Author's Note: I'm glad that a lot of you liked the two-part chapters. I had been looking forward to getting to that part of the story for a long time. Now we're dealing with the aftermath of all that, on top of this upcoming week for the gang being a busy one with Inu's birthday party and leaving for Vegas... it's crunch time. Not much else to report. Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

R2R

susu-anon: Thanks for your review! I, too, also loved how Jinenji came in to save Kagome. To picture this gentle-giant go ballistic, but still controlling himself enough to not kill Onigumo, is so touching and a crowd-cheerer for me. As for Onigumo, I think all these chapters later his true character is finally shown - and he only cares about himself. Even though he helped Kags, he was doing it for his own benefit. And it's good, now, that everyone will see him for who he truly is. To your second review - yes, you will see Inu's reaction in this chapter :) Enjoy!

hive-chan: Thanks for your kinky review! LoL blowies in the future? Sure. Kags does love giving it to him so I'm sure Inu will be willing to oblige her. Hehehe... yes, Inu is so hot, especially with that rosary around his neck. I love that. And I'm glad you liked our couple's moment in the Skye. The last of the Skye scenes, but hopefully not the last of Kags using her skills she's learned at Midnite again. I hope you enjoy this next one!

vanessa: Thanks for your two-reviews-in-one :) I'm glad you caught up. I know, I've been away for a while and then came back with a two-parter. But I'm glad you liked it. A lot happened, and Onigumo is definitely showing his true character now. I'm glad that it's finally out there and everyone is starting to see him for who he is. He definitely picked the wrong girl to go after, and this chapter will show some of the consequences. Yes, there is a lot more story to get through. Not sure how long I'll have this story going for, but I'm looking forward to the journey :) Enjoy!

My Mind and Me: Thanks for your review. I'm glad that everyone is starting to see Onigumo's true character. Throughout the story, he's been showing more and more of himself- his jealousy and egotistical nature- but now he took it to another level but physically attacking a woman. He'll start to feel the consequences of his actions in this chapter. And Sai... I have a soft spot for him, as many of my readers do. I'm not sure what is in store for his future, but you'll see him again. And probably in the future too. Enjoy!

Rosie B: Thanks for your review. Awww... I'm sad that you didn't see the Rihanna song the way I saw it, but no hard feelings. For me, it was a way to contrast the first time she danced it. First time she danced to Skin, it was right after Kags and Inu just slept together and she confessed to him that she was falling for him but told him they couldn't be together, then Sango gives her advice that Inu deserves better and not to toy with him. Now, they're together and in love. The first time, she left Inu feeling like he could never catch her, that it wasn't worth chasing after someone who didn't want him. Now, he found her at her work, where she never wanted to be found. The first time, she danced in front of an empty room. Now she danced in front of him. The first time, she was heavily aroused for Inu and went to masturbate thinking about him. Now, she had him every way and every where in that room, multiple times. For me, it was fitting to have her dance to Skin again. But I'm glad you liked the chapter altogether :) Enjoy!

MinxieXCX: Thanks for your review. Yes, I absolutely love and adore Jinenji in this story, and will continue to keep him in, for sure. He is just a sweetie. We still have a lot of storyline to get through, lots still to come. Enjoy!

anime-geek: Thanks for your review. Haha... yes, I am very comfortable and open about sex and have no filter when it comes to talking about it. I'm starting to think that Kags wants to give her man more blowies, not just because it brings him pleasure, but because it gives her pleasure and it gives her power over him (although she already has it without knowing). Enjoy this one!

val-rommel: Thanks for your review. Yes, we have a lot of storyline to get through- birthday party, Vegas, etc. And as for Inu proposing to Kags... well that's something up for debate lol. I'll leave it at that. Oh, and Inu could've stayed, but the only reason why he came was to be with Kags. He had no desire to stay and do business or watch girls dance on poles and be serviced by them. He only wanted Kagome and since he couldn't be with her any longer... he had no reason to stay at Midnite. Enjoy this next one!

xsophiex: Thanks for your review. As for Inu's family, yes, they will come into play in this chapter and more things will come to light. I am supremely proud and relieved as to what Kags does in this chapter. You'll see, but I'm glad you brought up Inu's family knowing about Kag's past because it will be brought up. I'm surprised that you brought up demon court. I only mentioned it a few times but that is a part of the storyline that we'll get to as well :) And Sai... my poor Sai. I don't know what his future will be like but I know he'll still be involved in the story, somehow. Awww! Thanks for pointing out my 400 reviews milestone! :) Enjoy this one!

one-note: Here you go! lol Enjoy!

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-


Inuyasha dressed as fast as he could, throwing on a loose pair of jeans and a black shirt. He figured the black would help him blend into the night. He needed to get to the hospital as fast as he could and the fastest way would be on foot. He grabbed his keycard and phone and used his demonic speed to get to the elevator, but still wait for it to arrive up to his 40th floor. He tapped his foot anxiously, moving around in his frustration. Finally, the elevator dinged its arrival and he nearly forced himself through the doors. He hit the ground floor button and waited some more, all the while thinking about Kagome.

'Kagome... what happened? Why is she in the hospital? Who the hell was that who called me?' The voice definitely wasn't Jinenji's, nor was it any of the other male workers that he met tonight at the club. But where was Jinenji? That hanyou better be with her.

All too slowly, the elevator arrived and once the doors opened, he used his demonic speed and ran through the lobby. He was nothing more but a blur of black and silver. Humans wouldn't be able to see him with his demonic speed, so he didn't worry about being caught. Even if they did, he would either look too blurry for them to know what it was or they just wouldn't believe what they saw with their own eyes. Inuyasha didn't care. All he cared about was getting to Kagome, fast. He didn't have any shoes on as he found it easier to run, jump and balance with his bare feet, especially at the heights he was going.

Inuyasha leapt off the sidewalk and jumped up to the parking structure building. He ran across the structure and bounded over the streets below, landing onto a roof, a balcony or a parking structure. He took to the skies, avoiding all eyes below. He went as high as he could so that he could get the air that he needed to jump farther and soar longer. His heart raced as adrenaline coursed through him.

He heard his phone and came to a stop on one of the buildings. He looked down the side of the tall building while fishing out his phone, standing at the edge of the ledge with no care.

"Father!"

"Inuyasha. Where are you?"

"I'm running towards the hospital."

"On foot? Well... I guess that would be the fastest. Sai called you?"

"Sai? Okano?" So that's who it was who called him. What the hell was Sai doing calling him? Did that mean that he was at Midnite? Was he a client there? Was he Kagome's client? Now there were even more unanswered questions.

"Yes. Sai called me about ten minutes ago. Your mother and I are staying at the penthouse. We just left and we're headed to the hospital."

"Okay. I'll meet you guys there."

"Inuyasha..." The change in his father's tone made him stop. "It sounds bad. Your mother is on the phone with her team. The nightshift will be ready for Kagome when they get there. It seems like they were resistant to take her to the hospital."

Inuyasha nodded, looking out at the city as the wind caressed his face, remembering the face he hated so much. "Koga... He put her in the hospital."

"And Sai was adamant that they needed to keep Kagome's admittance off the records."

"If Koga is still looking for her, the hospitals would be the best place to find a record of her."

"I agree. Your mother and I will make sure that the nurses and doctors keep no records of Kagome being there. I sent your brother a text. I'm sure he'll see it once he wakes up."

"Sesshomaru never sleeps." He didn't wait for his father to respond. "Alright. I'll see you there." With that, he hung up and put his phone away, leaping off to the next building. Many of the lights were off as people were either not in their office buildings or sleeping at their homes. At this hour of the morning, in downtown Tokyo, only a few cars traveled the streets below him.

All Inuyasha could think about was to get to the hospital. Get to the hospital and get to Kagome. Then he could think about what to do next. He just needed to get to her and hold her in his arms, make sure she was okay. The worry in his father's voice only heightened his worry and fear that Kagome was not okay.

When he finally got to the hospital, he ran through the front doors when it opened for him and went straight to the checkin counter.

"My name is Inuyasha Fujimoto. Has a woman been brought in with injuries?"

The woman behind the counter looked up at him, shocked at first, but quickly stood and shook off her surprise. "Lord Fujimoto. I know who you speak of. Your mother called the hospital and we've been expecting her."

"She's here?" he asked, looking to the doors to the emergency room.

"Yes, sir. She arrived a couple of minutes ago with two other people."

"I want to see her," he demanded. The woman nodded her head and buzzed the door open for him.

"She's in room four."

He walked in as the doors opened for him and lifted his nose, scenting Kagome immediately. 'Blood.' The smell of her blood made him walk double-time down the hall. Her scent grew stronger and he knew the next room was hers, even though all the doors were closed. He opened the door and immediately saw Jinenji standing at the foot of the bed. The hanyou turned to look at him and the two shared a silent acknowledgement. Inuyasha sniffed and smelled Jinenji's blood, along with another male's blood, and Kagome's. He went in, needing to see her, but unable to since the curtain was pulled out so that he couldn't see her on the bed.

When Inuyasha came around the curtain, Jinenji moved to the side corner to allow him to stand in front of the bed. When his eyes finally found Kagome, he caught his breath at the sight of her. She sat on the bed with Ayumi sitting on one side, holding her wrist, and a nurse on the other side, hooking her up to all of the tubes and medical equipment. Kagome's blue eyes looked up and found his and his heart exploded in his chest.

"Kagome..." She had a lump on her head where there was a gash and blood over her eye. Her eyes were haunted, dilated, and she blinked several times when she looked at him, almost as if she didn't recognize him. He frowned, taking in her appearance. She wore the same dress she did when he left her. But now he saw red markings around her neck what looked to be made from fingers. He suppressed a growl.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome whispered faintly.

He overcame his shock and he was at her side immediately, causing the nurse to scurry out of his way. "I'm here, Kagome." He went to grab her hand and saw that there was blood on her hand too. He reached for her hand and turned it so he could inspect her palm, his eyes darkening at the sight. There were cuts everywhere and he could see shards of glass embedded in her skin. He looked up at her, desperate to know what happened.

"Kagome. What happened?"

She finally looked at him, her head turning slowly as if she hadn't known he was there. "Inuyasha," she said, sounding like a child.

He sat on the bed, moving closer to her so she could see him. "I'm right here, love. Talk to me. Tell me what happened." Her silence and the fact that she only said his name worried him. The way her eyes looked at him, so haunted and lost, it reminded him so much of that night when he found her in the hotel bathroom in Hawai'i. The sight of Kagome, huddled into herself in that blue dress on the bathroom floor, was forever burned into his memory. And now it tore at his heart seeing her like this again, maybe even worse. She hadn't said anything but his name or moved so much as centimeters since he got here.

"Inuyasha," she said again, and he watched as tears came to her eyes, but her face remained void of any emotion. "Inuyasha..." She blinked several times and the tears rolled down her face. Yet, she still didn't seem to recognize him as she stared at him blankly.

'What happened to her?!' "I'm right here," he said, bringing his face close to hers, holding her wrist like Ayumi did. "I'm right here, love."

Then, her expression slowly changed as more tears ran down her face and she finally recognized him. "Inuyasha!" She launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she cried against his shoulder. His arms came around her body and held her gently, afraid that he might hurt her.

"Kagome..." he breathed, burying his nose into her hair. He could smell a male's scent on her, the same scent he smelled on Jinenji. He held in his growl again, his demon roaring at the fact that a male had hurt his mate. The thought made him shiver, vibrating with rage and the need to kill the male who would dare hurt his mate. But Kagome's cries reached him, tugged at him, and all he wanted to do right now was to be there for her and to protect her. He held her against him, supporting her as she scooted closer to him so that her knees tucked against his back and her body was flush against his front, wrapping herself around him.

"Kagome... what happened?" All she could do was cry, so he let her cry, even though her cries made him feel helpless. He brought his head up to see the nurse back at the monitors, turning everything on as if Kagome was just brought in. He turned to see Ayumi, standing at the opposite side of the bed now that Kagome was in his arms.

"What happened to her?" he asked Ayumi.

The look on Ayumi's face told him what he suspected, but he needed to hear it. Ayumi opened her mouth to say something, and then closed it as if she was afraid. The sound of someone running into the room made Ayumi look to see Midoriko coming in, breathing hard.

"Inuyasha," Midoriko said, surprised. Midoriko went to stand next to Ayumi, getting a look at Kagome first, before sharing a look with Ayumi.

Inuyasha turned with Kagome in his arms, keeping her tight against him but trying to sit so he could see the two women and Jinenji. "Someone better tell me what happened to her," he demanded.

"She was attacked."

Inuyasha looked at Jinenji with his arms crossed in the corner. "Attacked how? And by who?"

"Sir," the nurse said, coming to stand in front of Jinenji. "You should come with me. We need to look at your wounds and take that glass out of your chest." Inuyasha looked to see what the nurse was talking about and he wondered if Jinenji was around when Kagome got attacked for him to receive all those wounds.

"I'm fine."

"But sir..."

"I said I'm fine. These will heal on their own," he insisted.

"At least let the doctor take that glass out and examine the wound to see if there's any serious injuries," the nurse insisted. Because this hospital was a youkai hospital, all of the staff were either hanyou, youkai or humans who believed. The staff here were very aware and had a lot of knowledge in tending to youkai patients.

"I'll let him see me when he sees her first," Jinenji said. To that, the nurse nodded and walked out, going to see where the doctor was.

Jinenji looked back to Inuyasha to see the boy still looking at him, waiting. Kagome was still crying, but now a little softer as she clutched to the boy as if he was her lifeline.

"After you left," he started, looking at Inuyasha, "Kagome had a couple more clients for the night."

Inuyasha nodded. "I'm assuming Sai was one of them," he said, holding in his growl. Now he understood why Sai and Kagome had that interaction back at his family's charity event. Kagome had insisted that they were just friends, but Sai was actually her client at Midnite.

Jinenji paused but didn't show any shock on his face. "You know Sai?"

"We do business together," was all he said.

Jinenji nodded his understanding. "Sai was her last client. Before the club closed, she went to see Onigumo, our boss, and I stayed downstairs to help the others clear out the club. After a while, I had a feeling that I needed to go check on her since she didn't come back down for a long time. When I got there... I saw Kagome lying on the couch with Onigumo above her, choking her to death. I snapped. I pulled Onigumo off her and started punching the hell out of him. He was lucky that I didn't unleash my demon on him. He's still alive, so..." he said with a shrug.

Inuyasha vibrated with rage but remained calm and quiet, listening to every word Jinenji said while also trying to comfort Kagome. He rocked her gently as her cries started to settle now to the point where she could only hiccup and shake in his arms. He petted her hair, trying to pour all his love and strength into her, while also feeling like he wanted to rip something to shreds. No, rip Onigumo to shreds.

"She hasn't told us what happened to her," Ayumi said softly, making Inuyasha look at her. "When the club closed down for the night, I could hear the commotion from downstairs when I was heading to the dressing room. I saw two bouncers run up the stairs so I ran up after them, and I think Sai followed me. That's when I found Kagome on the ground and two of our bouncers were holding Jinenji back."

Midoriko placed her arm around Ayumi's shoulders, pulling her close for comfort. "I didn't see anything until I came out of the dressing room and saw Kagome on the bar, and they were wiping the blood from her wounds."

A knock on the door made them all turn to see a doctor with two nurses come in. The doctor was definitely a youkai with his bird-like features and the two nurses were both youkai as well.

"Good evening, everyone. My name is Dr. Suzuki. I will be looking after Kagome until your mother gets here, Lord Fujimoto," the doctor said, looking at Inuyasha. "This is your mate, I presume?"

"Yes," Inuyasha said without hesitation.

The doctor nodded. "Inuyoukai are very protective of their mates. If you will allow me, I would like to check on your mate and my nurses will tend to her wounds."

Inuyasha stared at him a little longer before he finally looked down at Kagome's head, stroking her hair. "Kagome... the doctor needs to look at you." He moved to try and extract himself from her but she gripped him tighter, hanging on to his neck with all her strength.

He softened his voice. "Kagome... I'll be right here. But the doctor needs to examine you and look at your injuries." He pried her arms off him after some time and much coaxing. He laid her back on the bed, frowning when he saw the dark bruise that was forming on her throat. "I'll be right outside, Kagome."

"No..." she rasped out, her eyes pleading with him as she grabbed his hand. "Please don't leave me."

Her pleading blue eyes broke his heart. "I'm not. I need to make some phone calls. And I need to talk to Jinenji. I'll be right outside if you need me, okay?"

"We'll be in here with you, Kagome," Ayumi said, stepping closer to the bed.

Midoriko stepped up as well. "We'll be right here." Kagome turned her head to look at them but didn't acknowledge them in any way.

Inuyasha kissed her forehead and moved to stand, taking her hand from his, kissing the back of her hand before placing it on her stomach. "I'll be right outside. I'm not going anywhere." Her eyes followed him as he gave Jinenji a look, and the two walked outside to let the doctor do his work.

Jinenji closed the door but kept it ajar so they could hear Kagome if she needed Inuyasha. He remained silent as he stood in front of the door watching Inuyasha.

"She hasn't said anything until you came. She feels safe with you," he commented, watching Inuyasha take his phone out and pace the hall in front of him.

Inuyasha grunted and dialed a number, placing the speaker part to his mouth when the person answered. "I need to know everything about a man named Onigumo..." he trailed off, looking at Jinenji to fill his unanswered question.

"Matsumoto."

"Matsumoto. Onigumo Matsumoto. I want every little thing you can find on him, from his bank accounts to when he takes a piss. I want to know all of his business dealings, his connections, his family. I want everything."

"Yes, sir. We will get it to you as soon as possible."

"Good." He hung up and dialed another number, turning to see Sai Okano walking towards them in the hallway. He stopped and regarded the man as his brother answered the phone.

"Where are you?" Sesshomaru immediately asked.

"At the hospital. Father and Mother are on their way from the penthouse."

"I can't leave Kumi. She's been restless all night and I'm letting Rin get some sleep."

"That's fine. Take care of your daughter. I just wanted to let you know what happened."

Sesshomaru grunted. "Father told me. We will be there in the morning. Rin can help Kagome."

Inuyasha nodded. "I thought the same. I also called the security team to do some digging for me."

"On who?"

"Onigumo Matsumoto. Heard of him?"

"Hmmm... not that I recall. Someone insignificant."

"Well he's the one who hurt Kagome so he's pretty significant to me. And I'm going to destroy him... then kill him after I take everything from him," Inuyasha vowed.

Sesshomaru said nothing and he knew his brother agreed. Sesshomaru had his way of dealing with things, a lot of which dealt with pain and death. So he had no doubt Sesshomaru agreed with everything Inuyasha imagined doing to Onigumo.

"I've got to go. I need to find out more as to what happened to Kagome."

"Let me know if you anything."

"I will. Thanks." With that, he hung up and regarded Sai as the man came a little closer and stopped with a lot of distance between them. The two regarded each other warily. Inuyasha eyed him down, remembering how much of a threat this man was to him before he and Kagome started dating. Even back then he never liked Sai because he knew the man's intentions towards Kagome. It was obvious in the way he held Kagome's hand and his body posture towards her that night of the charity event. He had seen Sai as a threat back then, and still now. But now he had a little more respect for the man who helped Kagome, and he owed Sai a great debt.

"Can we talk?" Inuyasha asked him. Sai nodded. He looked to Jinenji who stood in front of the door. "Can you watch her for me? And call me if she needs me? I won't be far and I won't be gone for long."

Jinenji nodded and kept his position outside of the door, watching the two men as Inuyasha led the way back down the hall towards the entrance of the ER. Sai followed behind Inuyasha as they walked out of the ER and out the hospital doors. The cool night air was refreshing from the cold, hospital smell. Inuyasha wandered onto the road where the ambulance and cars would pull up to, walking around while Sai simply stood at the edge of the sidewalk, waiting for him to speak. This was the first time he's talked to Inuyasha alone like this. He's been wanting to talk to Inuyasha for a while now, to talk about his feelings towards Kagome, but right now might not be a good time. He also didn't come here to fight with Inuyasha. He came here for Kagome.

"Tell me about your relationship with Kagome," Inuyasha said, catching Sai's attention.

After a minute, Sai finally spoke, wondering how much he wanted to indulge Inuyasha. He decided to keep what he felt intimate between him and Kagome private. Those were his special moments with Kagome that he didn't want to share with Inuyasha. "Kagome is the gentlemen's girl that I pay for."

"You're a client of hers," Inuyasha said, stopping to face Sai with a hard look, crossing his arms across his chest.

"I've been her client for several months. Before she went to work for you and Kikyo and her identity became known in the club as the 'blue-haired dancer' on Kikyo's team... she was always Sapphire to me."

"You have feelings for her," Inuyasha said emotionless, watching Sai's reaction.

"Can you blame me?" he asked, unfazed by the question. "Anyone would probably fall in love with her if they got to know her, wouldn't you say?"

Inuyasha didn't answer, so Sai continued. "All you need to know is that I'm a client. And I'm also a partner with you and your family. So I guess I know Kagome both ways now."

Inuyasha scowled, trying to gauge whether or not he could trust Sai. He didn't like Sai for the simple fact that Sai had feelings for Kagome, and Sai was a threat as a male who wanted his mate. But jealousy aside, he still owed Sai a great deal for helping Kagome.

"Tell me about tonight. What happened to Kagome?"

Sai sighed, crossing his arms as he thought about everything he had seen. As demanding as Inuyasha was being, he knew from working with the Fujimoto family that it was a trait they all shared. Still, if he was in Inuyasha's shoes, he would be frantic and demanding to know what happened to the woman he loved too. "I only went into Onigumo's office right after Aurora. I saw Kagome on the ground. It looked like she had been choked and she was trying to catch her breath. She had a huge gash on her head and blood was on her face and on the ground. There was glass shattered everywhere. It looked like someone had fallen through the glass coffee table and the glass table by the glass wall was shattered too like something had hit it."

Sai tried to recall as much as he could about Onigumo's office. "Onigumo was badly beaten up. Two bouncers held Jinenji back from Onigumo. After Jinenji carried Kagome out and Ayumi followed them, I stayed to ask Onigumo if he was the one who hurt Kagome."

"What did he say?" Inuyasha asked with a growl, waiting for a reason to kill Onigumo.

"All he said was that I should know my place and that we have strictly a business relationship. I told him that he wasn't the most powerful man in Japan and that he should leave the country while he still could because I knew you and your family wouldn't take kindly to the person who hurt Kagome." He looked at Inuyasha to see the confirmation he needed by his assumption. "Onigumo just wanted to threaten me and tell me how powerful he was, so I left. He was in horrible shape when I left and he wasn't worth any more of my time."

Inuyasha nodded slowly, taking in Sai's appearance. After a long silence, he spoke, catching Sai off guard. "I'm in debt to you, Sai." The man looked at him in shock. "You saved Kagome's life."

"No... Jinenji did. I came afterwards," he insisted.

"From what my father told me... you were the one who called him, asking for my mother's help. So in that sense... you did save Kagome's life by getting her help and the treatment that she needs." Inuyasha watched as Sai seemed to understand, but he didn't seem to want the credit. So Inuyasha didn't push it. "I'm in debt to you for saving my mate's life."

Sai waved a hand at him. "There is no debt. Your mother is the one helping her. I just made a call. I would've done anything for her..."

Inuyasha chose to let that comment go, and nod his head. "Thanks."

Just then, a car pulled up into the driveway and Inuyasha stepped back onto the sidewalk to look at the car. He recognized the black car as his parents' as it stopped in front of them. The back door opened and Inutaisho got out, dressed in jeans pants and a shirt, then he turned to help Izayoi out of the car, dressed in jeans pants with her white doctor's coat on over a blue shirt.

"Inuyasha, sweetheart!" Izayoi ran the short distance towards him and threw her arms around him as he held her. He took a deep sniff of her hair, smelling his father's scent on her as well, but taking comfort in his mother's scent and presence.

"What happened? Where's Kagome?" she asked, pulling back to look up at him. His father came up behind her as the driver drove the car away.

He tilted his head towards the hospital doors. "She's inside. You need to take a look at her, Mother." Now that she was here, there was no other doctor that he trusted more with Kagome's care than his mother.

"Yes. Come on. I need to read her charts." They all followed her into the hospital and the front desk nurse buzzed them in as soon as she saw them.

"They just brought her in when I got here. I left the room when Dr. Suzuki and two nurses came in to exam her," Inuyasha filled his mother in.

"Good," Izayoi said with a nod as her doctor's coat flew behind her in her fast pace towards Kagome's room. "I knew she would be in good hands with Dr. Suzuki here tonight." She looked ahead to see a hanyou standing in front of the door, and by his bloody appearance, she knew that this had to be Kagome's room.

Jinenji stepped aside when they all arrived, knowing who they were without asking. They all walked in, with Jinenji following last, and the room was suddenly filled with a lot of people. Inuyasha saw that Ayumi and Midoriko had moved to the opposite wall from Kagome's bed, staying out of the doctor's way. Kagome's bed was laid flat as the doctor sat on one side with a light lamp on his head, cleaning out the wound on Kagome's head, while a nurse stood at the other side of the bed, handing him the tools. The other nurse stood next to the doctor, helping to wipe the blood and clean the area so he could work. Kagome's black dress was folded on the bedside cabinet for patients while she wore a hospital gown, apparently changing while he had been gone.

"Ah, Dr. Fujimoto. It is good to see you tonight," Dr. Suzuki said with a small smile as he looked to see the new visitors. "Although the conditions could have been better."

Izayoi smiled softly. "I agree." She moved to the opposite side of the bed from Dr. Suzuki, standing next to the nurse as the others stayed back to give the doctors room.

"Kagome... can you hear me, honey?" She didn't respond to Izayoi, but her eyes remained opened, staring up at the ceiling. "She's still in shock."

"Yes, it would seem so," Dr. Suzuki said, taking another shard of glass out of Kagome's head. "My best guess is that someone ran this young woman's head into a glass wall or table."

"The latter," Jinenji said, standing near the door.

Izayoi looked up at him, frowning. "Can one of you take care of his wounds?" she directed, looking at the nurse standing next to the doctor. She nodded, grabbing more clean towels from the cabinet and turned. He resisted the nurse at first, but when Izayoi insisted, he gave in. The nurse sat him down on one of the doctor's rolling stools they brought in and she got to work on cleaning the cut on his cheek and taking the huge piece of glass from his chest.

As Dr. Suzuki worked on Kagome's head wound, cleaning it out and then stitching it up, Izayoi started to work on her hands, doing the same process as Dr. Suzuki. The two worked meticulously while the nurse held the tray for them and stood out of their way until they needed her. After Kagome was stitched up, finally Dr. Suzuki took his leave now that Izayoi was here to see to Kagome's other needs. Izayoi used the controls to lift the head of the bed up a little so that Kagome could better see everyone. However, when her eyes fell on Inuyasha, she refused to look at anyone else but him. Izayoi bandaged her hands so that the stitches wouldn't open, all the while talking to Kagome, trying to get her to tell them what happened, but Kagome didn't say a word.

Almost two hours since Kagome was brought in did things finally settle down. Kagome was stitched and bandaged, and so was Jinenji, although he tried to tell them that he would heal on his own. Still, this being a youkai hospital, the nurse knew how to treat a hanyou patient and gave him ointment to help in his body's natural recovery rate, and the stitches would naturally dissolve into his skin without any harm. Two hours of complete chaos and worry was now over, for now, as the aftershocks started to kick in.

Izayoi, Inutaisho and Inuyasha stepped out to talk in the hallway, and Kagome could only watch Inuyasha go with fear in her eyes. Ayumi and Midoriko went to Kagome's bed, trying to get her to respond to them, but she wouldn't say a word or look at anyone. Her eyes were glued to the open door. They decided to say their goodnights since there were so many people, promising to return later that day. That earned them a glance from Kagome, which they took as a good sign that she had heard them. They knew she was suffering from shock and her PTSD, though they've never seen it this bad before. Given the situation, they could understand why. The two women said their goodbyes to Jinenji and Sai and then headed out.

"I better go too," Sai said after a few minutes. Inuyasha and his parents hadn't returned and he didn't want to be here with Inuyasha. It had already been awkward enough with them talking outside, let alone to be stuck in a room together with the object of their affection in between them.

Sai went to the side of the bed and frowned as he gazed upon Kagome. The bruise around her neck was prominent now. Her hands were bandaged and gauze was taped over her head stitches. But she was safe and taken cared of. He was grateful for that much at least.

"Kagome..." he called, knowing that she could hear him. When everyone else tried to talk to her and ask her questions, she only looked at Inuyasha. Even now, she looked at the door, waiting for him to return. Sai tried not to let that knowledge affect him, but it did.

"I'm leaving now. I'll be back to check on you tonight if you're still here." He ran his hand over her hair. "You'll be safe here." If this was the last time he'd see her, then he wanted to let her know that he had been by her side. He bent down and kissed her forehead, brushing her hair back, before pulling away. He looked up and saw Inuyasha returned alone, watching him with those golden eyes. Sai looked at Kagome one last time and turned to leave.

"Sai..." Kagome whispered.

Sai froze and turned to face her, wondering if he really heard her. She was looking at him now and her blue eyes, as usual, captivated him. Except this time, her eyes were a dark shade of blue. Terrified blue. Haunted.

"Thank you," she said softly, and his heart melted. She looked so fragile and so broken. He wanted nothing more but to hold her and take her away from here where he could protect her and keep her safe. But it was the simple gesture that she had looked at him and spoke, when all this time she didn't say a word or look at anyone besides Inuyasha, that made him love her more.

"Get well, Kagome." He turned and headed for the door, leaving before he lost the will to leave her side. And as he passed Inuyasha, the two exchanged a look, and he walked right out. There was much he had to think about and much he had to do in regard to Onigumo.

Even Jinenji took his leave once he knew that Inuyasha was here and wouldn't be leaving. Inuyasha told Jinenji to go home and take care of himself. He also took Jinenji's number and he promised to call Jinenji once things settled to offer him a job. Inuyasha thanked him once again for saving Kagome's life, and Jinenji just told him to watch over her and take care of her, though he would be back to check on her. Kagome also responded to Jinenji when he told her he was leaving, calling his name and reaching for him. Jinenji held her small hand in his as something passed between them as they looked at one another, and then he left.

When Inuyasha and Kagome were finally alone, the sound of the monitor's soft beeping was the only thing they heard in the quiet room, aside from the busyness of the ER outside the door. Inuyasha went to Kagome's side, putting up the side rail of the bed, and then went around to the other side. Kagome tracked his movements, her eyes following him and watching him as he looked down at her. She laid there completely still, her hands clasped on her stomach. Her mind was blank, her body was numb, and her heart hurt. But all she knew was that this man was keeping her sane. She felt like he kept her together when all she wanted to do was runaway and crawl into a hole.

"Kagome..."

Inuyasha sat down, bending over her so that his face was closer to hers. He brushed his fingers across her cheek, pushing her hair back and running his fingers through her hair.

"Inuyasha..." His ears perked but he remained quiet, his eyes focused on hers. He gave her the stillness and the time for her to speak, knowing she was traumatized and knowing, like before, she needed to feel safe and protected.

"Please don't leave me."

He watched as tears formed in her eyes and he sighed deeply. Inuyasha stood and grabbed the folded blanket at the foot of the bed, draping it over her to keep her warm. Then, he moved to get on the bed with her. When she noticed what he was doing, she started to move over, turning to face him. The bed wasn't very big, made for only one patient, but with Kagome flushed against the side rail, he was able to lie on his side, both of them facing each other. He brought an arm under her neck and held her tightly against him, their legs intertwining. She rested her head on his arm and he rested his cheek on her head, breathing in her hair. As much as his rage was still there, boiling beneath the surface, her scent always pacified his demon and it was a balm to his soul. Kagome's needs would always come before his own and right now, she needed him.

"Kagome... tell me what happened," he said after several minutes of silence. He felt her shiver and he tightened his hold on her. "I need to know, Kagome. Please..."

She remained still, enveloped in Inuyasha's arms for a couple minutes. As time ticked on, Inuyasha never spoke or pushed her. He simply waited, giving her the time and choice to tell him. And when she finally did, she relived the experience for him, feeling safe in his arms. Kagome told him everything that happened, from the moment she stepped into Onigumo's office until Jinenji placed her into his car and they drove here, to the hospital. And when she told him about what Onigumo did to her sexually, she felt him tighten his hold on her. She relived every pain Onigumo inflicted on her. She recalled the things he said to her and how it made her feel. Unbeknownst to her before, talking about it now, especially right after it happened, felt almost therapeutic. Especially being here in Inuyasha's arms where she knew Onigumo would never be able to hurt her, she felt protected and able to share her pain with him.

When she finished, she looked up over his chin, seeking his eyes but he didn't look down at her. He was so still and quiet throughout her speaking that she wondered what he thought.

"Inuyasha? Say something..." Was he mad at her? She clutched at the back of his shirt with one hand while the other clutched at his front.

Inuyasha kissed her forehead and squeezed her tight. "I won't let him touch you again, Kagome."

She frowned. "Don't be mad."

"Oh I'm beyond mad. Rage doesn't even describe what I feel right now." His voice was neutral but low.

She brought her hand up to place on his cheek, staring at his lips. "You saved me." She swallowed, running her thumb against his cheek. "When Onigumo had his finger in me... I gave up. I was so tired of living, tired of always finding the same kind of men in my life who only wanted to hurt me and rape me and use me." She closed her eyes at the pain. "But then I saw you, I saw your face and the way you looked at me when we made love tonight... and I remembered that you were the only man who ever showed me what it meant to be loved by someone."

Kagome opened her eyes and saw him looking at her tenderly. She smiled as her eyes pooled with tears. "I fought my father and Koga, and still I could do nothing but lie there as they had their way with me. Eventually, I gave up fighting. And for a moment, I did the same thing with Onigumo. I gave up."

She cried as the shame and humiliation was too much for her to bear to even look at him.

"Shhh... don't cry Kagome," Inuyasha said, stroking her hair as he held her. "It's not your fault. You said you fought him back. You got him off you."

She shook her head, clutching at him. "I fought him because of you, Inuyasha. Because you gave me a reason to fight again. I fought for you, Inuyasha."

He held her as she cried in his arms, her words humbling him. Her tears made him feel helpless but his heart felt so much love for her, and he placed his cheek on her head, trying to give her all the love and strength he could.

"I love you, Kagome." That didn't even describe what he felt for her, but it was all he could say to try to get her to understand. He held her as she cried and he petted her hair, waiting for her to tire herself out. And it came quickly. After a few minutes, her cries grew softer until her breathing deepened and evened out that he knew she cried herself to sleep.

Inuyasha sighed, shifting them so that he was half lying on his back while holding her against his chest. He kissed her forehead and closed his eyes, listening to the beat of her heart and her breathing. After a while, even he fell asleep.

An hour later, a nurse knocked and called out, walking in to see the two of them lying in bed together. She smiled at the loving sight. She walked in and went to the bed to grab the patient's clipboard hanging off the foot of the bed. She wrote the time and some notes as to her observations of the patient. When she looked back up at the patient, the inu-hanyou was staring at her, his golden eyes alert and piercing. She jumped at his piercing eyes.

"Oh! Mr. Fujimoto. Forgive me if I woke you."

"It's fine. I smelled you when you came in."

She nodded. The hospital was owned by his family and all of the workers knew of the powerful inuyoukai family. Being a demon herself, she also knew that inu-youkai noses were one of the best when it came to tracking scents, even better than wolves.

"Your mother reserved a hospital room for your mate. We'll be moving her soon."

Inuyasha nodded. The ER was a busy part of the hospital that he did not want to be in. And they had one of the few rooms that the ER department had, while most of the 'rooms' were made with curtains and nothing more, and everyone can hear everything. He'd rather be out of here and in a private room upstairs sooner than later.

"Where's my mother? Did she go home?" he asked softly, looking down to see that Kagome was still asleep.

"No, she's working. Your father went home, however."

Inuyasha grunted and watched her as she went back to her clipboard, marking a few things down before she turned to place the clipboard back.

"A couple of orderlies will be in here to move her up to one of the floors once your mother gets all the paperwork done." She bowed and dimmed the lights before walking out, leaving the door cracked open.

Twenty minutes later and two orderlies came in, turning on the bright lights and blinding him for a second. Inuyasha extracted himself out of Kagome's arms, and with only a few complaints and movements from her, he was able to get out of bed without waking her. He placed the side rail up and let them do their job while he grabbed Kagome's dress and purse. The orderlies rolled Kagome out of the ER and they took the elevator up. When the door opened, his mother greeted him and walked with them down to a room.

"Did you hear from your brother?"

Inuyasha nodded. "I called him earlier. He said that they'll come in the morning."

Izayoi smiled, relieved. "I think Rin will be able to help," she said, looking at Kagome. He had to agree. "Are you staying?"

"Do you have to ask?" he asked her seriously. She gave him a look and hit his chest with the back of her hand. "I'll have them bring in another chair and an extra set of blankets and pillows."

"No, it's fine. I'll sleep on the bed with her." He looked at Kagome, seeing how she had curled into herself during their travel. They followed the orderlies into a room and they began to set her up, turning on the monitors near her bed and pulling back the bed curtains. They pulled at the monitor wires, clipping the temperature device onto her finger and sticking two other wires onto her chest. Eventually, her heartbeat showed up on a green line along with other numbers.

"Kagome needs me to be here for her right now."

Izayoi looked at him when she heard his tone. They stood facing Kagome's bed but gave the orderlies room as they finished up and left with a bow. She placed her hand on his shoulder but he refused to look at her. "Did she tell you what happened?"

He nodded gravely and stayed silent.

"Well... at least she told you. Do you know who it is who hurt her?"

He nodded again, his eyes darkening. "He's my prey," he growled. Izayoi squeezed his shoulder.

"It is your right, honey. But right now, you should be here for her."

"I know. I'm not going anywhere."

Izayoi nodded with a supporting smile. "I'll be working. I decided to stay since I'm already here. Your father went home before heading off for work. If you need me, have the nurses page me."

Inuyasha nodded, wrapping his arms around his mother, needing her comfort and embrace. "Thanks, Mother." He brought his nose to her hair, taking in her scent one last time. She squeezed his waist once and they let each other go.

"Dr. Suzuki told me that Kagome refused to do any tests. I would like to order some tests on her later."

Inuyasha shook his head. "She's still traumatized... I'll talk to her about it tomorrow. Maybe just a CT scan since he slammed her head into the glass table," he said, growling the last words. His mother's hands grabbed his arms and he saw her concern. "I'll see how Kagome feels about it in the morning, Mother."

"She's been given pain meds. But I'm worried about brain injuries from that head wound and from being strangled. Strangulation cuts off oxygen and lack of oxygen can affect the brain. When she's feeling better, I want to put some ice on her neck to help with the swelling and the bruising. But I really want to get that CT for peace of mind."

Inuyasha nodded his understanding. "I'll ask her when she wakes."

Izayoi nodded and gave him a kiss on the cheek before she took her leave, closing the door behind her. Inuyasha placed Kagome's things on the bedside cabinet and went to put the side rail down. He sat on the bed and watched her for a few minutes, warring within himself. He sighed and resorted to grabbing the chair from the corner and pulling it next to the bed. He sat on the chair, resting his feet on the bars of the bed while resting his head on the bed next to Kagome's head. He didn't want to wake her by getting back into bed, so he resorted to staying as close to her as he could. He checked his phone. It was almost four in the morning. The sun would be rising soon. He figured he would try to get an hour of sleep before he needed to make some calls.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

When the sun rose, so did Inuyasha. His ears twitched and he opened his eyes, immediately seeing Kagome's face in front of his. He smiled and sat up, stretching his muscles after being twisted on a chair for a couple hours. He stared at her for a few moments, taking her in. The bandage on her head hid the wound but the marks on her throat were still there, her beautiful skin discolored and bruised. He tore his eyes from her, standing with a stretch before he headed to the bathroom. When he came back out, he saw her still sleeping so he went out into the hall, leaving the door cracked open.

Nurses walked down the hall, greeting him with a bow as they recognized who he was, before heading off into patient's rooms. He took his phone out and began making calls. First, he made a call to Miroku, who he knew was up by now. Miroku was clearly upset and worried upon hearing that Kagome was in the hospital, and Sango was beside herself. Sango told him they'd be there within the hour, which he told them not to worry or rush, but his words were brushed off. He asked Sango to bring some clothes from Kagome, and she asked where she could find them in his room and what she would like. Miroku asked him if he would let the group know what happened. He felt like everyone was close enough that they would want to know about Kagome's condition. So Inuyasha left that for Miroku or Sango to group text the others.

After he ended the call with them, he called Kikyo, hoping she'd pick up. She did, but he could tell that he woke her. Inuyasha told Kikyo what happened with Kagome and where they were. That made Kikyo wake up a little more, asking questions as to Kagome's health and condition. Kikyo reminded him about the photoshoot tomorrow morning, which he remembered and that's why he was calling her. He won't have Kagome take the photos in her condition. There's no way makeup would be able to conceal the stitches on her head. Kikyo asked him what happened, but all he told her was that Kagome was attacked, that someone slammed her head into a glass table and tried to strangle her. He was pleased to hear that it sounded like she was genuinely concerned for Kagome, not just for her brand. He knew she was feeling stressed since they leave for the States in six days and now one of her top dancers is injured. He told Kikyo that they would be at the hospital today if she needed him or wanted to come by. Kikyo told him she would try and they made plans to talk later about 'Plan B' for the photoshoot.

His final call was to the head of his security team, who answered on the first ring. Inuyasha demanded for an update and the demon updated him on everything that they found in the last couple of hours. The first they found were Onigumo's addresses. They had one of their men outside of Midnite while another was outside of his personal residence. They also pulled records on every employee that worked for him in Midnite, but Inuyasha told them he didn't care about the employees. Every single one of them would lose their job after he was done with Onigumo, but they should be grateful. He told the demon to keep the records on two women, Ayumi and Midoriko, and Jinenji, just in case he would need them later. The demon also reported that Onigumo was currently at Midnite, which made Inuyasha start. A part of him wanted to go there and rip his throat out and leave him there to bleed out. Another part of him couldn't leave Kagome like this. He wouldn't leave her alone while he went to satisfy his bloodlust.

His ears perked when he thought he heard Kagome say his name, but it was so soft that he thought he imagined it. He ended the call and promised he'd call back by the end of the day, while also telling the demon to keep Onigumo in their sights. He wants to know where Onigumo is and what he's doing every second. 'He's my prey.'

With that, Inuyasha ended the call and went back into the room, seeing Kagome still lying on her side. When he went up to the foot of the bed, she moved and turned to look at him.

"Inuyasha?" she said softly. Her eyes were so sad but relieved. "I thought you left."

"Where would I go?"

She shrugged, but remained still, her eyes still looking at him.

"I need a bath," she suddenly said, her voice sounding stronger this time. "I feel... disgusting."

He didn't know if she was talking about physically after working all night or if in the places that Onigumo touched her. He took a deep breath, controlling his emotions, and went towards her, moving his chair out of the way.

"I'll take you down to the showers," he said, preparing to help her out of bed.

Kagome looked up at him, skeptically. "Will they let you?" she asked as he took the blanket off her and the cold, hospital air hit her.

Inuyasha scowled. "Let them try and stop me. If I wanna bathe my mate, I can bathe my mate."

She smiled tenderly at him, holding in her giggle. He sounded so self-assured that no one would be able to stop him, so she said nothing. He helped her stand and she went to the bathroom first, needing to relieve herself and get a good look at herself in the mirror. What she saw made her frown. The person that stared back at her was someone that she knew from long ago. She remembered this woman, the beaten woman who was abused and raped by the people she loved... or thought she loved. Her father never physically harmed her, but Koga did, and it landed her in the hospital like this. Sexually assaulted and hurting, she knew this feeling all too well.

A sob escaped before she knew what it was, and she was soon slumped on the floor, unable to look at herself any longer. The person in the mirror disgusted her, and embarrassed her at the same time. She thought she would never see that person again, that she left her past behind her, and yet here it was again. She broke down, sobbing on the bathroom floor. Inuyasha came in hearing her cries and immediately went to her.

"Kagome..." He gathered her into his arms and held her as she cried out her anguish. Her heart hurt. She'd been hurt so many times, and as much as she learned how to numb herself physically, she could never numb the pain in her heart. Perhaps, if she learned how to cut her heart out and never again be able to feel love or loss, then she would be better off.

"Kagome... don't cry."

Inuyasha's voice brought her out of her thoughts and she wrapped her arms around his neck, crying into his neck. "Inuyasha..." This man who held her tightly in his arms. This man who stayed by her side all night. This man who loved her, who proved to her that his love was different from the others. This man... "Inuyasha... I... don't... deserve you..." she said between sobs.

Inuyasha ran a hand into her hair and clutched her hair, pulling enough to get her attention. "Don't ever say that, Kagome. I love you. You're the most important thing in my life."

His words made her cry even more because she felt so undeserving of him. He was too good for her. And she's never had someone care so much about her like he did.

Inuyasha just let her cry, rocking her and holding her tight on the bathroom floor, kissing her head and avoiding her injury. Minutes later, when she finally settled, she pushed out of his arms to look up at him. But he refused to let her go.

"Why? Why do you love me?" she asked him, her face pained and swollen from crying. "How can you look at me? I'm... disgusting."

Inuyasha growled and grabbed her by the arms, catching her attention. "Don't ever say that. And don't ever question my love for you. I love you because you are my mate, the other half of my soul. I love you because you're beautiful, inside and out. You're not disgusting. I don't ever want you to think that or say that. Do you hear me, Kagome?"

She nodded her head with a frown at the anger in his voice. She didn't understand how he could love her so much. But she heard him. He kissed her and she melted into him, placing her hands on his face, holding her to him. He kissed her tenderly and then licked at her tears. The action was so intimate and loving that it made her tear up again. Not because of how she felt but because of how he made her feel: cherished.

"Let's get you off this cold ground," he said, releasing her to stand.

"I don't have any underwear... or clothes," she said as he pulled her up to her feet and held her against him.

He remembered last night taking home her torn panty. "I called Miroku. They're coming soon and I asked Sango to bring clothes for you."

She smiled up at him. "Thank you."

He kissed her forehead and urged her out of the bathroom. "I have a headache now," she said with a wince as they walked out into the hall.

"My mother wants to run a CT scan to check your head. She told me that you refused to do any tests." He looked at her to see her confirmation. "But I think you should do the CT. We need to make sure that your head and your brain is okay. It could be why you're having a headache." He waited until she finally nodded, making him smile.

They walked down the hall and he asked one of the nurses at the station to direct him to the patients' showers. She told him they would take Kagome but he refused and demanded to know where the showers were. After the nurses realized he was serious and wouldn't let her go without him, they resigned to letting him take her to the showers one level down. He didn't care if it had to do with his privilege as the family who owned this hospital. If he wanted to bathe his mate, he had every right to. Inuyasha, true to his word, gave her a good shower. Both of them showered together in the hospital communal showers. She was thankful that he helped her since she found her muscles hurt a little when she moved certain ways. She was sure it was because of how hard she fought Onigumo last night. But Inuyasha had no problem with washing her body or her hair for her. He was careful not to get any water on her face and her wound. They even had a few intimate moments together of just innocently kissing or holding each other. Nothing sexual, but a physical connection, loving each other without words.

After the shower, Inuyasha brought Kagome back to her room only to find Miroku and Sango there waiting. Sango immediately got up from the chair and went to Kagome, giving her a cautious hug. Kagome smiled and held her tighter, consoling Sango who was very upset and worried for her. Inuyasha gave the women some time as he went to Miroku and the two placed their hands on each other's shoulders, a simple gesture that went a long way. Miroku handed Inuyasha his duffle bag they packed with Kagome's clothes and Inuyasha took it with thanks. When Sango finished worrying over Kagome, Inuyasha took her into the bathroom to get the hospital gown off her and put some real clothes on her. He was thankful that Sango packed a few of Kagome's sweats and loose shirts.

"Thank you, Inuyasha. I feel much better." He smiled at her and took her hand as they went back out just as Miroku came back in the room with two chairs. Kagome sat down as Inuyasha brought the head of the bed up so she could recline back and talk with them.

The four talked about what happened last night and Kagome told them everything that happened, keeping some parts shorter than others to spare them the details. She also came clean to them about her job at Midnite, being a gentlemen's girl for almost ten years, and how she ended up in Tokyo.

"Is this why you guys got into a fight last week?" Sango asked, looking between Inuyasha and Kagome. He sat on the bed facing them while they sat on the chairs Miroku brought in.

Kagome nodded. "I told Inuyasha everything about my job there... and about... being married."

Sango's eyes widened. "Wha... married?"

Miroku caught Inuyasha's eyes but the hanyou simply looked away, his face stoic.

"I didn't want anyone to know... especially not Inuyasha," she said, putting her head down. "But I had to tell him eventually."

"Wait... so who are you married to?" Sango asked, shocked. And to know that Inuyasha knew this but still remained with Kagome. Something wasn't right.

"A demon," Kagome said, not wanting them to know who. "A powerful demon. I've been running and hiding from him for almost ten years. He's more abusive than my boss. When I had the opportunity, I ran away, using the engagement ring for cash and I made my way to Tokyo. When I got here, Onigumo found me on the streets and gave me a roof over my head and a completely new life. Since then, I've worked for him as a gentlemen's girl."

Miroku looked back at Inuyasha, seeing the hanyou looking out the window. "Inuyasha?" He saw Inuyasha's ears twitch and knew Inuyasha heard him. "Who is this demon?"

Inuyasha's face remained stoic until he looked at Kagome. The two shared something and Kagome looked defeated, but she didn't say anything.

"His name is Koga."

"Nakashima?" Sango gasped.

"Yeah," Kagome said, looking at them, pleading. "Please don't say anything to the others. Koga is very powerful. I don't want any of you to be put in danger because of me."

Miroku and Sango exchanged a look. "He is powerful, Kagome," Miroku confirmed, looking back at her. "But he isn't a god. There are other powerful demons out there too, Inuyasha and his family being some of them. Inuyasha, does your family know about this?"

Inuyasha nodded. "They were helping me look for her ex... before I knew who it was. I needed to get rid of the threat to her. But we couldn't find anything because Kagome had changed her name when she came to Tokyo."

Kagome nodded, feeling lighter now that her friends knew the truth. It felt nice not having to lie to them. "My birth name is Higurashi. My married name is Nakashima. But I changed my name to Saito as my new identity so that Koga could never find me. Onigumo helped me to do that. He destroyed all that he could find of my records, which wasn't much since I was homeless all my life."

Sango frowned, leaning her elbows on her knees. "Kagome... why didn't you tell us?"

"It's not something I wanted to tell, Sango," she said, trying to get them to understand. "I wanted to live without having my past come back to haunt me. I hoped to never have to tell anyone about my childhood or about Koga. I wanted to never have anything to do with that life anymore. And with my job at Midnite... I didn't want you guys to think that I was a whore."

Sango opened her mouth to say something but Miroku stopped her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I understand why you did it," Miroku said calmly, making Inuyasha and Sango look at him. "A gentlemen's girl comes with a stigma. And I'm sure you thought we wouldn't hire you if we knew what your job was."

Kagome looked at him with kindness, appreciating his understanding. She nodded her head and he smiled at her.

Just then, there was a knock on the door and Rin walked in carrying Kumi in her arms while Sesshomaru followed in behind her. Izayoi came in with a smile and they all greeted the new guests.

Izayoi asked Kagome if she would be open to getting a CT, and Kagome agreed. Izayoi went to leave so she could put the order in, and promised to come back to get her when the test was ready. Rin and Sesshomaru moved to stand on the opposite side of the bed from the others.

"How are you feeling, Kagome?" Rin asked, taking in the girl's appearance.

"I'm okay. I have stitches on my head and bruises on my neck... but I'm okay otherwise," Kagome said with a smile.

"Well... I just wanted to check in on you and see how you were doing," Rin said as Kumi turned to look down at Kagome.

Kagome smiled up at Kumi, feeling joy from an innocent child's face. "I'm okay, Rin. Maybe we can talk later? I feel okay now that I've told everyone what happened."

Rin's eyes widened. "Well, that's good. That's a huge step, Kagome." She knew how Kagome had been the first time she got Kagome to tell her about her past. For Kagome to now be telling Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango, that was a breakthrough in Rin's eyes.

They talked about what the plans were for this week now that Kagome was in the hospital and they were leaving this weekend for the States. Inuyasha updated them on his talk with Kikyo and how she might be coming later so they could plan things out. Izayoi came back in with a couple of orderlies, one pushing a wheelchair, to take Kagome down to the labs. Inuyasha promised he would be here, waiting for her, and Miroku and Sango told her they'd stay as well and wait for her to hear the news on the scans. Kagome was helped out of bed by Inuyasha and the orderlies wheeled her out of the room with Izayoi following behind, telling them it might be an hour or more before they returned.

Now that Kagome was gone, Rin half sat on the empty bed, half resting Kumi on her leg as she held her daughter against her while Sesshomaru stood close to her.

"How is she doing, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha shrugged, sitting back down on the bed. "As to be expected, I guess. She was sexually assaulted by that bastard, her head was slammed into a glass table and he almost strangled her to death. If it wasn't for her bodyguard showing up, she would've died..." It shook him to say that out loud. He almost lost her when he had just found her.

"Inuyasha..." Miroku said, feeling for him. "This Onigumo... do you know who he is?"

Inuyasha nodded with a growl. "I have our security team following his every move. I know where he is every minute of the day."

Miroku frowned and looked over at Sesshomaru, seeing the stoic youkai's face as he looked at his younger brother. "What do you intend to do?"

Inuyasha didn't answer. He, himself, didn't really know what he wanted to do with Onigumo once he saw him. He wanted to hurt the man, make him bleed, make him suffer. He wanted to take everything that Onigumo held dear away from him, from his possessions to his money, everything. He wanted to kill the man, to snap his neck, to rip his heart out with his claws, to let him bleed out in front of him while he watched. All these thoughts had crossed his mind throughout the hours of holding Kagome and planning his vengeance.

"It is Inuyasha's right to do as he sees fit," Sesshomaru said. Miroku looked at the elder brother as Rin nodded her agreement. "If it was Rin... the fool would've been dead hours ago." Rin smiled softly, knowing her mate better than any of them. Sesshomaru did not take kindly to anyone speaking ill of or hurting his family. That also includes his extended family, and Kagome now fell into that category. Even she wanted to see something horrible happen to this Onigumo, and she knew nothing of him. She's lived in a clear cut world for so long being mated to Sesshomaru that matters of life and death was a dinner table conversation for their family.

"Kagome did not deserve to be hurt like that," Rin defended, smiling at Kumi as she looked up at her mother with a happy burble. "I'm surprised you haven't taken care of it yet, Inuyasha," she said with a gentle smile, not in any way criticizing his decision or lack of action.

"I can't leave Kagome. She needs me here, so I'll stay by her side until I can get away to take care of it," Inuyasha simply said.

"I came to offer my help if you and Kagome want it," Rin said. "If Kagome wants to talk, I'm willing to listen and help her through it."

Inuyasha nodded, grateful to his sister-in-law. "Thanks, Rin."

There was a knock on the door and Kikyo came in, looking around the room with confusion and concern. They spent the next hour and a half explaining to Kikyo what happened and then figuring out the logistics for this week. Sesshomaru left when Kikyo arrived, needing to go to the office, and Rin stayed with Kumi to wait for Kagome to return. Within the time Kagome was gone, Shippo and Mizuki showed up, as well as Shiori and Emi. The group text had been blowing up everyone's phones since Sango let everyone know that Kagome was in the hospital, and some of them planned to come by to see her. Now that the room was getting more crowded, Miroku had to request more chairs so that everyone could sit.

The plan for the week was set. They moved the photoshoot from tomorrow to Friday morning, pushing it back to the very last minute. Kikyo agreed that it would be bad to have Kagome in the photos with bruises on her neck or her stitches still glaringly obvious on her head. And she needed to be in the photos. The plan was to give Kagome time for her body to heal as much as it could before they had to use makeup and Haru could use Photoshop to get rid of Kagome's injuries. Friday would be a busy day for all of them since that was Inuyasha's birthday, not to mention they would be staying at Inuyasha's parents' house that night and head to the airport all together the next night. It meant a busy several days of prepping and packing before Friday.

Plans were also made to continue practice as normal and to plan on Kagome not being there. There was also another problem, that Inuyasha reminded them of, which was the last dance class that he and Kagome had to teach this coming Wednesday. Inuyasha thought it would be better to have the entire group come to the dance class to give the students a big hoorah, especially since Kagome wouldn't be there. Inuyasha figured it was a good tradeoff, and those in the room agreed that they wouldn't mind going to help teach the final dance class. Kikyo loved the idea, thinking that it would leave a lasting impression on those students.

About two hours since she left, Kagome was rolled back into the room and Inuyasha helped her back into bed. Kagome was shocked to see so many people in her room, but it touched her that they all came to support her and check on her. Izayoi updated everyone on the good news that Kagome's scans came back normal, aside from the swelling on her head. Her brain scans were fine, which had been Izayoi's greatest concern and the swelling on her head will heal with time, as would the bruising on her neck. Inuyasha asked how long the stitches would last and Izayoi told him the stitches would dissolve in one to two weeks. Kagome was relieved to hear that she wouldn't have them during the concert next weekend. Izayoi also reassured Kagome that the wound on her head was about two centimeters and not very deep, and she predicted that the wound would close by the concert dates. If Kagome took care of it, she also saw the scarring to be very minimum, and Izayoi offered to help provide her with some of her homeopathic remedies she's used over the years to help with the wound. Kagome was so relieved to hear that good news, as was everyone else, and she thanked Izayoi for taking care of her. Izayoi and Rin promised her that family always come first, and it warmed Kagome's heart to be a part of their family. Looking around the room at Inuyasha and all her friends, she felt so lucky even though she laid in a hospital bed.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

"Where did Inuyasha go?" Izayoi asked, walking into Kagome's room hours later. Kagome noticed that she didn't have her doctor's coat on. The setting sun was shining into her room, casting a bright orange glow on the white walls.

"He said he was going to take care of business," she said with a small smile, her eyes belying her smile.

Izayoi looked at Kagome with slight concern. "Did he say what kind of business?" she asked, though she had a feeling. The look on Kagome's face told her she was correct.

"I'm sure he went to see Onigumo, but he didn't tell me where he was going. He just told me not to worry." Kagome looked out the window, unsure of how she felt about that. Inuyasha told her that he needed to go out and if she would be okay without him for a couple of hours. When she asked where he was going, he was reluctant to tell her, but he told her that mates didn't lie to one another. He said that as her mate, it was his right to take care of her and protect her. It was an instinctual need to right the wrongs done against her. She worried about him. Even though he didn't say it, she knew that Inuyasha was going to go after Onigumo. He already had men watching Onigumo's every move and he must know where Onigumo was every moment. She worried for Inuyasha's safety because she knew that Onigumo had his demon bouncers, and with that many against Inuyasha, she worried for him.

"And, of course, you worry for him," Izayoi said with a knowing smile, as if she read her mind. Kagome turned to look at her with a smile. Izayoi sighed and went to grab the chair next to her bed, pulling it closer. "It's a mother's job to worry... even when my child tells me not to. But I fully trust in Inuyasha's ability to protect himself and come back. Ever since he became an adult and left home, that's all I've been able to do, was to trust that he could take care of himself in this world and come home to me so I could hold him in my arms again."

Kagome frowned, looking at Izayoi. "I do trust Inuyasha. He can be... scary at times."

"Who can be scary?" They turned to see Rin walk in carrying Kumi. They both smiled at her as she went over to Izayoi who was urging her over, opening her arms for her granddaughter. Kumi went willingly, burbling at her grandmother as Izayoi cooed to her. Rin grabbed one of the stacked chairs in the corner and brought it close to Izayoi, smiling at Kagome as she sat. "Who's scary?"

"Inuyasha," Kagome said with a chuckle. "Scary in the sense of threatening and posturing."

Izayoi looked up. "Have you seen Inuyasha fight before?" Kagome's blank stare made her smile, shaking her head. "Of course you haven't. It's a different world we live in compared to what it was like hundreds of years ago." Rin nodded her head.

"Times have changed. Youkai, hanyou and human have learned to get along in these times. With the dilution of youkai blood from mating with humans, nowadays hanyous have a greater population than youkai. It's becoming harder to find pure-blood, let alone half-bloods, although there's more half than pure. But hanyous are the end of the line. There is no more dilution after that. And that's why so many people nowadays don't believe in demons anymore. There's just not a lot of them in the world, and what we do have we protect and value. If not, all youkai as we know it will be extinct."

Kagome nodded, shifting. "What do you mean by 'the end of the line'?" she asked, worried for Inuyasha.

Rin looked to Izayoi, letting the woman talk instead, as Izayoi held Kumi close to her body. "Kagome... do you know about hanyou infertility?"

"Inuyasha told me that all hanyous are sterile. At first, he said, he thought it was just himself. But then, as a doctor, you discovered that all hanyous are sterile. He called it 'nature's way of preventing youkai and humans from cross-breeding'."

Izayoi nodded. "Yes, I discovered scientifically that all hanyous are sterile, though I'm sure over the years it was known that hanyous couldn't produce offspring. For centuries, there was never any evidence or reports that hanyous had children. I only found the biological reason why once science allowed us to explore the unknown. I was able to analyze many different hanyou species of sperm and found that the sperm either die quickly or the surviving sperm are 'lost'."

"Lost?" Kagome asked, curious.

"The sperm almost have no direction. They swim around either missing the egg or they bump into it and swim away. It's almost like they don't know what to do, like instinctively they don't know that they need to go into the egg to fertilize it, and they'll just keep swimming until they eventually die."

Kagome frowned, thinking back to the conversation she and Inuyasha had about his relationship with Kiyomi. "Inuyasha told me... he told me that Kiyomi left him because he couldn't get her pregnant."

At the mention of Kiyomi's name, both Rin and Izayoi looked away, not liking the reminder of that part of history. Izayoi fell into playing with Kumi, trying to ease the pain in her heart for her son. He didn't deserve that from Kiyomi, and though Izayoi never threw the 'I told you so' in Inuyasha's face, she knew Kiyomi wasn't the one for her son. But all she could do was hold him when he needed her as he cried out his pain of being rejected the woman he once loved.

Rin sighed. "Kiyomi and Inuyasha have history together. And it's not my place to talk about their relationship but I'm glad that he opened up to you about that. It's hard for him to talk about her sometimes."

"Does he... still love her?" she asked, feeling a pang of jealousy. She didn't even know this woman and she was jealous of her for having Inuyasha's heart.

Rin shrugged. "That's something you'll have to ask him. They were best friends growing up. In a sense, that's a different kind of love. Perhaps he still cares for her as a friend, perhaps not. I'm not sure. We don't really see Kiyomi that much aside from our demon courts and very prestigious events."

Kagome remained quiet, thinking that idea over. 'I wonder if he still loves her.' Would it matter if he did? Kagome sighed softly, not knowing what to think, and not wanting to get into it while she sat in this hospital bed with Inuyasha's sister-in-law and mother.

"Kagome," Izayoi started, now wondering about something else, "if Inuyasha talked to you about his infertility, has he talked to you about mating?"

Kagome shook her head as she looked to Izayoi and Kumi. "No. He's mentioned it many times. He told me that we're mates and he's told me what mates are..."

"Can you explain to me what a mate is?" Izayoi interrupted. The seriousness in the woman made Kagome pause. Rin remained quiet but relaxed in her chair.

"Well... I can tell you what I know about mates from what I learned from..." She paused, thinking if she had told these two and remembering that she had only talked to Rin about her father. She sighed, wanting to get everything off her chest now that she was on a roll with letting everyone in her life know about her past. The idea didn't leave her anxious anymore. In fact, she was starting to feel freer the more she talked about it and the more she let the people in her life know about her past. What she once wanted to keep a secret from everyone she now was slowly starting to let those closest to her know the troubled and dark past she came from. It was both liberating and scary at the same time.

She waited, seeing the change of emotions on their faces as she told them a quick run down of her history with Koga. She told them about how she first met him and why. Then she told them of how she became his bride and was sold to him for his parents to have unlimited supply of drugs. Then she told them quickly about the sexual abuse, the near-death experience at Koga's hands, and then ending up in the hospital where she finally was able to escape and make her way to Tokyo. Through it all, she watched their faces, worrying that they might judge her or reject her. But all Kagome saw was their anger and sadness.

"We know this Koga you speak of," Rin said softly, her eyes looking down. "Koga Nakashima is part of a very powerful youkai family."

Izayoi frowned. "A youkai family that does not get along with ours."

That made Kagome pause. "What do you mean?"

Izayoi and Rin shared a look. Kumi started to squirm, feeling the tension in the air and realize that her grandmother and mother weren't paying attention to her. Izayoi bounced Kumi as she spoke, giving her granddaughter attention. "We've known the Nakashima family for centuries. Inuyasha was just a child when the northern wolf tribe came into our western lands and caused havoc to our people. Back then, they were eating humans, so we kept them off our lands. As time went on, we crossed paths with them over the years, but we were able to keep the peace so long as they abide by our laws when they came into our territory and we abide by theirs when we went into theirs. Most of the time, we stayed out of each other's lands."

"Our families never liked each other," Rin said. "We had different personalities and different principles we live by. The wolves were too primitive. Even as time went on and the modern era came to be, they still resort to a more primitive way of living. It's shown in how they deal with their business partners and even within their own family. I would even be so bold as to say that love isn't the reason why they mate or have harems, but packs are only seen as a necessity for survival and protection. Nothing more but a means to an end."

Izayoi nodded. "We both differ in how we view family and business. Our families never got along because my mate refuses to lower himself to Hanzō's principles." Kagome nodded her head, knowing who Hanzō is, Koga's father. She never really talked to Hanzō and Umeko. She's only seen them in passing and when Koga pushed her off the second floor balcony. That night, they stood over her, emotionless, as she laid there bleeding. She would never forget their faces as they didn't even lift a finger to help her or look on her with pity. They simply walked away and left her bleeding on the floor.

"The Nakashima family is different from a lot of other youkai family and many families do not like the Nakashimas for how they do their business. One business they're in, as you said, is the drug business. They have a huge opium empire and a lot of youkai families refuse to do any sort of business with them because of their infamous business dealings and because of their nature," Rin said, looking back at Kagome. "I'm sorry that you had to deal with them. It must have been really hard for you."

Kagome blinked several times, thinking about how many things she didn't know about in the youkai world. She shrugged. "It was a long time ago. But what I know about mates started with what I learned from Koga," she said, going back into her answer to Izayoi's earlier question. "I know from Koga that mates are for life. I know that mates may or may not love one another, but choose to be together because of power or status or obligation. For wolf youkai, or at least for Koga, he only had one mate but he told me that he could have mistresses like a harem. Ayame didn't mind, at least from what I saw. But Koga told me that his mate was the only woman he bred with and his mistresses were simply for his pleasure. That's what I was to him, but he told me I was much more than that, which was why he married me. He wanted to make me his in the human way because he couldn't make me his in the demon way since he was already mated to Ayame."

Rin stood suddenly, catching Kagome's attention. She walked over to the window, staring out at the brightly colored sky as the sun was now beneath the horizon, casting its colors. "Wolves are pack-oriented. They tend to have one alpha-male, one alpha-female, and many other brooding females. They've lived that way for centuries. It is not the way other demon races view mates, especially not inuyoukai," she said firmly, almost in disdain at the wolf tribe.

Izayoi nodded, bringing Kumi up to her shoulder and patting the child's back. "Inu-youkai mate for life, which is the same as wolf youkai. But inu-youkai have one mate for life and they are fiercely loyal and protective of their mate. To them, their mate is their reason for living, their alpha and their omega, the sun in which their world revolves around. I, being a mate to an inu-youkai, can confidently say that Inutaisho treats me as such, and I feel the same way towards him. My mate is my world, my life and the reason for my living. I can see myself with no other male but Inutaisho. I am as loyal to him and as protective of him as he is of me. It is the same for Sesshomaru and Rin."

Rin nodded her head, her face deep in thought as she kept thinking about Koga and the long history their family had with the Nakashimas. "Sesshomaru is the other half of my soul. I cannot survive without him. Literally..."

Kagome cautiously looked at Rin next to the window, hearing her voice trail off. "Rin?"

The woman sighed and went back to sit next to Izayoi as Kumi fussed. It was a different kind of fuss now as it was feeding time for Kumi. "Kagome... how much has Inuyasha told you about mating?" Rin asked as she took Kumi from Izayoi and began to lift up her shirt and lower the cup of her bra in one easy motion. Kagome looked away to give her privacy as she fed Kumi, thinking of Rin's question.

"Inuyasha's told me that he would kill for me because I'm the other half of his soul and that he couldn't live without me. He said there could be no one else for him but me." She paused with a smile, thinking of his face. "I can confidently say that I feel the same way. I've never been so loved the way that I am by Inuyasha. I wouldn't trade his love for anything in this world. I love him too much to want to be with anyone else but him. He completes me. And yet... I fear the feelings I have for him."

"Don't," Rin said, waiting until Kagome looked at her. It was obvious that Rin didn't care about her modesty when it came to breastfeeding. It was a natural thing and they were all women, which Kagome didn't mind at all. She just didn't want Rin to feel exposed.

"Kagome, don't fear your feelings for Inuyasha. That's what will get you two into trouble. You need to trust your feelings for him. Trust your love for Inuyasha."

"I do," Kagome interjected Rin. "I know what I feel for him is true. I've never felt this way for anyone before. I just... because of my past... I just have doubts. I doubt that my love for him is enough to keep him with me. I doubt that he loves me enough to never leave me."

"You shouldn't," Izayoi said with a soft smile. Kagome took comfort in the woman because it was Inuyasha's mother, the woman who raised him. "Think of it this way... the same way you feel for Inuyasha is the same way he feels for you. The strong love you feel for him is the same love he feels for you. If you don't want to be with anyone else but him, trust that he feels the same way. And I'm sure he may have his doubts too, maybe the same doubts you have towards him. He comes from a past where someone made him believe that he wasn't good enough to love, that he wasn't good enough to be with." Izayoi tried to hide the disdain in her voice, but a small part of her couldn't forgive Kiyomi who broke her son's heart and left the broken pieces for Izayoi to pick up and put back together. "The two of you may have come from heartbreaking past relationships... but you two need to trust your feelings and your love for each other. That's the only way that you're going to overcome everything and anything that comes at the both of you."

Kagome took a deep breath, smiling at Izayoi. "Thanks, Izayoi." She needed to hear that. She needed comfort and reassurance from someone other than Inuyasha to know his feelings for her were true and trustworthy. Yes, he's proven to her many times that they were. But it was comforting to hear from his mother and sister-in-law what she already knew to be true.

"Kagome, I would love to show you what I've been doing with my hanyou infertility experiments," Izayoi said, a certain happiness and gleam in her eyes. Kagome smiled sadly, sensing where this was going. "I feel like I'm making a breakthrough in helping hanyous to conceive. As of yet, we've had no successful conception of a human-hanyou offspring. And even if someone does conceive, we don't know how they will fare during the entire pregnancy so that the child is actually born alive and healthy. But I feel like myself and my colleagues are getting closer to finding a drug that can help with the conception, at least. Then, we'll just have to see how the pregnancy goes after conception."

Kagome smiled and looked down at her hands. 'Inuyasha...' He didn't know. There were still things that she needed to tell him before she told his mother and burst her bubble. Izayoi sounded like she wanted to share her experiment because she was looking forward to helping Inuyasha possibly have children. But little did Izayoi know that Inuyasha wasn't the only one who had fertility issues. She feared that she, too, wouldn't be able to bear children with her past experiences. The thought made her sad and she didn't want to talk about it right now. Besides, something Rin said reminded her to ask what she meant.

"Rin... you said that you can't survive without Sesshomaru. What did you mean?"

Rin smiled with a chuckle, caught. "Kagome... have you ever wondered about our ages?"

Kagome looked at the both of them and thought about it. "Not really." She took in their youthful appearance. Knowing from their conversations, they had to have been just as old as Inuyasha is, and for sure Izayoi was older than Inuyasha being his mother. She didn't know how old Inutaisho and Sesshomaru were as full-blooded youkai, but she knew that both Izayoi and Rin were human. She just never took the time to stop and question how because it just seemed so natural to her. Plus, Ayame was a wolf youkai so she didn't know anything about youkai-human mating.

"How old do you think I am?" Izayoi asked with a smile.

Kagome shrugged. "Older than Inuyasha... so older than 250 years?" Just saying that aloud didn't really faze her. She felt like she should've been shocked or in disbelief, but truly, she has been through a lot and seen a lot to be shocked by anything. And she's been around demons all her life, in some form or another, that she never questioned age and lifespan. She never had to as people came and went from her life and she never saw the same faces again.

Izayoi smiled. "I'm 332 years old." She watched as Kagome's eyebrows went up but she didn't seem alarmed by it. "You don't seem surprised."

Kagome shrugged. "I've been around demons all my life. People came in and out of my life and I've never thought to question their age and the how. All I know is that demons age slowly and live longer than humans."

"Exactly. And yet, I'm a human and so is Rin. You've never thought about how we could live so long?"

Kagome shook her head, honestly not really caring to ask, ever. "I really never cared. It didn't bother me as to how or why things happen. They just... do."

Rin frowned, leaning back so she could rest her arm that held Kumi to her breast on the chair. "You seem so disconnected, Kagome." She didn't understand how a beautiful woman like Kagome could go through life so disconnected and detached. But then again, she could understand knowing what she knew about Kagome's past and that it could be a learned trait.

Kagome shrugged again, looking out the window. "I wouldn't say 'disconnected'. I'm more... practical. Realistic. I think in terms of the here and now rather than the past and future. I've had to all my life. I think in terms of what's realistic now, what do I have to do now or what do I have to do next in order to survive. I plan for futuristic scenarios... like if Koga ever found me... but I don't fantasize of a future or dwell on the past. I find that staying present is hard enough and that's what keeps me going. At least... at least I'm alive. That's more than what my parents can say," she said with a smile, looking back at them. "I know it's hard to understand... but it's just the way that I've lived all my life. I don't know any other way. I try not to question the 'how' or the 'why' of things because things happen and sometimes there's nothing I can do about it. I just focus on one day at a time."

"Kagome..." Izayoi started, feeling for the girl. "Demons can live for centuries. And every demon race has their own longevity and lifespan, which is still undetermined because back in the feudal era, demons died before they could grow old and die naturally." She looked back at the young woman, wanting to teach her everything she could, as a mother-figure she felt Kagome needed. "Hanyous, too, never got the chance to die of natural old age because back then, hanyous were regarded as filth and killed before they drew their first breath. They used to be hunted and killed by both demons and humans."

"Oh my gosh..." Kagome said, shocked and disgusted.

Izayoi nodded. "It was hard, at first, when I was pregnant with Inuyasha. Even with Inutaisho being the Lord of the Western Lands, we still had our enemies, and many sought to kill me to get to him, or to kill Inuyasha simply because he was a half-breed. Hanyous were truly hated back then. He and I did our best to raise Inuyasha right, even when the world hated him. We protected him and loved him the best way we could. Even Sesshomaru helped us many times to raise Inuyasha and protect him when we couldn't."

Rin nodded with a smile. "Sessho mated me around the same time Inutaisho mated Izayoi. I would help Izayoi watch and care for Inuyasha when he was a child," she said with a smile, looking down at Kumi. Her daughter made a little sound that she was accustomed to knowing as a sort of 'switch me' sound. She quickly dislodged Kumi while covering herself up and then gave Kumi the next breast and her daughter was happily suckling away, her tiny hand scratching gently against her breast. Kumi would never know the prejudice and hate that Inuyasha did growing up.

Izayoi smiled, remembering those years long past. "Inuyasha... my sweet boy..." she said softly. She sighed. On one hand, she wanted to respect Inuyasha's wishes that he be the one to tell Kagome about mating and hanyou infertility. But on the other hand, she didn't want Kagome to be in the dark about this for any longer. Besides, she knew that Inuyasha has chosen Kagome and that it was inevitable that Kagome would be his mate. The only thing in the way of that is Kagome. If she didn't know what it meant, then there would be no way in moving forward with it. And if she refused to mate with him, then there would be no future for Inuyasha. He had chosen. Now it was up to Kagome. And Izayoi didn't want to stall the inevitable, although it seemed like her son was, perhaps because he was afraid of being rejected. Yet, Izayoi truly believed in this one. Her intuition about Kagome and Inuyasha together were different from how she felt with Kiyomi and Inuyasha. Yet, she was trying her hardest not to meddle in their relationship like Inuyasha asked.

"Kagome, listen. You should ask Inuyasha about mating. It's definitely something that the two of you need to talk about. It's something that you need to consider."

"Me?" Kagome asked, confused.

"Yes. Inuyasha has already made his choice. He's chosen you. Now, it's up to you to choose him."

"But I already have."

"Not in the sense you think he's asking of you," Rin said with a secretive smile. "Mating with a demon is a huge decision, at least for a human it is. It literally changes your life. Izayoi and I are over 300 years old and yet we look just as we did the day we mated our mates. You said that you don't ask the 'how' or the 'why' because things just happen and there's nothing that you can do about it. But you should ask 'how' and 'why' we look the way we do when we're human and living for over 300 years. You need to ask."

Kagome frowned. In truth, the thought of asking Inuyasha about what it truly meant to be his mate frightened her. Yes, they talked about it here and there. But most of the time he brushed it off and would say he'll tell her more later. She just never pushed him to tell her more because she both wanted to know and didn't want to know. Was it because she never thought of having a future with him? 'I don't know if I want to know... Is that why I haven't asked?'

"I'll ask him," she said, smiling at them. The two smiled back and all talk of mating and hanyou infertility would have to wait. There were so many things that were coming up this week that she wasn't sure when she wanted to have this deep talk with Inuyasha. Just the thought of the chaotic week, along with packing by Friday, brought on a new set of anxiety for her. She needed to get all of her things out of her apartment. And the thought of Onigumo only brought on a new set of worries. 'Inuyasha... where are you?'

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

The sun was setting. Even on a late Sunday afternoon, these side streets were still busy. It's almost like this part of Tokyo never slept.

Inuyasha stared at the plain black door that had a purple sign over it. His face was set in stone as he stared at the door, his intentions already set. He had one simple goal for being here.

Inuyasha walked to the door, hearing his men follow behind him. There were two of his men with him, the same two who tracked and watched Onigumo all day. They followed but stayed at a reasonable distance to give him space to move and hunt his prey. They've done this many times before for the Fujimoto family, the whole security team knowing how to fight with and around the Fujimotos.

Inuyasha fisted his hand and reared back, anger flashing in his eyes before he punched the door. It bursted inward, splintering the wood with a loud crash, and causing the passerbys to watch or run in shock and fear. He walked through the broken doorway, taking his time surveying the room. It was silent, different from when he was here last night. The lights were on and it took only a few seconds for him to meet his first resistance.

"Bankotsu." Inuyasha watched as the youkai appeared out of nowhere and regarded him with a smirk.

"Inuyasha. I never thought I'd see you here."

"Is Onigumo here?" he asked, regarding the youkai warily. He's come across Bankotsu and his brothers many times in the past. His eyes went to the stairs further ahead, behind the bar, and saw that Hiten and Manten were racing down, clearly alarmed by the door bursting open. "Where is he?"

"Why do you want to know?" Bankotsu asked, crossing his arms.

"I don't have to explain myself to you. If you won't tell me... then I'll find him myself." He knew Onigumo's scent because it had been all over Kagome. And Onigumo was here. His eyes went back to the stairs and he walked towards it. That is, until Bankotsu put himself between him and the stairs.

"I can't let you do that, Inuyasha. I hope you understand."

Inuyasha regarded Bankotsu with little emotion. He didn't care whether or not Bankotsu would let him get to Onigumo the easy way or the hard way. Either way, he was getting to Onigumo.

"Then you and I are going to have a problem." He heard footsteps behind him as his two security came in through the hole in the door, stepping on the broken wood, and flanking his sides.

"Tell me why you're here, Inuyasha," Bankotsu said, bringing his hands to his sides. He didn't want to fight the inu-hanyou, but he would because it was his job to protect Onigumo, and if it meant protecting him from a Fujimoto, then he would have to uphold his honor and do his duty, even though the consequences of going against a Fujimoto would be dire.

"Bankotsu!"

They turned to see Midoriko come out of the hidden doorway for the girls' dressing room. She only wore a white skirt and her black bra. Midoriko had heard the loud crash even through the sound proof walls and had come running to see what it was. Seeing Inuyasha only made her worried.

Inuyasha's eyes fell on Midoriko. "Is he here?" She stared at him for a moment and finally nodded, turning her head to the stairs. He walked forward and Bankotsu got right in his face.

"I can't let you go up there, Inuyasha," Bankotsu urged, his body language preparing for a fight. He was tense and standing a few feet in front of Inuyasha, waiting for the inu-hanyou to make his next move.

"Bankotsu, stop!" Midoriko said, running out, using her demonic speed to come up behind him and lay a hand on his shoulder. "Inuyasha has his reasons..." she tried.

"And so do I," Bankotsu said, staring at those golden eyes. "It's my job to protect him."

"Protect him?" Inuyasha echoed, his voice getting lower and he growled. "You mean the one who hurt my mate? The one who tried to rape her, cracked her head open against a glass table and nearly strangled her to death?" the last he said on a loud growl. Inuyasha moved so fast that Bankotsu didn't have time to react as Inuyasha grabbed him by his neck in a tight grip, lifting him off his feet. The unexpected aggression caused Hiten and Manten to burst into action, a little too late.

His two security were on them before they knew what happened. One had Manten pinned against the wall, slamming the thunder demon against it and creating a crater in the wall. An arm was pressed against Manten's throat, pinning him there. The other security had Hiten pinned against the ground, pressed flat on his stomach as the security had one hand twisted with Hiten's hair, holding his head down, while he had a knee on Hiten's back, using his strength to keep the thunder demon down.

Midoriko took a step back in shock as everyone moved with demonic speed. She heard Ayumi scream for Hiten, running towards him. She looked to see both thunder brothers down and held captive by Inuyasha's men. When she looked back at Inuyasha, purple lightning marks were on his cheeks and his golden eyes were glaring at Bankotsu. 'He's transforming!'

Bankotsu grabbed Inuyasha's wrist, flinching as the hanyou tightened his grip. The only thing that made him stop a full out attack on the inu-hanyou was what Inuyasha said.

"Release me," Bankotsu said with a scowl.

"You would protect a man like that?" Inuyasha asked again, demanding an answer, tightening his hold on Bankotsu's neck.

"No," Bankotsu said, both hands going to Inuyasha's wrist now. "Release me!"

"Inuyasha! Please! Let him go!" Midoriko said, coming to stand between them so he could see her. Bankotsu was her bodyguard and she cared for him. She would not stand by as Inuyasha hurt him, even though she understood Inuyasha's anger. His eyes never once looked at her but he did release Bankotsu at her request, and as the demon fell to the ground, he clutched at his throat and sucked in needed oxygen. Midoriko kneeled next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Inuyasha looked up and when his eyes met both of his men, they released Hiten and Manten by some unspoken demand. The two men stood and walked casually back to their places where they had been before, as if nothing had happened. Ayumi quickly made her way over to Hiten's side, kneeling next to him to place her hands on his arm. He moved so that he was a little in front of her, protecting her.

They now had an audience as the two bartenders were now watching them from the bar, unsure of what to do. The rest of the girls had also come out and were now crowding outside of the door, watching quietly with fearful eyes.

"Midoriko," Bankotsu wheezed, looking up at her. "Is he... speaking... the truth?"

Midoriko frowned, looking at him with regret, and nodded her head.

"Inuyasha speaks the truth," Ayumi said as Hiten stood, making her look up at him. "Hiten and Manten were there. They had to stop Jinenji from killing Onigumo."

Hiten looked at Inuyasha, his face showing his regret. "We did not know that that was what Onigumo did to her."

"You didn't ask?!" Inuyasha snarled out. "You couldn't see for yourself that she was hurt and bleeding? Or do you turn a blind eye when your boss abuses his workers?" he accused.

Ayumi stood and placed a hand on Hiten's arm when he refused to answer Inuyasha. Inuyasha looked to Manten, seeing the same guilty look as his brother. He growled and felt disgusted by the three of them.

"If you turn a blind eye to that, then it would be wise for you to find a new job. You won't have one after I'm done here."

With that, Inuyasha left them to think over their actions and their next move. He made his way towards the stairs and heard his two men following behind him. He walked past the girls without glancing at them and made his way up the stairs. The two demons stayed at the bottom of the stairs, facing the others, preventing anyone from going up.

Inuyasha got to the top and the scent of Onigumo grew stronger, making his bloodlust stronger. He wanted the man's blood, his demon needed to slaughter the one who would dare to hurt his mate. His demon wanted out, furious that with all these demon bouncers, no one, no one had protected his mate but Jinenji. He had to work extra hard to fight his demon blood from taking over. 'Tessaiga.' He hadn't thought to have Tessaiga with him, not after an eventful 12 hours, it never crossed his mind until now. Now, he felt like he could lose control, and yet it was too late to turn back. He had made his choice and Onigumo would be the one to pay.

Onigumo's voice came to him over the roaring in his ears. Inuyasha barely noticed the door hanging off its hinges as he walked in to Onigumo's office.

"What?! When?! How?!" Onigumo yelled into his phone, his eyes fast on the computer in front of him. He was frantic and wide-eyed as he kept the phone against his ear with his shoulder while he typed on his computer. "Who did it?! What do you mean you don't know?! How did I lose three investors in one day?!"

Inuyasha walked towards the couch ahead of him as Onigumo yelled into his phone, obviously not even noticing that he was there. He made his way to where he could smell Kagome's blood. And much to his disgust, the place still had the evidence of what happened. The coffee table near the couch was broken into pieces, and as he neared, he could not only smell but see Kagome's blood stained on the pieces of glass and the carpet below. He knew that this was how she got the injuries on her hands, as if she had laid in this glass and used her hands to try and crawl out of it. His eyes went to the couch, imagining Onigumo pinning Kagome down while he strangled her. He tore his gaze from the image and looked to the table in the corner where the chairs had been tossed aside, and he could see Kagome's blood on the cracked glass of the table. He imagined Onigumo slamming Kagome's head into the table, pinning her down as he violated her body. A growl ripped from his throat and he tore his gaze from the sight, turning to look at Onigumo behind his desk.

"Onigumo..." Inuyasha snarled. The man didn't hear him, which made his demon snarl again. He stalked his way towards Onigumo's desk, and only when he got closer, did the man finally look up to see who was in his office.

Onigumo glared at the unwanted interruption, but when he focused on who it was, his blood turned cold and he stared in shock at Inuyasha. He knew the inu-hanyou only by reputation and by the press. He had never met any of the Fujimotos in person. And here stood one in his office, dressed in jeans and a black shirt, his silver hair a stark contrast and his hanyou ears pinned down on his head. Inuyasha had purple lightning marks on his cheeks, which he never knew the hanyou to have, and he started to realize that he was in trouble. His eyes darted to the door, wondering how Inuyasha got in and where the bouncers were.

"Inu... Inuyasha." Onigumo's voice quivered as his phone conversation was forgotten.

"You know me then," Inuyasha said, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. Everything in him wanted to leap over Onigumo's desk and rip him to shreds, or in the very least torture him in order to hear the man scream for hours and hours.

"How did you get in here?" Onigumo demanded, slamming his cell phone down on the desk. He stood up and glared at the inu-hanyou, suddenly getting an adrenaline rush. "Get out of my office!"

Inuyasha noticed Onigumo wince and he remembered Jinenji had done his personal payback on Onigumo. He saw the evidence of Jinenji's retribution on Onigumo's jaw that was darkly bruised and swollen. From Inuyasha's perspective, Jinenji must've held himself back. The injuries weren't as bad as Inuyasha had hoped for.

"I'm not leaving until I'm satisfied." Inuyasha snarled at him. "You hurt someone precious to me. You won't get off easy."

Onigumo glared at him. "Just who the hell do you think you are? I have demon friends as well. Don't think that just because you and your family are demons that you can boss me around and threaten me."

Inuyasha walked closer so that Onigumo's desk was flushed against his hips. He moved so fast that Onigumo didn't have time to react. He reached across, grabbing Onigumo's head in one hand and slamming it down against the desk, splintering the wood and the desk nearly in two. Onigumo screamed out in pain, stunned by the blow.

"You slammed her head into that glass table just like this, didn't you?"

Onigumo tried to push himself up but Inuyasha held his head down, overpowering him easily. "Let go of me, you pathetic hanyou! Kagome..."

Inuyasha yanked him up by his hair and slammed his head back against the table, hearing another crack in the desk. "You don't get to say her name!"

The smell of Onigumo's blood hit him like a freight train. His demon roared and the sound of rushing waters roared in his ears, drowning out Onigumo's screams. Inuyasha released Onigumo's head and grabbed Onigumo's left hand, watching as Onigumo turned his head over so that he could look at what Inuyasha was doing.

"Is this the hand you used to violate my mate?"

Onigumo didn't answer but just growled out his pain and frustration at his own helplessness.

Inuyasha took it as a 'yes' and grabbed Onigumo's middle finger, bending it backward in one quick movement, hearing the bone snap. Onigumo screamed, pounding his forehead into the table at the pain.

"Ugh... Ah! Go to hell, you damn hanyou!" Onigumo spat out.

Inuyasha released his hand to quickly grab a pen from Onigumo's desk and drove the pen right through his hand, earning him another scream from the helpless man.

"You first," Inuyasha snarled.

Onigumo must have had a boost of adrenaline and willpower because he pushed himself up and grabbed the pen, yanking it out of his hand with a cry of pain. His face was in a rage as he ran around his desk, going after Inuyasha with the pen being the only weapon on him. Inuyasha waited for the attack and moved at the last minute, wanting to play with Onigumo and make him think that he was the powerful one, only to snuff his power out and make him feel helpless. The same kind of helplessness Kagome felt at Onigumo's hands.

Inuyasha grabbed Onigumo's wrist with the pen and pulled him, using Onigumo's momentum to trip him as he went soaring past Inuyasha and fell to the ground. Inuyasha felt his fingernails turn to claws as the demon in him wanted to make the final kill. He growled, allowing himself the freedom to let go, and he went after Onigumo, swiping at the man's back with his claws. Onigumo screamed out in pain as five slashes were made, tearing open the skin and causing him to bleed. He screamed as he hit the ground and tried to get up to his hands and knees, but Inuyasha grabbed him and rolled him onto his back, causing more pain to the open wounds.

Inuyasha felt the change come over him quickly. The smell of Onigumo's blood was heady, and now that it was on his hand, he brought Onigumo's blood to his lips and licked at his claws. He mounted Onigumo and used his other hand to grab his throat, squeezing the life out of him, the same way he tried to do with Kagome.

Onigumo's eyes widened, staring up at the demon snarling down at him. In a few minutes, Inuyasha had transformed right in front of him. His eyes were now red and he looked and sounded more animalistic than man, licking the blood off his hand like it was candy. Onigumo struggled to get Inuyasha to release him, but the hand squeezed harder, cutting off the oxygen and his vision grew dark.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

"Midoriko... where's Kagome?" Bankotsu asked, watching her as she held onto his wrist. He felt her trembling, but he didn't know if that was due to adrenaline or fear. She was a neko-youkai and she was fierce with an attitude, so she must be shaken up by all of this.

"Kagome's in the hospital. Jinenji took her there after Onigumo attacked her last night."

"Kagome's... she's not doing well," Ayumi said softly, standing next to Hiten. "Onigumo really hurt her last night."

"Tssk," Bankotsu said, frustrated with himself and the situation. Yes, he had heard that Onigumo had attacked Kagome last night. Everyone knew as the word spread fast from Hiten and Manten who broke up the fight but also from the girls who saw the aftermath of Kagome. He knew what others had to say, but he didn't hear it from Onigumo.

All in all, Bankotsu knew Onigumo's character, and yet he chose to continue to work for Onigumo. Onigumo had a very egocentric and ruthless way of dealing with people and business. After working for Onigumo for over ten years, Bankotsu has never known Onigumo to be this disgusting. But he has noticed that Onigumo had some weird fascination with Kagome ever since she showed up one night off the streets. Since then, Onigumo had a sick sense of parental and professional obsession with Kagome, one that he's never seen Onigumo have for any one of the other girls. He's never questioned Onigumo about it, but he's watched from the shadows. And things had changed very quickly over the past several months with how Onigumo treated Kagome, ever since she got the job with that popstar. His obsession and possessiveness knew no limits and he heard from Jinenji some of the things that Onigumo did to Kagome. Physical things that no boss should do to their employee. Bankotsu kept his head down and continued to do his job, being Midoriko's bodyguard, while he let Jinenji do his job as Kagome's bodyguard. But now... now things had changed. There would be no way to undo what Onigumo has done. And even if Onigumo tried, Bankotsu couldn't justify himself staying to work for a man who would put his hands on a woman like that, and go so far as to try and kill her.

Someone walking through the broken mess of the door made everyone turn to see who it was. Those who knew him gasped and looked in fear at the newcomer, frightened by his presence here.

"Sesshomaru..." Bankotsu said, swallowing down his sudden worry. Things were getting worse. Maybe not for them, if they played their cards right, but for Onigumo, things were much worse.

Sesshomaru strolled in, paying no mind to the damage done everywhere. He looked around, searching for his brother, and then looked at Bankotsu, seeming to recognize him.

"Where is my brother?" There was a scream that ripped through the silence, but Sesshomaru's cold stare remained on Bankotsu.

Bankotsu looked down at the sword in Sesshomaru's hand, gulping. "He's upstairs."

Sesshomaru made his way towards the stairs without another word or glance to anyone else. He did look to the two men at the bottom of the stairs. Both bowed to him as he approached and stepped aside to let him pass. As he climbed the stairs, the smell of blood hit him and he recognized this scent as the same one he smelled on Kagome. It was 'the' Onigumo. Another scream pierced the air, this one sounding full of pain, like music to Sesshomaru's ears.

Once he walked in, Sesshomaru noticed his brother, fully transformed, sitting on top of the man who had hurt Kagome, choking the man to death. Sesshomaru casually made his way to his brother's side, watching as his brother licked up the man's blood from his claws.

"Inuyasha."

The half-demon didn't even recognize he was there. The call of the kill and the roar of blood had taken over Inuyasha, and Sesshomaru battled with letting his brother kill the worthless human or saving the human's life. He opted for the latter, having his own plans of retribution.

"Inuyasha." He called again and went down on one knee next to his brother, easily grabbing Inuyasha's hand that he was licking and he thrusted Tessaiga into his brother's hand. "Enough." He closed Inuyasha's hand around the sheath and felt the pulse of Tessaiga start to seal away Inuyasha's demon blood.

Inuyasha growled and turned his fury on his brother, snarling. "Sesshomaru!" He released Onigumo's neck and used his free hand to swipe at his brother, but Sesshomaru easily dodged it and grabbed his brother's wrist to prevent him from trying again.

Tessaiga pulsed again, and since Inuyasha was forced to hold the sword, his demon blood slowly began to be sealed away and he slowly transformed back into himself. When Inuyasha's eyes went back to gold and his purple marks disappeared, only then did Sesshomaru stand, focusing his attention on the human that was gasping for air and bleeding from more wounds than he could see.

"Damn you, Sesshomaru," Inuyasha said, clutching at Tessaiga, staring at the sword that his father gave him long ago. A part of him was grateful that Tessaiga was here, and a part of him wanted to finish what he had started.

"It would do you no good to have his death on your hands," Sesshomaru simply said. He knew it had been the right choice to call Myoga, their family's loyal retainer, to bring the Tessaiga from his parent's home. He had a sneaking suspicion that something like this would've happened. He only predicted it because if it had been Rin in Kagome's place, there would've been nothing to hold him back from shredding the person who dared to make Rin bleed and cause her pain.

Inuyasha growled, but secretly he was thankful towards his brother. Sesshomaru always thought ahead and he appreciated that Sesshomaru thought to get Tessaiga for him and to show up here, unannounced, as if he knew that this was going to happen.

"How did you know where I was?" Inuyasha asked, standing up and moving over Onigumo as if he was forgotten about.

Sesshomaru simply looked at Inuyasha with no change in his facial features, but the look alone made Inuyasha chuckle. He shouldn't have asked.

Onigumo scrambled to get up, catching their attention as they looked down at his pitiful state. Onigumo could only get to his hands and knees, shaking at the pain and effort it took to get there.

"I'll kill you both!" he spat, his head hung down. "You won't get away with this!"

Inuyasha kicked Onigumo against his side so that he was forced to fall on his back again. Inuyasha wanted to look at the man one last time. At least for Onigumo's sake, this would be the last time Inuyasha would see him. If he ever met Onigumo again, it would be to kill him.

"I will ruin you, Onigumo," he said his name in disgust. "You thought that you could hurt my mate and get away with it. I will take away everything you have and I will leave you with nothing. I promise you that. I will wipe your name and your face off this earth and I will ruin you. After I'm done with you, you'll regret that I didn't kill you tonight. My brother only did you a disservice by saving your life."

Onigumo glared up at Inuyasha, blood smeared all over his face from the wound on his head. "Bring it," he taunted.

Inuyasha smirked, chuckling as he stared down at the man's haughtiness. "You disgust me. You really think you stand a chance against me."

"Onigumo..." Sesshomaru said, catching the man's attention. "Your demise will start with your business. You sought to control Kagome and use her for your own financial gain. I have already started to dismantle this false sense of security that you have in your business."

Onigumo's eyes widened as the realization began to sink in and Sesshomaru's reaction, or lack thereof, never changed. "You? You did that?!" Onigumo began to remember the phone conversation he had before Inuyasha came in, the conversation that told him he lost three of his biggest investors. They simply pulled out and took all their stocks with them without giving him a reason. "What did you do?!"

"I simply am getting rid of a problem," Sesshomaru said. "I will make you regret ever touching my family. However, I have tried to restrain myself since it is my brother's right first."

Inuyasha snickered, crossing his arms. "So much for restraint. It's been less than 24 hours and you couldn't keep your hands to yourself." Inuyasha smirked, but he felt no anger towards his brother. Sesshomaru was only doing his duty as his brother, and he appreciated Sesshomaru's love, although he would never, never, call it 'love'. Inuyasha, however, knew that Sesshomaru loved him or else he wouldn't have gone out of his way today to get to work and start dismantling Onigumo's business without him knowing that Sesshomaru was doing all that. While he was in a hospital bed, comforting his mate, Sesshomaru was doing what Sesshomaru does best. He appreciated his brother, and especially for the comment he made, implying that Kagome was his family. He smiled to himself.

"Unfortunately for you," Sesshomaru said as he turned and headed for the door, "you have already dug your own grave."

Inuyasha stared down at Onigumo just a few seconds longer, committing the man's pitiful look to memory. "Let this be the last time we ever see each other, Onigumo. If we ever meet again, I will finish what I started here. And I am a man of my word."

With that, Inuyasha turned and headed for the door, following Sesshomaru down the stairs. What was done, was done. The future depended on who would make the next move and when it would come.


I know a lot of you have been waiting for Inu's birthday party. It's coming up in the next chapter so stay tuned. As for the concert, that'll come up in the chapters after next.