Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
Chapter 8: Who are Chris and Reiner?
Later in the day Sesshoumaru stopped by the infirmary to check on Watanabe only to be told that he had returned to work. When he asked the nurse how it had been possible for the man to leave she replied that the new young woman, Hando, had healed him for the most part. He wondered what she meant by saying 'for the most part,' but he wouldn't ask. Once again he felt the mental (poke) which jabbed him whenever he wanted to know something about the girl. He felt he should not ask the questions that so frequently entered his mind because he knew it would be considered out of character for him. He headed to Miroku's office with the intention of speaking to him about an upcoming assignment that would take him out of the office for a few days. As he approached he heard Watanabe arguing with Ikeda, and it was about Hando. He decided to hang back for a moment and see if he could pick anything useful up.
"I can't believe she wouldn't do it!" the man grunted in disgust.
"Quit complaining, she healed everything else didn't she, everything important, right?" Sango countered. "Besides, you deserve what you got."
"WHAT!" he said, uncharacteristically raising his voice. "Look at me Sango, half my face is covered in bruises and I have no left eyebrow! How am I supposed to convince women to bare my children if I look like this?"
'Ah,' thought Sesshoumaru, 'that's what was meant by "for the most part".'
"You letch, just be grateful the missing brow is on the bruised half, making it harder to notice," came the terse reply. Her eye twitched slightly at the thought of him asking women to bare his child, but she pushed aside her own feelings to focus on Kagome. "Besides you knew groping her would get her riled up and you know she hates being touched like that. You asked for it."
"Well she wasn't doing anything fighting you, was she? Heck, she wasn't even going full out with me! How is she supposed to get better if she won't pull out some stops and move ahead?" Miroku complained. "Besides, I can never understand how she can be so open in the way she flirts, teases and dances with men but then turn around and be such a prude in other things."
"Stop being a sore loser, Miroku," Sango chastened. "She misses America, and she misses her friends there. Besides, you know it's got to be hard for her to be really aggressive against us with that overactive sense of protectiveness she's got. She's worse than a youkai mother in battle. Just count your lucky stars you came out on the right side of that one."
"Yeah, I guess so. Too bad that protection doesn't translate into easily forgiving as well," he mumbled.
"Aww calm down. Reiner and Chris will be here in less than a week and then she'll be much more relaxed. Kouga's taken her out a couple of times but it's just not the same," Sango sighed. "She needs her boys."
"Kouga?" Miroku asked stunned. "She's gone out with Kouga? She actually let him take her on a date? She actually rode behind him?"
"Yeah, a couple of times, not that I blame her or anything, Kouga is extremely hot. I mean, that dark hair, beautiful eyes, muscular build…" Sango giggled.
Now it was Miroku's turn to twitch as Sango mentioned a certain wolf's attractiveness. "You know I have dark hair and beautiful eyes Sango," he wheedled. Outside in the hallway Sesshoumaru was hard pressed not to roll his eyes.
"You're not as well built as Kouga though," she teased.
"Well I'm not exactly flabby either!" he retorted with wounded pride. He knew he was attractive, and it really nettled him that Sango didn't seem to be able to see that.
She ignored him though and continued. "Anyway, poor fool doesn't realize what he's getting into. He doesn't even know about Chris or Reiner, and I have a sneaking suspicion that Kagome is just waiting for them to get here so she can smoke him. I wonder how he'll take it."
Out in the hall Sesshoumaru felt another (poke). Ikeda and Watanabe were not helping at all. How could Hando be a frigid tease, yet plan on parading an obviously serious boyfriend in front of someone she had just begun dating, which person was none other than Kouga? And did she have two men coming to visit? How distasteful! Watanabe also mentioned that she felt Hando was still holding back, even with him purposely trying to anger her. He would need to figure out a way to really test the girl.
For the moment though he felt the need to relieve some of the frustration built up from all the (poke)-ing he'd been through. Ever since he saw her little stunt with the two staffs a sneaking suspicion had turned into a full out alarm in his mind. He looked at a clock on the wall and quickly calculated what time it was on the eastern coast of the US. 'Perfect,' he thought, 'he's bound to be unengaged at the moment.'
----------------
"Sesshoumaru it is four o' clock in the morning!" howled a most unhappy Peters. "You're doing this on purpose! I know you know about time zones, you heartless bas…"
"You knew, didn't you?" the inu demon asked in a deadly voice stopping the younger man mid-rant. "You knew what she was before you sent her here, am I correct?" His tone made it perfectly clear that he already knew the answer to this.
"I…wasn't sure. I had my suspicions, but I am incapable of knowing for certain, it's all beyond me," the American admitted in defeat.
"Why did you not mention this before?" Sesshoumaru asked. The fact that Peters kept this secret from him angered him to the point where his eyes took on a slight red tinge. If it was true then Peters had made an awfully big gamble.
"Because I wasn't sure dammit, and she doesn't know anything about it! It's not like I could ask her!" Peters shot back. He then adopted a snide tone as he continued, "Besides, I honestly thought you'd have more fun figuring it out yourself, you old dog you." Sesshoumaru growled in response but he ignored it. "Do you want to hear a theory I have?"
"A theory regarding what? Why I haven't killed you yet?"
"No! A theory regarding her aura," Micah snapped back. When Sesshoumaru told him to explain he continued. "You know how in her aura there's something there that is different from the rest, almost like a separate entity?"
"Yes, I have noticed that particular aspect," the inu replied, careful not to show how anxious he was about the matter.
"Well I don't think it's her aura so much as it is a link to other auras around her. Sometimes I've felt like I could almost sense Shippou through her, though most of the time I haven't a clue who or what she's tapping into," he said almost breathlessly. He was afraid to be wrong, but he was also slightly afraid of being right.
"Well your explanation would not be implausible if she is what we suspect," Sesshoumaru replied cautiously.
"So it's for sure then, she's the real thing?"
"I have yet to make a complete determination," the demon admitted. "It is certainly the most simple explanation, but it is also the least likely."
"See?" the other chuckled, regaining some of his natural levity. "Even you can't tell for sure! You can't be mad at me when you're having the same problem bucko!"
"I have not had her for four years as you have, and if you ever refer to me as bucko again I'll carve my real name into your flesh so you will not be tempted to forget it."
"Tattooing names on one another is something that infatuated teenagers do Sesshoumaru, and I'm sorry but my door doesn't swing that way," he laughed back. "And you can't ever be mean to me again because I found her and sent her to you."
"Which proves how big a fool you are, Peters. You should have held on and kept that kind of power close to you," he remarked dryly.
Suddenly Peters became intensely serious, a rare enough occasion to make the taiyoukai listen attentively. "We both know it would have been criminal to a previously unattained degree for her not to be trained to the fullest potential. I couldn't do that, and not even you can either. But," and here he hesitated briefly, trying to emphasize his point, "you are the best to set her upon a path where she can find herself since you know more about it than anyone. Do not underestimate Kagome, Sesshoumaru, and whatever you do, please be as kind as you sub-arctic personality will allow."
The affection with which Peters spoke her name, and the hint of warning behind his last statement made it clear to him that the young commander had become very close to this woman in some way. This intrigued him as when it came to women Peters had always been like himself, usually viewing them as either a fighter, a quick lay, or a creature unworthy of notice. His thoughts made him remember another question he had. "Who are Chris and Reiner?"
There was dead silence for a minute, and then an explosion of laughter. "Aww man, you just wait Sesshoumaru, you just wait. If you want to know then ask Hando, I'm not going to tell you anything except that you'll know about it once they get there. She won't be able to contain herself and nothing but a direct order will keep her in place."
"I have become increasingly concerned that this woman is emotionally unbalanced," the taiyoukai suddenly blurted. This comment only served to increase the laughter on the other end of the line. "I know full well that she cheated on her psyc evaluations, and despite her performance there have been many evidences of a questionable mind. This impending disturbance over two lovers being the just latest," Sesshoumaru said, hints of anger and concern seeping through. His annoyance increased tenfold when Peters let out yet another round of laughter. Why was the young commander so incapable of seeing how dire the situation really was? "What is more than that she seems to spread her madness like a disease, passing it on to otherwise focused and rational people."
"I wondered when it was going to come out!" the other man chuckled in reply. "Sesshoumaru stop being an iceblock and for one second and please try to curb your vanity by admiting that there are other types of acceptable personalities than yours. Just because you deal with your power by being aloof and untouchable doesn't mean that is the way everyone else does it. Someone as powerful as Hando is always going to have an effect on those around her. She handles that power by engaging and interacting with everything around her, and if she really is what we think then you'll never be able to beat it out of her like you do others."
"She has gone beyond simple interaction. She has corrupted the entire office into submitting themselves willingly into her clutches," came the cool response. "Even the brothers all get along with her."
"Sesshoumaru she isn't planning a coup-de-tat if that is what you're thinking," Peters howled in delight. "So she likes the Shichinintai does she? I bet she and Jakotsu have a fabulous time together."
"Indeed, the other day they were talking about moisturizers and braiding each other's hair while on their lunch break," he nearly spat. "It was most unnerving."
"Man, if I knew she was going to be this big of a pain I would have sent her over your way years ago!" Peters managed to choke out through the gales of laughter.
"Why didn't you? You've already admitted she belongs here, and as a result of staying in America she seems to have picked up on your unique style of being passive aggressive towards authority."
"I always behaved within the confines of every rule, I never once questioned your authority," Peters said in his defense.
"And neither does she, you both follow the rules to the letter, but you know exactly what I am talking about. I could always see it in your eyes, and when I look at her eyes I am again confronted with it."
"Yes but that is why you respect me, because you know I can't be broken, and neither can she, so don't try it. Hey and what are you doing gazing into her eyes!" Once again his tone had become serious, and amusingly enough, protective.
"This Sesshoumaru does not gaze into the eyes of women," he said nonchalantly. "But I also refuse to back away from what petty humans call a staring contest."
"Well it's now four-thirty in the morning so unless you have anything left to say, I'm going back to bed for what precious little time I have left to sleep before I need to take off."
"You are avoiding the issue Peters. You have failed to answer my question in regards to why you didn't send her here earlier," Sesshoumaru said. "You have potentially placed her and others in danger by keeping her ignorant of the matter, and I want to know why."
Peters was quiet for a moment, but eventually answered in the best emotionless tone he'd ever used. "Because she wasn't ready for you yet Sesshoumaru," he replied cryptically.
"You will explain."
"Kagome is not like her older sister, whose personality would easily blend well with your own, nor is she like your younger brother who though completely at odds can easily withstand the constant friction between you. When Kagome came to me she was very young, and very innocent, and though I am positive both you and she would have survived had you begun her training together, I am confident that her coming to you now instead of then will mean less battle scars for the both of you in the end."
"Are you trying to imply that I could not handle her?" Sesshoumaru inquired, his tone dangerous.
"No, and don't be snippy with me," Peters shot back. "I am simply saying that for everything to work out the way it should the timing now is better than the timing then, for everyone. She'd just gone through a difficult experience with…that man, and she needed time to sort stuff out before she could withstand having to work with the likes of you. You're not exactly the easiest person to get along with ya know? Now, anything else I can help you with?"
"I have nothing further to say to you," he growled back. He could hear the grin in the man's tone when Peters asked if he, Sesshoumaru, actually needed his help. HA! Sesshoumaru needs help from no one.
"Goodbye then, but just remember what I said, do not underestimate her. There will be no end to the frustration that you will have to endure should you make that mistake," and with that he hung up.
----------------------
A/N: There now, another chapter for all you sweet, smart, and sterling readers and reviewers. Several of you have picked up on all the clues I've been tucking away in these early chapters, and I've even been accused of indulging in evil cliffies… well if I didn't resort to such low tactics how then would I get you all to keep reading? chuckles But hey, at least I'm starting to incorporate some answers in as well, right?