InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Secret Lovers ❯ Newssheet ( Chapter 9 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: saphira404 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Comedy | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 12.30.2011 | Pages: 5 | Words: 9.2K | Visits: 378 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Comedy | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 12.30.2011 | Pages: 5 | Words: 9.2K | Visits: 378 | Status: Work In Progress
Part 9: Newssheet
A/N: Lemon Alert… in the beginning. We shall see more interactions between characters in this one as well as where Sesshoumaru and Kagura’s relationship will go from now on.
Disclaimer: Sadly even though I love writing AU stories on my OTP, they don't belong to me. I tried to buy them, but all I could afford were plushies. Oh well better than nothing lol.
“Talking”
'Thoughts'
Sesshoumaru Tashio stared warmly in the eyes of the woman hovering over him. He watched intently as she eagerly rocked herself up and down his length. Her beautiful face was thrown back in the throes of passion, and a slight sheen covered her entire body as the only proof of the efforts she was putting forth.
While Kagura moved swiftly, Sesshoumaru was reclined against the mountain of pillows covering her bed. For a change he had allowed her to be on top, leaving the younger woman in charge of setting the pace and depth of their movements. Even if Sesshoumaru was letting Kagura make love to him, he had no intention of lying uselessly on the bed as she made all the work. In fact he trailed his right hand up the soft skin of her thigh, then tickled her ribs to reach up for his final destination: her left breast. With clever fingers he rubbed the tip of the mound, causing her to moan in appreciation, but not move faster. For the longest time she had only been making teasing shallow moves, which had annoyed him, and prompted him to try to get her to move faster.
“Hum Sesshoumaru.” Kagura moaned appreciatively as he thrust up into her body just as she made a slight downward motion.
The silver haired journalist knew that he could not be satisfied with her little moves, and since Kagura seemed determined not to take his subtle hints, he took the situation with his own hands. In a sudden move, Sesshoumaru raised himself away from Kagura’s pillows, and sat up in her bed carefully, so as not to dislodge the young woman from his lap. He had expected Kagura to express some sort of protest, but to his surprise as soon as he sat up, she wasted no time anchoring herself by taking a hold of his shoulders, and brought their bodies closer by encircling his torso in a tight embrace.
“Somebody’s being naughty… what happened to letting me do whatever I wanted with you? My hour’s not up yet.” Kagura chuckled in his ear mentioning his promise. They had engaged the night before in a vigorous scrabble battle, which she had won, and as a forfeit she had asked for him to play her hapless victim in bed for a full hour.
The grunt that escaped Sesshoumaru’s lips as he pumped his hips up to meet her downward stroke was the only answer she got. He eased his hand down from her delectable breast to reach for the place where they were joined, with the intention to go in search of her pleasure button. He knew he would soon reach his breaking point, and did not want to climax before Kagura.
‘I am so close.’ He thought to himself, his eyes closing as pleasure ran through his body. He could almost feel himself reach the perfect moment of blinding white pleasure, but the spell was suddenly broken by the shrill noise of the phone on Kagura’s side table ringing.
“Damn it.” The young dark haired woman hissed angrily. As much as she was enjoying herself with Sesshoumaru, she was still waiting for an important phone call from Naraku. Her father was supposed to let her know about a new assignment he wanted her to fulfill for Shikon Magazine.
“Don’t you dare answer it!” Sesshoumaru panted, addressing the woman still linked intimately with him. She had stopped thrusting herself on him, but he could still feel her wiggling slightly over his hips, making small ripples of pleasure go through him. He had been so close to reaching bliss before their interruption that his spine was still raked with shivers.
“I wasn’t planning to.” Kagura retorted, even if she extended her neck over his shoulder to check on the identity of the caller displayed on the glowing screen of her cell phone.
Sesshoumaru easily noticed her action as well as her apparent shift in interest from their love making to her cell phone. He was vexed by her sudden lack of interest into him, and he wasted no time acting accordingly. A growl escaping his throat, he reversed their positions and in a matter of seconds had Kagura pinned under him on the bed as he thrust into her fiercely. All thoughts of her cell phone left the young woman’s mind as all she could do was stare up into Sesshoumaru’s determined golden eyes, and follow his strong movements. The only thing she could now think about was tightening her grip on him to hold on for the wild ride. She placed her arms around his lean torso, gently resting her hands on the flexing muscles of his back. Her long legs took a hold of his waist next, encouraging Sesshoumaru to keep up his frantic pace.
All too soon to his taste, he could feel himself nearing his climax, and as he once again had no intention to do so without ensuring his partner would share the same fate, Sesshoumaru gently shook off the tight grip Kagura had on him. As soon as her arms became lax, he lowered his head to suckle and nibble on her left breast while the deft fingers of his right hand trailed the side of her thigh with the clear intention to go play with her pleasure button. However before his fingers even had the chance to join the fray, he felt Kagura shudder strongly under him and press their bodies closer by arching her back; he knew she had just climaxed.
‘Her breasts are so sensitive.’ He chuckled to himself as he finally relaxed, and was able to think about his own pleasure. She moaned in slight protest when he released her breast from his mouth.
“Greedy little witch.” He whispered against the damp skin of her neck as he continued his rhythmic pumping.
Kagura responded by turning her head to the side to take a hold of his ear with her teeth even as her hands trailed down from his back to his backside even going as far as giving the two fleshy mounds she had encountered a firm squeeze. The unexpected actions proved to be his undoing, and soon enough Sesshoumaru was emptying himself inside his lover. A part of him was shocked by her unbridled attitude in bed, but another much larger part was delighted.
‘Only she can get away with such behavior.’ Had he not presently been beyond the ability to speak, he might have told her so even if such a thing entailed admitting such a weakness for the younger woman.
Instead of revealing more of himself for Kagura to dissect, Sesshoumaru removed himself from her body then rolled off to lie next to her equally naked and sweaty body.
“You’re such a jerk… you know these and my neck are the most sensitive places on my body.” Kagura groaned as she pointed towards her breasts before pushing some of her hair out of her eyes. Now that Sesshoumaru had revealed a liking to her dark tresses, she tried her best not to keep her hair confined in constricting buns, even if at times such as now it proved to be unpractical.
“Indeed? I never noticed.” Sesshoumaru lied blatantly.
Kagura scoffed as she knew all too well that he was just teasing her. After all he had spent many a night torturing her by gently teasing her most sensitive spots. She never had the chance to voice that fact as Sesshoumaru turned to his side to once more take her breast in his mouth while one of his hand went up to play with her neglected other mound. Due to their bedroom sport, she was still a bit winded, causing her breathing to be deeper than usual, and her breasts to move with each breath she took. The sight had just been too irresistible for him to not act.
‘Doesn’t he ever get enough…’ Kagura sighed in pure pleasure. She closed her eyes and burrowed her back deeper into her pillows so as to abandon herself better to the pleasure her lover was giving her.
Once again the loud ringing of her cell phone startled the two lovers, but unlike as Kagura had done earlier, Sesshoumaru did not bother stopping his ministrations; he simply acted as if the annoying ringing noise did not exist.
“Sessh… I need to get this.” Kagura addressed her lover as she reached over to her side table for her cell phone. Her movement dislodged her nipple from his mouth with an audible sound, to his annoyance. She picked up her phone, and flipped it opened before bringing it to her ear.
For once Sesshoumaru lamented the fact that he was not in his first youth anymore. He could easily recall how when he had just left his father’s house, he was able to recuperate his strength easily after making love to a woman. However today, to his discontentment, the journalist had no choice but to allow his body to rest before he managed to do anything naughty at all.
‘If this had happened twenty years ago, I would already be making love to her, and a phone call from Naraku would be the furthest thing from Kagura’s mind…’
Since he could not do as he wanted, he contented himself with the next best thing; playing with the young woman’s succulent breasts. He was hoping that if he managed to distract her enough, Kagura would finally forget about work, and focus on him. His little ministrations started innocently enough, with his fingers lightly running over her ribs, but soon they trailed up to rub and pinch the sensitive tips of her breasts.
“Stop this!” Kagura hissed angrily at her lover after carefully covering her phone with her hand. She had paid attention not to use the name of her lover, but she felt like she could never be too careful. The last thing she could ever want would be to have her father found out about her ‘relationship’ with Sesshoumaru in such a way.
Sesshoumaru purposely ignored her words, and kept at his task, and Kagura seeing that she could not dissuade him, decided to ignore him. She gave Naraku her entire attention, and did her best to focus on what her father was telling her.
“You want me to come in now?” Kagura asked her boss, secretly hoping that her voice would not betray her present, very embarrassing, situation.
“Are you experiencing some sort of hearing disability?! I will be at the office in forty minutes, and I fully expect to see you there.” Her father barked. Even through the phone Kagura could make up his anger and frustration.
“Fine, I’ll be there, no need to yell.” She bit her lip to prevent herself from letting out a keen moan as Sesshoumaru gently pinched her soft skin, just the way she liked it.
“Good. Now I have to track down Sesshoumaru. For some reason he isn’t answering his phone.”
‘Dear old dad, what would you say if you knew where Sesshoumaru was and what exactly he was doing right now…’ The young woman snorted to herself as her crimson eyes lowered to look at her coworkers clever fingers dancing over her chest.
“I have no idea where he is, nor do I care. I’ll see you at work.” The young woman said quickly before shutting her phone, and throwing it in the general direction of her side table. At the present moment she could care less where exactly the device landed
“I can’t believe you just did that!” Kagura cried out as she swat Sesshoumaru’s hands away from her chest before seating up and getting out of bed for good.
“Well I cannot believe you truly intend to go to the office. It is Sunday.” Sesshoumaru pointed out as he looked with his lazy golden at Kagura getting dressed frantically.
“For a workaholic you are being very laid back.” The young woman retorted as she finished buttoning the shirt she had discarded earlier to get in bed with Sesshoumaru. “If I understand you correctly, you are not going to answer Naraku’s calls?”
“Indeed I have no intention to answer his summons.” He covered his lower side with the blanket. After all if his lover wanted to talk, he was not about to let her do so while he was seating on the bed half naked. “This Sesshoumaru is not a slave for Naraku to control at his every whim.”
“Is this how you see me?” Kagura balked. His backwards insult had not gone unnoticed by her. In fact it had shocked the young woman so much that she had had to pause in her process of getting dressed and gathering her things.
Sesshoumaru cursed slightly under his breath. He had not meant to antagonize Kagura, but thinking back, he knew he had chosen the wrong wording.
“Our circulation numbers are down 5% from the same time last year. If we don’t think of something really quickly, Sengoku Today! is going to keep stealing readers away from us.” Kagura huffed angrily as she put on her pants. “You may care more about getting laid than the magazine, but I can assure you I do not!”
Sesshoumaru felt that Kagura’s demeaning and insulting outburst was unwarranted because he had never neglected his work. He simply felt that unlike his lover, he did not jump to perform the second their boss snapped his fingers.
“I care about Shikon. Maybe not as much as you do since you have a… personal connection with the magazine, but I am a good worker and a damn good journalist.” He sat up straighter against the headboard. He may be naked, but he would stand as proudly as he could at least. “Yes, our numbers are down, and yes I agree we should do something about that. You know very well that until we get the results from our surveys and questionnaires we cannot yet make a decision about in which direction to redirect the magazine. I certainly have no intention of seating down across from Naraku’s desk for hours to debate asinine solutions to our problem we are still in the process of analyzing. I can think of better ways to spend my Sunday, and yes making love to you is one of them.”
Kagura flushed upon hearing his tirade both in anger and embarrassment. “You are entitled to your opinions. I’ll be at the office if you need me.” Without bothering to explain herself more, Kagura left her bedroom, slamming the door shut loudly behind her, and leaving a frowning Sesshoumaru behind.
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Kagura Jiyuu was settled behind her desk at the headquarters of Shikon magazine, the latest edition of her publication’s fiercest competitors placed in front of her. The young journalist had always made it a point to keep tabs on the competition. Reading magazines other than the one she was co-editor of had therefore become a part of her weekly routine. Even though she had allowed more time in her schedule for Sesshoumaru, she had never stopped with her little habit as it allowed her to seize the competition, and find out if Shikon Magazine was falling behind on some trend in the industry. However as much as she tried to work on her task at the present moment, she could not focus on the assignment she usually enjoyed; after all working to get Shikon ahead was a passion to her.
She tried blaming her lack of interest in the situation she was stuck in. Naraku had asked her to come in to discuss an article he had read in Sengoku Today, and Sesshoumaru as the second editor of Shikon Magazine should be present as well, but Kagura was not surprised Naraku had not managed to get him to come in. After all her lover was not as biddable as she was, and would not show up to work on a weekend for such a shallow reason. She was however surprised, and quite frankly annoyed by the fact that Naraku was a no show as well. She had already waited for her father for over an hour, and her patience was wearing thin.
‘Sesshoumaru would have left a long time ago… well he actually wouldn’t have come in the first place.’ Despite her best efforts, the young woman could not help but think back to the image of the naked forlorn Sesshoumaru seating in her bed, glowering at her as she left him behind. ‘Why do I feel so guilty… I had work to do.’ She once again averted her gaze from the glossy pages of the magazine she was holding, and let out a loud sigh. She knew that she would not be able to forget the quiet anger swimming in her lover’s golden gaze when she stepped out of her condo.
‘Well if I was honest, I’d admit that Naraku may be pushing it a bit today… it is a Sunday and tomorrow’s a holiday too. Not to mention what date today is… I can understand why Sesshoumaru is upset even if he doesn’t know what today means… we did have plans… I even blew off Kanna’s invitation to hang out so I could spend the day in bed with Sesshoumaru. I’ll deal with Naraku quickly and come back, this shouldn’t be a problem.’ Kagura thought then with a gesture of anger she shut the magazine closed. ‘That is if Naraku ever deigns honor me with his presence today.’ She promised herself that she would only give her father thirty more minutes then if he did not appear, she would leave. ‘Hopefully Sesshoumaru will still be at my place… and in a mood to make up… and not to talk. The last thing I would want would be for us to get in an argument again.”
The dark haired woman stood up abruptly from her seat, and headed towards the window cut in the left wall of her office. She looked out into the empty street, and sighed as she thought about her lover’s behavior as of late.
‘He’s been acting so possessive ever since we made that stupid pact a week ago...’ She may have noted his unusual actions, but she was relieved by the fact that ever since the night of the party, Sesshoumaru had not brought up their pact. ‘And since I have no intentions of doing it either, all’s good.’
Her thoughts were disturbed by a beeping sound coming from her purse. She knew it to mean she had received a text message on her cell phone. She walked back to her desk, and retrieved the device from her purse. The previous irritation she might have felt earlier due to Naraku’s lateness transformed into full blow fury once she read the message her father had just sent her. Never had three words infuriated her more.
‘Can’t make it.’ This was all Naraku had said, not even bothering to give his daughter any sort of explanation.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” She snapped her phone shut before dumping it back into her purse. The young woman was then faced with a dilemma, she could either stay in her office for a bit longer, and finish reading through the issue of Sengoku Today! she had picked up earlier, or head back to her condo where her lover might still be waiting for her.
‘As much as I am going to hate to hear Sesshoumaru sing “I told you so” I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do then spend the rest of today with him.’ The young woman thought to herself as she rushed towards the parking lot. She knew that one sure way to forget how annoyed she was with her father’s callous treatment of her was to vent to Sesshoumaru.
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Taking a shower, getting dressed and setting Kagura’s apartment to right did not take him long, but now a good hour after his lover had left, Sesshoumaru had run out of ideas why he could still be in her apartment. He would hate for Kagura to come back to find him in the same position she had left him, but at the same time he hated even more the way they had parted earlier. He knew both of them had said hurtful things, and wanted for them to reconcile.
‘The best way to achieve this would be to stay put and wait for her to come home so we can talk…’ He thought to himself as he headed towards the young woman’s couch. Just as he was about to sit down, he heard a shuffling sound coming from the front door. Thinking it was Kagura, he waited for her to insert her key in the lock and walk right in. His heartbeat picked up in anticipation as he remembered the way her crimson eyes had shined in anger before she had stomped out. He knew his lover well enough to realize that as soon as she walked in they would resume their earlier dispute right where it had stopped.
Then something unexpected occurred. The person on the other side of the door paused.
‘Maybe Kagura is hesitating because she has figured out I am still here.’ After the little disappearing act Kagura had engaged in following their argument in his apartment the night she had thought she could have been pregnant, he suspected that the young woman would rather hide than face him after their earlier confrontation.
Taking the situation in his own hands, Sesshoumaru headed for the door, and opened it, what greeted his golden eyes rendered him speechless in shock. He blinked but the image did not fade away.
The usually eloquent journalist did not know how to break the silence, but luckily for him someone else did it for him.
“Who are you?” Sesshoumaru lowered his eyes to look at the half size being who had just addressed him.
“Haku, please be polite.” The short white haired woman who was holding on to the boy’s hand while bouncing a younger toddler on her hip reprimanded her oldest son. “I’m very sorry for disturbing you sir… it seems we have the wrong unit. I did think Kagura was living at number 102…” Kanna muttered more than spoke the last part as she chewed gently on her lower lip.
‘Here goes my surprise! I may not have visited Kagura’s condo in a while but I thought I remembered where she lived… what am I going to do now? I guess I have no choice but to call her to get her address. I do need to put Akago down for his nap.’ The young mother thought to herself as she shifted her weight to hold on to her youngest son better. He had fallen asleep almost ten minutes ago, and holding onto his sleeping form was proving to be harder now that the toddler was growing out of babyhood.
Things finally clicked into place in Sesshoumaru’s mind. Kagura may have mentioned her sister and nephew on very rare occasions, but Sesshoumaru had learned enough about them to identify them.
“Kagura Jiyuu indeed resides here. You must be her sister, Kanna.” Sesshoumaru ignored the way young Hakudoushi was glaring at him, and addressed the boy’s mother directly.
“Who… who are you?” Kanna echoed her son’s earlier question.
“Sesshoumaru Tashio… one of her co-workers.” He hoped that his feeble explanation would be enough to explain his presence in Kagura’s apartment on a Sunday afternoon. He silently cursed the fact that he was not wearing his usual business attire as it made him look more intimidating. Since before Naraku’s call had planned to spend his day in bed with Kagura, and had just spent the better part of the past hour cleaning his lover’s apartment, he was just dressed in a comfortable pair of faded jeans and an old stretched T-shirt.
“Are you like that Kouga guy?” Hakudoushi asked. He had never liked Kagura’s ex boyfriend, and even if he had not been told what exactly transpired during the break-up, he had been glad not to have the dark haired man hang around his family any longer.
As much as Sesshoumaru hated the idea of being compared to Kouga in any way, he simply offered the boy a stiff half smile. “Not at all.”
“Good.”
“Mommy.” Akago mumbled against the pale skin of his mother’s neck and wiggled a bit before finally finding a more comfortable position for his nap. Kanna struggled under her son’s weight.
Sesshoumaru’s golden eyes detected the younger woman’s discomfort, and decided to intervene.
“You should come in.” He pushed himself away from the door to allow them entry.
As awkward as the situation might be to her, Kanna had just spent three hours driving with her two cranky children. That and her growing pregnancy had proven to be a greater toll than she would have anticipated, and she was simply exhausted. The prospect of putting Akago down and sitting down for a bit sounded heavenly.
“Yes, thank you…” Kanna stepped in, Hakudoushi following closely behind his mother.
The young woman had never felt more uncomfortable in her sister’s condo. She was not dumb. Kanna knew fully well that Sesshoumaru was more than ‘just a co-worker’ to her sister. What she did not understand was why Kagura had never talked to her about Sesshoumaru. Ever since the silver haired man had started working at Shikon magazine, Kagura had mentioned him on a few occasions, but each time it was to complain about something he had done or said, or how Naraku was favoring him over his oldest daughter. The fact that Sesshoumaru was wearing very casual clothing and was left alone in Kagura’s apartment early on a Sunday morning, lead Kanna to believe that there was something more going on between her sister and the handsome older man.
Not sharing his mother’s discomfort, Hakudoushi hurried to the living room and sat on the couch. He could not move his pale eyes from the mysterious silver haired man now closing the door.
“Where’s aunt Kagu?” Hakudoushi asked once his mother sat next to him, with a dozing Akago on her lap. Her son’s question made Kanna stiffen. She had planned to gently segue into the conversation with Sesshoumaru.
Sesshoumaru was unsure on how exactly to answer this question. However since he did not see any reason not to tell the truth, he decided to be honest.
“She was called into work by your father… I am sure she should be back soon.” Sesshoumaru felt awkward standing up in the middle of Kagura’s room with her family looking at him curiously. He therefore sat down on the armchair opposite to the couch. The only proof of his true anxiety was seen in how his back was ramrod straight.
The usually calm Kanna got angry; two red patches appeared on her cheeks. “I cannot believe he asked her to work today of all days.” The pale skinned woman spit out irritation clear in her voice.
Sesshoumaru was not sure why Kanna became so mad all of a sudden. ‘I know the two of them had no plans to see each other today… after all I was supposed to spend the day with Kagura.’ He thought to himself. ‘Preferably in bed.’
“The nerve of that man!” Kanna’s angry muttering caused Akago to wake up from his little nap. He rubbed his eyes with his little fists before looking up to his mother.
“Mommy… thirsty.” The toddler hung his arms around his mother’s neck to snuggle closer against her.
“I want juice too.” Hakudoushi turned to his right side to look at his mom.
Glad to finally have a reason to step away from Kanna’s sharp all seeing eyes, Sesshoumaru sprung to his feet.
“Allow me to get refreshments, I’ll be right back.” Sesshoumaru quickly headed for the kitchen. He had spent enough time in Kagura’s condo in the past few months to know exactly where everything was located. One thing he was not sure, was what exactly kids were supposed to drink. He remembered Hakudoushi asking for juice, so he loaded a tray with three glasses, a large water bottle and a carton of orange juice.
“That was fast.” Kanna commented under her breath. Sesshoumaru’s prompt service let her know that he was clearly a frequent visitor at her sister’s place.
Sesshoumaru ignored the woman’s softly spoken comment, and placed the drinks on the coffee table. Hakudoushi wasted no time helping himself to a glass of fruit juice. Seeing his younger brother pout, he handed his drink to Akago before pouring himself another glass. Sesshoumaru’s sharp golden eyes did not miss the exchange between the two siblings. Somehow his mind drifted to his nonexistent relationship with his own younger half brother.
‘Why am I thinking about Inuyasha at a time like this?’ He wondered thoughtfully. ‘Kagura and her family are really having quite a strange influence on me.’
“Mom do you want a drink?” Hakudoushi asked over his shoulder.
“Thank you honey, I’m good for now.” After a little shoulder shrug, the oldest of Kanna’s sons took his seat next to her and sipped his juice while silently observing Sesshoumaru.
“Mister Tashio…” Kanna started tentatively before being interrupted by Sesshoumaru.
“You can call me Sesshoumaru.” He interjected. ‘After all I have been sleeping with your sister for several months.’ He added that last part to himself.
“Yes… Sesshoumaru.” The young woman amended. “Do you know when Kagura is going to be back?”
“As I am sure you are aware, Naraku is an unpredictable man. I do not know what he will ask Kagura to do. Depending on the assignment she could still come home in a while…”
“Why aren’t you working?”
“Haku…” Kanna reprimanded her first born before sending Sesshoumaru an apologetic look. Even if she was dying to know the answer to the question, she knew it was bad form to ask outright.
“What? It’s aunt Kagu’s birthday today! And we came all the way to see her but she’s working.”
Only one thing caught Sesshoumaru’s attention in the sentence Hakudoushi had just spoken. ‘Today is her birthday?! She said nothing… And Naraku… bad enough that today is a Sunday preceding a holiday… but it is his daughter’s birthday, yet he asked her to come in to work regardless.’ For a long time Sesshoumaru had despised Naraku for several reasons. Most of these were professionally tied such as the older man’s lack of creativity and vision when it came to the magazine’s artistic and journalistic directions. But now the way Naraku carelessly treated his oldest daughter was fast becoming the number one reason why Sesshoumaru hated him. In fact as of right now the silver haired journalist was sorely tempted to go in to the office to give Naraku a piece of his mind before dragging Kagura away from her desk.
Even as ideas of cold blooded murder were dancing through his mind, Sesshoumaru’s thoughts were interrupted by the front door of Kagura’s condo being opened then slammed shut.
“Guess what Sessh, that asshole of Naraku…” Kagura stopped clearly in her sentence as she reached her living room. Considering that she had left Sesshoumaru naked in her bed a few hours ago, and that she had noticed from outside that the lights in her living room were on, she was not surprised to see him comfortably settled on her favorite armchair; however, the sight of her sister and two young nephews sitting on the couch across from him shocked her into silence.
“Aunt Kagura!” Hakudoushi exclaimed happily before launching himself towards the dark haired woman. “Surprise! Happy birthday.”
“Thank you Haku.” She bent down to gently ruffle her nephew’s hair just the way he hated it. “It is quite a surprise…”
“Well after you cancelled our outing, we figured we should bring the birthday celebration to you.” Kanna told her older sister before adding slyly. “I just did not realize you already had some other form of entertainment planned.” Her little sentence was punctuated by a sharp look at Sesshoumaru.
Kagura could not help it, her cheeks blushed furiously. She had not told her sister she was seeing someone, and was now sure there would be hell to pay for having kept Sesshoumaru’s existence and their relationship a secret.
“Happy birthday!” Akago exclaimed. The toddler wiggled so much on his mother’s lap that she had no choice but to release him from her hold. As soon as he was freed, the toddler ran towards his brother and aunt and hugged Kagura’s knees fiercely.
A smile spreading on her lips, Kagura picked up her youngest nephew and snuggled her face against his soft cheeks. “Thank you.” She could not help but giggle when Akago gave her a sound kiss as a response.
Sesshoumaru watched the moving scene in silence. It felt even more touching now that Kagura had revealed to him how much she wanted children of her own.
‘She would make a good mother.’ He thought to himself, a little grin finding itself on his lips unchecked. His feelings quickly turned to sadness as something else occurred to him. ‘Had she not lost her baby, would he or she have been the same age as Akago?’
“Did you like the surprise aunt Kagura?” Hakudoushi stared up to look at his aunt who was now holding his brother.
“Of course. I’m always so happy to see you guys.” The young woman carefully put down Akago as his little wiggling was making it hard to hold on to him. “Wow Kanna, what have you been feeding him? Akago has become so heavy.”
“He’s a growing boy.” Kanna replied with a smile as she watched her two sons head back towards her.
As if to prove his mother’s point Akago suddenly expressed his discontentment. “Mommy I’m hungry.”
Kanna, who knew her sister all too well was willing to bet that Kagura’s fridge was empty. ‘Then again she could surprise me. Her condo is cleaner than I’ve ever seen it.’ Little did she know that Sesshoumaru was mostly to thank for this.
“Since today is Kagura’s birthday, it would be my pleasure to treat you all to lunch.” Sesshoumaru said quickly. The prospect of Kagura trying to whip up something edible with the leftovers in her fridge was simply mortifying.
“Oh Mr. Ta… I mean Sesshoumaru, you don’t have to.” Kanna interjected.
“Yes… really Sesshoumaru you don’t have to.” Kagura agreed. However he would have none of it.
“It would be my pleasure. There is a little Italian restaurant down the street, shall we.” As if to prove his point, Sesshoumaru headed to the side table near the door where he usually left his car keys, then unhooked his jacket before putting it on.
Something told Kagura that lunch was going to be hell. Based on the questioning looks Kanna was giving her, and the cold anger dancing in her lover’s eyes, she knew the conversation over their meal was going to be strained and awkward, and the last thing she wanted was to be subjected to this. Nevertheless she found herself saying, fake enthusiasm in her voice. “Yay. Sounds great…”
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To Kagura’s surprise lunch went incredibly well. Kanna and Sesshoumaru the two less talkative people she knew were able to engage in comfortable conversation. The second the two of them found out they shared a love for literature the conversation flowed easily. Kagura, who had always thought that her sister’s book club consisted of bored housewives who limited their reading to sexy romance novels, was shocked to hear that they were presently reading a prized novel. A novel Sesshoumaru had just read and greatly enjoyed.
‘I could leave the table right now, and they probably wouldn’t even notice.’ The vexed young woman averted her gaze from Sesshoumaru and Kanna to the plate of spaghetti in front of her. She took a bite and chewed, but was unable to taste the food.
“So how long have you and Kagura been together?” Kanna’s innocent question caused her sister to choke on the bite of food she had been in the process of swallowing. Kagura quickly reached for her drink, and swallowed copiously well needed gulps of water.
A little grin at the corner of his mouth, Sesshoumaru gently rubbed his lover’s back, hoping to soothe her. Once he was satisfied that Kagura was not going to choke to death, he moved his hand from her back, and reached down on the table to hold on to her hand.
“We’re…” Kagura started answering her sister’s question, but was interrupted by a sharp couching spell.
“What Kagura is attempting to say is that we have started seeing each other recently.” When with the use of his own hand, he brought Kagura’s hand to his mouth and gave it a little kiss, he felt his young lover stiffen.
‘It is one thing not to want her asshole of her father to know about us, which I can understand because of work… but did Kagura expect me to hide our relationship from her sister? The witch may want to keep secrets about herself, but I have no such intentions.’ Sesshoumaru had yet to forgive Kagura for not telling him today was her birthday. He had thought that they had grown close enough for her to tell him about such a thing.
Sesshoumaru did his best to ignore the look of shock and betrayal in his lover’s crimson eyes, and when she attempted to remove her hand from his limb, he simply tightened the hold he had on her.
Kanna, not paying attention to the silent and physical battle of wills between Sesshoumaru and Kagura, exclaimed with pure glee. “I am so happy! I’ve been so concerned about you Kagura, but now that I know you’ve got someone in your life, I’ll stop worrying about you...”
Kagura was so shocked by her sister’s words that she stopped struggling with Sesshoumaru. ‘Kanna has been worried about me? I’m the one who’s supposed to take care of her, and worry about her.’
“I can assure you that Kagura is in good hands.” Sesshoumaru’s words caused Kagura to pause. He had told her in the past that he cared about her, and wanted to be there for her, but that was the first time he had ever professed such feelings to a third party. Despite her best efforts, Kagura blushed.
“Good.” A reassured Kanna smiled. “Well now that the boys are done eating, we’re going to get out of your hair. It’s getting late, and I have quite a drive besides I can tell that the two of you had some special birthday celebrating planned...”
Sesshoumaru finally let go of Kagura’s hand long enough to fish for his wallet. Before his lover or her sister could complain, he deposited a wad of bills on the side of the table to pay for their meal. To his relief none of the two Jiyuu sisters protested. The last thing he wanted was to have to argue with either the opinionated Kagura, or her more reserved sister.
After being well fed, Hakudoushi and Akago were feeling drowsy, their mother was therefore in a hurry to get both of them back home, and ready for bed. It was with eyes half closed that the two boys walked outside of the restaurant clinging tightly to their mother.
“Thank you very much for the meal Sesshoumaru.” Kanna said then turned to her sister, to whom she gave a tight hug. “Happy birthday. Please don’t be a stranger. Next time if you want to spend some time with your… boyfriend, just tell me so, you don’t have to just cancel on me.” Kagura rolled her eyes upon hearing her sister’s reprimand.
“Kanna, why don’t you let Kagura drive your car? I will follow with mine, so I can give her a ride back after she drops you off.”
Kagura was impressed and pleased by Sesshoumaru’s suggestion. She knew her sister hated driving, but more importantly she knew that during her two previous pregnancies Kanna had had the tendency to become tired very easily, and she was sure this pregnancy was no different. Being the overprotective big sister that she was, she could not help but worry for Kanna.
“I wouldn’t want to impose…” Kanna said even if the prospect of not driving would be great. ‘It would also give me an opportunity to grill Kagura. If we’re stuck in the same car for hours, she won’t be able to evade my questions.’
“Don’t be silly.” Kagura chastised her sister as she looped her arm around hers. “It would be my pleasure to drive you. You can count it as a contribution towards my niece’s well being.”
“Kagura,” Kanna chuckled. “even if you want the baby to be a girl, saying it won’t make it so.”
“Why do you have to shatter my hopes?” Kagura teased her sister in response. “I even started buying pink baby clothes.”
“You can use it when you have your own daughter.” Kanna stated after giving a little glance towards Sesshoumaru. She would have expected her sister to chuckle at her words, but instead Kagura sent Sesshoumaru a nervous look. The last thing the dark haired woman could want would be for her sister to find out about her pregnancy scare.
Kanna’s keen eyesight noticed the little look they exchanged. ‘Something is going on here, and I will get to the bottom of this.’
“Mommy, I’m tired.” Akago’s little whimper made it impossible for Kanna to ask any pointed questions.
“We should head out now, it’s going to be a long drive, and I’m sure Yukiyo must be eager to see you guys.” Kagura knew that mentioning her brother in-law was a sure way to make Kanna eager to get back home; she just loved her husband so much.
“Yes, let us go.” Sesshoumaru agreed. He could not wait to start the drive back. He was looking forward to having a conversation with Kagura.
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As she buckled her seatbelt, Kagura let out a sigh of relief. She had just spent three hours dodging any possible prying questions Kanna had thrown at her. Her only respite had come when the youngest of the Jiyuu sisters fell asleep. Little did Kagura know she was about to enter another interrogation session.
“I really appreciate what you did for Kanna; it was very thoughtful. She’d never complain about having to drive back home, but I could tell she was tired. Proof is both she and the boys fell asleep barely an hour into the drive.” Kagura interrupted herself to take a swig from the water bottle Kanna had given to her before they had driven away from her house. “You know Sessh, if you’re tired I can drive part of the way.”
“I am doing fine.” He simply answered as he drove towards the freeway.
The two of them stayed in complete silence for a long time: Sesshoumaru because he was trying to find a way to approach the issue he wished to discuss with his lover, and Kagura because she did not know what to say.
After a long time, the young woman was not able to take the oppressing silence anymore. “So, you’re just not going to talk to me? You are being so childish!”
“Am I?” One of Sesshoumaru’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “How interesting coming from the person who did not deem it necessary to tell me that today was her birthday.” He was hurt by her silence. He really could not understand why after all this time, after all they had shared, she still felt uncomfortable with the idea of confiding something so basic to him.
“I told you my birthday was coming up.” She referred to the night of the holiday party when she had spoken of the life goals she wished to achieve before 35 years of age. “Besides I knew that if I told you, you would have made a big deal out of it, and you wouldn’t let me go in to work today.” She tried justifying herself, but to her own words she sounded weak.
“We both know this is just an excuse…”
His words felt like a stab in the heart. She let out a loud sigh before finally speaking. “After what happened with Kouga, you know the whole relationship thing hasn’t really been working well for me.”
The young man could not help but snort slightly. He was quite aware that between the two of them, if anyone was the least suited for a relationship, it would be him.
“Okay fine. I’m sorry! There I said it!” She pushed some of her bangs out of her eyes in frustration, hoping they would stay in place just like her tightly coiled bun. “I know I agreed to this pact of yours, and that we would give this… relationship a try. I really should’ve told you that today is my birthday.” After a brief pause she added “Are you still mad at me?”
“This Sesshoumaru is not mad.” He retorted. “What I just do not understand is why you favored spending your birthday working with Naraku over spending time with your sister and nephews.” He did not add himself to the mix even though it was because she had deserted him that he was hurt the most. Never would he of course admit to such a thing as appearing needy was the last thing he could want.
‘Why is it that Kagura keeps consistently putting that damn Naraku over everything in her life?!’ The young man thought to himself angrily.
“First of all I didn’t spend time with Naraku since he did not show up...” It was only after the words left her mouth that she recalled she had yet to tell Sesshoumaru about that little information.
Kagura’s crimson eyes easily noticed Sesshoumaru’s hands tightening on the wheel, a clear sign of his anger. “Please don’t be mad. You being angry at me is the last thing I need right now…” The young woman sighed heavily, she knew she had to come clean. She therefore finally admitted. “The reason I agreed to go into work today wasn’t just for the magazine… I wanted to know if Naraku would remember my birthday. I know it’s ridiculous, I know that I should’ve outgrown this constant need to have him acknowledge me, but I can’t help it.”
“Kagura…” Sesshoumaru did not know how to exactly cheer her up. He who had purposely pushed his only living relatives as far away from him as possible had a hard time understanding why despite the fact that Naraku treated her so poorly Kagura would still strive for his approval.
“I know that in the twelve years since I’ve reconnected with my father, Naraku has never even let me know he was aware of when my birthday is…” She let out a bitter chuckle. “I know the way I’m acting is pathetic… so please don’t say it.” The young woman had done her best to push away her feelings towards Naraku’s behavior. She had kept it together earlier, and had even managed to smile and laugh with her sister and nephews.
“I am not going to judge you. You are entitled to your feelings.” Even as he spoke the words, he could not help but think. ‘It is Naraku whom I judge. He is a truly despicable man.’
Kagura let out a sigh of relief; she was just glad to see Sesshoumaru apparently drop the subject. Her birthday had not happened as she had hoped. ‘Things have gone down from the moment I left Sesshoumaru alone in my bed…’ The angry words she and Sesshoumaru had thrown at each other had not made for a happy morning. Then Naraku ignoring her and her sister’s unexpected visit had proven to be quite stressful. As happy as she had been to spend some time with Kanna, Hakudoushi and Akago, her sister’s sly looks and probing questions had exhausted her.
“It may not have been the best day, but I’m just glad I got to spend it with you in the end.”
At that point Sesshoumaru reflected on the fact that had he not been an excellent driver, his foot would have probably slammed on the brake in pure shock.
“What did you say?” The fact that she was just glad to have spent such a special occasion, not with her family members, but with him touched him beyond words. Kagura might have not told him about her birthday, but she had decided from the start to spend it with him. He could still remember that Kanna had mentioned Kagura cancelling their planned outing, and that his lover had asked him to spend the day with her. Of course in the end she may have abandoned him in favor of Naraku, but he decided to focus on the fact that she had come back to him.
“Sure, I know that I went in to work instead of actually spending the day with you... and that we had this argument this morning, and we both said horrible things, but…”
“It’s fine.”
“What?” She was sure she had misheard him.
“I said to let it go witch.” He said. ‘I guess her obsession with Shikon Magazine and her father is something I should just learn to live with. Even before I started working there Kagura was already acting this way, I cannot expect her to change overnight… maybe I can help her change a bit over time.’
“You are acting unusually not belligerent today.” The young woman chuckled relieved that most of the tension in the car had suddenly dissipated.
“Well it is your birthday…”
Sesshoumaru’s little reminder made her feel guilty once again. She briefly squeezed the hand he had rested on the gear stick with hers. “For what it’s worth, I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you.”
“You will make it up to me.” Sesshoumaru finally said as an answer.
“Huh?!” She wondered what form of apology he would ask her to perform. ‘As long as I don’t have to get on my knees and beg for his forgiveness, I’ll be fine…’
“Dinner tomorrow at eight. I will pick you up, but you will pick up the bill. This Sesshoumaru’s goodwill will not extend beyond your birthday.” Kagura knew that she could find an excuse or refuse his invitation, but find that she really did not want to.
A gentle smile etched on her lips when she finally said. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”
To be continued…
A/N: Aren’t they cute? Kagura is finally admitting her feelings for Sesshoumaru might be greater than she let on. Next time new characters will be introduced in Storyboard. Some of you guys are going to be so happy… *hint hint*
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A/N: Lemon Alert… in the beginning. We shall see more interactions between characters in this one as well as where Sesshoumaru and Kagura’s relationship will go from now on.
Disclaimer: Sadly even though I love writing AU stories on my OTP, they don't belong to me. I tried to buy them, but all I could afford were plushies. Oh well better than nothing lol.
“Talking”
'Thoughts'
Sesshoumaru Tashio stared warmly in the eyes of the woman hovering over him. He watched intently as she eagerly rocked herself up and down his length. Her beautiful face was thrown back in the throes of passion, and a slight sheen covered her entire body as the only proof of the efforts she was putting forth.
While Kagura moved swiftly, Sesshoumaru was reclined against the mountain of pillows covering her bed. For a change he had allowed her to be on top, leaving the younger woman in charge of setting the pace and depth of their movements. Even if Sesshoumaru was letting Kagura make love to him, he had no intention of lying uselessly on the bed as she made all the work. In fact he trailed his right hand up the soft skin of her thigh, then tickled her ribs to reach up for his final destination: her left breast. With clever fingers he rubbed the tip of the mound, causing her to moan in appreciation, but not move faster. For the longest time she had only been making teasing shallow moves, which had annoyed him, and prompted him to try to get her to move faster.
“Hum Sesshoumaru.” Kagura moaned appreciatively as he thrust up into her body just as she made a slight downward motion.
The silver haired journalist knew that he could not be satisfied with her little moves, and since Kagura seemed determined not to take his subtle hints, he took the situation with his own hands. In a sudden move, Sesshoumaru raised himself away from Kagura’s pillows, and sat up in her bed carefully, so as not to dislodge the young woman from his lap. He had expected Kagura to express some sort of protest, but to his surprise as soon as he sat up, she wasted no time anchoring herself by taking a hold of his shoulders, and brought their bodies closer by encircling his torso in a tight embrace.
“Somebody’s being naughty… what happened to letting me do whatever I wanted with you? My hour’s not up yet.” Kagura chuckled in his ear mentioning his promise. They had engaged the night before in a vigorous scrabble battle, which she had won, and as a forfeit she had asked for him to play her hapless victim in bed for a full hour.
The grunt that escaped Sesshoumaru’s lips as he pumped his hips up to meet her downward stroke was the only answer she got. He eased his hand down from her delectable breast to reach for the place where they were joined, with the intention to go in search of her pleasure button. He knew he would soon reach his breaking point, and did not want to climax before Kagura.
‘I am so close.’ He thought to himself, his eyes closing as pleasure ran through his body. He could almost feel himself reach the perfect moment of blinding white pleasure, but the spell was suddenly broken by the shrill noise of the phone on Kagura’s side table ringing.
“Damn it.” The young dark haired woman hissed angrily. As much as she was enjoying herself with Sesshoumaru, she was still waiting for an important phone call from Naraku. Her father was supposed to let her know about a new assignment he wanted her to fulfill for Shikon Magazine.
“Don’t you dare answer it!” Sesshoumaru panted, addressing the woman still linked intimately with him. She had stopped thrusting herself on him, but he could still feel her wiggling slightly over his hips, making small ripples of pleasure go through him. He had been so close to reaching bliss before their interruption that his spine was still raked with shivers.
“I wasn’t planning to.” Kagura retorted, even if she extended her neck over his shoulder to check on the identity of the caller displayed on the glowing screen of her cell phone.
Sesshoumaru easily noticed her action as well as her apparent shift in interest from their love making to her cell phone. He was vexed by her sudden lack of interest into him, and he wasted no time acting accordingly. A growl escaping his throat, he reversed their positions and in a matter of seconds had Kagura pinned under him on the bed as he thrust into her fiercely. All thoughts of her cell phone left the young woman’s mind as all she could do was stare up into Sesshoumaru’s determined golden eyes, and follow his strong movements. The only thing she could now think about was tightening her grip on him to hold on for the wild ride. She placed her arms around his lean torso, gently resting her hands on the flexing muscles of his back. Her long legs took a hold of his waist next, encouraging Sesshoumaru to keep up his frantic pace.
All too soon to his taste, he could feel himself nearing his climax, and as he once again had no intention to do so without ensuring his partner would share the same fate, Sesshoumaru gently shook off the tight grip Kagura had on him. As soon as her arms became lax, he lowered his head to suckle and nibble on her left breast while the deft fingers of his right hand trailed the side of her thigh with the clear intention to go play with her pleasure button. However before his fingers even had the chance to join the fray, he felt Kagura shudder strongly under him and press their bodies closer by arching her back; he knew she had just climaxed.
‘Her breasts are so sensitive.’ He chuckled to himself as he finally relaxed, and was able to think about his own pleasure. She moaned in slight protest when he released her breast from his mouth.
“Greedy little witch.” He whispered against the damp skin of her neck as he continued his rhythmic pumping.
Kagura responded by turning her head to the side to take a hold of his ear with her teeth even as her hands trailed down from his back to his backside even going as far as giving the two fleshy mounds she had encountered a firm squeeze. The unexpected actions proved to be his undoing, and soon enough Sesshoumaru was emptying himself inside his lover. A part of him was shocked by her unbridled attitude in bed, but another much larger part was delighted.
‘Only she can get away with such behavior.’ Had he not presently been beyond the ability to speak, he might have told her so even if such a thing entailed admitting such a weakness for the younger woman.
Instead of revealing more of himself for Kagura to dissect, Sesshoumaru removed himself from her body then rolled off to lie next to her equally naked and sweaty body.
“You’re such a jerk… you know these and my neck are the most sensitive places on my body.” Kagura groaned as she pointed towards her breasts before pushing some of her hair out of her eyes. Now that Sesshoumaru had revealed a liking to her dark tresses, she tried her best not to keep her hair confined in constricting buns, even if at times such as now it proved to be unpractical.
“Indeed? I never noticed.” Sesshoumaru lied blatantly.
Kagura scoffed as she knew all too well that he was just teasing her. After all he had spent many a night torturing her by gently teasing her most sensitive spots. She never had the chance to voice that fact as Sesshoumaru turned to his side to once more take her breast in his mouth while one of his hand went up to play with her neglected other mound. Due to their bedroom sport, she was still a bit winded, causing her breathing to be deeper than usual, and her breasts to move with each breath she took. The sight had just been too irresistible for him to not act.
‘Doesn’t he ever get enough…’ Kagura sighed in pure pleasure. She closed her eyes and burrowed her back deeper into her pillows so as to abandon herself better to the pleasure her lover was giving her.
Once again the loud ringing of her cell phone startled the two lovers, but unlike as Kagura had done earlier, Sesshoumaru did not bother stopping his ministrations; he simply acted as if the annoying ringing noise did not exist.
“Sessh… I need to get this.” Kagura addressed her lover as she reached over to her side table for her cell phone. Her movement dislodged her nipple from his mouth with an audible sound, to his annoyance. She picked up her phone, and flipped it opened before bringing it to her ear.
For once Sesshoumaru lamented the fact that he was not in his first youth anymore. He could easily recall how when he had just left his father’s house, he was able to recuperate his strength easily after making love to a woman. However today, to his discontentment, the journalist had no choice but to allow his body to rest before he managed to do anything naughty at all.
‘If this had happened twenty years ago, I would already be making love to her, and a phone call from Naraku would be the furthest thing from Kagura’s mind…’
Since he could not do as he wanted, he contented himself with the next best thing; playing with the young woman’s succulent breasts. He was hoping that if he managed to distract her enough, Kagura would finally forget about work, and focus on him. His little ministrations started innocently enough, with his fingers lightly running over her ribs, but soon they trailed up to rub and pinch the sensitive tips of her breasts.
“Stop this!” Kagura hissed angrily at her lover after carefully covering her phone with her hand. She had paid attention not to use the name of her lover, but she felt like she could never be too careful. The last thing she could ever want would be to have her father found out about her ‘relationship’ with Sesshoumaru in such a way.
Sesshoumaru purposely ignored her words, and kept at his task, and Kagura seeing that she could not dissuade him, decided to ignore him. She gave Naraku her entire attention, and did her best to focus on what her father was telling her.
“You want me to come in now?” Kagura asked her boss, secretly hoping that her voice would not betray her present, very embarrassing, situation.
“Are you experiencing some sort of hearing disability?! I will be at the office in forty minutes, and I fully expect to see you there.” Her father barked. Even through the phone Kagura could make up his anger and frustration.
“Fine, I’ll be there, no need to yell.” She bit her lip to prevent herself from letting out a keen moan as Sesshoumaru gently pinched her soft skin, just the way she liked it.
“Good. Now I have to track down Sesshoumaru. For some reason he isn’t answering his phone.”
‘Dear old dad, what would you say if you knew where Sesshoumaru was and what exactly he was doing right now…’ The young woman snorted to herself as her crimson eyes lowered to look at her coworkers clever fingers dancing over her chest.
“I have no idea where he is, nor do I care. I’ll see you at work.” The young woman said quickly before shutting her phone, and throwing it in the general direction of her side table. At the present moment she could care less where exactly the device landed
“I can’t believe you just did that!” Kagura cried out as she swat Sesshoumaru’s hands away from her chest before seating up and getting out of bed for good.
“Well I cannot believe you truly intend to go to the office. It is Sunday.” Sesshoumaru pointed out as he looked with his lazy golden at Kagura getting dressed frantically.
“For a workaholic you are being very laid back.” The young woman retorted as she finished buttoning the shirt she had discarded earlier to get in bed with Sesshoumaru. “If I understand you correctly, you are not going to answer Naraku’s calls?”
“Indeed I have no intention to answer his summons.” He covered his lower side with the blanket. After all if his lover wanted to talk, he was not about to let her do so while he was seating on the bed half naked. “This Sesshoumaru is not a slave for Naraku to control at his every whim.”
“Is this how you see me?” Kagura balked. His backwards insult had not gone unnoticed by her. In fact it had shocked the young woman so much that she had had to pause in her process of getting dressed and gathering her things.
Sesshoumaru cursed slightly under his breath. He had not meant to antagonize Kagura, but thinking back, he knew he had chosen the wrong wording.
“Our circulation numbers are down 5% from the same time last year. If we don’t think of something really quickly, Sengoku Today! is going to keep stealing readers away from us.” Kagura huffed angrily as she put on her pants. “You may care more about getting laid than the magazine, but I can assure you I do not!”
Sesshoumaru felt that Kagura’s demeaning and insulting outburst was unwarranted because he had never neglected his work. He simply felt that unlike his lover, he did not jump to perform the second their boss snapped his fingers.
“I care about Shikon. Maybe not as much as you do since you have a… personal connection with the magazine, but I am a good worker and a damn good journalist.” He sat up straighter against the headboard. He may be naked, but he would stand as proudly as he could at least. “Yes, our numbers are down, and yes I agree we should do something about that. You know very well that until we get the results from our surveys and questionnaires we cannot yet make a decision about in which direction to redirect the magazine. I certainly have no intention of seating down across from Naraku’s desk for hours to debate asinine solutions to our problem we are still in the process of analyzing. I can think of better ways to spend my Sunday, and yes making love to you is one of them.”
Kagura flushed upon hearing his tirade both in anger and embarrassment. “You are entitled to your opinions. I’ll be at the office if you need me.” Without bothering to explain herself more, Kagura left her bedroom, slamming the door shut loudly behind her, and leaving a frowning Sesshoumaru behind.
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Kagura Jiyuu was settled behind her desk at the headquarters of Shikon magazine, the latest edition of her publication’s fiercest competitors placed in front of her. The young journalist had always made it a point to keep tabs on the competition. Reading magazines other than the one she was co-editor of had therefore become a part of her weekly routine. Even though she had allowed more time in her schedule for Sesshoumaru, she had never stopped with her little habit as it allowed her to seize the competition, and find out if Shikon Magazine was falling behind on some trend in the industry. However as much as she tried to work on her task at the present moment, she could not focus on the assignment she usually enjoyed; after all working to get Shikon ahead was a passion to her.
She tried blaming her lack of interest in the situation she was stuck in. Naraku had asked her to come in to discuss an article he had read in Sengoku Today, and Sesshoumaru as the second editor of Shikon Magazine should be present as well, but Kagura was not surprised Naraku had not managed to get him to come in. After all her lover was not as biddable as she was, and would not show up to work on a weekend for such a shallow reason. She was however surprised, and quite frankly annoyed by the fact that Naraku was a no show as well. She had already waited for her father for over an hour, and her patience was wearing thin.
‘Sesshoumaru would have left a long time ago… well he actually wouldn’t have come in the first place.’ Despite her best efforts, the young woman could not help but think back to the image of the naked forlorn Sesshoumaru seating in her bed, glowering at her as she left him behind. ‘Why do I feel so guilty… I had work to do.’ She once again averted her gaze from the glossy pages of the magazine she was holding, and let out a loud sigh. She knew that she would not be able to forget the quiet anger swimming in her lover’s golden gaze when she stepped out of her condo.
‘Well if I was honest, I’d admit that Naraku may be pushing it a bit today… it is a Sunday and tomorrow’s a holiday too. Not to mention what date today is… I can understand why Sesshoumaru is upset even if he doesn’t know what today means… we did have plans… I even blew off Kanna’s invitation to hang out so I could spend the day in bed with Sesshoumaru. I’ll deal with Naraku quickly and come back, this shouldn’t be a problem.’ Kagura thought then with a gesture of anger she shut the magazine closed. ‘That is if Naraku ever deigns honor me with his presence today.’ She promised herself that she would only give her father thirty more minutes then if he did not appear, she would leave. ‘Hopefully Sesshoumaru will still be at my place… and in a mood to make up… and not to talk. The last thing I would want would be for us to get in an argument again.”
The dark haired woman stood up abruptly from her seat, and headed towards the window cut in the left wall of her office. She looked out into the empty street, and sighed as she thought about her lover’s behavior as of late.
‘He’s been acting so possessive ever since we made that stupid pact a week ago...’ She may have noted his unusual actions, but she was relieved by the fact that ever since the night of the party, Sesshoumaru had not brought up their pact. ‘And since I have no intentions of doing it either, all’s good.’
Her thoughts were disturbed by a beeping sound coming from her purse. She knew it to mean she had received a text message on her cell phone. She walked back to her desk, and retrieved the device from her purse. The previous irritation she might have felt earlier due to Naraku’s lateness transformed into full blow fury once she read the message her father had just sent her. Never had three words infuriated her more.
‘Can’t make it.’ This was all Naraku had said, not even bothering to give his daughter any sort of explanation.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” She snapped her phone shut before dumping it back into her purse. The young woman was then faced with a dilemma, she could either stay in her office for a bit longer, and finish reading through the issue of Sengoku Today! she had picked up earlier, or head back to her condo where her lover might still be waiting for her.
‘As much as I am going to hate to hear Sesshoumaru sing “I told you so” I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do then spend the rest of today with him.’ The young woman thought to herself as she rushed towards the parking lot. She knew that one sure way to forget how annoyed she was with her father’s callous treatment of her was to vent to Sesshoumaru.
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Taking a shower, getting dressed and setting Kagura’s apartment to right did not take him long, but now a good hour after his lover had left, Sesshoumaru had run out of ideas why he could still be in her apartment. He would hate for Kagura to come back to find him in the same position she had left him, but at the same time he hated even more the way they had parted earlier. He knew both of them had said hurtful things, and wanted for them to reconcile.
‘The best way to achieve this would be to stay put and wait for her to come home so we can talk…’ He thought to himself as he headed towards the young woman’s couch. Just as he was about to sit down, he heard a shuffling sound coming from the front door. Thinking it was Kagura, he waited for her to insert her key in the lock and walk right in. His heartbeat picked up in anticipation as he remembered the way her crimson eyes had shined in anger before she had stomped out. He knew his lover well enough to realize that as soon as she walked in they would resume their earlier dispute right where it had stopped.
Then something unexpected occurred. The person on the other side of the door paused.
‘Maybe Kagura is hesitating because she has figured out I am still here.’ After the little disappearing act Kagura had engaged in following their argument in his apartment the night she had thought she could have been pregnant, he suspected that the young woman would rather hide than face him after their earlier confrontation.
Taking the situation in his own hands, Sesshoumaru headed for the door, and opened it, what greeted his golden eyes rendered him speechless in shock. He blinked but the image did not fade away.
The usually eloquent journalist did not know how to break the silence, but luckily for him someone else did it for him.
“Who are you?” Sesshoumaru lowered his eyes to look at the half size being who had just addressed him.
“Haku, please be polite.” The short white haired woman who was holding on to the boy’s hand while bouncing a younger toddler on her hip reprimanded her oldest son. “I’m very sorry for disturbing you sir… it seems we have the wrong unit. I did think Kagura was living at number 102…” Kanna muttered more than spoke the last part as she chewed gently on her lower lip.
‘Here goes my surprise! I may not have visited Kagura’s condo in a while but I thought I remembered where she lived… what am I going to do now? I guess I have no choice but to call her to get her address. I do need to put Akago down for his nap.’ The young mother thought to herself as she shifted her weight to hold on to her youngest son better. He had fallen asleep almost ten minutes ago, and holding onto his sleeping form was proving to be harder now that the toddler was growing out of babyhood.
Things finally clicked into place in Sesshoumaru’s mind. Kagura may have mentioned her sister and nephew on very rare occasions, but Sesshoumaru had learned enough about them to identify them.
“Kagura Jiyuu indeed resides here. You must be her sister, Kanna.” Sesshoumaru ignored the way young Hakudoushi was glaring at him, and addressed the boy’s mother directly.
“Who… who are you?” Kanna echoed her son’s earlier question.
“Sesshoumaru Tashio… one of her co-workers.” He hoped that his feeble explanation would be enough to explain his presence in Kagura’s apartment on a Sunday afternoon. He silently cursed the fact that he was not wearing his usual business attire as it made him look more intimidating. Since before Naraku’s call had planned to spend his day in bed with Kagura, and had just spent the better part of the past hour cleaning his lover’s apartment, he was just dressed in a comfortable pair of faded jeans and an old stretched T-shirt.
“Are you like that Kouga guy?” Hakudoushi asked. He had never liked Kagura’s ex boyfriend, and even if he had not been told what exactly transpired during the break-up, he had been glad not to have the dark haired man hang around his family any longer.
As much as Sesshoumaru hated the idea of being compared to Kouga in any way, he simply offered the boy a stiff half smile. “Not at all.”
“Good.”
“Mommy.” Akago mumbled against the pale skin of his mother’s neck and wiggled a bit before finally finding a more comfortable position for his nap. Kanna struggled under her son’s weight.
Sesshoumaru’s golden eyes detected the younger woman’s discomfort, and decided to intervene.
“You should come in.” He pushed himself away from the door to allow them entry.
As awkward as the situation might be to her, Kanna had just spent three hours driving with her two cranky children. That and her growing pregnancy had proven to be a greater toll than she would have anticipated, and she was simply exhausted. The prospect of putting Akago down and sitting down for a bit sounded heavenly.
“Yes, thank you…” Kanna stepped in, Hakudoushi following closely behind his mother.
The young woman had never felt more uncomfortable in her sister’s condo. She was not dumb. Kanna knew fully well that Sesshoumaru was more than ‘just a co-worker’ to her sister. What she did not understand was why Kagura had never talked to her about Sesshoumaru. Ever since the silver haired man had started working at Shikon magazine, Kagura had mentioned him on a few occasions, but each time it was to complain about something he had done or said, or how Naraku was favoring him over his oldest daughter. The fact that Sesshoumaru was wearing very casual clothing and was left alone in Kagura’s apartment early on a Sunday morning, lead Kanna to believe that there was something more going on between her sister and the handsome older man.
Not sharing his mother’s discomfort, Hakudoushi hurried to the living room and sat on the couch. He could not move his pale eyes from the mysterious silver haired man now closing the door.
“Where’s aunt Kagu?” Hakudoushi asked once his mother sat next to him, with a dozing Akago on her lap. Her son’s question made Kanna stiffen. She had planned to gently segue into the conversation with Sesshoumaru.
Sesshoumaru was unsure on how exactly to answer this question. However since he did not see any reason not to tell the truth, he decided to be honest.
“She was called into work by your father… I am sure she should be back soon.” Sesshoumaru felt awkward standing up in the middle of Kagura’s room with her family looking at him curiously. He therefore sat down on the armchair opposite to the couch. The only proof of his true anxiety was seen in how his back was ramrod straight.
The usually calm Kanna got angry; two red patches appeared on her cheeks. “I cannot believe he asked her to work today of all days.” The pale skinned woman spit out irritation clear in her voice.
Sesshoumaru was not sure why Kanna became so mad all of a sudden. ‘I know the two of them had no plans to see each other today… after all I was supposed to spend the day with Kagura.’ He thought to himself. ‘Preferably in bed.’
“The nerve of that man!” Kanna’s angry muttering caused Akago to wake up from his little nap. He rubbed his eyes with his little fists before looking up to his mother.
“Mommy… thirsty.” The toddler hung his arms around his mother’s neck to snuggle closer against her.
“I want juice too.” Hakudoushi turned to his right side to look at his mom.
Glad to finally have a reason to step away from Kanna’s sharp all seeing eyes, Sesshoumaru sprung to his feet.
“Allow me to get refreshments, I’ll be right back.” Sesshoumaru quickly headed for the kitchen. He had spent enough time in Kagura’s condo in the past few months to know exactly where everything was located. One thing he was not sure, was what exactly kids were supposed to drink. He remembered Hakudoushi asking for juice, so he loaded a tray with three glasses, a large water bottle and a carton of orange juice.
“That was fast.” Kanna commented under her breath. Sesshoumaru’s prompt service let her know that he was clearly a frequent visitor at her sister’s place.
Sesshoumaru ignored the woman’s softly spoken comment, and placed the drinks on the coffee table. Hakudoushi wasted no time helping himself to a glass of fruit juice. Seeing his younger brother pout, he handed his drink to Akago before pouring himself another glass. Sesshoumaru’s sharp golden eyes did not miss the exchange between the two siblings. Somehow his mind drifted to his nonexistent relationship with his own younger half brother.
‘Why am I thinking about Inuyasha at a time like this?’ He wondered thoughtfully. ‘Kagura and her family are really having quite a strange influence on me.’
“Mom do you want a drink?” Hakudoushi asked over his shoulder.
“Thank you honey, I’m good for now.” After a little shoulder shrug, the oldest of Kanna’s sons took his seat next to her and sipped his juice while silently observing Sesshoumaru.
“Mister Tashio…” Kanna started tentatively before being interrupted by Sesshoumaru.
“You can call me Sesshoumaru.” He interjected. ‘After all I have been sleeping with your sister for several months.’ He added that last part to himself.
“Yes… Sesshoumaru.” The young woman amended. “Do you know when Kagura is going to be back?”
“As I am sure you are aware, Naraku is an unpredictable man. I do not know what he will ask Kagura to do. Depending on the assignment she could still come home in a while…”
“Why aren’t you working?”
“Haku…” Kanna reprimanded her first born before sending Sesshoumaru an apologetic look. Even if she was dying to know the answer to the question, she knew it was bad form to ask outright.
“What? It’s aunt Kagu’s birthday today! And we came all the way to see her but she’s working.”
Only one thing caught Sesshoumaru’s attention in the sentence Hakudoushi had just spoken. ‘Today is her birthday?! She said nothing… And Naraku… bad enough that today is a Sunday preceding a holiday… but it is his daughter’s birthday, yet he asked her to come in to work regardless.’ For a long time Sesshoumaru had despised Naraku for several reasons. Most of these were professionally tied such as the older man’s lack of creativity and vision when it came to the magazine’s artistic and journalistic directions. But now the way Naraku carelessly treated his oldest daughter was fast becoming the number one reason why Sesshoumaru hated him. In fact as of right now the silver haired journalist was sorely tempted to go in to the office to give Naraku a piece of his mind before dragging Kagura away from her desk.
Even as ideas of cold blooded murder were dancing through his mind, Sesshoumaru’s thoughts were interrupted by the front door of Kagura’s condo being opened then slammed shut.
“Guess what Sessh, that asshole of Naraku…” Kagura stopped clearly in her sentence as she reached her living room. Considering that she had left Sesshoumaru naked in her bed a few hours ago, and that she had noticed from outside that the lights in her living room were on, she was not surprised to see him comfortably settled on her favorite armchair; however, the sight of her sister and two young nephews sitting on the couch across from him shocked her into silence.
“Aunt Kagura!” Hakudoushi exclaimed happily before launching himself towards the dark haired woman. “Surprise! Happy birthday.”
“Thank you Haku.” She bent down to gently ruffle her nephew’s hair just the way he hated it. “It is quite a surprise…”
“Well after you cancelled our outing, we figured we should bring the birthday celebration to you.” Kanna told her older sister before adding slyly. “I just did not realize you already had some other form of entertainment planned.” Her little sentence was punctuated by a sharp look at Sesshoumaru.
Kagura could not help it, her cheeks blushed furiously. She had not told her sister she was seeing someone, and was now sure there would be hell to pay for having kept Sesshoumaru’s existence and their relationship a secret.
“Happy birthday!” Akago exclaimed. The toddler wiggled so much on his mother’s lap that she had no choice but to release him from her hold. As soon as he was freed, the toddler ran towards his brother and aunt and hugged Kagura’s knees fiercely.
A smile spreading on her lips, Kagura picked up her youngest nephew and snuggled her face against his soft cheeks. “Thank you.” She could not help but giggle when Akago gave her a sound kiss as a response.
Sesshoumaru watched the moving scene in silence. It felt even more touching now that Kagura had revealed to him how much she wanted children of her own.
‘She would make a good mother.’ He thought to himself, a little grin finding itself on his lips unchecked. His feelings quickly turned to sadness as something else occurred to him. ‘Had she not lost her baby, would he or she have been the same age as Akago?’
“Did you like the surprise aunt Kagura?” Hakudoushi stared up to look at his aunt who was now holding his brother.
“Of course. I’m always so happy to see you guys.” The young woman carefully put down Akago as his little wiggling was making it hard to hold on to him. “Wow Kanna, what have you been feeding him? Akago has become so heavy.”
“He’s a growing boy.” Kanna replied with a smile as she watched her two sons head back towards her.
As if to prove his mother’s point Akago suddenly expressed his discontentment. “Mommy I’m hungry.”
Kanna, who knew her sister all too well was willing to bet that Kagura’s fridge was empty. ‘Then again she could surprise me. Her condo is cleaner than I’ve ever seen it.’ Little did she know that Sesshoumaru was mostly to thank for this.
“Since today is Kagura’s birthday, it would be my pleasure to treat you all to lunch.” Sesshoumaru said quickly. The prospect of Kagura trying to whip up something edible with the leftovers in her fridge was simply mortifying.
“Oh Mr. Ta… I mean Sesshoumaru, you don’t have to.” Kanna interjected.
“Yes… really Sesshoumaru you don’t have to.” Kagura agreed. However he would have none of it.
“It would be my pleasure. There is a little Italian restaurant down the street, shall we.” As if to prove his point, Sesshoumaru headed to the side table near the door where he usually left his car keys, then unhooked his jacket before putting it on.
Something told Kagura that lunch was going to be hell. Based on the questioning looks Kanna was giving her, and the cold anger dancing in her lover’s eyes, she knew the conversation over their meal was going to be strained and awkward, and the last thing she wanted was to be subjected to this. Nevertheless she found herself saying, fake enthusiasm in her voice. “Yay. Sounds great…”
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To Kagura’s surprise lunch went incredibly well. Kanna and Sesshoumaru the two less talkative people she knew were able to engage in comfortable conversation. The second the two of them found out they shared a love for literature the conversation flowed easily. Kagura, who had always thought that her sister’s book club consisted of bored housewives who limited their reading to sexy romance novels, was shocked to hear that they were presently reading a prized novel. A novel Sesshoumaru had just read and greatly enjoyed.
‘I could leave the table right now, and they probably wouldn’t even notice.’ The vexed young woman averted her gaze from Sesshoumaru and Kanna to the plate of spaghetti in front of her. She took a bite and chewed, but was unable to taste the food.
“So how long have you and Kagura been together?” Kanna’s innocent question caused her sister to choke on the bite of food she had been in the process of swallowing. Kagura quickly reached for her drink, and swallowed copiously well needed gulps of water.
A little grin at the corner of his mouth, Sesshoumaru gently rubbed his lover’s back, hoping to soothe her. Once he was satisfied that Kagura was not going to choke to death, he moved his hand from her back, and reached down on the table to hold on to her hand.
“We’re…” Kagura started answering her sister’s question, but was interrupted by a sharp couching spell.
“What Kagura is attempting to say is that we have started seeing each other recently.” When with the use of his own hand, he brought Kagura’s hand to his mouth and gave it a little kiss, he felt his young lover stiffen.
‘It is one thing not to want her asshole of her father to know about us, which I can understand because of work… but did Kagura expect me to hide our relationship from her sister? The witch may want to keep secrets about herself, but I have no such intentions.’ Sesshoumaru had yet to forgive Kagura for not telling him today was her birthday. He had thought that they had grown close enough for her to tell him about such a thing.
Sesshoumaru did his best to ignore the look of shock and betrayal in his lover’s crimson eyes, and when she attempted to remove her hand from his limb, he simply tightened the hold he had on her.
Kanna, not paying attention to the silent and physical battle of wills between Sesshoumaru and Kagura, exclaimed with pure glee. “I am so happy! I’ve been so concerned about you Kagura, but now that I know you’ve got someone in your life, I’ll stop worrying about you...”
Kagura was so shocked by her sister’s words that she stopped struggling with Sesshoumaru. ‘Kanna has been worried about me? I’m the one who’s supposed to take care of her, and worry about her.’
“I can assure you that Kagura is in good hands.” Sesshoumaru’s words caused Kagura to pause. He had told her in the past that he cared about her, and wanted to be there for her, but that was the first time he had ever professed such feelings to a third party. Despite her best efforts, Kagura blushed.
“Good.” A reassured Kanna smiled. “Well now that the boys are done eating, we’re going to get out of your hair. It’s getting late, and I have quite a drive besides I can tell that the two of you had some special birthday celebrating planned...”
Sesshoumaru finally let go of Kagura’s hand long enough to fish for his wallet. Before his lover or her sister could complain, he deposited a wad of bills on the side of the table to pay for their meal. To his relief none of the two Jiyuu sisters protested. The last thing he wanted was to have to argue with either the opinionated Kagura, or her more reserved sister.
After being well fed, Hakudoushi and Akago were feeling drowsy, their mother was therefore in a hurry to get both of them back home, and ready for bed. It was with eyes half closed that the two boys walked outside of the restaurant clinging tightly to their mother.
“Thank you very much for the meal Sesshoumaru.” Kanna said then turned to her sister, to whom she gave a tight hug. “Happy birthday. Please don’t be a stranger. Next time if you want to spend some time with your… boyfriend, just tell me so, you don’t have to just cancel on me.” Kagura rolled her eyes upon hearing her sister’s reprimand.
“Kanna, why don’t you let Kagura drive your car? I will follow with mine, so I can give her a ride back after she drops you off.”
Kagura was impressed and pleased by Sesshoumaru’s suggestion. She knew her sister hated driving, but more importantly she knew that during her two previous pregnancies Kanna had had the tendency to become tired very easily, and she was sure this pregnancy was no different. Being the overprotective big sister that she was, she could not help but worry for Kanna.
“I wouldn’t want to impose…” Kanna said even if the prospect of not driving would be great. ‘It would also give me an opportunity to grill Kagura. If we’re stuck in the same car for hours, she won’t be able to evade my questions.’
“Don’t be silly.” Kagura chastised her sister as she looped her arm around hers. “It would be my pleasure to drive you. You can count it as a contribution towards my niece’s well being.”
“Kagura,” Kanna chuckled. “even if you want the baby to be a girl, saying it won’t make it so.”
“Why do you have to shatter my hopes?” Kagura teased her sister in response. “I even started buying pink baby clothes.”
“You can use it when you have your own daughter.” Kanna stated after giving a little glance towards Sesshoumaru. She would have expected her sister to chuckle at her words, but instead Kagura sent Sesshoumaru a nervous look. The last thing the dark haired woman could want would be for her sister to find out about her pregnancy scare.
Kanna’s keen eyesight noticed the little look they exchanged. ‘Something is going on here, and I will get to the bottom of this.’
“Mommy, I’m tired.” Akago’s little whimper made it impossible for Kanna to ask any pointed questions.
“We should head out now, it’s going to be a long drive, and I’m sure Yukiyo must be eager to see you guys.” Kagura knew that mentioning her brother in-law was a sure way to make Kanna eager to get back home; she just loved her husband so much.
“Yes, let us go.” Sesshoumaru agreed. He could not wait to start the drive back. He was looking forward to having a conversation with Kagura.
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As she buckled her seatbelt, Kagura let out a sigh of relief. She had just spent three hours dodging any possible prying questions Kanna had thrown at her. Her only respite had come when the youngest of the Jiyuu sisters fell asleep. Little did Kagura know she was about to enter another interrogation session.
“I really appreciate what you did for Kanna; it was very thoughtful. She’d never complain about having to drive back home, but I could tell she was tired. Proof is both she and the boys fell asleep barely an hour into the drive.” Kagura interrupted herself to take a swig from the water bottle Kanna had given to her before they had driven away from her house. “You know Sessh, if you’re tired I can drive part of the way.”
“I am doing fine.” He simply answered as he drove towards the freeway.
The two of them stayed in complete silence for a long time: Sesshoumaru because he was trying to find a way to approach the issue he wished to discuss with his lover, and Kagura because she did not know what to say.
After a long time, the young woman was not able to take the oppressing silence anymore. “So, you’re just not going to talk to me? You are being so childish!”
“Am I?” One of Sesshoumaru’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “How interesting coming from the person who did not deem it necessary to tell me that today was her birthday.” He was hurt by her silence. He really could not understand why after all this time, after all they had shared, she still felt uncomfortable with the idea of confiding something so basic to him.
“I told you my birthday was coming up.” She referred to the night of the holiday party when she had spoken of the life goals she wished to achieve before 35 years of age. “Besides I knew that if I told you, you would have made a big deal out of it, and you wouldn’t let me go in to work today.” She tried justifying herself, but to her own words she sounded weak.
“We both know this is just an excuse…”
His words felt like a stab in the heart. She let out a loud sigh before finally speaking. “After what happened with Kouga, you know the whole relationship thing hasn’t really been working well for me.”
The young man could not help but snort slightly. He was quite aware that between the two of them, if anyone was the least suited for a relationship, it would be him.
“Okay fine. I’m sorry! There I said it!” She pushed some of her bangs out of her eyes in frustration, hoping they would stay in place just like her tightly coiled bun. “I know I agreed to this pact of yours, and that we would give this… relationship a try. I really should’ve told you that today is my birthday.” After a brief pause she added “Are you still mad at me?”
“This Sesshoumaru is not mad.” He retorted. “What I just do not understand is why you favored spending your birthday working with Naraku over spending time with your sister and nephews.” He did not add himself to the mix even though it was because she had deserted him that he was hurt the most. Never would he of course admit to such a thing as appearing needy was the last thing he could want.
‘Why is it that Kagura keeps consistently putting that damn Naraku over everything in her life?!’ The young man thought to himself angrily.
“First of all I didn’t spend time with Naraku since he did not show up...” It was only after the words left her mouth that she recalled she had yet to tell Sesshoumaru about that little information.
Kagura’s crimson eyes easily noticed Sesshoumaru’s hands tightening on the wheel, a clear sign of his anger. “Please don’t be mad. You being angry at me is the last thing I need right now…” The young woman sighed heavily, she knew she had to come clean. She therefore finally admitted. “The reason I agreed to go into work today wasn’t just for the magazine… I wanted to know if Naraku would remember my birthday. I know it’s ridiculous, I know that I should’ve outgrown this constant need to have him acknowledge me, but I can’t help it.”
“Kagura…” Sesshoumaru did not know how to exactly cheer her up. He who had purposely pushed his only living relatives as far away from him as possible had a hard time understanding why despite the fact that Naraku treated her so poorly Kagura would still strive for his approval.
“I know that in the twelve years since I’ve reconnected with my father, Naraku has never even let me know he was aware of when my birthday is…” She let out a bitter chuckle. “I know the way I’m acting is pathetic… so please don’t say it.” The young woman had done her best to push away her feelings towards Naraku’s behavior. She had kept it together earlier, and had even managed to smile and laugh with her sister and nephews.
“I am not going to judge you. You are entitled to your feelings.” Even as he spoke the words, he could not help but think. ‘It is Naraku whom I judge. He is a truly despicable man.’
Kagura let out a sigh of relief; she was just glad to see Sesshoumaru apparently drop the subject. Her birthday had not happened as she had hoped. ‘Things have gone down from the moment I left Sesshoumaru alone in my bed…’ The angry words she and Sesshoumaru had thrown at each other had not made for a happy morning. Then Naraku ignoring her and her sister’s unexpected visit had proven to be quite stressful. As happy as she had been to spend some time with Kanna, Hakudoushi and Akago, her sister’s sly looks and probing questions had exhausted her.
“It may not have been the best day, but I’m just glad I got to spend it with you in the end.”
At that point Sesshoumaru reflected on the fact that had he not been an excellent driver, his foot would have probably slammed on the brake in pure shock.
“What did you say?” The fact that she was just glad to have spent such a special occasion, not with her family members, but with him touched him beyond words. Kagura might have not told him about her birthday, but she had decided from the start to spend it with him. He could still remember that Kanna had mentioned Kagura cancelling their planned outing, and that his lover had asked him to spend the day with her. Of course in the end she may have abandoned him in favor of Naraku, but he decided to focus on the fact that she had come back to him.
“Sure, I know that I went in to work instead of actually spending the day with you... and that we had this argument this morning, and we both said horrible things, but…”
“It’s fine.”
“What?” She was sure she had misheard him.
“I said to let it go witch.” He said. ‘I guess her obsession with Shikon Magazine and her father is something I should just learn to live with. Even before I started working there Kagura was already acting this way, I cannot expect her to change overnight… maybe I can help her change a bit over time.’
“You are acting unusually not belligerent today.” The young woman chuckled relieved that most of the tension in the car had suddenly dissipated.
“Well it is your birthday…”
Sesshoumaru’s little reminder made her feel guilty once again. She briefly squeezed the hand he had rested on the gear stick with hers. “For what it’s worth, I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you.”
“You will make it up to me.” Sesshoumaru finally said as an answer.
“Huh?!” She wondered what form of apology he would ask her to perform. ‘As long as I don’t have to get on my knees and beg for his forgiveness, I’ll be fine…’
“Dinner tomorrow at eight. I will pick you up, but you will pick up the bill. This Sesshoumaru’s goodwill will not extend beyond your birthday.” Kagura knew that she could find an excuse or refuse his invitation, but find that she really did not want to.
A gentle smile etched on her lips when she finally said. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”
To be continued…
A/N: Aren’t they cute? Kagura is finally admitting her feelings for Sesshoumaru might be greater than she let on. Next time new characters will be introduced in Storyboard. Some of you guys are going to be so happy… *hint hint*
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