InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ hello~goodbye ❯ Chance Encounter ( Chapter 2 )

~Chapter Two~

Chance Encounter

 

 

 

By the time Kagome arrived at the airport, she was mentally prepared for what was to come next. She still wasn't comfortable with all of the unknown variables, but she had a job to do and she always got the job done.

 

She walked through the automatic doors, luggage in tow, and immediately spotted Sango and Miroku near the ticket area. Sango gave her a friendly wave and Miroku looked her over appreciatively. Even in a practical, cream-colored business suit and matching heels, Miroku found a way to make her feel severely underdressed. Once she was within hearing distance, she warned, “Keep your hands to yourself, Miroku, or I'll maim you where you stand.”

 

Miroku held up his hands defensively. “Hey, I didn't even do anything!” Kagome eyed his warily. “Yeah, well, looks are just as dangerous where you're involved.” He gave her a charming boyish smile, his brown eyes twinkling. “You know me too well, Kagome.”

 

Kagome rolled her eyes and turned to her friend. “So we ready to go or what?” Sango nodded and led them to the correct ticket desk. As they waited in the impossibly long line, Kagome's attention wandered. She took note of everything and everyone surrounding them: frustrated woman yelling into her cell phone about a missed flight, middle-aged man with thinning brown hair carrying a crying infant with two kids trailing behind him, old couple limping along as they looked around with wide eyes.

 

It was an occupational hazard that was both a gift and a curse. It was a good habit to have when needed, but in situations like these when she was supposed to be just another face in the crowd, people tended to think it was rude.

 

Kagome's train of thought was lost as she locked gazes with a brilliant pair of golden eyes. He was standing farther down in the line she was in, at the very end, if you could call it that. The line seemed to stretch on forever. He was wearing a crisp, white linen shirt with black dress pants, the colors both contrasting with and complementary to his pale complexion and long white hair that was tied away from his face in a single braid hanging over his shoulder. There was a man next to him, same white hair and golden eyes, but he was shorter and his skin wasn't quite as pale as his companion's. Kagome immediately assumed they were brothers; who else on earth could look so much alike and not be related?

 

The man didn't seem to be paying any attention to the shorter man, however, because his golden gaze was directed at her and Kagome suddenly felt very uncomfortable. The way he was looking at her…it was as if he were doing the same thing Kagome had been doing just minutes before. She wanted to break away from his gaze, but she found that she couldn't. He held her captive just as surely as if he'd walked up to her and put her in handcuffs.

 

To say that the man was gorgeous was an understatement. He looked too perfect for words, as if God had put all of his attention and care into this one person. He was certainly gorgeous, jaw-droppingly so, but more than that he was also…beautiful.

 

Kagome would never have used that word for a man, thinking it too feminine, but it fit him perfectly, even though she had a sudden insight that he was far from feminine. Even from this distance, she could sense the power beneath that beautiful façade. It was in the way he stood, the hard expression on his sculpted face.

 

No, here was a man that knew how to handle himself, a man who exuded…danger.

 

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“So you think this has something to do with the president's disappearance?”

 

Sesshomaru shrugged as he continued his brisk pace toward the ticket desk. InuYasha was keeping up beside him, a large bag slung over his shoulder. He never carried more than that once piece of luggage with him when they went on their little “trips”. Sesshomaru, on the other hand, always carried three pieces of luggage; two suitcases, one containing clothes and toiletries the other a specially made suitcase containing special instruments needed for these special “trips”, and a duffel bag that held small items to keep him entertained on the plane.

 

He mulled over InuYasha's question. Ever since he'd gotten the call this morning, the possibility had presented itself. He found it too much of a coincidence that they get a call on the heels of the biggest news story to hit the air in years.

 

“I don't know,” Sesshomaru finally responded, giving away none of his feelings. Although the two worked closely together, they were far from comfortable with one another. As a matter of fact, sometimes they could barely tolerate being in the same room. It was only because of a promise they'd made to their father that they stayed together after he died.

 

InuYasha glanced at Sesshomaru, his gaze guarded. He knew when Sesshomaru was keeping things to himself and he also knew better than to try to pry the information from him. He'd tried that once and had learned a very important, and painful, lesson as a result.

 

“Yeah, well, I think something isn't right about this. Maybe we should call and -”

 

Sesshomaru stopped so suddenly that InuYasha kept walking a couple of feet before he realized that Sesshomaru was no longer beside him. Puzzled, he looked back. Sesshomaru was staring at him with such a look of utter contempt that InuYasha nearly took a step back. He didn't, however.

 

“It was just a suggestion.” He muttered turning back around and heading for the ticket desk. Sesshomaru gave a disgusted shake of his head and followed after him. Once he caught up with InuYasha, Sesshomaru stood patiently next to him, trying not to let irritation get the best of him.

 

The line they were currently standing in went on for days, a sea of people stretching out before them. Sesshomaru glanced down at his watch. It was a good thing they arrived exactly two and a half hours early. If they hadn't, they might have missed their flight.

 

InuYasha began yammering on about some news story he'd heard about a missing girl in Tennessee and Sesshomaru instantly tuned him out. He found his gaze studying the cluster of people around him. It was a habit he carried with him everywhere. InuYasha said it made him look obvious, but Sesshomaru disagreed. It paid to be keenly aware of your surroundings. You never knew when something you noticed might come in handy later…

 

Sesshomaru's gaze narrowed as he encountered a young woman staring at him. Her gray eyes were openly studying him, moving over his countenance at a quick pace. He didn't know whether to be annoyed or amused, but he quickly leaned toward annoyed when he realized what she was doing.

 

Assessing him. That's what she was doing. He stiffened under her alert gaze and frowned. She was dressed in a light-colored business suit, the slim blazer fitting her like a second skin. He followed the line of her snug-fitting slacks, vaguely aware of how amazingly long her legs were. He stopped at her brown leather heeled boots and returned to her face.

 

A cloud of shiny black hair cascaded over her shoulders, framing her heart-shaped face. Her skin held a creamy glow, looking like the softest silk imaginable. And then there were those eyes…they glowed like a pale mist.

 

Sesshomaru was suddenly aware that InuYasha had stopped talking. He glanced to his side and noticed InuYasha's gaze was preoccupied with the same vision he'd been distracted by.

 

InuYasha let out a low whistle. “Damn! Now that's a nice piece of ass!” Sesshomaru graced him with a glare. “Don't be such an ass, mutt!”

 

The younger brother glanced at him with a slight hint of amusement. “Don't tell me you, Sesshomaru the Ice Prince, were just fantasizing about her?” The idea was obviously so preposterous that InuYasha dissolved into a fit of laughter.

 

Sesshomaru frowned and tried his best to ignore his infantile brother. He willed himself not to look at the dark beauty, even though he could feel her gaze on him like a hot brand. It wasn't like he'd never been stared at before, by a beautiful woman no less. It happened more than he cared to admit, but there was something about the woman who was staring at him now. He couldn't help sliding his gaze to her once more, taken by those molten silver eyes.

 

He frowned and forced himself to look elsewhere. She left him with an unsettling feeling…one that he didn't care for.

 

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Roughly half an hour later when they'd gotten their tickets processed and were waiting around for their plane to board, Kagome still couldn't shake the image of the striking man with the long white hair. She hadn't mentioned anything to Sango about him. Knowing Sango, she would have marched right up to the guy and asked if he needed a date. That would have been too embarrassing for words.

 

With a sigh, Kagome shoved the man out of her mind and glanced at her two companions. Miroku was chatting up some young waitress at a bar across the way and Sango was sitting next to her reading a book. Feeling restless, Kagome got up.

 

“I'm gonna go grab a latte or something. Want anything?”

 

Sango glanced up and shook her head. She glanced down at her watch. “Grab Miroku on your way back. The plane should start boarding shortly.” Kagome nodded and wandered off toward the coffee shop where the sweet aroma of caffeine mixed with exotic flavors such as hazelnut and amaretto made her quicken her pace in anticipation.

 

By the time she'd reached the cashier, she decided to get Sango something also. She ordered two cinnamon dolce lattes and minutes later she was carrying the two cups of steaming goodness back to her seat.

 

“Miroku!”

 

She remembered Sango telling her to bring him back with her and immediately made a u-turn, smacking into a very solid body wearing a pristine white shirt. The cinnamon dolce lattes tipped over, soaking into the expensive-looking fabric, leaving behind creamy tan stains.

 

Kagome was horrified, already sputtering apologies. “I'm sooo sorry! I didn't even see you! I…” Kagome looked up and the words seemed to die on her lips. It was him, the man with the long white hair. The man with the long white hair who had a very annoyed look on his face. A face, Kagome noticed, that was even more gorgeous up close.

 

She held the two empty coffee cups in her hands, already feeling a hot blush creep up her neck. He stood staring down at her as if she were an extremely naughty child run amok.

 

“Do you always stand and stare at the people you've just bulldozed into and spilled scorching hot coffee on?”

 

His voice was deep and fluid, sounding like a dark dream. It matched the rest of him.

 

Kagome shook her head and frowned. Did he just insult her?

 

“I said I was sorry,” she tried to sound as polite as she could, but there was just an edge of irritation to it. He arched an eyebrow at her. “Oh, well by all means, go about your business and forget the two hundred dollar shirt you just ruined.” He stepped aside and gave her a pointed look.

 

Kagome's eyes narrowed at his obvious sarcasm. “Look, there's no need to get nasty,” she said heatedly. “If it's money you want I'll be more than happy -”

 

He straightened and waved a hand at her as if she were no more than an annoying fly buzzing around his ear. “Forget it,” he said sharply. Before she could utter another word, he turned quickly on his heel and headed for the men's room. Kagome stared after him, her mouth hanging open. Shock quickly gave way to anger and she had a fleeting vision of stomping after him and giving him a piece of her mind. She felt a tap on her shoulder and spun around, eyes blazing.

 

“Whoa,” Miroku said, his face expressing alarm. “What did I do this time?” Kagome closed her eyes, taking deep breaths. “Nothing,” she muttered, sidestepping him and moving back toward the seating area.

 

“Come on,” she said over her shoulder. “We've got a plane to catch.”

 

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Even his usual dose of Tchaikovsky wasn't enough to calm his heightened temper.

 

With a disgusted sigh, Sesshomaru snatched the small earbuds from his ears and let them fall in his lap. InuYasha was snoring softly beside him, his head propped up with a small pillow. Sesshomaru wished he were asleep, too, but his mind was in a jumble.

 

As if he hadn't had enough to worry about, he gets slammed into by some nitwit who has the grace to act as if she were totally without fault. He glanced down at his stained shirt, grimacing at the two brown stains. He'd tried to clean it up as best he could, but the best he could do was getting the color to dim to faint, dingy outlines. Since his luggage had already been on its way to the plane and he didn't carry any extra clothes with him in his carry-on, he was shit out of luck. The incident not-withstanding, packing extra clothes in the carry-on probably wouldn't have been a bad idea.

 

“Hindsight is twenty-twenty,” he muttered, leaning his head back against the headrest. He pushed the unfortunate incident from his mind and found himself thinking about their destination.

 

Once they got there, it would be Damien who would be their liaison. And from there…that was the big question. But it wasn't his job to ask questions. His job was simply to do what needed to be done without a trace, no loose ends. That's what he did best.

 

He turned his head to look out the window, staring out at the deep, velvet blue sky. He didn't want to keep dwelling on what awaited him, but he couldn't seem to help it. Something was different about this job and he wasn't comfortable to just be content with the information he'd been given. Did it have something to do with the president turning up missing?

 

“Damn,” he breathed, closing his eyes. This just might be the once-in-a-lifetime chance that his skills would really be put to the test.

 

Deciding that for the time being he should try to get some sleep, Sesshomaru returned the small earpieces to his ears, letting the music soothe and relax him into sleep. As he drifted off, a vision of dazzling gray eyes taunted him.