Striking A Deal

A/N:Thank you for reading my story, and thanks to those who have reviewed. They really encourage me to write. I don't believe I have said this before, so I will say it now. I don't own Inu Yasha, and I don't think that I ever will. There, that being said, let's continue with the story, shall we? Oh, and please review. Thanks
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Sesshomaru was known for many things. He was known for his strength, his ability to strike fear in the hearts of his enemies, and his cold, but good looks. However, the taiyoukai was not known for the ability to soften the blow of his words, and so, he stood before his mate and searched for the words to help soften what he had to tell her.

Inu Yasha watched his older brother carefully. He smirked when he realized that the taiyoukai was looking for a way to explain his behavior. So, he decided to step in and help him out. After all, what are brothers for?

"Kagome, it seems that Sesshomaru has been keeping his eye on you for sometime, and when you and I got into our last fight, he made me an offer after rendering you unconscious. He offered to take you off of my hands in exchange for me not coming after you, however, he failed to tell me that he knew that Kikyo had lost her ability to see the shards, and now, I want to call the deal off and take you back with us." Inu Yasha said.

Miroku and Sango looked at each other. Did the hanyou not realize that he not only told on his brother, but himself as well? It was clear to them at that point exactly who it was that got the brains in the family.

Sesshomaru kept his gaze on Kagome. She was staring at Inu Yasha with a horrified expression and then slowly turned to him.

"You were following me?" She asked.

Sesshomaru nodded. Kagome's eyes began to tear up. "It was you who killed that snake demon who attacked me, wasn't it?" She asked.

Sesshomaru nodded again. Kagome looked from him to Inu Yasha, who stood before her looking quite pleased with himself. Sesshomaru took a step towards her, but was stopped by what Inu Yasha said next.

"Go ahead, Kagome. Tell us what you are feeling. I am sure that you feel betrayed and hurt that he could do this to you." Inu Yasha said. He shot his brother a wide grin.

Sango and Miroku stood up. There was no way in hell they were going to stand beside Kagome when she allowed the gates of her fury to open. They had a feeling that Sesshomaru's servants would be cleaning hanyou out of the rugs for a while.

Kagome stepped forward, her gaze hardening. She opened her mouth, and said, "You are right, Inu Yasha. I should tell the one who betrayed me how I feel."

Inu Yasha puffed up his chest. Kikyo stared at her reincarnation with worried eyes. She had a feeling that Inu Yasha was about to learn the reasoning behind that old saying: hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

Kagome stepped closer to the hanyou. "Tell me something Inu Yasha. Did it ever occur to your pea brain that perhaps it was you who had betrayed me and not your brother?" She asked.

Inu Yasha stared at her. "I didn't betray you." He said.

"Oh really? What do you call agreeing to give me away to your worst enemy so that you could be alone with your bitch?" Kagome shouted.

Kikyo was about to say something, but the look on her reincarnation's face told her that it was highly probable that she would not make it to the door intact, so she wisely stayed quiet.

Inu Yasha could not understand what was happening. Did he do something wrong? He glanced over at Sango and Miroku. Both shook their heads at him, silent warnings telling him to shut the hell up. However, Inu Yasha decided not to take the unspoken advice and then tried to reason with the upset girl.

"Kagome, I know that you are upset, but why are you angry at me? Sesshomaru is the one who took you and offered me the deal. I simply took it, and I am going to get killed, aren't I?" Inu Yasha asked. Sometimes, he wished that he had been born mute. It finally dawned on him why she was so angry with him. He never should have accepted his brother's deal, and she saw his acceptance as betrayal.

Kagome glared at the hanyou, who was backing up from her. She then balled up her fists and at the top of her lungs, she yelled, "SIT, YOU STUPID BASTARD, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT."

Now, seeing the cocky hanyou flat on his face, moaning in agony was too much for Sango. Too long he had taken Kagome's heart and trust only to betray her over and over again. She let loose a hearty laugh, and felt Miroku shaking from his enjoyment as well. It was time Kagome got her revenge and she did it perfectly.

Inu Yasha groaned. He had never hurt so much. He picked up his head, and found Kagome glaring down at him. Sesshomaru stood off to the side, watching his mate with cautious eyes.

"What about him? He was in on it." Inu Yasha whined.

Kagome whirled around and looked at Sesshomaru. "Oh yes," She said. "I nearly forgot."

She walked over to her mate, and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you for watching over and saving me. If it had not been for you, that snake demon would have killed me." She said.

Inu Yasha could not believe his ears. He got injured while his brother got cuddled on. It was almost too much.

"What aren't you mad at him? He betrayed you too." The hanyou sputtered out.

Kagome silenced him with a glare. "At the time of this deal, I was not with Sesshomaru. He owed me nothing, and instead of leaving me with someone who goes behind my back and lies to me at every turn, he brought me here and gave me the commitment that I have been dreaming of. Now, get your ass up and leave here."

Inu Yasha grumbled as he picked himself up off of the floor. "We still have shards to find, wench. Or did you forget that it was you who broke the jewel in the first place?" He asked.

Kagome flinched. She had forgotten about the shards. Seeing his mate's anguish, Sesshomaru came to a decision.

"She will continue to hunt for the shards, but I will be with her while she hunts with your group." Sesshomaru said.

Inu Yasha was outraged. "Hell no, uh-uh. You are not coming with us, you sadistic bastard."

Kagome cocked her head to the side. "Well, then I guess Sesshomaru and I will have to go and find them alone, unless Sango and Miroku would care to join us."

The slayer and monk needed no further invitation. They quickly agreed to join Kagome and her new mate. It was better than being with a loud-mouthed hanyou who never showed any kind of gratitude for their help.

Kagome smiled. "There, it is settled. But we will have to go and get Shippo. I won't leave him behind, and I miss him so much."

Sango stepped forward. "I will go back to the village and bring him here. I am sure he misses you too."

Kagome smiled at her friend. "Thank you, Sango. This means a lot to me."

Sango nodded, and left the room. She wanted to be back before dinnertime and with her riding Kilala, she would have been at the village and back at the palace in no time.

Inu Yasha was dumbfounded. How could they do this to him? He glared at the monk, who calmly stepped forward.
"I realize that you are angry, but if you ask nicely, perhaps Lady Kagome would allow you to join our little group." Miroku said.

Inu Yasha shook his head. "There is no way that I am joining forces with my bastard half-brother. Fine, if that is how you are going to be, Kagome, then let us make another deal. If we find the most of the shards, then you will give us yours and be gone. If you get the most, you will get ours and we will never bother you again. You can do whatever you want with the jewel. How is that for a deal?"

Sesshomaru smirked. He knew that the mutt was planning on following them. It was written on his face. So, he decided to add a stipulation to the deal.

"You will have your race, however, you may not follow us and use Kagome's ability to see the shards. Let your mate look for the shards for your team." He said, in a calm voice.

Inu Yasha stepped back as though he had been slapped. Sesshomaru had guessed what he had been planning. So, now he was back to square one. How was he going to find the shards when Kikyo didn't have the ability that Kagome did?

He shook his head, and reached for Kikyo's hand. He shot everyone in the room a glare, and stomped out of the room. They heard the front doors slam, and knew that he was gone. Sesshomaru called for Jaken, who appeared dressed up in a dark blue kimono and had makeup on his face. Kagome had to stifle a giggle and Sesshomaru coughed to cover up the chuckle that was threatening to escape.

"I want you to get three rooms ready. We are having guests and I expect that they will be treated well during their stays here." Sesshomaru ordered.

Jaken tried to bow, but was knocked over when a small child ran into the room, hugging Sesshomaru's leg.

He looked down, and saw that Rin had attached herself to him and had tears in her eyes.

"Sesshomaru-sama, Jaken said that because Rin smelled bad and looked funny, Sesshomaru-sama had found another human to take Rin's place. Does Sesshomaru-sama not love Rin anymore?" Rin asked, sobs wracking her tiny body.

Jaken cowered behind a chair. Damn child, never could take a joke. Kagome saw the murderous look in her mate's eyes, and quickly went to the little girl.

When Rin looked at her, her tears began to lessen. It was her Kagome-Chan.

"Kagome-Chan! Did you come to play with Rin?" Rin asked. She looked over at the toad who was staring at Sesshomaru-sama. Rin hoped that Kagome-chan had come to visit her; she didn't like playing with the mean toad demon.
Kagome laughed. "Well, your Sesshomaru-sama and I are now mates, so I will be here to play with you forever."

Rin looked at her Kagome-chan and then at her Sesshomaru-sama. "Does this mean that Rin has a new mommy?"

Sesshomaru nodded. He had to fight the urge to plug his ears when the child squealed. She let go of his leg and threw herself into the waiting arms of her new mother. Kagome laughed and told Rin that she had a surprise coming to the palace. Rin got excited, but promised to be a good girl and take a nap. After a servant came and took Rin to her room, Sesshomaru let go.

His eyes glowing red, he slowly approached the toad demon. "Jaken, why would you tell Rin such a thing?" He asked.

Jaken began to back up, however, he ended up against the legs of his new mistress, who was looking down at him with angry eyes.

Sesshomaru's hand snaked out and grabbed the toad demon by his head. Jaken gulped. It was clear that he was about to experience pain like never before. He could smell the stench of his lord's poison, but never expected what happened next.

Kagome had stepped up to her mate. She placed her hand on his arm, and then motioned for him to tilt his head down. She whispered something in his ear, causing the lord to lose his emotionless expression. For the first time in his employment with Lord Sesshomaru, Jaken saw the demon lord smile.

"It is a fitting punishment. It will do nicely." Sesshomaru said. He threw Jaken to the ground, and glared at the toad.

"Lady Kagome's adopted pup will be arriving shortly. You will from now on be his and Rin's caretaker. If my mate and I hear that you have upset our pups, you will experience a pain only reserved for those who are banished to the deepest pit of hell. Am I clear, Jaken?" Sesshomaru said.

Jaken nodded. He picked himself up and bowed. "Very clear, my lord. May this lowly Jaken go and attend to your guest's rooms?" He asked.

When given a nod, Jaken got out of the room fast. He had a feeling that his life had gotten a lot more miserable.

Kagome looked at Miroku. He looked tired, and she offered to show him to his chambers. Sesshomaru shook his head; he wanted to talk to his mate alone, and called for a servant. After Miroku had been lead away, Kagome went to close the door. She heard a familiar smack and the servant yelling the word, "Hentai." Kagome shook her head, wondering when Miroku would learn his lesson.

Sesshomaru sat at his desk and called for Kagome to come to him. She did as she was told, and stood before her mate. She looked into his eyes, and gulped. From the hungry look in his eyes, she had a feeling that she would not be leaving the study for quite some time.