A/N

Now, for the story. swear it is on my list to do. Also, I just want to shout out again that this is a Kag and Sess fiction and to keep reading (if you want) through what I toss out in this chapter. :3

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any characters associated with InuYasha.

Chapter 7

Koga wasn't sure what had happened. Kagome had told him that she must cancel their prior plans that had been set in the laboratory. He had been sad at first, especially since she had left without giving him anything to work with. She hadn't told him where she was going or who she was going with. Not that he wanted to sound like an overprotective boyfriend, but he worried for her in the current situation. She was fragile, even if she didn't want to admit it.

Now, she was wearing one of his shirts, laying on her side beneath his sheets. His pillow was stained with her tears. Her hair was tousled, lips puffy and breathing shaky, even in her sleep. He remembered her arriving at her doorstep. She had shouted in frustration when her key refused to align with the lock appropriately. Then, he'd heard her collapse in a fit of sobs. It amazed him that she'd been able to drive back.

After he'd gone into the hall to find her curled into fetal position and sobbing her eyes out, he had picked her up and brought her into his condo. She had instantly broken down. Her words were slurred, hiccups and sobs causing her nose to run. He was pretty sure he was out of toilet paper, tissue and paper towels after her episode. Still, he had been shocked and appalled at what had gone down at the Taisho Manor as he had called it. Then, she had fallen asleep.

Koga sighed as he neared the kitchen. Pulling a glass out of the cabinet, he filled it with water from the purified tap. He shook his head lightly, trying to clear his thoughts. He needed to be professional in order to figure out Kagome's problems with Sesshoumaru. He needed to take a step back and try to find the bigger picture.

He knew that Kagome and Sesshoumaru had indulged in a friends with benefits type of relationship. Kagome had wanted more, but Sesshoumaru had tricked her in order to find a more suitable fiance that could handle the demon world. Kagome, then, turned to move out of the province and over here, to accept his internship. Koga shook his head, that couldn't be all. He also knew from going to school with Kagome that she was raised by the Taisho's after her mother gave them guardianship.

That was probably the biggest thing that irked them. He knew that demons always held their blood over others, but to think that they treated her so rudely after having raised her was unimaginable. Koga felt his blood curdle at the remembrance. He shook his head, dragging his hands over his eyes tiredly before he heard his phone ring.

Urgently, he knocked it off the receiver in order to keep it from waking the woman in his bed. "Hello?" He whispered.

Christopher chucked on the other line. "Why are you whispering?" He inquired, but did not wait for an answer. "Listen, I got the banquet set up, but I need you to allow me some leeway. I would like to invite Kagome down here and have her talk to a few of my people. They aren't too comfortable knowing she is a miko."

Koga cleared his throat at the new subject. He had been so focused on analyzing Kagome that he had forgotten about Christopher's hand in all this. "Alright, when do you want her to go down there?" Koga wondered.

"In a week or so," he mused, trailing off as if Koga was supposed to pick up on something. Koga waited for the man to continue. "I don't want to go head to head with the Taisho's," Christopher released.

Koga rubbed his eyes once more, feeling worry begin to prick at his skin. "I understand," he allowed, waiting for the familiar disappointment. Almost all of his resources had said the same thing before hanging up on him. Daitaro and his son made up a team that no one wanted to threaten.

"However, I will allow her to go head to head using my weapons," Christopher finished. "Koga, what is your interest to her? You know that, as prince of the wolf tribe, you cannot have such a mate. I understand that it is what she is dealing with right now, but the situation is the same for you."

Koga collapsed in a chair by the kitchen table, allowing his forehead to come in contact with the cool granite surface. Guilt riddled his system. He felt bad for Kagome, hated Sesshoumaru for what he did to her. Yet, he knew that he would be in the same boat. His future tribe would never respect a human. That was why Sesshoumaru hadn't wanted to mate her or even announce her as an intended. It was a sign of weakness and would they would be the laughing stock in the demon world. It wasn't the fact that shewas human, it was more of the fact that their offspring would be hanyou. They would not be fit to lead, which could risk an uprising.

"Don't poke into my business," Koga growled warningly as he began to feel the onsetting of a headache.

Christopher scoffed into the phone on his side of the call. "I am just reminding you not to get too close. I am enjoying the sidelines simply because she is the first human to make such a challenge. You should stay do the same," he added.

Koga growled once more, telling Christopher that he no longer wished to hear warnings. He picked up the sound of sheets ruffling. Mentally, he cursed himself. He had probably woke her up. "I gotta go," Koga dismissed Christopher, dropping the cordless phone to the table.

He stood up and sauntered back into the room. Kagome had rolled over and curled into fetal position. One of her legs peaked out of the covers. Idly, he pushed back a few locks that had strayed onto her face. Pain fluttered through him as he thought of what could never be. For a moment, he wondered if this was how Sesshoumaru felt when he left her all alone in the morning after their trysts. Did he feel useless? Did he feel so out of control that his heart felt like it was no longer beating? Did he feel the inevitable heartbreak that he would cause her? He forced himself to stop thinking about it and turned away from her. He needed to leave before he did something they would both regret.

"Koga?" The feminine voice called out from his room. When he looked over his shoulder, he felt his troubles go away instantly. Her eyes were still red, cheeks flushed, hair tangled, but she looked so good in his large, button-up shirt. It was a dark brown and teased the top of her thighs as she pushed the covers off her body. It exposed the creamy skin of her legs. Her eyes began to water once more, and he knew that he could not handle another round of her crying. "Wait," she pleaded, as if she knew why he was leaving. At least she didn't know what he was thinking.

"I can't, Kagome," Koga returned, shaking his head as if he were worthless. He definitely felt that way. He could have her, possess her body, and still want more, yet he could never dream of a life with her. It would be a fantasy, something that could only live in his imagination in the far recesses of his mind.

"I know," she returned, nodding her head to him. She reached out, her fingers tracing his wrist as it played with one of his belt loops nervously. "I-It's okay," Kagome returned, even though he watched the slow teardrop build in the corner of her eye. It teetered over the edge before finally gathering enough moisture to handle the drop. It rolled over her cheeks slowly, almost torturing him.

"Lay with me, Koga," she whispered, feeling as if she couldn't handle another male leaving her. If Koga gave up and quit on her, she would have no one left. She had a sinking suspicious that if he left the room now, he wouldn't be able to come back. It would be too risky.

He gave a jerky shake of his head, the brown hair splashing back and forth as it fell from the loose ponytail he had tied it in. "Kagome, don't make me like him," he begged, although he stepped forward, feeling the tempting lust pull him closer to him. He was a demon, and demons always had problems staying away from the carnal sins that had made them in the first place. "I can't have you," he warned her, even as his shins hit the edge of the bed.

Her fingers traced the denim of his jeans, rolling over his thighs until they hit the soft crease that outlined his limp manhood. "You could never be like him," Kagome shook her head. "Erase him," she ordered out in a soft and gentle voice, looking up at him.

It was as if that caused the stick to break. His fingers tangled in her hair, clenching and pulling her. She hissed at the pain when he pulled her head up. She only saw the flash of red in his eyes before his lips covered hers in a kiss that burned through her body. The pent up passion and desire overwhelmed her, lighting her body as if it was a Roman candle ready to take off. The desire and desperation caused a ripple of erotic pleasure to echo along her nerves.

A moan escaped her. It was a kiss she'd never experienced in her life. She'd never felt a Koga's actual desire. It was as if Koga had wanted her since the beginning, since they met at the college university in the small library that housed the psychology texts. It was as if they were back there, meeting each other for the first time. This wasn't the demon that worried over her and stayed to the side to help her. This demon wanted her with every ounce of energy his demonic aura possessed.

He knocked her back onto the bed. The hand leaving her hair to grip her wrist. It pushed it over her head, keeping her against the pillow as he broke the kiss. Her lips was swollen, she could feel it from the intensity she had just endured. "Don't stop me," he begged as his lips stretched over her jaw line. Each of his kisses down her neck was like a caress of his fingertips. They brushed and teased her flesh as if it was the only thing she would get. Each kiss felt more sacred, and she wanted him to slow down in order to savor it, and speed up in order to feel more at the same time.

The buttons on his own shirt popped off as he dragged his nails down it. Her eyes opened wide when she felt the heated press of his bare manhood. "When?" She breathed out huskily, referring to exactly when he had been able to get undressed.

"Shut up," he dismissed her question without so much as lifting his mouth from her body. Her back arched, but he pressed her firmly back down to the mattress as he swept her nipple between his lips and gave a small nibble. "Just feel," he got out around the quickly hardening pebble.

That is exactly watch Kagome did. She felt, moaned, shivered, and rejoiced in his attention. She groaned when his finger pushed into her moist sex. She trembled when his tongue flicked her sensitive nub hidden in the small hood between her slit. She caved in when she felt him add another finger.

Her whole body welcomed each little bit of attention he gave her. It granted him full access until tears were falling from her eyes and hitting the pillow as she begged him for more, pleaded that he end this ecstatic torture. She felt her womanhood begin to convulse and clench with hope of him finally letting her finish but groaned in frustration and delight when he stalled it.

Then, everything was gone. He was kissing his way up her body again, but she felt empty without his fingers filling her. He nipped her bottom lip, smirking when she bucked her hips towards him in a wanton need for everything he was going to give. "You want this to be over too soon," he teased into her ear. "Savor it, Kagome," the teasing voice was suddenly gone. A firm and serious tone took over. "Feel me," he begged as the tip of his penis slid along her womanhood. It was sleek from all the preparation he had gone through and slid in with ease.

Her eyes shot open, lips parted in a silent scream at the sudden sensation of being spread open. "That's right," he encouraged in a desperate tone. "This is me, Kagome," he whispered, dropping his head into the crook of her neck and inhaling her scent, laced with sex and arousal. "This is the only time you will feel me for what I am," he cried out as he slammed home into her.

Tears raced down her cheeks. It was emotionally powered. She could feel their auras mixing in a swan song of sensation. This was the last time they would feel so close. This would be the last time they would become one, and yet, they were both okay with it. Koga realized that she would never love him when Sesshoumaru was in her heart, no matter how much she denied it. Kagome knew that Koga was in the same boat as Sesshoumaru, and could never mate her because of his loyalties to his clan. Still, as their feelings rose to the surface, they both agreed that this was a fling, a momentary lapse in their control.

"Take me," Kagome whispered. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, her legs around his waist as she pulled him closer to her. He groaned as he settled his head in the valley of her breasts, his back curling with each of his sharp thrusts. She felt his sex fill her, over and over. Each time it felt as if she accepted him more and more.

He was warming her from the inside, telling her body what it should feel, and she obeyed every one of his thrusts. She felt his raw emotions in each of his kisses. She felt his sorrow for what could never be in the way he gripped her body as if he could hold onto her forever. A fantasy that could never become a reality. "Remember," Kagome begged, cried out as she felt her body begin to take flight as if she had been launched into the air. "Koga!" She shouted his name as if it was a holy mantra, coming to the rescue to sweep her away from everything that happened. He was her shelter away from all the pain and hurt she had felt.

She felt the warmth splash of his seed fill her. Not once did she worry over what was to come. She knew that demons and humans couldn't breed unless they were bonded by blood or mating. Still, she basked in his groan and the way he shoved his length into her in a desperate attempt to get his seed as deep as possible. He pulled out just as quickly, avoiding the knot that would trap them because of his canine heritage.

The mattress bounced as he collapsed beside her. Kagome let her eyes fall close, the very last tear she would ever shred making its way into her hair as she rolled onto her side. The silence was comfortable between them, both handling what had just happened differently.

Kagome accepted it for what it was. Koga knew it would become the reminder every time he dreamed of a life with her. He would remember this night and feel satisfied that he had experienced the passion and desire he had never felt for anyone before.

"Is it time to go in yet?" Kagome broke through his thoughts, referring to the lab time they were scheduled to do.

"About," he answered, his voice still hoarse from the groaning and grunting he had just indulged in. He rolled out of the bed, bracing himself against the floor and teetering onto his feet lazily. Kagome watched him walk confidently to the bathroom, naked as the day he was born. She heard him lock the door and push the toilet seat up and used that as her excuse to leave. Quickly, she grabbed the shirt off the floor and buttoned it up, jogging from the room and snatching her purse on the way out.

She fished her keys out of the bag and plunged it into the lock, twisting it and allowing her into the safety of her private lodging. It felt cozy to be alone once again. She released a breath, her worries and troubles coming out in one motion. She needed to sit down and think over what had happened, not with what happened with Koga but with lunch as well. She looked at the clock, wincing when she realized it was dinner time and only a few hours had gone by.

"I just want this day to be over," she grumbled, referring to the phone call that had woke her up in the first place. As if in her normal routine, she balanced a skillet on the stove and tossed a few frozen dinners into it. Then, she disappeared into her bathroom and turned on the shower.

The drips hit her back and washed away the problems she was feeling. She tried to think of what had happened at lunch. She tried to understand what Daitaro had thought when he arranged everything. Jinenji had been used as a way to show her that he had the power to sway people's minds, she knew this already. However, her mother didn't fit in at all. Why had he done such a cruel thing?

To make matters worse, Sesshoumaru had shown up. She remembered the weird look in his eyes as if he had no clue as to what was going on. Kagome scoffed, which would be the first. Sesshoumaru almost always knew what the plan was, especially since he was the one usually doing the planning. Still, she couldn't quite ignore the guilt when she remembered the venomous words she had spat at him in her rush to escape the battlefield.

Kagome made up her mind on what she would do. Izayoi was naive to it all. She remembered the woman giving Daitaro a look in shock and begging Kagome not to leave. Kagome knew that Izayoi was just as out of the loop as she was. Izayoi was the human that had pushed everything off-course . Daitaro hardly ever told Izayoi what was going on. Kagome guessed it was because he wanted to protect her, but she could never imagine living that kind of sheltered life.

She rinsed the last of the conditioner out of her hair and reached for the cotton, blue robe. She wrapped it around her body and stepped out of the shower. She walked back into the kitchen, reaching for a spatula and beginning to stir the contents that had been left in the pan.

It wasn't until she turned around to get a glass of juice did she realize her front door was wide open. A moment of fear sparked within her, and she quickly went to the door and peered into the hall to see if anyone was running away or present. Then, she closed the door and turned around, screaming at the figure currently sitting in the corner of her sofa.

He didn't respond to her reaction. Sesshoumaru stood up in one graceful movement. His shoulders were tense, eyes narrowed on her. Kagome knew why almost instantly when she remembered that he had a sharp sense of smell, and Koga's eessencewas still deep within. She got ready to defend herself against his remarks, knowing that he had no right to be in her life anymore.

Then, he relaxed, taking in a breath and walking over to the table. "Your dinner is burning," he grumbled. Kagome's eyes widened, and she turned around to stare at the brown and dried up mess. Angrily, she turned the stove off and left the burnt food over it. Let him bask in that smell a little while longer, she countered angrily.

"I took your mother home," he stated, tapping his elongated claws against the table. His concealment had been down, something that she had always preferred. She remembered all those times when they were younger when she had begged him to lower his guard and allow her to see the stripes and moon. It was as if he were her personal night sky. Kagome pushed those memories out of her mind.

"Did you have a heart to heart?" She growled out, pulling the fridge open and grabbing the carton of juice she had wanted to begin with.

"We talked," he allowed, leaning back in the chair to scan the condo. It was a lot bigger than her last cruddy apartment, but it still lacked any personal trinkets. There were no photos on the wall, unlike her last home. She would put a receipt with an odd amount on the fridge just because she thought it was amusing. However, this home had nothing showing her past or future. It showed that she was locked inside herself. Something he had most likely caused.

"Your mother and I did not know what was going on," he proclaimed when she took a seat on the far side of the table in hopes of being as far away from him as possible. He continued. "I do not know why my father invited her. We both know how you feel about her relation to you."

"Who invited you?" Kagome growled out angrily, letting the orange juice slide down her throat.

"Izayoi told me she wanted to have lunch. After you left she confessed that she was hoping we would be able to patch things up and become friends again." Even by his tone he knew it was unrealistic, but Izayoi was a dreamer. She wanted what was best for everyone.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "So? You came to my place... why? To whine and say that we were both set up?" She challenged defensively. Kagome knew that from a professional point of view she should step back and look at this from a different perspective, but it was too personal - too close to home.

Sesshoumaru's nails began to sharpen and strain the wood of the table in his frustration. "Will you relax?" He exclaimed, giving her a look that shocked her to the core. It was as if he was reprimanding her for being a child.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Why are you here?" She repeated, not meeting his honey gaze.

"To apologize on their behalf," he answered. He cringed when she snorted and followed the noise with laughter.

"Your family is so good at that. No one ever apologizes for their own actions, but Inuyasha apologizes for your actions, Daitaro apologizes for hisactions, and you apologize for their actions!" She laughed out in astonishment. "Well, I am sorry if I don't accept your apology on their behalf," she countered.

Her front door opened once again. Kagome began to think that she should start locking it. She usually didn't because her and Koga had such a close relationship. Unfortunately, this had now happened. In a demonic flash of energy, Koga had Sesshoumaru slammed up against the wall. Kagome snapped her fingers. The pink power enveloping both of them and pushing them apart. A barrier was restored between them like a wall.

It didn't keep Koga from shouting. "You have no right to be here!" He yelled, pointing a finger at Sesshoumaru as if it would increase the accusation.

"You had no right to take advantage of her," Sesshoumaru growled in return. "You and I are alike! We cannot have her!" The words pained Kagome, and she bit her lip to keep from showing emotion. Unfortunately, she bit her tongue in the process which released a minuscule amount of blood, making her the new center of attention in the room of canines.

"Koga, I will meet you in the lab," she dismissed him, giving him a look that told him clearly that now was not the time to play the big, bad wolf. Koga's hands clenched into fists rhythmically, but he nodded his head and began to leave, stopping only to plant a comforting kiss on her head. She let herself take it in as a sort of way of cheering her on. It was a confidence builder.

Sesshoumaru watched, feeling his demon want nothing more than to escape and tear the wolf's head off. The door clicked shut finally, and without another moment he spoke. "You are repeating what happened between us!" He exclaimed, slamming his fist into the table. Kagome scooted the chair back just in time before the table cracked in half and slammed into the floor.

"I know that Koga won't mate me," Kagome answered. "I understand that it won't ever work between us, not with what I am trying to do."

"Please, clear thos up with me, Kagome," Sesshoumaru complained, nearing her until her nose almost brushed against the button oh his shirt. He towered over her, looked down his nose at her. "What are you doing? Do you know how dangerous it is?"

Once more, she sent a wall of energy between them, scooting him back with it. "Don't come close to me," she warned him icily. He had no right to be around her, no right to threaten her by proximity, even if that was part of his nature. "Why?" She asked again. It was the only question that she hadn't figured out.

He raised a brow curiously, obviously not understanding the question. She decided to elaborate. "Why didn't you just tell me? Why did you keep me hoping for you? Why did you lead me on? Why didn't you just let me go?"

The questions caused his whole body to freeze. His mind began to calculate the truth. He didn't want to tell her because it would make it final. Telling her that he couldn't be with her would be the final straw, and he had been in denial. He had loved seeing the brilliant smile when she saw him everyday, even if it was him sneaking into her apartment. He knew, selfishly, that she loved him and would do anything for him. He had abused it. He had led her on, simply because he wasn't ready to let her go. He wanted her, no matter what it meant.

"I wanted you too much," he whispered. It was as if the truth was finally coming out. "I did not know how to face it at the time. Naraku and Kagura were pushing my father to accept their allegiance, being the leader of Korea and the Southern territory of Japan. I knew where my responsibilities were, but you were the breath of fresh air every night."

The tortured look that passed through her eyes made him want to fall to his knees and beg for her forgiveness. He knew that she would not though. He had messed it all up too much. Kagome bit her lip once again and shook her head. "G-Get out," she whispered under her breath.

"I told father that we would leave you alone from now on, Kagome," Sesshoumaru added as he began to walk towards the door. She listened as he made his final farewell. "We will leave you alone." Why did that hurt so much more than anything he could have possibly done?

The door clicked shut, but Kagome remained in her chair. Her hands were shaking as she willed herself not to cry. She would never cry. No more for that day, she had already reached her limit. Quietly, she ran his answer back through her head, and then pushed it into the back of her mind. She would forget it, just like everything else.

Sesshoumaru sank into the leather seat in his car and let himself freeze for a moment. He tried to relax, although his insides were tangled from the encounter. He couldn't ever forgive himself for what he had done to her. That woman, who sat in the chair at the table, was not the bouncy Kagome he had been with. She was guarded and emotionless. There were no smiles or reactions. She was a doll, being manipulated by the scared and hurt Kagome on the inside.

He shook his head, trying not to feel the utter sense of failure that riddled his body as he drove out of the compound. He remembered her questions, and the answers had shocked himself. He knew that he had wanted nothing more than to be with her, but even as he drew out their affair, he dug himself into a hole. That hole had gotten too deep, and no matter what he did there was no way to get out without a ladder, something he was missing.

As he drove home, he tried to remember exactly when the change in Kagome had happened. Perhaps it was the Christmas party when he had announced Kagura as his mate. He had selfishly spent the night before with her. Then, he had invited her along to the party like a lamb to the slaughter. Even now he realized it was the worst move he could possibly make, but he had needed her there. He had desperately needed her presence when he announced his new life.

Afterwards, she had gone off the map. She no longer took his calls and vacated her apartment. He tried to see her at school but figured out she had transferred to a cram school which would fit her into a quick university and give her a job on the way out. She was making her own life and leaving him out of it, the most painful blow he could have ever been dealt. Yet, he had done it to himself.

He remembered the day after the party. Daitaro had demanded he return to their manor where his father had sufficiently yelled at him for mistreating Kagome so much. He would never forget that day when he realized exactly what he had done. He had killed the innocence within her, smashed it to smithereens far more than Inuyasha ever could have dreamed of doing to her with Kikyo.

He had told his father that Kagura was suitable for a mate, that he could love her and already felt respect and trust for the demoness. Then, he had realized exactly what that spider demon had wanted to do with their company. He wanted it all for himself, and Sesshoumaru had wedged the ice between him and Kagura right then and there. It had been an excuse so he could sulk about his real loss - the loss of Kagome. It was something he could never admit to anyone. He still pined for her like a lost puppy, still woke up at night and wanted to feel her body close to his. Sesshoumaru sighed as he remembered the look she gave him at the charity event and in the kitchen. It was too late with the way she was now.

He parked his car in the reserved space and walked zombie-like to the elevator. The doors opened to reveal his floor, and he tossed the car keys into the designated bowl to the side. "Kagura," he grumbled, sniffing the air to see if the female was home. He could smell her and located her in the bathroom.

Trudging into the kitchen, he saw the take-out cartons of Chinese food littering the table. Idly, he picked one up and saw the curry chicken hidden inside. He grabbed a pair of chopsticks and began to poke at the chicken, pushing it into his mouth as if food was merely a necessity.

After he had finished a few cartons of food, he realized that Kagura was still in the bathroom. He neared the mahogany door and knocked on it, listening as she released an intake of breath. He heard her yawn and raised an eyebrow. "Were you asleep?" He asked.

"Shh!" She hissed sharply but made no move to open the door. "Is it still here?" She asked in a paranoid voice.

"What?" Sesshoumaru found himself answering in confusion. "What are you talking about? Get out of the bathroom at once!" He demanded, not enjoying this one bit.

"It was in your room!" Kagura shouted, pounding at the door. "I won't come out until it is gone!" She declared. Sesshoumaru suddenly was intrigued at such a notion. Hopefully, the thing she was talking about hadn't left.

"Hold on," he returned, leaving the bathroom area and beginning to trek quietly down the hallway. He sniffed and released his aura once more. There was no scent, but he felt something small bounce off his aura like sonar.

His fingers twisted around the knob, and he opened the door slowly to peer in with one golden orb. The sight that met his eyes caused him to blink a few times as if the illusion would go away.

A small girl was rocking on the edge of the bed, as if she had been waiting for him like that the entire time. She let out a goofy grin. Her hair was trapped in a messy ponytail to the side of her head. She wore a bright orange sundress which he vowed to burn immediately. Her eyes shimmered with an abnormal aqua color. "Daddy!" She exclaimed, jumping off the bed and pushing off the floor.

Instantly, he noticed the hanyou power as she flew through the air. He grabbed her shoulder and effectively destroyed the flying tackle she had threatened him with. He stood her up with one hand on her shoulder and glared down at her. "How did you get in?" He questioned.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Elevator."

"Why are you here?" Once more, she shrugged her shoulders. Sesshoumaru growled in frustration, knowing that children were not his strong suit. "What are you doing here?" He rephrased the question.

Suddenly, the onslaught of tears threatened his sense of smell. "She died, and she left me this letter! It said that I was to find you, and that you would take care of me, because you have a paternal obligation!" She sobbed out, dropping to the floor.

Sesshoumaru stepped over her and focused his attention to the letter on the bed. He tried desperately to ignore the mass of hiccups and sobs currently destroying his carpet and opened the envelope. The parchment didn't smell familiar. He unfolded it carefully and tried to read it.

It was addressed to the girl and stamped with a legal sticker that verified it was a viable document to give to an heir or kin after one died. His name was scribbled out, but it mentioned nothing about him being a father. Although, it did say that he would take care of her like a father should have. Sesshoumaru scoffed, not if he could help it.

"You are not my child," he returned.

"I wouldn't want to be after meetingyou!" She exclaimed rather clearly through her fit of tears. Obviously she was offended at his lack of concern over her tantrum. The ten year old sat up against the door, pulling her knees against her chest. "She said that if anything happened to her, to go to you, the Western daiyoukai."

"How did you know where I live?" He countered, raising a silvery eyebrow in her direction. He watched as she pulled a magazine clipping of him showing off his new apartment loft.

"Touche," he grumbled. "You're a hanyou," he tried not to sound disgraced, but it was hard to soften the tone from years of addressing Inuyasha as such.

"So? You're a jerk, but I don't see anybody saying you're an abomination!" She shouted in her defense. Sesshoumaru tried not to laugh at the half hearted attempt to offend him. He collapsed on the edge of the bed and tried to figure out what to do with the child.

He needed to find someone who knew about hanyous. He needed someone who could deal with children and knew about his ties to the daiyoukai office and demon world. A light bulb turned on. Then, it flickered and went off. "Shit," he cursed, shaking his head.

"I'm not thatbad," she countered.

He waved his hand at her to shut her up. The plan was quickly trying to come together in his mind. There was only one person that fit all the criteria, and that was probably not the greatest idea in the world. He shot another glance at the hanyou, currently shredding his carpet with her elongated nails in her fit of nerves. Maybe, he had just found his ladder to get him out of the hole. "What is your name?"

"Rin," she whispered, looking up at him with suddenly hopeful eyes.

"You will sleep on the couch tonight. In the morning, we will go for a drive and figure this out," he planned, standing up and guiding her into the hall. She followed him like a new puppy, passing the bathroom. "You can come out, Kagura."

"Why was she so scared?" Rin whispered.

"She is scared of children," Sesshoumaru returned with a shrug of his shoulders. It was more of a guess then anything. Something that would probably come up in their next conversation. After all, part of their mating was the promise of heirs, and if she was too scared to have offspring it could cause a problem.

"That's stupid," Rin mumbled, watching as the dog demon tossed a large blanket and pillow onto the couch. Then, he turned around and nudged the female into their bedroom.

"Go to sleep," he ordered.

Rin gawked at his back, shaking her head as she collapsed on the cushions of the sofa. "Come on! You didn't even feed me dinner!"

"Order something!" Sesshoumaru shouted angrily back. Rin huffed, folding her arms as she thought of what to do. She played around in the kitchen a bit. Finally, she settled on an expensive dish of gourmet prime rib and a few dishes of handmade gelato. Surely, Sesshoumaru wouldn't mind her making herself at home. Rin began to cackle madly, feeling as if she had landed herself in a child's paradise. Little did she know, she was going to be relocated into the middle of a war.