The day of the rescue mission started with ease. Inuyasha had wakened without the alarm and was fully rested. Sango and Miroku weren't fighting anymore, and they had delivered his favorite car after some improvements and repairs. It was a suspiciously good day.

"Hi," she said, and he grunted.

"Need you to sign this" Sango said, and before she came up with a lie, Inuyasha had signed the thing.

"You should at least read these things," she said

"Keh, you work for me, I don't need to" he said, and he placed a paper on the desk.

"Don't be rude, I am not your maid you know, you have it easy with me doing all your paperwork if the boss knew…"

Inuyasha interrupted her "he knows and doesn't give a shit because he trusts you too, now, can we move on? I have some modifications to the plan"

Sango just nodded. She was in awe. In all her years, Inuyasha had said nothing positive about her work. In a moment he admitted to trusting her and to having knowledge that Sesshomaru trusted her as well. And she was making him sign something for her own gain. She felt guilty...

"You just signed a transfer of personnel, to move the post of my boyfriend to this compound, I'm sorry," she said and awaited her punishment

"That's why you came late. You visited him yesterday," he said

Sango only nodded

"Then it's a good thing that I signed that shit," he said in a final tone. Sango understood and only smiled.

Miroku, Sango, Myoga and Inuyasha were in Inuyasha's office. They went through the plan again. The cover-up was going to be another cover-up. The three of them were going to visit Sesshomaru's favorite restaurant and retrieve a package from there that would be delivered to a safe house near the border. If someone was spying, all they would see was a cover-up for Sesshomaru's lover situation. Nothing to do with Kagome. The actual plan would begin after the drop-off. There was an escape tunnel in that safe house that ended in the middle of The Fringe. Then they were going to come out and look for her all night without being followed. This was going to be a night of the new moon, so she wouldn't sense his presence and escape. It was a decent plan. And they had all the help they could get, Totosai and Myoga included, so they were just waiting impatiently to start.

"I know we are using the rumor, all am asking is a confirmation that the rumor is just a rumor. I mean, come on, yokai don't go out of their ways to mate a human, and the boss…"

"My dear child, humans sometimes possess greater power than they know. If we mixed particularly tuned essences with each other, the offspring would be magnificent. Just like the house of Inu is mighty for the mating done long before our master Inu-no Taisho lived" said Myoga with great oomph.

"Keh," said Inuyasha and when the flea yokai admonished him, Inuyasha added, "like I fear some old bones" and so Myoga and him fought. Sango was dying to know, but Sesshomaru entered the room. Inuyasha was the only one not looking surprised or terrified. Everyone knew Myoga had disappeared for a decade because he tried to give advice to Sesshomaru, and the latter was unimpressed. Myoga was not a brave flea.

"Come," said Sesshomaru, while staring emotionlessly at Miroku. He gave no explanation and exited the room. Miroku hurried to follow, and everyone else was silent. Inuyasha perked up his ears, but they had gone to talk outside of his range. When Miroku came back alone, he spoke nothing of the talk with Sesshomaru, and everyone let it go. This was going to be an abnormal operation, and they needed to concentrate.

.

The first part of the plan had worked. They were followed upon visiting the restaurant. Inuyasha estimated the enemy group to be only a couple of demons. He took that as proof of their cleverness. The cover-up had fooled them. They waited and in a busy intersection; they switched cars and lost them. He was still suspicious, and just as they were near the safe house, he left the car some blocks away and walked with them the rest of the way. There were no incidents. Even if they were followed a squad of armed yokais was waiting inside the safe house. All was well until the three of them were alone in a room, that's when Miroku spoke.

"I have to go," he said and packed food and supplies nervously

"You gotta be joking," said Inuyasha, looking straight at his face.

"You know I have a new master, and he said that I was to leave you here, safe, and let you go on as I secure another location," said Miroku really fast, to get over these things quickly.

Inuyasha wasn't having it, "Bullshit, he agreed with the plan, what the fuck are YOU doing?

Sango couldn't let the events unfold without asking "what do you mean by new master"

"I got a promotion, and I didn't want to say until we saved Lady Kagome, but now that I'm going so suddenly I can't say goodby properly. I can only wish you good luck Sango, in all that you are involved in" he said and waited for her response but it didn't come. 'Is he running away from me? Is it true? Did he ask to leave? That was not my plan, no, not at all what I wanted," thought the uncontrolled mind of Sango.

"I'm gonna need more than that you fucker" said Inuyasha who, out of character, had waited for them to stop talking.

"He said to tell you, well, in case you didn't want to let me go… To tell you that there are things only brothers know about and I'll take care of one of those things tonight" Miroku shrugged. When Sesshomaru told him, it seemed like a riddle, it also sounded better, he didn't say it word for word.

Inuyasha froze, opening his eyes and growled at a very surprised Sango. "Get out". As soon as she did, he addressed Miroku.

"Listen to me you stupidly unlucky son of a bitch, everything that I have ever told you, just forget about everything but this… If you touch her, it would be the last thing you ever do. And this is not a guess, I know he'll kill you, I'll do it in his place" said Inuyasha while grabbing Miroku by the shoulders and shaking him a bit.

"I...Is that my mission?...I…" said Miroku in awe

"He trusts you, don't worry, just stay away from her"

"That would not be a problem," he answered sincerely, after Sango what women could compare

Inuyasha cut across his words "Mortal wound must fall to anyone who touches The Lady of the West". He looked Miroku in the eyes and they both nodded in understanding.

Sango was pissed, she was Inuyasha's second. Surely she had proven herself loyal, why was he treating her this way. Unless… Unless she caused the predicament if Miroku requested his reassignment it could be because of her. When Miroku emerged from the door she was looking guilty again. They said hurried goodbyes and he went into a small door to the side, while she went with Inuyasha and waited for night to come.

.

Miroku was anxious. Lately, he had felt depressed, but he was unnaturally passive. as if by inaction his life would stop too and her boyfriend wouldn't move to the compound and she wouldn't move away from him. But time had caught on and he was reassigned. their departure wasn't even dramatic. She seemed frightful because of the mission, and he said goodbye politely. The things he would give up if she just begs him to stay or cried for his loss, but alas she was in love and he meant nothing to anyone.

The driver of the truck left him in the primary shopping district of Sesshomaru's domains. The instructions he received were clear and so he went to a cafe. The lady in the flowered dress would be the one to give him the next instructions in her car. She was holding a brown bag full of food and snacks, with her back reclined next to a window. Her face was pale with big, expressive brown eyes that showed her anxiety. They greeted each other as old friends and she gave him a cup of cappuccino. They were pretending to be late to a meeting and were walking fast to the parking lot. Looking at her this close, he notices she was using a blonde wig and her dress was too big for her. She pointed to a car; they went in and she drove.

"You seemed better behaved than the last one, you may be what I need," she said

He looked at her, a young woman that exuded good breading, good manners, and a killer smile. She was petite and beautiful, with an aura that portrait innocence. Surely this was not his job.

"What's worrying you?" she said, looking at his expression

"We can do nothing about that," he said

She smiled and replied, "you never know." and with a cryptic smile, she drove them to a house in the human district with a 15-minute commute to the compound. It was almost dark when he entered that house. Before starting his vigil, he left his stuff in his room and noticed night had fallen. He worried for his friends.