InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Not Soon Forgotten ❯ Welcome Home... ( Chapter 6 )

The next morning Kagome awoke to the feeling of warm arms wrapped around her tightly. She smiled and turned over to face Sesshoumaru and saw that he was still sleeping. Kagome brought her hand up to trace the marking on his face gently, and she stifled a laugh when he snorted lightly at the tickling sensation.

 

Sesshoumaru cracked an eye open and looked at the woman who so rudely interrupted his sleep. She was smiling at him with barely contained mirth and he shook his head.

 

“To what do I owe this rude awakening?” he questioned her.

 

“Well, I thought you should know that it is almost noon and we're still in bed,” she answered him.

 

He opened both eyes now and studied the woman before him. With an audible sigh he asked, “Have you thought over my proposal?”

 

“I have,” she began.

 

When she did not say anything more he propped his head in his hand and rested on his elbow. When she still said nothing Sesshoumaru quirked a questioning eyebrow for her to continue.

 

“And I think that a lot can happen in six months. You know, I've been going in and out of sleep all night thinking about this.”

 

“As have I,” Sesshoumaru concurred.

 

“In six months, if everything goes the way we want, that would put us in July…” Kagome began.

 

“Yes it would. In July…where would we meet?” Sesshoumaru asked.

 

Kagome pondered this for a moment. She did not know America very well; she had only heard stories about it. The stories she had heard took place in New York, so she said so.

 

“How about New York?” she suggested.

 

Sesshoumaru smiled at her then. “I am headed there so it would definitely be convenient for me. Any place in particular in New York?”

 

Kagome's eyebrows furrowed a bit; it was hard enough to think up New York. Why should she have to do all the work?

 

“Well if you're headed there anyway, you must know a bit about it. You think of a place,” she said to him.

 

“I believe I know of a good place: The Empire State Building. It is one of the tallest buildings in the world, it would no doubt be hard to find. It is also the closest thing to heaven there is in America,” Sesshoumaru said smoothly.

 

“That sounds wonderful. What time should we meet? What floor of the building?” Kagome asked.

 

“Well there are one-hundred and two floors in the building, and I leave the time up to you to decide,” he said.

 

“How about five o'clock on the top floor? Be sure to use the elevator,” she said playfully.

 

“That is acceptable.”

 

They continued to lay there, perfectly content to waste the day away in each other's arms. Kagome sighed dreamily as she rolled over on her back to look at the ceiling; things were going to change so much now. In six months, if everything worked out the way they wanted them to, she and Sesshoumaru would be together. The thought left a smile on her face.

 

Sesshoumaru watched as the woman who had captured his interest lose herself in her thoughts. He had a lot to take care of once he got to New York. There was no doubt that Kagura would be very unhappy to learn that he wanted to break off the engagement; her father would probably try and take him for all he was worth.

 

If he were to be honest with himself, the prospect of living the life as a normal being without a vast fortune was quite appealing. Perhaps he should consider getting a benefactor to take over the company. That would leave him with enough money to make sure he and Kagome were comfortable, but would take him out of the lime light.

 

Sesshoumaru looked down at Kagome from his position resting on his elbow. He took on a sneaky smile and then leaned down to press his lips against hers, opting for a repeat of last night's kiss.

 

Kagome playfully growled at him and then wrapped her arms around his neck to bring him down quickly to her. Their kiss was playful and he nipped at her lips a few times causing her to squeak. She was about to pay him back for the abuse of her now swollen lips when a knock sounded at the door.

 

They both looked at the door and then back to each other.

 

“Excuse me,” Kagome said as she got up from her position on the bed.

 

She walked over and undid the locks before cracking the door open slightly. She wanted to slam the door when she saw who it was.

 

“Good afternoon Ms. Higurashi,” greeting Naraku.

 

“Good afternoon,” she politely replied.

 

“I am sorry for disturbing you, but when my father had not seen either you or Taisho-sama he grew worried and asked me to check on you.”

 

“Well that was very kind, but as you can see I am fine,” Kagome said shortly. “Please tell your father I said thank you for worrying about me.”

 

“I will do that. You…haven't happened to see Taisho-sama have you Ms. Higurashi,” Naraku said almost knowingly.

 

“I'm sure he's around,” she said trying to dodge the question. She shifted uneasily when Naraku continued to stand there are stare at her. After an uncomfortable moment he spoke.

 

“Of course; please do not think ill of me, you just spend so much time with him I assumed you would know where he would be,” he said.

 

“That's okay. If you don't mind, I have packing that I should get to-” Kagome started.

 

“Of course; please accept my apologies for delaying you. Have a wonderful afternoon,” Naraku said before he walked away.

 

Kagome shivered; that man was just too creepy. She took a step backwards and shut the door. She smiled when she felt a pair of arms hug her from behind.

 

“That man is bothersome,” Sesshoumaru pointed out.

 

“Yes he is. But I'm he brought up a good point: everyone will be suspecting something when neither of us is seen. I can't afford to have rumors hinder my progress for the next six months. I think it would be best if you leave so that I may pack; you should do the same.”

 

Sesshoumaru nodded in agreement and leaned over to give her chaste kiss.

 

“I will see you later,” he whispered in her ear.

 

Kagome smiled and opened the door for him to leave. He kissed the back of her hand, eager to take any physical contact he could get from her, and then took his leave.

 

Kagome leaned back against the door and put her hand over her heart. What was it about him that made her heart beat so wildly whenever he was around?

 

She shook her head and then got busy packing her belongings. In a few hours the ship would dock in Los Angeles and then the long six month wait would begin. Kagome was already feeling the trepidation as it crept through her mind. She tried to shake away the uneasy feeling, but she could not get over the sense of foreboding that something bad was going to happen.

 

She took in a slow breath and released it, trying to calm her nerves. When she felt she had a tighter reign on her emotions she set off to pack her belongings. They would be docking in Los Angeles in a few hours and she wanted plenty of time to prepare herself for the task at hand.

 

**

 

Sesshoumaru left Kagome's cabin with stealth. It would not help them in the least to add fire to the rumors already in circulation around the ship. He thought about how much had happened in the short amount of time on this trip. He had never in his life made rash decisions, but when he saw her, his entire perspective changed.

 

Kagome was fresh, so much more different than women that he usually met. Sesshoumaru allowed one of his rare smiles to pass over his face. In six months, whether he could truly afford it or not, he would buy Kagome, his wife, that beer.

 

His musings were cut too short for his liking, by the familiar group of women that had followed basically his every move for the past week and a half. They sauntered towards him with dreamy smiles on their love-struck faces. One even reached out and threw her arms around him in a hug, while the others took their cameras out and started snapping pictures.

 

“Ladies, I would be more than happy to pose for pictures if you would indeed just ask,” Sesshoumaru stated with barely contained resentment. How typical for women like them to merely assume he wanted the touch of every female within a five mile radius.

 

They all giggled and nodded like love-sick school girls and took turns shoving each other out of the way to get to him first. If he thought about it, and I mean really thought about it, he could definitely see the humor of the situation for what it was. However, as he watched the women push at the people they called their friends at a change to touch him first, Sesshoumaru could not find humor in the situation. It made him all the more glad that he had found someone like Kagome on this god-forsaken trip.

 

Sesshoumaru sneered a little and did not even bother to excuse himself for his abrupt departure. He could hear the small whines escape the women as he walked away from them and it made him want to smile. `Fools,' he thought to himself.

 

“Taisho-sama!”

 

Sesshoumaru visibly cringed at the familiar voice of Myoga Nakamura; today was not going to be a good day. “Yes Nakamura-san, what can I do for you?”

 

“Ah, Taisho-sama, nothing is needed of you today! I merely wanted to wish you well on your endeavors, today is the last day of the trip,” Myoga pointed out.

 

“Indeed it is and I thank you for your kindness. Now if you'll-”

 

“I don't suppose you'd like to go out with my wife and I once we have docked?” Myoga asked hopefully.

 

“Unfortunately I cannot…” Sesshoumaru said.

 

“Oh I see I see, already have plans huh?” Myoga said as he playfully nudged Sesshoumaru with his elbow and winked at him.

 

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow and took a step back away from the offending appendage of Myoga Nakamura. “Something like that yes.”

 

“Well, tell Ms. Higurashi that I said hello then will you?” Myoga asked.

 

Sesshoumaru did not justify Mr. Nakamura with an answer; the nerve of some people! Had they no shame in diving into other people's business? Sesshoumaru gave the man before him a callous look before heading towards his own cabin to pack his belongings. He had more important things to think on. Kagome's boyfriend would be waiting at the docks for her and he had to admit it to himself that he was extremely interested in looking upon the person that had captured Kagome's attention.

 

Sesshoumaru also wondered what Kagome would think of Kagura. He could not understand why, but he wanted her approval of sorts. It was ridiculous really, getting an approval of one's fiancée from the woman he expected to make his wife. Quite the conundrum.

 

Sesshoumaru all but ran back to his cabin in attempts to avoid any more unnecessary chatter with people who would much rather avoid. He walked in and slammed his door shut, harder than he meant to, and then sat himself on a chair in the corner. Maybe a quick nap would help him calm his raging nerves.

 

 

****

 

 

The final day of the trip was spend apart from each other; each tying up loose ends before they went their separate ways for the next six months. From the edge of the boat, Kagome leaned against the railing, watching as the distant lights of Los Angeles came into view. He was waiting there for her. How was she supposed to tell the person that had taken such good care of her for the last few months that she wished to be with someone else?

 

Kagome sighed and leaned further on the railing so that she was resting her head on her hands. More and more people were beginning to join her at the railings as the brightly lit dock came closer into view. The forms of people were starting to become apparent and it was all Kagome could do to not run back into her room and hide so that she would not have to leave this small world she and Sesshoumaru built.

 

Kagome closed her eyes sighed once more. When did her life become so complicated? They were nearly at the dock before she felt warm lips press against her cheek. She smiled into the feeling and turned to see Sesshoumaru's amused eyes staring at her.

 

She quickly came out of her musings and straightened up so that she was standing again.

 

“Sesshoumaru you shouldn't do that here in front of everyone!” she half-heartedly berated him.

 

He shrugged and leaned back against the railing she was just against. “In six months it will not matter who sees us,” he said casually.

 

“Yes in six months; unfortunately that's not this moment,” she said to him.

 

He nodded and stole on last chaste kiss from her before they had to dock. He stepped away from her and went to stand a few feet away so that none would be the wiser.

 

As the boat pulled in to the harbor people began waving at their loved ones that they saw from the boat. Sesshoumaru looked down to the people standing on the dock and easily spotted Kagura. It was not a hard thing to do since she was the only one surrounded by flashing cameras. Kagura was playing her part well and was waving dramatically to him, and he in turn, waved back.

 

Kagome looked over at Sesshoumaru who was waving to someone below. She looked at his line of sight and spotted a beautiful woman wearing what looked to be a very expensive coat. She was surrounded by cameras and microphones that the press kept thrusting towards her in order to get any sort of comment. Kagome looked back to Sesshoumaru and she saw him looking at her. She raised an eyebrow at him in silent question of: `is that her?' Sesshoumaru nodded affirmative in reply.

 

Kagome nodded her head slightly a couple of times. Kagura was indeed quite lovely and seemed to be the type people would imagine Sesshoumaru to go for. Sesshoumaru saw her nod and smirked a little. He looked back towards Kagura who was now directing her attention to the press.

 

“Ms. Wind!” one of the press persons called out. Kagura turned her attention the person and upon noticing a camera, struck a pose.

 

“Ms. Wind what are your thoughts on the wedding; it's less than a year away?!” another person shouted.

 

Kagura gave them a fabulous smile and replied in a deep feminine voice. “My thoughts are what they have always been: Sesshoumaru is a very intriguing man; any woman would be lucky to have him.”

 

“What of the company merger and the eight-hundred million that this marriage is solidifying?” asked yet another media correspondent.

 

“I will not deny that the merger of our companies is incredibly beneficial. With our two companies in league with one another, productivity and profits will indeed rise. As for the eight-hundred million...how can anyone turn their noses up at that, ne?” Kagura laughed as she said this, making the many media people laugh along with her.

 

Sesshoumaru shook his head having easily heard what she said even from there; demon hearing could be considered either a curse or a gift depending how you looked at it. He looked at Kagome once again and noticed that she was waving lightly at someone on the dock. Intrigued, he looked to where her attention was.

 

Little did the two of them know that they were the very center of attention now for the people on the ship. As the silent exchange was passed between the two, the passengers looked back and forth at them as if they were watching a tennis match. They were all very entertained by the not-so-subtle dealings of Sesshoumaru Taisho and Kagome Higurashi. They watched on as Sesshoumaru looked towards the crowd below.

 

At first he could not see anyone that seemed to be waving at her, but as he was about to turn and try and realign his sight, he caught a glimpse of white. Time seemed to slow down; people's voices faded and movement slowed to almost a stop as he noticed a pair of very familiar looking hazel eyes. He allowed his eyes to look over the man standing there, and his attention was drawn to the pair of ears that were rested among the thick white strands of hair.

 

Sesshoumaru blinked and that seemed to release him from his trance. He looked towards Kagome who was smiling at the man with white hair. When Kagome felt eyes upon her, she turned to look at Sesshoumaru. She was a bit startled at the look on his face; it was almost as if he had seen a ghost. She mouthed `what's wrong?' to him, but before he got a chance to answer she was being pushed towards the ramp that had been lowered so everyone could get off the boat.

 

Sesshoumaru lost sight of Kagome and even though he was standing on his tiptoes to look for her, he could not spot her over the hoards of people. He was eventually shoved enough to drop him back down to the flat of his feet and he begrudgingly walked towards Kagura.

 

When he spotted her, he took a couple of calming breaths before dropping his mask into place. He gracefully walked up to him and when she caught sight of him she grinned widely.

 

“Sesshoumaru, darling!” Kagura said in a loving tone while she held her arms out in front of her.

 

Sesshoumaru nodded his head and accepted her embrace. “Kagura,” he said, “it is nice to see you well.”

 

Kagura gave him a small peck on each cheek, keeping up her business mixed with pleasure appearance.

 

“It is wonderful to see you again,” she said calmly. “Did you have a nice trip?”

 

A loud cough sounded behind Kagura and Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at an obviously amused Naraku. Kagura turned to look at who Sesshoumaru was giving his infamous death glare to, but saw no one out of the ordinary.

 

“Sesshoumaru, is everything alright?” Kagura asked.

 

He brought his attention back to the woman before him. “Yes, it's fine. And yes, I did enjoy my trip; thank you for asking.”

 

Kagome had looked up when she heard someone cough and then saw Sesshoumaru standing next to Kagura. She walked up behind them just as a photographer asked for a picture.

 

Kagura planted a kiss on Sesshoumaru as the photographer took the picture, and Kagome could feel the tinge of jealousy rising in her. The photographer asked for another and Kagura directed her and Sesshoumaru's faces together so they were touching cheeks. Kagome had just about as much as she could handle, so when the photographer asked for yet another photo and Kagura took hold of Sesshoumaru's hands, Kagome felt the need to interrupt the little picture session, if only for a moment.

 

Kagome pushed her way between them, all the while feigning to be sorry to have interrupted.

 

“Oh, I'm so sorry, I beg your pardon. If you'll just excuse me I have an appointment to make,” she said in a sing-song voice. She nonchalantly looked up at Sesshoumaru as she passed him and gave him a tiny smile before proceeding on her way.

 

Sesshoumaru wanted to stop and talk to her, but before he could even take a step he was stopped short and the photographer had snapped another picture, rendering him blind for a second or two; just enough to lose sight of Kagome once again.

 

The photographer readied his camera again. “Just one more shot?” he asked.

 

Sesshoumaru shot Kagura a look that clearly told her that he did not want to take any more pictures. She nodded and then they both declined him and walked towards the limo waiting for them.

 

**

 

 

Kagome could not stop the smile that danced across her face; that had been just too much fun! She knew it was probably a petty childish thing to do, but she just couldn't help herself. She had hated watching as Sesshoumaru and Kagura pretended to be the great couple in love; it only made it worse to know that there were always going to be pictures to taunt her for the next six month.

 

She continued on her way through the crowd to where she saw her boyfriend. As hard as everything was going to be, she was glad that he was here; it was nice to know at least one person in America.

 

Kagome spotted his white hair and ears first. She smiled a little to herself and pushed through the last of the crowd. When he saw her he grinned widely and picked her up in a grand hug, swinging her lightly from side to side.

 

“Kagome, I'm so glad you're finally here!” he said.

 

She hugged him back before he set her down and took her hand to lead her to the car.

 

“Did you have a nice trip?” he asked her.

 

She nodded, but otherwise kept silent. He looked over at her and frowned.

 

“Is everything alright?” he asked her.

 

She sighed then. “Yeah, I'm fine; just a little tired from the trip I guess.”

 

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close to him. “I'm sorry, I'll take you back to the apartment soon, I just have some last minute things to take care of with my lawyers.”

 

“Hm, how's that coming along? Did Kikyo finally sign the papers?” Kagome asked.

 

“No not yet. I called her a couple of days ago. I'm tellin' you, she is trying everything to keep me in her grasp. She went so far as to tell me that she never stopped loving me, and even though she was with my brother, her feelings for me never changed. What a load of-”

 

“Inuyasha…” Kagome said warningly. “You know how I feel about cursing.”

 

“Yeah, yeah I know,” he said.

 

They walked to the parking lot where most of the other passengers had congregated and got into the awaiting car.

 

Kagome tried to look at the sights as they passed by, but soon all she saw were cars, cars, and more cars. They drove on among the many vehicles, blending in like the rest. She had never been here before and she was very eager to do her fill of sight-seeing.

 

“Hey Inuyasha?” she asked.

 

He did not make a move to look at her and kept his eyes on the road, but answered her anyway. “Yeah, what is it?” he asked.

 

“I was just wondering if you could take me around the city tomorrow so I could sight-see. I've never been here before and you've lived here for almost two months already. What do you say?”

 

He looked at her then quickly and then turned his eyes back to the road. “I don't know Kagome, L.A. isn't much to look at, you're basically seeing all there is to see,” he told her in hopes of getting out of the job as personal tour guide.

 

“Oh come on Inuyasha; what about Hollywood? Universal Studios? The walk of fame?” she pushed.

 

“Look Kagome, I don't really have time to do anything right now; I've got a lot of paper work to do. Listen, how about this weekend I take you out to dinner; would you like that?”

 

Kagome looked a bit downtrodden, but understood he had much to do in his divorce procedures. So with a little smile she nodded her head slowly.

 

“Alright Inuyasha, that sounds nice,” Kagome relented.

 

He smiled at her and took her hand in his to place a light kiss on it.

 

“I made sure the apartment is all ready for you. My housekeeper, Mary, made sure to even put some `girlish' touches around the place so that you would feel a bit more comfortable,” Inuyasha informed her trying to change the subject.

 

“That was very considerate of her,” she said inattentively.

 

The continued the drive in an uncomfortable silence; it seemed that time apart had driven a wedge between their once loving relationship.

 

About forty-five minutes later found them just outside of a gated apartment complex in the upper hills of Los Angeles. The road had grown narrow, but there were houses pushed back behind trees and bushes, almost completely out of view. A couple of hairpin turns up the road and they reached the much awaited apartment complex.

 

When the vehicle stopped, Inuyasha went to the trunk to grab her things and set them next to the door of the apartment. He turned and walked back to the car just as Kagome shut the door of her side after exiting.

 

“Hey babe, I'm sorry, but I have a few forms to sign and fill out at the lawyer's office,” he said as he held out his hand. “Here are your keys to the place; the bedroom is the second door on the right; you can put your stuff in there if you'd like.”

 

“Um, thanks,” Kagome said a bit disheartened. “What time do you think you'll be back?”

 

“It shouldn't be too long, maybe three hours or so,” Inuyasha said before he gave her a quick kiss on the lips. He walked around the car to the driver's side and got in. When the car was started he rolled down the passenger side window to talk to Kagome.

 

“If you need anything, Mary's number is on the fridge, just give her a call. She should be coming into work within the next hour or so though.”

 

She nodded in understanding and watched as Inuyasha drove off down the road again, effectively leaving her to her own discretion.

 

“Well then,” she said aloud to herself. “Welcome home Kagome.”

 

She unlocked the door and gathered her things. She dropped them unceremoniously on the floor inside of the door and shut the door behind her. Packing she would save for later; for now it was time for a bath and then a nap.