Deception by Miss Megz

An old secret and an even older friend

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha but am very thankful right now for the auto-save feature Microsoft Word has right now.

The inugroup had been fighting a powerful old demon that had been accidentally awakened. "Shikon Jewel!" the demon would bellow but the group was determined to keep the shards away from him. They were having trouble nevertheless; the demon had an excellent strategy; he was tiring out the group while he kept his stamina high.

"This is no good," Inuyasha fumed as he slid backwards.

"This is a demon your father's time! He knows how to fight in a way that is dead to the other demons of today!" Myoga jumped up and down from a safe place, "he will continue like this until his opponent is too tired to fight back!"

"How do we defeat him then? We can not play by him own game," Miroku asked.

Myoga was silent before at last answering, "give him the shards."

"That's not an option and you know it!" Inuyasha yelled. The demon simply chuckled.

"The only way we could survive is if a demon who knows the tactic came along and took over," Myoga sighed, "but the only demon still alive that knows is-"

"Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha seethed. He was not finishing Myoga's statement but glaring at his older brother who had come onto the scene.

Sesshoumaru didn't even glance at Inuyasha as he faced the demon, "so someone has disturbed your slumber."

"Sesshoumaru, still just as foolish as ever," the demon attacked Sesshoumaru like he had with Inuyasha. The demon lord simply shifted and the attack whizzed by him. "So you still have nerves of steel," the demon chuckled again, "well, you can show them off in the netherworld!" Again an attack and again Sesshoumaru barely moved. The group was in awe, Sesshoumaru was the one who knew! The battle lasted several hours and neither showed signs of fatigue. Inuyasha had tried several times to rejoin the fight but the only thing he had accomplished was getting his elder brother injured. The demon had one last move and used it to get the shards from Kagome.

"This isn't the Shikon Jewel! This is a fake!" the demon turned to try and get an explanation but Sesshoumaru was too fast. The demon lay on the ground with the dog demon standing over him, "where-"

"Silence your drivel," Sesshoumaru ordered but did it for him.

He was walking away when he was stopped by the group, "what did he mean by fake?" Sango asked.

"Nothing of importance," was the reply before he disappeared into the trees. The group watched him leave knowing he was hiding something but they also knew that trying to get information out of him was like trying to get blood from a stone.

Inuyasha turned and squeezed Myoga, "what did ugly there man by 'fake'?"

"I-I don't know!" Myoga stuttered.

"You stink at lying. So why don't you just tell us," Kagome offered.

Myoga sighed, he knew he was a terrible liar, "the Shikon Jewel Kagome broke was a fake. The real one was hidden away before the slayers ever gave it to Kikyo." The group was stunned into speechlessness.

"So where is the real one?" Shippo asked.

Myoga shrugged and was squeezed again by Inuyasha, "I really don't know the location! The master died before the switch was ever made and there is no chance of Sesshoumaru ever telling me or anyone other than the heir of the West its whereabouts! It's the best kept secret of the West!" Myoga shouted. Inuyasha growled and dropped the flea. No one even noticed as a certain insect flew away.

"Best kept secret hm?" Naraku mused, "perhaps it's time I paid Lord Sesshoumaru a little visit."

Sesshoumaru had returned to his own group that had been waiting for his return anxiously. Neither was really sure why he left but he did it so often that neither Rin nor Jaken really cared anymore. "Welcome back my lord!" Rin shouted happily, "how did it go?" Of course no one but Sesshoumaru knew what "it" was but she asked all the same.

"Fine," the demon lord replied. He was in a talkative mood.

"What was it you had to do Lord Sesshoumaru?" Rin asked.

"An old enemy of father's had resurfaced and was causing trouble," it wasn't really an answer but the child accepted it anyway. Sesshoumaru looked at the darkening sky. It gave the land a peaceful look to it but for him things were not destined to be peaceful.

"Oi, Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha called with his arms folded across his chest. Kagome pulled on Inuyasha's ear and glared at him. "What's this for?" he demanded.

"You idiot! We're here to get information! Not for you to provoke Sesshoumaru into a fight!" Kagome scolded. Jaken just stared at the two as they started to argue but squawked when he realized that his lord was leaving without him. Kagome stopped her arguing to realize this as well. "Sesshoumaru! Please stop!" She begged and to everyone's amazement, he did.

"What do you want Priestess?" Sesshoumaru didn't turn around and it took Kagome a minute to gather her wits about herself.

"Myoga told us that the Jewel we are hunting is a fake," Kagome started but stopped when she saw him glaring death at Myoga, "we know you won't tell up where it is so we just want to know why."

"Yes, why would you do something like that? Why you would let so many die in the name of a fake?" Sango was doing her best to control her anger towards the dog demon.

"It could not be taken without having a replacement," Sesshoumaru stated, "attention had to be turned away from the real one so it would not be sought out." Everyone understood that but no one understood why he would do it.

"You wanted the real one for yourself!" Inuyasha accused.

Sesshoumaru let out a breath that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. "Hardly little brother; the real one is much too powerful to leave in the hands of humans," the dog demon replied calmly.

"You did this because you don't trust humans," Kagome looked at the ground feeling somewhat rejected.

"Nothing personal," he commented and began to walk away. No one really knew if they should let him go like that, he knew something dangerous and while he could protect himself, the little girl was a target and he couldn't protect her all the time.

"We can not force him to stay and tell us anything," Miroku reminded everyone. Inuyasha hated this but not because he had to rely on his brother to do the right thing but because he again had been left out of the loop.

"If Sesshoumaru and I had been more like brothers we are supposed to, do you think he would have told us more?" Inuyasha asked Myoga. The flea peered out and hopped onto Inuyasha's nose.

"Highly doubtful Master Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru has told no one of its location or even it's existence," the flea shook his head. Kagome was usually quiet. It just seemed so unfair that he was left to deal with this alone. Why should he have to bear this alone? Kagome wondered and stared at her jewel shards. She suddenly ran off in the direction that Sesshoumaru walked off in. The group watched and weren't sure if they should follow. Inuyasha hopped into a tree to wait for her return. Kikyo and I lost each other over something that isn't even real he sighed. Everyone had suffered over a fake and somehow that felt worse than anything Naraku could do to them.

Kagome caught up with Sesshoumaru and stood in front of him so he couldn't ignore her. "Out of the way you miserable human!" Jaken yelled but was silenced by a swift rock thrown by his master.

"Silence Jaken," Sesshoumaru ordered and stared at the priestess, "what is it you want Priestess?" He figured that the least he could do was hear what she had to say. After all, he really had pulled one over on them and he was not one to play dirty like Naraku.

Kagome was lost for a moment when he looked directly at her. He had never looked directly at anyone, let alone her. "I know you won't say anything about the real Shikon Jewel but would you at least help us gather the shards of the fake?" she pleaded.

Sesshoumaru was taken aback by her request, "why should I? It does not concern me," he raised an elegant eyebrow at her and waited for a response.

"Well it would help keep attention away from anyone who suspected anything," she started but noticed he wasn't buying it, "besides, I'm sure Rin would like to be able to play with someone a little closer to her age." Now she was really playing a wild card. The demon lord was usually pretty stable but Rin always struck a nerve with him. Sometimes he reacted in the way someone hoped and sometimes he went in the completely opposite direction.

Rin looked at her lord hopefully and tugged on his pant leg, "please Lord Sesshoumaru?" she begged, "I would really like to with other children." It was easy to see he was caving to her. Jaken groaned. There was just no way that that little human had that much influence on the dog lord's whims!

"Very well, I will give your suggestions an attempt priestess," he replied after serious consideration. Jaken was floored; Rin did have that much influence!

Kagome almost shouted her joy but stopped herself. This is a trial. I have to contain myself Kagome reminded herself. "The others are back this way," she pointed and walked slightly ahead of him so as to tip off the others she had invited him.

"Have you completely lost your mind!?" Inuyasha demanded once Kagome had explained what she had done. Sesshoumaru stood in silence with his hands in the opposite sleeves of his haori.

"No I haven't! If Sesshoumaru joins our hunt for the shards than there is even less of a chance of someone getting suspicious about the Jewel," she calmly explained, "I don't completely agree with what Sesshoumaru has done to protect it but everything that many have done to protect this one will have been in vain if anyone gets their hands on the real one."

Sango studied the demon who still stood patiently at the entrance to the clearing," I agree with Kagome," she turned to her friend and completely dismissed the demon lord, "if the real one were to fall into the wrong hands then everything my village did will have been pointless." Miroku nodded in agreement. They had a chance to do something noble.

"Have you all gone insane?! This is Sesshoumaru you guys are talking about trusting!" Inuyasha couldn't comprehend it, "we should be trying to find the real one! Not leaving it in the hands of this asshole!" he pointed to Sesshoumaru who was getting sick of being talked about as though he wasn't even there.

"Do you really think I desire to be in the same area as you? I would much prefer to tear you apart and watch you suffocate on your own blood. Whether my decision is right or wrong is irrelevant. This is a secret that must be kept at all costs." Jaken was amazed at the way Sesshoumaru explained this all. Rin looked at Jaken and giggled. If what her lord had said about killing Inuyasha affected her, she didn't show it.

"You'll catch flies if you leave your mouth open like that Master Jaken!" Rin snickered and closed the imp's mouth.

The sun had just set and the brothers had gotten a fight out of their systems. Inuyasha was nursing several injuries while Sesshoumaru stared into the flames of the camp fire. No one was really talking and the silence was awkward. Rin seemed to be the only one who wasn't affected. She was playing with some of the strands of hair that fell over her lord's shoulder. Hell, she was even humming happily under her breath. What suddenly broke the silence was Sesshoumaru, "go bathe Rin," he ordered but still stared at the fire.

Rin stopped fiddling with his hair and stood obediently, "where shall I my lord?" she asked.

"Jaken!" was the sharp order and the toad stood obediently as well.

"Follow me Rin, there is a hot spring close by here," he grumbled.

Kagome looked at Sango and Shippo. Both had already grabbed their bathing items. "Wait for us!" Kagome called and then the three had to run to catch up with Rin. Sesshoumaru shook out the knots that had formed thanks to Rin's boredom.

Jaken humphed as he headed back to where his master was. The women had chased him off. He found it insulting that they would even entertain the though of him spying on them bathing.

"So why did Sesshoumaru suddenly want you to take a bath?" Sango asked.

Rin shrugged and splashed around in the water, "Master Jaken says that it's because my dirty smell affects Lord Sesshoumaru's sensitive nose." She didn't really care about the answer she gave. Rin obeyed him and in her mind that as long as she obeyed him; he would let her stay with him.

Shippo watched Rin swim around a little in a shallow spot in the hot spring, "why would you stay with him?" he couldn't help but ask.

Rin stopped and looked at the fox demon, "Lord Sesshoumaru makes me happy," she saw that he didn't understand, "after my family was killed by bandits I was always scared and sad. One day I find Lord Sesshoumaru and I was scared of him at first but it went away after he asked me how I got my bruises. I was so happy. I was always told that demons were cruel but he asked and I knew then that that isn't true," she stopped to bask in the happy memory for a minute, "and when the wolves and darkness came it was Lord Sesshoumaru who chased them away. He chased away death and when he held me I felt safe. Even though he hasn't held me since, I feel safe because he is nearby and will always protect me." The three were quiet for a long time to let her story sink in. It now made sense why she was always smiling whenever they saw her; because Sesshoumaru was there she had a reason to smile.

"Don't you miss your real family?" Shippo asked. It as similar for him but he still missed his father.

Rin nodded, "I do miss them but as long as I have Lord Sesshoumaru I won't be sad," she looked at Shippo and was still smiling, "as long as Lord Sesshoumaru is here with me I will never be sad." It became painfully obvious to Kagome and Sango that Rin needed the dog demon more than either of them together would ever need anything. The rest of the bath passed in pleasant small talk and Jaken yelling that Rin had spent too much time in the water. They followed the tiny retainer back to the camp wondering how Sesshoumaru put up with him.

"Enjoy your bath?" Miroku asked in a sullen tone. He has a huge bump on his head and Inuyasha had a black eye.

"What happened to you two?" Kagome asked.

"Funny story," Myoga replied and popped out from Inuyasha's hair, "Miroku got up to spy on you and Sango bathing but Sesshoumaru caught him and struck him for trying to. Inuyasha got up to defend Miroku but was punched in the face."

"Well," Sango looked at Miroku, "maybe next time you'll think twice about spying on us." It's only because Rin was with us but he may still think before coming to spy Sango thought with amusement. Shippo was explaining the concept of coloring to Rin near the fire with Kagome heating up water for Ramen. Sesshoumaru wasn't even paying attention to anything they were doing as he watched the fire. It was unnerving to anyone who watched him. Inuyasha was waiting for the noodles impatiently to be ready.

"How long does it take for water to boil?" the half demon demanded impatiently. Kagome sat him and turned to watch as the children colored in the coloring book she brought for Shippo. Everyone was starting to adjust to the situation. There was still trouble between the brothers but that was to be expected. If dog demons were anything like their animal counterparts, then a big fight for supremacy was coming. The priestess could already guess who would win. She watching as she stirred the noodles to get them to soften. Why do I keep staring at him? Kagome asked herself; but she had to admit, the view was pretty,

Inuyasha snatched the Ramen from Kagome and started eating it like someone was going to take it away from him, "hey!" Kagome shouted, "that was for everyone! Now what are the rest of us supposed to eat?" Sesshoumaru suddenly stood up and was walking to the tree line.

Rin nudged Shippo who stood up and ran to the feared demon, "can I come with you please? I wanna be a good leader too someday," he asked Sesshoumaru. The demon lord gave a slight nod as walked into the trees with Shippo at his heels. There was a rustling in the bushed with a slight struggle before everything went silent again. After a few minutes the two emerged with a large chunk of meat slung over Sesshoumaru's back. Shippo was so proud of himself and even showed off the cut he got while hunting down the animal that became the piece of meat.

"Good job Shippo," Kagome congratulated as she got the meat cooking. She doubted that he had played a big part in taking down the animal but it didn't really matter at that moment.

The meal had been eaten and now everyone was just lying around dozing in the fire light. Inuyasha was still angry at Sesshoumaru for "showing him up" but knew better than to say anything. Rin and Shippo were sleeping and Kagome had just finished tucking them in. She looked at Sesshoumaru and smiled, "that was a great thing you did for Shippo."

"If he truly wished to become a strong leader someday then hunting will be an essential skill to him," Sesshoumaru replied.

"But you could have said no," Kagome stated.

"Every boy has a right to learn how to hunt, I am not someone who will deny another his rights," he stated but still stared at the crackling flames.

"Did you go hunting as a boy?" she couldn't help but ask.

"I grew up during a famine priestess, anyone male that was old enough to run was responsible to help gather food," he responded but noticed the sad face she had, "despite the seriousness of the situation, it was still enjoyed."

Kagome smiled and poked at the logs with a stick, "glad to hear it." Sesshoumaru wondered vaguely why he felt a need to make her happy but the thought passed as he looked up at the moon. So much has happened today and now he finally had a chance to mull it over as he liked to.

Maybe not he mentally growled as he smelt Kaugra. He followed the scent and saw her sitting on a fallen tree. "Wind Sorceress Kaugra," he stated. Said demoness turned and looked at him.

"I don't have long. Naraku knows the secret of the Shikon Jewel and is plotting on to get it's location out of you," she warned and flew off. Sesshoumaru turned and headed back to where the rest were. Is there something else that is going to happen or can I relax now? He thought sarcastically and sat back down.