Human Compensation

“I can’t believe him,” Kagome said, looking out her window. “He wasn’t awake, so how could he make me his...um...woman?”

“Kagome, you have a lot to learn about Inuyasha, and the ways of a dog youkai,” Sango said, making herself comfortable in the recliner by the window.

Kagome turned to her. “How do you know so much about Inuyasha?”

“Well I’ve known Inuyasha for two years, so I know how stubborn and pig-headed he can be, but I’m also a demon exterminator and I spent most of my life studying everything about demons.”

“Oh,” Kagome said her eyes wide with interest. “So do all dog demons act like Inuyasha?”

“Well, they don’t have Inuyasha’s personality, thank goodness. They have their own personalities, but they all have the same instincts and certain rules when it come to finding and keeping a mate. Inuyasha has chosen you for his mate, even if he was asleep, the fact that he marked you shows he has always thought of you that way. He just didn’t want to admit it or maybe he just wasn’t ready to tell you, yet. I guess you can say he tried to hide his feelings, but the primitive, animal side of him knew what he wanted and reacted accordingly. It’s only natural for a dog youkai.”

“There’s nothing natural about it for me! I’m a human, he’s a dog youkai. We do not belong together, plus he didn’t even ask me. He can’t just take me as his, that’s not how the world works anymore.”

“Inuyasha is a hanyou, remember? His mother was human, so maybe it’s the reason he doesn’t care that you’re human and as for him taking you without your permission...well it’s like I said before. Dog youkai have their own rules in life and they think it’s perfectly fine to take a mate against their will.”

“That’s ridiculous! This is the millennium, no one can do that anymore! I could have him arrested!”

“Oh, that brings me back to something else I have to explain to you,” Sango said. “You’re living in Yukalel, now. Sesshoumaru practically rule this city, even the police are afraid of him.”

Kagome sat on the end of her bed. “How is that possible?”

“Sesshoumaru is a very powerful youkai. This land was owned by his father for many years. It started off as a small town, a safe haven for youkai and hanyou to live in peace, away from the prejudice of humans. When he died, he left it in Sesshoumaru’s hands. Sesshoumaru used his father’s money to build skyscrapers, buildings, apartments, stores, everything... He wanted to turn this small town into a huge, booming, city. He modernized everything. He gave youkai and hanyou opportunities for new jobs and a way to make their own living when they couldn’t find work in human cities. Then he started his own business, called Sesshoumaru Lending Incorporation, which is where we work at. It was supposed to help youkai, hanyou, and humans start their own businesses or build new schools, malls, or whatever they needed the money for. And from this business he made more money than his father ever could. Everything worked out great for a few years, until things began to go wrong. It started out gradually and got worse. The youkai who had borrowed money from Sesshoumaru began to take his generosity for granted. When it came time for them to pay, they always had some excuse for not having the money. I guess they thought since he was practically a billionaire, he wouldn’t really miss the money they owed him. He would give them a lot of chances to pay him back, give them the extra time they needed, but as always whenever he tried to collect it, they gave him the same sad excuses. I really don’t understand it myself. Why would people want to take advantage of the person who did so much for them? If it wasn’t for Sesshoumaru this city would not be flourishing the way it is now. Anyway, that’s when Sesshoumaru’s legitimate business became illegitimate. He had to use force to get his money back which sometimes resulted in drastic measures. That’s when people began to call him and his associates, the mafia. He created a new rule, in this city, anyone could borrow money from him, there was no limitation on how much they could borrow, but if they didn’t pay him back when their time was up, he had the right to take their belongings or do whatever he wanted to them as repayment. Making a deal with Sesshoumaru is like selling your soul to the devil. He practically owns you until you pay him back and if you don’t then you’re his for the rest of your life. The strange part of it, is that people still borrow money from him, it’s like all they can see is the large amount they can get from him so easily, but they don’t think about the danger they put themselves in until it’s too late. “

“That sounds like my grandfather,” Kagome said. “He wanted to save his shrine so badly, but he didn’t know how. He went to Sesshoumaru, that’s the reason why Shippou was at his home claiming to offer me a job because of my college degree. It was all a lie. He sat there and let me believe it. He sat there and gave his own granddaughter away as repayment. He could have at least told me, instead of deceiving me this way.” Tears began to form in Kagome’s eyes.



“I’m sorry, Kagome,” Sango said sincerely.

“How did you get tangled up into this?” Kagome asked her, wiping the tears away with the back of her hand.

“My father had the knowledge and the skills to hunt, slay, and learn everything that Sesshoumaru needed to know about the different youkai who borrowed money from him. He was one of his closest associates. My father passed his skills to me, but I didn’t want to work for Sesshoumaru. I wanted to go to college and make my own living. That’s how I met you.”

“You told me you came here to get a job before you even graduated. I always wondered what kind of job would make you and Rin stop going to college,” Kagome said.

“It wasn’t by choice. My father died; I had to take his place, but because I’m a woman I wasn’t allowed to work with Sesshoumaru. I was placed under Miroku. Apparently, women aren’t allowed to work with the head leaders of the mafia or it could be because he’s a dog demon. All dog demons think the only business females should be allowed to handle are the staff workers at their homes, such as the maids, cooks, and butlers. They are a chauvinistic, sexist, bunch of idiots.”

“What about Rin? How did she end up work for Sesshoumaru?”

“Rin, didn’t really come here for a job. She came with me because she wanted to live in the big city. I tried to talk her out of it, but she wouldn’t listen. At the time, I couldn’t tell her I was working for the mafia, but I couldn’t keep it a secret for long since we shared an apartment together. She figured it out by the phone calls I kept getting, and the late night jobs I had to do, and, of course there were the constant visits from Miroku who couldn’t keep his big mouth shut. She wanted to meet Sesshoumaru. Can you believe that? She thought the whole thing was exciting. One day she listened to one of my calls and found out I had a meeting with him at The Plaza Restaurant. There I was sitting at the table with Sesshoumaru and the people who worked under him which were Inuyasha, Shippou, Miroku and other associates, when I happen to look away and see Rin sitting at a table alone, near Sesshoumaru. She had a menu covering half of her face and she kept peeking at him from behind it. I knew it was her because I’ve seen her wear the dress she had on. “

Kagome couldn’t help but giggle. “That sounds like something Rin would do.”

“Well Sesshoumaru’s canine nose sniffed her out and discovered her spying on us. You see, Rin and I used to borrow each other clothes so I suppose Sesshoumaru knew what she smelled like before he met her. He turned in her direction and looked right at her. Rin was so surprised at being caught, she dropped her menu and just stared back at him as if he was some kind of god. He usually has that affect on women. Sesshoumaru is a very handsome man. Anyway, Sesshoumaru actually gave her a little smile. It scared me to death, you see, he hardly ever smiles. He usually walks around with a stoic expression on his face and when he does smile, it usually means someone is in big trouble! He politely invited her to sit with us, even offered to pay for her dinner. Rin, she’s so innocent, she had no idea what she was getting herself into when she walked to his table. I prayed that she would say no and leave, but she didn’t. She sat right at the head of the table with Sesshoumaru and listened in on everything!”

Kagome gasped.

“Exactly, Rin was his the moment she sat beside him. I knew it, everyone knew it, and everyone was shocked. And poor Rin, actually thought she could go back home to our apartment after dinner. Sesshoumaru took her home with him and that’s where she’s been ever since.”

“Are you telling me that she’s Sesshoumaru’s girlfriend?”

“She’s more than his girlfriend, she’s his mate. She’s also his personal assistant. There’s something else you should know about dog demons. They don’t have to spend time dating and getting to know a female before they fall in love with them and make them their mate. They have the ability to know who will be their mate the instant they meet them. It’s like a natural instinct and I think it has something to do with how a person smells.”

“They know who they’re going to spend the rest of their life with by the way a person smells?” Kagome asked.

Sango nodded. “They smell people everyday from passing by them or walking into a room, but there is a way you can tell when a dog demon is interested in you. They take a minute to sniff you. Did Inuyasha do that when he first met you?”

Kagome’s face reddened. “Ah...yeah...he sniffed me, while I played with his ears.” She laughed, embarrassed at how that sounded. The way she said it, made it sound like they were doing some kind of strange, sexual, foreplay.

“Well, that’s interesting,” Sango teased, raising her eyebrows questionably.

“Are you implying that Inuyasha wanted me for his mate the first day he met me?”

Sango shrugged, “Who knows what goes on in Inuyasha’s brain? He probably knew, but denied it, until now. He marked you in his sleep, which meant his instincts knew even if he didn’t at the time. And when those marks disappear, he’ll do it again, and he’ll keep doing it until he’s mated with you.”

“And after that?” Kagome asked.

“After that you’re his mate, or wife in human terms, or bitch in his term, until the day he dies. Kagome dog demons take mating very seriously. Once they’ve found a mate, the person they choose becomes a part of their life, like sharing one soul, and they will never have another one. So if anything ever happened to their mate, it would destroy them. They could die from heartbreak or become a shell of what they once were.”

Kagome bit her lip, deep in thought. “So is that why he risked his life to save me? I mean we haven’t done anything yet....”

“Doesn’t matter, he marked you, that’s his way of telling every youkai out there, that you’re his future mate, and you’re off limits to anyone who might try to make you theirs, it’s very rare for them to change their minds, and Inuyasha is as stubborn as they get, once he’s made up his mind about something.”

Kagome stood up to stare out the window. This was too much information for her to digest all at once. She froze when she saw a face looking back at her....

Sango watched the color drain rapidly from Kagome’s face. Her skin turning into a stark, white, ghostly, color against her black hair.

“Kagome? Are you okay?” She stood up in alarm.

“Stay...back....,” Kagome whispered hoarsely. “Please...” Her body paralyzed in sheer terror.

Inuyasha growled menacingly as he stood up knocking over the card table in his fury. ‘That smell wasn’t suppose to exist in this world anymore...’