Taking a calming breath, Miroku pressed his fingertips together and tapped them against his lips a few times before responding to another asinine accusation Sango felt the need to throw out. Bless her but sometimes her own fears about a worst case scenario got in the way of her own judgment. Even if those fears had a basis in reality. What happened on the train…

"You're basing your conclusion on one prior act. If that's the standard, what does that make me?" he finally countered - hoping beyond hope that what was being said couldn't be heard. Considering their conversation on the train had been recorded and that they'd been interrogated, it was highly likely that they were being watched like an ant under a magnifying glass. Sure they took precautions and left their registries on the other side of the house. Yes, Kagome's mother had a seemingly hefty firewall within the confines of the house. Sango's blocker wasn't as powerful but she'd thrown one up as well so there was that added protection. Also true, he trusted the girls implicitly. That being said, Kagome's grandfather was a wild card and her little brother was ten thus it within the realm of possibilities that he'd repeat something he overheard. Further, there were extremely powerful and capable hackers working for the government. If they really wanted to know, to overhear, Miroku was absolutely confident that the government would find a way.

Mainly, though, he hoped that Inuyasha wouldn't return from wherever he'd gone only to find them gossiping. The poor man has already had so much happen to him and just seemed like a lost soul more than someone with ulterior motives. What Inuyasha probably needed was a group of friends. People to rely on and trust. It was a sad thing to be all alone in the world and no matter what decision Inuyasha ultimately came to regarding the selection, Miroku genuinely hoped their group has found a fourth permanent member. Assuming, of course, that nothing else went awry.

That would require Sango holding her tongue, however, which she seemed incapable of doing at the moment.

"Please stop taking what I say personally," Sango sighed, "This is different. What's happened is different."

"Yes. I was much older when my power got the better of me and my condition is chronic. His reaction seems to be acute. The two are very different," Miroku clipped as he massaged his temple and sighed, "Sango, I really don't think he's trying to trick us or even that he was hiding anything. There's something-"

"Your issue is documented. Heavily," Sango tried a different angle while Kagome seemed to simply think about what had occurred, "Whatever he has going on is off the books. That's where the problem is. That's what I mean by different."

"Sango, I understand based upon your exper-"

"Oh you understand me, do you?" Sango snapped and Miroku sagged in annoyed defeat while Kagome wisely began finding her cuticles very interesting.

"Yes. Yes, I would say I'm qualified to understand where you are coming from. I know what you were trained to see," Miroku sighed as he pulled his eyes taut and tried to approach this accusation calmly, "But we're not dealing with a Taijiya spy or a birdwatcher. We're dealing with an innocent civilian, okay?"

"Innocent? Are you high? He's hiding something," Sango countered before glaring over her shoulder when she heard Kagome sigh.

"I think he's just scared," Kagome offered after a long moment and Miroku sent her a grateful look, "And sad. I mean, he's fresh off the worst months of his life and it's not like we've been showing him a good time."

"Well said," Miroku breathed in relief, "I am certain it will all become clearer with time."

Sango was quiet for a minute then nodded, "Fine. Maybe I'm being too harsh but I still say we need to know what he's obviously hiding. Allergy. Ability. Anything. We should ask him."

"Ah yes, for as we've learned today, interrogation tactics result in reliable responses," Miroku mumbled with a roll of his eyes, "Was there nothing in his father's registry that might have answers? A mention of-"

"Why would it say anything about him?" Sango huffed irritably from her place on the twin bed in Kagome's room.

"You stored that data, did you-" Miroku ground out.

"Can we circle back to you two being interogated?" Kagome cut in with a weary sigh, "And how someone left Inuyasha to die? I didn't know all that until now and it makes me think whatever is going on is bigger than just-"

"How did you not know? We literally told you he had a heart attack and that the medic-" Sango huffed as she glared over her shoulder.

"You just told me about being interrogated! And, well, the way you put it I thought the medic said he'd be fine and heal on his own. I was unconscious so how was I supposed that wasn't true?" Kagome clipped back as she remained sitting crossed legged atop the comforter and her back against the wall, "All I knew was that he was hurt because of me. Thought it wasn't right for him to be in pain even if he could heal himself so I -"

"That might be but we told you not to touch him," Miroku pointed out with a hint of annoyance, "And you did anyway. Moving forward, please find the nice girl I thought I knew. The one I could trust."

"You can trust me. I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry," Kagome countered a little miserably, "But if it is something as simple as him hiding an ability, wouldn't they just arrest him? Or question him themselves? Why interrogate you two? Why refuse medical treatment? It makes no sense unless there is a bigger picture we can't see."

Miroku blinked a few times and his lips parted.

"Bigger picture…"

He swallowed and sat up straighter.

"Didn't you say…" he tried to gather his thoughts before clearing his throat and shifting his hips to get more comfortable on the carpet, "You said that he sent some energy back into you when you were leaving the terminal. That there was a loop."

Sango scowled before something clicked behind her eyes even before Kagome replied.

"Not a loop. It was…like he shot me up with adrenaline," Kagome corrected awkwardly before clearing her throat and clarifying, "All I know is that I sent him calm. He gave me back anxiety. Only thing I could figure was that it was rebound or something."

"A rebound?" Sango murmured in confusion as she glanced back at Miroku who seemed equally perplexed by this clearer explanation of what occurred. Setting then resetting his jaw, Miroku's mind raced to find a reasonable explanation.

"It really could be just an allergic reaction," he finally proposed, "I've never heard of someone doing that and that doesn't explain…"

"Whatever it is hurts him," Sango sighed, "It could be Kagome's feeder tendencies interacted with whatever his ability is in a bad way? Or it could be that he's an empath who was never trained? Can't handle his abilities?"

"That's why I wanted to know what was on his fathers-"

"So…the theories are that either it's an allergy or he's secretly a feeder and a shield and a moderator? If those are the options, I'm all for team allergy. There's literally no way he'd be able to hide all that," Kagome huffed skeptically before sighing when the other two looked at her like she was crazy.

"If he was a shield, none of this-"

Kagome huffed and interrupted Whatever Miroku's point might be, "Oh come on, he blocked me in the cafeteria that time. He's a shield if nothing else."

"Well, shield or not, that doesn't explain why he'd react poorly to your healing as well," Miroku sighed, "Out of sheer dumb luck, we might've been right on the money. An allergic reaction would explain the inconsistencies. That's a completely reasonable answer."

For a moment all three were quiet before Sango cleared her throat and offered something she'd probably regret.

"It does and it doesn't," Sango offered as she anxiously played with the hem of her black shirt, "When I threw him, there a moment right before he hit the ground and I let go. A pull."

"Come again?" Miroku blurted as his eyes grew wide.

"At the time, I thought it was just…" Sango sighed while Miroku and Kagome shared a slightly panicked look, "Him being strong and resisting but I felt a little dizzy. Tired. Weak."

"How are you feeling now?" Miroku asked worriedly and Sango rolled her eyes.

"I'm fine Miroku," she sighed before she began playing with her long ponytail, "But…but it got me thinking-"

"About?" Kagome pressed curiously while Miroku still looked incredibly concerned.

"There was a bedtime story. In my family," she began slowly and with a tone that indicated how far fetched this probably was, "About one of the first 'mutants'. An all powerful being who could both give powers and take them. My father called him the collector."

"Yes. I heard that one before too," Miroku sighed with a roll of the eyes, "An all powerful all knowing invincible god like man. But that would be hundreds of years ago and no such thing actually existed."

"Excuse me, why was this a bedtime story?" Kagome laughed once despite herself and Miroku hummed in weary amusement.

"The ghost of the big bad would come take you away if you didn't follow the rules and listen to your parents," Miroku sighed with a faint smile, "My father usually told it in a playful, theatric way. A fantasy."

"And you're saying that Inuyasha might be that thing?" Kagome concluded skeptically, "And that's why things got weird at the train station? Why Sango felt a pull?"

"Of course Inuyasha is not that man but there are similar types of abilities. Rare but-" Miroku offered before setting his jaw and glancing towards the door. Violet eyes glazed over and his somewhat amused expression faded into worry.

"When I was small, around the tail end of one of many rebellions in my region, there was a solider," he offered barely above a whisper, "I…I only saw him once."

Kagome and Sango went still and silent.

"And?" Sango finally pressed and Miroku visibly shook himself free from the memory.

"There were these… on his back, three green tail-like tentacles which swallowed men whole. Could create blasts of poison that took down entire battalions. Level everything. And a large red eye on his chest that…it was almost like it removed someone's soul," Miroku offered with a shuddering breath, "The people who…they were never the same. Empty. My…my godfather took me to help care for them sometimes."

"Okay, Inuyasha is not that guy. He isn't evil," Kagome huffed with no lack of offense and Miroku gave her a withering glare.

"Obviously not but what if Inuyasha is someone that man wants?" Miroku countered, "Perhaps he wants him for similar reasons we do except that solider has more information. Knows what he's dealing with?"

"Look, I'm sorry I said anything. That was a bedtime story. Made up to scare little kids. You're making this into something it's just not. They only interrogated us because Inuyasha didn't report an ability," Sango corrected, "And I didn't sleep much. It could be that I just pushed myself too far by throwing him."

"Then why didn't they simply arrest Inuyasha immediately? Kagome has a point," Miroku sighed like it was obvious.

"Can't we forget what I said? It was stupid," Sango groaned miserably as she buried her face in her hands, "I don't know why I even-"

"It is weird they just waved us through. More even now that I'm thinking about it," Kagome offered after a long awkward silence, "I had never heard of a pre-check and the guy sent us through the weirdest hall. Like…service or employee only areas. No signs or any other passengers."

"Wait, what?" Sango asked as she lifted her head and worry bloomed behind her eyes, "You didn't say that. No one else was there?"

"Not passengers. Just some guards. Employees I guess. I saw the birdwatchers who were following us but no one seemed to notice us at all," Kagome admitted as she shifted her weight, "It was really weird now that I think about it. We had to be acting suspicious and if we were still being watched..."

"Rewind it a bit. Yeah. There," Kagura breathed as she watched the small screen in Kanna's hand while Goshinki sat against the wall picking his teeth. Sure enough, as soon as the pair crossed through the service door, they vanished. The next time they appeared was across the street outside.

"The question you really should be asking is how they wound up in that hall in the first place," the giant purple beast chuckled as he used a long claw to pick at a lodged piece of flesh, "You didn't even bother checking the guard-"

"If you're half as good a mind reader as you think you are, you'd know that guard was attacked after his shift ended. There's hardly anything left of the body," Kagura snapped before sighing heavily and glaring the beast's way, "Why are you even still here? Don't you have better things to do?"

"Who attacked him? Someone familiar with the security perhaps? You're looking for someone with access. Someone who wants to protect that boy," the beast asked instead of answering her question and Kagura narrowed her eyes.

"Again, why are you here?" Kagura ground out and the beast paused in his casual flossing to give her a withering glare.

"The real question is why is Kanna?" Goshinki replied acidly before shrugging and settling back down. A moment passed then he chuckled darkly and shook his head.

"You trust too easily and have a loose tongue. You realize the biggest threat in this room is her, don't you?" the beast snorted, "She's basically an extension of father. His eyes and ears."

Throughout all of this, Kanna remained silent and neutral. Kagura sighed and nodded but otherwise didn't comment.

"At least I'm relatively neutral. Powerful, yes, and selfish but I primarily stay for the meals," Goshinki chuckled with wry amusement as he glanced over at the pile of blood and chewed bones, "And I must admit it warms my heart that part of you loves me despite everything."

He snorted and glanced over at Kanna.

"Unlike that thing. Perfectly empty. No thoughts. No feelings. A liability who answers to no one but Father."

"She feels more than you think," Kagura clipped defensively.

"Does she now?"

Goshinki's wide mouth began to grin until all his jagged teeth were exposed.

"It really is true. You are just as delusional as our siblings say but the death of a child would make anyone insane so that's to be expected. You'll find no judgment here."

For the longest time, Kagura froze and went rigid. Her chest heaving slightly as Goshinki's wicked grin turned sinister.

"Perhaps you should ask your husband about that," Goshinki chuckled darkly as he listened to Kagura's mind race, "I will admit it was fun to listen to your husband's thoughts after he came to confront Father. You two might have more in common than you think and he's been plotting for far longer. Instead of trying to do this alone, it may be in your best interest to consult with the only man on this planet who loves you."

Crimson eyes flicked towards her far too amused brother whose disfigured face and crimson eyes made it impossible to figure out whether this was a cruel joke.

"Don't look at me like that. Have I ever lied to you?"

A shuddering breath bubbled over Kagura's lips before she knelt down to look Kanna in the face.

"Did Rin die? That day Father stole her ability, did she die?" Kagura asked in a strained tone as her eyes flicked across her sister's usually neutral facade. An arguably imperceptible wince followed by a single nod. Kagura felt her heart drop to the bottom of her stomach.

"You know, it might just be that I can't read her," Goshinki mused as he stood with far too much grace for someone of his size, "I always wondered…"

"Please shut up," Kagura hissed before turning her attention back towards her little sister, "Does Father know about what Sesshomaru is plotting?"

A deeper than normal breath. That was a yes. Of many kinds. A confirmation that Sesshomaru was indeed plotting and that his plot had already been discovered. Kagura chewed on her lip for a moment as a silent curse rang out in her mind. Goshinki snorted as he began pilfering through the remains for some last morsel.

"Does he know about the boy?"

Kanna's eyes flicked up then back down towards her screen. That was no.

"Are you going to tell him?"

Kanna remained still but it was a stupid question anyway. Father had created Kanna for the sole purpose of having someone to control. An empty vessel who he believed had no emotion, no attachments, no independent thoughts, no free will. The perfect spy. What he didn't expect was that she was imperfect. She wasn't empty. Kanna had some control over what she showed Father and what she didn't. Was unparalleled in her ability to close her mind to unwanted intrusions. Kagura figured that out when they were children. There were many, many times their Father had asked for a replay of their day and anything naughty Kagura had done was omitted or altered. It didn't always work, of course, because some of the time Father had independently learned of the wrongdoing but for some reason, he was never suspicious of Kanna. He treated her images and answers as law.

And Kagura would admit there were things Kanna simply couldn't hide.

"Fine. Do you plan on telling him?"

Kanna's eyes flicked up then back down. Letting out a controlled breath, Kagura swallowed.

"Show the first door again and the hall. Slower this time."

Inuyasha was fairly certain that he'd just walked into a trap even as he continued following Kagome's mother down a damp, dimly lit corridor towards god knows where. They hadn't been walking for very long - a minute at most - but there was something about this place that had his hair standing on end.

"This was originally a bomb shelter. Way back when the shrine was first built," Mama offered quietly in an attempt to calm him down, "In the event a war broke out. Most older buildings have something similar."

"Didn't know that," Inuyasha breathed before wincing when they stopped before a heavy looking metal door, "And that is….?"

"Well, it's my mainframe," Mama tried to explain as she tapped the side of her temple, "The processing systen exists only in my mind so it's independent of the greater network. I made a few…communication devices you see."

Nodding like that made sense even if it didn't, Inuyasha watched with no lack of dread as the woman opened the door and gestured for him to walk through.

"I can't track where they are unless they're close by. Only that there are incoming calls," she continued nervously as she entered behind him and shut the door, "But…"

Mama trailed off as her eyes locked onto one of many screens.

"And-"

Inuyasha felt his blood run cold as she began moving closer to one of dozens of blinking screens and scowled.

"That…that can't be right," she muttered to herself as the screen began to glitch out without her touching it until a series of layered rectangles began soaring through the screen itself - seemingly focusing on a single blip, "It says…it says your mother's is here. That's it in the house."

Mama straightened up before looking at a different screen upon which various numbers began flickering at an incredible pace. Eventually, Mama turned wide brown eyes on him and made him feel incredibly uncomfortable.

"Sweetheart, dear, where did you put your suitcase?" Mama asked - her sweet tone and mildly panicked expression not matching at all.

"Why?"

Shaking herself, Mama seemed to realize she was scaring him and the various screens went dark. Like that was better.

"Did your mother…after your mother died, were her possessions sent to you?" Mama asked with a strained yet warm smile, "A necklace with shells, perhaps?"

Much to his inner loathing, Inuyasha did recall such Mother wearing a necklace matching that description. She rarely took it off.

"I didn't get anything. I…I thought about trying to go see our old apartment. Whether anything was left," he offered evasively and Mama narrowed her eyes. A few of the various screens began flickering and the single lightbulb above them sparked. Inuyasha began to panic and he assumed a defensive posture.

"Look lady. I don't know what the hell you're getting at but I'm gunna leave now and you're gunna let me," Inuyasha spat as he back towards the door.

"I need to know whether or not you have that necklace. Or anything of hers with you. This is important," Mama insisted with a hint of desperation, "Because if you honestly don't have it, someone else does and they're currently in my house."

Inuyasha reached behind him and grabbed the handle of the door.

"I don't have jack sh-"

Mama chewed the inside of her cheek and clasped her hands together.

"I know I have thrown a lot of information at you very quickly," she tried to approach the situation in a more maternal fashion, "And I know it all sounds…made up, but given the situation, I really need you to be honest with me. Did you bring something she gave you or maybe something that you received after she passed?"

Inuyasha turned the handle and ran leaving a very panicked Mama behind him.