Chapter Two:

Inuyasha strolled into his kitchen from the side door that connected to the garage of his massive mansion of a home. His frazzled hair, loosened tie, un-tucked shirt, and glazed over eyes let his children know work had been significantly grueling on him today. He set his briefcase down on the counter and pulled up a stool next to Rain, who was sitting quietly at the bar. She rubbed small circles on her father's lower back to comfort. Letting out a deep sigh, his eyes focused on his surroundings and he looked at his eldest daughter with a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. She smiled sweetly up at her Daddy.

"How was your last first day of school?" he asked.

"Alright I suppose. Except for this one freak of teacher trying to make our lives hell. Apparently, according to her kids, she has a vendetta against Taishos. I don't know. She actually tried to suspend Inumaru for sharpening his pencil." Inuyasha scrunched his brows together in confusion and aggravation that someone would pester his family. Rain held up a hand to stop him before he could question it further. "Don't worry, Daddy. We already switched out of her class."

"What was this teacher's name? I should report her." Inuyasha shook his head, taken aback by someone's arrogance.

"I don't know her first name, but she introduced herself as Mrs. Onigumo." Inuyasha slammed his fist onto the marble surface of the counter top, cracking a few pieces when she said the name.

"That BITCH! How dare Kagura treat my family so! I'll kill her!" Inuyasha was beyond livid at the mention of 'Onigumo.'

"Whoa. Dad. Calm down. I told you we took care of it. It's not like she can bother us if we're not in her class. Besides, we spoke to the principal about it and it's ok. Please calm down. I don't want to be orphaned because you're blood pressure is always through the roof." She placed a calm hand on her father's shoulder as he took deep breaths to calm himself, and the red in his eyes faded back to their normal golden color. Raiden flew through the swinging door of the kitchen, coming to check on the cause of the breaking sound that reverberated through the house; Naiomi was on his heels.

"What's up?" he asked as he noticed his father trying to calm himself and the obvious indention in the marble countertop from the impact of Inuyasha's fist. The father stood from his seated position and look upon his three youngest children.

"I'll explain everything at dinner tonight. Oh, that reminds me, we're going over to your Uncle Sesshomaru and Aunt Rin's house for dinner. We need to have a family meeting. You're brother and sister will be joining us." He smiled when they gave a unanimous 'yay' and turned to retreat to his room to change. As soon as he was out of hearing distance, Raiden turned to Rain with a suspicious look.

"What's this about?" he asked calmly.

"Apparently, something to do with the Onigumo family. I told him about how much of a bitch the teacher was today and he exploded. Like almost went full demon exploded," she explained. Her siblings eyes widened at the thought of their father in his primal form and shook the dreaded feeling.

"That's nuts. Well, we'll know soon enough. I'm going to call Kimi. I wonder if they're joining us too since they're basically family," Naiomi muttered as she pulled her cell phone out and walked away with her nose buried in her texts. Raiden turned towards his twin and smirked when she blushed slightly.

"Yeah. Family. Does that mean you're committing incest by dating Shou?" he asked playfully.

"SHHHH! You know Dad'll flip if he find out," she whispered loudly.

"If I find out what?" Inuyasha asked as he walked back into the kitchen with a different set of clothes on.

"NOTHING!" Rain all but yelled as she zipped off the bar stool and ran towards her room, her brother hot on her heels in fear of being questioned by their father. Inuyasha was too tired to pry and just shrugged it off.

…

The grandfather clock in the entrance hallway of Taisho Manor struck seven o'clock and began to chime loudly, alerting the house the guest would be arriving momentarily. Rin in the kitchen, putting the final touches on dinner when the doorbell rang.

"Inumaru, will you get the door sweetie?" she called to her youngest son who was on the couch playing video games.

"Yeah," he called back without moving, his eyes glued to the screen. The doorbell sounded again.

"INUMARU!" she screeched, causing him to throw the remote control and race to the door in fear of his mother's wrath. She was so tiny, but he knew better than to let her size fool him. Their was a reason she captured the heart of their father, known as the killing perfection. He opened the door to find his cousins grinning at him: damn hanyous could hear the exasperations of his mother's scolding.

"Hey, come on in." Inuyasha smirked at him as he passed him to enter the house that was once his home when he was younger, ruffling Inumaru's hair as he passed. Rain and Naiomi giggled as they slipped past him and Raiden gave him their signature handshake as he shut the door and walked with his cousin to continue the game their arrival so rudely interrupted. A few minutes later, the doorbell rang again. Just as Inumaru was pausing the game, the voice of his older brother rang out from the front hall.

"I got it!" Elliot called as he answered the door to let in the Houshi clan. Kimi, her younger sisters Lana, age ten, and Jamie, age seven, her younger brother Tai, age four, Miroku and Sango all smiled and said hello as they walked in. Just as Elliot was about to close the door, he saw the Ookamis pull up; Kouga, Ayame, and their daughter Phoenix stepped out of their black Lexus and made their way to the door where Elliot stood smiling. They greeted one another and made their way into the house towards the living room where everyone, including Sesshomaru, Kai, and Shin, who had been there for quite some time, sat and conversed. About thirty minutes later, just as Rin and Samara had finished setting the table, the tell tale sound of vibrations from the obnoxious sound system of a car and the slamming of door outside alerted the families the other children had arrived.

The front door swung open with a bang as laughter erupted from the foyer. The adults rolled their eyes as Rain leapt up to greet the group of college kids making their way into the mansion. She ran halfway down the hall to jump into her oldest brother, Kagayasha's arms, giving him a well deserved hug considering she hadn't seen him in a month. Next was her beautiful older sister Inume who received a tender embrace. Bella, the oldest daughter of the Houshi clan was the next in line for Rain's affection. And lastly, her secret boyfriend of nearly two year, Shou, the third son of the Houshi clan, embraced his girlfriend, giving her bottom a quick and tender squeeze. She giggled in delight at seeing him, but the low growl from her older brother brought their moment to a screeching halt. She turned and walked with her siblings, playfully slapping Kagayasha on the arm as they made their way to the dinning room to start dinner.

…

Sesshomaru eyed everyone at the table as they ate and talked nonchalantly to one another: passing food, giggling at jokes and stories, gossiping about others. He sighed at the thought of ruining this wonderful get together with serious news but the curt nod from his younger half-brother signaled him to lightly tap his knife on his glass to get everyone's attention. He cleared his throat before he spoke.

"As wonderful as our get-togethers always are, I'm afraid this one has a rather serious purpose." He paused to look at everyone, Sango in particular. He hoped that Miroku had explained today's events so she wouldn't be too shocked. "It seems Naraku Onigumo is back in Japan and running Spider Marx Technologies." A chilling gasp from the former demon slayer signaled to Sesshomaru the monk had not broken the news to Sango. She started cursing loudly and punching Miroku in the arm for not telling her sooner. Kouga growled until Ayame put a reassuring hand on his shoulder to calm him. Seeing the shock die down and confusion on the children's faces, he continued. "As you know, Naraku is a long time enemy of our families as well as the one we suspect is behind Kagome's disappearance." At the mention of her name, Inuyasha and his children froze.

"Onigumo? Wait like that bitch of a teacher?" Inumaru interrupted. Rin smacked him hard on the back of the head murmuring 'language' before Sesshomaru responded.

"Yes. The teach is his wife, Kagura Onigumo."

"Oh…" Naiomi spoke up.

"What is it Nay Nay?" Inuyasha asked sweetly to his baby girl.

"I guess that means I can't go to the movies with Anni and Muso this weekend," she trailed off. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes.

"No. No one in this clan is allowed to go near any children of Naraku's." Sesshomaru spoke for his little brother.

"That's not fair, Uncle Sess!" Lana whined loudly. Her mother tried to shush her, but the girl wasn't having it. Her sister, Jamie, seconded her.

"Yeah. Jacob's too sweet! I don't think we should have to suffer because of a stupid war between our parents!" Jamie exclaimed.

"I know!" Lana wailed to her sister. "Takara is so sweet and pretty and she looks just like Uncle Inu. This is stupid!" She crossed her arms and huffed.

"What are you two talking about? Kagura only has four children with Naraku. Hakadoshi, Kanna, Anni, and Muso Onigumo. I double checked myself." Sesshomaru concluded. Lana turned and gazed at him with confusion.

"But we got a new student in our class named Takara Onigumo," she explained.

"Yeah, we got a new student too. Jacob Onigumo," Jamie concluded. Sesshomaru furrowed his brows and looked toward Miroku then Inuyasha who were both very confused.

"That's strange I was not informed sooner," Sesshomaru stated, almost under his breath.

"You only looked for children by Kagura darling. What if he has another wife?" Rin calmed asked her beloved mate. He looked at her for a minute before returning his gaze to the table. Then, without another word, he stood and walked into his study. The table gave each other complex looks. Inumaru looked depressed, most likely from banishment of persuing Kanna. Rain and Shou stole loving glances at each other, not going unnoticed by Sango. Naiomi gave a sympathetic look to Kimi who returned it full fold. Raiden glared at Kagayasha who was trying to steal the last roll. Phoenix continued to eat her food as her parents bickered. The Houshi children giggled and played, seeming to forget the serious discussion at hand. About ten minutes later, Sesshomaru returned looking paler than normal with a manila folder tucked under his arm. He took his seat and stared blankly ahead without saying a word. Silence engulfed the table.

"Sesshomaru," Inuyasha barked breaking the aggravating silence. Sesshomaru shook his head, never blinking his eyes. He looked at Inuyasha with a hint of sorrow. "What did you find out?" Inuyasha asked in a softer tone, almost fearful of the answer.

"Inuyasha, can I speak with you in the study?" Inuyasha nodded to his older brother and followed him out of the room, leaving a table full of confused clan members. They looked at each other and shrugged. When Sesshomaru was in a daze, Rin had taken the folder to peak through the new information, only to pale whiter than Sesshomaru himself and excuse her from the table. Sango followed suit. Miroku and Kouga followed Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, leaving Ayame and the kids utterly baffled.

…

Once in he study, Sesshomaru shut the large oak door and locked it, keeping out the monk and wolf, but more importantly, locking Inuyasha in.

"Sit down, little brother." Sesshomaru ordered. Inuyasha furrowed his brow but complied. Sesshomaru took a deep breath before handing Inuyasha the file and explaining. "Somehow… I don't know how… but somehow…" his explanation was cut short when the folder fell to the ground, scattering papers and pictures about.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha whispered before everything went red.

…

A snarl ripped through the mansion as the sound of howling and breaking wood reverberated through the archway to the dinning room. The older boys jumped up to see what was going on only to be knocked down by Inuyasha in his demon form, running wild through the halls and jumping through the front window, shattering it. Sesshomaru was chasing after him.

"Everyone stay here until I return!" he ordered as he slipped through the open window.

"What the hell?" Rain asked.

"Oh. My. God." Miroku's voice echoed from the back hall where the study was. He walked back to the dinning room with the manila folder in his hand. "Everyone sit down. This isn't good news to say the least." He said gently as everyone did as they were told. Faint muffled crying could be heard as Sango wept with Rin holding her as silent tears strolled down her cheeks in the kitchen. Miroku shook his head with the intension of consoling his wife after he's delivered the bad news.

"What is it Uncle?" Rain asked as her fingers twirled the silver locked around her neck holding the last picture of she and her mother taken three days before her disappearance.

"It seems…" he trailed off. He threw the folder down on the table, open, to reveal a picture of their mother, a man with long dark hair, and three small children posing for a family picture. A collective gasp seemed to suck all the air out of the room, despite the gaping hole of the broken window. "It seems Kagome is married to Naraku with three children. I know this can't be, but the proofs right in front of you. He must have tricked her somehow. This can't be the real Kagome…" Miroku had begun to babble in his road to an explanation as his words turned their attention from the group to convincing himself. "It just can't be…"

Rain picked up the picture of her mother and the other man. The oldest child had long white hair, sweet little dog ears like their father, and bright golden eyes. She was smiling largely beside their mother. The man held a sweet little boy with spiky black hair in an ungeled Mohawk and deep burgundy eyes smiling at the camera. In their mother's arms was a little infant with black hair and bright red eyes wide in astonishment of her surroundings. She shook her head and set the picture down before excusing herself to the bathroom. She ran down the hall and into the lavatory to splash some water on her face in an attempt to halt the tears that threatened to spill over, but to no avail. She collapsed over the sink and began to sob. Shou attempted to run after her only for his sister to stop him with a soft hand on his should and shaking of her head.

Raiden stared at the picture and snarled before throwing his plate against the wall, causing it shatter. Inume sat stunned across from her younger brother and Kagayasha leapt across the table to wrestle and restrain Raiden from the tantrum he knew he was about to throw while attempting to fight to unleash his rage over the situation. Samara grabbed the picture and studied it before walking over to Lana and kneeling down to show it to her.

"Is this the Takara girl you were talking about?" she asked as she pointed to the silver haired girl in the picture. Lana nodded.

"Yeah, that's her. She's in my class and she's nine." Lana explained. Samara nodded and walked over to Miroku who was still in a daze softly talking to himself, trying to convince himself that it couldn't be Kagome.

"Uncle Miroku," she said softly, snapping him out of his trance. He glanced at her with sad eyes. "Look at the girl in this picture and tell me that's not Uncle Inuyasha in female form. This is Aunt Kagome." Everyone became quiet as she spoke. "And this little girl is our cousin by blood. I'm guessing from what we've heard of this Naraku character, he's warped her mind somehow. She would never leave Uncle Inuyasha willingly. We know that. Look," she said as she pointed to the picture of Kagome. "I can still see her mating mark. She's still Inuyasha's mate. This children might be Naraku's but she's definitely not his." Miroku studied the picture and slapped himself on the head for not seeing it sooner. He nodded to her.

"We need to find Inuyasha," he said quietly.

"I know where he is," Inume spoke suddenly. Everyone turned to look at her. "When he's in demon form, he goes to Meemommy's shrine to climb the sacred tree. It's where they first met," she whispered. Rain was in the doorway of the room as she listened to the new information. New tears sprang into her eyes as she slipped backwards into the shadows and down the hall to the front door to sneak out without being seen.

"Elliot, you and Kai stay here and keep an eye on the girls," Kagayasha announced. "Kai, Shin, Shou, we need to go get my dad. Inumaru, Raiden, go after Rain. She's up to something. Actually, Samara, go with them. Let's go!" he yelled and they set off in their respectable directions.

…

Inuyasha raised towards the Higurashi shrine blinded by his rage. He couldn't understand why his mate was with another man, let alone Naraku. It couldn't be her. She would never betray him. NEVER. Their love was the stuff of fairy tales. Right now, unfortunately, he felt like it was more a Shakespearean tragedy. As he leapt from roof top to roof top, the sacred tree towering above the skyline came into view and he felt himself calm. With one final leap, he landed on the top branch and sat down, closing his eyes. When he opened them, they had returned to their original golden color shimmering with sadness. A calm breeze blew lightly against him, bringing in the scent of his beloved Kagome, the scent of her mother and brother and grandfather, all he knew so well. The night sky was black, devoid of the stars that lit his way in the feudal era all those years ago, before he came with Kagome to her era to start a new life with her. As he gazed up at the night sky, the blackness and bleakness reflecting his emotions, his vision clouded with tears; he was surprised since he hadn't shed tears since Kagome's initial disappearance. He closed his eyes, allowing the tears to stream down his face and sparkle in the moonlight as he tried to focus all his energy on their mating mark.

A dimly lit kitchen came into view; a round breakfast table being the closest feature in the kitchen. Atop the table sat a glass of red wine. Slowly, a hand reached from the cup, bringing it forward to take a sip. The vision became blurry with what Inuyasha could only assume were tears and faint sobbing could be heard in the muffled connection. The glass was placed back on the table in it's original position as the attention was focused to the kitchen door opening to reveal Naraku himself with a scowl on his face. His mouth was moving but no sound could be heard as the vision started to darken. Inuyasha clenched his eyes tight willing the connection to not be broken, but it was gone and only darkness could be seen. Shifting weight of the branch on which he was perched caused Inuyasha to open his eyes quickly only to see his older half brother sitting quietly, gazing up at the sky.

"We'll figure this out, Inuyasha," he said quietly. Inuyasha sat there for a moment before shifting his gaze to mimic his brothers.

"I tried to connect through out mating mark. I think she's sad but I can't tell if she remembers us or not. Why would she be with him if she did?" Inuyasha was speaking more to himself than to Sesshomaru.

"Naraku either has something over her that is forcing her to comply or she does not remember. You must understand that we need to figure out his game before we attempt to contact her," Sesshomaru explained, willing his brother to comply. Inuyasha just nodded his head as his eyes glazed over in memories of his beloved.

…

Rain raced through the forest surrounding her uncle's mansion, heading in the direction of town. Occasionally, she would stop to sniff the air, and based on the scents she picked up, would change her direction. Her head was clear but by no means rational; she needed to see her mother regardless if her mother was unaware of her existence. She had been running for miles when a dimly lit manor in the middle of the forest came into view. Rain stopped and squinted her eyes to focus on the figure in the bottom window farthest to right of the house. There, in what appeared to be a kitchen was her mother, leaning over a sink washing dishes, tears streaming down her face, her expression void. Rain's heart clenched in her chest at the sight of her mother's sorrow and went to jump forward towards only to have strong arms wrap around her and her twin brother's aura engulf her being, willing her to calm herself.

"Let me go," she choked out as the tears began to fall freely. Above, the clouds gathered and thunder cracked, signaling the beginning of a torrential downpour. For reasons unknown, Rain's emotions have been connected with the weather: her sadness brings rain, her rage brings tornadoes and earthquakes, her happiness brings sunshine. The cascading water from the sky fell furrociously, drenching them both.

"Rain, calm down. We need to figure things out before we try to help her. Trust me, if anyone understands how you're feeling, it's me. We'll get her back Rain but not tonight. Not now," her brother tried to calm her. Rain continued to struggle against him and cry harder, causing more rain to fall from the sky above. By this time, Samara and Inumaru had reached their cousins, baring witness to the heart wrenching scene before them. Samara, whose powers were also very unexplainable, sent out a wave of shadows to surround Rain, causing her to fall into darkness and unconsciousness so they could bring her home without a fight. They couldn't risk her inner demon taking control and destroying everything and everyone around them. Raiden held his sister close as the they raised back to Sesshomaru's abode.

…

Miroku stood deathly still at the head of the table, staring at the picture of his long time friend with their long time enemy, searching for clues as to why she was in this predicament. Her eyes held no light behind them like they once did and her smile was only that of a proud mother, not a happy one. He sighed to himself, the first move he had made in over an hour, as he placed the picture on the table and looked up at the people around him. His youngest children were playing and laughing while Kimi sat quietly, holding her cousins hand; Naiomi looked to be in shock from the information still. Kouga and Ayame were arguing about nothing, like they always do while Phoenix sat in between them staring blankly ahead. Elliot sat by Bella, rubbing small circles on her lower back to calm her nerves as she took deep breaths, willing the tears for her stop as Inume traced patterns of the tablecloth, mindlessly staring down at the table. The faint sound of weeping from the kitchen snapped the monk out of his speculations and reminded him of his dear wife and friend, Rin, taking the news harshly. He walked to the kitchen to console them best he could.

Sango was perched on rubbing her stomach, sobbing uncontrollably as Rin sat beside her, quiet tears streaming down her face. From the red puffy appearance of her eyes, you could tell she had gotten most of her hysterical crying out already. She rubbed her friends back numbly, trying in vain to console the weeping woman, though hormones wouldn't allow such. As Miroku walked through the door, the two women stared up at him for a long second before Sango raced to her love and threw her arms around his neck. He embraced her and cooed in her ear to try and calm her.

"It's ok my dearest Sango. We will get to the bottom of this. No need to stress our child anymore." He continued to whisper reassuring words to his wife as he stroked his hand up and down her back, instantly calming her, though her tears refused to cease. As a last effort, his hand slid to her bottom. She immediately tore herself away and slapped his face, yelling 'hentai!' as anger seeped into her pores, trumping and replacing the sorrow that had existed moments ago. Though face down on the ground, Miroku knew by the sound of retreating footstep, complaints of his perversion, and a round a 'hmphs' she would not cry anymore for the time being. The things he did for his woman.

…

The front doors of the estate swung open to reveal a drenched Raiden carrying his unconscious twin, followed by Inumaru and Samara. Raiden took Rain to the closest bedroom to lay her down and let her rest. Samara followed to change her clothes so she wouldn't catch a cold, a precausionary measure since Rain has never been sick a day in her life. Before anyone could close the front door, Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, Kai, Shin, Shou, and Kagayasha walked through, making their way to the drawing room where everyone was gathered. Inume and Naiomi ran to their father who embraced them tightly, whispering he was fine and sweet 'I love yous' to the daughters. They sat with him as Sesshomaru stood, waiting for everything to quiet down. Raiden walked into the room and nodded at his uncle before taking a seat near his brother. He exchanged a look with his father letting him know his twin was safe and doing alright for the time being before Sesshomaru spoke.

"It seems Naraku has more up his sleeve than we anticipated. We will get to the bottom of this grave new information and get Kagome back to her rightful family once and for all. Until then, there is to be no contact with anyone in the Onigumo family." He eyed Lana and Jamie. "This includes the youngest members of the lineage, no matter how friendly and appealing they seem to be. Are we understood?"

"Yes Sesshomaru-sama," was responded by the entire group.

"Good. I think it best if we return to our dwellings and get some rest. It has been a tiring night to say the least." With that, he turned on his heels and headed towards his room while everyone else took their leave.

Raiden retrieved his still unconscious sister before heading to the car with the rest of his family. Kagayasha and Inume decided to stay at home tonight instead of driving back just yet to make sure the middle sister would be ok. A plan of missing school tomorrow was set in motion as they arrived at home and retired to their rooms to get some well deserved rest and reflect on the new information.

…

Inuyasha stood on his balcony staring out into the horizon waiting on dawn to break when a noise behind him caught his attention. His middle daughter stood there, twisting her locket between her fingers, eyes expressionless and sad all in the same breath. He opened his arms and she flew into her loving father's embrace.

"I saw her," she whispered, causing Inuyasha's eyes to widen in shock momentarily.

"What do you mean?" he asked calmly.

"I followed my instincts to a house and saw her in the window, crying," she responded, all emotion void from her voice but the twisting clouds above told Inuyasha the reign on her feelings would soon be set free. He tightened his grip on his middle daughter and kissed the top of her head.

"We'll get her back. I can promise you that." The clouds began to dissipate as he continued to hold her. As the first rays of sunshine broke through the shadows of night, signaling the arrival of dawn, they could only hope what the new day would bring.