Chapter 26 – A Visit With the Devil

The next day at work was much like other days, except one thing: Nazuna could easily tell that something was going on between Kagome and Sesshoumaru. Sure, they were acting normally, probably trying to keep the days at work the same, instead of Kagome having to work somewhere else, but damn… they were doing these little things to show that they weren't ignoring each other. Nazuna could easily see this, and thus she had been smirking all day.

Looking up from her desk, Nazuna saw Kagome walking into her office. Watching, Nazuna saw Sesshoumaru walk in minutes later. Watching, though she was also typing on the computer, Nazuna waited until Sesshoumaru left Kagome's office. It took only a couple of minutes, but he finally left the office, same old cold, heartless bastard that he usually was.

Continuing with her work, she saw Sesshoumaru turn his attention toward her. She smiled, and said, "Has your day been going well, Sesshoumaru-sama?" She continued to type the project Sesshoumaru had decided to give to her, though he was doing a third, Kagome was doing a third, and she was doing a third. Apparently, her third was due before theirs.

"Yes, Nazuna, it has," he said. Smirking a little, he walked from the spot outside Kagome's now closed door, before walking toward his own. Before Nazuna could ask anything else, he opened his office door, and stepped inside.

Smiling to herself, Nazuna turned back to her computer, continuing to type up her part of their project. She wasn't entirely sure what it was for, but she knew that it had something to do with the science part of the company. That had been confirmed when Miroku suddenly stepped out of the elevator.

"Hello Mr. Monk, is there something you need?" she asked, watching as he looked around nervously. Miroku was such a kind person, but still she was kind of nervous about getting out of her seat when it came to him. Sure, he mostly groped Sango now, but every once in a while he was known to grope her friends.

"Yes, Kagome called down a few minutes ago, saying Sesshoumaru-sama wished to see me," he said.

"Really? Hmm, I wonder why I wasn't informed of this?" she said, shaking her head. However, after getting another nervous glance from him, she said, "Please, wait over there, and I'll go see what exactly Kagome wanted."

"Thank you," he said. He went straight to the first seat next to the wall, and sat down, tapping his foot a little, before glancing around the room. He really didn't know what he was nervous about, but every time he was sent to see Sesshoumaru he seemed to end up in a cold sweat before hand.

Standing from her seat, Nazuna moved to Kagome's door, before knocking. When she heard a mumbled, 'Come in' she opened it, before stepping inside. She found Kagome hunched over her desk, looking at a few papers, before rubbing at her temples.

"Is there something you want, Nazuna?" Kagome asked. She continued to read the papers given to her, and frowned, wondering why Sesshoumaru gave her so much work the first day back. Well, it wasn't the first day they were back from their vacation, but it was their first day back at work, and apparently Sesshoumaru wasn't happy with the company's progress since they left.

Nothing, with the exception of a few things, was good enough for him. The company was doing fine; yet he wanted it to be doing better. Sometimes she truly wondered if he wasn't just losing it, or if he was a perfectionist. It was really something that she needed to fix about him, but then again, it was something that she probably could never fix. Still, she needed to bring him down a few notches when it came to the subject… maybe then he could see that all this work was not necissary when they first got back into the office.

"Yes, apparently Mr. Monk was called by you," she said, "and he s now here to see Sesshoumaru-sama."

"He's here already?" Kagome asked.

"Isn't that what I just said?" Nazuna replied.

"Yes, yes, thank you! I swear, Sesshoumaru-sama seems to think that I can do all this work within a few days. I mean we just got back, so why do we have to make the progress that has already happened, and is happening move faster. I'll come get Miroku in a moment, since he will be doing most of the work…" Kagome said, before mumbled, "…hopefully."

"He's really working you hard, isn't he?" Nazuna asked, as Kagome rose from her desk.

"Quite, and I really don't understand why he wants the company to be higher in progress, since we are apparently behind what he wants us to be. I really don't see how we are, but whatever," she said. Walking past Nazuna, she moved out into the main room, and nodded toward Miroku.

"Hello, Kagome," he said.

"It is Ms. Ki here, Mr. Monk, but I shall excuse it this one time. Now, if you would please wait for a few more moments, I will tell Sesshoumaru-sama you are here," she said.

"Of course, Ms. Ki," he said.

Nazuna walked back out, and said, "You're not looking forward to seeing Sesshoumaru-sama, are you?"

"No, not really," he mumbled.

"I don't see why not," she said, sarcasm dripping in her voice, "I mean he is the boss, and you might get promoted or something."

"Yeah," he said, "More like lets pack lots of work on Miroku, even after he watched over my adopted child."

Kagome knocked lightly on Sesshoumaru's door, before opening it. She found him talking on the phone, as she stepped up beside his desk. Bowing her head, she waited until he put down the phone, and turned to her. She smiled a little bit, knowing that he was still working, and had yet to acknowledge her, even though he probably knew she was there.

"Is there something you need, Kagome?" he asked.

She looked up, saying, "Mr. Monk has arrived."

He nodded, before saying, "Go ahead, and bring him in Kagome."

"Of course, Sesshoumaru-sama," she said. Bowing her head once more, she turned from him, having a funny feeling that he was staring at her butt, before opening the door, and slipping out, leaving it open just a crack.

"Before I go in, tell me how much work I'm going to get, Ms. Ki," Miroku said, when he stood. He watched as Kagome smiled, before shaking her head, obviously tired from whatever work Sesshoumaru was giving her.

Smiling a little brighter, Kagome replied, "I do not know, but I'm sure it will be a lot, since… well, he doesn't believe that in the week he was gone that the business has been well kept, that's put it that way." She motioned for him to follow, and began walking the short distance back to Sesshoumaru's office.

Frowning at the way Kagome was walking, Miroku followed behind her, silently. He watched as Kagome opened the door to Sesshoumaru's office, and allowed him to walk inside. Once seated, he watched as Kagome went to Sesshoumaru's side, silently talking to him, before standing with a nod.

"If there is anything you gentlemen need, please just ask," she said, before walking back toward the door.

"Kagome," Sesshoumaru said.

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama?" she asked.

"Could you bring me a cup of coffee?" he asked.

"Of course, Sesshoumaru-sama," she said, "Is anything you would like, Mr. Monk?"

"No thank you, Ms. Ki," he said, smiling.

"I will be back momentarily," she said.

"She is a beautiful assistant, isn't she?" Miroku asked, trying to break the silence that had filled the room. He didn't really feel nervous anymore, but he did feel that he shouldn't be here at all. It was like he had been shoved into a small room with white walls. That was something he never wanted to experience.

Raising an eyebrow, Sesshoumaru replied, "Yes, but that is not why we are here, now is it?"

"Of course, not, Sesshoumaru-sama," he said. Smiling a little, he lowered his head, wondering what work was going to be put on him today. After all, Sesshoumaru was someone that didn't laugh at his humor, and he could have sworn he saw a glare when he joked about Kagome. Obviously, there was a little more between Sesshoumaru and Kagome then they were letting on.

"Now, lets talk about your progress since I was gone," Sesshoumaru said, "Which hasn't been a lot…"

oOo

Souta walked up the steps of the shrine, his long black sleeves flowing in the gentle breeze. His eyes searched the grounds for anything that might be out of place as he continued moving up the tall, long set of steps. From his position, he could see the Sacred Tree off in the distance. That old tree had plenty of good memories for him, since it was the main place where he was Kagome used to play when they were little. Like now, he could feel the past burst into his mind; when his mother would actually act happy, instead of sad, and when they acted like a family.

Flashback

"Come on, Souta, you can do it," Kagome said, her young, yet older face smiling down at him. She might have only been eight years old, but she was everything a brother could ask for. She was walking along the small wooden box long ago built around the base of the tree, her foot gently being placed in front of the other.

Frowning, he shook his head, and said, "But I might get hurt."

She laughed then.

"It's not funny, Kagome! I might get hurt… you might get hurt, and what then? We might break an arm, or maybe even a leg," he said.

"Come on, Souta," she said, tapping her foot against the wood, before dipping the other down toward the ground. "The drop is only two feet," she laughed.

"You could still get hurt," he said.

"Yeah, but you have to take some risks in life," Kagome said, "After all, life would be nothing if all you ever did was perfect."

"You really believe so?" he asked. Though they were young, they were well raised, and since he was four years younger then his sister, he really didn't know right from wrong. However, he did know that it hurt… to be hurt.

"Yea', if you try to do everything perfectly, then you'll never know the other side of life," Kagome said, swinging her arms around. She lost her balance, and tripped backwards, her head barely missing the wooden box, before she flipped, landing on her arm, and crying out in pain.

"Kagome!" he screamed, racing to her side. He heard the back door slam open, and looked to find his mother standing there, her eyes looking down at the crying Kagome.

"Oh my, Kagome dear, are you alright?" came their mother's voice.

Three hours later Kagome found herself in a cast, but she still turned to Souta, and said, "See, Souta, if I hadn't of done it, then I wouldn't know what its like to have a broken arm. It might hurt, but bones heal, and it gives you experience for things that you know you should and shouldn't do."

End Flashback

Even now he could remember the tears that had fled her eyes as she dropped to the ground, her arm breaking in three places. However, those tears were something that gave her a reason to never try it again, and he remembered that. You couldn't know if something should or shouldn't be done unless someone around you, or you yourself have done it. Either way, you have to know before you can say its wrong.

Smiling to himself, he crossed his arms, before continuing up his route. He easily made it up the final steps, and began walking over the cobblestone path. The newly planted flowers were finally blooming, though they should have long ago, since it was starting to turn to summer already. Quickly, his grey shoes moved him forward, until he was looking straight at the tall tree, which had stood in the same place for hundreds of years.

The tree was finally blooming with leaves, which it hadn't done in a few years. It seems as if the tree had pulled in all the bad karma that surrounded his mother and sister, and shut down. Then, it finally began spurting leaves once more, as if it could sense Kagome's return or something. Not like that was going to happen though. It was something that would probably never happen, since Kagome and their mother were two people that had bad conflicts, and never once, except when they were young, got along.

Though, it would be nice to see his sister walking the grounds in the traditional kimono dress once more. The priestess clothing that the women wore on special occasions was something that Kagome loved to wear, yet he hadn't seen her in it for… well, since she left. He probably never would, since she could hold a grudge.

Turning from the tree, he looked around until he saw the well house. It was a place where Kagome had many years ago fallen down. She'd been eleven at the time, but she'd accidentally fallen down inside the well when looking for their cat, Buyo. She was down there for a few hours; calling for someone to help her, since she'd broke her arm, again. Her head had been bleeding when they found her, and she'd had a slight concussion, though it never had really bothered her, since during the entire rescuing she'd been smiling, and laughing about the whole thing. It was something he hadn't wanted to change within his sister, but it had.

Eventually, his sister had changed. First it was her clothes, and then it was her attitude, before finally her entire nature changed. Their mother had cried during the night, wishing for her sweet, innocent baby back, since she thought Kagome changed because she was whoring herself out to every man she could touch. However, Kagome changed because their mother began moving further away from the family life, and because she was being beat up by other kids. True, she'd always said that they were just calling her names, and pushing her into lockers, but he'd seen the bruises on her arms, and he knew that the other kids were doing a lot more.

Looking over the rest of the grounds, he looked toward the door. He could clearly see his mother inside, where she was probably crying. She knew that he only dressed and acted like Kagome because the other kids were trying to beat up on him, since he was smaller, and mouthed off to them. However, he knew that she was still crying over losing both her children to… the devil, or the dark side.

Looking away, he continued to gaze around the grounds, before he heard the door open. Since the death of his grandfather, his mother seemed to want to have him for comfort more and more. She was always asking him to stay home, and if he would like to skip school for the day. Sometimes he could have sworn his mother was starting to be lost to insanity.

"Souta, is that you?" came her voice.

"Yeah, mom," he said. Looking back, he smiled, though his glasses hid his eyes. He could tell that she'd been crying, and started moving toward her, saying, "I saw Kagome today."

"Did you now?" she asked, trying to seem like she hated her daughter. However, more tears fell from her eyes, and she started crying, saying, "Oh, Souta, why did Kagome ever leave? If she had stayed, we could have worked everything out… but she left, and now I don't know where she is."

"I'm sure she feels the same, mom," Souta said.

"I'm sure she doesn't," Mrs. Higurashi snapped, "that little hussy--"

"MOM!" Souta screamed, throwing his sunglasses from his eyes and onto the ground. "Mom," he tried in a calmer voice, "Kagome is probably still a virgin! She only changed because everyone was beating up on her, and then you began trying to find her father, and mine as well, which made her think that you didn't care. Its not because she was some type of… of slut!"

"Don't you dare use cuss words in front of your mother, Souta," she replied.

"Why, you do it all the time?" he asked.

"I am your mother, Souta, and you will show respect," she said. Her eyes were betraying her, for she once more began crying. She looked down toward the ground, and asked, "Are you going to leave me too, Souta?"

"Only if you continue to talk of my sister in such a way," he said. "Kagome is a good person, and a fine sister. You have no right to make her seem like she is nothing more then the dirt beneath your shoes. Kagome is your daughter, and my sister, which should make you respect her decision, yet here you are, still downgrading her, when she did nothing to you."

"I know, Souta," she said, before walking back inside. She knew her son was merely staring after her, but she couldn't take another child's disappearance. Sure, she knew where her daughter had gone to college, but she never acknowledged the fact that she was there, nor did she invite her back home once she left. Hell, her daughter could have turned back into that sweet little girl she knew; yet she knew nothing of it.

oOo

Inuyasha groaned trying to understand most of the things Bankotsu was talking about over the phone. However, most of it was new, since their companies were designed to work in different areas. He had no idea what Bankotsu was talking about, even though every time he asked if he understood, he said, "Yes". Truly he didn't know why he was lying, but he was, and he wasn't going to say he wasn't since that would just be stupid. Should he do that then Bankotsu would think he was more of an idiot then he already was.

"Did you hear me, Inuyasha?" Bankotsu's voice came through the phone. He was probably sitting at his desk smirking, and thinking what an idiot he was. However, Inuyasha ignored that thought, and turned in his chair.

"I'm afraid I didn't Bankotsu," he said inwardly flinching, "Could you say it again?"

"Fine," Bankotsu replied, before starting to talk about how high the rating for something was. Inuyasha really wasn't paying attention, since he didn't quite understand what Bank was saying. He would if the man was working at his company, but since he didn't, and ran his own, Inuyasha knew nothing… he was clueless.

God, his day at work was starting to suck. Wait, almost everyday since the whole Kikyo incident sucked. The woman had been kicked off his property, and though she hadn't been back, he kind of felt guilty for what he said. Even now he felt that way, though his days were a little better since Sasha was there to greet him. She always had a smile, and he was starting to wonder why she was being so nice to him, since he was such a dick. He had only a small reason to live… he was sure of that.

oOo

Her head was swimming, since she was finally out of the office. She was kind of glad that she was no longer in the office, since Sesshoumaru was working her overtime. It would seem that the man thought she needed more and more work until she couldn't work no more. Even now, as he sat beside her, he was talking on his cellphone, something about work, but she really wasn't paying attention since she didn't want to be at work after getting out of the office.

Tapping her foot against the floor, she frowned and thought back to what her brother had said. "No, when you left she became really miserable, and began crying on my shoulder all the time. Whenever you were gone, like back when you started showing that you didn't exactly like her, she would become really different, instead of mean, and angry when you were in the house. She just mopes around now, and I don't think she ever really did hate you. Especially after she tried her hardest to find out who your real father was…"

She'd never really thought about it, but perhaps her mother had still loved her. She must have, if she was always crying after she left. Well, unless her grandfather had died, since she would cry about that too. There were lots of reasons for her mother to cry, but from what Souta had said, it truly sounded like she was crying over her. Like her mother had actually wanted her to come home, even when she held her grudge against her. Maybe they could get along, and become a family again.

"Kagome?" she felt Sesshoumaru shake her shoulder. Turning her head toward him, she noticed that he was no longer talking on his cellphone, and was looking at her through the corner of his eye, trying to keep an eye on the road, since they had taken one of his nicer cars then the limo.

"Yes," she said, "um… did I worry you, or something Sesshoumaru?"

"What are you thinking about, Kagome?" he asked, turning another corner.

She sighed, before saying, "I don't know why, but I… I want to see my mother."

"I see," he said, not wanting to pry.

Turning back to the window, she finally began tapping the armrest, and frowned. Resting her head against the hand that was settled against the door, she felt her mind fill with guilt. "Sesshoumaru?" she asked.

"You wish to see her now?" he asked.

Nodding, she said, "If we could."

"Give me directions, and we should be there in a few minutes," he said.

Glaring over at him, she asked, "You're not going to speed, are you?"

"No, whatever gave you that idea?" he asked.

Shaking her head, she began telling him how to get to the shrine, and tightened her hand around the armrest when he began picking up speed. The ass if speeding, she screamed to herself. However, he didn't seem to mind, and quickly parked on the road next to the shrine's steps. The road was on a hill, and the steps led up to the flat grounds where the shrine was built.

When she stepped out of the car, she said, "I really don't think I can do this."

"I'm sure you can, Kagome," he said.

"Yeah, that's what you say," she said. Her feet moved her around the car, and she finally began walking up the steps, thinking this was going to be a talk with the devil. Her mother had always seemed like the devil, which would explain why some people used to call her the spawn of the devil. Yes, it would explain why she was called a lot of things, since her mother… well; she really didn't know what her mother was anymore.

The place looked exactly the same, though it held a soft mourning like feeling around the entire shrine. Kagome looked around, her eyes traveling over all the different spots that held great and not so great memories for her. However, what caught her eye was Souta, standing off to the side, his back leaning against the trunk of the Sacred Tree.

Tears filled her eyes, though she forced them down, as she began walking forward, toward her little brother. Once she was standing next to him, she noticed the headphones he was wearing, and wondered why he was this far away from the main house. However, she smiled, and reached out, pulling the headphones away from his head.

"Hey," he cried.

"You know, little brother," she started, "You really shouldn't wear these things while they are so loud, since they can pretty much ruin your hearing."

"Kagome?" he said. He looked up at her, before standing, the headphones that he'd grabbed from her hands dropping to the ground.

"You also shouldn't wear black on such a warm day. You could over heat your body that way," she said, smiling.

Sesshoumaru remained emotionless, though he did allowed a small smile to grace his lips when Souta lunged at Kagome. He saw the boy begin to cry, and whine that his sister was finally home, and that it was a miracle. However, he watched as the boy finally pulled away, and gave him a slight bow. Bowing his head, Sesshoumaru watched as the boy turned back to his sister, wiping at the tears in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Kagome, I shouldn't be crying," he said, "I'm such a child."

"Souta," she said, gaining his attention. "Souta, it takes a real man to cry, and you should always remember that tears of joy are not something that you should be ashamed of. Besides… you still are a child, until you understand most of the things I told you when younger."

"I understand some," he said.

"Good, cause unlike you, I was born wise," she said, smirking.

Souta wrinkled his nose in anger, before saying, "Hey, that's not funny."

"That's what you think," she said. "Now, how about we go find mom… though, I doubt I'm looking forward to a talk with the devil."

"Don't say that, Kagome," he said.

Frowning, Kagome said, "Why not? I'm sure that's what it's going to be."

"I know what you think, but you haven't seen her since you left," he said, motioning for them to follow. However, he stopped after a moment, and looked at Sesshoumaru, asking, "Who's this?"

"Oh, Souta meet Sesshoumaru Taisho," Kagome said, moving aside.

"Taisho?" Souta asked, his eyes wide.

"Yeah, you know, he knows one of the largest companies in Japan," she said, smirking.

Souta moved to his sister's side, and whispered in her ear, "Wow, Kags, you've really been working hard haven't you? I mean you're probably working there, and he's following you around. What, did my sister put the charms on the Great Taisho?"

"Shut up, Souta, just find me mom," Kagome snapped, pushing him away.

"Whatever," he said. He walked forward, before starting to run, finally making it to the door, and slamming it open. Tears were still streaming down his face, when he saw his mother appear at another doorway.

"Souta, please don't slam the doors, dear," she whispered.

"Mom, you're never going to believe who's here to see you," he said, pointing outside.

Her eyes widened, and she moved to walk by him. Once standing outside, she saw Kagome standing not far away, wearing clothing that looked like what she used to wear when younger. A skirt and everything, which made her heart, fill with joy. She saw the frown her daughter was wearing, and began walking forward, finally noticing the man at Kagome's side. "K-Kagome…" she said, her voice shaky.

"Hey, mom," she replied. "Um… mom, I want you to meet Sesshoumaru Taisho, he's… he's my boyfriend."

"It is a pleasure, Taisho-sama," her mother said, instantly recognizing the name. She smiled, before turning to the daughter who disappeared long ago from her life.

"The pleasure is mine, ma'am," Sesshoumaru replied.

"I am amazed, Kagome, you've finally found a gentleman," Mrs. Higurashi smiled.

"Was that supposed to be an insult?" Kagome asked.

"No, it wasn't," Mrs. Higurashi, replied, noticing that Souta had come to her side. "How have you been, Kagome?"

"Good," she replied, "I heard you found my father."

"Yes, I did, though he wasn't actually the person I was expecting," she said, smiling brighter.

"I'm sorry for calling you a… I believe I called you a slut when you told me that Souta's father wasn't mine," Kagome said, looking down at the ground. She felt Sesshoumaru's hand slide over her shoulder, and rest on her arm.

"Please, don't apologize for things that happened in the past, Kagome," Mrs. Higurashi said.

"Why not?" Kagome asked.

"Your father was a man I truly loved, long ago," she said, "but I had had sex with another man during the time I was pregnant, though I hadn't known it. So, I just figured that he was your father, but he wasn't. Because of that, I dumped your father, telling him I was pregnant with another man's child. I was wrong, since it was his."

"I see," Kagome said, thinking, so I was right, you were a slut.

"Your father is James Peterson, he was a man who moved here from America. His Japanese is very good, though he does falter once in a while," she smiled, recalling a memory.

"I heard he wished to meet me," Kagome said.

"He does," she replied.

Kagome nodded, before saying, "Well, that would explain why I don't have the traditional brown eyes, as most Higurashi's do."

"Yes, your father's side has mostly blue eyes, and that was something that when you were born made me wonder if my assumption was true or not," her mother said.

"What am I, the only Higurashi with blue eyes?" Kagome asked.

"From what I remember, yes," she said.

"I… Mom, I really don't want to go through life not being with my family anymore," Kagome said, bluntly, she knew but damn it, she hated the feelings of guilt.

Mrs. Higurashi smiled, before motioning for them to come inside. Her brown eyes were filled with happiness, as she watched Kagome be escorted by Sesshoumaru Taisho. Really, she never thought her daughter could charm such a fine man.

Kagome sighed, happy that this wouldn't be a talk with the devil. She really didn't want to go through another one, since she'd had so many of them before. At least now she could get to know her family once more. She never really was one who was apart of the family experience, so she was kind of hoping she could be. And now, she had Sesshoumaru to experience it with her, since they were supposed to come over for the next few holidays, and Mrs. Higurashi kept going on about when the next big shrine event was, and how she wanted Kagome there in a traditional robe. She was also talking about how when and if Kagome ever got married, she wanted it on the shrine grounds like her was, and that if Kagome ever got married, she wanted her to wear the kimono that had been past down through the Higurashi's generations.

So, she was finally becoming one with her family, even though she was sure she'd never get over all the times her mother was rude, and almost cruel to her. She would never forget it, for she never wanted to act that way if she should ever have her own children… plus, she didn't want to act that way to Shippo or Rin.

oOo

KibaSin:

Hey, guys! It took me so long that I promised myself to give you two chapters. I got those two chapter finished, and I hoped you liked them. I worked hard, since well, I haven't worked on this chapter in quite a while. I'm already starting on the next chapter, and hopefully it doesn't take me as long, since I've gotten everything out of my mind, and I'm already working on it. So, when it comes out, hopefully it won't be three weeks from now, since that's how long it took for this chapter to come out. So, I really hope you liked it, and I'll see you another time.

Kiba