Disclaimer: Inuyasha has never, is not, and will never be mine. :sigh:

AN: OMG! An UPDATE! Yes, that's right. A nice, semi-long chapter for everyone!

All I have to say is: college sucks the life out of you. Sorry about the lack of updates, guys. I'm just doing my best to get through school at this point. But I haven't forgotten, I promise! And you finally get a chapter with a bit of an actual plot introduction! Yay! Information is still vague, I know, but I do have plans for his fic past the normal "Inuyasha and Kagome get split apart, then find each other again and end up happily ever after". That's not really my thing, I'm the twisty type. So except some wicked twists, everyone!

Thanks for being so faithful! I won't stop writing, I promise!

Chapter 13

It had been almost a week; almost a whole week, and she had not seen Inuyasha, Shippou, Sesshoumaru, or any of the modern-day Inu-tachi in all of that time. In fact, she had refused to see them, even when Shippou had come looking for her afterwards, asking Souta to send the kit away. Pain and guilt had stabbed at her heart for the gesture, but she could not bear to see the face of her adoptive son, whose presence so easily reminded her of the inuhanyou she wanted to forget more than ever.

His words had been honest, she had known it as soon as they had fled from his lips, and she could not blame him now for saying it. It had been her choice to seal the well and leave them all behind. It had been her specific choice to go to America for the past four years. She had consciously chosen to flee from the Sengoku Jidai and from Japan. How could she blame him for what he had accused her of? It was true, was it not? She had run from her friends, run from the memory of them and the pain those memories caused in knowing she wouldn't be able to see them again. She had been so concerned with protecting her era from the threat of youkai, that she had blatantly ignored what she was leaving behind until it was too late, and that knowledge hurt her.

She was ashamed.

"Kagome, you're going to be late for your first day!"

Snapping from her thoughts, Kagome took one last glance in the mirror, fixing her hair in its carefully tied braid and smoothing down her pantsuit before rushing out the door. Souta was grinning at her from the bottom of the stairs as she plowed down them and rushed to the door, trying hopelessly to cram her feet into her shoes. She felt as though she were in high school again, especially as she made a grab for her coat and bag before attempting to fly out the doorway.

"You already missed the bus, Sis. You'll never make it."

Kagome froze, then jerked her wrist up to look at her watch, visibly withering at the sight. Souta was right; she would never catch the bus in time. Panic grabbed her and started to squeeze. She glanced around the hallway frantically as though she would find some solution on the walls or behind the coat rack, but there was none.

Her first day and she was going to be late! Kagome felt tears prick at her vision. After the week she had had, she did not need this! She would be fired for sure.

Tears were close to falling when her brother spoke up again. "I'll take you, if you want. I have to get to school anyways."

Kagome blinked, looking up in wonder at her younger brother. "You-you-what?"

"I bought a car, didn't Mom ever tell you? It's not much, but it works." Souta grinned proudly at her, and she noticed for the first time since she had come downstairs that he was fully dressed in his school uniform, a satchel in one hand and car keys in the other, his shoes already on his feet. "I don't use it often for school, but I don't think it'll be a problem today. Come on, I'll give you a ride."

Kagome was speechless, and could only rush forward to tightly hug her brother. "Oh, Souta, thank you! I'll make this up to you, I promise!" He merely smiled at her and returned the hug.

"Don't worry. Just let me crash at your new apartment sometimes once you get one and we'll be even."

Kagome laughed.

Kagome sighed and leaned back in her chair, glancing out the window of her new office and watching the movement on the streets down below.

It had already been a long day, and it was only lunchtime.

The man known as Taisho Aoi had put her to work as soon as she had walked into the building, first personally touring her around Taisho Corp. itself, introducing her to a sea of people and faces whom she would only be able to remember with experience and time, before directing her to an office five floors below his own and telling her it was hers. Normally, Kagome would have been relieved and pleased at that point --the office itself was a choice piece of space-- if not for the rather noticeable pile of paperwork on the desk, as well as several filing cabinets positioned against one wall. He had then informed her that there was yet another room full of filing, which she would have to become accustomed to, as it all pertained to her job and some of the patients she would come to treat. He had then directed her to use the entire morning to go through each of the case files that had been marked of those in her office, starting with those on the desk, not to mention review those she had already been given earlier in the week. Kagome had simply nodded in response, crumbling internally, and watched as her new employer had left her to the stack of files.

She had done as she was told and managed to read through almost all of the files that had been marked, taking notes where she thought it necessary on the conditions on a few choice patients to add to those she had already made in the comfort of her home. She was baffled by some of the injuries she found in the files, spreading everywhere from the mute child of a deceased employee to one who was missing two limbs and had extensive burn scars. There were more than an exceptional amount to page through, and yet Kagome found herself easily beginning to attach names to injuries or ailments, though she knew it would take much longer than just a few hours to come to know these new people. Taisho-san had only specified using the morning to go through the files, leaving Kagome to wonder what she was meant to do in the afternoon.

Sighing again, Kagome leaned forward in her new office chair and opened the next file before her, eyes turning to skim over the text.

Ryuketsu Shino

Age: 24

Patient has excessive scarring of the chest and back, tendons torn in the right shoulder and left elbow. Suffers from night terrors, but will not discuss the dreams openly. Aggressive, prone to fits and outbursts when agitated. Symptoms most likely caused by YKA, although details are undisclosed.

Kagome frowned down at the paper, looking back and forth between the first few lines of the report and the pictures attached to the file folder. It was a problem she had been confronted with since the very first file: strange abbreviations concerning the causes for many of the injuries of the patients. Almost none of the files told her the direct cause of each patient's distress, and she had not found any key by which to decipher the peculiar acronyms. It was aggravating, but a factor she would have to remedy later, as the nature of the injuries often drew her attention even more. Many injuries she had come across reminded her of those Inuyasha had often procured in Sengoku Jidai.

Inuyasha…

She scolded her mind for settling on the hanyou, as she had managed to use the files to escape him all day.

Inuyasha had called out all of her insecurities and regrets of the last four years. In one heated monologue, he had managed to dig up the guilt she had tried to bury with school and a completely foreign culture, opening wounds in her heart that been a result of her own choices.

She regretted sealing the well. She regretted leaving her friends-- no, her family behind in a different era where she could no longer reach them. The guilt of it had made her ill throughout the rest of high school, graduating just by the skin of her teeth, and she had only been able to pull herself together once she had arrived in America and immersed herself in her studies. She had flourished in college, determination towards doing something useful for others driving her to succeed. She had achieved suma cum laude status in her class, and a degree that she was proud of because it certified her to help those who had faced the most difficult of life's woes. Over the years, she had taught herself to bury the memories, the pain, the sorrow, and the guilt, and she had learned how to fuel her deeds on the idea of helping others overcome those very emotions that had so often threatened to overcome her. Graduation from college had been a moment of pride that she had not felt in a long time.

And now she was back in Japan, returned to the life she had once known at the Shrine. And Inuyasha was back as well.

It was ironic, really. She had spent the past four years of her life mourning the loss of someone who had been right there all along. Had he watched her when she returned? Had he seen her get off that bus? Had he smelled her scent as soon as the plane landed? Had he seen he --the thought made her heart tighten-- Had he seen her greet Goshinboku—greet him when she had first arrived back at the shrine? It was a couple of weeks ago, but she remembered those words she had spoken to the great god tree.

Kagome sighed and allowed her face to drop into her hands, shaking her head and inhaling deeply. He had sounded so angry when he had yelled at her, so betrayed. He had been right, and she had lashed out because he had called her on the one point that had plagued her for years. She had slapped him, struck him, because she could not handle the truths he had demanded of her, and her heart ached at the knowledge.

What had she done?

"Higurashi."

Kagome jerked up at the sudden sound of a voice, startled out of her self-pitying to look, startled, across the room towards the doorway. Taisho Aoi stood by solemnly, watching her with piercing blue eyes from across the room.

"T-Taisho-san… I'm sorry, I didn't notice you there!"

The stoic businessman grunted his acknowledgement before glancing around the office she had taken over. Kagome followed his gaze, and felt her face flush with embarrassment. The room was a mess, files scattered in lop-sided stacks on the floor and desk, overrunning the space that had been so pristine a mere handful of hours ago. Her suit jacket and bag were thrown carelessly on a sofa tucked against one wall of the space, and more than one of the filing cabinets was open to reveal the files she had been ruffling through for almost four hours now.

"I see you've been working hard." The statement came out flat and monotone, leaving Kagome tense and guessing at whether he was pleased or not. It reminded her vaguely of how Sesshoumaru always spoke.

"Yes, sir, I'm nearly finished reviewing those files you noted. I had to make some references to past cases, but I think I've got more than enough notes to begin sorting out patients and injuries. Unfortunately, I do have some questions concerning comments made by previous PTs regarding the causes for some injuries. I've found abbreviations and acronyms I can't understand and I was hoping you might be able to determine what they mean." She waited for him to respond, trying her best to look credible as she stood amidst the clutter while half expecting him to tell her to deal with the issue herself. Much to her chagrin, he said nothing for a long moment, before abruptly turning his back on her. She balked. "Sir-"

"Have you eaten?"

"Yes, well, I—what?"

"Madori insists that you attend lunch with us and one other. She believed you would have developed an appetite after some time, but if that is incorrect, then-"

"No, Sir!" Kagome half-tripped in her rush to get around her desk, snatching up her jacket and bag and hastily throwing the former across her shoulders with a nervous smile. "Lunch would be great. Thank you for asking."

He did not respond, but exited the room, and Kagome followed, still dazed and confused by this strange man and company she suddenly called her employer.

Inuyasha fidgeted uncomfortably at his desk, impatiently tapping a pen on the edge while absently staring out a window to watch the cars below pass by on the paved streets. Sometimes the hanyou still found himself astounded by the technological advances that surrounded him in this newest era. He had lived through so many changes since the Sengoku Jidai, and yet he often was dumbfounded to find that he was no longer jumping from tree to tree in a massive forest, hunting youkai and the Shikon shards while Kagome clung to his back and Kirara flew beside him.

Kagome…

It had been a week now since she had run from his apartment in tears, and it had taken most of that week for him to even leave the scene of the crime. Or, rather, it had taken most of the week before Sesshoumaru had literally thrown him out of his own home and ordered him to go to work. Shippou, like Kagome, was no longer talking to him, and had not returned to the apartment since the miko had refused to see or speak to the kitsune. Inuyasha found he could not blame him for his anger, and Kotan had blatantly pointed out surprise at his unusual humility towards the entire situation. Inuyasha had said nothing in response.

Unfortunately, none of that meant he would actually suck up his pride and apologize any time soon.

Sure, he was appalled at the way he had treated Kagome. He had made her cry, which was the last thing he ever wanted to do. But, he had been honest- brash and rude, but honest. It was part of the questions that had plagued him for centuries since she had first sealed the well.

Why had she been so eager to seal the well? Had she believed he was not strong enough to protect her era as well as the Sengoku Jidai? Why had she gone to America and never returned once to even visit her family or the shrine? Had she just been trying to forget about all that had happened during the time when she had passed between worlds? Had she wanted to forget? He couldn't stand the thought that Kagome would have wanted to put everything behind her, but the idea was there in his mind, and it had blossomed painfully over the years. His outburst had simply been a result.

"Mori-san?"

Inuyasha perked up at the sound of his assumed human name, pushing aside thoughts of the past for the demands of the present. He glanced from the window to the doorway and back again, leaning back comfortably in his chair to feign nonchalance.

"What is it, Suikata?"

The man who stood just inside the doorway was a quiet, stony human with short-cropped brown hair and thick-rimmed glasses that Shippou had once called "emo" (Inuyasha had promptly forbid the kitsune from talking to the highschoolers near their apartment complex any more). Suikata Yo was one of the few humans in Inuyasha's business that was not either petrified of or determined to show up the hanyou at his own game, following orders with an easy, relaxed efficiency that had pleased Inuyasha from the first moment he had met the man. He said little except what was necessary, and ignored the peculiarities that often made other humans wary of Inuyasha.

Suikata Yo was also a descendant of a long line of youkai exterminators.

"It seems there's been some trouble since your… vacation this past week."

"Trouble?" The subject interested him, and Inuyasha suddenly found the need to turn and scrutinize the stoic human. Suikata watched him expressionlessly, reminding Inuyasha that it had been Sesshoumaru who had originally hired the man. He was like a human clone of the taiyoukai, really, except without the superiority complex.

"Kaitsu and Hitaka seemed to have uncovered something important at the expense of their health. …We lost Kaitsu, and Hitaka was injured. He's scheduled to see the new doctor at the main building today for rehabilitation."

"What!" Inuyasha all but jumped up from his chair. "How did this happen? Why wasn't I told?" he growled out, showing his canines. Suikata was unaffected.

"It was understood that you were not to be disturbed. In any case, the matter did not come to our attention until just this morning. I believe Sesshoumaru-sama had meant to look into it before passing it on to our department."

Inuyasha visibly tensed, but contemplated the words. "…Do they know who it was? Kaitsu wouldn't have been killed by just anyone."

Suikata paused, a bad sign for whatever had occurred in the hanyou's absence. "…From reports on the company's side, none of our men could find any evidence of a fight at all, and for some reason Hitaka isn't talking. There's something deeper going on, and I believe that we can tie it into whatever has been happening in the past few weeks."

It was the last thing he wanted to hear.

Sesshoumaru's company was a front that they had maintained for almost two centuries now, evolving with humans and time as demons slowly faded from history to become the material of legends, myths, and children's bedtime stories. For most, youkai had bled into the background as a choice. Many had discovered a manner in which to live amongst humans while maintaining their status among the youkai world and even adding roots to the human world. Youkai had found ways to extort this newfound lifestyle to their own purposes, and many were more than content to be wolves in the clothing of sheep. However, many still struggled for the superiority they thought was owed to the youkai race, and it was these creatures that InuTaisho's sons had worked for centuries to fight.

There were many like Naraku in this day and age: youkai and hanyous, and even some humans, who wanted nothing more than to rule over the human race through fear and physical or psychological advantage. Much to Inuyasha's initial surprise, Sesshoumaru had been opposed to the idea of this. Of course, the taiyoukai had always worded it a bit differently ('This Sesshoumaru does not tolerate the insolence of fools'), but the result had been the same: a strange mesh of humans, youkai, and hanyou alike had begun to band discretely together to fight against those who only wanted to destroy and conquer, all lead by Sesshoumaru. The battle had lasted throughout the centuries, and Sesshoumaru's followers and ideal had grown until there was an entire world moving beneath the noses of most unsuspecting humans.

It was the fight that had kept Inuyasha sane for so many years.

Unfortunately, in weeks past there had been a series of deaths among top agents of the corporation. Humans and youkai that had been almost infallible for years against even the most ferocious and underhanded opponents had begun to fall like flies against an enemy that could not even be identified, and Inuyasha was more than aggravated with the entire matter. The idea of an enemy that could move without a trace set him on edge, to say the least. It was a dangerous development, and he knew that soon enough he would be out hunting for himself, this time without a miko riding on his back and a fire youkai flying at his side. He had always fought alone since that time.

"As soon as you can, I want Hitaka here so I can talk to him myself. Double the teams, I don't want anyone going out alone, and make sure that everyone knows what's going on- even those who haven't been active recently. We don't know who the enemy might be hunting, I don't want to take any chances." The words flew from his mouth without much thought on his part- they were second nature by now. Somewhere within the centuries, Inuyasha had become a leader in this motley group of warriors and patriots led by his human-hating youkai brother. Humans and youkai alike now looked to him for answers, a development that had helped to shape the peculiar bouts of maturity he practiced these days, and it was not in Inuyasha to let down even the most foolish when they looked to him for aid. That was a responsibility Kagome had instilled in him.

Kagome…

"I'll take care of it." Suikata bowed, perceptive enough to know the hanyou's moods by now, and quietly left, closing the door behind him and leaving Inuyasha to himself.

He grit his teeth.

Not even a week out of the office, and already everything was falling apart. When had he become the person with all the answers? When had life suddenly become so out of control? Maybe it had always been that way… For now, all that matter was that someone needed his protection, and he would be damned if he wouldn't take joy in the hunt tonight.

Next Chapter: 14, Inuyasha relieves some stress and Kagome meets her first patient as a certified PT before goingapartment-hunting. The plot begins to unfold, and both hanyou and miko try to figure out how to get past their situation.