A/N: **Please Read!*** Since I have been targeted by self-proclaimed 'MA' Police, I have gone through and hacked through my poor story, ridding it of its MA content. That includes this chapter that was just posted. I implore you who have not read it yet to please read the full version (you can find the link in my Bio) because I believe the conversation S/K have is important. Thank you and sorry for the trouble. I just don't want to risk having this story (or account) deleted. Love you all! -Katt

Disclaimer: All Inuyasha goodness belongs to the amazing Takahashi-san!

Behind the Curtain

By MissKatt

The Last Time

Sesshoumaru leaned against Inuyasha's large truck as he waited for his former secretary to meet him outside. He stared down at the ground, his eyes unfocused as he tried to mentally prepare himself for the conversation that was to come. He was sure it would include yelling on her part, but he knew he would deserve it. However, this conversation had to happen, especially after his father had come home a few nights ago without her.

Hearing the front door unlock, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru moved to the entryway of the house to greet their father. Sesshoumaru was torn on whether he wanted to growl or inhale deeply when the miko's scent wafted into his nose from his father's clothes. Either way, it meant it father had found her.

"Where is she?" He asked, cutting off Inuyasha before he could speak.

Touga removed his coat and hung it up in the small closet by the door before turning to meet his son's gaze. Amber eyes flickered to his youngest son. "Inuyasha, would you leave us alone for a moment?"

"What? Why?! I want to know where she's at too! The wench has some serious explaining to do!"

Sesshoumaru growled at him. "Do not refer to her in such a crude way."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "What the hell do you care anyways?"

"Do not start with me, Half-breed."

"Oh? And what are you gonna-"

"Enough!" Touga snapped, cutting off Inuyasha before he started a fight in his foyer. He fixed Inuyasha with a stern glare. "Go. Your brother and I have something to discuss." Inuyasha scoffed, mumbling something about arrogant ice-pricks as he sauntered back to the kitchen. Once his youngest was gone, he turned back to his heir. "You have really messed up, Sesshoumaru."

"Is she alright?" He asked, ignoring his father's comment.

He let out a soft sigh. "I suspect that from here on out she will be slightly better; she had quite a few things to get off her chest tonight."

"About me." It wasn't a question.

"I'm unsure as to what else it could have been. You have really hurt her feelings, Sesshoumaru. Her self-esteem is shot; ruined even." He replied as he led his son to the living room. He sat down on one of the couches and watched as he stiffly did the same. "I thought you were going to talk to her soon."

"I had planned on it," He retorted. "I just-" he cut himself off, his eyes looking down at the coffee table.

"Don't know what to say?"

"Precisely," He lifted his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. "What does one say after causing so much pain?"

"I suspect that an apology is a good way to start," Touga pointed out, studying his son carefully. "Why did you let it get this far?"

"I was only thinking about the company and Rin. Kouga crossed the line in his public accusations..."

"Indeed he did, but you did not need to throw Kagome's heart under the bus as you protected yourself. If you had planned on getting in a relationship with her after Vegas you should have just been honest with the press to begin with, Sesshoumaru."

"How was I to do that when only a few days beforehand we had both denied it? It would look bad to come back from Vegas three days later to change our minds. What would people think of her? Of us? I simply wanted to wait until the media stopped breathing down our necks and then formally announce her as my girlfriend. Why is that so difficult to understand?" He asked seriously. "I wanted to protect her from all the harsh reactions."

The owner of Taisho Corp's eyes softened. "Then you should have told her that, she would have understood."

"I tried to explain on the plane, but she got upset and just left without giving me the chance too." He defended. "Admittedly, I could have told her my intentions when she approached me about Kouga's article, but my anger got the better of me."

He stared at his son intently. "Is that really the issue? Or was something else holding you back?" When his son avoided his eyes, he knew he had been right. "What is it, Sesshoumaru? Why did you wait so long to act on your attraction to her? Why not tell her you want to be with her? Why put her through this?"

Sesshoumaru remained silent for a moment. He was never one to just blurt out his feelings or insecurities, but perhaps he needed to in order to move past this and get his miko back. He let out a soft sigh as he lowered his defenses a little. "Kagura."

He lifted a brow. "You feel guilty about moving on?"

"Not exactly," He replied softly. "It is more about losing her."

He was momentarily confused about what his son meant. Why would losing Kagura affect- he cut his train of thought off once he understood. "You do not want to get attached to someone only to have them ripped away from you, is that it?" His son's silence confirmed it. "You cannot refuse to act simply because you are scared."

"I am not scared." He instantly defended.

His father knew better, but decided to humor him. "Yes, well, at least you can admit that there is another reason for your hesitance. However, if you screw up anymore, or wait any longer to talk to her, you most definitely will lose her. You need to tell her all this."

"I am aware." He agreed.

"Then do it," He shot back. "And don't give her some half-assed confession like how you did with your interview with Abi. Tell her how you feel about her and what you want. She's a very expressive being, Sesshoumaru; you'll see when you talk to her."

Oh, he knew just how expressive she could be. Whether it was her little fits she threw when he teased her or when she was wriggling beneath him as he pleasured her, she expressed herself quite well.

He looked back at his father when he continued speaking.

"I would give her a few days to calm down, but only a few -three max."

So that led him to where he was now, still leaning against Inuyasha's truck as the cold air stung his pointed ears and nose as he waited for her. He glanced at the large truck behind him and sighed softly, a puff of white forming in front of his lips. When he decided that tonight he would go speak to Kagome, he noticed that the press had decided to camp out outside his house; no doubt wanting a statement to Kouga's media response. When Inuyasha had come over to watch Rin, he traded cars with him for the night so that he and Kagome could have their privacy.

Hearing a soft thud of a door shutting, he looked up to see Kagome walking towards him from the back door of the club.

His stomach tightened in anticipation.

*~~~BTC~~~*

After sliding into her coat, Kagome removed her stilettos and slipped into her flats while her mind raced a million miles per hour. Her heart hammered in her chest as it finally hit her that Sesshoumaru was finally going to talk to her. She had wanted this moment to happen since she stormed out of his office, but now that it was happening, she didn't know what to do. What did she say? Did she apologize?

She quickly shook her head.

Of course not! She had no reason to apologize! She didn't do anything wrong, except for ever considering dating Kouga, but that was nothing compared to what Sesshoumaru had put her through. And honestly, what could he say that would make the situation better? He had made his opinion of her quite clear in the news, and to her face, so what did he want?

Still, her chest and stomach were tight with nerves as she walked out of the dressing room and towards the back door of the club. As much as she told herself to hate him, to push him from her mind, she couldn't. He was nestled in deep, anchored into what felt like every part of her body, and she was helpless to dig him out.

Ugh, it wasn't fair!

Frustrated, she decided that she would at least hit him once for her troubles! Yeah! One good punch in his pretty face would make her feel better! And she wouldn't regret it like she did with Kikyou because Sesshoumaru actually deserved it! Ha, he wouldn't know it was coming! She would just go out there, punch him, leave him speechless, and then contact him in a few days with a catty little 'you wanted to talk?'; it was absolutely per- Oh.

She stopped dead in her tracks, her hand freezing on handle to the door. She had forgotten that she didn't have a few days. She didn't even have a day left, only what remained of the night. Only one night left of freedom, one night left with Sesshoumaru. Her heart twisted painfully. Did she really want her last moments with him to be filled with yelling and fighting?

No, even if she wanted to kick him in the balls, she wouldn't ruin the last few moments she had with him. She would be civil and listen to what he had to say while keeping her temper in check.

Taking a deep breathed, she pushed open the door and felt her breath leave her in a whoosh. He was leaning casually against Inuyasha's truck, his head turned to the side so she could see the exotic bone structure of his cheek, jaw, and chin. His silky white hair was tied into a ponytail and rested over the shoulder of his black coat.

The feeling of butterflies in her tummy hit her hard. 'Damn him and his perfect hair and handsome face!' She mentally cursed before stepping out from the club completely and making her way over to him. Instantly, his eyes were on her, running up and down her body in such a way that it made her blush. She stopped in front of him, her nerves making her stomach hurt.

He stared down at her, amber and cerulean clashing. "Kag-" He was abruptly cut off when her palm made contact with his cheek in a stinging slap.

Okay, so, maybe she had still wanted to hit him. "You deserved that." She murmured embarrassingly.

Sesshoumaru looked at the red hue of her cheeks and couldn't tell if it was from the cold, anger, or embarrassment. He sincerely hoped it was the later. "I did." He agreed, his tone soft.

She furrowed her brow at his gentle tone. Why was he being so calm? The normal Sesshoumaru would have at least glared and snapped at her. "I'm glad you know it." She retorted hotly, but she found that she didn't have an angry bone in body anymore since her revelation. She wrapped her coat tighter around her as the cold bit at her bare legs. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Seeing her shiver, he unlocked Inuyasha's truck. "Get inside before you catch a cold." He said as he opened up the door to the back seat. He held his hand out to her and watched as her cheeks turned slightly redder when she slipped her hand into his. After helping her into the truck, he got in as well and closed the door. Tossing the keys onto the front seat, he turned and looked at the girl who had plagued his thoughts and dreams for nearly a week. "I am unsure of where to start…" He confessed.

Kagome furrowed her brow as he began speaking to her. Somehow, she couldn't bring herself to look at him. Instead she sat there staring down at her bare knees, her bottom lip caught between her teeth as she listened to him.

He cast his eyes down to look at his hands as he once again let down his carefully built wall. "I suppose I shall start with saying that I am sorry. I said many things this past week and most of them I didn't mean."

Was he trying to say he didn't mean any of it? Did she want to hear this? She closed her eyes tightly. No, no! She couldn't!

"I never meant to hurt you with my careless words, Kagome. I was trying to protect Rin and my image, but I realized I did so at the cost of your feelings and I regret ever doing so."

'Stop it!' She had longed to hear these words, but now she didn't want to hear them, not when she was going to be locked away as Naraku's pet.

"I had every intention of publicly making you my girlfriend, but I didn't want people to jump to the wrong conclusions about you after we came back to Vegas and that is why I wanted to wait. As I am sure you have seen, people can be quite vindictive when it comes to their own made up fantasies." His eyes found her face once again and he was slightly confused to see the upset expression on her face.

Her heart was pounding hard against her ribs. H-He wanted her to be his girlfriend; officially. Why, oh why, hadn't she heard him out on the plane?! But, then why did he say she was a mistake the next day in his office? She understood that he was upset, but, was that the only reason why?

Well, since he had laid out this much of his heart so far, he may as well throw the rest of it out there. "I fought the idea of being with you with a while," He admitted quietly. "Because I did not want to lose another person close to me."

'Kagura.' Her mind echoed. She squeezed her eyes tighter together. Why was he being so honest with her now of all times? When she wasn't going to be able to be with him? Why did this have to happen now?

He let out soft huff when she still did not say anything to him. What more did she want? "Kagome, what do you want me to say? I have said everything I felt I needed to and I want to put this behind us. I want to be with-"

"Stop," She breathed, chest tight. When he opened his mouth to say something, she lurched towards him, her hands fisting in his coat. "Shh, don't say anything else, Sesshoumaru. Y-you don't need to."

His brow creased in confusion. Was she saying she forgave him? He parted his lips again to ask her, but his eyes widened slightly when her mouth slanted against his. He quickly overcame his shock and returned the kiss, having missed the sensation of her soft petals against his.

She broke apart from him for a moment. "No more words." She breathed against his lips before capturing them once again. She shuddered when his large hands cupped her face, pulling her closer before his tongue ran along her bottom lip. She allowed him access and gave a soft moan when their tongues finally met.

He felt her pulling his coat towards her and allowed his body to follow hers until she was laid out under him on the backseat of Inuyasha's truck. He felt her hands open his coat and slide down the plain black shirt he was wearing beneath it. Gods, did he miss her touch. He broke the kiss and pushed off his coat and let it slide to the floor. He then reached down to her coat and parted the sides of it to expose her body to him.

Kagome shuddered at the lack of warmth when her coat was pushed aside, leaving her in her black dancing shorts and a white bikini top. She arched slightly when one of his warm hands ran down along her body, his fingers trailing over her collar bones. She reached up to grab the back of his neck, pulling him back down to meet her lips. She shifted her hips when she felt a growing need inside her.

She needed this.

She needed him.

This was how she wanted to spend her last night of freedom, with the man who had so suddenly overpowered and consumed her world. Even though she knew he had apologized and was going to ask her to be with him, she couldn't let him ask her, couldn't let him tell her. If he did, she knew it would only be that much harder when she had to leave tomorrow.

~~[[This content has been removed to meet Fanfiction's M Rating stanards. To read the full scene, please click on the Dokuga link in my Bio! Thanks! –Katt]]~~

He released a relaxed sigh and pressed his forehead against hers once again. Before he could stop himself, he whispered the three words she absolutely did not want to hear.

The miko quickly sat up straight, pushing herself away from his chest as her heart froze in her chest. "What did you just say?"

He lifted a brow at her strange reaction. "I said-" He glared at her when she slapped her hand over his mouth, preventing him from speaking. Irritated, he pulled her hand away from his lips. "What are you doing?"

She shook her head hard and scrambled off his lap, closing her coat tight around her. "Why did you have to say that?" She asked, her voice soft but her tone accusing. "Why?"

The inuyoukai was confused. Why was she so upset with what he said? He had assumed she felt the same way. When he heard her sniffling and smelled her tears, his brow furrowed. He reached out to touch her hand, but she slapped it away. Okay, now she was pissing him off. "What is going on?"

"Nothing," She said stiffly, despite the tears running down her cheeks. "I have to go." She stated as located her missed flat and slipped it on. She fumbled around for the handle on the door and clumsily got out of it and into the cold.

"Kagome!" He called after her, adjusting his pants and boxers before following her out of the truck, but by that time she was already at the door to the club.

"Just stop!" She shouted back at him, her hand tightening on the handle to the door. "Leave me alone, Sesshoumaru!"

And with those stinging words, he watched her disappear into the club, the door slamming shut behind her. He stared at the closed door for a moment before he slumped back against the truck with a defeated sigh.

What in the hell had just happened?

A/N: Sorry for the wait, my beloved readers, but my old laptop died violently literally right after I posted the last chapter. So, I had to wait until I could buy my new laptop, which was yesterday! You guys were immediately on my mind and I wanted to hurry and post in response to all the lovely reviews (and death threats, hehe). So, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! Love you all!