Meanwhile, Sesshomaru sat alone on the back veranda of the Green Mermaid, sipping a nice cup of Green Tea and playing with his email using a laptop and cell phone. Supposedly, Hisui snoozed in their room, but he wasn’t stupid and assumed she’d left to conduct business of her own as soon as he was out of the building. This whole affair with Inu Yasha was getting to be like a three-way chess game—and as far as Sesshomaru was concerned, chess should never involve more than two players. Therefore, one of them had to go: Hisui or Mikoto. Now that Inu Yasha was on his payroll, Sesshomaru felt it was his duty to take the poor boy’s side against those more experience than he in the ways of the modern, techno-savvy Machiavellian youkai. First things first: Provide insurance that Brother Dearest will make it safely to the well tomorrow afternoon. He checked the availability of his people, selected a pair he thought were a match for anything Hisui or Mikoto might field and IM’d them their new assignments. Then he read his other messages and enjoyed his tea while awaiting their confirmations, which came back in a matter of minutes. That done, he checked the American stock markets, which were just opening, read the latest news from that half of the world, then indulged in his favorite guilty pleasure: Online shopping. Inu Yasha would need new clothes, he reasoned…Yeah, that was it. Clothes for Inu Yasha. The fact that the pup wore almost the same suit size as he did was merely a happy coincidence.
        Whilst shopping, Sesshomaru decided which of the threats to his brother’s continued existence should be eliminated. Mikoto seemed the obvious choice, since Sesshomaru had no attachment to him, but was he the best choice? He’d been ready to almost trust the man (or at least not interfere with him) until he’d hired that human brat who’d caused so much trouble earlier in the week. There was also the matter of the Asano children’s loyalties. Observation would seem to indicate that they were firmly in Inu Yasha’s camp, not their father’s. They certainly wanted nothing to do with Hisui. (Ooh! Halston on sale! Must have a few of those…for Inu Yasha.) Sesshomaru decided he needed more information about Mikoto’s decision to hire Tachimora and figured he had some idea of where to get it. He pulled another phone out of his pocket and rang the Asano condo. When a sleepy Shunusuke answered, the Demon Lord asked bluntly: "Is your father’s kitsune still on the roof?"
        "Hell if I know," Shunusuke grumbled, then woke up. "Why?"
        "Do you know why your father hired Tachimora?" Sesshomaru asked and was rewarded with thoughtful silence. "I didn’t think so. Ask her to come to the phone."
        No "please" or "thank you". Shunusuke muttered against conceited, ill-mannered demons for a few seconds before telling Sesshomaru he’d go check, put the phone down and stumbled out to the porch in his boxers. He didn’t see her when he leaned against the railing and looked up, so he called out to her: "Hey, Gin! You have a phone call inside!"
        Silence. Shunusuke rolled his eyes. "I can feel you up there…"
        Gin appeared in front of him and quipped lewdly: "You can feel me up?"
        Shunusuke pushed her through the door, then the living room and into his bedroom, which really got her going until he pointed at the phone and said: "It’s Lord Sesshomaru." Then he winked. "I think he’s getting tired of Hisui."
        Gin sobered up in a snap. She glared at Shunusuke suspiciously and growled: "This better not be a joke," then she picked up the phone and discovered it wasn’t a joke at all. "Sesshomaru," she spat, still growling. "What do you want?"
        Sesshomaru overlooked her impertinence for the moment, confident that he could punish her for it later if he still cared. "Why did Asano hire Tachimora?"
        "You hauled me off the roof for that?!"
        Sigh. "You don’t know."
        "Of course I know!" Gin snapped, though she didn’t. She caught Shunusuke’s eye, and found the telepath frowning at her. Well, as long as the brat didn’t open his—
        "She’s lying," he said loud enough for the demon lord to hear him through the phone.
        So much for a little cooperation from her boss’ kid. She snarled at him and mouthed: "Whose side are you on?"
        He shrugged. "Hey, you’ve been spying on me, Gin, that makes you not on my side." Pointing at the phone, he added: "You better answer the man before he thinks he needs to come over here and ask you in person."
        By now, the rest of the condo’s occupants were awake and gathering in curiosity outside the door. Shunusuke was pretty surprised that Yuki and Miroku had left the warmth of their bed and each other to see what he was doing. Sango, he thought, looked incredibly cute in a pair of his boxers and one of his white undershirts (which she thought had come from Yuki).
        The idea of being snotty to Sesshomaru’s face didn’t seem to appeal to the kitsune very much. She made a sour face and huffed: "Lord Asano doesn’t need to explain his actions to every one of his employees."
        "But I should think this action would directly concern you," Sesshomaru purred, "since you might find yourself fighting at that human boy’s side. You would need to be informed. I certainly would inform you, if I were Mikoto."
        Gin gnawed one of her claws, painfully aware of the onlookers hanging around by the door, and Shunusuke’s ability to know her thoughts. Finally she admitted she had no idea why Tachimora had been hired. "Why do you care? Are you afraid he’ll hurt your widdle bwother?"
        "Hmmm…Armani…" Sesshomaru thought aloud under his breath, confusing the hell out of Gin, "I wonder if that cretin could wear Armani?" He seemed to suddenly remember he was on the phone and said in a louder voice: "Tachimora doesn’t stand a chance against any of us, even Inu Yasha." The demon chuckled a bit and added: "Not even against my brother’s human friends."
        "Why don’t you ask Lord Asano yourself," Gin snarled, "if you want to know so badly?"
        "He’s sleeping," Sesshomaru told her dismissively, "and this isn’t worth waking him."
        "But it’s worth waking me?!" Gin roared, then remembered who she was talking to. "Can I go now?"
        Pause. "Yes, I think he might be able to manage Armani…if he gets a decent hair cut. Hm? Oh, yes, you may go. Give Shunusuke the phone."
        As she handed Shunuske the phone, Gin muttered bitterly: "He’s such an asshole," then she pushed through the people at the door for the satisfaction of being able to shove something and returned to her rooftop perch to report to her employer.
        Shunusuke watched her go while Sesshomaru said in his ear: "Is she calling Mikoto?"
        Ah, so that was his game all along. Shunusuke focused on Gin for a moment. "Yes."
        "Good. Can you hear her in any way?"
        "Most of it."
        "We’ll talk in the morning, Shunusuke," Sesshomaru told him in a voice that wouldn’t tolerate argument. "I pay well for information, be prepared to barter."
        He hung up before Shunusuke could reply and went back to ordering an Italian wardrobe for his unsuspecting, fashion-challenged brother and deciding what to do about Mikoto and Hisui. He decided Hisui was really the most stubborn problem, since being reasonable wasn’t her forte. Mikoto, at least, could be reasoned with. Hisui would insist on having her way no matter how ridiculous her wish or the cost of fulfilling it. He leaned back in his chair and sighed, knowing he could become a liability to Hisui at any time. Until then, he just as well enjoy himself.
        Going back to his email, he discovered an online greeting card waiting for him from the woman, herself. "Little minx," he thought with a sly grin. She was probably watching him from some window in the hotel somewhere. He followed the link and shook his head with a smile. "Where does she find these things?" She could be such the little sex fiend sometimes. Well, tonight he refused to be distracted. If Hisui wanted his company, she’d have to come to him. So Sesshomaru played it coy, closed out the card and went back to reading his email (though he made a point of saving the email with the link, so she’d know he wasn’t avoiding her entirely).
        What to do about Hisui, he wondered. How and when might she try to take the Jewel from Inu Yasha and his woman? Would she stop him before he got to the well? Try to return with him through it? He wondered on a lark if asking would get him anywhere, then decided he’d just as well try. So he brought up his Mah Jong program and played against the computer while he waited for Hisui to get tired of watching him and join him instead.
        Soon a pair of soft, cool arms wrapped around his neck in a quick hug that ended in an ear nibble, then Hisui pulled up a chair near enough for the arms to touch and watched him get beat by the computer. "I don’t understand why you insist upon playing a game you never win, Darling," she pouted.
        "That, my dear," he told her with a knowing smirk, "is the difference between you and me. For me, losing is an opportunity for learning and growth, it’s a challenge. I won’t quit playing Mah Jong against the computer until I consistently defeat it." He patted her hand and looked deeply into her shining eyes. "I notice I’m rubbing off on you, but this time I think your persistence is misplaced. While I try to be farsighted and consider the big picture, your vision tends to be more narrowly focused. You fail to consider any possibility that would mean you can’t or shouldn’t have what you want. Sometimes it’s wiser to accept that you can’t always get what you want."
        "But if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need," Hisui giggled and gave him a playful kiss on the lips. When her beloved didn’t seem to get her joke, she nudged his shoulder and pouted. "It’s the Rolling Stones, Darling! Mick Jagger!"
        "I’m familiar with the Rolling Stones," Sesshomaru sighed, "and you know it. You’re trying to change the subject, but I won’t let you."
        She wrapped one of her arms around his and lay her head on his shoulder to watch him lose at Mah Jong. "I told you I’m not interested in the Jewel anymore, Darling, so what subject are you trying to make me stick to?"
        Sesshomaru smiled. "I never said anything about the Jewel…"
        Her body tensed for a moment, then she relaxed against him again with a soft giggle. "I mean it. I’m not interested anymore. How can I be, since it would involve harming one of your employees—and I know how territorial you can be."
        "No, my dear," he countered with a quick kiss on the top of her head, "you really have no idea, and I strongly advise against even you testing me in this. Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you, Hisui?"
        Her claws dug into his forearm as his words stung her pride, but her tone remained sweet and playful. "No, Darling, spell it out for me, won’t you?"
        Sigh. He was losing very badly tonight. Maybe he should switch to Go. "My protection of Inu Yasha extends to those he calls friends and against anyone who tries to harm them or interfere with any mission on which I might send him. I’m telling you and your son to back off, Hisui. I mean it."
        "You’re forgetting who you’re talking to," she warned him in a dangerous voice and dug her claws into his arm until little droplets of blood sprang up around them.
        Sesshomaru didn’t flinch. "So are you. I don’t want to fight you, Hisui, but I will if you persist."
        She was quiet for a while, weighing his sincerity against her pride. Meanwhile, he carried on playing Mah Jong as if they were merely discussing the weather. Blood dribbled off his arm onto her thigh, and she watched it puddle then flow over the side onto the wood planks of the deck. She reached down to dip her finger into it, then brought it to her lips to taste. "I will have the Jewel, Sesshomaru, with or without you."
        With that, she left him alone with his Mah Jong and went back into the hotel. Sesshomaru just hoped he wouldn’t find his belongings in the hallway outside the door when he retired for the night.