CH 7

"Welcome back, Agent Ryukokoro. I believe your mission was a success."

"Yes, Overseer. I eliminated the threat with no problem."

"Congratulations. I trust there were no complications?"

Agent Bankotsu Ryukokoro of the Southeast Asian division of the ISLES clipped his heels together. "Upon completion of the assignment, I came upon a scene of violence and took care of the issue. There were no further complications."

The Overseer frowned. "I trust you acted with foresight and efficiency. The ISLES is not a domestic police. If word got out- -"

"They won't even remember me," promised Bankotsu. "I made sure of it. Neither party will be able to pick me out of a lineup."

"The fallout will be on all of us," warned the Overseer, then relented. "You did a good job, Agent. You may rest until further notice."

Bankotsu rose from his chair and saluted smartly. "Call on me whenever you need, Overseer."

"Enough, Agent,¨ sighed the Overseer, shuffling a sheaf of papers. ¨You are working to capacity. Any more and you will collapse. Go rest, Ryukokoro. That's an order."

Bankotsu smirked. "Whatever you say, Overseer." With a cocky flip of his braid, he left the office, winking saucily at the secretary on the way out.

Bankotsu Ryukokoro was the only human in the Southeast Asian division of the ISLES. Not only that, but he was one of the best agents, with a high success rate and killer efficiency (pun intended). Just last night, he had disposed of a threat to interspecies peace, a demon who had broken free of an ancient seal and was kidnapping children to eat their hearts. It had taken weeks for the ISLES to track down the perpetrator. He had been hiding in a dirty district of Tokyo, where he had recruited a gang of lowly demons to do his bidding, including doing the actual the kidnapping. He had masterminded everything, and paid them with the remainder of the bodies. The ISLES had sent Bankotsu to take care of the lot, and he had. He had freed the captive children who had not yet been eaten, and alerted the police to take care of the mess. On the way back, he had come upon a gang rape.

Technically, it wasn't in his job description to take care of those things. He should have called for the police. But they were almost finished with her, and were getting prepared to kill her. The police would have been too late. He had jumped in, knocked out the scum, and kept his face hidden. If he had killed them, and the world found out it had been a member of ISLES, the backlash would have been much more severe. A lot of the population, including governments, already felt that the ISLES had too much power. So he had restrained himself, kept his Banryu sheathed. He had been pondering what to do with the girl, who was hovering between consciousness and unconsciousness, when she mumbled a name he recognized. Inuyasha. Bankotsu knew him to be an essentially good person, so he had taken her to his apartment. A hospital had been out of the question, because he couldn't have possibly gotten her in without getting recognized- -and by extension, getting the ISLES into trouble. He would have left her in the street if he had no other choice. As it was, he had carried her to Inuyasha's door, satisfied that the hanyou wouldn't be able to smell him, thanks to the odorous pendant he wore.

So all in a night's work, he had saved a bunch of children from being eaten, and a woman from a gang rape and murder. Life was good.

Bankotsu stretched, yawning. He really wasn't tired, despite being up all night. Maybe he would hit up the gym or something. He tossed a lazy smile to a cute girl passing by. He chuckled when she flushed. He was getting paid comfortably for doing something he loved, and he was the idol of not a small number of girls. It didn't get much better than this. A confident swagger in his step, he set off down the Tokyo streets, his ever-present companion strapped to his back.

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Sango lunged forward and punched her brother across the face. He stumbled back, arms raised to shield his head from further attacks.

¨Come at me!¨ she shouted. ¨Can't you hit me at least once?¨

Kohaku was panting hard. ¨Shut up,¨ he growled. His dark eyes flashed, and he ran forward, assaulting his sister with a rapid, choppy sequence of kicks and jabs.

¨Good!¨ she called, even as she twisted and turned, dodging some hits and blocking others with her arms and legs. ¨But you're leaving yourself open for this.¨ As he threw a punch at her, she grabbed his wrist and twisted abruptly. With a shout, Kohaku fell on his side, nursing his injured wrist.

Sango stood over him, breathing hard. ¨Get up.¨

Kohaku was motionless for a single second, and then suddenly, as swift as a snake, he lashed out, still on the floor, and swept his sister's legs out from under her. Sango recovered quickly, executing a hasty flip to regain her balance. But by that time, Kohaku was back up, aiming kick after kick at her abdomen.

Even as his feet constantly sought to slam into her vulnerable points, even as she struck at him repeatedly around the head, even as their bodies tangled in the brutal dance of combat, Sango felt a rush of pride and affection for her brother. He was coming on so well, and he was highly talented, even for his heritage.

Their bloodline, simply named Taijiya for the work they did, stretched back hundreds of years. In the ancient texts from the Feudal Era, even, there were tales of mighty demon slayers who fought valiantly for the good of mankind. Back then, they had been a clan, multiple families working industriously together to eliminate wrongdoing demons. Over the years, as youkai and humans slowly gained an equilibrium of power, that number had dwindled down to a single bloodline; the strongest of all, those who were traditionally the head family of the clan. They had shed their old family name and taken on the proud title of Taijiya, and they had persevered to this day and age, continuing their work by cooperating with governments to exterminate troublesome youkai.

Many people saw no difference between the Taijiya and their somewhat more prominent counterpart. However, while their main competitor, the ISLES, was an international organization and dealt also with humans, the Taijiya were based solely in Japan and focused on the day-to-day threats of lowly demons. The ISLES only worked on the severe cases, where the perpetrator threatened the peace between the humans and youkai. There was also another difference; while the ISLES had a large number of agents, drawing from the entire population of Earth, youkai and human, the Taijiya were a single family, and there were only two members left.

Sango and Kohaku's parents, along with all their extended family, had died on an ill-fated assignment soon after Sango turned eighteen. The good part was that they weren't forced into the foster care system, or God forbid the orphanage. The bad part was that Sango was still in high school. So while in her senior year, when she should have been worrying about college applications and schoolwork, she had been forced to take care of herself and her little brother, who was still in elementary school. Away flew her dreams of a higher education. Down upon her shoulders came crashing the responsibility of living up to and continuing the family line. She had received the family dojo as her inheritance, along with centuries' accumulation of weapons and information.

From then on, she accepted requests for aid by herself. On a regular day, she would wake up early and train with her little brother. Then she would go to school, take a test, scribble down some notes. Then, while her friends gathered at Wacdonald's for shakes and fries, she was out exterminating demons. She would walk home late at night, splattered with gore and blood, and take a shower, trying not to get the mess on the expensive floorboards. She would sit down, right there in the bathtub, and cry. Then she would pick herself back up and rinse the suds from her hair. She would try to get done as much schoolwork as possible before she passed out. Her grades slipped, and her gait faltered. Sango never laughed so freely after that. Her smiles were taut and forced. She was never the same person again. Sure, she still found time to hang out with her friends, but over a short period of time, her relationship with her boyfriend soured and she began to drift apart from her friends. Kagome shared a lot of classes with Sango, so they remained friends, but she broke up with Miroku and became on barely speaking terms with the rest of the group. And now, years after high school, Sango had more free time. When she wasn't on a job or taking care of her brother, she was constantly training in their private gym or keeping fit in a public fitness center. She knew that she had to keep her body in prime shape. One tiny mistake could mean leaving her brother alone in the world. And he wasn't ready for that.

Sango cuffed him around the head, even as love flooded her heart. Kohaku, so innocent and pure… Yeah, he was a brat sometimes, but he was her sweet little brother. She would do everything in her power- -and more- -to insure a happy future for him. If he didn't want to accept the mantle of a Taijiya, then she would make sure that he didn't have to. Whatever he wanted to do, she would help him do to the best of her ability. Never would he be deprived of the chance to go to college, to pursue complete education. He could be whatever he wanted to be. A smile softened her features as her heart tingled. Kohaku, her only family in the whole world… She would gladly die for him.

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The sleek black bar pulled up to the wide driveway of Ippin Select Academy. The door opened, and out stepped the youngest Takahashi.

"Have a good day," said the driver courteously.

"You too," replied Rin listlessly, shutting the door. She slipped into school quietly. Her heels clicked loudly as she walked down the halls, so she took them off and walked barefoot. He didn't like it when she was loud.

She entered the library and threaded her way through the shelves wordlessly, avoiding or ignoring the other students scattered throughout the vast space. Climbing a winding staircase up to the second floor, she stopped in front of an unobtrusive little door and knocked softly. Looking around carefully, she darted inside.

"You made it," greeted a soft voice.

A smile appeared almost magically on her face. "I did."

"You haven't come to see me for a week." There was faint reproach in his voice. "I was bored."

"I'm sorry," Rin apologized, taking a seat on the carpeted floor. It was pitch black inside the tiny closet, but that was alright. It was enough just to hear his voice. "I've been very busy. I wish you could stay in my house."

"You know I can't," Shippo said wistfully.

"Yeah."

"So… What's up?"

"I have a math test today. I don't really get it, but I went over my notes last night, so I think I'll at least get an eighty."

"You could ask Sesshomaru-sama for help," Shippo suggested.

"I can't. He's always so busy, besides he never learned our way of solving it. He does it in his head so fast, but he can't explain it to me in a way that I understand. Whenever I ask him for help, I just feel stupid."

"Well, what about Kagome-san?"

Rin snorted. "What, her? She barely graduated from high school."

"But she would still be able to do your math. You're in eighth grade, after all."

"No. I hate her. Besides, she's not even in the house anymore."

"Really? What happened?"

"Don't tell anyone, but a week ago she got into a huge fight with Dad and ran out of the house. We haven't heard from her since."

"Could something have happened to her?"

"I don't know. We think she's staying at a friend's house or something."

"Maybe you guys should try to find her."

"She's nothing but a slut and a gold-digger," protested Rin.

"Do you really think that's true?"

Rin faltered. "What do you mean?" She sensed that Shippo was brooding.

"What has she ever done to you, Rin, besides treating you with kindness?"

She stiffened. "It's not about what she's done to me, but Dad!"

"What has she done?"

"She seduced him into marrying her so she could get at his money! She's leeching off him!"

"What makes you say that?"

"Remember?" Rin cried. "Remember, years ago, what my friends said?"

"This is my mother," bragged Yusoka, showing off a picture.. "She's thirty-five, and she doesn't look a day over twenty-five!"

The picture showed a beautiful woman with long, sleek jet-black hair and raspberry-colored eyes. Yura Hanajito was a hair model, turned part-time hair stylist for stars, and she had passed down her impeccable hair genes to her daughter. Yusoka looked just like her mother, only with short hair that she held back with a ribbon. Everyone called her Yusoka of the Hair because her mother was called Yura of the Hair, and the little girl's own hair was so pretty; she even starred regularly in kids' shampoo commercials.

Souten scoffed. "Well, this is my mother," she said, and held her picture up in the air. "She's thirty-two."

"Mine is thirty!"

Rin watched the loud girls from her seat in the corner. They were crowded around one desk, two rows in front of her. They were children of the elite. She felt so out of place. The only reason she was here was because Sesshomaru-sama had rescued her from the streets. She had tried to join in their discussions before, but she couldn't find anything to relate with to them. They talked about Chanel and Gucci; she had thought that Chanel was the name of some girl, and Gucci was the new way of saying 'icky.' It sounded like 'gootchy,' after all.

But here was something she could talk to them about. Her new mother was beautiful, even more beautiful than Amaya Asano's mother, Sara, who was a supermodel. And she was younger than any of their mothers.

She finally mustered up the courage and walked up to them, trying to join their circle. Wordlessly, they shifted, nudging her away. They didn't even acknowledge her. Rin felt tears welling up in her eyes, and quickly willed them away. Here was her chance to make new friends. Finally, after never-ending solitary lunches, she would have best friends to have sleepovers with. She would have people to invite to parties who would actually show up, or bother to RSVP back if they couldn't come. She remembered her last birthday party; she had invited her entire class of girls, and when no one RSVP'd saying they couldn't make it, she had been ecstatic. Preparations and costs had been astronomical, and yet when the day of the party came, Rin had stood in the empty yard crying in her pretty dress while her mother tried to comfort her. As that memory surfaced, she wanted to sit back down, but she could hear Shippo whispering in her ear, 'Go for it, Rin!' So she mustered up her courage.

"My mother is better than any of yours," she said tentatively.

They turned on her, curious now. To them, she was the loser who had no friends. Who was her mother? It had to be an A-lister, or else she couldn't afford the tuition here.

Shiori, granddaughter of a major security company's CEO, popped the question. "Really? Who is she?"

Rin swelled with pride. "Her name's Kagome Takahashi."

Instantly, she had their full attention. "No wayy," they gasped, having read from TIME and other such magazines all about the Takahashi marriage. "You're Sesshomaru Takahashi's daughter?"

"He's hot!" chimed in Kaori, whose older sister, Kaguya "Celestial Goddess" Kagami, was the CEO and face of a huge cosmetics company. Her turquoise eyes sparkled.
"Wait," said Amaya, gray eyes narrowed. "You're ten, just like us. And you're human. Sesshomaru is demon. You're adopted?" Her eyes narrowed further, this time with disgust. "Oh, I remember reading about you. Some poor orphan Sesshomaru adopted. Didn't say your name, though."

"Yeah," mumbled Rin, staring at her shoes. "Anyways...my mother is better than any of you guys's." It seemed silly to bring it up now, but she had to say something.

They laughed at her. "Kagome Takahashi? Are you kidding? Her? Or, oh wait, your sleazy real mother? Take your pick; they both suck!"

"What are you talking about?" cried Rin. "Kagome-san is amazing and really nice!"

"Ha," sneered Souten. "She got married when she was eighteen."

"So?"

"She got married when she was eighteen," repeated Shiori, looking scandalized. "The youngest possible age without parental consent!"

"It-it was true love!" defended Rin. "Like Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, and all the other princesses! It was true love!"

Mocking laughter.

"Greed, more like. She's a gold-digger."

"Yeah. A gold-digger!"

"What's worse, a gold-digging mother or a drunk, drug-addict mother?"

"The gold-digger. At least the drunk drug-addict had the good sense to dump her ugly baby!"

Giggles.

Rin winced at the memory. "See? Everyone sees right through her. She had me fooled for a year. I feel so stupid now."

Shippo shifted in the darkness. "Don't you think Kagome-san loves Sesshomaru-sama?"

Rin shook her head. "She loves his money."

"Have you seen that for yourself, or is that just what your friends say?"

She struggled. "Well, it's- -it's hard to explain."

"Who are your friends' mothers, Rin?"

"Their mothers? Yura, Sara, Abi… Kaori's mother isn't famous but her sister, Kaguya, is. There's more that don't immediately come to mind. What about it, Shippo? How is that important?"

"Isn't it true that all of them at some point have wanted Sesshomaru-sama?"

Rin wrinkled her nose. "I wouldn't know about that. That doesn't matter."

"Doesn't it?" he said cryptically.

Rin sighed. "What are you trying to say, Shippo?" But there was no reply, and she cursed. "Shippo?" She tried to squint through the darkness, but there was an emptiness to the black that wasn't there before, and she knew he was gone.

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The house was dark when Sesshomaru returned from a long day at work. Slipping silently into the empty house, he stood for a moment on the threshold, suddenly reluctant to step into that cold, black space. There was no warm light that lit the house softly in every room and hall, there was no delectable aroma of steaming dinner, there was no slim, upright figure that hurried forward to take his jacket. It wasn't home, and it hadn't been for six nights counting.

Rin had called to say she would be eating out for dinner with a group of friends. He hadn't cared. She made no difference in the lonely nights anyways, staying locked up in her room and hosting a group conversation on her phone while doing her nails.

Yet it was better this way, this absence of his wife. This initial discomfort was both inevitable and necessary, and so Sesshomaru forced himself directly home every night after work, instead of loitering at the high-end clubs he had indulged in while she still lived under this roof.

Alone, he climbed the stairs, not bothering to turn on the lights, and shut himself in his study. He sat in his chair and loosened his tie, but didn't take it off. There was a stiffness in his house that he couldn't shake off, and he didn't like it.

His fingers twitched compulsively toward the bottom drawer of his desk, and in his absentmindedness, he did not stop himself as he had of recent years. Almost unconsciously, he opened the drawer and took out a small, cornflower blue book bound in plush velvet. He gently undid the silver clasp. With a soft snick, the book fell open, revealing itself to be a photo album.

Sesshomaru leaned back in his chair and began to peruse its contents. Ever so slowly, the harsh, stony lines of his face, lit with the amber glow of his lamp, relaxed as he flipped through the creamy, flower-stained pages, each one reflecting his beautiful Kagome back to his pained eyes. Laughing hysterically on the beach, burning dinner with a horrified face, gleefully fleeing the camera… no two photos were the same. Yet they all had one thing in common.

They made him smile.

Sesshomaru knew that he should get rid of the album, burn it perhaps. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. He placed it facing up on his desk, a headache forming behind his left temple.

"Kagome…" he whispered, feeling his loneliness come crashing down on him like a tidal wave. "Kagome. Kagome."

He lowered his head to the pages of the blue velvet book, the side of his face pressed against his wife's, and closed his eyes, deploring the fates for their cruel decree, that which had condemned him to this dilemma.

**IMPORTANT**

Hi guys! I wanted to let you know of something I'm doing for the holiday season: 12 Days of Christmas! Every day up until and including Christmas Day, I'll be updating one of my stories or posting a oneshot. This is Day One, and tomorrow I'll be updating A Sea Maiden's Song. If you like this story, maybe you'd like to try others by me!

A Sea Maiden's Song: Mermaids are hunted mercilessly for their beautiful song, which is said to cleanse even the filthiest soul and heal the gravest of wounds. And that is how Kagome came to be dragged from the sea, entangled in a net, and hauled off to Sesshomaru's court.

Cheers!

Philosophy Blue ;)