InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Second Chance ❯ In Your Hand ( Chapter 19 )

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

Disclaimer: I don’t own it so please don’t sue. With the updates I give, I shouldn’t. (Sniff) First things first. For one, I have to admit that the summary I gave for this chapter on the last chapter has changed. It’s a bit more cut down, but it’s pretty much what I wanted. Um...what else...oh yeah! Since the month of February is so short, I’ve decided to bring Sesshoumaru (human form) up a little earlier. Normally we have to wait at least two chapters for him but not this time. This chapter will begin the month of March.


Inuyasha rode the elevator silently, his tie hanging loosely from his neck while he activated his glamour spell. He brushed his hands over his hair quickly and frowned as his ears shifted from the top of his head to mold themselves into their human positions and shape. ‘Another morning at work,’ he mused begrudgingly. ‘At least I don’t have to travel far to get to the office.’ The glamour spell finished it’s work before the elevator doors opened, leaving a dark haired, brown eyed Inuyasha behind instead of the white haired hanyou that left his upstairs apartment moments before.


Inuyasha enjoyed the convince of living in one of the three upstairs apartments in his building, his being the one directly above his private office. He nodded hello to his secretary and smirked when she blushed.


“Good morning Mr. Taishou,” the young blonde whispered softly. “Here’s your breakfast.”

“Thank you Shiori,” Inuyasha said as he sat behind his massive pine wood desk. He opened the greasy brown paper bag and greedily inhaled the scents of sausage, biscuit and warm butter. “Perfect...” he sighed before grasping one of the four out of the bag. “Are there any phone messages for the day?”


“No sir.” Shiori shook her head, both to answer him and to silently laugh at the way he woofed down his food. “But there is someone in the waiting room for you.”


Inuyasha growled in annoyance, his breakfast pushed aside for a later time, and wiped his hands clean. “Who is it?”


“I don’t know sir. He only said that your brother told him to speak to you about a job.”


‘A what?!’ Inuyasha jerked violently, then calmed himself and sighed. “Well, show him in then,” he said while he dropped his breakfast bag into an empty desk drawer. “I might as well see what he wants.”


“Of course sir,” Shiori replied with a respectful bow. “Right away.” She walked across the plush carpet to the opposite side of the large office and disappeared beyond a pair of frosted double doors. Inuyasha watched her shadow and listened as she spoke to another, a male who appeared to be an inch or so shorter than his 6 even. Shiori nodded and held the door open for the newcomer. “Mr. Taishou is right this way,” she said, then glanced at Inuyasha as the male walked inside. “Mr. Taishou, this is-“


“My name is Aoshi,” the male interrupted, then bowed respectfully to Inuyasha. “Your brother told me I could find work here.”


“Thank you Shiori,” Inuyasha said and dismissed her with a wave. “Please close the door behind you.” He waited until the frosted doors were closed, then pressed a small switch underneath his desktop to lock it. “Now,” he said as crystal blue eyes stared back at him nervously. “What’s this about my brother offering you a job?”


“He and I met a couple of months ago,” Aoshi started but Inuyasha interrupted with a request for him to sit down. He accepted gratefully, sank into one of the plush brandy hued leather chairs in front of his desk, and flipped his dark braid over the side of chair to keep from sitting on it. “He granted me guardianship over a little girl.”


“You know, I’m having a hard time believing this,” Inuyasha admitted. “For one, my brother’s not exactly in a position to ‘grant’ anyone anything.”


“But I assure you, he did,” Aoshi insisted. “Had it not been for Sesshoumaru-san, I would certainly been put to sleep that day.”


Inuyasha’s brow quirked curiously at his odd choice of words. His eyes widened slightly once he finally understood. “Oh, I get it. You’re like him huh?”


“No, not exactly,” Aoshi admitted with a shake of his head. “I’m not under any miko’s curse. I was in hiding, but I ended up in the pound. He was with a young human woman and a little girl sometime last winter. He convinced the little girl to take me home and, even though I’m responsible for the little girl’s safety, he requested I talk to you about a job.”


“Well I’ll be honest with you,” Inuyasha said, then grimaced and wiped at a cold crumb of biscuit that remained attached to his lower lip. “I don’t have a clue as to what to do with you. Sesshoumaru never tells me what he’s thinking unless it’s something he wants me to do. Don’t give up hope though,” he said when Aoshi stood up and began to apologize. “And stop saying your sorry. I didn’t tell you no. I just...need to figure out what to do with you is all.”

Inuyasha glanced down at his desk calender and grinned wickedly at the date. “I tell you what I’ll do. Sesshoumaru should be...back in town Friday. Come back...say...next Thursday and I’ll let you know what I’ve decided.”


“Ok then,” Aoshi said and bowed again. “I’ll look forward to your answer.” He wished Inuyasha good day before exiting, leaving Inuyasha in his office to stew and wonder over Sesshoumaru’s behavior. “It’s not like him to hand out job offers to everyone he sees,” Inuyasha thought to himself as he fished his breakfast out of his desk. ‘And when he does he normally tells me about it before they show up. He knows how much I hate it when people show up unexpected. I’m going to give him a piece of my mind when I see him tomorrow. He might have to reschedule his little ‘hook-up session’ with his little friend.’

o.O.o


Sesshoumaru panted heavily, his fingernails caked with the red mud underneath him as he waited for the residual effects of his Changing to wear off. His breathing evened after a few moments and he struggled to rise, first moving to his knees to grasp a nearby tree when the world began to spin awkwardly around him. He closed his eyes and waited this out as well, then slowly stood up and opened his eyes.


He frowned thoughtfully at the red car parked along the edge of the woods, then searched the trees around him. “Get down from there hanyou,” he snarled once his spotted Inuyasha perched on one of the branches above him. “How dare you sneak up on this Sesshoumaru.”


“How dare you send a total stranger to this Inuyasha’s office,” Inuyasha mocked as he deftly leapt from the branch. He landed beside Sesshoumaru easily, his bare feet barely kicking up dust as the brothers glared at one another. “Here’s your clothes by the way,” he said as he held out a black duffle bag. “You’ll have to leave the other one out here somewhere so Jaken or Myouga can get it.”


“Fine.” Sesshoumaru shifted out of his haori and grabbed into the first shirt his eyes fell on. He buttoned up a long sleeved white shirt, jerked a forest green polo shirt over his head and finally replaced his hakamas with a pair of dark washed jeans before sitting on a nearby stump. “Now what is this nonsense in which you speak,” Sesshoumaru demanded as he changed his footwear. “This Sesshoumaru has sent no one to you Inuyasha.”

“Really?” Inuyasha snapped sarcastically. “Then how in the hell does this Aoshi dude know you?”


“I do not know,” Sesshoumaru stated mater-of-factly. “I take it he spoke of me.”


“Yeah,” growled Inyasha. “Why else do you think I’m so pissed Sesshoumaru? Jeez, you normally tell me before you turn my life around? What happened now, you ran out of time or something?”

“Inuyasha, what are you babbling on about?” Sesshoumaru asked and paused from tying his shoe. “Did I not just say-“


“Yeah, you said,” Inuyasha interrupted angrily. “But this dude knew too much about you to let it be just some coincidence, or someone trying to get a job by using your name. This dude knew what you were Sesshoumaru. He knew about Kikyou’s curse.”


“Did I not instruct you on saying that name in front of me...”


“Aw get the hell over it,” Inuyasha countered. “You can’t do anything about it with the way you are now. Your only hope of beating me is to break the curse and you’re probably not even trying to do that are you? It’s a good thing you got me you know? I’m always trying to get you to hook up with someone.”


“Speaking of which...”


“Uh oh,” Inuyasha muttered to himself and took a step back from Sesshoumaru’s anger. “Um...what?”


“You know what hanyou,” Sesshoumaru growled darkly. “Of what right did you have to give away my mother’s most cherished possession?”


“Um...oh! You mean the diamonds! Yeah, I thought she’d like that since you completely forgot about Valentine’s Day! Shame on you Sesshoumaru!”


“Do not think to chastise me,” Sesshoumaru retorted and stood up. “Answer my question.”


“Oh come on,” Inuyasha whined pitifully. “I didn’t think you ‘d be that mad since it’s going to that girl you’re always with! And besides, it’s not like you’re not going to be there watching over it while it’s there.”


“You are still missing the point.” Sesshoumaru wanted to argue further but decided with a mental sigh to cut Inuyasha some slack. “Come,” he said while he shrugged into a denim overcoat. “I have things to do tonight.”

“Hey, what about that Aoshi guy!” Inuyasha asked once they were in the car. “What am I supposed to do about him?”


“What does he look like?”


“He’s an inu youkai,” Inuyasha told him as he struggled to remember. “He’s got black hair and blue eye-“


“Oh.”


“Oh,” Inuyasha repeated with a loud snort. “Oh my ass! You could have told me he was coming Sesshoumaru!”


“I forgot. I am allowed-“


“In what? You’re old age? Don’t make me laugh!” Inuyasha barked in amusement. “Here you are,” he said as he parked in front of Kagome’s apartment door. “Now what am I supposed to do about that guy?”


“Place him somewhere he will be useful,” Sesshoumaru instructed and opened the car door. “He will not be able to work many days so make the days he is available count.”


“Sure, why not?” Inuyasha griped to himself, then reached inside the glove compartment and pulled out a purple box. “Hey Sesshoumaru, catch!”


Sesshoumaru barely caught the velvet cube as it came flying out of the passenger’s side window toward him. He frowned at Inuyasha for his thoughtlessness, opened the box and frowned again before attempting to put the box back in the car.


“I will allow your giving of my personal property to go without repercussions Inuyasha,” Sesshoumaru said as he leaned over the window. “But only this once...and only if you take this back.”


“I’m not going to,” Inuyasha quipped snidely. “You know that one thing goes with the other and if they’re not together then they’ll only get lost. Besides,” Inuyasha said with a sly grin. “What would it hurt to give it to her huh? It’s not like you’ll allow her to lose it. And...I bet she’ll ‘appreciate’ it!” Inuyasha wagged his eyebrows suggestively and laughed out loud when Sesshoumaru turned on his heel and stalked up the walkway, the blue velvet box in tow.


o.O.o


Kagome stared into space, her left leg propped lazily on top her small coffee table. She absently nudged a bottle of mint green fingernail polish with her big toe but her thoughts were miles and miles away . She propped her right leg up against her chest, folded her arms over her raised knee and sighed.


“I can’t believe it,” she whispered to herself as she stared at a little inconspicious black velveteen bag that sat in the middle of her coffee table. It was two weeks after Valentine’s Day and March was already dancing joyously on little jade feet, yet she still couldn’t get over the shock that she received that day. She and Sango were nearly hysterical in her office that day, the pair practically squealing and falling over one another in an attempt to calm themselves. It took one of the mail boys to calm them down with the admission that there were other gemstones that could cut glass. They immediately went to the nearest jeweler after work and, after waiting twenty minutes for the appraiser to come back from his dinner break, found out that the pale blue stones, twelve in all, were indeed diamonds.


Kagome was thrown instantly, her eyes wide in shock and surprise while the appraiser babbled on to Sango about cut, clarity, karat and other things she didn’t understand, but she quickly came to speed when he announced their value.


‘Imagine,’ she said to herself as she reached down and weighed the bag in her hand. The appraiser gave her the bag to store them in instead of the clear plastic sandwich bag she came in with. ‘Just three of these little gems are worth twice of what I make in a year. What on earth was Sesshoumaru thinking to send me these?’ She looked up when the doorbell rang, grayish blue orbs narrowing slightly before she set the bag down. She wiped her hands down the sides of her light gray pyjama pants and glanced out the front window before opening the door.


“Just the person I wanted to see,” she greeted Sesshoumaru from the other side of the door. Kagome turned and walked away, leaving him slightly flustered at her attitude before he came inside and shut the door.


“And for what do I owe the pleasure of your ire?” he inquired smoothly. He locked the door behind him, his turned back hiding his momentarily confusion at the construction of the deadbolt before turning back to her.


“Here.”


“And what is this?” he asked and stared at the black bag danging from his fingertips. “And why are you giving it to me?”


“No, what I should ask is why you gave it to me!” Kagome demanded angrily, her eyes stormy as she glared up at him. “What’s the big idea anyway? Why would you give me something like that?”


“Kagome I-“


“What, do you think that, because we kissed a couple of times, that you have to pay me off or something? Or maybe you think I’m just some brainless nitwit that will fall all over herself because you gave me something that’s worth more than my car?!”


“Kagome, would you-“


“Don’t you know what they do for those diamonds Sesshoumaru?! Most, if not all, of the world’s diamonds come from Africa, but do you think they actually give the people who live near those diamond mines any of the profits? Haven’t you seen one episode of National Geographic?!!”


“Alright that is enough.” Sesshoumaru stepped forward and gently clamped his free hand over her mouth. “Now that you have given me a chance to explain,” he said and smirked when she glared up at him. “I do not have the need to pay you off. I do not expect you to ‘fall all over me’. As a matter of fact, I expect nothing from you except for you to be yourself when we are together. As for the mining of said diamonds, I doubt anyone was used so evilly for mine. They are far older than the diamonds that are on the market now.”


“They are?” Kagome asked, her voice muffled and soft behind his hand. Sesshoumaru nodded. “One would say they were...heirlooms.”


“Really?” Sesshoumaru removed his hand in answer and watched as she stretched her jaw. “Who’s were they?”


“They belonged to my mother,” replied Sesshoumaru before reaching inside the bag. He lifted free one of the tiny stones, each no larger than a thumbtack, and held it up to the light overhead. “They were passed from my great grandmother to my grandmother, from her to my mother and my mother to myself. They are...special.”


“Then I know I can’t take them,” Kagome shook her head earnestly. “I mean, I don’t even know why you’d give them to me, no less why you think I’d keep them after knowing how important they are to you.”


Sesshoumaru stood by while she fretted, a knowing smirk on his lips as she paced in front of him. He had all intentions on retrieving said diamonds once he came in but now that she wanted to give them back to him, he found that he actually wanted her to have them.


‘It is not as if I will leave her alone with them,’ he said to himself while Kagome continued to state her reasons on why she couldn’t keep them. ‘I will always be here and she will obviously take care of them.’


“It does not matter what you think,” he informed the worried young woman after grasping her by the upper arm. “You will accept them and that is that.”


“Oh no I won’t!” she shot back, her anger from earlier returning full force. “I told you I won’t take them! That’s the kind of thing you give a wife or a girlfriend or something! I don’t even know what we are yet and-“


“What does any of that matter?” he replied logically. “You are obviously important to me or I would not have given them to you. Why do you need anything more than that-“


“But I don’t know what your intentions are.”


“I do not know myself,” Sesshoumaru answered honestly. “And yet, I am not as worried. I do not see you as ‘easy’ so please cease that assumption. You are a curious, kind-hearted creature and I value you just the way you are.”


“Really?” Kagome whispered shyly, her eyes downcast and her fingers twiddling nervously.


“Yes,” Sesshoumaru answered as her gently raised her chin. “I do. Now will you stop this insanity? You are on the verge of hurting my feelings and bruising my honor.”

Kagome laughed and held out her hands. “Well I guess we don’t want your honor bruised, do we? Sure, why not?”


“You honor me,” Sesshoumaru quipped dryly and smiled when Kagome laughed again. He placed the bag in her hands, then closed her fingers around it before reaching inside his coat. “Now, honor me by accepting this too.”


“Now what’s this?” Kagome asked before she opened the box. She gaped, her eyes impossibly round before reaching inside. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered as she pulled out a heart-shaped crystal container. The lid lifted and closed on tiny gilded wires intricately.


“It’s to hold them,” Sesshoumaru told her and gestured for the bag. He poured the diamonds from the bag to the crystal, the tiny ping of each one as they fell to the bottom familiar music to his ears. “I used to play with them as a child. Of course I had not a clue of the value they held until I swallowed one.”


“Oh my goodness,” Kagome giggled as she traced a finger over the crystal’s etched lid. “What happened?”


“Mother was upset of course, but it was more over my health than the jewel. Days passed, yet the jewel never did.”


“Oh ew,” Kagome groaned in disgust. She laughed in understanding at his embarrassment and patted his arm. “I’m sorry Sesshoumaru. Are you telling me that there’s another diamond possibly living inside you?”


“Alright, enough of this,” Sesshoumaru replied instead. He picked up the forgotten bottle of nail polish and eyed it critically. “What is this?”


“It’s nail polish,” Kagome said as she jerked the bottle away from him. “And don’t you dare laugh at the color?”


“How can one find bottled baby puke amusing?”


“Ahhh! Don’t say that!” Kagome replied dramatically. She flopped down on her couch and opened the bottle. “It took me all day to find this shade and I don’t want to hear about what it looks like!”

“Why are you painting your nails green?” he asked as he sat down on the edge of the coffee table in front of her. “Of all of the colors one would imagine on someone’s toes, green is not at the top of my list.”


“Eh, it’s kinda embarrassing,” she admitted with a blush. “But um...I paint my toes green for March, since it’s the start of spring and all. The flowers are waking up, the grass is growing again and well...I thought I’d greet spring with something special.”


“I take it this is a tradition,” he asked, his nose wrinkling slightly from the sharp sting of the polish.


“Yeah, it is,” she answered and propped her foot up beside him. “I’ve done this every year since I was a kid.”


“I see. So how does this ‘nail polish’ work?”


“I keep forgetting you’re a guy,” Kagome said before demonstrating. “I guess you’re just that easy to talk to. You take the brush and dip it into the polish like this-“ Sesshoumaru watched as she did so, watching as the pale green droplet clung to the black bristles. “Then you put it on.” She spread the paint onto her toe in a thin line, then finished before glancing up at him. “See? That’s not so hard.”


“May I?”


“Um, sure,” Kagome shrugged and handed him the bottle. “But I don’t believe it’ll look good on you.”


“Neither do I.” He moved her foot from the wooden table to his lap, opened the bottle and studied the paint closely before attempting the first stroke.


“What are you doing?” Kagome asked, her brain mildly fluttering from the gentle circles his thumb made on the arch of her foot.


“I am ‘painting your nails’, I suppose,” he said while he concentrated. “Am I doing this correctly?”


“Um, yeah,” Kagome nodded. “But Sesshoumaru, you don’t have to-“


“There you go again,” Sesshoumaru interrupted, then gently blew on his finished attempt to get them dry. “Hurting my feelings and bruising my ego. I know I do not have to, yet I am.” He quirked an amused brow at her silence and gestured toward her. “Your other foot, if you please.”


Kagome complied willingly, shifting her left foot from his lap to the floor before softly placing her right in his lap. ‘He’s practically doing me a favor,’ she said to herself as she watched him work. ‘So it really wouldn’t do to injure his ‘boys’ for it.’


“And just what is so amusing?” he asked when she smirked. “Am I doing something wrong?”


“No, don’t worry about me,” Kagome said with a nonchalant wave. “I’m goofy, remember?”


“Yes, and in spite of it I find you charming.” He smirked again when she blushed and realized that he liked causing that sudden stain on her cheeks. ‘I will have to cause it more often.’ He finished the last toe and inspected his work. “Not bad, if I do say so myself. What do you think Kagome?”


“Oh wow,” she said as she wiggled her freshly painted digits. “You did really great! There’s no polish on my skin or anything! I’d have used my correction pen eight hundred times by now.”


“What is that?”


“Oh yeah, it’s this.” She held up a white pen with a clear plastic cap. “There’s remover in the pen and you use it to correct mistakes.”


“I see. What useful little bits they must be.”


“They are. Speaking of useful.” She stood up, grasped his hand and pulled him from her coffee table to her spot on the couch. She sat down in his lap, draped her arms around his neck and gave him a quick peck on the side of his face. “Thank you Sesshoumaru. You did a wonderful job.”

“If so, then I have not been properly rewarded,” he ‘pouted’ before crossing his arms and turning away from her.


Kagome laughed when Sesshoumaru ‘glared’ back at her, then grasped his ears and turned him back. “Aww, is this better?” She kissed him on the lips quickly and squeaked in surprise when he kept them together. He moved her legs to straddle his, wrapped his arm around her lower back and ran his fingers through her still damp hair. Whatever she showered with left her smelling sweet, like some sort of confection and since he couldn’t catch her natural scent in this form he gladly settled for this one as he moved from her mouth to draw lazy kisses along her jawline.


He smirked when she sighed, then outright grinned against her neck when she huffed in frustration. “I absolutely hate it when you do that,” she scolded and gently wacked his arm.


“You do not,” was his muffled answer. She growled lightly, then rolled her eyes and huffed again when he ignored her. “Hey Sesshoumaru?”


“Hmm..” he mumbled as he traced the tip of his nose up her neck.


“Stop that!” she giggled when he tickled her. “You’re tickling me and you’re going to make me forget what I wanted!!”


“Fine.” Sesshoumaru sat back, his hazel eyes focused on hers as she shyly stared up at him. “What is it?”


“Um...you said something about your mother...”


“Yes? Go on.”


“And I was kinda wondering....if you had any other family? Other than your brother of course.”


“My father has been long dead,” Sesshoumaru answered her matter-of-factly. “My mother has been as well. There is no one left but Inuyasha and myself.”

“Oh. That’s...sad.”


“I suppose,” Sesshoumaru replied softly. “But do not be sad for us. What of your family?”


“Um, there’s my little brother Souta, my cousins Kageromaru, Juromaru (who’s only 13 months old by the way), and Miroku, then a couple of uncles and ants. Then there’s my mother Samantha-“


“Samantha?” Sesshoumaru repeated. “How...unusual. I take it she is not from this country?”


“Well she was born here, and Grandma was from here but they moved to America when Mom was a baby,” Kagome explained and shifted herself to a more comfortable position. “She moved back to Japan almost thirty years ago for a technology course at Tokyo University. Anyway, she lives at the shrine-“


“What shrine?” Sesshoumaru asked. “There are dozens of shrines in this city.”


“I know that!” Kagome exclaimed and whacked his arm. “You’re such a jerk! It’s the Sunset Shrine, the one on the eastern side of the business district. Anyway, she lives there with my grandpa Souta-“


“I thought Souta was your brother.”


“No and well, yeah,” Kagome replied. “The first born guys in my family are named Souta. My grandpa’s the second Souta, my father was the third and my brother’s the fourth. With the name goes the shrine unfortunately, so...”


“So your father, grandfather and mother take care of the shrine?” Sesshoumaru inquired. ‘If so, then why is he never present whenever Kagome is there?’


“No, it’s just my mom and grandpa,” Kagome whispered sadly. “My dad died years ago so-“


“My apologies,” Sesshoumaru replied and pulled her to rest against his chest. “I was not aware of-“


“You couldn’t have been,” Kagome interrupted quickly. “I never told you so it’s ok.” She sighed and rugged her cheek against his shirt, her eyes closing briefly as she reached up to clutch his side. “He was a really great guy you know.”


“Your father I presume.”


“Yeah,” Kagome nodded. “He, um, he was so kind, my dad. He...” She laughed softly, her voice watery and strained as she lost herself in memories long past. “He was so great to my mom, brother and I. I remember him walking around the shrine at night, all by himself long after everyone else went to bed. I would sneak to my window and watch him. I called myself looking out for him but really I just wanted to walk with him.


“He had horrible bouts with insomnia and he rarely got any sleep at night,” she explained to Sesshoumaru, her eyes now open but distant and foggy as she stared into space and the living room. Sesshoumaru shifted from the back of the couch to lie back on one of it’s pillow-y arms. He pulled her down with him and brought her head to rest on his shoulder, his male pride stroked when she snuggled into his neck. He made them as comfortable as he could, realizing that what she had to say was important to her and that made it important to him.


“He would do little things around the house, like re-plant any of the flowers that had died over the day and sweep out the storage shed. For the most part he sat underneath the Sacred Tree with his violin.”


“He played?”


“Uh huh,” Kagome nodded. “He played all kinds of classical stuff, but the one he always played was from one of his favorite movies. He loved old American movies and he’d watch them on the nights when the weather was too bad for him to sit outside. He, um...I see him sometimes, when I’m at the shrine,” she admitted with a barely heard whisper. “He’s always next to the Sacred Tree, his violin in his hands and dressed in his gi. Gah,” she giggled as she wiped her tears away and sat up. “You must think I’m nuts.”


“Why so?” Sesshoumaru asked. He propped himself up on one of his elbows and reached to wrap a strand of her slightly damp hair around his index finger.



“Because, you come over here to relax and here I am, babbling on and crying and junk. On top of that you probably think I’m hallucinating or something because of-“


“I think nothing of the sort,” Sesshoumaru assured her with a gentle tug on her hair. “Stop assuming to know what I think. Surely you do not believe you are the only one to have lost someone important to them.”


“Oh Sesshoumaru, I’m so sorry,” Kagome replied in wide eyed realization. “All of this talking and I totally forgot about your wi-“


“Please, let’s not speak of it,” Sesshoumaru cut her off. She looked away in shame and he gently brushed his knuckles against her cheek. “Please Kagome, do not think of me right now. Do not think of my needs or my feelings. You do too much of that now. Speak of your father until you are tired. I wish to know everything you are willing to tell about him and the rest of your family. By the time you are through, I will know what color his eyes were, though I have a feeling I already do.”


o.O.o


Kagome sniffed and growled angrily at the sunlight that refused to let her sleep. She turned over and opened her eyes, calm blue oceans clear and focused as she stared at the crystal handle of her bathroom door. “How in the world...” she wondered aloud as she sat up. Her last memory was lying on the couch with Sesshoumaru in the living room, so how had she managed to end up in her room, in her bed of all places? And where was-“


“Um, duh Kagome,” Kagome said with a sigh as she swung her legs off the side of the bed and stood up. “Since when have you awakened to him lying beside you? Besides, I doubt that would happen. But...he was really nice last night. I probably ruined his night too.” She groaned miserably and opened her bathroom door. Yesterday had been the anniversary of her father’s passing and if she’d known that Sesshoumaru was coming she probably would have called him and told him to stay away. She always got weepy on that day and chose to spend it alone instead of at the shrine with her mother, brother and grandfather.


It was how she coped with things and she doubted that it would change either.


She turned off the shower and dried off quickly, her gaze thoughtful as she mentally stared into hazel orbs of understanding. ‘And what was that crack about ‘thinking of his needs’ or something like that?! I knew I forgot to ask him something!! I swear, the arrogance of that man! Why I oughta-‘ She looked outside her bedroom window and burst out laughing, her mirth bouncing off of the glass to fill the room. Down below, ‘Chance’ slept on his back unaware, his legs stretched open with his back leg twitching sporadically. “Poor baby,” Kagome said to herself as she calmed down and went downstairs. “He must be (snicker) chasing a cat. He must be tired and hungry. I’d better let him in.” She unlocked the back door and suppressed another giggle when Chance bolted up, his snowy ears pert and alert as he glared around him.


“Oh come inside already,” Kagome insisted as she held the door open for him. “It’s bad enough you run around all night long, now you want to sleep in the cold.”


‘She’s lucky you’re hungry,’ Kikyou said as she returned to Sesshoumaru’s conscious. ‘Or you wouldn’t stand for such a scolding, would you boy.’


‘Do not start woman,’ Sesshoumaru snapped irritably. ‘This Sesshoumaru is not in the mood.’


‘When are you...’


Kagome missed Sesshoumaru’s answering growl when the phone rang. She reached over the counter and picked up the cordless receiver. “Hell-“ she winced and jerked the phone away when the person on the other end squealed happily. She frowned in spite of recognizing Sango’s number and voice, and waited until she was finished ask what was going on...


But she made sure to put Sango on speakerphone first.


“Kagome, you’re not going to believe it!” Sango exclaimed from the other end. Miroku shook his head and watched while Sango practically bounced across her living room, then sat back and watched her breasts bounce underneath her shirt.


“What is it Sango?” Kagome mumbled as she tossed one of Chance’s meals into the microwave. She reached underneath the cabinet for a frying pan and waited for Sango to explain.


“It’s our dresses Kagome!” Sango sang out happily. “The shop’s finally got them in! They’re here!”


“Really?” Kagome gasped and grinned at the phone. “Oh my God Sango that’s great!”

“I know! I got the call from one of the ladies at the shop earlier this morning! They said we could come Monday and do the fitting-“ Sango turned and stared at Miroku when his cell phone rang, watching as he checked the number. He grinned back at her, gave her a thumbs up and slipped through the glass French doors to the porch outside.


“Hey, I didn’t wake you did I?” Inuyasha asked from his end. “I know how it feels so-“


“No, I’ve been awake for a while,” Miroku assured him and watched as Sango shrugged and continued her conversation. “What can I do for you Taishou-san?”


“Didn’t I tell you to call me Inuyasha?” he demanded. “Taishou-san is my brother, or my father. Keh. It makes me feel so old.”


“Alright then Inuyasha-san,” Miroku agreed with a laugh. “What can I do for you?”


“I know you’re getting married at the beginning of next month, so I thought you’d want to get your showing out of the way.”


“Showing?” Miroku repeated in confusion. “What showing?”


“Um...duh,” Inuyasha replied. “You’re an artist and if you want to get sold you need a showing. When do you want to do it?”


“Um...I don’t know,” Miroku admitted sheepishly. “I haven’t painted anything new-“


“Then bring what you have!” Inuyasha interrupted and growled at something from his end of the phone. “No, damn it, not right now! I’m on the phone! Oh, sorry Miroku. Anyway, didn’t you say you did photos at one time? Do a few of them. It doesn’t matter. Just do what you want, just make sure to be finished by the last Friday in this month ok?”


“Um, alright.”

“Good.” Inuyasha hung up without another word, leaving Miroku confused and more than a little worried about what he would present at his showing. ‘I don’t have anything new, and I’m sure the paintings I’m working on will take at least another month to complete, if that. My only option is photography, but what will I shoot...’ He walked back inside and stopped at the fireplace mantle Sango kept pictures of her family and friends. He glanced over each one, his violet blue eyes imploring as he passed over each one. He picked up a recent one of Kagome and Chance, this one taken at the annual Christmas party last year at the shrine. Inspiration struck him hard, nearly flooring him in its intensity and he was moving across the floor before he could stop himself.


“May I Sango dear?” he asked as he held his hand toward the phone.


“Um, sure Miroku,” Sango replied as she handed him the phone. “What’s going on?”


“Kagome!” Miroku chirped happily. “How’s my favorite little cousin this fine morning?!”


“Ok, what is it?” Kagome asked as she stared warily at the phone. “You’re never this charming unless you want something.”


“I agree,” Sango said and leaned against the wall beside him. “What’s up?”


“Why ladies, you wound me,” Miroku moped sadly. “I merely wish to ask for a favor from my lovely relation.”


“What?”


“I need for you and Chance to do me one teeny favor.”


“What is it?” Kagome asked again. “I’m not taking my clothes off, whatever it is.”


“Again, you wound me,” Miroku said and flinched when Chance’s growl filtered through the phone lines. “I just want to take pictures of you two.”

“For what?” Kagome asked. She wasn’t trying to be difficult. As a matter of fact, she would have done anything for Miroku but she remembered the last time said lecher asked her to take pictures for him. She had to deal with the leering of half the male student body for a year afterward.


“I’m in a bind,” Miroku finally admitted. “The guy that’s been buying my artwork just called and he wants to put together a showing before we get married. I don’t have anything new but...”


“You want me to help, right?”


“Right!”


“And you want Chance there too?”


Sesshoumaru lifted his head at this, his golden eyes shining curiously as he stared at her.


“Right!”


“And this won’t turn out how it did last time, will it pervert?”


“No way Kagome!” Miroku assured her nervously. “I didn’t know everyone would react like that anyway Kagome! I swear!”


“Sure, sure,” Kagome replied, then sighed and said, “Alright. We’ll do it.”


“Yes!” Miroku hissed. “Thank you so much Kagom-“


“So long as they’re TASTEFUL and DECENT! Do not make me hurt you Miroku!”


“I won’t!” Miroku and assured her with a wink to his future wife. “I promise Kagome. I’ll be as respectful as possible.”

(End Chapter)


SF: OK, see! Like I said I plan on continuing this story! Here’s proof (and my blood) right here.


Inu-chan: Isn’t it a little empty though. I mean, this chapter is short.


SF: That’s because I’m in the middle of finishing A Cross...which was INTERRUPTED by this chapter. Thank you very much. Oh, but this chapter is also a set up. There are all kinds of things coming up , including preparations for Sango and Miroku’s wedding. Don’t think Kagome hasn’t asked our charming taiyoukai to come with her though. That-plus a couple of other things and preview of another insight to Sesshoumaru’s past- is in the coming chapter.


Next Chapter- Chapter Twenty: Two Bits