OXOXOXO

"Mutt."

"Wench."

"Idiot."

"Drama-queen."

"Jerk."

Sesshomaru tuned out his brother and Kagome in favor of his cell phone. His caller ID said it was the head of his personal guard.

"Over-sensitive."

"Insensitive."

"Yes?" Sesshomaru said into the mouth piece.

"We got the call."

"Right." He went to hang up, but the other voice persisted.

"And sir? They mentioned something else." Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed unconsciously at his next words.

"Miroku, take them to your house. And take those three with you," Sesshomaru said, indicated three men having a beer together. He waved them over and gave them their instructions as well. "Take these four to their house and protect them."

"Whoa, hold on there cowboy," Kagome said waving her hands. "What the heck is going on?"

"I do not have time to explain now, but you three will be going with Miroku and these gentlemen."

"'You three'?" Ayame asked. He nodded.

"Rin will be coming with Inuyasha and myself."

"I really doubt that," Rin seethed. He had no right to order her around!

"Lady Rin," Miroku said seriously, "I implore you to obey. I'm not sure on the specifics, but I know there is danger and I would feel awful if you were harmed because you came with me instead." Tin's brows scrunched together. Danger?

"Rin, please." Inuyasha added as the two limos pulled up.

"If I go," she said slowly, "will you explain what the heck is going on?" Inuyasha looked to Sesshomaru.

"Yes," Sesshomaru said after only a slight hesitation.

"We have cars," Kagome was saying to Miroku and the triple escort.

"Yes," one of them responded, "but this limo is bullet-proof." All four girls whitened. Inuyasha smacked the man upside the head.

"You'd best explain the situation to them, as well," Sesshomaru said over his shoulder as he ushered Rin into the smaller limo.

"This had so better be good," she said under her breath, hoping he'd catch it. He did.

Oxoxoxo

A man was sitting in the limo already when Rin and the Tashios climbed in.

"Report, Hanamaki?" Sesshomaru ordered easily.

"Sir?" the Hanamki person said looking pointedly at Rin.

"I gave you your instructions," Sesshomaru responded, eyeing him coldly.

"Yes, sir." He opened his briefcase and pulled out a file. "We received the call ten minutes ago. The terrorists described your exact location, including your personal guard two tables over. They made the point that they could have taken out your companions, starting with your 'pretty girlfriend.' I assume you understood this?" he asked, staring once again at Rin.

"That will be all," Sesshomaru said. The limo stopped in front of the Tashio building and deposited the nosey man. Inuyasha jumped into the front passenger seat.

"I'll make this easier for you," he said winking and rolled up the sound-proof window.

Rin sat uncomfortably across from Sesshomaru working on his laptop. The silence thickened to the point that she could no longer stand it.

"Well?" He held up a finger for one more minute of patience. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot on the floor. He finally shut it and looked up at her. She raised an eyebrow.

"I received a threat note from one of the legitimate gangs, for lack of a better word, two days ago. In it, they ordered my cooperation or I, and Inuyasha, would suffer the mortal consequences. When I received the call moments ago, they also threatened you, calling you my pretty girlfriend from college. I originally only had myself and Inuyasha under strict guard, but I see I shall have to do the same for you."

"Who are they? What do they want?"

"They call themselves the Inside. As for their demands, they have yet to make them. They have thus-far only taken measures to inspire fear in my, forcing me to cooperate." Rin snorted a laugh.
"Don't know you very well, do they?" Sesshomaru's eyebrows went up a fraction before relaxing into his slight smile.

"It would appear not." Rin was silent for another moment.

"How did they know about me? And why would they shoot me? We've been over for years."

"I don't know," he said as the limo stopped one more time, "but I will." Rin climbed out feeling somewhat frightened, but more than reassured.

Oxoxoxo

The building Rin walked into looked just like some spy headquarters off of a movie. Men and women sat in front of radars wearing headsets, large machines stood against the wall with flashing lights, something that looked like a seismograph or a lie detector spat out paper, manila envelopes and folders seemed to fly around of their own free will, and the noise was like a flock of geese on type writers. Rin had no idea where to stand to be out of the way. Inuyasha finally took pity on her and guided her to a table on the side holding coffee and doughnuts.

"I'll find someone to take you to the guest room," he promised before heading back into the throng.

Oxoxoxo

"Have they given their demands yet?" Sesshomaru asked as he walked into the meeting room and tossed his jacket over the back of the chair. The chair at the head of the mahogany table, of course.

"Not yet, sir," a man he didn't bother to recognize answered. Sesshomaru frowned in frustration. He'd been through this before, but this was different, more personal somehow. But the only factor original to this case to cause such feelings was automatically dismissed. There was no way she could have affected him so much in so little time. On the other hand, isn't that exactly what she had done to him in college?

Oxoxoxo

The room Rin had been shown to by the random lackey Inuyasha snagged was sparse but comfortable. It had a bed, a dresser, a mirror, a small chair beside the bed, and what she supposed was a closet and a bathroom behind those two doors. However, the fact that there were no windows just jumped out at her. The man had told her she would also have free reign of the living area as well as this room. They'd passed through a somewhat larger room on their way in. It had a couch, a couple armchairs, a TV, a table with four wooden chairs, and a counter to the side with a sink and basic kitchen supplies. It looked to her like a possible bomb shelter. Which, she supposed, it might very well be.

Rin ambled around her room and the living area, not daring to enter what must have been three other bedrooms. She flipped on the television, but found she couldn't concentrate on the images. She felt the beginnings of hunger after about an hour, but couldn't bring herself to eat any of the food in the mini fridge or cabinets. She paced, finding her body refused to sit still. After a while, a man came in and placed a large platter of lasagna on the table. "Mr. Tashio the elder said he would be right with you." He smiled, she nodded, then her only company was gone and she was forced back into pacing. She was somewhat surprised she hadn't walked a hole right through the floor by the time Sesshomaru showed up twenty minutes later looking ten years older.

OXOXOXO