Chapter 10
Kagome paced back and forth in the living room debating whether to strangle Koga and Inuyasha. Not only did they pick Kimora from school after the fight, they didn't bring her straight home. It was a little past 3pm and she had to re-schedule with her client for the third time. She had cases piling up faster than she could breathe and she had to take time out to talk to her daughters. Oh, Sesshomaru, why does it have to be this way? I could really use your help.
Samara was in the kitchen doing her homework. Remy and another guard stood in the doorway watching her. Haji knew better than to follow Kagome around when she was pacing and thinking. He stood by the door, watching her perplexedly.
"I'm going to kill them." She looked at Haji. "I'm going to murder them and make it look like an accident."
"My lady…" Haji cleared his throat. "If you would just-"
"Don't tell me to calm down, Haji! They practically kidnapped Kimora, where the hell is Cado?"
"Cado is with them, my lady."
"Well, who does he report to anyway? It's been three hours since they picked her up from school."
There was a knock at the door and another guard answered it. The door opened ajar and someone was waving a white napkin.
"We come in peace." Koga's voice sounded behind the door. "Before you make a move, hear us out…"
"Get in here." Kagome gritted.
The guard opened the door fully and Koga quickly hid behind Inuyasha and Kimora. Kimora was caught holding a box of cheese fries.
"You took her to Charlie's?"
"Well, you see…we were hungry…and…you know, Ch-Charlie's is kind of on the way home….and-"
"Charlie's is not on the way home and you picked her up three hours ago!" Kagome crossed her arms.
Inuyasha and Koga shared a look then looked at her.
"Traffic." They uttered simultaneously.
"Kimora, get in here now!"
Kimora handed Inuyasha the box of fries and walked in slowly with her head bowed.
"What happened?" Kagome asked, her eyes ablaze.
Kimora grabbed a strand of her hair and covered her eyes. "I don't remember."
"You were in a fight, do you remember that? I have been back and forth on the phone between Denali Sambe's parents and Headmaster Cho."
"Am I expelled?" Kimora asked, her voice trembling. Please don't let me be expelled or daddy will never come home.
"I don't know yet, Kimora. I have a meeting with them tomorrow!"
"Kagome, relax, they're not going to-"Koga paused and looked at Inuyasha. "I mean, doesn't their grandfather have the power to shut down the school if he wanted to?"
"Not anymore." Kagome sighed. "And I can't get in touch with Sesshomaru so he probably doesn't even know what is going on."
Koga and Inuyasha sat on the couch when the doorbell rang. The guard answered it again and looked back confused.
"There is an Arahim to see Lady Kimora?"
Everyone looked confused. "What?"
The young boy pushed through the door holding a folder. He smiled at them and bowed his head.
"Lady Kagome, a pleasure. I've heard so much about you."
Koga scowled. "What things?"
"Koga, stop." Kagome smiled. "I'm sorry, Arahim. I know most of the kids from school. I've never seen you."
"I just transferred."
"Well, Kimora isn't allowed company right now."
"I understand. I came to bring her homework since we have the same classes."
Samara shot a baffled look at Kimora who looked just as stunned. She cautiously walked over to him and grabbed the folder.
"Um…thanks." Kimora ignored the looks from anyone.
"We have a chemistry exam tomorrow. I highlighted the areas that will be on the test. Call me if you have any questions." Arahim said as he handed her a piece of paper with his phone number on it.
There was another knock on the door and a man walked in. Kagome's eyes widened to see Sasuke. He looked just as surprised to see her.
"Kagome…" he said.
"Sasuke?" she tittered. "What are you doing here?"
Koga snarled. "Oh, not this douchebag again…"
Inuyasha leaned closer. "Who's that?"
"Kagome's ex. Sesshomaru pressed me hard about this guy. I'm not getting in trouble again."
"Father, you know Lady Kagome?" Arahim said, darting his eyes between Kagome and his father.
"Uh-yes…she's…a longtime friend. Sorry to come uninvitingly, but Arahim stressed that he needed to drop off homework to a classmate. Such a small world to see that it was your daughter."
"Yeah…"Kagome laughs. "I guess so. Um…would you like something to drink before you leave? I have coffee, juice…"
Sasuke gave a partial grin. "No, we should be-"
"I'd love something to drink, " Arahim stated. "Besides, I'd like to explain to Kimora about our upcoming project for English class."
"Upcoming project?" Kimora questioned.
"Oh, yes. Mrs. Gretchen asked that we partnered with someone to create a story for class. I proposed that you and I collaborated."
"Um…okay, but I…"Kimora looked at everyone and then at him. " You should probably look for someone else, Arahim. I might be expelled."
Arahim laughed. "I doubt they'll expel the general's daughter. Maybe a punishment would suffice. Lady Kagome, perhaps you should mediate that Kimora get community service instead of dealing with the cruelty of expulsion."
Kagome just stared at Arahim as if she were talking to her co-workers at work. Arahim definitely had lawyer potential.
Sasuke shook his head. "Forgive him. He watches a lot of Law and Order."
"It's a good show." Kagome smiled as she walked to the refrigerator and poured Arahim an iced tea. "How about you kids go into the study to do your homework and let the grown- ups talk.
Kagome led Arahim, Kimora and Samara down the hallway to the study leaving Sasuke alone with Koga and Inuyasha. After a period of awkward silence, Sasuke cleared his throat and looked at Koga.
"So we meet again." He said.
"Yep." Koga picked his tooth and glared at him.
"Kagome tells me you're very good friends."
"Does she now?" Koga said. "Did she mention that I'm also good friends with her husband, you might know him…the general?"
Sasuke forced a smile as he shifted in his seat. "Yes, the general. I do know."
Inuyasha glared at Sasuke as well. "Do you know my brother, the general?"
"I can't say I've had the pleasure of meeting him, no."
"Hmph…"Inuyasha scoffed.
"That's odd because he knows a lot about you." Koga muttered as he leaned back into the couch, throwing his arms behind his head. "He has pictures of you and Kagome having lunch together the other day."
Sasuke looked nervous. "D-does he now? Well, it was a friendly lunch. We were just catching up."
"Mmhm, didn't look that way." Koga scowled.
"You misunderstand. I respect Kagome and her marriage."
Kagome came back and let out a huge sigh. "Wow, kids, huh? So, what were you guys talking about?"
"Nothing." They all said.
Kagome looked suspiciously at them for a moment then landed her eyes on Koga and Inuyasha.
"Don't you guys have somewhere to be now?"
"Nope." They both said.
Kagome squinted at them and rolled her eyes. The air was thick with tension. "Wine anyone?"
"Please…"they all said.
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Sesshomaru alighted from his private jet, placing his Gucci shades on. Sara followed behind holding stacks of folders in hand. They were immediately led to a limo to meet Bishop Giovanni at the Vatican. Sesshomaru was very distant from Sara the past few days. He wasn't dense. He knew very well she was started to become attracted to him. It didn't help that he unintentionally made a pass at her while under the influence of brandy. Being away from Kagome so long, the pain wasn't easy to deal with but drinking made it very vulnerable for him to make a mistake. What if Sara acted on her emotions, and he was delirious enough to think she was Kagome. Being unfaithful was low and frowned upon to any species whether human or demon. Even though there was conflict of interest, he had no time to find another secretary so he just had to put up with her puppy love.
"My Lord, would you like to look at the files again?" she said. The past few days Sara had gone under an extreme makeover. It was a little ironic that her wardrobe and hairstyle resembled Kagome's.
"Hand them to me." He said and she did. She brushed her fingers against his and he retracted his hand quickly. His cellphone rang and he answered it. "What news?"
Sara watched as he listened in and nodded. Her stomach fluttered as she watched every single move of his lips, his face, his hands. He removed his shades and his amber eyes looked out of the window. The sunset met his eyes and she had almost wanted to claw her eyes out he was so beautiful.
"You tell Headmaster Cho that if he continues to threaten my wife about expelling my daughter that I will have him impaled at the DDC execution court." Sesshomaru spat. "And what else?"
Sara admired the way he defended his wife even though he was thousands of miles away. It also made her jealous beyond belief. She saw his face turn pale and wondered what he was just told.
"What do you mean he was at my house? Who invited him? How long did he stay? Were they alone?"
There was another long pause as he listened to his cellphone. Sara was startled when he crushed his phone into pieces.
"That man has a lot of nerve…"
"What's wrong, sir?"
"Nevermind…I need a new phone." He spat.
Sara was already on top of it. She searched on the internet for cellphone stores around the Vatican and called ahead to purchase a phone and activate it.
"Done." She said. She was so proud that she handled it in seconds but frowned when he didn't acknowledge it. He lit a cigarette and glared out the window.
They met Bishop Giovanni at the Government Palace where he led them down an underground corridor. Swiss guards stood at their posts every few feet as they walked past to a large wooden door under St. Peter's Basilica.
"You are very lucky, Lord Sesshomaru. They are being transported to the states tonight to receive the punishment they deserve. They've admitted to killing 10 human tourists including a child and 5 hanyous."
"Any information about where their motives derive from? Who's issuing these actions?"
"According to them?" Bishop Giovanni looked solemnly at him. "God."
The guards opened the door, and they were escorted by another guard into a white room. A man stood up from his desk and glared at Sesshomaru.
"A demon?" the man growled. "Bishop Giovanni, how could you-"
"Relax, Joseph. He is a dear friend of mine. He is the sole reason why we have our suspects in our custody."
"But-"
"Now, don't be a burden and give us access to cells A6, A22, B5, and C2."
"I'm sorry, sir. But to bring such an unholy presence into the house of God is blasphemous; I cannot be a part of this. Demons have killed so many…"
"So have humans." Sara barked.
"What are you, his demon lover?" Joseph spat.
Bishop Giovanni sighed. "Joseph, you're sounding very ignorant right now. I urge you to-"
They all gasped as Sesshomaru gripped Joseph by the neck and lifted him up from the floor.
"I do not have the time to deal with your ignorance, Joseph! I am pressed for time so the access to these cells would be much obliged."
Joseph choked as he tried to regain his breathing and handed the cards to them with a shaking hand. Sesshomaru snatched it as he walked off, Sara struggled to keep up.
Bishop Giovanni shook his head at Joseph.
"You're such a fool, boy. That is not just any demon. He is their leader and he is married to a human and he has been our ally for years. You must learn never to judge, that is only for God to do."
Sesshomaru sat in the interrogation room and sighed. The first three guys did not want to cooperate. He was not about to give up. Hopefully, this last one would give in. They brought him in, he was no older than 18 years old. His name was Eric. When Eric sat down, Sesshomaru's eyes probed his.
"Demon!" Eric growled.
"Yes, that is correct." Sesshomaru sat across from him and lit a cigarette.
"We will murder you all." The kid said and Sesshomaru chuckled.
"I'd like to see you try."
"'Talk no more so very proudly; let not arrogance come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed..'"
Sesshomaru exhaled smoke into the air, he smirked, revealing a fang to the boy. "Ah, quoting 1 Samuel 2:3."
Eric's eyes widened. He stared at Sesshomaru for a moment and looked away.
"Don't look so shocked. I am filled with surprises." Sesshomaru took another pull of his cigarette. "So God told you to kill humans because?"
"for the cause. They were mere sacrifices for the cause. The world needs to see how Demons and Humans should not coexist. We needed people to believe Demons were killing humans again."
"But they aren't. You, humans, are. Who is filling your head with this nonsense?"
"It is not nonsense! God told us we had to do this! Anyway, you may have caught me but the Angelos, messengers of God are many and you can't catch us all. We will prevail."
"Right…" Sesshomaru looked bored. "So you're prepared to die for this? You will be killed when they send you back to the states."
Eric must have not known, his face said it all. His olive skin had gone ghostly white and his lip trembled.
"If…if I must die then…I must die." He said.
Sesshomaru refrained from smiling. He was so close to breaking him. He was just a kid, after all; a brainwashed little kid.
"It's a shame because you really don't have to die. You help me out, and with one word from me, your life is spared."
"You think you can buy me, demon! I'm prepared for my consequences."
Sesshomaru had files set in front of him containing every single little information on the boy sitting in front of him. Eric Harding, 18 years old, from Los Angeles, California. He lived in Foster care since he was 15 and ran away six months ago. He has a little sister in the system.
"So, you're willing to leave Stacy all by herself. She's, what, 12 years old. You're 18. You can legally adopt her and give her a good life."
Eric panted, tears pouring out of his eyes. "She's…she's better off without me."
"Better off with a stranger than her own brother? I see…perhaps I will see to it that she is taken care of."
"What do you mean by that!" Eric shoots up and reached over the table but the cuffs and chains only allow him to get so close. He was inches from Sesshomaru who contained a smirk.
"No sense in elaborating, you'll be dead by tomorrow night."
Sesshomaru was losing his patience. This boy was more resilient than he'd let on. He was sure he had him but the boy seemed dead set on dying for 'the cause.'
"I have nothing to offer Stacy! I cannot help you even if I wanted to!"
"What if I told you that you'd be free by tomorrow to pick Stacy up and be provided shelter and money until you could manage on your own? You could leave this mess behind."
"But I've killed…"
"and you could save many more now if you told me everything." Sesshomaru's expression remained firm. There was no more time to waste. He needed to end this and get back to his life.
"If I help you, they'll find me and kill me."
"I'll kill them first." Sesshomaru said, confidently.
"You promise that I'll see Stacy and we'll be safe?"
"I am a man of my word." Sesshomaru looked at his watch. "However, I am not the most patient so you need to spit this out or I might go back on-"
"Okay, okay, okay!" Eric cried. "I will tell you everything I know."
Sesshomaru smirked and looked over his shoulder at the double sided mirror behind him. He twirled his finger around for them to commence the recording.
"Talk!"
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"Your honor! Objection! He's badgering the witness!" Kagome shouted.
"sustained. Counselor., you better rephrase your question,"
The prosecutor nodded. "Alright, Mrs. Hudson, did you or did you not see Mr. Poetta in the car with Madeline on the night before she was murdered."
Kagome tried very hard not to space out. Her client kept nudging her to pay attention. Focus, Kagome, focus! She couldn't. Not after seeing Sesshomaru in the newspapers with his secretary in Germany. The photo captured Sara gazing at Sesshomaru with a smile. Sesshomaru had a smirk as well.
Remember Kagome, photos don't capture the complete truth. He could be smiling about anything. Maybe he had a really good burrito? Why couldn't he just hire her as his private secretary so she could be with him 24/7. Oh, that's right, she couldn't because of the kids!
"Counselor, your witness!" the judge shouted and Kagome snapped out of it. Come on, Kagome, you can win this!
Later on in the day, Kagome slumped to her office feeling defeated. She lost her case. She never loses. She evaded the partner of the firm and asked Yura to make an excuse for her as she left. She needed to wallow privately in the comfort of her own home. For the millionth time, she called Sesshomaru in hopes that he'd pick up. The phone usually rang and went straight to voicemail but this time it went straight to voicemail without ringing. Did he turn off his phone? He never turned off his phone. The only times he turned off his phone is if she complained about it at night when they were making love and it would go off every second. Don't think about it, Kagome, Don't you dare think about it.
Too late. She thought about it. She thought how Sara was seducing him and how vulnerable he was. What if he was drinking? What if he was so drunk that his senses were impaired? Kagome felt her gums tighten. Oh no, relax, Kagome. Stop stressing out or it's going to start!
Too late. It started. She felt her teeth extend in her mouth. She clasped her hand over her mouth and turned to Haji in pain. He rested a palm behind her neck and hailed another guard to get the car.
"Just calm down, Lady Kagome. The car is on its way. I left the medicine in the glove compartment. My apologies. You've been fine lately."
"It's okay." Kagome winced through the pain. "I just need to relax."
"Would you like me to call Dr. Paulovich?"
"No, no…"Kagome said. "Just take me home please!"
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Koga's phone rang and he looked at the number. Not recognizing it, he looked at Inuyasha and showed him the number.
"No idea, pick it up." Inuyasha said.
"What if it's an ex?" Koga groaned.
"What if it's an emergency?" Inuyasha added.
"Ugh, fine." Koga said and picked it up. "Hello—oh, Sesshomaru? What's with the new number?"
Inuyasha bit into his cheeseburger and watched Koga's expression change.
"Well, yeah, he was at her house but I—" Koga was quiet and sighed. He gestured with his hands to Inuyasha that Sesshomaru was yelling at him.
"Dude, I'm not her keeper, man. She's a grown ass woman! That guy came to the house, relax. Nothing happened. Me and Inuyasha were there."
"Dude!"Inuyasha chucked a fry at him. "Why'd you tell him that?"
Koga ignored him as he listened to Sesshomaru complain.
"His kid goes to the same school as your kids. Huh? What were they talking about? Who, the kids? Oh, Kagome, ok, stop shouting at me! They were just talking about high school and reminiscing about the past!"
Koga covered the phone with his hand. "Dude, I can't take this anymore. Your brother is driving me nuts."
Inuyasha laughed and Koga sighed.
"I know you heard that, you hear everything. What do you want me to do? Tie your wife to a pole and not let her out? You need to trust her and stop acting so psychotic!"
Koga looked around, everyone in the diner was staring at them. He looked resigned as he held his head up with his hand. "Ok, ok, my bad. You're not psychotic. But come on, this is crazy. You leave her alone for months, what do you expect? She's not a nun, dude. Girls have needs too."
Inuyasha clasped his forehead. "You shouldn't have said that, bro."
Koga pulled the phone away from his ear and dumped it onto the tray.
"Let's get out of here, man. I got a fuckin' headache now!"
Inuyasha grabbed the cellphone from the tray and pressed it to his ear.
"Hey, bro, how's Germany? What? Uh…can you stop shouting, it's me, Inuyasha."
Inuyasha cringed and pulled the phone away from his ear and hung up.
"He is out of his mind." Inuyasha said.
"See?" Koga scoffed. "I told you."
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Sesshomaru and Sara headed back to the hotel in Rome. The Majestic Roma where he and Kagome stayed during their modeling era. He even booked the same room they stayed at for two months. He and Sara had just come from a meeting with Russian ministers and there was plenty of Vodka and they didn't take no for an answer.
Sara was very tipsy as she stumbled into the elevator. Her room was a few floors under Sesshomaru's. He, too, was slightly inebriated but still cognizant. Sara swayed left and right as she tried to focus on the buttons in front of her. What floor was she on again? Sesshomaru pressed for her floor then pressed his.
"So, the night's young…"she said.
He didn't look at her. He focused on his emails and messages on his phone. How dare Koga and Inuyasha hang up on him. Should he just spring up out of the blue and see Kagome. Remind her of what they have together? Is it possible she could be swayed toward that man Sasuke just because he hasn't been around for a month? She wouldn't do that. She wasn't that type of woman. She loved him, he knew that. She'd never been with anyone other than him. But he still felt a slight tinge of insecurity. This guy Sasuke was her first love. She was willing to betray her family's desires to be with him. Clearly, he was someone important that could not easily be forgotten?
The elevator stopped at Sara's floor and she got out. She imagined that the doors would close and Sesshomaru would stop it with his hand. She fantasized that he'd walk right up to her, pull her to him and kiss her passionately as he carried her to her room. But she looked back, he didn't say good night. He stared at his phone as the doors closed. Feeling disappointed, she walked to her room. This is not how she expected the night to end. He was supposed to be in her bed. She was supposed to be in his arms. They were leaving back to New York tomorrow night. She read that he and Kagome started here in Italy. This was the very hotel they stayed at and he was sleeping in the room they shared years ago. She was angry. She knew she shouldn't be but she couldn't help it. She wanted him more than she ever wanted anything.
She needed to let him know how she felt before they left for New York. She went into her room. It was beautiful and romantic but the empty bed added more to her depressed state. Sometimes, things don't happen on its own. You have to make it happen.
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Sesshomaru took a quick shower and changed into a pair of wool sweats. He lit a cigarette and grabbed a few files from the table. He poured himself a glass of whiskey and took a few sips as he went over the case again.
Eric had given him a lot of information. However, to his dismay, he had not given him a name. These type of cults always had leaders but the only thing Eric could tell him about this leader is that they called him 'Archangel'. The cults met all over but the major ones were held in New York City. Eric leaked a few safe houses he knew of in NY, and California. Sesshomaru already had the DDC on it. But he needed to catch this 'Archangel'. He was sure now that this was the person threatening him. The same person that killed Naraku.
There was a knock at his door. He stared at it for a moment, taking one more pull of his cigarette before putting it out on the ashtray. He took a few large gulps of his whiskey and set it down on the table. There was another light knock on the door.
He walked over to it and opened it. Sara stood in the doorway, wearing a bathrobe. Her hair was wet.
"What is it?" he said, looking around. Her eyes were glazed and she giggled. Obviously, she was still drunk. "Sara, please go back to your room. We have a long day tomorrow."
"I see how you look at me." She said. "How you fight hard to keep your hands off me."
"What?" Sesshomaru took a step back and shook his head. "Sara…you're highly-"
Sara untied her robe and it dropped to the floor, revealing her naked body. Sesshomaru kept his hand up to keep her away and looked at her face.
"Sara, I am only going to say this once so you do not humiliate yourself any further. You're drunk so listen carefully. Put your robe back on, now!"
Sara smiled at first, thinking he was role playing but his face was serious and she quickly grabbed it from the floor.
"You know that I am a married man?"
"Yes, but not—"
"I am a married man and I am your boss. That's it."
"But you're getting a divorce?"
"No, I am not!" he spat. Why was everyone telling him that? "Whatever is happening between my wife and I is of our concern. I don't care what you hear or what you thought you saw but there is nothing between us."
"But you stroked my hair, you looked at me with these eyes that showed…"
"I was very drunk and I thought you were my wife, that's it! And I apologize for that. It was my mistake to let that happen. If you cannot understand that then I will pay you severance and book you on a flight tonight back to NY but I cannot tolerate this behavior from you. Is that understood?"
Sara felt her face hot as she held back her tears. She felt so embarrassed that she pondered throwing herself out the window right now. Instead, she bowed her head and nodded.
"I am very sorry, sir. I am a little drunk and I'm not thinking clearly. Please don't fire me. I really do need this job and I won't misunderstand next time."
Sesshomaru contemplated for a moment if he should let her go but his actions weren't innocent either. As someone's employer, he put himself in this situation by getting drunk and confusing her with his actions. Then there was another part of him that wanted to let her go because it was the right thing to do. For now, he couldn't make that decision. It would have to wait until he was sober and clear headed. He had to worry about the case. This situation with her was trivial in comparison.
"We will discuss it later. Please retire to your room at once."
"Yes, sir. Once again, I'm so sorry." She said and turned away. He quickly closed the door and rubbed his face.
Jesus Christ, when will it end? The drama. Could he really not have a secretary fall for him? He would beg Lana to come back and work for him. He'd pay her triple and would buy her a condo if that was what it took to have her back. Or he could hire a man. That was also a possibility. But there weren't many male candidates applying for secretarial positions.
He walked over to his desk, poured himself another glass of whiskey and finished it in one gulp. He threw himself on the bed and stared into the ceiling. He couldn't think about Sara right now. All he could think about was this case and getting Kagome back.
He reached for the side of the bed where Kagome would lay when she was last here with him. Every time they came to Rome, they stayed in this exact room. He allowed the whiskey to soothe him and warp his thoughts. The first time he and Kagome made love was in this bed. This is where they spent their honeymoon and they also celebrated their tenth anniversary. He looked toward the balcony where Kagome constantly sat at.
"Oh, no, don't you even think about looking at your phone right now." He had replayed a memory in his mind. "You give me your phone right now and maybe, if you're good, I'll give it back." She teased him as she waved his phone at him and hid it behind her back. "Come and get it…"
His memory was interrupted by the thought of his daughters. Kimora and Samara's birthday was coming up in two weeks. He had to be there. He's already missed so much of their lives. He sighed and tried to let sleep come to him but then he started to think about this guy Sasuke. He was now coming into his home, what was his intention? Did he plan on taking his family? Did he really try to interfere in his life? Kagome was starting to be around this man more. It seemed that fate kept bringing them together. Was it irony that he came back to NY and they ran into each other and that his son goes to the same school as his kids? This meant Kagome would see a lot of him. What if she falls in love with him again?