Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters. they are the sole property of Takahashi Rumiko

-To Sip of Black Velvet-

Chapter 15: Shadows of the Past

Time went by and things got a little better. I still thought about Sesshoumaru often but it didn't hurt so much to remember anymore.

My days were long. On weekdays I forced myself to get up and go to work and on weekends I tried my hardest to keep myself occupied.

At Kaichou things seemed so different to me. The air seemed stale and the people boring. It did not help me to forget about him. It was quite the contrary actually.

Kaichou was sometimes the last place I wanted to be. At first when I had returned to work all the memories that I had made there with Sesshoumaru stifled me. I walked around in a daze replaying the first time that I laid eyes on him or the first night that we ever spoke to one another. Memories crept their way into my mind, trying to make me relive the many nights we teased each other in the bar or the night that we made love after dark on the stage. A tray of glasses shattered to the floor, dropped from temporarily weakened fingers, as my eyes took in the deep gashes of his claw marks that were still embedded within the bar counter.

We had so many memories there. I had met him there, he had been my muse to sing and without my job at Kaichou I never would have known what it felt like to be complete. As short as my chance at happiness had been, I had still had a chance. But I could not see that silver-lining. I did not see our happy beginnings but could not blink away the sight of our bitter end. When I snuck quick drinks from the bar to ease my mind I did not see the glasses as half full but always as half empty.

Kaichou was suffocating me. I hated it there. And it had not been for Miroku and Sango, I may have tried to burn the place to the ground.

Luckily for me, or perhaps for Miroku's bar, they were there and they were enough to at least distract me and pull me out of the fog of my memories. Sango promised me that it would get easier. She said that if I truly wanted to heal Kaichou was where I needed to be. It would take true strength to overcome my heartache in a place that made what happened seem so raw and so real.

And that's exactly what Kaichou did. I could not pretend that I had never met Sesshoumaru walking around in places where the ghost of his presence still lingered. I could not pretend that nothing had happened between him and I or that I was going to see him again when every time the door opened it was not him.

So I spent my weekdays trying to make it through with so many reminders of him and I spent my weekends trying my hardest to keep Sesshoumaru off my mind.

And so with time it got better. It still hurt… but I came to realize that I could live without him.

..O..

"No Miroku." I exclaimed for the hundredth time, "I'm not going to sing tomorrow."

"But you seem to be doing better Kagome." Miroku pleaded. "I've been getting requests for you and everything!"

"I don't care about requests…" I replied back forcefully." I've already told you that I'm never going to sing again, so just stop asking me."

"Just what did this guy do to you?" Miroku asked exasperated.

I flinched at the comment. No one had really referred to Sesshoumaru directly or indirectly in my presence yet.

"Kags, I'm sorry I didn't mean to—"

"Don't worry about it Miroku." I replied back quietly. "Just let everyone know that I won't be singing anymore okay and please let Sango know that you don't need to know my business either."

"Sango only told me so I would know what not to say around you. She didn't mean any harm." Miroku replied. "I'm the dumb one."

I sighed. "It's okay Miroku. And I know Sango only looks out for my best interest." I stated." It's fine really but I'm going to take off if you don't mind. You guys don't need my help cleaning up tonight right?"

"No we'll be fine." Miroku stated. "Go ahead and take off."

I nodded and smiled at Miroku before turning and walking to the back to get my coat and scarf. After I put them on, I headed out the door to begin my trek home. My car had been having trouble and I honestly hadn't had the extra money to fix it so I'd begun walking to and from work. I only lived a few blocks away and before I knew it I had actually found that I liked the walk. It was relaxing and it somehow helped me to keep my mind off of my troubles.

It was dark and cold this night, the only light bearing down on the world was from the sliver of the moon that peaked through hazy clouds. I gazed up at the sky and smiled before frowning slightly as I thought of the being whose brow was adorned with a similar marking. With my chin raised the wind nipped at my cheeks so snuggled down further into my coat and adjusted the scarf that I'd tied around my neck as I continued walking.

Everything was so quiet. As I walked I listened to the tap of my heels against the pavement and found myself being calmed by the simple rhythm. Every once in a while a car would drive by or a cat would saunter out of an alley and I'd be startled back to reality. I questioned myself and strained my eyes as a black SUV passed me for what I was sure had been the fourth time.

"Kagome…"

I could have sworn I heard my name faintly and I jerked my body around trying to take in everything that had become shadowed in the night. As I glanced around my surroundings there was no one that I could see. I was met swiftly with a feeling of intense foreboding and began to hasten my steps. I could feel someone watching me and it wasn't long before I could hear the rhythm of steps against the pavement that were not my own. The steps behind me seemed to increase in speed and before I knew it I had took off into a run.

I inwardly cursed myself for listening to Miroku. He had informed me that I'd make far better tips if only I'd wear heels to work and since my car was in need of repair I had finally relented on this particular day and listened. Fortunately enough for my wallet, Miroku had been right but as my heel caught in a crack in the sidewalk and my body twisted, heavily tumbling forward, I could not bring myself to really care about the extra money that I might never get a chance to spend.

I hit the unforgiving concrete harshly but I was not even given the chance to yell out against that pain before I was met with more. Strong clawed hands gripped my shoulders and I felt the burn of the cold pavement chafing my legs as someone began dragging me forcefully into the further darkened shadows of an alley. I tried to fight back, screaming and punching. I even tried to force my miko powers into my skin just in case my assailant was a demon. As I heard the being above me hiss I wished that I had learned to control my powers more effectively, that I could easily purify my attacker fully. There had only been two beings in my life that had ever felt the burn of my powers; one had been Sesshoumaru's wife, testament to my lack of control for it had been a mere accident, and the other had been…

" I always liked it when you singed me girl…" A dark menacing voice broke through the effort of my struggles and my movements instantly stilled.

At the sound of that voice, my thoughts came to a halt and dread crawled its way up my spine. As my mind clouded over with recognition, I could not find it within myself to fight back. My body instantly recalled what it had done to survive in the past and fighting back had never worked before.

As I was shoved back into the brick wall, my eyes strained in the moonlight to take in the long onyx locks, the disturbingly deceptive handsome face, and the piercing red eyes that I had hoped to never see again since my youth. I had only spoken of my past once in the 5 years since he had been put away for the unspeakable things that he had done to me… and to the others, and that had only been when I'd been safe and protectively wrapped up in Sesshoumaru's embrace. Right then and there, despite everything, I wished that Sesshoumaru was with me now as he had been when he'd consoled me the night I'd allowed him to bear witness to my nightmares. I wished that I had not asked him to give me his word to stay away from me. Who was going to protect me now?

"How wonderful it is meeting you here Kagome." The figure said as he smiled that smile that wasn't really a smile at all.

My skin paled.

"H-how—" I stuttered as I inwardly prayed that this was not really happening. "how did you find me… Naraku?"

As his cold name left my lips, my trembling fingers grasped at the bracelet that still adorned my wrist.

Word Count: 1634

Author's Note:

It's been a week since I updated this story but I put up the announcement on my profile about having a lot of work to do last week so I hope that's fine. I only managed to update my drabble story since it took up less of my time in order to do so. However, this chapter is longer than most of my others so I hope you enjoy.

About this story:

I felt the need to bring back Kagome's turbulent past. I only hinted at it in one previous chapter (Not Strictly Lovers) and also different POVs will begin to make small appearances in this story.

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