InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Our Love Affair ❯ No Matter What... ( Chapter 5 )

Warning: This fic contains strong adult contents. It won't be as graphic as an NC-17, but there will be sex, so use good judgment.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters, Rumiko Takahashi does.

Our Love Affair

Chapter 5: No Matter What…

By Cataluna

Silver.

The color of his hair, the shade of her dress, who knew that this lustrous sheen of white could cause such a throbbing pain inside?

The pair seemed to be in a hurry to get away from the crowd, or at least he was, being the one in the lead. He dragged the vixen swiftly behind him, his darkened eyes set stern on the elevator doors at the end of the room. She eagerly followed with her lips pulled into a triumphant smile, nearly stumbling on her 3-inch stilettos in an effort to keep up with his long strides.

`Too bad…'

Kagome almost gasped out loud at the voice in her head, deep with contempt and dislike, her hand automatically shot to her mouth to keep the poison-filled words from spilling and reaching nearby ears. She cast a worried glance at the people around her, wondering if anyone could tell what she was thinking, before letting her eyes drift downward to the dance floor in shame. How could she be so malicious and cruel? For a moment there, her heart was actually filled with the wish to see the blonde twist her dainty ankles and fall into a heap of gold and silver…anything to keep their obvious plan for the night from happening.

Her heels dug at the ground as she stared at the glossy, red polish on her toes. She didn't even know the girl, yet she despised her as much as one would loath a mortal enemy. The sad thing was that she didn't hate "Blondie" for who she was, but for who she was with, the man who filled her every thought. She sadly caught sight of them entering the elevator, and felt a hand fist itself around her heart for a second time that night. The air was becoming too thick for her to breath and her vision was becoming blurred with unshed tears. As much as she hated to admit it, Inuyasha was a free man, and she was a woman bound to another by a promise. `I need him…' She searched desperately for her fiancé, who had disappeared immediately and left her alone on the dance floor with a simple "excuse me" at the ringing of his cell phone, her eyes seeking out anything silver.

Screw it.

She grew weary of the fruitless search and pushed determinedly past dancing couples to the table they had shared. Someone had cleared it of half-eaten food during their absence, leaving only their wine glasses and a lone candle. It was low and pathetic, with its flame flickering weakly to the threat of any sudden draft. Her eyes narrowed, and she extinguished the tiny fire quickly with one breath. The wick burnt a bright orange before dying away with a tendril of smoke. She sighed heavily and picked up her purse, glancing around the room one last time in search of him. He was, as expected, no where in sight.

Fuck him.

Fuck both of them.

She cradled her purse protectively in her arm and stormed towards the door with as much pride and dignity as she could muster, biting back her tears until she could be inside the privacy of her home.

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`God, I'm late.'

Kagome impatiently pushed at the elevator button a few more times for good measure, before stepping back to lean against the cool surface of the glass wall. Her lead-heavy eyes decided to take advantage of the long ride to the top floor and eagerly slid shut to catch some much needed rest. A low melodic hum sounded unconsciously from her lips to follow the generic-sounding jazz music from above, while her mind cursed at the fact that it was the start of a new week instead of the end of one. Monday was certainly the most universally dreaded day of the week. Being a bit of a workaholic herself, she actually looked forward to coming to work. Now, she wanted nothing more than to stay the entire day in bed, doing nothing but maybe getting fat on ice cream and any junk food she could get her hands on.

Surprisingly, she didn't cry at all last night. The evening was spent buried in a mountain of bubbles in her bathtub, soaking until her skin grew pruney and hot water would no longer flow from the faucet, with her eyes fixated blankly on the phone by her side. She had expected at least a phone call from Sesshoumaru or even a concerned visit for her sudden departure from the restaurant. He had disappointed her by doing neither, making her tattered heart wondered if she was even missed or wanted. Did he care for her? Was she being too irrational? Should she call and apologize for leaving without telling him?

Instead of sleeping, she had channel surfed, curled up on the couch in a pair of worn flannel she'd had since college, a steady supply of extra-buttery popcorn on her lap. She'd finally settled on Lifetime, becoming completely engrossed in stories of women who somehow managed to get themselves plunged into crazier situations than her.

The elevator doors finally slid open with a proud "ding." Her eyes flew open and quickly swept over her reflection in the side wall. The groan was immediate for the sight was horrifying; a tired woman with dark shadows under her eyes stared back at her. Her hand lifted to gingerly pat at the bluish tint, half-hoping that the mirror was playing a trick on her. "I'm a total mess," she declared softly to herself as she scurried towards the board room, trying to cover as much ground as possible in her fitted skirt and heels. A quick glance at her watch told her that she was already ten minutes late for the presentation. Fortunately, this meeting was merely a summary of their monthly status; anything that she missed could be filled in by going over the actual report. It wasn't that crucial for her to be there, but she was the new CEO and one who was trying to earn their respect.

The secretary at the desk was on the phone, but set it down immediately at the sight of her, her well-manicured hand politely covering the mouthpiece. "Good morning Ms. Higurashi," she said cheerfully, her jaw slacking a bit as she took in the slightly disheveled appearance of her usually more than perfect superior.

Kagome gave a slight nod of her head and mustered up a quick smile in return as she was handed the folder containing the report for the meeting. She took a minute to catch her breath while skimming through the files, mainly concentrating on the graphs and charts. "The other's are-?"

"They've started the meeting already."

A heavy frown threatened to set on her face, but she held it back with a tug of her lips, turning it into a forced smile. She straightened her crème-colored jacket and ran her damp hands down the side of her matching skirt before daring to step into the lion's den. Everyone twisted simultaneously in his/her seat to stare at her, the latecomer and the interrupter. Her cheeks flamed red, though her chin held firm, refusing to be stared down like a child in trouble with her parents. She muttered a quick "good morning" and sat down on her usual seat at the end of the long table, avoiding the puzzled glances they were tossing her way. She was never late, always prompt and early for every gathering.

With her report spread out readily in front of her and the presentation resuming once again, diverting the attention away from her, she shifted to relax her tense form. Already, she could feel knots building at the base of her neck. Not five minutes had passed before the door opened again, this time with less hesitancy than she had given. She could already see the annoyance seeping into everyone's face at the second interruption, and the speaker looked ready to kill.

Inuyasha.

She swallowed hard and absently licked her dry lips. For one fleeting second, she was actually glad to see him, but the events of last night rushed to the surface quickly, reopening tender wounds. It made her wanted to scream and tell him to get out. After a week of absence, he had to choose today of all day to show up to work. She noticed that the people around him were whispering and murmuring about his irresponsible nature, not caring for the fact that he was standing right in front of them. Despite her anger, she had to admire him for his courage as he continued to stand tall, ignoring their tactless comments. A quick glare and a raise of his eyebrows got all of them to quiet down fast.

He didn't look at her as he took the seat that was directly on her right; his frame became the only thing in her view. He was turned towards the front, giving her the side of his head and a bit of his side. Her tired eyes all at once became wide-awake, studying him closely and eagerly making up for their time apart. In spite of his previous stance, he looked every bit as exhausted as she was, lacking the usual energy and power he was able to radiate with just a lift of his hand. His hair was more ruffled and unkempt than usual, and her hand itched with a sudden impulse to reach out and straighten his locks for him. `Must have been a wild night…' her wistful mind sounded, and the spider cracks in her heart worsened. She stared at his ear, his neck, and the clenching and unclenching of his jaw. `I wonder if last night was a one time thing. Is she waiting dutifully for him at his apartment…?'

She nearly jumped when he suddenly turned to face her with his lips pulled back into a scowl and his eyes burning with anger, obviously irritated at being stared at. His abrupt movement had surprised her; she hadn't realized how long she had been watching him instead of paying attention to the meeting. She locked eyes with him for a moment until her cheeks grew too warm and her lungs could no longer expand to draw in air. `Damn him for doing this…' She forcefully turned away and stared at the PowerPoint on the screen, finding the presentation to be very fascinating all of the sudden.

"… increase in profit by 15%... and we could decrease our costs by cutting back on the…" the voice drone on.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't concentrate, and her face was still ten shades redder than it was supposed to be. She shuffled at the paper in front of her, squinting on a random page every so often to appear pensive and interested. She didn't dare to look in his direction, knowing that it was very likely that he was still openly looking her way. Someone was going to turn around and see what was happening and gossip would follow. She fumed. He wouldn't care. It would be just like him to be uncaring about what others would say. She wouldn't be surprised if he was also the type to make out or even have sex with a girl in public.

She coughed violently; her hand curled into a loose fist over her mouth as her shoulders shook, choking at the thought and the vivid image that eagerly followed. Several people scrambled to get her water at once; one even patted her on the back.

"Here."

Inuyasha handed her his glass, a flicker of concern adorned his face. "Th-thank you," she muttered as she shakily took the water from his hand, careful to avoid contact. It felt great going down her throat, better than the most expensive wine she had the fortune of tasting. It was during then that she allowed herself another glimpse of him. He was pretending to be interested in the window view, but she could see that he was watching her out of the corners of his eyes.

Fed up with the numerous cases of interruption throughout the meeting, the speaker quickly wrapped up the rest of the meeting and ended their session. Kagome made a mental note to give her a small Christmas bonus for all her troubles and gathered her items swiftly, but nervousness made her hands clumsy. She must have dropped her pen half a dozen times before it would finally settle inside the side pocket of her briefcase.

Everyone had left already by the time she was done, leaving them by themselves in the room. She didn't understand why he was still there with his arms folded across his chest. Needing to hear something other than the loud beating of her heart, she spoke out in the flattest and most professional voice she could muster, "Well it's nice to see that you're back to work."

His lips lifted into a tiny smirk as he leaned his upper body forward. "Is it?"

"I was just trying to be polite."

"And staring is?"

Something snapped inside her: the confusion and frustration she was having over her feelings for him, her jealousy towards that woman, Sesshoumaru's coldness, and the fact that she was caught. "You jerk," she hissed and braced her arms on the edge of the table, springing to her feet. She was so angry that she could hardly think, and the amused look on his face didn't help. She inhaled deeply to calm her composure, deciding it would be better to leave before she completely lost it and ended up saying things she would later regret.

His hand shot out to clasp hers right when she was passing by, whipping her around and almost causing her to fall on top of him from the momentum.

She steadied herself and tugged at the iron-like shackle. "Get your hand off of me!"

His playful smirk quickly faded, and he dropped her wrist. He gawked at her like she was possessed. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing!" she gritted through clenched teeth and picked up her briefcase.

He shot her an exasperated look. "Fine!" and left the room before she could.

<><><><><>

"What about this one?" Sango held up a copy of "Pretty Woman," one of Kagome's favorite movies.

Kagome lifted her head from her drawn-up knees to shrug with indifference. "Whatever, I don't really care."

Sango looked at her curiously before opening the plastic case and popping the disc into the DVD player. She had never seen her best friend looked more upset and worn-out. Kagome's eyes had lost their usual sparkle and her shirt hung loosely off her frame, the neckline nearly falling off one of her tiny shoulders. She had received a call from the girl just a short while ago, It didn't take long for her to realize that something was wrong with her dear friend, her voice was flat and broken as though she was having trouble gathering her strength to speak. Despite Kagome's protest at feeling fine, she'd practically forced herself through the door with the largest tub of chocolate ice cream she could find. Now it was just sitting there in front of her, melting. She picked up the pillow off the couch and sat down next to her. "Alright, spill it."

"Spill what?"

"Whatever it is that's bothering you, making you grumpy."

"I'm not-"

"You are."

Kagome sighed softly, knowing perfectly well that this could go on all night if she didn't give in.

"Is it work?"

She shook her head.

"Man?"

She leaned her head back on the head cushion and swung her feet onto the coffee table. "Men," she corrected.

Sango let out a low whistle at her reluctant admittance. For as long as she had known her, Kagome had always had bad luck with her relationships, but she had never been involved in a love triangle. It wasn't in her nature to juggle with people's emotions. "Sesshoumaru and…?"

Kagome turned her head towards her, a sad smile lifted on her face. "You wouldn't believe it if I told you." Her chin lowered to her chest.

Sango waited patiently for her to continue, knowing better than to push.

"His brother."

She'd spoken so softly that she almost didn't hear her. "Kag-"

She twisted around to look at her again, eyes beginning to glimmer. "His brother," she said it more firmly this time.

Her heart broke at the grief-stricken expression on her face. "Oh Kagome." She wrapped her arm around the smaller girl in comfort, her head resting against hers. Kagome's shoulders shook and with it came nonstop tears.

<><><><><>

Kagome picked up a rose from the vase, cradling it in between her fingers, careful to avoid crushing the delicate bud. They were beautiful, each one of them was in the early process of blossoming and perfectly arranged with respect to one another. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, the sweet aroma of nature's perfume and the soft caress of the white petal tickling the underside of her nose made her smile genuine and bright.

The talk she had with Sango really helped. For the first time, she was able to speak freely about her worries over her growing and unwanted attraction toward Inuyasha, and Sango had listened to her every word without the slightest show of disgust, only absolute empathy. They talked throughout the night: crying, laughing, and eating melted ice cream.

Sango had advised her to follow her heart and don't listen to what anyone else had to say. But she also reminded her of Inuyasha's notorious reputation. He was a famed playboy, linked with numerous beauties and models, but never more than twice. The smoldering looks and lingering caresses could very well be nothing more than a game, tools he'd perfected and practiced often on many women. His attempts toward her might even be a way for him to get back at his brother.

As for her fiancé, he was on the company's private jet to take care of a recently acquired factory in Hong Kong. Sango had made her realize that it was unfair for her to stay mad at Sesshoumaru without telling him why and over something that was probably tied to her frustration with Inuyasha. They were able to talk for a bit before he left, and he'd apologized for leaving her that night, though she wasn't sure if he was being sincere or not. He had sounded so formal and collected, like he was treating her as though she was one of his clients.

Her stomach rumbled soundly, demanding to be fed. She sheepishly pressed a hand to her belly as if to suppress any more of its protest and glanced at the clock. It was nearly seven, time for her to drop by the house and have dinner with her family. She missed her mom's home-cooked meals. Since taking this job, she had been surviving mainly on takeouts and TV dinner. She turned off her laptop and stretched, leaning as far back as possible on her hair and extending her arms high above, her ribs expanding to draw in a large breath of air.

The door sounded with two steady knocks.

"Come in," she called out through a mid-yawn. Her body couldn't seem to decide if it was more tired or hungry.

He walked in and she nearly fell over backward, her hand shot out to grab hold of the edge of her desk, catching herself just in time. It took a few minutes and some awkward maneuvering involving heels and a skirt before she was firmly seated once again. "We've got to stop meeting like this," she mumbled under her breath.

He laughed quietly, eyes twinkling with amusement at her lack of coordination. "I agree, not that I'm complaining..." His gaze traveled casually over to the exposed skin of her stomach before settling on her reddening face.

She hurriedly tucked the loose end of her shirt back in place. "What are you doing here?" she had intended for her voice to be cool and collected but somehow it ended up sounding breathy instead. He ignored her question and sat down on the edge of her desk, focusing on the arrangement of flowers on the other side. His arm stretched outward to run a finger apathetically across the length of a petal. "Nice," he said simply and turned towards her, the corner of his mouth curled into a wistful smile. "My brother got them for you?"

Even though he had meant for it to be a comment rather than a question, she still felt compel to respond, "Yes."

They stared at the flowers for a while, listening to the steady ticking of the clock.

"Inuyasha." She rested her hand lightly on his thigh, feeling the muscles beneath her fingers turn stiff. "Why?"

He looked at her for a moment, seemingly at lost for words, before remembering the reason for his visit. "I want to know why you're so angry with me."

"I'm not-."

"Why you'd refused to speak to me for nearly a week." He paused and clasped the hand on his thigh, his thumb making soothing motion on its back. "I thought we were friends."

His hand was so warm and the look on his face… Not knowing how to respond, she freed herself from his grasp and spun around on her chair, choosing to face the night sky instead of his bright eyes that seemed to grow duller by the moment. "We're not friends." She squeezed her eyes shut. It pained her to say that, but it was for the best, a line needed to be drawn between them before it was too late. "We're future relatives. I'll be calling you `brother' and you'll be calling me `sister.'" She drew in a deep breath before continuing. "That's all we are and ever will be." There was a moment of silence followed by the shuffling of his suit as he got off her desk and stood beside her, his form casting a large shadow over her own. She knew that he was staring down at her, waiting for her to look up and lock eyes with his. `I have to go… have to leave now, before…'

As though he was reading her mind, he grabbed hold of her the back of her chair, turning it around to make her face him. "No."

She swallowed audibly when he propped both his arms on her armrests and closed the distance between them until the tip of their noses were almost touching. Her body was trembling at his proximity, and she could easily read the hurt and confusion on his face. "No we're not," she tried to convince both of them again, but her voice was so shaky that she doubted he could even understand what she was saying. Seeing that her words had absolutely no effects, she forcefully turned her face away and weakly reached up to put the flat of her palms against his chest. "Please don't," she managed to raise her volume a little.

He ran his hand down her arm until he was holding her hand, comfortingly encasing hers in his large one. "Please don't what?" He frowned at the state she was in and gently lifted her chin. "You're trembling…"

She bit down hard on her lower lip, fighting against the instinct to lean into his tender caress and almost drawing blood in the process. Why was he making this so difficult? Why couldn't he be the jerk that he was supposed to be? She was supposed to drive him out of her mind and devote her entire being into building her relationship with Sesshoumaru, but that touch, that one simple touch meant more to her than a thousand kisses his brother could have given her.

"Kagome." The back of his hand ran lightly across her cheek and her mouth parted a little when the tip of his fingers swept against it. Her eyelids fluttered, and her chest rose and fell in short intervals as his thumb continued to stroke the fullness of her lips while his other hand took care of releasing her tresses from its hair clip, letting her waves cascade on one side of her shoulders. She wanted to give in and lose herself, but Sango's warning came rushing back, jolting her senses. "Don't treat me like I'm some sort of game," she pleaded softly; the pathetic sound of her own voice broke every ounce of control she had been putting in to keep from crying.

He blinked at her words. "A game? What game?"

She lowered her head; tears rolled from her cheeks and fell to her lap. "You're just doing this because you can't have me, and I'm probably one of the last group of women you haven't had the chance to… a-and it'll be a good way for you to get back at your brother."

He caught her chin again. His eyes were blazing, and the gentleness she could see before turned hard at her accusation. "Stupid girl, is that the kind of person you think I am? Someone who has nothing better to do than steal another man's woman? A person with no conscience?" He clicked his tongue against his teeth and shook his head sadly. "And where did you hear all these nonsense? From office gossip? From tabloids?" The reddening of her face confirmed the fact. He continued, "Idiot, I'm not like that. You of all people should know how they love twisting things around."

"I-I…"

He silenced her with his fingers. "Believe me Kagome; I would want you no matter what." Her eyes widened at his declaration, and before she could respond, he dipped his head and hungrily replaced the pressure of his fingers with his mouth.

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A/N:

1. I will no longer be answering emails that ask when I'll be updating. I get too many of those and feel that I am constantly repeating myself. If you really want to know, go check out my ff.net profile, I'll be frequently updating the status of my fics there. You can also sign up to be notified.

2. For the last time, I do not want any forwards. Repeated offenders will be added to my block list.

3. Recently, I got a very upsetting email:

HURRY UP WITH LOVE AFFAIRS PLZ!! MAN, YOU CANNOT FINISH IT BY THE END OF THIS YEAR IF YOU DON'T HURRY!! MAN, YOU PROBABLY FUCKING COPIED SOMEONE, AND SINCE THEY DIDN'T UPDATE THEIRS, YOU DIDN'T EITHER! DON'T BOTHER E-MAILING ME BECAUSE I WON'T READ IT FUCKING HURRY UP WOULD YOU?

YOU'RE WASTING MY VALUBLE TIME NOT WRITING IT!!!:<

I don't know if some of you realize that emails like that are very discouraging. I actually stopped working on this for about a few days after getting it. I have a life. I am a junior in college with friends and a boyfriend; writing is a hobby, not a chore. If anyone is wasting their time, it's me. Being rude and disrespectful is not going to make me want to write more or update faster. It might even make me want to stop writing. Please be mature and think twice before you send an email like that to me or any other authors.