Chapter Twenty-Six: The Party-Part Two

Hello hello!

I have another chapter here for you lovely readers. Fresh from the Muse herself! Lots of good stuff happening here and I just know you guys will love it!

Two notes before we begin though:

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters do not belong to me and never will.

A fellow reader has asked if the characters are demons. They are not. This is an AU (alternate universe). All of the characters are human in this story.

Do enjoy it and let me know what you guys think! See you on the other side.

Sesshomaru groaned as he was bombarded with by another group of males and females in the publishing world. He sipped at his red wine in an attempt to dull out the incessant yammering of the slightly growing group surrounding him.

He had arrived only an hour ago without the bookworm he cohabitated with. He already had three glasses of wine and he could still hear the bumbling idiots around him. Sesshomaru found himself thinking back the shy little creature not too far behind him. He recalled seeing her duck into the bathroom earlier in the evening, most likely to get ready he had assumed. The writer remembered locking eyes with her before she moved to get ready. She had smiled that sweet smile of hers and Sesshomaru had felt his heart beat rather erratically.

The tiny moments like that made Sesshomaru question what he felt for her as well as how he would address it. The writer moved his glasses up his nose and sighed, he found himself wanting to see the young woman plaguing his felt more and more of them shift into ones of Kagome. The cute smiles she had when she gave him a cup of coffee, her little laughs when she would tease him, the way she would tie her long dark tresses into a loose bun, her delicate glasses perched on her little nose, her lovely brown eyes that he could never forget and the soft-looking pair of pink lips-

The writer quickly downed that last bit of wine in his glass and moved out from the crowd. The conflicting ideas and thoughts with the combined wine was not pleasant. The writer moved away from the now whining crowd of people as he made his way towards the grand windows of the library.

The Kaze family's library was the largest room in the building. The room had a rectangular layout with one wall being an entire glass window with a few sets of lovely french doors that led to an outdoor balcony with a few of the city. The library had two floors, the second pushed to the opposite wall of the window and was a balcony with a hollowed out area underneath with seats and tables with drinks and many plates of food. The balcony was a good forty feet off the ground and had a protective safety bar. Throughout the rest of the room, there were dozens of bookshelves that were twenty feet tall and full to the edges with colorful books. Littered among the bookshelves were thin but durable stepping ladders that allowed easy access to the out-of-reach books on the higher shelves. There must have been thousands of books in the library and Sesshomaru felt somewhat at ease being surrounded by the shelves.

Many of the partygoers were in this room and the white-haired man moved away from it. He took a seat over by the stairs that lead to the second floor. The droll conversations around him blurred out as he tried to calm himself. He only needed to be here a while longer, speak to Kaze Kagura and bolt back to his home. He would then pour the biggest glass of scotch, have a super hot shower and possibly crawl into bed. Soothing thoughts of the black-haired girl made him feel more comfortable in this stuffy place.

Kagome would know at least have a decent conversation with him, she'd be concerned about his health and how he is feeling rather than begging him to write a book for her to read and publish etc. He then decided as soon as Kagome would arrive with his father, he would be close to her and try to remain as secure and safe as possible.

It was in that moment that Sesshomaru felt his eyes widen as he caught sight of a new color. The others around him were a vast blur of dark tones with blends of reds, greens, grays and other shades. But a single shot of a delicate white cream color made his eyes focus. Like a gentle light in a cave, it was the object of his focus. The writer blinked as he moved up in his chair to get a better look at the source of the color.

It was Kagome.

Everything became clear to his sight, the young woman being the center of his attention. Her delicate cream dress and stunning complexion was like that of an angel. She was smiling as she was tugged along by a laughing Kagura and his father lagging behind holding Kagome's clutch and shawl. Sesshomaru felt his tongue run over his now dry lips and wiped his now sweaty hands on the chair arms.

She truly was a beauty; the dress, the light makeup and her laughing smile only enhanced her fair looks.

With her only a few feet away, Kagura most likely pulling her along to help find him; Sesshomaru felt the heavy need to make his presence known. He stood from his chair and pulled his suit jacket straight.

Kagura then noticed him and had a grin that matched that of the Cheshire Cat. "There he is! The man of the hour!" she called in a cheery voice. They all met halfway and Kagura snickered as she noticed Kagome blushed upon seeing the taller man.

The bookworm took the moment to look at her idol and see the chosen outfit.

A neatly cut white button-up shirt with no tie, a neatly tailored black suit with trimmed hems and not a stitch out of place. He had a silk handkerchief in his left breast pocket, folded neatly in a square. His feet were covered with shiny black men's flats that shone in the hanging chandelier light. The laces were tied up in double knots and were snug on his feet. His long hair was pulled into a ponytail at the base of his neck and his glasses were perched perfectly on his nose. The writer's golden eyes shimmered as he looked down at her.

"Y-You look nice, Sesshomaru-sama." Kagome managed to mutter as she reprimanded herself for staring at him for so long.

Sesshomaru felt the edges of his lips twitch as he gazed down at the lovely young woman. The gown fit her in all the right places and the delicate air she had about her made him feel all the more fuzzy, warm and strange. He moved to take her hand when a voice cut over the crowd.

"I'll say. I don't think I've ever seen you looking so dapper."

Kagome and Sesshomaru felt shivers run down their spines as they recognized such a mischievous tone. Kagome turned and could have sworn she felt the author step closer to her.

Before the three stood Naraku, with a devilish smirk on his face and his red eyes blazing. He wore a dark red button up shirt with a black jacket and tie. On his wrists were ruby cufflinks in the shape of a thin spider with silver legs. His pants were pressed and his shoes were finely polished, allowing Kagome to see herself in them. His long hair was brushed out but his bangs were shaggy and sharp, falling over his eyes. He had a glass of wine in one hand and the other on his hip.

Beside him stood the palest woman Kagome had ever seen. The woman had ghost-white hair that almost blended in with her soft complexion, pinned in it were white flowers. Her eyes were dark and seemed empty and emotionless. The young woman had on a light silver dress on that sparkled; it had long sleeves and reached her mid-calf. Her feet were covered by silver Chinese slippers. She had a small red purse on her shoulder and a white book with gray markings in her hands. She was shorter than Kagome as well, but her quiet demeanor and posture made her look wise beyond her years.

"There you are, Kanna. I was wondering where you slipped off to." Kagura said as she looked down at the young woman. She, in return, looked at her and whispered, "Hello sister."

Kagome swallowed as she avoided the gaze of the girl named Kanna, her very presence sent cold shudders over the bookworm. Naraku chuckled darkly, "Yes, well. Your little sister has agreed to become my new editor and assistant. I'm quite confident that she'll be able to pick up after you and finish what you could not."

Kagura scowled, "For one thing, I don't even know why you are here. I don't recall inviting you. But I quit because you don't know how to keep your hands to yourself nor do you know how to write good books. Unlike Sessh here." she hissed as she gestured towards said man. Naraku raised an eyebrow, his eyes locking on Kagome for a moment. "Hmm." was all her said before noticed how close Sesshomaru was getting to the young beauty before him.

"Why spoil a great party with banter? I came to enjoy the atmosphere as well as the fine meals your chefs have cooked up. So, let us enjoy ourselves and not exchange barbs this evening." he said in a sugary tone that Kagura, Kagome and Sesshomaru did not care for.

Naraku finished the wine in his glass before sighing in content. "Your family always did have the best vintages. It pairs well with the sashimi and rice. Now, I do believe that your dear father is looking for Taisho here, and I wish for a private word with little miss Kagome here. Kanna, be a lamb and escort these two towards the sake bar. I believe that is where your father is."

His eyes narrowed as his grin grew, Kagura held her chin up as she huffed. Sesshomaru clenched his teeth but allowed Kanna to show them towards the bar on the other side of the library.

Kagome suddenly felt very nervous, being in this man's presence was no fun and she longed to join Sesshomaru. Even his father had gone with them to speak to the head of the Kaze group. Feeling his cold eyes on her made her all the more afraid.

"Come my dear. I have some friends I'd like you to meet. You will probably recognize some of them, I am sure you have read some of their works." Naraku said as he took her wrist and began to lead her up the stairs to the second floor.

It was not long before Kagome was face to face with Sara, Kaguya and Toran. They regarded her with calm eyes and the bookworm felt more on edge. "These lovely ladies have been working with me on some projects the last couple of years and I've told them a lot about you and your love for reading." Naraku said as he placed both hands on her shoulders behind her.

"We love enthusiastic readers. The world seems to lose more and more of them each year." came the calm voice of Toran, she crossed her arms over her chest and had an icy smile on her face.

"Indeed, literature and a love for it are things that humans cannot forget." said Sara as she looked over Kagome's dress.

"I am going to get some more wine. I want you ladies to enjoy a little chat. Kagome is quite the intelligent young woman." Naraku hissed as his gripped tightened a little bit before he released her.

He seemed to leave too quickly and Kagome didn't like it. These women were powerful but seemed silent and that made them intimidating. When Kagome had met Sesshomaru, this was how she felt; scared and eager to leave the room.

The silence was deafening for a moment and Kagome fidgeted with her hands as the women regarded her now with cold contempt. Sara's stare put the bookworm off as she felt a heavy feeling of dread set in. The way these women were now looking at her, Kagome wished Naraku was back. He at least didn't seem to want to hurt her. These looks she was receiving made her anxiety rise quickly.

Kaguya placed a hand on her hip as she looked at the smaller woman. "You are the one Taisho is stuck with?"

"What?" Kagome asked, genuinely concerned about the tone of voice she had. Stuck with?

"We were told Sesshomaru-sama was placed in the care of a girl. You? You are the one he was placed under?" came Sara's cold question. Her lovely eyes twisted into narrowed slits and her lips set into a scowl. The wine glass she held was shaking in her small hand, the liquid sloshing inside its glass confinement.

"I-I just give him coffee and make sure he sleeps. He works hard-"

"Sesshomaru doesn't need the help of a little girl. He knows how to take care of himself, his work is vital to the publishing world." Toran said as she looked down her nose at the young woman.

"I-I know, but I-I just make sure his health is taken care of. I don't want him to die at his desk or anything." Kagome managed to muster out. "He is perfectly capable of minding his health. He doesn't need an eager little page turner to invade his space. If he wants that, then he can get a wife." hissed Sara.

"A wife?" Kagome whispered as she let that word set in her mind. She could imagine it. Waking up beside him, eating breakfast together, shopping for clothes-

It was a nice set of thoughts but this conversation going on was not a good place to think of such things. Kagome swallowed the heavy lump in her throat and she felt as though the overlapping conversations below all fell silent. The women then moved a little towards her, and she immediately retreated. They stood at all angles as if to prevent her ability to slide away and escape.

"You and he are on different levels, you need to understand that. No matter how you dress, or how hard you work; you will amount to nothing. Sesshomaru does not deserve to be held down by a nobody." Toran said in a cold tone to match her sneer.

"A petty little thing like you can't even begin to comprehend him as a person. He won't need you." added Kaguya. She stepped closer and Kagome quickly felt the cold metal of the balcony's bar at the small of her back.

"We know you haven't known us long, but it won't be for much longer." Sara snarled as threw her wine out of her glass. It splashed over Kagome's chest and she gasped as the liquid slid over her skin and stained her gown.

It was then that Toran shoved Kagome over the railing.

Dunh dunh dunh!

I'm feeling evil because school has started. I'm hoping this long chapter was enough for now. I'll continue to write up new chapters for you.

Be patient and more shall come.

More reviews makes the Muse think and write more…

Bye bye for now!