InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ For Richer or Poorer ❯ Ring, What Ring? ( Chapter 9 )

(A/N: Okay, okay, don't kill me for being away for so long. This chapter was being a bitch, and I got really frustrated with it, so I had to leave it alone for a few days. Plus, I had to finish my other story, “Sesshoumaru, a Human?” first, and then I had to move back to college…whew, I was busy. But now, I am back and ready for the next chapter. Enjoy!!

 

 

Chapter Eight

Ring, what ring?

 

 

 

The ride down the elevator was silent, and Kagome kept stealing glances at the tense TaiYoukai that stood next to her. He seemed to be in a really bad mood, more so than usual, and she didn't know why. She had a feeling it had something to do with that demon Kouga because he wasn't this tense until after their little run-in.

 

She leaned against the wall, taking pressure off her aching feet. Hells were the devil, even worse than mascara, and they were starting to take a toll on the arches of her feet.

 

If Sesshoumaru doesn't like Kouga, she naively thought while absently massaging her feet, then why the hell does he work with the dumbass?

 

If only Kagome knew that Sesshoumaru actually did like Kouga, or at least respected him as a fellow youkai. He was strong and smart, despite his arrogance. It was when he started to move in on another youkai's, specifically the TaiYoukai's, mate. His hands clenched as he thought of how close Kouga had gotten to Kagome, after he had clearly warned the wolf away.

 

His eyes slid towards the oblivious miko. She had no idea she was the cause of so much trouble.

 

Of course, she shouldn't be so much trouble in the first place, he thought, frustrated.

 

Kouga should know not to get close to a claimed mate, his less civilized side argued. The demon side of him didn't mind the little “arrangement” between Kagome and him. This side of him knew that he was attracted to the miko, at least physically, and didn't give a damn about it.

 

However, she is not our mate, claimed or otherwise, he corrected himself and mentally sighed at the obvious absurdness of arguing with his “other half”. It wasn't as if he were two different people. He just had a slightly darker side to him that was his demon side, and his refined side needed to keep a firm grip on the leash, no pun intended. He found himself having to grip that leash harder and harder when it came to the little detective and Kouga.

 

The elevator stopped and Kagome groaned at the thought of taking another step. She felt a strong arm wrap around her waist, giving her support, and she shot a surprised and grateful glance at Sesshoumaru. He wasn't looking at her, though. She followed his gaze to the door of the building and her spirits went down when she saw all of the reporters crowding around the door. Of course he wasn't touching her out of free will, she though cynically. It was all a show. They were the happy couple in love, completely happy and carefree. She was faintly surprised at the little flutter of disappointment that touched her senses as she reminded herself it was all an act.

 

She glanced back at Sesshoumaru to gauge his reaction, but he just looked faintly bored. But she could tell he was annoyed by the hard glint in his eyes. “Are they always there?” she asked him, forgetting her little self-pity party.

 

He let out an almost inaudible sigh. “They're like vultures. There are more here tonight though, I suspect, because of you.”

 

Sure enough, as soon as the doors opened they were bombarded with questions coming from every direction.

 

Mr. Taiinu, is this your new fiancé?

 

When is the wedding?

 

How did you two meet?

 

Sesshoumaru answered the questions he could as patiently as possible, his arm sliding from Kagome's waist to grip her hand. It was a good thing that he was good at improvising, otherwise he would be stuck on a few questions and their cover would be blown. It wasn't until he was about to excuse them from the mob when he ran into a little problem.

 

Where's the ring?

 

Kagome froze and even Sesshoumaru tensed. Ring, what ring? Shit, an engagement ring! Kagome located the source of the question and found that a very attractive woman had asked the question. She was now looking at the uncomfortable couple with a glimpse of triumph in her eyes. Obviously, she was one of the multitude of women who were upset over the sudden engagement of Japan's most powerful and richest demon.

 

And now the rest of the reporters were silent, waiting for an answer just as anxiously. Kagome's mind went blank…she had completely forgotten she had even needed a ring. Some bride she was!

 

Sesshoumaru thought quickly and answered smoothly, “Kagome will be receiving my mother's ring, which we are still waiting to be sent to us. We should have it soon.”

 

The women in the crowd sighed at the romantic thought of the TaiYoukai giving the woman he loved his mother's ring. Kagome could barely keep the surprise and amusement off of her face.

 

Came up with that one quickly, didn't you Sesshy-boy?

 

Dodging the rest of the questions, he pulled her by her hand to the waiting limo and slipped them both inside. She moaned with pleasure at the feeling of being able to kick off her heels and sit back.

 

Sesshoumaru watched her completely unwind with a slight smirk of amusement. First she took off her heels and massaged the arches of her feet and then unbuttoned her suit coat. After she tossed that aside, she flopped on her back on the limo seat, almost completely horizontal and closed her eyes. Moments passed, and he realized he was staring at her.

 

Get a grip on yourself! he mentally yelled, and looked away from her with a frown. The woman was becoming more trouble that she was worth, and he didn't have a clue in hell as to why he was reacting the way he was. Almost like she really was his mate…and what the hell was up with the feeling he got whenever he thought of her like that. Even imagining that this whole fiasco wasn't a charade and that she was riding home with him after a long days work, truly loving him and caring for him made him feel a curious warmth somewhere in the vicinity of his heart. Only Rin had ever made him feel that comfort, and it disturbed him greatly that a loud-mouthed, opinionated, rough natured detective caused him to feel the same.

 

Maybe it's because my demon side doesn't know any better and thinks she really is our mate…that would explain the possessiveness, the protectiveness, the…small affection I feel for her. She is amusing, beautiful, able to handle herself…wait, don't try and start making excuses to keep her! Life is already difficult enough…It was time to get his mind off of her, or at least thinking these dangerous thoughts. Why, though? It's obvious from her conversations with her mother, and the look she gets in her eyes when she looks at you sometimes that she is attracted as well…keeping her might not be such a bad idea.

 

He pondered this in his mind. If anything else, there seemed to be a mutual physical attraction, and ever since she had heard Rin's story, she seemed to look at him in a different light…almost as if she respected him.

 

He shook his head mentally again. Enough! If she's starting to feel something more for me as well, I'll just have to do something to change that. He ignored the slight pang of dread that clenched around him as he prepared for what he was about to do. But, things were starting to become muddled on his side when he thought of the miko, and if it was the same for her, it was best to stop it now before things got worse.

 

“Miko,” he intoned, almost making her jump for breaking the silence.

 

“Youkai,” she replied, mimicking his deep voice and smiling to herself when she heard another slight sigh from him.

 

“Detective Higurashi,” he addressed her properly this time. “I would appreciate it if you avoid Kouga from now on.”

 

She snorted in amusement. “No worries there, Sesshoumaru. It would be my pleasure to stay away from him.” She opened her eyes and glanced at him with raised eyebrows. “However, I didn't know you cared so much for my welfare.”

 

He steeled himself for what he was about to say. “No, it's just that if you hang all over every available man or demon, people are going to perceive you as a whore, and that would ruin our cover, not to mention my reputation.”

 

His sharp hearing caught her ever so slight gasp, and she sat up from her position, looking at him incredulously.

 

“You're joking, right? I wasn't hanging all over him, he came to me!”

 

He forced himself to raise a mocking eyebrow, not liking the way she was looking at him. He was expecting the anger, yes, but she was also radiating hurt, and it made him feel a small pang of guilt. It must be done, he thought.

 

“Really? Because from where I was standing…”

 

She gaped at him. “You don't really think I'm like that, do you?”

 

His voice was cold, distant. “How can you expect me to give you an honest answer, detective?” he said, stressing the last word. “I've hardly known you more than a week. I have no clue what kind of woman you are or where your…interests lie.”

 

She felt like she had been slapped. You could call her a bitch, and she would accept it gladly. You could call her bad-tempered, and she would agree whole-heartedly. But to insinuate that she was a loose whore…she couldn't believe he was talking to her like that. Right when she was starting to actually like the guy…okay, her feelings were a bit strong for like, but right when she was starting to feel something for him, he had to go and ruin it. In the worst way possible. She wasn't so much angry as she was…wounded. She hadn't felt like that for a long, long time because she always shielded herself from it, and now that it was back, she hated it. She wasn't going to stand for it…

 

He silently watched the myriad of emotions flit across her face, cursing himself on the inside. Okay, maybe what he insinuated was a bit harsh, but it was necessary. To keep them both from doing something that they would regret later.

 

Suddenly, he found himself having to duck out of the way as a flying object soared over his head. His eyes widened in slight shock as she picked up her other shoe from the ground and prepared to hurl it at him.

 

“What the hell-” he started to say, but had to quickly duck out of the way again as the heel from her other shoe barely missed clipping him on the ear. He leveled her with a cold glare, but was more astonished than anything else.

 

She glared back at him, seeming to fuel all of her hurt into anger. Her breath heaving, her eyes blazing, she looked like a hellcat with her claws bared ready to rip into him, and he had to ruthlessly smother the attraction he felt for her once again. But, damn if he didn't want to grab her and kiss all of the anger out of her right then until she was melting in his arms.

 

But then, all of the fight seemed to seep out of her and her eyes grew cold. She gave him a haughty, distant look that could match his own and he realized that she was turning back into the ice queen he hated so much…mostly because it reminded him of him.

 

Her voice was just as frigid as her face when she calmly and quietly told him, “You are a bastard.”

 

I know, he thought, but kept his mask in place.

 

She continued to speak in a professional voice that reminded him yet again that this whole charade was a criminal investigation, and she was in charge of it. “Make no mistake that I will not do anything that will jeapordize this investigation or our cover, including making it seem like I am a whore.”

 

They had arrived at Sesshoumaru's property by now, and the limo door opened. She shot him one last look that was meant to be haughty, but only ended up making him feel like he had kicked a defenseless animal.

 

“Don't ever make an insinuation about my character again,” she said, her voice only trembling a little at the end. “I won't stand for it.”

 

With that, she stepped out of the limo and padded, barefoot still, into the house leaving him in the limo.

 

It seems he had accomplished what he set out to do…he had pushed her away.

 

Why didn't the thought seem as appealing as before?

 

 

 

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Miroku sighed and stretched his arms way above his head at his desk. He was so bored. It was his job to find viruses in the computer system and delete them while at the same time trying to dig up dirt on Naraku, and while the first task kept him busy, there was no time to fit in some snooping. He tapped his pencil against his mouse pad and glanced around.

 

He smiled as he caught sight of his supervisor. Interestingly enough his cubical was in such a position that he could directly look into her office whenever he wanted to.

 

Sango…He brought his pencil up and chewed on the eraser thoughtfully. It was a bit of surprise to him that she was the first woman in a long time to hold his interest for more than a few hours. It was a little bit disconcerting how she popped into his thoughts throughout the day. Of course that was probably because every time he looked up, he was met with the vision of her working at her desk. He found it hard to keep working.

 

Just then she looked up from her desk and saw him watching her. He saw a slight blush cross her cheeks at his attention and slowly got up from her desk. For a moment he thought she was going to step out of her office to speak to him, but she grabbed the blinds instead and snapped them close. He grinned and stood up.

 

He sneaked close to the office, intending to poke his head in and tease her some more when he heard the phone ring from the inside. Thinking it would be rude to interrupt, he waited patiently outside the door, hearing her sweet voice coming from within.

 

Suddenly he froze.

 

“Naraku is setting his sights on the Kuromono property,” he heard her voice come through the door, and if he was a wolf, his ears would have perked up. An opportunity to spy had come along after all…he frowned. Sango wasn't exactly the source he expected though. He shook off his slight disappointment at the thought of that as he listened againg.

 

“No,” she was saying. “I overheard him talking to Hakudoushi as I passed his office…He seems to be extremely frustrated by their lack of interest in his offers. We'll just have to see what happens…I'll keep you posted.”

 

He heard the phone hang up and immediately knocked on the door. “Come in,” she called, and looked at him curiously. She saw his charming smile go in place and fought the urge to roll her eyes. He was a handsome one all right, but his ego needed some working on. As well as his pick-up lines…not to mention his hands and his annoying tendency to stare at her…and the frightfully embarrassing way he made her blush. She mentally sighed and prepared to hear a load of rubbish come out of his mouth.

 

“I'm heading home for the night,” he informed her, and his grin got a little more wicked. “Care to join me?” At her leveled glare he hurried on. “Dinner…for dinner, I mean. What do you say?”

 

“No thanks,” she said airily, trying to ignore the way her heart was beating a mile a minute from his smile.

 

He shot her a cute pout, and then shrugged his shoulders. “Oh well, there's always tomorrow, right?” He smiled as she gave a small giggle, looking surprised at herself. He waved good-bye and went back to his cubical to gather his things. She left her office a few moments later, and since he was never one to waste an opportunity, he quickly slipped in. He went immediately to her phone and hit the redial button, mouth dropping open in shock at what he saw. Realizing that she would be back any second, he stealthily left the office and gathered up his things.

 

He desperately needed to talk to Inuyasha.

 

 

 

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Okay guys, that's it for tonight. I'm sorry it's just a short, probably boring chapter, but since it was giving me so much trouble, I decided to end it. Hope you're not too mad. Oh, and for anyone who is interested, I also write original pieces of work as well as fanfiction, and I recently began posting one of my stories on a site called Fictiopress.com. If you want to check it out, my penname there is TheAuthoressMujitsu. I'd appreciate it. Okay, on to reviewer responses…

 

IYGU: I'm soooooo sorry this chapter took me forever to get out, but then I got your e-mail and decided to work on it. Thanks for your encouragement and everything!!!

 

Jin Ryu: AWWWW, don't cry, here's the next chapter!!

 

Dragon Huntress: Thanks for your review!!

 

Fluffy Li: HAH! You're review was great!!! It was long too, that's what I love about it. No worries about not reviewing lately, at least you did review now, so I'm extremely happy. (glomps fluffy li) Ja ne!

 

Rawhead and Bloody Bones: Thanks for your suggestions. I don't know how steamy I'm going to make this story. I know there are going to be no lemons, but your suggestions gave me some ideas for some citrus in there! Thanks for the compliments about Kag and Rin. I kinda wanted to highlight their relationship in that one chapter. Thanks for the review!!

 

Redeyes: Thank you, thank you. I don't think I'm going to have Sess kill Kouga, but he might come pretty close. (winks)

 

Fan of Yours: I am so starting to look forward to your reviews. They are nice and long and awesome!!! I know what you mean about the whole daydreaming thing. That's how I get ideas for this story. I think about what I wish would happen to me, and make it happen to Kagome instead. Of course, with this chapter, I felt so bad for Kag and Sess because he hurt her feelings…alas…

 

Midoriko2000: Thanks for your review and your input!!

 

KawaiiKitty: Thanks a bunch!

 

Night Sins: (laughs) Yes, I do believe there was a little bit of tension in that break room!

 

Captain Starseeker: Aw, that was an awesome review. I'll see what I can do about the Rin thing, ok? I'll try and update sooner from now on.

 

Lilfrozenfire: Thank you, thank you, I love Jakotsu in this fic too. You'll see him more later on to bring in some humor.

 

Jadefeather: Thanks for the compliment about updating. I'm afraid I've grown a little lax in my duties, but I will try harder from now on!

 

RubyRoseOfTheBlackBlood: Thanks for the review!!

 

Kuramasmate4life: Thanks, I always love new readers. I hope you liked this chapter!!

 

Sesshoumaru's: Wow, I'm so glad I made you laugh. As I've said to other reviewers, I've never really thought of myself as funny, so it always makes me happy when I've made someone laugh!

 

TheBlackDemoness: ohh, well he wasn't so nice to her in this chapter, but I'll see what I can do to make them make up.

 

AngelWings: Wow, all the way from Germany? That's so cool! I'm glad you like the fic!

 

Ruth: Yes, me and my cliffies. Gotta love them!!! Shippou is at least 21 in this fic because he is a rookie cop, and no, I have not forgotten about him. He will make an appearance later in the story. I'm sorry I had to leave you on another cliffie! (laughs while dodging rotten fruit)

 

Kagomeandinuyasha4ever: Kagome in the morning is definitely inspired by how I act in the morning. Mess with me and you die if I haven't had enough sleep! Thanks so much for that last review, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

 

Kagomesdance: Aww, so sweet! Thank you!!

 

IslandPrincess: Thanks so much!

 

Crazy-punk-gurl: I think I'll leave Sess in the dark a little bit longer about Inuyasha's and Kagome's relationship. (laughs evilly) thanks for the review!!

 

Cuttie-blossom: ohhh, their first kiss is definitely going to be…interesting. Ha! Thanks for the review!!

 

Sesshoumarus Chix: Thank you bunches!!

 

Localsamurai: Thanks for your review!! I hope you keep reading!

 

I nonexistent: oh, I do believe that I loved your review! Lol!!

 

Gizmo: Why thank you! I do try my best to be entertaining!

 

Kathleen: No, Kagome will have something to do eventually. I just haven't thought of what yet. Thanks for your suggestions and your reviews!

 

Demongurl-11: Thank you. I have noticed as well that a lot of Sess/Kag fic have that same plot too. I don't mind reading them as long as they are well written and get a little more original as the story goes on. I do try to be one of a kind.

 

Deirdre: Oh man, I was busting up when I read your review at work!! Mud wrestling, hm? (thinks hard with a gleeful look on her face) Maybe not to that extent but I'll see what I can work out!

 

Erik and Fae: Very nice review…It made me VERY proud. Let me venture a guess and say you don't like Kouga? Oh, and if you want the “Sound Of Music” It's on my video shelf. LOL!!

 

Anber: Thank you, I try to work hard to let everyone be able to visualize what's happening. It's very hard.

 

D.A.: Thanks for your review!!

 

Arcander: Yay, I like two reviews!! Thanks so much for them. I look forward to yours a lot as well. Kawaii-ness is good, ne? You're getting closer with the whole ice-cream thing. And yes, you made me crack up again. I swear, my coworkers think I'm crazy…

 

Blood Red Moon: thanks a lot for taking time to review!!

 

Demon13o: Hmmm, let me guess and say you don't like Kouga either? LOL!

 

Kayasuri-n: I wasn't really thinking about bringing Kikyo back in. She was originally there to establish the fact that Kag and Inu had nothing going on between them. Hmmm, but maybe I will bring her back…we'll see. Thanks for your review!!

 

Lyn: ok.

 

K.A.W: Thanks for your review!!

 

Fairie Mistress: I think a lot of girls like the overprotectiveness of Sess. It's always fun to write about as well. Thanks for the review!

 

Biancaharl: Why thank you very much for your review. It made me feel very happy, and I hope I haven't disappointed you on this chapter!

 

Angeline: Thanks for your review! It was very energetic!!

 

Babi3: I'm so sorry! You are now on my update list, I swear!!

 

LtSonya: I liked the limo scene too, and I'm glad you like the way I balance Sess. I'm trying not to let things move too fast between them!!

 

Kitsune Ninja: Wow, I do believe you gave me one of the most nicest reviews ever. I thank you bunches for it!!

 

Ness: Soon, very soon will our Sesshoumaru have to fess up his feelings. At least he knows he's physically attracted to her.

 

Vulcana: I know your penname sounds familiar. Maybe I have read one of your fics…(shrugs) In any case, thanks a lot for the review!

 

Forgotten Lake: Thank you so much for your encouraging and long review. I loved it, and I hope you review again!!!!

 

Okay, I think that's everyone. I got at least 50 reviews there, so that's awesome. YOU GUYS ROCK!!!! Anyway, big thanks to everyone who voted on my poll. It seems that a lot of girls are interested in this story, which is kinda disappointing because I wanted to appeal to both sexes. If any of you ladies out there have guys friends who like Inuyasha fanfic, tell them to read this story!!!! Okay, I'm really tired now, and I will say good-night to you all!!!!

 

Ja ne,

Mujitsu