Youko stuck his head back into the room. "You treat my imouto right, you hear me, Sesshomaru?" he said, glaring at the taiyoukai.
Said taiyoukai inclined his head to the silver kitsune.
"Imouto?" Kagome asked curiously. "You have a sister?"
"Why, yes, I do…" Youko looked right at her and winked. "…imouto."
"What?" she asked, puzzled.
Youko leaned on the doorway. "I have a nephew, he's be about…hmmmm…fifty, now, but in ningen years, he looks maybe seven. I've heard that his parents were murdered, and he's taken up traveling with the oddest pack…"
This was all sounding awfully familiar to Kagome. Rin leaped up. "Oh! That sounds just like Shippo-kun! He travels with Sesshomaru-sama's brother!"
"Half-brother, Rin." Sesshomaru corrected.
Kagome stared at Youko. "How did you know?" she whispered.
He grinned at her. "You talk in your sleep, Kagome-chan. Or, perhaps that's only when your sleeping off the aftereffects of being drugged. Whatever. Thank you, for caring for my kin."
"He wasn't any trouble." Kagome protested.
Youko laughed. "I'm sure he was. He's a kitsune kit, after all." he told her. "But, my thanks to you, imouto." He bowed again to Sesshomaru, and left.
"Rin." Sesshomaru said, voice betraying nothing. "Leave us." The girl gave him a happy smile, and skipped out of the room.
Which left Kagome alone with the Killing Perfection, the Aristocratic Assassin, the Lord of the Western Lands, Sesshomaru.
He studied her intently with golden eyes. She shivered under the scrutiny.
Finally, he broke the silence. "Does this Sesshomaru's half-brother know of your transformation, onna?"
"I-I don't kn-know what you-your talking about, S-sesshomaru-sama." she lied.
He growled in ill-concealed exasperation. "Drop your pretenses, onna. This Sesshomaru has had his suspicions, even before Youko spoke of your kit. You have the same scent as before. This Sesshomaru is surprised that the wolf did not realize when he spoke to you at the gathering."
Kagome's shoulders slumped. "Are you going to kill me, Sesshomaru-sama?" she asked softly.
He raised a delicate silver eyebrow. "Are you still a ningen?" She didn't reply. He continued. "Are you still traveling with the hanyou?" Still no reply. "Answer me, onna."
"No, Sesshomaru-sama." she managed.
"Then, what reason is there for this Sesshomaru to end you? You might be useful, yet, and Rin seems to like you."
Kagome was able to hide most of her shock-she had fully expected to be on the receiving end of Sesshomaru's fearsome poison claws, and this time, Tetsusauga's shield wouldn't be able to save her-and got to her feet. "Thank you, Sesshomaru-sama. I'll just leave now, and bother you no further." She moved to go out the door, but Sesshomaru's voice stopped her.
Or maybe that was the iron grip he had on her wrist.
"Did this Sesshomaru tell you that you could leave?" he asked coolly. "You misunderstand, kitsune. You will stay at the Palace of the Moon. This Sesshomaru himself will train you."