1,000 Paper Cranes
Chapter One: A New Beginning
The chauffeur of a large shiny limo pulled to a stop in front of a newly constructed office building surrounded by eager people of all status - businessman's, businesswoman's, adoring fans, friends, family, and employees.
"We have arrived, Sesshoumaru-sama," the chauffeur announced as he secretly admired the exterior of the office complex. 'Sesshoumaru-sama has such good taste,' he thought to himself, 'from the clear glass exterior of the tall, skyscraper-like building to the elegant red wording atop the entrance door.'
"That will be all, Jaken," a cold and monotonous voice replied, interrupting his thoughts. Sweeping his moon spun, silver hair over his shoulders, he stepped out of the vehicle and held his head up high.
Immediately, the crowd burst into cheers and murmurs. Cameras flashed as reporters fired questions at him. Many, if not all, gushed and swooned at his appearance while others--mainly males-- worked themselves into a jealous frenzy.
He inwardly smirked at their obvious reactions. 'How typical…,' he thought as he overheard multiple conversations.
"Look at his long silk-like hair and those golden eyes that can pierce right into your soul."
"How I envy that flawlessly pale skin."
"Just looking at him is enough to get me wet!"
As he made his way to the entrance of the office building, he was approached by a handsome, violet-eyed man.
"Congratulations Sesshoumaru-sama," he greeted as he handed him a large pair of scissors.
Accepting it without another word, he made his way over to the large red ribbon streamed across the entrance door.
Sparing a bored glance at the pair of scissors, he tossed it aside and the crowd gawked at him in confusion.
When Sesshoumaru raised his right hand up, his deadly claws glistening, the crowd finally caught onto the idea and burst into cheers once more while cameras resumed its flashing.
With a simple flick of his wrist, the ribbon fluttered to the ground in two pieces, signifying the beginning of the celebration. Not one for social activities, Sesshoumaru entered the office complex to complete his final examination of the construction to his company.
"I am happy to announce the grand opening of Taisho Records!" the violet-eyed man exclaimed, now standing in the location Sesshoumaru had just abandoned, "please feel free to join us for refreshments inside the room on your left."
Allowing a lecherous grin to flit across his face, he sauntered over to a large-eyed and large-breasted woman, careful to avoid the desperate crowd that gathered at the entrance.
"Miss, would you do the honor of bearing my child?" he asked, grasping her hand in his. The young woman blushed a deep red and began to nervously stammer out a reply.
"Miroku!" an angry woman growled before she threw the discarded scissors at the back of his head, handles first.
Seeing her chance, the blushing woman quickly made her escape, leaving Miroku twitching in pain on the ground.
"Sango…" he croaked towards the angered woman, "a little help… please…"
Rolling her eyes, she stormed into Taisho Records, also leaving him groaning with pain.
Higurashi Kagome sighed as she flipped through a magazine. Sighing again when she didn't find anything to suit her interests, she tossed it carelessly on the living room table and flopped back onto the sofa.
'Bored… bored… bored…,' she sang mentally as she gazed out the front window, noticing that the sun was setting. 'Already?' she thought to herself.
Frowning, her eyes drifted to the crinkled newspaper in front of her. "I should actually be looking for a job…" she said to herself, "but that's so utterly boring."
Suddenly, a musical tune drifted to her ears and she pumped a fist in the air with triumph.
"Saved by the phone!" she cheered as she eagerly answered it.
"Hello, Higurashi Kagome speaking!" she chirped, her eyes twinkling with profound happiness.
"Kagome, I do believe that anyone calling you would know who is answering," the caller said with a laugh, "it is your cell phone, after all."
"Sango! I'm so glad you called!" she replied, flopping onto the sofa again with an exasperated sigh, "I'm dying of boredom here."
"Well, that's perfect!" Sango exclaimed, "I was just about to invite you to the celebration here at Taisho Records. It's been going on for hours when I suddenly thought of you."
"Taisho? Why does that sound so familiar?" Kagome absentmindedly asked, before her eyes drifted to the cover of the magazine she had previously thrown aside. Leaning forward, she picked it up with two dainty fingers and laid it on her lap, scrutinizing the male model on the front cover. "You wouldn't happen to be speaking of Taisho Sesshoumaru, would you?"
"Actually, I am. He's the president of Taisho Records. It's surprising, actually," Sango explained, "I heard that two years ago, he was this poor man working as an executive in this small, unheard of, company. Now, he's a millionaire with his own company."
"Hm… Really? Is that so?" Kagome murmured as she flipped to the end of the magazine.
"Yeah. What a major chang--"
"At age thirty, multimillionaire Taisho Sesshoumaru is at the top of his game. Just last month he unanimously claimed the title of 'Number One Sexiest Man in Japan.' Now, his record company, said to be selling a variety of music, named Taisho Records is rumored to open this month. With his god-like appearance and unyielding attitude towards business, he is sure to succeed. As his grand opening special, Taisho Sesshoumaru is hosting a contest. It is rumored to allow only ten skilled participants between the ages of twenty-one and twenty-seven who has the uncanny ability to sing in wide vocal ranges. The winner of said contest is prized with a five-year contract with Taisho Records. This has not been officially confirmed but more information will be released in the near future." Kagome interrupted, reading from the magazine, "From zero to hero, he is going to make a young man or woman's dream come true. Just a mere two years ago, the name Taisho Sesshoumaru was nearly unheard of. Not much is known of his past except for his engagement to a beautiful woman of a pauper's descent. No further information has been released about his previously failed engagement. Yes ladies, this man is currently single. With his seemingly cold demeanor, which was rumored to have been the cause of his ex-fiancée, the citizens of Japan are currently awaiting the answer to an unspoken question. Who will win the heart of Japan's number one bachelor, Taisho Sesshoumaru?"
"Kagome?" Sango asked over the phone, moving on from the topic of Taisho Sesshoumaru, "Are you coming or not? I sure could use some company."
"Huh?" she asked, her eyes still fixed on the short article, "Oh! I mean, of course. I thought you were with Miroku though."
"You mean that lecherous pervert?" Sango said with a scowl.
"What happened this time?"
"He asked this… large-breasted… woman to bear his child." Sango growled.
Kagome laughed, diverting her complete attention to her friend, "Sango, are you sure you're not just jealous?"
"Jealous?" she sputtered in disbelief, "I am perfectly content with my womanly attributes."
"No, no, no. That's not what I was talking about," Kagome corrected, "You're obviously in love with the man. Why don't you just tell him?"
"It's not that simple, Kagome. I can't just go up and tell him. Wait - who said anything about me loving him?"
Another laugh escaped from Kagome's parted lips, "I think you already gave it away… if I hadn't already known."
Scowling once more, Sango told her to meet her at Taisho Records as soon as possible before hanging up.
Jumping up from the sofa, Kagome quickly headed towards her room to change into a suitable attire. She knew that Taisho Records' grand opening celebration had to be quite an elegant event. A multimillionaire such as Taisho Sesshoumaru would not settle for any less.
Pulling out a teal colored silk blouse and knee-length black skirt from her closet, she assessed it in front of her full length mirror. Nodding in approval, she carefully slipped into it and smoothed it down before applying a minuscule amount of make-up. Glancing at the full length mirror once more, she smiled. Reaching for her purse, she swung it onto her shoulder, grabbed her keys and promptly left the house.
"Sango darling!" Miroku called out with a wide grin as he finally found her in the celebration room, several hours later, "I've been trying to find you. You aren't still angry with me, are you?" he asked as he walked over to her, taking in her flushed appearance due to the champagne in the elegant glass she held in her hand.
His violet eyes roamed her curvaceous figure taking in her creamy shoulders which was bare due to her halter styled dress, her breasts which showed just enough cleavage to tease the male population, and her bare, long and shapely legs which he could imagine wrapped around him as he pounded into her.
"You're a pervert, you know that?" Sango snapped, thrusting him out of his fantasy of having her in his bed, panting and moaning for him.
"Why, dearest Sango, I have no idea what you're talking about," he denied.
"I saw that lecherous grin of yours," she said, narrowing her eyes at him.
"I was merely admiring how wonderful you look in that dress," Miroku said with an innocent smile.
"Say another word and I will give you another bruise on your skull."
"Am I forbidden from complimenting an attractive woman I happen to care about?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"What are you saying?" Sango asked suspiciously before drinking what's left of the champagne in her glass. Avoiding his gaze, she quickly turned away and set about to get another glass of champagne at the cloth covered table near the entrance.
To her dismay, he followed her. "What do you want?" she finally snapped, pouring champagne into her glass.
"You haven't answered my question," he replied, gazing at her intently.
"What question?" she stared at him warily.
"As to why…" he began as he stepped closer to her, trailing the edge of her face from cheek to chin so gently with his thumb that she couldn't help but shiver. "… I can't compliment a woman I love on her beauty."
Her brown eyes widened at his confession and she couldn't help but gasp.
He, wordlessly, took her champagne glass and placed it on the nearby table.
"What are you doing?" she asked, running her tongue along her lower lip, suddenly growing nervous. She stared up at him and noticed his gaze settling upon her lips.
"Miroku…" she warned. "Don't even think about it. We're at a social event right now."
Taking no heed of her warning, he cupped one side of her face and she began to protest once more. But when his other hand pressed gently against the small of her back, pulling her against him, her words died on her lips. He pressed his lips gently against hers and her eyes fluttered shut, no longer caring if everyone in the room was staring at them.
She began to wrap her arms around his neck to pull him closer when he tentatively ran his tongue against her bottom lip. It was then she knew. Her eyes immediately snapped open and she ended up pushing him away with as much force she was capable of at the very moment.
At her direct angle, she was able to get a clear view of the doorway and she caught a glimpse of Kagome. Glaring at Miroku, she ran towards her friend who had just accepted a glass of wine out of the three available choices from a passing waiter.
"Kagome," Sango greeted with a smile, "I'm glad you're here."
Taking a small sip, she smiled, "actually, I was afraid I was interrupting something. I saw you and Miroku."
Sango shook her head in disagreement, "I'm sure it meant nothing at all to him."
"What do you mean?" she asked, not understanding what her friend was saying.
"He's undoubtedly drunk."
"Really?" Kagome asked with surprise before looking at a dazed Miroku from a distance away, "he… doesn't look drunk."
"He's not really one to handle alcohol," Sango explained, "but you never would have known by his outward appearance."
"Are you sure it's that serious?"
"Don't believe me? Just watch."
Two pairs of curious eyes - one azure blue and the other chocolate brown - watched him as he began to walk towards a small group of woman. Suddenly, he staggered in his step and fell against the wall, promptly passing out.
"He doesn't necessarily look like he's drunk but it'll always show sooner or later when he either passes out or acts like a fool," Sango explained, turning back to her friend with a shrug.
"I'm sorry, Sango."
"For what? It's nothing. I'm fine," she said with a smile, "I doubt he will remember anything by tomorrow."
Picking up on her friends slightly indifferent tone, Kagome gave her a soft smile, "Would that be a good or bad thing?"
Ignoring the question that's been occupying her heart, Sango glanced at Miroku who was still slumped on the floor. She sighed, "Kagome, I believe I should go, unfortunately. I should get him home or something."
"Don't worry. I understand…" Kagome replied, glancing around at the sophisticated atmosphere, "I'll just mingle."
Nodding, Sango hurried to Miroku and effortlessly picked him up. For a woman her size, she had admirable strength that would shock anyone unfamiliar to her, but Kagome had known her for years.
Taisho Sesshoumaru sat behind his polished mahogany desk, the beginning of the night sky streaming through the wall-sized glass window behind him. The other source of light came from the ceiling lights. He held a pen in his right hand as he tried to sort out the information necessary for the Taisho Records Contest.
Hearing thousands of people with no singing abilities whatsoever does not suit well with him and he got a migraine just thinking about it. It was possible that the ten final contestants would actually possess the skill necessary, thus making his job all the more simple. Still, he was hardly looking forward to it.
Placing his pen neatly atop the desk, he stood up, closed the lights, and walked out of his office, making sure to lock it for extra security.
Within due time, he had made it from the twentieth floor to the first. Using the back exit which only he had access to, he stepped into the dark and humid atmosphere.
He knew that his chauffeur would not arrive for another hour or so as he had so instructed but the migraine he sported prevented him from completing his paperwork.
'Perhaps I require a glass of wine,' he thought to himself. Before he could move though, he grimaced. Did he really want to enter a room full of Taisho Sesshoumaru fanatics and have them pestering him nonstop?
'No,' he answered, a growl escaping his lips.
It was the one thing he was not prepared for when he became the multimillionaire he had always wanted to be. As irritating as it may be, at least it reminded him of his fortune.
But perhaps, he also hoped the news of his current status would make its way back to his ex-fiancée. He desired for her to feel the regret of having denied him for if she had married him that day two years ago, she would have full advantage of his fame and fortune. But then again, Taisho Sesshoumaru does not and will never, need a woman by his side.
A sudden movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Diverting his gaze solely to the object of his curiosity, he noticed it was a lone woman. Due to the lack of interest in woman, he began to turn away when something caught his eye once more.
The woman looked like Akiro Kagura with her long, black hair, voluptuous curves, and long, appealing legs. The way she walked so gracefully and poised resembled Kagura perfectly. 'She wouldn't dare!,' he hissed to himself, his right hand forming a tight fist, his sharp claws digging into the palm of his hand.
He watched with narrowed eyes as she wandered around with a glass of wine as if she was unsure of what to do. Finally, she sat down on the curb, nursing that single flute glass filled with alcohol.
'At least she still has her exquisite taste for expensive alcohol.'
He slowly stalked over to her with quiet, calculated steps, flexing his deadly claws with malice. 'How dare she show up here at my company's celebration!,' he roared in his mind.
As if sensing a presence behind her, the young woman turned around and stared straight at him. Instantaneously, he relaxed his claws. 'It's not Kagura…,' he realized.
This woman had the bluest eyes he had ever seen in his life. Such an oddity in itself, he thought. It was not everyday you see someone of Japanese descendant with blue eyes as the dominant gene.
Peculiarly, he found himself to be intrigued. Was it because of her unusual almond shaped blue eyes? Or was it the fact that he had thought her to be Kagura? Deny as he might, deep down, he still loved her.
"I'm sorry," she apologized with a delicate smile, her eyes twinkling with amusement, "have I taken your seat?"
To say that he wasn't surprised when she didn't flaunt over him would be blatantly lying. 'Perhaps she has no idea as to who she is speaking to?,' he wondered to himself.
"No," he replied coolly, "merely the wine I had imported from America, costing me approximately 171,170 yen a bottle."
"I'm sure a multimillionaire like you, Taisho Sesshoumaru-sama, can afford many bottles of Petrus Pomerol," she pointed out, swishing the wine in her glass gently, "plus, it was offered to me and I'm not one to deny good wine."
'So she does know of my status, but her reaction is most unusual.'
"That is the inevitable truth," he said, "but I detest sharing imported wine with strangers."
"Higurashi Kagome," she introduced with an outstretched hand, "there, I am no longer a stranger."
Glancing at her hand, he waved it away, "I question your intelligence."
"Well, I question your social skills."
"This Sesshoumaru has flawless social skills."
"Oh really?" she asked, glancing up at him, "then why is it that you did not attend your own celebration?"
"It is of no consequence to you."
"You truly lack social skills," she muttered, turning away from him.
She expected him to leave her be when silence consumed the atmosphere around them but to her surprise, he stayed rooted to that very location.
"Is there something I can assist you with?" she finally asked.
He pondered his unasked question, wondering if he should ask or simply leave. He once would have never approached her. He once would never have conversed with the likes of her. He was positive that he was ill, that he wasn't acting like himself - because he stayed and satiated her with an answer.
"You know of this Sesshoumaru's status…" he began, "yet, you treat me no differently than an average person. Why is that?"
"You ask this because?"
Again, he pondered her question. "Curiosity," he merely answered.
"Curiosity killed the cat," she replied.
"I am most certainly not a cat."
"I'm well aware of that, Taisho Sesshoumaru-sama."
Another silence settled upon them. Sesshoumaru awaiting her answer and Kagome forming her answer into words.
"Even though you may be a multimillionaire…" she said slowly, "you are still a living being with emotions. Deep inside, you are no different than the rest of us."
He growled, "This Sesshoumaru holds no emotions."
"Everyone has emotions. Some simply choose not to reveal them, to hide away behind a cold barrier. You are one of those people, Taisho Sesshoumaru-sama."
"You do not know me. You can not assume it is as you see it."
"Forgive me if I am mistaken," she snapped as she stood up, irritation blazing in her eyes, "you merely asked why I treated you no differently than an average person. I am simply answering in my own opinion."
As quick as lightening, he grasped her harshly by the arm with one hand and the other, her jaw. Startled, she dropped the wine glass and it shattered, staining the cement by her feet with dark purple liquid. He smirked as he received the reaction he was expecting. "Do not forget to whom you are speaking to, Higurashi. It would be in your best interest not to make an enemy of me."
Unexpectedly, the scent of cherry blossoms and jasmine invaded his nose and he felt the sudden urge to bury his face in her neck to further indulge himself in her wondrous scent. He shoved her away before her alluring scent could drive him to the brink of breaking the vow he had made two years ago.
He was infuriated as to how easily he and his body reacted to her. Never has he lost control of his anger. Never has his body reacted in such a way, not even with Kagura. One sniff of her scent was enough to leave him wanting more. One touch of her soft skin beneath his hands was enough to make him hard. A simple gaze of her azure eyes upon him and he had to fight the urge to ravish her with his mouth and hands.
How foolish he was, to fall under the spell of another woman he had met only five minutes ago. He should have left when he could. Instead, he had chosen to stay, driving himself further from his vow. But the one action of error, was ultimately, touching her. It awoken something inside him he had not felt for years.
It was lust. Pure and simple. He had denied himself the pleasure of bedding a woman after Kagura that now, he felt undeniable lust.
He had to get away. He must, before he could no longer continue his emotionless façade. Growling, he snapped at her to leave and leave she did.
She fled the scene without glancing back at him and for that he was grateful for surely he could no longer hide the fact that he was rock hard and throbbing.
For her.
Note:
1) 171,170 yen, if the conversion was correct, is about $1,459 USD.
2) Petrus Pomerol is the second most expensive wine costing approximately, as stated above, $1,459 USD a bottle. This Merlot was one of the favorite wines at the White House during the Kennedy years. The official name is Chteau Petrus. The grapes are usually harvest early and left to mature slowly. It has an extremely fruity taste with hints of berries, vanilla, mocha, and oak emanate.