A Love That Never Was

Author’s note: Same as always, love you guys and I’m having so much fun writing this. Also, just to clear up any future questions, when the story is coming from Sesshy’s POV she will be referred to as Katherine. When it’s from her own POV, she will be referred to as Kat.

Disclaimer: Still don’t own Inuyasha.



Sesshoumaru sat under the tree, completely involved in the book. He only had a chapter to go and the he would have to go over to the bookstore and pick up the next one. Of course it had to be a series of books. Maybe he would just pick them all up in one shot instead of running out to pick up a new one each time he finished one. He growled as his cell phone. Why right now? He considered not picking it up, but if it was one of his lawyers, they would just keep calling until he answered. HE pulled it out of his pocket and answered without even looking at it.

“Takahashi here,” he snapped.

“Sesshoumaru?”Asked a sweet voice. He nearly dropped the phone. It was her!

“Yes this is Sesshoumaru,” he answered, trying to keep the eagerness out of his voice.

“Hi, this is Katherine O’Reilly. I don’t know if you remember me. We met at the Lotus last week.” Not remember her? He could never forget.

“Katherine, it is wonderful to hear from you.” He let some of the pleasure he was feeling slip into his voice. “I was starting to give up on hearing from you.”

“Yeah I’m sorry about that. I, uh, just started working a new book and I’ve been kind of caught up in it. I feel really bad, but when my muse calls, I have to go with it.”

“That’s quite all right. I’m just glad that you called.”

“You’re not busy at the moment, are you? You seemed rather annoyed when you answered the phone.”

“No I’m not busy at all. I’m actually out relaxing right now. When you called, I had just assumed that it would be another business call interrupting some of the rare peace that I get.” He closed his eyes and tried to picture how her face must look at the moment.

“I see. Do you want me to let you go?”

“No, please don’t. I…well I’ve barely stopped thinking about you. You have made my entire afternoon by calling.” Afternoon? How about month, year, lifetime? He took a deep breath and tried to keep himself calm. There was silence on the other end.

“Katherine, are you still there?” he asked. Oh Kami, did he scare her away? Should he have not said that?
“No, I’m still here. It’s just, well I, um…I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you either. Do you think maybe I can take you up on that offer of dinner sometime soon” His heart soared. She wanted to see him!

“Well if you’re not doing anything right now, we can change it to lunch. I would to like to be able to see you as soon as possible,” he told her, hoping that he wasn’t being too bold. To his surprise he heard her begin to laugh happily.

“I think that can be arranged quite easily,” she told him. “Look up.” He lifted his head. Not twenty feet away from him, she sat on a bench, waving. For the first time in his long life, Sesshoumaru found himself blushing. To think that he of all people had just been spied on! But instead of getting angry, he found himself admiring this sweet young woman that had captured his interest. He quickly stood up as she walked over to him, still giggling.

“How long have you been sitting there?” he asked. He reached and took her hand giving it a gentle kiss on the back. It was a wonderful thing to be able to use a gentleman’s action as an excuse to hold her hand, however brief it was. He enjoyed watching the blush grow in her cheeks and the gently rising scent of her arousal reaching his nostrils.

“Long enough. You’re not mad are you?” She looked up him, concern showing in her large green eyes.

“Not at all. You are by far the most pleasant sight that I’ve seen since arriving here.” He was rewarded with that dazzling smile of hers. He decided right there that he would do everything in his power to make her smile as often as possible. While he stood there captivated, she reached out and pulled the hand that held her book forward.

“So what are you reading?” she asked as she looked at it. Her mouth dropped open and her face turned bright red as she recognized the cover.

“Oh my God, you’re reading my book!” Her smile grew even wider. “I can’t believe that you’re reading my book. Do you like it?”

“I love it,” he told her honestly. Her heart skipped a beat as she gazed at him with pride.

“I picked it up after I met to see if you were as good a writer as you were a speaker. I’ve barely been able to put it down.” She clapped her hands together like a delighted child.

“You have no idea how wonderful it is to hear things like that. It’s every writer’s dream to just run into someone that just happens to be reading something they wrote!” He smiled, letting her enthusiasm bubble over him. What was it about her? He had sought her out originally wanting Kagome. But at this point it was so much more. It wasn’t that she was different from Kagome. It was like seeing a side of her he had never been able to see before. And why should he have? If this side of her had ever truly existed, she would have had no reason to show it to the Lord of the Western Lands. She was a different girl, but somehow the same. It hadn’t even seemed this way with Kikyo and Kagome. It was as if every good quality the soul had ever had was thrown together to make this darling beautiful woman. Oh Kami, he thought softly. I’m sinking and sinking fast. Maybe, when Kagome made her wish, I was given a second chance. And maybe this time I can do it right.

Katherine smiled at him, blissfully unaware of the thoughts racing through his mind. Her nickname actually did suit her. She was like an impulsive little kitten, everything exciting and delighting her. She took his hands and clasped them in hers. He felt a warmth course through his body and instinctively moved closer to her. She looked up at him with those amazing green eyes. The smile faded from her face and was replaced wiometomething darker. He leaned forward, having every intention of kissing her until she melted.

He was interrupted by the sound of a cell phone ringing. She jumped in surprise and freed her hands in order to pull her phone out of her pocket. Damn it, he swore silently as she answered her phone, a deep red blush spreading across her face. I probably just blew it completely. I moved way too fast and she’s going to tell me to leave her alone.

“Hello,” she said. Pause. “Well if you called my house line and didn’t get me it usually means I’m not home.” Pause. “Ok yeah, it can also mean I’m writing, but this time I’m not home.” Pause. “You want to borrow my what?” Pause. “You know, you’d havmuchmuch easier time finding someone of you didn’t keep trying to fit into what you think other people’s conceptions are.” Pause. “Ok tell you what. I have to go home anyway and get changed. I have a lunch date.” With that she turned her head and smiled at him. His heart soared. He still had a chance. She dropped her eyes and continued to talk to whoever it was on the other end.

“Well I have to pick up my car from Stacy’s house. I can be home in about ten minutes.” Pause. “Ok see ya then.” She hung up the phone and turned back to him.

“I wasn’t being to assuming there was I?” she asked nervously. “I mean you did say you wanted to take me out to lunch and well-“ He brought a finger to her lips, stopping her nervexplexplanation.

“I would be honored if you would accept my invitation to take you out to lunch. Is your car nearby? I’m actually walking today myself.”

“I’m parked right across the street. We can drive over to my house really quick. It’ll only take me ten minutes to get changed. But there is one catch.” He lifted an eyebrow at her. “My friend Chris is going to be meeting us there. She needs to borrow a dress from me, so you’ll have to hang out with her for a few minutes.”

“Acceptable,” he told her as she smiled and his knees attempted to fall out from underneath him. She started to grab his hand and then stopped.

“Ummm, about before, I wasn’t thinking when I grabbed your hands like that. I have a tendency to act first and think later. If I offended you in any way, I’m sorry.” She was blushing deeply. He could smell her so strongly, a combination of embarrassment and arousal.

“Katherine,” he said reaching out and taking her hand, “If you ever offend me, you will know it. But what you did before was not an offense. This-“ He cut himself off. Did I really just almost say this Sesshoumaru? I stopped speaking that way decades ago!

“I have enjoyed every moment that we have spent together, Katherine.” He finished up his sentence as simply as he could. “Now why don’t we go to your car?”

They pulled up in front of a house ten minutes later. He was surprised that a girl her age would feel the need to own a house. They climbed out of the car and walked up the front steps. She smiled at him nervously before opening the door.

“Welcome to my humble home,” she said as they walked inside. To his surprise, the woman Chris was all ready lying on the living room couch, reading a magazine. She looked up and her eyebrows rose in surprise when she saw Sesshoumaru. She quickly covered it up and stood to hug Katherine.

“Heya Kit Kat. I got here first so I let myself in.”

“As if I care,” responded Katherine. “It’s not like you’re throwing wild parties behind my back.” She turned to Sesshoumaru.

“Sesshoumaru, this is my friend Christine Daniels. Chris, this is Sesshoumaru Takahashi.” The two of them shook hands briefly.

“I remember you,” said Chris. “You’re the guy that Kat knocked down the stairs and then you tried to pick her up the club.” She looked like she was about to say more but was interrupted by Katherine walking over her foot.

“Oh was that your foot hon? I’m so sorry,” she said innocently. The look of sweetness on Katherine’s face so conflicted with the look of pain on Chris’s that he burst into laughter, earning him a glare from Chris and a smile from Katherine.

“I’m just gonna kill two birds with one stone while I’m in there. I’ll get changed and look for the dress while I’m doing it. Chris,” she said giving her friend a stern look,” Play nice.” She vanished up the stairs leaving Sesshoumaru alone with the grouchy blonde.
“So,” said Chris,ballbally pouncing on him like a cat with its prey. “You are the guy that our little Kat has been talking about.”

“I wouldn’t know if she had been talking about me, now would I?” he responded. She looked at him and smiled. Kami, was this woman crazy?

“It’s nice to see you have a backbone. Most of the losers she brings around don’t have the balls to stand up to a girl like me. So what are your plans for my friend?” She jumped from subject to subject. He could tell she was deliberately trying to keep him off his guard. A lazy smile curled over his lips. He would show this human what it meant to play this kind of game with someone who had centuries of practice at it.

“Well, not that it’s any of your business, but I see no reason not to tell you.” He settled back onto the couch making himself comfortable.

“Now then I could give you the answer that you are expecting to hear which would be to take her out, get her drunk, and then, to use your American terminology, get down her pants, or,” he said as her mouth dropped open, I could tell you the truth, whis tis that I am going to take her out, get to know her better, and hope she will enjoy herself enough to be willing to see me again.” She sat there for a minute, her face expressionless. Then she gave him a wicked little grin.

“Touché,” she told him. “You’re not bad. Most guys would never have responded that way.” He accepted her coment ent with a nod and waited to see what would happen next. She stared at him for a second and then sighed.

“Listen it’s nothing personal. Kat…”she stopped for a second. “She’s just so God damned naïve! I have never met anyone in my life that is as trusting as she is. She’ll just do whatever comes to mind and expects everything to turn out fine.” Just like Kagome, he thought. She stopped for a moment and glared at him.

“There’s a group of us. We’ve known each other since before we knew how to read. And we’re all very protective of her. Kat does not have the most winning record for boyfriends.” He stayed quiet as she continued, wanting to hear more.

“Ever since she was old enough to realize that guys don’t have cooties, Kat has always gone for guys that are total jerks. And I know a lot of girls say that their friends ex’s are jerks, but these guys were really bad. Her first boyfriend used to tell her she was fat and ugly. Every time she even ate dinner he told she was a disgusting wench and he why did he even bother dating her. She got so obsessed with trying to be perfect for him that she stopped eating for three days. And that was just the beginning. They just keep getting progressively worse. All a guy has to do is treat her like she’s garbage and she wants him.”

The woman that had originally seemed to be a cold-hearted bitch seemed on the verge of tears. She covered her wit with her hands as Sesshoumaru felt his temper begin to rise. How dare anyone say that sort of thing to her? It was obscene, it was horrid, and it was just the way Inuyasha used to talk to Kagome. He had thought that she had no memories of the past. But then why was she finding men that insulted her the way his worthless brother always had?
He sat there silently, waiting for Chris to speak again. She stayed slumped over her hands for a minute. She then made a visible effort to pull herself back together. When she looked back up, her face was calm and cold. And when she began to speak, her voice matched the ice in her eyes.

“Normally, I wouldn’t even tell these things to one of her dates. But with her last boyfriend…well things got really out of hand. It was winter when she started dating him, so none of us really paid attention to the fact that she was wearing long sleeves all the time. And when she went out she wore sunglasses a lot, but Kat’s eyes have always been sensitive to the light. When she stopped calling us, we got worried, but she just kept insisting that she was working on a new book and that she would be more available when she finished.” Oh Kami no, he prayed. Don’t say what I think you are going to say.

“About ten months ago, our friend Val got a call from her in the middle of the night. She was in the hospital and needed someone to bring her insurance card over there. Both of Kat’s parents are dead, so she didn’t have anyone else to call. She tried to make Val promise not to tell the rest of us, but she refused. We were the there in about fifteen minutes. It was…” she stopped and swallowed. “All things considering, it could have been a lot worse. She had three broken ribs and her back was sprained. Her face had been beaten pretty badly, but there was no permanent damage. She healed up pretty well. Her back aches her on rainy days, but that’s about it. It took us about an hour to get her to tell us everything. He had been hitting her since almost the beginning of their relationship.” Sesshoumaru couldn’t take it anymore. His stood up, his fury so great that he was barely able to keep his illusion spell intact.

“You will tell me who this person is and I will kill him!” he nearly shouted. How dare anyone lay a hand on her! He would melt this humans face with poison; he would shred him with his claws, he would-

“You’re too late,” said Chris, stopping him as surely as if he had been doused with cold water.

“Apparently he had been drinking pretty heavily the night he put her in the hospital. He crashed his car and died. Killed on impact. The little shit got off way too easy. He should have suffered a hell of a lot more for what he did to her.”

“I agree,” said Sesshoumaru, sitting back down. A small smile appeared on Chris’s lips. He remembered Kat’s comment at the bar: They kind of think of me as the little sister that can’t take care of herself. Well after hearing that story, he could see why.

“So ever since she got out of the hospital, we’ve been making a point to check up on any guy she gets interested in. You don’t seem too bad. Well for a man at least.” He frowned at the odd comment, but chose to let it pass.

“But I’m letting you know that we are never letting anything like that happen to her again. I’m a bitch and our other friends can be just as me when they need to be. You may be some super rich and powerful guy, but if you do anything to her-“ Sesshoumaru cut her off.

“I give you my solemn word, Miss Daniels, that she will never come to any harm as long as it is within my ability to prevent it from happening. No one woman should ever go through the things that you have explained to me, much less one as special as she is. And you can tell that to the rest of your friends.” He stuck out his hand, knowing that Americans liked to shake hands on these kinds of things. She stared at his hand for a moment.

“You’ve really got a thing for her don’t you?” He nodded and kept his hand held out. After a moment she took it. They shook hands and in that moment something was forged. Not a friendship, but more of an alliance. Both of them wanted to keep Katherine safe and it seemed as though Chris understood that.

Sesshoumaru started to speak when he heard a crash and a scream come from upstairs.

“Shit!” yelled Chris and was off and running with Sesshoumaru right behind her.


Author’s note 2: Hee hee hee, evil cliffhanger. I’ll post again as soon as I can.