Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not mine. The fates have a vendetta against me and giving me the rights to popular animes...

Reviewer Comments:

Everyone- Just a general comment this week for everyone. First of all, thanks for all the support and patience. I'm going to be trying to get back on a regular schedule for writing for next week, starting with getting out some new chapters this week. I'm still figuring out what I want to do with this fic, though I'm having fun writing it so far. So, here's chapter nine. Enjoy!

Chapter 9

The sun was blazing even as it first grazed the horizon, burning its way across sand and stone while lighting the land beyond the only open courtyard Kagome was able to find. It was here that she sat as it rose, spreading reds and oranges to color her skin with foreign hues. She had not moved from the spot since she had awakened before dawn and ventured outside, a small fox cradled lovingly in her arms-- the only warmth for her shivering body on a chill spring morning.

The previous day had been a long one, filled with stressful awakenings and bittersweet reunions that she was not yet ready to fully acknowledge. Inuyasha's words were still sinking into her skin since their abrupt departure from each other, and Kagome found that she felt oddly frozen- even under the unmistakable warmth of the rising sun. She had been unable to sleep more than a handful of hours, despite her level of emotional and physical exhaustion when she had previously fallen into slumber upon Shippou's proffered lap, and now she found herself wide awake, perched out on a rock in one of the various courtyards in the household of a centuries-old taiyoukai and his human wife in twentieth-century Japan.

The wonders of her life never ceased.

Shippou was curled comfortably in her lap, one hand absently stroking the silky fur of his mammalian form. She had been surprised to find the sleeping kit beside her in bed, undisturbed and as comfortable as though it were a natural, daily routine for a ten-pound red-tailed fox to sleep beside a human. It had taken Kagome a rather long moment of stunned confusion to understand why she had woken in such a state before her miko senses dared hint to her who the mysterious creature was. She had been delighted and mystifying all at once by the silent revelation. When had her little kitsune learned such a trick? Albeit, he was not so little anymore, she supposed…

Nevertheless, the wakeful miko was delighted to cuddle with the slumbering fox, and had carefully carried him outside with her when seeking the comfort of the grey morning before sunrise. In doing so, she found she could not fault Sesshoumaru for his taste in landscaping and real estate.

Much to her joy, although the taiyoukai's home seemed to be built in the richest, most snobbish part of the city (that had been easy enough to see by the surrounding houses and the lavish, wide spaces that were quite uncommon to suburban Japan), Sesshoumaru had chosen an area exactly on the edge of town, so that one complete side of the manor sat facing the slope of a lush, green hillside and the horizon beyond. It was quite a view, especially from the vast, open courtyard of sand and stone that was nestled in the midst of the household. Kagome was instantly enchanted by the scenery. Her greater surprise had come moments later when the sun first peeked above the horizon, blinding and warming her all at once. She imagined the family must have spent much time in this particular courtyard, if this was the way they were greeted by the sun every day, and had absently settled upon a rather prominent boulder to watch the sun come up.

That had been some time ago.

Now she was lost in thought, eyes glazed over distantly as chaotic memories and ideas flooded her head; questions bombarding her every breath, every movement. She agonized over the past that she had shared with Inuyasha, their time together while searching for the shards of the Shikon Jewel and fighting Naraku. What had come of it all? Four years of depression and attempting to move on, only to realize at the end of it all that Inuyasha had been there all along, watching her.

But, perhaps the greatest shock of it all was that she was not shocked at all. In the back of her mind Kagome had always expected Inuyasha to be lurking around the corner, waiting to carrying her away and back to the fantastical world of the feudal era. Unfortunately, it had taken four years of college in another country and five hundred years of youkai life to bring that expectation to reality. Inuyasha's revelation of both his existence and his reasons for avoiding her had only proved to confirm the suspicions that had always lingered in her breast.

It was not that she was angry with him for it. Truthfully, Kagome did not know how to feel about it all, and had simply reacted as her emotions had warranted. She had not expected any of it, just back from college in America and ready to begin a new chapter in her life; a chapter where she was just a normal girl trying to achieve normal goals in a normal world. Returning on that bus from the airport, she had finally been accepting that she was now just Higurashi Kagome: college graduate, daughter, sister. She had hesitantly come to realize that she was no longer the powerful miko protecting the Shikon Jewel, no longer the adoptive mother of an orphaned kitsune, no longer the teenager whose heart had stopped every moment a certain hanyou dodged a blow. That hanyou, she had finally believed, was gone for good from her life. He would never return to her.

But he had. It had been haphazardly and totally unexpected -- a result of suspicion, habit, and some deep, concealed need for it all to be true. She had found Inuyasha once again, and furthermore learned that he had been there all along, through it all. And now, after hearing and seeing everything for herself, she was left with only one hesitation nagging at her:

Why had he never come for her?

The question burned through her mind as she sat shivering on her boulder. He had explained his actions to her so thoroughly, and yet…

"You should not be out." Kagome started abruptly as she heard the monotone voice behind her and felt a heavy warmth settle across her shoulders. Seconds later, the edges of a blanket tumbled into her lap, draping over her bare arms and part of her legs, concealing Shippou in its folds. She looked up as a figure came to stand in her peripheral vision.

"Sesshoumaru," she squeaked, surprised at his sudden appearance. He did not look at her, but instead stared out at the sun. She was forced to repeat his words in her mind before shrugging absently. "I've been out in less when it's been worse. Some of the areas in America get bitterly cold in the winter." She glanced down at Shippou's sleeping form, preoccupying her fingers with running through the soft fur of his coat. She could not remember a time when she had ever had a conversation with the great taiyoukai face-to-face. In fact, Sesshoumaru had always directed his words solely at Inuyasha.

There was an awkward silence (awkward at least in her opinion). Finally, she glanced up at the tall form of Inuyasha's brother. He did not shift, and so she took the opportunity to study him.

The Western Lord was powerful, even just at a glance. Kagome could see it in his rigid stance, the proud set of his shoulders, and the prominence of his haori-clad chest. He was dressed in traditional feudal garb, but for the first time in her memory of him Sesshoumaru wore no armor. His silver hair fell even farther down his back than she once remembered, almost to his knees, and the sapphire crescent on his forehead seemed to reflect back the rays of the sun. His skin was pale and flawless, beautiful in the sunlight, his cheeks bearing the twin magenta stripes of his birthright. The very presence of the demon lord commanded respect and admiration. He was, even by the most hurried measures, magnificent. And that was without looking at his eyes.

Those eyes though… Oh, how she loved that golden color, for it was in these that Kagome saw the family resemblance, and determined that both brothers must have drawn such a gaze from their father. It was the same. Despite their differing personalities, one exploding with emotion every step of the way while the other was as cold as a winter frost, their eyes were the same liquid amber that could look right through you and see everything. Inuyasha had those brilliant eyes, and looking up at Sesshoumaru's blazing in the sunlight made her think of the hanyou and how she would secretly try to catch glimpses of him at dusk and dawn, just to see his eyes.

"This Sesshoumaru will take you back to your home, if you desire." It took a moment for Kagome to realize he had said something, gaping stupidly at nothing. He was forced to repeat himself: "There are business matters to attend to, so this Sesshoumaru will bring you home, unless you wish to stay and talk with my half-wit brother." Although his expression and tone did not change, Kagome could hear the derision in his words.

She shook her head. "No… No, that will be fine. Thank you." Standing, she scooped Shippou up and carried him back into the house, leaving Sesshoumaru behind while clutching the blanket around her. She was, indeed, rather cold, and was eager to be dressed again in her own clothing rather than those generously provided by Rin.

She was relieved to find her clothes laid out for her when she reentered the borrowed bedroom, and vaguely wondered how early the inu household woke to provide laundry service for its guests. Shaking her head with a miniscule smile, she placed Shippou on the bed and quickly dressed, careful to turn the little fox in the opposite direction for safety measures. Once clothed again in her own garments, she kissed the kit gently before turning from the room and heading out towards the entrance of the manor. She made sure to be as quiet as possible.

Sesshoumaru was waiting for her, now clothed in a crisp-looking business suit, hair tied up and away from his face in a long, flowing ponytail. He glanced at her only briefly before stepping outside; waiting to make sure she was following. Kagome, in her own curiosity, unceremoniously shoved her feet into her shoes and followed the silent taiyoukai out onto the manor grounds. Once he saw that she was indeed trailing behind, Sesshoumaru took off in long, elegant strides down a stone pathway that branched off to one side, seeming to lead around to the nearest side of the house. He disappeared around the corner, and she eagerly trotted after in her attempt to keep up. She stopped short once she did so.

The view was even more breathtaking. Where the courtyard had only revealed a small portion of the horizon, her eyes seemed to be filled with it here. She could easily see the gradual slope of the grounds as they tapered off towards the sunrise, and realized that there was actually a tall marble perimeter surrounding the estate, though the decline allowed enough of a gap for the lands beyond to be a great deal more than visible. The manor itself was larger than any view from front or interior, and the lands encompassed a great deal of the hillside itself. Sesshoumaru had certainly chosen a choice area to make his home.

At last, she noticed the stoic youkai waiting for her beside what she supposed was a garage of sorts, and inside she could see the black sheen of a car. Reading his momentary pause for what it was, Kagome hurried to join the Western Lord beside the vehicle. He climbed into the driver's side without as much as a word. Kagome, reluctantly, followed.

She sat rigidly in the passenger seat as Sesshoumaru rather skillfully pulled out of the garage and took off through the manor grounds, out onto the streets. He seemed to know where he was going, and Kagome was surprised to find that he was a steady, careful driver. Somehow, she had imagined he would be the complete opposite and break all semblance of law. She was wrong.

They rode in silence for a time, Kagome watching out the window while her mind returned to its previous mulling. It seemed thoughts of Inuyasha would forever plague her. She was only vaguely aware when she opened her mouth to speak, "I had started to make myself forget…"

"The past should not be forgotten. Forgetting breeds mistakes, mistakes breed regret."

She frowned. "When did you ever regret anything?" The question came unbidden, bitter upon her lips even as she spoke. The sound surprised her, for Kagome was rarely a bitter or resentful person. Even so, she said nothing more, and expected no response.

Sesshoumaru, for his part, gave none, but continued to drive in his usual, stoic manner. Kagome watched the houses pass by and carefully leaned her forehead against the window, feeling the sleep deprivation finally begin to creep up on her.

She had yet to understand the sudden cooperation between the brothers. As it had always been, the relationship was by no means one of brotherly love or loyalty, but she could see a newfound comprehension between them. It was in the way the demon lord sat beside her now, refusing to reply to her demanding question with a haughty, self-assured retort; in the way Inuyasha had not challenged Sesshoumaru's decisions the previous night, but instead had merely protested. Something had changed between the two, and it was not just the time that had passed since her departure.

"…Has he been happy?" She asked it quietly, but she knew he would hear.

He did not respond immediately, and Kagome began to wonder if he would when she first heard the low monotones of his voice: "Inuyasha is not the type to classify as 'happy'. He is still living. He raised the kit. For a half-breed, he has surpassed most of his kind." Kagome's eyebrows shot up, and she turned to look over at the taiyoukai. She was most certain she had just heard the equivalent of a compliment from the taciturn lord, and realized he had done a similar thing upon his arrival at her home the previous day.

But it was not those words that nagged at her…

"He raised Shippou on his own?" The silence was enough of a confirmation. She felt her blood run cold. "W-What about Sango and Miroku?"

"The fate of the taijiya and the monk were of no concern to this Sesshoumaru."

"I see…" Her stomach sunk. She had all but forgotten about her human companions in the day since Inuyasha had suddenly reappeared in her life. It was not that she had ever thought less of her friends in the past four years, simply that the shock of the last day had kept her mind focused solely on Inuyasha and his current life. Sighing, she moved on to her next batch of thoughts, "Aya seems to like him."

"She is a child."

"She's smart. Very smart."

"She is of this Sesshoumaru's blood. She can be no less."

"She seemed bright enough to know what everyone was thinking."

Sesshoumaru frowned at the road. "What are you implying?"

"Nothing!" she quickly amended, pausing and shifting her gaze nervously, "…I just thought that maybe she might know about Inuyasha a bit more intimately… as niece to uncle. They seem very close." The comment earned her a disapproving growl from her temporary chauffeur. "He's attached to her, too." She was met with silence this time, then:

"So he is."

"Does he live with you?"

"Inuyasha has his own residence."

"Then why was he at your house?"

"You ask a great deal of questions, miko." That was the cue for her to shut her mouth, which she did with a decided snap.

Did I just try to grill Sesshoumaru? She had. As a graduate from PT school, she had also been a student of psychology. Part of her job was being able to analyze patients' mental stability and capacity after traumatic events. Of course, Sesshoumaru was no patient, nor had he just undergone anything traumatic (she doubted anything could be traumatizing to the taiyoukai), but she could still attempt to psychoanalyze him.

"If you are so concerned for the hanyou, I suggest you discuss it with the kitsune." She felt the car slow, and saw that they were suddenly in front of the shrine. She reached for the door handle and began to step out. "Kagome." She stopped. Glancing back, she could see he was holding out a folded piece of paper, his expression impassable, "Inuyasha has been restless." She took the paper hesitantly, then stood.

"…Thank you…" With that, she closed the car door and started up the shrine steps, gripping the paper in her hand. She could hear the car drive off.

She continued up the steps and hurried to her house, stepping inside and all but tearing off her shoes as the paper began to burn a proverbial hole in her palm. It was still freakishly early, and the house was dark save for the few shafts of morning light that dared stream in through the windows, causing the air to look dusty and surreal. Kagome rushed up the stairs haphazardly, not daring to turn on any lights and doing her best to keep quiet in her eagerness. She managed to reach her room without incident in the dim hallway and closed the door behind her before going to sit beside the window.

Leaning against the sill, she studied the note in her hand for a few minutes, unable to bring herself to open it. What would Sesshoumaru ever write to her in a letter? It was odd behavior, to say the least, but Kagome conceded that she had also not known Sesshoumaru over the past five centuries. He had married Rin and had children since she had last seen him.

She ran her fingers over the top of the paper. There was nothing written on the outside that addressed it to her, nor was the paper unique in any way; it was common, every-day letterhead that could be bought at the nearest convenient store. What was it that the stoic demon had felt necessary to tell her through the use of letter-writing when he had been sitting beside her for a good fifteen minutes just a moment ago? Or, perhaps Sesshoumaru had not written it. Perhaps Inuyasha had…

There was only one way to find out.

She flipped up the paper with apprehension gripping at her heart, staring at the contents blankly without truly seeing it before she forced her eyes to focus. She blinked, then frowned gently at the paper.

An… address…?

There was no name, no note or message, nor anything remotely profound. There was simply… an address… Whose address? The paper didn't say. It was just a number and street scrawled elegantly upon the paper, nothing more, nothing less…

What in the world?

Well, it must have been an important address if Sesshoumaru was handing it to her discretely after personally driving her home from… his… house?

The situation just became more awkward by the minute. It was still odd to think that youkai were prowling around human society in the guise of nothing other than humans themselves, meshing with the populace as perfectly as if they had always been there… Then again, they had always been there, hadn't they? She shook her head. It was too much to process, even at that point in time. She had been presented with too much information to process overall in the past day.

"Oh, Inuyasha…" she sighed to herself, tucking the address away in her pocket and slowly starting to undress and change into her pajamas. She eased into her bed and pulled the covers over her head with a sigh. She would deal with everything after a few well-earned hours of real sleep, starting with tracking down the owner of the mysterious address.

"Ji-chan… Jiii-chaaan…" Inuyasha groaned to himself as he heard the voice of his niece penetrate the closed doorway of his bedroom. As much as he adored the little black-haired child, her early-morning routine of waking him at ungodly hours tweaked at the edges of his nerves. Of course, he had already been up for hours, but it was the fact that Aya felt the need to come and fetch him before he chose to emerge on his own.

He was tempted to ignore her, but he knew the attempt would be futile as she began to knock rather insistently upon the doorframe. He rose with a scowl and stomped his way to the door before flinging it wide and glaring down at the little girl. Aya was unphased, smiling up at him innocently.

"Good morning, Ji-chan." He scowled. The little minx knew exactly how to push his buttons, and he often wondered if she had somehow secretly taken lessons from Kagome herself by some unknown method. Shippou had told the little hanyou more than his share of stories from their old travels, after all.

"Mornin', Runt," he growled out, brushing past her and wandering out into the hallway, still dressed in his haori and hakama pants. He had not changed his clothing in two days, and while that was perfectly acceptable back in the feudal era where one could easily find a spring to bathe in, Inuyasha found that it was almost impossible to keep moderately clean in the same clothing in modern times without showering daily. That, and he just happened to rather like showers. Baths, on the other hand… Well, it was suffice to say that Rin had once compared him to a dog running head first through sprinklers, but fleeing from a bathtub. Either way, it was more than time for he and Shippou to return to their own apartment. He was growing sick of seeing Sesshoumaru as it was…

He paused as he passed Kagome's room, the door shut. He hesitated for a moment outside, then carefully knocked on the doorframe. "Kagome?" No answer. He frowned and tried again, louder this time, but only silence greeted him.

"Chichiue took her home earlier when he went to work." Inuyasha's head snapped up as he heard Kotan's voice answered his unspoken question. His frown deepened.

"Keh! And? What makes you think I was lookin' for her?" He turned stubbornly toward his nephew, well aware that Aya was standing behind him and most likely smiling that devious little smile few saw. She had learned it from her father, he was sure.

Kotan blinked in puzzlement. "But, you were just-"

"Keh!" It was his only response, and he continued on his stomping rampage down the hallway, forcing himself to forget about the doorway and the woman it had housed only hours before. Damn Sesshoumaru… He was up to something if he was giving rides out.

Instead, the elder hanyou loudly made his way down to Shippou's room, opening the door without warning and barreling in- …only to find that the kitsune was nowhere to be found. Where the hell was everyone this morning!

"ARGH!" Inuyasha was frustrated, to say the least.

"O-Oji-san? Is everything okay?" Kotan was staring at him by this point, Aya all but rolling on the floor with laughter. He tried to blatantly ignore both, and spun on heel. If Shippou was not in his own bed, there was only one other place he could be…

Retracing his steps, he gave no thought to the door of Kagome's makeshift room and tactlessly tore through the papery walls with a swipe of his claws. Sesshoumaru could kill him later, he always threatened to anyway.

Sure enough, the little fox was still balled up blissfully on the comforter of the bed, sound asleep and oblivious to the chaos that was his surrogate father. Inuyasha would soon remedy that.

"Oi! Runt!" He grabbed up the comforter and yanked, the fox tumbling from his place of rest to sprawl upon the floor, transforming as he went.

Green eyes blinked open in surprise and old habits kicked in. Inuyasha flattened his ears before the high-pitched squeal sounded. "Inuyashaaa!" Had Shippou still been a kit, he would have been in tears and crying to Kagome by this time, but as a teenager he settled for the most irritating sound he could make. "What was that for, you jerk!" The whine the kitsune was able to produce was just as annoying now as it had been when he was younger, and Inuyasha felt his agitation peak.

"We're going home." It was all he could manage, unless he wanted to injure the childish fox. Kagome would rend him for that, especially now that she knew he was there in her time. Even without hurting the kit, he was sure he'd hear something about the maltreatment later on, and so he decided not to push his luck.

Shippou was still processing his command as Inuyasha left the room, ignoring the ruined door on his way out. A moment later, he knew the kitsune was following, albeit under protest. Too bad.

He made his way to the front hall and waited impatiently for Shippou to provide them with their normal guises, Rin appearing in the meantime with an indecipherable expression. "You are leaving, Inuyasha-sama?"

"Keh."

"I see… I hope you'll come visit again soon then. Next time you should bring Kagome-sama as well. We can have a decent dinner, perhaps with Kouga-sama and Ayame-chan." She spoke politely, but Rin's words were enough to put him on fire. He fled the house with something akin to a snarl, Shippou following with a roll of his eyes and a wave to the siblings and their mother. As he went, Inuyasha completely ignored the garage, where he knew there were other cars stored away, and opted for the rooftops, taking off with no need for an incentive.

He needed to run, but he knew where that running would eventually take him, and so he headed for his apartment in the city instead. He needed to take a nice, long, scalding shower.

Today was not turning out to be a good day.

AN: So, there's Chapter 9. A little bit longer than usual. Things should start to pick up a little bit more now that everything has been established. Kagome still needs to find a job and her own apartment, not to mention she has that address to deal with. :evil cackle: Hope you liked it!

-Sar