Disclaimer: No, I don't own Inuyasha. I don't own rights for using the title from the song tangled, again from Maroon5... It's called stealing. –shows her famous innocent face-
Chapter three - Tangled
"My dear, you're scaring me," Miyame Hitachi said, eyeing his mate. He was a tall, dignified and caring man, who had long blond hair and sparkling green, cat-like eyes – after all, he was a cat demon. When Rin had been seventeen, Hitachi had become the taiyoukai of southern lands. Seeing that he was an honourable man, Sesshoumaru-sama had given his blessing to them and Rin had become his mate. She was still close to Sesshoumaru-sama, though. She saw him every day, for she was working as his secretary.
Hitachi smiled. He sure had been lucky.
Rin, who had a cunning expression on her face glanced back at her mate.
"I just happened to meet someone today. Someone, whom I kind of know."
"Oh?" Hitachi raised his eyebrow.
"You know the legend of Inu-tachi, right?"
"Sure... Hanyou Inuyasha challenged hanyou Naraku in order to try to win himself the Shikon no Tama. He gained victory, but for that he had to pay the lives of his comrades. And they say that after the final battle he committed Seppuku himself."
"And what about Shikon no Tama? Or the miko?" Rin asked coyly.
"Both were not found afterwards. The legend says the miko got killed too, but her body was not to be found."
Rin nodded.
"That's right, that's what the legend says. Though it would seem that the legend is not quite accurate. The person I mention I met today was the miko of that story."
Hitachi blinked.
"But how could that be? The miko is only a human."
"I am only a woman, dear," Rin reminded a bit pointedly.
"Yes, but you are mated to me and thus you will live as long as I shall live." Hitachi wrapped his arms around her and placed a tender kiss on her soft lips.
"True... Even Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't know how she could have survived. It seems she does not have a youkai mate." Rin started to giggle. "At least not as for now."
Hitachi studied his mate.
"All right, I know that face. Spit out what you are plotting."
"Don't you agree that Sesshoumaru-sama has been alone for quite a long time?"
"He has you and Kanna."
"I didn't mean it like that, Hitachi."
"Well, in that case he has Kagura," the cat youkai grinned.
"Hitachi!" Rin cried.
He laughed.
"Sorry, dear, I couldn't resist." Hitachi got serious again. "But if you are planning to get Sesshoumaru to mate that miko, you're going to need loads of good luck. You see, it's impossible. Sesshoumaru-sama would never..."
"Well, I can still try, can't I? Kagome-nee-chan is a sweet and caring girl. It'd be the perfect match!"
Hitachi stared at his mate and sighed. When she wore that expression she would not be persuaded.
He could only wait and see...
"You shouldn't have been so rude to her. She brooded to me the whole day on the phone. Like I would care."
"You know how much I dislike her. And actually I did nothing. It was Rin who was dragging her out."
"I see."
The young woman flipped a lock of her white hair over her shoulder.
"I am very close of getting rid of her – permanently," Sesshoumaru continued after a few minutes' silence
"What is stopping you?"
"Rin does not want me to kill her."
"And that's the only reason?"
"Yes."
"How peculiar."
"Have you heard?"
"Heard about what?"
"That she's alive."
"Who?"
"The miko."
"How?"
"I don't know."
"Strange..."
The two withdrawn demons fell silent for awhile.
"I had better get going," the young woman said as she got up.
Sesshoumaru rose to his feet and saw her off to the door.
"Thank you for the visit, Kanna."
"Anytime, Sesshoumaru-sama."
"Welcome!" Mrs. Higurashi hugged tightly her daughter and then her future son-in-law.
"I hope you have been well, Higurashi-san," Hojo reckoned politely.
"I've been just fine, thank you. Now, come in, dears, come in!"
They stepped in and left their coats on the rack and their shoes under it.
As they sat down at the dinner-table, they greeted Kagome's grandfather. Souta was away, visiting a friend of his.
"What a pity you missed him," Mrs. Higurashi told them.
Kagome looked over the table to Hojo. He nodded in approval. Kagome swallowed, feeling oddly nervous.
"Mom?"
"Yes, dear?"
"We've got something to tell..."
"Yes?"
Hojo nodded again in approval and Kagome flashed him a grateful smile.
"Hojo proposed to me a few days ago and well, we are engaged now."
Kagome's grandfather congratulated them as Mrs. Higurashi dropped her spoon.
For a moment her gaze bounced from Hojo to her daughter, then she gave out a muffled scream.
"Oh, congratulations!" she picked up her spoon. "When will the wedding be held?" she asked, her eyes twinkling eagerly.
"Mom," Kagome wailed, blushing in embarrassment.
Hojo started to laugh and glanced at Kagome. She looked so sweet when she was blushing.
"We haven't yet given any thought to the wedding," he told Mrs. Higurashi.
The two started a conversation. Kagome's grandpa soon joined them in the discussion.
Kagome was poking the food around her plate with her spoon. She did not quite know what was wrong with her. She should be overjoyed. Then why the only feeling she could define was alarmingly resembling a panic of some kind? Rest of her feelings were on a messy knot she could not undo. She felt a tiny twinge of nausea as the wedding was mentioned.
... It was just normal nervousness of a bride-to-be, right? She was feeling awfully awkward, as she watched how her fiancé was casually discussing with her mother and grandfather. Kagome wanted to get up and go for a walk to clear her head and untie the knot of her confused feelings.
But instead she forced a smile on her face, started to eat and joined in the discussion.
"It went rather well, didn't it?" Hojo said happily, when they were in his car on their way home.
"Yes, it was great," she smiled to herself.
He pulled over to the side of the street, in front of the building where Kagome's apartment was in.
"See you soon, I hope," Hojo said, admiring her with his stare.
"Yeah, hope so," she echoed. "Bye Hojo."
He bent closer and kissed her.
She shivered, but whether it was from disgust or delight, she could not tell.
Was this all some kind of an after-shock of the proposal? It had to be.
Kagome got out of the car and waved to Hojo as he drove away.
She stepped into the building and climbed the stairs up to the third floor, where her apartment was in. As she reached her door she pulled the keys out of her pocket and opened the door, stepping in. She took off her shoes and her coat. Kagome sighed. She felt hungry, although she had just been having a dinner with her family. She just had not felt like eating anything back then. She had felt so confused, nervous and a little sick too. The knot of emotions she could not clear to herself was heavily weighing in her chest. She had forced herself to eat although she had not been hungry then, but now, now she was hungry. She lazily walked over to the fridge and opened the door. Typical, there were only cat-food tins in the fridge. She made a mental note to herself to go to do some grocery shopping after the work tomorrow. So, pizza it was. She dialled the number of the pizza-delivery and made her order. Then she hung up and threw herself on the sofa. She frowned. She could not untie the messy knot, nor define the feelings that formed it. What exactly were her feelings towards Hojo? What had been her true reaction to the proposal? What did she truly want? She couldn't answer any of those questions before she could work out that knot and realise what she exactly was feeling. And she didn't know where to begin with. She sighed to herself, deciding to let the knot be for the time being. Maybe it would untie itself. It would all clear up with enough time given, right? Absentmindedly she petted Shue, who had jumped onto her lap. Yawning, she decided that a little nap wouldn't hurt.
She watched the black-haired woman in elegant clothes standing in front of her, holding her purse tightly against her chest, her golden diamond rings glittering. Oh no, not her again.
"Hello, Kagura-san."
"Hello, Rin-san. Would you please inform Sesshy-darling that I'm here and that I wish to see him?" Kagura eyed coldly the dark-haired woman sitting casually behind the wooden desk. How could Sesshoumaru stand that annoying little brat?
"Oh, you mean you're not going to rush in through that door and throw yourself all over him like you did yesterday at the art exhibition?"
"Shut up little bitch!" Kagura snapped. "Just tell him that I'm here."
"I'm afraid I can't do that," Rin replied calmly, turning back to type the e-mail she had been typing before the unwanted interruption.
"What do you mean 'can't'?"
"He is not here."
"What?" Kagura hissed sharply.
Rin took a deep breath before turning her dark eyes to the wind demon. She then started to speak with a gentle tone, the kind of which people usually used when explaining something difficult to small children.
"Sesshoumaru-sama is not available at the moment. He left his office half an hour ago."
"Where did he go then?"
"I don't know. He reckoned that it is not required for me to know his reasons or locations."
Kagura huffed in annoyance. She could not stand that little brat. The casual secretary always made her blood boil.
Rin sighed again. She could not stand that stupid bitch. Her constant attempts to meet her "Sesshy-darling", just to be turned away by him, were a true pain in her ass.
They glared at each other for a moment. Then Kagura turned around and stormed out of the office.
Rin couldn't help herself anymore but burst into giggles. It might have been a small victory, but it was a victory nonetheless.
She awoke as the doorbell rang.
Must be the pizza-boy, she thought to herself, standing up and dropping Shue onto the floor from her lap. She tried to fix her messy hair as she walked over to the door and opened it. Indeed there was the pizza, carried by a young dark-haired man.
"Here you go, it's 1000 yen."
"Wait a second I'll go and get my money –"
She caught a sight of him from the corner of his eye and stopped. She turned back to face him and looked at him more closely. And then her vision started to blur all of a sudden. She blinked and shook her head in attempt to regain her clear sight.
He looked at her his eyebrow raised. What was wrong with her now?
Kagome's vision cleared. She gasped and then slowly backed away from the pizza-boy.
"What the heck are you doing here with that pizza?"
Exactly what kind of question was that? he thought dryly to himself. It was quite obvious, wasn't it.
"How does it look like? I'm delivering it to you."
Kagome raised quickly her finger, pointing at him with it.
"Oh you are? Hahaha. Why would you be doing something so stupid?"
"Because that's my job?"
It seemed to him that her travels with his useless hanyou half brother had had their side-effects. She had apparently lost her mind.
"Your job my ass! You're Rin-chan's boss, Hisakata Sesshoumaru!"
It was on that moment when Sesshomaru actually felt surprised. But of course, he did not show it.
"What are you talking about, woman? I'm just an ordinary pizza-boy."
"HA! That silver hair, those amber eyes and that freaky purplish crescent moon on your brow that nobody else than me can't see. You're Sesshoumaru."
He stared at her. That wench was able to see through his sealing spell? Impossible.
They glared wordlessly at one another.
And then his inner demon raised its head.
It was here. Now.
He screwed up his eyes.
"So you are using Shikon no Tama in order to see through my sealing spell?"
Kagome blinked.
"Huh? What are you talking about? What spell? What Tama?"
"Don't play stupid with me, miko," he warned on a low cold tone.
"Miko? Me?" Just what was he talking about again? Kagome came into a simple conclusion: He was mad!
"Are you serious just now?"
"You think I'm not serious?" Kagome asked confused. How had he supposed she would have reacted then?
Sesshoumaru watched her with his cold intensive stare.
She was not lying. Then what was wrong with her?
"Argh. Whatever, I don't care."
He watched her turning away from him, stomping in annoyance out of his sight.
She had more temper that he had thought.
Sesshoumaru groaned. His inner demon grinned.
She soon returned with the money, which she shoved into his palm and grabbed the pizza from his hands.
Sesshoumaru stared at the door she had just slammed at his face.
Great, now he had to think about something new...
He took his mobile phone out of his pocket.
"This is Miyame, Hisakata-san's secretary speaking."
"Rin, get me the miko's e-mail address."
"Sesshoumaru-sama, why would you – "
"Just get it. Now."
"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!"
Kagome took a slice of pizza and sat down at the dining table. What a freak! Honestly, talking all that bullshit that nobody understood. And what the heck that pizza-delivering-thing had been about? Seesh. Well, at least the pizza was good.
She pulled her laptop closer and switched it on. While she was waiting it to boot up, she took another slice of the pizza. She opened her browser and logged in to her e-mail account.
5 new messages.
The first one was from Eri.
"Hey Kagome. You're not going to believe this! The woman that we saw yesterday at the art-exhibition, the freaky one who had to be dragged out, is a black widow - type!
She has been married three times. All of her husbands have been extremely wealthy. - That explains that silly fur-coat. Anyway, every time something has happened to her husbands, and she ends up being an extremely wealthy widow!
See ya soon again, I hope!
Love Eri
Ps. I've started dating a cop!"
Yeah right, Kagome rolled her eyes. Eri was clearly making the story up. Kagome chuckled. The black widow thing was as real as her dog-eared dream boy.
Next message was just bare trash. Following that one, was the reply from her e-mail friend. Kagome squealed happily.
"Hey there, Kagome-chan!
I've been just fine, hope you've been too? My hand is back to normal again. Though, I've felt little sick lately. : / I think I'm coming down with something... –shrugs- Oh well. What doesn't kill you... Or so they say. :P
You shouldn't worry about things so much. You're not going crazy! Dreams are always weird.
Honestly, if you just knew what kind of things I've dreamed about, you would call your dreams perfectly normal. :D
Surely it's just a weird coincidence that he was right there. Or then there's a logical explanation. Like if you've seen him somewhere before or so..? Anyway, he doesn't sound like a nice guy at all. ó.O Maybe he has a problem with his attitude or something? Anyway, the world is full of jerks, so you really should get used to it, hun.
And about the crescent-moon... Well, I don't know what to say. O.o sounds pretty weird to me.
BUT! Hojo-kun proposed! AAAWW! So cute! I'm so happy for you! Honestly! Do I get invited to the wedding? How are you feeling about it?
I was in the seventh heaven when Kouga proposed me. It was a feeling you can't really describe. -dreamy smile- Such a strong, overwhelming joy...!
Oh, by the way, how was the art exhibition you went to with your friends? And the dinner then? I hope you had fun.
Oh, I got to go. . Seems like the twins are arguing. sigh
Take care! Hugs!
- Ayame"
Kagome smiled. She loved e-mails she got from Ayame. She was married with Kouga-kun and had 3 children. A boy who was 7 years old and twins, who were 5. Kagome replied immediately.
"Hey Ayame-chan!
I hope your sickness goes by. Honestly!
Hmm. My feelings about the proposal? -sigh- The truth is, I don't really know. I'm confused, nervous and.. I don't know. Is this how I should feel or is there just something wrong with me? I feel like my feelings would be just one huge and messy knot in my chest that I can't untie. :x I was happy at first, but now... I don't know.
The art-exhibition was great. Guess who was the artist? THE SAME RUDE CRESCENT-GUY! -rolls her eyes- If everything happens for a reason, I'm getting worried. At the moment I prefer coincidence. But, he was truly a talented artist. Yuka-chan told me he's the owner of a big and successful corporation, and that he's really rich. That could explain his attitude-problem a bit. What a snob!
Anyway, I met his secretary in the exhibition. She was very sweet and sincere young woman. I hope we can become friends! Oh! And then in the art exhibition was this really freaky woman too. o.O She's all head over heels for Sesshoumaru-sama (aka the rude guy. Boldened to convey my sarcasm better.) and actually clung into his arm. o.O He didn't seem to be too happy about that! You should have just seen his face... It was rather scary. And Eri told me she'd be some kind of black-widow-type-woman, you know what I mean? ... Eri has too wild imagination.
The dinner today... Well, it went fine, food was good, mom was happy and so on. -rolls her eyes- But somehow I felt.. I don't know, disturbed? Troubled? Uneasy? Something along those lines...
OH! Talking about coincidences! I ordered a pizza when I got home, for I was still hungry. Well, just guess who was the pizza-delivering-guy? Sesshoumaru! Think about highly talented artist and owner of successful, wealthy company. Why the hell was he standing behind my door, delivering me a pizza? I'm getting annoyed of these "coincidences". Sure he's hot and all, I admit, but honestly, that attitude of his! -groan- Oh, and he's bloody out of his mind! Talking about stuff like something "Tama", calling me miko and so on. Sheesh!
Anyway, I hope you're doing fine!
HUGS!
- Kagome"
"Message sent."
Kagome felt better after discharging her frustration and annoyance into the e-mail. She clicked next message open. It was a note from the book store that a book she had ordered had arrived. Well, it was about time!
The last message was from an address Kagome did not recognise. She clicked it open.
"Kagome Higurashi-san,
I would like to inform you that I have my ways of knowing. And I assure you that if I ever hear that a word of the nature of our meeting of today has slipped out of your mouth, I will personally make sure that your entrails will be ripped out of your sorry stomach.
Yours, sincerely
Hisakata S."