"Sesshomaru?" She was quit shocked to hear from him. "What do you need, is everything okay?"
"Can we have lunch?" Even to him it seemed like an odd thing to ask for at this time so her moment of silence was understood.
"Of course." Once they decided on a place they met immediately "So is there something you need to talk to me about?"
"Yes, I figured you would know more on the subject."
"Kagome?" She grinned. She could tell by the look on his face he wanted to ask how she knew. "You may not know, but I pay attention. Here lately her and your brother seem to ruffle your feathers quit a bit." He was already regretting this. "It's alright, there is something about her. This warm feeling you get when your around her. It's quite pleasant really." She watched him for a moment "So what is it?" He took a breath and looked away. Izaiyo knew it was not easy for him to do this. Opening up was not something he did often. "Take your time." She smiled.
"Kagome was kidnapped."
"Do you know if she is still alive?" Izaiyo gasped.
"She is, but if any one should find her it should be Inuyasha." He said coldly.
"Sesshomaru, what happened? I can see it in your eyes' you care for her too much let Inuyasha get in the way." She seemed to be all business now and he was amazed. Kagome was right, she just wanted to be there for him.
"I told her I had nothing to say to her."
"What?" Sesshomaru went back to the night in the Sacred Garden. How she had fixed it up and the moment they had. All the way to rushing her to the hospital Izaiyo waited until he was done to say anything. Every once in awhile she would nodded her head to show she was still listening.
"So he told her he loves her?" Sesshomaru nodded, "But she didn't say anything back?" He nodded again. "Well, first I am disappointed in you Sesshomaru. You know how you feel, and yet you ignore it. I understand Inuyasha said he loves her, but love takes two. How does Kagome feel?" He looked to Izaiyo dumb founded. He thought it was obvious she loved him too. "You didn't think about that did you?" He shook his head. "As much as it might hurt Inuyasha now, if she doesn't love him it will hurt him more in the long run if she forces her self to stay with him. More importantly it would hurt her, she would be torturing her heart." He turned back to the window and Izaiyo reached across the table and touched him gaining his attention once more. "So find her, if anything happens you will regret it."
Sesshomaru jumped a bit when his phone rang. "What?"
"You shouldn't have told anyone." His eyes' grew wide and Izaiyo mouthed the word 'what?'
"If you so much as touch her,"
"You'll what?" Sesshomaru stopped himself. "That's what I thought, you are in no position to make threats."
"What do you want?" He gritted through his teeth.
"Took you long enough, quite simple really. The women across from you." Sesshomaru's head shot to Izaiyo.
"No."
"Oh, it's her or the girl. But neither should matter to you right, after all their only humans." The voice laughed.
"Fine." Sesshomaru grabbed Izaiyo's arm and pulled her out. "But if yo-" Just as he walked out a shot rang through the air shattering the glass behind them. Instinctively he threw Izaiyo to the ground and shielded her with his body. The streets were in instant chaos. The crowd was screaming and ducking trying to get out of the way of where ever the shots were coming from. As soon as Sesshomaru was able he brought himself and Izaiyo to their feet and put the phone back to his ear. "A bit reckless don't you think?"
"You found me." The voice laughed as it hung up.
With Kagome
"I don't see why he protects you, I could have killed you a long time ago." A young man took Kagome's chin and violently yanked her head to look at him.
"Leave her alone, I will not allow you to kill her."
"But f-"
"I said no." Kagome's eyes' opened but all she could see was a black figure in front of her. Still, she didn't have to see to know that voice sounded familiar.
With Sesshomaru
"I shouldn't have told you." Sesshomaru got Izaiyo into his car before the cops showed up.
"What do you mean?" Izaiyo asked.
"They want you now." Sesshomaru called his brother. "If you care for your mother and girlfriend you will have a phone tracker at the house in five minutes." He hung up not giving Inuyasha a chance to respond.
"But don't they want me now?" She knew how the whole thing worked, being married to Taiysho these things were just basic skills of survival.
"The good news, they didn't give a time. But they will call back with one and we need to be ready." They were back to the house in no time with Inuyasha already there setting up the tracker.
"Do you mind telling me what the hell is going on!" He demanded.
"Izaiyo, would you?" She filled him in on a few key details and left out a few others. Sesshomaru made a mental note of her discretion.
"So why didn't you call me?"
"Do not raise your voice with me Inuyasha."
"You should have called me on the way to the hospital! For all I know you could be using her as bait to get to her father."
"Inuyasha calm down." His mother's voice was stern. But he did not listen and threw his fist at Sesshomaru who grabbed his wrist and sent Inuyasha to his knees with one blow his stomach. "Inuyasha!"
Sesshomaru lifted him by his throat, "Mind your words."
"Sesshomaru." Izaiyo interfered by grabbing his wrist. "focus on what needs to be done." He shifted his gaze from Izaiyo and back to his brother. He removed his hand and let him slid to the floor.
"I did not mean for you to see that." He watched her help her choking son
Sesshomaru hooked his phone to the tracker when he heard it ring. "Hello."
"Where is she?"
"She is with me."
"Very well, I will text you he directions. You bring her to me and you might get the girl back." The person hung up and sent directions with no return number and he was unable to keep them on the phone long enough to track where they were now.
With Kagome
"Wench!" He hit her over the face.
"Don't do that!"
"She bit me!"
"I don't care!"
"What are you so afraid of, why can't we do the boss a favor and do away with her?"
Kagome's head swayed back and fourth as the men yelled. "I am not afraid, but we have our orders. Besides, you see that pendant around her neck?" The other man nodded his head. "You must not know, but that tells others she belongs to one of the most powerful mafia's in New York. They will kill you at a moments notice if you kill their family. And when we go to pick up the other woman, don't get rigger happy." The calmer of the two sat cleaning his gun.
"I guess," The other one hesitated. "I get the feeling this is all just a game any way. I mean what the objective here?"
"Don't know, not my job to think." He began putting the gun back together. "I just do what I'm told."
"This game isn't any fun to me." The other one sighed and dropped into a chair. "I'm over it."
With Sesshomaru
Sesshomaru and Inuyasha grabbed loaded guns and gave one to Izaiyo. "Use this if they so much as touch you the wrong way. The last thing I need is father on my back about you dying." She smiled taking the gun from him. They followed the direction to were they were supposed to go.
"So what exactly is the plan?" Inuyasha asked
"We are giving them Izaiyo for Kagome."
"What?!"
"Once we make the trade, we will break into were they are staying and take her back."
"And if they take her some where else or kill her!" Inuyasha fumed. "Nothing is that easy!"
"Are you that simple minded Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru gave Izaiyo a pair of earrings. "One is a tracker, the other a mic. If they are working for Kagome's father, then they won't so much as threaten you." They came down a street with empty ware houses and pulled up by the docks. Sesshomaru winced as looked around at the fog and turned to Izaiyo who was putting the gun under her pant leg. "The right earring is the mic and the left is the tracker, so try to keep them to your right." She nodded. "Are you ready?" She let out a shaky sigh and shook her head. "Inuyasha you stay here."
"What? No way!"
"Your not supposed to be here to began with, they'll fire if they see you." Sesshomaru saw them pull up. "Let's go." He got out and went around to Izaiyo keeping her close to him as they stepped forward just enough that he could clearly see all of the others through the fog. One of the men went to the back of the van and pulled out a young girl whom he had no doubt was Kagome. Though she had a bag over her head she still wore her hospital robe and socks. Sesshomaru stepped forward but Izaiyo stopped him.
"Don't do what you told Inuyasha not to. Think before you act." He stepped back and waited for the man to show him self. His hair was in a long braid down his back, and he wore a white shirt with a blue jacket that had white strips down the sleeves, and black jeans, with eyes as blue as the deep sea.
"Are you Sesshomaru?"
"You are not he one I spoke with on the phone." He stepped back when he saw a bigger man step out of the van. He was tanner than the first man, his eyes were a dull brown and his hair spiked. Sesshomaru immediately recognized him. "Dr. Suikotsu?"
"That's right." He laughed. "Sorry about this, but bosses' orders." Sesshomaru immediately did the math. It wasn't uncommon for mobs to have a few doctors on their payroll and it was obvious who was paying him.
"So you know my brother, well he is the one that brought her here, with help of coarse." The other man laughed. "I can see we aren't the ones that you were expecting to speak to, but boss as already left so we're here in his place."
"Take off the bag."
"What ever." He took the bag off her head pushed her forward. Kagome took a moment to adjust to the light of the outside and she froze when she realized what was going on. In front of her was Sesshomaru and Izaiyo and when she tried turning around her capture cocked his gun. "Don't do it. Just keep walking." She figure if she could just get a look at him she could do something, but after a second thought she decided to save her suspicions for later.
"Kagome." Sesshomaru's voice beckoned the same it always did when he said her name. From where he stood he could see bruises on her face, and a cut on her lower lip. She wasn't as pale as when he had left her in the hospital but her eyes were still sagging with purple bags. When she was close enough for him to grab he pulled her in and inspected her up close. Over all she was in one piece and seemed to be sturdier than the last time he saw her.
"Sesshomaru,"
"I brought Inuyasha for you." He interrupted.
"Don't hurt him. The man who turned me over, don't hurt him." Sesshomaru couldn't believe what she was asking, but before he could question her a storm of bullets came from all different directions.
"Get in!" Inuyasha slid open the side door and fired back. Sesshomaru picked Kagome up and ran to the car, but just a few feet from the van he was shot down. Inuyasha was able to pinpoint where the bullet had come from. He took out two guys on top of the roof and used that opening to get to Kagome and his brother.
"Take Kagome." While Inuyasha carried her Sesshomaru covered his back taking down a few more guys. During this he noticed that they used that gun fire to take Izaiyo. Once They were all safely in the car Inuyasha sped off.
"What the hell happened to you?!" Sesshomaru was in the passenger seat gripping his leg.
"What does it look like, I got shot." Sweat dripped from his head. "We have to get Kagome back to the house. We'll have-"
"No I'm fine." She sat up. "You're the one that needs medical attention."
"No hospitals, too many questions. We'll go back to the house and father can call in his doctor."
"Yeah and tell him you managed to loose Mom in the process? Not gonna happen, we can't go home with out her!" Inuyasha shook his head.
"Pull over." They both looked at Kagome.
"What?"
"Pull over!" She repeated. "Inuyasha is right, if we go back and your dad finds out what happened he will declare all out war. And we can't go back to a hospital but we have to stop the bleeding in your leg. It's going to take all three of us if we are going to get her back. Inuyasha saw the logic in her argument so he pulled into a liquor store parking lot. Sesshomaru moved to the back where he could stretch his leg out. "Go get some vodka." She ordered Inuyasha.
With Izaiyo
"Damn it, I tell you not to shoot and the first thing you do it shoot!"
"Calm down it could have been worse, we could have killed him." The other man laughed. "Besides I didn't shoot first. Though I should have." He whined. "Oh I've gone soft."
"Well he took a few of our men." Suikotsu sighed. "He's one hell of a shot. What now?"
"We wait." The man with the braid watched the woman in the chair.
With Kagome
Inuyasha returned with a bottle and a few napkins. While he was gone Kagome had tied a tourniquet with her socks just above his wound to slow the bleeding. She took the napkins and cleaned up his leg. "Wanna bite something?"
"Who do you think I am?"
"Alright." Kagome poured some of the vodka on his leg and she could feel him tense up. "Good news," she said looking at it "doesn't look like it hit anything major." Without hesitation she dug her fingers into his leg and pulled out the bullet. Her composure astounded him. At that moment he had to admit to himself that maybe from time to time he did forget she grew up in this life and she really does have what it takes to survive. Right now she was all business. "I'll have to stitch you up later." While she worked on his leg Inuyasha thought it would be a good idea to get her a change of clothes so after she patched him up Inuysha drove them to a clothing store.
"It looks like we're the ones that kidnapped you from the hospital." He laughed as he got out. "Wait here." Before he left he took a long look at her. She smiled as he left her in silence with Sesshomaru still next to her in the back seat. The first minute or so they sat that way, neither knowing what to say. They could tell the air was filled more than just an uncomfortable feeling, everything they didn't talk about at the hospital still flowed between the two of them.
"Kagome-"
"It was my father." Though he would be the one to break the silence she was unsure of what he would say.
"I figured as much." Again the silence fell over them and this time remained until Inuyasha returned.
"Here," He slid open the back door. "Pants, shirt and shoes." All athletic gear just the way she liked.
"Thanks." She smiled and took the outfit. When she looked up at him he put his hand to her cheek and brushed his thumb over her bruise.
"I'll kill them for this." She grabbed his wrist and squeezed it. "Next time something happens, tell me. I've been worried about you for days." Hearing the sincerity in his voice brought tears to her eyes, maybe she wasn't just a good time to him. He leaned in and kissed her lips, careful not to hurt her but with enough passion that she knew what he said was the truth.
"I'm sorry." She sniffled.
"It's alright." He leaned back.
"We'll let you change." Sesshomaru spoke up. "We still have one more person to rescue." He slid out of the van.
Once they were on the road Sesshomaru turned on the GPS and instantly picked up Izaiyo's location, they hadn't even left the docks. Kagome was in charge of weapon distribution. She handed each two loaded guns and extra clips. She grabbed another gun and clip just for her. She continued to go through the weapons when a knife caught her eye. It was gray with a black grip and looked like a normal knife, but when she squeezed the handle extra blades popped out like hooks.
"I think I like this." She flicked it closed and put it in her ankle pocket.
"Is he still there?" Sesshomaru looked at her.
"My father? Probably not, he never liked to stay for the dirty stuff." She could see the disappointment on his face.
"So this was him for sure?" Inuyasha asked. "Good now he's come to us." They pulled up to the building where Izaiyo was supposed to be and looked around for a bit.
"Inuyasha you go up those stairs." Kagome pointed. "Sesshomaru and I will go through the front." Inuyasha gave her a what for look. "Chances are this is a trap, which mean the front will be less guarded and in our condition your the better choice to to handle multiple guys. From there we don't stop until we find her." It wasn't a solid plan but given the situation things were pretty cut and dry. "One other thing." she added before they got out "The guy who turned me over, he's mine."