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Chapter Text

I disclaim any and all rights to Inuyasha or any character used, parodied, or mentioned in this story. Inuyasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi. No money is made off of this or any other fandom created by me. -Theores

A/N: Hello! After my first attempt at writing out Long Forgotten Secrets didn't have the impact I was hoping for (that and the fact that I just wasn't liking a few choice chapters) I decided to start over with a new layout. This story features my OC Rehema and is an OC x Sesshomaru fic. I hope you all enjoy it better than the last one and thanks to Trinabear who battled it out with me over the story plot. Please review. -Theores

Chapter 1: A Special Day

Rehema opened her eyes and blinked; her vision blurred as she tried to process images that her mind was not yet capable of handling in her half unconscious state. Throughout her entire body, all she felt was pain. Raising her hands that were laid out in front of her, the woman turned her head to stare at her reddish brown fingers which twitched and clawed at the ground without her telling them to.

Why was she in so much agony? Her eyes clearing, they narrowed a bit and she gasped at seeing the redness of her skin was caused by blood, the coppery scent hitting her nose and dripping onto the dirt in droplets beneath her form.

Where am I?

Turning over so that her back laid against the ground, she barely made out the patterns of a straw roof above while the square outlines of the wooden structure surrounding so told her she was inside a well. How did I get here?

Confused and afraid she managed to sit up her aching body long enough to her breath before reaching out and attempting to climb the ivy that grew within the dried water source. Using the last of her strength, she propelled over the rim and landed onto yet another dirt floor, this time, the ground appearing level with the rest of the world.

Leaning against the well for support, she wrapped her hands around her midsection which was where most of her pain seemed to be situated. From what she could feel, a few ribs had been broken. Looking around her, a new question arose that had nothing to do with her current situation. Why would a well be surrounded by a hut? The answer came to her randomly. It's a well house.

Nothing made any sense. Her entire body was in aching. The last thing she remembered; waking up in the well. She had gotten hurt after. Her name was. The year, she didn't know that either. Everything was a haze. Hearing a noise from outside the well house, Rehema opened her mouth to speak and moaned when she felt how sore her throat was too. What isn't wrong with me right now?

Outside the sounds of people reached her ears. Though they spoke a language she could understand a part of her told her; This isn't my language. Whatever that meant. Freezing when the door of the well house opened and two shadows appeared, she remained silent, listening as they talked.

"What is it Taka?"

"I thought I heard something coming from the well shrine."

The glow of a lantern hit her and she was forced to cover her eyes from the light.

"What the….Who are you?!" One man shouted.

"A foreigner?" The other suggested, lifting the lamp higher above their heads. "Look at her….I think she's injured."

Foreigner? That would explain why this doesn't feel natural.

"How did she get here? Gaijin aren't allowed this deep into the country!"

"Can you turn that down…." She finally managed to whisper out, surprised when the undertone of an accent came out with her voice.

One of the shadows stiffened. "A Gaijin, no wonder she's covered in blood; she must have consumption!"

"On our sacred grounds no less!"

Panic. "What are you doing here wench?!"

Closing her eyes slightly, Rehema tried to explain. "I….I don't know…."

"What should we do with her?"

"Alert the shrine keeper! We have to get her out of here before she infects us all!" The other shouted and disappeared from view, apparently going off to do as he said he would.

On shaky legs, Rehema stood to her full height and rose her hands in a gesture of peace to the remaining man. "No! I'm not sick, I'm just injured…."

"Gaijin have no place here!" He said, interrupting her plea. "You have not permission nor reason to be on our holy grounds. Leave while you can wench!"

Outside she could hear the sounds of an apparent angry mob approaching, their shouts of anger making her think of tribal hunts where prey was killed ruthlessly all in the name of sport. And I'm the prey.

"You have three minutes! Go!"

She didn't need to be told twice, ignoring the pain in her figure, Rehema bolted from the well house and ran, her direction unclear though she went opposite the mob that grew ever closer with each pressing step.

What am I going to do?

As Inuyasha walked alongside his wife, he couldn't help but be curious at the way she kept sighing happily every few minutes as though she had discovered something that made her more cheerful than normal. Rolling his eyes when she did it yet again, the half-breed finally asked, "What has you so happy today?"

Blinking herself back to reality, Kagome looked at her husband and smiled. "Oh nothing, I was just thinking that today is a very special day."

"A special day?" Confused, Inuyasha tried to remember all the days she claimed were special to her in some way or another; her birthday, the day they met, the days Shippo, Miroku, and Sango each joined their group, the day Naraku was defeated; something called New Year's. None of those or the thousands of other days she marked as special fell on today. Or had he forgotten? A bit nervous, he gave Kagome a cautious look and hoped she wouldn't be angry about him forgetting. "Uh….hmmm…."

Sensing his fear, Kagome reassured him."Don't worry, it's nothing I ever told you about."

"Oh." He mentally breathed a sigh of relief. "So what is it?"

"Today marks the day my life was saved by someone very special."

"Keh….that's what's got you so happy?" Inuyasha said, recalling the multiple times he had protected her from danger.

"It wasn't just any saving," Kagome said, giving off another happy sigh. "I was only twelve days old."

"You were accident prone that early in life?"

She ignored him and kept talking. "The doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. Every test came back negative, no surgeon would operate because they didn't know what the problem was. I would stop breathing….."

"What's a negative test mean?"

"It means no test they performed found anything that would suggest I was sick," Kagome explained, glancing up at the sky. "Everyone had given up hope. And then they called in this doctor….from a country called Egypt."

"Egypt?"

"Its a country in Africa," She said, ignoring Inuyasha's frequent interruptions. "She had to be flown in; that is, brought in all the way from her home. The doctors told her it was hopeless but she tried surgery anyway, against permission, she went into my chest…..and found the problem, I had a heart condition that was genetic...ah….passed down in my family. An issue so small nothing or no one else could have detected it, but it almost killed me."

Having not understood half of what she was talking about, Inuyasha merely focused on what he did. "So this woman…..saved you as a baby."

She nodded. "Uh huh. I literally owe her my life. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't exist, I would never have had a chance to live."

"Keh. This is the first time you've ever mentioned this."

"Yea….I know…."

"Why?"

"Because you wouldn't have understood," Kagome responded, smiling when Inuyasha crossed his arms and looked away. "And Zakari-sensei I haven't seen since…..my graduation."

"That thing you got after you defeated…..school?"

Kagome closed her eyes and shook her head. Six months and he still had the concept of schooling and exam confused. "Today is just a special day is all. Zakari-sensei ended up staying in Japan after my surgery….and I never got a chance to thank her properly."

"She was just doing her job wasn't she?"

"But she risked so much to make sure I lived. My doctors told her to let me die….I don't even know how she got called in the first place. Had she failed…..they could have taken her license."

"License?"

Kagome dismissed it with a brush of her hand. "It's not important. The point is, Zakari-sensei is a very special person, rather she remembers me or not."

"Keh. Well even if I have no idea what she did that was so great, as long as she saved your life, I'm grateful too." Inuyasha said, walking a bit ahead so that she wouldn't see him blush.

"And even if I'm just one of a million patients to her, I'm sure like she did with me, she does everything to make sure they live." Kagome finished, continuing on with their walk.

"Let me be!" The man shouted, "This doesn't concern you! Leave or I'll jump!"

"Go ahead," Rehema responded, leaning out the window to her waist. Eight stories up, a well-dressed man wearing glasses was currently standing outside on the hospitals ledge, his face contorted in anger as the doctor continued to bother him in his once private moment. "I won't stop you, in fact, I might be joining you very soon."

The stranger scoffed. "Excuse me!"

"I was about to do the same thing you're doing now…." Rehema replied gently, "But you were already here." The wind began to pick up, and noticing something the doctor turned her head sideways and stared openly in the stranger's direction.

"What are you doing?!"

"Looking at your abs."

"What!"

"Up this high, the wind's blowing hard and your shirt's coming undone at the bottom…." Rehema whistled in approval. "You're pretty well defined for a Japanese." Crawling through the window and getting to her feet, the woman joined him on the ledge. "What's the rest of your body look like?"

Staring at her for only a moment, the stranger dropped his head in defeat. "My last moments on earth and I'm stuck with a female pervert." He glared at the sky next. "The Kami truly do despise me."

Rehema stuck her tongue out in protest. "Hey….I'm not that bad!" Moving closer, she smirked at the way he took a few baby steps back.

"Stop you, idiot!" He said. "You'll make me fall!"

"Oh please," She responded, rolling her eyes. "This is a wide ledge, and your back is against the wall. You aren't gonna fall."

"Then I'll jump. You're disrupting me."

"So?"

He glared. "Your presence is about to kill me and you don't even care?!"

Rehema shrugged. "What's it matter?"

"Excuse me?"

"You're about to jump anyway. What's the difference if I get close to you or not?" Peeking over the edge, Rehema chuckled at the world that ran below them like ants on a hill. "Try looking down, maybe you'll get dizzy and fall."

"You can't say that to a person threatening to leap to their death!"

"I can if my intention is to push you!" Rehema replied with a bizarre smile.

The man scowled. "Aren't doctors supposed to save lives, not take them away?"

"What makes you think I'm a doctor?"

"You're wearing scrubs."

"Any jackass can buy scrubs!" She exclaimed, pulling at her shirt. "Doesn't make them a doctor."

"But you are a doctor," He said. "And a well-known one. When you left the operating room people were clapping and cheering."

"Still doesn't mean I'm a doctor. For all you know I'm just some nut who broke in here trying to play god."

"Zakari…." The stranger said, glowering at her. "That's your name. Zakari-sensei."

Ignoring it Rehema pointed to the man's own green silk shirt. "Show me your chest."

He growled. "No!"

"Awww….come on….just a peek?"

"No! Go away!"

Pouting Rehema put her hands on her hips and frowned. "Look, either let me see your chest now or I'll see it and much more in ten minutes after you've hit the pavement and ended up in our morgue awaiting an autopsy."

"Go away!"

"What are you like in your late twenties?" She continued on, looking at his brown eyes and windswept hair. Focusing on his designer clothes and lack of a wedding ring next, Rehema sighed when she realized he was probably a trust-fund baby. "You should be in the lap of luxury right now, ruining some innocent female's lives."

Tiredly he looked at her."You don't understand anything…." The man muttered out. "You have no idea what I live with."

"Really?" The doctor said brushing her hair away from the new bandage that covered her forehead. "I might understand more than you think."

"What?"

Advancing a bit Rehema explained, "I've been on this ledge more times than I can count. Always wanting to jump, and never having the courage to do so. I backed out every time." She took another step close. "You're just like me. You want to jump but you need an extra push to actually go through with it. It's like fate."

"Like...fate?" He repeated.

"Yea. Otherwise why else would I pick this particular window and this particular ledge out of the hundreds this building has? The fact that you chose it too says it all." Rehema grinned. "We're supposed to jump together!"

"You can't be serious…."

Ignoring him, Rehema considered their options, "Now then how to do this….I suppose one of us could jump first and then the other follow...but then whoever goes second might end up backing out…." Looking over his body again, the doctor tapped a finger against her chin. "It would be easier if we held hands." She extended her arm. "Hold on tight."

His brown eyes became the size of saucers at her declaration. Seeing her poker face expression, the man involuntarily shook as the thought that she might actually pull him off the building came to mind. Rehema was right about the ledge being wide enough because he turned and ran, the doctor right on his heels. They were only about half way around the first corner when he began to hear her panting behind him, her steps becoming further apart from his own as he tried to get away from the psychotic woman.

Eventually, they ended up back where they'd started, and using the opportunity, the man launched back through the window into the hospital hallway where he promptly sealed the framework, locking Rehema out. Waiting until the doctor caught up, the stranger gave her a superior smirk when she tried to open the window from the outside' snickering once she gave him a hopeful look and pointed at his still partly unbuttoned shirt. Shaking his head the man turned his back on her and walked off, leaving the doctor stranded outside on the ledge.

I hope you enjoyed this first chapter, much better than the original. I think. Please review! -Theores

Chapter Text

I do not own Inuyasha or any other character associated with the manga created by Rumiko Takahashi. I make no money off this fandom.

A/N: Chapter 2! Yah! I'm so excited! I just want you all to know that I'm NOT giving up on this fanfiction, after all, it is my dream fic. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please review. -Theores

Chapter 2: One Small Favor

Rehema knew she could use one of her shoes to break the window to get back inside and she probably would, if she decided not to jump that is. In the meantime, however, it was a beautiful day and since she had nothing better to do, the doctor just went with it and took a seat, dangling her feet over the ledge.

She had lost over thirty million yen in that Yakuza operated casino she'd spent the last few days in. The rush of adrenaline she'd felt when the gang members had demanded their money had been near orgasmic in her opinion though the chase that had followed when she chose to run away instead of paying out had had its own excitement.

Absently rubbing behind her ear to comfort herself, the doctor huffed as the memories of what had happened came back to her. She'd been missing for three days, as Fukuro had explained to her once he'd gotten her settled into an examination room and had her forehead properly stitched up by an ER doctor. She had run into a wall by accident while running a second time after trying to drop off the money she owed the Yakuza leader the next morning. In that time, not one, but two patients had arrived needing cardiac surgery, both of which she had performed in back to back operations covering the span of almost eight hours on the job. Good thing it was morning when I started. Though if she hadn't answered Fukuro's phone calls, most likely it would have been night time if not outright, tomorrow when she finally arrived. She hadn't even been home since she'd outrun the Yakuza twice. Most likely they had someone searching for her; but since she'd given them their money (with interest) along with a note explaining her reasons for running in the first place, they probably weren't looking that hard.

Taking a moment to look at her now slightly shaking hands, Rehema huffed in irritation at seeing that her nerves were already bad again after the two surgeries she been forced to perform. Why I chose to be a doctor I will never know.

It was a cycle for her. She would get one or two seemingly incurable patients, work like hell to save their lives; succeed, then go off the deep end for a few days to keep herself from going insane due to the stress saving lives put on her body and soul.

It was something she had been doing for years; literally centuries. Three hundred years and she could play this game by rhythm. Not understanding why she was still alive after so many generations had turned her into an adrenaline junkie. Why bother taking care of yourself when you would live regardless if you did or not?

Leaning back against the building, Rehema watched the world run below; nobody either noticing or caring that she was on a ledge of the hospital eight stories above ground level. Across the street, an apartment building that served as an assisted living home was as lively as could be for a place filled with old people, a couple of men outside on the balcony busily arguing over a game of Mahjong.

Where most people couldn't even hope to see that far away, she could just as clearly as if she were standing directly in front of the men's playing table. Her eyesight was what helped her so much in the operating room. It enabled her to see what others failed to. That and her hearing which let her follow a patient's heartbeat from the moment their atria contracted to allow blood flow to when it closed back up again. Yet another thing about her that was weird. And for all of her strangeness, she didn't know why.

Lost in thought, the doctor jumped when the window the stranger had locked was thrown open, and an angry hospital administrator's head popped outside, glancing around a second before locking on Rehema who stared back at him silently against the building wall. "Zakari!" Fukuro yelled at the top of his lungs. "What the hell?!"

Later after he had pulled her back into the safety of the hospital's walls, hospital administrator Fukuro gave Rehema an order that currently had even the doctor surprised. "Excuse me?"

"It's just a small donation." Fukuro responded, adjusting the glasses on his face. "Small to us anyway. To them, however, it might be a bit more on the overly generous side."

"Then why don't you take it?"

"Because I'm the one writing the check." He said and giving Rehema a pointed look also reminded her, "And you promised you would do the next thing I asked after I got you off the ledge and didn't send you straight to the psych ward."

Rehema frowned. "The psych ward threat was a little harsh…."

"You think so?" He asked, rolling his eyes, "And yet this isn't the first time I've rescued you after doing something idiotic, or do I need to bring up the garage incident?"

"No," She responded, shaking her head. He doesn't even know about the last three days. "But you want me to deliver a check to the Higurashi shrine of all places?"

"Hai. You owe it to them."

"I saved their daughter's life, shouldn't that be enough?"

"Yes." Fukuro said. "You did indeed save one of the Higurashi clan, by ignoring your fellow colleagues and performing an unauthorized procedure against protocol, but regardless of your unorthodox surgical techniques, a shrine keepers kudos and forgiveness would be most beneficial to this hospital."

"Forgiveness for what!" Rehema suddenly shouted out, avoiding eye contact with Fukuro who gave her an exasperated look but said nothing. She knew what, they both knew it. "So….you want to donate some money to the Higurashi shrine….in the hopes that they will forgive me right? And not only that but because of my behavior in the past….you also want me to be the one that actually hands them the check?"

"Precisely." When Rehema remained silent, Fukuro went on. "It would be good to reconnect with some of your tougher cases."

"Or maybe you were just hoping for their prayers every day before I go into surgery."

"Now that is not true!" The middle-aged man said, aghast at the notion. "You are a talented surgeon. You may be antisocial and yes I believe your behavior sometimes exceeds those of the mentally ill but I've never doubted your ability in the ER, not even when I had you flown in all those years ago to handle Kagome, who nobody thought would survive!"

Rehema sighed. "Yea and then you literally got on your knees and begged me to stay here afterward…." In fucking Japan. She still couldn't believe she had ended up saying yes.

"Because of your talents!" He declared happily. "You are capable of handling any and all patients whether they need a couple of stitches or major surgery, a hundred percent success rate, you always defy the odds."

"That's the only type of patient I deal with anymore." Rehema said, slouching down in her chair. "The impossible cases. A hundred and fifteen successful surgeries in the last three years alone….and it all started right after I saved that girl."

"Its because you're a miracle worker Zakari-san. You've done things I'm not sure even the gods could have accomplished when they roamed the earth."

"I'm not a God Fukuro." She said, forgoing a title or honorific. "I'm just person. A person that can do strange things."

"Strange? Well, I wouldn't call it that….."

"I don't want to take your stupid check to the shrine." Rehema said interrupting his ass kissing moment. "Just hire a courier to do it."

"Couriers are too impersonal. And as I said before it would do you good to keep contact with your former patients no matter how long it's been since you operated on them." Reaching behind his desk, Fukuro pulled out a number of envelopes, which were all bound together by a large piece of twine.

"What's that?"

"Your fan mail."

"Fanmail?"

He nodded. "Yes. You're loved by many."

"Oh really?" She responded sarcastically. He began to thumb through the various envelopes and cards, pausing when he got to the one he was looking for, ripping it out from under the pile. "Fukuro listen….."

"Dear Zakari-sensei." Fukuro said, cutting her off like she had done him earlier. Holding up the letter the middle-aged man read the first line. Judging by the yellowing of the edges from what Rehema could see, it appeared to be older than most, "I know it's been a long time since you saved me, but I wanted to write and tell you how my life has been."

"Fukuro…"

"Listen." He ordered lightly, continuing to read.

Fukuro went on recite the patients letter, which was from a female who talked about simple things like school and home and friends. She talked about the new addition to her family that took the form of a younger brother named Souta and their new cat Buyo who seemed to enjoy eating his weight in kitty food. On a sadder note, she talked about her father's and grandmother's recent deaths and how the remaining family moved together to her grandfather's shrine on the eastern side of Tokyo.

"...I have been trying my hardest to stay strong and keep fighting like you always wanted me to do, and I promise I will. I appreciate the life you gave me as much as my mother and I only wish that one day I can somehow pay you back." Fukuro finished the letter and cleared his throat as a bit of emotion got to him. "Its signed Higurashi, Kagome age 9."

Rehema stared down at the ground. "You held onto that this long?"

"I've kept all the letters people have sent you over the years. You are greatly adored for your abilities Zakari-sensei."

"Yeah….I don't think adored is the word."

Not wishing to start another argument Fukuro withdrew another square envelope, from his desk drawer this time and placed it on the table. "This is the check. You just head to the shrine, give the shrine keeper your donation, apologize for your past behavior, and then you can go about your miserable life as you see fit."

Rehema sighed. "Does it have to be the Higurashi shrine?"

"Yes."

"There are a million shrines in this city, can't you find somewhere else?"

"No. The Higurashi family must be the ones to receive this donation after all, the check is already endorsed in their name."

"Do we even have the money to be donating to anything at this point?"

"I managed to garner quite a few donations last week for hospital funding, but this is out of my own pocket."

Of course. Rehema thought. Healthcare in Japan was relatively cheap for consumers but complete hell for those who worked in the industry. Since most hospitals had trouble getting into the black with their finances due to health care law, most were forced to peddle for outside donations to keep their doors open. Fukuro was a master at fundraising, however, so it was no surprise that he managed to obtain so much support.

Not feeling particularly prideful, Rehema took one last effort at getting out of it. "But shouldn't I stick around in case an emergency pops up?"

Fukuro saw right through her. "Really Zakari-san, you have a beeper and a cell phone, it would take you an hour at the most to rush back here if something came up." Glaring at her after he spoke he added, "As long as you actually answer your phone that is."

I'm doomed. "So now what?"

"Change out of those scrubs and into your street clothes and head to the shrine. Did you take the tram to work today or drive?"

Rehema scoffed. She hadn't driven because she hadn't been home. He didn't need to know that though. "On a Monday? As hard as parking is in this city. Are you crazy? I took the tram."

Fukuro rolled his eyes again. "My mistake."

"Are we done here?"

"Yes, Zakari-san." He replied, nudging her out the door. "Now go. And be nice to the Higurashi family, I don't need you getting sued."

Shutting the door lightly, Fukuro closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the wood tiredly. A part of him couldn't believe it. It's finally about to happen. Glancing over his shoulder, the old man looked tiredly at his desk where Kagome's old letter still lay half curled up on the table, the edges blowing slightly as a breeze floated through the room.

A/N: Parts look familiar right? I hope you like the new twists and turns I added to this. As always please review! -Theores

Chapter Text

I hereby disclaim any and all rights to characters thus created by Rumiko Takahashi. I make no money from this fandom.

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the first two installments. Hopefully, I can keep the flow going for this chapter too! -Theores

Chapter 3: The Journey

Japan, Kamakura Period, House of the West

Irensei was the name of the game laid out in front of the two gentlemen, the entire room hushed as each treated the board like a battlefield rather than friendly fun between friends. Completely poised, Honorable Shin'ichi was careful in his placement of his stones on the board game in front of them, his opponent for the day proving himself to be a challenging one indeed. But the dragon had finally made an error. And it was that mistake that would cost him the game in only one more move.

As Jun-Long placed his own piece on the board he smirked causing Shin'ichi to wonder what had him looking so smug. With a final click of stone against wood, the dog demon defeated the dragon and telling him so watched in bewilderment as he began to laugh rather than check to make sure that he indeed lost the game.

"It's nothing." The dragon king answered as they cleared the panel in preparation for another round. "It's just that I was thinking of someone else who takes this game as seriously as you do."

"Really?" Shin'ichi responded, absently setting the pieces back up. "Do tell."

"You wouldn't think so just looking at her," Jun-Long continued, a grin still on his face. "She's around my age, give or take a century; closer to Sesshomaru actually." The dragon king was only about twenty in human years so the fact that he would speak so highly of someone his junior had the older man's absolute attention. One thing gave him pause however.

"She?"

He nodded. "An old friend of mine's younger sister. Unfortunately, he died some time back but she's still alive and living in their homeland."

"I'm assuming she isn't from the Mainland." Shin'ichi guessed.

"She's from Egypt. And one of the smartest people I've ever met."

"Human?"

"Jackal," Jun replied, making the first move in the new round.

"Jackal?" The old man repeated, sounding confused for a moment.

"Desert dog." The younger dragon clarified. "Smart as hell. Every time I see her she always has a book in her hand."

"I've heard about those types of youkai, they like to hang around graveyards and the like."

"That's a stereotype. Rehema's intelligent. Sure she may like her dead but she can speak Japanese. Mandarin and Cantonese as well." He furrowed his brow. "I think she's trying to learn Greek next or maybe it's French."

"Impossible." Shin'ichi declared, putting down another stone.

"It's true." Jun-Long asserted. "The trade route presented her with many opportunities."

"Ah. What do you call that route again?"

"The silk road," Jun-Long responded, focusing his attention back on the board. "Many a foreign traveler has shown up on Egypt's borders and she never misses the opportunity to leave that depressing grave she calls a home."

"She broadened her horizons." Shin'ichi muttered, stroking his beard. "I have long wanted to do the same for my grandson, but his stubborn mother insists on keeping to tradition."

"Perhaps you should ask Rehema to come to Japan," The dragon joked, placing another stone on the board. "I'm sure she would love the change of scenery from the viper's nest she lives in now."

"If what you've told me is true, at the very least I would have a better Go opponent," Honorable Shin'ichi responded making yet another finishing move. "I win."

Coincidences were something Rehema never thought too highly of. Having woken up half dead in what was now the Higurashi shrine three centuries ago, she had been beyond suspicious when the first child she ever saved in Japan just so happened to have family that now owned this same exact place. As cheesy as it was, the phrase everything happens for a reason worked well in this instance and just about every other major situation she had been involved in during the last three hundred years. "Why did Fukuro have to pick this shrine of all places?"

The stairs leading up to the shrine nearly killed her and once she reached the top, took no shame in taking a seat on her bottom directly in front of the Torii gates. Her legs splayed out at a V angle, Rehema huffed while staring at her brown lace-up boots that the bottoms of her jeans were tucked into. She had needed them to run, but now that she was out of danger, it seemed a little silly to be wearing them in the middle of summer. Taking in a few more breaths, the doctor blinked a few times to clear her vision which was becoming inexplicably blurred and wiping her eyes, cringed as the remnants of tears flowed down her brown fingers. Damnit! I don't need this today.

She hated to cry. Every time she did her head hurt and she couldn't explain why, but her body felt like it would give out the moment she let herself into her emotions. Taking another deep breath, Rehema reminded herself why she was here; to deliver a check to the Higurashi shrine so she could move on with her miserable life, as Fukuro had put it.

Her life wasn't bad in a social class sense. A few years before moving back to Japan she had performed an unauthorized surgery on some big shot billionaire, for which he had rewarded her with $150 million dollars as thanks for saving his life, enabling her to own a luxury penthouse in one of the cities best districts; complete with two kitchens and state of the art appliances. She had two cars in her garage, both imported and was skilled enough as a doctor that her fanbase was in the thousands.

But for all of that I'm miserable. Still alive after three hundred years. She had long ago stopped making connections with people because eventually they would notice her lack of aging long after they began to go gray at the temples while the only thing gray on her were her eyes which she waved away as having access to hair dye and plastic surgery. She had no friends or love interests, a horrible sense of direction and her job; the one thing she knew she was good at, was so stressful it lead to adrenaline chases which almost always ended up in some kind of injury, near death experience or overall threat to the meager security that was her life.

Letting out another puff of air, the doctor glanced up and blinked, a bit surprised at seeing the elderly man who strode towards her, bearing a top knot, traditional kimono, and broom that he was holding limply at his side. Furrowing his brow when he saw her still sitting on the ground despite having seen him, the old man finally asked, "Can I help you?"

"Oh. Yea." Standing, Rehema bowed as was the tradition in this country and nodded. "Sorry, your stairs nearly killed me."

He looked her over for a moment. "Can I help you?" He asked again, no doubt still wondering why a foreigner was on his sacred grounds.

"Uh….I'm looking for the head priest of this shrine," She replied.

"That's me," He grunted out, beginning to sweep the area between them. "I'm the head priest of Higurashi shrine."

Involuntarily, Rehema shuddered, the memories of the last head priest she had met and being chased out of this place hitting her like a night terror. Shaking off the fear, the doctor bowed again and with as much respect as she could muster explained, "I'm here to give a donation to the shrine in place of my boss….Uh….you might not remember me but I performed a surgery on…" Not remembering the relation and not wanting to call it wrong she called her patient by name. "Kagome Higurashi about eighteen years ago…."

Shocked; the shrine priest dropped his broom and stared wide-eyed at the doctor, making her twitch; uncomfortable. "Surgery….no….you can't be…." He blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes with his fists. "Zakaria-sensei?"

"It's Zakari actually," She muttered out. Why were people always getting her name wrong?

"Well….we never actually saw you, girl!" The elderly man shouted, waving his arms in the air. "You just saved my granddaughter's life and then disappeared!"

And that was the reason why Fukuro wanted her to apologize. Apparently in this country, it was beyond rude to do a favor for someone and just walk off without receiving gratitude of any kind, though Rehema had been so stressed after that surgery all she had wanted was a drink and to sleep. That and her bedside manner was beyond unpleasant so she usually found it best to treat a patient and then let them continue on with their lives.

The elderly man bowed low a few times before sitting back up to his full height to gaze at her happily. "You never answered a letter, and we couldn't find any information on you at the time either! I didn't know you were so dark…." The last part he grumbled and when Rehema bristled, he apologized and explained, "We knew you were from another country, we just never had a chance to see you in person is all!"

"Right…." Pulling out the envelope she had tucked away in her back pocket, Rehema held it out to him; a part of her already regretting having shown up at all. "I just came to give you this on behalf of my boss Fukuro….san….and to apologize for blatantly ignoring your attempts to contact me….I didn't mean any harm; I'm just not used to all the thanks and gifts and….stuff."

"It's quite alright! We were made aware of how busy your schedule was and the hospital administrator at the time gave us your picture to make up for it!" Grandpa Higurashi responded, ripping open the envelope and taking a glance at the check inside. At seeing the amount he promptly staggered in place, the smile on his face becoming near radiant with the happiness he was feeling. "And now you do this!"

"Uh….Well if it's any trouble….do you think I could see Kagome?" Rehema said, at last, deciding her former patient would be a better option than this strange old man.

"Kagome? Oh…." The expression on his face did a complete one-eighty. "Well, you see….Kagome….moved away about six months ago."

Rehema frowned. "She went to America?"

"No. Uh." The old man rubbed the back of his neck. "She got married right after her graduation. And left the area to be with her new husband."

The doctor stared. She thought people stopped getting married that young decades ago. "She must really be in love." Or pregnant.

"Indeed...but uh….if you'll excuse me, I have to go put this check in a collection box….." He replied, now stuttering as though distressed. "Tell Fukuro-san we'll provide many prayers for you and your hospital. I….Uh….Excuse me." He said again bowing once before rushing off towards the back of the shrine grounds and through a small wooden gate.

Silent for a moment, Rehema watched him take off and shook her head at his sudden change in attitude. What a weird man. And that was saying something coming from her. Focusing on a fenced in tree to her left, the doctor shrugged and found herself walking towards the back of large shrine area. Might as well take a walk around the place now that nobody was around to chase her out.

Not surprisingly, everything looked exactly the same even though it was now literally the 21st century rather than the 18th. Japan had always been big on tradition. Rubbing behind her ear, she made her way to a small shrine a bit aways and stared at the now closed doors that lead to the bone eaters well. Now the building had a sign outside and reading the Japanese characters, translated the words in her mind, stopping when she got to the part about it literally eating demons. Yea right.

Placing her palm against the door, she briefly considered opening the shrine and peeking inside but decided against it. It would be pointless to do so. Taking her hand away, she hissed involuntarily as the necklace around her throat suddenly began to burn and yanking it from her under her shirt glared at the pendant on her person that was sparkling a weird color. Not again.

Just another unusual part of her. This stupid pendant had been on her person since she'd woken up three hundred years ago in a foreign land. She couldn't take it off and though she had tried multiple times, over the years it just fell into place as a permanent part of her that she couldn't control. It had a tendency to glow odd colors when certain events happened; including last night when she had outrun the Yakuza. Then it had been a bright blue but today….today it was a fierce red in nature. Wait…..it never turned that color before.

Turning her back on the shrine, Rehema glared at the odd symbols the black opal in the center was sporting, a deep frown marring her features as she began to walk away. "What the hell…." She muttered out, intent on heading home in hopes it would calm down once she was away from this place.

That's when she heard it. A loud crashing sound behind her made her swivel back around and open her mouth in a silent scream as the doors to the shrine house blew open and what could only be described as a dog with black head and elongated white neck stretched out and grabbed Rehema by the midsection with its teeth; clamping down hard enough to draw blood. With a snake's movement it reeled her into the shrine and the well it sprang from so fast, the doctor didn't have a chance to react. As it's head retracted with the doctor still locked in its jaws, a blue light shot up from the well which engulfed them both, and in the blink of an eye, everything was as silent in the modern era as it had been before.

A/N: Ohhhh…..Spooky right? Anyway, I ask you all to please review/comment. I enjoy all types of reviews, but the kind I like best are ones that just mention what you do or don't like in a chapter or what you are confused about if you're confused at all. I hope you enjoyed this installment and I'm already working on the next one! -Theores

Chapter Text

I do not own Inuyasha or any character associated with the manga created by Rumiko Takahashi. I have obtained no money from this chapter.

A/N: Chapter 4 came pretty fast didn't it? I hope you all have been enjoying this as much as I have writing. I actually like this set up better than the last one. Thanks again to Trinabear who helped me make it this far! -Theores

Chapter 4: Accession Through Time

"Inuyasha? What's wrong?" Seeing the odd expression on his face, Kagome tried calling out to him again, frowning when he didn't respond. Watching as his puppy ears twitched on top of his head, Kagome became worried as she recognized the behavior. He was staring out in the direction of the forest, his nose twitching slightly as he sensed something from far away. "Inuyasha?"

"There's something coming from the Well." He said, at last, standing up from his previous position on the ground.

"Huh?" Putting down the basket of herbs she had been carrying, the priestess turned towards Kaede's house where her bow and arrows were located. "Is it something dangerous?" She asked still debating on whether or not to take a look at it. As far as they knew the Bone Eater's Well no longer worked since it brought her back to the feudal era after three years of complete silence.

Glaring off into the distance, Inuyasha shook his head. "I don't know, but whatever it is….it's not from here."

"What….What do you mean not from here?"

In the distance, a scream was heard, and though Kagome couldn't hear what was said, apparently it wasn't good because Inuyasha sprung into action and began running at a rapid pace towards the forest, jumping up and over a nearby rice field before taking off the woods. "Hey Inuyasha, wait up!"

"Kagome-chan? Where's Inuyasha going?" Sango asked coming up behind her, her arms full of laundry while the twins kept busy running circles around her.

"He said he heard something coming from the Well…."

"The Well?" Sango's face took on an expression of confusion. "Are you going after him?"

"Of course!" The priestess replied, rushing into Kaede's house to retrieve her weapons. Slinging the quiver arrows on her back, Kagome returned outside; bow in hand and giving a sigh. "I just hope it's nothing too bad." She prayed, rushing off in the same direction Inuyasha had just gone.

He stared suspiciously at the well in front of him, he too being able to feel the power that was rising up inside it. Behind him Rin and Jaken wavered a few steps away, their lord's gaze scaring them as the structure began to pulse wildly. He didn't know much about this Well, only that it had been a key factor in the final battle against Naraku three years ago; he himself had seen the fear his brother possessed when it had momentarily ceased to exist in this world. His frown deepened as a blue light appeared and a scream was heard, undoubtedly female from the high pitched shrieks that wafted up from the inside. What….

His silent question was immediately answered. All at once a large dog with an elongated neck launched itself up from inside the hole and took to the skies, the source of the screams clamped tightly in its jaws. A woman with frizzy black hair from what he could see was desperately struggling in the creature's mouth, her shouts for help once in awhile being replaced with some of the filthiest words he had ever heard in his life. Snorting as a particularly offensive word fell from her lips, without thinking he launched his own body up into the air and using his claws swiped at the creature's midsection though the movement was more like cutting through the air, it had the desired effect. Stopping in its flight the misshapen dog fell to the ground instead turning its body around to face its assailant that dared attack.

The woman must have seen him because she instantly ceased screaming, bending her head back to stare at Sesshomaru the best she could from her position in the demon's mouth. He paid her no attention however and focused on the demon who's eyes were literally bleeding red with the anger the rage within it fully directed at the stoic lord.

Drawing Tenseiga, Sesshomaru took a fighting stance and watched as the creature spit out the woman and growled dangerously at the demon lord who only tightened his grip on his sword in reply. This was no ordinary demon. The blood leaking from its orbs revealed as much. An Inugami.

The sub servants to those who regularly used black magic, Inugami were the enslaved spirits of owners who took away their physical bodies in a ceremony almost too horrific to describe. They could be destroyed through conventional means though it usually took several days if not weeks of battle before one could finally find rest in the afterlife. Knowing this, Sesshomaru rushed the demon and struck it once with Tenseiga, hoping the healing sword would purify it rather than destroy it completely.

It worked. With a death howl, the Inugami immediately began to disintegrate in a flash of white light, the demon's eyes turning from red to dark brown as it slowly began to find peace in its death. As it disappeared, the Inugami turned briefly into its original form; revealing it to once be a common black and white dog which bowed its head in respect before vanishing into thin air, leaving the surrounding area clear with only the crumpled woman who had been its victim lying unconscious on the forest floor.

As Inuyasha approached the clearing he paused when he laid eyes on an oddly dressed woman passed out on the ground and Sesshomaru standing over her. Scenting blood, but seeing no demon or other creature that could be held responsible, the half-demon didn't hesitate to call out. "Oi, Sesshomaru, what happened?"

In response to his name he barely spared his brother a glance, his gaze still focused on the woman who he was staring at with an odd look of apprehension. Coming to stand beside him Inuyasha took a look at the female as well and knitted his brows when he realized what his brother found so interesting. This woman whoever she was was a foreigner, her brown skin and black hair unlike any Japanese; human or youkai he had ever seen. From the looks of it, she had been attacked around her waist, the puncture wounds matching that of a beast that apparently dug its fangs into her midriff. "Her injuries caused her to pass out. What attacked her Sesshomaru?"

"Inugami."

Inuyasha frowned. "A what?"

"A spirit that's been forced to serve a master that enslaved its soul." Sesshomaru replied, his gaze taking on an inward look as he recalled the Shikigami that had bowed to him once it had been released.

"But how…." His thoughts were interrupted as three familiar beings joined them in the clearing, the last of which coming from the direction Inuyasha had appeared.

"Sesshomaru-sama!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome reached them first, her quiver rattling loudly as she settled in place beside him. "What happened? Oh!" Seeing the woman unconscious on the ground; the priestesses instincts took over causing her to promptly fall to her knees and push the female's hair away from her face only to gasp and back away once her features were revealed.

Alarmed, Inuyasha leaned forward and called her name, growling lightly under his breath when she didn't respond. "Kagome?" Looking back over the foreign woman's clothes, the half demon recognized the style as being from the future and asked, "She's from your world isn't she?" The priestess still said nothing, her eyes remaining locked on the female who she was staring at with an almost vacant expression. Glancing back at the Well, Inuyasha smelled the woman's scent coming from within and nodded to himself, confident that that was the case. "She had to have used the Well….but I didn't think it worked anymore."

"Used the Well?" Sesshomaru repeated, at last, pulling away from his own internal musings. Absently he heard the sounds of Jaken and Rin fluttering behind him, the two switching between curiously eyeing the woman on the ground and waiting until Sesshomaru was in a good state of mind to answer the numerous questions they now had.

"Zakari…." Kagome finally whispered out, her voice filled with an unknown emotion. She couldn't believe it. This wasn't possible. How did she?

"What?" Inuyasha responded, irritation marring his features. Pointing to the unconscious woman he bluntly asked, "You know who this is?"

Snapping out of it, Kagome turned to her husband and nodded her head. Of course she knew this person! It would be an insult to NOT know who she was. "Zakari-sensei."

"Zakaria?" He said, his ears twitching again.

"Za-ka-ri." The priestess responded enunciating each word with care. "You need to remember that name." Turning back to the woman who she finally noticed was bleeding heavily, Kagome rushed to press her bare hands against the open puncture wounds on her side, applying pressure so that she wouldn't bleed out as much. "I need you to carry us back to the village."

"Wait. How do you know this woman?"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome responded angrily. Honestly now was not the time for this. She needed to save her and fast.

He must have heard the edge in her voice because the half-demon merely huffed and gathered the comatose woman up before rushing off towards the village and Kaede's hut, Kagome having jumped onto his back as he was beginning to speed off.

In the rush to get the woman named Zakari medical attention, they had forgotten all about Sesshomaru and his group, who now took the time to ask what had been on their minds since the Inugami arrived.

"Uh….Sesshomaru-sama?" Jaken sputtered. "Who was that odd woman?"

"And what was that thing that was holding her?" Rin added as well, peeking around her beloved lord's side.

"It is irrelevant." He said in answer to both questions, at last resheathing his sword that he'd forgotten he had been holding all this time. "Rin." He said next, still gazing at the spot the female had once lain.

"Yes, Sesshomaru-sama?"

"You need to return to the village." He said, taking a few steps in the direction his brother had gone. "Let's go."

"Hema."

"Huh?" Turning in the direction, she heard her name being called, Rehema watched as a white haired boy came up to her and stopped just within reach; a grim look on his face while he looked her over.

They were standing on a bridge it seemed, the sounds of cool water running underneath reaching her ears as she stared at the golden-eyed boy. She already knew he wasn't normal, but it wasn't until she noted his pointed ears along with the stripes and crescent moon that adorned his face that she understood that he wasn't even human. "Hema." He said again with that same baritone voice.

"Ye….Yes?" She responded, weakly, her throat feeling weak for reasons she could not explain.

He opened his mouth to speak, yet no audible words came out. Confused, Rehema tried to tell him she couldn't understand but he seemed not to hear her, his mouth still making the sounds his voice refused to say. At her throat the necklace she wore began to burn slightly as though laid on hot coals and gripping it she watched as the world became surrounded in white light, the boy soon disappearing just as one of his hands reached out to caress her cheek.

Slowly opening her eyes, Rehema lifted her head and looked down surprised to be met with the sight of...a roof? Confused, she sat in the sea of blankets she was covered in, her eyes coming into focus and landing on the white haired demon who sat against a wall, his yellow eyes boring holes into her skull. How the hell? Trying to remember what had happened she sniffed to herself when she recalled the deformed dog like thing that had grabbed her and literally dragged her into the bottom of the well. There was a blue light…

"You awake?" The boy asked gruffly, still remaining stiff in his position across from her. "You've been out half a day."

Bewildered, Rehema glanced around a moment at her new surroundings. "What….Where am I?"

"Kaede's hut." He answered, tilting his head in the direction of the mat that covered the door. "Kagome's been taking care of you, she just left to get some more herbs."

"Kaede? Kagome?"

Inuyasha explained immediately, as Kagome had told him to if she woke up when she wasn't around. "Kaede's the head priestess of the village. And Kagome….well apparently you already know who she is."

Rehema pressed a hand to her head. "Higurashi, Kagome?"

"Yea….you saved her life years ago or something…."

Rehema didn't need to think about what he meant, it was one situation she would always remember. "Mitral stenosis and prolapse, repair on the underside of the valve and a stitch on the tricuspid….Nobody even bothered to check the aorta before implanting a stent…." Recalling the day she had been called into Japan, the doctor continued to speak in medical jargon to herself, no longer paying attention to the half-demon who was silently listening to everything she was saying, "Bacterial endocarditis….tried to declare her untreatable…eight hours in that ER…." Though it was obvious she was within her own mind, the half-breed continued to listen, silently wondering if anything she was talking about was revelvant to him at all. When nothing she said clicked, he finally spoke.

"I have no idea what you just said." Inuyasha announced as she finished.

Jumping at his voice, Rehema stared at him a moment before explaining in simpler terms. "Kago...Higurashi was really sick...I saved her."

"By fixing her tri cupid..." He responded, getting the medical terms she used mixed up.

"Where is she?" Rehema suddenly asked, a part of her now wanting; no needing to see the woman whose life she had saved all those years ago. Sitting up straighter she winced at the pain in her abdomen. She needed to see Kagome. There were so many ifs when it came to that one girl that she couldn't just ignore it. What if she hadn't come back to Japan when Fukuro had called and asked her to take a look at the girl that all other doctors called a hopeless case? What if she had allowed those same quacks to pronounce her dead when she flatlined on her table two minutes into surgery? What if she hadn't lost it and cursed the infant to hell and back, made fun of her quivering heart and nearly bald head, said every racial slur she could come up with; to save her, all of which miraculously got the girl's heart going again? Sweating from the agony she was in, she once again demanded to know, "Where is Kagome?"

"She's…." His words stopped as the mat was pushed aside and the woman she spoke of walked through the door, a smile on her face when she saw that Rehema was finally awake.

It was like the air left the room. Seeing her dressed in traditional priestess garb, Rehema instead focused on her deep brown eyes which were lively and full of happiness as they locked onto the doctor's own gray orbs. Smiling brightly as she continued to look at the miko as though mesmerized, Kagome let out a chuckle and exclaimed. "I'm right here Zakari-sensei!"

A/N: Please review! I don't really care what you write. Just please post your opinion, whether you like it or hate it. -Theores

Chapter Text

Inuyasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I make no money off this or any other chapter.

A/N: There's not much to say except thank you to all who followed/ favorited/reviewed this tale of mine. Things are moving much faster in this version than they did the last one if I do say so myself. If you have any questions please feel free to inbox me or ask in a review, I try to answer in a timely manner. Enjoy! -Theores

Chapter 5: A Strange World

"...And right after graduation the Well suddenly started working again and I was able to come back, but I always assumed it wouldn't let me travel between worlds anymore because I had to choose only one to live in." Finishing her tale, and the dressing of Rehema's stomach wound, Kagome dropped her hands from the doctor's side, that wonderfully sweet smile still adorning her features.

"Uh huh…." Rehema responded, inspecting the bandages around her waist. It was nice work, much better than anything first-year students at the hospital could ever hope to do. Feeling around her midsection, the doctor noted that they weren't so tight that there was a risk of them cutting off circulation but firm enough so that she wouldn't bleed out or that the bandages wouldn't slip when she walked.

Waiting until the doctor dipped her head in approval at her bedside manner, Kagome seized the moment and asked, "So….How did you get here?"

"I got dragged in by….." Rehema began only to trail off, unsure of how to explain the entity that had literally pulled her into the past.

"Dragged in? Like something grabbed you?"

She looked down. "Yea…."

"Inuyasha said you had been attacked by a creature called an Inugami….is that the same thing that brought you here?"

Rehema was taking the news that she was now five hundred years in the past surprisingly well. Pulling on her shirt, the doctor nodded once her head popped out of the proper hole, her wavy black hair soon following after she tugged it out from beneath her collar. Looking around the small hut, the doctor sighed. "So this is the feudal era….."

"I know." Kagome responded as though she had asked a question. "I said the same thing when I first got here too."

"No running water, electricity, convenience stores…."

"Nuh uh." She said, shaking her head to confirm. "Just horses, dirt, and, of course, the occasional Youkai."

"Of course…." Releasing another sigh, Rehema fell back into the pallet she was resting on, covering her eyes with her arm. "All because of Fukuro."

"Who?"

"My boss." She explained, huffing. "He wanted me to bring a donation to your shrine…."

"So that's why you were near the Bone Eater's Well?" Kagome asked, absently rubbing the doctor's free arm. "You didn't have to give us a donation you know, you've already done so much for us…."

"I'm fully aware." She responded. "But he insisted….and I was already in trouble for something else unrelated to this."

Kagome blinked, surprised. "Uh...What?"

Rehema waved the question away. The last thing she needed was another person on her case about the dangerous, often times deadly stunts she did on a regular basis to keep herself sane. Even now the arm that Kagome was rubbing was trembling from her stress. Whether it was from the Inugami; as the priestess had called it that attacked her or the back to back surgeries she had performed earlier today she had yet to figure out. "How do I get back?" She asked instead, peeking out from under her arm to see Kagome's face.

The priestess dropped her hand. "I have no idea….." She honestly said, her face turning with the frown that now marred her face.

Seeing this Rehema, returned to covering her eyes fully with her arm. She was injured in feudal Japan with little to no idea on how to get back to her own time. "Perfect…."

Honorable Shin'ichi presented his best stoic mask, the man's blue gaze unwavering as he stared down his only son and mate.

"Chichi-ue…." Inu no Taisho began only to close his mouth when no audible words came out.

"Otou-sama…." Kimi said next, her expression one of distaste at the proposal her father in law had just put into place.

"I've already sent out the invitation." He said in response to both. "If she accepts she should arrive within the next season."

"But a Gaijin of all things!" Kimi declared, fully aghast.

"A highly skilled, highly intelligent, highly employable Gaijin." Shin'ichi answered, deadpan. " She would make a great addition to our stronghold. I've made my decision."

"What use could we possibly have for a Jackal?"

"We need to expand." He said, addressing his son who still looked unconvinced of the whole idea. "And I'm told she's fluent in multiple languages including our own. Before you took over son I had been planning to establish a more stable trading system with the Mainland but if this girl can do as Jun-Long claims, we could possibly be able to trade with the Three Kingdoms as well."

"So that's what this is about? Merchantry?" Kimi scoffed.

"We would be the first province to do so."

"That is only if she is as adept as the dragon king claims."

"She is." Shin'ichi affirmed, his voice laced with confidence. "If only you had heard the way Jun-Long spoke of the girl."

"But flattery can be exaggerated."

"I'm willing to take my chances." The elder demon declared, crossing his arms in a final act of resolve.

Seeing this; Inu no Taisho respectively backed down and nodded his nearly forced approval, ignoring his mate who seemed completely scandalized about having a foreigner from the Middle East come to live in her home. "Very well, Chichi-ue. I will consider it once she makes an appearance."

"A season's time." The old man stated, a smile, at last, breaking through his former detached demeanor.

Looking at Kimi who gave him a blank stare in return, Taisho nodded again, knowing very well she would have something to say once they were alone. "A season's time."

"If the well brought you here, it should be able to take you back."

"I thought it wasn't that simple."

"Keh. It might not be after all this thing has a mind of its own."

The morning had come and gone, and along with the big question of how to return Rehema back to the modern world came the idea that Miroku proposed. As the group; plus one foreign doctor stood around the Bone Eater's Well, Kagome tried to reason out everything that had transpired because of the wooden structure. "No entity should have this much power…."

"Agreed." Miroku responded absently, still examining the water hole. "And you said an Inugami was what brought her here?"

"That's what Sesshomaru said." Inuyasha said while folding his arms in his sleeves.

"Inugami are created when the spirits of common dogs are tortured and beheaded right before death so that their souls become forever chained to the person that created them."

"Tortured and beheaded?" Rehema shivered slightly at the thought. Even though she lived life up to her elbows in gore, for some reason the mere idea of being tortured gave her a terrible sinking feeling. Taking a step forward, the doctor looked into the well's depths and frowned. There was nothing at the bottom that suggested she had been bleeding out in it less than twenty-four hours ago. And there was definitely no evidence of her being in a similar position three centuries ago, though back then she had been on her own and not in the jaws of a crazed enslaved dog spirit. Absently rubbing behind her ear, the frown on her face deepened as her memories took that particular time to appear, reminding her of being chased out of the old Higurashi shrine when she had been half-dead from agony back in the 18th century.

In comparison, the people in this era had helped her, but she had a feeling it was because Kagome had informed them of her saving her life years ago. Gripping the necklace under her shirt next, Rehema sighed when she felt the heat of its glow again; it had been much more active since she'd arrived in this time period. Pulling it out by the chain, the doctor revealed its existence, not caring that others could see the pendants now green glow. She could just pass it off as future technology if they asked.

Having been standing right next to her, Kagome was naturally the first to notice her fiddling with her shirt. "That's a really pretty pendant you're wearing." Gasping when she saw the light it was exuding, the priestess couldn't help but ask, "Is that a new kind they have out now?"

Looking down at it Rehema frowned, not having been expecting attention being drawn to it so fast. "I don't think so, I've had it for years…" Hung by a silver chain, the pendant itself appeared to be a simple obsidian circle encased in a silver setting. Watching as it glinted in the sunlight, the doctor sighed and released her hold on the object's chain, already sick of looking at its form.

"Where'd you get it?" Kagome continued to question, the Well now long forgotten. Staring at the glowing obsidian, the priestess appeared almost mesmerized by the pendant.

"I can't remember."

"Well it's really cool, you can't even recall when you bought it?"

"I dunno." Rehema replied, uncomfortable by her former patients stare. "I've just never taken it off."

"Not even when you operate?"

"Not even then." She confirmed with a nod. "I just tuck it inside my scrubs."

"Well, then it must have some special meaning to you." Miroku said next, now inspecting the necklace with his own eyes. Unnoticed, Inuyasha and Sango were staring at the two, perplexed by their spouses sudden fascination with Rehema's pendant.

The doctor tried to brush it off. "Special meaning….I don't know about that…"

"Obviously, it must be….You mind if I see it?" Kagome boldly asked, stepping a bit closer.

"Uh….No….I don't want it to get scratched."

"But I just wanna see it for a second! I've never seen anything like it before!"

"No." Rehema repeated a bit firmer, tucking the aforementioned necklace back into her shirt. Though she tried to sound strong her mind was in a panic. Ignoring the pain the burning pendant caused to her chest, the doctor continuously chanted to herself, Just leave it alone. Just leave it alone.

"You act like you can't take it off." Inuyasha muttered out, finally pulling his eyes away from his jewelry enthralled wife.

"I can't…."

Seeing that she wasn't going to change her mind, Kagome appeared to finally snap out of her trance, Miroku soon following as he looked around as though confused. "It's fine Zakari-sensei. If you don't want me to see your pendant you don't have to."

"Keh! It's just a stupid necklace, at least you can take yours off whenever you want!" Inuyasha said, looking annoyed at her unwillingness to share. Walking over to Rehema he stood in front of her and held out his palm. "It's just a necklace." He said again. "Quit being so selfish."

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled, effectively warning him that he was close to being sat. He didn't pay her any attention.

"Look, I have a perfectly good reason why I don't want to take it off, leave it at that okay!"

"Keh! Whatever!"

Feeling what he was about to do, Kagome called his name again but was too late. Before anyone could stop him, Inuyasha reached out and grabbed the chain holding the pendant, and immediately wished he hadn't.

Almost instantly, Rehema's pendant glowed with an orange alchemic like symbol, the opal suddenly generating a large amount of energy which buzzed around her neck and into Inuyasha's palm. A flash of light, a yelp, and the half-demon was nearly blown into the air with the power that surged throughout his body, sending him crashing into a nearby tree.

When the dust cleared, Inuyasha was draped along a fallen oak's massive girth, his eyes wide open while he tried to assess what had just occurred. All around him, the rest of the group was silent, still in shock from the blast; though Rehema appeared normal, almost like she had been expecting it.

"What the hell was that!" Inuyasha finally cried out, his brain finally catching up with the moment.

"Yea….Zakari-sensei," Kagome said next, blinking herself back into reality. "Do you have some sort of powers you didn't tell us about?"

"No…."

"Then what was that?" Sango asked, taking a few cautious steps back from the doctor. "And not only that but Miroku and Kagome seemed almost….bewitched when they first saw your necklace…."

"I'm not a witch." Rehema said, her gaze centered solely on the ground in front of her. Seeing the demon slayer's behavior, the doctor immediately resigned herself and dropped to the ground, waiting for the moment when they would call up the angry mob to chase her out of Japan. "I'm just strange."

"Strange indeed." Miroku said, forgetting his own apprehensions to come closer to Rehema. "It's okay," He said when she tensed up like he would strike her. "I'm not afraid."

"Me neither." The priestess said as well though she walked in the direction of her husband rather than the doctor. Remembering Rehema's words, and with everything that had happened so far, she couldn't help but agree. Zakari is strange.

"And you've been transported to a strange world." Kagome whispered, going over to help Inuyasha.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed. Next chapter will provide the explanations. Please review, as always I don't care what you write so long as it's your own feelings. Also so that there is no confusion, The three Kingdoms refers to the three old provinces of Korea which existed right around the time this story takes place. I like to do my research so that my OC's transition into this story can be as smooth as possible. Like I said before though, please review! -Theores.

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other character associated with Rumiko Takahashi. I make no money from this chapter.

A/N: Well, Here we are at Ch 6. So far the responses have been wonderful; thanks to all of you who follow/ favorite/ provide kudos for my stories and a special thank you to those of you who review/comment. As a warning, this story will at some point become rated Mature due to me wanting to install a few lemons later on, but I won't touch that until a much later chapter. I hope you all have been enjoying the few past scenes I have been writing, which kind of integrate Rehema into the storyline almost as though it was canon (but we all know that's not the case.) I hope you enjoy this chapter as well as the others and continue to read. -Theores

Chapter 6: Living Past

"Zakari-san…." Miroku started only to pause, still unsure of how exactly to begin voicing his thoughts on the situation.

Next to him Sango shifted in place. "What I think Miroku means to say is….the spell released from your necklace was….shocking, to say the least…..and since you claim this has happened before….we wouldn't want you to travel back to your own world unless you're aware of what and why this is happening." Glancing over at the priestess a moment she continued, "And according to Kagome….there really isn't any supernatural in your world, so their reactions could possibly be worse."

She resisted the urge to say she'd already been dealing with this problem for centuries. "You know something about my necklace?" Rehema asked, crossing her arms.

"At the moment….no," Sango responded, glancing over at her husband who was near stone-faced as his focus centered entirely on his thoughts. "But Miroku has an idea and he wants you to hear it."

"Fantastic…."

Unable to take it anymore Inuyasha spoke up. "Keh! You've been wearing that thing for; you don't even know how long, and have no idea where or when you got it!"

Rehema rolled her eyes. Usually, she liked bluntness, but when one's questions tapped at a centuries year old secret she had been keeping under wraps, she could very well do without it.

"Obviously your not telling the truth!" She didn't answer, choosing to look down instead. Not to be deterred, Inuyasha challenged her. "Hey! I'm talking to you!"

Miroku who had been silent up until now suddenly addressed the hanyou, "Inuyasha."

"What?"

Lifting up the monk gave the half demon a grim look. "There was a reason I wanted her to wait to try traveling back to her world and it's all because of that pendant."

"Yea?" He responded, appearing uninterested. "You already said that the question is why?"

"Because I've read about necklaces like those and it isn't just a fashion statement….it's a shackle."

The entire group stared at the monk surprised. "A shackle?"

"It's called Sokubaku." Miroku began. "A form of craft usually associated with Kokumajutsu (black magic)."

"Kokumajutsu?" Rehema repeated, her face pinched up in confusion.

"One of the darkest forms of magic ever invented." The monk explained seriously. "It's said to be so formidable that no human can so much as touch an object that's been submerged in its power. Only youkai have been known to use any kind of Kokumajutsu and even they can only handle the most basic forms."

Inuyasha's ears twitched. "And the necklace Rehema's wearing is cursed by the Sokubaku?"

"Yes," Miroku said, his grim expression laced with certainty. "The Sokubaku is a spell that is placed on an object intended to seal the wearer's internal power forever."

"But she's a human!" Kagome said, surprised at her own voice which had taken on a startled tone. Looking back at the quiet doctor, the priestess didn't see anything that would suggest otherwise. "What kind of power could she possibly have?"

"I'm not sure…." The monk responded, his gaze still focused within. "I read it a long time ago in a scroll. It didn't go into that much detail."

"So that's why Inuyasha grabbing her necklace nearly sent him flying out of country…."

Annoyed Inuyasha huffed and crossed his arms, but thankfully remained silent.

"It's a part of the spell's defense system, it prevents the wearer from having others remove it or taking it off themselves."

"Keh. So she's stuck wearing a necklace that keeps her from doing what she wants to do." Inuyasha snorted. "Why does that sound familiar?"

The Bone Eater's Well long forgotten, the entire group now found themselves resting in Miroku and Sango's home, the children having been sent away to stay with Kaede until they had gotten everything figured out. Currently, Rehema sat in the furthest corner away from everyone else, though Kagome had insisted on sitting next to her to show that she wasn't afraid. Rubbing furiously behind her ear, the doctor tried her best to keep what little composure she had left in her body, the stress of the last day and a half nearly enough to make her go insane.

Kagome must have seen the worried expression on her face because she gently inquired, "Zakari-sensei, what are you thinking?"

Gripping her necklace in a tight fist, Rehema merely shook her head. "I've never heard of Sokubaku."

"It's the reason you can't take it off," Miroku replied, his hands absently wrapped around a cup of green tea. "You really have no idea where you got it or even who gave it to you?"

"No….I've just….always worn it."

"You couldn't have had it as a baby, though." Kagome spoke up, giving Rehema a worried look. "Did you wear it as a child?"

"As a child…." She frowned at the question. She didn't even remember her childhood. Should she tell them?

"You knew what would happen if somebody tried to touch your necklace." The young priestess continued, placing a comforting hand on the doctor's shoulder. "Has it happened a lot before?"

"Yes…." She muttered out, appearing uncomfortable to be having this conversation at all.

Sighing, Sango addressed the doctor. "Zakari-san, I know it might be hard for you to do but you can trust us."

"Yea, we're really trustworthy!" Kagome added, a bright smile on her face. "We just want to help, that's all."

Still sulking, Rehema tried to quell the anxiety that was rising in her chest. Could she trust them?

"Zaka….Rehema-san, if there's something….anything you want to get off your mind, just tell us, we'll listen." The priestess said, looking at the doctor's sideways face. "After all, it's the least I can do."

"I don't think you'd believe me," Rehema muttered out, feeling ridiculous as she did so. She was already stuck in feudal Japan, a place rife with demons, magic, and temperamental half-breeds. It wouldn't be that disbelieving if she told them her most well-guarded secret. But her fears still held a grip on her, reminding her of everything that could still go wrong. "Despite everything else, it's….." She trailed off as the hand on her shoulder began to rub her arm again in support.

Turning her head, the doctor stared at Kagome's honest face, her features as beautiful as they had been that day at her high school graduation. In the back of her mind, Rehema reminded herself that this woman in front of her wasn't the same baby who had been wheeled into her operating room eighteen years ago, but a grown woman who was married and living as a priestess in the feudal era. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, the doctor opened her mouth and finally took the plunge.

"Kagome…..I'm over three hundred years old."

That went better than I expected. Rehema thought. Sitting outside on the temple stairs that lay near Kaede's hut, the doctor smiled to herself as the reality that people actually knew about her situation brought on an odd sense of calm. I usually don't feel like this until after half a bottle of Gin.

True to their words, the group had actually listened to her entire story before speaking out with their own opinions. She hadn't missed the looks of horror when she had gotten to the part about the angry mob chasing her out of the shrine, but by then she had been openly crying so it was no surprise that no one asked her any questions about that particular bit. How embarrassing.

"Yo." Turning around at the voice, Rehema watched as Inuyasha came over and took a seat next to her, his hands tucked methodically into his sleeves. Glancing around at nothing, in particular, the half demon finally huffed and gruffly asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yea…," Rehema replied, leaning forward. The stars were so clear tonight, not even living in a high rise penthouse in Tokyo could manage to show them to her so perfectly. "I was just looking at the stars."

"Keh," Inuyasha responded looking up as well. "Kagome used to mention how she couldn't see them too much at night in your world."

"Yea….there's too many lights."

"I know. Everything is so different in that place."

"It makes sense," Rehema said absently. "There's no magic in the future, just technology." Grabbing the pendant around her neck, she continued, "I don't understand why I ended up the way I did."

"Huh?"

"I'm over three hundred years old," The doctor responded, refusing to meet the half demon's eye. "I never understood why I didn't age like others did, or why I couldn't remember my childhood. My memories started at that well. I just knew I that I existed, even though I didn't want to."

"Heh. I know that feeling." Inuyasha said, causing the doctor to look at him. Now it was his turn to stare up into the air rather than at the person he was speaking to. "Being alive and having no idea why you bother."

Rehema's eyes widened. "You…."

"You're right about one thing," He muttered out, referring to a comment she had made earlier in the day. "This place doesn't accept people's differences, You think an angry mob as an adult is bad, try running from one when you're just a brat."

Did he deal with prejudice too? But why? Not understanding until she took a peek back up at the puppy ears on his head, Rehema blinked as a weird notion came to mind. He's a half-demon. So they weren't accepted in this world.

"Keh. It's no big deal, though." Inuyasha said, reflecting on her silence. "It's just rare you meet someone who understands."

"Ammin (Amen)" Rehema exclaimed in her native tongue, a small smile gracing her face.

Inuyasha sniffed. "What's that language your speaking?"

"Arabic," She responded.

"That's the way they speak in….Egypt right?" He said, remembering the country she claimed to hail from or thought she did anyway considering it was the only language she could speak that felt...right.

"Yes." The doctor confirmed.

"Hmm…." Leaning back slightly, the half-breed casually asked, "What's it like in your country?" Glancing over at her he explained, "I'm assuming you actually went there at some point."

Rehema nodded. "Yea. It's really hot all the time, and there's a lot of landmarks there that people come from all over the world to see."

"Landmarks?"

She explained. "Like the pyramids, and the sphinx, the Nile River….."

"What's a sphinx?"

Rehema paused. "That's kinda hard to explain."

"Try."

Their conversation continued on in this manner for a while, the half demon asking questions when he didn't understand something, and the doctor indulging his blatant curiosity about her world. Too engrossed in each other's company, neither noticed the monk, priestess, and former demon slayer who were all quietly observing them from a distance ways, busy having a conversation of their own.

Kagome regarded them momentarily with a look of content. "Inuyasha seems to have grown close to her already."

"Indeed," Miroku replied. "They probably understand each other better than most."

"You really think so?" Sango responded glancing sideways at her husband.

"Zakari-san isn't like the half demon's we've met in the past." The monk said, watching as the two on the shrine steps chuckled at a joke the half-demon apparently had made. "Like Inuyasha she's already figured out the secrets of how to survive in a world that treats her like an outcast, she doesn't need any comfort or motivation to keep going, instead, for once she's able to give it."

"Is there any way we can break that spell on Rehema's necklace?"

"I don't think so," Miroku responded. "From what I understand, the curse is permanent. Perhaps if we find someone who knows more about it…."

"Someone like who?"

The monk sighed. "Kokumajutsu is used primarily by youkai. And since only they have the power to use it's most basic forms without being controlled…."

"We just have to find a youkai strong enough to use it, right?" Kagome finished.

"Not quite," Miroku answered. "We don't need to locate a user, just someone connected enough who could have possibly heard about it. At present, I know of only one person who fits that description and lucky for us he was just here earlier today."

Kagome stared. "You don't mean…."

The monk met her alarmed gaze. "He might be willing to help."

"But…." The priestess began to protest.

"He did save her yesterday…." Sango mentioned quietly. "And he's not as cold hearted as people make him out to be."

Kagome shook her head in protest. "Do we really wanna risk bothering him though?"

"At the worst he might just lose interest and walk off," Miroku stated.

"But Rehema….Do you really think she can handle talking to him without being scared out of her mind?"

"That's a normal reaction to the guy in general, but I'm pretty sure that's just his way of intimidation," Sango noted with an ironic grin. "After all, remember what happened when you called him Onii-chan?"

"But…."

"Kagome honestly it's Sesshomaru, not a god." The monk finally said, already tired of the runaround. "We'll just find him and ask, what's the worst that could happen?"

A/N: Please review! Please! I really like reviews. -Theores

Chapter Text

Inuyasha is the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi. I make no money off this chapter.

A/N: I don't really have a lot to say about this chapter but please enjoy. -Theores

Chapter 7: To Hell and Back

"Sesshomaru?" Rehema said, giving the group an odd look. "You mean that elfish looking guy?"

"Yea," Kagome responded with an amused grin. "He's Inuyasha's older brother. I would have said something yesterday, but I thought you already knew."

Turning to Inuyasha the doctor asked him, "Your brother is an elf?"

The half demon smirked. "What's an elf?"

"Then that answers my question." Rehema countered, sighing to herself. If he didn't know what it was, chances were his brother wasn't one.

"He's not an elf, but he is a full demon." The priestess said, trying her best to keep her composure when really all she wanted to do was break out in laughter. "That's why we wanna go ask him about your necklace, he might know something about it."

"Okay?" Rehema responded, still unsure about their plan. "And where exactly is he?"

"Keh. Oddly enough the bastard's in the woods. He must not have left after dropping off Rin the other night."

Feeling rational, Rehema tried to break down the plan step by step. "So….you want me….to casually walk up to your brother….and just ask him to tell me about the secrets of dark magic?"

"Yes, that's pretty much it," Miroku responded with a nod.

Her eyebrows rose. "Okay, and after telling me about how he tried to melt down Kagome and then literally put a hand through Inuyasha's gut….nobody sees any holes in that plan?"

"Oh he's not as cold hearted as he was before!" Kagome said understanding Rehema's apprehension. "And besides, we'll be right there when you ask him."

"Uh….Actually, it's more like right behind you." Miroku piped up while taking a step forward. "We'll be in the bushes watching. More than likely he wouldn't answer our questions if we all came to him as a group."

"You're afraid of him aren't you?"

"No! It's not that!" Shippo said from his perch on Kagome's shoulder. "We just don't wanna get in the way is all!"

"You know I never really asked for you all to help get this necklace off me." Rubbing an agitated hand behind her ear, Rehema tried to quell the feelings of anxiety that were threatening to boil over. "After three hundred years it just seems like a waste."

Sango frowned at her declaration. "But don't you wanna remember your past?"

"To be honest, not really," Rehema answered staring at the ground. She shrugged. "I've been this way since waking up three centuries ago…there's no point in changing now." And I don't know why but it feels like it's something I wouldn't be able to handle.

"But…."

Miroku intervened. "But, your past might be the answer as to why you were brought here in the first place." Glancing over at Kagome he shrugged. "And fate works in mysterious ways."

Rehema lifted up. "True…."

Seeing her calm expression he continued his thought pattern, "Zakari-san if I'm not mistaken, you're a healer in your time period correct?"

Rehema nodded. Doctors and healers were all the same to her.

"And if our worlds coexist on a similar time scale, then there just might be people who need your services in your world and can't get them because you're here refusing to face your fears." At seeing her the slight widening of her gray eyes, Miroku immediately knew she cared about the people she treated. Finishing his assessment, the monk waited for his words to sink and a possible argument but surprisingly there was none.

Instead, the foreign doctor merely stood up and addressed Inuyasha who flinched slightly when Rehema turned to him. "Where's your brother?" She exasperated, ignoring the bemused looks the rest of the group was sporting.

Standing up from his previous position against a forest tree, Sesshomaru watched as the odd woman from the other night slowly walked up to him; her eyes locked on the ground while her hands seemed to be dug into the pockets of the weird hakama she was wearing. Lifting her gaze, the doctor let out a breath of air as she stared at the impassive man, her mouth opening and closing a bit while she tried to figure out what she wanted to say.

Inuyasha and his group of comrades were hiding out in the woods from what he could sense, apparently not wishing to approach him directly themselves.

The close proximity gave him a chance to better examine the exotic female. Observing the way the brown skinned woman tensed when he took a step forward, Sesshomaru fleeting wondered why that mere show of discomfort bothered him. She had been unconscious the last time he saw her, but now that she was alert and standing at her full height, it gave him a chance to look over her entire exotic form.

She held a darker complexion than most Japanese, but it was almost like a deep tan rather than a full darkening of the skin. Her deep black hair was different from others as well, curly and reaching just past her breast line. It was sure to be much longer if straightened though the loose waves she held now suited her symmetrical features well. The most standout feature, however, were her eyes, which were a light gray color; standing out attractively against her warm skin tone. Running his eyes quickly over her figure once to feel out the rest of her body which he saw no problems with, his gaze all at once returned to her face which was still pinched up in an odd expression of uncertainty.

The imp promptly made his way in between the two, breaking the silence. "What do you want Gaijin? (foreigner)"

Rehema stiffened at the term but nonetheless responded tensely. "I need to talk to you….Ah….Sesshomaru….sama."

"And what could you possibly require from my lord woman?" Jaken retorted, waving his staff angrily at the doctor. "Sesshomaru-sama doesn't answer to just anyone!"

"I need to….to ask him something….well….you...no…." Rehema trailed off, unsure of who to address in this situation. Sesshomaru's consistent stare was nerve-wracking, those golden eyes making her temporarily ignore the annoying squawking the green toad-like creature was doing. Taking a deep breath, the doctor tried again. "I need to ask Sesshomaru-sama about Kokumajutsu…..and what he possibly knows about Sokubaku…."

Sesshomaru's eyes widened a fraction, taken aback at her words. How does she know…? His thoughts were disrupted by Jaken's cry.

"Black magic!" The imp growled out, sounding appalled. "A mere mortal shouldn't dabble in such atrocities, much less a Gaijin! You would find no good in…."

"Jaken enough." Sesshomaru abruptly ordered. Shifting his eyes away from her momentarily to look at his retainer, he commanded the imp, "Go to the village and wait with Rin."

"Ah...But Sesshomaru-sama…."

"Now." As an afterthought, he added, "And tell Inuyasha and his group of miscreants to do the same."

A bit aways a number of bushes rustled and after a bit of harshly whispered words, followed by a crash and the pained groan of the half-demon, the scents of his brother and group of cronies began to fade a bit as they all proceeded to head back to the village, allowing the two to be in complete privacy.

Waiting a bit until he was sure Jaken was out of earshot as well, Sesshomaru returned his attention to the foreigner who involuntarily flinched at his gaze. Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, the demon lord simply asked, "Why do you ask about such things?"

"Because...I have this necklace…." She muttered out, unsure of how to explain it.

Luckily he knew what she meant. "And you think it is cursed by the Sokubaku?"

"Yea….I mean...Yes." She responded, attempting to remain formal.

"The Sokubaku is a spell meant to seal a specific power for all eternity," Sesshomaru said, remembering lessons on the subject in his younger years. "The curse does not reveal itself until one attempts to either use the ability it was meant to subdue or they seek to remove the object after it has been placed on the intended wearer."

"I know….that's why I'm stuck wearing it now."

He furrowed his brow. "You actually bear the item?"

"Yes."

Sesshomaru took another step closer, curious. "Hn. Show it to me."

Rehema's eyes shot up in surprise. "Huh?"

"Show me this necklace you claim to be cursed."

"Uh….But I can't remove it." Rehema stated, taken aback by his now much closer proximity. "And if you try to touch it it'll send you crashing into a tree." The last part made her blush as she realized how ridiculous the threat sounded.

"I have no intention of actually placing my hands on it woman," Sesshomaru said, the ghost of a frown on his face as her unnerving behavior in his presence got to him. Why is this bothering me? Where others feared him he felt an odd empowerment but now watching how uncomfortable this foreigner was being at arm's length from him made him feel….strange. Not quite how he thought he would feel if Rin were to someday treat him the same way. No longer sure if he wanted to continue a conversation with her, the demon lord took a few more fast steps forward and dauntlessly grabbed the bit of silver chain revealed under her shirt, pulling it forward so that the pendant dangled out in the open.

Unintentionally, Rehema screamed at the sudden movement and cringed, expecting the pendant to send him back, but paused when instead of a blast of energy appearing, the black opal began to glow red at the center with a familiar light, hurting her eyes and causing the mother of all headaches to form. Blindly reaching out, the doctor gripped the demon by the top of his armor, desperately trying to remain upright while figures and words began to appear in her mind. After the while the images began to take form, and recalling a similar instance found herself no longer in the forest but standing on a bridge; Just like in my dream...

Sesshomaru was doing no better. Bringing his free hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose, the demon lord growled as an odd feeling overcame him; followed by a number of identical images that shot through his vision. "What is this…" He muttered out, surprised at his own voice which sounded weak.

"Hema…."

"Yes?"

Reaching out with a clawed hand, Sesshomaru ran his fingers lightly over the bruise on the woman's cheek, the area still purple despite nearly five days of healing. "You shouldn't be out of bed right now."

"I needed to get out of that room," She replied, her eyes looking down as they refused to meet his gaze. "And besides….I needed some time to think…."

"You can do that without making your injuries worse." He stated in a matter of fact tone.

"No...Sess….I couldn't…."

"You can barely walk….how did you…." He started, hesitating when the answer immediately came to him. "Kazu…." He muttered out, baring his fangs.

"I asked him to bring me here…." Rehema explained, pulling his hand away from her face. The opposite side still showed the marking under her eye, luckily having remained untouched. Seeing the way he frowned at the action, she tried to make up for it by keeping a few fingers still wrapped around his paw. "I wanted to go back to the Shiro but he would only let me come as far as the bridges…."

"The Shiro…."

Sesshomaru opened his mouth to say more but it was unclear what his words were, the sound leaving his throat as the world began to fade to black. Almost as fast as it had happened, the moment was over, and the couple blinked and stared at each other as they were returned to reality, the hand that had once been clinched around her necklace now absently caressing the gray-eyed woman's cheek that in his vision had been bruised and swollen. Confused the two backed away from each other slowly, Rehema openly crying as tears began to freely flow down her cheeks. "What….What…."

Narrowing his own golden orbs at her, the demon lord growled in warning. "What are you?," He demanded to know. The perception was distinct, but there. She was obviously that same woman from his vision though dressed differently and lacking the markings the other she had possessed. "The Sokubaku…." It was covering up her true form, making her appear to be an absent minded mortal. "You aren't human."

"I….I know…." She sputtered out, still backing away from the stoic lord.

This was the problem with Kokumajutsu, not even the strongest of youkai could detect its presence often until it was much too late. "Then what are you?!" He snapped, not caring about his lack of composure. That illusion had understandable rattled his senses and knowing how dangerous Kokumajutsu could be, the desire to understand what was happening overtaking his need for control. "Answer me!"

"I….I…."

"Rehema!" Turning around the two watched as Inuyasha raced up to them, his expression angry while he tried to assess the scene. Behind him Kagome was trying desperately to catch up, the half demon having dropped her at the tree line before speeding ahead. "What happened?"

The doctor continued to stutter, her body shivering as though she had been exposed to below degree temperature. "He….I…."

Mistaking her behavior for pain, the half-demon spun around fully to address his brother, watching as Rehema ran past him deeper into another part of the forest. "Bastard!"

"This has nothing to do with you Inuyasha," Sesshomaru growled out at last, at last having gained enough composure to appear in control.

"The hell it doesn't!" Inuyasha shouted in response, drawing his sword. "What did you do to her?!"

"Fool I did nothing!" The demon answered, his temper obviously breaking against his desire to remain calm.

"Then why is she crying?!" He demanded to know.

Hearing his tone, Sesshomaru stood up to his full height and scowled "I don't have to answer to you." He responded darkly. "If you wish to know why don't you ask her."

"Keh." Turning around intending to do just that, Inuyasha wavered when he only saw Kagome behind him looking worried, Rehema herself nowhere to be seen. "What the…."

"Zakari-sensei!" Kagome yelled, gasping when she got no answer. Panicking, the priestess called out her given name in hopes of getting a response. "Rehema, where are you?"

Breathing in slightly, the half demon blinked when he smelled her scent from the direction she bolted in. "The Well."

"Huh?"

Resheathing his sword, Inuyasha grabbed his wife and rushed towards the well, a grimace on his face as the smell of blood reached his nose. Coming into the clearing, the half demon gently set Kagome down and peered down into the wooden structure, confusion replacing his grimace when he didn't see anyone at the bottom.

Misreading the expression her husband was making, the priestess thought it best if she didn't look in herself, instead choosing to ask what it was he saw. "Inuyasha…," Kagome asked, sadness gracing her features. "Did Rehema jump in?" The beginnings of tears formed at the corners of her eyes, the mere thought that the woman had committed suicide being enough to nearly send her into hysterics.

Bracing himself against the side, Inuyasha was silent until he muttered out, "She's not there…."

Kagome stared. "What?"

Reaching a brief hand into the dry hole, he withdrew an odd square object, holding it out for Kagome to inspect. Stepping closer, the priestess gasped at seeing the bandage strip that had once been on Rehema's forehead, a few stains of blood still visible on the inside. "This is all there is."

"She jumped in?" Kagome asked again.

"I'm sure of it," Inuyasha confirmed. "But apparently the well like Miroku thought it would…."

"So….she went back?"

"I think so…."

Plucking the bandage from Inuyasha's hands, her face contorted into a mixture of relief and uneasiness."But how…."

"I don't know the answer to that." The half demon admitted, still staring into the well with a look of apprehension.

"But the well just started working again…."

"And it's probably stopped just the same."

"But Zakari-sensei didn't find out why she's the way she is…."

Inuyasha gave her a grim look. "I don't think she was all that interested in knowing to begin with."

"What...What do we do now?" Kagome asked, still clutching the doctor's band-aid in her palm, careful that the side that touched her skin didn't end up on her hands.

"If she's gone back, then that might be the end of this…." The half demon stated.

"But she's still wearing that necklace….and she's over three hundred years old…."

"She didn't seem all that interested in figuring out why….maybe that's why she returned." Inuyasha suggested, tucking his hands back into his sleeves.

"So….What do we do?" The priestess asked again, a few tears escaping her eyes though she didn't know why.

"I guess just move on with our lives…." Inuyasha suggested, placing a comforting hand on one of his wife's shoulders.

Still not convinced, Kagome sighed as she worried about the woman who had once saved her life. "Rehema…." Are you okay? She thought, falling into her husband's embrace.

A ringtone was the first sound to reach Rehema's ears as she regained consciousness, her phone vibrating wildly in her back pocket. Opening her eyes, the doctor looked up at the top of the well house with a wavering gaze, her vision blurry while she tried to readjust to the light.

The phone which had begun to ring again jolted her senses back to attention, causing her to grab the device and press accept on the call. "Hello?"

"Zakari-san!" Fukuro said, nearly screaming through the receiver. "Blue Baby, Rooftop!"

"Blue Baby?"

"Yes! How soon can you be here?!"

"I…."

"Zakari-san, the child has flatlined twice in the past four hours, he needs surgery now!"

"I don't have my car…" Rehema responded absently, her free hand slowly running along the ground.

"Nevermind that, I'll come and get you, be outside and ready in ten minutes!" And with that, the phone call was over, the annoying beep of a disconnected line making her hit the button on her own end. Sitting up, the doctor glanced at the well she was in, her mind still in a daze as she stood and casually reached up and grabbed the ladder that hung just within reach on one side.

Squinting as she stepped outside the shrine and walked out to the temples steps, Rehema jumped slightly as a dark gray Mercedes honked its horn at her impatiently at the bottom, Fukuro looking agitated behind the wheel as the doctor continued to look around confused. Rolling down the passenger's side window, the hospital administrator called sharply, "Zakari-san, get in the car! We'll get you strapped up to an IV as soon as we get back to the hospital!"

"Why do I need an IV?"

"You're drunk aren't you?!" Fukuro asked, getting the suggestion from her dirty clothes and confused demeanor. "We need to hurry, this kid's on route from Kyoto!"

Bewildered, Rehema followed her boss's orders, climbing into the car and rearing back when Fukuro sped off towards the city the minute the door was closed, not even having bothered to wait until she'd strapped on her seat belt before hitting the gas. The trip was completely silent as they made their way to the medical center, the administrator only glaring at her still swollen forehead once before refocusing his eyes back on the road.

Staring off into space, only one question stayed in Rehema's mind, the answer only serving to make her headache once. What the hell just happened to me? She thought, just as Fukuro came around to the passenger's side and opened the door, jerking her from the car roughly by the elbow to drag her towards into the hospital elevators nearby.

A/N: There's another chapter up….Yep Yep… Hope you enjoyed!

Chapter Text

I do not own Inuyasha or it's characters portrayed in this fanfiction. Inuyasha is the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi.

A/N: Another day another chapter. Hope you enjoy! -Theores

Chapter 8: Illusions in the Illusion

She laid down on the couch in her office, her fingers threading through her hair as she tried to quell a migraine that was beating in time with her heartbeat against her skull. All the lights turned off, only the window behind her desk showed the nightlife outside the hospital walls. A bit aways she heard the honking of a horn and growled when the vibrations reached her head, causing another dose of pain to flash across her mind.

The surgery had been a success, and though the child's internal organs had been near contorted into something unrecognizable from the car that had struck him, the boy's heart had been strong. Feeling her hands shake even as they remained intertwined in her hair, Rehema tried to focus instead on the child's consistently strong heartbeat which had given her comfort even as she stood still in one spot for nine hours while she worked to save his life. People's heartbeats had always made her feel good. It was something about the way that life organ pulsed that reminded her how invaluable life was.

Ironic considering all the unhealthy stunts she pulled on a regular basis.

Hearing her office door open and the lights click on, Rehema groaned in pain and begged the intruder, "Please shut that backoff."

Sighing, Fukuro did as asked and shut the door behind him, his eyes adjusting to the dark as he walked up to the couch. Gauging her level of agony, the hospital administrator frowned at seeing the wrappings around her midsection, visible because of her shirt which had ridden up past her belly button. "What have you been doing for the last three days?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you….."

"Try me." He challenged putting his hands in his suit pockets. "You've had so many escapades since coming here, nothing you do surprises me anymore."

"Really…" She responded sounding as unenthusiastic as usual.

Fukuro began to count off on his fingers. "Let's see; I've already covered for you after you became intoxicated and broke into a stranger's garage two years ago, then there was the les….uh homosexual nightclub you got into a fight at," Glancing up at the dark ceiling he thought on her other antics. "There was the time you stood up what would have been a very charitable patron for a date after I begged you to go." Huffing in irritation he mentioned one that still got to him on a regular basis, "And then there was the time the Prime Minister was taking a tour of the facilities and you called him an imbecile over the PA system."

Rehema smiled at the last one. It had taken a lot of guts to do. Figureheads tended to rub her the wrong way and the fact that the leader of Japan had wanted her consultation for his wife's impending birth, it had been an opportunity she couldn't pass up. Besides she had just finished performing what turned out to be one of her harder cases of coronary revascularization and Fukuro knew better than to leave her alone with people after major surgeries, her nerves were always shot by the end of them. "You're the one who stopped me when I was in front of the equipment….."

"That's still no excuse!" Fukuro began to yell but shook his head to clear the lecture that had threatened to boil over at her words. They had had this conversation many times before, Rehema would never feel bad for what she did. "But I'm not here to talk about that. What I do need to know is where the hell you've been for the last three days."

"You tell me." Rehema suddenly said, sitting up on the couch to look directly at her boss. Watching as he tensed and his expression shifted to one of shock, the doctor read his expression and asked, "Where the hell did you end up sending me Fukuro?"

Fukuro sputtered. "I….Zakari…."

Ignoring his words she continued, "I was only supposed to deliver a check to the Higurashi shrine correct? A task that only should have taken me an hour at the most, so why is it I'm back here not one hour; but three days later? Do you have any idea what I've been through?"

Does she know? Fukuro thought to take a step back from the frightening calm face of his best doctor. She couldn't, not yet.

Standing up, Rehema pulled down her shirt and glared at Fukuro suspiciously; the hospital administrator looking as though she would pounce on him any second. "Why did you ask me to wait for you in my office?"

"Zakari….I asked you to stay after surgery so that I could ask where you've been, and to ask why your stomach is all wrapped up."Trying to fight off his worry, the middle-aged man added, "And I only sent you to the shrine so that the Higurashi family could see that our hospital is permanently invested in their patients. Whatever took place after that was beyond my control."

Wrapping her hands around herself, Rehema gave him one more warning glare and finally shrugged, seemingly convinced. "I got bit."

"Bit?" He repeated, stunned. "Bit by...What?"

"A dog," She responded dropping her hands to her sides. "It attacked me while I was at the shrine, that's why I didn't come in for three days. I was recovering."

"At your house?" Fukuro probed, appearing concerned. "Dog bites can be very serious, you should have come to the hospital and gotten a rabies shot."

"Should have, but it didn't occur to me as a problem."

He nodded, deciding it best to leave it at that. "At least, it explains why your wrappings are so primitive."

Rehema knew she should have told him everything. Her wrappings may have been basic sure, but it was certainly something that would be better had she actually been the one to do them. Closing her eyes that were watered over from exhaustion, the doctor sat back down and sighed, ignoring her heavily shaking hands. "It's over now." She softly declared, leaning her head back against the sofa.

Seeing her tired state Fukuro nodded in understanding. "Very well then. Go home and get some sleep, after you go down to the ER and have someone give you a rabies vaccination. Just a precaution," He added when her eyes opened to reveal her irritated glare. "I don't know what you've been up to for the last few days, but whatever it was," He paused and looked her over once more. "It had to have been….traumatic, even by your standards."

Traumatic. "Interesting word choice…." She muttered out, standing back up and heading for her office door. As she left the confines of her office and made her way to the ER like Fukuro wanted, the hospital administrator couldn't help the look the relief that crossed his features as she walked away, grateful that in her tired state she hadn't remembered the way he seemed so afraid at her questioning of his task or the fact that after three days of going missing he immediately knew where she was the moment she had returned from the past.

Inuyasha had been dozing off on top of Kaede's roof when he felt an all too familiar sting on his cheek which he combated by slapping his face and sitting up to look at what he'd caught.

Per the norm a now flattened Myoga floated gently into his palm, popping back to normal once he got air back inside his form. Gasping, the flea hopped up and down excitedly in his hand, greeting the half demon with a rushed "Inuyasha-sama!"

"Myoga…."

"Where is she?!" He suddenly cried out making Inuyasha look at him confused.

"Where is who?"

"You know who I'm talking about!" The old flea shouted, his leaps becoming more erratic in his excitement. "I felt her the second she showed up, I tried to get here sooner but Totosai didn't want to risk it, Oh I hope she hasn't caused too much damage!"

"What are you babbling on about?" Inuyasha asked, completely lost. Bringing Myoga closer to his face he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "There something you wanna tell me?"

"The jackal, the jackal!" Myoga cried out, huffing with the effort he used to jump.

Tilting his head Inuyasha appeared confused. "The what?"

Kagome who had been heading into Kaede's hut with a basket full of herbs glanced up at the roof when she heard the flea demon's yell. "Inuyasha? Is that Myoga up there?"

The Jackal?"

Having gathered the rest of the group minus Shippo and the kids together in Kaede's hut, they all looked amazed at Myoga who was absently sipping at a thimble of tea. Having calmed down considerably after Inuyasha had squished him again, the flea demon nodded at Kagome's response to what he had just explained about who he was searching for.

"They're almost like Inu, but they hail from a different land. Not many have set foot in this land but it is the one that showed up here recently that has me worried."

"Keh. Well, I think your slipping in your old age," Inuyasha said. "There hasn't been anyone like that around here."

"No. I'm certain of it!" Myoga said in reply, his voice rising slightly from his anxiety. "She's definitely been here!" Dropping his cup he continued on, "I thought I was imagining things as well until I saw Sesshomaru-sama nearby and that's when I knew it to be true. The jackal has returned!"

Sango finally spoke up, her senses on high alert at Myoga's behavior. "Who exactly is this Jackal person?" She asked, looking bewildered.

"And what does Sesshomaru have to do with it?" Kagome added, frowning when the flea began to sweat heavily.

"Its a very long story…." Myoga said gathering his breath trying his best to keep his composure. "But under the circumstances, it's one that needs to be told, regardless of what the master ordered me to do so many years ago."

"Keh, now my old man's involved in this?!"

"Yes," He replied, giving the half demon a serious look.

Captivated, all the huts patrons leaned forward a bit so that they could better hear the flea demon who was situated in the middle of the room. Even Kaede who had been silent until this point stopped tending the fire so that the crackling of the embers wouldn't interfere with her listening.

Taking a last deep breath, Myoga began.

"This goes back around three hundred years ago. Long before Inuyasha was born and his grandfather still walked the earth."

"My…..grandfather?" Inuyasha repeated, blank faced.

Myoga nodded. "Honorable Shin'ichi. Your grandfather was just as amazing as your father, deserving of the title Honorable in front of his name."

Kagome gasped. "Wow. So Honorable Shin'ichi was Inuyasha's father's, father?"

"Yes. He was an incredible being," Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Myoga went on, "But that is not important, what is important in this tale is Honorable Shin'ichi's one flaw; his ability to see the good in everyone." Giving his words a chance to soak in, the flea demon shut his eyes back. "It was that character flaw that made him desire to establish a permanent trading route between the Western province and other foreign lands."

"I'm still not seeing what this has to do with this jackal person."

"Because in order to establish trade with other lands, Shin'ichi-sama needed someone who could interpret and translate for him. That is where the Jackal comes in."

"So the Jackal was a translator?" Kagome deduced, frowning at Myoga's slight nod. "And she was from another country?"

"Correct." The flea said, nodding again. "At a comrades recommendation, he invited her to the West and offered her a position as the strongholds translator. A woman who could read and write in several languages was a surprise enough to the palace but when she arrived and we saw how young she was….well that was only the beginnings of our doubts."

"You had doubts as well?"

"Yes," Myoga confirmed, addressing Miroku who asked his opinion. "Fortunately, my suspicions was warranted. The jackal though intelligent turned out to be utterly deranged. I cannot speak of all the things she did mind you, but whether it was out of the loneliness of being in another country or if was her own insanity, she became obsessed with Sesshomaru-sama."

"Obsessed…..with Sesshomaru?"

"It was most tragic," The flea said softly. "At the time Sesshomaru-sama was more concerned with his training and pleasing his father and grandfather, he didn't have the time or energy to pursue members of the opposite sex. Eventually, though, a woman was set for him in the form of one of the four guardians daughters, a beautiful female named Miyako."

Though Inuyasha had little to no idea what Myoga was speaking of when it came to Guardians and other high-ranking members of his father's former province, one thing he did understand that showed when he said, "The Jackal was jealous of Sesshomaru's fiance." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes," He responded grimly. "Her behavior towards your brother was…..uncomfortable to say the least, more than once she was seen following him around the stronghold and outside of it. Enough was enough when an emblem, of hers, the lapel pin all servants of the West were required to wear appeared in his room one night when he was out on patrol. When the master finally confronted her about her behavior she claimed she and Sesshomaru were in a relationship, something that just was not a possibility."

"She sounds delusional….." Miroku said ironically, making Sango next to him roll her eyes. "Honestly to think a man was her lover that didn't even know she existed….."

"Indeed." Myoga agreed. "It was that straw that spelled the end of her service, the master dismissed her from the stronghold, excavating her home and getting rid of the various animals she had collected during her time there."

Kagome frowned. "If Inuyasha's father got rid of her, why would she still be a threat?"

"Because, while it should have ended there, and we thought it did, Miyako-san officially moved into the master's home to get to know Sesshomaru-sama better and life seemed to go on, but as we later discovered, instead of returning to her own lands, she took to hiding out near the stronghold and on the night of Sesshomaru-sama and Miyako-san's planned ceremony…..her presence was once again made known."

"What do you mean?" Inuyasha asked, now fully attentive to Myoga's words.

Sighing and shaking his head in disappointment, the flea revealed the most hidden secret. "On the night of the ceremony, the Jackal returned to the palace and brutally slaughtered Sesshomaru-sama's intended bride."

"She…..slaughtered her?"

"Yes." The flea demon said, looking around cautiously a moment before returning his attention back on the group. "She was completely obsessed, one might even say honestly believing of her and Sesshomaru-sama's relationship. Miyako-san was found dead in her rooms, her body nearly bitten in half from the force the Jackal used in her true form. She was immediately arrested, and thrown in prison where she was made to pay for her crimes, or so I thought…."

"You can't honestly tell me they left her to rot in prison can you?" Miroku said, surprised at his tone which suggested sympathy to the love sick Jackal.

"No, the master had no choice, with everything she had done she was sentenced to death. He performed the execution himself." Letting out a breath of air, the flea demon wiped the sweat from his brow, the energy it took to tell the story enough to make him exhausted. "It was a tragedy that your father thought best left unspoken. After her execution, she was stricken from all official documents and the remanents of her home on the edge of the stronghold destroyed. Once again, I truly believed this to be over," Looking up, Myoga stared at Inuyasha and comrades and shook his head again, "But recently I or rather Totosai and I felt her all too familiar presence lurking around here….." He turned to Kagome who was stiff in her seated position next to Inuyasha. "I don't want to think she really isn't dead…..but with Sesshomaru-sama around the same area, I can't help but be concerned.

"Keh. As horrible as that story is, we already told you, nobody like that's been around here." Inuyasha mumbled, glancing once at Kagome himself who didn't notice his stare. "But is it possible she's been reincarnated like Kagome?"

"Reincarnation?" Myoga contemplated the idea a moment. "I suppose….however I don't see why the Kami would her to return in another form."

Getting a bad feeling, Kagome asked another question, "Myoga-chan," She said, trying to word the question delicately. "What did….The Jackal look like?"

"The Jackal?" Myoga sat up. "Uh….Well, she was from a country in the Middle East….Brown skinned and black hair that was….hard to explain…..then there were those eyes…..a sharp gray…."

At his description, the entire group gasped.

"You don't think…."

"It couldn't be…."

Seeing the shocked expressions in the room, Myoga cried, "I was right! You have seen her around here!" Taking to hopping up and down in place again, the flea demon insisted, "Tell me, where is she! She must be dealt with immediately!"

A second later all eyes were on Kagome who seemed the most bothered. The priestess snapped out of her thoughts to whisper out, "She's gone…."

"The Jackal's gone?! Gone where!"

Miroku spoke up, "Inuyasha might have been right, The Jackal could have very well been reincarnated…."

"Reincarnated, into who?!" The flea insisted on knowing.

Sniffling slightly, Kagome nodded but only said one word in reply to Myoga's frantic yelling. "Zakari-sensei….."

"What!"

"The Jackal must have been reincarnated into Zakari-sensei…."

A/N: That was….revealing wasn't it? Hope you enjoyed this chapter! -Theores

Chapter Text

Inuyasha is the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi. I make no money off this or any other fandom.

A/N: For this chapter I used the name of a real life mental illness that I changed drastically so that it would suit the needs of this story. I apologize in advance if I offended anyone by using this particular illness, but it is a pretty rare on so I don't think I'll be stepping on too many, if any toes.

Also, as an added note; this chapter introduces another OC of mine, Kazuki. More details to come in the next chapter about him. Enjoy! -Theores

Chapter 9: Eye in the Fog

Rehema had just been coming out of the ER when she had literally run into a familiar face, the same guy who she had met only days earlier on the hospital's ledge. Surprised, the doctor stood in place and openly gaped at the once suicidal man. He looked different from then, his hair no longer windswept and his clothes appearing perfectly pressed.

Gripping her by the shoulders to keep her from falling, the man stared at her through his expensive looking glasses, his brow furrowing once he felt how badly she was shaking under his palms. "Are you trembling because of me?" He asked aloud, wondering if he should have kept the thought to himself when she stiffened.

"No," She answered, though her voice sounded weak, "I tend to shake when I'm stressed."

"I hope I wasn't the cause of that, I didn't mean to run into you."

"No." Rehema shook her head rapidly. "I just got out of a nine-hour surgery."

"Zakari-sensei." The ghost of a smile on his face as he looked down between them at her deep green scrubs. "I knew you were a doctor."

"That still isn't for sure," Rehema retorted, shrugging out of his hold. "I didn't think I'd see you here again."

"I'm always here," He said softly so as not to attract attention to their conversation. "Much more than I'd care to be."

"Terminal illness?" She assumed, remembering his words a few days ago. You have no idea what I live with.

"In a way, yes," He replied, putting his hands in his pockets. "But it is nothing that will claim my life anytime soon."

Not knowing right off hand what kind of illness he could possibly be talking about, Rehema nodded silently rather than respond. Nothing more was said for a moment, the two just continuing to watch and feel each other's presence as time slowly ticked by. Her aching body protesting her recent lack of rest, the doctor decided to cut their newest staring contest short and with a slight bow of respect and no feelings of guilt, bid him goodnight.

Turning around intent on grabbing her stuff from her office and then getting a taxi to take her home (she hadn't been there for almost a week now), she was stopped when the stranger's hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder again and his deep clear voice asked, "Can I buy you a drink?"

She didn't know why she agreed. Sitting across from each other at a nearby restaurant, the two were back to giving one another uncomfortable glances when they thought the other wasn't looking. Rehema figured her first instinct about him being a trust fund baby was right because at the moment he was on his second glass of what was the most expensive bourbon in the establishment.

Her own glass of a cocktail she'd ordered called tropical paradise remained untouched, however, not feeling a need to drink right now. Seeing this, the stranger, who revealed that his name was actually Eiji motioned to the drink in front of her which was beginning to slush due to the untouched melting ice. "You don't like it?"

"It's not that," Rehema answered, drumming her fingers on the oak wood table. "I've just been through a lot lately and I usually don't touch alcohol for a while when…." She sighed, unsure of how to describe her latest ordeal. "...when I get to a point that I don't know what else to do." The doctor finished, pushing her glass of mixed alcohol to the side.

"And why is that?" He asked, taking another sip of his bourbon.

"Because I don't want to risk dependency." She said honestly. "I haven't drunk through my problems in over two years." Not since the garage incident anyway.

"Ah." He responded while polishing off his second drink. "I have no problem drinking through my issues." Saying that, Eiji grabbed the drink Rehema hadn't touched and removed the umbrella that fanned the edge, throwing his head back and drinking the entire thing in four big gulps. Placing the empty glass back on the table he grunted."It's better than the alternative."

"To what? Jumping off a building?"

At her sarcastic response, Eiji gave her a slightly hurt smile, which he waved off when she attempted to apologize. "I have a disease," Was all he said.

"What kind of disease?" Rehema asked, her medical curiosity taking over.

"An extremely rare form of FTD," He responded, ordering another drink from the screen which sat above their table. "Rather than degenerate the proteins in my body continuously build up and migrate into my brain, and because I don't respond to medication….."

"You have to be manually treated regularly at the hospital." Rehema finished for him, frowning at the idea. Frontotemporal Degeneration FTD was a very serious mental illness. Sufferers usually mimicked symptoms of schizophrenia and depression, but with higher rates of aggression and abnormal behavior. "What kind of treatment do you require?" She asked, glancing over at the waitress who brought him yet another shot of bourbon.

"Electroshock therapy to restore brain chemistry," He responded, "And once every six months I have to go into a medically induced coma so that I can have a deeper treatment done, that's why I was at the hospital three days ago." Taking a sip of his fourth drink for the night he went on, "It is hard, I suffer short-term memory loss after a coma treatment and a host of other complication from electroshock in general."

"So that's why you were on the ledge? You're tired?"

"More than you'll ever know." He said staring down at his drink rather than at her. "There's no cure, but I'm sure you know that already."

Absently fiddling with a napkin Rehema shook her head. "I'm not a psychiatric."

"Then what are you?" He inquired, looking at her expectantly.

"Cardiothoracic surgeon." She muttered out throwing the napkin to the side. "That's my official title anyway."

"Why'd you pick it?" The now-not-so-much a stranger probed.

Rehema shrugged. "I like people's heartbeats."

Eiji smiled.

Boring holes into the side of the bone eater's well, Sesshomaru frowned as the foreign woman's scent wafted up from within, the many possibilities of what occurred flashing through his mind. Had she jumped inside and committed suicide? Peering inside briefly, he didn't see a corpse at the bottom and backed away as the scent of blood reached his nostrils, probably from the head wound he had seen on her person earlier.

He already knew the well was enchanted. During the final battle with Naraku, Inuyasha had fought like hell to get it working again and considering that it lacked water, mixed with the fact that he had seen his brother and the rest of his group around it more than once, the only other possible answer was magic.

His frown deepened once his mind switched over to what had been plaguing him for the past day. What had that vision he'd shared with the foreigner meant? It couldn't have been a memory; he was positive he had never met that woman before in his life.

Kokumajutsu was known to be tricky. Most of its spells meant to confuse, detain and deter a person, not outright kill. But there was usually a way to break even the toughest of dark magic curses and the visions tended to include bits and pieces of information that were helpful to figuring out the cure.

I called her Hema. That must have been a contraction of her full name. Running the incident once more through his head, Sesshomaru turned on his heel and abruptly left the site of the well, remembering another name that had been said that would probably lead him to more concrete answers.

He hadn't seen the fox in decades, the man seemingly having disappeared into thin air right around the time his father had died. But he was around, though; all he had to do was find him. Where are you, Kazu?

The entire sky was a light with foxfire, an ambient explosion of greens, blues, and reds. Overhead the demonic inn, a nine-tailed fox kept busy creating these lights, once in awhile adding different effects so that the children below could focus on how the illusion was created.

The fox demon children jolted and screamed. "Kazuki-sensei is incredible!"

"Of course, he is! He's our Kingu (King) after all!"

Hearing the comments of the admiring youth, Kazu didn't let it get to his head instead keeping his attention on the lights he was controlling that he made swirl around each other in a tornado-like fashion. The matron of the inn had asked him to show the children his full power, and as the hurricane he created began to dive for the ground; he reached deep inside himself and revealed the ability only the king of tricksters could possess.

His conjured tornado hit the earth, and the kids moved to a safe distance and watched as the spinning tornado suddenly waned in power, exposing the secret that now laid within.

The kids who had been content with just the light show became excited at seeing the three rare Japanese cranes that stood where the tornado had landed. Altogether the beautiful birds bowed low to the children watching, disappearing in a cloud of smoke after the kids had their eye fill.

Settling back to the ground, Kazuki stood still as the fox demons in training crowded around him, still admiring and offering graciousness for his display of abilities.

"That's Kazuki-Kingu's power?!"

"He has the power to bend reality!? Not even a first rank can do that!"

"Where'd you learn to do that Kazuki-Kingu?"

Patting the boy who asked on the head he motioned to the rest of the kids whose tails were twitching wildly in their barely concealed excitement. "It's a power handed down to only the trickiest of us," He answered with a sly grin.

"Wow! What else can you do Kazuki-Kingu!"

"Plenty." The red haired man replied cracking his fingers. "Shall I show you?"

The group of children cheered.

A/N: I know this chapter is shorter than others but I hope it was still good. Until next time. -Theores

Chapter Text

A/N: I hope you enjoy this installment, I tried really hard with this chapter!

Chapter 10: Broken World

It hadn't taken Sesshomaru long to find Kazu. The fox demon and his pack hailed from the Eastern territory and after only a day's flight, he had sensed the familiar redhead near the Kitsune Inn, the place where young foxes in training performed seasonal exams in order to advance within their species.

Arriving in the middle of the day, it was surprisingly quiet, the students most likely sleeping in preparation for the night's test. Flaring his yokai a bit to gain attention, the front door of the inn was immediately flung open and an elderly demoness squinted and shaded her eyes from the sun as she stepped outside. Seeing Sesshomaru quietly standing at the bottom of the stairs, the woman frowned as he made his way up to her level.

"Can I help you?" She asked once he was at the top, Jaken quietly trailing behind him.

"I'm searching for a Kitsune, Kazuki," He said impassively looking beyond the woman and into the mansion entryway.

Her frown deepened. "Kazuki-sensei?"

"Yes."

"He is currently sleeping, like the rest of us," She added, exposing her own tired eyes, covering her mouth to hide her yawn she proposed, "Is it possible you can return tonight or perhaps,"

Sesshomaru cut her off. "I am fully aware of the kitsune exams that take place at night and I want no part of it, I need to speak with Kazuki, now." As an afterthought, he added, "Tell him it's a former peer of his."

"Former peer?" The old woman repeated blank faced. Holding in an irritated sigh the woman closed her eyes and concentrated, a burst of fox fire leaving her body and flying through the mansion to the rooms Kazuki occupied. A moment later the fire returned and re-entered the elderly female's form. And shaking a bit as the flames seemingly spoke to her she opened her and gave Sesshomaru a hardened look. "Kazuki-sensei says he knows who you are and that he has nothing to say to you. He wants you to leave immediately."

"Leave!?" Jaken cried out scandalized. Coming to stand between Sesshomaru and the matron the imp began his defensive, "How dare you! Sesshomaru-sama goes where he wants when he wants! Who are you to demand, ack!" An orange ball of fire flew from inside the house and directly into Jaken's open beak, setting his entire mouth ablaze. Scrambling for oxygen, the imp began to run around wildly in an attempt to smother out the flame, his cries of pain filling the air.

Not paying Jaken any attention, the lord instead focused on the rather tall man who now stood behind the old woman in a sleeping yukata, his red hair disheveled but his bronze eyes fully alert. "What do you want Sesshomaru?" The Kitsune asked roughly, forgoing a title or other formal gesture.

"Hn." Eyeing the fox, Sesshomaru grinned in no way swayed by his tone. "You finally showed yourself, Kazu."

With Jaken passed out in front of the inn after the flames dissipated in his mouth, the matron had insisted the two demons talk in the gardens behind the mansion.

Kazuki who hadn't bothered changing or even putting on shoes sat on a small stone bench next to the gardens pond; Sesshomaru choosing to remain standing in front of the master kitsune to show that he didn't plan on bothering him long.

He hadn't been this close to the fox demon in almost a century. As children, their fathers had been allies and though the tradition was supposed to continue with them, Kazuki was never interested in politics or diplomats. It was there that their conflicting personalities showed. The kitsune was as powerful as one of his kind could be, yet he generally refused battle in favor of trickery and other mindless pranks. Like Sesshomaru, he was the oldest and, therefore, most powerful in his family, but from what he understood his second youngest brother currently served as head of his pack.

Watching as Kazuki absently brushed his hair back from his forehead Sesshomaru folded his own hands in his sleeves. "So this is what you do with your time now?"

"The matriarch of the inn asked me to show the kids some of my abilities before their big exam tonight, nothing more."

Sesshomaru smirked. "You have the power to bend reality and you use it to entertain children?"

"Go to hell Sesshomaru!" Kazu hissed, slightly raising his voice. "Nobody's asking you to judge my lifestyle choices, now what do you want?"

His smirk disappeared at seeing how serious Kazuki was at the moment. He had never seen him so deadpan before or annoyed. A part of him questioned the fox's blatant hostility, but he ignored it in favor of getting to the point of his visit. "What do you remember about our lessons on Kokumajutsu?"

Like he expected Kazu's bronze eyes expanded considerably at the question. "Kokumajutsu? Why do you….." His gaze shifted to Sesshomaru's hip and he hissed under his breath when he saw the two swords that rested there. "Great." He huffed out, appearing more irritated. "This is about Rehema isn't it?"

The great lord frowned. "Rehema?"

Going on as though he hadn't heard the demon, Kazuki continued to talk, "Look Sesshomaru, I don't know where her remains are, and even if I did, there's no way in hell I would tell you," Standing up the fox demon hissed and walked past the dog, a mixture of pain and sadness evident on his face. "Even you can see she deserves to rest in peace, just leave."

"Wait," Sesshomaru said to Kazuki's back, causing the Kitsune to pause. "Who is Rehema?"

He tensed. "Really?" Kazu spun back around and glowered. "You just forgot her? After everything you did?" He shook his head in disbelief. "It was that easy for you wasn't it?"

Sesshomaru was honestly confused. Attempting to show that without revealing it in his facial expression, the dog demon narrowed his eyes and demanded to know, "Who is she?"

Grinning ironically Kazuki returned to walking back to mansion his hand raised in a silent goodbye. Hearing the sound of a sword being drawn from Sesshomaru who was clearly preparing to rush him for turning his back to him he let out a dark chuckle as the wind began to pick up around them and over the loudness of the air said one word that made him cease all movement.

"What?" He forced out even as Kazu stepped up onto the wooden planks of the demon mansion.

"You heard me." He murmured before he disappeared inside, the door to the mansion making a slight booming sound with the force the fox used to close it.

The dog demon waited a moment and resheathed Bakusaiga, unsettlement slightly visible on his face. The name Kazu said not making a connection to his inquiries. A new goal in mind, Sesshomaru summoned his cloud and flew over the mansion to retrieve Jaken, intending to backtrack to the village that housed Rin. Kazuki hadn't been resolution he'd hoped for but that one word clearly an important clue in his investigations. As he headed for the village and the Bone Eater's Well, that same word the fox had spoken continuously rattled through his mind, only one other person could possibly know. Shiro?

She tasted blood in her mouth as she hit a wall, the impact breaking a rib on her left side. Weak, she tried hastily to say something, but a hand connected sharply with her face causing her to cry out in pain. Opening bleary eyes, the woman desperately rose a hand to defend herself from her attacker who barked and without any compassion and threw her arm to the side and cruelly picked her up by the neck, allowing her to see his face.

Red rimmed eyes looked at her with disgust, the two strips on either side of his face jagged; framing sharpened teeth which snapped at her when she met his eye. What had she done to deserve this? Feeling his massive hand tighten its hold on her windpipe, the woman once again tried to talk but couldn't, the man's grip too tight on her throat. Through garbled speech, the man uttered a word that made her freeze, a name so vile to her that a few tears leaked down her cheeks even as the man squeezed the life out of her. "Whore!"

As her nightmare reached its climax, Rehema jolted awake, her entire body shivering as though she had been just been exposed to sub-degree temperatures. Looking down at her chest, the doctor sighed when she saw her hand tightly wrapped around the necklace; no shackle, at her throat, the real-life replacement of her dream aggressors paw.

Forcing her sore hand to release the cursed object, Rehema merely stared up at her ceiling, the cracks in her closed curtains making streaks of light appear in a pattern across the white plaster.At least, I finally made it home.

But could Eiji drink! After three hours and twenty glasses of bourbon, the man finally announced he'd had enough having ordered drinks in her name once the machine refused to serve him anymore.

And I thought I was broken. He didn't talk much after asking her about her job though he did offer small tidbits of conversation in between his shots. Through the few words, he did say she understood he had been through a major heartbreak, the woman he loved either being chased off or leaving him for someone else. HAe's surviving.

Sokubaku. Three hundred years. Bone Eaters Well. She was surviving too. Feeling her hands shake, she took a deep breath to calm herself and turned on her side so that she could rub behind her ear. As she rolled the pendant she wore tumbled out from her under her t-shirt to rest on her pillow, though she eyed it vacantly even as it gleamed in the moonlight.

She wouldn't mind getting to know Eiji better she thought though his mental state worried her. Blowing out a puff of air; agitated, Rehema climbed out of bed and forced herself to leave her room for her home office where her computer was kept, there was no way she was getting back to sleep tonight. Might as well make myself useful while I'm up.

Kagome absently stared into her bowl of unfinished rice. "Zakari-sensei was reincarnated as the Jackal."

"It explains why she was able to travel through the Bone Eaters Well," Miroku answered though her words were more of a statement than a question. "Perhaps the Inugami that dragged her here was searching for the Jackal."

Inuyasha snorted. "Why would that thing have been searching for her? Didn't Myoga say the original Jackal died a long time ago?"

"Yes, but he took off before we could explain the Inugami or the necklace she wore."

"Keh. Myoga didn't even tell us her original name!"

The entire group sat contemplating Myoga's tale, both skepticism and tension clear in the hut's air. Kagome it seemed had been the most affected by the flea's story, her entire body shivering with unshed tears. The same woman who saved her life was the reincarnation of a delusional Jackal who had been obsessed with Sesshomaru of all people. "What do we do now?"

"There's really nothing we can do," Miroku said, focusing his gaze on the fire. "If Zakari-sensei has truly returned to her own world, this is all just one interesting story to tell in our older years."

"But she's over three hundred years old!" Kagome blurted out, looking up from her bowl. "And she's got that necklace that she can't take off!"

"That just means she can do good far longer than any normal man." The monk responded solemnly. "And as long as no one else touches the Sokubaku, she should be fine in that regard as well."

"I agree with Miroku," Inuyasha said, resting his head on his hand. "There's nothing we can do about it so we might as well just move on."

Kagome sighed and looked away. They were right. It was still tragic, though. "The Jackal's soul might never be in peace…."

"Keh, if she was obsessed with Sesshomaru I don't think that's any surprise." The half demon responded with a smile.

"Inuyasha….."

"It's the truth." His nose twitched slightly and grunting as he sensed a familiar being informed them, "Shippo's on his way here."

The minute he announced it, a familiar red-haired demon ran on all fours into the hut, launching himself over Inuyasha and directly into Kagome's waiting lap. Happy to be back, the fox child giggled at seeing the priestesses welcoming smile and taking a moment to gather his thoughts yelled out, "Hey guys guess what?!"

"You were promoted another rank?" Kaede guessed immediately and appeared surprised when he shook his head no.

"No, I mean I got promoted of course! But guess what else," He smiled as though awestruck. "I met Kazuki-Kingu!"

"Who's Kazuki-Kingu?"

Gasping, Shippo hopped out of Kagome's lap and declared, "Only the greatest fox demon in the world!"

"Kazuki?" Miroku started. "I think I heard of him, he's supposed to be a master manipulator."

Sango frowned. "Manipulator? Like a prankster?"

"Not only that, but Kazuki-Kingu is different from other foxes in that he can bend the actual flow of reality, something highly unheard of."

Shippo crackled. "He showed us a bunch of tricks before our exam, but that's not all!" Taking on a serious expression the fox demon studied the group around him. "I was on my way back when I saw Sesshomaru and Kazuki-Kingu talking!"

Kagome appeared confused. "Kazuki….and Sesshomaru?"

The young fox nodded. "Uh huh. Kazuki-Kingu seemed really annoyed when he showed up."

"How does Sesshomaru know a fox demon like Kazuki?" Miroku asked aloud, not seeing a universe where the two would run in the same circles.

"It's because of Rehema!" Shippo announced, causing the entire group to gasp.

"Oh, great Rehema again," Inuyasha said after the initial shock wore off. A quick nudge to the ribs by Kagome silenced him from speaking further. "What happened Shippo?" She urged.

"Sesshomaru went to Kazuki-Kingu about Kokumajutsu!" He answered excitedly.

"Why would Sesshomaru….." Kagome paused, unsure of how to continue.

"It would seem that the mysteries surrounding Zakari-sensei are far from finished," Miroku said with a grim smile.

"The Jackal…."

A/N: Hope you enjoyed! -Theores

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Chapter 14: Missing Roses

As a child Sesshomaru had always been an ideal pupil to his many tutors, each one hand picked by his mother who only allowed the best to come within sighting distance of him. Over the years, as his father and grandfather acquired more land holdings and power, he was given peers who took the form of the various sons and daughters of allies and guardians who soon became rivals to the already determined prince of the West. Out of those multiple children that came and went with the seasons for lessons in rapid succession, Kazuki was the only one that Sesshomaru never viewed as an opponent. Even at a young age glimpses of the fox's carefree personality showed through, preferring joking and pranks to training to become a headstrong leader of his pack.

And it was for exactly that reason why Kazuki's newfound impatient attitude surprised the demon lord to no end. No matter the situation, he had never seen the fox without a smile on his face or a trick up his sleeve, literally.

"Sesshomaru-sama?" Jaken squawked behind him nervously, momentarily breaking his thoughts, "Are we almost to your former tutor's home?"

He didn't respond and continued to march forward, the word Kazuki had spoken now ringing in his mind. Shiro?

The only Shiro he knew of was the founding male of his bloodline who died over three thousand years ago. While studying the history of the lands that would one day become his domain, his tutor had included teachings on his ancestors from Shiro no Tsuyoi all the way down to his own creator Touga-ou.

He himself had long forgotten the majority of that particular subject due to his dislike of history, but his former tutor whose livelihood centered around teaching was possibly his best bet on finding out more.

The owl demon that had served as his reading and historical tutor was introverted by nature and as such was one with a tendency to be alone. Seeing the lanterns from a village begin to be lit, Sesshomaru's steps advanced slightly and he gradually made his way down the hillside towards the colony of people, coming to a stop just in front of a yet to be lit part of the village.

He could hear Jaken panting behind him, begging for his master to slow down, but he tuned it out while he located the hut that the familiar owl's scent was strongest. Letting his yokai flare slightly to alert the owl of his arrival, he was pleased to hear movement come from within the home and a moment later the tatami curtain that covered the doorway was pushed open revealing a relatively older man with orange eyes who peered outside suspiciously. "Who…."

"Teruo-sensei."

The owl demon squinted his eyes a bit. "Sesshomaru-sama?"

He nodded his head in acknowledgment. "So you remember me Teruo." Noting the way the owl tensed slightly the stoic lord chose his next words carefully. "I am not here to do you harm." Teruo relaxed and it was that release of tension that made Sesshomaru's mouth downturn. The fact that he had to tell his former tutor that he wasn't out to hurt him bothered him. For some reason, everyone from his past seemed to be so scared around him almost as if they expected him to, well he wasn't sure what they expected him to do.

Calmer, the owl took a few steps outside and bowed respectfully, his muscles not fully relaxed in case he needed to make a quick retreat. Still uncertain, he tentatively asked his former pupil, "Uh….What is it I can do for you, Sesshomaru-sama?"

"I need a remedial lesson."

Rehema stared wide-eyed at the redwood mansion they had led her to, several glowing balls circling the area and bringing out the nighttime allure of the palace. "Is this it?"

Kagome nodded happily in affirmation. "Incredible isn't it?"

"Yea….," The doctor closely followed behind the group, her ears raging as they picked up the sounds coming from within the Inn. The outside was immaculate despite the many children that apparently freely roamed the place on a daily basis. Seeing a few beach roses that lined the path leading to the stairs, Rehema bent down and plucked up one of the peach flowers to sniff, the scent coming off of them soothing on an odd level.

Inside the mansion, a few sounds were heard before the receiving doors were thrown open and a plethora of young looking females came out, cheering loudly at the guests who had arrived on their doorstep for the night. They must have recognized some of the group because the girls instantly crowded around Miroku who smiled and appeared to charm the ladies who all cooed and blushed in his presence.

Kagome was on the monk almost immediately. Opening her mouth she started to lecture "Miroku I promised Sango,"

"Relax Kagome," The monk said gently, waving away one woman who had gotten particularly close. "I was merely being polite, I'm not the same man I once was after all."

"Like anyone believes that," Inuyasha muttered out starting up the stairs to go inside. "Once a pervert always a pervert, don't you agree Rehema," Turning to look at her the half demon's eyebrows knitted together when he saw the space that she had once filled empty and spinning back around stared surprised at the doctor who seemed to be in a world of her own. "Huh?"

Rehema wasn't paying attention to anything happening around. Her eyes closed, the brown skinned woman was deeply smelling the flower in her hands, a look of pure tranquility over her as she took in the aroma of the peach colored petals. This flower smelled like something, no, someone she had known a long time ago. She couldn't place her finger on it by scent alone, but it was familiar, almost as if the person she had known had always smelled like this. The ocean. But where?

"Oi, Rehema," Inuyasha called out, promptly shutting his mouth when Kagome shushed him from her place beside Miroku.

The monk who had begun observing quietly as well whispered something to one of the disguised females who was holding onto his sleeve and watched a moment while she ran off to do as he requested before returning his attention back to the reminiscing woman.

"What do you think is happening?" Kagome asked softly, her eyes once again taking on a worried appearance.

"She's obviously remembering something," He said eyeing the flower she was holding, "However small the key was that unlocked the door."

"Should we snap her out of it?"

Rehema was standing so firm he was sure she wasn't fully conscious. "It might not be a good idea," He finally decided, taking a step back. "If we wake her it might ruin whatever it is she's starting to recall."

"But,"

"Houshi-sama!" The returning fox woman called out, rushing up to the priest and priestess. "Kazuki-Kingu is on his way now!"

Miroku smiled and gave his gratitude; that took the form of giving the glowing woman's hand a quick squeeze.

Inuyasha who had remained halfway up the staircase watching them swiveled back towards the receiving doors once a new scent appeared that he didn't recognize. A redhead man with bronze eyes was in the arch, glaring down at him with a clear look of irritation. "Yo."

The fox demon frowned. "Yo? What is this?"

Kagome took a step forward and spoke, causing the man to look at her next. "Um….Hello?"

Kazuki glanced a the woman a second. "A priestess?" Peering out and spotting Miroku next the redhead crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway lazily. "What is this an exorcism?"

"No not at all," Miroku assured him his staff jingling with his movements. "We understand you're an acquaintance of a demon known as Sesshomaru and this," He motioned to Inuyasha, "Is his younger brother and we have some questions," The monks words were halted by Kazuki smacking his teeth.

"Great, is every member of your damn family gonna start bothering me now?" He growled out at the half-demon, anger dripping from his voice. "I'll tell you exactly what I told your brother, I don't know anything about Rehema or Kokumajutsu so you can just," He stopped and breathed in suddenly, his eyes getting as big as saucers as a familiar scent reached his senses. Leaving the warmth of the Inn, Kazuki came to a halt just in front of the steps leading down to the ground and stared directly at the woman who was delicately sniffing a flower a distance aways. "Impossible…"

Seeing the way he was looking at Rehema, Kagome boldly came closer and inquired, "You know who she is?"

Kazuki looked almost shell-shocked. "Re….hema?"

At her name, the doctor, at last, opened her gray eyes and focused on the fox demon who looked like he had seen a ghost. Her heart skipped a beat at his gaze and tucking the flower in the side of her messenger bag joined the rest of the group at the staircase who were taking turns looking between the fox and doctor. "Are you Kazuki-Kingu?"

The redhead swallowed hard and his skin took on a noticeably paler hue.

Hearing his heartbeat became erratic Rehema viewed the rest of his body with a critical eye and quickly determined that he was openly going into shock. "Hey….Kazuki-Kingu…."

"I…" The redhead's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he hit the ground with a loud thud, the Inn residents naturally going to crowd around him along with Kagome and Miroku who urged them to back up.

Inuyasha who was unsure of what to do could only watch as Rehema raced up the stairs to join them and begin administering medical care. "What the hell…."

"He's gone into shock," Rehema said instantly, flipping him over and feeling his neck for a pulse. "Heartbeat is rapid..." She muttered out, swearing softly when his breathing briefly stopped. Reaching inside the folds of his haori she ripped the cuffs off revealing his chest and began to feel along his sternum for air bubbles or a hypertensive lung that would explain his sudden collapse.

"What's happening?" One of the children cried out, clearly afraid.

"Kazuki-Kingu!"

Feeling an air bubble over one of his lungs, Rehema withdrew an unopened needle from the side of her bag and prepared it for use, intending to burst the bubble to enable him to breath normally again. Ignoring the screaming children who were unsure of what to make of the instrument the doctor stabbed the fox, pulling back just as Kazuki's body jerked sharply and he took in a large breath of air. Coughing violently, the fox demon sat up and tightly gripped the pricked skin, a cold sweat running down his face.

"You went into shock," Rehema told him when he glared at her for touching him, her brown hands gently trying to pry his own away from his chest. "I had to relieve the pressure in your chest so your lungs wouldn't over inflate…."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kazuki puffed, starting away from her touch. "How dare you," He paused and gasped, desperately trying to catch his breath. Glaring at Rehema once more he roared, "Is this another one of Teruo's damn attempts of driving me insane?!"

Rehema drew back, surprised. "What…."

"Jakkaru!" He yelled out, hopping to his feet. "I know I failed her, I don't need to be reminded!" He cried, his eyes wild in his fury.

Kagome tried to calm the excited man. "Kazuki-Kingu, calm down," She pleaded, her eyes following the light trail of blood that ran down his body. "What are you talking about?"

He didn't listen, the fox was in the air and transforming into his true form in seconds, Kazuki soon hopping over the demon mansion and disappearing into the forest. The entire Inn was silent as they heard a pained howl coming from the dense brush, Rehema remaining on the ground and with a shaking hand slowly stroked behind her ear.

A/N: Kazuki went off his rocker didn't he? Wonder why? Heh. Please review! -Theores

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A/N: Hello all, I just wanted to let you know that after this chapter there will be a new cover art courtesy of my good friend Brittany. The one that is currently up is her design too, and she's willing to take requests and create line art, just message me for details. As you can see she's VERY good at what she does and she was the high inspiration for this chapter. With that being said, read on! -Theores

Chapter 15: Youkai's Star

Jakaru (noun.) Jackal. The Japanese language has few words to describe some of the more rare and even exotic animals that have been discovered in other lands and as such the English term Jackal has been characterized under simple two sample syllables in order to be recognized. The word 'Karu' means to hunt and when mixed with the first two 'letters' of Jackal, the word is able to be used in reference to the omnivorous canines that are common in Africa and the Middle East.

"That's all it says," She said with impatient rage. Snapping the pocket-sized dictionary closed, Rehema sighed and leaned her head back against the wall, frustration clear on her light brown face. Three days and this was all they had discovered. It was enough to make anyone annoyed.

Inuyasha, however, was unconvinced. "That's it, that's all that little book says?"

"Yea. Five hundred years and they still haven't come up with a word for Jackals…." Rehema sighed to herself. "Why am I not surprised?"

"It obviously meant something considering how upset Kazuki was at seeing you," Miroku pointed out, a hand gripped lightly around his staff. "Perhaps it was just his way of calling to you?"

The doctor shook her head at the theory. "He went into shock the second he looked at me, I highly doubt he was fully aware of what he was saying after he regained consciousness."

"You're right but my next question is, why did he react like that?" The monk's inquiry wasn't aimed at anyone in particular, leading him to sigh when the room remained silent in contemplation.

It had been decided that they would at least spend the night at the fox demon inn, and after a few terse words with the resident matriarch, the group found themselves openly brainstorming a new direction to go in to discover Rehema's past.

The woman looked at Inuyasha hopefully. "Why don't we just try asking your brother again?" He quickly dismissed the idea and after a few minutes, the doctor finally muttered out an opinion. "This has been a waste of time…."

"Of course it hasn't," Kagome responded encouragingly. "Kazuki,"

"Was dealing with the after effects of stress induced shock."

"But Rehema it's okay," Kagome insisted. "When Kazuki gets back we'll be able to ask him what he meant by that word." The doctor didn't move from her position against the inn wall, her eyes still closed until they popped open unexpectedly just as Kagome was leaning towards her. "What is it?"

"He said my name," She said in a low whisper, making the priestess scoot closer.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

Rehema's frown deepened. "Kazuki….when he was talking to Inuyasha and said he didn't know anything about Kokumajutsu, he said my name."

One of Miroku's fists hit against his palm in a show of understanding. "She's right, he did say it."

"Keh. So what?" Inuyasha asked sharply, grunting under his breath.

"We never told him her name," Miroku explained to the rash demon. "So how could he possibly know it if he'd never met her before?"

"Kazuki knows something," Rehema said, her mind turning at the possibilities. "And whatever it is, it isn't good."

Kagome looked around. "So how do we get it out of him?"

"We don't," Rehema answered, staring straight ahead. "I need to talk to him alone."

"Alone?"

"Yes. Alone." The doctor repeated, a realization forming. "He won't talk to me with others around."

"But I don't wanna risk your safety on just a hunch," The priestess said recalling her private discussion earlier with Sesshomaru.

"My safety isn't an issue this time around," Rehema said with a smug grin. "Watch." Raising her palms the doctor clapped her hands together and slid her left palm across her right, activating the ability inside her and leaving her glowing inscribed hand palms up for the groups inspection. At Kagome's gasp, the doctors grin widened. "Nice huh?"

"That's….amazing." The priestess admired, captivated.

Her joy was short lived though because the necklace at her throat soon glowed a deep red color again burning her throat and forcing the doctor to revert herself back to normal, the pendant calming down once the power was reeled in.

Seeing this Miroku frowned. "The sokubaku is preventing you from using that ability for long."

"I know," Rehema responded, rubbing her slightly sore neckline. "But if there's a problem I'll be able to use it at least until someone can help me."

At that everyone's gaze shifted to the sword-wielding half demon who stopped scratching behind his ears when he felt eyes on him.

Inuyasha sniffed in a silent affirmation. "Well that fox is on his way, I can smell him," standing up he opened a door leading to the hallway and disappeared around a corner. His deep voice carrying back to the room "He's coming from the back."

Kagome and Rehema hastily got up as well. "The back?"

"He most likely didn't want to be seen returning," Miroku pointed out rising to his feet with the girls. "I don't blame him after that performance."

The trio followed after Inuyasha, the half demon stopping after every turn allowing the three humans to keep up. "He looked like he was about to have a heart attack," Rehema commented absently; her attention focused on the white haired demon who meanwhile had dropped to his knees and was sniffing the ground like a common dog. "He reminds me of someone…."

"What's a heart attack?" Miroku questioned still trailing after Inuyasha.

"And who does Inuyasha remind you of?" Kagome asked in response to her second comment which made her smile. He probably makes her think of a pet. The priestess chuckled at the thought.

"A heart attack is what happens when someone's coronary artery becomes blocked and prevents proper blood flow," Rehema said, not remembering that Miroku most likely didn't know half of what she'd just said. "And Inuyasha reminds me of someone I met in the late nineteen hundreds." She said in response to Kagome's question.

"Oh? Was he prone to sniffing the ground?"

Rehema laughed. "No, he just has a tendency to sniff things before he eats them and when he does his nose trembles like an actual dog."

Kagome noted the present tense. "Has? You mean he's still alive?"

"But of course," Rehema responded almost as if it was natural that a human man was still alive from that early a time period.

"But if he was born in the late nineteen hundreds," Kagome paused to count off her fingers. "That would make him like ninety years old."

"A hundred and five actually." The doctor corrected; a hand going up to rub behind her ear. "I met him when he was in his twenties and already practicing."

"Wait, you mean he's a doctor too?"

"Up until about fifteen years ago," Rehema confirmed. "He retired and now is just enjoying the good life, clubbing religiously and dancing the night away." The two girls laughed at the joke, the smiles not leaving their faces until Inuyasha stopped at a specific door his nose nearly pressed into the crack while he tracked the fox's whereabouts.

"He's in here," the half-demon said at last stepping aside so that Rehema was in front. The doctor strained her ears for sound and was surprised to hear nothing coming from inside the room Inuyasha had led them to. Maybe his nose isn't that good after all. "There's some kind of barrier preventing noise from coming out," he explained when she looked at him confused.

"Appropriate considering he's staying in such close proximity of a bunch of little ones," Miroku sighed. "Oh, how I wish I had one of those on hand for me and Sango." Kagome and Inuyasha glared at the monk, Rehema barely paying attention to him will she mustered up the courage to knock on the side of the door's framework.

"Kazuki-Kingu?" The doctor said loud and clear. "Are you in there?" She got no response so knocking again she tried another tactic to lure him out, "Kazuki-Kingu, my names Zakari, I'm a doctor," She stated, using her surname in place of the given. "I'm sorry I stabbed you earlier but I needed to release the pressure in your lungs and I'd just really like to check to make sure I didn't cause any tissue damage." Still nothing. Turning to look at Miroku, he waved her on encouragingly, pointing to his heart as a hint and nodding in understanding she started yet again.

"Kazuki, I specialize in people's hearts and after I stabbed you I think I knicked a major artery in your aorta and if I did and don't do something quick you might end up having a heart attack or….uh angina." Neither of those were a possibility; Hell the way she worded what she'd done was wrong too, but Rehema purposely used the mixed modern medical jargon in hopes he would be curious enough to find out what she was talking about. "If you're thinking it won't happen to you, look at your chest, if it's sore or there's a red mark around the area where I pricked the skin then that means the blood supply shifted to your other organs and you might die any minute," The moment she said 'die' that the door flew open and a wide-eyed Kazuki appeared; his hand gripped tightly to his uncovered chest.

"I'm about to die?!"

Rehema shrugged off his fear and her associating guilt of openly lying to someone about their medical status. "Probably. I have some equipment in my bag that might be able to keep that from happening but I'd have to examine you first and determine, Ahhh!" Before she could finish Kazuki grabbed her by her wrist and nearly flung her into his rooms, the door quickly closing behind them and locking the rest of the group out. Regaining her balance Rehema turned to look at Kazuki and smiled at his obvious worry for his life. Well, that was easy.

Sesshomaru walked almost aimlessly, his mind a whirlwind of history and traditions long though forgotten. Teruo's lesson had indeed been helpful, but the information he revealed had nearly floored him with its intensity. Behind him Jaken was muttering phrases under his breath, which the demon lord knew to be in connection with the Owl's words and he briefly considered asking the imp for counsel before quickly dismissing the idea for he had never done so before. Oji-san.

"Trading routes?"

"Hai," Teruo responded, unfurling a map on the table between the two. Leaning forward slightly he used the tip of an ink brush to point out particular items to the curious lord her was eyeing the map with interest. "You may not remember this but your Honorable father and grandfather began a series of trades with both the Mainland and the Three Kingdoms. An assistant and I served as interpreters for the merchants who arrived regularly on the Western shoreline"

Sesshomaru thought on this a moment. "Hn. I recall journeying to India once with Oji-san."

"Yes, you were a mere child then, however, the trades were established when you had just achieved your two hundred and ninetieth year."

"Impossible," Sesshomaru said, glaring. "I have no memory of such things taking place."

"Ah yes," The owl nodded to himself. "You don't remember the accident do you?"

"Accident?"

"As unfortunate as it was, your father demanded we never speak of it to you," Coughing, Teruo stopped and added a few strokes to the edge of the page. "You seemed to adapt and we you had no other noticeable ill effects."

"What are you talking about?" Sesshomaru growled out, confused and annoyed. Everyone was giving him general pieces of information rather than talking to him like he was an actual adult. "What accident was I involved in?"

"You were attacked," The owl said all at once, not making eye contact. "You were out on patrol where you were attacked, and your memories were taken from you."

"My….memories?"

"Think back to your years before Honorable Shin'ichi-sama died," Teruo instructed, glancing at him. "You might notice there's a distinct gap which transpires oh around, ten years?"

Sesshomaru thought. "Father informed me that as I got older earlier memories would begin to fade in place of newer ones." It was the curse of longevity. At some point the brain would over flood with information and when space needed to be made, irrelevant things would become mere ghost in relation to more important events. That alone was the reason why he had been given a history tutor in the first place.

"But to forget such a random period of your life is unimaginable," Teruo sighed. "That mixed with the fact that most youkai's memories don't start to fade until at least a thousand, should have made you suspicious of your father's words." Noting his silence he eyed his former pupil curiously, "Or did you forget all of our lessons on the subject of aging?"

"What took place during that time?" Sesshomaru nearly demanded to know. "What was I attacked by?"

The owl huffed and stood up; crossing his arms defensively. "Forgive me my lord but I was ordered by your father to remain silent on the matter."

It took everything in him not to reach across the table and snap Teruo'a neck. Choosing to remain seated to show he wasn't leaving without answers, Sesshomaru growled lightly. "My father is dead, so is Oji-san, they took their secrets to the grave, only you remain to tell their story."

The owl's eyes widened at the hidden complement. Sesshomaru would honestly believe anything he told him about his heritage. Closing his eyes to think, Teruo finally shook his head at his silent decision and sighed before going over to a shelf where his kiseru (smoking pipe) and demonic strength tobacco were. Lighting it away from the Western Lord's face, the owl let out a breath and stared hypnotically at the ring of blue smoke. "Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Sesshomaru repeated, frustration taking over his rational mind.

"Yes, I will tell you everything I know, tomorrow." Taking in another puff of smoke he inhaled and exhaled swiftly. "I need some time to get everything together, though, you see, there is a lot you must understand."

Sesshomaru rose to his feet, nodding curtly before gathering his swords and heading for the door to get his boots and armor. Jaken immediately rushed to help him replace the plate and pauldron, the demon lord being forced to kneel so that the imp could tighten the cord connecting the two. "Very well then."

"I would offer you a room to sleep in for the night of course," The owl gestured about his small abode, "But I have so little space."

"I need no accommodations from you Teruo, only your information."

"Indeed my lord," He replied with the bow. "Please return right at twilight, I am nocturnal after all."

"Nocturnal?"

Teruo chuckled. "You really weren't paying attention to your lessons were you?"

"Your teaching methods were needlessly authoritative."

The owl rolled his eyes to his turned back. "Almost as bad as Kazuki-sama."

Resting up against a tree, Sesshomaru closed his golden orbs and thought about on his and Teruo's conversation. Jaken was nearby as usual, tending to a miniature fire to warm his green skin. He fleetingly wondered if the foreign woman would be part of the owl's tale only to quit in disgust when he realized he was thinking about her again. She had been a constant on his mind since she'd boldly walked away from him in that forest. Rehema, that was her name. But that all was irrelevant, there was no way she would be mentioned in Teruo's story.

Tomorrow was when he would finally get some solid answers and hopefully another step in the right direction. Opening up his senses so that he could be alerted of danger while he slept, Sesshomaru locked his jaw and soon fell into a light sleep.

A/N: I am really happy with this chapter, (It was nearly eight pages long!) and the part where Rehema scared the crap outta Kazuki was priceless, it's how I imagine their relationship would be on a regular basis. Next chapter will introduce a new character (I don't have that many OC's so relax!) who I think you all will be very interested in. I am also thinking of making a prequel story after this like I did with Emergence to Drapetomania and wondered what you all thought about the idea. I hope you enjoyed and please review! -Theores

Chapter Text

A/N: Before you read I'd like to ask you all to take a peek at the new cover art for this story, compliments of my amazing friend Bri. In honor of her great work this chapter is dedicated to her, as without having her these last few chapters wouldn't have been possible. Please enjoy!

Chapter 16: Breaking the First Walls

Kazuki twitched as Rehema examined him over; her hands gently pressing against his rib cage while she searched for abnormalities in his system. Even though her expression was one of clinical calm, the fox could read the stress in her body and her slightly shaking hands. This was too bizarre. Her actions, her movements. "Just like her."

Startled by his voice, Rehema looked at his face. "I'm sorry what did you say?"

"Your hands are shaking," Kazuki pointed out softly; almost transfixed on the trembling digits that remained on his bare skin. "Just like her."

"A lot of people shake when they're tired, doesn't mean anything."

"But your aren't tired," The fox pointed out, one of his clawed hands going to grab at her brown wrist. Bringing her arm closer to his face he breathed in her scent and closed his eyes to savor the almost familiar mixture of exotic aromas. "You're shaking because you're stressed." He looked at her hand with fascination, his eyes following the subconscious reaction that usually followed overstimulation in the doctor.

Seeing an opening to ask questions, Rehema cleared her throat and began to probe. "You knew someone who used to shake like this?"

Kazuki nodded once; his thumb gently massaging her skin. "It wouldn't happen all the time, she would just work herself too hard or over think something." Grumbling to himself the fox sighed at another thought. "But I'm sure you don't do what she did to relax."

"What, what did she do to relax?" She asked tentatively, discreetly turning her hearing to his chest so that she could examine Kazuki's heartbeat. The strength of his pulse was amazing, his valves opening and closing with an added pressure that she had only heard in small mammals. Something told her that this was his normal rhythm, though, not a result of him being in such close proximity to her. "I'm sorry what?"

"I said, the Rehema I knew did things no sane person would even attempt at doing," Kazuki repeated with a frown. "She used to space out like that too…." The fox leaned in closer and stared into her light gray eyes, his own bronze ones narrowed in suspicion. "Who exactly are you?"

At his intense gaze, she backed up a bit. "I'm Rehema." She answered confidently, trying her best to convey her honesty through her eyes.

"Rehema…..Hema." He said under his breath, looking her over. "Jakkaru."

She wasn't sure what it was about him saying that name again, but something triggered in her mind, blurring her vision and making her nearly collapse in his arms. Trembling, Rehema couldn't respond to the alarmed fox who was calling her name and trying to get her attention, her focus instead on her necklace which was glowing with an orange light. "Kazu…."

"Rehema!"

"Rehema are you sure about this?"

Giving the kitsune a sly grin, the jackal nodded once; a hand going to rub behind her ear. "It'll be fun."

The two stood on a high cliff overlooking the ocean, both stripped down to bare necessities to allow their legs freedom of movement. Pulling her obi knot tighter so that her chest wouldn't show when she dived, Rehema took a unique stance and motioned for Kazuki to follow. "Okay, this move is called an eagle jump!"

Having second thoughts on what they were about to do Kazuki looked at Rehema and tried to protest, "Uh Jakkaru, I know I've followed you a lot of places and we've had some great moments in time but I don't think,"

Too late. Before he could finish the jackal launched herself off the cliff and went sailing through the air, a howl of joy leaving her mouth as gravity took over and began to send her down to the ocean below.

With a splash, her flexible body hit the water and she disappeared from view, a slack-jawed Kazuki still gazing at the water in disbelief even as her black head broke the surface a few moments later. "That was incredible!" The fox said to her when she looked up at him, raising his voice so that she could hear him.

Rehema giggled. "Well come on then!" she hollered back, gesturing for him to join. "It's your turn!"

Kazuki nodded and with a grin took a running stance. "Fine, this one's called a reality bender!" Reaching inside himself, the fox released a sizeable amount of power and jumped, but as his form plummeted towards the ocean, Kazu's body turned almost to liquid; soon turning into a ball of water before Rehema's eyes. Gasping in surprise, the jackal followed the blob hitting the water only to turn and begin to swim for her life when a large tidal wave soon appeared where he landed, hitting her and making Rehema wipe out.

Resurfacing a distance aways, the jackal growled in her throat and spun in circles while she searched for the kitsune, a plan of retaliation forming in her mind. "Where are you, you little," Feeling a clawed hand grab her ankle, Rehema let out a yip of surprise and managed to take in a deep breath of air just before she was pulled back under. Expecting to see a smug Kazu she turned to face him and nearly screamed underwater when instead of the red haired kitsune, a white-haired Sesshomaru was staring at her irritated; complete with full dress minus his armor. "Sesshomaru! I," She choked from the seawater, and the dog demon pressed a hand to her mouth to keep her from talking further.

Pointing to the surface, the two swam up and took in breaths of air as they reached the top, Rehema coughing up water in between gulps of air.

"Hema," Sesshomaru growled in warning.

"It's not my fault!" Rehema responded hastily. "Kazu and I were diving and he used his power to switch places with you!"

"I did no such thing, you tattletale!" Sesshomaru exclaimed suddenly in Kazuki's voice, leaving the jackal completely confused.

Seeing her bewilderment, 'Sesshomaru's' eyes turned a familiar bronze and he shifted back to his original form, shaking his now short red hair free of the water. "You tricked me!" Rehema accused, going back under the sea to her mouth.

"I didn't call it the reality bender for nothing," Kazuki replied, grinning until the annoyed Rehema squirted a mouthful of saltwater right into his face. "That was unnecessary."

"What the hell?!" Kazuki screamed, shaking the foreign woman excessively. "Hey, are you okay?"

Rehema's eyes were shut, but she was crying through the slits, her tears running down her face while her mouth remained sealed tight. She wept in his hold, her face shaking back and forth violently; all of Kazuki's attentions ignored in place of her own agony. "Hey, Rehema! Hema!" He paused for a moment and studied her. She was noticeably paler, but panic didn't fully begin to set into the fox until her mouth opened and she began to talk in a foreign language. Gritting his teeth, Kazu huffed and forced out the name he had never wanted to say again. "Jakkaru!"

Rehema's eyes popped open at the name, and blinking a few times suddenly stared up at Kazuki with a much calmer gaze. Worried, Kazu looked down at her oh so familiar face and asked sincerely, "Are you okay?"

"I think so," She muttered softly. Absently a hand went up to rub behind her ear to soothe herself, the motion making Kazu look away for a second, though he still cradled her in his arms.

"What happened to you?"

"I was having a dream I think."

Kazuki's frowned deepened. "A dream?"

Rehema nodded and continued to explain. "You and me….we were diving off a cliff, and you made up this diving move called,"

"The reality bender," Kazu finished for her, his expression turning into one of wonder. "You remember that?"

"You turned into Sesshomaru, and you made me think I was in trouble."

Kazu chuckled. "That old bore never cared for our idea of fun." He let out a laugh at the memory. "Hell, he almost lost it after we stole that giant buddha statue from that human temple."

Rehema blinked. "You stole a Buddha statue?"

"Heh, no don't you remember? We did after," Kazuki abruptly stopped talking and glared at her, realization hitting him that he was talking to someone who didn't have the same memories as him. He truly had her confused with his Jakkaru. Getting to his feet, Kazu lifted her body and padded over to the other side of the room, using his foot to slide the door open and depositing her on the other side. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye?" Rehema repeated, stunned. "But why?"

"You aren't Rehema." He said coldly, bracing a hand against the doorframe. "I don't know who you are or put you up to this, but I do know that Rehema is dead, I don't need reminders about it every day of my life." Looking her up and down once, he nodded as though convincing himself of his thought process. "You don't even look all that like her, Rehema had markings."

"Markings?" She lifted a hand to her bare left eye. "You mean like here?"

The fox grunted out affirmation. "There, and a whole lot of other places that only a few people know about."

"Like where?"

Kazuki sucked his teeth in response. "If you don't know, then you aren't her." And with that he slid the door shut in her face, leaving the stunned doctor alone in the hallway.

"Kokumajutsu is some of the foulest magic available." Teruo said in a lecturing tone. Multitasking, the owl was currently walking while preparing his kiseru, a finger glowing red which he used to light the finely shredded tobacco. "Kokumajutsu is dangerous, it can be deadly, and much more terrifying, it can lead to a fate much worse than death."

Sesshomaru took in his words. "Fate worse than death?"

"Your soul could become so corrupted that not even death would give you peace," Teruo explained puffing gently on his pipe.

They had been walking for a while now, the owl having been silent up until he began to speak on Kokumajutsu. "Only the purest or the most black-hearted of people can use it and not lose themselves to its nature if you remember any of your lessons you can recall what I called the dark art."

The demon lord thought for a moment. "The study of conversion, deception, and general chaos."

"Indeed," Teruo smiled and nodded in approval. "Very good Sesshomaru-sama."

The stroll was once more draped in silence, only the sounds of Teruo inhaling smoke from the end of his pipe reaching the ears of the two men. Soon enough the terrain they walked on shifted, the grass turning tall enough that it brushed against the dog demon's shoulder. Stopping a few paces behind the owl, Sesshomaru glared as Teruo continued to walk, his strides getting ever closer to a large mountain of boulders.

Not bothering to turn around the owl demon warned, "Careful my lord, the grass may confuse you."

Sesshomaru took a couple of cautionary steps forward and watched with interest as Teruo lifted a glowing finger and touched a patch of grass right near the mass of stone. Within seconds the whole area was burning and growling under his breath, the dog demon backed away from the flames the owl had set, his eyes burning slightly with the black cloud of smoke.

"The fire is controlled my lord," Teruo called to the retreating dog, his finger absently drawing small figures in the air. "I am merely burning a path."

Hearing this, Sesshomaru used his sleeve to cover his face, waiting until most of the smoke had disappeared to remove it and let his eyes widen considerably at what the owl had revealed.

There was a reason Teruo had told him to watch his step. Where the high grass had been now lay a sunken path which fed into an open hole in what he had originally thought to be a simple collection of boulders. "What is this?"

"You asked me to tell you about Shiro, no?" He asked politely, blowing out a cloud of tobacco smoke that mixed with the one from the grass fire. Grinning sheepishly the owl swept his hand towards the hole. "Believe it or not, this is your ancestors final resting place."

A/N: Nice huh? Next chapter will be up soon, til then. -Theores

Chapter Text

Chapter 17: Secrets to the Grave

He was in a trance. Unable to focus on one particular thought before another would replace it so swiftly, he barely noticed the change. His second visit with Teruo had once again succeeded in flooring the normally stoic lord. There had been so much information; realizations, all of which pointed to a cover-up and conspiracy orchestrated by none other than his Father; the very man he revered even after all these years. Continuing to walk, Sesshomaru tried his best to appear fine; for he could see Jaken peeking up at his face out the corner of his eye every few seconds; most likely trying to gauge his reactions to everything he'd learned.

"Se...Sesshomaru-sama?" The imp sputtered behind him, taking three steps for every one of the Western Lord. "Are we, I mean are you, going to go find that filthy gaijin that questioned you about the Kokumajutsu?" The taiyoukai didn't answer, causing the loyal retainer to sigh at his lord's behavior. Teruo-sensei's words must truly be affecting him.

The seemily worthless collection of boulders that turned out to be his founding ancestors grave had been surprising enough, but it was what Teruo revealed to him inside that threw him completely off center. At the old owl's insistence, he left everything as it was; Teruo claiming out of respect for his ancestor, though after seeing what was behind the tall grass and stone door, he was sure the owl had ulterior motives.

But for everything he was told there, was one thing he was allowed to have, albeit without Teruo's knowledge. Hidden in the sleeve of his kimono, an old red obi he had noticed hanging from a hook inside the tomb was currently wrapped around his hand, the end of it held tightly in his concealed fist. Holding up his arm as though to cover his nose, Sesshomaru took in the sashes scent for the third time that night, resisting the abnormal urge to bury his face in the object. The intensity of its aroma had deadened with age, but he could still clearly smell himself on the obi; along with another, someone familiar that at the same time was foreign to him.

From what he could recall only one person he knew about carried the particular smell, and she was apparently the same person who had killed an intended mate for him. The Jackal? A foreign woman who was obsessed with him? Teruo hadn't specifically announced that his former assistant was named Rehema, but upon mentioning to him the name; the owl had become nervous and rushed through the rest of his story before urging him to leave.

I have no more information for you Sesshomaru-sama.

Teruo claimed the woman; whoever she was had been highly unstable, but compared to Kazuki's words who were more sympathetic, the whole situation almost made it seem like she was framed. A headache formed behind his eyes as he thought of everything, the information slowly becoming overstimulating.

Double back to Kaede's village and demand to speak with the Jackal, that was his newest plan. He was sure Inuyasha and his group hadn't resisted the temptation and uncovered some answers for themselves. Information made for a great bargaining tool if his patience with his brother lasted long enough to negotiate. The trek would take a day and a half; a trip worth the hassle if the prize satisfied him. Raising his sleeve again, he took another whiff of the two mixed scents.

There was more to this than he had originally thought.

"You have to leave now?"

"I don't have a choice, the hospital might need me."

Her back facing Kagome, Rehema openly allowed her face show the exhaustion she was experiencing. The returning trip to Kaede's village had taken its toll on her and was only made worse by the vague answers Kazuki had given her to think on. She knew she wasn't a jackal or whatever he called her in desperation, but it seemed her appearance was too much like the woman he had once known. Closing her eyes for a moment the doctor envisioned herself as the woman from her dreams; placing an odd tribal tattoo under her left eye that put a focus on her orbs that were a surreal shade of gray. The dream her yawned as though bored, causing razor sharp fangs to come into view, her teeth clicking together once her jaw snapped shut. When she rubbed an eye with her fist, her thumb showed the sharpened nails she possessed and the black loose skirt she was wearing revealed yet another marking that ran the length of her left leg…..leg. She had a marking on her leg.

Hearing a sudden scream Rehema's eyes flew open and turning around to see what was wrong nearly cried out herself when she saw the dark brown Inugami heading towards them with advanced speed. Thinking quickly, the doctor rubbed her palms together to activate the spell in her hands; intending to blow the creature out of the sky. Raising her palm she barely had the first words of the attack out of her mouth when her necklace began to glow with the orange light that burned her neck and made her feel sick. Kagome meanwhile, quickly released an arrow at the Inugami that it dodged, it's eyes still focused on the woman in pain.

"Rehema get out of here!" Kagome moved in between the demon and the well, hastily calling to the doctor over her shoulder.

Gripping her necklace the doctor groaned and nodded, not in any position to argue. Scooting off the edge of the well, she fell freely into the blue light that soon engulfed her, in a matter of moments arriving in modern Japan.

Knowing that the Inugami could possibly travel through time, Kagome was adamant on destroying the creature before it got to Rehema. Sweeping a barrier around the well's perimeter, the priestess stood her ground even as the creature's howl shook the forest around them. She could feel Inuyasha on his way, she only needed to keep it occupied until he showed up.

Growling, the Inugami flew at full speed towards Kagome, and she dived to her stomach to go under its body. Standing once it passed over her, the priestess knocked another arrow and prepared to face it head on, and paused, confused about what was happening. "Huh?"

The creature had no interest in her; Instead of attacking, the Inugami's massive body was desperately striking at Kagome's barrier around the Well in an attempt to break through it. The purification was obviously hurting it but the beast didn't seem to care; repeatedly headbutting the barrier even as the smell of burning flesh filled the clearing and its eyes bled rivers of blood.

"Kagome!" The sound of Inuyasha drawing Tessaiga briefly met her ears but was overlooked in favor of the odd behavior the Inugami was exhibiting. "Where's Rehema?" He shouted over the noise of the creature's pained howls; its attempts at breaking through Kagome's barrier undeterred by the half demon's arrival.

"Rehema jumped in the Well in time," Kagome muttered, her gaze remaining focused on the now heavily distorted Inugami. One of its arms was completely seared while its face was beginning to turn black from the purification.

Inuyasha grunted and raised Tessaiga. "I'll take care of this," he gruffly declared. Releasing the Wind Scar, the wave of light struck the being on the side of its head, causing it to release a death howl as it soon evaporated under the power of his sword.

The Inugami dead, Kagome withdrew her own energy from around the Well's perimeter and went to the rim; hesitating as she looked into its familiar dark depths. "Inuyasha, that Inugami wasn't after us."

"I already figured that much out," Inuyasha replied; sheathing his sword and taking a place next to her. "But what I don't know is why I didn't sense anything until after you were attacked, usually I can tell when something's coming."

"The new moon is tonight," Kagome pointed out, ignoring his irritated sniff. "Your senses get weaker before you transform don't they?"

Turning his head away and stuffing his hands in his sleeves, Inuyasha only responded with his trademark "Keh." Thinking about something else he tried to change the subject. "When is she gonna come back?"

"In two weeks, uh, fourteen days," Kagome answered, frowning.

Inuyasha scoffed in disbelief. "Fourteen days?!"

"She's a doctor remember? She can only spend so much time away from work."

"If she was serious about figuring out her past she wouldn't take so many breaks in between."

"It's not a break Inuyasha! She has a very important job, remember?" Kagome pointed to her heart for emphasis. "If it wasn't for her I wouldn't even exist and who knows, maybe we can find some more information ourselves before she gets back."

He shook his head at the suggestion. "I don't know how we're gonna figure out anything, we barely had anything to go on when she was here."

"We'll figure something out Inuyasha," Kagome said; at last turning away from the Well and towards the village. Storing away the behavior of the Inugami in her mind for future use, the priestess smiled to herself; putting a little hop in her step as she walked. I hope she gives everyone their gifts.

Rehema produced a small hair comb from her bag "...And Kagome also told me to give you this," which she handed to the mother of the girl in question. Looking at the woman, the doctor almost chuckled at the older woman's radiant expression; all thanks to the letter and few trinkets Kagome had asked her to give to her family. "And she told me to tell you she's doing just fine in the feudal era."

The woman nearly choked on her joy. "First, you save my daughter's life, and now this!"

Oh great. Another crier. Rehema gave her a small smile anyway, slightly unsure of what to do next.

"Tell me, is Kagome expecting?"

Rehema drew back at the question, slightly surprised, but amused enough to answer. "She's not to my knowledge, but I didn't think to ask."

The woman appeared disappointed for a second and the doctor could only watch her reactions in awe. There was a tense silence in the air and Rehema was almost about to leave out of discomfort if not for her pager which suddenly began buzzing with urgency.

Thank god. Grabbing the device from her bag, Rehema hastily apologized to Kagome's mother "Sorry I have to take this," She only smiled and nodded in understanding. Taking a moment to read the page, the doctor genuinely smiled at the message on the tiny screen before grabbing her phone and dialing a number from memory. "Forgive me for leaving so suddenly but I have some business to attend to." She called over her shoulder while rushing down the steps and to her car on the other side of the small street.

Kagome had to have killed the Inugami, an assumption she made based on the sole fact that it hadn't shown up in the modern era and not running for her life.

Her Porsche Spyder was right where she left it, untouched with not so much as a parking ticket on the windshield. Gearing up the engine, she briefly considered hitting the gas on her million dollar, six hundred eight horse powered coupe and fly to the hospital, but decided not to test her luck, which, for the moment, was incredibly high considering the last few days.

Taking the short route, Rehema grudgingly kept within the speed limit all the way to the hospital, even though her heavily shaking hands and overshot nerves were telling her to do otherwise. Using her personal parking spot which was conveniently a few steps away from the elevator, she took a moment to primp herself; the doctor pulling the top half of her hair away from her face and into a bun at the back of her head, a style she usually wore when working.

Straight to her floor and designated office; she rejected a call from Fukuro on her cell and took a deep breath before entering her private domain; immediately breaking out into laughter when she saw the elderly man sitting at her desk, reading through some of her patient files. "Couldn't stay away could you Kadin?" She asked in Arabic, resisting the urge to outright laugh when he arched an eyebrow at her in return.

The old man finally chuckled and responded in the same tongue. "Come now Rehema, why else did I become a doctor if I couldn't do it til the day I die?"

"Because you think women find a man in scrubs irresistible?"

"There have to be some perks after all those years in medical school. Kadin laughed again and closed the file in front of him, standing up and with a cough switched to Japanese. "You haven't changed a bit Rehema."

"Neither have you," the doctor replied looking him over. For a hundred and five-year-old man, Dr. Rashid Al Kadin didn't look half his age. His browned skin was only slightly wrinkled, paying homage to his Middle Eastern heritage and giving him the appearance of a man in his fifties. His eyes carried the same sharp gray as Rehema's, but unlike hers; his were filled with a kind of wisdom she could ever hope to achieve. Sharply cut black tresses and a beard completed his look, his face rugged and his beard thick around the mouth. "What are you doing here? Last I heard you were in Croatia."

He opened his mouth to answer but a knock at her door had both Middle Easterners turning towards the wooden barrier just as a flustered Fukuro walked in, an unlit cigarette perched between his lips. Rehema merely rolled her eyes at her boss while Kadin, being more polite, nodded his head in a silent greeting.

"Fukuro there's no smoking allowed in this building," She reminded him in a fake authoritative tone.

"I'm perfectly aware of that Zakari," The administrator retorted defensively, nonetheless removing and pocketing the tobacco stick. "I'd ask where you've been that required a week's vacation time added to the last week you missed, but we have more important things to deal with." Focusing on Kadin, Fukuro bowed respectfully and greeted the elderly man in his native tongue. "Thank you so much for coming here Dr. Kadin."

"The pleasure was all mine I assure you," Kadin replied, giving a slight bow of his own. "It's been quite a few years since we've seen each other."

"Yes, I was sad to stop seeing articles about you and your work on the cardiac system."

"He retired soon after we saved Higurashi," Rehema informed Fukuro, a hand going to rub behind her ear. "He was already in his eighties the first time we came here."

"Yes, but I retired with stature." Kadin boasted, crossing his arms over his chest. "I am the only chief of medicine to have held the practicing title for seven consecutive decades."

Fukuro nodded, already aware of the man's former title. "Now and days, they're referred to as Chief Physicians, with many more specialties of practice, no more general Chiefs."

"Past or Present a Chief of Surgery was nothing without his deputy," Rehema mentioned under her breath, cutting eyes at Kadin when he gave her a pointed look.

"Deputy?" Fukuro chuckled. "Now that's an even rarer term in this day and age," putting his hands in his pockets, the administrator sighed and turned back to Zakari. "But on to a matter of business, if you had bothered to answer your phone in the last day, you would have heard the urgency with what I wanted to speak to you both about."

"Well, what is it?" Rehema asked, appearing bored.

"As you know this is an research hospital," Fukuro began, the instructor's tone causing the only female in the room to sigh, exasperated. "And as such we test new procedures, medicines, and the like here on a daily basis."

"The research department has nothing to do with me," Rehema pointed out. She still wasn't understanding what was so important, the owl needed her in particular at this very moment. "And if you think I'm willingly gonna do side work with them, just remember that I barely wanna deal with the patients you already dump on me." At her warning, Fukuro froze slightly, but relaxed and grinned smugly once he remembered why he was there.

"Because Zakari, we have a box in the works that I think will blow you away once you hear about its capability."

"A box?" She appeared skeptical. Kadin, on the other hand, had moved to her couch, thankfully resting his old bones on the soft surface.

"Yes, a box." He repeated with a smile. "But this isn't just any ordinary box, it's one that takes care of your favorite organ Zakari, it's a box that has the ability to beat the human heart."

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it was kinda long and angsty, but it needed to be done for future chapters. I promise next chapter will be chopped full of good stuff. I also want to take the opportunity to encourage you all to view some of the artwork that is associated with this fanfiction courtesy of my friend Aquarisxrising. She's a wonderful artist as you can see from the cover for this story and she has a few original ideas of her own I think you will all love. Her profile can be found here As always, please review/comment/criticize. Every little comment helps. Thanks all who are sticking with me. -Theores

Chapter Text

Chapter 18: Life's Little Surprises

"Let me drive," Kadin commanded as they entered the underground parking garage, his hand held out for her keys. Rehema only gave him a look; prompting the older man to continue, "You still live in that highrise in the government district right?"

"Yea…." She answered though she continued to eye him like he'd grown three heads. Fukuro had released them for a few hours to rest and change into more formal attire; the discussion of the new 'heart beating box' to take place over a business dinner with a member of the design company. Even though they had nearly four hours before they were to meet back with Fukuro, letting a one hundred and five-year old man drive her very expensive car didn't seem like a good way to kill the time. "How long has it been since you've driven a car?"

"Just last week in Croatia," He responded genuinely, smiling at her obvious skepticism of his words. "The woman I was with was drunk." He explained, his face remaining deadpan even as her mouth twitched in amusement. "What?"

His expression finally pushing her off the edge, Rehema burst into laughter, the idea of Kadin driving with a drunken younger woman in the passenger's seat nearly making her sides hurt. She hadn't been lying to Kagome when she said Kadin was enjoying the good life, partying all hours of the night and giving men in their youth a run for their money. Shaking her head, the doctor relented and handed him the key; still chuckling, she pointed to her Porsche to which Kadin whistled at approvingly. "Good taste," he commented, sliding into the driver's seat.

Easing out onto the street; Kadin was careful to look both ways and even performed the task of turning on the blinker light to announce his turn. Soon enough they were on the freeway, heading into the heart of Tokyo. Now confident that Kadin knew what he was doing, Rehema spoke to him in Arabic so as not to break his concentration while he focused on the road. "So why did Fukuro call you here?"

"He wanted me to see this new machine for myself, and considering I was your mentor, he thought you would enjoy seeing me back in the field."

She let out a puff of air. "If only he knew how long you've been my mentor," She muttered under her breath causing him to look at her for a second and wink.

Rehema had known Kadin since the start of the twentieth century, a fact known only between the two of them. And while she hadn't aged a day, the years had made Kadin look vastly different from the twenty-four-year-old man she had once known. He was incredibly special to the doctor for he alone knew her true age and what made her so successful in the operating room.

Gazing sideways at his face Rehema looked him over for any signs deterioration which would signal that he needed another treatment. He appeared fine for the moment, but it had been well over three years since his last transfusion, a secret procedure of his own that kept him alive and in his right mind, outwardly he appeared to be fine.

He must have read her sideways expression because he suddenly declared in Arabic, "I know what your thinking, and the answer is no. I don't need any more of your blood."

Rehema drew back, surprised. Usually, he was more than willing to take it. "You're sure?"

"I feel fine," he insisted; pulling expertly into her penthouses parking garage. Using the designated spot he remembered as hers, Kadin quickly braked the car and withdrew the keys from the ignition; tossing them on her lap with an annoyed huff. Like a gentleman, he went around to the passenger's side and opened the door for Rehema who immediately hopped out and smiled softly. "Now then, up to your apartment, I need a drink."

Narrowing his eyes Sesshomaru locked his gaze on the flea who stood nervously on the rim of Bone Eaters Well, fear radiating off his small body as he peeked into its depths. Myoga hadn't noticed him apparently but he could hear him muttering to himself; his words not making any sense.

"...If Sesshomaru-sama saw her then…." Myoga shivered at the silent thought. "How on earth could she have,"

"Rehema."

The flea turned completely white at the name and spinning around nearly fainted at the sight of Sesshomaru who was staring at him intently. "Sesshomaru-sama!"

"That's who you were speaking of is it not?"

Myoga sputtered, unsure of what how to respond. "Se-Sesshomaru-sama…."

Taking a step closer to the Well, Sesshomaru knelt and looked him directly in the eye. "Tell me, in your own words, who is the Jackal."

The flea gulped and began to sweat. It wasn't a request.

"Just so we're clear," Kadin casually drawled, idly swirling his glass of wine in his aged fingers as he contemplated his words. Taking a peek at Rehema who stiffened at the look, the doctor sighed and waited for the question she knew he was going to ask. "What happened to your home office?"

"Renovating," She answered hoarsely, taking another generous sip of her own wine. "I've told you this four times."

He was unconvinced. "Uh huh. Now, since when do they renovate with all your furniture still in the room?"

"Since I was too lazy to move it myself."

"But couldn't you have just hired movers?"

She shrugged. "Could have, but I've had a busy week."

"Didn't Matsuoka say you'd taken the last two weeks off?"

Kadin had been asking about her ruined office ever since he'd opened the door to the space and seen the massacred room. He refused to let up on his inquiries, his questions continuing before and well after they'd napped, showered, changed into professional attire, and made their way to one of the finest restaurants in Tokyo. Having been led to a private chamber, the two sat at the western style table comfortably, Rehema nursing what was her second glass of wine of the night. "I took two weeks off to relax," She coolly lied, tipping back her glass which was almost empty.

He snorted in indignation. "You sure you haven't been pulling dangerous stunts again?"

"Of course not," She grumbled, her free hand going up to rub behind her ear. "I'd never do anything like that." Avoiding his eyes, she instead smoothed out the creases in her black pencil skirt and adjusted the neckline of her blouse. The tags on these clothes were freshly pulled off, her buyer having bought them just a month ago. Owning professional attire was a must in today's world, and she had long ago learned to walk in four-inch heels and dress to suit her body type, but she usually didn't dress this way unless the occasion demanded it. Form fitting clothing made her feel suffocated.

"I must say though Rehema, you look alluring in formal wear," Kadin commented offhand, winking at her when she blushed.

A knock at the door was heard and the panel slid open to reveal a server and Fukuro who slid off his wingtips before crossing the threshold into the dining chamber. Ordering an imported scotch, from the server, the hospital administrator took a seat across from Rehema and nodded his acknowledgment to the two doctors in front of him. Quickly inspecting Rehema he grinned, obviously pleased that she was dressed appropriately. "Our associate will be here shortly, he had others matters to attend to first."

"Who exactly are we meeting with?"

"The Chief Operating Officer of the Kagiana Corporation," Fukuro revealed, handing Rehema and Kadin a respective folder. "They're a conglomerate dealing in several business profiles, importing, technological advancement, and real estate to name a few."

"I've heard of them," Kadin commented absently, gazing intently over the list of the different companies they owned. "They're like the fifth largest corporation in the world."

"Forth actually," Fukuro corrected, pointing to a figure at the top, "The quarters numbers came in last week, and they're a major contributor to the hospital."

Rehema remained silent, her eyes moving rapidly as she read the names of some of the key stakeholders. "None of these people are doctors."

"Correct," The administrator affirmed, "But they do have some of the highest credentials I've ever seen."

"But that doesn't matter," Rehema asserted, flipping through the many pages packed within the files. "How can they deal with the medical field if they've had no training on the subject?"

"They're kept in close contact with not only our staff but other medical professionals, there's no reason for them to be that involved."

"I would think Kagiana would have at least one board member with a formal doctorate," Kadin interjected, it wasn't until he turned the page that he saw a name that made him whistle. "I stand corrected."

Frowning Rehema glanced at the profile in Kadin's hands and gasped. Looking at Fukuro accusingly, the doctor whispered out, "You?"

"Yes, me," Fukuro answered nonchalantly as though it wasn't that big a deal. "I'm mostly a silent partner, but I'm still considered on the board."

That would explain his net worth. Rehema had always known Fukuro made a decent amount of money from running the hospital, but with the government's strict rules on salaries and the like, she never believed he was able to afford a custom made, imported Mercedes being a hospital administrator alone. The two foreigners caught each other's eye but said nothing else, allowing Fukuro the chance to continue his talk.

"That aside, as I was saying tonight we're meeting with the Chief Operating Officer, he's the younger of the two brothers and head of this current project. Nishimura, Ryota."

Rehema lifted up her folder, looking underneath it curiously. "I didn't see a photo."

"The Nishimura brothers like their privacy."

The doctor shook her head but kept quiet. She wasn't one for photos either.

The door was once again knocked on and the panel slid open by a different server, a tray balanced in her hands professionally while she gestured to the occupied chamber. "Your full party is here Nishimura-sama."

Taking a glance at the open door, a tall figure appeared from around the corner, his dark brown eyes locking onto Rehema the moment his face came into view, causing her heart to nearly burst out of its chest from the shock. There in the doorway stood the same man she'd chased around a forty foot ledge. He was also the same man she'd just had drinks with a few nights ago and had a self-admitted attraction. Luckily she wasn't the only one taken aback, Fukuro actually standing up and having to use a hand to swiftly snap his open mouth closed.

The server, thinking she had done wrong, hastily tried to apologize, "Forgive me Nishimura-sama, did I bring you to the wrong room, I can find the correct party in just a moment and,"

"No, you didn't," Eiichi quickly assured her waving off Rehema and Fukuro's evident astonishment at seeing him there. "They were merely expecting my brother instead of me." Sliding off his own shoes, Eiichi Nishimura calmly walked into the room and took a seat next to the still standing Fukuro whose eyes hadn't left him since he'd entered. His own gaze remained on Rehema and smiling, greeted her in an almost soothing tone. "Zakari-sensei." The doctor was almost frozen, and a quick nudge from Kadin was required to finally pull her back to reality to reply.

"You….I mean...You're….." Rehema stammered, unsure of just what to say in this situation.

"The Chief Executive Officer of Kagiana," Eiichi responded, emphasizing his title as head. Barely glancing at the server who quickly placed down Fukuro's drink, he ordered his own of the same whiskey and waited until she left to request for Fukuro to retake his seat.

The hospital administrator nearly collapsed in his chair, immediately draining his drink and with shaking hands pulled a cigarette from his pocket which went between his lips and swiftly lit. Taking in the smoke, as he exhaled Fukuro spoke for the first time since he'd arrived, "I, uh, was informed that Ryota would be attending this dinner tonight Nishimura-sama," Letting out a shaky breath, the administrator continued to smoke, clearly disturbed at seeing Eiichi there. Glancing over at Rehema and back to the CEO, Fukuro shook his head and continued to smoke with a slightly trembling grip.

"Ryota was unable to attend," He said evenly, "It would seem he had a rather unfortunate accident," giving Rehema a smug grin that made her shiver his baritone voice carried throughout the room, "And given that I am also invested in this particular project it only made sense that I be the one to elaborate on our newest machine." Almost as if he just noticed the older man next to Rehema, Eiichi addressed him in English. "Dr. Rashid Al Kadin?"

"Former doctor," Kadin pointed out, his eyes shifting to Rehema every few seconds. "I haven't practiced in over eighteen years."

"From what I'm told you were Zakari's mentor?"

"Yes, that's right."

Eiichi nodded. "Then I would assume you're very proud of your prodigy, as you know Zakari-sensei currently possesses the only perfect surgical survival rate in both Europe and Asia."

"Very much so," He answered, beaming. "I always knew she was meant for greatness."

"I assume you taught her everything she knows?"

Kadin chuckled, "Most of it, though I can't take credit for the swearing portion of her performance."

Tired of being talked about like she wasn't in the room, Rehema forced away her apprehension and spoke. "Forgive me Nishimura-sama, but I'm still not understanding the point of this meeting." Knowing what to expect, she managed to move her foot out of harm's way just as Fukuro moved to kick her under the table. Ignoring his irritation, the doctor continued, "This is why I don't think you really know the medical field. You're a businessman and from what I understand, all your product is is a box that beats the human heart. We have that already. They're called pacemakers, or in really bad cases, ventricular assist devices."

Eiichi gave an amused smile, "I can see Fukuro respected our wishes not to reveal anything until we had this opportunity to talk." Opening the leather portfolio he'd brought with him, he turned and slid it across the table diagonally for her to read.

Sighing, Rehema skimmed the writings, appearing uninterested until her eyes widened considerably when she realized just what it was. "Impossible…."

Reading over her shoulder, Kadin grunted in approval at what he saw, his curiosity piped as well. "That's incredible."

"I thought you'd be impressed," looking to Rehema next he admitted, "However I was sure you would take a little more convincing."

His first one finished, Fukuro wasted no time in lighting another cigarette. Grunting he explained the concept, "This is strictly a cardiovascular project until we can get it approved. But this machine can beat a heart outside the human body."

Rehema peered up at Eiichi. "You actually have it built?"

"The prototype has been completed, all we need to do now is test it."

"And that's why you wanted to meet with me and Kadin," She finished for him, noting his pointed look. "You want us to implant the organ in a patient."

"Once we've cleared a suitable organ and recipient, for testing, yes."

"What makes you so sure it'll work?"

"The freshly harvested heart must usually be transplanted within six hours of being removed from the original host correct? And according to our research, eight out of ten hearts are rejected due to deterioration despite being contained under the very best of conditions." Eiichi kept her gaze as he spoke, confident in his statistics on heart transplants.

"They have to be put on ice to stave off cell death, sometimes that isn't enough."

"Yet a heart that's still beating wouldn't have that problem am I right?"

"What makes you think I can do this?" Rehema asked, not backing down from Eiichi's intense gaze. It was strange, the way he looked at her was so familiar, almost like he was anticipating her defensiveness.

"Can I ask how many heart transplantations you've performed?"

Rehema thought for a moment on the number. The total number was well over a hundred and fifty, her first having been done during the late eighteen hundreds when the idea of organ transplants was only in infancy. Recalling her current surname, the doctor deduced a quick estimate for the time frame she was in, "Twenty-three?"

"Then you should be able to successfully perform a twenty-fourth," Eiichi concluded. "Only this time the heart you use will be warm."

Fukuro continued to silently chain smoke his seventh cigarette of the night as they talked, not noticing the amount of smoke in the air until Kadin coughed a bit from lack of oxygen. "Is it possible you can finish that later, my goddamn eyes are starting to water."

Sucking in another puff of smoke, Fukuro obnoxiously blew it straight into the air, smiling when Rehema and Eiichi's noses simultaneously twitched at the smell. "My apologies, I'll just finish this outside before our food arrives," saying that, the hospital administrator opened the sliding glass door leading out to the chambers private balcony. Overlooking the restaurants pond, his face was smug as he tenderly closed the door behind him keeping the smoke of seven cigarettes well inside the room. They were stressing him out, and in return, he was smoking them out. Payback is a bitch isn't it?

A/N: I know in an earlier chapter Eiichi's name was spelled Eiji, to quell the confusion, Eiichi was the proper name I wanted to use for this particular character. Also as an added note Kadin was speaking of Fukuro when he mentioned Rehema taking a day off. If you have any more questions or concerns, don't hesitate to message me. Hope you enjoyed, please review/comment. -Theores.

Chapter Text

A/N: Hello all! I just wanted to let you all know that by the time the next chapter comes out, they're will be some more incredible fanart to go along with this story drawn by my good friend aquariusxrising. I will start posting links soon, please check out her artwork as she made the cover art for this story which I just know has drawn at least one person to this tale. Enjoy! -Theores

Chapter 19: Blind Remembrance

"Do you remember the twenty-one patients?"

He furrowed his brow at the random question; "It's not something I'd easily forget." Keeping up with traffic, the former doctor kept his eyes on the road, his gaze turning inward for only a moment as he thought on the subject. "It was a stressful time for all of us."

Rehema recounted the mysterious case. "Twenty-one children with completely different backgrounds all exhibiting signs of early heart failure."

Kadin nodded at the peculiar cases. "We lost them all."

"We tried everything humanly possible to keep them alive," She continued, keeping her own eyes forward. "Every surgical technique we attempted failed, until," Rehema swallowed the lump in her throat. "Until Kagome Higurashi."

"My final surgery." Kadin sighed. "Hardest procedure of my life."

All around there was nothing but chaos, the original doctors assigned to her case having long left the patient's fate up to a higher power, but for the two doctors in the OR who had flown nearly thirteen hours to perform the high risk surgery, the god's weren't going to take this one from them.

"Heartbeats slowing!"

"Pulse is erratic!"

"Her lips are turning blue!"

"Shut up!" Rehema responded to all of them, bending over the operating table of her patient's nearly dead body. Her hands working a mile a minute she poked and prodded at the internal organs of the baby on her table, the quivering mass of muscle that was her heart beating reaching her ears and reminding her that there was still hope. This child was just like the others, nothing seemed to be wrong when she was first born, except now twelve days later she required a tube and a ventilator to keep her alive.

Across from her Kadin was working just as fast as she was; his brow creased in concentration as he tried to remove the metal stent the previous doctors had stupidly placed in the girl's walnut sized heart. "Come on Kadin," She urged, though she kept her hands taunt so that he could see what he was doing with the small lines he was running through the child's chest.

Underneath his mask Kadin's teeth clenched tight, his eyes glazing over from the strain he was using to focus on the monitor. With a firm tug he finally pulled the small cylinder from the tiny organ, tossing it into a nearby dish.

The second the stent was removed, without warning the little girl flatlined and letting loose a string of curses Rehema reacted by beginning to roughly slap at the bottoms of the baby's feet, screaming insults at the girl as she tried to bring her back to life.

Kadin's attempts to call her name in protest proved futile as he was overshadowed by the string of curses that left Rehema's mouth.

She continued to swear and tap the patient's feet, stopping only briefly in her rant to order Kadin; "Keep working!"

"But by the time I stitch the tricuspid," He barely got out those words as the female doctor rapidly began firing off racial slurs that made little to no sense in his own strained mind. "Rehema!"

"Just hurry!" Rehema shouted back, ignoring the heart monitor behind her which showing no signs of life in the girl's body. "You can do this," She added more calmly, the two nodding in a silent agreement after a hesitant pause from Kadin.

Unsure of what they were doing, a nearby nurse with a stopwatch attempted to stall their efforts. "Zakari-sensei! There's been no pulse for over a minute. You have to call it!"

Kadin eyed her for only a moment before responding for his deadpan colleague, "Not yet!"

"But her bodies losing heat, there's no way her heart will start beating again!"

"I said no!" Bringing his head down to the girl's open chest he shivered slightly as he heard Rehema whisper something so filthy, so grotesque in her ear that if the nurses aiding her had heard it they surely would have reported her for necrophilia. "Wake up dammit!"

"Zakari-sensei!"

Lifting the heart from the girl's body to perform another technique, Kadin momentarily joined his prodigy in her cursing of the child. "You little shit! She said wake up!"

"But,"

Lifting her head and growling like an animal Rehema ruffly reminded them, "I told you all to shut up!"

Two nurses remained now, the others having had enough of Rehema's insults and swearing. There was sure to be a hearing after all of this was over. The medics most likely only sticking around to document her behavior as they were sure she was having a meltdown.

But Rehema didn't care. For the first time since discovering this mysterious illness they were on a roll. This girl….she wasn't about to die. She felt it. She knew it and seeing the determination on Kadin's face as he worked, she knew he could feel it too. Giving her left foot one last hit, Rehema reached deep inside herself and with as much passion as an opera singer said at the top of her lungs, "You stupid bitch I told you to fight!"

And for a moment everything was still. Nothing happened for a few seconds, the monitor beside her still showing the patient was gone having flatlined over four minutes ago. By all legal and professional means, the child was dead. They would have to tell the family that they had failed to save their only daughter. The twenty-second patient with this mysterious abnormality that they as doctors had failed to heal.

And then a miracle, one beat showed up on the EKG. Then another. And yet another. The foot that Rehema had just finished hitting twitched slightly as blood began to pump through the baby's tiny body. Her lips that were once dead and frozen blue turned pink with color. She began to accept the air from the tube in her throat. She was alive.

"My god…." One nurse cried, still disbelieving of what was happening in front of her.

"She came back…." The other whispered, watching as Rehema and Kadin calmly began to finish up with the surgery, expertly working tubes in and out of the child's walnut sized heart, their positions stiff as Rehema once in awhile took to prodding the left side of the infant's body, feeling for other abnormalities that would otherwise continue to cause issues. Kadin was almost tranquil with his own duties, his face taking on a peaceful quality once he was able to repair what was needed in the girl's heart.

Briefly while she was feeling Rehema felt something amiss in her lower abdomen but dismissed it as a pocket of air that would cure itself once the little one passed gas. That was a task her parents could do when they had her back in their arms, healthy and no longer at risk of whatever had nearly killed her in her first twelve days of life.

With the last arteries switched and bypassed inside the child, Rehema backed up and ordered one of the nurses to hand her the tools necessary to begin stitching up her chest. As a shaking hand gave her a suture, needle, and silk thread, Rehema hummed happily to herself as she and Kadin stitches up the final wound. With their suture techniques the girl wouldn't even have a scar by time she was ten, let alone a full adult.

"Tell Mr. and Mrs. Higurashi that Kagome will be fine," Kadin said gruffly, pulling back the scope he was holding.

"But….But of course Kadin-sensei." A nurse said, taking off her surgical gloves so that she could better wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Wait, shouldn't you be the one to tell them?" The other piped up just as her fellow nurse made her way through the double doors.

"No." Rehema responded in English this time, adding another expert stitch to Kagome's small chest. "I don't wish to be gratified for cursing their infant child."

"Neither do I," Kadin added, doing a final check to make sure no items were left inside the patient's body.

"But…."

"Enough!," Rehema snapped, "I said I don't want to see them!"

With the last stitch in place, and the patient's body still breathing Rehema cut the thread and stepped away from the operating table with Kadin who nearly yanked off the scope from around his head.

Their hands were curved in slightly from the severe cramping they were experiencing, but neither seemed to care. A miracle had been performed, one that had taken over twenty tries to achieve. "Wheel her to the ICU, and don't let her parents in to see her for at least three days." Removing the cap from her head, the browned skinned woman's black hair was now free to fall around her face, her grey eyes sharp as she walked through the double doors out of the OR with Rashid Al Kadin faithfully at her side. "I need a drink."

"Me too," He agreed tiredly and without shame yelled down the hall to no one in particular, "Where's the closest bar around here?"

Shaking her head at the eccentric doctors, the nurse obeyed her orders and began to wheel the infant towards the ICU designated for infants, either not noticing or caring about the glowing light that seemed to be coming from the left side of the girl's abdomen.

Kadin hummed to himself. "Higurashi, Kagome. The only patient we ever saved from that medical condition."

"Why was it her Kadin?," Rehema asked aloud. "Twenty-one failures and she was the least likely one who survived."

"We wondered that very question for months afterwards," Kadin reminded her softly; pulling into an underground parking lot of a five star hotel. "I thought we decided it was just luck."

"But ever since then I have never lost a patient on my table," Rehema said exiting the car and going around to the driver's side. "Why?"

"Rehema," The older man chided, gripping her gently by the shoulders. "You are a talented doctor, and a truly blessed woman to have lived through the combined life span of four human beings." Giving her a smile he lifted her face with a finger so that she could see how genuine he was. "What I told that man at dinner was in no way a lie. Whether it was fate or dumb luck that saved that girl I still can't answer, but what I can tell you is how proud I am to have been your mentor and colleague."

Her eyes tearing up, Rehema's mouth twitched and opened to blurt out, "What do you mean been?," a sudden response that caused Kadin to frown in confusion.

"Excuse me?"

"What do you mean by your proud to have been my mentor and colleague?"

"I mean I'm honored to have once been,"

"There it is again!" Rehema all but screamed at the old man, moving out of his comforting grasp. "Been my colleague? Been my mentor? You are my colleague and my mentor!"

Kadin took a step back and eyed the suddenly heated woman with a critical stare. "What do you care so much about me using that word to describe my pride for you?"

"Because the way you're talking makes it seem like you're leaving me!" Rehema shouted, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. "Don't talk to me like that," she said quieter, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "If you're proud of being my mentor and friend, don't tell me in a way that sounds like you're saying goodbye."

"I," Kadin opened and shut his mouth a few times, unsure of how to handle the situation. She was openly sniffling by this point, her eyes and nose turning a deep shade of red. Rehema rarely ever cried, not even when they'd consecutively lost each of the twenty-one patients all those decades ago. Her abandonment issues are presenting themselves.

Being alive over three hundred meant she was forced to put a lot of effort into making sure her identity never came out for fear of what someone would do to her if her advanced age were discovered. In doing so she sacrificed companionship in turn for many lonely nights and the cold knowledge that he was the only person alive that knew her long kept secret. Clearing his throat, Kadin nodded to show he understood and apologized with as much sincerity as he could muster. "I didn't mean anything by it, Rehema," He reassured her, pulling her into a full embrace.

Myoga stuttered in between bursts of speech, his four arms waving frantically while he continued to divulge his limited knowledge on the Jackal Sesshomaru spoke of. Every once in awhile he noted the lord's facade which seemed to break at the most random of intervals, his gold eyes glimmering with unmemorized nostalgia. Taking another deep breath, the flea made sure keep his words flowing in a rhythmical manner so as not to upset Sesshomaru who seemed on the verge of an emotional breakdown.

Sighing, Myoga revealed his deep seated opinion. "All I know for sure Sesshomaru-sama is that the Jackal was completely obsessed when it came to you."

"Obsessed?"

He nodded. "Her fixations surrounded you alone, though this may have been a force of nature. From my findings her species is monogamous by nature; one of few that still believe in the true mate and what not." The old flea chuckled to himself at the thought. In ancient times it was believed that all immortals possessed a literal soul mate that, once found, were meant to be bound to one another forever. "Thankfully our common sense has developed to a point that we now realize that is not the case."

And for what might have been the tenth time since his search had started, Sesshomaru was surprised. Exclusive partnership was heard of but seldom pronounced in any species, human or demonic. "Mateship is merely for traditions sake, rarely do we practice monogamy," He remembered his own father possessed several concubines in his childhood; several of them humans whom he replaced almost as fast as he acquired them.

"That is correct Sesshomaru-sama, which only added to that woman's oddity."

"In what ways did she present her…..obsession?" For some reason the word obsession didn't' sound right when he thought of the Jackal. Was it possible the flea was misleading him?

"In many ways Sesshomaru-sama." He answered, looking down as he spoke. "She was noticeably bothered when the late Miyako-san was presented to court as your intended. Up until she was dismissed, there was rarely a day that went by that she was not near you at some point, even when she wasn't tutoring you."

"She tutored me?"

"She was placed in charge of teaching you foreign tongue, The speech of The Three Kingdoms, and the Mainland to be exact."

Sesshomaru frowned. To his knowledge his experience with foreign languages was elementary at best, his mother informing him at an early age that he needn't bother with learning other dialect in place of more practical studies. He could read Mandarin to a certain degree but other than that he hadn't the slightest clue what the Three Kingdoms language sounded like let alone looked like on parchment. "Where is she?" He suddenly asked, his gaze remaining downcasted.

At the question Myoga sputtered; confused. "Excuse me?"

"The Jackal, where is she?" She obviously wasn't at the village, and though her scent was light surrounding the Well, it was also where it was the strongest. "You believe that foreign woman is the Jackal reincarnated do you not?"

The flea sweated a bit, afraid. How on earth did he figure that out already?

Almost as if he read his mind, Sesshomaru explained his rationalization. "The woman named Rehema is not a demon, but neither is she human," Standing to his feet he stared at Myoga who looked as though his heart was about to leap out of his chest. "She is cursed by the Sokubaku, a form of Kokumajutsu, in theory if the original was executed by my father, then the only explanation would have to be reincarnation."

Myoga flapped around a bit, thinking on his words. "That makes a lot of sense…." He finally said a bit stupidly, a breath of relief passing his cone shaped mouth. "If that woman isn't the real Jackal, you most likely are free from her erratic affections, huh?" Looking around the flea didn't see Sesshomaru anywhere in sight. "So he's disappeared again…." Myoga huffed, a bit annoyed at the lord's old habit of abruptly walking off from a conversation. Dropping onto his back, the flea took to looking up at the moonless sky, his mind a near tornado of broken promises and guilty feelings and. "Could have at least said goodbye," he sputtered out, closing his eyes to fall into a light sleep on the Well's rim.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed as always please review and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to inbox me! -Theores

Chapter Text

Chapter 20: As Long as you Are Breathing

The parchment in her hands made a crinkling sound as she walked, her face fully immersed in the writings along the large page.

She was definitely in the right territory, the lake she walked along appearing exactly as described in the substantive text.

Frowning, Rehema took a hand off the paper to rub behind her ear, the directions she was following now barely making sense even as she managed to decipher what was being said. It seemed someone had attempted to scrawl a few words in her native tongue in hopes of better communication, but in comparison to the beautiful strokes of Japanese calligraphy at the beginning of the letter, the few lines of dialogue she could tell was Arabic appeared to be nothing more than barely formed scribbles in her eyes.

Confusing. That's what it was. Sighing, the Jackal resisted the urge to ball up the letter and instead thought of what Mirza would have done in a situation like this. Less than a second later she openly chuckled to herself as she remembered that her brother would have more than likely burned the entire forest to the ground to find the castle nestled somewhere in Japan's Western territory.

Her moment of private respite over, she suddenly felt a presence behind her and returning to the task at hand only briefly tapped the edge of her scimitar to reassure herself that she was protected from harm. She had no idea how anything in the country worked, but if it were anything like her homeland, it was better to veer on the safe side. Taking a few steps forward, the Jackal's eyes slanted once the sound of heavy footsteps reached her ears and a deep masculine voice in nature called out. "Gaijin!"

"Naam? (Yes?)" She replied to the term, keeping her back turned. The man grunted a bit confused but nonetheless responded.

"Are you that gaijin that's supposed to arrive today?"

Turning around at the bluntness, Rehema was a bit surprised to see the man was younger than she thought from his voice. The fox demon was dressed immaculately in traditional garb, every part of him clean and poised, giving off an air of regality. Perfectly shaped bronze eyes stared back at her curiously, his nose twitching as he took in her scent. "You don't smell like a cat," he finally admitted, taking a few cautionary steps forward.

"I'm a Jackal," Rehema said, folding up her map and tucking it away in her shoulder bag. "Who told you I was a cat?"

Smiling warmly, the red-haired man pointed to her face. "I've only seen cats with markings directly under their eyes and I have no idea what a Jackal was, I thought they were like cats or something."

"We're more like canines actually," Rehema corrected, returning his smile. "Just think of me as a desert dog."

He thought about the term. "Desert dog?" He grunted in approval. "I like it." Showing his teeth, the red-haired man's fangs glistened in the sunlight, his arms going to tuck themselves in the sleeves of his haori once his mouth was closed. "I'm a fox."

"Okay, then fox," She started, sweeping her hands to him in a welcoming motion. "Would you be so kind as to tell me where I can find the House of the Moon?

His hands behind his head, Kazuki viewed the sky above him with an uninterested stare, his gaze turned inward as he remembered times in his life he had thought long ago repressed. Jakkaru. A name he had come up with for her once he decided he didn't want to copy Sesshomaru's 'Hema.'

But why did it matter? Jakkaru. Hema. Neither had ever considered him to be more than a friend, not even after Sesshomaru betrayed her and he had been the one to keep her safe in his stead. I was always there for her. Except for in the end when the only reason he had failed was because of a miscommunication that led him too late to an empty cell smeared in her blood. Involuntarily shuddering at the memory of weeping into her blood soaked cloaked had him standing and nodding to himself, making an irrational decision that he prayed he wouldn't regret.

It should still be at his family's palace and if Rehema had at least half of Jakkaru's talents, then she would no doubt make use of the object. Launching himself into the air, he transformed and gave a loud yip of joy to the moon. Perhaps fate was helping him to make amends, he could finally live without the guilt.

Unbuttoning the top few buttons of her blouse to reveal her black lacy bra, Rehema sighed, content to finally be home in solitude. Leaving her heels at the door, she lifted skirt high above her thighs as she crossed the threshold and undid the clasps of her garter stockings, allowing the material to slide seductively down her legs onto the floor.

Between Fukuro chain smoking and Eichii's firm gaze, the entire evening had been tense, only made better by the waitress finally giving them their separate bills with the Kagiana executive officer insisting on paying for hers and Kadin's citing it only fair because he had asked for their company.

Kicking off her stockings, Rehema yawned and continued to undress while walking to her master bathroom, only clad in her underwear and shackled necklace by the time she got to the luxury shower stall with a rain shower system. Setting the spray to its hottest setting, she removed her panties and entered the oversized cubicle, moaning at the feeling of the hot water on her skin. This was paradise, or it would have been if not for the naughty thought that suddenly crossed her mind.

Eiichi Nishimura. She hadn't been lying when she declared he had a fairly decent abdomen for a Japanese. It had been rare in her life that she'd felt pure sexual attraction to others; male or female, a feeling that was usually canceled out by vigorous surgeries and adrenaline chases. Hugging herself she imagined what it would feel like for him to hold her like that, warm and secure complete with the warm water cascading down their forms.

Slowly she ran her hands up to her shoulders, giving the area between the blades a gentle squeeze, replacing Eiichi's touch with her own. Those same hands made a trail back down her body and to her stomach where the small pouch of fat accumulated there was handled despite Rehema's self-consciousness. Once he got the space between her thighs, his tenderness became borderline rough, his paws considerably hardened as though he had spent half his life clasping a heavy object.

Absently Rehema felt the slick wetness of soft textured hair against her skin and turning to see what it was gasped at seeing the golden eyed man who was now embracing her naked figure. His hair was nearly plastered to his head from the water, and an impish grin crossed his features as a unclawed knuckle ran itself along the slit of her noticeably damp folds.

His head moved to her shoulder and bit down on the crevice, sterling white fangs lightly nipping her covered jugular vein. Letting out what could only be described as a high pitch whine, Rehema turned in his hold and circled her arms around Sesshomaru's waist to kiss at the left side of his chest where his heart beat was strongest. The pulsing organ almost matched the throbbing of her nether regions, and she closed her eyes to listen more fully to the sound as it vibrated throughout her frame. Such a powerful beat. Without shame she openly began to lick the area of his chest that concealed his heart, growling in pleasure at the feel of his stiff erection which twitched with every swipe of her tongue.

"I can't get enough of you."

"I'll always want more…."

And suddenly she was on her hands and knees, Sesshomaru preparing himself to enter her from behind. His claws scraped against her thighs, but she didn't mind a little pain. Hearing him growl low in his throat, it was almost instinct that made her drop her upper body to fully show off her slick opening to him, her reward being a grunt of approval mixed with the feeling of his hard tip nestled at her entrance.

"It's been too long…."

"I'll be gentle."

"You're too excited for that…."

"I won't hurt you Hema."

Not to her knowledge had she ever been penetrated by anything and feeling his penis start to enter her, Rehema naturally stiffened as reminders of virgins and other medical science concerning pain came to mind. Something in her mind told her he wouldn't be able to control himself while they fucked, he was way too turned on not to fall to his instincts. Keeping her composure, she tried to relax her tense muscles, resisting the urge to jump when the head fully entered her.

He went slowly, his member stretching the skin, and to her surprise, there was no pain, just an abnormal feeling of being filled. Her face pinched up in confusion as to why there was no pain, an answer hit her suddenly that made little to no sense. We've done this before.

But they couldn't have. She'd only seen Sesshomaru twice in her life, both instances occurring only days apart, so why did this feel so natural? Her eyes popped open at the feeling of his soft pubic rubbing against her bottom. He was all the way inside her.

"Incredible…"

A knock at the door along with the deep baritone voice of Fukuro had her jumping up on reflex. Scared out of her daydream, Rehema looked behind her and appeared almost disappointed to find herself alone in her shower. It was just a fantasy. The rapping on the bathroom door became louder and the hospital administrator's insistent voice rang out;

"Zakari! Are you alright in there?!"

Rather than answer, Rehema huffed and exited the shower stall, quickly wrapping a towel nearby around her body before suddenly swinging open the door to the bathroom, startling Fukuro. "What?"

Looking over her body once, Fukuro didn't miss the way her breathing seemed a bit deeper and assuming the worst asked, "Are you alone in there?"

No, until you showed up I was enjoying the phantom phallus of a five hundred-year-old dog demon. "Yes, I'm alone." She answered through gritted teeth, ignoring her hands which were shaking with frustration. "What do you want?"

"I came here to check on you," Fukuro explained, putting his hands in his pockets. "And I also wanted to inform you in person that you have the next two weeks off."

Rehema started. "Two weeks?"

"Yes you see, Nishimura-sama requested that," he paused to glance between them to see her wearing a flimsy towel in place of clothes. "How about we discuss this more after you put on some clothes?" Turning his back to her, Fukuro marched through her bedroom and towards her main kitchen, sensing Rehema staring awestruck behind him. "I'll put on some tea."

"Make it coffee," She ordered instead, swinging her wet hair over her shoulder. "I can't stand green tea."

"Interment recess?"

"I see it isn't as catchy as originally intended," Fukuro said, chuckling to himself at her confusion.

"I don't understand…."

"Nishimura-sama wishes you to use the time it'll take us clearing a suitable donor and recipient to meditate and reflect on what you are about to accomplish," The hospital administrator explained, lightly sipping at his cup of coffee.

Now dressed in an olive green hoodie and black sweatpants, Rehema sat across from her boss clearly exhausted as Fukuro continued to talk to her as though it wasn't almost one in the morning. "You don't want me to work for two weeks?"

"Correction, I don't want you handling emergency patients for the next two weeks, instead, I want you to use this time to really explore the human heart." He sighed and rubbed his head. "That is I wanted you to, but Nishimura-sama, he insisted you be completely stress-free until the surgery date."

Stress? Looking into her hands, the doctor sighed at the trembling digits, her entire body was tense. She was stressed.

"I figured with your run in with that savage dog you would finally want to take a break, perhaps fix the room Kadin-sensei claimed needed improvement."

I forgot I needed to fix that…. A migraine was forming. Putting her head on the table a few fleeting solutions to the pain crossed her mind but ignored them in favor of remembering her fantasy with an Eiichi turned Sesshomaru. That image became a sudden thought of him in just his hakama, those odd flowing pants that required a belt to be secured around his waist. For some reason, he wore them particularly low, almost as if they had ridden down while he was sleeping. The downy hairs started just below his navel, making a straight line that ran to his pubic line. It wasn't coarse like other humans but soft like a puppy's fur. His pants slid down a bit more and she could see more pubic hair and the beginnings of his…..

"Za, Zakari, are you alright?"

"Huh," Rehema's head shot up revealing her breathing that was noticeably hitched, almost like she was trying to catch her breath. Her heart was racing, the replica of an elfin-eared dog demon making her hot. "Yes, I'm so...sorry I have to…. Laenatan Li (damn me)," She cursed in Arabic before bowing once to a bewildered Fukuro and racing out of her own apartment, only stopping once to slide on her unlaced climbing boots. I need some air!

Exiting the elevator, Rehema rushed outside and towards a park across the street from the complex. Not following any particular pathway, the doctor held her head in both hands as she walked, her brain a mantra of repulsive and disturbing images that wouldn't make her feel so heated. To think, the mere thought of Sesshomaru made her like this.

Taking to pacing in front of a particular bench, the doctor tried to push out her gutter mind in place of her rational one. "What is wrong with me?"

"Well, for one thing, you're walking back and forth while talking to yourself."

All at once she came to a halt and looked surprised and annoyed to see Eiichi quietly watching her a few feet away. Still dressed in his dinner clothes, the president of Kagiana stood leaning against a nearby tree, his arms crossed and a cell phone clenched absently in one hand. Arching an eyebrow at her expression, he smiled softly and waited for her to speak, expecting her to try to explain away her behavior, he was pleasantly surprised when instead she half-asked in a suspicious voice,

"Two weeks off?"

He nodded. "I want you to be in complete control when you perform this surgery. And judging by the nervous breakdown you're obviously suffering from, I would say I made the right choice." Smirking at the way she dropped her hands to her side and huffed, Eiichi nodded again took a few steps in her direction. "That is unless I'm too late and you were pacing because you were debating on whether or not to jump off your apartment building."

Rehema snorted, "Even if I do, I'm sure you wouldn't jump with me."

Eiichi disagreed. "Now that's where you're wrong, I would gladly join you, but only if I'm still allowed to hold your hand."

In a bizarre way, it almost sounded like he was flirting with her. Recalling Japan's prudish history which rarely advertised sex, hand holding was probably as close to an acceptable second base as a Japanese man got before marriage. Kids level flirting. Interesting.

A hand went to rub behind her ear, and she literally flopped down onto the bench behind her, ending up on the edge due to her not looking first. "Why are you here?" She suddenly asked aloud, noting the strange man's close proximity to her living space.

"I couldn't sleep and decided it would be better to get some air rather than drink," Joining her on the bench, Eiichi hunched over and rested his elbows on his knees. "I've been out here since our business meeting."

Throwing her head back, Rehema stared openly at the night sky. "That was four hours ago."

"Precisely."

He had been walking around aimlessly for four hours. Definitely not high profile billionaire type behavior. Closing her eyes, she searched for the sound of Eiichi's heartbeat, focusing on the pulsing organ rather than his voice. His heart was strong, though she could clearly hear the elevated pressure in his bloodstream pointing to excitement, or overstimulation. Frowning, Rehema double checked and confirmed what she was hearing. Excited? What did he have to be excited about? Without thinking her legs opened a bit wider, causing her knee to rub against his for a second.

Feeling it happen, she went to apologize but stopped when she heard the sudden rise in his heartbeat from the contact. Wait. Am I causing him to…?

Was it possible that was Eiichi attracted to her? Glancing over at his face, the doctor noted that he seemed a bit stiffer than before and his hands had turned to fists that remained perched on his knees.

Wondering if she should say something, Rehema refrained from touching him a second time, instead returning to her previous position that had her looking up at the stars. "Wonderful weather we're having…." She commented offhand while still gazing at the stars.

"Yes, I suppose it is…." He responded quietly, keeping his own stare straight ahead.

"Now what?"

"If you don't mind," He asked softly, staring at nothing in particular, "Do you think we could stay here for a few minutes?"

Rehema shrugged. "I don't see why not. Thanks to you I don't have work tomorrow."

Crossing her arms over her midsection, she yawned and purposely tapped her knee against his again making him jump. "What?" She said slyly at his frown. "I have to get something out of this don't I?" Pushing her knee harder against his, she chuckled at his half-hearted attempt to return the gesture by bumping his larger one back against hers.

The rest of the night was spent in comfortable silence, Eiichi watching her out of the corner of his eye, even as her gray eyes slowly closed and her breathing evened out. Watching her sleep, he couldn't help shaking his head at her boldness. She had fallen asleep in a public park.

One of her hands fell to the side of her body closest to him, making him eye it curiously. Minutes felt like hours and the small brown hand nearly called to him with its temptation. Making sure no one was around, Eiichi quickly laced her fingers with his own and squeezed once, immediately dropping it afterward to replace it back on her stomach like he had committed a heinous crime. She feels so soft….

Taking a deep breath, the corporate president, stood and forced himself to move away from her, his own head starting to hurt from the pressure. Get away before he did something he would regret. He needed another treatment and soon. Dialing his personal driver, Eiichi marched to the very edge of the park to his ride, the pain in his heart growing with every passing step. Just a little more, I can make it….

A/N: Ohhhh only a few touches and conversation aggravated Eiichi's condition. Please review. -Theores

Chapter Text

A/N: Hello all, Before you start reading I just wanted to give you a quick heads up and tell you that Kazu appears in this chapter. When he speaks you may see him refer to Rehema as Jakkaru, and likewise the Inutachi will only refer to Rehema as she or her.

This is to stop the confusion of who they are talking about. As both the Jackal and the Doctor have the same first name, whenever Kazuki mentions Jakkaru he is referring to Rehema from his past, the one who Myoga claims was obsessed with Sesshomaru. Rehema who is presently with the Inutachi is also known as the doctork, but because she believes herself to be the reincarnation of the Jackal, she asks Kazu stuff in the first person. I hope that makes sense and without further to do enjoy!

Chapter 21: Harmartia

The oversized plasma screen blared with a popular anime and though she appeared to be sitting with an attentive gaze locked on the screen, in reality, she was drunk and in the middle of a haze. Three empty bottles of vodka lay on the coffee table beside her, a freshly poured drink settled in the shot glass in her hands. The digits on her hand which had been shaking heavily at one point, now only swayed slightly in time with her eye movements when she went to look at her palm.

How long had it been? In her unhinged mind it felt like weeks had passed since she'd returned to her apartment and found Fukuro half asleep on the couch she now sat on. A walk and sudden nap to clear her head turned out to have taken three hours long, only one away from the man Eiichi who she had found doing the same thing.

Definitely not a coincidence.

Coincidences and fate never truly went together in her book. The clock on her tv's front showed it to been approximately two days since she'd started binge drinking. Odd, it felt much longer. Grunting Rehema tossed back the drink in her hand, not even bothering to use her chaser which took the form of a can of lemonade.

It was usually against her morals to drink, but given her situation, she wouldn't have anything better to do for a while.

Two weeks off from work. Fourteen days she didn't have to wake up each morning knowing there was a chance another impossible case would show up. No researching their conditions, their families, or if the patient was a child, not fight the desire to tear out her hair from stress once she heard to them beg and plead for her to save their children's lives.

The past could wait a few days.

Obtaining a fourth bottle from under her coffee table, Rehema used her arm to cover the small burp that escaped when she bent down. She hadn't even taken a shower in two days.

Holding up the glass container of scotch, she grunted and shrugged off her guilt, recalling the last time she had drunk heavily and ended up breaking into someone's house. She still couldn't explain why she had done it, it was almost instinct that told her to do so.

Shaking her head at her stupidity, Rehema sighed and refilled her glass. She would go to the past tomorrow, perhaps the insanity there would keep her from losing hers here in her own home. Tomorrow. Throwing back her drink, the doctor grimaced at the sharp taste and shuddered as it passed through her body and hit her stomach with a sharp kick. She was definitely gonna feel this tomorrow.

"Re...Re hema?!"

"What are you doing back here so soon?"

"And what's that on your face?"

Adjusting the sunglasses covering her eyes, Rehema merely groaned and hugged herself as the Inutachi gathered around her, delighted and surprised to see her back so soon. Dressed in a pair of cargo pants and a shirt, the doctor's head was noticeably downturned as they all spoke to her at once, the combination of a hangover and the overly excited voice of Kagome slowly grating on her nerves. "My boss gave me another two weeks off…." She answered to all of them, not bothering to explain her current eye covering. Her hangover was at a level three, manageable enough so that she could function, but still turning her into a temporary vampire, making her unable to be out in direct sunlight.

Unfortunately Inuyasha seemed to be the most curious about her sunglasses, boldly getting close enough to her that he could stare. A clawed finger timidly poked at the glasses frames, only for it to be slapped away by Kagome who silently admonished him for being rude. "Keh, I saw a bunch of people wearing those things once, they're called shades or something."

"Right…." The doctor said quietly, rolling her eyes behind her glasses. "Is there any way we can take this inside?"

"Well about that…." Kagome responded cryptically.

"What?" Rehema asked back, lifting her head momentarily to look at her directly.

"Ummm no offense Rehema but you kinda look like you're suffering from a hangover," Kagome admitted softly.

"Yes, yes I am." She replied honestly.

Kagome nodded. "Then I don't know if you want to go in Kaede's hut just yet….."

"Why….not?"

Inuyasha spoke up. "Because that fox Kazuki has been there for the last day waiting for you to show up."

Rehema frowned. "Kazu?" The fox hadn't seemed all that interested in her the last time they'd seen each other at the demon mansion, he'd literally thrown her from his room after she'd recalled a distorted vision that involved the two of them.

"Yea he's in Kaede's hut, sleeping." Inuyasha said folding his arms in his sleeves, "He hasn't really said or done anything, just waited for you, he said he would wait as long as it took for you to show up."

"Even after you told him I wouldn't be back for two weeks?"

Inuyasha nodded and Rehema sighed. "Okay."

"Okay?" Miroku looked guarded as the doctor dropped her black and brown messenger bag and marched past the Inutachi towards Kaede's hut. "Wait, what should we do?"

"Stay out here," She ordered, pulling back the mat that served as the huts door.

It was dark inside the small room, no fire burning and the windows covered but even though her shades she could see the lump under a bunch of covers in the huts corner, the person underneath's breathing even, showing that he was indeed asleep.

Removing her glasses to reveal dark circles under her eyes, Rehema walked over to the lump under the covers and knelt, unsure of how to approach the situation from here. An untouched fire poker lay nearby and picking it up, the doctor grunted and weighed it in her hands a moment before calling out softly, "Kazu…."

No response, trying once more again got no answer, and already fed up, Rehema turned the end of the fire poker and gently prodded the side of the lump under the covers, earning a grunt and a mumbling of words.

"Kazu, wake up." She demanded, poking him a few more times for emphasis. All at once the lump sprang up and sleepy eyes Kazu appeared, irritated at having been roused so rudely from his sleep. Seeing the fire poker aimed at him for another strike, the fox growled and snatched it from her hands, chucking it through the air where it suddenly disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

"Hey!"

"Hey yourself." He responded. The sleep quickly left his eyes to be replaced by annoyance, his brain finally catching up with how she had woken him. "A fire poker? Really?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I was sleeping until you decided to treat my body like a log." Yawning and showing off his sharpened canines, Kazuki stretched and plopped onto his back. "You look about as tired as I feel."

"You know that's not what I meant," Rehema said, not caring for his attempts at joking. "Why were you waiting for me?"

"What?

The doctor sighed and enunciated. "Why. Were. You. Waiting. For. Me?"

"Because I felt like it."

Rehema stared. Long enough to make Kazu uncomfortable. Shifting slightly in his chair, the red-haired fox reached behind him and grabbed the object he had been laying on. Holding it out to the doctor, Kazuki watched with a critical eye as she took the book from his hand and gently cradled it in her arms.

The leather bound book was worn with age, the dark brown cover pressed with an odd symbol. Around the edges, Rehema could see the signs of obvious fire damage, a fact that made a part of her heart heavy for reasons she couldn't fully explain. "What is this?"

"It….was her journal."

"Journal?"

Kazu nodded and scratched the top of his head absently. "Jakkaru was always doing something. She liked to write about her adventures. There were more books," He swallowed hard suddenly, "But they were all destroyed in the fire."

"Fire?" Rehema's fingers ran the length of the blackened edges.

"It's all I could save, everything else was burned by the time I got to the Shiro."

"Shiro?"

"The Shiro was an old grave site she used as a, what did she call it? A base of operations?" Kazu snickered.

"Graveyard?" Rehema frowned.

"It's a long story."

"So this journal talks about all that?" She guessed, weighing the book in her hands.

"I don't know about everything," Kazu admitted, returning to lay on his back. "You had hundreds of those things laying around, this just has some stories in it I think could really help you." Staring at the ceiling, the fox sighed and continued on, "You may not be my Jakkaru, but if you have some of her memories…." He trailed off and waited for her anticipated responses, his mouth downturning when he received none. "Rehema?" Sitting up, confused, Kazuki gasped and chuckled at what the doctor was doing.

Already engrossed in the first pages of the codex, Rehema had pulled down the shade covering the hut's window, the incoming sunlight serving as her reading light while she read about her incarnation's past. Seeing her well into the fifth page, Kazu grunted and stiffened himself for her reaction to a part he knew she would ask about.

"Kazu, why did we steal a buddha statue from a temple?"

"You gotta read to find out," He said slyly, grinning in response to her upturned smile."We aren't saints."

Dinner was an awkward affair. Between Rehema's reading and Kazu's chuckling every time a new facial expression revealed itself on her face when reading something new or bizarre, the rest of the Inutachi was unsure of how to handle themselves in this situation.

Shippo ended up being the icebreaker. His chopsticks slightly tipped in his bowl, the young fox demon informed the doctor, "Kazuki says Rehema and him used to have a lot of adventures."

"I'm Rehema Shippo." The doctor responded softly, turning the page as she spoke. The entire book was written in Arabic, a few visual art pictures thrown in every few pages that brought out mixed emotions. The sketches were done well. Too well in opinion, and to her knowledge she ad never been artistically gifted, meaning someone else had done the drawings. "I couldn't have made these?"

"You didn't," Kazu confirmed, sweeping his hair back from his face. "Sesshomaru did."

The entire group went silent. "Sesshomaru?"

"Yea," He responded as though it were the obvious thing. "Jakkaru's thing was always writing, I don't know how Sesshomaru ended up getting so good at drawing."

"But I thought Jakkaru was obsessed with Sesshomaru? Why would he get this close to her?"

"Obsessed?" Kazuki scoffed. "Have you been talking to that damn flea?"

"Myoga's the one who told us the story about Jakkaru and how Inuyasha's father had to dismiss her after she became too delusional."

"Myoga is full of it….If anything Sesshomaru's the one who was so damned obsessed." Kazu groaned and bared his teeth in agitation. "Damn cover-ups."

"Kazu….." Rehema closed the book and eyed him carefully.

"You mean Jakkaru never was obsessed with Sesshomaru?" Kagome finally asked, breaking her silence.

"Of course, she was just not in the way that ass kissing flea says she was."

Inuyasha chortled.

"Kazu…."

"You wanna know what really happened don't you?" He asked Rehema, noting the way she was looking at him expectantly.

Rehema's eyes darkened and she nodded, the pendant at her throat flashing in the firelight. Finally some answers.

"How much have you read?"

"I just got the part about Sake."

"Stupid dragon," Kazu said, grinning wildly as he remembered the flying reptile.

"Kazu,"Rehema said seriously, her voice devoid of nearly all emotion. what really happened between me and Sesshomaru?"

A/N: Finally some answers huh? Next chapter will start out with a small segment from the past along with some tales straight from Kazuki. Also, we will see the return of Sesshomaru. I haven't been updating like I used to because I've been working lately hence not a lot of time to write. I hope you will please review/comment and know that I'm working on increasing my speed. Til next time. -Theores

Chapter Text

A/N: Here we go a brand new chapter! As always I encourage you now to review, and to clear up some confusion I saw a few people having with my other chapters, I wanted to clear up some stuff. In the story you will see Kazuki (our favorite redhead) refer to Rehema as Jakkaru. Jakkaru, as he calls her is the original Rehema, or the Jackal, and was not a doctor but an interpreter. Rehema now, the one that fell through the well and has the necklace around her neck, is a doctor but because she cannot remember her past tends to talk in first person when discussing Kazuki's stories. With that in mind I hope the confusion is quelled. Please enjoy. -Theores

Chapter 22: Storytelling Part 1

Kazuki was cautious as he approached a slumped over figure, the girl's familiar dark hair covering her face. Though he couldn't see, he could swear the scent of salt in the air just wasn't just from the ocean before them, her aura clearly laced with sadness. Unsure if she was conscious or not, Kazu swallowed the lump in her throat and hesitantly called out, "Jakkaru?"

Her head shot up at the voice, and faced him, Rehema appearing almost bewildered at seeing the redhead who was staring back at her worriedly. "What are you doing out here?"

A bit rushed she tried to stand only to crash back into the sand with a barely controlled flop, her body swaying and uncoordinated.

The entire area reeked of alcohol, a number of clay pots littering the ground on the side opposite him. Seeing this Kazu, approached her, confident that she wasn't in immediate danger, but her face continued to show her drunken distress. "Taking to our alcohol I see?"

Rehema signed at the poor joke. "I dunno, I just saw a stand selling it and bought a bush…." She paused and thought on the last word she'd said incorrectly. "Bunch."

"Right." Kazu kneeled down and looked at her sideways. "You just needed that little bush to get through the night?" He grinned at his second joke of the night but dropped his smile when the Jackal responded by whimpering pathetically. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Everything." Rehema sniffled, something out of character for her.

Returning to the fetal position he found her in, the Jackal groaned and cursed softly in her native tongue, her stomach was killing her.

"Nothing AND everything at once?" Kazu whistled. "You really do defy the status quo don't you?"

"I'm not really in a joking mood Kazu…."

He frowned. Usually humor worked. "Is it what's been bothering you for the last few weeks?" Kazu guessed suddenly which made her stiffen, telling him he was right. Looking around her at the various pots of alcohol he noted that all were completely empty, Rehema must have gone on a binge. "You know this isn't really a healthy way to deal with your problems, you've seen what alcohol can do to humans."

"I know that," she snapped, calming down when he drew back a bit surprised. "I just don't know any other way to control myself…."

"Control yourself?" Kazu switched positions to rest on his knees next to her. "What are you talking about?"

She shook her head once in response.

"Really?" Kazuki growled playfully. "You've been acting weird forever and now I find you drunk on a work night staring at the ocean. What, is it that you miss your home?"

Rehema shook her head no.

"You've found another pet and it's too big to keep at the Shiro?"

Once again she shook her head no.

"Then what?" Kazu finally growled out, annoyance springing up from his chest. "You know you can trust me with anything, I won't judge you for it."

"You will if I tell you…." She replied, a few tears escaping her eyes. "I don't know what's wrong with me…."

"Then how about telling me what you think the problem is and I'll tell you what the problem really is."

"Kazu…."

"Jakkaru."

She opened her mouth to speak again, but the answer just wouldn't come. There was no way he would understand. He would call her sick.

"Okay how about this," Kazuki declared, moving once more to block her view of the ocean so that she could look into his eyes. "You tell me what's been bothering you and I'll take the blame from Sesshomaru when and if he finds out about us taking that shrine keepers buddha's statue."

"I thought you said he wouldn't find out," Rehema reminded him, her words slightly slurring as she spoke. Seeing his rare seriousness she briefly thought about accepting before quickly rejecting the idea. It wouldn't matter in the end if he knew or not. "He already thinks I'm a joke…."

"Rehema," Kazu forced her head up to look at him. "What is bothering you so bad?"

Tears leaked openly from her gray eyes, the combination of sadness and alcohol almost making her think she could trust him. His own soft bronze orbs stared back at her with full attention, patiently waiting for her to answer. Kazu was never one to judge. Half the stunts they pulled on a regular basis required at least a passing tolerance for the strange and bizarre.

"I'm in love with him."

Those five little words came out so fast, Kazu almost missed it. Had it not been for the word 'Love' he would have asked her to repeat it. "Who?"

"Sesshomaru," Rehema sniffled and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "I love him…."

"Sesshomaru?" Kazuki flopped backwards onto his butt, stunned.

His reaction caused her to quickly try to explain, her voice strained with the urgency, "I know it's wrong and I know I shouldn't feel this way but I've tried everything to stop it and I can't and he can't know because there's no way he feels the same way and everything we've done would be ruined and he would distance himself from me and, and…." Rehema stopped and buried her head between her knees and sobbed, her emotions getting the best of her. "I'm so sorry….I shouldn't have said anything."

The fox managed to snap himself out of his stupor long enough to hear her heartfelt apology. "Rehema…." Kazu sighed.

"I'm so sorry….please don't judge me…."

"That's what's been bothering you?"

Rehema nodded from her position. "I've been trying to stop it….I don't know what's wrong with me…."

"Nothing is wrong with you Jakkaru." Kazu said, moving his hand to scratch his head, a nervous habit that mimicked Rehema's ear rubbing. "At least not from where I'm standing."

"Yes there is something wrong," She argued, her voice taking on a hard edge. "I feel weird everytime I see him, I think about him constantly, and, and, I keep having dreams…."

"Intimate dreams?" Kazu grunted. "Seems like love to me."

"But it's not right!" She nearly screamed, jumping up in frustration. "There is no such thing as love in your world! No true mates, I can't think of anyone else this way, I don't feel this way about anyone else….." Rehema shuddered. "We are from different worlds, what I'm feeling is wrong."

"Well no wonder you've been so miserable, you're telling yourself, it's wrong to do what you can't control," Kazu stood as well and nodded. "There is nothing wrong with how you feel, though I would have picked a more open and less anal target."

Rehema didn't smile. "Kazu stop it."

Kazuki rolled his eyes. "Whatever. At least now I can tell ol fluffy why you've been avoiding him recently."

Rehema looked almost panicked. "No! You can't say anything!"

Kazu frowned. "He thinks you're scared of him now or something, don't you think he deserves to at least know you don't think he's a monster."

"Of course I'm not afraid of him!"

"Well he doesn't know that," the fox replied, putting his hands in his sleeves. "In fact he's the one who asked me to come talk to you about it since you won't stay in the same area as him long enough for him to ask you himself."

"I can't be near him," Rehema admitted quietly, her form swaying with the wind. "I have to stay in control of myself."

"And you think being around him is gonna make you lose control?"

Rehema nodded silently, ashamed of her secret. "I don't want to feel this way. There's no such thing as a true mate….he said so himself."

Kazu could see it in her eyes. She thought Sesshomaru was her true mate, and she was punishing herself for it. "Our instincts rarely mislead us Jakkaru."

"He can't be mine," Rehema said firmly, more to herself than Kazu. "I have no claim to him."

"How do you know that if you haven't asserted yourself to him?"

"Rather than answer, Rehema withdrew a small piece of folded parchment from her bodice and handed it the perplexed fox. Upon opening it, he read the first few lines and furrowed at what he was reading.

"I translated it this morning."

It was an invitation to Touga-ou's upcoming gathering in a season's time, written by the Dog General himself, it summarized the various happenings in his province along with one very important piece of information.

'It is with great honor that I will present my heir and only son Sesshomaru and his intended mate, Miyako no Kaname who will be officially linked to our family at the end of the coming season.'

"The Shiro, was the original resting place of the Inu species founding father." Kazuki had decided to start from the beginning as it was easier to tell than the the end. With the children sleeping in Sango and Miroku's hut save for Shippo who absolutely refused to leave, the redhead was feeling a bit pressured now that everyone was staring at him so hard.

"Shiro. Thats where I kept most of my work right?" The journal he had given her was tucked protectively at her side, the information inside merely on standby while Kazuki was in such a talkative mood.

Kazu nodded. "Shiro, the founder that is, gave Jakkaru permission to use his resting place as a workspace. He had no more use for a grave site because it had been left unvisited for centuries and it was his way of saying thank you for reminding his family of where they started." The fox frowned slightly when he realized he had mentioned Jakkaru in the present tense. The woman across from him was just so much like her.

"You speak like he approached her in person," Miroku pointed out, taking caution when Kazuki's response was to grin.

"That's a whole nother story in itself," Kazu admitted, his sharpened fangs jutting out slightly from his upper lip. "But it's actually one worth telling, considering it's what made people think Jakkaru was stalking Sesshomaru."

"What is it with people thinking I'm delusional?" Rehema finally asked out loud, appearing bewildered at the rest of the group's unanimous silence.

Kazu unfortunately was the one to break it. "I helped you steal a giant buddha statue out of a courtyard because you got in a religious fight with the head shrine keeper and thought it would make him closer to god," He said, giving her a pointed look.

"It was an honest mistake…."

"Don't ask a question you don't want an answer to," The fox stated, snorting.

"Whatever…."

"Now then, do you wanna hear the story or not?"

"Sure."

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The waves collided and crashed together in the dark ocean below, the power behind it sending a good amount of salty sea foam upwards towards the shore, barely grazing the tops of a girls booted feet who lay on her back in the sand quietly reading.

With her eyesight, the moon provided more than enough light for her to study the history book she had been given by Teruo, the writings telling the story of the first Inu youkai and how his descendants came to be in such power.

"Shiro…." Rehema mumbled under her breath, her mind busy using the description of him to spin a proper image to associate with the founding father of dog demons. "Tall and fair skinned."

Didn't that describe nearly the entire family?

Her first meeting with Touga-ou and his mate had been, interesting. The two had inspected her like a hawk when she'd arrived only a month ago, Honorable Shin'ichi's kind eyes alone keeping her from losing it during the trial like encounter.

Flipping absently to the end of the book, the jackal yawned and rolled over to her stomach, her hand going up to rub her ear. She was in so much trouble.

This was the fifth time she'd read through that dumb book. She had finished the codex the first time days ago, memorizing the last two remaining pages merely speaking on Shiro's final resting place, those final words being what now had her in such a bad predicament.

Putting her other hand in front of her face, Rehema grimaced at the still healing burn marks on her palm. Her other hand was no better, but she endured the agony in order to perform her favorite comfort habit.

Curiosity was such a fatal flaw.

But the description of his tomb had reminded her of similar human burial customs in Egypt, their dead being gutted and mummified before true passage into the afterlife.

And underground tombs always made for a cozy place to sleep.

To her surprise she had actually found the tomb after twelve days of searching, though it had taken her half a day to cut down the weeds surrounding it that had overgrown the area. Cut low into rock, the opening had been covered by a large iron gate that had no lock, making the Jackal come to the conclusion that it was fine to touch and open, the second she made contact her entire body flying backwards and into air. Now her hands were burned to a crisp and her back was sore.

She just had to grab that gate.

In her rush she hadn't thought on what could have happened. The last phrase on the codex had warned as much. 'Though lost for generations, Shiro is said to have been buried in a traditional Kofun, an intricate tomb that is dug underground. Shiro's grave is protected eternally by Kokumajutsu, the darkest of magic, barring anyone but a true member of his bloodline entrance into his final resting place.'

Rehema whined and once more turned onto her back. If she was ever going to get into that tomb she needed a true member of his Shiro's bloodline to open it. With only four living members that she knew of within reach her choices were limited. Shirakume, the mate of Inu no Taisho was out, their bond might be enough to gain entrance into the tomb but there was no way she would give her access afterwards. Plus she never really got along with females.

Toga-ou would be of no help either. It was just something about the way he looked at her that made her shudder.

That only left Honorable Shin'ichi and Sesshomaru.

With either choice she was in an awkward situation. "Now what…."

"And then what happened?" Rehema asked urgently. Somewhere in the back of her mind she could actually see herself on the shore Kazuki spoke of. She always loved beaches.

"You tried to get Shin'ichi-sama to help you but he couldn't, so he told you to ask Sesshomaru."

Rehema stared hard at Shin'ichi with the biggest puppy eyes she could muster. "Is it possible you can ask him for me?"

"No." The elderly man answered immediately, his hand going to move a chess piece on the board in front of him to a new position. "If you require his help you can ask him yourself."

His adversary who was a sage in the house was quiet as the two played their game, though the wise man's eyes shifted to the gaijin in the room every once in awhile. It was clear he was judging her for her actions, the fact that she talked so freely to her superior curious to the old dog demon. Moving his king, Shin'ichi's arm moved just as fast to take it, the man loudly declaring "Checkmate," as he won.

Bowing once to show respect, the sage gave Rehema one last passing glance before quitting the room in favor of continuing his other duties, the words the gaijin spoke giving him something to think on for the day.

"I've only met Sesshomaru-sama twice," Rehema explained after he was gone, taking the now empty seat that Shin'ichi quietly gestured her into. Absently, she began to reset the pieces on the board, Shin'ichi sitting back and watching as she correctly placed each one in its designated spot. "I'm not sure I can just walk up to him and ask him to help me break into your family's sacred tombs."

"Sacred," Shin'ichi grunted. "It's been lost for centuries, there's probably nothing more in there now than a pile of dust and some broken armor."

Rehema sighed. "But it still belongs to your family, and it's not considered normal to outright talk to a leading figure so familiarly…."

"Look here girl," Shin'ichi interrupted with an authoritative tone. "We are no different from any other person you encounter in this country, though some would like you to think otherwise, all you need do is ask Sesshomaru for his help, after all, the worst he can say is no."

Rehema remained silent after his declaration making Shin'ichi huff in slight irritation. Standing abruptly, the former general marched over to his open balcony where he released a massive amount of energy in no particular direction, not answering the Jackal when she quietly questioned what he was doing. A few moments later, the sound of steps were heard coming down the hallway and the wooden panel slid open to reveal Sesshomaru himself standing on the other side, his body armor free and his boots missing from his feet. "Oji-san?"

Turning to greet him, Shin'ichi started, "Ah Sesshomaru, that was faster than I expected."

"I was already inside when I felt you searching for me."

Looking around the small room, Sesshomaru locked eyes with Rehema who sat shell shocked at the table, her hands crossed defensively over her body and her eyes shifting every few seconds to something else. Forgoing a greeting, the young heir fully entered the private game room of Honorable Shin'ichi, bypassing the Jackal to stand in front of his grandfather. "What is it you need?"

Shin'ichi grinned.

A/N: I am so sorry I haven't been updating as of late, some personal issues in my life have kinda kept me down and not in a mood to write. I hope to have the next chapter up in the next few days as a thank you for being so patient. I have had this story in my head for years since the original Inuyasha ended, but never thought anyone else would like it as much as I did.