Chapter 5: - Secrets & Rumors

They met up with the rest of the mansion's occupants in the living room. Miroku caught Sango's eyes and lit up when she turned away quickly.

"Father, I'm afraid I may need a guide in New York…"

InuYasha met up with Kikyou and they left the room together. Touga chuckled and also left, leaving Sesshomaru to ponder on the three missing occupants. Hime would surely be in one of the guest bedrooms, led astray by one of the maids that Miroku had bribed. Rin and Kagome, however, eluded him completely. He wasn't sure when he'd taken to calling her by her name, as if she would ever know. Perhaps his lack of speech was making him lose his mind. If Rin were in her room, her music would surely carry through the empty halls. His eyes narrowed and he took up a brisk pace. After a quick inspection, he noted both women gone. He was beyond angry, Rin knew better than to leave unaccompanied. The last time she'd gone out alone they'd been lucky enough to find her, otherwise…

"I can't believe you…"

"Are you kidding? He tried to-."

The bits of conversation floated along hallways into Sesshomaru's sensitive ears. His calm patience was wearing thing. His brother and those other people were invading his home. What right did strangers have to change the flow of their day to day lives? He picked up his pace until he caught up with the two just as Rin closed the door to her room. The other turned around with a stiff posture, they'd been caught together. He bore into her with his eyes.

"I'm going to assume you're angry. Just a guess, however," she quipped with a half smile.

Well, he couldn't very well hit his point across, much less speak. Or could he? He should. Rin was being placed in unnecessary danger. Who in their right mind let family run around with strangers? His younger sister was more important than his promise to his late mother.

"Never again."

She didn't seem surprised in the least. She nodded and walked away. Somehow he knew it wouldn't happen again without his knowing. More so, he was surprised at hearing his own voice. It sounded foreign, strangely pleasing, and he was almost vain enough to desire the sound.

"Just to ease your mind: Rin and I went to pick up one of her friends at a club. She got herself into a bit of trouble and I responded."

Rin, on the other side of the door breathed a sigh of relief. She'd gotten into the bathroom and realized that Kagome might just let Sesshomaru know what she'd been caught doing. Kagome had stumbled upon her as she tried to pick the lock to her father's office in order to steal keys to one of his many cars. Kohana needed a ride home and quick. She covered her face with her hands and smiled, if anything she'd found a friend.

The next day, Kagome coerced Miroku into letting her accompany him to Amisai. A few good words on his behalf to Sango and Miroku was a slave to her command. He'd noted that she was unusually quiet and didn't say a word the entire ride there. In truth, Kagome's thoughts lay elsewhere. She was officially on auto-pilot. Miroku stared at her as she unbuckled her seatbelt, her eyes still unfocused.

His voice was deep, rich, pleasing…

"Higurashi-san!"

"Huh?"

She caught Miroku's confused eyes and noticed they were standing in the middle of the parking structure.

"Sorry, I've been a little distracted," she said with a sheepish grin.

He smiled and waved her off, resuming his walk towards the Amisai building. Inside, he wondered just what troubled the young business woman as he weaved through the crowd. He'd seen Rin in a car with her the night before, they'd come back late. Surely Sesshomaru had intercepted them and glared them for a minute. What else could've possibly happened to have her so lost in thought? Perhaps InuYasha hadn't explained Sesshomaru's condition to her and so she thought him rude. He stopped midstride and she looked at him curiously.

"Kagome-sama, you must've met Sesshomaru last night and I-."

"Well isn't this building just crawling with beauties today."

Kagome looked up at the man that interrupted their conversation and noted the arrogance that seemed to come off him in waves. It did not suit him at all, not as well as it suited Sesshomaru. She shivered in response to his name. She prayed that Sesshomaru Takahashi never set his eyes on her; she'd be a slave to his voice for eternity.

"Oooh and this one shivers at the sight of me."

"Kouga," Miroku started with warning in his voice, "this is Higurashi-sama. She's a part of the Xaiden group."

Kouga smiled, ignoring Miroku as usual. This young woman had piercing blue-grey eyes, he found himself captivated in her frown. It was rather intriguing that she hadn't tried to slip him a piece of paper with her details on it yet, but soon enough he'd have it all. He always did, it was the way of the world when Haroshi Kouga was involved. Her ebony hair ended in curls and he wanted to know if it was all natural.

"So this is what InuYasha's company brought along, is it?"

"Excuse me, where'd you learn your manners?"

Her voice, beautiful and powerful, carried through the large hall. Everybody stopped and silence followed her demand. She didn't seem to notice, or perhaps she didn't care. Kouga stared at her confused.

"I'm standing right here, there is no need to speak of me as if I were property. Takahashi-san did not bring me here, I believe I can do all of that on my own. My corporation is in alliance with Amisai and I should hope that you will show me the proper respect from this point on. I will not tolerate such indecency from anybody, much less one such as yourself."

At that point Kagome's eyes caught sight of another Takahashi: Sesshomaru. People seemed to part for him like the seas parted for the gods. His glasses rested on his face giving him more importance than usual, and Kagome wanted to bow to him. Instead she straightened up, narrowed her eyes and started walking.

"Hey! I'm not done talking to you!"

Kouga made to grab her but his hand stopped short of its destination. Sesshomaru took off his glasses and glared at him before pushing Kouga away. Kouga stumbled back and Miroku pulled him aside. Kagome shot another glare his way and continued towards the elevators, Sesshomaru's hand on her back.

Kouga laughed, "You're kidding me right? She has the hots for your mute brother!"

Miroku glared, "You may be a close friend Kouga, but you'd better watch what you say. She's the owner of Xaiden, you should read the company memos a little more often."

Kouga crossed his arms, "Women fall to my charms, and I will have that woman if I wish it."

Miroku chuckled and shook his head, "She's a different breed Hiroshi, and on top of it all she's family."

Kouga froze on the inside. Takahashi Touga was well known to be fiercely protective of the females in his family. If it hadn't been his previous wives, it had been his only daughter. Now he'd acquired a daughter-in-law and apparently Kagome was also family.

"I-Is she Sesshomaru's wife?"

Miroku almost choked at Kouga's question and the nervous expression he bore. Miroku watched his brother and the female board the elevator with a strange smile. Sesshomaru normally didn't interfere with Kouga and his abuse of the female workers in the company, that's what security did. This time, however, Kouga had been deprived of his usual philandering by the man himself.

"She might be," Miroku concluded.

He watched Kouga walk away and realized that the entire company would think Kagome Higurashi was Sesshomaru Takahashi's fiancée in a matter of hours.

"Kouga!"

Panic seized him when he realized the man was gone and no amount of begging would keep the womanizer's mouth shut. That sort of comment would save his reputation of being a ladies man and Kouga was all about reputation.

Kagome couldn't find a temperature appropriate enough in such close quarters to the man that had occupied her thoughts for the past hours. She felt the chills attacking her spine, and she felt her shirt begin to stick to her skin. She could've sworn that the man himself was a desert; radiating heat like no fireplace could ever hope to do. The time in the elevator slowed down to imperceptible milliseconds. It felt like it took weeks to reach the top floor. Had she been going to the top floor? Hadn't she been accompanying Miroku Takahashi? The elevator stopped, Sesshomaru grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out.

"Hey," she protested vehemently, "a simple 'follow me' would suffice, you don't have to lead me!"

The receptionist gave her a shocked look and Kagome fell into step, "Okay, so maybe that was a little rude, no need to stare with an open mouth."

Sesshomaru could've died laughing. The girl didn't know! Perhaps that's why she didn't look at him as if he were a lost cause, why she didn't look at him with pity shining in her eyes. He dreaded the moment she found out, the day she would come back and apologize profusely and give him a notepad so that he could circle whether he forgave her or not. He half wished the girl never knew.

Kagome felt like a package the way Sesshomaru dropped her off in his father's office. Miroku caught up with her not too long after and explained that Kagome had been going into withdrawal from the lack of work.

Touga frowned, "It hasn't even been a day, how can she be going into withdrawal?"

Kagome smiled, "Now Takahashi-sama-."

"And what is this about Kagome and Sesshomaru-."

Miroku coughed, "About that…"

Kagome gasped, "Oh my god you know."

Miroku looked at her surprised, she knew about his mistake?

"I was going to tell you, I swear."

Touga looked at her strangely, "How did this happen?"

Miroku intervened, "I think I'll explain the situation in private. Higurashi-san, if you go down this hallway, the last door is InuYasha and his associate."

Kagome nodded with a frown and left the room.

Touga glared at his son, "How is it that the entire company now believes that Higurashi-san is married to your brother Sesshomaru?"

Miroku chuckled, "About that…"

He retold his story and Touga remained unamused, "When your brother finds out about this…"

As if on cue, Sesshomaru walked in and threw a copy of the e-mail into Miroku's face.

Touga sighed and turned back to his computer. His eyes widened and he picked up the phone. After a few seconds he slammed the phone back onto its receiver and he glared.

"So our entire staff and some of our board members know about Sesshomaru's marriage. They're rather happy for you."

Miroku cringed, "I'll take care of it."

"See that you do."

Kagome flopped down into one of InuYasha's chairs and glared into space. He kicked Hojo out under the pretence that Kagome needed coffee. The guy happily obliged; anything for his beautiful crush. InuYasha cringed at the adoration in his eyes and settled down once he left.

"So what bit your ass today?

Kagome glared at him, "I'm still your boss stupid."

InuYasha shrugged, "Well?"

"Your older brother dragged me around like a stupid rag doll today."

InuYasha gave her a strange look.

"He didn't bother to say 'hey follow me' or something, he just grabbed and walked me like a dog," she said angrily.

"Well," he said slowly, "what do you expect? The guy doesn't talk."

Kagome huffed, "Not often, anyway."

"No," he reiterated, "he doesn't talk."

"Whatever, he sure did talk last night."

InuYasha rolled his eyes, "Kagome, that guy hasn't spoken since our mother died. He blamed himself for the entire thing and then gave up talking."

Kagome glared at him, "Thanks InuYasha, maybe if the guy hadn't spoken to me last night."

"Must've been dreaming about the guy already then," Miroku, who'd appeared behind her chair, said. "He doesn't speak to anybody. Not his family, not anybody."

Kagome turned in her chair and frowned. She'd heard him clear as day; she'd even spent hours contemplating his voice. Perhaps that was why it was so entrancing, because it was aged to perfection as wine, precious enough to only be heard once in a lifetime. She didn't push the subject with the brothers, perhaps Sesshomaru didn't want her to go around letting them know that the moment he decided to use his vocal chords it wasn't with his family. In his defense, however, it was for his family.

"Psst!"

"Huh?"

"Psst! Rin-chan! Did you get in trouble last night?"

Rin turned slightly in her seat and smiled at Kohana, "Nope."

Kohana's face lit up and sat back in her seat. Rin returned to the doodles on her notebook. She knew she should pay attention but the changes in her home had her preoccupied. InuYasha returned, for an indefinite amount of time, and brought strangers along. She knew them better than they knew themselves! Her brothers all had their own special talents: Sesshomaru was just the best of them. Miroku had a way with people, InuYasha had a way with numbers, and Rin had a way with finding information thought to be long buried.

"I want a report on the true definition of calculus and examples of its use in your daily lives by this Friday. You are free to go."

Rin shoved her notebook into her purse (which was quite large) and walked out with Kohana right behind her. They giggled about the previous night and Rin laughed out loud, she'd gotten off the hook scotch free. Her overprotective brother hadn't so much as pulled her aside. Usually when she did something he deemed idiotic he wrote her an entire letter or memo and made sure she received it come morning.

"Nope! No letters, no memos. Whatever that lady said to him last night must've been good."

"Oh that's right, Kagome-san!"

Rin smiled, "Mhm. She didn't even say anything to my dad about the entire situation. She kept it all a secret and even winked at me during breakfast. I like her better than I like my sister-in-law."

Kohana giggled, "Why don't you like your brother's wife again?"

"InuYasha's wife… She's the reason this entire thing started. If she hadn't swung her hips in my brother's direction he wouldn't have left and Miroku wouldn't be married to her."

They reached a bench underneath a couple of trees that offered shade from the heat. They sat down and Rin pulled out a water bottle.

"Yeah, Miroku's wife is staying at our house 'hoping to get closer to her husband'. Bunch of bullshit," she muttered, whispering the last part with resentment.

"Hime-san? I overheard my daddy saying that her father's company is on the verge of destruction," Kohana said with a finger on her chin and her eyes to sky, trying to remember the details. "Maybe she's trying to keep herself financially secure?"

Rin sipped some water, "Miroku refuses to have anything to do with her, wife or not. He resents her for the entire situation."

Kohana nodded sympathetically, "I guess it makes sense. But still, how can you get rid of a woman desperate to keep her expensive lifestyle? I mean, if daddy didn't have money…"

"Oh shut up Kohana," Rin giggled. "I can look up that woman's entire file and ruin her… in seconds."

Kohana cringed at the smile on her best friend's face. Rin looked down at her watch and they both realized they had five minutes before their next class.

"We'll talk later, alright?"

Kohana nodded and they parted ways. Rin Takahashi threw away her water bottle and rubbed her hands together enthusiastically. What better than to use her powers for greatness? If Miroku couldn't get rid of her, Rin sure as hell would. There was no room for Hime Amaretsu in the Takahashi family tree as far as she was concerned.

Better late than never, as always. :)