Sesshoumaru put down the report he was reading. He absolutely hated the quarterly financial reports, the damn things followed closely behind tax season on his most hated list about business in modern world. Modern humans deemed that financial reports were essential to the functioning of their business world. Obviously they do not believe that people could accumulate vast wealth legitimately. He didn't have to read them himself, but he found that if he didn't read them, there really would be nothing for him to do. Besides the golden rule never seemed to change about taking hands on in everything ensuring the smooth running of things, he had actively patrolled his lands back then, and he wasn't going to allow some mere slip ups to make him lose all that he had gained in the supposedly cutthroat financial district.
It was early evening already, the majority of his employees have gone home and he was reading the blasted reports. He would have brought them home to read, but the taiyoukai was not about to allow some useless report to clutter up his study. Sesshoumaru flexed his claws and contemplated about using his poisons to melt the pile of reports. After all, who would know? No one came up to his office without his specific instructions, and he ensured that his human employees rarely saw him. He communicated with them through the use of electronic devices. The less people who laid their eyes on him, the easier it was when he had to make the transition to his "son" to continue on the company.
Tired of facing the numbers and diagrams that basically told him that his company is still one of the wealthiest and most influential around, he directed his attention to the window that overlooked the city giving him an unobstructed view of the sunset. The sun had rise and set for the past five hundred years while the world it granted its warmth and light changed. It had been on an evening like this that he witnessed another side of the miko. Out of all the memories that he had of her, her sorrow filled eyes and tear streaked face was the most prominent. He found that he did not like to see her cry and wanted to flick away the tears with his claws. As always he frowned at the train of thought that was going through his head. Rin had rarely cried but still seeing the miko's tears evoked something unfamiliar inside him.
The soft beeping of his intercom system drew his attention away from his confusing thoughts and he gladly welcomed the change. Sesshoumaru did not like the thoughts that always go through his head regarding the miko. The taiyoukai did not like the illogical and irrational, and the miko was the epitome of both. He pressed the button and frowned when he heard Myoga's voice float up from the speaker, where was Jaken? Then he remembered that he had sent Jaken to observe the neko youkai's clinic and had not returned yet. The flea rarely left the estate since it was his duty to manage it while Jaken handled his business affairs. But the cowardly youkai took over the duties of Jaken whenever Sesshoumaru sent him off on other duties.
"Pardon me, Sesshoumaru-sama, but you have a visitor here to see you." wheezed the flea. "It's Lord Kouga."
Sesshoumaru growled at the thought of the wolf stinking up his office. But better at the office then his study at home. "Alright, send him in." replied the taiyoukai and sat back in his chair to await his visitor.
Kouga strolled confidently into Sesshoumaru's office, all the while loosening his tie. There was really no need to keep up the appearance of the respectable businessman in front of Sesshoumaru, but the rest of his office attire would have to wait until he got home. He grinned when he saw the reports piled up on Sesshoumaru's desk and the less than pleased taiyoukai sitting behind the desk. 'Kami, he needs to learn how to mix business with pleasure.' Kouga thought back to the times when Ayame, his mate, helped him out at the office.
"Surely you have better things to do than to read these reports Sesshoumaru." Said Kouga.
"Is that why you required that fully equipped bathroom in your office? To wash away other females' scent before your mate could detect it? It is well known that her temper matches her hair." came the cold reply.
Kouga cringed, "I thought only dog breath had that capacity to talk dirty. Well I guess someone does have to fill the spot of the trashy talker." Kouga fired back.
Sesshoumaru growled inwardly. What was it with everyone bringing up the dead for the past two days? First the miko, now his hanyou brother. "I presume that you did not come here just to talk about the dead, Lord Kouga." Sesshoumaru's voice dripped with ice.
The wolf wondered how the cheerful kitsune could spend so long in the ice prince's company without being frozen to death. "I heard that Shippou is back in town. I'm wondering if he would be helping you again with public relations. Frankly I'm tired of dealing with Jaken. The toad just sours any good deal." Kouga said.
Sesshoumaru quirked an eyebrow. This was a time when Shippou's popularity in the business world did not work in his favor. The kitsune had just returned and already the news of his presence had spread to the wolf as well. "The kitsune had not made anything known to me regarding his position in the company. However if he expresses an interest in resuming that particular aspect, I would not hesitate to give him the authority. I will have Jaken inform you if that was indeed the case." Sesshoumaru said coldly wanting the damn wolf to leave as soon as possible. Not missing the message, Kouga nodded, turned and left the office.
Once outside the office, Kouga let out a breath of relief. It seemed like that Sesshoumaru had gotten even stiffer over the years. How in the world could anyone interact with him without feeling like they walked into a freezer was completely beyond him. He and Shippou had become good friends after the defeat of Naraku. He had been disappointed that Kagome chose to return to her time, but like Inuyasha he could never thank her enough for giving him his happiness. If it hadn't been for her, he would not have realized that Ayame was the one whom he loved and what he felt for Kagome was protectiveness of a family member.
Thinking about his fiery mate brought a smile to Kouga's lips. He had been ready to seek out Kagome and join the final battle against Naraku when he heard rumors about the hanyou issuing a challenge. However on his way there, Naraku had sent Kagura to take the shards from his legs. Greatly outnumbered by the youkai that Kagura had brought with her, Kouga was at the end of his strength after the shards were ripped from his legs. Just as he thought he was going to die, Ayame appeared with her wolf companions and helped him fought off Kagura and her army, but was wounded grievously in the process. It was at that moment holding the wounded princess in his arms that he realized that it was Ayame and not Kagome that he loved and desired to mate with. Ayame had begged him then to go after Kagura and the shikon shards and to help Kagome. But he had refused and could never forget the look of utter happiness on her face when he told her that it was his duty to be with her and ensure that she recovers to become his mate. Now Kouga couldn't wait to get home to see his Ayame. Her smile would certainly help thaw him out after that rather frigid talk with the ice prince.
Sesshoumaru decided that he had enough of reading over financial reports for the day, besides the wolf's scent is irritating him to no end, so all the better to head home. The taiyoukai took the elevator to the underground parking lot where he had a private garage to himself. Seeing it was well passed rush hour, driving the sports car wouldn't hurt and it would get him home quickly.
In no time at all, Sesshoumaru had reached his mansion where he found Jaken was already waiting in the foyer for him. "Take care of the car and meet me in the study when you are done." Sesshoumaru ordered and walked upstairs to wash that irritating scent from his nose.
Sesshoumaru found that Jaken was waiting in the study for him after his shower. He strolled pass the hiki youkai to his desk and sat down in it. Myoga appeared shortly with a cup of green tea and placed it within his reach. After dismissing Myoga, Sesshoumaru turned to Jaken and awaited what his servant learned.
Jaken bowed to his lord before giving his report. "I had found out the location of the clinic and observed it for an entire day. It seemed that the neko youkai is a practicing veterinarian. Her clinic is situated on the outskirts of Tokyo. A quiet neighborhood within the western lands and there are no other youkai living in the area."
"What about the people that visited the clinic?" Sesshoumaru asked.
"I noticed that the neko has a young human girl who helps her out. The majority of the patients that visit the clinic are humans with their pets. The kitsune was also there, twice today as a matter of fact. The kitsune actually went inside the clinic in the afternoon and left with the neko youkai in his car." Jaken continued as he took out something and placed it on Sesshoumaru's desk. "Here are the pictures that I took of the occupants of the clinic."
Sesshoumaru reached for the photographs that Jaken had placed on his desk. He went through each one and stopped at one of the photograph of the young human girl that works for the neko. His eyes widen in realization as he recognized the girl in the photograph as the miko who had traveled with his brother and whom Rin and Shippou both regard as their mother. The girl who had haunted his dreams and memories for five hundred years was indeed alive in this era. Sesshoumaru tossed one of the photos of Kagome back to Jaken. "Find out as much as you can about this human." He ordered. Jaken caught the picture, bowed to Sesshoumaru and left the study.
Sesshoumaru looked at the photo of Kagome again. She was just as he had remembered five hundred years ago. The sadness still etched onto her features casting a shadow over her eyes. Sesshoumaru reached out a finger and gently touched her face in the picture and whispered "Kagome….."
Shippou took Kilala to a Japanese restaurant that was near her apartment. It seemed like that he could not get enough of the traditional food. Kilala nearly laughed out loud when she saw his trouble in deciding what he would like to eat best. When the two had finally ordered and eating their meal, they began to talk about Kagome.
"Well, how was it for your first meeting of her again, Shippou?" Kilala asked between bites.
Shippou couldn't swallow his food fast enough to answer her. "Did you ever fear that you might be fried by her miko powers?" Shippou asked.
Kilala laughed again at the dismay look on her friend's face. "Well I almost did when I touched her yesterday, luckily her miko powers recognized my jaki even though she didn't." Kilala replied.
Shippou breathed a sigh of relief. "Well at least I wasn't the only one. But then it was to be expected. Kagome's power is so innate in her that it recognized us even if she didn't. Actually I was wondering if she actually could feel her own power surges. I remember Kaede said that if a miko tries hard enough, she could become completely oblivious to the existence of her power, which I think it's what Kagome is doing now."
Kilala nodded in agreement. That would explain why Kagome could sense but didn't recognize the jaki residue around her clinic. However her power was too powerful just to be ignored by not recognizing it.
The two friends decided to chat some more at Kilala's apartment after dinner. After settling down in her living room with steaming cups of green tea, Shippou asked Kilala if Kagome had ever told her anything about her personal life. The neko youkai shook her head and sighed. "Shippou, you saw how she is for yourself today. Besides I am only her employer, a friend maybe, not her confidant. She's been only working with me for a few weeks. It is perfectly understandable as to why she hasn't confide in me for anything even though we are on good terms with each other."
Shippou put his face into his hands and groaned. He wanted Kagome to remember so much. That way he could help heal her heart and soul. What kind of a son would he be if he could not make his own mother happy? At that moment, he really hated Inuyasha. He hated him for reducing someone so cheerful and carefree into a being swallowed up by sadness. The hanyou had broken his mother's heart and scarred her soul. For Inuyasha and Kikyo to think that they were the unfortunate victims of Naraku, well their suffering was nothing compared to what Kagome is going through right now. His mother always sacrificed her own happiness for others and he failed her by letting the descendents of her dearest friends to die.
Kilala tapped on the table to get Shippou's attention. It's not healthy for him to dwell in negative thoughts and decided to change the topic. "Where are you staying now, Shippou? I doubt you would want to live in a hotel for long."
Shippou shook his head at Kilala's attempt to change his mood. He should have remembered that she was empathic and it was in her nature to try to comfort others. "I asked Ginta to look for a place for me in town and he actually offered me one of his high class apartments. I tried to refuse, but he insisted that I take it for now until I could find better housing of my own. He was so glad that I was back in town and seemed rather anxious as to whether or not I'll be working for Sesshoumaru again as PR. I take it that Jaken isn't very popular with the people." He snickered.
Kilala stifled a laugh behind her hands. It was not surprising that Jaken was not the most successful at coordinating business. The hiki demon seemed to have a natural flair at offending people. "Well if Ginta knows that you're back, then I don't doubt that Kouga knows as well." Kilala gasped out trying hard not to laugh. She could just imagine the toad trying to network with people and having people pass out from his stench alone.
Shippou grinned knowing what Kilala was probably thinking off. "You're probably right about Kouga. If I know Kouga as well as I did, I would have to say he went straight to Sesshoumaru and demanded to know when I will start to work."
Their worries forgotten as the two friends shared memories and exchanged news about their friends, before he left for the night, Shippou invited Kilala to come visit him at his new apartment sometime. Kilala teased him saying he only wanted someone to help him clean house, but assured the kitsune that she was more than happy about doing so. After Shippou left, Kilala sighed as she looked at the cup that Shippou was using. Five hundred years was a long time to wait, and she would put the needs of Shippou first before her own emotions. She would do everything in her power to help him achieve his goals even if it meant she had to hide her own feelings forever.