J: I know its been forever since that last update! This time it wasn't really my fault! The demon known as Writer's Block kept putting walls up after almost every single paragraph! ON TOP OF THAT! This chapter was originally written much longer but during the typing process I realized I could split it into two and make the second half even longer! This chapter is what you would call "tiny moment of plot advancement wrapped in filler!" HAHA!

THANKS TO: Lakeya2700, kitsune-snuggler12, Kagome past and Present, Goddessofanime2003, Tempest S, PurpleGoddess9, Kagome Pureheart, RYNO IV, Kairi8913, Ehren Mae, RangerRainbow, HanaithsFury, Slytherin's Pimp, and Heieisbest.

J: Man look at all you new reviewers, gave me a work out trying to make sure I spelt your usernames right :) But love you all for your comments, some of them were quite entertaining to read.

AND

You all once again have Angel-Rias for Betaing this piece of fun.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Inuyasha characters!

Chapter Fourteen

"Hello Mr. Taishou." Kagome kept her voice low as Shippo was asleep on the couch.

"Ms. Higaurashi." Sesshomaru glanced down at his wrist watch; it was nine at night, a rather late time for a social call.

"I know its late Mr. Taishou but I wanted to properly thank you. When I went to pay for the hospital bill I was told you'd already paid it off." When she'd been told that Shippo's bill had been paid off by Sesshomaru, Kagome had gone straight to the conclusion that he thought she was too poor to afford the medical expenses. At the parent meeting she reconsidered his intentions, he'd protected her from Mr. Zaki's attack so perhaps it wasn't pity but another way to help her. After giving it more thought Kagome decided she was grateful, the bill for Shippo's brief stay at the hospital and herbal tea would have put a substantial strain on her savings.

"It is not necessary to repay me Ms. Higaurashi." Sesshomaru sounded as he always did, making it difficult for Kagome to tell if he was just saying it or if he actually meant it.

"Even though you say that I would still like to show my gratitude. I was wondering if you would mind Rin spending tomorrow here with me and Shippo. Shippo's been getting restless cooped up inside for two days so I thought a play date would make him feel better."

Sesshomaru pulled out his palm pilot to review his schedule for Saturday. He had a few meetings' and two crucial proposals to draw contracts up for. If Rin spent the day with Shippo and Kagome then he would have more time to work without having to worry about Rin becoming lonely at home. 'Her apartment is well protected and a suitable environment. Kagome is also capable of handling any threats that should appear if they were to leave her building.' "Very well Ms. Higaurashi, what time is acceptable for Rin to be dropped off?"

Kagome smiled, delighted that Sesshomaru approved, "Any time after 9 is fine. Oh before I forget, does Rin have a favourite food she'd like for lunch?"

"Hn, she is partial to takoyaki and sushi." Sesshomaru had been pleased the day he'd found out Rin loved sushi, although he didn't necessarily need human food to sustain himself he'd been quite taken with sushi and all the different combinations it afforded.

"That's great! I'll be sure to make my super special sushi for her then. Thank you Mr. Taishou, I look forward to seeing you and Rin tomorrow morning."

"Hn." Sesshomaru hung up the phone and leaned back in his office chair. His mind replayed their conversation picking out the moments when she'd been different. Any other time they interacted with each other Kagome's behaviour had been calm and orderly. During the parent meeting yesterday he'd seen a new side to her. At that time she'd been direct, assertive and even threatening. His beast stirred at the memory of Kagome's display of power, using the table as a medium for her attack had been...creative and effective.

In the brief conversation they'd just had he'd learned a new aspect of her personality. She'd still been direct with him in what she'd wanted but there had been no threat. Her voice came across as open, energetic, and friendly. 'Much like Rin.' Her optimism had increased when he agreed to let Rin play with Shippo. One thing he was slightly curious about was this super special sushi she mentioned. He'd tried numerous different kinds of sushi and couldn't think of any way for one kind to be 'super special.' He would learn about the sushi tomorrow when he picked up Rin, for the time being he would be patient and wait to learn more.

"Shippo be careful you don't get your head stuck between the bars again." Kagome was at the sink washing their breakfast dishes when she called this out to Shippo.

After telling him that Rin was going to spend the day, he'd been anxious and constantly running out onto the balcony to watch for Rin's car. It was getting close to 10 o'clock which was when Kagome guessed that they would arrive. Sesshomaru seemed like the kind of man that would start his weekend work day at a more forgiving hour on the weekend, so it would make sense for him to drop Rin off on his way to work.

Shippo heard the warning but couldn't help but press himself against the bars so he could see the car the instant it came into view. His wound was little more than a thin healing cut on his back now. It was stiff to bend forward or stretch out to much but other than that he could move around freely again. The tip of the black car came into sight around the corner, "Mama they're here!" He continued to watch on the tip of his toes as the car parked and the back doors opened.

Kagome dried her hands on the dish towel and joined Shippo out on the balcony. Looking down she spotted Rin and Sesshomaru instantly.

Rin was dressed for a day of fun in a long sleeved white shirt and pink overalls. Sesshomaru was dressed for work in his usual black and white work suit and the charm concealing his silver hair and golden eyes. 'It's such a shame he conceals his true features, he's handsome as a human but his demon traits are breathtaking.' Keeping this admiration to herself, she fought the momentary dark direction of her thoughts, she waved with Shippo when Rin looked up and spotted them on the balcony. It was a good day after all.

"Look Papa Shippo's on the balcony." Sesshomaru followed Rin's gaze up to the second floor where Kagome and Shippo stood waving down at them.

Shippo had prepared for the day just like Rin had and was dressed in well worn black pants and a long sleeved teal shirt. Kagome had dressed for a relaxing day in blue jeans, a light blue t-shirt and an indigo cardigan sweater over top. This was the first time he'd seen her with her hair let down. The morning sun's light seemed to ripple over her hair showing him that genetics had given her hair a bit of a wave. He could tell it was natural since Kagome almost never smelt of cosmetics or other hair care chemicals meant to produce the effect. The fact that he'd taken notice of her hair wouldn't register until later while in his office.

Continuing on into the building and up the stairs, Sesshomaru noticed a substantial change to the air. 'The reek of human filth is gone, as if it's been cleansed...Or purified.' Reaching out with his senses, Sesshomaru found what he'd expected. At some point since their last visit Kagome had purified the building to remove the noxious odors from the air.

Kagome was waiting with the door open, "Good morning Mr. Taishou, good morning Rin."

"Good morning!" Rin's smile nearly touched her ears she was so happy, "Thank you for inviting me over to play Ms. Higurashi."

"I was more than happy to invite you Rin." Kagome's sincerity when saying this was evident in the smile Kagome gave back to Rin.

Rin ran into the room to tackle and hug Shippo, leaving the adults to talk, "I forgot to ask last night, does Rin have any allergies?"

Sesshomaru gave a small shake of his head, "She has no allergies but spicy foods don't agree with her stomach. I'll come back for Rin tonight at 7:30."

"That shouldn't be a problem, I've got a lot planned for today but most of it will be here. If you have any concerns or just want to check in don't hesitate to call." Kagome could tell by the way Sesshomaru constantly shifted his gaze over to Rin that he was a little hesitant to leave her.

"Hn." Sesshomaru was slightly uncomfortable leaving his little girl with a woman he'd spent so few hours with, but it was the recollection of all the things he knew about Kagome that made it an easier decision.

Rin made sure to give her Papa a good bye hug before going to the balcony with Kagome and Shippo to wave as his car left.

Kagome crouched down to Rin's eye level to ask, "What would you like to do until lunch time Rin?"

Rin knew exactly what she'd like to do, "Shippo says you have finger paints'."

Kagome nodded, not surprised by this choice, "That's right. We also have really big paper just for finger painting. You and Shippo can get the paints out of the closet and I'll set the table up." Eager to make a master piece the two ran off for the closet while Kagome went to her bedroom to get the large roll of art paper she'd bought for her little artist.

First, she covered the table with newspapers and then tore off two lengthy pieces of paper for each of them. Rin came running back to the table first, carrying the red and blue paint, while Shippo staggered over behind her with the green paint. The bottles were quite big and heavy for him but Kagome knew Shippo liked to do his share of the work to prove he was responsible.

After they put the bottles on the table, they raced back to the closet to get the rest of the paint. Kagome got out paper plates and poured the three colours on two plates. When Shippo and Rin returned with the black, yellow and white paint she added them to the plates. Kagome doubted they would fight over the colours but to be safe she'd given them each a plate with each colour. "Before we start I want you to roll up your sleeves. The paint can be washed out but we don't want your Papa coming back and seeing you coloured like a rainbow." Rin and Shippo giggled at the kind of face Sesshomaru would make if Rin was all different colours.

Their sleeves neatly rolled up Kagome watched them dive into the paint and begin making something beautiful. Trusting them not to paint their faces, she got to work making lunch.

At the main Taishou building Sesshomaru sat staring at his computer. After leaving Rin with Kagome and Shippo he'd gone to work expecting himself to be fully concentrated on everything he needed to get done. Instead he found himself wondering when he'd ever left Rin with someone else. The answer to his question was never. Except for school, Sesshomaru had never left Rin with anyone other than Jaken, and even then the toad didn't really count since Rin was still at home. This lead Sesshomaru to wonder whether this was a good or bad thing?

In the midst of his musings, his secretary paged him, "Mr. Taishou, your brother is here to speak to you."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow, 'Results or more pieces that can't complete the puzzle?' "Send him in."

Not even a second after saying this Inuyasha burst through the door in a clear fit of rage, "You're never going to believe what I found. Whoever this bastard is, is on a whole new level of sick and twisted!"

Reaching his desk, Inuyasha slapped down a manila envelope, unable to sit still, Inuyasha paced waiting for Sesshomaru to read the new information.

Curious as to what could enrage his half-brother Sesshoumaru slit open the envelope and pulled out the contents. Two pictures showed him what looked to be a door frame that was burnt and falling to pieces from two different angles. Not seeing the importance he read over the paper that had come with the two pictures. His eyes narrowed as he reread the information. Looking back up to Inuyasha he asked, "Where did you find this?"

"Let's just say it was misplaced and buried in a box that no one thought to ever look in." Inuyasha's tone made it clear that he wouldn't say outright that he'd found a weak line in the authorities.

Placing the paper down Sesshomaru felt ready to start ranting and pacing like Inuyasha, "What do you call someone that nails the doors closed on a building he burns with a family still inside?"

"A homicidal maniac sending a message. I thought this creep was just your run of the mill arsonist/murderer with money. Now we're looking at a creature that has no sense of remorse or moral. A thing like this wouldn't just cover his tracks and run, he's still out there and he's probably still bent on continuing whatever he's doing." Inuyasha had stopped pacing, his fangs were bared in a clear sign of how infuriated he was that a person like this was still breathing.

Remembering all the protective spells on Kagome's home Sesshomaru glared down at the pictures, "Kagome knew this already."

J: Before you go off to ponder what is going to happen in the next chapter I just wanted to say one or two things.

1st: I am making a kick ass title page for this story, once it's done I am definitely going to let you all know :)

2nd: Starting now I'm making a game happen! It's called TRUTH COOKIES!

RULES OF TRUTH COOKIES

A truth cookie is something I reward you with if you A) Are a 50th or 100th reviewer OR B) You answer one of my randomly placed questions first!

What does a truth cookie do? A truth cookie is basically ONE question that I will answer truthfully no matter what. The question can be anything about this story, any other stories I'm writing or even about myself if you're nosy enough XD HOWEVER Any answer I provide is strictly confidential and must be kept between you and me!

So I'm starting the game now with an easy question!

Where is the slip up that Sesshomaru makes in regards to his familiarity with Kagome in this chapter?

HINT: IT IS SOMETHING HE SAYS

READY, SET, GO!