Chapter 4: Blind Dates and Blind Leads

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Thank you to my beta reader Foxy Lady! You have been a constant source of encouragement for me.

Thank you to my reviewers and readers:

Elizabeth: You'll find a hint of Inuyasha in this chapter. I hope you enjoy it!

DB-Explorer: Thank you again for your kind reviews and insightful comments. I have special plans for Inuyasha and Hojo.

Silver Moon Vampire: I am glad you asked that, HKI indicates that either the final pairing or one of the intermediate pairings will be Hojo and Kagome or Inuyasha and Kagome.

lizziekiss: I am glad you enjoyed the last chapter. I really enjoyed your enthusiastic review!

dragontrapper: Thank you for the review. I am planning on answering your questions in the next two chapters. Enjoy!

Thank you to DearestEli and Iebba as well for reading and adding me to their favs.

Note: This chapter is rated M for language and sexual content.

"Sometimes dreams are wiser than waking." Black Elk

And now, I give you Chapter 4. It starts and ends with a kiss.

\/\/\/\/

Letting out a resigned breath, Kagome focused her gaze on Hojo's eyes, only to find that his gaze had wandered southward. Specifically, he was staring at her mouth. This made her particularly nervous, because it meant one of two things, either she had food stuck in her teeth or Hojo was thinking of kissing her. She was fervently wishing it was the former, when he started to lean towards her. His descent was halted by a knocking on the door.

Kagome tore herself out of his hands and opened the door. Their next door neighbor had come to return Shippo. She had invited him over to play with her son while they were at dinner with Kito. Scooping Shippo into her arms, Kagome held him like a shield while she thanked her neighbor and ran off to put Shippo to bed. Kagome never emerged from the bedroom that night. Instead, she spent twice as much time telling Shippo stories of Inuyasha's heroic deeds, then tossed restlessly in bed the first half the night, unable to sleep. It was late into the night when she finally fell in an agitated slumber.

\/\/\/\/

Soft kisses and soft caresses, Kagome sighed her pleasure into her lover's lungs. Claw-tipped fingers fanned across her face and threaded through her hair. Kagome moaned as he deepened the kiss, his hand trailing from her cheek to neck then onto her back where it pressed her more firmly into him. She could feel the planes of his chest through her cotton shirt, and her nipples tightened at the sensation.

Soon, his mouth followed the path left by his hand, raining butterfly kisses that teased as much as they tempted along her cheek and across her jaw. Next, he explored the curve of her neck, his fangs gently scraping as he lightly licked and nibbled his way to her collar bone. Moaning, she arched her back and leaned her head back, her breast aching even more at the firmer contact. She could feel his lips curving into a smile against her shoulder, as his hand glided from her back to her side, where it rested, tantalizingly close to the curve of her breast.

"Inuyasha," she whispered into the darkness, "please…"

He acquiesced by sliding his hand until it was just beneath the pulsing globe. Then, slowly, like warmed honey, his fingers inched their way up and around her breast until it rested in his palm. Kagome thought nothing could ever feel as good when he proved her wrong by feathering his fingers over her breast and then slowly drawing them to a point. Then, his thumb lightly circled the pulsing tip of her breast, before he released it completely. Her growl of displeasure was transformed into a whimper when his lips surrounded the swollen tip and drew her into his mouth. Gasping, she threaded her fingers into his long hair.

He continued his ministrations as he moved his other hand to her other breast. Then, the gentle the scrape of his teeth became firmer, almost painful, as his fingers dug into her other breast before pinching its tip. Stunned by the sudden roughness in his play, Kagome yanked at his hair, only to find that its long strands were no longer in her hands. Panicked, she pushed on his shoulders until he lifted his head and gazed at her with brown eyes instead of gold, short brown hair crowning his head instead of long silver waves.

"Nooo!!"

Kagome jerked awake, her shout still echoing in her ears.

\/\/\/\/

Hojo woke with a jolt upon hearing Kagome's cry. Throwing back the covers, he leapt out of bed and ran to Kagome's room. As he entered the room, she raised frightened eyes towards him. Searching for the source of her distress, he scanned the room before making his way towards the bed.

Kagome stared at Hojo as he walked towards her and Shippo. The lingering nightmare and his real presence in her room jarred with each other, the fear from her dream leaking into reality. Seeing the subject of her nightmare in person immediately after waking confused Kagome. With her heart still drumming loudly in her ears and the adrenaline still rushing through her veins, she struggled to maintain reason. Hojo was a friend, someone she could trust. While her mind intellectually knew this, she could not help but be afraid of him.

Hojo watched as uncertainty replaced the stark fear he first saw on Kagome's face. Stopping next to the bed, he asked her, "Kagome, is everything ok? What made you cry out?"

Kagome felt like she was suffering from a split personality. One part of her was terrified of the Hojo she had just seen in her dream, while another part of her was glad that the real Hojo was in the room. She could not quite banish the fear that he would suddenly morph from the kind Hojo she knew into the Hojo of her dream. And this one time she really did not want to meet the man of her dreams. Plucking up her courage, she answered. "It's really nothing. I just had a bad dream. Ironically enough, you were in it," Kagome admitted as she tried to laugh off her unease. Her laugh sounded forced even to her ears.

Misinterpreting his role in her nightmare, Hojo responded, "I've had similar nightmares as well. They started shortly after we first met in high school. The weird part was that they were always set in the woods or some village that looked like it came straight out of the Warring States Era."

Kagome's heart sped up even more at his words. Could Hojo be the reincarnation of one of her friends from the past? The possibility chased all other thoughts away. Cautiously, she inquired, "Toki-kun, in these dreams, what were you and I doing?"

Seeing her anxiety replaced with interest, Hojo enthusiastically shared the details of his dreams with her, "Well, most of the time, I was protecting you from demons. Sometimes though, you would be the one who protected me. You had these magical arrows that could vaporize a demon in one strike."

His response was better than Kagome could have imagined. A niggling suspicion had formed in the back of her mind, but she refused to acknowledge it until she was sure. Acknowledging it now, only to find out she was wrong later, would be too painful. Trying to maintain her calm, Kagome encouraged Hojo to tell her more. "Toki-kun, can you remember anything else from your dreams? For example, did you have other friends?"

"Yes, I had two close friends who traveled with me. They were around the same age as us when we first met in high school. They both helped me protect you as well."

Kagome's earlier suspicion was looking more and more like the truth. The more he told her, the more she was sure that he might be his reincarnation. That thought alone sent Kagome's already racing pulse into overdrive. But she needed to ask him one more question, just to be sure. "Toki-kun, what was our relationship in your dreams."

Seeing Kagome's flushed cheeks and increased agitation, Hojo sat on the bed and took her hands before answering. "It's kind of embarrassing to admit this, but in those dreams I always felt like we were more than just friends."

Hojo's cheeks reddened as he continued, his head turned slightly away in chagrin, "It was those dreams that made it so difficult to give up on you during high school. I believed we were destined to meet, that we were meant to be with each other."

Hojo's eyes widened as Kagome let go of his hands and wrapped them around his neck. He was even more unnerved when he felt her shoulders shuddering against his chest as sobs shook her small frame. Carefully, he gathered her into his arms and pulled her into his lap. "Shhh," Hojo gently shushed her. "I know I'm not the most perfect man in the world, but surely it's not that terrible to find out we dated in my dreams. If it helps, I can promise never to date you again in real life." Hojo teased her, hoping to cajole her out of her strangely sorrowful mood.

Kagome was overcome by her emotions. It was like each emotion, each feeling was leaking out of her brain through her eyes as they tracked wet paths down her cheeks. Her grief, her loneliness, her sorrow were all being washed away over the hills and valleys of her face. Finally, she had found him again. Her relief turned to anger, however, upon hearing his last statement.

"Don't you dare, Toki!" Kagome lifted her tear-streaked face to glare at him. "I can't believe you never told me this! If I had known, if you had only told me, I may have been saved years of grief!"

Hojo was completely perplexed. Kagome was making absolutely no sense. What did his dreams have to do with her grief? Given her current state of mind, he chose to investigate that particular question later.

"You must tell me everything you remember! I want to know every detail!" Kagome demanded.

Bemused by her atypical interest in his dreams, he assented, "OK, I'll tell you everything, but not tonight. You need to get some rest. I expect you to sleep a good four more hours before getting up. And I mean sleep!" He did not add that he thought she needed to calm down as well. He had never seen her so agitated. He was worried that she may overexcite herself if he continued.

Hojo tucked her back into the bed and turned to leave, only to find that her small hand had snaked out of the covers to grab his own. "Kagome?" he asked.

"Promise me. Promise me if I let you leave tonight that you will be here in the morning when I wake up."

Hojo was surprised at the real concern he heard in her voice. "Of course," he assured her, "I told you I would protect you. I'll be here when you wake up."

With those last parting words, Hojo left the room. Kagome watched him leave until he closed the door. Those words, I will protect you, brought back many memories for Kagome. The first time she heard them in InuTaisho's grave, the last time she heard them during his proposal, and the thousands of times in between. Those four words were more than a promise; they were their pledge to each other. Those words were one of the many reasons she had fallen in love with Inuyasha. Perhaps they would be one of the reasons she learned to love Hojo.

Rolling over, she wrapped her arm around Shippo, who amazingly was still asleep, and resigned herself to four sleepless hours before she could continue her talk with Hojo.

\/\/\/\/

Seven hours later, Kagome awoke to the sounds of Shippo and Hojo playing in the living room. The events from the night before seemed like an illusion, as if she had dreamed them instead of lived them. Wanting to verify that she had not made up the whole episode in her mind, she raced from the bedroom in her pajamas to find Hojo.

Hojo looked up from coloring with Shippo as Kagome dashed into the room, her long hair a tangled halo around her face. Her wide eyes were riveted on him as she came to an abrupt halt. She looked as if she was seeing a ghost in the dead of the night instead of him and Shippo coloring in the bright sunlight. Smiling to reassure her, he said, "Kagome, I'm glad you're awake now. How are you feeling today? You had a rough night last night."

"I feel…" confused, elated, stunned, Kagome discarded all those options and settled with "well this morning." Having confirmed that she had not imagined the events from the previous night, she became aware of her disheveled state. Blushing, she turned back towards her room to prepare for the day.

\/\/\/\/

After finishing her shower, Kagome put on sweats and pulled her long black hair into a ponytail. Then she joined Hojo and Shippo in the living room and watched from the couch as Hojo continued to entertain Shippo. She felt inexplicably shy today, perhaps because she was aware of him in a way that she had never been before. He was no longer Hojo, her ex-suitor from high school, or Hojo, the detective; He was Hojo, the man. And the man was fascinating.

Kagome tried to behave normally while surreptitiously sneaking glances at him. She watched the play of muscles in his arms as he helped Shippo practice his arithmetic. She studied his subtle changes in expression as he watched television. She was particularly interested by the way he moved about the apartment. His movements contained a certain rugged grace to them, attesting to his excellent physique and his expert control of it. The bulk of his muscles suggested that he worked out regularly with weights.

But Kagome was not content to just watch, she wanted to hold his hand, run her fingertips over the contours of his face, and explore his chest with her hands. She wanted to know him the same way she had known Inuyasha, because maybe in knowing him she would no longer feel like she was separated from Inuyasha by five hundred years of history. But she did not dare do any of these. The mere fact that she was having these thoughts was so new to her that she found them frightening. For the past ten years, she had refused the company of men, locking up her own sensuality deep within her. She had unlocked the door, but she was not ready to open it. Thus, resigned to watching, she continued to steal glances at him throughout the remainder of the day.

It was not until Kagome had settled into bed for the night that she realized she had forgotten to ask him more details about his dreams. She would have to wait for the next day.

\/\/\/\/

Kagome was just finishing breakfast with Hojo and Shippo when she heard a knock on her front door. Rising from the table, she walked to the front door and opened it. Kito and Watanabe-san, another of one of the apartment complex's matriarchs, were both standing outside.

"Kag, it's so nice to find you home! Watanabe and I thought you would like to have tea with us. Why don't you join us?" Kito said.

Funny how questions from Kito sounded like orders, Kagome mused. She was suspicious of Kito's motives for inviting her to lunch. Based upon their previous conversations, Kito could be working on a new malevolent – oops, benevolent – scheme with her as the focal point. Kagome considered making her excuses and not going. However, Kito's intentions might be as innocent as they sounded. After all, Watanabe was a stickler for propriety. Surely she would not participate in any of Kito's crazier charity projects. Reassured by Watanabe's presence, she agreed to join the two of them for tea.

Less than ten minutes later, she knew she had been conned. Watanabe had disappeared to the kitchen to prepare the tea, and Kito was forcing a ridiculous pink frilled dress over her head as she badgered Kagome about her bland wardrobe. As the dress settled onto her shoulders, Kagome breathed out a sigh of relief. The dress made her look like a kindergarten student. Even Kito could not possibly find this absurd look acceptable.

Kagome retracted her thought two seconds later as Kito exclaimed, "Kag, my dear. This looks fabulous on you! It brings out your innocence. No one seeing you in this dress would possibly suspect that you've been married and had children."

Blushing, Kagome found Kito's statement to be completely ironic. In reality, she was as innocent as she looked, but she had no idea why Kito would find that to be her advantage in any situation. Reaching for the closures on the back of the dress, Kagome turned towards Kito to put an end to the dress up session.

"Kito, thank you for showing me this dress. It's absolutely lovely. But I really should be getting back to Shippo."

"Nonsense," Kito answered. "Toki is with Shippo. I am sure those two will be just fine without you for a little longer. They need to let you get out every once in a while."

Shoving a pair of lavender shoes into her hands, Kito continued, "Put those on dear. I'm going to fix up your hair a bit."

Rolling her eyes, Kagome put the shoes on and took a seat at the armoire. "Kito, is it really necessary to put my hair up? I'm not planning to wear this dress out of the room."

"Kag, of course it's necessary. We want to see the total effect, don't we?"

Kagome was at a loss as to how to answer. She did not think Kito would like it if she told her that she particularly did not want to see the final effect, that she was in fact sure that it would be the most frightening combination of outlandish clothes she had ever worn. Fortunately, Kito did not seem to need or want an answer as she continued to tug on her hair.

Resigning herself to sitting through Kito's make-over session, Kagome tuned out Kito's continuous babble and let her thoughts wander. She wished that Hojo had come along with them. He would have either saved her from the whole experience or laughed with her over the sheer absurdity of it. She would have loved to see his expression upon seeing her in this dress. That thought gave Kagome a pause. For ten years, she had not cared what another human being had thought of her clothing. She found it both strange and exciting to anticipate his reaction to her dress, even though she knew that he would never actually see her in it.

"…, don't you think Kag?" Kagome realized Kito had asked her a question. She really should have been paying closer attention. Should she fake her through it, or admit she had not been listening? Dilemmas, dilemmas. Kagome decided to gamble and answer yes.

"Great! I am so glad you agreed!" Kito exclaimed, pulling Kagome out of her chair and towards the bedroom door.

"Wait!" Kagome cried, but Kito cut her off.

"Kag, you can't back out now. You've already agreed," Kito stated.

Kagome was just starting to suspect that Kito had deliberately waited for her attention to wander before asking that question. She also expected that she would not like what she had unwittingly agreed to do with Kito.

\/\/\/\/

Shigo Numeru watched as Kito led a young woman into the dining room. Standing up, he bowed to the young woman as Kito handled the introductions. Kagome Imao was dressed in another one of Kito's creations and held a shocked expression on her face. Shigo deduced that Kito had not informed the young woman of her match-making intentions. But to her credit, Kagome quickly recovered. He liked that, a woman with pluck. Spineless women were so boring, boring to watch, boring to pursue, boring to fuck. But he could tell that this woman would be a hell cat in the sack, especially with the rough play he preferred.

Another mark in her favor was her incredible looks. Despite her ludicrous dress, she was gorgeous. From her long legs, to her long black hair, she was stunning. Ample breasts, a small waist, flared hips. And her face, her face was her best feature. Her delicate Japanese features, her high cheek bones, her lush mouth, and her captivating eyes. Every bit of her looked like it was carved by a master sculptor. And this was one piece of artwork he intended to have for himself. Mind made up, he set about charming the pants off of her, literally.

\/\/\/\/

Kagome was seething. While Kito introduced her to Numeru, Kagome planned slow and painful ways to murder Kito, such as strangling her with one of the ruffles on her dress or impaling her with the spiked heel of her shoe. After Hojo had claimed an interest in her, she had thought Kito would not dare to try to set her up with someone else. Evidently, her assumption had been wrong. She was even angrier at herself than Kito. Hojo had warned her that Kito may have this in mind. She should not have relaxed her guard. Any problems that arose from this would rest firmly on her own shoulders.

After the initial shock over her forced blind date had worn off, Kagome resolved to be polite but firmly distant towards the man whom she assumed was Kito's other victim in this scheme. Bowing politely, she took a seat opposite to Numeru and proceeded to exchange the normal pleasantries. After learning a little more about Numeru, she was surprised that he had agreed to this meeting. He was a handsome man with dark hair cut stylishly long so that it just swept his shoulder as he turned his head. He was at least six feet tall, and he was the CEO of a large technology firm. Women probably threw themselves at him all the time. This pleased Kagome since she doubted such a man would be hurt by her inevitable rejection.

As they continued to talk and Numeru began to ask slightly impertinent questions, Kagome found it harder and harder to maintain a polite façade. She felt like he was deliberately testing her. In addition, the way he continued to run his eyes over her left her feeling slightly dirty, as if she was undressed in front of him instead of wearing yards of ruffles and lace. After he asked her where she lived, she threw subtlety out the window and decided to change tactics to directly discouraging him.

"I live with a man and my son," was Kagome's blunt answer. As he raised his eyebrows at her implied relationship with Hojo, she hoped that she had put a stop to his interest in her. However, even alluding to herself as a woman of loose morals did not seem to have any effect on his intentions, which led Kagome to believe that his intentions towards her were less than admirable. As he swept his eyes over her chest again, she was ironically thankful for the ruffly creation she was wearing. The more layers of clothing, the better. She suspected the man was a lecher. Not surprisingly, Kito's taste in men was equally as bad as her taste in clothing.

Unfortunately, Kagome was stuck here until Numeru left. Her clothes were in the room, and she refused to change with him there. She could only imagine what kind of sick thoughts that would give him.

For the first time since she had met the woman, Kagome was truly thankful to Kito when she asked Watanabe to bring her clothes to her in a bag. Clutching the bag to her chest, she made a hasty retreat from the apartment.

\/\/\/\/

Shigo watched as Kagome exited. Ah, his prey had sensed his intentions. Well, that would only make the chase more fun.

"Shigo-kun," Kito asked. "What do you think of our Kagome? You must not be discouraged by what she had said earlier. She lives with her brother-in-law. He's taken care of her and her son since she lost her husband."

"Kito, thank you for introducing such a lovely woman to me," Shigo stood as he continued to answer, "but I must decline any future meetings. Please convey my regards and my wishes to her."

Quickly exchanging farewells with Kito and Watanabe, he left the apartment. As he stepped outside, he swiftly glanced around the apartment complex to locate Kagome. He was rewarded with the view of her back as she entered an apartment across the courtyard from Kito's.

He fully planned to continue his pursuit of Kagome. However, he planned to do so away from the watchful eyes of Kito and her neighbors. And, the less they knew about his association with her, the less they would suspect him when she disappeared. His pretense of a rejection would also serve to relax Kagome's guard, which would make it easier to carry out his plans for her. Smiling at his own craftiness, he left the complex.

\/\/\/\/

Kagome leaned against the door after closing and locking it. Her breaths escaped in quick gasps. Kagome's intuition was telling her that Numeru was dangerous, much more so than the normal pervert.

As she lifted herself away from the door, she noticed the arrested look on Hojo's face.

"Kagome, I haven't seen you wear color in ten years." Kagome could see him swallow before continuing, "You look beautiful." Hojo approached her to get a closer look.

In the wake of Hojo's bizarre declaration, Numeru and the threat in his glance was forgotten. "Toki-kun, I think something has addled your brain," Kagome pouted, "Have you taken a good look at me? I'm wearing a Kito original." She stomped her foot to emphasize her irritation.

Hojo was stopped directly in front of her. He fingered the edge of her sleeve as he added, "Kagome, Kito was right about one thing. You should wear more color."

"Toki, the reason I wear white is because I don't want this type of attention from anyone else!" Realizing what she had just admitted, she continued in a more subdued tone, "I mean, I don't want this type of attention."

"Kagome," Hojo soothed. "I understand. Why don't you explain to me how you came to be wearing a Kito original?"

As Kagome related the events of her day to Hojo, she inwardly cringed as his cheek muscles began flexing in an angry tick. As she finished her explanation, she braced for the lecture she knew she deserved. She had let Kito manipulate her into a situation which they had agreed could compromise their safety. If Hojo had done the same, she would have been furious with him. However, the look in his eyes was anything but the angry glare she expected. His tender, concerned gaze mirrored the one he had bestowed upon her the night he had arrived back in her life, bringing with him buried memories and a friend from the past. Its resemblance to the golden-eyed gaze of Inuyasha was uncanny. The effect on Kagome was both jarring and comforting. The feeling was similar to the one she had experienced when she had visited her old elementary school after she had graduated from high school, the unexpected paradox of finding both the familiar and the alien in his gaze.

Hojo folded her in his arms. "Kagome, I'm furious, not at you, but at Kito and myself. I should have prevented this. Do you think that Numeru may cause problems for us?" he asked. Kagome rested her forehead against his chest and placed her hands against his abdomen. She would have preferred Inuyasha's blistering rebuke to Hojo's self-recrimination. His easy acceptance of the blame made her feel even guiltier.

"Maybe, I'm not sure how to describe it, but he was really creepy," Kagome replied. "I'm scared that he might show up at the complex again."

Hojo placed his hands on Kagome's upper arms, pushing her slightly away so that he could look directly into her eyes. "We'll have to tighten up our security until we are sure he's not a threat. From now on, we all travel together, visit neighbors together. No one leaves the apartment by themselves for any reason."

After she nodded her understanding, Hojo continued, "And, starting today, I'll be training you and Shippo in basic self-defense."

\/\/\/\/

A bath and a change of clothes later, Kagome was ready for her first self-defense lesson with Hojo. Kagome was surprised when Hojo asked her and Shippo to sit on the couch as he discussed crime prevention with them. She had expected to learn grappling techniques, but was instead learning how to avoid becoming a victim.

Thirty minutes later, Kagome's head was filled with rules and tips like "always lock the doors", "never answer the door if you are home by yourself", and "call me or the police if anything at all makes you uneasy".

After a short break, Hojo demonstrated evasive maneuvers. In the event that the Nihonshinsei found them, their best bet was to avoid a direct confrontation and escape. With that in mind, Hojo turned the family room into an obstacle course and made them practice zigzagging through the house. A few times, he even chased them to make it more exciting for Shippo.

After an exhausting day of training, Kagome and Shippo retired to bed early. Hojo chose to stay awake later and watch the local news. After the news aired, he turned off the television and considered their options. With the possibility of an additional threat to their safety, they were at a crossroads. They could relocate again, but that would be difficult on both Shippo and Kagome. He did not want to take them from one location to the next each time a complication arose. At the same time, if this threat was real, then it would be better to leave instead of risking everything by staying here. He had almost decided to relocate when he heard a soft whoosh coming from the doorway.

Hojo walked to the door and picked up an envelope that had been passed through the mail slot in the door. Seeing his rank and real name on the cover, he opened it to find a key and cryptic note, "Box 10, National Bank, 15th Street". Intrigued, he wondered who had delivered the package to him. All correspondence with his office was being handled through a secure internet link. Whoever left this for him was aware of his identity, but he would have to wait until tomorrow to find out if this note had originated from the his office. But he doubted that it had, they would have informed him before the drop.

Logging on to his computer, he checked his email and sent one to the Chief of Police informing him about the contents of the note. He doubted the originator of the note would try anything else tonight. If the person had meant to harm them, they would not have given up the element of surprise. Still, tonight he would be vigilant. This unknown person knew of their location, and he would be a fool to relax his guard until he had more information.

Determined to guard Shippo and Kagome from harm, he rechecked all the doors and windows, then set up a system of alarms at the most likely entrances. Afterwards, he chose a position inside Shippo and Kagome's room. He sat where he could see both the window and the door. Satisfied that he could adequately protect them from his position, he settled in for the night.

\/\/\/\/

Kagome awoke in the early morning hours before dawn to a frightening familiar sight, Hojo sitting guard over her and Shippo. She would have believed she was back in the Sengoku Jidai if not for the glow of electric lights that slipped beneath the door and the fact that Inuyasha's reincarnation was in the room instead of Inuyasha himself. The fact that Hojo had thought it necessary to spend the night in their room with them meant that he expected a possible attack. Crawling out from beneath the covers, she joined him on the floor.

"Toki-kun, what happened?"

Hojo showed Kagome the note and key. "I received this through the mail slot in our door after you and Shippo had gone to bed. I had not been notified to expect a package. So, until I hear otherwise, I am assuming that the person who sent this was not from my department. I think it would be best if we took extra precautions tonight. Tomorrow, after I hear from the Chief of Police, we can decide what action to take."

"Then I will join you." Kagome grabbed a pillow and extra blanket from the bed. After creating a make-shift futon on the floor between her and Hojo, she carried a groggy Shippo over and placed him on the futon. After giving him a reassuring hug, he fell back asleep as she rubbed circles on his back.

Then, together, Kagome and Hojo kept watch over Shippo as the dawn lightened the sky.

\/\/\/\/

Hojo and Kagome were both greatly relieved the next morning to receive a response to Hojo's email from his Chief. Their relief was quickly replaced by curiosity as they read the cryptic message. It read simply, "We have a new friend. Follow the instructions," with no indication of who sent it or what the contents of the safety deposit box contained.

Two hours later, after obtaining the contents from the safety deposit box, Hojo decided he liked their new friend, whoever they were. Their new friend had left them photos, contact information and names for The Butcher and The Shadow. With this information, they could make a quick arrest. The only thing left to do after that would be to wait until the trial. Once the two assassins had been convicted, Kagome, Shippo and he could return to Tokyo.

After forwarding the information to his Chief, he took a nap in his room as Kagome 'played Inuyasha' with Shippo in the living room. Shippo asked to reenact Inuyasha's battle with the Thunder Brother demons; only today he wanted to play the part of Inuyasha. As he fought the two brothers, he defeated first Hiten, then Manten. Afterwards, he asked Kagome if he had killed them off in the correct order. She was about to answer affirmatively when she realized that they had played this scene over so many times, she no longer remembered what the correct order was. The worst part was that this was not the first time she had failed to remember an event from the past.

Kagome was becoming more and more aware that the dire cost of not keeping a diary was paid in memories. While relating tales from her time in Sengoku Jidai was a welcome change from the no-talk policy she had followed at home, she was discovering that her recollection was not quite as crystal clear on the details of her adventures as she would have liked. When she had first started sharing her adventures with Shippo, she had been so excited by the novelty of both wanting and being able to share them, that she had not noticed the missing pieces. But as she continued to think about the past and communicate those thoughts to Shippo, she realized that portions of her time in Sengoku Jidai were missing or out of sequence with no hope of retrieving or unscrambling them. In fact, the more she worried the details over in her mind, the more elusive they became.

She remembered when she had first lost Inuyasha, her friends and family had encouraged her to talk about him, encouraging her to release her feelings. Now that she was following their advice, she felt like she was releasing him instead of her tumultuous emotions. That somehow, by sharing him with others, she was diminishing her own portion. She felt like pieces of him were leaking out everywhere, and she wanted to bottle him up and keep him inside her forever. But no matter how hard she tried to hold him inside, he still spilled over the dam of her heart and slipped through the cracks of her fingers.

The time she spent with Hojo seemed to accelerate the effect. As she spoke with Hojo, he would hold his head at a certain angle or sit in a certain way, and she would think, I remember Inuyasha used to do that. However, right after that thought, another would follow. She would think No, that's not quite right, but she would be unable to remember the exact way Inuyasha would have done it himself. Those moments would always leave her feeling like everything was a little off. As if Hojo was kind of Inuyasha, but not really.

She wondered if Inuyasha had felt the same way, seeing pieces of Kikyo in her that were all just a little off, somewhat wrong, and definitely not Kikyo. She had always worried that Inuyasha had only thought of her as Kikyo's reincarnation. Now, she questioned whether he had taken any note of that fact at all. Even knowing that Hojo was Inuyasha's reincarnation, Kagome found it difficult to connect the two of them together. No matter how carefully she looked, she could not find Inuyasha in Hojo.

But, perhaps it was unfair to look in the first place. She had hated being treated as Kikyo's reincarnation. She was being hypocritical by treating Hojo the same way, even if he did not realize it himself. Kagome decided to make a new resolution. She would treat Hojo as Hojo. And, if she decided to date him, she would date him because of who he was now, not who he had been in his past life. Her resolution would be tested the next day.

\/\/\/\/

Knowing that the Nihonshinsei's search for Shippo would heat up once the two assassins were arrested, Hojo intensified their self-defense training. In addition to practicing evasive maneuvers, he taught them how to hide and how to get out of different body holds that an assailant might use. They discussed the best hiding places inside the house as well how to choose good hiding places if they were somewhere else when an attack occurred. Afterwards, Hojo demonstrated common holds and how to escape them.

Later that day, as Shippo napped in the bedroom, Kagome asked Hojo to help her practice. For one particular hold, Hojo placed a hand on her arm. After using a wrist lock to peel his hand off her arm, she tried to use her wrist lock to throw him down on the floor. Unfortunately, she lost her balance half-way through and ended up knocking herself down as well. Fortunately for her, she fell on top on Hojo instead of underneath him, her torso landing directly on top of his, their legs tangled in each others. Using her hands to push herself up, she angled herself so that she was looking down at Hojo's face instead of the carpet.

"Toki-kun, are you ok?!" Kagome asked, concern for him making her voice more strident than normal.

"Yes, you just knocked the wind out of me," he answered.

"Good, then I'll get off of you!"

As she started to shift, Hojo brought his arms around her and pulled her back down to his chest, "Kagome! Be careful! If you had moved your knee an inch higher, I swear you would have unmanned me."

Hojo's mention of his near unmanning brought to mind that he was a man, a man who at the moment was underneath her with his arms wrapped around her waist. In addition, Kagome was suddenly acutely aware of the proximity of their mouths. If he angled his head just a little, their lips would be touching. From the way Hojo was staring at her mouth, she believed he had just discovered the same thing. As his eyes lifted from her lips to her eyes, Kagome knew he had reached a decision – he was going to kiss her. As his head tilted and the moment approached, she decided she was going to let him.

\/\/\/\/

Another cliffhanger – the more I write, the more evil I become.

Next Chapter: Do they kiss? Who is their new mysterious friend? What's up with creepy Numeru? Will Kagome find Inuyasha in Hojo? All this and more.

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