Hello one and all!

Sorry this one wasn't out as fast as the last. Honestly, I've been working on another fanfiction entirely…

This chapter is dedicated to Melantao, who left me a nice, long, juicy review! Also, she mentioned something that gave me a great idea to add in at the end! I won't say what it is, Melantao, you'll just have to wait until the last chapter to find out, but you did good! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

And now to answer some of your reviews! .

MyInuYashaObsession: Yay for keeping me motivated! Thanks for the help! XD

Frozen Miko: Yeah, there's a LOT of Inuyasha fanfiction out there, most tend to get lost within all the others. O.O I'm glad you were able to catch it this time around, though! And I'm glad you enjoy it! I cracked myself up a bit writing the 'witty' banter between Inuyasha and Miroku, lol. It's fun!

Ro0tin4Kagome: You'll find out soon enough about Kikyou and Kouga. A few surprising turns ahead. XD As for Rin, I can't promise things will be better anytime soon, but I like Rin's character, and I'm not a completely sadistic bastard. .; I think you'll be pleased in the end.

Keiko89: You're not sick, love! Kikyou is an awesome character to be evil. I don't hate Kikyou in the cannon series, I have great respect for her, and I absolutely adore using her character to create someone we 'love to hate.' A respectable villain that we can all cheer for to lose! XD

Inuyashaz-ghetto-girl: Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying the story! It is sad about Souta and Rin, but I need their pain to add to the drama-y goodness of the plot. .; And I sure as heck did get that wallpaper!

lady KCassandra: Can't say I'm sad about you feeling so bad about Souta and Rin, it means I'm doing my job! XD Yay! I know that you're feeling anxious to get them the hell outta there, and I'm sure you'll be happy in the end. As for letters, Kagome was, ecensually, cut off from the orphanage all together. Remember, she was, and still is, underage, and if the orphanage discovered where she was, they could take her back. Kagome knows that the kids are abused emotionally, she'd unaware, however, of the physical/sexual abuse going on. Otherwise, she'd be bangin' down the doors, guns-a-blazin'. But no worries! Inuyasha tends to get REALLY pissed when it comes to child abuse…

RoseInuYasha: Aw, I'm sorry that you don't like the newest version as much as the older version. I'm sorry, but the old version was full of plot holes, OOCness, and was being written into a giant block. O.O Can't have that now, can we? Plus, my writing's improved way beyond what it was before, and I just don't like the old version. I hope you stick with and finish reading this version though. I think you'll end up happy after it's all said and done with!

Blackpantherdmcf: I'm glad the chapter was emotional for you! Thank you!

Tifa Sohma: HOLY COW!!! I'm so glad you liked it! Lol!

LotusTears: Keep your hopes up! XD

EM: Yay! It was a homecoming gift! Lol. I'm glad it made a nice return home for you! Yay!

demonic-goddess: Welcome to the awesome world of fanfiction! I'm glad you enjoyed my story!

CluelessMajor: I'm glad you enjoy the story! I'm planning for around fifteen chapters, give or take a few. I've already been thrown off chapter-wise, I've had to push back scenes and stuff, so I can't say for sure how many, but I'm thinking fifteen.

.o0o0o0o0o.

Chapter 5: Prepped Deceit: Stage Two

.o0o0o0o0o.

"Yes. Yes, I understand."

Kouga tapped his pen restlessly on the top of his desk.

"I get it, alright? No need to threaten my job."

He caught the pen in his hand, squeezing as hard as he could.

"I know full well who my boss is, thank you very much. I understand, I'll have someone on it right away."

The pen snapped in two, and blue ink splattered across his very expensive pantsuit. He bit back a curse and dropped the pen on his desk.

"Do you know her name, at least? …No? …Okay, I'll have Kitari track her down. …Yes. …Yes, he's good at these sorts of things. …Bye, Kiky-…"

"…Fucking bitch." Kouga bit out into the speaker as he placed down the buzzing phone receiver with a shaking hand, extremely agitated that she'd hung up so abruptly, but too scared out of his ever-loving mind to actually call her back and berate her for it. This, of course, only added to the frustration of ruining his best leg-wear. "Dammit! My pants!" He wiped at the ink, only succeeding in spreading it around. "Fuck!"

He knew it had been a bad idea to acquire Kikyou's… services... for a job he had needed done a few years ago, but at the time he honestly didn't think she'd have any need for him at any time later on.

Shit, had he ever been wrong about that.

Kouga stood abruptly and slipped his pants down his legs, stepping out of them and walking to the closet at the side of his office, pulling out a fresh pair. He bit his lip. Kikyou was not a pleasant woman. She was not nice. She was not polite or feminine. Oh, he'd thought she was when he had first met her, with her hand slinked around his best client's arm, her wonderful-smelling perfume teasing his senses, her voice low and seductive and full of pleasures promised. Yes, back then she'd been extremely feminine.

Then, after she'd fucked his brains out, she'd gone from his dream-come-true to his worst nightmare. Argh! How stupid could he have been to bed that girl? He had walked right into her little trap and she'd snapped him up and held him hostage as soon as he had let his pants… er… defenses down. What a stupid, stupid guy thing to do, getting all worked up over some hot-to-trot female. Human, nonetheless.

He sat back in his chair as memories of Kikyou in bed came flooding into his senses, all wrapped up in deceits and lies…

Kouga sighed in frustration as three timid knocks were heard from the other side of his office door. Who the hell would be bothering him right now? The very life of a man was hanging from his fingers. If this case went down the road of conviction, an innocent man would go to jail. ...Well, not-so-innocent, probably, but that was beside the point. He didn't get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to be honest, that was for sure. Anyway, he had to concentrate, dammit! If it was Emi again with her idiot questions about how he liked his coffee he was going to fire her. He was going to just fire her.

The knocks came again. "What!" He snapped out, resisting the urge to tear apart the legal paperwork that cluttered his desk. He was not in the mood for interruptions. He knew damned well that his client was guilty as shit, and he had to prove otherwise, which was not an easy task. He could not be interrupted!

The door opened just enough for the intruder to poke her head through. "What do you want now, Emi?" Kouga growled out, not bothering to look up.

"Well, I don't know what Emi wants, but I hope she stays away. You seem irritated."

His head shot up and his gaze fell on none other than the woman he'd been fantasizing about since he had first met her two-and-a-half weeks ago. "…Lady Kikyou…" He placed the pen he was holding down onto his desk and stood up, motioning for her to come in. "What's the occasion?" He couldn't help but grin, realizing that he couldn't smell his client, whom usually accompanied her, anywhere nearby. "Where's Mr. Kobun?"

Kikyou pushed the door open enough to slip in all the way and shut it behind her, shrugging a little as she did so. "Inuyasha was being a bore, so I decided to come down here and maybe have you help draw up some legal papers for me? No need for Inuyasha to know, of course."

Kouga nervously played with his tie, loosening it slightly as he could feel himself start to perspire. "Ah, well, that depends on what type of legal papers you're looking to acquire, Kikyou." He cleared his throat and motioned for her to sit in front of his desk. His vision drifted down to her cleavage, which had been placed perfectly into her black push-up bra that he could see through her tight, light-colored shirt.

Oh gods, her perfume had reached his sensitive nose, and suddenly his pants had become tight against his need. He could feel the room rising in temperature, the widows behind him had to be fogging up, he was sure.

Now, Kouga was not stupid. He knew when a woman was intentionally trying to seduce him. He knew that Kikyou hadn't come to his office after-hours without her fiancé just to draw up some papers she wanted kept a secret. Not dressed like that, she wasn't.

"Well, I have a problem." Her voice was smooth and low, and moved through the air like velvet as she slowly sunk into the chair opposite him. "I'd like some sort of account set apart from my soon-to-be-husbands. Something he won't be able to," she leaned forward slightly, giving Kouga a much better view of her assets "grab onto, if you know what I mean."

Argh, that voice was going to drive him to the brink of insanity. He watched, breath hitched, eyes wide, heart pounding its' way from his chest as she slowly moved from her chair to his desk, climbing onto it as she pushed away the papers that suddenly didn't really matter to Kouga at the moment, and leaned in, licking her lips in an oh-so-sexy way.

It was like liquid heat, her lips. The slick, soft texture…

Kouga viciously shook the memory from his head, gritting his teeth against the flood of pure hatred towards the woman. He'd realized too late that she was absolutely out of her ever-loving-mind. Not to mention that getting him to fuck her was part of a larger plan to ensnare him even further. And now she'd come waltzing back years later, blackmailing him again.

The bitch.

'Don't punch anything, don't punch anything, don't punch anything…' He chanted in his head, willing self-control to steady himself. Now was not the time to lose it. He had to keep a cool head, or he'd end up losing his job. …Or his life.

Being a full-fledged Wolf Youkai, Kouga wasn't afraid of much. Being a lawyer to one of the most influential Youkai families of modern times gave him large amounts of power, there were many people who answered to him, and many who had gone and disappeared on his order. But damned if he wasn't afraid of the Kobun family. And if he didn't do what Kikyou now asked, she would make sure that he died by their hands. He couldn't go off and kill the bitch either, which was an option he would have usually considered. Kikyou was under the protection of Sesshoumaru Kobun, and he wasn't touching anything that Sesshoumaru was protecting.

With a sigh of defeat and resignation, he pressed the intercom on his phone. "Emi, get Kitari on the line."

"Yessir!" She cheerfully chirped through the speaker, which annoyed him even more. "But I believe he's in a business meeting at the moment, sir."

"I don't care what he's doing, I want him on the phone in three minuets or you're fired!" He snapped, releasing the button and smirking to himself.

Five minuets later, Emi spoke through the intercom. "Mr. Kitari on the phone for you, sir." She said in a merry sort of tone.

"I said three minuets, Emi!" He barked back at her. "You're fired!"

She giggled through the speaker. "Oh sir, you always say that!"

It was true, Kouga tended to threaten her that way a lot. He'd never go through with it, though, she did her job well, and good receptionists were hard to find nowadays. Besides, she was pleasant to look at, a pretty face and a nice body. And Kouga was a healthy young male.

He picked up the phone and hit the line that was blinking red. "Kitari." He spoke in a controlled tone.

The voice that replied sounded childish and extremely upbeat. "Kouga! What's up? Sorry I couldn't get to the phone sooner, I was with a client."

Ugh. Why was everyone acting as if a ray of sunshine had been shoved up their ass? Was he the only one in the world who was currently being blackmailed by a psychotic bitch? "Don't worry about it, I have your attention now, I presume?"

"Fully."

"Good." Kouga leaned back in his lay-Z-boy chair and placed his hands behind his head. "I have a job for you."

"About time!" Kitari gave off a childish laugh, grating Kouga's nerves even more. "I thought you'd forgotten about me!"

"Believe it or not I don't sic hit men on people all the time, Boy." He growled.

Kitari laughed again, his young age showing through his voice. "And probably not underage ones as well, huh?" He giggled.

"Just fucking do your job." Kouga spat into the receiver, willing himself not to crush it in his hands. "Take down the information."

.o0o0o0o0o.

"Miroku." Sango's tone was one of warning. "Stop it."

"Hmm?" Miroku asked in return, his gaze shifting from the small security screen he was studying up to her pretty face. "Stop what?"

She huffed in annoyance and pointed down to the place near her thigh where Miroku's hand was casually inching up towards the end of her skirt. She grit her teeth together and clenched her fist. "Move that hand even one inch closer, and so help me Gods, I will kill you."

He turned his mouth over into what he probably thought was a disappointed frown, but what Sango knew to be a playful, albeit charming, pout. "Why are you so touchy today, love?"

"It's not 'Love,' it's Sango, thank you, and I'm not just touchy about your wandering hands today, Houshi, I happen to be touchy about them everyday."

Miroku couldn't help but agree to himself as he lounged casually behind the front security counter in his black, leather chair, glancing occasionally at the monitor screens sprawled out across the wall, but mainly focusing on the cute, little outfit that dawned Sango's supple… form. It was true, what she said. It seemed like he could never get a break with her. It was always a struggle for him to be able to touch her.

Gods, did he ever love the chase.

"What are you doing?"

"Eh?" He was yanked from his thoughts by a weary-looking Sango, whose raised eyebrow surveyed his face questioningly.

"You had a stupid, dopy grin on your face, and you weren't staring at my ass like you normally do when you look that way." She was standing only a few inches away from him, leaning over the counter, the guest list Senator Kobun had dropped off on his way out with his wife resting in her hands. "What were you thinking?" She turned back to the list.

Miroku shrugged and lifted his arms behind his head, resting back comfortably. "Nothing of any importance, I suppose." He sighed and glanced at the screen that showed the section of the hallway that held the doorway into their newest resident's room. "Did our new employee sleep well last night?"

Sango snorted and slapped the paper that contained the list down onto the counter, snapping her fingers in the process. "Ah-HA! That's what I was going to berate you about, you jerk!" She exclaimed, turning so she faced him, her hands now at her hips, glowering down. "You didn't tell that poor girl a damn thing about what is going on here! She didn't know who she's working for! And she didn't remember meeting him before!" She sighed and placed her fingers against the ridge of her nose. "What the hell were you thinking, keeping all this from her?"

"Now, now, Sango, don't blame all this on me, okay? Hear me out."

"Explain."

Miroku sighed heavily, sitting up in his chair. "Listen, Inuyasha doesn't want her to know, okay? It really wasn't that big of a deal, was it? Besides, I don't think Inuyasha wants her to feel like she owes him anything. She's not here because she has a debt to pay; she's here because it's a job. You see?"

Sango had crossed her arms across her chest as she listened to his story, a frown placed upon her pretty features. "Yeah, but what were you going to do? Wait until she met Inuyasha to let her know who she was working for? The poor thing would've had a heart-attack."

"It would have been rather entertaining." He smiled.

"You're a jerk." She muttered back to him as the small beeper hooked to her waist vibrated against the lacy fabric of her outfit. "And I certainly won't be the one to tell her all this." She added as she glanced down at the small screen. Kagome must have been done with her bath. "Once she's dressed I'm dragging her down here and you'll tell her what she needs to know about Inuyasha." She stated, walking from the security desk and reaching the double cascading curved stairs.

Miroku watched her disappear from his sight before he slapped his hand to his forehead. Dammit! Kagome thought Miroku was Inuyasha's lawyer! She'd probably re-think the job offer if she felt he was untrustworthy! Ugh, the only thing for him to do was hide out until she fully accepted the job.

Sighing he stood and slinked towards the hallway that led to the kitchens. The chef's assistant was a pretty young thing. She wouldn't mind him hanging out there for the next few hours…

.o0o0o0o0o.

'Don't throw up, don't throw up… Common, girl, you won't throw up, will you? Of course not!' Kagome thought to herself as she struggled with the clasp on the back of the corset Sango was currently forcing her into. She was nervous as hell, and the fact that she couldn't fit herself into any of the clothes Sango was throwing her way wasn't helping the matter.

She sucked in her stomach as much as she could and strained the material, pulling back with all her might, only to let out a loud whoosh of breath and give up, stomping her foot in frustration. "Ugh! I can't get this clasp hooked!" She sighed, turning her head to glace over her shoulder at Sango, who was scrimmaging around the giant walk-in-closet for shoes.

Sango laughed as she pulled herself from the closet, nodding slightly, and walked over to take the fabric into her own hands. She shook her head as Kagome sucked in another giant breath. "No, don't breathe in, hon, breathe out. When you breathe out, the air flows out of your lungs, making your chest shrink." She nodded as Kagome did as she said. "See?" She quickly clasped the fabric together. "There, now to lace it up."

"Ugh." Kagome uttered as the first of the strings tightened the fabric around her upper hips. "I hope I don't have to wear this everyday. I don't think I could take this anymore than an hour."

"Yeah, well, you won't have to take these clothes anymore after today." The young maid circled Kagome as if she was on auction. "Unfortunately the only presentable female clothes we have for you right now are Kikyou's, and she… dieted a lot." She paused in front of her and rested her chin into her hand, looking Kagome up and down.

"I can tell. What size are these?"

Sango raised her eyebrow. "Size two."

"No wonder the corset is needed."

She shook her head, her eyes rolling. "No kidding. Don't worry; you and I will do some shopping on the boss's platinum card to get you a new wardrobe for the time you spend here. Stuff that fits." She added on with a significant look. "No one should have to squeeze into a size two." She patted the back of the corset, now set firmly in place.

"I'm glad you feel the same as I do." Kagome huffed, although not from annoyance, but from trying to get a breath in. "I was worried for a second that I'd be asked to diet."

The girl laughed. "No, no. Since you've recovered from the hospital, you seem to have gained some good, healthy weight back." She tilted her head as she held up the black dress pants for Kagome to step into. "You're still a little pale, but you look much better than when we found you."

Kagome bit her lip and nodded as she pulled the pants up over her hips, sighing as the zipper was only a little difficult to pull up. "You know… I never got to… er… thank you."

Sango stopped mulling over shoes again and turned to give her a questioning look. "What for?"

She gulped, a little embarrassed by the whole situation. "For finding me and taking me to the hospital." She admitted as she pulled the white blouse over her head. It was a little snug in the waist area, and kind of loose in the bust. Who the heck had been the previous owner of these clothes? Barbie? She sighed. "If it weren't for you and Miroku, I might have… well, thank you."

She watched as Sango shook her head and walked over with a pair of black flats. "I'm not the one to thank. Inuyasha made the decision to hire you, not me." She placed the shoes in front of the mirror and motioned for Kagome to stand by her.

Kagome grabbed the suit jacket and slipped her arms through as she stepped in front of the full-length mirror, freezing for a mere second as her eyes swept over her clean, well-dressed figure.

The clothes were tight and cutting off her air supply, but did she ever look good. She couldn't help the giddy grin that spread across her face. "Oh wow." Was all she could say.

Sango chuckled from over her shoulder. "Yeah, it's a wonder what a bath and new clothes can do for a girl, huh?" She winked into the mirror then stood back to admire her handy work.

Kagome stared at her reflection, awed. It had been years since she had worn anything so… extravagant. So beautiful. In fact, the last piece of really nice clothing she'd ever worn was a Sunday school dress her mother had gotten her when she was five. It had been white with light pink frills and reminded her of frosting, which is why she'd liked it so much. Kagome's vision suddenly became blurry, and she didn't realize she was crying until Sango asked what was wrong.

"Oh!" She wiped away at the silent tears. "Oh, nothing, I just… I don't…" She stuttered. "I don't know if I…"

"Spit it out, girl."

"I mean…" Her eyes wouldn't leave her reflection. "What if I get these… dirty?" She could hear her voice cracking as she choked with emotion, trying her hardest not to cry. It'd been so long since she'd warn anything but sweats and… well, Akane's hooker gear. "…These clothes are so pretty."

"Yes, they are."

Finally tearing her gaze away from the mirror, she blinked back her tears and cleared her throat. It wouldn't do to have her employers think she was a crybaby. "I don't think I should wear these…"

Sango tilted her head to the side. "Really? I think you look really good in them." She placed her hand on Kagome's shoulder and turned her around away from the mirror, backing up a few feet to get a good look.

Kagome lifted her head at Sango's sharp gasp. "What?"

"Wow. Actually, in those clothes…" She shook her head. "You look just like her."

"Just like who?"

She seemed to be arguing with herself whether or not she wanted to tell Kagome who she resembled, but shook her head in the end. "Eh, it doesn't matter. You're nothing like her personality-wise, which, believe me, is a really good thing." Then she gave Kagome a rather evil grin. One that sent chills up her spine. "Oh, I'm going to get a kick out of this."

Kagome eyed the girl nervously, wiping at her eyes. Something was going on that she didn't know about. She couldn't help but feel she was already in way over her head.

.o0o0o0o0o.

The Kobun head gardener sat beside a long hedge of rosebushes, one of the many living walls that made up the Kobun Gardens. The four-acre area was green and alive and peaceful…

Well, peaceful except for the loud shouting coming from the other side of the hedge. Senator Kobun's son was obviously not in a good mood.

"What the hell are you talking about?! That commercial was promised to me, dammit! I had a lot riding on that thing!!"

…..

"No. No, that wasn't the deal!"

…..

"Argh! Fine! You know what? Fucking forget it. I'll do the part in the movie, instead!"

….,

"Yeah, I know what I'll have to do in it, but what choice to I have? Father's on my case again, I gotta-"

…..

"Yeah, yeah. Alright then." Inuyasha grit his teeth. "Bye." He snapped his phone shut and then stood and turned to face away from the house, cocking his arm back and throwing the cellular piece of crap as far as he could. He watched as the silver object as it flew across the clear, blue sky and landed with a faded 'ka-plunk' in the lake located across the giant yard. "Jackass." He muttered, sitting down in a huff. Fuck. Today was not his day. How could the commercial have dropped him? He'd thought he was all good to go.

…What had his agent said? They decided to go with someone younger? What the hell was that supposed to mean? He was young! How much younger could you go to be in an Axe commercial?

Argh! Stupid entertainment business! If it didn't get him out of the house and away from his father, he would never be doing this crap to begin with.

"Ah-hem."

Inuyasha's head snapped up to see Sango standing at the entrance to the main garden area, her arms crossed over her chest and her head tilted to the side in an amused sort of way. "Shall I call DoCoMo for a new cell, then?" She asked, her eyebrow raised.

"Keh. They don't make those things strong enough." He replied, slightly embarrassed at being caught having a tantrum.

"Waterproof enough, you mean." She corrected, standing on her tiptoes and placing her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun, peering out across the large span of grass to the lake where you could just barely catch the glint of silver floating on the miniature laps of water.

He crossed his arms, not unlike she had earlier, and cleared his throat. "Was there something you wanted? Other than to make my day worse than it's already going, that is."

She smiled. "Of course. I just wanted to lead Lady Kagome here." Her voice was sing-song and fake, and he knew she hated calling the girl that. Sango was not one for formalities. Miroku had probably put her up to talk like that.

He was about to tell her not to call the girl that, for she was merely a lowly street-walker, but he was beaten to it by a voice that was out of sight.

"Sango, please, please don't use the word 'lady.' It makes me uncomfortable!"

Sango rolled her eyes and grabbed at the voice behind the row of bushes. "Stop being shy and get out here. What, are you going to have your meeting peering at each other through the branches?"

Inuyasha's blood ran cold when he saw who popped out from behind the bush, in that dark-blue suit he knew so well. Oh, he knew alright. He let out a growl. "Sango, what the fuck is she doing here?!"

She looked slightly taken aback. "What?!"

"Kikyou!"

He saw Kikyou's hands start to shake, her eyes widened to saucers, and she backed up a step.

In a flash he was on her, grabbing onto her wrists and forcing them above her head. Her scream pierced the air, and made him flatten his hears against his skull, but he ignored her the best he could. "Where the fuck is Miroku?! He's supposed to be watching for people like her!"

"Let go of me!"

"Inuyasha, what the hell are you doing?!" Sango cried out. "For Gods' sake, take a freaking whiff already!"

Eh? Inuyasha glared a Sango, but tentatively sniffed against Kikyou's arm.

…no, wait.

"What the fuck?" He muttered, pulling his head back and staring down at her wide-eyed face. At eyes that were a cool grey instead of a deep, dark, black. "Not… Kikyou…?"

"You wanna let go of the poor thing before you give her a heart attack, you jackass?"

"Hey, watch your mouth, I'll have you fired!" It wasn't his fault! The girl… She had looked exactly like her. …exactly.

Sango rolled her eyes as she placed a comforting arm around the girl. "Sure you will. Come on, Kagome, don't mind him, he's not going to kill you, I promise."

The girl stood pale and shaking from their encounter, but nodded and let Sango lead her to the small, fancy outdoor iron table, complete with two matching iron chairs, all painted white. A large umbrella gave the area plenty of shade, and she sat, relieved, into a chair, willing her racing heart to calm itself. "Thank you, Sango."

"No problem. He'll behave, don't worry. I'll see you after lunch for some shopping, okay?" With Kagome's nod, Sango turned and headed back past Inuyasha.

As she passed by him, he leaned over and muttered into her ear. "Did you have to dress her in Kikyou's clothes?"

"Why?" She whispered back. "Doesn't she look good in them?" When she received a glare as a reply, she sighed. "I'll be getting her a new wardrobe after lunch, okay? So just be nice, at least until she signs a contract and is stuck."

"Whatever." He watched her go before he turned back to the girl that looked so much like Kikyou it had scared the crap out of him. It was an unusually uncanny resemblance, and Inuyasha was usually very keen when it came to smells and telling people apart by them. It was true that they smelled nothing alike, but this girl's appearance was enough to get his senses completely turned around. He reluctantly took his seat at the table and nodded towards the food that was laid out before them, trying his best to remember his manors. "You hungry?"

Slowly, unsure, she nodded.

"Eat, then."

Nodding again, she waited until Inuyasha started eating his food before she picked up her fork and placed a small, dainty bite to her lips.

He sighed, figuring she was going to be another careful, boring female. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Maybe this girl wasn't fit for the job. He was already bored with her, and he'd only sat with her for seven seconds.

He raised his eyebrow when she started to chew her food and let out an extremely satisfied sigh, her eyes closing and her hand coming up to cover her lips. "Mmmm!" She exclaimed. "Oh, wow. This is so good!" And with that, she piled a big scoop onto her fork and placed the whole thing into her mouth, letting out another sigh of content.

"That good?" Inuyasha asked, half annoyed, and only slightly amused. It was only stir fry rice with spicy chicken.

She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again, realizing it was too full of food to speak. Swallowing what looked to be a slightly painful gulp, she nodded. "I've been living off of plain ramen for a while now. Well, that and second-hand fast food when I can get it." She admitted. "You know, some people hand their leftovers over when they pass by." Another giant forkful piled into her mouth.

Inuyasha shook his head and leaned back in his chair, his own food forgotten. He was hypnotized by the way she ate, as if it was going to be her last meal ever. She wasn't messy, exactly, although there was a bit of rice stuck to her nose. No, not messy, but just fast. Fast and efficient. It was kind of sad, really, that people lived without food long enough to have to eat like… that. Lost in his thoughts, he left her alone until they finished their lunch. Besides, speaking to her now was out of the question. He didn't want her to choke and die before the plan had even started.

Twenty minuets later, the places in front of them cleared away, Inuyasha folded his hands and studied Kagome's face. "So…" He finally stated. "I understand Miroku explained everything to you?"

She fidgeted nervously. "Uh… well, kind of."

"Kind of?"

"He said it had to do with acting." She replied.

Inuyasha arched his eyebrow. "….acting."

"But not porn!" She stated hurriedly. "He said no porn."

He couldn't help the flush that crept over his cheeks. "I can assure you that it's Miroku who's the pervert, not me." He sighed. "He's been teaching you the right way to walk and talk, right?"

She nodded.

"Breathe, would you? You're honestly not doing that bad of a job."

"Miroku, I just can't do it. I'll be found out, they'll figure it out!"

"No, no, you're doing fine. Look! You've already gotten that far!" Miroku pointed halfway across the room, indicating her accomplishment.

"It's going to fall!"

"Keep your head up!"

"Miroku, it's-"

Miroku let out light sigh from where he leaned against the window sill and rolled his eyes as the heavy book stumbled from Kagome's head, landing with a rather large THUMP onto the floor by her feet. He watched as she let out a string of almost-curses and swooped down to pick it back up.

"Darn this stupid thing to heck!" She shouted out, turning abruptly on her heel and lifting it high into the air, as if she were about to slam it right back down again. "I can't get it! They'll see right through me!"

Miroku shook his head. "Kagome-sama, it takes a bit of practice. Your boss's parents won't be home for quite some time, so we'll have a few weeks of practice even after you move in." He stood from the sill and grabbed his PDA that was on the hospital bedside counter. "You'll get it down, you'll see."

Kagome sighed in frustration, lowering her hand along with the book. "Just Kagome."

"I'm sorry?"

"Just call me Kagome."

He shook his head and gave her one of his rather charming smiles as he leaned back against the sill again. "I can't do that, Kagome-sama, you need to learn to be addressed as such. Remember that you come from an old, royal bloodline now, okay? To pull this off, you need to be of extremely high importance. Being called 'sama' by the other staff and I is something that will happen, no matter if you like it or not."

She let out a grunt of disagreement. "This is a waste of time, why do I have to learn how to walk with a book on my head, anyway?"

Miroku smiled. "Since you've grown up with a high-classed family, you need to be stiff and proper. You'll understand when you met the other girls that flock around the boss."

"But I can't be stiff and proper."

"For the amount of money the boss will be paying you, you can be stiff and proper." He argued with a raised eyebrow.

Kagome sighed, but nodded, slowly straightening up before placing the thick book back atop her head. "Fine, if I have to. I'll just repeat that this is a waste."

"Alright now, let's see you make it to the door this time."

Kagome let out a groan.

Inuyasha chewed at the inside of his lip. "Well, at least you've had some practice." He leaned back in his chair. "The bastard. What a chicken shit."

"Um.." She interrupted. "…do you always curse so much?"

"Yes." Was his even reply.

"Oh." Was hers.

He studied her a bit, watching as she fidgeted nervously in her seat. She wasn't very good at making eye contact, but he hoped that, too, was something she'd grow out of once she became more comfortable with her surroundings. This was his life they were messing with here. His future. They couldn't afford mistakes. They couldn't afford to mess up. He sat up in his chair again. "Well, this is the deal. You know who I am, right?"

She nodded. "Inuyasha Kobun. I've read about you in the papers."

"It's all good things, I'm sure." He rolled his eyes as a sign of sarcasm, but then smiled toothily at her questioning look. "So that means you know who my father is."

Again, a nod. "Senator Kobun. I really like him as a Senator; I think he's done such a great job with the economy, as well as him bringing peace between Youkai and humans…" She shook her head. "I would have voted for him, if I'd been old enough to when he was running for office last."

"That's nice." Inuyasha nodded, bored. "But back to the point. I've come into a sort of… tangle. My father is about to force me into a marriage I don't want to be in. I've only a certain amount of time to find a girl, get her to fall in love with me, and marry her before my life as I know it will come to a very disappointing end. Understand?"

The girl's jaw had dropped lower with each sentence, and by the end of his short explanation she could have caught flies. "Uh... So you'd like me to help you find a girl?"

Okay, so she was a bit slow at connecting the dots. But that could have easily been a good thing for Inuyasha. He wasn't so sure he wanted all of his dots connected by her anyway, at least not until a contract was signed and she had no way out except to carry out the job she signed for.

As it was, he had to bite back a harsh remark about her being dim. He managed to shake his head. "Not quite." He placed his elbows on the table and cradled his chin on his folded hands, looking her directly in the eyes. "I need you to pretend to be my fiancé. You will have to act like a socialite-debutante. You will have to dress the part, speak the part, essentially live the part of a girl from a very prominent family, and you will need to fool my father and mother into believing that you are absolutely, positively head-over-heels in love with me."

Her mouth-gaping look before was nothing compared to the shock that spread across her face this time around. Her unusually pale skin had gone much, much paler, and her eyes looked as if they'd pop right out of her head. But she hadn't spoken to decline his offer so far, so he continued.

"This will happen over a span of six months. Some of my staff will be working on a background story for you, one that my father will not be able to see though, and you will be taught by Miroku and Sango on how to talk, walk, act and dress the part. You will not have to be with me all of the time, just attend some parties and quite a few diners with my parents, as well as be involved with the wedding plans." He watched her face, searching for a negative reaction of any kind. None came. Her face stayed pale and blank. He cleared his throat. "Okay, now it's time to discuss payment."

She looked up into his eyes at that sentence. There was the eye contact he was so worried about, strong and acute. This girl seemed to have many more layers than he'd first thought. And he couldn't help but notice that the deep grey he'd first thought her eyes to be had a tad bit of blue mixed with some green as well. So grey wasn't the word for her eyes. What color could they possibly be?

"Payment?"

He nodded, shaking himself from his thoughts. Who gave a damn what color her eyes were? She wasn't here to show off those eyes. "Yes, payment for your time. Since you'll be staying here, at the house, you'll essentially be a full-time employee, on call and whatnot. I'll pay you very well for your services. Much more than you'll ever have made doing… whatever it is you did on the streets."

A tint of red flushed across her cheeks.

Inuyasha sighed as leaned back in his chair, his arms cradling the back of his head, his left ankle casually resting on his right knee. "So what is a starting price you'd like to throw at me for all of this?"

The girl was visibly taken aback by the question, and her mouth opened and closed a few times before she shook her head in slight confusion. "Um.. I'm not sure. I don't know.. Maybe.. 12,000 yen a week?"

It was Inuyasha's turn to look shocked. This made Kagome blush and stutter. "Oh, well, maybe that's a bit high? I'm sorry; I don't know the price range for this sort of thing. Maybe-"

"Woman, 12,000 a week isn't even enough for decent rent money. How the hell are you supposed to live after this gig? I need to pay you at least enough for you to eat, I'm not completely heartless!" He growled.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know, I just-"

Inuyasha raised his hand up to interrupt her again. "No, no, I'll figure out a good price." He bit his lower lip in concentration. It's true that he was asking a lot of her. More likely than not she'd have to meet the evil fiancé herself, Kikyou, which was worth hell of a lot more than 12,000. "Let's see, it would have to be enough to get you a decent place after you've left… How does… 310,000 a week sound?"

Kagome sputtered. "Thr-… Three hundred and ten THOUSAND?!!!" The shocked look was back again. "That's… That's way, way too much!"

He shrugged. "Not really, when you think about it. You'll be helping me out a great deal, and.." He paused and sighed. He was going to sound more thoughtful than he really was here, but he needed to voice his opinion in this matter. "I don't necessarily like the thought of a seventeen year-old girl out on the streets doing Gods-knows-what. This way I know you'll have enough money to have a nice place to stay after you're gone."

The girl bit her lip and looked away, but didn't answer.

"So does that sound acceptable?"

"S-sir, that's over a million yen a month."

"Yeah."

"That's well over seven million by the time the job will be over."

"Will that be enough to live on?"

She nodded, still pale, still shocked.

Satisfied, Inuyasha stood and stretched out, happy to finally be able to get this awkward introduction out of the way. "Alright then, I'll have my lawyer draw up the papers, and we'll get them signed. Meanwhile, I'll have Sango take you out shopping for a wardrobe that's not… second hand."

He walked past her and towards the path, but her small, soft voice stopped him.

"If I could… just make one small request…"

Jesus, now what? Turning on his heel, he faced the girl, who was twisted around in her chair, looking up at him from her seat. He crossed his arms and cocked his head. "What is it?"

"Well… I have a younger brother…"

.o0o0o0o0o.

Souta had stayed there, just outside the doorway, listening to every scream, every cry, and every whimper Rin uttered from within the hellish room he had come to know so well. He had stayed there, just on the other side of the door, as the man finished what he came to do and left the room, passing Souta without a glance as he walked out the door.

At first, Souta couldn't move, afraid of the scene he knew he would see if he pushed the cracked door open just a bit more and peeked inside. His heart pounded through his chest. It was too quiet. Rin wasn't making a sound.

Tentatively, he stood and pushed at the door a bit.

The Headmistress was leaning over something in front of her desk, and she spun around to glare at him when the door creaked. But her mouth turned to a wide, evil grin when she saw who it was. "You." She breathed, her lips stretched out. "Take her upstairs and put her in the bath. She's bleeding." She moved to sit behind her desk, revealing a small, shaking girl, covered with a thin, brown blanket lying over the workspace, her knees bent and feet dangling over the edge. Tiny rivers of blood flowed down the insides of her legs and dripped from her small toes, pooling under the desk.

Souta vibrated with rage where he stood, his fists clenched.

…It had happened.

…It had happened to Rin.

The Headmistress looked up from her papers and sneered. "Well? Are you going to take her and clean her up or what?" She snapped.

Burning with pure hate, he immediately ran to the desk, where he scooped Rin into his arms and was out the door as fast as he could, clutching the quivering girl protectively to his chest. He headed up the stairs and into the bathroom, closing the door and placing the unconscious Rin on the cold, tile floor.

For a few minutes all he could do was stare down at her face. The left side of her bottom lip was swollen and bleeding slightly, and on her cheek under her left eye swelled a bluish bruise. Slowly, he raised his hand and placed it on her forehead, pushing back her matted bangs and studying her features.

Rin was such a pretty little thing. So fragile and innocent. So small and young. So naïve and vulnerable. And for something like… like that to have happened… For someone so pure to have been dirtied and hurt in such a way was pure evil. Having it happen to Souta was one thing, but Rin…

Not Rin.

Souta finally managed to reach out and turn the bath water on to luke-warm, watching as the slightly-tinted water rushed over his bony fingers and filled the tub inch by inch. Memories of the first time he'd been led into the headmistresses' office blazed through his memory, scorching his mind like fire, burning him from inside his very soul.

"Is this him?"

"Yeah, this is him."

A well-dressed middle-aged man bent down and pushed the bridge of his glasses higher on his upturned nose, getting a closer look at Souta, who wondered if maybe this man would be his new father. Had his sister found someone to come and rescue him?

"He's a little thin."

"Yeah, well, I'm not the Queen of England. I get paid the right amount to feed them enough to keep them alive and out of the hospital."

The man nodded, and Souta couldn't help but notice that he wasn't smiling like a father should. In fact, he looked downright nervous.

"-hurts… It hurts…" Rin mumbled on the floor next to him, bringing him from his thoughts.

"S'okay, Rin, it's all over now." He leaned over her, realizing that she was still unconscious and merely talking in her sleep. Carefully, he scooped her up again, off the cold tile, and placed her gently into the tub, the brown, tattered blanket still wrapped around her frame.

Holding her head above the rising water, he scooped up a handful of the warm liquid and poured it gently over her hairline, wetting her flushed forehead.

"Comm'ere, kid. Lemmie take off your shirt. I gotta check and see if you're healthy."

A strange feeling of pure horror settled over Souta as the shirt was lifted from his upper body and the man touched his chest in a way that made him suddenly feel nauseous. "Wh- what are you doing?" His voice cracked.

"Just be quiet. Be quiet and it will be easier."

Souta shook his head, willing back the tears that were pooling behind his eyes. Something inside him had snapped. As he looked down at the girl who had just been hurt beyond reason, at the girl he'd taken under his wing and sworn to protect, his mind closed off from his emotions, and suddenly, he just didn't care. He was done with it. It was over. Fuck his sister and fuck the world. It didn't matter that this girl had been through what he had. It didn't matter that her life was about to change for the very worst. It didn't matter that if he was gone, she'd be taking his place as the headmistress's favorite.

He was getting out.

.o0o0o0o0o.

Kouga sighed as he placed down the phone. Kitari's youthful, cheery 'goodbye!' still ringing annoyingly in his sensitive ears. If the kid wasn't so damn good at his job, he'd have had him killed off already. But he got results, and results were what Kouga needed. Besides, finding shape-shifting demons such as Kitari was hard to find. …Mainly because they tended to hide in forms that weren't their own. Sneaky bastards.

It had been a week now since Kouga had first called up Kitari and offered him the job, and only seven days later, Kitari had finally told him that he'd found the perfect form to do his job in.

It was a slight relief of Kouga's part, as Kikyou had yet to contact him with more information on this new fiancé of Inuyasha's. When she did call, he'd have some good news to tell her, which would make her happy, which would get her off the phone quicker, which would make Kouga's headache much less severe.

The bit of good news that Kitari had handed off had a hand in Kouga's mood lightening, and he was just about to call Emi in to flirt a little when he heard a loud noise coming from just outside his office doors.

"I need to see him!"

Oh Gods, he knew that voice. Why did that brat always have to barge in here like he was the only damn client Kouga had?

"Mr. Kobun, sir, if you'd just wait a moment so I can inform Kouga that you're here, I'll-"

"No need for that, I'll just-"

"No, wait-!!!"

BANG!

The door flew open.

"Kouga!"

"I'm sorry, Sir! He pushed by me, I couldn't-"

Kouga raised his hand to silence his secretary and pointed to the door. "It's fine, Emi. No worries. If you'll excuse us?" He waited for her to close the door before he let out a primal growl. "Inuyasha."

"Mangy Wolf." Inuyasha growled right back, his arms crossed over his chest, trying to stand as straight and tall as possible. Not that it helped any. Inuyasha wasn't any taller than he was which made towering over Kouga an impossible form of intimidation for him to take.

Not that Inuyasha really needed to intimidate Kouga more than he already could. As much as he hated to admit it, the fact that Inuyasha could get him fired made him afraid, not the fact that Inuyasha could kick his ass.

Which he couldn't.

Kick Kouga's ass, that is.

As it was, Kouga had to bite down on his tongue to avoid voicing the insult that lay just behind his lips. "What can I do for you, Inuyasha?" He asked with a very controlled tone. "You know I always set up appointments with you no matter what. What's so important that you had to barge in on me and scare my secretary?"

Inuyasha shoved his nose into the air. "Keh. Bitch wasn't scared of me, she works for you for a living, doesn't she?" He grinned that damned cocky grin and Kouga could feel the blood rushing to his head. One day he'd get him to break and they could go at it like real men. Er… Youkai. "But I'm not here to insult you," he continued, "I'm here to have you write up a contract for me."

Kouga raised his eyebrow. "A contract? What kind?"

"I dunno." Inuyasha shrugged. "One that says the signer will be mine until we reach our wedding day. Then she'll be free to do as she pleases. Oh, and we need to include adoption into it."

He had to admit he was shocked. Out of all the things to write up a contract for… sure, there were prenuptials, which was something that was done quite often with the richer folks, but this request was a bit different. "…What the hell did you do? Send for a mail-order bride?" He scoffed.

"Just shut up and write the damn thing." Inuyasha growled a slight flush on his face. "The girl's name is Kagome Higurashi. I'll be paying her 310,000 yen a week. The boy who we'll be adopting is Souta Higurashi. The orphanage is located in center city, I don't know the address. Track the kid down." He sat down in the chair across the desk and smiled at Kouga's obvious shock. "Well? Get to it. I need this thing signed when the girl gets back from shopping."

Shaking his head to organize his racing thoughts, Kouga looked at his computer and sat down also, pulling up the needed tools to write up a contract and started to type.

He was shaking, but not because Inuyasha had come to him for this. No, he was shaking because he had just found out the girl's name, the fact that she had a little brother, and that this new fiancé of his was a complete and utter sham.

Oh Gods, was he ever going to be on the good side of Kikyou for a very, very long time.

He had to breath in a deep breath to stop the giant grin that was threatening to break out on his face. "Well, let's get started then. How old is she?"

"Seventeen."

Kouga raised his brow. "A little young, isn't she?"

"She'll be eighteen in six months." He growled.

"Well, be that as it may, the contract will have to be signed by her parents because she'd underage."

"She doesn't have any parents, and before you ask, no guardians, either."

"I see. In that case, she'll be able to sign it herself, although you need to make it clear to her that it is legal binding, and that she can't use the fact that she's underage against us in the future."

Inuyasha snorted. "Believe me; I'm paying her enough that she won't complain."

"Sounds good to me. Also, the part about adoption? She won't be able to adopt until she's of age, too, which means that unless she wants to wait six months to adopt her brother, you'll have to do the adoption." Kouga looked up over his monitor to gage Inuyasha's reaction.

His face had gone pale, and his frown deepened, but he slowly nodded his head. "Is there some way that I can transfer the adoption over to her once she turns eighteen?"

Kouga nodded back in reply. "Yes there is, is that what you want written?"

"Yeah, write that in." He rolled his eyes. "After all, how much trouble can one, little child be?"

.o0o0o0o0o.

"Souta..." A young boy with light brown hair whispered, wringing his hands in his shirt. "Souta, what are you doing? You're going to get us all into trouble again."

"Go away." Souta knotted his eyebrows together, seething as he packed the few clothes that he had into a brown knapsack. He was getting out. Away from it all. Away from that... that bitch.

"But-"

"Leave me alone!" He placed in one shirt, one pair of pants, one pair of shoes, and one pair of socks along with that picture of his sister that he had hidden under his pillow, a black-and-white photo that was so worn out he could barely make out her smiling face. Not that he was bringing it along because he missed the bitch. But revenge was something that was on his mind, and he'd be more likely to find her with the photo. Plus, it had been years since he'd seen her. He was a little worried he wouldn't recognize her.

This was the plain: Escape like his sister had, find her on the streets, which shouldn't be too hard, as the headmistress told him she was a prostitute. So walking the streets should lead him to her in a decent amount of time. Then, when he'd found her, he'd kill her. Or at least beat the crap out of her. It would be his revenge for her leaving him here like this.

"I-I'm sorry…" Said the youngster, wincing at Souta's tone of voice.

Souta turned to the boy, who was only a few years his junior, and gave him a last, sad smile. "I know you're only looking out for me, but I have to leave. I can't stay here anymore."

"Where are you going to go?"

"I don't know. But if my sister could do it than so can I."

"But your sister is a sl-"

"Shut up, I know." He interrupted, turning and shoving past the other boy, making his way towards the window. He lifted the pane, wincing as it made a screeching noise on the way up, and turned to look at the closed door. He sighed, shaking his head and meeting eyes with the boy. "Rin is going to cry a lot when she wakes up. Don't try and make her be quiet, just hold her and comfort her, okay?"

The boy hesitated, but nodded.

"And don't let her try and find me. Tell her I'll be back…" He had to tell himself that he wasn't really like his sister. No, he'd keep his promise to Rin. "Tell her I'll be back when I've found a job and get her out of here, okay?"

Again, he nodded.

Souta sighed and looked down at the muddy grass below the widow, the two stories he was about to fall seeming like ten or twenty instead. "I'm sorry, Rin." He breathed, whispering almost to himself, a silent prayer to the little girl that lay broken in her bed. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you." And with that, he lifted his leg up and over the sill, bending his back to slip through the small opening.

He sat there, looking down, preparing himself for the shock of the fall, reminding himself to roll out of the fall like they did in the movies.

A small gasp and thundering footsteps were his only warnings as the door to the room suddenly flew open, hitting the wall with a loud BANG and making the window he was sitting in shake.

"YOU LITTLE FUCK!!"

Shit! He'd almost gotten away clean!

His head spun around and his eyes winded to stare in shock at the headmistress, who was now stomping towards him at an incredible speed. He sat, frozen, half his body out of the window, before realization dawned in on him, and he struggled to get his entire body out.

She grabbed onto his arm before he could make his escape, her brightly painted nails cutting into his skin, squeezing the blood out of him. He screamed as his body fell from the sill and dangled, hanging from only her fingers. She screamed just as loud from the shock of his weight tearing at her weak muscles as he struggled, beating at her hand, not caring that they were the only thing keeping him from falling.

"Let me GO!!" Souta screamed, yanking his body weight down.

Gravity did the rest.

He fell.

The headmistress's scream was the last thing he heard before he felt the sick cracking of bone, and a pain so intense he saw white swept from his left leg and lower arm throughout his entire body.

It was a struggle not to pass out.

At first he was confused as to what had just happened, he couldn't tell the ground from the sky, and he was sure there were multiple voices screaming at him to get up and run. …Or was that just him screaming at himself to move?

He couldn't tell, but he did listen.

Slowly, he dragged himself through the mud, about a foot-and-a-half before everything went dark and hazy. And then all he could hear were sounds.

.o0o0o0o0o.

Kouga picked up the phone and dialed Kikyou's number. She picked up on the first ring. "What."

"You'll never believe what I've just discovered." Kouga grinned and leaned back in his chair. "And when you hear it, you're going to want to come over here and fuck my brains out."

She snorted. "I seriously doubt it. Tell me what you've found."

"I know the fiancé's name, her brother's name, where she'd from and that she's being paid to marry him."

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and Kouga thought for a second she'd hung up, but then a sort of short, wild laughter was heard over the phone, a laughter that made chills spread up his spine. "Oh, Kouga dear." She purred. "Have your pants off when I get over there. I'm going to fuck your brains out."

The line went dead.

"Shit." He'd been joking. The last thing he wanted was another pregnancy scare. But he also wanted to live.

Kouga stood and pulled down his pants.

.o0o0o0o0o.

Holy crap, that's twenty-six pages of reading for you! I hope you liked it!

Now to write a letter of apology to my beta, who should know that I love with all my heart and appreciate more than anything, and am really, really, REALLY sorry for avoiding for about a month-and-a-half while writing out this chapter.

…Wah I'm so, so, SO sorry! Please forgive me!!!

SugarRos