Summery; Warning; Disclaimer: See First Chapter.
lilxangelxsweetz and Wolfie: You guys get a brownie and a cameo appearence soon! Yea for you! lilxangelxsweetz: I couldn't send you a review because you didn't have any stories, so I mentioned you here instead. (winks) Wolfie: I left a hint in a review for you...
HahaI'mBetterThanYou; iluvWHR; yoko: Thanks for the reviews! So far, Bank's got five votes, and Sesshomaru has two. yoko: Yeah, I know there hasn't been much BankXOC lately (at all, really), but I'm trying to develop a relationship between Sesshomaru and Tori first. But I'm glad you want SesshomaruXOC.
Bankotsu'll come into big play very, very soon, trust me. If you want to know who the stalker is, read lilxangelxsweetz and Wolfie's reviews. I'm still giving out those cameo's to whoever guesses him...and the plot twist! The stalker is NOT going to be your usual obsessed psycopath...keep reading and reviewing! Whenever I get reviews, I feel warm and fuzzy and inspired inside...
If you want to take a crack at guessing the plot point, go ahead! I'll give everyone a hint later.
Please review if you read. Comments, ideas, suggestions, votes on couples and guesses at stalker is always appreciated. If you've already voted on couple, you don't have to keep doing it. But guess the stalker however many times you want.
"So, when's Renkotsu supposed to come back?" Bankotsu asked, as they finished dinner.
"I dunno. Sometime this week, I guess," she shrugged, and then looked over her shoulder when someone knocked on the door. "Who's that? Naraku's not due back for a few hours – and besides, he's got keys."
"I'll get it," Bankotsu stood up, and Hiten winced in anticipation. Opening the door, he glared at the person.
"Sesshomaru?" Tori asked wonderingly.
"What the hell do you want?" Bankotsu said rudely, blocking his way into the flat.
"I came to check up on Tori," Sesshomaru replied calmly, sliding by Bankotsu easily.
"Well, Hiten and I are both here, so she's fine," Bankotsu growled, slamming the door shut. Tori sighed, and exchanged a glance with Hiten, who stepped in.
"Cool off, Bankotsu. Help me clean up the table. And don't break anything again, or Renkotsu'll have your head," he warned to his cousin, and the two retreated further away, and Sesshomaru strode up to Tori.
"I'm fine, Sesshomaru," she said nervously, casting a glance at Bankotsu, who was gritting his teeth in frustration.
"I assumed as much," he nodded, looking calmly at her, "I thought you want some company."
"I've got Bankotsu and Hiten here," she assured him, and then looked down at Kirara, who was wrapped around her legs. "And Kirara," she amended, "I'm fine, really. If I need anything, I'll call."
"All right," he inclined his head slightly, and to her surprise kissed her on the lips again. Bankotsu narrowed his eyes until they were blue slits, and Hiten frowned for reasons unknown to even himself.
"What'd that asshole want?" Bankotsu grumbled, as Hiten flicked channels. Tori relaxed in-between the two friends, arms crossed.
"Just to check up on me," she said.
"You've got Hiten and me here," he complained, "There wasn't any reason for him to show up."
"He didn't know you two were here," Tori reminded them, and Hiten slung his arm around again.
"Yeah, Bank, chill out," he said, shooting a sly grin at his cousin. Bankotsu cast a glare his way, and reached over Tori to get the remote.
"Gimmie the clicker," he ordered Hiten, who held it out of his reach. Tori leaned further back into the couch as Bankotsu leaned further, determined to get the remote.
"Not a chance, Bankotsu," Hiten retorted, smirking. "Whatsa matter – too short?"
"That's it!" Bankotsu yelled, tackling his cousin. Only a few inches taller than Tori, he was sensitive about his "short" height – especially now that the tall Sesshomaru was in the picture.
"Ow!" Tori pushed him backwards, as he fell onto her lap. Turning red, he scrambled to his feet, and grabbed Hiten's ankles.
"Hey! Bank – cut it out!" Hiten shouted, as his cousin dragged him by his ankles across the floor, much to Tori's amusement. "Not the hair, Bankotsu! Come on!"
"Give…me…the…remote," Bankotsu spit out, enunciating each word distinctly. Hiten tossed the remote to Tori, who caught it easily.
"Go get it," Hiten laughed, and Tori ran behind the counter. Bankotsu chased after her. Just as he tackled her, Naraku walked in.
"What the hell is going on?" he demanded, "Is this going to be a regular scene, Tori?"
"Naraku!" she exclaimed, flushing and shoving Bankotsu none-too-gently off her. "We were just roughhousing. It was Bankotsu's fault," she added innocently.
"Bank, it's getting late, isn't it?" Naraku hinted, "Thanks for staying with the two of them. I'll see you tomorrow, I suppose."
"Sure thing," Bankotsu nodded, and turned to Tori. "Sorry 'bout that," he shrugged. She grinned back at him, and he impulsively kissed her cheek lightly. She gasped slightly as he strode out the door. Naraku watched them with amusement, and Hiten groaned.
"My legs…" he complained, hobbling to the couch. "I think Bank broke 'em!"
"There's lasagna in the oven," Tori told Naraku, laughing as she flopped onto the couch next to Hiten. "Quit complaining."
"I'll have you begging for mercy," he threatened her, a sly look in his eyes.
"Oh yeah? I'd like to see you try," she challenged. Her eyes widened as Hiten pounced on her, and began ruthlessly tickling her.
"Admit it – say mercy!" he ordered, as tears streamed down her face from laughing.
"All right…all right…mercy!" she cried, gasping for breath. Hiten rolled off her, acutely aware of her body no longer near him. Tori, calming down, stood up and wiped her eyes.
"I'm going to get some work done, and then bed," she told the two others, "I've got a class soon, so…"
"Sure," Naraku nodded, "Oh, Renkotsu called me this afternoon, after you called me. He'll be back tomorrow."
"Cool," she grinned, and strode to her bedroom.
"Watch yourself, Hiten," Naraku warned him suddenly, as the teenager sat back down.
"What dya mean?"
"Bankotsu and Sesshomaru – for whatever reason – are gunning for Tori," he continued, "They both want her, and they're already ready to kill each other. I wouldn't provide them with another challenge, if I was you."
"That's the dumbest thing you've ever said, Naraku," Hiten retorted, turning slightly red.
"Renkotsu!" Tori cried, flying into his arms.
"Hey! What a greeting," he joked, hugging her back. Looking at Naraku, he shrugged. "Naraku told me what happened, Tori. Sorry I wasn't here."
"It's okay," she shrugged, "Naraku and the others were here, so it was fine. And Sesshomaru helped, too."
"The older Taisho brother?" Renkotsu repeated, raising an eyebrow. "What'd I miss?"
"Nothing," Tori shrugged, and then grabbed her bag. "Well, I got class. See you later, Renkotsu!"
"So, where are they?" Renkotsu asked grimly, after Tori had slammed the door shut behind her.
"I put them here," Naraku told him, bringing out a box from behind the television. "It upset her too much to have them hanging around, you know?"
"I see," Renkotsu nodded thoughtfully, inspecting the pictures. "Do you notice this?" he pointed out something to Naraku, who shook his head.
"What?"
"The ones that Hiten was cut out of – they edges are much more ragged, much less precise," Renkotsu told him, "This fits in with what you and Tori thought of. This guy seems to be mostly threatened by Hiten."
"It was before she was dating Sesshomaru, though," Naraku added, "So now he could see Hiten merely as another obstacle, and Sesshomaru – and even Bankotsu – as the main targets."
"Perhaps," Renkotsu thought, unconvinced.
"Boring…" Tori thought, sitting through another session of Myoga's history class. Looking out the window, she noticed Hakkaku standing around. She waved slightly to him, and he grinned back, waving. As the bell rang, she rushed out to meet him.
"Hey, Tori," he greeted her.
"Hey! What're you doing here?" she asked.
"I've got a class around here," he told her, and eyed her. "Where's Hiten?"
"Still in class – and then another one," she shrugged, "I've got a break in-between today. Wanna go for some coffee? I'm freezing."
"Sounds great," he nodded, and put his hand on the small of her back as they walked off campus.
"Where'd you head off to?" Hiten asked, as she met him after their shared class.
"I went for coffee with Hakkaku," she told him, and he relaxed.
"Oh, Mohawk-head," he grinned, "He's a good guy. Well, I'm starving – and cold. How 'bout we go back for some more coffee and food?"
"Sure," Tori agreed, and pulled her jacket closer as the pair rushed down the street to get out of the weather.
"Hm," Renkotsu murmured, as he opened up an envelope addressed to Tori without a return address. His eyes narrowed when he saw what was in it – more pictures, this time of her on and off campus. Ones with Hiten showed him blacked out, or cut out.
"Where is this asshole, damn it…" he muttered, and picked up the phone as it rang. "What?" he snapped, and his face cleared as his boss answered back. "Oh, my apologies, Mr. Taisho…"
"Hey, guys!" Kagome waved, as she and her two friends and brother came upon Hiten and Tori, who were lounging in a booth.
"Hey, Kagome," Tori grinned, and shoved Hiten closer to the wall, "You guys wanna sit with us?"
"Sure," Sango nodded, and guided Miroku into the booth – in-between her and the wall, across from Hiten.
"So, did you have a good time at the party?" Koga asked.
"We looked around for you to give you a ride, but you had already gone," Kagome added, "Jakotsu told us Sesshomaru drove you home – and then stayed."
Hiten balled his fists as Tori sighed.
"Yeah, I had a great time at the party," she admitted, "And yeah, Sesshomaru stayed until my cousin showed back up. Someone had broken in, so he didn't want to leave me alone. So he went through the flat with me, and then we sat until Naraku arrived."
"I told you," Sango said, elbowing both Kagome and Miroku. Koga, next to Tori, cracked up at Hiten's expression.
"Bankotsu mentioned that you're staying with Naraku and Tori for a while," Miroku looked at Hiten, "What's up?"
"Bank's been out a lot, and Renkotsu needs my help with a few things," Hiten lied smoothly, and Tori masked a smile. "Where's Inuyasha, Kagome?"
"Rin called a few minutes before I left to let me that Inuyasha couldn't come," Kagome giggled, "Something to do with Sesshomaru in a rage, and Inuyasha's life in his hands while their parents are gone.'
"I'm surprised Sesshomaru hasn't murdered Inuyasha yet," Tori thought, and Koga, who was a sophomore like Sesshomaru, shrugged.
"He's come close, but that brotherly bond is still there, I suppose," he told her, "Besides, Taisho'd kill Sesshomaru if he killed Inuyasha. They're not full brothers, you know. Maybe that's why they've got so much rivalry going on."
"What do you mean?" Tori asked curiously, and Koga winced.
"Oops."
"Sesshomaru's mother died when he was young. Mrs. Taisho is Mr. Taisho's second wife, and Inuyasha and Rin's mother," Kagome explained for Tori, "Sesshomaru has a lot of bitterness towards his father because of it."
"I didn't know that," Tori shifted uncomfortably, and Hiten nudged her.
"We better get going. Renkotsu's probably waiting for us, and I'm swamped with work," he said, and Tori winced.
"Yeah, me too. See you guys on TUIM later, 'kay?"
"Sounds good," Kagome agreed, and the others nodded as well.
"See ya later!" Tori called, as she and Hiten strode out into the weather.
"Looks like snow," Hiten commented, as they looked at the gray-clouded sky, "I wonder if we're gonna get a lot or not."
"I dunno," Tori shrugged, "I haven't checked the weather for a while. I'll look it up on the net when we get home, I guess."
"Sounds good," he nodded, "I gotta head home tomorrow evening. My uncle's stopping by for a day or two while he's passing through, and I gotta be there."
"Sure," Tori looped her arm through his, "I don't mind. Tomorrow's a weekend, anyway – no classes, remember?"
They remained quiet, and Tori wondered how Hiten handled having his parents dead, and his brother gone for several years.
"I didn't know you worked for Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's dad," Tori said thoughtfully that night. Hiten was shoveling food in his mouth as he desperately tried to catch up, and Renkotsu was reading the paper. Luckily, Tori didn't have quiet as much work as Hiten had – and she had two days to work on it, besides.
"Yes," Renkotsu nodded, "And apparently, the business manager enjoyed my company so much that he said he's only going to take the merger deal if I'm the one that precedes the agreement."
"Sounds like someone's up for a promotion," Tori teased, nudging her brother. "So, when do you have to leave this time?"
"Early tomorrow morning," he told her, and glanced at Hiten. "I hate to leave you both – especially when you're going to be home alone – but this is exceedingly important for both companies."
"I understand," Tori nodded happily, still unaware of the new pictures that had been sent. "If I need anything, Bankotsu and Jak'll be here, as well as Sesshomaru, Hiten, and Naraku, remember? It's not like I'll be stranded, Renkotsu. Besides, I can use some quiet to get my work done."
Kirara jumped into her lap, purring like mad. Tori began to stroke under her chin, causing Kirara's split-tail to wave like crazy, and the cat snuggled into her stomach.
"I know," Renkotsu nodded, and Hiten looked up.
"I'll keep my cell on at all times – the others will too, if ya want," he offered, "None of us'll mind, Renkotsu."
"I see," he stood up, "Now that's settled, I'll begin to pack. My flight leaves at five in the morning."
"Wow," Tori blinked, "That is early. Hey, what's in the fireplace?" Hiten looked at it, and the two saw curling paper inside the flames.
"Nothing but some junk mail I received," Renkotsu answered smoothly, having refrained from telling Hiten either.
"Good night, Renkotsu," Tori waved teasingly, as her brother disappeared into his room. Looking at Hiten, she sighed.
"What's the matter?"
"I guess I'm just gonna be lonely tomorrow," she laughed weakly, "I've gotten used to having you guys always around, that's all."
"Hey, I'm a phone call away," he reminded her, and went back to writing a paper. She sighed again, and cradled Kirara in her arms as she stood up.
"I'm going to bed, Hiten," she told him, and kissed his cheek, "Good night."
"Uh…sure, good night," he said, startled out of his composure.