Cold Winter's Depth – Chapter 4: Golden Cage
His sons, sans Sesshomaru, sat across from him in his office. Miroku's good mood had left him much too early on. Both of them seemed uncomfortable in their chairs, unsure as to how to act in the given situation.
"I'm sure our family isn't as close as it should be and perhaps it never will be. I am to understand that InuYasha is happy where he is now. Sesshomaru I leave to you. I will not intercede. He is of his own thinking."
InuYasha nodded. Sesshomaru, his oldest brother, did not take well to disloyalty. Even though he denied it through writing, in his eyes, Sesshomaru was vulnerable with his family. InuYasha had done him the ultimate wrong by running out on him, however indirectly. It would be hard to regain the trust he'd broken between his brother and himself, but before then he'd have to get the man to just stay in the same room for more than a few seconds.
"Well, I'm sure both of you must be tired from the day's activities. I hope you both have a good night. Miroku, I'm still waiting on that report from you. I trust it'll be in my possession by tomorrow."
"I'll get it done as early as possible," Miroku agreed.
He nodded and watched them leave. Truly, he was the only one at fault and could not find a way out of the mess he'd made. He picked up one of Sesshomaru's reports. Many on the company board felt that Sesshomaru, although a valuable asset, should not be involved so much inside of the company. It should be Miroku that was filing the reports and catching the mistakes inside of the company. However important their opinions may have been to him, however, Touga Takahashi refused to take away Sesshomaru's one passion: his job. He did his job with a precision he had not seen in any of his children; it would be stupid of him professionally to let him go.
Amisai-Amaretsu Arrangement. He'd asked Sesshomaru to look into the status of the arrangement he'd made with Kudoshi, Miroku's father-in-law. He'd had the feeling for a couple of months that he'd rushed into the agreement far too quickly. His knowledge on international affairs was limited and he'd been the only one involved. Status: Failed. His stomach slowly slipped into a bottomless abyss. He'd forced his son into a leadership position that didn't suit him, and then forced him into a loveless marriage. He had made awful mistakes professionally, and he'd failed irrevocably as a father. Could there possibly be a way out of the hole he'd dug himself into?
Kagome lay awake in her bed, staring into nothingness. It was a bad idea to have everybody under one roof. She felt nervous about the arrangements. One wrong move and they could end up on the hostile streets of Japan with no way to rent a room. The steady beating of rain brought her out of her musings into the calm rush of the crystalline water. She threw off her covers and walked to the only window in the room. Pushing the drapes to the side, she took in the extensive gardens illuminated only by the moon. Even through the glass she could feel the drop in the temperature and her skin broke out into chills. The drops of water sparkled, each catching bits and pieces of moonlight.
Her thoughts turned to Miroku Takahashi. She wondered what it would be like if she had married for the sake of convenience. Could she truly live her life being married and not knowing her husband's whereabouts, perhaps his name? It was a horrifying nightmare even in thought. Could her loyalty to her family run as deep as Miroku's obviously did? She turned back to her bed with many thoughts coursing through her mind. Even so, however, the morning would prove to be interesting.
The atmosphere in his home had changed overnight. Even the silence he was accustomed to became overwhelming. The steady beating of rain had brought him back into the realm of consciousness. It was a better wake up call than that of the blundering maid from before. He finished pulling on a long sleeved shirt and glanced at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. As always, he noted the similarities to his mother. There were enough to keep her in his memory.
"Master Sesshomaru?"
He looked at his door, wondering if the new maid honestly expected an answer. Perhaps she hoped for a beautiful miracle?
"Breakfast is ready," she announced.
He heard her footsteps fade away, am small bit of resentment began growing at her ignorance. A steady knock at his door brought him out of his dark thoughts. Perhaps the girl was back to ask more questions and still expecting audible answers.
"Maru?"
Miroku stuck his head inside with a wide grin. He answered with a blank expression, his eyes full of questions. Miroku wasn't one to knock; he walked wherever he pleased to his own amusement.
"I'm ready to see you to the breakfast table Silent One."
Sesshomaru shook his head and pushed past him. Even now, he knew that his brother only meant well in his jokes. He should've been used to all of the names he could've possibly ever been called.
"One of these days you'll talk and tell me what you really think about my skills."
Miroku continued holding his one-sided conversation, his voice the only sound in the empty halls. Usually Rin's music would be blasting from her small desktop speakers, his father's voice would float to his ears as he tried to reschedule appointments, and the maids would be gossiping about what they'd found in Miroku's laundry. Sometimes he believed that Miroku left things in there on purpose. He pushed the door open and noted that only two seats were left. His eyes caught his brother's among a sea of strangers. Of their own accord, his eyes narrowed. It had become an instinctive reaction to InuYasha's name, his face, anything.
"Good morning!"
Miroku pushed him towards his chair and the tense silence he'd sensed strengthened. He continued staring at InuYasha, whom carefully avoided his eyes. There was no guilt in his features, only a shameful regret. As it may have been, it didn't excuse him from the effort he'd have to put forward in order to make up for the sacrifice Miroku had made on his behalf. Sesshomaru was not one for forgiveness. After all, how could he forgive others when he couldn't forgive himself?
After an uneventful morning and much anticipated presentation on InuYasha and Hojo's behalf, the group patiently watched the Amisai board finish up their notes. Slowly, one by one they put down their pens and nodded at their head, Touga.
"I am well satisfied with your company's work Higurashi-san. If none of my board has questions, we will continue our meeting and decide whether another company is better suited than your own."
Kagome nodded, her body frozen in place. She didn't remember any other such high-stress situation, perhaps this was the way of international business.
"Board members?"
They shook their heads and slowly Kagome's team filed out of the conference room. InuYasha, the only one in their group familiar with Japan, offered to take them all to a nearby coffee house in order to soothe their nerves and pass the time. The final verdict would be ready later on, the board members would be picking apart all of the presentations and the financial charts and were most efficient in their job.
Touga chuckled as he filled his oldest in on the meeting.
"Out of all the companies I met, I liked them the most. They had answers for everything; I couldn't imagine a more, well-prepared group. They relied on each other and worked with their strengths."
Sesshomaru quirked an eyebrow, his pen stopped writing in expectation.
"No, not because it was my son that had a hand in it."
His pen went back to the elegant penmanship covering half of the contract.
"It's a brilliant idea. The motto has a new light shining upon it. It highlights our main points exceptionally well-. It made me want to partner with myself!"
Sesshomaru handed him the contract with notes scribbled everywhere in an elegantly laid out mess.
"I would like for you to meet these people and get a feel for them. It is my belief that they are honest and loyal. Breakfast this morning doesn't count as you meeting them Sesshomaru," he said, catching his pointed look. "And I know it isn't like you could hold a conversation with them, but you could always try-."
His secretary's voice droned out his sentence, to his annoyance. Sesshomaru left the room, leaving his father to the board's decision. He was no idiot, Touga Takahashi was out to reconcile his two sons and possibly lure one back into the company.
He damned Kagome Higurashi to hell repeatedly the moment he set food inside Amisai's main branch for the third time. The day before, they'd been acknowledged as the best team and had been given a proposal to sign. As part of the contract, all of them held a place inside of Amisai until Kagome had a branch built in Japan for them to direct. The most shameful part of it, however, was InuYasha's. He'd been given his old office, close to the top floor, and he hadn't heard the end of it. Millions of conversations were buzzing around him, even in the elevators. The most popular theory was that he'd failed in his endeavors and his ever gracious father had taken him in.
When Kikyou offered him a job he'd been thankful. He'd been grateful to Kagome for the opportunity to rebuild his life without too many questions. After making himself financially stable, he'd married Kikyou. He'd hurt her by refusing a holy union, but he couldn't bear the thought of not having his family present. At that moment in time, he knew that was near impossible. If they found out where he was, he'd been dragged back into his father's arms and business.
"Do you think Ms. Higurashi would like it if I…"
InuYasha tuned him out. If it wasn't worse, he had to share his space with Hojo Asuka. After the first few weeks of working together, Asuka had found InuYasha to be a reliable confidant and confessed to being in love with Kagome Higurashi. InuYasha hadn't cared, but Asuka had begun to relate every 'beautiful aspect of her personality' in detail. Every bloody day.
"Have you seen her today InuYasha?"
He looked up with annoyance, "No Asuka, I'm nowhere near her office and I've been with you the entire time."
"Oh, that's right. Do you know what kind of…"
InuYasha looked at the door longingly. Time was unmerciful and slow. He prayed to God for salvation from the horror that Hojo Asuka embodied in his present life.
Miroku leaned back in his office chair, the perfect picture of serenity. His coat hung on a cherry wood coat hanger close to the door, his briefcase lay open on a corner of his cluttered desk. He chewed on one of his pens, reading through a contract he would have to sign or reject with a full explanation. He flipped a page and saw number figures and groaned. There they were, the hieroglyphics of his life: mathematic symbols and charts. It was moments such as those (that came almost every day) that Miroku realized just how much better Sesshomaru was at running Amisai than he. The oldest was the one that excelled in his endeavors, whereas the other two had two halves of the knowledge. InuYasha had mathematics down pat, Miroku had people skills.
Later on that night, Miroku's pensiveness seemed to have traveled on to Kagome, who (once again) lay awake in her bed. Her earlier victory lay fresh on her mind and kept her awake with different plans that she was trying to piece together. In a fit of frustration, she threw off her covers and decided that perhaps a midnight snack could help occupy her mind. It was closer to two in the morning than to midnight and she had assured herself that nobody could possibly be awake to witness her escapade. With the confidence of a successful business woman, Kagome slipped out of her room wearing small, white shorts and a white tank top. The house lay dormant with scarce light.
"Inu!"
Kagome's hands flew to her mouth and stomach, respectively, and hurried down the hallway. Certainly, her family could only give her nightmares. She reached the bottom of the stairs in record time, adrenaline drowning out any other noise.
"Ugh," she muttered, "disgusting."
She pushed the door to the kitchen and closed her eyes at the sudden bright light, her arms up trying to lessen the effect.
"Higurashi-san, what a pleasure."
Kagome froze, catching sight of the man that would take over Amisai (Miroku Takahashi) eating a sandwich with a pleased smile.
"Takahashi-sama," she greeted, slowly adjusting to the lighting and the situation she found herself in.
"Just Miroku's fine. We're family after all, aren't we?"
Kagome smiled, "Yes, but you must also call me Kagome."
He nodded, "Kagome, this is Sesshomaru."
Kagome turned to a man that she'd totally missed. Perhaps the lights coupled with the stress of work had finally done her in. How could anybody miss him, he stuck out like sore thumb against the brilliant marble tiles in the kitchen…
"Kagome?"
"Huh?"
Miroku couldn't help but laugh at her reaction. It was rather… different. Both men were used to the sad, regretful looks. The kind of look that all gold diggers took when they realized that Takahashi Sesshomaru was a lost cause.
"This here is the oldest son, the one with all the brains in Amisai."
Kagome snapped herself out of her mindless staring, his cold eyes and stiff demeanor obviously projected discomfort. She herself felt rather awkward, it would be her luck to meet co-workers in such an embarrassing state of dress.
"Ah, I'm sorry, gomen nasai. I just hadn't expected… I'm so embarrassed," she said, looking down at her sleeping clothes and then the door.
"He'll get over it," Miroku interrupted. "Anything we can help you with in particular?"
"No, just out for a midnight snack."
He smiled, "Alright. We'll leave you to your exploring. Good night."
Kagome watched them leave, both still in their clothes from the day before sans the coats and ties. She dropped herself into a nearby table with wide eyes. The oldest brother, Sesshomaru Takahashi, was nothing short of an enigma.
'Incapacitated.'
He looked positively healthy, if not a little rude and cold. His shoulders were broad and his hands dwarfed hers, judging only by vision. His eyes, however, were far different from his family's. Sesshomaru's eyes were harsh, amber stones filled with cool disregard. Kagome could've sworn she'd turned into a statue in that moment his eyes had swept over her. She had never felt so intimidated by anybody.
'To think he could've been the righteous owner of Amisai…'
The company would've known no bounds. Their success would've been remarkable under such a character. His flawless poker face would elude the competition and, if he was indeed the brains inside of his father's company, he would've outsmarted them all.
'What could his problem possibly be?'
Settling for an apple from a fruit basket, she returned to her room. Thankfully the halls were silent even as her door clicked closed.
The next morning Kagome found the Takahashi family passing around plates of food to one another. Sango stood off to the side, waiting.
"Good morning guys."
Sango smiled, "Hello Kags, care to try and steal breakfast?"
Kagome laughed along with her friend until she caught Sesshomaru studying her. She felt the age-old urge to see what was on her face to make her so interesting. Miroku noticed and pushed his elbow into his brother's ribs.
"Stop staring, it's impolite"
In response, Sesshomaru left the breakfast table. Miroku chuckled and continued to eat. InuYasha shook his head and Kikyou looked fairly uncomfortable sitting next to Rin, the youngest of the Takahashi family. Rin wasn't making a big secret of a small dislike of her new-found sister-in-law. For whatever reason, Rin had not taken to Kikyou as most people did.
"I'm afraid you'll have to excuse my sons, they were never much for social manners."
Kagome shook her head, "There's nothing to apologize for. I'm sure he just realized he'd forgotten something."
"Sit down girl. Today I wish for you to allow my daughter Rin to give you a tour of your surroundings. I hope that this will make you feel more comfortable. I'm sure you dislike relying on us to get you from Point A to Point B."
Kagome took a seat, listening intently to his plans. Rin, his daughter, sat across from her with a cheerful smile, a stark contrast to the glower that had set upon her face when her attention was solely upon Kikyou.
"Soon the final contract will be given to my sons then to myself. Until then, take this as a small vacation."
Kagome held his gaze with questioning eyes, "Vacation?"
Sango's laughter filled the dining room, "Vacation isn't in her dictionary!"
Touga frowned, "She will add it today, I assure you."
Somehow, Kagome knew that she would meet dead ends in her quest for productivity. However, that hardly would stop her from trying. The doorbell resounded through the mansion. Nobody made a sound and the sudden clicking of heels on the marble floor sounded loud and ominous. A maid opened the door and bowed for a petite woman with wavy, brown hair. She wore a beige suit, a set of short pearls, and white, four-inch heels. Her look was immaculate and pristine.
Touga sprung into action, rising out of his chair, "Hime-san, what a surprise!"
She nodded with a smile, "Hai, Takahashi-san, I'm here to perhaps stay a while and catch up with my husband and, of course, to represent my father's company, Amaretsu."
InuYasha looked to Miroku, who held a tight grip on his fork. Kagome and Sango looked at each other and then stared at the young woman. She seemed every bit the business woman, with beauty to boot. Rin, the only unaffected, stood up and walked right past Hime without any proper greeting.
"It's quite late Hime-san. We'll leave you to get settled in on your own, if it isn't too much trouble."
Miroku pulled a maid aside and talked to her quickly and she ran off without a word. After that, he too left the breakfast table. InuYasha and his father followed close behind. Sesshomaru fell into step with them half way to their father's home office. Once inside, Miroku paced frantically as they took their respective seats.
"Why is she here?"
"I'm afraid I do not know Miroku. Perhaps she hopes to fix the failing venture between our companies."
"What company is she representing, if you don't mind my asking," InuYasha interrupted. "I'm hoping my hearing failed me and I heard wrong back there."
Touga blinked, "I wouldn't see why. Amaretsu. Hime's father, Kudoshi, built it from the ground up."
InuYasha's eyes narrowed, "Bet he did. But word in our networking is that he's been dealing in the Black Market. The companies we're in alliance to refuse to look over their contracts."
Touga's eyes narrowed in an unfocused direction. Hadn't he sent a team of men to scout out rumors, discredit any if possible? Some men were sure to be terminated quickly; there was no incompetence in his company. Soon he'd have to do many things himself, if only to make sure they were done correctly.
"So we've been providing them with protection from other companies? From bankruptcy?"
InuYasha shrugged, "Of course I'm not completely sure, but they've been predicted to fail in the next few months. Amisai might serve as their cover up for their sizable income and Hime-san may be here to secure her financial status as Miroku's wife, just in case."
Miroku frowned, "We signed a prenuptial agreement. Even if we divorced, our assets would remain our own."
InuYasha laughed, "Perhaps she wished to make you fall in love with her and secure herself that way. Many men are known to let their fortunes slip through their fingers in regards to their women."
Miroku sighed, finally dropping into a seat.
"Even if I wanted to make it work, it would be impossible. There is too much tension and remorse between us. I'm afraid that this can only end badly. When I see her, I only think of duty and work."
InuYasha looked at him aghast, "That any woman could bring about such an emotion…"
Touga had a frown etched on his face, "For now she stays. She is still part of the family. However, I want you to look into these rumors in the States."
Sesshomaru and Miroku listened attentively to their directions. InuYasha felt slightly out of place in the discussion then. His loyalty didn't lie with Amisai anymore – it lay with Xaiden. In a way, he realized, he was becoming the point of communication between the two. Soon enough, he'd be neutral ground, per se.
"Miroku, I want you to do this personally. Sesshomaru and I will take up your burden while you are gone."
InuYasha could feel Miroku's joy, He would leave his wife and burden behind, if only for a while. InuYasha empathized with his younger brother. The exhilaration of freedom only a few breaths away was irresistible in its seduction. Miroku was being given the opportunity to live the life that he'd been deprived of, if only for a few days.
"Now that we have taken a proper course of action, I'm delighted to say it's time to respectively retire and head to work, perhaps."
They nodded in agreement and filed out. InuYasha stayed behind and frowned. A voice in the back of his head silently wondered if Miroku would return from his trip at all. After all, what bird would willingly return to its golden cage?