Disclaimer: Inuyasha is sooo not mine.

Chapter 24

Miroku, Ginta and Hakkaku pulled up to the gates of the Morikawa mansion and buzzed the house to let them in. It was Inuyasha who answered. He was puzzled, but he agreed and opened the gates for them. As they drove slowly up the drive, Miroku could feel the tension weigh like lead on them. This would be a most unpleasant task to undertake. How does one tell a man like Sesshoumaru bad news of this magnitude?

"I'm gonna be sick," moaned Hakkaku from the back seat. "Oh my god, I'm gonna hurl."

"Not in my car, you're not," Miroku told him sharply. "My woman would kill me if I let some guy puke all over himself in here. Then I'd have to kill you for ruining my leather seats, man."

"Hakkaku, just hold it in, man," Ginta admonished his brother quietly from his seat beside the sweating monk. He was leaning back in the bucket seat, eyes closed, looking relatively calm.

Miroku glared jealously over at him. How could he be so freaking calm at a time like this?!

A very tired-looking Jaken greeted them at the door and led them into some sort of living room where Inuyasha was sitting alone, watching television. He raised a hand and got to his feet, somewhat unsteadily.

"Oi! It's kinda late to be here, don't ya think?" asked Inuyasha with a frown. "Whaddya want?"

Miroku went over to him and leaned in close to the white-haired man's face, taking a long sniff. "You've been drinking, Inuyasha. That's not good."

With a laugh, Inuyasha waved him away. "Drinking is good, Miroku! Didn't you know that? It comforts you when you feel pain..." He trailed off, his yellow-eyed gaze sliding off to the side to stare into space. Inuyasha blinked then, and a few tears streaked down his face on either side of his nose. "He made me go, you know? I didn't wanna, but he forced me to. Damn bastard, always thinking he's controlling shit. All that power he has, has gotten to his head, Miroku. Next he'll think he owns the fucking world--"

"Who made you go where?" Miroku interrupted softly, not wanting to upset the drunken man any more than he had to. Of course, he already knew the answer.

Inuyasha sniffed mightily and returned to his seat, curling his legs up under him. "Sesshoumaru. He forced me to go to Kagome's... to the... to the wedding. Said that if he had to endure giving her away to another man, then I sure as hell could endure watching it." He picked up his bottle of liquor and tipped it back. There was silence for a moment as he drank some more and seemed to watch tv, then he without turning to his guests he asked, "But he was a goddamn liar, 'cuz I... I couldn't endure it. Fucking Yuki..." Inuyasha turned his head away, his chest hitching for a moment as he struggled to regain his composure.

He went on, his voice so soft the others could barely hear his words. "Why did you come here so late at night, anyway? Sesshoumaru's out like a light by now. He had to take his sleeping pills again, like a drop or two of this shit wouldn't work just as well." He held out the bottle and sloshed the contents around, his gaze fixed upon the amber liquid.

"We need to speak with him. It's urgent," Ginta said quickly.

Inuyasha shook his head. "That's impossible. When he takes his pills, he doesn't wake up until morning and--"

"What's this about?"

Everyone turned to see Sesshoumaru standing imperiously in the doorway, his long hair was swept up into a ponytail and his elegant figure was clad in pearl grey silk pajamas, leather slippers and a royal blue robe. A cool, less-than-pleased gaze swept over everyone in the room, but came finally to rest on the monk.

"If this was a social call, everybody would not be looking like the world was about to come to an abrupt and nasty end. Speak, monk," he ordered sharply.

Miroku took a deep breath and began to speak. The elder Morikawa's eyes burned through him as he told the horrid tale and when he could take no more, he looked away from that searing stare. But by then, he had thankfully finished the story. "Ginta," he said in a low voice, "the camera, if you please."

Ginta pulled the camera out of his pocket, messed with it for a moment, then handed the whole thing to Sesshoumaru. Watching him do this, Miroku felt nothing but respect for Ginta. The guy hadn't even broken a sweat.

As Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha (who had come over and was peeking over his brother's shoulder) looked through the gruesome pictures, Sesshoumaru's face tightened with fury. "That... filthy bastard!" he snarled. For a moment, Ginta wondered if he would throw the camera against the wall. But Sesshoumaru did not and instead, he called for his butler. The little man came at a run.

"Jaken! Get me the phone!"

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Inuyasha, whose face had turned quite pale, dashed out of the room, his hand clapped over his mouth. Miroku felt bad for him. It must have been hard enough for him to watch Kagome get married to someone else, but to see her lying in a pool of her own blood...

When Jaken returned, Sesshoumaru grabbed the phone from the butler and quickly dialed a number. "Yes! Mrs. Hachibana! Hand the phone to your husband, please." He said nothing for a moment, then, "Hachibana! Get up and get to your office. Yes, I'm well aware of the time... no, I don't care. This is an emergency. I want an annullment of the marriage of my ward to Yamadera Yuki and I want it now. No, I don't give a damn about that, just get started on it!" Miroku and the others flinched as Sesshoumaru's voice grew more and more hostile.

Sesshoumaru began pacing around the room. "A reason?! I'll give you a fucking reason! That scum-sucking bastard beat the shit out of her only a few hours ago! What more goddamn reason do I need?!" he roared at the hapless man on the other end of the phone. Shutting his eyes, Sesshoumaru finished in a lower, but no less deadly tone, "Just get it done, Hachibana, and I'll triple your fees. I want it finalized first thing in the morning. Don't fail me." He hung up.

All the others breathed a sigh of relief... until he picked up the phone again and dialed yet another number. He waited a minute then said, "Hello, Naraku. No, I don't give a fuck if you are in the middle of the best lay ever. I need you to gather your men and scour Tokyo for Yamadera Yuki. He won't be hard to spot. He's blond with a limp; he favors his right leg. He also has a two scars on his face, one of which extends from his temple down his right cheek, and the other cuts across his right eyebrow. I'll have Jaken send you a picture of him... Yes, it's a recent one. I want him found, is that understood? What? Of course I want his worthless carcass alive. I don't feel like covering up crimes you've committed..." Sesshoumaru scowled and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "Yes, disposing of human trash is considered murder, you idiot. Anyway, when you find him, bring him here. I want to deal with him personally."

Again, the other men flinched. Yuki was fucked, royally.

"Oh, so you want incentive, do you? Okay, well how about this? That bastard beat Kagome into a bloody pulp and deserted her on their wedding night. How's that?" Sesshoumaru smirked when he had to move the phone away from his ear. Something like a shout could just be heard erupting from the phone. "So I guess you'll do as I say, Naraku? Good lad. I'll be expecting to hear from you soon."

After sending Jaken away with the phone and instructions to send Yuki's picture to Naraku and to download the pictures from the camera, he turned to his guests. "Where is she?" he asked, his voice now soft and pain-filled. It was hard to believe that this was the same man who, just moments ago, snapped at his lawyer on the phone. "Is she safe?"

Miroku nodded. "Very. She's with Kouga. He took her out of the city, but where, I don't know. The only ones who know where he's gone are Ginta and Hakkaku."

Sesshoumaru regarded the brothers solemnly. "I won't ask where he's taken her, but if he wants to tell me, then fine. I'm thankful he's with my little one. I know she's completely safe with him, so tell Kouga that I trust him implicitly. If he needs anything, money or assistance, just get in touch with me and I'll be happy to lend him a hand. All I ask is that she is taken care of. Kagome..." He stopped and turned away from them. "I hope he'll let me see her soon. Thank you, gentlemen and good night."

When Sesshoumaru swept out of the room, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"That went better than expected," Ginta commented.

Hakkaku nodded, then smiled broadly. "Hm. Hey, I don't have to puke anymore!" he cried with jubilant relief.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The next day, Sesshoumaru had been awakened to the news that the annullment had indeed been granted. But of course, it was mostly due to who he was. The judge who had granted the annullment had been a close, personal friend of his father and was more than ready to help Morikawa's eldest son. Judge Hadori Myoga had also been the one to grant the young Sesshoumaru guardianship of his deceased stepmother's children, Kagome and Souta.

He had called Sesshoumaru the moment after the weary-looking lawyer staggered out of his office with the signed papers. "Sesshoumaru? Good morning."

Sesshoumaru's voice was deep with sleep. "Hmm? Judge Hadori? Oh, good morning, sir." He felt like crap. That was usually the case after having to take his sleeping pills.

"Your lawyer has just been to see me. I've signed the papers, Sesshoumaru. I'm... exceedingly sorry to hear of your ward's predicament. If there's anything I can do..."

"No sir, thank you. It's enough that you've put an end to it. I'm eternally grateful to you."

The judge sighed. "You'll want to press charges against him, I gather."

"Oh yes, without a doubt, but I'll have to find him first," Sesshoumaru muttered, sitting up in bed. "Thankfully, I have the best scouring the city for him as we speak." He grinned for a moment, then it faltered and disappeared. "He'll find him, of that I'm certain."

"Sesshoumaru! Don't tell me you're still in league with that scoundrel!" the judge exclaimed reproachfully. "I don't know how many times I've warned you about Naraku. That boy is nothing but trouble."

Getting to his feet, Sesshoumaru stretched lazily. "My father used him too, sir, as well as his father, Onigumo."

There was an undignified snort on the other end. "Yes, I warned your father about that one, as well. I've said it before and I'll say it again, those two men are the scum of the earth! Honestly, Sesshoumaru! You business tycoons sure know to pick with whom you do business with, don't you?"

Unable to help himself, Sesshoumaru laughed. "Naraku would be pleased at such high praise, sir. But I use him because he's the best and besides, we grew up together. He's a friend of mine, if you recall."

The judge sighed. "I could never talk your father out of it and apparently, I am unable do the same with you. You Morikawas are a hard-headed lot, aren't you? Oh well, keep me updated and if you need my assistance, don't hesitate to ask."

Sesshoumaru thanked the judge and hung up.

ooooooooooooooo

Hachibana had been hard at work and was pleased to present the papers to Sesshoumaru just after nine o'clock in the morning as the businessman was having breakfast. The lawyer had even been given a peek at the pictures of Kagome and felt instantly sick, but said nothing. Poor girl, he thought, handing them back to his employer.

Sesshoumaru sighed with relief. "Thank you, Hachibana. The money will be transferred to your account in one hour. Have you notified the Yamadera family of this?"

Heaving a sigh, Hachibana nodded. "Yes, sir. A copies of the annullment were sent to their home and Yuki's home by courier about thirty minutes ago."

"Hmm." Taking a sip of coffee, Sesshoumaru stared off into space. "They should be arriving any minute, then. Are you certain you won't have some breakfast?"

"Oh, no thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama," Hachibana murmured politely. "My wife will be wondering where I am. I should go soon. Sir? What about the newspapers? Did you keep news of the wedding a secret?"

Heaving a groan, Sesshoumaru closed his eyes in a pained sort of way. "Damn it all, I forgot about that. I'd be willing to bet that woman put wedding announcements in every single paper from here to Tibet. I'll have to have my secretary send out retractions saying it was all a hoax... and of course I'll have to contact all the guests to say nothing about this." He set his drink down and ran a fingertip absently along the rim of the cup. "What a bloody mess this has turned out to be. I love my ward more than life itself, but damn it all, I hope she never gets married again."

Confused, Hachibana frowned. "You mean because of the cost of the wedding?"

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "No, because I'm afraid a repeat of this day will occur if another man manages to drag her down the aisle again. You don't want me calling your house in the wee hours of the morning to draw up annullment papers again, right?" He sighed sadly. "I can't believe I went against my gut instinct on this. I thought it was just jealousy talking that kept me from allowing this to take place--"

The sounds of feet descending the stairs told Sesshoumaru that his little brothers had finally gotten out of bed. Souta was chattering cheerfully away, accompanied by Inuyasha's grunts and groans. Just as Souta and a very hungover Inuyasha walked into the dining room, the sound of the doorbell went off. Sesshoumaru's gaze slid over to the exhaused-looking lawyer and smirked. "Well, well. Guess who's at the front door?" he chuckled.

Jaken went to open the door, but was immediately flung to the side as a fair-haired whirlwind rushed inside and headed straight for the dining room where Inuyasha and Souta were standing outside the door, looking puzzled.

Sparing them not a glance, the yellow-haired woman brushed past them with Hiro hot on her heels and headed straight for Sesshoumaru, who was busy taking another sip of coffee. He looked up, as though he hadn't heard her barge into his home and gave her a pleasant smile. "Good morning, Mrs. Yamadera. What brings you here on this lovely morning?"

Rini's brown eyes blazed with anger. "Don't give me that bullshit, Morikawa! What the hell have you done?!" She waved some papers practically in his face as his lawyer looked on in stunned horror.

Sesshoumaru recognized the papers, for his own copy was still sitting before him. He tilted his head to the side and regarded her with interest. But instead of answering her query, he picked up one of the pictures and held it out for her to see. "I think the question here, madam, is what the hell has your son done?"

As soon as she recognized the blood-covered figure in the picture as Kagome, her eyes flew open and she clapped her hands over her mouth. Shaking her head, she looked away. "No, that's not right. Yuki... wouldn't do that. He loves her. He'd never hurt her." Silence followed and she turned back to him. "Is Kagome okay?"

Setting his coffee cup down, he picked up a piece of toast and began slowly to butter it. "Hmm, let's see. Your son slapped her, then punched her in the face and then slammed her body down onto his glass coffee table. She had a piece of glass embedded in her neck and the side of her face that he didn't hit was ground into the broken glass on the floor. On top of that, he just walked away and left her. You tell me if she's okay."

Hiro took hold of his mother's arms and led her to a chair nearby, where she sat, motionless. After a minute, she shook her head in totaly disbelief. "But... why?"

"Why? Because he remembered what had happened to him the night of his accident and he blamed her for his drunken driving, that's why."

Rini continued to gaze at him as Sesshoumaru took slow bites of his toast. Her ire rose and she slammed her hand down on the table. "How can you sit there so calmly eating toast?! Aren't you worried for Kagome? Because to me, it looks like you don't give a damn!" she snapped.

Sesshoumaru's eyes shifted suddenly and he glared at her. "You dare question my concern for my ward? I love that girl and if you must know, at this very moment she is with someone I trust completely to make certain that she's taken care of and is safe... and far away from your son."

"You bastard! You can't honestly believe that Yuki would do this! My son did not do such a terrible thing! Don't you dare suggest it! He loves her! That was probably done by someone trying to rob them!"

"Then where is he? Tell me why he can't be found, madam. If he loved Kagome so much, why has he abandoned her?" Sesshoumaru jabbed a finger at one of the picture he had shown her earlier. "He hasn't even returned to his apartment today. And don't say he was kidnapped, for he walked out of the building calmly enough. Security cameras don't lie."

Hiro stepped in to comfort his mother. "How do you know this? Are you having his place watched?"

Sesshoumaru turned his laser-like gaze on the young man. "What do you think? I have the best investigator money can buy. He called me earlier, just before my lawyer arrived." He nodded at Hachibana.

Again Rini's fist came down hard on the table. "So now you're spying on my son? Just how low will you stoop to destroy him?!"

This time, Sesshoumaru did not hold back. His hands came down hard on the table's surface, causing the entire thing to tremble and he got to his feet, pure rage burning in his eyes. "Destroy? Look what he's done to her!" He grabbed the picture and shoved it into her face.

With a hiss, Rini snatched the picture out of her face and threw it on the ground. "What proof do you have that he did this to her? Huh? Were you there in the room when it happened?"

"Jaken! Phone!"

ooo

An hour later, Miroku was ushered into the dining room where Rini was pacing frantically. Sesshoumaru and a strange man were sipping coffee and talking quietly. Miroku later discovered that this was Hachibana, the poor lawyer that had been dragged out of bed the night before.

"Good morning, Sesshoumaru," Miroku said with a bow. He had just arrived at the Higurashi shrine and had changed into his robes when his cell phone had gone off. After telling Kagome's grandfather he would be back as soon as possible, he took off for the Morikawa mansion.

Now Morikawa turned and set his cup down. "Ah, Miroku, come in. Mrs. Yamadera, I believe you've met this young man. He's a good friend of Kagome and as you can see, he's a monk."

"Your proof is a man dressed as a monk?" she snapped, her tone skeptical.

Miroku glanced from Sesshoumaru to Rini and began to speak. He told her the things he had been shown by Kagome, everything that Yuki had done to her. He even told her about the things the two of them had experienced before the attack had happened. "I know this must all sound strange to you, but I assure you, everything Kagome and I saw in our visions has come true."

But still, Rini staunchly believed in her son's innocence. She refused to listen to anymore and told Miroku to stop spewing such vicious lies about her precious boy. "He hasn't done anything wrong!" she cried, eyes once again going to Sesshoumaru. "Just you wait and see! Something terrible has happened to my boy and all you can think of is hunting him down like an animal! Come, Hiro! I'm sick of looking at this man." Whirling around, she stormed out of the dining room and out of the house, her son trailing behind in her wake.

Miroku sighed. "I'm sorry I wasn't of any help, Sesshoumaru," he said quietly. "But you know really, we have no physical proof he did anything other than what Kagome relayed to me. I think we should just wait until she can tell us herself."

"I'm inclined to agree," Sesshoumaru answered, sitting back down. "But no matter. Kagome is safe and now no longer that fool's wife. That's all I care about."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Three days later, on a hunch, Hiro went to Yuki's business office to try to find him. He hadn't been seen since the day of his wedding and their mother was very worried now. But sure enough, Yuki was there, sitting at his desk and apparently very relaxed in his smoke-filled office. He was looking over some papers, a sweating glass of amber liquid near his right hand and a cigarette protruding out of his mouth. A couch that sat alongside one wall was covered with a couple of blankets; a pillow with an impression of a head was lying on one end. So he'd been sleeping here, then.

The moment Hiro stepped into the office, Yuki looked up, disinterested. He peered through the smoke. "Yeah? What do you want?" His gaze dropped down to the papers again.

"Yuki, mom has been looking everywhere for you. She's worried about--"

Yuki waved a dismissive hand at him. "Tell her not to be. As you can see, I'm very much alive." He turned the page on top of the stack over and began reading the one that had been beneath it.

Hiro frowned. "Mom wants to know what happened that night, Yuki."

"Nothing happened that night." Yuki inhaled.

"But it was your wedding night, Yuki."

"Exactly. Nothing happened." Again, Yuki looked up, removing the cigarette from his lips. "A word of advice, little brother. Never get married." He exhaled and tapped ash from his cigarette into a glass ashtray close to his hand. "Women are all liars."

Hiro shook his head uncomprehendingly. When Yuki returned his attention to the papers, Hiro rushed forward and brought his hands down on the desk. "What's wrong with you? Just what went on that night? Yuki, please don't tell me you had anything to do with Kagome's injuries!" Yuki said nothing and he went on furiously, "So that was you! What were you thinking? You could have killed her, baka!"

The blond man waved him away. "That is of no concern to me, Hiroshi. Now please... get out."

"Like hell I will!" Hiro pointed an angry finger in Yuki's face. "Do you know what you've done to her? Hell, do you know that Sesshoumaru has men searching the entire city for you?"

With a shrug, Yuki took a drink of the amber liquid. "I really could care less."

Hiro lifted his hand and knocked the glass out of his brother's hand. The glass landed unharmed on the floor, spilling its contents which immediately soaked into the carpet. "You fucking need to care, Yuki. You are in so much damned trouble! Not only with Sesshoumaru, but with the police. You assaulted her, for heaven's sake! If you're lucky, you'll land into the hands of the police first. And then there's the person who put that hit out on you..."

For the first time since Hiro came into the room, Yuki's eyes held a spark of interest. "A hit... on me? What are you talking about?"

"That night when Miroku, Kouga and the Kawase brothers went to retrieve Kagome, Kouga came across a strange man in your apartment. He stopped the man from raping Kagome, you know."

"I don't care about that, Hiro. What about that guy in my house?" Yuki swiveled around in his chair to grab another glass and his bottle of whiskey.

Staring with disbelief at his cold-hearted brother, Hiro shook his head. It appeared that the old Yuki was back. "Ginta and Hakkaku worked him over pretty well and the guy spilled the beans about the hit, but they didn't give any details."

"I see. Okay, thank you, Hiro. You may go now. Tell Ginta to get in touch with me so I can--"

"I can't believe how callous you are, Yuki. Just three days ago you were so happy to marry the girl you loved and now... now you act as though that day never happened."

Yuki shrugged and leaned back in his swivel chair. "It never should have, Hiro. I mean, look at all the money I spent and for what? Not a damn thing. It was the most wasteful endeavor I've ever invested my money in." He heaved a tragic sigh and rubbed his forehead with his hand. "Well, its too late now, but at least I know it's over with. Hey, I'm thinking about going out tonight. Wanna come? It's not like I have any obligations now to hold me down now."

This was going too far, Hiro thought maliciously. "What do you mean it's over with?" he asked, trying very hard to restrain himself from slapping his brother silly.

"Oh, come on, Hiro. I'm not stupid, you know. Sesshoumaru has already had the marriage annulled, now hasn't he? I'll bet he was just itching to call his lawyers the moment the ceremony was over. Well, he's gotten his wish. Heh, I already ditched the ring. Got a pretty penny for it too. I totally pawned that sucker." Yuki flashed his brother a toothy smile. "So what do you say? Boys' night out? I hear there's a new club that's opened up on the other side of town and I wanna check out the competition. It's called Kaze no... something. Come on, Hiro, let's go. I'll pick you up around eight for dinner first, okay?"

Listening to his big brother talk about the annullement in such a light-hearted fashion made Hiro sick to his stomach. How much shit had he put Kagome through before he finally chased after her and finally wed her, only to beat her senseless? And then pretend as though everything that had gone before had never happened? Damn, his brother had shit for brains.

"How can you... act like this, Yuki?" he asked, shaking his head sadly, his voice trembling. "How can you sit there and act like nothing's going on? You beat your wife on your wedding night then deserted her. You had some guy who was out to kill you... and now you've got Morikawa super-pissed off and after your ass? Where's your head at? You're in some serious shit, man."

Yuki glared irritably up at Hiro. "Acting like my conscience again, are you? You know, I can do without that kind of harassment, little brother." He stubbed his cigarette out and lit another. "Do you even want to know why I left her ass? Because she's the reason I'm like this. I'm a freak now because of her. A goddamn cripple."

Hiro shook his head slowly. "No. No, that's not right and you know it! Kagome loves you--"

Shooting up out of his chair, Yuki leaned over his desk to put his face in Hiro's. "Shut the fuck up, Hiro!" he roared, emerald eyes burning with rage. "That little bitch lied to me the whole fucking time I was going after her! All she had to fucking say was that she was with someone else! All she had to do was tell me she didn't... that she didn't love me..." His voice broke horribly, then died.

With concealed surprise, Hiro noticed that Yuki's hands were trembling. His dark gaze swept up to Yuki's face and saw that he was staring off into space. There was so much sadness and hurt there, Hiro thought with a glimmer of hope. "You still love her, don't you."

Yuki jumped and quickly concealing his despair, brought the intense green lasers back to Hiro's face. "What? Oh, hell no! What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Yuki, you can't lie to me, you know. I can see right through your anger. You still love her."

For a moment, Hiro believed that Yuki would break down and cry... but it never happened. Instead, the blond man pulled himself together with great effort and took a deep drag off his smoke, smiling cooly. "I don't give a shit about her. So, you comin' with me tonight, or what?"

'Believe what you want, Yuki,' Hiro thought sadly. Aloud, he groaned softly. This evening would be a disaster, he just knew it. "Sure, I'll go."

"Great. Now get out so I can get back to work."

oooooooooooooooooooo

Later that day, Rini was sitting at home, sobbing in her husband's arms. She was so worried about Yuki, who was still missing, but she was worried for Kagome as well. That poor, poor girl! Whoever did such a heinous thing to her, deserved whatever the law threw at them.

As her sobs subsided at last, Ryuji kissed the top of his wife's head. "My love, please lie down for awhile. You've been crying for hours now and I'm worried about you."

"No!" Her arms wrapped around his waist and she held tightly onto him. "Don't leave me! I need you here with me!" she wailed pitiously.

Patting her back, her husband chuckled softly. "I thought I only had sons. I wasn't aware I had a daughter as well."

Rini pouted and pushed him away. "You're not funny, Ryu," she sniffed, wiping her eyes with a kleenex, "and I know what you're getting at. I'm not childish in the least bit."

"Mom! Dad!"

Hearing her son's voice, she jumped up from her seat and ran across the room to throw herself at Hiro, who'd just walked into the living room. "Darling! I've missed you!" She snuggled against her son's chest, refusing to let him go, even when he tried to walk further into the room.

"Oh, mom," sighed her son with a rueful smile, returning her hug. "I came by this morning to check on you, remember?"

"So? Can't I miss my youngest baby?" She sighed contentedly against him, her arms wrapped around him like a vise. "My little Hiro was always such a good boy to his mommy."

While a blushing Hiro was gently trying to pry his mother from his body, Ryuji leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. "Did you find your brother?"

Hiro nodded. "Yes, dad, I found him."

Rini's head jerked off Hiro's chest and she stared up at him with instantly tearful eyes. "And? Well? Where is he? Is he okay? Is he hurt? How's his leg? Does he know about the--"

Cupping his mother's face in his hands, Hiro kissed her forehead. "Yuki's fine. I found him working at his office, but about the whole annullment thing... he's already figured it out."

His father sat up. "How is he taking it?"

"He doesn't really care, dad. Yuki said he's glad that it's over and done with. He said he's gotten rid of his wedding ring already and," he went on, bracing himself, "he practically admitted to assaulting Kagome."

That sent his mother into another fit of weeping and she did it into his shirt, soaking it quickly. Hiro glanced worriedly over at his father, who sat quite still in his chair, apparently thinking things over. After a few minutes, Ryuji looked up at his youngest son with dark, blazing green eyes.

"Hiro, I want you to keep a close eye out on your brother. That boy has caused too much trouble for us, especially for your mother. I'm tired of him making her cry."

Rini shook her head. "No, Ryu, don't say that!" She turned pain-filled, tearful brown eyes to her husband. "Whatever Yuki may have done, he's still our son. I don't like what he's become, but I'm thankful for that car accident and for Kagome being by his side. For a short time, he was our little boy, the way he should have been. I believe with all my heart that the side of him that we saw, is his true side." She smiled encouragingly at her husband.

"Dad, mom, there's something else. I don't know if this makes you feel any better, but when I told Yuki that Kagome loved him, he looked really sad. Personally, I think he's still in love with her, but he refuses to admit it."

"You mean there's hope?" Rini murmured.

"I really don't know, mom," her son replied, holding her close. "He hurt her pretty badly. I don't know if she'd be willing to forgive him for what he's done."

Rini stepped away from Hiro and looked up at him. "I want to see her," she said suddenly, fire dancing in her brown eyes.

"Mom, I don't--"

"Find out, then!" she demanded. "I wish to see with my own eyes how she's doing. Find out at once, Hiro."

Hiro groaned wearily. "Mother, I don't know where she is and don't bother asking Sesshoumaru. He doesn't know where she is, either."

"Hmph. I wasn't planning on talking to that pompous ass again," she retorted with a sniff. "A man like that has no business playing guardian to two vulnerable children like Kagome and her brother."

"But they both love Sesshoumaru, mom. I've seen how he treats them, you know. He loves them both very much and taking care of them is high on his list of priorities."

Rini scowled. "Is that so? Well, tell me why she isn't under his watchful eye right now?"

"Because Kouga took her someplace safe, I was told."

"Kouga?" Rini looked startled.

Hiro nodded. "Yeah. Matsuno Kouga. He used to work for Yuki. Anyway, Sesshoumaru trusts Kouga completely. In fact, he'd have preferred Kagome to marry Kouga instead of Yuki."

His mother looked thoughtful. "Does this Kouga have black hair? Really silky, beautiful black hair and this amazingly built body?"

"Rini..." her husband grumbled warningly.

Hiro looked from one parent to the other, uncertain if he should be in the room. "Um... yes, he does as a matter of fact. How do you...? Never mind. I don't think I want to know," he muttered quickly and began to back away.

Grabbing her son's arm, Rini turned and flashed her beloved husband an innocent smile. "Oh, Ryu, don't be so jealous! I've seen that particular young man once or twice before and I can't help it if I noticed how gorgeous he is. Hmm, I do recall saying how adorable he and Kagome would be together. Oh yes! I also called him a sexy beast." She giggled. "My, my! Does he have a girlfriend?"

Looking sharply over at his where his father sat, jealousy pouring off of him in waves, Hiro shook his head. "He did have a girlfriend, as a matter of fact. At least he did until Yuki butted his way in and tore him and Kagome apart. It was a great shame, really. Kouga is much better suited to Kagome than Yuki is... or was, rather. Everyone was pushing for her to stay with Kouga. He's a really nice guy mom, you'd like--"

"No she wouldn't," Ryuji broke in abruptly, getting to his feet. "You're not going within 100 feet of that man, Rini. Do you hear me?"

Rini and Hiro stared over at Ryuji with wide, identical eyes. "Uh, mom? You haven't been sleeping around on dad, have you?" Hiro asked out of the side of his mouth.

"Of course not, Hiroshi, don't be ridiculous. The very idea is ludicrous." Rini patted her son on the face before going over to her glowering spouse. "Your father is just jealous. Aren't you darling?" She went to Ryuji and slipped her arms around his neck. "You know I can't hold back what I feel. That boy was incredibly good looking, Ryu. I just had to say so."

"Hmph." Ryu's green eyes glittered dangerously down at his wife. "You know I don't like it when you lose your mind over good-looking men, Rini. You're not married to them; you're married to me, damn it."

She smiled and pressed a kiss on his chin. "But you should have heard what I told Yuki. I told him what an animal you are, Ryu," she purred in his ear. "My big, sexy dragon."

Ryuji's face turned bright red and Hiro couldn't help but cover his eyes. "Oh my god, mom, do you mind?!" Hiro cried, horrified, wishing he could grow a second pair of hands to cover his ears. Or perhaps maybe Kami-sama in his wisdom would just strike him deaf!

But his dad couldn't help but chuckle. "Really? An animal, huh?" He slid his arms about his wife. "What else did you say?"

Hiro couldn't take anymore of his parents' lovey-dovey antics and rushed from the room, feeling slightly ill. When the living room door shut and locked behind him, Hiro whirled around, heart in his mouth. 'Oh no, please tell me they aren't!' he thought to himself as he heard his mother's giggle and his father's deep laugh. "I'll never go in that room again!" he threatened, yelling at the living room door. "God, you guys, go upstairs to do... do... that! You just bought those sofas!" There was no answer and he scowled. "Oi, what about Yuki? What do you plan to do about him?"

His father's head appeared around the door, causing Hiro to jump violently. "Hiro, look at it this way. Yuki has made his choice and we'll stand by him through whatever. But right now there's nothing any of us can do and your mom is... whoa. Come back in two, maybe three hours, Hiro. On second thought, come back tomorrow. Bye son."

As the door closed on the hideous act of his parents pressing flesh, Hiro fought back the faintness he felt washing over him in great waves. Turning, he staggered blindly out of the front door and straight to his car, where he collapsed against it. Was he fit to drive? Hiro wasn't sure.

But in the midst of his traumatized mind, Hiro wondered how Kagome was faring. Even if his parents (dear god in heaven, the humanity!) weren't giving her a second thought, he was.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

When Hakkaku and Ginta arrived at Kouga's house earlier in the afternoon, they found Kouga in his bedroom, sitting beside the bed where Kagome lay sleeping. He was watching her unblinkingly, as though he was afraid something would happen to her if he did blink.

"How's she doing?" Ginta whispered, startling Kouga.

Kouga turned in his chair to see and the brothers waved him over to where they stood. For a moment, the already dazed Kouga looked at a loss, seeming to wonder if it would be okay to leave her side. It was Hakkaku who decided for him. He went over to Kouga, hauled him out of the chair and dragged him out of the room.

When the door was closed behind them, Ginta patted the man's back. "Hey, it's not like she's going anywhere. Those are pretty powerful painkillers that Akira gave her."

"Yeah, but still..." Kouga murmured and looked down at his feet.

"She's knocked out," Hakkaku told him bluntly.

Ginta jabbed his brother in the ribs. "Shut up, Hakkaku. Can't you see the man's worried? Anyway Kouga, we've got some good news for you. Sorry we didn't get in touch with you earlier, but we had to get ready for the Kaze's opening last night. The annullment was a success. Apparently, Sesshoumaru's got a friend who's a judge. "Did we mention that Sesshoumaru is having Naraku come up to Tokyo to look for Yuki?"

Kouga shook his head absently, but came alert when a sound could just be heard from inside his bedroom. He whirled around and quickly opened the door. But he heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that she had only turned over on her side, her back to him.

"See? She's fine," Ginta whispered in his Kouga's ear. "Don't worry so much."

"I can't help it," moaned Kouga, shutting the door again. "I fucked up big time, guys. I should have beat the shit out of Yuki and taken Kagome before they exchanged vows."

"But you didn't and perhaps that was a good thing. According to Miroku, she knew she had to marry him and to disrupt what was supposed to have happened would have upset her. You wouldn't want that, would you?" Kouga shook his head and Ginta went on, patting his friend's shoulder. "It can't be helped, Kouga. It's all said and done now. No use worrying about it anymore."

"I can't help it, though. I have to worry. This is Kagome we're talking about here." He turned to open the door, but a pair of hands restrained him.

"Look," Ginta said, steering his friend away from the bedroom door and down the stairs. "Hakkaku and I will be heading back to Tokyo in about six hours. Go get something to eat and take a nap, okay? It's been three days and... oh, and um, take a bath too, dude. And shave. You kinda need it." With a good-natured laugh, he slapped Kouga heartily on the back and shoved him towards the kitchen before heading back up the stairs.

"But what about Kagome? What if she needs something?" Kouga stared up at the landing and Ginta's head appeared over the railing. "I mean, who'll watch over her?"

Ginta shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Kouga. Hakkaku and I can look after her too, you know. You're not the only one in this house who cares about Kagome." He winked at Kouga, then disappeared into Kouga's room, where she lay, asleep.

Taking his friend's advice, Kouga got something to eat, shaved, took a shower, then took a nap in one of the guest bedrooms. When he woke, the sun had already set and the Kawase brothers were getting ready to leave for the city. "Will you guys being staying in Tokyo tonight?" Kouga called out as he headed down the hallway to his bedroom where Kagome was.

Ginta's head poked out the room and he nodded. "Yeah. It'll be way too late to drive back. Do you want us to come back anyway?"

Shaking his head, Kouga went into his bedroom to look in on her. She lay still and pale against the deep blue of his silken sheets, her body curled into a little ball, facing him. One small hand was tucked, childlike, beneath her left cheek. "Has she woken yet?"

"Yes, but it was for only for a few minutes."

Kouga shot his friend an anxious look. "What?! Why didn't you call me? What happened?"

"Calm down, Kouga. She was in a bit of pain and she needed to pee. I gave her some more painkiller and took her to the bathroom. Then she came back in here and fell right back to sleep." Ginta stared over at the girl and Kouga noticed that his friend looked concerned about something.

"Oi, Ginta. What's wrong?"

Ginta shook his head, but Kouga knew him better than that. "Tell me. Did she say anything about the attack when she woke up?"

Again Ginta shook his head and Kouga, now knowing that something was up, forced Ginta to face him. "Don't hold anything back, Ginta. What's going on? Did she say something?"

The elder Kawase sighed and pushed the white striped lock of hair out of his face. "That's just it, Kouga. She didn't say anything."

"I don't understand. Explain."

Ginta stared into Kouga's eyes. "She didn't say anything, Kouga, because she can't. Her voice... is gone."

Kouga could only look at Ginta with growing confusion and horror, while Ginta crossed his arms over his chest and turned his gaze back to the huddled figure on the large bed. "I don't know, Kouga. Perhaps a piece of glass cut her vocal chords or something. All I know is that girl was stunned when she opened her mouth to speak and nothing came out. I called Akira and he said he'd be over soon--"

"Damn it, Ginta! Why didn't you come get me?" Kouga cried, grabbing his friend by the shoulders and shaking him. "You should've--"

Ginta slapped his hands away. "I didn't come get you because you needed your rest!" he retorted angrily. "What good would you do her if you're exhausted, huh? Or do you not trust me anymore? Do you think I don't care about Kagome-neesan?"

Blue eyes flew open, wounded. "That's not... Ginta, I'm sorry. I just..." Kouga stumbled to the chair beside the bed and sat down heavily into it. "I worry about her so much. I didn't mean to make you think that, really. I trust you and Hakkaku with my life."

There was silence in the room, but was soon overtaken by the muted sounds of heavy metal music coming from the direction of Hakkaku's bedroom.

Laying a hand on Kouga's shoulder, Ginta squeezed his fingers. "Do you want us to stay? Inu will take care of everything at the club tonight."

"No, you guys go and have fun. Look after Inuyasha well. He's still a newbie."

"Sure. Okay, call us if you need us, Kouga."

"I will. Thanks."

"Oh, by the way, I told Akira to let himself into the house. You know, just in case you're indisposed. Try not to kill him by accident, okay?"

Then Ginta was gone and a moment later, the music was cut off abruptly, followed by Hakkaku's shout of goodbye. Footsteps could be heard descending the staircase and straight to the front door. The door opened and shut, the sound of the locks being turned echoed through the quiet house.

Kouga stared at Kagome. Kagome... couldn't speak.

He left his chair and knelt beside his bed, gently shaking her shoulder. "Kagome? Sweetheart? Wake up, please."

After a moment, her eyes fluttered open and she stared up at him with unfocused eyes. Her brows slid downwards as she tried to see who he was. Dark brown eyes flew open when recognition filled her vision. Sitting up, she smiled with relief and held her arms out to him.

Then her mouth opened... and nothing came out.

Her huge, expressive eyes flickered for a moment before confusion flooded her face. Kouga felt his heart grow heavy in his chest as he watched her try to speak and fail. When her hand came up to touch her throat... then she seemed to remember that her voice was gone. Her shoulders slumped and she hung her head, bringing her hands up to cover her face as she wept silently.

"Darling," he whispered, reaching out to touch her hair, "don't worry about this. Akira's on his way, okay? We'll find a way to get your voice back."

Kagome lifted her head and stared pitifully at him with tearful and hopeless eyes. Taking hold of his wrist, she pushed him away and shook her head, as if saying 'don't bother'.

But Kouga didn't want her to have this attitude. He moved closer to her and pulled her into a warm embrace. "I want you to get your voice back, sweetheart. I want to hear you say my name again. I want to hear you tell me that you love me. Please? For me?"

Again she pushed him away, but he captured her face in his hands. "Don't you give up on me, Kagome. You can push me away all you want, but don't you dare give up," he told her fiercely as the tears flowed down her face. She shook her head, bright eyes searching his face beseechingly. Kouga frowned, wondering what she wanted to tell him, when her lips parted and moved, mouthing the words, "I'm sorry".

"Sorry? For what?"

She shut her eyes and the tears spilled down her cheeks again. Again she opened her mouth as though to speak, but this time, the mouthed words were "For Yuki".

The next time she opened her mouth, Kouga placed his against it, giving her a tender kiss. "You don't have to apologize to me, beloved," he whispered against her trembling lips. "I only care that you're safe and well. Okay?"

She nodded and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face against his neck. He smiled, giving her a kiss on the head. "I want you to go back to sleep now, Kagome. I'll wake you when Akira comes."

Kagome shook her head vehemently and held onto him tighter, making little tugging motions toward the bed.

"You want me to stay with you?"

Dark brown eyes lifted to his and she nodded, the look on her face pleading with him.

Kouga merely smiled and joined her beneath the sheets, pulling her against him. "I was going to whether you wanted me to or not," he told her, giving her body a squeeze. "You know you can't get rid of me."

Her shoulders shook slightly and it took him a minute to realize that she was laughing. That eased his mind for the moment. At least Yuki hadn't been able to beat the laughter out of her...

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Akira drove as quickly as he could to Kouga's house in the country and as he drove, he thought about the night he'd cleaned her wounds and wondered if he'd missed something. He could have sworn he'd removed all the glass from her throat.

Nearly three hours after he received the phone call from Ginta, Akira pulled up to the stately house he'd been given directions to. As he grabbed his medical kit and got out, his eyes quickly scanned over the front of the house. It was an old house; parts of it newly added on to it, but he knew without a doubt that it had historical value.

He walked up to the front porch and looked around. A small bansai tree in an ornate holder sat just outside the door on carved pedestal. Akira smiled and carefully lifted the bansai tree holder and found a key beneath it. Replacing the tree on its perch, Akira unlocked the front door and let himself into the darkened house.

"Kouga? It's Akira," he called out in the stillness of the house. He reached out and felt around for a light switch. Akira dug into his bag and grabbed his flashlight. When he found the light switch and flipped them on. Bright light flooded the foyer and he made his way towards what he assumed was the living room. Here, he found the lights and flipped those on. To his right was a staircase.

There was the sound of movement from one of the second floor bedrooms and then a voice called out, "Up here."

Akira bounded up the stairs and a light came on, leading him to a large bedroom just off the landing near the top of the stairs. There he found Kouga tangled up in blue sheets and Kagome's arms, neither of which could be persuaded to let him go. But when Kagome saw who it was trying to part her from Kouga's body, she let him go so he could untangle himself from the sheets and turn on the lights in the room.

After going into the bathroom to wash his hands, the doctor smiled at his dark-haired patient and gently tried to smooth down her wild hair. "Hey, you! How are you feeling? Now Kagome, I'm going to take a look at your neck okay?" Kagome nodded and bared her neck to him. Akira's nimble fingers quickly undid her bandages. "Kouga, could you hand me my flashlight? It's in my bag."

Kouga did as he was asked and Akira continued his examination. "You did a good job taking care of these wounds, Kouga," Akira said, shooting Kouga a smile. "They're healing nicely." He turned back to Kagome. "Ok, Kagome, Ginta called me and told me you couldn't speak." She nodded and he went on. "Okay, try talking to me."

Kagome opened her mouth and made as though she would speak. She shut her mouth, but then tried again a moment later. No sound came out.

Frustration flashed across her face and again she tried to speak, only this time her face contorted so that it looked like she was shouting.

Akira and Kouga looked on as she tried desperately to make a sound, any sound, come out. But still, nothing happened and she broke down, her body shaking from her efforts. Lifting her head, she looked up at Akira, a silent plea in her eyes.

As for Akira, hatred for his cousin flared anew within his soul. That bastard! First he made his mother cry, and now he most likely silenced a delightful, beautiful young woman for the rest of her life.

"Let me take a quick peek, Kagome," he told her, grabbing his optical scope. He tilted her head back and took a look down her throat. "Hmm, I don't see anything. There's a slight redness, but other than that..." He moved back and looked into her face. "The swelling in your face has gone down too, which is good. There's a possibility you'll have some scarring, but it won't be too bad. You were extremely fortunate, my girl. It could have been a lot worse."

She nodded and Akira took her hands in his. "Kagome, I need to ask you something. It's important, but if you don't wish to answer right now, I'll understand." He waited for her nod, then continued. "Kagome, did Yuki do this to you?"

Kagome stared at him for a good minute in mute terror before nodding her head. As she looked away from him, Akira turned to look at Kouga, whose face had hardened with anger.

He brought her hands to his lips and kissed them lightly. "Thank you, Kagome. That's all I wanted to know." He let her go and got to his feet. "Kouga, will you show me the way to the kitchen? I'd like a drink if you don't mind."

Kouga led him down the stairs and across the living room to the kitchen. He got the doctor a bottled water and waited, leaning back against the counter near the sink.

Akira took a few swigs and replaced the cap on the bottle. "I'll have to tell Sesshoumaru this, you know," he said without preamble. "Unless of course you want to do the honors."

"I'll tell him," Kouga said, looking down at the floor. "It's not a task I relish, to be honest. But I think it should come from me. I mean, you're... you know... his relative."

"Understood. If you don't mind, I'd like to get a chance to examine her further. She's lost her ability to speak and yet there's no evidence of her vocal chords being severed or injured in any way. I looked over her x-rays quite thoroughly that night. They weren't punctured by the glass shard." Akira took another drink of water. "The only thing I can think of is that it might be psychological."

Kouga's face tightened and Akira gripped him by the shoulder. "Think about it, Kouga. Yuki's upset; he just remembered what happened the night of his accident. He'd shout at her, say hurtful things to her. Maybe something he said to her stuck in her mind. Maybe when she was trying to reason with him, he told her to shut up or something. Who knows. But along with the hurtful words came the physical abuse and perhaps in her mind, something clicked and suddenly her voice no longer works."

"I suppose that could have happened."

Akira nodded and took a step back. "If there's no physical evidence, that's most likely what happened."

"So what do I do, Akira? It scared her when she found out her voice doesn't work."

The doctor smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Just keep doing what I know you're already doing, Kouga. Be patient with her; show her that you love her and that you won't leave her. It's obvious that she needs you; hell, she held onto you tightly enough."

"Oh, I don't plan on going anywhere," Kouga assured him. "I'm just worried on how this will affect her. Not being able to speak must be incredibly frustrating."

There was a soft sound outside the kitchen and both men turned to see Kagome standing in the doorway. Her eyes were wide with fright and the moment she saw Kouga, she rushed over to him and grabbed him around the waist.

"Sweetheart! Oh, baby, I'm so sorry I left you alone so long!" Kouga grabbed her and held her close to him. "Were you scared to be by yourself?" he asked, brushing her hair back behind her ear.

She nodded, sniffing as she did so.

"I wasn't going to leave you by yourself, sweetie. Okay? I was right here the whole time." Kouga looked up at Akira. "Would you like to stay for awhile? Get some rest? You look exhausted."

Akira bowed to him. "Yes, thank you. I've been up since four this morning."

"Okay, well help yourself to anything in the kitchen. When I put this young minx back in bed, I'll fix up a spare bedroom for you." He picked Kagome up into his arms and carried her out of the kitchen.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Later, after Kagome fell asleep beside him, one of her arms wrapped around him, Kouga reached over her body and grabbed his cell phone, which lay on the bedside table. He flipped it open and dialed Sesshoumaru's number. He'd already called Ginta and Hakkaku and told them that Kagome had confirmed that Yuki had attacked her. They were furious and vowed to beat the bastard down if they ever saw him.

"Yes?" Sesshoumaru's deep voice was soft, drowsy almost.

"Sesshoumaru, it's me."

"Kouga?" The drowsy voice perked up. "How is she? Is she okay?"

Kouga looked down at the sleeping bundle of woman that lay snuggled against his chest. "She's fine, but there's a couple of things you need to know." He went on to inform Sesshoumaru of the loss of Kagome's voice and Akira's reasoning behind it. Then he told his employer that Kagome had admitted to both Akira and himself that it was Yuki who had indeed attacked her.

There was dead silence for a whole minute before Sesshoumaru spoke. "I'll kill him," he hissed.

"It's up to you, boss man."

"Kouga... I know about your past. Ginta did a good job of hacking into my computers and changing your information, but it was Naraku who told me about you. He told me a few hours ago."

Kouga felt his heart stop. Would Sesshoumaru demand that he stay away from Kagome forever? "Sesshoumaru, please, I can explain--"

"Don't bother, Matsuno. You lied to me because you love her. I... know the feeling. I'd do anything for her, too. Besides, I was given a chance to get to know you and I know that you'd never do anything to harm her. Despite what your past profession was, I trust you with her safety. However, I have a request for you. I want him gone, Kouga. I'll pay you any amount--"

"No, Sesshoumaru. Kagome believes that I haven't done anything like that in a long time. I won't go back to that lifestyle for anything. If I'm caught, I'd never see her again. There's no way I'd risk that. Besides, she wouldn't want me to. I could never destroy her trust in me."

A soft chuckle came from Sesshoumaru's side of the phone. "That's a pretty persuasive argument there. You do realize that girl has us both completely wrapped around her little fingers?"

Twinkling blue eyes continued to gaze down at Kagome's sleeping face. "I know. I've never been so whipped in my life. But I love every minute of it."

"Hmph. Okay, thank you for the update, Kouga. I'll make sure to let the police know. Would she want to make a statement to that effect? They'll need it in order to press charges against him."

"I'll ask her tomorrow. Right now, I'm lucky if she'll let me go long enough to take a piss." He tried to move away, but she frowned in her sleep and only tightened her grip. Sighing, he said goodbye to Sesshoumaru and closed his phone. Setting the phone back on the little table by the bed, he lay back down.

He lay against his pillows, watching her sleep. Even though her face was still bruised and covered with scratches, even though her neck was bandaged up, even though she might be scarred for life, she was still so beautiful to him.

"I love you," he told her, allowing his eyes to close.

Sleep claimed him soon after.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Back in Tokyo, Ginta was talking to Inuyasha in the office that overlooked the entire club. The door to the office was flung open and Hakkaku stormed in, face red.

"Oi, what's wrong with you," Inuyasha grumbled irritably. Ginta had just told him that Kagome had pointed the finger at Yuki as being the one who'd beat her up. Needless to say, he was pretty pissed off already. He hoped that nothing had gone wrong down below because he wasn't in the mood to deal with any drunken shits acting like fools.

Hakkaku, chest heaving angrily, looked at his brother. "Yo, Ginta! You're not going to fucking believe this!"

Inuyasha looked from Ginta back to Hakkaku. "What's wrong?"

"Spit it out, Hakkaku," Ginta said sharply. "We're not going to believe what?"

"Dude! Yuki's here! Right now! In our club!"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo