AN: Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm glad everyone is liking it so far. It was another long week at work, and seriously - the reviews made each day great. Except on Tuesday. It went from "Taco Tuesday" to the less fun cousin, "Trainwreck Tuesday". As always, I don't own InuYasha (et al), just this story.

Sitting in the darkened kitchen, sipping a cup of tea and glaring at the refrigerator was not how Kagome expected her Sunday morning to start. She was up far earlier than her norm, sleep eluding her for the first time in months, and the tea was not helping calm her nerves in the slightest. After the revelations of yesterday, she had a lot of thinking to do, and emotions to sort out. When she and her mother had arrived back home, she had practically headed straight to her room, taking a tray in her room for dinner at her mother's insistence. Her mother was concerned enough as it was - Kagome had never been good at hiding her emotions from her mother and she had known something was up during the return from the station, but thankfully had not pushed for details. Kagome owed it to her to at least eat dinner.

Sesshomaru was alive! She dropped her gaze to her teacup, barely wrapping her head around that singular thought. He obviously had some charm or spell to conceal his markings and other features - she had stared at him for a good ten minutes without realizing it was truly him, after all. But his eyes…they had been the last thing she saw before she had been yanked away from everyone. If he was alive, was anyone else? Shippo? InuYasha? She held no hope that Sango and Miroku were still living, but hoped they had many children and finally lived their lives free together. If Shippo or InuYasha were alive, surely they would have looked for her before now? Why hadn't Sesshomaru? They all knew that the Goshinboku lived to her time, that her family cared for the shrine near it. Maybe they weren't sure of the year, or maybe they wanted to wait until she finished high school? A small smile graced her face. She did complain about having to miss tests and hauling her homework while stuck in the Sengoku Period chasing shards. It would make sense they would want to wait, and perhaps they placed themselves in positions to watch her. It would explain why Sesshomaru had been at the station!

Frowning slightly, she glanced at the refrigerator again. Her mother had placed Sesshomaru's card under a magnet. Answers she needed, answers she would get, but not at this hour. Slipping her cell phone out of her bathrobe pocket, Kagome entered the numbers listed on the card, then placed her cup in the sink and headed up to her room. She knew her mother would be up in a short while, and she wanted to try to catch another couple hours of sleep. Slipping out of her robe and under the covers, Kagome yawned, plugging her cell phone in. Now that her mind was made up, she was finally able to relax a little.

Cracking an eye open, Kagome peered at her alarm clock. Eight o'clock, much better than five. She rolled her shoulders and stretched, climbing out of her bed, and gathering a change of clothes. After showering and a quick tidy up of her room, she took her cell phone off the charger. Drawing a deep breath, she scrolled through her contacts and pressed "dial". It only rang twice.

"Taisho Corporation," a voice came through her phone. "Taisho Maru, speaking."

"Hello Taisho-sama. This is Kagome, Higurashi Kagome," she returned. "You gave my mother your business card at the train station yesterday."

"Hnn. I did. What can I do for you, Miss Higurashi?"

"Well, you see, I was hoping we could talk. This might seem odd, but you remind me of one of my old friends," she began.

"Hnn. An interesting development, to say the least," he returned. "Although I must say, I've never been one known to have friends."

Odd, she thought, he sounded almost lonely, but no, she must have heard wrong. "No, I can definitely say you haven't." Smirking slightly, Kagome continued, "You can cut the crap, Maru. I saw through your glamour." She heard him sigh through the phone.

"As you wish. This one was only concerned for your well-being. It has been…many years for this one, fewer for you," he responded. "I did not know if you wished to be reminded of things from your past. You surprised this one when you recognized him so easily."

"How…how did you know where I was going to be?" she asked, a little sheepish that she'd been so sarcastic. He hadn't deserved that in the slightest. She'd thought he had concealed himself to hide from her, not for her. This was a new side.

"Hnn. I did not know. I have been hoping to chance by you for many years. The kit's memory of what year you said you originated from was dim at best, and InuYasha never had a memory for such details, either," he replied. "But, I am sure you have questions. It is doubtful that you have gained any patience in the time you have returned."

"Hey! I resent that!" she exclaimed.

"Hnn, yet you call me not one full day since I gave your mother the card," he teased. "My original premise is still valid."

Kagome grumped, unable to believe the teasing lilt in his voice. He had changed in the last five hundred years. But, he did have her there - she still wasn't very patient. "Fine, fine. You win."

"I usually do. If you are free this afternoon, I am also available. May I suggest a mid-afternoon luncheon? This is likely to take some time, and I am sure your mother would not wish you out late on a school night."

"Actually, tomorrow is a student holiday for seniors," Kagome said. "I'm free tomorrow, as well."

"Excellent, dinner then. I will send a car for you, if you like. May I ask what you will tell your mother?"

"The truth, Sesshomaru. She knew all about what happened to me when I would go through the well. She took first aid classes so she could teach me whenever I would come home. She purchased food for us, medicine, and other supplies. I owe her everything, but the only thing she asks for is honesty." Kagome replied. "She may call you, though."

"She is a rare woman. Her strength of character is shown through her children, for your brother would not have been selected for the program, otherwise. She is welcome to call, if needed. I would not mind meeting her again, if she desires, as well. Where may I send the car to?"

"Sunset Shrine," Kagome replied, giving the address as well. "How should I dress?"

"Comfortably," was his reply. "As I said, this is likely to take some time. It's been too long for us to stand on formality. My chauffeur will arrive at three."

"Thank you, Sesshomaru. I'll be ready!" she said, hanging up the phone. Setting her phone on her desk, she headed downstairs. Her mother was setting a fresh pot of water on the stove for tea. Her weekly treat, an American-style breakfast of pancakes, was still in batter form. "Good morning, Mama."

"Good morning, dear. Did you sleep well?" Aiko replied.

"Once my mind settled, yes," Kagome answered. "I'm sorry about yesterday, Mama. I didn't mean to worry you."

"It's alright, Kagome. You seem like you're feeling better today, right?"

"Yes, but, I do have something to tell you. Yesterday, when we were at the train station, I recognized someone from the Sengoku Period. One of my," she drew in a shaky breath. "One of my…my friends, Mama. They're alive! They found me! They've been looking for me." Kagome started crying. "I never ever thought I'd see any of them again!"

Aiko wrapped her arms around her daughter, one hand smoothing her hair. Concern and curiosity threatened to overwhelm her as well; if her friends had been as strong as they were, why had they left her for so long? Had they forgotten her? Not so, and now it appeared there would be answers, and from Taisho Maru of all people. She knew her daughter wanted answers more than anything.

"Shh shh, my sweet. You must calm down, Kagome," Aiko soothed after a few moments. "It won't do to make yourself ill." Nudging a chair out with her foot, she sat her daughter down, gave her a box of tissues and took the now steaming teapot off the heat. Preparing two cups of tea, she sat down across from Kagome, placing the cups on the table. "Now, tell me everything."

Blowing her nose and wiping her eyes, Kagome took a deep breath. "Yesterday, when we were talking with Ikeda-san, it was when Taisho-sama came over. I had been staring at him and thought he was just there to chastise me for it. But when you were speaking with him, I recognized his voice. When I took a closer look…Mama, he looked so different but his eyes…those I remembered. I don't think that I would ever forget them. It was Sesshomaru, InuYasha's half-brother. He's Taisho Maru."

"His older brother, the one with the little girl, correct?" Aiko asked. "Didn't you say she was a human and he was a demon lord?"

"Yes," Kagome nodded, taking a sip of her tea. "Rin was her name. He let me teach her how to read after we allied. Shippo adored her, and the two loved to play pranks on InuYasha. Well, I called him this morning, completely intending to be angry and betrayed. Running into him at the station like that was so strange! Then, Sesshomaru told me he'd been hoping to see me for years and he has invited me to dinner to talk about everything. I'm not sure how late I'll be. You can call him, if you're worried."

Laughing, her mother shook her head. "No, I won't need to do that. I trust you, Kagome. If I trusted you to go into the past to fight demons to fix your mistake, I can more than trust you with an old friend. I just need you to realize, the answers you seek may not be the happiest. Are you sure this is what you want?"

Kagome nodded firmly. "Without one doubt. If Sesshomaru has survived, he has to know where Shippo and InuYasha are, or what happened to them. Maybe even some of our other allies." She paused, pursing her lips. "And, Mama, he seemed lonely. Like he's the only one left, so I'm ready to hear whatever he has to tell me. I think he might need me, maybe just to remember with him, even if he won't admit it."

Aiko smiled. Her daughter's heart always tried to help those who needed her. "Well, then. You'll need something to tide you over until dinner. Let's get breakfast ready." She stood up, setting the temperature under the griddle. "You can slice the strawberries for Grandpa's serving."

Taking another calming sip of tea, Kagome stood to do as she was bid. Her mother was right - her questions might not yield the answers she desperately hoped for. She had no desire to be with InuYasha any longer, but that didn't mean she didn't love him. The Kami knew she would do anything to know of her son, as well, and she hoped that Shippo had done as she asked. If nothing else, to know he lived long and well. Now in just a few hours, she'd have her answers.

And from the last person she expected - the Demon Lord of the West, Sesshomaru.