spoke softly

Sesshomaru's eyes widened and he stood from his seat abruptly and made his way to leave the house.

"Where in the hell are you going?" Inuyasha asked him, still seated

"Home" Sesshomaru replied coldly

"Home" Inuyasha grew angry "This is home, I can't believe you're trying to run away from this"

"Goodbye" Sesshomaru responded before slamming the door

A few months later, Sesshomaru prepared to receive his undergraduate's degree from Tokyo University. He was proud that he'd be able to graduate earlier than most of his peers in addition to being able to enter the workforce much more quickly.

"Yo Takahashi!" his roommate yelled for him "Got a phone call"

Sesshomaru took the phone from him and held it to his ear lazily, he had no wish to talk to his family at that moment "Hello"

He leaned against the wall as the person speaking to him dragged on with formalities. Crossing his arms, he yawned as the speaker finally made his point and a few moments later he dropped the phone, snatched his jacket from the side of his bed and took off quickly.

"Yo Takahashi!" his roommate yelled once more "What's up"

He sped through the streets of Tokyo, inattentive to the fact that he was speeding. Reaching Okinaro hospital he raced through the halls, finally reaching the receptions desk.

"Izayoi Takahashi" he said quickly

"Sir, she's in critical condition right now…"

"I don't give a damn, where is she" his voice was desperate

"Room B-305" the receptionist told him fearfully

"Arigato" he replied

Racing to the elevator, he pressed the buttons erratically, praying that the elevator would come as quickly as possible.

Deciding the elevator was much too slow, he took off for the stairs and raced up three flights with ease. Bursting through the doors, he raced down even more hallways searching for B-305. After getting lost and turned around twice, he finally reached the correct hallway.

"B -301, B-303…." He chanted to himself

"B-30….."

At that moment Inuyasha emerged from the room, Myoga following him closely. Sesshomaru stared in his eyes and for the first time, he realized just how similar in color he and Inuyasha's eyes were.

Their eyes were both, large and dark amber in color, however, while at the moment his eyes were full of regret, Inuyasha's eyes were full of deep, dark sorrow.

"You're too late" Inuyasha told him softly

"Too late" he repeated guiltily

"Too late" Inuyasha repeated again "She's dead, gone and never coming back" he mimicked his brother's words from what felt like so many years before.

"Inuyasha I…."

"Save your words, I don't want to hear it" Inuyasha brushed pass him

Izayoi Takahashi's funeral was by far the largest several people in Tokyo had ever attended. Sesshomaru surveyed the many people he hadn't seen before and wondered how someone could show up to a funeral but not a birthday or even a wedding.

A few hours later as the last of the attendees sauntered away, Sesshomaru watched as Inuyasha was bowed before his mother's grave in prayer. His heart broke some when the tears began dripping from Inuyasha's eyes.

Finally, the younger brother stood and glared at the elder with a look of pure contempt and anger. He brushed pass him and deliberately rammed his elbow into his side. There weren't any words spoken between the two of them.

Turning to his step mother's grave, Sesshomaru sat cross-legged on the ground. Running his finger along the outlines he felt two tears drip from his eyes.

"You said you wouldn't leave" he mouthed softly as he traced the last of the outline "But you lied" he began to choke

Leaning his head on her grave his cries became body-wracking sobs. Using his fists he beat her grave, the ground and himself.

"You couldn't wait until I got there" he recalled the episode in the hospital "You couldn't keep your promise"

He stayed that way for hours before standing slowly. However, he wasn't the same Sesshomaru who'd arrived moments too late. He wasn't the same man who'd let his emotions get the best of him. Placing his hands on the grave again, he turned and walked away slowly.

For the next few years he'd thrown himself into his work. His contact with anyone, including Inuyasha and Myoga was limited. His social life which had previously been scarce became non-existent and his demeanor, which could have been described as somewhat joyful became ice cold.

He moved up the corporate ladder quicker than most people would have guessed for a young man and by the time he was 27 he'd start his own business that became one of Japan's largest. Around work he was known as the Ice Prince – the arrogant, cold, intimidating man that wouldn't give you the satisfaction of a second glance. He allowed the public perception of him to continue, that's how he felt and that was who he was.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Sesshomaru stared at the cigar that was puffed beyond what was necessary. He'd thought he had buried those memories deep into the back of his mind but it was clear that everything that hurt had a way of resurfacing.

Leaning forward in his chair, he put his head in his hands. Visibly shaking he chastised himself, he'd promised years before that he wouldn't let his emotions get the best of him.

Calming himself down he leaned back into his chair and scowled. So what if his ego was a bit large, so what if the Higurashi woman thought he was a bit of a pompous arrogant jerk. He'd been through much and worked for too long to be otherwise.

And if she didn't like it, then it was her own damn problem.

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