InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Blind Stitch My Heart ❯ Keep Your Distance ( Chapter 5 )

Blind Stitch my Heart …

Part 5 - "Keep Your Distance"

Written by: profiler120

Rating: PG-13 (rating is probably higher than necessary)

Email: profiler120@hotmail.com; p_120@yahoo.com

(Disclaimer: I forgot to add this but it goes without saying everyone knows I do not own Inuyasha.)

Authors Notes: For those who read the original posted chapter 4 you might not realize I changed the last paragraph or so. Just so you're aware I'm placing the end of that chapter here at the beginning of this one.

I finally managed to completely map out this story and it should conclude in three or four chapters. So once I get this one and "Clumsy" done I can work on my other fics.

Thanks to Silver Dragonfly, your review was very inspiring. ^_^

~X~

(End of Chapter 4)

She left the room and trudged up to her room with her things. What would she do now? She sighed leaving had been stupid. She regretted it and she hated having regrets. She'd promised herself she wouldn't regret it, a lot of good that had done her.

She sank down by the window. Would he come for her? She sighed despairingly and dropped her head down.

"Kagome, you're home. I didn't think you'd be back for a while."

She turned and smiled weakly at her younger brother. He looked happy.

"Is everything all right?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "I was worried about you, I don't think you should go back there no matter what mama says."

"Huh? Why not?"

"I just have a bad feeling, that's all."

He came over to stand beside her.

"Whenever you come back from there you don't smile. You should stay home with us."

She smiled brightly and latched her arms around him. "I'll do that."

He returned the gesture. "Promise?"

"Promise."

~X~

He was up and dressed before the sun splashed across the horizon. When he emerged from his room he found that his breakfast was almost ready and he ate in a stressed silence. His servants, Kaede and Sango had padded off into another room.

His mind was in a whirl. He was utterly disgusted at himself. It shouldn't have been so easy for Senaka to get to him and all over that stupid girl. She was nothing but trouble, not only so but he'd been having difficulty in finding someone to marry her off to. It was entirely inexplicable.

He frowned, not entirely inexplicable. Senaka's interest in her had spread quickly and everyone he knew wouldn't even consider the girl as a viable candidate. She probably had no idea the damage he'd already wrought to her reputation without actually being physical with her. He was eager enough to seek solace in his library.

It was impossible not to take in the ink-splattered rice paper on his table the moment he stepped inside. He remembered this table being distinctly clear of clutter. He was a naturally clean and tidy person and the servants didn't work in this room.

The message scrawled across the paper was messy and just barely readable. The author appeared to have been in a great rush. The message however was clear enough and left no doubts as to who the owner was. It was little more than a crudely written apology and a small concise statement of "I can't work here anymore." There wasn't a name, but he didn't need one to guess which one of his servants would leave the house in a pre-dawn rush.

He wasn't sure what precisely to do about it at the moment. He could retrieve her easily enough but that would only draw Senaka again. If he left her at the Shrine however she was completely vulnerable, although he wasn't sure why he was worried about her welfare, she wasn't his concern if she didn't work for him.

Still, however it nagged at him. She wasn't like Kagura, willing to take a lover or two for recreation or for something she desired. Of course, Kagura wasn't the mainstream woman either. Did he really want the fall of perfect little Kagome on his conscience? What about Rin?

Yamada and Kagome were cousins; she would undoubtedly be exposed to her at one point or another, wouldn't she? He couldn't possibly allow her to visit with Rin and Rin would hate that.

He sighed it was still early. First thing in the morning and she's already causing more trouble.

~X~

"Stop being difficult!"

"Tell Masaharu I'm not coming back, " she snarled whirling around to face him.

"He didn't send me, I came on my own!" he replied with a snarl of his own. "Come on, Kagome, please?"

Her angry expression faded. "Inuyasha saying 'please', now that's something new."

He frowned. "Look, everyone wants you to come back."

"I guess that makes it even sadder that I can't then, doesn't it?" she smiled sadly. "Your brother is so… stressful. We clash personalities and I'm not willing to be dragged through hoops for him. I don't need this kind of difficulty."

He sighed, and crossed his arms, clearly not happy.

"Did he say anything about me?" a slightly hopeful note in her voice.

He crossed his arms with a wistful, yet oblivious sight. "No, he went into his library and hasn't been out since. It was Sango who told me you were gone."

"Oh."

Why was she disappointed? What a jerk, she was glad she was gone.

"If it will keep you from falling for him then I don't want you to come back."

"Huh?"

She met his stony gaze. "You deserve better and I've seen enough girls fall for my brother, Kagome. He's really not worth all the trouble, he'd just hurt you."

She smiled sadly. "It's too late for that, he's already hurt me, but I'll recover and we'll both move on. In all truthfulness you couldn't drag me back to that house."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?"

"Not literally, idiot!" she snapped with a quirky smile and slapped his arm away when he grabbed her elbow.

"I'm going to miss them though, especially little Rin. Well, want something to eat before you go?"

His eyes immediately lit up and she led him into the house.

She waved as he left, her mother standing by her side. Her grandfather and her brother were up sweeping the pathways, apparently chatting. Souta paused however and turned in her direction as though for confirmation that she wasn't really leaving. She smiled silently back at him before going back into the house with her mother.

~X~

"You're the biggest freaking moron on the planet! What the hell did you do to Kagome?"

The door slid open roughly clattering at it slammed back and then forward again as Inuyasha pushed it closed again.

"If you break my doors you're paying for them." Sesshoumaru warned not bothering to look up.

"You didn't answer my question!"

He looked up. "None of your business."

"Oh sure, because Kagome runs home every day before dawn when you're not here! It must have been you, she said so herself!"
"You spoke to her?"

Their golden gazes met in a fierce clash.

"When?" he asked, raising his voice just slightly.

"This morning," Inuyasha replied, plopping down onto the floor. "I went to the Shrine."

"I see. What did she say?"

"She said she's not coming back."

"Is that it?" He seemed wholly bored and dropped his gaze back down to his book. "You spend too much time with her, you are marrying Yamada, so stop dallying with Higurashi."

Sesshoumaru took careful note of the slight hue that lit up his younger brother's cheeks. "It's nothing like that!"

Inuyasha pulled himself to his feet.

"I'm not directly responsible for Kagome's safety, you are. Kagome's mother's not all there anymore, she won't have any idea what kind of man Senaka is. Are you willing simply to write her off?"

Inuyasha grew impatient waiting for an answer that wasn't forthcoming.

"Fine. I'll bring her back to the house."

"You'll do no such thing. Higurashi isn't your concern, as you so stated, so stay out of it."

"Keh!" He exclaimed and with a dramatic huff, he was gone leaving the contemplative older brother once again alone, but anything but at peace.

The situation with the girl was altogether aggravating. He had to do something; indecisiveness had never been a quality of his. He stood; perhaps visiting the Higurashi Shrine was in order.

The weather was rather mild he noted as he stepped outside. There had been a light frost the night before but it had since melted away leaving no traces of its presence. He peered about absently still in contemplation about Higurashi even as his feet determined to take him to the Shrine.

At the edge of his property he spotted two miniscule figures on the trail. He, paying them little mind, turned in the direction of town and began walking. Perhaps others would think it odd, surely so when he arrived at the Higurashi Shrine, but what did he care? His horses could use the rest anyway.

The two figures became clearer as they approached. One was clearly a little girl, not even waist high on her taller, male companion. Yet as they neared the male figure became more and more clear. As soon as he got a good look at the streaming pools of dark hair he knew whom the man was. He knew of no man with hair of that shade and length in this area but Senaka.

He stopped before they were close and waited for them to approach him. Senaka, naturally recognizing him as well, stopped, as did the young girl at his side.

Sesshoumaru looked down at the girl dressed in a plain white kimono and with matching white flowers in her equally white hair. The only brilliance about the girl was the sparkling blue eyes that lit her face almost serenely.

"Masaharu-sama, I heard you were in town."

He ignored the remark. "Who is this?" he motioned to the silent girl.

"This is Kanna."

"One of your children, I assume?"

Senaka grinned but otherwise did not confirm or deny the theory. One of his children to be certain. He was rumored to have a troop of them and seemed more than willing to take the children from their unwed mothers and keep them himself. Why, one could only wonder.

"What business have you with Higurashi?"

Might as well address the problem directly.

"Striking girl. Had I known Kikyo's cousin was so much more appealing I'd have come sooner."

"Higurashi belongs to me, stay away from her."

He merely smiled in a small, sinister fashion turning his head slightly away. "She has not said so to me, and seems happy enough with my attention. Just a few days ago she pulled me out of the house so we could be alone, perhaps you are mistaken."

Sesshoumaru didn't challenge this. She had admitted to taking Senaka outside herself.

"I issue warnings only once."

Although angered by the response received, Senaka withdrew. The girl scampered along beside him quietly as they retreated. Sesshoumaru followed them some distance until they reached the town, at which point he lost sight of them.

The discussion with Senaka was but a momentary setback. Both of them knew it. Senaka was too determined to be scared off by threats and too non-confrontational to risk a direct fight with him. He had to do something about her. There was virtually no way to keep her away from him unless he forbid her from leaving the house and that might prove to be difficult as well. She had a streak of disobedience through her that might be tamable but he wasn't certain. Nor was he certain he had the time to attempt such.

He had barely reached the top of the stairs before there was a tugging at his garments. He peered down and found a young boy staring up at him with wide, brown eyes.

"You're here to take my sister away aren't you?"

He certainly was perceptive for one so young.

"Is she here?"

He shook his head no.

"Really, then where is she?"

"I don't know."

The boy was lying. "Do you know who I am?"

"Another man after my sister." He crossed his arms and took on an expression quite close to pouting.

"'Another' man?"

He nodded earnestly. "The other man left just a few hours ago. I got rid of him though."

Sesshoumaru stiffened. Had Senaka come here looking for Kagome, and encountered the kid and believed him?

"Who was this man?"

"He didn't say but he had this long, girly hair."

"Was he alone?" He asked absently.

"No he had this weird little girl with him. She was dressed all in white, it was creepy."

"Souta! Where are you, we have to-"

Both males looked up.

"Kagome!" The boy shouted. "You're not supposed to be here!"

She was staring beyond him toward Sesshoumaru.

"Don't you have somewhere else to be, Masaharu-sama?" she asked pointedly.

"No," he growled, stepping around the boy and stalking toward her. "I would like to speak with you privately, Higurashi."

The look she was giving him was not accommodating. "Fine."

She reluctantly led him away from the shrine toward the garden at the back of the property.

"Why do you insist upon staying out of doors in your condition?"

"I don't have a condition, it was a little cold, it went away." She snapped, facing away from him. "What brings you by here? Want to get your fortune told?" she asked, a false note of hopefulness in her voice.

"You irritate me, Higurashi. I expressly told you not to see Senaka and you ignored me."

"Well then Masaharu-sama, what should I have done?" She faced him blankly but her voice barely concealing the mocking tone.

He glanced away. He wasn't going to allow her to get to him this time. She may have a short temper but he certainly didn't.

"You should have immediately told him to leave. You're only encouraging his visits, and I do not approve."

"What business is it of yours anyway?"

"It's my house."

She looked momentarily stunned. "Oh. Look, I'm sorry about the whole Senaka thing. I really didn't think it was that important."

"Senaka Naraku doesn't care about your interests, only his own."

"You shouldn't either," she replied but without heat or conviction.

He peered in her direction. The girl was kneeling down by a dwarf tree fingering its evergreen leaves. She was being strangely complacent with him. She had yet to look back at him since they'd entered this garden area.

"Senaka is interested only in making you another of his lovers and then discarding you when he found someone more interesting. Would you dishonor your family so?"

She sighed wistfully as though she'd known all along and was simply telling herself otherwise. "No."

"You cannot be adequately protected from him here."

"Protected?" She suddenly looked up but not toward him. "Why do I need to be protected?"

"Although he may not look it, Senaka would have no problem taking you by force."

She whipped around toward him as though by looking at him she could confirm or deny his statement. She looked at him intently a moment and then away hastily, her delicate brows drawing downward in consideration.

"The things a smiling face can hide," she mused reflectively staring up. "Is that why you never smile?"

Their gazes met again. It was interesting that her confrontational personality seemed to have been sucked right out of her.

"I can't…" she trailed off and looked away. "I can't come back to work for you."

"Why not?"

"I promised. I promised Souta that I wouldn't."

He turned fully toward her. "Souta?"

"My brother."

"Ah. Surely your brother wants what's best for you."

She laughed suddenly. "And that's you?"

He shot her a stern look.

"Right. Not funny." She said with the utmost seriousness but a trace of a smile still played upon her lips. "I still can't go, so that's that. Besides I don't think my mother wants me to."

As though beckoned the woman herself slid open the back sliding door and appeared with a wide, oblivious smile. "Ah, Kagome. Are you leaving again? I have all your things ready."

Kagome groaned while he grinned victoriously.

~X~

"Kagome!"

A girl shot from the house, almost knocking her down and succeeding in dropping her bag.

"Hi Rin."

"Rin missed you bunches! It was boring without you, everyone was frowning."

Kagome smiled. "Oh well, we'll fix that right?"

The girl was enthusiastic in her reply before she took nearly the same action with Masaharu behind her. She didn't catch her Master's lowly voiced reply. She was successfully distracted as Sango appeared in the doorway and helped her with her things.

"I'm glad you're back." Was Sango's sedate reply even as she tossed suspicious glances back at the Master.

The two girls stepped in and immediately disappeared up the stairs and walked off in the direction of Kagome's room leaving the Master and his ward alone.

"Ooohh! The Master went to get you personally! I wish I was so lucky!" Sango exclaimed the moment the door was closed.

"Sango! It's not like that." She protested feebly.

"Of course not, that's why you're blushing four shades of red. Oh, how sweet! You should have told me."

"Told you what?"

"That you and him- right! So, what else can I help you with?"

Kagome looked up at the abrupt change of topic and found the Master and Rin in her doorway.

"You have something for Rin?" he asked, trying to hide the grin at overhearing their ridiculous conversation. He honestly wasn't sure whether to grin or glower at where the conversation was obviously heading. His servants were now hinting at a romantic connection between him and Kagome. He sighed inaudibly watching silently as her face lit as she realized what he wanted.

"Oh! Of course." She withdrew the fine pink kimono she'd sewn for the girl and handed it over to her, head lowered slightly.

Rin drew in a sharp, dramatic breath and then squealed with delight. "Rin is so happy! Sesshoumaru-sama is the best!"

She danced around him holding her kimono in her hands, as it fell out of its folds and dragged slightly on the floor.

"Thank you Kagome-chan!"

With that, the girl flounced out of the room holding her new treasure. Her voice raised in joyful off-key singing as she went echoing through the house and drifting back to the sewing room.

"Is there something else you needed?"

He glanced away from the door and toward her. Her hands were folded in front of her and she was now standing on the opposite side of the table, clear across the room from him. He'd once thought he made her nervous, now he was fairly certain she didn't want to be within arms reach of him, especially if they were alone.

It wasn't an altogether bad idea either. Although he was certain he had the patience to forgo sensually assaulting her again, he wasn't certain that she wouldn't once again be the cause of him loosing his temper. While discovering that she was a very pleasant outlet for releasing his more heated emotions wasn't disagreeable, he quite enjoyed this breakthrough. Still though, if anyone found out…

"No, there's nothing else."

He stood then, as though waiting for her to leave. He watched as she folded down by the table, her back to him absently picking up an elegant bolt of hand painted white silk. He watched her a moment, absorbed in his thoughts, not really seeing her.

She was so…

He lowered his head slightly in contemplation. Her being here was just … right. Kagome was his. Hadn't he made this determination already?

There were many pieces that made up his master puzzle- his lands, his houses, his ward, and many other effects. It seemed somewhere along the line this girl, this insignificant seamstress, had become a piece of that puzzle as well.

He narrowed his eyes as the revelation. If this was going to be so, then just giving warnings to Senaka was insufficient. He fisted a hand. No, this called for more serious repercussions. It called for…

He grinned, turning away from the image of her kneeling by her table.

"I'll be gone a few days, and just so there's no misunderstandings, you are allowed no visitors. Got that?"

"Yes Master," she chirped tightly not turning back to face him.
He grinned once more. Might as well drop by to see Inuyasha and have him make sure the girl stayed out of trouble. He was at least able to take care of that and if he so much as breathed a word of suspicion about Senaka he was certain his brother would do everything short of sleeping outside her door to keep her safe.

Now that Kagome was temporarily out of the way, he mused as he strolled down to his library all he had to do was have Jaken prepare his things and off he would go. He smirked evilly; he felt the urge to be malicious.

His most faithful servant was standing outside his library doors, staring down at the fine wood flooring on which he stood. He was half leaning on the old staff he carried with him everywhere, some family heirloom he knew little about.

"Jaken."

The servant straightened up, scrambling to appear presentable. "Yes Sesshoumaru-sama? How may this Jaken serve you?"

"Prepare my things, we're going on a trip."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama, right away."

He watched the small framed servant scramble away eagerly before stepping into his library. Inuyasha was likely to turn up at his door sometime within the hour as he normally did. Now all he had to do was wait and plan.

~X~

"Ah, Sesshoumaru-sama, what an honor to have you grace my humble abode once more."

The man kneeled lowly and Sesshoumaru stepped past him absently, barely sparing him a glance. The man sprung up and hastily served his guest sake, which Sesshoumaru didn't drink.

"I have a job for you Kaijinbou." Sesshoumaru stated coldly.

The huddled man before him flashed a feral grin. Two tufts of dark hair sprung out from behind his small ears as he stared at his Master.

"You know of a man called 'Senaka Naraku' do you not?"

Kaijinbou chuckled. "Oh yes, we have met. Is my business with this Senaka?"

Sesshoumaru returned his underlings grin. "Our business is not with him, but his possessions."

"Eh?" It took but a moment before the evil glint returned to Kaijinbou's gaze. "Ah, I see. Which of his possessions do you wish to relieve him of?"

"Not relieve," Sesshoumaru countered. "I have been told that Senaka has begun to invest heavily in foreign trading. Find out what he's shipping, it would be a shame to lose valuable cargo."

There was but one thing Senaka Naraku valued more than his women, it was his money. This would be his warning, if he continued he'd sink the entire company. Senaka had no idea just how much power the Masaharu Family still held, but he was willing to perform demonstrations. Threatening the girl was one thing but making an issue with him personally was quite another and he wasn't about to allow it. He growled lowly to himself as he stood.

"I'll leave the matter to you. I will be in town for a few days, come see me when your task is completed and you will be rewarded for your success."

He didn't mention failure- he didn't have to. No one failed Masaharu Sesshoumaru.

Kaijinbou had been working for Sesshoumaru a number of years. He did primarily whatever Sesshoumaru told him to, and was something a kin to a servant.

No other words were exchanged as he left the small dwelling and headed back to where Jaken would be waiting for him. Yet as he mounted his proud white stallion he couldn't help think that perhaps this wasn't as much of a personal affront to himself as he'd managed to convince himself. He'd been thinking about the girl all day, ever since the sun had streamed in on him that morning. He wanted to kick himself for wondering what she was doing.

He wouldn't have done all this just for her, he told himself. He wouldn't be risking himself or his family name for less than being personally disrespected, and yet…

The troublesome feeling remained, lingering throughout the rest of the day.

~X~

"Where have you been?"

Kanna, by his side, quickly scurried away into the dim recesses of the mansion leaving him alone. He looked up meeting the steely gaze of his father, Onigumo.

"I went looking for your darling Kikyo."

"Oh? Find her?"

"No." Naraku replied sitting down across from his stoic father. "However I did find her cousin Higurashi Kagome."

Onigumo blinked. "Higurashi, did you say?"

Naraku nodded. "Heard of the family?"

He shrugged just slightly. "Who else have you seen?"

Naraku raised an eyebrow. "No one significant."

"Really."

Naraku looked up sharply at the dry, sarcastic tone.

"You're certain?"

He felt his skin grow cold at the tone of his father. "Relatively."

"That's unfortunate, I was hoping you would have an explanation of why I lost several million Yen in cargo."

"Why would I know anything about that? I'm not interested in your shipping goods."

"The ship was attacked, and sunk by a thug called Kaijinbou. Surely you know who this is."

It took him a moment to register the name. "Masaharu Sesshoumaru, Kaijinbou is one of minions, isn't he?"

"Well at least you aren't a complete skirt-chasing idiot."

Naraku scowled.

"What business have you with Masaharu that he would go on the offensive?"

"It was a diminutive confrontation over a girl under his care. I can't imagine why he went through all the trouble." Silently, he sat in remembrance of the cold gaze leveled upon him by the said Lord.

"You have drawn hostile attentions to us over a girl? Must I remind you again that your only concerns are to be for the family business? You can have any village girl you want, but you go chasing some female of his that obviously upset the bastard!"

"How was I to know he fancied her?"

"Forget the girl, cut your losses, and get back to your assignment."

"Higurashi Kagome is Kikyo's nearly identical cousin. Young, beautiful, unmarried cousin who works for Masaharu."

Onigumo paused sparing his son another glance. "Is that so?"

Naraku nodded in affirmation.

"The Higurashi Family… I've heard so many rumors about them being the guardians of some ancient artifact. I wonder…" He mused aloud. "Very well, but if you want this girl there's only one way to go about it."

Naraku glowered. "I refuse-"

"You have one option! Marry the girl or cast her off and get back to work. I will not be disobeyed!"

Naraku growled to himself. "As you wish father."

Onigumo chuckled as his son stood and walked to the door. "Do not be so glum Naraku. Marrying this Kagome girl will put you in very close proximity to your first desire, wouldn't it? You would have unlimited access to your wife's cousin, Kikyo, wouldn't you like that?" Onigumo purred pleased when a wicked grin appeared on his son's face.

"How thoughtful Father, I will go to see Higurashi at once."

Yet as he left the residence Naraku couldn't help but wonder if this plan served nothing more than to get his father closer to Kikyo. It had been his father that had first viewed the girl with lustful eyes, not him.

Although, he thought absently, Kikyo was likely to loose her appeal once she was married and after his father had had his way with her. Kagome however was a suitable replacement, and damn his father to hell, no one was touching her but him.

~X~

Author's Notes:

Please note: I added Kaijinbou as an underling of Sesshoumaru. I think I got his name right, but it's been a while since I've seen the episode. For anyone who doesn't know, Kaijinbou is the guy who created the Toukijin, Sesshoumaru's demon sword from the fangs of Goshinki. But everyone should know that, so we're good. ^_^