A/N: The beginning of this is basically a recap. I did this for various reasons, but mostly because many of my reviews go something like "it's been such a long time since you updated that I forgot which story this was!" It's also rather a short chapter. It's not filler, but I wanted to have another piece of the story between chapter 21 and the upcoming developments.

The Broken Miko

Chapter 22: Time Bomb

"Where are the children?" he asked as soon as she stepped into the room.

"In the solarium. Don't worry about them. I posted several extra guards so that they could play in peace. I was the one who got all the nasty looks anyway," she responded, instinctively aware of the reason for his concern. She shed her shoes by the doorway and settled onto the cushion next to the celestial demon, who nodded at her in greeting.

Sesshoumaru finally looked up from his large pile of paperwork, adding a few sheets to the stack Makoto was holding. "They've recovered from their shock then?"

"Apparently. Didn't you get any dirty stares on your way up here?" Kagome asked.

The taiyoukai looked slightly appalled. "They would not dare."

She rolled her eyes, wondering how he could so quickly change from the rather sweet, protective youkai in the throne room to the snotty aristocrat in the study. Sometimes she felt like she should be asking where the pod people had taken her real Sesshoumaru. "Well, they certainly felt comfortable enough to do it to me. Maybe you should have answered a few questions after all. It might have helped them understand some things."

Makoto snorted and glanced up at her. "They'll have their own opinions, regardless of what the boy tells them. Don't let it get you down, my dear. Only when they see what a graceful, talented leader you are will you have any hope of changing their minds."

Kagome blushed and lowered her head. "How do you know I'll be such a good leader of the West?"

Sesshoumaru was taking interest in the conversation again as the celestial youkai laughed softly. "Ah, that's not hard to figure out. You have Sesshoumaru's guidance for one thing and he learned from the best. His father and me." He grinned at the girl until she returned it with her own brilliant smile. "Well, enough of that. We have more pressing issues to talk about, don't we? Come on, boy, explain all of this to me." He gestured to the heap of papers he had plopped back onto the desk.

"Hmph." Makoto was like a second father to him, but Sesshoumaru detested his commanding tone and the way he called him 'boy', as if he was only ten years old. "Kagome, you will explain the situation. Doubtless, you can do a more satisfactory job."

The hanyou arched a delicate eyebrow but shrugged and leaned back into the cushion to make herself more comfortable. "That's fine. You'll get the quick and dirty version and then I'll clarify anything you wish," she said to Makoto, feeling rather tired all of a sudden.

The celestial folded his clawed hands across his lap and nodded at the girl. She had his rapt attention.

Kagome let her eyes droop a bit, the warmth of the fire in the next room finally seeping into her bones. "I loved Inuyasha," she began, barely hearing Sesshoumaru's soft intake of breath. "My friends died and then he did too, all in the same day. He took the Shikon no Tama from Naraku's corpse and handed them to me along with Tetsusaiga. Then he went to die by Kikyo's hand as a full-blooded demon."

"Kikyo?" The name sounded bitter even upon Makoto's lips.

"My soul's previous incarnation, who was brought back to life by a witch who wanted to enslave her. Inuyasha loved her very much at one point, but he loved me by the time he died." Her voice was cold, but not from grief. Instead, anger radiated off of the girl in waves. "I used the Jewel to become a half-demon, giving me the blood to wield Tetsusaiga. Then, when I heard about Sesshoumaru's imprisonment, I set off to find him. And obviously, I did."

Makoto grinned. "I imagine he was rather a blowhard about it." He laughed when Sesshoumaru made a rather rude noise. "Oh, come on, boy. You never knew how to appreciate being saved by a beautiful female."

Kagome gave her future mate a coquettish smile, earning her a stern glare. "Yes, well, we didn't get along too easily at the beginning, but somehow we managed. Washi probably helped with that. Anyway, we got to the village where I had buried Inuyasha and my friends. It was where we had met, but when we got there, Inuyasha's remains had disappeared. I suspected Kikyo. Then, undefeatable shadow creatures attacked me and took my blood."

"Your blood?" the celestial repeated. His eyes were rather wide. "Why?"

"Well, to bring back Inuyasha, as I later found out. But I'm getting ahead of myself." She leaned her head back, resting it on the roll of the cushion. "First, I had to figure out who would even want my blood. I knew there was a lord that was inciting riots in the lands and I knew there was an undead priestess, but I didn't know why they would be connected. Then, I found the symbol of the lord in a book of the gods."

The light that constantly twinkled in Makoto's eyes died and was replaced by a sarcastic gleam. "Ah, I'm going to enjoy this, aren't I?" he quipped.

"It's Amatsu," said Kagome with a sigh. "We're fighting the god of evil."

"Why is it that you tell him the devastating bits of news immediately and yet force me to wait constantly?" asked Sesshoumaru suddenly.

She scowled at him. "Perhaps I like watching you squirm." The hanyou turned back to Makoto, determined to finish this without further interruption. "Amatsu inhabits the body of the human that took Sesshoumaru's mother from the West. Inuyasha and Kikyo are alive and well and working together. When they kidnapped me, the three of us formed a triumvirate of power. We could destroy the world and so of course, Amatsu is keen to get me back and turn my heart black again. It will be hard to do of course, but possible. I'm actually quite a threat."

The celestial gave her a level gaze, putting the tips of his fingers together. "Well, is that it?"

Kagome shrugged. "Pretty much. Sesshoumaru saved me of course, but I'm far from free of Amatsu's power. I can wield Tetsusaiga now as if I'd been practicing for years. I could fight before, with my claws and agility, but it was rather haphazard. Sesshoumaru says I move like a pro now."

"You fight well enough," the taiyoukai murmured, poring over his papers once again. "You forgot to mention the newest addition to the family."

"He already knows about –," she broke off as her eyes got wide. "Of course, how ridiculous of me. Amatsu and Kaori quite possibly have a child, another half-demon. I've seen him in my broken memories of my time with Amatsu I think, but we really know nothing about him."

Makoto appeared slightly bemused as he looked at Sesshoumaru. "You really do tend to attract these half-demons, don't you, boy?"

"Clearly," he answered with some bitterness.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" she asked with a shrill tone.

The taiyoukai looked up at her with shining golden eyes. "Perhaps it is half-breed brothers that I am plagued with. I would say nothing against the mother of my heir."

"You're such a bad liar," she accused, although the threat had disappeared from her voice.

"I never lie," he responded with a smirk. He was rewarded by a charming smile from the girl.

Makoto cleared his throat. "Do I have to be here for this?"

Sesshoumaru blinked and glanced at the celestial with slightly wide eyes. "I apologize. I did not intend to… flirt." He said it as if it was a dirty word.

The elder demon boomed with laughter at the younger pair's stricken expressions. "Calm down, boy. It's just our nature. Until you actually make Kagome your mate, you'll feel quite affectionate towards her. After all, she could have chosen another male, even though she carries your pup." He shrugged. "It's just Kami-sama's way of assuring that she wants you. My brother went through the same thing when he impregnated one of the ladies of my court. They're quite happy now."

Kagome looked up at the ceiling with a small smile. "Well, that is quite interesting."

"It's perverse," retorted the taiyoukai. "Do not expect much."

She rolled her eyes. "From you? Never."

Makoto watched them glare at each other for a moment before standing up. "I think it is high time for lunch. Come on, boy, show some hospitality and feed your honored guest." He turned an eye to Kagome. "You will of course join us, my lady?"

"Naturally," she said, smiling at the way the celestial so easily manipulated Sesshoumaru's actions. "I should get the kids though. We haven't had a proper meal together for awhile."

As they moved out of the study and down the narrow stairs, Makoto glanced back over his shoulder at Kagome. His face shimmered as it peered through his angelic, translucent wings. "I believe that I have a theory about your sudden proficiency in fighting and Tetsusaiga, my lady."

The hanyou arched an eyebrow. "I would love to hear it."

"I remember when Sesshoumaru's father went to have Totosai forge the twin swords. Tenseiga was clearly intelligent. It beckoned when it wanted to act and stayed silent when it would not do anything. Tetsusaiga on the other hand was full of power, pure brawn. It followed Inutaisho's will and was meant to seal Inuyasha's demon blood. From the beginning, Inutaisho knew that his half-demon son would have difficulties keeping his human blood dominant. He had seen other hanyous die by giving into their demon side. But Tetsusaiga seemed only to be a restraint, nothing more. I always suspected that he was underestimating his own Fang."

Kagome listened to him rattle on as they exited the East wing and moved down the hallways. "Okay, I understand all that, but what does that have to do with me?"

Makoto turned a sparkling eye to her. "You're half-human, correct? Not even Amatsu could change that."

"He could give me more power," she answered with a shrug, "but I don't think he really wanted to mess with my blood. The prophecy that spoke of the triumvirate weapon spoke of two priestesses and a hanyou. Turning me into a demon might have upset that. I might have lost my miko powers."

The celestial nodded. "Precisely. He kept your blood but tainted your heart. I expect you were quite savage, were you not?"

Sesshoumaru and Kagome nodded once in unison. "I was horrid," the hanyou said softly.

"Demon-like?" offered Makoto.

She smiled. "Well, not like you, my lord. I was more like the wild demons that Inuyasha and my friends killed over the years. The ones with no mind except for violence."

"You haven't seen me in battle, when I was younger," answered the celestial. "All demons can be feral if the need calls for it. In essence, Amatsu brought forth your demon tendencies without actually transforming your blood. It's quite ingenious really, to keep all the desirable pieces of a personality as complicated as a hanyou's and yet not have any of the downsides. I suspect that you would not have suffered from your night of being human either."

"That would have been nice," admitted Kagome.

Makoto gave her an indulgent smile. "Well, I believe that Tetsusaiga didn't really want that to happen. As much as the Fang seals demon blood, it protects the human side as well. When Sesshoumaru came to you, I would imagine that it tapped into the remaining humanity you had left that wasn't darkened."

"So you think that it protected a piece of me and then took advantage of it when Sesshoumaru shocked me out of my murderous rage?" she asked, watching the celestial nod in agreement. "But that doesn't explain why I can use Tetsusaiga."

"Doesn't it? Tetsusaiga was protecting you. It taught its techniques to you so that you could escape when you had the chance."

Sesshoumaru frowned. "But it was Tenseiga that transported us from the battle. And why would the Fang transfer its power to Kagome, but not to my brother when he was using it? I can think of several occasions when it would have been quite helpful to know its full range of techniques."

Kagome shook her head, slowly coming to understanding. "But Inuyasha always learned the attacks when he absolutely needed to. He was never too late and he always seemed to know what to do when it came down to it. So perhaps Tetsusaiga was telling him what to do, but he didn't realize it." She looked at Sesshoumaru. "Besides, Tetsusaiga is intelligent, not psychic."

"True enough." Makoto shrugged. "Of course, it is only a theory. It's possible that it has something to do with the baby. Or perhaps there was a link between you and Inuyasha during your captivity. I don't think we will ever know for sure, so I would just enjoy it, my dear, and hope that it isn't temporary."

"Temporary?" Kagome frowned deeply and placed a hand on the hilt of the sword. "I don't want to lose it. It's nice being able to defend myself."

"And the skill to slice apart one hundred of my well-trained soldiers is something I truly look for in a mate," interjected the taiyoukai.

Kagome stuck her tongue out at him. "You're just jealous that you had to go through all that training before you could even pick up a regular sword."

Makoto let out a bark of laughter, unsuccessfully trying to keep it back as the taiyoukai scowled at his future mate. "Well now, as I said, it's just a theory," he said, as Sesshoumaru's glare was transferred to him. "I would stop sulking though, my boy."

The hanyou giggled behind her hand. Besides the fact that his presence meant the impending war was closer than ever, she was enjoying Makoto's visit immensely. They reached a junction in the hallway, one leading to the dining hall and the other to the solarium. She looked up at the males. "Will you wait here? I'll be back in a second with the kids." She winked at the taiyoukai. "I was just teasing you, you know."

Sesshoumaru nodded and watched as the girl walked down the hall. The silk kimono displayed her graceful gait beautifully, although she took the steps of a commoner and not a refined lady. It was a powerful stride though, and he knew that she would command obedience in his men.

"Stare any more, boy, and your eyes will fall out."

He broke his gaze from Kagome and glared at his elder. "Don't be ridiculous."

Makoto shrugged. "I'm just observing what it is in front of me, my boy. You know that I've never been a proponent of arranged mating. I loved my mate and I believe that is the proper way. I'm just pleased that you've found that out for yourself, Sesshoumaru."

The taiyoukai lifted his head and stared down at the celestial. It was quite a feat, considering Makoto's size, but Sesshoumaru managed to squeeze an advantage from his height. "I know that you believe that my mind is addled with the desire to claim Kagome as my own, but if you expect me to admit that I love her, you are mistaken."

"You don't love her then?" he asked, quirking a brow.

Sesshoumaru appeared slightly shaken, uncertain how to answer. "I… have yet to determine that," he dodged with uncharacteristic hesitance.

"Of course. Take your time with that, boy," Makoto responded with no little amount of sarcasm. He laughed loudly. "Well, either way, she's a spitfire. Charming girl, really. If you hadn't snatched her up, I might have taken her for one of my sons."

"I doubt your kingdom would have accepted her with any more ease than my own. She is controversial, despite all of her virtues."

Makoto nodded once. "Yes. You may not have noticed, but I did see a few females give you hard looks when you left the audience. This decision might have caused some trouble, my boy. I hope you're prepared for the consequences."

"I am."

"A ruler is no more powerful than the demons he rules," warned the celestial.

Sesshoumaru gave the Northern lord a sharp glance. "A ruler's strength lies in his soul. You told me that when I was just a child. Have you forgotten?"

"Of course not. If I recall, you called me a ridiculous old man," responded Makoto with a laugh. "You were just a skinny, pale pup then, but you tried to be so fierce. It was quite amusing. I'm pleased that you finally realize the truth in my words though, boy. I never thought I would hear my own wisdom come from your mouth!"

"I came to the decision on my own," he answered grudgingly.

Makoto clapped him on the shoulder. "Good! You're finally growing up then. Oh, I know that you've been considered mature for a century or more, but you're still young, my boy. You have an old soul. That's why you're such an excellent leader. But sometimes I worried that your heart was a bit too cold."

"My heart functions quite normally."

"Now it does," muttered the celestial. "Wait until the pup is born though, boy. You won't know what hit you."

The taiyoukai arched an eyebrow. "I have two children under my care already," he pointed out.

Makoto shrugged. "And they're darling, but they don't share your blood. I wonder how you can be so concerned about your bloodline and then forget it in the next moment, Sesshoumaru. Kagome's pup is your pup. It'll change everything."

"I will care for the children equally." It annoyed him to no end that his heart already seemed to be having palpitations.

"I don't doubt that. I am only asking you to realize that you cannot view the pup as your heir and nothing more."

Sesshoumaru stared in slight surprise. "Many lords treat their children as such."

"And patricide is one of the leading causes of death among our subjects," commented Makoto as if he was speaking of the weather. "That is no coincidence."

"No pup of mine will engage me in true battle."

The celestial grinned. He was rather weary of putting the taiyoukai on edge. It was engaging normally, but the twinge of fear in the boy's eyes was rather heartbreaking. "Of course not, my boy. Who could dare to fight you?"

Before Sesshoumaru could deliver a scathing reply, the males were nearly thrown off their feet by an enormous tremor. A great roar echoed down the hallway and the beams of the ceiling began to creak and groan. Clouds of dust formed in the corridor and a second crash rattled the very walls, as if the building was collapsing. Sesshoumaru regained his balance in a moment and shot down the hall towards the solarium. Makoto followed closely behind, with large flaps of his great wings.

"Kagome!" he called through the thick smoke. It coated the inside of his throat like tar, making it difficult to breathe. His next words were choked and raspy. "Rin! Washi!" Even with his demonic vision, he could only see whirling gray dust.

He nearly stepped on the guard who was lying where the door to the solarium had been. Blood was splattered across the rubble. Sesshoumaru didn't need his nose, now filled with dust as well, to tell him that this soldier would not survive. "Where are the children?" he demanded, only slightly tempered by respect of the demon's condition.

"She… she came in," the male gasped. "Then everything blew apart. I don't know… She was so pretty. So pretty." He closed his eyes and died.

The inuyoukai turned away and began to step through the damaged husk of the building. "Kagome!" he called again.

"Sesshoumaru, my boy." Makoto was next to him, floating above the remains of the solarium. "I can't smell a damn thing, but you've got several dead guards back there."

"I know."

The dust began to settle and the daylight began to break through. He had almost forgotten that the solarium was a double story room, with no upper floors to fall upon Kagome and the children. But the ceiling had been reinforced with heavy beams, enough to kill even a demon, and he feared that one of them had fallen upon them.

He wiped the dust from his eyes and began to search with Makoto's assistance. When guards came to help, Sesshoumaru snapped, telling them to remove the bodies of their fellow soldiers but to keep out of the broken room. He couldn't risk any of them to step upon his mate and his wards. He would find them.

Slowly he lifted a beam with the weight of an elephant from the ground, placing it to the side where he had already searched. The explosion had broken even that great beam in two. It was a discouraging sign, but the taiyoukai ignored it.

The dust was almost completely settled now, only hovering around his ankles. The guards were disappearing, uninterested in sticking around to witness their lord's growing frustrations.

"Sesshoumaru." Makoto landed upon the ground. "Did you hear that?"

He looked at the celestial, who managed to be nearly untouched by the thick dirt in the air. "You have far less dust in your ears, Makoto," he said evenly. "If you heard something, tell me immediately!"

"Hold on, boy." He closed his eyes and listened hard. "There! Hear it?"

This time it had been unmistakable. A soft sigh of desperation had emanated from the pile of rubble not ten feet in front of them. If he had had his nose, Sesshoumaru would have found them out immediately.

Carefully, but as quickly as possible, he cleared away the wood and debris until he could see a hand, small and human. Blood was still pulsing through it, although at an alarming rate. Rin was terrified. Continuing his pursuit he finally uncovered the girl, covered by Kagome's body. The hanyou had protected the children with her own flesh. Washi was curled into a ball, whimpering next to Rin.

Lifting Kagome off of the children, Sesshoumaru had a heart-stopping moment of panic. Her face was bloody and the wound on her chest had reopened. It looked as if she had a broken arm as well. He held her closely and buried his nose into her hair, breathing in her rich scent. She was alive. No trace of death was mingled with her aroma. Even the baby appeared to have survived intact. The instinct that had first told him of Kagome's pregnancy had returned in full force, telling him that the pup was alive and well.

He placed her in Makoto's arms and then turned to the children. Besides a few scratches and bumped heads, they appeared to be fine. Rin was unconscious, but already she was beginning to stir. Kagome had shielded them well. He lifted the little human girl into his arms and looked down at the boy. "Can you walk?"

Washi stretched his wings and then folded them again. "I'm okay. My head hurts. Is Mama going to be alright though?"

"We need to take her to Jun. You and Rin are coming too." He walked straight through the rubble and onto the grounds. Makoto followed diligently, holding Kagome as if she was a precious jewel. He recognized this mood in Sesshoumaru. Not that the taiyoukai was usually a profuse talker, but calm in the face of danger act was not like him. Sooner or later, someone's head would roll for what happened in the solarium.

They made quick time going across the grounds and through the barracks. Approaching the infirmary, he turned to a nearby officer. "Major, gather a force of fifty soldiers. Include a few of my assassins. Guard the infirmary."

The rat demon bowed deeply, his black eyes glinting with slyness inherent to his kind. "Of course, my lord. May I ask who we should be looking for?"

Sesshoumaru's golden eyes bore into the major. "Everyone. Only Lord Makoto, the children, Lady Kagome, Jun and myself will be allowed into the infirmary. Break this rule and I will personally gut you and feed it to my dragon while you still live."

"Yes, my lord." He bowed again, his eyes wide with fear. No one took threats from the taiyoukai lightly.

As soon as they entered the infirmary, Jun came hustling over to them. "What did you do to her?" she accused, giving a cursory glance to Kagome as Makoto set her down. "Lord Sesshoumaru, I swear, if you have caused these injuries in some misguided attempt to improve her self-defense, I will be severely displeased."

"I did not do this." His voice was flat.

Jun retrieved Rin and laid her down on one of the beds, next to Kagome's own cot. "The girl is fine. I'll tend to her wounds in a minute. The hanyou is a different matter. How did this happen?" She began to peel back the collar of the ruined silk kimono, wincing as blood spread across Kagome's chest.

"Did you hear the explosion a short time ago?" asked Makoto. "She was in it. She protected the children."

The old healer looked up with surprise. "I did not hear it. My ears are not young anymore, but I examined the bodies of the dead guards. Something that killed all those men would surely destroy a half-demon and a couple children. That is why I believed these wounds were from another incident."

Sesshoumaru stepped up to the bed and ran a finger along the sheath of Tetsusaiga. "It seems the sword may have saved her yet again."

Jun nodded solemnly. "The boy can stay. I want to make sure he's uninjured. But you two males need to leave. I hope you don't have any particular feelings towards this kimono, Sesshoumaru-sama." She held up her claws, still sharp despite their ancient years.

"No," the taiyoukai responded as he moved out of the room and into the foyer with Makoto.

"Liar," said the celestial as soon as they were out of earshot.

Sesshoumaru growled lightly, but said nothing in return. Washi joined them soon enough, a bandage wrapped around his arm and an herbal paste on the nasty bruise on his cheek. "Rin is awake, but her head hurts pretty bad still," he reported. "Jun-san is looking at her now. Mama is still asleep though."

"Is she alright?" inquired the dog demon.

The eagle demon bit his lip, almost slicing it with his fang. "Jun-san says that she's lucky. It could have been a lot worse. I don't know what's wrong with her though. She shooed me out."

The three males waited in relative silence while Jun tended to the girls. Sesshoumaru had enough self-control not to pace, but his mind was whirling. If she had been three feet to the left that beam would have hit her, he kept thinking. She would be dead. The thought terrified him and he was never terrified. It put him on edge.

Finally Kagome appeared at the doorway, pale but smiling. Sesshoumaru swallowed hard when he realized she was only clothed in her inner kimono. Bandages peeked out from where they were wrapped around her chest and her arm was in a split. "Wrong place, wrong time. If I had to have that as the story of my life, I wish it was a bit less painful."

"Are you alright?"

She shrugged. "I have a fractured arm and my wounds reopened, but I'll be fine. Jun said that it'd only take a few days before I'm back to top form. You demons are lucky to heal so fast. A fracture takes weeks to mend for humans."

"A sign that they are the lesser race," said Sesshoumaru, just as Rin appeared at Kagome's side. He cocked an eyebrow at her. "With the exception of you, child."

She beamed at him. "Sesshoumaru-sama, you saved me."

"Of course. Did you expect me to leave you in the rubble?"

Rin ran over to him and embraced him around his middle. "No, Sesshoumaru-sama, but I am still happy that you did. What's going to happen to the solarium though? All of my rare flowers are ruined now, aren't they?"

The taiyoukai nodded. "We will find new ones and rebuild the solarium when the war is over. For now, you must stay in the castle. I don't want you to be outside your room without at least two guards. You are my ward and I failed to protect you. It will not happen again."

The little girl rested her cheek against the metal covering his abdomen. "I'm okay, Sesshoumaru-sama. The guards have more important things to do."

"They will do as I tell them," responded the taiyoukai. "For now, we will return to the castle."

"Jun-san said that Washi and I should stay for the night. She's a little worried about the bumps on our heads."

Sesshoumaru ran his hand through Rin's hair. Sure enough, a large bump had taken up residence on the back of her head. Washi's was on the side of his skull, right over his left ear. "Very well. There are fifty guards outside. Do not try to get out until Kagome or I retrieve you in the morning. If you see anyone you don't know, alert the sentries."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama." She grinned at him and fell back to Jun's side, who had also appeared in the doorway. "We'll be fine."

The taiyoukai nodded and then began to shed his armor.

"What're you doing?" asked Kagome. Her voice was tired but rather curious.

"Giving you my kimono so that you will not freeze on the walk back to the castle," he responded with perfect tranquility. "You are indecently dressed."

The hanyou clutched at her clothing, pulling it closer around her body. "Alright. That's nice of you."

He quirked an eyebrow at her unusual comment, but considering their audience, said nothing. He simply handed her the outer layer of his kimono and put the armor back on. "Then we should go," the taiyoukai said, wondering how the atmosphere had become so awkward when there was nothing to be awkward about.

"Right." Kagome patted each child on the head with her good hand. "Be good."

"Yes, Mama," they both chirped.

The hanyou smiled brilliantly. It was the first time Rin had ever called her that. She waved to them and exited with the two adult males, carefully stepping through the mass of soldiers at the entrance of the infirmary. Once they were in the tunnel separating the barracks and the city, she turned the quiet, stiff-backed taiyoukai.

He noticed her staring. "Is something amiss?"

She shook her head. "Oh, no. No, of course not."

"Very well, then you can tell me what happened in the solarium."

Kagome was very silent for a few moments. "If I tell you," she finally said, "you'll get angry. I know you will."

The guard's words came back to Sesshoumaru's mind. "Did you have anything to do with it?"

Makoto paled a bit. "Now really, my boy. You don't actually think that the girl could have done that, do you? She loves those children and I hardly think she could have done that to herself."

"She can become evil without our knowledge," the taiyoukai pointed out.

The hanyou stopped in her tracks and turned on the dog demon. "I wasn't evil! I would remember that. You're the one that keeps insisting that I'm safe to be around and not evil! And if I was, Amatsu would kind of want me to live, you know? I am part of this big weapon that's going to raze the earth."

"Perhaps."

Kagome peered around the taiyoukai to the celestial, who was looking uncomfortable and quiet. "Do you believe this?"

"I believe that this is a matter for you and Sesshoumaru to discuss," Makoto said wisely. "And I believe that I will attend to my troops right now. I'll see you at dinner, perhaps." He made a quick exit, leaving the pair alone in the tunnel, save for a few guards.

"Leave us!" barked the taiyoukai and the sentries beat a hasty retreat as well. He turned to Kagome, fire lighting his eyes. "What do you know? You can try to hide it from Makoto and anyone else, but I can sense your lies. Instinct binds us."

"What good is that if you don't trust me?" she snapped.

"This is a juvenile argument," he countered, "but if you insist, I will trust you when you decide that I am worthy of hearing the truth."

Kagome turned away and began to walk to the other end of the tunnel. "We'll talk again when you decide that I had nothing to do with this disaster. When you realize that I'm innocent."

"Perhaps…" he began, secretly pleased when this one word stopped the girl in her tracks. "Perhaps you are telling the truth. You had nothing to do with the attack. But I still sense deception, Kagome. If you are innocent, you are still hiding something from me. Something that will possibly lead us to the true criminal."

Her muscles tensed and her head dropped. "You'll get angry," she said, repeating her earlier words.

"Possibly. That has never stopped you before."

She didn't turn to face him, but her shoulders relaxed a bit. "When I got to the solarium, someone else was coming in too. She looked so familiar, but I couldn't place the face. The guards tried to stop her, but I told them to let her in. After all, I had Tetsusaiga." She sighed and brushed a hand through her hair. "I collected the kids and then I smelled something odd. Gunpowder, like the humans use for fireworks. It was burning and so I threw myself over the kids. It went black after that. I don't remember the rest until I woke up in the infirmary."

Sesshoumaru unclenched his jaw. "It was unwise of you to allow the female into the solarium, but I fail to see how you believe I would be angry at you. I am angry at the female and I will not hesitate in exacting her death."

Kagome finally turned around. Her face was burning red. "You really need this spelled out for you, don't you? I never said you'd be angry with me. The woman…" She sighed heavily. "Just don't kill me or anyone else."

A pit began to form in the taiyoukai's stomach. "You've been protecting my emotions then?"

"Of course."

"Well, cease that immediately. Tell me who this female was," he ordered, although he had a feeling that he already knew.

"Kaori," she said softly. "I don't know how, but no one could recognize her. She must have just walked right in the castle and set the explosive and walked right out. I'm so sorry, Sesshoumaru."

He narrowed his eyes. "Why? Why bother feeling pity for me? My mother has been dead to me for centuries. Why should I mourn the loss of her to Amatsu now?" He stared at her, fidgeting and twisting her hair. "Is there something else you would like to tell me?"

Kagome shifted her weight from foot to foot. "I recovered some of my memories. They were about your mother." She listened as a snarl began to form in the taiyoukai's throat. "I don't have the full picture! You can't go flying off the handle for what I'm about to tell you, Sesshoumaru!" she insisted.

"What did you learn?" he demanded, measuring out each word.

The hanyou shut her eyes tightly, trying to keep the tears in. "She loves Amatsu. She worships him. There isn't anything she wouldn't do for him. She would kill you in an instant if she had the chance."

Silence rang in the tunnel, so oppressive that Kagome thought she was going to be crushed under the weight. She finally opened her eyes to look at the taiyoukai. He was a statue, unmoving and cold, looking down onto the ground.

"Are you alright?"

His head snapped up so fast that she didn't see it move. "When did you know?"

Kagome stepped back a few paces. "The night I told you I loved you," she said without hesitation. She saw that he was angry beyond reason and had no desire to direct the uncontrolled emotion towards her. "When you mentioned your mother, I got flashes of my memory back. I saw her kneeling before Amatsu in worship. I saw her impassive face when Amatsu spoke of your death." Her voice became quieter and quieter.

"Why didn't you tell me?" His tone was soft and deadly. "We could have prevented this disaster if we had known of my mother's loyalties."

"Not necessarily!" she insisted. "Besides, I don't have the whole picture. We can't act on this, Sesshoumaru. There's something missing. A key ingredient isn't there, something that could change the whole thing. She doesn't deserve punishment until we know the whole story!"

The taiyoukai seemed to ignore her pleas. "Is there anything else you remember?"

Her shoulders sagged in defeat. "Only the demon we believe is your half-brother. I only remember one fragment of him, when Amatsu spoke of his undying devotion to your mother."

There was another spell of silence, but Sesshoumaru broke it. "I trust that you can make your way back to the castle on your own."

Kagome nodded slowly. "Of course, but where are you going?"

He appeared uncertain for a moment. "For a walk."

"You can't do anything to her, Sesshoumaru," she said again. "We don't know the whole story."

The taiyoukai glared at her. "We know enough. She is not the prisoner, but the lover of Amatsu. She desires my death, yours and the children's. It is unacceptable."

"But Amatsu wouldn't want my death! Why did she blow up the solarium if my death was not in the plan? Something's missing here. You can't just go and throw your mother in a dungeon for no good reason. You're still her son."

Sesshoumaru walked up to her, so close that she could feel his breath on her face. "I almost lost you and the children. And my heir. I will do as I please." He turned on his heel and made his way the exit, disappearing through the door.

Kagome, stunned and scared, shook herself out of her daze and tried to follow the angry dog demon. She ran to the door and threw it open, escaping into the fresh air and a small crowd of nervous sentries. The taiyoukai was nowhere in sight.

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A/N: I'm sorry this is so short, but I thought it would be better to have a slightly shorter chapter than to have pointless, meandering paragraphs. I also got fewer reviews last time, which I think is in part because I take so long to update. I'm not complaining by any means, but I do enjoy feedback. Thanks for understanding and please review!

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