Game of Cat and Mouse

Thank you so much for reviewing, for those who did! I was honestly surprised by how many I got, haha. I pretty much wasted 5 minute of my life I’ll never get back just staring at the computer screen (laugh).

Replies to some reviews:

DM: Haha, thanks so much for reading and reviewing. /bows Inuyasha’s a tough cookie, he’ll be back to himself in no time! I do have a few surprises in store though. /wink Haha

Maegerakawaii: Oh no worries, Inuyasha won’t give in so easily. I like to make him tough and stubborn (chuckle). I dislike when he’s portrayed unrealistically, all girly and nonsense.

Buumkin: Haha, well thank you. I wonder if I’d get spanked if I said that most of my ideas come from my man (don’t tell him I said that though lol). And good luck on your finals!

Arya_arsay: I hope I don’t disappoint!

Kougaslover: Sesshomaru’s got way too much pride (sigh)! I don’t think he’s realized how much of an effect Inuyasha’s got on him yet, so he’s still a bit abstemious (laugh). And I’m totally with you on Inuyasha. I can’t read a story with a mentally weak Inuyasha. XD By the way, I really like your fics! Especially Test Drive. Goddamn, cars and hot drivers. You brilliant person, you! Please do update soon.

Please read disclaimer before reading, thanks!

Chapter Four: Beginning

Inuyasha was brought out of his snug sleep upon the invasion of sunlight on his face. His eyes answered with an uncomfortable twitch to the sudden brilliance. When he tried to turn his head away, he found himself unable to move.

Opening his eyes slowly, he found himself lying on his left side in a large, spacious room of white minimalistic elegance. Everything was coloured white, with the exception of a few black objects and hints of green from cleverly placed bamboo. Suddenly, all became clear as the memories of the past few days rushed into his head almost instantly.

He tried moving his limbs and felt pain shoot up from several areas, some worse than others. He was however, relieved to find that he hadn’t sustained any new injuries since the last time he regained consciousness. In fact, he was even able to slightly move some of his fingers now.

This was good news, he was healing.
…Which meant he would be able to escape very soon.

Unfortunately, his body still hadn’t completely recuperated yet. In his current condition, he wouldn’t even be able to turn the knob of a door. It was distressing that his wounds haven’t healed completely as the process would normally take a much shorter time to complete. But then again, he did get fucked up pretty bad.

‘This shitty asshole…’ He thought, baring his teeth at the man behind him who was holding him in place.

The scent that occupied his nostrils convinced him that the owner of the arms currently wrapped around his waist and chest was his captor. Although it seemed that the man had realized his mistake, Inuyasha was still uncomfortable being so close to him. He would need time to heal, so he decided that he’ll risk staying here until he can freely move his limbs. But the second he can do so, he’d bolt. Who knows? Maybe he’ll turn back into an enemy later. Inuyasha couldn’t tell for sure. Too dangerous.

But for now, Inuyasha only had one thing on his mind: to escape the man’s present clutch, for his captor was stronger than him right now. Plus, he realized he was currently stark naked, excluding for the bandages wrapped tightly around his wrists, chest, hips and thigh, while the taller man was fully clothed. He blushed, realizing that he had nothing on during his desperate endeavor to escape yesterday morning. He was drunk on pain and anxiety, so he hadn’t bothered to dress himself, let alone realize his bareness. Gah, how embarrassing…

Shaking his head fervently, he turned back to more important matters.

While the taller man was still soundly asleep, Inuyasha tried to wiggle himself down the bed, hoping that would be enough to get out of Sesshomaru’s hold. It was extremely awkward—he felt like the caterpillar of the Papilio Ulysses he had seen in Australia during his last assassination assignment —but it was, sadly, the only thing he could do considering current circumstances. As he tried to get away, however, he felt the man tighten his grip around his body. Inuyasha began resisting more aggressively, ignoring the stings on his back, until he was pulled against the man’s chest with even greater force. Inuyasha then stopped his struggling. He can’t have him gain consciousness when his back was to him—it could be lethal.

But his stillness only gave the man a chance to ravish his body. Inuyasha felt fingers creeping up to the side of his collar bone that wasn’t covered by binds, and rubbing the smooth skin there. He recoiled backward as a finger dipped rhythmically in and out of the indent. The warm palm then trailed downward and repeated its movements on Inuyasha’s bellybutton. He flinched at the pain that emitted from his hips as he pushed his ass back, attempting to get away from the sensual strokes.

Worst idea ever.

Sesshomaru simply changed targets. The hand was now dangerously close to his bare groin. Inuyasha panicked. He again tried to get away, but soon regretted ever trying. By pushing farther back, he unwittingly left the care of his nude buttocks to Sesshomaru’s other hand.

It was a lose-lose situation. Inuyasha had to sacrifice either his ass or his manhood. Needless to say, he was not ready to give either to his captor. ‘Fuck, did I just get played?’ He cursed. There was really only one solution left.

“I-I get it already! Ah!” Sesshomaru’s long legs wrapped themselves around Inuyasha’s, preventing their use. All the while, his arms continued their presumptuous play.

“Oi! Stop it!” Fucking hell, the prurient bastard was still asleep!

“Wake up already!” Inuyasha did an uppercut on the man’s chin as he drove his head upwards.

“Umph.” Haha, success! Now he’ll stop playing around with Inuyasha’s body.

…Or not. The hands didn’t seem like they were going to let go anytime soon, much to Inuyasha’s dismay.

“How could you be so lively even in the morning, Inuyasha?” Sesshomaru whispered huskily into the younger man’s right ear.

“You would be freaked out too if you were being sexually harassed, you dumbass!” Inuyasha chided. He actually wasn’t much of a morning person. This habit was thanks to his previous vocation. Unless going undercover was essential, he performed his work usually in the evenings. Killing someone in broad daylight wasn’t exactly a smart move, especially since he was a close-ranged fighter, so he would often sleep during the day and work throughout the night.

He guessed that was why people could only feebly dub him ‘Silverclaw’—the darkness hid his face well but his full hair was hell to conceal, and it being silver meant it did a damn good job of reflecting light. The claw part, Inuyasha assumed, probably came from a pussy who was scared shitless from seeing the large gashes he painted on all his targets—his signature so to speak.

“Not if you were the one assaulting me, Inuyasha.” Sesshomaru cajoled, running his hands all over the smaller man’s exposed skin.

“W-What are you doing?!” Goosebumps protruded from his skin as Sesshomaru continued his fun.

“Hmm. Checking your wounds. Inu—“

“Bullshit, you pervert.” Inuyasha hissed. “And stop saying my name already, I don’t even know you!” He wished his wounds were already healed, because then he could pay the lecher back tenfold. He had never experienced so much humiliation. This fucker really made him feel weak. And he hated feeling weak more than anything.

Sesshomaru sighed, “Alright, fine. Now stop overexerting yourself. Your body’s still healing.” He reluctantly rescinded his arms and moved away, pushing himself up with his elbows. Finally free, Inuyasha turned to rest on his back. All that shuffling had strained his entire left side, especially his shoulders. The friction had caused his skin to glow pink and its contact with the cool air felt like bliss.

“You’re the one that—“ He started, before he was cut off.

“And my name is Sesshomaru. Now you know me.” Sesshomaru interrupted blatantly.

Inuyasha swore Sesshomaru was the most stupid guy he had ever met. He couldn’t believe he let someone like him capture him! The last time he checked, simply knowing someone’s name did NOT equal knowing each other. Before he could proceed to mock the man, a loud rumble reverberated in the room. Sesshomaru did his best to hold back a snicker as Inuyasha blinked.

God, how the hell could his body do this to him right now... As if he wasn’t already embarrassed by his nakedness. ‘You traitor’, he thought as he glared at his unfriendly stomach. Consequently, discomfort shot up from his back muscles, which only troubled Inuyasha even more.

Sesshomaru lifted himself gracefully off the bed. “Sushi or Chinese?” He asked, suddenly remembering the posters of food he had seen on the kitchen cupboards in Inuyasha’s apartment. Unfortunately for Inuyasha, being poor meant he could only gaze and admire at such lavish food. Sesshomaru began to strip as he walked over to the closet to get a cleaner set of clothes.

Inuyasha looked away, contemplating what he should do. Meanwhile, Sesshomaru lazily tossed on a white dress shirt and a pair of long, black suit pants. The injured man knew he hadn’t eaten for days and was in truth starving. He also realized that more energy was needed if he wanted to heal faster. But he could wait, he thought, remembering back to how he had lasted for longer periods of time without food when a mission called for it.

“...I can get food for myself later.” He obdurately replied, ‘Yeah right, I probably don’t even have enough money to buy groceries.’

Sesshomaru frowned at his response, immediately picking up what he was implying.

“I have no intention of contaminating the food, Inuyasha.”

Spinning his head around, Inuyasha scowled at Sesshomaru. “You tried to fucking kill me! I wouldn’t be surprised if you did poison me!”

He was right on the first part, but it was his last words that angered Sesshomaru.

“I clearly stated that I wouldn’t hurt you!” The yakuza snarled, slamming his fist hard against the wall beside him and leaving behind a small dent. Inuyasha jumped, startled by his loud voice. The warning look in Sesshomaru’s eyes made him flinch. Any other person would have looked away in fear of being burned by his fiery gaze, but Inuyasha knew better than to let his guard down another time. Not letting the bigger man’s extremely well-toned body exposed through his unbuttoned shirt scare him, Inuyasha glared back as best he could.

Only someone as sharp as Sesshomaru could notice the silver haired beauty’s faint trembling. One hand reached up to pinch the area between his closed eyes, while the other rested on his hip. He exhaled deeply. When he was sure he was composed enough to talk, he looked over to Inuyasha again.

“You need to eat. You can either tell me what you want or I can get back into bed and do things to you that’ll leave you so starved, you’ll be begging me to feed you.” Sesshomaru threatened. Persuading the restless man would never get things done. Pressuring him, however, had proved to be a better solution.

The yakuza’s expression suddenly softened, unable to believe how adorable Inuyasha was. His confused expression meant he hadn’t recognized the meaning behind Sesshomaru’s words. He then turned away in deep thought, staring at the ceiling as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. And lastly, his eyes grew wide and his succulent lips opened in shock. What pretty pearly teeth.

“Y-You! You can’t do that! Y-You’re not a man if you do that to an injured person!” He stammered helplessly as Sesshomaru laughed out loud for the first time in a long, long while. He came to realize that it would be much too arduous of a task to hold himself back every time the younger man tugged at his heart—which happened much too often for his liking. Inuyasha was like a breath of fresh winter air that Sesshomaru found intolerably addictive. He wondered if his sanity could survive this man’s hidden charm.

Too bad teasing the man was the only way Sesshomaru could get even. With a small grin on his face, he walked slowly towards the bed, deliberately holding his unblinking gaze so as to prevent Inuyasha from looking away.

“H-Hey, don’t come any closer!” Three steps.

“Wait, y-you were only joking, right?” Closer.

“I’ll really kick your ass, you know!” Target within range.

“Stop, stop, stop! I’ll eat, I’ll eat!” Sesshomaru’s hand reached for Inuyasha.

“Sesshomaru!” He stopped, the tips of his fingers inches away from Inuyasha’s face. Damn it, the man really never ceases to surprise Sesshomaru. He withdrew his hands and sat down on the side of the bed, not once breaking his stare.

“I’ll really be angry if you ever call me by any other name.” He said wickedly, gaining a pout from the irritated man below him. Sesshomaru was pretty hungry himself and wanted nothing but to devour Inuyasha’s lower lip at that instant, but there were more important issues at hand. He quickly nodded towards the bedroom door as he said:

“Time to eat.” He wrapped the covers loosely around Inuyasha as he picked him up by his waist and placed him gently on his arms. He had to make sure he didn’t touch his wounds. Sesshomaru swiftly picked up his cellphone from his bedside desk as he walked towards the door.

“...-shi.”

“What’s that?”

“…I want sushi.” Sesshomaru arched an eyebrow as he stared up at Inuyasha.

“What? You’re the one who asked.”

“Indeed I did,” he replied through an uncharacteristic smile.

The two entered the living room and Sesshomaru seated Inuyasha gently on the long couch. Inuyasha starred at the large containers of food on the glass table in front of him. Drooling, his stomach growled as he eyed a large box full of sushi. He looked up at Sesshomaru, desperate for him to feed him as his wrists were still unusable. But the taller man had flipped his cellphone open to make a call.

“I’ll get you sushi in a minute.”

“But there’s some right here.” Inuyasha said, glancing back to the table.

“I’m throwing it away. It’s been there since last night and it’s cold.”

“Sushi is usually eaten cold, you know.”

“I want you to eat it warm. Some hot soup would be good, too.”

“Okay, fine. But we have soup, too. Don’t you have a microwave?”

“Yes.”

“Then just warm it up! Don’t waste perfectly good food.” Inuyasha couldn’t believe it. This man has probably never experienced a moment of poverty in his entire life! Sushi was way expensive and there was a huge order of it lying on the table. It probably costed more than Inuyasha’s entire life savings! No way was he going to settle into Sesshomaru’s pace, or else Inuyasha was sure he’d go insane.

“Why would you want leftovers when I can—“

“Either you warm it up or you’re eating by yourself.”

Defeated, Sesshomaru closed his phone and left it on the table as he picked up the boxes and headed towards the kitchen. In a few minutes, he was back with microwaved sushi in one hand and a pair of chopsticks in the other.

Feeding Inuyasha proved to be a very rewarding task. Sesshomaru noted that the man was easily impressed with ordinary food. He also had a healthy appetite, which Sesshomaru appreciated. The occasional licking of his lips was such an alluring scene that Sesshomaru found himself holding his breath every time it happened. The bed sheets, which were doing a painfully slow job as revealing some of the man’s supple but toned muscles underneath, weren’t helping. Sesshomaru mentally groaned. What was he thinking last night? How could he have promised to touch this man only after he healed?

Inuyasha’s pulchritude was flawless now that the wounds on his face were fully healed. Sesshomaru could feel himself harden, but luckily Inuyasha had been too engrossed in eating to notice. It was so unusual. He had never kept himself from sating his fervent lust on previous accounts. Neither had he bothered to consider his partners’ sentiments. But something in the back of his head was telling him that if he touched Inuyasha now, when he’s in such a vulnerable condition, he’ll surely come to regret it. He’ll have to let him go. For now.

After calming down his boner, his attention went back to the cause of it.

Inuyasha’s tastebuds were in heaven right now. It had been so long since he had eaten anything so delicious. Even the soup that Sesshomaru persuaded him to drink was good. So good that he found himself asking for seconds even when his gut told him he was already full. I mean, come on! Who knows when he’ll get another meal like this—and for free? Yeah, okay, not likely. He smiled as he finished up his last bite, chewing the food for longer than usual and letting it do a little dance with his tongue to savour its essence for even just a bit longer. But alas, it would need to be swallowed and take residence in his stomach, if he ever wanted to talk.

“I can’t believe you were going to dump all that. It was really good.” He licked his lips for one final taste. “Thanks,” Inuysha said casually, caught up in the moment.

“…Why?” Sesshomaru asked, a little doubtful.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“…”

“Oh, shit, I did not just say that.” Inuyasha cursed himself. Excuse… excuse, need to find an excuse and quick! “Uh, well, you’re a bastard and all, but you still fed me. The sushi saved your ass.”

Obviously his cover didn’t work. Sesshomaru was about stroke the man’s cheek when his phone suddenly rang. What horrible timing. The digital clock displayed on the front screen told him it was currently 10:47AM. The caller was Miroku. Note to self, kill the stupid man later for interrupting. And after all that trouble forgiving him, too. Tracking down an 11-year fugitive who had owed the organization millions of dollars from an old illegal transaction didn’t seem so creditable anymore.

“What is it?” He growled menacingly.

“Sorry, boss. I don’t mean to bother you, but the meeting with our partners and dispatches across Asia and Europe is scheduled for today. Postponing it any further would give rise to suspicion if some of our men were to arrive back later than originally planned. And the issue with the Russian mafia can’t be ignored anymore.”

Shit. The Russian mafia had a long-term ongoing conflict with the Japanese yakuza that launched after the legalization of private entrepreneurship which allowed free trade. It all began when Sesshomaru entered the Soviet Union to set up several quality arms factories with the intention of forming a new underground business network within the country. The process took longer than he had expected—about half a year—and during that time, the unexpected had happened. The top Bratva had been impressed with Sesshomaru’s capabilities as well as his influence throughout Asia, and therefore responded positively to the corporate proposal. Or at least it was so until the alliance officially separated into two opposing syndicates within 3 months of his arrival, due to internal clashes regarding hierarchy.

Of course, Sesshomaru was a sought-after ally as he held a lot of power. Both groups did everything they could to get his name, for the downside of the inevitable split was that their power within the country divided and weakened as the organization’s members began choosing sides. When Sesshomaru chose Obshina over Orekhov for their higher revenue potential, a harsh feud began with Orekhov. Business had just begun and Sesshomaru didn’t want any disturbance so he designated two of his best men to infiltrate Orekhov. They were doing an excellent job and Orekhov would have been wiped out half a year ago had a new leader not forcibly took over and saved it from extinction. There was very little information on the newly revamped group so Sesshomaru instructed his spies to gather intelligence. The new leader however, wasn’t as stupid or heedless as the previous and suspicions rose almost instantly. Things there have been tense ever since.

“Have our men arrived?”

“Yes, they are awaiting your presence in the private lobby.” Miroku confirmed.

“Prepare the conference room on the 18th floor.”

“You got it, boss.” Miroku began arrangements for a formal welcome back.

Sesshomaru turned back to Inuyasha to find him staring back at him.

“I guess you’re not going to eat.” Inuyasha questioned him drowsily.

“No, there are things I must do.” Sesshomaru noticed his slowly fluttering eyes that indicated the tug of slumber. Feeling drowsy after eating is a common response, especially when one is wounded. He didn’t like how Inuyasha was trying his hardest to stay awake. He still didn’t trust Sesshomaru.

“Inuyasha, go sleep in the bedroom.” The adorable man just shook his head childishly.

“I’m leaving, so go rest. Only I have access to this suite, so don’t worry about getting disturbed. You can walk to the bedroom, right?” Sesshomaru wanted to carry him back himself, but he was urgently needed in the conference room.

Inuyasha could only manage a slight groan as Sesshomaru tried to rush him towards the bedroom, thus utterly destroying the comfortable position he established on the couch. He didn’t want to go back to sleep in an unfamiliar place but if Sesshomaru was telling the truth, he wouldn’t have to worry about any potential threats to his life. Giving in to his lethargy, he reached his destination and walked sluggishly through the open door and into the bedroom. He released his chin’s hold on the bed sheets that covered his body and fell down on the bed among the cotton.

Sesshomaru heard a small plop come from his bedroom as he finished putting on his professional attire. He had fixed up his shirt and put on a nice tie and a suit jacket that he grabbed from the coat hanger near the door. There was no time to grab a pair of socks and he didn’t want to wake Inuyasha up so he put on his shoes without them and headed out the door. Making sure the card key was in his pocket, he headed to the elevator.

Its shiny doors reflected a tall, handsome man, whose figure expanded as he came closer and closer.


-----

“Sir!” The 8 men called in respect as they lined up orderly on each side of Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru nodded. “Welcome back, men. Miroku.” The man suddenly appeared from behind, bowing deeply to him.

“Yes, boss. The room is ready.” As Sesshomaru passed the dispatches and walked calmly towards the conference room, the men uniformly followed behind him him.

When everyone was seated around the long rectangular table and Miroku stationed himself next to the closed door, the boss began his questioning:

“Koh and Aoi, how are the operations in Russia?”

Two middle-sized men stood up and began their report. The slightly taller, pale, muscular man called Koh spoke as the other handed important invoices and several investigation reports to Sesshomaru. His dirty blond hair was gelled back, keeping his short bangs away from his face as he made eye contact.

“Sir, Orekhov is closing in on our arm trafficking operations to the rest of Europe. Our business with Italy however, is steadily increasing as Orekhov is still not strong enough to go up against the Italian mafia. As you know, Markov, Orekhov’s current leader, wants our factories for himself. It would certainly greatly increase the group’s financial power. Due to his… special interests, the only way they were getting by is through human trafficking, prostitution, and pornography. Markov has recently gotten a hold of information that could take over the drug trafficking in the country. Some of the underground routes he plans to use connect with ours.”

“Where did he get the information?” Sesshomaru asked.

“From Markov’s spy in Poland, who I have convinced to become my double agent.” Koh answered. He was a very reliable man who rarely let anything slips pass him. But what Sesshomaru liked was his unparalleled persuasive skills. This was qualified on account of his fluency in over 8 languages. Before receiving the order to penetrate Orekhov, Koh had been an emissary who often accompanied Sesshomaru to business and coalition negotiations.

“When is the take over?” Sesshomaru asked as he scanned the papers in his hands.

“His favourite lover, a male Chinese thief named Fei, has told me that Markov will be ready to move in about three months. He’s succeeded in threatening some companies over to his side, while completely shutting down a few others. The top drug trafficking joint is doing well in holding Markov off but it won’t last long. Their boss has a proposition for you, sir.”

“Oh? And what might that be?”

“For our protection, they will give us 5% of their profits or goods and secret routes that will enable us to trade with parts of Africa.”

“Increase it to 10%,” Sesshomaru instructed of Koh, “And Aoi, I want you to use it for foreign currency counterfeiting and identity document forgery, for smoother dealings.” To which the sharp faced man with glasses responded, “Yes, boss.” Aoi stood in as the manager of all the factories the organization owned in Russia since Koh had to be physically present in Orekhov as a spy. The two worked together to collect intelligence while ensuring that business was keeping up.

“Rong, I want all of Orekhov’s business with China cut off. Make it happen.”

A young Chinese man in a traditional golden Changshan stood up and bowed. “I will do so.” Rong was a descendent of the imperial family in China and his clan was one of the few that did not lose its nobility, status, power, or wealth over the years. The mighty dragon adorning the silk clothing that covered his back was proof of that. This was partially due to Sesshomaru’s influence, but since the ingenious Rong took over as head, his clan’s power had increased tenfold and its network now covered almost all of China.

He had utmost respect for Sesshomaru for he was the only man his strong father bowed to. As a teenager, he saw his father and Sesshomaru take over China’s underground and seas when the government had threatened to destroy his family. Now Rong had the government wrapped around his fingers with a large sum of financial debt. Sesshomaru also singlehandedly exacted revenge for his father when he was murdered by an opposing noble family. Their long history together ensured an unbreakable bond of trust between the two. As far as Rong was concerned, Sesshomaru was like his brother, if not a father.

“When Markov’s prostitution business goes down in three months, he’ll need to find another source for Asian… delicacies,” a comment to which the men in the room chuckled, “Jiang, you will then offer him your services and disguise your women as prostitutes. Work with Rong and Koh. They’ll help you. Can you do that for me?” Sesshomaru did not want to offend Jiang, whose wife led a huge society of female assassins in Taiwan. He and his wife were close friends of Sesshomaru’s—hell, it was him who encouraged them to get together.

Jiang used to be a nobody, until he approached Sesshomaru to cheat him out of his money—a plan that obviously didn’t work out very well. But his courage and will to survive impressed Sesshomaru. Instead of buying Jiang’s fake car, he gave him the means to start his own automobile business which has since taken the top seat in Japan. During a mission in Taiwan, Jiang met Ling, who was the heiress to a cult from her grandmother’s side and a large fortune from her father’s side. The two fell in love and married despite the odds and oppositions. Jiang was later given permission to move permanently to Taiwan and he and his wife now ruled Taiwan’s economy and underground society. He is indebted to Sesshomaru for his trust, his assistance and for giving him the love of his life. Asking to leave Japan was the hardest thing he had ever done because he felt like he was betraying the very man who made him who he was. When Sesshomaru granted his request, he kissed his boss’s hand and swore to the heavens: ‘I will become the ‘King’ of Taiwan but the God who will forever rule over this king is Sesshomaru.’

“Of course I can. Ling has been dying to repay you for all the things you’ve done for us. You don’t need to ever ask, we will always follow you.” The tall, slightly tanned man stood up and bowed deeply, his long braid falling to the side of his face. When he sat back down, he had a smile on his face.

“How is Ling?” Sesshomaru asked as he drank the tea Miroku had prepared earlier.

“She is wonderful, sir. Often mentions how much she misses your beautiful hair.” Jiang chuckled at his wife’s deep love for all things exotic.

“Don’t worry, you’ll catch up to me in no time.” Sesshomaru assured him, which Jiang replied to with a playful, “I sure do hope so.”

“Now then, I will leave Orekhov to you four to deal with. Get rid of Markov before he makes his move and make sure to steal the information he has. If he has a backup or if the organization chooses to act without a leader in desperation, their lack of funds will prevent them from getting in our way. Koh, you have permission to mention my name to Obshina in case you need any more assistance. They know the country better than you. You four have my permission to kill anyone who could potentially become a threat to me or you, understood?”

The four answered in unison, “Yes.”

“And above all, you will—“

“Yes, yes. We will come back alive.” Rong finished for Sesshomaru with a grin.
“We don’t plan to die. Although for you, we would be honoured to.” Jiang added.
“I am unable to tell my future, boss. But I will accomplish the mission with Aoi no matter the means.” Koh promised.

Sesshomaru nodded. His partners and agents knew him far too well. Well, they have been working together for so long. They knew that Sesshomaru would eradicate anyone who touched his men. Threatening them would be threatening Sesshomaru himself and that was something nobody ever got away with. The thousands of corpses underneath cemeteries from around the world was proof of that.

The annual meeting continued to proceed well into the evening with an hour break during the afternoon for the men to eat lunch. Miroku made sure everyone was comfortable and had everything they needed. Sesshomaru decided to forget about his earlier interruption and spare his life for a job well done. Various issues, new, old, and current were discussed and Sesshomaru efficiently dealt with every one of them. The speed at which he presented creative solutions and clever instructions still surprised his men. They confirmed once again their pride in being Sesshomaru’s follower. Their leader would remain undefeated, especially when he had them behind him.

It was now almost 6:30PM and the final report was being presented. Kim, under Sesshomaru’s instructions, snuck into Korea and infiltrated their black market. For years, Sesshomaru had wanted to form an alliance with the geondals and jopoks of Korea, but there never appeared a real ‘king’. Even when potential candidates emerged, they didn’t last very long. The very few who did weren’t interested in working with Japan, for Sesshomaru had under his protection Rong, the underground ‘king’ of China. The Korean and Chinese mafia were rivals for a cruel period in history, but even when new heirs took over, the tension between the two groups never vanished. When Rong, for Sesshomaru’s sake, tried to make peace with them, the Koreans flatly refused.

“Sir, I have good news.” Kim said, with a big smile on his face.

“Do share.” Sesshomaru urged, hoping an opportunity to get Korea to his side would present itself. The formidable man already had the major powers of North America and Europe on his team. If Korea would stop being so stubborn, he would also have every power in Asia as a partner. But even after so many years, the matter remained in a standstill.

Kim continued. “You were informed in last year’s meeting that a potential ‘king’ had appeared. The man I mentioned could very well be the one we’ve been looking for. His status and power in Korea continues to rise and almost every current underground association has recognized him as the boss. They’re going so far as to call him ‘Kingpin’.”

“Is he any good?” Jiang probed.
“If he is anything less than respectable, I have no desire to negotiate with him.” Rong stated flatly. He was still upset that he was refused the last time he tried talking to the Koreans.

“No sirs, he is very reputable. Our customers in Korea are even comparing him to Sesshomaru of Japan, namely you, boss.” Kim nodded to his superior. The sociable man had very sharp ears and a remarkable memory that made him one of the best data collectors Sesshomaru had ever seen. The amount of inside information he had in that skull of his was truly impressive.

“Interesting. Perhaps I should meet with the man.” Sesshomaru cocked an eyebrow. He hoped the information on this ‘kingpin’ was satisfactory. Kim stood up and passed to him a file with the mysterious man’s information.

“I believe that can be easily arranged, sir. He is currently in Japan right now. On a side note, his absence also allowed our business in Korea’s black market to expand.” Sesshomaru would have to reward the man for his hard work. Good news was certainly enjoyable to hear. But there was something that didn’t make sense.

“What reason would he have to enter Japan?” Sesshomaru inquired. Most of the Korean leaders he had known over the years did their best to stay away from Japan, so this course of action was very peculiar.

Kim laughed, knowing how amusing his answer would be.

“It seems he’s come here in search of someone—his future wife, so to speak. As you know, the Korean mafia thinks very differently from us. To them, attaining a loyal wife strong enough to support her husband in every aspect and protect him against danger is an admirable feat. Like yin and yang, the complimentary two will be expected to lead the organization to the top. Koreans believe that the ability to choose such a wife is a characteristic that only the best bosses can have. And the current ‘Kingpin’ seems to think so too.”

“But a Korean crime boss with a Japanese wife? Ha!” Jiang snickered at the irony.
“He must be out of his mind. As I thought, I cannot meet with such a man.” Rong frowned, shaking his head.
“Surely his delegates do not support him?” Koh asked, flabbergasted.

“No, it seems they are even encouraging the kingpin to go after this Japanese. The person is apparently infamous within Korean mafia history for being extremely strong and beautiful. Many at the top wanted this ‘Silverclaw’ person—“

“WHAT?!” Miroku cried, as Sesshomaru suddenly sprung up from his seat, effectively knocking the leather chair over. While Miroku looked like he had seen a ghost, Sesshomaru had the most unanticipated expression the men in the room had ever seen. Their boss suddenly ran out the conference room door without a word, the papers clasped tightly in his palms.

“What has happened?” Koh yelled, worry clearly on his face.
“Miroku, where’s Sesshomaru going?” Jiang asked impatiently.
“Who is this Silverclaw person?” Rong demanded.

“K-Kim, what were you saying about Silverclaw?” Miroku gulped. No way, was it for real?

“I don’t know, I-I just heard from… That many of those in high-position in the Korean mafia wanted this Silverclaw person for themselves, but it seems information on her is extremely hard to find. No one even knew her nationality until the current kingpin announced it. The two seemed to have a history, so they all admitted defeat. I-If the kingpin managed to get Silverclaw as his wife, then he’ll gain the full support of all the delegates. H-He’ll stand at the top. ”

“Fuck, now what?” Miroku groaned heavily to the ground as the other men starred at him in utter confusion.


-----


Sesshomaru grabbed his card key and ran into the elevator. Within minutes, he was inside his private suite. Without even closing the suite door, he immediately ran towards his bedroom. The door was still open, like he had left it. But this relieved him only the slightest bit.

He stood unmoving at the entrance as he took everything in. An empty bed. The digital clock at the head flashed 6:38PM. There was no sign of Inuyasha anywhere in the room. Only long strips of bloody bandages were left behind on the bed and on the floor. Sesshomaru immediately dashed for the bathroom, then the closet, then the kitchen and to every corner of his suite.

Nothing.

Inuyasha was gone.

When Sesshomaru screamed his name, only silence bothered to answer him.

Did he leave?

Getting into the suite required the card key. But getting out was as simple as pressing the button to the ground floor. Sesshomaru had underestimated Inuyasha’s healing abilities. Fuck.

Then Sesshomaru noticed the files that were still in his hands. He tried to flatten them, but the papers would never truly regain their original shape. He looked through furrowed brows at the secretly taken photo of a black ponytailed man smoking a Malboro beside a silver Lamborghini that sparkled under the nightlights. His eyes made its way to the bolded text beside the photograph:

Kouga.

------

Well, fuck. These just keep getting longer don’t they?
I planned to make the new chapter a little bit longer because you guys had asked for it but maybe I overdid it. Sorry! I hope it didn’t cause any inconveniences. (I’ve read some stories with really long chapters before too and I ended up procrastinating big time because I was so hooked on reading it all, haha…)

AND DUN DUN DUN, A LOVE RIVAL APPEARS. TAKE THAT SESSHOMARU. /pets Inuyasha (laugh)

Anyway, please review if you enjoyed the new chapter! They make me want to continue writing!!
Thanks a lot for the support so far! Hopefully I didn’t make as many mistakes this time around, haha.

See you next time!