InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ As Deemed By Fate ❯ Acquiescence ( Chapter 7 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: Do I really have to keep putting these up? I think we know by now we will never own the Inuyasha characters.

A/N: Long time no see amigos. Yes, it has been half a year, but now I’m here and that’s all that matters…right? What can I see, being in a rut sucks! This is currently the unedited version since my betas are vacationing so be nice.

Title: As Deemed By Fate
Rating: R (for obscene profanity usage, content, and some limey situations)
Pairing: Kik/Inu/Kag
Summary: AU. Man is incomplete until he marries. Inuyasha believes his fiancé Kikyo will make him whole, or did until he met Kagome, an avid exotic that instantly complicates things. Temptation has never been so hard to resist, especially when feelings get involved.
Chapter Seven: Acquiescence
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
S prawling, bronzed muscles expanded and bunched beneath taut skin in a supple exhibition of masculinity, the series of graceful, yet feral movements like a primal dance complete with strictly controlled execution. Beads of sweat rolled in and out of every smooth groove and contour of his upper body. With amber eyes unwaveringly fixated on one point, Inuyasha followed through with the stringent routine, barely audible grunts passing between clenched teeth. His palms, though slick with sweat, did not fail him and continued to hold steadfast onto the metal bar.

So caught up in his thoughts, he wasn’t aware of the burn of muscles as his forearms heaved the bulk of his weight until his shoulder became parallel with the metal bar. In fact, he felt absolutely nothing, no fatigue, no throbbing pain in the hands that were clamped around the bar, no screaming on behalf of worn-out lungs. The strain of three hundred plus chin lifts that would’ve left the average man spent had no effect on him.

Exercising was his only healthy escape, being that didn’t call for intoxication or sensory negligence as a prerequisite to alleviate stress, whether it be in the form of a brown-eyed talk show host or a company that demanded entirely too much of his time. But for some strange reason that continued to remain elusive, the mental and emotional taxations of the day continued to interpose upon his wind down time. Deadlines, clientele, meetings, money-grubbing board members, contracts all ran circles around his head, taunting him with their presence and jeering at his inability to extract himself from his troubles.

He was sick. Not physically, but emotionally and mentally. It seemed as though the bigger their company grew, the more tasks he was expected to perform. You’d think that at this point managerial duties would be bestowed upon some brownnosing flunky, but no. His bastard of a brother wanted things to be executed efficiently and promptly, something that he deemed people below their status were not capable of handling, so the majority of the decision-making lay in their hands, much to his annoyance.

Inuyasha couldn’t afford to slack off and do his own thing, not anymore anyway. There were so many things that needed to be done; things that left undone would gradually unravel the fabric that made up the corporation. What he wouldn’t give to leave this world behind and return to the normal life of the average man. Damn a seven figure salary to hell. A vacation, something he hadn’t done in years, was what he needed, not more cars in his garage.

But this was his life. Blood, sweat, tears, and pain went into building their company from the ground up, and he would be damned before he handed over a multi-billion dollar firm he and his brother had worked their asses off to construct.

The ringing of his cell phone cut through his troubled thoughts and pulled him back to a reality he was reluctant to acknowledge. Sighing, he released his knuckle-white grip on the bar and dropped to the hardwood floor below. Inuyasha picked up the small, white towel hanging from the handle bars of his tread mill and mopped the sweat from his face before shooting a withering glare at the cell phone resting atop his workout bench.

Damnit, he had made it more than clear that he was not to be interrupted during his exercise regiments. “Someone had better be dead,” he grumbled leaning over and snatching the mobile device, his irritation faltering at the unknown number. “Who is this?”

A long, drawn-out silence filled the phone line.

Inuyasha tapped his fingers impatiently. “I hear you breathing, so speak the fuck up already and stop wasting my time.”

Their breathing hitched and then there was a sudden click.

He stared at the flashing “call ended” indignantly. Someone had the audacity to get a hold of his private number and then hang up on him of all people. “Asshole.” He made a move to flip the phone shut, but an insistent nagging in the back of his mind prevented such action, primarily because there were only six people that knew of this line, excluding his brother.

It was probably a wrong number.

But then again…

Acting on a whim, he scrolled to the most recent numbers and pressed send. Inuyasha grabbed his water bottom and shot a stream of the cool liquid into the dry cavern of his mouth while he waited.

The repetitive tone of the busy signal had him frowning. Just who the hell was this guy calling every district in the city. With a stubborn scowl, Inuyasha ended the call and redialed. Satisfied when it began to ring, his scowl deepened as they took their time picking up.

“Hello?”

“Just who the hell is this and how’d you get this number?”

“…Yash?”

Inuyasha blinked in surprise as his anger deflated, for the only person who addressed him by that name being a certain smoky-eyed stripper. “Kagome? What’s wrong?”

“It’s….it’s nothing. I’m sorry I called.”

He frowned at the hesitancy laced with something else in her barely there voice. “Well, don’t make it a habit of calling at odd hours of the night with nothing to say,” Inuyasha goaded purposefully.

If he expected her to come back with an equally sarcastic retort, he was sorely disappointed when she mumbled a quick apology and hung up before he could get another word in.

Inuyasha slowly closed the phone, his brows creased with the weight of concern. Something was wrong. Although he hadn’t known her long, he knew that she was as proud as they come and it had just taken a huge blow for her to call after their falling out, especially since it was her fault anyway.

Ok, so maybe he was partially to blame.

The urgency in her voice struck a chord within him, one that refused to stop reverberating for the next five minutes.

Inuyasha glanced at the digital clock overhanging the wall of mirrors to his left. It was nearly two in the morning. With a reluctant sigh, Inuyasha chucked the towel and strode out of the room decisively. It wouldn’t hurt to stop by her neck of the woods considering he had nothing better to do. And with sleep being as evasive as a unicorn dashing upon a stretch of clouds, this little midnight excursion would be no loss.

Not bothering to shower and change, the silver-haired man quickly threw on a jacket and made his way to his garage, a silver BMW pulling out of his personalized driveway seconds later. The lack of traffic decreased the time it would normally take to venture across the other side of the city, and for that he was grateful.

Apprehension tugged at his organs as he turned down her street and saw about three police vehicles parked in front of the shrine steps. For a second, Inuyasha froze, the familiar flashing red and blue lights triggering an onslaught of memories he’d locked away in the recesses of his mind. A cold knot tightened in his gut, cutting images of pooling blood and body bags flashing before his eyes.

“Stop it.” Nausea churning in his stomach, Inuyasha shook his head and mentally pushed away the muddled memories. Now wasn’t the time for revisiting that particular period in his life.

He pulled alongside the curb on the other side of the street and swiftly exited the car. “Hey,” he said jogging across the street to the cop standing outside his patrol car with a cup of coffee in hand, “what happened here?”

With a raised eyebrow, the cop brought the steaming cup to his lips and took a sip. “Police business. Move along.”

Inuyasha bristled at the impertinent officer. This fool obviously did not know who he was talking to, but he didn’t have time to threaten the man with dismissal for information when he could go directly to the source. Inuyasha bypassed the insolent cop and ran toward the shrine grounds. Tuning out the other man’s shouts and curses, he ran up the steps two at a time until he reached the top.

Amber eyes raked across the scene, a relief so profound that it almost scared him with its intensity lifted the anxiety from his chest when he saw Kagome standing with three officers in front of the house. The feeling was short-lived, because as soon as he raised his gaze and saw the broken windows, the toilet paper hanging from the large, sacred tree, and most importantly the derogatory words spray-painted across the modest house, fury poured into his veins.

“Kagome!” he yelled before he could stop himself and began marching over to where she stood with three other officers.

They reacted instinctively. The men drew their guns and pushed the stripper behind them. “Stop where you are and put your hands in the air!”

Inuyasha almost laughed at the absurdity. They thought he was the perpetrator. At least they were on their toes.

“No wait!” he heard her shout and jumping in front of the aimed weapons, “Don’t shoot He’s a friend.”

Ignoring the suspicious looks of the cops as he strode up to Kagome, Inuyasha grabbed her arm as soon as she was in range and whirled her around to face him. “What happened? Are you hurt? Did they apprehend any suspects?”

Her shoulders tensed under his touch. “What are you doing here?” Kagome asked steely and shrugged out of his hold.

Inuyasha could only gape at her. He traveled halfway across the world to see if she was ok and all she could do was question his reasoning for coming in the first place, as if it wasn’t obvious enough. His eyes hardened. Angry retorts lined on the edge of his tongue and he was three seconds away from giving her a verbal lashing that would’ve probably reduced her to tears, when her flickering gaze connected back to his own.

The previously felt irritation bled dry as he read the fear and vulnerability lurking behind the false bravado in her blue-gray eyes.

Uncomfortable beneath the unyielding amber eyes that felt as though they were burning holes through her soul, Kagome shifted awkwardly and broke the silence. “Listen, I appreciate you coming all the way over here, but this is really unnecessary.”

“What happened?” he repeated relentlessly.

She rolled her eyes at his persistence. “It’s just a case of juvenile vandalism.”

He raised a brow at the descriptive writing on the walls of the house. “Juvenile vandalism huh?”

Kagome opened her mouth but the lead officer, Watanabe, cut her off. “Higurashi-san, from what I and the other officers can perceive, the defacement of your home was not some random act of robbery, but a personal vendetta.” He flipped open his pad. “You said upon looking inside nothing of value was stolen and the upstairs was completely untouched, right?”

Not trusting herself to talking, she could only nod in affirmation.

“Do you have any enemies?”

“No,” Kagome replied automatically. She was too busy making sure bills were paid and completing homework assignments to make enemies.

“Have you recently done anything to upset someone enough that it would warrant this so-called justification?”

“No.”

The tall man sighed. “Are you sure? Think long and hard. It may have been something so subtle you may have written if off. Have you been spreading rumors about someone?”

She shook her head. “I don’t believe in talking about people behind their backs.”

“What about a vengeful ex-boyfriend?”

“My last boyfriend is in America studying law,” Kagome said thinking back to the days of Kenji. “And it could’ve have been him because we parted on friendly terms and he’s engaged to one of my best friends.”

“Stolen some other girl’s boyfriend,” he said glancing at Inuyasha, who bristled in response.
Unbidden, the image of a familiar pair of onyx colored eyes blazing full of hatred came to mind. Kagome’s stomach dropped, her face turning a lovely shade of pallid white. Mizuki wouldn’t go this far because Hiten wouldn’t pay her attention, would she?

‘But I wouldn’t put it past her with her homicidal tendencies.’

“Have you thought of someone?” Watanabe’s voice snapped her from her thoughts.

“Well, there is this woman who I work with that has become extremely hostile of me because she thinks I’m sleeping with our boss.”

Apparently not expecting this, the officer’s bushy brow inclined. “Are you?”

Heat crept up Kagome’s neck, but Inuyasha cut her to the chase. “If she were, I don’t think that’s any of your business,” he growled pinning him with a glare.

The officer held the silver-haired man’s gaze unflinchingly. “Well seeing as how I need to correctly assess the situation in order to carry on with the investigation successfully, I’m inclined to disagree.”

“No, I haven’t taken any favors from our boss, monetary or otherwise,” Kagome mumbled, painfully aware of the scrutinizing stares of the men.

Watanabe nodded. “And what is the name of the company that you work for?”

If the earth wanted to open up and swallow her whole, now would have been the opportune time. Unfortunately she was left standing topside and was not spared another onslaught of mortification. This so wouldn’t have happened had she accepted the job offer at the local grocery.

“She works at a downtown club called Erotica,” Inuyasha supplied, deliberately leaving out her line of work.

Seeming satisfied with this tidbit of information, the officer scribbled down something on his pad. “And the name of the disgruntled employee that’s harassing you?”

“Hitoshi Mizuki,” Kagome replied with relief.

“Alright. We’ll question her on her whereabouts and ask around. I’ll get back to you probably tomorrow or the day after.” He flipped the notebook shut. “I suggest you pack a bag and stay with a friend for the remainder of the week as a precaution. Do you have someone you can call?”

“She’s staying with me,” Inuyasha asserted without thinking and pointedly ignored her look of indignation.

Watanabe didn’t look surprised. “We’ll be in touch. Good night.” He tipped his hat and signaled for his fellow officers to depart.

Kagome’s shoulders sagged with the weight of the world as the men descended upon the steps. “Of all times to happen,” she moaned thrusting a hand through her tangled mane and lifted her gaze to the atrocity that was her home. “How am I going to fix all of this before everyone gets back?”

“We’ll worry about that later.” Kagome jumped, forgetting that Inuyasha was still there.

“For now, go back a bag and let’s get going. I’ve got to at a meeting in six hours that I can’t be late to.”

“And we can’t have that now can we? I don’t think my conscious could take the guilt,” she scoffed unambiguously.

He rolled his eyes. “You sure know how to hold a grudge.”

“And I will continue to until I get an apology,” Kagome folded her arms and gave him a hard stare.

“For what?” he snorted. “For extending my assistance just in case you need it?”

“No, for treating me like some charity case.”

Inuyasha sighed. “You know it wasn’t like that.”

“It sure sounded like it,” Kagome admitted pseudo seriously.

“You’re not going to let this go any time soon, are you?” he smiled wryly.

“Oh, I’m all for forgiving and forgetting, as long as I get a get an apology in return.” The corner of her mouth quirked, betraying her amusement.

“Fine, I’m sorry for assuming that you needed my aid, but I would greatly appreciate it if you would consider residing in my home for the time being,” he said dutifully with a small smile.

Kagome furrowed her brow, as if in serious deliberation. “Well, bearing in mind the circumstances, this temporary arrangement will have to do. I will concede only if I can pay for rent and the use of utilities. Those,” she stressed the word upon seeing offense flaring in his eyes, “are my terms. Take it or leave it.”

He snorted, but knew her stubbornness would hold out forever if he didn’t agree. “You’re intolerable, wench, but I accept your terms.”

A broad grin spread across her lips. “Good. Give me two minutes.” Kagome headed back into the house. “And don’t call me wench, asshole,” she threw over her shoulder as an afterthought.

He didn’t know what brought on the inclination to have her stay at his place. It wasn’t necessarily that he felt sorry for her, or either that he owed her for treating her like a “charity case”, because neither had crossed his mind. But when the opportunity to introduce something, or rather someone, unfamiliar and stimulating into his excruciatingly hum drum life presented itself, he’d taken it without hesitation. Maybe this would prove to be the distraction that he so desperately needed.

Inuyasha smirked. And if anything, at least this arrangement would prove to be most interesting.




A/N: I know, kind of on the short side, but the next will be a whopper, hopefully. Thank you guys for your wonderful and encouraging reviews! The next chapter will definitely out within the next couple of weeks since I’m off for a month, well, if I see my grades and haven’t been kicked out of college for all of the slacking off I’ve been doing. Haha.