Nov 9th 2010: Two updates in a week, craziness! I blame this NaNo thing.

End of Chapter 27:

She bit her lip, chewing a little as she paused at that, finally sighing. "Fine, dammit Kaiba, you are so manipulative, you know just what to say to get your way."

He resisted the urge to smirk at the compliment and instead shook his head negatively. "Kagome, I want to keep you safe, if we tell them you are dead but I hire other tutors you can continue to work from here as we try to find the culprit."

"Yeah yeah." She rolled her eyes. "You solve everything with money."

Chapter 28:Death and Beyond

It'd already been two weeks, Kagome's family was playing along with the ruse of her death, but her friends from both her old school and new were calling the house often or consoling each other. The entire school even had a moment of silence and an open time where people could speak to school therapists if they wanted to.

She only knew about it cause of her mom but it made her feel very guilty that people were needlessly suffering for her. So far all this whole lie had done was cause more pain, and it wouldn't be relief people would feel when she got back. She was certain they'd be angry with her. Kaiba had his guards on her at all moments of the day, she couldn't even leave the area of his room and office, and when she was in either the shutters of the windows had to be closed.

And as lovely as his home was, she was feeling more and more jailed with each passing day. Whatever it was that had happened it apparently wasn't pulling back out the person after her. She was pacing while she waited for Kaiba to return home from school, she was going to tell him they needed to give up this ruse. They'd already had a false funeral, her family and friends were seen crying, what more did he want?

She turned to let it all out at once on him before he could stop her but him actually having a smile on his face gave her a long enough moment of pause that he was able to speak first.

"I think I have it Kagome." He stated, walking up and hugging her. "I should have realized it sooner. It's that witch Nicole. She began school again today and it all clicked...she was quick to try to hang off my shoulder. She even stated now that you were out of the way she could have me all to herself. She'd got to be the one that hired the other assassin."

"Wait...I thought you said she was just psycho." Kagome blinked a little, shocked at the news. "How did she hire an assassin that was a demon then?"

"She probably didn't know." Kaiba answered, pulling away from the hug to kiss her shortly before taking a step back from her. "Think about it, even Mr. Toshai stated that she hired out to normal people as a way to survive. What my information has gathered on the assassin is that she was known as one of the best. It's a good thing we stated the attacker was killed before they left or a lot of people would likely be suspicious."

"But...there's no real way to prove she was behind it." Kagome stated with a frown. "Except our word, and that won't be good enough to hold her. What are we suppose to do? You know just what we believe isn't going to hold up."

"I'll get her to confess." Kaiba answered with a more serious expession back on his face. Then adding to Kagome's skeptical look. "She thinks your dead, I can have her to the house and talk to her about how I should have noticed her sooner. She's obsessed, she'll eat it right up."

"I don't really like that idea." Kagome stated with a frown. "What if she figures out what you are up too? She'll try to hurt you."

"I think I can manage Kagome...is that a bit of jealousy in there?" He grinned a bit as he watched her explain her words.

"Oh shush, as if I need to be jealous of that stuck up prep girl." Kagome replied with a huff. "I just don't want anyone else getting hurt for my sake."

"Uhhuh..." He laughed when she smacked his shoulder. "Kagome it's fine. I'll be fine, it'll take more than this stalker to harm Seto Kaiba."

She rolled her eyes. "You'll end up getting shot."

"Faith." He commented as he watched her still disapproving stare. "Besides, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't take care of you."

"Yeah yeah..." Kagome sighed. "You'll do it if I want you too or not so just take care of yourself."

She sat on the bed with an annoyed huff and he tossed his jacket from his school uniform over her. "Patience is a virtue Higurashi."
"I have enough other redeeming features, I don't need that one."

ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo

Kaiba found it easy enough to set the girl up, she seemed like she felt everything was falling into place when he asked her out the next week. He ignored the comments he got from Yugi's gang thanks to years of practice toning out the cheerleaders. They were quite displeased with his 'moving on' from Kagome so quickly.

He told them that a real man didn't have to concern himself with such things and it was only natural he'd take on a new beautiful lady. Of course, he only added that into the act because Nicole was within listening distance. She was beaming the entire day as if she'd won the lottery. All a means to an end as far as Kaiba was concerned, he didn't earn his position without fooling many people, it was easy to do so again now.

It was another week before they had their first date at his estate and she played it quite cool for as much as she was staring at the more expensive of the decorations. They were having dinner there when he tried his hand at getting her to admit to her involvement.

"Nicole my dear, how did I ever not notice you before?" Kaiba stated fondly, holding out a hand and taking hers, rubbing the back of it gently. He was fairly certain he kept the disgust he felt firmly off his face.

"You were busy entertaining that lesser class girl." Nicole commented with a wave of her hand. "I knew once she was gone that you'd realize what you'd been missing all along. I knew that you really only cared for me my game master."

"It's good that she died, otherwise I may not have realized before you moved on." Kaiba stated sweetly, though if he hadn't practiced the lines he was sure he wouldn't have been able to keep his composure.

"Oh, my dear, I'd of never given you up. Why do you think she disappeared finally and stopped stealing your eyes away from me?" She sounded so pleased with herself, he had to drop her hand but covered the motion by reaching to pour more wine.

"What do you mean dearest?" He asked as he turned the sparkling white wine into the glass, it was more a bottle than most people made in half a year but he knew she had expensive tastes and for his ruse to work he had to make it perfect.

"Well, I thought at first you might be angry, but it all turned out even better than I planned." She smiled at him over her glass as she pulled it back to her, taking an apprecitiative sip before continuing in a softer voice. "I hired the assassin that killed her. Even better was the fact that the assassin died, I didn't have to finish the payment. I knew I couldn't let her bewitch you any longer my beloved, as if the great and powerful Seto Kaiba would ever really settle for such a lowly wretch. Are you proud of me?"
Just like that. It was much easier than he'd even expected and she'd come out and said it. He had to wait for confirmation that his security team had gotten the feed before he could break the character he'd built so he just nodded. It was amazing to him just how insane obsessed people really were, he had faced a lot of issues with it in the past but it would never cease to surprise or irritate him.

"Sir." One of his team entered the room and came over to him, leaning down to whisper. "We have it clearly stated sir...but there's another issue, Mokuba got into trouble at the school and needs you present to leave the premises."

He sighed at that with a frown. "You'll have to forgive me Nicole, my brother needs my help. Would you mind waiting here until I'm able to get back."

"Of course not dearest." She stated in that same sickly sweet manner. "I understand, family is important. It's just a pity you'll miss your dinner being warm."

"Stay well. Come on." He gestured to the guard to follow him, waiting until they were outside to let his hands curl into fists. "Don't take your eyes off her, don't let her leave. Is the helicopter ready?"

"It will be in a moment sir." The security guard replied, already getting on his com to get to it as Kaiba headed off toward the roof. Mokuba picked the worse possible time to get himself into trouble, he'd very likely ground him for this even if it wasn't that serious.

ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo

"This is lame." Kagome complained as she watched TV in Kaiba's bedroom, irritated in general at the whole situation. She wouldn't admit it aloud but she was slightly jealous of Nicole. Even if Kaiba was manipulating the whole situation and didn't care about the girl she got to be out with him in public, she got to be 'alive', it just galled the girl.

She'd managed to spend time with Kaiba in the late evenings, he'd even helped her a bit more with her duel monsters strategy's, but it wasn't the same. This lovely room was just a gilded cage as far as she was concerned.

Apparently she wasn't even allowed to go in his office tonight, she was to stay strictly in the bed/bath area and not wander around. Best Kagome could surmise was that he was finally bringing her here and planned to do what he could to get a confession out of her.

Sure she seemed exceptionally crazy, but it would be plain stupid edging on mental retardation to outright tell the C.E.O. she'd hired the assassin. Kagome thought this entire thing was a big waste of her time. Not that she hadn't been kept busy in the afternoons with her personal tutor acting more like an academic slave-driver but that was beside the point. She missed basic human needs; like sunlight.

It wasn't as if she needed for shelter, she was smothered with that, the food was fine, water was readily accessible. But she was of the mind that sunlight and fresh air needed to be added to list of human needs that allowed people survival. She'd even wrote about it in an essay for her tutor. Instead of him speaking to Kaiba about allowing her a moment outside as she was hoping all she got was a reprimand for some of her grammar usage for her attempt at freedom.

She was muttering to herself about the situtuation she'd gotten herself into when she heard thumps outside the door and froze. The guards only ever made a little noise when they traded shifts, she started to call out but stopped herself, if there was someone else after her that was probably the worse possible plan to take. Instead she slinked down and slid under the bed, picking up the tazer Kaiba had left for her to use in an emergency, she'd electrocute the hell out of whoever it was.

The door opened a moment later and it was in sight, she watched a pair of women's heels come into the bedroom and seem to be turning this way and that. It was disheartening, likely if it was the woman she feared it was she had a weapon of some kind.

"Ah Kagome Kagome, where could you be." The voice seemed off somehow, more cruel even than when she'd heard the girl before she started the fight with her. "Come now come now, I know that you have to be here. Kaiba's cold but he'd of never wanted to date this pawn of mine if it wasn't for a reason. I guessed you were still alive when this whole charade started."

Kagome bit her lip as she realized why the voice was familiar. Her own voice had held a similar sort of inflection when she'd been possessed by Marek. If he got close to the bed all she had to do was hit the right button on the tazer...

"You have to be here somewhere, closet...lets see, no...he owns more copies of that gaudy white jacket of his than I thought he would though." Nicole's body walked back and and stood near the bed, Kagome got a bit closer and prepared to strike. "Beneath the bed is so cliche but so many people hiding use it these days."

Nicoles face bent to look and was prepared to say something else when the tazer got her square in the cheek and Kagome pressed the button for dear life. The woman's form immediately started shaking and fell down out of even the puppetmasters control as it writhed. Kagome tazed Nicole's body three more times until it seemed to fall unconscious and then pulled herself out from under the bed and glanced around, there wasn't much else she could really use as a weapon in the room so she kept her grasp on the tazer and when Nicole started to push herself up kicked her in the stomach, then broke a vase over her head. Hoping she'd stay down that time she poked her head out to find that the guards were unconscious but seemed to be breathing.

She turned the corner to face a dirty silver haired boy with spikes that smirked at her and settled a rod in front of her eyes just before she could reach him with her own weapon.

End Chapter

Moving things along again. This fiction doesn't have an incredible amount left to go before it will joining the small list of my completed fictions. I'd say no more than a few chapters left ;) I may write a sequel sometime in the future though.

-Aura

To my reviewers:

Cosmic-lover - Yes I'm glad I got back to this, it's deserved love for a long time.

Bloodcherry - Much too long a time, I feel a need for it to be completed!

ShioriMayonakanoYumi - Aw, well a week should be soon enough! Better than 3 years.

Akatsuki-Fan389 - Kaiba is sorta a jerk most of the time, Kagome's just special.

DarkWitch89 - Not Kagura, as she died in Inuyasha and all. and no random power gain from lovemaking :D

Evil RULZ - Ha, one week! I'm on a roll.

Kage Otome - Your review made me giggle. Perhaps reading in the school library isn't the best plan then ;) And Nicole is a real psycho yeah.