Snapshots of Life

by Get It In Writing

Kagome a photographer living with her bestfriend Sango is struggling enough as it is. But when her witch boss gives her a raise that she thought she wanted, she is thrown into a world of tempermental demons, chaos, and cocky men who cant take a hint.

9. Unavoidable Rendezvous’

Snapshots of Life

Ch 9: Unavoidable Rendezvous'

Warning: Heavy reading all readers advised to stretch before the reading and hopefully enjoyement of this document.

"Yes…I know, and that's very unfortunate…you don't say... but…Inuyasha! I have to go, he really did that…hmm…no, no I believe you…ok, I'll remember…sure…alright bye!" Rin hung up her cell quickly before Inuyasha could get another word in; sighing with relief once she heard the dial tone. She never knew that sound could be so welcoming. Inuyasha had her held up on the phone for nearly an hour and a half, proclaiming his extreme hatred for his brother. She turned to the sound of her friends laughing at her plight.

"That's some boyfriend you got there Kag, by the way he says hi from the big apple…and other things that I refuse to repeat." She said, setting her hands on the stand up tray over her lap. Kagome frowned and blushed.

"He's not my boyfriend!" she protested lackadaisically, the tender gyrating massages to her temples, and soothing music receiving more of her energy, than explaining where her and Inuyasha stood.

"Says the girl who kissed him." Sango said, her eyes closed and her body relaxed.

"So, you kissed Miroku, but you don't here me labeling you!" She said raising up out of her seat and glaring at Sango. The man working her temples over dried his hands, and moved on to her feet. Much to her pleasure she found that a slow and agonizingly delightful massage at her temples was just as gratifying on her feet, if not more.

"She wouldn't mind anyway, might as well call them boyfriend and girlfriend." Sango's body instantly tensed and she looked over at Rin. Rin grinned brushing the blinding glare she received from Sango off.

Kagome looked at the man with eyes half-awake in pleasure. God, who was he! This man was a gift to the world, his hands worked miracles! Why didn't she ever do this? She never pampered herself like this. It felt so good that Sango's grin didn't seem nearly as important, as she thought it was just some three seconds ago.

"Yes, but I didn't slip Miroku the tongue." Sakiya burst into laughter and Rin giggled at Kagome who was trying her damnedest to act as if she didn't just hear that.

'No comment damnit, no comment!' She thought madly glaring at anyone daring to smile at her expense.

"Eww! Sis! You gave some guy the tongue!" Kagome's eleven year old brother asked, his tongue hanging halfway out of his mouth with disgust. He scrunched his face up and feigned nausea. He already had to watch his sister and her friends get their feet massaged, now this! What had he done to deserve this torture?

"S-Souta! Don't listen to her, she's lying!" she exclaimed. She wasn't actually lying; Inuyasha stuck his tongue down her throat, she merely received. How the hell did he know what that was anyway? Wasn't he eleven? He seemed quite familiar and accepting of it, except for the fact that it was his sister that 'got slipped the tongue'…Hell, how did Sango know!

"Who got frenched?" Kohaku asked, walking down the middle of the spa, two sodas in his hand. Another kid growing up too fast for his own good. While Kagome's mouth was catching flies, and everyone else was attempting to stop laughing, her little brother added the cherry to her ultimate embarrassment.

"My sister man. Mom's going to love this." He said, Kohaku oh'd and gave him the extra can of soda. She covered her face with her hand, shielding her red face from her now very public business.

"No, you won't tell mom!"

"Your mom would probably love to know that Kag, I'll explain for him in great detail so that she can get a more vivid image of it all." Rin said laughing behind a freshly manicured hand.

"Why me?" She whined.

"That's what I thought when I found out some guy actually wanted to give you a tonsillectomy." Souta said, receiving a magazine in the face, unfortunately he wasn't used to his sisters volatile side so it actually hit him. An insult and invasion of privacy all in one.

"Perfect imagery Souta." Sango laughed enjoying the chaos she had created.

"Spell tonsillectomy!" she shouted, her words teeming with passionate, misplaced annoyance.

"T-o-n…" He looked up at the ceiling with brown eyes, as if the rest of the word was hanging from the roof, just waiting to be called out so that he could further anger his sister by spelling it right. Minutes ticked by and Kagome grinned. He couldn't remember if it was spelled with an s or a c.

"Yeah, that's what I thought! At first I was going to take it easy, but now I'm so going to kill you at laser tag. And for your info, that's L-A-S-E-R T-A-G!" her brother blushed with embarrassment, similar to her moment of emotional eradication.

"I can spell laser tag!" he said offended.

"Yeah right man, like our sisters are going to beat us. There's a better chance of us wanting to get a pedicure!" Kohaku laughed at the mere thought of being beat by Sango and Kagome.

"Are you kidding? We'll destroy you!" Sango said sitting up just to glare at her little brother, who found it wise to stand down while they were at such a close proximity to their siblings. Something about the way she said destroy had him uneasy. Sakiya giggled at the sibling rivalries. Kagome shot her a glare, and then smirked.

"You wanna come too?" she asked in a fit of power hungriness. Sakiya frowned and shook her head. She really didn't want to intrude.

"Uhh, think I'll pass on that. You seem as though you might find a way to hurt me, even though the guns are fake…"

"You're probably right. So where are you going to go then?" She sighed, leaning back further into the headrest, remembering the pleasure at her feet.

"Come with us! I promise I won't let her hurt you." Sango urged.

"No, that's alright…count me in on the next one okay? Besides, I already bought a seven o'clock ticket to the movies." She lied, a minute's amount of sadness resting heavily on her words, almost hovering, so that they all felt it. Everyone's eyes seemed to land on her at once, then feeling the tension they all nonchalantly turned away. Kagome immediately regretted her threat and frowned, jumping to correct the melancholy look on Sakiya's face, which was obviously her fault.

"Wait, I wouldn't try to hurt you, just friendly competition." She said. Sakiya gave her a weak smile then frowned and looked away, finding something painful at looking at Sango, Kagome, and their brothers.

"It's not that, as if I'm afraid of you hurting me…" she said, laughing quietly.

"Hey, I'm a force to be reckoned with!" she said haughtily, pointing to her chest. Souta scoffed at her bluster and tapped Kohaku on the shoulder, motioning away from the girls.

"Sure, egomaniac." He said, Kohaku laughing as they turned to leave.

"Do we need another spelling lesson?" she asked glaring at Souta's retreating back, his walking sped up, leaving her question unanswered. She smiled in triumph, receiving laughter from Rin.

"So, what time is your date Rin?" Kagome asked.

"The interview? It's at seven." She said looking at her watch and craftily dancing around the word date. It was already six; damn time flew when you were picking on Kagome.

"We better rap this up; I think you're enjoying that massage a little too much Kagome." Rin said, standing up.

"Finally!"

"Told you my sister had a foot fetish!" Souta shouted from the chairs in the front of the salon. Kohaku started laughing, running out of the door with Souta, leaving nothing behind but a chime from the door as they exited.

"I didn't know that Kagome…" Sakiya said working hard to keep her face straight. Sango immediately started laughing, putting on her shoes.

"What is this pick on Kagome day!"

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Sango asked Sakiya watching Kagome, who was staring at her brother through the door, intent on strangling him.

"Yeah, I'm sure." She sighed, her answer not convincing in the least. Kagome glanced back at the two. Sakiya seemed to be…walking in a daze lately, turning down a lot of opportunities to hang out with them; she even almost turned this down. It was if she was acting as if she was interested, and to a point it seemed she was, but other times she'd just stare off into nothingness, and she had just recently noticed this about Sakiya, or rather Sakiya had just recently begun to do this. She needed this; she needed to have fun…

"Are you going to the theater across the street from the Saltgrass?" she asked, trying to make it sound as nonchalant as she could without arousing suspicions. Sakiya nodded. Today would be the day she officially forgave Sakiya.

"Come on Kagome!" Sango shouted ahead of her.

"I'll be out in a moment, just gotta get my purse!" she shouted waiting until they left to pull out her cell phone.

"Hello, Inuyasha?" She asked, rolling her eyes as he proceeded to say every naughty thing that came to mind. Oddly after her little prank call, hearing him talk this way over the phone didn't quite faze her.

"Do you have Kouga's cell?" she asked him pulling the phone back as he shouted in a jealous fit.

"Please, I promise it isn't whatever you're thinking…thank you!" she said winning him over. She contemplated telling him the real reason why she needed his number, but somehow she figured that telling him wouldn't be that high on his list of favorite things involving Kouga contrary to how friendly they acted sometimes. Sakiya would love her for this…she hoped…

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"You cheated!" Souta threw his controller down shouting and throwing a pillow at his sister to emphasize his point. She caught the pillow and stomped over to him catching the side of his head. Without warning they were engaged in an all out war, hitting and toppling anything in reaching range. Lamps, the Playstation 2, Sango, Kohaku, pretty much everything.

"Who the hell threw that!" Sango shouted picking up the pillow with visible ire.

"Yeah." Kohaku shouted touching the back of his head where the pillow had come in contact with him. He sat his cup on the bar and glared, him and Sango's relation showing strongly as they glowered.

"We threw it!" Kagome shouted with righteous indignation putting an arm around her brother in support and standing to attention. Her brother quickly withdrew his accusing finger he had pointed at his sister and added an empowered "Yeah!" puffing his chest out like a proud rooster. Sango quickly threw the pillow at Kagome without warning, hitting her target flawlessly. Kohaku laughed and Souta avenged his sister, catching him in the stomach. Sango gasped dramatically and jumped into the haven of pillows, throwing a few to her brother. Her brother sent them back, hitting the Higurashi siblings relentlessly. As Kagome reared upward to beam Kohaku with revenge Sango partially deflected Kagome's shot sending the pillow awry.

"Oh no, renegade pillow!" They all ducked as the pillow hurdled off course and straight for Sakiya, whom was currently finishing up Rin's hair.

"Duck!" She shouted to Rin just in time, the pillow missing her head by mere centimeters.

"Sorry!" Kagome shouted sitting on the pillow and cushionless couch.

"Damn right. Sakiya and I would have had to come down there to kick ass and take names!" Rin said.

"I don't miss." Sakiya smirked.

"Idle threats don't faze us." Kohaku spoke up for the group, Sakiya and Rin laughing at him. Kagome and Sango stood behind their brothers, smiles cracking on their face at the trash talk.

"Rin and I aren't your sisters!" Sakiya said picking up the pillow off the floor.

"Yeah, we take no prisoners!"

"Talk is cheap Ms. Reporter!" Souta stood next to his friend.

"I'll let you do the honors." Rin took the pillow and held it above her head, glancing from face to face slowly, building momentum, and fear. Once she finally decided who would pay for the renegade pillow, with a returned one to the face the phone rang. Kagome held up a finger, putting the war on hold, the phone considered neutral ground.

"Hello…sure." She covered the receiver of the phone, confused by the request she had just been asked to deliver.

"Rin, a uh…taxi is outside waiting for you?" She turned to Rin, the statement now a question; Rin who was just as confused shrugged, picking up her ivory purse. Kagome handed her the phone, standing close to receive her answer as soon as Rin was off the phone.

"May I ask who sent it?" she asked, grimacing at the name of the person who supplied her with the free cab ride.

"I thought you were going to drive to the restaurant." Sango said standing up, and walking to her balcony and glancing down at the yellow cab checkered black, an eager cab driver on the inside, his agitation evident on his chubby face. He tapped on the outside of the door once in a while, glancing at his watch every two minutes to stress his hurry.

"Hisho changed the reservations to the Imperial." She frowned. This was never a good thing; Hisho's strong suit was not last minute changes. He needed time to sort out his ideas, many of them full of holes, that Rin was often the victim of. The fact that she didn't know what the Imperial was didn't even faze her. She didn't want to fall into one of his holes tonight damn it!

Sango, suddenly jumped up, plagued now by her own crisis.

"Hisho has our address!" she shouted, cringing in melodramatic anger. Kagome stood sheepishly next to Sango, placing a timid on her shoulder. Sango spun wildly, blanketing most of her angry gaze on the person who dared to interrupt her paroxysm of slightly overreacted anger.

"See…what happened was, I sort of gave her permission to give him the house's number and address, just in case he needed to get in touch with her, because she always here and---"

"Why'd you do that! You didn't even ask me!" she shouted, everyone turning to the commotion except Rin who was busy hyperventilating in the corner.

"I'm sorry! I didn't think you'd care!" Sango glared, and put her hand on her hips, incredulously.

"You didn't think I'd---have you lost your mind! Oh my gosh, she's lost her mind!" Sango said looking at her audience while pointing back at a startled Kagome. "I proclaim my hatred for him every time I see him! Or do you just ignore me?"

"Usually---I- I mean…I'm sorry?" she offered an apology again, the only weak defense to ease the torrent of Sango's anger.

"Aww, Sango, you know Hisho won't come over here, if he doesn't want it to be the last thing he does, and if he does, Just think of it as a chance to physically hurt him." Kohaku said he and Souta now preoccupied with the previously abandoned game.

"Yeah! Your brother's exactly right so there's no reason for you to be angry…right? I promise I'll tell you before I give our number to your archenemy next time!" she whimpered the last part of the sentence, milking the quivering lip and tearful eyes for all it was worth, resting her head on Sango's shoulder. Sango looked down at her, her arms crossed and felt her resolve break, turning her head to the right. She sighed, completely broken, and pushed Kagome's head off her shoulder softly.

"Fine. But for future arguments, that doesn't work on me anymore. It was like a credit card and you maxed it out. The only reason I spared you was because of my little brother." She lied, taking a very uncomfortable seat on the cushionless couch.

"Looks like you owe him Kagome." Souta said leaning to the side as his army man jumped out of the way of enemy fire.

"We'll see…maybe I won't kick your butt at laser tag as bad as I had planned to…" Kohaku shook his head, the idea of a woman beating him at laser tag still ridiculous to him.

"Alright, now that that's cleared up, are you okay?" Sakiya asked turning to Rin. In Rin's excursion into her thoughts on the current situation she had begun to ring her thin purse, flecks of the sequin come off on her hands. She dusted her hands off and smiled.

"I'm fine." She sighed, gathering her courage to blindly walk into Hisho's surprise night.

"I'll walk with you. My movie's going to start in twenty five minutes anyway. Rin waved to them, her usual zest and enthusiasm drained from her, as it so often was when she was involved with Hisho. She shut the door just in time to catch Kagome and Sango's good lucks and Kagome's occasional smirk aimed at Sakiya, but she was too distressed to worry about that.

"Hey Kag, when are we leaving?" Souta asked the pillow fight's appeal already stale in his mind.

"We can go now, but I have to make a stop at the post office first." She picked up a box that sat on the table, shaking the contents of it, which jingled as she rattled the box. The multitude of jingles was so clear that everyone could hear the product of Miroku's two hundred dollars, and spare of Inuyasha's key.

"What's in there?" Souta asked moving to bring the box down to his level. He barely saw what was in the box when Kagome held it up over her head and grinned.

"Don't be so nosey." She winked at him.

"Whatever." Souta inquired, feigning his indifference, really displeased with his height.

"I'd like to know too." Sango said eyeing the box. She looked inside and found only small bulky envelopes, with different names and addresses on each of them. She looked at Kagome who grinned manically, then frowned and shook her head.

"You know what, I don't even want to know anymore." She said. There was no telling what that grin meant.

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Sakiya glanced at Rin and was nearly alarmed by the extreme lines from stress lining her forehead, and her bad habit of gnawing at her helpless pinky, that if alive would scream bloody murder by now. In an attempt to salvage what was left of her freshly manicured nails she had moved to the side of her pinky, assaulting the fragile skin.

"Rin!" she got no answer.

"Rin." Still she was given no answer, just the shift from her right pinky to her left.

"Quit doing that!" Rin let loose a frustrated growl, as Sakiya pulled her hand from her mouth, her own hand!

"What's wrong? A change of plans can't be that…dire."

"It is! I'm sure; I know that he's going to find some way to screw this up! It's like a tradition or something! That man finds the worse positions to put me in, and I'm not sure I can deal with that tonight. I have a feeling I'm going to find myself in a bad position all on my own!" She shouted exaggerating her problem with complicated hand gestures, two nearly clubbing Sakiya in the face. Sakiya thought about her dilemma for a while and smiled knowingly, giving a quiet 'oh' in response to herself.

"Oh? What's this oh?" Rin asked, curious as to why she had to give an 'oh' to her situation when she already explain the problem.

"I was wondering what it was that had you so upset---"

"I just told you, Hisho!" She said, fully believing this lie that she had subconsciously convinced herself was the truth.

"As I was saying, I wondering why you were so upset because I'm sure you've been on at least fifty interviews where you were left cleaning up Hisho's mess, yet you always seem to come out still one of the coolest reporters a star could ever ho so you should have been expecting it, maybe even planning ahead now to cut his idiocy off at the pass, but now I see!" she said as if she had reached some sort of epiphany that allowed her to see the answers to the mysteries of the world. Rin too wanted this epiphany, anything to get rid of this, this anxiety that she had never really experienced before. It was different from any she had ever had, gnawing at her stomach, sending it aflutter, what kind of anxiety did that?

"What is that you see?" she asked curiously, leaning into Sakiya, who was smiling at her discovery.

"Hisho is of no relevance to you Rin. You could easily take his job the way you just bounce back from his screw ups, but once you think past him, all that is left is the King of Ice, as you so humorously put it, himself!" she said, Rin's eyes filling with a light of recognition. She recognized her nervousness, her reluctance to indulge in him the way she needed to, to fulfill her job as she always did; nothing less than exceptional.

This dilemma annoyed the hell out of her. She was not used to treading the ground of her job so lightly, so shyly. It didn't suit her at all. She sighed with extreme exasperation and placed her hand over her face.

"I'm scared? Is that what you're saying?" she said, still, quite annoyed.

"Well…not scared…wary." Rin was shocked by this discovery Sakiya presented to her! She couldn't feign that she wasn't right, instantly pressure ruptured, crumbling away from, aside from the basic stress of not knowing what affliction it was that impelled her. This was completely new territory for her. Rin ran boldly into what every she did, getting peoples back stories came naturally to her, like breathing, and now, now someone was telling her that timidity was now stepping in stride with her? The surprise enticed a sever thrill at mapping him, one that she previously found annoying and tedious. She wanted to know what it was that made her so chary of him.

She turned to Sakiya, her eyes asking for more information to feed the fire of her inquiry.

"Should I be?" she asked her voice quiet but peaking with more inquisition than she could ever get by just asking, who is Sesshomaru Takahashi? No matter how exciting this could seem to be she wanted to make sure she'd be fine running into this unknown, known as Sesshomaru.

"No." she said confident in her negative answer. "There's nothing to be worried about though, Sesshomaru's…different. He likes who he likes, and dislikes with a passion…a very frightening passion, one so fervent that if there were anything for you to be worried about, you'd know. Believe me, you'd know, intimidation would be the least of your worries. He doesn't bullshit…" Rin frowned at her reluctance to explain the complexities of Sesshomaru's character; it still did not ease the butterflies of her stomach. Sakiya led the way down the stairs, giving the darker part of the breezeway into the intensity of the sun.

"Come with me." She jested laughing somewhat as she opened the door to the cab, the driver's annoyance peaking, as he coughed openly into the cab. Sakiya looked in on the disgusting specimen of a man with frown.

"I don't think Hisho would like that." She said laughing, shutting the door to the cab for her. She gave Rin one last wave and a final good luck before walking down the opposite direction of the cab.

'Alright.' She sighed to herself leaning back into the peculiar smelling seat of the cab. The cab driver looked back at her, his features doughy and red, like simply turning the wheel was exertion on his plump body. He looked confused by her presence, running his eyes over her outfit. Rin thought better than to be dismayed, his eyes stopping short of pleasure, but instead merely noticing her clothing.

"You're Rin Iouta?" he asked in a gruff, hard voice, the rattle of a smoker's cough lodged deep in his words. She could smell the cigarettes on the seats.

"Yes." She said. He eyed her again, running his index finger and thumb against the lining of his mustache. She sniffed and cringed a bit at the heavy scent lf cigarettes hanging limbo in the air.

"You know where you're going?" he asked eyeing her one last time, this time stopping at her breasts, making up for his other platonic glance.

"Yeah! I know!" She glared at him slinking down, replacing her chest with her heated glare. Kami this man was annoying the hell out of her. If she knew where the Imperial was she'd take herself, and save this cancerous idiot the trouble.

He slipped out of his pervert induced coma, and cleared his throat, the slightest tickle to it enticing a hacking smoker's cough. When he was finally done hacking up cigarettes, he turned around and, pumped the gas with his boots until the car roared with life, drowning its wheezing start in the engine's commotion.

The man's quick glances weren't completely finished, once in awhile she would catch him staring at her from his rearview mirror. She hadn't even started the evening yet and she was uncomfortable! She glanced at the man tempted to ask him what was the reason for his shady behavior, but her phone rang, replacing her thoughts with answering it.

"Hello?"

"See how good of a friend I am? I'm going to keep you entertained until you get there." Sakiya said.

"I love you!" she said laughing at the good timing. Her cocky smirk traveled through the phone and dispelled most of the nervous thoughts Rin had colliding in her mind.

"Who doesn't?"

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Sakiya had given it her all but she knew that her worries and feeling of being on edge would come back to her eventually. The car ride over only eased her slightly, occupying her mind temporarily. Sakiya had avoided any subject that would remind Rin of what she had yet to do. She stepped out of the taxi, and frowned as the cab driver stayed in his same spot, as if he was making sure she made it in alright.

"You can leave." She said reluctant to leave the man, as his car sputtered out black puffs of smoke over the long line of luxury cars behind him.

"I'm being paid to take you to…Now Studios when you come back out. If I drive off, I'm charging him. Gas ain't cheap lady." He said rudely, a cigarette between his thin lips. It bobbed up and down as he spoke to her. Rin glared at the man, her animosity growing with Hisho's interference. Who the hell did he think he was? She wasn't going to work after she left here! He was really trying her patience lately.

"How about this, let's say that I got out a little sooner than planned, and I wanted to make a couple… hundred stops…" she put her hand on the door, and stood there until the man caught her drift. She leaned against the door out of his view while he thought, and hacked away at a deep set cough.

"I'll vouch for it." She said smirking as the man rolled his window up, and reached over to turn the meter on. He drove off, leaving only a trail of smoke behind him. Her phone danced in her purse, the phone's vibration ironically subtle. She had grown so sensitized by the small vibrations that the smallest jingle caught her attention. Such was the life of a reporter; her phone was her adoptive child, alive with its own mechanical heartbeat.

"Speak to me." She answered adorably, adding her own quirk to the usually cocky salutation.

"Hisho…" she hissed annoyed.

"Were you late? You better not have been. I sent a reliable source myself to make sure you made it on time this time." He said. Rin contained her rage at the audacity of him. Anytime she was late for an appointment for an interview it happened to be his fault, yet here she was receiving blame.

"No, I made it on time; I'm standing right outside the place now…"

"Do you see him?" he said quickly putting a quick end to any attitude Rin might have had building up for him.

"No, I don't see him," she sighed. Hisho sweated Sesshomaru more than any fan girl could hope to. She walked into the large theatre like building while Hisho grilled her on etiquette that he didn't possess.

"I'm not a slob, I know how to eat, with my toes of course, and because I represent you, I'll be sure to burp and wipe my mouth on his suit…" Her boss's voice ceased to nag her for a while, she almost considered leaving that way, until she heard angry ragged breath's on the other end.

"Just playing Hisho, no need to have a heart attack." She giggled, she could almost see the vein erupting down the middle of his head like a crack in the street during an earthquake.

"I don't have time for your games, I'm trying to run a business. Maybe I should find someone who takes things a little more seriously." He said in his angry boss tone, making Rin snort at the thought.

"Sure Hisho, look I have to go, I have to find---"

"If you can't find him, I can give you his cell phone number---"

"I don't need him to save me Hisho. I deal with situation likes this all the time. Besides we both know you've been waiting in anticipation for the day when you would finally have use for his cell phone number." Before he could retaliate with a threat of a pink slip Rin had accidentally closed her flip phone, hanging up on him. She opened it, and pressed the now silent phone to her head.

"Hisho? Oh, imagine that, we got disconnected." She smirk shutting the flip phone again and inserting it into her phone. She looked around, as the room began to empty, and all that was left were waiting chauffeurs, and the maître d' whom was standing with his back as straight as the tall double wooden doors behind him. She smiled as the man gave her a heavy lidded glance.

"Hi---"

"Are you in the right place?" he asked her upfront taking in her outfit not unlike the cab driver. She sighed, everyone seemed to be trying her today.

"Yes, I believe I am. Do I need an invitation?" she asked controlling her growing irritation. Stiffly, the man pulled a clipboard from behind him.

"Name."

"Rin Iouta." She said, watching him run his white-gloved hand down the long list of names. He frowned and looked at her, a blush of embarrassment staining his cheeks.

"S-sorry miss, right this way." He said his sentence oddly shaken. He pushed open the doors, and showed her in, leading her into the grand room.

"Okay, here we go." She sighed.

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She didn't even want to see a stupid movie. Just to prolong the futility of paying for something she didn't want to see, she continuously let people skip her, waiting in the back of the longest lines she could find. Evidence from other nights exactly like this one, she concluded that acting as if you were having fun wasn't quite the real deal.

A family of five behind her captured her attention. There was a mother, a father, and three children. The brother about thirteen was the oldest, and there were two sisters, one, maybe eleven and the other around eight.

"Geeze! You're such a baby!" the older sister said, enticing tight tears from the youngest's eyes.

"I'm not a baby!" she said putting her little hands on her hips and shaking a head of black hair at her older sister, fighting herself to keep the tears in.

"You're both acting like babies." The brother said, laughing at his sisters. To them, the difference in their ages seemed miles apart, but he realized just how close it was, putting an arm around each of his sister's.

"You shouldn't fight. Don't cha know that you only got one sister?" He said his answer to their sisterly spat beyond his years. Sakiya watched the boy talk his sisters into a fit of laughter, ruffling each of their heads of hair. A pang of sadness washed over her, like a wave of nausea from eating bad food. She covered her mouth to hide quivering lips, feeling the weakness of her scars come undone by her sadness. She looked away, refusing to see herself and…them in the children.

No matter how far she pulled her gaze it still stuck to the children, striking something hidden in her. She could hear their laughter spite her, and begin to weaken her, sucking the strength, needed to block pain, away from her. Memories ambushed her thoughts physically painful, and she fully turned her back on the children and the memories in them, in their faces.

"You can go ahead of me. I haven't really decided what I wanted to see yet." She said to the man behind her, feeling the stability filter back into her as the family went inside, having purchased their tickets.

"Are you sure?" he asked, observing her slightly unkempt appearance, her face vaguely torn. She quickly repaired it and smiled the best she could through pain. He took her ruse and skipped her, thanking her with a small smile.

"Damn it." She cursed silently, taking in a deep breath, her strength returning to her. She watched the man whom she had let cut pick his movie, and mimicked his answer when it was her turn. She accepted the ticket from the woman, once again paying eight dollars to see a damn movie she didn't give a fuck about. She just didn't want to be at home, familiarity had a habit of attacking her powerfully, and grippingly when she wasn't expecting.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hisho wanted it to be a surprise. He even had a cab come and pick her up from her apartment just to keep the secret safe. It was more of a surprise for Sesshomaru than her, but whatever kept him off her back.

It was…nice she had to admit. A magnificent chandelier hung beautifully in the middle of the vast room, golden and layered downward, crystals dangling from the many layers. A man played masterfully on a black baby grand piano, twin tailed tuxedo hanging over the black bench like a snakes tongue. A velvety red carpet lay against the floor, leading from the entrance, down the steps and into the ballroom like area, the doors at least fifty feet tall. Tables covered with elegant snow-white tablecloths were placed perfectly in the immense space, people dressed like royalty eating at them, proper and composed. She hadn't expected this; for once her boss had chosen a place with class, a place rich with culture. Hisho was such an idiot. How had he forgotten to tell her about the strict dress? That was all he had to do, how the hell did he forget?

Rin's choice of clothing consisted of tight light blue jeans, designer tears giving the room a nice preview of the flesh from her thighs. She wore an ivory, ribbon lace up corset top with lacy straps that fit intimately against her midriff, opening at the front hem, leading to the back of the shirt which was ruffled and layered at the hem, covering the sides of her bottom but leaving the middle exposed, and black high heels pointed at the tip.

She was the only one in the room not confined to the severity of formal dresses, trailing behind their hosts elegantly, or hair done extravagantly, twisted in awe inspiring loops and curls of various kinds. She, despite her stylish clothing was the ugly duckling of the night, enticing amused gander, and clucking from just about anyone with eyes. She was like a spotlight in the middle of darkness. What had she walked into?

As she walked down the red velvet covered stairs she covered her face with a hand, shielding it, now red and hot, from the gossiping mass of rich entrepreneurs. They gasped and prattled about the colorful maverick that had dared to come to one of the most prestigious restaurants in the city dressed as a…floozy, a whore as some of the wealthy, old trophy hags put it, threatened by their husbands' interest.

She wasn't sure she had heard right, but surly after a bit of hesitation, another floozy, and whore flew past her ears.

She stopped as soon as she heard the term. She had never been judged so viciously before…floozy? Is that what they saw in her? A whore? Sure, it wasn't that vicious of a comment but a hundred people saying it at the same time seemed to magnify the intensity of it a thousand times easy.

'Oh my god…'

She frowned and gripped the mahogany stairwell. The hushed buzz over the room seemed to grow as she paused, finding it difficult to continue with the sea of eyes boring into her. They reveled as they watched her hesitance grow; they watched her like hungry buzzards starving for their next meal. Despite it though, she managed to pull herself and the weights tied to her legs down the stairs. Before she left the house she felt as if she was dressed as stunning as she usually was but now, she felt a mixture of awkwardness, out of place, and ugliness, one of the worse feelings she had ever felt in her life. But through it all she continued to walk down the stairs, her back straight, and her eyes straight forward, trained on the wall before here; all the while soaking them, who were unwilling to except anything different.

Goodness, who let her in?

Who does she think this is?

Where's security when you need it?

As she walked, and dodged leering gazes, she couldn't ignore one; A familiar one, a golden one, a beautiful tawny gaze that separated the crowd and grasped hers whole heartedly. She traveled down the deep molten gaze feverishly, to a nose, to perfectly proportioned lips pushed back in a slight growl, and then to a well-toned chest that was no doubt aquiver with restricted rage.

'Why is he looking like that…?'

'Why...'

She stopped, her gaze turning to that of a deer caught in head lights, her captivated eyes slowly narrowing with every second to tick by; her hesitation and her embarrassment melting away into anger.

'Why…is he just sitting there? Does he not hear them?' she glared, snapping her gaze upward toward the cackling crowd. There laughing which had fizzled out for while in her captivation burst back through her thoughts, louder than ever. She wanted to be left alone to brood over her night in shining armor that was m.i.a.

"Believe it or not it is not custom to wear Versace to dinner, or to buy a car as soon as you feel you want one. No one has the right to judge me, especially not you uppity jerks that have your heads so far up your asses that you can't see what the people of the real world are really like. How would you like it if I referred to you by a half baked assumption like, assholes, or bitches? You would think with as much money as you have you could afford a sense of politesse, and conduct yourself on the level you feel yourselves are on! I ladies and gentlemen am by no means a whore. Sorry to disappoint you all." She thought furiously…or at least thought she thought. By the time she realized, the angered words ricocheting through the frazzled abyss of her mind spewed from their prison and out into the open, loud and proud. She slapped her hand over mouth. No, she hadn't meant to say that at all! Just what she needed, more attention. Honestly though, she didn't mind this sort, it was oddly satisfying.

'Yes damnit!' She sighed and glared at the crowd angrily, pulling her hand down from her face. She wasn't in the wrong, so she wouldn't apologize to them.

Her speech shocked the crowd into pure submission, the scolding knocking the group to the planet earth face first into the humble dirt they looked at with disgust. Some even gasped, staring at Rin with wide eyes. She had just proved them wrong in all assumption of her morality. She had indeed proved she wasn't a whore, was intelligence, and to remind them of their position (which was no higher then a local hobo) added her own flare, feeding them something they had never tasted before; defiance. Yes, Rin Iouta was not a whore just because they said she was. How sweet the restoration of dignity was.

With a flooring sense of renewed confidence she took to the rest of the stairs gracefully, her patience spread thin and her anger flaring. Rin was not the type to harbor a temper, but everyone one had broken her usually sunny attitude and dragged her into a dark, dark place. She was ready to verbally abuse everyone in the room, including the prince himself. She looked forward again traveling down his perfect face, finding herself deeper and deeper into a pit of perpetual rage. Maybe he didn't have to slaughter everyone in the room, but he didn't have to sit there and observe like a jackass!

It didn't matter, she was Rin Iouta. She'd bounce back, she didn't need his help. She handled that situation with her usual vigor and skill. Despite her confidence she felt her resolve to remain indifferent to his face slowly come undone at the small smirk sitting on his lips.

"Bastard." She said quietly to herself stopping in front of the table. Sesshomaru stood to greet her, the smirk also there to pose a rather threatening salutation. The people whom had tried to advert their gazes from her quickly to salvage what was left of their self-respect, that is until their lord became involved. They quickly turned from the twosome, afraid that they had just made very bad decisions.

"Rin." He said softly, grasping her hand delicately on the end of his long fingers. He placed a soft kiss to the back of her hand, prodding the skin with stimulating pricks of his claws. She felt her mind whirl, but didn't pull back, instead she quirked a finely arched eyebrow at him.

He sat across from her, attempting to make her quiver with his gaze, but she remained. Pleasingly, the deep auburn of her eyes still held the raw fervidity and intenseness that they harbored the day they first met, despite her predicament; even more delightful was the slight precariousness of the other emotions displayed through them at the sight of him. Her strength was unlike that of a regular human female. Her stubbornness and determination was different, as she didn't alter herself to fit his mold. She wasn't stricken shy or afraid of him like others. She remained deliciously, Rin.

Rin set the menu between the two of them like a wall, acting as if she really cared what was on it. She had completely lost her appetite, she was living off of agitation, and it suited her just fine.

"Mr. Takahashi." Was all she said, her irritation embodied in a smooth concoction of scorned womanly wiles, and attractiveness. He pulled her chair back for her, fully aware of her cattiness.

"No need to be so formal Rin." He said quietly, amused by her.

"I insist." She said with finality that if said by anyone else would have been considered a challenge, but it just widened his grin.

"As do I."

"I don't know you well enough to address you by your first name." she said dancing around his patience. She said it with such disinterest that Sesshomaru felt something stir within him at her game. She even began to pick at the table cloth at imaginary dust as she spoke to him, refusing to give him those eyes of defiance. He covered her hand with his own, stopping her fidgeting. She looked at their hands as if he was burning through her flesh with those claws, and frowned, traveling up his arm, to his shoulder, to his throat, to very intense eyes that smoldered the fire within her on first glance.

"We can change that." He said quietly with more fervency than anything that she had experienced. He smirked at the blush that slowly grew from the bridge of her nose to her cheeks as she tried to withdraw her hand from the cage of his.

"I---" Suddenly as quickly as the fervency had come it retreated into a stony face of apathetic coolness, and he released her hand.

"Let us begin the questioning shall we?" he asked her grinning inwardly as she bristled against him, holding back a glare. Then, as quickly as he had switched on her she did the same, presenting him with the sweetest smile she could muster. She even went as far as leaning into him a bit, offering her sugary sweet smile dipped into easily quenched temptation.

"Sure, but why do it the boring way? We're supposed to be getting to now each other right? So how about you ask me questions, and for every one you ask me I will ask you one of my own. Anything that comes to mind." She said still smiling, or leering, irritated beyond belief. It just depended on who you asked.

"Very well then." he grinned.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hazy white Smoke hovered above the floor shielding everyone's legs bellow the knee. Kagome walked crouched to the floor, covering most of her blue flashing sensory armor with the fog on the floor. She carried her gun close to her breast like a soldier wading through swampy water in search of enemy land.

"Any sign of them?"

"No." she answered to the scratchy question coming in through her headset. She pulled the headset from her headset from her head as Sango came in stride with her, also taking in hushed whispers from elsewhere. She nudged Sango with her elbow and walked through the glowing purple tunnels quietly, following the dialog bouncing through the multiple tunnels, coming from seemingly everywhere.

They stopped as they entered a giant circular room, tunnels leading who knows where all around them. Each of the tunnels glowed an eclectic array of colors, as not to reflect the other teams flashing red color against the tunnel walls. Kagome ran her eyes over the many tunnels and took to the one with the most noise, knowing the ungainly shuffle of her brother's feet from any where. She motioned for Sango to follow her, as she got on her knees and began to crawl through the tunnel.

They stepped out into a maze of strategically placed walls, full of dead ends and secret rooms. Kagome frowned.

'Not another maze…' she thought grimly, and then remembered how alike her and her brother truly was. As if Souta would go through another maze, three was the limit, and even that was pushing it.

"Why are they making it so hard on themselves?" Kagome asked Sango shaking her head from side to side.

"I don't know it's really pitiful. You'd think they would have given up by now. They're obviously not going to beat us." Sango closed her eyes, a smirk on her lips as foot steps filled her ears. She grasped her gun tightly in her hands and fell to the ground when her chest plate went off, wailing that she had been shot. Soon after her Sango's chest plate went off, and Souta stepped out of the shadows, annoyed.

"What was that?" Souta said cockily aiming his gun in the face of his sister. Kagome picked up her gun and with agitating speed pressed the end of the plastic gun to her brother's head, capturing him around the waist.

"Drop the gun, or the kid gets it!" Souta growled and rolled his eyes. His sister was really taking this too far…then again he really didn't want to lose. This had been the first time they had come close to matching their sisters' scores.

"I don't think she's playing, you better do it." Sango said backing up from her seemingly deranged friend. Kohaku shared Souta's insight on the situation, he too rolled his eyes.

"Geeze and I thought we were the kids!" he said. Then, as if he hadn't said anything, he jammed his gun into his sister's back, motioning with his other hand.

"Go ahead Kagome, make my day! One more movement and Sango's armor will light up like a blue Christmas light."

"How could you?" Sango asked, playing distress.

"Ha! Go ahead Kagome! Lose the game!" Souta said holding his gunned hand and his empty hand up in the air.

"Trust me, I won't lose." She said squeezing the trigger with maddening concentration. Kohaku noticed her happy trigger finger and did the same. Before she and Kohaku could fully tag each other's armor, an alarm went off, and the lights flickered on. Smoke drained out of the room through vents in the floor inhaling powerfully.

"Damn it!" Souta removed his helmet and through it across the room, making it bounce off the wall, and damn near ricochet back to him. Everyone looked at him shocked by his reaction, and his choice of words. Souta never used profanity, and he was usually a pretty docile boy, even shy.

"…you didn't happen to take steroids before we came did you…" Kagome asked. Souta frowned then smiled a smile like a weed breaking through the concrete. Kagome was really taken aback by his outburst. She put her hand on his forehead, under his bangs. She was kidding, and everyone noticed with grinning faces, but her jest quickly died when she spied the blackish, bluish discoloration under her fingers. The bruise was about the size of a half dollar. He flinched and softly pushed her hand away.

"What the hell is that?" she asked, lifting his banes again despite his obvious flinch of pain and skittish behavior to keep her away. He backed away from her, running his hand through his hair and laughing. His laugh was peculiar like he forced himself to emit the stained mirth, to divert the attention from himself.

"I fell." he said grinning. Kagome slowly grinned back, unsure of his truthfulness. Maybe he had a bully. She wouldn't hound him in front of them though; he didn't need the whole world to know that someone might have beaten him up.

"I always said you were clumsy." Her brother looked up and glared playfully, thankful that she didn't press on details of his fall.

"No you didn't."

"Oh…well, I'm saying it now, along with you guys suck."

"Please, it's a tie!" Kohaku said making threatening gestures with his gun. Sango rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall.

"Yeah, right, this one game. We've played three, and you haven't one once." She said somewhat humorously. Her brother looked at her with a lingering glance resembling a glare.

"Oh please, give a couple of girls a mile, and they take an inch." He said backing away from his sister with his gun aimed for her abdomen.

"I know, they win at one isolated event, and they think they're superman." Souta added, taking a defensive posture beside Kohaku.

"You mean, give us an inch and we take a mile." Sango grinned as her brother glared at his mistake.

"I say we settle this." Kagome looked at her brother.

"I guess we can win one more time." She glared playfully at her brother. Even at her playfulness he didn't back down, meeting her with equal cockiness.

"We'll see." Souta glared at her, secretly thankful that the topic of his "clumsiness" was forgotten about now. Ignorance truly was bliss, for Kagome had no intentions of letting this bruise go uninvestigated.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sakiya trudged up the many stairs in the dark theatre, sour patch kids in her right hand, a drink in her left hand, and her only means of light, the small dull lights lining the outside edge of the aisle; a pitiful means of light for someone in a listless state such as hers. She planned to sit in the first vacant seat she found, but as soon as she made it into the actual theatre she had forgotten all about her plan and when she finally remembered she had to sit to see the movie, she found herself at the very top row.

All that really offered her was a splendid view of the audience, and two hormonal teenagers in front of her, tearing off each other's clothing, as if they didn't explore each other now, they'd never have another chance. All she could see (all she wanted to see) was there dark heads seemingly growing out of each other like a black stringy bush.

She turned her head in disgust, the mere sight of them enticing Akira's name forth in her mind. Somehow he had acquired her new cell phone number, only pushing her life further into the pits of hell, but despite it all she was no longer mad. In the confusion of her pain and love for him, she had convinced herself that this pain was reimbursement for something that was her fault.

"Look at you…you're jealous…" She whispered to herself, surprising herself at the involuntary statement. She had said it as if to stop herself, warn her about controlling the small part of her emotions she still held in her hand. She quickly turned her eyes to the movie, refusing to go down that road. She had never been…jealous before.

She hadn't known she was going to be watching a chick flick. If she had of been aware that the man in front of her was going watch this movie she would have quickly avoided his choice. She thought a man would have selected some action movies that had explosions and blood where it was convenient. Oh well, she had paid for it hadn't she, she'd just have to zone it out more than usual.

She continued to watch, keeping her eyes on the screen as the seats on either side of her were filled, trying to avoid being friendly, or anything of the sort. She wasn't in the mood to fake a smile, and act as if she cared if her neighbor was okay. She frowned, glancing at the man on her left. Then again, maybe talking to someone wouldn't be so bad, after sitting in this movie theatre for so long, she had realized that she was in fact lonely. Her view of the movie screen was obstructed by an arm reaching in front of her intimately, a soda in its hand. She watched it for a moment surprised, then grasped it, frowning after a moment of no sign of moving.

"Soda?" She contemplated pulling the arm off, until that voice filled her ears. It would indeed be roughly impossible for her to pull the arm of a demon off wouldn't it? Hesitantly, and regretfully she turned to the right, her eyes catching the side of Kouga's hat covered head with annoyance, as he watched the movie with almost as much disinterest as she had. He was dressed in a jersey, and baggy blue jeans, she had never seen dressed like that before. His hat was pulled over his eyes as if he was trying to keep low key…from everyone but her.

How the hell did he keep finding her like this? She grabbed his wrist and ripped the drink from his hand. Why wasn't he listening to her? Why wouldn't he stay away?

"What the hell are you doing here?" She whispered in a tight voice, edgy and reminiscent of a growl. He suddenly turned to her mock annoyance etched into his features, only interrupted by a small, microscopic grin.

"Ssshh! I'm trying to watch the movie!" he held back his smirk by popping some popcorn into his mouth.

"I'm not playing!" she said slightly louder, pulling the popcorn from him. Buttery pieces of it bounced from the bag, falling onto his lap. He swept them away and turned back to her.

"Me neither." He said laughing with the crowd as they laughed, what they were actually laughing at unknown. She stared at him his pleasure tedious to her. She sighed heavily and turned the other direction.

"Can you just go away?" she asked, moving to stand up. He grabbed her hand sensing her weariness. He frowned bringing her hand to him, encased in his. Her pessimistic aura had him worried, he felt as though she was lost in something that wasn't visual to him, something he couldn't fight away for her. He could feel it in his chest that she wasn't herself. She stared at their hands, faintly taken aback by his small embrace. It was so subtle, so comforting and so small that it lit the bridge of her nose like a small fire.

"Are you okay?" he asked, her lack of anger and cynical remarks ironically making him worry. She felt that familiar energy drainage that came along with Kouga's odder, compassion filled embraces. He had eclectic modes of embraces that puzzled her. One minute he'd look at her or touch her like he hadn't seen a woman in years then, he suddenly switched to something so intoxicating, it was reminiscent of love.

She frowned once she realized her surprise and unstable emotions were conveying across her face. She turned her head, her eyes burning. Painfully, she wondered could he see it. Could he feel what she was trying so hard to hide? Inexplicably he was reading into her, his insight far too great for her to conceal. What was he doing to her? She suddenly wanted to tell him everything, it hurt to keep it in, but didn't she a moment ago want him to just leave her alone?

Why did she turn away from him like that? He wanted to see what it was that was hurting her. He wanted to take it away, but she wouldn't let him.

He had never expected to desire her in this manner. Up until recently, her resistance to him and her subtle signs of attraction was enough. Lately he could feel himself angered by the thought that she didn't trust him with her all. It was irritating to think that she couldn't find some type of comfort in him…besides a sexual one. With most girls he would have transcended this point and their indulgence in him would quickly have become tiring, but with her he wanted it. He wanted her so bad…

'So I have to change my tactics.' His mind brushed off his compassionate change in his routine. She was worth it.

"I'm fine." The intensity in his eyes lessened into a thoughtful quiver, her reserved attitude arousing feelings of dominance in him. She turned from him, glaring at the seat because she was unable to do it to him. He swallowed the lusty, impatient lump in his throat and allowed himself to glance deeper into her withdrawal. He laced his fingers within hers, to get a tighter grip on her and pulled her into him. No matter how much of a "wolf" he was, he didn't want to see her unhappy.

'What the hell?' she asked herself, her body, and her rapid heart beat. With shaky emotions swirling in her stomach, she frowned, her breathing hardening. She could feel the uneasiness inside of her easing into a warmth of comfort. He placed an arm around her lower back, deepening the passionate hug.

"I said I'm f---" Kouga stopped her quavering comeback with a low throaty warning growl. It stopped her words in their annunciation. He squeezed her tighter, his fervor striking her heart with unimpeded feelings.

"Look, I don't know if it's me, or what it is that makes you feel like this, but I'm here…okay? I hear you alright, I hear what you're saying and I'll back off if you want me to. Just…" he frowned, his words more intense than he had wanted them to be, he was even beginning to smother her into him if only to help. He couldn't even project himself properly, it was frustrating.

"Know that I'm here." He said again after letting loose a trying growl, annoyed by the way he was fumbling over his own emotions in front of her. He tried to loosen the connection to survey her response, but surprising he found her clinging to him tightly, her face buried into his chest, her emotions openly displayed on her face. He frowned, feeling her extreme need for solace, and no prying questions. He fully intended on abiding by what he had just told her.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The game had quickly begun to bore him. Now that he changed the rules, it was like laying a game of truth or dare, except no truth, a sort of truth or harder truth so to speak. In changing the rules he had begun a new game, one's whose rules were finely laid out for Rin, the budding cockiness of his answers her only and most important clue. He had slowly been working down her shield unbeknownst to her. She figured he was a jerk with no sense of propriety. Unfortunately for her, it again was his turn to chip away at her already thin patience.

Rin had managed to keep her resolve through the evening, refusing to give Sesshomaru any weak spot in her wall. As he questioned her, she remained indifferent and giving him half truths that made whole lies. What did it matter, he didn't know, and after two weeks they would never see each other again anyway. It had begun to get hard to keep her demeanor as his questions became more and more intrusive, on purpose of course. Even his answers to her questions had begun to annoy her, all of his answer lacking that humbleness that other famous people seemed to possess. It almost hurt her to ask him of his love life again, his answer making her cringe in disgust.

There in her lies laid the answer to his seemingly irksome behavior, for Sesshomaru knew of half truths, and was intent on letting her know that, thus his game. All he had to do was ask her something that she wouldn't be able to recover quickly from.

She was to keep a professional decorum wasn't she? The money, and her strong work ethics were worth the obvious abuse right?...right? Right, she could contain herself for another thirty minutes or so, Sesshomaru Takahashi wouldn't get to her. She wouldn't let him, she had a job to do, and she was going to do it.

"Your turn." she smirked, resting her chin in hands that connected to arms that were supported by her elbows propped on the table.

"What color is your underwear?" He asked, grinning at her reaction. She instantly flushed, and withdrew from her comfortable position on the table to the very back of her chair, into a more stiff, guarded position. After a moment of gawking she closed her mouth and surveyed everything in this little world of Sesshomaru. The sky was falling, and the world's earth was crumbling beneath her feet.

His face remained calm except for a small sliver of a smile on his lips. She stood up a bit, planting her hands firmly on the table, and glowered into his eyes.

"None of your damn business!" she shouted, strangely aware of the jest in his question. It was so ridiculous that it seemed to tarnish his class, but he was so sincerely serious and kidding that it pissed her off. She was trying to be serious, why was he intent on fucking with her?

"Question answer, question answer Rin. You don't want to hinder the rules of the game do you?" He asked her grinning. He had finally gotten her to be real, by way of anger, but real nonetheless. As if he really wanted to know what it was that she slept in, that seemed like something that would be asked by his idiot half-brother.

"This is ridiculous, I'm not answering that!" She stood up ready to end the disastrous evening, but Sesshomaru captured her wrist in his hand apparently the end of the night not his want.

"Didn't you say that we were to answer whatever question came to mind?" He asked calmly, as if he had asked what her favorite food was, and not what color her underwear was.

"Yes, but before I said it, I didn't know you were a pervert!" She seethed, clenching her fist so hard that he felt the muscle and tendon flex beneath his hand. He let out a small sigh, it seemed as though she hadn't learned anything in their excursion of cat and mouse, and yet another insult.

"Sit Rin. I have no interest in the color of your underwear. Of all I've said, have you not gained a small understanding of this Sesshomaru?" He said speaking to her as she faced the other way, writhing in anger.

"No, this Rin has a very vivid understanding of Sesshomaru. He is a jerk." She growled, her face contorted in anger as if he was facing her and able to witness the magnificent strokes of red resting on her cheeks. He grasped her wrist tighter, standing to his full height above her. He still held her wrist, but it was now above her head, the pressure on her wrist not painful, but warning.

"Insults are not necessary. On the other hand, a sincere answer to my question is." He said, controlling his irritation at the gull of her insult. That was three now. Rin thought about his question, but found her mind clouded with anger, and ill tempered thoughts of animosity toward him.

"I don't know. I don't even know you." She did, she just wouldn't allow herself to see what was in front of her. He told her, he let her into him, but she had refused to take the rare gift. It irritated him that she undervalued him so greatly. He smelled the lies radiating off of her, he sensed it every time she watered down her question to keep a safe distance from his mind, the things he felt, and his memories.

"Why not, have you not been listening tonight?" he asked her, running ocher eyes down her face like a phantom touch, pushing her to reveal the truth of her lies. She bristled, and pulled her arm back, annoyingly aware of the fact that she was only free because he allowed her to be.

"I've been listening, but like now, how do I know you weren't kidding. How do I even know what you said was the truth!" she said glaring.

"What reason would I have to lie to you?" he inquired, still roaming her pretty face with discreet eyes.

"I don't know." She said sharply, her frustration mounting.

"What reason did I…" she stopped herself, his insight to her whole "plan" quite obvious to her now. She blushed from embarrassment. She seemed to forget that his abilities were heightened as he was not a human like her.

"Have to lie to me?" he finished for her.

"I…You want the truth?" she said, denial seeming like the fools way out at this point.

"First off, your friends are assholes." She said.

"Those people are not my friends. They are merely expendable employees that all happen to flock to the same restaurant." He said, looking down at her. She sat on the table and crossed her arms over her chest, frowning.

"Yes well, they are still assholes. Second, I don't know if you know or not, but you are a very cocky man." She glared, and then leaned back a bit, taken aback by his grin. He loved her honesty, and her naivety. Not many people would dare say anything about him that didn't consist of a compliment or something to that effect.

"Smug, or truthful? Everything that I've told you tonight has been the truth, can you say the same." She rubbed the back of her head, a discomfited blush licking her cheeks with rosy coloration.

"You're not the easiest person to get close to Sesshomaru. The easiest reaction I get from you is a smirk, or a grin, and quite frankly when you do, it ends in me being pissed…" she said, aspects of her nature showing through. The reporter in her called to him, overshadowing her façade of indifference. She had found something wrong with him, and called him on it. Her wit and the ability to keep so well under control was remarkable. Her character and overall personality was puzzling to him, even alluring.

"How so, I've told you everything you've asked of me. It's you who has held back." He said, taking a seat next to her on the table, awaiting her answer.

"How perceptive of you. But really Sesshomaru, I held back? Though you told me everything I wanted to know the constant game you weaved to make the fact that you saw my own game didn't escape me. I'm smarter than my boss takes me for… But, we are adults aren't we? All kidding aside I should have kept to my end of the deal, ask me anything, I promise I'll answer truthfully." She grinned standing in front of him, her arms still crossed over her chest. His eyebrows raised in surprise, disappearing behind the fringe of his bangs. Maybe it was he that underestimated her.

"Are you angry?" he asked. She opened her mouth to ask about what, and then glanced over her shoulder at their audience, and the answer suddenly came to her. He wanted to know was she still angry about him letting his employees publicly maul at her moral fiber, and her pride.

"I was…am, but not as much. In fact, I'm ready to start again. It would be a shame to waste a whole day of good material just because I mentally blocked out everything you were saying to me to make room for my raging ire." She held out her hand to him, as if that would erase the past hour or so, and begin it new. He smirked, her defiance, and recklessness with his image, and the rumors about him refreshing. It was like she was a girl being released into a whole new world, anything could happen, yet she pressed forward unafraid of anything he could think to say.

"Hi, Sesshomaru. We've got a lot of work to do don't we?"

"Indeed." He took her hand and once again kissed it, this time every exquisite detail about it and his lips failed to escape her, making her blush.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In the midst of the milestone in their relationship, the two seemed to have been blissfully unaware of how loudly they had been talking, but others weren't quite as lucky to obtain the bliss. Popcorn from the next row collided with Sakiya's cheek, leaving a greasy smudge were the lukewarm kernel had impacted. She looked up drained at her rawness, looked to Kouga and blushed at her moment of weakness. Then, suddenly aware that someone had just pelted her with a movie snack, she turned to the next row, glaring at all of its occupants.

The flying food gained more of her attention than the now annoyed Kouga would have liked, in fact it prompted him to growl, his growl far exceeding the movies soft mushy music. She pushed him off of her with fury, sending him and his growl away.

"Oops." The girl who recently had her boyfriend's tongue jammed down her throat sneered at Sakiya.

"Dude, shush! We're trying to watch a movie!" Her boyfriend interjected, throwing his annoyance more at Kouga than her, leaving Sakiya to his girlfriend.

"Yeah!" So, the two love birds decided to watch the movie. Sakiya growled, clenching her fist. Who the hell did those little punks think they were, throwing popcorn at her! Sure she was talking a little loud, but a shush, or a simple 'excuse me' would have been suffice. The little tramp didn't have to throw food at her.

She could hear Kouga's temper rage at the audacity of the two. She put her hand on his chest stopping him. She could feel his growl travel through her bones, rattling in her ears. Sakiya took some of Kouga's popcorn and returned the gesture, hers hitting the girl's boyfriend in the back of the head. Her original flare seemed to have returned, as she strangely felt lighter. She would have laughed at their idiocy if she hadn't of been so irate. He turned around showing the peak of his annoyance on his face. His girlfriend touched his arm lightly and frowned at Sakiya and Kouga.

"Its okay baby, ignore that bitch and her stupid boyfriend." His girlfriend glared at Sakiya with accusing brown eyes, filled with the movie reflections of the movie, and resentment. Sakiya moved to stand up, but Kouga restrained her, grasping her wrist softly. He was pleased, pleased that she was pissed about being called a bitch, and not breaking her neck to shout 'he is not my boyfriend!' Though he was pleased, he was still pissed, ready to slam the challenging man's head through the concrete floor. What was worse was the man didn't know he was in danger, apparently he nor his girlfriend recognized him, and while in some was that was good in others it wasn't.

"This bi---" she started heatedly to Kouga, but her boyfriend turned around again and shushed them, in a loud exaggerated manner irritating Kouga's already growing agitation.

"What is it, do you not understand the meaning of shut up or what?" the girl glared, letting loose another barrage of candy backward and into Kouga's face, as if to upset Sakiya by littering on her 'boyfriend'. Sakiya laughed, and Kouga shot her a dirty glare, picking the food off with quick tempered flicks of his wrist.

"What's wrong, you don't like that kind?" she asked, a smile creeping into her features.

'Suddenly you're playful?' he glared. He picked a couple of chocolate covered raisins off of himself and threw them at her, his glare still strong. She dodged and grinned picking up his soda. Looking in it she took a small gulp and leaned over the seat between the girl and her boyfriend, giving them a cheek to cheek smile. She poured the cup into the girl's lap. The puddle of orange seeped deeply into her skirt, leaving nothing but a mound of ice in her frigid lap.

The girl's boyfriend's mouth took on the form of an annunciated 'o' as the drink seeped in through her clothes and bled into the seat. Kouga's face held a similar shocked expression as he awaited the incurred wrath of the drenched girl.

"Oops." Sakiya shrugged and sneered, daring the girl to insult her or Kouga again. If she somehow found the authority in her sick mind to pour a full cup of orange soda onto the poor girl's lap, she might've found even more authority to do serious bodily harm.

They watched her stare in shock at the cold mess in her lap, wetting her whole ass as if she had urinated on her self. Her shock soon began to evanescence as she took in short choppy breathes, breathing in and out with spasmodic squeaks. Stiffly she flailed her hands in rigorous fanning motions, and then finally gave off a shrill scream.

"Do something!" Her boyfriend tried to consol her but she smacked his hand away enraged by his reluctance to defend her honor.

"You stupid bitch!" He stood up as if on cue, this time turning his rage on Sakiya, his hand raised in anger. Kouga was up, towering over everyone, and glaring.

"Touch her and I'll break your whole fucking arm off asshole." He barked adding profanity like the cherry to his threat. In an instant she was behind Kouga, and he caught the boy with an outrageously powerful right hook, implanting it deep within the boy's eye. He fell to the floor hard, attracting the rest of the audience that her scream did not.

Sakiya's surprise was blatant as she looked over the seat at the boy' sunken in eye. His girlfriend was just as shocked by Kouga's sheer strength. She looked down at her boyfriend to a scowling Kouga, to a shocked Sakiya then back down at her boyfriend. She repeated the pattern, only this time glancing at the small smirk sitting on Sakiya's lips like a trophy to the won battle. She bristled, her concern for her boyfriend's probably mangled eye replaced with her anger stemming from his failure to deck Kouga.

"I am so getting security!" she screamed grabbing her boyfriend's hand and ripping him upward and through the row as he held his eye. Ignoring the protests of anyone who dared to complain about their obstructed view, or laugh at her now orange tie-dye skirt she finally made it to the end of the row, giving Sakiya a sharp glare before she disappeared from her view. Kouga sat back, his anger satisfied. He placed his hand on the bill of his hat, sighing. Sakiya sat down next to him equally exasperated. She jumped up again after a few seconds.

"Let's go. I don't think that bitch's threat was idle." She said. Kouga scoffed and leaned back into his seat.

"I don't give a fuck about security." He said his voice still a little jagged with anger.

"Oh trust me, I know that, it's just I don't want to attract any avoidable attention." She said pushing down on his hat slightly. He caught her drift and she quickly cleared a path to the isle. They briskly trotted down the stairs and outside the theatre away from any possible person that would recognize Kouga through his pitiful disguise.

"Kouga, your disguise sucks. That ass or his girlfriend could have recognized you." She said her voice bordering on a subtle scolding. He frowned, following her.

"Nobody recognized me." He said, defending himself.

"Yeah today, I'm surprised I haven't seen a rag sheet with your name on it yet." She said grinning. He stopped to think about that, and then ran to catch up with Sakiya as she made her way for the street.

"I can give you a ride home." He said beside her as she walked up the street. Again, she shied away. She shook her head, glancing at him.

"I'd rather walk, it's a nice night." She lied, like hell she wanted to walk. She just didn't want to get in a car.

"Fine, I'll walk you home. There's no telling who's out here." He said indefinitely as though what he had just said was word, and was immovable. She heard the thick resolve in his voice and sighed, defeated.

"What about your car?" she defended, looking up at him. He shrugged.

"I'll walk back for it." He said watching the expression on her face as her mind drifted to other things, her absentmindedness apt in the pleasant silence. Her cheeks lit up slightly, and she turned away from him, running her hand through her hair. He looked up at the sky that was dominated by a milky white moon. He sighed and forcefully began to form unwanted words in his mind.

"Hey…" he stopped, losing the will to give her the emotional support he thought she needed. It was so hard to aim for a higher goal for her…her body was so much easier. He had to do it though; he wanted her trust just as badly.

"Hmm." She looked up at him, the red in her cheeks fading with the thoughts of Kouga's embrace.

"I…I meant what I said in the theatre. I'll st---calm down if you want me to…I do hear you." He turned to look at her, and found her view, far off and spacey, like looking into a jade sky full of silver stars. He fell out of his awe, and frowned.

'Damnit, why does she always do that! I'm talking to her! This is hard enough as it is.' he thought, grabbing her chin with a stern, yet gentle hand. He stopped walking, showing her the seriousness in his eyes.

"I heard you Kouga." She said thoughtfully, allowing his hand to stay. She stopped, and grinned, intimidated by the seriousness of Kouga.

"I've been asking you to back off since the day I met you." She grinned then frowned.

"It's not you Kouga; believe me when I say it, because if it was I would quickly let you know…" She looked over to him and sighed, almost hating to shatter the smile spread across his face.

"But, I wouldn't mind if you toned it down a bit." she said, grinning as his smile still clung to his face stubbornly. She should have known it would take more than that to disillusion Kouga from what he thought was set in stone. He smirked and put an arm around her shoulders. She grinned, at least he was trying.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Time seemed to be whizzing by as he showed her a whole new Sesshomaru, one whose more exclusive qualities were exercised. She actually got a smile out of him, not a grin, but a smile. In some small part of her mind recognized the beauty in it, and how it emphasized the handsomeness of the man sitting in front of her. She looked at her watch amazed at the hours that escaped them in their quest to rediscover each other.

In the middle of their in-depth considerations with each other she found that he wasn't exactly cocky, but merely telling the truth, and what a truth it was. Putting him to words on paper wouldn't be the easiest thing she had done. It didn't matter to her though, she liked a challenge, and something told her he did too.

"I guess we should stop here for now…we've got to make this stretch over two weeks." She said, hating to stop now that his company wasn't completely killing her inside. He was complex, but he wasn't…he was tempting. He had given her a taste, and she had sunk her claws in, there was no way she was going to release him now. She wanted to find out more things about him, share more secretes, and have more of him. Her curiosity was not unlike his.

"Of course." He said, his disposition on this arrangement set in stone. The article would get done, but not before he was done fully exploring her, taking them to the heights that they could fully go. He felt everything she felt about the situation, and more. Her temptation had nothing on his.

She stood, full off of satisfaction. This man and his components were surprisingly filling, making her discoveries more fervent, and taboo. She felt as though she was the first to reach him on this level, and take the first pioneering steps into his mind. The excitement of what he offered was unparalleled, and the epitome of what she loved of this job, and more. She felt the feelings welling up inside of her, and didn't fully understand them, but she was completely satisfied with the unknown knowledge. If she did discover the root of her high, she'd probably regret it. Reporters often didn't think about things like they should, it was a tragic flaw, and right now she loved it.

"Come Rin, I believe we have a matter to address." He said giving her a gentle tug as he began to walk. She followed him quietly, her eyes taking in their laced hands, and her stomach taking in the "unknown" feelings in the form of butterflies with big chaotic wings. He held tightly giving her no room to wiggle free if she so wished, his fancy growing with the blush on her cheeks. She could feel the tickle of his claws against the back of her hand, as he led the way.

She found it hard to frown at facing the crowd again, this time around, she felt comforted, and at ease.

Silence seemed to reign over the room dispelling all thoughts of demoralizing comments about the refreshing addition to the clientele. The silence wore a black suit with white pinstripes falling vertically over his jacket and pants, it fit perfectly to his desirable build, fueling more of the female recognition. Eyes in vast numbers stuck to the confident strides of the deadly white calm taking to the stairs, one hand in his pocket, and the other latched onto their bad decision. He showed his dominance over the room and its occupants. His beautiful white hair rested at his waist, each strand perfect in their position, embodying the peace that resided over the room and his face, though his eyes held the slightest tinge of annoyance…and fiery anger…

He stopped walking, and released Rin's hand, facing the crowd, whose pale faces held foresight of this event that was taking place.

Rin stood back from him, anger that he had been harvesting hanging over him like a dark ominous cloud. He had managed his rage well like he always seemed to do, but now, now it was at full force, his irritation at bottling it only making his wrath worse. Sesshomaru was not the type to hold his tongue, and wrestle with thoughts in his mind to keep them quiet, so what was it that had incurred this odd behavior, which had no doubt never been done before.

"Be not fools. With what class do you claim you have are you presenting tonight? I've seen more class outside on the streets, the homes of the destitute that you've no doubt judged with equal viciousness. She is no whore, and you will never again insult her thusly, or you all will pay for you invectiveness. I hold your air of high status which you boast so magnificently in my hand, and I don't make idle threats." He said, in a low poisonous voice that eerily filled the entire room with stifling fear. His eyes glowed a hot gold, angry and raw.

He again took her hand, and led her up the remainder of the stairs, grinning at the confusion on her face. He didn't answer the question rattling through her mind and across her face until they were on the lip of the curve, and he had hailed her a cab.

He opened the door for her, and rested his arms against the clean yellow metal of the car.

"I did as you wished Rin, I didn't save you." He said handing the cabby what he thought was enough. She blushed, as he backed away from the car and it sped away, leaving her looking behind her at him though the thinly stripped glass.

Her face was red, as she felt the after affects of his gaze that she happened to miss while chatting with Hisho. Was that what made him hold his tongue? Something he heard her say in a fit of rashness, was that what made Sesshomaru Takahashi contain that which he probably would never control for someone else's sake? He took nothing from no one, yet he endured for her.

She wasn't even sure she could explain this paradox of a man on paper. No matter how well the article came out, she would discover who this man truly was.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"We're here." She said stopping at the crosswalk across the street from the apartment. She looked at the thick white lines painted on the street, almost annoyed that they had made it there so quickly. Surprisingly, Kouga wasn't as…dense as he seemed. She could actually hold a conversation with him, and even relax a bit to laugh with him, giving him that smile he so loved. The forty five minute walk to her house had extended some how in to an hour and a half walk. She smiled, not really sure if she had been aware of the information would she have used it to depart his company quicker like one would expect her to.

Kouga grinned as they approached Sakiya's street, more than thrilled that he now knew where she lived. Sure, the actual apartment number was still unknown to him, but it wouldn't be too hard to find her. Her scent was a very distinctive aroma.

Sakiya turned to him giving him a skeptical look to discourage any thoughts of following her up to her apartment. When she glanced at his concentrated face, after awhile her glance turning into a stare, he began to blush. She quirked an eyebrow, grinning at the subtle pink resting against Kouga's cheeks, accentuating the fact that he was indeed blushing, and that he had something on his mind. For someone who claimed to hate him, she read him well. Then again that wasn't her claim anymore; he seemed to be something more than someone to vent her temporary hatred of men on.

"Something wrong Wolf? Hot?" She stifled a giggle as he cleared his throat, embarrassed with the strips of pink on his cheeks. He had been searching for a way to spend time with her while abiding by the rules he had promised to follow, and keep her well within the boundaries of her comfort zone.

"I…We are…" he cursed mentally. This was harder than he thought it was. He did not want to fumble with his words, not now, the way he said this could make it come out the wrong way, thus roughly ending a very pleasant night.

Sakiya sat on the steps of her apartments' stoop and looked up at him, waiting for him to begin to make sense. Since when was Kouga coy?

"I wanted to know if you wanted to do something sometime…" she frowned, was he breaking his resolve this early in the game?

"It doesn't have to be a date." He said quickly, sitting beside her, and placing an arm around her shoulder. She crossed her legs and gave him a playful glare.

"Really, then how exactly will it be?" she asked, watching him lose himself in thought to find the answer to her inquiry.

"Well…it will be…an outing between friends."

"Friends? Kouga, is it even possible for you to be just friends with a woman?" she asked him grinning to the side at Kouga who was acting as though he was deeply offended.

"Just because I find you attractive doesn't mean I can't be your friend. Besides, I promised that I'd back off," he smiled at her. "I'll be a gentleman, come on, you know you want to." He poked her in her stomach, making her flinch in laughter to his surprise. He did it again to make sure the sound he heard was indeed a giggle, and she slapped his hand away, sure enough laughing.

"Stop!" She shouted scrambling away from him. It was hard for him to take her seriously as the rest of her command melted into a giggle.

"You're ticklish?" he asked standing to meet her with a finger aimed for her sensitive abdomen.

"Yes, my deepest darkest secret. But that can stay between you and me right friend?" she smiled at him, grabbing his hand before he could test her secrete again.

"Sure, we'll discuss it later when I pick you up for our…friendly outing." she eyed him wishing she could see into the future for the outcome of whatever decision she picked. Something in his hopeful smile told her everything would be okay, but falling for hopeful smiles of other men had landed her in situations far from okay. Though that wasn't his fault, it wouldn't change the fact that she had indeed been hurt before.

"Kouga?" she asked, finding a detour in the inevitability of her answer.

"Hmm?"

"Do you live around here?" she asked setting her question up to block his access to quick lies.

"No." he said cautiously, unable to see her point.

"How did you find me?" She asked cutting him with slightly narrowed eyes.

"See I…and…what happened was I…what?" he asked buying himself more time to piece together the fractured lie. The narrowness of her eyes shifted into the creation of a glare, and she stood in front of him glaring into his eyes.

"I said how did you find me." She said poking him in the chest. He backed up, avoiding more pokes of her accusing finger, his face showing the confusion of the lie in his mind, and trying to keep it together externally.

"Uh, uh." He stuttered, turning away from her, determined not to give up his source of her whereabouts tonight.

"Uh, uh what?" she put her hands on her hips, determined to make him give up his source. He ran s hand through his hand and looked around as if the scenery would give him sort of inspiration for his untruth.

"I came to that theatre because the one by my house didn't have any tickets to the movie I wanted to see…and I saw you, so I followed you into your movie…" he said, sounding as if he was telling her a story from some book.

'Why do I feel like he's lying?' She looked into the warm blue of his eyes for the proof that he wasn't lying, but instead found herself detoured from her true quest by the beautiful deepness of his eyes, parts of it bluer than others. Looking into his eyes was like looking into the vastness of the ocean, where it began to where it was the deepest.

"Ok…" she said incredulously, excepting his choppy answer hesitantly. He sighed as she retracted her claws, and settled back on her feet and back to her normal height, which wasn't eye to eye with him.

"So?" She looked up at Kouga.

"So what?"

"Is it a yes?" He asked stepping into her now that she wasn't grilling him. She looked up at him and closed her eyes, sighing.

"Okay Kouga." She grinned crossing her arms. It wasn't a date, therefore it was okay. It would be just like going out with Sango or Kagome.

"Great!" he smiled, turning to leave, walking down the street. She stood for a while, her arms crossed, and her eyes resting on his back as he walked back the way they came. Suddenly the lack of the details for their little outing called to her, making her call out to him. His eagerness for her acceptance seemed not to fit with this forgetfulness of the finer details.

"Wait, when where?" she shouted to him her fit almost in motion to run to him.

"I'll call you on your cell phone." He said, still walking as if she should have known that was what he was to do. She nodded dumbly, and entered her building when she couldn't see his content strides anymore. She took to the flight of the stairs quickly, running briskly up the steps, some of them two at a time. As she got to her floor she walked through the dimly lit breezeway slowly wondering why she wasn't wondering if her decision would turn out to be a complete disaster.

She found it slightly perplexing how he had lowered her defenses so that she could feel at ease with him. He got her to let go, even if for just a moment.

When she got to her door she smiled for a reason that was beyond her. She liked the mysterious smile resting on her lips, so the reason was irrelevant. She put the key in the door and twisted slowly. She hadn't expected to end the night at ease after spending it with Kouga Yukio. She was even content enough to let him call her, and without any thoughts of blocking his number.

'I think I've gone insane.' She smirked, her smile growing. Before she could fully get the lock to click open she stopped as a troubling question dominated her thoughts.

"How the hell does everyone keep getting my cell phone number!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kagome stared down at the little boy in her arms as his eyes shifted restlessly behind his eyelids taking in dreams. She smiled, and looked over at Sango and her brother who slept soundly on the floor, the controllers to the playstation still wedged in their hands.

She sighed contently and ran a hand through Souta's hair, frowning as he flinched, and shrank away from her hand in pain. She lifted brown strands of hair from his head tenderly, and examined the fading black bruise in the corner of his head. It was bigger than she thought it was, it was about the size of a golf ball, and the discoloration of it was even worse in the dim light of the lamp, than in black of the laser tag arena. Had someone done this to her little brother? She'd kill whatever brat dared to put his hands on Souta. They used to be really close; she figured he would tell her something like this.

"Souta." She whispered. He did not stir, but instead turned to another side. His annoyance at hearing his name through his dreams displayed on his face.

"Souta." She said quite oblivious to his agitation. This time she nudged him and he turned to her, moaning and opening one sleepy eye.

"Hmm." He moaned, sounding as if he hadn't had water in days.

"You'd tell me if something was going on wouldn't you?" she asked him. His sleepiness dispelled, he sat up opening both of his eyes and facing her, with a face full of something similar to fear. She jumped, as if all her movements were on big gasp, shocked by his reaction.

"L-like what?" he asked frowning. She narrowed her eyes, putting her hands on his cheeks softly. She looked into his eyes trying to read his guarded emotions. Since when were his emotions guarded? He was in the fourth grade that was impossible for someone who had yet to reach the age of shady emotions, and raging hormones, adolescence.

"Anything." She said surprised by his reaction to her question.

"Oh…yeah." He said, plopping back down on top of her, overcome with lethargy, and relief. She looked down at him, as he fell back into deep sleep. He was lying to her! He must have been very embarrassed about whoever it was that was pounding on him…sure, she wasn't certain if that was the exact cause of his coyness, but she'd find out. Surely he was telling their mother, if he wasn't telling her.

There were never secretes between them, every since she moved out, they had become even closer as a family. She'd get to the bottom of this mysterious bruise, sooner or later, even if the truth didn't come from her little brother.

"I fell my ass…" she yawned, and pulled Souta closer to her, watching him until she fell into the grasp of the slumber that had everyone else. It was just one bruise; it couldn't be that bad could it?

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Thanks to my wonderful, forgiving, and very patient reviewers:

Sesshy'sfluffything- I'd put his fluffy…thing (And there in lies the derivation of your name) in it but I don't know what it is…

rockergirl1007- I know you've been waiting nicely, and I'm sorry it took so long, school and other social issues got caught in the crossfire of updating, so hopefully this made of for being gone so long.

Rushgirlygirl- Now you know, and your thirst for closure is slightly quenched.

Rockergirl- Yes, I do, but that doesn't mean that I should take two months to update, so I'm sorry. : hang's head in shame: Please forgive me.

mizushoubai- Thank you

Snoochie- Glad you liked it.

LadyRinRemix- Thank you Mrs. Remix, I will try.

RockerGirl- Please do not allow anymore brain cells to die, if you kill to many ready this might become a little harder. But, I'm back and I did put in a little fluff so, maybe that eased the pain, don't call The Guinness Book of World Records just yet. Thank you so much for all of the great compliments, you make me feel like Steven King.

Robin Autumn- having a reviewer like you makes me feel extra bad about taking so long to update, and might I add I do love your reviews. Wondrous? I hope you really liked this chapter.

Haley- Thank you.

Sarah- Thank you, I try to be funny.

Luna-Divine- have I told you how much I like your name? Cause if I haven't, I really do. Yay, long review, that's not a flame! I love you! I can't believe some people say you talk too much. I'm glad my story makes you feel what the characters are feeling; it makes the story writing worth while. I'm so enamored in having you as a reviewer.

pr3tty iin piink- Thank you, we all love Shippo, and I happen to love him most when he is ruining Inu's day in his own little way. That kiss took a lot out of me, I was trying to make it just right. Kinda hard.

raven657- That's great, Kagome kinda got the short end of the stick there.

fallenangel7583- Since I love your story and the way you write so much, it pleases me when you like the story, so thank you for reviewing with such high intentions, it helps a lot. Man, I have back-chapters to read. You will be getting reviews so expect them!

Sangi- short and sweet, gotta love it.

inulover4391- Oh thank you, thank you. Her ideas though not the same, have given me inspiration for future chapters! Yay for Inulover4391! I guess those monkeys really do their job inside your mind. What smart primates, do they bite? LOL

anonymous- Aren't we all really anonymous? That's my deep thought of the day, so here's a compliment for you since you were kind enough to give me one. Thank you so much, I'm glad you're eager, because things are about to get good!

animedorkette- Shippo's a solider, he flirts with death every time he upsets Inuyasha, so yes, Yay Shippo, and yay you! I'm glade you reviewed and told me what you thought.

kawaiigirl-777- Hope you like chapter nine as much as eight.

toxiclollipop- Thank you! Yes, it was about time something happen between them.

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Alright, here I am everyone, I am back. I am sooo sorry for the long delay; school kinda jumped me in the alley of my life. (Like my metaphor?) You people wouldn't believe how many parties and events have come up between then, but I am dedicated to this story and you guys so my story will not die. I also had a bad case of writer's block which you guys murdered with your wonderful reviews. Thank you for making sure I came back.

About the story:

All I have to say is there will be a shift in the story so be watching out for that.

Things to make you loose your mind while I finish chapter ten:

What's Sakiya deal?

Fluff, GOD will there be fluff!

Sesshomaru and Rin!

Of course, what about Inu and Kag?

What is this shift in the story?

Where's the revenge…oh sorry, REVENGE? (Haven't forgot about that have you.)

Ok all I'm off, I've got stories to finish and homework to do, not to mention kicking ass and taking names (which takes plenty of time in its self.) But, I will not keep you waiting as long as I did.

-Unseen Jade Eyed Wolf