Human Compensation

“Here Kagome, drink this,” Sango told her as she gave her a cup of tea.

Kagome took it and slowly sipped the hot tea, realizing with a smile that Sango had remembered her favorite flavor. She closed her eyes and inhaled the soothing aroma. Thirty minutes had passed since her ‘breakdown.’ They hadn’t said it out loud, but she knew from the look in their eyes what they thought. Now they sat on each side of her on the couch watching her carefully as if she was going to do something else completely unexpected. She wasn’t crazy, but how could she tell them she wasn’t after everything that had happened?

“We should take her to the Medical Technology and Research Center,” Sango suggested. “Shippou will know if they did anything to her.”

Kagome begin to choke on her tea after hearing that. Inuyasha gave her a whack on the back which nearly sent her flying head first off the couch. She dropped the cup on the floor and watched the hot tea soaked into the carpet.

“You’re cleaning that up!” Inuyasha growled vastly annoyed.

“I wouldn’t have dropped it if you hadn’t tried to knock me out!” Kagome yelled.

“That’s the thanks I get for trying to help you?!” Inuyasha argued back.

“You don’t know your own strength!”

“Feh!” Inuyasha said crossing his arms in a huff.

“Feh!” Kagome said at the same time mocking him.

He gave her a comical look. How did she know what he was going to say that?

Sango watched them with a confused expression. “If I didn’t know any better. I’d say you two really did know each other.”

“Whatever!” Inuyasha snapped. “ Let’s just drag her annoying butt to the lab so we can find out if she’s really a spy or not.”

Kagome frowned at him. She’d forgotten how much she disliked him when they first met.

Inuyasha suddenly stopped and sniffed the air. His golden eyes turned to the open window a second before a smoke bomb was thrown in. The room quickly filled with thick smoke blinding Kagome and causing her to choke once again. She felt a strong arm wrap around her waist. With a surprised scream, she suddenly found herself outside in mid-air. Whoever had grabbed her, had jumped straight out the window! She took in a deep breath of fresh cool air to clear the smoke out of her lungs and looked up thinking it was Inuyasha who had grabbed her. Instead, she saw a long black ponytail. She knew that ponytail anywhere…”Koga?” She said slowly hoping by some miracle it wasn’t him.

“Well, at least you still remember my name, Kagome,” he said and rubbed the side of his face against hers affectionately as they landed none too gently on the ground.

Before she could say anything else, he pushed her into another body who caught her and hugged her. “Kagome, we were so worried about you,” a soft female voice said.

Kagome pulled back and stared blankly at Rin. She was wearing a dark tight outfit that covered her body and molded her curves. She reminded her of a cat burglar. Rin looked up at the sky and frowned. “Why is he coming after us?”

Kagome looked up just in time to see a streak of silver making it’s way straight to Koga who stood there smirking up at it, arrogantly. He didn’t bother to move out of the way. Rin grabbed her hand and begin to pull her away before Kagome could see what would happen.

“Let’s go, Kagome.” She said impatiently. She was trying to get away as quickly as possible while Inuyasha was distracted fighting Koga.

“Wait!” Kagome yelled and turned back around when she heard a loud crash. Koga’s body had just been thrown upside the apartment building creating a huge dent in the brick wall.

“What is going on here?!” She yelled. People on the streets were screaming and running to get out of the way. People in the apartment building were looking out the windows or cowering behind them and peeping out.

“Kagome you belong with us, not them! I don’t know why you went to Inuyasha’s apartment but we’ll find out when we get back to the headquarters,” Rin said.

“So, we’re the enemies, they’ve been talking about?” Kagome asked

“Enemies?” Rin asked. “We’re not enemies. We work for same government as they do. We just don’t work for that tyrant called Sesshoumaru. I’ve never met him in person but I hear a lot about him.”

“Get away from her!” Kagome heard Sango’s voice a distance away.

“I was hoping to avoid this and we would have if Koga hadn’t been so anxious to fight Inuyasha. Take Kagome and make a quick getaway that was the plan.” Rin said to herself instead and stood in front of Kagome.

Kagome looked at her in horror. Was she about to fight Sango? This new world was just as messed up as the last one!

“Who are you? And why are you trying to kidnap Kagome?” Sango asked Rin. Rin crossed her arms. “I don’t have to answer you. And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll let us be on our way. Kagome belongs with us.” At the word us, Kagome noticed fifty wolf youkai appearing out of nowhere. They came from around buildings, stood on rooftops of businesses and crowded the streets causing traffic jams. They jumped over cars as if they were nothing and some sat on the top of parked ones. All of them watching and waiting to attack. Their eyes glowed brightly in the night giving them an eerie look. The reflecting eyes of a wolf youkai was perhaps the most frightening thing Kagome had witnessed yet.

Sango gave Kagome a shocked and accusing look. Kagome’s face turned pale. The wind shifted and began to pick up. Kagome’s hair blew roughly in the air along with her skirt which she had to hold down with her hands. Distracted, she looked around to find where the source of high wind was coming from and gulped when saw what was descending on top of them. Sesshoumaru floated down towards them like a silver angel. His hair hung loosely down his back and seemed to glow in the moonlight, but his figure was a dark silhouette against the full moon. He landed in the middle of everything and surveyed it with a bored expression. He had heard everything that was going on in Inuyasha’s apartment since it was constantly monitored by his men. He was about to relax for a soothing hot bath when he was made aware of the problem. Now here he was bare chest in only a pair of silver pants that’d he’d thrown on at the last minute.

“You will cease your fighting,” he said calmly to Inuyasha and Koga. One finger raised slightly and sent a bolt of white energy to the two. It knocked them ten feet away from each other.

Kagome gasped. She couldn’t remember Sesshoumaru doing anything like that in their past life. It seemed Sesshoumaru was even more powerful in this life than the previous one. She wasn’t too comfortable with that knowledge.

He turned to the girls, glancing at Kagome and Sango only for a second before focusing his attention on Rin. Rin raised her head to him in defiance. Although she had turned quite pale at the moment, she was determined not to show him fear. Sesshoumaru raised a silver eyebrow and the tiniest half smirk raised the corner of his lips before he turned his attention to Koga who was picking himself up off the ground.

“Koga,” he said slowly in that calm masculine voice that sent shivers down Kagome’s spine. Even in this world, Sesshoumaru was more frightening than ever. “The prodigal son has returned.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Inuyasha yelled as he walked over to Kagome. He pulled her to him and wrapped his arm around her waist possessively. Kagome wondered if he even realized what he was doing since his eyes were focused on Sesshoumaru and Koga.

“I haven’t returned. I only came to get what’s mine,” Koga said.

“She doesn’t belong to you!” Inuyasha snapped. He knew he was right. Kagome had no symbol of belonging to anyone. No one had even touched her, yet.

“Koga worked for me before you joined, Inuyasha. He left to start his own organization,” Sesshoumaru glanced around at the wolf youkai and back at Rin. “You seem to have succeeded well.”

“I told you, I would,” Koga said.

“But not enough to let one of your own wander away and make her way to my family.”

“I don’t know why Kagome went to that mutt’s home, but we’ll get to the bottom of this right now.” Koga began to walk pass him to Kagome.

“Where are you going?” Sesshoumaru asked.

Koga froze and slowly turned to looked at Sesshoumaru.

“Did you forget the promise I made?”

“No,” Koga said sounding defeated.

Sesshoumaru’s beautiful golden eyes which were usually cold and empty seem to hold a certain hunger for blood in them. He looked like a lion playing with prey. “Tell me again the promise I made.”

Koga growled. “You said you would let me leave of my own free will, but if we ever met again. I would pay for my betrayal with my life.”

Sesshoumaru raised his hand as Koga spoke as he slowly glided to him. Long, silver claws that looked like sharp metal grew out of his fingers and dripped with a foul smelling neon green liquid. Kagome knew those claws too well.

“NO!!!” Rin ran to Sesshoumaru and grabbed his arm to stop him. Everyone gasped in surprise, except Inuyasha.

“Rin no!” Koga yelled, afraid Sesshoumaru would kill her.

“Don’t you dare hurt him!” Rin shouted at Sesshoumaru who stared down at her with an expressionless face. Deep inside, he was just as surprised as the others. Did this girl not value her life?

“That girl is either really brave or really stupid,” Inuyasha said.

“She stands up to Sesshoumaru just like I did,” Kagome said to herself.

“What?” Inuyasha asked giving her a weird look.

“Why do you beg for his life? What is he to you?” Sesshoumaru asked her.

“He is like a big brother to me. He took me in when no one else would.” Rin told him.

“Then what will you give me in return for his life?” Sesshoumaru lowered his claws.

Rin watched as they retracted. “Anything you want.” She felt as if she was making a deal with the devil himself, a handsome, powerful devil, but nevertheless, the devil.

Sesshoumaru stared at her for a long while. He had wanted her the second he laid eyes on her. It wasn’t her beauty that caught his attention. He’d seen far too many beautiful women, human and youkai alike. Something about this small feminine creature had taken his breathe away and that was something no one had ever, ever done. Something about her had called out to him. He had planned to take her after killing Koga, but since she had risked her own life to spare the imbecile, he’d decided to play a little game to make it more interesting. Would she freely give herself to him for that disloyal wolf youkai?

He stared deep into her eyes causing another shiver to go down Rin’s spine and it wasn’t from fright this time.

“I want you.” That simple statement made her knees weak with terror and should have sent her running for her life. Instead, she held her head high meeting his intense stare and nodded as proudly as she could. “So be it,” she said bravely. ‘I’m going to die,’ she thought. ‘He’s going to make me his love slave, torture and kill me.’ She’d heard the stories of what evil youkai did to humans.

Before Koga could protest. Sesshoumaru wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to him, practically swallowing her tiny body with his. He spared no one a second glance and without even a good bye, he left, shooting up into the sky and disappearing with his new prize.

Koga watched them disappear. “Will she be all right?” He asked Inuyasha.

“Sesshoumaru doesn’t kill women,” Inuyasha said. “Sesshoumaru never talked about you before and you never told me you once worked for him. Then again, we never got along to have a normal conversation. I’m curious. Why did you leave his organization?”

“I am a wolf and a leader. I was born to lead my own pack, not follow a completely different species. Sesshoumaru took me in when I was a child and left to defend on my own, the same way I took in Rin. I never meant to betray him, but my pack called out to me when I was old enough to become their leader.” He turned to Kagome. “Let’s go, Kagome.”

Kagome felt Inuyasha’s arms tighten around her.

Koga stared at Inuyasha and narrowed his eyes. “Let…her…go,” he demanded with a menacing growl.

Inuyasha smirked evilly, showing his fangs. “Make me.”

Sango watched Inuyasha with confusion before her eyes begin to sparkle with realization. At first, she thought it was strange how Inuyasha seemed so drawn to a girl he had never met before, but her studies and research on youkai behavior in college made her aware of his unusual response to Kagome. Could it be that Inuyasha had found his mate and he wasn’t even aware of it? It would explain a lot.

Kagome shook her head. Oh no, she was NOT about to go through this again with the two macho idiots. “I’m staying, Koga.” She raised her voice when she saw he was about to protest. “No, he isn’t holding me against my will. I am not crazy. I am still capable of making my own decisions. I know exactly what I’m doing. I want to stay and I don’t want you to rescue me. Got it? Have I made myself clear?” She asked hoping she explained clear enough for his brain to understand after what he’d put her through in the past.

“Kagome are you sure?”

“Yes! I’m sure. I’ve never been so sure in my life! Go home Koga. I appreciate you coming for me, but Sango is my best friend and she works with Inuyasha and I feel a lot safer around her. They were going to help me get my memories back until you and Rin tried to kidnap me.”

“Kagome..” Koga said with a worried look as if he was unsure of what to do. “I already lost Rin. I don’t want to loose you too.”

Kagome’s heart went out to him. He couldn‘t have known how he had treated her in the past. She realized she was wrong to snap at him. “I’m sorry Koga. I didn’t mean to sound so harsh. I don’t know what kind of relationship I had working with you, but I don’t feel the same way now. Please, respect my wishes and when my memories come back. I will let you know what I have decided.”

Koga nodded. He didn’t look happy at all about Kagome’s decision.

“I want to know. You can tell us now,” Inuyasha said. “What kind of relationship did you have with Kagome? Don‘t lie. I‘ll know if you‘re lying.”

“Kagome and I were only friends, even though I hoped for more,” Koga admitted.

It was strange, Kagome thought. Even in this life, Koga wanted her. Some things would never change.

They watched Koga leave with his youkai. Sango turned back to Inuyasha and Kagome. She watched them closely.

“Are you…okay?” Inuyasha asked Kagome. At first, he didn’t understand why he went after her when Rin and Koga tried to take her. He didn’t understand why his heart nearly tore through his chest at the thought of someone taking her from him. For some reason, he couldn’t let her go. Even now, he held her close as if she belonged in his arms. Holding her like this and staring down into her eyes felt…so…right. He knew without a doubt if Kagome had decided to go with Koga, he wouldn’t have let her. He was prepared to fight Koga to the death for her. And during that time, he finally understood with the help of Koga showing up and acting like Kagome was his. They had met under a crazy situation, which was why he had doubted Kagome and his feelings about her. But now, he knew…he’d found his mate.

Kagome gave him a weak smile and nodded. She looked stressed and tired from everything that had happened. “How did they find me?” She asked.

“You’re probably bugged. There’s probably a device inside one of your cavities that lets them know where you are and what you’re doing at all times. With the job we have, we have to be,” Sango answered.

“You mean I’m never going to have any privacy?!” Kagome said in horror.

Sango laughed. “It can be easily removed.”

“We’ll talk about it later,” Inuyasha said. “Sango, she needs her rest. She’s had a very stressful night. Come on, Kagome. Let’s go home.”

Inuyasha didn’t notice the surprise look Sango and Kagome gave him.