Disclaimer: Not mine, how many times do I have to say it? I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters. In my dreams maybe or then again maybe not. ^__^

Please forgive any spelling or grammar errors.

Sorry it took so long but this chapter was tough to write and it's not as long as normal. Ok well I hope you enjoy, thank you for the reviews.

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Rivers of the Heart

Chapter Eight: Time Apart

She snuggled closer to the warmth that engulfed her body. Kagome felt consciousness slowly creeping its way into her mind. But she fought against it, waking up meant she would have to move out of his embrace, everything would have to go back to normal. Friends didn't hold each other like this, and in real life that was all they could be…just friends. A loud ring tone decided the winner of the battle between getting up and going back to sleep.

Grumbling, she leaned across the bed to reach for the annoying electronic, smiling when Inuyasha's arms tightened around her waist. As she picked up the receiver she shot a glance at the digit clock on the nightstand, its red lights stood out upon the darkness of the room.

"Six thirty, damn it we have to get up in fifteen minutes." She mumbled, pressing the talk button, "Hello?" she asked sleepily into the phone.

"Miss Higurashi?" a male voice roared from the other line.

"Yes?" she responded, groggily sitting up and wiping her eyes. She shivered slightly when the blanket rolled from her body exposing her to the cold air in the room.

"My name is Myouga, I am the coordinator for the Tokyo Business Convention. My apology for calling at such an early hour, but I need to inform you that the convention for today has been postpone until the fall. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause for you. If you could, please contact any of your employees who had planned to attend. Thank you, and have a great day."

"You too." She said, turning the receiver off and then tossing back on the charger. Happily, she pulled her blankets back over her body and moved to rest her head against Inuyasha's chest.

"Morning," he said with a yawn, pressing her closer to his body with his arms.

"Good night," she whispered, a smirk on her tired lips.

A chuckled escaped his lips, "As much as I would love to just lie in bed with you all day, we do have get up."

"No we don't."

"Why is that?" he asked, stroking the back of her head with his hand.

"Lucky for us, the convention was cancelled today. So go back to sleep, and don't plan on going anywhere for a while."

"Whatever you say m'lady," he joked, closing his eyes again, quickly surrendering to sleep again.

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"Mmmm" she moaned, her eyes fluttering open only to be greeted by the bright morning lighting of the room. Her mind concentrated on the warm, wet sensation on her left breast, every inch of her naked form alive and awake as a result. Her fingers raked through his silky silver hair, as memories of the night before danced vividly in her mind.

He loved her. If nothing else had happened last night, just his simple confession would have made it absolutely perfect. But he made it better than perfect, he had made love to her all night, now it seems as though he planned on an encore. Her back arched, while his rough hand slid down her side and his kisses teased up her neck.

"Good morning, my Rin" he said huskily into her ear, causing a shiver to run ramped down her spine.

A smile graced her lips, "Good morning," she responded, wrapping her arms around his neck just as his lips found hers in a deep, emotion filled embrace. Minutes passed before the pair ceased the clashing of their lips and tongues. Sesshoumaru rolled on to his back, taking Rin with him, nestling her against to him.

Rin allowed a content sigh escape her lips, her index tracing the hard muscles of his chest. Everything was so perfect, but reality would be returning soon. Her mood began sinking…he was still engaged to Kagura, and she still had Hiten to deal with. And just because he said he loved her did not mean he would break things off with his fiancée.

A frown etched onto her flushed lips, she would not be Sesshoumaru's mistress; she would not be the other woman. And Hiten? He was a pompous ass who used the fact that he helped her turn her life around to harass and bully her. Hiten could be dealt with, they were not in a romantic relationship, nor did she care about him. It was her life to live and she would chose to spend it with whom ever she wished. She owed a financial debt to Hiten, not her life.

Kagura…Did Sesshoumaru still plan to marry her? Rin was afraid to ask, for fear of ruining their time together, but she had to know what he intended on doing.

"What are you thinking?" he coolly asked, pulling her chin up with his finger, so he could see into her beautiful eyes.

"Life…me, you…" she trailed off, letting her gaze on him fall to the blanket around them.

Sesshoumaru allowed the silence between them remain as he weighed a decision in his head. He loved her; he loved the girl in his arms more than he could have ever thought he could care for anyone. But she did not trust him; at least that was what he had come to understand. He did not care what she had done in her past, only what she did right here, right now. Obviously she feared he would hold her past against her, thus forcing him to conclude that she had no faith in him. Yes, he was willing to give up everything for her…everything, but they could have nothing if she did not trust him.

"We have matters to discuss," he stated.

Rin sighed. Her stomach churned with anxiety and nerves. If he really wanted a relationship with her, then he would want to know everything about her, especially the areas pertaining to Hiten. Initially she had been afraid of his reaction to the sins of her youth but the more she thought about them the more she became aware that she was more ashamed of what she had done than anything else.

"I know," she said weakly building up her courage, "about Hiten…and Kagura."

Her eyes shot to his face when his body stiffened at the mention of his fiancée, she watched him for a few seconds waiting for him to look her in the eye. When he would not, she got out of the bed. Quickly she grabbed his robe that was hung over the end of his bed, and wrapped it securely around her. For a long time she stood staring out of his sliding glass doors into the waking city.

Might as well tell him now get it over with it. Maybe if she told him, he would tell her what he intended to do about Kagura. They would not have a relationship if he chose to remain with his fiancée, that much she was sure of, no matter how much it hurt to make that kind of decision.

"My parents died when I was young. I was taken to a foster home, since I have no living relatives. My foster parents didn't give a rats ass about me, things were pretty rough," she swallowed hard before continuing, "so I looked for an escape to the pain and unhappiness I felt…I started experimenting with pot and within a few months I was a full blown addict always needing something stronger. It's a miracle I didn't overdose. Well money for me wasn't so easy to come by so…" she trailed off as her head hung a bit.

Rin could feel her heart trembling behind her ribs, "…so in place of money I offered my body as payment. Eventually I hit rock bottom and that's when Hiten found me. At the time, he was a light in the dark pits I had put myself in. He shoved me into a rehabilitation center for eighteen months, hired for a tutor so I could catch up on my school, had the doctors perform every test available for any diseases I might have contracted. Hiten paid for it all. I was lucky; I managed to overcome my problem with minimal repercussions. Someone was watching out for me up there because all my tests came back negative. I turned my life around with Hiten's help."

She heard him shift slightly under the covers, "Hiten was a great guy at first, very supportive and friendly but as soon as I recovered, I found out his true intentions for helping me. His father wanted him to marry, and so Hiten went looking for a woman who he thought was easy to control, who wouldn't say a word when he slept around, he wanted a woman that was seen not heard. Since I fell into drugs so deep, and since he helped him, he figured I was the woman he was looking for…" she felt her temper rising, "He fucking thought he could control me, the bastard never knew what hit him. And so after a few violent fights, he finally let me go and live my life so long as I continued to pay him the debt that I owed. Why he came back, I still can't figure his true motive but I assume it's to force me to marry him to get his father off his back."

There she had told him everything about her past, it was almost as if a heavy weight lifted off her chest but was quickly replaced with a frenzy of butterflies in her stomach. She waited for Sesshoumaru to say something…anything, but there was nothing, he didn't even move. Her eyes sadly surveyed the morning sky, while her mind contemplated the meaning of his silence. Strong arms encircled her waist and she jumped because she had not heard him get up. Her head rolled back on his shoulder, as he placed lazy kisses along the side of her neck.

"And you will not let me help you?" he asked, raising his head and resting his chin on her head.

"No…" she stated quietly, her eyes transfixed on the bird soaring in the distance, her hands moving to rest over his, "I…."

"Do not think of it as charity, Rin. Rather a business transaction. I will loan you the money so Hiten will be out of your life. Then we will discuss a repayment plan, and there will be interest of course," he teased, the corner of his lip tipping up as her laughter filled his ears.

"I will think about it."

Sesshoumaru nodded in response, moving his hands from her waist to slide across her silky skin beneath his robe, "I wish to ask you something."

Rin closed her eyes as his limbs moved upward to caress her firm mounds, she felt a cool breeze swept over the exposed parts of her body, "What?"

"I will not ask until certain matters have been resolved."

"Hiten?" she asked turning her head so she could see his face.

"and Kagura," Sesshoumaru corrected, bending down to place a gentle kiss upon her lips.

Rin smiled at him, her eyes sparking with joy. He really did want her, only her. She didn't have to think to hard to figure out what his question might be. Even if it wasn't what she hoped, Rin knew she could die the happiest woman on earth at that moment.

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Miroku unlocked the door to Kagome's apartment, pushing it open and popping his head inside to survey for any occupants. He couldn't see anybody, but that did not mean Kagome wasn't home. He grabbed the suitcase from where he had sat it down and walked inside, Sango following suit.

In silence they walked into the large living room to deposit their luggage. Miroku rolled his neck to relieve a cramp. The tension between him and his wife seemed to be getting worse by the day. She had not spoken more than a paragraph to him since she found him passed out in the bedroom. He felt the familiar sensation of shame and guilt flood his heart. He broke his promise to him, and her hurt.

He knew he could offer a billion excuses for why he got drunk that night. He was fired from yet another job for unknown reason, being the number one reason. But no matter the drive, it was the fact that he lacked self-control and was unable to stop himself before he winded up hurting the woman who meant the world to him. The only thing he could hope was that someday she would forgive him, and vow for the sake of his marriage never to touch another drop of alcohol for as long as he lived.

"I am going to go check the rooms down the hall and see if Kagome's home. She might not be back from her convention yet though," he said, walking towards the entranceway that led to the hall.

"Miroku!" Sango called out almost hesitantly.

His heart jumped to his throat, "Yes?" he asked too afraid to turn around.

"I love you." She whispered, her eyes stared sadly at his back.

A smile graced his lips before he disappeared around the corner, "I love you too."

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Inuyasha allowed a lazy yawn to stretch his jaw. He looked at the clock and chuckled when he realized that Kagome and him had slept the entire morning away and a good majority of the afternoon as well. His gaze fell to Kagome, her back was pressed against his chest, and his arm was draped around her waist. He wished he could wake every morning like this, with Kagome.

"Hey, wake up," he said, his fingers gliding across her stomach, preparing to tickle her awake if he had too.

She nuzzled her face further into her pillow, "five more minutes," she said groggily.

Inuyasha laughed, "You've been asleep the entire day and you want five more minutes?"

"Yes," she whined.

"Sorry no can do" he responded, quickly positioning his hands to lay her flat on her back, then straddling her in place, while his fingers danced along her ribs.

Kagome erupted in giggles, squirming from his hold, "Stop…please!…I am awake damn it!"

Satisfied he ceased his torture, only to bend down and capture her lips wasting no time to explore the warm depths of her mouth. He smirked as he swallowed her moan, and settled his body on top of hers between her knees. Her fingers caressed the base of his neck exciting him further and clouding his mind with thoughts of only her. Inuyasha and Kagome lost themselves in the overflowing emotions and desires. Neither one noticed the door opening.

The bottom half of Miroku's jaw dropped to the floor, his purple eyes fixated on the pair on the bed. His eyebrows were high on his forehead; he couldn't believe what he was seeing, "Shit, looks like I came in at the wrong time."

It took but an instant for Inuyasha and Kagome to jump apart, their eyes wide with fright and shock. Their skin was sheet white and their breaths came out in fast hard pants.

"Miroku?!" Kagome excited whispered, her cheeks becoming flushed with embarrassment.

Miroku smiled, his gaze continuously switching between his friends, "I trust you two know what you are doing so I won't ask. I am sorry for busting in, I was just checking to see if you were home or not. I guess you are."

Kagome tried to talk but nothing else would come out, she bit her bottom lip nervously. She looked to Inuyasha for help but he looked just as dumbfounded as she did.

"Your morals are none of my business," Miroku joked, waving his hands before his face; but quickly realized he choose the wrong choice of words by the guilt evident on Inuyasha and Kagome's faces, "Hey, at least you two weren't naked or anything, that would have been just gross," he laughed in attempt to lighten the tension in the room.

Miroku held back a chuckle when the pair paled, "Okay, Well Sango and I will be waiting in the living room," and with that said, he left the room.

Inuyasha scooted off the bed, and ran his fingers through his hair, "This has got to stop Kagome."

"I know," she responded, staring blankly down at her lap noting the rising anger in the tone of his voice.

"Even though Kikyou and I are separated, I am still married, and this…what we have it's right…it's wrong on so many levels, I can't…I" in frustration he pounded his fists against the wall, resting his forehead next to the dent, "I am sorry."

Kagome watched the droplets from her eyes fall onto her clasped hands, her head hung and her heart cried in regret, "So am I."

"It's just…so fucking aggravating. We have to stay away from each other, beside the required interaction for work, other than that we need to keep our fucking distance," Inuyasha continued to rant, pacing back and forth at the foot of the bed.

"We were miserable the last time we tried that," Kagome uttered barely above a whisper, knowing he did not hear her when he continued to curse and mumble. He was too angry with himself, their feelings, and with her to stop and think rationally so she opted to stay quiet and silently deal with the growing pain accompanying every word he said.

"Goddamn it all to hell," he sputtered, "Monday morning I am going to start preparing to leave. The board of directors have been wanting us to send someone to the coast and establish our company there…it will take me a couple of months by then maybe we will have this thing out of our system and Kikyou will have decided what the hell she wants." He threw his hands in the air, and inelegantly plopped down on the edge of the bed, not far from where Kagome sat, her legs curled beneath her.

Kagome squeezed her eyes shut…thing…is that all he thought of it as, she loved him and she had thought he cared for her too, but hearing him reference their feelings to a thing cut her heart. Then get it out of her system? She had spent most of her adult life trying to get her forbidden emotions for him out of her system it was impossible, but if it would make him happy then she would resort to pretending she was not in love with him. That way he would be guilt free and not obligated to think of her feelings under the circumstances they found themselves under.

"I will be gone by the end of the week," he announced, chancing at glance at Kagome but instantly regretting it when a flood of remorse and shame filled his scenes. Irritated again by his lack of control, he got up and stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door shut in behind him.

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Kagome and Sango sat on a hill, the forest surrounded them, and the midnight sky sparkled with diamonds and moonlight. They were an hour away from the city, and had spent the late afternoon and evening talking about everything starting with why Inuyasha left her apartment without saying a word to anybody, to Kikyou then around to Miroku and his inability to keep a job and ending with his problem and Sango's request.

"His old employer won't give Miroku a break. The bastard manages to destroy every opportunity he has at a good job, Kagome," Sango cried, wiping away a few escaping tears.

Kagome sighed, "Don't worry, everything will work out. Naraku is a client of ours; but he does not control my company. I will get Miroku in for an interview Monday morning, then by the afternoon hired as my new advisor under Rin and myself. His qualifications are outstanding there will not be a problem. Miroku will have a job with Tessaiga for as long as he needs one. Hey maybe he will like it and well you never know what can happen Sango," Kagome encouraged, draping an arm around her friend's shoulder and giving her a slight hug.

"Thank you so much…"

"It's no problem," she smiled pulling away from Sango, and bringing her knees to her chest, her eyes rising to the stars.

"What are you going to do about Inuyasha?" Sango asked, following Kagome's gaze.

"Let him do what he needs to do, I just want him happy."

"What about you?" Sango raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"I will go on, isn't that what life is supposed to do?"

"I imagine," Sango replied flatly, dropping her eyes and subconsciously picking at the grass beneath her fingers.

"Besides, I still have Kouga. He is really a great guy when he is round or not busy." Kagome settled, accepting that she would never have what she so desperately wanted.

"I am sorry, Kagome."

"Don't be, it's not your fault, and it's not Inuyasha fault or mine, it's just something that happens. Frankly I can't wait till Kikyou comes home from visiting her sister, she left today so it will probably be a couple of days. Maybe if we both tag team her, we can try and figure out what she is hiding."

"Do you have any idea?"

"No, she won't let me that close…hell she won't let anybody close to her nowadays. At first I just figured she needed time but now I am not so sure."

"Another man in combination with guilt?" Sango asked timidly.

Kagome shrugged her shoulders in response, "Maybe, it all started after the accident so it could be or there might be another reason. As far as I knew, since she started working again, Kikyou had been reverting back to her old self a little bit everyday, then last night she exploded, told Inuyasha she wanted a separation possibly a divorce, kicked him out and left this afternoon. I don't know what the hell is wrong with her. Oh, and don't forget to remind me to tell you about Sesshoumaru's obsession with Rin. The moron refuses to admit that he is head over heels in love with the girl. God, I feel like we're all suck in some awful soap opera." Kagome satirically laughed at her own comment.

"I second that," Sango responded, joining Kagome with a tired chuckle.

"When this is all over," Kagome said lying back against the grass, "after Kikyou is back to normal, after Inuyasha and I regain our sanity, his marriage saved, after Miroku has a sturdy, long-term job and no longer needs A.A., after your happy again, and hell freezes over so that Sesshoumaru will finally face his destiny, then I am taking a long vacation from life. A deserted, tropical island sounds nice right about now."

Sango laid back, folding her hands behind her head, "I couldn't agree more."

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Fewu, done…next chapter is going to be fun to write…decided to give ya'll a preview since you all are so nice to me. ^__~

Distances makes the heart grow fonder…"Damn it, no it doesn't. I have to get away from her before I wind up doing something we both regret."…"I have to go home at the end of the week, Miroku…but after my classes are done for the term, I will come back then we will figure out what do from there"…Pain ripped through him as someone came behind him and shoved a sharp object into his chest and impaled it into his heart, but he could not stop fighting until she was safe, he would not let her die…"SESSHOUMARU!" she screamed as he collapsed, all life draining from him.

Heh heh, I am such a bad girl. I honestly don't mean to torture you guys! ^__^

Like I always request, please review, it makes me happy.

Until Next Time…