Disclaimer: Inuyasha is sooo not mine.
Chapter 18
Yuki heard from Kagome the very next day. Hearing the sound of her voice after so long made him very happy. "I was worried about you," he gently admonished her, leaning back in his chair while watching television in his living room. "I called you several times but you never answered."
"I know and I'm sorry about that," she said in that sweet little voice of hers. "I was... out of town."
Yuki frowned, his eyes shifting from the t.v. screen to a spot on the wall above his entertainment system. "Out of town? I was unaware of that." He would have to wait until Hiro came home today to ask him to explain why he was never told her having left town. What the fuck was going on for everyone to keep secrets from him?
"Oh." Her voice sounded uncertain. "Well, I thought Hiro would have told you. I was gone for over a week."
Hiro was going to get an earful when he saw him again. "Where did you go?" Yuki tried to remain calm, to keep his body from tensing up, but was unable to do so. His right leg began its pains again. He'd have to take his pain killers again.
"Well, at first I went to Shizuoka, then Atami, and then I decided to go to Osaka. When I was there, I--"
"Why?" he asked, his voice a little rougher than he meant it to be. He got to his feet, grabbed his cane that lay by his side and began limping agitatedly towards the balcony.
"Why, what?"
"Why did you go to those places? Were you visiting family? Friends?" Yuki was trying to keep from thinking that Kagome was seeing somebody else, but he was failing. Was she seeing another man? Just the fact that she went to Atami bothered him. Who would go to Atami by themselves, seeing as how that city was popular amongst honeymooning couples and lovers? Had she met up with someone there?
Kagome was silent for a moment and Yuki's suspicion grew. He knew instinctively that she wouldn't come clean about her trip, although he didn't know why. So he waited for her response. "Well?"
"I met up with a friend in Atami," she said softly, "and we traveled to Osaka together. The shrines there are very lovely this time of year."
He slid lids down to cover his burning green eyes. So she had met with someone! She was lying to him about the person being a friend, he just knew it. "I see." His voice was calm, much calmer than he actually felt. "Come see me," he told her suddenly, opening his eyes again to stare out over Tokyo. "Please. I missed you a great deal. I'll order in, if you're hungry. What do you say?"
"Gosh, Yuki, I don't know. I have a lot to do today."
Her hesitation made him angry. "I think it's the least you could do after making me worry so," he said softly, despite the jealousy that raged inside him. "I want very badly to see you, Kagome. I need to see you. Please don't turn me down."
There was another moment of silence that followed, but she finally acquiesced. "Alright Yuki, I'll go visit you."
"Great. I'll expect you in an hour."
After hanging up, he resisted the urge to throw the phone across the room. Something was up and no one was telling him a damn thing! But at least he got her to come over. He'd left her no room for argument by playing on her guilty conscience, knowing that she wouldn't have the nerve to worm her way out of coming to see him.
He turned and made his slow way to his room to get ready.
Before she finally arrived, he had been pacing anxiously in his living room, desperately hoping that she wouldn't stand him up. He knew she wouldn't do something like that, but all the same...
As he reached for his phone to call her to find out where she was and why she was taking so long, the doorbell rang.
His fair head came up, his heart thumping like mad in his chest. Ignoring his aching leg, he limped eagerly over to the door. "You made it!" he cried happily, as he stepped back to let Kagome in. Relief flooded him when he laid eyes on her for the first time in over a week.
She looked more beautiful than ever, he thought as she moved past him to the dining room table to set her purse down. Her normally pale skin now had a golden tint to it and her slim body seemed to have filled out somewhat.
When he'd shut the door behind her, he walked up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist "You look amazing," he whispered into her ear. His lips moved to brush across her cheek. "Have I told you I missed you, Kagome?"
Leaning back against him, her breathing quickened. "Yes, Yuki, you have."
His arms tightened and he half-crushed her to him. "Then I'll tell you again anyway." Turning her around to face him, he let his arms slip around her. "I missed you," he breathed, his lips moving down to mesh with hers.
"Yuki, please," she begged, trying to push him away. "I can't do this right now."
Yuki's body stilled. "What? Why?"
"I just can't, I'm sorry."
Instead of letting her go, his grip on her tightened again. "Kiss me, Kagome. I want a kiss from you. You disappeared and I never even knew where you were. I think I deserve a kiss, don't you?" Kagome was watching him intently and he could see her begin to weaken. He knew that he was going to get his kiss.
"May I? May I kiss you?" he asked her, pushing her towards his sofa. She followed his lead willingly, her eyes never leaving his. He could feel her defenses fall completely and without hesitation, he went in for the kill. As she lay back against the cushions, he hovered over her and one of his hands went to her face to caress one sun-kissed cheek.
There was a soft whimper from her as his lips claimed hers. Her arms lay still for a moment on her lap, but she lifted them to wind themselves around his neck. When he raised his fair head, he looked down at her. Kagome's lovely eyes were closed and her pretty pink lips were slightly parted; her chest heaved as though she had just run a marathon.
Yuki smiled and took her lips again eagerly. Whoever the man was that was after her, the bastard was out of luck. Like hell Yuki would allow anyone else to have her.
She responded passionately to every touch he bestowed on her, but when he lay her down on the sofa and climbed on top of her, the spell was broken by a cry of "Oh! Your leg!"
Kagome sat up straight and pressed him back into a sitting position, propping his leg up on the coffee table. "Does it hurt? Want me to get you anything?"
Yuki groaned inwardly. This was not what he had planned and he cursed himself for not remembering to take her personality into account. She would always think of his comfort first before her own.
"No, I'm fine," he tried to tell her, as she tried to move away from him. Snagging hold of her wrist, he gave her arm a gentle yank, pulling her down and onto his lap. "Where did you think you were going?" he asked as he began to nuzzle her neck.
"Um, nowhere, I guess."
"That's right. Nowhere." His lips nibbled on her earlobe. "I want you to stay here with me."
"Yuki? Are you sure you're fine? Your knee looks a little swollen."
"I'm fine," he repeated, allowing his lips to travel slowly across her cheek to the corner of her mouth. At that moment, her cell phone rang. Her body froze, then she jumped up so quickly that Yuki didn't have time to grab hold of her again. He struggled to his feet as she snatched the phone from her purse.
"Moshi-moshi? Oh, hi!" She turned her back on Yuki.
His eyes narrowed. He'd heard that ring before, when he was in the hospital. Come to think of it, she'd reacted to it the exact same way the first time, too.
"No, I'm kind of busy at the moment, but as soon as I'm free I'll call you back. Oh, I see." Kagome listened for a moment, then shot a nervous glance at Yuki over her shoulder before heading to the balcony. Stepping over the threshhold, she slid the door shut behind her.
Red flags waved wildly in Yuki's mind and felt the need to barge out there, snatch the phone from her and demand from the person on the other end why they dared to call his woman. Just who was this person, anyway? And why had she looked at him that way, as though she had something to hide?
He watched her through the glass doors, her back still to him... and Yuki knew the undeniable truth.
She was seeing someone else.
Rage filled his entire being, but he left her to talk on the balcony, knowing he couldn't trust himself to not grab her phone and fling it as far as he could off of his balcony... after telling that guy off, of course. Instead, he stalked back to his sofa, where he sank slowly down upon it. His eyes stared straight ahead, his vision darkening, his mind in a whirl.
Someone under him had just fucked themselves royally. He'd had her watched continuously to ensure that no one was intruding onto his territory. Anyone who associated with her was scrutinized and investigated... or at least they should have been. How Miroku managed to let someone fall through the cracks, kami only knew, for the man was a veritable shark when it came to his job. Only the Morikawa brothers, Souta and Hiro were exempt from the investigation. Yuki knew that Hiro was crazy about his girlfriend and wouldn't pursue Kagome; and of course Souta was overlooked for obvious reasons.
Yuki knew that Inuyasha cared her greatly for Kagome, but he was gone; had been gone for several months now and by all accounts, still remained in Kagoshima. Sesshoumaru, however, was still here in Tokyo, but Yuki had known long ago that it would be foolhardy to try to have him investigated. If he had he done so, his life would have been made unbearable. No one fucked with Sesshoumaru.
The balcony door slid open and he immediately turned his head in time to see Kagome step through. She shut the door behind her and went to replace the phone in her purse.
"Who was that?" he asked, not bothering to keep the irritation from his voice.
She started violently and whirled around. "Yuki! You scared me!"
He got slowly to his feet and began to advance upon her. "Tell me, Kagome. Who was that?"
Kagome shook her head as he came near her. "It was... no one. Just a friend of mine, that's all."
"I see." Yuki reached her and managed to pin her against his dining room table with his body. He used his arms to block her escape. "What's the name of this friend then?"
"Yuki, I--"
His eyes slitted, allowing her to catch a glimpse of his wrathful gaze. "Is it your boyfriend, Kagome? Well, is it? Give me his name, so that I may meet him and tell him to back off." He pressed his body against hers, causing her to wince as the table edge cut across her lower back. But when he saw the tears spring to her eyes and the look of pain cross her face, he let up a little. "I'm sorry, Kagome. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just want to know who's trying to steal you from me. So next time he calls, tell him that I won't let you go. " He dipped his head to kiss her tenderly on the mouth. "You're mine."
All Kagome could do was use the table to brace herself. Yuki had managed to shake the peacefulness of her life yet again, but in some odd way it touched and flattered her that he was so jealous. She reveled in the feeling of his lips on hers again but she knew she shouldn't be doing this, not after what had happened last night with Sesshoumaru.
It was very odd having three completely different men lavish such attention on her. It made her nervous and the fact that they all wished to kiss her and touch her was making her feel as though she was one of those women who juggled several men at once. As gorgeous as they were, Kagome really wanted to stick with one man and one man alone. There was no sense in getting greedy and dragging the hearts of all of them along so callously.
But which one should she choose?
"Have you thought about my proposal?" he asked, dropping his head down to brush his lips against the side of her throat. "You had plenty of time to think about it while you were gone."
Her hands came up to press gently against his chest, a silent request to back up slightly. She daren't push him away completely; she didn't want to risk igniting his anger. "Please don't be angry with me, Yuki, but it slipped my mind." There was a bit of a flare in his eyes and she flinched. "I'm sorry! I just... I went away for a reason, Yuki-sama. Please, forgive me. I didn't mean to upset you so."
Yuki said nothing for a whole minute, then he bent down to kiss her on the forehead. "I'm not angry at you, little one," he told her, holding her to him. "But I would like an answer soon. I want to know when I can start making preparations."
"Preparations?" Kagome was puzzled. "Preparations for what, exactly?"
He looked down at her with a dazzling, lazy smile that sent the butterflies that were nesting in her stomach in a frenzy. "That should be obvious, Kagome. Preparations for our wedding, of course."
"What?!" She tried to get away from him but he kept her pinned against the table. "No, Yuki, you're going too fast. We don't even know each other that well."
"I know you and I know that I want to spend my life with you. So what's the problem?"
This time she pushed away from him. "I need to tell you something, Yuki. I don't plan on getting married anytime soon because--"
"What?! Why not?" Moving forward, Yuki grabbed her hand and held it tightly.
She held his hand against her heart. "Because while I was... away... I had a revelation. I am going back to work for my grandfather at our family shrine."
He frowned. "Doing what? I remember that you used to live there when you were little but I don't recall you having a job to do."
"You remember me back then?" she asked, eyes widening. "I thought you didn't know anything about me, except that I was just one of Hiro's little friends."
Yuki laughed and pulled her against him. "You were, for the most part. But then again, I was a snotty, rebellious teenager who turned up my nose at anything that Hiro did. It was beneath me to acknowledge him. After all, he was just a little kid then. It would have been ruined my reputation if I'd hung out with you and my little brother. I couldn't bear to be so uncool." He wrinkled his nose and Kagome laughed at his comically pained expression.
"And I remember you a little," Kagome told him, wrapping her arms around his middle. "I thought you were cool in a strangely aloof way and I believed that I didn't even exist to you. You certainly never seemed to have noticed me."
"Amazingly enough, I did. I remember you were such a pretty, cherubic little thing." His eyes flashed with humor as his fingers lightly pinched her cheeks. "You reminded me of a little doll, with those big bright eyes and the most adorable pair of chubby cheeks I'd ever seen. I had a feeling you were going to be beautiful."
Kagome flushed at his words. "Yuki! Don't say that! It's not true and you know it." Her hands fluttered up to cover her face. "I was fat and ugly."
A crease appeared between his fair brows. "Wrong. You were an exquisite little angel. You still are. Don't you dare say such things about yourself, Kagome. I won't have it." Taking one of her hands, he led her back to the sofa and sat down propping his leg up on the little glass table. "I'm hungry," he told her, reaching for his phone that sat on the table in front of them. "How about you?"
Keeping her reddened face averted, Kagome nodded. "Y-yes, please."
He ran his fingers through her hair, tucking her hair back behind her ear. "Is there anything in particular you would like?" he asked, loving how charmingly embarrassed she was.
She shook her head. "No. I'll have whatever you're having."
"But what if I order something you don't like?" he asked patiently, his eyes never leaving her, with his hand still touching her hair.
"Don't worry about me," she said, bowing her head. "You should get whatever you want."
"I should get whatever I want, huh?" Hiding a pleased smile, Yuki pulled her back into the circle of his arm against the sofa cushions and hooking a finger under her chin, he forced her to look at him. "You already know what I want, Kagome," he murmured, leaning over her and slanted his mouth across hers.
Yuki knew he'd never be able to get enough of her. He also knew that if she didn't agree to marry him, he'd find a way to keep her by his side. The way her little mouth tasted was driving his senses wild, causing his blood pressure to spike sharply. But to think there was a great possibility that another man was given the chance to taste her too, pissed him off like nothing else and he had to concentrate on her just to keep from becoming too upset. He did not want to share her with anyone... not even her family. Especially with those irritating step-brothers of hers.
After a few minutes, he lifted his head and immediately put in a call to his favorite take-out place. When he was through, he hung up and resumed his exploration of her mouth with his while they waited for lunch to arrive.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
When she finally was allowed to leave, Yuki weaseled a promise from her to allow him to visit her at her family shrine and to give him a personal tour, not to mention an private audience with her grandfather. She asked why he wanted to meet her grandfather privately, but Yuki laughed joyfully.
"Darling! Really, your innocence is too charming! To ask his blessing, of course! Just because Sesshoumaru is the head of your family, he's still not a blood relative. No, I'll go to your grandfather instead. Okay, honey?"
His warm and happy smile touched her. How could she tell him no?
At the shrine, she went to her grandfather and told him of her decision to return as the shrine's miko. Tearfully, he grabbed his granddaughter and hugged her tightly. "Thank Kami-sama! I've been praying for this day! Come, come! Let's get ready to greet the faithful." He took her by the hand and led her upstairs to get changed.
"Ojii-san, there's something else you should know."
Stopping in mid-stride, her grandfather turned to look at her and she smiled at him. "My friend, Miroku, and I... we're soul mates, ojii-san."
His wise old eyes glistened with joyful tears. "How--? When--?" he asked, as though he daren't believe what he was hearing.
"On Mount Koya. When we meditated together, it just... happened. It felt as if our souls were dancing about our head, spinning around each other. There was such a sensation of happiness and utter calm, I'd never have known it was possible to feel like that unless I experienced it myself. I believed that it had just been me that had felt like that, but when I turned to Miroku, I knew right away that he felt exactly how I did. The elder monk, when we asked him what had just happened, told us that we were soul mates." Kagome bowed her head. "I wish I'd realized this sooner. I could have leaned on his strength back in the days when I had none, instead of bothering everybody."
"You were never a bother, my dear." Her grandfather patted her hand. "Anyway, it doesn't matter now, Kagome. The fact is that you two have found each other. That's more than what most people can say. Many don't ever find theirs in their lifetime. You are truly one of the lucky ones."
A few days later, Kagome arrived at the shrine to find a familiar face waiting for her. Miroku, once again clad in his purple robes, was talking with her grandfather. When she came towards them, both of them turned to face her and Miroku gave her a short bow before taking her hand in his. The moment their hands touched, the familiar sense of calm swept over her, leaving her to clutch at his hand.
The past few days had been a whirlwind, with Sesshoumaru, Kouga and his boys, not to mention Yuki and a sadly subdued Hiro (he told her that he was moving out, but did not seem too happy about it. He hadn't even told her why he was leaving) all calling her every hour on the hour (or so it seemed) to check up on her. She was afraid to not answer her phone, for the one time she'd decided that she was weary of people checking up on her, she didn't answer and twenty minutes later was horribly startled to hear a loud banging on her front door.
She had been in the shower at the time and had heard the sound of a crash over the noise of the running water. Frightened, she wondered if her front door had been broken down and quickly wrapped a towel around her. Peering cautiously around the bathroom door into her bedroom, she heard the heavy pounding of feet up the stairs. Fearing burglars, Kagome couldn't help but scream and slam the bathroom door shut, locking it hurriedly.
"KAGOME!!!' cried a strong male voice and in the space of a heartbeat, the bathroom door came crashing in, barely giving Kagome time to get away from it. Three men came bursting in, causing Kagome to scream again and fall back on her rump, one hand over her eyes and the other on the top of her towel trying to hold it in place.
That was the first time she'd ever thought about slapping anyone. She very nearly did when Kouga dropped to his knees beside her, apologies stuttering from his mouth. When she had the nerve to look up at him, she saw that his entire face was bright red, as though he'd been sunburnt.
"What do you think you're doing?" she cried, attempting to recover, feeling her heart race painfully in her chest. She wanted to cry from frustration. They had just broken down her bathroom door! She could only imagine what they'd done to her front door...
"I-I'm sorry!" Kouga muttered, reaching out to help her up, but distress flashed over his face when she scooted away from him. "I thought... I mean..."
"It sounded like you were in trouble," offered Ginta, coming to Kouga's defense. "When we heard you scream--"
She clutched at her heart, turning her face up to the elder Kawase brother. "Y-you broke into my house and ran up the stairs. Of c-course I'd scream. I didn't know who you were."
Hakkaku nodded, dark eyes darting away to keep from staring openly at Kagome's exposed thighs and risk Kouga noticing that he was practically drooling. He didn't want to get beat down for doing something he always did when a half-naked woman was around. Everyone knew he was a leg man. "That may be, but you didn't answer the phone, Kagome-neesan," he told her in a quietly accusing voice. "And you can't get mad at us, 'cuz Sesshoumaru gave us permission to break into the house if you weren't answering. We're only following orders."
Kagome only groaned into her hands. What was Sesshoumaru thinking, to allow them to disturb her privacy like this? She turned her body and gripped the side of the tub, pulling herself up onto her feet, completely ignoring Kouga's helping hands. "Well, I thank you for your concern, but really, it was unnecessary. As you can see, I'm just fine." She gave them a shaky smile before turning away from them. "If you don't mind, I need to finish my bath."
"Yeah, okay." Kouga's voice was uncertain. He didn't want to leave her alone; he wanted to ask her why she pulled away from him. Having her do that to him hurt deeply. She'd never pulled away from him before. "I'm sorry about this, Kagome. "When you're finished, I'll fix your door. If that's alright with you. Um... we'll be downstairs fixing the other door. Sorry about that one, too."
"That's fine. Thank you, it would be most helpful." Bending down, she turned her faucets back on to let the water run, telling them in the politest way possible to leave.
And now, as she walked beside Miroku, fingers entwined, broken doors and intrusive loved ones didn't seem to matter so very much anymore.
"We should meditate for awhile," her soul twin whispered in her ear. "There are some black spots in your aura, sweetheart. You can't help people if you're upset like this."
She nodded and allowed him to take her away.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
May finally rolled around, and with it brought warm, sunny days and a very happy Inuyasha. He returned home with gifts for his family. Souta, upon seeing his brother waiting for him after school, he abandoned his usual stoic demeanor and ran to him, hugging him. "Inuyasha! You're back!" he cried excitedly.
Inuyasha clutched the boy to him. "You bet, kiddo. Damn, it's good to see you!"
Grinning up at Inuyasha, Souta nodded. "Come on! Let's go bother Sesshoumaru! Make him take us out for ice cream!" he demanded as the two walked to Inuyasha's car.
The elder male cast Souta an amused sideways glance. "Eh? You're better at getting things from him than I am, Souta. You do it." He paused for the space of a heartbeat then added, "Or better yet, get Kagome to do it. She could melt the iciest heart--"
Souta shook his head as he and Inuyasha got in to the car. "Can't. She's usually busy at this time of the day."
Strapping his seat belt across his body, Inuyasha frowned. "Why? Don't tell me that Sesshoumaru let her have a job? Things can't have changed that much while I was gone." He started the engine and they pulled away from the curb. The ensuing silence bothered him. There was something Souta wasn't telling him. "Have they? Souta? What's changed?"
Again, Souta shook his head. "A lot has happened that you don't know about, Inu." He glanced over at his step-brother with a worried expression. "I know how much you loved Kagome."
"Loved? What do you mean, loved? I still do. Damn it, boy, spill it."
With a huge sigh and a feeling of impending disaster, Souta spilled everything from Kagome's relationship with Kouga, the accident with Yuki, her disappearance for over a week, the declaration of love from Yuki, the proposals of marriage not only from Kouga and Yuki... (here he paused, wondering if he should say anymore, but Inuyasha grabbed hold of his shirt and refused to let go until he talked)... but Sesshoumaru as well.
"Sesshoumaru? He's in love with Kagome?!" cried the silver-haired man. He jerked the wheel and the car swerved, barely missing the vehicle in front of them. "That prick! He never even... fucking...told me!" His foot slammed on the gas and they shot forward into traffic. "No wonder he sent me away for so long! He wanted me outta the way so he could make his move, right?"
Souta quickly covered his eyes with his hands. "Oi, slow down, baka! I wanna live to see my next bowl of ice cream!" The car slowed down and he felt brave enough to lower his hands. "No, he sent you away because of what you did to my sister. But of course he's not going to tell you that's he's fallen for the same woman you're in love with, Inu. You have no idea how hard this has been on your brother. He's wild about Kagome but kept his feelings hidden for your sake for a long time now. But with Kouga and Yuki both in love with her too and wanting to marry her, he panicked. Kouga actually bought her an engagement ring, you know. Sesshoumaru was scared to lose her to another man and acted purely out of instinct to keep her away from him, so he confessed to her that he loved her and wanted to marry her."
Inuyasha gripped the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles turned white. "But he knows that I love her! Why didn't he tell me he felt the same? He coulda at least let me know something so I don't have to find out later on down the line, shit..."
In hindsight, Souta knew he shouldn't have said a damned thing more on this matter. That feeling of doom should have been a red flag for him to keep his trap shut. Of course, he completely took the blame for starting it and the subsequent blow-up, but it would be Inuyasha who would take it the rest of the way...
"Well," Souta began, blissfully unaware of what was to come, "Sesshoumaru knew that you'd never really score with my sister. I think he was just humoring you--"
The rest of the trip to Sesshoumaru's office was a blur. Souta couldn't help but cower against his door, wondering if it wouldn't be safer to just fling himself out of the car as it roared along the highway. Beside him, Inuyasha was screaming profanities that made his tender, teenaged ears burn. Inuyasha had barely stopped the car when Souta made a break for it. He flung himself out of the car and gratefully kissed the sidewalk.
"Oh, thank kami, thank kami!" Souta cried, perfectly willing to tongue the cement in gratitude, but a heavy hand snatched him by the collar and hauled him to his feet, dragging him into the office building. He was all too aware of Morikawa employees staring at them, some bowing to greet the enraged Inuyasha and welcome him home, while some wondering if they should help the boy caught in his grasp. But Souta waved to them, to show them he was okay. "He's just happy to be back!" he croaked cheerfully.
When they got to Sesshoumaru's office, Inuyasha muscled his way in, still holding Souta by the neck. Sesshoumaru, whose long fingers were flying over his keyboard, looked up from his monitor. "Oh, hey, Inuyasha! I thought you were coming back tonight." He stopped typing and got to his feet. "Welcome home, little bro--"
"Save it! I know all about your evil machinations, my dear brother! You want my woman and don't bother to deny it! Souta sang like a canary just now and I know everything."
"Machinations?" mumbled the boy at the end of Inuyasha's arm. "You know that word?"
"Silence!" Inuyasha shook Souta and Souta obediantly clammed up.
Sesshoumaru walked around his desk to face his irate brother. He sat on the edge of his desk and crossed his arms over his chest, making him looked completely at ease and in control, which of course he was. "So, Inuyasha... you've decided to take out your rage for me out on a teenage boy? A boy, moreover, that is the younger brother of the woman that we both love?"
This seemed to shake Inuyasha to the core. Sanity returned to his eyes and he released Souta's collar. "Oh. Sorry, Souta. I... didn't mean to rough you up like that."
"No, no, it's cool," muttered Souta, rubbing the back of his neck.
Inuyasha turned his attention back to Sesshoumaru, who was eyeing him cooly. Almost like a dog catcher keeping an eye on a dog that could turn vicious at any moment, he thought sullenly. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself? How could you betray me like this?"
The elder man continued to lounge against the desk and for a moment, his gaze dropped down to his long legs which were crossed at the ankles and examined his immaculately polished shoes. "What is it that you want me to say, Inuyasha? That this all some big misunderstanding?" The hard golden gaze shifted back upwards to Inuyasha's face. "I said nothing all this time to spare your feelings because I knew how much you cared for her, and if you think I sent you to Kagoshima to get rid of you, then you're sadly mistaken. You may think I betrayed you, but let's face the facts here, little brother. Kagome was terrified of you and your heavy handed treatment of her. You weren't treating her as well as you thought you did. You continued to harass her and you made her life miserable, despite your good intentions. That's why you got sent away. She needed her space from you, Inuyasha. Space that you would never willingly give her."
"And now?" asked Inuyasha, dejection radiating from his very being. "How does she feel about me?"
"She thinks of you only as her brother. She doesn't want to live under the same roof as you, Inuyasha, because she's afraid of what you might do to her. It will take awhile for her to regain her trust in you, if at all."
"Hey," interrupted Souta, "since we're talking about the truth here, how about you guys tell me what happened to my sister back then? You know, when my Mom was dating your dad? No one seems to want to tell me--"
Inuyasha cleared his throat hurriedly. "Um, Sesshoumaru, what's your feelings concerning Kagome? Are you for real or just trying to piss me off?" He ignored Souta's scowl.
"I love Kagome and I wish to wed her. But what else can I tell you to piss you off further? Hmm. Oh yes, how about this? Sometimes, I sleep with her. Did you know that?"
"You s-sleep with Kagome?!" Inuyasha's tanned face paled considerably. He turned to Souta. "Did you know about this?"
Souta frowned and nodded. "Yeah, I know about it. It isn't as bad as it sounds, Inu, really. But I thought you knew about that already."
Inuyasha stared with astonishment at his brothers. Slowly, he shook his head. "No... I had no idea...I knew he stayed over at her place sometimes, though." After a moment, his youthful face tightened with anger and his golden eyes flashed. "What the hell, Sesshoumaru? How long has this been going on? Have you been screwing Kagome?! You know how fragile she is!"
Sesshoumaru shook his head and sighed. "I can't believe you would think that I could do something like that to Kagome. Your lack of faith in me hurts." Reaching back across his desk, he picked up his phone and let one slim index finger hover above the keypad. "Shall I call Kagome and you can ask her yourself?"
He shook his head and Sesshoumaru hung up the receiver. "Look, ever since Kagome was rushed to the hospital several years ago, I've had moments when I become so worried about her, I can't sleep."
"But Sesshoumaru, we know this. The doctor put you on sleeping pills for that, right?" Inuyasha was frowning.
Nodding, Sesshoumaru uncrossed his arms and moved down to grip the edge of his desk. "The problem with that is that I don't like having to take them. It doesn't feel natural to me, which is why I sleep with Kagome. We don't do anything, except sleep. Having her with me allows me to fall asleep naturally. Do you understand now?"
"I suppose so, but what will you do when I marry her and you can't sleep? You're screwed then," Inuyasha retorted with a scowl. "Like hell I'd let you into our bed."
"She's not going to marry you, baka," Souta broke in, not caring if Inuyasha got mad or not. "She's got enough men on her plate as it is--"
"That's enough, Souta," Sesshoumaru said reproachfully. "I don't like sounding like an entree."
Souta pouted and then glared at Inuyasha. "Hey! Speaking of food, where's my ice cream?" He grabbed Inuyasha's arm and tugged. "Come on, guys! Ice cream! Now!"
"I guess this means a fight to the death," commented Inuyasha dryly as he glared at his brother.
"I guess so," replied his brother with an equally dry tone, straightening to his full height.
"Come on you two! Let's grab Kagome and go have ice cream!" Souta grabbed hold of Inuyasha's arm. "Fight to the death later! Ice cream, now!"
Inuyasha looked over at his older brother, who resumed his seat behind his desk. "Well? Aren't you coming for ice cream, Sesshoumaru?"
Sesshoumaru resumed typing, his eyes fixed intently once more on the computer monitor. "In a few minutes. I need to finish this up. You two go on ahead. I'll be home shortly."
So they left, leaving Sesshoumaru to his work. While they were driving away from the office building, Inuyasha turned to look at Souta, who was staring absently out of his window. He reached out and ruffled the boy's soft black hair. Souta's eyes slid over and their gazes met.
Souta frowned slightly. "What?"
Inuyasha shook his head and took his hand away. "Nothing."
"You're not going to tell me about what happened back then, are you?"
"I'd prefer not to."
"Why not?"
Inuyasha shrugged. "It's ancient history, for one thing."
"And for another?"
"And for another... you'd probably end up hating me, although I wouldn't blame you in the least. It was a bad time, Souta. Hey, where's Kagome at right now? Maybe we can convince her to come home and have ice cream with us."
Souta lay back against the leather seat and turned his face away, so that he was once again staring out of his window. "She's at the shrine with grandpa."
While they sped off down the highway, Inuyasha's mind was filled with thoughts of Kagome. What would she say when she saw him again? How would she react? 'Please don't let her hate me,' he thought miserably. 'I couldn't bear it if she hated me.'
As it turned out, Inuyasha would have no need to worry on that score. After he and Souta climbed up the shrine steps, it didn't take long to spot her. Dressed in her miko costume, she was kneeling on the ground, speaking to a young child. The little boy, who had apparently taken a tumble and scraped his knees, was laughing at what she was telling him while she cleaned his minor wounds and put bandages on his little legs.
When the boy and his gently admonishing, yet grateful mother walked away together hand-in-hand, Kagome got to her feet and felt a pair of hands helping her up. She turned to see who was touching her.
Instead of being slammed with the rebuke he was expecting, Kagome greeted Inuyasha with such warmth that his insides melted. Her eyes widened with amazement when her eyes first rested on him.
"Inuyasha!" she breathed. His smile was uncertain, but hers wasn't. "You're back!" she cried happily, slipping her arms around his middle and giving him a good, short squeeze. "I've missed you! How have you been?"
His arms went around her and tightened. "I've missed you too, Kagome. More than words can say, I've missed you." When she pulled back from him, he reached up to cradle her face in his hands. "After all this time, I still feel the same about you, Kagome. I hope I've matured enough for you to look at me in a different light now."
The warmth of her smile continued to make his head spin, but her eyes seemed to delve into his soul. "You have matured, Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru is very proud of you, you know. So am I." She turned from him to greet her brother, who hugged her to him, burying his face in her hair. It was a comfortable embrace, full of love and the knowledge that they had always loved each other, no matter what.
Inuyasha felt a sudden pang of jealousy. He wanted to hug her like that, with no ugly past between them. No matter how overjoyed she appeared to be to see him again, there was that undercurrent of distrust that would never go away. Sesshoumaru's words came back to him and he felt utterly miserable. Kagome had been scared of him... but he'd never stopped to see it. Or never wanted to see it.
A soft hand touched his arm and Inuyasha looked down in time to see her hand slipping into his. "Kagome?"
Kagome smiled at him. "Come, grandfather wants to see you again."
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
In the end, Kagome agreed to join her brothers for ice cream and left with them. She took her own car, following behind Inuyasha's sports car. When they arrived at the Morikawa home, she saw that Sesshoumaru had come home as well and she decided to ask him why he had allowed Kouga to break into her home. She didn't really want to, though. He might become angry with her for speaking out against his decision.
But he wasn't. After asking to talk with him in private, he led her to his and shut the door behind them.
"What may I do for you, beloved?" he said, taking her hand in his and kissing her fingertips.
The look of passion in his eyes very nearly distracted her and she shuddered involuntarily. "S-sesshoumaru, please. I'm trying to concentrate here."
Sesshoumaru stared at her for a moment then laughed, his rich, baritone voice coming suddenly alive with delighted amusement. "Darling, what are you saying? That I'm a distraction to you?" He leaned over to brush his lips against her forehead then down further to place a kiss on one of her flushed cheeks. "Is that good or bad?" he whispered in her ear.
Taking a deep breath, Kagome moved away from him. "Sesshoumaru, why did you tell Kouga and his boys to break into my house if I didn't answer my phone?"
His face stilled and he straightened his body. "Why? What happened?" he asked cautiously.
"Lets' just say that both my front door and my bathroom door need to be repaired." When her guardian looked away, she went on, "I thought they were burglars, Sesshoumaru. It was very frightening to hear men running around in my house like that. I just... I just wanted to tell you that I didn't like knowing that you had allowed them to do what they did."
He turned back to her, a look of helplessness in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Kagome, but you've go to understand that when I discovered you had gone, I thought the worst had happened to you. Do you know just how precious you are to me?"
"Yes, of course, Sesshoumaru but--"
"I worry about you so much, Kagome. I worry that you may go back to the way you were five years ago. I worry that if I leave you alone for a minute, something terrible will happen to you and I'll never see you again. We've already gone through that kind of scare once before; I doubt any of us wish to see that again." His eyes darkened and his voice deepened. "I'm sorry if they scared you, darling, but I don't want to receive news of you taking off on your own days after you've already left."
His words left her shaken. Had she really worried him that much?
"The least you could have done was told me--"
"But that's just it! You wouldn't have let me leave, Sesshoumaru!" she cried, suddenly overwhelmed by guilt and frustration. Tears sprang to her eyes and she wiped them away angrily. "I love you; kami help me, I love you so much, but I can take care of myself! I'm not a baby!" Her furious eyes shone like a pair of bright brown gems.
Sesshoumaru was shocked to see her behave this way, but he knew he liked it this spark of anger. It meant that after so very long, life was returning to her again and he wanted to see her bubbling over with it again, like she had when she was a child. But she wasn't ready to be set free completely... that, and the fact that he didn't want to let her go. He supposed he should tell her everything now, to explain the promise he had made. Hopefully, it would be enough to lessen her anger against him.
With a sigh, he turned and walked away to the study windows. Leaning heavily against the wall, he stared out over his perfectly groomed lawns and gardens. "Do you know why I'm so over-protective of you, Kagome?"
He could hear the confusion in her voice when she answered, "Y-yes. Because you're my guardian and because you love me."
Raising a hand, he ran his fingers through his hair, then chose a lock of silken silver at random and absently began twirling it around one long finger. "Besides that, beloved. There's another reason why I treat you the way I do." Releasing his hair, he turned away from the window and leaned back against it, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Tell me, please," she requested softly, moving slowly towards him.
His beautiful face was sober. "I was asked to do it, Kagome. It was your mother's dying wish."
Pain shot across her face. Kagome's eyes slid closed and she sank down on the nearest piece furniture as though her legs could no longer hold her weight. "T-tell me more,"she breathed.
"She knew about Inuyasha. She knew the whole time."
Kagome leaned forward, hands covering her face, bringing her elbows back against her abdomen. Her slim shoulders shook slightly. "Why... didn't she say anything to me?" she managed between sobs.
Going to her, Sesshoumaru got on his knees before her and pulled her into an embrace. "Your mother knew something was horribly wrong when you began to withdraw from everyone. She waited for you to tell her yourself, but you never did. It was difficult for her to watch you keep yourself at a distance from everyone, but she figured that if she gave you enough time, you'd tell her eventually."
Uncovering her hands, she grabbed him, throwing her arms around his neck, weeping inconsolably. "I couldn't! How could I tell her something like that when she was so happy? She was in love with your father! But I couldn't ruin her life! I just couldn't!"
"You wouldn't have ruined her life, sweetheart! She saw what was going on and she felt it was all her fault for not putting a stop to it. Like you, she didn't want to cause anyone any trouble and said nothing to my dad, fearing she would anger him by saying such things about one of his sons. But minutes before she died, she begged me to watch over you like you were my own, to not let anything happen to her baby girl. She felt nothing but regret for allowing you to go through what you went through, Kagome." He kissed the side of her head and inhaled the calming scent of her hair. "Your mother made me promise to take care of you... and I was more than willing to do as she wished."
She continued to cling to him and all he could do was hold her.
"I haven't exactly done my best concerning you," he told her quietly. "I've screwed up and I very nearly let you slip away completely. I won't let that happen again, beloved. I made a promise to your mother and I intend to keep it, no matter what you say. So if it bothers you when I smother you, forgive me, beloved. But I won't let up on you, you hear me?"
Kagome nodded, her weeping subsiding little by little as he continued to hold her. She couldn't believe that he hadn't told her this before. Why had he kept it from her?
"You never told me this before, Sesshoumaru. Why?"
"Honestly, I didn't know how you would take it... and I didn't want you hating your mother for not coming to your defense. She was such a sweet little thing who hated to confront anybody." He smiled against her hair. "You are so much like her, beloved, its uncanny."
"I see." Relaxing against him, she snuffled. "I'm sorry, Sesshoumaru."
"For what?"
"I got the front of your shirt all wet."
Sesshoumaru chuckled and gave her a squeeze. "I've told you before that I'd do anything for you and that includes wearing tear-soaked clothing. Heck, if you were a baby, I'd even happily change your diapers."
This time it was Kagome who laughed and playfully pushed him away. "Oh, that's disgusting! You would not, Sesshoumaru. I can't see you changing a baby's diapers. Not you, of all people."
"You don't?"
She shook her head. "Nope. Playing with a baby, sure, but not changing a dirty nappy. You don't seem the type."
"Are you sure?"
The solemn tone in his voice caused Kagome to look up at him curiously. Heavy-lidded golden eyes watched her intently. She nodded somewhat uncertainly. "Yes, pretty sure. Why?"
Sesshoumaru leaned over and capture her lips in a soft, sensual kiss. Beneath him, Kagome sat quite still, unable to move. Her heart was pounding like a trip hammer against her rib cage and there was little doubt of what he meant.
A knock on the door caused Sesshoumaru to draw away from her and rise to his feet. "Yes?" He did not let his irritation show, for he slid his carefully schooled mask into place, making him look calm and business-like.
The door opened and Inuyasha stood outside. "Everything okay? Souta's getting impatient because his ice cream's melting." His gaze fell on Kagome, who was still bunched up on her chair, sporting a tear-stained face. "Kagome? Are you alright?" He looked suspiciously at his brother, who only gave him a cool look in return.
"I'm fine, Inuyasha," she reassured him, getting up and going over to him. She felt like she needed to step away from Sesshoumaru, who had been filled with irritation at the interruption. Kagome wondered just how far he would have gone if Inuyasha had not knocked on the door. Probably not too far; he wouldn't want to frighten her, but with Inuyasha back in the picture she knew Sesshoumaru would want to further stake his claim on her.
"Okay, Kagome." Relief flooded Inuyasha's face and he smiled down at her. "So come on, you two. We're waiting for you."
As Sesshoumaru watched them walk away, he allowed his face to slide into a scowl. Inuyasha had been listening at the door the whole time. Sesshoumaru had realized it the moment he looked in his little brother's eyes. He was certain that the long stretch of silence had told Inuyasha what was going on. Damn that boy's nosiness! Inuyasha always managed to meddle in other people's affairs whether they wanted it or not.
He followed the pair into the dining room where Souta was already digging into his mammoth bowl of ice cream. The table was covered with chocolate sauces, pineapple sauce, strawberries, butterscotch, caramel, chopped peanuts, colorful sprinkles and of course, the ice cream itself.
"Here guys, help yourselves," Souta managed around a mouthful of vanilla ice cream and strawberries. He waved his spoon airily in the direction of the delicious-looking spread. "There's plenty."
Kagome watched with some degree of horror and amazement as her little brother stuffed his face full of the sugary stuff. "I see. Thank you, Souta."
Souta nodded benevolently in her direction as he chewed.
While Kagome and Inuyasha were helping themselves, Sesshoumaru watched them silently. His little family was back together again, he thought with contentment. Then as his eyes fell on Kagome, he sensed someone glaring at him. Of course, it was Inuyasha, whose gaze hardened as he stared at Sesshoumaru over Kagome's bent head.
There was a message in that stern look that saddened Sesshoumaru. 'If this is how things will be, then this is war,' Inuyasha's eyes told him. 'I won't give her up so easily.'
The cheerful homecoming that he had planned for Inuyasha seemed to fly right out of the window. How could it possibly be cheerful when he had to figure out a way to compete with his own flesh and blood for the love of the woman they both desired?