InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Second Chance ❯ My Brother in Arms ( Chapter 30 )

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

Disclaimer: No!. Don’t own it. Oh well. Le Sob! Le Cry! Le Whimper!!


Author’s note: Um...I checked with the muses (Silver and the Little Muse cause the Little Muse is way too young to be thinking about lemons) and they said that this story might have another fifteen or so chapters.



(I)


If Sango had a single doubt, one single doubt about the intentions of Kagome’s mysterious new ‘friend’, she would never say so. . .


Not now, when he’d gone to so much trouble to put her sister-friend’s mind at ease.


Kagome sat crossed legged on the floor, her tear-stained face still dewy, cobalt orbs still glassy, as she used one of the few things that remained of her possessions. Chance lay on his side in front of her, golden eyes closed and his paws stretched out in front of him while Kagome used her own hairbrush on his ashen stained fur. She brushed slowly, each stroke followed by a loving caress against his side. Sesshoumaru, Sango, Miroku, maybe even the entire world had been forgotten as she sat, her heart’s desire before her safe and alive.


“I was so worried about you,” she whispered hoarsely, her voice still raspy and raw from the night before. “I didn’t know where you were, or if you were ok, or if-“ Kagome stopped, unable to continue as her throat closed up and the tears that she’d kept inside finally spilled over her cheeks. Chance stood up, shaking off her brush, and licked the salt from her cheeks in a show of comfort and reassurance. She hugged him, another to add to the thousands since his appearance on the porch, and cried into his silvery coat.


Sango kneeled beside them and smiled, her arms reaching out to enfold the pair while Kagome cried. She rocked them back in forth gently and Sesshoumaru allowed it, his massive body alert but not tense while Kikyou marveled from the halls of his mind.


‘Did you ever think that you’d worry her this badly?’ she wondered as the pair continued to hold him. ‘I mean, look how broken up she was, how broken up she still is? Can you imagine what would’ve happened if you hadn’t came back?’


Sesshoumaru huffed, but said nothing. A little part of him felt guilty and he regretted his human night, but for once for an entirely different reason. He knew now that he couldn’t leave her, not yet anyway, and looked up when Sango finally let them go and Kagome stopped crying.


“You two must think I’m such a baby,” Kagome sniffed with a watery laugh.


“Of course not,” Sango replied and pushed Kagome’s dark strands away from her face. “I’m just as happy to see Chance as you are.”


“That’s not even possible,” Kagome laughed again, her fingers once again passing through his fur. “Cause if I could, I would hug him until all his fur came off.”


“Woof.”


“But you wouldn’t like that, I know,” Kagome said before kissing the blurred marking on his forehead. “I’m so glad to see you buddy.”


“Hey Kagome,” Sango said after a moment. “Why don’t you go take a shower? I’ll look after him,” she promised when Kagome looked to disagree. “I think you have something to wear still in the second bedroom closet.”


“A-are you sure?” Kagome asked as Chance and Sango helped her to her feet. “I mean, I think I should-“


“Chance needs to eat and you’re starting to stink,” Sango disagreed before Kagome could finish. “Go on and I’ll feed him.” She grabbed Kagome’s hand and pulled her down the hallway toward the bathroom, stopping first to grab Kagome’s clothes and a towel before pushing Kagome into the bathroom. Sango closed the door then leaned against it and listened, a grateful sigh escaping her lips when she heard the shower turn on.


“Come on Chance, “ she said, and patted her leg. Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes but jogged up beside her, then sat in the kitchen threshold while Sango walked in and opened the fridge. The tiny space was far too small for the both of them, with counters on either side and a narrow pathway down the center, so he watched from afar while Sango put together a small breakfast for him. She sat a small plastic bowl down in front of him, patted his nose, then washed her hands and began to make breakfast for herself and Kagome.


“Here you go Chance,” she whispered as she snuck a couple of sausage patties into his bowl. “If you don’t tell then I won’t.”


Sesshoumaru growled appreciatively and snapped up the first patty, then glanced up when the bathroom door opened. The scents of water, heavily steamed, came first, then Kagome’s natural jasmine. She was almost silent when she approached, dressed in a pair of faded denim jeans and a simple white T-shirt. Her hair was still damp, and her shirt clung to her dewy skin. Sesshoumaru followed the steady rise and fall of her breasts as if entranced, his eyes fixed as if nothing else existed. He looked up at Sango’s cooed, “Aww,” and looked away.


“See Kagome,” Sango said as Kagome sat down at the bar on the other side of the counter. “Chance missed you too.” Kagome smiled weakly, her eyes finally free of tears, and sighed. “Ok,” Sango said as she sat two plates onto the counter in front of Kagome. “What’s the matter? What is it?”


“I wish I knew what to do now,” Kagome confided as she began to poke around her eggs. “I mean, where are Chance and I going to live now? I can’t stay here, and even though Kageromaru offered for me to stay with him, I still would have to leave Chance somewhere else. On top of that anyone I stay with might end up in danger.”


“Kagome, don’t say-“


“What if Naraku gets out of jail? The first person he’s gonna want to come after is me! Naraku is dangerous and there’s no way I want to put any of you guys at risk.” She sighed again and shook her head. “I guess we’ll just have to stay at a hotel until I find another apartment. I’ll just have to sneak Chance in somehow.”


“Are you kidding,” Sango replied doubtfully. “I don’t think you can sneak a dog that size into a snowstorm, no less into a hotel.”


“Well I don’t know what else to do.” Kagome paused, then pushed her plate away. “I’m sorry Sango, but I don’t think I’m very hungry right now.”


“I understand,” Sango said and watched as Kagome slid down from the bar. “Oh!” she gasped as she pulled something out of her back pocket. “I forgot. Here Kagome.”


Kagome accepted the folded piece of paper, a curious expression passing over her features as she read it’s contents. “Um, Sango, what’s this?”


“Your friend. . .what’s his name again?” Sango asked herself quietly. “Oh well,” she finally shrugged. “Anyway, he gave that to me this morning. It’s an address. He said for you to be there by-“ She glanced at the clock and gaped. “Oh my God!” Sango squeaked and jumped from her seat. “You’re supposed to be there at 10:00 this morning!”


Kagome glanced at the clock, her face blank for a moment before gasping. “Sango, that’s fifteen minutes from now!”


“I know! I’m so sorry!” Sango apologized and helped Kagome search for her shoes. “I completely spaced! Hey, wait a second! Don’t forget Chance!”


“I won’t! Come on Chance,” Kagome called as she slipped into a pair of white mary janes. She grabbed her purse, held the door open as Chance went past her, and waved to Sango before slipping out the door.


Had Sango a single doubt, one single doubt about the intentions of Kagome’s mysterious ‘friend’, she didn’t now, not when he’d gone through such trouble for Kagome’s happiness. . .


It was for that reason and that reason alone, that she finally handed over his note, assured of Kagome’s protection and safekeeping.


(II)


She couldn’t believe it, not even after staring at the directions dozens of times.


“He’s nuts,” Kagome whispered to Chance as they stood in the middle of the busy entranceway. “He has to be. I mean, what am I doing here anyway?”


Crowds of people brushed past them, some occasionally stopping to stare at the odd couple Kagome and her much larger dog made before hurrying past toward nearby stores. Kagome turned around again, her mouth finally closed from its unhinged position, and shook her head.


‘Why,’ she asked herself. ‘Would he send me to Tokyo International Mall of all places? What am I supposed to do here? Shop?!’


Tokyo International Mall was the biggest mall in all of Tokyo, in all of Japan even, with over 270 stores on three separate floors inside a massive office like building. Kagome and Miroku would joke about the food court and how it reminded them of an United Nations summit meeting, with food from every country in the world. She loved this place and on another day would have been more than happy to wander it’s many stores.


“Um, excuse me,” she said as she approached the information booth. “I was wondering if-“


“Forgive me for interrupting,” the older woman behind the desk asked before Kagome could finish. “But your name wouldn’t happen to be Higurashi Kagome, would it?”


“Um...yes, it is,” Kagome replied. “But what does that have to do with-“


“Taishou-san is expecting you. Here, follow me.” Kagome looked down at Chance, shrugged, and did as she was told, remaining only a couple of steps behind the woman as they cut across the mall’s entrance to a guard standing beside an elevator.


“Ryo,” the woman called and waved when the guard looked over. “This is Higurashi-san, the one we were told about earlier.”


“Right,” the guard, Ryo, nodded in remembrance. “I’ll take care of her.” He waited until the woman walked away, then gestured toward the elevator doors as they opened behind them. “This elevator will take you to the eighteenth floor, to a lobby with a huge desk in the middle of it. Behind that desk is a woman named Shiori (trust me, she’s hard to see for that thing). She’ll be expecting you.”


“Yeah but,” Kagome stammered helplessly as Ryo and Chance nudged her into the elevator. “What am I supposed to do when-“


“It was nice meeting you Higurashi-san,” Ryo waved, gray-green eyes sparkling mischievously as the elevator doors closed. Kagome sighed, then leaned against the wall and watched the elevator’s digital number display.


“I swear,” she whispered when they passed the tenth floor. “Has the world gone nuts, or is it just me?” She groaned when he barked, then shook her head and continued to watch the number display. Floor after floor crept by until the number eighteen flashed in bright crimson. Kagome pushed herself off the elevator’s back wall and waited, her hand winding around Chance’s leash, for the doors to open. They shuddered away silently, revealing a grand reception area. Dark, solid wood stretched far across the floor with calming light walls and beautiful topiary. Kagome stopped to touch a nearby fern, marveling at the sheer size of the normally small plant, and jumped in surprise when someone cleared their throat.


Kagome blushed in embarrassment, both at being caught so unawares and at her appearance as a well dressed young woman stepped from behind a massive reception desk in the center of the room. The desk dwarfed her already diminutive figure, the woman herself almost doll-like with her sharply pinned up hair and dark dress suit.


“Higurashi-san, I presume,” the woman said, snapping Kagome out of her thoughts.


“Yes. Um, forgive me for asking, but I’m having trouble-“


“Please come with me.” The woman turned, opened a door and proceeded down a hallway without looking back. Kagome followed quickly, making sure to leave Chance’s leash loose in her hands to keep from choking him, and stopped when the young woman opened another door. “Taishou-san is inside,” the young woman said with a grin. “And don’t worry,” she assured Kagome as she shut the door behind her.


“Taishou-san is a bear in name only. I’m sure he’ll go easy on you. . .I hope.”


“What wa-“ Kagome turned, surprised when the woman was no where to be found. ‘Just what is going on?’ she wondered as Chance tugged her forward. ‘I just don’t seem to get anything anymore. Maybe I should go back to Sango’s and lie down.’ She squared her shoulders though, looked ahead, and ventured further into the office. The black carpet was soft underneath her feet and her footsteps barely made a sound as she approached the small desk on the other side. Someone paced on the other side, his head leaned crookedly against his shoulder as he argued into the cell phone wedged underneath it. His dark eyes flashed in the sunlight and Kagome sat down, waiting patiently, when he leaned against the desk and tapped his fingers against the desk’s smooth glass surface.


His hair, a darkness that nearly grazed his shoulders, trembled slightly and Kagome eeped in surprise when he growled.


“I want it done now,” he snarled suddenly, his eyes narrowed when he finally looked up. He blinked when he saw her, surprise flashing in his honey brown orbs before he smiled and winked at her.


“Did you see that?” Kagome asked Chance, who growled while the man hung up the phone and walked around the desk to stand in front of them. He leaned against it, reached out and shook Kagome’s offered hand.


“Good morning Higurashi-san,” he greeted and reached down for one of Chance’s front paws. “And a good morning to you as well Chance. How are you two?”


“Um...confused,” Kagome admitted and patted Chance’s head when he growled again. “I thought Sesshoumaru would be here.”


“Eh, he would be here but we had an emergency come up in Turkey. Something about the HQ there coming under some kind of problems with the government. He had to fly out right after he tossed your friend here onto that porch.”


“So he found Chance?” Kagome asked, her eyes sparkling with hero adoration. “Oh wow.”


“Yeah, whatever,” the man said with a roll of his eyes. Chance barked, the sound sharp and irritated and the man laughed. “Alright, alright,” the man relented.


“My name, Higurashi-san, is Taishou Inuyasha, and I’m the Ice Prince’s younger brother-“


“Woof!”


“Half -brother,” the man, Inuyasha, grinned as he corrected himself. “And you’re Kagome. I’ve heard a lot about you and your dog too.” He reached down and gave Chance an affectionate rub, and laughed when Chance reached out to bite him.


“Chance!” Kagome gasped as she grabbed his head and hugged it against her chest. “That’s a no-no! Don’t do that!” She scowled when Inuyasha kept laughing. “It wouldn’t have been so funny if he’d taken a chunk out of your hand.”


“Yeah well, he didn’t so there’s nothing to worry about. Besides,” he said and gestured toward Chance’s face. “That’s just the way Sorcerer breeds are.”


“What?” Kagome asked in surprise. “What’s a Sorcerer breed?”


“Oh, that’s this ‘little guy’ right here,” Inuyasha replied as he gave Chance’s side a manly pat. “See, there’s a legend that starts way back in the Feudal Era about this breed.”


“Really?” Kagome asked as she scooted to the edge of her seat toward him. “What legend? What was it?”


“See the markings on his face, the one on his forehead and the pair on his cheeks?” Inuyasha asked and pointed out said markings. “It’s said that some great sorcerer, way back in the Feudal Era, placed a spell on these dogs. Whatever the enchantment was left them branded with the marks of the spell. It’s said,” he finished with another pat and a grin in Kagome’s direction. “That whosoever is found by these dogs has a protector for life.”


“Really. . .” Kagome whispered and couldn’t help but be awed when Chance turned to look at her. Golden eyes, eyes that she had always found to be so pretty, seemed so mysterious now, filled with enchantment, secrets and magic that spanned hundreds of years.


‘Yeah right,’ Kagome said to herself as she reached out and scratched behind Sesshoumaru’s ears. ‘That’s a load of crap. But he’s really, really funny.”


“But that’s probably a load of crap,” Inuyasha said and laughed at the surprise on her face. “Anyway, I brought you here for a reason and-“


“You brought me here,” Kagome interrupted incredulously. “I thought Sesshoumaru-“


“Well, technically yeah, he was the one that gave you the directions, and he’s the one that recommended you for this, but it’s my project.”


“Um....ok then,” Kagome answered after a few moments. “Why am I here then?”


Inuyasha stood up, rubbed his hands together and sighed. “You see,” he said as he pushed a stray lock of his hair behind his ear. “I’m sure Sesshoumaru’s told you that we’re a real estate company right?” He waited for Kagome to nod before continuing. “Well we do that, plus Sesshoumaru has a research center and I have an art gallery.”


“Really?” Kagome replied and grinned. “Hey, I have a cousin that does some artwork. Would you like to see it sometime? It’s already in another gallery, but-“


“Yeah, um...how about we talk about that later, huh?” Inuyasha proposed with a nervous laugh. “I’m tryin’ to ask for a favor here.”


“Oh, um...ok.”


“Like I said,” Inuyasha continued. “We’re into real estate, commercial real estate. For the most part all of our clients are huge corporations and stuff, but I wanna branch out into the private sector.”


“Ok,” Kagome nodded in understanding. “But what does that have to do with me?”


“There’s a property I found recently and I renovated it, had it decorated-cause, let’s face it. I’m a guy.” He grinned slyly. “I don’t know the difference between chartreuse and mint, and I didn’t know they existed until I hired a decorator. I just thought that green was green.”


“That’s so like a guy,” Kagome laughed and reached out to pat his hand. “It’s alright. I doubt you’re the only one.”


“Well, thanks,” Inuyasha replied and blushed at the slight electric buzz he received when she touched him. “Um. . .”


“Woof!”


“Right,̶ 1; Inuyasha replied and blinked out of his stupor. “Like I was saying, this place is decorated and everything. I wanted Sesshoumaru to look over it, but that thing came up in Turkey and he couldn’t. . .but he did ask me to see what you thought.”


“What?” Kagome squeaked in surprise. “I don’t know, Inuyasha. I don’t know anything about real estate-“


“Yes you do,” Inuyasha countered and rolled his eyes. “You know enough to tell me if I should redecorate or not. Come on. I need someone’s opinion and yours is just as good as any professionals.”


Kagome stood up, her hand resting on Sesshoumaru’s head, and glanced toward the side of the room to think. ‘I don’t know,’ Kagome said to herself while Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru waited. ‘I mean, I’ve got so much to do today. I have to find someplace for Chance and I to stay, plus I have to check my account and see how much is still in it. Maybe I have enough to buy a new suit before work Monday. And I-‘


‘But what would it hurt,’ a small voice in the back of her mind argued. ‘Inuyasha seems really nice and you already know Sesshoumaru is. It wouldn’t take fifteen, maybe twenty minutes to help them, then you can get on your way.’


‘Yeah, but-‘


‘And besides,’ the voice pointed out. ‘Sesshoumaru did bring Chance back. . .’


Kagome sighed, then nodded and turned back to Inuyasha. “Sure, I’ll help. What can I do?”


Inuyasha grinned, winked down at Sesshoumaru, and reached inside a glass jar for a set of keys. “Ok, come this way.” He walked toward the opposite side of the room, where a small elevator stood waiting. He flipped open a small door on the elevator’s right side and held out a set of keys, one silver, one red and one made of blue metal. He grasped the silver one, inserted it into the small keyhole underneath the door and stepped aside as the elevator doors opened.


He waited until Kagome and Chance were inside, then stepped inside himself before the doors closed. “It’s on the very top floor of this building,” Inuyasha explained. “There are three floors in all, and all three of them are apartments. The first one,” he said and pointed out the red number 1 on the elevator’s digital display. “Is my apartment. The next one is Sesshoumaru’s and the last one-“


>DING!<


“Is the empty one.” The elevator doors opened and Inuyasha stepped out first before reaching for Kagome’s hand. “Here we are.” Kagome and Chance walked out, Chance wedged firmly between Inuyasha and his charge as Kagome drank in the first room of the apartment.


“Wow,” she breathed, blue eyes round in awe as she took in all she could of the living room. The living room was a study of creams and browns. The couches were small, Victorian loveseats with a little glass coffee table between them. The rub beneath their feet complimented the walls, painted a calming taupe. The woodwork underneath lead from the room toward what Kagome guessed to be other parts of the condo.


Inuyasha’s tour lasted much longer than twenty minutes, yet time seemed to fly by as Kagome followed him. Each room was beautiful, far more beautiful than anything Kagome had ever seen, and she wanted to see everything she could before it ended. The study, on the right side of the living room, looked as if it had stepped right out of one of her father’s old movies. The walls were covered with books with a small desk and a laptop computer nestled in the far right hand corner. The kitchen was next, after a brief walk down a hallway that connected all the rooms. The kitchen was huge, larger than any kitchen she’d ever seen, with every kind of appliance a kitchen could have, all nestled in the dark wood of the cabinets. There were three bedrooms, two that still weren’t finished, but the master bedroom was beautiful. The bed, tucked into a corner of the room, was fit for royalty, with sheer white drapes swinging gracefully from the bed’s four posts. The carpet in this room was thick and soft, and Kagome couldn’t help but take her shoes off and wiggle her toes against the nap.


Through all of this Inuyasha watched her, his eyes occasionally taking in Sesshoumaru’s reaction, and pointed out different details, like the wall in the living room and the television cleverly hidden inside it’s many panels, or the enormous tub embedded in the floor of the master bath. Their tour ended on the deck of the patio overlooking the city. Inuyasha leaned against the patio’s glass French doors and smiled as she gazed out at all of Tokyo.


“Well,” he said after a few minutes. “What’ cha think? Everything’s alright?”


“Are you kidding?” Kagome asked with an awed grin. “Everything is amazing! This place is perfect! You’re going to make a fortune on this place!”


“Well yeah,” Inuyasha shrugged. “But I-we already have a fortune. That’s not what I’m concerned about.”


“What is?” Kagome asked in concern. “I don’t think you have to worry about selling it. It’s be-“


“I’m not worried about selling it,” Inuyasha replied with a shake of his head. “I’m worried about who will buy it.”


“Why?”


“For one, the only way up here is through that elevator in my office, and before that the elevator leading to the mall,” Inuyasha listed. “For another, my place and Sesshoumaru’s are just downstairs. We’d have to trust whoever we sold this place to.”


“Oh. Right,” Kagome replied thoughtfully. “I see. That is a problem.”


“It’s not a big one,” Inuyasha said before glancing in Sesshoumaru’s direction. Sesshoumaru sat down, his golden eyes piercing as he glanced from Kagome to Inuyasha and back again before growling. Inuyasha nodded, then said, “ I already have someone in mind.”


“Really?” Kagome said and sat down on a nearby lawn recliner. “Wow, that was fast. It’s a good thing I came th-“


“It’s you.”


Kagome blinked, frozen to the spot, before glancing up and said, “Say what?”

“It’s you. We want you to move into this place.”


“Are you serious?” Kagome said as she jumped up and began to pace. “There’s no way I can afford this place, not with everything that’s going on-“


“Kagome-“


“I mean, this place is amazing and all, but I can’t afford this place and-“


“Kagome, listen,” Inuyasha interjected. “I understand. I do. We do but Sesshoumaru insisted and I-“


“I don’t want a hand out,” Kagome replied with a shake of her head. “I’ve got to go. Come on Chance.” Sesshoumaru stood up, but refused to move and Kagome groaned miserably. “Oh come on,” she sighed dejectedly. “Not you too.”


“What?” Inuyasha said as he opened the patio door and walked inside. “He likes this place too. And you definitely do.”


“Well yes, of course I do but I can’t-“


“You can stay here until you get on your feet, then if you still want to stay we’ll talk about that other stuff,” Inuyasha offered and sat down at the kitchen table. He watched as she struggled within herself, her hands clasped in her lap while she chewed on her lower lip.


“I. . .I don’t know. I mean, what if-“


“Look,” Inuyasha began as he reached out and tugged her toward a chair next to him. “I don’t know why you won’t take this place. It’s perfect, right in the center of the busiest part of the city, and we have twenty-four hour security.”


“That’s not it,” Kagome replied with a forlorn shake of her head. “I honestly can’t afford this place, especially now with everything that’s happened. It wouldn’t be fair to you, or to Sesshoumaru.”


“Well, Sesshoumaru wants you here, so he’s perfectly fine with it. As for me, well,” Inuyasha sighed and leaned back against the dining chair’s strong wooden back. “I think it’s a good idea. Sure, it took some convincing-“ ‘More like threatening to rip off certain ‘parts’ of me,’ Inuyasha shivered as he remembered his earlier ‘conversation’ with his beloved older brother. “But I think it’s a great idea. Besides, you’re good for my brother. He’s not half as sticky now since you came along.”


“Well. . .” Kagome considered it a moment more then glanced around for Chance, who lay asleep in the middle of the kitchen floor. The enormous pooch seemed so at ease, so at rest right there that she decided to see it as a good omen and nodded. “Sure Inuyasha,” she replied and grinned at his war whoop. “But only for a little while. And I get to pay you back too.”


“I don’t care. Whatever you want, I’m just glad you’re staying,” Inuyasha replied as he quickly stood up. He waited until Kagome stood up to escort her to the elevator, a wide, infectious grin spread on his lips as he waited for the elevator doors to open.


“I’m guessing that you need the basic things, like groceries and stuff like that, right,” Inuyasha began once the doors opened. “Well there isn’t a grocery store in the mall, but there are plenty of other stores that you can get anything you want out of. That includes clothes too.”


“That’s not necessary,” Kagome shook her head. “Thanks, but I don’t think-“


“Ryo will meet you on the bottom floor to help you out with whatever it is you pick out,” Inuyasha steamrolled ahead as if she hadn’t spoken. “Plus he’ll show you where you can park your car. Here, don’t forget this.” He handed her the silver key to the apartment and waited until it was in her tiny hands to push the button for the elevator doors to close. Kagome squawked in protest, to which Inuyasha gave her a passing wave before turning to Sesshoumaru.


“I still think this is a bad idea,” Inuyasha quipped, then closed his eyes and sighed in long suffering. “Don’t you realize that it’s supposed to be the other way around, with me bringing home strange women and you saying that she can’t stay?”


“Woof.”


“Yeah,&# 8221; Inuyasha groaned as he waited for the elevator to return. “I just knew you’d say that.”


(End Chapter)


Next Chapter Summary: Kouga gets down to the bare facts with Naraku, who learns that his troubles are only just beginning. Something is found in soot and charred remains of Kagome’s old condo and Kagome learns just how much her benefactor has thought ahead.


Next chapter-Chapter Thirty-One: Something Remains