InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The City by the Bay ❯ One Door Closes... ( Chapter 7 )

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and friends were created and lovingly brought to life by Rumiko Takahashi. I made up the "Dare to Fight Charity Dinner" and any resemblance is entirely coincidental. The song "Reach" is sung by S Club 7.

Author's Note: One of the hardest things about sharing my stories is the chances of my stories being plagiarized. My story, A Demon Should Act Like A Demon, was plagiarized, and it hurt me a lot. It felt like a piece of me was stolen.

I'm very happy, though, that someone took the time to let me know that my story was plagiarized and reported it. I really appreciated what this person did. So I would like to dedicate this chapter and the next chapter of all my working stories to Helene. Thank you so much for letting me know and for helping to end plagiarism.

To all my readers and reviewers: Thank you so much for reading, and most of all, reviewing my stories! I hope you enjoy this next chapter! A glossary follows the chapter. ~ Ericedwyn

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"This is a user-friendly city. In a way, it seems small. You walk around the corner, go to the store, talk to people. It's the combination of the people and the place, that's what I like about it most. I jog on the Marina, no one bothers me. Had a woman come up the other day and say, 'It's true, you do run here.' She couldn't believe it. Like I was Bigfoot."

- Robin Williams, Academy-Award winning actor and San Francisco resident, San Francisco Examiner, Oct. 4, 1998

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The City by the Bay

By Ericedwyn

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Chapter Six: One Door Closes…

~*The Shichinin Brothers' house, Wednesday Night *~

It took nearly the entire drive to Presidio Heights from the Pomelo Restaurant for her best friend, Jakotsu, to calm down and begin to speak to her again. Kagome nodded sympathetically as Jakotsu moaned lamentably about the rising cost of catering for his upcoming charity dinner.

"Why not stick to the basics this year, Jak? Something simple and filling rather the nouveau cuisine you tried last year? It might even be cheaper." Kagome suggested casually.

"I suppose. The dishes were pretty, you have to admit…" Jak began to say.

"They were pretty yummy, too." Kagome interjected with a smile. "Everyone is probably expecting a sit-down dinner again this year; Otherwise, I would have suggested a buffet style dinner."

"I'm sure Nobu-kun would absolutely agree with you on that." Her best friend chuckled.

"Nobu-kun loves anything buffet." Kagome laughed as she passed a muni bus and turned left into Jakotsu's street.

As they pulled in front of the Shichinin house, the garage opened, blanketing the front of Kagome's hood with its bright light. A dark Lexus pulled in and passed them as it entered the mouth of the garage.

Jak cocked his head to one side and gave Kagome a very meaningful look.

The young woman groaned, but acquiesced. "Okay, okay… I'll do it."

"Good…" Jak opened his door and climbed out of Kagome's Benz before greeting his elder brother, Suikotsu. "Hi, Oniisan. How was work?" He asked while shutting the passenger door.

"A little busy but overall, good…" Suikotsu said with a smile. His eyes traveled to Kagome who was climbing out of her car. "Hi, Kagome. Coming in?"

Kagome closed her door and approached the young doctor. "Hi, Sui. Not tonight…" She noticed a slight movement to her right and turned her head to catch her best friend leave by the door leading to the house. "Do you have a moment?"

"Sure. Anything the matter?" Sui asked, giving her his complete attention.

Kagome bit her lip at the concern she heard in his tone. "I… Uh…" She looked down at Suikotsu's hands and reached for them. She took a moment to look at their joined hands, noticing how very small her hands were compared to his.

The young man glanced down at their joined hands, and waited for Kagome to speak. When she didn't, he looked up, slightly frowning. "Kagome? What's wrong?"

Kagome briefly shut her eyes as she reasoned with herself on what she needed to do. Finally, with a soft voice, she began one of the hardest things she has ever had to do in her young life. "Sui… You are probably the kindest, gentlest person I know. You stood by my side ever since that night when Naraku tried to…" Kagome shook her head, trying not to grow angry inside. She paused briefly before continuing. "You saw through me even when I had convinced my best friends that I was alright. I suppose it was a no-brainer that I would come to care for you."

Suikotsu smiled hugely then, and Kagome could see the warm glow in his eyes. She felt his hands shift in hers and she grew a little panicky inside. "Which makes what I'm about to do extremely difficult…" She blurted out.

The smile on the doctor's face collapsed. Hoarsely, he asked. "Kagome… Are you breaking up with me?"

Kagome closed her eyes and nodded, her face tinged with despondency.

"Wh… What did I do?" Sui asked, bewildered.

Kagome tightened her embrace on his hands as she opened her eyes and stared straight into the windows of his soul. "It's not you, Sui. Truly. You've been nothing but wonderful to me. But I think I've allowed myself to rely on you to make me feel okay. You became my lifeline and for a while I was too scared to let go and swim on my own. I feel like I've been using you. I can no longer do that to you."

"But you're not using me, Kagome." Sui freed his hands to wrap them around her wrists. "You're not. Please reconsider. There must be something I can do to change your mind? There must something I can fix!"

Kagome bowed her head and shook it. "Gomen ne, Sui…"

Sui unconsciously tightened his grip as his face hardened. "It's Bankotsu, isn't it?" He demanded brusquely.

Kagome cried out from the strength of his hold and her gaze shot up to his face. She was caught off guard by the severe expression he wore. "N..No… It's not Ban." She tried to twist her wrists free from his grasp. "Sui, onegai… You're hurting me."

"You want to go back to him." Sui muttered beneath his breath. His brown eyes glazed over.

Kagome pulled in an attempt to free herself, but to no avail. Her heart began to throb from the stirrings of fear. She had always known him to be gentle but now he was showing a very different side of him. "Suikotsu…" She cried out. "Itai!"

"Oniisan! What are you doing?" Jak exclaimed. He had heard a cry and went outside to investigate the sound. He scrambled forward, taking a stance between his best friend and her brother. Jak gripped his brother's arms as tightly as he could as he tried to get his older brother to focus on him. "Oniisan! Let Kagome go!"

"Iie..." Suikotsu whispered coarsely.

"Suikotsu!" Another man's voice entered the fray.

Kagome and Jak both turned towards the voice. The young woman gasped then staggered backwards when her wrists were released, without warning.

Bankotsu rushed forward from the shadows and caught Kagome before she fell to the concrete. He steadied her and he felt her body tense against him. "Go home, Kagome." The middle brother said softly.

"But…" Kagome turned in his arms.

"Kagome-chan, please go." Jak said, as he continued to keep a Suikotsu at bay.

Kagome glanced at Jak and made the decision to leave after seeing the murderous look on Suikotsu's face which wasn't directed at her, but at Bankotsu. She rushed to her car and pulled out of the driveway as soon as she started her engine. From her rear view mirror, she peered at the scene she left behind. She cried out helplessly when she saw Sui break free from Jak's hold and charge at Ban.

"Oh, Kami-sama… Help us… onegai..."

~*~

A couple of hours later, Kagome was still pacing like a caged animal in her bedroom. She had left several frantic messages on Jak's voicemail but she had not yet received a call back. She agonized over what may be happening. "Let it be okay…"

Just when she was about to give up, her cell phone chimed. She answered it quickly.

"Kagome-chan, gomen… You must have been really worried." Jak said exhaustedly. "Everyone's calm and okay. I'm really beat, but I wanted to let you know."

"Arigatou, Jak. I really appreciate your call." Kagome replied with an unsteady voice. She raised her hand to wipe away the tears that were quickly saturating the surface of her face.

"I'll come by tomorrow and tell you what happened. Go to sleep, hon."

"I'll try, Jak..." She whispered when she heard him hang up.

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~* Kagome's House, the next morning *~

Kagome stared blankly at the laptop's monitor screen. In a daze, she failed to hear the doorbell from the other room. Startled, she nearly jumped off her chair when her cell phone chimed, and when she grabbed for it so suddenly, it juggled in her hands.

"Hello?" She asked after she got a firm hold of her phone on the fourth ring.

"Hi, Kagome-chan. I'm outside, can you let me in?"

"Yes, of course. I'll be right down, Jak." Kagome quickly answered and left her den. She pressed the button on the intercom plate to open the downstairs gate and left through the front door.

The two best friends met in the landing of the staircase and clasped each other in a tight embrace. Kagome hid her face on her best friend's soft T-shirt, breathing in his comforting scent mingled with the fresh redolence of snuggle fabric softener. Jak kissed the top of Kagome's head before resting his chin on the proximity of where his lips had touched.

"Oh, Jak. I made a mess of things, haven't I?" Kagome said in dolorous tones.

"Iie, I was the one who pushed you into breaking up with Suikotsu." Jak replied with equally melancholic emotion.

Kagome looked up, beads of tears welling in her eyes. "How are they? I saw Sui rush at Ban as I was leaving..."

Jak took a deep breath before speaking. "Well... Sui decked Ban, which sent him sprawling to the ground. I tried to stop Sui but I couldn't make it on time. For a long time, he just stood there with a horrified look on his face, staring at his fist. I'm not sure how long we stood there... Well actually, Ban pretty much just stayed where he was on the ground. I think he was trying to make as little movement as possible as not to provoke Sui further."

Kagome kept silent, listening to her friend's account, wiping her face of random tears.

With a voice slightly tremulous, the young man continued. "Then Suikotsu gave a cry and fell on his knees. I rushed to his side then. I was afraid he may have shattered his knees. The sound he made when he hit the ground was so sickening... But physically, he was okay. Emotionally though, I think he was in shock from what he did. I don't remember seeing such anger and aggression from him before."

Kagome closed her eyes as she remembered the murderous look upon Suikotsu's face the night before and shuddered.

Jak instinctively tightened his arms around Kagome before continuing. He lowered his head to hide part of his face against her hair. "Sui… He kept saying he was just like F-father…"

"Your father… No!" Kagome broke away and looked up at the young man's downcast face. "He isn't anything like your father."

"You know… Ban told me sometime after my 12th birthday that Mom had sent us all into therapy because someone told her that if we didn't get intervention, we might end up like him as adults. I remember Sui always trying to get in Father's way whenever he would beat Ban and I. He got in trouble for protecting us and usually got it w-worse." Jak choked.

"Oh, Jak!" Kagome exclaimed and reached out to touch her friend's face. Hot tears fell against the tips of her fingers. 'Jak…' She wrapped her arms around him as he wept.

"I… I can still remember the last time he struck me. That was when I got that broken arm, remember? I can only imagine how my brothers fared… I'm sure there's some lasting effect on Sui having been abused the longest…"

Kagome closed her eyes, fighting the anger that rose from her heart for the man who had the foulness to beat his young children.

"We were able to get in touch with our Therapist in Tokyo. He was able to calm Sui down after some time. Sui made arrangements for regular therapy sessions over the phone until he can make arrangements to go to Japan."

"I'm glad Sui is getting the help he needs, Jak. How about Ban?" Kagome asked softly.

Jak left her comfort circle and wiped his tears away with a handkerchief he pulled from his pocket. He gave her a small smile. "He has a nasty bruise on his chin but you know, Bankotsu… He doesn't let anything get him down." He chuckled softly and then an odd look crossed his face. "Oh, Kami-sama… I almost forgot!" He grabbed Kagome's hand and pulled her outside to his brother's SUV.

All the windows of Ban's vehicle were slightly lowered and Kagome visibly stiffened as a thought that maybe the rest of the Shichinin brothers were inside flitted through her mind.

"I borrowed Ban's car." Jak explained when he felt her tense up. He let go of her hand and opened one of the passenger doors. "I bought you some stuff." He pulled two huge, shopping bags out of the vehicle without effort, and held them out to Kagome.

"Looks like a lot of stuff." Kagome gave him an exasperated look. "Jak, I have everything I need. What did you get me this time?"

Jak grinned but didn't explain. "Just bring them inside, Hon."

Kagome sighed but looped her hands around the plastic handles and grabbed the bags, but her arms gave way immediately from the weight of the load. "Umpf. Jak, what store did you clean out to put in these bags?" She heard her friend laugh at her predicament but none-the-less, struggled her way through the front gate.

The young woman stopped in front of the door leading to the garage and opened it widely before dragging herself and the bags through. She did the same through the door leading to the lower level of her home, finally depositing both bags on the family room floor.

Meanwhile, Jak closed the passenger door and pulled the back door of the SUV open. He took a large, blanket covered crate from inside and laid it gently on the driveway before closing the door and locking the vehicle. He stuffed the keys into his pocket and gingerly lifted the crate and followed his friend inside. He managed to close the front gate behind him.

Kagome heard the front gate slam and heard Jak enter her home through the way she paved. Kagome glanced his way, watching the young man approach with a huge crate in his hands.

Jak laid the crate gently down on the hardwood floor and lifted the blanket off to reveal a small Akita pup, the color of fresh laid snow, lounging on its base. He opened the door and lifted the puppy out of its cage.

"Oh Jak, you shouldn't have..." Kagome murmured, yet reached out and allowed the dog to sniff at her fingers.

"I'd feel better with the dog around, Hon. I don't feel comfortable about the idea of you living with a stranger, even if he is Sesshoumaru Takara." Jak explained.

"Mr. Takara is really not a stranger. He's Aunt Tsumi's grand-nephew, Jak." Kagome took the puppy and cradled it in her arms.

"Wow, really?" He asked contemplatively, yet shook his head after a few seconds. "Still… I'd feel better with Fuka staying with you."

The puppy lifted her head when she heard her name. Her chocolate brown eyes glimmered intelligently up at them.

"Fuka?" Kagome grinned.

Jak returned her grin. "It's short for 'Fukafukashita'."

"Oh, how kawaii! Do you know that your name means 'Soft and Fluffy,' Little One?" Kagome hugged the aptly-named puppy before setting her down. The young woman turned to her best friend. "Jak, a puppy is a huge responsibility… I don't know if I can handle this right now. I mean, I'm having a hard time just taking care of myself!" Kagome groaned. "She'll need walks. I'll need to bring plastic bags everywhere with me to scoop god knows what. She'll need to go to obedience school…"

"Fuka is already enrolled in obedience school." Jak interrupted. "She's in her last two weeks. You'll need to join her though so you can get used to the commands and to her, because you…" Jak jabbed her arm with a finger. "…can be such a pushover."

His best friend gave him a dirty look for that. "Still…"

"She's really cute…" Jak wheeled.

"But…"

"She's housebroken…" Jak dealed.

"Jak…"

"And I'm not taking her back, nor am I going to tell you where I bought her." Jak stated, with a smug look on his clean-shaven face.

"At the Japanese Dog Breeding Farm?" Kagome asked slyly.

Jak's brown eyes widened at the name. "How did you know?" He asked in awe.

Kagome pointed towards the words printed on the plastic water bowl inside the crate.

Jak chuckled. "Well, you got me there." He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. With a whimsical smile on his face, he gave her his trademark puppy dog impression. "Please Kagome-chan. Please accept my gift. If not for yourself, then for my sanity."

"Jak…" Kagome sighed. 'Why did he have to give me that look…?'

"Onegai…" The young man pleaded.

"Alright. I'll keep her." Kagome replied, squarely defeated.

Jak kissed her noisily on her forehead. "Ah, thank you! You have just added years to my life." He gave her a smile that reached his eyes. "Fuka knows several commands already. Come on, tell her to sit. She responds to Japanese commands, too."

"Japanese, huh? Okay…" She turned to the puppy that was sniffing one of her houseplants in the family room. Her curled up tail rested on the base of her back.

"Fuka, osuwari."

~*~

Sesshoumaru expertly maneuvered Miroku's bimmer through the residential streets of San Francisco. As he approached the area known as Presidio Heights, he found himself feeling slightly anxious. It wasn't an odd sensation for him; although, many people who presumed to "know" him would say he was above such emotions. Yet there it was in the pit of his stomach, so he allowed himself to feel it for just a moment, before letting it go without analyzing it further.

He looked up at the darkening sky, and then glanced down at the LCD display of the car stereo to check the time. It was 10 minutes to eight. He hoped that the person he came to see will not be inconvenienced by his unexpected visit.

He rounded the corner into the next street and slowed down, scanning the area that will be his home away from home. There was a serene sense about the avenue and he felt satisfied with this particular find. As he drove further down the lane, he saw a young lady attempting to walk a puppy who didn't appear to want to move. His lips twitched at the comical scene. Then his lips curved into a smile when Sesshoumaru realized who exactly was having the predicament, after a brief glance at his rear view mirror. He parked the BMW in front of Kagome's house and began his short walk towards the lady and her uncooperative mutt.

Kagome hunched forward and lifted her furry companion's hind legs to standing position, but just as soon as Kagome removed her hands, Fuka would plump her small behind down on the sidewalk again. "Fuka… I'm not playing anymore. I want to go home and I don't want to have to drag you. Please get up." Kagome begged in almost a childish way.

"Your dog will never listen to you unless she feels you are her superior." A deep voice, entwined with amusement, resonated from somewhere behind her.

Kagome jumped to her feet and twirled around quickly, nearly tripping herself over Fuka's leash. Her face turned a scarlet hue, nearly matching the one-size too small T-shirt she was wearing, when she saw who it was, but found her voice quickly. "You mean until she considers me the Alpha Bitch?"

Although Sesshoumaru's lips threatened to curl into a smile, he remained stolid. His golden eyes, however, gleamed in undisclosed pleasure. "Yes, something like that."

Kagome smiled for them both. "So… does it mean you have a lot of experiences in dealing with them?"

"Yes, although I'd much rather deal with the furry kind. Here, let me." The silver haired young man reached for Fuka's leash.

Kagome handed him the leash and then crossed her arms over her chest.

"You must be firm, even stern, when giving commands. Precede each command with her name so that she knows you expect her to act. Her name is Fuka, isn't it?" Sesshoumaru inquired.

"Yes, it's short for "Fukafukashita." The young woman murmured.

"Of course." Sesshoumaru said beneath his breath as he smirked. "Fuka, stand." He said in a commanding voice.

The akita pup's ears pricked up at the sound of her name and stood up immediately. She looked up at Sesshoumaru, waiting for instructions.

"Amazing…" Kagome nodded appreciatively.

"Fuka, home." Sesshoumaru commanded next, and while the dog began to move, she did so hesitantly.

"She was given to me just this morning. She doesn't know this area yet." Kagome thought to explain.

"I see. Then, the best thing to do is to guide her." Sesshoumaru pulled gently at the leash and Fuka readily followed. "You will most likely have to do this several times but akitas are very intelligent dogs, and Fuka appears to be true to her kind. Training her should be simple." He said as they neared Kagome's front gate.

"I sure hope so." Kagome's keys jiggled as she pulled them from her jean pocket. "You must have come for the keys." She said more to herself as she unlocked the gate and led both man and dog inside the house, closing it behind her.

Kagome opened the door leading to the garage and flipped the light switch on. While Kagome led the way inside her abode, Sesshoumaru led the puppy deftly between the two cars parked inside.

"Thank you, Mr. Takara." Kagome smiled as she bent down to unleash Fuka and place her inside her metal crate between the family room and the dining room. "Please make yourself at home while I get the agreement and the keys."

Sesshoumaru nodded after the young owner as she left by the staircase that internally connects the two unit. The young man scanned the living space, leisurely strolling through the family room looking at photo frames of smiling people that littered everywhere there was space.

An album sat on one of the sidetables and he picked it up out of curiousity. It was haphazardly laid out like a scrapbook with comments, stickers, and photos. Some of the pages contained what appeared to be a dedication to festival outings, and he found a picture of a young, traditionally kimono clad Kagome standing next to an equally properly dressed Tsumi Takara. A little note at the bottom of the photograph read "Kamakura Festival, April 1994. We caught up with Aunt Tsumi during our visit to Kamakura during the Sakura festival before we left for college. Doesn't she look pretty in her kimono?" (A/N: Ties in to my story, Bane of My Existence, Prologue VI).

'The Kamakura Festival...' The thought flitted through his mind as he tried to recall an event nearly a decade ago.

The night of the festival had been a cool one but everyone braved the weather to celebrate the beginning of Spring. Luckily, sake and beer were freely distributed to those over the legal drinking age. The music was nearly drowned out by cheers and laughter, but the crowd took to the steps of the harvest dance in unison as if they've trained together.

The Takara siblings remained in the inn, abscond in their room on the very top floor, overlooking the main drag. Eighteen year-old Sesshoumaru had taken his work with him, going through the company ledgers and documents, as he continued to do ever since his father's untimely death a couple of months ago. Inuyasha was across the small round table, loudly slurping his bowl of ramen, knowingly annoying his older half-brother with his ragmannered eating habits. The youngest, six-year old Rin, was peering down the window, watching the merriment she could not partake in below.

"I found Aunt Tsumi." She cried out excitedly. "She's dancing, come look!"

Inuyasha took his bowl of ramen noodles with him as he walked towards another window. Nearly seventeen, he ached to romp around outside rather than being couped up in the room, but he stayed for Rin's sake... who was too young to participate in the festivities below.

Sesshoumaru lifted gracefully from this chair and approached Rin's window in an effort to indulge the little girl.

"Aunt Tsumi is talking to someone. Wow... The lady's so pretty." Rin said in awed tones. "Can we meet her too, Oniisan?" She looked up expectantly.

Sesshoumaru scanned the area the little girl was pointing at and found his Grand-Aunt talking to a small group of young people. He watched his maiden Aunt hug each one of them, starting with Rin's pretty lady. He found himself captivated by her animated face that seemed to glow in laughter. Perhaps he was fascinated by her easy laughter, having very little for him and his siblings to laugh and smile at since the accident that took his father and his father's second wife.

He leaned against the window sill, as he stared out... half-minding the conversation between his half-siblings as he allowed himself a bit of time to think about something other than his work. 'I wonder who that is...'

Sesshoumaru unconsciously traced his fingers across the picture as he put two and two together. He had never asked his Aunt about the young woman. He didn't want to know then.

At eighteen, he found himself saddled with heavy responsibilities with very little time for himself. Yet, during the slowest of time, when he could allow himself to breathe, he found himself building castles in the air. In the world he created, there was only room for one other. With her, he revealed his hopes, doubts, and fears… With her, it was alright to show his vulnerability… With her, he allowed himself to dream…

And when he glanced up from the photo album, his heart skipped a beat… For the mysterious young woman is no longer nameless, and she stood just a few feet away…

To be continued…

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Author's Note:

Thank you for reading this chapter. Please let me know what you think! Please check out my other story, Bane of my Existence (The prequel to The City by the Bay).

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Next chapter teaser: Sesshoumaru completely moves in…

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Glossary:

Arigatou - Thank you

Fukafukashita - Soft and fluffy

Gomen ne - I'm sorry

Iie - No

Itai - Ouch; painful

Kami-sama - God

Kawaii - Cute

Onegai - Please

Oniisan - Brother

Osuwari - Sit