CHAPTER 8: Memories
Kagome was returned home Sunday night after reassuring Sesshoumaru that she would take it easy when it came to volunteering at Tokyo Memorial.
"If you need anything, do not hesitate to call. We would like to have you over on the weekends if you do not work, to make up for lost time."
Kagome grinned, her cheeks a light pink. "I would love that," she answered before wishing him a good night.
"Good night, Kagome. I am glad we have found you." Sesshoumaru gave a slight nod of his head and turned to walk down the stairway. Kagome watched until she couldn't see trace of silver hair, then ran to her window to watch him walk back to his limo.
With a sigh, Kagome flopped onto her love seat and did something she hadn't done for over a decade. She giggled. Next weekend wouldn't come soon enough.
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Kagome had done just as Sesshoumaru had suggested and called Tokyo Memorial, informing them that she was recovering from something or other and would not be able to come in at all. They had reassured her that they would survive and Kagome was left to working at the museum. Her work load was a bit lighter with the impromptu tour out of the way now. In fact, after the past weekend, things were rather…boring.
Aya had just given her a list of small projects, the inventory list of items that had been shipped in over the past few days and the items that other museums requested to borrow. Blah blah blah. It was Wednesday and the last two days felt like weeks. Kagome was in the employee lounge trying to find lunch in one of the vending machines when her phone rang.
She shifted her money into one hand and opened her phone with the other. "Hello?"
"Kagome, it's Aya. There's a gentleman here to see you. Says his name's Toshi."
A few hunger-induced seconds passed before Kagome could place that name. She shoved the loose change back in her pocket and fumbled around. A small spark of teenage giddiness bubbled in her. "Um, tell him I'll be right up. Where are you guys?"
"We're at the front desk."
Kagome smiled. "Okay. I'm on my way." With a snap of her phone and a few jumbled steps into the hallway, Kagome made it to the main entrance of the museum in near-record time.
"Toshi! What brings you here?"
Toshi's sky blue eyes twinkled. "Hunger. Would you like to join me for lunch?"
"Um…" Kagome looked to Aya for help and Aya grinned and nodded.
"Kagome would love to join you for lunch," Aya said while grabbing Kagome's hand and giving it to Toshi. "Don't worry, she's the boss so you can take as long as you like. We'll just say you're out on business if anyone's looking for you. Go. Have fun."
Kagome was speechless at Aya's actions and no doubt Toshi would think her assistant mad as well. "So, lunch huh? Where did you have in mind?"
Toshi led Kagome to the curb. "I know this great sandwich shop downtown. Priya's, have you heard of it?"
"No," Kagome answered as she pulled out her phone. "I'm going to call a cab," she said while texting someone. Toshi waited patiently next to Kagome while she stood, not hailing a cab. She smiled when Toshi asked if telepathy was one of her gifts. "No," Kagome answered. "There he is, come on." Toshi looked and saw a couple of cabs heading towards them. The door she opened belonged to a cab with the 'Not in Service' light on.
"This taxi isn't-"
"Come on," Kagome said while scooting over. "We're costing him money."
"Where you guys going, Kagome?" The cabby asked.
"You two know each other?" Toshi asked, very surprised.
"We're going downtown, to Priya's. I'll buy you a sandwich," Kagome answered. "Thanks for coming, Akihiro."
"No prob." And then eye-balling the male passenger, Akihiro answered "we have an arrangement."
Toshi's brows furrowed. "He's a demon."
"And what?" the driver asked, rather gruff and put out at the new passenger.
"Nothing," Toshi said waving his hand. "Forget I even said anything."
Akihiro took off and to Toshiyuki's great surprise, the normally twenty-five minute to half hour drive took a mere nine minutes. Kagome smiled. She didn't know exactly how Akihiro managed to arrive faster than normal drivers but when Toshi asked, she relayed the same message Akihiro told her when she asked. "Ask him no questions, he'll tell you no lies," and with that they stepped out of the cab onto the sidewalk.
Kagome found out that Toshi was rather hilarious. He was almost a perfect blend of Hojo's nice, thoughtful personality without the idiocy and Miroku's flirtatious nature without the groping. It was rather refreshing, added with his history with Sesshoumaru and yet another link to the past, Toshi was proving to be quite an enjoyable person to be around.
After forty minutes of food and talk, Toshi had insisted that he not make Kagome unnecessarily late for work. With Akihiro's help, Kagome was back to the museum within the hour and back to hear Aya's incessant questioning. It wasn't normal for Aya but neither was Kagome going out on lunch dates with extremely good-looking men.
"We had lunch, we talked, and we came back. What more is there to say?" Kagome said, hiding her smirk, knowing Aya craved details.
"What is he like? Where did you meet him? You don't pay me enough to keep details from me. You pay me to know details, now spill!" The look Aya fixed on Kagome could have killed Naraku. Luckily, Sesshoumaru was scarier.
"He is a friend of a friend. I met him at a luncheon one day-"
"And do I know this friend?" Aya's eyes were wide, waiting to soak in information.
Kagome sighed. Aya wouldn't rest until she got what she wanted, and she was right. Kagome did pay her to know details.
"Remember that guy I spilled my cocoa on? His name is Seiichi Sekiguchi. Well, his uncle was my best friend and I knew his father. Once I, or we, made the connection, he invited me to his father's estate and we spent the weekend catching up. Seiichi's sister and her family were there. So, I pretty much knew everyone except for him."
"Wow," Aya shook her head in disbelief. "That was pretty…anti-climatic and yet, strange." Kagome agreed whole-heartedly that it was strange but she knew that Seiichi was born after she had already left. "So which one is your friend?"
A smile slipped into Kagome's eyes. "His father, Sesshoumaru. I met him through his brother, Inuyasha, when we went to visit his father's grave one day. The brothers weren't getting along at that point so it was a little awkward, but things were different by the time Inuyasha died. Sesshoumaru's changed a lot since we first met."
"Whoa, wait a minute." Aya's eyes grew wide. "Do you mean Sesshoumaru Sekiguchi?"
"You know him?" Kagome hadn't even heard mention of his name outside of her memories. "How?"
"He's only been the most eligible bachelor since I can remember. Seiichi is the second most eligible bachelor. I can't believe you know that family." Aya sat on the nearest platform belonging to an antique samurai suit. "No one sees his highness, ever. Well, except for the annual state ball where all the great charity founders attend. He only goes once every five years and I think this year he's due this year. I wonder who he's going to take."
Kagome put all that information in a safe place. "Highness? Is he still Lord of the West?"
Aya looked incredulously at Kagome. "Yeah. He's the largest name in technology. Everything from medicine to military. His main customers are the United States, United Kingdom, most of Europe for that matter. They call him the Eastern Lord of the West."
So he didn't have his inherited title, or maybe these days it didn't matter as much to demons. Kagome would ask him later. "I had no clue. I knew he went to work but I never bothered asking him what he did. Jeez, how does he even handle that?"
Kagome and Aya made their way back to Kagome's office while Aya dropped all the details she knew. "Well, from what I know, it's a really big family business. He has cousins or siblings…" As Aya rambled on, Kagome wondered who exactly were these family members were that ran the Sekiguchi monster corporation.
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When a limo from the mansion came to pick Kagome up from work Friday afternoon, they made a detour to her apartment so she could grab a few essentials. She had spent the week putting together an apology gift for Seiichi that she thought he would appreciate as well as gifts for the rest of the family members. Kagome couldn't wait to see the looks on their faces. Not working as a Life Assistant freed up a lot of time in the evenings, which she dedicated to her gifts and she was so excited to hand them out!
The limo pulled up to the front of the mansion and two little girls were bouncing up and down, trying to get their grandmother's attention.
"Daddy! Mommy! Grandma's finally here!" Moriko and Hotaru called from the top of the stairs.
"Hello girls! Come help me with some things, will you?" The twins jumped from the top of the stairs to where Kagome stood at the trunk of the limo. "I need someone to call the family to the family room."
Hotaru jumped up and down. "I will Nana. I will!" And in the blink of an eye, Hotaru popped throughout the house calling the various family members to the family room and still had enough time to return and help Kagome take things inside. "Um, uncle Ichi isn't here."
Kagome's face fell a bit but she wasn't about to give up hope on Seiichi just yet. "Moriko, can you take this present and put it on your uncle's bed please?"
Moriko silently nodded and just as quickly as her sister, disappeared in the house. In minutes, the rest of the family sat around in the living room. The two girls were nestled in their parents' laps and Sesshoumaru sat in his large chair to the side of the couch.
"I had a lot of free time this week so I made these for you guys," Kagome said while giving the girls the presents to hand out. Moriko gave Papa Sesshoumaru his present and sat on the chair with him and Hotaru took her parents the present for Shippo's family.
"What's the occasion, Momma?" Shippo looked at the wrapped parcel curiously before shaking it.
Kagome shrugged. "When I was traveling between times, I felt like I was living two lives, which I was. But I never regretted what happened and when the well closed-" Kagome stopped. The memories were coming back but a little less painful this time around. "When the well closed, I felt like I was living a half life. Even after regaining my whole soul, I still felt like I only had half of it. After finding you guys once again, I feel like my life is complete and I just wanted you to have the things that kept me going when it was just me. When all in this world turned its back on me, you all kept me going. You just didn't know it." Tears were streaming down here face; they were accompanied by the occasional sniffle and wipe.
Kagome watched as her granddaughters opened the presents for the adults. "It's a book!" Hotaru yelled.
"No, it's pictures!" Moriko added. She flipped the cover open and stared at the pictures. "Papa, who's that?"
Sesshoumaru paused and his eyes grew old and soft. "That is my brother, Inuyasha. He is your grand uncle." When Sesshoumaru looked at Kagome, she could see the warmth and gratitude shining from his eyes. The smile he gave her melted her heart and more tears fell.
"Daddy, is that you?" Hotaru pointed at the picture in front of her.
Shippo laughed looking at his much younger self, sticking his tongue out at Inuyasha. "Kagome, I didn't realize you took all these pictures."
"I took a lot of pictures, especially towards the end when we didn't know what was going to happen. I was afraid I would get sent home and I would forget about all of you. I wanted proof that you were all real, that the adventure was real."
"Papa," Moriko's little voice asked from Sesshoumaru's lap. "Who's that girl?"
Sesshoumaru smiled. "That little girl is my guardian angel."
Dimples formed on Moriko's cheek. "Is that mommy?"
"Yes it is, Moriko."
"What?" Shippo ditched his wife and book to lean over the side of the couch. "Hey, Rin. I remember that orange checkered outfit. Was that the only outfit you ever wore back then?"
"No." Rin chuckled though, remembering that she would only replace it when it needed a wash. "It was just my favorite. That was the first present father had ever given me." Rin said from Shippo's side. "Oh my goodness, look at that pony tail. How could you let me walk around Japan like that?" Everyone had a good laugh at the pictures as they flipped through the pages. The group decided to look at one photo album at a time and the girls 'ooh'ed and 'ah'ed at all the stories their elders told them.
"Papa, is that you? Why were you fighting with uncle Inuyasha? Mommy said it's not good to fight."
Sesshoumaru's eyes met Kagome's in wonder. How did she take all these pictures without them ever noticing. He vaguely remembered Inuyasha yelling at Kagome, something about being crazy and it not being the right time for something. Now he understood what all those random flashes were.
"We were practicing," Sesshoumaru explained. "Your uncle could not even chop carrots with that sword. I had to teach him how to properly wield it." Sesshoumaru's eyes filled with mischief though his grin was small.
Moriko tapped her cheek. "That looks like the sword at the hospital."
"Tessaiga," Hotaru added. "And look. Papa's holding the sword we're not allowed to touch. That's the bad one."
Kagome was a pretty good photographer to have taken many of Sesshoumaru's pictures in the middle of a fight. What treasures these pictures were. As they reached the end of Sesshoumaru's photo album, he thanked her for her thoughtfulness. "I was rather sad that I did not have photos of my brother while he was alive. Cameras barely made it to Japan in his last years but he would not sit still. Thank you for this. I will treasure it always."
As everyone situated themselves on the couch to look through Shippo's album, a familiar presence passed through the halls.
"Son, join us for a short time. We are looking at albums Kagome has made us."
Seiichi stopped at the door but did not look in. "No thank you, father. I am weary and will retire early. I will see you all tomorrow."
Kagome watched him leave, her heart a little heavy at his constant rejection of her. They had definitely started off on the wrong foot but hopefully he would find his present and take time to look through it.
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Seiichi walked into his room, noticing right away the scent of his niece. She had left that immaculately wrapped gift on the corner of his bed, where she knew he would see it. As Seiichi walked up to the gift, he scented Kagome on it and his lip curled. He walked away. She was just like every other woman that had entered his father's life-for the money. And here she was buying him gifts. Pathetic.
After divesting himself of his work clothes, loose-fitting work out clothes replaced them. He looked at his bed. The gift was still there. After sorting through the mail and going through a small booklet from work, the gift still waited patiently to be opened.
Insatiable curiosity passed through the bloodline from Seiichi's forefathers, down to him. His king-sized bed sagged under him as he sat on the edge and picked up the lap-sized gift. A plain white envelope sat atop and he sliced through the top edge with a finger-nail. The card was in Kagome's hand-writing.
Seiichi,
You will never know how sorry I am that we started off our association with me mistaking you for someone else. I know the pains of constantly being compared to a look alike and living in their shadow and for that I am truly sorry.
Seiichi rolled his eyes. What could that woman possibly know about mistaken identity? In his younger years, he got a kick out of being mistaken for his father. He reveled in the awesome power that his father's name was weighed with and what he could get away with but as he grew up, Seiichi realized just how much he wanted to be his own person. Inuyasha always tried to help him realize how much better he already was than his father in personality but his uncle never short-changed Sesshoumaru when it came to earned strength.
'Sesshoumaru was strong because he needed to be. He had a land that needed a strong and steady ruler. You have what you have because of your father, just like I used to use Tessaiga to protect me and my friends. Eventually you're gonna have to build up your own strength so pay attention while the old man's still around. Then when you get stronger and I'm not here, knock him down a few notches, tell him it's from me.' Uncle Inuyasha had a hard time wording important messages to him but Seiichi usually understood what he was trying to say.
'I heard that Inuyasha took care of you when you were young. I wish I could have known you then. I just wanted to give you something so you could know the Inuyasha that I knew. I won't lie. He was brash, mouthy, stubborn, and just plain dumb sometimes but his heart, courage, love for his pack, and loyalty outweighed those things every time. I loved your uncle and he has changed my life for the better. I hope you like it.
Kagome Higurashi'
Seiichi tossed the letter on his bed and slowly unwrapped the present. Just like the rest of his family, he received a photo album but his was titled 'Inuyasha's Pack'. The first page was a picture of Goshinboku in the past and one of the tree in the future labeled, 'where we first met'. Seiichi flipped the page and saw a young version of his uncle holding a transformed Tessaiga on his shoulder and his stupid grin on his face. 'Inuyasha just learned the Backlash wave'. Across from that picture was another picture of the valley he made while fighting that dragon demon. All around the picture was a hand-written account of how that battle went and how his sword got lighter after defeating the demon.
The photo album was large and filled with pictures and detailed accounts of their travels and various important events that took place. Because the album was of Inuyasha's pack, there was even a picture of a priestess that he had once heard of and her story. It was then that Seiichi realized and imagined how intimately Kagome knew the pains of mistaken identity as he looked at the woman named Kikyo who so closely resembled the woman downstairs.
As the son of the great lord slowly turned through the pages, he could smell old tears and feel the emotions imbued in every word and photo of the book. This must have been Kagome's personal book so why did she give it to him? There were many candid pictures; it was like a photo album of the older Japanese dramas on tv. The sneaky wench had even gotten some pictures of the rulers of old Japan.
As Seiichi reached the end of the photo album, the last two pictures stilled him. The first was a picture of the two Inu brothers standing side by side. Inuyasha was posturing with Tessaiga pointing at Seiichi's father while his father looked at the camera. The last picture was with the whole shard-hunting group. Kagome stood on the left with her bow and arrow in hand, then Inuyasha holding a transformed Tessaiga with tiny Shippo on his shoulder. The monk stood next to Inuyasha holding his staff and the woman Sango on the other end with her bone boomerang and Kilala on her shoulder. Kaede sat on a small bench in front of the whole group with a bow and arrow across her lap. The caption beneath the picture read 'My Feudal Family: Before the Final Battle'.
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Everyone was in the kitchen, snacking and still looking over pictures when Seiichi came down and joined them. A light tension grew as he walked closer to where they were all sitting, book in hand.
Kagome knew the moment he entered the room and stiffened in response but she kept talking to Rin as though nothing was going on. But when he came to stand beside her, she couldn't help but turn. "Did you get your present? I had one of the girls put it in your room for you."
"I did," Seiichi said, lifting the book a bit before laying it on the table. "Thank you. I shall treasure it always. I brought it because I knew Rin would pester me until I did."
Kagome smiled, happy that he liked the gift. "I'm glad you like it," she said, smiling with as much warmth as she could muster without crying. "That book is very special to me. it was the first of its kind and has many detailed accounts of our battles. I think your father is in there too," Kagome said, shooting a glance at Sesshoumaru, "but please keep in mind that we didn't really get along back then." Kagome smiled when Sesshoumaru stiffened. "In fact, Seiichi, now that I think about it, I think you're the first in your line that hasn't tried to kill me when we first met, although I know you wanted probably wanted to."
When Seiichi's expression lightened, Kagome's heart warmed. This was what she was waiting for, the moment that would tip the scales in her favor for winning over a friend in Seiichi. She had counted on his love for Inuyasha to help bridge the growing chasm between them and it worked!. "The other two albums are right here if you want to look through them. There are a lot of pictures in them that aren't in your book."
Everyone held their breath, waiting for his answer. "I would like that." The twins stood from their chair and waited for their uncle to sit down before climbing on his lap.
"Look, this is mommy when she was little like us," one said as they flipped through the album together. The rest of the night Seiichi sat and listened to the stories recalled by his family members as they flipped through the albums.
Kagome looked over at Sesshoumaru who was watching her rather intently. Her smile told him she was finally happy. His eyes relayed the same message as he looked at her and his family across the table.
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Kagome feigned sleep when Akiko walked in. "Lady Kagome, Seiichi has requested to share breakfast with you this morning. He would like to eat in twenty minutes if it is alright with you."
Kagome rolled over to face the door where Akiko stood. "Wait, what did you just say?"
The servant walked forward with a cup of steaming chocolate that she gave to Kagome. "Seiichi wishes you to join him for breakfast this morning." As Akiko set Kagome's cocoa on the small table by the window she added, "It looks like your attempts to get through to that boy finally worked. Congratulations." The servant smiled and bowed on her way out of the room.
Kagome stretched in bed. Today was going to be a good day.
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Author's Note: Sorry, I totally forgot that I had finished this chapter and it's been sitting on my flash drive just waiting to be uploaded. Yea, Kagome and Seiichi are kind of friends now!