InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ To Bear Witness ❯ The Tenseiga ( Chapter 16 )

{Disclaimer: Hey! I've done this at least {::looks back at the chapters::} FIFTEEN TIMES already! If you don't know by now that I don't own them, you never will!}

SF: Oh, and before we begin this chapter, everyone wish Ayakumi a Happy Birthday!!! ^.~

Chapter Sixteen: The Tenseiga

*12:00 midnight, Friday Morning*

Sesshoumaru glanced at the others in the cave around him, giving something much like a longing sigh. Each slept on their own little fur, with Kagome on the one nearest him and Kouga near the mouth of the cave. Sesshoumaru got up and decided that it might do him some good to get a little fresh air. He walked out of the cave, then leaped onto the ledge above the mouth of the cave, staring wistfully at the stars.

'There are so few stars now,' he mused to himself as the stars twinkled above him. '500 years ago they seemed to litter the sky by the thousands. Now you're lucky to see eight or nine. I wonder what will happen to them 500 years in the future. Will they reclaim their place in the sky, or finally twinkle out and die as all things do?'

Sesshoumaru sighed, loosening his tie as his thoughts turned. 'For that matter, what of youkai? Will we finally reclaim our place as rulers of the humans, or will we finally sub come, like the stars?' He smiled suddenly. 'I wonder what Kagome would think of life 500 years from now.' Sesshoumaru shook his head and sat crossed-legged on his perch, his chin finally coming to a rest in his hand. 'That was such a inane thought,' he told himself as the wind started to swirl around him. 'Her life span may be longer because she's a miko, but not that long. She'll never see 500 years from now.'

'She could if she were youkai,' quipped a voice in his head. Sesshoumaru sighed again. 'But she is not.'

'But what if she were mated to a youkai?'

'Ha ha,' Sesshoumaru thought irritably. 'Do you mean to allow another hanyou into the world?'

'Oh don't act like that! You know that all hanyou aren't the annoyances they used to be, plus any child from her will be born with her power. That's a good enough reason for her to mate a youkai. You could introduce her to one.'

'She is mine,' Sesshoumaru thought with a growl. 'And there is no way I'm going to allow her to mate another youkai.'

'Then you mate her.'

Sesshoumaru chuckled for real this time, the dark, ill-used mirth floating like a fog on the early morning air. 'Me, mate a human? Are you serious?'

'Very much so.'

Sesshoumaru doubled over in his laughter, nearly falling off the ledge and to the ground below.

'What's so funny?' the voice asked. Sesshoumaru stopped laughing and shook his head, his hair fluttering in the midnight breeze.

'Me mating a human is funny. This Sesshoumaru doesn't associate with humans unless it is absolutely necessary.'

'Don't start that high and mighty crap! You've never mated, and as of right now that human is about the best you're going to come up with. Besides, not all humans are as detestable as you think. I remember one you used to respect.'

'Really?' thought Sesshoumaru. 'Who?'

'Think back to when you first took over your father's place as lord of the west. You were just coming home from patrol…'

/Sesshoumaru's Flashback/

A younger Sesshoumaru landed before one of the many houses on his lands, intending on bidding his half-brother and his late father's wife goodnight when the scent of tears came to him on the night breeze. He followed it to the porch of the mansion. He found Inuyasha's mother and her handmaidens sitting on the porch, weeping and calling for the little boy as if they were in mourning. Sesshoumaru immediately grabbed one of the maidens, holding his breathe to keep out her foul human stench as he lifted her up and commanded her attention.

"What has happened?" he asked simply as her eyes widened. She immediately went into a state of shock, displeasing Sesshoumaru as he dropped her and reached for another. Inuyasha's mother stood and bowed before him as her maidens cowered in fear.

"My lord," she said as she stood back up. "It's your brother-"

"Half-brother," Sesshoumaru corrected. Inuyasha's mother bowed again.

"Forgive me, my lord. Young Inuyasha is missing."

"How long has he been away?" Sesshoumaru asked, steeling a calm to his voice. He felt a slow panic rise within him for some unknown reason as Inuyasha's mother turned to his nanny.

"How long?" she asked quietly, attempting to calm the frightened girl.

"A-at least two h-hours!" the girl stuttered. Inuyasha's mother nodded and turned back to Sesshoumaru as he picked up Inuyasha's scent.

'The wench is right, he has been missing for two hours,' Sesshoumaru concluded. 'And there is no other scent with it. He must have wandered off.'

"I will look for him," Sesshoumaru said as he looked over his shoulder. Inuyasha's mother and the other maidens bowed and walked back in the house. Sesshoumaru waited until he heard the last pair of footsteps fade away to start into the forest, but stopped when he heard footsteps approach him from behind. He turned around quickly, his claws poised and ready to strike when he stopped mid-slash.

"What are you doing here?" he asked Inuyasha's mother as she leaned against a nearby tree. She held her hand to her chest, seemingly to calm her racing heart as she bowed before Sesshoumaru.

"I would like to accompany you my lord."

Sesshoumaru blinked, looking thoroughly confused for the first time in his adult life. "You?" he questioned as he approached her. She nodded and bowed again, the quiver on her back nearly spilling its contents over her shoulder. Sesshoumaru shook his head and turned back around, following Inuyasha's scent.

"Go back," he told her. "I will return shortly."

"I wish to accompany my lord," she said again, this time with a little more determination in her voice. Sesshoumaru turned around again, faster than before as he grabbed her arm and pushed her against a nearby tree.

"Are you disobeying me?" he snarled. Inuyasha's mother shuddered but said nothing, waiting until Sesshoumaru's temper subsided to respond.

"No my lord," she told him. Sesshoumaru sat her back down and continued on Inuyasha's trail.

"But I would like to accompany you."

Sesshoumaru stopped, becoming something like living marble as he considered her actions. He glanced at her over his shoulder and nearly laughed. She stood, in the many folds and layers bestowed of her station, with a bow in her hands. 'I doubt she knows what to do with it,' Sesshoumaru thought as he turned back around. 'But if she insists.'

Sesshoumaru said nothing, but walked on, sometimes stopping to wait on Inuyasha's mother as she struggled with the many folds of her kimono as she attempted to follow quietly. They finally came to the bushes on the outskirts of a small clearing. Sesshoumaru crouched down, careful not to kneel in the mud under his feet as Inuyasha's mother crouched beside him.

"What is-"

Sesshoumaru pressed a finger to his lips, silently quieting her as he peered through the bushes. There in the clearing was a five year old Inuyasha fighting with a giant spider oni. The five year old seemed to be winning, with his Iron Reaver ripping through the oni like rice paper. Sesshoumaru watched, secretly pleased that Inuyasha actually paid attention to the hours he spent training him when Inuyasha's mother gasped.

"Keep quiet!" he growled. She nodded and pointed back to the clearing.

The oni grabbed Inuyasha by the leg and lifted him high into the air, watching as Inuyasha wiggled and struggled to get free.

"You'd better let go!" Inuyasha told him. "Or else Aniki will get you!"

"What do I care of your aniki?" the spider asked. "I'm more concerned about dinner, and since you're the only morsel around-" He tossed Inuyasha into the air, then opened his mouth to catch and eat the screaming toddler.

Sesshoumaru was moving in in an instant, skimming across the grass and into the air before Inuyasha's mother could react. He intercepted Inuyasha seconds before he could land into the oni's mouth, then landed on the oni's shoulder with Inuyasha on his.

"Aniki!" Inuyasha squealed, hurting Sesshoumaru's ears as he squeezed the living daylights out of Sesshoumaru's head. Sesshoumaru shook him free gently, a scowl on his normally stoic features.

"What have I told you about wandering off?" he asked Inuyasha, a hint of warning in his tone.

"Um, don't?"

"Exactly."

The oni, after a few minutes of holding open an empty mouth, finally opened his eyes and glanced at his shoulder. His eyes widened as it took in both Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha as Sesshoumaru stood defiantly on it's shoulder.

"You dare presume to harm the blood of the moon?" Sesshoumaru said calmly as the toxic green poison started to flow to his fingertips. The oni's eyes widened even more, but instead of begging for mercy like Sesshoumaru expected, it shook Sesshoumaru off and attacked.

Sesshoumaru dodged and ducked the oni's blows expertly. He yawned in the middle of the attack, infuriating the oni as it charged again. Inuyasha stuck to Sesshoumaru's shoulder like glue, watching as his aniki avoided the spider's attacks in awe.

"I tire of this. Die," Sesshoumaru said before beginning his own assault.

****

SF: Damn ya'll, I've heard Sesshou actually say this!

Inu-chan: Yeah he said it. It was when he first tried to take the Tetsusaiga!

Kagome: And when he put a hole in Inuyasha's stomach!

Sango: And when Inuyasha first saw the Wind Scar!

SF: You say that a lot Sesshou. You need a new catchphrase.

****

Sesshoumaru darted forward in an instant and slashed through one of the oni's eyes. It howled and screamed in agony and blinding rage as it charged the inu brothers. Sesshoumaru barely stepped aside before the one of the oni's claws slashed at him. Sesshoumaru's energy whip surged from his fingers in an instant, creating a deep gash onto the oni's back. It whirled around faster than Sesshoumaru expected, pinning he and Inuyasha to the ground as one of its other legs prepared to spear them from above.

An arrow sank into one of the oni's eyes suddenly, blinding it permanently in that eye. It roared and turned toward the source of the arrow.

"YOU!" it roared in disbelief.

Inuyasha's mother stood on the edge of the clearing, her bow raised and another arrow nocked and ready.

"What's wrong with you human?" the oni asked her as it held Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha down. "Don't you know that youkai hate humans and oni like us? That they think they're better than us? Let me kill them and I'll forgive what you did to my eye."

Inuyasha's mother said nothing but held her ground, watching and waiting for the oni to move first.

"Fine fine," it said with a sigh. It picked up Inuyasha and held him up for her to see, sniffing him first before holding him out. "This one belongs to you. Take him and go."

"I want them both."

The oni tilted his head to the side, then shrugged. "Do you think this high and mighty youkai will appreciate this? Surely you jest!" He started to laugh, the evil tainting the night air. "Youkai know nothing of gratitude."

"He is no mere youkai to me," she said, her gaze flickering from Inuyasha to Sesshoumaru as the oni held the young lord still.

"I know that," the oni said rudely. He sighed then, and shrugged. "Then I'll eat you all and sort the details later."

He speared a tentacle into Sesshoumaru's shoulder, lifting him up as he opened his mouth. Another arrow fired, blinding another eye. The oni howled again and dropped both inu youkai as it charged for Inuyasha's mother. She fired another arrow, it too sinking deep into one of it's eyes before it reached her.

A white flash stood between them, then a green streak. An instant later Sesshoumaru watched as the spider oni split in half, the toxic acid from his claws slowly melting the creature as it lay there, dead. Inuyasha scampered from Sesshoumaru's shoulder moments later, sparing a parting glance at the oni before his mother scooped him up.

"Inuyasha!" she cried, hugging him close to her chest. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine Mother," he said, squirming in her arms. "Mother, you're squishing me!"

She giggled nervously and loosened her hold on him. "I'm sorry. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine now that I can breathe!" His little face lit up suddenly. "Did you see Aniki? He was great! When I grow up I want to be just like him!"

Inuyasha's mother nodded during his hero worship, then turned to Sesshoumaru. "Are you ok?"

Sesshoumaru spared her a glance, then removed the armor above his right shoulder. The white cloth over it instantly darkened, becoming sodden with blood. He cursed under his breath, then willed it to heal as Inuyasha's mother looked on.

She approached him slowly, barely aware of Inuyasha's chirping as she watched the skin around the wound seal closed. She breathed a sigh of relief, then wrapped one arm around his waist in a half attempt at a hug. Sesshoumaru stiffened at this as she and Inuyasha snuggled closer to him, watching curiously as one tear after another slipped down her face. She started to mummer something nearly unintelligible as Sesshoumaru struggled to listen.

"Couldn't let it hurt you…didn't know if the arrow would make it…scared to death…so relieved…couldn't let it hurt my sons…"

'Sons? Surely she doesn't mean me.'

"Never shot a bow before…so glad that I didn't lose you two…"

'She never shot before,' Sesshoumaru wondered as Inuyasha's mother slowly calmed down. 'Then how did she injure it like she did?' He remembered something his own mother said one day, the words seemingly to fit what he couldn't explain.

'A mother's love will guide any arrow.'

Sesshoumaru looked down at her as Inuyasha's mother dried her face on a handkerchief.

"I'm sorry my lord," she said, bowing once again. A little of his blood stained the front of her obi. Sesshoumaru reached down and touched it, bringing her attention to it. "I don't mind it my lord. I'm just glad you're safe."

"From now on you will not address me as such," Sesshoumaru told her as he picked her and Inuyasha up and carried them toward home.

"Then how would you like me to address you?"

"I am Sesshoumaru to you from now on."

Inuyasha's mother nodded in agreement, then rested her head on his healed shoulder. "Sesshoumaru," she whispered as she and Inuyasha fell asleep. "My son."

/Sesshoumaru's Flashback/

'And that means?' Sesshoumaru asked the voice as he turned back to the stars.

'That means that not all humans are pests, nor do all deserve to be merely pets as you seem to have stationed Kagome. She's a miko that can't harm you, that only you seem to be able to disarm. That should be good for something.'

'I'm too old to be having this conversation,' Sesshoumaru said as he jumped down from the ledge.

'No you are not,' the voice jeered as Sesshoumaru walked back into the cave. 'You're lonely and you know it.'

'I'm a taiyoukai and a businessman. I don't have time for such foolishness.'

'That's your problem, you don't make time. You've had more fun with Kagome in the past three months than you have your entire life. Your such a stiff.'

Sesshoumaru sighed and sat down beside Kagome, watching her as she slept. 'She is nothing but an infatuation.' Kagome stirred, her brow wrinkling in distress as she mumbled in her sleep.

"Don't…please…" she whispered. Sesshoumaru didn't hesitate as he reached for her, holding her in his lap and smoothing her hair away from her face. She settled down instantly, bringing her arms around his waist and nuzzling her nose into his neck.

'An infatuation huh? Yeah right.'

Sesshoumaru sighed, rolled his eyes, and ran his fingers through her hair until he fell asleep.

*1:03 PM*

Kagome watched as Sutaasafaia and Kouga argued over something from across the campsite. She shrugged as Sutaasafaia got in a particularly good jab at Kouga's pride, then started to draw a symbol in the sand. Just as she was finishing, a shadow blocked her sun.

"May I talk to you Kagome?" Sesshoumaru asked as he crouched down beside her.

"Sure," Kagome said, looking up from her drawing. Sesshoumaru glanced at her hand, then at her face and said "Are you married?"

"You're asking me now if I'm married?" Kagome said with a giggle. "Don't you think it's a little late?"

She smiled at the seriousness in his expression, holding her hands in front of her as a peace offering. "You're serious, aren't you?" She shook her head. "No Mr. Takamada, I'm not married."

"Boyfriend?"

Kagome quirked a brow. "No. Why are you asking these-"

"Why?"

Kagome sat back on her heels and studied him. "Why do you want to know?"

Sesshoumaru glanced away from her into the distance. "Out of curiosity."

"Oh," Kagome said, settling back into her picture. "I guess it's because all the guys I've met have been too…I don't know, childish I suppose."

"Childish?"

"Are you going to say more than six words today?" Kagome teased good-naturedly.

"Maybe."

Sigh. "Fine." Kagome started to draw again, finishing the last lines of the pictogram. "It's just something about them, you know. All the guys I know want to do is well-" She cleared her throat and sighed. "Never mind. Tell you what. Let's say that they and I have differences of opinion."

"Oh." Sesshoumaru removed his suit jacket and draped it on a nearby rock. "What is that?" he asked as he rolled up his sleeves. He pointed to the drawing in the dirt.

"This is a protection spell," Kagome replied as she drew another line.

"I didn't notice anything last night."

"You wouldn't. It wasn't meant to do anything to you," she said.

"So what are you doing?"

"Disabling it," she said as she drew yet another line. Sesshoumaru watched as she concentrated, the tip of her tongue barely sticking out of her mouth. She tapped the top of the drawing, then wiped it away with the palm of her hand. A purple flare went up suddenly, circling around the campsite before flaring up again and disappearing.

"There! All gone," Kagome said with a happy sigh. She moved forward to stand when she slipped on a rock and fell forward. Sesshoumaru caught her easily, resting a hand at her side as Kagome blushed.

"Thanks," she said, holding on to his shoulders as he stood. "I'm a tad clumsy today."

"So I've noticed."

"Hey Kagome!" Kouga called from across the camp. "Do you hear that?"

Kagome stilled, listening as the entire camp went quiet. She heard what interested Kouga moments later. Her brow creased in confusion, then her entire face lit up.

"Let's go!" Kagome cried. She darted around camp for hers and Sesshoumaru's things before grabbing his hand and running toward the sound.

Sutaasafaia and Kouga followed behind moments later as Kagome and Sesshoumaru got closer to the sound. They stopped in a nearby field, watching as a black helicopter landed in the middle.

"Shippou!" Kagome cried when the helicopter landed. "Shippou! Over here!"

The pilot got out and surveyed the area, then waved at Kagome as she and the others ran to him. Kagome jumped on him instantly, hugging him as he spun her around.

"Good to see you too Kagome!" Shippou said as he set her down. "Took you long enough to find me!"

"Shut up!" Kagome cried over the helicopter blades. "Shippou, this is Sesshoumaru Takamada, Kouga Tarentino, and his assistant Sutaasafaia."

"Hi," Shippou said as he shook hands. "I'm the TS, and you're pilot for this evening." He opened the door to the back of the helicopter and waited for the others to get inside as Kagome sat in the passenger seat up front. "Don't worry folks," Shippou said as he jumped into the pilot's seat. "You'll be in Seattle before you know it."

"What about clothes?" Kagome asked him as they took off.

"Sango and Mr. Hitame sent a new change of clothes to your hotel this afternoon. Mr. Tarentino and his assistant won't get theirs until tomorrow morning."

Kagome relayed this to the passengers in the back, who couldn't hear for the helicopter blades. Kagome sighed moments later, turning back to Shippou with a grin. "It's good to see you Pup."

"You too Kagome-mama. How are you?"

Kagome sighed and leaned back against the seat. "In desperate need of a bath."

Shippou laughed, then turned to her. "Hey, hold the stick a moment. There's something you should see."

Kagome did as she was told as Shippou dug around under his seat for a vanilla colored envelope. He handed it to her and took back the steer as Kagome opened the folder and held out a picture.

"And?" she said after a minute. "What's so great about a picture of Takamada?"

"Which Takamada?"

"Excuse me?" Kagome said, glancing at the picture again. "Its Sesshoumaru, of course."

Shippou shook his head. "Nu-uh. That's InuTaisho Takamada."

Kagome held the picture closer, disbelief written on her face as she studied it. "No way."

"Way. Can't tell them apart, can you?" Kagome shook her head and put the picture back in the folder. "Want to know the weird thing?"

"What?" Kagome asked as she gave the folder back to him.

"There are no pictures of Sesshoumaru Takamada's mother, nor Hitame's mother. There are no pictures of either of them as children."

"That is weird," Kagome agreed as Shippou warily eyed a dark cloud.

"Just thought you'd like to see that."

"Thanks Pup, I owe you."

"Oo!" Shippou exclaimed as he glanced at her. "Does that mean crab cakes and chocolate cake?"

Kagome nodded. "Yes Shippou, that means crab cakes and chocolate cake."

*4:20 P. M.*

"Hurry up Takamada!" Kagome yelled as she pounded on the bathroom door. "I'm filthy, irritated and I want a bath!"

"Like I don't know you're filthy," Sesshoumaru muttered as he ignored her. He fully submerged himself under the water, watching the jets in the whirlpool tub as he held his breath and tried to figure out their plane ride home.

The ride itself wasn't what Sesshoumaru was worried about. It was the envelope that was passed between the two marshals. He knew it to be a picture, but couldn't figure out what picture because of the helicopter blades. 'Damn modern technology,' Sesshoumaru thought irritably as he poked his nose above the water. He particularly liked this hotel, and owned stock in the company.

The room was different than the one in Jacksonville. Where it was only a one story, this one was two with a bedroom upstairs and down, each with their own bath. Unfortunately for Kagome, the downstairs bathroom was under repairs.

'She'll be fin-'

"Come out!" Kagome thundered through the door. "Don't make me come in there!"

"You can if you want to," Sesshoumaru told her as he reached beside the tub for a bar of soap. "You can even join me if you're in such a hurry."

The banging stopped instantly and he heard her mutter enough curses to make a seaman ashamed before she walked off.

*6:48 AM, Monday Morning*

Kagome stepped out of the bathroom, grumbling incoherently as she struggled to zip on her skirt.

"Damned…stupid…piece of-oh, thanks," she said as Sesshoumaru tugged her to where he was sitting at the foot of the bed and zipped it for her.

"You are truly weak," he taunted as he lightly shoved her to the side and stood up. "Is the shower free?"

"Yes your highness," Kagome said with a bow. "You may bathe now, if it so pleases you."

Sesshoumaru quirked a brow, then ignored her as he entered the shower. He came out 10 minutes later, finding Kagome out of the room as expected. He was fully dressed before he noticed anything amiss.

'Let's see,' he said with a curious look on his face. 'Shoes: check. Pants: check. Shirt: check. Cufflinks: check. Tie: check. Jacket:…' Sesshoumaru looked around the room. 'No jacket. Why wouldn't Inuyasha-' Sesshoumaru immediately opened the bedroom door and looked down the rail to the living room, where Kagome stood in the middle of it with her hands behind her back.

"Do you have something of mine?" he asked as he stepped out of the room and glared down at her.

"Perhaps."

"Is there a chance you'll give it back without a fight?" he inquired as he descended the steps. Kagome backed up as he approached her until they stood on opposite ends of the couch.

"I don't believe so. This is payback for the hour long bath you took the other day."

"But I'm going to be late," Sesshoumaru reasoned as he circled the couch toward her. Kagome eluded him easily, watching him from beside one of the armchairs. She tipped her head to the side and smiled coyly.

"I wish I felt some sympathy for you," she said as she moved toward the armchair at the other end of the coffee table. "But…I don't." She turned suddenly and bolted toward the kitchen with Sesshoumaru in pursuit. Kagome waved his jacket around like a flag, darting around the island in the kitchen to the dining room. Sesshoumaru chased her around the table until he cornered her between two chairs.

"Now can I have my jacket?" he asked with a hint of mischief in his eyes. This was the most fun he'd had in a while, and the little human in front of him didn't have a clue to the fact that he was allowing her to do this.

That he could have caught her moments before this started.

"Um," Kagome said, lightly biting down on her pinky finger. "Nope."

She jumped back and scampered across the dining room table and out of the room, beginning the chase anew. Sesshoumaru glanced at the microwave clock as he passed the living room.

'7:10! I have to go!'

Kagome danced across the living room floor, taunting him as his jacket swirled around above her head in her hands. She stopped in front of one of the columns at the edge of the room, waving the jacket in front of her.

"I have your jacket and you can't have it!" she sang before rounding the corner. She was suddenly pinned from both sides, trapped between the column and Sesshoumaru as he glared down at her.

"Now enough of this," he said as she panted lightly below him. "I have to go."

"How did you do that?" she asked. "I didn't see you move."

"My secret, now give me the jacket like a good girl," Sesshoumaru ordered, his hand outstretched toward her. Kagome held the jacket to the side of the column behind her. Sesshoumaru shook his head and reached for it, leaning over her as he did so.

His cheek grazed her collar as he passed, unintentionally mussing it. Sesshoumaru straightened it, the jacket forgotten as he stooped down for a closer look.

He slowly traced his fingers along her throat to her jaw, barely feeling her hand rest on his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her lower back. Sesshoumaru fully indulged in her scent, the warm spice of her heat fogging his head slightly. He nudged her head to the side, then leaned down and brushed his lips against her jugular. Sesshoumaru opened his mouth and was inches from kissing it when the doorbell rang.

Kagome squeaked lightly in surprise and dropped his jacket. Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow, picked it up and put it on as Kagome scurried toward the door. Sutaasafaia stood on the other side, a bright smile on her face as she waved.

"Hi Kagome!" she said as she came in. "Where is Mr. Takamada?"

"In there," Kagome said nervously. Sutaasafaia turned to her, her head tipped to the side as Sesshoumaru came out of the living room. He tossed Kagome her attaché and walked out the door, leaving the two still in the room.

"What happened?" Sutaasafaia whispered as she and Kagome followed Sesshoumaru down the outside steps to the car. Kagome blushed and caught up with Sesshoumaru before Sutaasafaia could ask anything else.

*2:31 PM*

"Welcome to the Stone Temple research facility Mr. Takamada," one of the lab technicians said as she escorted Kagome and Sesshoumaru to the basement of the WCT building. "I'm Rei Himashi, but you can call me Rei." She turned toward Sesshoumaru, a shy smile gracing her oval-shaped face. "I'm sure you're just as pleased as I am to finally have the Tenseiga in this area reinstalled."

"Thrilled," Sesshoumaru said dryly, stealing a glance at Kagome as she walked beside him. 'Why is she behaving so skittish?' he wondered as the elevator stopped on the basement floor. They walked down a corridor bathed in white, with a single pair of steel doors at the end. Kagome walked quietly, the only indication of her presence other than sight was the swishing of her skirt or a whisper of her shirt sleeve.

'Ah yes,' Sesshoumaru thought with a nod. 'This morning. That's why she's behaving this way.' He nearly smiled. 'Well, she will have to get used to it won't she?'

Rei stopped before the doors and pulled out an id card. The doors opened moments later, with Rei leading them in, Kagome following the tech and Sesshoumaru behind.

The inside was as white and sterile as the hallway, with levels along the walls that lead to offices and labs on the upper levels.

Kagome gazed around in awe, not noticing that Rei stepped to the side and around something until someone grabbed her shoulders from behind.

"What?" Kagome asked as she looked over her shoulder. Sesshoumaru pointed in front of her. "Look ahead of you."

Kagome nodded and did as she was told and found the tip of a giant sword pointed at a button in the middle of her shirt. She gasped and jumped back as Rei smiled.

"This is it!" she chirped as she raised a hand to the sword. "All completed!"

"This," Kagome said as she cautiously stepped forward "is the Tenseiga?"

"It is," Sesshoumaru replied dryly as Kagome reached to touch the blade of the sword. Rei winced when Kagome touched it, waiting expectantly for Sesshoumaru to berate Kagome for bothering it. When nothing happened, she glanced up to find Kagome tracing her way to the hilt.

"You shouldn't do th-" she started to say, but a stern look from Sesshoumaru promptly shut down whatever she was going to say.

"Why is it shaped like a sword?" Kagome asked as she finally reached the hilt of the massive sword. From tip to hilt the blade was at least 9 meters long, with a 4 meter hilt and crystals along the length of the entire sword.

Sesshoumaru shrugged and leaned against one of the rails. "I don't know. Irony I suppose."

Kagome nodded. 'It would figure that someone like him would make something that's used to save life look like something designed to take it.' She noticed the tip's position, and turned to Sesshoumaru quizzically.

"Why was it facing the door?"

Sesshoumaru brushed himself off and walked beside her. "It's facing the direction of the original Tenseiga."

"I don't get it."

"All Tenseiga's face-"

Sesshoumaru promptly interrupted Rei with an answer of his own. " The Tenseigas feed off each other and are all connected to a master Tenseiga. Each Tenseiga faces the master."

"Ohh…" Kagome nodded as she glanced back at the Tenseiga. "Kinda like satellite TV, right?"

"Hm!" the technician snorted. "It's nothing like-" Another icy glance from Sesshoumaru quickly silenced her again. She stared in uneasy awe as Sesshoumaru turned back to a blushing Kagome.

"Go ahead Kagome," he said softly.

Kagome rested her right hand on her left side, her fingers drumming against her stomach nervously. "Well, I was just saying that it's kinda like satellite TV. You know, people have those little dishes in their backyard that can pick up channels from a satellite orbiting earth as long as those dishes have a clear view of a certain point in the sky. That one satellite serves thousands of people. What you said about the Tenseiga reminded me of that. They're kind of similar, or at least I think so."

Sesshoumaru nodded thoughtfully, his gaze to the side as he tapped his chin. "Yes, that's exactly it," he said finally. Kagome smiled when he returned his attention to her, her head tilted to the side as the technician stared at them both in shock.

'Is he actually, praising her?' Rei asked herself as Kagome's smile widened.

"Really?" Kagome said. Sesshoumaru nodded and stepped to her side for a closer look at the sword in question.

"Yes. That is probably the best explanation I've heard yet." He traced his hand along one of the crystals on the sword's blade, then gave Kagome a genuine smile. "Perhaps you are in the wrong line of work."

Kagome's blush darkened as she smiled back. "Thanks," she said timidly as the technician's jaw hit the floor.

'Oh my God,' she thought as her brain sputtered under her confusion. 'He really is complementing her. I can't believe it. He doesn't say anything nice to anyone!'

"Now the only problem," Sesshoumaru continued as he walked around the Tenseiga. "Is why this isn't operational yet?"

He finally returned his gaze to Rei, who gaped a moment before speaking. "It is, Mr. Takamada."

"It's not on," he informed her, his fingers stroking the side of the blade as he stepped back. The technician nodded.

"We were waiting for you," she told him as she stepped to the hilt of the sword. She pulled a pair of goggles out of her pocket and flipped a switch on the control panel at her end. Sesshoumaru extracted a pair of goggles from his breast pocket, then noticed that Kagome was still staring at the Tenseiga, her eyes unprotected. At the last moment Sesshoumaru grabbed her and turned her around, his hand firmly cradling the back of her head as he gently pushed her face into his shoulder. A bright flash went off moments later, then faded into a soft glow as the Tenseiga began to hum.

Sesshoumaru released Kagome as he removed his goggles. "Thanks," Kagome whispered as she turned around. Sesshoumaru nodded to the back of her head, watching with her and the rest of the technicians as the crystals along the blade lit up. One by one they came to life, finally stopping at the tip of the sword. Kagome stood stunned, the visual image of a sword dripping in blood burning in the back of her mind as the crystals turned a dark red.

The technicians cheered around them, startling Kagome out of her musings as Rei returned to them. "Finally," she whispered. Kagome smiled and placed her hand on the technician's shoulder.

"Congratulations." Rei smiled back. "Thanks."

"Now that that's over, my assistant and I must be off," Sesshoumaru said, ending the celebration as quickly as it begun. The technician nodded dejectedly, then followed along with eight other technicians to the outer hall.

"It really was great of you to come by for the instillation, Mr. Takamada," Rei said as they walked toward the elevator. "We were so thrilled when we received your email."

"What email?" Sesshoumaru asked offhandedly. He was watching the technicians around him. The gave him bad vibes for some reason.

Rei gazed up at him in confusion. "Why, the email you sent saying not to install it until your arrival."

"I sent no such email." Sesshoumaru finally stopped and glared at her as Kagome's hand fluttered unnoticed to her stomach.

"As a matter of fact, I received an email requesting my presence," Sesshoumaru told her as Kagome paled.

Rei seemed at a loss for words. "I don't know what to say. We never sent you an email. If you didn't send that email, then who did?"

"We did!" one of the technicians around them sneered. In an instant, Rei was unconscious and Kagome watched from the arms of three captives as four kidnappers disappeared with Sesshoumaru into the elevator.

-----

SF/Kagome/Sango: Eeeek! The suspense!

{::All the males grimace and grab their ears as the cloaked figure glares at the girls::}

Cloaked Figure: What is your problem?

Kagome: The way it ended! You're going to get flamed for sure SF!

SF/Cloaked Figure: Nu-uh!

Cloaked Figure: I had nothing to do with it!

{::everyone stares as SF and the cloaked figure glare at each other:: ::they suddenly hug, startling everyone as they start to bounce around::}

SF: Hey! When did you get here?

Cloaked Figure: Since chapter seven of 'Sango's Seduction'!

SF: Oh my God! This is so great!

Inu-chan: HEY! {::SF and the cloaked figure stop and stare at Inu-chan::}

SF: What?

Inu-chan: Who is that?

SF: {::jerks the hood off the cloaked figure's head. Dark hair spills out, revealing a male kitsune youkai a couple of years older than SF::} This is my cousin, and new muse, Silver Fox!

Chapter Seventeen: A Truce and A Slow Melting

"How are you?" "Still sane, thank you very much," he told her as he reached up. … "We were at a café and some bloke ran past us and jerked Inuyasha's suitcase from Katrina. He shoved her pretty good too. She has road rash like a sonofabitch."…"What are you doing?" "I'm not trying to seduce you, if that's what you're thinking."