Author's Note: Accolades to my reviewers!

Shadow Wolves: Kimi will show up eventually, don't worry. Rin's fine, she's following Sesshy's floating body, and he'll wake up eventually. You'll see what happens.

Chapter 6

Inutaisho walked through the hallways of his home, wandering who had come calling while he was out. He had a spell set up that would spring on any demon visitor; sending them quickly into slumber, and he'd checked the spell when he'd returned from fetching the girl. It told him that two demons had come at once while he'd been gone, and it had sent them into one of the guest rooms and confined them there while they slept. They were probably still resting, but he wanted to see who it was before they awoke.

Reaching the room, Inutaisho slid open the door and looked inside, thinking to see one of his enemies, but when he saw his older son, he smiled in relief. Of course Sesshomaru would come to investigate. His return to the world of the living was bound to be noticed by someone, and who better than his own son?

He went into the room and drew close to Sesshomaru, stopping in surprise when he found the little mortal girl curled at his side. She was asleep, but she had been crying. Poor child. The spell was supposed to make demons sleep, not humans, and she probably didn't understand what had happened. He could imagine her trailing in the wake of Sesshomaru's floating body, calling his name, trying to wake him. She had probably been very frightened, but it said much for her bravery if she had followed him this far into the castle.

Sesshomaru's little companion, Jaken, was curled up on the other side of Sesshomaru, clutching the Staff of Two Heads with all his might, deeply asleep. Inutaisho smiled and reached down to wake Sesshomaru, touching his shoulder to remove the spell.

Inutaisho had often watched over Sesshomaru while he'd slept as a child, and he noticed that some habits he'd had then were still evident now. He'd blink once or twice, his eyes would open slowly, he'd look around, and then sit up. True to form, he did those things in that order, and he sat there, staring at his father.

"Well, good morning, Sesshomaru," Inuataisho said, smiling. "Feel better, sleepyhead?"

Sesshomaru stared at him. "I'm still dreaming," he said. "This isn't possible."

Inutaisho smiled again. "Perhaps I'd better explain," he said, sitting down on the floor.

Sesshomaru picked up the mortal girl and settled her against his side and listened, giving no sign of how he felt or what he thought.

"But who did it?" he asked as Inutaisho finished telling him what he'd told Inuyasha.

"I'm still trying to learn that myself," Inutaisho admitted as Jaken sat up and looked around. He stared at Inutaisho, and immediately began bowing and scraping to him.

"Enough, Jaken," Sesshomaru told him, and Jaken fell quiet, but it was too late. He had woken the little girl.

"Lord Sesshomaru?" she said, staring up at her protector. "Where are we?"

He smiled. "We're in my father's house," Sesshomaru said, directing her attention to Inutaisho. "There he is."

"Well, good morning, my lady," Inutaisho said, bowing low. "Now that you are awake to grace us with your beauty we may all say that the day has truly begun."

Rin giggled, got to her feet, and bowed back, saying that she was pleased to meet him.

"Well, it's breakfast time, and I'm sure that you're all hungry," Inutaisho said, dropping his obsequious manner. "Inuyasha and two of his friends are here, so why don't we join them?"

Space

Inuyasha explained how his father was back from the dead and what had happened since he'd been picked up by him.

"Do you really think it's him?" Shippo asked.

"I don't know," Inuyasha admitted. "I wish I could ask Sesshomaru if it's him, but that would require seeing him, and I don't want him to see me in my human form."

"Good idea," Kagome said. "Sesshomaru wouldn't think twice about killing you now."

"Feh. Don't remind me."

The door slid open, and Inuyasha suddenly dove under the covers of his bed as if he couldn't do so fast enough. Kagome saw why in the next instant. Inutaisho had come in, bearing a tray with dishes full of food, but behind him were Sesshomaru, Jaken, and Rin.

"Where's Inuyasha?" Inutaisho asked as he set the tray down on the table.

"Ah, in bed," Shippo said, playing innocent.

"Asleep?"

"No," Kagome admitted. "He just felt as if he should lie down again."

"Inuyasha?" Inutaisho said, going over to the bed. "Do you feel all right? Has your fever come back?" He tugged at the blanket, trying to pull it aside, but Inuyasha doggedly held on.

"No, I'm all right," came the muffled response.

"Then why are you under there?" Rin asked.

"I just felt like it!" Inuyasha answered, almost snapping. "I'll just stay under here…"

"But you need to have something to eat," Inutaisho persisted. "Come on, no more games, now."

Inuyasha wouldn't relinquish his grip on the blanket and Inutaisho wouldn't quit tugging, so they were locked in a tug of war that would have been amusing to watch if the situation hadn't been so dire.

Sesshomaru chuckled. "What's the matter, little brother?" he asked. "Are you shy? Frightened of me, perhaps?"

"Don't goad him, Sesshomaru," Inutaisho said, still trying to get him to come out.

Rin, wondering what all the fuss was about, crept around to the other side of the bed and crawled into it underneath the blankets. She popped up in front of Inuyasha's face, scaring him, and with a yell, he tumbled off the bed platform and to the floor.

"Whadid ya do that for?" he demanded of the mortal girl as the blanket fell off.

Sesshomaru stared as Inuyasha winced. His secret was out.

"So this is what you look like in your human form," Sesshomaru said, smiling.

"Don't you dare kill him!" Kagome said, leaping up to protect Inuyasha.

"Kill him?" Inutaisho demanded. "What do you mean by that?"

Sesshomaru felt distinctly uncomfortable as his father glared at him. Whether this man was his father or someone else entirely, he felt like a pup that had just done something bad.