AN: Suikotsu will now be appearing in this story. He'll be known as 'the male-nurse' for a while though. Sigh, Poor Sesshie. Actually, I noticed that Sesshie is getting a lot of Pov's lately. What's the opinion of this? Good? Bad? Indifferent?

Chapter 23: Caution

I looked up from Rin's sleeping face when I heard the door to Rin's room slid open. A man was standing there, holding a small box and a clipboard.

"Routine check up." The man explained, before tapping his badge to prove that he was a nurse at the hospital. I nodded, as sighed. There was something bothering me and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. It wasn't Rin, I decided as the male-nurse moved past me to check Rin's vital signs.

"Hey." I whispered, my voice cold enough to freeze an ocean.

"Yes?"

"I don't like your scent."

"I'm sorry?"

"You smell… dead." I explained, unsure if dead was exactly the right word. "It's not of decay though. You smell like long buried bones that have been unearthed after years of burial. You smell like the death and new life that lingers around the grounds of a cemetery. I don't like it. It's unnatural"

"I can't say that I…"

"If Rin is hurt or becomes worse, I will place the blame on your head, corpse." I hissed, before looking him the eye to show I was not joking. "Do you understand me?"

"Perfectly." The nurse nodded, before backing a step away from Rin. "I will get another nurse to take my position."

"See to it." I nodded as the door opened again. The nurse and I turned to look at the same moment, but the nurse looked away quickly, almost in embarrassment. It was almost as if he had recognized my visitor. Which was good, because I did not. "But stay a moment."

"Sesshomaru." The man who had just recently arrived nodded as I glared at him. My newest visitor was a man, though a pure-white pelt of some type of monkey obscured his body and face from all senses, including scent. It was as if the man absorbed all surrounding odors into his body, including his own.

"Who are you?"

"Ah, don't your remember… this Naraku?"

"Naraku? The Naraku who is joining the warring purest factions? The Naraku who fought with and was defeated by me? Have you not learned your lesson, hanyou? That really does amuse me. A hanyou leading the factions? Irony seems to be alive and kicking these days."

"Kicking? Yes. But irony is on its back struggling to survive as a monster crushes it with a shoe."

"Do they not know the true origin of its leader?" I wondered aloud, though I did not expect an answer. "Would they be so eager to follow you to certain death if they knew you were only the joining of many youkai in a human form?"

"Does it matter what they think? They merely serve as a convenient army for my war. When I am done, they may die." Naraku smirked. "Well, Sesshomaru. How do you like my handy-work so far? Is your precious Rin's condition not…"

He never finished. Snapping my poisoned whip back into my two fingers, I frowned at the dirt that surrounded my feet.

"Always so dirty." I sighed, as I kicked at the remains. I wasn't terribly surprised. Why would Naraku go himself into a dangerous situation. The man, though unwise, was not a true fool. He did know how to even a playing field.

"Sesshomaru! Sesshomaru!" Ayame shouted as she ran into the room with Kouga and two other wolves close at her heels. She was breathing heavily, and I thought she might pass out. "I… I…"

"Repeat after me: Oxygen is good." I sighed in response to her inability to breathe properly.

'Really! Why do people tire themselves out? It's simply a waste of energy.'

"It's… Kouga." Ayame finally managed "We… were attacked."

"So why tell me? Everything is fine."

"Kouga… defeated him. Found this glass… with Kouga."

"So what's important about it?" I shrugged, taking the glass from Ayame.

"Kouga can't remember. He'd forgotten by the time I had regained consciousness. But he was holding it tightly."

"Interesting. I'll look into it if I ever have time." I shrugged and turned to look over at the door. I could hear raised voices from the other side of the door and I frowned. I was a second from demanding that everyone leave Rin to recover in peace.

"HEY! Leave us alone, you stupid doctor! She's not escaping! GO. A. WAY." I heard a familiar voice shout and Miroku finally stumbled into Rin's hospital room. Sango was slumped against him and, since she was barely conscious, he was practically dragging her along. "Hey."

"What's wrong with her?" The nurse asked, coming to Sango's side.

"I broke my leg." Sango moaned as she struggled to keep her eyes open, and the nurse helped Miroku set Sango down so he could examine her leg. Miroku helped the nurse and quickly reached out to catch Sango as she fell forward.

"No. Sango! Wake up!" Miroku whispered before turning to face me. "She's been in and out of consciousness for the past half hour. I wanted to take her to the closer hospital, but Sango insisted she be taken here to report to you."

"Oh?"

"She's SICK! SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN CARE OF RIGHT AWAY!" Miroku bellowed, and I raised an eyebrow.

'Clearly, Sango's affections are not one-sided.'

"I'm okay." Sango mumbled, and Miroku turned back to look at Sango. "Tell him… what happened."

"We were attacked." Miroku explained. "I found this near the bones."

Miroku stretched out his hand and I saw that he was holding another piece of glass that was almost identical to the one Ayame had found.

"Bones? What is this glass? What happened?"

"I don't know the answer to any of those questions. I though you might." Miroku shrugged.

"She's going to need some X-rays, but it's definitely damaged to some degree. I'll take her to get help." The nurse sighed, as he finished examining Sango's leg.

"No." I snapped, stopping the nurse. "You stay. Miroku can take Sango to get help."

"All right. Keep her informed. It would be a waste of my energy if you kept her out of the loop after all my trouble to get her here." Miroku nodded as he pulled Sango's weak body into a standing position and helped her out of the room. I turned the pieces of glass over in my hand and sighed. I could hear Kouga and Ayame pulling seats over so that they could sit, and I heard the two wolves that had come in with Ayame tell Kouga that they were going to get something to eat. The nurse seemed to feel comfortable just standing in a corner and watch, but, as long as he didn't try to kill someone, I couldn't care less what he did anyway. I heard voices coming towards Rin's room again and let out a growl.

'Since when did Rin's room become a meeting room? Perhaps I should leave so Rin can recover in peace. No, I'd best not leave her.' I sighed and looked up to see Shippo walking into the room followed by a girl his age. The girl bore a striking resemblance to someone I had meet before, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Deciding it was best to wait for an explanation, I raised an eyebrow and… waited.

"Uh, Sesshomaru. I, uh, ran into a bit of, um, trouble and, well… this is Souten."

"The younger sister of the Thunder brothers?" I asked with mild surprise.

'What is the sister of two activists doing here? And with her brothers murderer no less.'

"That's right." Souten nodded, stepping forward. "I'd like to become an informant."

"For me?"

"Yes."

"Very well. Inform." I replied with a skeptical snort.

"Before I say a word, I'd like amnesty and a promise that I will be protected after I side with you."

"If your information is good, it is granted." I shrugged and Souten seemed to think this over. I was impressed.

'For such a young child, this girl is amazingly erudite. She seems to think over every word twice before saying it.'

"Good." Souten nodded. "It's a deal."