Chapter Seventeen:
The Tiger's Arrangement

Sitting in the shadows of evening, he monitored the hidden door. It was a door that led to a place he'd learned to hate. He'd been taught many times over to hate the place that he now watched.

His teacher was two years younger than he, but was a four year veteran at the game he was soon to be a part of. He had learned, through various staff members, to respect the one that had volunteered to teach him the ways the game was played. He, like so many other players before him, had come to call her one thing:

Ookami-sama.

Everyone told him that he should be honored to be taught by her, but he'd been too ignorant to see the honor in her lessons. Later, he found out that it was rare for Ookami to spend her free time with others. If ever the Master gave her time off, she spent it by herself; not teaching assassination techniques.

Now, as he sat in the shadows looking back on his life, Tora realized his mistake in not accepting Ookami's lessons for what they were: hints. She'd been trying to teach him more than just how to kill rival drug dealers. She'd been spending her time trying to teach him two latent lessons: how to escape the Hell she was trapped in, and, probably the most important if not more beneficial, how to end the Hell she was in.

Yes. He finally saw it. She'd shown him so many unguarded passageways that he could have used to escape. Ways she couldn't use due to the collar she wore that tracked her every movement. She'd also shown him assassination techniques that no one but herself knew. Tora had found that out on accident. Ookami had been absent for one of his training sessions, so he'd gone to another assassin named Taka. He'd asked Taka to teach him how to kill someone with a mere drinking straw. Taka had quirked an eyebrow at him and said that it couldn't be done.

But Ookami-sama had shown him later that night.

She had taught him those unknown methods for a reason: to end her Hell. To end the Hell of so many people trapped under the weight of their crimes.

To kill Xavier.

"I could have done it, too," Tora berated himself, "but I was too stupid to realize any of it. I had that straw. I had a glass that I could have shattered and used the pieces to cut anyone that got in my way. I could have done something."

Finally, Tora saw the door open. Sliding off the crate he'd been sitting on, Tora looked to his left and nodded. He heard the swish of cloth pass behind him, and the sound reassured him immensely.

"Hey, Tora-san, didn't expect to see you here," a young man at the door said, "you don't remember me, do you?"

"Nope, can't say that I do." Tora shrugged.

The young man smiled, "You always did have the poorest memory out of anyone I ever met. I'm Tai, the number three assassin. Heheh, imagine that. I'm right after you!"

"Tai?" Tora asked, turning the name over in his head as he looked harder, "Sorry, Kid, but the name doesn't ring any bells."

Pulling up his sleeve, Tai showed Tora a small crescent moon, "Do you remember that?"

Tora stared at the mark on the young boy's arm, "Who gave that to you?"

"You did, a few years ago. It was the day after the long rains. I was about nine, then, and we talked for a little bit. Then, you just stood up and said, 'I know someone that would absolutely love you, but I'll have to talk to her first'. You gave me this mark and told me not to leave the area. I never saw you again."

"Oh you!" Tora finally exclaimed, "I remember you now! Yeah, I was gonna get Ookami-sama for you, but I never got the chance to see her because Master Xavier had her chained up in a dungeon somewhere. Hey, you wouldn't happen to know where I could find Ookami-sama, would you? I need to check some facts with her."

"Good luck gettin' to her. She's on some floor beneath the damn basement. Master Xavier's got some freaky dungeon down there, won't let any of us poke around, either. He says she's about a mile underground, but be that as it may, you can still hear her screams from the top floor."

Tora was shocked, "A mile underground?! When did he have that installed?!"

"It's been there the whole time, apparently. Seems he only uses it for his most disobedient slaves, which is the category she falls in. He's got her locked up tight; I've even heard rumors that he's marked her as his. Fully."

"No..... that can't be true. He wouldn't dare do that to her."

"Things have changed, Tora-san. He shot two of his own just yesterday 'cause he says they 'leaked out important information'. We don't know any more than that, but we do know that he hasn't left that sub floor since yesterday afternoon. He's been with her this entire time, which does nothing to disprove the rumor."

Swearing he was about to foam at the mouth, Tora tried to calm himself down by whistling. He was relieved when Tatsukichi appeared immediately beside him.

"You called?"

Tora ignored him, "Tai, do you know Tatsukichi?"

"Hai, we play cards together sometimes. What's up?"

"I need the two of you to do me a huge favor, understand?"

"Sure, anything." Tai agreed.

Tatsukichi nodded, "Yeah, whaddya need?"

"I need the both of you to help get me to Xavier's office. I have to talk to him about something important, got it?"

"But how are we supposed to get him away from Ookami-dono?" Tatsukichi asked, "You heard Tai. No one's allowed down there."

"No one except food slaves," Tora corrected, "even Xavier has to eat. Ask one of the food slaves to tell Xavier that I'm waiting for him in his office. He'll come."

"You're sure about that? You know how he is." Tatsukichi said.

"Exactly. He and I both know that Ookami-sama will never just bow down to him and that she needs me to be able to function properly. Oh yeah, he'll come. If he wants Ookami-sama on a leash and to keep her there, he'll come."

"You know that's not the only place he wants her." Tatsukichi said angrily.

Sighing, Tora nodded, "Hai, I know, but we've got to have faith. If we don't have faith in Ookami-sama, who will? Inu-Yasha-san and K-chan are taking care of Kouga-sama; they don't have time to worry about what is causing Kouga-sama's sickness. They only have enough time to think about, 'He's sick, we have to help him'. Do you understand? We have to help the one that is causing Kouga-sama to be sick, and the only way we can do that is by going in there and making a deal with the Master."

"I know how much Ookami-dono means to you, Tora-san, because she means a lot to me, too," Tai said, "she means a lot to all of us. We have dared to dream because of her. She's swayed Master Xavier's decisions so many times, Tora-san. Like that time Jona-san was supposed to get sawed in half. She made it so that he got whipped instead. I don't know the exact number, but I do know that Jona's still alive."

"Ookami-dono is one of a kind, even I know that. This place and everyone in it would just fall apart if she gave in to him. You're right, Tora-san, we can't let that happen to her. If she becomes his lapdog, then we're all just…. fucked." Tatsukichi said, his eyes displaying his concern for Leota's safety.

"Truer words were never spoken, Kichi-san," Tora said, trying to think of a plan, "so, how do we all wanna go about this? Do we wanna barge in or try to sneak in?"

"We can do both if we're talented enough." Tai said with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Whaddya mean?" Tatsukichi asked.

"I heard a story once from Taka-sama about Ookami-dono. He said that she was in this same position once, and that she was trying to rescue one of her friends from becoming a target. Knowing Xavier would lock her out of the compound she dressed up as a guy, which was the sneaky part, and then walked in, the barging in part."

Tora blinked, "When was this? I don't remember ever hearing anything about that."

"No?" Tatsukichi asked, "Hell, even I've heard that one."

"Mind telling me about it?"

"Not at all. Xavier-sama was looking for a new slave, right? Well, he knew that Ookami-dono talked to a girl every-now-and-then after doing a job, so he was planning to go after that girl. So Ookami-dono got wind of his plans, as is to be expected since she used to have eyes and ears all over this place, and tried reasoning with Xavier not to go after her friend.

Xavier, though, had seen her friend and definitely wanted to go after her. So he locked Ookami-dono out of the headquarters and sent some guys to go kidnap her friend."

"So Ookami-dono decides to take matters into her own hands," Tai continued on as Tatsukichi took some time to breathe, "she dressed up as a guy and tracked down the group assigned to her friend. She went so far as to capture them one-by-one, hogtie them, and hang 'em up on the streetlights closest to headquarters as a display to Xavier. Once Xavier saw it, he backed off and went after someone from China."

Tora thought this over, "So Ookami-sama would talk to a girl while she was doing errands?"

"Yep. Some younger kid."

"Do you know how much younger?"

"Hmmm, about two years younger I'd think." Tai said, shrugging.

"Either of you know her name?"

"Nope." Tatsukichi and Tai said.

Turning this new information over in his head, Tora thought of all the girls Ookami had ever talked to that were younger.

"Hang on, there's only one girl Ookami-sama ever wanted to talk to. And she's the only girl Ookami-sama would ever protect, too. She's two years younger, and she's extremely attractive," Tora thought, not liking the direction his thoughts were taking him, "would you know her name if I said it?"

"Oh yeah, it's a pretty big name around here." Tatsukichi nodded.

"Was her name Higurashi, Kagome?"

"Yeah! That's her! Man, I don't know why I couldn't remember it, but hai, that's what it was." Tai said, his eyes looking alert.

Tora, who basically stood there with his mouth hanging open, couldn't believe his ears. Xavier had tried to go after Kagome. Ookami-sama stopped him. Kagome was saved without even knowing she was in danger.

"Tora-san? Are you all right? Your nose just twitched." Tatsukichi asked.

Shaking his head a little, Tora nodded, "Hai, I'm all right now. Come on, let's just go in there. I'm sure everyone will just think I've come back to work."

"You sure? You've been gone for six years, not six hours." Tai asked.

"There are some slaves that were just so well 'programmed' that they wanted to come back. A man ran away once, but he came back a day later saying that he didn't know what to do with his Xavier-sama. Makes me wanna puke just thinking about it."

Tai and Tatsukichi had disgusted looks on their faces, "You've gotta be shittin' me." They said.

"Nope. I give credit where credit is due, and Xavier-sama is a master of brainwashing. I can only assume that he's gotten better these past six years, so who knows? He may even be able to get through to Ookami-sama now."

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"Now, Chan-chan, let's run through this again. Who am I?" Xavier asked as he paced in front of the restrained Leota.

"My master."

"And what is it I do for you?"

"You shelter me from the outside world, as you have done for all my life."

"All right then, who are you?"

"Your ever-faithful slave that does anything you ask her to."

"Very good, Chan-chan. Now tell me," Xavier said as he stopped right in front of his chained 'pet', "who is this Kouga?"

Xavier saw the shudder that ran up Leota's spine and heard the chains rattle with the movement in created, "H-H-He is the most h-horrid of people."

"Why? What did he do to you, Chan?"

The shudder became a type of seizure-like convulsion. Tears ran down Leota's face and she could not speak. Xavier smiled inwardly.

"Good. Finally has the wolf bowed down to me, the snake. I have found the one thing that made her happy, and turned it against her to make her believe that this Kouga was her tormentor. Now whenever she hears his name, she will become as pliable as putty. I just can't wait until she sees him, though. That will make quite a show," Xavier thought as he knelt down and took Leota's chin in his hand, "there, there, Chan-chan. He won't hurt you. I'll protect you from him. Now, what do you say to warm bath to calm you down, hm? Wouldn't you like that?"

Leota nodded, "Hai, Xavier-sama, I would."

"Then let me have Hebi take these chains off of you and he'll take you to the hot springs upstairs, all right?"

"Okay," Leota said agreed as Hebi came from his corner and began unlocking the thick chains on Leota's small wrists, ankles, and her neck, "Xavier-sama?"

"Hm?"

"Will I ever get to see Tora-san again?"

"Oh of course you will, Chan. Tora-san will come back to us, I promise. Now, you take a moment to heal yourself and then Hebi will take you to the springs where you'll be given some clothes to wear, yes?"

"Of course, Xavier-sama." Leota said as Hebi helped her to stand; however, she fainted from exhaustion back onto the floor.

There was a knock on the door, "Who is it?"

"I am but a mere food slave, Master, come to bring you the dinner you requested."

"Ah yes, it has been a while since I have eaten. Bring it in." Xavier said, watching as a slave brought in a tray of warm food as Hebi carried Leota out the door.

"Here you are, Master," the slave said," and I have a message for you."

"Do you, now? Who from?"

"The young man that watches the hidden door, Sir."

"Of course, how I do love Tai. What is it he wished me to know?"

"He said to tell you there is someone of worth in your office waiting for you."

"Someone of worth, eh? He didn't mention names, did he?"

"No, Sir. I tell you only what was told to me."

"All right, all right, I believe you. Would you mind taking this wonderful-smelling meal up to my office, then? I would much rather dine with a guest than dine alone down here of all places. Don't you think?"

"Oh! Yes, of course, Master. I shall take this personally. It should be there, still warm, before you get there."

"Arigatou…?"

"I am called Kiki, Master."

Xavier smiled, a gleam in his yellowed eyes, "Arigatou, Kiki."

"You're welcome, Sir." Kiki said as she bowed and left.

Xavier stood in the darkened cell and breathed in the scent of salt, "Oh how I love the smell of Chan-chan's tears. Ah well, now to see who awaits me."

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Sitting on the windowsill of Xavier's office, Tora looked at the various items. A wooden desk sat in the back corner, little stacks of paper littering the top. Several weapons decorated the walls and, much to Tora's irritability, quite a few pictures of Ookami-sama could be seen poking out of many different places.

"Hn, how dare he even have these pictures, never mind take them. And then to keep them!" Tora thought as his eyes landed on a group of pictures showing Ookami-sama chained to walls, posts, chairs, and other much darker places that Tora didn't want to know about.

The clicking of a door handle reached Tora's ears. He turned his head to look back out the window, hoping to appear as though having been sitting there for quite some time.

"So sorry to keep you wai..." Xavier began, stopping when he saw the light brown hair tied with an orange piece of ribbon, "Tora-kun, this is quite a surprise. If I would have known it was you waiting here..."

Tora didn't feel like listening to Xavier's excuses, for the tiger knew where he had been, "Where's Ookami-sama?"

"My, my, my," Xavier said, a look of false shock on his face, "I do believe Chan-chan has rubbed off on you. How cute."

Tora turned and allowed his left leg to hang over the windowsill as he brought his right knee up to his chest, "Where is she, Xavier?"

"Funny, I don't recall ever allowing you to call me by my first name. Only Chan-chan ever had that honor."

"Stop calling her that!" Tora exclaimed, standing up defensively.

"Calling her what?"

"That.... that name. Don't call her 'Chan-chan'! You know as well as I do that she'll never bow down to you! She is a raging wild fire of that which cannot be tamed! You will never know the joy of have my Ookami-sama as your slave! Never!"

Xavier sighed, "Fool. Have you not been on this earth long enough to know that there is no such thing as 'never'? Anything and everything you say that will 'never happen', always does."

"What are you trying to say, Xavier?" Tora asked, walking towards the man he had learned to fear and had been taught to hate.

"My point is that I literally pounded the violence right out of you, Tora-kun. What's the matter? Don't you remember?" Xavier asked, his voice getting threateningly low as his eyes turned yellow with black slits, "I. Raped. You."

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Reika wiped the tears away from her eyes as she picked up a wooden bucket that contained soap and a few washcloths.

"Hurry up, hurry up! We can't keep the Master waiting!" Reika called as she chanced a look at Hebi, their momentary overseer. He monitored everything that was important to Xavier, so even the newer slaves knew not to dawdle mess up.

"Reika-sama? How does the Master wish this woman to be dressed?" Asked a young woman.

Sighing, Reika replied, "He doesn't, Alia. He wants her naked so he may toy with her as he pleases. So, just to spite him, dress her in those clothes over there."

The young woman named Alia did as she was told, looking back in time to see Reika pouring a bucket of warm water to rinse the rich dark hair of Master Xavier's most prized possession.

"She's like a doll," Alia thought, "with her skin like satin, her eyes like blown glass, and her hair like sable. She's too beautiful to believe. How can she be so beautiful? Especially in a place like this. She has to have flaws, though, everyone does; but if she has them, what are they?"

Everyone tried to sneak glances at the woman who sat on the damaged wooden stool yet managed to make it look like a throne. The numerous scars on her body did nothing to mar the somewhat exotic atmosphere she had surrounding her. In fact, the very sight of the markings assured the other slaves that she was, truly, only human.

Except for her eyes.

They never moved. Those piercing emerald orbs stayed focused in front of her, as though someone stood there giving her instructions. It seemed like she had been carved out of ice. No amount of boiled water could warm her, and her skin was cool to the touch. If her chest hadn't been moving in the rhythms of breath, they all would have thought her dead. Even Hebi checked her pulse every ten minutes, as he was doing now. Hebi nodded and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. She was alive, for if she weren't, no one else would be allowed to be.

"Poor girl. No one should have to go through this. Especially someone like Ookami-chan. One has to wonder sometimes how come the worst things happen to the best of people? Sure Ookami-chan wasn't always nice, but she seems to regret everything Master Xavier made her do. She truly does hate him, and for that I am glad." Reika though as she helped to dress the woman that had changed her views.

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Tora stood with his feet apart and squared with his shoulders. His hands were clenched into fists and were held at his sides while he held his head down, thinking of what to do next.

"How couldn't I remember something like that? You had me drugged just enough that I couldn't move; but my thoughts were my own. And besides, what does you putting your dick in my ass have to do with Ookami-sama?"

"Well, we were on the topic of how pointless 'never' was, so I decided I needed to remind you that you also told me I would never have you; but if I remember correctly, your small behind was one of the tightest I have ever encountered. I will be sure to compare Chan-chan's to yours. Would you like that?"

"I told you to stop calling her that!" Tora raged, "You speak of her as though she's just one more piece to add to your twisted collection! She's not yours, Xavier, and she never will be!"

Sighing, Xavier explained, "My dear Tora-kun, you don't get it, do you? You told me that you would never work for me, yet you did. Now, I have enough power to persuade even your dear 'Ookami-sama' into coming to me. The 'raging wild fire' that you described earlier has been reduced to nothing more than a spark coming from two stones being rubbed together."

"You're lying! You just want me to believe its true without any proof!"

"Hn, I have all the proof I'll ever need for you, Tora-kun."

"Oh yeah? Well where is it, eh? Where's this proof, huh? You know that Ookami-sama doesn't do assignments very well without me. So if you have no proof, she can't kill for you."

"Actually, with the new method I tried, I can get Chan-chan to do whatever I want; but, since you've been so kind to offer, I'll take you, too."

"No, not 'too'. You either take me or her. But that's only after you show me your damned proof."

"Idiot doesn't know that I could remove a few things that would make her seem normal enough, and then call her back to me whenever I like. Yes. All I have to do is continue to make her afraid of this Kouga fellow and I'm in the clear," Xavier thought as he clapped once, "all right then, I've chosen."

Tora, who had decided to read Xavier's mind now that he wasn't blocked, tried a different tactic than what he'd originally planned, "Good. Now let me see your proof. Where is it?"

"Right behind you where she's been standing for the past thirteen minutes." Xavier said lightly as he turned to his desk to pour himself some wine.

Whirling around, Tora was shocked at what he saw.

Ookami-sama herself stood behind him, wearing a long black skirt and a red silk bodice. Her feet were bare, her hair was down, and her lips had some white lip gloss that one of the slaves had snuck into the building.

But something wasn't right. Tora knew that and also knew immediately what was wrong.

His Ookami-sama's eyes were blank. They held nothing to them save for a glazed, glassy-look. She looked as though she'd had her... but no, that couldn't be. Xavier was from a different family than Tora was, so he couldn't possibly know how to do that.

"Y-Y-You didn't..." Tora began as he looked back and forth between Xavier and Leota.

"What? Take her soul? Of course I did. How else did you think I was going to get that little spitfire under my control? I can't beat her because it doesn't do anything."

"Bastard! Do you know what could happen if you keep her soul for too long? She'll die!" Tora yelled, unable to grasp the fact that Xavier had learned such a guarded art.

"You truly are an idiot, eh, Tora-kun? I didn't put it in my own body, that would just be stupid for then she would die as you say. I placed her soul in the safest of places for both her and me. Would you like to know where I put it? It's right here," Xavier said, opening a drawer of his desk and pulling out a glass jar containing a glowing crimson light, "a nasty little soul isn't it? Very bloodthirsty, don't you think?"

"I think you're the idiot, Xavier. That's your soul."

Xavier blinked at the jar in his hand, "Ah, so it is. My mistake."

Taking a few seconds to blink himself, Tora wondered how Xavier could mistake his own soul for Ookami-sama's, "What's the matter? Don't you have any labels?"

"Ach, now you're sounding like my mother, always wanting me to organize things when I know exactly what I'm looking for," Xavier said, sounding very unlike himself, "here it is."

Tora looked at the jar Xavier now held in his hand. At first, Tora couldn't see anything, and was about to tell Xavier that there was nothing inside of it, but then there was a pulsing of blue, scarlet, and black before it returned to transparent.

"What the....?"

"Her soul can't make up its mind on what kind of soul it wants to be. Clear is the goody- two-shoes soul, blue is the calm soul, scarlet is the warring soul, and black is the murderous soul," Xavier explained, placing the jar back into its drawer and locking it this time, "let's make a deal, shall we?"

"What kind of deal?" Tora asked cautiously.

"If I return her to the way she was and set her free to walk amongst normal people, then could I enslave you yet allow you the same privilege?"

Tora quirked an eyebrow, "Whaddya mean?"

"All right, I return her to the way she was, with a few minor adjustments. The adjustments being that whenever I call for her, she comes, right? Then if I put you under my name again, meaning you would be my slave once more, yet allow you to walk around with your friends, would you allow that? Whenever I call for you, you come?"

"So we'd be like dogs coming to their master whenever he rings the little silver bell?"

"Exactly."

"And we'd both be ourselves? No you working through us to kill off our own friends?"

"I give you my word."

Tora looked back at the woman he called Ookami-sama, then back to Xavier, "I was taught to never trust the word of a snake. Either zodiac or actual."

"Clever, clever," Xavier said with a crooked smile, "you'll trust have to trust your master to take care of you, that's all. Come now, I don't think you want me to spy on you in the shower again. I do believe that was most unpleasant for you."

Thinking about the chance Xavier was offering, Tora examined every square inch of it. The benefits to he and Leota would be that they would be free to be themselves and only ever see Xavier when he needed them. Yet Tora had reason to believe that the downside would have something to do with Ookami-sama's soul. What would happen to that?

He decided to ask, "What about Ookami-sama's soul, eh? Where does that go?"

"That, my dear Tora-kun, stays with me. It's the only way I can call her back to me. Hn, I still say you were always the easier one. Didn't matter the task; you were the one I could always persuade to do it. Just took a matter of time before you did it."

Taking some more time to think, a new idea made its way to the front of Tora's mind, "What about Kou-...."

"I suggest you don't say that name unless you wish for your 'Ookami-sama' on the ground writhing in pain," Xavier interrupted, "that's another little adjustment of mine."

Tora's eyes widened, "You did what?!"

"Calm down, Tora-kun. You knew in the back of your mind that I would alter Chan-chan's memories somehow; you just couldn't know what I would change. Did you really think I could allow for her to remember all the joy she had with that man? Honestly, Tora-kun, what are you thinking?"

Trying to slow his breathing back to where it was supposed to be, Tora put a stern look on his face, trying to look intimidating, "Is that the only thing you've done?"

"Hai, that's the only thing you have to worry about. She believes that I'm the nice guy, and that, well, he is the evil one."

Tora breathed a slight sigh of relief, already having an idea of what to do about this new problem, "All right, all right. For the benefit of Ookami-sama, I agree."

Xavier smiled, a cynical-looking gesture that had Tora slightly worried that he hadn't told him everything he'd changed, "This is good, Tora-kun, very good. Catch."

Turning around, Tora caught his Ookami-sama before she hit the ground, "What's going on?"

"I'm doing as we agreed. I'm releasing the two of you until I have need of you. Please be advised that there is no place you can go where my commands won't reach you, understand?"

"Hai." Tora nodded, lifting Leota's body into his arms bridal style.

"You take good care of my Chan-chan, all right, Tora-kun? Or else I'll be coming after your ass."

Tora allowed himself to smile, despite the painful memories Xavier's statement brought, "I understand, Master Xavier, I won't let anything harmful come to pass to Ookami-sama."

"Good," Xavier said, watching as Tora began to make his way out, "oh and Tora-kun?"

"Hai?"

"Tell Chan-chan's husband that I say hello."

Suppressing the urge to shudder, Tora nodded and pushed open the door with his foot. Passing through, Tora motioned for Tai and Tatsukichi to follow him, for they had been standing right outside the door waiting for a signal in case Tora had needed to fight his way to his Ookami-sama.

"So? How did it go?" Tai asked.

"Yeah, how'd you get Ookami-dono back?"

"Master Xavier and I made a deal."

Both Tai and Tatsukichi blinked, "You went and got yourself enslaved again, didn't you?"

"Not exactly," Tora said as he went down some stairs and exited through the hidden door, seeing Inu-Yasha waiting for him, "hey, long time no see."

"What's taken you so long? Kagome's hands are full tryin' to get wolf boy to sit down!" The hanyou exclaimed.

"Ah, so he's awake?"

"Hai, just woke up not too long ago."

"That's good to know," Tora nodded as he handed the hanyou his precious Ookami-sama, "here, take her for me."

"Nani?"

"Take her to Kagome-san's backyard, all right? I need to talk with the anxious wolf."

"Oh, all right."

"I'll send for you, okay? I promise. Just keep Sama-sama away from him and we'll all be peachy. Well, except for him. He's just gonna be uncomfortable for awhile."

"Gotcha. I'll see you there." Inu-Yasha said as he took off towards Kagome's house.

Tora sighed, "Oh boy, this is gonna take a lot of persuasion."

"Why, what're you gonna do?" Tatsukichi asked.

"Let's just say," Tora began, turning follow Inu-Yasha's lead, "we're gonna have to make a few adjustments."
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A/N: Hi everybody! Sorry for the long wait, but as you know, this is a pretty long chapter, yes? Just to mention, "nani" means "what" for those that didn't know.
Oh, before I forget, the winner of my little "challenge" thingy is..........................twocolors007!!! Twocolors007, you are the first person to respond to the "Notice", so after a little conspiring between you and I, I'll work in your character Hareyu, all right? I just need some personality information from you, okay? Thank you!
For those of you that want to email me to give me ideas, you can still do that, all right? Thank you to everyone!

Ookami-chan