An Invitation

Beep… beep… beep…

The lull of a continuous monotone beep drew her out of her restless slumber. Her body ached all over, feeling as stiff as a log might be an understatement in her case. Her eyes clenched tightly together as her numbed senses began adjust and sensitizes to her surroundings. The offensive light that illuminated the room felt blinding to her, even if her gazes were shielded and protected by her eyelids. The rustle of blankets and sheets caught her attention—reluctantly, her eyelids parted to find the cause of the sudden movement.

Her breath caught in her chest at the sight of her mother, eyes red and swollen with previously shed tears, tucking her feet in. "Mama…" her throat felt drier than the Sahara desert. Desperate to quench her thirst, she swallowed what little saliva she had in her mouth but that only made her crave water even more so. "Ma.. ma…" she whispered again, her voice cracked.

"My child! Oh!" Kunloon's hand froze in midair at the sound of her daughter's voice. "My baby! Child, you're awake! Thank Kami, thank Kami!" She closed her eyes and whispered a grateful prayer to the watcher of the universe.

Kagome offered the best, most reassuring smile she could muster, but because of the numbness she felt throughout her body, it couldn't have looked very convincing. A movement of black in her peripheral version caught her attention. Though her vision still blurred and hazy, she noticed a figure stood beside her mother holding out a glass of water.

"Here," his smooth voice rolled the thick tension of the room away. The sensation of cool liquid touching her lips reminded her of how parched she was. Without another thought, she parted her lips and greedily drank what he offered her. She barely got enough to quench her thirst when the glass was lifted, taking the lifesaving liquid along with it. "How are you feeling?" she heard him say.

It took her a few moments before she recognized that voice. Her heart started to pound in her ears, her breathing growing rapid and shallow. "Get out…" she gritted through her teeth.

"Kagome," his stoic voice almost had a hint of pleading in it.

"No! Get out! I—I don't want to see you," her voice cracked from its lack of use.

"Kagome, sweetheart! You can't speak to him like that," Kunloon wore a mild scowl on her face as she scolded her child.

Kagome looked at her mother with incredulous eyes, "Mama, he… he and Iny—"

"Enough, dear girl," she held a mature hand up to quiet her daughter. Her lips formed a stubborn line on her face. "He's very worried about you, Kagome. You can't treat the father of your baby so rudely when he's clearly concerned about the two of you."

Her sapphire eyes widen at her mother's comment. Her vision, no longer blurred landed on Sesshoumaru's flawless, stunned. 'What did you tell her? ' her eyes pleaded for an answer. She saw a slight twitch at the corner of his right eye, as if he was debating on whether or not to speak.

"I'm so glad you're awake, Kagome. I was so worried about you," Kunloon began to fumble with the blankets once more. "You should've told me that you're … anyway. I would've supported you. I just, I can't imagine what you were thinking when you didn't want to tell me!" She kept her eyes and hands focused on folding and unfolding the blankets.

Kagome's eyes watered at her mother's confession, although it held a hint of uncertainty. "Mama, I'm sorry…" Even though the fog in her head is diminishing, she couldn't determine if her mother's uncertainty is actually disappointment or not.

Kunloon shook her head, "Well, I'll go see if we can get the nurses to get you something to eat. Sit tight baby, I'll be right back." A soft click of the door echoed through the silent room.

"Did… you tell her?" she dared herself to speak, the mild irritation that her secret was no longer a secret began to bubble into anger.

He shook his head, silent still.

"How… ?"

"The surgeon who operated on you."

"Oh… but why did you… claim it?" Ashamed, she closed her eyes and buried her face into the folds of the soft blanket. "You didn't have to…"

"Then did you wish for your mother to find out you carry the baby of the man who raped you?"

Kagome cringed at his harsh tone, each and every single word stabbed into her heart like dull daggers. Involuntarily tears brimmed on the corner of her eyes as his words circled repeatedly in her head. "How did you find out?" She whispered, her voice barely audible.

"… I have my ways," he answered cryptically after a lengthy pause.

A blanket of silence fell between them, seconds stretched to minutes as neither of them wanted to say a word. In this situation, what could they have said?

-0-

Two weeks had passed before Kagome contacted Sesshoumaru again. He regretted the moment he spoke those words to her in the hospital. Whether he was embarrassed to face her or wanting to give her some time to settle, he wasn't too sure.

'Then did you wish for your mother to find out you carry the baby of the man who raped you?'

He sighed, running an elegant hand through his hair. It was a poor choice of words after what she had gone through. He took the liberty in allocating his family's private investigator and assigning him the task of finding the fool who dared to take advantage of a helpless female.

"Myoga," his lips tilted up into a small grin. "You will find him, won't you?" Despite the man's poor physical stature, he was an irreplaceable asset to his company. Somehow, this man was able to find the tiniest detail with the greatest discretion. If anyone were to help him find the rapist, it would be him.

A vibrating sensation in his blazer's pocket brought him out of his musing. For a second there, he decided to ignore the call assuming it was his idiotic half-brother calling him about Kagome. But after the fourth ring, his phone still vibrated. 'It's not Inuyasha,' he thought cautiously. His brother, being the ever patient fellow he is would hang up after the second ring. Quickly, he retrieved his phone from his pocket and suppressed the urge to gape at the caller ID.

"Kagome?" he answered the call immediately, although he wished he didn't sound so surprised.

"Uhm… hi."

A rare genuine smile graced his lips at the sound of her shyness, or was it hesitancy? "Hello, Miss Kagome," he answered, trying hard to level the mirth out of his voice but hearing her clear her throat through the line only made him even more amused. "To what do I owe this pleasure to?"

"I… uh…," she started to say before he heard her muffle the phone. Sadly, on her part she didn't do an adequate job—he heard her one sided conversation from the line. "Mama, I know. No… Yes… I can't! That's too… Mama! Yes, but it was just once… No! We didn't go all the way! No… I mean… Yes… That's not what I meant! But… He's a busy man… I know… But… FINE."

"Everything alright, Miss Kagome?" Oh heavens help him, he tried to keep the amusement from his voice but he couldn't help the chuckle that bubbled in his throat. He could almost picture her reddened face just as if she was standing in front of him.

"Mama and I… were hoping to invite you to a family dinner. But I mean, you don't have to come, I know you're a busy man with your business and meetings and stuff…"

"It'll be my pleasure to attend," he opted to stop her from babbling. Although, a part of him did enjoy knowing that she was albeit nervous around him.

"Oh okay," a long pause ensued. "Are you sure? You're a businessman and—"

"It seems to me, Miss Kagome that you're trying to persuade me to decline… or am I just over calculating this invitation?" He teased her lightly, reclining back on his black leather office chair; he looked up at his marble tiled ceiling.

"No! I mean… I just didn't want to be a bother to you and all."

"You're not."

"Well… then… would you like to come over for dinner at my family's shrine around 7ish?"

"7… ish, it is then. Until tonight then, Miss Higurashi," he bid her a temporary goodbye and ended the call. It was only a quarter past two in the afternoon; he had several hours to complete the endless amounts of paperwork that came hand in hand with his position in the business. Now was a good time as any to start.

"Bring in the contracts and proposals for the new excavation the marketing department drew up," he ordered his secretary through the intercom. It didn't take long for his secretary to bring in the required documents. In fact, it hadn't been more than two minutes since he requested for them.

"Here you are, Mr. Taishou. Then, excuse me," she muttered hurriedly before giving him a quick bow.

"What is the rush, Mrs. Shiki?" He noticed her antsy behavior as if she was treading on eggshells barefooted. She began to stammer, his patience began to slowly run thin. "If it is that you need to leave, Mrs. Shiki… I don't the need for you to stay."

"Mr. Taishou, please don't fire me! I need this job, I—"

Sesshoumaru held up a hand to silence her, "I haven't mentioned firing you, Mrs. Shiki. You seem to be on the edge and I only wished to convey that you may take the rest of the day off if need be."

"Wh…" she stared at him with incredulous eye, not quite sure how to handle the situation. He had always been strict and unforgiving when it came to being his secretary. "A-are you sure, Mr. Taishou?"

"I suggest you leave now before I change my decision," he said, not caring to look up from his documents.

Mrs. Tsubaki Shiki grinned from ear to ear and bowed repeatedly in gratitude before scurrying quickly out of the immaculate office. For a moment there, she thought hell had frozen over. Or maybe the moon will be blue tonight or perhaps the sky was actually green. 'To whatever bug that ate away his grumpiness, thank you!'

Somewhere in the distance, within the Higurashi family shrine, Kagome sneezed.

/

JR- Longer chapter to make up for the lack of updates. I can't say I will update regularily right now, life is very very hectic!