AN: Trying out a new story it would seem. Of course my version of trying out is writing one chapter and then lollygagging around…I had this idea exactly a year ago, except for the fact that everything has changed. Sort of. I'll get around to The Experiment and as far as Double Threat…well that's just for my own time really. Back up for when I get bored.
Disclaimer: I wish Inuyasha were mine…or at least his little ears! How cute are they? Well…yeah. I don't own Inuyasha.
Engaged with Affairs
Chapter One
The Engagement
Perfect was the only word Kagome could use to describe how she felt. Somehow, some sort of joy just seeped deep into her heart whenever she glanced at her engagement ring. If she lifted her hand up and tilted it at just the right angle, light would bounce off of it, sending little shards dancing across the room. The euphoria from last night had still not left her mind.
"Hojou…" she murmured, gazing at the ring a little while longer.
Everything would've been even better had the paparazzi stayed away. Hojou was, after all, a very wealthy, handsome, young, and now, ex-bachelor. Everyone needed coverage on it. Kagome didn't mind at first…it actually felt good to be caught in the spotlight every now and then, considering all she did on a daily basis was work at a flower shop. But now, it was becoming a hindrance.
Everywhere they went, cameras were sure to follow – and along with it, scathing remarks from jealous women. Most of them claimed she was a gold digger, just looking to get his cash and run. Funnily enough, Kagome hadn't even liked him that much in the beginning.
He started off by coming to the flower shop once, buying just a modest amount of roses while sparking (or at least attempting) to have a conversation with her. Kagome found it odd that the Hojou was their small, plain flower shop, but wasn't too amused. He was a little too friendly for her tastes…and when he started making more visits, buying more flowers each time (and sometimes he didn't!) she became accustomed to him, wondering just how many flowers this mystery girl of his had. Surprisingly, the media didn't know too much about him…and most of the paparazzi attacks were random. He surprisingly blended in; he wasn't someone you'd recognize on first glance after all.
"How does this mystery girl of yours react to all these flowers?" Kagome once asked while watering a group of lilies.
Hojou shuffled his feet, pretending to be interested by the flora. Kagome raised a brow at this, wondering where the sudden silence came up. Usually he did all the talking.
"Come on Hojou, it's not like I didn't know there was someo-"
"Kagome, would you like to go on a date? I mean, if it's okay with you. I was thinking out to dinner…somewhere nice. Not overly done, but not cheap either." He rushed the last part quickly, waiting with hesitant ears. What if she rejected him? What if she laughed right in his face?
She gave him a subtle sideways glance before allowing a smile to creep upon her face. "That would be nice."
"'Nice'?" He blinked, the words sounding strangely odd on his tongue.
"It's a yes, in other words," she added, looking up at him with a sly grin.
Hojou beamed brighter than the sun and the moon put together.
And that had all been two years ago. By the first year of their relationship, Kagome was sure in the fact that she was falling for him, and falling for him hard. She was in love, really. She had waited and waited for Hojou to drop down on his knee and pop the question, but at the same time worried. There was always that small corner of doubt that niggled at her mind as if by its own accord.
However, now that it was over and done with, Kagome felt as confident as ever. The doubt had passed for the most part, and if she wasn't optimistic about their future, then it was doomed from the start.
--
"Finally engaged, eh?" Kouga mumbled, tapping his hands against the smooth, wooden tabletop. Hojou sat before him in a chair that wasn't as comfy as it appeared to be earlier. He was sweating bullets and Kouga could only smirk at that. Fear was such a common thing among humans.
"Y-Yeah. I proposed to her last night."
"I know that, nitwit. Obviously I wouldn't have brought it up in the first place," he bit out, slightly aggravated by the density of his brain.
Hojou nearly fainted from Kouga's voice; his hands were clammy as he desperately tried to grip the handles of the chair. He was sure that his knees were about to melt and become a puddle on the ground before him, rendering him powerless. And then Kouga would naturally laugh and boast about how being a demon was so much better before swiping through with his claws…but that was just his imagination.
"So." Kouga leaned back in his seat, allowing the poor man to regain some of his breath. The overwhelming urge to vomit was hanging over his head…not just for himself, but for Kagome. "Any updates on the jewel?"
"She still w-wears it around her neck everyday." He spluttered.
Kouga frowned slightly. "Is this girl brave or just stupid? Wearing the jewel around her neck like that! It's powerful and who knows how much money it'd go for on the market! I wonder why Naraku hasn't even taken it himself…it's not like she's some powerful demon. She's just a human girl. A simple human girl."
Hojou bit his lip. "Well, I don't think he'd want to make a scene for the public…he's one of the top CEOs in the country."
"I know that!" Kouga snapped, sending Hojou into another spasm. "God, why Naraku ever enlisted you is beyond me. You jump at every simple noise," he added, taking a stab at his nervousness.
"Maybe you should try trusting your boss more often, hm?"
Kouga, being the hypocrite he'd never admit to be, jumped in his seat upon hearing Naraku's voice behind him. Naraku merely smirked and walked into Kouga's office, glancing at the spacious room with little interest. His office was way better anyways…
"Naraku sir!" Kouga exclaimed, rising to his feet before giving a deep bow. Naraku eyed him with disgust. He hated it when people groveled, though it had its perks…
"So about how much of the profits did we say we'd give you?" He shifted his body in the direction of the simpering Hojou, hands clasped tightly behind his back. A smile was on his face, though it didn't look too sincere. Any trace of his supposed 'kind' looks disappeared upon gazing into his eyes. They were the archetypal red, displaying darker motives and sinful qualities.
"I…I think…15 maybe?"
Naraku gave a small 'tut' noise with a simple cluck of the tongue.
"My, my…I don't think that's what we agreed on last month. It was 20, and I'm more than willing to help you achieve that…though I don't know why you want to do such a grievous, troublesome job such as this just to get that small sum of money compared to what you could make within a month. But then again…I hear that your company isn't as…successful as it appears to be?" He added softly, a malicious glint in his eyes.
Hojou hung his head, reluctant to admit that the company was starting to lose money. Their net worth had dropped considerably, though he had managed to cover that small problem up…maybe small wasn't the word to describe it.
"In any case," Naraku suddenly boomed, gazing at the side to the wall, seeming to stare right through it, "your services are greatly appreciated. I do think you went a little overboard though on waiting all that time to propose…she seemed quite eager to be your wife." He grinned at his own comment, sending Hojou further into despair.
He hated to put Kagome through this, especially because she was completely oblivious to everything that was going. In fact, most of the public was. Hardly anyone knew that his business was slowly losing its edge and that he was gambling with demons, something that most people were wary of. But God, he was desperate…and even though 20 percent of the profits wouldn't be enough to cover all the damage, it'd definitely help some. Besides, Naraku had estimated that the jewel itself would go for about three million at the very least.
Regret was building up in him, so he steeled himself, trying to block out the thoughts of Kagome's reaction when she realized everything that was going on. She would be torn if she found out he was after some jewel for money…
Some part of him hoped she'd never find out.
"Hojou," Naraku barked, sending him out of his thoughts. "If you were paying any attention at all," he paused to see Hojou's weary gaze, "then you'll know that I just said we've hired a bodyguard for Kagome."
"A bodyguard?"
"Are you deaf? That's what I said. Of course, he's not exactly a bodyguard, but for the public eye that will be his purpose. With him around, it'll be easier to get the job done…assuming we might run into some resistance on her part…"
Hojou suppressed a shudder. It was all too clear what Naraku was implying. If she even dared to defend herself, this bodyguard or whoever would be forced to kill her.
"Wouldn't that raise suspicion?" Kouga piped up, suddenly worming his way back into the conversation. "If after this girl gets a bodyguard and then all of a sudden she's dead? The public will naturally guess it was him."
"Indeed they would. And that's why I've already had rumors spread around that Hojou is being targeted. It's only logical that anyone who was after him would use his fiancée as an example to what may happen to him."
"Wait! You've already sent out rumors that people are targeting me?!"
"Yes." Naraku replied coldly. "Inuyasha will be the one to guard her. It'll make the job easier to get done. The plan is to hopefully take the jewel without a bit of trouble. And poor Kagome will think she's misplaced it and then move on with her life. And if she decides to take the difficult path, she'll have to willing to fight for her life."
"Right…right," Hojou raked a hand through his short hair, wondering why he decided to go through with this. He had been dating her for a year when Naraku had suddenly shown up, right around the time his company's business started to do a downward spiral. He needed the money and apparently Kagome contained a very, very special jewel that could grant any wish the heart desired…and it'd fetch more than a pretty penny.
But she was so possessive of it! She rarely ever let anyone look at it, much less touch it. It was very precious to her, and the thing was, she didn't even know its real power. To her, it was just a sacred heirloom.
Hojou wished she'd get rid of the damn thing…if not for her sake, then his own if it got him to back out of this stupid plan.
--
"A…bodyguard? Hojou, no!" Kagome protested. "That's ridiculous!"
"Kagome, please. It's for your own good." He felt sick to his stomach.
"Come on Hojou. You're kidding me right? Why would anyone wait now to attack? They've had a long time…"
"It's not that simple," he chided. "Please, just…bear with me. He's very good at what he does. Trust me on this one okay? I just worry for your safety."
"But…alright. Alright." She relented, eyes reflecting her glum attitude. "I still don't understand the fuss. And shouldn't you be the one with the bodyguards?! It's not like they're targeting me." She almost gave a laugh at the thought. The only people she suspected to attack her were those lovesick women who swooned at the mere sight of Hojou.
"Well, like I said before, it's a very complicated situation…" he paused, mouth open to say something else, however he found he couldn't bring himself to. "I…You know that…"
"Go on…"
"You know that I love you right?"
Kagome blinked, caught off guard for a few moments.
"Well, yeah. I love you too," she smiled, the crease that usually formed between her brows when she was stressed gone.
Hojou barely returned the gesture before walking over to the door. "Inuyasha's probably outside waiting."
"Right." Kagome pursed her lips once more upon being reminded of her bodyguard. Somehow she felt…miffed. It was as if he was keeping something from her, but she didn't want to spoil anything. For goodness sake's! They'd only been engaged for a day…and he was looking out for her…
Kagome looked up suddenly when she heard the shuffling of feet. She trailed up the pair of unfamiliar legs, already knowing the other person was Hojou.
What she saw surprised her…the name was strange enough, but this man was definitely stranger than his name…but it was very fitting now that she thought of it. His long, white mane and shocking golden eyes…plus the two fuzzy triangles atop his head – a true dog demon it seemed.
"So this is thing that needs protection?"
Kagome felt a strange gurgle rise up her throat in indignation as Hojou sighed softly. "Her name is Kagome…please try to remember it!" What a gentlemen! Kagome cooed.
Inuyasha scoffed and chose to ignore the statement. Upon looking at her he could tell she was one of those whiney, needy women in constant need of protection. At least he was getting a small percentage of money from that bastard Naraku…only five percent actually…cheap bastard.
"Hello," Kagome greeted curtly before turning the other cheek. This guy was definitely on her dislike list…he'd better find a way to redeem himself or she simply wouldn't put up with him. And that was final.
"Feh," Inuyasha grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets.
Kagome's brow furrowed upon catching a side glance at his actions. Pursing her lips, she trotted over to Hojou who's hair was slightly disarrayed with all the hand-raking he had been doing in the past 24 hours.
"Maybe we should reconsider this, Hojou…I don't think we're going to be getting along."
"Just give it a chance, Kagome. Hey, he's defending your life, right Inuyasha?"
"Perhaps…" Inuyasha mumbled. Hojou frowned. "Of course," Inuyasha spat loudly.
Kagome wasn't convinced.
"I don't think he's very trustworthy…" by now Kagome was desperate to find some excuse.
"Oh for the love of god!" Inuyasha threw his hands up in the air, a fierce glower in his eyes. "Do I have to take a fucking bullet for you right now? Geez, all you've been doing these past five minutes is bitching and moaning."
Kagome's eyes widened considerably and Hojou found he didn't have the energy to soothe the flames.
"Excuse me?!"
"You heard what I said!" He snapped irritably.
"FINE."
"Right back at ya, princess!" He sneered.
Hojou began to consider asking for a higher raise in the percentages he'd earn…this was a little too dramatic for his comfort.
"Now, now…let's all settle down." Hojou began, attempting to restore some balance in the room. Kagome made a small 'hmph!' noise under her breath while Inuyasha merely ignored the both of them. He hated being subjected to such menial tasks…the girl had enough annoying qualities in her to ward off anyone.
"Well, I should get going now." Kagome shrugged on her jacket (it was late fall), and trudged out of the office, Hojou giving her a quick goodbye. She heard footsteps behind her and upon turning around, found Inuyasha following her, bringing his bad mood along as well.
"What are you doing?"
"My job." He said it in the 'god-you-must-be-brain-damaged-so-I-better-keep-it-simple' look. Kagome felt like punching him, but the softer, calmer side of herself told her to stay put. She would not act like a stupid child.
"I didn't know your shift started now," she replied coolly.
"It starts 24/7…better get used to it," he smirked, showing off a tiny fang.
Kagome bit her lip but settled for readjusting the purse on her shoulder. Tossing her head back before gazing forward, she walked briskly with an air of confidence and apathy. She'd just pretend he wasn't there. Except it was kind of annoying when she could feel little puffs of his breath down the back of her neck.
Inuyasha watched with mild interest, reveling in how easily annoyed she got.
It was especially fun how she'd set off at a faster pace, only to become more rigid when she realized he was keeping in perfect sync with her.
Kagome opted for walking off to the side so that he was now next to her instead of behind her. It was nerve-wracking to be honest. She didn't know how those other people managed being surrounded by five or more bodyguards lived.
"What sort of demon are you?"
"And why do you care?" He frowned slightly at the sudden convivial tone she carried. He sincerely hoped she wasn't bipolar…he didn't sign on board for this…
She gave a small shrug of the shoulders. "Just curious."
"Dog," he grunted.
"Figured you were. Something's off though. As nonhuman as you may look," Inuyasha sputtered at this, but Kagome quickly continued, allowing him no chance to retaliate, "you're still different. I can tell."
"…"
"Well?"
"Human…" he mumbled.
"I can't hear you. You're going to have to talk louder than that." She berated.
"Human!" He suddenly exclaimed.
"Ah." Kagome gave a small twitch of the lips upwards. "Thought so."
Inuyasha narrowed his gaze at her as her mood seemed to lighten considerably. He didn't see how she could become happy again after this.
But as he looked at her, he noticed something gleaming.
The Shikon jewel in all its glory, hanging around her neck as if she had bought from some local jewelry store. No wonder she'd need protection…once more and more demons (and maybe even humans) started to hear about the jewel, she'd be in all sorts of danger…
She had to be on her guard now.
Especially when it came down to him.
AN: Slow start sort of? We'll see where this goes. Don't worry if you're confused…I'm sure it'll be explained in the near future…whatever it is that you may be wondering. Don't you feel good when even the author doesn't know what they're doing? Just kidding…I think. God, I'll stop rambling. But be sure to tell me what you think! All comments are appreciated.
