If You're Not The One

A/N: Thank you for your reviews. Please keep them, a'comin. LOL. Enjoy the chapter.
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Sesshomaru looked at the young man who sat across the table from him. He allowed his gaze to take in the young man’s attire and had to acknowledge that the man had taste. His outfit alone probably cost a small fortune. He picked up his glass and swirled the dark liquid in it.

“Tell me why you have requested this meeting, Mr. Kuama.” Sesshomaru said, taking a long sip of his drink.

Hojo took in a deep breath. “You and I have a common enemy. Inu Yasha. I know that with my company backing yours and vice versa, we will be able to overthrow the bastard and make sure that he suffers for a very long time.” He explained, his gaze focused on the cold man before him.

Sesshomaru slowly nodded. “And what exactly did my idiot half-brother do to you to make you want to drag him down?” He asked, his face never showing his curiosity.

Hojo looked down, and then said, “He hurt a dear friend of mine and I believe that his actions deserve a severe reaction.”

Sesshomaru could understand Hojo’s reasoning. He really wanted to make Kikyo pay for her crime against him. “And to join with your company, what would this Sesshomaru have to do to gain your support?” He asked.

Hojo shrugged. “Give me your word that you will make Inu Yasha suffer and you will have your merger.” He said.

Sesshomaru stood up and walked over to Hojo. He extended his hand and watched as Hojo took it. They shook on their new agreement and agreed to meet the next morning to sign all of the contracts and announce their merger.

When he left the Takashiro compound, Hojo could not help but smile. He knew that Inu Yasha did not stand a chance anymore and that suited him just fine. He directed his car towards Kagome’s apartment and hoped that Sango had stayed with her. He had a feeling that Kagome would not recover from this heartache any time soon.
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Sango sighed and took the tray from Kagome’s room. She and Miroku had come to the decision that they would stay with Kagome until they were relieved. Hojo had called earlier and told Miroku that he would try to come by later, and Sango hoped that he would show up. She needed to get away to think about her own feelings about Inu Yasha. Oh, how she would love to rip his balls off and force-feed them to him. And she had already decided the best way to deal with Kikyo. She would cut her hair off and then shave the word, “Whore” into the back of her head.

Miroku was sitting on the couch and was deep within his own thoughts. He had decided to take Hojo up on the job offer and leave his employment with Inu Yasha. From what Hojo told him, Inu Yasha was about to go through total hell and everything he had been up too would be exposed. He was not an honest businessman and Miroku was kind of glad that he had decided to be a little shit. Now, Kagome would not be hit with the backlash that was about to happen.

He watched as Sango came back into the room. “How is she?” He asked, knowing what the answer was already just by the look on Sango’s face.

“She is heartbroken, Miroku. She can’t seem to stop crying. She is asleep now, but I doubt that it will be for very long.” Sango said, sitting down next to her boyfriend.

Miroku nodded. He looked at the tray and found that it held the same contents now as it did when it went into Kagome’s room. “She didn’t eat a thing.” He said, closing his eyes and shuddering at the thought of how much pain his friend was in.

Sango sighed and then allowed her own tears to run. She felt Miroku wrap his arm around her shoulder and pull her closer to him. “Inu Yasha is about to get every thing he has coming to him, I promise, my love.” He said, kissing the top of her head.

Sango sniffled and nodded. She heard the front door open and hoped like hell that it was Inu Yasha and that he had come back to apologize. She needed to punch something and he would do nicely. However, she was disappointed when Hojo stepped into the living room.

Hojo looked down on the couple and gave them a tired smile. Miroku stood up and walked over to the young man. “I have decided to take you up on your offer. When can I start?” He asked.

Hojo replied, “As soon as possible. You will come with me to a meeting tomorrow. I am merging my company with another company and have ensured Inu Yasha’s downfall.”

Miroku nodded. “Are you going to stay with Kagome, or do you need us to stay?” He asked.

Hojo shrugged. “You go home. Meet me at my office at eight in the morning. I will explain things then.” He said.

Miroku helped Sango up and led her to the door. Hojo followed the couple and accepted Hojo’s hug. “I am glad that she has you to lean on, Hojo. It should have been you, and not Inu Yasha.” Sango said, wiping tears from her eyes.

Hojo smiled at the woman and said, “We all know that Kagome is not and will never be in love with me. I will give her all of the comfort she needs, and will not leave her side. However, I am not going to fool myself anymore. She needs someone who will complete her, and unfortunately, I am not that someone. Now, go home.”

The couple left, and Hojo quietly closed the door behind them. He walked over to the couch and made himself comfortable. He took off his tie and jacket, placing them on the couch and then took off his shoes. He was about to lie down and rest, when he heard Kagome’s sobs. He quickly got up and went into her bedroom. He found her shaking and quickly picked her up. He cuddled her to his chest and slowly rocked her.

Kagome was aware of someone holding her and she whimpered. It hurt so much. Her heart felt as though Inu Yasha had ripped it out of her chest and stomped on it before handing it back to her. She heard Hojo’s soft words and slowly relaxed. His whispered comfort gave Kagome back to the welcomed arms of darkness.

When Kagome relaxed in his arms. He scooted back onto the bed and placed her onto the bed. He curled up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He would not leave her side and would hold her throughout the night. She needed him and he would not deny her.

As he felt sleep claiming him, Hojo thought about the impending meeting with Sesshomaru. He would not tell Kagome that he was going into business with Inu Yasha’s older brother, but he would tell her that he dealt Inu Yasha a serious injury as far as his business was concerned. But only after she had healed.

Soon, sleep overtook him and he allowed himself to drift.
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When he had left Kagome, her mother had come and taken his place at her side. Kagome had insisted on removing all of Inu Yasha’s stuff from her home. Her mother had agreed and so as he was leaving to go home and change, they had taken several pieces of clothing and thrown them onto the floor.

Now, as he stood with Miroku, he explained about Sesshomaru. “I have decided to merge with Sesshomaru Takashiro. He is willing to help me take Inu Yasha down. I need to know that you are on board, Miroku.” Hojo said.

Miroku nodded. “After what he did to Kagome, you have my full support.” He said, his voice not showing any of his usual good nature.

Hojo smiled at him and then led him into his office, where Sesshomaru Takashiro was waiting on them. The elegant man stood up and offered his hand to Hojo and then to Miroku. Hojo introduced Miroku as his right-hand man and then pulled out the contracts he had his personal assistant gather for him. He handed a copy to Sesshomaru and then offered him a pen.

“As you can see, Sesshomaru, working together will strengthen our companies and will no doubt cause fear in our competition. I have given this much thought. I have one request of you besides the one I asked for last night. I want you to allow a young woman to come to work for you in your company. With her being near you, Inu Yasha won’t dare come near her.” Hojo said.

Sesshomaru crossed his legs and stared at Hojo. “And why would I want to hire someone I don’t even know?” He asked, his eyebrows knitted together.

Hojo cleared his throat. “Because, she is the reason why I am merging with you. She is the one that Inu Yasha harmed with his careless actions.” He explained.

Sesshomaru’s curiosity was perked, though it never showed. “I will need more information to make this decision. What did the ass do?” He asked.

Miroku stepped forward. “Inu Yasha left her at the alter yesterday and ran off to be married to some woman named Kikyo. He decided that during their vows it would be the perfect time to walk away from her and told her that he intended on marrying Kikyo. He even had the nerve to tell her to keep the rings, that he would buy Kikyo new ones.” He said.

Sesshomaru was shocked. He had never imagined that Kikyo would actually marry his brother. That just made her betrayal that much worse. He could feel the fires of hate flickering to life as he allowed the information to seep into his brain. He felt his rage at his brother grow and then allowed a plan to form into his mind.

“When would the girl be ready to come to work for me?” He asked. He would incorporate the girl in his plans and get her to help him in bringing his brother and Kikyo to their knees.

Hojo looked at the man, and shook his head. “She needs to heal right now. I would say to let her take the year to get over this shock and allow her to get some normalcy back into her life.” He said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms.

“Done. One year from today, the girl will come to work for me as my personal assistant. I will consider her hired as of today and pay her a salary. She is to take the year and fix whatever is wrong with her, but I expect her to report to me once a month for me to make sure that she is worth my time and effort. This is non-negotiable.” Sesshomaru said, placing the contract down on the desk. He stared at the young man before him and nearly smirked when he nodded.

“Fine.” Hojo said, “Kagome will come and see you tomorrow. I will explain to her that as of now, she no longer works for Inu Yasha, but for you. However, I request one thing, do not make her call you by your last name. I would prefer for her not to know that you are Inu Yasha’s half brother until after she has gotten over the shock.”

Sesshomaru wanted to roll his eyes. All this fuss over a heart-broken girl. “Fine. She may call me Sesshomaru-Sama. Have her dress appropriately. She will need to fill out paperwork for insurance and to start her employment with me. I want her on my payroll as soon as possible.” He said.

Hojo nodded and watched as Sesshomaru signed the contract. When the tall man handed the contract to Hojo, he took it and signed his name. Miroku was the last to sign. He was only signing as a witness. Both men stood up and shook hands. Sesshomaru shook Miroku’s hand and then left the office after reminding Hojo that he did not like tardiness and expected Kagome at the appointed time. After he wrangled a promise to keep the set appointment, Sesshomaru left the office and walked to the elevator. As the doors closed, Sesshomaru looked down at his hand and grimaced. He hated to touch other people, especially those he considered to be underneath him. His thoughts turned to the girl. He could not wait to see the woman his brother betrayed to run off with Sesshomaru’s cheating whore.

He pressed the button for the ground floor and then called Jaken to have him pull the car around. He waited until the elevator opened up and then strolled toward the exit. He could hear all of the comments about how good-looking he was and he heard the women wonder if he were single. He smirked as he exited the building and got into his car. It really didn’t matter if he was single or not. He would never lower himself to date anyone of them. Kikyo had been a rare occurrence and he would never allow himself to be trapped as he had been with Kikyo. As Jaken pulled away from the building, Sesshomaru hoped that this Kagome woman would not try to use him as an emotional crutch. The last thing he needed was a woman who was emotionally needy and desperate to launch herself into another relationship, but as if he would ever consider a relationship with his half brother’s leftovers. If she were, he would tell Hojo that he could not honor that part of the contract. However, he would deal with that bastard brother of his. Now that he knew that he was not the only victim of their betrayal, Sesshomaru would take great pleasure in bringing his brother to the ground and then rubbing his face in the fact that his former fiancé was now at Sesshomaru’s side. That would make the victory all that much sweeter. And as for Kikyo, well, she would get to wallow in the knowledge that she had once graced the bed of one of the two most powerful men in Japan and she fucked it up. That would be just the start to what he was about to unleash on the whore. If it was one thing people did not do, it was betray Sesshomaru. A lesson his bastard brother and ex-bitch were about to learn.