A/N: I've been having some difficulties coming to terms with the loss of my son, Kendrick, and decided to write a new story as a sort of therapy. Please read and review this story so I know whether or not I should continue. Note: I will be continuing my other stories. I was just having a hard time dealing with the loss, turned on Microsoft Word, and this is what came out.
Chapter One
"Night! Try not to stay here too late, Mr. Thiamine."
Inuyasha nodded at his secretary as the door slammed shut behind her. Ironic how just five months earlier he couldn't wait to leave the job behind to get back home. To hold his beautiful wife in his arms, and enjoy the fresh scent of chicken flavored ramen. Gone were those days.
Inuyasha shook his head to rid himself of the memories and found himself staring at a blank spreadsheet. There was no point in his continuing presence at the office. No one else was around, and he had finished his work two hours ago. Sighing, he reluctantly closed Microsoft Excel, and shut down his computer, before straightening up his desk, and standing. He tucked away the files for his next case in his briefcase, adjusted his tie, and put his suit jacket on, before heading out the door.
If someone had told him 500 years ago, that he would be a successful businessman living in modern day New York, in Forest Hills, Queens no less, he would have cut them a scathing glance and then dismembered them with his Tetsusaiga. Who knew that those legendary arguments with Kagome would eventually make him one of the best District Attorney's in the country? He almost smiled at the memories of his wife, yelling at him angrily in her modern-day clothes. Lost in his memories, Inuyasha almost missed his stop on the subway…again.
Hurriedly stepping through the doors, he made his way to the parking structure where he kept his brand new Lexus HS 250h, not even on the market yet he'd been granted access to the car as a "test driver" by Miroku, who, using his talent for coercion had made a very successful turnaround as a car dealer. He put the key in the ignition and heard the engine purr to life. He slowly pulled out of his parking spot and made his way home.
Kagome Thiamine couldn't breathe. She couldn't think, she couldn't do anything. Silently she stared at the quiet baby monitor. She didn't have the heart to turn it off, and damn Inuyasha for being smart enough to buy Duracell batteries! She had successfully made Inuyasha's dinner of chicken flavored ramen, and then sat at the kitchen table. She was still carrying the baby monitor around, and she couldn't fathom why. The phone rang. The sharp noise shocked her so much so that she nearly dropped the baby monitor. Recovering quickly she carefully placed the monitor on the table and walked over to the phone.
"Hello?"
"Kagome! How are you, dear?" Her mother's voice sounded unnaturally loud and happy, but then so did everybody else's nowadays.
"I'm fine, Mom."
"That's good dear, I was calling to see if you and Inuyasha would like to come over for dinner. It is Sunday after all."
Kagome winced at the reminder of the family's weekly Sunday dinner, which she hadn't attended for the last month.
"Inuyasha's still at work. I don't know when he'll be home. Listen, I should go. I'll talk to you later. I love you."
Kagome heard the slight crackle as her mother hesitated. Finally she heaved a sigh, and said quietly; "I love you too, honey. Be safe."
Kagome put the phone back in its cradle, and stared blankly at the wall it hung on. She had never known that anything could hurt this bad. Blinking back the near constant tears, she climbed the stairs, and stopped outside the closed door at the very top of them. She traced her hands over the small, painstakingly carved, wooden animals that Inuyasha had made specifically to decorate this door. Sachio, fortunately born. Kagome couldn't help the pained cry that escaped from her lips. After years of trying, they had succeeded, although with numerous difficulties and at long last when Sachio was born, they had decided that he was fortunate. Obviously they were wrong.
She moved her hand to the knob, shaped to resemble a circus tent, and pushed the door open. The pain hit her immediately. The gaily painted walls, a bright red, with large white pinstripes, another circus tent, were painted with a mural of a three ring circus, an elephant played merrily with her baby, while a bear danced gracefully on a large round ball. Tigers jumped through fiery hoops, and lions roared in glee at crowded seats. In the center of the mural was a large white dog, painted to look similar to a lion, laying on the ground in a submissive manner. The ceiling, carried a long wire, and two smiling figures hanging gracefully from it. Kagome smiled as she thought of how many hours Inuyasha had spent in this room, carefully tracing and retracing the lines of the animals.
Slowly the smile faded as she took in the rest of the room. The hand-sewn comforter and blanket set, a gift from Sango, which carried protection charms from Miroku, a large white stuffed dog, a gift from Shippo and Rin, the wooden crib and rocking chair set, hand-carved by Sesshomaru, painted with more circus animals. How many memories could she possibly hold? It was getting to hard to wake up every morning and walk past this room. She forced herself to turn around, forced herself to ignore the sonogram loving framed and hung above the crib, to ignore the picture of herself, Inuyasha and Sachio when he was fresh out of the room, she looking haggard in her hospital gown, Inuyasha staring at his son in amazed wonder, and Sachio, staring at them both, quietly.
As she closed the door, she allowed herself to wipe the silent tears that had crawled down her cheeks. She heard the soft purr of Inuyasha's car, pulling into the drive, and debated whether she should greet him or not. Finally, she put away the nervousness and decided to meet her husband at the door. He was coming through the back door of their two-story Tudor style home, when she made it into the kitchen, and her breath caught. He was still beautiful, despite the emotional turmoil, and she still felt her body respond to his presence. His long, silver tresses were caught up in a ponytail, a style he'd taken up when they opened the firm. Although she couldn't see his eyes she knew the warm tint of those amber globes by heart. His body once that of a teenage boy, had matured into a man's with broad shoulders, and strong capable hands, that he'd once placed on her pliable body every night.
Inuyasha felt his wife looking at him, his keen nose picked up the scent of her arousal, and was almost scared to look at her. Their relationship hadn't been the same since that day, he hadn't smelled the wonderful scent of fresh jasmine and lilacs coming from her, hadn't seen that fire light up in her beautiful eyes for so long, and he couldn't bear to see it now, knowing that nothing would come of it. Instead he kept his head bent, carefully letting his long silver hair, which he now kept in a ponytail, drift over his shoulder and into his eyes, as he removed his dress shoes, and tugged at his tie.
He knew he couldn't keep up this façade forever, so he finally pulled the tie out of his hair and stood up straight. She was beautiful, there had never been any denying that, and the donation of his demon blood, at the tender age of twenty-three, had helped her maintain her youthful looks. She'd obviously been to work today, as she was wearing one of the "work dresses" he'd laughingly bought for her, when they started their firm five years ago. Funny, how they lived separate lives in the same house. They worked in the same office building, and he hadn't even known that she was there. The dress was one of his favorites, a black pinstriped sleeveless thing, with small ruffles framing the bodice, and a small black belt that she had cinched in at the waist. He forced his eyes off her body, and turned towards her face. Framed by chin-length strands of newly dyed toffee hair, courtesy of her mother after a trip to the spa to cheer her up, he thought the style made her vivid ever changing eyes stand out. Now, a soft brown color, they were framed by eyelashes with just a touch of mascara, and a hint of golden eyeshadow. He was still staring into her eyes, when he heard her soft melodic voice speak.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"
"I made you dinner. Ramen, your favorite." She offered helpfully.
Inuyasha knew instinctively that she had not mentioned a word about dinner, but kept his mouth shut and obligingly followed her to the kitchen where she ladled up two bowls of the soup, and proceeded to ask meaningless questions.
He sighed mentally, and wondered if life would ever get better.