InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Secret Lovers ❯ Plagiarism ( Chapter 22 )
[ 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: 04.18.2013 | Pages: 4 | Words: 6.7K | Visits: 284 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Comedy | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 04.18.2013 | Pages: 4 | Words: 6.7K | Visits: 284 | Status: Work In Progress
Part 22: Plagiarism
A/N: I am so sorry for the delay. I am still committed to seeing this story through to the end; especially, since we are so close to the conclusion. I would like to thank all of you for reading this fic!
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'
“Well that does it. I think I have all I could need to write a flattering portrait of you.” As soon as the words left Kagura’s mouth, she stood up. She had tried to go through the questions as quickly as possible. She did not intend to stay one minute longer than need be in Oshiko’s presence. From the moment she had stepped into the room she had been made uncomfortable by the young man’s gaze.
‘The way he looks at me is just plain creepy. He makes me feel like a juicy piece of steak, and he’s a hungry wolf.’ She had not even tried any of the food offered by the army of well-trained servants who had paraded through the room. She could tell her reluctance to be a good guest got on Oshiko’s nerves, but she did not care one bit.
“Well, if we’re done here, then I propose we move things along then.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I am going to the office, and I don’t know what you’re going to do, nor do I care. My job is done, and I will be taking my leave. Expect to see the article published in the next issue of Shikon. ” Having said her piece, she tried to take a step away from the table, but the young man moved quicker and took a hold of her arm. Her struggles and attempts to break free only caused him to strengthen his hold; his fingers mercilessly digging in her soft skin.
“I tried to be a gentleman about this, but if you prefer the hard way, I am more than willing to give it to you.” With these ominous words, he leaned his head forward, and pressed his lips to hers in a harsh kiss.
It took a few seconds for Kagura’ brain to get over the shock, and realize what was happening to her. As soon as it did, she took immediate action. At the risk of giving Oshiko the opportunity to deepen their kiss, she opened her mouth to retaliate. Using as much strength as she could, she buried her teeth as harshly as possible in the fleshy part of the young man’s lower lip. His reaction was instantaneous. He let go of his harsh hold on her, and jumped back.
“You bitch!” He roared angrily even as he spat blood, and pressed a trembling hand to his injured lip.
Kagura could tell he was shocked by her surprise attack, and even as she worked out a way to escape from Oshiko’s maze like house, a large part of her relished the look of utter shock on the man’s face.
‘I bet he’s not used to seeing a woman fight back. That asshole is probably used to his dad’s money making sure he has women in handy who will let him do what he wants.’ She thought even as she furiously wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, hoping to efface every remnants of the oral assault she had just gone through.
“Young master!” Keiko exclaimed as she ran into the room. Kagura had taken the opportunity of the other woman throwing the door opened as a distraction, and picked up her purse and notebook. She trained her crimson eyes on the door, and slowly walked towards it. She only hoped that Keiko’s intrusion would keep Oshiko distracted long enough to allow her to slip out.
Keiko whipped out a handkerchief out of her service apron, and wiped away her employer’s bloody lip as she cooed with sympathy. “My poor master…”
“You stupid bitch, be more careful!” He barked angrily. His employee’s reaction was to immediately lighten up her touch.
“Yes, young master…” Keiko interrupted her nursing to turn towards the tip toeing Kagura. “Where do you think you’re going?!”
The journalist cursed under her breath at having been found out. She had hoped to be able to sneak out before either of the two could notice her.
‘I had somehow expected that Oshiko’s pathetic whimpering would be loud enough to cover my escape.’ The hateful glare Keiko was sending her let Kagura know that she was the one who could cause her trouble.
As if remembering Kagura’s existence, Oshiko turned from Keiko’s soothing hands, to turn towards the source of his injury. He marched towards the Shikon Magazine employee and spat angrily at her face. “What in the hell is wrong with you? He told me you would go along.”
“Go along with what? And who are you talking about?” She asked taking a step back towards the door. It took a fraction of a second for Kagura’s brain to make the connection, but when it did, all the furry she had for the angry man in front of her shifted to another target. ‘Is this why Naraku asked me to write the portrait about Shigeno? Did those assholes get into an agreement over Oshiko sleeping with me? I thought there would be a line my father wouldn’t cross…’ Thinking Naraku could try to use her in such a way made Kagura angry beyond words, and even sick to her stomach.
“I am not Naraku's whore. I don’t know what disgusting agreement the two of you came to, but I will never sleep with you, no matter the amount of your daddy’s money you try to shove down my throat.”
“Get the hell out of my house!” Oshiko’s face contorted into an ugly furious grimace. “Don’t expect me or my father to give one cent to your fucking magazine. We are going to destroy you. We will bury you until there’s nothing left.” All of his previous charm had left his face as his features were transformed by rage. “Get out of here now. Get out! Get out!”
While Kagura had been taken a back at first by the force of his anger, it did not take her long to react. “With pleasure.” She replied on the sweetest tone she could muster.
“Just you wait. When my dad and I are done with you, you will beg for my forgiveness!” With these final threats thrown at her back, the young woman rushed down the corridor towards where she remembered the front door was. In a matter of seconds she had rushed to her car, and was noisily speeding out of the driveway. There was only one person she wanted to see right now, so she headed straight to where she knew she could find him.
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“I told you, I’ve followed your career for a while, and I have been very impressed by your work. Now, what do you say? Are we in business? ” As usual Shiyounin was expecting a quick answer. He was a busy man, and he did not wish to waste any more time speaking with the younger man. ‘All he has to do is agree to sign off on this, and my debt will be cleared.’ The prospect of finally clearing out his affairs made his pale eyes shine in anticipation.
“I will think about it.” Sesshoumaru’s succinct words broke through the thoughts of the older man.
“What?!” Katsuyama expressed disbelief. “Well, I was expecting an answer today. This is not an offer you…”
“Unless you wish me to turn it down, I will need time to reflect on this.”
Shiyounin contained his annoyance, and plastered as bright a smile as he could. “Of course I understand that you will need time to get things in order. Moving isn’t always an easy decision.”
“Moving?” Sesshoumaru echoed.
“Well, yes. Didn’t you read the information I just handed to you? The position isn’t based out of here. You would have to work from the Musahi country office, but it’s not that bad; the place is only a five hours drive from here.”
After a long minute of silence, Sesshoumaru let a smile crack his cold face, which prompted Shiyounin let out a sigh of relief.
‘To think that we both thought it would be hard to get Sesshoumaru on board… I shouldn’t have doubted my persuasion skills.’ Shiyounin grinned happily, already making a mental note to have his secretary draft Sesshoumaru’s contract.
“This has gone on for long enough.” The Shikon Magazine editor said even as his smile turned into a sneer. “Has my father become so desperate to get rid of me that he would stoop to such a low?”
“Your father?” The older man echoed with a scoff. “What?! You are mistaken I…”
“Spare me the lies. My father, Touga Tashio, is behind this. I believe, you two are old friends, and in the past he must have made you a favor or two, and now he wants you to repay him… or maybe he promised you something in exchange for your help.”
Shiyounin thought briefly about denying, but decided against it. He ran a tired hand over his face, and after heaving a deep sigh he finally spoke. “Look kid. Yes, your old man is behind this… but it doesn’t mean this wouldn’t be good for you.”
Not liking the patronizing tone used by the older man, Sesshoumaru took to his feet. “No, thank you.”
Before he had the chance to make it to the door, the man on the other side of the desk stood up as well. Shiyounin had never been able to stand the feeling of others looking down on him, nor people turning their back on him.
“Your father may have asked me to find you a job, preferably out of town, but he didn’t tell me which one. I did look up on you, and I was impressed by the way Shikon Magazine is being run; especially, the digital platform. I’ve been trying to get my businesses to have a stronger online presence, and I think you’re the man who could help me do just that. So don’t cut your nose to spite your face kid, think about the opportunity, and take the job I’m offering.”
Sesshoumaru was then and there tempted to point out that the Shikon website was Kagura’s main area of dealing. She had seen the growing importance of digital journalism in the past years, and had pushed her father very hard to invest money in the website. Naraku was reluctant at first, but after a trial run he ended up seeing the benefits, and agreed to develop Shikon Magazine on the web. Even Sesshoumaru had to admit that his girlfriend’s work, and particularly her food critic pieces, had become a nice attraction for the site, and were generating nice advertising revenue.
In the blink of an eye, a plan was formulated in Sesshoumaru’s head. ‘Father thinks he can manipulate things to his advantage? Two can play that game.’ He turned from the door to face Shiyounin before speaking. “I have decided to not refuse you outright. I will think about the matter then get back to you.”
The corners of the older man’s hazel eyes crinkled as he smiled. “Wise decision, son. I will wait for your answer then. If you let me know within a week, the position will still be available.”
With a nod of understanding, Sesshoumaru walked to the door. Once his hand was on the handle, he paused, and turned his head to send a sharp glare to the older man.
“One last thing. Do not ever call this Sesshoumaru kid or son again.”
Shiyounin chuckled nervously. He had seen the cold look of resolve in Touga’s similar amber eyes to know that the other man was not to be trifled with, and that even if a threat was not formulated, it did exist.
“Okay, got it.” Shiyounin finally answered, quite embarrassed for being intimidated by the much younger man as well as coming across as meek.
Without offering any greetings Sesshoumaru left the office, shutting the door with a resonating slam.
Shiyounin sighed heavily before reaching for the intercom and buzzing his secretary’s desk. “Get me Touga on the phone. Now!”
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Kagura drove in complete blind furry, and had someone asked, she herself would have admitted that it was a miracle she had made it to her destination without getting into a car accident. With tires screeching she pulled into the parking lot of her workplace. The young woman was seething, and as much as she would love to talk to someone about what she had found out she knew it was not an option. Kanna would simply say ‘I told you so’ and take the opportunity to again ask her older sister why she agreed to work for the man who had abandoned them so many years ago. When it came to Sesshoumaru, he would be livid, and would probably attempt to bash in Oshiko’s head in then annihilate Naraku; she had seen his jealous and protective sides after all.
‘I don’t like people fighting my battles, so I will just take care of it myself.’
Her engine had barely been turned off before she jumped out of her car, and was on her way to the entrance of the building. In the blink of an eye, she had rode up the elevator and had stomped through the office, ignoring the “good mornings” her co-workers sent her way. Once she reached the door to her father’ office, she threw it opened without a single care. A groan of pure annoyance escaped her throat when she found the place empty.
“Is Naraku here?” She barked angrily as soon as she traced her steps back to the reception desk.
“Eep!” Shippou squealed, his green eyes wide in fear. He could tell how furious the journalist was, and it unnerved him in turn.
“Answer the question, or I swear I will…” Kagura never had a chance to finish her threat.
“He’s on the terrace… he said he needed air.” The intern replied as he nervously ran a hand through his red hair.
‘In other words he’s hiding from Yura because she found out about one of his other girls.’ Kagura thought to herself even as she added aloud on a syrupy sweet tone “Thanks Shippou.” Still keeping on a strong stride, she moved towards the stairs leading up to the roof.
The tone of her voice made a shiver of unease run down Shipou’s back. ‘Whatever she’s up to, it’s not going to be good… Maybe it’s time for a little break.’ Even as the words crossed his mind, he headed towards the exit, intent on not being anywhere near Kagura or her father when the fireworks were sure to go off.
Upon arriving in front of the door leading to the terrace, Kagura took a deep calming breath. She knew she was about to have a difficult confrontation with her father, and was not looking forward to it. Before she could overthink too much, she pushed opened the door and let herself in.
“Why are you already here?” Her father asked as soon as he spotted her. He angrily crushed his cigarette then threw it over the railing.
“Surprised to see me?” She sneered, her anger coming back up in full swing. “Did you estimate I would be in Oshiko’s bed by now?”
“I wouldn’t care where you would be as long as you keep the brat happy.” Naraku retorted. His day had not started on the right note as he had had to go through a screaming match between Yura, his secretary and mistress, and his current girlfriend. “Why do you think he requested to have you conduct the interview instead of our star journalist?”
“Well, sorry, but I wasn’t interested.” Finding out that the reason for her selection was based on her sex and physical appearance rather than her journalistic abilities, or the need for her father to see if she could be of use, hurt her. “When he tried to kiss me, I bit his damn lip.” Naraku was not amused by the smug and self-satisfied look on his oldest daughter’s face.
“Can’t you do anything right?!” He roared angrily. “I gave you one damn task, and you can’t even do it right.”
At hearing her father’s casual words, she felt her entire body hum with rage. “You told me to write an article, not whore myself out.”
“Would it have killed you to just let the brat kiss you or fill you up a bit?” He told her with a dismissing hand gesture. He was already thinking about how much damage control he was going to have to do with the older Shigeno in order to smooth over the situation, and not lose his potential sizable investment and political connections.
The way in which her father was willing to use her as a mere pawn made Kagura’s heart constrict in pain. Even if she had learned long ago not to let Naraku get to her, she could not help but admit that his words and his actions stung her deeply.
“I truly question how fit you are for your position. Maybe you’re just not dedicated enough to being the editor of Shikon Magazine.”
“Well soon I’ll be the only editor you will have.” She spat angrily back at her father. Seeing Naraku’s crimson eyes narrow in surprise made her smirk gleefully in response. “Oh, so you didn’t know your favorite editor was leaving the magazine?”
“Sesshoumaru is thinking about leaving Shikon?” A disbelieving Naraku asked. He had anticipated that following his award, other magazines and newspapers would try to poach Sesshoumaru away from Shikon, but he had not believed that the young man would agree to go. ‘He cannot leave. We’ve been getting so much interest lately because of him… I need to have him stay at the magazine. We were going to renegotiate his contract; he never said anything about planning to leave… unless…’
“What the hell did you do?!” He asked in pure rage. “You just had to run him off too, didn’t you? I know you did something that made him want to get away.”
Kagura was taken aback by the murderous look in her father’s eyes. “What are you talking about?”
“As if the Kouga debacle wasn’t bad enough.” He kept on rambling as if she was not even standing in front of him. “I can’t afford to raise the salary of one of your exes to have them stick around once again.”
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, Kagura asked again. “What are you talking about?” She heard Naraku’s words, but she was too deep in denial to put all of it together.
“What?” Naraku asked with a cruel sneer. “Didn’t you know I had to pay off Kouga, and agree to hire his girlfriend full time to have him stick with Shikon? His sports columns are popular, and I wasn’t about to lose him because of your messy love life.”
“You paid off Kouga?” Forming the words, and letting them out was more hurtful than Kagura could have ever imagined. She couldn’t believe that her father would have so little consideration for her and her feelings that he would make such a sordid bargain with the man who had cheated on her, and broken her heart.
“Yes, of course… and I am willing to do the same with your current boyfriend if Mr. high and mighty would agree to that.” He mistook Kagura’s shock over his explanation of his arrangement with Kouga for surprise over him knowing about her secret relationship with Sesshoumaru. “Yes, I know all about the two of you, Ayame told me a while ago. It seems she overheard you and Sesshoumaru in your office some months ago. She may look innocent, but I know she’s as sneaky as they come. I am sure she thought I would do something about you and Sesshoumaru as soon as I heard, but I decided to let the two of you enjoy each other as long as it did not impact my business.”
‘That red headed bitch!’ Kagura thought to herself as anger simmered inside her more sourly. ‘I bet she thought Naraku would send me packing if he found out.’ She refused to admit that she herself had feared her father would fire her if he knew about her relationship with Sesshoumaru. ‘I wonder why he never even said anything.’
“I had nothing to gain out of the situation.” Naraku supplied as if he could read her mind. “However I do now. I don’t care what you do, or what you say to him, but make Sesshoumaru stay, or…”
“What, you’ll tie him up to a chair? He’s getting a great opportunity to be an editor for another publication, and he should take it.”
Deep down Naraku knew that Shikon Magazine was not the best publication on the market, but hearing his daughter actually insinuate that Sesshoumaru would rather go somewhere else stung his pride.
‘Then again, maybe this wasn’t Sesshoumaru’s choice. Kagura is the sneakiest person I know. I wouldn’t put it past my dear daughter to try to push Sesshoumaru out the door.’ Naraku thought even as he ran a hand down his long wavy dark hair.
“You must be the reason why Sesshoumaru decided to leave.” He voiced his theory aloud. “He had no other reason to. From the time I hired him, he knew he would be my successor. I got him to come to Shikon with the understanding that he would take over once I decided to move on to greater things; preferably in politics.” Naraku delivered the blow that would shatter his daughter’s heart.
Despite in how much pain she was, the young woman spoke on a voice as composed as possible. “Ever since he came on board, Sesshoumaru knew he was supposed to get the reigns of Shikon Magazine?”
“Yes, of course. I thought that was why you hated him so much. I know all about your ambitions for my magazine, but I would never let you be in charge. You are too much like your mother; I could never trust you.” Just thinking about his ex-wife made him grind his teeth in anger. ‘She was the worst mistake of my life, and her daughter is starting to prove to be just as much of a mistake.’ He pulled himself out of his thoughts to focus back on the situation at hand. He could not remember being as mad as he was presently in a long while. Not only had Kagura put his political contacts in jeopardy, but she had also contributed to the potential loss of his prize-winning editor. It was therefore with venom in his words that he lashed out.
“You’ve proven me just how deceptive you can be. You probably seduced Sesshoumaru with the clear intent of messing up with his head, and making him leave Shikon. I have to admit I had hoped the ice king wouldn’t be so easily deceived.”
Kagura did not reply to her father’s words for some long seconds. However as much as she tried, she simply could not put her thoughts back together. She was still reeling from his sudden revelations.
“You know what, I can’t do this right now.” While she may have expected a betrayal from her father, the fact that Sesshoumaru would never have told her about his agreement with Naraku hurt her beyond words. ‘Sessh knows how much I want to be in charge of Shikon Magazine. I can’t believe he would hide something this important from me.’
The young woman turned around towards the door of the terrace. Her progression was stopped when her father placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Do not walk away from me.” He turned her around with his hard grip. “I’m not done talking here. I don’t care how you do it, but you will fix this. You need to apologize to the Shigeno brat and smooth things over with him, and you need to make Sesshoumaru stay.”
“Hands off!” Kagura slapped her father’s hold. She had been manhandled enough for one day, and had no intentions of letting it go on.
“Kagura, didn’t you hear what I said?”
“I did, but I really don’t care anymore.” Just speaking the words felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. For so long she had tried to be the daughter Naraku wanted her to be, and she had catered to his every demanding requests; just to be stabbed in the back. Thinking about all the time she had wasted trying to needlessly impress Naraku while he and Sesshoumaru knew all along that she would never be head of Shikon Magazine hurt her as much as being stabbed in the heart.
“Screw you dad.” With those parting words, she headed straight for the exit and left the terrace. The heavy slamming of the door was just loud enough to muffle the curses Naraku threw at her back.
After facing off with her father, Kagura just wanted a place where she could be alone and collect her thoughts. She couldn’t go home as she might run into Sesshoumaru, and her office, which had been her usual refuge for so long was not an option either as the mere thought of being inside the Shikon headquarters made her feel sick to her stomach. ‘Besides I’m not sure it’s even still my office.’ She chuckled to herself without mirth.
Her other option was to go to her sister, but she couldn’t go there either. ‘I know how much Kanna wanted things to work out between me and Sesshoumaru. She will be as heartbroken as I am once she finds out what happened.’ She thought biting her lower lip. Kagura knew that her sister would share her anger, and as much as she needed some comfort, she refused to go to Kanna. She after all did not wish to upset her due to her younger sister’s delicate situation. She also knew she couldn’t go to her sister for another reason. She simple would not be able to bear hearing Kanna point out that she had warned her older sibling so many times about their father’s horrific nature.
‘I guess I’ll take things one step at a time.’ Her thoughts still jumbled, Kagura ran down the stairs, and pushed past the few people in the corridor to head towards the parking structure where her car was waiting.
“Hey careful!”
The words of protest were lost on Kagura’s ears as she headed straight for her destination, and ignored the people around her.
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Ayame watched with gleeful eyes as Kagura stumbled past her in her rush to the exit. As awful as she knew that was, she had to admit that she enjoyed seeing the haggard look of pain in the older woman’s gaze.
‘Shippou wasn’t kidding when he mentioned that fireworks were about to go off between Kagura and Naraku. I am glad I didn’t miss the action.’ Ayame was sure that Kagura was shaken up after her confrontation with her father because had she been in her usual state of mind, the dark haired woman would have stopped to question the all too satisfying look on the face of her ex-boyfriend’s wife.
“You look like the cat who ate the cream. What got you so happy?”
Ayame smiled in pure happiness as she felt strong tanned arms envelop her from behind in a hug.
“Was it the baby?” He asked, fondly running his hands over his wife’s rounded belly.
“Actually no. I just overheard our dear friend Kagura arguing with Naraku. Maybe we’ll finally be rid of her for good.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Kouga’s hold on his wife loosened.
“And that’s what makes you so happy?” He took her by the shoulders to spin her around so he could look into her beloved emerald eyes.
Ayame was a smart woman, and she knew her husband quite well. There were only a few occasions when she had seen him as angry as he looked right now. His blue eyes were shooting daggers at her.
“Why do you always get so worked out when things involved Kagura?” Ayame asked just as angry as her husband was.
“She’s my friend; I care about her.”
Kouga’s words made a shiver of unease run down Ayame’s spine, and fear grip her heart. “She’s not your friend. She’s your ex-girlfriend. The last woman you were with before you married me.” She simply could not understand why her husband insisted on having a relationship with his ex. ‘Why doesn’t he see how much it hurts me? I can’t wait for the day when Kagura will be out of our lives forever.’
“Ayame, I dumped Kagura, and I broke her heart, so I could marry you. We’re having a kid together, isn’t that enough? Why can’t you just accept the fact that the least I can still give her is my friendship? Where’s your compassion?” When it came to Kouga, he could not understand why Ayame did not share some of his guilt. He realized how much the two of them had hurt Kagura, and he could not help but want to make things better for her. The only way he could thing of doing that were to support Kagura, and look out for her best interest. He in fact had done his best to monitor from afar the growing closeness between Kagura and Sesshoumaru, but had decided not to interfere since things seemed to be going smoothly.
Ayame did not feel contrite at all over her rejoicing about Kagura’s pain, and the prospect of being rid of her, but she also knew that if she did not feign some emotions, her husband would be mad at her, and the last thing she wanted was to get into an argument with him; especially not at work.
“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to have some compassion for her. I do feel bad in a way.” She faked an apologetic tone as well as she could, and presented the little pout she knew Kouga had never been able to resist. She decided then and there that she was never going to tell her husband that she had been the one to tell Naraku about the clandestine relationship between Sesshoumaru and Kagura, which she was sure had sparked the argument between the other woman and her father.
At hearing her words, his mouth broke into a wide smile. “I knew you’d understand baby. You’re such a great woman.” He leaned to press a kiss to his wife’s lips. “I’ve got to go after Kagura, and make sure she is okay.” Kouga then added before walking away.
“Let’s meet for lunch later on.” Ayame called cheerily towards his back, doing her best to mask how angered she really was. Through her request, she hoped to put a time limit on how much time Kouga would spend with Kagura.
“Maybe, I’ll text you.” Kouga turned to reply just as he disappeared behind the steel elevator doors.
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Sesshoumaru pressed the end call button, and threw his phone on the passenger seat.
‘Why is Kagura not answering? I hope her interview with that Oshiko Shigeno went well.’ He thought to himself before straightening the wheel of his car. He decided to stop trying to call her. He after all did not have that pressing a need to talk to her, and as much as he hated to admit it to himself, he was using the prospect of speaking with her as an excuse to keep his next stop at bay.
As soon as he had left Shiyounin, he had called his father’s office, and to his annoyance he had had been told by Hana, his father’s secretary, that Touga was taking a personal day, and would be working from home. Sesshoumaru knew then that even if he hated the idea of it, his next step would be to go pay a visit to the one place where he had sworn he would never go back to.
‘I am not a coward, and I know what I have to do.’ Resolution burning strongly inside him, he pressed harder on the gas pedal. After finding out about his father’s plan, he had no choice but to go confront the older man, no matter how little he actually wanted to see him.
Soon enough he approached the suburban lavish neighborhood he had once called home. ‘Old money doesn’t change much.’ He reflected upon seeing how little things had changed in the last two decades he had not been there. Just a few minutes later, his car arrived upon an all too familiar large wrought iron fence. He pulled up, lowered his window, and punched in a series of numbers in the intercom panel. Unsurprisingly a green light flashed, and the gates opened. Sesshoumaru had half expected for the entrance codes of the house to have changed. ‘Then again it is typical of father to keep things comfortable for him. I am sure this is why he tried to get rid of me.’
Just thinking about Touga’s pernicious plan made Sesshoumaru’s teeth grind in anger. He drove up the lane leading to the house, and could not help but notice the changes and additions that had been brought to the grounds.
‘I see Izayoi has been busy.’ He commented to himself as he drove past beds of colorful roses, which had not been there when he had been a resident of the mansion. All too soon he had parked his car in front of the main entrance, and after taking a quick second to collect his thoughts, he exited his car, and walked the few steps leading up to the front door. He was surprised to see that he was not even nervous. He had always imagined that if he ever was to come back to his father’s house, he would be knocking on the door of his childhood home with wet palms, but focusing on his anger allowed him to be as calm and collected as usual.
It only took one ring of the bell for the massive carved wooden door to be opened.
“Sessh…Sesshoumaru… what are you doing here?” Said someone he had just not anticipated to see. He had been so completely focused on seeing Touga that Sesshoumaru had not factored in the possibility that he might run into another of his family members while attempting to do so.
“Izayoi.”
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“Damn you Sesshoumaru!” Kagura finally turned off her phone before throwing it on the backseat of her car. She did not know exactly how long she had been seating in her car alone, but she knew she had had enough time to reject three consecutive calls from Sesshoumaru.
“Aren’t you pathetic Kagura?” She mused aloud to herself. “You’re just seating here in your car with nowhere to go, dodging your soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend’s calls.” The feelings of loneliness and betrayal she now associated with Sesshoumaru came resurfacing, and before she could help it, a tear came running down her cheek.
‘How could I have been so stupid. I should have known something was suspicious between Sesshoumaru and Naraku. Sessh was always trying to get me to stop trying to impress my father. Now I realize that he knew how futile that was of me.’ A torrent of tears suddenly poured from her crimson eyes.
Kagura was startled by the sudden knock against he window of her car. Her reddened gaze was met by a wave and a big smile.
“Damn it, as if I haven’t had enough on my plate.” She quickly wiped away any evidence of her meltdown before rolling down her car’s window.
“What do you want?” She hoped that her harsh tone of voice would be enough to send him running away. Of all people, he was the one person she never wanted to see her in such a vulnerable state.
“Got room for one more in there?”
To be continued…
A/N: Ta-da some interesting encounters will be coming up in the next installment. Will Kagura and Sesshoumaru ever be able to move past what she found out? We shall find out soon. The next one will be named Copy-editing, and I will try to post it as quickly as I am able. Thanks again for your amazing patience!
A/N: I am so sorry for the delay. I am still committed to seeing this story through to the end; especially, since we are so close to the conclusion. I would like to thank all of you for reading this fic!
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'
“Well that does it. I think I have all I could need to write a flattering portrait of you.” As soon as the words left Kagura’s mouth, she stood up. She had tried to go through the questions as quickly as possible. She did not intend to stay one minute longer than need be in Oshiko’s presence. From the moment she had stepped into the room she had been made uncomfortable by the young man’s gaze.
‘The way he looks at me is just plain creepy. He makes me feel like a juicy piece of steak, and he’s a hungry wolf.’ She had not even tried any of the food offered by the army of well-trained servants who had paraded through the room. She could tell her reluctance to be a good guest got on Oshiko’s nerves, but she did not care one bit.
“Well, if we’re done here, then I propose we move things along then.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I am going to the office, and I don’t know what you’re going to do, nor do I care. My job is done, and I will be taking my leave. Expect to see the article published in the next issue of Shikon. ” Having said her piece, she tried to take a step away from the table, but the young man moved quicker and took a hold of her arm. Her struggles and attempts to break free only caused him to strengthen his hold; his fingers mercilessly digging in her soft skin.
“I tried to be a gentleman about this, but if you prefer the hard way, I am more than willing to give it to you.” With these ominous words, he leaned his head forward, and pressed his lips to hers in a harsh kiss.
It took a few seconds for Kagura’ brain to get over the shock, and realize what was happening to her. As soon as it did, she took immediate action. At the risk of giving Oshiko the opportunity to deepen their kiss, she opened her mouth to retaliate. Using as much strength as she could, she buried her teeth as harshly as possible in the fleshy part of the young man’s lower lip. His reaction was instantaneous. He let go of his harsh hold on her, and jumped back.
“You bitch!” He roared angrily even as he spat blood, and pressed a trembling hand to his injured lip.
Kagura could tell he was shocked by her surprise attack, and even as she worked out a way to escape from Oshiko’s maze like house, a large part of her relished the look of utter shock on the man’s face.
‘I bet he’s not used to seeing a woman fight back. That asshole is probably used to his dad’s money making sure he has women in handy who will let him do what he wants.’ She thought even as she furiously wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, hoping to efface every remnants of the oral assault she had just gone through.
“Young master!” Keiko exclaimed as she ran into the room. Kagura had taken the opportunity of the other woman throwing the door opened as a distraction, and picked up her purse and notebook. She trained her crimson eyes on the door, and slowly walked towards it. She only hoped that Keiko’s intrusion would keep Oshiko distracted long enough to allow her to slip out.
Keiko whipped out a handkerchief out of her service apron, and wiped away her employer’s bloody lip as she cooed with sympathy. “My poor master…”
“You stupid bitch, be more careful!” He barked angrily. His employee’s reaction was to immediately lighten up her touch.
“Yes, young master…” Keiko interrupted her nursing to turn towards the tip toeing Kagura. “Where do you think you’re going?!”
The journalist cursed under her breath at having been found out. She had hoped to be able to sneak out before either of the two could notice her.
‘I had somehow expected that Oshiko’s pathetic whimpering would be loud enough to cover my escape.’ The hateful glare Keiko was sending her let Kagura know that she was the one who could cause her trouble.
As if remembering Kagura’s existence, Oshiko turned from Keiko’s soothing hands, to turn towards the source of his injury. He marched towards the Shikon Magazine employee and spat angrily at her face. “What in the hell is wrong with you? He told me you would go along.”
“Go along with what? And who are you talking about?” She asked taking a step back towards the door. It took a fraction of a second for Kagura’s brain to make the connection, but when it did, all the furry she had for the angry man in front of her shifted to another target. ‘Is this why Naraku asked me to write the portrait about Shigeno? Did those assholes get into an agreement over Oshiko sleeping with me? I thought there would be a line my father wouldn’t cross…’ Thinking Naraku could try to use her in such a way made Kagura angry beyond words, and even sick to her stomach.
“I am not Naraku's whore. I don’t know what disgusting agreement the two of you came to, but I will never sleep with you, no matter the amount of your daddy’s money you try to shove down my throat.”
“Get the hell out of my house!” Oshiko’s face contorted into an ugly furious grimace. “Don’t expect me or my father to give one cent to your fucking magazine. We are going to destroy you. We will bury you until there’s nothing left.” All of his previous charm had left his face as his features were transformed by rage. “Get out of here now. Get out! Get out!”
While Kagura had been taken a back at first by the force of his anger, it did not take her long to react. “With pleasure.” She replied on the sweetest tone she could muster.
“Just you wait. When my dad and I are done with you, you will beg for my forgiveness!” With these final threats thrown at her back, the young woman rushed down the corridor towards where she remembered the front door was. In a matter of seconds she had rushed to her car, and was noisily speeding out of the driveway. There was only one person she wanted to see right now, so she headed straight to where she knew she could find him.
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“I told you, I’ve followed your career for a while, and I have been very impressed by your work. Now, what do you say? Are we in business? ” As usual Shiyounin was expecting a quick answer. He was a busy man, and he did not wish to waste any more time speaking with the younger man. ‘All he has to do is agree to sign off on this, and my debt will be cleared.’ The prospect of finally clearing out his affairs made his pale eyes shine in anticipation.
“I will think about it.” Sesshoumaru’s succinct words broke through the thoughts of the older man.
“What?!” Katsuyama expressed disbelief. “Well, I was expecting an answer today. This is not an offer you…”
“Unless you wish me to turn it down, I will need time to reflect on this.”
Shiyounin contained his annoyance, and plastered as bright a smile as he could. “Of course I understand that you will need time to get things in order. Moving isn’t always an easy decision.”
“Moving?” Sesshoumaru echoed.
“Well, yes. Didn’t you read the information I just handed to you? The position isn’t based out of here. You would have to work from the Musahi country office, but it’s not that bad; the place is only a five hours drive from here.”
After a long minute of silence, Sesshoumaru let a smile crack his cold face, which prompted Shiyounin let out a sigh of relief.
‘To think that we both thought it would be hard to get Sesshoumaru on board… I shouldn’t have doubted my persuasion skills.’ Shiyounin grinned happily, already making a mental note to have his secretary draft Sesshoumaru’s contract.
“This has gone on for long enough.” The Shikon Magazine editor said even as his smile turned into a sneer. “Has my father become so desperate to get rid of me that he would stoop to such a low?”
“Your father?” The older man echoed with a scoff. “What?! You are mistaken I…”
“Spare me the lies. My father, Touga Tashio, is behind this. I believe, you two are old friends, and in the past he must have made you a favor or two, and now he wants you to repay him… or maybe he promised you something in exchange for your help.”
Shiyounin thought briefly about denying, but decided against it. He ran a tired hand over his face, and after heaving a deep sigh he finally spoke. “Look kid. Yes, your old man is behind this… but it doesn’t mean this wouldn’t be good for you.”
Not liking the patronizing tone used by the older man, Sesshoumaru took to his feet. “No, thank you.”
Before he had the chance to make it to the door, the man on the other side of the desk stood up as well. Shiyounin had never been able to stand the feeling of others looking down on him, nor people turning their back on him.
“Your father may have asked me to find you a job, preferably out of town, but he didn’t tell me which one. I did look up on you, and I was impressed by the way Shikon Magazine is being run; especially, the digital platform. I’ve been trying to get my businesses to have a stronger online presence, and I think you’re the man who could help me do just that. So don’t cut your nose to spite your face kid, think about the opportunity, and take the job I’m offering.”
Sesshoumaru was then and there tempted to point out that the Shikon website was Kagura’s main area of dealing. She had seen the growing importance of digital journalism in the past years, and had pushed her father very hard to invest money in the website. Naraku was reluctant at first, but after a trial run he ended up seeing the benefits, and agreed to develop Shikon Magazine on the web. Even Sesshoumaru had to admit that his girlfriend’s work, and particularly her food critic pieces, had become a nice attraction for the site, and were generating nice advertising revenue.
In the blink of an eye, a plan was formulated in Sesshoumaru’s head. ‘Father thinks he can manipulate things to his advantage? Two can play that game.’ He turned from the door to face Shiyounin before speaking. “I have decided to not refuse you outright. I will think about the matter then get back to you.”
The corners of the older man’s hazel eyes crinkled as he smiled. “Wise decision, son. I will wait for your answer then. If you let me know within a week, the position will still be available.”
With a nod of understanding, Sesshoumaru walked to the door. Once his hand was on the handle, he paused, and turned his head to send a sharp glare to the older man.
“One last thing. Do not ever call this Sesshoumaru kid or son again.”
Shiyounin chuckled nervously. He had seen the cold look of resolve in Touga’s similar amber eyes to know that the other man was not to be trifled with, and that even if a threat was not formulated, it did exist.
“Okay, got it.” Shiyounin finally answered, quite embarrassed for being intimidated by the much younger man as well as coming across as meek.
Without offering any greetings Sesshoumaru left the office, shutting the door with a resonating slam.
Shiyounin sighed heavily before reaching for the intercom and buzzing his secretary’s desk. “Get me Touga on the phone. Now!”
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Kagura drove in complete blind furry, and had someone asked, she herself would have admitted that it was a miracle she had made it to her destination without getting into a car accident. With tires screeching she pulled into the parking lot of her workplace. The young woman was seething, and as much as she would love to talk to someone about what she had found out she knew it was not an option. Kanna would simply say ‘I told you so’ and take the opportunity to again ask her older sister why she agreed to work for the man who had abandoned them so many years ago. When it came to Sesshoumaru, he would be livid, and would probably attempt to bash in Oshiko’s head in then annihilate Naraku; she had seen his jealous and protective sides after all.
‘I don’t like people fighting my battles, so I will just take care of it myself.’
Her engine had barely been turned off before she jumped out of her car, and was on her way to the entrance of the building. In the blink of an eye, she had rode up the elevator and had stomped through the office, ignoring the “good mornings” her co-workers sent her way. Once she reached the door to her father’ office, she threw it opened without a single care. A groan of pure annoyance escaped her throat when she found the place empty.
“Is Naraku here?” She barked angrily as soon as she traced her steps back to the reception desk.
“Eep!” Shippou squealed, his green eyes wide in fear. He could tell how furious the journalist was, and it unnerved him in turn.
“Answer the question, or I swear I will…” Kagura never had a chance to finish her threat.
“He’s on the terrace… he said he needed air.” The intern replied as he nervously ran a hand through his red hair.
‘In other words he’s hiding from Yura because she found out about one of his other girls.’ Kagura thought to herself even as she added aloud on a syrupy sweet tone “Thanks Shippou.” Still keeping on a strong stride, she moved towards the stairs leading up to the roof.
The tone of her voice made a shiver of unease run down Shipou’s back. ‘Whatever she’s up to, it’s not going to be good… Maybe it’s time for a little break.’ Even as the words crossed his mind, he headed towards the exit, intent on not being anywhere near Kagura or her father when the fireworks were sure to go off.
Upon arriving in front of the door leading to the terrace, Kagura took a deep calming breath. She knew she was about to have a difficult confrontation with her father, and was not looking forward to it. Before she could overthink too much, she pushed opened the door and let herself in.
“Why are you already here?” Her father asked as soon as he spotted her. He angrily crushed his cigarette then threw it over the railing.
“Surprised to see me?” She sneered, her anger coming back up in full swing. “Did you estimate I would be in Oshiko’s bed by now?”
“I wouldn’t care where you would be as long as you keep the brat happy.” Naraku retorted. His day had not started on the right note as he had had to go through a screaming match between Yura, his secretary and mistress, and his current girlfriend. “Why do you think he requested to have you conduct the interview instead of our star journalist?”
“Well, sorry, but I wasn’t interested.” Finding out that the reason for her selection was based on her sex and physical appearance rather than her journalistic abilities, or the need for her father to see if she could be of use, hurt her. “When he tried to kiss me, I bit his damn lip.” Naraku was not amused by the smug and self-satisfied look on his oldest daughter’s face.
“Can’t you do anything right?!” He roared angrily. “I gave you one damn task, and you can’t even do it right.”
At hearing her father’s casual words, she felt her entire body hum with rage. “You told me to write an article, not whore myself out.”
“Would it have killed you to just let the brat kiss you or fill you up a bit?” He told her with a dismissing hand gesture. He was already thinking about how much damage control he was going to have to do with the older Shigeno in order to smooth over the situation, and not lose his potential sizable investment and political connections.
The way in which her father was willing to use her as a mere pawn made Kagura’s heart constrict in pain. Even if she had learned long ago not to let Naraku get to her, she could not help but admit that his words and his actions stung her deeply.
“I truly question how fit you are for your position. Maybe you’re just not dedicated enough to being the editor of Shikon Magazine.”
“Well soon I’ll be the only editor you will have.” She spat angrily back at her father. Seeing Naraku’s crimson eyes narrow in surprise made her smirk gleefully in response. “Oh, so you didn’t know your favorite editor was leaving the magazine?”
“Sesshoumaru is thinking about leaving Shikon?” A disbelieving Naraku asked. He had anticipated that following his award, other magazines and newspapers would try to poach Sesshoumaru away from Shikon, but he had not believed that the young man would agree to go. ‘He cannot leave. We’ve been getting so much interest lately because of him… I need to have him stay at the magazine. We were going to renegotiate his contract; he never said anything about planning to leave… unless…’
“What the hell did you do?!” He asked in pure rage. “You just had to run him off too, didn’t you? I know you did something that made him want to get away.”
Kagura was taken aback by the murderous look in her father’s eyes. “What are you talking about?”
“As if the Kouga debacle wasn’t bad enough.” He kept on rambling as if she was not even standing in front of him. “I can’t afford to raise the salary of one of your exes to have them stick around once again.”
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, Kagura asked again. “What are you talking about?” She heard Naraku’s words, but she was too deep in denial to put all of it together.
“What?” Naraku asked with a cruel sneer. “Didn’t you know I had to pay off Kouga, and agree to hire his girlfriend full time to have him stick with Shikon? His sports columns are popular, and I wasn’t about to lose him because of your messy love life.”
“You paid off Kouga?” Forming the words, and letting them out was more hurtful than Kagura could have ever imagined. She couldn’t believe that her father would have so little consideration for her and her feelings that he would make such a sordid bargain with the man who had cheated on her, and broken her heart.
“Yes, of course… and I am willing to do the same with your current boyfriend if Mr. high and mighty would agree to that.” He mistook Kagura’s shock over his explanation of his arrangement with Kouga for surprise over him knowing about her secret relationship with Sesshoumaru. “Yes, I know all about the two of you, Ayame told me a while ago. It seems she overheard you and Sesshoumaru in your office some months ago. She may look innocent, but I know she’s as sneaky as they come. I am sure she thought I would do something about you and Sesshoumaru as soon as I heard, but I decided to let the two of you enjoy each other as long as it did not impact my business.”
‘That red headed bitch!’ Kagura thought to herself as anger simmered inside her more sourly. ‘I bet she thought Naraku would send me packing if he found out.’ She refused to admit that she herself had feared her father would fire her if he knew about her relationship with Sesshoumaru. ‘I wonder why he never even said anything.’
“I had nothing to gain out of the situation.” Naraku supplied as if he could read her mind. “However I do now. I don’t care what you do, or what you say to him, but make Sesshoumaru stay, or…”
“What, you’ll tie him up to a chair? He’s getting a great opportunity to be an editor for another publication, and he should take it.”
Deep down Naraku knew that Shikon Magazine was not the best publication on the market, but hearing his daughter actually insinuate that Sesshoumaru would rather go somewhere else stung his pride.
‘Then again, maybe this wasn’t Sesshoumaru’s choice. Kagura is the sneakiest person I know. I wouldn’t put it past my dear daughter to try to push Sesshoumaru out the door.’ Naraku thought even as he ran a hand down his long wavy dark hair.
“You must be the reason why Sesshoumaru decided to leave.” He voiced his theory aloud. “He had no other reason to. From the time I hired him, he knew he would be my successor. I got him to come to Shikon with the understanding that he would take over once I decided to move on to greater things; preferably in politics.” Naraku delivered the blow that would shatter his daughter’s heart.
Despite in how much pain she was, the young woman spoke on a voice as composed as possible. “Ever since he came on board, Sesshoumaru knew he was supposed to get the reigns of Shikon Magazine?”
“Yes, of course. I thought that was why you hated him so much. I know all about your ambitions for my magazine, but I would never let you be in charge. You are too much like your mother; I could never trust you.” Just thinking about his ex-wife made him grind his teeth in anger. ‘She was the worst mistake of my life, and her daughter is starting to prove to be just as much of a mistake.’ He pulled himself out of his thoughts to focus back on the situation at hand. He could not remember being as mad as he was presently in a long while. Not only had Kagura put his political contacts in jeopardy, but she had also contributed to the potential loss of his prize-winning editor. It was therefore with venom in his words that he lashed out.
“You’ve proven me just how deceptive you can be. You probably seduced Sesshoumaru with the clear intent of messing up with his head, and making him leave Shikon. I have to admit I had hoped the ice king wouldn’t be so easily deceived.”
Kagura did not reply to her father’s words for some long seconds. However as much as she tried, she simply could not put her thoughts back together. She was still reeling from his sudden revelations.
“You know what, I can’t do this right now.” While she may have expected a betrayal from her father, the fact that Sesshoumaru would never have told her about his agreement with Naraku hurt her beyond words. ‘Sessh knows how much I want to be in charge of Shikon Magazine. I can’t believe he would hide something this important from me.’
The young woman turned around towards the door of the terrace. Her progression was stopped when her father placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Do not walk away from me.” He turned her around with his hard grip. “I’m not done talking here. I don’t care how you do it, but you will fix this. You need to apologize to the Shigeno brat and smooth things over with him, and you need to make Sesshoumaru stay.”
“Hands off!” Kagura slapped her father’s hold. She had been manhandled enough for one day, and had no intentions of letting it go on.
“Kagura, didn’t you hear what I said?”
“I did, but I really don’t care anymore.” Just speaking the words felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. For so long she had tried to be the daughter Naraku wanted her to be, and she had catered to his every demanding requests; just to be stabbed in the back. Thinking about all the time she had wasted trying to needlessly impress Naraku while he and Sesshoumaru knew all along that she would never be head of Shikon Magazine hurt her as much as being stabbed in the heart.
“Screw you dad.” With those parting words, she headed straight for the exit and left the terrace. The heavy slamming of the door was just loud enough to muffle the curses Naraku threw at her back.
After facing off with her father, Kagura just wanted a place where she could be alone and collect her thoughts. She couldn’t go home as she might run into Sesshoumaru, and her office, which had been her usual refuge for so long was not an option either as the mere thought of being inside the Shikon headquarters made her feel sick to her stomach. ‘Besides I’m not sure it’s even still my office.’ She chuckled to herself without mirth.
Her other option was to go to her sister, but she couldn’t go there either. ‘I know how much Kanna wanted things to work out between me and Sesshoumaru. She will be as heartbroken as I am once she finds out what happened.’ She thought biting her lower lip. Kagura knew that her sister would share her anger, and as much as she needed some comfort, she refused to go to Kanna. She after all did not wish to upset her due to her younger sister’s delicate situation. She also knew she couldn’t go to her sister for another reason. She simple would not be able to bear hearing Kanna point out that she had warned her older sibling so many times about their father’s horrific nature.
‘I guess I’ll take things one step at a time.’ Her thoughts still jumbled, Kagura ran down the stairs, and pushed past the few people in the corridor to head towards the parking structure where her car was waiting.
“Hey careful!”
The words of protest were lost on Kagura’s ears as she headed straight for her destination, and ignored the people around her.
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Ayame watched with gleeful eyes as Kagura stumbled past her in her rush to the exit. As awful as she knew that was, she had to admit that she enjoyed seeing the haggard look of pain in the older woman’s gaze.
‘Shippou wasn’t kidding when he mentioned that fireworks were about to go off between Kagura and Naraku. I am glad I didn’t miss the action.’ Ayame was sure that Kagura was shaken up after her confrontation with her father because had she been in her usual state of mind, the dark haired woman would have stopped to question the all too satisfying look on the face of her ex-boyfriend’s wife.
“You look like the cat who ate the cream. What got you so happy?”
Ayame smiled in pure happiness as she felt strong tanned arms envelop her from behind in a hug.
“Was it the baby?” He asked, fondly running his hands over his wife’s rounded belly.
“Actually no. I just overheard our dear friend Kagura arguing with Naraku. Maybe we’ll finally be rid of her for good.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Kouga’s hold on his wife loosened.
“And that’s what makes you so happy?” He took her by the shoulders to spin her around so he could look into her beloved emerald eyes.
Ayame was a smart woman, and she knew her husband quite well. There were only a few occasions when she had seen him as angry as he looked right now. His blue eyes were shooting daggers at her.
“Why do you always get so worked out when things involved Kagura?” Ayame asked just as angry as her husband was.
“She’s my friend; I care about her.”
Kouga’s words made a shiver of unease run down Ayame’s spine, and fear grip her heart. “She’s not your friend. She’s your ex-girlfriend. The last woman you were with before you married me.” She simply could not understand why her husband insisted on having a relationship with his ex. ‘Why doesn’t he see how much it hurts me? I can’t wait for the day when Kagura will be out of our lives forever.’
“Ayame, I dumped Kagura, and I broke her heart, so I could marry you. We’re having a kid together, isn’t that enough? Why can’t you just accept the fact that the least I can still give her is my friendship? Where’s your compassion?” When it came to Kouga, he could not understand why Ayame did not share some of his guilt. He realized how much the two of them had hurt Kagura, and he could not help but want to make things better for her. The only way he could thing of doing that were to support Kagura, and look out for her best interest. He in fact had done his best to monitor from afar the growing closeness between Kagura and Sesshoumaru, but had decided not to interfere since things seemed to be going smoothly.
Ayame did not feel contrite at all over her rejoicing about Kagura’s pain, and the prospect of being rid of her, but she also knew that if she did not feign some emotions, her husband would be mad at her, and the last thing she wanted was to get into an argument with him; especially not at work.
“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to have some compassion for her. I do feel bad in a way.” She faked an apologetic tone as well as she could, and presented the little pout she knew Kouga had never been able to resist. She decided then and there that she was never going to tell her husband that she had been the one to tell Naraku about the clandestine relationship between Sesshoumaru and Kagura, which she was sure had sparked the argument between the other woman and her father.
At hearing her words, his mouth broke into a wide smile. “I knew you’d understand baby. You’re such a great woman.” He leaned to press a kiss to his wife’s lips. “I’ve got to go after Kagura, and make sure she is okay.” Kouga then added before walking away.
“Let’s meet for lunch later on.” Ayame called cheerily towards his back, doing her best to mask how angered she really was. Through her request, she hoped to put a time limit on how much time Kouga would spend with Kagura.
“Maybe, I’ll text you.” Kouga turned to reply just as he disappeared behind the steel elevator doors.
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Sesshoumaru pressed the end call button, and threw his phone on the passenger seat.
‘Why is Kagura not answering? I hope her interview with that Oshiko Shigeno went well.’ He thought to himself before straightening the wheel of his car. He decided to stop trying to call her. He after all did not have that pressing a need to talk to her, and as much as he hated to admit it to himself, he was using the prospect of speaking with her as an excuse to keep his next stop at bay.
As soon as he had left Shiyounin, he had called his father’s office, and to his annoyance he had had been told by Hana, his father’s secretary, that Touga was taking a personal day, and would be working from home. Sesshoumaru knew then that even if he hated the idea of it, his next step would be to go pay a visit to the one place where he had sworn he would never go back to.
‘I am not a coward, and I know what I have to do.’ Resolution burning strongly inside him, he pressed harder on the gas pedal. After finding out about his father’s plan, he had no choice but to go confront the older man, no matter how little he actually wanted to see him.
Soon enough he approached the suburban lavish neighborhood he had once called home. ‘Old money doesn’t change much.’ He reflected upon seeing how little things had changed in the last two decades he had not been there. Just a few minutes later, his car arrived upon an all too familiar large wrought iron fence. He pulled up, lowered his window, and punched in a series of numbers in the intercom panel. Unsurprisingly a green light flashed, and the gates opened. Sesshoumaru had half expected for the entrance codes of the house to have changed. ‘Then again it is typical of father to keep things comfortable for him. I am sure this is why he tried to get rid of me.’
Just thinking about Touga’s pernicious plan made Sesshoumaru’s teeth grind in anger. He drove up the lane leading to the house, and could not help but notice the changes and additions that had been brought to the grounds.
‘I see Izayoi has been busy.’ He commented to himself as he drove past beds of colorful roses, which had not been there when he had been a resident of the mansion. All too soon he had parked his car in front of the main entrance, and after taking a quick second to collect his thoughts, he exited his car, and walked the few steps leading up to the front door. He was surprised to see that he was not even nervous. He had always imagined that if he ever was to come back to his father’s house, he would be knocking on the door of his childhood home with wet palms, but focusing on his anger allowed him to be as calm and collected as usual.
It only took one ring of the bell for the massive carved wooden door to be opened.
“Sessh…Sesshoumaru… what are you doing here?” Said someone he had just not anticipated to see. He had been so completely focused on seeing Touga that Sesshoumaru had not factored in the possibility that he might run into another of his family members while attempting to do so.
“Izayoi.”
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“Damn you Sesshoumaru!” Kagura finally turned off her phone before throwing it on the backseat of her car. She did not know exactly how long she had been seating in her car alone, but she knew she had had enough time to reject three consecutive calls from Sesshoumaru.
“Aren’t you pathetic Kagura?” She mused aloud to herself. “You’re just seating here in your car with nowhere to go, dodging your soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend’s calls.” The feelings of loneliness and betrayal she now associated with Sesshoumaru came resurfacing, and before she could help it, a tear came running down her cheek.
‘How could I have been so stupid. I should have known something was suspicious between Sesshoumaru and Naraku. Sessh was always trying to get me to stop trying to impress my father. Now I realize that he knew how futile that was of me.’ A torrent of tears suddenly poured from her crimson eyes.
Kagura was startled by the sudden knock against he window of her car. Her reddened gaze was met by a wave and a big smile.
“Damn it, as if I haven’t had enough on my plate.” She quickly wiped away any evidence of her meltdown before rolling down her car’s window.
“What do you want?” She hoped that her harsh tone of voice would be enough to send him running away. Of all people, he was the one person she never wanted to see her in such a vulnerable state.
“Got room for one more in there?”
To be continued…
A/N: Ta-da some interesting encounters will be coming up in the next installment. Will Kagura and Sesshoumaru ever be able to move past what she found out? We shall find out soon. The next one will be named Copy-editing, and I will try to post it as quickly as I am able. Thanks again for your amazing patience!