Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of Rumiko Takahashi's wonderful characters.
A/N: Okay, this chapter starts out fairly dark and violent with rape and child abuse, though not in detail, and a very gruesome killing by Sesshomaru. You have been warned.
Chapter 2
Last time:
Pleasant memories of a certain demon lord in a kitten bath robe led to a curiosity as to what had happened to cause such damage in her shower back home.
"Speaking of showers," she began with a hint of laughter in her voice. "What in the seven hells happened in ours during your stay with us?"
Sesshomaru stopped and looked down at her with a somewhat playful and extremely dangerous gleam in his eyes. "Questions like that, Kagome, are enough to convince me to make an exception in my views on killing humans."
Kagome sighed. There were some things the world (and curious teenage girls) would never know.
"Well, then, can I at least ask where we're going?"
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"I do apologize for that abrupt exit, but that was an emergency call," Sesshomaru explained without slowing his pace at all. Kagome trotted alongside, grateful for the endurance she'd built up after so much time following Inuyasha around feudal Japan.
"Someone has reported a case of severe child abuse. My employees do not understand how, but have come to trust my 'intuition' when it comes to the details in the abuse cases, which is why they have my personal cell number to alert me in such cases."
"The phone company must love you, if the same thing happens to the phone each time you get an emergency call," Kagome joked.
"No, after the first few phones, the company has simply arranged for running replacement fee to be added to my basic rate," Sesshomaru explained with the utmost seriousness. "Sometimes I go months without losing one, and sometimes I go through three or four in a month. It averages out to both our advantages."
Kagome had no chance to ask much else. She simply held onto her notebook and pen for dear life as she ran half-way across Tokyo. Or at least it seemed that far to her aching limbs. Finally, they stopped at a small apartment complex nestled in between an office building and a laundry mat with an income tax business above it. The signs advertised a single coin dry and a higher tax return than any other competitor could get. The layer of filth on the window and the number of hand-written advertisements for women of various talents and houses specializing in male pleasure made Kagome doubt the legality of aforementioned tax return.
A gunshot sounded from some alley nearby and sounds of a rapidly escalating argument added to the overall seediness of the atmosphere. She unconsciously stepped a little closer to Sesshomaru and began to wish that Inuyasha were there. Sure Sesshomaru was powerful, but he had not expressed a very spirited, albeit gruff, proclamation of any desire to protect her like a certain hanyou she had come to rely on.
"Some poor child actually lives here?" she finally said.
Sesshomaru nodded. He tilted his head as though straining to catch some faint sound and his nose twitched. "Quickly!"
That was all the warning Kagome received before she was practically dragged up the stairs. They passed an old woman sucking on a cigarette as if it were a mother's milk, her hair in curlers and a stained bathrobe wrapped around her bony frame. She shouted something to Sesshomaru about stopping that racket upstairs.
Sesshomaru actually did ascend the entire last flight of stairs in one airy leap, and all Kagome could do was hope he did not decide to release her anytime soon. The fall might not have killed her, but broken bones and bruises were not all that pleasant either. She would prefer to avoid both if possible.
By now even she could hear the pained screams of a small child mingled with the shouts of an obviously inebriated man. A chorus of creaking and squeaking accompanied them, and Kagome did not even want to think about what was causing them. Sesshomaru did not even knock in warning. He simply lashed out with his dokkaso and relieved the obstructing door of its wearisome existence.
Inside they stepped over trash and piles of dirty clothes that littered the floors. A foul smell hit Kagome with such force that her eyes watered. She couldn't imagine how hard it was on Sesshomaru. They stepped into a back bedroom, and Kagome gasped and turned her head from the horrific sight. She had heard of children being raped, but it was something she had hoped to never see.
"Release the child, filth!" Sesshomaru practically roared.
The man paused and looked up, but the child beneath him was crying and screaming too loudly to notice. He ran a sweaty hand over the sparse hairs he usually wore combed over his bald crown, and stood up completely as he drew his pants back up over himself.
"Whadderyou doin heer?" he slurred at them. "Thisma house."
"You swine, only filth undeserving of life would do such a thing to a child," Sesshomaru spat at him. He eyed the man with the unmistakable fire of a predator that has cornered its prey.
"I paidferher...fairsquare," the man argued, and he narrowed his bloodshot eyes. Even in his state, the man must have been able to tell that Sesshomaru was dangerous.
"Youwanner too?" he blurted out and snapped out a hand with surprising steadiness.
His sweaty fist tangled in the girl's hair, right next to her scalp, and he lifted her, whimpering and crying, from the bed, holding her in front of him like a shield. Sesshomaru growled audibly and Kagome's heart lurched in her chest. Dark, angry bruises were already showing all over the girl, who didn't even open her eyes to look at them.
"Wellden taker," he shouted and shoved the girl towards Sesshomaru.
What happened next seemed to last an eternity to Kagome, though it could only have taken a few seconds. The girl flew towards a harsh encounter with the floor, while the man made a move for the door. A crushing wave of raging youkai energy flooded the tiny apartment, knocking the wind out of Kagome with its intensity. Sesshomaru's even more powerful now!
The tie in his hair was somehow lost in the chaos and the now white strands floated wildly in the wind of energy. The white fur appeared on his shoulder, and Sesshomaru became a blur. His fur moved out and curled around the girl, drawing her protectively against his back as he appeared between the man and his planned route of escape.
The man skidded to a stop, his bare feet creating a hideous squeal as the sweaty skin struggled for friction on the linoleum floor. He halted just inches away from Sesshomaru, who glared down with enraged red eyes and fangs bared in a very audible snarl.
"Wha-whadderyou?" the man demanded, trying to blink past his alcohol haze.
Sesshomaru did not bother to respond, he lifted the man by his neck and threw him against the wall, where his body created a dent, then fell to the bed. Sesshomaru stalked after him with a slow, predatory grace. The man scrambled from the bed only to be forced back by the hissing strike of Sesshomaru's whip.
Kagome held her breath as she watched, spellbound. She felt sickened to watch it, but unable to look away. The foolish man tried again, and Kagome cringed at the scream of pain that accompanied the loss of his right hand and leg to that same whip. The scent of blood was now strong enough for even her to smell, and she gagged.
A mass of white fur moved into her line of sight and the shaking, weeping child dropped into her arms. Her notebook and pen fell to the floor forgotten. The poor child weighed next to nothing, and Kagome fought the reflex to grimace as she touched the sticky fluids that coated the little girl's thighs. She glanced up at Kagome, who tucked the girl against her chest, shielding her from the violence.
Sesshomaru stood at the side of the bed, towering over the man who was now nearly unrecognizable for all the cuts and gashes. He wept and pleaded with Sesshomaru for his life, but there was no mercy in those red eyes.
Apparently realizing that very fact, the man began to scream at the top of his lungs, "Youkai! It's a youkai! You get away from me, youkai!"
Sesshomaru held his hand over the man's mouth and released his poisons. The floral venom dissolved his lips, tongue and lower jaw into a sizzling goo, muffling his futile cries of help and now pain.
"You should feel honored, human, that I have wasted my time in killing you," Sesshomaru said in a voice much gruffer and closer to a growl than his normal one. "I have even been so kind as to let you suffer in the same place that brought you such pleasure. The place where you caused the suffering of so many others."
He then lowered his hand until it hovered above the man's genitalia. Pain-glazed, bloodshot eyes widened at this and the man tried violently to get away, but Sesshomaru pinned him in place with a foot to the chest. Several ribs cracked, but Sesshomaru was careful not to kill him with the pressure. A little more poison dissolved all organs that identified the man as male while his broken body writhed in the silent throes of agony.
With a final snarl, Sesshomaru dug his claws into the major vessels within the man's neck and injected poison. The man died immediately. The swirling aura began to subside, and Sesshomaru calmly approached Kagome. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them a moment later, they were back to their usual gold. He bent over the girl, who had buried her face in Kagome's blouse, still crying.
With surprising gentleness, Sesshomaru reached out and stroked the matted black hair. The girl swallowed a sob and slowly turned to look up at him, her large brown eyes glimmering with tears. Kagome watched the silent exchange as the two just stared at one another. Then suddenly the little girl smiled and giggled softly. Her hand reached out and teased some of Sesshomaru's white locks that had fallen over his shoulder.
He inhaled sharply and blinked. He ran his claws through her hair one last time before he backed away and told Kagome, "Bathe her. I will return shortly."
Kagome nodded. Sesshomaru then vanished into his ball of light and flew out through the doorway. The little girl gasped and whispered, "Thank you, Angel, for saving me. I hope I'll see you again."
Kagome giggled. "Angel" was not the first word that came to mind when she thought of Sesshomaru. However, she did not want that "angel" coming back and being pissed at her for not bathing the girl, so she found the grimy bathtub and quickly soaped the girl down and washed her hair. When the child stepped out, the anxious wrinkles on her brow had disappeared and she was much more relaxed. Kagome wondered briefly how Sesshomaru had known that would help the girl, but figured it was from past experience saving children.
They were sitting in silence, the girl wrapped in the cleanest towel Kagome could find, when Sesshomaru returned. He had reactivated his charm and pulled the now black hair back with a tie. He carried a small dress draped over one arm and a pair of socks and shoes in his hand.
"Kagome, please wait for us at the door," he said as he entered the bedroom.
Kagome hesitated, glancing from the clothes to the now wary little girl. "Maybe I should help-"
"No," Sesshomaru cut her off sharply. "I said wait in the other room."
"Yes sir!" Kagome snapped out smartly, as she turned tail and marched into the other room. "Grouch," she whispered under her breath as she went, and was completely taken aback when a wadded up towel hit her in the back of the head.
She turned around and glared at Sesshomaru, who stood in the doorway with his back to the little girl to offer her some privacy while she dressed. He was so still and somber-looking that had there been anyone else in the room that could have possibly thrown it, she would not have suspected him. Sesshomaru just blinked at her as if genuinely puzzled as to why she would be glaring at him.
A moment later, the little girl had dressed, so Sesshomaru turned and walked over to her. He stared down at her a while before crouching to be at her eye level.
"My name is Reizo Daiginkeiko," he began in his cold, passionless voice. "There is a place I would like to show you, and if it pleases you, you may take a position there. If you do wish to stay, there are certain things that will be expected of you, but I believe you will be able to handle them."
The little girl narrowed her eyes and leaned forward, her nose a mere inches from his face. Sesshomaru simply looked back, his expression unchanged. She reached out suddenly and planted both of her tiny palms on each of his cheeks. Her face twisted with concentration, as she moved his face slightly, studying its contours as with a practiced eye. She ran her fingers lightly over his forehead and then pulled a lock of his hair for closer examination.
Sesshomaru remained still and quiet as he allowed her to continue. Kagome edged a little closer, intrigued by what both he and the girl were doing. Lastly, the girl turned his face back to hers and gazed deeply into his eyes for what seemed like hours.
"You're the angel that saved me," she told him suddenly, and a broad smile split her face. "Your hair and face are different, but I can tell it's you."
She then stood on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on the tip of his nose. "Don't worry, I'll keep your secret," she whispered loudly in his ear.
That time Sesshomaru stiffened in shock, though he still did not pull away. Kagome gasped.
The girl released Sesshomaru's face and stepped back. She gave him a respectful bow and said loudly, "Thank you, Mr. Daiginkeiko. I will go with you."
Sesshomaru stood and acknowledged her bow with the slightest inclination of his head. He then turned sharply and walked out of the bedroom, then into the hall.
"Come," he ordered.
Kagome and the girl glanced at one another, then ran out after him. Both of them collided with his back just outside the entrance to the building where he had abruptly stopped. He glanced down at them both, a cell phone plastered to his ear, then stepped away to a distance where he could speak in relative privacy.
Kagome blinked and thought, How the heck did he get another cell phone? Does he like keep a few spares in his pocket just in case?
Shaking her head, she decided that it was just one of those things: like what was Stonehenge, or how had the Egyptians built the pyramids, or how many licks would it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop? Another of life's mysteries.
"That's right. And get over here quickly before any nosy neighbors stumble upon the mess. And call the home and have a place prepared for a young girl. I'll be bringing her myself later this afternoon," Kagome heard him say just before he turned off the phone and stuck it into his pants' pocket.
Sesshomaru reached under his arm and then handed Kagome her notebook with the pen stuck into the wire. She blinked at it dumbly and Sesshomaru said, "You wouldn't want to forget that."
Then he stepped back to look at both the girls. He opened his mouth to say something, when a loud rumbling noise drew both his and Kagome's attention. The little girl blushed and looked down at her toes.
"I guess that answers my question then," Sesshomaru said, then he turned and began to walk swiftly back in the direction he and Kagome had come.
Twenty minutes later, Kagome, Sesshomaru and the little girl sat at a table in a WacDonalds. This one was different than the one she and her friends occasionally visited after school. It apparently catered to the foreign tourists who had been hit by a case of homesickness, though she had no idea if this were really how the foreign restaurants were set up. The signs were all in both English and Japanese, and it had a large, painfully-colorful indoor playplace for children to burn off energy while the adults sat and ate or talked.
Of course the enticing toys had attracted the girl's eye immediately, but at a stern look from Sesshomaru she knew she had to finish the burger and fries in front of her. She attacked the food like a ravenous animal, her eyes constantly darting towards the other children laughing and playing. Kagome marveled at how relatively normal the girl seemed after what she had just had to endure. Sesshomaru did seem to know what he was doing when it came to children.
"So, what's your name?" Kagome asked kindly as she munched on her own burger. "Mine's Kagome."
The girl glanced up at her and smiled. "I like your name, and Mr. Daiginkeiko's." She grew a shy for a moment then said in a bare whisper, "R- Reiku."
"That's a beautiful name, Reiku. I like yours, too," Kagome assured her, but the little girl's eyes lingered on Sesshomaru, who was absently picking everything that was not meat from his burger. He kept sniffing the air and glancing toward the door as though he were concerned about something.
Kagome kicked his shin lightly, and he glanced up right into Reiku's hopeful gaze. A softness eased into his face, and he gave her a short, approving nod. That seemed to appease Reiku who quickly dug into her food again.
"You may go play now, Reiku, and finish that later," he told her suddenly after another glance and sniff in the direction of the door.
Kagome smiled as the girl vanished into the twisting plastic construction, but inwardly wondered what was distracting Sesshomaru. He appeared almost annoyed. She glanced at the door herself after the last time he looked, then a moment later the reason burst in through the doors like the grouchy, red kimono-wearing, white-haired, dog-eared baka she knew and loved.
The doors groaned as their hinges were strained backward and crashed into the walls. It was miracle the glass hadn't shattered. His nose was twitching like that of a rabbit, and a cold and rather slimy worm of dread crawled into Kagome's stomach and decided to become a whole bunch more dread.
Inuyasha! Had! Come after her! This was the worst thing in the world. What could she do? Even if she managed to shove Sesshomaru under the table before Inuyasha spotted them, that damn nose of his would find his older brother in a second. Visions of a Tokyo in ruins filled her thoughts. The lovely Wacdonalds a pile of rubble, all the famous buildings and advancements laid to waste as a result of a clash between the two inu siblings.
Her beloved school decimated along with the cafeteria, the classrooms, the chalkboards, the tables and desks and...her distress began to subside a little...all the tests and grades and math and quizzes and textbooks and math and the homework and math. In the half-second that remained before Inuyasha's nose pinpointed their exact table, Kagome's mind hatched a wild, desperate plan. If she could just get Inuyasha and Sesshomaru to the school.
She envisioned her teachers coming to her, staring at the pile of dust and rock that was once a learning facility and saying, "Well, Kagome, since all the records have been lost, we'll just have to pass you on to the next level with an A. I hope you don't mind. We're just so sorry you've suffered the loss of the school."
She blushed deeply that she was even capable of thinking something so silly, but did not dwell on it long because at that moment golden eyes met hers across the room, and in almost one leap the hanyou was standing, well, quivering with rage, beside their table. Even beneath his ball cap she could almost see his ears twitching.
"Inuyasha!" she shouted, willing her voice to sound angry rather than scared. "What are you doing here, baka?"
Others around the restaurant, who had been staring in interest at the hanyou's unusual clothing, now were very obviously pretending not to listen to their argument. Kagome noticed this and silently pleaded Godzilla would start rampaging outside or something to draw attention away from them.
Inuyasha didn't even look at her. He simply moved closer to the table, crossing his arms over his chest, and stared down at Sesshomaru, who continued to pick extras off his burger like he did not know Inuyasha was there. "That's what I want to know, Kagome!" He snarled at Sesshomaru and demanded, "And just who the hell are you?"
Kagome wanted to kick herself. How had she forgotten about his concealment charm? Inuyasha wouldn't be able to sense or smell that this was his brother. He obviously just thought it was just another human. Her relief evaporated though when she remembered how Inuyasha had reacted to Hojo at the Culture Festival. She actually did smack her forehead that time. She did not need Inuyasha waving Tetsusaiga around inside a Wacdonalds at none other than his brother.
Sesshomaru coolly regarded Inuyasha for a moment and said, "I am Daiginkeiko Reizo. And may I ask, in much less offensive manner, who you are?"
Brilliant! Superb performance! Kagome silently praised. Sesshomaru had missed his calling as ruthless demon lord. He should have been an actor. She risked a grateful smile.
"I don't give a damn what your name is, I want to know what you're doing with Kagome," Inuyasha snapped.
Sesshomaru smirked. "Well, you should be more precise in your questioning, then, to avoid misunderstanding."
Inuyasha blinked a moment as he processed those words, then shrugged them off like he didn't care.
Kagome stepped in at this point, no longer needing to feign her anger. "Inuyasha! That is Mr. Reizo Daiginkeiko. He is a very important businessman, who runs several charities and had been kind enough to allow me to interview him for my school project."
Inuyasha calmed down (on the cellular level). "What kind of project? I've never heard you mention any project."
"Of course I haven't, baka! I just got the assignment yesterday," Kagome told him.
He turned to face her but still managed to glare at Sesshomaru, who was apparently satisfied with the meat and had started to eat it with a ridiculous amount of interest. Kagome noticed the hints of a smile at the corner of his mouth and realized he must be trying to keep from showing any amusement at the situation.
Inuyasha growled a little at that and said, "Well, he must think a lot of you, Kagome, to just run off and eat with you on such short notice! A guy wouldn't do that unless he..."
Inuyasha had put a hand on the table as he leaned toward Kagome to emphasize his last words. Kagome sat back and politely put her hand over her mouth as she quietly said, "Sit boy."
Inuyasha's hand slid off the table as the necklace dragged him down. To everyone else it would have looked like his hand had merely slipped and he lost his balance. Kagome's burger and fries joined him due to his jostling of the table, but she could hardly care at that point.
She glanced at Sesshomaru, who happened to be turning an interesting shade of red as he coughed and tried to discreetly clear his throat. He picked up his cup and drank heavily from the straw, then coughed a couple more times. She grinned, knowing he really liked to see his brother get sat.
Kagome bent down and made a big show of helping Inuyasha to get up and said there must have been something wet on the table. He didn't say anything, but glared at her evilly.
Sesshomaru had recomposed himself by that time as well, and asked, "You are not injured, are you?"
Inuyasha grumbled something about mikos and revenge that Kagome did not quite catch all of, but made Sesshomaru struggle not to smile again.
"Mr. Daiginkeiko agreed to this interview that my teacher arranged for me because he felt sorry for me because I miss so much school and no one wanted to be my partner!"
Inuyasha looked a little abashed at that, but he still managed a glare at Sesshomaru, who was once again serenely enjoying his meat.
"So he's just doing your teacher a favor? Keh. And you don't need one of those bakas to be your partner. You've got me." Inuyasha rotated his arm, massaging his shoulder, then flexed his claws. "I'll get you all the information you need." He glared pointedly at Sesshomaru again. "Without his help."
Kagome rolled her eyes. "Mr. Daiginkeiko is my project, Inuyasha. Or, well, his orphanages are."
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and studied Sesshomaru as if not quite able to believe that he ran a children's home. As if she had some uncanny sense of what was going on, Reiku appeared about that time. She stood waiting patiently for Sesshomaru to acknowledge her, with one shoe on and the other no where to be seen.
"Reiku?" Sesshomaru said, looking down at the little girl.
"Mr. Daiginkeiko, um, could you help me, please," she asked softly, glancing warily at Inuyasha, who was still glaring daggers at Sesshomaru.
Sesshomaru nodded his head in response then stood up, excusing himself. "Please excuse me, I must see to this 'problem.'"
Kagome and Inuyasha watched as the little girl led him into the play area.
"So, you're not...um, with this guy," Inuyasha began, a little more meekly this time.
Kagome rolled her eyes, still watching what Sesshomaru was doing. "Of course not. I just have to interview him for the project. Then I'll have to research his charity and do a report and presentation on it."
Inuyasha sat beside her now, also watching "Daiginkeiko" as he knew him. The man exchanged words with the little girl, then they both looked up at the highest plastic tunnel that led to a netted bridge that kids would swing as kids ran across it. The little girl pointed at something.
"Well, don't forget about the hunt for the jewel shard while you're off eating with strange men," Inuyasha scoffed, just as he leaned forward to rest his elbow on the table.
He missed and went crashing to the ground again when Kagome muttered, "Sit."
She mentally apologized to Sesshomaru for not doing it when he was there to enjoy it, but had a feeling Inuyasha would give her plenty of opportunities to make up for it. She glanced back up at Reiku and Sesshomaru and had to blink in surprise. The demon lord was now halfway up the plastic stand and moving (with that bloody grace he was famous for) into the tunnels. The little girl clapped happily at the bottom.
Kagome covered a smile with her hand, and when Inuyasha got up he glanced over and saw the long pony-tail and polished shoes disappearing into the tunnel as the group of kids watching grew. "What the heck is he doing, Kagome? He seems a little off to me. You sure he can help with your project?"
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The problem had turned out to be that Reiku's shoe had fallen off while she was climbing since she had not removed them for fear of them being taken. It had managed to fall halfway into an inaccessible part of the structure. Sesshomaru could see no way of reaching it from the ground, so he had to climb up the tubing itself and try to reach it from the top.
He could always have just gone and bought her another pair of shoes, but Sesshomaru was actually very glad for Reiku's interruption. If he had had to stay there and listen to his brother and Kagome going at it, he did not think even he could have kept from laughing. Thank goodness he was all the way over at the toys when she sat him again. He could not contain the chuckle that time, but fortunately no one had heard it over the noise of playing children.
Careful not to tear his expensive slacks or to tread on his long hair, Sesshomaru easily made his way up to the very top. He could see the shoe just through the netting around the bridge. Unfortunately, to get there he needed to cross the extremely unsteady bridge. It was bad enough the thing was built to shake and challenge balance, but it was also built for tiny bodies much smaller and lighter than his own. Teetering on the narrow bridge, he discovered a larger hole in the net that provided a place for him to reach through. Unfortunately, his arm was not quite long enough. Even the extra length of his unseen claws couldn't touch. He glanced over at where his brother and Kagome sat talking, peacefully for once, and then back down at the shoe.
If he could just manage to use his whip without his brother seeing, he could retrieve the shoe. He flexed his fingers and called the familiar energy to them. A large group of children had formed to watch what he was doing, but he did not mind if they saw. The obnoxious ones would believe he had used a string and the others would think he had used magic. And their parents weren't likely to believe any of them.
He glanced back up at Inuyasha and Kagome, who were now arguing yet again and not looking in his direction. With a flick of his wrist, the glowing strand of light raced toward the shoe and curled around it. Another well-guided flick jerked the shoe up within reach and he used his demonic speed to snatch it. Unfortunately, as he tried to pull his arm back up, he realized that he had inadvertently pushed his arm further through the small hole, and now he was not able to pull it back through.
Irritation creased his brow and he frowned at his predicament. Bending his elbow he managed to raise the shoe up closer to the net and his free hand. He hoped that if released the shoe his arm would relax and be able to slip back through the hole. There was no way he could just claw himself free or use his inhuman strength to free himself, or more than just innocent children would discover what he was. He was also a little concerned for his illusion charm. It was on his free wrist, thank goodness, but if he accidentally deactivated it while trying to get free, well, he simply admitted that his eagerness to fight with his brother had diminished over time.
The shoe dangled just an inch or two short of his other hand, so he slipped his fingers through the hole trying to catch it. He almost succeeded, until the shoe suddenly slipped from his reach. Without thinking, he plunged his other hand through the hole, just managing to catch the shoe by the buckle.
He smiled for a second, then frowned and said, "Oh shit."
Now he had also managed to get his other hand firmly stuck. For the love of...he grumbled mentally. I actually have both my arms again and I can't use them.
He sighed and half-wished someone would see and come help and half-wished that they wouldn't. He pulled both his arms as best he could from his awkward position, bent over on all fours...with both arms caught. No, unless he used his demonic abilities this net had no intention of releasing him any time soon. Out of old habit he bared his fangs at the thing, but to no avail.
Damn! He had just spotted his illusion charm that had miraculously not deactivated during this ordeal. However if he struggled too much, it would be ripped right off his arm. Damn, damn, damn.
He looked down to find Reiku and had considered asking her to come up and assist him, but she was not among the other children. Glancing back over at his shoulder, he sighted his brother and Kagome. They had finally stopped arguing and were now talking to...Oh no. This was just not his day.
Reiku was saying something to his brother, then pointed back up directly at him. He saw Kagome's eyes widen and a hand fly to her mouth. He expected to see Inuyasha, rolling on the floor, laughing hard enough to pop a gut. However the hanyou simply nodded to the girl, left Tetsusaiga with Kagome, and clambered up the other side of the play-place. With his bare feet and bright red kimono, Inuayasha looked like a big kid himself.
Sesshomaru reigned in his patience and kept an eye on his illusion charm at all times. If it fell off now, well, he didn't want to think of what would happen. Though it wouldn't be good for either one of them, Sesshomaru felt it would be much worse for himself since he couldn't just jump back down the well and escape.
He steeled himself for his brother's inevitable insults and struggled to keep the charm from being torn off as the bridge shifted from the hanyou's additional weight.
He looked up into his brother's golden eyes, surprised to see a light of compassion. "That's an important shoe, huh?"
Sesshomaru blinked at the question, playful yet not mocking. "I guess it is."
Inuyasha studied the net and Sesshomaru's arms for a moment. "I hear ya," he muttered as he thought. "I nearly got myself killed once over some dumb backpack. Although it did have some jew-, well, it was an important backpack. Kagome had left it behind when we were attacked, so I ran back up to get it."
Sesshomaru listened with great interest. He had not yet heard this tale, nor seen such a tender side to his brother. Was this what Kagome saw in him that on one else did? He flinched, though, as Inuyasha's wandering claws almost brushed his charm.
"You sure got yourself in there tight," the hanyou told him.
Inuyasha started with the first arm he had gotten stuck and wiggled his fingers in between the flesh and the cord. "Well, I ran back after that backpack, but didn't have my...uh, weapons with me. I was outnumbered and would have died if Kagome hadn't come with, er, reinforcements.
"There you go!" Inuyasha exclaimed suddenly and the pressure on his arm vanished.
Sesshomaru quickly pulled his arm and the shoe through, smirking at how his brother had managed to stretch the net without breaking it. However, the wrist with his illusion charm remained to be freed. He felt first tingles of nervousness prick his skin as his brother's claws grazed the charm as he worked them between the net and skin like the last time.
"It seems Kagome is rather special to you," Sesshomaru said, then cursed his stupidity when his brother flinched and just missed slicing the charm.
"Feh! What...what makes you say that?" Inuyasha asked and returned to working his fingers in.
Sesshomaru's eyes never left the charm. "Oh, just a hunch," he said casually, though he had not felt so nervous in a long time.
Inuyasha gave the rope a swift tug, stretching it easily, and Sesshomaru removed his wrist.
"Well, uh, you better be more careful on this thing next time," Inuyasha told him, feeling awkward now that his hands had nothing to do.
"I hope not to have a next time," Sesshomaru told him truthfully. He almost smiled as his brother climbed back down. Yes, perhaps there was something he had missed back then that Kagome had seen all along. With the same agility as his brother (Sesshomaru could not allow himself to appear the total fool while his brother played hero), Sesshomaru descended the toys and delivered the shoe to a very pleased Reiku.
"Thank you, Mr. Daiginkeiko. I'm so sorry I lost it up there," Reiku told him as she slipped it onto her foot.
Sesshomaru remained indifferent and said, "Think nothing of it. Have you finished with your meal?"
She shook her head.
"Then finish it, and we will be on our way," he told her. Looking back up at Kagome, who was smiling rather goofily at the hanyou, who was blushing profusely and refusing to meet her gaze, he said, "I had planned to offer Miss Higurashi a tour of one of the homes here in Tokyo, but if you need to be going, I understand. We are running a bit behind schedule today."
Kagome started and blushed, tearing her eyes away from Inuyasha quickly. "Oh, um, no, I don't need to be going."
Inuyasha opened his mouth to protest, but Kagome stomped hard on his toe to silence him. "This might be the only chance I have for a while to do this, so I'd like to do it today. If it's not an inconvenience for you, Mr. Daiginkeiko. I know you are busy and had not expected the delay either."
Sesshomaru nodded and replied, "No, I have business with the home right now anyways. Will your friend be joining us?"
Again, Inuyasha opened his mouth to insert his opinion, but Kagome crushed his other toes. "NO, he will NOT. HE has to be getting back now, don't you, Inuyasha?"
"How am I supposed to get back now that you've broken all my toes, wench?" Inuyasha grumbled angrily.
"Sit," Kagome said barely loud enough for Inuyasha and Sesshomaru to hear.
The hanyou plummeted to the floor with an angry cry, while Sesshomaru covered his chuckle with a cough and Reiku stared down at him with her burger in hand.
"He sure falls down a lot around Kagome, doesn't he, Mr. Daiginkeiko?" Reiku remarked matter-of-factly.
Sesshomaru chuckled heartily and said, "Indeed he does, Rin."
Kagome started and blinked at Sesshomaru. Did he just call that girl Rin? She stared hard at the demon, but he did not even seem to be aware of his slip. He was too busy hiding his amusement at his brother's predicament. Kagome studied Reiku closely. There was something about this girl that reminded her a lot of Rin. And it wasn't just the physical features either. She wasn't sure what it was, but apparently Sesshomaru could sense it too, whether he realized it or not.
Inuyasha was steaming when he got up from the floor, but he obviously knew when he was beaten...at least when it came to Kagome. "I'll be waiting when you come home, wench. Then no more excuses, we're going back."
"Fine, Inuyasha, whatever. Just go back to the shrine," Kagome told him.
Inuyasha grudging complied, but not until he saw that Kagome, Reizo and Reiku were on their way, and Reizo had received the lovely parting gift of a warning glare that screamed, "I'll track you down, if anything happens to Kagome, and kick your ass."
Sesshomaru rolled his eyes at the swift mood shifts of his brother. One minute he was helping Reizo out, and the other he was threatening him again. The poor boy needed to make up his mind. Glancing back at Kagome he added, In more ways than one.
Sesshomaru pulled himself from his musings as they came up to the large building that housed his children's home. They should be expecting Reiku, and while she got settled, he could show Kagome around. He really did hope she did well on her project. She did so much to help others without expecting anything in return. She deserved a little good luck every now and then.