InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Guilty Hero ❯ Take Your Positions ( Chapter 50 )

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

I’m baaaaaaack… From an incredibly long, and unintended, hiatus.  I do apologize.  However, I do wish for you to know that I haven’t been completely unproductive in my absence.  While I wasn’t working as much on this chapter as I should have, I was fleshing out some one-shots for the prequel I want to do for Guilty Hero.  So, progress. Sort of.  Ah well.  On with the chapter.

Guilty Hero

Chapter 49: Take Your Positions

“Sessho-maru.”
“Higurashi.”< br> Their greeting was just as stiff and formal as it had been the past several mornings.  Though they had spent many hours a day together, locked in training sessions, a friendship was impossible to attain.  There was no warmth or affection between them.  Having long since accepted this fact, they found that forming a business relationship instead did wonders.  They could tolerate each other well enough on a business level to accomplish most tasks set before them.
Kaede and Miroku had supervised their first few training sessions, sending them through specific exercises designed to bring them closer as a team and to build their partnering skills.  Both had magnificently resisted her efforts, and in doing so functioned very well.  By working separately, they made an incredible team.
Kagome quickly learned that Sessho-maru shared the same unpredictability as his brother when he was fighting.  Since she was quite accustomed to that behavior, it was easy to follow along.
As for Sessho-maru, though he would never speak as much, he found he could depend on Kagome to stay focused on the task at hand.  He worked best at the fringe of battle, surveying the scene and striking where it was most advantageous.  Kagome pushed forward through this, attacking enemies with a power that surprised the demon.  However, she never seemed fazed when he would appear out of nowhere to take out a foe.  She kept her head in the throes of battle and thus, albeit grudgingly, earned his respect.  He still did not care much for her, but his scathing remarks abated as a silent acknowledgment to her talent.
Miroku and Kaede, who used their holy powers to conjure up enemies for the pair to fight, were shocked by the results they were seeing.  In just a few days, their powers were pushed to the limit as they attempted to procure enough enemies to give and Kagome and Sessho-maru a challenge.  At last, they had to admit there was little more they could do to assist.
The only problem they still faced lay with Kagome.  Her holy powers were formidable, but both Kaede and Miroku could sense that the dam had yet to break and her true strength yet to be unleashed.  However, they had been away from their work at the Order for several days and other matters grew more pressing with every moment.  Thus, they left Sessho-maru with the task of drawing out Kagome’s power.
This was, Kagome assumed, the reason why he appeared even less enthused than usual when she approached the shrine steps that morning.
Not bothering to make polite small talk, having learned that it fell on deaf ears, she carefully stepped through the barrier erected around the shrine.  She couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief once inside.  It was one of the few places in the city where she felt truly safe.  The barrier had been created from the combined powers of Miroku, Kaede, and herself.  Absolutely no demon could break through unless invited in by the one who built the barrier.  It was a point that Sessho-maru, despite understanding the necessity of it, was quite sore about.
Thus, when Kagome turned around and said, “You can come through now,” he paused for a moment before stepping inside.  That short beat of time was only to assure any onlookers that he was not entering because he was bidden, but because he had simply chosen to enter.  It was part of his ‘superiority complex’, as Kagome referred to it, and she had long since decided to ignore it.
Brushing past Kagome, Sessho-maru strode to a wooden bench overlooking the battered courtyard.  The yard was rather worse for the wear after their arduous sessions, but it still served its purpose.  Glancing distastefully at the lumpy piles of gravel and deep gouges, he slipped out of his greatcoat and carefully laid it on the bench.
“So…” Kagome began slowly, dropping her jacket next to his once she pulled her crossbow from the pocket.  “Do you know what I’m to use for targets?  I used statues with sutras on them before, but those were reduced to rubble a long time ago.”
“Kaede spoke with my apprentice about this matter,” Sessho-maru replied, boredom lacing his words.  “He was able to supply me with a suitable alternative.”  He withdrew a small, fat pouch from his suit pocket.  “Shippo informs me these were simply toys he played with in his younger days, and he had an overabundance left.  You may use as many as it requires to hone your skills.”
Kagome eyed the pouch with trepidation, but kept her mouth shut.  The mischievous nature of the fox was cause for worry, but Shippo did appear to have a certain fondness for her.  If it would aid her training, then she wouldn’t be choosy.
“Very well.”  Snapping the prongs of her crossbow out with practiced ease, she looked Sessho-maru sternly in the eye.  “Shall we begin?”
Although he gave no verbal acknowledgement, he did move to pull the tie on the pouch.  However, he had barely touched the string when his head snapped up and his eyes locked on the gate.
Kagome noticed his behavior, and quickly brought up her weapon in a firing position.  “What is it?” she whispered to the demon.  “Someone spying on us?”  She couldn’t see anyone at the entrance and the barrier clouded her senses outside the shrine. However, she trusted Sessho-maru’s senses.  He was never one to be caught with his guard down.
For a moment, he remained frozen in concentration, with only the tips of his pointed ears quivering slightly.  Kagome watched him carefully, waiting for a sign.  It took only a moment before she received one.  Quite suddenly, his posture relaxed.  Turning his back to the entrance, he said shortly, “Let him in, Higurashi.”
She stared at him in confusion.  “Let who in?”  Walking closer to the gate, she peered around but still saw no one.  “There’s nobody—oh!”
The tiny form of a flea jumped up to her eye level, frantically shaking his arms and legs in a desperate attempt to get her attention.
“Myoga!  I’m sorry, please come in.”  She gestured in, allowing the flea to pass through the barrier with ease.
“Thank you, Miss Higurashi,” he puffed.  “It’s hard to make myself noticeable from a distance.”  Taking a deep breath to recover from the ordeal, he jumped into her waiting palm.  “I apologize for interrupting your training session, but I must speak with Lord Sessho-maru.  It is of the greatest importance.”
“Certainly.  We were just getting started, anyway.”  Concern laced her voice.  “Has something serious happened?  Has there been an attack?”
Sessho-maru’s deep tones interrupted before Myoga could respond.  “His information is for me, and me alone, Higurashi.  Tend to your own affairs.”
Kagome gave him a cool glance as Myoga jumped from her palm to his, but she walked a few paces away to give them some privacy.  Sessho-maru, once satisfied she was out of earshot, focused his attention on the flea.
“What news have you of my fool of a brother?”
Being obediently out of range, Kagome was unable to discern the nature of their discussion.  Curiosity kept her glancing out of the corner of her eye at the pair, but with Myoga’s diminutive stature and Sessho-maru’s face of stone she expected to glean nothing.
For a few minutes, this was the case.  Myoga jumped once or twice, and Sessho-maru remained still and expressionless.  Kagome quickly grew bored with this pastime.  She was about to shoot them her best “hurry-up-I’m-getting-impatient” glare when the demon let out an uncharacteristic snarl and tossed Myoga to the ground.
“Be gone, you sniveling coward!” he growled, his voice louder than Kagome had ever heard.  She stared in shock while Sessho-maru openly glared at the flea’s rapidly retreating form.  His hands clenched and unclenched restlessly at his sides, and his eyes were flashing dangerously.  It was such an abnormal display of emotion that it rendered Kagome speechless.
Slowly, he turned to face her.  With a few deep breaths, he reigned in his emotions, but it was clear his disposition remained as black as ever.  “You have work to do, Higurashi.”  His tone was clipped and abrupt.  She started, and quickly tried to shake off her surprise.
“O-of course… Um, the targets?”  She held up her crossbow to show she was ready to begin.
Frowning, he reached into the pouch still clutched in his fist.  With a good deal more force than necessary, he flung a handful of the bag’s contents past Kagome and into the open courtyard.
What appeared to be tiny grey spores scattered over the cobblestones.  Kagome studied them curiously, wondering how these could possibly help her train.  However, before she could even open her mouth to raise a question, each spore burst into a plume of smoke.   When the air cleared, dozens of mushrooms, each the size of a dog, were blossoming out of the courtyard.  Every enormous toadstool had a cap that was an alarming shade of red, and two bulbous white eyes that rolled crazily about.  Kagome could only stare blankly at them.  Shooting at cartoon mushrooms couldn’t possibly be a good use of her time, could it?
“Higurashi!”  Sessho-maru’s sharp voice cut across the courtyard like a bullet, causing Kagome to twitch in surprise once again.  “You have your targets.  Destroy them.  Draw out your power.”
Shaking her head to clear it, she nodded in response to his demand.  Just because the targets were ridiculous did not mean her training had to be the same way.  She lifted her crossbow up to her shoulder and took a deep breath.  Concentrating her energy into the tip of the missile, she pressed the trigger and released the bolt cloaked in white-blue energy crackling toward her target field.
Much to her shock and chagrin, the bolt pierced the cap of the first toadstool in the line, but its progress was stopped dead.  There was a small pop! as the holy energy disintegrated into thin air, leaving nothing behind but a small charred mark on the cap.  Two bulbous eyes focused on her, and soon the mushroom emitted a pained cry, its tears dribbling to the ground.
“Pathetic.”  It was incredible how much ice the demon could force into a single word.  “You would last but a moment in battle with power such as that.  You are asking to be killed.”
“What…are those?” she asked shakily.  Never before had her bolts been blocked to easily.  It unnerved her a great deal.
“They are a tracking mechanism used by kitsune,” Sessho-maru curtly informed her.  “If they wish to make a trail for the unsuspecting fool, they drop a line of spores leading right to their trap.  The mushrooms are designed to resist all manner of powers and elements so the trail won’t disappear until the maker chooses so.   The hide of an ogre is hardly a comparison to the cap of these kitsune concoctions.  But still…”
Striding forward, he stopped in front of the weeping toadstool.  Kagome could sense his demonic aura swirling to a point at the tip of his middle and forefinger, the start of his signature light attack.  It was an interesting technique, and one she had seen him put to good use in battle before.  He would emit a beam of light from his fingers that acted much a like a whip, slicing through most objects with ease.
“Observe, Higurashi.  Here is a display of your actions.”  He swiped his whip at the mushroom as though it were a fly.  Another scorch mark stretched across the cap, and it bawled even louder.
“And here is a display of what could be your full potential.”  His entire body stilled.  Kagome felt the air pressure around the entire courtyard increase.  The hair on her arms stood on end as energy crackled about her.  Tremendous power was being channeled to the tip of Sessho-maru’s claws, power so frightening that Kagome clutched at her crossbow out of habit.
The amount of power grew to such an extent that it could be contained no longer.  Sessho-maru’s eyes snapped open and he let out a shout.  The golden whip exploded once again from his fingertips, accompanied by an enormous gust of wind that tore through the courtyard, knocking the fungi silly and wreaking havoc with Kagome’s black tresses.  With enough force to fell an ancient oak, Sessho-maru swung the beam of light at the nearest creature.  It disintegrated into a pile of ash with an earsplitting pop.
Breathing heavily, Sessho-maru released his control over the energy.  The whip disappeared, the wind died down, and the pressure in the air lifted.  Everything stilled.
Kagome gaped at him in shock.   The only time she had felt a power anything akin to that was when Naraku gave them a display at the quarry.  Until now, no other demon had even come close to reaching that level.
Sessho-maru brought his gaze up to look at hers, and once again she was reminded so much of Inu-Yasha.  His eyes were flashing with anger, just as the half-demon’s did when enraged.  “That is but a fraction of what you are capable of, Higurashi.  You must learn to harness that power.  Unleash it, and control it.  If you don’t… All is lost.”
As he strode away from the group of quivering toadstools to stand where he could have a clear view, Kagome kept her eyes on him.  Although awed by his display, she still found his last statement to be strange.  Odd enough, in fact, to question the normally silent demon.
“For someone who is doing this only because he was hired to, what you just said made it seem as though you actually care about what’s going on.”
His back stiffened.  For a moment he stood as still as a statue under her questioning gaze.  At last, he turned around and coldly regarded her.
“Such a line of questioning is hardly relative to your training.  Get to work.”
Seeing as she wasn’t going to get a straight answer from him, Kagome sighed and nodded.  He didn’t outright dispute the statement, so she was fairly certain he had some personal investment in the war now.  But what was it?  Up until a few moments ago, he hardly seemed to care of the outcome for the city.  But as soon as Myoga had arrived with whatever news he had to offer, Sessho-maru had changed.  Kagome dearly wished she knew what the message was.
However, that was something to ponder at a later time.  She had an impatient and incredibly powerful demon glaring at her, and knew she couldn’t waste any more time.  So, with a deep breath, she clicked another bolt into place and raised her weapon.
She attempted to summon the same level of energy as Sessho-maru had, but to no avail.  Her next bolt stuck into the cap of a toadstool just as the first had, with all the effect of a mosquito bite.  The holy energy dissipated, leaving nothing but a charred mark on the mushroom’s flesh.  A tingling on the back of her neck informed her that Sessho-maru was glaring even harder.  Swallowing hard, she tried again.
Three more times she fired, and three more times her power fell short.  The mushroom was now weeping bitterly, with four tiny bolts sticking out of its blackened head.  As for Kagome, she was feeling weak and drained.  Loosing so many powerful blasts in succession was exhausting, but the sting of failure with each one worsened the effect.
Slowly, she tilted her head to glance at Sessho-maru.  “Wuh… what am I doing wrong?” she panted.  “I’m putting… everything I’ve got… into each round.”
“Hmph.”  Though his piercing glare had eased slightly, he was obviously still displeased with her performance.  “Do not lie, Higurashi.  Fire again.”
Hanging her head, she sighed deeply and faced the fungi once more.  Failure was set to plague her every attempt, and she knew it.  There was no possible way she could draw out the energy Sessho-maru was searching for.  And now, with weakness pulling at her limbs, any hope of success was gone.  Bracing herself for the backlash she would receive with the next failed attempt, she raised the crossbow once more and prepared to fire.
“I daresay you’ve spent too much time with that pathetic half-breed, Higurashi,” Sessho-maru suddenly spoke up, making her start in surprise.  “He gave up so easily.  It’s a trait you’ve adopted as well.”
Her heart ached at the thought of Inu-Yasha.  She had no desire to be reminded of him.  She focused harder on the weeping mushroom, desiring to block out any image of the hanyou in her mind.
“Really, the leaders of this city have been quite foolish.  Placing their hopes in two failures.  You have not yet had the opportunity to fall as short as my brother did, but I’m sure your time will come.  Still, Inu-Yasha’s downfall was spectacular.  He never had the chance to win, being as weak at heart as he was.”
Rage sparked inside her.  She sent a bolt streaking through the air with a good deal more force than intended.  While it did not disintegrate its target, it made contact with a tiny explosion, ripping some of the flesh of the battered red cap.  
Whirling around to face Sessho-maru, she started to shout, her face turning red in her ire.  “You have no right to talk about Inu-Yasha that way!  He was a troubl--”
“Fire, Higurashi!” Sessho-maru snarled, fury marring his features.  It was twice in one day he had displayed such strong emotions, and it shocked Kagome enough to turn back around and face the targets.
“He was troubled because he was weak.  He opted to run away rather than face his problems and his fears.  You know this better than most, and yet you insisted on babying that pitiful creature.  You should be proud of yourself for dumping him in the gutter as you did.  He can no longer hold you back.”
Trembling with anger, she let loose another bolt.  This one embedded itself completely inside the toadstool and blew a small crater in between two white spots.  Its bulbous eyes spun crazily for a moment before rolling back in its head.
“Again, Higurashi.  Prove yourself better than the fool you wasted months of your life and time on.  Rise above him, and let him be consumed by his fear.  He’s worthless.”
Another bolt shot across the courtyard, blowing completely through the cap of the first mushroom and sticking into the face of the one behind it.
“Weak.”
Another bolt burst the cap of the second mushroom.  It screeched pathetically.
“A waste of time.”
Another missile, more powerful than the last.
“Cowardly.”
Kagome was firing bolts faster than Sessho-maru could speak in between them.  Each one stuck in a different target, until a cacophony of sobs rose up from the courtyard.  She paused for just a moment to reload, gasping for breath and shaking with fury.  Sessho-maru piped in once more.
“You’ve deluded yourself long enough by believing in him.  You’ve now learned he is no better than the scum of the earth.  A coward’s death is too good for the likes of that wretched half-breed.”
Her breath caught in her throat.
“Let him die, Higurashi.”
The next bolt that soared across the grounds was and incredible sight.  It burst from the crossbow like a cannonball, knocking Kagome back from the force.  The air crackled furiously as the bolt ripped through the gravel and earth like paper, sending debris flying everywhere.  However, instead of streaking for the mushroom field, it shot toward the demon.  Sessho-maru barely had time to dodge before the missile crashed into the ground directly in front of his feet.  Upon impact, it caused an explosion akin to that of dynamite.  A white-blue fireball swallowed an enormous radius of the courtyard, sending wind and gravel shooting through the grounds and flinging Kagome head over heels.  The detonation was so immense that it engulfed the target field in its entirety.   Sessho-maru was forced to seek safety on the roof of the shrine, and he still had to dig his claws under the roof tiles and raise an arm to protect himself from debris.
Dust and smoke hung thick in the air once the noise died down.  Sessho-maru slowly lowered his arm, scanning the courtyard to take in the aftermath.   An enormous crater had consumed most of the gravel.  Wind had bent the branches of the great Goshinboku tree in the corner, despite it being protected with several feet of space from ground zero.  The sides of the shrine were battered and dented from rubble.  It took his keen eyes only a moment to find the creator of the destruction lying motionless just outside the blast zone.  Keeping his face as smooth as he could manage, Sessho-maru leapt from the roof to land in front of her.
She was on her stomach, covered with dirt and rubble.  Her face, filthy from the dust and ash, was streaked with tears, but her blue eyes were clear and vibrant from anger.  Visibly trembling, she glared up at his impassive features.
“This is but the beginning of what you are capable of achieving, Higurashi,” he informed her quietly. “However…”  One fine eyebrow raised a fraction of an inch.  “Now it seems we must work on your aim.”
“Muh…m-my aim is just fine,” she hissed, panting for breath.  “How could you? H-How could you say such things?”  Each word was laced with hatred.
“It is as you said,” he replied.  “I was hired to do a job.  And now you see the results."
His cell phone conveniently rang at that moment, giving him the perfect opportunity to ignore any rage she had been preparing to send his way.  Turning his back on her, he answered the call.
In the time it took him to finish the conversation, Kagome had painfully risen from the ground and was dusting herself off.  She posed a pathetic figure with tiny rocks stuck in her hair, dirt covering her front, and tears all over her clothing.  However, her anger was still riding high, and thus she hardly noticed the blemishes.
“It would seem that Kaede has called a meeting for everyone,” the demon informed her, tucking his phone in his pocket.  “Immediately.”
“Fine.”   She glanced over at the bench that had once held their coats, but turned away again once she realized they had been reduced to cinders.  “I’ve had enough for one day anyway.”  She strode stiffly to the entrance while Sessho-maru followed behind at a more leisurely pace.   However, when she paused at the gate and whirled around to face him with flashing eyes, he came to a dead halt.  “You sure as hell aren’t getting a ride out of me!”   With that said she slipped out of the barrier and ran down the steps.  He was left standing alone in the desolated courtyard.
He stared coolly after her, unaffected by the malice in her tone.  He had no need to get a ride to Sango and Miroku’s apartment.  With his demonic abilities, he would still arrive long before she did.  
No, there was something else that weighed heavily on his mind.  Something more pressing than the disposition of his emotional business partner.  His thoughts drifted back to his brief, but disturbing, conversation with Myoga.  The news the flea delivered had been worse than Sessho-maru had expected, hence his irrational display of emotion.  It was going to be necessary to inform Sango and Miroku of the situation.  However, timing was essential.  
He stood still amid the rubble of the courtyard, deep in thought.  If the meeting they had called to order was about reclaiming headquarters, then the conversation he needed to have with them would have to be pushed aside.  Taking care of the threat to the city came first.  But, loathe as he was to admit it, there was a gnawing sensation in his gut concerning Myoga’s report.  It had to be taken care of, and soon.
Slowly, he strode toward the entrance.  It wouldn’t do to let his concern show.  He would find the opportune moment to speak with Sango and Miroku.  Until then, he had to remain focused on the task at hand.  Kagome, despite her breakthrough, still had to reach her full potential.  His errant sibling would simply have to hold on until the crisis had passed.
Of course, he mused, the two tasks appear to be intertwined.  Judging from Kagome’s intense outburst, Inu-Yasha held the key to releasing her true potential.  However, Sessho-maru was uncertain on how to bring about a meeting between the two.  It was yet another topic to discuss with Sango and Miroku.
With a light sigh, he slowly shook his head.  There was a war meeting about to begin.  His attention should be focused on other matters.  His annoyingly endangered brother crept into his thoughts far too often, and it was time to put an end to it.  
Stepping outside the safety of the barrier surrounding the courtyard, he turned toward Sango and Miroku’s apartment and sprang into the air.  Travelling by rooftop was the perfect way to clear his mind and refocus his attention to the meeting that was about to come.
Settling into her chair, Kaede looked around the circle.  Her one good eyed lingered over Kagome and Sessho-maru’s ripped and dirty clothing.  Both had entered the apartment moments ago, unusually quiet and strangely disheveled.
“Your training sessions have at last produced some significant results?” she queried, hushing the light conversation that had been going on between the other attendees.  Sango, Miroku, Koga, and Shippo all turned to look at the pair, obviously curious to their tousled appearance as well.
Kagome, not giving in to the pressure of their combined gaze, lifted her chin and defiantly replied, “Yes.”  It was clear that was all she was going to say on the matter.  And Sessho-maru, with his mask of stone fixed in place, was obviously not intending to speak at all.
Raising an eyebrow, Kaede smiled drily and moved on.  “Very well.  Your progress will be essential in our upcoming task, Kagome.  The time has come to reclaim HQ.  We will need the best fighters we have at our disposal, as Naraku will not give up the building without a fight.”
“Has something happened that has forced our hand?” Shippo asked, his tail twitching anxiously.  “I know we’ve had several planning meetings for this, but that’s all they were—planning.  This is awfully sudden.”
“Indeed.  There has been a sudden increase in demonic activity.  Before, the number of attacks was steadily, but slowly, rising.  But as of two days ago, there has been a significant jump in the attacks, with more powerful demons emerging into the city.  It is nothing our agents can’t handle, but we must have a place to gather and plan.  This apartment will no longer suffice.  We must be able to react quickly to any occurrence.”
Clearing her throat, Kaede turned to address the entire company once more.  “As you all know, we have created, over the course of the past several meetings, a plan of action to reclaim HQ.  In an effort to keep as much of the building intact as we possibly can, we will send in only a few, highly qualified fighters.  Hopefully, that will keep the battles very controlled.  That is where you six come in.”  She stared fiercely at the group.  “Do you all have our attack plan memorized?”
In response to the scattered nods from the group, she directed her attention to Koga.  “Start us off, then.”
From his place on the floor next to Kagome’s ottoman, Koga drawled out, “My wolves and I will clear the way into the building.  We’ll pick off any adversaries waiting outside all entrances and clear out the first floor, then remain there to take out any reinforcements Naraku may send.”
“Excellent.  Next?”
“I come in after that!” Shippo piped up, proud and eager to play his part.  “I’ll keep ahead of the main group, keeping to the shadows and scouting out what lies ahead on the next floor.  Then I’ll relay my information back to Master Sessho-maru, who can destroy any demons who may try and ambush us on our way up.”
“Correct.  And remember to remain unseen as best as you can.  The longer you can keep hidden, the better we can be prepared to move up to the next floor.  What comes after that?”
“After Sessho-maru gets inside, Miroku, Kagome, and I will enter.  We’ll work our way up to the top floor, hopefully without any trouble.  If there is trouble, it will be mine and Kagome’s duty to ensure Miroku makes it to our office.”  Sango had clearly memorized this plan by heart.
“And once we’re in the office,” Miroku joined in, leaning forward and placing his hand on Sango’s shoulder, “I, being the only one who can, will remove the Jewel shard from its hidey hole.  And that is when things will get tricky.”
“Indeed.”  Taking a sip of tea, Kaede continued on with the plan.  “Once the jewel shard is out in the open, one of many things could happen.  You could be ruthlessly attacked.  Naraku could send one of his more powerful lackeys to take it from you.  Or perhaps by this point all enemies will be defeated and there will be no one to steal the shards from you.  However, it would only be a matter of time before Naraku would attempt to claim it as his own.  Whatever the end result may be, know this: Naraku MUST obtain the entire Jewel.  Whether he steals it in the dead of night, whether we are ‘defeated’ in a fight and lose it to the enemy, or whether it gets lost in the fray of a furious battle, we must not have it in our possession.  Is that clear?”
Everyone nodded, although they did so with some trepidation.  They understood the necessity of Naraku getting the complete Jewel, but it was so backwards of a concept that it was difficult to accept.
After looking each person in the eye to ensure they knew well the line of events for the next day, Kaede slowly got to her feet.  “Very well.  We will convene here at 2100 hours for an equipment check, and then you will make your way to headquarters from there.  Now, I suggest you all go home and rest up as best as you can.  We don’t know what sort of defenses Naraku will have erected, but we know it will undoubtedly be difficult to gain entry.  Be prepared for anything.”  With a slight nod of dismissal, she shuffled into the kitchen.  The meeting was clearly over.
There was a beat of silence after her exit, but it was soon broken by a heavy sigh from Kagome.  “Well, I must be going now.  I think I’ll just go home, take a shower, and relax.  It’s important to rest before a mission like this.  Have a good night, everybody.”  With a strained smile at everyone except Sessho-maru, who she pointedly ignored, she quietly exited the apartment.
Quickly jumping to his feet, Koga followed after her with only a short, “Good luck tomorrow, guys.”  He was gone in a moment.
Shippo snorted once the door had shut behind the wolf.  “He’s so transparent.  Obviously tryin’ to get some quality ‘alone time’ with Kagome.”  He laughed again and doffed an imaginary cap.  “Best of luck to you, sah!”
“I find it relieving to see he can still behave that way with the city in such dire straits,” Miroku countered, leaning back comfortably in his chair.  While now almost completely healed and bandage-free, he was still rather stiff from his ordeal.  “It’s people like him that give the city hope.  You’d do well to remember that, Shippo.”  
“Shippo.”  Sessho-maru’s deep voice, resonating for the first time since his arrival at the apartment, caused all three to jump in surprise.  The fox quickly clambered to his feet.  He immediately recognized that tone of voice.  He was about to be sent on a mission.
“Yes, Master?”
“I wish to know more about this surge of demonic activity that Kaede spoke of.  Do some reconnaissance around the city and report back to me in the morning.”  It was typical of one of Sessho-maru’s requests.  Succinct and to the point.
Shippo bowed in acknowledgement.  Then, without another word, turned and bounded across the room.  Sliding the window open, he was outside and gone in mere seconds, as quiet as the wind.
Shaking her head, Sango made her way over to the window.  “Just like Inu-Yasha.  He hated using the door too, for some reason…”
“I must speak with you.”  Once again, Sessho-maru’s voice made the pair start.  “It concerns the very half-breed you speak of, Sango.”
The statement grabbed Sango and Miroku’s attention.  “Inu…Yasha?” Sango asked faintly, slowly shutting the window.  “Have you… talked with him?”
“No.”  He seemed to think the very idea garnered contempt, according to the tiny sneer tugging at his lips.  “I did, however, send Myoga in my stead to gain information on him.  He returned with some… distressing news.”
“What?  What’s happened?”  Miroku’s query was immediate.  He leaned forward in his chair, anxious to catch every word.
Regarding each of them, Sessho-maru felt the tiny bit of worry about asking them for assistance that had wormed its way into his thoughts disappear.  From the looks on their faces, they were willing to do whatever they needed to aid Inu-Yasha.
“The situation has become rather dire.  We have much to discuss…”