I don't own these characters.
4: Unidentified Dates
Sesshomaru stared at his desk while Naraku went on about his next bad idea. Sesshomaru was almost certain he could hear his brain cells dying as the half-breed droned on and on. How was any of this supposed to impress their client? How was he supposed to come up with any sort of art for this bizarre notion Naraku was trying to pass as an actual thought?
The dog demon silently admitted neither of them was coming off as the tops in their field with the work that they were doing for the account. Naraku was coming up with junk upon junk while Sesshomaru was not doing much better. The golden-eyed male had not drawn a decent logo or mascot since meeting up with the crimson-eyed hanyou. He blamed Naraku, though. He did not work well with others and he was aware of that.
"You're acting as if you don't want this account, dog," Naraku commented. He could tell the full demon was not paying attention to him, not that Sesshomaru ever paid him much mind.
"From your work, I'm assuming you don't want it either, half-breed," Sesshomaru countered. It took all of his self-control to not tear the hanyou apart for referring to him as "dog." The smell of his blood would probably never come out of the floor and it would eventually drive Sesshomaru mad, which seemed to be Naraku's whole purpose for existing.
Neither Sesshomaru nor Naraku called each other by name. They tended to call each other any profane word that came to mind; the most commonly used was "bastard." They used such words almost as if they were nicknames. The company had a pool on which one of them would snap first and kill the other, included in that was the means of what one would use to kill the other.
"Well, what have you done that was worthwhile lately, dog?" Naraku asked his partner.
Sesshomaru only glanced at the half-demon. He could not wait for lunchtime. He would be able to get away from such an irksome bastard and in the company of someone he was quickly deciding was an angel, Kikyo. Yes, he had another lunch date with the strange human.
The dog demon began to consider Kikyo an angel for several reasons and the top one was that she made him forget about that a self-important, disrespectful, hanyou bastard like Naraku even existed. She was an extraordinary break in the day. Hell, sometimes in the week. It was a pleasure to sit with her and have intelligent conversation after dealing with hordes of fools. Something about her presence soothed him and the sound her low, somber voice washed away any grime that was left on him by Naraku or any other annoyance in his life. She had to be an angel to make him feel that way and he had only known her for a few weeks.
Another reason Sesshomaru thought of Kikyo as an angel was because of how odd she was as a human. There was something off about Kikyo as a human. She was interested in weird things, aside from demon art. She was into archery, as was her sisters, and he was willing to bet her sisters were just as odd as she was, even though he had not met them. She was into almost anything that another person might dub archaic in his opinion. She did calligraphy and knew ancient histories long forgotten by most. He thought it was strange, but he liked it about her. They had already had several history discussions and he found he liked how she could see things from many different perspectives, even though she had her own opinion.
"Are you paying attention?" Naraku demanded, interrupting Sesshomaru's thoughts on Kikyo.
"Oh, you're still talking. That would explain the blood pouring from my ears," the dog demon remarked blandly. He needed to get out of there if only to save his brain.
"You're not taking this serious," Naraku growled. He was so sick of the demon prince he just wanted to use his youki to tear him apart in a matter of seconds and paint the damned office with his royal blood.
The hair on the nape of Sesshomaru's neck stood up for a moment at the sound of the half-breed's growl. Was this simple bastard challenging him? He cracked his knuckles and waited for a reaction. Naraku flinched at the noise, but did not do anything beyond that.
"And you are? Listen, half-demon, your work is less than presentable on all fronts, so until you get your act together, do not question anything about me," Sesshomaru stated with a bit of a snarl. He was ready to slit Naraku in two vertically because the half-breed was going above and beyond when it came to be being troublesome now.
"You miserable dog," Naraku snarled.
Sesshomaru's mouth twitched downward. "Watch your mouth, filthy half-breed." There was only so much a nobleman could take and Sesshomaru was close to his wits end.
The two males eyed each other, energy popping between them, daring each other. It seemed like they had hit their limit. It was amazing considering they had already put up with each other for almost a month. But, now, they were ready to get to it and Sesshomaru was almost glad for it. He needed an excuse to be rid of this wretch. But, suddenly the phone rang and was just enough of a distraction to release the tension of the room.
The dog demon was closest to the device, so he answered. It might be an important business call, after all. He was not about to allow Naraku to mess with his money.
The ebony-haired male watched as Sesshomaru exchanged words with whoever it was on the phone. The full demon glanced at his partner on occasion before hanging up the phone. He then walked to the door and it seemed he was just going to leave without letting Naraku know what that phone call was about or as if he was not going to finish what they had not even started.
"What was that about?" Naraku demanded, tearing out of the chair.
"Just the clients. They wanted to know what we had," Sesshomaru informed his bothersome partner.
"What did you tell them?" the half-breed inquired, as if he were not sitting right there to hear Sesshomaru's end of the conversation.
"What could I offer other than the fact that we had nothing? They would like us to come up with something soon or the account will be given to others," the platinum-haired demon stated as if that information was nothing important.
"Then where are you going?" Naraku asked.
"Nowhere that concerns you," Sesshomaru stated and then he left. He could not take it anymore.
Sesshomaru needed to get out of the office. He was sick of dealing with the crimson-eyed hanyou and the fact that they had not gotten out of the starting gates on this account. He did not want to think about the clients now breathing down their necks. He did not feel like being stressed anymore. He wanted to be with his angel and unwind. Maybe she could offer him some ideas as to what he should do. He did not make it a habit of talking about work with her, but at the moment, he could use some inspiration on the account before the clients decided to walk.
Sesshomaru pulled out his cell phone and called Kikyo to see where she was. He was leaving to meet her earlier than the time that they agreed on, but she claimed she did not have much to do with herself since she was still unemployed. He had to remember to ask her about her employment situation, he told himself, as he waited for her to answer her phone.
"Hello, Sesshomaru," Kikyo greeted him over the phone.
"Hello, Kikyo. Where are you?" he asked. He suspected she was at the museum, like she typically was. He thought she should just work there, but he knew she was much trained to be a doctor and he thought that was much more respectable than working in a museum. Besides, he doubted a demon museum would hire a human, regardless of how knowledgeable she was about much of the work.
"I'm walking through a park right now," she informed him.
"Where is this park?" he inquired. Why was she in a park?
Kikyo told him what he wanted to know and he disconnected the call after ordering her not to leave. It was not a harsh order, but it was still an order. It was a habit of his. He was used to being in command and in control. He strolled off to where she said she was, which was not very far. He was within the park in less than five minutes and he caught her heavenly scent in under five seconds. He easily made it to her. She was sitting across from a fountain.
"Kikyo," Sesshomaru said as he moved over to her. He sort of breathed her name, like it was a relief to simply exhale the word.
"Sesshomaru," she replied as she turned to him. His name escaped her as if it was a smile.
"What are you doing in this park?" he asked as he looked around at all of the children running around, people walking their dogs, and other park activities.
"My little sister had me here when she met with her friends and then she left me all alone," the chocolate-eyed woman explained with an amused look on her face. "She could have at least warned me. I would have brought my sketchbook."
"Your little sister sounds something like my little sister," he commented.
"Perhaps all little sisters are alike. Should you not be at work?" she inquired with an arched eyebrow.
With a short sigh, he waved the question off. "I had to get out of there."
"Why?"
"No reason that is important," he replied. He really hated thinking about his job when he was with her. He wanted to enjoy her company. "When are you going to get a job?" he asked to change the subject. There was no judgment in his tone and she did not take offense.
"I am not sure," she admitted with a slight shrug.
Kikyo was reluctant to go out and get work because Naraku had threatened her a few times that he promised to get her fired if she did continue on with her career. He wanted her home for some reason she knew was related to him climbing the social ladder. Most of the time, she was certain it had something to do with him wanting to get on her nerves and nothing beyond that. She knew better than to try and call his bluff about her job as he had twice almost gotten her fired from the clinic she used to work at in their old city.
She knew Naraku wanted her to be a docile housewife and she might not have had much of a problem with that if the hanyou was not so completely twisted in his thinking. He wanted her like that because he would like to see her plain miserable. He really just wanted a puppy to kick that would crawl back for another hit. She would not give him the satisfaction. She would never be anyone's whipping girl. But, she was not looking to find employment either. She had to plan out how she would be able to work without worrying over Naraku ruining her reputation.
"You should get a job. Surely you are a competent physician," Sesshomaru said. She was too intelligent to be anything less.
"I suppose," Kikyo agreed. She knew he was trying to compliment her, but she was learning he was not well practiced at complimenting people.
"The world could use as many good doctors as it can get," he pointed out.
"I suppose." The petite female had little desire to share why she was not looking for work. She never told Sesshomaru about the misshapen relationship that was her marriage. She did not want to think about her husband while she was with Sesshomaru. She liked to lose herself in his company and often did. It was a weight lifted from her shoulders to be with him and forget about Naraku for a few hours.
There was something about Sesshomaru's calm presence that eased her nerves. Sure, she always appeared tranquil, but of course that was not the case, not with the husband she had. Sometimes, she had all sorts of emotions raging inside of her, emotions she wished she could ignore, emotion she wished would go away, but she knew they never would while she was with Naraku. When she was with Sesshomaru, the emotions became still and she truly felt at peace. She missed the feeling and welcomed it with Sesshomaru.
The dog demon was a refreshing change from her husband. He was not methodical like Naraku. Sure, he believed he was the greatest thing that had ever been created and Naraku was the same, but Sesshomaru went about it differently. He was not out to prove he was great. To him, it was obvious and did not need to be stated in manner. Naraku fought and scratched and kicked to try to let the world know how great he was. Sesshomaru did not need anyone to validate his existence like the hanyou did.
"Well, since we are in a park, why don't we take a walk?" Sesshomaru suggested since it seemed like Kikyo was not up for talking about finding a job. He wondered why that was since she had spoken about enjoying her work, when she had it anyway.
"Sounds wonderful," she answered.
Sesshomaru climbed to his feet and then put his hand out for Kikyo. She did not even think as she took his hand and was surprised to find his hand was smooth. She was aware he had sword training, so it was a bit peculiar for him not to have callouses. He took care of his skin.
"Your hand," she said.
"Proper claw maintenance is a must," he replied.
She accepted that. They walked hand and hand through the park. They looked like a very odd couple in the park because, first of all, they were a human and a demon together. Interspecies couples were rare, despite how civilized everyone liked to pretend they were. The pair also appeared rather sophisticated. He was in a suit and she was in business casual clothing. It was a bit too much for a simple walk in the park if they were on a date. Well, people could easily think they were on a date. Sesshomaru and Kikyo did not think about it much.
Sesshomaru noted the slender hand in his own was soft and warm, delicate, but strong. He enjoyed holding onto Kikyo. He glanced down at her hand and noticed her wedding band. It was not the first time he noticed the ring. He wondered if she was truly married or it was a ploy to keep men away from her, not that it worked if it was a ploy.
The golden-eyed male had seen men trying to pick up Kikyo when he was on his way to meet her. He usually got very angry when he witnessed such scenes. Well, how dare anyone talk to his angel? The nerve of such males. He always stalked over to them as quietly as possible and then scowled down at them since Kikyo not being interested did not seem to get through to them. They definitely understood a furious dog demon was not something they wanted in their lives, so they would quickly vacate the area and leave his angel alone.
If Kikyo was married, why did she never speak of the man, Sesshomaru wondered. He supposed he should just ask, but he was not very interested in hearing the answer. He knew he would not like it if she was married. He would not admit why he did not want her to be married, but he knew he would prefer it if she was not.
"So, do you know where your little sister ran off to?" Sesshomaru asked to get his mind off of if the wedding band was legitimate or not.
"I have no idea. She merely asked for money and then ran off," Kikyo replied with a small smile.
"She is really starting to sound very much like my little sister," he commented with a small smile of his own.
Kikyo only smiled more. She always smiled more whenever Sesshomaru smiled because it was so rare. In the few weeks she had known him, she was certain she could count on one hand how many times she had seen a smile grace his features. She liked seeing him smile. She especially liked when she caused him to smile. It warmed her in a way no man ever had. She considered it something unique to their friendship and nothing deeper than that, but part of her knew it was something deeper.
"So, where shall we dine today?" Sesshomaru asked, glancing down at her, needing to take her in at that very moment.
"Hmm…" Kikyo thought on the question. "Follow me," she replied while gently pulling him away.
Sesshomaru questioned what she was doing, but the ebony-haired woman did not explain herself. She merely continued to lightly tug him by the hand and he allowed that. He was curious as to where they were going, but he now knew she was not going to explain herself. He was self-aware enough to know he behaved in a similar manner.
Kikyo ignored the fact that she felt a bit giddy around Sesshomaru and that was why she was pulling him as if she was some eager school girl. When was the last time she felt like this? Never, she was certain. She led him out of the park and down the street. She then stopped in front of a pizza shop. She went to the window that was on the outside instead of going into the place.
"Two slices please," Kikyo requested from the pizza-maker, who nodded and put two waiting slices into the oven.
"Two slices of what?" Sesshomaru asked. Did she really expect him to eat some human junk food?
"Wait a moment," Kikyo told him.
Sesshomaru was utterly baffled. He had never been to a pizza parlor. He did not eat human food, even though he had a completely human little sister and stepmother. He never really paid attention to what they ate, either. It did not interest him.
"What is this?" the dog demon inquired as the pizza-maker brought them their two slices.
"The one universal life-saver," the petite female answered as she went into her shoulder bag, apparently about to pay for their meal.
"What do you think you're doing?" Sesshomaru inquired when he noticed her reaching for her wallet.
"It's only three dollars, Sesshomaru," she argued because she knew he was about to make a big thing about her paying. He was rather old-fashion in the sense that he was not willing to let her pay for anything when she was in his company. She was a little flattered by that it, but sometimes it was irksome at times like this when she wanted to treat him.
"Then I can easily pay," he countered.
"As can I," she stated. She did not like to feel indebted to anyone, but she had yet to feel like that when out with Sesshomaru. Still, she would like to pick up the tab on occasion, especially when it was her idea.
"But, you won't," he soundly commanded.
"This was my idea," she said. It might work.
"That is irrelevant."
Kikyo pouted just a little bit. He was the only person she would dare do such a thing in front of. Not even her sisters had ever seen her do anything close to pouting. He paid her expression little mind, except for noting it was cute, and he paid for their pizza. She sighed, shoulders slouchy somewhat. She would not mind paying for something just once, if only to show her gratitude to Sesshomaru for being such a comforting presence.
"Would it kill you to let me pay once?" she asked.
"Perhaps." He looked down at his pizza. The smell was familiar. Rin and Inuyasha ate something like this often if he was not mistake. He was not sure how he felt about eating something Inuyasha ate. "Now, what do we do with this mess?"
"We eat it, Sesshomaru," Kikyo replied in a dry tone as she picked her slice and bit the tip of the slice.
"Right here? While standing up?" he asked in disbelief. How unsophisticated.
She regarded him with a slight tilt to her head. "You've never eaten pizza with your little sister, I take it?"
"You have?"
"She is the one who continues to have me and my older sister walking around while we eat slices. According to her, that's how you're supposed to do it. Come on, let's go back to the park and stroll around the lake," she proposed.
"All right," he concurred with his face slightly scrunched up.
Sesshomaru picked up his slice, which was sitting limply on a white paper plate. He sniffed the food as they walked off to go back to the park. He turned his nose up at it and Kikyo noticed.
"Just try it, Sesshomaru," she told him. He was quite set in his ways, which sometimes she admired, and sometimes she found somewhat adorable. He was lost when out of his element, even though he tried not to show it.
"You make it sound so simple," he replied and a sneer settled on his face.
"It is. Look," she said and then she took another bite of her pizza. She had to admit the little corner shop had some of the best pizza she had tasted.
She told him once more to try it and he made a noise of protest. He was very against the idea of eating something that looked like a cheesy refuse. He put the slice to his mouth and took a very small bite into the so-called food. He seemed surprised the pizza did not kill him, Kikyo noted, as he swallowed the tiny piece.
"You are being much too dramatic," the petite woman commented, fighting off a smile. She did not want him to think she was taunting him or he might not eat the rest of his slice.
Sesshomaru only frowned. He bit into the pizza again, not finding the slice entirely terrible. Kikyo noted the dog demon ate the pizza despite the fact that he was attempting to make it seem as if the food was the grossest thing he could possibly ingest. She did not say anything and continued to eat her slice. They silently walked around the lake in the park, enjoying each other and the pizza. No conversation was necessary.
-8-8-8-8-
Kikyo sat at home on the sofa. There was jazz music playing in the background while she focused on her sketchbook. She could only do sketches in the apartment because there was no space for her to set up to do her sculpting. She was willing to bet her "darling" husband had gotten the apartment because of that. It was all right, though. She was fine with drawing for now. After she found a job, she would find some place she could sculpt.
It had been a while since she drew anything aside from family members. She used to draw them because she missed them, living so far away and trapped with Naraku. In fact, she had sketchbook full of only her family. Lately though, she sketched other things, things she either saw in the street and happened to recall or thoughts of things she would sculpt whenever she ever got the chance to do so again. It was nice to have a variety of ideas going through her mind and flowing onto her paper.
She had been doing such work since about the time she met Sesshomaru. The soothing affect he had on her seemed to beckon her to work on some art, even though her muse had not really sunk its teeth in yet. She was content, as she generally was after having an afternoon with the handsome dog demon, and then she heard keys in the door. Apparently, her feeling was not going to last long.
"Kikyo," Naraku practically growled as he entered the apartment.
"What?" she replied as she closed her sketchbook and tucked it underneath her arm. How could he be upset with her when he had not even laid eyes on her yet?
"Kikyo," he growled again.
"What?" she repeated and then she caught sight of him. "Dear lord, you're drunk," she realized. She did not want to deal with him intoxicated.
"It's that dog bastard's fault. He's ruining my account," Naraku snarled. "Bastard!" He punched his fist into his palm.
"How so?" she asked as if she cared. It was best to humor him, distract him, and then he would pass out without making her life difficult.
She had already heard her fair share of his "that dog bastard" rants. She did not even know who the "dog bastard" was because her irritable husband never used his real name. He was always said "that dog bastard." Well, more barked the moniker rather than simply speaking it. She had come to understand her spouse and whoever he was partnered with at work were not getting along and the account suffered because of it. She was surprised Naraku had not been able to charm this partner, but he clearly did not know how to handle someone not just falling into line with him.
"Are you questioning me?" he groused, his upper lip curled up like a feral dog. "You're just like that dog bastard, always mocking me and questioning me, like you know better than me. I know what I'm doing. I know more than him. I'm better than him. This is my account and I won't let him ruin it!" He shook his fist and he nearly stumbled over, unable to walk and make a fist at the same time.
"All right, you're drunk," she stated, planning to leave him to his ramblings if he was going to take her because work was not going as he wanted it. She stood from the couch.
"Where are you going?" he demanded and he grabbed her by her pale wrists. She almost dropped her sketchbook and his eyes narrowed on the tome. "You and that bastard with your worthless art. I could stop you from wasting your time." He squeezed her wrist and caused her to wince. "Does it hurt, dearest?" he inquired and from the way his crimson eyes lit up, he delighted in her agony.
She locked eyes with him, glaring down into the abyss he pretended was a soul, needing him to understand the severity of the situation. "Release me now or this will end with you being an unrecognizable pile of ashes on our floor," she calmly stated.
Naraku seemed to think on the promise for a moment. He stared into her chocolate eyes and then he slowly released her. Kikyo retreated into their bedroom and locked the door. If he entered that room, she was not going to allow him to leave unless someone had a broom or if she opened a window. He passed out on the sofa minutes after she left him alone.
-*-(Next day)-*-
Sesshomaru met up with Kikyo for lunch as usual. He was not going to allow her to lead him off for more human food, he decided, even though he silently admitted it was not as dreadful as he thought it would be. He would not want to eat such a thing everyday, though. He doubted it was healthy, but he supposed occasionally he could indulge in more pizza with her.
The dog demon walked to the museum and he found Kikyo by the painting that always seemed to haunt her. She was on the ivory bench that was located in front of the painting. Before he got to her, his keen golden eyes spotted her fumbling with her long sleeves. He craned a curious eyebrow as he marched toward her and sat down next to her.
"You're a bit early," the slim woman commented.
"I know," he conceded and he looked down at her wrists. Her sleeves were almost completely covering her hands, which was typical of her shirts. He had never seen her fiddle with the sleeves before, so now he was curious as to why she did it.
"Something wrong?" she asked when he noticed her eyeing her hands. She fought with herself to not bother the sleeves again, but she did not want him to see her skin.
"No, nothing," he answered, still staring down at her hands.
"Then why are you looking at my hands?" she inquired.
"May I?" he asked, but he did not wait for an answer, which was typical of him. He reached for her arms and she tried to pull away, but she was not fast enough.
"Sesshomaru!" Kikyo protested, trying to pull her limbs back.
"What happened to you here?" he inquired in forceful tone as he caught sight of bruising around her slender, pale wrists.
"It's nothing," she stated. It was nothing as far as she was concerned. Her skin was very fair and the smallest things showed up on her body.
"This is something. Did someone hurt you? Who did this?" he demanded, already planning a grizzly murder for whoever dared to harm her. No one hurt Kikyo while he was around.
"Sesshomaru, release me," she demanded in return.
The demon prince frowned as he let her go. He was not going to let the bruises go, though. How dare someone damage my angel, he mentally snarled. No one touched what was his, so it was out of the question for someone to hurt what was his. He would find out who touched her and that person would pay piece by tiny piece.
"Who in the hell did that to you?" he inquired. "And I won't ask another time," he added in.
"My husband," she answered through gritted teeth. He wanted to know so damn bad, then there was his precious answer.
Sesshomaru frowned deeper, feeling something explode inside his belly. So, the wedding band was the truth. She was married. He could not believe it, but he was more outraged now than when he saw the bruises and he thought that was as furious as he could get. He had been wrong on so many levels.
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: if Sesshomaru is so upset, then why the hell are he and Kikyo going out for dinner and a show?