Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

words: 3,342; prompt: Flakes Flutter, Christmas Challenge Dokuga_contest; rating: K+

December 21—Secrets, Secrets Hurt Someone

(Days until Christmas: 4)

Kagome laughed gaily at the joke Inuyasha had just told and shifted her bags. The first flakes of snow were just starting to drift down from an overcast sky and their breath made little puffs of condensation in the cool air.

"Shall we go in here before we call it a night?" she asked, gesturing toward the small sweet shoppe on the corner. "We could get a coffee or something."

Inuyasha gave her an amused grin, eyeing the way her purchases kept slipping down her arms. "I'm not sure we could get you through the door," he teased.

"Oh, stop," Kagome smiled, shoving her way through the shop's entrance. Inuyasha followed her to a table and helped unburden her.

"What do you want, I'll get it," he offered, grinning as she attempted to yank off a particularly stubborn package that was twisted around her purse.

"Just a coffee is fine," she replied. "Just a touch of cream and two sugars, please," she added.

Inuyasha sauntered up to the counter and proceeded to flirt with the barista, complimenting her outrageously as she made their drinks. He flashed her a saucy wink before bringing the beverages back to the their table, smirking when Kagome cocked an eyebrow at his behavior.

"So," he asked, setting her coffee in front of her and sitting in the seat opposite. "What have you been up to lately?"

"Oh, nothing much since you last saw me," Kagome dismissed, taking an appreciative sip. "We had our last job today before Christmas—a truly awful society matron hooplah, let me tell you—and I've given everyone the rest of the week off."

"Is that why you finally have time to shop for presents?" Inuyasha asked curiously.

"Mostly. Thanks for helping me find something for Sesshoumaru. I wasn't sure what to get him since he never seems to buy anything for himself."

"Yeah... it's hard to buy for the guy who has everything... though I think he'll like what you got him," Inuyasha mused.

"Well, I hope so," Kagome smiled. "What does your family do for the holidays, then? Anything special?"

"Why," Inuyasha smirked, "planning somethin' special with the boyfriend for Christmas? Maybe a special... event?"

Kagome blushed at the insinuation. "That is absolutely none of your business," she scolded. "And besides, I always spend Christmas day with my family. I rarely see them during December because of how busy we are, so I always set aside Christmas and New Year's for them."

"You don't do New Year's parties?" Inuyasha wondered, surprised.

"Well, last year we got requests for them, but I turned them down. We encourage shrine visits instead, which is what most people do anyway. My family owns a shrine, so I send people there, and we announce local shrines and events on our website. It's not a big deal to take that one holiday off."

"I suppose," Inuyasha agreed.

They sipped their drinks in silent companionship for several minutes before Kagome ventured, "Tell me a bit about you and your family, Inuyasha. I don't know much about you."

"Well, I grew up in Tokyo with my dad and mom and Sesshoumaru. Sessh and I didn't get along great as kids—still don't, really, but we're better than we used to be—and he wasn't always around 'cause he would switch every two weeks living with my parents and his mom."

"They divorced before you were born?"

"Eh heh," Inuyasha breathed nervously, rubbing his neck in embarrassment. "Not exactly. Dad had an affair with my mom and when Harumi found out that mom was pregnant with me, she left dad. They got divorced a couple years after that—somethin' about money made it take awhile—and then dad married my mom. But divorce is a human thing, so it was more complicated than a paper separation. Sesshoumaru's mom and dad were mates, and he basically broke a bond. Demon bonds are a lot more permanent than human ones, so..." Inuyasha trailed off and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, to say the least, Harumi's never been on great terms with us, and it sorta messed with my relationship with Sessh for a long time."

"I can imagine," Kagome muttered.

"Don't tell him I told you," Inuyasha said quickly. "He doesn't like to talk about his mom, and I'm sure he'll tell you his side of the story when he's ready. He'd be pissed if he knew I spilled the beans."

Kagome flashed a bemused smile, but agreed readily not to let Sesshoumaru know Inuyasha was airing out the family closets.

"Let's talk about something happier," Kagome suggested. "What kind of work do you do?"

"Well, you already know that I work with dad, and my family owns a venture—" Inuyasha cut himself off, eyes widening comically. "OH no!" he spat. "You're not getting it out of me that easily!"

Kagome smirked. "Venture, venture... venture capital?" she mused. "Your family owns a venture capital business, don't they?"

Shock registered on Inuyasha's face and his eyes took on a sheen of terror. "Do not tell Sesshoumaru that I let that slip. He will kill me."

"We're keeping an awful lot of secrets from your brother," Kagome said airily, still smiling. The tense look didn't leave Inuyasha's face and she sighed. "Don't worry, I won't say anything. I'm not even sure what the big deal is. I don't care that your family owns a venture capital business."

Inuyasha breathed a sigh of relief and Kagome continued, "I mean, it's not as thought there's a conflict of interest and your family's company invested in our start-up costs..." Kagome stopped as she noticed the expression of horror that had taken ahold of Inuyasha. "Wait a minute," she said slowly, the truth beginning to dawn on her.

Inuyasha winced.

"Wait," Kagome said again. "That's it, isn't it. That's why he doesn't want me to know! Your company is my company's investor, isn't it! Isn't it!"

"I really can't say," Inuyasha admitted in a pained voice. Sesshoumaru was going to murder him.

"Oh yes you can," Kagome argued. "What is the name of your family's company, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha steeled his resolve and clamped his mouth shut. He was determined not to give away more than he already had. She could do her own research and figure it out; he would not be responsible for blowing the secret that could very well destroy his brother's relationship. Unfortunately for Inuyasha, he had always been exceptionally awful at keeping secrets from pretty girls.

"What is the name of the company, Inuyasha?" Kagome demanded, eyes flashing. "So help me, you tell me what it is, or I'll... I'll... I'll tell Sesshoumaru you copped a feel!"

"What!" Inuyasha yelped. "But I didn't!"

Kagome smiled a very slow, very naughty sort of smile. "You know that, and I know that. But who do you think Sesshoumaru's going to believe, hmm?"

"You are Satan," Inuyasha spat. "Fine, you conniving, evil genius, it's West Capital Management."

Kagome gasped, sufficiently scandalized. "I didn't actually think your family invested in our company!" she shrieked, effectively bringing all conversation in the small shop to a stand-still. "What the hell, Inuyasha! Why on earth did no one tell me this earlier? This isn't a joke!"

Inuyasha fluttered his hands furiously, trying in vain to get Kagome to quiet down. "Shhh," he hissed. "Stop freaking out. I'll explain everything if you just calm down."

"No!" Kagome shouted. "No, I will not calm down! Why the hell did no one tell me? Any why is Sesshoumaru interning at a company that he effectively owns!"

"Kagome, please," Inuyasha begged. She ignored him, gripping her coffee cup so tightly that the hot liquid splashed onto her hand and burned her, leaving an angry red mark.

"Tell. Me. NOW," she threatened, looking fit to kill. Inuyasha gulped nervously.

"Fine. Fine, but not here." He stood and gathered her bags, shooting the barista an apologetic half-smile before leaving the shop, Kagome stalking angrily behind him. They walked several blocks to where his car was parked , both too absorbed in their own thoughts to pay much attention to the snow that was quickly accumulating on the sidewalk and streets.

When they reached Inuyasha's car, Kagome tapped her foot impatiently on the curb while he stowed her bags in the trunk. When he opened the door for her, Kagome flung herself into the car, crossing her arms and huffing and snorting as Inuyasha took his time joining her. When he was finally situated, she spat, "Explain."

Inuyasha sighed and covered his face with his hands. He didn't know who would wind up killing him first, Kagome or Sesshoumaru. He was betting on Kagome due to proximity, which was probably lucky, because if Sesshoumaru got to him first, there wouldn't be enough of him left to scrape off the pavement.

"My family owns West Capital Management. Up until about four months ago, Sesshoumaru was the vice president and my dad, president and CEO. Sesshoumaru had been slated to take over the presidency for years, but just as dad was ready to retire and Sessh planning his takeover, dad announced that he wasn't ready and wouldn't hand over the position.

"According to him, Sesshoumaru wouldn't be able to be successful because he was too far removed from normal people to accurately predict the success of a business. I mean, he did real well with investing in large companies, but he almost never took chances on small companies. Dad needed him to diversify to be president. Well, of course, my stubborn idiot of a brother takes the challenge to heart, and literally starts investing in only small businesses. That was probably about two years ago."

"Wait," Kagome interrupted. "That's within the time you guys invested in Four Souls. Are you telling me, it wasn't just the decision of the board or your dad, but Sesshoumaru himself who made the decision to invest in our company?"

Inuyasha grimaced. "Probably. When did you start your company?"

"In August, about a year and a half ago."

"Well, it could have been someone else, I suppose, but I wasn't acquiring any companies then, and Sesshoumaru has almost exclusively acquired the small investments since then, so…"

"So it was him," Kagome assessed sullenly. "I suppose you all think this is some big joke, to have him infiltrate our working environment as an innocent intern, investigating our inner workings so you can pull the plug without remorse or something. Well, let me tell you something, Inuyasha Saiga," she shouted. "I absolutely will not let that happen!" she shouted. "I'll buy the whole damned company myself if I have to!"

"No!" Inuyasha protested. "That's not… that's not what happened. I mean, no one is going to shut down Four Souls. In fact, if that happened, I imagine Sessh would be pretty pissed, since that's sort of the opposite of what he's trying to do."

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked, eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Well, see, after a few years of finding out that he was actually good—really good—at investing in small companies, he decided he didn't want to take over for dad anymore. Not only had he discovered several successful start-ups, he actually helped save a lot of local businesses from bankruptcy. He developed quite a name for himself among the businesses he saved. Ayame's and Seven Brothers were both companies he saved, actually."

"But if he was so successful, how does not wanting the presidency make any sense?" Kagome wondered angrily.

"Well, he figured that he was so good, and had made so much money, that he just wanted to start his own company. Independence or something, I dunno. Anyway, he told dad that was his plan, and dad laughed at him. And I think you've known Sesshoumaru long enough to know that you just don't laugh at him."

Kagome smirked despite herself. "True enough. But why was it such a far-fetched idea?"

"Well, it's not like Sesshoumaru could have had the companies he saved switch investors—officially West Capital Management owns them. In order to keep his clients, Sesshoumaru would have to be so successful that he could buy the companies out from under dad's nose."

"Wait. You're telling me that Sesshoumaru had—has—the chance to inherit the company, and instead he wants to do things the hard way and start his own company and then buy the company he would be in charge of anyway?"

Inuyasha raised his hands defensively. "I never said it made much sense to me. Except right now, our company is so large that it has a board of directors. While he was vice president, Sesshoumaru could basically do what he wanted and let dad take the fall if something went wrong. Being Sessh, it rarely did, but his actions still weren't governed very strongly.

"If he takes the presidency, all that changes. Not to mention, his time would mostly be focused on the large, publicly-owned companies we support. I think he found out that he likes working with small businesses more. He doesn't want to buy dad's whole company, just the businesses he acquired. That way he can focus on the type of investments he enjoys without interference and keep profiting from the investments he already made."

"Okay, I get it, but I still don't understand what that has to do with him accepting an internship at a company he invested in. A tiny company he invested in, a new one, with a grand total of four employees."

"I'm getting to that," Inuyasha explained. "You're sort of the unwitting part of a bet."

"A bet?" Kagome growled. Inuyasha winced.

"Yeah, well… Dad challenged Sesshoumaru to choose one company that he acquired. A little one that, if it had been anyone else, never would have been invested in. Something destined to fail."

"Destined to fail?" Kagome shouted. "You all think we're destined to fail?"

"Stop!" Inuyasha interrupted. "No one thinks that. I'm saying that dad wouldn't have invested in you on his own, but Sesshoumaru did, and he believes in you. Would you just let me finish?"

Kagome huffed, but fluttered her hand in acceptance.

"Dad bet him that if Sessh could ensure this company did well, despite all the odds against them—and you have to admit that in this city, they were against you—or prove to dad that it was a sound investment in the first place, he'd accept that Sessh is ready to start his own company. And if he succeeded, as a concession, since Sesshoumaru was the one who single-handedly acquired all the small companies in the first place, Dad will give him all the companies he originally acquired.

"So Sesshoumaru chose you. And before you ask, this was based on several factors, not the least of which is that your company is tiny and unassuming and that he had a major crush on you from the minute he laid eyes on you. But instead of just pumping money in or monitoring your daily activities, he decided to quit his job at West and join your team. So that's where you are now," Inuyasha finished lamely.

Kagome was gobsmacked for several moments as she absorbed this information. Inuyasha opened his mouth to ask her something, but she silenced him with a finger. "Just… just give me a minute to process this," she told him, her mouth set into a firm line.

Finally, Kagome said, "I have a question. What happens if he loses the bet?"

"Well, he has to take the presidency, I guess. I wasn't there when they made the bet, so I actually have no idea."

"Hmm," Kagome muttered. "Okay, then, what constitutes a company succeeding or failing? I mean, something like that could take years to determine."

"Oh yeah. They set a time limit. Six months. Sesshoumaru has six months for the company he chose to turn a profit."

"But we're only a year and half old! There's no way we can turn a profit in such a short amount of time!"

Inuyasha shrugged. "I don't know what your financials look like, so I have no idea if it's possible. But he has four more months to do it. And in case you hadn't noticed, Sesshoumaru does pretty much whatever he sets his mind to."

"So you're basically telling me that I've been employing a man who owns my company as my errand boy, and I'm dating my investor," Kagome mumbled sullenly.

"That's about the size of it, yeah," Inuyasha agreed reluctantly.

"I'm going to kill him," Kagome said casually, the tone of her voice belying her rage.

"No!" Inuyasha yelped. "You promised you wouldn't say anything if I told you. And if you kill him, he'll kill me."

"Fine then," Kagome conceded. "You can be the one to explain to him why I'm breaking up with him."

"What?" Inuyasha shouted, but Kagome was already halfway out the door. "Wait! You can't break up with him over this! And I certainly can't tell him!" he whined.

"I can and I will. He lied to me, and at this point, it's a matter of ethics. I have no intention of dating your brother while he's in the middle of a sordid bet with your father over the state of their company, which apparently hinges on the success of mine. For that matter, he no longer works for me either. He can figure out a way to win his stupid wager on his own."

"Kagome, please don't do this," Inuyasha admonished as she began to shut the door. She whipped toward him and he cringed at the sight of her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"You should have been saying that to your brother months ago, Inuyasha. Don't ask me to sacrifice my principles to play your brother's stupid games. I don't know when he was planning on telling me, if he was planning on telling me at all, but I'm not like him. I don't purposefully hurt those I love!"

"Then don't break up with him!" Inuyasha begged.

"And how do you think the rest of my employees will feel when they find out they've been played for fools? I will not let them continue to be unwitting participants in this, Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru can just find another way to meet his goals, because I am done."

"Kagome, please."

The tears that had been threatening to spill finally slid over her cheeks. "It's over, Inuyasha. If he really wanted a chance with me, he should have told me his intentions from the beginning instead of pretending to be something he wasn't. The man I fell in love with was just a shy intern, someone trying to turn his life around and start new in a field he loved. Not a philanthropist so bent on making money and meeting his quota that he'd throw anyone under the bus and date the owner of one of his investments to do it. And it has become painfully clear that that's all I am to him—an investment."

"It's not like that!" Inuyasha entreated. "He really loves you! This isn't just a game to him."

"Then why all the lies, Inuyasha?" Kagome practically screamed, crying openly now. "Why not just tell me from the beginning what was going on? Why hide all his plans and keep so many secrets that I don't know what's real and what's not anymore?"

"I… I don't know," Inuyasha admitted quietly.

"Goodbye, Inuyasha."

"No, Kagome, wait!" But Kagome had already slammed the door and was running down the sidewalk, ignoring the fact that all her presents were still stored in Inuyasha's trunk. Inuyasha leapt out of the car, fully intent on following her and dragging her back with him, on making her understand.

He jogged in the direction she had gone, squinting through the snow to try and find her. She must have ducked into an alleyway or around a corner, though, because he couldn't scent her anymore in the coming storm, and in the swirling snow, she was lost.