Chapter 26: The Element of Change
Under the Hong Kong sky, a seventeen-year-old girl waited patiently for summer to return and for a certain young man to visit her once more. She was much too young to understand the sentiment he evoked in her the first time they met. He was much too frank to conceal his fondness for her companionship.
Long afternoons spent on foot, traversing her family's estate, were the first memories she created with him. He seemed eternal, but their years together were not. When he eventually stopped visiting her, she knew the time had come for them to part ways. No matter how painful it was to give up on what could've been.
Years went by, and before she knew it, the news of his engagement reached her ears. Her brother said the young woman was quite the perfect bride. A girl of respectable background, wise beyond the youth her face possessed. Inukimi was her name.
On the day of the wedding, swarms of photographers flocked the ceremony, capturing the memories of the newlyweds in print. The romance consummated, shortly thereafter a firstborn graced the young couple with his arrival.
Though it pained her to admit it, Zero hardened herself to the fact that her time with Toga had passed. She nestled that thought for years. Long enough for the firstborn, Sesshomaru, to grow into a toddler. But even then, she refused to set foot in Japan. It would be some time before she addressed her bitterness towards fate itself.
One fateful winter day, the news of the perfect family beginning to crumble struck her cold. It seemed impossible to believe. After much deliberation, Zero flew to Tokyo, never expecting to arrive on the very day of the divorce. Green eyes fixed on the paper as husband and wife scribbled their signatures on it. Inukimi took the child for a walk, soothing him. Amidst the silence in the room, Zero voiced her concern.
"What will become of you now? You need someone to keep you grounded, to help you get through this."
Toga looked up, golden eyes dull and pained by the fall of his marriage. "No. All I need, all I'm after, is a chance to make things right for my family."
She never meant to love him, never meant to wait for him, and still, she spent nearly a decade of her life swooning over a man who was never hers. Zero left Tokyo, mourning their lost opportunity for a second time.
Abroad, she met a businessman. Tall, jaunty, with much aplomb and a sharp tongue, his name was Soju; his family name, though recognizable, was of no importance to her. It held little value in society, and he was aware of it.
For a while, Soju kept Zero afloat, entertained. However, as charming as she found him, their almost year-and-a-half-long affair did not occupy her thoughts long enough to distract her from the scandal brewing in Japan, taking the country by surprise.
"Why," Soju laughed with disdain one day, "Toga has outdone himself this time, hasn't he? Trading Inukimi for that woman. What goes through his head is quite a mystery to most of us."
A new woman.
Toga wed a young college graduate covertly. Or so he tried since the wedding landed on the cover of multiple magazines nonetheless, all pointing fingers at the small bulge in the bride's belly made conspicuous by the white of her gown and the width of her hips.
Her hands clutched the magazine before tearing it to shreds, falling to the wooden floor in silence. The woman was a cheap knockoff of the first wife. What was Toga thinking?
As fate would have it, only once did Zero meet Izayoi in person. Her child, Inuyasha, was an infant at the time. The uncanny evening was cut short thanks to a less-than-desirable exchange of words between the two women. Toga escorted Zero out of the house, exasperated by the turn of unfortunate events.
"It's best that I don't come back for a while," Zero told him.
A long absence followed that day. Her brother also kept to himself, slowly detaching himself from the prestigious family. They agreed it was for the best.
One day Soju returned to Hong Kong on a business trip. His prominent success in recent years had made him a household name in his industry. Little by little, he was getting to where his greed wanted him to be, the pinnacle of the food chain. He just needed something more to get him where others like Toga Taisho were.
His daughter.
"Any girl he could find lying around will fall short of my daughter's charm and brilliance. Sara will have Sesshomaru wrapped around her finger in no time."
The man preached about a prosperous future for both families. An offer that would see the then eight-year-olds united in marriage upon coming of age.
"You sound pretty sure of yourself," Zero told him, skeptical at first. " Have you brought this up with Toga?"
"More times than I can count. The man is dense, I tell you."
Toga was not dense, he selected what to pay attention to, and Soju was not his priority. Zero, however, found herself intrigued by the concept. The Asano heiress was the spitting image of everything her father prided himself on. A blossoming young woman, Sara would have no problem attracting the eyes of a few young men, among whom she hoped would be Sesshomaru Taisho.
Only, it didn't go quite as planned.
"It's like the boy has gone missing. Damn brat." Soju growled one day, brows furrowed. "Where's Toga keeping him?"
Rarely spotted in public anymore, fifteen-year-old Sesshomaru seemed to have put an end to his media presence in favor of a more reserved and quiet life. His whereabouts, to Soju and the vast majority who wondered where the young heir was, were somewhat of a mystery.
Sara was growing impatient like the teenager she was. It gave Zero a reason to do what she hadn't in some time, call her brother. After the sudden passing of his wife and daughter, Zero became all the family Kirinmaru had. All the more reason to look for him.
Zero made sure to leave out details that might contradict his views. Her whirlwind of an affair and the ulterior motives behind her actions.
The topic of the Taishos effortlessly came to the forefront of their conversation. As it turned out, her brother hadn't severed all ties to the family. Kirinmaru knew things she didn't, and all Zero wanted to do was level the playing field.
"The boy. How is he?"
"Sesshomaru, you mean."
The teenager was approaching high school age by leaps and bounds. Much like Toga at the time, he seemed to be kept tucked between stacks of books. But, like any boy his age, unfamiliar emotions had begun to well up inside him.
Unbeknownst to the world, there was a reason why Sesshomaru Taisho rarely attended those lively events he was so frequently seen at in the past. Young love.
"Really?" Zero gave out a laugh, unable to contain her disbelief. "Anyone we know?"
"Unlikely. She's a classmate of his."
A poor little thing.
"Does she come with a name?"
Impossibly ordinary, the girl in question was but a drop in the ocean. It was rather insulting for Sara to be competing against someone like that. A nobody. It must run in the family, Zero decided then, her thoughts turning to none other than Izayoi.
Soju had to know.
The businessman's amusement didn't stop short. He laughed, shaking his head. What an incredibly stupid finding that was.
"No matter," he said. "Puppy love is of no consequence. They'll soon fall apart. She won't be able to be enough for him."
Perhaps he was right. With Toga and Izayoi, it had been different. They had met at an age when they were already positioned in life. This girl, Rin as she recalled Kirinmaru had said her name was, had yet to sprout into the world. Her inability to keep up with Sesshomaru's lifestyle would undoubtedly stunt their relationship. The issue would resolve itself in due time.
Years went by. Meanwhile, Sara's interest in the outside world continued to increase. Her desire to grow her own wings and fly away greatly displeased Soju, but he always had the final word in their disputes.
"I don't know what's gotten into her," the man growled out during one of his visits to Hong Kong. Seventeen-year-old Sara had questioned her father's decision to have her attend the University of Tokyo.
"She's grown up now. You can't expect to boss her around like a child for much longer." Zero retorted.
If that was true then Soju's time was shorter than he expected. Zero knew that all too well, and she liked to remind him of the one thing that was keeping him from fully enacting his plan to wed his daughter to the wealthy young man said to be attending the same university after graduating from high school.
Rin
"What do you intend to do with her?"
Zero tempted him so that after hearing the question several times, Soju finally decided to address her concerns. He had someone travel to Hong Kong, an acquaintance of his.
"We met in Thailand last year," Soju recounted, raising his eyes as the door opened and a young man walked in. "I trust you've heard of the Onigumos before, yes?"
At first glance, Naraku Onigumo was nothing more than a rookie entrepreneur campaigning to put his family on the map. Surprisingly, only one thing was clear to Zero, Naraku's determination to end Sesshomaru's relationship with that girl was far greater than her own. The question remained, why?
"What are you after?" She had asked him once, in private. "Why are you so interested in the girl disappearing?"
"I could ask you the same. It is, after all, thanks to your insistence that Asano-sama reached out to me last week."
Though Naraku's motives were unclear at first, Zero saw, much to her surprise, that Soju trusted the young man. So much so that when Naraku proposed learning more about Rin, Soju agreed almost immediately.
"It's only logical," the older man had told Zero frankly, "if we don't know anything about the girl, how am I supposed to even figure out a way to deal with her?"
As it turned out, the object of Sesshomaru's affection was hardly remarkable. Everything about Rin Noto was average, making it even less believable that someone of Sesshomaru's caliber would take notice of her.
But one day, an idea came about from none other than Naraku himself. He had spoken to Soju privately while in Tokyo, and Zero only learned of their intentions weeks into March, as the spring was preparing to bloom across the continent.
"You are doing what?" She asked over the phone, brows furrowed in confusion.
"We wish nothing more than to have a...heart-to-heart with her parents. All in the interest of there being no room for misunderstandings in the future."
Zero knew, as did Naraku, that Soju was a man of business. Years of laborious work had indoctrinated him in the jarring belief that the stronger could trample the weaker. He was willing to do whatever it took to remove that girl from the equation.
Well, good. One less Izayoi in the world. Girls like them cracked under pressure and dragged their partners down with them. They manipulated them, thwarting their successes.
If it was for the best, Soju and Naraku could do whatever they pleased. Surely they would be able to handle the situation on their own. As for her, she would take it upon herself to check on her brother once again. Zero called Kirinmaru, not expecting him to tell her that she had caught him just as he was getting ready to head to the airport.
"I'm leaving for Tokyo tonight."
"Why?" Zero was sure that Kirinmaru's frequent visits to Japan were a thing of the past, done and dusted. He wouldn't fly there unless something demanded his attention. "What happened?"
Two things stuck with Zero after her call with her brother. First, he was flying to Tokyo partly at Toga's request, and second, eighteen-year-old Rin was ill and due to undergo surgery in a week. She, perhaps more than Sesshomaru, was aware of the risks of the procedure and had expressed her concern to Toga.
"She's worried about Sesshomaru," Kirinmaru had told Zero with much sorrow. "Toga believes I can...ease their minds a bit."
Days had passed since then. Zero remained in Hong Kong, registering the news. Her anger slowly ebbed away, making room for an unpleasant emotion, doubt. She couldn't rid herself of it in time for Soju to call her back, eager to share news of their progress in contacting the Notos.
"It was a bit difficult to get our point across at first, but I believe they digested the idea quite well in the end."
His voice chilled her blood, made her eyes seek a window, the soothing sight of the virgin sky outside. "What did you tell them?"
"That's of no importance now. What matters is that they have agreed that reconsidering their daughter's relationship with Sesshomaru is in her best interest. Their only request was that they wait until after the surgery to talk to the girl. That is what you wanted, isn't it? Come next week, and that problem should have resolved itself."
Miles away, there wasn't much she could do but take a seat and watch as the wildfire she had sparked burned it all down. How had it come to that?
On the day of the surgery, Rin entered the OR on time. Overseas, back home, Sesshomaru was set to appear on stage at the annual summit he attended with his parents. Streamed live on TV, he kept the raging storm of emotions bottled up inside him, masked to the eyes of viewers like Zero.
"Thank you," the young man bowed before leaving the stage in silence. The auditorium erupted in clapping. Zero switched the TV off.
She remembered that not long ago, her brother had told her. "Uncertainty can be even more painful than failure itself." To Zero, there was no doubt in her mind that young Sesshomaru Taisho had learned that very lesson that day.
The day went by with no news from Japan, as Soju was quiet, his whereabouts unknown. The same could be said of Naraku. Zero was left wondering what would happen once Rin woke up. How would she react to what her parents had to tell her?
Such were Zero's musings that, two nights later, the ringing of her telephone surprised her when it resounded on the second story of her grand house. It was her brother, his voice heavy with regret.
"She passed away this morning. Sesshomaru has been informed, he's devastated. If... you ever cared about Toga and his family, now would be a good time to show it."
A triumph was said to have a saccharine aftertaste, harboring a sense of pride and righteousness in the victorious. Not the scathing bitterness Zero experienced that night. She called Soju, hoping to dispel her doubts, but the man coincided with her brother.
"It's very unfortunate. She left us in her sleep, it seems."
"Her parents?" Zero asked.
"Mourning, I spoke to them earlier today," he let out a loud exhale, "We can talk more about it next week. I'm flying back to Tokyo tonight and should be heading to Hong Kong soon."
Zero frowned, confused. "Where... where are you?"
"Overseas, Something came up last-minute."
She didn't question him further. Her head felt gravely heavy, pounding hard like her heart. Guilt, they said, was deadly when you've risen to the top only through hatred.
The funeral was a somber ceremony that she didn't attend. Toga's family became a blur to her after that.
Nine years flew by in the blink of an eye. Zero learned from gossiping mouths of the fling between the two college students, Sara and Sesshomaru. Soju must have had Sara transferred at some point. Then again, bad luck chased after him as the romance fell apart, and Sara fled to Europe in the arms of a foreigner. The rest, as they say, was history.
The man fell ill soon after. People began to forget who Soju Asano was. It was rather sad to see how even his once henchman, Naraku Onigumo, was playing dumb in the face of Soju's worsening condition. Zero supposed she would become the only one to remember the wicked thoughts that could come out of those two minds if they came together. Perhaps the world would be better off with one of them bedridden.
Another figure lost to time was the ever cheerful and loving girl who stole young Sesshomaru Taisho's heart. Her memory remained with the few who left flowers on her grave each spring.
Kirinmaru chose to withdraw from the world as well, secluding himself in his office. And Toga, Zero could only hope that he would be faring well despite everything his family had to endure all those years ago.
Eventually, some unexpected news came to her. Zero found out while at a conference that a young woman with an impossibly familiar last name had officially staked her claim to a certain young man on the cover of Japan Spotlight's most recent issue.
'Future CEO of the Taisho Group to marry Kagura Onigumo.'
Naraku smiled proudly in some of the pictures inside the magazine. The engagement dinner was grand, worthy of nobility.
"Lucky bastard," Zero laughed, handing the magazine back to her friend.
"Isn't he?" the woman joined in her sneers. "Bunch of social climbers, but what can one do but cheer? I'm more surprised that Toga went along with it. I suppose having the Onigumos as allies is better than keeping them as competition."
How curious that it was Naraku who had achieved what Soju had spent years fighting for. Zero scoffed, entertaining the thought for a minute.
Life moved on, weeks coming and going until one fateful January. Snow had accumulated on the branches outside, and Zero was resting peacefully in her living room when knuckles rammed her door. Not expecting a visitor, she approached with caution. Opening the door, the first thing she found was the figure of a young man standing before her, dark brown eyes set on green ones.
"Can I help you?" She asked the stranger.
"Yes, ma'am. I happen to have Naraku Onigumo's late Christmas present with me, and I was hoping you wouldn't mind delivering it."
Had she heard that right? Zero frowned. "What?"
"I'm on a bit of a tight schedule, otherwise, I'd do it myself," he grinned, pushing a small envelope into her hands. "Oh, and don't hold back from looking inside. I'm sure he won't mind."
" Is this a joke?"
"Not at all!" he called out, striding away from the property. "Just tell him I quit! And to go fu - "
" Ugh!" Zero grimaced, slamming the door shut. She heard the rumble of a motorcycle speeding away before the neighborhood resumed its silence. Lunatics flooded the streets at night.
Naraku. Naraku Onigumo. Of all people. She laughed, tossing the envelope aside and returning to her room. A week went by before her curiosity got the better of her, and, at last, she decided to give in and take a peek inside the lightweight envelope.
It would've been empty, if not for the tiny SD card that fell easily into her palm. Against her better judgment, she decided to take the bait and inspect whether it contained any files.
She sat at her desk and narrowed her eyes slightly as a total of ten pictures appeared on her computer. She clicked on the first one and watched, with blood-curdling shock, as a young couple came up on her screen. He, the stranger from last week; she, a more mature and refined version of a familiar face that, while lacking the sparkle of those brown doe eyes, still managed to strip Zero of her words.
Something snapped, understanding began to seep in. She clicked the next image, her hands went cold. "What have you done, Soju?" She muttered.
Her first instinct was to call Kirinmaru. Not knowing how she was going to broach the subject, she couldn't stop her hands from trembling as she waited for her brother's secretary to pick up the phone.
"I'm sorry, Zero-sama, but Kirinmaru-sama isn't here."
Her blood ran cold. "Where is he?"
"He traveled to Tokyo with Toga-sama and Inukimi-sama. It seemed urgent."
The words hit her like a ton of bricks falling on her, squashing her. What were the odds that Toga would seek Kirinmaru's help after so long? She decided then that there was someone else she needed to visit.
Tokyo had changed since she last visited the metropolis. Yet her surroundings were the least of her concerns as she entered the tall building, heading straight to the top floor and yanking open the office door. Rummaging through her purse, she tossed an envelope with hard copies of the pictures onto the desk.
"I hope you have a damn good excuse for this, Naraku."
Red eyes looked up, a smile stretched across his pale face. " How very nice to see you again, has life been treating you well?"
"Focus!" She barked out. "Do you have any idea what you two have done?"
He took one of the pictures in his hands, nodding calmly before setting it back down on the desk. "So he paid you a visit. Interesting."
"How did he know where to find me, and who on earth was that?"
Sighing deeply, Naraku gestured for her to take a seat. " It seems we have much to discuss, Zero."
She settled herself on the chair, clutching her bag in her lap as she watched Naraku ponder for a few seconds before speaking.
"In truth, Soju wanted to convince her parents to relocate to America. He offered to cover all expenses and even pay for her education at a good school. They weren't happy, of course, but negotiation takes time, and effort. We traveled to America with them, simply to have more privacy," he paused, took a good look at her face, and smiled. "Sure enough, we didn't count on serendipity being on our side that day."
"What do you mean?"
"Fate presented us with an offer we couldn't let pass us by. The success of the surgery came at a high price. With retrograde amnesia, the poor girl was a blank canvas, for the most part. But it served our purpose."
Zero's eyes widen. Slowly, things came into perspective.
"You really should've seen Soju's face, or, well, I suppose you could've if you hadn't been so... hesitant in the days leading up to the surgery. We didn't know if we could trust our secret to someone without conviction."
So that was it then. "You lied to me."
"Why does that come as a surprise to you? In any case, it was perfect, and we didn't even have to do anything. The opportunity was just handed to us on a silver platter."
"Tell that to someone else," Zero spat, her eyes boring into his. "Her parents would have never let you toy with their daughter the way you did. She wasn't given to you, you snatched her away out of pure greed."
Naraku sighed at her words, reclining on his chair.
"Let me ask you something, do you know what drives change?" He paused, waiting for an answer. "Discomfort. If you want something to change for someone, all you have to do is make them feel displeased with their current situation. All we did was point out all the good reasons they had for wanting that golden ticket out of the ring of fire the Taishos belonged to. It wasn't too difficult. Take Izayoi, for instance. Even at her lowest point, her family stood their ground like the high-ranking professionals they are. What were two minimum wage workers going to do in defense of their daughter when a pack of wolves descended on her? "
Zero fell silent. He shrugged, carrying on.
"Did you really think people would've welcomed her with open arms? That it would've all been a sugar-coated fairy tale for them? I think not. We gave them something to fear, and they gladly accepted the first chance they had to keep their daughter safe."
"You threatened them," Zero breathed out, startled. "How could you...?"
"No, please stop right there! We all know you were itching to dispose of that girl. Day and night you were nagging Soju until he finally gave in, and luckily...," he rose from his chair, nearing a cabinet by the door, "...he did because if he hadn't, I would've missed out on this."
Naraku reached for a file, flipping through it leisurely before handing it to Zero. With heartbreaking surprise, she realized that his words were backed up by the numbers. Stocks were rising, his family name was spreading through the industry like wildfire. He had won.
"It actually worked, for me anyway."
"You tricked him," Zero looked up, her eyes meeting his. "You used Soju, you used me, just like you're using your sister now. Was this your plan? Have you been blinded by your greed?"
He shook his head, tucking his hands inside his pockets. "Not greed, no. At least, not at first. I wanted what that family took from mine. The Taisho Group was built on the ashes of my parents' efforts. My mother was as responsible for their success as Toga's father, but she was kicked out of the company empty-handed. She died with unfulfilled business, I simply carry out her will, and...," he mused, smiling, "...some of Soju's vision may have rubbed off on me along the way, but look at me now! Kagura is weeks away from marrying into their family. What more can I ask for?"
To that, Zero had no answer.
Naraku used Soju as his piggy bank. Hush money was something he couldn't afford at the time, so he handed the bill to the older man. Soju was someone with vision, but he wasn't willing to go places where Naraku would have had no problem encroaching. He needed validation, someone to tell him that what he was doing was right, and found that in Naraku.
"Pair of imbeciles," Zero scoffed, zipping up her suitcase before setting it down.
She was no longer safe in Tokyo. Naraku was fuming, about to lash out at the first person to get on his nerves. Kagura had escaped his wrath, the girl set off to Kami knew where. A shame, during Zero's time in Tokyo, she had come to believe that life would be better if Kagura and Sesshomaru married, and if Rin returned to her quiet little life from which she should have never left to begin with.
Everyone was better off that way.
Except now it was too late. The engagement was as good as over and she suspected it was best to leave the scene soon. Naraku could fend for himself.
Zero brought this upon that family, but what little effort she put into setting things right would not appease Toga's anger once he learned the truth. That, she knew.
And even then she let Naraku threaten her into helping him again. Because if she didn't, Naraku was more than willing to deal with her brother the same way he did with Nakamura, Takeru, and anyone else who stepped out of line.
That January mayhem had come knocking at her door, all thanks to Takeru keeping records of Soju's once trusted contacts, a list that not even his own daughter, Sara, had access to. The job Soju and Naraku had done was impressive, but it was starting to crumble. Zero knew for a fact that she wasn't going to stick around long enough to watch it all fall apart, especially when persuading Kirinmaru, or Toga, into ending the investigation had proven fruitless.
She grabbed her bag and headed for the entrance of the house, regretting not being able to say goodbye to her brother, who she knew was in a meeting with Officer Fukuda at the moment. Taking one last glance back, she made her way to the door, pushing it open.
Sesshomaru had his eyes fixed on the mirror, scrutinizing the reflection staring back at him as he finished putting on his coat. The weekend had arrived so swiftly that it left him wondering how and when the time had slipped away.
Decked out in his formal attire for the evening cocktail party at the hotel where the conference was being held, he glanced at his watch and noted the time. 6:20 in the morning.
He looked up at the mirror, noting his pale complexion when a small black head appeared from around the corner. He turned, meeting a pair of bleary brown eyes as Rin approached him at a sluggish pace, wrapping her body in one of his shirts.
"Morning," she murmured, her voice drenched in drowsiness. "Leaving without saying goodbye?"
He watched her reach his side and lean against him, his arms drawing her into his embrace. "No, I still have a few minutes before my ride arrives."
"You're not driving?" she asked.
"No, not today," he told her, Rin hummed, inhaling the fresh scent of his silver hair. "It's too early. Let's get you back into bed."
Without the strength to protest, Rin let him walk her to the master bedroom and help her climb into their bed. She groaned, stretching her aching limbs before curling up, hugging his pillow against her chest.
"I set an alarm but I don't think it went off," she lamented, showing him her phone.
Sesshomaru glanced at the screen. He didn't have the heart to tell her that the alarm was set for 6:15 PM instead of AM. He watched as her eyelids slowly gave in and fell, masking those eyes he gazed into every night they spent loving each other.
Slowly, her soft breathing deepened. He reached out a hand to cup a rosy cheek, his lips parted, about to say something to her, when inside his coat pocket, his phone buzzed with a new message. It was time.
"Rin."
She blinked, peeking up at him. "Yes?"
"I'm leaving now," he said, hoping it wouldn't be long before he saw her again.
"When are you coming back?"
"Tomorrow night if all goes well."
"Okay," she whispered, closing her eyes at the touch of his lips against her forehead. "Have fun tonight."
"I'll try," he smiled as a yawn escaped her lips. "Rest now."
As expected, there was a car parked right in front of the building. The driver's door swung open as a slim man stepped out of the vehicle.
"Good morning, Sesshomaru-sama," the chauffeur greeted promptly, opening the door for him. Sesshomaru thanked the older man, earning a smile in return.
For a forty-five-minute drive, time could have moved slower. Sesshomaru kept his mind blank and his eyes resting on the window as they made their way to the neighboring city.
His father had advised him to refrain from commenting on the wedding. A proper PR statement was in the works, Kagura's lawyer was in communications with Jaken. It was only a matter of time before his name was back on the front page of a newspaper, he grasped that much. Willing away the thoughts, Sesshomaru failed to notice when the car came to a smooth halt and the door was opened for him to exit the vehicle.
"We're here, Sesshomaru-sama."
Checking the time on his watch, he noticed that he had arrived a minute or two early. In other words, right on time. Proud of his accomplishment, he walked into the main conference room with a confident smile on his face.
"Sesshomaru!" An old friend of Toga's then approached him, clad in a dark gray silk suit. "Punctual as always, my boy. We were just talking about you and your father."
"Hishida-sama," Sesshomaru greeted the older man. "My father is taking care of pending business in Tokyo. He asked me to come in his stead."
"Good, good. Be sure to take note of today's announcements. Something tells me Toga will be interested to know what new opportunities are opening up in the market, no?"
The door to the hall opened again, and they turned in time to greet the newcomers to the event. Among them was a tall, pale man with glowing red eyes that combed the audience before they landed on Sesshomaru.