Hidden Beneath a Smile

by Zonza

[AU]What if there were rogues in the government that were a threat to not only your family but to the rest of the world? Wouldn't you do anything in your power to save them, maybe join a mafia that was created to stop them. IK SM KS KR

18. Return and Peru

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha!

Hidden Beneath a Smile

Chapter Eighteen: Return and Peru

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Two weeks had finally come and had past by scathingly slow, it was absolute horror trying to resist completing the ritual when the girl was constantly behaving in was that grasped at his inner beast. Yet, he had managed to do so and kept his sanity in check, though how long that would last only time would tell since she was unknowingly determined to rest clear thought from his mind. Despite having resolved not to like her no matter how her personality appealed to his, Inuyasha found that he had grown a soft spot for her in this short time they have been trapped together. It did not mater the amount of times he had shoved that blame onto the bond he had created in order to save her life, the fact of the matter was that he had grown fond of some one other then his select few. That in itself was confusing and he really hated pondering on such thoughts. The ideal that he wanted to keep her, to hold her, in his embrace and blanket her in his protection, sickened him. Inuyasha, with her obsessive need to prove herself stronger then she really was, had no doubts that she too would be just as disgusted by his thoughts. There were really only two women whom had his complete affections, and one that he grudgingly care for, his mother was dead and Rin and Kikyou were like sisters. However, he was admittedly closer to Rin. He held no love for anyone else with the exception of the obvious few.

Yet, he had to admit that he was beginning to have these abhorred feelings for Miroku's sister. While he refused to spar with her, again since that day and Inuyasha found that he enjoyed both their arguments and conversations to pass the time. The hanyou had to concede, for his peace of mind, the fact that what he truly enjoyed about the girl was her interactions with Shippou. An occurrence that was worse then this growing fondness for her as Shippou was almost a son to him, touching his heart in an odd way, and this was something else that he had helplessly tried to pass off onto his instincts and the bond he had forged. While some of it could be shoved off, it was not the fact that she paid motherly affection to his kit, rather they way her entire body lit up when she observed the kitsune's trickster yet innocent behavior. It, truthfully was the same for her brother, her eyes grew luminous with the kid's excitement, her features growing animate, and her aura radiating a child-like purity. It all pulled him to her with greater magnetic force then a moth to a flame and that frightened him.

Rolling to his side Inuyasha looked toward the wall of this empty square box, listlessly. This was the moment he was supposed to be rallying the troops to ride topside and yet he was procrastinating. Inuyasha, despite wanting to leave to his brother and Miroku to tell that they were not dead, was not quite ready to leave this solitude. Even if the day before he thought of it as his torturous prison for his countless careless acts against authority. Rolling off the bed Inuyasha agilely stood and ambled across the floor with purpose, the plush carpet cool against his bare feet. His stomach rumbled in hunger causing the hanyou to push forward with renewed vigor. The girl's home cooking was surprisingly reminiscent of his mother's own, a well-studied chef, and he could not help but to wonder where she learned such a delicate art. Even though, he wanted to know he would not proceed to satisfy his want of the knowledge. It was not out of sensitivity for her mother's passing, but rather he did not want to express a formal interest in her person.

"Inuyasha," the girl beamed causing the said hanyou to squirm uncomfortably. "I was wondering what was taking you so long, you're normally dragging me from bed to make breakfast. It was such a surprise to be waking up normally for once." She teased lightly, though she watched him worriedly hopping for an answer as to what ailed him that morning.

The hanyou's ear twitched at that, "keh, one shouldn't sleep at long as you do, its unnatural," he spat in his defense.

Unperturbed, Kagome continued as though he said nothing out of the ordinary while she placed a plate of eggs, bacon, and pancakes under his nose. "Well, we all can't be hanyou, now can we?" She quipped, moving fluidly to clear Souta and Shippou's dishes from the table after they made hasty -yet polite- pleas for egress. "Why are you so late? Are you not feeling well," she prodded conversationally. Ever since that night they sparred together, Kagome had been trying to engage the hanyou into a conversation wanting to know more of the enigma. He was secretive and knew perfectly well how to dodge a question both direct and indirect. She had seen in him what Miroku had warned her of while she saw many things that belittled his cold, hard and arrogantly bitter front. He only ever came undone on a rare occasion for Shippou, and though he had comforted her on many occasions he still remained guarded. Kagome had no cares for men -mostly because they shied away from her- yet she had this oddest want to get under his skin, to see the true face behind the mask.

"I'm feeling fine," and as he savagely tore at his breakfast he added, "I was just preparing for when we'd visit my brother and yours." He did not have to feed her any of this information, yet he had this sudden desire to see her reaction to the news. He waited in the tense silence that followed his response for her reaction.

Her head bowed as many thoughts raced through her mind all at once, most prominent thought being that she would finally be able to relieve the ache in his chest at their feigned passing. When she had taken time to think of it Kagome had felt her heart clench and tears prick at her eyes at the mere idea of her dear aniki's death, what must he had felt at hearing of hers and Souta's just so soon after their mother and grandfather? She would get to see him again, be the one giving the assurances, rather then being the one comforted. "I will get to see aniki," a smile slowly spread across her face and for once Kagome did not need to fake elation, screaming as she ran down the hall. "Souta! Souta guess what?"

Inuyasha had taken every detail of each expression that bloomed across her face with his keen sight. He had thought, as sadness etched her features, that perhaps she too was beginning to mourn the thought of leaving the safe house. However, not a moment sooner she was racing away from him to herald her joy at leaving to her little brother. Eating at a sedate pace, the hanyou murmured fondly, before taking a bite and chewing on the mouthful morosely. "I thought that would make you happy…."

There was a lot to be done that day, major planing on his part, on how to move about the upper world unseen like the passing of a cloud to his family's compound. The upside of this whole situation was that their little group would not have to travel far in order to reach his intended direction, the only problem that needed solving were the eyes that would be watching. The entire point of this feigned death was to throw off any further pursuers that would try to make sure their deaths were more permanent, he did not want his efforts at deception to be cast off as a vein attempt. Once the girl and her brother were safely tucked away within the heavily castellated walls of his family home such exertions of pursuit would be pointless for the enemy to continue as one could find no chinch in those walls to castigate for an ingress. Yet, there was always a chance for the enemy to block them along the way were those eyes to catch wind of their coming.

Shippou had no other charms with him that were strong enough to hide their shape from prying eyes long enough for them to get along were they needed. Though the young kit grew in strength as days passed, he had not the power to maintain a veil over their features as they walked. While he could seek a way to change their appearance physically, his would be quite difficult to achieve seeing as he lost his spelled charm during the chaos of the explosion. "Hey," fingers snapped before his vision and with those fingers his exasperation, "so you are in there. I was beginning to wonder," she teased, humor sliding off her tongue a tangible substance. "So when do we leave?" Her good humor was beginning to grate on his nerves; Inuyasha did not feel that she should be so joyous at leaving their solitude when he was feeling reluctance to leave it.

Amber eyes rounded at a sudden thought, and Inuyasha soon found his annoyance fleeing like quick silver. "Do you know what it is like to fly?" He did not quite grasp how her words had triggered this idea, those eyes that would be watching for them would not house the capabilities to sight him through his speed, and so their idenity would relatively be safe.

Brown eyes narrowed in confusion. "I've been on a plane before, if that's what you mean?"

Inuyasha chuckled, what he was going to allow her to experience was so much more, a sensation closely related to hang-gliding. "No, I mean really fly, like a bid, no metal surroundings." He elaborated, even going so far as to use hand motions in order to explain his meaning.

Kagome shook her head eyeing the hanyou before her strangely, "people can't fly," then she gasped barely audible, face contorting into a slight realization as she recalled Shippou's words. He was not human and there were many things, as told by the kit, that his kind could do that a regular person could not. "Right?" She added, the uncertain note hesitantly.

Amber orbs twinkled as they watched the girl before him in amusement with underlying tones of apprehension. This was not something he did on the sly with every girl he met, and the only other to experience his joy was Shippou and Rin and thus he was agitated. Something he was not even sure of why he felt, as there was no reason for it to exist within his chest. "Yeah, people can't fly, but," he drawled, "I can perform something pretty damn similar."

Clearly not believing him Kagome treated this part of the conversation as though it was a game due to the playful light illuminating the hanyou. The fact that the man before her had never once acted in such a manner in her presence never occurred to her as she was caught up in their humorous banter. "Really," she rendered whimsically, "then if you've never flown like a bird then how can you compare your skill to one?"

Adopting a serious frown Inuyasha responded, "I have. Sesshoumaru can do something of the like but he refuses to tell me how," and then muttered irritably, "something about me abusing the power. Keh, as if, he's the one constantly abusing power." Then added with just as much irritation lacing his words, "we both own equal shares yet he treats me like the under dog, forcing crap odd jobs down my throat, just because he thinks he-." His eyes widened with the sudden realization that he was rambling on about the pet peeves he held against his brother with a petulant frown twisting his face. Waving his words away with a rough switch of his hand, he said, while trying to stave the red stain from over taking his cheeks. "Never mind that," the playful whim he felt was past and there was nothing left but to tell her straight out so that he could go into a brooding silence. "We can't be seen once we leave, not until were at the Shikaku Compound, and I was trying to think of a way to make that possible and the only way I could come up with was to run across the roof tops."

"Run across the roof tops," she mouthed slowly, shock resting in her limbs, "is that… is that safe? Is it even possible?"

"Tch, none of that matters," he waved aside her concerns, "just pack what you don't want to leave behind. I want to leave within the next few hours." Truthfully, he did not want to leave at all; however, there were important matters to attend to and people who needed dethroning for him to succumb to his conflicting emotions for Miroku's little sister.

"All right, but…" she trailed, placing her hands together in a pleading manner, "could we give Kikyou her clothes back? I know you both don't get along, and I can understand why she doesn't like you considering…. Anyway she was kind enough to give me clothes out of her own closet so I wouldn't have to walk around naked," her words died away at the strange light that had suddenly come into the hanyou's amber eyes. "Is something wrong," she ventured nervously.

"Exactly what," he interrogated with a slow methodical baritone that had the young girl on edge, "did Kikyou say to you while you were alone all those hours?" Try as he might, he could not catch a word of their conversation as the room had been warded against eavesdroppers, a point he had forgotten in his desire to avoid being too alone with her since the night of their sparring session. He wanted to kiss her again, angry at the thought, Inuyasha bit out harshly. "Don't lie, I'll be able to sniff it out."

Kagome worked her mouth silently a long while trying to find the right words to say in order to appease his sudden anger. "I, well, nothing really she just told me about how you left her to burn at the stake in a third world village in the middle of uncharted terrain. I can see why she doesn't like you, if you had done that to me I would have roughed you up a little, not hold the grudge she's obviously keeping." There was nothing really left to say other then the truth, besides he seemed pretty honest about being able to sniff a lie should she tell one. Kikyou had told her other stories, but the hanyou need not know that little tidbit.

"Leave it to Kikyou to give stories with only half truths," he spat contemptuously, "I didn't know that they would burn her alive over something so stupid as calling her what I normally call her. I did not leave her to burn alive either, in fact I got her out of there just before the flames reached her feet." He stated proudly. Inuyasha would have added that she did knock him unconscious for several days after feeding him a rather large jolt of her purifying powers, but refrained from mentioning so. That part really did not need to be known at the moment and he only hope that Kikyou had not divulged that information, it seemed she had not. Right now, he needed to fix what ever damage the Miko Witch's story caused in his personal character, as the thought of her seeing him as someone less was maddening to his mind.

Kagome eyed the hanyou skeptically, "but you're really strong, did you really have to wait so long and let her think she was going to die?" She really did not think that he had intended such a thing, but she was curious about Inuyasha as a person and her brother's warnings kept floating around in her head. Miroku had been really adamant that she stay away and there had to be a reason for it, he would not demand something like that without there being just cause for the order. "She must have been terrified," she added sadly.

Pay back, pure and simple, it was what had kept him from running to the miko's aid like a fateful hound, but that was just how their relationship was. Kikyou understood and respected it, but he was not quite sure that the young woman before him would get the significance, however twisted the sentiment may be. It was just how he and the Miko Witch worked together, their personalities clashing entirely too much for what most would consider healthy interaction. "It was a whole village," he ushered out the fabrication easily enough, "so I had to wait until the right moment. It didn't occur to me until people started screaming about youkai when my charm came loose that I could just use their fears as a tactic to secure her safe return." That part had been true enough, however, if he truly wanted to he could have taken out the entire village and no one would be the wiser since it was such a people that believed in the existence of other worldly creatures.

She, much to his relief, seemed to consider his words and smiled. "I didn't think that my brother would befriend some one who was capable of such a thing," and Inuyasha felt his heart clench because he knew it to be untrue, he was permissive of that and so much more. "But I don't understand why she would say such a thing, she did not seem the type to tell lies, but then again we had just met even though I like to think of myself as a pretty good judge of character." The hanyou had to disagree, her insight in the hearts and minds of others was considerably lacking, it was just that she wished to see the best in others that made her think so. At least that was a conclusion he was able to come to due to their interactions and her words on Kikyou. There, in his experience, was not a person alive that would keep from a small fib or manipulation to get their way if it suited their fancy at the time. His brother and Miroku fit the description even if their reasons were made of pure intentions, then again, it were the motivation for doing things that separated one from the other.

Right now Inuyasha's motivation was revenge on his, dare he say it, 'close companion' for causing his skin to itch and his instincts to act out after he had a manageable hold worked up. "Keh, she's got her reasons," and those were to mess with him for probably bringing up Peru, speaking of that little continent, the hanyou's mind worked feverish with evil intent. If she could throw past mistakes out into the open then he could also bring out a whopper. "It was her fault the plain went down anyway, thinking she knows everything, just like that little mishap in Peru."

"Peru," Kagome murmured curiously, then shook her head against it, "no, it's not of my business, I don't want to know." She added, there was something sinister in the air around Inuyasha and she was not quite sure she wanted to be privy to what he so dearly wanted to release into the open.

He chose to ignore her protesting words, all girls liked gossip, and all the ones he knew could not get enough of it with the exception of Rin. She knew the pain that slanderous palaver could cause to a person being at the receiving end of more then a few harmful rumors. What he chose to reveal was the truth and completely different from what he and Rin constantly faced from those of the society, as if Kikyou could speak of their escapades then he certainly should have a little leeway with his own shared memories with the miko. "The miko and I were positioned in Peru for a mission that was made at the last second, so we really had no information towards it except for the basics."

"So wait," she began, "Kikyou is an agent and you two use to be partners, but I thought that you and Miroku were partners? Did you have to be reassigned?" Shaking her head once again, she did not want to come off as one of the busybodies that she strongly disliked when she had been attending her old school, but she could not help trying to seek out information. Miroku was disinclined to tell her anything other then to stray from Inuyasha, and that the man that had killed their father was after her and Souta for some reason or another. She wanted more, she wanted to know exactly why the events of the past few weeks had taken place, she was tired of being completely shrouded in darkness when concerning maters that were threatening all of their lives and had already nearly claimed them twice. "No, no, don't tell me, it's none of my business," she reaffirmed again, her aniki would just have to be pestered until the information she sought came pouring from his mouth out of exasperation. It was the secret art that all younger siblings bore, and she would unleash it relentless against Miroku until he succumbed to her will and spilled his guts about the whole situation.

Normally one had to pry inner knowledge from Inuyasha with a crowbar in a rather literal sense, but because he was on a vengeful mission, he was divulging information quite willingly. He wanted to keep the girl interested until he got to the Miko Witch damaging part of the tale, "you could say that." Though most claimed the hanyou to be a bit dense, he was in fact not stupid at all, and could see that Miroku's sister obviously thought that they were all still part of CIA, though he had never been an agent himself. If his partner had not wanted his sister to be privy of their trade secrets then he would continue to shade her from any insight that could trigger questions until her brother decided to illuminate the shadows of her mind with true enlightenment. "Peru was our first mission and the whole her nearly dying at the stake thing was our last together, the, um, higher ups decided that us working together was perilous to the operation." Sesshoumaru had thought that by the two of them working together, since they held a healthy dislike of each other, they would make a wonderful team being some of the top operates in the society. His brother finally consenting to defeat, the hanyou had been set as Miroku's partner; a set up he had wanted in the beginning.

Scarlet crossed Kagome's cheeks as a thought crossed her mind that she could not help but to give voice to, before losing strength half way through. "Was it because… were you two intimate, is that why…" she squeaked, and then said tersely. "Never mind!" She could not even fathom the reason why she had asked such a personal and invading question, it held no bearings upon the things that she wished to no longer be kept out of.

A mixture of disgust and surprise made up Inuyasha's features, "you do not realize how disgusting your assumption is, I wouldn't want to touch that witch with a ten foot pole and definitely would have no relationship other then one strictly of business with her." The hanyou shuddered violently at the mental pictures her suggestion had given him, and then he became thoughtful. What was her reason to ask such a question, was there an ulterior motive? He moved his mind from such musings as, although his beast was content to travel down that path, he knew that she was being a curious teenage girl. From her scent, he could smell no hints of jealousy, or hidden secrets, just a heavy tinge of embarrassment. "Why do you asked," he ventured anyway.

Blush still prominent across her visage, Kagome said lowly, "I just can't understand why the two of you would hate each other so much, so I just thought…." She let the word hang as she struggled to say what moments ago she had gathered courage to ask.

A large grin spread across his lips as he said easily what she could barely utter, "that we were intimate? Hardly," he snorted, "hate is far from the description of our 'relationship,'" the word sliding off his tongue tauntingly. "What Miko Witch and I share is complete and total dysfunction, I do something to tick her off and she tries to top whatever it was that I had done, like telling you about me nearly getting her killed." He explicated, and then shrugged, "I know it sounds like a hateful association, yet deep down I know that if she were in trouble I would help her out like she helped me with this, even if my fist instinct is to leave her high and dry."

"Hmm," Kagome hummed, "I see, in that case I think I'll go get my things pack and tell Souta and Shippo to do the same."

Inuyasha reached out and grasped her arm, halting her from moving any further. "Hey I haven't finished telling you about Peru," he complained. The hanyou was not about to let the girl walk away before he had his revenge against the Miko Witches treachery.

Carefully, he had sharp claws; Kagome removed the hand from her arm looking up into the amber gaze with hard eyes, "I understand that. Since you obviously need help being the bigger person, I'm going to lay a deaf ear toward your story. One wrong turn does not make a right," she recited the words her father often spoke when she and her siblings were in their younger years. "I'm going to save you from being an idiot," she declared.

Stunned, Inuyasha could scarcely find the tongue to retort to her comment, the only one to ever argue against his treatment of Kikyou was Sesshoumaru and that was only because of the detrimental risk it held towards their mission at the time. Otherwise, those whom had come to know the warring two understood their strange interactions and in time chose to ignore their childishness toward the other. "Being an idiot," he echoed hollowly, and then laughed, "no, she would take my telling you a compliment even if she'd attempt to rip my ears from my head, but if you don't want to hear it then that's fine." He would show her that he was much better then Kikyou, his pride was on the line, and there was not much that he loved more then that.

Kagome shot the hanyou a skeptical look before walking away, how could anyone feel complimented by someone sharing their deepest darkest secret to a complete stranger. Even if this would be considered a bad personality flaw, it was not bad enough for her brother to forbid contact with the hanyou; some greater research into the matter would need to be completed.

Confusion, her mind was a massively befuddled mess, and she could not sort through her strewn thoughts enough to remove the dazed look from her eyes as she lugged her heavy suit case up to the front gate of the Shikaku Estate. The first round of security she would have to walk through, and the young woman had doubts that her thoughts would be clear by the time she made it to the actual mansion. Setting her luggage down, Rin pressed her six-digit code into the charmed box, only those with a purpose there knew of its location.

"Welcome Rin," the disembodied voice croaked, "Sesshoumaru-sama is at the front awaiting your arrival." The news should not have surprised her; it had been quite awhile since she had last shown up for her daily duties, yet the knowledge gave her heart a small start.

There were two reasons for her returning with the intent to live in one of the guest quarters of the estate, one being her inability to believe Inuyasha's death and the other being the warning from Haku. For some reason, he believed her to be in danger. She would have thought it was a joke, yet, due to the pale and drawn out features of his face she had no other choice but to take it for the truth. Who, despite her obvious line of work, would be out to get her? To the entire world, due to Sesshoumaru's hard labor in the matter, thought her to be nothing more then the secretary to worlds greatest technologies tycoon. Even most of the society was unaware of her knowledge toward their true existence, so who would know of the side she stood upon in veiled silence. Better yet, how could Haku know that she was in danger, exactly who was he to know such things?

Inuyasha was dead.

That was another ideal that her mind was finding highly difficult to comprehend. How could that arrogantly stubborn hanyou die? Her entire time of knowing him, he had been anything but penetrable, and so she could not wrap herself around this lie. It had to be a lie, some sick prank or another the Shikaku brother's were playing on her for staying away for so long. Still, Kagura had looked so distraught when she had delivered the news, and during that time, she had seen the face of a friend that she had thought to be lost. Perhaps the wind youkai had been miss informed to give this horrid joke more strength. This all had to be a fabrication, as it could not be real.

Sesshoumaru stood tall and imposing as ever watching her with that stoic gaze of his, yet she could see the flickering of concern, worry and fear trying to hid themselves behind his trademark look. Rin had to pause under that gaze a moment before her bags fell from her hands and she was running at full force to his person, finding herself caught up in a strong embrace. "Tell me it's a lie," she murmured at first, tears slipping from her closed lids, and when he made no answer she screamed, "tell me it's a lie!"

"I cannot," the soft notes a strong sound ringing horrifically through her brain.

She backed away from his hold slowly, shaking her head against his words, "iie, no," she muttered, "no! It has to be a lie, it has to be, Inuyasha is not dead!" Rin shrieked, marching forward, she grasped unto Sesshoumaru's suite trying to shake the truth from his mouth. "Say it, say he's not dead! Tell me that he's alive!" She commanded.

"Rin," the Taiyoukai uttered softly, painfully, "this Sesshoumaru cannot."

With those words leaving agonizingly from his mouth her legs gave out from underneath her, the inuyoukai was nearly unprepared to catch her before her knees smacked the concrete. Sobs caused her shoulders to shake roughly, she was brought up into his arms and cradled against his chest as though she were a babe, and he had to force his eyes from looking down upon her face. "Ite, it has to be a lie, ite," her words were painful enough to his ears that he had no control over, "Inuyasha can't be dead. Ite, it hurts so much," she rasped out, clutching at her chest as though it bore a physical wound.

"Rest Rin," Sesshoumaru bade, as he could not take anymore of her whispered pleas, "and this Sesshoumaru will have your bags brought to your customary room." Once she was awake, again he would find the reason she had come to the estate with bags packed. However, he had no doubts that her main reason for coming home was to receive confirmation of his brother's death, those suite cases told of another reason entirely. Rin was not the type that relished grieving in the presence of others, having grown around two men that prided themselves on both physical and emotional strength.

Confusion dominated her mind in the darkness, her eyes searching blindly for some form of familiarity, until it dawned upon her that she was in the room she kept at the estate. With that realization, came the memory of Inuyasha, and the lie she had thought to be present. Big fat tears cascaded down her cheeks as her chest squeezed as though a tangible hand grasped her around the ribcage in a bruising hold. It hurt so much that it was difficult to breathe.

She and the hanyou had been through so much together, it was impossible to imagine her life without his influence. Rin had yet to know the cause of his demise, and she was not quite sure she wanted to know what had the power to take down a creature of Inuyasha's prowess. A ghastly occurrence, it could be nothing less, and the brunette did not think she could stomach hearing how his end had come to pass. Swallowing her breath, as though such would have the strength to staunch the flow of her tears, she gasped out in her failed attempted as they began to flow faster and more freely. How many more of her loved ones would leave her?

Rubbing feverishly at her eyes, Rin flashed her gaze to the doorway that spilled light over the bed she sat, and found Sesshoumaru to be watching her in a considering light. Paying no mind to his look, she could not help but to wonder whether or not he would be next to leave her alone in path of life. If something had managed to take down Inuyasha, would there be something that could overcome the might of the powerful Taiyoukai? "Rin," she blinked from her daze and cocked her head at an angle to show that she heard him, "I have to visit Miroku at the infirmary, he just could not take the anxieties of things come to pass." He spoke in answer to Rin's gasp of shock, "a lot has happened while you were away," she could not help but flinch at the chiding way he said those words.

"I know," her voice was small, "Inuyasha's dead, and I wasn't around to see him one last time, instead I was…" she paused and he rose a brow in interest. There was never a doubt in her mind whether to trust the youkai or not, Rin just did not want to see the shame she feared would be shinning back at her after he found out about her activities. "When my grandfather passed, I met this man, Haku, and he made me feel better. I saw him again in the same spot as last time, only he was upset about something so I took him home with me," the confession spilled from her lips in a rush. She could never keep anything from her childhood friend and near brother for long, especially when it held dire consequences to her life. "He said that he felt calm and safe in my home so I told him he could come back any time he wanted…."

He smiled ever so softly as he stood at her doorway to leave yet his eyes remained a cold and dark bottomless pit. Rin could not help but to ponder if any other emotion ever touch those abstruse irises; they had to have shown some warm pleasantries in his younger years, no child would have such a frigid stare. "Thank you, Rin, for taking me in for the night. I've never felt so at peace in a foreign place as I had watching the storm under your roof, in your presence."

Rin could no more stop the blush that covered the bridge of her nose then she could stop the beaming smile that broke over her lips at his flattery. He might not have meant to be so, yet she had never been at the receiving end of such words from the male equivalence, both Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha squashing all interested suitors. "Your welcome to come back any time you want, we're friends aren't we?" No, he was not trying to be a flirt, but that did not stop the school girl crush from forming in her heart. "I mean we both helped each other out of tight spots right? So that does qualify us as friends?"

"I've never," he shook his head and the spark of some softer emotive fled his eyes, "no, it would be best if we never saw each other again. It would be safer for you to forget ever seeing my face, those close to me always meet some unfavorable trouble of a sort."

Haku moved to leave, but she caught his arm before he could leave her doorway. "The offer still stands if you want to take it," he nodded absentmindedly, but she did not release his arm. "Why were you," she let him go backing away in regret of the question she was about to ask. "Never mind."

Fingers grazed her cheek, a smile flashed before her sight, and his eyes remained just as lifeless as before. "I did something that I should not have done and someone else paid the price for my mistake, that's exactly why you and I should forget each other."

"…But he turned me down because he feared something bad would happen. Even so, he came back anyway, and I think I saw him for nearly whole days every day I've been absent from the office. Two days ago he told me that someone was out to hurt me, that I should leave, stay with someone that I trusted… it almost seemed as if he knew…."

An incessant pounding at her door roused her from the precious sleep she had been lacking as of late. Since Kagura had shown up at her down baring the news of Inuyasha's death, she had not found the ability to sleep for long before memories and grotesque nightmares had overtaken her dreams. She wanted to end it all by paying a visit the Shikaku Estate, yet she deathly feared that what she had been told was true and her childhood friend was no more. "Haku," her eyes widened in surprise when she opened the door so late in the night to find the man standing, out of breath, out on her porch. "Why, why are you here?" Had she not bide the young man farewell hours ago when it had still been a decent hour?

His hands found their way upon her shoulders firmly, eyes looking wildly in to hers, seeping with fear. "Rin, you have to leave here immediately, it's not safe for you stay here anymore." He took a deep breath, and said only fraction calmer then his earlier words, "there's someone out there that wants to deal you serious harm, and you won't be safe anywhere, especially not here."

Rin laughed nervously, "Haku this isn't funny."

"I'm not trying to be," the words were deadpan.

Swallowing hard, she asked, her voice trembling, "but who would want to harm me? I'm nobody special, I'm just a secretary," she voiced her given cover, "granted it pays a lot, but I'm no body special." She reiterated.

Cursing roughly beneath his breath, Haku looked her square in the eyes, "this is why I never should have come back," he stated firmly, voice strained with pain. "I should have stayed away, but you were just so," he paused. "When I was with you, I could almost forget what I was bred to be, and that I was, for once, a normal human being with no gritty attachments."

"Haku," she questioned wearily, "what are you saying?" Truthfully, Rin did not think she really wanted the knowledge, not if it would tarnish the man she had come to know over the past few days.

Bringing her close, causing Rin to blush despite the dire situation, he said gravely, "that you need to stay with someone that you know would have the ability to protect you." Letting her go from his embrace, he bent forward and brushed his lips lightly against her cheek, "leave now and take what I've said to heart. That man who is after you is ruthless, and I would never forgive myself if something happened to you when I should have walked away to begin with." Haku left her on the doorway with that note, and she could do nothing but to stare blindly as he disappeared around the corner.

"…He left after he told me to go, and I just don't know what to do. Who would be after me, Sesshoumaru, why?"

This was nearly more then the Taiyoukai could handle at present, his brother had died, Miroku was in the infirmary, his best assassin had flat lined, and Kagura had vanished without a trace as to her whereabouts. Now Rin had an unknown assailant nipping at her heals. He, anon, wanted to slip into his larger form and roar his tension from his body so that he could walk for once without the itch that constantly accompanied his movements. "Rin," he questioned firmly, amber eyes drilling in her head, "do you fancy this man?"

Sputtering the said girl screeched in outrage, "I tell you someone's trying to kill me and you ask after a none existent love life!"

"I see," he nodded to himself as if in agreement with something, "you may stay as long as you like, you know that you are always welcome here." Seeing the disbelieving look that crossed her face, Sesshoumaru smiled fondly, "Rin, you know that if anyone dared to touch a hair upon your head, not only would they die, they would have each and everyone of their organs pulled out through their mouths in the most excruciating ways possible."

She nodded, trying not to picture the very vivid threat he had put forth, and asked hesitantly, "what has happened while I was away?"

Suspiring heavily, yet not recognizing he had done so, as powerful men did not sigh, he answered Rin with an edge to his tone that was put there as he thought of the tragedies that had transpired. "This Sesshoumaru will tell you everything as soon as I've spoken with Miroku," he then turned his back to her, regretful that he did not have more time to spare for them to speak considering she had been absent from the office for so long. "So much has happened and this Sesshoumaru must, despite the wish to give you nearly all of my time, attend to those matters," and then uttered softly, "Kagura went missing."

"What! Why?" Rin burst out, her eyes wide, her hands trembling. She could not lose another friend so soon, especially not after finding the wind youkai after she had been lost for so long.

Sesshoumaru hesitated, "she believes that she must be the society's inner spy, gathering information upon the man we had formed to take down." A moment of anger gripped him and he growled, speaking with the emotion, "that stupid wench, hiding from me just to spy on a man that'll likely kill her. Damn it, Rin, Miroku knows who he is and the mere mention of his name drags him to his knees, and that is who she is spending most of her days with. The worst part of it all is," the taiyoukai continued, "she feels that she must do this in order to gain my respect and trust when she has it above everyone else."

Swallowing hard Rin watched her childhood friend closely, he rarely ever let the inner thoughts of his heart out into the open, and he must be falling apart at the seams. "Sessh," she began softly, "you really love her don't you, and this is killing you isn't it?"

For the longest moment Sesshoumaru did nothing more then to stare at nothing, his face an impenetrable mask, rendering a look that she did not recognize before he spoke. "Rin we will speak when I return," he bade as he turned his back to her, "there is much to discuss and I want to understand better what you face. No one will lay a hand upon you if they wish to continue breathing."

He was avoiding the subject by changing it, by running from her words, and she could do nothing more then to nod sadly. A thought struck, and she found her voice calling out to him in haste. "Sesshoumaru wait!" He stopped, but his back still faced her for fear that she would see the turmoil that tossed around his amber gaze. "When Kagura was upset she'd go off to the place she felt the safest to get rid of whatever it was that made her sad," she started. Rin truly hopping that this little bit of information would be a start in paying the taiyoukai back for everything that he had done for her. "She told me once that the place that gave her such comfort was where she first met you, maybe you'll be able to find her there somewhere and talk some sense into her," she added making the lithe of her voice sound hopeful.

The inu turned to flash her a rare soft smile, "Thank you Rin," and turned from her again, "would you mind terribly if our conversation was delayed a bit longer? I think another important matter has come up."

Rin beamed at his retreating form, knowing exactly where he planned to go. "Of course, I'm not in any immediate danger, as long as I'm here I'm safe, but Kagura…"

"Thank you for understanding," with that said Sesshoumaru disappeared from her sight and she could only smile softly at the spot that he had been standing. Perhaps Kagura would finally realize that she had the infamous Sesshoumaru wrapped around her finger, heart, and soul, the entire time she was trying to become worthy of them. Rin could only wait and hope for that.

Inuyasha watched the door of the safe house in irritated silence, it had been hours since he had announced they were leaving and still the girl and her brother were not ready. He could understand the girl taking forever, women were just that way, but her brother to boot? He was a male, albeit still a boy by today's standards, yet guys did not take an eternity to get ready to leave no matter their age. Glancing sideways at the kit whom seated himself close to his person, Inuyasha said patiently, "go tell them to hurry it up."

Shippou brought wide, liquid eyes swimming with disbelief to gaze up at the hanyou, "are you insane?" He asked incredulously, "I'm not going to ask her that after what she did to you when you asked her that! I've got better self-preservation skills then that." He crowed proudly.

Growling low Inuyasha had to resist the urge to take his anger out on the kit in a physical manner, recalling all to vividly the young boy's bruised past. While his normal reaction, when feeling rage toward one he knew could handle the abuse, was to reach out and knock em' one in the back of the head, Shippou was another matter entirely. When he had found him, beaten and starving, behind the bar sleeping in the trash Inuyasha had vowed to never harm a hair on the child's head, nor to allow another hand to deal out any punishment without that hand finding it dismembered from the body it belonged. Instead Inuyasha shot the kit an amused glance, "I highly doubt she's going to throw a brush at someone she deemed so cute, much less bite your head off."

Giggling Shippou grinned proudly; "I am good looking, huh?" He agreed wiggling his brows in a manner befitting Miroku, and Inuyasha could not help to chuckle loudly at the comparison.

"It seems I'm not the only one rubbing off on you in a bad way, ne?" The hanyou was well aware of what those in the society said of him and the kit, that the child was a second him. There were various other, not so pleasant remarks, yet he chose to ignore them. If Inuyasha was constantly going after people whom uttered words that disagreed with his gut then the world's population would greatly suffer, alas he only slashed the tongues that wagged in ways deemed beyond offensive. "I wonder how Miroku will take the news," he mused aloud.

Shrugging Shippo said, "he'll probably just blame you, that, or be proud of himself."

"Keh," was all Inuyasha would respond to that comment, "well aren't you going to tell them?"

"Tell them what?"

Both Inuyasha and Shippou started at the sudden voice that had popped up behind them, turning the hanyou was ashamed for being caught off guard while the kitsune only beamed at seeing the face of the girl looking at them both inquisitively. "It doesn't matter," Inuyasha brushed off, "you and the runt ready to go yet?"

Glancing towards the stuff neatly packed away in the two suite cases and bag Kikyou had brought over, Kagome nodded her head in affirmation. "Are you sure," she eyed the hanyou up and down skeptically, "that you'll be able to carry all of us and that?" She asked, pointing towards the heavy luggage, "across the rooftops all the way to your house?"

Before the inu-hanyou could wash away the skepticism that colored her voice and features over his prowess, Shippou chirped. "Of course he can," the kit grinned widely a look of complete trust marking his eyes. "No ones stronger then Inuyasha," he paused, seeming to think about it, then added. "Well, maybe Sesshoumaru but they've never had a decided match. Whenever one of them gets so hurt they almost die they always stop, though Sesshoumaru does have the Tensaiga so I guess it really doesn't matter if one of them did die." He babbled.

Taking note of the horrified set to the girl's very stance as she forced a smile and listed to the kitsune speak, nodding to every other word, deciding that now would be a good time to interrupt his ward and silence the kit. "That's enough Shippou, you keep talking and we're never gonna leave." The kit really needed to learn what was not okay to go spewing off about and what was all right to blab about. Right now, he did not want the questions that were swimming around in her eyes. He hated answering to inquiring minds, especially when he wanted to completely focus his thoughts on other things. Inuyasha, right then, would rather be preparing his mental state to face Miroku for when he would finally sense the change in his little sister's aura, the slight altercation that showed his possession. "Kit, don't talk about the swords anymore, no one is suppose to know that they exist and I don't want to answer any questions your babbling might bring up," he spoke at a frequency that only Shippou would hear.

Seeing the caste fallen set the kit's form, the hanyou patted the boy's auburn head to let him know that he was not upset. Perking up the kitsune said, "never mind about that stuff, Inuyasha's really good at moving fast, so you don't have to worry Kagome."

"Huh," said girl murmured her mind elsewhere. "Oh," her countenance coming alive as she left her introvertive musings to look upon Shippou whom had been speaking to her. "No, I'm not worried, I mean he did save us so there's got to be something more to him then a bad temper." She laughed and soon the kit and her brother were joining in.

"Hey," Inuyasha grumped, "I'm standing right here!" Tch, like I'm the one with a nasty temper, he ragged inwardly. She had a temper to match his own, if not better it, and that was the only reason why he did not speak that little bit aloud. He wanted to leave before night had really set in, not another argument to delay things. "Forget it, let's just go."

"Yeah, sis," Souta spoke up from his spot behind Kagome, "I want to see big brother."

The hanyou snorted, he really did not want to see their 'big brother,' yet he could not sit and hide away forever and it was not like Miroku could actually kill him right off the bat. He would have to sit and search for a way take down a hanyou, even with that in mind he still was not looking forward to seeing his partner again. "Hey kid," he said nodding toward Souta, "take the bag and jump on my back." Striding forward Inuyasha grabbed the two suite cases while adjusting to the weight that suddenly settled on his back; he held his left arm out. "I'll carry you," he said to Kagome, "while you hold Shippou."

He watched as she gingerly took hold of the kit, still sensing her unease, "are you sure that you can handle this?" Not deeming her dubious question worthy of an answer, he just grabbed her around the waist and hoisted her off the ground proceeding to exit the safe house in a flash. He moved down the sewers with a blinding level of speed, causing the sewer water to spray up all around him, but surprisingly not much of the stagnant water touched his three companions.

Inuyasha had prepared the way while he waited upon the girl and her brother so that he could make a nonstop run all the way to the surface. Within in a second or two of zooming through the tunnels, he was leaping through the manhole, and then toward the tops of the storage units nothing more then a blur to even the trained eye. Making sure to keep a tight hold on the girl, he focused his mind on other things to ignore the choking hold the kid had on his neck and waist. He could not exactly ask Souta to loosen his hold, at the speed they were traveling the kid would probably be ripped off his back.

Leaping from building to building until there was nothing but an expanse of trees, he traded steal and brick for ramose protrusions, weaving through the maze of foliage with a deadly grace. A three hour travel to the estate was reduced to no more the five minutes as he sped along, dread mounting as he grew closer until it nearly swallowed him whole as he paused before a large metal gate. Placing the girl on her own two feet, Souta slid from his back, while he shot her a grin. "That wasn't really like flying," Inuyasha amended, "but maybe sometime I can show you what I meant." Not waiting for a reaction, as standing in continued exposure left him uneasy, the hanyou strode forward to type in his personal code upon the hidden panel. There were not many that could enter this compound without harm, there was a barrier cast by Kikyou and her sister Kaede that kept those who did not belong out, and he was unsure of how it would effect his two guests. The girl, because of his blood claim on her, would likely be able to pass without any effect; her brother was an entirely different story. Miroku could pass, as his essence had been coded into the spell, but Inuyasha was not sure if that would be enough to allow the kid safe entrance. "You guys go ahead first," he tossed over his shoulder as the gate opened. He would stand sentient before the gated entrance to catch whomever the barrier tossed clear across the woodland expanse.

He watched with bated breath as the two siblings crossed the threshold of his family estate, only to release that breath in a long sigh when neither of the two received injury. Trailing after at a sedate pace, he acted as if he had not expected anything out the ordinary to happen while the gate mechanically shut behind them with a bang. Miroku's little sister stopped until they were walking astride the other, giving him a sideways glance. "What were you expecting to happen?" She murmured so that her brother and Shippou whom were walking ahead would not hear.

"I don't know your talking about?" He denied.

"Don't you dark try to claim chivalry with me," she chastised with eyes fixated upon the two that chatted adamantly ahead of them. "I saw the look on your face after we had walked through, nobody looks that relieved unless of course the person had been expecting something." She added smartly, waiting patiently for his answer.

He opened his mouth to lie, but then ended up spilling the truth, finding it quite difficult to spout a fib when he had no troubles with it before. "There's a barrier around the estate," he explicated, "and I wasn't sure if it would allow you to pass. I had you and your brother go first just in case it decided to toss you back a little." Maybe he was not beyond a tiny embellishment as the barrier would have tossed both siblings clear across the dirt road, through a tree, quite possibly two, and being human, he did not think either would have survived the impact. Now, he could have asked Sesshoumaru to grab Kaede, whom slept within the compound, to alter the terms of the barrier to be safe; he did not think of such an alternative until the girl began questioning him. Inuyasha's mind was firmly set on getting Miroku siblings to safety before they could be sighted, and intercepted, by prying eyes. "You may be Miroku's blood brother and sister, but that didn't mean the barrier would except you."

Kagome felt her eyes bulge at the information, "you risked my brother's life to test the limits of this barrier! You should have told me, I would have volunteered instead of unknowingly allowing you to risk his neck." She raged.

Inuyasha held his mouth shut from spilling that she and her brother were different, she had his blood were as her brother did not. Sesshoumaru, for some unfathomable reason, decided to have Kikyou and Kaede to amend the barrier to allow, should either brother take the plunged, their mate to have safe entrance into the establishment at any time. He had teased his brother endlessly for the change to their extra security measure, asking for weeks on end if he was to have another sister soon. The fights they lunged into because of his brotherly taunting were the most legendary of the bunch, and from his brother's highly disgruntled reactions Inuyasha was beginning to take his teasing suggestions as a possible truth. He gave up on the thought, however, when a few years past and no new sibling walking the halls of the estate.

"The ones that blew up the penthouse aren't amateurs," he began, remembering quite clearly that she believed him and her brother to be apart of the CIA. "We've been after these criminals for sometime now and I have reason to believe that I wasn't the only one they were trying to kill." Glancing sideways to see her startled expression, he added, "look I don't want to scare you or anything but we're dealing with professionals. They're not the type to be easily fooled by the entire apartment complex coming down. I would not put it paused them to be watching for any signs of at least one of us surviving and so I really only was focused on getting you inside before we could be spotted by their spies. I've never actually caught one lurking around before, I doubt they could even find this place, but you never know when you've got a traitor." He explicated solemnly. "I wonder who would be brave enough, though," he added, the words heavy with amusement.

"I've been meaning to ask you about that," Kagome drawled distractedly while she clasped her hands behind her back. "Why would whomever this guys is want to kill me and my brother, no body should have know that we were siblings, you weren't even suppose to know, so it can't have been that right? Don't lie to me," she stated firmly, still a beguile lithe to her tone, "Miroku hides enough things from me as it is because he still sees me as a little girl, but I'm not her anymore." She was not that scared and timid little creature that had seen her father murdered, and though the details were sketchy; she always remembered the face of the murder in her dreams. It was that face of the man she deathly feared, and who terrorized her with thoughts of his coming after her for something she could scarcely recall. "The one whom blew up your penthouse, was it the man whom kill my father? This is a yes or no question, don't even dare to try and twist me from finding out the truth."

Grabbing the girls shoulder, he halted her steps. "Oi, Shippou, you litter trickster, sneak Souta to your quarters, I don't want anyone to know we're back until I've spoken with Sesshoumaru, and don't worry kid you'll get to see your brother." He added when he took note of the boy's chaste fallen face. Inuyasha turned to looked at the young woman beside side him, her hair hung loosely about her face, her brown eyes watching him expectantly while he search his brain for something safe yet satisfying to her curiosity to say. Something that Miroku would not bludgeon him for speaking since his partner seemed so set against allowing his siblings into the dark secrets of the society, with good reason, and he had brought the two in far enough for his own well-being.

"Are you going to tell more, or stare at me all day," Kagome snapped in her impatience to have the answers she sought. She was tired of not knowing anything; she may have been content to let her brother smooth talk her before, but they had not been in a building as it blew up.

Inuyasha grinned, "you had better be careful, love, I might decide not to tell you anything." He murmured, watching in delight as her eyes sparked to life in anger, he loved it when she was angry, and transforming into a masochist, he tried to drag that emotive from her often. The hanyou chuckled loftily, feeling more like himself then he did at the safe house and his apartment, "such a poor temper you've got there little girl." For the moment, without really thinking about it, he was teasing her like he would one of his close friends.

Eyeing him in disbelief, Kagome wanted to scream and rip out his hair when he yet again called her something other than her name. She had ignored it when they were hiding out, as she claimed, for the sake of Shippou and Souta so that there would be one less fight, however she did not think she could let the irritation slide idly by this time around. "Why can't you say my name," she screamed, "what is so hard about it? It's only three syllables, come on now say it with me, KA-GO-ME." She sounded out for him loudly so that his ears would not miss it even if he claimed to not miss much with his superior hearing.

Arching his brow, he claimed in a rather bored tone, "I know your name."

She snorted, "ha, if that were the case then why can't you ever remember it enough to call me it."

There were many reasons why he never said her name, the first and foremost being that if he acknowledge she was something else other then Miroku's little sister he then would find himself growing more attached then he already felt. The hanyou did not think that he could handle any other association with her then his partner's sibling, the little girl he saved from death so that Miroku would not have to mourn her loss the way he had to already mourn the loss of a father, mother and grandfather. "I never call anyone by their first name, you can ask your brother if you want someone to back my story."

Shooting him a skeptical look Kagome said huffily, "you call Souta and Shippou by their first names."

"They're little kids."

"What about my aniki?"

"The only time I said his name was so you'd understand who I was speaking about, you do have another brother, it's easier saying his name." Inuyasha explained away easily, "look do you want an answer to your question or not? I need to see my brother and yours about business that really shouldn't wait any longer."

She nodded, "well then, was it the same man that killed my father?" Kagome inquired again.

The solemnity of the situation changed his visage to more serious mien Inuyasha answered slowly. "Yes, it is the same man and that is why I need to speak to our brothers," and winced at his own wording for no truer words had been spoken. Since he had performed all but one step of the ritual he had made Miroku his brother as he had given Sesshoumaru over as the girl's own, it was one of the benefits and cures of becoming mates. Grabbing her hand, ignoring the way its warmth sent his stomach rolling in unease, he dragged her closer to the house's large front doors. "Come on, the sooner we get inside the sooner you can see your aniki."

"Damn you, let me out of here!" Miroku cursed foully to the nurse that had come in to check up on him only to find the so-called monk awake and struggling against the bonds that held him steadfast to the medical bed. "Let me out of here right now, I don't have time for this!" He hollered only to be ignored again by the nurse as she wrote his vitals down on her chart. "I know you can hear me!" He accused, cursing all sorts of ill things under his breath.

Finally, the nurse looked up from her work to lock gazes with the man under her care. "You need to stay calm Miroku-sama, all this flailing around isn't good for your heart and you might cause yourself a relapse. A panic attack is no laughing matter, harmless thought they may be, having such high blood pressure isn't good for your health." She was a lovely little thing in her uniform, and had the monk been in his normal mood, he would have sweet-talked her out of his situation. He was, however, not in the mood for his classical antics.

"Screw my health," Miroku cut in, "I need to get out of here." He stated firmly, glaring at her -bound as he were- as though it alone would have her hopping to obey his command. Only Sesshoumaru would have that eager to please effect upon another living being.

The young nurse shook her head to his demand; "I'm sorry Miroku-sama but I cannot comply to your wish, I have orders to keep you in bed for the duration of two days."

"Who in their right mind would order something like that!" He ragged. Miroku had woken up unable to move, that only had set him off, but the knowledge of what had happened to Sango was like a searing dagger forced into his heart. He wanted to jump from his resting-place in order to find out if she were alive or not, but the nurse had not seen enlightening him of her condition worth speaking about it.

"I am."

Hearing the cool words from the doorway, he had craned his neck around in order to catch a glimpse of the man whom had spoken. Sighting the man he thought it to be, he groaned, and then growled out. "Tell them to let me go," he demanded of his boss, growing irritated at the gentle up draw of the inuyoukai's brow, he snapped. "I have to find Sango, it is my fault that her condition," he confessed through a thickening throat, "worsened." He refused to utter the knowledge that she flat lined and that he might very well have killed her with his recklessness.

Sesshoumaru swallowed a soft smile as he replied to the monk's angst ridden words. "She is alive and well actually," this time he allowed his smile to show, but it was by no means soft or kind, rather hard and vicious. The grin one received before his claws protruded their flesh. "Be a good boy Miroku and perhaps sooner then you should I will allow you to see how alive she is." The taiyoukai was purposefully goading the ex-agent, hopping that in anger the monk would do as he asked rather then continuing to shout for his release.

"Why do I have to stay?" Miroku questioned with all the allure of a petulant child, "I feel perfectly fine."

The inu rose his brow delicately, "of course you feel fine," he replied offhandedly, "you want to see Sango. However until you can prove to this Sesshoumaru that you are in fact all right, you will not be allowed to move."

"I really hate you right now," the monk spat boring daggers into Sesshoumaru's skull.

"What did my baka brother do this time."

Both men froze at the sound of that voice knowing for its tones an impossible existence, as he was dead. Both men shared a spooked glance before Sesshoumaru turned around slowly in his place shifting to the side so that Miroku could view the door that his body blocked. Standing with in the doorframe was Inuyasha wearing the same outfit he had last seen him in covered in head to toe in sewer sludge that gave off quite a foul odor. Beside him was a young girl with long raven hair and brown doe eyes that spoke of an innocence that was far beyond the hanyou. "Imouto," Sesshoumaru heard Miroku whisper faintly and the inu could not help but to find traces of familiarity of both the monk and their father in her features.

It seemed that was all the young girl needed to speed across the floor to be standing beside her brother, hugging around his middle, before realizing his state of impairment. Standing back, she glared at that youkai that had been speaking with her brother previously, "what did you do to him?"

Sesshoumaru snorted, but was amused by the girl's audacity to challenge him, the sparkle shown within his amber gaze. "He refuses to stay put for his own physical health and so restraints were needed to keep your brother from doing more harm to his body." He glanced toward the monk taking in his glare of death with even more humor, "it would seem that he had a female friend also here at the infirmary that he is risking his health to see."

Kagome gasped and turned from the man that bore striking similarities to Inuyasha to pin her brother with a worried looked. "Aniki, is it Sango," she questioned softly.

Stopping from his attempt to kill the youkai with a look, Miroku turned soft eyes toward his sister, his heart constricting painfully as he swallowed hard. He was just floored to see that she was alive, but then so joyous that he could float from the bed if he were not strapped down. "Let me go, I won't leave, I'll even let you put these back on with out a fight, I just need to feel my imouto." He just needed to feel that she was really there, really alive, before he could wrap his mind around the fact that she stood before him now without so much as a scratch. A hesitant second was all Sesshoumaru took before he unbound the belts that kept the monk from moving. Sitting up, Miroku held out his arms and Kagome ran to him only to be upswept into a choking embrace. He sat there holding her tight, breathing in the sent of her hair with every breath, she was alive, and he laughed happily squeezing her tighter. "You're alive, you're really here." He breathed, hours could have passed, and he never would have taken notice, so elated he was at having his imouto back.

"Hai Aniki, I'm alive," she murmured back, "and so is Souta, he's with Shippou right now." Oh how she missed being held in her brother's arms, their joking together, and him chasing away the demons that hounded her sleep. She missed his comforting humorous self-most of all.

"He's alive too, he's okay, he's okay," Miroku's voice shook as tear by tear slipped passed his closed lids while he held her tighter still, "oh, I'm so glad that your alive." His breathing grew heavy as he tried to calm himself down, but his mind would not let the thought slip, it was his fault Kagome and Souta were both nearly taken away forever. "Please, imouto, forgive me… I'm so sorry, I should have protected you better, I should have told you everything, I'm so sorry, forgive me." He murmured repeatedly, his chest constricting tightly as the monitors signaled his rising pulse.

Kagome tried to pull back, but his vice grip would not allow her the freedom to do so, and so she settled upon rubbing her palm up and down his back comfortingly. "Aniki there's nothing to forgive, you can't be everywhere, and I understand why you didn't say anything," she then returned his embrace just as fiercely, "you were trying to protect me from the nightmares." She felt her brother nod his acceptance, but his harsh breathing had not lessened, "Aniki you should rest, let me check on Sango for you, while you rest and get better."

"No," Miroku uttered intensely, stubbornly, "I don't want to let you go."

Understanding his fear, Kagome felt the need to try to wipe it from his mind, if she did not she had doubts whether or not he would ever let her go were she not to assuage his frayed nerves. "I'll be safe here, aniki, no one will be able to harm me here. Inuyasha said that there is a barrier around this place that doesn't allow anyone bad to come in, that's why he took us here." She spoke hoping that her words would bring her brother a measure of calm, and smiled slightly when his breathing eased and he held her at arm length watching her softly.

"Go then, and tell Sango that I'm sorry," kissing her cheek he released her and allowed Sesshoumaru to strap his wrists back to the bed without a fight like he had bargained for.

"I will," she promised, "and afterwards I'll bring Souta to see you and then well tell you everything that you missed." With one last embrace, Kagome egressed from the room, stopping a brief moment to give Inuyasha a small smile, something that her brother had not missed.

Silence reigned heavy in uncomfortable waves, strained with the way Miroku glared at the ceiling, and currently only Sesshoumaru knew the reason why as Inuyasha was left in confusion. One would think that after such a reunion the man would be jumping off the walls with joy, he bore eyes stewing heatedly with rage upward. "Inuyasha," the monk spoke as a quiet rage boiled deep within his chest the longer he dragged this confrontation out, "what did you do to my sister?" The deadly hiss of steel being drawn resembled his tone quite nicely.

Inuyasha physically took a step back, "what do you mean?" Though a real fear began to eat away at his gut, had his partner sensed what he had done so soon, was the slight change of her aura so noticeable?

Laughing silently Sesshoumaru answered for him as he began to make his own egress from the room, this was something that his brother and Miroku had to work out for themselves. "I think he means your taking his sister as a mate," he paused in his gate, "oh, after you are finished here speak with Rin she was devastated when she learned of your death. Then you and I shall have our own sort of reunion, but after you've bathed, I do not think that I could stomach a conversation with you while that awful stench clings to you like a second skin."

"Keh," Inuyasha snorted, "nice to know that you care."

The taiyoukai shot his hanyou brother a look that penetrated, "we, you and I, are brothers, never forget that Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru did not know what had possessed him to say that in response to his brother's jest, it was probably realizing how much he adored the hanyou brat with all his annoying qualities after he had thought him to be dead.

The inu watched as his elder brother strode off without another word in stunned silence, Sesshoumaru had never responded to him in such a way before when he had been running off at the mouth. Perhaps his supposed death had really hit a place in the youkai's stone barrier. "Inuyasha, I'm going to allow you to explain yourself while I think of a way to kill you for," the words were choked, "deflowering my sister."

"I did nothing of the sort," said hanyou barked, and then calmed himself, his sudden bouts of rage would be of no help in the situation he had gotten himself into. "Listen, I had no choice-"

"No choice," Miroku raged, "are you trying to say that my innocent sister is a harlot that she threw herself at you! How dare you, Kagome would never-"

"Would you just listen to me!" Inuyasha hollered, and when the monk made no move to speak, he continued. "She was going to die all right," he said right away already figuring that anything else would be turned against him like the latter had been. "She had a laceration the length of my forearm down her stomach and was bleeding to death, by the time I stitched her up she had lost too much blood for her body to replenish it all before her systems gave out." He paused giving his partner time to adjust to the knowledge.

Miroku's mouth worked silently as his face paled considerably, "she was going to die… but what does that have to do with you taking her the way you did?"

"You idiot, I never touched her," he huffed out angrily, exasperated at the accusation. "I didn't know what else to do, she was dying and all I could think about was what would happen to you if you lost someone else. I knew she was your sister, the smell of her blood hung so heavy in the air that it was easy to find a trace to your connection through the general make up of her scent." Inuyasha averted his gaze, "I've always thought of you as a brother, Miroku, and you know that I will do anything for family. There was no other choice, I had to give her my blood in order to save her, I had to bind her to me."

Swallowing hard, still fighting his horror and disbelief, he said. "Does my imouto know?"

"No," Inuyasha faced his partner's gaze head on, "and she won't ever have to find out. I did this to save her life, not take her in that way, so she can live normally. She can do what ever she wants," and swallowed hard as the next few words warred his with instincts, "and she can marry whomever she wants, grow old with that person, have kids, whatever."

Speechless, Miroku stuttered out, "I-I know how this works, if you don't finish you'll literally go insane. All youkai, and hanyou, when they begin the process and for whatever reason do not finish it will lose their mind. It is why it takes your kind so long to find a mate, you cannot simply chose again." Inuyasha merely nodded his understanding. In stonied awe he asked, "and you're willing to go through this for my imouto."

"Yes."

The engines of the private jet shot the only two passengers across the sky at an even pace. Inuyasha chose to fiddle around with the many buttons on the armrest as though to see what they did while Kikyou grit her teeth in irritation. The only reason, they both knew, of why he was doing what he was doing -causing both the radio and television to play simultaneously among other things- it was all for the sole purpose of irritating the heck out of her.

Not being able to take his messing around any longer Kikyou inquired tightlipped, "Tell me again the details of this mission?"

"Well Kikyou," he drawled, "it's not my fault you weren't paying attention when Sessh briefed us on the details the other day."

Growling low, though poorly because of her human vocals, she grouched. "Just tell me already."

Inuyasha chuckled snidely, "I could feed you a bunch of lies and you'd never know the difference," at her murderous glare he added, "I won't, my brother said we couldn't mess this one up. We're going to some bar in Peru to grill information from one of the brothers of The Seven."

"If that's the case," Kikyou spoke haughtily, "then I should be the one doing the questioning, with your big mouth you're liable to screw everything up."

Throwing the ignorant woman a smirk he said, "you can't this brother only speaks what we're looking for to men." Eyeing the fuming woman up and down, he added, "though with your face I guess you could pass for a man, but we shouldn't chance things."

Screaming shrilly, Kikyou roughly threw her martini at the hanyou's head only to scream more out of frustration when the dog managed to dodge her well-placed throw. "I really hate you," she spoke maliciously while she glowered at the inu with the same intensity. "What am I to question him for, what exactly is it that Sesshoumaru needs?" She inquired after having calmed down considerably.

Inuyasha shot his baka partner a disbelieving sideways glance, "you were there sitting right next to me for that whole meeting weren't you, or were you too busy trying to rip that stick out of your arse?" The hanyou only chuckled in response to the dark looks he was receiving, going on to answer her question. "Remember that guy we found snooping around the docks, apparently he was part of a surveillance team -don't know how they managed to get the cameras everywhere, probably a traitor- and he was severely questioned by Sessh himself." He grinned widely when Kikyou grimaced, "yeah I know, the poor bastard. Anyway Sessh managed to get the guy to confess about all the cameras in every sector, the only problem is we can't find the locations because there magically hidden, and apparently this Jakotsu is the only who was trusted with the map to find them. Are you sure you want to do the initial questioning?"

"Yes, I already told you that you're liable to mess everything up."

"Hmm," Inuyasha hummed, "then I'll need to sheer your hair with my claws, it's too long."

Grasping her locks protectively, Kikyou shouted, "are you insane?" When he leaned over his seat as though to move in on her, she added, "besides you have long hair, are you trying to tell me that you appear feminine as well?"

Her words caused him to sit back, she grinned at her victory, and he just shrugged. "Yeah I guess your right, I mean with your face and all your long hair really doesn't matter." He remained nonchalant as she tugged at her raven locks as her exasperation steadily reached its peek. "You're still gonna have to do something about that chest of yours, even if you have the face of a man, that usually is a dead give away."

"I'll handle it," she spoke through gritted teeth, "when we land just meet me at the bar."

"Do you even know where it's at?"

"I think I can managed," Kikyou responded stubbornly.

"It's called Jak's Love Nest, just so you know," Inuyasha informed with a cheeky grin, "I'll be watching things from the back so make sure to stay at the bar so I'll be able to keep an eye out. Oh and one more word of advice, I hear Jakotsu is the touchy feely type so don't be surprised if he does that a lot during your conversation."

Sitting at the bar waiting to meet with the man himself, Kikyou tugged at her get up hopping that she looked every bit of the man she wanted to present. Her raven strands were pulled together at the nape of her neck, a pint striped suite adorning her body while her chest was firmly wrapped with tape. This was not the most comfortable way to be dressed, but it was less intense then she first presumed it would be. As she took a sip of her bloody marry a slender finger tapped her shoulder, turning slightly she was met with two brown eyes that held a humorous twinkle within the pupils depths.

"So," he began conversationally, "you're the one they sent to retrieve the map huh?"

Surprise shot through her, "how did you…?"

"My brother," he grinned toward the bartender who slide a scotch on the rocks his way, "informed me that Sesshoumaru was sending an agent of his to sweet talk this map from my hands." He slid the piece of paper from his coat pocket, "I'm easier to buy off then my brothers, all I really want is some enjoyable company." Jakotsu then slide his hand down her cheek, "wow, you have such nice skin," he grinned, "and a good sense of style, pint stripes are just to die for. Let me guess, this is the work of the new designer Raku Danube, I've become a fan of his work and can spot it a mile away." He added when Kikyou merely nodded.

Dread was brewing in her gut, something was not right about this whole scene, men did not touch other men in such a way, and they certainly did not keep up with the latest fashions. Inuyasha, he knew about this didn't he, he baited me into this! She thought in great exasperation. "I'm surprised you could tell." She muttered smiling sweetly before taking a sip of her drink.

"Oh, don't be," he giggled girlishly, "fashion just happens to be one of my major passions. By the way, what can I call you?"

"Ah," she had never thought about having to give her name and so tossed on out one the sly, "Kyo, you can call me Kyo." Kikyou eyed the man up and down before straying to the map that was grasped delicately in his hand. "So you're saying that all I need to do is have a conversation with you and you'll let me walk away with the map?"

Nodding, Jakostu said, "Of course, a good conversation among other things, and if I am satisfied you get to have this map," he finished waving the paper around. "By the way, Kyo is such a wonderful name, I think I like it for you Ki-chan."

Kikyou rose a brow at that, "Ki-chan?" She asked, so far, if a bit odd, things had been going along safely. Though she suspected him to be into the opposite gender he had made no moves towards her, and so Inuyasha would relatively remain in one piece.

"Oh," he said looking surprised, "I give a pet name to all those that I instantly like." Kikyou just nodded her acceptance rather then voicing it, if he liked her then it would make the retrieval of the map all the easier. Jakotsu lifted his drink to his lips, but paused suddenly, "oh," he squealed as a strange melody began to play the background something resembling salsa music. "Come Ki-chan," the man bid grabbing her hands when she had moved to take another sip of her own drink, "dance with me."

Kikyou could barely get a word out as she was swept away to the dance floor and her cheeks colored in embarrassment as the other couples on the floor eyed them oddly. Two men openly dancing together, it just was not done, "I-I thought you wanted a conversation?" A hand grasped her behind causing her to squeak in outrage, Inuyasha you are going to die for this!

"Among other things," he added wiggling his brows, "this is just one of those other things. You do know the salsa right?" He asked hopefully, and Kikyou only nodded unsure of what to say, not really wanting to displease him in case he decided to refuse handing over the map they needed. Before they had danced a few of the major steps, he had his arm around her back dipping her downwards, and asked breathlessly. "How bout a little kiss?"

"Ah!" She ducked away from his lips causing them to graze her cheek, trying to stand on her own, her eyes spotted Inuyasha whom was laughing so hard his shoulders shook so roughly that she could tell from so far away. Narrowing her eyes at him slightly, her face contorted into something else more gentle as she spoke to Jakotsu. "I, um, see a friend in the corner over there, come, you should meet him." Kikyou cackled evilly on the inside, she would see how the hanyou liked the attentions of a man whom was after him for being male. The inu really was a male, and so the embarrassment would be worse for Inuyasha then herself, at least she hopped it were so.

Jakotsu's eye twitched, "of course."

Kikyou practically tore across the floor to the disguised hanyou's table, glaring hotly at the violet eyes that danced with amusement while his features washed the humor away for a serious frown. Taking a seat by the man she so despised, she hopped that he would give her a measure of protection from the ludicrous client before her. She very much doubted he would lift a finger if the flamboyant Jakotsu tried to take advantage of her person. "Inuyasha this is Jakotsu, Jakotsu, Inuyasha." She introduced dully.

Their mark eyed the veiled hanyou up and down with a noticeable dislike, "how are you to Ki-chan?" He queried in a rough whine causing Kikyou to swallow hard.

"Kyo and I," Inuyasha began with a humorous glance in her direction that caused her entire form to stiffen heavily. The baka hanyou had heard the entire conversation, he had hear everything. Her heart beat furiously within her ribcage, an organ she deathly tried to calm knowing that his freakishly superior to nearly everything hearing would pick up the panicking palpitation. She knew, without a doubt, as his eyes watched her that he had heard all that had been said including that upon the dance floor. She would not allow her cheeks to redden, Kikyou thought firmly, she would not. "We're partner's, concerned, even though he said he could handle things, I thought I should keep an eye on him. Kyo's always getting into strange trouble," Inuyasha added with a little laugh.

"Really," Jakotsu said still frowning, "then you wouldn't mind if Ki-chan and went to talk about the releasing of the map you both want."

Kikyou watched with dread as Inuyasha shrugged unconcerned, "of course, go right ahead, I prefer to sit alone in a club."

"Great," the man squealed clapping his hands together, "come Ki-chan, let's have a conversation." Never had she heard such dreadfully spoken words, she felt very much, as she was dragged off, like she was being hauled into the lions den to be brutally devoured.

"Koibito, are you all right?" That night had been a horrid experience, one Kikyou did not quite understand why she was relieving every painful second in detail. It probably had to be the fact of Inuyasha's visit and him stupidly reminding her of the most embarrassing time of her life. The hanyou was the one whom was suppose to deal with Jakotsu, it was to be his punishment from Sesshoumaru, yet he had managed to sucker her in to doing his jail-time. "Koi," she heard her mate whisper once more.

"I'm fine," she lied red in the face, and seeing his knowing gaze she added, "I'd rather not talk about it." After everything had been said and done, and she had gotten the map, Jakotsu had claimed an undying love for her. Their night spent in Peru the man had stalked her at the hotel to the point she refused to leave Inuyasha's room despite all of his taunting and teasing. When they had attempted to leave Jakotsu had tried to steal away upon the jet, Kikyou was just glade that Inuyasha had the nose that he had.

"Koi," Naraku stressed the word causing her to cave in sufficiently, however she would never let him know of that night.

"I'm just letting something Inuyasha said get to me," she laughed bitterly, "I really should learn to ignore his stupidity."

The spider hanyou grasped her face to firmly keep her eyes before his own, "it's okay if he gets to you, it just means that you care about him, about what he says." Narku laughed softly, "kinda of like when I'm being stupid and you get tick off at me for weeks on end, I know that it's because you secretly love me." Kikyou snorted as she placed her arms around his neck.

"Whatever gave you that idea," Kikyou laughed merrily into his mouth as he made to thoroughly kiss her while she tried to contain her humor. That night and Jakotsu were cleanly wiped from her mind.

---

A/N:

Yeah, I'm finally done with this chapter! Way over 15,000 words and about twenty pages, I think this is possibly the longest chapter I've ever posted for you guys, but I just had to add the part with Peru. I think that I've teased you guys long enough, I mean mentioning it in the last five chapters -I believe- is enough of a wait. Since I'm feeling oddly generous tonight I'm gonna let you in on something, this won't be the last time you hear of that night. I'm gonna have a little run in between Kikyou and Jakotsu, and you gonna see the night through his eyes which will be decidedly different from her perspective of the night.

Arse- British for -as I'm sure most of you could guess- ass… like math is maths and mom is mum. And the F word is bugger. Interesting ne? I've always wanted to use the word arse in one my stories and I just decided to take the opportunity to do it now.

Thank you every one for the lovely reviews! I'll answer questions and the like for everyone in the next chapter, my sis and bro want me to hurry up with what I'm doing and take them to the movies and I really want to get this chapter out, its been a long time coming. We don't celebrate Halloween so we go to the movies or do something else on the 31st of October.