Chapter 7 : Quitting Time

This would be so simple

if you were fast asleep

and all the bottles you throw

they would be lost at sea

you could take my letters

and rearrange the words

you could read them backwards

until you liked what you heard

- Geographer, Night Winds

Aaron walked through the parking lot cursing as a large fat raindrop landed on his glasses. Quickening his step he passed by where Kagome usually parked her car. She was running late. If there was one thing about Kagome he understood, it was that she was a creature of habit. She always parked in the same place, always ate at the same coffee shop for lunch, and always, always, had an unpredictable way of expressing herself. He'd heard her in the copy room swearing at the copier. Lesser men would cower before that rage. So thanks to Kagome, he now knew that unpredictability could also be habitual. He'd not previously been aware of this until he met her.

Habitual unpredictability.

That was an oxymoron. That was impossible. No one could be like that. No one but Kagome… who was currently late for work. Aaron mentally shrugged. It really wasn't any of his business but he hoped she didn't get fired for it. After yesterday it was hard to say whether Dr. Wesley would hate her less or like her more. What a day that was. He'd never seen the gallery in such an uproar.

He darted across the street, waving off a car as it hit its breaks. Inside the gallery, he glanced at the clock above the welcome desk where Margie was hanging up her coat and purse getting ready to start her own day. This was his view every morning, the way he started every day.

Aaron liked to keep a schedule, liked routine, and avoided surprises as often as possible but holy shit did that get monotonous. Every damn day he walked through those doors and every day was very nearly the same as the one before. So it was refreshing, really, to have had such an odd day yesterday. Aaron would have continued to reflect on his doldrums had a small figure not, at that exact moment, dashed into the gallery, sliding on the marble, latching itself onto his arm.

"What in the bloody hell!?" Looking down, he saw Kagome, a little worse for the wear, hanging onto his arm, a wet, desperate albatross. Her feet were headed in opposite directions and the only thing keeping her from toppling to the floor was the grip she had on his forearm. "Kagome? What's the matter with you?"

Her face was pale and there was a frantic look in her eyes.

"Aaron, I really need your help."

Kagome waited for Aaron to respond. They were back at the coffee shop surrounded by people going about their everyday business. Over the sound of steaming milk and grinding coffee, Kagome rushed the whole story out, jumbled, and dumped it in Aaron's lap. Currently, he was staring at her with a most wonderful impression of astonishment while she glanced furtively around the place as if Taisho was going to pop out from behind the counter and offer her a latte with a splash of question your sanity.

Around them, the sounds rose and fell, a crescendo of normality. Brokers, bankers, and well-dressed salesmen and women continued on about their lunch hour in ignorance. How could they all be going on about their daily business as if she hadn't just word vomited this batshit crazy story to a coworker who probably thought she was crazy?

"Aaron! Only one of us gets to fall to pieces and I think that should be me!" she snapped and he blinked.

"Sorry, it's just. That… it's just that… I don't even know."

She jiggled her leg, biting her lip, "I know it sounds crazy. I think I might be crazy."

Aaron rubbed a hand over the five o'clock shadow on his chin, thinking.

"Well, don't lose your marbles yet. Taisho really was here yesterday and there was a – uh… presence about him, I suppose."

She bit her lip worrying it until it bled. "Whoo hoo! 1/8 of my life yesterday really happened. Guess that's something."

"I honestly don't know much about the man-"

Aaron halted his thought as she ducked under the counter. She was fumbling with her purse, her voice, rather muffled, reached his ears.

"I didn't either, but before I ran out of my house this morning, I did a little research." She pulled out her laptop and popped it open. A webpage appeared up on the smudged screen. Aaron leaned forward to read the words.

"There's hardly anything out there about him. I can understand being private, but no one even knows his first name. He's just Taisho. I mean, look at this, I only spent 5 minutes looking for him but if it isn't in the first five entries is it even real? There should be a hint of something out there about a stupidly rich dude who galavants around the world buying priceless pieces of art." Aaron continued to scroll, frowning. Kagome tapped her fingers on the wood countertop, gazing out the same window as yesterday. Oh, to be that naive Kagome again.

"I looked for information about the sword, too, and there was nothing. I mean, nothing other than the news a few months ago. The articles were just about the sword being found. There was nothing about its origin or its history. Not even any speculations. It's like it appeared out of nowhere."

"Well, maybe it did." She stared at him. Aaron pushed the computer back toward her. "Kagome, I will be the last person to believe in magic and legends, but sometimes things really are a mystery. I'm not saying it's real. I'm just saying Taisho is really rich and really eccentric. Maybe he gets his jollies trying to convince people this shit is real."

She shook her head. "It doesn't feel like that. It's either real or I'm insane."

He shrugged, grasping for something to say. What he wanted to say was, 'let's find a nice professional to talk to' but he really didn't think she was crazy. Sure, the story was, but she wasn't.

Aaron thought carefully before speaking,"I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh at this… it's just that it's so far-fetched." He shook his head, smiling, "I see why it feels believable. Your powers of storytelling are quite good." His face became darker, losing its humor. "And there is something strange about him. I felt it too. His presence is unnerving." Kagome nodded and Aaron smiled kindly, "Kagome, you're going to have me believing in this thing soon enough."

She scowled and barely fought back the urge to swat him on the back of his head. "Stop trying to make me feel better and tell me what you think. Do I need a psych ward?"

"I think that these are strange circumstances. I think that Taisho is an elusive billionaire with plenty of secrets, but, being the grounded, no-nonsense accountant that I am, I'm always going to believe the practical over whimsical. You're not crazy. At best, Taisho cast some spell that consisted of good looks and charm in an attempt to woo you and then eventually sweep you off to his palace, marry you, and buy you everything you ever wanted. And at worst," he cast her a wry glance, "you have an overactive imagination."

Kagome, lost in thought, looked past him and into the crowded room. Her eyebrows were drawn down in severe, anxious worry. He hadn't relieved her of anything.

"Ok," she breathed, returning her gaze to her half-drunk coffee. "I guess."

Aaron, grimacing, his knees hitting the counter top as he rose to a stand, looked past the woman and out the picture window, "Bring up Taisho to Dr. Wesley like you planned. You said Wesley knew who he was, right? He's such a know it all I'm sure he knows more than any of the things you found online."

Kagome slid off the stool and leaned against the counter. She looked exhausted.

"Thank you for listening to me. I feel ridiculous."

"But do you feel any less crazy?" he asked, slightly despairing.

"Maybe. I don't know. Mostly I feel like an idiot."

Aaron gestured for her to walk with him. They headed for the exit of the coffee shop and the man held the door open for her. "Don't be so sure you're an idiot. I've been known to be wrong now and again."

And despite all of his rationality, he found himself worrying that this might be one of those times.

Kagome had received not one, but two severe scoldings from Dr. Wesley. The first was for the late arrival that morning. She was 10 minutes late with his cup of coffee. Given the morning she was having, Wesley was lucky he didn't end up with the coffee poured over his head and down his shirt. Kagome managed to control her rage and took the reprimand with only minimal flashes of defiance. The second time he gave her an earful was a consequence of the extra 15 minutes she'd added to her lunch break. Aaron had calmed her down earlier that morning, promising to talk to her later. When lunchtime rolled around, she hauled him back to the coffee shop and spilled it all consequently making herself late.

Now, as she opened the door to Dr. Wesley's office, she was praying that nothing else would happen to cause him to snap at her. She really couldn't be held accountable for what she might say today. Given that he had received many, many dollars a day before, she half expected him to hug her every time he saw her. This was a large mistake on her part. She should have known nothing ever made him happy. He was a consummate grump.

Walking to the room, Kagome got a bad feeling her temper was going to be continually tested today. She always knew when she was in trouble. Many years of blunders, errors, and general botch-ups taught her all of the signs. If she was in the clear, the potentially offended person would pay her no never mind. But, if she was once again entangled in some sort of disaster, all eyes immediately fell on her in an especially accusatory way. As Dr. Wesley's did now.

He was standing by his desk, speaking into his phone. As the door clicked shut behind her, watery blue eyes stopped her short.

Oh, goody, she thought, heart sinking.

"Yes, yes, I understand what he's requesting, I just don't understand-" His frown deepened and the look in his eyes kindled to something near hatred. Kagome began to back from the room. She did not want to deal with petty bullshit today. Wesley covered the receiver of the phone and waved her forward curtly, "Ms. Higurashi, you have a lot of explaining to do!" Turning his attention back to the phone conversation he barked, "Yes, alright, fine! I'll send her. No. Yes. No. I understand that perfectly well. I -"

Even from the distance she stood, Kagome could hear the sound of a receiver being slammed down on the other end of the phone. Who even had a receiver anymore? Taisho. Taisho would. This had something to do with him. No one else ordered people around like that. Or owned ironic phone technology just so he could curtly hang up on people he didn't want to talk to.

Dr. Wesley, with infinite care and patience, placed the phone on the hook and looked up at his assistant.

"Did it slip your mind that you had dinner with Mr. Taisho last night?"

Panic. Deny everything.

"Something that isn't your business couldn't slip my mind."

Oh, but for her defiant mouth.

A silvery eyebrow arched, disapproval melting away the grandfatherly kindness that would have been present had he not been a pompous windbag. "What I meant was, did you forget to inform me that you had dinner with Mr. Taisho or were you deliberately trying to keep information from me?'

"I didn't realize my dinner plans had anything to do with my work here."

This was turning into A Moment. Some people called them meltdowns. Kagome called them Triumphs For Justice and Fairness. This one was going to be one three years in the making. She was tired of her treatment at Worthington. Tired of feeling as if she were not intelligent enough to do anything but pour coffee. Tired of intellectual snobs who looked down their noses at her because her degree was not from the most prestigious university. Tired of the authority used to demean and belittle her.

She didn't like her job. And even after all of the strange circumstances surrounding the past day or so, Kagome was grateful to Taisho. He had given her an opportunity to examine a piece of history and legend with her own two hands. She hadn't truly realized the extent of her misery until she held that sword. Her time at Worthington Gallery seemed to have dulled her desire for bigger and better things. Not to mention, after the previous day, she was feeling a little bit like a caged animal. Today was not the ideal day to berate a young woman who was questioning her sanity.

And then there was the simple fact that what she did after hours had nothing to do with her boss. She saw no reason to explain to him who she chose to dine with. If she were anyone else in the gallery, she was reasonably certain that Wesley would have jumped up from behind his desk and shook her hand, asking if she and the billionaire were going on another outing and if Taisho was interested in making a donation to the gallery. But, no, because she was young, female, and unwilling to bend to his will, she was in trouble.

" , you may have compromised the reputation of our gallery. I had no idea that I needed a strict rule against cavorting with our patrons." He moved to sit behind his desk, descending into the chair with a wheeze and a groan (which was probably not what he was aiming for) and rested his tweed covered arms on the neatly organized surface. "Now, will you answer my question, please? Were you going to tell me you met with Taisho last night?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said evenly, meeting his gaze defiantly. His face froze as the cogs and wheels were turning inside his head, trying to process what she said. Dr. Wesley had not, in his wildest dreams, expected her to speak to him in such a way.

What a fool.

"You are treading on very dangerous ground." Aged fingers threaded together, a classic sign that he was becoming agitated.

"No. I don't think I am." She crossed her arms, feigned boredom. "Danger implies risk. I'm risking nothing by keeping my private life private. You, on the other hand, are at risk of me losing my temper and pouring that cold coffee down your front."

Dr. Wesley sputtered.

"Ungrateful-! Who do you think you-? You're fired!" he finally managed.

Kagome shrugged. It wasn't the worst thing that had happened to her in the last 24 hours.

"You never had any intention of promoting me, did you?" Dr. Wesley was trying to breathe deeply through his nostrils. It wasn't helping much. His face was comically red and sweaty, the little hair left in tufts above his ears strung out in so many directions. "In that case, I reject your firing. You're going to accept my resignation and pay me for the rest of this week. When my next job calls for a reference letter you will be pleasant, you will say nice things, and you will tell them Kagome Higurashi is the best damn hire they could possibly get." She stepped up to his desk and casually placed her plans flat, leaning over the pockmarked wood. "Because if you don't, ? I'm going to tell my new rich and influential friend about what a horrible place this is and he's going to tell all his rich and influential friends and before you know it-" she slapped a hand down on one of his papers, startling him, "you won't even be able to pay the next poor woman you hire to shout at." Dr. Wesley's mouth had now resembled the same startled and befuddled expression he wore the entire day before. "So, do we have an understanding?"

Dr. Wesley raised a trembling hand to his glasses and cleared his throat three or four times before he had his composure back.

"I accept your resignation, Ms. Higurashi. Good luck in all your future endeavors."

Holy shit, she thought giddily, it actually worked.

She backed away from his desk and turned to leave.

"You should know, Taisho's people called to inform me that he wanted you to be out in front of the gallery in 15 minutes to hand over the last of the paperwork. He clearly wanted me to know you saw him after gallery hours. If he's your friend, then why would try so hard to sabotage your job?"

He almost sounded sincere. Maybe this was the tiny inkling of kindness he'd never had a reason to show her before now? It was unlikely though. Dr. Wesley would never understand why she was so miserable. He didn't have the same passion she possessed. He would always be right there behind his prestigious desk and his antique books. Safe. Neat. Assured. Each day was like the last day and the next day and the next. How close Kagome had come to falling in that same pit. But she had too many things left to do.

There was a whole world to conquer.

Well, maybe not the world just yet.

First things first. She had a billionaire to question.

"I don't think he was sabotaging me. I think he was trying to help me make up my mind." She turned and walked to the door. She paused long enough at the threshold to say, "Actually, if we're talking sabotage, you're more the victim than anyone. As far as I know, I'm the only person who knows how to work the coffee maker and copier. Good luck with those future endeavors, ."

She flashed him one last smile and closed the door, leaving him in a horrified silence.

Kagome didn't have many possessions in her office. She found an empty copy paper box and packed quickly before heading straight for the front door. Still, with so few items, the box in her hands was slowly slipping. What a turn her life had taken and yet here she was, still struggling with everyday tasks. She was determined to leave the gallery with her dignity, and spilling her meager belongings all over the ground would throw a monkey wrench in that plan.

Aaron chose that moment to step out of his office. He was such an awkward man, all stretched out, angles and elbows and knees. He was very tall but he always moved like he wished he were six inches shorter. Shoulders rounded, head down. It was too bad they wouldn't have more time to get to know one another. He wasn't so bad when she was in a good mood and his jokes had some compassion in them. He could be quite nice when he tried.

At that moment he hurried forward and grabbed the box as it started to slip from her sweaty hands.

"Thanks," she huffed, blowing her hair out of her face.

"Shit! I didn't actually think you'd harass Wesley to the point of losing your job."

Kagome took the box back from him, balancing it on her hip, "It was bound to happen anyway. I never really fit in here. I mean look at me. Do I look Worthington worthy?"

Currently, half her shirt tail was hanging out the back of her skirt and in her haste to leave she'd knocked over not one, but two old cups half full of tea. She was now sporting a very Jackson Pollock look from the front.

"I don't know if looks have anything to do with it. I think you might just have too much personality for these dusty scholars. Are you going to be ok?" he asked. He was worried about her. They walked slowly down the hall and Aaron grabbed the other side of the box every time it slipped. "Does this have something to do with Taisho?"

She shrugged noncommittally, green eyes clouded. She wished it didn't have anything to do with him. "I guess in an offhand sort of way."

"Liar," Aaron's smile was knowing, "He made you think about all the things you were missing, didn't he?"

"Yes, alright! He whirled in here and stirred up all the thoughts I was already having." She was far too shy to also admit that she thought he was incredibly handsome and mysterious and everything she could never be. But she wanted to be. She wanted to reach out and grab hold of her own life and ride it with abandon. Kagome wanted something more. "Holding that sword was terrifying and amazing. What would it have been like on that dig? To have found the sword? I want to chase that. I've been wasting too much time."

Kagome glanced at the welcome desk but Margie wasn't there. Damn, she'd wanted to say goodbye. Aaron held open the door for her and they stepped out into the cool breeze. She could smell moisture on the air. Turning her face upward she saw dark thunderheads over the city, slowly overtaking the sunshine, leaving the spring day with a chill.

Kagome was terrified. Kagome was elated. Kagome was free. She sighed shakily and moved to step down the wet cement stairs leading up to the dim little hole she'd just climbed out of. This was the first step toward whatever she wanted. She was in control. She was her own wom-

She stopped short as her gaze returned to earth and Aaron bumped into her. There was a moment where Kagome teetered and four hands fumbled, attempting to keep both the box and Kagome from spilling all over the sidewalk.

"I guess he's back," Aaron muttered, eyeing the black car at the curb. He didn't sound impressed.

"I guess so." Taisho was leaning casually against the car, hands in suit pockets like he showed up to casually fuck with people's lives every day. He looked like a man who knew exactly what he wanted and how he was going to get it. "He is infuriatingly perfect," Kagome said. His eyes swept over Kagome and Aaron and she imagined he was taking in a careful assessment, judging, deciding. She heaved a sigh and elbowed Aaron in the side. "Come and meet him. Then at least I'll know he's not just a figment of my imagination."

Aaron made a nervous sound but drifted after her as she approached the car.

"Mr. Taisho."

"Miss Higurashi." Silence stretched. Cars rolled by on the street, the sound of their tires on the wet pavement almost deafening. Kagome could hear music playing from another art gallery down the street. The faint notes lilted sweetly on the brisk air. "You have questions to ask me."

The strange and sudden lightheadedness from the day before crawled back into her head. That meant something strange and unexplainable was going to happen. While Kagome freaked out in her kitchen that morning she'd managed to put enough of the pieces together to figure out that feeling meant something wanted her attention and it was going to get it one way or another. On key, she felt the fleeting memory of feelings but they were not her own. They belonged to someone else.

Or something else.

"Yes. One condition," she said. "You answer all of my questions."

"Deal."

Behind Kagome, Aaron shifted uncomfortably. She'd completely forgotten he was there. Taisho was developing an annoying habit of becoming the center of her attention. She turned, preparing not to be the most impolite woman in the world and introduce the men to one another. Aaron wasn't looking at her. He was staring at Taisho who, although still leaning easily against the car, seemed to grow two inches taller. A cold shiver passed over her skin.

For just a single second in time, she thought she sensed a swelling of the air between the two men. It felt like pure raw power.

And then her headache annoyingly stabbed her in the eye. One hand went to her temple and the box fell right out of her arms and on to the curb with a resounding smack. The tense moment broke in two.

She bent down to retrieve the box, one hand still pressing against the side of her face. "Mr. Taisho this is my… friend? Friend. Aaron is my new work friend. Well. I guess now he's my new old work friend." Taisho already had the box up and off the curb extending it out to her. "I'll just go put this in my car. Can you wait a moment?"

Taisho nodded and she stepped away, glancing at the two men, uneasy, feeling that if she left them alone, she would be indirectly responsible for whatever they did to each other in her absence.

"Are you sure you don't need help?" Aaron called as she scurried away.

"I can handle a box!" She dropped it again. Damn it.

What she really needed was a good breather from whatever the hell had just passed between those two. Men. If she came back and they were fist fighting she was going to have a well-deserved conniption.

Aaron had spent the better part of the day worrying for Kagome. She was a mess. Clearly, something strange happened yesterday but it wasn't until he stood directly in front of Taisho and the man turned the full power of his attention on him that he really started to think she was right.

"I saw you in the coffee shop yesterday."

Taisho regarded the accountant carefully, impassive.

What in the damned hell? He had too much pride to let the other man see his shock but inside he was striking off 'inconspicuous when he wants to be' from his list of special skills. Recover. Readjust. He chose the next item on the list of special skills: "Make people incredibly uncomfortable by staring" to allow himself precious seconds to recover. The silence grew to inconceivable lengths. The accountant fidgeted with his tie.

"You saw me?"

"Why wouldn't I have? You were sitting in the back, staring. You were watching her."

What did he mean, why wouldn't I have seen you?

Because, he thought, angry, he shouldn't have been seen by anyone.

Mentally, Taisho took pen to paper.

To do list:

1. Work on sneaking.

2. Figure out why the air around annoying account vibrated strangely like he wasn't all there.

Kagome appeared around the corner of the block again, returning from the parking lot, causing both men to break their intense gazes and look in her direction. As she made her way toward them, the wind whipped by her, and although Taisho was sure she didn't notice, he could see the way it moved with her, sighing as she took a step, sweeping around her, lifting her dark hair to halo her face.

Yes, he thought, mood lifting. He'd found the Protector.

"Ready?" he asked her when she stopped at his side.

"Where are we going?"

"Away."

"Does everything around you have to be a mystery?"

He was already sliding in the car. He left the door open behind him.

Kagome moved to follow him as if pulled by gravity.

"Kagome, wait." Aaron stopped her with a hand on her arm. "I really don't think you should go. Those stories aren't real," he gestured frantically at Taisho. "He's probably not going to murder you and scatter you in the bay or handcuff you to a radiator in his basement but-"

From inside the car, Taisho said dryly, "If I was going to handcuff anyone to anything it would be something much softer and more pleasant than a radiator." Kagome wanted to stab him. "And it is real. Every word."

"Prove it," Aaron snapped.

She didn't blame him for not believing the insane story. She still had moments where she thought she might wake up in a padded room. She'd never met anyone more rational than Aaron and if the roles were reversed she knew she would be as concerned for him as he was for her.

"I would," Taisho said, "but you aren't invited."

Men!

Kagome took a steadying breath so she didn't completely lose her composure.

She smiled, shrugging helplessly. "What's your one decision away from a completely different life?"

Aaron reeled back as if she'd slapped him. "That's not fair," he said. To her dismay, he sounded hurt. "Don't use our friendship like that."

"I'm not, I swear. I wouldn't do that. But, Aaron, this is the decision, whether you agree with me or not."

He looked away, staring past the buildings across the street. She'd really hurt him. She hadn't expected that.

Aaron shook his head, disbelieving. "Fine. But in case you need anything, here's my number." He pulled out a wrinkled post-it from his pants pocket and jotted down his number before thrusting it into her hands. His fingers curled hers around the paper. "Use it. Any time. If you ever need a friend."

His worry worried her. She didn't like the creeping dread that tickled up her spine.

"I'll be fine," she said with false cheer. "I'll call you soon. We can meet for coffee."

"I'd like that," he said, hands in pockets, slowly walking backward to her old life.

Kagome took one last look at the entrance to the gallery. Whatever happened next was going to be better than what she was leaving behind.

"See you," she said and followed Taisho into the car.

The door shut with finality and Aaron watched her go. He wished a lot of things then but mostly, at that moment, he wished he could get rid of the feeling he would never see her again.

They drove. The past shrank behind her and then it was gone. Just like that. Was it so easy to change your life? Turn a page, step over a threshold, and the whole world was different? Taisho remained a silent stone in the seat next to her. His large hand rested on the seat between them. A breath would have brushed their fingers together. Unnerved by his proximity, the way she could feel his eyes on her even when she wasn't looking, she turned to the window.

God but she was exhausted. The sharp slicing pain in her temple made her grimace and close her eyes. Nausea roiled. She would not throw up all over Taisho's car. There were some levels that could not be sunk to. Her eyes snapped shut. The movement of the car was making it worse.

Think of something else.

Puppies. Cake. Blerg, not cake. Shopping. History.

An image of the sword.

That damn thing.

She could see it so clearly, glinting in the midst of battle, sheathed and secured around a waist, dragging on the ground, held by an arm that was not strong enough to lift it.

Kagome startled awake by a hand on her shoulder.

A broken gasp wrenched from her throat. "I fell asleep?"

Was that better than throwing up everywhere? Debatable.

Taisho drew away but said nothing; instead, he took her hand in his and drew her out of the open car door. The unmistakable scent of salt and the white noise crush of waves just in the distance; They were at the ocean. Heavy limbs lumbered gracelessly. She felt wrong and out of sorts the same way she did when she woke suddenly from a deep, deep dream. An arm went around her shoulders, urging her to lean into his strong side. That woke her right up.

Enough with the liberties of her person. He wasn't so good looking and charming that he could manhandle her however he wanted.

Kagome pushed out of the circle of his arm. He let her go but his hand brushed lightly across her back as she moved out of his reach. Unnecessary. Unnerving. What was that for? What did he want?

Taisho's car pulled away from the beach front, leaving them to stand alone on an empty boardwalk. Before them, there was a long pier leading out to a vantage point. The waves lapped lazily at the rocky shore. Not too many miles to the east, she could see the city; straight before her was the other side of the bay, piers similar to the one they stood on dotting the shoreline. Kagome felt her legs start to move and Taisho followed her, a step behind.

It seemed to take her years to reach the end. Once there, Taisho leaned her against the wooden beams of the guardrail. Kagome's numb hands wrapped around the wood, heedless of splinters biting into delicate skin. She kept a wary few feet between them.

She watched the water reflecting the dark grey clouds and the skyscrapers of the city. The wind was picking up, blowing the salty breeze toward them. Taisho stared down into the water.

"Didn't you have questions for me?"

His voice was almost lost in the wind. Kagome willed herself to wake, willed herself to gain control. The numbness lifted enough for her to turn toward him and study his sharp, alien profile.

"You're the warlord in the legend, aren't you?"

Taisho didn't look at her. His eyes were dark. Above them, the clouds finally opened up and a light mist began to fall. His gaze was on the sky but the rest of him was somewhere very far away.

"I was once."

Kagome shook her head. Thoughts pinwheeled in all directions and focused with all her might on staying alert in this moment.

"How is that even possible!?" she demanded angrily, wrapping her arms around herself.

"It is, I assure you. I lived every crawling second." He hesitated, "I don't have the words to convince you. But it is true."

She thought she could see millennia carried on his back, weighing him down like a heavy cloak.

"I don't believe you."

She didn't even see him move. One moment he was feet away and the next he was crowding into her, filling her entire vision. On reflex, she stepped away and her back hit the railing. Her hands grasped behind her, searching for something, anything, a panic button, an ejection seat button.

"Don't you?"

"No," she whispered feeling defiant and afraid.

"Then I'll show you."

"Here? Now? I thought you were going to answer my questions."

He held himself perfectly still, his entire body curved toward her. A predator caging its prey.

"If everything you told me was true then what are you?"

"There are many names. Ghost, god, spirit, devil, mononoke, savior, killer, warlord. History would say I'm all of it. I've lived a thousand years. I created a weapon out of blood and duty. I burned cities, crushed men beneath my feet." The waves behind him began to churn. "Once, I destroyed a demon." It wasn't the cold that made Kagome shake with uncontrollable tremors. This was crazy. He was crazy. Fuck. She was crazy. "And I'm the one who will extinguish him again."

"Again?"

"He's returned."

What was worse than being crazy? A god damn homicidal demon bent on hellfire and destruction that's what.

Fuck. This was not her week.