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Safety Not Guaranteed

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Blinking sluggishly in the darkness, Kagome chanced a glance at the clock and groaned. It was barely even three in the morning and here she was wide awake on a Sunday. There was no worse fate that on Sunday – of all days – she wasn't able to sleep in. With a heavy sigh and nothing better to do, the miko carefully rolled onto her side and stared at man by her side. His features were much softer in sleep, the lines that usually creased his brow replaced by the youthful appearance – calm, serene and like he didn't have a care in the world. She loved seeing this side of him. Even though he was happy here in her era, those eyes had witnessed more than their fair share of hardship and despite everything, the ghost of that pain was almost always present. Forever weary and suspicious and waiting for that axe to fall but for now, he looked peaceful. In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to curl up into the curve of his body, but hell would freeze over before she purposefully disturbed him. After more than a century of never getting a good nights' sleep, he deserved to have as much of it as humanly possible.

It was a pointless venture to attempt to sleep once more. It really was and in all honesty, she really wanted some pickles….at three in the morning on a Sunday. Perhaps the corner store was still open. It was twenty four hours after all and surely, if there had been someone following her, they'd be long gone by now. She would be back before Inuyasha even knew she was gone.

So it was that Kagome slowly, stealthily in a feat of near silence that astounded even her slipped out of bed and made about putting on enough clothes to be somewhat decent for her block long trek to the convenience store. As she tiptoed towards the door and reached out to grab the handle, a slight shuffling of sheets had her glancing over her shoulder and blanching.

"Where you think you're going?" Inuyasha asked her tiredly as he propped himself up on a single elbow, "Do you even know what time it is?"

"I was just going to get some pickles from the kiosk down the street," Kagome admitted sheepishly, "I know we're out."

"At three in the morning?" Inuyasha asked as he lifted his phone to check the time and arched a single brow, "Woman, pickles can wait."

"But I really want a pickle," Kagome whined softly as her lips formed a very cute pout, "I won't be very long."

"If you want a pickle, I'll get you a damn pickle. Tomorrow. But right now, that place isn't even going to be open," Inuyasha snorted lightly as he rolled his eyes, "Go see what we have in the fridge. I'm sure whatever is in there will hold you over 'til then."

"Fine," Kagome huffed in resignation as she made her way into the kitchen and the hanyou rolled back over – quickly falling asleep once more. That place was open. She knew it had to be and if he was going back to sleep, it'd be easy just to sneak out to get one. So easy. So, so easy.

A single thought paused her escape attempt however. There was someone who had been waiting for them at that bar last night. If she left now and something happened, they'd never forgive her and she'd have a hard time forgiving herself. Damn, and she really wanted that pickle. She'd never craved something so much in her entire life but…but it was far too early for cravings if Inuyasha's time line was correct. How odd. Maybe it was worth a call to Raiden's sister. Maybe that was normal when carrying a…a…wait.

If the baby was Inuyasha's child, then it would be a quarter youkai, wouldn't it? And yet all three demons present earlier that evening had referred to the baby as a hanyou. Could it be that he'd managed to sire a true half-demon child or maybe that's was just how half-demon genetics worked?

Quietly tiptoeing back to the bedroom, Kagome opened the door and crawled back in bed. Gently, tentatively, annoyingly she shook him – just ever so – until he opened his eyes and scowled.

"Is the baby a half-demon like you?" she whispered quietly, "Is that something you can smell?"

Furrowing his brow, Inuyasha cocked his head gently to the side before the corners of his mouth twitched upwards, "I can smell it and yeah, it is. Why?"

"Shouldn't it be a quarter youkai?" she asked quietly – her confusion growing, "I mean simple math says…"

"If it involves simple math, I can't help you," Inuyasha teased lightly before his tone became slightly more serious, "But yeah, I dunno. Maybe my youkai is just that strong or maybe it's just luck. Don't question it, Kagome."

"I guess," she whispered began slowly maneuvering out of the bed, "I'm going to go see what we have in the kitchen."

"You're seriously hungry, aren't you?" Inuyasha sighed wearily before rolling his eyes and sitting up on the edge of the bed, "You said you wanted a pickle? What type of pickle?"

"Any type of tsukemono," Kagome whispered excitedly, "Well, okay. Cucumber, if possible."

"Fine, fine, I'll go get you some pickles," Inuyasha laughed softly, "I just don't want you wandering around in the middle of the night and I know the thought of sneaking out has crossed your mind. You'd probably do it too. Stupid woman."

"It did," Kagome admitted sheepishly before she gave him a warm smile and scooted across the bed to lean over and place a kiss on his cheek, "Best husband ever."

"I try," came his teasing reply as he rolled his neck and groaned as he got to his feet to get some lazy clothing on, "But you owe me for this."

"Yes, yes, yes," Kagome giggled as she beamed at him, "Thank you."

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Morning came all too soon for Raiden as he anxiously tidied up his small apartment. A deep clean was probably in order but there wasn't time. Whatever he could get done he had to get done before noon and then he'd just have to accept his fate. Father was arriving today. When he'd told his new friends last night, they both blanched slightly before laughing and agreeing to meet with him for dinner. There was no doubt in Raiden's mind that it would be a very, very, very awkward affair. Father had been against him joining training in the first place. If you listened to him, his youngest son couldn't keep his mouth shut to save his life, would jump off a cliff if you asked him to, and had a knack for saying whatever half-brained thing that crossed his mind. This would probably just be a shitstorm of him talking smack and trying to get under everyone's skin.

And...as if his father's cynicism regarding training wasn't enough, Raiden's home wasn't just a mess. It was more that it was a disaster area. Clothes were everywhere, dishes piled high in the sink, half-drunken sodas sat on nearly every surface, half-eaten leftovers sat on the table and the bathroom….oh, the bathroom. His sister called him 'pigpen' and while he at least tried when he lived with others, now that he was on his own the floodgates had opened. Wasn't like anyone ever visited him anyway….until now. And now, oh and now, he was going to face the consequences.

"Okay, it's still early," Raiden whispered to himself as he surveyed the damage, "I can do this."

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"The girl will be heavily protected," the blonde man sighed as he pleaded with his father, "It would be better to target someone less connected. I understand that the half-demon killed our kin so many centuries ago but is it worth all this trouble? We'll be exposed or worse."

"The girl shall remain the target," the eldery man hissed, "That half-breed must suffer the consequences."

"But it was centuries ago," the blonde man groaned as he sunk down deeper into his chair, "And they are very well connected. The InuNoTaisho, the wolf demon tribe of Wyoming, and a prominent member of the Nihon Earth have pledged their support. If my sources are right, the leader of the Thunder Demon tribe and the founding members of the Monkey Troop monastery are looking to reach out as well. On top of all that, they have the Institute on their side. If I'd known, I would never have agreed to come back."

"Are you speaking of treason? Of abandoning the family?" the old man asked coldly as he narrowed his green eyes and set his jaw, "If you wish to leave, I can arrange a permanent way."

"You wouldn't dare," the blonde man clipped back – unable to hide the momentary flicker of fear in his eyes, "In any event, once we get the girl we'll have to move quickly. Keeping her would only lead them straight to us. Once we get her, we should kill her and dump her body in landfill. In any event, if we don't immediately get out of Japan we'll probably die within the fortnight. Even if we do, they'll find us. It's suicide."

"Oh, no doubt," the old man agreed as he settled back down, "But then he will know the pain of having his mate stripped away from him so unceremoniously. My revenge will be complete and I may die in peace."

"Very well," the blonde man sighed heavily as he stood and prepared to leave. This final wish would be the end of his family. He knew it. He just knew it.