InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Corporate Deception: Fate of Her Land ❯ Begging You ( Chapter 8 )

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

Corporate Deception: Fate of Her Land
Chapter 8: Begging You
By: TruSuprise

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





Leaning back in his leather chair, his polished shoes kicked up on the desk, Naraku casually sorted a handful of business cards. The phone clamped between his ear and his shoulder, the tinny sounds of someone speaking could be heard through the phone in the privacy of his makeshift office.

“We have collected the signatures of almost three fourths of the population as well as about eighty percent of the homeowners associations of the county in her jurisdiction that agree to the petition. It seems that interest in keeping historical religious grounds has waned much in the past century.” The voice from the phone announced.

The dark hanyou smirked. “With the current tax deficit, even the general public knows an apartment building will aid the economy, not to mention their own home values. That is fine, call everyone off, you’ve collected all that I require. Deliver the signatures to Kagura tomorrow morning, she will bring them to me.”

“Yes, Naraku sama.” The other youkai answered as he ended the call briskly.

Naraku smirked. It was all too easy to get results with even the smallest amount of bribery and promises of money and power. Humans and youkai alike easily bent to his will and did his footwork with no questions asked. If only the entire world was like that…

Finally turning the phone off with a touch of his finger, he swung his feet off his desk and set the headset in the cradle. Pulling his chair underneath the desk, he leafed through various papers. Unrolling a long diagram, he surveyed the details and intricacies of the plans for a particular apartment and office building. He nodded. It was pretty good, really. Maybe he’d keep it around and actually use it one day.

* * *

Kagura sat outside the very same Starbucks where Inuyasha and Kikyou had happened to meet just two weeks before. Nursing a cappuccino in between her palms, she basked in the warm spring sun as she enjoyed the fresh air so early in the morning.

Examining the park across the street, she irritably noticed that the trees displayed all their foliage. She cursed herself as she realized she had let yet another year slip through her fingers without even noticing the transitional growing period of the leaves. One moment, it was the dead of winter, the next, it was warm outside and everything was green and alive.

Focusing on her real problem, she contemplated her boss. Naraku had been leaving her out of the loop lately, assigning her to lower priority tasks. She was tired of running these non-important errands for him. Her days currently consisted of picking up documents, making copies and typing letters. She was beginning to feel like his personal administrative assistant and it was getting old, and fast. True, she had never been Naraku’s right hand woman, in all aspects of his life, baring the Youkai Council, that position belonged to Kikyou, but still, Naraku’s misuse of her skills was starting to bother her. Though technically, being basically a slave to Naraku, she had no real job description, she figured she was still above such work. Currently, she was waiting for some nobody bird youkai to bring some package for her to deliver to Naraku.

Kagura grumbled as her mind wandered, setting on a certain Inu-Youkai. She frowned. Thinking about Sesshomaru would only make her mood worse. She hadn’t spoken to him since she had run out of the Western Mansion two weeks ago after he had told her that he knew her year old secret and that he still refused to give up on her.

Kagura had spent days in bed afterwards, calling in to work sick, which was not an easy feat to accomplish when one worked for someone as demanding as Naraku, especially considering it was rather rare for youkai to get sick in the first place. Kagura had taken the time regardless, needing the time to think and time to be alone.

She knew that in the entire year since Shuuran had forcibly taken her via Naraku’s orders, she had told herself that it was over between her and Sesshomaru. For one reason, believing herself to be defiled after the rape, and another, more crucial reason, was that for her to even agree to bend to Naraku’s will that she not mate with the one her soul called her to was what had shamed her most.

But now, with the knowledge that Sesshomaru knew the secrets that had held her back, and that he still wanted her, Kagura could barely resist the urges that her soul demanded of her; that she finally mate with her chosen. However, the fact still remained, that if she were caught betraying Naraku’s orders, the vindictive Southern Lord might kill her sister, and she knew that the maniacal Naraku would not stop there. No, he would kill her too, and that would put Sesshomaru in danger. Judging by the type of low importance assignments she had been given of late, Kagura wagered that Naraku was already suspicious of her intent.

There was only one option left for the wind youkai, and she knew as much. For as long as she could, she would continue to hold out and allow Naraku to control her, but to do that, she could not allow herself to be in Sesshomaru’s presence. She sighed. It had been so much easier when she could pretend to hate the Western Lord, telling herself the sex was just for fun and thinking that all of her dark secrets were safe.

Kagura snapped to attention as a tall, lithe man with shockingly red hair and pointy, angular features stood before her. “Kagura-sama.” He said in an almost sing song voice.

“You must be Suzaku.” She said curtly.

He bowed deeply and handed her a thick legal sized envelope. “These are the signatures that Naraku-sama requested by my team.”

Kagura nodded, taking the package from the bird youkai dismissively. For anyone to be so blindly loyal to another, regardless of the amount of power they wielded was a weakness as far as she was concerned. She felt like telling him that Naraku would likely dispose of him by assimilating him into his hanyou body once was his usefulness was no longer needed, but she bit her tongue. “You’re excused.” She mumbled.

Suzaku nodded and left promptly.

Kagura stared at the envelope before her, eyeing it cautiously. In all honestly, she had no idea what plot Naraku had up his sleeve now, only the assumption that it was related to his struggle for the Higurashi Shrine, which was automatically associated to the Taisho Clan.

The temptation being too great, she picked up the envelope and examined it. It was the type of interoffice envelope made to hold documents with only simple ties to fasten it. Smirking at the lax security, she glanced around. Assuring herself that she was not being watched, she spun the string around the loop to open the envelope and slide the documents out. Glancing at the summary page, she gasped and struggled to keep herself from dropping the stack of papers on the ground beneath her feet.

She looked to her cell phone and then looked back at the document several times, not wanting to risk making the call when she’d already risked so much making the first call not too long ago. Realizing what was more important to her, she quickly dialed. Using the wind to alter her voice, she spoke into the phone quietly.

* * *

A wiry, yet strong looking man of youkai lineage with long silver hair and distinctive furry dog ears stood at a podium in a neatly pressed gray suit. He bore shadows under his eyes, possibly as though his thoughts or actions haunted him, but his professional demeanor prevailed. Surrounding him was the city of Tokyo’s ruling government, gathered in a special early morning council. Though the sun had barely risen, the officials were eager to hear the interesting proposition offered by the younger brother of the highly influential and respected Inu-Youkai, Taisho Sesshomaru.

“Your motion…” The senator looked down at his papers to confirm the name. “Taisho…Inuyasha-kun?”

“To rezone ten acres in the center of Tokyo, 1037 Jinja Toori. It is a Shinto shrine in the middle of a highly populated business and residential area that no longer attracts many visitors, despite the attempts by my company, Inu Properties and Preservations, to revitalize it. Please refer to documents one through three for projected revenue expectations compared to the price the government pays to assist to keep the shrine running.” He said confidently, handing an assistant a stack of neatly filed copies for her to pass around. He allowed the senators and congressmen to peruse the documents before continuing, pleased at their shocked reactions.

“My company would like to propose tearing the old shrine down to build an apartment building with office space in its place. This proposition would thereby cut down on government debt by boosting revenue for local businesses, providing more in tax funds, and raising the property values for the homeowners in the county.” He said matter-of-factly.

The Inu-Hanyou smirked, he could already see the approval in the eyes of the congressmen and senators. Getting rid of one measly shrine in exchange for land that would put itself to work was a no-brainer for these greedy bastards. He delivered copies of the plans for the building to another attendant to pass around.

“We have already petitioned the signatures, and have gotten the approval of three fourths of the homeowners in the county in addition to most of the homeowners associations. The current owner of the shrine is a young woman who is struggling to stay afloat in these tough times, and we are prepared to provide her with a considerable settlement, as noted in the documentation.”

He nodded his head at an especially buxom clerk as he handed the thick envelope of signatures to her to pass around for investigation. After the senators and congressmen examined the materials, loud chatter began to fill the courtroom. Documents went behind closed doors to be checked and crosschecked, but it didn’t take long for the speaker, a large, round, balding man to step up to the podium.

“Taisho-kun, the house has perused your petition and has accepted your proposal. The acreage will be immediately rezoned to accommodate your schedule. You may begin to apply for building permits immediately.”

The Inu-Hanyou smiled crookedly and bowed to the assembly before wordlessly taking his leave.

* * *

Inuyasha’s ears flinched as he heard Sango’s voice from the apartment hallway. “Where is he?” The taiji-ya asked in an exasperated voice as she rapped on the door to his apartment.

Miroku’s voice followed. “I don’t know, but its already noon, no doubt we’ll be late.”

Inuyasha groaned and rolled over to pull his pillow over his head, burrowing under the blankets. The constant knocking on his front door was wreaking havoc on his sensitive ears and the sun burned his eyes as though he hadn’t slept in days. At the very least, he hadn’t slept last night, that was for sure. His untruthful answer to Kagome’s longing question had haunted him all night long.

The ride home from the Western Mansion had been silent and painful after he had told Kagome that he didn’t want a relationship with her. He had dropped her off outside her house around midnight, pulling up to the curb reluctantly. Inuyasha had turned to Kagome, who hadn’t even acknowledged him, she only slowly got out of the car, never looking back. He had stayed parked by the curb, reigning himself in from reaching out to her until she had shut the front door behind her.

Once he had gotten back to his apartment, he collapsed into bed without even changing. He had wanted to run back to her, climb up to her window, break into her room, and get down on his knees, apologize for hurting her and beg her to take him back if she would have him. He wanted her, he always had, but he continued to tell himself that she would be better off without him and that he didn’t need her anyway. His guilty conscious weighed on him heavily. He had hurt her and he had hurt himself, and he didn’t expect that the pain would ever end. He had pushed his chosen away, and the pain was intense.

He groaned and rolled over again, shoving his head even deeper into the soft defeat of his bedding. He wasn’t ready to face his pack right now, let alone Kagome. He contemplated yelling at them to go away, but knew they wouldn’t heed his wish if they knew he was there.

Sango and Miroku knocked harder on Inuyasha’s door and the voices echoed in the hallway. “Maybe he didn’t come home last night?” Sango asked tentatively.

“Well, it wouldn’t be the first time. After all, when we left them, the two of them were all alone…” Miroku trailed off suggestively.

Inuyasha growled at the monk imaging such things about Kagome. In his mind’s eye he saw Sango giving the houshi a well-aimed glare. He realized his prediction had come true when Miroku cleared his throat loudly before changing the subject. “I’m sure he’ll catch up to us if he isn’t at Kagome’s… at the shrine already.” The houshi said.

As Inuyasha heard the sound of their footsteps leaving the hallway, he merely buried his head under his pillow further, unwilling to face the day.

* * *

Kagome pushed her eggs around her plate. She just wasn’t hungry. In fact, she felt rather nauseous, though she attributed that to her rough night last night. She couldn’t say she was surprised, but she had hoped that the hanyou had felt at least something for her.

And maybe he did. Kagome hadn’t been completely convinced that Inuyasha meant to answer the way he had the night before, there was an underlying disturbance in his aura that told Kagome that something was off. But her miko powers, annoyingly vague as they were, couldn’t pin point the source. Besides, for the moment, she was content to be upset with him. She was hurting and the easiest way for her to feel better was to allow herself to be angry with him.

Hearing a knock on the door, Kagome frowned. It couldn’t have been her friends, they never knocked. Her brows furrowing, she padded down the hallway and pulled her hair from its messy ponytail, teasing it to look more presentable. She slowly opened the door and was greeted by Naraku Onigumo.

“Please excuse me for coming by uninvited, Higurashi-san. I merely stopped to express my sympathy. I know how much you love this property.” The hanyou said, somewhat subdued as he bowed slightly.

The sorrowful expression on the man’s face and the mention of her property made Kagome do a double take. “Sympathy? What do you mean?” She asked tentatively.

Naraku looked at her, cocking his head in confusion. “Surely you’ve heard by now what Taisho Inuyasha has done to your land?”

“Excuse me?” Kagome replied, the mention of Inuyasha’s name both irritating her and raising her concern.

Naraku sighed. “I’m truly sorry to be the one to break this news to you, Kagome. But from what I understand, Inuyasha was engaged in a senate meeting very early this morning to have your land rezoned for both residential and commercial use. I only assumed that the two of you had come to this conclusion together.”

Kagome’s jaw hung slack as she tried to comprehend Naraku’s words. “Oh my, maybe you didn’t know? Perhaps you should sit down, Higurashi-san.” Naraku suggested, a concerned expression on his face.

Once Kagome had silently led him to the family room and they sat across the coffee table from each other, Naraku reached across the table to rest his hand atop hers before he continued. “I just got the call moments ago and I knew had to speak with you immediately. In a special early session this morning, Inuyasha met with the city’s governing council. Apparently, he presented a signed petition to your county to have your shrine demolished and in its place erect a skyrise, stating that your shrine could not be profitable and was a burden to the taxpayers. He also stated that his company planned to pay you with a settlement in exchange. Surely you must have known?”

Kagome had no words to express the hundreds of emotions swirling through her head as Naraku continued, the sad, almost knowing look on his face amplifying her worry.

“My apologies, I thought you must have already known of their plans, and I regret to be the bearer of bad news.” Naraku paused momentarily to allow Kagome a moment to gather herself. “That Inuyasha has done this behind your back is that much more repulsive. He must have gotten tired of waiting for you to accept his company’s proposal. It must have taken weeks for him to work on this initiative, collecting signatures and preparing the plans. I know I had told you that Inu Properties and Preservations was more than what they had seemed, but this… this is more than what I would have expected even them capable of doing.”

Naraku’s cryptic warnings from the last time they had met suddenly struck Kagome like a brick. At the time, she had taken his words with a grain of salt, assuming that Naraku was being spiteful that he had lost the bid for her land. But now, with this news, Kagome began to wonder if perhaps he hadn’t been right all along.

Naraku released Kagome’s hands and pulled a sheet of paper from a leather portfolio he carried to present it to her. “I received this fax moments after the petition was passed and the land was rezoned. I’ll be asking my assistant to bring a legal copy as soon as it becomes available.”

Taking the thin fax paper from his hand, Kagome’s own trembled as she read the copy of the petition. Her eyes lingered momentarily on Inuyasha’s name and signature before she absorbed the details of the petition.

“He also submitted this plan for the newly proposed building.” Naraku displayed in front of her a scaled down version of the schematics of an office and apartment building.

Kagome gasped, recognizing the plans right away as ones she had seen in Inuyasha’s possession almost a month ago. Had he really begun plotting against her for that long?

Naraku leaned back into his chair, allowing Kagome some space as she stared numbly at the fax in front of her. “Higurashi-san, though you’ve pushed me away in the past, allow me to work with you now. I can help you get your land back. I won’t allow the Inu clan to get away with something so unethical. Now this has become personal, and I will not allow them railroad an innocent woman in so terrible a manner.”

Kagome pondered the thought of ethical. Inuyasha had always seemed ethical, but the more she thought about it, the Taisho clan did seem very… if she could call it racist, she would. She had gotten the impression that they were elitists, and seemed to think that the Inu-Youkai and the youkai of the Western Lands were the only ones of importance. She suddenly remembered the quest for the Shikon no Tama. Perhaps it wasn’t just power the Inu clan had wanted more than a desire to be the most superior youkai race.

Naraku sighed and again reached out for Kagome’s hands. He succeeded in capturing the attention of her brown, bloodshot eyes. “I know not what Inuyasha has told you about me, but, in light of what he has done of late, perhaps you will not so blindly believe his brainwashing. Higurashi-san, Inuyasha has always been the type to bend the truth to get what he most desires. He is deceitful and malevolent and is not to be trusted.”

Kagome felt like she had been kicked in the gut. Had Kikyou not given her the same warning? If both Naraku and her cousin felt the same about Inuyasha, could that mean that perhaps Inuyasha was really the one that had been playing her the whole time, taking advantage of the fact that he had gotten to know her personally before Naraku had? She didn’t want to believe Naraku’s words, but with the evidence that he presented to her, her faith in Inuyasha began to slip, though her heart tried it hardest to keep its hold.

“I apologize again Kagome, that the one you obviously cared for has betrayed you like this.” Naraku said quietly.

The hanyou’s words echoed in Kagome’s mind and the sudden pain of Inuyasha rejecting her the night before rose like the lump that had lodged itself in her throat. It was too obvious now. Of course he hadn’t really been interested in her. He was just using her, having his way until he could get what he wanted, the Shikon no Tama. The month and a half they had shared together, the bond that had grown between them, the physical relationship that they had shared, could it have really been only a ploy to lower her defenses just to betray her? For a moment, Kagome feared that she would retch. She felt confused, she felt hurt, she felt sad, but most of all, she felt betrayed.

“Allow me to help you, Higurashi-san.” Naraku pushed, grasping her hands firmly with his own.

Suddenly, all the warring emotions inside Kagome became too much for her to handle and she allowed her brain to take over, ignoring the protests of her heart. She swallowed and collected herself. She would not allow herself to lick her mental wounds when the one who had hurt her was plotting behind her back. Though she was still confused and unsure, she had seen the evidence of the rezoning statement and the building diagrams she had previously seen in Inuyasha’s possession, and she wouldn’t just lie down and give it up simply because he had broken her heart.

“How can I get my land back from him?” She asked coldly.

* * *

Miroku brought up the rear. Or at least, he wished he could as he followed behind Sango’s behind on the trek up the endless ascent of steps that was the pathway to the Higurashi Shrine. He shakily held his own hand as he forcible restrained himself from groping the woman in front of him. He had been on his best behavior for the past twenty three hours, attempting to go a full day without copping a feel on the unappreciative woman to prove to her that he could be serious.

She wasn’t making it easy on him either as her rear end swayed to and fro in her well fitting, yet slightly baggy jeans. And when she turned her torso to look back at him, showing the straining monk her ample cleavage, generously exemplified by the courier bag that rested between her breasts and further defined each round orb, Miroku found it difficult to keep himself in check.

“You’re drooling, Houshi.” Sango said in a monotone voice.

Miroku dabbed at the corner of his mouth with the back of his palm as he reminded himself he had only an hour to go.

Finally approaching the front door of Kagome’s house, Sango swung the door open and let herself in, walking through the hallway of the house. “Kagome-chan, were-“

Miroku, following directly behind her, was startled at the woman’s sudden halt, his hands accidentally cupping Sango’s butt cheeks as he attempted to stop himself from knocking her over. He scrambled, trying to apologize. “Sango-sama, I didn’t mean… it was an accident that time, honestly-”

The monk’s voice died in his throat as his eyes locked on to the reason for Sango’s sudden distraction. Naraku was sitting at Kagome’s kitchen table, the young woman he had gotten to know so well in tears, obviously avoiding eye contact.

“I believe you’re trespassing.” Naraku said in a cool, calm voice.

“Says who?” Sango asked defensively, beginning to worry when Kagome wouldn’t make eye contact with either her or Miroku.

The evil hanyou cocked an eyebrow at the challenge. “Says Naraku Onigumo, co-owner of this property. I don’t believe you even had the guts to return after your boss rezoned his client’s land without her permission simply to destroy it maliciously by planning to tear it down. Now, I suggest you go crawling back to your deceiving, back stabbing boss and not return again.”

Miroku faltered at the enormity of the allegations. “Inuyasha wouldn’t do that! Why should we believe you?” He barked.

Naraku stood from his seat, the legs of the chair screeching against the linoleum. “Perhaps this will clear things up.” He said as he briefly held up a signed contract that outlined the co-ownership of the Higurashi Shrine, the ink of Kagome’s signature still drying.

“Inuyasha sealed his fate when he rezoned this land behind the back of poor Higurashi-san. He obviously thought very little of her to do such a thing.” Naraku inwardly smirked as Kagome winced. Every bitter comment he made further intensified her anger and distrust for the Inu-Hanyou. “It’s a good thing I have such good contacts in the government to have found this out before that mutt could take advantage of her.”

Sango had heard enough and she stepped to the side to see Kagome around Naraku’s protective form. “Kagome-chan, I don’t know what’s going on, but you can’t believe him, there has to be some kind misunderstanding… Inuyasha would never do that to you, he-” Sango stalled. “He cares for you too much!”

Sango’s untrue statement struck home, reminding Kagome of the fact that hurt the most. She bit back a fresh sob as she choked on the lump in her throat. For the first time since their arrival, Kagome made eye contact with Sango. As the taiji-ya looked into Kagome’s bloodshot depths, she was shocked to see such desperation. “You’re wrong, Sango. That’s not the conclusion he came to last night. He doesn’t want me.” Kagome said in a voice laced with anger and hurt.

Naraku raised his eyebrows at Sango and Miroku. “You see? Your boss is a terrible man. Inuyasha has been playing her all along.”

Though the houshi wanted to stay to get to the bottom of the situation and to defend his best friend’s honor, as tears began freely falling down Kagome’s face at Naraku’s cruel, yet seemingly true words, Miroku snapped. “That’s enough, Naraku, you’re hurting her!” He shouted. “We’ll leave for now, but believe me when I say this isn’t over.”

Naraku held back a chuckle as the determined houshi stormed out of the house, the taiji-ya in tow after casting a worried glance back at Kagome.

‘So far, so good.’ Naraku congratulated himself.

* * *

Inuyasha rubbed his eyes as he dodged the slow moving people walking along the sidewalks. What he had really felt like doing was ramming his shoulder into them and knocking them over, or perhaps practicing some of his infrequently used attacks on them, he was sure his skills were getting rusty anyway. To make matters worse, today was the day of the new moon. He frowned at his own foul mood.

An hour late for work and his conscious eating at him over the event of the night before, Inuyasha didn’t want to face Kagome, but he knew he had no choice. He may have turned her down, but he was still Sango and Miroku’s boss and he was still trying to talk Kagome into his company’s proposal. Swearing to himself that his feelings for the woman amounted to nothing and they’d be better off without each other, now it was time to get back to business. The Shikon no Tama was still at stake here, a point he had all but forgotten since he and Kagome had become romantically involved. He had made his decision and he would stick by his word.

Turning down Jinja Toori, he prepared himself for the hike up the stairs when he almost fell on top of Sango and Miroku who occupied the bottom most steps. “Keh! What are you two sitting there for? You’re late!”

“You tell us, you jerk!” Sango snapped. Inuyasha recoiled from the venom in the woman’s voice as she continued. “We’ve got Naraku up there with Kagome, telling us she signed a contract for him to be co-owner of her shrine!”

“What?!” Inuyasha barked. “You mean Naraku is up there with Kagome right now?”

Sensing that the hanyou was about to bolt, Miroku grabbed Inuyasha by the collar of his red t-shirt and held him back. Inuyasha’s strength was no match for his own, so he knew he would have to speak quickly. “I don’t know where Naraku got this from, but he told her that you had her land rezoned for residential and commercial use behind her back.” The houshi wanted to trust his friend, but he had to ask.

Inuyasha’s brows knitted together. “What? How could I have done that?” the hanyou noted a weary glance shared between the houshi and the taiji-ya. “You guys don’t believe him, right?”

Sango sighed. “Inuyasha, I don’t know what to think anymore. You’ve been irritable and closed lately. All I know is that Kagome’s was in tears and she mentioned something about you not wanting her.”

The hanyou’s ears flattened against his skull as he avoided eye contact with either of his friends.

“Inuyasha, what happened last night?” Miroku asked, a frown on his face.

Inuyasha sighed. He didn’t like to talk about himself, even to his pack, but there was obviously no getting out of this one. “Fuck it.” He mumbled. “She asked me if I wanted a relationship and I said no.”

“Why the hell not?” Sango asked. “Its obvious that you’ve fallen for her!”

“Because, Damnit! Just because.” The Inu-Hanyou answered. He glared at the man who held him by the shirt. “Now, if you don’t let me go, Miroku, I’ll shred right through you. You’re standing between me and Kagome.”

Miroku knew better than to mess with one of youkai blood in such a situation. Even though he had turned Kagome down, she was still his chosen, and Inuyasha sensed that she was in danger. The houshi promptly released his best friend. As Inuyasha took off in bounding leaps, Sango and Miroku eyed each other, knowing their best friend wasn’t being honest with himself. That issue would have to wait for later. They ran up the stairs after the hanyou, hearing him yell for Kagome.

Once Sango and Miroku made it to the top of the steps, they found Inuyasha pounding on the front door of the house, still yelling Kagome’s name, fear and anxiety beginning to taint his voice. As they approached him, they noticed his claws were out and his body was slightly hunkered down in a defensive crouch. His nose twitched, no doubt inhaling Naraku’s smell. It was obvious that Inuyasha was looking for a fight.

Inuyasha sorely wished he had Tessaiga with him as he gave up knocking on the door and made the decision to break it down. Suddenly, the door slowly opened, Naraku standing tall in the entryway. Inuyasha’s eyes slanted at the smug looking man as Naraku spoke. “Well, if it isn’t the Inu-Hanyou. I trust this looks familiar?” He asked as he thrust the fax of the rezoning approval in front of Inuyasha.

Inuyasha growled deeply while absorbing the information. He tried his hardest to disregard it, even when the signature looked exactly like his own. Inuyasha was enraged, but first, he wanted to assure himself that Kagome was safe before he dealt with Naraku’s accusations. “Where is Kagome, Naraku?” Inuyasha spat.

Naraku looked down at the shorter man. “Oh, now you show concern for her? And what emotion was it that caused you to do this behind her back? Did you think you could actually get away with doing something so underhanded? You should have known I wouldn’t have stood for-”

“What, you mean to tell me don’t stand for lies and deceit?” Inuyasha barked, barely able to contain his rage.

“Deceit?” Naraku asked. “It was you who strung this poor woman along for weeks, pretended to care for her, and then betrayed her by telling her you didn’t want her, not me.”

Naraku stepped aside, and there standing behind him was Kagome. Never before had Inuyasha seen such desperation, such pain in her eyes. She looked angry, hurt and confused. It was a familiar expression, one that brought back a memory he couldn’t quite place. He was suddenly acutely aware that he had not stood up for himself or denied a single one of Naraku’s accusations.

Inuyasha’s hand feebly reached out towards Kagome, towards his chosen, and it physically pained him when she stepped away from it. “Kagome…” He said softly, his voice almost a whisper. His heart broke when she refused to acknowledge him, not even lifting her bloodshot gaze from the ground.

“Though you’ve had her land rezoned, you have no legal rights to it. Obviously you thought you could railroad her by forcing her into taking some kind of settlement. Now that I am co-owner of this property, you are trespassing, and if you don’t remove yourselves from our property, we will be forced to call the authorities.” Inuyasha balked as Naraku continued. “Now, if you don’t mind, Higurashi-san and I have business to attend to.”

As Naraku began to shut the door, Inuyasha’s heart began to pound and his hackles rose on the nape of his neck. He thrust his hand out to keep the door from shutting. How could he allow Naraku to be alone with Kagome? His instincts kicked in and he howled, dimly aware that he had finally gotten Kagome’s attention, her bloodshot eyes darting up to look at his expressive face. Inuyasha’s claws extended as he flexed his fingers and leapt forward at the dark haired man, shouldering the door open to try to fit through the opening.

Suddenly, Naraku allowed his jyaki to spill forth from him and he quickly created a kekkai around Kagome’s house. When the Inu-Hanyou slammed against the shield of spiritual energy, he howled in a high pitched squeal of pain. Though he stood his ground and did not back down, the skin of his hands and face burned from the searing pain of the barrier.

Seeing that he was in pain, Kagome momentarily forgot her own hurt and raised a hand towards him, her mouth opening as though she would speak before Naraku preempted her.

“Need I remind you that you’re the one that put yourself in this position, Inuyasha? You’ve never been a match for me. Now leave.” Naraku threatened menacingly as he slanted his eyes at the Inu-Hanyou. Showing a smug smile, he slipped his arm around Kagome’s shoulder and turned her stiff body around. She glanced over her shoulder and met Inuyasha’s intense gaze momentarily before Naraku shut the door on the Inu-Hanyou and his pack.

Inuyasha stood staring at the door and Naraku’s purplish translucent barrier, his body beginning to shake. There was no way for him to get inside the kekkai without Tessaiga, and that assuming that he even still had the skill level to the break the barrier after not trailing seriously for years. Besides, after seeing Kagome’s forlorn expression, he wasn’t even sure he wanted to get inside. He wouldn’t even know what to do once he got there.

Sango had already made a call on her cell phone, frantically trying to locate Sesshomaru as Miroku cautiously placed his hand on Inuyasha’s shoulder.

“Inuyasha…” Miroku began, reaching out for his best friend. “Why don’t we go somewhere and regroup-“

The hanyou swatted at Miroku’s hand. The houshi distractedly noticed tiny droplets of blood on his hand, no doubt transferred from Inuyasha’s slap. He realized that the hanyou must have dug his claws into his own palms in frustration.

“Yes, Sesshomaru-sama. Yes. He’s here, yes. Yes. Okay.” Sango said, nodding to the cell phone. “Inuyasha, your brother already knows what’s going on, he’s been trying to contact you all morning. He’s almost to Tokyo already. He wants to talk to you.” She said, nervously extending the cell phone towards her boss.

Inuyasha looked at the little black cell phone and frowned. He didn’t want to regroup, he didn’t want to speak to his brother. He wanted to be alone. Without warning, Inuyasha hopped, leaping away from Kagome’s house and his pack. He didn’t know where he was going, but he ran as fast as he could, never looking back.

* * *

Souta sighed as he walked towards the house, kicking at a stray pebble on the granite pathway. He was supposed to have met Kanna for a date earlier in the afternoon, but she had never shown up outside the theater, and she wasn’t answering his calls, either. He didn’t know much about her personal life, but there was something about the girl that always made him worry about her. He hoped she was all right.

Approaching the house, Souta did a double take. A short haired, buxom, obviously youkai woman wearing a short skirt and a tube top stood lazily near the front door as though she were guarding it. Sensing his approach, Souta got the feeling she was looking at the top of his head, maybe at his hair rather than his face. “You Kagome’s brother?” The woman asked in a somewhat annoyed tone of voice.

Souta nodded guardedly, eying the woman. When she decidedly lost interest in him, he entered the house and found his sister sitting at the low table in front of the TV in the family room, staring at a cup of tea in her hands.

“Kagome-neechan, what’s the deal with the scantily clad youkai at the door?” He asked lightly.

“Oh, her name is Yura, I think.” Kagome said distractedly, looking up at her brother and trying to be casual.

“Is she one of Inu-no-niichan’s friends?” Souta asked.

Kagome winced at the brotherly term Souta had assigned Inuyasha what seemed like so long ago. “No, she’s not.” She finally answered.

Though she was trying hard to hide it, Souta could see pain deeply laced in his sister’s features. “Neechan? What’s wrong?” He asked tentatively, kneeling next to her.

Kagome sighed. Her brother deserved to know what was going on, but she didn’t want to continue to irritate her already ragged nerves. She gave him an abridged version of the day, telling him that Naraku had told her that Inuyasha had gone to the government to get their land rezoned earlier that morning and that she had signed a contract with Naraku the real estate tycoon so that he could help her to get their land back. She told him that Naraku was back in his offices in Hiroshima working out the legalities of rezoning their land and that he had youkai posted around the shrine to make sure that Inuyasha and his company didn’t attempt to do anything rash.

Souta’s disbelieving eyes homed in on his sister’s. “But… Inu-no-niichan couldn’t have done something like that!”

Kagome winced. She knew her brother had liked the hanyou, perhaps even looked up to him a little bit. She wanted to believe in Inuyasha, she wanted to believe her brother and she wanted to believe her own intuition, but the evidence presented to her by Naraku and even Inuyasha himself was just too telling. She couldn’t bring herself to tell her brother about the pain of his idol rejecting her the night before.

“I know, I know, Souta. Look, all I know right now is that the government gave the okay to rezone our property, and if we don’t get that changed, we can’t live here very long. So we have to work with Naraku right now, okay?” Kagome said evenly.

Souta nodded, though he wasn’t happy with the situation. He eyed the copy of the rezoning acceptance, handed to him by his sister. He was still in a state of disbelief that Inuyasha could have done something so cruel. “I wish jiichan were around. He’d know what to do.” He said longingly.

Kagome tried her hardest to keep her tears in check. As goofy as he had been, she’d have given anything to have her grandfather back to be their leader, their support, the one to carry the burden. In the past month and a half since she had begun working with Inu Properties and Preservation, she had been busy enough and been having enough fun that the dull ache of being without a family had almost disappeared. But now, finding herself not only alone again, but rejected and betrayed…

‘No.’ Kagome said to herself as she forced herself to brighten up. Lingering on the past and wallowing in self pity was not one of her traits, no matter how down she felt, no matter how many things were going wrong for her. She was the leader of their family now and it was up to her to be strong. “Come on Souta, cheer up. I know what will make us feel better, let’s make something for dinner.”

The young man’s frown slowly pulled itself into a small smile. “How about some ramen? I got hooked on the egg and beef bowl thanks to Inu…” He wished he could have eaten his words for dinner as he noticed his sister choke back what would have been a sob at the Inu-Hanyou’s name. “Neechan, I-“

Kagome stood and yanked her wallet from her back pocket, pulling her last few yen notes out of it and shoving them into her brother’s hand. “You know what? I’m not really so hungry. Why don’t you go grab something out with your friends tonight instead?”

As Kagome plodded upstairs to her room, Souta hung his head, upset that his sister seemed so distraught. She was obviously keeping important pieces of the story from him. He wondered if perhaps the whole story wasn’t being kept from her as well.

* * *

“How nice of you to join us, Inuyasha.” Sesshomaru spat from his location on Inuyasha’s couch. The Inu-Hanyou paused, hesitant to enter his own apartment where most of his pack had been waiting for his return. Knowing he had nowhere else to go, the sun having almost completely faded from the city sky, Inuyasha finally entered his dimly lit home.

Inuyasha said nothing, disregarding his pack. He had a forlorn, empty expression on his face, as though nothing in the world mattered to him. Suddenly, right before everyone’s eyes, Inuyasha’s human change took place. The night of the new moon was at hand.

Sango and Miroku silently looked on from the kitchen, astonished as Inuyasha’s features softened, his dog ears disappearing as his human ears formed, his silver hair turning black as though it were being painted, his eyes changing from amber to deep crimson in a slow fade. He had never allowed anyone to physically see his change before, but right now, he was so numb that he almost didn’t notice, even as he lost his enhanced canine senses.

“You already know what happened?” He asked Sesshomaru bitterly.

His elder sibling nodded. “We got an anonymous call this early this morning. It must have been the same spy who gave us wind of Naraku’s interest in the shrine in the first place.”

It was obvious to Inuyasha that Sesshomaru was bothered by not knowing who the spy was, but his elder brother’s concerns were the furthest thing from his mind. “You know I didn’t do it.” Inuyasha stated flatly, eyeing his brother, daring him to doubt him.

Sesshomaru met Inuyasha’s challenging, dominant gaze and communicated to him through his own harsh stare not to challenge him. “I do admit, it is an excellently laid plan. So good, that I know you would not be capable of pulling it off.”

“How can you mock me at a time like this!” Inuyasha barked, his fingers curled into a fist as his brother’s provocation tipped him over the edge and he swung at him.

Too fast for Inuyasha to follow his movements, Sesshomaru stood and caught Inuyasha’s punch by his calloused knuckles in the palm of his own smooth hand. “Sit down.” Sesshomaru growled, forcing him to sit in the chair across from him.

Sesshomaru glared at his rash, younger brother. “I gather that while you were distracted working with Kagome to get her to accept the proposal, Naraku must have been plotting, getting others to do all the footwork to set up his elaborate rezoning initiative. The plans for the building we originally purchased were easily traced back to a youkai company we briefly used.”

“The fucker even had our building plans?” Inuyasha asked.

Sesshomaru smirked. “Much thought went into this plan. Naraku must have found the company we used and bought the same plans we had purchased. Immediately after the anonymous call this morning, I called our contacts in congress, telling them there must have been a mistake, that it couldn’t have been my brother. They swore it was you there this morning, and even forwarded me the security camera footage.”

Inuyasha stared at his shaking hands. “Damnit, how can that be? I was in bed all morning!”

Sesshomaru growled. “Are you really so blind? We all know that Naraku has used the tactic of taking another’s appearance before. It was one of the first skills he used upon becoming the Lord of Southern Lands. He merely disguised himself as you. That was the easy part.” Inuyasha’s eyes slowly widened, remembering that the dark hanyou did have that capability. “Inuyasha, I’ll bet this isn’t the first time he’s done this to you. How do you think Naraku managed to get Kikyou to believe you were unfaithful to her?”

The Inu-Hanyou went rigid as the cruel reality sunk in. Three years ago, that bastard Naraku had disguised himself as him, snuck into his apartment and bedded some slut to set him up and steal Kikyou from him. In the mean time, Inuyasha had spent three years of his life trying to figure out where he had went wrong in his relationship, begging Kikyou to believe in him. It was no wonder she didn’t, it was Naraku’s deceiving manipulations and his image that had turned her against him. He wondered briefly if she even knew that Naraku, no, Onigumo had tricked her…

But that was three years ago, and he had since sworn to himself that Kikyou no longer mattered to him and it still held true. He had wasted enough of his life pining after that woman and this newfound knowledge did not change that. Even though what she had seen what was an only an image of him with another woman, the fact of the matter was that she had refused to listen to his words, and she had refused to believe in him. There had been no trust in their relationship.

Now Naraku had struck again, and this time, it hurt that much more. As if he hadn’t hurt himself and Kagome enough by refusing to be in a relationship with her, Naraku had capitalized on the very bond that had drawn he and Kagome together. The sick fuck seemed to get pleasure out of making his life misery. But now, he had made Kagome’s life misery, and he wouldn’t allow Naraku to do to her what he had done to Kikyou.

Suddenly, Inuyasha let out a sound that was a strained half chuckle, half whimper. His pack turned to look at him, alarmed expressions on their faces.

“Spies, deceit, manipulation… I’m tired of this game.” Inuyasha mumbled.

Sesshomaru squared his shoulders into the back of the couch. “It can’t be helped. We have to play this game. Through the Shikon no Tama lies at the very least the fate of youkai should Naraku possess it.”

Now armed with the knowledge that Naraku had not only manipulated and used Kagome to get her land, but that Naraku had once again ruined his life by taking away his love, Inuyasha broke down his own last mental wall. No longer would he allow another to keep him from what he wanted. What he needed. Not even himself. He looked at his brother through his black bangs. “Keh. Shikon no Tama, the destruction of youkai, the destruction of humans, all of it. I don’t give a fuck about any of it. All I care about is Kagome.”

Silence dominated the room as Inuyasha finally admitted the enormity his feelings. He had finally come to a decision. Now that he had crumbled his mental wall, he would no longer allow himself to deny the feelings his soul demanded he display for the one he loved. Kagome was his chosen, and he would not stand by idly while she was hurting. He had to right his wrong with her. Then, he’d deal with Naraku. First for what he’d done to Kagome, then for what he’d done to him. He abruptly stood and headed for the door. “I’m leaving.”

Sango finally broke her and Miroku’s self imposed silence. “But Inuyasha, you’re…”

“Human?” Inuyasha turned to Sango, snarling. “She’s seen my human form before. Defenseless? What little defense this cursed human body provides will be better than the nothing protecting her now. I’ll gladly put this worthless life on the line for her own safety. She has no idea that she’s signed her life over to a monster.”

“We’re going with you.” Miroku chimed in.

“No. I’ll go alone.” Inuyasha insisted.

Sesshomaru stood authoritatively. “Sango, Miroku. Let him go.”

Inuyasha nodded at his half brother and took off running from the apartment as fast as his human legs would carry him, his sense of renewed purpose and urgency driving him forward.

He had made his decision, and now his raw, instinctual determination drove him. He would no longer allow himself to deny his feelings for Kagome. He would protect her from Naraku. He would not let himself be frightened by commitment over what had happened with Kikyou. And eventually, he would learn to control his inner youkai and mate with the woman he loved, the woman he knew loved him. But first, he had to get her to believe in him, if it wasn’t too late already.

* * *

Hugging her stuffed dog, Kiba, close to her chest, Kagome lay in the fetal position on top of her bed as she stared out the window. The only light that drifted through the parted curtains was that of the street lamp on the other side of the house. A strong wind kicked up outside, blowing warm, gusty breaths of air through her open window, bringing with it the scent of rain. The trees creaked and groaned. A storm was coming.

Normally, Kagome would have been excited at the coming storm, sitting next to the window as she watched the clouds laden with fat raindrops and destructive lightening bolts as they rolled in on the horizon. But over the course of the day, she had wrung every last bit of emotion from her soul and had cried every last tear that would fall from her tired eyes, leaving her exhausted and weary.

In her mind’s eye, she saw Inuyasha calling for her, Inuyasha becoming enraged at Naraku, Inuyasha throwing himself at Naraku’s kekkai to get to her. The wild, desperate look in his eyes had told Kagome that he was innocent. That was what she had struggled with ever since Naraku had left her that evening for his Hiroshima offices.

On one hand, she had all she knew of the Inu-Hanyou. The kindness underneath his harsh exterior, his gentle caresses when they were alone, his actions, though sometime rough or confused, that always seemed to be conveyed as unspoken confessions of his feelings for her. On the other hand, she had all the irrefutable evidence Naraku had presented her with. The fax and then later, the official copy of the rezoning document, the architectural plans that she had seen in Inuyasha’s possession before that he now planned to use for her land, and Naraku and Kikyou’s prior warnings regarding Inuyasha and his company. She had desperately wanted to believe in Inuyasha, but the bottom line was that he hadn’t even defended himself against Naraku’s accusations; he had only stood there and taken the abuse.

She found it difficult to believe that in the past twenty four hours, her life had gone from the best days of life to what was turning out to be the worst. She found herself longing for Inuyasha’s comfort, longing for the sound of his voice, his smell, his body against her own, even just his quiet companionship.

As the leaves on the trees outside her window flipped themselves over in the steadily growing wind, a sure indicator that the storm was about to hit, the first fat drops of rain began to splatter on the roof, the metallic tinging they made against the old clay tiled roof comforting her almost to the point of drifting off to sleep.

When a steady tapping outside the window began, she wrote it off as the wind blowing the raindrops onto the window pain. When she opened an eye to check, she was shocked to see a human Inuyasha standing outside her window. She almost didn’t recognize the black haired man knocking on the unopened side of the glass pane, only his shoulders and head visible as he stood on the roof of the family room below.

Mixed emotions assaulted her upon seeing him, wanting to both yell at him to go away and kiss him for coming back, scream at him for his betrayal and cry to him that he didn’t want her the way she wanted him. But once she looked into his eyes and saw that same desperation she had seen there earlier, all she could do was jump to her feet and run to the window.

She wordlessly gave him her hand and the two locked eyes before she tugged on his arm, giving him the cue to hop up into her room.

Inuyasha stood in front of her, his soaked body dripping water on her carpet, his thick black hair plastered to his head. A million questions begged to be asked, but Kagome’s greatest concern was for Inuyasha’s safety. “Why did you risk coming out here in your human form?” She asked, knowing it was dangerous for a hanyou to reveal his human night.

Kagome’s sentiment was not lost on Inuyasha, and though he knew that his answer would not carry the same connotation to a human as it would a youkai, he still had to steel himself to speak the phrase. “Because your safety is more important than mine.”

Kagome slightly backpedaled at his answer. He had told her that he never left the safety of his home during his human night. “You’re the one in danger, not me. You should know that Naraku has guards out looking for you.” She said flatly.

“I don’t care.” The hanyou replied.

She turned away from him and walked to her closet in the dark of the room, fishing for a towel. “You’re soaked.” She stated, throwing a thick, blue towel at him.

Inuyasha let the fuzzy material hit him and fall to the floor, ignoring it. When she looked at him questioningly, he could no longer take the tension that filled the room from wall to wall. He rushed to her, throwing his arms around her, pulling her towards his wet body.

At first, Kagome struggled, her fists pounding Inuyasha’s wet chest as he determinedly held her as close to him as he could, but in no time, she gave in to the familiar comfort of his body against her own and relaxed into his embrace despite his soaked body. Though she had thought she had cried her last tear, silent drops ran down Kagome’s face as she returned his desperate embrace, silent sobs causing her torso to hitch.

Finally pulling away from her, putting a small amount of distance between their bodies to be able to concentrate, Inuyasha looked down at Kagome. Still, she looked angry, hurt and confused, but this time he placed the familiar expression. She looked just like Kikyou had when she had suddenly accused him of infidelity. Naraku was indeed repeating his heartless tactics once again. Only this time, Inuyasha promised himself that the dark hanyou would not prevail.

“Kagome…” His voice broke in the silence of the room, he was scared of saying the wrong thing. “It was me who they saw at congress this morning, but I’m not responsible for the rezoning of your land.”

“You mean you were there, then?” Kagome asked as the hurt expression on her face intensified.

“No.” Inuyasha said quickly, as the young woman looked at him wearily, obviously confused. “I know this is going to sound crazy to you, but one of Naraku’s youkai skills is the ability to take the shape of another. He took my form, claiming to be me. The building plan that you saw, the one you had seen in my stuff a month ago, Naraku contacted the company we bought it from. He must have asked them for the specific plan we bought. He also used the same firm to gather all the signatures. It was all one of Naraku’s intricate plans.”

Kagome slowly nodded her head. He was right, his explanation was hard to believe, especially the fact that Naraku could take the shape of another. But the look in Inuyasha’s eyes and the feel of his aura fighting to comfort and reassure her own was beginning to wear down her defenses as he spoke with such certainty, such purpose.

“Kagome, I don’t think that this is the first time that Naraku has taken my form.” Inuyasha said, deadly serious.

Kagome’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

The hanyou sighed. “I think… I think he’s also responsible for Kikyou accusing me of cheating on her three years ago. I think it was him that she saw with another woman, not me.”

“Oh… Inuyasha…” Kagome said, trailing off. Even through her own hurt, she felt Inuyasha’s pain of his last love, concerned for his emotions. She fought with her heart where it pounded in her chest as she wondered if Inuyasha was going to go after Kikyou again now that he figured that Naraku had robbed him.

“Listen, none of that matters anymore. I’m here for you, Kagome.” Inuyasha said, not wanting the conversation to drift. The surprised look in Kagome’s eyes did not go unnoticed. “You told me once that as long as I trusted in you, that you’d trust in me. I never stopped trusting you, Kagome. I know all you have to go on is my word, but you have to believe me when I say that I could never hurt you like this. I… I care for you too damn much.”

Although relieved that Inuyasha did not intend to go after Kikyou, Kagome now faltered at the near confession of his feelings, but she held her ground. She needed answers. “If you care for me, then why did you turn me away, Inuyasha?”

Inuyasha tensed, knowing this was the last step to getting Kagome’s trust back, if he could at all. Though he longed to go as far as telling her everything, about her being his chosen, about wanting to mate himself to her, he knew now was not the time. First, he had to get her to trust him again. Then he’d fully open up to her.

“Kagome…” Inuyasha began tentatively. “You have to understand how hard this for me. When Kikyou left me, I promised myself that I’d never allow myself get hurt again. When I met you and began to have feelings for you, I got scared and tried to suppress them. When that became impossible to do, I did the only thing I knew how. I closed myself off and turned you down.”

Meeting his gaze, Kagome’s hopeful eyes searched Inuyasha’s own. “What are you trying to say, Inuyasha?”

The hanyou willed himself to forge forward, surprised to find it easier than he ever imagined to tell her how he felt. “Damn it, Kagome, I’m trying to tell you that I love you, and that I’m begging you to believe me and take me back!”

Kagome’s heart swelled at the words she had wanted to hear from him the night before. She wanted to hug him and tell him yes, she wanted to cry tears of happiness and tell him she loved him too. But she was still emotionally dead after the long day, and she needed time to think things through.

“Inuyasha…” She tried to meet the hanyou’s gaze, but his desperate eyes that begged her to forgive him were in danger of swaying her. “I need some time, okay?”

His dejected look was almost too much for her to handle as he fought her. “Kagome, I’ll do anything to make you believe me, I’ll-”

Kagome silenced him by finally making eye contact. “Inuyasha, I’ll tell you right now that I don’t fully believe in Naraku. I have to admit that though, that through this, I’ve had my doubts about you, even though I’ve always wanted to trust in you. What I need right now is time to think things through, and then time ask myself if I can handle a relationship right now after all we’ve gone through.” Kagome said, pausing. “Inuyasha, your rejection hurt.” She whispered.

So dejected that he could barely tear his gaze from the floor, Inuyasha whimpered out loud, the submissive whine startling Kagome. The hanyou suddenly covered the distance between them and pulled her to him once more. Kagome couldn’t help but notice that his strong frame shivered underneath his cold, wet clothes.

“I’ll give you the time you need, but I won’t leave you alone in Naraku’s presence.” Inuyasha said, his voice threatening to break as he tipped his head to whisper into her ear.

Her eyes slowly shutting, Kagome relaxed in his embrace, burying her face behind his human ear. “Inuyasha, if he sees you-”

His grip tightened around the woman as he spoke. “He won’t see me, and you won’t see me. But do know, that I will be there. Always”

Kagome noticed the cold determination in his eyes where his fierce protectiveness burned. She had never seen him so serious before, and she had to fight against her own urge to give in and take him back immediately.

As the hanyou released her and turned away, Kagome asked, “Where are you going?”

“I’m giving you the space you need. I’ll be outside, watching over you.” Inuyasha said over his shoulder.

“Inuyasha, its pouring out-” Kagome began.

The hanyou silenced by quickly turning around to meet her lips in a gentle kiss, his cold lips firmly pressing against hers. He glanced deep into her eyes one last time, trying to show her the intensity of his feelings through his eyes before turning and leaping through the window and into the rainy night.

Kagome lost track of the amount of time she spent standing by her window. She couldn’t see him out there, but she could sense his presence. Even when he was out of sight, she could feel his aura reaching out for hers. She was relieved to feel better than she had in the past twenty four hours.

Finally, her legs beginning to cramp, she threw herself onto her bed in an exhausted heap as her thoughts plagued her. She knew she didn’t want to become another Kikyou for the Inu-Hanyou. After all, it was she who had told him that if you don’t have trust in a relationship, you can’t have love. And she did love him. She had known that for quite some time.

She weighed all she knew of Inuyasha and all she knew of Naraku. She desperately wanted to believe Inuyasha’s words, but first, she needed time to heal and figure out what she should do. The fact of the matter was that in her despair over Inuyasha turning her away and the news of the rezoning delivered by Naraku’s smooth words, she had just signed a contract with the dark hanyou to be co-owner of her property. He was now as legally tied to her land as she was, a fact that perhaps Inuyasha wasn’t taking into account. If she did come to the conclusion that Naraku was in fact the one not to be trusted, then she realized she could be in a world of trouble.

And then there was the issue of the Shikon no Tama, the legendary jewel that Inuyasha had told her was the root of Naraku’s desire, yet only Inuyasha had ever spoken of it. Her tired brain tried diligently to connect the pieces of the vague puzzle, yet sleep slowly began to claim her exhausted body and mind. As she slid into the blissful land of rest, her fears of Naraku being as evil as Inuyasha insisted he was faded into pleasant dreams of the dog eared hanyou.

* * *


Authors Notes: I know nothing of rezoning land, so I’m sure this is all wrong, but it works for the story. Hey, its fiction, and it works.

Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out, I’ve been working so hard on later chapters and I was on a roll and didn’t want to back track, but I promise I’ll be better in the future. Drop a review and let me know what you think so far!