A/N: (there's another, longer one at the end) Sorry this is about a month and a half late! I really am. Happy belated birthday to me! Oh and, c'mon ff net, blaming stories that are MA instead of M for children that are exposed to the word porn is like…forget the analogy, it's just ridiculous.

Chapter 15: At least to the untrained eye…

"Let her starve then. Her health is no longer any concern of mine."

Kagome shivered at the cold tone of his booming voice, sympathetic of the young servant on the other end of his words. The servant boy was not even at fault for what had the taiyoukai so upset.

Sesshomaru whined from his place – Kagome had fashioned him something like the playpens she remembered for infants and toddlers in the future – and so she went quickly to attend. The pup was very particular to the mood of any space, and the tense, anger tinged feeling of his father's office unsettled him.

"Touga-sama-"

"I've told you how much I hate it when you call me that."

She paused, recalling how he had told her a week or two ago that he didn't like hearing the honorific from her any longer. Sucking in her breath through her teeth, she began again.

"Touga-"

"Not even you can make me believe that you are sympathetic."

She sighed, rocking Sesshomaru until he drifted into a light sleep, his hand tightly fisted in her hair.

"No, not sympathetic. Empathetic?"

He glanced her way, a look that was decidedly annoyed swirling in his golden gaze.

"I'm a miko, Touga. It's in my nature."

He sighed, running a hand over his face in exasperation, standing from his desk. He crossed the room to Kagome in but a few steps, pressing his lips to hers; she responded as if she had expected the intimate gesture, moving a hand to his striped cheek and rubbing her thumb over the uniquely pigmented area. He wound his arms around her small waist, taking in her crisp scent as he kissed her.

"Leave me."

He said after moving away from her again, not soothed by the shared moment. Biting her lip, as she so often did, Kagome left the tense study with Sesshomaru. Touga listened for a moment as her footsteps faded down the hall before sending his fist through the nearest wall. Pulling back his limb, he repeated the action three times more, panting out the rest of his irritation.

Touga knew as soon as Hatsu entered his life that she would be bringing much more trouble with her then she was worth, and for all intents and purposes, he had been correct in his reasoning. But dealing with her had been far simpler: locking her in the deepest dungeon cell and throwing away the key was no obstacle to him.

Kagome: he knew that she was going to be trouble as well. They were of a different species, and compounded upon the fact that she was human, she was a Miko. They were put on this earth to annihilate each other and there kind. Then she rescued and became mother to his son, brought another son to him, and she…she

His fist connected with the wall again, and he left to his private chambers to tend to his own wound as the scent of his own blood reached his nose.

XXXXX

"You are not supposed to be out here."

Kagome spoke, knowing her words would travel to her unwanted visitor no matter how softly she spoke.

"Incorrect, Miko, I have diplomatic privilege and am allowed wherever I please. You mean merely that you do not want me here."

"Yes, I suppose that is true."

The panther youkai lord growled, advancing on her.

"Do not sass me, girl."

He stopped at the prickly sensation that traveled through him the closer he got to her, a sizzling sound accompanying the uncomfortable sensation; he growled, looking down at his blistering skin. He stepped back.

"A barrier?"

He asked, already knowing the answer – and with his acknowledgment of it, the pale blue barrier shimmered and sparked up around her – as he moved back a few more steps to fully free himself from the effects of her powerful reiki.

"Is that your only safety trick, Miko?"

"And if it is, how is it any business of yours?"

He ignored her rebuttal, just as she had ignored his earlier, and began circling her now instead. He stopped his pacing in front of her and faced her now instead, a sadistic smile that sent a chill through her body forming on his lips.

"Oh of course, its because of the baby that you won't engage me, right, Miko? Why is he always with you anyway?"

Kagome pressed Sesshomaru closer to her chest, hating that he had even been mentioned by this sinister being.

"I take it you'll soon be asking me how many times I wake up to use the bathroom, right?"

She steered the conversation away from the sleeping pup.

"Again I must tell you not to sass me?"

"Just as I must ask you again what business it is of yours?"

Kagome raised her voice to match his own, ghosting her fingers over Sesshomaru's back as he awoke to keep him calm. And just like that a smile appeared on his face, as he went back to circling her.

"I merely have questions for you

She sighed, knowing he would ask anyway, regardless to whether or not she consented, per say. She was neither obligated to answer anyway.

"So, how was it exactly that you came to reside here? And how did Sesshomaru come to be in your care?"

He had circled back into her line of sight.

"And how on earth have you gotten him to behave so well?"

Kagome narrowed her eyes, but remained silence; she had a feeling that he was no longer only talking about the pup she held close to her. Judging by the mischievous glint in his eye, she knew she was correct, and as he realized she had inferred just what he was hinting, he rerouted again.

"With all the crying, and needing to be held all of the time, and fed, and-"

"I'm not sure how much you know about babies, but they all behave the exact same way to a degree."

He chuckled.

"Of course, Miko, I have a son of my own, I know what they are like young. But to a degree, you said. It was to my understanding that the perfect son had a thing for creating perfect headaches."

He stepped forward, and the look on his face made it obvious to Kagome that he had forgotten the barrier she had erected around herself; it shimmered and sparked to life as it was agitated again, and the sure fire sound of his skin sizzling again had him backing away with a grunt.

"And just how would you know anything of Sesshomaru's temperament? Do you have an inside servant reporting on how many times he cries for a changing?"

He chuckled, flicking the peeling skin off of himself with fast-healing youkai ease.

"Anyway, I suppose I should be getting ready for the evening meal, right?"

She barely hid her confusion as the panther lord walked slowly away from her, and as his chuckling reached her ears again, she feared just how much truth her little joke held.

XXXXX

"What does Hatsu know of you?"

Kagome stood her ground, braving his dubious but amused expression.

"She birthed my son, therefore she knows what's beneath my clothing…"

He let his voice trail off catching sight of her dead-pan expression.

"You meant beside the obvious?"

"Yes, Touga-sama, that is what I meant."

"Well then nothing. Believe me when I tell you I spent as little time with her as possible."

She did, but something still nagged at her. She was silent for a time, and Touga looked back down to the documents in front of him. It seemed there was never an end to his paperwork.

"I want to speak to her."

His eyes flashed up to her.

"No."

His tone did not leave room for argument…or so he thought.

"Just let me talk to her for a few minutes, I…I just want to know how she could detach herself from Sesshomaru so. I read in my research that the bond between inu mother and child was cemented while the pup resided in the womb."

She said as smoothly as she could. Toga nodded, standing as the words had begun to blur on the page anyway.

"Funny things…emotions. Like nervousness; your heart rate picks up slightly, as does you breathing, and you perspire slightly, so slightly that even you would not know it."

Curious as she was as to where this pop lesson was going, Kagome still feared where it was going to lead.

"You just lied to me."

He said calmly, looking her dead in the eye, chuckling in amusement.

"There's that nervousness again-"

"Okay fine, your nose and ears work, and you would make a fabulous detective."

She groaned as he looked at her confused, not understanding the reference.

"My reasons for speaking to her are my own. Woman to woman."

"I am not allowing it."

Sucking her teeth like a petulant child, she mumbled:

"So this is the straw that breaks the camel's back…"

He looked confused again, and it only fueled her growing anger.

"What is your problem with me, Touga?"

He scoffed.

"I have no problem with you, Kagome. Well, aside from the fact that you just blatantly lied to me."

"Oh please! Every room that I've entered that you have also been in immediately fills with tension! What- and then you just want to ignore it by kissing me-"

He snorted.

"As if you don't consent to them."

"That is NOT the point! You have concubines for that."

Her breath caught in her throat as it seemed she had misunderstood their ever confusing relationship, and just how non-existent it was between all the confusing clouds of smoke made real by passion filled kisses. Her hands shook in anger as she heard him mumble something about not kissing concubines.

"And if you confused me for one of them, we are back to square one."

She all but screamed in exasperation as the same look of inu curiosity appeared on his regal face in response to her reference, taking her leave.

Touga had no response for her; he had been content with their "relationship" right where it was, it wasn't complicated – well, everything was complicated with her. He said nothing as she took her leave, for he had nothing to say in response, and he would certainly offer no apology.

"You are not permitted in the south wing at all, Kagome, and certainly not down into the dungeons."

From her place a few steps away from the door, Kagome wiped away a tear that had escaped her eye, and a smile spread across her face.

Beneath the south wing. At least something had been gained of that conversation.

XXXXX

"How is my son, miko?"

Kagome sighed at the sound of the sneer that had become familiar, from the mouth of the visiting youkai lord.

"I have real food, Hatsu. I know you haven't been eating because they haven't been giving you anything more than scraps."

The once beautiful, still quite pretty even though she was covered in about six layers of grime, young woman, crawled towards the spell-protected bars.

"They give me the food that they give prisoners."

Hatsu made to snatch the tray, reaching through the fashioned hole for food purposes, but Kagome stepped out of her reach. The inu demoness growled, but Kagome ignored her threat.

"I have questions for you, Hatsu."

The youkai woman, who actually looked younger than Kagome in her emaciated state, giggled, but it was a sick, hollow sound.

"I don't hear much down here, but I did hear about your confrontation with the tutor. I'm glad I got to see your backbone for myself. I'll answer your questions, miko."

Kagome slid the tray into the small confinement, allowing it to be taken from her hands. She allowed the demoness a moment to eat, amused with her table manners that were only slightly better than Shippo's.

"On second thought, you don't even have to ask any questions, Ka-go-me. I know you want to know why I gave my own son to death,"

She almost felt the heat of Hatsu's gaze.

"Or tried to at least."

Kagome nodded, knowing that even in the barely lit cell area, Hatsu saw the gesture.

"It's just!...all he ever did was cry and cry. By Kami the headaches-"

The sharp intake of breath from her visitor made Hatsu pause.

Kagome held her head as her thoughts rushed at a pace so fast it almost pained her. The marks matched, her words and his,,,they matched too.

"Hatsu, what have you done?"

She giggled, pleased now that she had food in her system.

"Oh you're beginning to figure it out?"

Hatsu stood, moving right to the bars to stare at Kagome.

"Well here's the funny part. I don't even know. I just wanted to get rid of a baby, not to mention ruin Touga for ignoring me like I was some bug."

Kagome shook her head as she realized just how insane the woman that stood in front of her was; she had started something that would endanger so many people.

"I must say though, the dragons were all his idea, and even that spiraled out of his control."

Kagome had run from the dungeons, leaving Hatsu, who laughed maniacally.

XXXXX

"I forbade you from going down there, Kagome. Why did you defy me?"

"I know you did, I'm sorry but-"

"I warned you for your own safety, not for my own health!"

Kagome sighed, trying to collect herself as well.

"Touga I know-"

He was beyond reason.

"And to speak to Hatsu? I told you-"

"Touga!"

She caught his face in her hands, looking into his eyes, finally getting him quiet. The silence threatened to break her down, but she blinked away the tears of fear, tears she hadn't cried since she sought Naraku.

"That…that man…Kirei. He assisted Hatsu in taking Sesshomaru from here."

The look on his face changed from anger to confusion.

"Wha-"

"He's planning something bigger, alright? Sesshomaru was just…just to get you distracted-"

"And then you brought him back."

He whispered; he pulled her hands from his cheeks with his own, instead just holding them in his grasp.

"And since I'm no longer distracted, his plans have probably accelerated, which would account for his early visit."

She nodded her head in assent. Again she could feel the anger bubbling back up inside him.

"Do you know anything else?"

His voice was deadly calm; his eyes flashed red with rage. He and Kirei had been enemies for quite some time, but this…combined with the knowing that he slept peacefully in a separate wing in his palace?

Kagome nodded her head again, regret and fear clouding her expression.

"How…How much do you know of Ryukotsusei?"

A/N: Poop is what that is. Fourteen shitty pages of poop. Review anyway though, cause I like those. And I have a question. I'm curious to know how old you guys think I am. And if you would like to know why this is so late, read on, otherwise just PLEASE REVIEW, EVEN IF YOU HATE ME!

The device that holds the outline of this story was dropped into the tub and, needless to say, no longer works. I am officially reinventing this story and making it up as I go along, so if you have an suggestions, now is prime time for pitching them. Anyway, stay tuned if you think its worth it! I thank everyone who stuck with me and still gives me support with all this!