DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha and co. do not belong to me. I wish they did. But they don't.
SUMMARY: AU. Sesshoumaru/Kagome. Inspired by Inuyasha, the fanfic Yakuza, and various other stories.
With the death of Kagome's father, the Higurashi family found themselves quite tight with money. Souta, in his teenaged attempt to help, lies to go to Tokyo and gambles. However, he finds himself in trouble with a prominent underground figure in both human and youkai society. Kagome gets Souta out of the mess by promising to work the money back with Sesshoumaru... who is not nearly as nice or reasonable as Kagome considered humans to be. Maybe that's because he's not human.
WARNINGS: I'm going to make it simple: Don't read the story if you don't like it.
Author's Notes: To KougasGrl1188's review: Yes, there is a purpose to Inuyasha sniffing Kagome. And the reason that Sesshoumaru isn't so suave around Kagome is that despite what he would like to think, Kagome does matter to him and so he can't help but be less nonchalant in every single one of his actions about Kagome.
Basically, there's a reason that makes sense in my mind for everything that I write in the story. Only, sometimes I forget what they are. Most of the time, though, they're going to be revealed later on in the story, so that if you come back to the story like two years later and reread it, you'll exactly what's going on.
by Ethidda
Written 11/21/04
Chapter Six
Sesshoumaru placed Kagome behind him as soon as he smelt the being that was fast approaching. He didn't actually know what Kouga smelt like, but from the way the smell reeked of wolf, Sesshoumaru deemed it a safe enough inference that the interference was, indeed, the Wolf Prince Kouga.
Not that he had truly enjoyed his non-conversation with that stupid excuse of an idiot half-brother.
On the other hand, Sesshoumaru thought that if Kagome had known the pitiful scum for some time and had not become mentally damaged yet, it was likely that she could remain in the scourge's presence for a few more moments and remain intact for his purposes. Kouga, on the other hand...
Sesshoumaru was not aware that he had growled until Kagome put a gentle hand on him, saying pertly, "Hey, we know that you're youkai already, okay? Chill. You're acting like a dog who caught an unpleasant scent."
"He is," Inuyasha answered even as his ears started twitching.
"Oh, right." Kagome picked up her usual energetic self quickly. "So do you actually smell something?"
But Sesshoumaru couldn't be bothered to stop growling. Inuyasha answered instead, "Even I smell something."
In the next moment, Kagome felt herself flying through the opened doors of Sesshoumaru's building behind her. Sesshoumaru had shoved her quite unceremoniously.
"Hey--" Kagome's outburst of indignation was cut shout as Souta scrambled into the building for some semblance of safety.
"It's getting pretty ugly out there," he stated although Kagome couldn't see anything because of the cloud of dust that had yet to settle beyond the now-shut glass doors.
Kagome sighed--she didn't know if she was more worried for herself, Sesshoumaru, or the person that was coming who had so aroused the ire of the normally impassive Sesshoumaru. Kagome didn't claim to understand Sesshoumaru very well. She certainly didn't know what made him tick the way saying 'sit' and 'ramen' would to Inuyasha.
On the other hand, it had been an exciting day and night that she had experienced with her new employer already. First, she had found out that he owned a nightclub and possibly some gambling places, too. Then, she found out that he was also very responsible--after all, there could be no other reason for him to have saved her, except for kindness. But she doubted seriously that somebody who hired exotic dancers had a very loud conscience.
But he had been kind. When she had opened her eyes and seen the cold bloodlust rage in his golden orbs, she had known that he had craved for more than the simple death of one mere youkai. She had thought that he might have continued until nobody could walk out of the basement alive.
He must have remembered her even in his bloodlust, and remembered her discomfort. For how else could she possibly rationale his gentle and timely handling of her, and his wonderful silence that she very much doubted Inuyasha would have been thoughtful enough to provide had he been in his brother--half-brother's stead.
On the other hand, Kagome had also seen Sesshoumaru take a life without any hesitation or compunction. Really, she didn't remember him saying a single word to the man before taking the man's life.
Thinking back on it, Kagome supposed that she should be thankful that Sesshoumaru had not dealt similarly with Souta.
Although... Souta had been a mere teenage boy who naturally had no sense of self-preservation. Besides, Sesshoumaru would have been shrewd enough to realize that without a living Souta, Sesshoumaru would never be able to regain the money that Souta owed him.
Kagome sighed again as the dust finally settled to reveal a white blur and a brown blur on top of the black asphalt under the yellow Sun. Inuyasha merely stood passively beside the fighting pair.
"Bastard," Kouga cursed even as his fist flew towards Sesshoumaru's face. "You killed my man. How dare you? Have you no respect for me, the Wolf Prince Kouga? Well, it hardly matters, since you're going to die for your transgression."
Sesshoumaru merely dodged Kouga and slid behind him, raking his poisonous claws across Kouga's back as he twirled elegantly in the harsh city setting. "On the contrary, I have not yet killed you, therefore you are worth something in my esteem."
Kouga turned around and lunged at Sesshoumaru's back in his fury. "Screw your esteem. Who cares? You killed my man."
"And your man," Sesshoumaru answered in a bored voice without even turning back. "Hurt my woman."
Sesshoumaru knew that Kouga was going for his back. Sesshoumaru wanted to catch Kouga unawares on his stomach. He didn't tolerate fools very well, and Kouga... if he had stayed well enough away... but he hadn't.
He waited patiently even as the milliseconds ticked by.
"Stop!" Sesshoumaru heard Kagome screeched at the top of her lungs even as her feet pattered on the pavement toward them. She was just being silly, of course, because she would not be able to do anything even if she could run with a speed comparable to youkai speed.
But he had been wrong, Sesshoumaru realized when he could no longer sense Kouga's movement. Curious, he turned around slowly, only to see Kouga suspended in the middle of the air, his feet still tucked in under him and his right arm stretched towards where Sesshoumaru had been.
Now, Sesshoumaru was even more curious. Had the human girl done this?
"Let. Me. Down." Kouga growled.
"Gah!" Kagome seemed to have just noticed that Kouga was suspended in midair. With this exclamation, Kouga fell down promptly onto the pavement and Kagome thought she heard a bone crack. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to suspend you in midair, I hope you are okay," she started ranting.
"He will heal," Sesshoumaru answered simply.
"Oh," Kagome's face fell in relief.
"You are a miko," Kouga yelled to nobody in particular. "No wonder!" Then, he looked her up and down. "And you are an absolutely beautiful miko. A beautiful, powerful miko. What's your name, miko?"
"Uh..." Kagome was taken off guard. "Kagome Higurashi."
"Well, nice name, huh? I'm Kouga, the Wolf Prince." He took both of her hands in his. "And with my protection, you won't need to fear anything."
"Uh..." Kagome wasn't sure what Kouga was talking about.
Sesshoumaru, however, did. "She has no need of your protection."
Then, Kouga pulled Kagome forward, buried his nose in her neck, and sniffed several times, just like Inuyasha did, as Kagome stood awkwardly.
"Hey," Kouga said when he finally raised his face from her neck. "Let her choose."
Kagome turned a bewildered glance towards Sesshoumaru's face, which remained stoic.
Kouga leaned down and kissed her on the lips. Satisfied, he stated, "You're my woman, now."
"What?" She spat. Kagome would not have expected that a million years. Although her grandpa had told her that there were instances when a demon would take human mate, she would never have imagined herself as one. Although, at that time, she didn't even believe in demons. And of course, she had never imagined that she would have a room in one of the most exclusive buildings in the nation, either, before she started working for Sesshoumaru.
But she certainly wasn't flattered. "That's called giving me a choice? I don't want to be your woman. I am not your woman." At Sesshoumaru's smirk, she added, "I'm not anybody's woman. I'm my own person."
At this declaration, Sesshoumaru's visage seemed to shift, but in the next second, Kagome could no longer tell. Kouga, though, could feel the youki rolling off of the famed Moon, and decided that perhaps his revenge shall be taken another day.
"This isn't over, Moon," he shouted as his legendary speed took him away from the scene.
"Not mine, huh?" Sesshoumaru asked in a casual tone even as he advanced on Kagome.
"Eep." Now, Kagome couldn't quite remember what had provoked her into saying that when she knew that Sesshoumaru wouldn't have liked it. Sesshoumaru didn't seem quite happy. In fact, he seemed downright murderous and that totally scared her. Although, Kagome was quite sure that he wouldn't actually hurt her after going through all the trouble to save her. At least she hoped that was the case.
"Hey," Inuyasha interrupted. He, who had lived with Sesshoumaru for many years, knew the full extent that Sesshoumaru's fury could take on. "Kagome is my--"
As Inuyasha suspected, Sesshoumaru didn't even hear him out. Inuyasha had meant to say 'bestfriend.' "Kagome is yours?" Sesshoumaru asked.
Inuyasha stood firm. "I have prior claim. I've known her for three years."
Sesshoumaru raised a sardonic eyebrow. "Really, now?"
Inuyasha suddely recognized the folly of having Sesshoumaru in a playful mood. Sesshoumaru was at his most sadistic when he was playful. That was how it had been with Kikyou.
Inuyasha tried his last trick, "She's just a human."
Kagome opened her mouth to say her objection towards using 'human' as a derogatory term, but Inuyasha's hand squeezed her arm in warning. She relented.
"Fine, keep her," Sesshoumaru said as he turned around and walked into the building. "For now."
Kagome barely released a sigh of relief before she realized something. "Oh, shit," she turned to Inuyasha. "How am I going to pay him back if I can't even go see him?"
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "What do you owe him?"
Kagome looked at the floor. "Three hundred fifty thousand yen."
Inuyasha started marching away before Kagome called, "Inuyasha, where are you going?"
He stopped. "You're right. I really, really want to smash him on the head right now, but I'm not going to, because it's not going to resolve the problem."
Souta piped up, finally having found the courage to come outside, after seeing Sesshoumaru walk past him inside the hall and ignoring him completely. "You can't hit him, anyway. He'd beat the crap out of you."
"Shut up." Inuyasha smacked Souta on the head.
"Sit!" Inuyasha kissed the asphalt. "How dare you even think about bullying my brother?"
Souta smiled sweetly. "Thanks, but it really doesn't hurt that much. I've gotten used to it because he did a bazillion times when you weren't with us."
This only enraged Kagome further. "Sit! Si-t! S-it! Sit! Sit!"
After a while, the dust settled, and Inuyasha climbed up warily from the dent that had been made on the asphalt. "Why, you..." he started at Souta, but seemed to think better about it.
Souta said to Kagome, "We can live with Kohaku for a while. Maybe you can even find Sango."
Kikyou left the cafe as Inuyasha and Kagome left the scene.
The scene had been obscene.
And Kagome had even dared to allow Inuyasha to call her his, as if Kikyou didn't exist.
She would need to do something about this, and quickly, before Kagome addles Inuyasha's brain and performs her insipid curse on him to take what was rightfully Kikyou's.
Inuyasha was Kikyou's, and Kikyou had no intention to let him go.
Nobody could come in between them.
Tell me how I did... R/R