When Inuyasha re-joined his family, his face was grave.

It had been nine hours since Miroku had been brought to the hospital, seven since the start of his surgery. For seven terrifying hours the whole of the Taishou household had waited at the hospital lobby, desperately praying for a miracle. At last a doctor had emerged from the OR and asked to speak to a member of the family. Inuyasha had volunteered to go.

As Inuyasha emerged from the doctor's cabin, his father ran toward him. The older man's hair was dishevelled; the pupils of his eyes were unusually dilated. His hand trembled as he gripped Inuyasha's shoulder.

"H-how's…?"

"His injury seems to be more stable – they're shifting him to the ICU, they'll monitor him closely. But the parts of his brain that are damaged already will likely cause serious impairment, the extent of which we won't know for a while."

"But he'll live, right?"

Izayoi joined them, looking anxious and haggard.

"Is he conscious?"

"Not at the moment. The doctor said he'll need another surgery and possibly a tracheotomy in the next few days if things remain stable. After that, we will just have to wait and see. We don't know if he will be able to breathe on his own without the machine or how much he will be aware of."

Izayoi staggered, as though she was going to fall. An ashen-faced Kagome helped her to a seat. She looked at her husband.

"Another surgery? What were they doing for the last seven hours?"

"They removed a part of his skull to help relieve the pressure inside his brain."

At a low, moaning sound, Inuyasha's eyes went to Sango.

The girl was twisting a handkerchief in her hands while she rocked to and fro, a straggle of hair hiding her face; her clothes looked mismatched, as though she had haphazardly thrown on whatever she could find at hand – a perfect picture of the shocked, grieving wife – perhaps, too perfect.

Immediately Kagome went from Izayoi to Sango, putting her arm around the sobbing girl. In a soft voice she said:

"It's alright, don't worry Sango. He'll be fine, we're all praying for it."

Sango threw off Kagome's hand, looking at her through tear-filled eyes.

"You fool!" she hissed in a broken voice, "Don't you try to console me! With him lying in there…" her voice became high pitched, almost hysterical, "I'm not the one to be consoled!"

Rising from the chair, she ran out of the hospital lobby.

The Taishous looked at one another in surprise.

At that moment Sesshoumaru walked into the lobby. His face was deadly serious.

"Is the surgery over yet?"

Inuyasha again went into the full details of the situation.

When he finished, Sesshoumaru drew him to a quiet corner.

"Any idea who could have been behind it?"

Inuyasha blinked stupidly at Sesshoumaru.

"What do you mean? It must've been the work of the lunatic, isn't it? Why would a spy want to hurt our brother?"

"Could be a warning for me. But I don't think it's likely" Sesshoumaru looked into the space, "A far more important question, however, is what was Miroku doing alone in the park at that late hour?"

Inuyasha blinked again.

"My brain must've stopped working. I never even considered that!"

"That's not all. His phone's gone missing. We tried to call his number but it's not working. It all leads me to believe that unlike the others, this attack was premeditated."

For a while the brothers stood motionless, each absorbed in his own thoughts. Slowly, devastatingly, a sinister solution began suggesting itself to Inuyasha. It was sick, twisted…impossible, he would think, had he not been a police detective for so long.

Inuyasha looked straight into his brother's amber eyes.

"What if all the attacks were premeditated? What if Miroku was the intended victim all along, and those other murders were just cover ups, so it would look like the work of a random madman?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened in surprise, but only for a moment. Then he nodded slowly.

"The other murders were more circumstantial in nature," Inuyasha went on, "The tramp sitting in the dark, the shop owner locking his store at night, the old lady returning from the supermarket – the victims could just happen to be where they were at the time of their murders. But Miroku had no reason to be where he was, other than a deliberate assignment."

"Or a lover's tryst," Sesshoumaru commented dryly.

Inuyasha tossed his head toward the rest of the family.

"Let's ask the ones who were at home."

Sesshoumaru heaved a sigh.

"I wouldn't like to trouble them with questions at this hour, but I'd hate even more to see whoever has done this getting away."

Inuyasha growled in anger.

"I'd like nothing more than to see them behind bars for the rest of their sorry lives."

The brothers returned to Mr. Taishou, Izayoi, Madre and Kagome, who were waiting in the lobby of the hospital. Inuyasha took out his notebook.

"When was the last time any of you saw Miroku?"

Kagome looked up.

"I spoke to him, just before going to the downstairs parlour. He said he was going to the terrace to do some star-gazing."

Sesshoumaru frowned.

"Did he disclose what he meant to do afterwards?"

Kagome shook her head.

"I assumed he didn't have any plans. He seemed pretty relaxed."

"I see. Did any of you speak to him after that?"

Mr. Taishou and Izayoi shook their heads. Izayoi was the one to speak.

"I was downstairs at the parlour putting away the china. Your mother was there, so was Ayame. Sango joined us afterward, and Kagome last of all. We sat there till one… I remember hearing the clock chime. Then we went to bed. I assumed Miroku was already in his room."

Sesshoumaru asked: "Did you leave the parlour together?"

Kagome shook her head.

"Madre sent Ayame to bed earlier."

Inuyasha asked: "Where's Ayame, by the way?"

"We asked her to remain at home and wait for Kouga."

"You mean Kouga wasn't home last night?"

Both Izayoi and Kagome shook their heads. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru exchanged a glance. Sesshoumaru resumed questioning.

"So, Ayame went to bed earlier, and then you, Madre, Kagome and Sango~"

"No, not Sango!" Kagome interrupted, "She had left earlier to join Miroku."

Inuyasha's heart beat fast within his chest.

"And yet she didn't tell you that Miroku was not at home?"

"No. When we received your call, she was sitting in the downstairs parlour. She said she was waiting for Miroku," Kagome said.

"Is something the matter?" Mr. Taishou began to ask, but by then both brothers had sprinted out of the hospital.