InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Hidden Beneath a Smile ❯ Precautionary Brother ( Chapter 3 )

peccadillo

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em! Nuff said!

Hidden Beneath a Smile

Chapter Three: Precautionary Brother

He felt numb as he watched her through the glass monitor, she appeared so fragile. He'd never bared witness to a moment like this before. Sure there were times when she had cried upon his shoulder, just like she had in what once was the safe confines of there shrine home. What he bore witness to now was enough to render his heart speechless, cold, searing with pain; among other things. He wanted to rush back up those stairs, back to the top of the apartment complex and demand for her to come back inside, to dry herself off before she made herself sick. That is what he wanted to do, but it would have been bit too suspicious. He had just left them and said he would be back in the morning to check upon them. Also, being as smart as she was, Kagome would have wondered how he had known she was out their in the first place.

Miroku shook his head, eyes never straying from their silent vigil of the monitor screen. A heavy sigh escaped his lips, he could do nothing about her laying out in the rain at the moment. He could tell from the way her lips moved that she sang their mother's song. He could barely remember how the verses of the song were sung, nor could he recall the exacting wording of the song, but the words fell into memory as he read them from her lips. He did, however, know the melody by heart.

When the song had ended, and the rain long since stopped falling he watched and waited for Kagome to return to her bed. Once she had done so he flipped the switch that went to Souta's room and was relieved to find that the boy was still fast a sleep in his bed. He peered in on the peaceful scene for quite sometime. They're going to have to be set up in a new school, He thought absently as he watched, and edible food stocked in the cabinets. Knowing Inuyasha the only thing that could be considered safe enough to eat in his house would be the ramen. That's how it was in everyone of the hanyou's abodes.

Miroku sighed, this was going to be one long bad experience and he didn't need his monk heritage to foresee it. No, he could already tell this one by logic and the events that have and are sure to take place. He stood from his seat heading towards the vans exit. He had other things to take care of as well, he would just have to trust the men he asked to watch things from here.

Before he had even placed one hand upon the door it was flung open to admit his partner, every square inch of him froze in alarm. Could he see the monitors from here? He had better get himself under control else the half-demon would sense it. The silver haired man always seemed to sense his moods, and in times like these it was a real pain.

"Inuyasha?" Miroku questioned as he tried to force both of their ways through the entrance without too much suspicion. "What are you doing here?" He nearly made it to the outside world, but the dog had to ruin it by forcing him back inside, closing the door behind them with a bang.

Inuyasha took a seat, his amber eyes taking in the sight of the little boy sleeping, before tuning to watch Miroku intently. Something was up, he could feel it. There was something that his partner was keeping from him and the hanyou did not like it one bit. "We need to talk." He tossed out casually, with a dangerous and demanding undertone. "Is that the girl's brother?" Inuyasha inquired, only receiving a nod in turn. The kid was too young, and too scrawny to wield a sword with the skill and power it took to do those men in. Not only that, but also too innocent. He had the look of one that would suffer insanity upon taking another life.

"Inuyasha I don't see the point in this. What is it that you came here to speak with me about?" He did not want to talk in this van, he didn't want his partner in this van nor anywhere near his family. They may be friends, but he did not want anyone involved in this ordeal to be near his siblings. That is one of the main reasons he has stayed away from them for so long. One year, he had not seen his mother and grandfather in a year and now they were dead. Miroku cringed mentally, he did not want to think of such things in the presence of Inuyasha.

The said half-demon leaned back in his chair. "Sesshoumaru got a hold of the information cause the cleaning crew are bunch of idiots when it comes to secrecy." He grouched. "He called me to his office to show me some interesting pictures of the bodies that were dumped." Again he threw these words out casually, with an undertone of something else. Inuyasha watched his partner carefully, looking for signs of anything in the man's suddenly somber features. He knows something that he doesn't want to share, but he'll share it. "You only had a gun Miroku, and your left-handed, not right." His eyes drifted from his partners face to the monitor, watching as the boy breathed in deep breaths of sleep. "Who killed the other two, Miroku, and don't lie to me. I want to know what is going on!"

Miroku cringed slightly, but the hanyou did not notice, he was too busy watching his youngest sibling sleep and for some reason it unnerved him. "The two men were dead when I got there, and the other I shot before they could kill the girl." He gave Inuyasha a side long look and hoped against hope that he did not see through his small fabrication. "I didn't think to ask if they killed anyone, it would have been a bit heartless since they're parents had just died this night." He replied in a monotone.

Inuyasha eyed his friend. He lied. Never had Miroku lied to him before, it confused and hurt him a bit. Friends weren't suppose to lie, but then perhaps his partner had a good reason. Inuyasha's amber eyes hardened a bit. He better have a damn good reason too! "Fine!" He sighed out in frustration. "Don't tell me, but you had better find a way to give me the truth about the situation soon." He growled lowly. "Before the situation gets out of hand."

Miroku nods his agreement. "I'll tell you, but not now."

The hanyou could agree with that as well, it was better then not being told at all. The monk was really getting him curious with all of this secrecy stuff. It had just better not be a life or death situation like he figured it to be. Miroku may be any annoying pest most of the time, but he was still a friend; one of his only friends. There was a slim to none chance that he would allow the bouzu to face such a problem by himself.

Turning his eyes back to the monitor, Inuyasha's brows drew a bit as a sliver of light spilled across the boys bed. Thinking it may have been an intruder he paid rapt attention to the scene, only to have his eyes widen further when a delicate looking girl approached the bed, kneeling before it. Hearing Miroku's gasped almost had him looking in the monks direction, but he refrained from doing so. He wanted to see what this girl looked like, but the shadows covered most of her features, even with his enhanced eyesight, it was difficult to see when it was only a monitor he was looking at. Something that only had slightly better sight then a human. He watched as she laid a hand upon her bother's forehead; lips moving soundlessly. Why hadn't Miroku placed bugs in the apartment, besides the cameras? It didn't make since, unless there were things that he didn't want the surveillance team to hear. Just what was his partner hiding?

The girl spoke a few more words, possibly ones of comfort. The kid was probably having a nightmare, when that had started once he had taken his eyes off of him; for he was sleeping what looked to be soundly then. She patted his stomach comfortingly before placing a kiss upon his cheek, rounding to the other side she got into the bed with her brother, holding him close. He could almost see the faint smile upon her face when the boy's grimace disappeared.

"She's the boy's sister?"

"Yes." Miroku replied faintly.

Something was wrong, or at lest something else besides this secret that was being kept from him. There was a girl that could not see them and Miroku made not one lewd comment about her appearance. It was disturbing to say the lest. Any girl that had come into his sights, the monk could not stop talking about her curves, her facial features and chest. He would comment on how she would be in bed by the way she moved. He got none of this as they sat here watching the girl's display with her brother. What made this girl so special? Who was this girl that Miroku would not say a word about her in that way? Even though he could not see her too well, he could see her enough to know that she was not horrendous.

He needed to perform a little test, turning his head slightly to hide a fanged grin, Inuyasha said. "She's hot!" He crowed, yet cringing mentally. He was going to be playing Miroku for the moment, who wouldn't cringe at the thought? "Did you get a look at those legs, and her chest! Such great curves and that ass, man what guy wouldn't want her, ne Miroku?" He inquired his eyes not leaving the screen. Despite that, he could feel the anger radiating off of his friend. Not the reaction he was looking for. Why did he sense so much anger from the man, was he really serious about this girl. He had thought there was something going on between him and Rin's friend Sango. He actually like her, she put the monk in line when he stepped out of it with his infamous hand. "Why aren't you saying anything Miroku?" He asked.

Miroku's eyes widened a tad bit in realization. Inuyasha was not one to remark upon ones form, nor their appearance. The hanyou had been testing him, looking for a reaction. The half-demon was a lot smarter then he had first gave him credit for. For the first time in knowing his friend he was seeing another side to him that he did not know existed. "What do you mean?" He catechized, feigning indifference.

"Who is she to you?" Inuyasha demanded. "There is a girl that is not so bad looking and you've said nothing about her. You only do this with women you are close to, which so far is Rin." He said matter of fact. "But I think the real reason there is that you know I, or worse yet Sesshoumaru, would kill you for touching her inappropriately." He paused a moment and looked the monk up and down, daring him to lie. "I ask again, who is she to you?"

"Nobody."

Inuyasha stood from his seat and made his way towards the exit. "Fine then, don't tell me." He grouched, pausing to glance at his friend one last time before he left. "But I will find out, and you may not like how I accomplish it."

Miroku clenched his fist. "What do you mean by that Inuyasha?" He called to his retreating friend. "Are you threatening me with this?"

"No." He could hear the amusement in the hanyou's voice, along with the slight dangerous undertones. "I don't like being lied to, especially by my friends." He spat. "Doesn't matter, just know you either tell me soon, or I find it for myself. Telling me would be easier, but you seem dead set against that." With that Inuyasha slammed the van door shut, causing his friend to wince.

I'm sorry Inuyasha, but I can't tell you! He thought miserably, it would jeopardize things.

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Morning came all to quickly for her, the sun spilling through the open blinds of the window making it a point to see if they could blind her despite her closed lids. She squeezed her eyes tight in an attempt to block the light; to no avail. Hadn't she shut the things before going to sleep like she did every night? She groaned, and rolled over to hide her face from the sun's aggravating rays only to find that she could not.

With more then a little annoyance, she cracked open an eye to see just watch restricted her movements, only to have her eye spy Souta. With another groan she wondered why on the earth her brother always felt the need to climb into be with her. He needed to get over his fears and let her have her nice comfy bed all to herself. She sighed mentally, she did not mean that at all. She liked it that her brother came to her with his fears, she liked the feeling protecting him from those fears gave her.

She sat all the way up, careful not to wake her still snoozing brother. With a large jaw-cracking yawn, Kagome's eyes blurrily took in her surrounding that she noticed seemed a bit off. A few moments of looking around was all that she needed before freezing so completely on the bed that she realized was not hers, that her heart had stopped, before beating once again in strained beats that literally hurt like physical blows.

She remembered.

It all came flooding back like an unforgiving torrent.

She was orphaned now, she and her brother.

Why couldn't she had just stayed asleep? Why did she have to wake up and remember? Why did it continue to hurt so much that she wish someone would be merciful and end all of the pain brewing in her chest and weak limbs with death.

She couldn't die, though, her brother needed her. Taking in a deep breath to calm her nerves, to calm the tears that wanted to rain down from her eyes Kagome leaped from the bed, with a grace that belittled her personality. When Souta woke up he would be hungry, he would want breakfast. A sad smile touched her lips, their mother always had breakfast ready and waiting for them in the mornings.

Cringing at the cold feel of the tile beneath her skin padded feet, Kagome made her way silently towards the kitchen. She had gotten lost once on her way to finding it, mistaking another bedroom for its door. She wasn't truly paying attention to Miroku when he gave the tour being too caught up in her own thoughts of the nights events. Too caught up in her depression and sorrow.

Checking the cupboards for food and the fridge, she realized one thing: the man who own this house before them was insane. The only edible substance was ramen. The only thing to drink was processed water, which she imagined was used to cook the ramen in. With a despondent sight, Kagome searched for a pot, filled it with water and ramen and left it to stew on the stove. It was all there was to eat, and after all of that exercise and drama last night she was starving as strange as it sounded. She sat upon the same chair she had sat upon the night before, eyes watching the food come to a boil, stirring occasionally so that the food would not burn. Noodle type food had a nasty habit of scorching at the bottom.

"Kagome!" Souta's voice shouted.

"I'm in here Souta!" Kagome returned, wiping the stoic look from her face to replace it with a more cheery expression, or as cheery as she could muster up for her little brother.

"What's for breakfast." He asked as he entered, clamoring over to the bar stool, using what little upper arm strength his small body held to pull himself up into his seat. The chair was bit taller then him, the actual seat coming to his chin. Whomever owned this house had been very tall, Souta concluded. "Kagome?" He questioned after a small pause. She was trying to smile for him, he could tell. She was trying to pretend that she wasn't upset so that he would not be. Souta himself wasn't sure on what to feel at the moment. He was sad, he hurt all over, and he felt weak. As long as no one mentioned his parents, he would be alright, and might just make it through the day with out bursting into tears.

"Huh? Oh, we're having ramen." She tried to announce cheerily, but it was dampened a bit by the tired undertone. Souta feigned ignorance.

The dark haired kid pulled a face. "We're eating that for breakfast! What kind of breakfast it that?" He questioned disbelievingly. Who in their right mind would eat that for breakfast, it was a lunch and dinner meal! Didn't she know that? Hadn't their mother taught her anything about cooking and the right times for meals. At the thought of his mother he felt tears well up in his eyes, but he did not let them fall; determined to be just as strong as his sister.

"The kind that is found in this house." She replied.

Souta nodded and they fell into silence. Once their food was done, Kagome scooped him a bowl first and then herself, taking a stool beside him. No words were past between them, and they had made a silent agreement with the other not to mention the night before. They would deal with it in their own times, in their own ways. If they needed help with their grieving they knew that the other would be there, shoulder ready and waiting.

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Silence. It reigned heavily in his office, but he minded it not. It was rather nice, a small bliss compared to the outside world. Not that he ever saw the outside world much considering he sat behind this desk all day ordering his men around, dealing injuries to those that did not fallow his order correctly. Fools. That is what they were and that is what he was surrounded by.

Right now, though, he wished for his silence to be broken by something. Six hours. That is how much time had gone by since his last interruption. He was finding himself swimming in boredom, while he watched the clock tick life away. Well, a humans life away. He would find himself living through the centuries. He was only a twenty-four year old man with his amber eyes and silver hair. A family trait amongst those in his line, the inu youkai. A factor that he was proud of, a bit too proud. He, if it were the feudal era, would have been lord of the western land for both humans and demons. In this world of his, humans, well most of the species anyway, were ignorant to his kinds existents right along with them. It was all rather amusing.

The doors slamming open with a loud bang drew him from his thoughts, eyes raising up in anger to see who would dare enter his office in such a way only to find his face freezing in motion along with the rest of his body. Words of anger died upon his lips, falling out as sight of breath. When he had wanted someone to interrupted his silence, he did not mean for it to be her, especially not in the state that she seemed to be in. She was scarier then the seven hells combined this way.

Hands on her hips, dark brown hair pulled back to the side of her head in a youthful way, Rin marched forward intent upon murdering his near cowering form. He may not look it, but it was close to cowering as Sesshoumaru could ever be. Her eyes watched as he leaned back in his chair, away from her, eyes watching her as if she may strike at any second for the killing blow. She was not here to lift a hand against him. She knew that if she were to attempt it he would do nothing to block her movement and go only as far as to avoid her attacks with half attempts at defense. She knew that he would not hurt her, and she used this knowledge to her advantage.

"Rin." He whispered fearfully, at lest to her ears. Another pair of ears would say his voice sounded dispassionate, monotone. What had he done this time around? He did not remember any such actions made by him that would have caused this reaction from her at a latter time. He always tried to avoid that.

"How dare you!" She raged, hands clenched at her sides. "You promised me you wouldn't lay a hand on your brother again, and what do you do the first moment he annoys you?" She screeched in askance. "You injure him!"

Sesshoumaru sat dumfounded for a moment, before he realized what was going on. The spoiled brat! He thought vehemently. How dare he…. staring stonily at Rin, though he could not help the bit of softness that touched the edges. He had done as she asked, after placing Inuyasha in the hospital -an actual accident on his part and one that he held a few regrets for- he had promised Rin that he would not injure his half-brother again. She had threatened never to speak with him again, what was he suppose to do? "Rin." He said softly as she continued ranting. "I can assure you that I did not touch him."

"You arrogant, self-centered bas-huh?" Rin blinked a couple of times, rage forgotten. She knew he was telling the truth. She would have been able to tell immediately if she were being lied to, by either of the brothers… one of them was not being truthful with her. "What do you mean? Inuyasha would not have lied to me!" She stated firmly; assuredly.

"What!" Sesshoumaru yelped, his monotone voice taken on a hint of hurt that would have otherwise gone unnoticed to any other soul that was not Rin. "You think that I would lie to you? Do you not trust me to give you the truth? Rin?" He shrank back a tad more into his chair, damning Inuyasha and the attention and obvious trust this dark haired woman gave his brother and neglected to give him; her silent protector.

Rin took a step back, Sesshoumaru, to her, looked as if he had been slapped. "Sesshoumaru I-"

The doors slammed open once more, interrupting Rin. "Sesshoumaru, I need you… to…." he trailed, looking from a depressed Sesshoumaru to a saddened and hurt Rin. "What's going on?" Slowly anger took control of Rin, and as she rounded upon Inuyasha he slowly backed up.

"That is what I would like to know, Inuyasha." Her words were slow and deliberate, and the hanyou cringed. He did not know what he had done to make Rin so angry, but from the way she was advancing upon him, he knew that he would find out soon enough…

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A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, I promise you a much longer one next time -k-

The poll is this:

Sesshoumaru/ Rin: 7

Sesshoumaru/ Kagura: 4

If you want your vote to count then you have to have it in by the fifth chapter, cause after that I'm going to decide with whomever has the most votes. So fare it looks as if it is going to be Rin.

Review Answers:

FF.net:

Demon Exterminator Barbie: Haven't quite decided on how I'm going to have them meet face to face yet, but Inuyasha did get to see her in this chapter, well kind of. I will change your vote for you, last time I think you said Kagura, at lest I think it was you. Anyways thank you for the review, and I hope to hear from you again this next chapter.

Meq- I will be sure to add your vote, thank you for the review.

Vixen12089- *Grins* Thank you for the complement *blushes* Yeah I know, I made a lot of mistakes in the last two chapters, but I went through and fixed them all… at least I think I got them all.

MM.org:

Angle Fire- Thank you for the complement, I appreciate it, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I love to get complements. I will be sure to add your vote to the ever growing poll, thanks for the review!

Jordan Lee- Thank you! And Thank you for the review, I shall be sure to add you vote!

Okibi Usagi- Thank you for the complement, and here's your update! Yah! I will also add your vote, it looks as if Rin is going to win the polls so far, though, whelp there's one more chapter to go in order to find out!

[This chapter has been revised, if there are any mistakes that I may have over looked feel free to mention so in a review ~Zonza]