A/N: I believe things are rapidly coming to a head in this short story, but even I can't really tell what's going to happen anymore. Keep reading to find out, and keep reviewing! Thanks to everyone who has put in a comment so far; you've really helped me keep going.
Chapter Seven
Kagome led Sesshoumaru into the cold, crisp, autumn night. It was mid-November, and fall was in full force. As they walked along a path that ran around the hall, Kagome could see leaves on the ground everywhere, damp with rain that had came earlier that day, but large and golden-brown.
"Kagome, do you like this school?" Sesshoumaru asked. She looked up, surprised. For a moment she had forgotten he was even there. Her ex's older brother had a way of making himself silent that Inuyasha could never master. The thought of Inuyasha, the man she had tried to forget for the past year, made her throat tighten.
"It's nice. The students and faculty are both friendly and there's always help if I need it."
"Rin might like it here." He observed. Kagome glanced over at him. The tall man seemed as mysteriously handsome as ever; he had a contemplative look on his face that seemed to make him more unapproachable than ever. 'But that's Sesshy for you.' Kagome thought. She smiled.
"Rin's only eight, Sesshy. She's got another decade before she needs to start worrying about college."
"Preparedness saves regret later." Came the sagelike response.
Kagome laughed. "How does that adorable kid live with you?"
"She says she learns a lot from her daddy."
"So have you adopted her legally?"
He nodded. "We couldn't contact her original parents. They are assumedly deceased, because of the disaster."
Kagome dimly recalled the incident that had brought Rin into Sesshoumaru's life. As far as she remembered the story, last year Sesshoumaru had taken a 'vacation' to southern Asia. She doubted it was actually a vacation; most likely he had been on assignment from the family business. But for whatever reason, he traveled to Indonesia.
While he was there, a horrible tsunami hit the island and many on the island died. Sesshoumaru was lucky enough to head inland, and not drown under the giant wave. But he did get hit by some of the things set afloat, and fell unconscious. When he awoke, the wave had subsided and he head and arm wounds had been bandaged, rather neatly, and a small girl, dressed in little more than rags, was offering him food.
The usually cold man, for some reason, decided to keep the girl while searching for her parents, on and off. The last thing Kagome had heard was that if the girl hadn't recovered her family, she would have to go to social services.
"Instead of going to child services, she requested to stay with me, and calls me father."
"How does child services feel about that? Don't they usually disapprove of single parents?"
"They approved the arrangement." Sesshoumaru said, in a tone that meant the subject was closed.
"Oh."
"That was not the reason I came here today."
"More like tonight." Kagome muttered. Sesshoumaru appeared not to hear.
"What reason did you give for ending the relationship with Inuyasha?"
"He-" Kagome sighed and thought fiercely to herself. 'Oh come on, it's been nearly a year and a half. Surely you can talk about it now?'
"He still had feelings for his ex-girlfriend, Kikyo. So I let him go back to her." The last sentence was whispered. Kagome could feel tears welling up in her eyes. Why did it have to hurt so much?
"Kikyo and Inuyasha have not been dating for some months now, and while they were dating, they were not exactly happy."
"Couldn't tell." Kagome muttered miserably.
"He still loves you, Kagome." Sesshoumaru stopped walking to turn to the girl beside him. "Last week he tried to commit suicide."
"What?" Kagome looked up at him sharply. "No way! Inuyasha would never-"
"As I pulled the gun from his hands, he told me, 'Nothing matters anymore. No one will care. Only Kagome ever did.' " Sesshoumaru shifted uncomfortably. "The point is, Inuyasha is one of our best…helpers in the family business. He gets things done right and fast the first time, and he knows how to deal with the people who don't pay up." The older brother nodded. "But lately he's been off, dumb. We can't work with him anymore, and frankly, he's pissing me off. So the most sensible solution seems to be that we should persuade you to return to him."
"Persuade, huh." Kagome was smiling now. She knew fairly much of what Inuyasha's family did as a 'business'. The Inutaisho family had been running much of Baltimore's local politics in the background for years. She wasn't sure if they were Mafia, but it sort of seemed that way.
"So you want me to fly back home to Baltimore, have a little talk with Inuyasha, and make him get back to normal?" she asked, amused.
"As a family, we would appreciate having our…good helper…back." Sesshoumaru smiled back at Kagome, a rare expression. "But I want you to go back and tell him how you really feel about him. You still love him, don't you, Kagome?"
"I-yes." 'No use denying it now.' Kagome thought resignedly. "I always have."
"And he loves you, more than the idiot realizes." Sesshoumaru added. "So stop making fools of yourself and get back together already." He muttered disgustedly. "Both of you are making me sick."
Kagome laughed. She really missed her old life with the family. Despite what her adopted parents thought of the Inutaishos, she loved the people and the little "family secrets"; and she loved the boy who had introduced her to it all. Her laughter faded into a wistful sigh. "I want to go back home, Sesshou."
"Then pack what items you need, break up with your current distraction, and meet me at the Hartford airport at seven a.m. tomorrow." They walked back to the hall entrance. "I'll be waiting."
As mysteriously as he had arrived, Sesshoumaru was gone, melted into the solid black night. Kagome shook her head. 'You know, I think he's gotten friendlier since we last talked. Must be because of Rin.' She grinned and ran up the main stairs. 'I've got to start packing.'
Her mind was already planning the breakup speech.
