SURPRISE! I can't believe I ACTUALLY got it out by this Monday when I said I wouldn't! It took me forever! This chapter is reaaaalllllllly long, but I don't feel like its my best...so much dialogue! But there is more Sesshy, and I've introduced Bankotsu and Jakotsu too! I LOVE those guys. Especially Jakotsu. Tee hee. Poor Inu. I'm pretty tired now. Thank God for music. And thanks to all my reviewers and readers! I LOVE YOU ALL! I wish I could give you guys cake. Cake is good. I like cake. I hope you enjoy this really long chapter of 'Anything but Paradise'!
Disclaimer: If I have not mentioned before, I DO NOT own InuYasha or any characters related to it, these belong to the great and powerful Takahashi-sama! The story is mine, however!
Chapter 5: The Banryuu and Kagome's Love Life
The plane landed at 8:15 pm Tokyo time.
A company limo which had been sent was sitting there waiting. Sesshomaru, Rin and Jaken each crawled into the vehicle, where Shippo was already seated. He had set up a laptop with a camera and satellite phone. Once everything was loaded into the limo, the driver put the car in gear.
"I assume they're waiting for our call?" Sesshomaru asked. Shippo nodded. Jaken seemed confused.
"Who?" he asked. Sesshomaru gave him a you-should-know-who look. Jaken's eyes widened. "Not them, Sesshomaru-sama!"
"Of course, them," Shippo replied. He clicked away at the keys and fiddled with the wires. He recalled the events of yesterday, of what he saw, and what he did afterwards…
He quietly backed away, walking back towards his desk. He pulled out his cell phone. Quietly he dialed a number, and informed the receiver of what he just saw.
"Yes?" the receiver said.
"I've just witnessed something I really shouldn't have. It has something to do with Kikyo," Shippo explained.
"Go on," he replied. Shippo cleared his throat, lowering his voice. He told him what he saw. Silence was on the other end for a moment.
"I see. I'm on my way to Tokyo as we speak. When I arrive, we shall contact the Banryuu. Until then, keep observing and report your findings to me," he ordered.
"Yes, Sesshomaru-sama," Shippo said. He closed the cell phone, and made his way to the airport.
"I'm in!" Shippo exclaimed. They heard a static hiss and a modem dial tone. A face came on the screen.
"This is the Banryuu. How can we be of service?" said the man on the screen.
"Oh! Who is it, Bankotsu? Can I see?" said another voice, sounding somewhat feminine.
"No, this is important. Go sort some papers or something," Bankotsu said to someone off screen.
"Aww, come ooooonnnn Bankotsu! Please! Pretty, pretty, pretty pleeeease!" the feminine voice pleaded.
"No! Hey, wait! Get out---!" Bankotsu disappeared from the screen, replaced by another man who was dressed like a woman. This man was also the source of the feminine voice.
"Oh it's you, Sesshy-kun! Just how have you been?" he asked.
Sesshomaru massaged his temple and sighed. Jakotsu seemed to have many infatuations with men.
"Don't call me 'Sesshy-kun'. I need yours and your brother's services," he replied. Jakotsu was pushed slightly to the side, Bankotsu joining them once again.
Bankotsu was a handsome man who seemed to be in his twenties. He had long dark hair always in a braid, with dark eyes which glinted with the joy for espionage. Jakotsu, his brother and partner, had the same dark hair and eyes, but always had his hair up, wore make-up and enjoyed wearing dresses. The brothers were in their own way spies, very good spies who got every dirty detail to the situation presented to them…for a price. Sesshomaru had relied on them many times before.
"What can we do for you this time? Exploit another employee, perhaps?" Bankotsu asked.
"Actually, this has to do with my half-brother, InuYasha," Sesshomaru replied. Jakotsu's face lit up with the mention of his name. He pushed Bankotsu out of the screen again.
"Inu-kun? Really? Oh I haven't seen him in ages, it seems! Do we get to see him again? Do we? Do we? Do we? I bet he's better looking than ever right now!" Jakotsu exclaimed. This is what Sesshomaru could do without.
Bankotsu pushed Jakotsu away, Jakotsu whining about wanting to know more about InuYasha, putting himself back onto the screen.
"Anyway, you're brother?" he asked.
"Yes. Just recently, he went missing when his plane crashed," Sesshomaru explained. He heard a startled gasp coming from Jakotsu in the background. "No one has been able to find him, or his associate, Miroku who was also on the plane," Jakotsu made his way back onto the screen, Bankotsu beside him.
"You mean the really good looking head of advertisement was on the plane too?" Jakotsu asked.
"Call him what you will, either way, they are missing," Sesshomaru said. Jakotsu seemed to be pouting.
"So, I assume you want us to find them," Bankotsu responded. Sesshomaru nodded his head.
"That and I want you to look into something else for me. My brother had a girlfriend, whose name is Kikyo. Apparently, InuYasha stated in his will that she was to get his company if he were to pass on. So since he cannot be found, he is presumed dead and she now runs the company.
"Just yesterday InuYasha's secretary, whom you see sitting on my right, witnessed this woman involved with another man, which I find extremely suspicious. I want you and your brother to find whatever you can about her and the man she is with, and any aliases either might have," Sesshomaru ordered. Bankotsu stroked his chin, giving the task some thought.
"This is going to cost you a lot…" Bankotsu began. Jakotsu began tugging on his sleeve in complaint.
"Come on, Bankotsu-kun! I wanna see Inu-kun! Please?" he begged, acting very childish.
"I can pay whatever you wish, rest assured," Sesshomaru stated. Bankotsu thought about it for one more moment.
"Alright, we'll do it," Bankotsu answered. Jakotsu cheered in the background.
"And because I like you, I'll give you a discount," Bankotsu said, winking. He then cut off the connection.
Sesshomaru really hated those two.
Kagome sat in the shade of the palm trees drawing stick figures in the sand. It had been a day since she saw Sango returning to the plane in Miroku's arms, and since she woke up in InuYasha's. No more chores had to be done. Everyone was sitting in the shade since the midday heat was beyond bearable. Nobody was really talking. Just sitting there.
Kagome was really bored.
"So, Miroku, you were saying the other day that you work for InuYasha? What exactly was it that you do again?" Kagome asked, trying to spark some conversation amongst the group.
"I'm the head of advertisement for his company. Which kind of reminds me…Inu-kun, how do you think Kikyo's doing right about now?" Miroku said, turning the centre of the conversation to InuYasha.
"Don't call me 'Inu-kun', first of all. And as for Kikyo, she's probably killing everything in her path to try find me," InuYasha replied, amused at his own thoughts.
"Who's Kikyo?" Sango asked, joining the conversation.
"InuYasha's girlfriend," Miroku answered simply. Kagome looked at Miroku, as if her ears had deceived her.
"I didn't know you had a girlfriend," Kagome said, her voice hinting surprise, disappointment and anger.
"What difference does it make?" he said. "She's probably still mad at me. We had a fight before the whole…you know,"
That would sorta explain his rude behavior from the other day, Kagome thought. But still, if he had a girlfriend, why would he…?
"It makes a huge difference!" Kagome yelled, standing up from anger. How could he be so ignorant about it? "Just when I think you're at least half decent!" She then stormed off, in the same direction that Sango went the other day.
"What's her problem?" InuYasha asked. Miroku let out a childish giggle.
"Well, I don't blame her, after how you two seemed so close yesterday," he said with a devilish grin. InuYasha blushed furiously.
"I-it's not my fault! She fell on top of me while we were sleeping!" InuYasha stuttered. Miroku's childish grin grew even bigger. Sango also began to giggle at InuYasha's expression.
"From what I saw, you openly put your arms around her. You didn't seem too eager to let her go the next morning either," Miroku mentioned.
"So obviously Kagome would be upset that you have a girlfriend. She hasn't had the greatest experience with men," Sango added. InuYasha didn't say anything afterwards, still blushing.
As if on cue, Kagome returned. She slumped next to Sango, face looking grim, as if remembering things she didn't want to recall. All three looked somewhat surprised.
"She's right. I haven't. I might as well explain myself," Kagome said, the three of them looking more surprised: it's as if she was reading their minds. Kagome noticed their expressions.
"I heard you talking. I didn't walk that far off," she said, and she began explaining her past love life.
"My first boyfriend was in high school. His name was Hojo and he was the most popular boy in our grade. We met in our sophomore year, and apparently he had a crush on me. It was only a year later he actually asked me out. I was thrilled.
"We were steady for a long time. I thought we would be together after high school too. But, on our graduating day, he pulled me aside to 'talk'. I didn't think of anything at the time, and went along with him. He told me that he believed that we should start seeing other people, since he didn't feel anything for me anymore. Unfortunately for me, I really liked him. On graduation day, too! I was torn up for a year." She cleared her throat. "Then I met Koga."
"The way we met was actually kind of like a fairytale. One night, I was walking from Sango's place when this shady character decides to rob me. The guy had a knife to my throat, threatening that he'd rape me if I screamed.
Not that it mattered. He went to go do it anyway, after he went through my purse. He pinned me up against a wall, and I began to scream. Just when I thought all hope was lost, Koga came by, and saved me. He carried me to his car, and took me to his place, where he took care of me. We really got to know each other.
"We eventually hit it off. It was a greater relationship than the one I had with Hojo; I pretty much forgot all about him. We were dating for almost three years, when he actually proposed to me. I thought nothing could bring me the best of happiness. For the next six months, we prepared for the wedding. I was the happiest person in the world. But this fairytale didn't have such a happy ending.
"It was only one month until the wedding day. I was working late on afternoon, and I called to the apartment that we were living in to let Koga know that I wouldn't be home until five o'clock, and he seemed fine with it. I had no suspicions of anything whatsoever. Well, I actually finished earlier than I expected, and got home around four. I wanted to surprise him, so I snuck into the apartment, thinking he'd be watching TV or maybe getting a head start on dinner or something. But he wasn't anywhere to be seen when I first walked in. I heard voices coming from the bedroom, so I assumed he was watching TV in their or something. So I just walked in.
"What I saw…it was terrible. He was in the bed, naked, with my friend Ayame. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. So I stormed out of the apartment and went to Sango's place, where I stayed the night. He tried to call me, but I refused to speak to him. I called off the wedding. I moved out of our apartment, back into my old one. I was so depressed that I couldn't get out of bed," Kagome said, sighing, recalling every ounce of hurt she had felt since then. "If nothing had happened, I would've been married…" she took a minute to think about it, "…yesterday,"
Tears rimmed around her eyes, and she put her head in her lap. Sango hugged her to comfort her, finishing the rest of the story.
"She didn't show up for work for two weeks, calling out sick. I was so worried about her, I decided that we take a vacation for a few weeks or so, so we could both get away from it all. Start fresh when we got back. So, not too long after, we found ourselves in New York City," Sango explained.
Kagome lifted up her head, wiping away the tears. "So, I'm sorry for making a big fuss earlier. I really don't care if you have a girlfriend…" she drifted off.
"Don't worry about it," was all InuYasha could say. What else could he say? He began to beat himself mentally for being such an ass.
Everyone stayed quiet for the next few minutes, reflecting on what Kagome had told them. Miroku got up and went into the plane. He came out with something in his hand.
"I have an idea, let's play a game of cards to lighten up the mood," he suggested, shuffling the deck as he sat down.
"Okay!" Kagome said merrily.
And the played all afternoon, laughing and chatting away happily, as if nothing happened.
Twap!
Well, almost.
Phew! Please REVIEW!
Shout-outs!
Phoenix Archangel: I can't believe you think that my parallels are genius! You are so kind! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I'm so happy you love my story so much!
Hearii-sama: You are sooo kind too! You really think my story sounds like a novel? I'm soooo touched! And for the plot advancement, I know its somewhat essential, or else I just bored writing the story! And I don't like slacking off on my stories. But thank you, thank you, thank you!
Shadow36: You're welcome! I'm glad that you enjoy my story! I will work my hardest to make it as enjoyable as possible! Thank you sooo much!
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Well, yawn, I'm reaaaaaaalllllllllyyyyyyyy tired, and off to bed. The next chapter will be out next Monday!
Lots of love! Ashieyu66 :)