Holy shit, you guys, I'm so sorry I made you wait this long!! I have been ultra busy with work, cuz there was a flu break out and all the old people were sick, not to mention the employees, but luckily I have managed to avoid it... so far! Knock on wood! And the writer's block, which was mostly just me feeling lazy, all this poster making, which is a lot of fun, and that near-migraine last night... let's just say it's been a hectic two weeks, along with no one taking me out for my birthday. It sucked ass. Don't ask. And my parents are ripping my bathroom apart. I'm getting a new toilet, am in fact sitting next to it right now. Yay. I'm surrounded by toilet parts.

Deds:

Kitsune's Lover - Lol, you have such wonderfully rotten torture ideas! I am still debating what's going to happen to her (I have a bit down) but you guys are so bloodthirsty. Have I made her so incredibly despicable?? Yay to me! I can do villains! Woot!

cookiemonsterks - Kanna lives in bliss until life bites her in the ass. She will get her commuppance, it's just hard trying to think of something bad enough!! I've never been on the Maid of the Mist. I did go under the falls, and I had a yellow slicker and it echoed and my dad held me on his shoulder so I could see!

Du Weldervarden Farcai - No, I love you! For reading so faithfully!!

Mystical Hanyou - Only time will tell! lol, I really have given Kagura the short end of the stick. Maybe she'll kill Kanna... in self-defense, of course... I dunno, too much thought!!

Stercum Accidit - Maybe. I need to re-mention that flash-back at some point... thanks for reminding me!!

AldreaHart - You bad girl! Reading instead of studying!! (Don't worry I used to do that all the time, and I graduated!) Thanks for neglecting your studies in favour of my story, I feel bad but good too, so it all balances out! (P.S. I work better under pressure, anyway. Do you?)

amori kuwabara - Thanks for waitin' so patiently! I'm sorry I made you wait. Sniff, now I feel bad again, bad Shannon...

Wow, seven reviews. What a record! (Is that a record??) I'd just like to thank you guys for sticking with me this far, and continuing to encourage me even when I get sick or have to work too much or am incredibly tired or blocked. Thanks, you guys, I love you all!!!

Sweet Temptation

Kanna melted into the crowd, but her self-satisfied smile slid from her lips as soon as they were out of her sight. She had to leave. Now.

Going out the door that lead directly outside, open only a fraction to let out all the heat in the crowded gym, she slipped away. She got to the stairs to the parking lot before she flung her shoes off in frustration, they were hurting her feet so badly.

Breathing heavily, she leaned over the railing, then, ramming her fingernails into her scalp, she locked her jaw and screamed as loud as she could with her mouth tightly shut, and crouched in a squatting position, and let the bittersweet tears of frustration flow down her flawless white cheeks.

Kanna stayed there for a while, crying her heart out. She felt so unloved; she always had.

S.T.

Her earliest memories were of her Father, Naraku. She would watch him from his study door as he talked on the phone, or dealt with an employee, or even an investor or business partner, silently observing his skills of manipulation and aptly absorbing it all. She had been three years old then; she would not begin to speak and put her observations to use until she was five.

It had been her birthday. She had seen a horse for the first time on a class trip in kindergarten, and wanted one so badly she thought she would die. So, when her birthday came around, she once again stood at her Father's study door, silent as a ghost, awaiting permission to enter.

He ignored her for the better part of an hour, before he finally glanced up and without a smile of greeting or a look of concern, simply said, "What do you want, Kanna? I'm busy."

Creeping in, for she had still been afraid of him then, she slowly came around the enormous desk and stood at his elbow.

His eyes would stray to her, then back to whatever he was doing, until he blew air out his nose in a rush and turned on her, yelling, "Today, brat! Spit it out!"

Trying her hardest not to flinch at his outburst, she looked at the floor, then brought her black eyes up to meet her Father's. She saw uncertainty in his eyes, only for a fleeting moment, and said slowly, "I want a pony, Daddy. You'll get it for me like a good boy, won't you?"

She held up his favourite Rolex, a gold one with diamond chips marking the numbers on the faceplate, a hammer in her other hand. His mouth dropped open, then he snapped it shut. And he'd slapped her. Hard.

"Try that again you little bitch and I'll sell you on the black market. And put my watch back. You are not to go in my room without permission ever again. Is that clear?"

She was still on the floor, silent tears wetting her cheeks, just like they were now. It was a few months after that that he'd informed her and Kagura that he was sending her to a boarding school in England. Kanna had grown up hating her Father, for sending her away, and for making it so difficult to earn his love and approval. As the years passed, she grew to hate Kagura as well. She must have been father's favourite, she reasoned, since he hadn't sent her away.

S.T.

Finally getting up, and wiping the tears from her now splotchy and red face, Kanna took off her shoes and walked home slowly, dejected.

It was as she passed Kikyou's street that she remembered the Jewel. Curious, she crept to the Higurashi residence in the dark, barefoot and tear-stained, and looked in the only window she could reach. It was a basement window, and from what she could see from the light filtering down the stairs from the room above, it was girl's room; it had a raised platform for the bed, and the walls were panelled with fake wood, the carpet a dark blue. The bed was small, and there were clothes strewn everywhere.

Middle-class, she thought scornfully. Should be easy to get in.

Circling the house, she deduced that no one was home. In fact, quite a bit of noise was coming from the backyard next door.

Peeking over the fence, Kanna spotted Kagome and Sesshoumaru sitting together on the side of the pool, Kagome's stomach slightly more rounded and bulging, Sesshoumaru's hand resting on it as he whispered in her ear, making her blush. Apparently his parents had decided to throw an impromptu pool party congratulating Sesshoumaru and Kagome on their forthcoming marriage and baby, according to the banner that was hastily thrown up over the back patio door.

Perfect. No one would notice her under all the noise from next door.

Slinking back to the house, Kanna tried the back door; it was open. Closing it quietly behind her, she could hear nothing but the dull hum of the air conditioner pumping air through the house as she explored it.

She began in the basement. It was obviously Rin's room, judging from the immaturity of the posters on the walls and the style of the clothes thrown about.

How does the youngest girl in a family of five rate a basement room? She thought, going through Rin's collection of cheap jewellery before discarding it and moving on.

Their kitchen was a brightly lit affair, very cozy and in Kanna's opinion, sickening. The living room was very similar, the furniture arranged in a conversational setting, facing in and surrounding a small coffee table, worn from many feet resting on its battered surface. A small television sat in a stand in the corner, but no DVD player updated its modern look; only a VCR sat beneath it, gathering dust.

Sniffing in disdain, Kanna went down the hall, by-passing the stairs for now. The first room was very feminine, very messy, and very stuffy. A fan spun lazily on the ceiling. Stepping inside, Kanna spotted a framed picture on the nightstand, amongst much clutter and debris: Kikyou and Inuyasha as children, about seven, their arms slung over each other's shoulders.

Kanna put a finger to her temple. As far as she knew, Kikyou and Inuyasha had just gotten together as a couple before she'd arrived, but this picture was obviously taken a very long time ago.

Kikyou, she thought, trailing said finger over the cheap metal frame, the words Best Friends embossed across the top, noting the love-struck way in which a young Kikyou gazed at her companion, you've been hiding your love for a long time.

She felt a pang of envy, but quickly suppressed it. He was history now, not worth her time.

Leaving Kikyou's room as she had found it, she went on to the next door.

This room was impossibly neat, and she doubted would it would yield to her what she was looking for, but she sated her curiosity anyway. A large boomerang hung on the wall, alongside various other sporting equipment, and the pink walls belied the feminine side of Sango that she tried to hide from the world. Homework lay half-finished on the desk, and the bed had not a wrinkle as Kanna's eyes swept the room.

Boring, boring, boring.

Ayame's room was next, if she'd deduced things right. The sheer amount of clothing and bric-a-brac gave that away, and the bed was only a twin; she highly doubted Kagome and Sesshoumaru would fit into something so small.

Closing the door without entering, she backtracked to the stairs leading to the second floor of the house, and held her breath as she climbed.

Kagome and Sesshoumaru's room was spotless. Their bed was made, their bathroom in order, and not a dirty sock or pair of underwear marred the cleanliness of their room. It smelled like Sesshoumaru's cologne, and she drew in a slow breath, savouring it. He had good taste, she thought lazily.

A large redwood box in the corner caught her eye. Opening it, she riffled through all the jewellery there: pearl necklaces, old bills and change from several years ago that were no longer in use, a delicate gold chain, a Buddha pendant, a diamond engagement ring set, two wedding bands engraved with her parents names, and a few crystal necklaces in various colours.

Kanna swore. It wasn't there! The Jewel from her dream, as far as she could discern, was large, and round, she thought. And it was pink, of that much she was sure.

Turning, she looked through both nightstands, the dresser, the bathroom cabinet and even in the bathroom drawers. Nothing.

She must have it with her.

Kanna struggled to remember if Kagome had been wearing any jewellery when she'd seen her sitting on the side of the pool as she quickly searched the closet, uncovering a collection of shoes so stylish she thought she'd died and actually gotten into Heaven. There were stilettos in awesome colours, thigh-high boots, sling-backs, high-heels, and chunky, six-inch slut shoes. She picked up a pair of black leather six-inchers and kept them, figuring Kagome would never notice they were gone, now that she wasn't a stripper anymore.

No, she hadn't been wearing anything except a pair of gold hoops in her ears, and an engagement ring on her finger, she remembered, returning to her original train of thought.

Frowning, Kanna left the room, making sure to leave things exactly as they had been when she'd found them.

She left the house, and once again peeked over the fence. She had been right: Kagome was wearing no big, pink jewellery.

Where the hell was it? Tsubaki had said that Kagome guarded it, and Kanna had found no safe in the house. It wasn't in her jewellery box and she wasn't wearing it.

So where the hell was it?

The possibility of a safety deposit box occurred to her, but Kanna thought it unlikely that Kagome would keep such a personal, powerful object in such an impersonal place. In fact, Kanna reasoned, if she were Kagome, she'd have it with her at all times. But where would she keep it?

Kanna left then, and walked slowly home, pondering where the Jewel of Four Souls could possibly be hidden.

Arriving at home, she once again went through the small box of her Father's possessions found on him after his death. Picking up the silver cigarette case, heavy in her delicate hand, and throwing the two pairs of shoes in her hand on the floor, she opened it, expecting to find cigarettes, but what was inside the case was far from a cigarette. A small book was inside.

Flipping it open, she went up the stairs, engrossed in her Father's journal, absorbing every little thing he had written about the Sacred Jewel.

S.T.

Sango helped Kikyou manuever Kagura out the same door Kanna had left through, only they were too far behind to have seen her leave.

Inuyasha blew air out his nose. They were taking too long.

Scooping Kagura up in his arms, he felt her place her arms around his neck tightly, favouring her left hand.

Removing themselves from the noise and the party, Sango yanked out her cell phone and began to dial.

Kikyou looked at her and said, "What are you doing?"

"I'm reporting that bitch. She's going to pay for everything's she's done to poor Kagura."

Shippo hooted and Rin clapped. Kikyou and Ayame smiled at each other and Miroku slung an arm over Sango's shoulder, whispering, "You go girl," in her ear as the phone against her other ear rang.

"Yes, I'd like to report a case of abuse. Kanna Onigumo is the abuser. Eight hundred Shinjiro Drive, Tokyo. She's fourteen. What?!"

Everyone listened intently to Sango's side of the conversation, and Inuyasha felt Kagura tighten her grip at the surprise in Sango's voice.

"What do you mean, you can't do anything?" A pause. "So, just because she's a minor, there's nothing you can do? Fuck! Sorry ma'am, thank you. Goodbye."

Flipping her phone shut, Sango sighed impatiently.

"What did they say?"

Fuming, Sango snarled, "They said it's a domestic dispute scenario and that since she's a minor, it's up to the parents to deal with her. They said we could file a report, but it would only give her a record. Nothing would happen to her unless Kaede does something about it."

Inuyasha felt his heart twist as Kagura's head fell in defeat. She had a really bad habit of ending up with the short end of the stick, especially when dealing with her sister.

Kikyou shook her head. "Let's just go. We can discuss this when we get home."

S.T.

The following morning, Kaede returned to the house and found Kanna sound asleep, a small book in her hand and her dress still clinging to her curled-up body, covered in wrinkles. Kagura's room was empty.

She frowned. The girls were getting a little too careless, she felt. They hardly told her where they were going anymore, and this was the only time she'd been away overnight. She began to feel as if her authority over them was slipping away. And hadn't Kanna said she wasn't feeling well yesterday? Why was she wearing a dress if she was sick?

Walking past the phone, the flashing number One made her stop. Pushing the button, she listened to the message:

"Miss Kaede? This is the Tokyo Police calling. We got a report about your youngest daughter, Kanna. If you could give us a call that would be great. We're in the phone book. Ask for extension two-two-six. Have a nice day."

Kaede's brows went up. When had this happened? She'd gotten a feeling from Kanna, that she was capable of much more than she let on, but she hadn't seen anything… there must be more to this than I know, she thought, and, picking the phonebook out of the drawer of the desk the answering machine sat on, she looked up the number and phoned the police back.

After a five-minute conversation, she wrote a note and stuck it to the fridge, then, grabbing her keys, left the house, the tiny bits of swept away cell phone going unnoticed by her aging eyes.

She needed to find Kagura.

S.T.

Kikyou twitched her nose. All was still, then something went up there and didn't back out. She twitched it again, and someone snickered. She opened her eyes, and the grin dropped off Inuyasha's face.

They lay facing each other in her bed, and she smiled. "Inuyasha, get your finger out of my nose before I snot all over it."

Chastised, he removed his finger and wiped it on her blanket, where she couldn't see him do it, of course.

Rolling off the bed, the smile still on her face, she threw the covers back and walked out into the hall, giving him a perfect view of her backside.

Following, he closed the bathroom door behind them and watched her turn on the taps in the shower, then put the towels on the closed toilet seat before pulling back the curtain and stepping in. Without invitation, he followed suit.

She turned around to face him and he couldn't help it, his hands went directly to her breasts and held their weight in his hands. She calmly squeezed shampoo into her hand and, turning them so his hair got wet, she began to lather his hair and wash it, as if his hands on her were an everyday occurrence.

It occurred to him that she acted this way because it was natural for her, and she liked it. He began to lather her hair too, and kissed the water out of her eyes when he rinsed it out.

He rinsed his own hair when she came after him with conditioner. Letting him put that in himself, she lathered her legs with soap and shaved, while he washed his body.

When they were done, he pushed her against the shower wall and held her there with his body, even though she made no attempt to escape. He kissed her mouth, and murmured, "I love you so much," in her ear as he licked the lobe, then blew on it. It made her shudder, and she brought a smooth leg up to rub his backside, the contact creating warmth between them.

"I love you too, Inuyasha," she breathed as he made his way down her belly, then pushed his head away, "but we don't have time to do this here. Tonight." Her fingers brushed over his length, and he had a hard time letting her go, but she wriggled her way out, and, wrapping a towel around him, she sat him on the edge of the tub and blew his hair dry with the blow dryer, intermittently drying herself off with it. When he was completely dry, she pushed him out the door and locked it behind him. Frowning, he skulked to the kitchen to look for something to eat.

Kagura sat alone at the table, spooning Cheerios into her mouth. It seemed to be the only cereal anybody ever ate around here.

"Morning," she said, her eyes still almost swollen shut. His frown disappeared at her pathetic face.

"Morning. How're you feeling?" There was a softness in his voice she hadn't been expecting.

"Like shit. About what you'd expect." She moved so her hair covered the majority of her face.

"Aww, don't feel too bad," he said, rummaging through the fridge, "it makes you look tough."

She choked on her Cheerios, and replied, "It does? That's not exactly the look I was going for."

"Well, guys will respect you for it. It takes guts to take what you took from your sister, Kagura. You really are tougher than I gave you credit for."

Kagura felt her bruised face warm at his praise. Smiling, she flicked her hair away. "Thanks."

He smiled, then went back to looking for food. "Don't they have anything to eat in this joint? I'm a growing boy, I need food!"

Kagura giggled. "There's Cheerios."

Suddenly he flung open the freezer and shouted, "Hallelujah, they've got ice cream!"

She made a face. "Ew, ice cream for breakfast?"

"Sure. It's got milk in it." He kicked the door shut and pulled out the biggest spoon in the drawer he could find, and sat down across from her at the table.

Rin came up from downstairs, Shippo following behind.

"Good morning, Rin, Shippo." Kagura greeted, eyeing each of them suspiciously. Shippo frowned.

"We didn't do anything. Relax."

Rin looked confused, and Kagura let it go. Shippo pushed Inuyasha over and yanked his spoon away, and soon they were both eating the ice cream, but fighting over the spoon.

Rin made herself some Cheerios and brought an extra spoon when she sat down, next to Kagura, as far away from the backsplash as possible.

"Where is everybody?" she asked, her eyes still crusted over with sleep.

Kagura shrugged. "Still asleep, I guess."

Kikyou came in then, dressed and dried, her hair pulled into a high ponytail and a silk cloth folded over and wrapped around her head, so the ends fluttered over her shoulder.

She stopped dead at the sight of the two boys. "Are you two eating my ice cream?"

Inuyasha and Shippo both froze, spoons half-way to their mouths. Rin shook her head. Kagura snickered.

Stomping over, Kikyou ripped it away from them and jammed the mutilated box back into the freezer.

"No stick for you!" she hissed, and set the Cheerios box on the table, along with milk and some sugar.

Inuyasha pouted. "No stick?"

"No!"

"Damn!" He crossed his arms and glared at Shippo, who had filled a bowl for himself and sat calmly eating it.

"Don't look at me bro, 'cause you're in shit. You opened it."
Silence sat heavily upon them, until Sango entered the room, looking very tired.

"What's wrong, Sango? Miroku keep you up too late last night?" Inuyasha taunted, happy to have someone else in a mood as miserable as his was at the moment.

Sango looked at him over her shoulder, and actually growled. His eyes went wide and he jumped out of his seat, saying, "Here, take my spot. I was keeping it warm for you."

She took it, glaring at him in a manner which clearly stated that's what I thought you said.

Ayame came into the room, having just come from using her sister's bathroom upstairs, since Kikyou had monopolized the one on their floor.

"Hey you guys, look at this," she held out her hand into the middle of the table. Everyone leaned over to see what she had in her hand.

Several tiny rhinestones shimmered and sparkled in her hand, catching the light above the table and making them shine. Kagura recognised them instantly.

"I've been finding them all over the place, down the hall, in the living room, upstairs. See, there's one!" She pointed to the floor, and picked up another stone.

Kagura's throat began to tighten. She'd been here.

What was she going to say? Her anger at her sister grew from enormous to gigantic. She felt as if she could not possibly hate her sister more than she did right now, and knew that this was the last thing her friends needed to hear, but that they must hear it nonetheless. She took a breath.

Ayame held one up to the light and remarked, "They're beautiful. I wonder where they came from?"

"I know."

They all turned to her. Kagura brought her hands to her face, to hide the tears gathering in her eyes, partly from anger, partly from shame.

"How do you know?" Inuyasha asked belligerently, then softened when she turned tear-wet eyes in his direction. "Sorry," he said, coming to stand behind her. Kikyou laid her hand on her shoulder.

She sniffled. "I know because they are mine."

Kikyou stiffened slightly, and no one said a word as she whispered, "What do you mean, Kagura?"

Kagura felt terrible. Why must her sister put her through this? She was lucky she still had friends in these people. How much longer would they be willing to put up with her, and her sister's framing her?

"Those stones are from a pair of my shoes." Inuyasha backed up and looked at Kagura's feet. She wasn't wearing shoes that had rhinestones on them. He frowned in confusion.

"Your shoes don't have rhinestones on them."

"I know. Do any of you remember what shoes Kanna was wearing last night?"

Everyone looked into themselves, trying to remember. Ayame brightened. She was a fashionista among her sisters; if anyone noticed things like that, it was her.

She smiled. "She was wearing black tie-up stilettos, and they were covered in tiny-"

"-Rhinestones. Those are my shoes. She must have stolen another pair."

"But, that means-" Kikyou choked off, and Sango whipped her sleep-laden eyes up, spearing her with the intense look in them.

"-She was here, and very recently." Sango dropped her spoon like a rock, splattering milk on the table.

"Kanna steals your shoes?" Inuyasha asked, and Kagura, seeing that he had yet to see the point of the conversation, humoured him. "Yes. She seems to think that my shoes are her shoes, too. But I think we have a bigger problem here, Inuyasha."

"What was she doing in our house?" Sango gritted from between her teeth, and Kagura looked at her folded hands, shaking in her lap.

"She was looking for the Jewel."

Silence weighed over them again, but heavier than a lead sheet this time.

Kagura began to cry again. "I'm so sorry, you guys. I'll understand if you want me to leave." She got up to do just that but Kikyou stopped her. "No, Kagura. We're behind you. Kagome is our sister, and you are our friend. We will not abandon you just because your sister tries to come between us to get to her. You have nothing to do with our feelings toward Kanna."

Kagura crumpled, and Kikyou pulled her into her arms. "Shh, Kagura, it's alright."

"No, it's not alright, Kikki! I hate putting you all through my problems! It's not fair to any of you, and I feel horrible about it! I-I…c-can't let you d-do this..."

She was on the floor now, Kikyou holding her, crying too hard to speak.

Everyone gathered on the floor around her, and Kouga and Miroku watched from the doorway.

"Kagura, we're you're friends, we'll never abandon you," Inuyasha said, stroking her hair.

"Yeah, he's right. You're one of us, Kagura. You can count on it." Shippo said, Rin's fingers warm in his. She nodded her head in agreement.

"But I feel like such a burden to you guys," Kagura sobbed, holding her hand over her eyes.

Ayame sat before her, and took her broken hand in her own, dropping rhinestones all over. "Don't say that! We love you, Kagura! You're like another sister to us. We'd never hold what's happened against you."

She kept crying, partly because she was emotionally exhausted, and partly from happiness, at having such wonderful people in her life to balance out the one awful person in it.

"Thanks, you guys," she sniffled, and Kikyou whispered, "Don't forget Juuromaru, Kagura. I think he cares for you very much."

A round of knowing looks ensued as they all remembered last night, when Juuromaru had dropped Kagura off at the house, and they had all heard from their places on the front porch his words to her.

He had taken her hands in his as he helped her out of the car, and had pulled her close, and she had cautiously brought her arms up to hug him back.

"Kagura, will you come to me? The next time you need help?"

She had looked up at him then. Who would want to help her? Then she had looked at her friends, smiling and giving her the thumbs-up, and had smiled, grasping the double-meaning of his request.

"Sure, Juuromaru. If that's what you want."

He had grinned, and slowly, lowered his lips to hers, and kissed her softly on the street, under the light, in front of all her friends, before trailing his fingers along her chin and smiling, getting back in his car and driving away.

She started to laugh, and they all giggled with her. "I care for him, too," she admitted, and sighed. "I'm tired."

She looked at Kikyou, who pulled her up, and lead her away to her room to sleep.

When she came back, everyone had settled around the living room.

"She's exhausted."

"I can imagine why." Sango stated, then got down to business. "Look, we need to discuss this. Kanna was in this house last night, looking for the Jewel. Does anyone know where Kagome is?"

The room was silent except for the swish of hair as everyone shook their heads. Inuyasha leaned back against the wall and remarked, "She's probably at our house."

Sango stood up. "Then let's go get her. I think she'll want to hear everything that's been going on."

They all got up to leave, but Kikyou lingered. "Who's going to stay with Kagura?"

Miroku instantly volunteered, "I will!", but Sango grabbed his collar and growled, "Not today, lech."

Rin looked up from under her bangs. "I'll stay with her, Sango."

Kikyou nodded for her sister. "Alright. Lock the door behind us."

Rin said she would, and they all left, and trooped next door, leaving Rin alone to watch over Kagura.

S.T.

Lol, the stick thing is a private joke between me and Rach, cuz one day we were vandalising her sketchbook and she wrote 'stick 4 u' on a post-it in there and drew a long stick, and we've been laughing about it ever since, so that's the story in case you guys were wondering. Can't wait to hear from you guys, and I promise not to make you wait another two weeks for the next chapter, okay? If I do, you may flame me, but only if I'm late!!! Remember, I said, "IF"!!!!