Disclaimer: All Inuyasha goodness belongs to the amazing Takahashi-san!

A/N: This is unedited so typos are probably lurking around every period. (: Merry Christmas!

Behind the Curtain

By MissKatt

The Hospital Visit

Kagome busied herself in the kitchen, making a small breakfast for her and her friend while reviewing her note cards for her final. She smiled at Sango as she came out of the room dressed for the day, and set a plate down on her breakfast bar.

"Hope you're hungry," She said, taking a seat next to her after she sat down.

Sango nodded and picked up her chopsticks before taking a bite of her omelet. She eyed the notecards in her hands, "Test today?"

She hummed a 'yes' as she chewed and looked at her business related definitions. "Final, actually." She replied after she swallowed.

That helped Sango wake up a little. "Wait, you worked late last night and you have a final this morning? Are you crazy? You should have been at home studying!"

Tama let out a soft laugh. "It's alright, I got enough sleep and I'm pretty confident I know it; I'm just brushing up a little."

"I see," Sango answered. "What exactly are you going to school for?"

"Business Management," She answered with a smile. "My father was a business man and, as a kid, I always loved watching him work at home with the calculator and computer. He was always in nice suits and going to parties with partners. I don't know, it just always seemed like fun to me."

She tucked a strand of her dark brown hair behind her ear. "You do realize now that it isn't just parties and dress up?" She asked with a smirk.

A grin spread across her face and she waved her notecards. "These help remind me," She laughed before taking another bite. "But honestly, I just think it's perfect for me. I love numbers and I love arguing with people; I was even on the debate team in high school. I want to own my own business or at least work for a company who will send me all over the world." She sighed happily.

"Well, I support you! I know you can do it if you set your mind to it, Tama!" She finished her plate and put it in the sink along with Kagome's. "Do you need a ride to school?"

She waved her hand. "No, no, it's okay, I'm going to take the train to school and then go see Souta afterwards."

"Oh, okay! Well, I'll see you at work tonight?" She asked, gathering her bag and car keys.

"Yep! See you tonight!" She replied and waved her friend goodbye as she left. She grabbed her handy black thermos and filled it with fresh, hot green tea as the alarm on her phone warned her that she had twenty minutes to get to the train station. Grabbing her work bag, she threw in her book, calculator, and pencils before leaving her house.

*~~~BTC~~~*

"Oi! Sessh, wait! Hold the elevator!" Inuyasha shouted as he bolted towards the closing doors.

Sesshoumaru pretended not to hear him as he took a sip of his green tea through his black thermos. He almost exhaled in relief as the doors were mere inches from sliding shut, until four claws wrapped around on the side, making the door slide back open. He grunted his annoyance behind the rim of his cup and stepped aside as his brother stood next to him.

"Geez, thanks for holding the door." He rolled his eyes and tightened the messy tie around his neck.

"You would not have to bother me with such requests if you were actually on time for once in your pathetic life." He replied coolly.

"Bastard," He growled with a glare until his iPhone began to buzz in his pocket. He eagerly tore it form its confinement and read the text message. With a grin, he wrote back furiously, the sound of his nails tapping against the smooth glass of his iPhone echoing in the small space.

The Taisho heir lifted a brow in curiosity. "A new fling?"

Inuyasha snorted. "I hope it's not just a fling," He said seriously. "I actually like this one a lot."

"Is this, by any chance, the woman from last night?"

A sly smile spread across his face. "Maybe."

"Really, Inuyasha, dating a miko stripper? I didn't think even you could stoop so low." He sipped his tea again and stepped out of the elevator when the doors slid open.

Amber eyes hardened. "Why do you have to focus on that? Did you know that during the day she's a manager at a collections agency? That she has her own house? She's only been dancing for a month, so don't say she only got it just because of her dancing."

Sesshoumaru looked to his side at his hanyou brother. "So, why did she begin dancing if she has such a profitable job?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "I'm not sure, she hasn't told me."

"Hn, sounds like she is money hungry. You better watch your wallet, Inuyasha." He commented as he neared his office.

He stopped walking and balled his hands into fists. "Not everyone has ulterior motives!"

"No, you are right," He retorted. "Only the people who choose to befriend us." He did not care to hear his brother's response as he shut his office door behind him. Much to his dismay, his father was there waiting for him. "Good morning, Otou-san."

"Ah, Sesshoumaru, good morning. How did you sleep last night?" Touga asked with a small smile.

"Well enough I suppose," Which was a lie. He had not slept peacefully since Rin was admitted into the hospital. "Why?"

"Just wondering if you had any company," His tone was playful as he continued. "Maybe a certain blue eyed, dark haired woman? Hmm?"

Sesshoumaru set his thermos down on his desk before sitting in his plush leather chair. "I do hope you are not referring the dancer who goaded me into lap dance?"

"Was there someone else who I missed?" He asked, tilting his head as his golden orbs glazed over with a tease. He did enjoy pushing his eldest son's buttons.

"No," He said, answering both previous questions. "Unlike my brother, I do not dabble in strippers. And I have no interest in dating anyone."

Touga frowned. He was pleased Inuyasha had found someone who he could connect with, but he had really hoped to find someone for Sesshoumaru. Every girl he had thrown his way in hopes of dating, his son had cast them off with a mere look. Yet, the female last night had managed to get him to give her a dance. He would be lying if he said he didn't have high hopes.

"I am sure Kagura would not blame you for moving on, Sesshoumaru. After all, you weren't even Mated." He finally answered softly.

His gaze met his father's. "It does not matter if we were Mated or not. I did not want to give the mark to her, she did not want it, that does not mean anything."

"But can you not see that that means everything? Your instincts were telling you that she was not the right one for you. Do not get me wrong, I liked Kagura, but I never really felt as if she was right for you." He carefully responded. He did not want to rile up his son negatively with wrong words.

Sesshoumaru looked away. "We were married for three years before she died, does that mean nothing?"

"Did you forget why you married her to begin with?" He countered.

He glared. "That only sped things along; it does not mean either of our feelings were not true."

"They may have been true at the time, given the situation, but your instincts knew better."

"And you're saying this stripper is what I really want?"

"I don't know; why don't you tell me what happened to cause her to ignore you and become all flushed upon seeing you?"

"Enough," He finally said, tightening his hands. "I have a lot of work to do thanks to the night off we took last night. Now, if you will escort yourself from my office, it would very much appreciated."

Touga sighed and looked down at his son. "Keep in mind what I said," He advised. "And tell Rin her Jiji says hello."

The heir waited for him to leave before releasing a heavy sigh. Why couldn't his father keep his snout out of his business? He didn't want to date; it was as simple as that.

*~~~BTC~~~*

"Souta!" Kagome greeted happily as she walked into her brother's hospital room. She smiled at Rin as she passed by her bed and made her way to the stiff chair next to his bed. "How do you feel today?"

Souta put down the manga he was reading and gave her a weak smile. "Okay, I guess. I had another treatment today so I feel really weak and a little sick."

"That doesn't sound very okay," She replied and ran her hand along his head. She pretended not to notice the several strands of hair that fell off when she removed her hand. "Is there anything I can get for you?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I'm good for right now. So, how was your finals?" He asked, changing the subject from him to his sister. He didn't want to talk about himself, he had to live with his illness daily and he needed the distraction.

She grinned proudly and gave him a thumbs up. "I haven't gotten the results yet, but I know I did well! And I was the first one done!" She winked and then lifted her thermos to her lips to take a sip of the luke-warm tea.

His lips lifted up in an attempt to smirk. "Nerd."

She coughed on her tea. "Nerd?"

He wheezed out a laugh. "Yeah, only nerds finish first and are proud of it. I bet you even skipped after you were done, huh?"

The middle Higurashi blushed a little as the words rang true. "No, that's just weird."

"You totally did, don't lie."

"I didn't!"

"Liar."

She huffed and gave a smile. "Okay, maybe a little bit."

"Nerd," He stated before he began laughing. It wasn't long before it turned into a hacking fit that left him breathless. "Ugh, sorry."

Kagome shook her head and reached over to grasp his hand. "Don't ever be sorry for being sick, Souta."

He let out a short huff. "I don't think it's considered 'sick' anymore, Sis. Usually, people who are sick, get better. I'm not getting better."

She felt her gut twist at what he said. "Souta, don't say that. You need to keep faith. Keeping faith that you will get better, will help you get better. Don't give up, you can't." Her voice wavered with the last two words, her eyes glossing over with unshed tears. "Please, Souta."

He couldn't meet her eyes. Instead, he just stared down at the IV tube in his arm. "I won't." He murmured.

Taking what she could get, she stood up and shook her thermos. "Well, I think I'm going to see if I can get a refill down in the cafeteria. You want anything while I'm down there?"

He shook his head. "I don't think I can keep any thing down."

"Okay, well, when I come back I'll tell you about my new apartment." She said with a smile before walking to the door. As she turned to look at the door and reach for the handle, she fully ran into a person. She felt them drop something, which was her fault of course, and looked up to apologize. "I'm so-" The word stopped abruptly on her lips as she saw him standing before her. Her own thermos slipped from her hands and her mouth fell open unintelligently.

Sesshoumaru's thermos hit the ground as a very familiar human ran into him. His eyes landed on her face and instantly, all the pieces clicked together. This is where he knew her from. This is where he had seen her before. The hospital of all places.

"You."

She cringed as she heard him speak. All the embarrassment from that night came back to hit her and the color from her face drained. She bent down, picked up her thermos, and side stepped around him without looking at him again. "S-Souta, something came up, I'll come back soon, okay? Stay positive!" She called as she dashed out the door.

She all but ran to the elevator and jabbed the down button harshly. Time seemed to crawl by as she waited for the elevator. She tapped her foot impatiently as she nervously glanced behind her, praying to the Kami that he did not follow her.

"Finally," She whispered and hurried into the elevator. She pushed the button that made the door close several times, willing it to close faster. Once the doors slid shut and the machine began its decent, she released a very heavy breath. "Well, now he knows." She murmured and lifted her thermos to her lips. She took a drink and furrowed her brow as she realized her green tea was hotter than it had been earlier.

She looked at the black material carefully and saw a carefully chiseled 'T.S.' at the bottom rim. T.S.?

Taisho Sesshoumaru

The tea flew from her mouth and sprayed along the silver doors as the realization hit her. She stared wide eyed at the liquid as it rolled down the polished doors and then she looked down at the cup's mouth piece. His lips had been there. Hers had just been too. Her face turned bright red as flashes of last night flooded her.

She raised her fingertips to her lips and gingerly touched them. She had just indirectly kissed Sesshoumaru. How was she supposed to work with this on her mind? Not to mention with his thermos with her? It would be a constant reminder every time she looked in her bag!

She groaned loudly and exited the elevator as it touched the ground.

It was going to be a long night.