InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The City by the Bay ❯ Getting To Know You... ( Chapter 6 )

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and friends were created and lovingly brought to life by Rumiko Takahashi.

Author's Note:

To all my reviewers: There are many reasons why I haven't been updating as frequently, but I really do appreciate your support and feedback. Thank you so much for reading, and most of all, reviewing my stories!

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"You can't have a bad meal in this town."

- Emeril Lagasse, chef/host of "Emeril Live," Television Food Network, Sept. 28, 2002

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The City by the Bay

By Ericedwyn

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Chapter Five: Getting To Know You…

~*XYZ Restaurant at the W Hotel *~

"Right this way, Mr. Takara."

Sesshoumaru followed the Maitre d', pointedly ignoring the glances and the whispers from the other tables as he passed them by. When he reached the far corner table by the window, he gave his thanks, set his leather briefcase down beside his seat, and settled against the chair.

He glanced at his omega, noting the time-a few minutes shy of the appointed rendezvous, before glancing out of the window at the hustle and bustle at Third and Howard. Across the street, at the corner of the Metreon and Moscone Centers, he espied his dark-haired lunch date waiting for the light to change to cross the street to the hotel.

He enjoyed observing people in all walks of life, in various situations. This study of "reading" beyond people's actions, unconscious or not, has given him an advantage in his wheeling and dealings. His lips curled into a half smile at his luck at being given an opportunity to observe Kagome Higurashi unaware.

He noted with much appreciation the cut of the young lady's dark blue two-piece and how elegantly she wore the fitted suit. He also admired the shapely lines of the legs that jutted out from beneath the high hem of the skirt.

When the light changed, he watched her check for red light violators and runaway vehicle before crossing the street, a small action that very few of those who crossed with her did. Her long dark-hair caught his eye, as a few tendrils swayed against her hip as she walked.

She moved past his line of view, towards the door of the hotel. A slight frown, borne from disappointment, crossed his aristocratic features. He found himself wondering why he was so very aware of her.

Sesshoumaru Takara has met many women in his life. As a businessman who commands both power and money, he attracts many following. But never in his young life has he ever felt so drawn to any woman; until that is, the lovely Kagome Higurashi.

He waited until Kagome came into view at the Maitre d's podium. He watched her remove her light blue shades and speak to the host. He neither missed the smile she graced the Maitre d' nor the appreciative smile that was given to her in return. Sesshoumaru slowly rose from his chair when Kagome was led to his table. He noticed the admiring glances from some of the male patrons as she passed; although, he noticed that she seemed oblivious to them.

Kagome smiled with quiet confidence as she neared Sesshoumaru's table and extended her hand. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Takara."

Sesshoumaru smiled. "The pleasure is all mine, Miss Higurashi." He spoke the words slow and deliberate, and without taking his eyes off of her, he took her hand in his and lightly placed a kiss on her knuckles.

Kagome felt her cheeks grow very warm. Primarily from the deep resonance of his voice that seemed to pour over her like smooth melted chocolate; secondarily, from the feathery touch of his soft, warm lips upon her skin. This was not the first time he had unsettled her with such a chivalrous gesture. But then again, he unsettled her period. Maybe it was his graceful beauty or the way he carried himself so confidently. Maybe it was his very male voice… she wasn't at all sure. She forced herself to avert her eyes as she took possession of her hand and readied herself to sit down. She felt the edge of her seat meet the back of her knee. It was then did she realize that the Maitre d' was still there. She could only imagine how red her cheeks have become. 'Get a hold of yourself, Kagome. He's only a man.' She chided herself.

Sesshoumaru felt a slight pang of disappointment when her hand slipped from his fingers, as well as a sliver of confusion at the young woman's sudden detachment. He has never experienced that before. Most women never failed to fall for his charms. Noticing that he still held out his hand, he immediately dropped his arm to his side and began to seat himself. He veiled his eyes and adapted an unreadable expression.

The Maitre d' cleared his throat. "Your server will be with you in a moment," he said while handing them each a menu.

Sesshoumaru murmured his response, while Kagome thanked the Maitre d' with a smile. She opened the menu like a book and skimmed the contents.

Peering over the top of his menu, he surveyed the woman across from him. "You know, it is quite unusual that we have never met before, Miss Higurashi. We have mutual friends."

Kagome looked up from her menu. "We do?" She asked, a little surprised.

Sesshoumaru gave her a small smile. "Yes… Toutousai Katana-san and Myouga Miyagi-san, for instance. You must know my grand-aunt Tsumi as well."

Kagome's jaw dropped. She immediately brought her hand up to cover it. "You know, she has always been Aunt Tsumi for as long as I could remember. I don't even think I can remem…" A rosy blush bloomed on her cheeks when realization dawned on her. "Oh, her last nameis Takara." A grin lit Kagome's face and her eyes glittered like brilliant stars. "Wow! You are practically like family."

Sesshoumaru's breath suddenly caught in his throat at the sight of Kagome. He tried to speak but his brain failed to form the words… any words. He drew a silent sigh of relief when she interjected.

"What are the odds…?" She gave a tiny chuckle. "Have you met my grandfather, Jeiji, and my grand-aunt, Kaede?"

"Twice that I recall. Once, when I was a child and another time at my father's and step-mother's funeral." Sesshoumaru said readily.

The shine in Kagome's eyes suddenly disappeared. "I'm so sorry. I hope I didn't bring back any..." Kagome began to say hastily.

Sesshoumaru didn't understand how or why, but somehow he felt how sorry she was. He immediately interrupted. "Not at all. Please don't worry about it." He gave her what he hoped to be an encouraging smile.

Kagome bit her lip, nodding, but lowered her eyes to the menu. As the silence grew, the more interesting the menu became.

Sesshoumaru sighed to himself. This wasn't how he had imagined their lunch date to be. As he tried to think of a way to alleviate the tension that unfortunately set in, the waiter showed up at their table for their beverage order. He received the two patron's meal order as well.

When the waiter left, both ventured to say something at the same time. Kagome gave a soft chuckle while Sesshoumaru's lips threatened to curl upwards. "Please…" Sesshoumaru said with a small hand gesture.

"I was just going to say how weird this all seems. The coincidences I mean. My house, for instance, used to belong to Uncle Myouga and before he sold it to me, Uncle TouTou used to rent one of the upstairs rooms."

"This is an unexpected and pleasant surprise. The house, at least what I've seen of it, is magnificent, and all of the pieces of furniture appear very well preserved. You did an excellent job maintaining them."

"Thank you. Uncle Myouga was very insistent in instructing me on the proper care of his antiques, as well as his plants. The first time I babysat his garden during a business trip, I managed to kill half of the plants. Instead of being incensed, he sent me to one of his friends to learn various ways of caring for botanical plants." Kagome grinned. "I find gardening soothing now, and the garden is a great place to escape from the demands of the world. I hope you will take advantage of it while you are staying at the house."

"Thank you, I believe I will." He smiled. He looked up at the waiter's approach with their drinks-a small bottle of Tejava for the lovely lady and a glass of chardonnay for him. He waited until the waiter took his leave before speaking again. "Does Miyagi-san know you are renting part of his former residence?"

Kagome turned away to look outside. The sidewalk was busy with people, some even stopping to look through the glass window at the patrons of the restaurant. "No, he does not." She said quietly.

"Please tell me if I am too bold by asking this but why do you need to do so?" Sesshoumaru asked, hoping the even tone of his voice did not betray the more than passing curiosity he felt. Did Naraku have anything to do with her plight?

Kagome turned to face Sesshoumaru. "You are," she said, but a smile crossed her lips. "I made a bad business move, and I need the money. It's really quite boring to talk about it, Mr. Takara."

"Try me."

The young lady shrugged. She took the bottle of Tejava in her hand and poured half of the contents into an empty wine glass. "Well, don't say I didn't warn you." Kagome said before taking a small sip of the chilled micro brewed tea. "After Uncle Myouga sold his partnership to me and our other business partner, Rumiko, she and I drew up a contact together. It was a binding agreement designed to protect the sole partner should the other partner choose to sell as well. The former partner would refrain from taking any positions or form a new company that may compete with the business for twelve full months."

"Interesting. I take it you sold first?"

"Not exactly. We both sold the company to Naraku Akuma at the same time, but I stayed on as the Chief Information Officer." She took another sip of the amber colored liquid. "The document was supposed to be binding to only Rumiko and myself, but somehow Mr. Akuma had a hardcopy of it handy when I gave my resignation."

Sesshoumaru saw her eyes darken, but said nothing to comfort or encourage. He was too busy clenching his hand into a fist underneath the table at Naraku's audacity.

"As the new owner, he felt that it would be a binding document in order to protect his interest. We have been to court several times, but there hasn't been any judgment… except that is, until there is one, the binding remains enforced." Kagome took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"How long has this been going on?" Sesshoumaru asked, a slight frown marring his chiseled face.

"Five months now, and my legal team is quite stumped." She sighed as if resigned to her fate.

"I can look at the document if you want. Maybe I might find something they've missed." Sesshoumaru offered.

Kagome gave him a warm smile. "I appreciate the gesture, but I think that my legal team will sort it out somehow. Until then, I've nearly resigned myself to my current lot in life." She picked up her glass of black iced tea, but she did not take a sip right away. "The hardest part was turning down the many offers I've received from various Fortune 500 companies. Hopefully in seven months, the offers will still be around."

"I do not see why not. You are a very accomplished businesswoman… one of the best in your field."

Kagome grinned and teased. "You've done your research, I see."

"I try to find out as much as I can about those of interest to me." Sesshoumaru said the words without batting an eyelash.

Before she could comment, the waiter appeared at their table with a Caesar salad for Kagome and a seared salmon dish for Sesshoumaru.

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They spoke about their various interests during the meal. Although they shared a similar liking to classical music, Kagome found mainstream music much more appealing than the jazz and instrumental music he preferred. They found that they both like to read mystery novels and have nearly the same subscriptions to business journals. Hands down, Japanese food will always be the food that they cannot live without.

They had a wonderful time together, and seemed to have found a kind of comfort in each other's company during the two hour lunch. So much so, that they each forgot the reason why she accepted the lunch invitation-for him to sign the rental agreement and for her to turn over the keys to the upstairs unit. Both were safely ensconced in a closed side pocket of her bag in a 5x7 sealed brown envelope.

He generously paid for lunch, and she offered him a ride back to his office in addition to her thanks. They had made their way to the parking lot beneath the Metreon discussing any revised laws regarding foreign companies doing business in the United States.

Kagome pressed the button of her key chain twice to unlock both doors of her black Mercedes Benz roadster. She opened her side, tucked in her thin leather bag behind her in a small space behind her seat, and slipped in as lady-like as she could unto the bucket seat. She wrapped her hand around her hair at the nape of her neck and tied it with a tie she had taken from her bag on the way to her car.

"It's such a nice day, I hope you don't mind it if I take the top down." She smiled at her passenger.

"I don't mind at all." Sesshoumaru murmured as he adjusted his seat for his height.

Kagome unlatched the hook that holds the soft top cover in place and then leaned over to his side to unlatch the other side.

The soft scent of lavender teased his nostrils. For once his nose didn't threaten to fall off. He could not stand being in the company of women who reeked of perfume. He took a silent, but long breath in, savoring the delicate scent like fine red wine. It was all too different. She was altogether different from the other women he had known. He found nothing contrived about her. She was the genuine article… You get everything you see, and he liked what he saw.

The windows took a dive into their pockets as the soft cover folded overhead to settle behind them. Kagome secured her seatbelt and waited for Sesshoumaru to do the same before engaging the engine. She pulled out of her parking space and exited the safety of the parking garage into the carnage of traffic outside. She managed to maneuver her convertible downtown with ease-an acquired skill from years of driving in the city.

"Take a left at the light. The building will be to your right."

Kagome pulled up in front of the building at the loading zone, and looked up to the very top of the building. "You bought the telecommunications company that occupies the upper floors, right? You must have a great view of The City."

"Actually, I've just purchased the entire building." Sesshoumaru smiled at Kagome's look of dumbfounded amazement. "Give me some time to get to know my tenants, and I'll be happy to give you a tour."

"Er… of course." Kagome managed to say.

"I enjoyed our lunch," Sesshoumaru began to say. He would have said more and even taken her hand in his but he noticed an Office Depot truck pull up next to the car behind the Mercedes, waiting to take Kagome's present parking space.

"I did too. See you this weekend." Kagome gave him a brief smile.

Sesshoumaru opened the passenger door and eased himself gracefully out of the car. He closed the door with a soft thud. "Until then."

With a small wave, Kagome merged into traffic and took the first right, disappearing behind a building. Sesshoumaru waited until she was out of view before climbing up the small steps leading to the front door of the building.

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~*~ Later that evening, Pomelo Restaurant on Judah ~*~

"Oh, darn…" Kagome stopped outside of the small, neighborhood restaurant, almost beneath the large pomelo grapefruit ornament.

"What's wrong, Kagome-chan?" Jak asked, stopping beside her.

"I forgot to give the agreement and keys to Mr. Takara when we had lunch today." Taking out the envelope to show her best friend.

Jak clutched the fabric of his shirt, the area directly over his heart. "You had lunch with Sesshoumaru Takara and you didn't take me with you?"

"Oh, no… here we go again…"

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Next chapter: Sesshoumaru moves in.

My Fan Fiction Updates

I will be creating/updating the following fan fics at the very near future in the following order:

To Dream…: (DC Universe - NEW FIC) Batman/Wonder Woman; Prologue and maybe Chapter One (I need to get this one out of my system.)

A Demon Should Act Like A Demon: (Inuyasha) Sesshoumaru/Kagome; Chapter 22

Kagome's Second: (Inuyasha) Bankotsu/Kagome; Prologue C

Just For One Night: (Gundam Wing) Zechs/Noin; Final Chapter (The deed will be done)

If you would like to be notified when I update my stories, please go to my profile for the url to my notifylist.com page. Many thanks!