STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY: Inuyasha and all its characters do not belong to me. They belong to their rightful owner, Rumiko Takahashi. This is for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement intended.

Title: In Pursuit of Happiness
Author: Gladiel
Series: Inuyasha
Genre: Romance, Humor
Pairing: Sesshoumaru x Kagome
Rating: PG-13
Chapter Summary: Better late than never.

IN PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
chapter four
proposals


"Higurashi Kagome? Are you sure?" Hot men did not look for her sister. Souta knew that much. He had lived with her for the past eighteen years and experience told him that.

"Do I seem to be uncertain of the identity of the person in question?"

"What?" If the man did not seem domineering, Souta swore he would ask him to speak in plain Japanese.

"Higurashi Kagome. Does she or does she not reside here?"

Was he a loan shark? Souta wondered because of the heavy aura the man emitted. If he was, he could understand why his sister was always fretting over their father's debt. But, Souta thought, it would be more logical to think that this man worked as a host in a club dedicated to the rich and famous. The unusual color of silver locks that fell almost perfectly down to the dark suit gave the impression of a man whose occupation involved a sexy body and lots of money.

He must be, Souta finally concluded, an infamous sex god.

Remembering his manners, or lack thereof, Souta bowed in apology. "Ah, I'm sorry! I'll call her right away, sex-god-sama." He did not wait for the older man's reply and instead ran out of sight.

"Impertinent boy!" Jaken, standing behind him, scolded.

Sesshoumaru stared intensely at the boy's fleeting figure. His insolence did not go unnoticed. He watched as he ran to the left and disappeared.

"Kagome-nee!" he heard the boy call. "There's a man looking for you!"

It was followed by a second of silence then loud laughter before he heard a female voice shout, "I did not!"

He admitted he was quite surprised at the presence of gaiety. He expected something more serious as a consequence of her realization that they were apparently married. The woman was, it seemed, quick to recover from the shock he witnessed only hours ago. Hopefully she wouldn't be accusing him of being a wingless seraphic figure or worse—a demon of seduction.

Where did that thought come from?

He glared at the narrow and empty space in front of him. Sex god, was he? The title stripped him of every ounce of respect he had for himself. It blessed him with no honor whatsoever and Sesshoumaru decided that being called 'sex god' was an insult to his intellect and person.

"Kagome!" he heard another woman's voice shout. "There's a man looking or you out there who isn't Houjou or the mailman and you're walking as if you're on a stroll at the park!"

"What's your point?" The voice was familiar and he recognized it as the voice of the woman who woke him up that morning. She was annoyed.

"My point was," answered the other woman, "You still have sex appeal."

Just when Sesshoumaru thought they'd go on bickering, forgetting that he was waiting outside the door, a familiar face suddenly appeared and greeted him with a cheerful smile. "Good afternoon! Please don't mind all the noise. It's simply the television loud and on at channel sixty-seven. How may I help you—" Kagome froze midway when she realized the person she was talking to.

The pleasant smile was suddenly swept away by a blank expression before she quickly pulled the door close. It took less than a minute before Sesshoumaru faced the wooden sliding door. His eyes narrowed and Jaken gasped, insulted. "How dare that woman!"

Half a second passed and the door slid open again with Kagome still staring blankly at him.

"I am here to—" but before Sesshoumaru could explain completely, the door slammed shut on his face again. He grunted in impatience while he waited for the door to slide open for the third time. As expected, Kagome opened it but now her expression was different. She stood frozen and gaping before trying to pull the door close. This time, however, Sesshoumaru stopped her in the nick of time by holding the door with his right hand and blocking it with his right foot.

"I already acknowledge the unmistakable fact that we are married, Higurashi," he finally completed. She clamped her mouth together and blinked. "Good for you, now bye!" But her strength did not match his and the door refused to close.

"Stop playing childish games," Sesshoumaru spat coldly. "That will not get you anywhere. I'm here to make a proposal." He kept his hand firmly on the door with a foot in between for reassurance. Goodness knows what the woman could actually do.

"A proposal?" she asked and bitter laughter followed. "Isn't it a tad too late for that?" Her gaze was filled with distrust, but at least she was listening.

He wished she wouldn't lose her sanity before he finished giving her the idea that occurred to him, which was the primary reason for their visit. "Of course I meant something else," he calmly explained.

Meanwhile, Jaken looked at his boss for an explanation. "Sesshoumaru-sama, what do you mean 'married'?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What did you say?" a strange woman popped out behind Kagome. He assumed it was the owner of the teasing voice he heard earlier. "You said you're married to her?"

Sesshoumaru brushed the stranger's presence aside. He needed to talk to the Higurashi woman, not some meddling stranger.

"It really is nice meeting you again but as you can see, I don't really need angels flying down from heaven, so good bye!" Kagome said, smiling sweetly at him as she tried to close the door, but, again, with no avail.

"It's him? And I thought you said he was the devil!" her best friend asked, refusing to believe. "Unless it was a hot devil but--why are you asking him to go away? You said you'd find him! Isn't this the next best thing: arriving at your doorstep?"

"Sango, what I said I'm going to do, what I want to do, and what I'm doing are three different things. This is one of the differences."

"Kagome-nee, what exactly did you do?" her brother who greeted Sesshoumaru earlier joined in.

Oh, good. More people.

"Shut up!" Pressured by all the interrogation, Kagome pushed the door wide open and shouted clearly. "All right! All right! This man," she said, looking at Sesshoumaru and then back at them, "is my husband."

For a moment nobody said anything. The uncomfortable silence was broken by a thud and their attention was grabbed by the fainting figure behind Sesshoumaru.

Jaken was sprawled on the floor, unconscious.

"Is he dead?" Kagome asked, staring wide-eyed at Jaken's unmoving body. She shifted her gaze to Sesshoumaru. "You're a serial killer?"

-----------------------------------------

Kagome sat across Sesshoumaru with a table in between them. Souta sat at her left and Sango at her right. Jaken, who had now recovered from his laps in consciousness, sat behind Sesshoumaru's right.

"Um…" Kagome fidgeted with the folds of her shirt. She looked sideways at Sango. Well, they're all inside the house causing less trouble than when they were outside it, but the silence proved to be too heavy for comfort. Kagome breathed in and out before deciding to introduce her two companions.

"This is Souta, my brother," she introduced as she lifted her left hand and motioned to her left, "and Sango, my best friend," motioning her hand to her right. "Souta, Sango," she addressed the two, "this is um…" she trailed, unsure at what to say. Was she to call him 'husband' or 'Sesshoumaru' or 'Yokoba'...what? It wasn't as if they had a previous encounter that would determine how close their acquaintance was.

"Forgive the late introduction. My name is Yokoba Sesshoumaru," he volunteered instead, nodding to the two. "This is Jaken, my personal assistant. Nice to meet you," he bowed his head. His voice lacked the warmth of friendly invitation that at first Sango and Souta were unsure of what to say.

Jaken's face had an obvious expression of displeasure. He would never approve of this woman as Sesshoumaru-sama's wife! She was a nobody and it was obvious to the eyes of anyone that she lacked refinement, grace, and beauty. No, that woman was not worthy of Sesshoumaru-sama.

"Uh, yeah, nice to meet you too," Sango said a bit nervously. "You must excuse Kagome's unusual state of mind," she continued. "You see, it isn't everyday she, uh, gets married with, um, strangers."

The woman's friend had a point. Given their circumstances, he shouldn't blame the laced insanity in her character. Certainly, that was simply a side effect of the sudden situation she found herself in.

There was something imposing about him, Sango thought, and if she hasn't seen Kagome in her silly mode in front of him, she'd be half-scared by now. He held great pride and, by the way he dressed and his confidence with every movement and tone of voice, it was as if a prince stepped into the house.

"Yokoba?" Kagome asked, stunned. "As in Yokoba Group of Companies, the international Yokoba Inc., or just a nobody Yokoba?"

It was amusing, how she put it. "Yokoba Inc.," he replied.

Jaken let out a "humph". Now that they knew of his boss' status, he expected better treatment and more respect towards him and his employer.

"Kagome-nee, does he mean 'Yokoba' like the cars and the manufacturing trucks?" Souta asked, awed. It was impossible, wasn't it? Normal people like them don't usually marry company heirs, do they? But then again, he reminded himself, his sister was hardly someone he'd call 'normal'. Or their family for that matter.

"You heard the guy…" Kagome mumbled. If he was that Yokoba, then what were the chances that they meet in the same bar? He was a prince and she a commoner. What exactly happened last night?

"If you marry men like him every time you don't come hope at night then you should do it more often, Kagome-nee," her brother winked.

"You idiot!" she scolded and blushed in embarrassment.

Her brother knew about the events that happened? How much of her private life had she shared with her inmates? Sesshoumaru eyed Kagome, wondering how much she remembered. The first time he saw her, brain functioning almost excellently that is, she gave the impression she knew nothing. That made two of them. Was it a wrong decision to assume that she remembered even a fraction of the incident?

"Please, make yourself at home. And please forgive me for my lack of manners," Souta bowed formally after realizing the prestige this man before him held. Sesshoumaru nodded, as an acceptance of the apology.

Kagome looked at Souta, her eyes questioning her brother. She didn't say anything, fearing that a confessed truth would ruin the mood. "Would you like some tea?" she offered instead.

"No, you don't need to bother," was his simple reply.

"Oh, but I insist!"

"We'll get the tea!" Sango suggested. She stood up and pulled Souta with her.

"Hey!" complained the younger boy. "I didn't say I was going to get it with you!" He tried to pull his arm away from her grasp.

"Just come with me!" Sango said without losing her grip on his arm. "We. Need. To. Go."

"But I still want to ask him—" he stopped before adding in a whisper, "He might be gay! Sango-nee, wouldn't that be a problem?"

"Souta, please go," Kagome finally said, glaring at him. Her brother's so-called 'whisper' was loud enough for the other party to hear, she was sure. She noticed Sesshoumaru's controlled expression and Jaken's struggle not to give any of them a lecture.

"Aw, darn." With a feigned pout, he left the room with Sango. Kagome, Sesshoumaru, and Jaken watched the two and waited for the sounds of footsteps to die away.

"You told your family about the unintended matrimonial ceremony last night?"

"Matrimonial ceremony? Can you at just say 'marriage'? Besides, it was less than a ceremony. It was more of signing papers or like a package being entrusted to another in that legal manner."

"You did, yes?" She wasn't answering his question.

"Whatever I know. I had to explain. It's not as if it can be kept a secret forever. They were going to help me find you, too, but then you barged in so suddenly…" She noticed a slight hesitation from him before he asked, "And what did your brother say?"

"He didn't say anything at first. You see…my brother's initial reaction was laughter."

"That was…" he paused, trying to consider the appropriate word. "That was comforting. He made no objections about the matter?"

"He only reminded me to make sure I didn't marry a homosexual. 'It doesn't matter if he's a bisexual, but at least make sure he isn't gay,' he said. Well, somewhat like that." Her reply left a needed explanation hanging in mid-air. His eyes inquired wordlessly, convinced that she should give a proper explanation, one that he would be able to understand.

"I don't know if you already knew, since for some mysterious reason you know exactly where I live, but you have the right to know anyway so I suppose I might as well explain it here and now."

He nodded - an encouragement for her to go on.

"You won't find my parents here. You may have guessed that much, yes?"

He nodded. He was expecting one or the other because the profile merely said 'divorced' but there were no signs of other inhabitants of the house in the temple. There were only a few pairs of footwear by the entrance that none of them belonged to any person older than the woman who sat across him and the boy who went with the friend to the kitchen.

"Well, the reason why my brother's concerned about your sexuality is because that was the issue that lead to my parents' divorce."

He couldn't understand everything yet, but given his intellectual capacity, he got the gist of it. "There is a certain…oddity about your parents?"

"My father's a homosexual and he divorced my mom after ten years of their marriage. It was too late when he realized that he went for the same gender, you know. Of course my mom never got over it. I mean, she probably would have understood if he left us for a woman but she never got over the fact that papa left us for a man."

"Left us?"

"It was a year after that, uh, discovery of truth that they officially had their divorce. It was at first an affair before he went to live with this new lover of his. Recently he disappeared though, so I have no idea where he is."

"And your mother?"

"She and Grandpa are in Timbuktu," she answered absentmindedly.

Timbuktu? What was the woman's mother doing in Africa? Hopefully, not involved with any civil war. He doubted he'd be surprised if it was the case.

"Oh, not Timbuktu exactly. They're just somewhere in this friggin globe that I've lost track where."

"I see…" He contemplated for a moment. Sesshoumaru rarely acted upon impulse but considering his father's threat, he had not much of a choice. An omiai would be a process too tedious and too long if he were to still find a wife after divorcing this Higurashi woman. His father was serious and perhaps the only way to go about it was the idea he formed hours before. He believed in intuition even though he did not act upon it on impulse, and this time he did not feel dread or anything that he could name as such regarding the idea.

"About the proposal…" he brought the topic up, stopping when he saw Kagome's sarcastic look. "I was going to suggest you could treat this marriage as a business proposal."

"Business," Kagome echoed. "Now you're talking. What do you mean 'business'?"

"A divorce would be a great hassle and, in a sense, also somewhat like a scandal."

"What?" She stared at him. What on earth was the man talking about?

"Could you not think of this arrangement as a marriage of convenience?"

"I want a divorce, not marriage!"

"Frankly speaking, a divorce may not be an excellent idea. It would not only trouble me but you as well. Although you seem fresh out of the mental hospital, I'm inclined to believe you're not." She opened her mouth to argue but he stopped her, saying, "Before you say anything, let me explain the proposal." Sesshoumaru did not like to repeat things; hence he was getting quite annoyed at her constant need for it. "I will give you a business proposal, woman, not the kind that springs from romance. If you would just listen, this will be over before you could say 'angel' again." He watched her take a deep breath and nod. "I'd like us to stay married until my father has lived his life."

Her gaze labeled him with distrust. "Meaning until he dies."

"Until he passes away," he affirmed.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken interrupted. Sesshoumaru silenced him with a look.

"Why? Is he dying and longing to see his son finally settled before he…"

"No. He's in perfectly good health."

"What? Then what's the problem? How long exactly do you want us to stay married?" Her eyes revealed a wide-eyed, naked shock.

"That's the uncertain part. But if you're willing to treat this whole situation as a business agreement, then I can arrange for some benefits for your part."

"Benefits?"

He nodded. "You, of course, will have free lodging. Although I can provide you your own apartment, my father would expect that we live together. But you shall receive five hundred thousand yen per month to pay for your own personal expenditures. It would not cover any professional or other expenses that I will be spending for your role as a wife."

"I get to keep five hundred thousand yen every month? Like an allowance?"

He nodded.

"Why should I…" she wanted to finish with 'accept' but then she suddenly remembered one possible reason for all that had happened: she was currently unemployed. Having worked in the Human Resources department of the company in which she was previously employed, she one day sided with an employee they wanted to fire and she herself got fired in the process. "Why are you offering me this?" she asked instead.

"That's not your business. I'm merely hiring you in this convenient time and situation."

Arrogant bastard. "Look here," she glared at him. "If you're planning to go with this not-so-fake charade, then why not start acting like a husband right now? It means that your business is my business, too, because as it happens I'm your wife."

He could not decide if it was luck or misfortune that he had accidentally married an intellectual. He offered her money, didn't he? Then why was the woman hesitating? Was the money not enough? He growled inwardly, annoyed by the fact that she was some fortune hunter—the kind of woman he detested.

"If it's not enough, I can add another hundred thousand to the proposed—"

"I don't care about the money!" she cut him off, irritated at his misconception. "I don't even need that much—no wait, maybe I do. But that's not the case! I just want to know why," she paused to catch her breath. "Do you think it's normal that some guy offers you nearly half a million yen a month just to have you stick to being his wife when you're both strangers and you can just get divorced to solve the problem?"

"It's not the money?" he asked, as if there it was the only reason she'd hesitate.

"Of course not! I would appreciate it, really, but frankly speaking, they're too much. Despite the fact that I'm unemployed right now doesn't mean I can't make my own money!" Then, having caught the unintended confession, she stopped. "Oh dammit, you made me say it."

He was silent for a moment, absorbing what the woman just said and contemplating at the right course of action. She gained his deference at her honest confession about not caring about the money, for in that respect he trusted her. There was something about her character that glowed with honesty and marked her as trustworthy, despite her obvious oddity. "My father threatens to disown me if I am not married this fall," he finally explained.

So the man was destitute; Kagome was amused. It was already the middle of the summer.

"If that's all, then why not go for an omiai? You just look for a woman in a pamphlet, or resumes if you'd prefer to call them that."

"And meet up with each one. I realize it will take too much of my time. Since we've gone through the troubles of approving each one through a series of meetings and dinners, as well as the marriage registration, then why undo what had already happened? Time was spent and unlike money, it can never be bought back. Or do you have a boyfriend or fiancée?"

"Um, no. I'm—was—just single."

He was being practical about the whole thing that she thought he almost looked adorably cute going about it.

"So this ends when your father passes away?"

"Of course," he said, as if there was no other possible answer.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken rose in protest. He had been keeping his objections to himself for too long. "I hardly think this is the best way to please your father! Forgive my impertinence but I do not agree with this…this idea! Sesshoumaru-sama, certainly there would be a scandal!" He directed his attention to Kagome, seething. "This woman in front of you is hardly a respectable lady!"

Kagome stuck her tongue out at Jaken.

"Childish wench!"

"Jaken, this is my decision." His tone held finality. There were no arguments to be made, no questions asked. "I will not have this woman insulted in my presence, do you understand?"

Jaken shifted his eyes downwards, silenced by the reminder of his employer's right to command and his duty to obey. He neither replied nor complained.

"Don't you need an…heir?" she asked uncomfortably.

He shrugged. "I do not concern myself with that right now."

"But won't your parents expect it?"

He was able to follow her train of thought and where the conversation was probably going. "If something will happen because of last night…" he started.

"No, don't worry. I doubt women usually get pregnant soon after the first try. I think," she said, albeit unsure about the facts. She looked eye-to-eye with him before asking in whispered tones, "Do you think we used condoms? I mean, we should have at least. Do you remember?"

Did he care to look at the trash, or even search the bed? No, for he didn't normally concern himself with such matters. He realized his mistake at overlooking that fact. "I could not remember entirely."

"You didn't either?" Her face gave the expression that mirrored agony. She slapped her forehead with her palm before exclaiming to no person in particular, "WHY? WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN? Is it even possible not to remember SEX? Or the first time you had it?" She searched his eyes for answers he had nothing to give.

"Last night was most unusual," he tried to give a reasonable explanation. "It would help if you lessen your emotional outbursts—"

"I am not emotional!" she protested. "I am perfectly healthy and normal!"

"Normal? Hardly. But in any case—"

"Never mind," she cut him off. Sesshoumaru noticed the frequency and scowled inwardly with distaste. "So, about that, um, salary, I don't need that much," she interjected. "Five hundred thousand yen is almost half a million and it really is just too much."

"Are you not in debt?" he raised a brow. "Five million, I heard."

"Hey! How'd you know about that?" Kagome fumed. "It's as if you're already prying into my private life without permission!"

"That is not important."

"Yes it is! What else do you know? For gods' sake, if you know where my parents are then tell me!"

"Frankly speaking, I only have a vague idea of your identity. As I work in a company with a financial branch, it is not too hard to look up your financial status."

"You shouldn't have! That's—that's a violation of my natural rights!"

"I am your husband," he reasoned.

Kagome stared at him. So the man was using her tactics and reasoning for his benefit? "But still!"

He regarded her in a composed and unconcerned manner, as if to say he did not regard any of his actions as ill or improper.

"Alright, you win this time, you devil," she declared with a huff. "I still won't have all of it. Half of it will do, as would a normal pay would be. I'll be working for some extra money since it would just bother me if I were to leech millions from you. I'd still be in debt and I can't view it in any other way." If she could receive two hundred thousand yen from him and work at the same time, she could earn double the money they receive each month.

"You can't work." The woman had pride but due to certain circumstances he could not allow it. "And you're getting the five hundred thousand every month. No more, no less."

"Why can't I work?" she asked, as if he longed for the impossible.

"Because you are my wife. For the time being, at least. You are expected to attend social gatherings and parties, be seen with me for a while, and be tutored on everything you need to perform your duties as such. Your duties will be to your role as one and I could scarcely believe that you'd find time to do otherwise."

Kagome couldn't believe her ears. What was he talking about?

"I don't understand," she said bluntly.

"Social parties and the such. You need to be seen and are expected to have certain qualities befitting to a man of my status, as most of the people of the business world like to indulge with gossip. They will see me as a man who married a stranger and they will ask questions. I could hardly imagine that you want to be the topic of all the gossip."

"Well, no…"

"There might be some, but if you will be able to project the woman that they expect then the issue would soon be overlooked and when things die down, it will be easier for you to spend your time as you like it."

Gods, the man had a point. He's some sort of prodigy, she then assumed, for everything he had been doing recently, she noticed he did it with elegance. Even the idea was not bad. In a most logical manner, he had foreseen the reaction of all people concerned upon discovering that he, an important man, married so suddenly. There was no engagement or ceremony, as a man of his status was expected to have. Certainly they would seek her out and judge her. It would give this man in front of her a harder time to manage with business if there were certain important people (who, now that she'd thought about it, might have felt offended for being excluded from an important event) that would make his time difficult because of a woman they deemed unworthy of him.

"Oh. So I see…I think I now understand what you want me to do," she finally said after a few moments of silence.

What had she to lose? She had a nonexistent boyfriend, freaking family members lost somewhere in the world, an unwelcome debt at her doorstep, and a brother to send to college.

"Higurashi Kagome," she held out her hand. "We have a deal."

Sesshoumaru took it and shook her hand as a closure of their deal, pleased. He never knew finding a wife was that easy.




to be continued…


AUTHOR'S NOTE: The fourth chapter, as promised. : ) I hope you guys enjoyed reading it. I'm sorry if there were any indications of being out of character. I really am trying to do my best with this so if you have any suggestions or criticisms, feel free to press the button below to review.

Thanks Voulez Vous for the review. It was greatly appreciated.

Please review!

Last edited: April 16, 2007