Kagome shook her head; she didn't particularly like Sesshomaru and would be happy to have a reason to distrust him. But this didn't make sense, why Sesshomaru go out of his way to protect and save her if he had intended to harm her? When it came too scheming, Sesshomaru preferred quick results, his time was more precious than others and over the top schemes with elaborate time tables were beneath him. (Especially if that time table spanned half a millennium. Sesshomaru just wasn't that patient.)

"That doesn't make sense," Kagome said "if he were planning something why did he save from the demon attack last week."

"How do you know he didn't plan it?" Shippo asked

"Why would he?"

"To get you to trust him. I've had a few people watching over you, making sure you were safe and they've reported that he's been driving you to and from school."

"Yes," Kagome said "but on the day I got attacked I snuck out the back entrance. I don't like driving with him."

"Isn't it a little convenient that the one day since he's approached you, you go off alone and then get attacked? Why not before? And I'll bet he saved you just before the demon killed you."

Kagome's mouth went dry, Shippo was right Sesshomaru had arrived literary in the knick of time. And how had he known what was happening, Kagome had been almost a mile away. True, his sense of smell was extraordinary but it didn't tell him if she were having her soul sucked out.

Kagome sat down on the floor, everything was upside down again.

"Kagome, I don't know what Sesshomaru has planned but I won't let him hurt you. I don't want to provoke him into something when I'm not prepared so I'm going to continue to have my people follow you. You won't who they are or where but if he tries to hurt you they'll be there."

With those parting words Shippo handed her a small card with his address and private cell phone number on it and then left. He smirked as he walked down the temple stairs; she was confused and starting to distrust Sesshomaru. Everything was going according to his plans.

Had Shippo bothered to check his surroundings (a lesson Inuyasha tried on more than one occasion to drill into his head) he would've noticed he was not alone. Hidden in an alley across the street was Sesshomaru, casually waiting on his motorcycle for the fox demon.

Both of his arms intact, (something he preferred when riding) Sesshomaru was ready to pounce on the little brat, but knew better. He needed to wait this out and have patience. Shippo was a powerful adversary, both in the demon and human worlds. As a businessman he owned the largest candy company in Asia, as a demon he had once killed the Great Demon Lord Koga and his entire wolf pack. Not sure why or how Shippo was involved with the previous attack, Sesshomaru approached with caution. Shippo had just gotten into a card driven by cat demon that had once been companion to Inuyasha and his friends, Edging out of the alley, Sesshomaru hit his kick start and followed them.

"How did it go?" Kirara asked

"Good." Shippo answered "she doubts him. I need him out of the picture if I'm going to truly keep her protected, Sesshomaru has too many enemies and she's an easy target. Just like that flea bitten wolf."

"I still don't see why you had to kill Koga."

"He was planning on waiting for her and then carrying her off to be a part of his pack again. With his wife dead and the knowledge that Inuyasha would be out of her life Koga knew he might convince Kagome to actually say yes this time. She shouldn't be in such a dangerous situation."

"So what exactly is the situation you're putting her in?" Kirara inquired with her no nonsense voice.

"I'm keeping the situation carefully monitored. Besides, none of the others could've protected her, not the way I can."

"Sometimes I wonder if you're just trying to compensate for being a child and unable to do more when Naraku was still alive."

Shippo said nothing; instead he glanced into the rear view mirror hoping to see something that would take his mind off of the unpleasant conversation.

"Are we being followed?"

Kirara checked the mirror and saw the rider tailing them at a safe distance of about twenty kilometers. Testing him, she made a few random turns and stops, he was always there, exactly twenty kilometers behind them.

Shippo reached behind his seat and pulled out the talisman that allowed him to expand his abilities, opening the moon roof; he stood up and aimed at the rider. Fox fire shot out at the mystery stalker.

Sesshomaru turned around quickly and drove off the road into nearby park, but the fire continued to chase its target. It was relentless, the spell cast on it would keep it following its target to the ends the earth and beyond. Seeing no other alternative, Sesshomaru stopped and let the fire take him, burning his body to nothing but ash.