Kagome smiled as she got out of the restaurant. Her meeting with Judge Hawthins couldn't be more successful. Not only did she get the warrant issued, the judge bragged about all the cases Kagome had won and asked if she'd consider a judicial position. Haji gave her room to gloat in her victory as she walked ahead of him practically floating. She passed a few stores and decided to go shopping. It had been a while since she'd done anything for herself. It was always for the girls. Haji looked uncomfortable as he followed her through the women's department of shoes. Kagome preened at each one trying to figure out which one she should buy.

"I'm sorry, Haji." She said. "I promise I won't torture you much longer."

"It is alright, my lady. Take your time." He said, wishing she didn't take long though.

"Kagome?" she heard and Haji looked alert. He studied the blonde girl walking toward them. She was an average height girl with a spunky looking wardrobe. Her hair had platinum highlights and she had a nose piercing. "Oh my god, Kagome, it is you."

Haji looked back at Kagome wondering if she knew this girl. Kagome took a second and her mouth dropped. "Isabella!"

"Oh my god!" the both of them started screaming and jumping as they hugged each other. Haji relaxed and winced at the squealing.

"It has been a long time, hasn't it?" Isabella said in a light Italian accent.

"Where've you been?" Kagome asked. "It's been like seven years since I've seen you."

Isabella pursed her lips and nodded. "I know, I know. Not enough apologies I can say to make it ok but I went back to Italy and was so busy. I was working so much."

Kagome nodded. She couldn't believe her eyes. Her friend has changed so much. Isabella must have noticed it as well because she was staring at her disbelievingly.

"You have not changed a bit." She said. "You still look like you did when I met you."

Kagome lowered her head and blushed. "I will be twenty eight soon."

"You look like you'll be eighteen!" she laughed. "What are you doing with yourself? Is it plastic surgery or something? Who knows, maybe your husband's demon genes are rubbing off on you."

"Oh come on." Kagome scoffed. "You act like I am in my fifties. Twenty eight is not old at all."

"I know, I know….but you've heard of those..eh, how you say, quarter life crisis? I'm serious! Twenty five year olds feel like they're in their thirties and so on."

Kagome laughed. "I guess…"

"Oh my god. Wait, how is Sesshomaru? How are the girls?"

Kagome felt a pain in her chest at the sound of Sesshomaru's name. "Uh…the girls are big. They are going to be ten in a couple of months. Sesshomaru….he's fine."

Isabella frowned. "It may be years that I've seen you, Kagome but I know you are lying. What are you doing now; want to get something to eat? We can catch up."

"Actually, I just ate but we can go for dessert or coffee or drinks." She grinned.

"Ooh, I have so much to tell you, Kagome." Isabella said.

Me too, Kagome thought.

"I cannot believe you are a lawyer now." Isabella shook her head as she sipped her cosmo.

Kagome shrugged and sipped her martini. "Yeah, I know. I thought I didn't want to do it anymore but it was the direction I was going into anyway."

"Wow, such a powerful woman you turned into."

"Hey, how's Marques and Marla doing? I haven't seen them since my wedding. Are they making some poor model's life miserable?"

Isabella's face went long. "Uh, well…Marques died last year and Marla retired."

"What?" Kagome's eyes widened. "but…no one told me anything."

"Well, his family paid lots of money to keep it from the papers. I found out by Marla not too long ago myself. Apparently, he overdosed on some painkillers."

"Oh my god."

"Yeah, I know." Isabella sighed. "I'm sorry I had to be the one to tell you, so late too."

Kagome was quiet for a while, remembering things about Marques. She tried to change the topic feeling the tension in the air. "Have you spoken to Inuyasha?"

Isabella nodded. "We talk once in a while. I mean, it couldn't work, you know, because I had to travel so much but we still remain friends. Is he alright?"

"Yeah, he is. He comes by sometimes to hang with the girls."

"Do you still see your friends?"

"Well, I don't see Sango and Miroku anymore. They moved to California and had like six kids." Kagome chuckled. "Koga…I see him more than Sesshomaru."

Isabella's lips twitched. "I'm sorry to hear about that….but are you sure a divorce is the right call? You guys went through so much before…and you also have daughters to think about."

"I know…"Kagome said. "but, it isn't fair to either of us. It confuses the girls and me that he doesn't even live with us anymore. He's always working and although I know what he does is important, it bothers me that he doesn't even try to involve us or at least make some time for us."

"Can you see yourself with another man?"

Kagome almost looked disgusted. "I don't know. Sesshomaru was the only man I was with. I don't know if I can see myself with anyone else. Anyway, that isn't why I want the divorce."

"Well, Kagome, you know I've always been your… eh… voice of reason but maybe you have to be patient. If he isn't signing the papers then it is eh… obvious he doesn't want a divorce and the reason he is living elsewhere might be because of another situation."

Kagome scowled. "I hate when you do that. You make things sound so simple."

" Well, divorce is final and I wonder if you are prepared for that."

"To be honest, I mentioned divorce to see if he would change but now we just argue."

"I think you both need to sit down and talk."

"That's if I can get him to sit." Kagome rolled her eyes. "He's always moving around. "

"Ok, enough of this. Let's drink some more. Forget about our problems right now." Isabella said and ordered more drinks. The waiter came around with two more martinis.

"To Marques…" Kagome raised her glass.

Isabella grinned with sad eyes and raised her glass. "To Marques."

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Sesshomaru drove quietly. He could feel his daughters staring at the back of his head wondering when he will speak. The silence in the car was torture. All everyone could hear was the sound of the car and the wind whistling through the cracks of the window.

"Explain." He said and he gazed at the rearview mirror.

Samara and Kimora exchanged glances. Samara cleared her throat and looked at her father. "It was silly, really. It won't happen again, father."

"What was the fight about?" he asked and Samara shrugged. He looked at Kimora and could tell she would be easy to get things out of. She hid behind her white hair and leaned forward but Samara gave her a cold stare. She leaned back in her seat and remained quiet.

"We'll talk about this when we get home."

"Whose home? It certainly isn't ours." Samara mumbled under her breath.

Sesshomaru heard it but didn't acknowledge. He drove the rest of the way in silence as he contemplated his conversation with Kagome. How could she ask for a divorce and not trying to give him understanding? She made it seem like their ten year marriage was something trivial. He couldn't tell her the truth yet not in her condition either.

When they got to the manor, the girls got out and walked inside. They waited for their father to come up the steps and walk them inside still not feeling comfortable in this house. There were guards everywhere. Cado and Remy stood by them and there will three other men guarding the door. Ten guarded the gate and there were more inside.

"Why are there so many guards, Remy?" Samara asked.

"It's just standard procedure, Lady Samara." She said. "Let's go to your room to unpack."

Sesshomaru walked up the steps and followed the girls. He grabbed their bags and brought them inside. "Daddy?" Kimora asked. "You're not working today, are you?"

"No, I am not." He said and rested a palm on her shoulder.

"Can you help me with my homework then?"

"What's the matter, half-breed, can't do it yourself?" Samara muttered under her breath and Sesshomaru glanced at her.

"Go unpack first. Then we will go over your assignments." He said and Kimora smiled and ran off to unpack. Samara headed up the steps but stopped when she heard her father.

"Samara, come with me." He said and walked away.

Samara looked at Remy and Cado and they pointed to her father practically saying 'You're on your own, kid.' As she followed him down the hallway, she'd forgotten how tall he was. It was hard for her to keep up with his long strides. They went inside the living room and he walked over to the fireplace to start a fire.

"Sit down." He said and she did. Her heart raced and her breaths were shallow as she looked toward the door. What was he going to tell her? She heard the fire crackling as he threw a log into it. "What is going on between you and Kimora?"

"Nothing…"

"I do not appreciate lies."

She gulped. "She annoys me sometimes, that's all."

"Is that the reason?"he asked.

"partly." She answered and looked down at her lap. "Father, can I live with you?"

He was surprised by her question and stood up. "What is wrong with where you are now?"

"I can't live there. Mother just doesn't understand. I need to be with you. We are demons…"

"Samara…"he started.

"Mother is always taking Kimora's side. She favors her and I think it's because Kimora's closer to being human like she is. Mother loathes me…"

"She does not."

"You don't know that, you aren't there!"

"I do know. You can't stay here. This is a place of business. It is not suited for a child."

"I am almost ten."

He sighed. "Samara…I am only living here temporarily."

"That is not what I heard." She spat.

"What did you hear?"

"I overheard mother speaking to someone about divorce. I'm not stupid! I know what divorce is! One of the kids at my school has parents who are divorced. He said they live in separate houses and don't talk to each other. That's what you and mother are doing! If that's the case, I want to be here with you."

Sesshomaru rubbed the back of his neck and sat by her. "Despite what you heard, we are not getting a divorce."His phone rang and he silenced it.

"Are you going to be working on Christmas?"

"No."

"Will you and mother be together on Christmas?"

He paused. "If she wants to."

"Do you want her to?"

"Of course."

"So, you both aren't getting a divorce? You're not lying to me?" she said. Her innocent face appeared so much wiser.

"I do not wish to let that happen." He said and got up. "Go unpack. Dinner should be ready shortly, I assume."

Samara nodded and gave a wide grin. "Can we call mother tomorrow morning? I was kind of mean to her today and wanted to apologize."

"Yes." He said and faced the fireplace. Samara left to unpack and he looked over his shoulder to make sure she was gone. He leaned his arm against the fireplace and rested his head in exhaustion. When was the last time he had any sleep? Since he started staying at the D.D.C manor, sleep wasn't very nice with him. It was hard to sleep in an empty bed, for one and his phone was never silent. He kept reminding himself that he was the only one qualified for the job. His father entrusted the position to him but at what cost was it to keep it? He was losing his family. His daughters fought each other, blaming each other that he and their mother weren't together. Kagome filed for divorce. He couldn't stand the thought of her being with anyone else, to have some strange guy sleep in his bed, raising his daughters. He felt his blood burn within his veins. His jaw tightened as well as his fists. He would never let it happen.

Kimora walked in and stood by the doorway holding her bag. She stared at her father wondering why he looked sad and cleared her throat. He snapped out of his daze and looked at her.

"Are you ok, daddy?" she said in her small voice. He inhaled deeply and crossed his arms. She walked over to the couch and heaved her heavy school bag on it. She sat down and fixed her dress and looked at him. He sat beside her, taking in her appearance. She had Kagome's light brown eyes and his thoughts drifted to a time when he watched Kagome sleep and her eyes opened slowly. The sun shone through the window making them look lighter and she giggled.

"Why are you watching me sleep?" she asked. "It's creepy."

I was waiting for you to wake up, he thought and kissed her.

Kimora blinked a few times wondering why her father had spaced out again.

"Daddy?"

"Yes." He said, snapping out of it again. He cleared his throat. "What is the assignment?"

Kimora showed him and he helped her with the difficult questions. At the same time, he couldn't help his thoughts drifting in and out. It was like a floodgate of memories had opened up. He recalled another memory of giving Kimora a bath. Kagome was sick that day and he was taking care of the twins. Kimora took off her diaper and started running around the house. When he would catch her and put her diaper back on, Samara took off her diapers and started running around and it would happen over and over back and forth for almost ten minutes.

When he snapped out of it again, he looked down noticing Kimora was holding her pencil but not writing. He looked at her and saw that she had fallen asleep. He grabbed the pencil out of her hands and notebook. He lay her down on the couch and placed a throw plush over her. He felt exhausted too but there was so much he had to do. Cado walked in and Sesshomaru placed his finger to his mouth.

"Dinner is ready." Cado announced quietly.

"Let her sleep for a little while. We'll wake her in an hour."

Cado nodded and sat down across from her. Sesshomaru stood up from the couch and gave one last look to his daughter before leaving the living room.

The girls were surprised to be woken up by their father to have breakfast. They giggled in their pajamas as they walked beside him toward the kitchen. When they got there, Remy stood in one corner and Cado at the other. The table was decorated with a centerpiece of all sorts of fruit and there were plates of pancakes around the table.

Kimora drooled and Samara's eyes widened as they ran toward the table. Kimora stopped and looked at her father. "We can have pancakes?"

"Just this once." Sesshomaru frowned. He wasn't fond of the dish but knew the girls loved sweets. He and Kagome hardly let them have it but he wanted them to have a good time this Christmas break so he allowed it.

"What are we doing today?" Samara asked.

Sesshomaru looked between them both as he sipped his coffee. "Where would you like to go?" The doorbell rang and he frowned.

"Can we go to the planetarium?" Kimora asked.

"Alright."

"I want to go the art museum and then the mall."

"We can do all of those." He said.

"Really?" the girls said in unison and stared at each other with wide grins.

He looked down at the paper and sipped his coffee again. "After you're done with breakfast, get dressed." He heard the sounds of silverware hit the glass plates and he looked up from the paper. The forks rattled against the plate but his daughters weren't there. He looked toward Remy and Cado and they both walked away.

"Where did they go?"

"I think they went to get dressed, sir." Cado said.

An old man walked into the kitchen. He wore white robes with a red sash and tunic that bore gold crosses and trimmings. Sesshomaru looked over his shoulder and sipped his coffee.

"Bishop Giovanni…" Sesshomaru greeted.

"Lord Sesshomaru…it has been a long time."

"Yes…"he said and looked at his watch. "What are you doing here?"

"Did your secretary not tell you I was coming? I have important things to discuss with you and you've been unreachable."

"I cannot speak now, I am about to leave."

"This cannot wait, my lord. If you don't act now…The Vatican will take extreme measures."

Sesshomaru stood up and nodded. "Then we'll have to discuss this on the way."

"Where to, my lord?"

"The planetarium…"he said and the bishop cocked a brow. Two girls rushed passed him and grabbed Sesshomaru's arms.

"Come on, Daddy." Kimora said. "We need to go now. They have an exhibit that starts at nine and it gets crowded fast!"

The bishop looked between both girls and looked at Sesshomaru with a smile. He laughed and his blue eyes leered back at them. "I see now. Well, let's go to the planetarium."

Kimora and Samara looked confused. Kimora let go of her father's arm and walked toward the man.

"Are you a priest?" she said.

"Not exactly." He said.

Samara tugged her father's sleeve and he looked at her. "Who is he, father?"

"A friend." He said.

"Is he coming with us?" she asked.

"Yes."

Samara frowned. "You're working, aren't you?"

"No." he lied and looked at the bishop.

"I've always wanted to see the planetarium." He said in his heavy Italian accent.

"It's so cool." Kimora said. "I've been there a hundred times! I want to work there when I grow up."

"Let's just go." Samara spat as she walked off. Kimora followed her and Bishop Giovanni looked apologetically at Sesshomaru.

"I'm so sorry to intrude, my lord. It's just that this is very urgent."

It always is, Sesshomaru thought. "It is fine. Let us be on our way."

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Kagome buttoned her shirt back on and got off the table. The doctor scribbled down something in the folder and she went to sit next to him.

"So, what's the verdict?"

"Well, the blood work came back. It seems that the reason you haven't gotten the headaches anymore is because your body has stopped resisting the foreign DNA."

"So what does that mean?" Kagome asked.

"How have you been feeling lately, Lady Kagome?"

"Um, fine…I guess. Like I said, I don't get the headaches anymore. My teeth don't hurt as much anymore and I've gotten used to the burning in my eyes when I get emotional."

"Uh huh…"the doctor said and leaned back into his chair with amusement.

"I cut myself the other day with a pair of scissors and it healed incredibly fast. I don't know. What's going on? Do I still have demon DNA inside?"

"Lady Kagome…it appears your body has adapted to the mutation. We sent the results to the department of molecular and human genetics and they sent back a confirmation."

"What is it?" she asked, feeling terrified of the outcome.

"Lady Kagome, according to this you are no longer a human."

"What?" she chuckled in disbelief. "What do you mean?"

"It's hard to say but your DNA is no longer that of a human."

"So…what am I, a half-breed, a demon?

"I'm not sure…it's similar to the Hanyou DNA code but there is a slight difference. We aren't sure what it is yet."

Kagome blinked back confusion. "How did this happen though?"

"It somehow has something to do with the twins, I believe. You weren't supposed to survive that pregnancy. I'm sorry to be blunt but it is the truth. My speculations would be that your daughters are the reason you are alive. But why one is a half breed and the other has full demon blood is still questionable to me. Perhaps when they were forming in the womb, something happened. Maybe your husband's genes are very strong…I…I don't know what to say, I'm left speechless…only more tests will bring us to the answer."

"But, Sesshomaru's father had a child with a human; she didn't turn into a half-breed or whatever."

"You had twins." He said. "Your risks were much greater. It has something to do with your health; you were probably near death at one point. This does not happen, that's the thing… you are a scientific discovery. There is proof that a human can survive mutation with DNA of a demon's. This can also be why you haven't aged since the mutation not that there should be much difference, of course, you are still in your twenties….but you look, sorry to say, like a teenage girl."

"I don't know how I feel about this." Kagome said, feeling faint.

"It isn't completely bad. Think of it as you found the fountain of youth."

"Demons are not immortal." She said.

"Yes, but they take a long time to age and with the abundance of white cells in a demon vessel, disease doesn't come so easily nor can it survive so long which is why you heal very quickly."

"You're not going to tell anyone about this, are you?" Kagome asked. "I don't want to be some freak show about how a human became a demon or something like that."

"No, of course not. You are protected by the seal of doctor-patient confidentiality but please consider to a trial of testing. We would love to understand this more."

"I'll think about it…" Kagome said as she grabbed her coat. "I have enough problems in my life right now…I don't need this adding to it. Is there no way to reverse the…whatever, the mutation?"

"I don't believe so. It's like a disease that ran its course. The damage is done…"he said. "but I'd hardly call this damage."

Kagome nodded and put on her coat. She walked out the door where she met up with Haji. He opened the door for her and they left the medical clinic.

"So, is everything alright, my lady?" he asked and Kagome scoffed.

"Everything is wonderful. I only found out that I'm no longer human and that my eyes burning, my gums breaking when the fangs come out, and my abnormal strength breaking refrigerator doors is only the beginning."

"I see…"Haji said as he opened the car door for her. "Well, take it from me, my lady. It isn't so bad."

"I'm sorry, Haji. I wasn't referring to….anyway, you were born a demon…you know how to use it…the abilities, you know? After ten years, I just found out how to retract the fangs willingly."

"Where to now?" he asked.

Christmas is next week, she thought. She had to get presents for the girls. Sesshomaru's birthday was coming also. Should she get him anything? It would be awkward. Here you go, a new Rolex, did you sign the divorce papers yet? She looked at Haji and got inside the car.

"Let's go to the mall."

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Kimora and Samara ran around the planetarium throwing 'moon' pebbles at each other, which were jellybeans they got from the gift shop. Sesshomaru also got them a plastic laser beam gun that made weird noises when the trigger was pressed. Cado and Remy dodged some of them. Samara stood on top of a rock and claimed it as planet Samarala and she was a Samaran.

"I invade your planet. I will drain it of its resources and dispose it like garbage!" Kimora feigned a drone like voice and yapped away some foreign language she made up.

Samara scoffed. "I will never let you have my planet or my people! You Kimorans have destroyed our universe and now you will pay. "

Kimora droned in a monotonic voice. "Unhand it at once and maybe I'll let you survive…you can think it over as I blast you with my atomic photon laser." She pressed the trigger and the gun made noises.

Samara laughed and jumped onto another display rock. "Xenon has no effect on me! I am immune. I've heard of your weakness though, so facile it's disgusting. Take that!" Samara grabbed a bottle of water and sprayed it at Kimora.

"Noooooo, H2o! Aghhhhhh…"

"Hmph!" Samara preened. "It looks like I didn't even have to use my plasma gun." She walked away.

Sesshomaru stared at his daughters, listening to their little act and glanced at the bishop. What were these kids watching?

The bishop laughed as he and Sesshomaru walked around the exhibit.

"Your daughters are very imaginative." He said.

Sesshomaru folded his hands behind his back as he watched them. How is it they could get into a fight if they were so close with each other? "So, what has been going on in the Vatican that requires my attention?"

"There were two murders on Vatican grounds. Two human tourists murdered by a group of demons."

"And you are sure they are demons?"

"The victims chests were carved, it read: 'Demoni regneranno per sempre"

"I see." Sesshomaru said. Well, that's an obvious hint. "Did the Vatican approach the matter yet?"

"They said it is your jurisdiction. They don't want any problems but if you can have your people reconcile the issue discreetly. If this doesn't get solved, demons will no longer be allowed on the grounds anymore and people will start to question why. It would be a shame to take a step back, do you not agree?"

Sesshomaru sighed. "I will send some men down to rectify the problem."

"Thank you…"

"Father, can we go to the art museum now?" Samara asked.

Bishop Giovanni bowed his head. "This is where we part ways, my friend. Take care and hope we don't have to meet again under these circumstances." He walked away and Kimora wrapped her arm around her dad.

"You have strange friends, Daddy."

Speaking of strange, he thought. "What are you both watching on television these days?"

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"There are my darlings!" shouted a woman when they got home. Kimora and Samara looked at their father but he looked surprised as well. Cado and Remy bowed.

"Good Evening, Lady Saya." They said in unison.

"Mother….what are you doing here?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Is that any way to greet your mother? Girls, come and give your grandmother a hug."

Samara smiled and ran to her but Kimora stood by her dad.

"Hi, Grandma…"she said in a low voice. She didn't like her grandmother very much. She was sure her grandmother liked Samara better just because she was a full demon. Every time she was around, she'd always scold Kimora for something. It always started with. 'Kimora, a lady must never blah blah blah'. Her aunt Rin came by once with her uncle Sota, they were both in a band and they taught Kimora the drums. Her grandmother walked in and said 'Kimora! A lady must never play an obnoxious instrument. It must be delicate and graceful such as herself.'

"Grandmother, are we going to have tea?" Samara asked as she grabbed her hand.

"Yes, after you and your sister wash up."

Samara grinned. "Come on, Kimora."

Kimora sighed and bowed her head as she followed. Sesshomaru felt bad for her. He knew exactly how she felt.

"Actually, Kimora has assignments to do and I must go over it with her." He said and grabbed Kimora. "She'll meet you later."

Kimora looked unexpectedly at her father and smiled. She looked at her grandmother and nodded.

"Yes, I have lots of homework!"

Lady Saya cocked a brow and twirled her pearl earring. "Pretty enthusiastic for school assignments, aren't you?" she said. "A lady must focus on other things as well, like finding a mate."

"Mother…"Sesshomaru hissed.

"Well, I'm not saying now, of course!" she giggled. "I know they have a few more years."

It never occurred to him that his daughters would grow and become women one day. They'd have to start dating or getting married and he felt rage stirring within him. Had he bore sons, it would be entirely different.

"Please, go enjoy your tea." He said, looking at Samara.

His mother glared at him suspiciously. "You and I must talk soon."

He glanced bitterly at her and walked off with Kimora to help her with her homework.

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