Disclaimer: I do not own Rumiko Takahashi's Inuaysha.
Last time on FFY:
We heard the thoughts of Kikyou and Naraku, whose reason for being evil is partially revealed. Kagome meets Sesshoumaru's overachieving but clumsy secretary, banters with Sesshoumaru before being engulfed in a bright pink light. As for Inuyasha… turns out he's had a history of breaking hearts… Proof, you may ask? A certain latte incident, of course!
Chapter 11 - Complexity
A gentle breeze caressed the two lone figures at the top of the hill, causing the grass, flowers, leaves and dandelions to sway modestly. They sat hand in hand watching the sun slowly set, different hues illuminating in the sky.
They stayed in silence, captured in the moment. Neither wanted to break the peaceful silence lingering between them, each content just being in each other's presence.
The silence was eventually broken by not words, but the simple action of tucking a stray strand of hair behind an ear. She blushed as he did so, as he was a man of few words and possibly even fewer emotions.
"Thanks."
He didn't reply as he stared at her, as if to commit her visage to memory, as he often did. He found himself unable to concentrate on anything or anyone besides her whenever she was in his vicinity. To him, she would always be the light that illuminated the darkness of the world around him.
"Earth to Shou-kun," She waved her hand in front of his unwavering gaze. He blinked, his brilliant golden orbs hidden for a fraction of a second.
"Yes?" He finally spoke, his rich baritone causing a shiver to run down her back.
"Just wanted to know what you were thinking," She admitted sheepishly. She braced herself for the inevitable coldness of his response, and was pleasantly surprised by another affectionate gesture.
"Eh?" He had leaned in closer to her, and nudged her cheek affectionately with a finger.
"Okay, now I know there's something wrong. Tell me, Shou-kun." She pulled away from him, her brilliant sapphire eyes conveying the concern that she could not express through words.
"... Is there anything I can say or do that will make you change your mind?" He finally replied after a moment of hesitation, as though he had chosen not to say what he originally meant to say.
"You know that I'm not doing it for myself," She smiled warmly as she leaned her head against his shoulder. She sighed in content as she gazed at the sunset. Red faded to orange, which gave way to yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet... then finally to black.
"I know... I just wish there was another way...," She heard his stoic voice say. She lifted her gaze to his face, seeing him at a new angle.
"Are you missing me already? Come on Shou-kun, I'll be back by your side before you know it," She teased playfully. His face held a ghost of a smile when he leaned in and claimed her lips with his own.
"Of course..." He whispered, a hint of anguish laced in his voice.
He hugged her fiercely, and filled his senses with only her. The couple became oblivious to the fading rays of sunlight as the day finally gave way to the darkness of the night.
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She opened her eyes gingerly. She willed herself to use her hand as a shield to keep the light from her eyes. She duly noted that it took some effort for her arm to move. Her head began to throb as she tried to sit up from the cold metal table that she happened to be lying upon. The white sheet fell about her as she assumed a sitting position on the cold table.
She squeaked in surprise upon realizing that she was, in fact, no longer in a spirit form, but has taken shelter in a poor unsuspecting victim. Oh, did she mention that said victim happened to be naked, with the sheet being the only thing separating her nudity from the rest of the world? She didn't think so. She felt her cheeks heat up as she quickly pulled it over her body once again.
"... Kagome?" A familiar voice asked. She looked around to find the source of the noise. It was only then when she saw a familiar face in front of the ceiling to floor pane of glass separating her from the outside world. An inexplicable feeling of warmth filled her as her eyes laid upon his.
"Can you walk?" He asked stoically, observing her intently. She moved to get off the table, noting that the table that she once laid upon was actually a Life Capsule, a white bed that was the newest technology from the cryogenic department of Taishou Enterprises. It is used to sustain the condition of the corpse for use in the indeterminate future, and often used with the Memory Capsule. She remembered when the company first showed it to the world – it revolutionalized many aspects of society, the main reason being that with the proper combination of body and memory, a more accurate picture of the past can be written.
She paused in confusion. Hold on a second. She didn't recall ever having seen one in her life, except probably in front of the TV. This made her even more confused, because her brother was the one who was the technological wiz. She was just a simple secretary who gets confused if anyone ever tried to explain advanced algebra, or limits and functions, to her. She can't possibly know what it does. She shook her head slightly, filing the confusing matter a dark recess of her mind for later contemplation, before reaching out to the screen that was beside the Capsule to balance herself as she got off.
"Shoot," She mumbled under her breath upon realizing that she had just flashed the observing Sesshoumaru for the second time in a few minutes. He stood still as a statue across the pane of glass. She wrapped the sheet around her securely, a feeling of numbness still ever present in her limbs.
Kagome hesitantly looked at Sesshoumaru, who looked still as a statue save for his intense gaze, which was the only indicator that he was alive, and not a marble figure. The intense wave of warmth washed over her once again. Was she... blushing? Sure, he was attractive, but she can't possibly have developed feelings for him... he has zero personality, for one. Talking to him is like... talking to your pet goldfish. Except he probably has better memory...
So preoccupied was she in her garbled thoughts that she hadn't heard Sesshoumaru speak. His face now wore a disapproving gaze. She inwardly wondered if it's cause she was taking her sweet time getting off the table.
"Come," He repeated, his voice blared through the hidden speakers in the room. She jumped at the state of the art surround sound. Once she recovered, she stepped forward hesitantly until her hand was on the glass that separated them. He placed his hand on the glass right in front of hers, so that their palms were on top of each other's, separated only by the glass.
She swallowed back a gasp of surprise when the glass between them melted like water, and his hand was on hers.
"What's... going on?" She asked, bewildered as she took in the scrutinizing gazes of aghast scientists who stared at her with reverence and surprise.
"Uh... Taisho-sama... We want to run some more tests on her..." A nervous scientist mumbled, fidgeting with his white rimmed glasses as he spoke.
Sesshoumaru gently grasped her wrist and pulled her out of the 'room' with the Life capsule without speaking.
"We are leaving," He stated simply as he began to take great strides out of the laboratory, leaving the scientists around them gapping like fish out of water. Kagome began to follow when a sudden numbness of her leg overtook her senses and she found herself tripping on her feet. She clutched the sheet around her in a death grip as she braced herself for the unpleasant fall on the hard tile of the laboratory.
"Ow...?" She said in surprise a second later when she somehow found herself held bridal style by Sesshoumaru himself, and not bruising from the impact on the floor. A slight frown adorned his face, his silent fury causing a chill to run down her spine.
"Sorry..." She apologized, much to her surprise. "Hey, wait a minute... Why am I apologizing? And what is going on, Sesshoumaru? Mmpf, let go of me! The owner of this body is going to be really mad when she wakes up... " She observed, the initial shock of her situation already beginning to wear away.
He didn't respond as he carried her out of the lab and into the elevators. He was still stoically silent upon reaching his office. By the time they reached his car in the parking lot, Kagome was ready to burst with questions.
"... And why was the office empty? What time is it? What day is it? WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED?" Kagome finally burst as Sesshoumaru securely placed a seatbelt over her.
"Check for yourself," Was all he said as he manoeuvred the car out of the parking lot, in the direction of his home. Kagome glared at the time displayed in the car, wishing that he'd stop avoiding her questions. Curiosity burned in every fibre of her being, causing each passing second to be torture as she was left mercilessly in the dark.
"Okay, so the office was empty because it's approximately 2 in the morning. Apparently they don't have the same work ethic as those scientists in that lab of yours," She muttered, unconsciously pulling the sheet closer around her.
She knew he wouldn't respond. She pretended not to be affected by his indifference.
~~~A few minutes later... ~~~
"Tell me now or I swear I'll open the door and jump out," She threatened, glaring at him as he flew down the freeway at possibly triple the speed limit. She tried not to think about the blur that was the scenery, and about the possible death that awaited her if she tried to jump out of the car at this speed. She mentally apologized to the poor being who lent out their body like a room for board. Then, she concentrated on threatening the most infuriating specimen on earth at the moment.
~~~A minute later~~~
"I'm really doing it," She threatened. As if to emphasize her point, she unbuckled her seat belt.
~~~Another minute later~~~
"Last chance," She said, swallowing her fear. With still no reply, she unlocked the door and opened it. Sorry again whoever owns this body, you're probably going to wake up to a concussion or a coma, with lots of broken bones, blood and bruises...
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Drip.
Drip.
She stared blankly at the growing puddle in the corner of her windowless room. When had the ceiling sprung a leak? She couldn't remember.
She didn't look away from the growing puddle even when she heard the door to her sterile room click open.
"How's my favourite girl today?" His voice drawled.
The droplet of water caused a ripple in the puddle as it fell in.
"I told her that she can see you today, but she said that she's too busy... with Inuyasha that she can't visit you." His masculine voice said with a trace of pity.
"Inu...yasha..." Something akin to recognition stirred in her lifeless and colourless eyes. She lifted her gaze to the mirror that hung on the wall in front of her. She stared at her reflection, noting that her hair was still white, that the flowers in her hair were still white, and that she still felt nothing upon seeing his malicious red eyes staring at her reflection in the mirror.
"I'll come by again tomorrow," He whispered, leaning in to place a kiss on the top of her head. She didn't respond in any way to the gesture. She continued to stare at her reflection in the mirror. For the first time though, she saw a droplet of red fall from her eye. It left a trail of red on her pale face.
Inuyasha...
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"This Sesshoumaru does not respond well to threats," His voice drifted to her ears from the opposite side of the door. He held out a hand in a gentlemanly gesture. She took it without thinking, the initial shock of not dying a painful death still not ebbing away.
When she opened the door, she fully expected to jump out and die. Instead, what awaited her were the front doors of Sesshoumaru's house and an awaiting Sesshoumaru.
"You would do well to commit it to memory," He whispered into her ear. She started at his proximity. She stood in the middle of the threshold, and looked at him in surprise. What she saw caused her to blink and rub her eyes in surprise, one hand still grasping her sheet like a lifeline.
He is amused, she noted, observing his normally dark amber eyes turning the colour of gold. When he's angry, his eyes look more... orange... Hold on a minute. Why did this revelation make the inexplicable warmth that she feels upon seeing him return?
He touched her wrist just then, causing a feeling of electricity to shoot through her and return her to reality.
"Yes?" She replied, a disturbing sense of déjà-vu washed over her just then. She didn't let her discomfort show as she waited for him to speak.
"Just wanted to know what you were thinking," He said stoically, unable to comprehend what had compelled him to say that just now. Somehow, it just sounded... right.
She stared at him with widened eyes. In her mind's eye, a familiar face appeared. Except she has never seen him as vulnerable as this. As quickly as the image appeared, it dissipated like mist.
He stared at her familiar, yet unfamiliar, face. Was she always this readable?
He abruptly turned away from her, so that she couldn't see his confusion.
"Follow," He said, his voice lower than normal. She quickly followed, filing the earlier exchange into her memory for later analysis. She closed the door after her and followed him to the front of a closed door.
"I will wait for you downstairs," He murmured, before disappearing. Kagome stared at the spot that he occupied a second ago. It just occurred to her that he had dropped his favourite habit of addressing himself in the third person. She wondered if she had somehow woken up in a parallel universe, where Sesshoumaru wasn't an arrogant and rich genius, and seemed more... human.
She took a deep breath before opening the door and entering the room.
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The first thing he did was open a bottle of vodka. Then, he sat on his pristine black sofa and downed half of the bottle in one gulp. He was beginning to feel the beginning of a headache, following the confusion that he had felt a few moments prior. He decided against taking aspirin, as he wanted nothing more than to get some rest. He closed his eyes, willing his face to once again bear the mask of indifference that it always wears. In his fatigue, he had let control of his emotions slip. He made a mental note to not make the same mistake in the future.
A nervous cough interrupted his train of thought as he looked up in the direction of the cough. He stared at her for a long time.
She was wearing one of his button up shirts that he always wears to work. He couldn't remember where he got this particular shirt from, which was a colour completely different from what he normally wore, which was either black, blue or white. In short, it was pink. And it hung about her like a skirt.
Kagome fidgeted with her hands nervously. He nodded to the unoccupied end of the sofa, and placed an arm on the top of it. She got the hint and sat demurely.
"So, are you going to answer my questions now, Sesshoumaru?"
If he was surprised at her spontaneous question, he didn't let it show on his facade.
"I have one for you first." She nodded.
"Tell me, have you heard any voices inside your head besides your own?"
A look from her face already told him all he needed to know.
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Naraku was thinking.
Two figures stood in front of his desk, watching him ponder.
Time ticked by, second by second.
The figure on the left was the first to crack.
"Look Naraku, you're really attractive and all with your silence and whatnot, but can you PLEASE say something? I really have to go back to work," A slightly high pitched masculine voice spoke.
"Good plans take time," The figure on the right defended quickly, his voice muffled.
"Almost." Naraku said simply, before returning to his thoughts. Ah yes… once Kagura returned with the girl, he can focus on taking care of the… anomaly… Or perhaps he can use the two in front of him to do so…
Roses are red and violets are blue, honey is sweet but not as sweet as you...
All three figures in the darkened office room jumped at the spontaneous ring tone.
Naraku swore as the last detail of the plan that he had spent the better part of the past hour plotting slip through his fingers.
"What the hell... Turn that infernal thing OFF!" He growled. Much to his chagrin, the figure on the left simply chose to take the call.
"What's up hooker?" He said into the phone nonchalantly. "I'm busy, go find someone else." Then, he hung up.
"Oh, are you finally done?" He asked upon feeling Naraku's heated glare upon his person.
"He looks like he wants to kill you," The muffled voice said with a hint of amusement.
WHY CAN'T YOU SEEEEEE YOU BELONG WITH MEEEEEEEE...
"What's up whore?" He picked up again. "Oh I'll come by and pick it up after this. Thanks, beautiful." Then, he hung up.
"So are we done here?"
The sounds of a person being strangled echoed through the office, along with a muffled string of laughter.
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They talked on the way to Izayoi's doorstep, and by the time they arrived, they found themselves becoming fast friends. To be quite precise, she was waiting outside the gates of her house. She happily glomped Touga as soon as he appeared.
"You're late!" She playfully berated, arms still wrapped around him.
"Sorry, koi," He replied with a fierce hug of his own. They pulled out of their embrace a minute later. Izayoi didn't realize that they were being watched when she finally saw Kyoko for the first time. She fidgeted at the edge of her skirt, feeling underdressed in her presence.
"Koi, allow me to introduce you to Kyoko. She is the reason I am standing in front of you right now," He said with a warm smile, directed at Kyoko, who was blushing and smiling shyly.
"Nice to meet you, Touga no Koi..." She responded playfully. Izayoi blushed, feeling any trace of jealousy that Touga's words aroused dissipate.
"Ano... Izayoi desu," She said meekly. Kyoko smiled brightly.
"It is an honour to finally meet you, Touga's spoken so much about you," She winked in Touga's direction.
"Don't worry, I didn't tell her about the embarrassing stuff that you did, only the good stuff." He grinned, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Wow Izayoi, you have a really pretty hairband!" Kyoko noted, pointing to the white ribbon that held her hair in a tall ponytail.
"Thanks," She blushed. She touched it unconsciously.
"Hm... that looks suspiciously like the one on the bear that I gave you..." Touga teased. Izayoi turned to bury her face in his chest.
"So where are we going?" She mumbled, her voice barely audible.
"How about the amusement park?" Kyoko suggested. Touga and Izayoi agreed, and soon they found themselves at their destination.
"I want to go on that," Kyoko pointed at the highest roller coaster in the park upon entering the amusement park. Izayoi gulped in fear. Touga grasped her hand tightly.
"Izayoi doesn't care much for roller coasters, right?" Touga asked gently. Izayoi paused before answering.
"I think... we should try it..." She said nervously. Touga looked at her in concern.
"Are you sure?" Izayoi nodded in reply.
"Come on, the seconds are ticking," Kyoko said playfully as she linked her arm around Touga's free arm, and proceeded to drag them to the entrance of the roller coaster, which was a gigantic , dark cavern. Izayoi grasped Touga's arm tightly, feeling her heart race.
"We can still turn back," Touga warned upon seeing her pale visage. She shook her head firmly.
"Come on slowpokes," Kyoko's voice in front of them floated to their ears. They hurried to the queue where Kyoko was.
"You sure you'll be all right?" Touga asked in concern.
"I'm fine," Izayoi smiled nervously. She was not afraid of the dark... or of heights... at all. Nope, not her. She loved being in the darkness and high up in the sky... and being separated from certain death by a metal bar... Perhaps she wasn't as fine as she originally thought.
I'm on a boat... peacefully floating at one hundred and eighty degrees to the water. I'm not going to be on a cart with a metal bar that is plunging towards the ground at a nearly ninety degree angel… I'm not going to be on said cart that will go at ungodly speeds...
"Uh... Izayoi, you look a little bit green..." Touga protested upon seeing his girlfriend's face change colour.
"I think I'm going to be sick," She said before gagging.
"Wait, we're not even on the roller coaster yet!" Kyoko gasped.
"... Izayoi? What are you doing in a dark cavern waiting in line for the tallest roller coaster of the amusement park?" An incredulous voice asked. Izayoi nearly collapsed with relief.
"Onigumo! What are you doing here?" She asked.
"That's what I'd like to know," Touga's eyes narrowed as he pulled Izayoi closer to him in a possessive gesture.
"Uh... I work here," He gestured to his tag, his uniform... and the empty roller coaster train waiting in front of them.
"Of course you do," Touga growled. Kyoko placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. That didn't go unnoticed by Onigumo.
"I don't think Izayoi should go on the ride. Why don't you go with that fox that you have dangling on your other arm? I'll take care of Izayoi for you," Onigumo hissed, grabbing Izayoi's wrist.
"Oh no you don't..." Touga growled louder. Behind them, people were beginning to mutter about what's taking so long.
"I think I'll sit this out after all..." Izayoi said softly, her face still green. She missed Onigumo and Kyoko's identical grins of triumph as she looked at the ground and tried to force down the lunch that she had a few hours ago.
"I'll stay with you," Touga quickly offered.
"No, you should stay with Kyoko-san." Izayoi quickly interceded. Touga looked like he was about to protest when Onigumo spoke.
"People are waiting," He said in a threatening tone. Touga gave Izayoi a quick glance, Onigumo a glare before settling in a cart with Kyoko. His eyes stayed on Izayoi until the train left the platform.
"Thanks for saving me, Onigumo-kun," Izayoi sighed in relief, feeling quite a bit better already.
"Anytime," He said softly while leaning closer to her. She coughed suddenly.
"Um… I'm thirsty. Do you know where I can get some water?" She fidgeted, hoping to get rid of any thoughts of romance from Onigumo's head.
"Kiss me and I'll tell you," He said in a serious tone. Izayoi looked at him in surprise.
"What?" She asked sharply.
"Just kidding. I know you'd never do it," He said in a slightly disappointed tone.
"Onigumo-kun, you know that I don't like..." Onigumo silenced her by holding out an unopened clear plastic bottle of water.
"Thanks…," She whispered upon taking a step away from him, and leaned against the railing. She finished it in a few swallows.
Onigumo stared at her until the train returned to the station.
"Touga!" She smiled happily. She began to step over an empty cart of the train to the other side of the platform when she saw them. He was helping Kyoko out of the cart. Kyoko took his hand with a shaky one.
"That was... scary..." She mumbled, moving to get off the train. She tripped at the tall step from the cart to the platform, and fell forward. Touga quickly bent to catch her. Their lips grazed each other's for a brief second. Onigumo looked on with amusement. Izayoi felt jealousy begin to stir in the depths of her heart. But for Touga and Kyoko...both felt an undeniable spark, within that brief second.
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Kikyou warily opened the door to the apartment. It was dark. The lights turned on as she walked through the parlour and towards the room that she shared with Inuyasha. It, too, was dark. The lights in the parlour turned off when she closed the door to the room. She grabbed some clothes from the dresser and went towards the bathroom. She turned on the water to the bathtub and waited for it to fill patiently. Upon filling up the bathtub with hot water, she scattered a few rose petals across the surface.
She lit a candle and placed it on a scented candle holder. She inhaled slowly, already feeling the stress that she had accumulated throughout her aimless walk being relieved.
Silently, she lifted herself into the bathtub and relaxed completely.
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Elsewhere…
Inuyasha was standing on a beach barefoot, feeling the wind tossle his hair. He slowly inhaled the scent of the ocean. In the morning, the ocean would be the colour of her eyes…
He could only imagine what she was going through right now. He normally wouldn't be at the beach at this time of night, reflecting. However, Kagura had blown him off so he was forced to find something else to do. He couldn't face Kikyo yet… after all, what could he say? Hey Kikyo, hope you don't mind that I find pleasure in other women besides you during business hours…
Yeah, that would go over real well.
Nor could he go with the real reason why he couldn't keep himself from pitching a tent when he's supposed to be working. It was all because of that damned coffee… Though it kept him up enough to work, it had the unfortunate side effect of… well, keeping him up.
He could imagine her laughter at his predicament.
At least Kagome had understood… and helped him by finishing his paperwork so that he wouldn't be forced to deal with those stupid contracts… He actually got a decent night's sleep when they weren't busy doing other stuff during the night.
Ever since he made the biggest mistake of his life, he's been regretting it. He never knew how much he depended on Kagome, as a secretary, a lover… and a friend.
Why had he left her at the altar? She is the perfect woman for him, and yet… He couldn't forget HER. His first love. The one who mysteriously returned from France and caught his attention once again, after vowing to never speak to him again after the charity ball debacle.
She was good to her word, as he never heard a word from her since that time. He had been dating Kagome for only a few months when she returned. The two women were so similar… perhaps that was why he was drawn to both of them. Not only in their physical appearance, but the animated way that they talk… the way they looked at him… with devotion and love.
He only ever knew his half brother's cold gazes and indifference, because his mother passed away when he was just a baby. His father became withdrawn after his mother's death and occupied himself with work all the time, sparing no time for his children.
His childhood wasn't very happy, that was for sure. He had to suppress the urge to punch his classmates whenever they shared happy familial memories with the rest of the class for 'Show and tell' in elementary school. To him, it seemed more like 'Show and gloat'. He was tired of always being alone. In the house, his half brother avoided him like the plague. Perhaps that was why he always caused mischief, to gain his father or his brother's attention. In the end, it only strained his relationship with them further… and caused his brother to hate and ignore him further…
Nothing changed when his father passed away, and left Inuyasha his company. Inuyasha, the younger son, had inherited his company, a communications technology enterprise, and not his much more capable older son. To Sesshoumaru, Touga had left his mother's company, a biotechnology enterprise. If anything, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha's relationship became more strained. He knew Sesshoumaru despised him because of his inheritance. What he knew Sesshoumaru didn't know… was that he still idolized Sesshoumaru. He was handsome and intelligent. He was strong and fearless. Sesshoumaru was everything that Inuyasha strived to be… and he still is.
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A/N: The next chapter is going to be posted up soon to make up for the lack of updates this summer – Please look forward to it!
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Coming up:
"… Who was she?" Kagome asked softly, keeping her gaze steady on the empty bottle of vodka on the coffee table.
"This Sesshoumaru believes that her name was… Midoriko." He heard himself say.