InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Dark Hour ❯ Meeting With the Devil ( Chapter 5 )

Ch. 5

Meeting With the Devil…

Kagome sighed heavily as she stared at the computer screen. It seemed as she had been doing that for the past half hour.

It was no use. She hadn't been able to focus on her work now for the past two weeks and she knew deep down what the problem was.

Sesshomaru.

She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. She hadn't seen or heard from him in two weeks, although she was sure it had been him to save her before Inuyasha could carry out his plan. She'd thought about going to the police, but knew that would be a dead end. Every charge ever brought up against an Iakouy always seemed to eventually go away.

"KAGOME!"

Kagome's eyes snapped open and she nearly fell out of her chair. She cursed under her breath, wondering what Frank wanted now. She rose from her seat and made her way over to the editor's office.

"You bellowed?" She said sarcastically. The much older man glared at her, motioning for her to close the door. She did so and took a seat across from his desk.

"So give me an update." He stated bluntly, looking over some documents he held in his hand. Kagome looked down at her lap, intertwining her hands. "Well, I…" She trailed off, not knowing what to say.

Frank looked up at her, his bushy gray eyebrows furrowed in irritation. "What? Spit it out, Kagome."

"I'm starting to think that doing an expose on the Iakouy family might not be such a good idea." She said quickly, waiting for the angry outburst she knew was soon to follow.

Frank set down the papers and leaned back in his chair, his expression blank. Kagome waited a few seconds before cautiously asking, "What do you think of that?"

Frank shrugged his shoulders. "I can't say that I'd be happy if you didn't do the story. Not only are you one of the most talented reporters I know, but a story like that would also put us in the number one spot. The New York Times has been kicking our asses lately." He grumbled.

"But I also know that when you're dealing with the Iakouys, you're dealing with fire and I understand that there's a certain risk there that you might be uncomfortable with." His expression softened. "I don't want you to do something you feel uncomfortable doing."

Kagome was touched by her editor's uncharacteristic kindness and understanding. She also felt a twinge of guilt that she was letting him down.

He sensed her hesitation. "Listen, why don't you take a couple of days, hell, even a week, off to think about whether or not you want to do the story. You work too much and you're about due for a little vacation." He told her.

Kagome nodded her head, still a little taken aback by the man's sudden caring nature. He made shooing motions with his hands.

"Now hurry and get out before I change my mind!" He barked. Kagome gave him a small smile before hurriedly leaving the office. She didn't need to be told twice.

~~~~~~

Sesshomaru sat at the table sipping coffee and staring out the window. Even though the sun was shining brightly outside, he couldn't bring himself out of the funk that he was in.

Kagura staggered into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down across from Sesshomaru.

"Morning." He said, taking another sip of coffee. Kagura muttered something incoherent. She rubbed her temples and groaned.

"Ever since we've been put in charge of the gang war that broke out a couple of weeks back, I've gotten virtually no sleep." She said. "I can imagine," Sesshomaru responded. "I heard you come in well past five o'clock this morning."

Kagura flipped through the morning paper, idly scanning the top stories. "So what's the latest on your happy little family?" She asked.

Sesshomaru felt his body tense at her question. Just the mention of anything pertaining to Naraku or Inuyasha was enough to make his blood boil. Especially after that stunt Inuyasha had pulled.

"I've been asking my contacts, but they haven't heard anything. It's been too quiet. I know Inuyasha's already run to Naraku and told him that I was alive." Sesshomaru spat. Kagura looked at him over the top of the newspaper.

"So what are you gonna do? Lay low?" She asked. Sesshomaru sighed, turning his gaze to the world outside. Everything in him screamed for revenge against Naraku and his brother, but taking down Naraku wasn't going to be the easiest thing in the world to do.

"I don't know. Naraku never lets his guard down. Probably because he's acquired so many enemies over the years. Everybody wants a piece of him." He said.

Kagura slowly lowered the newspaper. "Umm…Sess, what was that woman's name that you rescued from Inuyasha?" She asked, her tone uncertain. Sesshomaru turned his gaze to Kagura, one eyebrow raised questioningly.

"Kagome Higurashi." He said, his gaze guarded. Kagura looked down at the paper, a slight frown on her lips. Without a word, she slid the newspaper toward Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru looked down at the paper, wondering what Kagura found so interesting. He scanned a couple of stories before his eyes stopped on one particular headline.

"New York's Richest Businessman Lands Acquittal in Latest Trial," Sesshomaru read aloud. "By Kagome Higurashi." He laid the paper down, his expression blank. Kagura knew Sesshomaru pretty good and she knew that he was surprised.

"Sess, you ok?" She asked. Sesshomaru slowly nodded his head. She was a reporter for the New York Daily Sun. He should've picked up on that, if he hadn't been so busy daydreaming about her.

"Fine." He said between gritted teeth. The thought of Kagome using him for a story was getting to him more than he'd like to admit.

~~~~~~

Kagome sat on the sofa flipping through the TV stations. She'd only been home an hour and already she was bored out of her mind. What was she going to do for a whole week?

She switched off the TV and was just about to fix herself something to eat when there was a knock at the door. She hurried to the door, thinking maybe Sango had decided to pay her a visit.

She opened the door and immediately her stomach dropped.

"Hey, baby. You miss me?"

Kagome opened her mouth to scream, but she found herself being shoved to the floor. Inuyasha slammed the door behind him and looked down at her, his eyes holding an evil glint.

"Never thought you'd see me again, did you?" He asked, removing a gun from his waistband and pointing it at her.

Kagome felt as if her entire body was numb. Only one thought ran through her head.

`He's going to kill me.'

"Please…w-what do y-you want?" She said, her heart beating madly in her chest. Inuyasha glanced around. "Nice place you got here. Reporter's salary must pay real nice."

Kagome wondered briefly how he know what she did, but she figured since he was with the mob they had ways of getting that kind of information.

Inuyasha kneeled down in front of her. He caressed her cheek with the tip of the gun, causing a shiver of fear to run down Kagome's spine. He smirked. "Big brother's not here to save you this time."

Kagome closed her eyes tightly, so Sesshomaru had saved her. She silently prayed to God that she made it through this.

"Are you going to kill me?" She asked, both anticipating and fearing the answer. Inuyasha looked at her thoughtfully. "You know, I should after what happened to me, after all, it was your fault." Kagome didn't know what he was talking about, but decided against interrupting the man with the gun.

"But I've got strict orders not to harm you." He said disgustedly. He yanked her up by the arm. "You're coming with me." He said as he dragged her out of the apartment, the gun wedged tightly in her side.

As they made their way through the lobby, Inuyasha warned her to keep her mouth shut. "Just act natural or I swear to God I'll put you in a world of pain." Kagome knew better than to test him so she did as she was told, walking with him to a limo parked in front of the apartment building.

He shoved her in the back and climbed in after her.

"Go." He ordered. The driver nodded and pulled off. Kagome scooted as far away from Inuyasha as she could. He glanced at her, an amused expression on his face.

"Damn, bitch, calm down," He scoffed. "I'm not gonna do anything to you…yet." He gave her a wink. Kagome frowned, feeling her anger building.

"What is your problem? I saved your brother from certain death and you try to kill me?" She hissed. "And let's not forget kidnapping me." She glared at him, momentarily forgetting he had a gun and had no qualms about shooting her.

He shrugged, unfazed by her outburst. "Feh. I could care less what happens to Sesshomaru. There's always been bad blood between us-" He stopped mid-sentence, realizing that he was actually talking to her.

"Just sit back and shut your fucking mouth." He snapped, turning his gaze away from her. Kagome huffed and sat back. So, there wasn't actually any love lost between the two brothers. She wondered why, sensing a story somewhere.

"Mr. Iakouy, we're here." The driver said over his shoulder. Kagome had been lost in her own thoughts and came back to reality when the car slowed to a stop.

Inuyasha opened the door and yanked Kagome out, giving her a small shove forward.

"I can walk just fine, thank you." She snapped. She took in the large structure before her. It was, without a doubt, the largest mansion she'd ever seen. It seemed to stretch on for days. Inuyasha hurried her up the stone walkway, nodding occasionally to the armed men situated in various locations around the mansion.

Kagome felt more than a little uneasy. Where was Inuyasha taking her? This place looked like it had more security than the White House.

He opened the door and directed her down a hallway and towards a set of double doors. He knocked lightly before a voice from inside said, "Enter."

Inuyasha led her inside and closed the doors, making sure they were locked. Kagome felt a lump of fear form in her throat. What was going on?

A man sitting behind a huge desk looked at her, a small smile on his face. Kagome knew who he was; she'd seen him enough in the newspapers and on television to know.

"Ms. Higurashi, please have a seat." He motioned towards a chair facing the desk. Kagome sat down cautiously, glancing towards Inuyasha. He was standing by the door, looking straight ahead.

"I'm glad to finally meet you. My name is Naraku Iakouy." His voice was velvety smooth, but Kagome detected the underlying coldness that laced his tone. She nodded her head.

"I know who you are." She stated simply. He nodded, seeming pleased with this information. "Good, then I don't have to explain to you what kind of danger you've placed yourself in."

Kagome looked down at her lap, a habit that she knew she was going to have to break. "I'm sorry, but I really don't know what's going on here." She said softly.

Naraku crossed his arms across his chest, his dark eyes holding no emotion. `No wonder everybody fears him,' Kagome thought to herself. `Those eyes are colder than the Antarctic.'

"Well, Ms. Higurashi, by saving my incompetent cousin, you've created a very difficult situation." He rose from the chair and walked around the desk. "You see, Sesshomaru is a very unpredictable individual and now that he's out there on the loose, I don't know what to expect."

Kagome tensed when she realized Naraku was behind her, his hands gripping her shoulders. Although the touch was light, Kagome could feel the strength coursing through him.

"So, Ms. Higurashi, I need you to do me a favor. It is the least you can do after ruining my plans." He said, his tone all of sudden sound menacing. Kagome nodded her head meekly. He squeezed her shoulders lightly.

"Good! Now the way I figure it, Sesshomaru feels some sort of obligation towards you, you saving his life and all, and he'll want to thank you." Naraku's hand moved across her neck, stopping on her pulse.

Kagome swallowed hard. The hand on her neck felt cold just like the owner's voice.

"When he does contact you, I want you to call this number." A small rectangular card fell into her lap. Naraku walked back around the desk and sat down in the chair.

"Do you understand, Ms. Higurashi?" Kagome knew she had no other choice than to nod her head yes. "Who knows, maybe I'll even give you a personal interview for that story you're trying to do about my family." He motioned towards Inuyasha and Inuyasha grabbed her by the elbow. Kagome didn't have time to react to what Naraku had said as Inuyasha pulled her towards the door. Before the door was closed behind them, Naraku called out, "Don't make the mistake of crossing me, Ms. Higurashi. That would only be foolish."

Kagome believed that wholeheartedly.

a/n: ehh…don't really like this chap, but had a bit of writers' block…sorry! i promise the next chap will be better….thanks for the reviews, they're all so nice! plz continue to review and guess i'll see ya next chap!