Misconceptions and Misunderstandings
Chapter 14
Kagome's arms circled his waist. "Sesshoumaru. You remembered!"
She pressed her cheek to his chest. "What else do you remember?"
He folded his arms around her. "Not much… yet."
She looked up at him Her eyes swimming with tears of happiness.
"But if you remembered something, then you should eventually remember everything."
She pulled at his hand. "Let's tell the others. Inuyasha and Shippo have been so worried."
He let her lead him back to the house. He'd wanted to spend some time alone with her, but if going back would make her happy... He still didn't understand why her happiness was so important to him. He only knew that it was.
The first person they met on their return was Shippo.
"Hey, I was just looking for you. Lunch is ready. When did you get back Sesshoumaru? I thought you and Inuyasha were spending the day at the office."
Sesshoumaru waved him off. "We never got there."
Kagome did not want to get into why he had come back either.
"He remembered some things."
Shippo grinned. "Really? That's good news. Come on. We can talk over lunch."
Inuyasha was pacing in his room, his cell phone in his hand.
"Can't you postpone it? Find some way to delay it? I'll talk to them. Shippo can talk to them."
He rubbed his temples to try and stall the headache that was building.
"Yeah. Yeah. I hear you. We'll do what we have to. Keep me informed."
He snapped his phone shut. "When it rains, it fucking pours."
He was in a foul mood when he got to the dining room. He straddled his chair and sat down.
"We got problems."
Sesshoumaru raised a brow.
Shippo swallowed and gave him his full attention. "Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like what you are about to tell us?"
"Have you talked to your assistant this morning?"
Shippo nodded. "Early. Why?"
"I just got off the phone with mine. The charity gala to dedicate the children's wing we funded? It's in two days."
Shippo folded his hands under his chin. "And? That's a problem why? If you don't want to go, then I will."
Inuyasha snorted. "If only that was the problem. But noooo. They want his highness. The only way to get out of it is if we go public with his injury. Then the company stock tanks and we're all screwed."
Shippo raked a hand down his face. "Son of a bitch. It's six of one, half a dozen of the other. If he shows up, it's going to be pretty clear something is wrong. What the hell are we supposed to do?"
Inuyasha sighed. "Yeah. Well I don't have a clue. Way too many people there who know him. Either personally, or through the company. No offense Sesshoumaru, but it really won't go over well when some guy who knows you asks you something and you reply 'Excuse me. Just who the fuck are you?'"
Sesshoumaru smirked. "Then there is nothing to worry about. This Sesshoumaru would never say it that way."
Inuyasha groaned. Shippo chuckled. Kagome was munching on her salad as she listened to them go back and forth with ideas. They weren't really getting anywhere. She hadn't known that this event was coming up. Before their marriage, she had attended several of these with Sesshoumaru. She assumed that after… She assumed he had attended on his own and made excuses for her absence.
She cleared her throat to get their attention.
"You say there is no way around it. He has to attend. Fine. No sense complaining. We have two days. He has remembered some things from the past. There should be more to come. Even if he's not back to normal by the gala, we can fake it. We spend the next two days giving him a crash course on what he needs. I've been to these things with him. It helps that he never discusses business at these events. Period. He always tells anyone who tries, to make an appointment. So we don't have to worry about a slip there."
She had their full attention. "We only have to worry about people he should know. Your assistants are competent. Get them on getting a copy of the guest list. We can bring him up to speed on the ones he knows and how they interact. We'll all attend. One of us stays by his side the whole night. If we stay close, we can make sure he doesn't make a slip. If something comes up we can't handle, I'll faint. There will probably be rumors that I'm pregnant, but nothing that will affect the company. We come home and crisis avoided."
Inuyasha and Shippo stared at her open mouthed. Sesshoumaru had a hint of amusement dancing in his golden eyes. All was silent for a moment, then Inuyasha started laughing.
"That's fucking brilliant!"
Shippo stood up. "I'll get my assistant on the guest list. Kagome, you're a lifesaver."
He headed out to make his call. Kagome finished her salad.
"Ok. I need a dress that fits. Inuyasha, finish your lunch. You are taking me shopping."
"What? I hate shopping."
"Get over it. I need you to drive me. Sesshoumaru's recovering memory hasn't reached the driving stage yet. So you 're elected. I'll be down in ten minutes."
His ears flattened to his head as he wolfed down his sandwich. Sesshoumaru left his brother grumbling about the unfairness of it all. He went to the room next to his and knocked. Kagome called out that he could enter. She was surprised to see him.
"Did you need something? Did you remember something else?"
She grabbed her purse after running a comb through her hair. He stood with his hands in his pockets watching her.
"No. I know I don't remember how to drive, but I would like to go with you."
She cocked her head to the side to glance at him. She had not thought to ask if he would like to accompany her. He had always enjoyed shopping with her.
"If you want to go, it's fine with me. I figured it would be a little boring watching me try on clothes."
"I would like to be able to express an opinion on your dress. I also think you could use more than one dress."
She shrugged and put her comb on the dresser. He turned to the door and the room spun. He put out a hand to grab the doorframe. He heard her calling to him as if from a distance.
"Sesshoumaru? Are you alright? Do you need to sit down?"
He had a vision of Kagome in front of her door. But not this one. He had just told her he wanted her to go shopping and buy some clothes because hers no longer fit. Why didn't they fit? She told him she had cut up something called a credit card and couldn't go shopping. Then she closed the door in his face.
He looked up to see Kagome, with a worried expression. Her hand was on his arm. He let go of the doorframe and straightened.
"What is a credit card? And why would you cut it up?"
She backed away from him. She didn't know what to say to him. She couldn't answer his question without telling him everything. She wasn't sure he was ready for it. She knew she wasn't. She took his arm and steered him out the door.
"A credit card is what you use to pay for your purchases instead of money. We should get your wallet. I'll explain them and how you use them before we get there. I cut up the one you gave me because I never used it. You always went shopping with me and used yours."
She hoped he would be satisfied with that.
He digested her answer. He would examine it later. After the conclusion of the shopping trip. He had the feeling that she would be uncomfortable if he asked any more questions about the memory. But he had to know.
"This was not always your room was it? You had another one. A smaller one. Didn't you?"
She gave him a nervous smile and tugged on his hand.
"The other room reminded me of my old room at home. I wasn't used to big rooms. You wanted me in this one, so I moved. I'm still getting used to being here."
So it was a recent move? He knew she wasn't telling him the complete truth. He wished he could remember what had come between them, for he was now certain that whatever it was, it was big. And something that she was avoiding telling him. Why? Did she fear his reaction? The memory flash he'd just experienced had unnerved him. In it, her eyes were lifeless. As if she had ceased to care about anything. What had happened to change her so?
She led him into his room next door. She went to his dresser and picked up a square object made from animal hide. She opened it and showed him its contents. She explained what everything was. There was a driver's license that had his picture on it. Well a picture of him using his concealment spell that is. There were several of the things called credit cards. There were pictures of her. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. He could swear he saw tears before she composed herself. It was as if she was surprised to see them.
Kagome fought back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. The last thing she expected to see in his wallet were pictures of her. He had made it clear on their wedding night that he didn't want to see her anymore. Why would he still have the pictures? It didn't make sense. He even carried a small one of her official wedding portrait. The full length one that showed off her dress. The one they had chosen to send to the newspaper with the wedding announcement. She was confused.
She handed him the wallet and told him to carry it in his right hand back pants pocket. He slipped it into the pocket and somehow the motion seemed familiar. She then tugged on his hand again and they hurried down the stairs to find Inuyasha pacing impatiently at the bottom.
"You said ten minutes. Let's get this over with."
She apologized. "I'm sorry Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru wants to go with us. I had to answer some questions for him and he had another memory flash."
Inuyasha snorted. "Keh! Whatever. I don't suppose I could be lucky enough that the memory flash was a fucking driving lesson?"
She reached up and thumped his ear. He yelped and grabbed it.
"What the hell was that for?"
"You don't wear the rosary anymore and I didn't have a rolled up newspaper handy."
He closed his mouth.
She marched past him and out the door. Inuyasha was still rubbing his ear as Sesshoumaru walked by him.
"Perhaps if you didn't act like an untrained pup, she wouldn't treat you like one."
He let a small smile curl his lips as he heard his brother's growl. This shopping trip could prove most entertaining. After listening to the miko's argument for giving him the front seat, there was no need for him to fold his taller frame into the tiny backseat when she could easily fit, they were on their way.
They traveled the same road that Inuyasha had taken this morning. Kagome told Inuyasha where she wished to go. As they got closer to the shopping district, Sesshoumaru watched the sights closely hoping that something would inspire another memory flash. But nothing seemed familiar to him.
None of the shops they visited seemed familiar to Sesshoumaru, but watching Kagome try on clothes certainly did. He was sure that he had sat outside of numerous dressing rooms waiting patiently for her to ask his opinion of what she had chosen. For the most part he held his opinion until he saw her in the dress. He had however vehemently objected to one dress before she even got it to the dressing room. She blushed when he told her she was far too young to be dressing like an old woman. But she did put the dress back.
He waited now with one leg draped casually over the other as she tried on the choices from this shop. He had high hopes for at least two of the offerings. Inuyasha was busy flirting with the sales girl. She was blushing like a schoolgirl thinking he was being serious. Sesshoumaru knew better. He had pulled this in every shop they had been in. He was bored to start with and then Kagome had expressed her distaste for pushy salesgirls standing over her trying to force a sale by being obnoxious. So Inuyasha had made it his job to distract the salesgirl so Kagome could try on the clothes in peace.
Kagome ran her hands down the skirt of the dress to smooth it. She turned slowly in front of the mirror. The dress fit like it was made for her. A deep royal blue in color, it was strapless with a shirred bodice that clung to her breasts. The skirt was fitted, but not too tight. It fell to just above her knees. She had to admit that it looked good. She took a breath and left the dressing room. Perhaps he would like this one. He had shot down every other dress she had tried on.
Sesshoumaru looked up as Kagome came out. She was wearing the blue one. She twirled slowly so he could see the dress from all angles. He nodded.
"Don't bother with the others. You will wear this one to the gala."
She breathed a sigh of relief. She had forgotten how picky he was. He was probably the only person in existence who could exhaust her when it came to shopping.
Kagome went back in to take off the dress. He thought about the dress while she was gone. The dress looked good on her, but it was missing something. He continued to think about what it needed while they paid for it. Inuyasha had left with yet another phone number. It seemed the anti social hanyou had become quite the playboy. Sesshoumaru wondered if he would ever call one of them.
Walking back to the car, Sesshoumaru spotted a shop that sold jewelry. That's what the dress is missing. He had no idea what kind of jewelry Kagome had. She never wore any. He headed for the shop leaving Kagome and Inuyasha to follow. He was attacked as soon as he walked in the door. The salesgirl bowed and called him by name. It seemed he was as well known as he had been told. The salesgirl certainly seemed to be well acquainted with the size of his bank account as she tried to steer him to the most expensive things in the shop.
"I am looking for a necklace. Sapphire. To go with my wife's new dress."
She gave a wide smile. "Oh, I have just the thing. This way please."
She led him to a display case in the back. He was frowning before she had the key out of her pocket. The necklace was huge. It had three dangling sapphires from a wide collar of diamonds.
"My wife's beauty does not need to be overshadowed by such a gaudy monstrosity."
The salesgirl's enthusiasm fell. She just knew she had bagged a sizable commission off of him.
Her manager had overheard the exchange.
"Perhaps I can show you something more to your taste."
He held out a hand indicating another display case. Sesshoumaru followed him. The manager unlocked the case and lifted out a pendant. It was simple in design, showcasing a single oval sapphire surrounded by accenting diamonds. The color was a deep, clear blue. While the stone was large, it was not overwhelming. It dangled from a simple platinum chain.
Sesshoumaru took the pendant and turned to Kagome. He draped it across her neck. It was the just the right length to lay just below her throat and above the bodice of her dress.
"It's perfect. I'll take it."
Ever the salesman with an eye to another sale, the manager asked, "I have some very nice earrings that will go well with this."
Sesshoumaru shook his head. "My wife will be wearing her hair down."
Kagome was speechless. He hadn't even asked the price. And it was a very expensive piece of jewelry. She had a feeling that if he had truly liked the rock quarry that the girl had shown him, he wouldn't have asked the price of it either. She watched him slip the velvet box into his pocket. He pressed his hand to her back to guide her out of the shop.
"We can go home now. Unless you wish to shop a while longer."
Before she could answer, Inuyasha's ears flattened and he snorted. "Oh hell no! You got what we came for. That's all I agreed to. You want to stay, you can get a taxi home."
Kagome giggled. "You used to love to shop with me."
He rolled his eyes. "That was five hundred years ago. Everything here was new to me then. Now there's nothing here worth having to endure these horrible smells one second longer than I have to. Now I don't have to follow along to make sure you buy ramen. I just have the cook get it for me."
Kagome laughed. "You'll never change will you?"
Sesshoumaru thought she was beautiful before. It was nothing compared to her face when she laughed. It was a musical sound. He wanted to hear it more often. Sadness had no place in her life. Her unguarded eyes told him she had known far too much of it in her young life. He vowed to do whatever he could to chase that sadness away from her life forever. First he had to remember what had put it there.
To be continued….