A/N: Hi guys! I'm glad you love the story! I hope your holiday season is going well! This chapter is short again, but it has a lot in it. Please enjoy!

Please continue reviewing! It really helps me as an author know that you are enjoying the story.

I really hope that this chapter is better than the last couple. I've been doing a whole bunch of fillers until I could get to a realistic time frame of a climax.

Anyhow, I don't own any of the characters. And I hope that you enjoy the story!

12

Three days had pasted since their argument, but Kagome had been asleep for most of it. Inuyasha, tired of being in the hospital, called for Dr. Hojo to come to Kagome's room.

Stepping outside, Inuyasha shut the door to her room and looked over the doctor in front of him. "Doc, I'm signing the discharge papers to take her out of the hospital." His formalities had broken yesterday after his fourth day sleeping in a plastic chair.

The doctor bristled at his words. "You will do no such thing! She's still heavily reliant on pain medication and there's still a risk of infection setting in again."

"I have a world-class doctor that works for the palace for situations such as these. She will be in good hands and somewhere more secure and comfortable. I know your employees are getting sick of working around our security, and quite frankly I'm sick of sleeping in an uncomfortable chair." Inuyasha knew there was no way he wasn't going home with her in the next hour, he casually crossed his arms over his chest and bulked himself up against the doctor that was at least half a foot shorter than him.

Dr. Hojo, perceptive to his tactics, did the same. "I don't care if you're royalty, Prince Inuyasha. Ms. Higurashi is in no state to travel! Especially by car!" He was becoming more and more infuriated by the haughty Prince in front of him. "One of the biggest reasons she's in this mess in the first place is because you discharged her from my care too early last time as well!"

Inuyasha's anger and impatience brewed under the surface from the doctor's accusations. Even though he knew it was true. "There will be no repeats this time. She is going to be bound to bed for the next week. Now if you don't mind, I need to get her home."

He turned to leave, but the doctor grabbed his arm. Shocked, the Prince wheeled toward him. "I can't let you do that. I don't have any more reasons other than what I've told you, but I can't allow you to take her out of this hospital a second time."

One could feel the anger emanating from Inuyasha's body. "If you don't take your hands off me, I will take drastic action."

Dr. Hojo's hand tightened. "If this is what it takes to make you listen then I will continue." Inuyasha could feel his hand shaking on his arm, but he didn't care. This man thought he could prevent him from having his way and taking his woman home. Every instinct in his body revolved around it.

His fist connected with Dr. Hojo's jaw, knocking him to the ground. The Prince nodded to his security, which proceeded to talk to the people who had seen the incident. "I am taking her home now. Make any mention of this to the press and it will have major consequences." Nursing his jaw, he nodded to the Prince. His hair may have been a mess and his clothes wrinkled, but he looked absolutely menacing standing over him.

Dr. Hojo watched him walk back into the room. The nurses who had seen the incident were signing legal contracts to keep quiet about it. A large man in a suit reached his hand out to him. He thanked him and turned to walk away before he was met with a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry sir, we're going to need you to sign some paperwork before you can go." Defeated, he obliged, gently rubbing his bruising face.

Kagura looked around the security guard looming in front of her; she could just barely make out the Prince signing Ms. Higurashi's discharge paperwork and ordering an ambulance to drive them to the palace. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as she watched her target being wheeled out of her room.

Pushing past the security guard, she rushed to the entourage making it's way to the door. "Prince Takahashi!" She called.

Turning, he looked at the nurse who had taken care of Kagome for the duration of her stay. "Keep going, I'll be there in a second." He called to the nurses pushing her to the ambulance. "Yes, Kagura? We're in a bit of a hurry."

"Can I nurse her at the Palace? I'm sorry it's an unconventional request, but I've grown quite attached to her in her time here and I'd like to see her through to full health." She asked hopefully.

He looked her over carefully and pulled out a card from his wallet. "Call this number and have them run a security check. If you clear it, you can start work tomorrow. You've been good to Ms. Higurashi in her time here and it would be good for there to be someone whose watched her progress looking after her." She nodded at him. "I look forward to seeing you again." Turning past her, he rushed toward the ambulance bay.

Once he was out of sight, a wicked smile consumed her features. It was perfect. She could get Intel within the palace and get her hands on Kagome and her daughter. This was easier than shooting fish in a barrel.

There was a lot of murmuring going through the room. "Is that a sighting?" The tall silver haired man asked. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and his first two buttons were undone, leaving his tie loose. Sweat rolled down his forehead, illuminated by the wall of screens in front of him. The video clip replayed, a man with long dark hair wearing a black suit slid into a building with a tinted front, looking over his shoulder as he did. "That's him." He said, pointing his finger at the screen. After watching thirty hours of video footage, they had finally found proof he had been at the cocaine factory on the outskirts of town. They couldn't confirm he had bought anything yet, but he was hopeful that within the next hour of footage they would see him exiting with a package. He let out a sigh and smiled, this hadn't completely nailed him, but it might be just enough evidence to get a search warrant.

"Sesshomaru!" A petite, brown haired woman called, waving a folder above her head as she raced toward him. "I've got it!" Her white button up shirt was open at the top, precariously coming untucked from her gray suit pants. Sesshomaru looked up at her, his smile widening.

"Rin, what have you got?" He sat up and leaned forward in his chair.

"The mob's finances for the last three years. Our undercover found their black book in the safe, just like you thought it would be. This will confirm their money laundering and at least get him booked for fraud. Sesshomaru, this is it. We've got him for something." She beamed at him, excitement causing her heart to pound in her chest.

"It's been four years. Four years and we've finally gotten him for something. No judge will overlook this evidence." He put his elbows on his knees and let his head fall, exhaustion overtaking him. Gently, he reached out and took Rin's hand in his.

She gently squeezed it and smiled down at the man that had been her mentor for the last four years. She had been here from the start of the Onigumo mob hunt. Sesshomaru had mentored her from her first day, ushering her from one section of the Bureau to the other, explaining it all so quickly she couldn't keep up with him. He had been so absorbed with catching Naraku that he couldn't see anything else, refusing to work on any other case, and being the Prince, he could do so. Within the next year, he founded the task force dedicated specifically to tracking mob activities. She had been lucky enough to be specifically chosen by him to transfer into it, and as his partner nonetheless.

She rose through the ranks as his partner, bringing down many of Naraku's underlings. They had gone undercover together and been through shootouts that would shake veterans to their core. Stake outs had always been their favorite, cracking jokes while they passed thermoses of coffee around until they saw the perp or morning, whichever came first.

"Sesshomaru, why don't you stay the night at my place?" He looked up at her, his molten eyes glowing in the dim lighting of the room.

"I'd like nothing better." A lustful smile graced his lips as he pulled himself up.

Ileana sat on the couch in the parlor playing with a doll as her grandmother's watched her. It had been four days since she'd seen her mother, and worry was starting to take its toll on her tiny body. Big tears welled up in her green eyes as she pulled her favorite doll to her chest.

"Nana, when is Mummy coming home?" She sniffled as tears rolled down her cheeks. This was the longest they had ever been separated and she was scared she'd never see her Mum again.

Kitori rushed forward and cradled her against her chest. She had been waiting for it all to crash down in her little brain. "She should be coming home today, baby." Gently, she stroked her silver hair. It seemed too thick around her face, or maybe her face was smaller. Ileana hadn't been eating as much as normal since Kagome went to the hospital; she hadn't been herself since she saw her get carried away.

Izayoi joined them on the floor, "It'll be okay, Hun. She's in great hands." Sobs rocked Ileana's body as she cried, letting out all of the feelings that had built up inside of her. She didn't understand most of what she felt, she just knew it felt funny and she didn't like it.

She nodded against Kitori's shoulder and tried to stop crying, failing miserably. Kitori sat back on her heels and gently rocked her until she wore herself out and fell asleep.

The two women looked at each other sadly. Understanding that her mother's injuries had taken a major toll on their granddaughter. Kitori gently laid her back on the couch and covered her with the throw laid across the back of it.

There was a commotion in the hall that attracted their attention and drew them to the door. In the hall, Inuyasha was walking down the hallway pushing Kagome in front of him in a wheelchair. Her head lolled in sleep. The women's eyes lit up as they saw their children. Before they had a chance to say anything, Inuyasha had wheeled her into her bedroom and shut the door behind him.

They smiled warmly at each other in relief, both ecstatic to see Kagome home.

Gently, Inuyasha lifted Kagome out of the wheelchair and laid her gently in bed, tucking her under the covers. Sighing, he looked at her once more and headed for the door. Turning off the light, he went to turn the doorknob. "Inuyasha." Kagome called, having sat up.

He turned and looked back at her. "Yeah, Kagome."

"Why are you doing all this?" Her voice was hitched and full of emotion.

Now was the moment of truth for him, he had told himself he was going to tell her how he felt once she woke up. "Because I, um, because I care about your well being." He inwardly cursed himself.

"Is that all?" He walked closer to her. "Is that really all, Inuyasha?" His wall was breaking as he heard her voice crack, he couldn't keep from her what he was feeling. Between her and Ileana his thoughts were a jumbled mess, leaving him completely unhinged and vulnerable.

In one stride her face was in his hands as he crashed his lips to hers. It was a fierce kiss that left her head spinning more than any painkiller ever could. Carefully, she touched his face. Pulling back, he looked at her fiercely. "No, Kagome, that's not really all. I love you, damn it. I always have." His lips met hers again as a single tear rolled down her cheek, happiness enveloping her.

A couple hours later there was a tiny knock at the door. Stirring, Kagome felt the warmth of another body beside her. Glancing over, she saw the Inuyasha fast asleep, his hand wrapped around her gently. His silver hair spilled out around his face, illuminated in the moonlight. Her heart hitched looking at him. The knock sounded again, fainter this time.

"Come in," Kagome called. The big door creaked open, silhouetting a tiny, shaking frame in the bright lights of the hallway.

"Mummy?" A sniffling voice asked, not taking her hand off the doorknob.

"Yeah, baby. Come here." Her heart soared as Ileana raced to the bed as quickly as she could, the door slowly closing behind her, taking the light with it. Ileana climbed up onto the bed beside her mother and snuggled into her side under the crook of her arm. Kagome gently stroked the hair that covered her face and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "I'm home now, Ileana. Promise."

She could feel the tears running down her face through the soft fabric of her nightgown. "I was scared Mummy. I was so scared." Her voice hitched as her tiny body rocked with sobs. Inuyasha stirred next to Kagome, Ileana's focus on her Mom had made her blind to the man at her side.

"I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean to scare you. I'll get better quickly, I promise. I only have to be in bed a couple more days. You've just gotta be careful not to hug me to hard or bump me. I'll be running around with you in no time." She giggled, her tears drying up. "Did Grandma or Nana take you to meet Kaede?"

Her head nodded. "She gave me more pancakes! And cake, and cookies, and candy!" Kagome laughed softly, the old woman sure knew how to make someone forget about their worries with sweets.

Kagome knew Inuyasha was dying to lift his head up and see her, but he laid casually with his hands behind his head looking up at the canopy. Light from the full moon was the only thing that illuminated her dark bedroom. Ileana and Inuyasha's hair shone brightly, casting a glow across the three of them. With her right hand, she gently nudged Inuyasha.

He stood up and walked toward the lamp on the other side of the room, Ileana sat up abruptly and stared at his dark shadow, finally aware he was there. The only part of him she could see was his hair, "Uncle Sesshy?" She asked timidly.

"No, Ileana. That man is your father." The light turned on, blindingly. Leaving Inuyasha bathed in iridescent light. Her eyes were as wide as saucers as she took him in.

Stay tuned for another chapter!