InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Violation of Honor ❯ Explanations, Revelations, and a Nice Cup of Tea ( Chapter 23 )

Violation of Honor

By Rinseternalsoul

**Disclaimer: I can only dream of having the money that Rumiko Takahashi makes from her anime, Inuyasha. Me? I’m just a non-profit fanfiction author who adores the show and loves to write smut.

Chapter 23 - Explanations, Revelations, and a Nice Cup of Tea

A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews and a huge thank you to Risa for the wonderful Beta work!  

"Shippo-kun, try to calm down."

"How can I calm down when Kagome could be hurt...or...worse?" Shippo groaned and pulled his hands down over his face roughly, temporarily stretching his skin but doing little to soothe the inner ache of his soul. Kagome was like a mother to him. "It's all my fault!"

Rin put her hand on her hip and frowned at him. "Don't be silly. This is hardly your fault."

"Yes it is! I should have protected her better! Inuyasha was counting on me!"

"You have done everything possible to get her back. It wasn't your fault that she was abducted by a crazy daimyo. How could you have known what would happen?"

Shippo paced the clearing near Goshinboku with agitation and despair. He kept running stiff fingers through his thick mane of auburn hair causing it to stick out in a roguish manner. Rin thought it was somewhat cute, but she felt terrible that he was so upset.

"You don't understand, Rin. Inuyasha is going to KILL me!"

Ginta and Hakaku were both lounging beneath the shade of the huge god-tree, while watching the fox and human girl. They followed Shippo's movements as he stalked to and fro and were both in agreement with Shippo—Inuyasha was definitely going to kill him.

Ginta shifted apprehensively and looked at his brother. "You know, Kouga is going to be really pissed that we didn't find Kagome."

Hakaku nodded and nervously plucked at the hem of his fur-lined clothing. "You got that right. Shippo might not be the only one that gets killed for this."

"Damn..." Ginta groaned and flopped down to lie completely on his back. "If only we could have picked up her scent."

"We tried our best, so don't beat yourself up over it—I'm sure Kouga's going to do plenty of that for us both. Whoever she was with made damn sure no one could follow them. If there hadn't been so many other scents mingled in, we might have stood a chance. Hell, there must have been three-dozen others around there—human and demon. It was impossible to follow the right trail."

Ginta grunted and propped his leg up. "I thought that last one might have led us somewhere, but then the rain came."

"I know. That ruined our chances completely. I doubt Kouga is going to be very understanding." Hakaku added with a whine, "He is so going to kick our ass."

Shippo suddenly stopped mid-stride and a wide smile slid over his face. "I know! We can put up posters in the villages nearby. Maybe someone has spotted her."

"That's a stupid idea," Hakaku grumbled. "She was with a youkai when she escaped and I doubt whether he lives in a human village. Besides, most people around these parts can't even read."

"I could draw her picture!" Shippo exclaimed.

Rin flashed a bright, hopeful smile and asked, "Can you really? I didn't know that you could draw."

"Sure I can draw! Kagome used to bring me these things called ‘crayons’. They make really nice colors and they are easy to use."

An hour later, Shippo emerged from the hut that he shared with Kagome and Inuyasha while waving a piece of parchment over his head. Rin, Ginta and Hakaku jumped up from their perch and rushed to Shippo's side. Rin was excited about seeing Shippo's artwork. She thought it very romantic that he could draw. 'Maybe he could draw a picture of me,' Rin thought dreamily.

Shippo proudly held up his portrait of Kagome for all to see.

"Uh..."

"Umm..."

"Huh?"

The look on their faces was not exactly what he had expected to see. Hakaku looked confused, as Ginta seemly tried to suppress a laugh while Rin was as red as a beet. "What?" Shippo asked, before flipping his masterpiece back over for a quick glance. Everything seemed to be in order. No smudges and he stayed in the lines. "What?" he asked again with slight irritation.

Ginta and Hakaku took a step back, and then Ginta reached up to scratch the back of his neck nervously. Both of them turned to Rin, hoping that she would explain. Rin groaned inwardly and looked up toward the sky as if hoping for some divine intervention that would save her from the moment. She shuffled her feet and reached up to rub her temple. She opened her mouth to break it to Shippo...

"Where the fuck is Kagome?!"

Shippo's green eyes grew huge in his face as that familiar voice registered within his mind. Rin was sure that she could actually see the fox's heart migrate into his throat. All at once, the four of them looked up to see a very distressed Inuyasha glaring at them. The group's mutual ‘gulp’ of nervousness was even loud to Rin's human ears. She glanced to Shippo and whispered, "It was nice knowing you, Shippo-kun."

"Not helping," Shippo growled to Rin before facing his worst fear. "Ah...hi, Inuyasha. You...um...you're back early."

"No shit. Now answer my question. Where is Kagome?"

Shippo grimaced and tried to think of a delay tactic. He quickly turned to Rin and cheerfully said, "You remember Rin, don't you Inuyasha? And you haven't said hello to Ginta and Hakaku."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, glancing at the unlikely group shifting anxiously before him. He had to admit, he was a little shocked to see Sesshomaru's brat here in his village. He lifted his nose and sniffed the air just to make sure that he hadn't missed the scent of his asshole half-brother. 'Nope, not here.' Why the hell had Sesshomaru dumped his charge in his village?

There was also no hint of Kouga, which was odd considering Ginta and Hakaku never strayed far from that prick's ass. So why were the wolves here? Another mystery.

'Wait just a damn minute...' Inuyasha growled, and took a menacing step toward Shippo. He didn't fail to notice that the other three took several steps back. "Don't fucking try to change the subject, runt! Where the hell is Kagome?"

In a moment of lame inspiration, Shippo flipped the portrait of Kagome around and shook it at Inuyasha. "Ah... right here."

Inuyasha looked from the fox's jittery face down to the crayon drawing in his hands. One of his thick, dark eyebrows shot up in question before he shook his head. "What is that shit? Looks like your crayons took a dump all over that paper."

Shippo jerked from the comment and looked down at his beautiful drawing. 'Come to think of it, from upside down it looks a little like a volcano exploding. Uh-oh.' He looked up to find Inuyasha closing in.

Inuyasha snatched Shippo up by his collar and shook him one good time. He knew that something was going on and that the little runt was at the bottom of it.

"Inuyasha! Put Shippo down!"

Shippo glanced up from angry amber eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. Sango, Miroku, and Kirara were landing just behind Inuyasha. It had been a close call and now that they arrived he knew that they would not let Inuyasha kill him.

Inuyasha glared over his shoulder at Sango, and then shook Shippo one more time for good measure before dropping him onto his ass. "This twerp still hasn't told me where the hell Kagome is at!"

Miroku joined them, followed by Sango, who now had a miniature version of the firecat, Kirara, perched on her shoulder. "Now, Shippo," Miroku began, "Inuyasha has been worried sick about Kagome. We all have. So why don't you tell us what is going on."

Rin decided to step in at this point, figuring that Shippo could use some help. "Um...I think it might be best if everyone steps inside for a cup of tea while we explain."

"I knew it!" Inuyasha growled and took an ominous step toward Shippo once again.

Miroku's staff quickly intercepted Inuyasha's attempt to strangle Shippo. Thankfully, the jingle of its rings helped to stall the hanyou's violent intentions. "Come now, Inuyasha, I am sure that there is a plausible explanation to Kagome's absence. Let us retire to Kagome's minka where we can discuss this like civilized beings."

Sango glanced quickly to Miroku, wondering when any of them had turned civilized, but managed to hold in the question. She reached out and grasped Shippo's arm and helped him up. Shippo dusted off his hakama and Rin picked a dead leaf from his hair. Sango had to admit that she was almost as curious about the reason Sesshomaru's ward was present as she was about where Kagome might be.

They entered Kagome's rustic, but cozy, home and settled down while Rin busied herself making a pot of tea with the comfortable ease of someone who had done so numerous times in familiar surroundings. 'How long has she been staying here,' Sango wondered, but her attention was quickly drawn to Shippo when he began telling them his incredible tale.

Sango listened with growing anxiety as Shippo told them of Oda Nobunaga kidnapping their friend. Her heart nearly stalled when Shippo relayed how he was struck from behind and left to die in the forest. Unfortunately, the situation only worsened when he nervously told them about discovering that Kagome had been injured in an explosion. She took a quick glance at Inuyasha and felt her skin crawl. He was sitting as stiff as a board and clenching his hands tightly. Although he was listening to every word, she could tell that he wanted to snatch Shippo up and demand that he get to the point.

Sango should have heeded her instincts because suddenly as fast as the human eye could see, Inuyasha had Shippo flat on the floor while he snarled in his face. "So you fucked up and let Kagome get kidnapped?" Inuyasha growled low and dangerously, then his voice began to raise an octave with each word spat between his lips. "Okay...fine...now answer my gods-be-damned question! Where in the FUCK is Kagome?"

"We have no idea."

Inuyasha heard the voice of an unknown male, but until then he had not noticed a foreign scent. The surprise of it was almost enough to make him overlook the comment. His first reaction was to sniff the air before looking around with curious narrowed eyes. "Who said..." his words trailed off when he spotted the tiny dragon that sat perched upon the doorframe while fluttering fairy-like wings. "What the hell?"

"Oh, that's just Shin," Rin supplied. "He's my friend."

"B...But...," Inuyasha stuttered, then decided that it really didn't matter. Sesshomaru always did have a weird thing for dragons. Not too surprising that it rubbed off on the kid. He shook his head of the unasked questions; such as, why the damn thing could talk and why it sounded like a grown man? Instead he focused on the important part of this particular revelation. "Never mind. Just tell me why none of you know where Kagome is!"

"Shippo," Miroku interjected, "perhaps you could tell us where you lost Kagome's scent."

Shippo told them about the castle and his decision to go and ask Kouga for help. Ginta and Hakaku stuck their heads into the hut at the sound of their names, but when Inuyasha threw a wasabi root at them, they withdrew very fast. The fox went on to tell Inuyasha about their decision to send Shin into the castle to discover what he could. It was there that Inuyasha began to again grow irate.

"You mean she just disappeared? You trusted those two goons to sniff her out? Are you crazy?"

"Calm down, Inuyasha," Sango impatiently snapped. "This isn't helping. Shippo did the best that he could with what he had to work with. He couldn't just run off chasing every scent around the castle while he had Rin to look after."

The mention of Rin gained the attention of everyone currently in the room. Sango cocked her head sideways, allowing her curiosity to get the better of her for a moment. "Rin, why are you here, anyway? Where is Lord Sesshomaru?"

"Ah, who cares," Inuyasha grunted obnoxiously.

"No, Inuyasha," Miroku said. "I would like to hear the answer to this question as well."

Rin turned rather sad then. Shippo hated to see her pretty smile wither into a frown. Her big brown eyes became dulled with worry and she nervously picked at the hem of her sleeve before answering. "Sesshomaru-sama went away and never came back. He left Master Jaken and I at our camp one afternoon. We began to worry for him when he did not return for several days. Master Jaken decided to return to the Western Citadel hoping that Lord Sesshomaru would meet us there. Unfortunately, he did not.

"It was nearly one week after we returned home that an army of soldiers moved in and laid siege to the Citadel. Master Jaken was really upset because the army was vast and consisted of both human and youkai warriors. When the enemy began attacking the great wall with powerful blasts of energy, Master Jaken made me saddle Ah-Un and come straight here to Inuyasha." She left off Jaken's personal opinion of Inuyasha's skills, deciding it would be best not to goad the already angry half-demon.

"An army of human and youkai?" Miroku asked curiously.

"Could it be the same lord of the castle that is attacking Sesshomaru's citadel?" Sango chimed in on the same thought as Miroku.

"It is rather unique for an army to consist of both youkai and humans," Miroku replied. "I am beginning to think that the two could very well be connected.

Inuyasha was growing highly impatient with this line of thinking. He didn't give a royal fuck about Sesshomaru and his problems. He had a missing miko on his hands. Didn't they realize that they were wasting time that could be used to search for Kagome? He jumped up from his sitting position and balled his fist up furiously, ready to strangle them all. Suddenly a commotion from outside the hut gained his attention. He roughly slid the door open and stepped outside, followed by the remainder of the group.

Just outside, Ginta and Hakaku held a dangling human male in their hands. The man's feet kicked fretfully against the air as he struggled to pull his haori from Ginta's grasp. He was frantically waving a scroll while muttering something about an important message from someone that he called ‘Lady Saya’.

Inuyasha wasn't very good with reading and shit like that so he let Miroku handle it. He watched Miroku put out his hands in a placating manner and urged the two idiot wolves to put down the messenger. Ginta dropped the pathetic mortal to the ground, and Miroku quickly bowed and offered an apology for their behavior. Personally, he wouldn't have bothered with the apology, but Miroku was always doing stuff like that.

The messenger nodded nervously and scurried to his feet before backing away from them with repeated bows. Inuyasha figured that the guy was probably pissing his pants and undoubtedly ready to get the hell away from them. That suited him fine. Since he didn't care for strangers lingering around his territory, he hoped the baka put a move on.

After retrieving the message, they re-entered Kagome's home to finish their discussion and read the scroll. After Miroku settled down, he unrolled the rice paper and held it over his lap. "It says here that Kagome is staying in the village of YoKaishi at an esteemed kimono maker's shop. It says to ask for someone named Saya." Miroku then rolled up the scroll and tucked it into his robes. Beside him, he could hear Sango's sigh of relief, but Shippo seemed the most affected by the news. He fell to his back, hitting the hard floor with an audible "thump", and stared at the ceiling with visible relief on his young face.

Amazingly, Rin suddenly dropped down beside their fox friend and placed her hand comfortingly on his arm. Miroku noticed that the warm, rather intimate, gesture did not go unnoticed by Sango either. She tossed a questioning glance his way and he shrugged his shoulders. The monk had no idea what was going on between those two, but it was obvious that they had become very close in the time that they had been gone.

Inuyasha couldn't care less what was going on with Rin and Shippo. He had heard all that he needed to know and quickly jumped to his bare feet. "I'm going to get Kagome back!"

Sango held out her hand as if to stop him, but Miroku reached out and gently intercepted the gesture. She looked up at him and he shook his head negatively. It was useless to try and make Inuyasha wait. The half-demon didn't care if he had provisions, and he would not take the time to let them gather anything and accompany him. Inuyasha had been on pins and needles from the moment that he sensed something had gone wrong with Kagome. Now that Inuyasha knew where to find her, nothing would stand in his way of reaching her.

Shippo jumped up before Inuyasha could make it out of the doorway. "I'm going with you!"

Inuyasha stopped in his tracks and sent a chilling glare toward Shippo, which successfully withered the young fox's sudden determination to tag along. Miroku sighed heavily and decided to save Shippo from another bruising. "Shippo, perhaps it would be best if you stayed and kept Rin company while Inuyasha is gone." Once he had Shippo's attention, he gave him ‘the look’, which silently relayed the command to stand down.

Shippo's face fell in disappointment for only a moment before he suddenly turned to Rin and gave her a broad smile. "Maybe you are right, Miroku. Besides, I would much rather look at Rin than Inuyasha's ugly mug any day." This shameless comment caused a lovely pink blush to sweep over the girl's cheeks. She smiled shyly and then Shippo grabbed her hand and pulled her outside.

Miroku turned to Sango and found his beautiful demon slayer focused on the empty doorway with a look of bewilderment. She then turned to him and shook her head as if it were entirely his fault. "What did I do?" Miroku asked.

"He's acting just like you! You should be ashamed."

"Why, my dear Sango, whatever do you mean?" He then took the opportunity to lean in and slyly slip a hand around to grasp a firm handful of her sweet, sweet ass.

The forgotten Shin sat perched just above the doorway, silently watching, when the very sexy woman dressed all in black suddenly reared back and slapped the hell out of the monk. The man took the blow full across the left side of his face, sending him rolling over. Amazingly, the fool rubbed the bright red handprint on his cheek with a look of dreamy adoration in his eyes. Obviously the monk had a strange affinity for pain. The dragon swiftly determined that his stay here could turn out more interesting than he had first thought.

Inuyasha ran through the forest, taking the shortest path to YoKaishi. He leaped into the trees, taking one branch after another with blinding speed, using the limbs to scale a shallow river crossing before traversing a rocky incline. He barely noticed the beautiful scenery as he rushed toward the village that harbored his missing miko.

He felt a sense of relief as well as terror that something so unexpected and dangerous had befallen Kagome while he was far out of reach. It was his job to protect her, and he felt like a failure. The logical part of his brain knew there was no way that he could have been in two places at once, but the part of him that was pack leader and protector was appalled that Kagome could have been killed while he was off fighting ogres so far away.

She was the glue that held them together. She was the peacemaker and the spark. Kagome was tears, joy, and all the emotions that he never allowed anyone to see within himself. Her death would have been his worst fear made real. It would have broken him, and he was sure there would never have been a recovery within sight.

Though he had once felt a great devotion and love for Kikyo, it paled in comparison to his feelings for Kagome. He and Kikyo were new to such things and inexperienced in the art of love. He had been a rouge hanyou that nobody else cared for one way or the other. With Kagome, he developed into a powerful warrior, respected and feared. Kagome forced him to grow beyond the boundaries that had held him caged within himself. Her spunk, persistence and unfettered loyalty gave him the strength to become something more.

They had grown together. She was a part of him.

He never should have left her behind. The damn villagers would just have to get over it next time. Kagome was coming with him and that was final. Those humans could take care of their damned selves for a change.

Inuyasha thought about Shippo and felt a small stab of guilt for going so hard on him. The fox was just a kid, after all. He shouldn't expect miracles where Shippo was concerned. It wasn't long ago the little runt was scared of his own shadow. Inuyasha had to admit that the boy had shown some backbone going after Kagome and even battling a witch to rescue Rin. Of course, he would never let on that he felt that way. That just wasn't his style. In fact, guilt was a new concept to him in recent years, and it was still something that he was struggling to get used to. He owed that to Kagome, too. He never used to feel guilty about anything.

Thinking about Shippo saving Rin shifted his mind toward Sesshomaru. Odd that the bastard had disappeared. If what the kid said was true about an army attacking the Western Citadel, then the land of their ancestors could have already fallen. Did he care? 'Keh, whatever.' Why should he give a damn about some place he had never even seen?

It took him nearly five hours to reach the outskirts of the village. He stopped for a moment and surveyed his surroundings carefully. The first thing that he noticed was the mingling of youkai and humans with seemingly little intolerance. That was unusual and it made him wonder when such tolerance had come about. Just four years ago, there was no such place in existence. Youkai and humans were like oil and water. They just didn't mix. So why now?

Could it have been the Shikon jewel?

Kagome's wish for a future where youkai and humans were able to co-exist had to begin somewhere, right? Was this place the beginning of a new world?

Inuyasha shrugged, deciding that he didn't really care either way. He had his own life and responsibilities and he took it one day at a time. To him this place was just like any other—full of potential enemies. He trusted few people. One of them was Kagome and he was very close to getting her back. He sniffed and felt the familiar increase of his heartbeat whenever Kagome was near. He could smell her unique scent, even through the dozens of others, and quickly jumped from the tree to follow his nose. Within seconds, he stood outside the large rambling establishment of the village kimono maker.

Kagome's scent was strong here, and he knew without a doubt that she was inside. With a heavy hand, Inuyasha slid open the mostly wooden shoji door and entered the nearly empty room within. He followed the scent of his friend through a hallway that led to a room filled with noise. There were many women on the opposite side of the rice paper door, and they all seemed to be talking at once. Without a thought about waiting for an invitation, Inuyasha slammed the thin shoji door open.

All work within the sewing chamber came to a halt as over a dozen women turned wide frightened eyes toward the intruder.

"Youkai!"

The mass of feminine screams not only bruised his ears, but made Inuyasha re-think his idea concerning this village and their tolerance to youkai. Obviously the tolerance only went so far. He spotted Kagome on the far side of the room and shouted, "Kagome!"

Kagome had been practicing her pathetic silk spinning skills when someone yelled ‘youkai’. She was on the verge of calling forth her powers to protect them all when a familiar and much loved voice shouted her name above the noise. With a brilliant smile, Kagome leaped to her feet and shouted, "Inuyasha!" She held out her arms and took a tentative step forward, but that was as far as she was able to get before he enveloped her in his strong, beloved arms.

Kagome squealed with happiness as Inuyasha swung her around in a circle while holding her safe and tight. It felt like a lifetime had passed since she heard his voice and smelled his familiar masculine scent in her nose. His long silver hair tickled her face as she laughed out with the joy in her heart. She had not realized how very deeply she had missed him.

"God, Kagome, I was so worried," Inuyasha breathed beside her ear. He then pushed her away and looked her over for any sign of injury. "Are you hurt? Are you okay?" He then yanked her back into his arms and hugged her close again. He inhaled her fresh scent and sighed with relief. She looked well. She smelled well. Finally he could relax again.

"Kagome?"

Inuyasha pulled his face out of Kagome's hair and looked at the woman standing somewhat hesitantly by her side. His heart did a strange little flip in his chest and he automatically sniffed to catch her scent. It was nice... more than nice; its heady combination of innocence and strength was something he could not simply ignore. She wasn't beautiful like Kikyo, and she appeared more delicate than Kagome, but there was something in the way she held herself that captured his attention.

"It's okay, Saya, this is my best friend, Inuyasha. He won't hurt you. He's a little rude, but practically house trained."

Ignoring the remark concerning his manners, Inuyasha released Kagome and watched silently as she reached out with an unsure hand toward the girl that she had called 'Saya'.

'Saya...' It was a nice name. Inuyasha liked the way it sounded. She was petite with short choppy hair that accented her high cheekbones and a gentle smile. She had pink lips that reminded him of the masses of spirea flowers that bloomed near his childhood home. There was a small, obscure mark near the corner of her lips, which seemed to accent her subtle beauty. For some reason he wanted to explore it further. The urge was so foreign and unexpected that he actually took a step backward until his heal bumped against a loom.

Inuyasha intentionally looked away from that tiny little mole only to be captured by huge eyes that were the darkest shade of brown he had ever seen. In fact, they were so dark that he could not even detect the pupil within. Oddly enough during his silent inspection, she didn't seem to focus on him at all. Not one glance at his doggy ears or even a wary glare at his sword. Immediately, he realized that she did not notice these things because she could not see.

Saya was blind.

Then he noticed that Kagome was acting a little strangely as well. He turned from the pretty woman and focused on his longtime friend. She was conversing with Saya, telling her some nonsense about the first time they had met, but she wasn't actually looking 'at' Saya. She was turned just slightly and her beautiful blue eyes seemed...unfocused.

'What the hell is going on?'

Kagome had been filling Saya in on the years that she and Inuyasha had been companions when he suddenly reached out and jerked her around to face him. She gasped at the unexpected gesture and was about to ask what was bugging him when she got her answer.

"Kagome, what the hell is wrong with your eyes?"

Kagome fidgeted for a second. She had hoped all along to miraculously be cured of her ailment before Inuyasha could ever find out. He was so over-protective that he would only blame himself for what happened and she did not want that. It wasn't his fault at all, but it was just like him to do that. "Uh...huh, well, you see..."

"Quit stalling, damn it! Are you blind or not?"

Kagome turned her eyes down and answered him. "Yes."

Before pulling her firmly into his arms, Inuyasha groaned, " Oh Kami…Kagome", as if he could protect her from life itself.

"Her sight is coming back, Inuyasha... unlike mine ever will."

Inuyasha looked up from Kagome's neck where he had buried his sudden grief. "It is?"

Kagome pushed him back with a sad little laugh. "That is what I was trying to say before you smothered me."

A flood of relief nearly sent him to his knees. Inuyasha shook his head from the devastating news and allowed hope to fill him. "You swear?"

"I promise, Inuyasha. It is taking some time to heal, but it is getting better every day. Soon I will be as good as new."

"Keh. I wasn't worried."

Kagome and Saya both hid knowing smiles behind a rather inconspicuous cough. Kagome smiled and said, "I'm glad." She then thought of all the things that she wanted to ask him, but the most important was about Shippo. "Inuyasha, have you seen Shippo? Is he okay?"

"The runt's fine. He's back at the village showing off for his new girlfriend."

Kagome was about to ask what he meant when a sudden shout from the doorway captured her attention.

"Demon! I demand that you leave here at once!"

Inuyasha turned around to find a tall, wiry looking old man shaking his fist and waving a huge pair of scissors like some kind of weapon. He nearly laughed until Saya suddenly ran toward the old man, reaching out as if to calm him.

"Please uncle, this man is Kagome-sama's friend."

She was unable to say more because the old geezer, smelling of too much saké and slow bodily deterioration, reached out and slapped her to the ground. Saya had not even hit the floor before Inuyasha lunged from Kagome's side to grab a handful of the bastard's shirt with a growl. He lifted the old fart until his feet were dangling high above the floor, then shook him so hard that he dropped the scissors and wet his pants.

"Don't kill me! Please! I beg of you!"

Kagome rushed to stop Inuyasha, but stumbled over the outstretched leg of Saya. She felt her way to Saya's arm and pulled her into her arms while her friend softly cried. Though Saya was upset, Kagome could not forget Inuyasha who seemed to be ready to rip Saya's uncle a new one. She quickly called out to him before he did something that they would all regret.

"Inuyasha! You have to let him go!"

Inuyasha was being stubborn when he answered, "Why the hell should I? This old bag of shit just struck a defenseless girl."

"Please, Inuyasha," Saya spoke up. She wiped away the last stray tear and pushed out of Kagome's arms to stand up. "He is my uncle. I beg of you not to harm him."

Inuyasha released a snort of disgust and dropped the wretch to the wooden floor. "You should be ashamed of yourself, old man. If you want to pick on somebody, then pick on me. But I'll warn you, I bite back."

He turned and walked over to a slightly shaken, yet recovering Saya. It did not slip his notice that she seemed accustomed to such treatment and that turned his stomach. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Saya nodded her head a couple of times. "H...hai. Thank you."

"No problem," Inuyasha then turned a meaningful glare on the old man and growled through clenched teeth, "anytime. And I mean, any time. You got that, old man? If I hear of you putting your hands on this girl again, I'll be back for you and you won't like what I do to you one bit."

Saya's uncle didn't even respond. He stumbled to his feet and ran off down the hall.

"Are you sure you are okay, Saya?" Kagome asked with concern. She could feel the slight tremble in her friend's hands and patted them comfortingly, but Kagome didn't call attention to it because she knew that Saya was trying to put up a brave front.

"Thank you, Kagome-sama. I am fine now. I would like to apologize to you and Inuyasha for how my uncle acted."

"You shouldn't apologize for that jerk," Kagome snapped. "It isn't your fault he acts like that."

Saya was a little embarrassed about what had happened, especially since it happened in front of Kagome's friend. She had been enjoying the chance to meet him until her uncle ruined it. Inuyasha had a nice voice and a certain presence that made her feel a little excited for some reason that she couldn't understand.

When Inuyasha had rushed to her rescue, Saya could hardly believe it was happening. No one had come to her rescue since her father had passed away. Although Saya was surrounded by family members, she had always been somewhat of an outsider whether because of her blindness or because her cousins felt uncomfortable with her former position in their new home. She had begun to fret that she would spend the rest of her days as a shadow that everyone seemed to see, but always avoid. With the arrival of Kagome, her life began to illuminate, and with the appearance of Inuyasha she had found a hero.

Inuyasha blushed from the tips of his toes to the top of his head when Saya turned a blindingly perfect smile to him. Though her dark eyes were unseeing, they glittered with light. A faint shade of pink blushed over her cheeks and the whole effect was enough to make him feel like someone had just squeezed the air from his lungs. Where he had recently thought her pretty but not beautiful, Inuyasha was now forced to admit the truth. She was beyond beautiful. Saya was positively radiant.

And that scared the crap out of him.

"Let's go, Kagome."

Kagome wasn't sure what was going on with Inuyasha, but she figured that he was still mad about the way Saya's uncle had treated him and then abused Saya. Inuyasha would rather have his liver pulled out than admit that he was a real softy at heart. He hated to see anyone hurt someone that he considered vulnerable.

Though she hated to leave Saya like this, she doubted Inuyasha would change his mind. With a sigh of acceptance, she said, "Okay, Inuyasha. Just give me a minute to say good-bye."

Kagome hugged Saya tightly and thanked her for all that she had helped her through. "I promise to come visit as soon as I can."

"That would be wonderful, Kagome-sama." She then turned a shy glance to Inuyasha and added, "You are welcome to come, too."

"Feh." Inuyasha mumbled. He was glad that neither of them could see how red he was. It was probably all the way to the tips of his ears by now.

He grabbed Kagome's arm and pulled her around, then he squatted for her to climb on. Kagome had a little bit of difficulty scaling his back with the fancy kimono she wore. Inuyasha was beginning to get annoyed until she hiked it up, flashing an indecent amount of leg, and settled into the familiar traveling position. "Where did you get that thing anyway? It looks expensive."

Kagome sighed heavily, reveling in the feel of her dear friend and his close comfort. "It's a long story, Inuyasha and to tell you the truth, I'd rather not talk about it right now. I just want to go home."

"Fine by me. Hang on!" It was the last words that Inuyasha said for several hours. Kagome gripped his back with slender legs and arms, enjoying the wind whipping through her hair and the smells of the forest. It was hard to believe that she was finally making her way back to her friends.

All too soon, nightfall approached and Inuyasha decided that they should stop for the night. He kept his course until he spotted a suitable spot near a small stream of fresh water with several heavy canopied trees overhead. "We'll make camp here for the night and get a fresh start at daybreak."

Kagome slid from his back with a groan. Her poor legs were stiff and her arms burned from holding on for so long. She pushed her back up straight and stretched out the burn.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Kagome stopped mid-stretch and turned to him with a frown. "What? This? Oh, well, I guess I'm just a little out of practice. It's been a while since I traveled so far on your back."

Inuyasha 'harrumphed' then reached out to take her arm. She felt so small and delicate. It was obvious that she had lost a lot of weight and her new blindness made him a little nervous. "Can you see at all?"

Kagome laughed softly. Inuyasha wasn't one to mince words. "Yes. I can see different degrees of darkness and light, large shapes too, but not clearly. Everything is very fuzzy and smaller things that are close in color blend into the background. It's really irritating," she added with a grumble.

Inuyasha led her to a nice spot covered in freshly fallen leaves. They crackled beneath their feet and when she lowered herself to sit down, she was fairly comfortable but a little cold. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. "Can you build a fire for us, Inuyasha? I would do it, but I can't see to find the wood. My sight is even worse when the sun starts going down. I can't make out much of anything unless it is against a brighter background."

'Uh-oh...' Inuyasha fidgeted uncomfortably. He knew he had forgotten something. He had rushed out of the village to retrieve Kagome without anything save Tetsusaiga strapped to his side. "Um... Kagome? You're not going to like this, but I don't have anything to build a fire with."

Kagome was a little disappointed to hear that, but she shrugged it off. "That's okay. Maybe you could just lay out my sleeping blankets?" It was times like this that she really missed her old sleeping bag. Unfortunately, it had given up the ghost a long time ago. A nasty little mouse decided that it would make the perfect bed for its family during storage in the supply hut behind her feudal era home.

Inuyasha winced and scratched nervously behind his ear. "Well, I would, except that I don't have them."

Kagome was beginning to suspect that Inuyasha had been rash in leaving without any provisions. Before she could say anything, her stomach growled; and since the sound was pretty loud, she couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed. "That's okay I guess. I'll make do, but I am a little hungry. What did you bring to eat?"

Inuyasha twisted his toe nervously because a hungry Kagome meant an unpleasant Kagome. He inched away from her slowly before finally saying, "Uh...funny that you mention that..."

"Inuyasha," Kagome growled in irritation. "Don't tell me that you didn't bring any food either!"

With a whimper of frustration, Inuyasha answered her. "No."

"Osuwari!"

Due to the subjugation beads worn around his neck, Inuyasha's face hit the ground. Thankfully the thick layer of leaves saved him from an extremely painful landing. He grunted, nevertheless, as he accidentally inhaled a large dose of rotting foliage and fungus spores. He sneezed and pushed himself up before rubbing his sleeve over his itchy nose. "Damn it, Kagome, why'd you do that?"

"You know why, Inuyasha! You dragged me away from a nice warm room with delicious food to rough it out here in the wilderness without one thing to eat or so much as a blanket to keep out the cold. I'm only human you know. It would have been nice if you had thought about that first."

Inuyasha felt a little bad about the situation, so he apologized. It wasn't something that he did very often, so it kind of stuck in his throat when he had to say it. "Sorry."

Kagome sighed and sat back down. There was no use in holding a grudge. There wasn't anything that they could do about it now. "It's okay. Hey, at least the ground is nice and soft."

Inuyasha sneezed one more time and started to mention that it stunk but decided against it. Instead, he offered to go see if he could gather some nuts or something to help stave off her hunger. He would have offered to catch her a fish, but Kagome seemed to have this thing against eating it raw. She didn't care for the fresh water fish unless they were cooked.

He wasn't gone long because he refused to go far from her side when she was completely vulnerable to attack in her current state. Unfortunately, there weren't any trees in the immediate area that bore nuts or late season fruit. He returned to Kagome empty handed and felt like a real jerk for being the reason that she would go hungry.

Typical of Kagome, however, he was forgiven. She waved it away and told him to sit down and rest. Normally he would have hopped up into one of the large overhead branches to catch a light sleep, but he knew Kagome was cold so he took off his fire-rat haori and wrapped it around her before settling down close by her side.

She thanked him for the offer of his robe, and he grunted his acknowledgement. "I'm really sorry I couldn't find you anything to eat."

Kagome leaned her head against his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her to help keep her comfortable and warm. It felt good to hold her again after fearing for her safety and life for so long. For a while there, he was scared to death that she would be out of his reach forever. He couldn't get back to the village fast enough. His legs wouldn't move quickly enough. All he could think about was Kagome being in trouble and he was not there to help her.

"I'll live. Besides, after the dungeon, I'm used to going without food."

Inuyasha stiffened from her words. He turned worried amber eyes on her. "You were starved?"

Kagome gave a half-hearted, sad little chuckle. "Among other things."

Inuyasha suddenly grasped her shoulders and asked, "Did they hurt you, Kagome? You can tell me."

Kagome leaned forward and kissed Inuyasha's cheek softly, but her poor sight made her miss and she hit the corner of his nose instead. "Thank you, Inuyasha. Don't worry though, they didn't hurt me while I was in there." From there she went on to tell him her story of being tossed into the dungeon. She told him about how frightened she had first been of the youkai sharing her cell, and of Uchuu the snow monkey. She told him about the water girl named Chisumi and how she, ultimately, made it possible for them to escape. Inuyasha listened silently, but she could tell he was deeply disturbed by her words.

During her summary, Kagome was careful not to reveal everything about her experience. Some things were too personal; too private. Inuyasha would not understand the close bond that had formed between her and the youkai no matter how much she attempted to explain. He certainly would not understand if he knew that she had given her virginity to the silent demon that had shared her cell.

When she mentioned that the youkai had purchased her kimono, Inuyasha acted a little strange. She wished that she could see his features, then she could possibly tell what he was thinking. As it was, she could only guess. When he leaned in a little too close and began sniffing her, Kagome shoved him away. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Inuyasha snapped. He didn't say anything to Kagome about it, but there were a few things in her story that made him uneasy. The youkai that she mentioned had gone out of his way to care for her, and he didn't like that one bit. Whoever the hell he was had been secretive for a reason. The youkai was hiding something, and he had used Kagome's weakness for his own purpose. It rubbed him wrong for some reason. The guy wouldn't even tell her his name, but he rescued her risking his own neck to get her out of there. Then he even paid for that fancy-smancy kimono that she was wearing? What was the bastard up too?

The fucked up thing about it was that he couldn't get a whiff of the guy's scent. Obviously Kagome had bathed and the kimono smelled clean too. He noticed then that some of the colors had faded and bled onto the white background confirming his suspicion that it had been wet at some point. 'Damn.' It bugged him that he couldn't figure out who the youkai was and there were no clues left behind.

Finally he relaxed and leaned against the trunk of the tree at their back. Kagome settled into his arms, and he pulled his haori tighter around her shoulders. "Keh. I'm just glad that you are alright."

"Oh, Inuyasha," Kagome sighed. "I missed you, too."

The next morning came all too soon, but Kagome was more than happy to be up and on their way. Her stomach was gnawing through itself, and she would have killed for a cup of tea. After washing her face and scrubbing her teeth with the frayed end of a twig, Kagome climbed onto Inuyasha's back and they headed for home.

In only two hours, they entered the village and Kagome could hear distant cheers of welcome from the villagers hard at work in their fields. She waved in their direction and smiled, knowing that they must have been very worried about her since she had been gone. After Inuyasha stopped, she slid from his back. Nearly before her feet hit the dirt, a fast moving shadow proceeded to shout her name.

Inuyasha held out his hand and grabbed the back of Shippo's haori, snatching the boy's feet from the ground mid-lunge. "Hold on there runt!"

"Kagome! Oh Gods! I was so worried!"

"I'm fine, Shippo," Kagome laughed, but Inuyasha pulled Shippo up so that he could see him shake his head. Shippo's brows drew together curiously and he glanced to Kagome who looked okay to him. Inuyasha shook him once and then with his free hand he pointed to his eyes before glancing back to Kagome.

Shippo's green eyes grew huge on his face as he realized what Inuyasha was trying to tell him. He shrugged out of the half-demon's grasp and approached Kagome with growing concern. He was focused on her beautiful blue eyes, but they didn't focus back on him. She seemed to be following him, but not sure where his eyes were. Something was definitely wrong.

She might be blind, but she was far from stupid. Kagome knew that Inuyasha had pointed out her new disability and it ticked her off, but she could hardly complain. It wasn't like Shippo wouldn't have noticed it sooner or later. "Really, Shippo, I'm fine. I'm just having a little problem with my eyesight for now. It is clearing up, so don't worry. Like I told Inuyasha..." she tossed the hanyou a glare, "I will be back to normal soon."

Shippo released a breath of relief and pulled Kagome into a huge hug that nearly crushed her lungs. "Oh Kagome, I am so sorry. This is all my fault!"

Kagome grabbed his shoulders and leaned down to approximately his height. With a stern voice, she set him straight. "No, Shippo. This is not your fault. It is no ones fault. One thing lead to another and the accident was just that, an accident. You can hardly blame yourself for what happened. In fact, I've been worried sick about you! The last time that I saw you was in the forest, and I was so afraid that you were...were..." She couldn't say it! The tears began to flow and she hugged him to her. "Oh Shippo! I love you so much!"

Shippo turned five shades of red from the open display of emotion. Inuyasha's snickering from the side didn't help matters either. He was glad that Rin wasn't there to witness the whole emotional display, but the sounds of running feet alerted him to the approach of Sango and Miroku.

"Meow!"

Kagome laughed at Kirara's greeting and held out her arms for Sango who leapt into the embrace. They both laughed through tears of joy while Miroku watched from the sidelines with happiness and a small amount of envy. He would have loved to join in that hug.

The group returned to the hut and Rin met them at the door with a smile. "I made tea!"

Kagome blinked a couple of times and tried to place the voice. Shippo noticed her confusion and offered her the answer. "That's Rin! She's staying with us for a while." Kagome's confusion of the voice turned into confusion over why Rin was in her hut, but the offer of tea was too tempting to put off for one more minute. "I would love some tea, Rin! Thank you! By the way, is there anything to eat? I'm starved."

With Kagome safely back in the care of Inuyasha, Ginta and Hakaku said their good-bye's and returned to report the good news to Kouga. Kagome ate until she felt like she would pop while telling her friends about her adventure. Everyone was concerned about the alliance between Oda Nobunaga and the demoness named Asuza, but they decided to wait until Kagome was well and able to fight before going after the demoness and her minions.

Kagome was surprised when the tiny dragon fluttered down to get a good look at her. She nearly swatted him against the wall when she heard the fast beat of his wings near her ear. Rin only laughed when Kagome thought that it was a bug, then quickly explained Shin's presence. When he spoke, however, Kagome gasped in shock. "Why, you sound like a full grown male!"

"I am a full grown male," Shin replied arrogantly.

"You know what I mean," Kagome grumbled.

"I was once human if that is what you mean. An evil witch turned me into a pixie dragon using black magic."

"You must have really pissed her off," Inuyasha cynically added.

"He did," Rin agreed, missing the insinuation that the little twerp was getting on the half-demon's nerves. Inuyasha smirked and closed his eyes as if he didn't care one whit about the dragon's misfortune, but he was listening when Rin explained the circumstances that led up to Shin's current state.

"Just because he did not like her, she turned him into a small dragon. Why, he can't even produce a flame unless he is very, very angry."

Shin was appalled that Rin had told his embarrassing secret, and immediately his scales began to flush pink. To add insult to injury, the fox started laughing at him, and the half-breed dog joined in. Rin scolded them thoroughly and snatched him from the air to tuck him into the folds of her kimono. He stuck his head out from the warm spot between her budding breasts and gave the fox a devilish dragon sized smirk. Shippo growled at him in return, but before the situation could escalate, the door to Kagome's home was shoved open and a panting Oichi pushed her way in.

"Kagome-sama!"

Kagome barely had a chance to brace herself before her apprentice barreled into her arms. They both laughed out with happiness to be together again. Oichi hugged her tightly then plopped down beside of her. "Kagome-sama! It has been terrible since you have been away! We all thought for sure that you were dead."

Kagome choked on a chuckle and shook her head. "Thankfully, Oichi, I am still very much alive. Unfortunately though, there was an accident and I was temporarily blinded." She turned serious and placed her hands over Oichi's. "There is little that I can do to help the villagers in this state. They are depending on you to be my eyes until I am better."

Oichi's young spine stiffened in understanding. "Hai, Kagome-sama, you can count on me. I will do my very best to make you proud."

Kagome smiled. "I know that you will."  

Sesshomaru awoke to the frightful sound of Jaken muttering near his ear. Obviously the kappa was distressed over the demolished statue as well as the fact that his lord was sleeping in the floor instead of his comfortable bed. Sesshomaru ran a hand over his face and into his hair before sitting up. "Enough, Jaken."

Jaken went completely quiet, and Sesshomaru was thankful for that. The night had not been as restful as he had hoped. He was plagued by nightmares that resulted in several trembling episodes of wakefulness. 'Gods... what has become of me?' He was hardly the fearsome demon prince that he once was. He felt more like an awkward child trapped in a killer's body.

With a heavy sigh he tossed the furs off and began his day. There was much to do and Jaken was invaluable with his organizational skills, though Sesshomaru would never compliment him on the fact. It would simply lead to an embarrassing display of foot kissing and hero worship.

After a welcome bath in a large tub of steaming water, Sesshomaru slipped into his signature white hakama and matching kimono trimmed in red. He donned a spare suit of armor and a sword that he had often used in his youth was slipped into his obi. He felt a little naked without his mokomoko-sama, but the fur boa had been taken along with Tenseiga upon his capture. He hoped to one day retrieve his belongings, but now was not the time to dwell on their loss.

After a meal of succulent raw meats, lightly marinated in delicate soy flavored sauce, he met with his counsel. The meeting turned heated on several accounts, but he stood his ground and enforced his dominance. There were numerous political nuances that had to be dealt with as well the reconstruction efforts, but the most pressing concern was the recruitment of new soldiers.

He intended to take a walk through the domestic and trade zones to assess the damage there as well as reinforce his presence and status amongst his people. It was decided that he would end the tour with a call for volunteers to join his forces. Young warriors would be recruited and trained, but they would also consider more experienced soldiers from outside of the citadel.

Sesshomaru hated to go outside for his warriors as more often than not they were mercenaries for hire and only loyal to the highest bidder. Even in the case of coin, one could not fully trust them because they could be assassins looking for a means to get close to him. He knew all about the duty of an assassin, for he had been one in his younger days. They were a lethal breed that killed for money, power and sometimes for fame. A hired killer would make quite a name for himself by defeating the 'Killing Perfection'.

Jaken followed his lord out of the castle and into the courtyard as they made their way to the village proper. His mind was full of plans and details that needed his attention as well as that of his lord, but there was also something of a more personal nature plaguing him. Lord Sesshomaru was not himself. There was something different about him, which Jaken could not quite identify. It went far beyond the additional stress of recovery from the recent attacks. His lord was often distracted, and there seemed to be a hesitancy that had never been there before. 'Dare I believe that it could be a slight decrease in confidence?'

It was nothing that most would notice, but he had been at Lord Sesshomaru's side for hundreds of years. How could he not notice the subtle changes? The most bizarre thing was his master's refusal to sleep in his bed. Why would he choose to lay on the floor instead of his own bed just steps away? Then there was the hawk. The craftsmanship was considered superb, and Lord Sesshomaru had acquired it at considerable cost to his coffers, but it was obvious that his lord had melted the statue with his acidic Dakkasou. In fact, the damage was so extensive that Jaken had been forced to order the repairs in each of the four floors below his master's chamber. Why would he do such a thing in his own home? He could have simply sold the piece or given it away. Why had Lord Sesshomaru lashed out so ruthlessly?

It was becoming all too obvious to Jaken that his lord had suffered something terrible during his time away. Although Lord Sesshomaru refused to speak of it, Jaken knew that it must have something to do with the demoness, Asuza. When he had mentioned her name, simply asking if she had been slain, Lord Sesshomaru had become more frigid than usual and refused to speak to him for hours afterward.

What could have happened that would affect the feared taiyoukai in such a manner?

Jaken was eager to find out.

As they made their way past the re-construction project, numerous subjects to Lord Sesshomaru's reign stopped to pay homage to their protector. Jaken shooed several of the scally-wags away, allowing a few of the soldiers time to thank their lord for returning to save them all. Lord Sesshomaru said nothing of their praises, merely nodding his acceptance and then moved on. Jaken made a note to see that more hay was purchased for mixing with the mortar, since the supply was already beginning to dwindle.

They passed through the stable area where the beasts were kept. Unfortunately, the destruction of the wall had crumbled over the rear of the massive structure causing the deaths of numerous horses and other beasts. Lord Sesshomaru stood on the outskirts of the area, and though Jaken expected him to enter and assess the damage, he never moved.

Sesshomaru smelled the hay and it triggered an unwanted memory of his dungeon cell. It was a most unpleasant memory and one that he wished to never experience again. Unfortunately, the flash of scanty tufts of rotting hay was the predecessor to a much more traumatic remembrance of Iku's last attempt to force himself upon his person. It not only shook Sesshoumaru internally but also forced him to place his hands into the folds of his hakama to hide the tremble that he alone knew was there.

He had to get a grip on his thoughts before someone noticed his sudden anxiety. Some youkai might be able to sense the underlying trauma that he was experiencing and that would not do. Sesshomaru allowed the scene to play forward in his mind until Kagome was there, striking out with her purity and retribution. She had been magnificent rushing to his rescue.

There was a time when he would have felt nothing but the deepest shame for having depended on a mortal girl to save him. He certainly would not have found the act amazing and brave. More than likely, he would have labeled her rash and lacking in her mental capacity, but one thing was certain now, he was no longer that demon.

Through his experience, he had been forced to accept that he was not immune to violation and pain. Suffering had been cast upon him in doses that had reformed his very constitution. He had been a youkai in control; powerful, unstoppable, until Asuza took over his mind. She and Iku had used him as a lowly whore, beaten him as if he were the most useless slave. Hour upon hour, day upon day, he had been forced to suffer their every whim. Regrettably, it had changed him, and he feared that he might never be the same again.

"Lord Sesshomaru?"

Jaken's voice finally cut through the fog of remembrance and Sesshomaru blinked away the final dredges of that pain. He forced himself to focus on Kagome's moment of valor and her smiling face. He looked around, seeing familiar comfortable things: his home, his people, and the place where he belonged. They needed him and he would use that as his drive. There were important tasks that needed tending to before he could retrieve his miko and introduce her into his world.

Without answering Jaken, Sesshomaru turned and continued on their passage. Many of the vendors and merchants rushed out to greet him as he passed. One elderly youkai female, the grandmother of a lost soldier, wiped tears from her eyes. He felt compelled to relieve her pain, but there was little he could do. Sesshomaru reached out and placed a hand upon her aging head and looked into her sorrowful eyes.

"My lord," she spoke with a scratchy voice that revealed her many years. "I do not see young Rin with you. Is she about?"

'What is this?'

Another female approached and asked as well, "Yes, master, is Rin near? She is such a comfort to us all."

Two children stopped playing nearby, and though they did not approach, Sesshomaru clearly heard them chanting Rin's name as if she were their greatest friend. How was it that his youkai subjects had grown so attached to his young mortal ward?

"Rin is away," he supplied.

Jaken was feeling rather uncomfortable with his master's unusual show of compassion. It was most unlike Lord Sesshomaru. He quickly scurried up and began to clear the path of the rabble that had gathered about. "Be gone with you! Clear the way for your Lord!"

"Jaken," Sesshomaru snapped, "let them be."

Jaken knew that look and tone all too well. If he valued his hide, he would keep his mouth shut for now. "H...hai, my lord."

With no small amount of amazement, Jaken watched as one after another youkai approached Lord Sesshomaru to thank him for saving them. They asked for his help to repair damaged shops and homes. They begged for his blessing for their family as they had lost a valuable son or daughter in the battle, and more often than not, they asked of Rin, the human girl.

Sesshomaru was shaken by the emotion of his people, and he was moved by their plight. He promised to help them recover and he offered his regrets for their losses. He could not replace their loved ones and it would take time to rebuild their homes, but there was one thing that he could do easily and quickly.

Sesshomaru turned to Jaken and announced, "Tomorrow, we go to retrieve Rin. It is time for her to come home."  

A/N: YES! Sesshomaru goes to get Rin from Inuyasha's village, and guess who he will see there? How will he react to seeing Kagome? Will Kagome realize that her silent youkai is Sesshomaru? You will have to read the next chapter to find out!