InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Torn Apart ❯ Chapter 18

 

Chapter 18:

 

Sesshoumaru stood outside Kagome's room and wondered how in the world he was supposed to open up the door while carrying the unconscious miko. She seemed to delight in putting him into difficult situations. Staring down at her heart-shaped face, he nearly sighed out loud. She was determined to be the death of him someday. He just never imagined it was going to be five hundred years after he first met her. Carefully, he shifted her weight to rest mostly in one arm before stretching out his second to grasp the door handle. Delicately twisting the cold metal, he loosened it enough to open the door a fraction.

 

Eyes sparkling in triumph, he pushed the fallen obstacle completely open with his foot and stepped across the threshold before closing it with the same foot. Swiftly gliding over to her bed, he gently deposited her onto the white silk before removing his hands from around her slim body.

 

He recalled another day when her powers had overwhelmed her. It was the day that Naraku found defeat at the hands of a mother's ire. She had amazed him then with a fiery light shining in her eyes, black strands chaotically waving around her face while a dog specter aided her. There was little he could do to help her then and little he could do now. He wished he could avoid testing her strength against a hidden threat, but she would not let him protect her from herself.

 

If only he had not insisted on investigating the Fujiwara family and their ties to the yakuza. It was an investigation that led him to the most established and notorious mafia ring in Japan; he had not been surprised. What was unexpected was how well hidden the yakuza leader remained after nearly fifty years of searching. Most fell to his team of investigators within a handful of years at worst, no matter if human or youkai. He trained and hired the best.

 

Now if only the best was enough to save the fragile beauty lying before him. Brushing back a stray lock of hair from her face, he let his eyes trace over her lovely features. He had spent that night many years ago contemplating her face, wondering if and when she would wake up. It had been one of the longest nights of his life and one of the most memorable mornings. He had fallen asleep as soon as he laid down beside her and was startled awake when she decided to use him as a pillow. For the remaining hours until dawn, he had basked in her warmth and the arm she had wrapped around his own before finally drifting off again. And the morning? The morning had given him a taste of what passion could be like between them.

 

He gently slid her over a few more feet before settling down next to her warm body. A few hours of resting next to her would not hurt. He just wanted to hold her for a little while longer before the battle for her safety began. He had to convince her to leave the country for her own good.

 

—A Few Hours Later—

 

“Why can't we just go in?” whispered Sango outside Kagome's door. “I just want to make sure she's all right.”

 

Inuyasha shot the taijiya a nasty look. “Do you want Sesshoumaru to cut you in half? He's been on edge ever since we made contact with Kagome and you again. With her passed out and exhausted from over extending herself, he'll be fit to skewer and roast you alive with Jaken's staff of heads!”

 

Sango pouted as Inuyasha continued to hiss in her ear. She only wanted to peek inside the door and ask Sesshoumaru if Kagome was okay. She should have known that she pushed Kagome to hard after their talk earlier that day even though the results were spectacular. Kagome's emotions always were a necessity to controlling and manipulating her powers. Still, she wanted to make sure it was just exhaustion that caused her to faint; she didn't want to lose anyone else.

 

Inuyasha sighed. He never could stand it when females had that look about them that just screamed vulnerability and worry, even if it did look strange coming from one of the strongest women he ever met. “Fine, but don't blame me if we have to use Tensaiga to revive you.”

 

He stepped aside and allowed Sango to silently push the door open. Tentatively heeding Inuyasha's warning, she slowly pushed her head inside and peered into the darkened room. She couldn't see anything except for the outline of the bed and other scattered furniture in the light of the half-moon. `Where's Sesshoumaru?' she wondered as she slid inside. Standing flush against the wall, she gazed around the room once more and found no tall silhouettes propped up or standing anywhere.

 

Inuyasha slid into the room behind her, his keener eyes flicking quickly around the room to finally rest on the bed. A smirk crept over his face as he locked eyes with Kagome's dark-blue ones. Nodding his head in acknowledgement, he quickly grabbed Sango's arm and pulled her out of the room with a muffled yelp and a click of the door as it latched.

 

Kagome suppressed her laughter at the comical sight before turning back to the youkai currently pressed tightly against her back. She had woken up about a half hour earlier when his hair once again tickled her nose. She was really going to have to start insisting that he pull back the strands when they cuddled; it had a tendency to make her sneeze. Still, it was a nice feeling to awaken in the arms of someone warm, muscular, and possessive. She hadn't been able to move once since waking. There was barely enough room to breath.

 

Rolling her eyes at the ceiling, she gently brushed one hand across his knuckles marveling at the smooth skin. He didn't have nearly as many calluses as he used to once upon a time in Sengoku Jidai. They were still there, just less defined. In a way, she was grateful for that small blessing. It meant that he found other ways of resolving his problems and getting what he wanted. She shuddered. Just thinking of the implications made her wonder if she would still find herself willingly on a plane to America without realizing it. Although, it did make cuddling with the great demon lord a softer affair.

 

Scouting backwards a little to arrange herself more comfortably against Sesshoumaru's lean torso, she failed to notice his arm tighten minutely around her stomach as her fingers continued to run along his palm. Warm breath caressed the back of her neck causing shivers to run down her spine and her breath to hitch in her throat.

 

“Are you awake?” whispered Kagome, half afraid she was right and half afraid she was wrong. She wanted answers to her many questions, but she also didn't want him to move away from her.

 

“I'm awake,” he breathed into her ear.

 

“Oh,” whispered Kagome at a loss for what to do next. She really didn't want to lose the comforting feeling she felt locked in his arms.

 

Sesshoumaru smiled. He could smell her anxiety as she once again scooted closer to his body; the act that disturbed his sleep in the first place. He too wished that he never had to move again, but that would be up to Kagome once she found out just what she was getting herself into by staying with him in Japan. If things became really tough, he could always sedate her and lock her up somewhere safe until things resolved themselves.

 

“You told me not to walk away from you again,” he whispered, nuzzling her hair gently. The sweet smell of cherries clinging to the strands nearly intoxicated him. He almost didn't care either, but he would take this one last chance to shelter her and luxuriate in the rare moment of intimacy.

 

Kagome huffed as she swatted the air above her head, nearly striking Sesshoumaru in the nose. “I asked you not to run away from me, not invade my personal space.”

 

Sesshoumaru's fangs glinted in the moonlight. “Would you rather I leave? If memory serves me correctly there's an armchair sitting in the corner.”

 

Kagome gasped and clutched his arm tighter around her waist. “You're already here. There's no need for you to leave.”

 

With his chest vibrating with suppressed laughter, Sesshoumaru nudged the miko underneath the chin to tilt her head up. Gazing into her wide eyes, he murmured, “Then you shouldn't complain.”

 

Kagome gulped. He was entirely to close to her for comfort's sake. “I wasn't complaining. I was merely stating the facts.”

 

“Hm, so you wish to argue semantics with a lawyer?”

 

Kagome shook her head no and shuddered. She rarely, if ever, thought before she spoke and going against the calculating mind of one Sesshoumaru Shirouja was very low on her list of death wishes. It was amazing she had even won the last skirmish. Which reminded her…

 

“So are you going to ante up?” asked Kagome, still staring at the red-flecked gold irises of the youkai holding her.

 

“Ask, and I may answer,” he said half-teasing.

 

Kagome rolled her eyes and tugged on his arm, asking him to loosen his hold just enough to turn around and face him cheek to cheek, nose to nose, and eye to eye. He rarely gave anything away in facial expressions, but she would be a baka if did not at least look in case he gave something away.

 

“Comfortable?” he asked attempting to distract himself from the thought that her body was fully pressed against his own. He sincerely hoped Kagome would tire quickly and drift back to sleep.

 

“Very,” she replied. “Now for the first question…” Kagome paused briefly as she bit her lip. She knew what questions she wanted answered; she just had to figure out in what order to ask them in.

 

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she decided to just plunge in and see where it led her.

“Why did you decide to see me again if you were just going to push me away? I thought you wanted me to be your mate, not a passing amusement.”

 

Sesshoumaru stilled. He knew the question was coming, but hearing it was entirely different from thinking it. Taking in a deep breath, he blinked once to block out Kagome's hurt look for however brief a moment in time he could. Gritting his teeth, his mind rapidly sifted through the facts, outlining his arguments. “I wouldn't have asked you to be my mate if I hadn't thought it through. I wanted you back in Sengoku Jidai, and I still would be honored to have you at my side. However, you should concentrate on Inuyasha's suit rather then my own.”

 

“Why?” asked Kagome as she brushed delicate fingers against his jaw. “Why do you keep pushing me away? I thought this was supposed to be my choice and no one else's.”

 

Nerve endings tingling from the brush of her fingers against his skin, he felt his control slip a hairsbreadth. He knew he shouldn't have lain down next to her. Still, he had thought she would sleep the whole night, leaving him plenty of time to remove himself to a safer locale before morning. Turning his mind back to the discussion at hand, he concentrated on gazing at her forehead; something he hoped would not prove to be a distraction. “It is your choice, but for now it would be in your best interest to focus on Inuyasha.”

 

“You're still not telling me why!” Kagome huffed in exasperation. Sometimes trying to get the youkai to talk was like trying to find out where Naraku was hiding, nearly impossible unless he wanted you to.

 

Sesshoumaru mentally groaned. He should have known she wouldn't take his word for it. At least it was worth a try. “Do you recall the particulars of Fujiwara vs. Japan?”

 

Kagome frowned. Of course she did. It was one of the biggest scandals Japan had seen in a long time. “Yes, but what does that have to do with letting me chose who I want to date?”

 

“We were able to uncover a large portion of the Fujiwara's illegal ties to the Kokushibyou yakuza, but not the identity of the yakuza leader. He's still out there and very much in charge of the black market and other crime syndicates. Until he's caught, it is not safe to be closely associated with me.”

 

Kagome frowned. She hadn't realized that Sesshoumaru might be in danger as the leading prosecutor on the case. “So, you're telling me that the great taiyoukai of the west can't protect himself?”

 

Sesshoumaru glared. “I'm perfectly capable of dealing with any dangers that come after me. It's those who are around me that I am not always able to protect.”

 

Kagome stifled her laughter. He looked adorable when he glared like that. Of course she would never tell him that nor would she think it was so except she could imagine exactly what sparked off that particular look in the first place. In other circumstances, it was an effective cowering tool or that is until one got to know him. Well, if he ever let someone get to know him.

 

Reeling her mind back from her stray thoughts, she looked up to see him still giving her the evil eye. “Stop it. I know exactly what you mean although I guess that just means I have to stick with you at all times.”

 

Sesshoumaru growled softly. “Unacceptable. You will stay in the company of Inuyasha, Sango, or Shippou and as far away from me as you can.”

 

Kagome pouted. “Why should I stay with Sango? She doesn't know what's going on anymore then I do.”

 

Sesshoumaru smiled sending shivers down her spine. She never wanted to be at the receiving end of one of those dangerous looks. Sometimes, it was a blessing Sesshoumaru was so expressionless.

 

“Inuyasha should have filled her in on all the details by now. He was authorized earlier this evening to hire her as your personal bodyguard until this ordeal is finished.”

 

This time it was Kagome's turn to frown as she started to struggle out of the taiyoukai's hold. “You mean to tell me you were going to tell Sango exactly what was going on but leave me in the dark? What's the big deal! Don't you think I'm every bit as capable of taking care of myself as Sango? And besides, what if Sango is the one your yakuza gang decides to go after? How can you be so sure it's me they even want!”

 

Kagome continued to struggle to no avail, barely gaining half an arms length between their bodies. Frustrated, she hit him in the chest with her fist. “Let me go!”

 

Sesshoumaru slid one arm more securely around her waist as his other hand moved to capture her flailing fists. “Stop that.” His irritation was growing by leaps and bounds. To think he had almost forgotten just how easily she seemed to call emotions to his notice. It had been one of the first things that captivated him. His curiosity had been to great for him to let go, though perhaps it would have been better if he had just sent her on her way when she denied her uselessness in procuring Tetsusaiga from Inuyasha.

 

“Why should I!” she cried giving up on her struggles. There was really no reason in keeping them up. He had her soundly secured.

 

“Because you're going to hurt yourself,” Sesshoumaru coldly replied.

 

“Well, I'm perfectly capable of making that decision for myself! I didn't run around Sengoku Jidai without the basic ability to make my own decisions and handle a little bit of pain. I'm not going to break at the tiniest pressure!”

 

Kagome flung herself into Sesshoumaru's chest as tears started to gush from her eyes. Blinking against the sudden turn of events, he gently wrapped his arms around her, rubbing smooth circles into her back and sincerely hoping that she would cease her odd behavior. It really would have been better for her to sleep a little longer then she had. It was the only explanation he could come up with for the sudden flood works.

 

Hiccupping, Kagome tried to regain control of her body to stop the sobbing. Her sanctuary was turning out to be just as dangerous as the past had once been. The future was no longer the safe haven from demons and hidden agendas. Even Shippou had mentioned that during her time traveling many had attempted to steal the Shikon no Tama from her while she remained oblivious. Now her life was threatened by something that Sesshoumaru feared. Why else would he be attempting to send her away, and what in the world was strong enough to cause the inu-youkai to be frightened?

 

“Why are they after me?” Kagome softly asked as she pressed her head closer into the damp linen of his dress shirt. “Why are you so afraid?”

 

A strange expression crossed Sesshoumaru's face, hidden in the darkness of the room. “They're after you because of the display Inuyasha pulled outside your school.” He closed his eyes and whispered, “And because they found out about the gathering this weekend. It was supposed to be kept concealed, but somehow the information was leaked.”

 

“So, then why do you want me to run away with Inuyasha to the United States? Surely they'll just follow me there?” Kagome gripped the linen tightly in her fist. She would not allow him to drive her away.

 

Sesshoumaru smoothed her hair away from her brow. “If you left with Inuyasha shortly after the party and an engagement announcement, it would be assumed that I was merely being a concerned older brother and nothing more. There would be a chance that they would still target you, but no more so then Inuyasha, Shippou, or any of Rin's progeny.”

 

Kagome ran his words through her head again. She almost couldn't fault his logic. It made sense, and with both Sango and Inuyasha there to look after her, the risk of harm would be much less. Especially if she continued to practice her neglected skills. Still, she didn't want to run away. She never had before, and she wasn't going to start now.

 

“That makes sense, but you're forgetting something. I don't run away from my problems.”

 

Sesshoumaru sighed, barely disturbing the raven locks his cheek was pressed against. “I didn't think you would. That's one of the reasons I was withholding this information from you. I had hoped you would have made your decision by now.”

 

Kagome huffed. “You expect me to make a decision on which youkai I love more in a little over two weeks when I haven't seen you in two years, and you haven't seen me in over five hundred?”

 

Sesshoumaru's hands paused in their absentminded caresses of her back and hair. “I would have expected you to decide which one you wished to get to know more of by now. After all, you surely had time to figure out which one of our past selves you preferred.”

 

“I assumed you were both dead by now, and with no way to return to the past, I never bothered to figure that out. I just knew I loved you both and still do.”

 

Sesshoumaru smiled and rubbed her head with his chin. He never imagined hearing her say those simple words would cause such warmth to well up within himself. It felt good to know that he might have had a chance with her back then.

 

“Thank-you,” he breathed nearly below her hearing level. If it wasn't for the fact his lips were so close to her ear at the time, she never would have heard the sincere gratitude in his voice. Kagome smiled into his chest and let it go, knowing he would hate it if he knew she heard him.

 

She relaxed her hand and started smoothing the wrinkles out of his shirt. “I don't know what I want at the moment, but I do know that I think Inuyasha and I just need to work on our friendship first and foremost before thinking of going anywhere else. You, we just need to talk.”

 

“I thought that's what we were doing,” choked out Sesshoumaru with barely a hitch in his voice. He was going to have to distance himself from her and soon if she kept up her ministrations.

 

“Hmm,” agreed Kagome luxuriating in the feel of his warmth beneath her fingertips. Blinking to distract herself from the feel of smooth linen beneath her hands and the idle caresses of his hands on her back, she swallowed. “There are still sine things I needed to know besides why you were so adamant in pushing me away.”

 

Sesshoumaru mentally cringed. “Why don't we leave it for the morning? You sound a little tired.”

 

Kagome yawned at the power of suggestion. “Maybe you're right,” she said snuggling closer to his chest. “Just remember you promised not to leave me again until I'm through talking with you.”

 

“Oh?” asked Sesshoumaru wishing she had forgotten about that.

 

“Yes oh,” she said draping one arm over his side. “I'm not letting you out of my sight until I'm satisfied.” Closing her eyes, she immediately drifted off into sleep more tired then she had thought previously.

 

Sesshoumaru groaned out loud after making sure her breath had evened out into slumber. It was going to be a long night.

 

—Wednesday—

 

Kagome yawned and stretched her arms above her head as she arched her back and flexed her toes, working out the kinks of stiff muscles all along her body. Turning around to rest on her stomach, she blearily wiped the salt from her eyes, leftovers from her late evening bout of crying. Focusing on the pillow indentation resting next to her head, her conversation with Sesshoumaru rushed back into her thoughts.

 

Shifting her weight to her hands, she pushed herself off the bed and turned over, searching the room for the errant taiyoukai. He was no where to be found. Quickly rolling over to land on her feet next to the bed, she dashed for the wardrobe and pulled out a simple navy blue hakama with white haori. Changing out of the wrinkled clothes she had worn the previous day and into the fresh clean set, Kagome moved to vanity table and threw up her hair into high ponytail. He wasn't going to get away without finishing their conversation from the previous night or a good reason to post-pone it. Satisfied with her look, she turned around with the intent of rushing out of her room to look for the man, but came face to face with the object of her irritation instead.

 

Smirking at her hectic rush around the room, he walked calmly to the bed and set the tray he was carrying down on the rumpled coverlet. It was breakfast complete with newspaper, carafe of milk, another for tea, and an assortment of breakfast entrees. Eyes shifting in between the formally arranged breakfast tray and Sesshoumaru, she wondered what happened to the real youkai.

 

“Are you feeling alright?” asked Kagome. She couldn't believe he brought her breakfast in bed; well, if she had stayed in bed that is.

 

Sesshoumaru merely gave her a bored look before pouring himself a cup of tea and reaching for the newspaper and retreating to a chair nestled in a corner of the room. Snapping open it's pages, he peered over the grey newsprint. “I gave you my word I would not leave. Now eat.”

 

Kagome nervously watched as Sesshoumaru took a sip of his tea and turned to reading the daily newspaper. Shuffling forward a few steps, she heard her stomach growl causing her face to flare up with heat. Snapping her head up, she saw Sesshoumaru take another sip of the aromatic brew, ignoring her completely. Relieved, she picked up the tray of food and settled herself against the headboard with the tray in her lap. Digging in, she quickly demolished all the food.

 

Wiping the crumbs from a piece of toast from her mouth with the napkin kindly provided for her, she turned her gaze back to Sesshoumaru. She had pondered what method of attack she should use now and if indeed it would be well worth the headache trying to get him to answer with a straight answer. That last night had seemed to go so well had to have been a fluke. She would not count on a second miracle. It would just be odd. Giving up on the hopeless, she indelicately cleared her throat, sounding like a hog snorting in the trough.

 

“If you wish to gain my attention speak. That horrid sound is unbecoming of anyone with a sense of decency.”

 

Kagome “eeped” and jumped slightly in surprise, nearly causing the breakfast tray to slide off her lap. Quickly rescuing the tottering tray, she set it firmly in the center of the bed where it would be in little danger of sliding to the floor and breaking the fine china.

 

“Don't do that!” she said once everything was safely secured.

 

Sesshoumaru sighed softly into the newspaper and began to fold it up. He was almost done reading anyways. He would be most grateful if she would finish her questioning soon. He needed to get to get to court in a few more hours. Court did not wait on irate young women, even if she had formidable powers.

 

Setting the neatly folded newspaper on the petite table sitting next to him, he looked over at a fidgeting Kagome. Apparently, she would need some prompting this morning if he was to be free anytime soon. “What else did you feel we need to discus?” he said coldly as he settled his arms flush against the arm rests.

 

Kagome swallowed nervously. There was no telling what things he remembered from the past. There was no guarantee that even if he did recall the things he had done, he may not remember the motivation behind his actions. Closing her eyes, she took a deep, steadying breath and exhaled her question, hoping he would be able to remember. She needed to know the reasons why before she could consent to anything. “Why did you decide to kidnap and abuse me? Why wasn't simply having me in your possession reason enough to get Tetsusaiga? If Inuyasha really wanted me back, he would have come get me regardless of a few cuts and bruises.”

 

Sesshoumaru frowned. He had hoped she put that behind her. He couldn't really explain it to himself really. At the time, he had merely been irate that the hanyou still retained possession of their father's sword when by rights it should have gone to him. Beating up the onna had merely been a side benefit. Striving to remember clearly the events that led to his falling for the miko, he dimly recalled another reason for wishing to incapacitate the miko. “You were a threat. You did not heed me when in battle. Instead, you sought to protect Inuyasha. First by giving him the Tetsusaiga, and again when you broke my armor. I needed to make sure you would not interfere when Inuyasha came to collect you; it would also have been beneficial if Inuyasha became too worried to concentrate on the fight at hand due to your wounds.”

 

`Oh,' thought Kagome. It was not the answer she had expected although she had little to expect. It was almost disconcerting thinking it was merely a strategic move to cut-off Inuyasha and acquire his sword. Still, considering it in a new light, it truly did make sense. Get rid of that which motivates another to fight, and they would lose all will to fight. It made a simplistic solution to an on-going problem. However, it did not make her feel any better about the situation.

 

Conflicting emotions flitting across her face, Sesshoumaru watched with fascinated dread. He hoped she would not be offended by the truth although if it drove her away from him, he would take full advantage of the situation. Disregarding the intimacies of the night before, he decided to twist the thorn of detachment a little further. “Was there anything else you wished to discuss?”

 

Anger flashed across Kagome's face as she clenched her fists. “Are you in a hurry to leave?” asked Kagome sarcastically. She did not expect him to reply in the affirmative. Blood draining from her face, she held back the sting of tears that threatened to cause another bout of crying. She was really getting tired of being pushed down and stepped upon, especially after being held so closely the night before. Maybe it hadn't meant anything to him.

 

“Fine, but I have just one more question to ask you. Why did you stage such a great farce with a fake Kikyou for Inuyasha and my friends? Why couldn't you have simply asked me to stay with you rather then hurting me?”

 

Sesshoumaru frowned. He had thought the situation had already been taken care of. Why else had he chased after her in the middle of the night in the pouring rain right afterwards?

 

Kagome watched his face closely and was rewarded for her diligence when the flash of annoyance was broadcasted in the narrowing of his eyes and slight downward pull of his lips. She had touched a sore point with that question. Smiling triumphantly, she waited for him to explain himself again.

 

“I thought this was already discussed,” came the disdainfully cold reply.

 

This time it was Kagome's turn to frown. “Perhaps I missed the memo. Could you repeat the conversation for me?” Sarcasm dripped from her voice as her sapphire blue eyes glared into his gold ones.

 

Sesshoumaru returned the glare with a bored look. “Very well. I wished for you stay in order to continue being a teacher and confidant for Rin. I also wished you stay because you intrigued me. I could not grasp an understanding of what motivated you and your actions, and it was a puzzle I could not resist unraveling. To do that, I needed to convince you to stay and Inuyasha to leave. Therefore, I had to give you a reason in the form of Inuyasha's preference for the dead miko over yourself. However, to convince you of his indiscretion, you were required to watch.”

 

Kagome frowned. “I thought you wanted me to stay to be your mate.”

 

“I did,” said Sesshoumaru as he inwardly rolled his eyes. “You were the first female that confused me. You were such an enigma that you shortly became an obsession, one I knew would take all your years to attempt to understand.”

 

Absorbing his words, she replayed them again in her mind, trying to unravel the complexity of his thoughts. He seemed to confuse her as much as she did him. At least it was an equal trade off. “So, you never loved me?” Kagome half asked, half stated softly as she stared at the coverlet resting beneath her. Smoothing out a wrinkle, she wished she could as easily smooth out the hitch in her breath and the erratic beating of her heart.

 

Teetering on the thin edge of choice, Sesshoumaru carefully weighed the options. Should he confess the truth to her as he had admitted it to himself six months after losing her, or should he push her over the edge of doubt by denying it? One would be the truth, whereas the other would be a lie to finally convince her to leave his side. Carefully examining each choice, he wondered if no matter what he said, she would prove to be as stubborn as always and defend those she cared for no matter how much they hurt her. After all, she had followed Inuyasha out of loyalty for so long. Would she do the same to protect himself?

 

Decision made, he stood up and walked over to the sorrow-filled miko. Brushing the hair back from her face, he felt her jump at his touch as she turned glistening eyes to his. Withdrawing slightly, he murmured, “I did love you, but I did not realize the truth until after you were gone.”

 

Kagome's mouth dropped in shock as amazement lit up her face. Sensing, he was about to be pounced on, he slipped a hand into his pocket and pulled forth a compact object. Grasping her hand, he turned her palm upwards and placed the metallic object into her hand. Letting go, he stepped back a few steps closer to the safety of the door. “Inuyasha's, Shippou's, and my number are programmed into the phone. Be sure to contact one of us should anything suspicious happens. Sango should have one of her own as well.” Turning, he did not leave her a chance to comment. Walking through the door, he failed to hear Kagome whisper, “I choose you, Sesshoumaru.”

 

—Ayumi—

 

“Reijin Ayumi speaking.” Ayumi glanced around the nicely furnished office building. She had no clue what SaiTech did, but it appeared to be doing well.

 

“Ayumi!” came the slightly hyper and breathless voice of the anonymous caller. Ayumi frowned, she hoped Shuukaku got off quickly. If they didn't leave soon every restaurant in an eight mile radius would be packed with lunch traffic. True, most salary men preferred to work through their lunch hours, but plenty others took advantage of less busy weekdays to socialize.

 

“Yes?” answered Ayumi with divided attention.

 

“Guess who this is!”

 

She frowned. The voice did sound slightly familiar. “I don't know, who?”

 

“Guess!” Light took pity and shined down on Ayumi. She could recognize that squeal anywhere.

 

“Kagome! Why in the world are you so excited?” asked Ayumi with a smile twitching her lips. She could always count on Kagome to get excited over the oddest things. It was almost too bad she could never get excited over any of the boys during high school. She sighed softly. It was a pity Hojo never turned his eyes to any of Kagome's other friends. She wouldn't have minded a date or two.

 

“I got a cell phone!” squealed Kagome again nearly breathlessly.

 

Ayumi's jaw dropped. “You mean to tell me you finally got yourself a cell phone?”

 

Kagome's voice shook with unrestrained glee. “Yep! I got it as a gift. It has `I' mode and everything!”

 

Ayumi whistled. “Welcome to the 21st century, Kagome!” teased the soft-spoken girl. She really was glad that Kagome had a cell phone. She had been cut off from everyone for so long because of her illnesses that she never seemed to really connect with anyone once she finally recuperated enough to attend school on a regular basis again. With a cell phone, perhaps she would find it easier to grow closer to her friends rather then keeping them at a distance.

 

“I got to go call the others now, but I just wanted you to have my number. Isn't this just great!”

 

Ayumi grinned. “Yes, yes it is.” Sighting Shuukaku disembarking from the elevator, she waved him over to her.

 

“Kagome,” she interrupted the gushing monologue, “I've got to get going. I'm going out to lunch with a friend of mine.”

 

Kagome paused. “Is it anyone I know?” she asked fearing Ayumi was getting into trouble with another lecher.

 

“You've met him,” said Ayumi as she eyed Shuukaku's confident swagger.

 

“Okay,” she drawled. “Let me know how it goes then. I've got a cell phone now so don't be a stranger!” she cooed.

 

Ayumi laughed. “I won't be. Good bye!” Hitting the end key, she put the phone back into her purse before threading her arms through her escort's.

 

As she leaned her head against his solid arm, he asked, “Who was that?”

 

Ayumi glanced up at Shuukaku's tanned face. “A friend of mine just got a cell phone. You might remember her from the dance club. She was dancing with the guy who kicked you out.”

 

Shuukaku laughed. “That feisty woman? I hope she's not going to come after me with a stick or anything. I'd hate to get in her or that man's bad graces anymore then I already am.”

 

Ayumi laughed along with him. Shuukaku smiled. The missing piece to his puzzle just fell into his lap. It was definitely turning out to be a splendid week.

 

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