When Two Paths Entwine

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The character Marcus is a friend named Mark. His twin sister Adrianna is inspired by Princess_Maura (aka) Adrianna.

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Chapter 7: Choices

Sesshoumaru’s eyes filled with regret as he watched Kagome disappear into the elevator. He knew that this was another mark against him. The pain that weighed constantly on his heart now settled heavily in place. He looked down at the top of his daughter’s head as she hugged him tightly.

“Why are you home so early Rin?”

The young woman lifted her dark brown eyes and smiled at him. “I’ve finished my exams already so I decided to come home.”

Sesshoumaru smiled proudly as he hugged her again. From the moment Rin entered his life, she filled it with nothing but joy. He rarely had to discipline her and she always tried hard to please him. He grinned as a thought popped into his head. ‘Well, that is until her uncle gets involved.’ His grin broadened. ‘If nothing else in my life is right, she is.’ He stepped back and grabbed her hand, leading her to his office.

Rin waved happily at Kaede before following her father. She was so happy to be home and she knew that her father needed her, despite what he said. One look at his tired and strained face told her that she’d made the right decision to return early. She walked into his office and shut the door behind her.

“I have to make a few calls Rin. We can leave when I’m done.”

She nodded and sat in the chair opposite. “I don’t mind.”

He smiled and lifted his hand to pick up the phone but paused as he remembered his plans for the evening. His daughter looked at him enquiringly.

“I just remembered that I have to go to dinner at Yura’s house tonight.”

He waited expectantly for the reaction he knew he’d receive. He wasn’t disappointed. He almost laughed as he watched Rin’s struggle to contain the displeasure that she felt. He knew his daughter didn’t like his fiancée and he couldn’t blame her. Yura was not the ideal for a stepmother.

Rin attempted to smile but knew that she was failing dismally. “If you don’t mind dad, I’ll stay home with uncle Yaya.”

Sesshoumaru smirked. “He’s going too.”

Rin burst into laughter. She knew that if anyone despised Yura more than her, it was her uncle.

“How did you convince him to go?”

Sesshoumaru’s smirk turned into an amused smile. “Don’t ask.”

Rin giggled again then turned as the door opened behind her. She leapt out of her seat and launched herself at Inuyasha as he entered the office.

“Uncle Yaya.”

Inuyasha laughed and spun the girl around, returning her hug affectionately. “What are you doing home so early brat? And how many times have I told you not to call me that?”

Rin’s giggles grew louder as her uncle tickled her unmercifully. They both stopped their antics when Sesshoumaru’s stern voice spoke out.

“When the two of you have quite finished…”

“Trust Mr morose here to ruin our fun.” Inuyasha rolled his eyes then grabbed the girl’s hand, leading her to the door. “Come on Rin, let’s go and annoy the techies.”

Sesshoumaru opened his mouth to protest, knowing how irate the worker’s became at their pranks. He sighed when the door closed behind them. ‘What’s the point? They never listen anyway.’ A smile suddenly appeared on his stoic features. ‘Besides, better them than me.’


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Arin and Kikyou exchanged glances then turned back to look at Kagome. She sat on the floor playing with Ryu, attempting to hide whatever upset her behind the false smile she wore. Her act didn’t fool anyone. Not even Ryu, who occasionally looked up at her with concern in his big golden eyes. However, despite their efforts to get Kagome to talk, she remained silent, assuring them that it was no more than tiredness. The two girls walked back into the small kitchen and continued their chores.

“How long has she been like this?” Kikyou had arrived home from work an hour earlier to find her cousin in this state.

“She was like that when I picked her up from work. She was late coming out but I don’t think that’s what’s bothering her.” Arin wiped the plate in her hand as she spoke. “I wonder if something happened with Sesshoumaru.”

Kikyou sighed and looked at her gravely. “Most likely. He’s the only who can make Kagome look like this.”

Arin nodded in agreement. Even though Kagome insisted that it wasn’t a problem working with him, they both knew that it was. ‘It had to be’ she reasoned in her mind. ‘To finally find the man you’re looking for, the father of your child and learn that he’s about to marry another woman; that was bad enough but to face him daily in such circumstances must be so heartbreaking.’ She sighed as she stacked the last of the dishes in the cupboard then followed Kikyou into the living room and sat on the lounge. She watched as Kikyou bent to scoop her nephew into her arms.

“Come on little man. It’s auntie Kikyou’s turn to read you a story.”

Ryu giggled and clapped his hand. He loved auntie Kikyou’s story times. She made it so much fun with all the silly voices she used for the people. He kissed his mother and Arin before grabbing his aunt’s neck excitedly. She laughed as she carried him down the hallway, towards the room he shared with his mother.

Arin turned to Kagome. “What’s wrong Kay? And don’t tell me nothing ‘cause I can see that there is.”

Kagome sighed, too tired to argue. If she was honest with herself, she needed to talk, even if some of it was shameful and embarrassing. Starting hesitantly, she explained to Arin about the night in Sesshoumaru’s office, when they kissed. Her head lowered in shame as she spoke honestly of her reaction.

“I can’t seem to control myself Arin. All he has to do is touch me and I’m his for the taking. If that phone didn’t ring, I don’t know what would’ve happened.”

Arin watched her with sympathetic eyes. She knew that her friend was punishing herself for giving in to her feelings. Again, she was struck by the awkwardness of Kagome and Sesshoumaru’s situation, feeling guilty that she was instrumental to its existence. Still, despite her guilt, she was convinced that it was for the best. She was firm in her belief that certain things needed to change and they wouldn’t come about if Kagome were elsewhere.

“Kay, I really think you should tell him about Ryu. He obviously still has feelings for you, so I’m sure he’ll want to know about his son.”

Kagome sighed in frustration. “Arin, you know why I can’t tell him.”

“I know the reason you give for not doing so, but I don’t understand it.” She stared levelly at her friend. “Don’t you think he a right to know?”

Kagome’s face crumpled into a mask of agony. “I… I don’t… I can’t Arin. It’s not fair. He’s got his whole life planned with another woman. I don’t want his relationship to fall apart. I think it’s better if I tell him after he’s married.”

“What?” Arin stared in shock. “Why? Kagome, that’s madness! To do that is so much worse. Can’t you see that? At least now, he has the chance to decide what he wants to do. After he’s committed, it’ll be a lot harder for him to make that decision.”

Kagome stared at her hands silently. She felt Arin’s gaze but refused to meet it. She had no idea what to say to her. She jumped when she felt the girl’s hand on her shoulder and looked up, into deep green eyes that watched her with concern.

“What are you so scared of Kay?”

Kagome swallowed and felt tears rise as she fought to maintain control. “I…”

Arin watched as she continued to struggle. “Are you worried that he’ll reject you? He can’t say that Ryu isn’t his. I mean, look at him. I may not have seen much of Sesshoumaru Taisho but it’s plainly obvious that Ryu’s his son.”

“I’m more scared that he’ll feel honour bound to perform his duty and spend the rest of his life resenting me. He obviously loves… that woman or he wouldn’t be engaged to her. How can I come between them Arin?” Kagome shook her head, answering her own question. “I can’t. I just can’t.”

Arin wanted to press the point further. She wanted to demand to know what made Kagome think that this wouldn’t ruin his marriage. However, she held her tongue. She could see how upset Kagome was getting and she didn’t want to make it worse. She decided instead, on a question.

“Kagome, you said this happened two weeks ago. You didn’t seem upset these last few days, so why now?”

Kagome gave Arin a wry grin. “There isn’t much that gets past you, is there?”

Arin smiled but pressed the question. “Did something happen?”

Kagome’s face was enough to answer her question.

“Aside from another brush with Yura, you mean?” She didn’t have to explain the comment because Arin knew exactly how much the woman affected her. “I discovered today that Sesshoumaru has a teenage daughter.”

“Oh”

“Oh? That’s all you have to say?” Kagome looked at Arin in stunned amazement before something occurred to her. “Did you know about this?”

Arin shrugged, feeling suddenly awkward. “Yes, I did actually.”

“And you never thought to tell me?”

Arin felt worse by the second. She looked at Kagome’s hurt and angry features and sighed.

“Kay, I’m sorry. I really didn’t think about it. I’ve never seen the girl or heard much about her. The truth is, I only remembered her just now, when you mentioned it.”

Kagome’s face relaxed into a smile as she leaned forward and hugged her friend. “No… I’m the one who’s sorry. None of this is your fault. I made my own situation and now I have to live with it. It’s just that… sometimes, it’s so hard.”

Arin hugged her friend comfortingly as she cried. “There’s always a chance that everything will work out.”

Kagome pulled back, her face a mask of sadness. “No Arin. I’ve decided that it’s time I put him out of my mind and get on with my life. He has someone now. I need to get out there and find someone for myself.”

Arin’s heart sank as she listened to the flat and unenthusiastic tone of Kagome’s voice. She opened her mouth to protest, to let her know of her mistake but promptly closed it. She couldn’t say anything. She’d made a vow, one that couldn’t be broken. She would just have to wait and pray that everything turned out as it should. ‘And in the meantime, I can be here to help her through everything that’s coming her way.’


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Inuyasha looked at his brother and felt sympathy for him. He could see the strained lines about his eyes and mouth, unnoticeable to others but clear to him. His eyes flicked to the clingy woman at Sesshoumaru’s side, barely containing his disgust, then back to his sibling. ‘I have to do something.’ He leaned forward and cleared his throat, catching everyone’s attention.

“Sesshoumaru, I really have to leave. I have to prepare for the meeting tomorrow.”

The relief and gratitude showed in Sesshoumaru’s eyes. “Yes, I do too.”

Yura mewled in disappointment, tightening her grip on Sesshoumaru’s arm. “Oh, do you have to leave already?”

Sesshoumaru forced a smile to his lips and looked her. “I’m afraid so Yura. This meeting is important.”

She pouted prettily while she held fast to his arm. “That’s all I hear from you lately, important meeting this, important meeting that. Honestly Sesshoumaru, I’m beginning to think that you don’t like spending time with me.”

Sesshoumaru gritted his teeth and held back the sigh that threatened to escape. “Yura, you know that we’ve been having a lot of problems in the company. It’s not my intention to stay away from you but recently, it’s been rather unavoidable.”

“Yura, leave the poor man alone. You know he’s having a trying time at the moment, so why don’t you… ease up on him.”

Naraku chuckled as his sister turned to glare at him. He noted that her hold on Sesshoumaru did not loosen one bit. Shaking his head, he signalled the butler and sent him to organise the limousine for his guests. By the time he turned back, Sesshoumaru had managed to extricate himself from Yura’s clutches. He stepped forward and held out his hand to his sister’s fiancée, smiling pleasantly as he bade him goodnight.

“I will leave Adrianna to escort you out Sesshoumaru. Thank you for such pleasant company, this evening.”

Sesshoumaru swallowed the bile that rose in his throat and nodded. “I will see you on Saturday.”

“Of course you will.”

With a nod to Inuyasha, Naraku walked from the room. His graceful and courteous manner belied the true nature of evil within him. A smile twisted on his handsome features as he thought of all Sesshoumaru’s ills. His dark eyes glinted with malice. ‘Soon… soon it will be all mine.’ He flicked his shoulder length black hair away from his face and continued down the hall, smirking as he listened to the conversation of the departing guests.

“We have to call Myouga first thing in the morning.” Inuyasha told Sesshoumaru. “Maybe he’ll know what the hell is going on.”

“I hope so Inuyasha because if this keeps up, we’ll have to think seriously of some other options.”

They followed Naraku’s bodyguard outside and nodded as she turned to leave them. Once in the limo, Sesshoumaru breathed a sigh of relief. He dared not speak for the certainty that the car was bugged. Instead, he retreated into his thoughts.

Inuyasha pondered on how he should broach the subject that concerned him with Sesshoumaru. His brother could be so testy and would most likely clam up if he went about it the wrong way. He looked at him while he continued to debate on his approach, noting the dark circles under his eyes.

Sesshoumaru could feel his brother’s eyes on him and knew that there would be an inquisition when they arrived home. For several days now, Inuyasha’s curious stare had followed him around. He was surprised at his restraint. Inuyasha hardly ever held back on what he thought or felt and never failed to pursue his answers. Leaning back on the headrest, he closed his eyes and let his mind wander. As usual, Kagome was the first thought to surface. He tried desperately to figure a way out of his current predicament but knew that it was futile. His eyes opened in surprise when the car stopped and the door swung open.

Inuyasha climbed out of the limousine and waited for his brother. They walked into the opulent mansion, greeting their butler as he held open the door. The short, balding man had a thin frame and a small angular face. His yellow-brown eyes were a most unusual colour and matched nicely with the green tinge of his brown hair.

Jakken nodded to his masters and closed the door behind them. “Rin is sleeping sir. I think her trip wore her out. And you received a call from Miss Kagura. She said to let you know that she won’t be in tomorrow. Apparently, something rather urgent came up.”

Sesshoumaru frowned. “Did she mention what that might be?”

“No sir, only that she would call you when she returned home.”

Sesshoumaru nodded. “Very good Jakken.”

Inuyasha followed his brother into the lounge room and went straight to the bar, pouring them both a serve of brandy. “I wonder what’s happened now.”

Sesshoumaru sighed and shrugged his shoulders tiredly. “Who knows but I’m sure we’ll find out tomorrow.”

“I just hope she’s okay.” Inuyasha took another large gulp of his drink and looked at his brother determinedly. “So what’s up Sesshoumaru?”

Sesshoumaru smirked. “After all that thought and that’s the best you can come up with?”

Inuyasha scowled but refused to be put off. “Stop dodging the issue, you bastard. Tell me what’s going on with you.”

Sighing, Sesshoumaru looked down into his glass. “I’m tired of this charade Inuyasha. I find it more and more difficult to tolerate Yura’s whining and clinging, but the worst part of it is having to endure Naraku’s presence.”

“I know that it must be hard but why now? It was your decision to go through with the engagement.” Inuyasha rubbed tiredly at his eyes. “So… what are you going to do? Do you intend to break it off and drop the act?”

Sesshoumaru wanted to say yes. He wanted to do just that, to send Yura to hell and have his life back. ‘But I won’t have my life back until Naraku is out of the picture. And that won’t happen if I don’t continue with this farce.’ He was trapped, no matter which way he looked at it. ‘Besides, do I really want to bring Kagome into a situation as dangerous this one? He had no illusions of what Naraku was capable of and he wasn’t certain exactly how his life would become in the near future. ‘That isn’t what I want for my…’

“Sesshoumaru! Are you going to answer me?”

Sesshoumaru looked at his brother’s annoyed face, surprised that his thoughts had drifted again.

“You do that a lot lately, do you know that?”

“Look Inuyasha, don’t worry. I’m not about to do anything foolish and jeopardise the investigation. Not after all the time we’ve all spent on it. I’ve put with Yura for almost a year and a half, and I won’t let it be for nothing. I will continue as planned.”

Inuyasha sighed in relief. As much as he wanted those two out of their lives, he knew that this was the only way. It was too late now, to change plans. They were committed. His eyes held sympathy as they looked at Sesshoumaru’s worn features.

“Is anything else bothering you? You haven’t been yourself for a while now.”

Sesshoumaru stood abruptly, answering in a curt tone. “I’ve answered your question, now stop pestering me.”

A smirk flashed across Inuyasha’s face as he shook his head. ‘Well… at least he sounds a little more like himself again.’ he thought as he watched his sibling walk from the room with his usual arrogant grace.


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Kagome walked briskly down the hall, reassuring herself with each step that she’d made the right decision. ‘Then why doesn’t it feel right?’ Her footsteps halted as she stood a moment, berating her weakness. ‘No Kagome, you’ve made up your mind and you’ll stick to it. You’ll never get back into the real world if you keep making excuses and hiding.’ With renewed determination, she made her way to the office that Hojo worked in. She smiled at him when she entered.

“Good morning Hojo.”

Hojo beamed in surprise. “Kagome, hi. I’m surprised to see you. I was going to pay you a visit a little later. I didn’t expect you to come here.”

“Well, I did tell you that I’d let you know today.” She almost laughed at his look of anticipation. “I’d love to go to the ball with you.”

For a moment, he sat in surprise as he let her words sink in. ‘She said yes?’ He couldn’t believe his ears. All morning, he’d prepared himself for her rejection.

Kagome watched him curiously. He hadn’t moved or said a word. He sat with a look of amazement on his face. She jumped when he suddenly leapt from his seat and rushed around the desk. She almost cringed, expecting him to grab her from the manner of his approach.

He stopped a foot away from her and grabbed both her hands in his. “Wow, Kagome… I don’t know what to say. I’m so glad you’ve decided to go. Honestly, I really didn’t think you would.”

Kagome lowered her head. “The truth is that I wasn’t going to but I decided that I’ve lived as a hermit for long enough, so…”

He almost swept her into his arms but managed to contain himself. “You’ll have to give me your address. I’ll come and pick you up.”

“Oh, that’s not necessary Hojo.”

He beamed as he moved to his desk to find a paper and pen. “Nonsense, you’re my date for the evening and there’s no way I’m letting you turn up on your own.”

She didn’t know what to say to him. Never, had she heard Hojo speak with such authority. She found herself writing her address on the paper while her brain tried to figure out how she would avoid him seeing Ryu. She didn’t want to insist that he not come to get her. That might make him suspicious. ‘No, I’ll just try and be ready early so he doesn’t need to come in and wait.’ Happy with her plan, she handed him the paper, preparing to leave.

“I’ll pick you up at six then.”

“I’ll be ready.” She nodded and turned to the door. “I better go now. I’ll see you later Hojo.”

“Sure Kagome.” His smile lingered as he stood watching her walk down the hall. He loved the way she moved. ‘Hell, I love everything about her.’ Chuckling to himself, he thought of Saturday evening with great anticipation. ‘Finally, I have a chance to make Kagome mine.’


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AN: I’d like to thank Inugrl, Cygnus and Marquel for the ideas that they gave me.

I know that some things have confused a lot of you but I’m pretty sure that this chapter clears up most of those issues. If not, ask away. I can’t promise I’ll tell you but I’ll try. hehe.

Usual Note: If you’d like me to notify you when I update my stories, just leave your email address in your review.

Well, thanks again for all the responses. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I’m looking forward to hearing from you all.
Babs