InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Novus Lux ❯ Jailbird ( Chapter 1 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

þÿHello lovely readers! I am finally doing some consolidation and editing to this story. So, just for your reference, Chapters 1-3 are now Chapter 1, "Jailbird"; Chapters 4 & 5 will be Chapter 2, "Awakening"; Chapters 6-8 will be Chapter 3, "Explanations and Perturbations"; and Chapter 9 will be Chapter 4, but still called "Invitations & Information."

A few words relating to graphic design you may not know that I use in this chapter:

Tracking: Refers to the space between all letters in a word. Tracking out looks like this: T R A C K I N G. Tracking in looks like this: TRACKING. Make sense? Good.

Kerning: Refers to the space between two individual letters. Good kerning looks like this: KERNING. Bad kerning might look something like this: KE R NIN G. See the difference between kerning and tracking? Excellent!

Mock-up: A preliminary version of a design that is shown to the client before the final version is made or printed. The client may request several rounds of changes, and thus a designer will likely execute several mock-ups throughout the duration of a project.

28 and 32 pound refers to Paper, which comes in different thicknesses, and the higher the number, the thicker the paper.

Chapter 1: Jailbird

"-I'm telling you, there isn't any left! I've looked everywhere!" Kagome snapped.

"Perfect. Exactly what I need," Inuyasha huffed as he scooted another box of paper out of the way. "The client is expecting those brochure mock-ups tomorrow, and I can't print them on just anything!"

"Why don't you just use the 28-pound laser-jet paper? I know it's not as nice, but-"

"Keh! This is Kosha Industries we're talking about! You think Sango will let me get away with printing on anything less than 32-pound?"

"It's not like you have any other choice!"

"The hell I don't! Can't you just go down to Foxbox and get more?"

"Hey! Just because I'm new doesn't mean you can send me on whatever little errand you want! I have Flash content and an entire new page that're due up on the website this afternoon!"

Inuyasha tossed the empty 32-pound paper box in the recycle bin. "And that'll take you, what? Five minutes?" he asked acidly.

"Clearly you know nothing about web coding or you wouldn't even suggest such a thing," Kagome icily replied. "Look, there's nothing else I can do for you. I have a project to finish, and I've already wasted enough time as it is. You can use the 28-pound or go to Foxbox yourself. I'm not a damn intern." She turned on her heel and headed toward the storage room door.

"Keh, I've never made you run errands for me," Inuyasha grumbled.

Pausing, Kagome said, "Well it hasn't exactly been for lack of trying, has it?" She stalked out.

Inuyasha was left standing awkwardly in the storage room, trying to remember when he'd asked her to run all those supposed errands. Scowling, he tossed the ream of 28-pound paper back in its box with more force than necessary, sending it skittering across the concrete floor. He'd just have to suck it up and go to Foxbox himself. Hopefully the lunchtime traffic wouldn't be too bad.

...

Inuyasha drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he waited at the light. His nails were short and rounded, their normal claw-like appearance concealed by the charm he wore around his neck. His demon dog ears were invisible as well, replaced by illusory human ones. However, Inuyasha's long, silvery white hair remained as it was in its low ponytail, his golden eyes staring up at the red light in consternation. He could have opted for a stronger charm, one that would have turned his hair dark and his eyes a muddy brown, but he didn't like the way those dampened his demon senses. The one he chose had a much milder effect, and while his senses weren't at the peak they would be in his normal hanyou state, they were significantly better than any humans'.

At the moment however, Inuyasha was rather wishing that he'd picked a stronger charm. The traffic was worse than usual; there had been an accident earlier, and they were still clearing the road. As a result, he'd been waiting at the same light for the last three cycles, getting an earful of honking horns and the occasional swear, and his nose stung from the acrid stench of exhaust.

Finally, the light turned green and there was enough space behind the car across the intersection for Inuyasha to pull forward. And then wait. Some more.

...

"Where's Inuyasha?" Sango asked.

"Oh, he went to Foxbox to get some more 32-pound paper," replied Kagome. "Didn't he tell you?"

Sango frowned. "No. I didn't realize we were out. Isn't there still some left over in the laser-jet upstairs?"

"I dunno. He just asked me to help check the supply room. I assumed he'd have checked all of the printers first."

Sango sighed. "Actually, no. You might have noticed, but Inuyasha doesn't really think things through all the time."

Kagome chuckled wryly. "I had started to pick up on that."

"Well, anyway, I'll go check that printer upstairs and see if we've got any. Either way, we'll need to order some more." Sango turned to walk out of the office, and smacked straight into a man with dark hair and smiling violet eyes. "Oof! Oh! Miroku! I'm so sorry!"

Miroku rubbed his left shoulder where Sango had collided with him, then laid a hand on Sango's arm. "It's quite alright Sango. It's not every day I have a lovely woman such as yourself nearly run me over!" His eyes sparkled with mirth.

Sango's cheeks colored slightly. "Ah-yes, well, I'll just go see about that paper then-"

"About that, actually," Miroku gently interrupted, "I couldn't help overhearing, and I actually just printed up there and had to exchange half a ream of 32-pound-"

Sango and Kagome groaned in unison.

"Inuyasha's really gonna love this..." Sango sighed. She picked up her phone. "I hope he hasn't bought anything yet."

...

Inuyasha plunked the box down on the gray countertop and pulled out his company credit card, grumpily handing it to the clerk.

The red haired man, whose nametag proclaimed him "Mr. Carl Manicci: Owner," smiled genially
and asked, "Will that be all, Mr. Taisho?"

"Keh. Yeah, that's it," Inuyasha grumbled.

"Bad day at the office?" Mr. Manicci asked as he swiped the card.

"Shitty traffic and picky clients," Inuyasha replied shortly.

"Well, try not to let it get you down too much, okay?" He handed Inuyasha his card and the receipt.

"Keh," grunted Inuyasha as he signed the paper and shoved it away.

"Have a nice day," Mr. Manicci called as Inuyasha lugged the box of paper out the door, letting it slam unceremoniously behind him. Mr. Manicci just shook his head and moseyed toward the back of the store.

Inuyasha dropped the box in his trunk with a dull thunk and slammed the lid shut. He walked around to the driver's side of the old red Toyota Camry, yanked the door open, and dropped into the seat. Putting the car in gear, he pulled out of the parking lot, where he'd been taking up two spots. As he was turning left across traffic, his cell phone rang.

"What?" Inuyasha grouched into the receiver.

"That's no way to answer the phone to your boss," Sango said testily on the other end.

"Keh."

"You didn't already pick up that paper, did you?" Sango asked, ignoring his temper.

"Of course I did. I'd be back now if it weren't for this damned traffic. Why?" He demanded.

Silence.

"...There was some left wasn't there...?" Inuyasha growled.

"Well...yeah. There was almost half a ream, in the upstairs printer..." Sango trailed off.

"HALF A REAM? Fuck, and I went all this way- dammit, put Kagome on, will you?"

"Inuyasha, no, you're just going to-"

"Let me talk to her!"

"I already said, you don't need-"

"Dammit, Sango!"

"Fine, but it's your ass, not mine."

Inuyasha heard some vague muttering as the phone was handed over to Kagome. He turned right, accelerating up over the speed limit.

"Look, Inuyasha-" Kagome began.

"Don't "look" me!" Inuyasha snarled. "You told me we didn't have any left!"

"I only checked the supply closet. You should have known to check the upstairs printers!"

"But I asked you, and you said-"

"It is not my job to be either your brain or your errand-girl, Inuyasha! We will be needing more of that paper eventually anyway!"

"It's not even about the paper! I've lost almost two hours of work time picking it up, and now-"

"So shit happens," Kagome interrupted heatedly. "We all deal with delays. Now stop acting like a child and-"

"I'm acting like a child? You're the one who-"

"For the last time, Inuyasha, just get the god forsaken paper back to the office, and then maybe we can sit and have a discussion like mature adults." Click.

Inuyasha stared at his phone for a second. "...Bitch..." he breathed. As he tossed it onto the seat next to him, he noticed lights flashing in his rear-view mirror. A siren blipped. He looked at his speedometer. "Fuck." The day couldn't possibly get any worse.

He pulled to the side of the road and the cop pulled in behind him. Inuyasha rolled down his window and waited, starting straight ahead.

"'Afternoon, sir," the officer said. "Do you know how fast you were drivin'?"

"About 45," Inuyasha stated shortly. He wanted to get this over with quickly.

"Hm, yep, and d'you know what the speed limit is on this road?"

"30."

"So then how come you were speedin' so much, sir?"

"Wasn't paying attention."

"I see. Well, I need to see your driver's license and registration."

Inuyasha leaned over and dug the registration out of the glove box and extracted his license from his wallet, handing them to the officer. Once again, Inuyasha was left to drum his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel. The officer was taking unusually long. Inuyasha's patience, already largely exhausted, was just about to snap when the cop got out of his car and trudged back to Inuyasha's window.

"Well?" Inuyasha asked. "My ticket?"

"Sir, you may or may not be aware, but I have a warrant out for your arrest."

Inuyasha just stared at the officer.

"Sir, that means I'll need you to get out of your car and place your hands on the vehicle."

Inuyasha didn't move.

"Sir-"

"What the fuck?" Inuyasha finally said incredulously. "What the hell for?"

The officer sighed. "Unarmed robbery and...indecent exposure."

"WHAT?!" Inuyasha roared. The officer jumped.

"Sir, I am simply telling you what I know. Now, I need you to-"

"That's bullshit! I would never, in a thousand years-!" And for him, he really meant that thousand years. With his lifespan, it wasn't exaggeration.

"Sir, I have a warrant for you stating that you committed unarmed robbery in the nude. You can make this easy, or you can make this difficult. Get out of the vehicle. Now." The officer was starting to get annoyed.

"I didn't commit no fuckin' naked robbery!" Inuyasha practically shouted.

"Sir if you do not exit your vehicle right now, I will add 'resisting arrest' to your list of charges!"

Reluctant, embarrassed, and thoroughly confused, Inuyasha unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car, cussing vehemently under his breath.

"Good," said the officer. "I'm going to search your vehicle and then do a quick pat-down. Don't move."

Inuyasha grudgingly submitted to both searches. He tried to think about who he might have pissed off recently that would have filed a false accusation. And an awkward one at that. He came up with no one. Inuyasha had raised the ire of more than a few people, but none who he thought would be likely to file such a charge. "Fucking hell," he muttered.

"Okay, put your hands behind your back," the officer commanded. Inuyasha shot a glare at the officer, but obeyed, and the officer snapped a pair of handcuffs on his wrists, then guided him to the patrol car. "In here," the officer said, opening the door and shoving Inuyasha inside. The door slammed hard in his face.

The officer climbed into the driver's seat and picked up a radio. "This is Officer Meyers, patrol number 828."

"Go ahead," the radio crackled back.

"I've got an arrest and a speeding ticket for a Mr. Inuyasha Taisho. I'll need to have the car towed."
"What?" Inuyasha sputtered. Officer Meyers ignored him.

"Alright. Description and location?"

"South Sate Street, just south of West Roosevelt Road. Car is a '97 red Toyota Camry, license plate T-E-S-A-I-G-A."

"Got it. We'll have a truck there in a few minutes. You can take him back to the station."

"You bastard!" Inuyasha yelled, "I don't have the money to pay for towing!"

"You'll just have to figure it out, won't you, son?" Officer Meyers ignored the jab. He was smirking vaguely now. Getting a little revenge on the annoying ones was always satisfying.

"Asshole," Inuyasha breathed. The cop pulled out into traffic, heading for the station.

Several obnoxiously long lights and a few close calls later (Officer Meyers seemed to think he had the right of way no matter what), they arrived at the station, where Inuyasha was ushered into a holding cell. At that point, he could have simply removed his concealment charm and busted himself out of there. However, he wasn't stupid, and did at least take the time to think things through occasionally, despite what everyone else seemed to think. Presently, he knew the charges against him were false, but if he broke himself out, not only would he reveal himself as something other than human, he'd give them something real to charge him with. He opted to simply glare at the two officers outside the cell, keeping an ear out for anything that might tell him what the hell was going on.

A blonde female officer who had been tapping away at a dinosaur of a computer had stopped what she was doing to talk to officer Meyers.

"So is that Mr. Naked Robber we've got here?" she asked, gesturing toward Inuyasha's cell.

Officer Meyers chuckled. "Yup. In the flesh."

"Not showing much flesh right now though is he? Not a bad looking specimen though."

Officer Meyers grunted in response.

"Oi!" The woman shouted, "Naked Robber Guy, you gonna strip for us?" After a pause, she added, "I could use a look at a nice ass like yours for a change." She glanced significantly at Meyers, who was decidedly pudgy in several areas.

Inuyasha was shocked. He had never been on the receiving end of a comment like that. That sort of thing got said to women, not men, and especially not to him. He liked an aggressive woman, but this was simply demeaning. He guessed that was entirely the point.

Officer Meyers shifted uncomfortably. He should do the guy a favor and get rid of the woman before she really got going.

"Say, Jenna, " Meyers began, "Do you think you could take this report to the Chief for me?" He proffered the paperwork.

"And take me away from my eye candy?" She pouted.

"Please. You know I've sort of been in his doghouse lately..." he wheedled.

"Oh alright. But don't let Mr. Naked go anywhere. It's been a while since I've had any fun," she said, licking her lower lip and raking her eyes hungrily over Inuyasha's tense figure.

Meyers just nodded as she left. What could he say to that? He'd seen a couple of the male officers harass the occasional female prisoner, and it always made him feel ill. He usually did what he could to distract those officers or make up some excuse for them to leave. Jenna was something else though. She harassed men and women and had occasionally copped a feel. He shook his head. Some people shouldn't be in law enforcement.

Inuyasha sagged gratefully back into the hard bench. He had not been looking forward to an afternoon listening to that creepy officer's commentary. The way she looked at him made his skin crawl. He wasn't used to feeling vulnerable. He tried to distract himself by finding pictures in the crackled patterns of the concrete walls. Time oozed by slowly.

...

Sango looked up at her clock. It was approaching 4:30, and Inuyasha was still not back, and he had yet to call. It had been a little over 2 hours since the phone fiasco, and she was starting to worry. He hadn't been answering his phone. It was all very odd, considering the vehemence with which he had protested the imposition on his work time.

She groaned. Deanna's gonna kill me if this project for Kosha Industries is late, she thought. As the Assistant Art Director, it wasn't usually Sango's job to do mock-ups, but with Inuyasha MIA, that's just what she was doing at the moment, since the other designers were all swamped. She was too, actually, but it was part of her job to pick up the slack where others couldn't. Trimming the last brochure with her X-acto knife, she stacked them all neatly into a folder to take to Deanna, the Art Director.

She nearly smacked into Miroku again as she went up the stairs.

"You know, sometimes I think you're doing that on purpose," she laughed.

"For all I know, you could be too!" Miroku waggled his eyebrows and winked at her.

"Ah, but you're the one with the reputation," Sango said, turning to go up the rest of the stairs.

"My reputation is that of a flawless gentleman, I'll have you know!" he called after her.

More like flawless flirt, she thought, rounding the corner at the top of the steps.

Arriving at the Art Director's office, Sango tried to look as calm as possible. The brief exchange with Miroku had managed to calm her nerves somewhat, but she was still worried.

"Oh, hello Sango! Come on in!" Deanna chirped. "Did you get those mock-ups from Inuyasha?"

"Actually, I had to do them myself. Inuyasha seems to have, well, disappeared for the moment."

"What?"

"He left to get some paper we were out of just before lunch, and when I called, he was on his way back. That was around 2:15. I haven't heard from him or been able to get a hold of him since," Sango said worriedly.

"...I see." Deanna frowned. "Well, he can be somewhat...erratic in his behavior, but it's unusual for him to leave a job hanging like this..."

"I know. I don't know what to do."

"Is there anyone else you can call who might know where he is? Maybe a family member?" Deanna asked.

"Not that I'm aware of. His emergency contact was listed as someone unrelated to him named 'Totosai,' but he lives Seattle."

"Hmmm," Deanna tapped her pen on her desk. "Well, try giving him a call anyway. It's possible he may know something."

Sango sighed. "Alright, I'll give it a shot. And let me know if those mock-ups are okay for tomorrow so I can make any last-minute changes."

"Will do. Hopefully this will sort itself out. See you later."

"Yeah," Sango agreed. "Thanks." She left the office, her mind working furiously at what she would do about Kosha Industries if Inuyasha couldn't be found soon. The brochure mock-ups weren't the only things he was supposed to have been working on for them.

...

Inuyasha looked at the clock through the bars of his cell. It was almost five. A thought struck him.

"Hey, aren't I supposed to get a phone-call or somethin'?" he asked loudly. He had been so absorbed trying to figure out who could have done this to him and why that he had completely forgotten about calling anyone.

"Yeah, I suppose you do," said officer Meyers. He heaved himself out of his chair to go to Inuyasha's cell.

Suddenly, the door banged open, and in waltzed a man with long dark hair, black eyes, and a distinctly aristocratic air-

"-Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha realized after a moment, since his normal appearance was concealed by a strong charm.

Officer Meyers had nearly fallen back into his chair when the door banged open, and now he stood with his hand on the arm, looking curiously like a deer about to be hit by an oncoming car.

"I see you have my fugitive," Sesshoumaru pronounced evenly.

Officer Meyers regained is composure. "Excuse me sir, but he is currently a prisoner of the Chicago police, and you certainly cannot..." He lost his nerve at the cool look Sesshoumaru gave him. "Er..."

"I require the presence of your Chief, officer," Sesshoumaru said without inflection.

"I-I can't leave the prisoner un-unattended, sir, and-" Meyers stuttered.

"You have a telephone, do you not?"

"Of-of course. I'll call him. Yes. Just a minute." He scampered behind the desk and nervously picked up the phone.

Throughout this exchange, Inuyasha was staring incredulously at his older half brother, who he had not seen in almost 70 years. In fact, he had been avoiding him, and doing an admirable job of it up until now, considering that Sesshoumaru was a very powerful Inu-Yokai. The pieces of what had happened were starting to fall into place, but Inuyasha wasn't sure he could believe it. Sesshoumaru? File an accusation of nude robbery? The idea was simply preposterous. And yet, Inuyasha thought, and yet, that's the only thing that fits. The man who never smiles may have finally developed a twisted sense of humor. Or maybe it was always there and I just never noticed...the fucking bastard. I bet he thinks this is hilarious.

Officer Meyers was speaking with the Chief on the phone. "-yessir, a man is here, the prisoner called him Sesshoumaru, I think-yes, long dark hair, very tall-yes he wants the prisoner, but we can't possibly-what? You can't be-alright see you in a minute." He hung up. "The Chief is on his way," he informed Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru merely nodded curtly.

Awkward silence descended upon them, though Sesshoumaru seemed unaffected, stoic as ever. For once, Inuyasha had decided to keep his big mouth shut after realizing that Sesshoumaru was the architect of his current predicament. Knowing how the demon usually planned things, he knew the only way out of this without embarrassing charges on his record was if he left the station in the company of his brother. So he waited. He seemed to be doing that a lot today. He hoped it wasn't going to become a pattern.

The Chief arrived a minute later, the blonde officer from earlier trailing behind him.

"Ah, you must be Sesshoumaru," the Chief said by way of greeting. "This is of course about the chat we had a few weeks ago."

The blonde officer, Jenna, was giving Sesshoumaru a predatory look over the Chief's shoulder.

"Yes," said Sesshoumaru, bestowing a quailing look on the woman, who paled and took a step back. "And I will need you to dismiss your officers. Their presence is not required here."

"Ah, you're probably right about that," agreed the Chief. "Paul, Jenna, you will wait for me back in my office. No questions right now."

The two officers looked at each other. Jenna shrugged and left. Officer Meyers followed, casting the Chief and the strange man a suspicious look.

"Business," said the Chief, rubbing his hands together. "My other half for the successful apprehension if you please."

"Indeed." Shesshoumaru produced an envelope from his inner suit pocket. "When you have removed the contents, burn the envelope. We do not need unnecessary finger prints."

"Yes, of course," the Chief said, flapping his hand in agreement. He slit the envelope and made a quick count. Inuyasha saw the flash of pale green before the Chief hastily stowed it in his pocket. "Well, that seems to be in order."

The Chief walked quickly over to Inuyasha's cell and unlocked the door, standing aside so Inuyasha could exit.

"Oh, there is still the matter of the traffic ticket," he said, looking expectantly at Inuyasha.

"You guys still have my wallet," he snapped.

"Ah! Yes we do, yes we do." The chief went over to the desk and unlocked a safe underneath. He dug through a few things, then pulled out a plastic bag with Inuyasha's wallet, keys, and cell phone, which had a blinking red light indicating at least one missed call.

Before Inuyasha could open his wallet to pay the ticket, Sesshoumaru cut in, "I will pay the ticker." He took a checkbook from another interior pocket. "How much was it?"

"$100. He was doing 15 over, so-"

"Here." Shesshoumaru handed him the check. The Chief beamed at him.

"Thank you very much sir. Shall I see you out?"

Sesshoumaru nodded and swept toward the door, Inuyasha and the Chief following in his wake. The Chief scurried around him and opened the door with a deferential flourish. As they made their way to Sesshoumaru's car, Inuyasha took the opportunity to check his phone. He had 11 missed calls. He started to push the call-back button on one from Sango, but Sesshoumaru interrupted.

"Not now. You may call them once we get to the tow yard." His statement brooked no argument, but Inuyasha ignored that.

"You bastard," he said angrily, "You have no right to tell me when I can and can't call people."

"Cell phones have GPS locators," he said matter-of-factly. "I have turned mine off at the moment for this reason. You will do the same while you are with me. I have no desire to be followed."

"Fine," Inuyasha agreed grudgingly. He turned the phone off. "This had better be good."

...

It was 5:30, and Sango was starting to get a little frantic. Officially, the firm closed at 6 pm on weekdays, and 5 pm on Fridays, but plenty of people stayed at the office until 7 or later. She could tell it was going to be one of those days. Inuyasha was still not back, so she had taken over finishing up the rest of the project for Kosha Industries. Fortunately, the files were well organized; they were perhaps the only things that Inuyasha ever kept organized, if his desk was any indication. Sango lengthened the tracking on the name "Kosha Industries" at the top of the business card design, and kerned the last 's' out a little more. She sighed. There were still two more card designs and several Kosha Industries sub-brand product labels to finish.

There was a knock at her door. Sango looked up from her computer.

"Sorry to interrupt," Kagome said. "I just wanted to let you know that those flash ads are live on the website now, and the new page is finished. I need a copy editor to run the page by before it goes live though. Is there anyone who's a little less swamped I could give it to?"

Sango thought for a minute. "I think Hojo just finished a project, so you can ask him. If he can't do it, try giving it to Emmy."

"Thanks. By the way, have you heard from Inuyasha at all?"

"No, I haven't," Sango replied a little testily, "and I've been stuck with the rest of his Kosha Industries project, and they're coming over for a progress review tomorrow morning."

"Ooh, that sucks," said Kagome. "I do hope he's alright though. I'll feel really bad for yelling at him like that if something's happened to him."

"Me too, but I can't think too hard about it right now. I have a project to finish," Sango said resignedly.

"That's fine. I'll let you get back to work." Kagome gave the other woman a tentative smile and left the office to find Hojo.

...

The minute the doors to Sesshoumaru's black Mazda slammed shut, Inuyasha exploded.

"WHAT IN THE SEVEN HOLY HELLS IS GOING ON?" Inuyasha was livid and had kept a lid on his anger for far too long that afternoon. "Why the fuck did you have me arrested on false charges just so you could find me?! What the fuck is wrong with you?! Why didn't you just fucking show up in my fucking apartment like you have the last two times?" Inuyasha paused for breath. Sesshoumaru merely blinked at him. "Well? Are you deaf or just stupid? Answer me!"

"Hmph. If I could have done that, I would have. You made it difficult by choosing an apartment with enough other units and building security that I would have most certainly been seen had I tried to access the building as a demon. Naraku has also been watching both you and me, and may have done something untoward had he found I attempted to contact you directly." Sesshoumaru explained.

Inuyasha stared at him for a moment, and Sesshoumaru took the opportunity to start the car and pull out of the parking lot. Not only was that the longest speech Inuyasha had heard Sesshoumaru utter in the last 100 years, the demon was admitting that he had had difficulties contacting Inuyasha. However, he wasn't going to forgive his brother just because he had strung more than five words together for once. He was still pissed.

"That doesn't explain the charges," Inuyasha replied waspishly. "I mean, naked robbery? I had to listen to that sick woman officer sexually harass me because of that!"

"Hn. You may thank Kagura for that. It was her idea. I was merely going to charge you with petty theft. She thought you might find it amusing."

"Keh! And here I thought you had grown a twisted sense of humor!"

"I did not say I objected to her plan." There was an odd glimmer in Sesshoumaru's eyes.

Inuyasha was dumbfounded. Sesshoumaru did think this was funny. "You bastard! That woman looked like she wanted to rape me, and you're laughing about it!"

"I most certainly do not approve of that woman's behavior. She will be dealt with through our yokai network and also removed from her post," Shesshoumaru said sternly.

"She's yokai?" Inuyasha queried. "I couldn't sense a demonic aura."

"She wears a strong charm. She has also been a headache to me for a number of reasons, foremost being that she is one of Naraku's lackeys. The other yokai will see her threatening you as reason enough to punish her."

Inuyasha was somewhat mollified. The fact that the woman was apparently a strong yokai probably explained why he had actually felt threatened earlier. So he wasn't being unreasonably afraid of a physically weak human.

"Alright," said Inuyasha. "So are you going to actually tell me what's going on now?"

"That is why I tracked you down," he replied. "To get straight to the point, you have a very interesting recent hire in your web and IT department at AdHOC."

Inuyasha was getting a lot of surprises today. "Kagome? You can't be serious! That woman is such a pain!"

"Perhaps," he agreed. "But she is also a very, very powerful Spiritualist. I have not seen her equal in my more than 700 years of living."

"But, Kikyo is strong-" Inuyasha began.

"Yes, your ex-girlfriend's powers are unusually strong, and she is skilled, but she does not hold a candle to Kagome."

"You're saying-"

"I believe Kagome may rival the Egyptian Isis of legend more than 6 thousand years ago. Like her, Kagome's power is probably strong enough to extend her lifespan by several hundred years."

"...Good lord," Inuyasha breathed. "Greater even than Midoriko?"

"Most certainly," Sesshoumaru said.

There were few of such power, and those were worshiped as some of the first Gods, among them Isis, Nut, Odin, Vishnu, Brahma, Shiva, Shakti, Zeus, and Amaterasu. Humans both created and became them.

"So what the hell are we supposed to do about this?"

"Protect her," Sesshoumaru said simply. "Her power is likely to emerge in stages and bursts, and she will probably hurt herself and others in the process if the transition is not properly controlled."

"We're demons," Inuyasha reminded him. "We're the ones vulnerable to her power. If we get near her, she could fry us!"

"Me, yes," Shesshoumaru said. "You, it is unlikely. You are half human, and your mother was a strong Spiritualist in her own right. Her blood should protect you sufficiently."

"Should," Inuyasha muttered darkly.

"There is another reason she will need protection," Sesshoumaru continued. "Naraku may notice her strengthening aura, if he hasn't already. I do not think she should meet the same end as our father and your mother."

Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably. He did not like recalling his parents' grisly fate a little over 200 years ago. Inutaisho and Izayoi had sacrificed their lives in an attempt to kill Naraku. But Naraku had survived, albeit in a severely weakened state. He had slowly been gaining his strength back over the last 200 years. Recently, however, he had seemed more interested in the pursuit of monetary power than anything else. It appeared now though, that Naraku's interests were deeper and more sinister than he had anticipated.

Presently, they arrived at the tow yard. Sesshoumaru pulled up to the gate and informed the attendant that they were there to pick up Inuyasha's car. Inuyasha gave the man a description of his vehicle, and was pointed in the direction of his car. Sesshoumaru followed close behind.

"What are you following me for?" Inuyasha snapped.

"Hmph. I was going to pay your tow fee as well, but with your attitude..."

"Alright, alright. Sheesh."

Inuyasha paused next to his car to dig his keys and phone out of his pocket.

"Before you call your coworkers," Sesshoumaru said, "I must tell you a few more things."

Inuyasha paused mid-dial.

"You will find something important in your trunk that I have had placed there," Sesshoumaru continued. "It is under a blanket. Do not look at it or remove it until you are home and you can be absolutely certain that no one is watching. Keep it hidden in the blanket until you are inside your apartment. You and Kagome will also join me for dinner at Alinea tomorrow night. No arguments, and cell phones must be turned off before you leave your apartments."

"Dinner? With Kagome, the bitch-tastic Spiritual time bomb?"

"Yes," replied Sesshoumaru evenly. "I will expect you at 8 pm sharp. Here is the check for the towing fee." He shoved the paper into Inuyasha's hand, turned on his heel, and strode regally back to his car.

Inuyasha grumbled and shook his head. He looked down at his phone, where the glowing white numbers informed him that it was almost 6 o'clock. He finished dialing Sango's number.

It rang twice before she answered.

"Inuyasha!" Her voice was loud enough to make him cringe. "Where have you been?!"

"Yeah, about that..."