A/N: I'm back with a new chapter. Enjoy!
Untitled (for now): Chapter Four
The thrumming of the voices around her matched the throbbing at the base of the skull. Her smile had been plastered on her face for so long that it felt like her face would crack any moment. She was just about ready to break the stem of the fragile champagne glass in her hand. It was all her bad days and nights rolled into one, purgatory for her sins, hell on earth, it was…
…a business party. When she first married Sesshoumaru she had disliked them immensely. She had been shocked at the seemingly kind, well meaning women who smiled their congratulations in her face, only to turn around and tear her down behind her back. Sesshoumaru's "respectable" business associates that were so polite to her when in his presence leered at her the moment his back was turned. Now that she was back, it seemed worse than ever. Everyone was whispering behind her back, speculating about her return, she was sure even, that they spoke about her daughter. She hated thinking that Laila was the subject of gossip for these vultures but that couldn't be helped. Her only consolation was that she looked so much like her father that no one could doubt her parentage but she was equally sure that the diehard gossips would even go so far as to say she dyed her hair to pass her off as Sesshoumaru's own just for spite. As if he would be so stupid. She sighed, nothing had changed. A seductive laugh rife with promises rang through the air and even without turning Kagome knew exactly who it belonged to. That hadn't changed either.
Nakamura Kagura, a Japanese beauty raised in America had the beautiful looks of her homeland with none of the inhibitions. She flaunted her in-your-face sexuality with the preciseness of a dagger in the hands of a trained assassin. It had come as a nasty shock to her when Sesshoumaru had come back with a wife the first time around but she didn't let herself be down and out for long. It seemed her reaction time the second time around was even faster. Kagome had only been back about two weeks and she was already draping herself all over Sesshoumaru. The first time it had taken her a whole month to show her face in this house. Kagome was hard pressed not to let her disgust show at the display she knew was being put on for her express benefit but she knew everyone was watching and she would be damned if she gave them the satisfaction of seeing her react in a less than controlled manner.
"If you grip that stem any tighter, it's gonna crack." Kagome turned to face a younger, rougher, yet still softer version of her husband.
"Excuse me?"
"The stem," he said, gesturing to the hand her glass was held in, "Gonna crack if you hold it any tighter. Not that I blame you. Watching Kagura see how far she can push her boobs into that bastard's arm and pretend it's just a coincidence is enough to make anyone wanna crush something."
Immediately she loosened her grip, put a little more at ease with his obvious dislike of the woman. "I'm sorry sir, do you know my husband. Maybe you're a cousin?" she asked.
"Cousins?! Nah; we through unfortunate circumstances are half-brothers. You can call me Inuyasha. I guess you're my new, or newish sister-in-law, seeing as you've been here before."
Kagome gawked at him. "Brothers? He never said…"
"Half-brothers and he wouldn't we're not exactly best friends. In fact at times, he really hates me and I in turn try to make his life as hellish as possible before I have to make a quick exit in order to prolong my life when he comes to kick my ass."
Kagome laughed a wonderful sound that caught Sesshoumaru's attention. The only time she laughed was when she was with their daughter. He looked to see who she was talking to.
"Wow, now I see what Sesshoumaru sees in you. You were pretty before, but you're beautiful now. You smile transforms you."
Kagome blushed. "Inuyasha that's…I mean…thanks, I guess." He laughed incredulously. "You can still blush too? Don't tell me that you a virgin when you married him as well? That'd be too much!"
"What? I'll have you know that I was very much a virgin when I met Sesshoumaru."
He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Just strange in this day and age is all. So you were a virgin when you met him but not when you married him. Curious; how did my brother manage to bag a babe like you?"
"Why, with my superior skills in bed. Not that you would know anything about that brother." Sesshoumaru said from behind Inuyasha before moving around him to slip an arm around Kagome's waist. Inuyasha shrugged off the insult with an easy smile, while Kagome looked down at hr now flat glass of champagne, here face on fire.
"I do alright." He smiled at Kagome's bright red complexion. "You should do your best to make sure she doesn't get bored. You don't want her to skip out on you again." Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed dangerously and his hand tightened around Kagome's waist. Inuyasha took in all this before smirking.
"Kagome, it was a pleasure to meet you. I hope we'll talk again sometime," he said smiling. "Sesshoumaru," he nodded before turning and walking away.
"I don't like you talking to him." Sesshoumaru said as soon as he left. "Why? He's very nice; I like him. Why didn't you tell me you had a brother?"
"Half-brother," he corrected absently. "We don't get along too well."
"Well I don't see why—"
"Sesshoumaru darling," a low voice purred from behind before a bright red, perfectly manicured nails, attached to an equally flawless hand slid around his body to rest on his chest. "What are you doing all the way over here?" she asked coyly as if an entire human being anchored at his side was invisible.
"Kagura," he said warningly, "I came to speak to my wife."
"Oh Sesshou, Kagome's a big girl. She can be by herself a couple of hours hmm?" she complained, pouting prettily.
"Kagura—"
"—is right Sesshoumaru. I am a big girl; I'll be fine. You go spend time with your guests. After all," she said looking directly at Kagura, "I'm your wife I get see you everyday and every night." She watched with satisfaction as Kagura eyes narrowed and her face twisted into an angry scowl before she walked away. She should check on Laila anyway.
()
"Mommy, can we go to the park tomorrow? You, me and Daddy?"
Kagome smiled at her daughter's earnest expression. "I'll talk to Daddy; if he's not busy we can go." Laila's face brightened immediately. "Mommy, I'm glad I have a real Daddy. Uncle Hojo was nice but I like my Daddy better. I think you like him better too."
Out of the mouth of babes. "Yes honey, I do like your Daddy better because he's ours." She didn't know how true the last part of her statement was. He was devoted to Laila. She could see now that she had been wrong to keep her from him but she was equally sure that he didn't love her. As she kissed her daughter goodnight and left the room walking down the hall, she wondered how she would survive the next fifty years, loving Sesshoumaru but not being loved in return. She didn't even know how she would survive the next fifty days much less years. The answer was she couldn't. She was jolted from her thoughts by nails digging into her arm. She glanced down to see bright red nails, attached to a flawless hand.
"Kagura." She said coolly.
"Kagome; I would say it's nice to see you back but we both know that would be a lie."
Kagome sighed wearily. "Just say your piece Kagura and leave. Regardless of what you want, I am mistress of this house and you're not welcome here."
Kagura's face was a mask of fury. "You may be mistress of this house now, but I'm Sesshoumaru's mistress period. And soon I'll be mistress in all areas of his life. This house included, maybe even his child." She smiled suddenly, all traces of anger gone from her face. "You know I never fancied loosing my figure to give birth to a brat but every man wants an heir so I'd already resigned myself to it, but since you've already done it I don't have to; Thanks." She laughed now. "And thank God Sesshoumaru isn't one of those old-fashioned fools that believe a male heir is a prerequisite to running an empire. Yes, he only wants a nice, healthy child. I think your little brat will do fine, just fine."
The slap echoed in the empty hall.
"The day you come near my daughter, is the day I kill you." She stopped looking past Kagura to see Sesshoumaru coming up behind her.
"Sesshoumaru, get this woman out of my fucking house and make sure she doesn't come back! If I ever see her face here again it's up you to tell our daughter why mommy's on the six o' clock news because she was arrested for murder." She said with quiet fury before turning and stalking back down the hall.
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