Present Day

"In a world like thissssssss, where some back down, I, I, know we're gonna make it." Kagome cranked the air conditioning up, the cold air blowing her hair back. Her head nodded to the bass shaking her rear-view mirror, her eyes looking soulfully out the window. Why was she off lawyering when she could have been in music videos? "In a world like thissssssssss."

"Would you turn that racket off?" Gramps snapped, "It's so loud they'll know we're here before we even invite them."

Uh, no she couldn't 'turn down the racket' when she was still celebrating Kevin's return, four years and lots of tears later. Kagome just tipped her head back, "IN A WORLD LIKE THIS!"

"Jesus Christ," Her grandfather mumbled, "Maybe you're the possessed one."

"Maybe I'm the one driving." Kagome reminded, "And who was the one who instituted the 'driver's choice' rule?"

Gramps shook his head, "Lawyers." It was now his favorite insult.

The song trailed off as the Backstreet Boys promised to love even in a world like this, Kagome finally turning the volume down on an inferior One Direction single. (The one and only on her iTunes, damn Harry's golden vocals relaxing her normally rigid rule on only 90s boy bands…) The GPS was less than a mile now, even though Kagome could see nothing but trees on the lonely country road.

"We're all set for this one?" Kagome asked, "Nothing we have to go back for?"

Kagome could almost see her grandfather's eyeroll. He always got so grumpy after being treated to the golden era of synchronized dancing and perfectly layered falsettos. "I triple-checked back at the motel. I'm all set. What about you?"

"I've got everything I need," Kagome tapped her head, "All right up here." And the research Rin provided for her stuffed into her briefcase. But she didn't need the twitchy-face from her grandfather whenever she brought Rin up.

Gramps huffed, "It's a wonder you were able to survive the first one."

"Love you too, Gramps."

The tip of an elaborate, arched roof peeked out of the tree line as Kagome navigated the car around a bend in the road, the rest of the mansion appearing into view. Giant, impressive, and expensive, it looked like a cross between a Victorian and a palace.

Gramps only sighed. "This is never a good sign."

"You wouldn't say that if our last three mansion jobs hadn't ended in total clusterfucks."

"There's just something about rich folk that makes them particularly stupid." Gramps muttered, "We better insist on overtime pay."

"Deal."

The gates were already open, no guard in the mini hut, so Kagome drove right up the circle driveway, the grounds completely empty. "Are you finding it strange no one seems to be here?"

Her grandfather grunted. Man of few words, as always.

Kagome stopped the car just outside the door, two massive slabs of wood and curled iron as tall as two of her. She let N*Sync croon a moment longer as she made sure she was ready.

Prim business suit. Check.

Neat hair. Mostly check.

Killer heels. Check.

Briefcase. Check.

'Just in case' gun under her arm. Check.

"Let's get this over with." Her grandfather hopped out of the car before she turned the engine off, combing through the backseat.

Three containers of salt. Check.

Satchel of herbs. Check.

Three kinds of colored chalk. Check.

Three knives, tucked into his boot, jacket, and belt. Check.

One shotgun, slung behind his back. Check.

'Just in case' crucifix, holy water, and prayer beads. Check.

They were as ready as they would ever be.

"Do you ever wish I had just joined a normal law firm after I graduated?" Kagome asked, her heels clicking on the steps towards the front door.

"And miss out on telling you "I told you so" every opportunity I get?" Gramps pounded on the door, ignoring the perfectly good knocker inches from his hand. "Not a chance."

The only reason Kagome didn't roll her eyes was because it wasn't befitting of a professional, serious lawyer.

The door pulled back slightly, the loud creaking echoing off the walls. Gramps held one hand back to Kagome, easing her away. His other hovered over the butt of his gun. "Hello?"

"Sorry, this door is rather heavy." Another inch jerked back, "I might have to give the servants responsible for opening the door a raise."

Kagome exchanged a long look with her grandfather, "Would you like us to push back?"

"No, no. I've almost got it!" He grunted, "It's rather ridiculous to have a door I can't open myself, after all."

Gramps placed a hand on the wood and shoved.

"Oh! Here we go." The door opened wide enough for Gramps to slip in, careful to avoid knocking his rifle against the wood, "Please, come in."

No gunshots or screams echoed off the wood next, so Kagome assumed it was safe to follow her grandfather inside.

Of course, inside was gorgeous, ornamented and sophisticated. Wealth practically dripped from the ceiling to the floor. It would have been less subtle if they had just scrawled WE'RE REALLY SUPER RICH! across the walls.

It didn't match the young man who stood in front of her though. Where she expected her client to be covered in designer clothing, he wore off brand sweats and a plain white tee shirt. His dark hair was gathered up in a ratty hipster bun instead of a slick cut, and stubble was beginning to grow into a rather unattractive beard. Three gold hoops glinting on his ear was his only accessory, no watches or tech or jewelry that might give his status away otherwise.

She wasn't sure what fashion statement he was trying to make with the single black glove that covered his arm from elbow to fingertips.

He carefully held that arm away from his body, offering her his left hand, "Miroku Houshi. Thank you both so much for coming."

"Kagome Higurashi, this is my grandfather, Jiro Higurashi." Gramps gave him a sharp nod, lips drawn in an unhappy line. "What can we do for you, Mr. Houshi? You refused to say very much on the phone."

Miroku tugged on one of the hoops hanging from his ear, more like a nervous boy than the future heir to immense wealth. "Forgive me for my caution. I wanted to meet you before I fully explained. With my family who they are...you must understand my need for discretion."

Gramps didn't look very understanding, "Well, you've met us now."

Miroku's answering smile was faint, "Yes. Please, follow me. We should talk somewhere more comfortable then the foyer."

Kagome was suddenly very glad she had sprung for expensive shoes if he considered this a 'foyer'.

Gramps stayed at her back as they followed Miroku through his 'uncomfortable' foyer, the house silent around them. There wasn't even a hum from the electricity or AC.

Miroku kept his gloved hand stiff at his side, careful not to brush it against anything as he moved. It didn't even sway as he walked, he held it as far away from his body as was comfortable.

He gestured into a small sitting room, two small couches facing each other and a marble coffee table in between. "Have a seat. Can I get you anything to drink? I would have had my staff put together something for you, but I've given them the day off."

That explained the silence, "Some water would be lovely, thank you." Lovely for the chance to talk about him behind his back.

Kagome waited a beat just to make sure he was well out of earshot, "Do you have a bad feeling about this job, Gramps?"

"More than one." Gramps studied the room, tapping on the hilt of his knife, "No staff around, he's funny about his arm, and he's dressed like a hobo. This might be a bad idea."

Kagome sighed, "It's almost six figures worth of a bad idea, though."

Gramps considered that for a moment, "Maybe it's not that bad of an idea."

"I hope bottled water is acceptable," Miroku sailed back into the room, carefully balancing a silver tray of Evian and glasses of ice on his right hand. The tray shook slightly, but he kept his left arm hidden behind his back. He dropped the tray on the coffee table with a clatter, shaking out his fingers. "There now. Is there anything else you need before we begin?"

Kagome took a bottle so his trip to the kitchen wouldn't be wasted, "No, thank you. Now, how can we help you Mr. Houshi?"

He sat on the couch across from them, rubbing his hand nervously across his sweats. "I need your help...renegotiating a contract I entered into with an individual."

"With a demon." Gramps was much more blunt, wanting to get to the point.

Miroku nodded once, "With a demon. I was desperate and I didn't understand what was happening."

Kagome hid a wince. Renegotiations were tricky. Even with her track record, there were only a handful of times she'd truly been successful in helping to arrange her client a better deal with no loss on their part. If she couldn't find a loophole in the original contract, there might not even be a point to this meeting. "Start from the beginning and don't leave any details out, no matter how outlandish or embarrassing."

He fiddled with the tie around his sweats, "I suppose it's clear to see my family is well-off."

Gramps snorted.

"Perhaps a little more than well-off," Miroku acknowledged. "As the only son, I'm expected to grow that wealth. In this current economy you can imagine how difficult that's been."

Oh, good. If this was only a wealth contract, he might have a chance. "How much did you ask for?"

He shook his head, "Oh no, nothing like that. We're still very comfortable. My father and the board are just disappointed with my work performance. They're concerned about leaving the company to me. So I decided to seek help, but I couldn't let Father know so I chose...unorthodox methods."

Damn it. This was starting to feel like a six figure bad idea. "And summoning a demon seemed smarter than just asking your father for a little more time?" Did she sound judgemental? She just couldn't believe someone with all the advantages in the world could still be so stupid.

Miroku glanced down, cheeks flushing. "I might have gotten a little drunk after returning from church with my grandfather. I didn't expect the ritual I found online to actually work."

This was getting worse and worse. This was definitely six figures worth of a bad idea, but damn if she wasn't going to earn those dollars. "Do you have that spell?"

He opened a small drawer on his side of the table, taking out two manilla folders, "I've printed it out for you."

Gramps reached for the folder he offered, slipping a pencil from his pocket while he silently read through it. She glanced over his shoulder.

How to Summon High Lord Naraku-King of Hell

Miroku shrugged at her look, "I figured go big or go home, right?"

She barely bit back her groan. That saying belonged on the back of a tacky t-shirt from spring break, not as drunk rationale for summoning hell demons. "So obviously the ritual worked. Then what?"

"After I was done panicking…" He hesitated, looking down at his covered arm. "I asked for a hand helping run my family's business."

Gramps met her look, "Fucking hell."

Literally. Kagome closed her eyes, fighting for calm. Of all the times to use a stupid cliche... "And what was his price?"

Miroku tugged delicately at the glove's fingertips, slowly pulling the fabric down. Blue, black, and green mottled wounds covered the skin under his elbow, a rotting smell filling the air.

"I'll spare you the sight of the rest of my arm." Miroku slid the glove back into place, careful not to touch his decaying skin. "High Lord Naraku demanded a hand for a hand. I assumed he was just asking for a favor in turn. The next morning, I woke up with a blue thumb. The rot spread from there."

Gramps shuddered, "Did he fulfill his part of the bargain?"

Miroku's hand clenched into a fist. "My other arm has been acting independently from me. It's like another force has been guiding my pen, computer mouse, fingers. Our stock is up by five percent now."

He looked at his gloved hand. "But this dead hand is slowly killing me. The infection is spreading, and there's nothing any doctor has been able to do."

Demons are such assholes. And she needed to google skeletal diagrams. "Let me go over the contract. I have a few ideas for how to proceed, but I want to be sure Mr. Naraku didn't come up with any other ridiculous puns before we get started."

"About that," Miroku offered the other folder to her. "There's another reason I've called you aside from your excellent reputation."

And wasn't he lucky that that excellent reputation was well earned. But did he really need another reason? "Oh?"

"Once I was sober, I read the contract in full. Your name was mentioned three times." He nodded at the papers, "I've marked them with the post-its."

Her stomach dropped, and her grandfather went still next to her, "What?"

Miroku shrugged, "I was surprised too. I don't even remember discussing you that night, and yet, there's your name and contact info."

Kagome flipped the folder open, a neatly typed, white computer paper, typical twenty-first century legal document waiting for her. Some demons still preferred traditional scroll and blood ink contracts, and she wasn't sure what it said about Naraku that this looked like it could have come from any typical law firm.

Three yellow post-its marked the twenty page document, Kagome flipping to them immediately.

If Houshi, Miroku, becomes interested in renegotiating the terms of this agreement, he must enlist the services of Ms. Kagome Higurashi for any re-discussion of any future terms to be considered. All attempts to renegotiate otherwise will be denied.

"Remind me how much of a bad idea this is again," Gramps traced his knife's hilt, staring down at the contract.

He knew how much, and it was rude to discuss it in front of their client. She had to cling to every bit of professionalism she could, or she might run screaming from this ridiculous mansion. "Well, it's not like there's so many lawyers who deal exclusively with demons." And she would keep telling herself that, instead of wondering why the 'high king' of them was calling her out specifically.

The second, and last post-it was only a page behind.

Renegotiations must be agreed as fair by a third party mediator

And in fine print, all the way at the bottom-

-Ms. Higurashi will not be allowed to use her virginity as a bargaining chip

Fucking asshole demons. That was only once!

And still her cheeks burned at the memory.

Gramps jiggled his leg, hand clenching on his other knee. "I don't like this, Kagome."

Well, neither did she. "We may have to rediscuss the retainer, Mr. Houshi."

He nodded, too eagerly. "Whatever you want. I just hope you're still willing to help me." He finally touched his dying arm, "I'm afraid I don't have much of a chance without you."

Damn it. This was Rin all over again. There was no way she could say no and still be able to sleep tonight, no matter how much boyband music she played to drown out her guilty conscience.

He was just going to pay a lot more and she wasn't going to feel guilty about that.

"Do you have a space where my grandfather and I can prepare for our meeting with Mr. Naraku?" She needed to pour over the contract and come up with a plan of attack, and Gramps needed to come up with a plan in case they were attacked.

Miroku spread his arms, "You may use this room, or any part of the mansion for whatever you need. The staff can't serve you, but there's plenty of prepared food and guest rooms have already been readied."

This kind of place probably had a whirlpool tub somewhere. She was going to need that a lot. "Give us a few hours to go over all these documents, and we'll come up with a timetable for summoning Mr. Naraku."

He twisted one of the loops in his ears, staring at the floor, "About that...I would prefer this to be taken care of sooner rather than later. My family is away on business, and I would like this settled before they return."

Kagome's jaw practically ached, but she would not grit her teeth. "How soon?" And god help him if he said tomorrow.

"Two days."

She took a deep breath, "Mr. Houshi, I don't have an excellent reputation because I'm quick. I'm not sure what kind of aid I can provide you with only two days of work."

"I'll triple my original offer," Miroku quickly offered.

Kagome froze. That would easily pay off the rest of her school loans, her mother's house. She could buy the entire catalog of 90s boybands off iTunes.

Hell, she could probably afford just to have the Backstreet Boys show up at bedtime and sing her to sleep.

"Kagome-"

Kagome didn't let herself look at her grandfather. "And I'll be sure to offer you the best aid quickly. We'll take the case, ."

Relief made Miroku's face collapse, his shoulders relax. He looked like she had just taken away the gun pointing at his head. "Thank you so much, Ms. Higurashi. You're a lifesaver."

Kagome held up a hand, "Let me actually save it before you start thanking us. My grandfather and I will start working, and we'll have a plan for you to review by dinner time."

His good hand reached out, clutched hers tightly, "I wish I had another way to thank you."

The money was more than enough. "It's my pleasure. Give us a few hours now."

Miroku jumped up, shuffling away from the couch and towards the door immediately. "Of course. Call me whenever you're ready."

Her grandfather just barely waited for the door to close behind him. "Kagome Higurashi, I don't care anymore how much this bad idea is worth, this is still a bad idea." He glared at the contract in her lap, "Why the hell is this demon referring to you specifically?"

Kagome straightened the papers, flipping back to the first page. She wanted one read-through first before she started making notes. "I don't know, but we're going to find out."

"I can't believe we can't find anything." Kagome slammed the packet down, papers scattering everywhere. She buried her fingers in her hair and pulled, staring at the mounds of books and documents surrounding them. "He's thought of every possible scenario, every loophole, every definition. The bastard even defined 'definition'."

She dropped her head back against the seat of the couch, her ass long since numb from the floor, but she liked sitting in a halo of paperwork. "Why call me out if he didn't give me anything to work with?"

Gramps frowned, crouching at one of the piles. "Maybe this is a test."

"Or a warning. He's using all my usual tricks against me." Kagome slumped forward, "This feels more like a taunt then a contract."

He poked at the papers, far more comfortable with his guns then the legal terms. "Go take a break. Maybe something with occur to you, or you'll just have to comb through this all again. Nobody's infallible, not even the king hell demon. He'll have forgotten something."

"Isn't a 'fall' what got demons into this mess?" Kagome muttered.

Gramps rolled his eyes, "Har har. Go take a walk."

Kagome sighed, pulling herself to her feet. Gramps was right, but she had something better in mind then a break. "Alright, I'll be back in a few."

He nodded, picking up a random paper to skim. He might not always understand the legal side of their business, but damn if he didn't try.

She left her heels off, her toes sinking into the plush carpeting in the hall. She wandered for a moment, looking at the art on the walls and the flowers covering every side table. It should have been lovely, but considering what was going on in this quiet mansion, it felt more spooky than attractive.

Far away now that Gramps couldn't hear her, she slipped her phone out of her pocket, calling the only person who might be able to help her now.

"Hello?"

"Hey Rin. Do you have anything for me yet?" Kagome leaned against the wall, keeping an eye on the door in case her grandfather wanted a break too.

Rin sighed over her keyboard tapping, "I haven't had much luck with the usual sites, so now I'm going through the discussion boards. I still have a lot of data to go through, but I haven't found anyone yet who's made a deal with him."

"For the 'High Lord of Hell' you'd think he'd have more of a presence." Kagome dropped her head back against the wall, looking towards the ceiling. "Maybe he's used a different name?"

"Maybe," but Rin sounded doubtful. "More likely it's been misspelled, and none of the variations I've tried have worked."

Kagome closed her eyes, "There has to be something we're missing." Rin could find info on anything. She wasn't sure what to do if she couldn't pull together a miracle for her.

"Well…" The tapping stopped, the sudden silence jarring. "Look I could be completely wrong about this. I probably shouldn't even bring it up."

"And now you have to. Out with it."

Her hesitation was telling, "When I went through the university archives I did find a few mentions of a High Lord, but all the records were over a hundred years old. Nothing any more recent than that."

Kagome nodded, like Rin could see her. "Like a predecessor?"

"I think so. I found a few accounts of deals he was involved in; a monk from France attempted to write up a hierarchy of the castes. ...and look, I'm not saying he was right about the family tree he wrote up, but it's consistent with some of the other things I've found-"

"Rin, get to the point." She couldn't listen to this all day.

Her chair squealed, like she needed to lean against her table. "It's my best guess that the High Lord before this Naraku was a demon named Inu no Taisho. And it looks like Inuyasha might be his son."

Kagome nearly dropped the phone, "What?"

"I shouldn't have said anything," Rin blurted out. "It's just that...this is all I have so far. I'm going to keep looking! But if this Naraku really did usurp his father, Lor...Mr. Inuyasha might be the best source of information on him we can find."

Kagome took a slow breath, trying to think over the racing of her heart. Naraku did demand a second demon's opinion of whatever deal she thought up. If Naraku really killed his father, Inuyasha could be a potential ally.

After he paid her back for their last consolation.

Her lips tingled, the traitors.

She checked the time. She'd already lost half a day, she couldn't afford to waste more time.

...she could at least broach the subject. She didn't have to take any of the deals he might offer.

She wasn't sure she had many other options.

She squeezed her eyes shut, "Email me the spell."

"Kagome…"

"I know, it's a terrible idea. But it's the only idea I've got right now."

"I'll get it to you right away," her voice was quiet.

"Thanks Rin." Kagome ended the call before Rin was tempted to talk her out of it. She'd add an extra zero to Rin's fee once this was all over to ease her own guilt.

But first, she had to talk Gramps into it.

"I don't like this, Kagome." Gramps traced out a circle in chalk, laying it on thick. Carpet was tricky because the dust needed to sink through the fibers. He drew out loops and designs to strengthen it, sprinkling herbs and salt every few inches.

"You haven't liked anything today yet." Kagome mumbled into her notebook, trying to look like she was writing serious notes and not doodling to calm her nerves.

Gramps shot her a look, his arm moving automatically. "I especially don't like this."

"You agreed this might be our best option!"

"I don't like this job, I don't like this house-" Gramps continued, pushing harder on the chalk, "-and I definitely don't like you getting Arai involved."

"Rin's the best researcher I know. We wouldn't have gotten nearly as far as we have without her aid."

Gramps humphed. "We might not even be here without her 'aid'."

"And instead, I'd be slaving away at some soulless law firm, and you'd still be working construction, freaking everyone out over your possession stories," Kagome snapped. "So lay off Rin for once."

Her grandfather kept drawing, scowling down at his work. Kagome bit her lip, already regarding her words. But she was so tired about her grandfather's attitude towards Rin. Yes, she was an idiot. But she had been an idiot in grief, and she'd been much better in the years since. Gramps needed to let go of this stupid grudge.

She took a breath. "How's the circle coming?"

"Almost done." Not that he sounded happy about it. "Give me a plan that won't make me regret this."

"We talk to the demon. If he's not willing to help us for a fair trade, we just send him back and come up with something else."

The chalk snapped in her grandfather's hand, "Because that fills me with confidence."

Kagome resisted stomping her foot like a child, "You're the demon expert! What else do demons want aside from souls, firstborns, and virginities?"

Gramps went silent, layering one of the loops with red chalk. He tossed a handful of salt down, sealing the circle. "Let's just get this over with."

He lit the candles around the circle and on the table, Kagome flipping through her emails until she found the latest from Rin. They left the electric lights on.

Gramps stood next to her, herbs in one hand, and shotgun in the other. Kagome took a deep breath. She wished she could have played a little boyband music for courage, but she'd just have to fake it. "Ready?"

Her grandfather just silently nodded.

No use in prolonging it. "I summon ye, Lord Inuyasha."

The air settled heavily over them, the lights flickering faster. Gramps tossed dill flakes into the circle.

"I summon ye, Lord Inuyasha."

A strange wind tugged at her hair, papers on the table rustling. Smoke curled up from the chalk lines, purple and thick. Hyssop was added next.

Her throat clenched. But she couldn't let herself stop now. "I summon ye, Lord Inuyasha."

Gramps threw mugwort into the center of the circle...and the floor dropped out, leaving a black void surrounded by smoke.

Slowly, a silver head emerged, dog ears twitching.

And Lord Inuyasha laughed.

I had the WORST time uploading this. I had to copy and paste a little bit, then save, then copy and paste some more, until the entire chapter was up. If anyone sees anything weird, will you let me know?