Struggling to get a decent amount of air in her lungs, Kagome placed her hand on InuYasha's chest in an attempt to push him off her. She had never been so embarrassed in her life at the scene the irate guy had caused, she did see his point of view but there was no need to act the way he was.

Not to mention the grip on her arm had been bruising and Kagome did not condone using force against a woman, ever. Her attempts were in vain, however, try as she might she couldn't get the guy to budge. InuYasha continued his advances, beginning to roughly grab her breast as the lift doors opened to Kagome's floor.

Luckily for her it seemed that Bankotsu was staying or visiting someone on the same floor. When the doors opened and he saw the girl's struggles and swiftly grabbed InuYasha by the scruff and forcefully pulled him off her sending him flying into the wall, knocking an expensive painting down. Taking the chance to fill her lungs completely with air, Kagome panted a quick thank you before taking off to her room and swiftly locking the door behind her.

"Fuck off, why the fuck did you get involved for!" InuYasha hissed, red bleeding into his amber eyes as he rose up, planning on following the girl.

"Calm down, you were scaring her and you are going to scare her even more if you lose control right now!" Bankotsu replied in a calming voice, blocking the way for InuYasha to head to Kagome's room. He could tell by the blood hue in InuYasha's eyes that he was losing control of his demon side.

"Calm down? My piece of shit brother is trying to steal my girl and I anit taking that shit lying down!"

"You are going to lose her all by yourself if you keep acting like a possessive dog!"

Kagome lay face down on the soft hotel bed, tears rolling down her face. She was frustrated at InuYasha but mostly she was frustrated with herself. Why did she feel so guilty for having an innocent lunch with Sesshomaru? Sure she missed her and InuYasha's planned dinner date but the guilt she felt when he approached their table was intense. Like she had been caught red handed doing something she shouldn't have.

The day had started off so brilliantly too. She had driven an amazing car at exhilarating speeds, and secured more work and money for her workplace which would help Marc out since he was an expecting father and needed all the money he could get. Why did it have to go so horribly wrong?

As for InuYasha, he had shown her a side she wasn't sure she liked. He had scared her, her arm was already coming up with a faint blue tinge where he had gripped her as he dragged her away. It was almost like he was possessed and he weighed her down so much with his presence she just couldn't breathe. What happened now? Did she forgive and forget or did she apologise herself?

Looking out the window, she watched as the sun began to set in complimentary colours or red, yellow and oranges. Gulls were silhouetted in black against the bright fading light, their calls filling the air as they went to roost for the coming night. It was times like these Kagome wished she could fly and be free like a bird. The only time she felt free was when she was behind the wheel, but she didn't know if InuYasha was still in the hall so she didn't want to leave her room to go for a much needed drive.

"Kanna, I have a task for you." Naraku was frowning over his latest sales spreadsheets and was in the foulest of moods. His search for the power surges was not going well, nor were his sales. It seemed word of Sesshomaru's incoming stock had reached the ears of his clients and they weren't stock piling with his goods but rather waiting for that dogs instead.

"Yes." The pale emotionless girl replied, materialising seemingly out of the dark corner of the dimly lit office.

"I no longer trust Kagura, she has become too infatuated with Sesshomaru so I can't trust she holds my interests first and foremost. Not only that but she seems to have made no further advancement in seducing the lord."

"I have not seen her perform disloyally toward you."

"Not yet you haven't but females act irrationally when they harbour feelings and I would not put it past her to expose me in order to gain the inu demons affections. We need to find the source of holy power, I have a feeling that should we have that power in our arsenal then we would no longer have need of any other plan or weapon."

Naraku could take Sesshomaru down for good and become richer and the ruling lord of the land. Rio would be putty in his hands.

"Yasuo when are you going to tell Souta?" Katashi asked, rubbing his hand up and down his lovers back. She was wearing a camisole and the material was silky to the touch. The morning sun was peeking through the curtains, casting a line of light across the heavily blanketed bed.

"Soon, he has only just lost his Grandpa, telling him his mother has been secretly married a year is going to be too hard on him." Yasuo answered sleepily, watching dust dance in the beam of light like the snowflakes that had fallen the night before.

"We have waited so long, it took you until we were married to even meet your family. I want a proper ceremony my family can attend not just a registry office marriage. Are you ashamed of me?"

"No that isn't it, it's complicated. My father wouldn't have approved, as it was he didn't approve of us seeing each other when you began coming to the house before he died. Souta just needs time to adjust before we throw another curve ball at him, it will hurt him knowing I have deceived him."

"And what of Kagome? I have not meet her and she is your daughter." Katashi asked slyly, trying to get more information on the step daughter he was yet to meet.

"Kagome and I are complicated." Yasuo stated coolly, shrugging his hand from her back.

"You are my wife, Kagome and Souta are now my family too."

"We should be getting up, Souta will be up soon and I want to prepare breakfast for him." Yasuo said cheerily as she rose from bed, clearly avoiding any further discussion on the matter.

"Kagome please, if you get this can you please call me back." InuYasha sighed in defeat when he hung up the phone after reaching Kagome's voicemail for the tenth time.

He had not long reached home after Bankotsu all but escorted him out Copacabana Palace since he had refused to listen to reason and calm down. It wasn't until he reached his humble home that he had realised the error of his ways and that he had well and truly screwed up. Of course Kagome felt nothing for his brother, she had told him on more than one occasion that she thought he was a pompous ass. Kagome was the biggest petrol head female he had ever meet so if Sesshomaru had asked her about servicing one of his many cars then she would lose track of time talking about her passion.

It still hurt knowing that she had gone to dinner with his brother after they made plans. Distracted or not, did he not pass through her mind at all during their dinner? Was the fact Sesshomaru was his half-brother not make her think of him at all? It wasn't fair, no doubt the asshole had done this on purpose. Sesshomaru had the money, the place and the prestige. Couldn't InuYasha at least get the girl?

The street lamps flickered on, illuminating the dark street along with dim glows coming from the curtain covered windows of houses. The light made InuYasha's locks glow like the moon, and made his solemn face stand out as he sat on his doorstep, face in his hands. This was how Kikyo found him, and so silently she sat down next to him and waited for him to speak.

"What are you doing here?"

"It is new years in a few days and I wanted to know if you wanted to come to a party with me."

"I don't think that is such a good idea. I have a girlfriend, or at least I think I still do." The man said quietly, melancholy lacing his oddly gentle tone. A car drove past, its headlights on full beam and music blasting some guttural sounding music. It seemed to slow outside InuYasha's place before speeding away.

"Who said anything had to happen, it can just be fun, to maybe take your mind off things." Kikyo said alluringly, trying to catch InuYasha's gaze. If he had glanced her way he would have seen her breasts pushed up enticingly in the green tube top she wore and her sensually hooded gaze.

"I don't know, I'll think on it."

"So did you have a girlfriend when we had that night?"

"No."

"So this is a recent thing?"

"Yeah."

Kikyo smirked, she had a feeling she knew who this girlfriend was and it wasn't going to take much to take InuYasha from her.

"Hello?"

"Kagome? Are you at InuYasha's?" Koga asked, knowing full well she wasn't.

"No, why is that?"

"That son of a bitch. Uh, shit Kagome I don't know how to tell you this but I could have sworn it was you sitting next to him on his doorstep about five or ten minutes ago when I drove past."

Kagome felt her heart and spirits drop even further than it did after the events that had taken place a few hours prior. It had to be the Kikyo girl that looked like her, the girl he slept with before getting with her within a day. Numbly she decided on a course of action and shocked Koga with her next words.

"That is okay by the sounds of things they weren't doing anything wrong. Some thing's happened today and maybe he needed a friend to talk to."

"Kagome that is the biggest load of bullshit I have heard yet."

Then the line went dead.

Sesshomaru could barely reign in his anger when Bankotsu informed him of his idiot half-brothers actions towards Kagome after he had all but dragged her from the restaurant. The prick had embarrassed Sesshomaru with the scene he caused and it made him wonder how they shared any of the same genes at all.

"He almost lost control, worse than the time Jakotsu hit on him and almost ripped his arm off."

"We need to find the tooth father left to calm his demon side, losing control could expose us all. Myoga should know where it is located." Sesshomaru said before taking a long drink of his whisky.

The stars twinkled overhead as the two stood out on the balcony enjoying the cool breeze coming from the Atlantic Ocean. The orange glow of Bankotsu's cigar lit up Sesshomaru's peripheral vision, and the thick heavy smell of the smoke filled his nose.

"Will Myoga assist you? After your last meeting I imagine the very sight of you will have him running out of town."

"He will assist me if he values his miserable life."

It was then Sesshomaru's phone vibrated in his pocket and he saw it was a picture message from Kagura. She was wearing a red and black corset and her breasts took up most of the photo. Snorting he put his phone back in his pocket, annoyed her anger at Christmas when he hadn't presented her with a gift had apparently dissipated. He had enjoyed her silent treatment.

"Kagura back on the prowl?" Bankotsu said slyly, blowing more thick smoke from his mouth and then flashing his pearly whites in a predatory grin.

Browsing through the clothing racks at a boutique at the Barra Shopping Centre in the posh area of
Barra da Tijuca, Kagome and Sango tried to find New Year's outfits for the party they were going to attend in two days. Barra da Tijuca was west of the city and the girls had come from Miroku's to do some shopping since they were in the area. It had been a few days since the incident at the hotel, and Kagome had not spoken to InuYasha despite the mountain of missed calls and messages that flooded her phone.

Sango had heard from Koga that InuYasha had Kikyo over at his place. She also heard about Kagome's indifferent reaction. InuYasha wasn't good for Kagome, they had not been an item long and already had so much drama attached to them. Pulling a pale pink spaghetti strapped dress from the rack, Sango couldn't help but feel for her friend who was eyeing up a mint green halter dress.

"Sango, spit it out what is that look for?" Kagome said putting the dress back and glancing at a purple strapless cocktail dress.

"I just worry about you that's all. Have you spoken to InuYasha yet? Miroku said he keeps asking about you."

"No, I only have a limited break off before the garage opens again after the holidays and I have lined up more work so I have been busy planning my workload in the new year to take some stress off Marc. Amelia will almost be half way through her pregnancy and since twins often are born early I want to make things as easy as I can on him."

"That is noble of you, but what about your needs?"

"Sango I promise, i'm fine. Now try on that dress I bet it will look amazing on you."

"I take it you are all free in an hour to unload the shipment arriving shortly?" Sesshomaru asked, seated behind his desk with a regal expression.

"Wait I thought the ship was docking New Year's Eve?" InuYasha blurted out, pissed that he had to work on the day he thought he had off.

"We changed the day in secret, as far as others know our shipment is on New Year's meaning any ships before then will be ignored. No doubt Naraku will be waiting to seize our load or will be waiting to report us and have us arrested. However I am not one to be so easily caught. Renkotsu couldn't be trusted, hence why I allowed him leave until New Year's Eve. We are all who know so if Naraku finds out then I now we have a rat amongst us and like vermin that person will find themselves dead." Sesshomaru's eyes flicked red and all those in the room gulped. The man was more intimidating than his father, and that man scared the piss out of most demons.

"Well let's get to it then." Bankotsu sighed, he had plans with a hottie he had meet on the beach and was none too happy he was going to have to cancel.

"What is your name?" Naraku demanded, his nose wrinkled with the stench of the demon before him.

"T-Tom." The sleazy looking man stammered, feeling weighed down by the strong aura in the room.

"You say your burns were from a girl, a purple light came from her hand correct?"

"Yes, she blasted me a few feet and caused the blisters and charred skin on my chest. They should have healed by now but they are as raw as when I got them." Tom replied showing Naraku his burnt chest which was an ugly sight. Blackened skin housed angry red fluid filled blisters and the stench of burnt flesh filled the office.

"They will not heal unless you seek out a dark priestess, which Rio does not have. You were burnt by holy power. You were burnt by a priestess." Naraku exclaimed, happy he finally had a lead in finding his secret weapon.

"She looked like an ordinary human." Tom muttered, embarrassed he had been injured this severely by a human, a girl no less.

"What did she look like?" Naraku asked eagerly with the most sadistic smile Tom had ever seen.

"I can also tell you what she drove."