A/N: This story was inspired by Jamie O'Neal's song There Is No Arizona…
"Really?" Her face shone with happiness and anticipation.
He smiled, that smile what was only hers. That smile that could stop the rain from falling and bring the sun back into her life. That smile that assures her that everything will be fine and makes her heart thump in her chest. "Come on Kags, do I lie to you?" Her face continued to shine in response. Her best friend Sango's face, on the other hand, soured. She had her suspicions about Inuyasha's ability to tell the truth to anyone ever. But she could never get the proof, that dog was just too sneaky.
"I'm going to miss you, Inuyasha." Kagome's voice was quiet and it trembled as she spoke. As happy as she was to be following him soon, the time in between was sure to hurt.
Inuyasha pulled her into a tight hug. "I'll miss you too Kags… But just wait, when I get everything settled, we'll be together again. And it'll stay like that forever." She nodded into his chest, sniffing back tears. Arizona was so far from Florida and it would feel like an eternity while she was there without him.
"Now boarding, Flight 109 to Phoenix, Arizona."
Kagome sighed softly. "Be safe man, we'll miss you." Miroku smiled, hugging his best friend. Sango nodded, giving him a quick hug as well. She didn't hate Inuyasha really, she was simply concerned for her best friend's sake.
"I'll miss you too man, all of you." He sent Shippo a smirk and ruffled the younger boy's hair. He hugged Kagome's mother and little brother Sota and turned back toward Kagome herself. "I'll be in touch Kagome. I'll get everything together as fast as I can so we can be together again as soon as possible. I love you Babe." He hugged her once more and kissed her forehead. With another quick wave, he turned away and boarded the plane.
They all watched him leave and slowly the group dispersed. Kagome's mother took Sota and Shippo home, leaving Kagome, Sango and Miroku to their own devices. They left the airport in silence and drove back to Sango's house. Miroku dropped them off, giving them both hugs and Sango a grope. He left rubbing his cheek, a happy smile on his face as Sango scowled at the fleeing car. "That no-good dirty pervert…" She muttered as Kagome struggled not to laugh. Sango eyed her. "It's not funny, Kagome!"
Kagome lost the struggle and burst into laughter. "It is! It really is…" She shook her head as Sango scowled and stalked toward her front door. "Ah, come on Sango. He loves you… And I don't know why you keep hitting him, if you are trying to make him stop, it's not working. Honestly, I think he likes it…"
"If he loves me then why does he flirt and grope other women, huh?" She asked, unlocking the door and closing it behind her friend.
"Because he's not tied down and is free to do whatever he wants? Just ask him out, I know you like him too." Kagome smirked as Sango stopped, staring at her as a blush took over her cheeks.
"I do not!" She said and Kagome rolled her eyes. "I don't! Why would I fall for that sneaky pervert?"
Kagome shook her head. "How about because he is a good guy who only wants your happiness? Not to mention handsome, honest, caring…"
Now Sango shook her head. "If he wants me to be happy, groping me all the time is counter-productive."
"He just doesn't know how treat you Sango. He actually cares about you, not like the floozies he has dated before. Love is new to him, he has no idea what to do about it. So he does what he always does, groping and flattery. Give him a chance Sango, he deserves it. Now, how do we kick off this sleep over?" Kagome smiled and Sango sighed, smiling softly.
"Well, I think we should bake some cookies." Sango led her to the kitchen.
Kagome squealed happily. "I call the spoon!" Sango laughed and nodded.
The next two weeks were hard for Kagome, adjusting to life without Inuyasha around. She had to stop herself from calling him, remembering he was not at home. He was planning on getting a new number out in Arizona and would call when he had it.
She started working more hours to keep herself busy. Her boss, Myoga, was an old friend of Inuyasha's family. He felt for the girl and worried about what Inuyasha's real intentions were. He had known the hanyou since he was born, having known Inuyasha's father, Inu no Taisho, for long before Inuyasha's elder half-brother Sesshomaru was born. And Inuyasha had never been one to think of other's feelings first. He loved Kagome like his own daughter, so when she asked for more hours and explained herself, he couldn't help but give her what she wanted.
Kagome loved working at the small coffee shop. It was one of Inu no Taisho's smaller side projects. He was a great businessman and he had many fruitful endeavors. He had handed his second most successful business, Shikon Industries, to his oldest son Sesshomaru, who proved to be just as great as his father, if not better for his lack of compassion for others.
Sesshomaru was ruthless and cold, a daiyoukai who always got what he wanted, one way or another. Most feared him, human and demon alike. Kagome didn't know him very well and only knew he had a cold, cruel attitude and demeanor, he hated humans and he and Inuyasha hated each other. Every time she asked, Inuyasha would launch into a tirade filled with cursing and blaming Sesshomaru for everything wrong in his life. Never getting any real answers, she just let it go. Any time she witnessed encounters the two had, they were both so mean to each other that Kagome couldn't decide who was in the wrong and just let it go.
Before Inuyasha had left, Sesshomaru never came to the coffee shop, called Miko Café, named by Inu no Taisho after Kagome. But after he left, Sesshomaru began to make an appearance more and more often. By the end of the second week, Sesshomaru was there daily, spending at least an hour in a window seat, working on his laptop and sipping on a black coffee.
Finally, Kagome's curiosity got the better of her and when she was on break, she wandered over and sat down in the seat opposite of him. His cold, frozen-amber eyes flicked to her before returning to his computer screen. She waited patiently for him to finish what he was doing, but he just ignored her, only stopping his typing to take a sip of coffee. She smirked and closed her eyes for a moment, before gathering her courage. "Um, Sesshomaru?"
Those frozen-amber eyes flicked to her again with a bit of irritation in them. "Yes Kagome? Are you going to simply stare at me and continue to annoy me or are you going to get to the point so you can leave me be?"
Large chocolate eyes blinked in return. "You know my name?"
Sesshomaru closed his eyes in irritation, before closing his laptop. He knew he would not be continuing his work while he was here today. "Of course I do, you are my brother's latest leftovers."
"Excuse me?" She narrowed her eyes at him, her aura flaring in anger. He stared at her blankly, his famous stoic mask in place and allowed his own aura to flare in return. Every demon or human with holy powers looked their way, shifting nervously in their seats. Even the normal humans could feel the tension in the air. Myoga peeked out the staff room door and shuttered, hoping he would not have to go and stop a fight between those two. Neither party involved were beings he would want to face when angry. Sesshomaru's cruel viciousness was that of legend and Kagome was fearless and headstrong. She was also much more powerful than she looked.
"Must I repeat myself? I do hate repetition." Sesshomaru said, his deep voice smooth.
"How dare you call me his leftovers, you pompous dog!" She said, pounding her fists on the table and standing up, her face dangerously close to his.
The Daiyoukai stared into her eyes, which currently contained the fires of Hell in their depths. He could see pain, however, and doubt, hiding under the embers. He felt a small stab of pity for the girl, she had no idea… "He has no intention of ever speaking to you again." He mentally shook off the pity and told her the truth. He hated liars, just one of the many troubles he had with Inuyasha.
The fire had been doused. All that remained was fear, pain and sorrow. She continued to stare into his eyes, her nose inches from his own. 'You could have been nicer about it…' His inner beast said, whining softly. He ignored it.
"He… I… How do you know? It's not like you two are very close, he'd never tell you what he intends to do about anything!" A new fire appeared, but it was nothing like before. This fire was weak and feeble. It was the fire of doubt. Everything she had told her he was full of it, but one small voice somewhere in her heart agreed with him. And because of that one, tiny voice, her confidence was shattered.
'Come on, be nice to her… You know you want to, you like her…' Sesshomaru almost rolled his eyes at his beast.
"I do not like her, I simply hate her less than the others Inuyasha has used in the past." This time it was his inner beast rolling his eyes.
'Sure, that's it. You don't think she is intelligent, beautiful, kind… You don't want her for your own or anything.' His beast was getting on his nerves now.
"She has more favorable qualities than the others Inuyasha has used, that is all." His beast chuckled and shook his head.
'Liar.' Sesshomaru snarled out-loud in response, making Kagome jump and sit back down. A few demons and humans left quickly, while others tried to bury themselves into their books or laptops.
Sesshomaru watched Kagome, her eyes dropping to her lap. "He has a history… When he announced he was leaving, I asked him what he intended to do about you. I asked him if he planned to take you with him or to send for you later on. He simply told me that you were not my concern. You will see, Kagome, he is not going to send for you."
"I… I have to go back to work." She muttered softly, standing up.
"Oh, Kagome? You wanted something?" He asked, his beast angry that they were the ones who had to tell her of Inuyasha's idiocy.
She looked at him for a moment before shrugging. "I just wondered why you started coming here so often all of the sudden."
Sesshomaru almost smiled, but he managed to hold it back. His beast questioned why, but he was ignored. "I like the coffee here. And now there is no chance of being harassed for being here by a certain hanyou who hated to see me here."
"Oh, I see. Well, see you later Sesshomaru." She mumbled, returning to work. He finished his coffee and left, dropping a hundred dollar bill in the tip jar to shut his inner beast up.
Over the next few weeks, Kagome spent her breaks at Sesshomaru's table. At first it seemed to annoy him, but he had become indifferent to it shortly. She didn't know why she wanted to talk to him, but it made her feel better, less forgotten. It was coming up on one month since Inuyasha left and she had heard no word from him. They had strained conversations at first, she enjoying her break and he working on his laptop.
But after the first few days, they began to talk about themselves and they discovered that they had much in common. They both loved art, history and poetry. They both knew how to ballroom dance and Sesshomaru's intellectual conversation was refreshing. Sure, conversations with Inuyasha were enjoyable, but they never spoke of world news, politics or the arts. Inuyasha would much rather talk about sports, movies and partying. Another refreshing change was the lack of cursing in the conversation. Sesshomaru refused to curse like a common criminal when he could help it. Of course, the great Sesshomaru Takahashi made mistakes just like everyone else… He just made sure no one saw or heard them.
They began to learn new things about each other's personality. Kagome learned that there was a lot more to this Daiyoukai than anyone knew. He had a wall of ice around himself six feet thick, but occasionally she could see beyond it to the demon within. It made her want to see more and he had no idea that he had made a friend for life. She would never stop until she knew the real Sesshomaru, even if she was the only one who did. Sesshomaru learned that she was so much more the other girls Inuyasha had dated before. She was very intelligent with a kind heart and an unbreakable spirit. She also had to be the strongest, most powerful priestess he had ever met, even if she could only use a small fraction of that power at the moment. That small fraction was more powerful than the average miko anyway, so her overall ability was staggering.
Today, the shop was packed. When Ayame relieved her for her break, Kagome sat down at the table and sighed, laying her face on the table. Sesshomaru held back a smirk as he watched her. "Busy day today, Kagome?"
She looked up at him, her eyes wide. She could see a vague sparkle in his and she smirked. "Ha ha ha." She sighed again and sat back in her chair, a smile firmly on her face. "So how has your day been, Sesshomaru?"
"Normal. Paperwork, firing simple people who cannot do the easiest of tasks, the usual." He said, noting her frown.
"You had to fire someone? How can you call that normal?" She asked.
"It is hard to find capable people in the business world, Kagome. I do what I have to to keep my company running."
He watched her sigh and shake her head. "Well, I'm glad I don't have your job then, I don't think I could do that…"
"Yes, you are too kind hearted for the cut-throat world of business." He murmured softly.
Kagome giggled and nodded, sighing quietly. "You know, you brighten my day Sesshomaru." She blushed slightly as she looked out the window. "I hope I brighten yours…"
'Say it.' His beast nudged him.
"No, keep quiet." Sesshomaru snapped back.
But his beast refused to back down. 'No, say it. You will not ignore me anymore, you know you like her, we like her! At least tell her you enjoy her company, please.'
He closed his laptop and she looked at him. "If I did not enjoy your company, I would find another coffee shop with a less annoying barista." She watched his eyes sparkle at his little joke and she overdramatized a pout as her eyes sparkled back.
"Shut up… jerk…" she muttered, a smile on her face.
A month and a week after Inuyasha's departure, Kagome met her friends at the mall, her face looking crestfallen. Sango, Miroku and Shippo all looked at each other before walking forward. "Kagome? What's wrong?" Sango asked, hugging her best friend.
"I got a letter from Inuyasha, well, not really a letter…" she said, handing the postcard to Miroku. It had a picture of a desert sunset on the front and one phrase written on the back: 'Dunno where I'm going next, when I do I'll let ya know.'
Shippo took it from him. "Not even a return address, just a Tombstone, Arizona postmark…" He looked at Miroku, who share with him a look of worry.
Sango patted Kagome's back. "He's probably having a hard time finding a place, you know how picky he is…" She never trusted him and her worst fear was being realized… She was right.
Kagome took a deep breath and nodded, smiling at her memories. "Yeah, I bet you're right. He is so picky, I feel bad for the real-estate agents he's been terrorizing." She slipped the postcard into her purse and nodded. "Well guys, let's have fun, ok? How about a movie at the new theater they added on a few months ago?
"Sounds great, let's go see what's playing." Shippo said, grabbing Kagome's hand. She in-turn grabbed Sango's, whose other hand was captured by a lecherous monk who smiled innocently at him. She glared back and he simply smiled wider. Her eyes narrowed and he swallowed hard, hearing her silent death-threat loud and clear. "Hey Kags?" Shippo asked as they were walking.
"Yeah Shippo?"
"I've heard from witnesses that you have been spending a lot of time with Inuyasha's older brother Sesshomaru…"
Sango pulled them all to a stop before Kagome could respond. "You've been what? When? Why?"
The woman in question blinked for a moment before smiling. "Yeah, Sesshomaru comes into the café a lot. I sit and talk with him while I'm on break. Why does it matter?"
"It matters cause it is Sesshomaru. And you are dating his little brother. And they hate each other. And he's an icy-asshole." Sango said, staring at her.
"No he's not. I mean, yeah he and Inuyasha don't get along and I am dating Inuyasha but he's not an icy-asshole. At least, not once you get to know him. He can actually be very nice. And he's fun to talk to, very intelligent." Kagome replied.
Shippo shrugged. "Well, you and he are the talk of the town. There are rumors going around about you two are secretly dating and Inuyasha left cause he found out and couldn't handle the pain. Another one is that Inuyasha didn't really move away, Sesshomaru killed him to get him out of the way…"
Kagome's mouth dropped. "Are you serious? Kami, people need to mind their own business…" she laughed quietly. "I wonder if Sesshomaru has heard these yet…"
Her best friend nudged her. "Just… Be careful, ok? Sesshomaru Takahashi is not a man known for his kindness or gentleness."
"Well, everyone is wrong about him. We've become friends, I think. I mean, I don't know if he'd say that, but I think of him as a friend." Kagome pulled her friends forward. "Come on, let's go see a movie!"
Three months had passed since Inuyasha's postcard and July was upon them. Kagome tried her best not to think about him. She didn't know why she was still waiting for him, there was no reason why it should have taken this long for him to get settled. Her friends and family did their best not to speak of him and she continued to see Sesshomaru. Her friends worried he would make it worse, but the half-brothers were so different, Kagome hardly ever thought to Inuyasha when she was with Sesshomaru. Their hair was the same color, but different. Inuyasha's was wild and coarse, while Sesshomaru's was like silk and was perfectly straight. Their eyes were the same color of amber, but Inuyasha's was like fire and Sesshomaru's like ice. That was the only similarities she saw.
The pressure in her heart was building. She cried as she watched the sunset every evening. Her heart copied the sun as it dipped lower and lower in the west, sinking lower and lower into her chest.
Sesshomaru watched her work on a Friday afternoon. He could see it in her eyes, every day was killing her. His beast roared, sharing her pain. He begged Sesshomaru to make it stop, to take away her pain, and Sesshomaru closed his eyes. He had grown fond of this spunky little miko and seeing her in pain hurt him as well as enraged him. The next time he got his hands on his little brother… 'Make him regret it, not just physically… Make her ours…' He thought about this idea. He would never use her just to make his brother mad, but the suggestion stuck in his mind. 'Come on, we love her, stop denying it.'
"She is a good person, one of very few. I enjoy her company. That is all." He told his beast in a stern voice. It simply grumbled in return.
'She needs a real break, take her out AS FRIENDS.' His beast said, raising his voice as Sesshomaru began to growl at him.
'Hn.' He thought, returning his attention to the young woman as she approached him for her break.
She dropped into the chair and sighed, smiling at him. It was a stressed out and tired smile, but it still made his beast happier. It made him feel a bit better too, and he crack a small smile, which made her smile wider. "Well, that is nice to see… You should try that more often, Sesshomaru…" she giggled when his smirk grew slightly.
"Kagome, come to dinner with me tonight. We can have a friendly dinner, I think we could both use a night of relaxation." He said, his eyes slightly warmer than she had ever seen before.
Her eyes widened and a light blush took over her face. "That sounds wonderful… Where to?" She ignored the feeling she was getting from all the eves-droppers she now knew were everywhere. When she told him, he simply chuckled softly and reminded her who he was talking to. She simply laughed and poked fun at his arrogance.
"It's is a surprise." He said, his eyes dancing.
"Nothing fancy, ok?" She asked and smirked as his smile faded.
"And why not?" He asked, looking a bit put out.
She shrugged. "I'm just not a fancy kind of girl. Pick me up at six?" she smiled as he nodded and she stood, waving to him as she went back to work.
Sesshomaru went straight home and began planning plan B, now that she had utterly destroyed plan A. He worked until 5pm, then went to get ready. At 6pm sharp, he was at her apartment door, a bouquet of yellow roses in hand. When she opened the door, he gave her a dashing smile. "Hello, Kagome." He was dressed in dark-wash blue jeans and a white short sleeved button down shirt with a white undershirt underneath.
"Oh Sesshomaru, these are beautiful! You'd better be careful, someone might think we are dating…" She ushered him in and moved into the kitchen of her small one bedroom apartment to get a vase. She wore a yellow short sleeved top with a chocolate-brown butterfly on the chest that matched her eyes and light blue jeans with yellow high heels. "So, where are we going?" she turned to him after placing the flowers and smiled.
"You'll see…" he said, a smile on his face. He realized it now, standing in her apartment and looking at her face. She managed to slip in, to melt the ice just enough to get under his skin and he would never be rid of her now, not that he wanted to be. She was his breath of fresh air, he enjoyed her breaks almost more than she did.
His beast was smug. 'I told you, we love her. Tell her already!'
"No… Not yet… She is still waiting for Inuyasha." Sesshomaru motioned to the door and they left, walking to his car.
'He will never come, never call, we know this!' His beast urged.
He opened her door and she smiled, nodding her thanks as she climbed in. "But she does not. When she realizes it, she will need us. For now, be happy to be around her." His beast grumbled, but fell silent as he got in the car and pulled out onto the road.
After driving for about twenty minutes, they pulled into his driveway. Kagome looked around in awe. "Is… Is this your house?" House was the biggest understatement one could make, honestly, besides calling it a shack. It was similar to the White House in style and only slightly smaller.
"Yes it is. When you killed my idea, I had to get creative. Come on in." He opened the car door for her and walked her in, leading her to his eat-in kitchen. "You didn't know I could cook, I assume…" she simply shook her head and he smiled. He had everything set, dinner in the stove to keep warm and a choice of red or white wine or champagne, if she had the desire. They sat down and Sesshomaru served their meal, Chicken Parmesan with broccoli florets and fresh berries on the side.
The night was filled with smiles, laughter and good conversation. He let go of his mask, showing her the demon underneath and really being himself. She was happy to see it and slightly proud she was right about him. He had a beautiful smile and a thrilling laugh that made her heart race. After dinner, Sesshomaru served them a strawberry ice cream with fresh chocolate-dipped strawberries on top. They then retired to the living room where they talked and laughed for another hour or so.
As the clock chimed 10pm, Kagome smiled. "Sesshomaru, this was… This was great. I really needed this, thank you so much."
"You are welcome, Kagome, thank you for spending this evening with me. It was something I needed as well." He smiled and stood. "Now, you probably need to get home, yes?" She nodded and he smiled, ignoring the muttering of his beast saying she should just stay there or the night… And the next one, and the next one…
Sesshomaru's driver dropped her off and Sesshomaru walked her to her door. He took her hand and kissed it softly, making both their hearts flutter. "G-Goodnight, Sesshomaru." She stuttered softly.
"Goodnight." He said, nodding to her as she stepped inside her apartment and closed the door. She ran to her phone and went to her bedroom, dropping onto her bed and dialing Sango's number. She couldn't wait to tell her friends all about her night.
Two weeks later, Kagome and her friends, along with Sesshomaru, went to the mall to shop for party supplies for her little brother Sota's birthday. As they walked, Kagome heard someone call her name. She turned to see Eri, Yuka and Ayumi, three girls she knew in high school. "Eri! Yuka! Ayumi! How are you guys?" She gave them all hugs and the girls smiled.
"Doing good, I'm in school to be a nurse, Eri is going to be a reporter and Ayumi is getting married!" Yuka said, pointing at Ayumi's hand.
"Wow, that's great! Congratulations Ayumi, to all of you." Kagome smiled. Sango nodded with her. They had all met before, even Sesshomaru had met them once, back when they were giggle, obnoxious girls fresh out of school. He thought they were still obnoxious.
"Thanks Kagome. I thought you were going to Arizona or somewhere with Inuyasha… When are you leaving?" Ayumi smiled, unaware of saying anything wrong.
Kagome stood in silence, her eyes dropping to the ground. Sango and Miroku looked at each other and Sesshomaru closed his eyes. She took a deep breath and looked back at them, a fake smile plastered on her face. "There is no Arizona. He lied. We are over. And it's ok, I got over it awhile ago." She tried to keep her eyes from watering as her old friends looked at each other.
"Gee Kagome, we're sorry. We never trusted him anyway, you can do so much better." Eri said, giving Ayumi a dirty look.
"Don't worry about it, I'm fine. It was great seeing you guys, but we are kind of in a rush… We are getting stuff for Sota's birthday party." Her friends nodded and smiled, goodbyes and well-wishes were shared and they hurried off, Kagome wiping tears from her eyes.
Sesshomaru rested his hand on her shoulder after they turned the corner and stopped. Before he could say a word, she burst into tears and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face into his shirt. He looked over her head at Sango, Miroku and Shippo, who watched her with looks of concern on their faces. Sesshomaru hugged her close and let her cry, humming only loud enough for her to hear. She could feel the vibrations in his chest and it helped to give her something to focus on beside the feeling of her heart breaking.
Sure, that little voice had been saying for months that it was all a lie, but to really admit it was more painful than she had ever imagined it would be. After her little cry, she took a slow step back, smiling up at him. "sorry…" she said, sniffling.
He shook his head. "Do not worry, it's fine. I knew this would happen eventually."
Kagome nodded. "yeah, you told me that, didn't you…" She smiled softly. "Thank you… You… help. A lot."
"That's why I'm here." He said as she smiled and turn to her friends.
"Well," she said, sniffing again. "We should probably finish shopping."
"You sure you're ok Kagome?" Miroku asked, resting a hand on her shoulder.
She nodded slowly. "I think I've known for a long time, you know? I just, never gave up hope that I was wrong…" They all gave her hugs and the day continued as they had planned.
That night, Kagome heard a knock on her door. She gasped softly as she saw Sesshomaru smiling at her. "Sesshomaru?" He answered her by holding up a bunch of red roses. "What are you doing here?" she laughed as he held them up at her face. "Ok, ok, come on in."
He followed her into her kitchen as she refilled the vase she had used the last time. "How are you feeling?" He asked, sitting on one of the bar stools in front of her.
"Honestly? I'm ok. I'm feeling hurt that he didn't have the guts to break up with me like a normal person, but if this is how he is, it's not my loss, right?" she smiled, leaning toward him on the island countertop.
"Defiantly, the loss is his. But his loss is another's gain…" He smiled as she blushed softly. "Possibly my gain?" He raised his eyebrow as he mouth popped open into a little 'O'. He smiled and leaned toward her, his lips dangerously close to hers. "Kagome…" He whispered, capturing her lips. His beast begged her to kiss back and he howled in triumph when she did.
Went she pulled back, she smiled at him. "I think this is both our gains, Sesshomaru…"
"Hmmm…" he moved around the island and pulled her into him, one hand on back and the other in her hair. "I think you might be right." He kissed her again, deeper and more passionately. "Be my girlfriend Kagome, be my love, my best friend…" He looked into her eyes and held her close.
Kagome looked at him for a moment before she smiled. "On one condition."
"Name it." He said eagerly.
She smiled and kissed him softly. "Never go to Arizona."
Sesshomaru smiled and kissed her forehead. "You said it yourself, there is no Arizona. There is only you."
The End :D
