I know you've been waiting. Here we go! Remember, this is Rumiko Takahashi's world. I just like to play here.

The Quest for the Crest

A curious peace settled over Kagome as Shippou sailed over the Florentine cityscape, over churches she had seen a dozen times in textbooks and articles, on art journal covers and calendars, and God knew what else. There was an ethereal beauty about the cathedrals, with their soaring spires and elegant lines, something that made her want to believe in something higher, something better. When she caught sight of the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, upon which the famous Brunelleschi had sweated and labored, her breath caught in her throat. For a moment, she forgot that she was astride a five hundred year old Shippou, on an unbelievable mission to rob the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church, in a last ditch effort to bring a silent, frozen Inuyasha back from a place she hadn't even believed in a month ago.

She must have moaned or whimpered with the pleasure of it, because Shippou suddenly dove lower and dropped well behind the others to allow her a better view.

"I'll bring you back here someday," he said, turning his muzzle so that his words carried back to Kagome alone. "Someday when we can spend whole weeks flying over the Italian cathedrals, and visit Florence and Rome for as long as it takes you to soak up everything there is to see. Then Venice, maybe. And Paris – you'd love Paris."

Kagome scratched at his shoulder. "I'd like that, Shippou. But how did you know?"

"I waited five hundred years for you to be born, Kagome." A mischievous, fang-bearing grin pulled at his lipless mouth. "I knew the minute you came into this world, and I know just about everything there is to know about you. Considering that you took four classes on Renaissance art, it didn't take a big leap to figure you'd appreciate the sights of Florence. Who do you think planned the flight path over Florence, just at sundown?"

Kagome laughed a little, partly amused, partly touched, and partly awed at the depth of Shippou's devotion to her.

She wrapped her arms around his big furry shoulders and squeezed. "I missed you so much, Shippou."

A short, barked laugh answered her. "Save it, sweetheart. We'll have lots of time after we wake the big dummy up."

The reference to Inuyasha brought her up short, leaving her feeling slightly guilty for enjoying the flight.

"I hope everything goes smoothly tonight," Kagome said fervently, still resting her face and cheek on Shippou's back. "I don't think I could stand for anything else to go wrong."

Shippou's big head swung back and forth. "I don't think Sesshoumaru can, either. He's juggling a lot of little balls right now. If he drops one, he's just going to lose it, and he doesn't exactly appreciate help."

Kagome stole a look at Holden, who rested comfortably in the crook of Sesshoumaru's arm, not even holding on to him, completely relying on his grip on her to keep her from falling. "I don't know about that," Kagome replied after a moment.

"Holden? Yeah, there's been something there for a long time," Shippou confirmed. "We'd probably all be a lot happier if he'd ever get around to screwing her."

"Shippou!"

"Sorry."

He didn't sound one bit apologetic.

The peace that Florence brought couldn't last forever, and they had soon passed the birthplace of the Renaissance in favor of the papal city. Vatican City wasn't nearly the sight Florence had been, but even so, with the brilliantly lit streets surrounding the palace, it wasn't at all unattractive, and it had a history all its own.

An ugly history, at times, she recalled, as her new awareness alerted her to the change that came over Sesshoumaru, Shippou, and Six when they set down in a dark corner several block from the main entrance of the Apostolic Palace. She tensed a little herself, suddenly fearful of things that could put greater demons on edge.

"You're frightening the little girl, boys. Relax already." Chizu's voice was silky smooth, but Kagome didn't miss the steely note in her tone.

"I'm okay, Chizu," Kagome objected weakly.

"No, you're not. But they should be." The fiery black kitsune turned a condescending glower upon the offending males.

Sesshoumaru ignored her, striding purposefully past her, even as he reached into his pocket for the mysterious coin that had the power to make him appear human. Six pulled a ball-cap from the denim jacket he was wearing and settled it over his ears. With a single POP all three kitsune changed their appearance just enough to hide their pointed ears and their tails.

"Don't you know to respect your elders?" Chizu asked saucily, falling into step immediately behind him, linking an arm through Holden's. Sesshoumaru continued to ignore her.

"Sesshy doesn't like to be corrected," Chizu said to no one in particular. "Juvenile brat."

Kagome watched Holden smother a grin, even as she hid one of her own behind her hand. Shippou didn't bother to conceal his merriment.

Anzu and Six both shot a disapproving glare at Shippou's wife, a shared look that Kagome noted with interest. Anzu seemed to be a grave, severe sort of girl, who probably simply didn't appreciate her mother's lighthearted treatment of what was, after all, a very serious operation. Six had a little case of hero worship where Sesshoumaru was concerned, and Kagome couldn't blame him. At some point in the past five hundred years, Sesshoumaru had learned to be a pretty decent elder brother.

As they made their way into the street, Sesshoumaru and Shippou led the way, pointedly ignoring the stinging jibes Chizu razzed him with. Kagome couldn't remember having ever met anyone like her, incredibly powerful, but mischievous rather than proud, willful and spirited rather than entitled, and unselfconsciously sensual. Maybe Kagura would have been like that, Kagome mused, if she had survived Naraku.

Kagome caught up with the Guardian and the vixen. The roguish kitsune winked at her, and impulsively linked arms with her and with Holden, so that, for awhile, the three women walked side-by-side behind Sesshoumaru. Shippou, who walked beside him, looked over his shoulder to flash a wicked grin at them. Anzu and Six fell behind, muttering darkly together.

"We're probably a little conspicuous, my dears." Chizu sighed theatrically. "Even at this hour, there are a few tourists about. I suppose the holiday's over. Serious business, you know, serious business." Schooling her features into a close approximation of Sesshoumaru's flat, hard stare, she relinquished her holds on Kagome and Holden.

"I'm rather surprised at you, Six, darling," she mused after awhile. A small noise that sounded suspiciously like an aggravated huff came from Sesshoumaru's general direction.

"I really didn't think you would take it this well," she continued. "Delightful creature; I shouldn't have underestimated you."

Six flushed; curiously, so did Anzu.

"I'm sorry?" Kagome looked between them.

Everyone stopped dead in their tracks to stare at her, and it was her turn to redden under their stares.

"Did I miss something?"

It would be wolves, Inuyasha thought sourly, looking at the twin brats that growled warningly – but ineffectually – at him. It wasn't as if he hadn't had enough trouble with those mangy, flea-bitten scavengers. Luckily Rin had an almost magical touch in this misty realm, and one disappointed look from her silenced both of the snarling children almost immediately. When Inuyasha explained his plan to them, the boys' sour faces slowly transformed into vicious, feral grins, and they nodded enthusiastically when he asked for their help.

The other two children had an unfamiliar ancestry; Rin told him they were from other continents, whatever that meant. One, the eldest of the four, reminded him of Abi, the fire-bird princess. Her skin was a deep, warm brown, her hair thick and black and coarse, and wings of pure fire spread from her back. Dark eyes flashed with a hatred that resonated deeply with old, half-forgotten memories, and though Inuyasha could foresee a clash of wills, he also felt as though he understood her best of the four children.

The youngest, whose parents had both been half-demons, could not have been but three or four years old. Inuyasha had never encountered such an elusive, shy child. At first, he could not even sense her presence. Neither Rin nor the fire girl could charm her out of the shadows, so he was surprised when his sharp, careless bark coaxed her out. She was some kind of nature or flower spirit, a slight, insubstantial creature, all big green eyes and long, wispy tendrils of baby-fine blonde hair.

Despite the little one's initial timidity, Inuyasha felt pretty confident in all of the children. The older three were all clever, all thirsty to prove themselves against their old adversaries, but the little one, Chuqui-llantu, interested him, too. She stayed close at his side, shying away from the rowdy half-wolf twins and the fiery older girl, and even Rin. The little girl barely came to his knees, and buried her face in his pant leg whenever the others came too near. Why she found his presence more comforting than anyone else's was a mystery, but though her attachment to him left him feeling more than a little awkward, there was something pleasant about it as well.

The twins, Makoto and Naoto, evidently hadn't been infected with the same superiority complex that damn Kouga had, because they took to him pretty quickly. They were rough and tumble sorts of boys, not unlike Inuyasha himself, and as soon as he saw that he wasn't going to have the same kinds of trouble with them that he'd encountered with that damn Kouga, he realized he actually kind of liked the rambunctious pair.

Bennu, the eldest, he had trouble with, if only because she was in some ways too like him, strong-willed and independent, and in others completely different. She wanted detailed facts and plans of attack, and neither he nor Rin could answer all of her questions, mostly because he hadn't thought about it. He more or less intended to charge right in and play it by ear – that wasn't good enough for Bennu. Rin showed her how to view the goings-on of the outside world, and she immediately settled in to scry out prime targets. After showing Makoto and Naoto how to do the same, he tried to hand off little Chuqui-llantu to Rin. The little girl would have none of it, however, and clung to his hand with surprising strength.

He conceded the battle with more decorum than he once might have, and felt a slight quirk of a smile tug at his mouth as she slipped into his lap.

As Chuqui-llantu – Chu, he'd decided, unable to pronounce the long name – nestled into his robe, he reached for her, sensing that something was awry. She wasn't hurt, no, not even frightened, but she was upset. Very upset.

"What?"

A pair of tourists turned their heads at Kagome's horrified shriek; the demons around her flinched at the high pitched wail.

"I thought they," Sesshoumaru said, raising a finger in Chizu's direction, "were going to tell you."

"I thought he," Chizu retorted, snapping her head toward Six, "was going to be the problem."

"I told you she wouldn't take it well either." He didn't look disturbed at all, damn him.

Anzu shook her head, almost as indifferent as Seshsoumaru. "Mother said not to tell Six until the appropriate time. No one ever said anything about her."

"Oh, I like that," Kagome snapped, blinking back tears. "That… that… bastard beat me nearly to death, shot me, and sent Inuyasha to never never land, and no one even thought about me when they found out that he… that…" Something that wasn't quite a growl or a groan or a whine forced its way through her nose.

"I thought s/he told her!" Shippou and Six blurted out defensively, at exactly the same time. The looks of mortification on their faces would have been amusing beside Anzu's impatiently knitting brows and Sesshoumaru's bored frown, had the situation been less serious.

"So, what, so the Hand can bring people back from the dead now, is that it? Or are they just freaking immortal? You said," she wailed, turning on Six, "you said you killed him!"

"I did!" The hanyou stepped back, hurt evident in his golden eyes.

"It's something we'll have to investigate later. Our current mission is fairly critical, as I recall," Holden reminded them. "Seven is a concern for another time."

Chizu nodded her agreement. "Darling, he'll get what's coming to him. I'll personally ensure it, this time." Bright eyes narrowed cruelly, she turned her palm upward for Kagome to see the dancing green flame that sat upon it.

"This time, we won't be taking any chances." The kitsune sauntered up beside Sesshoumaru, who was already leaving them behind. "I wouldn't worry about it too much, right, Sesshy, dear?"

The demon lord turned to look at her, a long, level stare that was somehow more frightening than the worst of Inuyasha's glares.

Chizu raised a shoulder, a fluid, sensual movement, along with a perfectly sculpted, wicked eyebrow. "Was there something, Sesshoumaru? Or were you just admiring the view?"

Shippou snickered, and then threw Sesshoumuru a wolfish grin. "You can't beat her. Give up."

Kagome fell in behind them, staring at her hands.

"Odds are, we won't even encounter him here." Somehow, Anzu had slipped up beside her. The young woman tried an encouraging smile, but it wasn't especially convincing. She must have known it, too, because she quickly abandoned it for a less familiar, more serious guise.

"Reconstruction is a time-consuming and risky business. He probably isn't fit to fight the pope, let alone four demons, two guardians, and a half-demon. I apologize for the… miscommunication."

Six settled into step beside Anzu. "I didn't realize no one had told you Seven had been spotted. I'm really sorry, ace. But Anzu's right, you know, it'll be awhile before we see him again. And no one's going to let him get away a second time."

He and Anzu shared a look, and the young lady moved up to walk with Holden and her mother.

"I won't let him hurt you again, I swear." His voice was quiet as he reached for her hand. "And I won't let him get near Inuyasha, either."

Kagome pulled her hand free. "Why is he back?" She heard the desperation in her voice and tried to swallow it down.

Six's expression became pained. "I don't know. This isn't easy for me, either. I'd just come to terms with killing him."

Naruku's image flashed into Kagome's mind. It had been months since she'd last thought about that monster.

"They… just don't die," she said, hysteria dying into bewilderment. "They just… don't… die."

"Seven will not be an issue." After several minutes of stony silence, Sesshoumaru spoke. Kagome thought she heard echoes of her own frustration in his tone; at any rate, his voice was raised enough to indicate that he expected the conversation to be over.

"I suppose you'll going to do it, this time," Chizu said wickedly, wriggling her claws at him. "That's alright. I'm not picky; I'll take out the trash."

Sesshoumaru paused, but said nothing.

"We're attracting attention, children," Holden said sharply to Kagome and Six. Her eyes scanned the isolated groups of tourists milling about the street, and as Kagome followed her shifting gaze, she noticed a number of curious stares pointed in their direction.

"Kagome." Shippou dropped back to walk beside her. Up ahead, the Vatican loomed, somehow much bigger in person than it had seemed in her textbooks. Shippou pulled her under his arm, and he was also much, much bigger than it seemed he should be.

"I'm sorry about Seven, sweetheart. It's been a hellish couple of weeks, planning this maneuver, and I dropped the ball there. So I apologize. But you don't need to worry about him, alright? We've got you covered."

Six's warm smile and friendly eyes glowed somewhere off to her right. Chizu grinned viciously, oozing confidence. Anzu looked back and managed a genuine smile.

Kagome's eyes, however, were glued to the back of Sesshoumaru's head. Holden crossed her arms and slid a surreptitious ankle around the demon lord's feet, and finally he relented, looking over his shoulder to meet Kagome's pleading gaze with a level stare.

"Seven won't be an issue," he repeated. They held each other's eyes briefly, and then Kagome ran to him.

Even demon lords get surprised, sometimes. Sesshoumaru couldn't control the jaw-drop that the little girl's gesture provoked, and he had to struggle to school his features into something remotely acceptable. It proved doubly difficult, because in some ways, he was still the man he had been all those years ago, cold and remote, and proud of his aloofness, and in some ways he wasn't that man at all. A decided portion of his mind insisted on retaining that image, one in keeping with his dignity as a powerful demon. Another was secretly, almost ashamedly pleased with the girl's eager response to his simple promise.

She'd embraced him. Darted out of the kitsune's arms, right past Six and even Holden (who, damn her, was grinning), and flung her skinny little arms right around his midsection, pressing her slender frame and uncomfortably soft bosom into his back. And then she squeezed. And then she wouldn't let go.

A number of voices, each of them his own, screamed inside his head as to the proper response, the proper procedure. He could rip his claws through her unprotected back – now a Guardian, it would barely faze her. He could throw her backward, but that would attract even more attention than her sudden embrace had. Somewhere in the din, he heard Rin's voice, and he strained for it, too confused to trust his own natural response.

Not that he liked her suggestion much better. Sighing, he chose to listen to that quiet, gentle guidance that had somehow survived these past five hundred years.

He managed to turn around, so that her face was buried in his chest rather than his back, and looked down at the top of her dark head in consternation. Settling his arm around her, he waited for the obvious response.

Kagome's head popped up, her face turned upward to search his, incredulity and gratitude vying for dominance in her mind. He didn't give her a chance to ask questions, but dropped a very quick, very sedate, very chaste kiss to her forehead.

Her eyes became very wide, and tears spilled over their heavy black lashes. She squeezed briefly once again, and released him. He turned to continue on to the Vatican; she fell in beside him, step-for-step.

Sesshoumaru didn't dare look back.