CHAPTER 28
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Glancing down for what seemed like the millionth time at the sparkling ring on her finger, Kagome smiled to herself. She was still in a slight state of disbelief that she and Inuyasha were back together, far less engaged. A couple of days after he had left, she had picked up the phone and made the necessary calls – firstly to Sango and then to her mother and younger brother respectively, informing them of her newly engaged status. Understandably, all three were a bit concerned and her mood dimmed slightky as she recalled the conversations. While they were still not one hundred percent on board with the situation, eventually they all promised to keep an open mind about the couple. Kagome planned to host a family dinner soon, and have them all sit down and hash out any issues that arose. She had full faith in Inuyasha's ability to charm and she knew that he would also be understanding of her loved ones misgivings.
It was the fifth day of her fiancé's absence and she filled the time by puttering in her garden and sketching. She also practiced some new menus that she was longing to try out for him when he returned. Chuckling to herself, she wondered if anyone would believe that the high-powered marketing executive would now be content as a homebody. "Doubtful," she murmured, looking out as darkness began to blanket the front lawn. She stood there, staring at the stars for a long while and enjoying her moment of peace, before turning and making her way upstairs.
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"Inuyasha." The deep voice jerked the silver haired man out of his musings. Startled, he turned, his gaze meeting an identical burnished gold gaze. Sesshomaru looked somber – even more so than normal – and Inuyasha felt the hair on the back of his neck rise in trepadition.
"What is it," he questioned tersely. "Is something wrong?"
His brother held up a thick package and passed it over to him. "I think you need to open this immediately. This came from Kikyou's lawyer – apparently she had initially instructed him to give this to you upon her death, but for some reason about two weeks ago, she changed her mind and wanted it sent out immediately. He was finally able to track you down, but he also bore sobering news. Kikyou was discovered dead in her apartment yesterday from an apparent suicide."
Inuyasha reeled with shock at the information. Not because of any warm feelings for the model but because he knew how the news would affect Kagome. Betrayal or not, Kikyou was still her sister and he knew she would grieve for the loss of her family member.
He stood abruptly. "I need to get to Kagome," he informed his brother. "The negotiations are going well and are almost complete anyways so I'm sure you can manage without me."
"Wait, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru interrupted his monologue, "I think you should open the package first. It may be extremely important considering the effort that was made to get it to you."
Impatience flashed in the younger man's honey eyes but he knew that his brother was correct. Sitting back down, he gestured for his brother to open the brown package. Sessh tore out the top and turned it over, spilling out the contents onto the large office desk. A envelope fluttered out, along with two flash drives. Exchanging confused glances, the two men surveyed the contents. Inuyasha was the first to move, picking up the envelope and ripping it open.
"Inuyasha," he read, "if you have this in your possession, then I am no longer on this earth. Nothing can atone for my actions that ultimately led to the death of one of the most pure persons I know, but I hope this clears her name. Included with this letter are recordings of my conversations with Naraku, detailing all of his actions against you and your brother. I also have copies of the emails and text messages that were exchanged between us. Kagome is not here to clear her name anymore but I want you to know that it was me who broke into your apartment that night, using a spell to mimic her. I don't know if this information will be of any assistance to you but I surely hope that it is enough to throw a wrench in that bastard's plans. He is dangerous – murderously so and it was only after I was in too deep that I realized his deep obsession with Kagome and I know that he will never forgive you for taking her love. I'm reasonably certain that he has also hired a private detective to follow you and your brother, so please be cautious in your movements. All the best, Kikyou."
Inuyasha read the last part of the letter with a shaking voice. Horrified golden eyes lifted from the paper to meet the stunned view of Sesshomaru. In unison, they both uttered the same name.
"Kagome."
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Kagome had just finished preparing for bed, when her cell phone rang. As she viewed the name on the caller ID, she smiled and swiped to answer. "Hi, baby," she said cheerfully.
"Kagome," Inuyasha breathed on the other end, "Thank God."
Instantly his tone had her straightening. "Inuyasha? Is something wrong?"
Quickly, he filled her in on the latest developments. Tears welled as she learned of her sister's death but chills wracked her body upon learning of the rest.
"W-What does that mean?" she questioned shakily, her fingers gripping the mobile tightly.
"It means that we triple on security for you," he replied. "I've already called my security and they are sending a team out to you tonight. There will be four of them patrolling the perimeter of your property and another two will be guarding you inside the house. I've instructed them to call you when they arrive and you will only let them in if they've given you the code word – Golden."
Even within her worry, she managed to huff a laugh. "Like your eyes huh? Conceited boy."
"With good reason," he drawled in return. "I'm flying back as soon as the plane arrives tomorrow, should be around lunch, so I'll be home at approximately nine o'clock. Until then, the team will keep you under surveillance at all times ok?"
Kagome opened her mouth to protest at the lack of privacy, then closed it again. No matter the inconvenience, Naraku was no trifling matter and in that instant, she decided that it was better to play it safe.
"Yes, I understand," she murmured.
Just then, her phone beeped, stating that she had another incoming call. Putting Inuyasha on hold, she answered, and realizing that it was the security company, made the necessary arrangements with them. Switching back to her fiancé, she relayed the information to him and hung up. Making her way downstairs, she opened the door and greeted the two officers before inviting them inside. One was a tall, willowy blonde with a no nonsense chin length bob and the other was a giant of a man, with a buzzcut and flawless chocolate skin. The male introduced himself as Officer Franklin and with a wave of his hand at the female, introduced her as Officer Lane. Kagome felt herself relaxing around them and after giving them a quick tour, she made her way back upstairs, where she fell into bed and was fast asleep within minutes.
