InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Dusk Curse ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter 8: The Dream

 

 

~Somewhere above Japan.

~6:45AM, November 15, 2001

 

She hated plane rides. But it was necessary, for more then one reason.

 

Japan, though it was beautiful, held nothing for her. She thought it may be a new place to start over, but it was nothing of the sort. Kagome did love Japan, learning the language and everything else. But soon she found herself so very homesick for the sweet, old, U.S. of A. she thought maybe if she gave it time, it would go away. But it did not. When a year passed and still her stomach gnawed at her constantly, she changed subjects, deciding to own a small business. A business management class, an accounting class, and a Japanese class now made up her schedule. She spent her free time reading and surfing on the computer. Soon she found herself restless and started looking for something else to do. Maybe she would get a job or something…

 

And then a phone call had come. At first, her mother's babbling had not been clear and impossible to understand. She thought she'd heard… but no, it was wrong.

 

“Momma! Stop and start again. What's wrong?”

 

“Oh, Kagome. Souta, he's dead. He was killed in a car crash.”

 

“...” She could think of nothing to say.

 

“He was going to see a friend. The whole family died in the crash. Oh Kagome, he's really gone. I don't know what I am going to do.” She could hear her mother sobbing on the other end. Shock filled her.

 

“Momma? Are you okay there for a day or two? I'll be there as soon as I can.” She had hung up listening to her mother's weak protests. She had packed her clothes, quickly. She had called the people she had to inform them she would be leaving. The few friends she had made had been called as well to let them know what was going on. They all kept asking her if she was okay, as if she was going to have a mental meltdown any second.

 

She could afford to rent a private plane to get her back ASAP since she was not going to pay for the rest of the second term. They said the soonest they could do was 6 AM the next morning.

 

And now she sat in the plane wishing she had brought the pills so she could sleep. Her eyes wanted to shut, but they would not stay shut. An image of the car crash played over and over in her mind. She wished she was old enough to drink legally she could get a glass of something strong.

 

The damn book peeked innocently back at her from her purse, daring her to touch it. She glared back at it, grinding her teeth.

 

“Okay, so your another one up on me. `The lovers always find their way back to the same place.' I got ya on it. I'm going back, are you happy?”

 

She must sound nuts, talking to a frigging book.

 

She turned to look out the window and just stared, knowing that this was going to be one hell of a long plane ride.

 

~**~

 

~Downtown Newport, NH.

~6:20PM, November 15, 2001

 

She was coming back.

 

Not to him, of course. Her brother had been cruelly killed in an innocent car accident. What a horrid thing to come home to. He wondered if she planned to stay here, and then swore at himself for wondering. What difference did it make if she did? It makes a difference. That Sango was right, you love her.

 

He got up restlessly from his office chair, ignoring the papers spread out on the desk. So far his business was coming along nicely with his available funds. It was already making a name for itself. The Katana computer was quickly becoming an even better quality to have then the Gateway computers or the newer Dell computers. His ideas to improve computers had been taken with a great fervor and he had been applauded soundly. It felt like an unnecessary step. And yet all of it was dissatisfactory and stupid, no matter how well he did. Though his computers did not sell quite as well as the others, it was because they were more expensive and only available to some who had the money. Bill Gates himself had bought one and said it was far better then his would ever be.

 

It was insipid, misunderstood and made him more and more restless. He didn't want the recognition or the publicity. He didn't know what he wanted.

 

He found his jealousy of his brother gnawed constantly at him and stopped his work in the middle of something. Anger struck for no other reason then something would remind him of her or his brother. Damn idiot that he was, Inuyasha had no idea of course of what he held. And Sesshoumaru could not bring himself to tell his brother. It was weak, it was putrid and disgusting that he had not the will to bring his own brother to his senses and allow him happiness. Not even if it meant allowing Kagome happiness, for he wanted her happiness for himself.

 

He did not try to deny what he felt for her anymore. It was pointless. And with her gone, he could admit it freely to himself. He could have even given the information to that woman friend of Kagome's, Sango. But let his brother see it? Never. Nor anyone else, especially the girl. He could never have her know. Yet, now that she was back, it was his feeling that once again pestered him. His restlessness increased to the point where once again he found himself leaving his desk and going out for a walk. His thoughts rushed around, unsteadying him. Once again, her words flew at him, all of them.

 

Obsession, caring, attraction. Those ones rang in his head continuously as if they had only been said an hour before. And now, the whole conversation assailed him.

 

“You bastard. No wonder you're so cold. Have you told every woman who fell in love with you this little line?”

 

He had never told anyone those words, they hadn't been necessary. He had been sure to keep his distance with anyone who tried to get close to him.

 

“I won't say you love me, because that I don't know, but there's something there, and you can feel it. I don't know why you have to deny it. Why, Sesshoumaru?”

 

He knew why. That woman Sango must have figured it out by now. Oh, he had known she was hiding in the bush that day when Kagome had left for Japan. It was the thing he had noticed right after he realized Kagome was there. She was dearly concerned for her friend, almost over protectively concerned. But his thoughts had been lost when Kagome had turned her calm and accepting eyes to his.

 

He hated hurting her. He hated the fact that she had felt the way she did. How in the world how he allowed it? Where had he gone wrong? Perhaps it was that time during the sunset, or the other in the hotel when in a weak moment he had allowed her to soften him enough to do as she wished. Sleeping with her in his arms had been the lowest -and the highest- point in their trip. Then again, perhaps it was his jealous and angry reaction to her stupidity of bringing a man (boy, he thought stubbornly) into the hotel room with her. The thought still brought a whisper of fear and anger into his body.

 

He told his secretary he was going out for a while, and on a whim, got into his car. He drove fast and hard, letting the wind whip through his hair. The top was down on his Mustang GT. He drove by the old airport and was reminded that Kagome would come back, sometime today. And then he noticed that a plan was flying far to low overhead. In fact it was headed for the old airport. He watched as the small jet dropped down and landed smoothly. A single figure got out and he knew it was she. Her head came up and searched all direction, before her eyes fell on him. She started and then she turned her back on him. She talked to a man to her right for a moment and frowned. Even at the distance he could see there was something wrong.

 

In spite of himself, he found he was turning his car down the airport road and towards her. He studied her as he went, noting the changes and the similarities. Her hair was even longer then it used to be, and her figure was slimmer, all of the baby fat on her body was gone. Her eyes were still endlessly deep gray blue, but the fizzy, brimming life was gone from them. There was sadness that always laced her gaze now.

 

She still held herself in the same manner, and her lips still made him think things he did not want to. Her beautiful long legs were bared to see as she used to, usually in a short skirt. The air of innocence still surrounded her like a visible dense cloud that he felt he needed to penetrate. He stopped ten feet from her and got out of the car, shutting the door and staring at her. She was staring right back at him. He saw her glance towards the sun almost furtively, as if she wished it would set. Perhaps she enjoyed the time during dusk when the sun sat on the edge of the world for some people. Maybe, like him, she thought of their time on that beautiful cliff where they had kissed. Or maybe he was being incorrigibly stupid.

 

“Is there a problem?”

 

Why would he ask her that? Did he have to be blind to see the obvious pain and worry in her cavernous eyes?

 

“I seemed to have forgotten to call my mother to let her know what time I was getting off the plane. I needed a ride home. But I can find one.” She shrugged, as if she knew what he was going to ask, but letting him know he did not have to. It seared him to think that she might not want his help or might think he did not want to give it.

 

“I am currently driving around out of boredom. I can go that way as easily as wherever else I was going to go.”

 

She smiled gently. “That would be overly gracious of you. But it is no big deal, I can find another ride.” It wasn't that she didn't want his help. Her smile told him so. It was she didn't want him to do something he didn't want to. He thought of strangling her, but then bit his pride.

 

“I can give you the ride. Get your bags.” His voice was not a smooth as usual, it was gruff. She seemed oblivious to it, for she did as he told her, picking up her bags and putting them in the trunk when he opened it. He slammed the trunk harder then he needed to and opened her door absently for her. When she smiled at him, his breath caught.

 

She was so goddamned beautiful! Her mane of ebony hair framed her slim face and deepened her eyes in the shadow. Her softly curved lips begged to be taken, to be ravaged.

 

He slammed her door as well and then glided around the car in light strides and got in his side. He started the engine and roared out onto the road faster then he should have. Quietly, her voice penetrated his angry, hazy mind.

 

“My brother got killed in a car.” There was no fear in her voice, but he slowed down just the same. What kind of asshole was he? A glance at her face proved she was studying his profile the same way he had when she had driven on their trip. And like him, she did not look away when he caught her; she stared right back at him and continued to gaze him as he turned back to the road. He started to know how she must have felt those two years ago, although suddenly it seemed like yesterday.

 

“I'm sorry.” His voice was soft, silky, but true. She cocked her head.

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Your brother.”

 

“Oh. Thanks. I'm sure we'll get over it.”

 

He didn't like it. There were no tears, no regrets. It was as if she didn't understand yet that she would never see him again, that he was gone forever.

 

“You never really get over things like that. You'll always remember the things you didn't get to do with him, or the things you'll never be able to do again. He was your brother, and most likely your only brother. He will never be back.” He kept an eye on her, hoping he might have gotten to her. He was not doing it to be mean, he was not insensitive. He was doing it because she was holding it inside her, and it would be best if she broke down now and not with her mother.

 

He thought so, until he saw the shock on her face, the anger; then saw it dissolve into abject realization. The tears in her eyes nearly broke him. His fingers twitched to wipe away the tears running down her face. He wanted to hold her until she stopped crying. He wanted to make all the pain he had just brought on go away. But he could do nothing but watch as she cried silently in the passenger seat.

 

“I don't think I even realized it was true until you said that. It never really registered, as if I thought it wouldn't be real as long as I didn't believe it was real. Oh Jesus, he's really gone, isn't he?” She brought a hand up to wipe at the tears. He handed her a napkin in the glove compartment. She smiled blearily at him, her eyes sparkling with moisture, her mouth trembling.

 

“Thanks.”

 

He grunted an answer. She reached across the car and squeezed his hand, making his attention on the road totally falter for a moment. He regained it icily, thinking of snapping at her or snatching his hand from hers. He turned to do that; angry at the way he could procure such emotion in him.

 

“I mean it, Sesshoumaru. I know what you did. If I had done this to my mother… the poor woman. She didn't need that too. I have to be strong for her, and you've helped me do that.” She gave his limp hand one last squeeze before releasing it.

 

More tears squeezed out of her eyes. “Oh god I'm going to miss him.” Her chin trembled and he realized she was about to really go off the edge. He found a dirt road and turned off on it, pulling off to the side out of sight from the road. He cut the engine and turned to her just as she did.

 

“Why did he have to die?” She sobbed. “He was so young!” A wail escaped her lips and she began to cry in earnest.

 

“I don't know.” He answered quietly. She turned her face to his, the sobs racking her.

 

“You know,” Another sob wretched her. “He liked you.” She wiped at her eyes, sobbing uncontrollably. Sesshoumaru was shocked beyond reason. He waited until her sobs had abated enough to allow her to talk and then questioned her.

 

“What did you mean by that?” She seemed to know exactly what he was asking.

 

“I asked him.” A hiccup. “I always asked him about my boyfriends.” He ignored that as she sniffed. “He said that Inuyasha was okay, and could be a real jerk. He never really liked Inuyasha. But he said you were really a nice guy, and that you were pretending to be mean so no one would bother you. He said that you were okay, and that I should ignore how mean you were. He said that he thought you liked me better then some other people.” She smiled. “I never knew how right he was.”

 

He chose not to comment on this. Children were said to see people how they really were. The boy had him down pat. It was rather sad that the young boy had died in the car crash, especially so because it hurt her so much. They sat in silence while her crying slowly became nothing more then a sniffle or two. Her make-up was a mess, her eyes rimmed red and her cheeks still wet with the liquid she missed. He took her old tear-stained napkin and threw it on the floor before taking another from the glove box and handing it to her, pulling the mirror down for her. She took one look at it and was horrified.

 

The chuckle escaped him before he could stop it. She darted a look at him. Then she sighed.

 

“Its not as if I should worry about how I look to you. After all, you've seen this side of me far too often. But I should clean up for my mother.” He just watched her, slightly amused, as she carefully cleaned up the make-up that had run down her cheeks. When she was done, she put the mirror up and turned to him, looking him directly in the eyes.

 

“Better?” She smiled gently. He felt very uncomfortable. He could not ignore her when she asked him something directly, and something within him would not allow him to say what his mind told him to.

 

The rational part of his mind screamed that he could not tell her what he thought.

 

The other part of him yearned to tell her that she radiated pure, innocent sensuality and extraordinary beauty.

 

“Your mother will never know.” He figured that was safe. She smiled as if he had paid the highest of compliments.

 

“I hope not.”

 

He started the engine and turned around on the dirt road before getting back onto Main Street. He made his way to her house and stopped in front of it. He jumped out, opening the trunk and handing her the bags in it. She took them and stepped right to him, giving him a chaste kiss on the cheek.

 

“Thank you, for almost everything. I'll see you sometime.” She turned from him as he stayed there, rooted, struck. She went into the house and closed the door slowly as he watched. Only when he heard the click of the door could he find the ability to move again. Confusion angered him, and still he felt a soft glow in the pit of his stomach. It could not be extinguished, as hard as he tried. He tried to sort out his thoughts, but it was not possible. He drove mindlessly to work, parking his car and went into the office without seeing that he was doing it.

 

After all he had done to her, she forgave him? Did she, or was she acting on something else? Or perhaps she saw that what he had said was truth and was glad for it?

 

Whatever the reason, he decided, it just proved he did not deserve her. It hardened his resolve to let her know nothing of his own feelings. He would stay away from her; he would get out of her life. She did not need his help. She did not need him. And she certainly did not love him.

 

He did not need this either. Or so he told himself over and over.

 

~**~

 

~Downtown Newport, NH.

~4:45PM June 1, 2004

 

The Jewel of Hope.

 

It was her bookstore. She had opened it not long after her brother had died two and a half years ago. It was her precious jewel, she had started it and expanded carefully, and now it thrived in the downtown. It was the only bookstore in town, so she did good business. She had carefully researched and set her prices just below any bookstores in nearby towns. She had made sure she had a full variety of books, including all the new releases. Her store was always clean and never really crowded, although it wasn't that large. Just this last year she had started a packaging and shipping option complete with a magazine so consumers could buy them out of catalogues and have their choice of books sent back to them.

 

Kagome didn't know exactly where the name had come from. She had just been thinking of what kind of small business to own when that damned gilt lettered book had caught her eye and winked imperiously at her. The idea for a bookstore had popped into her head and she had sketched it out that minute. Hours later she had finished and was looking back over her idea. She realized that it was really possible, that she could do this. The name had popped out of nowhere as she had stared at her plans. It was her little jewel, her hope that she could forget Sesshoumaru someday.

 

And here she was thinking about him again. It seemed no matter what she did, he was on her mind. Oh, it wasn't as often that she stopped work to remember something that had happened between them, only this last year had she stopped doing that all the time.

 

She finished checking over an order for the whole Harry Potter set by J.K. Rowling and the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman and then handed the list over to Sango. She smiled at her business partner and her thoughts again wandered. If Sango hadn't agreed to open the store with her, it might never have happened.

 

The lot she had found on Main Street had been for sale only, and she did not have enough money to buy the whole thing. She had tried finding somewhere else that she could rent until she saved up the money to buy it, but there was nowhere else. She had been pouring out her fresh heartache (not really, she had been sarcastic) to Sango, who immediately asked her if she wanted a partner. Kagome had been delighted. Sango had been left quite a hefty sum of money by her parents and had plenty to dish out, though Kagome only allowed her to pay for exactly half of everything. She was going to be fair Dammit, no matter how many times Sango said she just didn't care!

 

Kagome went and collected the books for the order, eight of them in all since Rowling had only come out with five of her seven books, and proceeded to wrap them up. When Sango handed her the slip of receipt, she carefully laid that on the top of the package as well before closing the package up and setting it on the pile to mail out tomorrow morning. Most of her customers received the order two weeks from sending out their form. Although, cross-country ones sometimes took longer, as well as out of country ones, though they only sold to Canada.

 

“I think we're about set here. Do you want me to close up?” Kagome checked the clock, it was 4:58, and they closed at 5:00 on the dot. All of her customers knew that and were politely out of the store by 4:55 most of the time.

 

“Nah, I've got it. You closed up yesterday, remember? And besides, if I remember right, we've got to be totally fair in this. You closed up yesterday. I got today.” Sango held up a finger as Kagome opened her mouth. “Don't even try and argue. Now shoo! Go home and get some rest. I cannot believe you got here as 5AM to collect that shipping order.” She groaned. “And you said the store was suppose to open at 7, which is early enough!” Kagome grinned as she grabbed her purse and was just about thrown out the door. True, it had been a long day, but that order she had been waiting for had finally come in, calling to say that they would be a little early and could she be there at five? She had dragged herself into wakefulness and managed to get to the store just before the delivery did, thank god.

 

And now to home she went, probably to take a long shower, maybe even a bath just because she could, and curl up with a new romance book by Nora Roberts. Or maybe she'd go back to that book by Jayne Ann Krentz and finish that first. She had yet to read that book she been given as a present five years ago, Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand. But she was in the mood for a romance tonight, so Nora Roberts it was.

 

She drove home quickly, marveling in her recently bought Ferrari with the top down. She was still paying it off, but as long as nothing went wrong, she would have it for hers in two years. The wind blew her hair all around her and she slipped her sunglasses on to keep the hair out of her eyes as well as to reduce the glare of the bright sun.

 

Hardly three minutes later she was home in North Newport, pulling into her same old driveway and parking her car. She recently, as in six months ago, had remodeled the house. It was actually a rather large house compared to the little ones next to it. It was two stories with an attic and a basement, more then enough room for her and her mother. Four bedrooms and two bathrooms completed the upstairs, while downstairs they had a huge bathroom with a whirlpool she had splurged on a year and a half ago. A nice, spacious dining room, living room and kitchen completed their downstairs. The basement had a pool table she never used, a dartboard, their washer and dryer, and some boxes of stuff that was considered their `storage'.

 

Quickly she pulled the top up on her car and locked it, using a canvas to cover it up for the night. It was very improbable that she would be going anywhere tonight, after all. And she wouldn't want inches of dust on her new black car since she didn't have a garage. No, she wasn't rich, so she carefully took care of whatever she had. Not that she wanted to be rich, she was quite happy just getting along the way she did. Content, sort of. There was an awful nagging that hit her harder some times harder then others, but this had nothing to do with money. No, she noticed it particularly when she thought of Sesshoumaru; a restlessness, and sometimes a deep hunger for not his body, but just him. She wanted to see him, to talk to him, to laugh and smile with him. The ache to feel his arms around her seemed like a long lost forgotten habit that would not go away.

 

And again, she was thinking about him. It had been a few days since she had let herself drown in her empty thoughts. She had disciplined herself so she would not let the pain get to her this way. It seemed discipline had gone down the drain today. She sighed, going into her house and calling to her mother.

 

“Momma! I'm home! Did you cook supper?” She could smell it even though the kitchen was on the opposite side of the house. She followed her nose and found that her mother had cooked. Her mother sat smiling back at her, a roast sitting on the table before her, a pot filled with peas on the other side of it, mashed potatoes sitting behind both of them. She returned her mother's smile.

 

“Yes, I did cook. I have nothing else to do since you started working so hard for both of us.” He mother gave her a meaningful look. “That and the housework was easy today. So I cooked supper, and while I was cleaning I baked some chocolate chip cookies as well.”

 

Kagome swept over to her mother and kissed her on the cheek. “Chocolate chip are my favorite! You ARE the best mother there ever was.” She sat down and filled her plate, cleaning it away almost as fast. Kagome finally stopped long enough to talk as she got her second helping. She had forgotten to eat lunch today with all the work she had been doing.

 

“I don't work all that hard. The bookstore has just been very successful, thanks to Sango. Did I tell you that you are a saint? This roast is done perfect!” She continued to eat until she thought she would pop.

 

Finally it seemed she could fit no more in her bottomless stomach. She cleaned off the plates before her mother stopped her. “Don't you dare! I'm so bored it's not even funny. I will clear the plates while you go and relax!” Kagome smiled gratefully.

 

“You know, I can stay long enough to help you with the dishes-“

 

“No.” Her mother glared at her, and then her expression softened. “You work your poor body to death, Kagome. You need to relax more. Sango's not the only reason your store is succeeding. Now go take a long bath and kick back for a while. Goodnight dear!” She practically pushed Kagome out of the kitchen. Kagome smiled softly. Her mother really was a saint.

 

The stairs she ascended had a fluffy green carpet that was impossible to get clean if you did not take care of it often. She entered the first door on the left, switching on the light as she did so and shutting the door behind her. A large bed with a lacy, tall canopy held the center right hand wall of the room. It was draped with silk sheets of a light blue to match the light blue curtains covering the windows. A navy carpet covered the floor and beautiful dark oak bureaus adorned two of the walls. One was tall, almost five feet in height, while the other to the set was squat with a tall, beautifully carved mirror sitting atop it. To the left of the bed was a door that led to a closet.

 

It was this closet that she went to now, opening it and pulling out a silken robe and a sheer piece of lingerie. She wore it for no one other then herself; it was cool and comfortable in the hot summer nights. From the bottom of the closet she pulled out a portable radio with fresh batteries in it. She closed the closet and hummed as she left the room and headed down the hall. The last door on the left she opened and entered into, clicking the light on. The toilet was a pristine white, so was the sink and the shower and the whirlpool. All of these had bronze fixtures. The rugs, shower curtain and towels were a light crystal purple. There was a fuzzy purple cover on the toilet seat. The walls were also that crystallized purple. The floor tiles were white that was etched in the same purple. The lights on the ceiling and above the mirror were a bronzy color to match the other bathroom fixtures.

 

She didn't know why she had a full size bath when she had a whirlpool, until now. She didn't want to sit in the whirlpool. She wanted to soak in bubbles and listen to soft music. Which is exactly what she did, starting the bath, adding bubbles, and then shedding her clothes while it ran. When it was so full that she feared it would overfill when she got in, she stopped it and stepped in. She held her breath as she lowered herself into the hot bubbly water, waiting for her body to get used to it. She pulled the radio to her and turned it on, keeping the volume low but putting her variety station on, 101.7 came in quite well. Then she slid farther down into the water and began to relax. She tried desperately to keep her mind clear by softly singing the songs that came on the radio. A knock came on the door and she frowned, starting.

 

“Momma?”

 

“Yes, hun. I thought you might like a drink since you didn't have one with supper.” She smiled; her mother was so considerate.

 

“Come on in.” She called. Her mother opened the door, not with just a drink, but also a plate full of cookies. She gave a gasp of delight. “The cookies! I had forgotten! Oh, mother,” She brought her glittering gaze to her serene mother. “You really are the best. I love you so much.” She thought she would choke up in another second.

 

“I knew you'd like it.” She came forward and set the cookies on the floor beside the tub ad then handed her the glass. Kagome noticed the contents and her eyebrows rose.

 

“Wine? I didn't know I was rich.” She joked. Her mother only smiled softly.

 

“You need to relax. And sometimes I do remember that you are 22 now and plenty old enough to drink.”

 

“Thanks, Momma.” She took a sip of the wine and then snaked her hand out for a cookie. She took a huge bite and sighed, closing her eyes in pure bliss. “Still warm and gooey. Oh, this is heaven.” She opened her eyes to send an appreciative glance her mother's way.

 

“Well, goodnight dear. Make sure and wake me up tomorrow morning. I want to talk to you before you go to work, okay?” She nodded and her mother opened the bathroom door.

 

“Night, Momma.”

 

“Night.” She closed the door behind her. Kagome took a long sip of the wine, wishing she didn't have it as the memories assailed her. Her eyes closed and she tuned out the radio as his voice became most prominent in her mind. She took another long pull from the wineglass.

 

He was sitting on the loveseat on the nice hotel he had rented for them. She had drunk far too much already and was quite tipsy. She had told him to kiss her if she told him all he wanted to know about her past. And then, when he had only given her a peck on the cheek, she had leaned forward and kissed him. She could feel the fire running through her as his hands came up and around her.

 

She opened her eyes and shivered, but more images played before her blank eyes.

 

She was dropping her sheer nightgown to the floor and stepping towards him, pressing her lips to his. Hunger burned through her, sure and deep. The deep aching in her lower body was only heightened as their bodies pressed together.

 

She sighed and let the memories come, not giving a damn anymore. She couldn't stop them.

 

She was watching him the next morning; his long, muscled body leaned over the table as he watched her with the phone to his ear.

 

And another.

 

He was approaching her, ankle deep in water. The sunlight outlined his finely chiseled muscles and gilded his silvery hair as it blew around his shoulders. His eyes were deep and seemed to be made of melded heat. He was clad only in his boxers, his long lithe legs bare for her eyes. His chest was hairless and told of quiet strength. His lean hips barely held on the scrap of clothing he wore.

 

She let her eyes flutter back closed and sank lower in the water. It was her favorite memory, the one when she drove them to the beach and then jumped into the frigid water. It was the only time they had kissed and he had not pushed her away. The sun had been setting behind her and had flashed brilliantly on him. He had resembled a god with his perfect, gold tinted body and flowing long hair.

 

His face imprinted itself firmly on her memory from the last time she had seen him when he had driven her home from the airport. She had watched him, taking in every detail. His face was long and lean, all sharp angles with pale, perfect skin stretched over his sharp cheekbones. His skin was not just pale, it seemed to shine with health despite its lack of color. She remembered the way his hair had blown like a live thing around as they drove, a silvery shimmer going through it. She had longed to touch it, to touch him.

 

The sun was setting as her lips melded with his. He was holding her closely, flush against his hard length. Her body was melted into his, her knees weak where she stood. The wind whipped around them suddenly, but it was a background thing, not important to them. Then the wind was tearing at their clothes and snapping their hair around them. Her black hair and his silver were mixed as they heedlessly continued to kiss and hold each other. And then they were being pulled apart by outside forces, a white light surrounding them. It grew brighter as they grudgingly relinquished each other and surrendered to the intense light.

 

The wind was becoming two forms in the light, and the light seemed to devour them. But then it was fading and yet the figures remained. Kagome then realized that Sesshoumaru was a few steps from her on the clearing atop the cliff with these two beings. The wind died completely and the two people, stark naked though they seemed not to mind it, stood before her, staring at her. The man was almost a replica of Sesshoumaru, the same lithe, lean form, the same finely sculpted mouth and angular face. The hair that swirled as if alive with was a silvery color.

 

Kagome switched her eyes to the woman and started. She felt like she was looking in a mirror. Her legs were long and finely made; her tight stomach was the same size and shape as hers, with the same amount of muscle tone. Her breasts were the same size as hers, with high areoles the same color as hers. The neck was long and thin, the face was slightly round with blue-gray eyes staring right back at her.

 

But something about both of them set them apart from her and Sesshoumaru. There seemed to be an unearthly quality to both of them. There was an aura of timelessness, of a lack of substance. They seemed to be a god and goddess come down from the heavens. The glow around them seemed to turn them from ordinary beings into beautiful creatures not of this earth.

 

“Kagome…” The woman said her name like a whisper. It seemed that she spoke not aloud, but in her mind. “You are the one. You must end it.”

 

“What do you mean? What are you talking about?” She was surprised to hear her thoughts voiced aloud.

 

“You shall break the curse and set us free. Kagome… it is up to you. You must give him the book. You must let all fall into place, as it should. You are the one.”

 

“A book?” She heard Sesshoumaru ask.

 

“The book.” Kagome whispered.

 

The two beings nodded. The man stepped forward.

 

“You must believe in this book, Sesshoumaru. You must. She may be the one, but you must both believe to end the curse. You must help her.”

 

And then the beings were fading, and so was the scene. The details became fuzzy and then disappeared altogether.

 

She awoke slowly, stretching and snapping her eyes open. She was in the tub; the water was cold around her.

 

A dream, only a dream. But a dream that would haunt her for the rest of her night.

 

`It's six o'clock and time for another 40 minutes of the best variety…' The radio continued to buzz.

 

~**~

 

~Newport, NH.

~6:00PM, June 1, 2004

 

Sesshoumaru sat up with a start, swearing as he realized he had fallen asleep during work.

 

`It's six o'clock and time for another 40 minutes of the best variety…'

 

He turned the radio off with annoyance. Next time he would be sure to not turn the radio on while he worked! He looked at the paper on the table before him, but his mind would not stay on it and strayed to the dream. What an uncanny dream, about him and Kagome and that cliff at dusk… Those beings had been so unearthly, so bizarre. And what they had said, something about Kagome being the one and breaking a curse. Then something about a book she had to give him. He shook his head. He was overtired and over worked. He concentrated on the paper in front of him.

 

He was on the last page and all he had to do was sign his name. It was the paperwork that would make his computer company some one else's and make him a multi millionaire. He would work these long days no more, for this was the last of it. He signed his name to the papers and straightened them out, reaching out to make the phone call to announce it to his buyers. But then he put the phone back. It was too late to reach them, he did not have a home phone number and they left the office at five like any normal businessperson. He stood and put the papers in his briefcase, getting ready to head home. The room would be vacated tomorrow; he would have his business to keep his mind off her no more. He wondered what in hell he was going to do with himself.

 

He grabbed his jacket and briefcase and left the office, not bothering to look at it one last time. He would sleep tonight after having a few glasses of wine and taking a hot shower to relax his muscles. He would call the buyer in the morning.

 

Hours later when he had soaked in the shower and had four glasses of wine, his mind was still immersed in the dream as he lay in bed trying to sleep.

 

~**~

 

Done. Whew! Now on to chapter nine eventually…

 

Later!

 

RyuuAngel

 

PS: Email me anytime.

 

RyuuYoukai@hotmail.com