InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ To Bear Witness ❯ What Dreams May Come ( Chapter 6 )

Disclaimer:

SF: {::yelling at lawyers outside her window::} How many times do I have to tell people that Inuyasha doesn't belong to me?

Lawyers: As many times as we see fit.

SF: And if I tell you all to go to hell?

{::Lawyers toss a lawsuit at her window::}

SF: Eeeeek! {::swats lawsuit with baseball bat::} Alright, alright. Jeez, I was just playing. Inu-chan and his friends don't belong to me. Happy now?

Lawyers: Ecstatic.

Chapter Six: What Dreams May Come

The light that lies

In women's eyes

Has been my heart's undoing.

-Thomas Moore, 'The Time I've Lost in Wooing'-

*10:30 AM Tuesday*

"Mr. Takamada?" Kagome said as she peered inside Sesshoumaru's office. Sesshoumaru glanced away from his work to acknowledge her.

"Yes, Higurashi?"

"Please," she said as she shut the door behind her. "Call me Kagome."

"Alright…" Sesshoumaru said as he watched her. She leaned against the door, silently watching him with sinfully sweet smile on her pink lips.

"What can I do for you, Kagome?" Sesshoumaru asked, hoping to shake her out of her revere. Kagome slowly walked forward, stopping to lean over Sesshoumaru's desk.

"I was just wondering; who takes care of you?" Kagome asked in a breathy whisper, sending chills up Sesshoumaru's spine.

"What do you mean?"

"Just what I said," Kagome replied as she walked to his side of the desk. She sat down on the desk in front of him, kicking his knees apart and taking off a red-heeled pump. She smiled again, a seductive gleam in her eye as she placed her bare foot between his legs.

"Who takes care of you?" Kagome whispered as her foot began slow, tantalizing circles against him. Sesshoumaru fought the urge to close his eyes and moan as she continued.

"You take care of so many people. You're brother, your employees, even the employees of the companies you plan to take over, yet I don't see a single person taking care of you."

Kagome stopped the blessed massage, moving from the desk to straddle his lap in one swift move. Sesshoumaru watched her in barely contained lust as she unbuttoned his shirt.

"Would you let me take care of you, Mr. Takamada?"

"Mr. Takamada?" Kagome said as she peered inside Sesshoumaru's office. Sesshoumaru was asleep at his desk, his head cradled in his folded arms as they cushioned him from the hard glass.

"Mr. Takamada, wake up," Kagome said as she shook his arm. Sesshoumaru didn't budge.

'This might be serious,' Kagome thought as she shook him again. Again, he didn't wake up. 'I'd better get Sango and Mr. Hitame.'

For the first time in his life, Sesshoumaru was at a loss for words as Kagome brushed his shirt aside, exposing his chest. She slowly kissed the juncture between his neck and shoulder, trailing the butterfly kisses up his neck to his ear.

"You never answered me," Kagome whispered before tugging his ponytail apart and running her fingers through his hair. Sesshoumaru cleared his thoughts, only to have them scattered again when her fingers brushed against his sensitive ears. He shivered, earning a smile from the temptress in his lap.

"Did you like that, Mr. Takamada?" she whispered, her lips brushing against his ear. Sesshoumaru shivered again.

"You still haven't answered me," Kagome said as she kissed his jaw line.

"I don't need anyone to take care of me," Sesshoumaru finally said, fully aware that he'd become a squirming ball of hormones under this slip of a woman. Kagome giggled coyly and kissed the middle of his forehead.

"Silly. Of course you do."

"Um, Mr. Hitame?" Kagome said as she peered into Inuyasha's office, unknowingly derailing an argument before it left the station.

"Yes, Miss Higurashi," Inuyasha said. Sango scowled at him, but quickly forgot him for the worried look on Kagome's face.

"It's Mr. Takamada. He's asleep and I'm having trouble waking him up."

Inuyasha's eyebrows shot up behind his bangs. "You can't…wake him up?"

Kagome shook her head.

"Then I guess we'd better have a go, right Sango?" Inuyasha said.

'Fluffy's normally a light sleeper. Wonder what's wrong,' Inuyasha said to himself as Kagome lead them back to Sesshoumaru's office.

"Its weak to need someone," Sesshoumaru whispered between breaths. Kagome shook her head in disagreement as her hands slowly traced down his chest.

"No, its not and you know it. I want to take care of you," Kagome whispered, this time with her lips brushing against his. Sesshoumaru's mouth fell open as she gently nibbled on his lower lip.

"Let me take care of you Mr. Takamada. You won't be sorry," Kagome said before she brought his lips to hers. Sesshoumaru wrapped an arm around her waist possessively, using his other hand to tug Kagome's hair free of the tight bun at the back of her head. Her dark hair draped around him in oceans of silky waves. Sesshoumaru absently ran a hand through it as Kagome cupped his face in her hands.

"See, he's not waking up," Kagome said as Inuyasha tried to wake Sesshoumaru for a third time. Inuyasha shrugged, then stopped completely as Sesshoumaru's scent changed. 'What the hell?' Inuyasha pondered as he turned to look at him. Inuyasha blinked, then fought back the ear-splitting laugh threatening to spill from his chest.

'Fluffy's gonna have a wet dream if he keeps this up,' he said as he watched Sango take a turn.

"See," Kagome purred into Sesshoumaru's mouth. "I'm perfect for the job."

"I'm sure you are," Sesshoumaru whispered huskily as he struggled with the zipper on the back of her miniskirt. Kagome giggled slightly and deepened the kiss before pulling away.

"Are you going to let me take care of you Mr. Takamada?" she asked again as she kissed the corners of his mouth.

"Sesshoumaru."

"Excuse me?" Kagome said, her brow creasing together in what Sesshoumaru could only describe as adorable.

Sesshoumaru grinned wolfishly and pressed her closer to his chest. "My name is Sesshoumaru."

Kagome nodded as her hands wandered south. "Forgive me, Sesshoumaru."

"Forgiven," Sesshoumaru whispered as he tipped her head back for a soul-searing k-

"Mr. Takamada?"

Sesshoumaru blinked in confusion as the voice called him again. He raised his head, only to stare directly into some lucky girl's shirt. Sesshoumaru blushed slightly, then tilted his head up. Kagome stared back, concern shining in her blue-gray eyes.

"Are you ok?" Kagome asked as Sesshoumaru sat back in his seat. He blinked again, staring around him, then at her as Kagome touched his forehead.

"No, he's not sick," Kagome reported to the other occupants in the room. Sesshoumaru looked around again, and nearly cursed when he found Inuyasha glaring at him. Sango stepped in his line of sight, a welcome relief from the pissed off younger brother.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Sango asked, she and Kagome watching him. Sesshoumaru nodded once, then ran a shaky hand through his hair.

"I'm fine. Thank you for your concern, but it isn't necessary."

Inuyasha stood up suddenly, grabbed Sango and Kagome by the arm and nearly tossed them out the room. When they protested, Inuyasha gave them a slight smile and said

"Don't worry ladies. We'll be right out. My brother and I need to discuss some things."

With that he slammed the doors in their faces.

"We might have a problem," Kagome said as Sango nodded in agreement.

*Sesshoumaru's Office*

"What was that about, Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru asked as Inuyasha stomped to his desk. Inuyasha shoved that question aside as he said

"I want to ask you a question. You gonna answer?"

"As truthfully as possible," Sesshoumaru said, even though he had a feeling what the question was.

"How long were you jealous of Kikyou and I?"

'Ok, that wasn't the question I was expecting.' "What are you talking about?" Sesshoumaru growled.

"You know what I'm talking about," Inuyasha snarled back. "Kikyou's been gone for seven years, then a girl that looks EXACTLY like her comes into my life and you decide I can't have her. Not only do you tell me to stay away from her, but you try to make the moves on her! So my question is: How long have you been jealous of Kikyou and I?"

"You're talking nonsense," Sesshoumaru said as he turned his back on Inuyasha to face the large window behind him. Inuyasha growled again, refusing to be ignored. He grabbed Sesshoumaru's shoulder and spun him around.

"I know you have the hots for her," Inuyasha growled, breathing in Sesshoumaru's face. Sesshoumaru calmed himself enough to keep from crushing his hand as he jerked it from his shoulder.

"You know nothing."

"You were dreaming of her, weren't you?"

Sesshoumaru shrugged his shoulders and flicked some invisible lint off his shoulder. "And what if I were?"

"Then you're wasting you're time. She's mine."

Inuyasha leaped over the desk, extended his claws and raked at Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru's suit jacket fell to the floor in tattered pieces seconds later. Sesshoumaru glanced down at the remaining vest and white dress shirt, and growled viciously.

"You dare…" he whispered as his eyes changed from hazel to golden, and his short human nails extended into claws. Inuyasha's eyes lightened to an amber, answering Sesshoumaru's challenge.

"Well then, kid brother, if you insist," Sesshoumaru said with a nod for Inuyasha to begin. Inuyasha leaped forward claws first again, but this time Sesshoumaru dodged him, grabbed him by the collar and flung him across the room.

*

>Wham!<

Sango and Kagome looked at each other warily, then the door as another wham and a thud came from Sesshoumaru's office.

"You don't think they're fighting, do you?" Sango said nervously.

>BAM!<

Kagome and Sango jumped as the door shook under the force of whatever collided with it. Sango tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge.

"I'm calling Miroku," Kagome said as she pulled out her shades.

*

"This is foolishness!" Sesshoumaru hissed as he dodged another wild swing from Inuyasha. Inuyasha ignored this as he tried again, but only succeeded in breaking one of the glass end tables.

"You're destroying my office over a girl!"

Sesshoumaru grabbed Inuyasha as he flew past again, propelling him into the door with a bam. Inuyasha slid back down to the floor, a lopsided grin on his face.

"You're just saying that because you know I'm gonna kick your butt."

Sesshoumaru scoffed lightly as Inuyasha stood up. "Really, Inuyasha. In all the years you've known me, have you really been able to 'kick my butt' as you say?"

Inuyasha growled and charged again.

*

"What's the problem?" Miroku asked as he stepped off the elevator.

"It's-"

>BAM!<

Everyone jumped at the newest abuse to the door. Miroku sighed and shook his head.

"I take it you can't get the door open."

"I tried, but it wouldn't budge," Sango said as Miroku pulled out his lock pick. "Did Kagome try?" he asked. Kagome shook her head no.

"Then try Boss. What's the worst that could happen?"

'What's the worst that could happen he says,' Kagome thought irritably as she reached for the doorknob. A sudden red burst of static electricity zapped her hand. Kagome yelped and jumped back, falling over and knocking Miroku down in the process.

"Sorry," Kagome said as she tried to get up. She felt something twitch on her backside suddenly. She glanced over her shoulder to find Miroku's hand on her rear.

"PERVERT!!" Kagome screamed as she whapped him upside the head.

*

'What was that?' Sesshoumaru wondered as Inuyasha leaped for him again. 'I could almost swear I heard someone shout the word pervert.'

"You're not paying attention, Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha growled as he made another pass at Sesshoumaru's face. Sesshoumaru dodged and backhanded him easily.

"I don't have to. You're as foolish and slow as ever."

Inuyasha growled softly, the whites of his eyes bleeding red.

*

"Just get the damned door open, pervert!" Kagome yelled over Miroku's shoulder. Miroku fiddled with the lock a moment, then sighed.

"Sorry Boss. No can do." Miroku picked up his stuff and stepped aside. "Try again."

"Yeah, Kago-girl. Try again. Use that miko thing you do this time."

"I hardly doubt that this is a barrier spell," Kagome grumbled.

'What harm could it do?' Kagome asked herself as she closed her eyes to see the door through her mind's eye. The door in her mind blazed red, angry with an extreme power. Kagome reached out for the knob, her hand glowing purple purity. The instant she touched it the purple fiercely attacked the red, then won out as it overtook the red and turned the door a vivid lilac. Kagome opened her eyes slowly, surprised she could still do that as she walked to Grace's desk.

"Mr. Takamada's most important client! Now!" Kagome demanded as she glanced at her watch.

Noon.

'Perfect,' Kagome thought as Grace rattled off the name of something Kelson. Kagome nodded in thanks, then returned to Sango and Miroku.

"When I go inside-"

"How do you know you can get in?" Miroku interrupted. Sango whapped his head soundly. "Jerk! Go ahead Kagome."

"When I go inside wait five minutes, then follow me. I doubt I'll be in there for that long, but just in case." Kagome cracked the door open and disappeared inside.

Kagome stopped at the destruction around her, totally forgetting to ask about the barrier spell on the door. The office was completely ruined, the only thing intact was Sesshoumaru's desk and even that looked to be in shambles as Inuyasha stood in front of it. Sesshoumaru stood on top of it, watching Inuyasha warily.

Kagome gasped as she looked at his eyes, and all the color drained from her face as she looked away. When she looked back, Sesshoumaru was standing before her, watching her curiously as Sango and Miroku came in. Remembering what she planned, Kagome grabbed Sesshoumaru's arm and dragged him out of the office.

"Come on, Mr. Takamada! You forgot about your lunch with Mr. Kelson!" Kagome chirped brightly as she dragged Sesshoumaru to the elevator. Once inside, her legs gave up the struggle and dropped her to her knees.

'Oh my God!' Kagome thought as Sesshoumaru checked her over. 'There's no way I saw what I saw! Takamada didn't have gold eyes! He didn't!'

Kagome slowly recovered, the shock of what she'd seen slowly evaporating to reason. 'No,' Kagome told herself as she allowed Sesshoumaru to help her stand. 'That was just the sunlight. Of course Takamada's eyes aren't gold! That's so silly! Hazel is pretty close, plus the sun might have been in my eyes.' She smiled at him warmly.

'Besides, it might have just been the shock of seeing the mess they made of his office.'

Something in Kagome clicked as she remembered the free-for-all she walked into. Her warm smile turned into a frown as she brushed his hand away from her arm.

"Are you alright, Kagome?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"Yeah, as alright as can be expected. Especially when the two people myself and my fellow officers are risking our lives for are trying to kill each other! What the hell happened?!"

Sesshoumaru leaned against the back of the elevator and ignored her.

"Don't ignore me, Takamada!" Kagome shouted as she jabbed her finger in his chest. "I want to know what just happened! One minute we can't wake you up, the next minute you and Hitame are fighting like it's pay-per-view!"

Sesshoumaru ignored her as the doors opened to the lobby. Kagome followed him out quietly, feeling to berate him in front of his employees would be rude for some reason. When the driver closed the limo door behind them, Kagome snapped.

"I said, what-just-happened?"

"None of your concern, I assure you," Sesshoumaru replied coldly, glaring daggers at her. Kagome reflected the icy stare with a heated one of her own.

"Everything you do is my concern! I'm not going to risk my life, nor the lives of those under my command because you want to be a jerk! I'm not having it! You can be a jackass if you want-"

Sesshoumaru interrupted her by pouncing on her, knocking her to the floor then pinning her wrists with his knees.

"You will refrain from the name-calling, girl," he hissed in Kagome's face. "You will respect me."

"Yeah right," Kagome countered, refusing to back down. "I'm not scared of you like everyone else. I can walk off the job today, and sue your stupid ass for this tomorrow."

"Why don't you then?" Sesshoumaru asked. He wrapped his fingers around her throat and squeezed slowly, watching as she struggled to breathe. "Why don't you quit and sue me? You've quit before, so I'm sure you remember how it goes."

"Go to hell, Takamada."

Kagome and Sesshoumaru glared at each other in silence for a few minutes, then Kagome whispered "You need me. I don't know why, but I think you need me."

"I want to take care of you, Mr. Takamada."

Sesshoumaru blinked, then released his hold on Kagome's neck. She gulped air in heavy gasps, the panting doing little for Sesshoumaru's emotional state. She continued to glare at him, but the glare faded to confusion as Sesshoumaru slowly trailed a finger down her throat to the collar of her blouse. His eyes returned to hers as he slowly returned to his seat. Kagome blinked at the ceiling, then returned to hers and stared out the window.

"It was only a minor disagreement," Sesshoumaru explained. Kagome whirled around, giving him her full attention as he explained.

"Inuyasha and I have always fought. It's the way we settle things. Or, the way he settles things. The janitors are used to the aftermath."

Kagome nodded mutely, then left him to his thoughts as she pulled her two-way out of her attaché. Before she opened it, she glanced at him and smiled.

"Thank you," she whispered. She returned to her two-way, missing the genuine surprise on Sesshoumaru's face as she paged Shippou.

~Shoot, Kagome-mama! : )~

Kagome smiled as she typed the message. ~Need info~

She waited for him to respond as she watched the scenery go by.

~On what? >.<~

Kagome shook her head and sighed. ~Sesshoumaru Takamada. Duh~

*

Sesshoumaru stared at Kagome in confusion as she typed on the pager. 'She thanked me for a useless piece of information. How trivial.' Sesshoumaru returned his stare to the outside as her clicking dominated the silence inside the backseat. He mentally sighed. 'She is much different than her ancestors. They wouldn't have thought twice about leaving me to whatever fate lay before me, yet I nearly kill her and she still wants to stay.' He finally spared her a glance, and found her shaking her head at something on the two-way screen.

'Why do I all of a sudden find her so endearing?'

*

~I only have one thing of interest.~

Kagome stretched lightly and reached for the bun at the nape of her neck. She typed her response as she pulled the first of many bobby pins out of her hair.

~Give me what you have, Pup~

~Sure, hold on ^_^~

*

Sesshoumaru watched, suddenly fascinated, as she slowly pulled a bobby pin from her hair, placing the restrictive object in her lap. Over and over, she slowly freed the tortured strands from their confinements. The first tendril leaped from the bun and cascaded over her shoulder, seeming to rejoice in its freedom as the sunlight captured it in an otherworldly glow.

'Absolutely stunning,' Sesshoumaru mused, feeling the hidden poet side of him taking over as Kagome began to type again.

*

'Hurry Shippou,' Kagome mentally rushed as she yanked another bobby pin free. The pager went off again and Kagome hurriedly read the message.

~It's about Takamada's assistant, Rin Juku~

~I hate suspense Pup. Get to the point~

Kagome sighed in relief as the entire bun fell apart at the last pin. She shook it loose so it could flow freely down her back, then ran her hand through it as she read Shippou's latest message.

*

Sesshoumaru gazed in admiration as Kagome's hair finally came free. It cascaded down her back and over her shoulders like a dark cape, framing her face in luminous waves. Her hair shifted in a curtain over her shoulder as she leaned over to read the pager.

'Maybe she's not such a nuisance after all,' he thought as Kagome sighed.

*

~Ok, Kagome-mama, here's the deal. Rin isn't just his secretary. She's his daughter~

'Woah,' Kagome said as she typed her response. 'Sango was right. Favoritism isn't dead.'

~What do you have?~

Shippou responded faster than she thought he would.

~Rin's parents died in a car crash when she was 4. She went mute afterward. She ran away from an orphanage in New York City at the age of 6. She was attacked in a subway and was taken to Mercy General, one of the hospitals Takamada's father owned. Takamada adopted her a few months later~

'So that's why he was so willing for me to replace her,' Kagome thought as she typed her thanks. 'He doesn't want her involved in this.' She closed the pager and returned her gaze to the window to mule over this turn of events only to be interrupted by her forgotten charge.

"May I ask you something?"

Kagome blinked, then nodded.

"Why did you decide to become a marshal?"

Kagome turned to him fully and tried to read his face. The stoic expression was still there, but genuine curiosity flickered in his eyes.

"Because you don't have to be human to be protected."

"I don't understand."

Kagome sighed and placed the bobby pins in her attaché as she answered him. "I didn't like how mikos were only supposed to protect humans and exterminate youkai, no matter what the circumstances. I feel it isn't always black and white like that. I'm sure there were good and bad youkai, just like there are good and bad people. No one deserves to be slaughtered just because they're different."

Sesshoumaru nodded in understanding as the car stopped. "You said something about lunch," he said as he extended a hand to help her out of the car. Kagome nodded and followed him inside the restaurant.

-----

SF: This is the original chapter to 'To Bear…' that wasn't posted on ff. I know, its not that big of a deal, but someone on ff might have gotten their panties in a bunch and arrange for me to be permanently put off.

Sesshou: You are a coward.

SF: I am not! How do you think the people who read my stories on ff would feel if I got put off for good? Especially with the 'UA' trilogy unfinished! I'd get hung!

Sesshou: You are still a coward. And I would never dream of a human like that.

SF: Sesshou, you've been celibate for at least 500 years. Even Gandhi would want some after that kind of drought.

Sesshou: I'm not a weak human.

SF: I know that. {::sigh::} Why am I arguing with you? It's hopeless anyway. The summary is below.

Chapter Seven: Invitation to the Ball

We meet Takamada's rival and another attempt on Takamada's live brings some old teachings to light.