Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters. And I don't make any profit from this story. The only thing I get is extreme satisfaction.

Hey! If you are reading this means you're interested in my story. And I would be more grateful if you would continue reading and eventually review. I apologize in advance for any mistakes in spelling or in grammar that I could possibly commit in my chapters. I would also like to let you know that if the words, scenes, or the plot of this story are, in one way or another, similar to yours or any of those that you have already read, it was purely a coincidence. Review guys!!!

And oh by the way, I posted an unfinished older version of this story, the same title and author. I decided to make some changes. Major changes. So if you are one of those fellows who have read it before, and if I am not bothering your time, please read it again. I assure you that the changes were necessary and were for the betterment of this fan fiction.
Thank you.
figarra0217

PROLOGUE

Los Angeles, California

“You know what, dad? Fine! I’ll go that stupid party!” Before her father could answer at her insolent tone, she flipped close her phone and gripped it until she was sure her knuckles were white. She stared outside the window of the moving limousine and saw the faces of the ordinary people leading an ordinary life- unlike hers. Damn. Because, hell, ordinary people don’t dine with a Princess or other monarch leaders; and act like a goddamn statue during dinner. But because of her father’s insistence that she attend, she was going to have to postpone her vacation in Japan.
It may be a horrible fact that Hiroyuki L. Ashizawa is one of the most prominent and successful businessmen but that certainly did not make him the “Father of the Year,” Kaori thought. Being his only daughter was anything but a curse. She sighed as the valet opened her side of the door. A group of photographers started taking pictures of her as she stepped out of the limousine. Kaori smiled for a second and walked towards the entrance of the hotel which the party will be held. Tonight’s party was hosted by her celebrity friend, so her attendance is a must or else her phone would ring endlessly in the morning until she’d gone deaf. She sighed again, eyeing all the gorgeous people of the show business, waving back to the people who acknowledged her presence. She couldn’t decide if they are worse than those serious-looking, business-talking people she has started disliking the moment she was born simply because they interact with her father. Her eyes wandered through the rest of the place. Each table was adorned with a center piece of orchids and set with fine delft china. Finding her name on a place card, she walked head held high to the assigned table where a few people were seated. She hoped she wouldn’t be obliged to talk to any one of them. But, dear God, she caught a glimpse of a man who is clearly one of God’s finest creations. She saw one of his movies before and in spite of the all that seemed sentimental and mushy to her, she'd been able to catch a bit of the fascination he held for the audience. He'd been very much a man's man, strong and vital in his adventure pictures, and women too, were clearly susceptible to his special charms. He appeared tall and lean- perhaps the best word was lanky- yet possessed a natural grace of movement that was very appealing. The camera loves him. His eyes said more than any lines they gave him and a crease in one cheek brought an interesting twist to his smile. He had a special way of walking off with his back to the camera and then pause to look over his shoulder, almost mischievously, as though some secret existed between him and the audience. And now that she is looking at him in person, he didn't seem to be as tough as he appeared on screen, which is a positive thing for her. Of course the looks were there, have mercy on her, but he did not carry an air of arrogance like he appeared on TV. She took a deep breath to calm he nerves and then walked ahead.



“I shouldn't have listened to you,” he said, sipping his glass of wine. “God, I hate these parties.”
Jake Burns, his friend for almost ten years, chuckled. “You're here now, man, so stop complaining and smile, for God’s sake!” He reprimanded then he eyed the few reporters across their table.
Jake, his manager, was the real blessing, or a nuisance, depending on his mood. And as of this moment, his mood was black. It wasn’t everyday that he is given a few hours of free time, and hell, he had to spend it by attending a party because if not, his name would be in tabloids, accused of womanizing elsewhere. He scowled. He was beginning to get weary just looking at almost the same people every-freaking-day.
He waved his hand carelessly with a turn in his head, clearly irritated. “Just look around and tell me something interesting. There is no--”
He stopped. The dinner was announced; a woman stood not a good 3 meters away from him. She turned heads as she passed and no wonder she was the most beautiful creature the sexy hunk actor, Kenji Higurashi had ever seen. Tall, slender, with shoulder-length black hair, she seemed to float gracefully between the tables. And this woman, this drop-dead gorgeous woman, is walking straight forward to their table with a look of boredom and irritation he also had. They gazes met and he could have sworn the temperature in the room spiked up. He swallowed nervously and tried to loosen up his tie. Jesus H. Christ.
Adolph, a man he just barely met few minutes ago hopped up to greet her, kissing her on both cheeks.
“My dear, I was afraid you decided not to appear tonight.”
She lowered herself gracefully on her chair beside him. He noticed that she didn’t even offer him a glance and he frowned. ”Sudden change of plans.”
Her voice. God, that voice.
He couldn’t help but notice that he was staring at her rudely, but it couldn’t be helped. He had to look, had to hear what she would say. Although he thought he heard resentment in her voice as he stared at the flawless, bare shoulders, his eyes inadvertently following her long, milky-white neck to a cloud of blue chiffon draped over her full breasts. He felt Jake kick his foot under the table. As if feeling his gaze, Kaori finally looked at him with misty brown eyes, raising a brow and picked up his place card.
“Higurash?”
“Higurashi.” He corrected, looking at his misspelled surname before offering her a sexy smile which she returned and Kenji’s breath was caught in his throat. He glanced around to compose himself and his gaze fell upon her name in the place card.
“You're Kaori Ashizawa.”
“How clever of you.”
Jake shot him a look that he couldn’t quite comprehend while clearing his throat.
“Are you an actress?” he pressed on, wanting as much information as he could from her because if she were one, he should have heard of her before.
“Oh, no!” she answered.
All throughout the dinner, she was speaking to Adolph, asking him about his family. He didn’t learn anything interesting about because Adolph did all the talking while she nodded politely. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the majordomo whispering to Adolph, who then immediately got up.
Kaori turned, “Leaving me already?”
“Yes, my darling. My wife is alone at home,” he answered wryly. “But don't forget---Saturday evening at our house.”
Kenji saw her face grew tight. “I can't. I have to be in Long Island.”
“Too bad. We'll miss you,” Adolph kissed her cheek once again and nodded at Kenji and to the other men in their table.
“Enjoy the rest of the evening,” he finally said to all the occupants in their table and finally left.
As Kaori sipped her wine, Kenji tried to resume their conversation.
“Do you live in Long Island?” he asked, fishing for more information.
“Sometimes.” Her answer was as simple as that. Then she suddenly rose. “Excuse me. I have to find the hostess.”
He looked at her retreating figure before turning to Jake, only to him staring incredulously at him. Knowing fully well what is running in his mind, he ignored him and instead asked a question.
“Jake, who is this Kaori Ashizawa I'm sitting next to?” His friend’s brows met.
“You don't know who she is?”
“Well, I know she's beautiful- I like her.” he admitted easily, trying to keep his voice down. Jake chuckled.
“Figures. Kenj, you should know that she's the daughter of H.L Ashizawa.”
“H.L Ashizawa?”
“One of the richest men in the world of business.”
“Oh. Would that be a problem?”
“If you know him, you know it would.”
Kenji looked around for the subject of their conversation but she was nowhere in sight. People were beginning to leave and went retrieve their coats and the thought that she might probably left made him a little disappointed. Then after a moment, he felt a tug on his sleeve. The woman of his thoughts smiled at him.




Kenji hurried down to the florist and selected a bouquet of white lilies to be sent to Kaori.
Call me before they wilt. Kenji Higurashi.

He wrote, underlining the `i' in his surname. He hoped she would call him, considering the fun they had for the past weeks. She had a good time, he was sure of it and he couldn’t help but notice how happy she was to finally be with someone she wasn’t quite related with. It gave her a sense of freedom and she enjoyed every moment of it. He learned that she was an only child. Her mother had died when she was in her early childhood. And at that time, her father’s business was at its highest peak and she was completely forgotten. He tried to make her laugh, hating her occasional-far away looks.
It was heaven every time she smiled.
Kenji reminisced every moment of it while entering the building he has been going to for the past five years. He was born and raised in Japan, but when her mother remarried, he flew in to California, trying to find his luck. Apparently, it was a good decision because show business gave him a name and fortune.
“I can't get her out of my mind,' he confided to Jake, ignoring his friend's chatter regarding his schedule for the day. Jake was the first American who became his friend, and for whatever it is worth, Jake was the reason why he is in such a wonderful state right now.
“You better try,' he heard his friend answered, “because H.L Ashizawa won't let you near her. He's a one mean son of a bitch.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, taking a sip of his coffee.
Jake scratched his neatly trimmed beard and over to him.
“Kenj, everybody knows the story. His own father was in the hospital, dying. He turned over the family's fortune to him-but you'll never believe what happened- his father miraculously survived. But did he give the money back? No. The old man died of a broken heart, abandoned without a penny.”
Kenji frowned. From Kaori’s stories, that sounded like something he would do. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, having a good imagination of how Kaori must have suffered form him. Not necessarily physical abuse, but he learned he was a domineering man who neglected his obligations as a father but made a goddamn good job being a businessman.
He shrugged. “Well. I'm not interested in H.L.” He said, thinking of the petite woman with long, black hair and hazel eyes. His lips twitched into a warm smile.

___________________________________________________________ ________

Tokyo, Japan

When someone stood up to call the church to worship, Izayoi Watanabe looked at her watch and saw it was 10:00. Good, she thought. They were actually starting on time for a change. Before Deacon Thomas passed away, he started devotion like clockwork., but ever since Deacon Paul took responsibility, they've been starting anywhere between ten to fifteen minutes late, which didn't make sense but who was she to complain. She sat beside her brother-in-law Kevin, and on his right was her older sister, Caroline. They were raised in a Christian family although almost the whole of Japan believes in traditional religious services.
The choir walked in two by two and spread throughout the choir stand. The pastor and three other deacons faced the congregation. The first deacon read a scripture from St. John, the second spoke a meditation thought and the third led the congregation in a prayer. Then the choir sang the words of each verse at a normal speed, but when the congregation joined in, the signing came out as a sort of dragged-out way. She flinched. They were a bit out of pitch which is a little ironic because, really, it’s church.
"Trust fully in His promise," she heard a little boy sang out in a perfect pitch, "Why worry, worry, worry, worry, worry,--when you pray?" he continued. A tidal wave of deep chuckles swept though the congregation.



Inutashio Takahashi let a sigh of relief as Sesshoumaru, aged three, sat down on the pew where they were seated. The little boy, with his unruly silvery, white hair hung loose over his shoulder, glanced up to him, looking as pleased as a peacock, his giant smile revealed a missing tooth. Inu's heart warmed to the boy, despite his loud singing that caught the attention of the congregation.
Jesus. The child is a headache personified.
Pastor Dan took his text, and preached the first part. He asked for a couple of Amens after benediction.
Inu looked around and gasped when Sesshy stood up. The worst is yet to come.
"I want everybody to pray that God will give me a mommy," his son said in a heart-tugging, grown-up way. Inu took a deep gulp and stared shockingly at his three year old son- the child who just made the blunt request. Giggles rippled across the sanctuary. He felt the hair on the back of his neck rising. Was every eye on him and Sesshy?
With a quick look around the mostly elderly congregation, he noted everyone was staring in their direction. He hoped they weren't offended whatsoever. Then his gaze focused upon a woman seated on the front pew. She was smiling.
"I want everybody to pray real hard," Sesshy stood on tiptoes, clutching the pew in front of him, looking earnestly at Pastor Dan behind the pulpit. Inu stretched his long legs out.
"Psst, Sesshy," he whispered, "Sit down." he tried to keep the irritation out of his voice. Fortunately, his son sat down playing with something. But later, he was throwing a paper airplane across several rows of empty pews. He groaned.
"This little boy wants a mommy." Pastor Dan said good-naturedly, from the pulpit, his face taking a serious look. "Never discount a little one's simple faith. Let us bow down our heads and call out to Him to grant this little one's need."
Then a deacon led the prayer. Inu tried to concentrate on the prayer but his mind wandered off several years ago, focused on his wife. His dead wife, whose life was caused by some greedy people robbing their mansion and had suffered from a gun shot. He felt something uncomfortable setting within his being, making him helpless. He understood that Sesshy needs a mother but he didn’t want to settle for the least. He has to be in love and then from that, he would ponder if marriage would be next in line.
Someone pulled on his coat sleeve. "You can open you eyes, Dad," Sesshoumaru chirped in his loud, high pitched voice for all to hear. "The deacon said amen a long time ago."



When the church worship service ended, Kaori made her way to the parking lot. She glanced over her shoulder to see Kevin and Caroline still standing in front of the church, waiting for someone. She changed direction and made her way towards them because every Sunday, they were usually having lunch together. She wondered if they have other unavoidable appointments and needs to cancel.
Just as she reached the last step, she saw them rushed forward to meet a man she recognized as the father of the little, funny man during the service.
"Good morning, Mr. Takahashi," she heard Kevin greeted the man, shaking his hand.
"Kevin,” the man returned.
“Please allow me to introduce my wife, Caroline,” then we he saw Kaori, he added, “and her younger sister, Kaori.”
"Pleased to meet both of you." the man smiled lightly. The man’s gaze focused on her a little longer.
“Ladies, this is Mr. InuTashio Takahashi.”
“Oh,” Caroline gasped out. Kaori’s mouth dropped a little but regained quickly. So this is the man Kevin had been mouthing for the last month. He has nothing but positive words for him that she wanted to cover her ears and roll her eyes. Mr. Takahashi owned the Tashio Corporation, one of the largest companies in Japan. He made the Japan branch his main office after his wife’s death a year ago.
The four people turned their heads as a little boy yelled and dragged out his father's name.
"Daaaaad!"
"I'm here, buddy." Inutashio yelled back with a wave of his hand. It was then that she realized why Kevin liked him so much. As she studied him and his appearance, she noticed that he was wearing decent enough attire for the service and not some expensive suit she had seen Kevin worn. He also had a gentle expression in his face though the man wasn’t at all smiling.
Sesshoumaru rushed to his father’s side, carrying an elongated-shaped balloon that he must have purchased nearby the church exit. The little boy looked so cute, so innocent. Before she could stop herself, she reached out and stroked his silvery hair.
"Well, hello there, little one."
Little Sesshoumaru looked at her suspiciously, then after a split of second, a wide, bright smile spread out across his face as the realization hit him.
"You-- you could be my mother," he suggested happily.

_________________________________________________________ _______________
For the past months, Kaori had been living in pure heaven and life was better than ever. She and Kenji discovered so many things about each other. Some good, some bad but despite all the unwanted attributes, they had fallen in love all the more. She had moved in with and Kenji was astonished to know that she was a gourmet cook. When he came home from work, wonderful, exotic aromas would be emanating from the kitchen. She ordered fresh flowers, bought new lamps and rugs. It didn't even seem like the same house anymore. In the morning, he would wake up and turn to look at her fast asleep, her hair like a veil covering her angelic face. Often, coming home from the studio, he would walk in the door to hear her calling his name and then he would run upstairs to find her stretched out in the tub, eyes beckoning him from under hooded lids as she handed him the soap. He grinned. Nothing could probably ruin their perfect arrangement. Except, maybe, for one.
Later that night, he got a phone call from H.L Ashizawa himself. The gruff voice said,
"I'm completely against it. My daughter is impulsive. She doesn't know what she's doing. I won't have her marrying an actor."
“With all due respect, Sir, I disagree. Your daughter is a great woman. Please do not insult her by saying otherwise.”
The man in the other line cursed then answered with venom in his voice.
“Then I will have to destroy you."
The next night, they were married in Las Vegas.
H.L broke his silence in a letter from his lawyer, advising Kaori that he was taking legal steps to disinherit her.

MR. HIROYUKI L. ASHIZAWA WISHED TO INFROM YOU THAT
HE WILL HENCEFORTH CEASE TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOU
AS HIS DAUGHTER.

This put Kaori in a tailspin. Kenji came home from photo shoots abroad and found her practically unconscious. She had obviously been drinking for days.
"Baby, please stop this," he gathered her in his arms. "We knew this would happen."
"He took everything away from me." She replied, trying to free herself from his embrace.
"I make enough money."
"It's not the money!" she exclaimed, shoving him off. "It's like I never had a father."
She cried like a child.
Kenji has never felt so helpless.
"Everything is going to be fine," he said, kissing her hair.
Apparently, things only got worst. Ashizawa started buying out stocks of Stone Films, wanting to control Kenji's projects which later, there were none.
The life that was supposed to be in heaven became a nightmare. Kenji was jobless and Kaori was miserable. If wasn't for the money he had saved, they would be dead in hunger by now. But the worst was constant arguing between the two. They couldn't agree with something anymore, even what to eat for dinner. One day, when he got home from job hunting, he saw Kaori dressed in a neatly-pressed dress, her hair no longer in disarray, and she had make-up on her face. She hugged him to her and gave him a bright, welcoming smile that had him falling crazy for her.
Kenji didn't know what to say, how to start. She did,
“I’m pregnant.”

_________________________________________________ __________________________
“Miss Izayoi, do you think we could have pizza for tonight?” Sesshoumaru asked as he plopped down the couch, a remote in his hand. His father had dropped him off her apartment to spend some time with her and would be picking him up after work.
Izayoi chuckled. The child just had lunch an hour ago and his thoughts were already wandering all the way to dinner.
“I suppose so, but let’s wait for your dad and see if he got us something.”
It has been months since she first met Inutashio and his son, Sesshoumaru, who all but pronounced to the whole world she would be his new mommy. It was awkward at first, really, who wouldn’t feel that way? But as the days passes by, something might have caught Inu’s interest, because he began asking her out, which she turned down again and again. It was only when Sesshoumaru asked her to go with them to the zoo that she accepted, and from that time, she couldn’t remember a time she weren’t with either of them. She looked at Sessh who was busy changing the channels, apparently having a hard time deciding what cartoon to watch.
The adorable child turned to look at her and said, “But I’m still hungry.”
She laughed and leaned forward to kiss his nose.
“I think I have some ice cream left.” She got up and checked her refrigerator and gave the child a scoop of ice cream. She watched as Sessh eat in hurry.
“Slow down, honey, you’ll make yourself sick,” she advised.
Sessh looked up to her, his mouth bordering smudges of ice cream, and frowned. “It feels so good in my mouth.”
She smiled and continue reading the book Inu purchased for her last week. A few minutes later, Sessh decided he’d like to settle with Spongebob and they spent the next hour laughing at the character’s silliness until Sessh began to fall asleep in the couch.
She smiled warmly. Having a child like him wouldn’t be so bad. In fact, it would be a blessing. Carefully, she carried him in her bedroom. Wrapping her arms around his small body, she joined him in his sleep.


When Inutashio ringed the doorbell and no one answered, he knew his son and his woman were asleep. He was beginning to get used to the idea of finding his son under the care of Izayoi, and together they wait for his arrival. Soon, he thought.
He only needed Izayoi’s Yes and tonight, he would ask for it. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves.
Wanting her to wake up without bothering Sessh, he leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. She didn’t open her eyes but knew she was awake. He resisted the urge to laugh. Slowly, he lowered his head again and kissed her on the mouth, his tongue prying her lips open.
“Much better,” she whispered as she opened her eyes.
He chuckled softly and opened his arms. “Come here.”
“I wouldn’t dare move,” she protested as she looked at Sessh’s sleeping form.
Not wanting to wake up his son, he gently, carefully helped Izayoi eased out of bed. When she was within his reach, he hugged her to him and stroked her hair as he whispered, “Missed you, babe.”
Izayoi draw out a sigh of contentment and held him closer. They stayed in that position for a long moment, savoring the feel of each other’s body when Inu realized something and pulled back.
“I’m hungry.”
Izayoi only rolled her eyes. “What is this obsession you and Sessh have with food?”
Before Inu could respond, Sessh stirred in the bed and stretched his arms. His eye sight must have failed him because he asked with a yawn, “Dad, is that you?”
Inu released Izayoi and sat at the edge of the bed. “It’s me, son,” he ruffled his hair. “Now get up and let’s eat.”
“What are we having?”
“I stopped by for some burgers and pizza.”
“Oh, goodie.” His son looked at Izayoi and smiled victoriously.
A few minutes later, the three were sitting by the living room. Inu watched with a smile as Izayoi took a slice of pizza for Sessh before taking hers. She wiped the excess hot sauce out off the child’s lips. When the three of them were together, he couldn’t help but notice that she mostly attend to his son’s needs first before his, a fact that made him even love her more. She would undoubtedly be a good mother.
“Dad?” he heard his son called out to him impatiently and tugged at his hand. The child glanced at Izayoi who was in the kitchen preparing dessert then leaned in to whisper, “Did you ask her yet?”
“No,” he whispered back. “Not yet.”
The disappointment on the child’s face was obvious, something that caught Izayoi’s eye when she returned. “What’s the matter?” Inu began clearing out their mess, hoping that his son wouldn’t spill the beans before he could even ask. Sessh looked at him, shook his head and returned to her.
“What’s for dessert?”
Izayoi smiled. “Nothing fancy, just a chocolate cake. Why don’t you to wait in the patio? I’ll be with you soon.”
When Izayoi opened the patio door, he found the men talking in low voices.
“Ready for dessert?”
“I do!” Sesshy answered with anticipation.
“Wash you hands first.” His father instructed. When the child was gone, Inu pulled her into a tight embrace.
“Inu?” she asked, surprised because they decided, as much as possible, not to show any display of affection when Sesshy was around. He lifted her chin to meet his gaze and looked intently into her eyes. Then his mouth came towards her for a hungry kiss.
“I love you,” he said between kisses.
She touched his cheek with her fingers. “You know I love you too.”
The French door flew open. From her peripheral vision, she saw Sesshoumaru bounding outside. He ran up to them and sat of her chair but didn’t say a single word. Unusual, she thought, for the little man to be so quiet.
And then Inu dropped on his knees in front of her. “My love,” he said on his knees and clasped his hand in front of his chest. “Will you take us”–he gestured himself and Sesshy with his hand, “to have and to hold, from this day forward?”
Izayoi’s eyes widened and she had to reach for the edge of the table to steady herself. Sesshy finally moved and hurled himself out of the chair, knocking it over. She reached over and righted it.
The child jumped on one foot and another. “Miss Izayoi, will you marry us?”
She laughed in happiness. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of their lives forever?
“Yes, of course, I will.”
Inu stood abruptly and nearly feel off balance. “Oh honey, you have no idea how happy I am to hear that.” He hugged her against his body using one arm and used the other to gather Sesshy close to them.
They stayed them for a full minute when Sesshy remembered the ring. And as Izayoi stared at the ring wrapped in her finger, she knew her life was forever changed.
“Now can we have that chocolate cake now, Mizz Izayoi?” then he cocked his head on the other side. “I mean Mom.”
His father chuckled.
A year later, Inutashio waited patiently, but paced nervously outside the delivery room. He was oblivious to the nurses speeding away, all his thoughts focused to his wife and his anticipated child. His hands are damp, heart pounding a little faster, and sweat broke down his forehead despite the coolness of the room. Across him was his older son, sitting in a bench, a neglected toy in his small hands. Alternately swaying his feet, he looked at his father with troubled eyes then walked to him.
“Daddy, is it over yet?”
Smiling, he scooped his son up and kissed his nose. It hasn't even started.
“Patience, son. Soon we'll see whether you have a brother, or a sister.”
As if hearing his words, Izayoi yelled. “That hurts!”
Damnation, he cursed inwardly. It’s an enough torture not to be able do anything when your wife suffers every pain of child birth while the husband wait outside and stare at the same scenery for long hours. He tightened his hold of Sesshoumaru, controlling his nerves. Then he heard her gasp, followed by a screamed loud enough for the entire Japan to hear. “That's it!”
Holding his son close to him, he shoved his way into the doorway of the room as his wife screamed loudly with regularity. He couldn't ignore the anguish cry of his beloved wife. The medical professionals took one look at him and all their protest melted away.
He gently put Sessh down and cupped his wife's stressed out face, lovingly reassuring her everything would be alright.
“It hurts that bad?” He asked stupidly.
She could only nod.
“Remember, we're here sweetheart. You can do it. We love you. Very much.”
Izayoi, with tears of pain and sweat evident across her face, appreciatively nodded.
She was breathing heavily and her sobbing uncontrollably didn't help a bit. The constant pain in the lower part of her body was making her feel dizzy and the scent of the hospital made her nauseous.
He adore her; everything about her. The way she perfectly fits against his strong, lean body; the way she smiles at him upon waking up; the way she desperately tries to bake cupcakes knowing fully well it wouldn't even taste half as good as the commercial ones; the annoyance in her voice when she screams his name the minute he's out of her sight; the way she looks at him with love and respect; the way she mothers Sesshoumaru and he knows she would also do the same to their new child. He loves her so much more than life itself. He has heard a lot of women losing their lives in exchange for their children, but please, God, not her. Not his wife, his Izayoi.
He studied every detail of her face and frowned. She looked so pale.
Izayoi grip hardly her husband's arm as she let out a long, agonizing scream, then followed by the squalling cry of their newborn baby. Inutashio's heart stopped.
“Oh, Mr. Takahashi, you have a boy.” Their family doctor proudly announced, holding the baby carefully but enough for everyone to see. Sesshy walked to his side, and he hugged him to his chest. There were so much blood. The nurse took him to be cleaned. The world stopped for the parents. Izayoi continued crying, but now with tears of joy. She touched the baby when the nurse was done. Inutashio clasped his wife's hand, feeling contented and extremely happy for the worst is now over.
“You did great, honey. Thank you for giving another son.” He smiled down at her.
Izayoi cried, no sound, just a continuous flow of tears. She touched the newborn’s cheeks with gentleness; warmth flooding through her veins.
“He looks just like you Sessh,” she noticed, kissing the child's head. Sesshoumaru beamed proudly.
Inutashio leaned for and gently kissed her lips while an arm wrapped securely around Sessh's shoulders.
“Well, what's her name, love?” he asked.
She tightened her hold to the child and then looked at him and Sesshoumaru.
“Inuyasha,” she said, caressing the child's pinkish cheeks. “His name is Inuyasha.”
On the other hand, few months later, on the other side of the world, a shriek rang out along the hall and would probably shatter all the windows of the hospital. Kaori shook her head frantically trying to ease the pain tearing her body apart.
“Ma'am, we need you to push harder. Push with all your might.” Dr. Theresa encouraged her. Is she serious? She has already surpassed her limitations! She couldn't take any more. But she nodded jerkily and grabbed hold of the sheets, needing something to squeeze when the pain overtook her body. Her head lolled from side to side as she tried to take deep breaths.
“I’m too tired,” she moaned. “I can’t do it anymore.” Where is Kenji?
“Of course you can. Now, if you could push with a little more effort, it will be over quickly.”
So with all her might, she pushed and pushed and pushed. And then it was all over. They had a girl. As the newborn was being cleaned, Kaori fell into a sleep and just finally drifted away.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters. And I don't make any profit from this story. The only thing I get is extreme satisfaction.
(I would also like to let you know that if the words, scenes, or the plot of this story are, in one way or another, similar to yours or any of those that you have already read, it was purely a coincidence. )

Hello everyone! I had a hard time thinking if this would be my first chapter but as I weighed my options, I think it better it be a part of the prologue. So in here you can see what events transpired after the main characters’ birth and the people around them, you know, their childhood background. I hope you like it as much as I do. I won’t be naming my chapters, just so everyone knows. I find it much harder to think of the title than the story itself.
You know the drill, read and review, and have fun.


Prologue II

Tokyo, Japan

There was a rare chill that met the afternoon’s soccer game but the boys were unstoppable. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha stood across the field, wearing their hopeful faces. Their team shouted, raised high fives and hollered their anticipated victory while their voices echoed for at least a mile. Izayoi smiled. She brought a huge thermos of ice-water for her two boys and had wished she had something for herself, a coffee or something. The boys were now warming up for the game, kicking and passing the ball. But more than once had she seen Inuyasha look for his father over the audience and each time, disappointment etched his face. Izayoi flinched when she saw Sesshoumaru looking at his brother with great concern.
The referee blew the whistle for the game to begin. The boys took their positions with Sesshoumaru defending the goal and Inuyasha being the center forward. She also recognized Miroku, a kid from Inuyasha’s class. She studied each member of the team, occasionally staring alternately between her two sons. Then she saw a smile spread across her younger son’s face and she knew her husband had arrived. It wasn’t long before Tashio went over to kiss her hair from behind. He handed her a large, black coffee cup which accepted gladly.
“I’m so happy you could make it.”
“Believe me when I tell you there is no one happier than I.” He said as he waved a hand to his sons. She squeezed his hand in appreciation, not for herself, but for their children. She was glad Tashio isn’t one of those fellows who forgot the word father is actually in the dictionary. She eyed his crumpled slacks. He came straight from the airport. Her husband had been away for a 4-day conference. Today should have been their last day but Tashio had made an effort to be here. He already promised Inuyasha he would be present before the conference was scheduled so the kid would terribly upset if he wouldn’t come. There isn’t much problem with Sesshoumaru, being five years older than Inuyasha. He was able to understand the importance of conferences and meeting.
“I missed you.” she said sweetly.
A smile formed from Tashio’s lips.
“I missed you too.” And his lips touched hers. “Don’t worry, I won’t be having travels abroad any time soon. Where’s our baby girl?”
Tashio was referring to Sango, their newest baby. She was 8 months old now and as much as Izayoi would like to bring her along, she knew the baby would just cry because of the noise.
“I had Caroline babysit for a while with the nurse maid.”
They spent the next minutes encouraging their children’s team and cheered wildly when the boys scored a goal and matched the opponents score. But as the game goes on, something must have gone wrong because the other team continued to score goals.
“Oh no, they lost,” Izayoi groaned.
Sesshoumaru’s shoulders could have swept the entire area while Inuyaha bowed his head as low as possible and it was obvious to the two parents that he was trying so hard not to cry. Izayoi and Tashio watched as their team line up to shake their opponents’ hands despite the hurt and regret evident in their faces. Izayoi wanted so much to run to their side and hugged to tight. She silently thanked Tashio for coming here so she won’t be able to face them alone.
“Kids their age shouldn’t have to face defeat yet.” Inutashio watched as the boys proceed through the line and shook the hands of the winners.
“Look at those sad faces, as though their self- worth was measured by the result of this game.”
“Stupid ref!” One of the dads shouted. “You called more penalties on us than them.
Tashio frowned. What is his attitude teaching the boys?
“We couldn’t help that the goalie had slippery hands,” the same man continued. Izayoi bit her lip to keep from shouting at the man but Tashio spoke up.
“Now wait a minute. That’s my son you are insulting.” He stated firmly that even Izayoi took a backward step.
“If you would study the game carefully, you’d see that the stupid ball has to pass every one of the other players before it gets to the goalie. It’s not any more of my son’s responsibility than the rest of the team.”
The man said nothing. He just grabbed his folding chair and stomped away. Izayoi reached for his hand.
“Whew, you are scary.” She teased playfully, hoping to loosen up the tension now that their kids is walking towards them.
Tashio grinned. “Hardly.”
The boys stood before them and Tashio hated the shame in their faces. He released his wife’s hand and bent his knees to look at them in the eyes.
“We’re glad you’re here, Dad.” It was Sesshoumaru who spoke first.
“We’re sorry we weren’t worth it.”
Tashio’s eyes narrowed. “Listen, boys, you were great out there.”
Yash jerked his head up. “We were?”
“Sure son. You two remember this; losing never makes anyone less a man. When you quit in the middle of the game, now that is something you should be ashamed of. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”
“Yes, Dad,” came their response and Tashio could see that they really understood.
“Now I want you to hold your head high when you walk to your mother. I’ll just get the car.”
Izayoi looked at them, smiling. She gave the two thermos cup of ice-cold drink to her sons who gulped hurriedly.
“Mom, can we have donuts before we go home?” Sesshoumaru asked and she still marveled every time he called her Mom.
“Of course,” she answered as she wiped their sweaty faces.
“Can we have ice cream too?” It was Inuyasha’s turn to request and Izayoi sighed in relief because they weren’t as regretful as they were a few minutes ago.
“Only if you’d give me a kiss.”
She received a handful.
______________________________________________________________ ___________________

Los Angeles, California

Kenji picked up the phone and dialed, asking for his eight-year old daughter, Kagome. He was told that no one by that name was registered. His daughter was checked in a hotel for her summer vacation in Paris with her grand father. It was then that he realized his mistake.
“Mr. Ashizawa’s suite please.”
He closed his eyes as he waited for the call to be transferred. Nothing in this world could hurt more than a parent losing a child. It wasn’t as if Kagome was literally gone but in many ways, he felt like it. After Kaori’s death, living had been like walking towards hell. He sat there outside the delivery room, excited to see his wife and their daughter only to find out, he could only leave with the child.
If not for his daughter, he might have committed the greatest crime of committing suicide. But he couldn’t do it. He had to be strong for his daughter. Despite the nights of the baby’s crying, he was happy. Or less lonely. Then it all changes when they got into a car accident. Either of them was unharmed but this is where Ashizawa came into the picture, accusing him of being a negligent father. He fought against him for the child’s custody. Kenji could barely afford a decent lawyer. During the trial, the media had been spreading news against him. Gambling, drugs, and other horrid accusations that made the jury choose H.L as Kagome’s guardian.
“Hello?” Kagome’s sweet voice cut him off from his reverie. He frowned when he heard sadness in her voice. It was there, in every single call he made before and it brought tears to his eyes.
“Kagome,” he nearly chocked out. “This is your father.” He said in the calmest voice he could muster. If he broke down, he was sure as ell Kagome would cry too and the last thing he wanted was to upset her. Besides, the idea of H.L walking in the room only to find a crying Kagome would probably cause him to totally disallow communication between them.
“Oh, Daddy. I miss you so much.” She sounded like she was fighting her tears. Kenji curled his fist into a ball and gritted his teeth.
“I miss you too, sweetheart. How’ve you been? Enjoying Paris?”
They talked for a few minutes, exchanging information as to how their days went by. A buzzer sounded in the background.
“Can you hold on, Dad? Someone’s out the door.” After a moment, she returned.
“Dad, Naraku has come to get me. H.L.’s waiting for me in the car. He’s always so annoyed when I’m late.”
“Oh,” he said, trying not to sound as disappointed as he felt. “I wouldn’t want to keep you then.”
“I love you, Dad.”
“I love you too, and oh, can I call again tomorrow? Would you be busy?”
He thought about what H.L. would think about that, even as he asked. He was lucky H.L was not with Kagome in the room which is probably the reason why they are having this conversation. The court allowed him two calls per week and a face-to-face meeting once a month. Despite any objections he had, he obeyed the negotiation because the more he fight against the law, the more screwed he would be.
“Just give me a call, Dad. Really have to go. Love you.”
The next time he called,
“I’d like to talk to Kagome, please.”
“Who’s calling?’
“Her father.”
“Just a moment, Sir.”
Kenji waited a long time making him believe he’d been disconnected.
“Sir?”
“Yes.”
“Your daughter is in the middle of a tennis game with Mr. Ashizawa. Please call back in an hour.
An hour later, the voice said, “She is taking her fencing lessons. Mr. Ashizawa says she cannot be disturbed again.”
The next night, he tried.
“She is in the middle of dinner with Mr. Ashizawa and is told to rest afterwards. She had a long day.”
But so did he. He lay in his bed for a long time. He had no strength to move.


Kenji wore his favorite tweed jacket and tailored shirt. His daughter was back in New York after her vacation and he received a phone call, saying that he is having a lunch date with her. So he took the 5-hour flight from Los Angeles to New York, abandoning certain appointments.
He inhaled deeply as he entered the French-American steakhouse, 2 West at Ritz-Carlton hotel. The dining room was airy and spacious with light woods accents highlighting a modern flair. He was greeted by the head waiter.
“This way, Mr. Higurashi.” With his heart beating faster in excitement, he twisted his way through the dining room to the booth reserve for the meeting. He stopped short, looking up to see the red face and steely eyes of H.L. Ashizawa.
“Where’s Kagome?” he asked, not looking away form him.
“Sit down,” said the old man. “This is Naraku Kajitani,” he introduced the man beside him, whom Kenji ignored.
Kenji sank into the chair, a knot tightening in his stomach.
“What would you like to drink?” Ashizawa asked.
You goddamn well know I won’t drink in your presence.” He spat. “I’d like to know where Kagome is.”
“She’s not coming,” was the blunt reply.
“I beg your pardon?”
H.L. took a long sip. His tongue licked off the residue and he placed the spent glass down. The other man sat calmly, a cup of coffee in front of him. Kenji broke the silence.
“Where,” he repeated, “is my daughter.”
Ashizawa’s facial expression never changed. “She doesn’t want to see you.”
Kenji could feel his pulse throbbing in his temples.
“I don’t quite believe you.”
A sardonic smile came across the red face as the modulated voice said, “Then you’ll have to wait until the restaurant closes.”
The sick feeling inside Kenji grew stronger the longer he stared at the old man. As the two men rose to leave, he blurted out. “For the love of God, I’m her father!”
H.L cocked his head, leaned over the table and pierced Kenji with his steely eyes. “That mistake can be corrected.”
Kenji froze as his vision dimmed. He was going to adopt his daughter. He was going to change her name and make her his.
He grabbed H.L’s throat. “You bastard,” he muttered hoarsely. But he did not see the hand that strike out, a vise like grip that held his arm down the table.
“Better hire the best lawyer there is.” He eyed Kenji sharply. “But then again, I already have him.”
Kenji thought he would black out. Suddenly, the pressure on his am was released and he heard the shuffling of feet.
“I’ll have double vodka on ice,” asked for to the waiter, not bothering to raise his head. After the 3rd drink, he could still feel the pain in his arm.

_____________________________________________________________ _____________

Sesshoumaru Takahashi sat on his bed, pen and paper resting on his lap. He was lost in thought. The homework was giving him an unusual amount of trouble and was having a hard time concentrating.
What could Rin be doing right now?
He stood up to stretch and wandered over to the window. After a moment, he felt refreshed enough to get back to the article he was supposed to read. And then he heard the squeal of tires outside.
“Here comes Inuyasha,” he said softly, an affectionate smile on his lips. He eyed as Myouga, their ever-loyal driver opened the passenger door.
“Sesshy!” His younger brother walked into his room, panting after he dashed through the house and up to the stairs.
“What’s the matter, Yash?” he whirled around to face his brother. “Quit shouting, you know Sango is sleeping at his hour.”
“It’s an emergency!” his brother hissed.
“Oh?” Sesshoumaru wasn’t even alarmed. His 10-year old brother’s emergencies were hardly ever serious, like stepping on a grasshopper. “What happened this time?” he asked, crossing his arms but never leaving the window frame.
Inuyasha folded his arms, imitating his brother. “You never take me seriously!” he accused in his childish voice. “For once, will you believe me?”
Sesshy allowed himself to feel a little bit guilty. “Okay,” he sighed. “What’s wrong?”
Inuyasha squeezed his hands together and shifted his weight from one foot to another. He was worried and anxious and excited.
“I’ve got---” His golden eyes opened wide and burst out. “I’ve brought home a puppy!”
Sesshy’s mouth dropped open in utter disbelief. “What? Yash, you can’t do that without asking Mom and Dad.”
“I know,” he admitted.
“And they won’t be back until Sunday night. Jesus, Inuyasha, you don’t even like dogs.”
“I do now.”
“He can’t stay here. You will return that dog--”
“It’s a puppy.”
“You will return that puppy to wherever it is you took him from.” Sesshoumaru finally extracted himself from the window and was thinking of finishing his homework.
“Please, just take a look at him, Sessh.” Inuyasha’s words stopped him. He could see how much Inuyasha wanted to support him on this.
He closed his eyes and sighed.
“Where is it?”
Inuyasha smiled, grabbing his older brother’s arms. “Just come down!”
“Okay, Okay. You’re dislocating my shoulders.”
A few minutes later,
“There!” Inuyasha cried triumphantly, extending his arms towards the passenger side of the car.
A pudgy little golden Labrador pup, tail wagging exuberantly was standing on the passenger seat with Myouga guarding him. The pup’s paws rested on the window which was open enough to allow him air.
Sesshoumaru stared, trying to take in evry feature of puppy at once. He had brown eyes and a healthy share of fat underneath his golden yellow fur. He seemed to be grinning with pure delight as he looked at the brothers.
“Hey buddy,” he muttered, opening the door. The puppy promptly fell out and then scrambled into his arms as he sat down.
“I told you,” Inuyasha said from behind.
When they were inside the house, Sesshoumaru walked into the living room and over his shoulder said, “Yash, he can’t stay here when Mom and Dad returns. They’ll find him.”
“I’ll think of something. Besides, no one ever goes in my room.”
True, Sesshy thought. The room looked like an earthquake zone and anything as small as a puppy would probably be hidden under the mounds of clothes.
Just as they reached the last step, Sango, aged 6, came out of her room. Her eyes widened when she saw the puppy resting in the arms of Inuyasha. She hastily walked to her brother.
“Oh, a puppy!”
Sesshoumaru heard Inuyasha telling her how he got the puppy and not to tell their parents about the little dog.
“Stay quiet and be on your best behavior.” He heard Sango say as firm as she could before he finally entered his room.

The next day, Sesshoumaru glanced around the shop as Inuyasha and Sango examine the dog collars.
“What about this?” Sango raised a collar of her choice.
“Sango, those are rhinestones. You put that kind on a French poodle, not a Labrador.”
“But--”
“How about this?” Sesshy studied a brown collar Inuyasha was showing them.
“That’s better.”
Sango frowned. “I don’t really think we have to tie him up. It’s cruel,” she pouted as Yash paid the collar.
“It’s a necessity, Sango. What if he got loose and ran into the street?”Sango’s eyes widened in horror. “Don’t even say such a thing!”
Her brothers laughed.
Later in the afternoon,
“What about Spot?”
“Spot? Are you kidding? He doesn’t have any spots, you dope.”
They spent the afternoon trying to name the puppy but each time, Sessh was disapproving.
Sango piped up. “What about Barbie?
“Eeew,” Inuyasha snorted.
“This is hopeless.” Sesshy groaned.
So instead, they all played with the still unnamed puppy and offered to play tug-of-war with a towel. Saturday afternoon, after checking if the coast is clear, hey took the puppy for a marathon. Inuyasha bent down and held his hand out to the puppy. “Come on!”
The puppy’s tail wiggled but stayed on his place, refusing to move.
“What’s wrong with him?” Sango asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Try pulling again,” suggested Sesshoumaru.
Pulling had no effect but as Inuyasha tugged for the last time on the puppy, the collar slipped right over his head. Paralyzed with shock, the siblings stared speechlessly at the empty collar. Before they could collect themselves, the puppy turned tail and trotted across the street.
Sango cried.
Early Sunday morning, Sango was still crying. This worried Sesshoumaru for their parents would come home any time soon. Inuyasha and Snago were seated in the couch, staring aimlessly at the cartoons they always watched together. But Sesshy could tell they have no idea what is going on in the show. He stood behind the couch, hoping they never found the puppy in the first place.
Just then they heard a car pulling into their garage and a maid rushed to open the door.
“We’re home! Where are the kids?” He heard his mother ask just in time of Sango hoping out of the couch and ran towards the entrance. Inuyasha and he followed immediately.
“We’ve a surprise for you!” their mother announced and the three siblings saw their father, a golden Labrador in his arms.
They named him Shippou.

_________________________________________________________ ____________________

“I need to get my daughter.” Kenji said to his friend, Atty. Steve McKinley, as he entered his office.
Steve looked up and immediately stood on his feet. “Why don’t you sit down first?” he gestured at the chair. Kenji didn’t move.
“Calm down, Kenj, I’m a father too.” His face softened a little. Steve used the moment to insist, “Please do me a favor and sit down.”
When they settled down, Steve started. “Now if we go to court, imagine what that would do to Kagome. Unlike the trial you have before, she would have to take the stand. The judge would ask her to make a choice. Do you want to put your daughter through something like that?”
Kenji’s jaw clenched and his facial muscles began to twitch involuntarily. Steve went on.
“As your friend, I recommend you not to take the legal action. This could ruin daughter for she might not be prepared for the seemingly endless trials. Do not force your daughter into a corner.”
Even in his dreams, his friend’s words rang like a stupid song in his mind. He stared at the ceiling because he couldn’t sleep just thinking of “Kagome Ashizawa.” He shuddered. He frowned harder when he heard someone knocking at the door. The pounding continued. Resigned, he got out of the bed and put on his robe. He glanced briefly at the clock. 2:49 AM.
Who the hell could possibly be looking for him at this hour?
As soon as he opened the door, he came fully awake.
The man wore a suit, and he recognized him as one of H.L.’s bodyguards.
“Mr. Ashizawa wishes to see you. The plane is waiting at the airport.”
“Are you crazy?”
“Mr. Ashizawa insists.”
“Mr. Ashizawa can go to hell.”
“It’s about you daughter.”
Kenji stiffened. “What happened?”
“It will all be explained when you arrive.”
He had never dressed so quickly and followed the man to the car. At the private sector of the airport, he saw Ashizawa’s 707 and stared a long moment at the name printed in large, black letters.
Ka-go-me.
Damn. The old man had his daughter’s name on the gargantuan belly of his plane.
Six hours later, he was directed to a hospital and was stunned to see H.L’s usually red face had a yellow tint and translucent green tubes stuck out of his nose and wrists. He realized something and in his eyes widened in horror and panic.
“Jesus, you had an accident? Where the hell is my daughter?”
“Listen and don’t interrupt.” H.L looked up to him, his eyes never losing their intensity. “Kagome is safe and sound. She doesn’t know I’m here.” Ashizawa took a shallow breath. It seemed painful for him to talk.
“Then what is wrong with you?”
“I told you not to interrupt,” he snapped. Even flat on his back, the old man still wanted to command.
“I want you to know that I am withdrawing my attempt to adopt Kagome.”
Kenji eyed him intently, waiting for the condition he would be require to meet even as his heart was celebrating.
“In a few days,” he took a deep breath, “I am having a triple bypass operation. They tell me I have a 50-50 percent chance of making it.” H.L. rested his head back on the pillow.
“If I don’t make it, Kagome gets everything.” His voice grew weaker. “There is no one else.”
Kenji’s eyes focused on the drops of clean liquid trickling down through the intravenous tube.
“If I die,” he paused. “If I pass away, I expect you to look after her.”
Kenji’s heart slammed against his chest. Then he started to wonder if it would be very evil if he’d hope H.L would be gone forever.
“Of course, I’ll look after my daughter.”
“Don’t be so cocky, Higurashi. If you don’t see my name in the obituary, assume I’m alive.”
They talked a bit for a minute until the doctor said it was time for him to leave. Before Kenji could completely leave the room, Ashizawa said in a small voice.
“Have my driver take you to Kagome and speak not of this conversation.”
Kenji felt the tiniest bit sorry for him and immediately shoved the thought away. He waited in a vast living room and studied everything around the house.
“Daddy!” his ten year-old daughter rushed forward, running towards him for a hug. “I’m sorry you had to cancel our lunch meeting last week. H.L told me how busy you are.”
His reaction was only the tightening of his arms around her body.
“Kagome,” he whispered, “I love you, sweetie.”
“I love you too, Dad. I wish you could stay here with me and H.L.”
“Soon, Kagome. You just wait.”
But as the taxi cab driver made his way to the hotel he would be staying in, Kenji Higurashi, 39, died in a car accident along with four individuals. A few days later, Hiroyuki L. Ashizawa’s unsuccessful bypass operation headlined the newspapers.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters. And I don't make any profit from this story. The only thing I get is extreme satisfaction.

Hello. I’m here again. I am writing this chapter with All American Reject’s Gives You Hell in the background. I love that song. Anyway, I introduce Miroku in this chapter.  Please review.

Chapter 2

Miroku Houshi woke up and after a few moments realized he was alone, which was unusual since he remembered very well that his arms were wrapped around a female body when he'd fallen into a satiated sleep several hours ago. He looked around the hotel room and then at the clock. It read 3:08 AM. He should still be bloody asleep right now. Oh well, never mind. Now what was he just thinking??

Oh, something about a woman? An actress?

Ah yes, he quite remembered now.

Kaguya.

Tall, slender, with a long, straight curtain of red hair and eyes of so pale a brown they were gold. Kaguya, like any other woman he had met had given them great pleasures and he’d like to believe he gave the same. But that was it. No emotional ties, no talks of future togetherness and other nonsensical sentiment he wanted no part of.

Miroku's name offers him a lot of favorable instances where he gets to be associated with the most beautiful and the sexiest women. And, it appears that Kaguya is one of them. So where the hell was she? It was still dark outside, and the twisted sheets beside him were still warm, so she couldn't have been gone long. He frowned slightly at the thought of a woman having the audacity to leave him in the middle of the night. Was she left unsatisfied?

Miroku groaned as he remembered the events last night. Bar, Beer, Bed. What a series of events. Coming home to Japan was what he exactly envisioned, except for his friend Inuyasha whom he informed of his arrival. But to his disappointment, he learned that Yash was attending a business matter somewhere in East Asia.

 Needing to get away from the scenes of his previous heated lovemaking, he stood up and walked out of the bedroom, not bothering to cover his body. Only to find out he wasn't really alone after all.

Kaguya stood in the terrace with her back to him, a glass of water in her hand. Her nakedness was only masked by the fine hair that stretched almost to her waist.

Miroku instantly felt a thrilling of renewed arousal as he looked at that glorious body— legs long and silky, hips and waist slender, curvaceous, breasts firm, the nipples rosily pouting, as if begging to be kissed. Again.

“You might catch a cold,” he said huskily as he walked slowly across the area to join her, with only the moonlight for illumination.

“I’d wager you could get me warm,” she answered him hoarsely, holding up the glass of water she had been drinking from. Miroku, apparently, was thirsty too, but not for water. Removing the glass out of her hand, he placed it on a table near the window, and his eyes darken as his head lowered to lick one tempting nipple. He looked up into his lover's face as he stroked his tongue moistly over that sensitive tip, feeling the increasing hardness of his own body as she moaned low in her throat. He needed to drive his body into hers. He straightened to swing her up into his arms, capturing her mouth with his, tongue plundering, as her arms moved up about his neck, her fingers becoming entangled in the darkness of his hair.

He gently laid Kaguya down amidst the tangled sheets and entered her.

As Miroku walked quietly through the halls of Tashio International, it occurred to him that running a business is not at all a miserable thing to do when you are a Takahashi. There is something special about their way of managing the business that he could not pinpoint. Maybe it was because he never had the same great parents as Inuyasha’s to guide him. Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha and their younger sister Sango, were lucky fellow to have such wonderful parents.

“I’ll be damned,” he sighed.

It’s not as if he hadn't enjoyed his journeys across the globe. He'd traveled the length and breadth of Europe, sailed the exquisitely blue seas of the Mediterranean, and delved into the mysteries of North Africa. From there he'd gone on to the different neighboring countries, and then, when inquiries revealed that it was not yet time to return home, he crossed the Atlantic and explored Asia. Ten years of staying away from his birth country gave him a lot of time to think, a lot of time to learn what it meant to be a man.

He had been planning to live in the United Sates of America when he'd learned that his father, ill for several years, had finally died. He wouldn't trade his years of exploration for anything and yet the only reason the then-eighteen-two-year-old Miroku had left Japan was because his father, Ginta, had suddenly decided that he was finally willing to accept his son.

He and his mother weren’t his father’s first family. In other words, Miroku was born out of marriage and immorality. But he had learned about this only when he was thirteen years old. All of a sudden, his father’s absence during his birthday parties and other special events in his life made sense. He learned that his true wife couldn’t bear a child. His mother, God bless her soul, had become his champion. When she saw how Miroku was suffering from their situation, she made him choose, them or his wife. The bastard got angry at had chose his barren wife.  And when his wife died a year later, Ginta stood on their doorway, informing them of his plans to marry his mom.

Miroku saw rage and using all of his 18-year-old body strength, he landed a solid punch on his jaw. The next day, they flew out of the country and never went back.

Now, however, he was glad to be back. There was something soothing about being home, something peaceful and serene about Japan springtime. And after years of solitary travel and studies abroad, it was damned good to find his friends again.

He moved silently through the halls, making his way to the ballroom.

But as he turned a corner, he heard voices, and he froze.

"No.”

No? Are the employees arguing?

"Hiten," the woman was saying, "you really shouldn't have followed me out here."

“What I’m asking is only a date.”

Miroku nearly groaned. He wasn’t a fan of eavesdropping, particularly the part when a man begs a woman to go out with him. It was painful to listen to.

"Hiten," she said again, her voice surprisingly kind and patient, "my brothers have already warned you.”

"But they don’t understand!"

"Yes," she said firmly, "they do. Just try force me again and they will kick your ass."

Miroku blinked in surprise. The gentleness of the woman’s voice was now lost, replace with such vigor it made him want to back out.

“Come on,” the man encouraged.

“No.”

He leaned forward slightly so that he could get a glimpse of the scene. The girl was in shadows, but he could see the man quite clearly. His face held a repulsive expression, and his shoulders were slumped forward in defeat.

He was beginning to feel like the worst sort of voyeur. He started inching backward, keeping his eye focused on the hall that leads to Sesshoumaru’s office.

But then, just a footstep away from a clean getaway, he heard the girl squeal.

"You have to!" Hiten cried out. "You have to! I'll never find anyone else—"

"Hiten, stop!" 

Miroku turned around, groaning. It looked like he was going to have to rescue the woman and yet he has no desire to play a hero. He strode back, putting his sternest, most strict expression on his face. The words, "I believe the lady asked you to stop," rested on the tip of his tongue. But it turned out that he wasn't fated to play the hero tonight, because before he could make a sound, the woman pulled back her right arm and landed a surprisingly effective punch squarely on the man’s jaw.

The guy named Hiten went down, his arms comically flailing in the air as his legs slid out from under him. Miroku just stood there, watching in disbelief as the girl dropped to her knees.

"Oh my," she said, her voice squeaking slightly. "Hiten, are you all right? Damn you, you made me do it. I didn't mean to hit you so hard."

 He couldn't help it. He laughed.

The woman looked up, startled.

__________________________________________________________________________

Kagome stepped in the plane and saw the extremely comfortable seats. And that moment, any seat would work for her. She arrived at the Puerto Prinsesa International Airport and will just need to take the fifteen-minute ride via plane to arrive at Amanpulo resort of the Pamalican Islands. She glanced towards the front of the plane to see several tourists file into their respective seats.

A few minutes later, the plane began to move and headed out to the sea. She settled back in her seat, trying not to think too hard about the people she had left behind and the uncertainty that lay ahead. She turned her attention, instead, to the brilliant blue expanse of sparkling water and could already see a small dot of land. The island zoomed larger on the horizon as the distance diminished.

She looked outside through the window to see that they landed at a small helipad situated at the rear of a palatial resort. A cool breeze blew of the water as a crew helped her down the few steps onto the ground. A chill raced up her arms. There was a sense of wonder as though she had stepped into some wild paradise. She blinked as the bright sunshine hit her eyes.

“I hope you had a wonderful trip, Ms. Higurashi.” A woman greeted her by her name. She encircled a necklace of flowers around her neck. The pleasant scent must be sampaguitas.

“Yes, thank you.”

The woman led her to the entrance of the hotel she’d stay in. She was chattering something about the history of the resort and other things she hadn’t fully heard. She stood near the entrance noticing how vast and remarkable the place in. Some parts were in wood with narra floors and lauan columns and ceilings. The place was breath-taking.

And to think that she was going to spend an entire week here in this remarkable place, even more wonderful. A week of enjoying, relaxing, without the board of trustees keeping an eye on her. She could barely contain the anticipation coursing through her veins.

“So everything is of perfect condition?” Sesshoumaru asked from the other line.

“Yes,” Inuyasha answered, “I took care of it, Sessh.”

“Good job.”

“I’ll sort out the details when I get back. See you in a week.”

Just as Yash flipped close his phone, he looked around the hotel and felt a tinge of relief. The previous storm that hit the Philippines caused some minor casualties but not serious enough to stop them from operation. There are really just things over which the Nature is powerful of.

He studied the lobby, surveying his staff, checking if everything is in order before taking his afternoon nap. It was something he couldn’t do often back in Japan. This was the time to relax, he thought. And definitely the place.

The Amanpulo is one of the Amanresorts of the world. But this particular resort sets on its own island, Pamalican, and is an escape from all the possibly horrible experiences of mankind. The island is secluded and very private that offers a variety of sea, sand, tropical island and exclusive comfort. And despite Inuyasha’s earlier inhibitions about the trip, he was actually enjoying himself just at the sight of the sparkling sea that seemed to be inviting him, seducing him like no other woman had.

Damn, did he just think of that? Seriously, a sea?

He groaned inwardly. He couldn’t remember the last time he had sex.

Oh, right. He did. With Kikyou. But it had been weeks.

He looked away from the sea.

Instead, he motioned to Totousai, the manager, and directed instructions to him. Inuyasha liked the old man despite his mood swings and playful banters and trust his knowledge when it comes to running the hotel.

“I tell you, son,” he was saying, “women have been asking for you.”

“Yeah?” He answered distractedly when he began surveying the new arrivals of the day. The tourists had begun pouring in because the annual bikini contest that they host is taking place on Friday. It was one of the reasons his father sent for him.

“I told them not to bother. I said you have an STD.”

“Hmmm.” He absent-mindedly gave a nod. From the corner of his eye, he saw a woman standing in the middle of the area. He immediately noticed her because she just stood there, not moving a little bit while the rest of the people rush in and out of his hotel. He thought she was lost.

He looked back at the old man; then suddenly realized what was said.

“You said what?” he roared.

The old man just grinned.  “Got you,” he smirked.  

Inuyasha shook his head. “You’re impossible, old man.”

Totousai cocked his head. “You weren’t paying attention to what I was saying. The employees have been asking for a raise and I couldn’t bear to--”

Inuyasha ignored him. “I’ll talk to you later.” He waved an arm and walked away.

Life, Sango decided, couldn't possibly get much worse. First she'd been forced to spend the week without her brother, Inuyasha and could only pry a lunch date from Sesshoumaru’s busy schedule, especially now that Yash is somewhere enjoying the sea. And then, Hitomi, Inuyasha’s secretary squeal, “Miss Sango, I didn’t expect you here,” which must have captured Hiten's attention, who had just a meeting with one of his associates in their company. His head had snapped up like startled bird, and he'd immediately started hurrying across the corridors.  Sango had hoped, no prayed that she could outrun him and make it to the ladies' retiring room before he caught  up with her, but no, Hiten had cornered her in the hall and started wailing out his interest for her.

It was all embarrassing enough, but now it appeared this man—this shockingly handsome and almost disturbingly poised stranger—had witnessed the entire thing. And worse, he was laughing!

Sango glared at him as he chuckled at her expense. She'd never seen him before, so he had to be new to Japan, or at least to their company. But of course, this man could be married and therefore not on Izayoi’s list of potential victims.

His face was quite simply perfection. It took only a moment to realize that he put all of Michelangelo's statues to shame.  His eyes were oddly intense—so blue they practically glowed. His hair was thick and dark, and he was tall—as tall as her brothers, which was a rare thing.

This was a man, Sango thought wryly.

Why that annoyed her so much, she didn't know. Maybe it was because she felt like a plain woman sitting there on the floor in his splendid presence. Maybe it was simply because he was standing there laughing as if she were some sort of circus amusement.

But whatever the case, an uncharacteristic peevishness rose within her, and her brows drew together as she asked, "Who are you?"

Miroku didn't know why he didn't answer her question in a straightforward manner, but some devil within caused him to reply, "My intention had been to help you, but you clearly had no need of my services."

"Oh," Sango said, sounding slightly calm. She clamped her lips together, twisting them slightly as she considered his words. "Well, that’s too bad. I you had showed up earlier, I would not have had to hit him."

Miroku looked down at the man on the ground. A bruise was already darkening on his chin, and he was moaning.

“Tsk, tsk.”

Sango scowled at him, clearly not appreciating his attempt at subtle humor—and also clearly not realizing that his heavy-lidded gaze had rested on portions of her anatomy that were not her face. "What are we to do with him?" she asked.

"'We?'" Miroku echoed.

Her scowl deepened. "I thought you said you were going to help me."

"So I did." Miroku planted his hands on his hips and assessed the situation. “Do you want to sue him?” he asked.

“What?” she shrieked. “No, there won’t be any suing.”

“Don’t you think your concern is slightly misplaced?”

"He didn't try to attack me," she replied. "He just... He just... Oh, so okay, he tried to attack me. But he would never have done me any real harm."

Miroku raised a brow. Truly, women were the most contrary creatures. "And you can be sure of that?"

He watched as she carefully chose her words. "Hiten isn't capable of malice," she said slowly. "All he is guilty of is misjudgment"

"You're a more generous soul than I, then," Miroku said quietly.

 Miroku felt a strange sort of admiration for this girl. Most women of his acquaintance would have been in hysterics at this point, but she—whoever she was—had taken the situation firmly in hand, and was now displaying a generosity of spirit that was astounding. That she could even think to defend this Hiten person was quite beyond him.

She rose to her feet, dusting her hands off on her pants. Her hair had been styled so that one thick lock fell over her shoulder, curling seductively at the top of her breast. Miroku knew he should be listening to her—she was prattling on about something, as women were ordained to do—but he couldn't seem to take his eyes off that single dark lock of hair. It fell like a silky ribbon across her swanlike neck, and Miroku had the most appalling urge to close the distance between them and trace the line of her hair with his lips.

What could be the harm? It wasn’t as if he were going to ravish her. Just a kiss. Just one little kiss.

It was tempting, so deliriously, maddeningly tempting.

"Sir! Sir!"

With great reluctance, he dragged his eyes up to her face.

"Were you listening to me?"

"Of course," he lied.

"You weren't."

"No," he admitted.

Miroku watched with fascinated interest as she took a deep breath and muttered something to herself. He couldn't hear her words, but he doubted any of them could be construed as complimentary. Finally, her voice almost comically even, she said, “If you don't wish to aid me, I'd prefer it if you would just leave."

Miroku decided it was time to stop acting like such a lout, so he said, "My apologies. Of course I'll help you."

"I suppose we could just leave him here," she said, the expression in her dark eyes hesitant.

Miroku thought that was an excellent idea, but it was obvious she wanted the idiot cared for in a tenderer manner. And heaven help him, but he felt the strangest pressure to make her happy. "Here is what we're going to do," he said crisply, seemingly thinking very hard. Then he gave a lopsided grin.  "Actually, I haven't the faintest idea."

For a moment Sango forgot to breathe. Just when she'd decided that her would-be rescuer was arrogant, he had to go and smile at her like that. It was one of those boyish grins, the kind that melted female hearts within a ten-mile radius.

And, much to Sango's dismay, it was awfully hard to remain thoroughly irritated with a man under the influence of such a smile. After growing up with two brothers, both of whom had seemed to know how to charm ladies from birth, Sango had thought she was immune.

But apparently not. Her chest was tingling, her stomach was turning cartwheels, and her knees felt like melted butter.

"Hiten," she muttered, desperately trying to force her attention away from the nameless man standing across from her, "I must see to Hiten." She crouched down and shook him none too gently by the shoulder. "Hiten? Hiten? You have to wake up now, Hiten."

"Sango," Hiten moaned.

The dark-haired stranger's head snapped around. "Sango? Did he say Sango?"

She drew back, unnerved by his direct question and the rather intense look in his eyes. "Yes."

"Your name is Sango?"

Now she was beginning to wonder if he was an idiot.

"Yes."

He groaned. "Not Sango Takahashi."

Her face slid into a puzzled frown. "The very one."

Miroku staggered back a step.

He suddenly felt physically ill, as his brain finally processed the fact that she, indeed, looked like a Takahashi. Damn t all, this was Yash’s sister! Bloody hell.

There were rules among friends, commandments, really, and the most important one was Thou Shalt Not Lust After Thy Friend's Sister.

While he stood there, probably staring at her like a complete idiot, she planted her hands on her hips, and demanded, "And who are you?"

"Miroku Ho--," he muttered.

"Houshi?" she squeaked.

He nodded grimly.

"Oh, dear."

Miroku watched with growing horror as the blood drained from her face. "Woman, you're not going to faint, are you?"

She looked offended that he'd even considered the notion. "Of course not!"

“Good.”

“I was told that you are friends with my brother, Inuyasha.”

“Yes, but I am here to see Sesshoumaru since Inuyasha isn’t in town.”

“Yeah,” Sango said, studying him intently.

“I can’t imagine why I didn’t recognize you," Miroku murmured.

Sango raised a brow. "You’ve seen me before?"

He nodded. "You were just a kid back then."

An awkward pause fell across the conversation. Sango was shifting from foot to foot, not at all certain what to say to the duke, when Hiten exhibited stellar timing for the first time in his life, and sat up. "Sango?" he said, blinking as if he couldn't see straight. "San, is that you?"

"Good God, Miss Takahashi," he swore, "just how hard did you hit him?"

Her brow furrowed. "Hard enough to knock him down, but no worse than that, I swear."

"Oh, Sango," Hiten moaned. “Please be with me.”

"Buck up, man," Miroku grunted, grabbing him by the collar. “This is getting embarrassing."

He turned to Sango. "I'm going to have to take him outside now. We can't leave him here in the hall moaning like a sickened cow—"

"I rather thought he'd already started," Sango said. Miroku felt one corner of his mouth twist up in a reluctant smile.

She was, it occurred to him, the sort of person he'd probably call friend if she were a man.

But since it was abundantly obvious—to both his eyes and his body—that she wasn't a man, Miroku decided it was in both of their best interests to wrap up this "situation" as soon as possible.

"I'll haul him out of here," he said suddenly. "You go back to your brother."

Sango frowned, glancing over her shoulder to hall the leads to Sesshy’s office. "Are you certain? I thought you wanted to see him."

"I’ll stop by some other time. I realized you do not want to speak of this event to him?" he asked.

She nodded her agreement, and asked, "Are you sure you can do it? Hiten is a large man."

"I'm larger."

She cocked her head. Although lean, he was powerfully built, with broad shoulders and firmly muscled thighs. (Sango knew she wasn't supposed to notice such things)

More to the point, he had a certain air about him, something almost predatory, something that hinted of tightly controlled strength and power.

Sango decided she had no doubt that he'd be able to move Hiten.

"Very well," she said, giving him a nod. "And thank you.”

Suddenly, Hiten promptly reached for Sango, practically sobbing her name. Miroku had to brace his legs to keep him from lunging at her. Hiten regained his energy (although clearly not his equilibrium) and yanked himself free of Miroku's grip. He threw himself onto Sango, making incoherent noises all the way.

If Sango hadn't had her back to the wall, she would have been knocked to the ground. As it was, she hit the wall with a bone-jarring thud, knocking all the breath from her body.

"Oh, for the love of Christ," Miroku swore, sounding supremely disgusted. He hauled Hiten off Sango, then turned to her, and asked, "Can I hit him?"

"Please go ahead," she replied, still gasping for breath. She'd tried to be kind and generous toward her suitor, but really, enough was enough.

Miroku muttered something that sounded like "good" and landed a stunningly powerful blow on Hiten's chin.

He went down like a stone.

Sango regarded the man on the floor with poise. "I don't think he's going to wake up this time."

Miroku shook out his fist. "No."

Sango blinked and looked back up. "Thank you."

"It was my pleasure," he said, scowling at Hiten.

She said suddenly. "Let's just leave him here."

"Very well," he said simply, and dropped Hiten.

The sudden weight of him nearly took Sango down to the floor as well. She let out a surprised squeal as she ducked out of the way.

"Now may we leave?" the duke asked, sounding insufferably patient.

She nodded hesitantly, glancing down at Hiten. "He looks rather uncomfortable, don't you think?"

Miroku stared at her. Just stared at her. "You're concerned for his comfort?" he finally asked.

She gave her head a nervous shake, then a nod, then went back to the shake. "Maybe I should—That is to say—Here, just wait a moment." She crouched and untwisted Hiten's legs so he lay flat on his back.

“There, now I'm done." She stood and looked up.

And just as she looked up, she managed to catch sight of Miroku as he walked away, muttering something about Sango and something about women in general and something else entirely that she didn't quite catch.

She doubted it had been a compliment.

___________________________________________________________________________

Inuyasha’s gaze traveled down her thick, black hair that hung curtain down to the middle of her back. As she tipped her head to one side, the fall of hair shifted, off her shoulders. She wore a pale-blue tank top that looked as if it had been glued onto her body, and the tiny denim skirt, just covering her behind. Her shapely legs looked smooth and tanned and about three miles long. She wore black, sky-high heels on her small feet, and her ankles looked as fragile as her thighs looked sexy.

Sexy?

The woman oozed sex.

His fingers curled into fists. Scraping one hand across his face, he inhaled sharply and watched, spellbound, as she lifted her right foot and rubbed it slowly against her left calf.

Need spiked.

His body went instantly hard as he stared like an idiot at her ass.

His breath shuddered and his heartbeat staggered.

And then, as if guided by that sixth sense only females seemed to possess, she whirled her head around and turned to him, which made Inuyasha turn his gaze from her ass to her breasts.

Oh my. He tried, really, really tried to look up and see her face but he stood there staring at her chest.

The woman cleared her throat. Loudly.

He finally jerked his head up to see that she was looking directly at him with a suspicious frown.

Her face was beautiful, but hell, it was difficult to picture her seduction when she was scowling at him.

“Did you enjoy the view?” she asked sarcastically.

Inuyasha grinned like a madman. “I did. Very much, if I may say so,” he admitted, hoping that the woman would smile.

It didn't seem to do the trick. In fact, she looked even more irritated then just a split of a second passed and she smiled. Seductively, and it felt like a hit in his gut. Ever so slowly, she inched closer to him. Inuyasha held his breath and stroked her hair. Inuyasha thought they were behaving indecently, but for the love of all that’s holy, he didn’t care a single bit. The woman circled her arms around his neck, blew in his ear and whisper, “Too bad, you couldn’t handle me.” Then with the speed of a lightning, she raised her knee and made a painfully, direct contact to his groin. Inuyasha moaned in pain and watched as the woman fluttered her fingers in a wave good-bye to him, and then she sashayed off, leaving Inuyasha there gaping like an idiot.

Author’s Note: I love this chapter so much! I hope you like it too, enough to review, that is. Thank you for all your support and please keep on watching out for my updates.

_figarra017_

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters. And I don't make any profit from this story. The only thing I get is extreme satisfaction.

(If the words, scenes, or the plot of this story are, in one way or another, similar to yours or any of those that you have already read, it was purely a coincidence. )

Inu_Yokai: Girl, you just challenged me to persuade you that this is better, haha. Now you just have to wait for the revisions I made and the parts I added. And I thank you for reviewing every now and then.

And to the readers out there, please tell me what you think too. So I’ll know if I have been providing you with entertainment. You know that authors only wish for that.

 Read and review!

Chapter 3

“Oh, that pervert, presumptuous bastard,” Kagome breathed out. She strode towards the lobby in irritation and tried her best not to look back so as not to attack the man again. Damn, from the look she saw on his face, he had been watching her for a long time with enjoyment. But she recognized that the man lived to flirt and seduce. In any order. He is one of the men who wouldn’t find it so bad to be surrounded with beautiful women especially when it comes about so effortlessly for him.

“I’m going to kill him I ever see him again,” she said, annoyed that the man added her to his collections and used her to stroke his ego. She began to think about Souten and the fact that he used her, only, in monetary terms. Hell, she knew she isn’t a greedy, close-fisted woman, but just thinking of the money she had given him, or to his ‘foundation’, made her boil inside. Now she was beginning to doubt if he ever intended to help the unfortunate ones at all.

She was still hot-tempered when she reached the lobby and faced a receptionist.

“Your name, ma'am, please.”  The receptionists asked with a smile on her face, something that she couldn’t return at the moment.

“Kagome Higurashi.” She answered and eyed the woman's bloody fingernails as she typed words on the computer. Her name plate read Jenny. Kagome tapped her fingers against the desk, eager to know her hotel room assignment. After a long time of searching, scrolling, and more searching and more scrolling…

Jenny looked up to her with worried eyes and said, “I’m sorry, ma'am, your name is not in our list of arrivals for the day.”  

Kagome inhaled deeply, trying to soothe herself. Stress has always been the cause of her moodiness and sometimes, how she dealt with that stress is her problem.

“Could you just check it again? Maybe my surname was spelled incorrectly.” she suggested, thinking that her surname might have been spelled as Higoorashi. Kagome told her the correct spelling and Jenny began the search. After a long minute,

“Take God, there it is.” Jenny exclaimed cheerfully, before looking again at her reservation details.

“Good. Now if you could just--”

“But-” Jenny paused. Kagome saw her eyes moved downwards as she read. “Oh, but it says--”

“It says what?” Kagome nearly snapped.

“We won't be expecting you until Wednesday, ma'am.”

Kagome couldn’t believe it. Couldn’t fucking believe it.

“There has to be some mistake!” Her voice rose. She massaged her temple and closed her eyes for a moment of good sense.

“The details of your stay, Miss Higurashi, say you requests for a sauna and a session of yoga from our fitness center. Do you also think we have it all wrong?”

Kagome stammered. “I---I, that is correct.”

Jenny looked at her in sympathy. “I’m sorry ma’am, your room wouldn’t be available until Wednesday.”

Kagome’s lips parted. “But today is Monday.” She said, as if the only person in the area to discover that.

“Yes, it is, Miss Higurashi.”

She waved her arms in disbelief. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

Jenny was smart enough not to respond.

Heatedly, Kagome walked back a little to make a long distance call while eyeing a group of people entering the area. There were families and couples maybe for honeymoon. The hotel has many guest, she thought. Kagome’s attention was then focused to the middle-aged man who entered. He was wearing casual clothes and nothing in him was unordinary, but Kagome couldn’t keep her gaze away from him. The man held his daughter close to him, imitating animated voices as he continued with his story. The girl kept on giggling.    

“Oh! The flowers are wonderful, grandmother.” she heard him said, perfectly imitating a little girl’s delighted voice.

If the news of about her incorrect reservation plans made her angry, this- this sorrow and bitterness- was even worse.

Kagome allowed herself a moment of grief. She mostly remembered her father because there was no memory of her mother beside pictures. She had memorized the features of his face, his smile, his eyes, nose, chin, and dimple. She remembered all the times he sung to her, hoping that she would stop crying and finally go to sleep. She remembered them all because if ever there are times when her loneliness is so strong she couldn’t bear it, she trusted these details to help her fully reach out to him. To his memory.

Kagome hoped for another glimpse at the man and his child but couldn’t see them anymore. And then she frowned when she realized she was supposed to do something.

She reached for her cell phone.

After a series of failed attempts to reach her Uncle, Kagome was now like a volcano ready to erupt anytime provoked. Damn, where is her Uncle Naraku and why isn't she answering the god damned phone? Then she remembered her mistake. It was Kagura who always handle these kinds of things.

It kept ringing for like half a minute.

“Kagura Kentchi’s office,” Kagome recognized the voice as Kagura’s secretary. And at that moment, she was thinking of giving her a raise herself.

“Michiko! Is Kagura in there?”

“Oh, is that you Miss Kagome?” she asked. “She’s having a meeting with Mr. Fuchigami. It just started ten minutes ago. Is there something I can do for you?”

“Yes, I'm already here at Amanpulo but they kept telling me that my reservation is on Wednesday.” She gave the woman at the reception desk an annoyed look. “What the hell happened?”

“Oh,” Michiko wheezed. “So didn’t get my message.”

“What message?” she demanded. Kagome began extracting her proposal of raising her wage.

“Ms. Kentchi instructed me to make the reservation but there had been a slight problem. I kept reaching you in your cell phone and at home to advise you that your stay there start on Wednesday.”

Kagome wiped her eyes in frustration. Damn, she remembered turning off her cell phone and unplugging the landline for days so Souten could contact her.

“When I couldn’t reach you, I called Mr. Naraku and he assured me that the change of plans would be relayed to you.”    

“Great. Just great.” Then, to preserve what little sanity she has left, she ended the call.

 Few minutes later

Finally thinking of an alternative, “Well,” Kagome said to Jenny, “I’ll just settle with another hotel room.”

Jenny looked hesitant and glanced at her work mates for help.

“What is it this time?” Kagome broke.

“I’m afraid that can’t be done, Ma’am.”

“Are you trying my patience?” she asked dangerously.

“I’m sorry,” she nearly choked out. “All the rooms are occupied at this moment for the annual bikini contest on Thursday. We have been hosting that event for the past few years. And as you have seen, we have many tourists coming in.”

Kagome shook her head. “Oh no. No, you can’t do this to me. Do you know where I've come from? I traveled all the way from New York and this is--” she waved her arms—“this is what awaits me?”

Poor Jenny just bowed her head.

“You find me a room now or get your manager. I want to talk to him.”

Jenny panicked. “Please, it is not our fault--”

A man’s voice barge in. “It’s alright Jenny, I’ll take it from here.”

Kagome turned around to see an old man approaching her. Well, not really an old man, but also not exactly middle-aged.

“I'm sorry ma'am,” the man apologized.  “Now why don't you just seat for a while we see what we could do?” he gestured towards the sofa.

“Who are you? Can you help me?” she asked suspiciously.

“My name is Totousai, the hotel manager.”

She raised her gaze to the man’s face. “Oh, good. So what can you say to all of this crap?” 

“Well, uh, we cannot have you flown back to the city because there are only two departures here everyday and the last has gone a few hours ago. But the main problem is there are no rooms available for you until Wednesday.”

Kagome felt helpless with each of his word. She sagged against a sofa and closed her eyes. She came to this place to find solitude. But if she had known this would happen, she should just have contented herself to the confinements of her own room.

She closed her eyes and heard the shuffling of feet.

Minutes later, a man’s voice caused her to open her eyes to see Totousai looking very pleased with himself.

“Ma'am.” The old man stood before her.

She blinked. “So, you already found me a room?”

“That, we did, Ms. Kagome.”

She didn't stand up. Looking at Totousai, she saw something, a hidden agenda, lurking behind his motives.

“Where and how?” she interrogated.

Then her eyes widened. “Please don't tell me I'm going to stay at the staff's quarter.”

“No, ma'am, of course not. Mr. Takahashi heard about your problem. He was kind enough to offer his suite for your stay.”

She repeatedly uttered the man’s name in her mind. Funny how that simple word could bring out some interesting facts.

First is that it's a Japanese surname. They have the same nationalities.

Second implies that it's a man. Totally, absolutely her opposite.

Third, accepting the offer would mean spending few days with a stranger Japanese man.

Bloody hell. She wants to relax, to have fun. And she wants to do it alone. Alone in her own room.

“Takahashi?” she shrieked in disgust. “You expect me to share a room with a man?!”

Totousai didn’t even flinch, but looked at her wondering why she came to the resort alone, in the first place. Most of their guest are with their families, or if not, at least one or two company. “Well, yes, that’s the idea.” Then he added, “Pretty creative, huh?”

Kagome’s mouth hung open. “Creative? You call that creative?”

“There is no other way.”

“And, who exactly is this Mr. Takahashi anyway? For all I know, he’s a rapist. Or maybe a drug lord.”

Then her eyes widened like huge round plates. “He could be a bloody terrorist and where would I be?” she asked rhetorically.

Totousai tried to answer but she beat him to it. “I would be right there! Next to his room!” she practically yelled.

The old man tried not to say that if he knew Inuyasha, she could be in his room, in his bed, but was wise enough to answer, “I assure you, he is not a terrorist. He’s a businessman.”  

Kagome pondered on that for a moment. “He could still be a rapist,” she muttered.

Totousai chuckled. “If you have seen him you’d know that women would probably force him in their beds. He’s quite a catch in here, you know. Very handsome.”

“How nice of you to admit that men turn you own,” she grumbled.

The old man only grinned. “Why don’t you go and meet him before you decide?”

It was nearly lunch time and Kagome was so exhausted from almost a full-day of travel that she feared she would agree to whoever the man is just to have a room to stay. Because she was confident that she could handle any situation, she asked. “Okay, where is he?”

“Just look around. He's in a blue shirt.”

Kagome looked around and grimaced. “There are like a dozen of men in blue here.” She complained as she walked absently, scanning the place.

Totousai pointed a specific direction. “There, near the enormous vase display.”

Then she turned her heard towards the area.

Only to see that the man in blue, specifically, this Mr. Takahashi, started moving, exiting the area.

Inuyasha walked fast, hoping that the woman wouldn’t reach his side. 

“Excuse me, Sir, please--” The woman pleaded. “If you could just stop.”

She continued to walk a few meters behind him, but was becoming successful in diminishing the distance between them. Inuyasha cursed. He was never the sort of man to run away from women. Especially hot and gorgeous women. But this annoying wench continued to chase him as if her life depended on it. It irritated him.

Kagome continued running, or make that walking fast, behind him. His strides were far too long for her and she was positive, 101% positive that he heard her, probably even her inhalation and exhalation, but curse him, he did not gave any sign of stopping. She walked briskly and tried to reach his sleeve.

Then Inuyasha stopped abruptly and turned his head to look at her directly in the eyes, which narrowed impossibly wide when she realized who he really was.

She placed a hand on her mouth and gasped.

He crossed his arms, impatience clearly written all over his face and Kagome’ heart beat like a drum. Slowly and uncomfortably, Kagome walked towards him, clasping her hands together in attempt to keep her self from running away from this place, from him. She needs a place to stay, which could only be provided by this man she had kneed in the groin. She hoped he had not become sterile.

They were now facing each other and yet no one else spoke. Inuyasha was just as cool as he could be. He cleared his throat and Kagome looked up to see him raise a brow, challenging her.

Gathering all her determination, she broke the silence, fluttered her eyelids and smiled sweetly. “So it’s you.”

Inuyasha frowned distrustfully when the woman greeted him in all too-cheerful way. He scowled even more when he saw the woman gaze’s fall quickly in his crotch. Damn. She was wondering. About what? He didn’t know. Didn’t care.

“Yes, it’s me.” He answered and nearly slapped himself when it came out too huskily.

Then he wondered if they are referring to the same ‘you’ and ‘me.’

The woman’s brows knitted together, then said, as if trying clear things, “You're Taka--”

“Yes, I'm Takahashi.” He answered in a dull voice.

Kagome swallowed and had the grace to feel embarrassed.

Inuyasha watched as she struggled for the words to come out of her lips.

“I'm, er, you know very, very, uh---” she inhaled deeply, “really, really--.”

Inuyasha took pity. Clearly the woman doesn’t often use the word. “Sorry?” he helpfully filled in.

  “Yes!” she exclaimed, as if she won a goddamned quiz bee. “Sorry, that’s it. Yeah, I’m sorry,” she gave out a breath.

Inuyasha nearly laughed outright but caught himself on time. His scowl and hard look would lose its intensity and effect on her if he so much as offered a tiny smile.

“And, thank you. Thank you for your kindness. I accept your offer.” She smiled nervously.

Instead of answering, Inuyasha finally let himself go, and laugh good and heartily over that. He glanced down to see the woman wondering what the hell was so funny. God, she had no idea.

“I'm sorry, honey.” He now chuckled humorlessly. “My offer just expired a few moments ago.” Then he walked away with the final say.

 Kagome blinked, blinked once more and then blinked again. The scenery in front of her remained the same so she was now convinced that this is indeed, reality.  She tried to replay the events that happened `moments ago' as Takahashi pointed out.

Oh god, he must have heard about the rapist, drug lord, and terrorist accusations she voiced out. She silently thanked herself for not adding ‘pedophile’ in the list.

Then, Kagome's mind darted back to the reason she was standing there in the first place- the room.

Five..

Four..

Three..

Two..

One..

Inuyasha counted in time to hear Kagome's loud WAIT! Oh how he love Math and numbers.  

Women.  He smiled lightly.

Synonymous with predictable.

 “Hey, I would pay you!” she offered. He never once halted in his tracks.

Then the woman behind him stopped following. “Oh, for the love of Saint Peter!” she cursed. He was a bit surprise at her outburst and this time, Inuyasha turned around to hear her say,

“You are the most arrogant, egotistical, ill-mannered man I have ever--”

Inuyasha stiffened. “Miss,” he started in a deadly voice, “may I remind you, that this is the first time we have seen each other. Forgive me if I fail to remember the part, from the moment you had your knee in my groin until this time, when you had become so expert on me.”

Kagome blushed and hers eyes blurred.

“I suggest you be more careful about your choice of words,” he continued.

Her mouth went dry and looked away from him. She was relieved to see that the people in the lobby were busy with their dilemmas, or lack thereof, and didn’t give a damn about them.

The man was right. What possessed her to be so judgmentally hypercritical?

So she slump her shoulders in defeat and did the right thing to do. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to be rude and to accuse you. I was just tired and--” she paused. There was no way she was going to open up the topic about her father. “I’m just sorry. And thank you, for whatever generosity and consideration you have given me.”

But extracted, she was tempted to say.

When the man said nothing, she turned and started to stride back to where she was sitting for another miracle. She hasn’t yet taken three steps when she heard a sigh and a voice saying, “Totousai,” he called out, “have someone bring her luggage up to my suit.”

 Kagome whirled around abruptly, with every hope that what she heard was real and he is really referring to her. She wondered who else is unfortunate like her, needing a room to stay.

The man started walking towards the elevator, but Kagome stood there, transfixed.

Strange man, she concluded. One minute he is being so generous and then the next, very impolite. But then again he’s a man. They’re all like that.

When this enigmatic Mr. Takahashi reached the elevator door, he turned around, impatience palpable in his handsome face. “Miss, aren’t you coming?”

Author’s Note: Sorry it’s kind of short. Please review!! Mir and San will be up on the next chapter!  

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters. And I don't make any profit from this story. The only thing I get is extreme satisfaction.
(If the words, scenes, or the plot of this story are, in one way or another, similar to yours or any of those that you have already read, it was purely a coincidence.)
 
I am so excited! It's nearly our finals week and then we can have that summer vacation. Oh but I remember I have summer classes to take.
Bummer.
I'm happy, nevertheless, `cause the free time will give me more time to work on my fan fiction because the units I have to take are lesser.
I still have along, long way to go in finishing this fan fiction. Promise you'll support me all the way?
 
                                                 Chapter 6

 
 
Kagome was reading book.

It was a good book, really, but she was not having a good time.

She just woke up from an unintended nap, and had heard the laughter from some hilariously happy people.

The sun is at its peak but was still there was no sign of Inuyasha.

He kissed her..

Seriously kissed her..

Damn, okay yes, he's a good kisser; at least she thinks he is. But that does not mean he's not a bad liar. He just probably wanted her safely closeted in the room so she couldn't discover what dark deeds he makes in the glaring light of day.

Hmph, cannibals?

Damn, he thought he could just do something like that and walk away?

Oh, no. She's not going to wait for him like a dog waiting to be fed.

So Kagome was walking on the sand; the sun warming her up. It felt wonderful.

After a few hours waiting for Inuyasha, she got bored and here she is, having a good time. As she walked, she passed by a group of children in a contest of the best sandcastle.

She thought it was cute.

It already afternoon and when she reached the compact sand at the edge of the tide, she removed her beach sandals. Around her were families, sprawled on towels and children splashing in the water.

A male jogger appeared, moving quickly towards her with a dog by his side. The dog looked tired, she thought. The tongue was hanging out too far. She diverted her look and saw a small collection of seashells. She picked up one and turned it over her hands a few times.

A kid shouted. She didn't realize he was talking to her until he came to her side.

“That's mine.” He stated.

“What?” she turned, confused.

The kid eyed the seashells.

“Oh, I'm sorry. Here you go.” She handed him the seashell, a little frustrated. They were really cute.

“I could look some for you if you really want them.” He suggested, now smiling.

“No, that's okay,” she answered, returning the smile.

“Teddy.” A man's voice interrupted them. His voice was so deep and pleasant she could practically beg him to sing a song.

Kagome looked up at the man who caught his attention a while ago- the man with the dog.

“I'm sorry. My son is a bit chatty. I hope he didn't bother you.”

American, she thought, hearing of his accent.

“No, not at all. Isn't that a good thing? He's sociable.” The kid was now playing with the dog.

“That's what I'm afraid of sometimes, he talks to strangers.”

Strangers, she thought. If this man thought talking to strangers wasn't a goodthing how much more staying with them?

“That's not entirely a good thing?” she asked.

He shrugged.

“Well, you're talking to me and I'm totally a stranger.”

He smiled lightly and offered his hand.“Not anymore. I'm Rob Connor.”

She smiled, pleased that she actually made an acquaintance here.

“Kagome Higurashi. Nice to meet you.”

“Same here. And this is my son, Theodore. I call him Teddy….”

 
 
Hours later, Inuyasha was feeling very irritable.
 
He tapped his foot against the floor. Inuyasha felt like an overprotective father, waiting for Kagome like this but whatever he felt for her is everything but paternal.
He paced in his room, alert on any signs of her arrival. Damn. He specifically told her to wait for him. He couldn't describe the feeling when he arrived at an empty room.

It was nearly midnight, and he knew that she couldn't be found in any of the nearby bars because she did mention that she wasn't fond of drinking.
After an agonizing hour, there was still no sign of her.
 
 
 
Kagome enjoyed the rest of the day. Her energy was exhausted but it was all worth it.
 
Rob and Teddy were as relaxed and happy as she is. They spent all afternoon snorkeling and diving. And of course, there was food. Kagome learned that Rob was divorced and this was only the time he could spend with his child. It pained Kagome when he saw how hurt and frustrated Rob was at the arrangement he and his ex-wife had. It was like seeing how his father must have felt when she was taken away from him.
 
Teddy had fallen asleep so Rob bid her goodbye. Kagome was a little tired but she doesn't want to return to the hotel yet. So she walked around and explored the place. The entire tour of the resort takes about 45 minutes and when Kagome was done, she had a created a vivid map of the whole place in her mind. She learned where other restaurants were located, other bars and of other places that a tourist might be interested about. It could be useful in the future.
 
Kagome decided to call it a day and began to walk—
 
“Well, well, well. What `ave we `ir?”
 
Kagome's heart sank. A dirty, and from the looks of it, drunken man were closing in on her.
 
"Wot's yer price, love?"
 
She took a step backward.
 
"I'm so sorry. I'm afraid you have the wrong idea," Kagome said, her words coming out terribly rushed.
 
"Come on now, lovey dove," the he said, reaching out and grabbing her arm. "We just want to `ave a good time. Be good."
 
Kagome let out a surprised scream. The man's hand was biting into her skin. "No, no," she said, panic beginning to set in. "I'm not that kind of—" She didn't bother to finish the sentence; he didn't seem to be paying attention.
 
"My husband is probably looking for me at this moment," she lied, using a louder tone of voice.
 
He actually tore his eyes off her breasts for a moment and looked up. He blinked, then shook his head.
 
Kagome sucked in her breath. He obviously had no ethics concerning the sanctity of marriage. Finally, out of desperation, she burst out, "My husband owns this place! If you touch even just a single strand of hair on my head, he'll have you killed. I swear he will."
 
That gave the horrible man a pause. "Takahashi?"
 
She could only nod.
 
"I think you're making it up," he commented. “I heard he's a bachelor.”
 
Crap.
 
He yanked her closer to him with a movement surprisingly fast for someone considered drunk. Kagome tried not to gag at his foul breath. Then she changed her mind and with a perfect imitation of what she did to Inuyasha, she pressed her body against his and raised her knee. But the man must have anticipated the move and he raised his arm to strike her.
 
Kagome screamed in pain.
“I told you to be good to me.” The man opened his mouth to kiss her, needing to shut her up, but not before they were interrupted by a voice that Kagome knew all too well.
 
"I wouldn't try it, if I were you.” Inuyasha's voice was low and deadly. He sounded calm, too calm. "I don't like it when people touch my wife."
 
The man froze.
 
"Inuyasha," Kagome said in a shaky voice, for once desperately glad to see him.
 
 
Inuyasha's gaze zeroed in on the welt on Kagome's cheek. “Did he strike you?"
 
She nodded, mesmerized by the barely leashed fury in him.
 
"I see," he said and turned back to the man who was apparently too shocked to move. "That was a mistake."
 
A gun was resting on Inuyasha's side and the man's eyes bugged out. It was clear he was terrified.
 
Inuyasha just shrugged and in a split of a second, WHAM! His fist connected with the drunkard's eye socket. The man went tumbling to the ground.
 
Kagome's mouth fell open in shock, at the same time pleased that he didn't use his gun.
 
Inuyasha stared at her. "Did he hurt you?"
 
"Did he- No, well, yes, just a little bit." Her hand went to her cheek.
 
THUNK. Inuyasha kicked him in the ribs. He looked back at her. "That's for hurting my wife."
 
And just for the fun of it, he kicked him again in the hip.
 
“Inuyasha.” Kagome said, not knowing what she should say. He might kill the man, from the looks of it.
 
"Get up,” he ordered, his attention was back at the villain. “I'm going to start counting. If you aren't out of my sight by the time I get to ten, I'm going to shoot you. And I will aim it at your heart.”
 
The man started to run before he even got to two. He counted all the way to ten, anyway. Kagome watched quite unable to take her eyes off Inuyasha.
 
When he was finished, he whirled around. “Let's go," he bit off.
 
Kagome begin to get scared. He didn't have to be so angry at her.
 
They rode the elevator and they reached the door of their suite, which had clearly been flung open in haste. Inuyasha practically dragged her through the doorway and slammed the door shut. He let go of her, and Kagome took advantage of this opportunity to run to her room. "I'll just be going to bed," she said quickly.
 
 
"Not so fast." Inuyasha's hand closed around her upper arm and he reeled her back in. "Do you really think I'm going to allow you to spend the rest of the night without thinking about what happened?"
 
She blinked. "Well, yes. I was hoping--"
 
He smiled, but it was a dangerous sort of smile. "Wrong."
 
She thought her knees might give out. "Wrong?"
 
"Did I mention how much I enjoyed hearing you refer to me as your husband?" he asked in a deceptively lazy voice.
 
Then sudden;y Kagome recognized that tone. It meant he was furious and keeping it all inside. . If she had been in a calmer and more reasonable frame of mind, she probably would have kept her mouth shut and done nothing to provoke his temper. But she was sufficiently concerned for her own welfare and virtue, so she snapped, "It's the last time you will ever hear it."
 
"Pity, that."
 
"Inuyasha," she said in what she hoped was a gentling tone. "I know it was a mistake not to obey you . . ."
 
He laughed at that. Laughed! Kagome was not amused.
 
He said. "Allow me to tell you a story."
 
"Please, I need to go sleep."
 
He ignored her. "I was waiting for you. For hours. And imagine my distress when I looked out of the window, only to hear your screams."
 
Kagome's cheeks flamed.
 
She couldn't think of anything to say. Well, that was not entirely true. She thought of several hundred things to say, but half of them were inappropriate and half were downright dangerous to her well-being.
 
"I have never run so fast in my life, do you know that?"
 
She didn't respond.
 
His hands descended upon her shoulders in a blindingly fast movement. "I was running, Kagome. I was running. I was running as if it were to save my own life. Except it wasn't." He leaned forward, his eyes glittering furiously. "I was desperate to save yours."
 
Kagome fought against a choking feeling in the back of her throat. How had her life descended to this? She was dangerously close to tears, but she refused to cry in front of this man. He had broken her heart twice, pestered her for a week, and now he'd abducted her. Surely she was allowed a small measure of pride. "I want to go back to my own bed," she said, her voice small.
 
There was a long silence. "I want you here," he finally said.
 
Author's Note: Oh, it's done.. Haha. Please tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters. And I don't make any profit from this story. The only thing I get is extreme satisfaction.

(If the words, scenes, or the plot of this story are, in one way or another, similar to yours or any of those that you have already read, it was purely a coincidence.)

I just want to thank the following people for their warm support and very trustworthy judgments and suggestions as to how I could improve my story. I have included the people from all the sites my work is published.

Luckylra827: My friend and my first beta reader! Not only that we share the same love for anime and fan fiction but also our nationality. Thanks for all the good conversations that we had.

Romancefreak: You are such an angel who accepted me and had given so much suggestions and tips! Thanks!

Inu_Yokai: You are really special and thanks for supporting me even before until now. Thanks!!

Special Thanks to:

Angel Wings-008, Leena-Kun, pnaiprincez, ilovetacos5, xxPunkRockBeautyQueenxx, Maiden of the Silver Fires, Mariisca, Okame, Rubberface, Tash, Xxizzyxx, LunaP, Shaelyn, Maribby09, Inu-kags4ever, lover_of_inuyasha_n_kagome, SunsetBoulevard

Thank you guys!

Here is the 7th chapter!!

Hope you like it and don’t forget to review!

Chapter 7

I want you here.

Inuyasha’s words echoed in her mind.

"Here?" she squeaked.

“Yes.”

“I--I” she stammered, “I can’t.”

"Why don’t you just admit the truth?"

Kagome laughed. She couldn't help it. "And what exactly is the truth?"

He stepped forward purposefully. "You need me."

"Oh, please."

"You do. You need me in every way a woman needs a man."

Kagome blushed. "Don't say anything more, Takahashi."

He chuckled. "You do."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Have I told you that I’ve always hated dogs?” she asked. “But right now, I am considering of adopting one, because clearly, a spaniel would be more intelligent company than you."

He laughed again. "Just look how quick you were to claim me as your husband tonight. You could have made up a name, but no, you chose me."

"I was using you," she spat out. "Using you and your name to protect myself. That is all!"

“Yes, to protect you from your own foolishness.”

Her hand shot out to slap his cheek, but he caught her wrist easily. Kagome wrenched it from his grasp.

"How dare you," she hissed. "How dare you belittle me? You—"

He cut her off by clamping his hand down on her mouth. "You'll say something you regret."

She stomped on his foot.

Hard.

"That’s it!" he roared. "I have shown the patience of Job with you! I deserve a goddamn sainthood!"

Before Kagome had a chance to react to his use of "goddamn" and "sainthood" in the same sentence, Inuyasha picked her up and tossed her effortlessly onto the bed.

Kagome's mouth fell open.

Then she started to slither off the mattress.

Inuyasha caught her ankle, though, and held firm.

"Let go of me," she ground out, grabbing the far end of the bed with her hands and trying to pull herself from his grasp.

She wasn't successful.

"Inuyasha, if you do not let go of my ankle . . ."

The lout actually had the nerve to laugh. "What will you do?”

Seething with frustration and anger, Kagome stopped pulling and instead used her other foot to kick him soundly in the chest.

He let out a grunt of pain and released his grip on her ankle, but before Kagome could scramble off the bed, he was on top of her, his weight pinning her against the mattress.

And he looked furious.

"Inuyasha," she began, trying to use a conciliatory tone.

He stared down at her, his eyes burning with something that wasn't quite desire, although there was a good deal of that, too.

"Do you have any idea how I felt when I saw the man pawing at you?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

Mutely she shook her head.

"I felt rage," he said, his grip on her upper arms loosening into what could only be called a caress. "It was primitive; it was hot, and it was pure."

Her eyes widened.

"Rage that the bastard would touch you. Rage that he should frighten you."

Her mouth went dry, and she realized that she was having a hard time taking her eyes off his lips.

"Do you know what else I felt?"

"No," she replied, her voice merely a whisper.

"Fear."

She brought her eyes up to his. "I hadn't been raped."

Saying the word aloud made Inuyasha’s face grew tighter. "That’s not it. It was fear that you’d fight him by yourself. Fear that you'll value your independence that you'll prefer to run into danger than call for help."

She didn't answer.

His head lowered until they were nose to nose.

Then his lips brushed up against hers, feather light and startlingly erotic.

She couldn't answer, for his mouth had already taken fierce possession of hers.

His tongue swooped into her mouth, tasting her with palpable hunger.

His hips pressed gently into hers, reminding her of his desire.

His hand ran up the length of her body and settled onto the curve of her breast.

 He kneaded and squeezed, the heat of his skin burning through the material of her clothes. Kagome felt herself peaking beneath his touch.

"Do you know what I feel right now?" he whispered roughly.

She didn't answer.

"Desire." His eyes gleamed. "I want you, Kagome."

She let out a moan.

Inuyasha trailed his hands down the length of her body, pausing ever so slightly at her gently rounded hips. He squeezed, and Kagome could feel the imprint of each and every one of his fingertips.

His lips curved into a masculine smile. "Perhaps we should clarify the issue," he said, touching his lips to the delicate skin of her neck.

Kagome’s eyebrows meet in confusion.

"Do you want me?" he finally asked.

She said nothing, but her body was arching up against his, her hips straining for him.

He slid his hands under her skirt and moved up her legs until they reached the warm skin at the tops of her stockings.

One finger dipped beneath the edge, drawing lazy circles on her bare skin.

"Do you want me?" he repeated.

"No," she whispered.

"No?" He moved his lips back up to her ear and softly nibbled. “Not even a little?”

 “Not even a little.”

"Are you certain?"

"No."

Inuyasha bent close and brushed his lips across hers. “Really? “’Cause I just kiss you and you melt.”

Feeling more daring than ever, Kagome smiled as she looked at him, then ran her hand down his chest to his waist. She brushed her knuckles against the zipper of his jeans. “And what about you?” she asked. “I just touch you and you do the opposite.”

Inuyasha groaned.

“The answer is still no,” she said.

"No, you're not certain or no, you don't want me?"

She let out a frustrated moan. "I don't know."

He contemplated her for a long moment, looking very much as if he wanted to crush her to him.

His face was hungry, and his eyes burned in the candlelight.

But in the end all he did was roll off her.

He got to his feet and crossed the room, the evidence of his desire making his pants tight. "Tell me the truth, once and for all. Do you want this?"

She sat up, utterly dazed. Her body was shaking with need, and in that moment she hated him for giving her the one thing she'd been asking for all along—control.

Inuyasha stopped before the edge of the bed. "Make your decision," he said in a low voice.

The only sound she made was a strangled cry.

"Make it!"

"I-I don't know," she said, her words sounding lame and pathetic even to her own ears.

He whirled around. "Then get the hell out of my sight."

She flinched.

Inuyasha strode to the bed and yanked her by the arm. "Tell me yes or tell me no," he bit out, "but don't make me decide for you."

Kagome was too startled to react, and before she knew it she had been pushed back into her own room, the connecting door slammed shut between them.

She gasped for air, unable to believe how miserable and rejected she felt just then.

God, she was such a hypocrite!

Inuyasha's words had cut to the quick.

She was trying so hard to control her life, those aspects outside the trustees’ responsibilities but when Inuyasha finally put a decision into her hands, she was unable to act.

She sat down on her bed with a sigh.

She thought of Inuyasha and how honorable he actually is. How easy it is to give in to the feelings that he ignited with her. 

“Stop it!”She said aloud and rose to her feet, crossing the room to the window.

The moon was high, and the stars were twinkling in a manner that could only be called friendly.

Suddenly, more than anything, Kagome wanted another woman to talk to.

She wanted friends; she wanted a sister.

Most of all, she wanted her mother, who had died so many years earlier.

She stared up into the heavens and whispered, "Mama, are you listening?"

Then she scolded her self for foolishly hoping that a star would shoot through the night.

Still, there was something soothing about talking to the darkened sky.

"Sometimes I think it would be so great to have someone to take care of me, you know that, Mom? To feel protected and loved. I went for so long without feeling that way. Without even a friend. But I also want to be able to make my own decisions, and sometimes, the people are taking that away from me.”

She sniffed away the tears that wanted to fall down. “God, how I hated that.”

"Mama, if I let myself love someone, truly love someone, can I still be my own person?"

This time a star twinkled, but Kagome wasn't sure how to interpret that gesture.

She stood at the window for several minutes more, content to let the breeze caress her skin.

Finally exhaustion claimed her and after washing her face, she climbed into bed.

Ten feet away, Inuyasha stood at his own window, silently contemplating what he had overheard.

Author’s Note: Please tell me what you think!!:)

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters. And I don't make any profit from this story. The only thing I get is extreme satisfaction.

(If the words, scenes, or the plot of this story are, in one way or another, similar to yours or any of those that you have already read, it was purely a coincidence.)

I am so overwhelmed at the turn out of events! Your reviews made me so happy. I am actually feeling a little sad before, because no one seems to see this story as great as I do. And I nearly gave up. Anyway, it was a good thing that you came along! Thanks for supporting me! This chapter is dedicated to you, my dear reader. I really hope you like it.

And to the minors out there, this chapter is a lemon so if you are offended by it, please quit now. Anyway, for the others, this is it! LOL. The awaited moment! I will expect your reviews and feedbacks..XD

Much love,

figarra0217

Chapter Eight

The next morning was almost strange.  Kagome didn't wake up feeling particularly refreshed. She still felt drained, both emotionally and physically, and she was just as confused as ever about her feelings.

It was already morning but the sun wasn’t up yet.

Kagome wasted no time. Today was Wednesday and the idea of having her own room, lightened her up. After she had washed her face and changed into her morning clothing, she knocked softly on Inuyasha’s door.

There was no answer.

She decided to enter anyway, but she did so with a certain degree of uneasiness. She well remembered his fit of temper the night before. Nibbling on her lower lip, she pushed open the door.

Only to find out that the room was empty.

Then her imagination worked through her brain and Kagome suspected that he might have escaped during the night to meet a willing woman. She decided that she doesn’t care and closed the door to walk to the living room.

 And there, with a quick look of the perimeter, she saw Inuyasha sleeping on the couch.

He was curled on his side, facing the wall. His blanket was twisted around long, tanned limbs that were lightly dusted with dark hairs. But what held her attention was the sight of his bared back and chest.

Holy crap.

The man had a body that was made for sinning and her mouth was literally watering for a taste of that.

Her heart hammering, she shook her head in disgust at her thoughts.

Kagome wasn’t really going to wake her up, if not for informing him of her plans to change rooms. She was his host, in the first place.

“Inuyasha?” she said, reaching out to shake him.

The instant her hand made contact with his skin, he opened his eyes and grabbed her, pulling her completely over him. Kagome lay completely on top of him with her back to his front.

“Inuyasha!” she shouted.

“Relax, baby,” he purred in her ear. “I knew it was you the moment I heard your footsteps and I smelled your scent. I just wanted to have you close to me.”

Inuyasha leaned back and when Kagome felt him relax, she began pulling away. Inuyasha’s arms tightened around her and he buried his face in her hair and inhaled.

“I’m sorry for last night,” he said gruffly in her ear.

Kagome swallowed as she felt his hard body underneath her hip. She didn’t know what to say, how to react for there was something strangely erotic about his embrace. Inuyasha lifted one hand up to brush the hair from her cheek. She knew she should get up, but some part of her was enjoying this way too much. And this time, she was going for something that she wanted. No worries, no inhibitions whatsoever.

He fingered her cheek a moment before he brushed his lips against her ear. Kagome squirmed as unexpected pleasure rushed through her.

Inuyasha laughed playfully. “Like that, do you?”

She couldn’t answer as her body turned molten.

He slid his arms around her to hold her in a gentle hug as he began to tease her ear with his tongue. Kagome arched her back as chills swept over her. She could feel his erection pulsing against her as he slowly pressed himself closer to her.

His whiskers scraped against her neck as he moved his hands lower to gently rub against her thighs while he lifted up the hem of her skirt. She licked her lips as desire pounded painfully at the center of her body, begging for a much more intimate touch.

Her body was on fire as he moved with a slowness that was as aggravating as it was thorough and pleasing. He began to gently rub himself against her while his hand stroked her inner thigh. Kagome held her breath as he slid his hand up to cub her breast while he plunged his tongue into her ear.

Inuyasha paused at the band of her panties, waiting for her to tell him no.

She didn’t.

He smiled in satisfaction and slowly slid two fingers underneath the stain so that he could feel her crisp hairs tease his hungry fingers.

But that wasn’t what he only wanted.

As he moved his hand over her, she parted her thighs so that he could have free access to the part of her that he was dying for. She turned her head and captured his lips with hers as he slid his fingers down her soft, wet cleft.

Inuyasha growled at the feel of her a she pumped his swollen member against her butt. He wanted to be inside her so badly that it was all he could do to keep from it. He toyed with her before plunging his fingers inside her wet heat.

Kagome shivered in his arms.

Inuyasha lifted his legs between hers so that he held her more open for him. Kagome couldn’t breathe as he teased her mercilessly. She rubbed herself mercilessly against his hand as he pleasured her.

“That’s it, baby,” Inuyasha breathed in her ear while she rode his fingers. You could bring a woman to orgasm in thirty seconds flat with just the right amount of stimulation.

Kagome’s throat suddenly dry and she reached around her hip to find his erection so that she could cup him. He growled in her ear, letting her know just how much he enjoyed having her hold him too. He was incredibly hard and thick.

“See what you do to me, Kagome. I haven’t been this hard for a woman in a long time.”

Kagome could not respond.

“Think of me deep inside you.” He plunged his fingers in deeper, wringing a cry of pleasure from her. His thumb pressed and teased even while his fingers tormented her.

“Now, I want you to come, Kagome. Let me feel you.”

Suddenly, her body exploded in pleasure. Throwing her head back, she cried out as wave after wave of ecstasy tore through her.

Kagome leaned against Inuyasha as her body slowly came back under her control. Heat exploded across her face as he looked to see his legs holding hers open. His hand was still buried underneath her dark green panties, while her hand was under the blanket.

“How did it feel?” Inuyasha asked as he trailed kisses his down her neck.

 “Good.”

 “Is that all?”

 “Wonderful.”

 “And?”

Kagome took a ragged breath, trying not to concentrate on his kisses and she said the only word that seemed to describe it.

“Hot.” It was the one word that seemed to describe every inch of her body. The heat of him touched her everywhere, and he was so solid and heavy and male. She felt as if she were slipping over the edge of a precipice.

She was falling, falling, but she didn’t want to be saved. She just wanted to take him along with her.

Inuyasha smiled. “Hmm, good. I like you that way.”

He sat up with Kagome on his lap. He turned and tumbled her on to his chest, his body bouncing once before he sank into the plush cushions. Kagome bounced, too, and her bouncing was a hell of a lot more fun against his front.

Oh, yeah. He could get used to this. Softness all the way around.

Funny how the kissing was suddenly less important than the way she felt cuddled against him, the way she seemed to be so tiny when he knew she was fiercely independent and didn't need him for anything.

Straddling his thighs, Kagome levered herself upright with her hands on his abs. She removed her white cotton tube, baring both her belly and her breasts.

She was stunningly gorgeous, with her straight black hair hanging down to hide her nipples, her bright brown eyes and her legs that went on forever, gripping his thighs.

She sliding her hand over his belt buckle to cover his rapidly expanding fly.

"Feel free to take a closer look." Inuyasha challenged.

 She took him up on the dare, making quick work of his buckle before easing down the zipper of his fly. Her focus remained on her fingers, and as she unfastened his pants, her upper arms pressed her breasts together into two plump mouthfuls.

Inuyasha was absolutely starving, ravenous, insatiable, but he was looking forward to seeing how far she would go.

 He crossed his arms behind his head, raising his head a tad so he could watch as she worked to get his pants down and when the last of his clothing was removed, Kagome gasped.  “Oh God, you’re so-----”

“Big?” He leaned in and smiled against her. “That’s your fault, sweetheart.”

Kagome pouted, sticking that luscious bottom lip out. Damn if he didn’t want to go nibble on it again. When he got to her mouth, she fastened greedily on him then paused for a slight second as she tasted herself on his tongue. He deepened the kiss all the time his hand cupped her right breast.

“Spread those legs for me, beautiful.”

Kagome moaned.

Inuyasha hovered over her, his hips rocking forward, pushing his manhood toward the warm, moist spot his fingers had moments before teased to this blind, aching need.

“I want you to take all of me,” he gritted out. “Can you do that, Kagome? Can you take all of my cock?”

He tried to enter her slowly, but her hands caught his hips and pulled him into her.

 She nipped at his shoulder with her teeth and whispered a brazen challenge into his ear.

 "Follow me if you dare."

Inuyasha moaned loudly for Kagome’s body was wrapped around him, setting the pace. Her fingers plied his back, his bottom, while her hips rocked against him. He began thrusting, his hips slapping against her. Moisture flooded her pussy as her orgasm built and blew out of control.

“I can’t go slowly,” he said. “Oh, God, Kagome.”

There wasn’t one slow buildup to one big bang, instead there were several explosions, one after the other. Each one was wrung out of her in a mixture of pain and edgy pleasure. It all mixed and swirled together until she was mindless in her ecstasy.

 And then when he buried himself one last time, and she felt the hot rush of his release deep in her body, she lost all semblances of time and place.

She screamed as her body flew apart. He leaned against her for a long moment as his cock jerked and spasm the last of his release. Then he eased out of her body with a gentle pop. She felt the warm slide of his seed spill over her aching flesh as he left her.

 With gentle hands, he turned her over to her side. Her muscles ached, and she trembled from head to toe. But she felt more alive than she’d ever felt before.

Excited, exhausted and completely sated.

Author’s Note: Hahaha. That was a one, hot scene. What do you think guys?? Reviews are most welcome and needed!XD

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters. And I don't make any profit from this story. The only thing I get is extreme satisfaction.

(If the words, scenes, or the plot of this story are, in one way or another, similar to yours or any of those that you have already read, it was purely a coincidence.)

I’m sorry for being terribly slow on my chapters.  Anyway, here it is. Thank you for waiting! :)

Shaelyn-Bobaelyn: I’d be very glad if you would be my beta reader.

drkvampress161: Thanks so much for the review! It meant a lot to me. I have a new beta reader…XD

Chapter 9

Inuyasha lay on his back, his head pillowed on his crossed forearms. He and Kagome were now in his room where their second round of vigorous exercise took place. He was staring up at room's plain white ceiling, thinking why the hell today, Wednesday, should even come. He knew

Inuyasha willed his body to perfect stillness so as not to wake Kagome. If she came fully awake, he had a funny feeling that she’d immediately retreat back to her own tough façade and throw him accusations he has heard before.

Inuyasha’s instinct told him that she is usually not a woman who gives in to wild and untamed desires without thinking. And their love-making, (he prefers to call it that way instead of mere sex, or one night stand) was obviously instantaneous to a fault, and she would probably punish herself for taking such pleasure.

But she had been powerless to stop.  

Hell, so was he. But the honest thing about all of it is that he doesn’t regret a thing. Unfortunately, he couldn’t say the same for Kagome. 

She stirred and it took a second before she said, "You're not asleep."

 "Hmmph." He wondered how well she read minds.

"If you were asleep, your breathing wouldn't be so obvious," she explained.

 "If I'm breathing hard, it's your fault," he said with more of a growl than he'd intended.

Her hand slid to the center of his chest, where she plucked lightly at his hair.

He did move, finally.  He came closer, ducking his head so that he could rest his forehead on hers. When he forced her legs even farther apart, she complied with a sharp gasp, squeezing her eyes closed when he slid his hand beneath her bottom. He cupped her fully, pressing the heel of his palm into her sex, which was waiting and ready.

His breathing came raw and ragged and hot on her face.

 She whimpered then, and he wedged one long, thick finger along the entire length of her, his thumb circling her clit, his fingertips probing and rubbing and …oh, oh, oh.

Three seconds and she was done.

 She cried out the way she'd wanted to, verbally letting go and spilling everything she felt. He continued to work her, rubbing and pressing and squeezing in and out and ruthlessly around until she shuddered from a pleasure that reached close to being pain.

Inuyasha reached out to ran his fingers across her cheeks down to the hollow of her neck.

Feeling helplessly dazed, she scolds, "Stop that.”

Inuyasha managed a grin. “Stop what, exactly?”

“Stop making me tingly, and warm, and—oh, you know, just stop it!”  

Inuyasha only chuckled. "You know you love it."

 God, but she did. "Yeah, but a girl can take only so much intensity before she goes blind."

 "Hmm,” was only his reply for his tongue has already begun its lazy slide from her ear to her neck.

She shuddered.

"You're perfect," he whispered, his large hands moving urgently over her body, one settling on her waist and the other moving up toward the gentle swell of her breast. "Right here, right now, in this moment, in this place, you're perfect."

 Kagome stiffened.

She doesn’t want Inuyasha Takahashi sweet. She would prefer him arrogant and domineering but not this.

There is too much… intimacy. Too much.. ..romance.

It made her uneasy.

But before she could even think to pull away, he grabbed hold of her hand. “Spend the rest of your vacation with me."

Kagome knew what he meant. That she going to have to reside at his suite for the remainder of her stay.  An uncomfortable feeling rushed through Kagome, and she forcefully shoved him away.

“I need to go.”  When Kagome moved out of the bed, Inuyasha began to feel cold, his body, his bed, and his whole being. He watched as Kagome began looking for her clothes then cursed under her breath when she must have remembered she left it in the living room.

Seeing her struggle so hard with her emotions, he took pity and silently thought that maybe he has to let her go. But Kagome stopped her search, turned around and look at him. Right in his eyes.

She looked at him with her lonely face that Inuyasha cringed at the sorrow he saw in her eyes. He doubted she even knew that it was there. But Inuyasha saw it and stirred something in him.

And it was when he realized what he should do.

Inuyasha stood up and when he reached her, he hugged her to him. “Don’t go.” The word was uttered so sincerely and gentle she couldn’t help but gasp.

 “Inuyasha…”

“Stay with me.”

His fingers, warm and firm, curled around her own, and then he lifted her hand to his mouth, his gaze still holding hers, and kissed her knuckles. Just that small touch made her tummy lurch and places below it tighten. His tongue touched her skin, soft and damp, dipping briefly between her middle and ring finger and she felt the touch sizzle from her navel downward.

She almost groaned.

“Don’t fight it,” he continued.

His thumb touched the side of her mouth, moved over her bottom lip and then ran beneath her chin, making her shudder, her breath catch. He tipped her face up, arching her neck and moving her closer to his talk strong body at the same time. "Open your mouth for me, baby."

She did, parting her lips on a breath. His mouth brushed over hers, light, sweet, his tongue just touching the edge of her teeth, coasting on the inside of her bottom lip. "Don't ever be afraid of me."

Kagome didn’t respond. Who would, if they are the recipient of this kind of pleasure?

“I like holding you.” He picked her up, swinging her high against his chest with no sign of effort. “You don't weigh much more than a feather." He pulled her close enough to nuzzle her throat, her ear, to kiss her mouth long and deep before reluctantly putting her down on the bed and leaned over her.

“I want to touch you and not stop touching. I want—" he stopped and Kagome opened her eyes.

She frowned when she saw him staring down at her with gentleness that it made her want to cry. “What’s wrong?”

Inuyasha looked at her thoughtfully, “I keep on talking about what I want that I have forgotten to ask the most important question of all.”

Kagome pursed her lips in confusion. “What is that?”

“Do you want me? Do you want this?”

Kagome remained immobile. And it was when she realized how easy it is to fall in love with him. Of all the people she has ever met, it was only he who asked of what she wants. Twice, exactly. The night when she was nearly raped and tonight. And the first time she declined, thinking that agreeing would be a bad thing.

And yes, they may have sex right now and he doesn’t need to ask permission at all because they already had sex just a few hours but, goddamn, asking her was like the sweetest thing he’d ever done.

It felt wonderful that Kagome can only answer, “Yes, I want this,” she reached out to caress his face. “I want you.”

“I know.” He grinned, “But I'd rather hear it from you."

She no longer wanted to defy him. What was the point, when giving him pleasure would only heighten her own?

He wound her hair around his fist and tugged, drawing her neck, then pressed his lips against her throat. Her pulse pounded, her heart slamming against her chest. Whatever cool breeze she’d felt had evaporated under the assault of heat burning her from the inside out. He scorched a trail along her neck and jaw, then captured her mouth in a fiery kiss that exploded when he parted her lips and slid his tongue inside.

Slow and easy, velvety strokes along her tongue, he explored the inner recesses of her mouth like he had all day to do this.

“Do you like that, baby?” he asked hoarsely.

Kagome moaned and purred, “Don’t make me talk.”

Inuyasha just laughed and didn’t speak to her, just slid his cock inside her and stroked her, slowly, without words, making sweet, gentle love to her. He caressed her breasts, kissed the nape of her neck, his hands wandering everywhere on her body, finally settling at her clit.

It was slow and unhurried, as if he had all the time and patience in the world.

She didn’t even think she could come again, and when she did, it was a surprise, her cries of completion a sweet surprise as she flew into a climax that left her shaking and near tears. 

He didn’t even come this time, just left his cock inside her and rocked against her for awhile, holding her, his cock finally softening until he stopped moving. Always holding her, touching her, kissing her. Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her body and hung on to her as if it meant his life. And during that time, that wonderfully imperfect moment, maybe it did.

Kagome quietly disentangled herself from Inuyasha’s arms and eased out of the bed. She had been awake most of the time he was asleep and she wished that he wouldn’t wake yet.

The turn out of her events had shaken her badly. She has finally found someone who could convince her that living alone is unhealthy.

Inuyasha.

She turned her head to see him and reached out to touch his cheeks.

He is a good man, there’s no doubt about that. And despite his playfulness, she knew he was a responsible, loving man. But she couldn’t allow herself to appreciate those facts, simply because it would complicate her already-complicated life.

Kagome sighed and on silent feet, walked into her own room to change her clothes. She has already packed her suitcases earlier but now it seemed liked leaving was a wrong thing to do. She was going to have to unpack it afterwards. But right now, she needed some time to think.

Because she knew that wasn’t just going to walk out on him without a word. So she scribbled a note.

She told him that she needed to explore the resort alone.

As she walked back to his room to leave the note, she was overcome by sadness. She looked back toward the bedroom where Inuyasha lay sleeping.

She missed him already.  Confusion curled in her stomach, unsettling her, making a mess of her emotions. She turned around and walked out the door.

Inuyasha and Totousai were walking around the resort, waiting for the arrival of the chartered plane for the new batch of guests coming in. But Inuyasha’s thoughts weren’t into it.

He was annoyed as hell. Where did that wench go?

She just said that she wanted to think and explore the resort more. But when he peered into her room, he had seen her suitcases packed, and ready to go.

The woman had the nerve to leave him like it’s a goddamn one night stand.

Okay, bullshit fine, maybe it is, maybe it is not, but the main problem is, where the hell is she?

He was torn, actually. Half of him wants her to stay. The other half wants to let her go and find herself, or whatever else she needs because he’d never do anything to hold her back.

But the night that she was cornered by a one, drunken man came to his memory and Inuyasha willed himself to calm down and slow down his heart, which, slammed heavily against his chest.

“How is Ms. Higurashi?” Totousai suddenly asked. “Such a pretty little thing, that one.”

Inuyasha turned to face him and growled, wondering if the old man could read through his mind.

“I’ll say,” he replied muttered and offered nothing more.

Just as they were a few meters from the helipad, he studied his surroundings, looking for something not to his liking. Inuyasha turned around and noticed a slim body resting on a chair outside a bar and restaurant. A body wearing a tropical beach dress and shorts. Oversize dark glasses covered most of the woman’s face, obscuring her identity.

“I’ve seen those legs somewhere,” he mumbled.

The woman turned her head towards him and Inuyasha clenched his fists into tiny balls when he immediately recognized her.

“Go ahead and meet up with the guests. I’ll get back to you later.” He instructed the old man.

Totousai followed his line of gazed. “Children,” he muttered and shook his head, whether in amusement or disapproval, Yash couldn’t be sure.

Inuyasha picked up his steps as he walked towards Kagome. As he got closer, he heard the throbbing beat of a sixties rock group from the inside of the B&R. A large glass of iced tea was set on the table within easy reach. Inuyasha felt a pang of rage at the picture of relaxation she portrayed while he worried his ass off, thinking of where she had been.

Kagome raised her head and saw him.

“Inuyasha?” she asked, concerned at the look she must have seen in his face.

“What the hell are you doing out here?” Inuyasha asked.

“I wrote you--”

“I don’t give a damn about--” he hissed and stopped when a man in middle thirties appeared   in   the   entrance of the restaurant, carrying a tray of two plates filled with fries and burgers. And it was obvious that he was coming towards their table.

And when the man saw Inuyasha, he looked at Kagome in confusion, and before he could ask, Inuyasha beat him into it.   “Who the hell are you?” he said in an irritated voice.

Kagome stifled a groan. “Inuyasha,” she called out, a warning in her voice but otherwise smiled sweetly. Much too sweet.  “This is Rob Connor. I met him yesterday and we went diving with his son. Rob, this is Inuyasha.”

Rob laid out his hand for a handshake but Inuyasha ignored him and instead, “So that’s why you were out late and nearly killed yourself,” he growled out.

At that, Rob’s eyes widened and looked at Kagome. “What is he talking about? What happened to you?”

Kagome scoffed. “Nothing. He is just overreacting.”

Kagome thought she heard the grinding of Inuyasha’s teeth.

Rob busied himself on his seat and Kagome took the opportunity to hiss in Inuyasha’s ear, “What the hell are you doing here?” to which Inuyasha replied with great ferocity, “I was looking for you.”

“Is there a problem?”

She looked up at Rob. “Oh no, everything’s fine.” And then Kagome began munching on her fries. She talked to Rob about his work, just to relieve the tension between the three of them. Inuyasha remained quiet but studied the man intently.

“Kagome,”   Rob   said,   leaning   across   the   table   and patting   her   hand with his. “Thank you for the gift you gave to Teddy.”

 “Those fries are delicious,” Inuyasha declared loudly, reaching for one. “Excuse me, man, could you move your arm?”

Rob instantly retrieved   his   hand,   and   Yash   took   a   fries   and   popped   it   into   his mouth. He smiled broadly. “Wonderful.”

Kagome   waited   through   the   exchange   and   then   said   to   Rob,   “I had a great time with the two of you. It’s a shame you need to be back in San Francisco tomorrow.”  

“As do I,” he said, “but work is work and his mother insisted that I return him immediately.”

 “You won’t be here for the beach parties and events then, I’m afraid,” Inuyasha put in helpfully. “Great fun. You won’t wish to miss it.”

Kagome looked at him oddly. He sounded almost too jolly.

 “I’m sure it is,” Rob replied. “But I can’t stay for long.”

“Well, have a happy and safe trip then.” He smiled.

“Thank yyy---”

“Inuyasha?” Kagome interrupted.

“What, sweetheart?”

 Annoyance flashed in her eyes but then said, “Didn’t   you   tell   me   that   you   wanted   to visit   that   souvenir shop   we saw the other day?”

She waited for a reaction from him. There was none.

She widened her eyes dangerously. “Maybe we could visit it today? Right now?”

Inuyasha watched her with an air of amusement. “Of course,” he grinned, “I can’t think of anything I would enjoy more.”

Kagome opened her mouth to say something, then saw the uselessness and shut it.

She   was   going   to   kill   him.   She   was   going to   sneak   into   his   bedroom   and   skin him alive.

Then Inuyasha abruptly stood up, “Nice meeting you,” he said to Rob and before Kagome could say anything, he dragged her away.

Ten minutes later, Inuyasha was still dragging her.

Kagome’s wrist hurt but the man had clearly no intention of loosening his hold until they were back at the hotel. But she tried to be released, nonetheless, “Let me go!” she yelled as Inuyasha yanked her closer to his body. “Do you hear me??!”

Inuyasha raised one arm to ward off a blow to his face. "I'd have to be deaf not to."

Kagome could feel herself begin to shake. She remained quiet as they rode up the elevator, thankful that only the janitor was with them.

The elevator stopped and she let herself be taken away by him, thinking that once they reached their suite, he would let her go.

Once they were inside the room, she waited for the moment his grip would slacken.

Nothing happened. 

Instead, when she raised her gaze to his, she felt like crawling under the sheets for there was anger written all over his face.

She remained still for what seemed like a very long time, her eyes locked on his, her wrist burning painfully where his powerful fingers held her motionless. Finally she did the one thing she'd sworn she would never do with this man.

She begged.

"Please," she whispered, "let me go."

He did, his hand releasing her with a startling abruptness. "I’m sorry," he said, sounding the slightest bit... surprised? He looked at his hand with wide eyes, disgust evident across his face.

No, that was impossible.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," he said tenderly.

"Didn't you?"

He gave his head a small shake. "No. To scare you, perhaps. But not to hurt you."

Kagome stepped backward on shaky legs. "Funny how I feel the opposite,” she answered with disdain.

Inuyasha sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “It wasn’t my intention,” he said softly.

Kagome took another step back. She didn't have the energy to try to keep up with his abrupt changes of mood. "I’m going to my room."

"Go," he said affably, waving toward her door.

She began to edge away, walking slowly, afraid that if she took her eyes off him for one second he might pounce. "I'm going now," she said again, unnecessarily.

He nodded.

Kagome strode forward and closed her door with a bang.

Author’s Note: I will definitely post another chapter next week so watch out for it..:)

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters. And I don't make any profit from this story. The only thing I get is extreme satisfaction.

(If the words, scenes, or the plot of this story are, in one way or another, similar to yours or any of those that you have already read, it was purely a coincidence.)

Hey there. Two weeks with only one update, huh? Haha. So sorry. Anyway, here is the 10th chapter. Seriously people I need inspiration so please review.

Chapter 10

Inuyasha strode towards Kagome’s door, his hand on the doorknob. He was determined to open and the door and talk to her, but he paused.

God, how hard it is to fight with his own demons.

He shook his head in disgust. He has been walking back and forth for the last ten minutes and every now and then he would call himself an idiot.

Served him well.

Jesus, he had hurt her.

He had seen he bruise he caused on her wrist and he was tempted to kick his own ass.

“Some bastard you are,” he muttered to himself.

He clenched his fist and walked forward and cursed long and fluently when he realized what he’s doing.

Hell and damnation!

The urge to see her and apologize was so powerful that he feared he would even agree to kneel down on his knees, if needed.  He wanted so desperately to question her further, to know if she was ever going to stay. Because, shit, he had done romancing her and practically begging her to stay, but she hadn’t answered yet. And he feared her packed suitcases were the indication.

But he was a grown man, for Christ’s sake. Surely he could handle being, what could be an appropriate word, rejected, perhaps?

“Goddamn,” he muttered and frowned all the more when his phone rang.

Before he could think better of it, he exploded, “What?”

“Well, hello to you too, Yash,” Rin teased.

Inuyasha groaned. “Rin,” he acknowledged, “what’s up?”

“I have good news!” she squealed.

Inuyasha chuckled despite his earlier attitude. “I can say.”

From the background, he could hear Sessh say, “Will you put that goddamn phone down and rest?”

Rin just scoffed and focused to him, “I’m pregnant! Can you believe it? I’m pregnant!” she said in a deliriously happy voice that Inuyasha couldn’t help but be contained by it.

“Really? Well, I’m happy for you. How’re you feeling? How is Sessh?”

 "Oh relax,” she laughed at him. "I feel great. And Sessh is relaxed too about this thing. This is my second pregnancy, you know."

Inuyasha smirked at her use of the word ‘relaxed,’ because knowing Sessh, he would be everything except relaxed.

 "I know, but still, relaxing around you is impossible," he grunted.

 "Really, I'm fine.”

Yash smiled, taking pity for Sessh because he remembered her ‘episodes’ during her first pregnancy. “Just take care of yourself. Do not lift heavy objects and you shouldn’t be alone--”

But Rin just sniffed on the other line and Inuyasha could see that she was going to get all sappy on him and cry. "Damn, Rin, are you okay?"

 "I'm fine. Really." But she sniffed and blinked her huge, wet eyes. "You're just so sweet.  And I want you to know that you're my favorite brother-in-law."

Inuyasha fought the urge to roll his eyes.  "I'm your only brother-in-law,” he muttered and continued, “Those hormones are really something. Shouldn’t you be resting right now?”

Rin jeered, “You sound like Sesshy,” she said, but knows that she should be lying in the bed right now, if she wants to be spared from her husband’s---Get off the phone or I swear to God I will tear that in half.

“God help me,” Inuyasha grumbled. “Anyway, I will be back in a few days’ time. And please tell Sessh to e-mail me the details of the Thornet account so I can review it while I’m away.”

“Oh, okay, I’ll see you then. Bye.”

When the call had ended, Inuyasha offered himself a last glance of Kagome’s door. Hearing no sound coming from the inside, he hauled himself out of the hotel room.

_________________

One of the main attractions of the resort is the annual carnival which is held a night before the bikini contest. Their guests were all out of the hotel, probably enjoying themselves.  The carnival offers clowns, games, crafts, and all the crap that’s made for children.

 There were also whiny kids, grumpy parents, the occasional drunk and a slew of trouble-seeking, horny teenagers looking for a score.

 Not to mention the heat. Dark had fallen and yet the temperature hadn't.

 The music pulsed loud, as well as all the hooting and hollering from the rides and games. Pulling his shirt away from his damp skin, he strode up and down the aisles thinking of how he'd rather be spending his evening.

 In front of ESPN. With air-conditioning.

 No, scratch that. In the arms of a woman. Yeah, now there was a way to pass time. His nice, quiet, sweet, loving woman and though she'd be quiet, she wouldn't be shy.

No way.

She'd be wildly passionate and erotically sensual.

 She'd greet him at the door wearing his opened shirt and nothing else but a smile.

 Now there was a fantasy.

Then he wondered where Kagome was. When he came back in the suite to change his shirt, she wasn’t there. She has a funny habit of disappearing. And because he still felt guilt about what he had done earlier, he let it go. 

 He strode down a row of games, then around a corner to another aisle, stopping to gulp down a large lemonade.

From a few feet away, Inuyasha could see straight ahead to the dart game, where all one had to do was pop three balloons to win a prize.

 A woman stood there.

There were women all over the place, but this one, dressed to kill in her jade-green haltered sundress, stood out. She was concentrating fiercely, her back to him as she threw back her arm, aimed … and missed.

 He knew that long, slim back. Those black waves tumbling over straight, proud shoulders. Those long, long legs that could wrap around a man and—

 "Shit," she muttered, and shoved a hand into her pocket. That she came out with another buck surprised him, as her skirt appeared to have been painted on.

 Several women passed Kagome, each of whom stopped to stare at her, then kept going, laughing unkindly. Inuyasha frowned and opened his mouth to say something but Kagome retorted and went back to shooting.

 It made him grin.

 And suddenly he was incredibly glad he'd come to this freakish carnival. Still grinning, he sauntered up to the booth and leaned a hip against it as he turned casually toward her.

She didn't even glance at him, just accepted her new darts from an awed-looking, pimply-faced teenage boy and aimed again.

 Two balloons in a row, bull's-eye. Pop. Pop.

 "One dart away for the big prize," the boy told her with a huge, dopey smile on his face. "You have to hit all three to get the—"

 "I know what I have to do." She threw the dart.

"Close," Inuyasha said conversationally when she missed by a mile. "But no cigar."

 Oh, she noticed him now. Narrowed her very incredible, very hazel, very expressive eyes on him.  "You,” Kagome snarled.

“Yeah, me,” he agreed.

“You distracted me," she accused.

 He lifted his hands. "Hey, you didn't even see me until just now." Slipping a hand into his pocket, he came out with another buck. "But here. Try again, on me."

 "I'm not taking your money." She slapped down her own dollar. "Back off, you're in my space."

 "Backing off." But he didn't.

She smelled too good, looked too good . He wasn't going anywhere.

 She didn't even notice. In fact, she appeared to forget about him as she took aim. And this time hit her target. Then did it again.

 "One more time," the kid said, ever so helpfully, and Kagome lowered the third dart and glared at him.

The kid took a step back. "Sorry. I just know how bad you want this pretty teddy bear here."

 "Teddy bear, huh?" Inuyasha tucked his tongue into his cheek as she aimed and once again missed her third and winning shot. "I gotta tell you, I never really pictured you as a teddy bear type, Kagome."

 "Oh, she wants it really bad," the kid offered as Kagome grated her teeth. "She's already put at least ten bucks on it."

 "Is that right?" Inuyasha looked at Kagome and lifted a brow. "You need something cuddly to sleep with at night, Kagome?"

 She sighed. "Is there a reason why you're standing there staring at me?"

 "Well…" He scratched his jaw and looked her over, from the long neck he suddenly wanted to nibble on, to the breasts nicely outlined behind her halter, down her curved hips and mile-stretch legs. "You are something to look at."

 With a roll of her eyes, she slapped down another buck and went back to the task at hand. Aimed.

Let it rip, and Inuyasha had to admit, she knew what she was doing.

 Pop. Pop.

 Two balloons down.

 "Only one to go," he offered.

 Her hand lowered, and she shot him a withering look. "Don't talk."

 He smiled and waited until she aimed again. "You know, if you want the teddy bear that badly, I could win it for you."

 "I'll win it myself, thanks."

 "Oka-a-ay," he said, and watched as she missed. She swore with impressive skill, then dug into her pocket again. Came up empty. Swore some more.

 "My offer still stands." He smiled when she bared her teeth at him. "If you're interested. I'll win it for you."

 "Sure you will."

 He put a hand to his chest. "Your doubt wounds me. But you should know, I was all-city dart champ."

 Cocking a hip, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Really."

 "Really."

 "So you'll win me the teddy bear."

 "Just said so, didn't I?"

 She studied him. "Okay, what happens then? After you win?"

 "I hand you the prize."

 "And?"

 "And…" He let out a slow, wicked grin, both because he could taste victory and because she was so incredibly hot. "And in return, you give me a prize.”

 Her eyes narrowed to little slits. "Which would be what exactly?"

 "I don't know yet. I'll think about it." He slapped down a buck, accepted his three darts.

Aimed.

 And was stopped by a hand on his arm. He looked into deep brown eyes that held a world of knowledge. "I don't want the teddy bear."

 "Liar," he said softly, and hit the first balloon. "But that's okay. I think the bear will look good on my bed."

He hit the second balloon.

 Pop.

 She tossed back her hair.

Looked at him with fire-spitting eyes.

Then caved. "Okay, damn you, I want the bear." Her fingers dug into his arm. "Name your price."

 They weren't touching—other than her fingernails digging into his biceps, that is—but their mouths were only a fraction apart. Hers was all glossy and smelled like peaches.

 He loved peaches.

Their breath co-mingled, and with a sharp stab of lust he remembered exactly how good those lips tasted. He wanted another taste. "My price?" He lifted the third remaining dart. Weighed it in his hand.  "A date."

 Kagome’s eyes impressively widened into round plates. "A date?”

“That’s what I said.”

“Are you even sure that’s what you really want?"

 "Uh-huh," he answered, narrowing his gaze as he studied the distance to the remaining balloon. Hefted the dart. "I know exactly what I want. And I'm not afraid to get it." Turning his head, he shot her a last look. "How about you?"

 "I know what I want."

 "Ah, yes, the teddy bear." Inuyasha smiled. "But I've discovered I want it, too." He aimed, but before he could throw the dart she stopped him.

 "Fine," she said.

 He set down the dart. "Fine what?"

 "You want me to say it?"

 "Yep."

 That earned him a roll of her eyes. "If you win the bear, I'll give you the damn date for it. Tonight, if you want.”

“Oh no,” he said with a shook of his head. “I decide when and where.”

She looked him over. Wanted to tell him to go to hell, he could tell. “Okay, fine. “ Lifting a finger, she wagged it in his face. "But you have to win the bear first.”

 He arched a brow, then showed her he was just leaning in to grab the dart. But he paused and lowered the dart, turned his head to face her. “Before I forget,” he said, staring intently, “I want to apologize for my behavior earlier.”

Kagome blinked. “Apologize?”

“Yeah,” he looked down at her wrist. “I’m really sorry. It wasn’t my intention to hurt you.”

Kagome followed his line of gaze, “Oh. Well, I uh,---,” she swallowed, stroking her wrists.  “That’s okay.. I guess.”

For one moment she let her guard down and blushed. Her entire face softened, and he stared at her in shock. My God, she was beautiful like that, he thought, and wondered what it would be like to see her happy, really happy.

 She crossed her arms and didn't offer another word.

 He smiled and tossed the dart.

 And won Kagome the bear.

 Handing it to her, he grinned and said, "You're welcome." He watched as she turned away and buried her face into the bear's neck, her arms hugging the thing tight. Because suddenly his throat was tight as well, he cleared it. "So----are we going steady now?"

 And then she surprised him by laughing. "In your dreams." She huffed off, a vision in her little sundress, her black hair flying everywhere, arms wrapped around the huge bear.

 The kid running the booth watched her go. "That was amazing, dude."

 "Yeah." But all Inuyasha could think about was his prize.

And it was walking away.

 So he did what any red-blooded, aroused man would do.

He followed her.

Author’s Note: Yey! They have a date, LOL. You will learn all about it on the next chapter. And uh, I am so damn sorry for the super late update. I’ve had several messages asking me to update. Please understand that I am taking a summer class that is normally taken during a regular semester. So I am suffering now. The topics are compressed, and I have to learn them all in one month. So I have to study harder than before. XD

But I promise you that I’ll update once my schedule allows me. Thank you very very much for the patience and please don’t ever abandon me.

_ep_