Kagome closed her eyes, this couldn't be happening. It was starting all over again, and this time she would have to do it alone. Sesshomaru was there, but regardless of his promise Kagome didn't see him as the type of person to fight for the innocent. Rin had been an exeption , a very surprising one.

"Naraku's soul, hmmm." Sesshomaru said, "I'm curious as to how he was trapped. Whoever did this either have to be there when he died and absorbed it then or knew where his remains were."

"He didn't have any remains." Kagome said "When Inuyasha destroyed him there was nothing left, not of him or any of hi followers."

"Are you sure? He's hid parts of himself before."

Kagome grew pale, what if some part of Naraku had survived? Even in his weakened states he was still very powerful, whoever had done this was more powerful than Naraku!

It was too much for Kagome to take in after the attack, she leaned back into the pillow and fell asleep.

Sesshomaru left Kagome to her rest, this was a new development and there was much planning to be done. The jewel held the soul of a very powerful demon who had not adapted to the future as himself and others; if Naraku were set free it would be disastrous. It wouldn't take much to free either, any idiot priest or priestess unaware of the contents could mistake him for an evil spirit and attempt to exorcise him. The jewel would have to be kept safe.

Sesshomaru walked into his bedroom and removed his suit jacket and shirt, he despised wearing modern suits, and they were uncomfortable and cheaply made no matter what the designer insisted. He missed the feel of silk robes and cold armor on his skin, but he never wore his old clothes. He didn't want to risk growing accustomed to them again and looking out of place in modern clothing. Wearing only pants would be enough.

He sat down on a chair and stared at the pink jewel, inside he could make out Naraku's face. The hanyou looked very angry. Sesshomaru smirked at him, let the worthless creature rot in the jewel, he had no care for Naraku, just the consequences his being loose in modern Japan. Sesshomaru stood up and walked across the room to a large ink painting of a tiger on the wall, he removed it and slid the hidden panel aside underneath it. A small green stone glowed, Naraku held his hand over it and the light faded. The wall slid open completely, and Naraku walked into his vault. In the middle of the room were decorative stands with swords on them; Bakusaiga, Tenseiga and Tetseiga.

Tenseiga was the fabled sword of life, Tetsiega of death and Bakusaiga of power. With Bakusaiga he had the ability to regain his lost limb, but preferred his enemies not be aware of it. Let them think he had a weakness they could exploit, in the end it would be their undoing. Sesshomaru could summon Bakusaiga to him at any time regardless of where he was, simply being in its presence allowed him the power to regenerate his lost limb.

On the back wall were a series of small shelves and pedestals which Sesshomaru kept small objects of power. Miroku's nenju and Sango's wakizashi were there as well as the kotodama no nenju that Kaeda had cursed Inuyasha with. All of these items held spiritual energy of their previous owners and could be useful to those who knew how to exploit them. Sesshomaru placed the jewel on the small, empty shelf at the very top of the wall. No one but he could enter this room, so it was the safest place to keep it hidden.

Turning around, Sesshomaru left the vault and sealed it. He walked over to the phone and called one of his servants, the girl would be here for a few days and she would need food.

* * *

The next seventy-two hours were an exhausting, pain-filled hell. And Sesshomaru was sure Kagome didn't enjoy it anymore than he did. But do to his connections and wealth she was healed both spiritually and physically by Sunday night. She would be able to go home and go to school the next morning. Both her mother and grandfather crowded her, asking a million questions she couldn't answer as well as making sure she was physically well. Her grandfather even threw salt on Kagome to make sure the demon hadn't possessed her. (Which unfortunately got in her eye, making a restful sleep very difficult.)

The next morning, like clockwork, the car pulled up to the curb in front of the Higarashi shrine. Kagome was waiting, bag in hand and ready to be safely escorted to school. The ride was uneventful, Sesshomaru once again reading a file, refusing to even look up and acknowledge her. Jakken dropped Kagome off in front of the school and she went to class as she always did, ignored the whispers of her classmates and even had lunch with Hojo, (who couldn't figure out who had prank called him or why).

He was especially sweet to her going over her notes and homework and helping her with the parts she didn't understand or had copied incorrectly. After school he carried her books to Sesshomaru's car (and was kind enough not bother her with questions about her mysterious ride.) Kagome felt light and happy. The day had been blissfully demon free and she and Hojo seemed to finally be making a connection. She leaned her head against the luxurious upholstery and sighed. It had been a good day.

Hojo waived goodbye to Kagome and then got on his own ride. He had spent all day finding excuses to go through Kagome's possessions and still had not discovered the jewel. His legs pumped harder as he sped up, his master was not going to be happy. He would have to hurry if he was going to make the train to Yokohama, it was bad enough he hadn't found the jewel, but if he kept the master waiting he would be putting his very life in danger.

Luckily, Hojo got off the train at Yokohama station just as the car was pulling up. The chauffer collected him and drove towards the Minato Maria 21district, making excellent time as the chauffer also knew the dangers of making the master wait.

Hojo got out of the car and ran into the large skyscraper and took the service elevator to the seventy-seventh floor. The door did not open, instead a small key pad slid out of the wall, no one could enter his office without the code. Hojo punched in the numbers and walked down the lavishly decorated hall, past a blonde secretary and into the office. Sitting behind an antique desk was the demon who had been the master and proprietor of his family for centuries; The Great Fox Lord Shippo.

"Did you find the jewel?" Lord Shippo asked

"No Lord Hippo." Hojo said, falling to his knees and bowing his forehead to the ground.

"I looked in her bag and went through all of her folders and books but it wasn't there."

"Did you even bother to check her person? She used to wear the jewel on a chain around her neck."

"Yes Lord Shippo, she wasn't wearing any jewelry."

Shippo stood up, he was an imposing figure. Over six feet tall, his long, red hair fell down to his four tails, his claws were sharpened to perfection and his pointed fangs grew at the corners of his mouth menacingly. Hojo was sure he was going to die.

"It's alright Hojo," Shippo finally said "Sesshomaru is obviously hiding it somewhere. Your search today has helped us pinpoint its location. You did well."

Hojo looked up at Lord Shippo, a look of relief on his face as his lord motioned for him to stand.

"You may go home, but on your way out tell Kirara I would like some hot chocolate."

Hojo nodded and quickly left the room, making sure to tell his receptionist about the hot chocolate. A few moments later, the disguised cat demon walked into Shippo's office with a piping hot cup.

"That was quite theatrical." She commented "You always act so tough with their family but we both know you're a big softie."

Shippo smiled, Kirara was the only creature who could talk to him like this; he enjoyed it.

"Do you really think Sesshomaru would hurt her?"

"Of course!" Shippo said "After the way he murdered Inuyasha in his own bed and then dumped his corpse down the well as if it were trash, he obviously has ulterior motive."

"So do you." Kirara pointed out "You worry about Kagome's safety but you also want to remove Kikyo's essence so you can harness the power of the Shikon no Tama."

"I'm not using her. As long as Kikyo is part of her she's in danger. Even young demons hear stories of the legendary priestess. Yes, I may be using the situation to my advantage, but that doesn't mean my intentions are any less selfless."

"You know what they say about intentions." Kirara said as she took the empty cup from Shippo.

"Yes." He said looking out his window at Tokyo bay "I do."