Chapter 16

The apartment was filled with dread and awkwardness. Kagome winced at the light as she entered the bathroom, feeling the consequences of drinking six glasses of wine and coffee topping that off with balling her eyes out, her body was severely dehydrated. After their fight, Sesshomaru stormed out of the apartment and returned a few hours later not saying a word to her. He just entered his room and closed the door. She debated on going in after him, talk things how in hopes they could reconciliate, but his words hurt her. Did he really think so low of her?

She showered and whimpered as she washed her face, the skin of her eyes raw and blistered from wiping them all night. After she finished, she got ready for work and saw Sesshomaru standing beside the kitchen. He didn't say anything to her when she passed him to make herself a coffee. This was going to be weird, she thought. He didn't look at her once and it bothered her that he didn't look remotely bothered or affected by last night's encounter. She'd have to wear sunglasses to hide her swollen eyes from curious coworkers.

The drive to work was tensed. Inuyasha's song came on the radio spiking a road rage in Sesshomaru as he traversed between cars on the highway, tailgating at a high speed and slamming his horn to those who cut him off. Kagome couldn't take it anymore. They needed to talk.

"We need to talk…"

"There is nothing to talk about." Sesshomaru answered flatly.

"Yes, there is! We are both still obviously upset from last night. We should really talk."

Sesshomaru gripped the steering wheel as his nostrils flared. "I don't want to talk, Kagome." He looked over at her, shooting a warning glance and he noticed how red and puffy her eyes were. He swallowed hard and looked away from her.

"Fine." She said, turning to look out the window. Upset that her eyes prickled with tears. She couldn't bear the way they were acting towards each other right now.

They kept it professional at work, making sure not to talk to each other. Sesshomaru kept his office door closed and Kagome engrossed herself in any task she could get her hand on. Around noon, Sesshomaru came out of his office and searched through one of her filing cabinets for an account. She was going to propose they talk when her phone rang. Her screen lit up with Inuyasha's name and Sesshomaru looked over his shoulder at the phone and scowled. Kagome silenced the phone and she typed away at her keyboard ignoring the tension that suddenly filled the air.

"Why don't you just answer his call, I mean, what is there to hide if nothing happened?"

"I am currently busy working." She dismissed his insinuative remarks.

"Right."

"Stop it..." she demanded. "Please."

"Stop what?" he let out a dry laugh. She was about to demand that they talk in his office when Shurran popped in from the hallway.

"Good morning, my lord. "

Sesshomaru casted a crooked grin at her. "Good morning, Shurran. What can I assist you with?"

"Other than your company and a good brunch?" she smiled.

Sesshomaru glanced at Kagome and noticed the bitterness in her face and beamed toward Shurran and returned her coquetry with a flirty grin.

"Perhaps I will take you up on that offer."

"Really?" Shurran looked surprised then added a smile. "I mean, how about in a half an hour, Delmonico's?"

Sesshomaru grinned austerely at Kagome who was staring back with a disbelieving look. "I can't wait."

Shurran licked her lips, bowed her head, shot a sly look at Kagome then turned. "I will wait for you in the lobby."

They watched Shurran leave and Kagome gathered her belongings into her purse.

"What's the matter?" Sesshomaru grinned then noticed she grabbed her jacket. His smile faded.

"You're just…a complete asshole." She said and she rose from her chair.

"Where are you going?" his voice became stern as he grabbed her arm. She scowled at him, then at his grip and pulled away.

"Enjoy your fuckin' brunch!" Kagome said, her tone shaky as she rushed out of the office before anyone could see her cry.

Sesshomaru rubbed the back of his neck. "Damn it."

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Kagome rushed toward the elevator, shaking her head at Sesshomaru's blatant flattery with Shurran just to spite her. Her phone rang and she didn't bother looking at the screen, assuming it was Inuyasha again calling her for the millionth time.

"Inuyasha, please stop calling me!" Kagome growled.

"Kagome, it's me, Sango." Her friend said, her voice laced with confusion.

"Oh…" Kagome said, stunned. She hadn't spoken to Sango in weeks since she caught her and Sesshomaru making out in her room. "Hey…"

"Are you busy, can you meet me at the coffee shop now? I want to tell you something."

"Sure…" Kagome said, looking over her shoulder at Sesshomaru down the hall. He was talking to an employee but his eyes were on her the whole time. "I'll meet you there."

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Shurran smirked as she stood by the security desk and looked at her watch. In a few minutes, she'd be accompanied by Sesshomaru to brunch, with their arms possibly linked. She giggled as she looked around proudly waiting to see the tall handsome demon. She heard the elevator door open and turned toward it with high expectations until she saw Naraku coming out.

"Ugh" she scoffed and looked away.

"I'm hurt..." he faked a saddened tone as he grasped his chest. "What's with the disappointed expression?"

"You'll be glad to hear that I might not need you after all to get things done." She smiled.

"Well, we both know it's too late. In a few weeks, she will no longer be an issue to either of us. Why do you keep looking at the elevator?"

"Well," she flicked her hair back. " I have myself a date with Sesshomaru."

"Is that so?" Naraku chuckled.

"You may laugh all you want but it's true…" she frowned.

"I'm sure..." he said, and squinted over her shoulder toward the staircase, catching a glimpse of white long hair gliding towards the revolving doors in a hurry. His gaze followed Sesshomaru toward the parking lot.

"And when is this alleged date supposed to happen?" he sneered.

"In a few minutes. He is a bit late but I don't expect him to rush." she fixed her hair and looked over her shoulder again at the elevator.

Naraku didn't say much and continued to look out of the doors hoping she'd notice and she eventually followed his gaze to see Sesshomaru's car pulling down the ramp of the parking lot.

"What the…" Shurran stammered. "I don't…"

"Tsk tsk…so when Sesshomaru agreed to this 'date'" he gestured the quotes with his fingers "was this an actual conversation or did this take place in your head?"

Shurran glowered at him as she stomped away feeling extremely humiliated. Naraku chuckled and sighed as he shook his head and walked the other way.

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Sesshomaru left work early. Kagome didn't come back, and he hoped to find her at home but she was not there. He curled his hand into a fist as he contemplated what was happening. Since when did he become so immature as to retaliate against the woman he was in love with by purposely flirting with another woman just to upset her? Once he saw Inuyasha's name on her screen, he became infuriated and his mind became clouded with hate. He just wanted to get a rise out of her, making her feel what he felt but it didn't make him feel good in the end. It just pushed her away. Kagome was right, they needed to talk, to figure this out and come to a solution. Would they be strong enough to surpass this? Something told him it would only get worse and he prayed that he was wrong.

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Kagome opened the door to the coffee shop and took in the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Sango was sitting at their usual booth reading a magazine.

"Hey…" Kagome said, sliding into the booth across from her.

Sango closed her book, did a quick scan of her and set the book aside. "Hey…"

"What have you been doing these days other than hating me?" Kagome sighed as she nodded at a barista for her attention. She ordered an espresso and ignored Sango's scrutinizing gaze.

"Nothing. Hating you is twenty-four-hour job. I don't really have time for anything else." She retorted playfully.

Kagome nodded and looked down at her lap. She felt a bit awkward and didn't know what to say.

Sango sighed and looked around the coffee shop. "You know I suck at apologizing…"

"Was that an attempt to?" Kagome widened her eyes at her.

"I'm so obvious, aren't I? "She snickered.

"Let's forget about it. I'm sorry I lied to you." Kagome looked at her watch. What was Sesshomaru doing with Shurran right about now? Probably laughing while holding hands on their way to her apartment. She tightened her fists as the thought angered her.

"Are you ok?" Sango asked. " You look really out of it. Have you been crying?"

Kagome rubbed her lips together. She was not in the mood to hear Sango boast how she was right, that Sesshomaru would hurt her.

"No, I…just don't feel well." She said. It was the truth, she didn't. Perhaps it was because she was still hungover, but she had a headache, no appetite. Perhaps she was getting a cold from forgetting her jacket last night.

Sango could tell something was wrong, but she left it alone.

"Are you on lunch break?"

"No," Kagome said as the waitress brought over her espresso. "I…left work early. Why?"

"Wanna go see a movie with me? Come on, it's been forever since we've done that."

"Sure." Kagome straightened her posture. "What'd you have in mind?"

"Hmm, Death of an Assassin, I hear it's good."

"Nu-uh, pick something else. I already had seen that movie twice almost two months ago, once with Sesshomaru and the other time with Koga. Besides, I doubt it is even playing in theatre anymore. "

"Alright, let's finish our coffee and go get our nails done then."

"That sounds like a better plan." Kagome smiled. She was so happy Sango was talking to her, she really needed her best friend right now even if she didn't tell her what was going on.

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Sesshomaru sat on the couch looking at his laptop and glancing out the window. It was already getting dark and started to rain and Kagome still wasn't home yet. He tapped his keyboard debating if he should call her but then shook his head of it. He hated this, not knowing where she was, not being on good terms. It was eating at him and all he wanted to do was figure out a way to get past this, to bury himself in his arms and hug her tightly. A knock at the door stirred him out of his thoughts and he went to go answer it.

"Shurran…" Sesshomaru looked confused when he answered the door. She must have gotten caught in the downpour, her hair was dripping wet as she clutched onto a corroded brown paper bag of what he assumed was takeout.

"You look disappointed. Were you expecting someone else?" she asked.

"What are you doing here?" Sesshomaru tried to ease his frown.

"I figured you forgot about our date and decided to bring brunch to you. Well, I guess at this point, dinner." She smirked, raising the bag and a bottle of wine.

"Right. About that, something came up. I apologize."

"No worries." She said and looked behind him. "Are you not going to let me in? It's a little cold out here in the hallway, especially with me being wet and all."

Sesshomaru paused. This was not a good idea but he felt bad to leave her standing outside after he stood her up, cold and drenched from the rain, at the very least he could offer her shelter to dry up.

"Where's Kagome?" she asked, as he let her in. She removed her coat, hung it over a rack beside the door and brought the bag of takeout toward the coffee table. Kirara looked up at her, squinted then looked at Sesshomaru as if she were saying Oooh, you in trouble.

"I ordered some Sushi and beef teriyaki. I remembered you were fond of those dragon rolls."

Sesshomaru feigned an amused chuckle. He tried to hide the anxiety forming in his chest wondering when Kagome would return and how she would feel about Shurran being there. "Yes."

"Hope you're famished. " she said, as she licked sauce off her fingers, her gaze locked on his as she did it slowly and purposefully.

"Shurran…perhaps we should do this another time. It's getting late and-"

"Oh, we can eat quick, no worries. I'll be out of your hair once I dry up."

"Right…" he said, grabbing two wine glasses and plates from the cupboard in the kitchen. He paused as he looked at the wine glasses and set them back in the cupboard. No, this didn't look good. "I hope you don't mind if I pass on the wine. Would you care for sparkling water? Or…Pepsi?" he stared into the refrigerator. He wasn't a fan of it but Kagome bought it for her friends when they visited.

Shurran let out a disappointed sigh as she set the bottle of wine aside.

"Pepsi will be fine." She said and he handed her a can.

He thought about ways to get rid of her quickly and cursed himself for toying with her emotions just to get Kagome angry. He glanced at the time on the microwave, 7pm. Where was Kagome. A thought of her being with Inuyasha crossed his mind and it felt like the air was sucked out of his lungs.

"Why are you looking at the time?" she asked, holding the can of Pepsi in front of her chest.

"Just seeing how late it is." He said.

Shurran admired his casual appearance as he walked in front of her toward the couch in his gray sweats and white t-shirt. His biceps bulged by the rim of his sleeve and as he reached down for chopsticks, his chiseled triceps flexed at her in a way that sparked concupiscent hopes. How could someone so good looking, so smart, chivalrous and successful be attracted to someone like Kagome. Right, Kagome, she thought. There was a reason she had wanted to see him.

"It's so interesting that you and Kagome live together." she said, biting into a dragon roll. "Are you two?"

"No.." he answered curtly.

"Hmm, really. It always looked like you two had something going on."

"You're wrong. " It was none of her business and he didn't want to give her any reason to think it was.

" You're right. I mean, I saw her last night anyway with your brother. They used to go out, I heard. How is he doing with his music career?"

Sesshomaru went rigid as he looked over at her briefly. Pretending to not be affected, he chewed the dragon roll quietly and sipped on sparkling water. Shurran could see his discomfort.

"Yes, they were at the coffee shop and then went to the park, hands all over each other." She laughed.

"Shurran, I have things to finish. I don't need to be rude but I can call you a cab." He said, grabbing the container of food and placing them back into the bag.

"No need, I drove but thank you. I'll be on my way shortly after I drink. I'm so parched." She said, hiding her frown.

"Sure." He said as he went to the kitchen.

Shurran cursed under her breath. This wasn't working. She needed Sesshomaru to forget about that stupid human and notice her. Problem was, he was in fact, to wrapped up in that girl. If only there was a reason for Kagome to cast Sesshomaru aside and unto Shurran. As if by chance, a loud dying engine sounded outside and Shurran looked out of the window. It was Kagome's hideous car parking out front. Her eyes glittered with an idea and looked toward the kitchen. It didn't appear Sesshomaru noticed Kagome had gotten home. What to do though? She looked around. Does she plant her underwear in the sofa or what? Leave some lipstick marks on his shirts? No. If he found out, she'd be out of a job in a second. It had to be something where it didn't look like it was on purpose. She looked at her can of Pepsi and smirked evilly as she glanced back outside.

Kagome was still trying to park her car between a small space between Sesshomaru's car and Shurran's. She frowned seeing Kagome hit her bumper as she backed up too far. It seemed the DMV was giving anyone a license these days, she thought. She took the can of Pepsi and started to shake it hard. Hopefully this would work the way she had expected. She shook it so hard it almost slipped out of her hand. She held it calmly once Sesshomaru came back into the living room. She stood up and he started to walk her toward the door.

"Well, I hope I wasn't a complete burden?" she pouted.

"Don't be foolish…" Sesshomaru forced out trying to be polite as he handed her the bag of takeout.

"Well, here's to the road ahead." she raised the can and opened it causing the soda to explode unto her white blouse and his white shirt. She screamed as it exploded up her nose causing her to gag uncontrollably. Well, at least it looked genuine, she thought for a moment. "Ugh, what the hell!"

Sesshomaru wiped Pepsi from his face, part of his hair dripped soda unto the floor. Great, he thought.

"I'll grab you a towel." He said, wiping his face with the bottom of his shirt. She got a peek of his abs and wanted to melt into the floor. She followed him toward his room.

"I know this is weird, but could I borrow a shirt. I'll have it cleaned and returned tomorrow."

"Sure." He said, reaching into his closet for a white button down. He grabbed a plain shirt for himself and waited for her to wash up in the bathroom before he went in. Shurran came out in a towel. He hadn't expected her to take a full shower but he averted his gaze and went into the bathroom.

"Thank you. I do apologize. This wasn't something you needed right now. I am so clumsy."

"It's fine. You may change in my room." he pointed as he closed the bathroom door to wash the Pepsi off his face and neck. He would take a shower after she left.

Shurran heard Sesshomaru turn on the sink when the sound of keys jingled at the door. Showtime. She undid the towel and stood half naked by the dresser as if posing then changed her mind. It had to look genuine. She slowly changed into his dress shirt hearing Kagome enter the apartment.

Kagome took a deep breath as she removed her coat and noticed a woman's coat on the coat rack. She frowned, set her coat down on the floor and poke her head into the living room from the hallway. The sink was running in the bathroom and something was spilled on the floor by her shoes. She nervously walked toward Sesshomaru's room and gasped when she saw Shurran at the edge of the bed buttoning a men's shirt over her.

"Oh, hey." Shurran said, like being there was no big deal as Kagome backed up. The bathroom door swung open and Sesshomaru came out, his hair wet in a clean t-shirt. She glanced at him then at his bedroom and he already knew what she was thinking.

Memories stirred back into her mind of when she caught Inuyasha naked over Kikyo. He dropped his head back and frowned as Shurran came out of his bedroom. Everyone was quiet. Sesshomaru looked at Kagome but she kept her eyes on the ground.

"I better get going." Shurran said. Kagome watched as she grabbed a bag and a wine bottle and headed out the door. "See you guys at work tomorrow."

The door closed behind her and Sesshomaru stared at Kagome apprehensively, her eyes refusing to meet his. After a minute, she glanced up at him and turned toward her room.

"Don't you dare look at me that way." He gritted.

"and what way would that be?" Kagome looked over her shoulder.

"Like I did something wrong." He spat as he made his way toward his room. " I'm going to refrain from the cliché' of ' This isn't what it looks like'"

"Looks like you had fun at your brunch and came here to end the night with a bang." She scoffed, following him into the room. She must have been stunned at first because was starting to lose her calmness as the reality settled in. "You fuckin' hypocrite! How dare you!"

"How dare I?" he pivoted on his heel and glared at her.

"Do you feel better, I mean, this is all to try and get back at me, right? All this in spite. "She sobbed "to fuck some desperate bitch in my apartment?"

"Oh please. Besides, isn't it our apartment?" he stopped, his sarcasm wasn't necessary, but it was too late. She slapped him hard across the face. He ran his tongue across his teeth and forced a smirk. "Nothing happened."

"Liar!"

"Oh." He laughed. "So I'm supposed to believe you when you say nothing has happened after his scent was all over your body but you won't believe me?"

"She was naked on your bed!"

"Yes, she spilled her drink on the both of us. I gave her my top but you're not going to believe me, so I won't bother elaborating!"

"I can't believe I've been racking myself with guilt. All I've been thinking about was coming home to talk to you!"

"Right, in the evening, were you with the half breed again?"

"I was with Sango!" she crossed her arms. "We need to talk about about us an-"

"Us?" he scoffed. "There is no us, Kagome! Isn't it clear?"

"What?" she croaked. "Bu—"

"Don't vilify me. You want to make it seem like I did something wrong. I am not the one who came home last night from whoring around with a half-breed at a coffee shop."

Kagome's red puffy eyes widened.

"Yes, I know. You were there, weren't you, right before you went into the park and did god knows what!"

Kagome lowered her head. " I won't deny that I was there. I told you, Inuyasha and I met to discuss the photo and to let him know there was no longer a chance between us."

Sesshomaru pulled out a cigarette from his pant pocket, lit it and took a long pull. "Ever heard of a phone?"

"Don't try to make me look like some slut."

" I don't need to make you look like anything, Kagome. You're doing that all on your own." He said and turned around, not expecting Kagome to jump over him and start hitting him over the shoulder. Putting out the cigarette quickly so he wouldn't accidentally burn her, he pulled her off of him and swung her over his bed. "Stop it!"

"How can you bring her here, Sesshomaru. Why would you do that?"

"I didn't bring her here! She showed up after I stood her up at brunch! I never went! I came home."

"She was on your bed! She was wearing your shirt!" she sobbed into her hands and he leaned to the side of the bed with his elbow.

"I know. I already told you. I gave her my shirt to change!"

"You want to accuse me of being like Kikyo but you're just like Inuyasha, a lying cheating asshole!"

"That is enough! You will not insult me, damn it!" he gripped the sides of her waist and shook her. "I will not keep repeating myself, nothing happened between her and I!"

"you expect me to believe you?" she yelled.

"I don't care whether you do or don't." he said, mounting off her. She sat up, sniffled and glared at him.

"This is not going to work, is it?" she said. "You and I…"

Sesshomaru closed a fist over his lap and looked toward her. "I suppose not."

"You don't trust me, and I don't trust you…there's just no point in us being together." she whimpered, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I don't want you here anymore."

Sesshomaru felt his stomach churn. "Is that what you want?"

"Yes!" she cried. "I can't take this pain anymore! Just go!"

"Fine…" he said and she gasped, not realizing he would agree without a fight. No, no…wait, this wasn't supposed to happen. He pulled out a duffel bag from under his bed, packed a few shirts and pants, his laptop. She couldn't take it and ran toward her bedroom, closing the door behind her. He could hear her sobbing into her pillow and he stopped packing, wondering if he should go to her but his stubbornness kept his feet planted to the ground and he continued to pack his things. No, he couldn't do this anymore. She was right, the pain and drama was too much.

An hour passed and he couldn't hear Kagome anymore. He was getting ready to leave but snuck into her room to see her curled in the fetus position. Her window was open and bursts of wind exploded into the room. He closed her window as Kirara jumped on her bed and snuggled next to her. Hovering over Kagome, he saw a napkin wedged into a fist. How badly he just wanted to hold her. To kiss her. He grabbed the blanket at the edge of her bed and covered her. His lips twitched as he looked around the room and was about to turn off the lamp beside her bed when he saw a picture of him and Kagome on her dresser. He stuffed the picture into his jacket pocket and left the apartment. After he threw his things in the trunk, he got into his car and wondered where he could go. The manor was out of the question. He sent his realtor and email requesting for an immediate option as he searched for a hotel to stay at. He looked up one last time at the building and bit his lip, feeling his chest ache and ball forming in his throat. He blasted the radio to get his mind off of it.

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Inuyasha yawned as he scratched his chest and looked at the newspaper. He smiled being happy that for once his name wasn't in the newspaper being criticized. Everything was going perfectly except for the incident with Kagome. He really needed to speak with her but she was making no effort in letting him talk to her. He couldn't blame her. After he tried to force himself on her, he was surprised she hadn't gone to any authority or tell her friends.

Rin entered the kitchen with her friend, Kohaku. Sango's little brother. Inuyasha was a little annoyed by him because he'd follow him everywhere. Well, he used to, at least. He stopped following him around the past few weeks. Now, it seemed, he was always following Rin.

Inuyasha's father entered the kitchen and sat at the table with a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Rin, sit down, we're about to have breakfast." he said.

" Ok." She smiled as she and Kohaku sat down. Kohaku had come to her house early to walk with her to school. Or drive along with her since she was driven to school daily.

"Anyone seen Sesshomaru lately?" Inuyasha asked. "There's nothing about him in the papers, which is unusual."

His father cleared his throat as he buttered his toast and looked at the finance papers.

"Honestly, dad, you're not worried or wondering where he is?"

"Ah, he's fine! I saw him a few weeks ago." Said Rin and her father shot a scowl at her.

"Where?" Inuyasha tilted his head.

"At Ka-" Rin stopped immediately forgetting she was supposed to keep her mouth shut when Kohaku kicked her from under the table. But Inuyasha already knew. It made sense. He had a feeling, especially when Kagome started drinking espresso with cinnamon.

Inuyasha stood up and grabbed his jacket.

"Where are you off to, son?" his father asked.

"I need to follow up on some things." He left the dining room.

Rin averted her father and Kohaku's gaze.

"No one can tell you anything." Kohaku shook his head.

Her father sighed. "Seriously."

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