punkish furball—I know, I know. It's been a while. Long story short, I live in on of the southern states bordering the Gulf of Mexico (Louisiana). Case ya didn't know, it's hurricane season and for the past few days, a majority of us southern folk have been either under water, powerless, or a combination of the two. Let's just say, I really appreciate electricity especially my hot water heater and air conditioner!

Words to Ponder:

Thank you Natsumi Tsuchi-Ookami, Ru-Doragon, GYY, Ice-Cold-Bunni, bluemiko, watergoddesskasey, Syn'ri, Bloomer123, Silent Sinner Abella, yuukinastsu, SnarkyWritingGrrl-381, mz.demon-inuyasha, byakugan-master93, KageOokami69, sil, kumikonhan, gia, Banana Flavored Eskimo, HentaiVixen, MusicADD, g2fan, kitsunegirl48, Dark Ice Kitsune, yamayo69, Reads-way-2-much, yumeniai, Ai Megami Murasaki, cowgirlkitten2000, B.D. Gerretson, FoxyDemonDownUnder, the-black-rose-is-mine-alone07, kidalare, ginny7777, Giss., firevixen73, InuBroken, and Black as a rose for reviewing.

Black as a rose-I'm happy to say that this is already posted on under my other penname gothic (underscore) fuzzies.

THERE IS ANOTHER POLL IN MY PROFILE! PLEASE COMPLETE IT AND HELP ME DO STUFF!!

Chapter 6

Mimirou continued to breathe deeply as sitting in her seat and holding a napkin to the claw wounds. The marks had begun to grow numb and the blood was not flowing as freely, but breathing caused her neck to ache. She had to admit that she was not too worried about Koga. He was too stunned by her revelation to do much of anything.

'He won't inform Sesshomaru of Kagome's existence,' Mimirou thought, 'And he won't confront me directly about that matter not if he wants continue living. I'll have to look out for any subtle contacts from the wolf.'

"Holy shit!" assaulted her sensitive ears, causing her to wince. Mimirou looked up to see Aoishi standing next to her with his eyes fixed on her neck. A small first aid kit was nestled in the grip of his left hand.

"Don't make a scene," Mimirou said and pulled back the bloodied napkin. She stood and swiftly walked out of the building, throwing the soiled napkin into the nearest garbage can. She was sure that the scent of her blood was strong enough to block any odors that Koga missed or ignored.

"Hold it!" Aoishi called out to the girl. He followed her outside and caught her sitting on a bench at the nearest bus stop. He sat next to her and studied the bleeding wound on her neck. There wasn't much he needed to do. The claws hadn't punctured any vital blood vessels and, with Mimirou's partial demonic heritage, it would heal nicely in about two days' time if infection did not occur.

"So," Aoishi began as he reached into this first aid kit, "what happened?"

"The ookami and I had a disagreement," Mimirou answered. She winced when Aoishi applied some disinfectant to the wounds. It was your average store bought antiseptic, not the other medicine Mimirou expected him to bring.

"It was nothing I couldn't handle," Mimirou finished just as Aoishi began to light wrap her neck in gauze so that exposure would not risk infection.

"Bullshit," Aoishi said, "Just say the word and Sesshomaru will have his head on a wooden pike."

"And do what with it?" Mimirou said, "Display it in front of the downtown division? No thanks. Just take me home and I'll use some more effective medicine. Tell him I was unsuccessful and went home to sulk for a few hours. By the time he returns, there won't even be a scar."

"He's not going to be happy with you," Aoishi warned. He tied a small knot around Mimirou's neck; it was tight enough to secure the bandages but loose enough for comfort.

"I'd rather he be pissed at me for failing then going on a bloody rampage for my sake and his reputation," Mimirou said, "A direct attack to me is a direct attack upon himself. You remember that whole episode back in Hong Kong with our other business venture. No need for a repeat performance."

"True," Aoishi said. He stood up and began walking towards his vehicle, a black cherry 2008 model Cadillac CTS ™ with ebony interior-. Mimirou followed behind him and slipped into the passenger seat as Aoishi seated himself behind the wheel and began to drive.

"Your place or mine?" Aoishi said with a slight touch of humor to his voice.

"Depends," Mimirou asked, "Did you tell Sesshomaru for my predicament?"

Aoishi shrugged, "I saw no point in it. You hardly told me anything. He'll probably return in about an hour or two."

"Home then," Mimirou said and turned her gaze outside of the window so that she could observe the rapidly passing scenery. After a half hour or so passed, Aoishi parked in front of a rather sizeable estate belonging to Sesshomaru.

Before Mimirou could jump out of the car, Aoishi grabbed her wrist.

"Be sure that you get to those claw marks gone before Sesshomaru gets back," Aoishi reminded the hanyou. Mimirou scoffed and slipped out of Aoishi's grip.

"Don't worry about me," she said and jumped out of the vehicle and began running towards the front doors.

"All you need to do is sound convincing!" Mimirou yelled at the demon without looking back.

"Easy for you to say!" Aoishi shouted back, but Mimirou had already gone inside and slammed the door behind her.

Aoishi smiled at the door before driving off. If there was anything in this world that Sesshomaru held remotely dear to him, it would be that girl even if he rarely showed it. The passage of time brought many changes and few constants. Mimirou didn't know it, but she was a strong pillar of support that Sesshomaru subtly adhered himself much like she was to him. It was as if Mimirou was meant to be an inu pup more than the feline that she was. It had taken centuries for the bond to grow between the three, and it would take a lot to break it away.

-O0o0O-

Mimirou ran up to her room avoiding the house maids and other servants as she sped passed them. She had long abandoned her power limiters; everyone who worked in the house was either a low level demon or an older human schooled in the ways of the youkai. She preferred not to conceal her form anyway. When she reached her room, Mimirou looked to her clock hanging on her wall; it read 4:02 p.m.

"I got plenty of time to take care of this," Mimirou said to herself. She bent down onto the floor and pushed aside a plush medium sized rug. Using her claws, she pulled out a loose floor board. Many items were present in the hiding space; old habits do tend to die hard. Mimirou pulled out an unlabeled jar that contained a thick, dark hunter green substance. It contained a mixture of medicinal herbs and youkai saliva that sped the healing process and would make her wounds disappear in a matter of minutes. Sesshomaru kept a supply in his dojo, but Mimirou preferred to have her own supply on hand seeing as her hanyou saliva was too weak and couldn't accelerate the healing process as quickly. She got a small portion on her finger tips and rubbed it thoroughly on the small pinpoints in her neck. Her ears flickered back and forth to catch the slightest indication of an intruder. Once the salve had been applied, Mimirou sealed the jar and placed it carefully in its place. She returned the floor board and the rug to their previous positions. She stood up and collapsed onto her bed curling up a bit with her tails tickling her face. Kagome had contacted her with a very detailed description of her home; Mimirou had passed it quite a few times when passing through the more unfavorable neighborhoods.

'I'll just take a little nap,' Mimirou thought to herself, 'By the time I wake up, Sesshomaru should be home.'

-O0o0O-

Kagome ran around her humble apartment frantically cleaning careful not to use too many products with prominent odors so her guest's nose will not be irritated. Due to the hanyou's appearance, she was sure that she was used to more elaborate and sophisticated dwellings.

Before going on her cleaning binge, Kagome had already prepared some food for their encounter, a plate of onigiri- with salmon in the center and some sashimi- and nigiri-zushi- for snacking and for the main meal yakizakana-. Kagome was glad her cooking skills had a chance to improve before their reunion.

'I can't believe she found me! I hope told her enough about my apartment. I made sure to tell her plenty of the surrounding features,' Kagome thought and paused, looking very thoughtful; 'I still can't believe it! She looks so grown up!'

Kagome was greatly pleased by the changes in the half demon. Not only had she matured to be a very pretty young girl, she seemed more relaxed and at ease with her own existence. At the fortress, she appeared to be a jaded soul, performing her daily rituals in a daze while internally she was wandering without any purpose or meaning. Even the slight upward turns of her lips Kagome saw seemed forced and practiced. She was glad that the hanyou grew out of that. Those bright golden eyes seemed more alive and expressive than Kagome had ever seen. Her voice was full of happiness and fulfillment when she spoke as though the moment she revealed her name to her was the completion of a wonderful dream, but Kagome knew that was silly thinking. Mimirou is a half demon and still possess the air of superiority and power she did as a young child; as much as she wanted to meet with her again, her human life is virtually nonexistent to her.

'I'll have to ask what she's up to,' Kagome thought, 'I wonder who she is living with; if she has a family.'

It was no secret that Mimirou loathed her previous retainer and wanted nothing more that to be free of whatever bonds that kept her to him.

'I never did find out what it was that made Mimirou hate Sesshomaru so,' Kagome thought. She stopped cleaning and headed to her room to change, though her attitude sobered a little.

Sesshomaru. Her thoughts often ventured to him when she was idle; therefore, she usually tried to remain as busy as she could.

'I wonder if he is alive as well,' Kagome thought. She wondered if he was as magnificent as she remembered him. Even after all these years, she felt no ill will towards the demon that wounded her to her very soul. He was just trying to regain the love he lost so unfairly. She even thought of what it would be like to see him again. She even felt a little guilty after leaving him so abruptly. Kagome quickly shook her head of the thoughts of pity towards the youkai. She could imagine what Mimirou would say to her.

"Do you not value your own self!" the half demon would shout, "It is not only unfair but unjust and undeserving to use the bond of mating to merely be the new vessel of his former mate! Whatever trivial matter he suffered pales to what you yourself have endured because of him!"

Yes, Kagome could just picture it, but instead Mimirou being a small girl looking up to her speaking calm yet sharply, Kagome saw a teenager shouting and flailing her arms about wildly. Kagome had to laugh at that mental image and Sesshomaru was banished from her mind for the moment. She dug into her closet and found a chocolate brown tee shirt that read "I'm a certain shade of indifferent" written in white lettering and a pair of faded blue jeans. She heard a hesitant knock on her door.

"I'm coming!" she shouted and hurriedly changed her clothes.

-O0o0O-

Mimirou took a slight sniff of the air around her; Sesshomaru's scent had filtered into her room. He would use his energy to spread his scent all around the house, asserting that it and everything within it belonged to him. She yawned and stretched much like her feline brethren, from the point of her claws to the tips of her tails. She sat up on her bed and closed her eyes in thought.

'I can smell his scent in my room,' Mimirou thought, 'He must have arrived about three to five minutes ago.' Mimirou looked at her clock; it was 6:37 p.m. She stood and went over to her closet; she needed to change for her meeting with Kagome after all. Looking into the fairly large closet; Mimirou could easily spot business attire and formal wear but nothing casual. Mimirou really didn't associate with anyone her own age or at least not anyone the age she appeared to be; therefore, did not have any "hanging out" clothes. She looked around and grinned when she successfully found a small section of about three tee shits, two pairs of jeans, and a jean skirt she wore when she had the honor of entertaining some children of a few business associates. Mimirou pulled out a black tee shirt with the kanji for "Nani?" on it in black lettering outlined in hot pink and light denim skirt with pleats that would rest about three inches above her knee. Aoishi was the one who selected this section of her closet.

"You need to lighten up little!" he shouted when he shoved the bundle of clothes in her hands. She scowled when she thought of him and quickly changed.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she felt a little awkward but looked more like the age she appeared. She reached into a small jewelry box and pulled out a small golden bangle from her dresser on the wall adjacent to her closet. She put it on her wrist and instantly her demonic features were concealed. She also picked up a black ponytail wrapper and pulled her hair up in a high ponytail. Mimirou picked up her cell phone, her wallet, and a small dagger. She strapped the dagger on her hip; Sesshomaru liked her to be prepared. She put the other two items in her pockets. Mimirou then picked up a small bottle from her dresser and tucked it in her pocket. Its smell was horrendous and sickenly sweet, but it would do the job and cover Kagome's scent for the time being. Giving herself one final look in the mirror, Mimirou left her room and headed downstairs.

'Okay,' she thought, 'Sesshomaru is probably in his study, sitting at his desk, drinking a glass of scotch. I'll have to be brief. My attire alone is enough to be suspicious of.' Aoishi might be here, his scent had yet to be detected. Mimirou walked down the hall and down a flight of stairs before stopping in front of large dark oak double doors.

"Enter," Sesshomaru said and Mimirou pushed the door to her right opened. Sesshomaru was sitting at his desk just as she pictured him with a glass of amber liquid in his hand. Also Aoishi was also present sitting on the sidelines drinking his share of liquor. There was one slight oddity; he wasn't looking at any papers or anything on his computer and he wasn't discussing anything with Aoishi. Instead, Sesshomaru's attention was concentrated on the view outside the window. Sesshomaru had this room designed like his father's study back in the fortress 500 years ago. The desk sat low to the ground and there were no chairs, only pillows to sit on. The only piece of technology was Sesshomaru's laptop which was put away at the moment. There were shelves full of scrolls and books, through it was quite bare compared to the main library. The most magnificent feature would be the row of large windows that over looked the land outside. It was facing west; the view of the sunset was amazing from here.

"Sesshomaru-sama," Mimirou began, but the youkai cut her off.

"Aoishi told me that the ookami was disagreeable," he said, "No matter. I expected this."

Mimirou glanced in Aoishi's direction, and he only shrugged with a smirk on his face.

"Just give me more time," Mimirou suggested, "I need to do a little more digging. There's sure to be some dirt on that filthy beast."

Sesshomaru nodded affirmatively and turned to look at Mimirou just as she was bowing.

"What are you wearing?" he asked in a way that caused Mimirou to flinch slightly. His tone did not change at all; his voice was as even as it always was. However, his words reminded Mimirou of what a father would say to his teenaged daughter going out on her first date.

"Actually," Mimirou began, "I am meeting with a friend at her home." Sesshomaru raised one of his sculpted eyebrows causing her to paused, but Mimirou quickly picked up where she left off.

"I meet her around the city a few times and she invited me to have dinner at her home," Mimirou said, "I thought that this attire was an acceptable choice."

Mimirou was purposely vague but not completely untruthful. Sesshomaru did know that she had a habit of wandering around when she was bored. Furthermore, she didn't want to mention the café just in case he decides to do a little background check on her so-called friend.

Sesshomaru briefly considered Mimirou's plans. She was not a social creature by nature and spent no recreational time with her human peers. The term "friend" seemed foreign on her tongue. The sudden desire to "hang out" seemed very suspicious. He could tell she was not lying, but Mimirou's uncharacteristic case of nerves made him hesitant as she stood there waiting for his approval.

"You may go," Sesshomaru said after several minutes. Mimirou had to resist a sigh of relief.

"I'll have someone drive you there," Sesshomaru continued causing Mimirou to end her mental premature celebration. Just as he reached to call someone to perform the task Mimirou sharply said, "No!" Again Sesshomaru raised his eyebrow at the neko.

"My friend's family is not as prominent as you are and is of a lower social status," Mimirou quickly said, "I do not want to show unnecessary signs of your accumulated wealth. I was planning on taking the bus there."

"Aoishi will take you," Sesshomaru said and the youkai, who hadn't said anything by now, to almost choke on his drink.

"You can't be serious," Mimirou said in protest, "I do not need an escort."

"As surprised as I am," Aoishi began, "I'll have to agree. You may be strong enough, but enough large human males on a bus could catch you off guard."

"I've used that type of transportation before in the daytime. I doubt I'm going to get gang raped on a public bus simply because of the late hour and my gender," Mimirou said in a dry voice and folded her arms across her chest.

Sesshomaru mentally sighed. Mimirou was a formidable force when she was determined; that's one of the reasons he values the demon child. However, he was stronger.

"The matter is not negotiable," he said with finality in his voice, "Aoishi will transport you or you will not go."

Mimirou looked Sesshomaru in the eye for a few minutes; she could see that there was no getting through to him and Aoishi will once again be an additional obstacle in her path. She nodded once in the direction of the two demons before turning around and walking out of the room. Both youkai winced when she slammed the door with a large portion of her strength. Sesshomaru was confused by the action.

"Well, tou-san, it looks like it finally happened," Aoishi said.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes rested his head on his fist; Aoishi had the annoying habit to refer to themselves as Mimirou's "parents".

"And what would that be?" Sesshomaru asked.

"You mean you don't see it?" Aoishi said, "The wardrobe changes, the mood swings, the secrets. They all mean one thing. Our little girl has finally caught up and become a teenager."

"Mimirou is hardly a teenager," Sesshomaru said, "She is well over five hundred years old."

"That may be, tou-san," Aoishi began, "but after centuries despite being socially premature, possessing a very adult like mentality, and having you for her closet her companion our little runt Mimirou has finally grown up a little. And in the 21st century. A wonderful time to be young spirited teen, don't you think?"

Sesshomaru took the time to consider what Aoishi finished saying. That thought had actually occurred to him on some sort of level. Although Mimirou was over five centuries old, she was in a stage in her youkai growth cycle similar to that of a human teenager. She also had yet to reach sexual maturity. Mimirou was hardly around any females who could aid her in this period of growth; maybe a "friend" was exactly what the little hanyou needs.

"Keep an eye out for her," Sesshomaru said, "I don't want her to get into anything she can't handle."

"No worries, tou-san," Aoishi said, "Ka-san has everything under control!" Aoishi turned and went out of the door. Aoishi hurried outside to his car; no need to keep Mimirou wanting more than she already had.

-O0o0O-

Mimirou sat in the passenger's seat of Aoishi's car much like she had been earlier. Her arms were folded and a frown was set on her face.

'Okay,' she thought to herself, 'The whole event hadn't gone as planned. But I suppose I was foolish for expecting Sesshomaru to be so lenient.'

Mimirou's eyes shifted in the direction of the house; Aoishi was coming her way.

'Getting Aoishi to bend a little won't be too hard,' Mimirou thought, 'He's assimilated well to past fifty or so years. He'll understand my plight for a little freedom and a little time for my own devices. Even if it is just this once.'

Aoishi got into the car and started the engine.

"Okay," he said while pulling out of the driveway, "Where does this friend live? Slums? Ghetto? Skid row? Red light district? Tell me when I got it."

Mimirou looked ahead and scowled; she could practically feel Aoishi's amusement.

"Come on," Aoishi said, "Just teasing. Seriously, where's she live?"

"Drop me off at the bus stop at the corner," Mimirou said in a dry voice.

"Be realistic," Aoishi said; his tone was still a little playful but growing slightly somber.

"Fine," Mimirou said and closed her eyes to calm herself down, "I remember when she told me about park about three or four blocks down the street. Drop me off there and that is as close as you get."

Mimirou heard Aoishi sigh and mentally smiled.

"You know I spoil you," he said, "After this, I really need to get plastered. You are just like Sesshomaru, ya know that."

"I'll pretend like you didn't say that," Mimirou said and opened her eyes.

"Take a right," she said, "at the next light."

-O0o0O-

"Okay," Aoishi said about thirty-two minutes of driving later in front of a local park. Nobody was really out at this hour; only a few dog walkers and the occasional jogger. Aoishi could see a series of buildings bordering the park. For a moment, he contemplated following Mimirou or something to that effect, but knew that plan would not end well.

'Besides,' he thought as Mimirou exited the vehicle without a glance in his direction, 'The little runt deserves to have some fun once in a while.'

Aoishi drove off, leaving the hanyou to her own devices. His sensitive nose caught the wafting scent of alcohol and nicotine.

'Maybe I'll have some fun too!' Aoishi thought with a grin.

-O0o0O-

Mimirou stood on the side of Aoishi's car until he quickly drove out of sight.

'He made the decision not to bother me,' Mimirou thought, 'At least it makes this venture at easier for the time being. I'll have to acquire for elusive plans for my next meeting.'

For now, Mimirou filed that thought in the back of her mind and began to walk towards Kagome's apartment building. She frowned as she observed the state of its surroundings; it was nothing she was accustomed to.

'Kagome does have to live on her income working in a small café,' she reminded herself and made another mental note to work on this situation as well.

Mimirou reached the gate of the building and went inside without a glance anyone that was lingering outside. Taking only a few minutes to reach her goal, Mimirou stood in front of Kagome's door and knocked on the door twice. She could hear Kagome's voice within the structure and waited to be admitted.

-O0o0O-

punkish furball—I did not like this chapter. Sure, I had to write the necessary character buildup with Aoishi and Mimirou and their relationship with Sesshomaru, but come on! This chapter involved maybe…30 Kagome. And like a lot of you out there, I want to pull every perfect strand of whitish silver hair out of Sesshomaru's head and the actual pay back is not coming anytime soon.

-my dream vehicle

-onigiri- a snack of Japanese rice formed into triangle or oval shapes and often wrapped in nori (edible seaweed). Traditionally, the onigiri is filled with pickled ume fruit (umeboshi), salted salmon, katsuobushi, or any other salty or sour ingredient.

-sashimi- a Japanese delicacy primarily consisting of very fresh raw seafood, sliced into thin pieces and served with only a dipping sauce and a simple garnish; literally means "pierced body"

- nigiri-zushi- hand-formed sushi; consists of an oblong mound of sushi rice that is pressed between the palms of the hands, sometimes with a speck of wasabi and a slice of fish called neta draped over it and a certain fish is typically bound to the rice with a thin strip of nori

- yakizakana- grilled fish; many varieties of fish are enjoyed in this way

That was a lot, but I did have to pleasure of trying some of these dishes which is why I mentioned them. Noticed that the all contain fish! : D

L83RN355!