"An undersea theme for a Mermaid Ball," Shunusuke observed in a voice laden with sarcasm. "They must’ve sat up all night thinking of that one."
        Yuki thumped him on the head. "I think it looks beautiful this year, don’t you, Kagome?"
        Kagome hooked her arm in Inu Yasha’s and nodded, even though she hadn’t attended last year’s Ball. It really was lovely, like an undersea paradise. The Ball was both indoors and out, so one could see the decorations before even entering the hotel. Colored lights in the shape of frosted seashells were strung between palm trees that sparkled with tiny white lights. An ice statue of a mermaid playing with a dolphin in the surf dominated a long table on the outside deck. The table was strewn with exotic flowers, finger foods and punch. There was a variety of sushi and other decorative foods, including a tree made from chocolate and wrapped in gossamer strands of caramel. Tropical flowers and plants were everywhere, filling the air with a delicate fragrance. There were tables scattered about the deck, each one with a pristine white table cloth and a flower arrangement with a shell-shaped candle in the middle of it. Most of the tables were filled, but there appeared to be places left at the much smaller tables on the boardwalk below. Everywhere were people in tuxedos and fabulous gowns—and not just teenagers. Many of the guests were much older.
        "Hey, what are all these old people doing here?" Shippo wanted to know and got Miroku’s hand over his mouth for saying it so loudly. Since he was riding on the priest’s shoulders, Shippo’s foot was conveniently located near enough to Miroku’s jaw to kick it until the priest let him talk again. "I thought this was just for people staying here. You know, people like Kagome."
        "It’s open to everyone," Shunusuke explained patiently, "but if you’re not a guest of the hotel, you have to pay for a ticket. It’s one of the season’s most fashionable events, so it attracts a lot of people who want other people to think they’re somebody important."
        "So you want people to think you’re important, eh?" Sango teased.
        Shunusuke smirked. "I am important, but I don’t care who else thinks so."
        "Do you think you can get any more conceited?" Rei Rei sneered as she pushed past the rest of the group and headed for the buffet. Her gossamer pink dress floated around her legs, hiding her magic wand, which was strapped to one of her thighs.
        Inu Yasha elbowed Shunusuke and teased: "I think she likes you," then he followed the magical girl into the mass of prettied up humanity, feeling like a god with Kagome on his arm. Nobody seemed to recognize him so far, but he knew it was just a matter of time before they bumped into one of their enemies, or some of the other people who had seen them throughout the week. He still wasn’t sure how he’d explain the fact that he no longer had ears on top of his head. The idea of spreading the truth around wasn’t very appealing, but he figured Kagome was right: The truth was the best explanation. And anyway, she’d added, he was still good in a fight without his demon powers. In fact, she felt just as safe with him as a human as she did when he was a half-demon. It had made him feel all warm inside when she’d told him that, particularly while she was wearing such a tantalizing, form-caressing outfit and that incredible perfume. It was sort of musky with a hint of jasmine and some kind of spice…and absolutely drove him out of his mind. Why didn’t she wear that stuff all the time? Inu Yasha could only imagine what it would do to his superior demon senses if it made him this crazy as a human.
        She let go of his arm with a bright smile and headed for the end of the table where the plates were stacked. Inu Yasha watched her hips swing for a few steps before catching up to make sure they didn’t get separated in the buffet line. Miroku and Yuki came up behind them, chatting excitedly about the decorations and the food. Miroku grabbed two plates: One for himself and one for Shippo. The kitsune pointed at what he wanted, and the priest obliging put it on his plate. Shunusuke and Sango fell in behind Miroku and Yuki. Shunusuke whispered something in Sango’s ear, which she passed along to Miroku, who whispered it to Inu Yasha: "Hisui and Sesshomaru have arrived."
        Inu Yasha looked over his shoulder in the direction of the hotel, then turned around to see the entrance through which he’d arrived. Nothing. "Where?"
        "Uh…" Miroku looked around but didn’t see them either. "Shunusuke said they were here…"
        "Then he just feels them," Inu Yasha told him and went back to loading up his plate. "They’ll be here soon. Relax. There are too many people around for them to try anything now."
        Miroku nodded, then leaned back a little to catch Shunusuke’s eye and nod to him that Inu Yasha got the message. Inu Yasha was right: There was too big a crowd for the demons to pick a fight. Back in his day, he’d say the demons wouldn’t care about incidental humans, but these future demons seemed concerned with keeping a low profile. Maybe they’d be able to have a good time and no trouble tonight after all. As long as they made sure there were lots of innocent bystanders, Miroku figured the demons wouldn’t attack. Of course, there were more annoying things they could do than physically attack, like follow them around all evening and hassle them. Hisui seemed particularly good at sounding polite while throwing threats around. He wondered if Inu Yasha’s new employer Sesshomaru would make her behave, then wondered if it was possible for anyone to make Hisui Oukami do anything she didn’t want to do. Probably not.
        The couple in question arrived via the hotel and turned every head on their way to the buffet. Even Inu Yasha’s jaw dropped a little at the sight of his brother escorting the sparkling, graceful dog-demoness. Hisui was mind boggling in a leaf green dress that shimmered and sparkled with tiny crystal beads and hugged her lithe body like a glove. Her hair was piled on her head in tiny ringlets that sparkled with colorful crystals. She favored her admirers with a condescending smile and hung on Sesshomaru’s arm like a pretty jewel. Looking into his brother’s face, Inu Yasha saw to his amazement that Sesshomaru seemed to feel exactly the same about having Hisui on his arm as Kagome made him feel. It was a most unexpected revelation, and it took Inu Yasha’s mind a few moments to get around it. Sesshomaru was really in love with Hisui. Sesshomaru in love…what a concept. It was actually rather unsettling. The first thing Inu Yasha wondered was if Hisui could wrap Sesshomaru around her finger as deftly as Kagome could wrap her half-demon around hers. At least Kagome wasn’t manipulative like Hisui, so she didn’t abuse her power to turn him to goo with little more than misty eyes and a quivering lip. If Sesshomaru could easily be put under Hisui’s spell… Oh, this didn’t look good. Inu Yasha turned a worried look on Kagome, then passed it to the rest of his friends. They were too busy being hypnotized by Hisui to notice him.
        Yuki sighed: "They’re fabulous!"
        "It’s Hisui and Sesshomaru!" Inu Yasha shot back with a snarl. "Snap out of it!"
        "Dazzling," sighed Miroku.
        "Hello…" Inu Yasha waved his hand in front of the priest’s face. "She’s the enemy, remember?"
        Kagome snapped out of it first. "What a show off! I’ll bet she’s using telepathy to make everybody admire her!"
        As the implication of Kagome’s words sunk in, her friend’s faces fell one by one. If Hisui could make people admire her as she passed, what else could she make them do with just a tweak of her mind? Shunusuke’s hand paused with a piece of sushi halfway to his plate and commented: "Weak minds are easily manipulated, so are those who don’t believe there are those who have powers like Hisui’s. We’re in the know, so we should be ok if she tries anything."
        "Thank you, Obi Wan," Yuki joked humorlessly. Maybe she was overreacting to think her relatives were going to attack Inu Yasha and his friends tonight. Who was she kidding? The whole reason they’d attacked Inu Yasha at the shrine was to keep him from going back in time. Why else would they do that unless they planned on doing something to him in this time? Once Kagome’s vacation was over, Inu Yasha would go back through the well, and so would she. Of course, there was nothing to keep Hisui and/or Mikoto from trying to stop them from leaving this time. She hoped they’d wait till tomorrow to attack and just let them have a good time tonight. She, for one, was utterly happy, and her brother seemed to be, too (even if he wasn’t making as much headway as he would’ve liked with Sango). Inu Yasha and Kagome were positively glowing. It’d be a shame to ruin the mood, it really would. Maybe if she talked to her father about it…
        The group pulled two tables together on the boardwalk and settled in to enjoy their food and do a little people watching. Ok, a lot of people watching, and not just of their enemies, more and more of whom appeared every minute (some of them literally appeared). Gin had somehow convinced Shinnai to be her date, though Tsurai came stag. He arrived with Mikoto, who had his American wife with him and was all smiles. After even Tachimora showed up, Inu Yasha wondered aloud why his Chinese "friends" weren’t there, too. Kagome explained that Jackie Chan and Chow Yun-Fat were very famous movie stars, who would cause a bit of a stir if they showed up at the Mermaid Ball.
        "And demons showing up doesn’t?" Inu Yasha growled back, getting a giggle out of everybody at the table. "Hisui and Sesshomaru aren’t even trying to look human! I mean, how many humans do you know with stripes on their faces, pointy ears and yellow eyes?"
        "Don’t forget the white hair and claws," Shippo interjected over a mouthful of sushi. "So, what’s a movie star?"
        "I want to know where Myouga is," Yuki said. "I thought he was coming to this thing."
        Kagome and her feudal friends almost choked on their food. No Myouga meant something really dangerous was going to happen very soon. The flea could smell danger coming and always managed to disappear before it actually arrived.
        Yuki blinked at them. "What? What’s wrong? Should we go look for him?"
        Kagome bit her knuckles. "Myouga disappears whenever there’s danger nearby…"
        "So if he’s not here…" Miroku added.
        "Something very bad is about to happen." Sango finished and put her face in her hands. "I knew it. Even in the future we can’t relax!" She looked up and gave Inu Yasha a stern glare. "This is your fault, isn’t it? Danger just follows you around like a hungry puppy."
        Inu Yasha growled at her and returned his attention to the sushi on his plate. At least it didn’t smart off to him. "It’s not my fault," he grumbled. It was a fact of his life but it wasn’t his fault.
        Sango continued to complain, as if she didn’t hear him. "And I was really looking forward to this, too! I never get to go to things like this. Only rich people who live in castles have fancy dinners…*sigh*…and wear fine silk and perfume." She closed her eyes and imagined herself as court Lady in layers of bright silk, with pearls in her ears and jade about her neck. It would never happen, she knew, unless a great Lord hired her to exterminate demons for him. The only Lords she knew anymore were demons, themselves, who were more than capable of exterminating their fellow demons without help from a human girl. "The only castle I’ve ever been in was Naraku’s and I hope I never have to go back."
        Shunusuke saw an opportunity and jumped on it before Inu Yasha could open his mouth and ruin it. "My family has a castle near Osaka," he told Sango casually. "It’s not a very big one and it’s open to the public for tours on certain days, but it’s ours."
        Just as he’d hoped, her eyes lit up and she directed all of her attention on him. "A real castle? I didn’t realize your family was…" she blushed, "I mean, I knew you had money but I didn’t realize you were nobility. I guess I should have, since your grandmother is the Great Demon of the Northern Lands."
        Shunusuke’s belly flip-flopped. He actually impressed her. "Actually, the castle came to us through our human ancestors. Asano is a noble family on both sides."
        Yuki hid her smile in her punch and decided she must definitely talk to her father about keeping the peace tonight so she and her friends could have a nice time. Every girl should have at least one night in her life when she can feel like a princess or at least a Lady, even if she’s a demon hunter from another time. And Inu Yasha should get to dance with Kagome at an expensive affair without having to worry that his presence would draw danger to her. As for herself, she figured she deserved tonight, too. Though Miroku claimed he wanted to marry her, Yuki was too realistic to hold her breath. He’d be back in past before the next day was out, and she’d still be here in the present. She’d probably never see him again. Yuki sighed as she realized she really didn’t want him to go. Aside from spending practically every waking moment in his arms, she hardly knew him and was, for the first time in her life, really unhappy about that. She wanted him to stay a few more days…no weeks…no, she just didn’t want him to leave. Ever.
        His hand on hers snapped her out of her reverie, and she turned to smile at him. "I wish you didn’t have to leave tomorrow," she sighed.
        "I wish I didn’t have to leave, either," he told her softly, "but we have battles to fight at home, too. When that’s over…"
        They leaned closer, their eyes dewy, lips parting—
        Then Inu Yasha flung a piece of seaweed at Miroku’s cheek and shattered the mood. "Not at the dinner table, you cretins!" He growled.

        After eating and enjoying a little conversation over punch (and marveling that the bad guys were actually leaving them alone), the gang adjourned to the ballroom inside the hotel to dance. The music was much different than what Shunusuke’s band had played at the shindig the other night—chiefly, it was performed at a much lower volume. An orchestra played in a balcony overlooking the dance floor. The hall was enormous and had a vaulted ceiling with three frosted glass domes ringed with white lights. Soft light was provided by a half dozen enormous crystal chandeliers and a collection of smaller lamps set into the walls and columns. Couples waltzed across a floor of black and white marble, their feet not really seeming to touch the ground.
        Kagome took Inu Yasha’s hand and led him onto the dance floor. She put his hands in the proper places, startling him a little when she put his left hand on her hip. "I guess you’ve never waltzed?"
        He shook his head and looked around him at the other couples to try and get an idea of what was involved.
        "Don’t worry," Kagome assured him, "it’s not as hard as it looks." She showed him how to move his feet to the three-three time and once he got the hang of that, showed him how to do it and turn about the dance floor at the same time. "You’re a quick learner!"
        Inu Yasha blushed. "Yeah, well…you’re a good teacher."
        This was absolutely the best week of his entire existence. He’d gotten to kiss Kagome (a lot), they’d admitted their feelings for each other, had gone dancing twice now, and made new friends. Also, their future together would be secure, financially, now that he had a job lined up with Sesshomaru. All that was left to do was to wrap up things with the Jewel and Naraku and he could come live with Kagome here in the future for good. When she was older, they could even get married and maybe have kids. Maybe Miroku and Yuki would get married, too. They could live in the same town and have perfectly normal lives, except that he’d be working for a demon lord in an unspecified, very secretive type of job that would probably involve as much danger as was currently a part of his life. Great. At least he’d be with Kagome without doubts about her feelings for him.
        He looked away from Kagome’s eyes long enough to find his friends and smiled at Sango’s attempts to waltz in high heels. She finally got fed up, took them off, then continued dancing much more gracefully. Miroku and Yuki actually looked like they might stick around and dance, rather than nick off to someplace more private. Shippo hung around the perimeter of the dance floor with Rei Rei, then suddenly assumed the form of a tall, human, older version of himself and asked the magical girl if she’d like to dance. After getting over her astonishment at seeing a kitsune do his thing right in front of her, she accepted his invitation. They realized at the same time that neither of them knew how to waltz but decided to just wing it anyway. That made Inu Yasha smile and he started to believe the night would come off without a hitch.

        After an hour of dancing, Sango had to go to the bathroom, so, in true female form, she collected her friends and off they went to the ladies room. When they didn’t return after more than twenty minutes, the boys got a little worried. When another fifteen minutes passed, they really got worried and made Shippo turn into a girl and go investigate. He checked out every public ladies’ room on the first floor of the hotel but found no sign of the girls, so he put his sniffer to work even though there were so many scents to sift through. After a few minutes of that, he was forced to concede defeat.
        Shunusuke ground his teeth and declared he was going to find his father and get to the bottom of this, then stalked back into the ballroom, Inu Yasha, Shippo and Miroku right behind him.
        Mikoto was genuinely shocked to hear of the girls’ disappearance. His wife was very concerned. "Mikoto, what is this about?"
        He looked innocent. "I have no idea but I think I know who might. Let me talk to Mother about it." He took the missus with him on his search for Hisui, leaving the gang behind.
        Inu Yasha wasn’t willing to trust Mikoto to solve the problem so off he stomped to find Sesshomaru, knowing that Hisui would likely be found in his company. The rest of the guys figured he knew what he was doing and followed him. "So was your Dad lying?"
        Shunusuke shrugged. "He’s good enough to block me, so I couldn’t tell."
        Inu Yasha frowned. "Well could you tell if he was trying to hide anything?"
        "No."
        Inu Yasha cursed. "That doesn’t help."
        "Sorry," Shunusuke grouched. "It’s not my fault he’s got more demon in him than I do."
        Being the tallest, Shunusuke spotted Sesshomaru before the others did and led his cohorts in that direction, politely excusing himself when he had to push past people. The demon lord looked up from something Hisui was saying to him. He saw Mikoto coming toward him first, then Inu Yasha’s group and glared at his date, who just gave him an innocent look and batted her eyelashes. Sesshomaru did not look amused.
        "Ok, Hisui, where’s Kagome?" Inu Yasha demanded, interrupting Mikoto’s sentence and getting glares all around.
        "And Yuki," Miroku added.
        "And Sango," demanded Shunusuke.
        There was a pause, then, since nobody else would speak up for her, Shippo said: "And Rei Rei!"
        Hisui fluttered her eyelashes at them. "I have no idea what any of you is talking about. Darling," she drawled to her son, "why don’t you tell them what your new little human brat did with their women?"
        Mikoto’s jaw opened, then snapped shut as his face purpled with rage. "I will not let you make me your scapegoat again, Mother! Furthermore, Tachimora is your ‘new little human brat’, or are you losing your memory in your old age? I have had quite enough of your childish games! Now where are those girls?"
        There was a very long pause while Hisui and Mikoto locked vicious glares and angry minds, and the others held their breath. Then Mikoto turned to Sesshomaru and said in a low, tight voice: "I’ve had enough of Hisui Oukami. I will challenge her once those girls are found and returned unharmed. I advise you to mind your own business and stay out of the way when my challenge comes. Mother," he pointed his finger in her face, "return the girls safely, now."
        "Or you’ll what?" Hisui huffed smugly. "Challenge me here in front of all these innocent humans? I don’t think so."
        Shunusuke took his mother by the arm and pulled her away from his father. "Stay with Dad," he told her, but she’d already made up her mind to do just that. In fact, she didn’t seem to be intimidated by Hisui at all.
        She shook off her son’s hand to return to her husband’s side and fix Hisui with a look of doom. "You took my daughter—your granddaughter. I demand that you return her and the other girls safe and unharmed immediately."
        Hisui’s eyes went wide. "Are you challenging me, human? Have you any idea who I am?"
"You’re Hisui Oukami, Great Demon of the Northern Lands," Mrs. Asano replied coolly. "My husband would make a better one."
        "Karen," Mikoto patted her arm to silence her, "don’t get involved. She’ll kill you without a second thought."
        "Hmmm," mused Hisui with an evil gleam in her golden eyes, "maybe I’ll do that now."
        She raised her hand to strike, but Sesshomaru stopped her. Crushing her hand in his, he snarled: "That will be enough, Hisui! There will be no killing tonight. Return the girls—unharmed—now!"
        Hisui grimaced and tried to twist her hand out of his but couldn’t. "Darling, you’re hurting me!"
        "Now, Hisui," Sesshomaru hissed, his icy glare boring into her eyes. He squeezed hard enough to make her cry out before she finally capitulated. Sesshomaru figured he’d probably lost her after having chased after her for most of his adult life but after this week he wasn’t so sure he cared. She was a very dangerous, homicidal child. Her beauty enchanted him and most of the time he very much enjoyed her company. This wasn’t one of those times.
        Tears sprang into Hisui’s eyes as she nodded her surrender. "Fine! Shinnai!"
        The kitsune appeared in time to see his mistress begin to weep and massage her reddened hand. "Bring the girls back."
        He looked puzzled. "Girls? What girls?"
        Blink. "The girls I ordered taken to Tachimora and his gang to hold hostage for the Jewel shard. Those girls. Are you daft?!"
        Shinnai still looked confused. "My Lady, you gave me no such order."
        "DON’T DEFY ME!" Hisui screamed in his face. The room got suddenly quiet. Even the orchestra stopped playing as everyone turned to see what all the commotion was about. "Have even you turned against me, Shinnai? I should have killed you years ago for your insolence!" Before Shinnai realized where that line of talk was going, Hisui’s hand was all the way through his chest. She drew it out, dripping blood onto the marble floor and watched with satisfied little smirk as he dropped to the floor in confusion. Two seconds later, the humans figured out what had just happened and several of them screamed, others shouted for someone to call an ambulance and the police.
        Tsurai appeared and threw himself over his brother with an agonized howl. "You bitch! If he dies, I’ll kill you!" Then he disappeared with Shinnai in his arms.
        People continued to scream and move away from the scene of the attack. Someone tried to grab Hisui, but she effortlessly threw them across the room. Sesshomaru wrapped his arms around her from behind, pinning her arms to her sides. She kicked and screamed, but he wouldn’t let go. "Hisui," he shouted in her ear, "stop it right now! You’re humiliating yourself!"
        She quit struggling abruptly and just cried. "You’re all against me! My own son wants to challenge me! My servants defy me—"
        "You might very well have just killed Shinnai for obeying your orders," Mikoto growled in her face. "Remember, Mother, I have the same talent you have and I’m well aware of your habit of blaming others for your own mistakes. Now, why don’t we finish this discussion outside?"
        Without getting her agreement, Sesshomaru set Hisui down, took her by the hand that wasn’t bloodied and led her out of the ballroom. Inu Yasha and the others followed, carefully skirting the puddle of Shinnai’s blood. On the way out, Mikoto flagged down a concierge and gave him a note for the hotel’s management, apologizing and saying he’d pay for any damages.
        Sesshomaru led Hisui down to the beach, all the way to the surf line and forced her to wash her hand in the waves. "I love you very much, Hisui," he told her as he swished her hand around in the water, "but sometimes you do things that make no sense. In spite of his misplaced ardor for you, Shinnai is a very reliable operative, who would be the last person in the world to betray you. Yet, he’s the one on which you pin the blame and now you’ve tried to murder him in cold blood, in a room full of witnesses. That was extremely bad judgement on your part."
        "Who are you to judge me, Sesshomaru?" She spat back.
        "I’m the fool who still loves you."
        Inu Yasha turned his head so he wouldn’t have to see his brother humiliate himself like that. How could he still be in love with such a bitch? Did he have his head up his ass? "That woman has you by the balls, brother," he wanted to say but didn’t. Instead, he asked about Kagome and the other girls. "Where are they, Hisui?"
        She ignored him and dried her hands on Sesshomaru’s kerchief.
        "Mother," Mikoto demanded, "where are those girls?"
        Hisui paused, then returned Sesshomaru’s handkerchief to him. "Tachimora has them, I imagine. Find him and you will find the girls."
        Still impossible, Mikoto thought bitterly. "Very well, Mother. Where is Tachimora?"
        She shrugged but still wouldn’t turn her eyes from the sea to look at them. "I have no idea—and that’s the truth."
        Mikoto prodded her mind for a little while, then sighed. "So it would seem." He turned to the rest of the group, rubbing his temples in an attempt to beat back the migraine he could feel coming on. "I suppose we’ll just have to search for them ourselves. Gin!"
        She appeared in front him with tears on her face, then saw Hisui standing behind him and had to be held back by Mikoto, Shunusuke and Sesshomaru to keep from jumping Shinnai’s attacker. "You filthy bitch! What did Shinnai do to you?! He’s the most loyal—"
        "GIN!" Mikoto shouted in her face. "Stop it. I have a job for you."
        She sniffled and nodded, making an obvious attempt to pull herself together and take orders from her boss. But her eyes were red and she was trembling with rage and grief. Her kitsune ears and tail appeared as she lost the will to keep up a human disguise. "Yes, Sir."
        "My mother had Kagome, Yuki, Sango and Pretty Rei Rei kidnapped and taken to that thug Tachimora. Find them."
        Gin nodded, then realized something. "Yuki and the magical girl?"
        Mikoto nodded with a resigned sigh. "Yes, I know. Heaven help Tachimora. Just find them and report back to me."
        "No!" Inu Yasha stopped Gin from disappearing by grabbing her wrist. "I don’t trust you people. Take me with you."
        "What about us?" Miroku demanded. "You can’t expect us to just sit here and wait while Yuki and Sango are in danger!"
        "Sango and Yuki can handle themselves," Inu Yasha growled, "and so can that magical girl. I’m worried about Kagome." Chiefly because she had the Jewel shards, but Inu Yasha didn’t say that and tried very hard not to think it. He hoped Yuki and Rei Rei would use their magical powers to help all of them to escape before someone figured out Kagome had the shards.
        Shippo jumped onto Inu Yasha’s shoulder to put himself eye-to-eye with Gin. "Take me, too."
        Mikoto sighed. "You are wasting time. Gin? Go."
        She went, much to Inu Yasha’s ire. Mikoto held up a hand to calm him down, which of course did him no good at all, so he had to shout over the half-demon’s rant. "You’ll know where they are when Gin returns, so shut up and wait!"
        Sesshomaru wasn’t any more pleased with Mikoto’s plan than his brother was. For all he knew, Mikoto was part of Hisui’s kidnapping plans and his concern was all a clever act to deceive them. With a heavy sigh and a stern look for Hisui, he took out his phone and put his own operatives on the case. That didn’t please Hisui or Mikoto, though Mikoto was willing to accept it. Hisui, on the other hand…
        "I told you you were against me!" She sobbed.
        "Hisui," Sesshomaru sighed, "I’m acting in my brother’s interest—"
        She jabbed a clawed finger at him and accused: "You want the Jewel for yourself! That’s why you’re sending your own people to find Inu Yasha’s woman! So you can take the Jewel before I can!"
        The ensuing silence was broken only by the gentle sounds of waves hitting the shore and somewhat less gentle sound of Inu Yasha’s battle cry as he launched himself at Hisui. She jumped out of the way, and he dove face first into the surf and came up sputtering and cursing. "You bitch!" He knew better than to try attacking her again now that he’d lost the element of surprise, so he just stood in the ocean and bared his very human teeth at her. "Tell me where Kagome is now!"
        "With Tachimora," Hisui told him innocently.
        "Where is Tachimora?!"
        Shrug. "I have no idea."
        "Bullshit."
        Another shrug. "Whatever. You bore me, Inu Yasha. If you want to challenge me, do it now, otherwise go away and leave the Jewel to a real demon, where it rightfully belongs." She smiled a dangerous smile, showing her long, sharp fangs. "If Kagome doesn’t put up a fight, I promise not to kill her."
        "SO YOU DO KNOW WHERE SHE IS!" Inu Yasha roared and jumped at Hisui again. Once again, he missed, this time winding up in Miroku’s arms. He broke free and turned to attack again, only to find his brother standing in his path. "Out of my way, Sesshomaru!"
        He shook his head. "If you handle it this way, Kagome will surely die."
        It wasn’t Sesshomaru’s words that stopped Inu Yasha’s rage so much as his tone. It was unlike anything he’d ever heard come from his brother’s mouth and sent a shiver down Inu Yasha’s spine. It was the ring of truth and it chilled him out faster than a cold shower. "I can’t just do nothing!"
        Sesshomaru nodded. "I understand that, but you must learn to be patient and trust me. I know how hard that is for you, but you must do it."
        Trust Sesshomaru? Inu Yasha clenched his fists and wouldn’t meet his brother’s eyes. Could he really trust Sesshomaru? He heard Kagome’s words in his mind once again: "Sesshomaru in this time isn’t like the Sesshomaru in your time!" But could he be trusted any more than that younger Sesshomaru? Inu Yasha looked up into the eyes of the man who’d devoted so much time and energy to trying to kill him centuries ago and realized he could trust him. At least, he could trust him not to let Kagome get killed, or Hisui or Mikoto get the Jewel shards. What else he could trust Sesshomaru for remained to be seen.
        Inu Yasha sighed and nodded. "Alright, brother. This time I’ll trust you."