Disclaimer: Inuyasha is sooo not mine.

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A/N: Hey guys! I've been getting a lot of reviews mentioning the fact that Yuki is being an asshole. lol That's the point. He's supposed to be an asshole! XD I had hoped I'd made him bad enough for people to really dislike him and I think I've succeeded. Hooray! And yes, Kagome is rather a pathetically weak figure right now. I hope to explain more about that in chapter 3.

Enjoy!

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Chapter 2

Inuyasha glared at the receiver in his hand. Kagome was not at home, again. He was getting really tired of getting her answering machine. As he replaced the phone in its cradle, he wondered, and not for the first time, just who the hell this friend of hers was. Kagome had rarely spoke of this person, but when she did, her eyes seemed to light up and her cheeks glowed a soft pink. Inuyasha strongly suspected that this friend was more than just a friend, but there was no way to prove it. She would say nothing to give away the name of the individual or even their sex. A man, then. It must be a man.

Then again, she rarely talked openly with him anyway. When they were children, they had a normal friendship with her sharing everything with him. But as time went on, she pulled further and further away from him even after they had become step-siblings when his father married her mother.

Gazing absently out of the nearest window in his office, Inuyasha frowned in distress. During his teenage years, he had not been a very pleasant young man...especially to Kagome. He had been rude and hurtful and...

No, he wouldn't bring himself to think of those days. And as for his little Kagome... damn it. Even to this very day she suffered because of what he had done to her, not to mention everything else that happened back then. He had tried many times to make up for his part in it, to help her heal, but to no avail. She just did not trust him.

His desk phone beeped softly. He swiveled around slightly in his chair to grab the receiver. "Yeah."

"Get your ass back to work, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha's frown deepened into a scowl. "Fuck off, Sesshoumaru." Holding the receiver to his ear, he put his free hand up to the window and pressed it against the glass, a rude gesture formed by one solitary finger. "Quit watching me, you perv."

There was a delicate snort of disgust and a click. Inuyasha grinned and hung up. Turning to stare dismally at his paper-covered desk, he gave a grunt. This could all wait until tomorrow, he thought, his spirit lightening considerably.

Jumping up, he quickly gathered his belongings and headed for the door. On the way out, he informed his secretary that he was leaving for the day and that if his pompous brother should inquire about his whereabouts, he had gone home to drink until his eyeballs swam in whiskey. The secretary wrote down everything word for word and then wished him a nice day.

Of course he wouldn't do that, he thought to himself as he walked to his car. He had a mysterious friend of Kagome's to meet.

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The next morning, an enraged Inuyasha burst into the dining room where Sesshoumaru and his step-brother Souta were placidly having their breakfast. The storm from the night before had not let up and in fact, a loud clap of thunder sounded off just after Inuyasha dramatically flung the doors wide open. He'd just spent the entire night pacing back and forth in his room, his mind going round and round madly. The moment he'd realized he was looking at Kagome's friend, he very nearly attacked the man.

"Oi!" he cried, noting peevishly that his brother had not even batted an eye when the thunder cracked overhead. Instead, he continued to read his newspaper and brought his cup of coffee up to his lips. Souta, his mouth full of omelette, only looked up from his book with vague interest before returning back to it. Damn, that boy got more and more like Sesshoumaru with every passing year, thought Inuyasha irritably.

"Yes?" Sesshoumaru murmured politely before taking a long, delicate sip of his steaming beverage.

Inuyasha refrained from going over to his older brother and swatting that damned cup out of his hand. "Kagome's best friend is a guy!" he yelled, eyeballs bulging madly. He felt as though his head would explode. Surely, Sesshoumaru would march right over there and demanded that guy Hiro, or whatever, leave immediately. Sesshoumaru was protective of Kagome and would never allow a man to live with her...

"Hm." Lowering the cup, Sesshoumaru swallowed, but his eyes remained on the paper.

That's all he had to say? What the fuck...? "Well? What are you gonna do about it, Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha glared at Kagome's little brother but his dark head was bowed over his book. The little punk was totally ignoring him.

Sesshoumaru reached over and turned a page. "Nothing." He picked up his chopsticks and speared a small clump of scrambled egg.

Inuyasha's voice died in his throat with a strangled croak. His chest heaved as he fought to say something, anything at all to his wretched brother. How could Sesshoumaru do nothing about this?

"Remember your blood pressure, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru chided softly as the egg disappeared into his mouth. Souta stifled a small laugh, his face still buried between the pages of his book.

"Oh...my...Kami," whispered Inuyasha quietly. A sudden realization had just swept over him. "You already knew her friend was a guy."

After taking another slow sip of coffee, Sesshoumaru replied, "Brilliantly done, Watson." His golden eyes kept skimming over his reading material.

"You bastard, Sesshoumaru. When did you find out about all this? Why the hell didn't you tell me?"

Sesshoumaru sighed and set down his paper before turning to look at his little brother. "If you insist. I have known about Hiro for years. When our family went to the Higurashi shrine before our mother died, I would see Hiro and Kagome playing together. As to your second inquiry, I never told you because I did not think it was any of your business." That being said, he turned away and folded his paper neatly before getting to his feet. "It's time to go," he said to Souta.

Obediantly, Souta rose without a word and gathered his books. He shot Inuyasha an apologetic look before exiting the room.

Inuyasha's face contorted with disbelief. "How can you say that? It's your place to tell me everything about Kagome! She's my friend, dammit!"

As he bent over to grab his briefcase off the floor, Sesshoumaru's body stiffened imperceptibly. "My... place?" His voice dropped to a dangerously low octave and Inuyasha instinctively took a step back when his brother straightened. He knew that tone of voice and he knew not to mess with his older brother when he became angry.

The taller man's eyes narrowed into glittering golden slits. "Perhaps... if you had been a better friend to Kagome in the past, you would already be aware of Hiro's existance. Then there would be no reason for you to behave like a drama queen."

A vivid flush swept over Inuyasha's entire face. "Don't... go there, Sesshoumaru," he croaked. "Please, don't go there." He felt his body begin to tremble slightly.

"Oh, I think I shall," retorted Sesshoumaru dryly. He set his briefcase down on the table. "Do you know why Kagome prefers to keep her distance with you? Have you even noticed that she doesn't talk to you like she used to? Of course, the last time she chatted openly with you was many years ago--"

"Stop it!" Inuyasha growled and whirled around, but he didn't go far. Sesshoumaru clamped an iron hand down on his shoulder. He was yanked back and forced to face his brother. "Please, Sesshoumaru..."

"She doesn't trust you, Inuyasha. She hasn't trusted you for a very long time. Do you know why that is?" His voice was calm and low.

Inuyasha lashed out at Sesshoumaru, who merely sidestepped and managed to get Inuyasha's arm behind his back. "Stop it! Stop it!" he cried, allowing the tears he had been holding to slide down his cheeks.

Despite Inuyasha's little display of emotion, Sesshoumaru decided to plow on ahead. The boy needed to be reminded. "I suppose that you've never seen Kagome cry, have you? I have. It was always after she spent time with you, when she tried so hard to be your friend. But all you ever did was make fun of her because of her weight. I recall overhearing some of the things you said to her. I also recall being appalled that my own brother could be so very cruel to someone who had never deserved such callous treatment."

With a sob, Inuyasha wrenched himself out of Sesshoumaru's grasp and stumbled to the floor, landing heavily on his knees. After a second, he sat back on his heels. "Must you bring this up?" he whispered wretchedly, staring at the floor. Blinking, more tears fell from his eyes and landed on his thighs. With a shaky hand he swiped at his trousers, wanting desperately to make those drops disappear.

"Hiro was the one who consoled her once she could no longer hold back the tears. She kept a brave face on for you, Inuyasha, because she cared about you. What is so sad, is that while you couldn't look past her weight, she could still see a nice young man she was proud to call friend. But you were no friend of hers. Not really, at any rate."

Lifting his head, Inuyasha glared up at his brother over his shoulder. "Why are you reminding me of all this? Do you think I've forgotten what an idiot I was back then?"

"I believe that sometimes you need reminding," replied Sesshoumaru, taking hold of his briefcase once more. "As I said before, if you had been a better friend to Kagome you would know about Hiro." He turned and and began walking away. "And do not ever tell me what my place is again." Without looking back, Sesshoumaru left the room, his long silvery white hair flowing out behind him.

For nearly an hour after Sesshoumaru had gone, Inuyasha sat on the floor of the dining room, barely listening to the rain and the occasional thunderclaps. He was deep in thought, devising a plan to win Kagome's heart. She hadn't gone on that date she promised him a few weeks ago but instead, she'd asked him to take a raincheck. A raincheck indeed!

A mischievious little smile tugged at his lips. This time, she would be unable to renege. He'd also gotten her to sign a paper, promising to go out with him another time that he chose. It had been quite easy, playing on her guilt stricken conscience for having had to back out of a promised date. Inuyasha had hated doing it, but he felt that he would need this ace-in-the-hole to get his way. He refused to give up on her.

With a sigh, he shook himself and got to his feet. He supposed that he should go to work. Sesshoumaru would bitch and moan about his problem with punctuality of course, but that would be all. Someone, somewhere in his massive office would soon catch his sharp eagle eyes and the bastard would be off, ready to hand that poor sucker his or her ass on a platter. But he couldn't very well fire Inuyasha, even if he was late to work every fucking day. It was a condition of his father's will. The only way he could get the boot was if he was caught being involved in any kind of criminal activity. Thank kami for a loving father.

Inuyasha made it to work just as the rain slowed to a gentle drizzle. Normally, he wasn't too fond of wet, gloomy weather, but today it didn't bother him. Kagome loved rainy days and he felt he could get used to them. Going to his office, happy thoughts of spending his rainy days and nights (especially nights) with Kagome filled his head. Even when he attacked the mountain of paperwork on his desk he continued daydreaming about her.

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Kagome lay in her bed, rather ill. This time, it was not due to the virus she had just barely gotten over. Hiro had already checked her temperature (which was slightly elevated) but it had taken a few minutes to figure out why his little one was feeling unwell. It was a setback due to the rather unnecessary argument that had occurred the night before between himself and their unexpected visitor.

Just before dinner, a young, silver-haired man knocked on their front door. Hiro opened it himself, thinking that it was Yuki come back to make himself unpleasant to all... but it was not Yuki. The man on the porch was shorter than Yuki and was possessed with a slim, athletic build and lots of wispy, silver-white locks. His face seemed very familiar.

"Yes?" Hiro had asked as politely as he could manage. "May I help you?"

The white haired man glared at him with angry golden eyes. "Who the hell are you?" he snarled. "Where's Kagome?"

Now Hiro could place the guy. "Oh, hello Inuyasha. Please, come in." He stepped back to allow Inuyasha to enter. Of course, Inuyasha glared suspiciously at him as he walked past. Hiro sighed. Inuyasha hadn't changed at all.

"Oi, Kagome!" Inuyasha's voice rang out. "There you are. I want to know a couple of things. First off, why have you been avoiding me and second," he said, casting a nasty look back at Hiro, "who the fuck is this loser?"

Hiro, who had been following slowly behind the newcomer, tensed. The last thing he wanted was for Kagome to become upset through Inuyasha's thoughtlessness. His history concerning Kagome was not a good one and Hiro did not trust the guy one iota.

"I...haven't been avoiding you...Inuyasha," she stammered, brown eyes wide with shock. "I've...I've..."

"Well?" Inuyasha's voice was harsh.

Hiro, seeing Kagome's already pale face recoil at Inuyasha's tone, grabbed the rude bastard by the shoulders and swung him around. "Lay off," he growled, just barely restraining the urge to throttle the man. "Kagome has been sick for the past couple of weeks. Now I suggest you leave before she becomes even more upset. My name is Hiro, by the way and yes, I'm the friend she's no doubt told you of. So, why don't you--"

Inuyasha slapped Hiro's hands away. "You? You're her best friend she's been living with?" His voice rose shrilly. He whipped around to stare at Kagome, who looked about ready to faint. "Your best friend is a... is a... a guy!"

By now, Hiro was no longer paying attention to Inuyasha. His little one had a faint green tint to her face and her eyes sought his, silently asking for help. She was feeling quite ill now.

He shoved the raving lunatic aside and dropped to his knees beside her just as she passed out. Inuyasha's yells had finally ceased and now he was all concern. "What's happened? What's wrong with her?"

Hiro was shaking with rage by now as he gently held the frail little body against his. He was not sure if he could trust himself to speak civilly to Inuyasha, but for her sake, he would certainly try. "Look, like I told you," he began slowly, greatly controlling his emotions, "Kagome has been ill for a couple of weeks. Its just a bug that's been going around and she's mostly over it now, but she is still very weak. The last thing I wanted to have happen was for her to become agitated like this." He glared up at Inuyasha. "You should not have disturbed her the way you did. Now please leave."

"You can't tell me what to fucking do," Inuyasha snapped. But the anger faded as his golden eyes slid down to Kagome's still, white face. "Will she be okay?" he whispered.

Nodding, Hiro shifted her more comfortably in his arms. "Yes, she only fainted. Kagome's appetite hasn't been good since she's been ill, but she manages to keep hydrated." Lifting his hand, he brushed the hair from her face. "I'm going to put her to bed. Now if you'll exuse us," he murmured, rising with Kagome cradled against him.

Inuyasha's gaze kept jumping from his to Kagome's and back again. He seemed to be fighting an inward battle. "Fine, I'll leave. But this isn't over. I'm gonna go to my brother and tell him about what's been going on here. You're gonna be gone within 24 hours, pal. And if I find out that anything sexual's gone on while you've been here, I promise you I'll fuck you up." Without waiting for a reply, Inuyasha took himself off in a huff.

Heaving a sigh and shaking his head, Hiro went to lay Kagome down on the sofa in the living room. After making sure she was covered and comfortably settled, he went to the kitchen to take his pot of soup off the stove and covered it. Then he went back to the living room to wait for Kagome to come to.

Now, he was again watching her sleeping fitfully in her bed this time. Her little face was flushed. Perhaps it had not been wise to tell Inuyasha anything of her illness, but then again, it couldn't have been helped. To anyone with at least one eye, it was easy to see that Kagome did not look well.

Downstairs, a deep voice was speaking softly. Sesshoumaru was using his cell phone to make a few calls, one of which was to Inuyasha. Hiro, unable to help himself, crept out on the landing to overhear the conversation. From the sound of things, Inuyasha was in some pretty deep shit with Sesshoumaru for barging in on Kagome. The older brother didn't exactly threaten Inuyasha; he didn't need to. He was scary enough to not have to use threats against someone.

That was his last call apparently, for Hiro heard his phone snap shut. He made a dash back to Kagome's room to await Sesshoumaru's return, whereupon he asked Hiro to leave him alone with Kagome for a few minutes. Hiro, deciding not to risk arguing with the most powerful business man in Tokyo, left.

He was watching television when Sesshoumaru descended the stairs, straightening his Armani jacket and silk tie before running his long fingers through his hair. Clicking off the tv, Hiro got quickly to his feet and turned to face him. The pale man spoke softly. "She has fallen asleep again. I will send my personal doctor to visit her later this evening. Thank you for taking care of her, Hiro. Kagome is... rather precious to me. I love her very much."

Hiro, startled at the note of tenderness in the normally cool man's voice, stared up at him with some surprise. "Of course, Sesshoumaru-sama. I love her as well and I promise you again that I will watch over her closely."

Sesshoumaru nodded shortly and left, leaving a rather shocked Hiro staring after him. The great Sesshoumaru? Admitting that he loved someone? That was just really too much to take in, but man, that was pretty awesome to witness firsthand!

After checking on his patient one more time, Hiro settled back down in the living room to watch more television. He wondered vaguely just what Sesshoumaru had planned for Inuyasha.

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As it so happened, Inuyasha was unable to ask Kagome out on a date. In fact, he had no time to accomplish that task or much else. Sesshoumaru managed to find a shit load of work for him to do and to keep him busy for the next several days. So pissed off was Inuyasha, that he demanded his secretary lock him into his own office so he couldn't get out and try to assassinate Sesshoumaru. At the end of the day, he was set loose, but by then he had cooled down considerably. Of course he still loathed his jerk-off relative, but by then he was far too exhausted to do anything about it... and far too tired to ask Kagome out on a date.

It really stung, feeling that he had been replaced by some guy who'd deserted her for five years and then trotted on back into her life as though nothing had happened. It just wasn't fair. He loved Kagome, and despite their step-sibling status, he was in love with her.

Driving home after yet another grueling day of wading through that monstrous, never-ending pile of dead tree pulp, he was ready to go home and sleep.

As he drove along, Kagome's face popped into his mind and stayed there. Damn, he loved her so much. He desperately wished to see her, but Sesshoumaru had strictly forbidden it. It had been a whole week since he'd seen her. Inuyasha was really getting tired of not being able to see her and now he discovers that Hiro had been ordered to keep him from entering the house by any means necessary. Damn you, Sesshoumaru!

But no matter. He would see her, with or without Sesshoumaru's approval. Tomorrow was Friday and he would take her out to a nightclub. Surely Sesshoumaru and Kagome's jailor would allow her one night of freedom.

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