Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. I also do not own the concept of 24. Only the story belongs to me.

Special thanks to my betas PockyThief, Kiyota and Ethereal Siren.

The following takes place between 2am and 3am...

2:00

Sesshoumaru made his way around the courtyard in an unhurried pace a few minutes after having decided that he needed to get some fresh air. This early in the morning, very few people were up and his peace went undisturbed. The only other souls that crossed his path were the kingdom's guards, who wisely stayed clear of his path. Every step he took, thoughts of Kagome filled his mind, forcing himself to face his actions of the day.

More than anything he just wanted to forget about everything that had happened, just go back to how things had been before the sun had ever rose, but as he glanced up, he found that not only had fate decided to refuse his wish, but it was a cruel mistress. For he found himself staring up at the woman that his thoughts surrounded. Too busy rocking Shippo in her arms, she remained unaware of his presence behind her and Sesshoumaru found himself thankful for it.

From here he could look upon the woman he loved without the fear of her showing him a look of hatred. As long as they did not meet face to face, he could go on believing that there was hope for them yet. And he could not help but see just how much more beautiful she looked while carrying a child in her arms. One of his greatest regrets before today was the fact that he could never have children with her and while they had only talked about it once, the knowledge had haunted him even to this day.

Flashback

"Enough Inuyasha, I understand that you are worried about me but it is not necessary. I knew what would happen and what could never happen when I got into a relationship with Sesshoumaru. I do not regret my decision to be with him, even knowing that it won't last forever. I would rather have the short time that we are together, even knowing that at the end it will shatter my heart when we must part, I would rather spend my time completely in love with him, knowing it can not last, than live a life without him simply to save myself from pain.

"I know you do not understand, Inuyasha, but it is worth it. All the pain and heartache in the world is worth a few short summers of being with the one you love more than life itself," Kagome told him, trying to make him understand that even with the limitations put on their relationship, she still wanted to be with Sesshoumaru.

"Kagome you heard what they said in there. They're talking about him preparing to have an heir. That means he's going to have to take a wife and you will be left with nothing. Get out now, Kagome, get out and give yourself a chance to heal before his wedding gets shoved in your face. It is only a matter of time and I do not want to see you hurt when the time comes. With my wedding plans in the work, it will not be long before my father's advisors talk him into preparing for Sesshoumaru's as well.

"And they won't spare a single thought for your feelings. I get it, you guys wanted to be together even knowing this day would come, but the day has come Kagome. Don't wait until someone else forces you apart, do it now by your own choosing. Have the chance to say goodbye to each other, once a fiancé is named for him, you will no longer have the chance. This is it Kagome, it's the end of the road. An extra season will not make a difference, but it will give you time to heal," Inuyasha insisted as he grabbed a hold of Kagome and pulled her into his arms.

"You always worry so for me, but you are always a step behind, Inuyasha. We have already set a date," Kagome whispered as she rested her head against his shoulder. Confused, Inuyasha pushed her back so he could look her in the eyes. "Your wedding. We know the advisors will not bring it up until your wedding is complete, so we've decided for that to be our last day together. I understand why you wish for me to have a chance to heal, but more than that, I could not stand to lose a single instant that I have with him.

"I will take the pain when it comes, but sparing myself from pain by leaving him now, would only cause me more pain and regret. I know it does not make since to you Inuyasha, but you need not worry for me, for while I may only love for a few summers, I love enough to satisfy my heart in this life and the next. When we end it, I will not walk away with merely pain and regret, there will also be happiness and love," she assured him and Inuyasha tightened his hold on her once again. Unsure of what else he could do for his friend, he merely held onto her for a few moments before glancing up to find Sesshoumaru standing in the hallway behind her.

Giving his brother a dirty look, Inuyasha hugged her one final time before finally letting go and walking away without another word. Already knowing the reason for his behavior, Kagome simply smiled at his retreating back until he could no longer be seen. "Greetings, Sesshoumaru-sama," Kagome called over her shoulder without bothering to turn around to face him. "What brings you here?" she questioned as she wiped her eyes to make sure there were no tears in her eyes.

"I am sorry," he whispered as he closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I truly wish there was more I could do for you. You have given me everything I could have ever wanted and more and yet I can give you nothing in return. I have failed you and I am truly sorry," he whispered as he tightened his hold on her, unwilling to allow her to turn around for fear she would see the pain etched on his face.

"You are wrong Sesshoumaru, you have not failed me, there is nothing you could ever do that would. And you have not given me nothing. I have your love and it is more than enough for me. I do not want for anything, because you have already given me everything I could have ever wanted. Even knowing this will all one day end, I would do it all over without a second thought because it is more than worth it. If I had only had your love for a single day, I would still tell you the same. I have been allowed to love you with everything I have and everything that I am and most people never have that chance. Never apologized to me for the time we have had together has more than made up for anything else that may happen or that can never happen.

"I knew from the very start that I could never be with you forever, we could never have children, we could never consummate our love, I could never be your wife, but I do not now nor will I ever regret choosing the path I did. Even with everything you seem to believe I missed out on, I would still choose to love you. Do not look back on our time together in sadness, for I will not be. I will see it for what it truly was, a blessing. You gave my life meaning and though we can not always be together, I shall never leave your side. For when the day comes that you are my lord, I shall serve you until my dying breath."

End Flashback

"Return him to his room for me please," Kagome instructed a nearby guard before handing over the sleeping child into his arms. As she watched him leave, Kagome caught sight of Sesshoumaru watching her from below. She could clearly see the pain reflecting in his eyes, but could do nothing more than hold his gaze for a few moments. Unable to bare it for long, Kagome turned her gaze back toward the land surrounding the kingdom, ignoring the single tear that made its way down her cheek.

2:20

"If it is not one thing, it is another! Can you morons not do anything right!?" the Ambassador demanded of his guards as he and his wife watched from nearby as they tried to fix one of the carriage's wheels. It had gotten damaged due to the rocky landscape and since the moment they had had to stop, he had not stopped complaining.

"Husband, yelling at them will not make them go any faster, if anything it will only cause more delays," his wife warned only to have his anger turned on her.

"Unless you wish to be helping them, I suggest keeping silent. This would not have happened if the idiot had known how to drive. And in case you have forgotten, wife, the longer we are out here, the most chances there are for something to go wrong. For only once we are behind the walls of the East, can we be truly safe and we are already far behind schedule due to those morons that attacked us earlier.

"Do you truly believe they are the only bandits out here? The longer we stay in one place, the greater the chances that another bunch will find us and we do not have the man power to fight them off again. If something happens they will simply kill me, you however, will not be so lucky. You'd better pray that they just sell you rather than taking turns with you," he sneered at her before turning his attention back to the guards and beginning to yell at them once again.

His wife shivered for a moment as she thought over his words before deciding to change the subject back to one she felt was safer. "Do you believe it is still possible for us to reach the East safely?"

"Providing we have no other encounters with bandits, yes. There is no way for the West to know that we are in any way connected with what has happened, so we remain safe for the time being. That idiot Toga is not a problem for us, so forget about him and make yourself useful by keeping an eye out for any more ambushes."

2:25

"Pick up the pace!" Inuyasha shouted over his shoulder as he followed his own order and urged his horse to move faster. He could hear the sounds of his order being passed back by members of his team and knew that they would see to it that the men followed it. Catching sight of a small path opening up off to his right, Inuyasha turned his horse in its direction, knowing it would lead them on a short cut toward the East.

"If there really is a short cut here why did the others not use it?" Bankotsu questioned as he had to slow his horse down slightly to keep on the path behind Inuyasha.

"It's too narrow for a convoy and there is no way off of the short cut until the end. It would have taken Kagura and the others longer to catch up as they would have had to backtrack a ways. And unless you know what you are looking for, it can be hard to spot," Inuyasha explained as he watched as the path began to open up so it was big enough for three horses side by side, rather than just a single horse as it had been.

"Kirara take your position!" Inuyasha called over his shoulder and after a moment, her horse passed the others and took her place in the lead in order to be a look out. "Everyone else, pick back up the pace and remember the Ambassador and his wife are to be unharmed! The other traitors, however, are far game!" he told them and even without looking, he knew Bankotsu was smirking at the news.

2:30

As his advisors took their seats before his desk, they could tell Toga's mind wasn't on the meeting they were about to have. The three turned their attention to each other, but could only shrug their shoulders at the unasked question. Unsure of what to do to bring their lord's mind back to the present, Totosai and Myoga sat quietly waiting for him to come around on his own, Hosenki on the other hand, decided not to wait.

"My lord, if I may, you should put what has happened out of your mind. You made the right choice, the only choice there was. There is no need to second guess your actions," Hosenki assured him drawing Toga's attention to him.

"Did I? Did I really make the right choice? I ordered the torture of an innocent girl that may have very well become my daughter-in-law one day, does that sound like a good choice to you? Because to me, it sounds like the worst mistake of my life," Toga told him before sighing and allowing his gaze to drop down to his hands.

"What do you mean, my lord?" Totosai inquired confused by Toga's words.

"I have decided that I will be taking another wife in order to obtain a treaty, leaving my son to marry whom he wishes. Though I may have very well destroyed any hope of that happening as well as Sesshoumaru's only chance of happiness by what I allowed him to do," Toga explained without raising his head.

"My lord, Sesshoumaru-sama made his own choice, you are not responsible for what he did. And if the girl is as loyal as she claims to be then she will understand that everyone was just doing their job of insuring the safety of yourself," Hosenki told him, his voice full of confidence.

Myoga rolled his eyes at Hosenki before responding, "Had it simply been Bankotsu down there with her, you would probably be right, however, by going down there himself, Sesshoumaru-sama made it personal. I doubt anyone can get over being tortured not only by the man she loves, but one who claims to love her as well."

"She will be able to get over it, either that, or she is not fit to be the next lady of the West anyways," Hosenki countered earning a dirty look from Myoga. Deciding he was in no mood to continue dealing with his advisors, Toga waved them away and waited until they had left the room before sighing once again and laying his head upon his desk.

2:40

"Damn it," Kagome mumbled to herself as she noticed a dark, wet spot on her arm. "Jakotsu," she called out knowing he would not be far away. "I need to stop by Jinenji-sensei's and have a bandage replaced since it's bleed through, can you watch my post for a while?" she questioned once he had appeared next to her.

"Of course, Kagome. Take as long as you need," Jakotsu told her with a smile. Thanking him, Kagome turned and began making her way toward the ground. Once she reached the bottom of the ladder, she headed in the direction of the medical hut, thankful it wasn't too far away from where she was currently. She ignored the look she received from the guards she passed, holding her head up high, making sure they knew what they thought about her meant nothing to her.

She could hear their whispered words and insults, positive they knew full well she could hear them, but decided not to let them get to her. She had done nothing wrong and she wasn't about to let them treat her like she was any less then them, but at the same time, she really didn't have the time to correct them at the moment, so for now at least, they were saved from her wrath. But Kagome smiled with the knowledge that their freedom to speak ill about her would not last long.

Soon as everything that had happened today was over, she would have a talk with Inuyasha about giving the kingdom's guards a harder training and longer hours on duty. It would serve them right for how they treated their superior, and Kagome could already see herself smirking from behind Inuyasha as he informed them of what they would be in for. "But for now..." Kagome whispered out loud to herself as she reached the hut and made her way in.

"Do you have a few moments, Jinenji-sensei? One of my bandages bleed through and I need to have it changed," Kagome explained when he glanced over at her from his desk. He nodded to her with a smile as he rose and began making his way over toward her as he gestured for her to sit down. Removing her over kimono, so the sleeve wouldn't be in his way, Kagome sat down and made sure she didn't look at the bloody bandage that adorned her arm.

"I'll wash the sleeve out for you," Shiori told her with a soft smile as she collected the kimono and began making her way toward a washing pale before Kagome could respond. Smiling at the girl's retreating back, Kagome shook her head before turning her attention back to Jinenji.

"I had a visitor a little while ago," Kagome informed him with a laugh and Jinenji smiled realizing who she was referring to. As he expression became serious, Kagome continued, "Do you think he will be okay? He's so young and I worry how badly he will be affected by this. It would be a shame if he loses his cheery disposition."

"I am sure Shippo will be just fine in time, since he is so young, he has plenty of time to over come this. And he has plenty of friends surrounding him to help him. I believe you should worry more about yourself. The death of one's parents is far easier to get over than the knowledge that one's parents killed innocent people," Jinenji insisted causing Kagome's face to harden at the thought of her parents.

Taking a deep breath, Kagome closed her eyes for a few moments as she got her anger under control. Releasing the breath, she opened her eyes and gave Jinenji a sad smile. "I am an adult and have far more experience dealing with hardships than he does. His parents were just innocent bystanders in all of this and I can not help but think this is my fault. For all my training, I never knew something was wrong. His parents are dead because I could not see what was right in front of me," Kagome said, looking like she was about ready to cry.

"How can I call myself a warrior when I don't even know my own parents? My job has always been to see what didn't belong, but I couldn't even see it in my own life. I have failed Lord Toga and the West. I have failed myself," Kagome berated herself as he finished changing the bandaging her arm.

"Dear child, you have failed no one, not Lord Toga, not the West and certainly not yourself. It is most probable that their betrayal stems from long before you were ever born. You could not notice what was wrong with them, because their behavior has never changed. You said your job is to see what did not belong, so I do not see how you failed to do your job, as everything about them belonged as it always has. They have had many years to perfect their persona and you can not blame yourself for not noticing what was never there.

"You are not to blame for their actions. Only your own. As each man and woman are. It may not seem like it at this moment, but you are not required to pay for the actions of others, no matter who they may be. It seems Shiori is done with your kimono, I am sure you wish to get back to your post," he told her as he gestured for the younger girl to come over. Kagome couldn't help but smile as she nodded to him and received her kimono. After putting it back on and making sure everything was laying flat, Kagome bowed to them and began making her way back out of the hut.

2:55

"Never plan on using the door do you?" Kikyou questioned after she had turned around and found someone standing silently behind her. "I would still like to know how you always manage to get into my courters without making a sound," she informed her guest causing them to smirk in response. "Well do not just stand there, I assume you are here to update me."

"Yes, lady Kikyou," her companion replied with a deep bow before standing up straight once again. "Your plan is to be carried out at sunrise and the convoy should arrive soon after," she informed her and Kikyou nodded before seating herself on a cushion and gesturing for her to do the same.

"I have been informed that father and Kouga intend on meeting up with the Ambassador to bring them home safely. It would seem that that the West has learned of an attack on the convoy and has sent word here.

"I would not worry, lady Kikyou, the Ambassador was no where near the attack so there is no reason for the West to suspect him. And even if he does, there is nothing to connect them to you. If anything, they will suspect your cousin, so rest assured. Also, I have received word that everything went according to plan in the West. The decoys did their job well and the true assassin should meet no resistance."

"Would there not be higher security due to the earlier attempts at his life? You can not afford to have anything go wrong, if it does, you will be held responsible," she warned the woman across from her.

"Worry not my lady, now that they believe they have caught everyone behind the attacks they will be a bit slack. And they have caught them all, at least those in the first wave. None of them knew of another nor of us. And they were all hung earlier so we will not have to worry about getting rid of them ourselves. You have my word, my lady."

"You better be right, Tsubaki, if you fail me, you will pay dearly."

Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.