InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Assassin's Daughter ❯ Death Race ( Chapter 4 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Assassin's Daughter 4

Morning came and passed for Sesshoumaru. He skipped breakfast all together and merely arrived at the boarding station early. He had not spoken a word to Sunshine since last night–and she had not even tried to start a conversation with him. For once, she had kept to herself.

If he dared to admit it, he felt guilty. He shouldn't have been so harsh when she was just trying to be a friend to him. It wasn't as if he needed friends, but...having someone be concerned over him once in a while, or even empathize, wasn't an unspeakable notion. Oh well, maybe it would do him good to just let go.

Either way, the dog demon had boarded his plane and finally arrived in Japan with next to no trouble. Fortunately, he had ended up sitting next to a businessman too busy typing away on his laptop to care about anything else, so silence accompanied him. However, he couldn't deny that he missed Sunshine's endless chatter...

Dammit! I have to stop thinking of her! It's dangerous for me to exhibit any type of concern for a human not involved in my family's affairs. Sesshoumaru's mask of indifference remained in place, but the beast within him threatened to break loose. It wanted to inhale the sweet scent of the woman who overtook his senses, yet of course she was no where in sight.

It was better that way. His inner demon would have to cope.

"Yoo-hoo! Moron! Your wonderful, intelligent and handsome brother is over here!"

He had to eradicate Inuyasha sometime soon... To hell with sparing his wife the grief! Hell, she'd probably throw a huge celebration afterwards! Yup, his brother was that annoying.

"Half-breed, must you embarrass yourself everywhere we go?" Sesshoumaru asked with a quirked brow and rolled his suitcase towards the rambunctious hanyou nearly causing a scene at the waiting deck.

He was dismayed when the security guards refrained from coming over to settle the hanyou down since he strode over. They could have arrested Inuyasha if they had wanted...no one would mind.

Inuyasha crossed him arms and blew a raspberry. "Keh! You embarrass me with your face!"

"That was a horrible comeback. The only way I can embarrass you with my face is by showing others just how ugly you are compared to my magnificence."

"Shut the hell up, pretty boy!" The silver-haired hanyou then smirked and threw a pair of keys at his brother, who easily caught it with his free hand. "I promise I didn't dent your car...too much."

"If you did, you're dead." Sesshoumaru narrowed his golden honey eyes and began to walk to the busy airport's entrance/exit. Inuyasha shrugged and followed after him.

After the two brothers made it to the parking lot in one piece, a young woman bumped in Sesshoumaru, but was saved from falling to the ground by an arm that wrapped around her waist. She blinked her cinnamon eyes and glanced up at her savior, only to see a pair of familiar honey eyes gazing intently at her face. Her cheeks flushed at their close proximity.

It seemed as though time stopped–neither broke away from their trance until someone cleared his throat.

"Look, bastard, 'Inu-freakin-Taishou-sama' demands our presence at the mansion and I'm not gonna get yelled at again for being late just because of you." Inuyasha crossed his arms once more in annoyance, glowering at the scene in front of him.

For the love of–! What the hell was going on?! Sesshoumaru held this random woman in his arms as if they were long time lovers, and suddenly, it was like they were going to make-out! Not only was it forbidden, but it was wasting his time! He had places to be, dammit!

Obviously, his brother hardly cared.

"This is a pure coincidence, Sunshine." Sesshoumaru finally let go of his hold on her, and he watched her cheeks glow a brighter red before she took a tentative step back.

He at first wondered why she refused to meet his gaze again, but then caught sight of two...what he guessed were bodyguards dressed in black suits and matching sunglasses standing a few meters behind her, each observing the trio unwaveringly.

Ah, now he knew why she was acting as if she didn't know him...

"Forgive me; I should've watched where I was going, stranger. If you'll excuse me..." He stepped to the side, allowing her to pass, and she nodded in thanks. Her two 'bodyguards' trailed after her, both casting Sesshoumaru a passing glance as he returned the favor with his ever present cool.

Inuyasha scoffed and rolled his eyes, coming to stand beside the elder dog demon. The whole 'chance meeting' was strange enough already and his head was about to burst with confusion. "What the hell is she–the prime minister's daughter? Not even I have bodyguards."

"You don't need them, imbecile, unless you've finally recognized your pitifulness," Sesshoumaru said as though he hadn't recently bumped into the woman who had plagued his mind since last night.

Actually...he couldn't deny the slight acceleration of his heart bear when he first laid eyes on her. And, oddly, he had hoped she wasn't angered by his apathy the night before–since when did he ever care about upsetting people?! By shoving his gun in people's faces he was upsetting them, right?! Heh, no one was the same as Sunshine, though.

Grr! Sesshoumaru was beginning to let go of the notion of ever meeting her again and this stupid collision jumbled his collected mind! Organizing his thoughts back in perfect order would be hell!

Destiny loved to play tricks on him and have him run around in circles...

Inuyasha didn't think he was that pitiful... After all, he survived two weeks in Siberia. "Do me a favor and shut the fuck up! At least I was nice enough to come and get you–did you think our old man was gonna send a limo for you? Hell no!" Grr, why were older brothers so ungrateful?!

The dog demon shook his head. "On a scale from one to ten, how pissed is father?"

"You mean InuTaishou-sama–we can't call him father or Dad or whatever, or at least that's what Jaken 'explained' he said."

"No one cares about Jaken. Now answer my question."

"I say he's pretty close to a nine."

"Fuck."

-XxX-

Thank gods! His beautiful car was still intact! Sesshoumaru marveled at the perfection that was his gorgeous dark silver Mercedes Benz SLR. It was a sleek coupe highly suited for someone like him who loved to drive over the speed limit–and he got away with it. He sighed in relief and entered the driver's seat of the sports car while Inuyasha called shotgun.

"Keh! See, bastard, I didn't crash your car. I'm perfectly capable of safe driving," the hanyou stated as his brother sped out of the airport parking lot, disregarding the various security vehicles roaming around. Geez, this is a fifteen miles per hour area and the bastard is forty over the limit.

Err...what they didn't see wouldn't hurt.

Sesshoumaru shot him a knowing glance. "It's merely due to the lack of old ladies crossing the street." It was the one incident that ruined the hanyou's first luxurious and quite expensive sports car; it had been a gift for his eighteenth birthday.

Heh, emphasize had been.

"Fuck you! No one told that stupid old hag to stand in the middle of the fucking street looking for her glasses!" He hated old ladies! That car was priceless!

"Respect your elders, little brother. How was she supposed to know you were driving at a hundred and seventy miles per hour in a zone of only twenty-five?"

"So?! What the hell was she doing crossing the street at freakin' two in the morning?!"

Yup...Inuyasha swerved off the road to avoid hitting the old crone and ended up smashing his Ferrari against a tree. Damages were unfortunately irreparable.

"Clearly you missed the sign reading, 'beware of old ladies crossing the street at unfathomable hours of the day'," Sesshoumaru admonished, his expression completely serious.

"Just shut up, bastard."

The silver-haired dog demon chuckled at having successfully irked his younger brother, but what annoyed him were these damn stop lights! He grudgingly stopped before one, waiting in boredom for the light to turn green. Meanwhile, Inuyasha's hand drifted to the radio, yet it was slapped away–Sesshoumaru hated the hanyou's kind of music.

A few seconds later, however, another car–an obsidian black Lamborghini Murciélago to be specific–drove up in the lane besides his. And how about that? Sunshine was driving the sleek sports car with her two bodyguards nowhere in sight. She winked mischievously at him, and it didn't take a genius to note what she wanted to play.

Oh well, let the games begin!

"–so I told Kagome to go shopping and she took Mom with her for some reason and they left me alone and then Jaken came over and I was like, ew, and he was like, ew, and Da–AAHH!! What the hell has gotten into you?!" Inuyasha was hanging on to his life with the way Sesshoumaru was suddenly driving!

It was as if he was racing with the black car currently ahead of them! Shit, he was racing! The hanyou gripped his armrest until his knuckles turned white when his brother turned a sharp corner.

Gods, didn't he take into account that other people were driving on the streets?! Sure, it wasn't like he didn't speed himself or whatever, but dammit!

Sesshoumaru was known for many things but careful driving!

"Heh, she will not win." Sesshoumaru smirked and picked up the speed, ignoring his brother's frantic screams as he drove on the sidewalk. "These goddamn pedestrians better back the fuck out of my way!"

"Well for one, you're not supposed to be on the sidewalk! They are!" Inuyasha fleetingly wondered where the hell the police were when he needed them. Gods, they were good for nothing! They should have already given his brother a ticket!

No, three of them!

Sesshoumaru ignored the hanyou once again and finally caught up to Sunshine. He waved at her before jerking back onto the single-lane road, this time in front of her. Ha, she was definitely not going to beat him, the Sadist!

The two competitors continued to drive dangerously–if they weren't on the road, they battled on the sidewalk. If it wasn't on the highway, the duel was on the grass. They expertly avoided local traffic, which was an amazing feat considering the busy Tokyo streets.

Either way, both drivers soon reached a tunnel...

Inuyasha's golden amber eyes widened at the new found discovery and he began begging his brother on behalf of his life. "Fuck no, Sessh! Please, I'm fucking begging you! Don't go into the tunnel–I hate tunnels!"

"Too bad."

"NOOOO!!!"

And they zoomed into the tunnel with Sunshine in the lead and Sesshoumaru tailing closely behind her. Inuyasha was completely freaked out–tunnels scared the shit out of him because of an incident in his childhood involving a tunnel, a bomb, a shit-load of water, and his favorite kind of ramen...

The tunnel was double-lane, so the silver-haired dog demon took the chance to change lanes in order to take first place. The cycle kept on repeating itself until a truck suddenly appeared, coming towards them while Sesshoumaru was last, but he was definitely not going to lose to Sunshine of all people.

So, he put his skills to the test.

"Oh my gods, oh my gods, oh my gods–oh my fucking gods!!!"

"Stop screaming as if you're in labor, half-breed! My ears are beginning to ring!" Sesshoumaru growled at his inferior, taking the chance to glare at him out of the corner of his eyes. I lose this race and I'll slit his throat!

"Don't you value your life?! Don't you at least value mine?!" Inuyasha shouted, frozen stiff in his passenger seat. He regretted letting his brother drive; he should've remembered how competitive he was! Of all the places in which Sesshoumaru took extreme risks–why a freakin' tunnel?!

"If I valued my life, I wouldn't be an assassin." With that having been said, the dog demon sped onto the opposite lane–the lane the truck was in.

HOOOOONK!

"YOU PIECE OF FUUUCK!!!"

"I'm killing you as soon as I win this race..." Sesshoumaru kept on driving until he came nearly a yard away from crashing into the truck, but before that could happen, he switched lanes and placed in front of Sunshine's obsidian Lamborghini all in a split second.

No one could say that he wasn't an expert driver now...

Inuyasha finally stopped hyperventilating, though he still suffered from the shock of coming close to a fatal car accident. He was at long last relieved, however, when he saw a bright light at the end of the tunnel. Yes, his misery was over! He was going to be free from Sesshoumaru's Death Trap Car Shit!

Weeell...not exactly...

Once out of the tunnel...the two cars raced towards a highway exit that read, 'Do Not Enter–Road Work Ahead'.

Oh shit.

The hanyou didn't even bother bellowing until his lungs popped out. He didn't even bother growling at his insane brother for continuing a race he was not going to win. Hell, he didn't even bother breathing.

All he did was stare straight ahead of him as though a vision of a ramen god suddenly appeared down the road.

He was going to need some serious therapy after this. And while he was at it, he might as well sue certain fearless bastards who shouldn't be allowed on the streets...or the sidewalks.

Sesshoumaru couldn't believe how good of a racer Sunshine was! Damn! She actually kept up with him, overpowered him, and took first place! He had never known anyone who was a risk taker like him when it came to driving. If he didn't know any better, he might say she did this kind of thing daily.

Is she an underground speed racer? Perhaps. He smirked at the thought of her wearing a racing suit complete with Winnie the Pooh details as she stood before her matching Lamborghini.

But then an image of the Assassin’s Daughter came into mind, specifically the dramatic moment when her crimson-booted leg revealed itself from her blood red Aston Martin. This is getting annoying. Yes, it was. I might just have to kill her when I get the chance, then. Yup.

Soon enough, the two drivers reached the point where the road work ended...literally. There was no road. None. Yet, instead of a road, there was...

"Sesshoumaru, I will beat the crap out of you if you keep going..." Inuyasha wasn't playing around anymore–he was dead serious. There was no f-ing way he was remaining in this car and suffer through...through...that.

His brother shrugged. "Go right ahead. It's not like you'll be successful. By the time you finally land a blow on me, your hand will be melted." And he meant it; his claws weren't toxic for no reason. Besides, he tested his demonic ability once...heheheh...

For the most part, the Sadist in him was entertained for days.

The hanyou whined, "Please! Do it for me and any future nieces or nephews you might have if you don't kill me!"

"Nope. Besides, Father would rather castrate you than let you have pups."

Sesshoumaru always knew which sore subject for his younger brother to hit on, leaving him speechless and without the will to respond. The car was enveloped in silence for the rest of the trek...at least until they arrived at what had Inuyasha once again praying to any higher entity above him. It was...

A bridge.

A bridge...that wasn't connected.

A bridge...that wasn't connected...and inclined.

This was the last segment of the race–both Sesshoumaru and Sunshine inwardly acknowledged it. Whoever landed on the other side of the bridge first officially won: fair and square. Now it was time to see who the ultimate racer of the two was.

Both cars sped side by side towards the bridge, disregarding anything and everything. It didn't register in their minds that their plan could go awry and one of them could sink to the river below the bridge, or they could both crash and die. No, all they thought about was beating each other–all that registered was rivalry.

Victory was a sweet feeling.

And it was now the ground breaking moment!

Inuyasha clenched his eyes shut and nearly broke off his armrest. Sesshoumaru's lips curved into a smirk of pre-victory as he shifted into second gear. Sunshine kept her cinnamon eyes trained on the bridge and never looked back.

The two racers then accelerated up one side of the bridge at unfathomable speeds and plunged into the air. It was as if they were caught in slow motion; neither car seemed to be in front of the other while they soared across the wide gap between the bridges.

Suddenly, they felt their cars sinking...

...they were nearing the other side of the bridge...

...and the one who made it first...

...was...

"Shit!" Sesshoumaru cursed once he arrived safely on the other side of the bridge and onto the patch of land devoid of any road or civilization whatsoever. "She fucking beat me!"

Inuyasha uttered no response. Hell, he probably had no pulse either.

Sesshoumaru's Mercedes-Benz slid to a stop right after the obsidian Lamborghini did, and he wasted no time to throw open his door. The dog demon marched up to the smiling young woman waiting for his temper tantrum and did the only thing he could do.

He grabbed her by the waist and devoured her rosy lips, pressing her against the cold metal of her vehicle caked in grimy mud. She moaned into his mouth and allowed him to be as aggressive as he wanted–but that didn't mean she would be helpless and easily submissive. Sunshine established her own stance by letting her tongue slip past his lips and have a taste of the demon trying to subdue her.

Sesshoumaru then discovered that the tables turned–now it was him pressed against her car while Sunshine took the lead. She fisted her hands into his long locks of silver hair and crashed him upon her, dominating him even as he fought for control once again.

Dammit–she was relentless!

Appearances were truly deceiving when it came to innocent people...

Inuyasha alas revived from his trance-like state and blinked from inside his brother's sports car, glancing from side to side in confusion. When the hell did Sesshou-bastard leave?! Sure, he had zoned out...but not for a long time...

The hanyou climbed out of his seat and took a fresh breath of air–yes! He was on land! No more metal box of death coincidentally called a car! Though, the sight that met his eyes was far from the relief he was searching for...

"Whoah..." The same human woman he had deemed to be the prime minister's daughter was aggressively making out with his brother...what?! Holy shit! He knew it! He knew those two had something going on! "Hey, bastard!"

Neither broke from their lip lock...well, tongue lock. Inuyasha was growing disgusted–it was too much PDA for one assassin. Then again, analyzing the way Sesshoumaru, the infamous pureblooded bastard sadist, allowed a human bitch to overpower him was interesting...

Ok, ew! Their hands didn't need to wander places they shouldn't!

"Bastard!" Nope, they were still sucking face. "BASTARD!!!"

Sunshine reluctantly broke away from the entranced demon against her when someone bellowed impatiently from behind them. She turned around and curiously faced the annoyed hanyou glaring daggers at them–he was the same person who accompanied Stranger earlier at the airport.

Hmm...they were surely related in some way since their hair and eye colors were identical.

Cool...

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Inuyasha was severely confused and extremely annoyed! There was no reason to torture him by forcing him to watch his brother dry hump some weird-ass woman! "We need to get home before our old man has a cow!"

"I'm sure you'd appreciate having a little calf around the house since you never received the pony you wanted," the dog demon replied, encircling Sunshine's waist from behind. "Be a good little brother and wait for me in my car."

"Asshole, you know the fucking rules!" He ignored the cool glare thrown his way. "Who the hell is she, anyway?"

"I'm Sunshine!" The chipper young woman replied, leaning against Sesshoumaru since he didn't seem to plan to release his hold any time soon. "Hm, what should your nickname be?"

"Nincompoop." Sunshine laughed at Stranger's suggestion–she actually liked it!

"Nickname? What, you people don't know each other's real names or some shit like that?" Inuyasha smirked, but when he received no negative responses, his eyes widened. "You two don't know each other's names?!" What kind of bullshit was that?!

How the hell do you not know someone's name and make out with them? His brother was a freakin' whore! That's it! I'm telling Dad he raised a slut! Keh! Damn ho-bag...

"Nope! We don't know each other period!" And she seemed so happy about it, too. Again, she was a weird person... Sesshoumaru was apparently taking advantage of the mentally ill. "He's Stranger and I'm Sunshine and you're Nincompoop. That's how we address each other."

Great, he was stuck as the damn nincompoop now. "Whatever." Inuyasha faced his older brother, who was currently nibbling his way down Sunshine's neck. Gods, what a horny bastard. "With the way he's acting, you'd think I stopped him from getting laid last night."

"You actually did." The cinnamon-eyed woman had to pause because a moan passed her lips, and once Sesshoumaru found her sensitive spot on her neck, she arched her back in pleasure. Now it was time to get his revenge for last night! "Not like he was getting lucky, anyway..."

"Ha! In your face, bastard!"

Sesshoumaru disregarded what was said–he liked to believe it wasn't true. In order to prove his theory, he nipped at Sunshine's 'sensitive' spot, causing her to grip the arm around her waist to prevent another moan from escaping.

She loved his ministrations–he knew it!

Inuyasha shook his head, beginning to feel sick with the amorous display in front of him. "Listen, you bastardous moron, just shove your dick up your ass and let's go! I'd like to get home to my wife sometime soon and get Dad's lecture over with already."

"He's right. I have stuff to do, too." Sunshine sighed and turned around in the dog demon's hold, beaming up at his handsome yet disappointed face. Wow, she had the power to make him visibly disappointed! "I never met someone who almost beat me in a race before. You're really good."

"I never met someone who can beat me in a race," Sesshoumaru grumbled, remembering his shameful loss. And he had a witness to it! Crap!

She giggled. "You better not have given me a hickey, Stranger..."

He eyed the rather noticeable red bruise on the base of her neck, suppressing the urge to bite his lip like a young pup who knew he had done wrong. Sunshine narrowed her eyes and grabbed his shirt, pulling him down to her level. "You didn't." The grip on his shirt tightened with his silence.

Inuyasha couldn't help but smirk and watch the show. Now he liked it!

"...maybe?" Sesshoumaru might as well arrange his own funeral...

He watched her eyes narrow even further before her luscious lips curved into a devious smirk. She let go of her firm hold on his light blue button-up shirt only to push it open, revealing his collarbone and neck. The next thing he knew, her mouth worked expertly to return the favor–damn, he wouldn't mind having a couple more in other places...

"There," she gasped, finally drawing back as she smiled at her work of art, "now we're equal. Well, until next time, Stranger!"

She leaned up and captured his lips in a chaste kiss, savoring what could be their last moment together. Afterwards, she took a second to memorize the striking golden honey meld of his irises prior to entering her car and revving up the engine.

Once she was gone, Sesshoumaru exhaled deeply and turned to his impatiently waiting brother. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

The hanyou was gaping at the nice little token of remembrance Sesshoumaru bore on his neck. It was red bordering on purple...and wouldn't be gone until a minimum of two days... "I'm waiting for you to tell me what the hell you have going on with that 'Sunshine' woman."

"Not going to happen." Seriously, Sesshoumaru didn't know what else the half-breed expected. He wasn't about to spill his secrets to the hanyou who refused to be his slave!

Inuyasha shook his head and accepted defeat. He would just try later. "So, do you have any idea of where we are?"

Easy question to answer. "Nope."

"Great."

-XxX-

Sesshoumaru loved silence.

It was calming and the only thing that did not constantly demand from him. He could do whatever he wanted in silence and no one would know. It was how he worked as an assassin–with expert stealth inspired by silence. There were no nagging people present, no whining brats, and no vexing noises when silence surrounded him.

But right now...he hated it.

His father gazed at him and his brother in complete silence–his lips were sealed and his face was expressionless, though his golden amber eyes spoke volumes. He was angry, disappointed, frustrated...the list could go on. Overall, he blamed his two sons for his current fury.

And better yet...Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha had arrived an hour late.

Yes, they had gotten severely lost but made it home in time for dinner–that was all that mattered, either way.

Sesshoumaru wished his father would say something already, anything at all! Even if he lost control of his rage and bellowed with all his might–he wouldn't care! This silence was imbedding itself into his mind and driving him insane. It was eerie and thick with tension, causing the hairs in the back of his neck to rise.

The patriarch of his family was dangerous...he could only wonder what his father was planning behind his cool façade.

Three dog demons were sitting in a lavish office, each of them staring at one another without uttering a word. The two brothers shared a knowing look–they were going to be punished big time for failing their missions. Failing a mission was seen as a sign of incompetence, and what did one do to the inept individuals in a flock of experts?

Get rid of them, of course.

"I was informed of your latest...failures," the oldest dog demon in the room began in his low, rumbling voice, taking the chance to swipe his silver bangs away from his golden eyes, "and you know how I feel about failures."

Inuyasha audibly gulped–he had experience with the consequences of failing a mission. It was regarded as an offense to his father. "Am I allowed to–?"

"No, you are not in the position to appeal."

"But–" A glare effectively silenced him. "Fine."

"Frankly speaking, however," InuTaishou unexpectedly grinned, any traces of fury having abandoned him, "I don't give a damn."

"You what?!" Inuyasha nearly fell out of his black cushioned chair while Sesshoumaru's eyes widened. "All my suffering was for nothing?! Dad, how could you?!"

"Weeell, it wasn't exactly for nothing–it was experience, don't you think? And Inuyasha, you shouldn't be complaining because you coerced your wife to pick you up."

"He's right." Sesshoumaru cast a glare at his sulking younger brother, and then faced his father with a serious expression. He knew there was something else to it; he wouldn't be so easily fooled. "There's a catch, isn't there?"

"Ah, my intelligent son solves the case!" The dog demon chuckled, though there was a mysterious twinkle in his eyes that baffled both brothers. "Yes, there is a catch."

Chirp...chirp...chiiirp...

"Damn crickets!" Inuyasha growled. They appeared in the most random of times and tortured his sensitive eardrums! They'll stop making those fucking noises if I bring out some napalm... Yup, bombs were a solution to everything. "Anyway...are you gonna tell us this catch of yours any time soon?"

"There's going to be a ball tomorrow night."

Was that supposed to be a bad thing? "I don't understand." Sesshoumaru was on the brink of strangling his father!

The way he spoke and acted in riddles was extremely misleading and annoying! Sure, he sounded jovial right now, but only because he was planning some kind of horrible fate for one, if not both of his sons! Did he think his antics weren't recognizable? Ha! That was a load of bull-monkey-shit!

"Of course you wouldn't, so let me explain! There is going to be a gala tomorrow night–a company get together of sorts. However...the gala is merely the place where you'll find the catch."

Grr! Sesshoumaru was still confused and he hated being confused! "What are you implying?" Just get on with your point, old man. Of course, he quieted his impatient thoughts. Sometimes, it was like his father had psychic powers...

InuTaishou was enjoying this very much–his sons were practically sitting on the edges of their seats hanging onto every word he said. Ah, the power a patriarch had over his family! "By the end of the gala, one of you will meet a certain young woman, who is to be your future wife."

"Heh, good luck with that one, Sesshoumaru–I'm already married." Now he could kick back and relax! It was great to have someone do all the work...

"Don't think you're not doing anything, Inuyasha, because in time you and Kagome will have to befriend this woman."

"I will do no such thing," Sesshoumaru abruptly said, shocking the other two occupants of the room.

Silence.

InuTaishou blankly stared at his eldest son, wondering if he was merely joking or actually serious. No, Sesshoumaru didn't have the sense of humor to make jests. Or at least funny ones... "Did I hear you correctly?"

"Yes, you did." And he didn't bat an eyelash, either.

Inuyasha nearly choked on air at his insolent response. It still shocked him how his brother could easily defy their father's orders! Yet, it was only because the hanyou was unable to do the same... He ignored that fact at the moment. "Keh! Dad, you got a rebellious one here–bring out the whip!"

"Sesshoumaru, it's not like you have a choice. Did your brother have a choice in his marriage?"

The subject wasn't a light one for Inuyasha; therefore, his slightly brighter mood deteriorated and he leaned back in his chair to sulk again. He was happy with his wife, sure, but how he ended up married to her...the circumstances at the time...

Dammit, he never wanted to suffer through it again.

Sesshoumaru boldly stared directly at his father, his resolve unwavering, even with the deadly tone the older dog demon had used. He wasn't afraid of him now–he couldn't be.

There was no way that he, the Sadist, was going to be tied down to some wench he never met before in his life! It was impossible that he would allow himself to be disgraced in such a manner! He rather continue being an assassin for the rest of his life! Hell, that would be a divine paradise compared to living with a fucking hag!

"I am not the coward he is, father. I will not stand for you debasing me."

Inuyasha hardly bothered protesting since it was pretty much true. He was the lap dog of the family–he could never stop trying to make his father proud of him. Thence, he took on any and every mission handed to him.

InuTaishou sighed to calm himself and settled grave eyes on his eldest son. "And I will not stand for you disrespecting me, son. Do you truly dare to go against your father's wishes?" There it was again...that deadly note in his voice.

Though, Sesshoumaru remained firm. "When it involves something as ludicrous as what you are bidding me, then yes, I do."

A series of laughter randomly ensued from the dog demon as he clapped at his son's boldness. Sesshoumaru was just as confused as his brother was–what was their father laughing about?! Gods, he probably owned a marijuana plant somewhere in the world and tested the merchandise!

"Oh, thank you so much! I needed that!" InuTaishou chuckled before he finally cleared his throat and became professional again. "Now, do you remember Osaka Hideakio?"

Sesshoumaru felt indignant–what happened to him refusing his arranged marriage?! First the senile dog demon laughed hysterically like a mad man and then changed the subject to business! He sure as hell wasn't fucking joking about not wanting to marry a goddamn whoring bitch!

At this rate he needed to whip out his gun to force his father to understand him!

"Isn't Hideakio your friend from Sapporo? The one whose company rivals yours?" Inuyasha asked, once again part of the conversation after he triumphed over his gloominess. It was amazing, though, how his father had a rival yet refused to sabotage his competition...

Usually InuTaishou wasn't so merciful...

His father merely nodded. "Correct. We recently discovered we both despise Sumeragi Corp., which you know is run by that blasted Sumeragi Naraku–the bastard who stole millions from our companies. Anyway, we came up with a plan to stop his corruption from spreading: by joining forces. And by that, I mean merging our companies. However..."

"However...?" Sesshoumaru prompted. The story was becoming interesting–the subject of Naraku always intrigued him because he wanted the cowardice fool dead. Besides, he also desired to know how his apparent betrothal was supposed to fit in with Hideakio.

"It seems that Hideakio is hiding something from me...something important. And I believe the one stealing our very valuable diamonds is tied with him. I mean, with every large corporation comes a band of hired hitmen–just look at me."

Sesshoumaru was then reminded of the Assassin's Daughter... Could she have been recruited by Hideakio? It was probable... Then in a way, they were allies as well as enemies.

However, Inuyasha didn't know what his father was planning in the first place. "Ok, so you don't completely trust him and you want us to monitor him before you two start plotting against Naraku. Where does Sesshou-bastard's marriage come into play?"

"Simple. I will keep a close eye on him...by having my son marry his daughter. I proposed the merger on the basis of Sesshoumaru marrying his only daughter, and he happily agreed. I bet Hideakio just wants to keep a close eye on me, as well." InuTaishou merely shrugged, not really caring about his friend's intentions, anyway.

"I get it now...I don't get what Kagome and I are supposed to do, though." Inuyasha swore today was his day of confusion.

"Nothing but befriend her. You know, earn her trust...get some info...the sorts." The silver haired dog demon then faced his eldest son. "Will you accept now, son?"

He was met with silence.

This time, it was the older dog demon who detested it.

"I'm still waiting for an answer..."

"Then keep waiting."

"Well, do you at least want to know what her name is?" InuTaishou asked, hoping his son would soon reconsider his new mission. Adopting sons in order to carry out his wishes was a hassle!

...or maybe Jaken would happily help him...

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. As if merely knowing her name would influence his decision! But, his damn canine curiosity got the best of him... "Fine. Who is she?"

"Osaka Rin."

A/N: END!