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Disclaimer: I don’t own Inuyasha or YuYu Hakusho. I don’t make money from this (as is evident by looking at my checking account) so don’t sue me!

O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Foresight

Chapter 2

Hiei was quietly lounging on the window sill in Kurama’s bedroom as his partner sorted through the large box that contained what they were looking for. “Ah, here it is!” Kurama said with a small smile as he held up one of the communicators from their days as a team. “I hope this still works. It would certainly be the easiest way to reach him,” Kurama mumbled before flipping the small device open and pressing the button that normally issued a call to Koenma’s office.

It took several moments, but when the familiar blue-haired reaper appeared on the small screen, they knew that it had worked. “Well this is certainly a pleasant surprise!” She called out to them. “How are things in the Human World? Did something happen?” Botan asked as her mind immediately trailed towards the worst case scenarios.

“No, Botan, nothing big has happened yet. There was an odd occurrence today and Hiei and I just wanted to check in on what it could mean. Is Koenma available by any chance?”

Shaking her head the negative, Botan answered, “Sorry, but he’s in a meeting right now. You can run the details by me and I’ll be sure he gets them.” Hiei wanted to cringe at how her voice was just as cheerful as it had been those years ago.

“Well,” Kurama began as he thought over the day’s events. “The four of us were in the park when we encountered a young woman. She appeared to be blind, but later actions revealed that it was most likely an act. The first oddity was her guide dog. Hiei and I distinctly felt a small demonic presence coming from it. After we helped the girl home, an associate of hers introduced himself as a Mr. Shippo Yamata. He was fully demon. He also appears to help her run a large hotel here in the city. He mentioned that her full name was Kagome Higurashi. There was also mention of a man called Sesshoumaru, no last name given, but we didn’t meet him today. It also seems that we’ll be having dinner with Kagome this evening. You are invited as well.”

Hiei quirked an eyebrow at seeing how the reaper-woman seemed to lose some of the color to her face as Kurama finished. “I’ll see what I can find out,” Botan rushed. “But I do have a lot of work to get done before Koenma returns, so I’ll just see you boys later tonight! Bye!” And with that, the call was abruptly cut off.

To say that Kurama was surprised with Botan’s sudden outburst would be an understatement. He knew that she could be impulsive at times, but she had seemed almost fretful in her rushed excuse.

Looking over to the apparition that stood quietly by his side, Kurama let out an uncharacteristic sharp sigh that showed his frustration with how things were unfolding. Only more questions seemed to be presenting themselves as the answers remained elusive. “I suppose we’ll just have to wait until this evening then,” he resigned before leaving the room.

It didn’t surprise him when he felt Hiei’s presence suddenly vanish. He only wished that the fire demon would learn to enjoy the subtle entrances and exits that one could make through a door as opposed to a window.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Botan had just placed the small communicator back in the drawer of her boss’s desk when the prince of the Spirit World came casually strolling through the doors to his office. “Koenma, Sir!” She called as she rushed to his side and followed him back to his desk. “We may have a bit of a problem in the Human World…” she trailed off.

The calm raise of a thin brow was her only cue to continue.

“I just spoke with Kurama, Sir. Apparently he and the rest of the boys ran into someone at the park today…they’re asking questions.” Botan was nervous. She wasn’t sure how the demi-god would react to what she had to say, but she had a sinking feeling that it wouldn’t be good.

“Really? And who would that be?” Koenma asked in an attempt to prod her along. His day had been going fairly well so far. There hadn’t been the usual mountains of paperwork and things in all three worlds seemed to be peaceful for the moment.

“Well…they met Shippo Yamata after meeting Kagome Higurashi in a local park.” She closed her eyes after she finished. After all, it was only a matter of time before what she said sank in and her boss went off the deep end.

Eyes suddenly growing wide, Koenma had to blink a couple of times before he could come up with an appropriate response. “What?!” he yelled. “No! Tell Yusuke that he is NOT, I repeat, NOT under any circumstances to continue association with her! That group attracts enough trouble on their own. If they bring that trouble her way and it gets back to Sesshoumaru—Sesshoumaru! You mentioned Shippo, but they haven’t met Sesshoumaru yet, right?!”

“Correct, Sir. Kurama said that he had been mentioned but wasn’t present. From the sounds of it, Kagome invited them out to dinner tonight. Kurama invited me along as well. Should I stop them from going?”

Koenma mulled the situation over in his head for a moment before answering, “No, I doubt that it will be a problem. You know how protective the dog and fox are of her; they’ll probably call it off. Either way, I want you down there no later than tonight to give Yusuke those orders. If he tries to put up too much of a fight you can send him here and I’ll talk to him myself. Make mention that if he goes against me this time, I’ll press Spirit World charges against him and he’ll be working directly for me again for a very long time.”

Botan nodded and quickly left the office to get ready to go to the Human World. Koenma slumped down in his large chair with his nerves now thoroughly shot.

Bringing a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose in an attempt to relieve the building pressure, he thought aloud, “I’m going to have to go talk to Fate one of these days…her plans are usually far too twisted for my liking.”

O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Shippo stepped out of the elevator, still carrying Kagome, after a relatively silent ride. The top floor of the fifty-story building was divided down the center by hallway that he now walked through. The right side of the floor was where Kagome called home. It had the layout of a normal home; master bedroom, living room, kitchen, dining room, as well as a guest room or two, several bathrooms, and an office. The other half of the floor was almost its mirror image, though it was left vacant much of the time. It was only used for friends and close acquaintances passing through. Shippo didn’t like the thought of all the upkeep that a home required and was quite happy taking up residence in one of the hotel’s many suites.

“I can walk, you know…I’m not an invalid,” Kagome grumbled.

“True,” the perturbed fox demon replied. “But the quicker I get you home and get that leg taken care of, the quicker I can get back to my work-out. One must always look their best, Kagome,” he said with a cocky smirk.

Kagome did the best version of a growl that she could muster as she yanked the dark glasses from her face to glare at man who had once been like a son to her. Now that he was older, their relationship had morphed into something new. Now instead of a child that ran to her for protection and comfort, he was like the overly protective big brother that liked to tease her and ruffle her feathers. “Girls don’t like guys who are pretty and know it, you jerk. When your ego gets too big to fit in your head it overflows and suffocates them. That makes you a health hazard, so put me down!”

“Fine,” he relented coolly before moving both arms out from under her form. Kagome immediately let out a squeak and wrapped her arms firmly around his shoulders to keep from falling. Catching her again before she could hit the ground. “That’s what I thought,” he teased which resulted in a firm smack against his chest. “We’re here; give me your key so I can open the door.”

Fishing the key from her back pocket, Kagome begrudgingly forked over the small piece of metal before being shifted and cradled into only one of Shippo’s arms. She felt like an idiot for being carried around like a child, but she was almost home and would soon be left to her own devices once again. When the door was shut behind them Kagome called out, “Wait, I need to get my other glasses.”

Kagome gently folded her black glasses and placed them on a small shelf next to the front door as she picked up a pair of what looked to be reading glasses with delicate silver framing. Sliding them into place and adjusting them to their proper spot on the bridge of her nose, Kagome smiled as she looked at a much clearer image of the red head holding her. “Much better!”

Shippo rolled his eyes as he said, “I’ve never seen a girl so happy about having to wear glasses before. You know what they say: guys don’t make passes at girls who wear glasses.”

“Like you and Sesshoumaru let any guys get close enough to try anyway,” she mumbled turning her head away from him.

“I heard that, you know,” Shippo told her before unceremoniously dropping her onto her plush, black micro-suede sectional couch in the living room. “And you know that there’s a good reason for that, Kagome. That’s why you can’t have anything to do with those guys who brought you back today,” he said as he left to get some first-aid supplies from the hallway bathroom.

“What?! You can’t do that, Shippo! They helped me and it’s only right that I repay them. Besides, they were really nice to be around. I want to have normal friends again…” she trailed off.

“I never said that they couldn’t still have dinner here. I’ll call and say that they’re still welcome as a show of gratitude, but that you regrettably won’t be able to join them for some reason or another. And you do have friends,” Shippo reminded as he took out a bottle of rubbing alcohol to cleanse the long cut running down her shin.

“You and Sesshoumaru don’t count! You two try to keep me holed up in this room and away from the world. Kouga’s the only one who still treats me like he did in the past. Why can’t I get to know people outside of you three??” She argued.

Shippo paused to release a sigh before wrapping most of Kagome’s calf and shin in white gauze bandaging. “We’ve talked about this before, Kagome. With…whatever it is that your eyes do…it’s dangerous for you. That’s why you came to live with us in the first place, remember? After coming back to this time, you were only able to live with your family for a month before it got to be too much for you.”

“But the four that helped me earlier…they’re mostly demons. It would be okay with them, right? You know it doesn’t work the same way as it does with humans.”

“But we don’t know them. If they ever found out—and don’t argue that they wouldn’t because I know you, Kagome. When you start getting close to someone you put everything out on your sleeve. If they ever found out what you can do they could take you away and use you as some kind of tool for their own benefit,” Shippo explained as he tied the bandage off behind her knee. Reaching out to envelop the small woman in front of him in a hug, Shippo continued, “I can’t let anyone do that to you. I couldn’t protect you when I was younger, Kagome. But now I can, and I will.”

Kagome was torn in her emotions. She knew that Shippo was only worried about her and that made her want to cave to his touching speech. But something about his words sparked a fire deep down. “Then why do you let Sesshoumaru do this to me?” She asked quietly.

“What?” He questioned as he pulled away from her and held her by the shoulders at arm’s length.

“You and I both know that’s exactly why Sesshoumaru keeps me hidden away from the rest of the world. He and I tolerate each other because our partnership benefits us both. But I don’t see why I can’t have personal contact with anyone outside of our old group! I’m going crazy up here by myself, Shippo! You used to protect me from Inuyasha’s protective side; why don’t you stand up to Sesshoumaru like that??”

“Because he’s the one that raised me after you had to leave—as per your request, might I add—and he trained me for centuries so that I would be strong enough to protect you when the time came. He told me why we would need to protect you and I agree with him. You’re too free with your emotions to be trusted with your own well-being while you have this power—!” But he was cut off in his outburst when he suddenly found his head facing left and felt the skin of his right cheek stinging.

Kagome’s normally icy-blue eyes darkened to a foggy grey color as tears gathered at the corners and she clenched her jaw. “He brainwashed you, Shippo. You’re just another dog in the pack to him now. Come back when you find that kit you used to be five centuries ago. He never would have said what you just said to me. Until then I’d rather be left alone,” she said in a quiet voice as she stood to limp back to her bedroom.

Shiro stood beside her and pressed his nose to her stomach as he let out a soft whine in a rare show of affection and comfort. “It’s okay, boy. I’m just going to go lie down for a while. Show Shippo to the door, okay?” Kagome had to let out a small laugh when she saw her companion’s eyes instantly light up and his ears twitch excitedly. She shook her head as she watched him trot towards Shippo with his tail wagging back and forth. ‘My dog’s a sadist,’ she thought dryly before continuing on her way to her comfy bed.

Shippo watched warily as the large dog stalked towards him with a certain malicious glee clearly visible in his golden eyes. “Alright you devil-spawned hell-beast, I’m going. I don’t want any trouble from you.” He wasn’t scared of Shiro, but the powerful animal had long ago proved that he was trouble. Kouga’s experimental breeding between domestic canines and the demonic wolves from his pack had eventually resulted in the birth of the sadistic and cunning ball of white fluff that Shippo was sure existed to make his life a living Hell. Shiro had proven time and again that he was fiercely loyal to Kagome and Kouga…and only Kagome and Kouga.

Walking to the door, Shippo kept one eye on the dog that surprisingly enough hadn’t made a move on him yet. He began to grow foolishly hopeful about leaving unscathed this time as he drew closer to the exit, and was practically grinning like an idiot as he made it past the threshold. But a quick jerking feeling and the tell-tale ripping of fabric had Shippo glaring at the beast that now had almost half of one of his pants legs in his mouth with a smug look gracing his muzzle.

“Why you—” he started towards the door again only for it to be firmly shut in his face by one of Shiro’s hind legs.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Thirty minutes and a new pair of pants later found Shippo in the hotel lobby picking up a few messages from the front desk along with Yusuke Urameshi’s contact information. Heading back up to his room, Shippo felt a pang of guilt in his stomach from what he was about to do.

He didn’t like keeping Kagome cooped up and knew that she was right on some points. It was in her nature to be social and make friends. Her warm personality and magnetic smiles made it almost impossible to stay away from her. But that was why she had to be kept away from others. Too many people were naturally drawn to her. It would only cause her grief and pain in the end, so it was for her own good. At least, that’s what he told himself.

Was she right? Had Sesshoumaru spent years conditioning him to think this way so that he could use her gift? Shippo honestly wouldn’t put it past him, but something told him that he cared for the woman more than he wanted others to think. Sesshoumaru had an odd way of showing affection, but after living with him for several centuries you learned to pick up the signs.

When he was younger, Shippo hated the great Demon Lord of the West for the way he treated his surrogate mother during her greatest time of weakness.

After finding out that Kagome had lost her sight in the final battle it had been suggested that she return to her time immediately and live the remainder of her life there under the care and supervision of her family. The Feudal Era of Japan was a very dangerous time with bandits and demons roaming the countryside looking for easy prey. But Sesshoumaru had forbidden it.

Using his loss of an arm as his prime example, he had basically told her that life gives you a handicap it became your responsibility to learn to live with it and adjust. He had told her having others care for her for the rest of her life just because she could no longer see was weak and dishonorable to someone of her station.

After several discussions it was agreed that it would be best for Kagome to stay in their presence until she could learn to survive on her own and Inuyasha had gone to inform her family on the other side of the well.

Shippo’s fists clenched as he thought about her first week of living as such. She was scared and would often cry for hours. Shippo had been too young to do much at the time other than comfort her when Sesshoumaru wasn’t looking. It had broken her heart that Inuyasha, her protector and first love, had more-or-less exiled himself from her. He had later explained to Shippo that the amount of guilt he felt for her current state wouldn’t allow him to be around her. Miroku and Sango went about teaching her how to live again. Miroku helped her develop her holy powers more so that she could use them as an extra sense to at least tell when someone was near and who they were. Sango taught her how to do basic actions without sight. Apparently Sango had trained with a blindfold for a period of time while becoming a demon slayer and had a basic idea of how to function without sight.

But Sesshoumaru had been the one to push her mentally and emotionally to cope with her new life. When she would fall or run into things he wouldn’t allow anyone to help her up or guide her. He had been the hard hand that she needed to pick herself and try again.

It had taken nearly two years of constant pushing and training but the day finally came when she could walk confidently with her head held high and was able to completely care for herself. But in an ironic twist of fate, it was only a few months after her two year mark of being completely blind that she began to be able to make out dull, blurry colors.

It appeared as though whatever damage had been dealt to her eyes wasn’t permanent and she would eventually heal. Sango was pregnant with her and Miroku’s first child and Kagome wanted to stay long enough to at least see a blurry outline of her friend’s first born. She had gone back to see her family a few times during Sango’s pregnancy, but lived in the past for the most part.

By the time the baby was born, Kagome was starting to make out vague facial features. And then it had started. Kagome had been holding the new baby girl named Saya when she had suddenly screamed and nearly dropped the child.

When asked what had happened she could only cry as she recounted what had seemed like a waking dream. She had seen Sango trying to wake the baby one morning only for Saya to be completely unresponsive. Everyone had thought it was odd and was more cautious for several days but it was then brushed off as the stress of Kagome regaining sight. But only one week later, the event that Kagome had seen came to fruition. She explained that it could be, what is called in her time, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

Sango had become distraught and refused to try to have more children for several years.

But Kagome wasn’t around to see the other children that her friends had. As time went on, her power to see a person’s future became more defined. They quickly discovered that it only happened if she made direct eye contact with a person. And for some reason it didn’t seem to work on animals.

One day Kagome had simply informed them that she was returning to her time and wouldn’t be coming back. It hurt her not to be able to look at her friends while carrying on a conversation or even give them a passing glance. She was gone from their lives two days later and it was five hundred years before Shippo saw her again.

He and Sesshoumaru had been waiting for her to return when she came through the well on her family’s shrine. She had insisted on living with her family and at least trying to have a normal life, but that plan hadn’t lasted very long. It had only taken one month before she had called him with her bags already packed and asked him to come pick her up.

Sesshoumaru paid for a private tutor so that she could finish her last year or so of high school and then he had enrolled her in an online school so that she didn’t have to attend a crowded campus. Within a few short years she had earned her degree and had been running the hotel and living mostly in solitude ever since.

Shippo smiled as he thought about the day that Kouga had shown up at her door with a puppy Shiro. He had looked innocent enough back then, but it had only belied his true nature as Shippo found out all too soon. But Kagome had been ecstatic at having constant company and if putting up with a little abuse from a dog that was too smart for his own good was what it took to see her smile and laugh then he would gladly sacrifice many more pairs of pants to the hybrid.

Arriving in his suite, Shippo immediately went to his desk and picked up the telephone receiver. He quickly dialed the number on the sheet of paper that he had picked up and waited through several rings before he was sent to voicemail. “Mr. Urameshi, this is Shippo Yamata. I was calling to inform you that you and your guests are still welcome to dine at one of the restaurants within the hotel this evening on the house with my gratitude for helping my partner earlier. However I am afraid that Kagome is a very busy woman and is feeling under par due to stress. She will not be able to join you but sends her thanks. Have a pleasant evening.”

Shippo placed the receiver back on its cradle and let out a sigh as he rolled his eyes and looked towards his bed. “I hate being cordial…” He grumbled as he flopped back onto the soft mattress for a quick nap.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O

When Kagome heard the door shut she stuck her head out of her bedroom and asked, “Is he gone?”

Her answer came in the form of Shiro happily placing a tattered pants leg at her feet.

Kagome dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around the large dog that simply rested his head upon her shoulder. “You are the best dog ever!” She said with a laugh as she heard the swishing noises of Shiro’s tail raking across the carpet. “Now for step two…” she said as she stood and retrieved her cell phone from her pocket.

She only needed to press one button before the other line was almost instantly answered. “Kouga! Are you near the hotel by any chance? I need you to do me a favor. We have a code Rapunzel and—what do you mean ‘what’s that?’?? The fair maiden has been locked in the tower!...Me, Kouga, I’m the fair maiden! You need to read more. Anyway, Shippo is probably going to be on guard for a while and I would be pushing it to leave the floor right now. Do you think you could go to the front desk and sneak a look at someone’s contact information they left there? It would probably be with Shippo’s messages for the day…… No, you have a little bit of time. He had just finished his work-out when I got back to the hotel so he’ll want a shower before he does anything else…… Okay, I’ll send Shiro down to help in about ten minutes… Thanks, I’ll see you in a little bit!”

Hanging up her phone she turned to her faithful companion and asked, “Are you ready for a mission??”

O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Ten minutes after Kagome’s phone call ended, a man looking to be about twenty-seven strolled through the front doors of the acclaimed hotel. He was a well known face within the building as their manager’s confidant and associate. The women swooned every time they got a glimpse of him. His looks were exotic and masculine and caught the attention of many women. With a strong, defined jaw line, long ebony hair that was always swept into a high ponytail, sky blue eyes, sun-kissed skin, and a tall yet lean build, it was no wonder he was cocky. While women released their breathy sighs, the men simply rolled their eyes. Kouga was all they would hear about for the rest of the day.

“Hello ladies,” Kouga’s greeted in his rugged voice as he reached the front desk. “Is Kagome in today?”

“Why yes she is, Kouga,” one of the receptionists answered with a quick flutter of her eyelashes. “Would you like for me to call her for you?”

He was about to answer when the woman he’d been talking to gave a small scream as something brushed her leg. Looking over the counter, he saw Shiro thumping his tail against the woman’s leg. “Oh, how’d you get down here, boy?” Kouga was well aware of how to play this game by now. “I’ll take him back up with me since I was heading that way anyway,” he offered as he walked behind the counter.

Taking his cue, Shiro stood to place his massive paws on the desk, knocking a few things over in the process…one of which being Shippo’s mail. “Looks like he still needs a little training,” Kouga commented as he helped straighten things up. As he ‘organized’ the letters again he was sure to quickly memorize the phone number scrawled on a piece of paper before placing everything back and grabbing Shiro’s collar. “Come on you big klutz, I’ll see you later ladies!”

As they neared the elevator, Kouga looked down at the canine that he had given Kagome a few years prior and said with a smirk, “You’re getting pretty good at that.”

Shiro began to posture slightly as he wagged his fluffy tail at the praise. He and his alpha male rode the elevator, a device that neither was very comfortable in, in silence and both rushed to exit when the doors opened on their floor.

They strode forward and Kouga knocked on the door before turning the handle and walking in. “Kagome! I got that phone number you wanted!” He called into the seemingly empty home.

“I’m in my office Kouga!”

Walking down a couple of hallways, Kouga stepped into Kagome’s in-home office to see her in front of her computer monitor with her legs pulled up into the chair. “Talking to someone?” He asked as she moved to stand behind her.

On the screen was a young man that Kouga immediately recognized at Kagome’s younger brother. “Souta! How’s school, kid?”

“It’s going okay,” the twenty-year-old answered via webcam and microphone. “It’s tough being away from home again with classes and everything, but I’m dealing with it. I haven’t picked a major yet, but I’m not in a big hurry.”

“That’s fine, Souta. Take your time,” Kagome advised. Her brother had grown up quickly and she had missed a large part of it. He wasn’t the elementary student that he had been when she started her journey in the past. As he aged their family resemblance became more defined and they both took after their mother. The only difference was that Kagome had gotten their father’s blue eyes.

“Well since you have company now, I’ll let you go, Sis,” he said with a smile. “I have a paper I need to get started on anyway. I’ll talk to you later. Love you.” And with a wave and a smile, the screen went blank.

“It’s good you found a way to keep in touch other than phone calls,” Kouga told her as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. When they theorized that her power only worked with direct eye contact they had experimented with cameras and mirrors and such. Their hypothesis had proven correct every time and now Kagome’s brother and mother both had cameras set up in their homes so that they could communicate a little more personally.

“I know. It’s still hard not being able to see them like I used to though…” she trailed off as she wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. “So,” she began again with a wide smile, “you got the phone number?”

With a scheming grin, Kouga quickly scribbled the numbers down on a piece of paper and slid it across the desk to Kagome.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Yusuke had just listened to the message left on his cell phone by Shippo and cursed as he deleted it, “Damn.” He had just gotten out of the shower and immediately checked his messages, but this wasn’t the news that he wanted.

“What’s wrong, Yusuke?” His fiancé, Keiko, called from the living room. She made her way to their bedroom and wrapped her arms around her intended’s waist.

Yusuke turned to face her and couldn’t help but smile. She was hard to deal with sometimes, but he knew that he was probably worse. Sometimes he still couldn’t believe that she’d said “yes” to him, but wasn’t about to question it. Keiko had let her brown hair grow out again and was down to her shoulder blades. He always liked the way long hair made her doe-brown eyes stand out more.

“Well I was waiting to tell you until I got this call, but we were invited out to dinner tonight as a ‘thank you’ from someone me and the guys helped out today.”

“Where did they want to eat?”

“They said we could pick one of the restaurants in that big hotel downtown. What’s the name of it?” Yusuke never paid much attention to things like that, but he knew Keiko did.

“Hotel Soudai?? Are you sure, Yusuke? That’s a really nice hotel and I heard it can be pretty expensive.”

“Well it turns out that the woman we helped is the manager of the place. I think you’d like her so I was looking forward to the two of you meeting. But her co-manager called while I was in the shower and said she wouldn’t be able to make it. What do you think? We can still go if you want.” Thinking for a moment Yusuke added, “I should probably call Kurama first though.”

“Okay,” she said as she smiled up at him. “Since it’s pretty much a reward dinner for you guys, I’ll let you decide what to do this time.”

Keiko had just left the room when his phone began to ring once again. “Hello?” he answered.

“Is this Yusuke Urameshi?” A feminine voice came from the other side of the line.

“Yeah, who’s this?” He hadn’t recognized the number and it made him wonder who had gotten his name and number.

“This is Kagome Higurashi. I was calling about dinner tonight,” the voice answered.

“Oh, hi Kagome. That Yamata guy called a little while ago and said that you were busy and weren’t feeling so great. It’s fine if you want to call the thing off—” but he didn’t get a chance to finish the thought before he was interrupted.

“No, no, no! That’s not why I’m calling. I just wanted to talk about the time. Shippo was right that I’m a little busy, but I’ll be finished up later this evening. But by then the restaurants will be closed and I don’t want to make them stay open just for me. I was thinking that we could all relocate to my home on the top floor. I have plenty of room and it would be a more private and comfortable place to become friends. How does that sound?”

“I don’t have a problem with it. What time were you thinking?” He questioned.

“Maybe ten o’clock or so? Is that too late?” He noticed that she sounded a little nervous.

“Nah, we’re a bunch of night people anyway, so ten sounds perfect.” This was great! Keiko would get to meet Kagome and they’d get to find out more about the strange woman. Now he just had to call Kurama and let everyone else know.

“I think I’m going to have one of the restaurants cater our little dinner party. Is there anything in particular that you and your friends like?”

“We’ll eat whatever you put in front of us, Kagome,” he answered with a laugh. “But it’s probably the usual; the guys like meat, the girls like salad, all that jazz.”

Kagome couldn’t help but laugh. Yusuke was someone she could see herself getting along with very well. “Okay then. I’ll see you in a few hours. I’ll leave a message at the desk to give you a key for the top floor. Since it’s private all you have to do is insert the key to the level selection panel, turn it to the right, and you’ll be able to press the button for my floor. I’m looking forward to it. Oh, and since it’s at my place, feel free to wear whatever you want. I want everyone to be comfortable. Until then!”

“Yeah, see you.” Yusuke answered before he hung up the phone. “Hey Keiko! Small change in plans!” Yusuke called as he walked out of their bedroom to tell her the plan.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O

“Alright Yusuke, we’ll meet you there,” Kurama said before hanging up the phone. “Will you be attending the dinner as well, Hiei?”

Hiei merely glared at the phone that Kurama had just placed on the coffee table.

“Hiei? What’s the matter? Did you find out anything after you left earlier?” Kurama questioned. He could feel the fox in him coming out with his curious nature. All of this presented a fantastic puzzle, and it was one that he was determined to solve.

“Hn…that woman is associated with too many high class demons. I investigated a few places around the Demon World.”

“Did you find any leads?”

With a smirk Hiei questioned, “Doesn’t the name Sesshoumaru ring any bells in that little fox brain of yours? Think of high ranking demons…very old ones by today’s standards.”

Kurama’s brow knit together and he went over some of the influential beings in the Demon World. ‘Yomi, Mukuro, Enki, who am I forgetting? Hiei mentioned Sesshoumaru…the dog demon? Lord of the West?’

‘Finally got it? I’m surprised it took you that long, Kurama. You’re slipping,’ Hiei said within Kurama’s mind.

“When we’re alone I’ll thank you not to invade my mind, Hiei. But are you sure they’re the same person? I highly doubt that Koenma would allow someone like him into this world.”

“Have you heard anything from Koenma or Botan since you called?” Hiei questioned.

“No, but I expect to see Botan this evening. She should have answers for us then. So are you coming with us or not?” Kurama asked once more.

Hiei remained quiet for some time before finally saying, “I will be there, but only you will know of it.”

O-O-O-O-O-O-O

“There!” Kagome exclaimed as she threw her dust rag into her laundry basket. “Everything’s all clean and organized. Now it’s time for a shower. Are you staying for dinner, Kouga?”

“I guess I could. I’m interested in meeting these guys now. You know I don’t mind you having other friends, but I need to give them the okay first…especially if they’re guys,” he joked with a wink.

Kagome simply rolled her eyes and made her way towards her bathroom. A hot shower was exactly what she needed right now. Truth be told, after finishing some paperwork, working out and placing the food orders for the evening, and cleaning house all Kagome really wanted was a soothing bubble bath. But time was running short now and she needed the convenience of a quick shower.

It didn’t take long to get squeaky clean again, and as she toweled off Kagome made sure to be careful not to open the cut on her leg. ‘I hope that doesn’t scar,’ she thought as she really looked at it for the first time that day. It ran down her shin from just under her kneecap to about five or six inches above her ankle. She noted that it was red around the edges and a little swollen. “I’ll use some peroxide to make sure an infection doesn’t set in,” the thought aloud as she searched through her medicine cabinet.

Pouring the cold liquid down her leg, Kagome watched as the white bubbles foamed along the red line marring her skin. “Bye-bye germs!” She said as she waved at the cut. When she was finished looking around to make sure Kouga hadn’t heard her talking to her leg, Kagome took out some clean bandaging and wrapped her leg once more. She ran a brush through her damp hair and twisted it up to loosely pin it down with a clip.

She walked to her room a slipped on a pair of carnation pink panties with a matching bra followed by a pair of her loose, black cotton pants and a crisp, white button-down shirt. Walking back into the living room she found Kouga channel surfing on the couch and Shiro right beside him. She walked to stand directly in front of the TV before asking, “Well how do I look?”

“I’m no good at this game, Kagome.” Kouga answered with a groan. “You look stunning as always. You trying to impress someone?”

“Well I’ve only met four of the people coming over tonight. They’re bringing some guests and I want to make a good impression,” she reasoned before adding under her breath, “and a couple of them might be sort of cute…I guess.”

Shiro growled low as Kouga laughed before saying, “You’re gonna have to learn to talk lower than that if you don’t want us to hear you!”

With a light blush staining her cheeks, Kagome tried to clear her throat and think of a topic change. “Did they bring the food and drinks yet?”

“Yeah, some of it’s on the table in the dining room already. I put the rest in your refrigerator.”

“Thanks…now let’s see. What am I forgetting? Cleaned the house, took a shower, got the food, can you think of anything??”

“If you’re playing blind chick tonight you might want to put your other glasses on,” he reminded without tearing his eyes away from the baseball game he’d found.

“That would be helpful,” she said as she placed her reading glasses on her little shelf and retrieving her “blind” glasses. “I don’t want any of those nasty premonitions getting in the way of a pleasant evening with friends. It would only prove Shippo and Sesshoumaru right, and I refuse to let that happen.”

Glancing over at his long-time friend and love interest, Kouga debated on asking his next question. “Hey Kagome, whatever happened to you using that gift of yours to help people? I thought you were gonna try to change the world one horrible fate at a time.”

Kagome stiffened slightly at the reminder of her previous naïve ambition. “I’ll tell you what Kouga, when you see your friends, loved ones, and strangers dying in horrible ways every time you look them in the eyes, tell me what you would want to do.”

‘Damn…’ he thought as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Kagome, you know I didn’t mean any—” but he was interrupted by a knock on the door.

“They’re here! Remember to try and be sociable…both of you.”

Opening the door wide, Kagome smiled brightly as she stepped aside and said, “Welcome!”

O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Ten o’clock found Yusuke and Keiko walking up to the front doors of Hotel Soudai to meet Kuwabara who was standing with his sister, Shizuru, and love interest, Yukina. “Hey guys,” Yusuke greeted with a casual wave. “Where are Kurama and Hiei?”

Kuwabara shrugged, “Kurama’s usually early anywhere we go. Do you really think that Hiei will even bother showing up?”

“I’m sure he’ll be around eventually,” Yusuke said as he spared a glance at Yukina. With her turquoise hair and scarlet eyes she was bound to stand out anywhere she went in the city, but she was getting more attention than Yusuke was comfortable with in the hotel. He wondered how Kagome would react to the quiet young woman.

Yusuke saw Kurama arrive with a slightly nervous Botan and waved to both before going to the counter to get the key that Kagome had mentioned.

Botan tugged on Kurama’s sleeve for the millionth time since finding him walking down the street. “I really need to talk to you and Yusuke before we get to Kagome’s home,” she stressed quietly.

Kurama noticed that Botan kept looking around the lobby as though looking for someone. “About what? Does it have something to do with what I contacted you about earlier?”

“Yes!” She said in a strained whisper. “It has everything to do with what you asked about.”

Kurama was about to ask what she meant when Yusuke came up behind the reaper and started pushing her back to make her hurry up. “Come on you two, you’re holding everyone up. You can talk later.”

“B-b-but Yusuke—!” Botan stuttered as she was pushed into the elevator.

When they made it to the top floor, Botan made sure she had a firm hold on both Yusuke’s and Kurama’s wrists to hold them towards the back end of the hallway. “What the hell is going on, Botan?” Yusuke asked.

“Yusuke, there’s a lot about Kagome that you can’t know. I talked to Koenma and he said that you can’t associate with this woman anymore…ever! He even went so far as to threaten you with charges if you break this order.”

Yusuke was caught completely off guard by the statement as he looked to Kurama for some clarification. “Botan, does this have anything to do with who Kagome knows? With Sesshoumaru of the West?”

Botan’s pink eyes became impossibly large and she was about to ask how he knew about who Kagome was protected by when they heard a door open further down the hallway and a cheerful voice followed, “Welcome!”

O-O-O-O-O-O-O

AN: Okay…sixteen pages in one day. That is officially a new record for me. With this length I’m sorry if there are any errors. I want to thank everyone who has reviewed so far for your encouragement! This was so much longer than I intended, but I just couldn’t find a good place to stop. The next chapter will be the actual dinner and will have the first real bit of Kagome-Hiei interaction! I’ll hopefully have that in the next day or two. I hope everyone enjoyed and comes back for more! Thanks for reading, until next time!