Author's Note: A thanks again to those of you that do take the time to review. Even if it's just a short message of encouragement, it really does help me keep this story coming week by week. Thank you all again.

Okay, I planned on getting into a little more with the two guests but my muses had another twist in mind that I'm certain you won't be dissatisfied with ^^

As always then- please: read, review and enjoy ^^

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There are two signs that your life is slowly becoming that roller coaster chaos that's involved with actually semi-giving a damn about another person. One, you realize that you've just betrayed your vow never to trust another human being- no matter the circumstances. Two, you realize you've done that over a man who was at the moment wearing a floppy purple hat.

Needless to say, this sort of realization tends to irritate some. As for me, it downright pissed me off. Here I was noticing that Mr. Ice Block had something hidden under that rock-hard mask he wears, and it left me feeling nothing but furious that here he's seen just about every scar on my body and I can't even see anything past his mask.

Now before you even say it- yah, I know life isn't fair…but in this case, I felt I deserved at least a little compensation for all the shit I'd been through. Was it so strange for me to want to know a little more about the man he hid inside?

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Chapter 12:  A Number to Remember

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Sesshoumaru turned nonchalantly, as if the fact he was wearing a young girl's purple hat was of absolutely no consequence to him.

"Does Miss Kagura want a pretty hat too?" Rin's voice broke through Kagura's thoughts.

"Huh?" She blinked, looking down to the young girl who was currently looking up at her with an innocent and expectant gaze.

"Well I don't know- I think you already gave Sesshoumaru the best one here…" Kagura replied with a smirk.

Scurrying back over to the pile of hats, boas and other accessories, Rin emerged with her hands full of goodies.

"Here! Pick!" She said, thrusting her armful of goods towards Kagura.

Blinking the black-haired woman looked about to the others in the family, then back to Rin before lifting a small red hat with a large white feather from the pile.

"Is this one…okay?"

She felt somewhat awkward, not used to having anyone fussing over her and her choices like this before.

"Oooh yah, that one's very pretty! Put it on, put it on!"

Seeing Izayoi giving her an encouraging nod and Sesshoumaru gathering up a basket of other toys in the background, Kagura finally gave into the girl's cheerful nature.

Slowly moving as to not aggravate her side, she perched the small hat on her head, "Like this I suppose?"

Rin just smiled, then moving in a flash only capable by someone with her amount of energy, she made her way over to Sesshoumaru and tugged on his pants leg.

"Isn't she pretty, Sesshoumaru?"

Reaching up and ridding himself of the purple hat he wore, he looked from Kagura to Rin and back.

"The hat is a little eccentric."

Opening her mouth to ask again, Rin fell quiet as Izayoi stepped over, "Come on now Rin, we'd best be going."

Kagura's eyes blinked for a moment before they creased into a thoughtful gaze.

"Wait a second…is he saying that without the hat…"

"Kagura."

His calm yet firm voice caused her to start.

"What?!" She snapped back.

"We're going," He said simply, reaching up and removing the hat from her head.

Glaring, she looked away from him as she quietly followed.

Dropping the red hat in the basket with the other items Rin was getting, Sesshoumaru went to stand quietly by the doorway while the others waited in line.

Not sure whether to stay with Izayoi or go stand with him, Kagura hesitated before walking over to where he stood.

After a moment in silence, she attempted to start a conversation, "Is she always that…hyper?"

"Perpetually," He replied simply.

Curious as to how far she could go, she continued, "She seems to really like you a lot."

"I suppose she does."

"It's nice that she has someone like you to look out for her. Everyone needs someone like that," Kagura said, softly adding the last part almost in spoken thought.

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow, catching the strange tone to Kagura's voice.

Silence hung in the air until he finally spoke, "They're done. Let's go."

Frowning, and wondering why she expected anymore out of him, the black-haired woman sighed and followed him as the rest of the family emerged from the store, bags in hand.

"We should be getting Kagura back home. She still needs her rest. Sesshoumaru, you make sure she gets a proper lunch and dinner, and you'll probably need to help her change her bandages before she goes to sleep."

Eyes narrowing, he looked down to Izayoi, "So I have to baby-sit her?"

"Hey! I never said you had to do anything!" Kagura protested.

Izayoi stepped between the two before any more arguments could occur.

"No. Sesshoumaru, you are to take care of her since she is in need of someone to assist her. Kagura, I am by no means undermining your strength, but I would hate to see you injure yourself further by straining yourself."

Taking that for what it was, Kagura, quieted, "It's not like I wanted this to happen to me…" She muttered.

On making their way out the mall door towards the parking lot, Kagura let her eyes wander across the cars and people coming and going.

That's when she froze.

"No. No…not him…no…"

Noticing that Kagura had stopped walking, Sesshoumaru turned back to where she stood petrified in shock. Quickly glancing to the man her eyes fell onto, he knew who it must be.

Ignoring his family's odd stares, he pushed Kagura back against the wall outside the mall, and hastily whispered.

"Don't move."

Glancing out of his peripheral vision, he realized there was only one way to completely hide Kagura's identity from the brown-haired man.

Leaning down, he shielded her face on one side by bracing his arm against the wall there. Then, right as the man turned to look at them, Sesshoumaru moved his face in- planning to stop a few centimeters from her face.

He hadn't planned on Kagura moving her head forward at that moment. Or his lips meeting hers.

Naraku narrowed his eyes on the white-haired man, irritated that he couldn't get a good view of the woman that was with him.

Shaking his mind of the possibility, the manipulative man casually made his way inside the mall.

"There's no way that caller was one of the Taiyoukai family. It couldn't have been Kagura…" He reasoned, beginning to scan the mall for his runaway daughter.

Back outside, Sesshoumaru withdrew on hearing the mall doors swinging closed. A deep frown instantly settling onto his features.

Kagura, on the other hand, just blinked; still in shock not only from her Father showing up but from the accidental kiss that had just occurred.

"Well Sesshoumaru, I didn't know you had it in you," Mr. Taiyoukai remarked heading over towards them.

"You misunderstand, Father," He retorted quietly.

"Then would you care to explain that rather spontaneous sign of affection?"

Before Sesshoumaru could, Kagura's voice cut in.

"Shit…why…he's looking for me…." She allowed herself to slink down against the wall, not paying heed to the way her hand drifted to her lips.

"Her Father?" Mr. Taiyoukai questioned.

Sesshoumaru gave a slight nod in the affirmative.

Izayoi had already made her way over to where Kagura sat on the ground, "It's okay. He's gone now. He's gone…Are you going to be all right, Kagura?"

Her vacant expression slowly registering the figure above her she nodded slightly.

Nearby Sesshoumaru's gaze was locked on the spot he'd laid eyes on Naraku.

"So that's the man who did this to her. Quite the coward if he resorts to such means."

"Sesshoumaru…" Kagura's voice pulled him from his thoughts, and he turned to regard her.

Standing as Izayoi held out a hand for support, Kagura found her footing and walked over to where Sesshoumaru stood.

Eyes narrowing on him, she leveled a harsh glare, "Was that really necessary?! What the hell was that for anyways!?"

Looking off to the side, he casually remarked, " I take no blame for those that cannot follow simple instructions."

"What?!" She fumed, still shaky yet furious about the sudden kiss as well.

"I told you not to move. You moved."

"Oh go to hell you goddamn…"

"We'd best go," Sesshoumaru said simply, turning to leave.

"Hey! I'm talking to you….you…"

"Would you rather he found you?"

At that she halted her tongue and hung her head, "No."

Without a word more, Sesshoumaru began to walk towards the family's cars.

Rin watched from nearby as Izayoi walked besides Kagura, gently bracing her as she walked.

Inside her mind, Kagura's emotions were jumbled and thoughts were nothing but a blur of information and confusion.

Sesshoumaru, despite his desire to appear otherwise, wasn't fairing much better.

"How can a mere touching of lips be so… troublesome," He thought, unsure whether that pertained to Kagura's anger over it or to his own confusion.

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The car ride back to Sesshoumaru's residency was in complete silence aside from Rin's questions to Sesshoumaru now and then about her dress-up clothes and her upcoming birthday.

Kagura only vaguely listened, her mind shaken by seeing Naraku again and her heart shaken by the unintentional kiss with the man she kept swearing she could care less about.

It seemed like mere seconds to her before she heard Sesshoumaru's usual tone of voice saying her name.

"Kagura."

Looking up, she finally registered that they were back at his home.

"Oh…"

Izayoi handed over the packages to Sesshoumaru, "Now make sure all her clothing gets hung up properly. It wasn't cheap, you know."

Nodding in reply, he turned to follow Kagura inside when his Father stopped him.

"Sesshoumaru."

He quirked an eyebrow and waited for the question.

"It is okay to open up your heart now and then. Remember that Son."

Eyes narrowing at what he knew those words meant, he silently went inside.

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Making his way through the house, he found Kagura lying down on his bed- her arms wrapped securely around one of the pillows.

"So that was your Father," He said simply, sitting down beside her.

"Fuck off! I'm not in the mood for this," Her muffled voice came from behind the pillow.

Standing he went to the dresser and lifted up the photograph before returning to where he sat beside her.

"Here."

"What?"

He handed the photo over to her.

"Why are you giving this to me?"

"Look closely."

Looking back at the picture, she noticed one thing she hadn't before. Sesshoumaru's face had two light scars on his cheek.

"Your face…but…"

"Everyone's Father isn't perfect."

"He…"

"Insulting my stepmother was not an option."

"So he hit you."

"Once. It was enough."

Handing the frame back to him, Kagura let her eyes wander to the sheets on the bed.

"I see."

"Why are you telling me this? Are you…trying to make me understand something? Trying to let me know that even though your Father cares now that you…you can understand my pain? What?" Her mind raced.

"But my scars are gone now," He said quietly as he got up.

She looked after him, "Why are you telling me this?"

He sat the frame down, "Because you need to hear it."

"Is this…are you opening up to me…Sesshoumaru?"

"Perhaps a shower would be necessary before lunch. I'll be downstairs."

With that, he turned to leave.

Gathering herself up, Kagura walked towards the bathroom.

"It might…cool my nerves…" She reasoned, her hand once again drifting to her lips, "Damn bastard. Why the hell did he have to kiss me?"

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Downstairs, Sesshoumaru frowned on assessing what remained of food in his refrigerator. About to head for his cabinets to check their contents, the light rapping of a knock on the door caught his ears.

Frowning, he made his way towards the door and paused to look out.

At who it was, his eyes narrowed.

"And with Kagura in such a pleasant mood as it is," He remarked, opening the latches.

"What do you want?" He questioned, leveling a glare at the two figures.

Before either of them could speak though, their attention was diverted elsewhere.

At the top of the staircase stood Kagura- wrapped in nothing but a towel.

"Sesshoumaru, I need another towel for my hair…"

One of the uninvited guests just smirked, "I see you have some unusual company."

"Secretary," Sesshoumaru clarified.

The two figures just smiled, expecting such an avoidant answer from him.

"And just when I was of the assumption that this day couldn't get anymore irritating," The white-haired man frowned looking between the two and Kagura, "It seems the fates are against me."

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Preview for Chapter 13:

There are many things that Sesshoumaru was not in the mood to deal with. The two people currently on his doorstep topping that list. His thoughts on a certain unexpected kiss though, coming in a close second.