Sesshoumaru remained motionless in the same spot where Mrs. Higurashi had driven away with Kagome taking her to the hospital. He gazed into the distance, as if waiting for her return, much like a loyal dog waiting for his owner.

It was nearly midnight when Souta stepped back outside to check on the demon. The teen had been returning home earlier that day when he saw his mother half dragging Kagome into the backseat of her car. He desperately tried to read their lips, but the demon was speaking so fast he only caught a few words. Head. Pain. Attack.

Rubbing sleepiness from his eyes he approached the tall demon standing in the courtyard. He looked as if he hadn't moved an inch since his mom left. Reaching out, Souta tugged lightly on the red and white sleeve. Emotionless golden eyes peered down at him, but the young man held his ground and didn't show his nervousness.

Motioning his hand to his lips, Souta mouthed out. "Are you hungry?"

Ah, this was the younger brother Kagome spoke of and the reason she knew sign language. Sesshoumaru could not recall if the priestess had ever told him the boy's name so asked, "What is your name?"

To say Souta was shocked was an understatement. He spelt out his name before asking the demon the same question. When the man replied by spelling out 'Sesshoumaru', Souta was beyond excited. He rarely got to meet any new people since JSL still wasn't common.

"What happened to Kagome?" He knew his mom would be exhausted when she came home and didn't want to bombard her with questions.

The demon lord thought for a moment. As much as he wished to remain rooted in place until the priestess returned, the boy deserved to know what happened to his sister while under his watch.

"Let us go inside and talk." Sesshoumaru marched past Souta and headed for the house.

It was just after 1 am when Mrs. Higurashi quietly entered her home. Walking into the living room she found Souta passed out on the floor and the large demon awkwardly sitting on their couch watching the muted TV. She let out an exhausted sigh as he turned his head to look at her.

"Would you like to join me for some tea?" With adrenaline still pumping through veins it would be a while before she would be able to sleep.

Sesshoumaru nodded and stood to join her in the kitchen. As he went to sit on one of the chairs at the kitchen table Mrs. Higurashi stopped him. "Please, make yourself comfortable first. I do not know how long Kagome will be in the hospital but until she is discharged you are welcome in our home." Seeing a flicker of uncertainty in the demon's eyes she added. "Once the painkillers began to kick in, she told me about you, Lord Sesshoumaru. She fell asleep shortly after telling me what she could remember. Though, I do not know if she realized it was you and not Inuyasha who brought her home."

No, she probably wouldn't have given the situation. The older woman showed him to the entryway closet where he stored his armor, swords, and pelt before returning to sit at the table once more.

"So, the priestess will live?" Sesshoumaru asked while the older woman poured them tea.

Taking a seat across from the demon, Mrs. Higurashi watched as he drank his tea. Though he had similar hair and eyes as Inuyasha, this Sesshoumaru was nothing like his younger brother. Even when he hastily explained what had happened to Kagome while helping move her into the car, he remained calm and collected. Inuyasha would have been too busy blaming her daughter for getting hurt and constantly yelling all the way to the hospital. But when she told Sesshoumaru to wait at the shrine until she returned, he did not fight her, in fact she was surprised to find him quietly sitting in her living room.

"She lost a lot of blood and the wound on the back of her head was severe. But since she regained consciousness for a bit and was able to speak, the doctors are confident that she didn't suffer any kind of brain injury. We will know more in a few days, but she should be fine."

Though Sesshoumaru didn't fully understand the meaning behind some of her words, he was relieved to hear Kagome would recover. "Then you now know that I failed to protect your daughter." The tightness in his chest was a constant reminder of that fact.

"I know that you are the reason she will live." Her words had Sesshoumaru's golden eyes meeting weary brown ones. "If I hadn't pushed Kagome to stay home until we knew whether her hearing would return, she might not have run away to the past. We can spend all night talking about what ifs but at the end of the day none of those matters. Kagome is home and safe, that's all I can ask for."

Sesshoumaru looked at the modern clothing Mrs. Higurashi had lent him, unsure if they'd fit. The strange cosmetics she wanted to use to conceal his demonic markings had a smell he found displeasing. Facing the mirror in Kagome's mother's room, he summoned a small bit of his power to hide his stripes and the crescent moon on his brow. This will make it easier to blend in.

"Better?" he turned and asked the priestess's mother.

Unprepared for how handsome the demon looked while disguised as a human she blushed, and answered, "Yes, but your clothes..."

Lifting up outdated jeans from the 1990s, Sesshoumaru gave them a pensive look. "Do you have something other than these peculiar hakamas?"

Mrs. Higurashi looked confused, "I mean, they might be a tad short on you, but the hips should fit fine." Kagome's father had been a tall man, but not nearly as tall as Sesshoumaru. But who cared if his ankles would be showing, they were only going to the hospital.

"You misunderstand. It is not the hips, or length that I am concerned with." Sesshoumaru was unfamiliar with human males, but he did not think Kagome's mother would appreciate him ruining these 'jeans' because he couldn't fit.

Kagome's mother still looked confused, and he really did not want to be put in the awkward position of informing her that he was, most likely, far more endowed than her human husband had been. Souta came up to him and pulled his sleeve, "Yes?" Souta looked pointedly down at his lower half, and then back up and Sesshoumaru nodded, "Yes. That is the problem." Souta understood and turned to his mom, signing why the demon needed looser pants.

That was when she fully understood and gasped. Blushing all over she suggested, "Oh! I see… Hmm maybe we have something less constricting, sweats perhaps?" Mrs. Higurashi busied herself by digging through her late husband's clothes while avoiding staring at the demon lord's body.

He may have heard her mumble something about having another 'talk' with Kagome later. It was Sesshoumaru's turn to be confused, but he shrugged and took the offered sweatpants.

"Are you ready to go?" Souta was impressed by Sesshoumaru's behavior thus far. Inuyasha had thrown a fit when Kagome asked him to try and blend in when they went into the city, yet Sesshoumaru seemed unbothered by it. The demon was quickly becoming his favorite of the two brothers.

Sesshoumaru gave Souta a nod as Mrs. Higurashi finished braiding his hair and tucked the pointed ends of his ears under the silver locks. The light gray sweatpants and hoodie he wore felt itchy on his body. He already missed his silks.