At What Price

SUMMARY: Kagome was getting irritated with him. ‘Well,’ she thought, ‘before I agree to marry you, you oaf. I’m going to spell out some contingencies of my own.’ All of a sudden, she saw an image of Inuyasha, and it stuck a nerve. ‘What will he say?’

Author's Note: Disclaimer, I don't own Inuyasha or anything associated with it. Yeah, its a long chapter but enjoy your good fortune, and the continuing saga...

CHAPTER 15: DEADLINE
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After the meeting Inuyasha had never felt so defeated in his life. There seemed no way out of this hell hole. The buy out was inevitable, however; he couldn’t help but fill himself sink deep into a depression. ‘What now?’ echoed in his thoughts.

Kagome noticed that Inuyasha hadn’t left the office yet, and she knew instinctively it couldn’t be good.

*tap, tap, tap*

“Yes, Kags?” Inuyasha answered, as he sensed her near. He knew it was her knocking at the door.

“I… Well… Is there any hope?” She finally managed to say a little shaky.

“No.” He answered bitterly.

Kagome felt the sorrow and bitterness of defeat coming from Inuyasha. He hadn’t turned to look at her at all, but continued to stare mindless out the window. They were still for what seemed to be forever in the solace of each others company. The minutes on the clock ticked slowly away, nearing five. The only break the silence was when Inuyasha made a comment that struck a cord with Kagome.

“There comes a point at which I ask myself Kags, at what price is it enough? How far would I go?” Inuyasha didn’t elaborate any further on his musing, but Kagome’s soul knew that Inuyasha’s short answer was like a dissertation on, ‘How far would you go to save what you loved.’

Her heart lightened at the aspect of the business meeting which lay ahead. ‘At what price…’ the phrase rang in her mind. Kagome answered the question Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru both posed to her. ‘At what price would I go to help someone I love?’

“All the way.” Kagome didn’t realize that she had spoken the last part out loud when she turned and walked out of the office. However, before she left, Kagome pulled one long stem purple rose out of the bouquet that she clutched to her chest, and laid it on the ground right at the threshold of Inuyasha’s doorway. She fought the hopeless tears, then quietly walked out of the building. Fate would be her’s to determine on this business deal. Or would it?

Inuyasha heard her say those words so softly, that it caressed his ears. He thought about what Kagome had said and it gave him a small glimmer of hope. ‘There has to be something…’he thought. Just then Inuyasha turned to ask Kagome another question, but found she had disappeared. Only leaving a purple rose at the threshold, where she once stood. He went to pick it up. Breathing in it’s aroma, he stared off in the distances as Kagome walked away from him. It was like she was leaving some small comfort behind for him. As if it was all she could allow, or give. But, it was haunting him the way she seemed to connect with him on that level of despair. It was like she was saying ‘good bye,’ to him on so many levels.
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His wavy hair blew about him as he left Inu- Research Inc. in his black Camaro speeding down the highway. He chuckled out loud, as if to let the deities in heaven to hear him. ‘I will have his company,’ he thought. ‘I already have his bitch.’ As on command his cell phone rang.

“Naraku baby.” came a syrpie voice.

A vindictive smile graced his features. “Yes.”

“I want you.”

“I’ll meet you at the usually place then.” His shaded red, beady eyes looked into the rear view mirror for a moment, and then he pushed his foot to the accelerator. “I, Naraku, will ruin the two Masurau brothers,” he shouted loudly, “one at a time.”

Then a picture of the woman, name Kagome Higurashi, entered into his thoughts. ‘She looks so much like Kikyou, but unlike her, she is innocent. I will obtain her as well.’ Naraku thought darkly.
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Kagome raided her closet when she got home to find something ‘formal,’ to wear. She found that all of her dresses weren’t up to snuff, and that she didn’t want to wear any of them due to embarrassment. They were old, and they would seriously date her back to her younger years of high school. ‘That’s not going to work,’ she thought, pulling herself from the pile of clothing, now on her bedroom floor.

Kagome was about to give up when she turned slightly and spotted a row of pajamas hanging up neatly in her walk-in closet. She had almost forgot about it. The black silk slip of a nighty called to her. Kagome walked over to the slip style dress and fingered it gentle. ‘This will work,’ she thought. ‘No one will know it suppose to be used to sleep in. And beside, some of the latest dresses in fashion today looked like this.’ Kagome rationalized.

Thirty minutes later, Kagome emerged from the bathroom wearing the halter style, slip nighty. It tied in a small delicate bow at the back of her neck, while the front had a low plunging v-neck that revealed ample and supple skin. The dress was tapered around Kagome’s waist the came out in a straight a length cut. There was a slit in the nighty that went up to Kagome’s thigh off on the side. She wore black high heels that had straps that made a criss-cross pattern then buckled together at her ankle.

Kagome had decided for the sake of time, just to pull her hair up in a ponytail and used silver rhinestones berets. Her makeup was simple, but elegant; just liquid foundation and pearl-pink lip gloss. The simplicity of it made her eyes stand out even more like jewels. ‘Well, do I need jewelry?’ Kagome thought, but settled against it. She didn’t own too much that would work with the dress.

*knock, knock, knock*

The sound of knocking caught her off guard. Kagome breathed a heavy sigh at what she felt like was the end of her world, as she knew it. ‘I’d do anything to help you, anything in my power, anyways. Even if it means making a deal with the angelic devil himself.’ Kagome thought wistfully.

Kagome gradually made her way to the door. The thundering in her heart roared loudly her ears, as she turned the handle opening the front door. It revealed Sesshoumaru standing there, leaning against the threshold of the door frame. His arms were at his side his hand in his pockets while one leg was elegantly crossed over the other. Golden eyes seemed to stare off in the distance as if he was in deep thought. Sesshoumaru’s regal markings did things to enhance his beauty, as his stoic face was positioned away from her. Kagome noticed he was dressed in a black suit with a silver blue button up shirt that oddly matched her eyes. Kagome’s breath caught in her throat again. ‘He’s gorgeous.’ His silver hair blew gently on the breeze, as if the wind wished to pay homage to the Lord of the Western Lands.

Sesshoumaru knew she opened the door of her apartment, and was blatantly gaping at him. It didn’t irritate him like he thought it would. He heard the almost inaudible sigh catch in her throat. Sesshoumaru then turned and looked at her full on. She just stood there under his watchful gaze, holding onto the door for dear life from what it looked like to him. They stared deep into each other’s eyes before he said something. “It’s rude to stare, surely you know better than that Kagome Higurashi.”

It took her a while to register that he had said something to her. Kagome only nodded and then looked down.
‘Puzzling,’ he thought. ‘Why does she look so defeated, like she is not her normal self.’ Sesshoumaru felt a small twinge of something he didn’t know. ‘I want her fire,’ he thought, ‘not all sullen.’ His hand went to her chin and forced her to look at him. “What’s wrong wench? Are you finally admitting defeat? You give up to easily human.” Sesshoumaru snapped, trying to draw out her temper. “Listen to me wench, I do not want you to bore me during our dinner.” He finished baiting her.

It worked. Kagome’s eyes narrowed as the changed a beautiful color of blue with small flecks of gray. “It’s Kagome. Say it with me, Ka- go- me. Not wench.” She grounded out between clenched teeth. “Call me wench again Sesshoumaru, and I will call you by a name you probably never want to hear again.” Kagome threatened.

He smiled. “You are to easy to bait, Ka- go- me.” What he did next floored her, even more himself. Sesshoumaru scooped her up in his arms, and carried her down the stairs to his car. He was surprised at how light she was, and that her scent filtered into his nose; almost teasing him.

“What are you doing?” she hissed the question.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” he questioned her back, then answered. “I don’t want to risk you falling down and breaking your neck in those heels. You are a clumsy individual and I would have thought that you’d have more common sense then that.”

“You aren’t going to make for good company, are you?” She shot back at him.

Sesshoumaru didn’t answer her. Instead he came to the passenger side door and opened the door with one hand while cradling her in the other.

Kagome was surprised at how gently he was being. ‘Maybe the stress has finally got to him and he cracked. Yeah, that’s it,’ she told herself. She watched in fascination as he set her in the car like she was a fragile porcelain doll.

His hands brushed up against the material of her dress. ‘Silk.’ His eyes moved down the length of her. ‘I approve of this style of dress,’ he thought, ‘but wouldn’t say that to her.’ Sesshoumaru noticed the swell of her breasts rising with each breath she took.

“I can buckle myself in. I am not an invalid.” She said starkly.

“I’m glad to hear that.” He muttered.

Sesshoumaru shut the car door and walked around to the driver side, opened it, and got it. He started the car and drove off to El Chappel. It was located near the bay, which was thirty minutes away from here. Sesshoumaru shifted the sport car in fifth gear as they hit the open freeway. He thought about putting down the top of his black T-Bird and let the wind blow his hair around, however; he thought better then that. Kagome probably wouldn’t like it. Not many women did, because of there shallow vanity. ‘It will ruin my hair,’ he remembered one woman saying. He wanted to growl but something stopped him cold.

Kagome was getting irritated with him the more she thought about what was to come. ‘Well,’ she thought, ‘before I agree to marry you, you oaf. I’m going to spell out some contingencies of my own.’ All of a sudden she saw an image of Inuyasha, and it stuck a nerve. ‘What will he say?’ Sorrow came over her.

‘Stop this Kags! He choose Kikyou, so move on Kags!’ the voice bellowed at her.

‘Move onto what? His brother?’ More thoughts questioned her sanity; at what she knew she was going to do.