Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha...

Hey, everyone! I've decided that I'll post the newest chapter today because... IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!! *Does a little jig* Yup, my birthday! And this chapter is my present to all of you! ^_^ Makes me happy to make others happy- that's the only way to explain this, I suppose. *Laughs* and I bet you all think I've lost my marbles... Wait... I have! When I was six years old, my brother let them roll down the bathroom sink- the little stinker... *sighs* Darn!

Well, onto the story! ^_^

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Closing the Back Door
Embarrassed in the Third Degree
By Sakura-chan88
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Pain is the feeling
Separating souls
Dividing hearts
Tearing thoughts
Destroying life
That tells us
Pulling
Retching
Violent
Greedy
We are still alive
Lost
Fearful
Unsure
Hopeless
And standing on Hell's doormat

The words formed themselves in her mind, burning to imprint permanently in her skull just as the spoken of torture took residence in her heart.

Pain is the feeling that tells us we are still alive and standing on Hell's doormat.


She wreathed in agony of the deepest measure as she cried her heart out- that broken and transparent object that had once held everything that ever meant anything to her: her love. And it had been trampled and beaten and stolen... Now, it had left her to wallow in what she had willingly done to herself.

Kagome felt the mentally formed metallic circle press against her temple as she entertained, for the briefest moment, the idea of pulling the trigger.

She collapsed without the help of a soul snatching action like that of death. She was living in Hell already- Inuyasha was no longer there.

Surely that made all the difference...

~*~*~*~*~ ^_^ ~*~*~*~*~


Sesshomaru watched as the girl cried brokenly, laying on the ground for lack of support. Her outburst echoed in the night air, rebounding off the stone ground and the wooden structures to grow in volume. She tried with all her might to curl into a ball, swallowing herself in her own embrace.

He knew she was hurting like hell, and he felt only a temporary pang of sympathy for her- but it was just that, temporary.

Her mother had approached and wrapped the girl in her arms as Souta stood in the doorway to the house, watching dazedly, and helplessly listened. No one understood the way he did. How could they? No one else knew the reason for the teen's action...

But, then again....

Did he?

~*~*~*~*~ ^_^ ~*~*~*~*~


Kagome lay weakly in her bed, curled in a ball with her eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. She had fallen asleep in the courtyard, sobbing openly in her mothers arms, letting out all the frustration, the anguish she felt...

But now there was nothing... No feeling in her soul, no feeling in her heart. She was dead inside...

Why hadn't she felt this way before saying goodbye, though?

It didn't matter...

The sunlight danced off of the shards sitting on her desk in the small glass vial, drawing her attention. Now, she had no expeditions to go on and no half demons to sit...

A smile found it's way to her face as she remembered the last time she'd sat Inuyasha. He was watching her from a branch, sneering about how slow she was and telling her to speed up. She hadn't taken his position into account and sat him... to make him fall directly on top of her...

That had not been a pleasant day... But it still made her want to laugh.

And now...

She sighed and sat up, looking at the clock beside her bed. Today was a Monday, and she planned to attend school. Maybe it would help her mind focus more on ordinary things- things that used to take up her mind- like how to write her name in English and how many square feet were in a 4 inch by 4 inch cube.

Just gotta love school!

"Yeah, right," Kagome mumbled to herself. "I've always hated school."

'Then why did I always leave Inuyasha to attend it,' her mind questioned. 'Hmmm...'

"Oh, well..."

She stood, slowly making her way over to the mirror, noticing the dark crescents under her eyes and grumbled. Her hair was seriously tangled, her face blotchy and streaked from crying. Her frown darkened her face, making her look grimmer than usual.

Fixing up as much as she could, she turned to collect her school uniform, slipping out of the dirty sweat pants and tossing her shirt onto the back of the chair. Finding a clean uniform neatly folded by her mother, she spun back around to find the door standing open with a back facing her.

"KYA!"

Kagome fell to the ground, covering herself as much as possible with the small bundle of clothing. The man didn't move, content to stare out toward the stairs. "What are you doing in my room!?"

"... You should keep the door closed," he stated, leaning on the door frame.

"Get out!" Kagome screeched. Reaching for the nearest throwable object.

"After you answer a few questions."

"NOW!"

At the precise moment the word was uttered, a hair brush struck the demon lord in the back of his skull. He didn't so much as flinch from surprise.

"Unless you want me to turn around, I suggest you don't do that again," he hissed. "Now, my first question. Why did you ask Inuyasha to care for Rin?"

Kagome stiffened, her eyes blazing. He listened to that whole conversation!? Why, the little...!

"You obviously aren't going back," she spat, then looked away. "Plus, it was an accident- kinda slipped. I meant to ask if he'd return my things... But... How could I ask him to do that when I... when I was telling him to leave? The whole Rin thing was to cover up everything else... I hadn't intended on lying to him."

Sesshomaru's presence prevented Kagome from moving, freezing her to the spot... She had to get ready for school!

"Listen, can you ask me after I'm dressed?" Kagome asked, trying to reason with the man. "I have to go to school today and I can't be late."

"School?"

Kagome sighed, "I'll explain later."

'It's odd... talking to him like I would to Inuyasha,' she thought, shaking her head lightly to throw out the forming images. 'When will you finally stop being the man I measure everyone else up to, Inuyasha? Since when did you stand so high on the pedestal?'

"Explain now," he commanded. "I have no desire to see any more of you."

"Why you...!" she huffed indignantly. "I can't believe you!"

"You heard me before," Sesshomaru cut in, his cold voice strictly telling her to shut her mouth. "I did not inherit any feelings for humans from my father and I certainly don't feel like seeing more of one than I already have. Now, answer the question."

"... You're worse than Inuyasha was," she sneered, then gasped as the demon lord began to turn.

The fact that his eyes glowed red didn't register until after she'd jumped to cover herself with her blanket, pleaing forgiveness. The golden eyes slipped back into place as he looked back out of the door.

Kagome's heart beat as she placed her back to her bed post, now closer- much closer- than she wanted to be to the man interrogating her.

"I'm sorry! It slipped, honestly."

Sesshomaru remained silent. Kagome looked over to her clock and squealed. She was going to be late!

'To heck with it!' she thought, pulling her shirt over her head as she answered the man grumpily, "a school is- it's where people go to learn things they need to know for later in life. Things like mathematics, language arts, and just things in general. Younger people- like my brother- go to an elementary school, which teaches you the basics. Then, my school is the next school, called Middle School. From there you go to a High School. College is optional."

"College?"

"It's a school you go to in order to understand more about a certain subject, like biology or chemistry, or engineering," Kagome muttered, standing and looking over her shoulder before she slipped into her skirt. "It's kinda complicated."

"... Is that the main information source?" he wondered aloud.

"No. I'd say the library is," she said, looking quizzically at him. "... Why do you want to know?"

"Why did you tell Inuyasha this Sesshomaru died?"

"'This Sesshomaru?'" she mocked, placing hands in front of her defensively as he spun to glare. "Sorry... Anyway...

"I told him you were dead because it was the first excuse I could think of to give him in order to make my request about Rin a bit sensible."

Sesshomaru nodded before turning around and walking out the door and down the stairs.

Kagome sighed, "What a weirdo..."

~*~*~*~*~ ^_^ ~*~*~*~*~


Sesshomaru watched as the young Miko skipped down the Shine ground steps to a 'street', as Souta called it. He listened to the small boy, taking in as much information as he could gather. Souta was content to tell him all about 'cars' and 'airplanes' and 'trains' and such.

"What do you call these... In general...?"

"Those are vehicles. See, Japan is known as a very technologically advanced place- which means technology is high here. Technology is, well, the things we make that better the community, I guess," the boy replied, placing books into his pack. "I'd tell you more, but I have to go to school, too. Oneechan was supposed to wait for me."

"Why?"

Souta looked at the demon lord, frowning in thought. "It's nice for someone to walk with me because... well... a lot of things could happen to me! I could get lost, or kidnapped, or run over!"

With each statement, the boy's eyes grew, filled with fear. Sesshomaru sighed. The boy wasn't afraid- he could tell by the scent. Who was he trying to fool, exactly?

~*~*~*~*~ ^_^ ~*~*~*~*~


Kagome's emotions slipped away again as she walked down the bustling street. With no one to talk to and no destination- any pleasant one- to think of, she returned to her state of staring blankly. This time, she found her feet to be the easiest thing to watch... Hmmm, was it just her, or was one of her feet slightly bigger than the other? And, if she moved fast, did her foot twist, or was it just the ground beneath her that made it seem that way?

Her feet turned a corner.

Now the way the cars zigged and zagged called to her attention. They were so fast! Maybe...

Then she was staring at the back of a stranger, following with her eyes the way the person moved, their hips swagging back and forth, their grocery bag in their right hand tapping their thigh.

'Wonder what she bought?' Kagome pondered, looking up to find out the person had short black hair tied into a tight bun at the base of their skull. Definitely female.

A child's cry rang through the street as its mother took away a sucker it had picked up off of the ground. A car honked it's horn at the car staying perfectly still as the light turned green. Three shrill shrieks of excitement echoed down the road as shoes pounded against the ground.

Kagome squealed in alarm as two hands grabbed her and spun her. Ayumi, Yuka, and Eri were jumping up and down in excitement.

"You're actually here today, too! You're not sick," Yuka yelled.

"Yeah," Eri said, smiling in relief, "I called your house and you grandpa answered. He said you were out with Mono... Ah, and some guy was talking in the background about noisy contraptions, also. You know who he is? He sounds like a real bad-ass."

"He is," Kagome mumbled, resuming her walk to the dreaded school building.

"What's his name?"

"... Sesshomaru."

"Weird name," Ayumi giggled. "He isn't like your two-timing boyfriend, is he?"

Kagome sucked in a deep breath. 'Two-timing boyfriend...'

"He... he's dead," Kagome mumbled, failing to stop when the others did. "Sesshomaru is his brother."

"... Oh, we're so sorry Kagome," Yuka whispered as the girls formed a circle to pull Kagome into a group hug. "We didn't know."

"We know how much you loved him," Ayumi said with watering eyes. With the show of friendly affection, Kagome could do nothing more than break down and cry once more.

But, this time, she had friends to help her through it...

~*~*~*~*~ ^_^ ~*~*~*~*~


They reached the school building a few minutes early and sat on a bench in the courtyard, testing each other in math for the up-coming exam. The morning air was warm, but not warm enough for the wind to be justified on blowing. It was soon getting too cold to wait outside.

Kagome packed her books back into her bag, swinging it around and unto her shoulder. As she left to follow her friends, she caught a glimpse of her brother walking passed the school fencing to reach his building. She could- and would- have slapped her forhead for forgetting to walk her brother to school, but the sight of the one taking him in her place stopped the self attack.

"What...?"

"Kagome-chan, come on! It's getting windy out here," Yuka called, pulling on her sleeve.

The Miko turned to regard her friend. "I'll be just a minute, okay?"

Her friends searched her face, almost nervously. Her eye twitched in annoyance. "What is it with you guys? Is something on my face?"

"No," they replied, shaking their heads with vigor. "It's nothing!"

"Then go on," Kagome hissed, sitting back on the bench. "I wanna be alone for a moment."

Eri and Yuka exchanged looks before dragging a protesting Ayumi behind them and into the school building. The moment the doors were closed, the sitting girl took off at a dead run, soon catching up to the casually walking pair.

"Sesshomaru, what do you think you're doing!?" Kagome yelled, pulling her brother to her side. "You can't just go walking about the city like this!"

"And why not?"

"You don't look like a human," she hissed under her breath, almost to the point of being inaudible to herself. "You can't let everyone see you like you are."

"Like what?"

"Why do you have so many questions?"

"Why can't you answer them?"

"Why can't you answer mine!?"

"Did you ever think this Sesshomaru thinks he doesn't have to?"

"Why do you refer to yourself in the third person?"

"Third person?"

"Will you stop with the questions!?" she screamed, releasing her brother to place her hands on her hips.

"If you answer my question," he replied, running his only hand through his hair. Kagome couldn't help but shudder at the feel of jealous as the mane slipped through his fingers like silk.

"Which one?"

"What makes me look so different from a human?"

She looked at him closely, seeing the sincere curiosity in his golden eyes. She leaned back, pointing to the armor he wore, then the fluffy, fur covered item over his shoulder, then to his eyes, saying in turn:

"One, you're wearing armor. Two, the clothing is not like the stuff we wear here. Three, that fluffy thing on your shoulder-"

"It's a tail," he stated calmly.

Kagome kept going, "Four, your eyes. Five, your hair. Six, the way you carry yourself... Well, actually, that's fine, but you look like a rich snob."

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "I'm taking that as an insult."

"It was an insult, idiot," she stated, backing up a step as he moved forward. "I mean, 'it was an insult.' Now, you have to go back to the Shrine. You can't be walking around here."

~*~*~*~*~ ^_^ ~*~*~*~*~


Sesshomaru remained unmoving, watching as the teen looked toward her school building, then looked back. There were so many things running through his head at the moment that to stop and listen to one would have sent his world spinning...

But one idea made itself clear. He hadn't tried it for the longest time... But, just to see if he was still capable- and, of course, to confuse and startle the Miko- he could try.

He held back a smirk as he closed his eyes and took an unconscious step backwards.

~*~*~*~*~ ^_^ ~*~*~*~*~


Sesshomaru took a step back, closing his eyes and frowning. Kagome took a step back also, unsure of what he was doing. A light glow consumed him, causing the Miko's breath to catch in her throat. If someone saw this...!

The light flared and Kagome jumped, stumbling over a crack in the sidewalk to fall ungracefully to the ground. He wasn't...! Why would he...? There was no reason for him to transform, now!

The light dwindled away to a mere glow around the demon, then, as Kagome realized just what he had done, the glow died to leave a man standing on the side walk. A gasp was ripped from her throat. He... he looked human!

His hair was black, his eyes hazel- the gold showing through lightly. His tail and demon markings, the crescent moon and dark strips, had vanished. The only thing to make anyone wonder about his true being- though no one would wonder at such a small thing- was his state of dress... And the missing arm...

... And also the fact that a blinding light had just consumed him while people were walking by!

"What a magician!" Someone exclaimed in the background. The remark was echoed by others walking by. Kagome sighed in relief... But...

"How did you do that?"

"A magician never gives away his secret," an elder man said, standing beside her. "Plus, shouldn't you be at school today, young lady?"

Kagome looked over to the elder, nodding mindlessly. He sighed, shaking his head.

"Kids these days."

~*~*~*~*~ ^_^ ~*~*~*~*~


Sesshomaru smirked, watching as the girl stared in disbelief. She was scared and confused. And now she was being told off by a stranger for 'ditching school'- that same school she just had to get to. He could have laughed outright at the look of anger on her face as she spun away and stomped back to her school building.

It amazed him that she never noticed her brother's absence.

Well, he obviously looked more human. Oh, the powers of being a demon lord! Thankfully, that was inherited by his father.

Now, what was he supposed to do? There were so many buildings and even more people. He made sure to give the 'cars' plenty of 'driving' room. Souta was more useful than his sister, it seemed, since he gave information willingly and without question.

But now, with both of them at their 'schools' to learn more about 'mathematics, language arts, and just things in general', he didn't know where to go. So he went to the first sensible place- where his nose led him.

~*~*~*~*~ ^_^ ~*~*~*~*~


Kagome was in a daze as her friends pulled her to the nearest lunch room table. Like losing Inuyasha wasn't enough. Now she had to deal with a demon lord- a murderous, uncooperative demon lord- who could change from semi-human to full demon to complete human- or at least look it. And he found it amusing to walk around in broad day light changing back and forth!

Well... maybe not back and forth... But still!

Why did he change anyway...? He couldn't possibly want to be... excepted in this world...

"So, Kagome-chan...?" Ayumi began, looking at the table top in uncertainty. "... When... Did you already go to his funeral?"

"... No," she sighed, eyes misting again. "I'm... I can't attend the funeral. He's being buried in some far away land... I purposely forgot the name- if you can understand that."

"We can," Yuka assured, gripping her hand. "We understand perfectly well."

"Yeah. It has to be real hard to lose someone like that," Eri stated, slipping in beside the distressed Miko. "And just after he finally opened up a little."

Kagome was taken aback. What had she said to make them think that...!? Oh...

A blush colored her cheeks as she remembered telling them about him hugging her. Though it was a long time ago- a really long time ago-, she had told them in hopes that they'd maybe drop the subject... Oh how wrong she was...

"... Listen, can we talk about something else for a while?"

"Sure!" the girls exclaimed.

"I hear that the new movie, 'A Walk in Your Shoes'- you know, the one about that man and that girl and that weird old snoopy lady?-" Kagome nodded, having no clue about what Yuka was saying "-is really good. Maybe we should go see it. It's supposed to be a true side-splitter and really sad all in one."

"That sounds like a great idea," Kagome giggled, setting the past, for the first time in a whole year, as far out of mind as it was out of sight.

~*~*~*~*~ ^_^ ~*~*~*~*~


"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Ayumi!" Kagome exclaimed as she turned down an adjoining road to reach her house. Ayumi was the last person with her on her walk home, and now everything was back to being gray.

However, the second her mind became dark again, a new voice popped into her head.

'Oh, my... It- It's been such a long time...!'

'What?'

'It feels like... Like I haven't seen you for ages...'

She shook her head. The voice was no voice- it had no sound. But the words were in her mind... Just like those words- that poem... And the odd thing was... They were comforting... and welcome.

'I don't know what you're talking about...'

'But, it's me!'

'I'm sorry. You must be mistaking me with another person. Please, I'm late for my first class as it is.'

'But-'

'Really, I gotta go. Sorry.'

The voices faded, as if echoing off of the hallway walls. She wasn't at school... Was this... a message?

She climbed the last step to her house, moving without recognition to the actions. Her feet scraped carelessly against the cold stone beneath her, her mind wondering to the sky. It was such a clear, blue day.

Blue... Exactly what she felt...

"Well, I'll just have to find a way to change that," she mumbled, trying to place a smile on.

She was so delighted when the smile finally found its spot she could have laughed out... But, she didn't feel good enough to actually laugh.

"I'm home!" she yelled, slipping her shoes from her feet.

Her mother's greeting echoed her own from the kitchen, her grandfather's from the family room. The television set was playing, a bit loud for her comfort. She had homework to do and she felt like getting it done for a change!

Half way up the stairs, the phone rang... and rang... and rang...

On the forth ring, Kagome picked it up and spoke, surprised at the voice on the other end.

"Yes, Ms. Higurashi, I have a man here saying you will pay for his... expenses he failed to cover for," a stranger began, clearing his throat at the slight pause. "Would you mind bringing the due amount directly?"

"I'm sorry sir, I have no idea who you are talking about," Kagome muttered, walking over to stand by her mother. "They say a man can't pay his bill and said we would... Do you know-"

"He calls himself by the name of.... What was it again?"

The grunt in the background was enough for Kagome to choke on her oxygen supply. What had he done? Why hadn't he come straight back!? ... Why hadn't she thought to check for him sooner...?

" Sesshomaru!" Kagome hissed into the receiver. "Put him on the phone. I mean, please, put him on the phone, sir."

"..."

"..."

"Hm?"

"Sesshomaru, you...! What did you do!? What 'expenses' is he talking about!?" Kagome shouted.

"What kind of contraption is this?"

"Is that what you were asking about when grandpa was on the phone?" Kagome pondered, remembering Yuka's words.

"Phone- this?"

"Yeah, what else would I be talking about?"

"... Speaking machines... odd."

"Hey! I was talking to you!" Kagome yelled when the voice at the other end went silent. "Listen, I'll explain the whole 'phone thing' later, but what 'expenses' is he talking about?"

"He says the... steak... was 11.97 and the Souta was 1.20-"

"Soda, not Souta," Kagome corrected, slapping a palm to her forehead in exasperation. Now she was helping him with grammar!

"... 13.17 total," Sesshomaru finished.

"For one of the meals!" the man in the background shouted.

"... Exactly how many of those meals did you have?"

"..."

"And seven meals is just ridiculous!" the shout came again.

" SEVEN!!!"

"Ah! Damnit, wench! Don't scream like that!"

" I have every right to scream! I don't have that kind of money, you jerk!"

She looked at her mother with wide, pleading eyes. Her mother shook her head.

"Your guest, your money," she responded, rinsing the dish in her hand.

"He is not my guest!" Kagome spat. "You're the one that said he could stay."

"And you didn't send him back to the Warring States Era."

Kagome huffed, glaring at the absent man. Asking him to give the phone back to the store manager- as it would only be logical for the store manager to call in something like this-, Kagome took in a deep breath.

"What other alternatives are there?" she asked, positive the answer would not be pleasant.

"Dish washing or employment for the next month, or getting fined and confined in a jail cell for a set amount of time."

"Might teach him a lesson."

"Those are options set for two people. I'm afraid it's not a solo job."

'What!?'

~*~*~*~*~ ^_^ ~*~*~*~*~


Kagome's eyes mist with anger as she huffed, plopping down on her desk chair. Her nastiest glare was thrown to the demon standing in her doorway. Sesshomaru's silver hair, demon markings, golden eyes, and tall had all reappeared once they had entered the house.

Mrs. Higurashi had driven the distraught teen to the diner called 'Cuosiene of the Heart' and the first thought to flash through Kagome's mind was- 'You have got to be freaking KIDDING ME!' He just had to go and get her stuck with a job at one of the most fancy restaurants in the city of Tokyo, didn't he?

Well, the manager was a simple man who loved money to a point where a penny was worth more than a human life. Truly, he wasn't a bad guy. He had a strange sense of humor and an even stranger sense of fashion. Mr. Go- as he called himself- had no problem having Kagome work for three hours a night to help her with school. Sesshomaru would be stuck there for eight hours... And Kagome was furious!

How was she supposed to teach Sesshomaru how to work at a place like that? He didn't have any kind of experience- or any knowledge on how to work a cash register- or wash dishes- or sweep floors- or take orders- or-

He just didn't know!

And now the last of her 'homework night' was going to be spent training him- if she could even get it through his head that he had to do this because it was his bill not being paid.

"Why did you just have to go and do that?"

The man looked uncomfortable, shifting from one foot to the next. Kagome purposely didn't notice. The tears finally found their way down her cheeks.

"Do you know what you're doing to me? Do you know how much this is going to affect my school work? I can't deal with all of this- and now you have a job and don't know a single thing about working at a restaurant like that one," she hissed, putting her head in her arms, crying onto her desk. "I can't believe you... Why couldn't you just come back here until I got back? Did you really have to go exploring like that?"

"Umm..."

"WHAT?" Kagome hissed, glowering at the man as he moved yet again.

"Are there no forests near by?"

"You jerk, are you even listening!?"

The fact that the insult didn't strike any cords in Sesshomaru was the first thing Kagome realized. He had... he had said 'umm...' and was shifting about almost nervously...

'What's got into him? And what does he need... a... forest for...?' and the meaning hit full force.

"Oh, god. SOUTA!" the teen screamed, listening as her brother fell off of the couch down stairs. "Get up here!" She turned to the man, blushing. "Come on. He'll have to explain this- I'm not, I can't, I won't, and I refuse to."

She brushed past Sesshomaru, walking to the door directly across from hers and waited for her brother who appeared seconds later. He looked at her in confusion, then to the man. Sesshomaru glared.

"Souta, listen... Um... He has to- well, you know- use the bathroom," Kagome explained nervously, twisting her hands. "Could you explain it?"

He looked at her with narrowed eyes and she just knew she wouldn't like the answer. She could see the gears turning in his head as he broke into a huge grin.

"Only if you take me to the soccer game with Satoru next Friday," he replied with pleading eyes.

"Yeah, sure. As long as I'm not working that night," Kagome hissed, glaring at the now suspicious man.

"Alright. Come on, Sesshomaru," Souta commanded, grabbing the useless sleeve.

'How embarrassing!'

Kagome returned to her desk, pulling her books from her previously neglected pack. It was torn from wear and the many times she'd tossed it on the hard earth in the Warring States Era. Maybe a day of shopping and a visit to the movies would be a good way to spend an open Sunday on with Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi. Though, now it would have to wait a while.

Her first subject to go through was-

Never mind. Sesshomaru slung her door open, growling menacingly.

"Just what the hell do you think I was talking about!?"

"What-?"

"I need some shelter to change into my demon form, woman. I'm burning up my energy too fast from earlier," he stated, glaring over her head.

"...Oh... Sorry? I just thought- you know, with all of those pops you drank and all..." Kagome paused.

'Wait-'

"Well you thought wrong."

"Wait just a second here," Kagome shouted. "You're actually hiding your true form? You're not going on a killing spree or frightening everyone or terrorizing people on the streets? I thought you were supposed to not care about what other people think."

"... You talk too much."

"Hey, answer me!"

"Yes, and yes, I'm not killing, frightening, or terrorizing anyone. Now, are there any woods near by?"

Kagome sat back in thought, wondering about everything. It obviously took a lot of energy for him to look human- he wouldn't lie about that. Or would he? He'd never lied before, but, before, all he did was talk about his intentions on killing Inuyasha or stealing Tetsusaiga.

She sighed and shook her head.

"The last patch of wood was demolished for the new zoo about 5 miles away. I don't know of any other place. Can't you sniff it out or something?"

His eyes narrowed. Kagome sighed once more. Nothing was working out.

"How long do you have to be like that?" Kagome asked, looking out her window at the few trees that surrounding the Shrine grounds and hid most of it from view.

"An hour, two at most," he answered. "Why?"

Kagome shook her head and left the room with Sesshomaru following. Eiko and Souta both greeted them. Seno, her grandfather, was busy telling the television that demons were causing the car wrecks on the highway, not the malfunctioning of vehicles. She passed her mother, telling her to keep Souta inside and the window's closed. Of course, being the little brother that he is, he pestered her until she screamed. Then everything was silent and she left the house, Sesshomaru following once again.

"Alright, now I can't wait to teach you everything you need to know for your job," Kagome mumbled, standing on the very last step. "So, you're going to have to pay close attention to me and remember as much as you can. And before you argue, you do have to do your job- either that, or go to jail. And there you have no free time.

"Also," Kagome began, her voice laced in question. "... Why do you want to stay here? If you don't mind answering me. It seems like you're actually trying to fit in with this world... Why? You aren't making me trust you falsely, are you?"

~*~*~*~*~ ^_^ ~*~*~*~*~


'Well, well, well... She's guessed half of it already. Maybe she'll see through it,' Sesshomaru thought. 'Hmm...'

"This world is so different from mine. I want to learn it's secrets."

"And?"

"..."

The girl looked away in thought, watching as the branches of each tree began to sway more. She looked back, her eyes narrowed. Then she sat on the stairs, giggling to herself.

"You're... You remind me of someone, you know?"

"Found a way around it, have you?" Sesshomaru muttered, looking around. "Now, where am I to transform?"

Kagome pointed to the clearing in front of Goshinboku. He spun to look at her questioningly. It wasn't the most secluded area...

"This place is surrounded by trees for the most part. Goshinboku is far enough from the street for you to change and not be seen, as long as you lay down. I hope you don't mind," she mumbled. "Well?"

He strode over to the appointed area, turning to see the girl from his spot. He couldn't help it. His adrenaline kicked up at the thought of scaring the miko once more, and, as his eyes turned blood red and his features began to alter, the scent of fear overwhelmed his senses. Even with the girl trying to suppress the feeling the smell was enough to make his heart beat and the need for bloodshed reach its high point.

A/N: I made this one extra long to help make up for that last update's pause- like, what, five months or something like that? I mean, really, that has to be one of my worst cases of WB (Writer's block). Sorry... I hope this helps. Plus, I can tell already that the next chapter will take a while to get out. Sorry, again. Also, just a note, I know things like that 'not a solo job' thing don't really happen, but for the sake of this story, please bare with it for a while.

Anyway, as for Sesshomaru and the T.V... I think I'll wait to introduce them for a more... convenient time, you know? And since Kagome's stuck with a job and Souta's put her with 'volunteer chaperone' for the soccer game, she's gonna be tied up and Sess has quite a bit of free time.

Maybe he'll take up a new hobby...

I don't know what he'll do- I'm just the authoress. *Looks at readers* What? Am I supposed to know? *Blink, blink* What world do you come from? *Shakes head in pity* Like I'd know what the characters in my story will do next. Psht.

Well, tell me what you think! Good, bad, could be better? Does this story have a chance to survive? ^_^ I hope so.

Ja ne, minna!