InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Kiss to Remember ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Note: This story is based on a book by Jane Anne Krentz and some things are straight from the book, especially in the beginning but with changes because I love them so much and I thought this story would be so cute with Inuyasha characters.

 

 

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and anything from Jane Anne Krentz don't belong to me.

 

 

Chapter 2

 

Kagome had been sitting on her bed staring blankly out at the night darkened sea ever since she hung up the phone a few minutes ago. Sesshoumaru's call had taken her by surprise. When the phone rung, she assume it had been her mother calling to remind her yet again that she and her father were expecting her for her semi-annual visit to the island. She had been putting it off as long as possible. It had been nearly eight months since she had last visited Orleana. In the past, she had eagerly looked forward to going out to the Pacific island every six months. Belatedly she realized it was much too late for her parents to call.

 

 

But she had been taken completely by surprise when she heard Sesshoumaru's voice. Sesshoumaru, who never called while he was away. She usually learned of his return from a trip when he showed up on her doorstep carrying flowers.

 

 

Glancing out the window again, Kagome noticed that a heavy fog was crouched over Caliph's Bay tonight. It was a good half hour's drive to the Monterey airport, but with the fog she had better allow more time.

 

 

Not once during their three month acquaintance had Sess, as she dubbed him, ever asked her to meet him at the airport when he returned home from one of his consulting trips. But then, Sesshoumaru never imposed, never made demands. He was content to take whatever she offered. The arrangement suited Kagome perfectly.

 

 

But tonight he had broken his own, unspoken rules. He had asked a favor.

 

 

Kagome shook off the odd sense of anxiety that gripped her the instant she had heard his voice. She pushed herself off the bed and headed towards her closet to dress.

 

Following the advice in one of the many books on insomnia that she had bought during the past few month, she had been going through an elaborate routine in preparation for bed. With the usual optimism of such self-help approaches, the author of the book had suggested that the body and mind must relearn the anticipation of sleep. The theory was that concentration on the repetitive, nightly ritual of undressing, brushing teeth, face washing, and the rest was one approach to reacquainting oneself with an expectation of sleep. It sounded as good as anything Kagome had tried lately, and Kami knows she had tried a variety of techniques. She had just put on a button-up flannel pajama top, her night wear of choice, when the phone had rung. So much for this evening's little ritual of anticipation.

 

 

No loss, she told herself in resignation as she quickly put on a pair of low-rise, dark blue jeans, a white tank top, and a green zip-up sweatshirt. The odds were against her getting much sleep tonight anyway. She rarely got a good night's sleep lately, no matter how many books she read on the subject. No, no book could cure her underlying problem. No book could wipe away the memories of what happened eight months ago on Orleana shortly before her twenty-fourth birthday.

 

 

She had been right about her drive to the airport, Kagome realized some time later as she eased her compact car out to drive on the narrow, winding two-lane highway. The fog was not impenetrable, but driving in it definitely demanded her complete concentration.

 

 

Kagome gave most of her attention to driving, but a part of her mind couldn't stop wondering about the reason she was on the road at this time of night in the first place. She wondered is Sesshoumaru would offer any explanation for his unusual behavior. She doubted it. And even if she had been inclined to ask, Sesshoumaru was not the kind of man a woman nagged.

 

 

Kagome was proud of the way she never asked questions, offered suggestions, or otherwise tried to impose her will on him. And Sesshoumaru seemed to appreciate her caution. She sensed deep down that Sesshoumaru Tashio had his own secrets to hide, just as she had hers. A part of her suspected that she wanted to ask questions because she never wanted to hear the answers.

 

 

Sesshoumaru. Kagome let his full name ripple through her mind. It was a unusual name, but it fit him perfectly. She had always wondered where his name came from; it was mysterious, dangerous and beautiful - just like its owner. To say that Sesshoumaru was handsome would be like saying lava was lukewarm. No he wasn't just handsome, he was beautiful - beautiful and masculine in every way. He often reminded her of a Greek statue, hard and perfectly chiseled. With his silky long white hair, intense amber eyes, and rock hard body, he could easily be mistaken for a god. He was somewhere in his mid thirties, but his golden eyes seemed to hold at least an extra generation's worth of the world. On some level, Kagome knew, Sesshoumaru's cool, watchful gaze had been what initially attracted her to him. But the easygoing quality of their relationship was what held her. She had discovered Sesshoumaru was good at relaxed friendships. And she needed someone who was content not to make demands.

 

 

Still, she found the though of any kind of relationship with Sesshoumaru Tashio odd. Kagome knew that under normal circumstances she would never have gotten involved with him. He was not really the gentle, honest, “guy next door” kind of man she had once sought. He wasn't the kind of male a women knew instinctively could be domesticated, the kind who would make a good husband and father. Kagome knew that even though he was good at projecting whatever façade seemed suitable to the occasion, there was an underlying darkness to him that would have threatened, even repelled her eight months before. But she no longer lived under “normal circumstances.”

 

 

The simple truth was that Kagome was not the same person she had been eight months ago. For some strange reason the change in her left her open to viewing Sesshoumaru Tashio in a different manner than she once would have done. On some level, the hardness and darkness in him actually appealed to her now. Perhaps, she thought, she subconsciously longed to have some of that dangerous internal strength for herself.

 

 

She was waiting at the airport gate when Sesshoumaru finally came through the door. He was one of the last passengers off the plane and Kagome had begun to wonder if she had met the wrong flight, When she saw the cane and the stark, controlled expression on Sesshoumaru's face she had the fleeting sensation of definitely having met the wrong plane. It was as if she was seeing him clearly for the first time.

 

 

He stopped when he saw her. He had a small leather flight bag and a bundle of sadly crushed white roses in his right hand. The passengers leaving the plane behind him separated and flowed around him in twin streams as if were a boulder that had fallen in their path.

 

 

Kagome saw the grim challenge in his eyes and swallowed her shock. She hurried forward, reaching automatically for the leather bag. Impulsively, driven to offer some kind of welcome and comfort, she stood briefly on her tiptoes to brush her lips lightly across his. She had never before offered such a personal greeting and she was startled by the feel of his mouth. It was hard and inflexible under hers. Blushing, she quickly stepped back. Summoning a smile, Kagome sought for the light, cheerful touch that had characterized their relationship for the past three months.

 

 

“You do know how to make an entrance; I'll say that for you. Want me to get you a wheelchair?”

 

 

He glared at her. “No, I do not want a wheelchair. I'm embarrassed enough as it is. The thought of you pushing me in a wheelchair is a little more than I can take at the moment. I know I look like hell.”

 

Kagome arched her eyebrows faintly, studying him. He'd never snapped at her before, he had always been in complete control of his emotions during the half a dozen or so times they'd spent together. His tone of voice tonight was undoubtedly cause by his present physical condition.

 

 

“That's one way of putting it.”

 

 

Sesshoumaru's mouth twisted wryly. “I apologize for the short temper. It's been a long day.” Sesshoumaru started forward as Kagome walked beside him.

 

 

“I can see that.” Kagome smiled easily. “Where did you come from? A war zone?”

 

 

“I had an accident.”

 

 

“Somehow I managed to figure out that all on my own. Sess, no offense, but you look terrible. Should I take you to an emergency room?” She found the flight bag surprisingly heavy and wondered how he'd managed it in his condition. Quickly she scanned his face, trying to assess the damage as she walked beside him to the car.

 

 

“The last thing I need is an emergence room. I've had all the doctors I can stand for a while.”

 

 

“What on earth happened? Was in an industrial accident? Did something happen at the job site?” Kagome asked seriously.

 

 

“Nothing that dramatic. It was a car accident.” Sesshoumaru frowned down at the crumpled flowers under his arm. “These are for you.”

 

 

“Hmm, they look like they went though the same accident.” Kagome smiled with determined brightness as she took the crushed flowers. She was touched that he had remembered. It made her realize she'd grown accustomed to the little homecoming ritual. Maybe there were more expectations between them than she was willing to admit.

 

 

“I slept on them in the plane,” he admitted.

 

“Where did the accident take place? In Japan?” Kagome asked as she halted beside her car and fumbled for the keys.

 

 

“What? Oh. Yeah. Japan.” Sesshoumaru slid into the passenger seat with a muttered groan. He shut his eyes briefly and then opened them. “They drive like crazy people over there.”

 

 

“No kidding? Well, no you're in my hands,” Kagome remarked as she slipped into the driver's seat and started the engine.

 

 

“The mind boggles.”

 

 

“You should have thought of that before you called me to come pick you up.” She shifted into reverse and backed out of the parking space.

 

 

Sesshoumaru turned to look at her. In the shadows of the car his face was an intent mask. “Thanks for coming out tonight, Kagome,” he said quietly. “I don't know what I would have done without you. I'm in no shape to drive.”

 

 

“I noticed.” She kept her tone dry so the worry would seep through. He wouldn't want her worrying, and she was a little afraid of what her worrying about him might mean. “Any permanent damage?”

 

 

“I'm told I'm structurally sound although it doesn't feel like it at the moment.”

 

 

“Who told you that? The doctor's in at your company?”

 

 

“Yeah. But what do they know?”

 

 

“Good question. Are you going to sue?”

 

 

“Who? The driver? Not a chance. He took off before I could even get a look at him,” Sesshoumaru said wearily.

 

 

“The perils of being a globe-trotting engineer. Those of us who only sit and wait lead far less exciting lives.”

 

 

“So I'm told. How is your book coming along?” Sesshoumaru asked, as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

 

 

“It's alright, I think I've finally got a handle on it,” Kagome answered, knowing that he was ready to change the subject.

 

 

“Settle on a title yet? You were calling it Untitled Opus Number Four when I left.”

 

 

“Somehow I decided after you left that that sounded a bit pretentious. The new title came to me in a blinding flash last week while I was scrubbing the shower,” Kagome admitted lightly. “Private Demons. What do you think?”

 

 

Sesshoumaru considered that title with mocked solemnity. “I like it. It's got charm, wit, and a double meaning. What more could an editor ask for?”

 

 

“A book that lives up to the title.”

 

 

Sesshoumaru let out a dry chuckle. “Some people have a lot of nerve, don't they? Kami, I'm tired.' He searched in his pocket of his white cotton khakis for a small bottle.

 

 

“What's that?” Kagome shot his a swift glance as he swallowed a little white pill without opening his eyes.

 

 

“Painkillers. Good stuff, strong stuff. Worth a hundred bucks on the street, so the doctor told me anyway. Maybe I should sell them and take you out to dinner for coming to pick me up tonight. At least it would salvage some part of this trip.” He shoved the pills back into his pockets.

 

 

“So this trip wasn't a success?”

 

 

“It was a complete disaster,” he told her flatly.

 

Started by the admission, Kagome bit her bottom lip to keep from responding. Sesshoumaru never talked openly about his business problems.

 

 

“Well, I'll have you safely home in less than a half hour,” she assured him. “Are you sure you don't want to go to the emergency room?”

 

 

There was no answer to her remark. Kagome took her eyes off the road long enough to look at her passenger's face. Sesshoumaru was asleep. She didn't think he would appreciate waking up in an emergency room.

 

 

About half an hour later, Kagome turned down the main street of Caliph's Bay. The small, quaint seaside community was fast asleep. Sesshoumaur's cottage was located on a bluff overlooking the sea. Kagome started to slow as she approached the turnoff, then glanced at Sesshoumaru's sleeping face.

 

 

Sesshoumaru was in no condition to take care of himself. The man was dead tired and under the effect of Kami knows how many little white pills. Kagome made her decision and put her foot back down on the accelerator.

 

A few minutes later, Kagome pulled into her own driveway. She turned in the seat, trying to estimate the task ahead of her. Sesshoumaru Tashio was all hard muscle and solid bone; there was nothing light or airy about him. There was no way she could get him inside unless he walked on his own two feet.”

 

 

“Sess?” Gently she touched his shoulder. He didn't move, but his amber eyes suddenly opened and fixed on her face. Kagome jolted from his abrupt awakening, and her hand fell from his arm.

 

 

“Are we there?” The intensity faded from his gaze and was replaced by weariness.

 

 

“Yes. But there is no way that I can carry you. And unless you can levitate, I'm afraid you'll have to walk on your own.”

 

 

“Right now levitating sounds easier.” With a heavy sigh he opened the door car door.

Kagome hurried around to help him. “Here, let me get your cane. Don't worry about the flight bag. I'll get it.”

 

 

Sesshoumaru leaned on the car and stared at the house in front of him. “This is your place.”

 

 

“I see your powers of observation are still working. Come on, it's cold out here. Let's get inside.”

 

 

He looked down at her as she stood illuminated in the pale glow of the moonlight. His amber eyes were unreadable. “I don't want to be any more of a burden that I've already been tonight.”

 

 

“Don't worry about. I'd rather have you here where I can keep an eye on you than send you home where you might get yourself into trouble.”

 

 

“What kind of trouble am I likely to get into at home?”

 

 

“In your present condition, you cold have any one of a variety of common household accidents,” she informed him with the air of a college professor. She took his arm and pried him away from the support of the car.

 

 

“For example?” He asked slightly amused even through his medicated haze. He allowed her to lead him to her front door.

 

 

“For example, you could lose your balance and drown in the toilet.”

 

 

“That would be an interesting way to go, wouldn't it?” Sesshoumaru smirked lazily at the thought. “Think of the story you could tell the papers the next day.”

 

 

“I would definitely be an embarrassing obituary. Watch your step Sess.”

 

 

“You only have one bed,” he protested feebly.

 

 

“I'll take the couch.”

 

 

“I can take the couch.”

 

 

“You,” Kagome announced with gentle tyranny, “will take what you are given. And you're too tired to argue with me about it tonight.”

 

 

“You may be right.”

 

 

She led him through the cozy living room furnished in a simple rustic seaside fashion and preceded to the bedroom.