InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Dark Hour ❯ The Search is On ( Chapter 7 )

Ch. 7

The Search is On…

Sesshomaru brought his hands up to Kagome's waist and pulled her tight against him. He didn't care if this was wrong; all he cared about in that moment was the taste of Kagome's lips.

She whimpered slightly as he deepened the kiss, allowing his tongue to gently sweep her bottom lip. Her hands slowly trailed up his chest and wrapped around his neck, her fingers entwining with his silver strands.

Kagome's thoughts were a blur as she reveled in the feel and taste of the man before her. She was feeling emotions she'd never felt before. Her entire body felt as if it was on fire and Sesshomaru was the match that lit the fire deep within her.

She moaned as his tongue prodded her lips gently, seeking entry. Kagome parted her lips and instantly felt an intense heat that burned up her body as their tongues met.

Sesshomaru's grip tightened on Kagome's soft flesh. She tasted so good, sweet like strawberries. The thought was lost as his blood began to pulse, causing an instant erection. He groaned inwardly. He wanted so badly to take her at that very moment, but he knew it would be a mistake. If he kept up with this, both of them would regret it. With all the restraint he could muster, Sesshomaru pulled away from Kagome.

Kagome looked at him with a mixture of confusion and disappointment. Her face was slightly flushed and her lips were a bit swollen from Sesshomaru's ministrations. The sight of her made Sesshomaru want to throw caution to the wind and give in to his desire.

He looked away from her, trying to concentrate on anything that would take his mind off the stunningly beautiful creature in front of him.

Kagome didn't know what to do. One minute, he was all over her and the next he was pushing her away and avoiding looking at her. Kagome frowned.

"Sesshomaru, what just happened?" She asked, wanting a straight answer. Sesshomaru continued to avert his gaze, trying to formulate a logical reason. His mind was a blank.

"I don't know," He said truthfully. "I should apologize for my behavior, though." He said, finally turning his head to meet her gaze. She looked hurt by what he said and he wondered if maybe he shouldn't have said that.

"So it was a mistake to you?" She questioned, crossing her arms across her chest. It hurt to think what she thought of as a wonderful moment, Sesshomaru merely viewed as a mistake. He sighed and closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them, his face was once again unreadable.

"Yes." He stated simply. Kagome was crushed. She looked down at the floor, hating that expressionless mask he wore. It seemed to slip on and off with ease, coming and going at his convenience.

"You're right." She said, masking the pain in her voice. "It was a mistake so let's just forget about it and move on." Sesshomaru nodded in agreement. Kagome sighed, wishing she could take back the words, but they were out there and it was too late. She decided to change the subject.

"So what are we going to do about Naraku?" She asked. Sesshomaru gave her a startled look. "We?" He questioned. Kagome nodded.

"We're not going to do anything. You don't need to be involved in this anymore than you are. I can handle Naraku on my own." Sesshomaru told her. Kagome felt her anger flare. First he had the nerve to tell her that kissing her had been a mistake and now he was telling her to stay out of something she'd been dragged into?

"Excuse me, but I am old enough to make my own decisions and what I decide to do is no concern of yours." She snapped. "Furthermore, you have no right to tell me to stay out of it since it is your fault I got mixed up in this whole mess."

Sesshomaru winced as she stressed the fact that it was because of him that her life was in danger. Given the way she was reacting, he doubted he should try to persuade her to leave Naraku and the rest of his family alone.

Sesshomaru studied her, noticing her foot tapping in what he could only assume to be extreme irritation. He almost smiled at how cute she looked when she was so angry.

"Thank you." He said quietly. Kagome glanced at him, surprised. "For what?" She asked. Now she was really confused. `This man is more complicated than a French instruction manual.' She thought to herself.

"For saving me that night. I never did thank you." He responded. Kagome felt her face soften at his heartfelt sentiment. She gave him a small smile. "I should thank you for returning the favor."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow questioningly. "When you rescued me from your psycho brother." She reminded him. He looked alarmed for a second before his mask slipped back into place. "I don't know what-"

"Inuyasha told me." She said. "I didn't know how I'd gotten back to my apartment, but I had a feeling it was you." Sesshomaru shrugged his shoulders.

Kagome once again felt him distance himself. Why did he feel the need to mask his emotions around her? Kagome wanted to know more about Sesshomaru, but he wasn't making it easy and he wasn't likely to.

"So we're agreed that I'll be assisting you in taking down Naraku?" She said, going back to their earlier conversation. Sesshomaru hesitated a moment before nodding. "Good!" Kagome said, beaming. "What's the plan?"

Sesshomaru smiled inwardly at her energy. She was so full of life and he wanted so badly to let himself fall for her, but…there would always be a part of him that held him back.

He focused on her question, forgetting his dark thoughts. "First, we wait until I hear from someone who's going to get something very important."

~~~~~~

"How bout a drink, sweetie?"

Inuyasha's gaze never left the television screen as he nodded. "Sure." He responded absentmindedly, focusing on the two opposing football teams squaring off against each other. Kikyo got up from her seat and headed for the kitchen.

She glanced around, suddenly feeling very nervous about what she was going to do. Inuyasha wasn't stupid and might suspect something immediately. `Do you really want to turn your back on $10,000?' She asked herself. Knowing that was something she didn't and couldn't do, she prepared herself.

Reaching into her pocket, she retrieved a small brown bottle. Even though the bottle was tiny, it contained enough liquid tranquilizer to drop an entire herd of elephants. It was amazing what a quick roll in the hay with a doctor could get a girl.

Kikyo got a glass from the cupboard and a cold beer from the refrigerator. She poured the beer into the glass, adding a couple of drops of the tranquilizer. She swished the liquid around in the glass and once she was thoroughly satisfied the drink was well mixed, she pocketed the rest of the tranquilizer and headed back to the living room.

"Here you go, baby." She purred as she handed the glass to Inuyasha. Inuyasha took the glass and immediately downed the contents. Kikyo smiled to herself. Even though she did love Inuyasha, she loved money even more.

"Get me another one, bitch." He ordered, his eyes glued to the TV. Kikyo did as he said, knowing once she got back, he would be out like a light. Sure enough, when Kikyo returned with another beer, Inuyasha was slumped over in the recliner, snoring softly.

Kikyo quickly set the glass down next to him and hurried upstairs to the master bedroom. Once she retrieved the key to the master study from Inuyasha's hiding place, which was a loose board in the closet, exactly as she'd suspected, she headed upstairs to the third floor where the master study was.

Once Kikyo reached the third floor, she quickly made her way to the study and unlocked the door. Once inside, she closed the door softly behind her.

The room smelled of dust and old embers. Even though the fireplace hadn't been used in years, the scent still lingered in the air. Kikyo walked over to the desk situated in front of a set of large bay windows.

Everything on the desk had remained untouched after Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's father had died and Kikyo was careful not to disturb the things too much.

Sesshomaru said the papers would be in the bottom left drawer. She reached down to open the drawer, but found it wouldn't budge.

"Shit." She said, pulling harder on the handle. The drawer still didn't open. Kikyo peered down to see if there was a keyhole, but didn't find one. She needed something to pry it open so she looked around, searching for anything that was strong enough to open the drawer.

She spied a letter opener next to a pile of envelopes and snatched it up. She inserted the letter opener between the top of the drawer and the desk and pushed the letter opener towards her while at the same time pulling on the handle. After a few moments, the drawer popped open with a protesting squeak.

Kikyo lifted out a stack of papers, scanning each one carefully. After a few moments, she set down the papers, confusion clear in her brown eyes. The papers Sesshomaru wanted weren't here.

Kikyo glanced down at her wristwatch. One dose of the tranquilizer lasted for about fifteen minutes and Kikyo was sure she'd been in the study for at least ten. She was about to replace the papers in the drawer, when something caught her eye.

She noticed that the bottom drawer seemed higher than it should be. She pressed her fingers against the bottom of the drawer and let out a little sound of surprise as the bottom sprang free. She set the bottom aside and lifted the pile of papers from within.

"Bingo." She whispered as she flipped through the documents. Putting everything back in its rightful place, Kikyo hurriedly exited the study and headed downstairs.

She slipped the papers into her purse and went into the living room.

"Wake up, sleepyhe-"

Kikyo stopped when she realized Inuyasha wasn't where she'd left him. She looked around the room, but he was nowhere in sight.

She suddenly panicked, wondering if he knew what she'd been up to. Deciding her best bet was to get out of dodge, she turned to retrieve her purse from the hall.

"Going somewhere?"

Inuyasha stood in front of her, blocking her path. Kikyo hid her fear and gave him a seductive smile. "Just looking for you, baby." Inuyasha smirked and wrapped his arms around her, roughly bringing her against his body.

"Well, you found me so what are you gonna do about it?" He asked, playfully nipping at her neck. Kikyo closed her eyes, momentarily forgetting about Sesshomaru and the money. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought his lips down towards hers.

"I can think of a few things."

~~~~~~

"More lo mien?"

Sesshomaru shook his head, pushing his plate away. Kagome stood and cleared away the food and plates. After a great amount of protestation on his part, Sesshomaru had finally given in to Kagome's suggestion that they order out for some food.

He watched as she put the dishes into the dishwasher and wrapped the food up and put it in the refrigerator. After a few minutes, she returned to the dining room and sat down across from him.

"So what time is your mystery person going to call?" She asked. Sesshomaru shrugged, his patience beginning to wear thin where Kikyo was concerned. It was now almost eight o'clock and he still hadn't heard from the woman.

Kagome sighed, drumming her fingers lightly on the table. "So what is it exactly that this person is bringing you?" She asked. Sesshomaru looked at her, his face unreadable. Kagome sighed again, knowing he wasn't going to tell her. She wished that he could relax enough around her to confide in her.

"Ok, since you don't seem to want to talk about business, let's talk about you. What's the deal with you and Inuyasha?" She said. Kagome could tell that she'd hit a nerve when he visibly tensed. Just as she thought, there was a story.

Sesshomaru looked away from her. "We don't get along. Never have." He stated. Kagome continued to stare at him, hoping he'd elaborate.

Sesshomaru sighed heavily. "Kagome, there is one thing that we need to get clear. I'm not comfortable telling other people about my personal affairs. Once you do that, you become weak. It's best to go through life keeping your secrets to yourself."

Kagome frowned. How could someone really live like that? Going through life alone with no one to tell your deepest fears and desires didn't seem like much of a life to Kagome. But then again, Sesshomaru wasn't just anybody.

Just as Kagome was about to voice her opinion, she was interrupted by a shrill ringing. Sesshomaru reached into his pocket and pulled out a small cell phone.

"Yes?" He said into the phone. There was a moment of silence before he said, "You know where to meet me," And ended the call. Kagome looked at him questioningly.

"It was my contact. The documents are secured." He rose from his seat and headed for the front door. Kagome followed after him. He stopped to look at her. Kagome gave him a look, knowing he was going to try to discourage her from coming.

"Remember, we're in this together." She said. Sesshomaru sighed and shook his head. God help him, how could he forget?

~~~~~~

"Park the car right up along the curb." Sesshomaru ordered. Kagome did as directed and turned off the engine. Sesshomaru was watching the surrounding area intently. He wanted to be absolutely sure that Kikyo wasn't being followed, or setting him up. Once he was satisfied, he turned to face Kagome.

"Stay in the car. If anything looks suspicious to you, just drive away as fast as you can." He told her. He reached for the door handle. Kagome grabbed his arm. "But what about you?" She asked, her face etched with worry.

Sesshomaru hid the surprise he felt at the concern in her voice and the warm touch of her hand. Once again, he had to fight the temptation to kiss her with all the passion he felt towards her. He shook of her hand and opened the door.

"I'll be fine." He said emotionlessly over his shoulder. He slammed the door shut and headed for the small café. Even though his head was down, he covertly scanned the streets and sidewalks, on the lookout for any signs of trouble. He was more concerned about what could happen to Kagome than he was for what could happen to him.

As he entered the café, he spotted Kikyo at the same both they'd been at earlier.

"Where's the paper?" He asked as he slid into the booth. Kikyo looked at him, a startled expression on her pale face. "Hello to you, too, Sesshomaru." She said dryly. She slid a pile of papers towards him. "Got the money?" She asked.

Sesshomaru threw a small brown paper bag at her. "It's all there. Count it if you want."

Even though Kikyo disliked Sesshomaru, she knew him to be an honorable man, the exact opposite of his brother, she noted with a little bitterness.

"If I were you, I'd get out of town." Sesshomaru said. Kikyo looked down at the table. "Inuyasha's a lot of things, but stupid isn't one of them." Sesshomaru warned her. Kikyo loved Inuyasha, but she knew how ruthless he could be. If he found out that Kikyo had gone behind his back and helped Sesshomaru, he would kill her. Of that, she was sure.

"I don't need your advice, Sesshomaru." She snapped. She hastily got to her feet. "If I were you," She spat, "I'd get the hell out of dodge because both Inuyasha and Naraku are gunning for you and they won't stop until your dead." With that said, she stormed off.

Sesshomaru shook his head. She'd been warned; whatever happened to her now was up to her. He walked out of the café and back to Kagome's car. He didn't miss the look of relief that lit up her face as he slid into the passenger's seat.

As she guided the car back in the direction of her apartment, she glanced over at Sesshomaru. "So now will you tell me what all the secrecy is about?" Sesshomaru stared straight ahead, giving nothing away.

"I'm searching for a man, and since you're a reporter, you should have some expertise in that area." He responded. Kagome sighed impatiently. He never seemed to want to give straight answers.

"If I'm going to be of any help to you, I'm going to need to know everything you know." She stated. Sesshomaru nodded his head slightly. "The man I'm looking for is Onigumo Iakouy, Naraku's father. Before Naraku took over the family business, it used to be legit. His father was an upstanding businessman and was well respected both in the states and internationally."

Kagome listened in rapt attention. She hadn't known anything about the Iakouy family before Naraku became the family head.

"Back in 1990, Naraku's father was killed in a plane crash on his way overseas for a business meeting. The crash was ruled as an accident, but people had doubts, mainly my father." Sesshomaru's voice remained calm and devoid of emotion as he related the details.

"Since my father was the vice president of the company, he would have taken over, but he died a couple of weeks later of a heart attack." Kagome noticed the bitterness in his tone.

"Let me guess, Naraku was next in line to take over the company?" She said. Sesshomaru laughed a cold, humorless laugh. "Right. Ever since he took over the company, the business has been nothing but a cover up for all of the illegal things Naraku's gotten the family involved in."

They rode in silence for a couple of minutes before Kagome thought of something.

"So if Naraku's father is dead, why are you searching for him?" She asked. Sesshomaru kept his gaze locked on the scenery outside. "Because I have a gut feeling that tells me Onigumo is not dead. I believe that all these years Naraku's kept him hidden away somewhere. I think my father had the same idea."

Kagome nodded in understanding. She glanced over at the man sitting silently beside her. She frowned at the invisible wall he'd erected to keep her from getting too close. Her face softened as she thought about what he'd said earlier.

"Sesshomaru, I'm sorry about your fath-"

"Don't." Sesshomaru said sharply, his entire body tense as he sat rigidly in the seat. "All you need to worry about is finding anything you can on Onigumo Iakouy. I'm going to need him when the time comes."

~~~~~~

Kagome led Sesshomaru down the carpeted hall to her apartment. She fiddled with the keys, reaching to unlock the door.

"I can start researching Onigumo first thing in the morning. I've got contacts overseas and-"

She let out a small yelp of surprise when Sesshomaru grabbed her by the arm and yanked her behind him.

"What the hell are you doing?" She demanded angrily. Sesshomaru put a finger to his lips, silently telling her to shut up. She snapped her mouth shut, sensing the danger in Sesshomaru's tone. He cautiously looked around the immediate areas. The kitchen, living room, and dining room seemed secure, but he sensed someone in the apartment.

Kagome gripped Sesshomaru's waist, peering around him. "Do you see anything?" She whispered. Sesshomaru shook his head curtly. He took a step forward, but stopped when the room was suddenly bathed in light.

Sesshomaru blinked and looked in surprise at the man standing a few feet away from him. The dark-haired man looked back at him, his face just as surprised. Kagome looked around Sesshomaru at the sound of the man's voice.

"Kouga?" She said in shock. "Kagome?" He answered. Sesshomaru looked from the man to Kagome, realization hitting him. The boyfriend whose clothes he'd worn.

"Kagome, what's going on?" The man named Kouga asked, his face beginning to darken angrily as he noticed her hands gripping the taller man's waist. Kagome quickly dropped her hands to her side.

"Well, I…um…it's a really long story." She stammered, wishing she were anywhere but there. Kouga crossed his arms, one eyebrow raised. "I've got time." He said. Kagome glanced at Sesshomaru. His face was as unreadable as ever, but she thought she saw a glint of some unknown emotion flash through his eyes.

`Can my life get any better?' She thought to herself sarcastically.

a/n: ahhhh…so glad to be back home…holidays with family are always nice, but they get a lil stressful after a little while…hope you all had a wonderful holiday…also hope everyone likes the chap after the wait…and thanks again for the reviews…i'll try to put out another chap before new year's, but can't make any promises…if not, it will be soon…have a happy new year's!