InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Persistence ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )

Michiru=Shiori and will, for the rest of the fic, be referred to as Shiori and no longer Michiru.

 

Her dress: http: // www. wetseal. Com /assets /ws /product_images /39299321601_lg .jpg

His over-shirt: http: // www. abercrombie. com /anf /onlinestore /collection /16526_03_p .jpg

The under shirt: http: // tinyurl. Com /36r3cs

 

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah. I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters associated with Inuyasha.

 

 

Chapter 7

 

After she left the shop, Sesshomaru had two more customers before closing up at 8pm. He bid Shiori farewell and walked down the bustling streets. He walked five blocks then turned right, walking 6 more blocks before coming up to a large building with “Ruchiri Towers” on a sign. He walked up to the outer door and entered before pulling keys from his pocket. He unlocked his mailbox and pulled out various items such as bills and junk mail. He took a different key and unlocked the inside door. Sesshomaru climbed four flights of stairs at an even pace before reaching the landing to his floor. He walked coolly down the hallway until he reached apartment 443-B. He unlocked the door, stepped in, closed the door behind him and removed his shoes. Sesshomaru's apartment was simple and small but it was what he needed. Quirky items from various trips and adventures accented the rooms along with items Inuyasha and his mate had sent him from their travels. The carpet was a dull beige and the walls an off-white. He had hung paintings here and there to cover up the bland space and his furniture was a mismatch of fabrics and styles but he didn't mind. His apartment reflected how he felt; that he was pieced together by various memories, textures, and colors that covered the blandness he felt inside. But now, since earlier today, his life had become a bit less bland and quite a bit more colorful, textured, and memorable. She smells the same as I remember he mused when he flopped down onto his couch.

 

Sesshomaru had been irritable not long after Kagome left them through the well for the last time. Her scent has faded he had grumbled, tearing down trees as he stalked over the land. I will find her again. What did she say, 500 years? Yes, I can wait. I will wait and I will find her. And so he waited for her.

 

 

Kagome scribbled notes from her advanced statistics book and glanced at the black card propped up on the base of her desk lamp. She sat back in her chair, her pencil tapping her bottom lip as she considered Sesshomaru's contact card. If I call him now I'll seem eager, desperate, and lonely but those are two things that I'm not right now. Sure, I'm eager to talk to him and find out all about how things went after the jewel was gone, but it would seem weird to be sit down with Sesshomaru for tea. She reached for the card and turned it over in her hand, staring at the numbers scratched into the back of it.

 

 

Why am I so eager to hear from her? It's only been, he checked his watch, 7 hours. I'd be surprised if she even called at all. She may be a bit older but she remains timid as a mouse. He smirked to himself as he flipped on the TV, tuning into `The Dog Whisperer' for some good laughs.

 

 

Kagome set the card back down against the base of her desk lamp and resumed her studies. I bet he's just waiting for me to call him. Too bad for him I have other things to do, she thought smugly to herself.

 

Two days passed before Kagome was at her desk again, staring at the card. She picked it up, turned it over and grabbed her phone. She quickly dialed the number and held her breath as it rang. Ring. Ring. Ri-

 

“Hello?” His smooth voice wafting from the speaker was slightly startling.

 

“Hello, Sesshomaru, it's Kagome,” she replied. “I'm calling to take you up on that offer for tea.”

 

“Ah, good,” came his response, “I am free tomorrow afternoon. Would you like to meet somewhere?” Kagome had not had many experiences going out to have tea like some of her older friends. She typically had her tea at home with her mother. Besides, kids her age didn't really `go out for tea' anymore.

 

“Uh, sure. How about at Ryuuk House at 1pm?” she offered, unsure of whether her choice would offend him. I wonder if he still has the “high and mighty” sense of self going on.

 

“That would be enjoyable. I will meet you at the Ryuuk House at 1pm tomorrow,” he answered her, his voice calm and, if she wasn't mistaken, slightly pleasant.

 

“Okay! See you then! Bye!” Kagome said quickly before ending the call. She let out a long breath of air. Tea with Sesshomaru. This is going to be interesting. Her mind conjured an image of Sesshomaru sitting at a table being served tea, taking a sip, growing angry with red eyes and wildly flying hair before throwing the cup to the floor and screaming “YOU CALL THIS TEA?!” She then imagined him tearing the place apart with his acid claws. A shiver trickled down her spine, aware of the dangerous demon that she was naively having tea with tomorrow afternoon. “Yeesh,” she said to herself.

 

The rest of the day pressed onward. Kagome obsessed about what to wear to afternoon tea. How do I dress? Jeans? Skirt? Dress? Argh! Is this a date? A friendly meeting between friends? “Alright, Kagome, settle down. Let's get rational,” she said to herself, smoothing her hair back to curl behind her ears. She knew that the Ryuuk House was pretty lax on its dress code as long as your clothing was clean and well kept. She didn't imagine that Sesshomaru would dress up just to meet with her for tea. After 5 minutes of deliberation, she picked out a starlet-red short sleeved, ribbed v-neck dress. There, she thought, formal but not too formal. Cute but not improper. She slipped on some red flats, grabbed her purse, and headed out the door.

 

Ryuuk House was not far from the tattoo shop. Sesshomaru had blocked off the rest of his day and told Shiori to also take the rest of the day off. Shiori squealed with delight and was out the door before Sesshomaru could put his hand on the door knob of the back entrance door. No wonder the kit can keep up with her - so much energy. He slipped a set of dark sunglasses on as he serenely strolled the three blocks to his meeting with Kagome. The sun had graced them with another beautiful day, shining down and glancing off of the long braid of silvery hair that hung down his back.

 

Sesshomaru glanced at his watch when he arrived at the front doors to the Ryuuk House. 12:45pm I am early. He stepped inside, removing his sunglasses, and replying when the host asked him the usual “Hello, how are you, how many will be with you today?” type questions. The host seated him, at his request, at a small two-person table near a back corner of the room in which very few patrons occupied. Sesshomaru sat against the wall, facing the front of the establishment.

 

Kagome crossed the threshold of the tea house at 1:01pm, her eyes quickly scanning the place. She did not see Sesshomaru in the corner as her eyes passed over him. The host smiled as he approached her.

 

“Hello miss, may I help you?”

 

“Yes, I'm meeting someone here at 1:00pm and I'm afraid I'm a tiny bit late. Do you know if he is here yet? He's a tall man with facial markings and long, silver hair,” she explained.

 

The man smiled at her, “ah, yes, follow me,” he replied and quietly began to walk toward the back of the room. Kagome followed him, scanning the area for the acquaintance she was meeting. Her eyes halted their scan when they fell across Sesshomaru. There he was, sitting in an almost over-stuffed chair with a serene expression on his face.

 

Kagome was entranced by what she saw before her. She mumbled her thanks to the host who smiled and turned to walk away. His hair was braided once again but the bandana was gone. He was wearing dark blue jeans that seemed to cloak him like they were cut and tailored specifically for him. The cuffs brushed against the ground where his feet were bare in ratted Birkenstock sandals. He wore a brown striped button-down shirt, rolled up to the elbows over a faded white shirt picturing an angry banana. She quirked an eyebrow at his choice of comical t-shirt messages. He looked relaxed which didn't seem like Sesshomaru at all. If anything, she would have guessed that he would have been sitting ram-rod straight with a disapproving look on his face as if to say `We're having tea here?'

 

“Hello,” he said, motioning to the chair across from him. Kagome snapped out of her daze and sat down in the chair as gracefully as she could, her cheeks stained a light rose hue from being caught staring.

 

“I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long,” she offered, smoothing her dress in her lap.

 

“No, I had just arrived myself,” he replied, sliding a menu across the table toward her. “I haven't ordered yet.”

 

Kagome took the menu and looked it over. It was difficult for her to concentrate on the menu because her mind was still reeling from Sesshomaru's appearance. Who IS this? A waiter abruptly approached their table and took their orders. Without the menu to pretend to focus on, Kagome kept her eyes on everything that was not Sesshomaru. Shortly thereafter the waiter returned with the drinks and set them before them. Sesshomaru cleared his throat lightly which snapped her out of her avoidant behaviour. She looked up at him and saw amusement dance in his eyes.

 

“Sorry, you're just so… different than I remember,” she breathed, still staring at him. “I don't know what to say, to be honest.”

“When you've been around as long as I have, you tend to rethink some of your attitudes and ideas,” he said as his lip curved a minuscule amount into a ghost of a smirk before he raised his cup to his lips to take a sip.

 

Huh… I totally didn't expect that response, she thought to herself. “So, this new you; what's he like? Forgive me for asking, but I'm only familiar with the `I'm a cold, sadistic asshole' Sesshomaru.”

 

Kagome's eyes widened when she saw his face light up in a smile and a soft chuckle tumble from his lips. If she was back in the feudal era, she'd have taken off running by now, scared witless at his display of humor and laughter. He leaned back further in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

 

“You still seem afraid of me but, like I told you 500 years ago, I won't harm you. I've done a lot over the years, Kagome. I've watched and participated in wars, read the classics before they became classics, and spent a lot of time by myself. After the defeat of Naraku, turmoil in all of the lands ceased and there was little for me to do other than the yearly surveying of the Western Lands. Inuyasha and I reached an agreement in our dispute over father's legacy of swords. I watched his children, along with Sango and Miroku's children, grow into respectable men and women of the lands due to their ancestry of our father and of our defeat of Naraku,” he explained. He paused a moment and added, “You could say I also found a sense of humor.”

 

“Wow, you seem to be a totally different person now,” Kagome said, in awe of how open he was being with her. Her fingers wrapped around her cup, feeling the warmth seep into her hands. So Inuyasha and Kikyo had children. Good, she thought to herself.

 

“So, if you were the great taiyouki of the Western lands back then, what are you doing being a tattoo artist now? Shouldn't you be some CEO or something, ruling most of Japan's economy and big businesses?” she asked him, her fingers turning her cup back and forth. The question had been scratching at her brain ever since he revealed himself to her at the shop.

 

Sesshomaru scoffed. “I'm still considered Lord over the Western lands by demons, Kagome. Just because humans don't acknowledge it does not make it go away. I grew tired of being at the top of everything. I wanted to spend my time doing something I enjoyed and artwork and tattooing is something I very much enjoy doing. Besides, you can't exactly run around killing people with swords and such nowadays.”

 

“I suppose that makes sense,” she thought out loud, staring into her cup at the slowly deteriorating tea. She looked up and caught him looking at her with a near predatory gleam in his eye.

 

“And you, Kagome. What have you been up to?” he inquired, leaning forward and taking a slow sip of tea.

 

“Oh, like you don't know, Sesshomaru. Don't you remember? You've been watching me,” she argued, crossing her arms over her chest. For a moment she noticed his eyes waver slightly downward from her face toward her chest and immediately uncrossed her arms. A gentle blush crept up her neck to flit across her cheeks. This most definitely is a changed Sesshomaru. He must've started hanging around Miroku.

 

“Yes, you are right,” he said, a small, satisfied smile illuminating his face upon seeing the faint blush crawling up the ivory skin of her neck, but he continued, “but you are also wrong. I asked Shiori to see if you actually did return to your time after the last time you left the feudal era through the well. Since I was not sure when that would happen, she made several visits before the night you returned and heard you come from the well house.”

 

“Why didn't you go yourself?” she asked, her brows knit together in a confused frown. Sesshomaru continued to smile at her.

 

“Would it have been wise for my scent to be in your bedroom, Kagome? It was better if it was someone whose scent wasn't completely unknown but was not immediately identified.” His playfulness seemed out of place to Kagome. She had never before seen him this free and good-natured. She relaxed a little, offering a small smile at his question. Yes, indeed, she never considered how crazy Inuyasha would have been had Sesshomaru's scent been in her room or even at her house. “So, I ask again. What have you been up to, Kagome?”

 

Her right index finger went to her bottom lip and tapped, just as she did whenever she had a pen or pencil and was thinking. His eyes watched her finger as if in slow motion, watching it press against the tender, supple flesh of her moist lip before lifting and pressing again. If he had tunnel vision and no restraint, he would take it as a signal that she wanted his lips to hers. He steeled himself, trying to focus on the words coming out of her mouth instead of her mouth itself.

 

“Well, I'm finishing up high school in two weeks and I plan to go to University next year. I'm very interested in nursing so I thought I'd go to school to be a registered nurse,” she said. Sesshomaru let out a shaky breath when she finally lowered her hand and ceased her finger's assault on her lip. “After all the practice I had patching everyone up in the feudal era it should be a breeze!”

 

“Hnn... always so optimistic,” he said, draining the last of the tea in his cup and setting it on the table gently. “Rin held the same optimistic attitude.”

 

“Rin! Tell me about her, please? I want to know if she was happy,” Kagome nearly begged, leaning forward in her chair, eager to hear about the rambunctious little girl. Had the wish really worked, Rin would have had a full, happy life.

 

“Yes, she was happy. She passed away at the age of 88 human years. She was my ward until she married a young human named Akiko Matsuda. They had 4 children. Unfortunately, her descendents perished during World War I.”

 

“Oh, I'm sorry to hear that,” she said, noting the dull look that passed across his face. For a moment he looked like the Sesshomaru from the past; cold, distant, unfeeling. It must have been hard to live for so long and watch those you love die. Rin meant a lot to him. She impulsively reached across the small table and laid her hand over his, offering comfort. “I'm sure she was happy while she was with you, Sesshomaru.”

 

He looked down at her small hand on his. Her skin was a shade darker than his but still a beautiful ivory. Her hands were soft to the touch and warm. He nodded silently.

 

“I think that is enough reminiscing for one day, don't you?” he stated suddenly, sighing. He removed his hand from hers, stood, and placed some money on the table. “I have enjoyed this afternoon, Kagome. Perhaps another time,” he said, turning his back to her and walking out of the tea house before she could say a word. She stared at his retreating figure. Did I do something wrong? Bring up bad memories? She looked down at the money he had laid out and noted that it was enough to cover both of their drinks. “Show off,” she muttered. She would make sure she paid for their drinks next time. If there was a next time.

 

He waited for her to leave the tea house before walking back toward the shop. He ran his hand over his face, stopping at his chin. That was too close. It's been so long since I've seen her that I could barely control myself. Small doses are what I need. He took a left and walked several blocks to his apartment building.

 

 

Kagome walked home, lost in a cloud of thoughts. She felt as if she had brought up an inappropriate topic with Sesshomaru or had said or done something she shouldn't have. He doesn't still dislike humans, does he? How can he? He's literally surrounded by them! His abrupt departure had her worried and confused. If she thought Sesshomaru was peculiar in the feudal era, she wasn't sure she wanted to know more about him in the current era.

 

I'll stop by the shop tomorrow and maybe talk to Shiori. If she's been working with Sesshomaru this whole time then maybe she can help shed some light on his behaviour.

 

 

The next morning Kagome left home with Sesshomaru's card in her hand. She walked along the sidewalks of the city, enjoying the early morning air as she made her way to Sesshomaru's shop. Nearly there, Kagome pulled out her cell phone and called the shop number.

 

“Hello, Sumi Itsumademo Shop, Michiru speaking,” a voice answered.

 

“Hi, Shiori, it's Kagome.”

 

“Hi! What's up?” she asked.

 

“I'm on my way over. Is Sesshomaru there?” She hoped he wasn't there or was at least busy with a customer. She heard some pages turning and computer keys clicking.

 

“No, he's not coming in until about 11am,” Shiori answered, “did you want to talk to him?”

 

“Actually,” Kagome sighed, “I wanted to talk to you.”

 

“What did you need to talk about, Kagome?” Shiori asked, concern colouring her voice as she frowned. What did he do now?

 

At that moment, Kagome reached the front door of the shop and entered. Shiori looked up as the bell rang and pressed the `End' button on the phone, smiling to see Kagome standing before her.

 

“I have some questions about Sesshomaru. Something weird happened yesterday when we were having tea and I thought that if I asked him about it he'd just clam right up. So I'm here to ask you to tell me who the heck Sesshomaru is now.” Kagome sat down on one of the frumpy, plaid-covered chairs where customers waited. Shiori sat down across from her, crossing her legs.

 

Before she started talking, she glanced out the window as if to collect her thoughts. “I guess I should start from the beginning and by beginning, I mean when you left the feudal era.”

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Alright, so that's chapter 7. I've already started chapter 8 (yay!). If you have questions or thoughts, leave a review. It seems like my muse is losing steam so I need something to light a fire under its bum and get it going again.

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Author Note: Sumi meaning `ink'. Itsumademo meaning `forever/for good/eternal' so “Eternal Ink” is the name of the shop. Cheesy, yes? That's Sesshomaru for ya!