Disclaimer: Inuyasha is sooo not mine.
Chapter 6
Less than an hour after Kagome returned home on the back of Kouga's motorbike, Hiro bemusedly found himself sitting at the foot of Kagome's bed, listening to the events of her date. He said nothing when she told him of Yuki's crashing of her date. Indeed, she seemed almost grateful to the big blond menace for getting her out of what had been an already uncomfortable situation. But still, he would have to have a little 'chat' with Yuki for being a dick.
Nothing about the fight at the restaurant surprised Hiro. It was exactly what he would have expected of his brother and that other fool... but mainly his brother. When he'd heard about how Kagome had decided to walk home, Hiro felt his blood pressure skyrocket. How like Yuki to think nothing of others!
And as for that little encounter with Kouga, Hiro was completely taken aback. He could have sworn he'd had Kouga's personality down pat, but it appeared that he had been way off. The Kouga he thought he knew never would have treated a woman so thoughtfully or tenderly as Kagome had been treated tonight.
As Kagome happily babbled on, she held onto the large jacket that she had forgotten to give back to her knight in shining leather. Hiro noted that whenever she looked down at it, her face softened. A small glimmer of hope welled up in Hiro's soul, but he viciously crushed it. Yes, Hiro wanted Kagome to be happy, but he would have to get to know Kouga more if she wanted to become involved with him.
He hoped to Kami that his baby girl wouldn't fall for a guy who was just being nice to her, because when she learned that he didn't feel the same about her, the knowledge would probably kill her. She had been through too much in her short life and had very few people who truly cared about her. From the way she talked about Kouga, it was obvious that there was a little spark of some adoration in her for him. When she finished talking, she smiled softly and hugged the jacket to her, sighing deeply.
Unable to keep silent anymore, he reached out and took her hands in his, Hiro looked deeply into her brown eyes. "Sweetheart, it's obvious that you already like Kouga, but please don't do anything about it yet. Okay? I know he seems nice right now, but I'd feel more at ease if you got to know him better first." When she opened her mouth to speak, he shook his head and continued. "Sesshoumaru made me promise to watch over you, Kagome. I intend to do just that, whether you like it or not. Besides, if the two of you do get together and he mistreats you, what then? Sesshoumaru will not only be furious with Kouga, but with me as well for letting you get involved with Kouga in the first place. That's all. I just want you to take your time on this."
Kagome studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, Hiro, of course. But you don't have to worry about that happening. Kouga-kun is a wonderful man and he's very handsome," she said with a rueful smile, looking down at the jacket again, "but someone like him would never want someone like me. He was just being kind."
Hiro pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. He really hated the way she was talking about herself. Someone like her? Someone like her deserved the very best! Kouga may have been nice tonight, but that may have only been a ruse to get into her dress. Everything she said about Kouga was completely different from what Hiro had actually seen with his own two eyes. Something funny was definitely going on, but he would make sure that Kagome's tender little heart would remain untouched.
He did not trust Kouga; never had and never would. This situation would bear watching.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
As luck would have it, Yuki and Inuyasha managed to drive up to Kagome's house at the same time. They got out, glared at each other and marched up to the front door in stony silence. After banging loudly on the door in unison, they stepped back and continued to stare at the other with great hostility. A moment later, the door was opened by a yawning, sleep-touseled Hiro, who merely rolled his eyes and proceeded to shut the door on them. "Good night, gentlemen."
"Oh no you don't," Inuyasha muttered. His hand shot out to stop the door from closing. "Where is she?"
Inuyasha attempted to grab Hiro by the throat, but was grabbed instead by Yuki. He was shoved roughly up against the doorframe. "Hey! Watch the spine!"
Slitted green eyes bored into gold. "Don't touch my brother, punk," Yuki growled. "That's my job." He turned to his brother. "Where is she, Hiro? How did she get home?"
"I don't have to tell either of you a thing! You ruined her entire evening, Yuki! And as for you," Hiro snapped, glaring accusingly over at Inuyasha, "you've ruined her entire life! Can't you two just leave her alone?"
The two idiots stared blankly at Hiro for a moment before brushing their way past him into the house. Hiro ran after them and managed to make it to the bottom of the staircase just before they had a chance to make the ascent. His arms shot out, spanning the distance of the stairs, blocking the way. "No! I absolutely forbid you going upstairs and disturbing her! She's asleep, I'll have you know," he hissed.
"Oh, she'll see me. Get out of my way, loser," demanded a very tight-lipped Inuyasha.
"Hey! Don't talk to my brother that way!" Yuki slapped Inuyasha on the back of the head.
Inuyasha turned on Yuki. "Fuck you! I'll talk to you and your little faggot ass brother anyway I fucking wa--"
The rest of Inuyasha's sentence was cut off as Yuki's fist plowed into his mouth. Blood spurted everywhere as Inuyasha grabbed a handful of Yuki's jacket, pulling him down on the floor as he fell.
Sitting down on one of the steps with a feeling of impending doom, Hiro watched helplessly as the two wrestled on the floor together and thinking of what a pain in the ass it would be to get that blood out of the carpet. He'd have to call a professional cleaning service, no doubt about it. But the big question here was, how the hell would he be able to explain this to Sesshoumaru? Of course, he could always sneak the cleaners in, but no. Sesshoumaru would find out in the end somehow. He always did. Nothing could remain hidden from those sharp eagle eyes. Shit...
From behind him, at the top of the stairs, he could hear a door open then a gasp. He whirled around in time to see Kagome staring down at them, face white as a sheet. "H-hiro? Is that... is that blood?" She stumbled against the wall, clapping her hand to her mouth. Kagome could not stand the sight of blood.
Hiro dashed up and caught her as she fainted. As he debated on whether to take her to her room, the sound of glass shattering caused his temper to flare. "You goddamn idiots! STOP FIGHTING!" Hiro screamed at the top of his lungs. Down below, the fighting did indeed cease. With a grunt, Hiro carried Kagome down the stairs so he could yell at them some more. "Now, I want both of you to start cleaning the blood off of the... Sesshoumaru!"
Inuyasha's older brother was standing in the middle of the living room, arms crossed and looking extremely displeased. "What is going on in here?" he inquired in that deathly calm voice that struck terror into everyone except Kagome, Souta and sometimes Hiro when he was actually behaving himself.
Pushing himself off of Yuki, Inuyasha had scrambled to his feet, blood still dripping from his mouth and cut lip.
But Inuyasha hadn't been behaving himself and had been foolish enough to get caught red-handed. Inuyasha had landed himself into some really deep shit and managed to look guiltier than Hiro ever thought he could. He very nearly laughed out loud at Inuyasha's predicament.
Sesshoumaru's question was met with dead silence, but he did not seem to notice. His eyes were only for the figure Hiro was holding. Knocking Inuyasha aside with one graceful smack to the forehead, he strode across the room, not even pausing to step over the panting blond man sprawled on the floor. "Hiro? What's happened to her? Is she okay?"
"Yes, she just fainted when she saw the blood at the foot of the stairs."
Satisfied, he nodded and turned his attention to the two men, who were standing side by side. Both were horribly disheveled, their faces and clothes bloodied. "You will both remove your filthy presences from this house at once," he intoned ominously. "Inuyasha, this idiotic juvenile behavior is very unbecoming of someone with your rank and station. I believe I had told you to stay away from here, did I not?"
"I don't have to obey your every command, you prick."
"Then you leave me no choice. I shall have a restraining order placed on you tomorrow," the older man continued on quietly, "and since this appears to be your blood staining the floor, money will be docked from your salary to have this unsanitary mess cleaned, as well to replace the crystal vase that you have so carelessly destroyed. Do I make myself clear?"
"I don't care about paying to have this cleaned up, but a restraining order? Isn't that a bit much? You can't do that, Sesshoumaru! That's... that's not fair!" protested Inuyasha indignantly, his face paling.
"I can and I will."
Inuyasha ran up to his brother, eyes pleading. "But I love her!"
No emotion passed over Sesshoumaru's perfect features save the slight twitching of one eyebrow. "Very touching to be sure, Inuyasha, although I personally could care less. You have repeatedly disobeyed my orders not to see her even though you know that seeing you upsets her. If you profess to love Kagome, then why do you not leave her be? Have you not figured out that she does not want a romantic relationship with you?"
"Have you not figured out, mister smart ass, that I will do anything to make up for my behavior in the past? I love her, damn it and I want to be with her. But what I want to know is, why the hell you're here. You should be up in your office, planning to ruin someone else's life besides mine."
Sesshoumaru crossed his arms over his chest. "If you must know, I came to see how Kagome's night went and to plan an appropriate punishment for you." Seeing his brother's eyes widen with surprise, Sesshoumaru added, "Did you think I would be unaware of your date tonight?"
"You bastard," Inuyasha muttered, turning on Hiro. "You fucking told him! I knew I shoulda ratted you out anyway!"
"Heh. I ratted myself out," Hiro retorted sharply. "I made a mistake in leaving her alone for a moment and I owned up to it. I felt bad about it, so I told your brother that you would be taking Kagome out."
"Snitch."
Sesshoumaru put a hand up. "Stop, Inuyasha. Go home. You are in enough trouble as it is. As for you," he said, turning to look at the strangely calm, fair-haired man who had taken a seat on the sofa and was successfully polluting the air with his second-hand smoke. "Leave now, or I call the police."
Yuki snorted. "Do you know who I am?"
Groaning, Inuyasha slapped his forehead. "Kami, don't start that again!"
Sesshoumaru blinked. "Do I look like I care?" he replied blandly.
Another groan erupted from Inuyasha.
Yuki merely laughed with delight. "How wonderful! It's obvious that you two are brothers, other than that really weird white hair you have. How charming." He grinned his brilliant white grin at the overly serious man before turning his gaze on Hiro, who stood silently, still holding Kagome. "I wish my own dear brother and I were as close as the two of you seem to be." Yuki sighed dreamily. "There's nothing but love in this room. Yes sir, nothing but love."
With a grunt, Sesshoumaru turned away from the blinding smile and took Kagome from Hiro, whose arms had begun to tire. Under his breath he said to Hiro, "I'll put Kagome to bed. Get rid of your foolish brother before I make him regret that he survived the trip out of his mother's womb." Once Kagome was cradled comfortably in his arms, he swept upstairs.
"Oi! Where do you think you're going?" cried Inuyasha, walking towards the stairs.
But Hiro once more positioned himself in front of the stairs. He was exhausted, irritable and he desperately wanted to go back to bed. "Get out, for fuck's sake!" he yelled. "Both of you! I swear I'll beat both of you down if you don't get the hell out! I'm tired and cranky and I want to fucking kill you both so GET... OUT!" he shrieked, eyes bulging madly.
Inuyasha couldn't help but take a step back. He'd never seen Hiro so enraged before. "Um, yeah, sure. Whatever you say, man." He made his escape without looking back.
This left Yuki, who had managed to clean most of the blood from his face was still sitting on the couch and taking slow drags from his cigarette. Furious brown eyes met cool green ones and after a moment, Yuki got to his feet. "Fine, I'll go as well. Are you feeling okay, Hiro? Because I could have sworn I heard some blood vessels popping..."
Hiro blessed Yuki with the nastiest smile he could dredge up. "Get...the...fuck...out," he ground out slowly between tightly clenched teeth.
Reluctantly, Yuki put out his cigarette and left. Once Hiro heard his brother drive away, he let himself relax and release a pent-up sign. He went over to lock the front door before he turned off the living room lights and went upstairs. The mess in the room would be cleaned up tomorrow. Before heading to his room, he knocked on Kagome's door.
The door opened and Hiro found himself looking at Sesshoumaru, whose body blocked his view of Kagome's semi-darkened room. "Hiro." His tie was gone, the top few buttons of his shirt were loosened and his long silvery locks were disheveled. Although he couldn't be sure, but Hiro could have sworn that Sesshoumaru was frowning.
Hiding his disappointment that he didn't find out what went on in Kagome's bedroom when Sesshoumaru was there, he said, "I'm going to bed now. I've locked up."
Sesshoumaru nodded. "Thank you for all your help, Hiro. I apologize for speaking to your brother that way. I was... upset."
Chuckling, Hiro waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I'm always upset at him. He's an arrogant jerk."
"I apologize all the same. If you don't mind, I'll stay here for tonight. Should I leave before you rise, I will lock the door. Good night, Hiro."
"Good night, Sesshoumaru."
The door closed and Hiro went to his room. He really wanted to know what went on behind Kagome's door, but he was far too tired to dwell upon it.
As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was asleep.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Once he had tucked Kagome in, Sesshoumaru stepped back to study her when his foot struck something heavy lying on the floor. Looking down, he saw something large, black and lumpy at his feet. He picked it up and frowned. It was a leather jacket and an expensive one by the feel of it.
There was a knock on the door. It was Hiro saying that he had locked up and was going to bed. Sesshoumaru acknowledged this, wished him a good night and shut the door, turning his attention back to the jacket in his hand. An oddly disturbing scent wafted up from the jacket and Sesshoumaru sniffed it tentatively. His frowned turned into a scowl. The scent was cologne. A man's cologne.
His fists trembled with suppressed rage, clutching the soft leather tightly. He would ask Kagome whom this jacket belonged to tomorrow, he thought, keeping a very tight rein on his anger. But he was not mad at Kagome, his most beloved one. Crap, now he was really upset. He'd felt it coming on when Hiro had told him earlier this week what Inuyasha had done. With every day that passed, he'd just gotten more irritable. He'd been unable to concentrate on anything. What was worse, he already hadn't had any since the previous Saturday. Thank kami he'd opted to stay tonight. Whenever he was with Kagome, he was able to do it without the pills.
Once again his attention was shifted to the damned jacket. Had some bastard dared to make a move on her? Well, no matter. The owner of this expensive coat would get his property back, yes, but Kagome would not be part of the bargain.
As for that young woman, she seemed to sense Sesshoumaru's chaotic emotions for she came to and looked around. "Sesshoumaru?"
He dropped the jacket on the ground before going to her, kneeling down beside her bed. "How are you feeling, koishii?"
Sitting up, she nodded, but looked away guiltily. "I... have a confession to make, Sesshoumaru."
Reaching up and running his fingers through her hair, Sesshoumaru smiled slightly. "I know, little one. Inuyasha forced you to go on a date with him." She shot a look at him and he nodded. "Hiro told me."
Her eyes searched his face and her bottom lip began to tremble. "I'm... sorry! I didn't mean to deceive you, really I didn't!"
Sesshoumaru gathered her in close to him and kissed her forehead. "I know you didn't, dearest. Inuyasha is a conniving jerk who doesn't know how to take no for answer. But you don't need to worry about him. I have plans for my disobediant brother."
Kagome yawned against his neck. "Please don't hurt him, Sesshoumaru." She pushed away from him and lay down, her eyes fighting to stay open. "You're upset, aren't you? Do you need to stay with me tonight?" she whispered sleepily, holding her arms out to him.
His only answer was to slide into those arms and hold her close.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Yuki sat on the cold cement of his balcony and sipped absently at his cold drink. He'd already bathed, washing away all the blood from Inuyasha's busted mouth. He looked down at his chest to make sure he hadn't dripped any of the liquid on his torso-hugging wife beater.
As he sat there, squeaky clean and smelling of soap and a light cologne, his eyes were fixated in the skies over his beloved city, his mind going over what had happened at Kagome's house. But it wasn't the fight, or the sheer pleasure of punching that jackass Inuyasha in the face that held his attention. He was thinking of that taller, older looking version of Inuyasha who had the power to throw commands around like he was king of the world.
Sesshoumaru, huh? Sesshoumaru... That name sounded very familiar. Could it be Morikawa Sesshoumaru? It had to be. Sesshoumaru was not a common name. Yuki'd never met the man until tonight, but he had heard of him.
Morikawa, a major power player in Japanese business, was said to be a cold man, notorious for his hard-ass treatment of his employees. Oddly enough, not one of them ever complained about Morikawa's strict hold on them and actually deeply respected the man.
Yuki thought about how that Sesshoumaru guy acted tonight, telling Inuyasha what was and wasn't going to happen. It was pretty damn obvious that he was a man who knew how to take control, how to handle any situation with clear-headed thinking and show no emotion whatsoever. Oh yeah, he was Morikawa alright.
His fingers fumbled for his cigarette case and lighter which lay on the floor beside his thigh and lit one.
And too, there was the small matter of Kagome. The second Hiro had brought Kagome into the room, Yuki had seen Sesshoumaru's cool exterior slip just a little. One didn't have to be a genius to realize that she meant an awful lot to him.
Yuki frowned. What was the relationship between the two? There was one because that Sango female had told him that Kagome and Inuyasha were step-siblings, which also meant Sesshoumaru was included in that category. Although somehow, that didn't make Yuki feel any better. He remembered the way Sesshoumaru had held Kagome as he carried her up the stairs.
As for Inuyasha, being Kagome's step-brother hadn't stopped him from attempting to pursue her. Yuki highly doubted that a little hindrance like that would prevent Sesshoumaru from taking what he wanted.
Was that the case, then? Did Sesshoumaru want Kagome? That was a rather unpleasant thought now that he thought about it. She seemed far too young and vulnerable for a hardened man like Sesshoumaru.
Taking a deep drag off his cigarette, he flicked the butt out over the balcony railing and watched it sail out into the night. What did it matter if Sesshoumaru wanted her? In the end, Yuki would come out on top like he always did. He would not give up on his desire to go after her himself and no cocky, self-important bastard like Morikawa Sesshoumaru would get in his way. When Yuki got tired of her, he'd hand her back to Sesshoumaru a little worse for wear, but still usable.
He got to his feet and stretched, rubbing his hand lightly across his taut, flat abdomen. A cool breeze ruffled his silk pajama pants and he smiled. His plan had just gotten even more interesting. Just the thought of taking something valuable out from under Morikawa's nose was too enticing!
oooooooooooooooooooooooooo
When Hiro came downstairs the following morning, he found that Sesshoumaru was still there. He was drinking coffee and watching the news on television. "Ohayo gozaimasu, Sesshoumaru. Did you have a good night?" His eyes went to a dark lump that lay beside Sesshoumaru on the sofa and his heart skipped a beat. It was Kouga's leather jacket.
Sesshoumaru sipped at the aromatic brew. "It was restful enough for my needs, thank you. I would like to ask you something, Hiro."
Ignoring the low rumblings of his stomach, Hiro nodded. "Of course. What would you like to know?"
Picking up the jacket, Sesshoumaru held it out to Hiro. "To whom does this item belong?
Hiro took it with some trepidation and he knew that had been unwise to let that show. Sesshoumaru had seen the hesitation for his eyes had narrowed with suspicion. He couldn't very well lie now. Hiro hoped that Kagome really didn't have feelings for Kouga.
"This jacket belongs to an associate of my brother by the name of Matsuno Kouga. He, um..." Hiro looked down at the soft leather in his hands. He could feel a pair of golden eyes boring into his skull. "He was the one who brought Kagome home last night," he finished, flinching when Sesshoumaru jumped to his feet.
"You will explain this now."
And so Hiro did. Sesshoumaru's face darkened with fury but said nothing until after Hiro had finished. By then, that horrible gaze had switched from his face to another hapless object. But when he spoke, his voice was completely calm. "I see. Thank you for telling me what happened. I shall deal with it."
"I hope you won't go after Kouga. According to Kagome, he'd behaved like a gentleman towards her. She wasn't afraid with him." Inwardly, Hiro groaned. He couldn't believe that he was actually defending Kouga! But if that fool made her happy, Hiro was all for it.
Sesshoumaru nodded curtly. "Of course. I shall do nothing to that particular gentleman, but I trust you shall keep an eye out if he should try to do anything harmful to her."
"You know I will."
"Good. Thank you. I shall call Kagome later on. I have things to... arrange. Sayonara."
Hiro stared at the closed front door for a long moment, his fingers still clutching at the buttery smooth leather of Kouga's jacket. Someone was about be very miserable.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Monday rolled heavily into Inuyasha's life. After being rudely awakened by his alarm clock, then by Souta who had been sent on a mission by Kami-sama, i.e. Sesshoumaru, and told to "wake the hell up". Eventually, he did and dragged himself into the shower.
Later, he came downstairs, feeling a bit chipper than he did earlier and more than ready for breakfast. When he reached the dining room, he found Souta sitting at the table by himself. That was strange, for Sesshoumaru made it a point to always eat breakfast with their stepbrother. "Where's his royal highness at this morning?" he asked, eyes searching the room warily as though he half-expected Sesshoumaru to spring out of one of the walls at him.
"He left early," replied Souta, perfectly imitating Sesshoumaru while sipping his steaming cup of tea.
Those three words did not bode well. Inuyasha felt as if his stomach had turned to lead. "I guess this means I have to take your little punk ass to school, huh?" he joked, reaching over the table to ruffle the boy's hair. After which, he pulled off his coat and set his briefcase down beside his seat.
Souta said nothing, only swatting ineffectually at Inuyasha's hand. "Stop it, Inuyasha! Yeah, you have to take me. Sesshoumaru said so."
Sitting down at his usual spot across from Souta, Inuyasha waited as a silent servant placed a plate in front of him. When the young woman left, he asked nonchalantly, "Did he tell you why he left early? Was there an emergency meeting or something?"
"He didn't say." There was a heavy silence for a moment. "What did you do this time, Inu?"
"I don't know what you mean."
"You can't lie to me, you know. I may not remember all of what went on when we were younger, but I know that my sister always cried a lot. I'd like to know what happened to her back before mom died."
Inuyasha stared into those soft brown eyes that were so like Kagome's own and felt his insides drop a little. There was no way Inuyasha could tell that youthful face what he'd done to his sister. Clearing his throat a little, Inuyasha turned his attention to his plate. "Did you try asking Sesshoumaru?" he asked, picking up his bowl of miso soup and taking a sip.
The young man eyed Inuyasha steadily. "Yes. He told me to ask you. So, what happened?"
Startled golden eyes stared at Souta over the rim of the small bowl. Setting it back on the table, Inuyasha quickly lowered his eyes. "I think it's time to go," he said hastily, picking up a piece of toast and biting in to it. He got up and grabbed his coat, the toasted bread sticking out of his mouth.
"We still have plenty of--"
"Nope, time to go!" Inuyasha insisted, quickly grabbed his briefcase and rushed out of the room.
Souta stared after his stepbrother in stunned silence, but got up and gathered his things anyway. Now, he was left to wonder exactly what happened back then. It seems that no one wanted to tell him anything about it. Very strange.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The moment Inuyasha went got to his desk, his secretary buzzed him on the phone. When he picked it up, he was told that his brother had just called and had asked for Inuyasha to go to his office at once. The feeling of doom he had felt earlier had returned in full force.
All the way up to his Sesshoumaru's office, Inuyasha wondered what his punishment would be, for he knew this was in retaliation for disobeying his majesty's direct orders. Well, fuck him and his stupid orders. Couldn't Sesshoumaru see that he was trying to make amends with Kagome? Besides, what could Sesshoumaru possibly do to him? It wasn't as if he murdered anyone.
"Come in, Inuyasha. I'm pleased you could make it."
Inuyasha slammed the door behind him. "Cut the bullshit, Sesshoumaru. What do you want? I still have tons of paperwork to do from last week."
His brother sat back in his chair and interlaced his fingers, letting them rest against his abdomen. "Do not worry on that score, brother dear. I shall have others take care of that for you."
Oh yeah, thought Inuyasha solemnly, the bastard's got something really nasty planned for my ass. "I'd thank you, but I know the worst is still to come. Quit dragging this out already. What the fuck are you going to do to me?"
Sesshoumaru silently regarded his irritated brother a moment before speaking. "I have given your punishment great thought and I have decided that putting a restraining order on you was too rash."
"Thank you," Inuyasha murmured gratefully.
"However, I have found an alternative that would suit both myself and Kagome. It will allow you to call her whenever you wish."
Inuyasha's heart stood still. "What have you done, Sesshoumaru?" His mouth had gone dry; his palms began to sweat like crazy. Here it comes, he thought, hoping against hope that it wouldn't be too bad. Please kami, let him go easy on me!
A slight smile tilted Sesshoumaru's lips upwards. "Instead of forcing you by law not to go anywhere near her, I have decided to transfer you to Kagoshima for a period of one year."
"No...Sesshoumaru..."
"Yes, Inuyasha."
"Y-you can't... can't do that to me," rasped the younger man hoarsely. "You can't!"
"Do not be silly, Inuyasha. You know very well that I can. Besides, this is only for a year. You'll be back bothering Kagome before you know it."
"But, Kagome--"
The elder Morikawa nodded sagely. "Ah yes, Kagome. Do not worry, little brother. I will make sure she is well taken care of so don't you worry about a thing."
Lunging forward, Inuyasha grabbed hold of the edge of his brother's marble desk. "You...dirty bastard! I won't go there! You can't make me go!" He shook the table as hard as he could, but the damn thing was immovable. Just like his damned brother.
Sesshoumaru leaned forward, eyes narrowed. "You will go, Inuyasha, or I shall place the restraining order on you and you will never lay eyes on her again! Do I make myself clear?" His voice never even rose a notch to get his point across; he never had to. That killing stare made even the bravest man cower and as it rested on Inuyasha, it began to work its magic.
With a muffled sob, Inuyasha fell to his knees in front of the desk, his forehead coming to rest on the cool material. "All I wanted... was to take her out... show her how I really feel. I love her, Sesshoumaru."
As he watched Inuyasha weep into the marble, Sesshoumaru couldn't help but look away. Hearing his brother cry like a little boy wrenched at his heart. He really did love his brother very much; he loved Kagome too, but she just happened to be the weaker of the two and unable to defend herself. Maybe the boy really did love her. It was beginning to look more and more like he did.
Rising from his chair, he walked to his floor to ceiling windows and stared out over his domain. Perhaps... perhaps there was hope for Inuyasha after all.
"Inuyasha."
A pathetic little sniffle. "Yes?"
"Make it six months instead."
Silence filled the office and Sesshoumaru turned to look at his brother. Inuyasha was still on his knees, his shining golden eyes peering over the top of his desk, letting Sesshoumaru know that he couldn't believe what he just heard. "Sesshoumaru?"
Sesshoumaru went over to Inuyasha and held out his hand to help him up. "You will go to Kagoshima and stay there for six months. If, after that time you find that you are still in love with Kagome, you may pursue her if she wishes you to. But if she does not, then you will drop the matter. Understood?"
The figure on the floor jumped up and pounced on Sesshoumaru, knocking him to the floor. "Sesshoumaru! Oniisan! I knew you loved me!"
"Oi! Get off me, baka!" growled the big brother, attempting to push the excitable Inuyasha off of him. It didn't work. Instead, they began wrestling on the floor. When it was over, Sesshoumaru gave Inuyasha a mighty shove and scrambled away. "What were you thinking? Look at my clothes!" Despite his annoyance at the wrinkled clothing, Sesshoumaru was feeling alot better, happier even. It had been a very long time since they wrestled together like that.
Inuyasha, whose clothes weren't much better, grinned up at his brother, eyes twinkling and hair in complete disarray. "Thank you! Thank you so much! I'll do my very best for you, Sesshoumaru!"
Nodding, Sesshoumaru allowed himself a small smile at his brother. "Yes, I know you will, Inuyasha. You will leave tomorrow and by then, your apartment will already be prepared for you. The experience you'll garner at our branch there will be invaluable. I know you will enjoy your time there."
"And I'll be able to call her? You're okay with that?"
"Yes. I will let Hiro know to allow her to accept your calls."
"Okay, well. I should get back to work then?"
Sesshoumaru shook his head. "No. Go home and pack. Enjoy what time you have left here before you leave. We'll have your favorite dinner tonight, okay? You, Souta, Kagome and myself will eat together as a family. Sound good?"
Smiling, Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah. Sounds really good."
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