InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Corporate Deception: Fate of Her Land ❯ Power Struggle ( Chapter 1 )

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

Corporate Deception: Fate of Her Land
Chapter 1: Power Struggle

By: TruSuprise

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all affiliated characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko. The views expressed herein are solely those of TruSuprise.


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Sweat glistened off his sickly green skin as the toad youkai burst through the double mahogany doors and hobbled into the ornate office.

"Sesshomaru-sama! Sesshomaru-sama!"

The great leader of the Inu-Youkai and Lord of the Western Lands, Taisho Sesshomaru, closed his eyes briefly at the shrill and interrupting sound of his retainer's voice. "I trust you bring me the report on the Takahashi proposal, Jaken."

"No, Sesshomaru-sama, I-"

The toad's voice was cut short. In a movement that was too fast for his beady eyes to follow, Sesshomaru had risen to his feet and turned, his long fingers grasping the hilt of his sword, the Tenseiga, at his side. Although he had never seen Sesshomaru use the Tenseiga in his two hundred years of service, Jaken was frozen in place by his Lord's soul piercing glare alone. One that could cause death should he not tone down the wail in his voice and communicate the reason behind his Lord's interruption quickly. He squirmed under the intense pressure as he cleared his throat audibly.

"I bring you news of the Lord of the Southern Lands, sir." Jaken squinted one eye shut as his master raised an eyebrow.

"Continue." Came Sesshomaru's curt reply as he removed his hand from Tenseiga's hilt at the side of his crisply pressed deep gray suit. In a graceful motion, he resumed his position in the leather chair behind his ornately carved ancient mahogany desk.

His eyes fell to the paper work before him as a cue for Jaken to proceed. Realizing that his Lord was interested in his news and not about to take his life, he shakily continued. "Naraku Onigumo is moving to purchase land in the Eastern Territory, my Lord."

Sesshomaru dropped the pen he had been holding. The silence of the room closed in on the toad youkai as he squirmed under his master's intense, golden stare.

"Who gave you this information?" The Western Lord barked.

"It was one of Naraku's spies. I know not her name. She wouldn't identify herself, but I know she wasn't one of ours."

Sesshomaru looked at his retainers critically. This wasn't the first time they had received such a critical tip from the inside from one other than their own. He nodded for Jaken to continue.

"Sesshomaru-sama, Naraku is moving to pursue the Higurashi Shrine."

The great Inu-Youkai suddenly rose once more, his designer chair tipping over backwards behind him to crash loudly on the marble floor. Jaken also fell backwards at his master's sudden actions, collapsing onto his rear end in horror.

Without hesitation, Sesshomaru picked up the phone on his desk. With the touch of a speed dial button, the dial tone was ringing in his ear.


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Higurashi Kagome sighed for the umpteenth time that day as she removed a box from her grandfather's closet and blew the dust from the top of the aged cardboard. Tears pricked her eyes as she read the combination of katakana and kanji inscribed in shaky marker.

"Photo Albums" It read.

Knowing she should be concentrating on the work at hand and not getting distracted, she was mildly annoyed at herself when she opened the box and pulled forth an album.

A small smile graced her face as she flipped to the first page. Her mother, her father, her grandfather, and herself were all crowded around her little brother, Souta, on his first birthday. The dark brown haired little boy was sitting in his high chair, wailing his head off as a birthday cake was set in front of him.

Her finger slid over the wrinkled plastic cover of the old album's page, sliding over the faces of her mother and father as her eyes started to water again. Her parents had both died when she and Souta where still so young. She was eight, and her brother two when her parents had gotten into that fatal car accident. At least she had some memories to remember them by. Poor Souta had nothing but these old, weathered images.

The color was starting to fade from the corners of the poloroid photos already, taken in a time before the convenience of digital cameras that would preserve the images forever. Her gaze settled on a photo of herself, sitting in her grandfather's lap.

Oh, how she had loved her ojichan. He had single handedly raised her and Souta, teaching them the importance of tradition, values, and ways of life. Sure, some of his beliefs were outdated and rather annoying, but it was those quirky things about him that had made the man so loveable. And now, he was gone.

He had died just over a month and a half ago, finally passing away after a cold had mutated into pneumonia, slowly sucking the strength, and then eventually the life out of him. She remembered his last words to her at the hospital not so long ago.

It was a cold day, in the middle of January. Three inches of snow had covered the Tokyo streets and the snowplows traveled back and forth on the streets below, the metal of the plows scraping against the concrete. Kagome had held Souta close to her in the waiting room. When the nurse came out and called them in, they knew he hadn't much time left.

Standing on either side of his hospital bed, each holding one of his hands, Souta was crying like a young boy, tears freely streaming down his face. Kagome had tried to be brave, but found it increasingly difficult to keep her composure.

He had turned his head slowly and looked at Souta, now a strong young man of seventeen years. In a raspy voice, he slowly relayed his message. "Souta, my boy, you've grown up to be such a good child. I know you'll find your place in this world. Be good to your sister, and don't cause her any trouble. Be there for her, and protect her. She is all you have left."

Stopping for a breath, he collected himself. His own eyes were watering as he listened to the background of ticks and beeps associated with hospital room machinery, mechanically informing him that he didn't have long to live. Gathering his strength, he turned to his young granddaughter who was so matured at twenty-four years old.

"Kagome, my dear. You've become so beautiful, and so strong. You've been through many hardships and suffered much responsibility at too young an age, and I'm sure my passing will not be your last. Kagome, listen to my words and keep them near to your heart. You have a power in you that has not yet been awakened. One day, like the miko of old, you will use that power to protect our shrine, the last thing our family has. I believe in you."

His energy spent, he began coughing, fluid rattling in his lungs. Mystified by his cryptic words, Kagome promptly put it behind her as she worried for his health. Snatching the nurse call button that lay next to his hand, she frantically pressed the button for assistance.

It wasn't long after that when he passed away.

She wiped her eyes dry, tugging her t-shirt away from her waist to dab at the salty tear that had fallen onto the photo album. It had been only a month and she still missed him so much.

A knock on the door shook her out of her mourning.

"Kagome-chan, are you in here?" An elderly voice called from the other side of the door.

"I'm here, Kaede-obasan." Kagome instantly perked up as the cheerful old woman, a distant Higurashi relative who had been helping them out at the shrine since her grandfather's passing, slowly slid the shoji door open and stepped into the room.

Wearing the red hakama and white haori of the traditional miko, the gray haired woman ambled towards Kagome and slowly kneeled down next to her on the floor. Her one good eye warmly looked at Kagome, the other, hidden behind a black eye patch had been lost in a tragic archery accident. "Going through your grandfathers items, I see?"

Kagome sighed and nodded. "Trying to tidy the place up. Besides, I'm sure some of his old things can be sent to the needy. I know he would appreciate that."

The old woman smiled at the young girl's thoughtfulness that was one of her trademark qualities. "Shouldn't you be getting yourself ready? I thought you had a date this evening?"

Kagome's face wrinkled slightly. "Yeah, with Houjo. I've already called him and told him I can't make it. I'm just not in the mood to go out tonight."

Kaede sighed. "You could use some company, Kagome-chan. Especially that of a young man."

"Obasan!" Kagome exclaimed as the older woman began to chuckle. "If you don't like him, you don't like him. You'll find the one meant for you. I'm sure of it, my girl."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Nevermind that, obasan. Is it time for archery practice already? There haven't been many visitors at the shrine today, so it would be nice and private."

The old woman nodded and slowly rose, her old bones creaking as she led Kagome through the house and around to the back of the shrine. It would do Kagome some good to get her mind off her responsibilities. No doubt the young woman spent too much time worried about supporting herself and her brother on the meager income the shrine pulled in.

Stopping in a storeroom to retrieve their traditional bows and two quivers full of arrows, they walked towards the Goshinboku. Kagome looked up to the sacred tree's ancient limbs to see the first of the buds starting to push their way from the tips of the branches. It wouldn't be long now for spring's arrival when the world would be new again.

Running the feathered end of the arrow through her fore and middle finger, Kagome focused on her target, a tree some thirty feet away. Knocking her arrow securely in position, Kagome pulled it backwards and felt the tension building in the string. Listening for her heartbeat, she timed the release of the projectile, sure it would hit its target as it flew forth from her fingers. The bow swung around and stopped before the wildly vibrating wire impacted the back of her hand.

She frowned, her arrow had missed the center of the thick tree by centimeters, impaling itself slightly off-center.

"Your energies are off today, Kagome." Her teacher indicated.

"I know, obasan. I think I must be tired. "

"Aye, child. I think you are. I think you need something to shake up your routine, something different in your life. You hold too much responsibility for one your age. Hopefully, the winds will shift and bring some excitement to your life soon."

Kagome smiled weakly as the two abandoned their practice and walked back to the house for tea.


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A low wattage lamp dimly lit the small office. The woman behind the desk typed furiously away at her computer, her eyes darting between the screen and her reference materials before her. A shiver shot in between her shoulder blades and she paused momentarily.

"Kikyou, dear, if you're there, pick up." A frighteningly smooth voice called over the office intercom. The woman in question lifted her fingers from her keyboard and collected herself before reaching to pick up the receiver.

"Yes, Naraku-sama."

"I have a new proposal for you to draft." Kikyou's silence was Naraku's cue to continue. She was never much for words. "I think it's time we start to expand our territories. This Naraku is tired of sitting idle while there is no leader in the Eastern Lands."

Kikyou raised an eyebrow before pausing to brush a stray lock of long, straight, ebony hair behind an ear. What was her Lord planning now?

"I want the land of your name-sake, Kikyou, the Higurashi Shrine."

For the first time in three years, an emotion other than spite or despondence crossed the woman's delicate features as long dormant feelings of concern pulled at her heart. "The shrine is for sale?"

"Not exactly..." Naraku began.


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"Neechan? Kagome-neechan? There's someone on the phone for you!" A voice called out through the Higurashi house.

"If it's Houjo, I've already told him no once!" The young woman's voice responded from the upstairs hallway. She poked her towel-covered head over the banister of the hallway.

"It's definitely not Houjo-kun, neechan."

Kagome sighed and jogged down the steps, holding a hand to the towel to keep her hair in place before taking the phone from Souta's waiting palm. "Higurashi Kagome."

"Higurashi-sama, Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Naraku Onigumo, and I wish to express my condolences regarding the passing of your grandfather."

Kagome huffed inaudibly as her hands drifted to her sides, her eyes becoming unfocused. "Thank you, sir. I'm sure he'd appreciate your thoughts."

"As your grandfather was such an important figure of the spiritual community, I would like to offer you my company's assistance. I realize that caring for an aging shrine is difficult at best, and not a profitable venture. I wish to offer you a considerable proposal for your shrine."

"I thank you for you kind offer, sir, but the shrine is not-"

"I will hear nothing of it. I was already planning on stopping by tomorrow afternoon to offer my condolences, and I'm certain you will want to consider what I have to offer. Please expect me during your shrine hours. This Naraku very much looks forward to meeting with you, Higurashi Kagome."

Bewildered by this smooth and assertive man, Kagome couldn't help but accept to meet him. After all, what could it hurt to at least hear him out? "Okay, Naraku-san, tomorrow then."

Kagome slowly placed the phone back in its cradle. The towel wrapped around her long black hair gently slipped from its perch atop her head and fell to the floor. Her wet fair fell damply on her back, beads of water soaking the thin t-shirt she wore.

"Who was it, neechan?" Souta asked, poking his head around the wall to the family room.

"Some guy named Naraku Onigumo."

"What?" Souta exclaimed. "You mean as in Naraku the real estate tycoon?"

Kagome snapped out of her daze. "You've heard of him?"

Souta sighed. "You really don't watch much tv, do you?"

His sister shrugged. After all, with nothing other than reality TV on, what reason was there to even turn the TV on anyway? "Well, he's coming by tomorrow morning, something about a proposal for the shrine."

"Does he want to buy it?"

Kagome looked stunned at the thought. "He...might."

Souta's brows knitted together in an expression of concern. "Ojichan would be really sad if we sold this place, wouldn't he?"

"Don't worry, Souta. You know we could never do that." Somehow, her expression wasn't as convincing as she had wanted it to be.

"Why would anyone want this old place?" He asked.

The two siblings shrugged at each other. Glancing down at her watch, Kagome was surprised to find it so late. "It's time for bed young man, we wouldn't want you sleeping in late and missing an exam when you're graduating high school in a month!"

Souta rolled his eyes, and Kagome responded by picking up her towel off the floor with a graceful swing of her foot and catching it in her hand before smacking her brother in the side with the wet fabric. "Now get going!"

The young man scurried down the hall to his room, stopping at his door to stick his tongue out at his older sister before bolting into the room's safety and shutting the door behind him.

The smile on Kagome's face slipped away slowly as she turned off the lights and double checked the lock on the front door before climbing the stairs. 'Why would this guy want our shrine? Even with as hard as it is to maintain... I couldn't sell the place, could I?'


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'It's a good thing I didn't live five hundred years ago.' The tall man thought to himself as he trudged up the stairway to the Higurashi Shrine the next day. It wasn't that he wasn't physically fit; on the contrary, he was rather in shape. However, Naraku Onigumo wasn't the type to do manual labor or repetitive tasks. And these stairs were repetitive.

A briefcase hung from one hand and a long jacket was draped over his other arm in the warmth of the early spring afternoon. Were it not for the menacing smirk plastered to his face, he'd appear the height of a professional businessman.

Reaching the top of the steps, Naraku paused to gather his bearings. The shrine grounds were neatly kept and quiet. Only a few visitors milled about the grounds. A handful of schoolgirls in their uniforms rang a bell at a covered pagoda, no doubt praying for something as foolish as love or good grades.

Naraku silently walked past the young girls, casting them a disdaining stare as he passed. These mortals were below him, including the woman he was about to waste his time meeting with. Just one more obstacle in his path to crush the Inu-Youkai and raise himself up above all other clans, and eventually, even humans.

Yes, the world was long overdue the reign of Naraku.

Finding the shrine office, he lightly rapped on the wood of the shoji door. He chuckled to himself as he realized how easy it would be to simply crush the entire existence of this shrine with a blink of his eye were it not for the governing body of the Youkai Council. Even with the enormity of his power and influence, he could not stand against their combined strength. No, he realized, as he pulled his jyaki within himself, concealing his evil intent. He had to play by the rules. For now.

Hearing the knock on the door, Kagome looked up from her paper work and suddenly felt nauseous and worried. Kagome's miko powers were virtually non-existent, but when something this powerful made it's presence known, it shook her to the core. An evil, menacing aura suddenly swept through the room, but as soon as it had gripped her, it disappeared.

Feeling it's passing, she rose from the low table, shaking away the numbness in her legs as she approached the sliding door. Blinking slightly as the direct sunlight shone behind the man in front of her, she waited for her eyes to adjust to the brightness.

The man before her looked completely human, the epitome of a reserved businessman, but Kagome picked up a twinge in his aura, a slight amount of jyaki that the man seemed to be hiding. She realized he was likely hiding it because he did not want people to know he was hanyou, and he hid it well.

Naraku realized the woman was analyzing him, and her thoughtful glare only amplified the similarity to the woman he held close to his heart, the woman who was now furiously working back at the office to iron out the proposal he was about to offer her cousin.

"Higurashi Kagome, it is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance. My name is Naraku Onigumo, of Kumo Properties."

The polite man bowed from the waist and offered her his business card embossed in gold, held at his head level. She bowed in return and received his card gently with her thumb and index fingers of both hands.

"The pleasure is mine, please come in."

Kagome led the man into the traditional dark wood and cream plaster office. It was sparsely decorated with a low table in the center of the room and a tea pit sunk into the ground behind it. Several scrolls adorned the walls, depicting scenes of ancient battles. Filtered light illuminated the room, casting a warm glow all around. In the corner was a raised table, on which sat a picture of her grandfather, surrounded by a bowl of rice with two chopsticks protruding from it. The smell of incense permeated the room.

"Ah, this must have been your grandfather's office." Naraku clapped his hands twice and bowed for a long moment in the direction of the deceased man's photo. Kagome caught herself absent-mindedly saying a prayer as Naraku turned to hold an envelope in front of her. "This is an offering for the deceased."

Kagome felt the thickness of what was no doubt many yen stacked neatly inside the envelope. "I couldn't possibly accept-"

"You can, and you will." Naraku held his open hand atop of Kagome's, flashing her a confident smile. "This is not business, this is an offering."

No longer able to decline his generosity, Kagome nodded and slipped the envelope into her hakama before she lead the man to the low table and sat down on her knees.

Naraku followed, hiding his displeasure at sitting on the knees of his expensive suit. Traditions be damned. There was no reason to be sitting on your knees when there was such a thing as a chair. After all, such was evolution. He set his briefcase next to him on the floor and opened it, drawing out a neatly stacked pile of papers and placing them face down on the table between them.

Kagome turned behind her, and from the pit sunk into the ground, raised a pot of hot tea and swiveled back to the table to fill the two waiting ceramic cups full of the greenish-brown liquid. Steam rose from each of the cups as the two engaged in their conversation.

"I understand you must be busy with your responsibilities, so I will not waste your time. I would like to offer you a proposal to purchase your shrine. It must be hard to keep after, what with just you and your brother and not much support. With taxes, and declining tourism, I would only imagine that the shrine is difficult to keep."

Kagome nodded at his words. They were not untrue. Even before her grandfather's death, making ends meet became a constant struggle. The checks they received from the government for upholding Japanese tradition just weren't cutting it with the inflation of prices. And with Souta wanting to go to college in just two months, there would be considerable bills coming her way shortly.

Kagome sighed. "You're right. This shrine is difficult to keep after. It's very time consuming, it's hard work, and it's not profitable. But I'm sure you can understand, Naraku-san, this shrine has been in my family for more than five hundred years."

"Certainly, I have done the research, and have taken such an admirable family into my consideration."

Turning over the thin stack of papers, Naraku presented Kagome with the top sheet, a heavy weighted slip of ivory paper. "I would like to offer you five point six billion yen for this property." He smirked at himself as Kagome's eyes widened. "True, it is much higher than the going rate for property this size in this area of Tokyo, but I believe your family and this land to be worth the amount."

Kagome stared at the number of zeros written on the paper. The equivalent of fifty million dollars was a lot of money for the acreage of her family's property, and it would secure happiness for herself and her brother. Not to mention even the next generations of Higurashi.

"And what would you be planning to do with the shrine grounds, if I were to accept your generous offer?"

For the first time in years, in fact, since becoming a hanyou and sharing the superior wit of the youkai that inhabited his body, Naraku faltered. This was one question he had not prepared himself for, expecting the woman to immediately jump at his offer.

"A property this size would house a good sized apartment or office building." Realizing his mistake, he tried to backpedal as the distant smile faded from Kagome's lips. "We could call it the 'Higurashi Apartment.' Imagine, Kagome, a sky rise apartment building glinting in the setting sun of Tokyo, housing hundreds of happy families. We could keep the main shrine buildings, and keep the traditional theme across the grounds, it would be beautiful."

Getting over her shock, Kagome forced herself to see past the dollar signs. How could she let this beautiful land that generations of her family had toiled over for hundreds of years be developed into a sky rise apartment? For all of the man's elegant words and his generous offer, she could not accept. She flipped the paper back upside down and placed it on the table, sliding it back towards Naraku.

"Your offer is truly too good to be true, Naraku-san, and one I would like to consider, were it not for the responsibility I bear to my family. I apologize, but I will have to decline your generous proposal."

Naraku growled internally. How easy it would be to just kill this young woman, search for the item he desired, and then begin his reign. He forced himself to play by the rules and bowed his head slightly to the young Higurashi.

"I understand, Kagome-san, that is very responsible of you. However, I will not so easily give up. I wish for you to consider my offer awhile longer. I am not adverse to offering even more should you wish to negotiate any terms."

Kagome sat with her mouth open. Even with as argumentative as she was, it was difficult to argue with this well-spoken man.

Naraku picked his cup off the table and took one last small sip of the warm tea. It had been a long, long time since he had tasted anything with such thought and love put into it's making. It almost made him sick.

Restacking the papers neatly, he placed them back in his briefcase and latched it shut. Gracefully standing up, he towered over Kagome's kneeling form. "This Naraku thanks you for your time, Higurashi Kagome, and I look forward to seeing you again soon. We shall keep in touch."

With that, Naraku bowed deeply before turning and walking back to the shoji door, letting himself out of the office.

In his wake, Kagome stared at her teacup, which she had yet to touch. While the thought of selling her family's shrine pained her, Naraku's offer was more than tempting. She had much to think about.

One stalk of a tealeaf stood straight up in the center of the cup. It was a good thing she was not one for superstition, otherwise she would have to assume that their meeting was an ill omen.


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The Lord of the Western Lands sucked in his gut as his half-brother secured his plate armor over his chest and shoulder.

Almost a younger version of Sesshomaru, his half brother Inuyasha sported hair a shade darker than his own silvery-white, although it was just as long as his elder sibling's. His skin was more tan, his hands, not to mention his attitude, harder and more calloused. Shorter and more compact, Inuyasha also sported two unique dog ears on the top of his head instead of the two pointed youkai ears, indicative of his hanyou breeding.

"Really, Sesshomaru, I don't see why you bother going to these Council meetings. It's nothing but a bunch of youkai quarrelling over anything they can to make an argument. It's an excuse to show off our traditional clothing, intimidate each other and boast about this conquest or that, my history or yours."

"It is my duty, you foolish whelp, and one day, it may be yours as well. Besides, we have suspected that Naraku is trying to obtain land in the Eastern Territories. This emergency meeting has been called to discuss that. He submitted a proposal to the owner of the property today, but thankfully, the offer was declined. You know what will come next, do you not?"

"Suck it in, man." Inuyasha poked Sesshomaru in the ribs as he attempted to secure the last piece of his armor.

His half brother glared at him out of the corner of his eye for the unspoken insult. "This armor has always been difficult to get into."

"Whatever." Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"The power struggle between ourselves, Naraku and the Ookami comes next. A fight between the west, the south, and the north over the unoccupied Eastern Lands." Sesshomaru growled at his little brother as he cinched the last piece of armor in place. "And I would even prefer the mangy Ookami to have land in the Eastern Territory than that monster of a hanyou Naraku. Do not think that Naraku would stop once he had possession of the Eastern Lands."

"Blah, blah, blah. Let that asshole have the Eastern Territories. See if I care."

"Has your hate for that man dissolved so quickly, brother?"

"Keh!" Inuyasha spun away from Sesshomaru, crossing his arms over his chest. "Three years ago I decided to never look upon his face...or hers again."

"Inuyasha, I need you in this fight. It will take everything the Inu clan has to win this. We can neither allow Naraku to expand his territory nor allow him to find the Shikon no Tama if it is truly there."

Inuyasha faltered. "Shikon no Tama? I thought that was destroyed long ago."

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes at his less than intelligent brother. "Obviously, other than myself and Naraku, that is what the other youkai have thought for the past five hundred year as well. No doubt Naraku hopes to find the jewel and use it to grant himself unimaginable power."

Sesshomaru allowed his brother to stew awhile longer before pressing him forward. Laying a firm hand on the smaller man's shoulder, he asked, "Will you join me in this fight?"

Slowly turning his body to look his older brother in the same golden eyes, he flicked the fluffy boa attached to Sesshomaru's traditional adornments with one long, clawed finger. His brother had come a long way in the past hundred years to ask for his help. Duty meant little the young hanyou Inuyasha, but honor meant everything. Finally, he nodded his acceptance.

The Lord of the Western Lands grunted and led him by the collar of his button down shirt, to his own traditional garb of the hi-nezumi.


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Dozens of youkai filed into the dimly lit mansion, an expansive, sprawling compound just on the outskirts of Tokyo. The Youkai Council currently met in the Eastern Lands, as there was no ruler there and all clans could be on equal ground with each other.

The Youkai Council was akin to a secret society. Humans knew of youkai existence, but knew nothing of their inner workings. It was here, in this place where youkai made their own laws with which they used to govern themselves. These laws were in addition to the human laws they were sworn to abide by when in contact with humans. Each of the Youkai Lords were known to have their own representatives in the human government. It was how they managed to seamlessly blend their laws with the ones of humans. As such, it wasn't unheard of for a youkai to use the human government to their own advantage, generally without even the humans's knowledge. It was a delicate game the Lords played, but in politics, it was not surprising.

Inuyasha sidestepped a tall bird-like youkai, grumbling to himself as he felt the towering bird stare down at him. Sometimes, being a hanyou was a tough pill to swallow. That is, unless you are Naraku, who had enough power and wealth that all youkai pretended that he was every bit as full blooded as they themselves were. None would imagine slandering him for being only half youkai when he had given his mortal life to become such.

Inuyasha however, he was born hanyou, being born of a human mother and youkai father. Not even being the son of the great Inu Taisho was enough to cover that disgrace. At least, not now that his father was dead.

A gavel loudly crashed down on a wooden surface and Inuyasha reluctantly followed Sesshomaru to their places in the center of the room, taking a smaller and lower seat next to his half brother.

Four large desks were situated in the middle of the room in a circle, placed so that each clan leader would be able to look each other. Behind those desks were rows of raised seating so that clansmen and representatives and other youkai of the Lord's territory could attend council as well. As an emergency meeting was rarely called for, all the seats were packed full tonight, save the empty section of the Eastern Lands.

Naraku caught Inuyasha's attention from opposite his desk and shot a cold glare at the Inu-Hanyou. Naraku had not seen the man in three years, and for him to show his face tonight meant that Sesshomaru was calling on all his weapons to thwart what plans were up his sleeve. He narrowed his eyes at the one born hanyou, and Inuyasha turned away from his gaze, fuming.

Once the din in the room quieted down, Jaken, responsible for holding the agenda and keeping topics on track, stepped up onto a podium in the center of the four desks. "We gather here this night to discuss the rumored movements of the Southern Land. It has been discovered that Naraku Onigumo has been pursuing land in the Eastern Territories. Naraku-sama, what say you to these allegations?"

Naraku unclasped his hands and leaned forward in his chair slowly. He wore a regal white baboon fur around his body, the hood tipped backwards from his neck, the blue baboon face smiling upside down. Long, wavy black tresses framed his face and fell down his back. His air of casualness expertly hid the fact that he was seriously unprepared for this meeting. He had expected to be caught pursing the Higurashi Shrine, just not so early in his game.

"Yes, I have begun to pursue a small plot of land in the Eastern Territories as of today. However, this is not a scheme to gain territory in a land that in not my own. On the contrary, the land I am pursing is more of a...personal interest. Both myself and the owner of this land have something that we can mutually benefit from offering each other."

"Naraku-sama, please explain this benefit." Jaken asked above the murmur of the youkai crowd.

A bare hand smacked Naraku's desk, and a young youkai woman with black hair drawn back into a bun secured with a long feather shot up. Her eyes were crimson in color and she wore a simple, yet elegant white and burgundy kimono. Her body language demanded the attention of all present and all eagerly gave her that which she demanded.

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at the young woman, an emotion of longing behind his usually unreadable gaze as Kagura spoke.

"Denied. There is no reason to explain a personal matter." The stern woman said.

"Denial of answer accepted by Kaze Kagura-sama on behalf of Naraku Onigumo-sama. Next question." Jaken began. "Which lands in the Eastern Territories are being pursued by your firm?"

Knowing that answering such a question could not be avoided, Naraku leaned into the microphone. "The Higurashi Shrine. It is a small piece of... insignificant land in central Tokyo. Perfect perhaps for an apartment or office building."

Inuyasha ripped his gaze from the floor to bore into Naraku. Sesshomaru had not told him that the land Naraku was interested in was... her shrine. Had he heard correctly? Naraku's seriously intent stare at Inuyasha affirmed it.

Kouga, the Prince of the Ookami-Youkai suddenly stood up from the seat at his desk. Long black hair tied into a high ponytail, he wore ancient metal armor and brown wolf furs. The Prince appeared brazen and confident, fearless of the feared hanyou's wrath. He glared at Naraku.

"If you're not pursuing your own territory in the Eastern Lands to tip the balanced scales of power in your favor, then why do you want it, Naraku?"

"This motion was already denied by Kaze Kagura-sama." Jaken spoke up, trying to avoid Kouga's heated stare while drowning out the many youkai talking amongst themselves.

"He seeks this land for the Shikon no Tama." Sesshomaru interrupted the Council.

The room came to a screeching silence as Naraku glared at Sesshomaru. He had hoped that Sesshomaru wouldn't link the land to the jewel. Leave it to the Inu-Youkai clan to hold a grudge and pass its knowledge down through their generations for five hundred years. "I know nothing of which you speak." He finally denied.

Kouga looked lost. "I...thought that was nothing but legend." His voice was barely registered by the microphone, yet due to the room's silence, all heard. "You would use the jewel's power to become the strongest youkai and take over all the lands!" The wolf prince yelled.

"Motion to oppose Naraku's proposal for Higurashi Shrine." Sesshomaru spoke evenly.

Kagura stood but was silenced by Jaken. "This is a legal motion. As your proposal has not yet been accepted, this must be permitted. Taisho-sama, how do you wish to proceed?"

"Counter offer. We will also propose an offer to the Higurashi Shrine."

Kouga stood up at his desk, his retainers cowering beneath him as he shouted. "The Northern Lands will not lay dormant in this power struggle. "Motion to oppose the Western and Southern Lands' proposal for the Higurashi Shrine."

Jaken's eyes widened. "The motions of the Western and Northern Lands against the Southern Lands are accepted. According to the rules established by the Council for such a situation, all dealings are to be under the condition of fairness. No group may reveal secret information of another to the owners of the land being pursued."

The room erupted as youkai began quarrelling amongst themselves while the Lords of their Lands initiated a power struggle that had not been seen since before the Council had been established a hundred years ago. A great unease settled across the room as tempers flared and allegiances were sworn.


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The meeting adjourned, the youkai filed out of the mansion. Jaken had opened the door to the limo for his master when the door was suddenly wrenched from his tiny webbed hands.

With a speed that only Sesshomaru could follow, Naraku slammed the door of the limo shut. He glared at the Lord of the Western Lands, his furs dancing wildly in the air around him. "How dare you." He said deeply.

Inuyasha growled deeply and reached for the Tessaiga at his side but was halted by his brother's hand.

Sesshomaru puffed out his chest and stood neck to neck with the hanyou. "How dare you, Naraku? You're the one who initiated this power struggle. Don't think that the Inu-Youkai will sit idle as you find the Shikon no Tama and take over not only the youkai population, but human as well. This Sesshomaru sees right through your plot. Your petty intimidation will not work against us either."

Naraku chuckled and took a step backwards. Sesshomaru was a strong opponent, but nothing he couldn't break and subdue given time. He focused instead on an easier target. "And what got this mangy little mutt involved?" He asked, looking at Inuyasha. "I haven't seen you in three years. Are you going to come pawing at my door, begging for your woman back?"

Inuyasha's hackles rose, his growl returning to his throat, the deep sound breaking apart in anger.

Naraku smirked confidently. "She would never come back to you. Not when she's happy...in my bed."

Inuyasha's eyes began to bleed crimson and he suddenly lashed out at the dark haired menace with pointed, curled claws. Naraku slid backwards, laughing loudly. "I look forward to this battle." He said as he turned around and walked away casually.

Once out of sight, and sure that there were no other surprise attacks waiting, Sesshomaru took his hand from the hilt of Tenseiga and gripped Inuyasha by the shoulders, shouting to him before his youkai could completely take over his body. The last time he had lost Inuyasha to his inner youkai, when Kikyou had walked out of his life, Sesshomaru had to lock Inuyasha in a reinforced room for five days.

"Inuyasha, Inuyasha! Come back now." Sesshomaru urged. He silently thanked the gods when golden streaks of his family's line began to override the crimson clouding his eyes. He hadn't been too far gone to call back.

The hanyou slid against the side of the car and gripped his forehead as he slowly returned to normal.

"I'm fine." He muttered before shakily standing up again.

The danger gone, Jaken crawled out from underneath the car, earning a sharp glare from his master. Swallowing audibly, he rushed to open the door to the limo as the Inu-Youkai Lord and his half brother slid inside.


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"Son of a bitch!" Naraku pounded the seat of his limo. Kagura visibly flinched away from the angry hanyou. "They weren't supposed to find out so soon! How could they have found out?!"

"The Inu-Youkai must have excellent spies, Naraku-sama."

Her Lord and master eyed her for a moment. "Of course. Just as we do. This throws off my plans and it will take longer to convince that naive girl to accept our proposal for the land." He paused a moment, seeming to consider hidden agendas. "But... this could be a way for me to demoralize both the Western and Northern Lords before I become the ruler of them all."

Naraku leaned back in the deep leather seat, chuckling to himself. "Yes, perhaps this will work out for the better."

Kagura inched away slightly from her master and sunk into a detached silence as the hanyou quietly schemed to himself.


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The next morning brought a chilly sunrise, although the temperatures were quickly rising. The bright, rising sun promised a warm, early spring day in the city of Kyoto, known better to youkai as the central city of the Western Lands.

Inuyasha sighed over his research, a coffee filled mug in hand that read "Ichiban Otosan!" The ugly mug was a father's day gift from his adopted son, Shippou. Had he not been so busy, he would have thought about his little boy, who was no doubt, giving his adopted niece, Rin, a hard time about getting up to go to school.

He was finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate on researching the history of the Higurashi Shrine when he already knew so much about it, which only added to his reluctance to draft this proposal and meet it's new caretaker.

Six years ago, he had met the miko of that shrine. A lovely young woman by the name of Higurashi Kikyou. A woman he was first introduced to by his best friend at the time, Tooru Onigumo.

Inuyasha would never forget the first time he met Kikyou.

It had been an early fall day six years ago, and the trees surrounding the shrine were alive with reds, oranges, and golds. She held a straw broom in her hand and had her long black hair tied back into a ponytail. Her calm face and quiet movements were intriguing and mystical. Wearing the traditional garb of the miko, the woman was strikingly beautiful.

Inuyasha and Kikyou had hit it off, instantly becoming fast friends, and eventually more than that. But the more they saw of each other, and the more intimate they became, they had become so wrapped up in each other that they barely had time for their mutual friend Onigumo anymore.

In fact, Onigumo had stopped visiting the two of them and had begun to avoid Inuyasha all together. Understanding that he must feel like his friend Kikyou had been taken away from him, Inuyasha occasionally allowed Onigumo to spend time alone with her to be the friends they were before he and Kikyou had gotten together.

After three years of dating, Inuyasha was ready to propose to his miko of the Higurashi Shrine. Despite the fact that he and Kikyou were stressed over Onigumo getting into a life threatening accident days before, he felt that he needed to ask her to marry him right away. He had asked her to meet him at his apartment at sunrise the next morning, telling her he had a surprise ready. But when she showed up...

She told him she never wanted to see him again.

She told him that she knew he was cheating on her, that she had seen it. That he really was just the lowly, disgusting hanyou that Onigumo had always said he had been.

It was a double blow. He lost his prospective wife, and apparently, his best friend at the same time. And he didn't even know what he had done to deserve any of it.

He had pleaded with Kikyou as she stormed out of his apartment, asking her where she had heard such ridiculous information, that it was lies. She would hear none of it as she walked out of his life for good.

Inuyasha had found out later that Onigumo had sacrificed his dying body to youkai that very night before. In turn, Onigumo had fittingly became a descendent of Naraku, the hanyou who had caused both his family and that of the Higurashi House unrivaled pain more than five hundred years ago.

Kikyou had run to Onigumo in her sorrow, and thus become his woman, staying by his side as he rose to the ranks of Lord of the Southern Lands as his predecessor's lineage granted him. Inuyasha had not seen either one of them since.

Until today, and now, he would be seeing a lot more of him. Naraku.

Inuyasha shook his head. There was no use dwelling on the past now. Now he had to deal with a different Higurashi. And as much as he never wanted to deal with another of Kikyou's line again, he had no choice.

"Inuyasha." His brother's authoritative voice broke the silence in his still office of glass and metal. Inuyasha turned from his view of the city and regarded Sesshomaru with a small nod. "Are you ready for the proposal with the young Higurashi woman?"

Inuyasha glanced down at the file in front of him, searching for the woman's name. "Higurashi... Kagome. Yes."

"What are your plans?"

"We approach her as the preservationists we are. Offer her our services and then propose our sponsorship of her shrine. The same deal we offer to all of our historic sites."

"Then you'll be taking Miroku and Sango with you?"

"Yes. We will propose to partially fund her shrine and then we will set up a historical museum on the grounds, at which point her shrine will just be another historical property funded by our company. That will give us the time we need to locate the Shikon no Tama."

"Then what?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "Well, no matter if we find it, Kouga finds it, or Naraku finds it, we won't have a need for the shrine anymore."

"You think it will be that easy?"

"I'll figure it out when the time arrives."

"What of Naraku? You will remember not to mention the backgrounds of the youkai that will pursue her?"

Inuyasha's brows knitted, aggravated at being reminded of a fact he knew. "Oh course not." He then sighed, a distant look settling across his face. "Besides, if she really is a Higurashi, she'll resent being part his game."

"Isn't it our game too?"

Inuyasha shrugged. He didn't want to be a part of Naraku's power struggle to begin with, and he wasn't about to feel sorry for about anyone, much less someone he hadn't even met. "Do you want to do this proposal, Sesshomaru? Or do you want me to? I know what I'm doing."

"I know you do. I didn't chose you to do this proposal for the hell of it, Inuyasha."

"Keh." The hanyou shrugged off his brother's form of praise.

Sesshomaru turned and began walking out of Inuyasha's office before turning his head over his shoulder. "Good luck. And try not to get too involved with this Higurashi girl, huh?"

"Keh, you don't need to tell me twice. Once was enough." Inuyasha cracked a pained smirk.

As Sesshomaru left his office, Inuyasha started packing his files into his briefcase. Standing up to leave, he suddenly noticed his voicemail indicator was blinking. Picking up his phone to retrieve the message, his brow wrinkled when he didn't recognize the caller's number. He waited patiently for the message to begin. His skin crawled even when he heard the speaker's recorded voice pull in air to begin to speak.

"Inuyasha, this is Kikyou. Surely you remember me? Though it has been quite some time since you last groveled at my feet for my return. In any case, I highly recommend you not meddle in my family's affairs. After all, you wouldn't want to get hurt again. Would you, you lying hanyou?"

Kikyou's spiteful chuckle sent a chill down Inuyasha's spine before he gathered the courage to finally move and slam the phone into its cradle.

His body shook as he forced the scorned image of his past love out of his mind. He would not be scared away by a woman who had judged him wrongly for a crime he did not commit. A woman who, in three years was even more bitter and angry with him as he was with her.

Right now, Taisho Inuyasha had more important things to think about.

Like a certain Higurashi Kagome.


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Author's Notes:

Welcome to Corporate Deception: Fate of her Land. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. This story is planned to be about 12 chapters in length, half of which is mostly completed, undergoing revision after painstaking revision. As this fic is rated R, do expect lemon in later chapters. Current pairings are: Inuyasha/Kagome (duh!) Sesshomaru/Kagura, Souta/Kanna, and at least hints to Sango/Miroku. I'll do my best to update quickly, so please be on the lookout for new chapters!

Out of Character Note: Please don't flame for characters being out of character. I know they aren't true to their manga/anime counterparts, but that's why it's my story and not Takahashi Rumiko's.