Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter seventeen: Across the Universe
Up above the streets, almost among the clouds, was a business office. It was above the lower offices and work spaces that housed the owner's employees of all ranks and levels. And while the outside of the building wasn't much to look at, it had the appearance of any other New York sky scraper, the inside was a well-oiled machine that functioned as a living, breathing organism in the animal kingdom that was corporate America. I.T. Inc. was a powerhouse when it came to making money and taking down smaller companies that presented even a fraction of competition. They had the monopoly on what they did, and everyone seemed to want a piece of their shares. The owner was put in all the financing magazines and even the gossip tabloids regularly, earning the company more prestige and recognition. No one seemed able to come close to toppling this multi-billion dollar corporation, and how was this all made possible; by having an owner that insisted in being in the office six days a week from seven in the morning until seven at night, sometimes even later.
Touga Inu-Taisho didn't come from money, in fact his family didn't even come from America. He was a first-generation immigrant from Japan, and he had many struggles to overcome to make his vision a reality. Managing to get a loan big enough to realize the birth of his corporation, Touga managed to get his money back ten-fold. He had become one of the youngest millionaires in New York in just five years at the age of twenty-seven, and a few months after that was announced, he was married to a pretty, blue-blooded girl named Kimi. Her mother and father had moved to the States from Japan, but had come from generations of wealth. She became pregnant and bore him an heir that would carry on the soon to be esteemed Taisho fortune, name, and business savvy. All was looking good for the man who had everything; with the exception of a tedious routine and an increasingly boring wife. Inu-Taisho needed a new challenge, new excitement in his life; the kind that money couldn't buy.
It was when he was at his favorite little bistro at lunchtime that a whole new adventure fell into his lap; literally. He had been reading the latest Fortune 500 magazine, sipping a cup of coffee and enjoying a simple corn beef sandwich when there was a ruckus and suddenly someone falling into his lap. Inu-Taisho didn't automatically come to realize what was actually happening, and time hadn't actually stopped at that moment, but as he met eyes with the person in his lap, it seemed as if all reality beyond those pools of warm caramel had disappeared. He stared at the girl in his lap, eyes wide and mouth agape slightly. And she stared back at him with unabashed curiosity before the bistro's owner yelled out, "Renai, you better clean up that mess you made now or I'm docking your tips for the entire week!" And then she snapped back to reality and flew from Inu-Taisho's lap.
She fell to her knees, picking up the papers she'd caused him to lose and placing the half-empty plastic bowls back onto the tray she'd dropped. Inu-Taisho ignored the price of his suit and knelt on the floor to help her, trying to keep his eyes off the gorgeous planes of her face, or the way her silken black hair bunched at her shoulders before being pulled back in a low pony-tail. She kept spouting apologies and cursing her clumsiness, which Inu-Taisho only found to be more adorable.
"It's quite alright," he said softly, his deep baritone making her stop for a moment to lock eyes with him again. When she remembered that her tips were at stake though, the girl finished picking up the items and stood back up on her feet, clad in simple white shoes. Inu-Taisho rose to his feet as well, in a much more sophisticated and refined way, but not lacking any warmth in his posture and gaze. "Are you okay? miss…" He trailed off, waiting for her to reveal her name. The girl sputtered through her embarrassment to answer.
"Izzy Renai, that's my name. Well, it's really Izayoi…but Izzy is easier for others to say. I'm so sorry sir, I hope I didn't get your clothes stained. Your meal will be on the house, I promise." She placed the tray down on his table and went to brush off the crumbs that had gone flying during her tumble from his lapel, ignoring how close she'd actually gotten to him. Inu-Taisho chuckled to himself and took her shoulders gently, guiding her to take a step back. Izayoi looked up at him with wide, pretty eyes, searching for the anger in his face. He only smiled. She was the cutest thing he'd ever seen. He felt compelled to comfort her even though it was in fact her fault.
"Izayoi Renai, that's a nice name. I'm Touga Inu-Taisho. You seem pretty shook up; perhaps you could sit down with me and have a cup of coffee." Inu-Taisho pulled out the other chair that accompanied his table and waited for her to hesitantly sit down, then joined her in his previous seat. Izayoi nodded her head and hunched over, putting her arms on the table and tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. She sighed.
"Yeah, I really am. It's my first job and I'm really clumsy, and so far I've lost fifty percent of my tips because I've spilt or broken something." Inu-Taisho watched as the girl across the table looked up at him with her pretty eyes and felt his heart skip a beat when he saw the blush rise along her cheeks and nose. "I'm sorry for disrupting your free time, I'll be okay though. I really need to take these bowls into the kitchen to be washed." Izayoi began to get up from the table and reached out to pick up the tray when there was a hand grasping hers. She looked at the hand on hers, then at the arm attached to it, then the head just above the shoulder. Inu-Taisho was smiling, a very breathtaking sight for the impressionable and romantic young girl, and she was frozen in his gaze.
"Please, stay with me. I'd like to finish my lunch in your company. Can't you have a friend do it?" His charm was undeniable. Izayoi quietly sat back down and when she saw her fellow waitress, motioned her over to take the tray. Once the table was cleared and everything in the small-scale restaurant had gone back to normal, that's when the real connection was made; across the table from each other.
Their relationship had begun innocently enough; he would come to the restaurant every day for lunch and they'd share simple conversations and became close friends. But as the months rolled by, their friendship became an undeniable and forbidden attraction. She was still a sophomore in college and he was an almost 30 year old father and husband who was in the middle of a big project within his cooperation. But every other weeknight they'd find time to meet, and sometimes on the weekend. Inu-Taisho rarely thought of the consequences of his actions as he and Izayoi's relationship matured into something substantial. At least, not the consequences that pertained to his wife. His whole world was wrapped up in the small woman who lay in his arms at night in the hotel room they had to rent. She was the only person he could be himself around and the only person who brought true joy to his life. Kimi had lost her flair for life and had become even more materialistic since their marriage. The only reason he remained married to her was for the sake of their new-born son. But he knew that living a double life would eventually catch up on him. And that day was rapidly approaching.
It was May 19th, a Tuesday, when Inu-Taisho made the decision to leave his wife. He and Izayoi were cuddling in the hotel bed, tired after a round of love making. They were watching Sex and the City re-runs, Izayoi's choice of course, as their eyes drifted shut. Izayoi was tracing her fingertip over his chest, drawing patterns into his skin absentmindedly. He was running his fingers through her long mass of hair, one of the aspects about her he most admired. There was a comfortable silence that fell over the two lovers holding each other. The episode was coming to an end and Izayoi seemed to be more invested in it than Inu-Taisho. The brunette woman was walking home with her bald partner, enjoying the night while her friend's inner-monologue was fretting over an absence of a proposal from him. And as they walked up the stoop to their apartment, the handsome, albeit bald and chubby, man dropped to one knee and took her hand in his.
Izayoi's movements stopped as she stared intently at the screen, even her breathing had slowed. Inu-Taisho glanced down at her, then back at the show. Finally, the words came out of the man's mouth and the two shared a passionate kiss that brought tears to Izayoi's eyes. She slinked her arm around Inu-Taisho's midsection and hugged him closer, sniffling and watching as the next episode's preview began to play.
"Izayoi? Are you crying?" He asked timidly, unsure of what to do. He had an idea as to why she was crying, but couldn't be sure. She sat up in the bed, making the sheets fall in her lap, exposing her bare torso. She kept her back to him as she wiped away the tears.
"N-no. Just keep watching the TV." She said softly, voice wavering. Inu-Taisho rolled his eyes and grabbed her arm, yanking her back so she lay down with him again. Her face was stained with tears and bottom lip quivered pitifully. He stared down at her, his long hair making a curtain around them as he wiped away the stray tears. He knew she wanted more of him, and he wanted to give all of himself to her. But his obligation to the mother of his only child was keeping him from what made him most happy. Though, as he stared into the eyes of his lover and best friend, he began to lose track of the reasoning for denying her anything.
"Tell me what I can do. I will do anything to make you feel wonderful. Just name it and it's yours." He was subtly telling her to say it; the words 'leave your wife for me' so that he wouldn't have to be the one to bring it up. If he was the first to say it, then he'd look like an asshole rather than the wimp he was. Izayoi just had to pick up on the hints and say it and it would be done. But bless her heart, all she requested was the simplest, yet most significant of things. She looked up at him with a red, blotchy face and placed her hand on his cheek, tracing the lines of his face. Inu-Taisho felt her breath hit him and began to wonder what ideas were forming behind those pretty, brown eyes.
"Just hold me, Touga." She whispered and drew him into a tight embrace, digging her short nails into his back lightly and putting her face in the crook of his neck. Touga automatically held her to him, running his hands over her back and pinning her close. He should have expected a gentle creature like that couldn't have the heart to ask him to leave his wife. It seemed he'd have to be the brave, greedy one in the relationship and begin the process of divorce. But as he held Izayoi close and pondered on what their rocky future might hold, all he could see were good things. The momentary shame of divorce would subside, as long as she was in his arms like this.
This was the memory that Inu-Taisho was thinking about in his high-in-the-sky office when someone came barging in, effectively knocking him out of his happy place and scaring him half to death. He had been reclining in his large, leather chair, behind an impressive desk when Garrett Smith, the VP of his company, entered. He was a man in his forties, good looking with a voice that seemed to be permanently put on high volume. He had short brown hair and a goatee that made him look more like a pirate than a VP, but Inu-Taisho didn't have the heart to say so. Garrett had been his closest friend for years, since before Izayoi had entered his life, and was the best man at their wedding. But right now, as Inu-Taisho clutched his racing heart, he wanted to throttle his friend.
"Smith, what the hell? I told my secretary to keep everyone out of my office for the next three hours! I have a lot of work that shouldn't be interrupted." He glared daggers at the cocky swagger of his co-worker that approached his desk, carrying two coffees in his hands. Garrett shrugged his boss's complaints off and placed the coffee on his desk, taking a sip from his own.
"Bullshit. You were day dreaming and you know it. So I can't get in trouble for that." He smirked at Inu-Taisho and laughed softly when the other man submitted and finally reached out for the coffee. "So, how's life friend? Been a while since we've chatted."
"I know; you were forced to get some work done under threat of being fired." Inu-Taisho deadpanned and sipped the black, bitter liquid; just like he liked it. "What do you want Garrett?" He asked with a sigh. Garrett leaned against the edge of the desk, crossing his legs at the ankles, and stared out the grand windows of the office. The view was spectacular.
"What's wrong with wanting to catch up with an old friend huh? How's the family?" He asked lightly. Inu-Taisho relaxed in his chair, turning it on its axis to face the same windows as Garrett. Where to start?
"Izayoi brought a girl into our home…" He said slowly, wondering if this was sufficient information. Garrett looked over his shoulder at his friend.
"Really? Why? Some publicity stunt?" Inu-Taisho sent him a scathing glare.
"No, she feels guilty because she was in the car when the driver hit her. So now she's living with us. I still don't understand why."
"What about the girl's parents?"
"Her mother's dead and the father is gone. She was homeless when we found her."
"Okay wait, tell me her name. I'm tired of calling her 'girl'." Inu-Taisho rolled his eyes.
"Her name's Kagome."
"Oh...that's cool she's also Japanese…do you like her?" Inu-Taisho paused, the lip of his coffee cup still pressed against his mouth. He took a sip and placed it down.
"She makes Izayoi happy. I don't know her well enough to care." He said. Garrett shook his head, but didn't respond further. "What?"
"That's harsh. I mean, she's living with you now and, from what you're saying, Izayoi's her only real friend in the house? You aren't even curious to know what she's like? How would you feel if you lived with someone like that? How old is she?" Garrett stood up and faced Inu-Taisho, a serious expression on his face. Inu-Taisho stared back with unenthused eyes. His friend was just one big bleeding heart for every child on the face of the earth, had been since they'd met. It probably stemmed from him being abused as a child, but Inu-Taisho was too jaded to care. Still, he didn't like where the conversation was heading.
"She's six or seven. And no, I'm not. She's more of a burden than anything. The saving grace is that we are only fostering her until the social worker finds a better home. I didn't ask to be saddled with another child. And I also didn't ask to be interrogated like a criminal. So Garrett, either change the topic or get out of my office and do some work." He rebutted viciously. Garrett stared at his boss with a no-nonsense look, one eyebrow cocked and tight lips.
"I have to say, you sure have fallen in the years that I've known you." He began to leave with Inu-Taisho stood up from his chair.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He asked shortly, putting his hands flat on his desk. Garrett looked back at his friend and boss with an expression of both sympathy and disappointment.
"I came in here to chat with an old friend, like old times, but he doesn't seem to be around anymore. Now you're just some tight-fisted a-hole that has no compassion for anyone else. I haven't met Kagome and I don't know the specifics of why you guys took her in, but I know that a father who could care less about their child is one of the worst experiences in the world, especially at that age." He continued to leave.
"What do you know? I already have two boys and I don't need another child in my home. I was happy before she came." He replied, sounding a lot like a bratty child. With his hand on the doorknob, Garrett stopped to look back at his friend, eyes unreadable.
"You should know that children make a happy home, and when you have the ability to add more to your life, that only makes it all the better. Touga, figure out your life. I know you're still mourning over Rin, but don't shut out this little girl out of fear you'll love her more than your real daughter." There was a moment of complete silence, but it was so deafening that Inu-Taisho couldn't even hear the door shut behind Garrett. He stared at the place where his friend once stood in utter shock. That notion hadn't even become a complete thought in his head yet, and somehow Garrett came to that conclusion after just learning of these new developments. Damn that man for having a bachelor's degree in psychology.
For the rest of the day, Inu-Taisho sat behind his desk in somber quiet. He was in such deep concentration that hours passed by without notice, and as he packed up and left to go home, it was already dark.
Back at the Taisho manor, Izayoi and Kagome were busy doing laundry chores and simple math problems that Izayoi could ramble off the top of her head. The radio was on in the background, playing Christmas music since Thanksgiving had come and gone, and as Izayoi placed the shirts on hangers, Kagome danced around her room. She imagined herself being one of those girls she'd seen in the city a few weeks ago, dressed in their dance uniforms and looking very happy. Izayoi looked back at Kagome and chuckled knowingly. Kagome wouldn't say it outright, but it was obvious what she wanted; dance lessons. Izayoi made a mental note to bring it up with Inu-Taisho that night when they were alone.
Hours later it was dinner time. The entire Taisho clan was seated at the table, plates of spaghetti steaming in front of them. It was quiet except for the sounds of metal utensils scraping against the fine dinnerware, and Kagome's simple humming. She swayed in her seat to the tune that was stuck in her head, chewing a mouthful of food that made her cute little cheeks puff out. She sat next to Inuyasha, not by choice, but because they were the smallest people there and could easily fit on that side of the square table. Finally, the quietness had become too boring for Kagome to bear.
"How was your day Sesshoumaru?" She asked with a full mouth. Izayoi touched Kagome's arm lightly and interrupted.
"Kagome, don't speak with your mouth full please." She said softly. Sesshoumaru waited a moment and looked up at Kagome.
"It was fine. I had swim team lessons and then I came home to finish my homework." He said calmly, and then wound a bunch of noodles onto his fork. Inu-Taisho looked at his eldest son with some interest.
"How does your coach say you're doing?" He said in a calm voice. Sesshoumaru was a bit surprised his father was actually speaking at dinner, but made sure to answer him promptly.
"I am still the best on the team father." He said, as if to reassure his father of his success. Inu-Taisho nodded his head and continued eating. Izayoi patted her lips with the white dinner cloth and smiled at her stepson.
"That's wonderful, Sesshoumaru." She complimented sweetly. He only shrugged his shoulders and took a bite from a slice of bread. Kagome watched their interaction with curiosity, and saw the mild pain on Izayoi's face. Quietness fell over the table once again, and it seemed Kagome would have to keep the conversation going. She looked over at Inu-Taisho, a bit nervous to talk directly with him.
"How was your day, Mr. Taisho?" She asked him, hoping he'd respond rather than keep ignoring her. Izayoi watched her husband intently, ready to kick him under the table if he didn't show the girl some kindness. She was already fed up with how standoffish he was already. The least he could do was talk to her. Thankfully, Inu-Taisho did respond to Kagome's question. He turned his head to look at her, but there was little warmth in his eyes; mostly there was mild irritation. He was used to a quiet dinner table.
"It went well, thank you." He said bluntly and went back to eating. Izayoi rolled her eyes and kicked his leg under the table. It caused the man to hiss and glare at his wife. The three children at the table had similar expressions of confusion as they looked between the two adults. Izayoi nudged her head in Kagome's direction, urging her stubborn husband to open up some. He narrowed his eyes at her, but grudgingly did so. "I managed to save the company some millions of dollars that would have been lost due to someone else's laziness." He said matter-of-factly and glanced at his wife to see if she was happy. Izayoi nodded her head at him, though she knew he could have done better. Kagome smiled at him, a rather heartwarming smile that made Inu-Taisho pause as he lifted his fork to his mouth.
"That's a lot of money." She commented and took a sip of her milk. "What do you do with all that money?" She asked curiously.
"We invest it." He replied. Kagome remained quiet for a moment, lost in thought. Finally she sat up straight in her chair and laughed softly.
"I'd buy bunches of candy with that much money. Like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! Except without the oompa-loompa's. They kind of scare me." She said excitedly. Inu-Taisho stared at Kagome, unsure of how to respond, but then there was laughter from across the table. Izayoi was giggling behind her hand, trying to keep the food in her mouth from coming out as she laughed. She finally managed to swallow and looked up at her husband with a red face. He looked back warily.
"Are you okay, Izayoi?" He said hesitantly. Inuyasha looked past Kagome to see his mother's face. He too was concerned. Sesshoumaru just rolled his eyes at the dinner table antics and leaned back in his seat, finished with his dinner already.
"Can I be excused please? I need to study for a test on Monday." He said boredly and rose out of his seat, expecting his father to say yes. But someone else cut in.
"Oh, wait Sesshoumaru! I rented a movie for all of us to watch tonight." She said eagerly. Sesshoumaru looked over his shoulder with the most unenthused expression he could muster, but its effects were lost on a woman so oblivious when she was in such a good mood. "I got The Mummy!" He rolled his eyes and turned to leave.
"I've already seen that." He deadpanned. Suddenly someone had a hold of his arm and was tugging him back towards the table. He fell back to his chair with a grunt, glaring at his father. "I need to study!" He shouted. Kagome leaned back in her chair, keeping her eyes downcast so she didn't have to see that angry expression on Sesshoumaru's face. She didn't like it when he got mad.
"We're watching the movie boy," Inu-Taisho said firmly, and that was the end of the discussion.
After the movie, it was evident as to who the object of all of Kagome's affections was; Brendan Fraser. Every time he did some particular movement or delivered a certain line, Kagome gushed and covered her blushing face in embarrassment. It was all Inuyasha could do to stop from up-chucking. He had to admit though, it was an exciting movie; except for all the kissing. He didn't share the same appreciation for the romantic parts as his mother and Kagome did. But when the film was finally over, nobody could calm Kagome's over-excited mood. As everyone rose up from the couch to go their separate ways, Kagome began to hum the main theme song from the movie as she danced about the house. Izayoi found it cute, but the men of the house found it a annoying.
As she climbed the stairs, doing it with certain flair and big movements, Inuyasha followed quietly, trying not to scream at her to hurry up. Finally when they got to the landing, Kagome skipped over to her room and shut the door behind her. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and disappeared in his room as well, eager to drown his frustrations in video games. But as he played the violent shooter game, he couldn't help but hear Kagome's girlish music playing from across the hallway. Inuyasha let his head fall back against his pillow and groaned loudly. How much longer until he could move out