A/N: Aaaand..Nika got it right! laughs I love you, girl. Yes, woman, you got it right. I didn't think I made it too cryptic, but ya never know, do ya? Sooo, here's the next chap, where things areer, made clear.

A Shot In The Dark

Chapter Eight

Tears

Sango groaned. She was so bored. Laying in a hospital all day was not her idea of fun. She felt fine, honestly. But no, they kept her for observation. What was gonna happen, they suddenly remember they forgot to put an organ back in?

The bandaged girl picked up the TV remote and flicked the machine on. It roared to life, some talk show on the screen. Sango flipped the channels. She settled on an old episode of Furi Kuri and lay back.

She sighed. She sorely missed Miroku. Not that she didn't miss her other friends, but he was her lover. She hated being cooped up in a hospital room all alone. Sango had a sneaking suspicion that she was going to jump him when she got out. Maybe they had better soundproof the walls

She had almost dropped off to sleep, despite Haruka and her antics when the door opened. Kagome stuck her head in.

"Sango?"

"Kagome!" Sango nearly cried in relief. "Tell them to let me out! I'm going insane in here!"

Kagome grinned slightly and stepped inside the room, closing the door behind her. "At least you've got a room to yourself."

"I'm thrilled."

Kagome sat down, an uncharacteristically somber expression on her face. "Kagome? What's wrong?"

The other girl bowed her head. "I'm so happy you're okay, Sango."

"Somehow, you don't strike me as a very happy person at the moment. What is it?"

Kagome sighed. "It's just-" She stopped.

"What?"

"It's my fault, you know? They're after me. They were after me. And I know it was them, because who else would be shooting at us?"

Sango lowered her eyes.

"You should've seen Inuyasha. After we heard you were stable and out of the OR, he went right down to the station and chewed them all out. He was so angry that the teams weren't there.

"Jesus Sango, I was thinking. I saw you go down, and I heard you scream, and the first thing that went through my mind was 'I'm glad that wasn't me.' And I feel terrible about it, y'know? You're ,y best friend, but all I could think was how happy I was that it wasn't me on the ground, bleeding.

"I just-It was my fault in the first place, and then I have to go and think like that. Dammit. Sango, can you forgive me?"

Sango looked at her friend, who had tears glistening in her eyes. It wasn't often that Kagome cried, and Sango felt her heart wrench at the sight of it. "Oh, hun, of course I can! I probably would've felt the same way, and if it was me, I'd be torn up about it too. And it's not your fault. And I don't blame you. You just happened to be in the wrong place and the wrong time. C'mere." Sango opened her arms, and Kagome rushed into them, careful of her wound.

"I was worried-"

"I know."

The two girls sat and hugged each other in silence. Words at that point would not only have been inappropriate, but insulting as well.

The hospital let Sango go the next day, having decided that further observation was not necessary. They supplied her with a lot of painkillers and orders to come back in a week to get checked up. Sango agreed, grumbling

Once outside, she took a deep breath and grinned wildly. "I'm free! I'm free, I'm free, I'm free" she continued her litany most of the way back to the campus, thoroughly annoying Kagome. But under the elation that she was free, Sango was a bit disappointed. Where was Miroku? Shouldn't he be the one picking her up?

She shrugged mentally and decided to forget it. She'd see him soon enough. He was probably just busy or something.

Kagome was chattering on about something as they made their way to the dorm, Sango wasn't really paying attention. They stopped in front of their room, and Kagome flung open the door.

"Welcome home!"

Sango stared in wonder. Crowded in her room were at least twenty people. Maybe more. She blinked several times and Kagome laughingly pushed her forward. She was met by many hugs and handshakes, many well wishes and smiles. She didn't eve know she had this many friends! There was Sarah, from art. The eccentric American was grinning from ear to ear while munching on cheese. And Kindachi from Psych. Gods above!

Then Sango noticed something and frowned lightly. Where was Miroku? Shouldn't he have been at the front?

She felt a mouth on her neck and spun around, ready to knock the person's brains out. "Miroku!"

"Miss me?" He got his answer when Sango, true to her earlier prediction, jumped on him. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Ooh, buddy, you are going to get an even more enthusiastic answer later when we're alone." Miroku's heart rate quickened. "Where were you?"

"Just getting something ready. I'm sorry I was late. Here, to make up for it." He handed her a little red velvet box. Sango blinked and took it gingerly. She started to open it, looking up at Miroku with questioning eyes. He nodded, smiling gently, and she opened the little box all the way.

Sango gasped. What met her eyes was a beautiful necklace, strung on a delicate silver chain. It was a small dragon, curled around a green stone that sparkled as it moved.

"I thought you'd like it."

"Like it? Miroku, you dolt, I love it! It's gorgeous!"

Miroku chuckled and lifted the necklace out of the box and fastening it on her neck. "It looks beautiful on you."

Sango growled. "You know what? I may not be able to wait until later." She kissed his fiercely. A couple people looked away in embarrassment.

When Sango released her hold on his mouth, Miroku didn't think he could wait either. He grabbed her hand and the two slunk off, grinning at each other seductively.

Flashback

Sei groaned as she woke back up. Feeling had left her body all the way up to her neck She grunted in pain, wondering what woke her. She had shut off her body, so to speak, trying to ignore the pain.

"Sei."

Sei froze. She knew that voice, all to well. But, the mistress here? At the hospital?

"You have failed me."

And you poisoned me. Fair trade, don't you think?

"I know you cannot speak now. Soon, it will consume all of you, and there will be nothing left of you but a shell."

Sei had never thought it possible to hate a being as much as she hated her mistress right then. Tears pricked her eyes as she thought of her mate, her children.

"I will not harm them. You have my word." Kuroko spoke, as if she had read Sei's mind. "All I came for was this." Kuroko reached down and plucked Sei's necklace off her neck. "You are free from me now. I leave you to die in peace."

Bitch. What good is it now, my freedom?

Sei blacked out again, calling for her mate in her mind.

End Flashback

Nika drove home, a scowl on her beautiful features. Where had the teams been? They claimed they were there, and sensed nothing until the actual shooting. They couldn't identify where the shots were coming from, nor if the shooter were human or youkai. Idiots. Nika hissed at a man who cut on front of her, honking loudly. She felt the sudden urge to rip out his throat and repressed it. With all the recent event, memories long pushed down were floating back up. Kuroko, Naraku. Her desire for blood again.

She would not give in! She had a mate, and a family this time. Sesshoumaru was still alive.

Nika growled faintly as she pulled into the driveway. She wanted nothing more than to take refuge in her mate's arms. His presence always soothed her, and her lust for bloodshed always quieted when he was around.

Stepping over the threshold of her home, Nika kicked off her shoes. It was late, and her children were no doubt in bed already. She crept up to their rooms, kissing each lightly on the temple. She made her way to her own room, the one she shared with Sesshoumaru and closed the door silently. She saw the lump in the bed and began to undress, slipping on a pair of shorts and a tank top and climbing under the warm sheets. She reached out for her mate, snuggling into his chest.

Sesshoumaru sniffed in his sleep and moved his arms to wrap around her. His mate was back, and everything was fine.

Nika sighed in his arms, feeling safe and happy. She pressed her face to Sesshoumaru's neck and slowly fell asleep, listening to his pulse.

The morning light woke Kagome out of a deep slumber. She grumbled and covered herself with the blanket, curling up further into the body next to her hers. She felt rather than heard a deep chuckle emanating from Inuyasha's chest as his arms wrapped around her.

"Good morning."

Kagome's response was an unintelligible grunt. She pushed her head out of the covers and squinted at her boyfriend. She was rather comical looking, what with her hair sticking in every direction and her eyes half closed from sleep. "What time is it?"

Inuyasha glanced at his watch. "Around eight thirty."

"Ugh. I don't have class for another two hours. I wanna go back to sleep."

Inuyasha chuckled again as she buried her face in his chest, content to lay with her in the morning sun.

Kagome ran her tongue across her teeth. "Now I have to get up."

"Why?"

"I can't go back to sleep without brushing my teeth. And after that, I want a shower. Not that last night'sactivities," she grinned, "weren't pleasant, but I really need to bathe."

Inuyasha kissed her and let her go reluctantly. "Oh, fine, but after you, I get a shower."

"Right. You know, I love having a dorm with a bathroom."

"How did you get one, by the way? You never told me."

"Remember that scholarship I got?"

"Yeah."

"Well, it made it possible for me to blow some extra bucks on a good dorm room. And next year, I am so getting an apartment."

"Sounds positively sinful."

Kagome turned to grin at Inuyasha. She stood up and pulled a robe around her shoulders, heading for the bathroom.

"I won't be long. Watch TV or something."

"Right."

Knowing his girlfriend's love of long showers, Inuyasha reached over to his bag and pulled out the fourth Harry Potter and began reading avidly.

That was how Kagome found him thirty minutes later, sprawled on her bed, the sheets just barely covering his lean body, reading about the boy wizard. She chuckled.

"I'm out." Inuyasha looked up and nodded.

"Gimme ten minutes." He marked his place in the book, scooped up his bag and headed for the shower. Kagome smiled after him and got dressed in jeans and a Malice Mizer t-shirt.

The phone rang. "Coming!" she called, nonsensically to the phone ran to pick it up.

"Hello, Higurashi Kagome."

"Call them off."

"Excuse me?" What in all hells

"The police. Call them off. Drop the investigation."

Kagome's blood grew cold. "Who-who are you?" She was disgusted to note that her voice shook.

"Call them off. Otherwise, we might have to take drastic measures."

"What?"

"Tell me, could you live without your friend Sango? Or that boy of hers, Miroku? Your family? The kid, the old man, your mother? How about Inuyasha." Kagome's stomach dropped. "Do as I say, or, one by one, they will die. And it will hang over your head."

"Wha-what do you want?" Kagome screwed up her eyes, her hands shaking.

"I know you saw her. And I know you were planning on telling them later today." Kagome's eyes grew. How could this person have known?

"You will not tell them. She has been disposed of. You will tell them you saw nothing, heard nothing, until the shot. You will tell them you thought they were aiming for someone else. You will not tell anyone of our talk. If you do, say goodbye first to the one you love the most."

The line went dead. Kagome dropped it with trembling hands and slid to the floor, one hand over her mouth. She rocked, silent tears coming from her eyes. That- woman, Kagome realized- had threatened to kill Inuyasha. Sango, Miroku, Mama, Souta, Jii-chan. Kagome had seen a glimpse of the shooter, enough to know that it was a woman, a woman with black eyes and blue hair. She had thought it would help the investigation, if she told. But nownow she could not. If she didOh god.

Kagome made a decision. She would distance herself. The more she was with them, the more they were in danger. Kagome didn't want to let it go, wanted to know why that man was murdered, to stop it from happening again. But I have to. Kagome bowed her head. Hearing the shower turn off, Kagome stood and quickly wiped her eyes, placing a mask over her drawn face.

"Kagome?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm gonna be late." Inuyasha sauntered into the little kitchen, looking delicious in a tight t-shirt and jeans. Kagome almost burst into tears, knowing she had to leave him But not now. A little more time with him. Just a little.

She pouted. "Damn. Fine. Go, before you're late."

Inuyasha grinned and kissed on the lips. "Thanks. I love you!" He called over his shoulder as he left.

"I love you too."

The door slammed.

I love you too.