Disclaimer: I do not own Rumiko Takahashi's InuYasha.
Chapter 6 - Patience
The skyscraper where InuYasha's company was housed was a flurry of activity as secretaries ran with folders piled on their hands towards the photocopying machine, office ladies trying to remain as dignified as possible whilst screaming at a reporter via the phone, and managers yelling at their personal assistants to get more coffee. However, all activity ceased when Inuyasha arrived at the floor. People were hastily bowing to him as others were busy balancing the pile of folders in their arms. Assistants that were busy dashing with coffee hissed in pain as coffee spilled on their hand upon their abrupt haste to bow to the CEO.
Inuyasha barely noticed as he walked through the frozen scene and slammed the door to his office behind him. Barely one second later, his shout could be heard throughout the office.
"WHY IS MY COFFEE NOT WARM?" He swore under his breath. Incompetent secretaries...
His personal assistant knocked, carrying in her hands a mug of still steaming coffee.
"I'm very sorry for the tepid coffee, Taishou-sama." She bit out, her hands clutching the mug of coffee tightly.
"Is that for me, Kagura?" Inuyasha said as he logged onto his computer. Kagura resentfully placed the mug on his desk so hard that some coffee spilled over.
"Remember who gives you your paycheck, Kagura" Inuyasha said in response to her display of anger. She seethed inside as she turned her heels and left the room, without bothering to wipe the spilled coffee from his desk.
I wish the dumbhead would've stayed on his honeymoon for at least a while longer... Makes it that much more difficult to proceed with the plan. Oh well, at least yelling at the wolf to hurry was fun. Definitely the highlight of this depressing day. Stupid Naraku... what was he thinking when he assigned me to serve this dumbhead? She thought as she proceeded back to her cubicle. He doesn't even pay her that well for being a personal assistant to the CEO of a really big company. She shook her head in disappointment. Unlike Sesshoumaru Taishou, who pays his assistant at least three times the amount that Inuyasha pays me, Kagura thought hatefully. She'd be that much closer to earning enough money to help her sister...
She shook her head to rid herself of these depressing thoughts before turning to her work. On her to-do list today... was to find a more permanent hack to disrupt the network. Last time it only lasted for a brief second. However, a brief second was not enough to satisfy Naraku. He wants Inuyasha's network to collapse, and hopefully with it, his life.
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It's a bright morning with not a cloud in the sky... He mused as he sat beneath the Goshinboku. He sighed as he took in the nature around him. His eyes slowly closed as the tranquility of the scene lulled him to a soft sleep.
He was rudely awakened by two very high voices arguing.
"No... he didn't!" One shrieked in surprise. The other giggled in reply.
"Wow Izayoi, I'm so jealous!!" The one who shrieked previously said with a playful smile. The one named Izayoi giggled again, before speaking.
"Ne Sakura-chan, it's not like he proposed or anything." She said softly, her mind already wandering to what just happened.
"He might as well have! Why else would he give you the teddy bear with the white ribbon to you today, of all days? Ah, he's such a romantic!" Sakura said as she made fun of her friend.
"Ano..." Izayoi blushed profusely as she didn't know how to reply.
"Ne, are you guys doing anything special tonight?" Sakura asked curiously.
"He said it's a surprise..." Izayoi said, blushing again. Sakura looked at her knowingly.
"I see... Ah, look who it is!" Sakura said suddenly as she noticed the man beneath the Goshinboku. Izayoi stiffened slightly as the man approached them.
"Oi Onigumo, what are you up to? Came to see if Izayoi would walk me back home today?" Sakura teased him. He smiled slightly, keeping his lips sealed.
"Konnichiwa, Onigumo-kun." Izayoi said in an uncomfortable voice.
"Izayoi... I want to apologize for the other day." Onigumo began. Sakura, feeling as though she was intruding, took this opportunity to bid her leave.
"Ne Izayoi, I'll catch you tomorrow at the university. Onigumo, take care of her will you?" Sakura waved as she bounded into the shrine, leaving the two to their conversation.
"Izayoi..." Onigumo tried again as Izayoi started to walk out of the shrine and towards the direction of her house.
"Why can't you leave him alone?" Izayoi asked in a soft voice. Onigumo clenched his hands into fists.
"He doesn't deserve you. Did you know that I saw him with HER again the other day? Hand in hand at the mall like any other loving couple. It makes me sick!" Onigumo yelled in anger.
"He already explained to me. His parents wish for them to be acquainted with each other for purely economic reasons." Izayoi calmly replied. Onigumo's eyebrow twitched.
"Do you know what he said to me when he gave me the teddy bear?" Izayoi asked, her voice barely audible. Onigumo craned his neck to listen.
"He said that... he loves me. And that he would never love another as he loves me..." Izayoi finished. Onigumo felt his world was collapsing. Touga Taishou...
He awoke with the name of his archnemesis in his mind. He growled in anger. His dream was going so well... and HE had to ruin it. He crushed his alarm clock in anger, clearly upset about his dream.
Why was she so dedicated to him? What was it about him that drew Izayoi to him like a moth to a flame? He thought as he showered.
It is of no consequence...I shall ask her upon completion of my plan.
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"What the hell happened?" The irate voice of Inuyasha rang through the business room.
"I... don't know how it could've happened... Our algorithms were perfect... There was no way the hacker could've disrupted the network!" One scientist stuttered out, intimidated by Inuyasha's voice.
"Do you know what this means?" A business man on the right side of the table asked calmly.
"... The beginning of the end for us." A beautiful woman on the left side of the table answered.
"When Inuyasha's scientists came up with the means to conceal our demonic markings, we could finally blend in with the human community. For years, no one has even begun to crack the network that sustains this concealment spell. What happened?" The business man asked.
Inuyasha closed his eyes as he propped up his head with a hand under his chin, his face betraying his irritation.
"None of you are to leave this building until you can say with 100% certainty that it will never happen again in the history of the world... Or I will feed you to the wolves." Inuyasha commanded as he got out of his comfortable chair at the head of the table and left the room.
"Meeting adjourned." Kagura said in the wake of Inuyasha's departure, before hastily leaving the room as well.
"Kagura, coffee." Kagura heard before the slamming of her boss' door. She shook her head. It was his eighth of the day, and it's not even noon yet.
----~~~----
"Welcome back, Kikyou."
"I don't feel like I've left at all." Kikyou bit back angrily. The man laughed evilly.
"And here I would've thought that you'd appreciate the vacation." He replied sarcastically.
"Cut to the chase Naraku, what the hell do you want? I'm mad enough at your lackey as it is. He's dumb enough to ask me for help when all he had to do was look into the nearest hospital in the area." She said, stopping herself from hitting his desk with her hand.
"Tell me, what think you about being a mother?" Naraku asked, completely ignoring her ire. Her face betrayed her shock.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Kikyou retorted as the initial shock set in.
"I mean... what I said." Naraku toyed with her. He nodded and a man stepped out from the shadows of the office.
"Kikyou, Dr. Sui. He will be your doctor during your pregnancy." The doctor bowed low as he led Kikyou out of Naraku's office and escorted her to his own, which is located in the recesses of the building.
And so his plan was set in motion.
----~~~----
That same evening...
He stared out of his trademark sunglasses at the hospital looming in front of him. Kagura is such a... His thoughts were interrupted by a loud siren behind him, followed by multiple impatient honks.
"Yo, stop taking up the entire driveway. Some people need to get in the emergency room, you know." The driver of the ambulance shouted as he stuck up the middle finger at the man in sunglasses.
Stupid human, you have no idea how fast I can kill you if I wanted to... He leisurely strolled into his car and backed out of the wide driveway before driving to the parking lot. So much for saving for the parking fee... You owe me 10000 yen, Naraku.
Inside the hospital, he was attacked by the smell of antiseptics and disease. It took all of his willpower to keep his hand beside him, and not covering his sensitive nose. He wandered along the hallways, ignoring the curious glances of the nurses and irritated glances of the doctors.
He finally approached the coma ward. He asked the receptionist if she knew of a girl who came into the coma ward recently after being hit by a car. The receptionist regarded him suspiciously before disclosing the information.
"Kagome Higurashi? Third room to your left down the hallway." She said, before returning to her work. He nodded in thanks before proceeding down the hall. He bumped shoulders with a doctor along the way, and without bothering to apologize, stepped inside the room. Dr. Miroku stared at the peculiar stranger before continuing down the hallway to his office. It took a lot of coaxing, but Sango finally relented in going on a 'date' with him. If you could call grabbing a coffee at the hospital cafeteria a date, that is.
The man with sunglasses stopped as he took in the sight of the girl he had hit. She looked very fragile with all the tubes and machinery around her. Her breathing appeared to be even, but shallow. Her face seemed peaceful, despite the circumstances which put her in the bed in the first place.
He clenched his hands into fists. Why does Naraku want this woman...Perhaps in another life, this woman... could have been mine, he thought as he sat on the bed, his finger touching the unconscious woman's cheek gently. God knows what Naraku would do to him if he disobeyed his orders again... he shuddered at the thought.
I'm sorry... Kagome Higurashi. He thought before taking his vial necklace out of his jacket, and preparing for the retrieval of her soul.
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A/N: Thank you to all who took the time to review the story. I hope that you liked this chapter, despite the lack of presence of the two main leads. Rest assured, they'll definitely appear in the next chapter, which will be posted sometime next week.