InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Impoverished Heir ❯ Stones set into Place ( Chapter 26 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Moving days have come and all and things are busy busy! Finally had a few moments to sit down and start writing again. I have not forgotten you, whoever reads this!!! I need your comments, and I need to finish this story. I think you'll like the ending very much. At least, I hope you will, as well as the ride to get there....

Dedication goes to my fiancee the high in the skye inulover of mine. I love you, baby!! Thanks for supporting my hopes and wishes. Your hands on me inspire new worlds inside....
Dedication also to Inugrrl for being a good devoted friend! Im gonna make Skye sit down and read your updates cause you're more updated than me >_< GOMEN NASAI!!! Inu luv in the house for ya.

Omegalead, thanks for the Beta offer! Thanks for messaging and getting this author to write lol.

You may recognize the Shiori in the beginning from an Inuyasha episode. Hooray for youkai fathers!


Disclaimer: Penpaninu does not claim to own the likeness or rights to the wildly famous Inuyasha series or its characters. All original characters in this story belong to me, but will never be famous on their own (laugh). The plot is original however and belongs to me. Ideas for a novel in my head. Is my writing good enough for it? You decide.

"Impoverished Heir" Chapter twenty-six
Stones set into Place

"Inuyasha-san! Hey, Takahashi-san!" the young woman called across her desk. Inuyasha whirled around, dropping papers that his assistant whipped low to grab up before they hit the freshly vaccuumed carpet. He grinned at the waving girl and held his ledger against one hip.
"What's up, Shiori-san? And it's just Inuyasha. Save the suffixes for my big brother," Inuyasha offered. His secretary smiled impishly and tucked a lock of sheer white-blond hair behind her ear.
"I'll remember that if you remember it's just Shiori," she gave back in return. "By the way, thanks for stopping by. I value that you listen to what a lowly secretary has to say."
Inuyasha laughed at the mock pout on her face and turned to his male assistant. The young man grinned readily in response, knowing the camraderie was welcome in exchanges with the young Takahashi. "You hear this, man? My secretary got mouthy on me. What am I to do? Oh, honored ancestors, help me!"
Shiori pretended to roll her eyes. "Your ancestors can't help dick, Inuyasha. At least not from your own brother."
Inuyasha felt the first bite of a migraine close in. He resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Go on. We're all friends here."
Shiroi adjusted her papers daintily across her desk into small piles. "Sesshomaru-san has expressed a ready degree of discomfort to your leaving work early yesterday."
Inuyasha smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, well, I was needed elsewhere. He knows I have friends, too."
Shiori shrugged helplessly. "Well, when he comes and lectures me for ten minutes straight, I feel obligated to repeat his message onto you."
Inuyasha nodded to her concerned smile. "I'm truly sorry about that, Shiori. Don't worry, I'll handle my brother. He shouldn't have had to come to you."
Shiori smiled, displaying natural dimples. "He can come to me anytime. Your brother's hot!"
"Nooo!" Inuyasha held his hand and ledger up over his pointed ears. "That's too much, come on!" His assistant grinned, as if to agree with her. Sometimes Inuyasha wondered if he was gay. As long as he tried not to check HIM out...
"A girl can dream," Shiori giggled. "I'd just apologize my ass off to him if I were you."
"You do whatever you want with your ass, but my brother's taken," Inuyasha said absently as he continue on towards his office doors. His male bookend jogged ahead to open one of the double doors wide. Inuyasha still felt weird when he did that, as if he were royalty. Well his ancestors WERE if the stories could be believed...
"Mou! Go on then, Inuyasha. Oh, and Kagome called," Shiori called.
"Thanks!" Inuyasha yelled as the door began to close. He walked across the wide office he still couldn't believe was his, and fell into his leather computer chair. It began to swing in a slow wide circle with his movements. He barely had time to process his thoughts when his cell blurted out again.
"SHIT!!..."
Before the lyrics could get past "...the WORLD!", Inuyasha located the foully loud machine and clicked it open to his ear.
"'Gome??"
"Inuyasha! Hi, baby!" Kagome's sweet voice drifted out. Inuyasha felt his lips stretching already. His girl could always make him smile.
"What's up, my love?" he purred. He was rewarded with one of Kagome's sweet giggles.
"Nothing, much! I'm about all done with work, oh, and Suzuki-san got me a new colleague!"
Inuyasha tried not to feel a wave of jealousy as his girlfriend went on. "Oh? What's his name?"
"Kitsune Shippou. You'll like him, honey, oh, you'll see why," Kagome continued. "We're leaving the building in ten, I'll be at home soon!"
"Oh, yeah, that's great, babe," Inuyasha said weakly." Uhm, Kagome?"
"Hmm, sweetie?"
"You're going home ALONE, right?" Inuyasha asked faintly. His girlfriend sighed.
"Of course, darling. Honey? He's a FRIEND. I just met him today!"
Inuyasha sighed with relief. "Okay, Kagome. I trust you."
"You better," Kagome grinned. "Oh, there's Shippou-kun now. See you at home!"
"Bye, baby," Inuyasha sighed. He grinned as Kagome gave a kiss over the line then hung up. As the young Takahashi turned on his computer and began typing a long-winded apology to his brother, more for laughs than for effect, he had no way of knowing that the small tingles of uneasiness in his neck was an indication that something was wrong....

*****

"Tomorrow? That would be most pleasant. Thank you, honorable retainer. My assistant and I will be there promptly at noon."
White teeth gleamed near the mouthpiece of the telephone. An audible click sounded as loud as thunder in the quiet office. Then a loud chuckle erupted from the scarred pale throat and pierced the stillness.


*****


"Are you sure the old-fashioned way is still best?" Kagome asked curiously. Kitsune Shippou laughed. He ducked up under Kagome's arm to open the door for her.
"I stake my future on it, Kagome-san. Starbucks may make a great green chai tea--"
"Frozen or hot," Kagome put in. Shippou held up one finger to continue, grinning.
"But nothing beats the scrape of the whisk against a wooden cup during a proper tea ceremony," Shippou ran a hand through his red bangs and grinned at, rather, UP at her.
Kagome giggled at how short he was. With other men, she would be concerned about where their direct gaze was GOING, especially over her generous figure, but she didn't have to worry about that with him. He was a true friend, and she knew it.
"Well, I have to admit, I miss a true proper...."
"Kagome, DOWN!" Shippou barked. He grabbed Kagome by the arm and tossed her under him with surprising strength that belied his size. Kagome scraped her knees on the concrete, but upon looking up at a quivering dagger embedded in the door above them, she suddenly didn't mind the rough treatment.
"You!" Shippou called out to the slim shadow making his way forward... forming out of the darkness, Kagome thought suddenly. Hakudoshi smirked, the lamplight outside Ookami's doors making his white hair shine.
"Me," he agreed. His smirk displayed sharp white teeth. Kagome felt a shiver go through her at the malice the gesture showed. "I was wondering if I could have your attention now."
"What are you and Naraku up to??" Shippou retorted. His small hands tightened over Kagome's shoulders. Kagome felt a 'whoosh' of energy and she looked up through astonished priestess-trained eyes to see his youki crackle and flare up.
"Shippou-kun!.." she whispered. She knew he had to be like Inuyasha and his brother, but seeing it, before her very eyes...
Hakudoshi loosened his tie with two careless fingers and placed his other hand on his hip.
"Oh, don't worry about Onigumo-san. What my boss does has nothing to do with you, little fox cub. Now, step aside, and hand over the woman. She and I have some fun in store," Hakudoshi leered. Kagome shivered under Shippou's wiry strong arms. There was little to the imagination to what he meant.
"I don't think so," Shippou growled. "I know what you're capable of, Hakudoshi, and you're beneath me."
Hakudoshi sighed and flipped out his cell phone. He clipped a quick text and tapped send. Four tall figures lined up on command, brutality in suits.
"I had a feeling you'd say that," he yawned. "Well, go knock yourself out."
"No!" Kagome yelled as Shippou jumped before her, his small fists clenched. He may have a large youkai chi, but these goons were huge! "Shippou, away!"
"I got this, Kagome-san!" Shippou yelled. He winked over his shoulder." Trust me!" Kagome opened her mouth, then shut it, as the next moment unraveled before she could blink.
Shippou leaped up high into the air, his small hands fishing through his suit jacket for things that he threw with astonishing speed. Small clouds exploded against the lackey's faces.
"Shit!"
"The fuck he doing??"
"Oh, man, I..."
Kagome coughed and covered her mouth with her hands. When the smoke cleared, Shippou had his hands up around Hakudoshi's throat. The tall man wheezed, his face purple with surprise and lack of oxygen. His men were in no condition to help, sprawled in varied positions of unconscious around the ground.
"You sick.... son... of.... a... bitch...." Shippou was growling up into Hakudoshi's face. Hakudoshi's eyes bugged out comically as he choked on the fox man's fingers.
"GACK!" Hakudoshi responded.
"I should kill you here and now...." Shippou growled and went on. Kagome rose to her feet and coughed.
"Shippou-kun!..."
Shippou looked over his shoulder, then snorted at the wheezing man in his grasp. "But you're not worth it. Tell your master I'm not so easily defeated."
Hakudoshi was released, then slumped to his knees. "You.... stupid.... fox..."
Shippou wiped his hands of Hakudoshi's touch, and Kagome blinked. His fingers looked like paws for an instant, and she was sure it wasn't due to 'seeing further' as she had been taught in the Higurashi temple.
"You okay, Kagome?" Shippou ignored him and offered her his hand. Kagome looked at the claw-tipped fingers, then slowly looked up into his golden eyes.
"Shippou-kun...."
The man named Kitsune grinned sheepishly. "We can't be friends now, Kagome-san?"
Kagome shook her head. "There's someone you just HAVE to meet."

*****

"Right this way, Onigumo-san," the retainer ushered, bowing low. Onigumo Naraku swept past regally, his hair pinned up at the nape of his neck. He was dressed sharply in black, and his stocking feet whispered along the authentic tatami mats on the floor. Kanna walked behind him to his left. If it weren't for her small exhales, you would forget she were there. She was dressed in smart gray, the better to compliment her eeiirely natural white hair. Only her eyes were black, and they sat like two wells in her skull. They drank in everything and missed not a thing. Naraku couldn't be more proud of an accomplice that could unnerve anyone who merely looked at her. All of the palace retainers and servants couldn't look back up each time she turned her head.
The head retainer slid open a pair of ornate sliding doors and bowed low on his knees directly on the mats, gesturing Naraku to enter. Onigumo Naraku smirked and swept inside. Three mats were set up in the simple chamber room, two across from one. Naraku chose one and knelt down; Kanna sat herself once he was comfortable. The doors slid shut, and moments later, opened again.
"His honorable Excellency, Akihito-sama," the retainer bawled from outside. The short elderly man who entered smiled politely and knelt down delicately across from the unlikely pair.
"Your Highness," Naraku murmured. He placed his palms, thumbs touching, onto the floor, and extended his body down in a low bow. When his forehead touched the tatami, he heard Kanna following suit. A polite amount of time passed before the Emperor coughed softly. Naraku rose back up and smiled. Akihito expressed mild approval.
"Onigumo-san, it is been a long time. Tell me, why do you need my family's relics so badly?" Akihito was straight to the point, but ever polite.
Naraku smiled. "Why, my dear Emperor-sama, I can only hope that you continue to rely on my business' help to Japan's economy."
Akihito barely inclined his head. Silver hair neatly combed back caught the lamplight. "Your company has done more than we could have ever hoped for our land."
Naraku smirked and bowed his head decidedly lower than the emperor's. "Thank you, Emperor-sama."
"We still find it hard to lend out items of enormity to our heritage," Akihito lightly reprimanded. Yet he waved one spotted hand to a barely visible servant against the wall to retrieve something which he ran in a hurry for.
"At least it is to someone of YOUR heritage than to Herr Hitler's," Naraku murmured. Akihito's eyes looked troubled but he nodded.
"Honorable Father-sama gave the Katana of Light away for victory. He should never have sold us so easily."
Naraku looked down and smiled as the servant bowed low, and slid a long wooden box across the mats towards him. "You'll find, honorable Emperor-sama, that hedging your bets is never an unhonorable action. Don't be so hard on Emperor Showa." So Amaterasu's Sword was out of play. He'd have to form his own sword of power, but with these items.... he was closer to his goal.
Akihito coughed and placed his palms on his knees. "Please take care of our heritage, Onigumo-san. That is all we ask of you." He bowed his head slightly, eyes lowered with respect for the dark man before him. "It is our wish to thank you for your gracious aide in the past."
"Oh no, exalted Emperor-sama. It is you whom I must thank for showing me those caves some years past," Naraku purred.
Kanna turned slightly. The look on her face could have said anything but revealed nothing.
Akihito nodded. "Take those items and go in peace."
"I will," Naraku drawled. He flicked open the edge of the box carefully. Light glanced off the shine of beads and a shadowy reflection.

*****

Miroku squeezed Sango's hand in his tightly. Their feet carried them lightly to the Hoshi family shrine with trepidiation and just alittle fear.
"Do you think...they'll blame me?" Sango whispered fearfully. Miroku shook his head sharply.
"NEVER. Mother will understand. And for Father..." Miroku wavered off. Sango squeezed his hand.
"He'll reprimand you for not making an honest woman of me yet?" she joked lightly. The unpopped question still hung between them as sure as daylight. And it grew more noticeable by the hour. Miroku sighed.
"You are the most honest woman I know," he confessed lightly. "As for us, well..."
"Yes?" Sango looked up at her lover's thoughtful profile, her heart in her throat. The answer was short-lived when a screech erupted from the kitchen doors of the family house.
"MIROKU! Come here!" Mrs. Hoshi waved frantically. She bowled out of the kitchen's open door and bypassed her son's open arms, taking Sango into her shrunken embrace. "Oh, you poor dear! Our beloved Sango, we heard...."
Sango looked over the top of Mrs. Hoshi's head at a frantically shrugging Miroku. His eyes pleaded for forgiveness but Sango only smiled sadly. Light filled her eyes however, so Miroku was relieved. Sango hugged her hopefully future mother-in-law back, returning her questions with softly spoken answers.
"Are you okay??"
"I am now, Mrs. Hoshi..."
"I heard ALL about it! And you come in with me, darling!"
"Of course, Mrs. Hoshi! I would be glad to help.."
"You are NOT doing any work! And it's Mother, now, you hear me??"
Sango's smile was flushed as she let herself be swept away by a short wall of indomitable will. Miroku watched, strangely at peace, before a quiet cough got his attention. He turned and bowed at the waist to the wizened monk.
"Father..."
Mr. Hoshi smiled sadly, a strain upon a wrinkled face. "Life takes us through strange turns, doesn't it, my son."
"More cryptic scripture?" Miroku lightly joked. He fell into step with his father and followed him across the cobbled courtyard of the family shrine. A few town residents milled around, offering prayers and clacking the large wooden rope to get the god's attention. Several older women bowed at the sight of the priest's son. Miroku bowed his head and smiled back. The women old enough to be his grandmothers all blushed and giggled like schoolchildren, lifting his mood.
"Your child has departed for the Dark Lands," Mr. Hoshi intoned seriously. He reached out and squeezed his son's hand tightly. "There is no greater pain for a parent; and just know I'm here for you in any way."
"I know," Miroku said, his mouth dry at the respect his father was giving him. "Mother has collected Sango up already."
Mr. Hoshi's eyes darkened seriously at the young woman's name he so respected. "You've put your beloved through quite alot over the past few years. She has wanted you ever, and not for the quick meaningless pleasure a tryst offers. She has been faithful to you even through your playing."
"I think that's 'playa'," Miroku softly interjected. His father gave a sharp snort.
"Mrfph! Call it whatever it may be, but one must outgrow it to proceed with life," he snapped. "I'm pleased to see you have. Are you going to give her the family ring, or wait several more years to grow?"
Miroku opened his mouth, then stared at his sneakers. "F-Father... I... I want to give it to her."
Mr. Hoshi reached up and lightly traced one gnarled finger against a leaf in the treebranch above them. "But?" he sensed.
"BUT," Miroku affirmed." I'm not sure Sango's ready.... especially after what happened to the baby..."
"So you would put your fears over that and claim them as hers," Mr. Hoshi glibely concluded. Miroku gaped at his sire.
"No! I..." How could he explain it? His father was a man of the world, and this talk of darkness and evil chi would make him cringe...
"Then what is it?" Mr. Hoshi began to walk away, his hands clasped behind his waist. His long robe sleeves spilled down to the tiles beneath them. "Unless you're going to tell me what happened in Tokyo was a sure walk in the park."
"YOU!...." Miroku grabbed his father's shoulder and turned him. Their eyes locked, knowing and all-seeing.
"Yes, I felt that wave," Mr. Hoshi snapped. "Did you think your own teacher was as inept as you?"
"But, Father, I've never felt anything like it before..." Miroku went on. Even with all of his father's teachings on religion, and meditation, he never went the steps further he was expected to...
Mr. Hoshi made his way to the side door inside the shrine and looked pointedly at his son. "Come with me, boy. There's something you should know about our illustrous past."
Miroku swallowed deeply, his feet taking leaden steps to an inevitable revelation. His slacks whispered against his calves as he followed his short father into the darkness of the unspoken past. Mr. Hoshi coughed. A snap of wood against paper hissed and a lit match lit up the underside of his father's jaw. He coughed again and set the match tip against the tall wick of a candle. The wick fizzled, then caught the flame, casting a broader circle of light than the tiny match. Mr. Hoshi waved the match out, small trickles of smoke rising up.
"Do you know about the spiritual past of our land?" Mr. Hoshi asked conversationally. Miroku shook his head.
"Only about our family's shrine and its beginnings," he said lamely. Instantly he felt like he had never paid attention all of these years. Mr. Hoshi bobbed his shiny pate up and down in agreement however.
"This is part of it, the tiniest corner of the Stream of Life, my child," Mr. Hoshi said kindly. His eyes shone behind his glasses. "Your instincts are valid, about that dark wave, about more than you think. The land was once rampant with dangers unimaginable to us today, and he, our ancestor Hoshi, was known to carry a priest's staff of immense power..."
"Oh, yes, I've heard of that," Miroku offered. "Many priests still do, you know."
Mr. Hoshi shook his head. "Why was it so powerful? It had a pure touch, yes, but perhaps you would understand better having seen it up close."
Miroku blinked, then shook his head. "I thought old relics of our family were long lost." And behind door number one would be...
Mr. Hoshi smiled indulgently, his eyes bright. "Many families of old samurai names still have pieces of their ancestral armor, and their swords." Miroku strangely thought of Inuyasha and his father's katana before his father went on. "However, we are a priestly family, and weapons are not in our ways."
"Let's see what you have hidden, Dad," Miroku said dryly. His father gave him an impatient snort and opened twin door compartments to a storage chest. A silken drawing depicting a battle against evil was set up against the back and Miroku squinted. There looked to be oni's, and other creatures of myth pitted against a small band of human monks.
"What is that?" he interrupted. Mr. Hoshi looked up, his eyes bright.
"Our illustrious past," he intoned. "Our ancestor Hoshi carried this staff with him through his journeys and it came in quite handy to our family's beginnings."
Miroku held out his hand automatically and took the rasped edge of an ancient's staff's handle into his large hand. It looked like a standard priest's walking stick, with bells at the top, just warped and incredibly old. A closer look revealed more to his father's speech. Miroku held the haft to the side and squinted down the edge of the tip.
"It's sharpened," he observed. Mr. Hoshi nodded.
"In a time where youkai openly walked the land, it was well wielded."
Miroku looked up, feeling out of place in his slacks, t-shirt and sneakers, an ancestor's tool in his modern hands. "Demons? Come on, Dad. You know they don't exist."
"Mfrph!" Mr. Hoshi flared his arm, his sleeve snapping sharply. "Then what happened in our nation's capitol a few weeks ago?? Tell me that's normal, son. Tell me that's expected!"
Miroku gulped, his eyes wide. His hands tightened around the haft of Hoshi's Staff. "If it was real... then what do I do? Dad, tell me. Everything's gone so wrong, so strange..."
Mr. Hoshi held his arm to the side, his sleeve fluttering down. "Fight, son," he whispered. "Our ancestor Hoshi knew that to exist in peace with his family, he had to hold the powers of darkness at bay with a strong hand... and so do you."
"Dad..." Miroku began. His father looked up into his eyes and placed a hand over his. The staff seemed to hum between them.
"Make us proud, son."
Miroku bowed, his bangs falling into his eyes. "Yes, sir."

***

“Hold still, lover,” Rin said. Sesshomaru grunted, and leaned forward. His elbow rested on his spread knee and his white hair lay like a blanket across his bare back. His muscles bunched as he tensed. His every sense had been enhanced since unlocking the power Tenseiga, and he didn’t have to strain to hear the snips the scissors made in Rin’s talented hands. His girlfriend hummed as she trimmed up the ends of his extremely hair, and Sesshomaru looked at the kitchen wall. His face was a careful mask ever since he had sat down and Rin couldn’t see his expression. There was a lot of pain in how it all started…
“Sessho, your ends aren’t even,” Rin had commented.
“Hmm?” Sesshomaru had asked. He looked up from his ledgers for the day at the thoughtful look his woman was using in regarding his hair. She held a handful of his ends and sifted the hairs idly with her fingers.
“Honey, when you have long hair, you have to get it trimmed properly! I should know,” Rin flipped her raven-black hair over one shoulder. Sesshomaru’s lips raised in a smile for her.
“But mine is longer than yours,” he had teased.
“Ohhh,” Rin swatted his shoulder. She had pleaded to cut the ends herself and now here he was, leaned forward like a lost servant boy being coddled.
“Just make it even, Rin,” he rumbled. His chest shook with a purr as Rin acquiesced with a sigh and studied the handful of white hair in her hand. Sesshomaru’s heart pumped hard, its extra chambers flexing. His golden eyes stared at the striped wallpaper, and blinked back ghosts.

>>> “Sit still, little Sesshomaru,” Izayoi had chirped. His younger self swung his feet back and forth and he looked up. His hair had been dark as pitch then, and was grown past his shoulders to match his fathers.
“Kay,” he had said self-consciously. He had been nervous around the woman his father married, even when they were dating, and after the huge ceremony he had to dress up for. She had tried to make them feel a family from the very start, but fears of growing to like her meant she may leave him. Just like his real mother….
“You look every bit a little prince!” Izayoi commented. She brushed his trimmed long hair back and kissed his forehead. Sesshomaru had looked up and blushed at her.
>>>>>>>
Sesshomaru leaned his forehead against his hand and closed his eyes.
“Annnnnd, we’re done!” Rin crowed. She bent down and picked up the newspapers where his hair had fallen, and hummed. Sesshomaru shook his head and tried not to cry.
“Do you like it, Sessh?” Rin asked brightly, setting her tools in a row on the kitchen table. Sesshomaru nodded.
“Yes,” he murmured. Rin knelt down and brushed his bangs back off his forehead to try and see his face. Sesshomaru kept nodding, keeping his eyes hidden.
With a little bit of coaxing, Rin took his hand away from his face. She held his claws in her small hands and looked up. Tears coated the golden irises she had come to known and love.
“What’s wrong?” she asked with vast concern. Sesshomaru managed a weak smile and bent his forehead against hers.
“My stepmother used to cut my hair, well, kind of like this,” he admitted. Rin sighed and held his head against her.
“You miss having parents, don’t you?” she asked.
“Hmm,” Sesshomaru answered. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for now.

*****

"You know you want to finish working," Kagome teased. Inuyasha looked over his ledgers and looked up at her with a degree of slight annoyance.
"And YOU know I have to finish this report," he growled. Kagome sat on the arm of his computer chair and played with the end of his ponytail.
"Come on, Yasha, it's my first trip here and everything and you're ignoring me," she teased. Inuyasha set his papers down and looked up at his girlfriend. A rueful smile touched the corners of his lips.
"You brought your friend Shippou over for me to meet," he complained. Kagome giggled and hugged his neck quickly.
"He liked you! You could have been more nice," Kagome pouted. Inuyasha sighed and pushed his chair back.
"Alright, alright, 'Gome, you win. Now, how would you like to spend our time in my fly new office?" he teased back. Kagome untied his tie and played with the ends.
"I was thinking sooooomething.... like this," she grinned, pulling his face close with the tie. Her lips met his softly, so gently. Inuyasha felt the tenderness crash and reciprocate between their sweet embrace. His passion ignited and he pulled her down onto his lap suddenly. Kagome squealed and tugged on the edges of his pointed ears. Inuyasha blurted a moan out into her mouth and grabbed her ass to bring her closer. Kagome laughed and shifted for better positioning. Inuyasha broke off the kiss and stared helplessly into her eyes as she moved against him in short strokes.
"This chair is killing my back," he admitted. Kagome slowly got up, then plopped onto the thick carpeting in the space between the desk and the wall.
"Come down here, then," she invited breathlessly. Inuyasha took in her small panting exclamations, her heaving bosom and skirt pushed into disarray showing off white lace. He felt himself harden further and carefully knelt down beside her.
"I love you, Kagome," he heard himself whisper. Kagome's slender hands worked his belt and pants open, and Inuyasha gaped at her flushed expression as her fingers stroked him up and down.
"I hope your secretary can't hear us," she giggled. Inuyasha held her hips as she shucked her panties off and straddled his waist.
"She's a pal, she won't interrupt us," he breathed. Kagome parted her folds with two of her fingers, as his nails jutted out too long and sharp these days. Inuyasha's claws gripped her side as she looked intently into his eyes.
"Then please let me take care of us..." she swallowed. Inuyasha found his head bobbing up and down in agreement. The long pleasurable moment as she pushed his tip inside and sank down made his head loll on the floor and his eyes roll back into his skull.
"Ahhhhhh!" he moaned. Kagome crooned in agreement and leaned low on his chest and belly, her hands holding his head to hers. Inuyasha pushed her up and down him as their noses bumped together clumsily. They both groaned, and giggled, when their temples bumped hard, then Kagome rose up on her hands for better leverage.
"Kagome..." Inuyasha panted around grit teeth. Kagome's moans rose in volume, and Inuyasha was sure that everyone on the floor could hear her. He found he didn't care when she clamped him tightly. Her silkiness sheathed him tighter than velvet.
Kagome's moans reached a screeching pitch that made Inuyasha's ears want to lay back flat were they more flexible. She howled and Inuyasha whoofed a loud groan against her neck. Inuyasha stroked her arms until she collapsed on top of him.
Inuyasha smiled in the glow of aftermath, rubbing small circles along Kagome's back. He didn't mind the weight upon him when the carpet was THAT plush.
"How you feel, babe?" he grinned. Kagome barely had the strength to raise her head to kiss his chin.
"Goooood," she groaned. "Yasha, I can't move my hands!"
Inuyasha laughed and hugged her close. They moved carefully until he slid out and he held her to his hip.
"We'll wait til you've gotten your strength back, love," he promised. "There's just one thing..."
Kagome raised her eyes up to his face. "What's that?"
"You have GOT to come by the building more often!"
The two twined on the floor, laughing and kissing. It was a long time before they got up to arrange their appearance from well-sexed to decent.



*****

Inuyasha breezed out of his office, stroking his hair back. Kagome followed him, humming a cheerful tune as she arranged her skirt. So many wrinkles in their clothing now, the wash would have to be done again... She almost crashed right into his back when he stopped abruptly.
Sesshomaru was coming their way down the hallway, immaculate in white to match his flowing pale hair. His face was twisted in a troubled scowl, as he held his cell phone to one sharply pointed ear. Inuyasha reflected quickly that his nii-san looked perturbed all the time these days, then crossed his arms with a smirk.
"What's up, Sessh?" he asked cockily. Kagome plucked his shoulder, smiling softly at his jaunty tone. Of course he would be happy at this moment, ahem, wouldn't he? Inuyasha's eyes softened at her fingers on his arm.
Sesshomaru cocked his head to the side, and it was all Inuyasha could do not to laugh. They had had a dog when they were little that did that when it was annoyed, as his brother had to have been.
"I'll call you back, Rin," he said, then snapped his phone shut. Brothers stood toe to toe, one smiling, the other a sculpture of careful ice.
"What do you want, Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru finally asked. Kagome breathed a quiet sigh of relief as Inuyasha just grinned instead of taking the bait.
"Oh, nothing, just wondering if you were okay. You were looking rather constipated," he admitted. Sesshomaru let out a strangled chuckle and tapped one claw against his jacket front.
"Can you take anything seriously, Inuyasha? I've been feeling off ease, if that's what you're asking," he intoned. Kagome watched him curiously. Sesshomaru scratched his neck, raking the ends of his hair over one shoulder. His gesture didn't exuberate confidance. He looked surprisingly troubled. Inuyasha's brows narrowed down in thought.
"Why all the gloom and doom? We'll take care of Onigumo," he offered grandly. Sesshomaru shook his head, his white hair floating around his head like a well-managed banner. Inuyasha wondered if he used Pantene on it to get it to look THAT silky smooth when his brother spoke.
"There's something in the works we don't know about! And I have a feeling it's something we only can hint at, and don't understand," Sesshomaru ground. Inuyasha blinked, his half-golden eyes focused oddly on his brother's now pure white hair. That had something to do with it alright...
"Hey, did you get your hair cut??" he demanded suddenly. Kagome sighed at his back and Sesshomaru regarded his younger half brother with a look of outright exasperation. It was more preferable than depressed so Inuyasha was pleased with ANY change in demeanour.
"Yes, Rin trimmed it," he snapped. "She does alot for me."
"So, why the..."
"As expected!" A rich feminine voice came down the hallway. The two brothers and Kagome turned to see Kagura limp their way, her bandaged hands pressed together and apart in mock applause. "Are we having fun already?"
"Hello, Kagura-san," Kagome greeted politely.
"Yeah, hi," Inuyasha added. Sesshomaru merely grunted and glared.
Kagura dipped low into an ackward bow. Myoga came huffing up behind her and held his massive arm out for her to lean on. Kagura's ruby red lips spread in a smile for him.
"What do you want now, Kaze-san?" Sesshomaru asked. Kagura plucked up a feather out of her pocket and blew softly. The edges of the feather ruffled with the mock wind and she held it before her smiling lips.
"Evil winds stir and rise, and we are at the front of the coming storm," she said cryptically. Myoga watched her out of the corner of his eye.
"What do you mean?" Inuyasha asked curiously. Sesshomaru sighed raggedly.
"Oh, don't get her going, the whole world's going to hell in a handbasket if you listen to her," Sesshomaru said sourly. Kagura coughed.
"I wouldn't piss me off if I were you," she said glibely. Inuyasha smirked as he watched the battle of wills commence.
"Well, as Rin takes you seriously, I should too," Sesshomaru said scarcastically. Kagura smiled widely.
"Naraku is moving against us once more, and beyond the realm of physical," she stated. Myoga seemed content with that answer as Sesshomaru seemed to develope an eye twitch. All that blackness that had leaked out of Naraku from his katana point...
"Something' s coming, isn't it?" Kagome asked. She hugged Inuyasha's arm. "How, when?"
"What's he done?" Inuyasha growled. He didn't know if he could trust Kagura further than Sesshomaru could throw her, but she could provide help.
"All I know is that he has reached the items before my men could," Kagura said. "And for that, I am sorry."
Inuyasha guffawed as everyone looked confused. "You have men?"
"Be silent, young master," Myoga said.
"Onigumo has dared farther than I would have given him credit to," Kagura said, her black eyes sorrowful. "He is drawing upon thousands of years of belief placed in relics man shouldn't tamper with. But," here Kagura handed Sesshomaru her feather and pulled out a handfan. "We know he is more than a man, don't we?"
Myoga's old eyes lowered with the strain he knew they would all have to take soon. It was years in coming, and he would be aiding the players without the old master's help.
Sesshomaru's hand tightened. "Just watch our jar of dirt," he said dryly.
Kagura nodded and bowed slightly. Myoga helped her back up. "Be careful, all of you. I have a feeling it's going to be an interesting night."




*****

"I hope you got an ace up your sleeve, boss, cause your plans suck," Hakudoshi complained. Naraku closed the door on his bodyguards and made his way to his large desk with the wooden box under one arm. Kanna sat waiting at a chair before the large piece of furniture. Hakudoshi was perched on the edge of his, as if to bolt another hair-brained scheme that would get him into more physical danger.
Naraku chuckled and loosened the knot at the nape of his neck. His long black hair cascaded down his back, rich and oiled with spicy scents. "Not to worry, whelping. We have all the power we need. As long as our dear Kanna keeps our heart safe. Won't you, Kanna?"
Kanna looked up and briefly nodded. Hakudoshi sniffed and swept a hand through his long hair.
"Fine," he growled. "So what was soooo needed at the Imperial Palace?"
Naraku set the box onto his desk with a soft thud. The boom echoed throughout the cavernous office.
"Two items for power," he announced. "You won't be in charge of any of them, Hakudoshi."
"Oh, bummer," Hakudoshi yawned. Naraku opened the box and a low hum filled the room. Hakudoshi scrambled back over his chair in an attempt to escape the murmer of thousands of years.
"What the heck is that!" he yelped. Kanna merely nodded. Her black eyes never left the contents of the box. Onigumo Naraku smiled and dipped one white hand down. He offered out one of the items to Kanna. She reached out for the round disc of warped metal with reverent hands.
"I believe we have completed your ensemble," Naraku smiled widely. His teeth were sharp and long. Kanna nodded and turned the mirror over in her hands. Reflections of things that were and things that could be echoed in the blurry world inside the rim.
Hakudoshi snorted, breaking up the serious mood. "So what'd you get, Boss?"
"What I get," Naraku said, laughing." Is absolution."
"Absolute what?" Hakudoshi wanted to know.
Naraku sighed. "Aren't you the curious one."
"I'm inquisitive," Hakudoshi mumbled.
Onigumo Naraku chuckled and lowered his hand into the box. "Absolute victory. That's what I got." Clutched in his long fingers were a string of ancient beads.

End for now

Notes: The imperial family of Japan is said to be descended directly from their Sun goddess, Amaterasu, and in myth she was said to have given three items of importance to the first emperor. Hmm... the plot thickens...
Also a historic note: Akihito's father Hirohito was renamed Emperor Showa at the event of his death in 1989, to signify an era of japanese history in the earlier part of the twentieth century. (1926-1989 were the years he reigned after his grandfather Meiji's death. Meiji was similarily renamed to title his era of reign, and his was "Taisho").
This one's for you, babe!
yours truly, penpaninu 6/16/07