Something To Talk About

Three days. Three days of being poked, prodded, and stared at. And, to be quite frank, she was getting sick of it. Everyone around her was acting as though someone had died, and had developed the annoying habit of speaking to her like she was a child who could not understand simple words.

From what she could wrangle out of the doctor, she was in a very serious car accident and was now suffering from amnesia. It would have been funny, but seeing as how nobody was laughing and her mother continued to apologize for something bad, it was clear to Kagome that not only were they telling the truth, but that something worse than losing her memory happened to her. Now, all she had to do was remember it.

That large youkai, Goshinki, told her that she married Houjo. At first, she refused to believe it, but after viewing pictures and seeing the proof that was her marriage license, she had no choice but to believe his claim.

Bankotsu came by every day and stayed with her for a few hours, joking with her and telling her about his job with Sesshomaru's company. He did mention that he made a very serious error with her and that he was sorry, but for her own good, he would not say exactly what he did. He refused to leave when her mom came to visit, saying that he would not allow Kagome to be taken advantage of, even by her own mother, and that confused her even more.

Sesshomaru stopped by and each time she would see him, her mind told her that she should be happy to see him, but there was something deep within her that continued to tell her to not trust him. To not speak with him.

It hurt. She knew that she should love him. After all, they were in love. So, why was he acting so strangely with her and why was it that he froze when she reached out and touched his arm?

Her answer came a few days after she woke up. She could hear Goshinki in the hall, his tone low and dangerous, warning Sesshomaru.

“I won't stand by and let you manipulate her memories. At the moment, she is vulnerable, and I refuse to let you try and worm your way back into her heart by filling her head with words of love and devotion. Had you honestly felt that way, she would not be here, now would she?” He demanded, a growl rising in his throat.

Sesshomaru answered Goshinki's growl with one of his own. “Kagome needs to be cared for and she doesn't understand why we are so careful with her. She may never regain her memory and it is my duty to her to see that not only are her interests taken care of, but also Tsukikomaru's.”

Tsukikomaru. Why did that name sound so familiar? In fact, the name made her body grow warm and brought forth protective instincts that she didn't know she had. As she pondered the thought, the door opened and Sesshomaru entered, his face as stoic as ever.

He knew that her eyes were upon him and she was staring at him as though she had something on her mind, but was trying to decide as to whether or not she should say something. Finally, the urge got to be too much and she asked, “What were you and Goshinki talking about? I heard the two of you arguing. Is everything alright?”

He gave a short nod of his head and lowered himself into the chair that was beside her bed. “You should be resting. Your doctor has said that you need more rest. You cannot rest if you are not asleep.”

Rolling her eyes, she gave him a grin, though the stray thought of reaching out and slapping him across his face as hard as she could arose and rendered her speechless. She quietly leaned back against the white pillow and stared down at her hands. These violent urges were starting to scare her.

He watched her with careful eyes. For a moment, he could detect an air of anger about her, anger that had clung to her like perfume before the accident, but it quickly disappeared and the air of confusion and shock settled in.

He should tell her everything. He knew that he should, but he simply did not know how she would react to learning about his and her friend's betrayal, the fact that she bore him two pups one of whom died, marrying and becoming a widow, and finally, him taking away Tsukikomaru from her in a moment of uncharacteristic anger.

As she studied her hands, he noticed that she was also biting her lip, and without thinking, he reached over and gently smoothed her lip.

“You will harm yourself if you continue to do that. Refrain from it.” He instructed, his tone instantly angering her and causing her to sit up and glare at him in a silent challenge. However, her firm resolve to disobey him lasted exactly three seconds and upon the narrowing of his eyes, she shrank back and allowed her eyes to fall to her lap.

The entire time, he was watching her and her reactions. Her first instinct was to challenge him and his authority. But, after her initial reaction, her reasoning would demand an answer as to why she was challenging him and she would back down.

Though it irritated him, her attitude before the accident actually did more for him than this new attitude of hers. He loved a challenge and the former Kagome challenged him, got one up on him, and actually scored a victory against him in the boardroom, something that had never happened before. This was how a mate should be. A mate should challenge and create excitement within the relationship. Their battles in the boardroom would finish out in the bedroom as they locked together in a sweating, panting tangle of limbs and flesh.

However, first thing was first. With her being out of commission, he needed to figure out a way of making those who worked for her and against her believe that she was still in control and able to take on the world. He had to create the illusion that Kit Yurakami was indestructible, in and out of the office.

Sitting back down, he lifted his briefcase and placed it on the bed and opened it. He pulled out several papers and handed her a pen.

“You must sign these so that I may take care of your appointments while you recover. Sign them with your name, Kagome Yurakami.” He instructed.

Kagome's eyes narrowed and she lifted one of the documents. As she stared at it, it dawned on her that she didn't understand a single word of it, and what was worse, nothing made sense. It was then that she realized that she could not read it.

Her chin trembled and she allowed the paper to fall from her fingers. It was too much for her to handle. Why was it that she knew who he was, but didn't know how to read? If she couldn't read, how was she supposed to sign her name?

Tears spilled from her eyes and she lifted her hands to her face. She hated this. It wasn't fair. As she cried into her hands, she felt the rough material of his business jacket on her cheek and his hand gently fell upon her head.

“You can't read it, can you?” He asked quietly. He already knew the answer and sighed when she bobbed her head.

“I was going to tell you that the doctor said that she would probably experience other problems, but I never imagined that she would forget how to read.” Goshinki said as he came into the room.

He had just come back from getting a cup of coffee and heard Sesshomaru's words. He had a feeling that Kagome lost more than just her memory, but was too concerned with keeping the others from taking advantage of her to be worried about it. Now, it looked like he had better start working on this problem, too.

Glancing up, Sesshomaru asked, “When will she be allowed to leave the hospital?” He watched as the large youkai shifted uncomfortably and said, “Her doctor said that she could leave tomorrow. I was going to ask him if she could stay a few days longer because I have to return to the states and deal with a situation that has come up with my sister.”

Sesshomaru felt his youkai purr. This was a perfect chance. Shaking his head, he said, “Go to America. She will be coming to my home and I will take responsibility for her.”

He knew it! He just fucking knew it! Sesshomaru was going to take full advantage of the situation and sadly, there was not a fucking thing he could do about it at the moment. Well, there was one thing. He could bring in his cousin, Shiori, to watch over her.

Shiori was a hanyou. Part human and part bat. She was also a very good nurse and was in need at the moment of another job. So, he smiled and nodded.

“Alright, but her nurse will be the one taking care of her needs. Shiori will arrive in a few hours. Thank you for opening your home, Sesshomaru.” Goshinki said, a smug smile upon his lips. His cousin was vicious when protecting her charges and when he explained what Kagome went through, he could just bet that Sesshomaru will rue the day he ever offered to open his home.

Something told Sesshomaru that the expression on Goshinki's face was due to the fact that he believed that he had pulled the wool over him. Well, he could deal with anything. Let Goshinki bring his nurse.

Yes, he was totally in control and would not allow anyone to disturb his interaction with Kagome. Not now, not when he could finally regain her trust.