Something To Talk About

A/N: Between packing, working, raising kids, I am happy to say, I have finally figured out how I am going to get them together. My problems with this fic is that I wrote myself into a corner, and could not find a way out of it. But, I finally found a way, and hope that you guys enjoy this chapter. Yes, there will be a happy ending, and I believe that there will be either 2 or 3 plus an epilogue to go. Thank you everyone who nominated this fic, and know that it means a lot to me that you guys are so understanding about my situation. It takes a lot of pressure off of me, and helps me concentrate on my fics.

*Also, to those who don't know how I operate....I never write in OC. I just can't seem to do it. I make the characters act in the way I think that they would act in the situation. OC, I believe, is whatever the author believes and is considered to be believeable by the audience. That being said, please know that with me, you are never going to get strictly OC. I just don't think that it is possible to keep characters in OC 100% of the time. Ok, I'm stepping off the soap box and going back to my keyboard. I am writing the next chapter and as promised, this fic will be done by the time I move. Once I settle in at my new home in Maine, I will begin Brother, once more. Kogasange.*

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As she sat in her office, many things ran through Ayame's mind. How she got herself into this mess, and why she got into this mess, were the two things that were at the forefront.

To be perfectly honest with herself, she didn't really care for Sesshomaru, but it was his money that held her interest, and so, she went after him. Once she discovered that he was about to be married, she made sure to feed him enough false information about Kagome that would cause him to become so angry, that he would not allow the girl to speak.

But, once she fell from grace and had to fend for herself, Ayame realized that in the process of destroying Kagome, she destroyed herself as well. It was her love for her grandfather and their home that placed her upon this path, and now, she didn't have either.

It would seem that despite all of Karma's attempts to knock her down, now she had the opportunity to shine, and this time, she would not waste it.

Standing up, Ayame reached for her purse and moved to the door. She opened it and called out to her secretary that she was going leaving for the day and heading to the spa. Once she was sure that her secretary heard her, she smiled and walked to the elevator.

She needed to do this. She needed to start fresh and this was the first of many steps.

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Kagome bit her lip and stared at the reports. She had been back to work for less than a week, and was shocked to find that deals she had been trying to close were already closed and new ones were waiting for her attention.

Sighing, she turned in her chair and stared out the large window. Sesshomaru really outdid himself, it would seem. He even made sure that her competition had been thwarted and the smear against Hojo's name was cleared up.

A frown crosser her lips and she looked down. She hadn't seen or spoken to Sesshomaru and she could not help but worry if he was alright. Despite her best efforts, she found that her heart simply could not deny that it was in love with the stoic youkai. She wanted to hate him, she really did, but could not do it.

Tsukikomaru was constantly asking to see his father and she was running out of excuses as to why she could not call him. Inu Yasha and Inu Taisho were frequently stopping by, but that did not ease the small pup's yearning for his sire.

Goshinki finally sat down and talked to her, apologizing for butting into a situation that he had no business butting into. She could tell that he felt guilty and ashamed for all that happened to her, and though it was hard at first, she accepted his apology and they were now trying to move on from the incident.

Juromaru and Kageromaru returned from the states and reported that her company over there was booming. In fact, the young lady in charge of that branch of her company was so good at closing deals, people wondered if she and Kit Yurakami trained at the same school for business. With that worry gone from her mind, and the fight between her and Goshinki resolved, all that was left for her to do was decide exactly where she wanted to go from here.

If she decided to stay in Japan, she would have to deal with Sesshomaru, either personally, or legally. He had rights to Tsukiko and it would be wrong of her to take him away from his family, especially since he became friends with Rin and decided that he was to be her protector.

A small smile crossed her face when she recalled that they met up with Inu Taisho and Rin at the park and watched as the pups played together. Another kid, much bigger than Rin, decided that he wanted the swing that she was on and marched up to her and told her to get off. Tsukiko jumped off of his swing and glared at the kid and allowed a growl to come forth.

Clearly the boy had not been around that many youkai or hanyous, and nervously backed away. Tsukiko told him to never speak to his sister again if he knew what was good for him, and once the words left his mouth, the boy ran off, his face a study in fright.

Kagome laughed, in spite of herself, and could not help but think that she was listening to a miniature Sesshomaru. Tsukiko managed to catch his father's cold tone perfectly, and the steely glare that was directed at the human boy was an identical to his father's.

Rin, of course, was grateful to Tsukiko and jumped off her swing and hugged the pup, who turned red from embarrassment and tried, unsuccessfully, to get her to let go. Of course, the human boy's mother marched over, and began to yell at Kagome, but Inu Taisho stepped in and put the woman in her place for raising such a brat, who liked picking on girls.

Now, as she reached up to massage her aching temples, she needed to come to a decision quickly. Either she stay in Japan, or leave for America, but she could not keep everyone in limbo, waiting for her decision.

Walking over to the door, she opened it and called out to Nani, who was typing furiously at her computer. She told the girl that she was leaving for the day, and when the girl nodded, Kagome grabbed her purse and walked towards the elevator.

She needed to get outside and into the fresh air. She needed time to think and knew that she could find what she needed at the park. It would be nice to sit underneath the trees and think. It would also be an opportunity to think about her situation with Sesshomaru.

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Golden eyes stared at the papers before him, but he simply could not stay focused enough to read what they were saying. Growling, he threw the papers down and leaned back in his seat. His head hurt and he wondered how long it had been since he had a decent night's sleep, or a hot meal that wasn't from a local fast food restaurant.

His father and brother were constantly barging into his office, demanding answers from him about deals that were in the works, but since Kagome now had control of the company, he just didn't see the point in continuing with the charade of caring.

Business simply did not hold its appeal, as it once did. Sure, he was still feared, but because his attentions had been on Kagome's company for several weeks, plus he was defending her deceased husband's reputation, he just didn't have time for anything else.

He missed her. Gods, he missed her so much. She was the first human not to look at him and cringe. Even Inu Yasha's mother cringed when he came near, simply because of his cold demeanor. Kagome, however, saw past the coldness and cruelty, and saw someone who needed her love and was going to get it, whether they liked it or not. It was simply her way.

He remembered the first time they met, and after five minutes into the meeting, Kagome announced that he was the biggest asshole she ever had the displeasure of encountering. Of course, anyone with half a brain would have not dared to say such a thing to him, but Kagome had the gall that most would envy, and because of that gall, she was now the most powerful woman in business.

There were nights when he sat in his study at home, and thought about how life would have been if not for the lies that tore them apart. He could picture himself coming home in the early evenings and as he walked through the door of their home, being assaulted by three small pups, one of them being Rin, because he had no doubt that fate had chosen him to protect her. He would look up to see his beautiful mate, his Kagome, standing in the doorway of the dining room and wait patiently for her turn to be kissed. Then, after the pups were in bed, he would take his mate into their bedroom, where he would make love to her all night long, showing her just how much she meant to him.

But, it was always the same when he opened his eyes. She was not there. Their surviving pup was in a strange bed, and he was alone. He was so damn tired of being alone.

He wished that he could put all of the blame upon that wolf, Ayame. But, in the end, the blame lay squarely on his shoulders. He should have known Kagome better than that, and because he failed to see the truth, her devotion, he lost her.

When his phone rang, Sesshomaru simply stared at it. He knew that it was probably his father and he was not in the mood to deal with him. Instead, he allowed the phone to ring, and closed his eyes. All he wanted to do was sleep.

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“Are you sure this time? I'd hate to have to deal with you should your information not be correct, brother.” Naraku said, his crimson eyes staring hard at his brother.

Muso gulped, but nodded. “Kit Yurakami has the proxies necessary to bring down the Tashios. However, she had not used them, yet. Maybe we can get on her good side and gain the proxies from her. She would be a valuable ally.” He said, his tone hopeful.

Naraku narrowed his eyes. For once, his idiot brother had a good idea. Getting Kit Yurakami to give him the proxies he needed would give him the necessary power to overthrown that over-stuffed dog and his family, thus making him the most powerful in Japan.

Muso let out the breath he had been holding and watched as his brother slowly nodded. “I think that you might be onto something, for once. Alright, invite Kit Yurakami to the meeting that will be held next week at Tashio Corp, and explain that I have an interesting proposition for her. Don't give specifics, but make sure that her interest is perked.” Naraku ordered, his tone softer.

Muso nodded and left the large office. Oh, how he hated his brother. Hell, he never did want to get into this kind of business, but had been forced when Naraku explained that if he didn't, then he would be disowned from the family and tossed out into the world without a penny to his name.

But, Naraku was not aware that he had been slowly gaining information on his illegal dealings and was storing them up, just in case his brother decided to carry out his threat. He could not go to Kagura, because unlike him, she stood up to their eldest brother and was disowned, but managed to make her own way in the world and was now successful.

But, as much as he would like to spend the day plotting his brother's downfall, he had a call to make, and so, walked into his office and sat down at his desk. He pulled out his appointment book and scanned the phone numbers for the number to Kit Yurakami's office.

Once he dialed the number, he sat back and waited for the line to be picked up. When he was told that Kit had left for the day, he told her assistant that he wanted to invite her to a meeting that was to be held at Tashio Corp. Satisfied that she would receive the message, Muso set the phone back into its cradle and then turned to look out his window.

If this Kit Yurakami was even close to being the terror in the boardroom as he had heard, perhaps she would knock his brother down a few pegs before laughing in his face. Unlike Naraku, he knew just how much power that woman held at her fingertips, and whereas Naraku was only focusing on Japan, Kit Yurakami held a vast amount of power in several different countries. No, Naraku would learn it wasn't a good idea to fuck with that woman, and who knows? Maybe she might learn that it was Naraku who leaked her husband's sexual preference to the papers.

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Kagome grinned and watched as the children played on the nearby jungle gym. She really needed this break and managed to do a lot of thinking, but could not seem to reconcile her feelings about Sesshomaru. What he did to her was unforgivable, but then again, she did the exact same thing to him by taking Tsukiko to America and not allowing him to explain, as he did to her by not allowing her to defend herself against the accusations of her fidelity.

Glancing down at her left hand, Kagome looked at the ring Hojo had so lovingly placed upon her finger. The diamond sparked in the sunlight, and she realized that it was time for her to take it off. Hojo was gone, and she was no longer married. That, in itself, saddened her. She loved being married, but because the love was incomplete, it honestly wasn't a real marriage.

Oh, she still loved Hojo, but in the way that she loved Souta. No, her heart belonged to someone else, though try as she might, she could not get it to let go of that love. However, she just didn't know how in the hell they were going to move past what had happened between them.

Yes, they could talk, but words were not enough to convince her that there was a future for them. She did make the decision to stay in Japan, and was content with that decision. But, the decision to work things out with Sesshomaru would take some time.

As Kagome delved deeper into her thoughts, a shadow fell over her and Kagome jumped when she heard, “Is this seat taken?”

Kagome smiled and turned to look up at the newcomer, but the smile dropped when she saw who it was.

“You!”