InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Impoverished Heir ❯ The Wolves Join the Fray ( Chapter 29 )

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

Once again, a long and strange journey. I hope my love for this fic still shows through despite actually having a life, a fiancee, and a career. The every day life tries to get in the way sometimes, but in ways, if you can focus on your love for your family and for your hobbies, it will still show through. I love writing, it's a great freedom and my artistic expression. To all who drop me reviews, lines to show what you think, I thank you fro the bottom of my heart. I will thank each in turn now!

As always, the place in my heart for my fiancee, my Skye, my Yasha, this ones for you. It was too much fun making this lemony with a side of plot... Just the way you like it! I love and adore you. You always light my fire and keep me safe and warm. Love from your wifey.

INUGRRRL!!! the other inu in my life lolol!! I promise, PROMISE to update my shit on your Eternal Destiny, I Pwomise! :( Been too busy with the L Word! but I'll be caught up in a few days sooo!.... :P REVIEW cause you've been Heired my friend!

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Disclaimer: Inuyasha and the characters of this series does not belong to me. They belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi.

Impoverished Heir chapter twenty-nine

"The Wolves Join the Fray"


The first thing Kagome noticed upon waking was warmth and weight against her. She was on one side, her knees tucked up into a fetal position, the blankets and sheets settled over her in a warm bundle. Inuyasha was within this sheet cocoon, his knees tucked up behind hers. His lips worked against her shoulder softly. His long fingers grasped her chest, just below the breasts, sharp little nails tracing carefully.

Kagome yawned and blinked the sleep out of her eyes and looked over at the alarm clock. Ten minutes past six... damn, they really had to get up to get going.

"Yash, wake up," she murmured. Inuyasha grumbled and sucked urgently at her shoulder. Kagome smiled as he pushed harder up against her soft rear, straining in his sleepy state.

"I'm awake," he grumbled. He yawned widely against Kagome's shoulder, his tongue washing her involuntarily. As his mind cleared, he reflected he rather liked where he was at, and his hands grew more frisky. His hips pushed forward quickly.

Kagome giggled and rolled onto her back in his arms. Inuyasha followed her, his head descending upon her naked globes. Kagome sighed and held onto his head as her nipples stiffened beneath his ministrations. Inuyasha felt her legs spread around his hips and he sighed, his member stiffening at a nice rate. It was the seventh layer of heaven to hold his naked girlfriend under him in their bed and feel how much she wanted him. Considering how yesterday had gone, it was a very welcome change of pace.

Kagome rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand and held onto Inuyasha's shoulder with the other. Inuyasha let go of one nipple with his teeth gently and kissed at her collar bone. He hummed as Kagome's breasts squished rather nicely against his chin.

"Are you too tired?" he asked. He would let her rest if it was needed, but at this rate little Inuyasha wasn't going to let this slide.

Kagome yawned and kissed his shoulder, then leaned up in his arms to catch his mouth with hers. Their tongues scraped together. Soon Kagome's mind was clear enough to allow agility in her movements and she moved Inuyasha up to a sitting position, her legs wrapped over his hips and on his lap as if straddling a chair backwards.

Inuyasha's member was as erect as it could get and his breathing came shallowly as he tried not to ride the sensations of being pushed against Kagome's belly to climax. He wanted to be inside her when that happened. Kagome lifted her hips and without warning, impaled herself on his red tip. Her hips settled back down against his stomach as she rocked him fully inside. Inuyasha's legs stretched straight in front of him on the mattress, twitched, wanting to flip her over on her back.

Kagome's feet touched behind his back as her knees grasped him tight. Her legs scissored with her thrusts and she panted lightly against Inuyasha's face. His tip was pushing farther in than it usually did at any other angle, and she fully enjoyed herself, knowing Inuyasha would give her the orgasm she needed.

The couple rocked together as the mattress shifted under their frantic movements. A woman's shriek filled the room moments later.



*****

Kitsune Shippou was running late. He was supposed to come in with Kagome this morning, but she hadn't answered her cell yet. She wasn't at her usual meeting spot at Starbucks, nor in front of Ookami Law. His last ditch resort was to "borrow" a company car and drive it like a maniac to her apartment building.

Today was an important day and he couldn't allow her to miss it. Ookami Senior couldn't have been more clear about THAT.

Outside the apartment door, Shippou coughed and knocked, then knocked again. He could hear the shower running and a male's voice singing. That could only be Inuyasha. He knocked as hard as politeness could allow and waited, feeling more than alittle uncomfortable.

He heard a woman's voice calling out, but it could have been "dumb Lin" instead of "come in." Really, Inuyasha's idiotic serenade was garbling everything! Shippou carefully opened the door and held his breath. He relaxed when it was indeed Kagome sitting on her low couch, looking up. Then his eyes went down from hers and his face flushed beet red.

Apparently he had caught Kagome still getting ready. Oh, she was fully clothed, make no mistake about that, but she had one nylon stocking between her hands, rolled halfway up her thigh. Her skirt was pushed up to accomodate a bare leg as she rolled the nylon up. Shippou could just make out the silk of her panties before his eyes finally had the decency to look away.

"Sorry! I'm sorry, I just...." Shippou stammered like a teenager. Kagome giggled in his peripheral vision and stood up. She towered over him.

"It's okay, Shippou-san. I was the one that called you in," she said sheepishly. The two heard a series of bangs and thumping footsteps as Inuyasha collided into the living room, bare-ass naked.
Kagome covered her brow with her hand as her sudsy, drenched and very naked lover went face to face with Shippou, or rather, chin to scalp.


"What the fuck you doing to my woman out here??" he barked. Shippou crossed his arms and frowned up into the Takahashi's scowl.

"Nothing! I accidentally surprised her... that's all!" he insisted. Inuyasha raised a fist.

"I find out you been looking at her or...."

"Inuyasha! Stop it!" Kagome yelled. She took a deep breathe as he did so, his mouth half open comically in the middle of birthing an obscenity. Shippou crossed his arms and flushed.

"I came to pick Kagome-san up for work. You really should think about putting some clothes on. I really didn't need to see all that!"

Inuyasha glanced down at his own nakedness and flushed a furious red. Whether by anger or embarrassment was anyone's guess.


"Yeah, well, you just better remember it!!" Inuyasha put in for good measure and thrust his finger into Shippou's face. Shippou looked fit to bite his fingertip off.

"Yasha..." Kagome warned.

Inuyasha whirled, whipping Shippou in the face with his long, wet mane. Loud stomping followed his movements back to the shower. Kagome cringed as the door slammed.

"I'm so sorry, Shippou-kun. Sometimes he's just overprotective," she offered. Shippou wiped a handful of shampoo suds from his mouth and smiled wearily.

"It's okay, Kagome-kun. But we better get going if we're going to get to work on time!"

"Okay," Kagome agreed. "We're going, Inuyasha!"

"Fine!" was the enthusiastic yell back. Kagome picked up her work bag, and locked the door behind them. She felt alittle strange traveling without Fujiyoshi and the other Takahashi Enterprise bodyguards, but she felt her anxiety vanish as soon as the car doors were closed and she was on the way. Shippou drove with ease, chatting amiably the whole way.

"You got us chai lattes already!" Kagome noticed with surprise. Shippou shrugged at the two paper cups in the cup holders. Kagome reached for one and sipped, raising an eyebrow at the height Shippou displayed once he sat down. A glance at his hip solved that problem; a fat manga as big as a telephone book was shoved under his slim ass, getting his head above the steering wheel. She giggled .

"You know, it's too an important day to be laughing about nothing," Shippou mock-warned but the wry smile pulling at the corner of his lips gave him away. "I know, I know, I'm sitting on a book, here."

"Is there one on your foot so we can brake and not crash?" Kagome wondered innocently and burst out laughing at the pained expression on the Kitsune's face. "No offense!"

"None taken," Shippou answered, easing the car around a corner. Kagome felt a moment's trepidition ease away as they drove on. If anything were to go wrong, she had Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, and Fujiyoshi's team on speed dial. She felt safe at Shippou's side. Despite his lack of height, he excuded comfortable camraderie and shelter. Her own deep sense of intimate shelter she got from her boyfriend, but a different kind she felt with Shippou. He was her friend, and made her feel youthful and free, like an afternoon spent on a meadow under shape-shifting white clouds.

"I just wondered how you were driving this thing, is all," Kagome said. Shippou's old smiling eyes turned to meet Kagome's shining blue, and he nodded. His expression was jovial, but his gaze was serious. He would protect Kagome with every fibre of his being; he would never let any harm come to the beautiful intern. "What's wrong?"

Shippou shook his head and smiled. "Nothing, just.... hey, we're almost there."

"Hurry, let's get that spot before Kouga takes it," Kagome suggested. Shippou burst out laughing as they screeched in to a halt, a disgruntled Ookami junior staring at the two of them in surprise from his own vehicle.

"Hey! Kagome-kun!" he protested. Kagome and Shippou both waved.



*****


Rustling clothing scraped against the carpet. Limbs tensed on the floor and low gasps filled the room. Long white hair cascaded down the man's back as he climbed on top of his prone lover. Dark hair lay in a banner around the woman's head, her clothing in an artful expression of disarray. Her blouse was unbuttoned to the waist, bra pushed up. Her thighs spread for her lover as they both surged and fought to unfasten his belt. The sound of a zipper being pulled low echoed loudly in the storage room.

"Damn shorts..." the man growled. His lover impatiently tugged the elastic band of his silk boxers to his thighs, snagging at first, then exposing his turgid arousal. It gravitated immediately toward her warmth. The woman giggled and ran her palms up and down his pale white belly and chest, breathing hard with barely concealed excitement.

"Sessh.... it's been too long," she crooned. Sesshomaru bent down and thrust his tongue between her lips. Rin eagerly gave back, and hooked her ankles behind his strong back.

"Two days was too much? Well, no more waiting..." the golden-eyed man promised. His spread fingers punctured the carpet on the right side of Rin's head as he didn't bother taking off her panties, but manuevered the opening to allow him access. Rin's walls tensed, then relaxed as he pushed firmly in. Sesshomaru gripped the floor hard, tearing slashes through the carpet as he lifted his head and hissed appreciatively. Rin gave small high gasps until he looked down with half-slit eyes, seeing how his woman needed him to continue. He gladly sped up, raising on his arm to worm himself in deeper and deeper. Her head fell back and she clutched his back hard enough to blacken and bruise. Sesshomaru wasn't going for style or finesse this time. He felt the overwhelming need to join inside his Rin and become one with her; it may be crude, but they both needed this release at such an unexpected time in their work day.

A storage closet became their unofficial mating ground as they gave in to primal, searing passion that screamed to be sated.

Rin gasped up as her lovers eyes squeezed closed, his mouth parting to reveal sharp teeth and half-formed endearments. A long line of sweat beaded down the side of his temple, telling her he was working extra hard to fulfill their needs. Rin spread her legs wider and wider and as he plunged deeply, felt the telltale climbings of an orgasm.

"Huh, huh huh..... uhn!" Sesshomaru groaned, his eyes squeezed tightly shut as he concentrated on prolonging his orgasm. He rode the crest of his pleasure, and waited a moment, his hips stilling. Then he pumped hard and collapsed with a groan on top of his girlfriend. Rin crooned and held onto his half covered back. His dress shirt fell off his shoulders

"That was incredible," he breathed into the carpet. Rin smiled and squeezed him between her legs. Their joining throbbed warmly inside her.

"You're usually the workaholic. What's gotten into you?" she asked impishly. Sesshomaru swiped his claws through her hair lazily, and kissed at her temple where he could reach her.

"If Inuyasha can take time off to fool around, so can I," he stated. Rin blinked.

"What?" she wanted to know.

Sesshomaru snorted. "You don't want to know. So, are you liking being here without working?"

Rin smiled and smoothed his hair back from his face. "It's really odd to not jump when Myoga walks by, but I'm glad to be here near you. How is your new secretary working out?"

Sesshomaru smiled fondly and pressed his forehead against hers. "She's old enough to be my mother and nowhere as fun as you were when you worked under me."

"Hey, I'm still working under you, lover," Rin flushed. Sesshomaru looked down into her beautiful face, his smile freezing as she did something with her thighs, and CLENCHED. His encased penis flexed with the response and hardened.

"Uhhhh," he responded intelligently. Rin pushed up at his pale chest, and spread her knees far wide. She pushed up against him, impaling herself beneath his weight.

"I think I need some overtime, Sessh. Will you give it to me, Boss?" she teased. Her tone was low and sultry. Sesshomaru nodded and he leaned down. He gasped against Rin's lips.



****



Kouga opened the double doors of the conference room and walked at a smart clip towards his father. Ookami Senior nodded as his offspring took a seat in a highback leather chair near him, then smiled as Ayame swept up and took a seat right by his side. Kouga felt a brief stab of jealousy that his old man always seemed to favor other people besides himself, but squashed the feeling aside. He knew he should be glad his father favored Ayame; she was of wonderful stock, was a devoted girlfriend, and a terrific and inventive lover at that. Kouga widened his knees at that thought and tried not to blush. Ookami lawyers of partnering branchs filed in and took their seats along their row and it wouldn't do to get an erection on his first big meeting back. His girl really WAS one in a million, and more than a tumble in the sack. Despite her professional demeanour, Ayame made sex an art and expression of the heart. She had tamed him, Kouga reflected ruefully, and he readily admitted he had needed it. Better her than his father, for at least Ayame's methods had grown far more enjoyable than how they had started. She had won him, and in return he showered her with deserved affection
.
Ookami Senior and Ayame both turned as one unit to converse with a short balding man on his father's left. He was one of the Ookami Elders that Kouga recognized from the beach, a very high-up and influential relative. He had come in, leaning heavily on the arm of a slim and built man, no doubt meant to be his bodyguard. Once seated, the guard stood behind his chair at attendance, hands clasped behind his back.

The grace and charm Ookami and Ayame shared made Kouga reflect that they resembled father and daughter rather than future in-laws. The Elder smiled widely as they expressed pleasantries. His teeth were white and even; his eyes golden. Normal human-looking lawyers filed in on the end seats of their side of the long table as well as several short red-haired japanese. Kouga felt a tingle at the back of his neck, the hairs of his short, trimmed mane raising up. He met Kitsune Nabiki's laughing golden eyes and she grinned impishly before bowing her head. The same short Kitsune man from earlier took a seat and Kouga remembered the same man who had taken his personal report at the beach, a runner for his father. Kitsune Shippou, wasn't it? The two conversed lowly, and arranged their folders expertly between them as the Ookami side of the table prepared for their guests. Kouga had just been starting to think that seating the whole Onigumo party across the wide table was a deliberate mismatch until the door opened.

Large powerfully built men in black suits filed into the conference room. Kouga was aware of Kitsune Nabiki shifting in his peripheral vision and Shippou leaning close at her side. All of the Ookami family members tensed and Kouga couldn't blame them. The Onigumo delegates looked normal enough at first, but if you focused just hard enough, you could tell something was definately off. All were at least two heads taller than the largest man, their limbs thick as small tree trunks. The fine, linen suits couldn't cover up the jaggedly lined faces, or the cropped, shaggy hair. Large knotted hands hung out of suit jacket sleeves and each digit was tipped with a jagged nail.

The look of finery over vulgarity was grotesque and Kouga's heart quickened, knowing it didn't just bother him. The whole scene was painted with just the right touch to hopefully pass for normal, but Kouga wasn't fooled. Something was horribly wrong and even the partner lawyers shifted uncomfortably, and squinted with dark eyes at the crackle of darkness. Many coughed to hopefully break the silence.

Ookami Takeru fortunately had the grace to break the frozen tundra dividing the two groups.

"We welcome you to our establishment of Ookami Law and its partnering branches. Please, let's begin."

The bulky men shuffled together. "You are too kind. We come in Onigumo Naraku's stead."

The Kitsune leaned back as the goliath delegates seated themselves opposite the table. The chairs strained audibly and it was a wonder they even held.

Nobody moved.

Finally, one of the Onigumo men slid a ledger across the table. It was made of black leather and tied shut with brown string.

"Onigumo-san opened on terms with the owners of this tract of land, and we wish to close the deal," the apparent leader rumbled.

One of the more human-looking lawyers picked up the ledger and untied it, murmuring soft apologies for taking so long. He cleared his throat.

"The lands concerning the Bright Plains and all adjoining properties at the east foot of Mount Fuji?"

The Onigumo men smiled. It was not an attractive sight. "Yes. He so wishes to close on this deal."

The Kitsune delegates gasped and leaned close together, whispering furiously. Kouga gathered this was not a good thing, for even his father and the Ookami Elder looked uncomfortable.

"Honorable sirs, our law firm manages land and property finances, but the Bright Plains are in contract and binding to the Kitsune Clan," Ookami Senior smoothly explained.

One of the Onigumo men shifted, then smiled. "A good and honest clan, to be sure, but our master is adamant. He will seek to make any monetary compensation for the trouble if any is caused to the Kitsune."

Kistune Nabiki all but seemed to bristle. Before any of her breathren moved to speak, she clambered to her feet in one fluid movement.

"This is not negotiable, sir. The Bright Plains have been promised to the care of the Kitsune since time memorable."

The other Kitsune looked swept away by her words, but all nodded in argument. One of the slightly smaller Onigumo leaned closer, smiling condescendingly.

"Little fox cub, the contract is already in place. You wold do well to profit from such a wise investment."

Shippou reached out and clapped his hand over Nabiki's shoulder to keep her from erupting. "What we mean to say, honorable sirs, is that the Bright Plains are not for sale. I know our Elders would be in agreement."

"Your offer is highly unacceptable. And that is our appeal," the Elder Ookami murmured.

The Onigumo men shifted and Kouga blinked. Their muscles seemed to RIPPLE beneath their jackets visibly. Obviously, this reaction did not suit their final outcome. The leader of the delegates sighed.

"We regret to have to inform our master of such ill tidings. He so had his heart set on it."

Ayame folded her hands calmly on the tabletop. "Whether he had his heart set or not, the Kitsune say no. Legally, the Plains belong to them."

She looked relaxed enough, but Kouga felt her leg tense next to his under the table. The Onigumo men shuffled amongst themselves, and one reached into a suitcase for something. The Kitsune looked all but willing to leap out of their chairs as a parcel was slid across the table. The ningen were relaxed enough, but everyone else looked as if they longed to flee the room.

"Then would you accept this token of friendship from our employer?" White teeth showed in several distorted grins.

Ookami Senior folded his arms and leaned back. "No," he said deliberately. Kouga turned and raised an eyebrow as his father went on. "Take that vile offense from our firm if you would, sirs."

Kouga was secretly impressed. It was one of the more rare occasions his father showed a more belligerent attitude to show his strength. The Elder was nodding and the Kitsune spoke up in agreement. The Onigumo delegates were not pleased.

"Where do you get off refusing Onigumo-san's gift??"

"My old friend is insistent," the Elder smoothly stated.

"He said no, and that means no!" This from Kitsune Nabiki.

The Onigumo men roared back in response. And then everything went to hell. The box FOLDED over, and as Kouga's eyes bugged out at this impossibility, inky blackness leaked out and then streamed out quickly across the table. The Elder's bodyguard picked up his charge faster than could be believed before he punched out at the advancing blackness. His startled yelp pierced Kouga's ears. "Bastards!" Ayame cursed and the Kitsune jumped up on top of their chairs as she rose to her feet; probably to match her impressive height. Either way, Ayame, Nabiki AND Shippou threw themselves across Ookami Takeru when the black coils grabbed for him. Just as quickly, they were yelling in rage and pain.

Kouga felt his heart surge in panic hearing his lover scream, and reacted as if on strings as the strange men blobbed out. He didn't have time to process how odd that was, and was across the table, clawing and biting like a savage street punk. Blubbery flesh met his short claws and teeth, though sharp pain filled his mouth from the taste. These weren't ordinary men, not at all. Kouga scrambled on his backside over to his girlfriend and father as he was dimly aware of the blob men falling silent and the other short Kitsune men falling all over them.

"Are you okay??" he rasped at the same time as his father. His girlfriend was hunched over, her jacket smoking.

"Fine... just help me get this off!!" she said through grit teeth. Kouga's trembling hands flew in a frenzy to take the pain out of her gaze. Next to them, Shippou was stripping Nabiki's jacket, tie and blouse off; rather easily as the oily blackness literally ATE her clothing away. Only the briefest glimpses of her skin were burned, fortunately.

"What WAS that??" a black-haired partner wailed. One of the kitsune men took his hand and at a cue, the other lawyers neither Kitsune or Ookami were led out of the destroyed conference room. Only the wolves and their comrades remained.

"Indeed, I agree with our partner. What WAS that?" Kitsune Shippou asked mildly.

The Elder investigated his bodyguard's hands, and looked up from his gruesome task.
"We knew Onigumo Naraku touched something primal and dark, we just didn't expect to see it explode in our faces."

Ookami Takeru shucked his suitjacket and laid it over Ayame's bare shoulders. Kouga looked irate; he wished he had acted faster to covering his half-bare girlfriend. Ayame clutched the lapels and smiled in thanks to the Senior Ookami.

"Thank you," she said.

"Onigumo-san is a cancer upon Japan, as we're all learning to our sorrow," a voice announced from the doorway. Kouga squinted as a round middle-aged man stepped lightly into the scene of the crime. His white mustachio stuck out at an odd angle from his lips. They twitched when he talked.

Ookami Senior's grave countenance lightened and he moved to clasp the other man's hands. "Myoga-san! A pleasure as always."

"Our greetings to your employer, the young Takahashi-san," the Elder politely added in. Myoga smiled simply and bowed to the other old man.

"I apologize for being so late.... if I hadn't been, I'd like to think I could have helped," Myoga said sincerely.

"We weren't expecting all the formalities, however the dance we would have done anyway," Ayame spoke up. She shook only slightly, Takeru's jacket dwarfing her slim figure. Myoga's eyes twinkled, though he averted them politely.

"Well said," he answered. "Do I have the honor of a name?"

"Ookami Ayame."

Kouga felt his teeth with his tongue. His throat still felt burned raw. "I don't mean to be rude, but we need to get our people to the medics," he interrupted sharply. His throat was on fire and his hands chafed. He spoke up for everyone else only so he could go also.

Myoga stayed behind to confer with the elders as Kouga allowed security to carry his colleagues and girlfriend along to the medical floor. Onigumo Naraku was going to pay for what he had done to his girl, make no mistake about that.

Myoga watched them go and smiled. "My old friends, may we go over our old contract once more?"

Ookami Takeru and the Elder smiled and nodded.



*****


The thin young woman walked down the hallways of her father's plush home. No one may have remembered or even knew, but her name was Sakura, and her surname was legally Onigumo. The rich financial tycoon had picked her from a handful of orphanages and at first she had been thrilled. She would have a father and a home and wouldn't have to rely on government funding to receive medical attention or new books to read. And then Onigumo Naraku had taken her home. What began as a cordial relationship became unnecessary and vulgar. When Sakura had thought she found a father, she found out she was wrong. She had found a narcissist, cruel man who took her virginity and made her lay with him on a regular basis. Everytime he came inside her, Sakura felt drawn closer and closer in and she didn't want to be there. The petite woman clasped her hands demurely and kept walking the grounds of her father's home. Coming closer to Naraku's bed chambers, she drew up short. Her skin tingled and she longed to flee and maybe she really should have. But like Naraku was oft to say, she really WAS a stupid little girl.

"Yes, the time is coming close.... I know, I know. I long to smear the blood of my enemies across my face..."
Sakura stood stock-still, chilled to the bone. That was her 'father's' voice alright, but who was he talking to? 'Go! Run, stupid!' her mind screamed. But something iron-hard inside her wouldn't let her flee in childish terror. Overwhelming intrigue took hold and gave her courage to lift one shaking hand and crack open the bedroom door an inch.
The room was pitch dark in every corner except one. Sakura saw a man stand up and continue his conversation with whoever was in there with him. It was Naraku alright, but what was he doing? Couldn't he turn the lights on, at least? Then Sakura saw something creep and stretch from the man and her heart froze still. Eyes wide, she watched Naraku flex his upper torso as limbs protruded from his sides and stretched free. His long black hair cascaded down his back, and stirred aside as grasping hands reached and reached.
'This isn't real. It's not real,' her mind desperately tried to collect. She might have cast it all off as illusion until her father turned towards the door, as if hearing her. Sakura backed up, her eye riveted to the crack in the door. There was enough light in the hallway to see that Onigumo Naraku didn't have noticeable pupils. His eyes bled darkness that leaked down his cheeks and dripped onto his chest and belly. Oddly enough, he wore only a string of beads that shone under the shaft of light from the cracked door. At first Sakura was afraid that he had injured himself, until Naraku laughed. His mouth opened impossibly wide, revealing long, jagged teeth and he leered down at his grotesque body.
"This is the price of power, isn't it? The body of a god. MAHAHAHA!!!!"

Sakura turned and beat feet as quietly as she could allow. She could only be glad she had decided to go barefoot in the house. After rounding several corridors and putting some distance between herself and the horrific sight, Sakura slowed her movements and gradually came to a crawling walk. What could she do? She couldn't just leave forever, her father had made it quite sure the punishment for THAT. However, he had always provided her transportation to Onigumo Inc or shopping.

Sakura collected her purse from her room and a pair of light shoes, and bit her lip in concentration. She didn't want to handle the hustle and bustle of the outside world with the strangeness she had witnessed. She got an idea, and blushed, hurrying to the garage. There, the on-call chaueffer was lounging in a chair, newspaper open, and collar undone. He quickly tossed his reading material down and redid his tie up.

"You wished to go somewhere, miss?" he asked politely. Sakura smiled shyly and nodded.

"Can we go to Onigumo Inc, please?"

The chaueffer grabbed his hat and doffed it at her.

"Of course. If you will, miss." Sakura nodded and waited as he opened the backdoor for her.

"Thank you," she said demurely. The chaueffer smiled and went to slide into the driver's seat, producing the car keys from his pocket. Sakura tried not to fidget as he slowly backed the car out of the garage, driving very carefully down the enormous driveway. Once they were on their way on the busy streets, only did she relax. The drive to Onigumo Inc. was thankfully, a short and safe one. Once there, she climbed out gracefully, thanking the driver.

"Call me when you need to return, miss!" he called out. Sakura nodded, and walked up to the doors to the skyscraper. Naraku had put all of the house servants on speeddial in her cell phone in case she ever needed something and quickly. She didn't have to worry about the ride back.

Once inside the lobby, the receptionists smiled and greeted her warmly. Sakura shyly returned their exchanges and looked around anxiously.

"Is Hakudoshi-san in?" she asked.

"Oh, yes, he just got back from an errand and is currently in his office," one of the woman brightly exclaimed.

Sakura nodded, letting her hair fall across her face to hide a blush. "Thank you, ma'am."

Being Onigumo's daughter DID have its privelages. Every single higher-up who worked at the building knew who she was and left her well enough alone. Several old men bowed low to her and cleared the hallway as soon as she arrived. Sakura at first regarded this behavior to her with a sense of awe; now she longed for other human contact. This may be why she was going where she was going. Sakura didn't bother to knock, she came right into the office. Two desks were set up opposite each other, but luckily Kanna-san wasn't there. Sakura came up short and sighed.

Hakudoshi was lounging in his leather chair, one knee drawn up under his chin, his arms spread back. His face was upturned, his lips partially parted. His long hair fell errantly over his shoulders. His eyes had been closed, but now they snapped open.

"What do you want?" he snapped. Sakura tried not to buckle under his intense gaze. Apparently he had taken involuntary lessons from her father.

"I just wanted to see you. Is that so wrong?" she asked simply. Hakudoshi's gaze swept from her face to her feet. Sakura tried not to slouch when his eyes went down her slim figure.

"No one wants to see me. I'm fuckin' cursed," he retorted. He swept one hand through his white bangs, making them stick straight out. His unbuttoned long sleeve flared with the movement, giving him a very relaxed appearance. That he hadn't loosened his collar surprised her. Why would he roll up his sleeves, but not loosen the tight dress collar and tie? It couldn't have been comfortable.

"The lunch was great. Thanks again for taking me out."

Hakudoshi stared at her, then snorted. "Why are you here? Your father could skin me alive, you know."
Sakura moved closer and put her purse down on the desk. Hakudoshi glared at her. "But we're not doing anything wrong."

Hakudoshi took his foot off the chair and stood straight up. Sakura had to look up to meet his angry gaze. "But you want to, is that it? You want to get hot and heavy?"

Sakura's mouth went dry and she looked down. "I, uh... I just..."

Hakudoshi put his hand under her chin and raised her face. His fingers were surprisingly gentle. "Why do you want to hang around me, huh? I'm very busy."

Sakura blinked. "You don't look busy. You were sleeping."

Hakudoshi snorted. "I was resting my eyes."

"Do you want me to go?" Sakura asked, confused. Hakudoshi shook his head, a sad smile on his face.

"Just trying to figure you out, is all. How old are you anyway?"

"Wuh?" Sakura sputtered. Hakudoshi's eyes hardened again.

"I know you have to be a kid to try and go for me. How old are you?"

Sakura looked down. "Seventeen."

Hakudoshi snorted in anger. "Of course. Fucking perfect," he muttered.
Sakura looked up, her heart thumping. "Why is it so important to you?"

"What if I wanted to take advantage of you? An Ookami partner would hand me a sentence quicker than your father ever could. Well, maybe not quicker," he lamented. Hakudoshi sank back down into his chair and did his best to disappear into the leather. Sakura marched over and whirled his chair to face her. Hakudoshi looked up, his throat dry, when his knees bumped into hers.

"What the hell was that for??"

"Just for your information, Mister High and Mighty, I turn eighteen in a week. And maybe I'll have to beat you off with a stick," Sakura said haughtily. Hakudoshi could only stare. When she got angry and not just her demure, controlled self, she really was... beautiful. He swallowed heavily. His throat tingled in three slashmarks.

"A week huh? You won't need a stick, then. Unless...." he grinned lewdly. Sakura patted his cheek hard; it wasn't exactly a slap, but the implication was made clear. Hakudoshi looked up quietly as her fingers lingered. Sakura watched him in longing. Hakudoshi reached to touch her.... then grabbed his suit jacket and stalked out of the office. Sakura watched him go, her heart tearing in shards as he tried to break it with his rudeness.

The small organ in her breast beat rapidly with a pureness doubly amplified....


*****

"What on earth is going on today??" Kagome demanded as Shippou limped toward her. He smiled wearily, but it looked to be a stretch.

"You don't want to know, Kagome. The Onigumo delegations were not... pleasant," he made out. Kagome pulled out his desk chair and let her friend collapse backwards. The chair turned in a slow circle.

"Naraku is beginning to piss me off," Kagome slowly cursed. "You should come to Takahashi E. and talk to Inuyasha." Sesshomaru would at least be interested to know what had happened.

"Sometimes I think this job is too much," Shippou muttered. His red bangs hung into his eyes and his topknot was loose. He closed his eyes wearily and opened them slowly. "I was planning to come to Takahashi with Ookami Senior tonight. He wants me to call Sesshomaru-san as soon as possible, but I need a moment..."

"I should say so... Shippou! What the hell happened in there??" Kagome turned back his unbuttoned jacket sleeve to reveal white silken bandages. Red slashes stained with black pressed hard against the professionally-wrapped linen. "What is that??"

Shippou laid his small hand over Kagome's and shook his head. "We knew the risk, but it didn't make it hurt any less."

"But you're..."

"I'm fit to explode! Onigumo sure has some nerve," a short red-haired woman walked up and griped. Her arms were similarily wrapped in bandages, and her upper torso wrapped in a loosely buttoned blouse.

Shippou reached out for her hand and it tight as Kagome watched them curiously. "I'm sorry, Kagome-kun, I'm being rude. This is my girlfriend...."

"Kitsune Nabiki. Pleased to meet you," Nabiki offered. She swept a bandaged hand through her red bangs and Kagome smiled.

"Are you both cousins? Because you look so much alike," Kagome wondered.

Nabiki and Shippou looked at each other and laughed. "Well, our families are linked to a common ancestor, we just happen to share the name..." Shippou began.

".....And a few inherited good looks," Nabiki winked. Kagome laughed.

"We should double-date sometime! I have a feeling you'd get along with my boyfriend," she offered. Shippou rolled his eyes playfully.

"Inuyasha doesn't like me, but you have enough bite to match him," he said wryly. Nabiki rubbed her bandaged fingers together.

"Sounds fun. Shall we, Kagome-san?"

"It does but...." Kagome's gaze went over the wall of her cubicle. Kouga limped down the hallway, barely accepting calls of concern from the minor lawyers and interns. His ponytail was askew, and his eyes bloodshot. His mouth was stained black, delicate bandages wrapped around his lips carefully. His rolled up sleeves displayed thick bandages and his hands were as wrapped as fat as oven mitts. Her gaze softened at the sadness he displayed and she coughed.

"Excuse me, you two... Shippou, when were you going to call Sesshomaru?" she put in. Shippou raised an eyebrow.

"Within an hour, if I get off my duff. Why?"

"I'll help you make the call. Sesshomaru's such a gentleman, he can't refuse anything I ask for which isn't much," she offered. Kagome was pleased to see Shippou's tired face strech into a smile.

"Thank you, Kagome-kun."

Nabiki pushed Shippou's hair off his forehead as Kagome maneuvered around the cubicle wall to the hallway. "I'll be back...."

"Kagome-kun?" Shippou could see where she was heading. "Call if you need any aide."

"Thanks..." Kagome waved as she moved off. Kouga was heading for the elevators, no doubt for his office. She had to double-time to make it before the doors dinged open. "Kouga-san, wait!"

Ookami Kouga turned and regarded her with tired eyes. His gaze lit up, before his shame about her settled in and he watched her warily. "What do you want?" he asked brusquely. The shining woman before him that he had wanted so badly looked up into his bandaged face.

"Can I walk with you awhile?" she asked. Kouga opened his mouth, then closed it. He half-waved one hand wearily.

"Go ahead, Kagome-kun. I can't refuse you anything," he said. Kagome watched him carefully. It was a grand gesture displayed from a cautious man.

"It's been a long time since you've been back to work. Nobody told us where you were," she began. Kouga's wide shoulders raised high as he sighed.

"It was... a time of reflection and change. That is all," he gave. Kagome stepped into the elevator with him and the two watched the doors ping shut after a long moment of waiting. Silence reigned between them.

"Is that where you met your girlfriend?" she smiled. Kouga looked away, his heart warming.

"Yes. She was... my teacher," he said. Kagome folded her hands together.

"I saw her when you came back. She's very lovely, Kouga-san."

Kouga glanced down at Kagome with all of his dark beauty. Kagome caught his eye which squinted low with suspicion. "You didn't come to talk to me about my woman. What did you come for?"

"You're hurt," Kagome said simply. "What happened to you?"

Kouga sighed, and he looked like a troubled little boy trapped in a man's body. "Meeting gone horribly bad. They tried to get Dad...."

Kagome touched the side of his bandaged cheek carefully. "I'm sorry.... are you alright?"

Kouga turned to look at her, a rue smile on his black lips. "Usually everyone asks if my old man is okay first."

"I'm asking you," Kagome trailed her hand away, but Kouga caught it more gently than she would have believed.

"You're very kind even to me. I don't deserve your concern," he muttered huskily. Kagome was shocked to see tears form in the corners of his dark eyes.

"Kouga...." she hesitated. Kouga squeezed her hand and then let it go. He could still remember her screaming under him...

"I'm sorry, Kagome.... for... before. I'm sorry..." he whispered suddenly, the words tumbling out of him. They were the words he wanted to say to her, but they came out so quickly, they weren't planned like his speeches in the court room. Kagome flushed and looked away. Her time with Inuyasha had healed her, and Ookami Senior had gone to great lengths to make her work place a secure one.

But finally, what he had tried to do that dusky afternoon was spoken of and confronted. Kagome backed away a step, her heart seizing as she remembered.... then she stopped. Kouga watched in surprise as she touched his hand softly. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"You seem to have changed, and I commend that. But as for you and me..... there's plenty of time to make that better," she said. The threatening tears leaked free from Kouga's eyes and down his cheeks. Suddenly, he knew that was what was weighing him down despite Ayame's efforts to make him free. And his heart surged high in his chest so suddenly, Kouga was certain his feet would lift from the ground.

He gently took Kagome's hand again between his and bowed his head against it. "T-thank you, Kagome-kun...."

Kagome patted his bruised forehead gently. The two leaned away and smiled at each other.

End for now

This was a fun chapter, despite taking so long to post. I actually had half of it done over a month ago! Sorry, folks :P Hope you're still into this! Again, as always, please please review. If you've come to the saga this far, drop a line telling me your thoughts, your emotives to this work of mine. Reviews are an authors crack and fuel!! They help more than you think. Until the big 3-0 chapter, I remain writing!

penpaninu 1/10/08