A/N: Sorry about the delay you guys! I know it's been well over half a year since I updated, but I was in my final semester of University. I'm now a proud graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Which means I can now update the story occasionally. The other part of the long break was I couldn't figure out what to write. I came back to it every few months but I couldn't figure out where to go with the story. I had an epiphany today though and so I wiped up this chapter. I should have another up later this week (or maybe tomorrow) so let's see what you guys think of this chapter first!

I've rewritten Chapter 13 in order to fix a few plot holes and hopefully get the story back on track. It seems I released a far too convenient reunion of Inuyasha and Ileana and I want to fix that.

I've missed you guys! Hope you enjoy!

13

Her mind was reeling. Before her, Inuyasha stood in a black singlet that hung loosely untucked from his black suit pants that were wrinkled beyond repair. His hair was messy from his nap, but his eyes shone brighter than the moon outside as he took in Ileana sitting at the foot of the bed staring at him.

He knew the first second he saw her, why Kagome had gone to such lengths to protect her. Her silver hair encompassed her face, making it appear to glow in the light. Her brilliant green eyes carefully absorbed every detail of him; she was so small compared to the massive bed she sat on. There was no denying that she was a Takahashi as her face carefully masked what she was thinking.

"Hello, Ileana." Inuyasha said softly. Her eyes didn't leave him, nor did she move toward him. The silence that enveloped the room was deafening as she surveyed him. A small whisper escaped Ileana's lips that neither adult heard, but Inuyasha froze as her face twisted angrily.

"Go away." She repeated louder, not taking her eyes off of her father's. Worry and disbelief filled Kagome as she looked between Ileana and Inuyasha. She didn't understand where her daughter's sudden outburst came from. Inuyasha made to step toward the bed but Ileana screamed louder. "Go away!"

"Ileana, what's wrong?" Kagome tentatively sat up further and laid her hand on Ileana's back. She had never seen her have an outburst like this from her before.

"Ile-" Inuyasha started to say, but was cut off by a blood curdling scream from the tiny body sitting next to Kagome. Ileana had covered her ears and started screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Kagome!" A muffled voice called from the other side of the door. There was a loud thump on it before it swung open. Izayoi and Kitori rushed into the room and took in the scene. Their eyes widened for a split second as they looked between their children and then jumped into action.

"Inuyasha! Get out!" Izayoi yelled, pointing toward the door. He hesitated, looking at Ileana with longing. "Now!" She said pulling him through the door. He stared inside from the doorframe with a hurt look as she slammed the door in his face.

At the same time, Kitori moved quickly to her granddaughter and softly stroked the top of Ileana's head and called her name. "Ileana." When the screaming didn't subside, her toned hardened. "Ileana." When the little girl heard the door slam, the screaming stopped, leaving a deafening silence in its wake.

Ignoring her grandmother, Ileana tucked herself tightly against Kagome in an almost protective manner. The whole incident had lasted less than a minute, but Kagome was shaken. Between the painkillers and the shock of Ileana's outburst, she couldn't process what had just transpired. Stunned, she wrapped her arm around the tiny frame pressed against her.

Izayoi and Kitori exchanged a glance and sat down on either side of the two girls sitting in the bed. "Kagome, what happened?" Izayoi asked softly.

She shook her head and tried to clear her muddied thoughts a bit. "I don't know. Inuyasha and I must have fallen asleep earlier while we were talking. Ileana came in and woke us up, but she didn't see Inuyasha lying there. I couldn't think of another way to explain who he was, so I told her he was her father. She was quite for a while and they just looked at each other, but then she told him to get out and when he didn't she started screaming." She looked at her mother. "Mum, I've never seen Ileana like that before. She got this really angry look on her face when she told him to leave."

Izayoi held a hand up to her mouth and stifled a laugh. Kagome jerked her head toward her and stared as the older woman tried to control herself. A small knowing smile crossed Kitori's lips as she gathered what had happened. Gently, she stroked Kagome's shoulder.

"Oh dear." Izayoi laughed looking between Kagome and Ileana. "You've just experienced your first Takahashi temper tantrum." The worried look on Kagome's face faded a little as she looked down at Ileana, who had fallen asleep as the women talked. "Somewhere between you getting hurt and your overwhelming news, she must have gotten upset, probably over the fact that someone else was in here with you when she came in. More than likely, she hasn't even processed what you told her."

Kitori nodded understandingly, agreeing with her counterpart. "Kagome, you have been blessed to have such a happy and easy going child. She's always taken everything in stride and never so much as thrown a fit. Some would even say she's more mature than some adults are!" She softly stroked Ileana's hair. "But, sometimes we forget she's just a child. All of the stress of these last week has taken its toll on her. Especially with you getting injured and not seeing you for days. Then the first day she sees you again, she finds you with someone else instead of alone like we've all told her you've been, and she got jealous. When you told her he was her father, she probably just melted down mentally and got upset. It's absolutely normal for her to react like this, especially given the circumstances."

Exhausted, Kagome leaned back against the pillows stacked behind her. Closing her eyes, she nodded. "That makes sense. I'm sorry I reacted so absentmindedly." The worry had washed off of her face by this point, and she gently grasped the two women's hands. "I had just never seen her that way before and freaked out." She opened her eyes and smiled. "You're right Mum, I am extremely lucky. I've never gotten mad at her, let alone yelled at her! She is probably the most behaved toddler on the planet, but it was nice to see her act her age. Even if it was in a situation like this."

Izayoi squeezed her fingers softly. "She'll be just fine in the morning. If she's anything like her father, you can bet she'll have a few more of those outbursts in the upcoming years. He would always throw fits just like that when Sesshomaru would try to play with his toys." She laughed as she remembered.

"Now you two should probably get some sleep. Izayoi and I were on our way to have a cup of tea when we heard the commotion. If you need us we'll be in the parlor down the hall, just call for us and we'll come." Kagome nodded and scooted down in the covers, softly pulling at her injury as she did. Both of the women kissed the top of her head as they got up to leave the room.

"Good night." They said softly, turning the light off on their way out.

Inuyasha paced back and forth in front of Kagome's bedroom door as he replayed what had happened. He just couldn't understand what had happened no matter how hard he tried. Had he said something wrong? No, he'd barely said anything. Had it been too much for her? Probably, she was just a child. Regardless, he couldn't sit still.

She was more beautiful than he had imagined she'd be. She had her mother's eyes and her calculating expression. Her hair was definitely from him though; it had mesmerized even him as he took it in. Seeing her in such close proximity, his brain finally processed that he was a father. Knowing she existed and seeing her from a far was one thing, but now that he had been near her he longed for her. He wanted to get to know her, play with her, protect her.

Exhausted, he collapsed in the chair against the wall. The nap he'd had with Kagome had been nice, but it hadn't been enough. If anything it had made him more tired than before. Too much had happened in the last few hours and his emotions were a wreck because of the two women in his life. He wanted to scream too.

Suddenly, the door to the bedroom opened and he found himself on his feet. "Is she okay?" He asked, panic slightly tingeing his words.

Izayoi and Kitori smiled at each other as they closed the door. "They're both fine." His mother told him. "It was all just too much for her. You used to throw fits just like that when you were her age, I'm surprised it's taken her this long to have a reaction like this."

He straightened up and relaxed internally. "That's good. I'll leave you ladies then." Turning, he quickly walked down the hall toward his own room.

"Nothing like a worried father. Inu no Taisho used to act the same way when he was worried." Giggling, Izayoi took Kitori's arm. "Let's go get that tea before it gets any later, dear."

Kagome had been asleep when she checked on her during her nightly rounds. Thankfully, she had stayed in bed throughout the day and hadn't torn any of her stitches again. Even still, she was bound to be in pain. At the rate she was going, she should be able to walk around in another day or two and if she takes it easy should be completely healed in a few weeks. She had even opened the windows of her room to let in some fresh air to speed up the process.

But none of that concerned her, or so she kept trying to convince herself.

'My mission is set, I can't veer off of it.' She mentally chastised herself. Pulling her hood close around her head, she snuck silently into the surveillance room.

The guards were snoring silently against their chairs, used to silence that normally occurred during an overnight post at the Palace. She rolled her eyes as she stole silently over to the hard drive that housed the video surveillance and tactical plans for the entire Palace guard. Slipping a USB drive into the computer, she quickly copied the contents onto it. Ejecting the first drive, she inserted a second and played a loop on the screens.

One of the guards shifted uncomfortably in his chair, making her freeze, but he emitted a large snore shortly after. She quickly ejected the drive and pocketed it. As quietly as she entered, she stole out of the room.

Once she was in the courtyard, she pulled out her phone and pressed the speed dial. "It's done." She whispered softly, the pangs of guilt starting to envelope her as she hung up.

The second floor windows were a piece of cake for the two men that scaled the backside of the Palace. Even though it was high, their training with the Special Ops had prepared them for much worse than this.

The room was dark as they slipped into the open windows, their black masks and clothing hiding them in the shadows. The bed in the middle of the room was massive, but their objective was close to edge making it a cleaner break for them. Their mission had been clear, 'Grab and Go'.

Silently striding to the side of the bed, they saw that the foundation of the plan had been a success. Their objective was out cold with a heavy dose of painkillers, their second objective was silently sleeping but it was possible it could awake at any time.

The two men looked between each other and nodded. One produced a handkerchief with a dose of chloroform on it and placed it over the nose and mouth of the smaller objective. It never opened its eyes, but it squirmed a tiny bit before lying motionless. Picking it up, he held it in his arms and headed toward the window.

The other man picked up the main objective and gently put it over his shoulder. He too headed toward the window. The men both took their leave and scaled back down the wall.

The curtains fluttered silently in the night wind, the moon illuminating a handkerchief left abandoned on the floor.