Disclaimer: No, don't own any of Rumiko Takahashi's lovely characters.

Chapter 20

Last time:

In the kitchen, Reiku, Sota and Grandpa all sat around the table already eating breakfast. Reiku turned and brightened at the sight of white hair, but slumped when she realized it wasn't Sesshomaru.

"Oh, I thought you were Father," she said as she turned back around to pick at her breakfast.

"Oie, kid, if you want to see him so bad, you ought to go up there," Inuyasha told her.

She brightened instantly and looked to the females in the room.

"I don't see any harm in it," Mrs. Higurashi told her.

"Thankyoumrshigurashi," Reiku exclaimed as she raced from the kitchen.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sesshomaru drifted in a world of fog. His very body seemed frail and vaporous. His senses were muffled, and he fumbled through the fog like an infant. He heard voices from somewhere Beyond, but he paid them no mind. Loathing consumed him, a loathing for this ephemeral existence. He had nearly died. Would have died if it weren't for Inuyasha. How, he was not quite sure of yet. All he could recall was working in his office, then here he was in the Higurashi shrine, feeling as weak as a mortal with a concerned group of people hovering over him, including his mate and daughter.

The shame was too great. He had failed, failed them miserably. If he died, they would be defenseless. Inuyasha would do what he could, certainly, however it was not Inuyasha's, but Sesshomaru's responsibility to keep them safe, and in that he had utterly failed.

Just like you failed Rin.

He growled and lashed at the fog around him with his claws, only to find he was too weak even to move his arm. A tingling sensation sparked across his face and warm breaths washed over him. Slowly, he forced his eyes open and the haze rolled back to reveal the large brown eyes of an angel peering down at him. Had he really died this time?

No, those eyes didn't belong to any angel. It was his Reiku. Through the aching pain of failure that seeing her only compounded, he longed to touch her, just to reassure himself she was safe and well. He lifted his hand, rather he tried to and couldn't. He glanced at his arms and found them tied to the bed. How dare they!

"Please, Father, they didn't want you to hurt yourself. You nearly fell down the stairs outside earlier," Reiku explained. "Please. I don't know what I would do if you were gone."

Sesshomaru ceased his struggling when he noticed the glimmer of tears in her eyes. He hadn't even smelled them with his dulled senses. The tiny girl threw herself into his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Please don't leave me!"

He nuzzled his cheek against her hair, the only part of him he could move freely. His hands he busily tried to work free since he couldn't break the ropes. All thoughts of revenge and seeking solitude had subsided, though. His only concern was to have an arm free to comfort Reiku.

"I am not dying, Reiku," he told her softly.

"Oh, I'm not worried about that," she informed him. "I don't want you to leave me. If you keep yourself alone, then that would leave me alone. Please, stay with me. Let me stay with you."

Sesshomaru was torn. His own anger with his failure to his mate and child warred with the insuppressible need to remain near them, to be surrounded by those he cared for. They seemed to have forgiven his shortcoming, but how could he accept that he had exposed them to danger and left them defenseless? He refused to think on it just yet.

It appears I will have an abundance of time for pondering this before I am free of this bed, he thought wryly. Fighting back a groan of pain, he twisted his thumb, popping it out of joint so he could slip it loose. It was still a tight fit, but he managed, then used the railings of the headboard to put it back in its proper place.

Tenderly, he lifted his arm and hugged the tiny girl to himself. "I do not believe either of us will be alone anymore."

Reiku nestled deeper into his embrace and said, "I know. I just thought you needed to know it, too, Father."

Sitting up with a sudden smile, Reiku kissed him on the tip of the nose and said, "Now that you know, I'll let you think. Just don't forget, okay?"

Sesshomaru nodded his understanding, amusedly surprised at her intuition of his inner workings.

Still smiling, Reiku skipped out of the room and pulled the door shut. He stared up at the ceiling as he mulled over the girl's words. Maika must have gone downstairs when Reiku came in, but he honestly hoped she would allow him a few moments of respite, since he wasn't going to be finding any good treetops or empty building roofs to do his thinking on any time soon.

"She is amazingly perceptive," a female voice said. Without his usual senses, the speaker caught Sesshomaru off-guard. He tried to sit, only to be jerked back by one arm and shoulder so hard it knocked the wind from him.

Mrs. Higurashi emerged from the shadows by the door. She approached on silent feet and sank onto the bed beside him. He warily lay back and turned his face away from her. The woman ignored his obvious request to be left alone, and began to fuss over his hand and shoulder.

As she worked, she hummed, a pleasant tune that reminded him of his own mother. He shuddered a little as he recalled the odd vision he'd had just before waking up here. It was an odd sensation to be so tiny and helpless while something that resembled your mother tried to absorb you. Yet it had also been so long since he'd felt his mother's touch, it had been oddly comforting as well.

He glanced at the human woman tending to him now. Inuyasha had been right in his respectful descriptions of her.

"You care for me as your own pup, woman," he told her finally. She stopped humming and smiled at him. "You told me that last night."

He looked away. What else had he said that he didn't remember?

"Don't worry, you didn't say much other than that. You had a fever and mentioned that and then something about your mother."

Sesshomaru just nodded. It could have been worse. He jumped as Mrs. Hirgurashi's hands passed close to the side of his face.

"I'm not going to hurt you, do you not trust me?" she asked kindly.

Sesshomaru sniffed. "My senses are dulled still, so my instincts overcompensate. Trust has nothing to do with it. Is-"

"Maika's fine, Sesshomaru. She was feeling ill, so I offered to come check on you, Mrs. Higurashi told him. "They're worried, though. We've all been worried."

Sesshomaru withdrew behind a stoic mask. "That should not be. A female should not know worry."

"Young man," Mrs. Higurashi said sharply. He arched an eyebrow, but she wagged a finger at him, "And don't you tell me you're a over ten times my age, because you're acting like a snotty brat. You obviously know nothing about females if you expect them not to worry over you. I don't care if you lived in a bubble and did nothing more dangerous than twiddle your thumbs, a woman or child who loves you will worry for you. It's only natural. Now it can be taken too far, but a little worry is just a part of us."

"Woman, no one has spoken to me with such disrespect and lived since my own parents. We are of course excluding Inuyasha," Sesshomaru told her in an emotionless voice. "Even in my weakened state I could kill you before you could scream."

Mrs. Higurashi wasn't fazed. "Don't you dare change the subject, young man. I could have done the same last night while I held you in my arms for Kagome to bandage you. You need to get over this idea that you live in your own little world. Sure your family will worry, but you'll only hurt them worse by driving them away.

"And even though Maika forgives you and understands your actions earlier, you hurt her with your words. Women need to be loved, but they also love to be needed."

Sesshomaru stared up at the ceiling. Even he could see the wisdom in her advice, but it didn't make it any easier. Maika wanted him to need her. And in his deepest thoughts he knew he did need her, but mere words wouldn't suffice.

"I'll tell Maika you need some time to think," Mrs. Higurashi said as she stood and headed back to the door.

"Wait," Sesshomaru called after her. The woman paused patiently in the doorway. "Ask her if she would mind coming up once she is feeling better."

Mrs. Higurashi smiled and inclined her head. "Of course, Sesshomaru-sama."

Maika stuck her head in the door a short while later. She carried a small pot of tea and two cups.

"Mrs. Higurashi told me you were up and wanted to speak with me. I thought you might like some tea."

She waited for a sign of approval, which he gave in the form of a nod. The more formalities, the longer he had to plan out what to say to her. She moved over and lifted his head with one head and put the cup to his lips with the other. He was about to tell her he had gotten a hand free, but thought better of it. Needed, she wanted to feel he needed her, so perhaps this was a start.

Maika was gentle, knowing exactly when to tilt the cup and when to let him swallow. Once he had drained the cup, she set it aside and sipped on her own.

"Would you like more?"

He shook his head. "Maika, I wish to apologize for my behavior earlier. It was wrong of me to speak to you in such a way. I ask your forgiveness."

Maika shrugged and looked at her teacup. "It's okay."

He had hurt her, it was obvious and all the apologies in the world wouldn't make it right.

He felt the unpleasant pangs of hunger in his stomach. He always was hungry after healing.

"Maika, I- would you be able to find me something to eat?"

She smiled and looked up at him as if cheered by the simple request. "Mrs. Higurashi brought you a plate up earlier." She reached over and took it from the nightstand.

He shook his head. "Would you untie me first?"

"Is Inuyasha going to have to catch you on your way down the stairs again?" she questioned mildly, and a spark of amusement lit her eyes.

"I will not attempt that again unless you are there to catch me," he told her solemnly.

Maika blushed. She was so beautiful when she blushed, it set off the ruby color of her eyes as she peered at him through a thick fringe of lashes. Sesshomaru couldn't help but reach for her with his free hand trace the line of her jaw with a claw.

They stared at one another until the low growl of his stomach broke them both from their daze. Slightly flustered, Maika set the plate aside and leaned over him to untie his other hand. Once that arm was loose, he sat up and reached for the chopsticks Maika handed him. She held the plate steady, but he had a difficult time wielding the eating utensils. With his healing abilities weakened, his hand still ached from when he had dislocated the thumb to hug Reiku.

She frowned at him and said, "You hurt yourself, didn't you? To get that hand loose."

He shook his head, "It was nothing."

Maika snatched the chopsticks from his hand, muttered, "Men!" and easily captured a piece of meat and lifted it to his mouth.

He smirked at her and slid it out of the sticks with his fangs. Things went smoothly for a while, until Maika jumped suddenly and sent a piece of meat flying across the room. She glared down at the clawed hand that had moved up her blouse and was currently toying with her breast through the bra.

Her ruby eyes traveled up his arm and met his lecherous grin with a coy smile of her own.

"I find this arrangement acceptable," he told her.

She dutifully lifted another piece of meat to his lips and scolded, "I thought you were hungry."

"I am!" He took the bite and with a mere fraction of his former speed swept her up and settled her across his lap. Maika squealed with laughter and barely kept from dumping the meat all over him. She shifted her hips against his as she tried to make herself more comfortable and he groaned. Even without his usual senses he could clearly pick up on her desire. His hand roamed appreciatively up her thighs and beneath her blouse, while she teasingly offered him the rest of his meal.

By the time it was gone, Maika's blouse was completely unbuttoned while Sesshomaru savored the delights of her skin. The food had done him good. Already he could feel his strength returning, or perhaps it was from the beautiful woman on his lap.

He was just about to free her breasts from her bra, when the door swung open, striking the wall behind it, and Inuyasha sauntered in. The hanyou looked them over with a bland expression and said, "Really, you two, can't you wait for the honeymoon? There is a kid downstairs, and there are some of us whose noses still work fine."

Maika's ruby eyes flashed and she clamped her blouse shut so fast she nearly caught Sesshomaru's nose. She glared over her shoulder and swept a hand towards Inuyasha, sending him flying back into the hall with a gust of wind.

"And those people should know how to knock first!" she called after him.

Inuyasha hit with a loud thump that was followed by his laughter.

"I don't care if he did save your life," Maika muttered darkly as she buttoned up her blouse, "I'm gonna kill him."

Sesshomaru rubbed her arms and told her, "I'm afraid that's easier said than done, love."

From the hall they could still hear Inuyasha laughing so hard he couldn't possibly breathe. Maika started to climb off with a look in her eye that said she was good and ready to try, but Sesshomaru stopped her.

"At least wait until I have spoken with him."

"Yeah," Inuyasha added, coming back inside with a hand over his eyes. "I want to talk to you, too."

Sesshomaru had to physically wrap an arm around Maika's waist to keep her from lunging at Inuyasha. He was very gentle, though with his current strength he doubted he could injure her.

"Enough, Inuyasha, you may enter now, though I fear I cannot hold her any longer should you test her patience further," Sesshomaru told him.

The hanyou peeked through his fingers and sobered. "What the hell happened, Sesshomaru?"

Maika settled, once she saw Inuyasha had had enough fun at their expense, and Sesshomaru released her.

"I was hoping you could tell me," Sesshomaru admitted. "I recall very little. I was working on a rather boring file, when I started to feel strange and I saw…"

He trailed off, though both Maika and Inuyasha looked at him expectantly. He did not feel a real desire to tell about his odd vision, but for some reason he thought Inuyasha ought to hear it.

"She looked like my mother. I knew it was false. I recalled my attempt to find the pearl and recognized her."

Inuyasha's face hardened as he likely relived the very similar incident his own brother had put him through. "The Unmother."

Sesshomaru nodded, while Maika only looked more confused.

"What is an Unmother?" she asked, looking at both brothers.

Inuyasha ground his teeth together. "Why don't you ask him? He's the one who dragged her up in the first place and pretended that she was my mother! Payback's a bitch, huh, asshole. How did you like having your own mother absorbing you into her body, killing you slowly?"

Sesshomaru remained stone-faced. "I did not enjoy it at all, Inuyasha. In fact, the only thought in my mind was that perhaps my past sins had come back to haunt me. Are you satisfied with this, or shall it escalate further?"

Inuyasha took a deep breath. "No," he ground out. "I don't want to fight you." He took another breath, this one ragged and shaky. Sesshomaru realized that it was still very fresh and painful for Inuyasha, and they might very likely exchange blows over it in the future.

Sesshomaru nodded, trying to communicate his understanding of everything. "Well, after she absorbed me, there was nothing but darkness. I couldn't breathe. I heard your voice, though I did not comprehend any words, which is why I assumed you could tell me something. Then this morning I awake here, weak as a mortal and in pain. All I could think was to get revenge. Inuyasha, did you catch a scent or any clue as to who did this and how?"

"When I got to your office, the secretary was knocked out and your office reeked of something. Inside was filled with this awful smoke and that old guy from that big room was standing over you with a sword."

Sesshomaru frowned for a moment. "You mean Mr. Iwahashi? A mortal?" There was a note of anger in his voice that hadn't been there a moment ago.

Inuyasha nodded, his eyes fixed firmly on Sesshomaru as if he might be about to jump out of bed again. Sesshomaru clenched his fists, then unclenched them.

"I do not, as of yet, have any intention of tracking him down, though I admit I am more than a little curious as to how that spineless weasel managed any of this. My strength is returning, but I do not wish to confront him until I have regained my full strength."

"Keh, you won't have far to track him. I've got him tied up downstairs," Inuyasha explained. "I couldn't stop him from stabbing you, that smoke had caught me off-guard. He thought it would kill me like it was doing to you, but being a hanyou helped me resist it."

Inuyasha looked down and his hand twisted nervously on Tetsusaiga's hilt. "I- I think I almost killed him. When I saw you lying there, I- I almost transformed, even holding Tetsusaiga. I would have been gone, too, if you hadn't groaned and snapped me out of it."

Sesshomaru could sense Maika's confusion and squeezed her hand to let her know he would explain later. Their family history was too complex and twisted for anyone to understand in so short a time, but he had no intention of hiding it from her. However, he couldn't help but be touched by his brother's violent reaction. It meant that Inuyasha truly did see him as a pack member, despite all the evil things he had done to the hanyou in the past.

"I suppose I owe you thanks for saving my life yet again, little brother," Sesshomaru finally said, pleased to note a slight flush on his brother's cheeks.

"I do, too," Maika put in. "I know you two have had a bad history of which I don't know much, but I am very grateful you were able to work out the differences and that you happened to be there, Inuyasha."

"Why did you come to my office, Inuyasha? Was there something you needed?"

At that Inuyasha turned the same color as his fire rat and wouldn't look up from the floor. "Well, I was coming back to the village and I just had a feeling that something wrong. Kaede said nothing was off, so I knew it had to be something on Kagome's side of the well. Her family was fine, so the next people I thought of were Maika, her pup and the kid. I didn't know where to find them, so I looked for you and that's when I knew something was wrong with you.

"You, you scared me, you know. I've tried to kill you hundreds of times and even hit you directly with the Windscar, and it barely effected you. How could a mortal do that to you? You aren't supposed to…"

Sesshomaru felt his own throat getting thick. He had no idea Inuyasha viewed him like that considering their history. And all those times he had expressed his hatred for the boy must have been like a dagger driven directly into his heart.

"I know. I felt the same way about Father," Sesshomaru told him. "I could not comprehend that my indestructible father had been slain by a mortal for the sake of his human lover and their bastard child. But eventually I learned what you have. No one is indestructible or untouchable, Inuyasha. And generally, the stronger and more powerful we are, the harder we fall. After so many years of this soft life, I often sink into that same trap of thinking myself untouchable. And with Tenseiga around it becomes all the more easy. Yet my own mother reminded me long ago, that I am not a god with power over life and death. Even with that sword, there are limits. I have limits, Inuyasha. As did Father."

He gave a bitter chuckle and indicated the ropes and the bed, "If that were not obvious enough. I believe I will go down to the office, though. I need to find out if anyone else was involved in this plot and exactly how they went about it. And I'm sure Mrs. Toyosawa is close to involving the police if she has discovered any signs of violence, which is something I would prefer not to happen. I believe this is something I shall handle myself. Mr. Iwahashi wished to involve himself in the youkai world, he will face youkai judgment for his crimes."

"Not alone, you're not," Maika insisted firmly. "I don't want you to be halfway downtown and pass out on the street."

"Maika, I am feeling much better. I do not think that will happen again," he told her. "However, I do not want you anywhere near my office. If that smoke is still around, it could hurt you or our pup. I will not allow that."

"But-" she began, but Sesshomaru cut her off.

"But I will not go alone, if Inuyasha will accompany me?"

"Keh, someone has to keep your ass out of trouble," Inuyasha said gruffly. "But you better get clean and change first. You reek. Seriously."

"Yes, I think we'd all feel better after a shower," Maika said. She called for Mrs. Higurashi who stuck her head in the door almost immediately.

"I hate to impose further, but do you suppose we could use your shower?"

Mrs. Higurashi blanched slightly and looked from Sesshomaru to her bathroom and back again.

"I assure you that will not happen again, though I do request something different to wear afterwards," Sesshomaru assured her, knowing exactly what she was worried about. "I will compensate you for your troubles, of course."

Mrs. Higurashi nodded. "I believe I have something that would fit you. And Maika, I think something of Kagome's or mine would fit you."

The showers went much better than Mrs. Higurashi had hoped, though, she couldn't express her relief once the youkai lord emerged, his long, white hair soaking through the t-shirt she'd loaned him.

He kissed Maika and Reiku goodbye, then he and Inuyasha activated their charms and left for his office. He inhaled deeply as they went outside, then said, "My sense of smell is returning. I can smell Iwahashi from here."

"Good, so you're not completely useless now," Inuyasha said. He threw his arms back behind his head and almost seemed to recline as they descended the steps.

Sesshomaru marveled at how loose and relaxed his brother seemed. He had rarely seen his brother without his hand either holding or touching the Tetsusaiga and a snarl on his face. Or hiding behind his carefully constructed anger. Yet even as unaware as the hanyou seemed, he could see the twitching of his ears and realized Inuyasha likely knew the position of every nearby living thing at the moment.

He himself was usually alert at all times, but never to the complete extent Inuyasha was, and sometimes he did not bother at all. That was probably a result of their difference in upbringings. He had been properly trained and even protected as a child, where Inuyasha had had to fight to survive since he was born.

Sesshomaru was so busy studying Inuyasha that with his weakened senses he lost his balance on the steps. Instantly, Inuyasha had his arm, without having seemed to move at all.

"You sure you're up to this?" he asked without a hint of taunting.

Sesshomaru frowned. Iwahashi would die slowly for this humiliation. And any other entangled in his plot would share his fate.

He unclenched the fist he had not realize he'd made. "Thank you."

Inuyasha shrugged, only releasing Sesshomaru's arm once they were on the level sidewalk. "It's only fun to see you fall on your face when you're at your full pompous glory. Or if I'm the one to trip you."

Sesshomaru chuckled softly.

They made it to the office without any further incidents. Sesshomaru was feeling better by the minute, and he figured that by late afternoon he would be back to his usual self. They entered the building and took the elevator up to his floor, but not without several of the other businessmen pausing to make various comments on Sesshomaru's state of dress. As annoyed as he was, he couldn't really blame them. Never had he worn a pair of baggy jeans and a t-shirt that proclaimed, "I 'heart' Cooking," boldly across the front.

And he never would again.

Outside his office, Mrs. Toyosawa sat nervously in her desk, tapping the phone for a moment then dropping her hand to her lap. When she saw him, she jumped up from her chair and ran over in such a hurry that she tripped and fell flat on her face.

Flushed, but hardly deterred, she jumped back up and exclaimed, "There you are! I have been so worried. I don't know what came over me yesterday, but I fell asleep. When I woke up there was smoke coming from under the door, but it was locked. I knocked to see if everything was okay, but you never answered. The smoke eventually went away, but when you didn't show up this morning or call, I got worried again."

"As you can see, all is well. Has anyone tried to come by this morning?"

Mrs. Toyosawa paused. "No, actually not. I don't think anyone expected you here today with the wedding being tomorrow."

Sesshomaru nodded and stepped around her. He could almost hear Inuyasha grinning behind him.

"Why don't you give her the staff of two heads to hang on to?"

Sesshomaru turned and gave him a dry glare. He tried the handle and found it was indeed locked, so he drew some poison to his claws, quietly ecstatic he could do this once again, and melted the lock. He winced at the state of his office.

The far wall was cracked from where a body had hit, he was assuming Iwahashi's. The stench of the smoke still lingered in everything, muddling any scents that had been left. The only scent he could distinguish was the strong odor of his own blood, coming from the large stain both on and beneath his desk.

The window had been left open and his paperwork was now scattered across the room, but the most devastating change was the empty sword case on his shelf. He felt his weakened youki rising, cackling in the air with rage.

"Where is it?" he demanded aloud, knowing there would be no answer.

A quiet pulse caught his attention, though, and he turned to see Inuyasha clutching the quivering hilt of Tetsusaiga. They looked at one another, then walked out of the office by a silent consensus, ignoring Mrs. Toyosawa's pleading inquiry as to what they were doing.

Tetsusaiga led them across the building to Iwahashi's office. Sesshomaru forced the door, after waiting for yet another businessman made a comment on his attire before moving along. Once inside they closed the door and searched the room.

"Do not touch anything, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru warned. "If the human authorities get involved, they will know if we have touched anything, and I wish to remain out of mortal affairs."

"What about the door, then?"

"I used poison. They still cannot identify it, and it will not be traced back to me."

Inuyasha just nodded and kept his hands folded in his fire rat for good measure. Sesshomaru found it beneath the desk and it gave a light pulse in greeting. He grinned and handed it to Inuyasha.

"Put this with Tetsusaiga, and it will likely not be noticed."

They waited until they could smell the hall was clear before leaving the office and returning to his. A short investigation led them to the closet where Iwahashi had set up the burner.

"I haven't smelled anyone else's scent nearby," Inuyasha said. "Maybe he did act alone."

Sesshomaru nodded. He hadn't detected any other presence nearby but Iwahashi's and the janitor's. And he very much doubted the janitor had had any part in this, though he might need to question the simpleton.

xxxx

Maika twisted another bunch of flowers into a small bouquet and added it to the ever growing heap. With the wedding being tomorrow, Mrs. Higurashi had taken her up on the offer to help. Even Reiku was currently preparing flowers with Kagome and Sota, who had been snared as soon as they returned from school.

"So, what had you so worried about Sesshomaru taking a shower?" Maika questioned, surprised at the snickers she got from all the Higurashi family.

Mrs. Higurashi laughed. "I suppose neither of them has told you about the well, have they?"

Maika frowned. What well?

"I suppose Sesshomaru felt it was our place to tell you, and we hardly ever get to talk," Kagome said finally. "You wondered how I had seen all that stuff between Inuyasha and Sesshomaru when I'm just a mortal right?"

Maika nodded. "I have to admit you had me curious."

"This may be hard to believe, but Inuyasha is not from this time period at all," Kagome explained. "I fell into the shrine well when I was fifteen and went back to the feudal era of Japan, where I got tangled up in the adventure of the Shikon Jewel. Inuyasha was sealed to a tree. I broke the spell and the jewel, and now we and a few other friends are trying to put it back together and defeat an evil hanyou who wants to take over the world."

Maika blinked. "Are you saying you travel through time? And that Inuyasha isn't even from now, but from the feudal era?"

Kagome nodded. "I know it's difficult. It's hard for me, too. Especially after I found out Sesshomaru had survived into my time. I first met him 500 years ago when he tried to kill me and Inuyasha to claim the sword Tetsusaiga."

Maika nodded. She'd heard part of this story before from Sesshomaru. "That does explain a lot. But that doesn't explain why you giggle every time someone mentions Sesshomaru and shower."

"Well, remember the story about the chocolate?" Kagome said. "That happened back in the feudal era. Sesshomaru was cursed and we stumbled upon him as a child. This was before he and Inuyasha even started to get along. He wasn't happy about our taking care of him, but he did feel honor bound to repay the life debt. I was injured by youkai one day and fell into the well. Sesshomaru jumped in after me to cancel his debt to me and ended up being transported to the future.

"That was an adventure. Young, arrogant, feudal Sesshomaru discovered Tokyo and had difficulty with all of the modern devices."

Sota growled at that point and said, "Difficulty! He killed the TV! I was playing my video game and he attacked the characters on the screen."

Maika covered her mouth with a laugh. She could see Sesshomaru taking his frustrations out on a television.

"While he was here, he took a shower in our bathroom," Mrs. Higurashi said. "I don't know what happened, but I never found the shower curtain and parts of the wall are just spackle."

Maika giggled.

"The best part was the kitten robe!" Sota added. Kagome put a finger to her lips and said, "He'll kill you, Sota!"

"Oh, no!" Maika exclaimed and crawled closer to them. They had all forgotten the flowers for the moment. "I want to hear this one. A kitten robe?"

"We didn't have anything he would be willing to wear. You think he's arrogant now, you should have seen him then. Well, I found my largest bathrobe for him to wear while his kimono was cleaned, but it happened to be one with kittens all over it," Kagome explained, covering her brother's mouth with her hand.

"And you can't tell him we told you, because I promised I wouldn't. Inuyasha doesn't even now about it."

Maika grinned evilly. "I wish I could have seen that."

Sota bit Kagome's hand, and when she released him in shock, he exclaimed, "I took a picture!"

Kagome tackled her brother to the ground and hissed, "Shut up!"

Maika's smile grew wider. Sota pushed Kagome off and ran up the stairs as he shouted, "Kagome keeps a copy in her desk drawer!"

"Have you been snooping in my room, you little brat?!" Kagome hollered as she chased after him. "Don't you dare go in my room!"

Maika was on her feet, followed closely by Reiku and Mrs. Higurashi. When they got to Kagome's room, she was chasing Sota around in circles. He dodged and feinted like a pro, waving a photograph in the air. He tossed it to Maika as he passed.