DISCLAIMER: I do not own or claim to own Inuyasha or the character names used within this story. I do not make any profits, just personal satisfaction and enjoyment, for the making of this story.

AN (PLEASE READ): For those of you reading this story for the first time, I am currently re-writing it. So far I have only re-written the first chapter, which is below, and am slowly working on the rest. If you read beyond this chapter, you will notice the many differences and think that nothing makes sense. I apologize ahead of time for that and will try to get out the new chapters as soon as possible!

EDITED: 09.11.14

That's Just The Way It Is

Chapter 1

'The Higurashi Name'

The music's booming bass pumped through my body and the sea of people around me as we all danced to it's sensual rhythms. Our minds lost to our selfish desires and unhidden frustrations as bodies moved erotically against one another. This was my scene and I loved every minute of it.

Being the daughter of a drug lord had it's perks and downfalls, so to be able to sneak out and enjoy my freedom while it lasted was the one thing I hoped for every Friday night here in the clubs. It wouldn't be too long before this place was surrounded with men in black suits as if the Prime Minister himself were in the building, threatening anyone in a five foot radius from me. I inwardly sighed as my mind's gears started to function properly, this wasn't the time to be thinking of my father's lackeys, I needed to enjoy myself as much as I could!

I ground my ass into the heavily drunken stranger behind me who had his hands securely at either side of my hips, making sure his neither regions got the most of what I had to offer. I brought my back to his chest and let my arms wonder up to his neck and wrap around what felt like taunt muscle. We enjoyed each others presence for a while longer until I felt his hands leave my sides, thinking he was done dancing with me, I turned to give him a quick smile and was not surprised to see someone I recognized all to well.

"You don't waste time, do you!" I hissed loud enough for him to hear over the music. His attention was not even directed towards me, but the stranger who by now was being pulled further into the crowd by two large burly men. I turned back to look at the object of my current frustrations and nearly felt like decking him in the jaw.

"Is it too much to have at least an hour to myself without you lackeys fucking it up?" I yelled into his face, the best I could do without hitting him and possibly injuring my hand. I didn't let him say anything to me as I stormed out of the club and outside to the awaiting group of menacing looking men you could ever come by. I inwardly groaned, knowing I could never show my face at this club again after this little stint. A black SUV pulled up into the parking lot and I quickly jumped into the back seat as one of the men opened it for me. The car didn't pull out just yet as the half demon, who ruined my night, came in through the other side.

"I can't believe him!" I blurted out as we pulled away from the club and into the dusky night of the city. "When will he ever trust me!" It wasn't meant to be a question that needed an answer by anyone present in the car, but I figured the man beside me would take it upon himself to do so anyway.

"Maybe when you stop acting like a little girl." He said in a smooth baritone voice, that had a little shiver running up my spine. I instantly glared at his side profile and couldn't help but take in his features. It had been a few days since I last saw him - out on one of the many meetings my father set up for him, no doubt. So to be able to really see him this close, was a blessing in disguise. While I did get angry with him on a daily basis, this man, no half demon, was the vie of my affections, Inuyasha Takashi, my father's right-hand man. In other words, OFF-LIMITS.

He was a twenty-two year old half dog demon who my father found on the streets at the age of twelve and brought him home only to train him to be a deadly assassin and ruthless businessman. He quickly gained the respect and honor of being my father's right-hand man in the drug underworld, that unfortunately or fortunately, I was born into.

I studied his facial features as a small droplet of sweat glided from his forehead, down his cut-lined jaw and over the muscular width of his neck, before it disappeared into the crisp clean suit he wore. His unusual silver colored hair was out of it's usual low pony tail and freely falling behind his back and over his shoulders. Two triangular "dog" ears twitched up top the unruly mange and I had to suppress the urge to rub them as one of them turned my way. I averted my line of sight out the window, as if I hadn't even looked his way, knowing full well he knew I was anyway.

After thirty minutes into the drive, we finally arrived at the villa I had lived in all of my life. It was probably the only reason I loved coming to this home each and everyday. It was a large two story mansion with seven bedrooms, two of which were master suites, and five baths on the second floor. On the main floor, my father's meeting room and two executive offices were located just as you entered into the granite tile floored foyer. The formal dining and living room were also located on the main floor and there was a large professional culinary kitchen, that I'm sure with out, our meals would be very less then five star quality. The mansion was located just outside of Tokyo's grand city and situated in a tiny subdivision, that only the creme de la creme could possibly afford.

As we came to a halt in front of the cobble stone walk way, I knew instantly that doom was approaching and I couldn't help but gulp down a knot that formed within my throat. While I was never truly afraid of my father, he could say some pretty intimidating things, and sadly, we were very much like like father like daughter. So, in short, our conversations and or arguments tended to escalate to more then it should have. Knowing my father, and how he even sent Inuyasha to fetch me, he wasn't in the greatest of moods.

I heard as Inuyashsa opened his door and slid out of the vehicle, I didn't miss a step as I opened my own door and hopped out of the large SUV and onto the pavement. I winced in pain as my feet ached from dancing on four inch stilettos all night and I tried to compose myself as best as I could. Slowly, but surely, I made my way through the red wood double doors and into my humble home, if only that were true. The minute I walked in, I saw as the two double doors that lead into my father's office opened and heard as he bellowed out for me to enter. I inwardly sighed as the faces of the bodyguards my father hand picked all gave sympathetic looks, like that would save me from the lashing I knew I was in store for.

I wasn't even inches inside the office when the double doors behind me, slammed shut. Although my father was a very rich man, his office lacked the glamor you would expect of a drug lord and looked more like the office of an old '70's movie. A large mahogany desk, nevertheless old, made up a large portion of the room and was put at the back of, but center of the office. An old 15 inch IBM monitor sat atop of it with stacks of papers and little office nick-nacks here and there. My father was certainly old fashioned, God forbid someone tell him that without getting a bullet shot through their chest. He was anything less than dangerous in everyone's eyes.

My father had the respect and fear of not only the local Yakuza families in the area, but also the police and political figures in Tokyo. The term "money is power," forever rang true in this situation.

I breathed in deeply and sat into one of the stiff leather seats in front of the large desk and waited patiently for what I already knew would be said to me.

"How many times must I repeat myself, Kagome." I sighed while pinching the bridge between my nose, 'not this speech again', I thought to myself as my father continued. "You are not a little girl anymore, you know full well who I am and what this family does!" My eyes, which were closed at the time, shot open as the words fell from his mouth. I glared with a deep hatred towards his impassive face, knowing my actions would not phase him.

"Yes, father, I know who you are and what this wretched last name means! It means no freedom or love for your only daughter who had to lose her mother-"

"You will stop right there Kagome Higurashi!" I was surprised as his usual cool demeanor broke and a flood of emotions appeared in his features. What I saw before me was a worn-torn man who had seen too much and had done too much for lifetimes to come. I then, felt guilty for bringing up my mother. While I only had her for a short seven years, he had her for over thirty, so I couldn't come close to imagine the pain he went through everyday without her, knowing exactly how and why she died.

"I'm sorry." I whispered so softly, I didn't know if he heard me or not. I watched as his heavy hands rubbed his sore temples and then rake through his short dark locks, as if to ease the stress away. Since my mother's death, my father and I just weren't the same. We rarely showed any emotion towards each other, if we talked, it was either an argument or hello in the morning and good night in the evening. The only thing we had in common was our last name, the blood that ran through our veins, and the deep love for a women whose memory would never fade.

"Kagome, I know I may not show it, but I-" My breath hitched in my throat as I awaited what words would come next. Words that I had been waiting years to hear, anything to prove that this actually was my father and not some man assigned to watch over me. "You may leave my office, but I expect that next time you act like the woman you are growing into. I have a lot of enemies and the last thing I need is to lose you like I lost-" And with that my heart turned just a little more colder. I bowed my head, got up from my seat and walked out of his office. Not once did I look back to the faces of men I knew were trying to see the great Kagome Higurashi cry! Not even when I felt the piercing golden auburn eyes of the man who made my heart race, did I turn to look to. The conversation had taken a toll for the worst and I was just as defeated as my father had looked. Only sleep could consume me now.


AN: So, I rewrote the story to how I really wanted it to go. My first time around, I felt it was really rushed and things just didn't make sense as I re-read it to myself. I know that in the beginning I was heavily influenced by the book, 'The Coldest Winter Ever', but this time it isn't clouding any of my own imagination and thoughts for how the story should go. Hopefully old readers will appreciate the story more, while new readers will find it very entertaining and intriguing! Also to those few loyal readers, my sincere apologies on the almost 3 year wait for an update, I hope with this new rewrite you will not be disappointed!