**
Hours later, the sun had sunk long ago, and Kagome was drooping off to sleep rested against her mother's side in the limo headed back to their home. She had felt odd about leaving Sesshoumaru after having him near her for the last 6 months, but she shook it off. She had shook his hand before leaving, an awkward silence filling the space between them. She had looked back to find him staring at her with fire in his eyes as the limo drove off. She didn't see Inuyasha lurking in the shadows behind his taller half-brother. She had missed the murderous glaze over his eyes.
She smiled, her hand caressing her brother's hair as his head rested on her lap. She smiled at her mother, who was watching out the window. She smiled for the thought of being home. She smiled.
**
Sesshoumaru stood before the cherry tree in his courtyard, contemplating what to do next. He didn't really feel like going to work, however, he also knew he had to get to work to raise his business from the slums his shoddy half-brother had allowed them to wallow in. His thoughts, however, did not reside long on the idea of working. They quickly turned to the black-haired, ocean eyed mistress that had left only an hour ago. He felt his heart beat accelerate at the thought of the fire behind those ocean eyes when she looked at him from the limo when she left. He had known his half-brother was lurking in the shadows, and that the stench of anger and jealousy rose off him in heavy waves. He was surprised, even now, that he did nothing about it. Moreover, that he had requested his half-brother stay the night, out of courtesy. Inuyasha had stared at him, dumbfounded, until he walked away without waiting for an answer. He didn't know why he requested his idiot of a sibling to stay, however, part of him felt it was his way to protect what he now considered as his.
The image of her sun-tanned skin, the rose of her cheeks, the raspberry lips that parted in a brilliant smile to show off pearls of white...The sound of her laugh, the smell of her hair, the taste of her skin... He felt a strange emptiness in his chest as he moved away from the cherry tree to the room where she had resided, the smell of her still lingering. He sat beside the bed and wrapped the blankets around his waist and torso, breathing deeply to steady his still speeding pulse. He pressed his head back onto the bed behind him, breathing out ever so slowly.
"Kagome.."
**
Inuyasha paced in the room where he was residing while staying at his brother's. Half-brother's. He didn't know why the stoic ice prick wanted him to stay in his home overnight, but if he could start to unravel some of the mystery of what happened, he'd do it. After listening to Kagome's ordeal, and seeing some of the old Kagome he fell in love with around her parents, he had decided he wanted to keep her. He wanted to make her his wife, as was the plan from day one. He would have to get some help picking out a ring, and a place to live. Sure, he could have her live at his bachelor's pad, but he wanted to keep that to himself. There was no reason he couldn't have the girl he wanted and who would take care of him, while still keeping his side sluts and fucks. Right? Right.
He grinned to himself as he flopped onto the silk sheets of the fluffy futon he was to sleep in. Tomorrow would be a new day, and he would be one step closer to having everything he's always wanted.
**
Kagome walked down the steps of the shrine to the street below. She had been home in Tokyo for over a week and, after avoiding the swarms of camera crews and journalists who wanted to know what happened on the island, she was finally able to walk to the corner shop to buy noodles and beef. She wrapped her jacket around herself tighter, walking in the brisk wind around the corner. She moved around a couple who were walking, arm in arm. She clutched her purse to her chest as she thought of a certain silver haired man who held her thoughts. She blushed, pushing him from her thoughts as she walked into the little noddle house and chose a seat by the window. She was so excited to eat noodles cooked and smeared in oil, she was shaking from the excitement.
"Whaddya have?" the tall, thin, greasy waiter asked. Kagome stared at him, suddenly thinking her sinful pleasure was just turning into a pretty bad idea. She looked past him and wondered how she never realized this place was so filthy.
"Bottled water to go please," she murmured out, her hopes and dreams of beef noodles crashing before her like so much greasy walls and aprons. She paid for the bottle of water and made her way back onto the street. She figured to take a walk in the nearby park, as she missed the trees and smell of vegetation. She walked, sipping on her water, across the busy street and into the park where little kids were playing on the swings, their watchful parents nearby.
She watched them play, their innocence making her smile. She took a deep breath and smelled the trees, and she wondered what Sesshoumaru was doing. Her smile faded. She hadn't heard from Sesshoumaru all week. She knew he was a busy businessman, but she wondered about him. She worried about him. She wondered if he thought about her. She smiled, shaking her head. Probably not. To him, she was just a human... but then again... Then again... She looked at her hand...the one he kissed when he thought she was going to die. Was the emotion in his eyes because he didn't want her to die, or because he thought she was?
She's asked herself these questions since she was put into the infirmary on the ship when they were rescued. She had run through the scenarios in her head, run the numbers, and ended with her heart pumping the same answer every time. He didn't want her to die. When she said she had fallen in love with him, his eyes had softened, and she could feel his aura tingle. That hadn't been her imagination. She reached into her pocket and fished out her cell phone. She flipped it open and hit the send button. Sesshoumaru's number flashed on the screen. She shut the phone before it connected. No. Don't call. She opened her phone again. She wanted to call... Just to see how he was doing.. She shut the phone again.
"Yesh, Kagome," she mumbled to herself. "Stop acting like a high schooler with a crush." She shoved her phone back into her pocket. "This is ridiculous." She stomped across the grass to a bench and sat down with a huff. "Why am I so worked up over him?" Her mind was reeling, her thoughts colliding with her emotions. She wanted to run. She wanted to call him. She wanted to scream. She wanted to laugh. She wanted to cry. She wanted to lay down and sleep. She wanted to jump up and down. She wanted to roll through the grass like a child. She bit her bottom lip wondering why she felt all these things.
'You're in love,' a voice whispered through the chaos of her mind. The words echoed through the now silent stillness of her mind. 'You're in love.'
"I'm in love.." the words sounded foreign on her lips. She put her hand to her lips and found she was grinning like a fool. She covered her lips with her hand, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. She had told him she thought she had fallen in love with him, but now, being apart from him, she realized how honest she had been; with herself and with him. She brushed her fingertips over her lips.
With a determined glint in her eye, she dug out her cell phone and opened it. She pressed send and held it to her ear. She would call him. She would talk to him. And she would invite him to lunch or dinner or brunch, or something, and she would talk to him. She would tell him her feelings, and she would hope he wouldn't reject her.
"Taisho Sesshoumaru," a tired, stoic voice came over the receiver. She froze. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. "Hello?" His voice sounded irritated.
"Hey!" She squeaked out. She blushed a vibrant red.
"Who is this? How did you get this number?" He sounded irate going on angry. She blushed harder.
"Sesshoumaru, It's Kagome," she hated how squeaky her voice sounded. She cleared her throat.
"Kagome?" She could hear the surprise in his voice.
"Yea, I wanted to know how you were doing," she asked, her voice back to normal. He was silent for a moment.
"Working. I've been working," he said after a moment. There was an edge to his voice.
"I figured...I was calling," she hesitated, taking in a deep breath, face turning all the more red, "I wanted to know if you wanted to join me for dinner, or lunch, or something. I just.." she could feel her face redden even more, "I missed talking with you." He was silent on the other end. She fumbled with the edge of her shirt. He was still silent.
"If not, that's okay," she stared to slur out a scapegoat, her face paling.
"Are you free now?" He interrupted. She stopped.
"Yes," she croaked out.
"Can I pick you up at your home?" He asked. She nodded.
"Of course," she responded, trying not to sound too excited.
"Hn. It's," he paused, "1:35. I will be there at 2."
"I will be ready." They hung up moments later, and Kagome sat still on the bench. She giggled out loud before clamping a hand over her mouth. She twitched. She stood up slowly. With a deep breath, she took off running back to the shrine where she could change out of the scrubby clothes and into something suitable for lunch with Sesshoumaru.
**
Sesshoumaru stared at his phone before setting it on the desk before him. The piles of paper that had once caused chaos across the redwood finish were now arranged in the 'finished' bin. He had finished all the the filing, the signing, the approving, denying, and fixing of the mistakes Inuyasha had made, forgotten, or ignored. He had spent the entire morning staring at his desk thinking about his time on the island. He had thought about Kagome and Shippo, and he found himself missing them both. He missed the kit, and his insatiable questioning. He missed Kagome and her kind, patient answering. He missed the simple routine they had gotten fond of: the searching for food, the cooking over the open flame, the fishing, the sleeping under the stars... He missed the constant presence of the two he had come to think of as pack...
Suddenly, his phone had rang. He had stared at it, as if it was some weird creature he'd never seen before. He had picked it up and pressed the answer key. He hadn't recognized the phone number, but, for some reason, that didn't bother him. When no one answered at first, he was sure it was a prank. Probably Inuyasha. But when her voice rang over the line, his heart had paused, his breath had hitched. She sounded nervous and worried. He wanted to dive through the phone and be at her side. His inner dog demanded him meet with his pack member and find out what was troubling her.
And then, she said she missed him. Him. The stoic, ice prince of a dog demon, un-swayed by emotions and women alike, was missed by this beautiful young woman. He found himself without words. He opened his mouth once or twice, especially when he realized she was asking him on a date...if one could call it that. Which he did. Very much.
Realization struck him when he heard her start to slur a response to his silence, when his voice suddenly worked.
"Are you free now?" Sesshoumaru had blinked at his own words. Her voice had responded in surprise, but the hint of excitement was not lost to his ears. He found the corners of his lips twitch at the mere excitement she held at the thought of seeing him. He found himself filling with pride, with emotion, with fear.
When he had hung up, he had stared at his phone before setting it on the desk. He had wondered why the pit of his stomach had dropped to his toes and why a cold sweat had broken across his brow. He felt sick as he realized that he, Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands, Stoic Ice Prince, Man of the frozen heart, was nervous. Nervous of meeting a human woman within the next half an hour.
**
Kagome pulled the scrunchies around the bottom of her braid and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She was amazed she had pulled off a total make-over in just under 25 minutes. The girl that looked back at her in the mirror did not look anything like the Kagome that had run into the room in sweats and a t-shirt only a few moments before. Instead, a raven haired beauty stared back at her, her cheeks glowing red, her ocean eyes sparking like the milky way, and her porcelain skin hidden by a simple blue sunflower dress. She wore heeled shoes with black laces that wove up her slender calves like Athenian shoes. She smiled at herself in the mirror and strung her purse over her shoulder. She cringed when she saw the bruises from the operation peek out from under her dress when she moved her arms. She pulled on a crochet sweater her mother had made for her and then smiled.
She ran down the stairs of the shrine, careful not to fall, and slowed to a walk when she reached the bottom. There, a black limo stretched up the street. She blinked, putting a hand to her skirt as the wind blew by, ocean eyes searching for the golden suns she wished to see more than anything.
Sesshoumaru sat, staring out the window as she ran down the steps in the heels that looked like she was going to keel over and fall the remainder of the steps. But, by the kami, she looked gorgeous. Her hair was swept back into a braid that made her look humble and beautiful. The way her dress swept to the side in the breeze had his heart catch in his throat. He had no idea any woman could make a man feel as he did at that moment. He took in a deep breath and opened the door.
**
"So what exactly do you do?" Kagome asked, the warmth of her coffee seeping through her hands. They had come to a little secluded cafe not far from her home, and he had lead them to a small table for two in the back of the room. They had ordered coffee and sandwiches, and had spent the last couple of minutes sitting in silence until the waitress brought them coffee.
"I am the owner of a financial firm and a technology development company. But mostly, I fill out paperwork, attend meetings, and approve the work of others." Kagome laughed at that.
"Sounds up my alley," she smiled, "I was going to start work in a lawer's firm in Osaka a week after I had arrived home. I called them and, since they heard I was dead, filled the position. Now, I need to find another job related to being a lawyer, though I have only minimal experience. As of right now, I tend to my family's shrine and create little trinkets that people can buy during festivals and when they visit." Sesshoumaru took a sip of his coffee as he listened.
"I didn't know you were a lawyer. You don't act like one," he observed. She blushed.
"I've been told. I guess I haven't been in the business long enough to act like one. My professor told me I still act like a college student, or a teacher."
"You should be a teacher," he stated, "you'd be good at it." She blushed.
"Doesn't make enough money. I have to support my entire family. A teacher's salary in Tokyo is barely enough to live on for one person."
"In the public sector, yes. In the private, no. If you get into the right school, you'll be set for life." Sesshoumaru sat back as the waitress dropped off their plates of sandwiches. He knew this was idle chitchat, and he normally hated it... he was loathe to admit it was nice with her. It was...dare he say...comfortable.
"I have half of the credits I'd need to be a teacher, but when I was in school," she said after swallowing a bite of sandwich, "My mother was diagnosed with leukemia, and my grandfather's cancer came back. If I hadn't gotten the scholarship to study in America, I would be working three jobs here trying to cover the bills. It's bad enough my little brother has been working so much and avoiding college just to make ends meet. We were hoping for the job I was going to get in Osaka to be able to relax some." She smiled sadly. "But we didn't come here to talk about me..."
"I thought we did," he mused quietly, baiting her. She blushed. She really was beautiful when she blushed. "This Sesshoumaru's life is not that interesting. Yours seems to be full of reality. Please continue."
"Reality? My life is happy enough, I guess, but why do you call it reality?"
"Demons have no illness; their families die when they their lives are up. I work all day, go home, and sleep. There is not much to tell other than the mundane idiosyncrasies of the office."
"Is your family dead, Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked quietly, her sandwich forgotten in her plate.
"Both parents, yes. Half-brother, if you recall, is alive and kicking." She rolled her eyes at that. "However," he continued. He paused, though, wondering if he should say what was rolling through his brain, he wondered if it were wise. "I have never considered them family outside the blood relation. They've been blood pack, but not family." Kagome was silent for a moment.
"I can't imagine feeling only the civil responsibility for my family...that it is my duty as their kin to take care of them. I've always loved them. They are my family." She reached across the table and gently pressed her fingertips to his hand. "I'm sorry you didn't feel close to them."
"What I felt was irrelevant. I was to be Lord of the West, which I am today. Emotional ties had nothing to do with the political ones that held our power together. That is why I was sired and raised. My father's mistress was whom he really desired, though, according to law in feudal Japan, no demon could mate a human." He wondered why he divulged in such treacherous information with her. The scandalous information, if it were to get out, would weaken the ties he had with his mother's clans. It would stain his reputation as a businessman and a taiyoukai. He couldn't have that....so why was he telling her? What was it about her that gave him a loose tongue?
"Sesshoumaru," Kagome's voice brought him from his thoughts. She looked sad.
"So what now?" He found the words had left him before he could stop them. Her hand retracted from his. He found himself missing the soft touch of her fingers.
"Between us...? Our friendship?"
"Is it a friendship?" To his ears, he sounded unsure. But the way her eyes darkened, he must have sounded normally stoic.
"What are you implying?" She asked, the pain etched in her eyes hurt him. He had to find time to think. He thought about her enough, but, at the same time, he wondered what her life would be like with him.
"Nothing," he stated softly, his face relaxing from it's rigid appearance. He watched confusion flit through her eyes before they became guarded. "Kagome, you must understand," his voice dropped, the words coming out in almost a vibration instead of the actual words, in case someone was listening. "I am not used to regarding anyone outside blood relations as pack."
"Oh," the single syllable was out of her in a breath as the understanding sunk in. "You're not pushing me away..." her words came out in a breathless whisper. He shook his head.
"I must think more before I can answer you," he said softly. She nodded, her eyes bright.
"Will you keep in touch with me? So I know you're okay?" She blushed. "I'm not used to not having you around. You and Shippo have become my entire world for the last 6 months. I couldn't bear not having contact with either of you..."
"Of course, Kagome."
**
Kagome stood waiting on the street corner beside a park on the other side of Tokyo. She held a small bundle in her arms as she looked up the street. Where was he? She pulled out her cell phone to check the time when a small voice cried out:
"BOO!" She jumped, turning towards the voice. A bright red-haired boy stood before her, grinning with all the happiness a child could smile with.
"Shippo!" She cried out, stooping down and hugging him. He laughed and hugged her back. "You scared me! I didn't even hear you walk up!" Shippo grinned proudly.
"I didn't want you to hear me! I'm practicing!" Kagome laughed. She held out the bundle for him.
"These are for you," she said. Shippo looked at her in confusion.
"What is it?" He asked. Kagome laughed and shook it in her hands.
"Just open it!" He took it from her, and took the blanket wrapping off it. A duffel bag filled with history books were revealed to his widening green eyes.
"Kagome.."
"Since I won't be there to tell you bedtime stories anymore. These are my history books. I want you to have them." Shippo jumped into her arms, hugging her tightly.
"I still want you with me," Shippo said softly, hugging her. "Just because you give me these books, doesn't mean you can stop seeing me!"
"Shippo! I would never!" Kagome hugged him tight. "You're the son I'll never have."
"Kagome-okaa-san," he nuzzled his nose in her shoulder. "Thank you."
**
Sesshoumaru sat at his desk, wondering, thinking, and contemplating. He wondered when he began to trust her with his entire existence. He wondered when he developed this need to have her nearby. Was it routine? Was it something more? When did he allow himself to fall so freely with the first woman he spent such intimate living space with him? Was it because of their predicament? Was it because she was the only female who wasn't leaping at his pants or money? Was it because she cooked him meals, gave him company, and talked about things on the island as if they weren't going to get off—but planning to plant a garden, built a hut, create a life living on the island even if they couldn't get rescued?
When did he realize he had to think through every reaction, every smile, and every word she spoke that could have some other meaning or flaw that he could exploit to get away? When did he become such a coward? He growled at his thoughts. Since when did it matter who he loved and why he loved her?
He blinked. Did he love her? Could he love her? Was he capable of love? Everything seemed so much more possible on the island. He wanted to love her, to live with her, to be her companion. But here in Tokyo, there were so many limits, restrictions, and gossip to take into account for... since when did the powerful taiyoukai of the west begin to fear the gossip of lower beings? They were not worth his time nor his worry. He growled at himself.
'You're making it more difficult than it should be,' a voice growled in his mind. 'Stop making excuses.'
"This Sesshoumaru doesn't make excuses." He realized he had dug his claws into the wood of his desk. With a small sigh, he retracted his claws and surveyed the damage of the desk. He admitted, ever so softly, that he was... and he was because he was afraid. Afraid of loving someone that could die so easily. He wanted to make her immortal, to live with her until the end of their days, but there was no answer for human longevity. It was as short as it was, and nothing could change it. Was it worth it? Living with her for only 60 years or so...watching her grow old...watching her die? Was it worth it to live without her until he reached his end? Was it worth it to spend every day from now until then with her?
He stood up, his answer burning in his head. He grabbed his coat on his way out the door.
**
Kagome sung from a swing hanging in the park near her home. She was wearing a pair of jeans and t-shirt. Normal everyday clothes. She wasn't expecting to talk with anyone. She had received word that her mother was getting worse, and she was denied a job at a local firm. She wondered why she had been forced onto that island for so long. The only thing that made it easier was that her mother was still alive. She thought of how life had been on the island, and Sesshoumaru's face appeared in her head. She smiled. Maybe she was sent to the island because she was meant to meet him...meant to fall in love with him... She smiled broader, looking at her knees as she swung very slowly.
She wondered what he was doing. She wondered if he was happy. She wondered if she was happy... She remembered the small smile that adorned his beautiful face when he came into her hospital room after her surgery. She had smiled at him, reaching for his hand...he had come to her, sitting beside her only like a lover does. She remembered his soft lips on her hand, his baritone voice...
"Kagome?" She jumped, looking up. There, clad in his black business suit, silver hair tied back into a pony tail at the nape of his neck, his golden eyes... oh my. His golden eyes were shining so brightly, so passionately, it was as if the suns had split between his two orbs. She opened her mouth, moving to stand.
"Sesshoumaru?" She asked softly, vaguely aware of the other people around the park looking their way.
"Kagome..." He murmured, coming to her, he stopped before her, a breath between them. "I don't want to be without you. These last weeks being back in Tokyo have been more miserable than being on that island... The time I spent on that island was the happiest in my memory...not because of the nature, the ocean, or the quiet...but because of the company. I've never spent much time with anyone; I've never wanted to...but you... you make me want to seek out your company." He quieted, hands grasping hers lightly. She could feel her face glowing as she lifted her chin, going up on tip toes, and kissed his lips.
He released her hands, arms encircling her, hugging her close as their lips continued their kiss. Her hands wound up onto his shoulders, gripping him for all she was worth. She was faintly aware of people cheering around them, although the blood was rushing in her ears, and she could have mistaken that rush as cheering. When they broke from their kiss, their bodies were molded against each other's, arms encircling and grasping.
"I meant it..." she whispered to him as his nose gently rubbed against hers. His golden suns bore into her brightly shining oceans. "I did fall in love with you on that island..."
"I've realized," he said as he kissed the corners of her lips, "That I had fallen in love with you, as well, Kagome..." Their lips met again, lashes and lids hiding the bright shining sun and ocean from the world as they concentrated only on the gentle waft of breath, the feel of skin, and the electricity shooting through their lips.
**