A/N: Sorry this one took so long to get posted. I have felt very uninspired in many ways but the one that affects fanfiction is that my muse has gone not just for this fic but for all my writings in general. Hope this chapter isn't too bad.

Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of the manga/anime characters. However any original characters in this fic belong to me.

People thinking

Inuyasha's demon side/ Kagome's Miko ancestors

Inuyasha's human side

Previous chapter-

He narrowed his eyes at her as she gave him a smirk purposely mocking his own. "Whatever, Wench. I'll tell you plenty when we get to my mother's estate this afternoon. In the mean time why don't we talk about how you and my son are ganging up on me." Gold eyes shifted to Shippou as the young kit sank deeper into his chair.

"Your...son..."Kagome's wide blue eyes looked from a nodding Inuyasha to a red tuff of hair trying to sneak away from the table. "You're a dad and mating would make me a...a..."

"A mom." Inuyasha said calmly watching her reaction. "There are other things that mating would mean but this is by far the most important. I...we have to know can you handle that?"

"Can I handle it?" Kagome's voice softly flowed through the room as she pondered the answer to that question.


Chapter 35: That's life...

"How old are you, Shippou? In human years." Kagome asked as the kit moved to sit back at the table.

Shippou's green eyes flickered to Inuyasha who simply shrugged before giving the young demon a nod to go ahead.

"Do you know how old Inuyasha is?"

Kagome shook her head. She hadn't asked Inuyasha yet but she knew he was older than five hundred and fifty years old. "That isn't a question Inuyasha and I have gotten to yet. Right now though I'd like to talk about you."

"I'm just under four hundred and thirty years old." Shippou answered quietly as his mind took him back to his childhood and the time he still had with his parents.

"How do you feel about possibly having a mother so many centuries younger than you?" Her voice was genuinely curious as she moved the food around on her plate, blue eyes never leaving his young face.

Shippou snickered a bit drawing both adults full attention to him. "I was told not that long ago by someone you're very close with that I might have lived longer but for my race I'm just a teen while you are an adult in your's. Plus, from what I see you are more mature than Inuyasha and he's been raising me for the last three hundred years."

Inuyasha growled warningly at the fox across the table while Kagome tried to do the math in her head from the information she had just been given.

"Stop now, Wench. You'll only get a headache trying to figure it all out. Demons all grow at different rates, plus the world around us has a large effect on how fast or slow the growth rate is. Then you have the effects of coming into a mating age and how that changes a demon. Half demon growth is different as well depending on the mix and race or races of demons involved or if it involves a human." Kagome stared at Inuyasha suddenly very curious about his own age and if they mated how their kids would age. Seeing where her mind was going he smirked and told her, "We can talk about it later. I have to call Miroku and you two need to pack."

Kagome nodded as she ate some more on her breakfast while Inuyasha excused himself. Shippou watched their exchanged and the older demon leave. He hadn't got an answer from Kagome and his food just wasn't that appealing with the thought hanging in the air.

"Do you want to be a mom, Kagome?" He asked cautiously.

Smiling at the young kit she told him the truth. "Yes, Shippou, I've always wanted to be a mother."

As Shippou and Kagome talked in the dining hall Inuyasha got the run down from Miroku about the rest of his interview with the "good" detectives and more information about Sango and the other woman. Apperently Houjou tried to use the other woman's casual meeting of Miroku before her abduction as means to accuse Miroku of involvement in the taking of all the women. Naturally Inukimi had torn the sad accusation to pieces. Miroku was home and getting ready to take Sango for coffee so they could talk about the kiss he laid on her at the station.

After talking with Miroku, Inuyasha ordered a maid to have a car be brought around so that he could leave soon. He also figured he had best let Sesshomaru know what his plans were as well.

Out on the street in a none-descript black car Suikotsu sat watching the manor and the activity, or lack there of, that had been taking place since he had pulled up. The front of the manor that faced the street had no activity since the half-breed had pulled in the night before. Suikotsu was beyond bored and about to call in for a replacement when a black sudan pulled out from the garage and drove around to the back.

"Finally." He groaned as he grabbed his phone. "Big brother." Suik deep voice spoke into the phone as Bankotsu answered the phone.

"Have you seen the woman?" Bankotsu asked eager for news.

"Not yet, I think they are heading out soon."

"Good. Follow, when they arrive call Jaks with the address."

The line went dead next to his ear and he settled in his seat to wait until the car reemerged. His wait wasn't long, soon the same black, four door sudan pulled back around to the front of the home. Watching carefully Suikotsu noticed the half-breed, the woman and a fox kit emerge from the vehicle. The woman that Bankotsu was so obsessed with walked up to the front door followed by the kitsune while the half-dog leaned against the car as he faced the front of the house. The dirty detective watched though binoculars as a smaller woman step out onto the front steps followed by the older Taisho brother. The women embraced each other before the smaller woman embraced the young fox as well. Neither of the Taisho's moved other than their lips as the other's finished their farwells.

Inuyasha spoke softly enough that Kagome wouldn't hear but Shippou, with his demonic hearing, and Rin with her advanced hearing through her mating, heard him crystal clear. Still he had little concern about the two of them hearing what he was saying, if he had been worried about it he could have just walked his happy ass over to Sessh and not been heard at all.

"Kouga is handling everything for the weekend while I'm gone. Your mother has taken care of Miroku's problem with the police for now but the Hobo idiot is desperate. I've got my cell if you need to call me back home, but I'd like sometime to get this shit with Kagome all straightened out."

"Hn."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes as Kagome and Shippou got back into the waiting car. "It's always nice to have these little talks. The massiveness of your vocabulary always amazes me."

Rin allowed a slight smile to blossom on her lips as her mate narrowed his cold gold eyes releasing a warning growl to show his lack of amusement. Inuyasha wasn't concerned though as he barked out a quick laugh before reentering the car as well.

Pulling away from the manor in silence the trio began their journey. Shippou was anxious for various reasons. The big one being that the last time Inuyasha had taken them to Lady Izayoi's estate they hadn't come back for over a century! Not that Shippou didn't like the solitude from some of the stupid shit he felt humans did but at the same time he didn't want to miss out on life, period. Then there was the fact Kagome was coming with them. He understood what it meant for Inuyasha to bring her to his mother's birth home, the home Inuyasha himself had been raised in when Inu no Taisho sent them there during the war over the Western Territory. It was revealing and Inuyasha honestly had a problem revealing anything other than his attitude. Curling up in the back seat Shippou decided he'd worry if Monday came and went and they were still at the estate, until then he'd give them all the privacy he could from the back seat as he fell asleep.

Kagome looked out the window as the countryside came into view flying by in a blur of green instead of the dreary colors that lined the city. Her mind wondered carefully over the last year of her life but more importantly all the events that had happened since she seen Inuyasha again at the club.

"When you left me in the hospital you said you had things to take care of."

Her voice was quiet, cautious. He knew what she wanted to ask but still he couldn't resist pestering her. "Is there a question in there?"

Kagome narrowed her eyes playfully at the half demon smirking in the driver's seat but she let her face slowly show the emotions she held about the previous week. Her deep blue eyes swam with the questions that traveled through her mind.

"Do you know who took me?"

Silence filled the car for a moment as Inuyasha shifted his eyes back to the road in front of him before looking at the woman next to him again. She had a right to know everything that they had learned, with a glance in the rearview mirror to see that Shippou was really sleeping he let out a sigh.

"Yes, Kagome, I know who took you and I have an idea of why."

On the other side of town one of the men who inspired a distant conversation hung up with his counterpart for the second time in a morning. Turning around the leader of the Band of Seven came face to face with the spider that he was hoping to avoid until he had retrieved the power he was seeking, to bad fate decided to deal him a dirty hand.

"Am I interupting important buisness?" Naraku's voice called mockingly from the chair he occupied in front of the desk that represented Banryu.

"Nothing that's pressing at the moment." Banks replied as casually as possible. "Something I can do for you?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact there is. You see we've become curious about how you...work and even though I am very upset about you nearly killing Ms. Higurashi, I want you to show me how you do your work." Naraku never broke eye contact as his red eyes bore into Banktosu's ocean blues.

"I don't exactly keep women on hand ya know." The young man perched on the edge of his desk shifted his gaze out the window towards the docks. He wasn't a fool if Naraku was asking him to torture then the demon either had someone in mind or was getting ready to use it again him and his brothers.

"That's not going to be an issue." On some signal Bankotsu couldn't see the door to his office opened and Hakudoushi entered with a gun pressed descreetly into the small of Kagura's back. Clearly not planning on a kill shot but a mangled spine would slow her down quite a bit. "I already had someone in mind."

Banks couldn't stop the sadistic smile that crawled acrossed his lips. The small shudder Kagura gave when she looked at him only drove his desires more. Reaching down into a draw Bankotsu pulled out some rope, throwing it towards the albino teen behind the wind sorceress.

"Behind her back if you please. Then me, Naraku and the bitch will go for a walk."

"What if I say Hakudoushi comes too?" Naraku asked leaning back in his chair as he stepled his long fingers.

"Well, seeing as we are going to my own personal tourture chamber I'd rather keep the number of those in the know to a minimum." Bankotsu said as he moved around to close his office for the day. Torturing beautiful women wasn't something he liked to feel rushed in, the office could handle one day of down time, now that his other buisness was starting back up.

"Go back and see what can be learned about where the half-breed has placed the weapons. I will have another job for you soon." Naraku told the young spider as he smiled maliciously at him.

Too the young spider's credit he showed no sign of being effected by the smile his boss gave him. He simply gave a nod as he secured Kagura's bindings before turning and leaving to do what he was told.

"Shall we go then? I have other things that need my attention." Naraku slowly rose smoothing the small wrinkles from his clothing that sitting had caused. "Lead the way."

Bankotsu let his ocean eyes drift passed the impatient spider demon to the wind sorceress he had spent a few days with and knew exactly what he planned to do to her. She shuddered slightly under his intense gaze.

Suikotsu had followed Inuyasha's car out of the city to a secluded area. He took note that there hadn't been any other homes for the last two miles and traffic wise there hadn't been any other vehicles for the at least a half hour.

Could this be any easier? Suik wondered as he watched the car in front of him follow a left curve around the tree line.

After following the same curve himself the faux detective saw an empirial castle set on a hill rising from the distance. The roof of the castle was barely visible over the ten foot security wall. From the side that faced the road he could count three guard towers meaning there were at least five more on the sides not visible to him at the moment. At the bottom of the hill was a gate and guard station. After a moment the black car vanished inside and the solid gate slid closed. Suikotsu kept his eyes forward as he drove passed the complex so as not to alert the guard. Following the road for a few more miles he spotted a turn off that lead to a look out type area that gazed over the surrounding forest. Figuring the half-demon would not have driven so far just to turn around and leave in a matter of minutes, Suikotsu parked his car and pulled out his phone to call Jaks just like how he was instructed. His thought about the job being easy were slowly fading.

Upon arriving Kagome was awed at the sheer elegance of the palace in front of her. The only modern touches to the entire complex were the very obvious security measures. Kagome made note of the ten foot wall around the grounds with guard towers at various intervals totaling nine when counting the guard at the gate. Cameras could be spotted on the roof, on the wall, hanging from eaves. She figured for every camera she saw there was at least two that couldn't be seen.

Is security this intense at the other house and I just didn't notice? Kagome wondered as her eyes studied the different guards.

She realized that no, the security was not nearly as visibly intense at the other house. Here the wall was solid from bottom to top with guards and towers, the other home was surrounded by a five foot artistic brick fence that was topped with three more feet of wrot iron fencing. The gate they passed through at the end of the very long drive here had been solid and tan but Kagome was sure that it was some specialized youkia metal. At the other home the gate was again the very elegant half and half design.

"Is this area more dangerous than Tokyo?" She finally asked still taking in the security around her.

If she'd have been looking she would have seen Inuyasha flinch his shoulders slightly. He really wasn't sure what he should tell her. It had been more dangerous out here at one time but the truth was it was more than likely safer out here even without all the security but he couldn't bring himself to be rid of it. Figuring that was the best answer he opened his mouth to tell her but she was quicker.

"Are all the guards human?" Ancient blue eyes looked directly into his golden ones. The depths of her eyes astounded him. It boggled his mind how someone so obviously young had such ancient eyes.

"Yes, unlike the manor and Western palace everyone employed here is human." Pulling up to the front door Inuyasha parked the car as an average looking man stepped out followed by two maids.

"Young Lord, what a pleasant surprise. It has been some time since you have visited." The butler said as he opened Inuyasha's door as one maid opened Kagome's and the other Shippou's.

Inuyasha quietly conversed with the man while the maids set about shuffling Kagome and Shippou into the main area of the great house. Neither of the women spoke they simply led and since Shippou followed so did Kagome. It quickly became clear to Kagome that most of the bottom level had been unchanged from the original palace that must have been Inuyasha's mother's home, but as they assended the stairs she noted the more modern feel the place had. The maids led Kagome to a large blood red door with a black knob that stood in the middle of the wall on the second floor.

This seems familiar. Kagome thought sarcastically as one maid opened the door and the other ushered her in.

"Is this Inuyasha's room?"

Both maids looked a bit surprised at her question. Kagome sighed and shook her head saving them from needing to answer. As they excused themselves Inuyasha came through the door. Before Kagome could say a word he walked passed her to her bag. Grabbing it he walked across the blood red carpet to his closet and stashed it there.

"Would you like to see the gardens?" He asked with a smirk as she blinked large eyes his way. "Shippou is there waiting he wants to show you his favorite spots."

Kagome simply nodded and decided to worry about sleeping arrangments after some exploring.

Inuyasha watched Kagome as she allowed her eyes to roam about the place he once called home. It was not lost on him how like his own mother Kagome was. Both women were loving and accepting of all manner of creatures which was rare though not unheard of. But it was in the car after he told Kagome what he and the others had learned that he saw more of that unwavering bravery. He had seen it often in his mother, during the wars, in the demon courts, anytime his father was away. His mother had lived through dangerous times, she had lived with the danger of becoming mate to a demon, she had lived with the danger of baring a half-breed child.

Kagome was very much the same in spirit but she had endured things that even demons would have coward at. Depending on the demons obviously. Inuyasha had to admit he thought she would become upset hearing that her boss might be involved with Naraku, but instead she simply shrugged.

"That doesn't surprise me. Mr. Muso is without question one of the creepiest demons I've ever met." Kagome said staring out as the country flew past her window.

"What do you mean?" Inuyasha asked glancing at the raven haired woman in the seat next to his.

"Well..." Kagome tapped her chin trying to think of the best example to get her point across. "I took a position at his company manily because Sango was working there but another reason was that I would be on a team and not have endless projects resting soully on my shoulders."

"I thought you were one of the top ad designers in Japan? Why wouldn't you want to do things on your own?" Inuyasha was genuinly curious why she would want to share the glory.

Narrowing her eyes Kagome pursed her lips trying to remember when the two of them would have talked about her career but she was coming up blank. "Who said I was a top ad designer?"

Inuyasha griminced as his shoulders tensed. He had completely ratted himself out and now needed to tell her about the information he had ask Shippou to gather or distract her. Well distractions were easier than admitting he may have done something offensive or...wrong.

"Are you saying you're not fucking good enough to be a top desginer? And what the fuck does your coloring skills have to do with Muso being creepy?"

Kagome was near visibly fuming in her seat. Inuyasha had to resist the urge to rub his arm where Kagome's miko energy was begining to clash against his own aura. "Well, excuse me damn it for adding extra bits about my life so you could get to know me while we try to figure this shit out!"

The ears on his head drooped as her voice filled the car with anger and her aura pulsed violently with her rage. "If you purify me while I'm driving we will crash and that could kill us both if we are human." Inuyasha tried to keep his voice calm but his knuckles were strained against the steering wheel as the pure power Kagome held in her tried to escape.

His word confused her so much that all her anger was lost making her power retreat immediately. "Eh?" She said blinking large blues eyes at the half demon next to her.

"Your power will purify my demon half." Catching the scent of fear that filled her natural fragrance he quickly continued. "That alone can't kill me. A forced change will hurt like hell but it won't kill me. The lack of focus the pain would cause while I'm driving and the possible crash we'd have could, but not the purification alone." That level of purification could have done major harm to the kit sleeping in the back seat but Inuyasha figured it was best to keep that to himself, since she had calmed down and they were all fine.

Kagome took a deep breath glad to know her power wouldn't accidently kill him, hurt him yes, maybe but not kill. "I'm sorry. I know I should know how to control it but at the same time those memories are so distant I can't make any sense out of them. Anyways, Mr. Muso offered me a good some of money to lead his top desgin team along with two others and we aren't the only team. But as time has gone on I've noticed that he will come to personally over see my work, he doesn't do that to the others. I've went as far as to ask the team leaders on the main floor and on the lower floors. Every time he has been near I get the feeling like I'm being looked over but not like he's checking me out more like he's looking for something specific."

She had shivered thinking about her boss and he had to admit it was creepy. For all any of them knew Muso was working for Naraku or worse was Naraku. That fucking spider took on the form of hundreds of humans over the centuries, a high ranking business mogel was a piece of cake for him to become.

"KAGOME!"

Inuyasha's thoughts were interupted but the yelling of an enthusiastic fox kit. After Inu had made it into the house Shippou had found him and started ranting non stop about all of his favorite places that he wanted to show Kagome. Honestly Inuyasha hadn't seen Shippou so excited about anything since the kit had been around the size of a human ten year old so he said he'd let Shippou be incharge of giving Kagome the tour.

"Hello, Shippou." Kagome called from where she stood beside Inuyasha. He hadn't said much on their walk to the gardens. He had been very lost in thought but she didn't mind, it had given her time to admire her surroundings without feeling like she was gawking. The garden or rather gardens however she felt were very gawk worthy.

There was no backyard to speak of in modern terms, the entire area on the back side of the home was beautifully landscaped. The first garden to be seen was a flower garden that Kagome could see flowed into a water garden, that led to another that she couldn't see from where they stood but the three large trees near the far wall told her there were more after the water garden.

Shippou wasted no time in grabbing Kagome's hand and leading her through as he talked on and on about the flowers and trees. He had tons of stories about when he visited the estate as small kit and played in the garden with Inuyasha. Every so often he would sneak glances at the half demon who filled many of his stories, to the his relief the older demon never looked angry only amused.

As the day waned above ground the room Banks had led Naraku and Kagura to was now filled with the coppery scent of blood. The wind sorceress lay on an old wooden table shackles on her wrist and ankles held her in place, not that she had the energy to move any more.

"You do very intract work. Such care to not cut anything vital." Naraku smiled as he survayed the damage done to the female demon before him. There wasn't much of her skin that wasn't cut or stained with blood.

"If you cut an artery then they'll bleed out and the fun is over." Bankotsu ran his eyes over the poorly covered form of the woman in front of him. He had spend hours cutting away at her yet in the presents of that damnable spider he hadn't done the things he wanted to do the most.

"As educational as this has been, I have other work that needs my attenetion." Naraku stood and walked closer to Kagura's face. Her eyes were closed as she focused on her breathing. Grabbing her chin so that her face was tilted towards him he spoke in a low voice, "I'm going to leave you in his tender care, but" Naraku paused calling the red glow to appear in his hand as he had done before in his office. Giving the ball of light a gentle squeeze just to hear a hiss escape her bruise swollen lips, "you won't be able to die no matter what he does. After he's finished maybe you'll remember not to cross me."

Bankostu lead the way for Naraku to leave. The spider disregarded the skin trader as he walked up the short stairs before stepping out into the late afternoon light. Red eyes scanned the shipping yard before him for a moment. He didn't have long to stand alone. Kana stepped out from the shadow of a near by container.

"Are the plans in motion?" The males cold voice crawled over the air with an errie calm that would have made the hairs on any other being stand, but the pale demon girl standing before him was nothing other than her own version of calm.

"The machine and fire breather are on their way to the warehouse and the twins are waiting for your signal." Kana's dark eyes showed nothing of how the words she spoke made her feel. They were nothing more than two dark voids trapped in the pale ceramic of her face.

"Tell me, Kana, do the twins believe they can betray me during this plan?"

"Yes." There was no hesitation in her voice, no worry of betrayed confidence.

A/N: I'm cutting this one here and posting. Thank you to all that read and review!